dw secret santa fic exchange
not beta-ed
pairing: amy x rory
prompt: pasta
rating: pg
for laveycee! (:
a/n: this is the first fic i've written in a really long time! hope you enjoy. :)
Foundations
She storms out of the house, red hair streaming behind her as she ignores her aunt's shouts. The front gate of the too-large house clangs shut, absurdly loud in the night. Her eyes burn from anger and resentment, but she refuses to let the tears fall. All of their arguments have gotten worse and she's sick of trying to defend herself. No one listens to her and if they do, they simply tell her she's crazy, she needs to be fixed, and everything so happens to be a figment of her imagination.
Her lungs heave from the pent-up rage and before she knows it, she's staring at the off-white door of her boyfriend's house. It's almost 1 in the morning and he's probably still at work and his dad is definitely sleeping and she's a goddamn adult but she's so tired of putting up with everything and-
"Amy?"
She whirls around to find him looking confused, still in his nurse uniform. She's still too upset to properly explain things, but she manages to fling her arms around him and choke out, "Rory."
His confused look turns to one of worry when all she can do is bury her face in his chest. He quickly unlocks the door and tugs her inside just as her tears begin to fall.
She finds herself on his sofa, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She's shaking, she realizes even as her fingers clutch the ragged comforter closer to her. She starts as warm hands gently pry her fingers from the blanket to hand her a mug of steaming tea. She sips the tea mechanically and nearly scalds her tongue so she simply soaks in the warmth.
"Amy, what's wrong?" he asks hesitantly.
She takes in a deep breath to steady herself, but her voice cracks as she whispers, "I got into another fight with my aunt."
There's a pause. She closes her eyes and wills herself not to cry again. Strong arms wrap around her and she lets herself sink into his warm embrace. He presses soft kisses into her hairline and murmurs, "Do you want to talk about it?"
She sniffles, suddenly self-conscious, but he waits patiently and rubs her arms soothingly. She cracks. Months of suppressed emotions burst from her and she's had enough of drowning in her thoughts. All of her frustration, disappointment, and anger pours out of her mouth as she curses and rages and cries until her throat is hoarse and she's out of words. He makes the appropriate affirmations at the right times and holds her when she finishes.
She gulps the now-cold tea, feeling the drain from her tirade. She doesn't notice when he plucks the empty mug from her unresisting hands as she drifts into a blissful sleep, emotionally exhausted from her catharsis. He tucks her in and leaves a kiss on her forehead before he takes the mugs into the kitchen.
She wakes up to the scent of her favorite comfort food. She blinks, disoriented, and rubs her crusty eyes. She stretches and takes in her surroundings just as the previous night hits her. Her breath catches in her throat and she hastily rises to find Rory in the kitchen. She watches him and can't help but smile as he hums a holiday tune. He spins and places the wet dish on the drying rack when he catches sight of her.
"Amy!" He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.
"You're so silly," she laughs, missing his look of relief as she comes up to give him a hug.
He hugs back and gives her a squeeze before directing her into a kitchen chair. He carefully removes the baking dish from the oven and sets it on the table, along with a couple of bowls. Nervously, he begins to blabber,"I made you some mac and cheese. I don't know if you're hungry, but uh-"
"Oh, hush you," she interrupts him. "It smells amazing."
They dig in together and she's surprised to find her appetite so voracious. His cooking is superb as always and she helps herself to seconds. Before she takes another bite, she looks up at him and starts to apologize, "Rory, I'm sorry for being such a bothersome pain in the-"
"Hey now," he cuts her off. "You're never a bother." He takes her hand and runs his thumb across her knuckles. "You're always welcome and I'm always here if you need to talk or cry or whatever, alright? No matter what time of day."
She feels the tears spring back into her eyes and she hastily wipes them away. They finish the rest of the mac and cheese and spend the rest of the day cuddling on the sofa and laughing at or crying over movies.
Later that night, she snuggles close to him in bed when he tilts her head to look directly in her eyes.
"I love you, Amy."
There's a heartbeat before she kisses him hard, trying to convey her heartfelt appreciation and love. When they break apart, she smiles at him through her tears.
"Thank you, Rory."
His answering smile is more than enough.