This is written based loosely off of the summary for 5x04: "Aria's depression continues to spiral, and she looks for comfort from an unlikely source."
※※ Turn of the Tide ※※
It was around noon as she made her way down the all too familiar hallway, pausing outside the door –his door, unsure of whether or not this was a good idea. Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand to knock, the sound echoing through the oak wood door, followed by footsteps from the other side. She heard the chain sliding, the lock being clicked, and slowly but surely the door in front of her slid open to reveal his piercing blue eyes, filled with surprise and concern.
"Aria?" he asked, his tone soft and slightly confused.
"Can I come in?"
"Um, yeah, sure," he replied gently, his confusion growing as he stepped aside to let her through, closing the door quietly behind her before turning to face the girl he couldn't get off his mind.
"I-I'm sorry to bother you, I just didn't know where else to go," she stuttered, her voice quavering slightly.
"Hey, it's no bother at all, I love seeing you Aria," he said, walking towards her. She looked up to meet his eyes, offering up a weak smile before he asked, "What's wrong?"
"How do you know something's wrong?" Aria asked softly, her voice trying to cover up her emotions, but her eyes betraying what she refused to admit.
"Aria, I can tell when you're upset… please tell me what's wrong," he whispered, cautiously taking her hands in his, relieved when she didn't pull away. She looked down quickly as tears began to stream down her face, leaving shining tracks down her cheeks. "Shh, shh, it's okay," he cooed, reaching up to gently brush a tear from her face.
"I-I…" she stuttered, her voice cracking as the tears began to flow freely. "I killed Shana," she whispered through her sobs, her voice barely audible. Ezra quickly cleared his face of shock, not wanting to give her the wrong impression, not wanting to scare her away.
"Hey, come here," he soothed, walking her over to the couch, where they both sat down as she rested her head on his shoulder, his arm wrapped around her as he gently rubbed her back, trying his best to stifle her shaking body.
A while later, as her sobs lessened, she pulled back to look at him as she whispered softly, "Thank you."
Smiling slightly, he asked, "For what?"
"For being here," she stated simply, conveying all she needed to in those three little words.
"I'll always be here for you Aria, whether that is as friends, more, whichever, because I love you Aria, and even if that love has to stay platonic, it will stay," he whispered, his eyes meeting her deep hazel ones, their gazes sparking the connection they still shared. Aria smiled back, their hands still intertwined as they greeted the comfortable silence willingly. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked some time later, breaking the soft silence.
Taking a shaky breath, Aria began to recount her horrifying tale, beginning at the hospital and ending at the sight of Shana's stiff body, blood pooling near her head as the cold truth sunk in. Tears had begun to stream down her face again as she spoke, and every so often Ezra would reach over to wipe them away, earning him a small smile from Aria each time.
"I don't know how I'm going to deal with this," she finished, "I just feel so alone, so empty…"
"You aren't alone Aria, I'm always here if you need to talk about this, or anything for that matter."
Glancing up at him, she smiled gently, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. He smiled back, and for a moment, they were suspended in time, caught up in their own little world, almost as if nothing had changed. He leaned forward slowly until his lips were millimeters from hers, their breaths mixing as their eyes stayed connected. She leaned forward slightly, meeting his lips in a gentle kiss, each one of them savoring the precious moment.
Suddenly she pulled back, her face displaying a mix of fear and surprise as she quickly stood up, backing away as she stuttered, "I-I have to go."
"Aria, wait, I'm sorry…"
"No, it's… it's okay, but I really have to go," she said quickly, cutting him off as she hurried to the door, rushing out it before he could even make his way over. He hurried out after her only to be met with an empty hallway and the sound of her shoes rushing down the stairwell.
With a look of defeat, he made his way back into his apartment, closing the door before sliding his back down it until he was resting on the floor, tears streaming down his face as he closed his eyes and muttered to himself, "Stupid, I'm so stupid…"
※※※※
Much later, around 11 that night, Ezra sat on his couch, the TV turned on as he absentmindedly watched a black and white film he'd seen hundreds of times. He heard a soft knocking at his door, and he paused the movie, walking over to open it, wondering who would be showing up at this hour. As he opened the door, he was quite surprised to find Aria standing outside it for the second time that day.
"Aria, listen about today, I'm so sorry, I know you don't want-"
He was cut off suddenly as she moved forward, reaching her arms around his neck as she pressed her lips to his. Pulling away, she glanced up at his eyes, smiling softly at his shocked yet happy expression. She leaned forward slightly, stopping right before their lips met again, relieved as he closed the remaining distance, trailing his arms down to rest on her waist as their lips met, her body molding to his as they closed the small distance between them.
They pulled away slowly for air, resting their foreheads together as Ezra whispered, "I love you Aria."
"I love you too," she whispered back, a smile forming on her lips before she leaned back up to meet his again, slowly tangling her fingers in his hair as they shifted slightly so he was leaning against the door frame. Eventually they pulled away again, resting their foreheads together as they breathed in each other's familiar scent, content to savor the moment.
"Would you like to watch a movie?" Ezra mumbled against her lips, brushing them slightly. Replying with a kiss, Aria tilted her chin up, opening her mouth slightly as they once again became lost in their kiss, sparks tingling beneath their skin as they relished the feeling of their bodies pressed together.
"I would love to," she mumbled as they pulled away, stepping back slightly so he could lead her inside, closing the door behind him as they once again made their way over to the couch. He sat down at the far end as she sat next to him, resting her head on his shoulder as she tucked her feet behind her, his arm wrapping around her shoulders as he hit the play button.
※※※※
A while later, Aria awoke to the buzzing of her phone from the table in front of them, groaning as she fumbled to turn it off. Succeeding, she rested her head back on Ezra's chest, closing her eyes in an attempt to fall back asleep, but failing as he shifted beside her, opening his eyes as he yawned, "We must have fallen asleep."
"Yeah," she chuckled, suddenly becoming aware of their positon, both of them stretched out on the couch, her back pressed against his chest as his arms wrapped around her torso, their hands intertwined, resting on her stomach as her head rested against his neck, his chin resting in her hair. He chuckled slightly, his voice vibrating against the back of her neck, sending tingles up her spine. "What's so funny?" she questioned playfully, snuggling slightly closer into him as he gently tightened his embrace around her.
"I just missed you," he whispered into her ear, his breath warming her neck.
Turning her head so she could meet his gaze, she whispered back, "I missed you too." They leaned forward, their lips meeting passionately as they once again became lost in their own little world.
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I hope you guys enjoyed this little one-shot, if you liked it please leave a review! Are you guys excited for Tuesday? I know I am, and I'm counting the days until the 100th episode, it's going to be amazing!