A/N Not my first fanfic, but my first Scorpion fanfic since joining the fandom. Please enjoy, it's like 4 in the morning here in the UK so give my story at try, so I have something nice to wake up t in the heat of these summer days. Thank You xx (tumblr, isunshinegunpowder)
Happy and Toby had agreed to take Ralph for the evening whilst Paige stayed at Walter's bedside in the hospital, and although it had been a long day the pair were both delighted to be able to spend time with the young boy.
Neither Toby nor Happy ever spent much time alone with Ralph, but he adored them as they were some of the only adults he had ever met that truly understood his mind.
Paige gave Toby the keys to her car, which he was glad of because Happy's driving skills were less than reassuring, and she told him to take Ralph back to her apartment so he could sleep in his own bed after an extremely tiring and stressful day. The journey back remained silent for the first few minutes as Ralph drifted to sleep in the back, his slumber only provided him with brief relief as his mind worked over the events of the day.
Toby looked over to Happy as she leaned her elbow on the door and rested her weary head on her hand, he could see that her eyelids were heavy with sleep. But as always Happy subconsciously refused to show any weakness, even the fact that she was tired, so she began biting the nails of her free hand to keep her awake.
He loved the way she looked even in the harsh light of the street lamps that flickered past the car windows- her hair may have been greasy from the stress of the traumatic day, and she had smudges of dirt on her forehead- but to him she looked beautiful.
As he pulled to a stop at an intersection he lifted his hand to his mouth, wetted his thumb with saliva and reached over to Happy's forehead to wipe off the soil mark. Although she was fatigued her reflexes were still sharp and she grabbed Toby's wrist before he could touch her.
She didn't speak but instead glared at Toby, questioning his actions, and her eyes met his. Her gaze softened as she saw his expression, although his intentions were usually questionable she realised that he was just offering her kindness. She slowly let his wrist go and nodded subtly to him.
Toby lifted his hand further towards her face, maintaining eye contact with her, he placed his fingers softly on her cheek and used his thumb to gently wipe the mark of her forehead. His hand maintaining contact with her face possibly longer than necessary but he enjoyed the feel of her delicate skin on the rough pads of his fingers.
Although the contact only lasted a few seconds the warmth within Toby's simple action was acknowledged by Happy as she blinked briefly in appreciation.
After their tender moment Toby's eyes returned to the dark road in front of him and Happy glanced back towards her gnawed nails. Her pale complexion momentarily flushed with the acknowledgment of the tender few seconds between the pair.
Toby eased the car forward as the lights in front of him change to green, a small smirk could be seen on his face as he replayed the events in his head, and he remembered the way that Happy's skin felt beneath his touch.
He could only imagine what the rest of her felt like. Was the skin on her neck as smooth and firm? Did she always carry the scent of violet mixed with an elusive smell of metal and burning? Was her hair as soft as it always looked?
His mind often wandered to the subtleties of Happy's body, often it was just thoughts of her skin or voice but every now and then he did ponder what she would be like to hold in the writhes of pleasure as they made love. These thoughts filled his mind as he drove the final few miles back to Paige's apartment in the suburbs.
After a short drive the trio arrived at the apartment, and the absence of white noise from the car's engine woke Ralph from his slumber and he murmured to Happy as she opened his car door. Happy ruffled the boy's messy hair as he stepped wearily out of the car.
"Bedtime?" he muttered to Toby as he passed him in the front porch of the ground floor apartment.
"I'm afraid so Ralph" he replied to the young boy who was leant against the wall as he awaited the opening of the front door.
Toby pulled the keys from his pocket ad opened the door to the apartment, after eyeing Ralph's crumpled t-shirt and messy hair he called after the young boy as he trundled towards his bedroom.
"I'll run the bath for you Ralph, you need one before you go to bed otherwise your Mum will kill me tomorrow"
Without stopping or looking towards Toby he nodded his head in reply. Toby smiled at how tired the young boy appeared and headed towards the bathroom to run a bath for him. He wasn't an expert in children at all but he could easily relate to Ralph and felt comfortable around him.
He heard Happy rustling around in the front room and decided to go and find her after he started the water for Ralph's bath.
After a few minutes Toby had filled the bath to a mild temperature and added a squirt of bubble bath from the side. He called Ralph from his bedroom and assumed that the intelligent young boy would manage to find his way to the bath.
He found Happy not in the living room, but in Paige's kitchen, and she was rummaging around in the cupboard. She appeared within a few seconds, aware that Toby was near as he had walked with heavy footsteps through the kitchen. She had in her hand a bottle of wine.
She looked sheepishly up to Toby and then back down to the bottle of wine. She opened her mouth as to offer an explanation at the thought of consuming alcohol so late into the night. However Toby cut her off, simply offering a sentence.
"Good idea, I'll get the glasses" he said as he nodded towards the wine.
It had a been a long day for the team, and very tiring, both emotionally and physically; despite this, Toby did not feel like going to sleep, and he betted that Happy felt the same. The events of the day kept running through his mind, the near death experience of one of his closest and dearest friends meant that he did not feel like closing his eyes, scared that his thoughts would catch up with him. Perhaps a glass of wine would help him to relax and it would also allow Happy to unwind.
Although they were looking after Ralph for the evening, they were grown adults and knew that they wouldn't get drunk at all, aware of the pain Paige would inflict on them if she knew that her son was in any danger.
Toby passed two wine glasses over to Happy and she poured a small amount out for both of them, then passed one back to Toby. Toby held his glass out towards Happy and she reluctantly copied this action, still weary of her emotions around Toby especially considering their history.
She had never been anywhere alone with him and feeling this vulnerable and tired before, she knew in her mind that Toby was a good guy but she still did not have complete faith in him and his intentions since their failed date a few weeks ago.
However this evening he was simply just acting like a relieved friend, someone who was glad that everyone he loved had managed to survive the day. With this thought in mind she clinked her glass with his, smiling slightly at him before glancing shyly back towards her glass.
There had been few words between the pair that evening but they rarely needed words to communicate with each other, even at work Toby knew what Happy was feeling. Toby was a psychiatrist but he understood Happy in ways he had never understood anyone else ever before, the way her mind worked amazed him greatly, and as he had told her before she was also 'wrapped in a nice little package'.
Her size did not portray the vastness of her personality. She was violent at the best of times, she hardly showed emotion and she had severe trust issues, but that made her all the more perfect to Toby. Whenever he managed to break down just a tiny bit of the wall she had put up around herself since childhood he swore he was the happiest man alive. If only he could get the words out to tell her and if only she wouldn't hit him for it…
After taking a few silent sips from his glass Toby rose from the sofa and headed towards the bathroom, ready to make sure Ralph had finished his bath. He knocked on the bathroom door but got no reply, he tried again but there was still no answer.
He poked his head round the bathroom door, half expecting that the young boy may have fallen asleep in the bath. However Toby was mistaken, the bath was empty and the bathwater remained untouched, the surface still piled high with bath bubbles. Obviously Ralph had forgotten about having to wash.
Toby headed towards Ralph's bedroom at the back of the apartment, he called out softly to the young boy and pushed his door open. Unsure whether Ralph would still be awake he was surprised by the sight that met his eyes.
Ralph was sat in his bed, still fully dressed, but bent over double with his head in a large hard-backed book. He was crunched over in a weird position, he'd obviously fallen asleep whilst reading a book, and his exhaustion had overtaken his thirst for knowledge at that point.
He looked uncomfortable but adorable, he was still in his dirty clothes, his hair was still stuck up in various points but he was peaceful and he had found solace in a much needed deep sleep. Toby watched Ralph sleep for a few more minutes, feeling very amused about how he had drifted off.
Toby was disturbed from watching Ralph as Happy placed a hand on his back, he turned is head to look at her. In her free hand she was holding her wine glass, which looked like it had been refilled, as it was fuller than before. He whispered to Happy.
"Look at him Happy, he fell asleep reading a book. He didn't even have a bath or get changed. He truly is a special person don't you think?" he smiled towards the young boy, seeing a piece of his younger self within Ralph.
Happy hummed then nodded silently, Ralph did look very cute indeed, and seeing Toby look so content with such a simple thing made her feel warm inside. Although she would never admit that anything Toby did made her feel happy. As the pair stood shoulder to shoulder within the young boy's doorway, he began to murmur in his sleep, sensing that someone was near.
Ralph's head lifted from within the book and his neck straightened out. His eyes flickered open and adjusted to the light before focusing on Toby and Happy stood just metres from his bed. Toby whispered to him.
"Hello Buddy'
"Hello Toby, I forgot to have a bath didn't I?" asked Ralph innocently
"Yes you did Ralph, but never mind now it's gone cold. Let's just get you into your pyjamas so you can go to sleep properly. They're out on the bedside table for you, so just leave your dirty clothes in the laundry basket, put your book away and we'll check on you in a minute buddy, okay?"
Toby helped take the book from the exhausted boy's lap, and lifted him off the bed as his legs and back were stiff from his sleeping position. He glanced at the book on the bed, it was a medical encyclopaedia open to a section on internal injuries. Obviously Ralph's trip to the hospital had inspired him to take up a new topic of reading, not to Toby's surprise.
After leaving Ralph alone for the night Toby and Happy headed back to the living room and sat back down on the sofa. Happy had finished her second glass of wine whilst Toby had barely started his first. After flicking to the local news Happy glanced over to Toby sat opposite her.
With the events of the day not quite as fresh in her mind and the warmth from the knowledge that Ralph was asleep and Toby was near Happy felt content. Ralph's brave face and courage in the face of adversity that day had made her respect the young boy a great deal more. Unable to fully control her normal persona of letting as little emotion as possible show with the two glasses of wine she had consumed, she stated a single sentence to Toby.
"I'd like kids one day I think"
Toby nodded at her and smiled gently, glad that Happy felt that she could share something like that with him, even if it did take half a bottle of wine for her to get there. It was just too bad she was so blunt and violent normally, however Toby took the opportunity to bond with her.
"Me too Happy. Me too."
TBC, thanks for any comments or criticism. xx
