I might upload a chapter for a new fic I’m writing soon but it’s taking a while because I write slow. It’s centered around a former Sith assassin, two years post order 66 working as a mercenary? I don’t know where the story is going yet but I really like the new character. she’s got a strong personality and voice so I hope you all might like her. Lmk if any of you find that interesting at all? I’m still working towards being a better writer and it’s gonna be a little rough but yeah whatever it doesn’t have to be perfect for me to post.
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Author Notes: Unfortunately, I'm starting to feel very cringe when I write intimate scenes between Hunter and Wren. And I don't know why. It's not like I've never done it before. And if anyone else wrote the same thing, I wouldn't find it cringe. But because it's me, and I'm nervous about how it will be received by my readers who love Wren, I'm just a bit uneasy. So, I'm sorry if it makes you uncomfortable as well, but it really is important to my telling of their story, so I want to do it for my sake. I just need to stop feeling embarrassed!
Pairing: Hunter x Female OC
Word Count: 4970
Warnings: Quite a bit of swearing. Hunter and Wren continue getting physical. The action picks up right where the last chapter left off, and they go further, but still don't actually have sex. There is heavy kissing and petting. Orgasms are had by both, but Wren was never without clothes. Hunter on the other hand... If you would rather not read a smutty chapter, you can skip this and not miss out on any actual plot points.
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Patience & Trust Masterlist (the sequel)
Hunter and the Librarian Masterlist (the original)
Dividers by animatedglittergraphics-n-more
When she woke up, she could tell it had been a couple of hours. She could hear Hunter's sleep-breathing, slow and steady. She could still feel it on top of her head. They had barely moved since she had fallen asleep. His chest and stomach were pressed against her back, and her ass was against his crotch again, but this time he was very hard.
She knew he was asleep, and she knew it was just an involuntary physical reaction, but that knowledge didn't stop her from getting very warm from her head to her toes.
His hand had also moved. It had started on the outside of her shirt, lightly resting against her mid-section. But now he'd moved it under her shirt and was holding onto her breast. Not tightly, just enough to feel it. And boy, did she feel it.
And most noticeable was how aroused she was. That must have started before she woke up, because there's no way she got that wet in the minute since she woke up. His leg was still in between hers, and she hoped he wouldn't be able to feel just how excited her body was.
She needed to move a little, because her muscles were starting to ache. But she didn't know how to move her legs without waking him up or rubbing against him more.
But it had to be done, so she shifted just a tad. And immediately she felt him hold her a little tighter, and his legs squeezed hers just a bit. It was almost as if he was trying to keep her there, but she was pretty sure he was still asleep.
Shoot, she thought. I'm going to have to wake him up...I can't stay like this much longer.
She shifted her body enough that she was lying on her back instead of on her side. His hand was no longer holding her breast, but was laying across her chest, a bit heavily if she had to be honest. There's no way she could lie like that for long either, she'd start getting claustrophobic if she couldn't move his arm.
So, she moved it down to where it was resting below her breasts, and that helped some. She then turned onto her right side, so she was facing him.
At that point, he started moving more. He mumbled something she couldn't make out and pulled her in closer again. A soft smile spread across her face. She loved how much he liked to cuddle, even when asleep.
She moved her hand, so it rested on his arm, very lightly. She didn't really have a plan; other than she needed to touch him. She needed to feel his skin beneath her fingers. If it woke him up then she'd deal with what came next, but she couldn't stop at this point.
At first, he didn't wake up. She moved her hand slowly up and down his forearm, then up to his bicep and shoulder. Without opening his eyes, he said, "Watcha' doin' there?" It was a line from a commercial that always made her laugh, and he did it with the goofy accent even.
She quietly chuckled, and said, "I'm sorry I woke you up."
He opened his eyes and said, "That's okay. I don't mind being woke up that way. But...what are you doing?"
"I'm touching your arm."
He said, "Yeah, I know that." He paused, taking a breath. "I guess my question is, why?"
She hesitated and said, "Because I woke up, and I couldn't get back to sleep, so my hand was just drawn to your arm. I'm sorry. I'll stop."
He gently stopped her from moving her hand and quietly said, "No, now, hold on. I didn't say you needed to stop. I like it. The reason I ask is because I'm wondering...is there anything else you'd like to do?"
Oh no. This is what you get, Wren. If you'd left well enough alone and gone back to sleep...
But his bare skin was calling to her.
She was silent for what felt like a long time. Her mind was racing; she didn't know what he wanted her to say. She didn't know what she wanted to say. She didn't really know anything at this point, her brain was very muddled.
She whispered, "I don't know. I'm sorry, Hunter. I really don't know." And all of a sudden, she felt a wave of emotion wash over her, and tears started to sting her eyes. She shut her eyes tightly to stop them. Before she could stop herself, she let out a quiet noise, not quite a sob, but close, that he recognized. She burrowed her head into his neck.
"Wren?" She could hear the surprise in his voice. "Wren, hey, are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to tease you. I'm sorry." He tried to get her to move her head away from his neck.
She shook her head and said, "You didn't do anything wrong." Then she couldn't stop herself...she got even quieter and said, "I love you." She was definitely crying at that point, although still quietly. She felt so ridiculous, but she couldn't stop herself.
Hunter pulled back so he could see her face as he brought her head out of his neck. He put his hand on her cheek, and said, "Hey, why are you crying?"
She sounded exasperated, "I don't know! I just got really emotional all of a sudden. It's not you. I'm so sorry."
He put his forehead to hers and stayed there until her crying stopped. Then he kissed her forehead and said, "Now, what did you say to me while you were crying? I think I know, but you were kind of hard to understand, and I don't want to assume..."
Wren let out a big shaky sigh. She ducked her head into his neck again and said, "I said I love you."
When he spoke, Wren could tell he had a smile on his face. "I thought that's what you said. Well, that works out well, because I love you too."
She started to speak, and he knew what she was going to say, so he hurried on. "I really do. I've wanted to say it for a while, but I didn't want to spook you, so I've been waiting for the right time. And I'd say this is the perfect time."
He kissed the top of her head and rubbed his hand up and down her arm and back. He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her cheek. He could feel her tears, so he wiped them away with the back of his fingers.
She felt her pulse quicken, but said, "I hope you didn't feel like you had to say that just because I did. Or because I was crying."
"Hey, look at me." He waited until she looked into his eyes. "When I say I've been wanting to say that for a while, I'm not joking. I've known I loved you since our first date. I just didn't know how you felt. And then, even if I thought I knew, I didn't want to push you."
Relief and joy coursed through her, making her almost giddy. She reached up and took his face in her hands, then pulled him down to her and kissed him more intensely than she'd ever kissed him before. And he reciprocated immediately.
As they continued, he tentatively opened his mouth and ran his tongue very lightly against her lips. She startled just a little...he hadn't done that before. But then she realized she liked it. So, she opened her lips just enough that he could slide his tongue inside and touch hers.
She turned her head a little to deepen the kiss even more. He made a low growling noise in his throat. His nose was pressed against hers, as he pushed towards her, as if he wanted to make sure there was absolutely no space left between them.
They continued until they had to stop to catch their breaths. But they still didn't get too far apart. She kept one hand on his face and moved the other to the back of his neck, running her fingers through his hair. She pressed her forehead to his. It was a little embarrassing how she was gasping for air, as if she'd just run the 100-meter dash. He didn't seem as out of breath, but it was obvious he was affected as well.
"Wow", she said.
"Yeah, wow," he replied.
And then they were kissing again. Just as intensely as before. He started to very lightly push her back, causing her to lie down. He was still lying next to her, but as he leaned on his arm, he bent his head over hers. His hand started moving up and down her body. From her face down her neck, down her side, around to her backside where he kneaded her soft cushiony ass. He did love her ass and took every opportunity to tell or show her so.
Then he started kissing his way across her jawline towards her ear. Once there, he kissed behind her ear, and she actually felt a shiver run throughout her body. That had more of an effect on her than just about anything else they'd done. It was definitely a sensitive spot. The noise she made would have been embarrassing if she was thinking clearly. But she wasn't.
He heard the noise, and immediately his cock responded by twitching against her leg, and he answered with a guttural groan of his own.
"Hunter..." she whispered.
He kept kissing behind her ear and then took her ear lobe into his mouth. He sucked and very lightly nibbled on it, and she thought she was going to lose her mind.
"Hunter!"
That time it came out sounding a little frightened, so he immediately stopped. He pulled back quickly and looked into her eyes.
"What? Are you okay? Was that too much?"
She was breathing heavily, and her whole body was on fire. She didn't know if it was too much or not. But she did know she'd never felt like that before. It was so intense, and she started getting scared.
"I'm sorry..."
"No, no. Don't be sorry. I should be sorry; I should have checked in with you before then."
"No, Hunter. You're totally fine. You're perfect, in fact. And I don't want to stop. I really don't..."
"But..."
"But...maybe just pause for a second and let me wrap my head around what's happening."
"Okay, okay, yeah, that sounds good." He breathed out in one heavy breath and rolled over onto his back. He laid his arm over his eyes.
Wren looked at him and felt so much love. He had immediately stopped when he thought she sounded frightened. She didn't even have to say stop. In fact, she's not sure she would have said stop. She's not sure she actually wanted him to stop. She just knew she was a little scared, and that was her reaction.
She turned over on her side and looked up at him. She lightly traced her fingers along his bicep. He shivered and she saw goosebumps form on his skin, so she immediately stopped. She didn't know what she should do. She thought maybe she should keep her hands off him and let him breathe for a little.
So, she asked. "Hunter, are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm okay, sweetheart. I'm just trying to calm myself down a little. I didn't mean to get so worked up so quickly. I'm sorry."
"No, really, you have nothing to apologize for. You didn't do anything wrong at all. Everything was so right. I just got scared", she said again.
"Hey, I don't want you to be scared of me," he said as he opened his eyes and looked at her concerned.
"No, YOU didn't scare me. I scared me. My reaction scared me. I was so lost in what you were doing and how it was making me feel, I couldn't think. And that scared me. I've never felt quite like that before."
"Okay..." He took a breath. "Would you like me to go home?" He didn't sound angry or upset, it was a genuine question, and she could tell he really wanted her to be honest.
"No!"
"Okay. Would you like me to go to the couch?"
"No... I don't want that either."
"Okay, so what do you want? I'll do whatever you want." At that he reached his hand up and ran his fingers down her cheek. She leaned her face into him.
"I...I... whew...okay, I would like to pick up where we left off. I really really liked that. The kissing and stuff, especially around my neck and ear."
"Okay..."
"And after we do more of that, I think I'd like to..." She was so embarrassed, she said it in a very quiet whisper, "...do what we did at 99's..."
As she said that she immediately hid her face in her pillow.
"What?" he asked.
"Uuuggghh!" came the muffled response from her pillow. "I can't say it. And if I can't say it, then I shouldn't do it."
He rubbed her back and got closer to her face and said, "Wren, I just didn't hear you. Can you say it again, just a little louder? I promise I'm not going to laugh or judge. I want to make you happy, sweetheart, just tell me what you'd like."
She still didn't lift her face out of her pillow, but she did speak up a little.
"I'd like to...you know. Do what we did at 99's." Then she took the other end of her pillow and brought it over on top of her head, so he couldn't see her at all.
He was kind of glad she wasn't looking at him, because he did break out in a smile, and he wouldn't have wanted her to think he was making fun of her. Because he wasn't. He just thought she was so adorable he couldn't hide it.
"Wren, can you look at me?"
"No", came her muffled reply, still hiding in her pillow.
He rubbed her back again in slow soothing circles, just trying to comfort her. He knew this was incredibly hard for her, and he wanted to try to do everything right, so he didn't scare her away from wanting to do this sort of thing. He felt a sense of responsibility, as her first sexual partner, to try to make it as enjoyable and stress-free as possible. As he continued to rub her back, he wracked his brain, trying to think of the best way to handle this.
"Wren," he said very quietly, barely above a whisper.
Nothing.
"Wren...sweetheart. Can you please...come out of your cocoon?"
He could hear her giggle a little, and he knew he was getting through to her.
She moved the part of her pillow that was on top of her head, and then she turned her head, so she was facing his direction, but her eyes were still closed.
"Okay, that's good. Can you open your eyes now?"
He didn't sound patronizing or like he was talking to a child, and she appreciated that. She knew he cared for her so much, and he only wanted what was best for her. And she knew he wanted to make her happy and feel good. If she could just get over this hurdle.
Quietly she said, "Okay. Okay. I will."
And then she opened her eyes and looked at him in the dim light. She saw more love in his eyes than she thought possible, and it just melted her heart.
"There's my girl. Thank you." Then he bent down and kissed her forehead, and she closed her eyes.
When he pulled back, she was looking at him with tears in her eyes.
She said, "I don't know how you put up with me."
"Hey! Don't say that! I'm not 'putting up' with you! I love you, and I enjoy every bit of you. You are the kindest, sweetest, funniest, AND cutest person I've ever known." He booped her nose when he said 'cutest' and she laughed quietly.
"Well, I think you're a little biased."
"Nope, I'm not gonna hear it. You are everything I've ever wanted in a partner, and I'm so lucky to be with you. Now...might I have the honor of dry humping with you?" And he had a smirk on his face.
She covered her face and laughed...a nice, hearty laugh that did his soul good to hear. He pulled her hand away from her face as he bent his head down to kiss her again. It was a soft but searching kiss. He explored her mouth with his tongue and nibbled on her bottom lip. She whimpered at that, and they both felt his cock twitch.
He said, "Did you feel that?"
"Yeah."
"You do that to me..."
Then he shifted his body, so he was on top of her, but with most of his weight on his forearms on either side of her shoulders. He bent his head down and kissed her again, and as he did, he rolled his hips into hers. The jolt of electricity she felt through her body made her gasp quietly.
He pulled his head back, and looked intently in her eyes, but he didn't say anything. She could tell he was silently asking her if she was okay, so she nodded.
Then he rolled his hips again. Then again. And again. She was already breathing heavier, and she closed her eyes and put her face in his shoulder.
"Please don't stop", she whispered.
"I won't."
The hard bulge in his shorts dragged against her core, especially her sensitive clit. Even though there were three pieces of fabric between their skin, she still felt it. His cock made its presence known, even when fully covered.
His breath came faster as well. He was kissing her face and her neck. Opened-mouth kisses with plenty of tongue along her neck, jaw, ear, and cheek. When he was at her ear, he was whispering, but she couldn't concentrate on the words. But she knew it was dirty. And hot. So hot.
The pressure inside her kept building. All she could manage to say was a whispered, "Oh my god, oh my god...oh my god...I'm...I'm..."
He was just as quiet. "What? What are you gonna do? Can you say it?"
She whimpered but wasn't sure she could say the words. She opened her eyes and looked into his. The heat and desire there pushed her enough to say hoarsely, "I'm gonna come. Please don't stop."
He closed his eyes and his head dipped a bit as he tried to collect himself. He wanted to make this nice for her, but he was quickly losing control.
"There is no way I'm going to stop until you're done. Just tell me if you want something else..."
Her throat was dry and stinging from her heavy breathing, so it came out in a rough whisper, "No, this is perfect. It's perfect. Fuck, fuck, fuck!" And with that, the band inside her snapped. They rode out her orgasm, and he didn't stop moving until she did.
She was trying to catch her breath, but after a few seconds, her eyes flew open, and she said, "You didn't...you didn't come, did you?"
"No, but that's okay, that was even better than coming...to see you like that."
"But-"
"No, really. This was about you."
She gave him a small smile, moving some of his sweaty hair off his forehead. "I appreciate that, but what can I do to help you?"
"You don't need to do anything. This will go away," and he motioned to his very erect penis in his sweatpants.
Wren was quiet for a minute, listening to their breathing slow. She said, "Well, we know I'm not ready to actually have sex. And I don't think I'm ready to do anything with that yet," and she pointed to his erection. "But..." She was nervous, but she pushed ahead. "Would you want to masturbate with me here? Maybe I could kiss you or touch you somewhere else while you take care of little Hunter there?"
She could feel her face burn with embarrassment, but she tried not to look away, because she really wanted him to know she was serious. She would do what she could to help him find release.
"Is that dumb? Is that really silly?"
"No! No, Wren, that's not dumb or silly. That sounds amazing. You just caught me a little off guard. I didn't expect that." He smiled and said, "But I'd love that." He gave her a very sweet kiss.
She made sure he was lying all the way back before she leaned over him and started kissing him again. Then she palmed him through his sweatpants, hearing him groan, but she didn’t go any further than that. He was so hard; she didn’t see how it couldn’t be painful.
“Can I take your pants off?”
He said, “Are you sure you want to?”
“Yes, I only mean take them off, I still won’t touch...it,” she said with a shy smile.
Hunter chuckled at that; she really is adorable. “Go ahead,” he said.
She hooked her fingers under the waistband of his sweatpants. He lifted his hips just enough to give her a little space, and she pulled them slowly down to his ankles. As she went past his cock, it sprang out in all its glory. She paused long enough to look at it. It really didn’t look as scary as she expected. It was actually kind of cute. Not cute enough to touch yet, but cute, nonetheless. He used his feet to remove his pants the rest of the way and tossed them aside.
After his pants were totally out of the way, she took in the sight of his whole body, lying naked in her bed. She never would have thought this possible even just a month ago. He was strong and dark with a sheen of sweat covering much of his body. She took her hand and ran it along his abs, feeling the soft hair trailing down there. His skin quivered beneath her fingertips.
She crawled back up and kissed him like she was starving for him. When she pulled back, just a bit, she looked into his eyes and whispered, “Touch yourself.”
Hunter closed his eyes and groaned. Just hearing her say that…his sweet and inexperienced Wren. It was almost enough to make him finish without ever touching himself.
She kissed his jaw, feeling his stubble, then up to his ear. She knew how delicious his mouth felt on her ear, so she wanted to see if she could get a similar response from him.
She began by kissing behind his ear, then taking her tongue and licking where she’d kissed. She moved to his ear lobe, took it in her mouth and sucked. The growl that emanated from deep within him sent what felt like an electrical shock directly between her legs. She thought she could probably have another orgasm, just by listening to him make that sound a few more times. She began trailing her kisses back down his neck, focusing on his pulse point, inhaling his scent.
She was getting a little lost in what she was doing, but she did notice his hand hadn’t moved to his cock yet. She took his hand from where it was laying on the pillow above his head and slowly moved it down to his erection. She didn’t touch his cock herself but rather placed his hand there. At that point he seemed to remember what the plan was. As she kissed his neck down to his collar bone, she cast her eyes downward. She saw him grasp his length and start slowly moving his hand up and down. He ran his palm over the tip where his pre-cum had leaked and used that as lubricant.
With his eyes closed, he continued to work his cock at a leisurely pace, his breath becoming quicker and needier.
He said, “My god, you are so good to me.”
She kissed further down his body and ended up at his chest. She licked over one of his nipples, and he hissed. She took it in her mouth sucking and licking. She could tell he was pumping his cock much quicker now, chasing his release.
“Oh my god, Wren, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK…I wanna fuck you so bad, sweetheart.”
She paused her activity for a second while that sunk in. She looked at his face, and he still had his eyes closed, his free arm laid over his eyes. She decided she would just ignore what he said and assume it was in the heat of the moment.
Although she didn’t really doubt that he did want to have sex with her, she also assumed he was okay with not doing it yet. He said he was.
She kept kissing across his chest and then moved down to his firm belly. The skin twitched beneath her touches.
“Oh god, oh god, I’m so close, I’m so close. God, you're amazing. I love you.” When he said that, he took the hand that was across his eyes and brought it to the back of her neck. He pulled her up to his mouth and kissed her. Hard. It was all teeth and roughness. But she reciprocated, because she was caught up in the moment just as much as he was.
“I love you too,” she said against his lips.
Then he finished with a strangled groan. Her lips were still on his, but soon after she pulled away so he could catch his breath. He laid still for a minute, and his breath finally started evening out. She just waited, lying next to him, with her head barely resting on his chest, because she wanted to give him as much space as he needed.
She stood up and said, “Hang on just a second, I’ll get a washcloth.”
She went into the bathroom, got a washcloth, and soaked it with warm water. She quickly cleaned between her legs. Then she got another one, wetting it as well, and grabbed a towel. She brought them back to the bed and began cleaning his cum off his cock, stomach, and hand. His eyes were still closed while she cleaned him, but he made a small humming sound of contentment.
After she was done, she took both the cloth and towel back to the bathroom. When she returned, Hunter pulled her down next to him, holding her tightly.
She asked, “Are you okay?”
“Mmmmmmm.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
He nodded.
But then her mind went to what he’d said…I wanna fuck you so bad.
Does he? Does it bother him that they haven't? She doesn’t want to cause him stress by taking things so slowly.
“Hunter…”
“Hmmm?” his eyes were still closed.
“Do you remember what you said a few minutes ago?”
He opened his eyes and looked at her warily.
“I remember saying a few things. But there are probably also things I said that I don’t remember. I lost my head for a little bit there. Which one in particular?”
“You said you want to fuck me so bad. Is that true? And if so, is it a problem for you, that I’m needing to take things so slowly?”
Hunter took his time to really think about his answer. After a few moments, he said, “Wren, I do want to fuck you, because I love you, and I want to be as close to you as I can. Because you turn me on more than anyone ever has. Because I find you so sexy, that I even picture myself fucking you sometimes when I’m jerking off. And I especially will now that I know what your face looks like when you orgasm.”
As he was talking, he caressed her covered breasts and then moved down her side and stomach and rested on her hip.
She knew she was blushing at what he'd said, but she couldn’t deny it made her feel proud that she could make him feel like that.
“But wanting to fuck you and needing to fuck you are two different things in my mind. Yes, I want to fuck you, at some point, but it doesn’t have to be right now. I don’t NEED to fuck you. I can wait until you are ready, no matter how far down the road that is.”
He looked at her with incredibly soft eyes and the slightest smile on his lips. He pushed some hair out of her eyes with his hand.
“Does that make sense? Does that help ease your mind?”
Wren broke out in a huge smile, because she couldn’t think of a time when she had been happier than she was right then.
“Yes, it does help ease my mind. I really don’t know how I got so lucky.”
She reached up with her hands and one caressed his cheek and the other moved some of his hair off his forehead.
“I don’t think any other man in the world could make me feel as safe and loved as you do. Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me. It’s my pleasure.”
He leaned down to kiss her lips softly. Then he turned her onto her side, and lay behind her, as they had started the night. He would always be her big spoon.
It didn’t take long for both to fall asleep and not wake up until the sun was streaming in the windows.
Tag List: (Let me know if you'd like removed, it won't hurt my feelings!)
Author Notes: I'm seeing the end in sight. I think this fic will be less than 5 more chapters. I've written about most of the non-physical things I wanted to touch on. So now I think it's time to move Hunter and Wren into a more physical relationship. I will have specific warnings when stuff starts happening, this is just a general heads-up. This chapter was almost twice as long as it is now, so I had to cut it into two. I'll post the next part in the next few days.
I still get embarrassed posting them getting physical. But I really want their relationship to go there, so I'm pushing myself. I hope it's not cringe!
Summary: Set in a modern AU: Wren is a librarian who meets Omega, a twelve-year-old living with her five older brothers. Omega feels Wren and her oldest brother, Hunter, would be good for each other and tries to play matchmaker. Wren's anxiety and shyness make that more difficult than Omega hoped. Wren is based on me and my experiences with anxiety and how it affected my relationship with my husband. This sequel begins in the early days of their relationship. There are still struggles, because her anxiety hasn't magically disappeared. But because of Hunter's patience and Wren's trust, they're able to make it work.
Pairing: Hunter x Female OC
Word Count: 3630
Warnings: Hunter and Wren get physical, but no sex. Heavy kissing and petting. Swearing.
Inspiration: My modern AU was inspired by the amazing Modern Batch AU and Modern Fives AU stories by kaydear (Illyria_Lives) on AO3. Reading those fics was what gave me the courage to write my own. I borrowed some of the family's background from those stories, with the author's permission.
Previous | Next
Patience & Trust Masterlist (the sequel)
Hunter and the Librarian Masterlist (the original)
Dividers by animatedglittergraphics-n-more
The way Wren viewed Hunter and her relationship with him started to drastically change after that weekend trip to 99's. She felt like this might actually be something that could happen. Something that could last. She was starting to believe Hunter really did care about her enough that he wanted to be with her long-term. She couldn't say "forever" yet, but definitely long-term.
It was mind-boggling to her, because at this point in her life, with her anxieties, she'd practically given up. So, to shift into this mindset, of truly believing Hunter wanted to stay with her, and that he cared about her enough that he didn't want to be with anyone else, made her shake her head sometimes.
But she knew it was true. He was very genuine. There was no reason to doubt him. His family had accepted her, even his father. It took very little time for 99 to adore Wren and be grateful to her for all she'd done for Hunter.
When they returned from their weekend trip, Wren said good-bye to everyone else, giving Omega a warm hug, and stayed in the driveway with Hunter for a few more minutes.
"Thanks again for going with us. It means a lot to me, that you would do that, because I know you were nervous." He said this quietly as he took her hand in his, running his thumb along the back of her hand.
"Thanks again for asking me to go with you. It means more than I can say, that you would ask me to meet your dad." She squeezed his hand.
He leaned forward as she tilted her head the little bit needed to meet him halfway. He felt that kiss through his whole body, and it warmed him. He became so emotional, he had to pull back and take a deep breath.
"Are you okay," she asked.
"Yeah, definitely. Just...I'm just feeling a lot right now, and I don't know how to say it." He gave her a small smile as he looked up from where he'd been staring at their hands.
"Well, then maybe you could show me," she reached up and threaded her fingers into his hair, pulling his head forward very gently.
"I could do that," he said with a small smile.
He kissed her again, with purpose. He stepped even closer, so their bodies were pushed against each other. His hands were on both sides of her face, holding her as if she was the most precious thing in the world to him. She ran her free hand up his back, feeling the dense muscles flex as he moved.
She was starting to feel lightheaded, and needed a breath. She pulled her head back gently, and he took the hint.
"Sorry, I got a little carried away." He looked sheepish and almost embarrassed.
"No, that's perfectly fine. I just couldn't breathe," and she chuckled. "Plus, I guess we're out here in your driveway for God and all your neighbors to see."
"Yeah, we should stop." He still had his hands on the sides of her face and he was looking into her eyes. "Even though I really don't want to." He gave her one more quick kiss before dropping his hands and totally stepping back.
She dropped her hands to her sides and took another deep breath. "To be continued?" She couldn't believe she said that, but she really loved the thought of continuing what they were doing, but in private.
"Yeah." It sounded like a low growl. "Definitely to be continued."
She felt her face get hot, and she turned and walked to her car. As she opened her door, she looked at him. She made a split-second decision and hurried back, giving him a quick hug, before hurrying to her car, getting in, and shutting the door.
He had been caught off guard when she hugged him, not even hugging her in return. But as she began to back out of the driveway, he waved and gave her a warm smile. As she started down the street, she saw him wave again. She gave him an enthusiastic wave out her window, before driving on. Then she took an even bigger breath and let it out slowly. Wow, that was fun.
She was already wondering when she could see him again, and he was thinking the same thing as he walked on into his house.
Over the next month or so, things stayed about the same between them. They would meet for lunch once or twice a week. They would get together at least one time over the weekend. They'd either go out to eat, or to a movie, or to play putt-putt golf.
Wren was really enjoying the time with him, and she thought he seemed to feel the same way. But she was starting to wonder if it was time to move things forward a little bit. They kissed quite a bit. They had what she would call make-out sessions whenever they were at her place. Usually if they'd gone out somewhere, when he took her home, he'd go in for a little bit and they'd sit on the couch together, talking. And kissing. And snuggling. It was better than Wren could have hoped for.
But it was getting harder for her to stop. She didn't know if he felt the same. He didn't push to go further though. They'd never gotten as far as they did the night they were at 99's. But she started daydreaming a lot about how she might bring up the subject to him. She didn't think she was ready to have sex with him. As much as she wanted to, she just knew she wasn't ready for that. But she wanted to try what they'd already done at least. But how do you bring that up? She was so nervous.
It seemed natural the night they stayed at 99's. Because they were already in bed together. But how do you get from making out on the couch, to in bed, without just saying, do you want to go to bed. And she didn't know if she could say those actual words.
Then one Thursday night Wren was watching TV, and she heard a text come in. She looked, and it was from Hunter. She felt a little jolt of excitement run through her.
H: Hey! Do you have plans tomorrow night?
W: You're funny. Do I ever unless you're involved? 😉
H: Well...Omega is gonna be spending the night with a friend, so I don't need to be home at any certain time...
W: Oh really?
H: Yeah...I was wondering if maybe we could do something...like watch TV and hang out or something...
W: Yeah, I'd love to! Maybe we could get pizza?
H: Sounds good...I can bring the pizza with me when I come.
W: Okay, just come over whenever you want to. I'll be here all night, of course. 😊
H: Okay, I'll see you tomorrow. Lookin' forward to it.
W: Me too. ♥
She was so excited at first...he could be there as late as he wanted!
But then she really thought about it...he could be there as late as he wanted...how long would he want?
Did he mean he wanted to spend the night? Is that what he was saying?
As soon as that thought crossed her mind, she felt the heat begin in her chest and spread throughout her body, up into her face. She had to take off her hoodie and throw her blanket off her legs. She always got a flash of heat when her anxiety hit.
What was going to happen? She was immediately nauseous. The thought of Hunter spending the night made her almost giddy with happiness. But also so nervous she felt like she might pass out.
It was going to be a long 24 hours until he came over for pizza, a movie, and...whatever else he had in mind. She could barely concentrate on anything, so she just decided to go to bed early. She would want to get up earlier in the morning, so she had time to do a thorough job of shaving and grooming. Just in case.
Just in case what? Even thinking about that made her scared as hell. She re-read the text conversation at least 10 times before she finally fell asleep.
Friday arrived, and Wren's anxiety was through the roof. She did take extra time in the shower to shave and trim. Just in case. Just in case... Good lord, she didn't know if she could do this. Whatever this ended up being.
Time at work creeped by. She kept getting startled by her coworkers, because she was in her own little world. The world where she might actually have sex tonight. With Hunter.
Did she want to? Was she ready? They'd been seeing each other for 6 months at that point. They'd made out quite a bit the past month. But anytime she thought she might be ready to go further, her anxiety got the better of her. Hunter didn't act like he minded.
Her head started to spin and her vision started to gray out when she thought about him coming over later on.
After work, she went home and cleaned the bathroom, not knowing if he would be using the shower, and ran the vacuum in the living room and bedroom.
At 6:00 she got a text.
H: I'm leaving home now. I'm going to pick up the pizza then come on over. Should be there in less than half an hour.
W: Okay, looking forward to it.
And that wasn't a lie. She was looking forward to it, she just didn't add that she was also a nervous wreck.
About 20 minutes later she heard Hunter's truck pull into the parking lot. Then within a minute she heard a knock on her door.
She took a deep breath, got up, and unlocked the door. She opened it and stepped to the side so he could carry in the pizza box and some sodas.
When Omega asked him if she could spend the night with Hera, Hunter said yes without giving it much thought. It certainly wasn't the first time.
It wasn't until about 15 minutes later that the thought hit him...it would be Friday night. He didn't have to work the next day. And neither did Wren.
At the thought, he smiled. He wouldn't need to be home when Omega went to bed. She was old enough that she didn't need him to tuck her in, but he could tell she still enjoyed it. He wanted to be able to experience that as much as possible, before she got too old and didn't want him to anymore.
Plus he wasn't ready to explain why he didn't come home from Wren's. So this would be the perfect opportunity. He just wasn't sure for what.
After they were done eating and were watching a movie, Hunter was on the couch with Wren's head in his lap. He had been running his fingers through her hair for the past 15 minutes, and she was close to falling asleep.
They hadn't discussed what was going to happen tonight beyond the movie.
They watched The Princess Bride (Wren's choice, because it's her go-to movie when she's stressed.) After that was over, they watched a little bit of the Great British Bake Off channel. That was just so they would have something to watch, because neither of them wanted to move from the spot yet.
At around 10:00, Hunter made a big show out of stretching both his arms and making a loud yawning sound.
"I'm so tired!"
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah, it was a hard day today."
"Well, did you want to go to home?" Then she paused, and he could tell she was struggling with something. "Or...did you want to go to bed...here?"
Hunter looked at her, really looked at her, enough that she felt like she needed to look away, because the eye contact was so intense.
He quietly said, "What would you like me to do?"
She replied, "What would you like to do? Or maybe a better question is what would you like me to like you to do?"
He looked at her with a little bit of confusion, then broke into a smile.
He shook his head as he said, "Wren, you are something else." He chuckled and went back to "petting" her hair.
She tried to swallow away the lump in her throat and calm her pounding heart. "Well...I don't know what to say. I think I would like for you to stay. But I also know myself, and I know I might get a little freaked out at some point. And I don't want you to have to deal with that."
He said, "What do you mean? Deal with what?"
"Deal with me getting scared and anxious and possibly having an anxiety attack and getting dizzy...all that good stuff you've had to deal with for six months, but this might be a whole 'nother level."
"Hey, come here." With that he lightly tugged on her arms to let her know he wanted her to sit up with him. She did and leaned into his side with her head on his chest and his arms around her waist.
He laid his cheek on top of her head. "Wren. I would like to spend the night here. With you. But I can sleep on the couch if you'd prefer. Or I can sleep in the bed, but not touch you at all. Or I can touch you, but stop at whatever point you want to. It is totally up to you. But I would really like to stay. I want to be able to wake up in the morning and see you first thing. It's my favorite thing. Whether it's next to me in bed, or from my spot here on the couch. Whatever you are comfortable with."
How could she say no to such a sweet request? She felt like her heart was about to explode, she cared for him so much. She was pretty sure she even loved him, but hadn't actually said that out loud yet (or even truly admitted it in her own head.)
And it's not like they hadn't slept in the same bed before. They did it 2 nights at 99's. That still seemed different though. There were 6 other people in the house at that time. She knew they had to be careful and quiet. But now, they were in her apartment all by themselves. And they could be all night.
She finally said, "Okay, I'd like you to stay. And I'd like you to sleep in bed with me. I'm not sure about any other stuff though. I definitely know I'm not ready to have sex yet, so I don't want to seem like a tease. Is it being a tease if I want you to sleep with me, but not really sleep 'with' me?"
"Wren, you are the furthest thing from a tease. Don't worry about that. I know you're not ready for sex yet. And to be honest, I'm not sure I am either. Things haven't gone all that well for me in that area in the past, and I'd rather not push anything."
At that, he turned his head and kissed the top of hers. "That being said, I do love the thought of more cuddles. All night."
She looked up at him with a smile, and he had the sweetest, most gentle look on his face. She said, "I would love some cuddles. Let's go."
As she stood up, she looked around and said, "Did you bring an overnight bag?"
He said, "Well, I didn't want to presume..."
She rolled her eyes good-naturedly at him.
"...but I do have it out in the truck."
She laughed and smacked him on the arm. "So you were just going to go home if I didn't ask you to stay?"
"Yeah, definitely. I don't want to pressure you about anything."
She stepped closer to him, and put her arms around his waist. She looked in his eyes, then at his lips, and back to his eyes. He smiled and they moved towards each other for the softest kiss.
But then his arms went around her waist and pulled her as close as he could. He kissed her again. And again. And again. It was as if he couldn't stop. They both started quietly laughing against each other's lips. After one more kiss, she pulled back enough to look at him and said, "Maybe you should go get your bag."
"Okay, I'll go get my bag." And he kissed her once more before letting her loose and walking towards the door. She watched him walk out, and reached up to touch her lips with her fingers.
When he came back inside, he locked the door behind him. He said, "I thought I would use the bathroom, brush my teeth, change clothes, and all that. Is that okay?"
"Sure, sounds good."
Hunter walked down the hall into the bathroom and shut the door. Wren followed him but went into the bedroom at the end of the hall. She found the clothes she sleeps in and changed into them quickly.
She heard the sink water turn off, then the door opened, and Hunter walked on down the hall to the bedroom. He was wearing some gray sweat pants. And no shirt. Seeing his muscles like that again was a little overwhelming. He wasn't overly large, but he was in really good shape. He just looked strong. And he had actual abs. He didn't look starved though, he had a thin layer of cushion over his mid-section, but she could still see those abs underneath.
She really tried not to stare, but he caught her looking anyway. He smiled a little as he put his bag down on the floor. He walked over to her and pulled her into his arms.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Good, really good", she answered. She laid her head on his bare chest and could feel the soft hair against her cheek. He smelled like cinnamon toothpaste.
He pulled her tightly against him. The friction against her breasts made her nipples stiffen. When she pulled away to walk to the bathroom, she saw him looking at her chest.
"Hunter, did I just find out you're a breast man?"
He laughed, "Well with you, it's a hard choice between your tits and your ass!"
She laughed as she walked away, "Oh listen to that sweet talk." She went on into the bathroom and could see in the mirror her face was flushed red. Of course it was!
She took a few deep breaths. Then she brushed her teeth, and finished her nightly routine. She opened the door, shut off the light, and went back to the bedroom. Hunter was laying in the bed with the sheet pulled up around his chest. She figured he could see the disappointment on her face when she saw he was partially covered this time.
He patted the open side of the bed while looking at her. She turned off the light and the room was mostly dark except for the shining of the outside lights coming in the window. She went to the bed, and crawled in next to him, but without touching him. Not yet. She was on her right side, looking at him. And he was on his left side looking at her.
"Well..." he said.
"Well..." she replied.
Then they both laughed again.
Hunter said, "Okay, let's not make a big deal out of this, okay?"
"Yeah."
"We're just sleeping in the same bed, that's it. We've already done that. Twice."
"Yup." But we're here alone this time, she thought to herself. That's the difference.
Wren then said a little timidly, "Wanna spoon?"
"I would love to."
So she turned over and then scooted herself back towards him. He scooted himself closer to her, until his chest was pressed against her back, and his head was above hers but still on the edge of his pillow. His breath blew lightly on her hair, and he put his right arm over and around her waist. He pulled her even closer, as close as she could be.
She felt...loved.
She moved her top leg towards her side of the bed just a bit more, and he was able to lay his leg in between hers, so they intertwined a bit. She could feel his penis in his sweatpants, but it wasn't hard. She would try not to move her hips around too much so she didn't accidentally stir him up. She didn't want to be a tease. Even if he knew she didn't mean to be, his body might not understand.
Once they were settled, he sighed and she felt a big breath on her head. She took her right hand and reached behind her a little to touch his thigh. She rubbed it lightly, just wanting to feel him beneath her hand. His free arm was under her pillow, so she moved her left hand under there as well, and held his hand.
Even though she was nervous, she was also so happy. This was a huge step for her, and she was able to do it. Maybe her heart would stop racing at some point.
She was honestly exhausted. The worry of the day had caught up to her, and she could feel her body finally relaxing and making her sleepier. She didn't know how long before she fell asleep, but it couldn't have been more than a minute or two.
To be Continued...
Tag List: (Let me know if you'd like removed, it won't hurt my feelings!)
Can I just say this is so honest. I love that they are going slow and trying to figure it out together. I think sometimes people have a hard time being honest that everything is not wham bam done. ❤️
Author Notes: This is just some sweet goodness. Nice family time. Wren and 99 have some alone time to get to know each other. And Wren gets to show off a hidden talent.
Summary: Set in a modern AU: Wren is a librarian who meets Omega, a twelve-year-old living with her five older brothers. Omega feels Wren and her oldest brother, Hunter, would be good for each other and tries to play matchmaker. Wren's anxiety and shyness make that more difficult than Omega hoped. Wren is based on me and my experiences with anxiety and how it affected my relationship with my husband. This sequel begins in the early days of their relationship. There are still struggles, because her anxiety hasn't magically disappeared. But because of Hunter's patience and Wren's trust, they're able to make it work.
Pairing: Hunter x Female OC
Word Count: 4200
Warnings: I'm pretty sure there are none needed for this chapter.
Inspiration: My modern AU was inspired by the amazing Modern Batch AU and Modern Fives AU stories by kaydear (Illyria_Lives) on AO3. Reading those fics was what gave me the courage to write my own. I borrowed some of the family's background from those stories, with the author's permission.
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Patience & Trust Masterlist (the sequel)
Hunter and the Librarian Masterlist (the original)
Dividers by animatedglittergraphics-n-more
Wren didn't feel nervous as everyone was leaving the house heading to the back yard, leaving her alone with 99. Not one bit. She already felt so at ease with the man, because he was so kind and gentle. She could tell he wouldn't be judging her in any way.
As he stood up from his chair, she'd offered him her bent arm, and he took it to steady himself. She placed her other hand on top of his, so he knew it was okay to keep it there while they walked. But loosely enough that he could remove it if he wanted to. But he didn't, and her heart warmed.
"Do you want something warm, Wren? Coffee? Tea? Hot chocolate?"
"Oh, hot chocolate sounds great. Do you want something?"
He replied, "Hot chocolate sounds good to me also." He dropped her arm and began moving towards the cupboards.
"Can I do it? And you can just sit and watch them?"
"You don't have to do that-"
"I would love to. Really. Just point me in the right direction."
Wren was amazed at how comfortable she felt with him. There were no nerves, no anxiety, she wasn't self-conscious or embarrassed about anything. She had always been more comfortable with older people, and he was one of the sweetest she'd ever met.
"Well, I just use instant. It's in that cupboard there." Her eyes followed where he pointed, and she moved to get out the container. "And the measuring spoon I use is in that drawer." She located the one he was pointing at and began reading the directions.
"And the mugs are in the cupboard above you." She reached up, opening the cupboard to find an assortment of mugs.
"Do you have a favorite?" she asked him.
"I usually use the one that's hand painted there. Omega made that for me." He had a smile on his face as he said it.
She pulled out the brightly colored mug with "99" written on it along with hearts, stars and butterflies. "Oh, this is beautiful! She did a great job."
He smiled his agreement. She added water to the mugs and put them in the microwave to heat up. Then she took them out, scooped the right amount of powder in, and stirred thoroughly.
He said, "I have little marshmallows if you want some."
She shook her head saying, "I don't usually add any. But if you'd like some, I'll get them."
He pointed to a cupboard, and when she opened the door, she saw the bag without too much trouble. She carried it to the table, setting it next to him. Then she went back to the counter, picked up the mugs, and carried them to the table as well. She sat across from him.
He reached into the bag, pulling out a few marshmallows and putting them in his drink. He turned the opening in the bag towards her and said, "Are you sure?"
She said, "Yeah, I don't need them in my drink." After a slight hesitation, she said, "But I do like them. Would it be okay if I just ate a few?"
He said, "Of course! Help yourself," with a big smile.
She loved his smile. It was crooked, as one side of his face drooped just a bit. But it was one of the most natural and beautiful smiles she'd ever seen. It was hard not to smile back.
They both turned towards the window to watch what everyone was doing outside. Hunter seemed to be in charge, but Crosshair was talking a lot as well. They split up into two sides. Wrecker, Omega, and Hunter on one side, Echo, Tech, and Crosshair on the other.
It didn't look like they were playing a very organized game, but there was a lot of laughter and Wren could tell they were having fun.
"You're sure you don't want to be out there with them? Looks like fun."
She looked 99's direction and shook her head. "No, I'm fine here." Then she looked back outside, her eyes naturally finding Hunter and watching him more than anyone else.
After a minute of silence, 99 said, "I want to thank you for what you've done for my son."
Wren startled and looked his way. "What?"
"Hunter. I can see such a change in him. And I know that's because of you. I can see the way he looks at you. The way he touches your arm or hand. I've never seen that before with him. He hasn't been much for affection or touching. That's changed a little bit since Omega came into our lives. But I still never thought I'd see him be so free and easy about touching someone outside the family. Not with all his siblings around. And I've never seen him look at anyone like he looks at you. I can tell he thinks the world of you."
She could feel her face heating up and knew she was getting red. She looked down at her mug, playing with the handle. She held it up to her lips, blowing a bit before taking a drink.
He waited patiently.
She glanced up at him, and his kind eyes were encouraging. "Thanks." It came out almost as a whisper.
"Well...like I said, thank you. You've obviously touched a part of him no one ever has before. His heart has opened up."
She couldn't help the smile that broke across her face. "That's so nice to hear. Thank you so much." She paused, not sure how much to say. "Please know, I think the world of him too. I still can't believe he wants me in his life at all, let alone..." She motioned around, as if saying, let alone bring me to meet his family. Even as comfortable as she was with 99, she couldn't look at him much when saying all that.
But when she was done, she glanced up at him. His smile couldn't have been bigger. He reached over and patted her hand. "Life has been a struggle for Hunt. None of the boys or Omega have had an easy time of it. But being the oldest of his batch, he always took on extra responsibility and pressured himself to take care of the rest. Even after they came to live with me, when he was around twelve. He still couldn't give up that role, that older brother/fatherly role. Not for a while anyway. It took me a few months to break that wall down, so he would let me in and let me take care of them. All of them, including him.
He still tried to mother hen the other boys after I adopted them, but the older they got the more the others started trying to get him to stop that. And he finally realized he could just be a kid too. Just like them. I was there to be their dad; he didn't have to be anymore. And it made quite a bit of difference in his personality. He laughed more, joked more, played more. He still wasn't affectionate, especially not with me, but he was changing in many ways. He was still quiet, more serious than the others, he studied everything and everyone. Making sure everyone was okay when they weren't looking, since they got irritated when he tried asking them to their face."
Wren was absolutely enthralled by all he was saying. She'd forgotten anything was going on outside. She loved hearing about Hunter as a child. It explained a lot. Why he still felt responsible for his siblings more than he needed to. He'd done that so long as a kid, the habit was hard to break. Even after they were with 99.
"It was hard for him to leave for the Army and leave the younger boys at home. He was worried about them. But we all assured him they'd be fine. If he wanted to go, then go. And he was a great soldier, a great scout. He could have made a career of it, but life had other plans."
He got more somber than she'd seen him up to that point.
She quietly said, "I'm sorry about Fives. I've heard a lot about him. He sounded like an amazing guy."
There were tears in his eyes when he looked up at her. "He was. He really was. He could make anyone laugh. Even Hunter. He'd tease him, and Hunter would act like he was so mad. But I could tell he loved it. He always seemed to feel freer when Fives was around. It broke all of us when Fives died. It was hardest on Echo, of course, being his twin. But it affected Hunter in a way none of us expected. And he just couldn't go on the way he had been. He couldn't stand to be away from the rest of his siblings; afraid something would happen to them also. It's what finally caused him to break and have to come home. And that was quite an adjustment for everyone. Then Omega showed up in our lives, and that girl saved him. She gave him something to focus on other than his grief about Fives and about the loss of his life as he knew it."
"She's a cure-all for so many."
"That she is. She's the sparkle these guys needed."
At that they both looked out the window. They could see Wrecker pick up Omega, who was carrying the ball, and carry her down the yard and across the "goal line" they'd created with a garden hose. She was laughing so hard they could hear her inside. And Wrecker was twirling her around, cheering that she scored. It was honestly one of the cutest things Wren had ever seen. And all the guys had smiles on their faces, even those on the other team.
They continued to play as Wren and 99 kept talking. He asked about her...about her job, her family, her life up until that point. And she didn't feel like he was being nosy or rude. He was just interested in her, as someone who was part of the family now. She could feel his genuineness and caring.
By the time the rest of them came back inside, Wren was so at-ease with the older man, she felt like she'd known him her whole life. Hunter came directly over to her, placing his hand on her shoulder, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.
"How are things in here?" He had a smile on his face, but she could tell he was concerned. But she also saw the relief in his eyes when he saw her big smile.
"We've had such a good time. Haven't we, 99?" She reached over and squeezed his hand.
"We certainly have. You did good, Hunt, you did real good."
Wren felt herself redden a bit, but she still looked up at Hunter with a smile so bright his heart jumped.
There was a lot of activity swirling around the small kitchen, and Wren could feel herself tensing up a bit. Hunter said, "Would you like to go in the living room now? We're in for good."
"Yeah, that sounds good." She stood up, reaching for 99's mug. "Are you done with that?"
He nodded, handing it to her. She took it and hers over to the sink, washing them before putting them in the drainer.
Hunter was standing near the doorway leading into the hall and reached out his hand to her when he saw she was done. She took it as she got closer and gave it a squeeze. They walked into the living room and headed for the sofa. No one else had gotten that far yet, so they sat on the far end, Hunter up against the arm and Wren in the crook of his arm, leaning into him. She rested her hand on his mid-section and closed her eyes.
Even though she really enjoyed her time talking with 99, she was still ready for some quiet time. Hunter put his hand over hers as it rested on him and lightly traced the back of her hand.
He leaned down slightly to kiss the top of her head. "You're sure you're okay?"
She could hear the concern in his quiet voice. "Yeah, I'm really fine. Just a little tired. I just need a couple of minutes to chill, and then I'll be great." She was mumbling by the end, and her eyes were closing.
Before long, Omega came looking for them. When she looked around the corner, Hunter put his finger to his lips, asking her to be quiet. He looked down at Wren, and her eyes were still closed. He thought it sounded like she might already be asleep.
Omega nodded and walked back out to the kitchen. He could hear her say, "Wren is asleep." It sounded like maybe the others were settling down at the table, so maybe it would be a few minutes before anyone else came in.
The next thing he knew, he heard voices and shuffling of feet, and he realized he had been asleep. Everyone was coming into the living room.
"Sorry, son, my back was starting to bother me sitting at the kitchen table," 99 said quietly to Hunter.
"That's okay, Dad. I didn't mean everyone had to stay out there. How long have we been out?" He looked around as if looking for a clock.
"It's been an hour!" Crosshair said. "You'd think you guys got no sleep."
Hunter could hear the smirk in his voice, and he quickly looked at him. There was a snicker from Wrecker, and a deep chuckle from Echo's direction.
"Knock it off, guys, you know how she feels about that."
Crosshair leaned towards him and whispered, "Then maybe you should be more careful about your nighttime activities." At least he made sure Omega and 99 couldn't hear.
If looks could kill, Crosshair would be dead on the floor after Hunter looked his way. He whispered, "Enough."
"I don't know what you're all whispering about, but I can tell by Hunter's tone that you'd better stop before someone really gets mad," their father interceded.
There were multiple mumbled Sorry Dads.
At that point, Wren started to stir, and Hunter removed his hand from where it was lightly stroking her hair, so she could move freely.
"Oh no, how long did I sleep?" She was still groggy, and Hunter's pulse jumped a bit at how her voice sounded rougher when she just woke up. Had he told her how nice he thought her voice was? Even if he already had, he needed to again.
"Not long, only about an hour." He spoke quietly to her, moving some hair out of her face.
She sighed loudly and dropped her head back to his chest. "I'm sorry! I hope I didn't keep anyone from doing something they wanted to because of it. I could've gone upstairs if I really needed to nap. But I'm okay now."
She heard 99's gentle voice say, "You're fine, Wren. We were out in the kitchen visiting and just did come in here. You haven't kept us from anything. But you're welcome to go nap if you'd like. I understand how difficult it is to sleep in an unfamiliar bed. And that old bed of Hunter's probably is not the most comfortable thing."
She felt her face start to heat up as she thought about what happened in that old bed last night. What is wrong with me, why would I do that! 99 is so nice, and I did that in his house!
She tried to sound normal when she said, "Oh, the bed is fine. I'm used to worse when I visit my parents. Everyone here can attest to the fact that I fall asleep while watching TV or sitting around all the time. It's just something I do."
He smiled at her as he turned back to the TV.
After a minute of quiet, 99 said, "What would you like to do this evening, Omega? Is there a movie you want to watch? Or a game you want to play?"
The girl's eyes brightened, "Could we play Trivial Pursuit?!"
There were multiple groans around the room. 99 said, "Hey now, why all the groans, that sounds like a fun idea." He looked around at his sons with a look that bordered on disapproving. Or as disapproving as 99 could muster anyway.
Wrecker said loudly, "Tech will just win, like he always does!"
Tech looked up from his phone, "It is not my fault I know more of the answers than you, Wrecker. I will sit out if you would prefer."
"No!" Omega exclaimed. "I want everyone to play! Wren, do you play Trivial Pursuit?" The girl turned excited eyes her way.
"I actually do! I enjoy a good trivia game." She didn't just enjoy Trivial Pursuit, she always won. It's just something she was good at, knowing mostly useless information.
"Yeah?" Hunter asked. "You'll play with us?" He smiled at her.
"Yeah, if it's okay with everyone else." She looked around quickly.
Crosshair shrugged, Omega bounced a little in her chair, Wrecker and Echo smiled, and Tech said, "This is wonderful. It will be nice to have another person. The more the merrier."
She nodded her head in agreement, and patted Hunter on the thigh.
"You actually look excited," Hunter said quietly, putting his hand on hers and rubbing gently.
"I am! I love the game." She looked up at him and could tell he was coming closer for a kiss. She obliged with a quick peck.
The rest of the afternoon passed quickly and pleasantly. They watched TV, they visited, and there was a lot of laughter. Now that Wren had been around them as much as she had, she was getting to the point where she really enjoyed observing all the different dynamics between the siblings. Even though there were squabbles now and then, it was 100% apparent that each one of them would lay down their lives for each other. And they all adored Omega more than anything else in the world.
The girl sat on the arm of 99's chair, being sure not to sit on his legs and hurt him. He held one of her hands in both of his. Wren practically teared up at the sweet picture.
She felt Hunter looking at her, so she looked up quickly. "What?"
"Nothing, just glad you're here, that's all." He lightly bumped her shoulder with his.
She smiled back and whispered, "Me too." She bumped him back.
Supper was mostly made by Echo and Omega with help from Wrecker. 99 stayed in the kitchen with them, supervising. The rest of them were watching TV quietly.
Then after supper, Wren volunteered to help with the dishes. She wasn't comfortable helping with the cooking yet, but she could help clean up. So her and Hunter washed dishes with Omega chattering at them from the table the whole time. She already had the Trivil Pursuit game set up and was looking through the question cards.
Wrecker walked in and said, "Hey! You're cheating!"
"No, I'm not!" Omega said back.
Wren noticed Hunter immediately turn to intervene. "Hey, it's not really cheating, Wrecker. She's just looking through the questions. And you're going to put those cards at the back of the box, right, Meg?" He lifted his eyebrows at her.
She quietly said, "Yes." It was obvious that was not her original plan. It still wasn't technically cheating, just studying.
Omega stuck her tongue out at Wrecker, and he did the same back at her as he went to the fridge for a drink.
Hunter walked back to Wren, who was washing while he dried, and gave her a small smile.
"Crisis averted, good job." She smiled back at him.
"Thanks," he responded. "It's always something." They both chuckled.
Once all the dishes were washed, dried, and put away, Omega ran into the living room to tell everyone to come back to the table. They all slowly trickled in. It was obvious Wrecker and Crosshair were simply humoring Omega and 99.
Omega and Wren were probably the most excited. Wren was really looking forward to playing.
They played teams since there were so many of them. Hunter with Wren, Echo with Omega, Crosshair with Wrecker, and Tech with 99. And actually, every team did pretty well. Between the two people, each team would know at least half of the answers.
Of course Tech knew most of the answers, especially in the Science & Nature, History, and Geography categories.
But to the surprise of almost everyone there, Wren got just as many right as Tech did, just in different categories. She excelled in the Entertainment, Sports & Leisure, and Art & Literature categories. And she held her own in Science & Nature as well.
It's not that Hunter didn't think Wren was smart before that, but he didn't realize how smart she was in this type of thing. She downplayed it. "It's just useless information, you know...trivial. It doesn't mean anything. I just watch a lot of TV and movies, I was exposed to a lot of sports knowledge by my older brother, and I took a lot of Literature classes in college, because I liked books. You'll notice I'm not great with history or geography. And I really should know more science than I do, since I got my degree in Biology, but I have a terrible memory."
Tech spoke up, "You should not sell yourself short, Wren. You are doing very well. I am quite impressed."
She felt herself blush. She looked down, playing with some of the plastic wedges. She quietly said, "Thanks, Tech," quickly glancing up at him. He nodded at her with a small smile. She felt Hunter's hand squeezing her thigh. When she looked at him, he nodded at her and patted her leg, before pulling his hand back.
Tech and 99 did end up winning, but Hunter and Wren were only one wedge short. The history one, of course! Hunter was no good with history either. But everyone had a good time.
Wren couldn't remember the last time she'd had so much fun. She was so proud of herself for her good showing, and she could feel Hunter's admiration. He seemed to be having trouble keeping his eyes off her. She could feel herself getting warm, and she was hoping the others weren't watching them. She didn't want to be embarrassed, she loved that he was admiring her, but she had issues with being the center of attention. Anyone's attention. Even Hunter's sometimes.
She was glad when the others started getting up from the table and putting the game away.
Omega said, "Wren, you were so good at this! That was awesome."
"Thanks, Omega. I probably just got lucky, next time I bet it won't go as well."
"I doubt that," Hunter said quietly. He stood up, but before walking away, he leaned down. His hand went to her back, and he kissed her cheek.
Wren could hear the guys talking to each other and 99 in the other room. She could hear more than one of them saying good night. As 99 walked past the kitchen, he stopped in the doorway and said, "Good night, guys. I'm going to bed."
"Good night, Dad," from Hunter.
"G'night, 99. I had such a nice time with you today." She stood up and only hesitated a second before reaching out to him.
They hugged each other, and he said, "Thank you, Wren." He walked on to his room after they parted. Omega was by his side, making sure he made it okay. Even though he was there by himself all the time, she still didn't want him walking too much without help.
After everyone else was either in the living room with the TV or in their rooms, Hunter put his arms around Wren from behind. He rested his chin on her shoulder, snuggling his head to hers. She put her hands over his, and they stayed like that, not saying a word, until Omega came back down the hall.
"You going to bed, Meg?" Hunter asked.
"Yeah, I'm ready."
Hunter and Wren stepped away from each other, and Hunter brought Omega in for a hug. He kissed the top of her head and said, "Sleep tight. We'll see you in the morning. We'll be leaving tomorrow right after lunch."
She nodded. After she stepped out of Hunter's arms, she gave Wren a hug also.
"G'night, hon. I hope you sleep tight."
Omega beamed up at her, "You too. Thanks again for coming with us."
"My pleasure." She gave the girl one more squeeze before turning her around and giving her a gentle push into the hallway.
Omega turned and waved at them after starting up the stairs.
"Did you want to go to bed?" Hunter asked.
"I think I'm ready. I'm really tired."
"Okay, let's see who's still in the living room.
They found Wrecker, Echo, and Crosshair finishing up a movie they'd started earlier. Tech had already gone to bed. They both said good night.
He put his arm around her shoulders as they reached the stairs, and they walked up the two flights together.
Tag List: (Let me know if you'd like removed, it won't hurt my feelings!)
I adore how cozy and safe Wren into the Batchers’ lives. When it is right, it is right, like a puzzle piece. Hunter and Wren are so perfect! And I love how 99 sees that too. I know Wren would love him and he her!💕
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I miss the Bad Batch fandom. I know it's still very much alive but I haven't been active in it at all outside of the discord server I live in and it makes me a little bit sad. I need more Crosshair moots
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Author Notes: It seems I'm going to be splitting their visit with 99 into THREE parts. I didn't expect to write some of the stuff I did in this chapter, and it was getting so long, I didn't want to write more. So the visit will end with the next chapter. I hope you like this one. It got a little spicy near the end, but nothing major. I'm still not sure about how I write stuff like that, so I'm sorry if it feels uncomfortable.
Summary: Set in a modern AU: Wren is a librarian who meets Omega, a twelve-year-old living with her five older brothers. Omega feels Wren and her oldest brother, Hunter, would be good for each other and tries to play matchmaker. Wren's anxiety and shyness make that more difficult than Omega hoped. Wren is based on me and my experiences with anxiety and how it affected my relationship with my husband. This sequel begins in the early days of their relationship. There are still struggles, because her anxiety hasn't magically disappeared. But because of Hunter's patience and Wren's trust, they're able to make it work.
Pairing: Hunter x Female OC
Word Count: 5744
Warnings: Spicy, maybe a little smutty near the end. Nothing major. Messing around between Hunter and Wren. Orgasms are had but no one is nude.
Inspiration: My modern AU was inspired by the amazing Modern Batch AU and Modern Fives AU stories by kaydear (Illyria_Lives) on AO3. Reading those fics was what gave me the courage to write my own. I borrowed some of the family's background from those stories, with the author's permission.
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Patience & Trust Masterlist (the sequel)
Hunter and the Librarian Masterlist (the original)
Dividers by animatedglittergraphics-n-more
Wren tried to not be nervous about going with Hunter and his family to visit their dad. She knew them all relatively well at this point. Well, except 99, but she wasn't really nervous about meeting him. From everything they said about him, he was a wonderful man, and she didn't think he would be judging her at all.
But even if there wasn't really anything to be nervous about, that didn't stop her from being nervous, as usual. It was just butterflies in her tummy about not being sure what to wear, what to pack, how things would go with sleeping in the same bed with Hunter where his whole family would know, including Omega and 99. Then there was the whole bathroom situation. She'd asked Hunter how many bathrooms were in the house, and he said two, so at least that would be better than just one for all eight of them. She was just always nervous about using someone else's bathroom, afraid something might go wrong. She could worry about the most ridiculous things. She knew they were ridiculous.
The Friday they were leaving, she left work a couple of hours early, so she'd be sure to have everything ready and get to their house in time. She didn't want to be the reason they didn't get to leave when they wanted.
As she was walking up to the house, Hunter came out the door with a big smile on his face. "You did come!"
"Did you think I wouldn't?" She smiled at him, but looked a little confused.
"I just wasn't sure when it came right down to it if you'd be okay. Not that I didn't have faith in you that you could do it, I just know how you get."
By that time he'd walked down the steps to meet her, taking one of her bags from her. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, and she felt herself blush. She would get used to that someday, but today wasn't that day.
"Well, I'm a little nervous, but nothing bad enough that I was going to back out. I really do want to meet your dad."
He put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him as he kissed the top of her head. "He's really looking forward to meeting you too. Omega has told him everything."
"Everything? Like, about me?" She sounded hesitant.
"Well, some of the stuff that went on with us. But not everything...I exaggerated. Don't worry, she just told him how wonderful you are, and how much I like you. Stuff like that." He tried seeing in her eyes, to see if what he'd said made things worse. He was still learning what he should and shouldn't say when she was already nervous.
"Okay. I hope she didn't make me sound better than I am, and he'll be disappointed," she said quietly.
"There's absolutely no way he's going to be disappointed. He's going to love you, I'm sure of it. And I know what I'm talking about. It's going to be fine." He squeezed her shoulders.
She nodded at him with a strained smile. "I know. It will." She reached up and kissed him. He seemed a little surprised. "I'm not sure how much I'll be comfortable doing when we get there, so I had to get a kiss in now." She felt her face get hot.
"Oh, there will be kissing. I guarantee it," he said mischievously, wiggling his eyebrows at her.
"Oh my god, Hunter. Stop." But she was smiling. He chuckled as they walked in the house.
"Wren!" Omega bounded over to them and threw her arms around her.
"Hi, Omega." She pulled away from Hunter so she could give Omega a full hug.
"I'm so glad you came! This is going to be so much fun. I want you to ride with me on the way up there." She was practically bouncing.
"We're going to take Tech's and Crosshair's cars," Hunter explained to Wren.
"Okay, if you needed me to take my car, I can."
"No, we'll be fine. Tech's car is a little bigger, so we three will ride with him, and Wrecker and Echo will ride with Crosshair."
She nodded at him, trying to listen to him and Omega at the same time. The girl had barely stopped talking since she'd walked in.
"Omega, do you have your stuff ready to go?" Hunter tried to distract her from her steady stream of chatter.
"Yeah, I just need to get my backpack."
"Okay, well go get it. We'll be leaving shortly."
At that point, the other guys started trickling in from other parts of the house. Crosshair and Tech came from upstairs, squeezing past Omega as she raced up to her room. Wrecker came from the kitchen, still chewing on something. And Echo was coming from the living room, carrying a bag with him.
"Hi, Wren!" Wrecker was the loudest, but they all greeted her in some way. Even Crosshair. She thought to herself, maybe after she proved to him that she wasn't going to bail on Hunter when his depression made its presence known, Crosshair finally accepted that she was one of them now.
"Did you need to go to the bathroom before we get on the road?" Hunter asked.
"Uh, no, I went right before I left my place. I'm good."
He smiled at her and turned as he heard Omega running down the stairs. "Omega, you should try to go to the bathroom one more time before we get on the road. We don't want to have to stop."
Wren couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face when he said that. He caught her look out of the corner of his eye, and after Omega ran to the bathroom, he turned to Wren and quietly said, "What? What's that look for?"
She said lowly, "Nothing. That was just a very dad thing to say." She reached for his hand, squeezing it. "It was cute."
He got even quieter, pulling her closer to him so no one else could hear. "Oh, you think I'm cute?"
She chuckled, "I think you know the answer to that."
She thought she saw the tiniest bit of color on his cheeks as he smiled at her. He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "Well, thanks," he said with a wink.
"Okay, I'm going to be driving my car in front, because I don't want to be behind Tech's car and have to see these two making out in the back seat," Crosshair said as he pushed his way in between them.
She felt her face get so hot, and Hunter said, "Cross, knock it off."
Crosshair turned to look at them, but he had a smile on his face. "Hey, I'm just saying. I'm already feeling nauseous, I can't put up with that too." He picked up his backpack and opened the front door, walking outside. "I'm leaving in three minutes, if you're riding with me, get a move on."
Hunter squeezed Wren's hand before letting it go, and walking over to a backpack and picking it up. He kept hold of her bag as well. She was still holding her backpack. She always overpacked, because she was afraid she'd need something and not have it.
By that time, Omega was back, picked up her backpack, and started out the door. Everyone else filed out behind her. Hunter was the last one, making sure all the lights were off and the door was locked.
Wren wondered how they would sit in Tech's car. Would her and Hunter be in the back seat together?
"Wren, I want you to sit next to me in the back!" Omega said excitedly.
Oh, well Wren got her answer. She glanced quickly at Hunter, and he gave the faintest shrug.
"Okay, that sounds good." Wren gave the girl a smile.
After they put their bags in the trunk, Hunter and Wren walked around to the passenger side. He took her hands. "I was hoping we could sit in the back together, but I guess that's not going to happen."
She smiled at him and said, "We'll be able to hang out tonight." She gave him a wink, and just as they were about to pull apart, Crosshair honked from behind them.
Wren startled and spun around to look at him. He had a smirk on his face and shrugged. Then he said, "Get in the car, lovebirds, we gotta go."
"Oh my god, he's such a dick," Hunter mumbled under his breath.
Wren chuckled and said, "It's how he shows love."
Hunter laughed and said, "If you say so. Okay, let's go."
They got in, and Omega started talking to Wren again, a mile a minute. She was obviously very excited. And she talked most of the hour and a half drive to 99's. Tech and Hunter talked quietly to each other now and then.
At one point, Hunter pulled his visor down, and the mirror was showing. When Wren looked forward, she saw his eyes in the mirror, and he was looking right at her. Before she could really think, a smile came to her lips. Then she thought and wondered how long he'd been looking at her, and she got embarrassed, feeling her blush starting. She could see the corners of his eyes crinkle, and she knew he was smiling. He put his visor back up, so she knew he wasn't looking at her anymore.
But then she saw his right arm slip down the side of his seat, and reach around behind him. He was just able to reach her calf with his fingers, and he ran them up and down as much as the restricted space allowed. She looked at Omega, and after seeing that she was looking out the window, talking about the cows she saw, she reached down and took hold of his fingers. She squeezed. He patted her calf before slowly pulling his arm back up front.
She knew she had to have a dopey smile on her face, but she couldn't help it. She had a boyfriend, and he wanted to tease and play. Stuff she'd seen her friends doing for years, and assumed she would never have the opportunity to participate in. She felt joy coursing through her, and she had to make a concerted effort to focus on what Omega was saying as she turned back towards Wren.
At least Omega's talking made the trip go faster. Before she knew it, they were pulling into a long driveway. She could see a house at the end, and not much else around except for trees. She didn't realize the guys had grown up out in the country like that. Like her.
When Omega saw the house, she leaned towards the front seat and said loudly, "We're here!"
Tech and Hunter both flinched at her volume, and Hunter said, "Omega, shh, we're right here."
"Sorry, I'm just so excited."
"I know. Me too." Hunter reached up and tousled her hair, and she was so distracted by her excitement that she didn't even react.
Crosshair's car was already stopped on the gravel next to the house, and Tech pulled in next to him. Everyone started piling out, some slower than others. Omega was first to reach the door, of course. Wren watched her, and saw her ring the doorbell, but then go on inside.
Hunter looked at Wren and said, "She knew it would take him a while to get to the door, so I've told her as long as she rings the bell and gives him a warning, she can go on in."
"It's really sweet how excited she is." They could faintly hear Omega call, "99! Where are you?"
All the adults walked around to the trunks to start pulling out bags and slowly making their way to the porch. Wren already loved this place. It looked like so many other old farmhouses she grew up around. Porch boards were worn and creaky, but not dangerous. His sons wouldn't allow anything unsafe around there. He just didn't need new things, according to him.
They started filing in the front door, and she could hear Omega's voice coming from the back of the house, and she could also hear the faintest masculine voice with her. She must have found 99.
Then Wren saw the two shuffle out of the hallway, Omega holding on to his elbow, taking her job of keeping him steady very seriously. Then Wren heard the sweetest voice say, "Oh my goodness, look at all my boys."
She looked at the older man, and saw how he was stooped over, as if he couldn't stand up straight if he tried. Omega wasn't much shorter than him because of it. But he had the brightest smile as he was looking around at everyone. She felt his eyes land on her, and his eyes softened. But before he could say anymore, Echo stepped forward and said, "Dad, good to see you. Happy birthday!"
The older man put his arms around Echo, as much as he was able, and said, "Oh thank you, son. Getting to see all of your faces is the best gift I could have asked for."
Then it was a steady stream of hugs. Wrecker was next, and Wren could tell he was being extra gentle with the fragile man. He looked so huge next to his dad. Then Crosshair gave a very brief hug, and she couldn't hear what was spoken between them, but they looked in each other's eyes, and 99's were bright with joy. Wren knew Tech wasn't big on physical affection, but she could tell he made an exception for 99. He held out his arms for the old man, and gave him a quick hug.
Then Hunter gently took her hand, a silent request for her to follow him. So she did, closer to where 99 stood. Hunter said, "Dad, I'd like you to meet Wren. Wren, this is our dad, 99." He dropped her hand, and she extended the other one to 99 for a handshake. He took her hand, and said, "It's so good to finally meet you, Wren. I've heard so much about you. You've made a big impression on my little family here. I'm so glad you could make it."
Wren could feel tears stinging her eyes. Why was she getting choked up. She wasn't sure, but his sweet and calm demeanor was so soothing. And to know that at least one of these grown sons of his had talked her up to him, made her feel like something special.
She put her other hand on top of their clasped hands, squeezing, trying to convey how much the moment meant to her.
"It's so nice to meet you, 99. I've heard nothing but good things about you. Your family holds you in such high regard. I'm honored to meet you. Thank you for allowing me to join your celebration."
And before she knew it, he'd shuffled the few steps forward, placing his arms around her, and gently pulling her into a hug. He was a little shorter than her, and she placed her cheek on top of his balding head. She whispered, "Thank you."
He shuffled back a couple of steps, turning slightly to see Hunter. He reached out to hug his son and said, "Well done, son. Well done."
Hunter quietly said, "Thanks, Dad," as he gently held him.
Then 99 said as he looked around, "Okay, everyone go stash your bags in the bedrooms, and come sit with me in the living room. I want to see all of you sitting and relaxing for a bit."
Hunter took Wren's hand and walked towards the stairs. "My room is up here." They walked up not one, but two flights of stairs. They ended up in what must be an attic. Hunter opened a door, and there was a very small room, not much bigger than a closet, with only room for the bed, dresser, wardrobe, and a small desk. "Here it is, tiny as ever."
"Boy, you've always been stuck in small rooms."
"Yeah, it's what I'm used to. I don't even think a thing about it." He set his backpack on the chair at the desk. He set her bag on the floor next to the desk, and took her backpack from her, setting it on the bare top of the desk.
He sat down on the bed. It looked like it was a full size, so they were definitely going to be cozy tonight. He patted the spot next to him, and she sat down without saying anything.
He bumped her shoulder with his, taking hold of her hand. "How are you feeling? You okay? Are you regretting coming?"
"No! I'm not regretting it. I'm fine, really. 99 seems like such a sweet man. I'm so glad I get to meet and spend some time with him."
She saw Hunter look into her eyes, and something changed. There was a softer look, one of admiration and sweetness. He leaned far enough to press his lips to hers. She welcomed the kiss. His breath and lips were warm. But before too long, they heard someone stomping up the stairs. Omega.
They parted, and he reached up and ran the backs of his fingers on the side of her face, and whispered, "To be continued." With one last quick kiss, he stood up and walked towards the door. Just at that moment, Omega appeared on the stairs.
"There you guys are! I didn't see ya, but Crosshair said to check up here."
"Of course he did," Hunter mumbled so only Wren could hear.
She smiled, but made it seem like she was smiling at Omega. "We're here, just dropping off our stuff. Did you find where you're going to sleep?"
"Yes, there's a couch in the family room that folds out into a bed, so that's where I sleep. It's so comfy."
Wren showed interest, "Is it bigger than this," and she motioned towards Hunter's small bed.
Omega looked and said, "Probably? I don't know. Did you want to switch?"
Hunter broke in, "No, that's okay, Omega. We'll be fine. There's room here for us."
"Okay, well, come on. 99 wants to see us all in the living room." At that she turned and hurried down the stairs.
"Are you trying to get out of sleeping with me," he said as he turned and put his arms around her waist.
"No! I thought we could both sleep on the couch, it sounds bigger." She put her arms around him and hugged. She loved how warm he was.
"It might be bigger, but I was hoping to have the privacy this room would give us." He whispered in her ear, and the warm air made her shiver.
"Oh! I see." She smiled. "What did you have in mind that we would need privacy for?" She couldn't believe she was flirting.
"Time will tell, won't it? Time will tell." He lightly smacked her ass and said, "We'd better get down there before someone accuses us of something unseemly."
She gave him one last kiss, and led the way out of the room.
When they got downstairs, everyone else was already seated in the living room. They all turned to look at Hunter and Wren, and she felt her face get hot. There were two straight back chairs that had been brought in from the dining room waiting for them, so she quickly sat.
Crosshair said, "Okay, now that everyone is here." He gave Wren and Hunter a pointed look. "What's up, Dad?"
"Nothing really, I just wanted to be able to sit and see all of you relaxed before we went on in for supper. I've made chili, and it's staying warm on the stove."
"Yum!" Wrecker exclaimed.
"Everybody loves 99's chili," Hunter whispered to Wren.
"Is that the recipe you used at the party?"
"Yeah, it is. So you will see that he always makes it just a little better than I do."
99 scoffed. "Now, Hunt, you make it just as good as me, if not better." He gave him a bright smile. Hunter returned the smile, but wouldn't agree with him.
"So, Wren, you're a librarian, is that right?" 99 looked at her.
"Yes, I am. I work at a public library. That's where I met Omega."
"Oh yes, I'm sure our Omega spends a lot of time in the library. She's so smart, and loves to read."
"She definitely is and does," Wren gave Omega a smile, and the girl looked shyly down at her hands, but it was obvious she was pleased.
Supper was uneventful. Good conversation. 99 asked Wren a few more things about herself, like where she was from originally, where she went to school, etc. But he was so warm, she wasn't uncomfortable talking to him at all.
After they ate, it was a team effort to clean up. They shooed 99 into the living room to rest and visit with Echo. The rest made quick work of the dishes.
They spent the rest of the evening watching TV and relaxing. Everyone was a little tired from the drive, and more than one of them dozed off now and then.
Wren was leaning on Hunter as they sat on the couch, and she felt her head nodding as she was falling asleep.
"Looks like someone should go on to bed," 99's soft voice drifted over to them, but she didn't hear. Hunter did though.
"I think you're right." He nodded at 99. "Wren, hey Wren? Can you wake up?"
She startled awake, looking around. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't want to fall asleep."
"It's okay, dear. It's getting late anyway. We should all probably get in bed."
Wren looked around and saw Omega asleep on Wrecker's lap, his head laid back on the chair, soft snores floating across the room. Crosshair and Tech were already gone. Echo was slowly standing, shaking out his stiff joints.
"Hey!" She tried to be quiet, but she was very ticklish.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist." He pulled her into his arms for a hug. "You ready for bed?"
"Yeah, I think I should be. I'm already falling asleep."
Echo tapped Wrecker on the shoulder as he walked past, and the bigger man woke up. When he saw everyone else standing and moving towards the bedrooms, he stood up keeping hold of Omega.
Hunter turned around to the couch, and started taking off the cushions. Once they were on the floor, he pulled the hide-a-bed portion out for Omega to sleep on.
99 had shuffled to the closet in the hall, pulling out some bedding. Echo followed him and carried the stuff back for him. Hunter and he quickly made the bed up, and Wrecker laid Omega down. She was still quietly grumbling, but obviously she needed to sleep.
As they all started leaving the room, Hunter leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "G'night, Meg. Sleep tight."
They shut the lights off as they left the room, but there was a small night light still on if she needed to get up in the middle of the night.
99 started walking to a room in the back on the same floor, and Echo also went the same direction. Wrecker walked up the stairs and went into the room Crosshair was already in.
Everyone said good night, and Hunter and Wren walked up the stairs.
He shut the door behind them and reached for her. She smiled and met him halfway, walking into his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes in contentment.
"How are you doing? Was it too much?" he asked.
"No, it wasn't too much. I'm feeling pretty good. 99 is so wonderful, I'm so glad you asked me to come with you guys."
"Well, I can tell he thinks you're pretty wonderful too."
He tried to look at her face, but she hid in his neck. He could have sworn he felt warmth from her cheeks and would've bet that she was blushing.
He pulled back, kissing her forehead. "Ready for bed?" She nodded, moving towards her bag. "Did you want to change in the bathroom?"
"I can do it here, if that's okay."
"Of course, I'll turn around." At that he went to the bed, pulling the covers down. Then he started unbuttoning his flannel shirt while she removed hers. He sneaked a peek as he tossed his flannel shirt on the chair. He was glad she couldn't see the look on his face when he realized she'd removed her bra. He was looking at her totally bare back, and he felt a stirring. He didn't want her to catch him, so he looked away, noticing she was pulling an oversized T-shirt over her head.
He took off his T-shirt, and then his jeans, tossing them where his other shirt had landed and got under the covers. She quickly took off her jeans, replacing them with her sleep shorts. He really did try not to look that time, but his eyes seemed to have a mind of their own and were drawn to her bare skin.
He picked up his phone as she turned around, before she could see him staring. "What time did you want me to set the alarm for?"
"What time do you think?" she asked.
"Does 9:00 sound okay? 99, Echo, and Omega will probably be up before then. But Wrecker, Crosshair and Tech will still probably be sleeping at that time."
"Yeah, that should be fine." She smiled at him as she walked to the other side of the bed, climbing under the covers. "This bed's quite a bit smaller than your bed at home, isn't it?" She looked at how close they were. There was practically no room between them.
"Yes, the better to snuggle you in, Little Red Riding Hood." He gave her a big smile, and practically giggled.
"Oh my god, Hunter. Have you been waiting to pull that one out all night?" She smiled back at him.
"No, it just came to me. Buuut...I have been waiting to pull something else out..." He gave her a mischievous look, wiggling his eyebrows at her.
"Hunter!" she whispered loudly and put her hands over her face. "I can't believe you said that." But he could hear the smile in her voice.
He pulled one of her hands off her face, and when she opened her eyes, she saw his face so close, she took a quick breath.
"Can I kiss you?" he asked in a whisper. She could feel his warm breath on her lips he was already so close.
"Yeah," she whispered back. She looked at his lips as he moved closer, closing her eyes again just as they touched.
The kiss lasted a while...long enough that she was starting to feel breathless. He pulled back just enough to let her breathe. "Sorry, I got a little carried away."
"Nothing to apologize for. I enjoyed it." Then she brought her hands up to put them around his neck, fingers threading through his hair. "Come here," she said with a smile.
And they kissed. And kissed. And kissed some more. She moved her hands from his neck down his shoulders and back, feeling his bare skin and the muscles moving underneath. She was starting to feel hot from the top of her head to her toes. He had slowly moved to where he was over top of her, holding himself up on his elbows, one on each side of her head.
Then he did something he'd not done before...he rolled his hips into her. She gasped, eyes getting even wider, as she felt his hard cock press between her legs.
He pulled back a few inches and said, "Is that a no to that?"
"Uh, no...I mean, not necessarily. You just caught me off guard." She stared into his eyes. "What did you have in mind? I'm not ready for sex, especially not here."
"No, no, not that far. Well, I mean, our clothes would stay on..."
"What do you mean?" she looked at him with apprehension.
"Well, there are things we can do with our clothes on that could feel pretty good." He rolled his hips into her again. He dropped his mouth to her neck, placing soft warm kisses from her ear to her shoulder.
"Ooh," she said breathlessly.
"Are you interested? If not, that's totally fine. I'll just kiss you good night and we'll go to sleep."
"Not sure I could sleep after that," she replied with a small nervous laugh.
He kissed her lips again. "I should probably just go back to my side. I'm sorry. I got carried away again. It's not a good excuse, but having you here this close is very tempting. I need to do better." As he started to roll back to his side, she tightened her hold on him.
"No, wait."
His eyebrows raised at that. "Hmm?"
"We'd have to be really quiet. Like, really quiet, Hunter. There are a lot of people in this house."
"I know. I can be silent. But, just as an FYI, there isn't a bedroom below us. Just so you know."
"Good to know. But we would still need to be very quiet. I would die of embarrassment if any of your brothers heard anything at all."
He held his finger up to his lips as if he was shushing her. Then he turned his fingers as if he was locking his mouth and "threw away the key."
She couldn't help but smile at his adorableness. She reached for him, bringing him further towards her. Then to his great shock, she rolled her hips into his.
He let out a very quiet moan. She quickly put her finger up to her lips, shushing him. "Very quiet."
"That was very quiet. There's no way anyone could hear that. But I will keep my moans to myself for you."
She gave him another smile and said, "Okay, thanks." She brought his head down to hers again so she could kiss him. "I'll just have to keep kissing you so you can't moan."
"Oh no, not that." He chuckled, then kissed her with more force.
When they broke apart and she looked at him, she said, "Hunter...do you want to fool around because we're in your childhood room and bed, and you never did anything like this when you were in high school?"
He chuckled and said, "I want to fool around, because you get me so fucking turned on." He punctuated that sentence with a quick kiss.
"Okay." She looked back down at his chest, running her fingers across the hard planes.
"The fact that we're in my childhood bedroom is just a bonus." Then he laughed a full laugh, still trying to be quiet though. She quietly laughed with him, putting her face in his neck again.
He began moving his hips in a steady rhythm. She could feel his cock rubbing against her clit through their clothing. She brought her legs up to hold him around the waist, pulling him even closer.
She was already breathing heavier, her forehead pressed against his shoulder. "Fuck, Hunter," she whispered.
She heard his breath coming faster and heavier as well. It didn't sound like either of them were going to last very long at this rate. He made sure the bed didn't make any sound, keeping his movements slow and gentle. She could feel the familiar tightening in her belly and knew she wasn't far.
"Hunter, I'm going to come. I'll be quiet, I swear." He pressed his forehead against hers and nodded.
"I'm not going to be far behind." Then he kissed her again, keeping his mouth on hers as she got closer and closer to her orgasm.
He heard her whine into his mouth as she came. It was enough to make him finish as well.
They laid there, not moving for a while. Their breath slowly went back to normal. He rolled off her onto his side of the bed, laying his forearm over his eyes. She opened her eyes and looked over at him seeing the large wet spot on his underwear.
"That looks like it might be uncomfortable. Do you want me to get you a different pair?"
He turned to look at her, then down at his softening cock inside his boxer briefs. "Nah, it's okay. I'll get a pair in a minute. Do you need anything?" He looked her over to see if there was anything wrong.
"No, I'm fine. Better than fine." She ran her fingers along his chest.
He pulled her closer into his side, putting his cheek on top of her head. "I promise I'll last longer next time. That was months of pent-up desire needing to come out. I'm not usually that fast.
"Well, hey, you at least lasted longer than me. That was so fast. Faster than I've ever come before."
"Oh, you've come before? I thought..."
"I have 2 hands, Hunter. You think I made it 27 years without getting out some of my sexual frustration? I'm not that strong." She chuckled.
"Hey, it's none of my business. But let me just say, that's fucking hot."
"What? The fact that I masturbate?"
"Yeah. Have you...since we've been seeing each other?"
"Oh yeah." She realized she said that a little too quickly.
He quietly laughed. "Oh really? Would you like to share anything with the class?"
"Ha! No."
He whispered into her hair, "Did you think about me?"
"Hunter!" She said that a little too loudly and clamped her hand over her mouth.
"I'm sorry, that was rude. Disregard."
It was quiet for almost a minute as he slowly ran his hand up and down her back.
"Yes." And that's all she said.
He chuckled and said, "Yeah, me too."
She felt her face get hot, and he turned to where it was buried in his his shoulder. He kissed her head again and said, "Okay, we'd better get to sleep."
"Okay, good night."
"Good night, Wren. I'm glad you're here."
"Me too."
Tag List: (Let me know if you'd like removed, it won't hurt my feelings!)
I'm starting off the new year with a FREE character/model sheet raffle. All you have to do is comment below the name of your character. It can be your OC, Star Wars OC, TBB OC, or Clone OC.
The sheet will have front view, back view, and either a head turn around OR 3 facial expressions. I will choose the winners at random (spinning a wheel) and announce them over the weekend.
For those of you who requested sketches. I am FINALLY working on them. I am so sorry it took me so long. I truly didn't have any free time until now. However, I plan to post all 12 requests in the coming weeks. Thank you for your patience.
Synopsis: The Bad Batch modern AU based on @clonethirstingisreal ‘s Hunter/ female OC Wren fic “Hunter and the Librarian”
With special appearance by @substantial-exposure ‘s OC, Tulip
Echo and the Batch live together in a house in a non specific US setting. They are all military veterans and Echo volunteers at the VA hospital. This is where he meets Althea, a medical courier and uni student.
Warnings:
This starts out pretty tame, but contains mature content. There are veiled and not so veiled references to heavier stuff even in the milder chapters. There’s warnings specific to each chapter, and things are steaming up a little by chapter four and there will eventually be smut. And it’s an inter-abled relationship with Echo who is a triple amputee. So since this isn’t actually Star Wars, Echo has serious physical limitations and other issues that a 100% disabled combat veteran may have. Althea has trauma from childhood and a previous relationship.
Author Notes: I purposely tried to spread out the time between the last chapter and this one, trying to give people a bit of a break. And this one is kind of a set-up for the next chapter, which is the chapter I thought I would be writing, but then I realized I wanted to write more prep than I'd originally planned.
Summary: Set in a modern AU: Wren is a librarian who meets Omega, a twelve-year-old living with her five older brothers. Omega feels Wren and her oldest brother, Hunter, would be good for each other and tries to play matchmaker. Wren's anxiety and shyness make that more difficult than Omega hoped. Wren is based on me and my experiences with anxiety and how it affected my relationship with my husband. This sequel begins in the early days of their relationship. There are still struggles, because her anxiety hasn't magically disappeared. But because of Hunter's patience and Wren's trust, they're able to make it work.
Pairing: Hunter x Female OC
Word Count: 2360
Warnings: Tiny bit of sex talk at the supper table with Omega.
Inspiration: My modern AU was inspired by the amazing Modern Batch AU and Modern Fives AU stories by kaydear (Illyria_Lives) on AO3. Reading those fics was what gave me the courage to write my own. I borrowed some of the family's background from those stories, with the author's permission.
Previous | Next
Patience & Trust Masterlist (the sequel)
Hunter and the Librarian Masterlist (the original)
Dividers by animatedglittergraphics-n-more
Hunter wanted to ask Wren to go with them to see 99 for his birthday. It was in a couple of weeks, and the whole family was going for the weekend. He thought it would be a great time for her to meet their dad. He knew 99 was excited to meet her, he'd told him so more than once. But would Wren be okay with that?
When they had lunch together on Wednesday, he thought he'd just ask. He wanted to give her plenty of time to prepare, if she did end up going.
"So, I have a question."
He noticed her hands still as she was bringing her sandwich to her mouth. He needed to learn not to do that. He needed to just ASK the question, instead of telling her he's going to ask. Slowly but surely, he was learning the best ways to accommodate her anxiety. He just needed to remember.
He hurriedly continued, "It's nothing bad! And you can say no. It's really no problem."
She set her sandwich down, taking a drink, and said, "Go ahead, ask away." She tried to give him a smile, but it wasn't overly convincing.
He reached for her hands and held them as he talked, stroking with his thumbs.
"Well, 99's birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks, and the whole family is going to spend the weekend with him. I was wondering...would you want to go with us? I totally understand if you're not ready for that. But I wanted to ask. I know he'd love to meet you. And I want you to meet him. But it doesn't have to be yet-"
"Yes."
He stopped and looked at her. He tilted his head, trying to gauge her facial expression. "Yes? You're okay with that?"
"Yes. He sounds wonderful, and I'd love to meet him."
"Well...great! That's...wonderful!" He gave her hands a squeeze before letting go.
"Did you think I wouldn't?" She started eating again.
"Well, it wasn't that I thought you wouldn't want to meet him at some point. I just wasn't sure if you were to that point yet."
"I think I am. Thanks for asking me." She gave him a beautifully genuine smile.
His heart skipped a beat. He couldn't help himself, and stood up enough so he could lean over the table and kiss her. Right there in the sandwich shop.
"Thanks." He sat down, still smiling at her.
She looked flustered, her cheeks a little red, but she still had that huge smile on her face.
"Sure. Thank you!" She giggled quietly, and it was adorable.
He took her hand again and squeezed it, holding on for a few seconds. "Okay, well, it's not this weekend, but next. And we'll probably leave on Friday after work, and come back Sunday afternoon. Will that be okay?"
"Yeah, should be. Are there enough beds for everyone? Will I make it harder on him?"
"No, you won't make it harder on him. He's going to be thrilled. And there are plenty of beds...if you share mine." He said that last part a little quieter.
Her face got redder and her cheeks were burning. "Should we do that? Do you think he will mind? What about Omega?" She seemed worried again.
"He won't mind. He knows I'm a grown man. And I think it might be time that Omega knows we've moved forward a bit. Unless that will make you too uncomfortable? I know you're going to be nervous anyway, I don't want to make it harder on you. I can sleep on the couch, and you can have the bed, if you'd prefer."
She chewed on her bottom lip for a bit, not looking at him, but staring at his hand holding hers.
"I think I'll be okay with it. I mean, I really want to. I just worry about how it will look to people."
"Maybe it'll look like we're a couple?" He gave her a small smile, and tried to convey that he thought this was a very natural progression for them. And it's not an unusual step for couples to take. "I don't plan on DOING anything except sleeping." Then he got a mischievous look on his face. "Unless you want to do more than just sleep."
She put her hand up to her face, hiding her eyes. "Hunter. No. I mean...ugh. You are mean." They both laughed quietly. "It's not that I don't want to, I'm just not ready. And certainly not in your dad's house with your whole family there." She looked up at him through her lashes, seeming embarrassed.
He took her hand again, squeezed it, and said, "I know, sweetheart. I'm just teasing you. I'm not even thinking of anything more right now. Well, not seriously. I'm not saying I never think about it..." He allowed himself to trail off and when she looked at him, he wiggled his eyebrows at her.
"Oh my god, Hunter. You're awful." But she quietly giggled as she stood up and threw her trash away.
He watched her walk away with a big smile on his face. She saw it when she turned around. She couldn't help but return the smile, even though she was still embarrassed.
"Okay, I'm sorry, I'm done teasing you, I swear. We need to be leaving anyway."
As they walked out, he put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. Placing a soft kiss on the side of her head, he said, "Don't hate me. You're just too fun to tease sometimes."
She playfully poked him in the ribs with her elbow, and he made an exaggerated "oof" sound, grabbing his side and rubbing.
But then he laughed quietly, pulling her against his side as close as possible. He whispered, "I'm sorry," against her hair. She placed her arms around his waist, hoping he could tell she wasn't really upset with him. Just a little embarrassed.
"It's okay. Really. I know you're just teasing." She looked up at him, and her eyes trailed to his lips. As soon as he saw that, he leaned in for a quick kiss. Nothing big, since they were out in public and not far from the library, but he couldn't resist a quick peck.
He left her at the library door, with a promise that he'd talk to her later. He saw her wave at him from behind the closed door as he walked away. He was floating. He felt so good. This was a big step. A big step!! She was going to meet 99! 99 was going to meet...his girlfriend. She felt like so much more than that though. He already felt like she was his...partner. He couldn't picture himself ever being with anyone else after this. She was it. It was just going to take some time before he could do anything about that. He still wanted to give her plenty of time to adjust to their new situation. But he planned on being there with her, forever, if she was willing.
When he got back to the job site, Wrecker commented on his huge smile. "You must have had a good lunch, Hunter!"
"I did, Wreck. Wren is going to 99's with us next weekend."
"Really! Oh, that's awesome!! She's part of the family now!"
Hunter smiled at him, and said, "Well, let's not say that around her yet. We don't want to scare her. But yeah, I agree."
Wrecker smacked him on the back so hard he stumbled forward a bit. He was used to his overexuberant brother, so he didn't mind. And he was glad Wrecker seemed almost excited as he felt.
That night at supper, Hunter decided to let everyone else know about Wren going with them. He knew if he didn't say it then, Wrecker wouldn't be able to hold in his excitement and would spill it.
Partway through the meal, Hunter stopped eating, cleared his throat and sad, "I invited Wren to go with us to 99's."
Four heads popped up quickly. Wrecker was the only one who didn't, since he already knew.
"Really?" Echo asked. "What did she say?"
"She said she would go. Is that okay with you all?" He looked around the table.
Of course, Omega was bouncing in her seat quietly clapping her hands. "I'm so excited! This is gonna be so much fun!! She's gonna love 99."
"And 99 is going to love her," Wrecker added.
Omega nodded enthusiastically.
"This is a big step," Tech said. "I am happy you have reached this point. We were not sure you would make it at times."
Crosshair chuckled. "Ain't that the truth."
Hunter just gave them a bored look. "Not everyone moves at the same pace in these situations. She had to overcome a lot of anxiety to get where we're at now. I'm very proud of her."
Echo added, "I am too, brother. I'm proud of both of you. You handled the situation so well. Many other men your age would have given up long ago. Good for you."
Hunter could feel his face getting hot, as he looked down at his plate and started eating again to try and hide his embarrassment. "Fanks," he mumbled around what he was chewing.
"99 is going to be so happy to meet her. I've told him a lot about her," Omega piped up.
Hunter gave her a soft smile. "I'm sure you're right, Meg. I'll call him a little closer to time to let him know she'll be with us. I don't want to tell him right now, just in case she would change her mind. She could start getting anxious the more she thinks about it."
"I bet she'll be fine! But hey...will there be enough beds for everyone?" Omega asked.
Hunter looked up quickly, then around the table at his brothers. There were varying degrees of amusement on their faces. Wrecker looked like he was going to laugh out loud any minute. And the smirk on Crosshair's face was intolerable.
She's not a little kid, maybe it wouldn't hurt to broach the subject now. "Uh, well, Meg...we'll figure it out. Maybe we'll just...share my bed. That would be the easiest solution for everyone."
Crosshair snarked, "Yeah, easiest for everyone. That's the reason." He was chewing on a toothpick by that point and flicked it across the table at Hunter. Hunter batted it away, then picked it up and threw it i the trash can nearby, giving Cross a dirty look the whole time.
"Oh..." Meg said. "So you two are sleeping together. Does that mean you're having sex?" She looked as innocent as could be.
Hunter practically choked on his stew. Echo patted him on the back, "Are you okay?" Hunter nodded while coughing.
Wrecker and Crosshair were snickering, and Tech was watching Hunter expectantly, adjusting his glasses.
He took a drink, trying to get a handle on his cough. She looked at him sweetly, not realizing the turmoil she was causing him. He knew she was just curious, and didn't mean anything by it.
"Well, Omega...first of all, that's not a question you should ask people. Okay? That's a very private thing, and most people aren't going to want to discuss it with you, or anyone." He looked around the table when he said that.
She looked disappointed. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean any harm. I just thought that's what grown-ups did when they slept in the same bed. I didn't mean to say something bad."
His face softened when he realized she was confused. "You didn't say anything bad, it's just...well, like I said, it's a private thing. I'm going to tell you, though, because I know, for a fact, that Wren doesn't want you thinking we are...doing that."
Wrecker and Crosshair started snickering.
Echo spoke up, "Guys, stop."
Hunter gave them a look before continuing. "So, to answer your question, Wren and I are not having sex. She's still getting used to us being a couple. But we do like cuddling, so I would like to be able to do that when we visit 99, where beds are in short supply anyway. And I'd ask that you not bring it up with her, she's still a bit uncomfortable about it, and I know she'd be mortified if you asked."
"Okay, Hunter! I won't say anything more about it, especially to her. I promise."
He smiled and nodded at her.
Tech adjusted his glasses and said, "That went much better than I expected."
"Well, if it's okay with everyone, I think we can drop this now and get back to eating," Hunter said with finality
He gave Omega a small smile, and she returned it with a nod.
After supper, when Hunter and Echo were doing dishes, and everyone else was either in the living room or upstairs, Echo said, "Well, that was an interesting conversation over the supper table." There was a smirk on his face.
"Yeah, you can say that again. I hope I handled it in the best way."
Echo said, "You did a great job. You didn't just shut her down, you answered her question. That's the best thing to do. But I do think it's a good idea to tell her not to talk to Wren about it. I can't imagine how she would react to that."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I think I will tell her Omega asked about it though, and that I told her we aren't yet. She's been worried about what Omega might think."
"She's a sweet person, not wanting to cause weirdness for you and Omega."
"She really is."
They continued in silence for a couple of minutes. At one point, Echo looked at Hunter, who was drying the same dish over and over. "Hunter, I think it's dry."
Hunter startled and looked up from the plate. "Oh, yeah, sorry."
Echo chuckled, "It's okay. You have a lot on your mind."
"At least it's good stuff for a change. That's nice," Hunter continued.
"It really is."
Tag list: (Let me know if you'd like removed, it won't hurt my feelings!)
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Author's chapter notes: Some of this chapter might sound familiar to a lot of you. Part of it was a one-shot I did back in April, but I wanted to incorporate it into this chapter now that I'd reached that point in their overall story. I did change just a few details to match up with things I'd already written. I do apologize if having both Wren's and Hunter's points of view seems redundant. I just really wanted to show how they both were feeling, and I didn't want to split it into two chapters. I hope this fluffiness helps make up for the heaviness of the last chapter.
Summary: Set in a modern AU: Wren is a librarian who meets Omega, a twelve-year-old living with her five older brothers. Omega feels Wren and her oldest brother, Hunter, would be good for each other and tries to play matchmaker. Wren's anxiety and shyness make that more difficult than Omega hoped. Wren is based on me and my experiences with anxiety and how it affected my relationship with my husband. This sequel begins in the early days of their relationship. There are still struggles, because her anxiety hasn't magically disappeared. But because of Hunter's patience and Wren's trust, they're able to make it work.
Pairing: Hunter x Female OC
Word Count: 3163
Warnings: Mention of depression and anxiety. Making out with kissing and arousal. Leaving "love marks" on a partner's body.
Inspiration: My modern AU was inspired by the amazing Modern Batch AU and Modern Fives AU stories by kaydear (Illyria_Lives) on AO3. Reading those fics was what gave me the courage to write my own. I borrowed some of the family's background from those stories, with the author's permission.
Previous | Next
Patience & Trust Masterlist (the sequel)
Hunter and the Librarian Masterlist (the original)
Dividers by animatedglittergraphics-n-more
Things felt different between Hunter and Wren after that weekend. But in a good way. She felt like she knew more about him, and it seemed to bring them closer together. She knew she could be there for him, like he's there for her all the time. And he knew he could be himself, depression and all, and she wasn't going to leave him because of it. Not that he'd thought she would, but there was a bit of fear that it might be too much for her along with her own anxiety.
He had his psych appointments on Monday, and he called her that evening. He said it went pretty well, and they were going to adjust his meds dosage just a bit, and see how that went. He was sounding a little better, a little more like the Hunter she was used to.
He was able to go back to work on Tuesday. Wrecker still took on a lot of the crew boss duties while Hunter was adjusting to his meds change. But at least he was there, getting back to his life. Until the next time it happened. He always hoped there wouldn't be a next time though. Maybe someday they'd get the right combination and dosage of meds/therapy/and whatever else they could throw at it.
He didn't tell Wren, not yet anyway, but part of the problem this time around was deep down he had hoped meeting Wren and getting closer to her would keep those extra low cycles or waves away. And when he still felt that old despair coming back, even after things had been going so well with her, it hit him hard. But he talked about that with his psychiatrist and psychologist on Monday, and they helped him work through that.
Wren was going to be out of town most of Saturday, but he asked if she wanted to get together on Sunday. Maybe he could come to her place, and have a quiet visit, just the two of them. He was thrilled by the excitement he saw in her eyes when she said yes.
Sunday afternoon came, and Wren had been having a bad anxiety day. Actually, a bad anxiety weekend.
She and Hunter had mostly been watching TV, but nothing in particular. They were just spending time together.
But her mind kept wandering. Nothing specific was bothering her, just work stuff, and family stuff, and all sorts of stuff. It didn't have to be anything big to make her anxious and worried. She had a lot of trouble shutting down her racing thoughts. Her mind went from one thing to another to another, worry after worry after worry.
She didn't realize how long she had been zoning out, staring into space.
"Hey, Wren."
Nothing.
"Wren. Are you okay?"
Still nothing.
He reached over and lightly nudged her arm with his hand. She looked over at him suddenly with a surprised look on her face.
"Oh! I'm sorry! What did you say?"
"Are you okay? You seem a little...absent."
"Oh shoot, I'm so sorry. I try not to do that when you're around. I've just had a lot of stuff on my mind. I'm so sorry. I'll try to stop."
"Did you want to talk about anything?" He was genuinely interested in trying to help any way he could.
"No, I'd rather just try to not think about it. None of it is really important stuff, I just fret a lot. About anything. I just need to distract myself." She gave him a small smile while playing with the hem of her shirt.
He was quiet for a little bit, before he spoke up again.
"Well...I can think of a couple of ways I can try to distract you." His voice was very low, more of a rumble. And when she quickly looked at him, she felt her face get hot and she was sure she was bright red. The smile he gave her was more mischievous than anything else.
She made a ridiculous snort, trying to cover up her embarrassment. But that just made her more embarrassed. She looked away, reaching up and laying her hand on her cheek, feeling her hot skin beneath her hand.
He chuckled and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you." He reached up and removed her hand from her face, but instead of dropping it, he kept hold of it, resting it on the couch.
"That's okay. You didn't." But she couldn't really look at him. She stared at their hands instead.
"Oh, I think I did." At that, he scooted closer to her, until he was sitting right next to her. He bumped his shoulder into hers. "But I was serious. I'd love to try to distract you."
She looked at him again, and he was leaning his head forward slightly so he could look in her eyes. His eyes wandered over her face, pausing on her lips.
She couldn't believe she was going to say it, but she couldn't stop herself. "What did you have in mind?" She took her bottom lip between her teeth, gently chewing with nervousness.
"Well..." He scooted even closer, even though she didn't think that was possible. His leg was practically on top of hers at that point.
She could feel his breath on her face. He smelled like the cookies she'd made for him.
"I was thinking...maybe...I could kiss you. Would that distract you?" He was having a hard time taking his eyes off her lips.
Her breath hitched just a little. Then she tried to take a deep breath without being too obvious. Otherwise she was afraid she was going to pass out from lack of oxygen.
She whispered quietly, "There's only one way to find out." Then she looked back up at him with a faint smile.
He replied in a whisper almost as quiet, "I guess you're right."
He leaned forward the last remaining little bit that separated their mouths. She felt his lips land on hers, firm but careful. He pulled back after a few seconds. "Did it work?"
She said, "I think it's starting to. But we might need to try again. Just to make sure."
His smile grew and her heart warmed at the affection showing in his eyes.
"I think you're right." He moved his arm so it was around her shoulders, pulling her towards him just a little bit. She moved her free hand so it was resting on his waist. And they kissed again. And again. And again. None of them were long kisses, but they were very sweet. And her head was beginning to spin.
She pulled back a little bit, looking at him. She reached up and moved some hair out of his eyes. She trailed her hand down his face, and said, "Yeah, it's definitely working."
"Good. You were really worried though, so we'd better not stop yet." He was having a hard time containing his grin.
"You're right. I could definitely use some more distracting. These worries, they're stubborn." She kissed him quickly, then looked down, staring at his chest, rubbing it with her hand, then moving up to his shoulder. "But, I think you said you knew of a couple of ways." She felt her face getting hot again, but she wasn't going to stop now. She peeked up at him, and his smile had grown.
"I did, didn't I?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Well, I thought maybe..." and he leaned his head further towards her, but then bent down so his nose was in her pulse point. He nuzzled her neck, and she shivered without warning. She felt a puff of air on her neck as he chuckled, deep and low. He placed a very soft kiss on the side of her neck, working his way up behind her ear. It took every ounce of strength for her to stay calm and quiet.
But he could tell he was having an effect. He nuzzled her ear and moved her hair out of the way so he could get to more of the skin on her neck. She'd closed her eyes as soon as he started in, and she was enjoying it immensely. They had kissed, but hadn't done much actual making out up to that point, but she knew already she was a big fan of any activity around her neck.
Then she felt him suck just a little bit, nothing serious or painful. But it was very distracting. What was she worrying about again? She had no idea at this point.
Oh, he was good.
And the thought of having him to distract her when she was spiraling was enough to put a big smile on her face.
After a minute or so of that, he pulled his head back to look at her face. "Is it working? Or are you still worrying?"
"Worrying? Was I worrying? I don't know what you're talking about." She took advantage of his face being right in front of hers and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
When she stopped for air, she pressed her forehead against his and said, "Thank you, Hunter. You're really good at distractions."
He smiled a small but very warm smile and said, "I'll be glad to help anytime, sweetheart. Just give me a call, and I'll be here before you know it."
And those pesky worries were forgotten for the next two hours.
Hunter was enjoying hanging out with Wren on her couch, just lounging around, watching TV, talking. But she seemed distracted. Very distracted at times. He would notice her staring out the window, or at the floor. She would play with the hem of her shirt or her sleeve. She would stare at their joined hands, like she was in a trance.
Whenever he would talk to her or ask her something, she'd respond. And she seemed like she was in a pretty good mood. But before long, she'd be mentally wandering off again.
When he asked her about it, asked if she was okay, she said she was, just thinking about things. She said she didn't really want to talk about it, but would rather be distracted.
And that made something click in his mind. Distracted. She wanted to be distracted? Well, he could certainly help with that. He thought for a minute, trying to come up with the best way to bring it up.
"Well...I can think of a couple of ways I can try to distract you." He gave her a smile, and trying to sound as sexy as possible, although it probably just sounded weird. He felt his face start to heat up and was glad for his dark complexion so she couldn't see his blush.
But he definitely saw her face immediately get red, and she made some sort of snorting sound. Maybe she thought he was joking or just teasing. But he wasn't. He was very serious.
She looked away and put her hand up to her cheek, trying to hide her face. So he took her hand and moved it to the couch where he kept hold of it.
He said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you."
She tried to lie and say, "That's okay. You didn't." But he knew better.
"Oh, I think I did." He moved closer to her, bumping her with his shoulder. And he continued, "But I was serious. I'd love to try to distract you."
He kept looking at her, trying to see in her eyes. Then his eyes moved to her lips, and he couldn't seem to stop staring at her mouth.
And then to his surprise, she said, "What did you have in mind?" chewing on her bottom lip. A gesture so endearing that he felt his heart swell, like it was going to burst out of his chest. God, she was adorable.
He wanted to just grab her face, gently but firmly, and kiss her hard. And not stop kissing her until she was thinking about nothing but him. But he couldn't quite bring himself to that.
So instead, he moved even closer, until his leg was practically on top of hers, and said, "Well...I was thinking...maybe...I could kiss you. Would that distract you?" He held his breath. He didn't want to freak her out. And if she didn't want him to kiss her, then he would be fine. But he couldn't express how much he hoped she would accept his offer.
He kept looking at her mouth. And when he realized, he would quickly look back at her eyes, but then they'd wander down to her lips again. They were so perfect. So inviting. So soft. He knew how soft they were, and since the first time they'd kissed, he'd had trouble not thinking about her lips all the time.
His pulse quickened when she whispered, "There's only one way to find out." That was his cue. That was a green light, a "let's do this" if he'd ever heard one.
"I guess you're right." And then he leaned forward to press his lips to hers. Gently, carefully, but still firmly. He didn't want to push too hard, but he wanted her to know it was just the beginning, if she wanted. "Did it work?" He gave her a small smirk.
And to his utter delight, she said, "I think it's starting to. But we might need to try again. Just to make sure."
He was surprised at that. She was flirting! Wren was being flirty and teasing with him.
He replied, "I think you're right." Then he placed his arm around her shoulders, drawing her whole body closer to his. He felt her practically melt into him, her hand going to his waist. There was no resistance or hesitancy there at all.
And they kissed again. And again. And again. Mostly small kisses, no urgency, no pushiness, just enjoying the feel of each other's lips over and over again.
She pulled back, and he looked into her eyes.
"Yeah, it's definitely working," she whispered.
He felt practically giddy with the joy and comfortableness of the moment. "Good. You were really worried though, so we'd better not stop yet." He was trying not to smile, but he doubted he was hiding it very well.
"You're right. I could definitely use some more distracting. These worries, they're stubborn." She kissed him quickly, but seemed to be having trouble looking at him. He could tell she was embarrassed to be talking like that. He could see she wanted to be open with him. She wanted to let him know how much she liked it, how she wanted to keep going, but she was still holding back. "But, I think you said you knew of a couple of ways."
His heart skipped a beat when she said that. That was what he was hoping for, his invitation to move forward.
"I did, didn't I?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Well, I thought maybe..." And he leaned down so he could nuzzle her neck. He could smell her shampoo and her soap, and he just wanted to stay there, with his nose nestled into her pulse point, inhaling quietly. He felt her shiver, and he chuckled a little. He enjoyed knowing he was having an effect.
Then he went a step further and kissed the side of her neck. He left a line of small gentle kisses up and behind her ear. He was getting so aroused, it took all of his will power to not do what he wanted to, which was to just ravish her neck. To suck and gently bite until there were marks. Marks that other people would see tomorrow. He wanted everyone to see them at lunch together and know he did that. He marked her. Because she was his girlfriend.
And that actually surprised him, because he never thought of himself as possessive. And he still didn't really think it was a possessive thing. It was more a declaration of his feelings. A public declaration. I care about this woman, a lot. And we are close. Closer than I've ever been with anyone else. And these marks are proof of that.
But he held back. For now. They had kissed, but hadn't done much actual making out up to that point, so he still wanted to take things slowly.
She was relatively quiet, although he did hear the faintest whimper. And that sent a jolt straight to his cock. He hoped she couldn't feel how hard he got at that. He tried to keep his crotch away from her as much as possible. He at least didn't want to press up against her with it. Their legs were touching, but he could keep his erection out of the way for now. But that whimper crumbled his resolve about not making a mark.
He worked his way down to her collar bone, pulling her shirt collar to the side. He put his mouth on the exposed skin, starting with gentle kisses, up and down and around. But then in an area he knew could be hidden if she wanted, he sucked.
He heard the tiniest, quietest gasp he'd ever heard. But it was a gasp, he knew that. He looked up at her face, not removing his lips from her skin.
Against her skin, he said, "Are you okay? Would you like me to stop?"
She shook her head vigorously. "No, no, please, don't stop."
After a minute or so of that, he pulled his head back to look at her face. "Is it working? Or are you still worrying?"
"Worrying? Was I worrying? I don't know what you're talking about." He smiled at that as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
He noticed she was getting more and more comfortable with kissing, in fact she was becoming very good at it. He was going to have to up his game to keep up with her. He smiled at the thought.
When she stopped for air, she pressed her forehead against his and said, "Thank you, Hunter. You're really good at distractions."
"I'll be glad to help anytime, sweetheart. Just give me a call, and I'll be here before you know it."
He was so pleased, he couldn't stop smiling. It was a win-win situation. He got to kiss her sweet lips and soft skin and she got to forget her worries for a couple of hours.
He was feeling so good, especially after the incredibly rough patch he, well...they, had gone through recently. They got through it and were closer afterwards. And his medication adjustment was already having a positive effect. He felt so fortunate.
No, Wren couldn't cure his depression, but having her in his life was already making it a little easier to deal with. He hoped he was having a positive effect on her mental health as well. That's what you hope when you love someone.
Tag list: (Let me know if you'd like removed, it won't hurt my feelings!)
Author's chapter notes: This isn't an easy chapter. It wasn't easy to write, and it will probably be uncomfortable for some to read. Depression is the main topic, Hunter's depression specifically. I totally understand if that's something you don't want to read. Feel free to skip ahead to the notes at the end of the chapter for a summary. The events of the chapter are loosely based on an event that happened early on with my husband and me, just with slight differences in details. And it probably happened a little earlier in our relationship than it does here in Hunter and Wren's. But I hope this chapter will show that Wren can be there for Hunter when he needs support, as he is there for her all the other times.
Summary: Set in a modern AU: Wren is a librarian who meets Omega, a twelve-year-old living with her five older brothers. Omega feels Wren and her oldest brother, Hunter, would be good for each other and tries to play matchmaker. Wren's anxiety and shyness make that more difficult than Omega hoped. Wren is based on me and my experiences with anxiety and how it affected my relationship with my husband. This sequel begins in the early days of their relationship. There are still struggles, because her anxiety hasn't magically disappeared. But because of Hunter's patience and Wren's trust, they're able to make it work.
Pairing: Hunter x Female OC
Word Count: 6940
Warnings: Talk of depression, behaviors of a depressed person, mention of anti-depressants, upset and hurt feelings, crying, a slight misunderstanding that is sorted out pretty quickly.
Inspiration: My modern AU was inspired by the amazing Modern Batch AU and Modern Fives AU stories by kaydear (Illyria_Lives) on AO3. Reading those fics was what gave me the courage to write my own. I borrowed some of the family's background from those stories, with the author's permission.
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Patience & Trust Masterlist (the sequel)
Hunter and the Librarian Masterlist (the original)
Dividers by animatedglittergraphics-n-more
Wren didn't hear from Hunter much the week after the party. He did text her Monday evening and asked how she was and how her day was. But there wasn't much extra talking. He said he was tired and going to bed early.
Tuesday she texted him in the evening. It took over an hour for her to hear back, but he finally responded. But he didn't say much again. Just that he was okay, but tired. She did mention she was going out with Amanda for her birthday Friday evening. He didn't really react to that, just said "okay." She started feeling like something was off, but she didn't know what and didn't know how to ask, so she didn't.
Wednesday...nothing. She'd decided she wouldn't text, maybe he needed a break. And when he didn't text, she assumed she was right.
Thursday...the same. Nothing. She was really starting to feel uncomfortable. But she fought the urge to text. She remembered that he'd said she could text anytime, he wouldn't get tired of her. But this week felt different.
On Friday at lunch, he texted.
H: Hey, would you want to come over tonight?"
W: Oh, I'm going out with Amanda for her birthday, remember? I don't know how long that will be, but it might be late before I'm home.
Then nothing. Finally about fifteen minutes later...
H: Fine.
Fine? Fine?! What does that mean? She had to admit she was a little irritated. She'd told him she was going out with Amanda. He acknowledged that he read the text. Why was he acting like this now? Like she was blowing him off or something.
She didn't know what to say.
W: Sorry. Maybe Saturday?
H: We'll see. Have fun.
W: Okay, thanks. Have a good night.
Then nothing. No response. She had a sick feeling in her stomach. What just happened? She couldn't cancel on Amanda, it was her birthday. She'd told her she would go out with her. What did he want her to do? Why was tonight so important to him?
She tried to put it out of her mind, but it gnawed at her all day. One minute she would be annoyed. Then the next she would be sad. She might even tear up. Then she'd be anxious. Then back to annoyed.
She didn't tell Amanda any of this, she didn't want her to feel bad. She probably would have said to not worry about going out with her, go see Hunter instead. But Wren had already told her she would go. She wouldn't back out.
That evening, Amanda, Wren, and Amanda's other friend, Stacy, went out to eat. Then after that, they went to shoot pool. Wren had mentioned Wolffe to Amanda early in the week. She said she remembered him coming into the library more than once. He's hard to forget with the scar and all. She said he was very quiet, but polite. Wren didn't want to betray his trust, so all she said was that he remembered Amanda and said she was very nice. Wren got the feeling that Amanda liked him well enough that maybe she'd be receptive to meeting him outside the library. She'd work on that.
They didn't stay very late though, they were all tired after a long week. Wren was home by 10:00. She received a text. From Hunter.
H: Are you home yet?
W: Yeah, I just got home. We were all tired. We felt like old women. How was your night?
H: Fine. We went out.
W: Oh, really? Who? The whole family?
H: Yeah, except Omega. She's at Hera's.
W: That's nice. Did you have a good time? Where did you go?
H: The bar. It was fine. I talked to Megan.
Wren felt the air leave her lungs as if someone punched her in the gut. Megan? As in, Megan who gave him her phone number? Megan who was after him that one night at the bar? That Megan?
W: Oh, the girl from before at the bar?
H: Yeah, she came over and sat with us for a while. I talked to her.
W: Oh. That's cool. I'm glad you had a nice time.
What was he doing? Why was he telling her this? Was he trying to hurt her?
H: Yeah, well, good night I guess.
W: Okay, good night. I'll talk to you later.
And that was all.
Then she sat there. And cried. What just happened? What happened this whole week? She didn't understand his attitude and how he was talking to her. It didn't feel like Hunter.
She decided she was just going to bed. She'd had enough of this night. But her phone rang. She was shocked to see it was Crosshair. She picked up:
"Hello?"
"Hey, Wren. It's Crosshair."
"Yeah, what's up? Is everything okay?"
"Not really." Her stomach dropped. "I saw the texts Hunter sent you just now. He'd left his phone laying on the table when he went to the bathroom. I just wanted you to know there was nothing to the Megan thing. She sat down and talked to us. She did try to flirt with Hunter, but he wasn't receptive."
"Do you know why he told me that? Is something wrong, Crosshair? Something doesn't feel right with him."
"It's not." He paused, as if trying to decide how to proceed. "How much do you know about Hunter's depression?"
"Uh, not that much. Just that he sees a doctor regularly, he's on anti-depressants. But that's all. He hasn't talked about it much."
"Okay, well, this is really something you should hear from him, but when he gets like this, it's hard to get him to talk. He's been having a rough week. He just has these low points now and then. It's not because of something that happened. It's not because of something you did, so don't think that. I know you well enough by now to know that's probably what you're thinking."
"Well, I was beginning to wonder. He just hasn't been very communicative this week. Not many texts, which isn't like him. Then this thing tonight. I'd told him I was going out with Amanda. I told him that early this week. And then when he asked me to come over, and I said I couldn't, he seemed upset. Mad even maybe. I didn't understand."
"Are you able to come over here?"
"Now?"
"Yeah, if you can. I think it would be a good idea if you could talk to him in person. He's gone to bed now, but I doubt he's sleeping. He didn't even go to work the past couple of days. He didn't feel up to it. I know this is asking a lot, and not everyone is able to deal with this type of stuff. But this might be a good time to see if you're able to be with him. Because most of the time he's the Hunter you've seen up to now. But now and then, this other Hunter shows up. He probably needs a meds adjustment, and I think he has an appointment next week with his doc, but for right now, he's struggling. And no matter what he would say, I know he would benefit from you being here. If you are able to deal with it."
"Okay, sure. I'll come right now. Thank you, Crosshair. Thanks so much. I had no idea."
"I know. Just get here when you can. I won't tell him you're coming, but I know he'll be glad to see you, even if he doesn't say it."
"Sure, sure. I'm changing clothes, and I'll be on my way."
"Bye, Wren. And thanks."
"Of course. Thank you."
Oh no, she thought. I don't know if I'm equipped to handle this. I don't know what to say. I've never talked to a truly depressed person. Or not when they're in a depressive episode anyway. What should I say?
She changed into clothes that she didn't wear to bed, but that were still comfortable, a pair of sweats and a hoodie over a T-shirt. Then she quickly tossed her bed clothes in a bag, and some toiletries, not knowing how long she'd be there, and was out the door in less than five minutes.
She tried to keep calm on the drive over. She was trying to think of what she could say to him, but she didn't come up with anything. But as he said last weekend, she's a good listener. She would just listen and go from there. And if he didn't want to talk, maybe just being there would help. She had to try.
When she got there, the door opened before she even rang the bell or knocked. Crosshair was there, and he said, "Thanks for coming."
"Yeah, of course. Thanks again for calling." She looked around the doorway to the living room, but only saw Wrecker, Tech, and Echo. No Hunter.
Wrecker said, "Hey, Wren," but he was quieter than she'd ever heard him before. The other two gave her weak smiles and waved.
"He's in his room. Go on back. Just knock on the door, and let him know you're here. It's not locked."
She handed him her coat, so he could hang it up. She'd left her overnight bag in the car, not knowing for sure what would happen. She could get it later if need be. Maybe he wouldn't want her to stay. She'd play it by ear.
She walked quietly back to his room, standing outside for a few moments. She didn't hear anything inside.
She knocked lightly. "Hunter? It's Wren."
She didn't hear anything. She waited a few more moments and knocked a little louder. "Hunter?"
"Huh?" she heard his muffled voice.
"Hey, it's Wren. Can I come in?"
"Yeah." It was quiet and still muffled, but he said yes. She was relieved at that.
She opened the door and walked into the dark room. She saw a lump on the bed, under the covers, but she couldn't actually see him.
She closed the door quietly behind her and said, "Hunter?"
He just made a quiet groaning sound.
"Hey, is it okay that I'm here?"
"Yeah."
"Can I turn on this lamp? Just a little light, so I don't trip."
"Yeah."
She turned the light on, then made her way to the bed, sitting down on the edge. She put her hand on what she thought was his thigh or hip. She waited, and after a minute or so, he slowly brought down the blanket. She hoped her eyes didn't show the surprise she felt when she saw him. His eyes were so red and puffy. He'd obviously been crying at some point. His hair was a tangled mess. He had bags under his eyes, and he looked exhausted.
"Hi." She gave him the best smile she could.
"Hi. What are you doing here?" He was still mumbling into his blanket.
"I just wanted to come by and say hi. I've missed you. Thought maybe I could get some snuggling in. Do you think that would be possible?"
"I haven't showered in a few days. Not sure you want to be that close to me." The eyes he turned on her were so sad and almost pleading.
"Sure I do. I always want to be close to you. Can I crawl in there with you. You can stay right like you are, you don't have to move at all. I can just hug you from over there." She pointed to the spot behind him, on the other side of the bed.
"Yeah, if you're sure."
"I'm sure. But before I do, did you want anything? A drink? A snack? Anything at all from out there?" She was running her hand up and down his thigh, very gently, soothingly.
"Maybe a drink. A Pepsi? And my phone. I don't know where it is. Out there somewhere?" He gave her the faintest smile, and she could see some of "her" Hunter in there.
"Absolutely. I'll go right now." She stood up, but then leaned over him, kissing his forehead. "I'm glad to see you, Hunter." She held his cheek in her hand for a few seconds, before standing and turning off the light. "I'll be back shortly." He just grunted.
She walked out into the hall and saw Crosshair leaning against the kitchen counter. When he saw her, he hurriedly stood straight. "How is he?"
She whispered, "He's quiet, but he talked to me a little. He said he wants a Pepsi and his phone. Do you know where his phone would be?"
"Probably in the living room. I'll get a soda ready, you go get the phone."
Wren nodded, and turned to go to the living room. She walked into the room where Tech, Wrecker, and Echo were watching TV.
"Hey, guys. Have you seen Hunter's phone?"
They all looked at her, and Wrecker pointed to the end table next to where Hunter usually sits. "I think it's over there."
She walked closer, saw it, and grabbed it. "Thanks."
"How is he?" Echo asked.
"He's pretty quiet, but he did talk to me a little. And he wanted a drink."
"Good. That is a good sign," Tech sighed after saying that.
"Would someone be able to go out to my car and get the bag that's on the passenger seat? It's an overnight bag, and I didn't know if I'd be staying, so I didn't bring it in. But I'm going to stay as long as he lets me, so I could use the bag."
Wrecker jumped up. "Yeah, where are your keys."
She walked to the closet and fished her keys out of her coat pocket. "Here ya go, Wrecker. Thanks. When you get back, you can just put my keys back in there. And maybe just leave the bag on the washer or dryer. I'll pop out and get it when I'm sure what my plans are. Is it right that Omega won't be home tonight?"
"That's right. She's at Hera's for a sleepover," Echo responded.
"Okay, good. Then I won't feel funny about staying the night. If he's okay with that."
"I think that would be a great idea. Thanks, Wren." Echo was so sincere. She could feel the worry coming off him in waves.
"Of course, I'm glad to do it." She smiled at all of them. "Thanks for being such good brothers to him." She felt tears stinging her eyes.
Wrecker reached out and enveloped her in his big arms. She put her arms around his waist as far as she could reach and rested her head on his chest. "You're doing great, Wren. No matter how he acts or what he says, just know he's going to appreciate you being here. Once his mind is cleared, he'll remember this."
"Does he get like this often? I had no idea..." she trailed off.
Echo spoke up again, "Not often. Once in a great while. And it's usually when his meds need adjusting. He's got an appointment with his psychiatrist on Monday, so they'll discuss that. Hopefully they can tweak them a little bit to get him back on track. He never seems really angry, just gets sad and quiet."
"I guess Omega has seen this?"
"A little bit. She doesn't understand the full weight of it. And he does try to hide it from her as much as he possibly can. But it's one reason we asked Hera's parents if she could stay over tonight and tomorrow night."
Wren nodded and said, "Okay. Thanks, guys." She started to turn towards the kitchen.
Wrecker said, "I'll be right back with your bag, and I'll leave it in the laundry room."
"Thanks, Wrecker." He went out the door as she went to the kitchen.
Crosshair had the soda in a cup with some ice. He held it out to Wren. He also held out a water bottle, and she took it as well.
"Thanks, Crosshair. And thanks again for calling."
He just nodded, and she turned and went back to Hunter's door. She knocked, but then slipped on in quietly.
"Are you okay with me turning the light on again, so you can see to drink?"
He grunted and she assumed it was a yes. The light was very dim, so she didn't think it would be too much for him. She held out the cup to him, and his hands came out from under the blanket to grab it. They were shaking. He lifted his head enough that he could get a good angle to drink. He drank most of the soda before setting the cup down on the stand.
"Here's some water if you want some later also." She set that next to his cup.
"Thanks."
"And here's your phone. Did you want it, or just set it here?"
"You can just set it there for now." She set it on the corner of his stand.
"Okay, so can I come in now?"
He gave her the faintest smile, and it did her heart good to see. She walked to the other side of the bed and crawled under the covers. She scooted behind him, putting her arms around his waist. He grabbed onto her hands as if he never wanted to let go. She felt the tears in her eyes again. She pressed her forehead to his back, kissing his shoulder through his shirt.
"I'll stay as long as you want. It's up to you though."
"Can you stay all night?" He sounded so small. Like a hurt little boy.
"Absolutely, if that's what you want. I will stay all weekend if you want."
He squeezed her hands. Then it was quiet. And she wasn't going to make him talk. He knew she was there if he wanted to. He knew she was a good listener if he wanted to talk. But he didn't, not yet.
It wasn't more than five minutes when she heard his even breathing. His sleep breathing. She quietly sighed, grateful he'd been able to fall asleep. It was obvious he hadn't slept much lately.
She might have drifted in and out of sleep, but she definitely didn't sleep soundly. She looked at the clock once, and it had been two hours. He stirred, and rolled over a bit to look at her. It was mostly dark, but she could see his eyes.
"Thanks for staying."
"It's my pleasure."
He rolled over so he was facing her. She rolled to where she was facing him and brought her hand to his cheek. She leaned forward so her forehead was pressed against his. And they stayed like that until they fell back to sleep.
At some point in the night, Wren turned over so her back was to him, and they were able to spoon. She heard him sigh peacefully before falling asleep again. And he slept better than he had in a week.
In the morning, she woke to an empty bed. She got up, wandering out to the laundry room. She picked up her bag that Wrecker had left for her, and placed it inside Hunter's room on a chair. Then she went into the hallway. Hunter was in the kitchen, drinking some coffee at the table.
"Hey, you should have woken me up."
He looked less exhausted than he did last night, so she was glad about that.
"I haven't been up long. I needed some coffee to try to help my headache. Do you want something?"
"No, not right now. Is anyone else up?" She looked at the clock, and it was only 7:30 am.
"Echo has been up, he's the one who made the coffee, I'm sure. But I haven't seen him. It's been quiet."
She sat down next to him, and took his hand in hers. "How did you sleep?"
"Pretty good. You helped." He squeezed her hand, bringing it up to his mouth to kiss her knuckles. "So, who called you to come over?"
"Crosshair. I'm really glad he did though. I had no idea what was going on. I'm sorry for not being there for you earlier."
"No, don't worry about that. I wasn't thinking clearly when I asked you to come over. I knew you had plans, and I didn't want you to cancel on Amanda. I just wasn't thinking. And I shouldn't have said what I said in the texts after. I'm sorry about that."
"It's fine, Hunter. I understand. I mean, I can't understand what you're feeling, but I understand that you didn't mean anything by it. If I'd realized how bad you were feeling, I would have asked Amanda if I could leave after we ate and not do anything after. She would have been fine with that. So in the future, just let me know what's really going on. I'm new at this, but I want to try to help you as much as I can."
"I know." He gave her a small smile, and leaned over, giving her a quick kiss. "You're the greatest."
"Oh, far from it. But I'm willing to do whatever I can. I just need a little guidance."
He nodded at her, standing. He pulled her up with him, and hugged her, resting his head on hers.
"I'm still tired, would you want to go back to bed for a while?"
"Yeah, I'd like that." She leaned into him again, putting her head on his shoulder, arms around his waist.
He kissed her head, and said, "Okay, come on. Let's go back."
They walked into his room, closing the door. She climbed into bed, him following, and they got back into their favorite position. Spooning. He kissed her neck, causing her to giggle.
"That tickles."
"Oh, really?" So then he peppered little kisses all over her neck, trying to tickle her as much as possible. She tried to stifle her giggles, but it was hard. She got her pillow and put her face in it.
"Hey, you're going to make me wake everybody up."
He just chuckled and settled in. She put her pillow back and laid her head down. They spent a couple of more hours in bed, sleeping and waking and cuddling. They heard everyone else up, and finally decided they should join them.
He kissed her cheek, saying, "Thanks again for coming over. You have made a huge difference."
"I'm so glad. I wish I could do more."
He shook his head, "Nah, it's okay. This just happens sometimes. I think I need to have my meds adjusted. Sometimes, they lose some effectiveness. I've had to switch meds before, or sometimes it's just a dosage adjustment. I try really hard to keep it in check with Omega here now. I don't want to scare her. But sometimes I can't fight it enough."
Wren brought her hand to his face, moving some hair out of his eyes, caressing his cheek. "No one expects you to fight it, Hunter. Not even Omega. She's old enough to understand some things. She's mature, she's already been through a lot in her life."
"Yeah, so I don't want to put her through with my shit. Not if I can help it." He reached up and held her hand as it rested on his cheek.
She could tell she wasn't going to change his way of thinking on that right now, so she dropped it.
"Most of the time I just feel numb. Like I don't really have emotions. But when this starts happening, I can feel those emotions bubbling up, and it's not pleasant. The sadness and guilt. The pain and heartache. The pain of losing Fives. And also of losing the only future I'd ever really planned for myself. The numbness sucks too. I hate that I can't feel as much for you as I'd like. But the numbness is better than the pain."
What did he mean about not feeling as much for me as he'd like? Can I ask?
"So what's that about your feelings for me? What do you mean?" She tried not to sound anxious or worried.
"Well, I know that I care about you. A lot. I know, because I never get tired of you. Never. And that's never happened with a woman before. I know, because when you're not around, I can't stop thinking about you. I know, because when I tell someone about you, I can't keep the pride out of my voice. Pride in what a good and kind person you are. And that you want to be with me. I KNOW all those things. But I can't usually FEEL them. And sometimes, that pisses me off. Because you deserve someone who can really feel how much they care about you. You deserve someone who isn't dead inside."
She felt tears start burning her eyes. She didn't realize these things about him. She didn't realize the depth of his depression and pain. This is all new to her, and it's overwhelming. But she wanted to keep in control for his sake. And not show how upsetting some of this was. Not upset at him. But upset FOR him. She hated that he had to feel like this.
"Hey, Hunter. What I deserve is to be happy. Just like everyone else. And you make me happy. Period. You. You are the one I want to be with. You are the one I want to open myself up to. You and only you. And if your depression is part of that, then so be it. I'll take that on and do my best with it. It's not like I'm a walk in the park over here. I can be very difficult. I think you've come to see that. And I don't expect that to get any better. So maybe we were meant to be together. Our issues aren't the same issues, but I think we are more empathetic towards each other, because we know how shitty we feel sometimes. And we would do anything in our power to try to stop each other from feeling shitty."
She could see tears in his eyes, so she just leaned forward and kissed him. So softly, it was barely a kiss. But it conveyed everything she wanted it to. She was here for him, just as he was here for her. And it wouldn't be easy, but it would be worth it. She truly believed that.
"Thank you," he said quietly. "You're the best."
Every time he said that her face got warm and she knew she was blushing. Because she could tell it wasn't just an empty platitude. He meant it. He was convinced she was the best person he'd ever met, and no one would change his mind. Of course, 99 and Omega were in a different category, so they didn't count in that comparison.
"Pfft."
"Pffft, nothing. You are." He kissed the side of her mouth, then the other side. Then on the lips. But he pulled back saying, "So are you going to be heading home?"
She thought he sounded hopeful, but didn't want to make a big deal out of it.
"Well, I wasn't sure. I thought I might stay a while today, if you didn't mind. It was a long week not getting to see you." She looked at him shyly, picking at the blanket that covered their legs.
"If you want, that would be great. I just wasn't sure if you needed to get home."
"Nah, not really. I didn't have any plans. So I can stay as long as you would like. And when you get tired of me, just boot me out the door." She smiled at him.
"Never. I don't think I could ever get tired of you." He leaned forward, putting his arms around her and pulling her in for a tight hug. She had a little trouble catching her breath while he was hugging her that time, because he had such a tight grip. Like he didn't want her slipping away.
She tried to joke. "Well, we'll see about that. I can be pretty annoying. You ain't seen nothin' yet." Then she laughed, and he actually laughed a bit with her.
"Well, I really need to take a shower then. I don't want you having to be around me when I stink."
"I didn't notice. You just smell like you. Maybe a little more than normal."
He chuckled, "That's a nice way of saying it."
He stood up and went to his dresser, pulling out some clothes.
"Did you need to go to the bathroom before I head in? I mean, we have another upstairs, but if you need to go, I can wait."
"No, I'm fine. Go ahead."
He gave her a smile, albeit small and subdued, as he walked out of the room. She grabbed her bag, shut the door, and changed her clothes. She didn't feel like she needed a shower yet. She'd rather not deal with that if she didn't have to. Showering in someone else's bathroom, especially an unfamiliar one, wasn't high on the list of things she wanted to do today. Although if she ended staying all day and night again, she might.
She wandered out to the kitchen, and all the guys were there either drinking coffee or eating. The shower was running already, so they knew Hunter wouldn't be able to hear.
"Hey, Wren. Thanks so much for helping." He stood up and gave her another big bear hug. She soaked it up.
"I'm glad I could help a little. He seems to be a little better than when I got here last night."
"Oh, he's worlds better," Echo added. I can tell in his eyes, there's less despair. You've grounded him." He then walked over and hugged Wren.
Oh, she was getting hugs from everyone. How nice! Well, half of everyone. She knew Tech wasn't a hugger, and she was pretty sure Crosshair wouldn't want to hug her. But they did both smile at her, acknowledging how grateful they were too.
Hunter was their oldest brother, well, other than Echo, but even he looked up to Hunter. He was the head of the household for all intents and purposes. And he tried his hardest to help all of them. When he was in these low spots, they wanted to be able to help him, but it wasn't always possible. But having Wren added to the mix was definitely reassuring.
Echo dished up some eggs and bacon, setting it in front of her. "Thanks, Echo. This looks so good. And smells delicious." He just smiled and nodded at her.
"So are you staying today?" Crosshair asked.
"I am for a while. He seemed like he wanted me to."
They all mumbled their agreement, that it would be a good thing to have her around. Wrecker was talking about things that went on at work the day before. Without Hunter there, Wrecker was in charge. Before too long, Hunter came down the hall. He was wearing sweats and a T-shirt, and his hair was wet.
Wren tried not to stare at the way his gray sweats fit or how adorable he was with his wet curls around his face.
Stop thinking about that. He didn't feel well. It's not nice to think about shallow stuff like how good he looked.
But he did. Look really good. He caught her looking at him and gave her a mischievous smile. She just looked down at her plate and shoved more food into her mouth. He took his dirty clothes and put them in the hamper in the laundry room. After he came back, he stood behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders and rubbing gently. She looked up at him and smiled, and he bent down to kiss her cheek.
"Want some food, Hunter?" Echo asked.
"Yeah, I do, thanks." He moved to sit next to her as Echo brought a full plate over. "Looks really good, Echo." And then he dug in. It was obvious he was hungry. Who knows how much he'd eaten the past few days. He'd cleaned his plate in no time, and got up to get some more.
Echo was washing dishes, and Wrecker got up to move on into the living room. He patted both Wren and Hunter on the back as he walked past. "It will be good having you both around today." Wren felt her face get warm, but she couldn't stop the huge smile from forming.
The rest of the morning was quiet. Echo sent everyone out of the kitchen while he cleaned up. Crosshair went up to his room for a while. The rest of them went into the living room to hang out and watch TV.
There was nothing they were watching that Wren really cared to focus on, so she focused on Hunter. She rested her head on his chest as she pulled her legs up, bending them to curl up under her as she leaned into his side. She rested her hand on his stomach, slowly and gently moving her fingers up and down, left to right. His arm was around her shoulders, and he was lightly rubbing her upper arm.
After a quiet ten minutes, she looked up at him. "Is this annoying you?" She looked down at her hand.
"No," he said quietly. "Why would it?"
"I don't know. I thought maybe you'd like me to stop hanging on you, give you some space." She looked up at him.
"No, I like you hanging on me." He smiled at her. "I will tell you if I need space."
"Okay, please do."
Most of the day was like that. They all ate lunch together. Echo, Wrecker, and Tech came and went. Tech took Wrecker shopping at one point. They needed some groceries. Hunter would have normally gone with them, but they didn't ask him. They knew he wasn't up to it.
Crosshair came down for supper and then left for work not longer after.
At one point, Wren said, "Is there anything I can do around here to help you guys? Laundry? Cleaning?"
Echo and Hunter both said, "No! You're not going to do our chores. We'll get to them." Some of it was what Omega helped with to warrant the allowance they gave her, so she would help on Sunday when she was back.
So Wren just relaxed and let them do their stuff around her. But Hunter stayed with her most of the time. At one point he asked if she wanted to lie down.
"Here? Or in bed?" she asked.
"I was thinking here for now. We can do the bed part later, if you're still here."
"Hunter, I'll stay all night if you're fine with it. But I'll also leave if you'd rather I do that."
His face lit up, "You'll stay all night?"
"Yeah, sure! It would be my pleasure." She kissed him quickly.
She didn't ask how he was feeling, thinking maybe that wasn't the best way to handle things. She didn't want to pressure him to talk. But she would be glad to listen if he ever wanted to. And she thought he knew that.
So they laid on the couch together, him behind her. Their favorite spooning position, just a little more cramped. Around 9:00 Wren was falling asleep. He said, "Hey, Wren, you ready for bed?"
She barely woke up but said, "Yeah, I'm ready."
He helped her up and they started walking out of the room. She said good night to Wrecker, who was the only one left there with them.
When they got to his room, she was still half-asleep, so she just started undressing, changing into her bed clothes. She didn't notice Hunter's eyes going wide, as he saw more of her skin than he had up to that point. She put her sleep shorts and shirt on, taking her bra off last. Then she crawled into bed.
He took off his shirt and pants and climbed in next to her. He laid on his back, and she curled into his side, her head on his chest.
She was so tired, she barely woke up. And he was pretty exhausted too, after the rough week he'd had. They were asleep in no time.
But a couple of hours later, Wren woke up to strange sounds. She tried to clear her head to remember where she was, and she felt something hard under her cheek. Oh, Hunter's chest. And then she realized the strange sounds she heard were coming from him.
He was talking, but she couldn't really understand what he was saying. He kept going and after a minute, he'd increased his volume to where he sounded angry, like he was yelling at someone. It still sounded like gibberish, except she could make out a few fuck you-s. She was getting ready to say something to him, because it sounded like he was getting more and more upset. Almost as if he was crying. But before she could say his name, his arms and legs started jerking. He was kicking and the arm around her squeezed her much tighter. She started feeling nervous.
"Hunter?" No change. "Hunter!" He was still crying and flailing more. Then she yelled, "HUNTER!" and he startled awake.
"WHAT?! Wha- wha-..." He looked around frantically, his eyes landing on her face. Even in the near dark he seemed to recognize her, and he loosened his grip. "Wren?"
"Yeah, it's me. Are you okay?" Her voice was shaking a little bit.
"Yeah, I'm okay. Why, what did I do?" He sounded confused.
"You were yelling and started crying, then you were kicking and holding me tighter. Almost flailing."
"Shit, sorry. I should have warned you when I'm in these depressive periods, I often have bad dreams that sometimes turn violent. I'm really sorry. Did I hurt you?"
He sat up, turning on the light next to the bed. He looked at her face closely, touching her, feeling her arms, as if he was feeling for broken bones or something.
"No, you didn't hurt me. I'm okay. I was just surprised, that's all. I woke up and heard you, then you started jerking around. I wasn't sure if I should wake you up or not. But when you started squeezing me, I thought I should."
"Yeah, definitely. Thank you." He turned off the light again, and laid back down. He kissed her forehead. "I'm so sorry, Wren. I'm so so sorry."
She thought it sounded like he might cry. "It's okay, Hunter. It's fine. I'm fine." She stroked his hair and his face, trying to calm him. His breathing had returned to normal. But he felt really hot. "You feel really hot. Do you want your fan on higher?"
"No, that's okay. If it's too high, then I'll get cold because I'm sweating. It will be fine in a minute."
"Okay, well, I'm still going to stop laying on your chest. Give you some space. I'll be over here, and if you want to come over, feel free. But I want to give you the chance to stay over there if you'd prefer."
She did as she said she would, and turned on her side away from him, on her side of the bed.
After he spent a few minutes deep breathing, he moved over behind her. He gently slid his arm around her waist, putting his nose in her hair. He snuggled up to her back, and they were both asleep again before too long.
The next morning, Wren wanted to be gone before Omega came home. It's not that she didn't want to see her, but she still wasn't comfortable with her seeing Wren spend the night with Hunter. So she got up before anyone else was up. She whispered for Hunter to stay in bed and sleep more. She kissed his cheek, and was getting ready to stand up and walk away, but he moved faster.
He grabbed her around her waist and pulled her down on the bed. "No, you can't leave!" He was smiling though, as he pulled her down close to him. They looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds. Then he kissed her tenderly. "Thanks for coming to hang out with me. You really are the best." With his face softened by sleep, he looked even more adorable to Wren.
She bent down and kissed him...once...twice. She could feel his smile against her lips. She pulled back and said, "I hope you have a good day. Omega will be back, so that will be nice."
"Yeah. You have a good day too. Thanks again for coming to hang out with me. I hope I didn't scare you away."
"Never, Hunter. Never." She grabbed her bag, gave him a small wave, and slipped out, closing the door behind her.
After she got to her car and could take a minute to breathe, she thought about the past 48 hours. She was proud of herself for being able to be there for him.. She wasn't sure how it would go the next time it happened, but she would deal with that when it happened.
She cared about him way too much to run away because of this. He was so good at helping her with her anxiety, the least she could do was try to help him when he needed it. That's what you do when you love someone.
Summary in case you don't want to read details about depression: Wren finds out Hunter cycles into lower depressive episodes now and then. There's a misunderstanding because she doesn't realize what the problem is. Crosshair calls her and asks her to come over to be with Hunter. She ends up spending most of the weekend with him, and they have some really good talks about his mental health. You won't miss anything in the main storyline if you don't read this chapter.
Tag list: (Let me know if you'd like removed, it won't hurt my feelings!)
The simple way Hunter and Wren are there for each other, no fuss, just love and warmth and genuine concern is so sweet and beautiful to me. The comfort they give each other, the way the whole batch is with each other, is true and honest love, even Crosshair. This just gets better and better❤️
