Prompt: Imagine your OTP watching a horror movie together.
This is my first time posting on here, so I'm kind of nervous of how my writing style will come across. Please let me know whether you liked it/if there's anything I can improve on. Constructive criticism is always welcome.
Thank you for reading!
"Right, that's enough, Lee! Turn it off for Christ's sake!" Lucy demanded.
Truth was she hadn't even wanted to watch the stupid bloody movie in the first place. She'd never been good with horror; couldn't ever really see the point of it. Films were supposed to entertain you, not scare the hell out of you. Yet here she was, sat shoulder to shoulder on the couch with her lazy lump of a lodger on a Friday night wishing she'd just gone to her room when she had the chance instead of sitting here trying to prove something to him of all people.
It was the teasing that had persuaded her, the 'What's up with you, not scared are you?' and that irritating little smirk that she'd just love to punch off his face one day. They'd lived together long enough now to know what made the other tick and he was almost certain she wouldn't pass up the chance to go toe-to-toe with him and prove him wrong. The two of them were in a constant battle of wit and will and though neither of them would admit it, it entertained them both to no end.
"Why should I turn it off; Friday night's horror night." He moaned as he threw his legs dramatically across her lap.
"Every night is horror night living with you." She retorted, making no move to push him off and instead resting her hands across his legs.
This had been the way things were for a while now, although neither of them noticed when they were too busy trying to drive the other round the bend. Things had become comfortable between them; domesticated almost. The only times they didn't end up sprawled on the couch together in the evening was when she was away for work or he was down the pub with Tim, which these days was very rare. Truth be told he'd even put Tim off a couple of times in favour of spending the evening with Lucy. And, not that she'd utter a word of this to anyone but she'd even turned down a few potential dates so that she could curl up on the couch with her resident layabout and trade insults. She'd warmed up to him over the last couple of years.
Ten minutes passed in reasonable silence, the only sound coming from the brutal killing spree taking place on screen but, as usual, Lee found his attention consumed by something, or rather someone else. He flickered his eyes towards her every couple of minutes, trying to be subtle about it. She was gorgeous, he'd decided that the moment she breezed into the flat all those years ago. The problem was she was becoming increasingly more difficult to look away from.
On other occasions she'd catch him and tell him to stop staring while trying to hide the slight blush creeping across her cheeks but tonight she seemed genuinely consumed with terror, her eyes wide and her hands gripping his legs so hard he was starting to get pins and needles.
"Luce…" He gently pried her hands away and sat up properly. "You're not really scared, are you?"
"What the hell does it look like?" She rolled her eyes, trying –and failing- to hide the tremble in her voice.
He changed the channel immediately, feeling bad for not noticing sooner how scared she actually was.
"I'm sorry." He said, patting her hand. "I didn't know they bothered you that much."
"The one's with the ghosts and the monsters I can tolerate." She explained as she played absentmindedly with his fingers, a tiny frown between her eyebrows. "It's the killing ones, like that one, the stuff that can actually happen."
"None of that stuff will happen with me here." He smiled, nudging her slightly and making her laugh.
She bumped him back with her shoulder and relaxed against him, still holding onto his hand with both of hers.
These… situations had been happening over the last few months on an increasingly regular basis. They'd find themselves holding hands without being able to remember how it had happened and on one occasion she'd been at the sink washing up as he reached over her head to put something in a cupboard and she'd turned around to find that they were nose to nose. If Daisy hadn't chosen that exact moment to bustle into the kitchen with the iron she'd borrowed, Lee was almost certain that Lucy would have closed that tiny gap and kissed him.
So now, with only the television illuminating the sitting room, it was time for one of them to take the leap of faith and say what had needed to be said for a long time. If she was going to wait for Lee to make a move, she'd have to be prepared to wait at least another five years. So it was going to have to be her. She spoke.
"Do you ever wonder what we're doing?"
She held her breath.
After a few seconds silence she turned to face him. He was already looking at her.
"What d'you mean?" He asked voice no more than a whisper.
"This." She squeezed his hand. "This closeness." She gestured toward their position.
He cleared his throat. "It's me and you, isn't it. It's what we do."
"Do you fancy me, Lee?" She sighed, exasperated of dancing round the subject any longer.
Again, he cleared his throat. Swallowed. He was nervous. "When I first met you I fancied you and y'know, when you moved in. Can you blame me? You're a very… attract-"
"What about now?" She looked him square in the face. This conversation was happening tonight. "You said 'when I first met you', what about now?"
"Now…" He said, eyes flickering all over her face. It was his turn to take the leap of faith. "Now I'm… I'm in love with you, Lucy."
She blinked, mouth falling open slightly in shock. The L word coming out of Lee's mouth was what sent her over the edge, sure she was dreaming and she'd wake up tomorrow morning unable to-
Jesus Christ.
He was kissing her, softly, sweetly, his lips just adding the most gentle of pressures to her own and somewhere along the way her eyes had fluttered shut and her hands had made their way into his hair and his hands were cupping her face. She deepened the kiss, anchoring herself to him and putting everything she had into it because of all the times she had thought about kissing Lee she had never imagined it would be like this.
He was an excellent kisser. No, better than excellent. She giggled as she tried to think of a word better than the one she'd just come up with, causing him to pull away and her to let out an annoyed little huff of protest.
Taking in her messy hair, flushed cheeks and heavy lidded gaze he smiled.
"What's so funny?" He ran a hand over her hair, unable to help himself.
"I was just thinking to myself… you're an excellent kisser." She grinned, resting her forehead against his.
"You're not too bad yourself." He replied.
This time it was Lucy that closed the gap between them.