A/N: This little gem comes to you from a request made by a friend (her screen name on tumblr is pookiebearxx). Oh, and THIS IS A ONESHOT! DON'T ASK FOR MORE!
This Love Is Ours
Elevator buttons and morning air
Stranger's silence makes me want to take the stairs
Ezra leaned against the wall of the elevator and rubbed his eyes. The night before had gone late with the unpacking of boxes and moving things in and out of different rooms. He and Aria had spent nearly an hour having an argument just over which way to have their bed facing.
It seemed crazy to him. Two years ago, they were scraping by, trying everything they could to get her parents to realize that they were right for each other. Byron had hated him with a vengeance so strong that he had tried to get Ezra sent all the way to Louisiana. Ezra had declined on the offer, which hadn't pleased his boss, but then, leaving the state wasn't in the plans that he had decided on.
Several people glanced at him with criticizing looks; probably because they had no clue who he was or why he was on their morning commute to their offices. The elevator chimed and then the doors opened, and several people stepped off.
If you were here, we'd laugh about the vacant stares
But right now, my time is theirs
In the two years since then, though, things had changed quite a bit. After Aria's parents had found out about A stalking her, and nearly killing the both of them, Byron had softened considerably. His exact words had been along the lines of "as mad as I was, I didn't want him dead." A had pointed a gun at quite a few of them that night, and then threatened to shoot Aria. Only in the last second did Ezra shove her out of the way, and take a bullet to the shoulder. Detective Wilden had been around when it happened, and A was on the floor moments later.
It was ironic to him, how all it took just one near-death experience for he and Aria for her parents to realize that they weren't invincible. A part of Ezra wondered if the reason that her parents took so long to realize their predicament was because neither of them really let Ella or Byron see how bad being kept apart was hurting them. The night of the masquerade though, they both had been clear with their emotions. Plenty of tears were shed when her parents tried to pull them apart, and in time Ella had convinced Byron that, even if it didn't look right, they had to give the relationship a chance.
Seems like there's always someone who disapproves
They'll judge it like they know about me and you
Ezra stepped off the elevator and walked past several people down towards the main hall. He was in a multi-faceted office building, set to meet with the director of the English department at NYU. Aria had been accepted to the school for the fall semester, and Ezra had been offered an interview for one of their advanced composition classes.
It was funny, how suddenly the dean had taken what was supposed to be a done deal for a job at NYU and then turned around and said that he would have to interview for the position when he found out that Ezra had a long-term relationship going with an enrolling student. Aria had insisted he fight for the position anyway, and show the man why he deserved the job.
He walked up to the large sign that sat in the large room with all the directions pointing where different people were to go for their appointments. He stopped just long enough to find which hall held the office that he was supposed to be meeting in, and then made his way towards it. He passed by a woman dressed in skirt business suit, and judging by her outfit, he assumed she had probably just applied for the job he was going to meet up for.
Ezra walked up to the office and was about to knock when an older man with white hair and circular wire-rimmed glasses looked up at him. He smiled and waved his hand.
"Ah, Ezra. Come on in. Take a seat. You can close the door behind you."
Ezra walked into the room.
And the verdict comes from those with nothing else to do
The jury's out, but my choice is you
Ezra spent the next hour charming the man with his teaching abilities, selling himself as best as he could. He explained to the man how, in three years, he had gone from a high school English teacher to one of the deans of the English department at Hollis and a published author. He had written a book about a man wrongfully convicted of causing a teenager to lose two years of her life due to a car accident, which in turn had actually been caused by a friend driving drunk. The man had faced scrutiny under the eyes of the small town he lived in, and lost almost everything he had. But under all of it, emerged a love story as he helped the girl to regain her memory, and ultimately helped to find him innocent of the car accident they had been in.
Even so, he could see the skepticism in the eyes of the dean of NYU.
Ezra let out a long sigh and leaned forward in his seat. "Look, sir. I've told you everything I can that's going to tell you how well I can teach and how much I'm going to push my students to shoot for their dreams and work towards their goals, but I know under all of that, a part of you is judging me for my relationship with my girlfriend."
"Ezra-"
Ezra shook his head. "No, sir. I won't give you my life story or tell you something to garner pity. I know it was wrong that she and I stayed together when we realized the age difference. I know a lot of people who see it from the outside don't understand it. But I love that girl, and I've already asked her to marry me."
The dean gave a soft smile. "And what did she say?"
Ezra smiled his boyish smile at the older man. "Yes. We're planning an autumn wedding next year."
"Dare I say, it wasn't fair for me to question your motives, but a dean worries about such things, Mr. Fitz. By all your credentials, you really do seem best for the position. I really should take the time to deliberate over this, but I know there's not something that I'm going to find that's better than what you're offering at the moment. You've got the job. I hope you're settled, because you start Wednesday."
So don't you worry your pretty little mind
People throw rocks at things that shine
And life makes love look hard
Aria squealed as she kicked her legs up into the air. He arms were wrapped tightly around Ezra's neck as she showered his face in kisses. He chuckled as he caught his balance and kept his arms wrapped around her.
"This means that you're going to have to take a different composition course," he told her as he settled her on the ground a few moments later. "Ethics and all, you know."
Aria nodded, keeping her arms wrapped around his neck as she looked up at him. "What'd you say to get the man to change his mind anyway? I thought you said there was no chance he'd hire you?"
Ezra shrugged. "I told him we're getting married."
Aria smiled. She looked down at the rock on her finger and smiled as the light caught it. She'd had it for over six months, but she still smiled every time she looked at it.
Ezra brushed his knuckles against the side of her cheek and then tilted her chin up towards him and kissed her softly on the lips. "I just hope you know it's going to be tough. We're still going to face scrutiny. It's going to be Rosewood all over again for a while."
Aria smiled back at him. "The stakes are high, the water's rough, but this love is ours…"
You never know what people have up their sleeves
Ghosts from your pasts gonna jump out at me
Lurking in the shadows with their lipgloss smiles
Aria nearly jumped out of her skin on her first day of classes. Part of it had been because of the crazed mass population of students that surrounded her as she tried to figure out where all her classes were, but it had more to do with the fact that she had signed up for a psychology course. The name on her schedule read Devitto, so she had assumed she was probably getting a male teacher.
Imagine the surprise that slapped her in the face when she sat down in the lecture hall and was greeted by Jackie's face looking up at her. She wasn't sure that the older woman actually saw her, or if she even knew Aria was on her roster for the semester, but all too quickly Aria had wanted to run to admissions and drop the class. She couldn't imagine spending an entire semester spending time in the same room as the woman who tried to end her relationship with Ezra. And even if Jackie didn't know that she was Aria's teacher yet, she would when she started giving assignments.
She had gone home that day and told Ezra about Jackie teaching the class. He had told her to give it a chance. Obviously Jackie was married, so maybe she didn't care anymore, he had said.
Aria had highly doubted that what Ezra believed was actually the case. Even for as much as Jackie had pissed him off with her meddling, he always tried to see the best in people. Aria on the other hand, was sure that Jackie had probably settled when she realized she was never going to get Ezra back.
Even so, she had given his idea whirl, and stayed in the class for several weeks. When the first few assignments rolled through, she was surprised to see A's coming back at her. A part of her wondered if maybe Jackie was going to fly off the handle, go psycho again, and be a new and improved A, but that didn't seem the case.
She was even ore surprised when Jackie told her that she wanted to put the past behind them and start fresh. Aria had been tentative about it, but yet again she took Ezra's advice and decided to play nice. She was fair and forgiving with the older woman.
She should've just followed her gut instincts. Not two weeks later, she walked into Ezra's office and found Jackie trying to pressure him into things he wasn't willing to do. They were in the midst of a screaming match, and Aria walked right in on it.
But I don't care cause right now you're mine
She remembered how Jackie had shoved her into one of the tables that had a lamp resting on it. She'd caused a bruise on Aria's hip and broken one of the lamps as well. Ezra earned a split lip from the crazed woman shoving them and pushing them around. Jackie was suspended indefinitely.
And you'll say
Don't you worry your pretty little mind
People throw rocks at things that shine
And life makes love look hard
She remembered how after that, their relationship had hit a bit of a roadblock. Neither of them really knew how to move past it, because even though they both knew that Ezra didn't want anything to do with being with Jackie, they both also had started putting their trust into the woman, and had been burned badly.
Aria had watched as Ezra berated himself for weeks, trying to figure out what exactly he had done to send Jackie any signals that suggested that it would be remotely okay for her to attack him like that. Jackie knew that Aria and Ezra were engaged. She'd seen the ring. Aria had even mentioned wedding plans once or twice.
Eventually, they found themselves sitting in a therapists office, discussing their entire relationship. They did their best to avoid bringing up the age issue, even though the scrutiny that they were put under in Rosewood and then again in New York was one of their problems.
The stakes are high, the water's rough
But this love is ours
By the time Christmas rolled around, they seemed to have caught their footing again. Aria was cramming in study time with every free minute she had while Ezra was constantly pouring over a pack of papers that had be graded and returned. It seemed for as much as their relationship got better, it also became more strained, even going as far as affecting their sex life.
Once the holidays actually hit though, it brought on an onslaught of time where they were actually pressured into spending time with each other. They found themselves feeling a little out of touch and resolved to make sure that by the time Christmas eve was knocking on their door, that they would be in a better place.
And it's not theirs to speculate
If it's wrong
They drove back to Rosewood Christmas eve morning, and like most other times, it was quiet. They both reveled in it though. They both enjoyed the quiet moments with each other just as much as the moments that brought on laughter and hour-long conversations.
The festivities started the minute they got into town and continued non-stop for the next three days, from having dinner with Spencer and Hanna (Emily was in Texas with her parents), to spending Christmas day with Aria's family. Ezra's mother also drove down and had Christmas dinner with all of them.
It was during that dinner that some shoulders didn't rub so well. Ezra's mother had lived in the heart of New York for over thirty years, and she was a very conservative woman, regardless of the fact that she loved her children to death. She didn't clique all that well with Aria's much more liberal family. She certainly didn't agree with the fact that Aria's parents had given up so easily on letting Aria and Ezra be together.
It was ironic though, because the woman never actually showed any distaste towards Aria. She actually seemed to take a liking to Aria, and admitted that Ezra was the happiest she had ever seen him.
Your hands are tough
But they are where mine belong
She remembered two days after Christmas, how she had spent most of the day in the ER with her mom. Her dad and Ezra had gotten the bright idea to take down some of the Christmas decorations, because the house was literally decked out in lights, and had been for weeks.
They were both up on the roof outside. Aria and her mother had been in the yard talking about the wedding dresses when Byron had slipped on a patch of ice and tumbled over the side of the roof. Ezra had caught him by one of his wrists, and with the help of Aria and Ella moving their ladders, Byron had climbed back up onto the roof. No sooner had he gotten back up there and started pulling up a line of lights though, when Ezra's leg got caught up in it and he tumbled over the side of the porch.
Other than a few bumps and bruises, his worst injury was that he broke his left elbow. He'd been lucky that a large pile of snow near some bushes had broken most of his fall.
Still, Aria remembered how she'd sat next to him in his room, brushing her fingers over the scrapes on his palm from hitting the large bushes under him.
"I'm really fine," he insisted as he curled his fingers into hers. The doctor had already cleaned the cuts and rested a piece of gauze over them.
Aria stared up at him with a frustrated look. "We're living in a walk-up forever. I'm never letting you do that again."
Ezra chuckled. He sat up and used his free hand to brush her hair out of her face. "it's just a broken arm. I'll be fine in a few weeks."
Aria raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm sure your students will totally overlook the bright green cast."
"I asked for black," he insisted.
Aria just laughed. Ezra brushed his thumb against her cheek and then leaned over and kissed her. "We'll be fine."
And I'll fight their doubt
And give you faith with this song for you
Aria dropped onto the couch in Ezra's office with her journal and leaned back against it. She was still waiting for him to get back from his last class of the day, and it seemed to be taking forever. She hadn't had any classes after that morning, but they had driven to school together with the intention that Aria could get all of her work done on campus. The only downside was that her professor had decided to choose that day not to give any homework, so instead she had been left sitting around reading all day.
She stared at the lyrics scribbled onto the page and smiled
"I said remember this moment
In the back of my mind
The time we stood with our shaking hands
The crowds in stands went wild…"
She remembered how nervous she had been on graduation day. They had waited until then to officially go public, mostly because they didn't want to ruffle any feathers with the Rosewood High School school board, or get Ezra into any trouble.
She remembered how crazy it had been with her friends, walking out of the school. Ezra had been there, seemingly to see his former students graduate. He and Aria had shattered that illusion when, directly after the ceremony commenced, she walked right up to him, mid-sentence with Mrs. Welch, and kissed him.
Cause I love the gap between your teeth
And I love the riddles that you speak
She remembered how he had stammered through sentences, trying to give a reasonable explanation as to why Aria had just done what she had, but Aria just plainly didn't care what people thought. She didn't care what Mrs. Welch thought, or anyone else. They weren't planning on sticking around Rosewood much longer after graduation anyway.
And any snide remarks from my father about your tattoos
Will be ignored, cause my heart is yours
She still remembered when they had gotten back to her parents house after the ER as well. Her parents, up to that point, had never seen him without a shirt, but with his whole body covered in scratches, they had seen him that last night post-shower in just a pair of boxers. Ella had blushed. Byron had started questioning why Ezra had a girls name written between his shoulder blades. It was a story Aria already knew.
When he was fifteen, his sister, who was two years older than him, had gotten into a car accident. She'd been hit by a drunk driver, and killed. She'd always been right there behind him and always just over his shoulder with advice or looming, ready to catch him when he screwed up. It only seemed fitting to have her name right there.
So don't you worry your pretty little mind
People throw rocks at things that shine
And life makes love look hard
Aria sat down on the bed in their apartment later that night and rubbed her feet. Wearing heeled boots wasn't the best idea for the day. In all her boredom, she'd taken a long walk around the campus, and while it was fun to see things during a free day from the other side, it also killed her feet.
Ezra walked into the room a moment later an tossed a closed paper down on the desk. He smiled at her. "Did you have a good day?"
Aria shrugged, looking up at him. "It was okay. Got better once I wasn't bored anymore."
Ezra chuckled. He walked over and sat down next to her, and turned her towards him and pulled her other boot off and then began to massage her feet. Aria groaned and leaned her weight back on her hands.
"That feels so good."
Ezra chuckled. Even with a elbow, he was able to create at least some pressure and it felt so damn good.
"I got lectured today about having you in my office," he said as he bent her toes back enough to stretch them. Aria moaned as they popped.
"What the hell does it matter," she whined. "Its not like you were in there with me for most of it. They only reason they care is because they know we're together. If they thought I was just your student, no one would say a damn thing."
"Don't you worry your pretty little mind. People throw rocks at things that shine."
Aria smiled at him. She loved that song. She had ever since he'd played it the night he proposed to her. "But they can't take what's ours."
Ezra pulled her closer to him and nuzzled is nose against hers. He smiled and then leaned in and kissed her. Aria wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.
The stakes are high, the water's rough,
But this love is ours…