AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello, here I am, live and in colour from the rock I've been hiding under! I'm posting this pathetic excuse for a one-shot in order to try and get some creative juices going; it's been way too long since I've been able to write anything and my brain is going crazy with all the half-finished stories living inside it. I had originally intended this to be M-rated, but every time I watch the scene that inspired this, I can't bring myself to smut it up. So, here it is - the only piece of writing that I've done in almost a year that I feel fit for posting (and even that's a bit of a stretch). Apologies for any mistakes and for the general pointless fluffery of it all. Mel x
"Haley James... What are you doing?"
Nathan could tell it was early, even with one eye half-open. Light had barely begun to peek through the gossamer-thin curtains and the usual sounds of traffic hadn't started to build up, their distinct rumble seeping through the cheap walls and into Nathan's subconscious like they usually did.
Haley sat beside him on the bed, her jean-clad legs crossed and her eyes bright with mischief. She was leaning so close that her long, dark curls tickled his shoulder. Despite the hour, he could never believe he was lucky enough to wake up next to her beautiful face every day.
"Just staring," she replied.
"At...?" Nathan attempted to arch an eyebrow, a tricky maneuver when his eyes were still virtually closed.
"At you. I'm trying to see something... Yip," she peered closer before nodding firmly, easing her head back a little, "it's official."
"What is?"
"My husband is just as handsome at 20 as he was as a teenager."
Chuckling, Nathan let a smirk overtake his face, finally opening his eyes to look at his wife. "Oh yeah? And what if I wasn't? You going to trade me in for a younger husband?"
Haley's nose crinkled in amusement. "Oh honey, if I married anyone younger, it'd be illegal."
"Well, I'm lucky I've got the good Scott genes, I guess."
He pulled her small body over in one swift move, relishing the feel of her weight on top of him and the sound of her surprised, quiet giggle. The couple kissed languidly, taking their time to enjoy the simple act of affection that so often got overlooked amidst their busy schedules.
"Happy birthday, baby," Haley whispered against Nathan's warm lips.
They kissed longer, breaking apart when they both felt lightheaded with love and without air. Nathan hauled himself up to rest his back against the wall - there was no spare money for an extravagance like a headboard - trying to clear the sleep and lust from his mind.
"Speaking of good Scott genes, where's Jamie?" It was rare for the toddler to be awake and not attached to Nathan's side. Due to the amount of time Nathan had to spend away from the tiny apartment, he was always more than happy to play full-time parent when he was there, doing whatever he could to distract the small boy so Haley could slip away to study or even have a nap.
"He's still sleeping. It's a little before 6:30am."
"Hang on, you're telling me that you woke me up at the crack of dawn, on my birthday, before Jamie's even awake?"
Haley giggled again. "He'll be up in like, two minutes, Nathan. I thought it'd be a good time to decide what you want to do today to celebrate your birthday... We could spend the day in DC? Or take Jamie to the lake? We could have some time together on our own, if you like - Amanda in my education class is always offering to babysit... we could go out for drinks with the team?" Haley tried hard to hide her reluctance at the last offer; both knowing the effort it took. While no one - except for Whitey and Lucas - was more thrilled for Nathan when Maryland called to reignite his dreams of playing Division I basketball, it had been hard on Haley to uproot herself once again with a small baby in tow. Maryland was a new state, a new college, without the safety net of a few extra familiar faces. Once more, rumors swirled of the new sophomore hot shot Shooting Guard, his son and teenage bride, with Haley often left to cope with the stares and the comments on her own. She had tried, on the rare occasion the couple were able to get a babysitter, to bond with Nathan's team and the ever-present cheerleaders, but it had been difficult to follow the constant, focused talk about basketball or relate to the trivial trials and tribulations of most college girls. More often than not, Haley had stayed at home with Jamie, graciously accepting the amount of time Nathan needed to gel with his fellow players.
"We don't have to do anything, baby. It's a Saturday and for once I don't have practice, the last thing I want to do is hang out with the guys. Let's just spend the day together, as a family."
Haley snuggled closer to Nathan's warm, bare chest as his long fingers danced across her upper arm. "Are you sure? Because it's your birthday, you should do whatever you want to do."
"And I want to do absolutely nothing with my favorite people in the world."
"Ok, I think I can manage that. How about I cook your favori... well, we can't afford prime rib but I could cook us something nice for dinner tonight?"
"That's just more work for you, Hales. Why don't we just get pizza, we could have a picnic in the park?"
"Mmm... alright. If that's what you want."
The couple melted into another kiss as Jamie's voice sounded out from his bedroom across the small hallway.
"I'll tell you what," Haley said as she extracted herself from Nathan's embrace and headed towards the door, "we'll have a family day today, but I'll grab your favorite ice cream from the store and after Jamie's gone to bed we can watch all the ESPN you want."
"I love it when you talk dirty to me, Haley James."
"I don't know how that kid has so much energy, Hales. He literally did not stop running around all day."
Haley smiled as she watched Nathan stretch out on the couch, the piece of furniture too small to accommodate his long legs, causing his ankles to drape over the armrest. Familiar sounds of squeaking shoes and cheering came quietly from the television in the corner.
"Well, your mom said you were exactly like that when you were his age, so he probably gets it from you," she teased. "Mind you, we'd all have more energy if we went to bed at 7pm."
"Maybe I need to go to sleep earlier, seeing I am an old man and all."
"Hey," Haley protested as she entered the living room, two bowls in her hand. "I'm a few months older than you, so if you're an old man what does that make me? And 20 is NOT old."
She rounded the couch, handing Nathan one of the bowls before lifting his legs to sit on the cushions beneath them. "So, who are we watching?"
"Knicks v Cavs," Nathan replied, absently. "Uh, Haley?"
"Mmm?"
"I thought you said you were gonna get my favorite ice cream today."
Looking down at the bowl in front of her, Haley frowned. "What are you talking about, Nathan? I did."
"What makes you think mint chocolate chip is my favorite flavor?"
Haley looked up at Nathan and back down at the mountain of pale green ice cream in her bowl, before looking back at her husband. "Um, because I've never seen you eat anything besides mint chocolate chip in my life?"
"Hales," Nathan smiled, gently, "my favorite ice cream is Rocky Road."
"Are you kidding me right now, Nathan?"
Nathan's smile had turned to a laugh at the incredulous look on Haley's face. "I'm not kidding! I love Rocky Road. It's been my favorite since I was a kid."
"Then why have you never ordered it when you're with me? Every time we've gotten ice cream together, you always have mint chocolate chip. Every. Time." Haley punctuated her words with a jab at Nathan's chest with her spoon.
Nathan shook his head with fondness as he gazed at his wife. Four years together may not be much to some married couples, but for Nathan they were everything. His life was firmly divided into two time periods: Before Haley and After Haley. She had taught him so much - not just about school, but about how good life could be, and the man that he could be. And he wanted everything, because it would be with her. Couldn't she see that all he had tried to do since she came along was make the right decisions? The ones that would help her further her dreams, keep her safe, make her happy. Sure, they weren't always the right ones - the fact that they were sitting in a cramped apartment in Maryland instead of at Duke was proof of that - but they were always with Haley and Jamie in mind. Every mistake he had made, he had owned, but every iota of grace he had, he learned it from Haley. One day he hoped to always make the right decision the first time.
"Because," he replied, softly, drinking in her beautiful face, "I know mint chocolate chip is your favorite flavor."
Haley's eyes widened, the black of her pupil melting into the chocolate swirl of her iris. She stared at him, as if seeing him for the first time, and Nathan wondered just what was going on in that beautiful head of hers.
"God, I love you."
She pulled him close and their lips met, fresh, minty ice cream bursting between them on their tongues as they tasted each other in a kiss that was hot and tender all rolled into one. Blindly placing her bowl onto the table in front of them, Haley crawled up Nathan's body until she was lying on top of him, their impromptu make-out session escalating until there was nothing but liquid in their ice cream bowls.
"Wow," Nathan panted quietly as they finally pulled apart. "I guess I was wrong."
"About what?" Haley whispered, her mouth still a breath away from her husband's, lust fueling her words.
"Rocky Road isn't my favorite after all. It's mint chocolate chip... served on Haley James Scott."
Haley threw her head back with a laugh. "You are so cheesy."
"And you love it."
Cupping Nathan's face in her hands, Haley smiled down at her husband. "Of course I do."
"Happy birthday, Nathan Scott."