Characters: Cian, Wilson
Prompt: .64 - Fall
Word Count: 1,722(+)
Rating: PG 13
Type: series
Summary: Will and Cian discuss the past
Warnings: language, FLIRTING, pda
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“So… tell me how you managed to survive without me in your life.” She bumped him with her shoulder playfully receiving an angelic smile in return as they walked side by side underneath a fusion of green and yellow leaves, brightened by the setting sun. They blew soothingly above them, creating a relaxing breeze that signaled the arrival of fall with falling leaves. The scent of salt water collided with perfume from the deep crimson flowers that lined the walkway, setting their senses ablaze with each step they took.
“A better question is how I survived with you in my life all those years!” He kept a straight face, watching her from the corner of his eye for a reaction. She frowned, punching his bicep as hard as she could. It was firm. Well toned and firm. He turned to her, laughing as she pouted with her arms folded across her chest. “You know I’m just playing!” He pulled his hand from his pocket to rub her arm gently. “For real, I don’t know how I did it. I made new friends but, I don’t know.” He shrugged. “They didn’t compare to you. After a while, I gave up and buried myself in school work and now my business.” He stood in front of her, sliding his hand back into his pocket as she took a seat on the iron bench. “How was life without me?”
She sat back, resting her elbow on the cool iron, “A mess. You were the reason why I enjoyed my childhood! After you, all that went out the window.” She sighed, continuing with each and every event. How her mother had sped off sobbing and mumbling words she couldn’t quite make out and how she and Phaedra witnessed argument after argument and were forced to choose who they wanted to live with. “That was the hardest part of it all,” She paused, tracing the cracks in the concrete with her eyes, “choosing one parent over the other. Even though we were living in a piece of shit two bedroom apartment, the judge granted my mother custody over my father.” She waved her hand causally. “Girls should be with their mother!” She threw on a deep voice to mimic the judge, “So we stayed with my mother all week, my dad’s on weekends and every other holiday. We had to listen to her complain about him and him complain about her. I remained neutral in the situation but Phaedra sided with my dad and is now estranged from my mother.” She shrugged. “After my dad left your dad’s bank, he opened a diner that I worked in up until yesterday.”
“You quit?” He sat down next to her.
“I quit! I sacrificed for that diner and all they did was lecture me about what I should do with my time off.” She frowned, growing angry at the very thought.
“Sacrificed what?” He felt himself prying into something with a lot of emotion behind it but couldn’t stop. He needed to know. Wanted to know everything he’d missed out on and how he could fix it.
“Everything!” She breathed a frustrated sigh. “One of my teachers entered a painting of mine into a contest for adults and somehow,” She chuckled, “somehow, I won! A $1500 prize! A normal fifteen year old would have went on a shopping spree or something like that but I locked it away so I could take art classes after I graduated. Graduation day, my dad comes to me with some bullshit about family making sacrifices for family and told me he wasn’t going to help pay for art classes. He tells me on my graduation day! By then it was too late to apply for a scholarship or a grant. I ended up spending eight years of my life serving clam chowder and blueberry muffins to rude customers for the same wages as the other employees because they didn’t want to show favoritism.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to rant!” She laughed nervously.
“No, it’s okay! I asked, remember?” He rubbed her knee, reassuring her with a kind smile. “Actually sounds like my family. The only difference is my parents are Mike and Carol Brady! They see each other through rose colored glasses and expect us to be the way they want us to be.”
“And you’re complaining?” A single eyebrow rose with her question. “You can have them together in the same room without a chair being thrown! If only! They always seemed so fun! What went wrong?” She smiled at the memories until she saw his face take on a serious expression.
“I used to think they were superheroes! They could do nothing wrong in my eyes. Then I grew up and saw them for what they really were,” Will looked up from the ground, “humans.” It came out a little above a whisper. “Selfish, overbearing humans.”
“What makes them selfish, Will?” She lowered her head to break his daze.
Wilson shook his head, a quick attempt to clear his head, “You hungry?” He changed the subject. Something told her he would. Reluctantly letting the subject blow away in the wind, she nodded, following him toward bright red and white hot dog cart.
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“This is the best hot dog you will ever have!” Wilson finally spoke, breaking the silence that he’d created in an attempt to avoid her question. “You have to get everything on it though.”
“That’s fine. I’m just happy we’re not going to that noodle shack!” She shook her head and stuck her tongue out in disgust.
“You don’t like their food?”
“All Chinese food is nasty!” She lingered on the word all with a serious expression that induced a bout of laughter.
“You can’t say that until you’ve had mine.”
Cian looked over at him as his voice took on a purr. “Trust me, I’d still say it!” She chuckled, “And since when does using the microwave count as cooking?” She teased.
“You doubt me.” He blocked her path. This was turning back into the fun friendship he remembered. She’d doubt him on something and they’d make deals on what the winner would get. Biting down on his lower lip he prepared to initiate the game, “Okay, so what do I get if you like it?” His words rolled off his tongue as seductively as he intended.
“What do I get if I don’t like it?” She retorted just as seductive.
The left corner of his lips curled into a smile with her response. This game was going to be interesting, he thought, brushing back the excitement that sprouted from her unexpected tone. “If you don’t like it, which I doubt, you can have whatever you want. Name it then and there. Free entry at the club for as many of your friends as you’d like for the entire weekend, or whatever else you might want. When I win this bet, the same rules apply. Whatever I want…”
Cian squinted, considering the deal. She’d never been a fan of any kind of Chinese food and the fact that he seemed so sure he could change that worried her. What would he ask for? She couldn’t think of anything that he might request that she should be afraid of. This was Wilson that she was making this deal with. He seemed like the same kid she’d known like the back of her hand since the first grade and in her heart she felt nothing had changed. “You’re on!” She stuck her pinkie out, waiting to lock it with his. With nothing more than a sly smile, his finger connected with hers, sealing the deal. “Tomorrow night?” He asked before releasing her finger. “Tomorrow night!” She shot back. They pulled their hands apart keeping their focus on each other. “Don’t think you can seduce me with your voice, Will. Two can play that game and I WILL…come out on top!” She placed her hand on his chest, stepping around him with a confident smile.
He rubbed the hot spot that her hand left, smiling at another one of her unexpected moves. He turned, jogging to catch up to her. They walked in silence, glancing at each other trading smiles.
“Did you see that? Cian frowned, stopping to look over her shoulder at the man that’s just passed them.
“What?” He stopped, turning in the same direction.”
“The way he looked at us.” She complained with her hand on her hip.
Wilson’s eyebrows knitted with confusion, “How did he-”
“Like we were dry humping or something!” She interrupted, her eyebrows pointing downward. Wilson bit his lip to keep from laughing at her choice of words and the seriousness written on her face. Wrapping his arm around her neck he pulled her into him, “You big baby!”
“You really didn’t see that?” She turned taking steps with him down the side walk.
“No, but don’t worry about it. He’s gone now.”
“If you’d seen the way he-”
“I would have given him a reason to stare.” He silenced her with his finger pressed against her lips.
Cian looked over at him confused, “Like?” Her eyebrow went up once again.
“Don’t worry about it.” He pinched her nose, “Two, please.” He pulled through his pocket retrieving a crisp ten dollar bill as she stood with her arms crossed pondering what he could have done. The sound of footsteps walking up behind them prompted her to peak over her shoulder. It was a woman. A young woman. Somewhere close to her age, on the phone, loudly gossiping about some poor girl’s relationship troubles. She turned her gaze back to the hot dog vender as Wilson playfully nudged her. “Don’t look so mean!” He ordered, laughing at the aggravated look on her face.
“I wish you were here for this. I’m getting tired of seeing them with our men!” They heard the blonde behind them whine into the phone.
As anger bubbled up inside of her, she felt Wilson’s touch her back. His hand slid slowly down her back until it reached her jeans where he slid his hand into her back pocket, pulling her close roughly and planting a tender kiss on her neck. The woman behind them gasped, imagining the touch on her own skin. Retrieving the bag with their food in it, he pulled Cian behind him, “That’s how I would have handled it.”
