Title: It must have been the way.
Author: letscall_l
Fandom: Valentine's Day (the movie)
Disclaimer: I do not own or mean to offend.
Pairing: Willy / Felicia
Warnings: fluff, minor implications of a sexual nature.
Word count: so far 2159
Summary: Despite the fact most of L.A. thinks she is, thanks to that Reporter that came to their school on Valentine's day, when every-one knew she was bound to be insanely happy. It was an unfair perspective.
a/n.: the only time I will ever ship them, is in this movie. jsyk.
It didn't just start with the spitball story. Felicia likes to think its deeper than that, has more meaning, more of a story to it; like the Lady she met in the elevator on Valentine's day, who used to visit Dr Coleman every week at his apartment. She didn't live there and didn't seem too impressed at Felicia's white bear, but whatever she was kinda mysterious and Felicia likes those kind of stories.
And while the way she found out that Willy liked her was cute and awesome, the things she found out after just made everything seem a little more perfect.
Like how they both like exercise and strawberry milkshakes, but they can never decide on a single flavour of ice cream. Or how she knows when he wants her to move closer when his knee starts to shake, and how he knows she wants to kiss him when she touches his elbow, lightly.
Coincidentally they both have the same middle name, which Felicia loves- but would probably love more if it wasn't a stereotypical 'guys' name. But Willy doesn't seem to mind, and most of the time when he calls her 'Taylor' its when they're sitting close and no one can hear them. Its like they're speaking in their own secret language. Except its just a name, and anyone who reads her driving license can figure out the code.
Sometimes she wonders how she got so lucky, but then she realizes she doesn't want to know. It always ruins the story.
----
Will thinks it wouldn't have started to bother him as much if Alex had lost his virginity on Valentine's day, like he'd planned, and stopped obsessing over it. He kinda hates how being surrounded by his best friend's ever present, bordering desperate, sexual frustration did nothing to quell his own rising anxiety for his own lack of experience.
He didn't lie to Felicia, he's not ready. He just wishes Alex would stop reminding him about how un-ready he actually is.
"- and then her mom, I just couldn't shut up, it was like..." Will snaps back to catch the end of Alex's explanation of how he-didn't-have-sex-with-Grace-on-V-Day story. "I don't think I'll ever be able to go around there again. Shit."
Will just nods in agreement. He's trying not to listen to him to carefully; one, because the last thing he needs is to imagine Alex running around naked with nothing but a guitar covering him and two; he doesn't have track for another two hours, or Felicia for three so there's nothing to take his mind off previously mentioned image until then. Sometimes Will hates what being a guy entails for conversation.
"I don't know man, she's going to Yale soon and I'm ready I know I am-" Alex wrings is hands like its the only way he can express his annoyance. Will snaps.
"D'yeh ever stop to seriously think if Grace is? Maybe you mean more to her than just sex." He turns to Alex, who looks slightly shocked at his sudden turn around, and stares him down with his advice.
"Woah, chill, I was just venting. Its not like I'm mad at her or anything."
"Maybe you should just think about it, you love her - emphasis on her, not sex." Its about love for him, its all about making Felicia happy, being happy with her and not wondering about how to be more than happy.
"Its alright for you, I'm so sorry you have to listen to me talk about it yeah? But I can't exactly tell Grace this...in so many words anyway." Alex shrugs him off with a grimace. He pulls his bag straps up on his shoulders.
"What do you mean its alright for me?" Will questions, not liking the tone in Alex's voice.
"You and Felicia, dude."
"What about us? The talking? I know its not cool or whatever but if you can talk to Grace about an-" Sometimes Will wonders why he has to suggest almost everything to Alex, he feels like a third wheel in their relationship.
"No, no, not the talking. I meant the sex."
Will has to actually stop. And in terms of stopping, he swiftly angles himself and Alex next to the vending machines - now empty after the last latte strike- to see if Alex actually just said what he said.
"What are you talking about?"
"Man, you're like over at her parent's apartment every weekend and you come to school on monday with this big ass grin on your face."
Alex, as he relays this to Will, seems grow more confused over Will's sudden defensiveness. Will listens, and with some disbelief tries not to wonder why Alex ever thought that him staying with Felicia was ever more than a date night, and why his best friend would even imagine-
"We go out on Fridays, you know this."
Felicia is across the green. Her blonde hair waves in the light breeze and Will really wants to leave this conversation and see her. But Alex's betrayed looking expression isn't letting him escape.
"You haven't had sex with her?" Alex states it as a question but there's a smugness that Will knows Alex interjects to place them in the same boat again. Will feels like he's lost a respect he was never aware he had.
"No."
"Are you serious? You've never-?"
"No dude, we're not ready." Will's hands clench and teeth grit. He's not liking where this is headed.
"That, that, dude. All this freaking time- She's like so into you y'know." Will knows, Will knows how much Felicia loves him - he sees it in everything she does; in her eyes, her walk, everytime she smiles, and in every kiss.
"I'm into her too, I love her."
"Then why haven't-"
"I'm not having this conversation with you." Will silences Alex to no avail.
"I'm your best friend, why not?"
"Because if you can't understand your own problems or issues or whatever, then me explaining my feelings towards 'Liss is pointless." Will is really forcing himself to keep his voice down, his neck feels strained and Alex's ignorance just doesn't seem to abate.
"We don't have problems, I love her."
"Then talk to her about this, and maybe you'll see that she's scared that once you've 'sealed the deal' you'll be off to Stanford and that'll be the end of it, and it won't mean anything."
"I wouldn't do that, she knows-"
"Does she?" Will isn't looking at his distraught face. He's staring over his shoulder to his girl's bemused expression as she spots him. He's leaving now whether Alex works out what he's doing wrong or not.
"Just sort it out Alex."
He manages to brush his shoulder against his friend and raise a hand to Felicia when Alex hesitantly calls out again.
"Why didn't you tell me you hadn't?" Alex meekly asks, keeping his voice quiet and Will shrugs.
"I don't know." His eyes flicker to Felicia and back. "I didn't really want to be apart of the rest of the guy's plans. Its gotta be personal, for the right reasons..." Will stuffs his hands into his pockets and scuffs his shoe on the ground. "...with the right person."
Alex doesn't give much of a reply because Will has already nodded his way out and began a light jog to see his girlfriend. All the weird negativity that telling Alex had brought vanishes when he lifts Felicia off the ground, spinning her with his arms around his waist in that cliche movie way she secretly adored. When her arms are wrapped around his waist everything is just so right.
----
"Will?" Its the first thing she's said in a while. They're curled up in her bed. His bare feet brush against her shins because she's still a little taller than him, but she doesn't mind.
"What's wrong?" His concerned voice almost immediately replies. She pauses to wonder if anything is actually wrong, apart from her bedside clock almost hitting 11 o'clock, the time when her parents will knock gently and offer Will the guest room, she doesn't think anything is really...wrong.
"Nothing, nothings wrong why?" Felicia moves back slightly so she can see his face. He has worry lines, but he doesn't need to know that.
"You've never...its the first time you've called me just Will." He states and Felicia thinks its strange that it actually is the first time. She's always called him Willy, ever since she started turning round to yell at him for spitting spitballs at her; overemphasizing names was kind of natural to her.
"I know, I'm being serious, you don't think I can be serious?" Felicia scrunches her nose. She's well aware that sometimes people need to be serious, and usually that person wouldn't be her but around Will, with him; sometimes she needs to be. Just so he knows that she's not constantly a crazed love-struck girl around him, all the time. Despite the fact most of L.A. thinks she is, thanks to that Reporter that came to their school on Valentine's day, when every-one knew she was bound to be insanely happy. It was an unfair perspective.
"Yeah, I know you can but...you sound pretty..." He stops, as if he's unsure of how to phrase it. Felicia decides to jump in.
"Did it bother you?"
"What?" He asks.
"Did it bother you when I said I wanted to wait, before we y'know - sleep together?" She bites her lip nervously as she says this, partly because she doesn't want her parents to walk in at the very moment she starts this conversation, and partly because Will is a boy, and maybe she was being too assuming.
"...because I know sometimes I say things without really thinking about what you might feel or think or want to say and I know I shouldn't but sometimes you don't seem to mind when I do and-"
"I didn't mind." Will manages to interrupt her monologue before she can go off on another tangent. He didn't mind.
"You didn't?" Felicia has to admit she's slightly taken aback. She's not exactly an expert in all things to do with boy's overactive sexual needs, she's not an expert with boys in general actually but she thinks she's got love locked down pretty well; but she's sure that boys are usually supposed to care about sex.
"No." He stutters. "I know that you want to wait and I respect that; and I...I don't think, in all seriousness, that I'm ready either."
Her hand is pressed against his chest as she says this and she feels a huge breath leave his chest as he admits it to her. Its a rush of his relief.
"You're not?"
Will copies her earlier motion and scrunches his nose. Felicia is entranced by the dip between his forehead and his brow.
"Its weird isn't it?"
"No, no, I just thought that with all the obsessing with Alex and Grace being on a major sex goal that you would...I'm sorry." She feels bad for mentioning it. Will isn't Alex and she isn't Grace. And their not going to different colleges next year, they have time, they have more love. Felicia doesn't like accusing or demeaning Alex and Grace's love for each other, but the sex question had been hanging over their heads for too long, and some part of Felicia worries that her best friends have lost sight of what they really wanted in the first place. Each other.
Will's arms pull her close again as if he's thinking the same thing and keeping her near is helping him think things a bit clearer.
"Its alright." He murmurs into her hair. "Its been strange to hear them talk hasn't it?"
His jokes make things better, they always do.
"Its like they're gonna die if they don't do it or something!" Felicia scoffs in good nature, because for all she knows Grace and Alex are dying. Dying of sexual tension.
"So much pent up energy." Will sighs sympathetically but she can hear his sarcasm.
"He should do sit ups." Felicia offers, her mind immediately wanders to Will's own exercise routines and helping him warm up for track. Subconsciously her body shifts closer to him, her long legs tangle between his knees and heat the back of his calves. The muscles there tense but slowly relax.
"Thats what I said." Will's voice is level and Felicia can tell that his mind is wandering away from their friends, and back to them.
"Are you still sure?" She probes again. Her eyes meet his with a wavering love in the hope that he'll be honest, truthful with her, because its okay if he wants to; she'll be ready as soon as he is.
"Totally sure, I'm not ready." Will's lips hover by her own and his presence makes her breathless. His words make her happy, make her feel special.
Her hands come up to thread in his short black hair, he smiles at her touch.
"...I totally love you." Felicia whispers, knowing he can hear her perfectly.
"And I'm crazy about you."
Felicia kisses him because she's ready for that.
fin
