something clever

Avan nodded. “I know you are and I really appreciate it. I love you too. More than anything.” He smiled at her kiss to his cheek, loving the fact that such casual little shows of affection could pass between them again now that they were back in the same place.

Liz smiled at Avan’s simple and innocent request of going food shopping with her. “You’re adorable.” She mused with a laugh, kissing his lips. Maybe the kiss was a little rougher, a little longer than intended; She pulled away when the need for air outweighed the need for his lips against hers.  

Avan smiled, settling his arms around her waist as hers wrapped around his neck. He’d missed this, just being able to be close to her like this in such a calm and casual way. As much as he had loved her visit to New York, each embrace they had shared held undertones of longing. They had known that they would be parted again shortly and no matter how amazing it had been to hold her in his arms, it had been a little desperately. This was different though, the easy morning embrace was something he hadn’t realised he had missed so much until this moment.

Liz smiled softly to herself, reaching her hand across the table to hold his free one while Avan spoke to her. It made her feel better that he felt better. That being home, and being around her could bring a peace to his mind when things in the outside world were becoming hectic and too hard to handle. It was a nice feeling to know that you were home to somebody you loved, you were their safe place. “You know I’m here for you,” She ran the pad of her thumb over the skin of his hand. “no matter what. Whatever you want to do with this, I’ll support you. I love you.” She leaned over the counter to press a kiss to his cheek. 

Avan woke to she smell of food cooking and before the fog of sleep cleared from his mind, he was completely confused. It wasn’t until he opened his eyes properly and took in his surroundings that he realized that he wasn’t in New York anymore - he was home. Waking up in his own bed was surreal and the only thing missing from the perfect picture was Liz. 

Liz turned around when she heard her fiance’s voice, “Good morning,” she replied, smiling softly at his presence. She moved from behind the counter to meet him on the other side and wrap her arms around his neck. It was almost laughable how she couldn't keep her hands off of him. She couldn’t keep away from him for too long, no matter how much she liked to think she had more self control than he did. But it was nice. It was nice being able to touch, and kiss, and just look at him after so long. Maybe a few weeks wasn’t so long, but to be away from someone you loved with every piece of you, it was. 

Avan let out a quiet chuckle as he listened to his fiancee’s breath even out only moments after offering to stay awake. He didn’t mind of course, he had been planning on insisting that she go to sleep anyway. He doubted that he would be able to follow her into sleep, certainly not that quickly but he found that he didn’t feel entirely alone with his thoughts. Even if Liz was asleep soundly, she was in his arms and her quiet snores were comforting. All of this was comforting, actually. Being back in his own bed felt so amazing and if he wasn’t so worked up he thought that he probably would have fallen onto it and straight into a deep sleep.

Liz hated waking up out of a sound sleep, she acted like a child being woken up by their mother on a school day. She wined and winced, thrashing around and blocking her eyes from the daylight by burying her face in Avan’s chest. Eventually she had to give in and wake up, doing so reluctantly. When she had woken up fully and became more aware, she was happy to see that her fiance had been sleeping along with her instead of making himself sick with thought. 

Avan nodded, he understood what she was saying but he just really wasn’t all that sure that he would be able to bring himself to tell anyone else about it. He was rather reluctant to get up from get lap, quite enjoying the comfort and feelings of safety that laying there afforded him. It had been his idea to get into bed properly though and he pushed himself up, moving to climb under the covers on his side of the bed - as much as one could have a side when they tended to sleep in a tangle of limbs right in the middle of the bed. Just being out of physical contact from Liz for the few moments it took to get into bed made him feel a little needy and he found himself reaching out his arms towards her the moment he was settled.

Liz smiled, cheeks blushing a soft pink at his words. She knew Avan appreciated her of course, but actually hearing him express it filled her with such happiness and content she couldn't explain it. It was also nice to know that she actually did make him feel better when she was trying to comfort him. “I love you baby.” She kept her response short, not wanting to take away from this moment and what he just said. 

"Maybe. It might just be better to just drop it though. And I mean, what if they don’t believe me?" The last thing he wanted was for everyone to think that he just made something like that up to get out of doing the movie for whatever reason. He sighed again, relaxing a little more into her now that she seemed to have taken the new so well. Avan wasn’t sure what he had been expecting but her unconditional love and care for him made him feel infinitely better about the situation he now found himself in. He knew logically that it wasn’t his fault that the director had tried to take advantage of him but he still felt slightly guilty about it, and definitely embarrassed.

Liz frowned a bit. It was saddening to know that he was afraid people would’t believe him--it was sadder to know that that was a huge possibility. Of course she had no doubt that he was telling the truth--she could see how sick the whole situation was making him--but people were vicious about these kinds of things. The last thing she would want him to have to go through were people dismissing his experience, or trying to turn it around to make him look like the bad guy. “You don’t have to tell anyone else, baby.” She sighed. “I just--I don’t want her to get away with that, but I want you to do whatever you’re comfortable with. I support you.” Liz offered him a soft smile, continuing to play with his hair. 

Avan let out a breath he hadn’t realized that he was holding when not only did Liz not sound completely horrified but she actually said she was proud of him, which he wasn’t quite sure he understood. “I love you too,” he mumbled, kind of wishing that he could just disappear into her embrace. He felt like he was at fault, like there must have been some reason the woman had gone after him like that but he couldn’t think of one. “I’m sorry it happened. I don’t even understand why…” he trailed off, sighing quietly and not really sure what he was trying to say.

“You don’t have to apologize. It’s not your fault.” Liz reassured him. She didn’t want him blaming himself or thinking he had to apologize to her for anything. It wasn’t his fault that horrid women decided to start harassing him. If Liz wasn’t staying calm for Avan’s sake, she might be on her way back to New York to throw that director into the lake she made Avan jump into. Seeing him so upset, so sick and defeated about something made her protective instincts kick in. The only thing overpowering her desire to confront whatever was hurting him, was her desire to comfort him. 

Avan bit his lip, shifting around so that he could turn his head and hide it in her lap. She was so sweet and understanding but he struggled to find the right words. He focused on the feeling of her fingers on his hair and controlling his own breathing for a long few moments as he tried to decide what to say to her. “I don’t know,” he began hesitantly, “she just got kind of weird. She made me stay back late a lot on my own to work on stuff. Which I mean, that was kind of annoying in general but then there was this one night a few days ago.” He paused, inhaling deeply and pressing in closer to her in anticipation of what he was about to say. “She- uh. Kind of made a pass at me.” Surely Liz could make up the details for herself, he didn’t really want to get into the specifics of having to push the director away from him.

Though Avan couldn’t see it, Liz was looking down at him with concern written on her features. She let silence fill the room, still running her fingers through his hair soothingly as she tried to break herself free of the fog his confession had put her in and conjugate an actual response. 

Avan wouldn’t have thought that he would feel much like smiling right then but at Liz’s comment his lips curled up in a half smile seemingly of their own accord. He climbed onto the bed and lay his head in her lap, giving in to his clingy impulses. He stayed silent for a moment, making himself comfortable and then just laying there listening to the quiet sound of Liz breathing. It was amazing just how much better he felt about everything, just being home with her. The situation in New York was in no way distant in his mind but the horrible feeling that had filled him on the flight back had dissipated. 

Liz smiled down at him sweetly once he laid his head in her lap, running her hand through his hair absent mindedly  out of habit. She sat quietly while Avan got himself situated and braced himself for the conversation they were about to have. She just wanted him to feel comfortable and ready enough to open up to her completely about what happened while he was in New York. 

“Agreed,” Avan replied, not bothering to point out that it had been her idea to watch something sappy and depressing in the first place. He shrugged when she asked what he wanted to do, he knew that it must be killing her to not know why he had just shown up on the doorstep out of the blue but he still wasn’t sure that he was up to talking about it. Even if he did, he wasn’t really sure where to begin or how to explain the situation he had somehow gotten himself tangled up in. “Why don’t we go to bed,” he suggested, running a hand through his hair nervously before finishing his thought, “And I- uh, I guess I owe you a better explanation as to why I’m back.” If he thought that Liz was capable of dropping it, he would have been happy to do so but the look on her face earlier and the one she wore now were evidence enough for him that she had no intention of just letting this go as one of life’s little mysteries.

Liz nodded her head, though she stayed behind while he went upstairs to clean up the aftermath from their dinner. As she gathered the dishes and packed up the food, she was happy to see that Avan hadn’t spilled anything on the couch. The half empty Chinese takeout containers made their refrigerator look less bare, though it was far from full. She let the dishes soak in the sink, not in the mood to actually clean them, as long they weren't scattered on the coffee table they weren't bothering her. 

Avan let out a laugh through his tears, thinking that it was almost worse losing their bet with all the affection Liz was showering him with. “Love you too,” he replied, leaning in to press his lips to hers in a proper kiss. Sometimes he thought that all the love he had for her would just overflow and sweep him away from everything else - and he wouldn’t care in the least if it did. He loved Liz so deeply, so completely that it had scared him at first but he had long since grown used to it. Sure it was still a little…intense, how much he felt for her but he had learned to embrace it and enjoy the pure happiness that being with her gave him rather than run away from it. 

Liz smiled softly to herself as Avan pulled her onto his lap. She squirmed around in his arms a bit until she got comfortable, resting her head on his chest. This movie was really dreadful and depressing, she almost wanted to turn  it off once she won their little bet, but she let it play on for some reason. And soon the elderly couple flashed on screen and a barley audible wince of despair escaped her lips. “I hate this movie.” Liz mumbled as she pressed her face into the juncture of his neck and a few tears splashed against his skin. 

"Hey, it’s extreme circumstances, " he said, mock defensively, "it’s been a long time since I’ve had Chinese food of this calibre. And I had a long, tragically foodless flight tonight you know?" There had been some food offered on the flight of course but it had looked like it was the sickly cousin of hospital food and he hadn’t been brave enough to try it. Not to mention that he had been in a rather foul mood throughout the flight and he had doubted that experimenting with the questionable food he was offered would have helped settle the uneasy feeling on his stomach.

Liz watched Avan out of the corner of her eye carefully once they approached the scene where he had always turned the movie off. She knew he was probably glancing at her as well, so she kept her features as neutral as possible-- Not that she was on the verge of tears or anything. The movie was sad, what happened to those people on the ship was tragic, but when it came to the movie after seeing it over and over again it's effect on her dulled and eventually faded completely. If she was being honest, he was better off picking The Vow, but The Titanic gave her a better chance of winning their little bet so she kept her mouth shut about it. 

"Like I could really look at anything and want it more than you," he scoffed, the small frown that had appeared on his face when she had taken his plate disappearing as she curled herself into his arms. Avan wrapped his arms around her firmly, still confronted by the realisation of just how much he had missed being able to do this. He had missed having her around, to eat dinner with and laugh with and most of all missed being able to hold her like this. "Honestly, I thought you were supposed to be the brains of this relationship," he joked, "and here you are comparing my love of food with my utter devotion to you. I mean, not only are they not in the same ballpark - they’re not even playing the same game."

“I don’t know, baby. That Chinese food might come in a close second. You should have seen the way your eyes were lighting up as you unpacked it.” She laughed, obviously exaggerating his love of the food they were eating. Liz knew that Avan loved her passionately. Sometimes she thought she didn’t know how much, though. She tried to compare it to how she felt about him, how she just wanted to be wrapped around him and never let go. How much her heart ached when they weren't together. If anything ever happened to them --if they had to be separated any longer-- she didn’t know how she would handle it or if she even could handle it. It was kind of pathetic of her actually--in her mind it was anyway and deep down, subconsciously, she hoped he didn’t feel as strongly for her as she did for him. It was almost painful being so in love with someone else, she hoped he didn’t feel the same way for his own good. 

Avan made an exaggerated face of concern, playing along that he was actually scared he would end up having to sleep outside. “Right, got it. What happens if you spill food on the couch, though? I feel like there’s a double standard here.” Obviously that standard was only in place because Avan was probably one of the messiest eaters in the world but he liked to think that that was entirely beside the point. 

Liz curled up on the couch, eating quietly as the movie played in front of them. She couldn’t help but to sneak a few looks at him though, smiling as she did. It was just the fact that she could look at him, that when she turned her head she saw her fiance and not an empty space next to her. It took all of Liz’s self control not to grab his hand or just jump into his arms while he was eating. 

"Whatever you need to tell yourself, love." He let out a small laugh, knowing that he wasn’t nearly as confident as he was trying to make himself sound. "Although, you know you need only ask. You don’t have to try and make bets you have no hope of winning just to get a massage," he teased, about to move over to demonstrate just that when the doorbell sounded.

"Alright." Liz grabbed a few plates in case they didn't want to eat out of the containers and glasses for their drinks before moving towards the living room. She laid them out on the coffee table where she assumed Avan would bring the food. Stepping back, she scanned the DVD collection they had trying to find the movie they agreed on. Most of their movies were stored around the living room, a few making their way up the bedroom. Liz loved having DVDs around the house for some reason, it was so easy to get movies online or download them to your devices, but there was something comforting about popping a DVD in and sitting down to watch it. 

"Okay, okay. I’ll try my best not to," he replied, careful not to make any promises. He had no intention of messing up the couch but he also knew himself well enough that it could happen accidentally, no matter how careful he was. Not that he really thought that Liz would make him sleep outside, as tough as she acted sometimes; she was an absolute sweetheart when it came to the people she loved. Especially him. 

"That's all I ask." Liz couldn't really make Avan sleep outside, she was barely capable of following through on threats of putting him on the couch for the night when she was upset with him. Especially today, today he could finger paint on the walls with food and she'd still happily allow him into bed. She missed him too much to pass up cuddling with him tonight. 

Avan smirked back at her but refused to comment, reluctant to get into a conversation about just how much he loved it when she wore his clothes. “Oh that’s nice. My first night home and you’re going to make me sleep outside,” he muttered, trying to sound offended by the suggestion. He didn’t exactly blame her though, Avan wasn’t a particularly tidy person in general but when it came to food he seemed unable to help getting it on everything. His clothes, his face, the unfortunately white table cloths that seemed to be the trademark of upscale restaurants. 

"Hey, just don't get any soy sauce on my white couches and you'll get to sleep with me tonight." It didn't really bother her how messy of an eater he was, she would say she even found it cute when he emerged from a meal  with his cheeks covered in food. She just didn't like that when they were eating food in bed or the living room. "The dog's a neater eater than you." She teased a bit.