#birdcop

Gavin

He had just returned home after a mission in the next town over

Wounds all over, some still fresh after the most recent skirmish

He didn’t care about being hurt (he was used to pain, anyways)

What he DID care about was going home in this state

His hands started trembling a bit (he had to hold them to stop them from moving so much)

The keys he was holding nearly dropped (caught them just in time)

He quietly turned the lock and the door slowly creaked open

He tiptoed inside, silencing his footsteps with the wind, and was about to head upstairs

click (the lights to the stairwell turned on to reveal a small figure at the bottom of the steps)

he

Was

BUSTED.

By one of two people he didn’t want to be discovered by (the other was sleeping soundly)

“Well, well, well.” (the figure rose up and started descending down the stairs)

“Welcome home, (there was a pause) Officer Gavin.”

Gavin put down his stuff and got on his knees to meet her eyes (his heart started pounding)

“Daniella, why aren’t you in bed yet? It’s already—”

“Time to get the first aid kit out again? Yes, come along” (she dragged him to the living room, pulling his arm to make him sit on the couch)

“Dani, I can bandage myself...I want you to go upstairs right now, and tuck yourself in next to Mommy, okay?” (he tried to sound more authoritative)

He wasn’t that authoritative

“No!” (she tossed the bandages on the floor)

Gavin was speechless

She has never thrown a tantrum like this before....(even when Minor accidentally broke her teacup set)

He looked back at his daughter, eyes now filled with crystal tears, and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck

“Hey, listen...(he gently held her small hand, using his other to wipe her face)”

She didn’t say anything back, but he could tell she was listening

“I know that you’re worried about my work, and I know I come home with wounds sometimes”

“All the time. (sniffle) You come home hurt every single time”

Gavin let out a chuckle (she was holding his hand really tight)

“You’re right. And I don’t have any excuses to tell you. But thanks for worrying about me, sport”

“.......you’re welcome....and Mommy was worried about you, too”

Gavin’s heart just did a 5-mile run (he was actually living with 2 angels)

“Well then, do you want to go upstairs and tell Mommy that Daddy’s home?”

Her face lit up and she wasted no time in dashing up the stairs, slamming the bedroom door open (you’re forced to wake up as you’re nearly hugged to death)

“Wha— Daniella, what’s wrong? Gavin! You’re back! I’ve missed you so—” (your eyes drift to his originally white shirt it’s now dyed pink)

“...............Gavin....?”

TIME FOR ROUND 2

UGH! This just reminded me how much I love writing headcanons!

Her arms crossed over her chest and she tried desperately to conceal the twitch in her eye as she looked over Gavin’s pantry. 

Everything was either a frozen dinner, cups of noodles, or boxed crap. “This…” She sighed heavily as she moved to rub the bridge of her nose. “I’m speechless.” She sighed before she moved to grab her phone, moving to note down some groceries in the note app. 

Gavin had been kind enough to let her stay at his place for a few days while her apartment fixed the water line. The main line had burst on her block and they lost all water to the apartment and the street was left a flooded mess. 

Nick sighed, the young woman looking at the crowd of people. ‘Just got to get the stuff and go.’

There was one thing she was making sure. She was going to be cooking more tomorrow and making sure Gavin actually had real food with nutritional value. The basket she was using was steadily filling with things--vegetables, fruit, meat, seafood, pasta and more. She’d have to bring him grocery shopping next time. 

By the time Gavin got home, he was surprised to see Nick standing in the kitchen. It wasn’t as large as the one she had at her apartment, but it worked. He didn’t cook much more then his noodles or quick meals. Though, his eyes did fall upon the new rice cooker sitting on the counter. 

His lips curved into a slight smile. The aroma of the meal she was making and the sight of her. Dark hair twisted into a messy bun, an apron tied around her. This was a dream to him. He was so lost in the sight it took him a moment to notice her looking at him, hand on her hip, a brow arched and an amused look on her face. 

“Go sit down and relax. Dinner will be ready soon. I made a bit so you can take some to work tomorrow if you want.”

Gavin didn’t go sit, rather his arms gently caught her around the waist, his nose buried in her neck. “You’re amazing.” He whispered. He couldn’t remember the last time someone took their time to cook for him. The last time he had a home cooked meal that wasn’t takeaway. 

Her cheeks turned a bright shade of red as she brought a hand to run through his hair. “I’m not that amazing, Gavin.” Her voice softened, her heart fluttering under his words. “You do so much for me. For everyone. The least I can do is make sure you have a nice meal.”

Her words earned a soft kiss to her neck just under her jaw. The warmth of his kiss made her shiver, her eyes drifting shut as she leaned back into his embrace. 

“Sometimes…” His voice started out, soft and thick with emotion, “I look at you and I wonder how I got so lucky.” 

“You were yourself.” She turned her head, eyes bright with emotion as she looked at him. “You were the Gavin I misunderstood in school. The man that saves me time and time again. You’re a good person. A brave person that is a hero to everyone.” 

Her words meant more than he could voice.

“Now.” She turned in his grasp and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. When he moved to follow her back to steal another, her fingertips were to his lips. “Nope.” She smiled. “I love you but while I am here, this is my kitchen and I am kicking you out. You’re distracting and I don’t want to ruin the food.” 

Gavin was almost pouting as he obeyed, going to the living room. When dinner was ready, they sat at the island separating the living room from the kitchen. Before him was a spicy seafood curry with rice. 

“Everything is packed up for tomorrow too. So you can take it to work.”

It had only taken her one day to make his apartment truly feel like home. It was not just a lonely place for resting between missions. He knew that feeling would only grow stronger the longer she stayed. 

His fingers grasped her shoulder to draw her closer, his lips to her temple. “Thank you.”

She made him forget what it was like to live alone. 

After you were done ordering, you reached past him to put the phone back in it’s holder and he stole a look at you with a warm expression. 

“Hey, MC?”

“Yeah?”

He shyly opened his arms wide, inviting you for a hug and you gladly accepted. You held each other tight, you took in each other’s scent, and you cherished the warmth of each other’s bodies. 

“Mmm, I could stay like this forever,” you said with your face pressed against his chest. He was glad you couldn’t see just how much that sentence made him blush, he was more pink than the cherry blossoms outside. Through his moment of fluster he replied, 

“M-me too,” with a sweet smile brushed on his chiseled features. 

Neither of you were looking at each other’s face but you could tell that you were both smiling wide, so happy to just be together in this moment. Unfortunately, though, the moment couldn’t last forever and you went out to grab the takeout. You were putting on your shoes and Gavin followed behind you, 

“Here, lock the door for me, please.” you said, tossing him your house keys as you walked onto your porch. 

You took a deep breath of the wonderful spring time air and then BANG BANG BANG. That was all you heard before you fell to the ground in immense pain. There had been a shootout in your neighborhood, most likely SWAN coming for you, but you hadn’t the time to think it over. The pain and throbbing of your heart soon overtook your thoughts as you clutched your waist. You writhed on the ground in agony. Gavin rushed out of your apartment as soon as he heard the noise. A man who was dressed in all black put the gun in a paper bag and threw it away. Gavin heard no other noise than your hitching breaths, he didn’t hear any of the pedestrians calling the police and ambulance. He couldn’t see the people walking right in front of him and frantically checking if you were okay. The delicate glass world he built with you shattered around him as he ran straight to you, pushing people out of the way to be by your side.

“G-Gavin,” you struggled to get the words out as he frantically took off his shirt and began tying it around your abdomen and yelling at you to apply pressure, apply pressure, apply pressure. You could barely feel his hands over your own as he helped you hold the wound. You tried to lift yourself and he took you in his arms, laying you back down, 

“N-no stay down okay? You just need to focus on breathing and don’t move, okay?” He choked the tears back as he looked down at you. He gently placed his forehead on your shoulder, squeezing it tight. The smell of your perfume was now mixed with blood and the warmth he cherished earlier was now leaving you. He spoke again to keep your attention on what was happening around you, 

“Hey, do y-you remember when I was going on that l-long  mission a-and you said to me ‘if you die I’m gonna kill you’? Well, t-the same goes for you, MC, so you- you have to be okay o-or else I’ll be mad at you.” 

His voice was trembling as a painful grimace of bittersweet remembrance was covered in the salty tears coming from his eyes. He thought all of the times he’d been there to protect you, yet, this time, he couldn’t. He couldn’t contain his own agony anymore and began crying in heaving breaths and gasps for air. He sobbed into the blood stained white and blue striped shirt that you always wore. How could he be so useless as you lay there bleeding out in his arms? How could he not have been there to protect you? His throat and eyes burned from his cries, but he couldn’t stop, he couldn’t hold it together anymore. The second you got hurt was the second he felt like he’d been ripped in two. Seeing you like this, seeing you in so much pain, it broke him. 

Your consciousness was slipping away, spurts of black dots spreading across your vision. Tears streamed from Gavin’s eyes as he lifted his head to look into yours, the tears falling on your cheek and mixing with your own as he clutched you. With the sound of sirens and flashing lights behind him, he whispered to you through his trembling lips, 

“You’ll be okay, y-you have to be okay.” The last thing you saw was Gavin’s face as your world faded to black. Gavin’s cries grew more intense as you fell limp in his grip. The EMTs practically had to tear him away from you as they loaded you into the ambulance. With one hand wiping his tears away and the other gripping yours, time moved in slow motion for Gavin as you were driven to the emergency room. He didn’t know if he believed in a god, but he was still praying to one that you would be okay. You had to be okay. 

You woke up to a bright white light filling your vision. You soon figured out that it was the ceiling of a hospital room, and you, thankfully, didn’t just croak and go to Heaven. You groggily moved your head and brought up your arms to rub your eyes, but you were stopped by Gavin’s hand still firmly gripping yours. He laid there asleep, tear stains on the bed. Normally, he would’ve looked peaceful, but now, he slept with a look of despair that seemed to be permanently etched into his features. His amber eyes slowly opened, he expected to see you still asleep as you had been for days. When he saw that you were awake and looking at him, he jumped up and a look of utter disbelief crossed him. 

“MC?” 

He said it as if he were determining if this moment was a dream. You smiled at him gently and he lunged forward to embrace you. He squeezed you tightly, his hands were shaking and out came another flood of emotion. He couldn’t believe you’d made it out okay. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have you there with him again. He nuzzled his head on your shoulder, the same shoulder he remembered crying on, but now you were warm again, you were okay again, he could feel the pulse in your neck and he breathed a heavy sigh of relief. 

You chuckled at this, he was never so openly affectionate. Thinking upon why he was so openly affectionate now, though, made that happy mood fade away entirely. He let go of you and sat back down next to you. He looked over you worriedly, his head dropped into his hands. 

“I’m sorry…”

“Gavin, don’t say that, it’s not your-”

“It is my fault,” he said, “I wasn’t there to protect you, I- I wasn’t there to-”

“Gavin, shhhhhhh.” 

You put your hand on his arm and looked at him, there was pain swirling in both his and your eyes. You didn’t know what to say, you didn’t want to think about everything that happened. Naturally, you were scared to think about it, but having him there seemed to comfort those thoughts, his presence always made you feel safe and you would never blame him for any of this, so how could he blame himself? 

“Hey, look at me,” you said, “look at me, I’ll be okay, I will.”

This reassurance made him feel better, to see you moving and hearing your voice again lit up the happiness he’d forgotten about in such a short time. He put his hand on yours, a physical representation of his want for you to never leave him again. 

With a gentle smile you spoke again, 

“Since I’m okay now, does that mean you’re not mad at me?”

He started laughing, how could you be so wonderful? He almost forgot how to laugh or smile in the days you were unconscious, but immediately, you brought back the light you had given him when you two met, when he saw you for the first time and offered his coat to shield you from the rain. He thought about something he wanted to say then and something he needed to say now.

“Um, MC, I was going to tell you this that day, and I never got the chance, and I-I…”

He sighed and brushed his hair away from his face, looking to the ground, he said,

“I love you, you know that?”

You tried to lift yourself up to kiss his cheek, but you winced in pain and grabbed the bandages that were wrapped around you. He laid you back down softly and brushed the hair from your face. When he started to move away you pulled him in an embrace, 

“I knew that,” you whispered in his ear, “but thank you for saying it out loud.” There you were, making him blush like mad yet again. 

Resting your head on his shoulder as you held him and he held you said quietly, as if sharing a precious secret, “I love you too.”

You held each other and for the first time in what seemed like ages, both Gavin and you peacefully slept, coddled in each other’s arms as the day faded away.

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I hope you liked it <3