A/N: This is for two people:
Christmascominghomee on instagram. Happy birthday and I love you! Feel better 3
Richonnesments on (aka chimneysmaddie on instagram). This was a great prompt and I hope I deliver
~Meowser
He was a heavy man and Chimney sensed before it happened that he was going to fall. Not in time to get out of the way, though.
His wrist got pinned, and he knew from the sound and the feeling that it was a hard sprain.
This would make his week.
"Chimney!" Bobby said, as soon as they finished getting Mr. Malone into the ambulance. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Chimney said. "It's just a sprain, I'll only need to ice it."
"Let's take a look at it," Hen scolded, pushing past Bobby. "Roll your sleeves up."
Maddie checked her phone for the sixth time, wondering where Chimney was. He'd texted that he was running late, but he hadn't messaged since then.
She was in the lobby of the movie theater; they were going to see a re-released Studio Ghibli film and, though she'd never seen one before, she was very excited. It was called Spirited Away and if she didn't go in soon, she'd miss the start.
Which was fine. Chimney was more important than any movie.
The doors finally pushed open and Chimney walked in, looking windblown and rushed and stressed, like he hadn't had the best day. He was wearing a sweatshirt; not typical attire for him, and it was baggy, hiding his hands. Wait. Was that one of Buck's sweatshirts?
"Hey," he said, seeing her and jogging up. "I'm so sorry I'm late."
"It's fine," she said.
"Just let me grab tickets and we can go in," he said.
"I got the tickets," she said. "And this is the dine in theatre, we can get popcorn inside."
He stared at her, a little surprised. "I kind of forgot," he chuckled. "You're a genius, Maddie Buckley."
She didn't know how to take this compliment so she merely ducked her head, embarrassed.
They walked inside and settled into their seats just before the last preview ended.
The movie started and soon a server came up to them to get their order. Maddie ordered wine and Chimney got his IPA. She didn't notice that anything was off til the server brought back their drinks and Chimney used his non-dominant hand to take it.
"Chim?" She wondered and he hesitated.
"Yeah?" He said, taking a sip.
"What's up with your hand?" She asked.
"I may have sprained my wrist," he said. "It's no big deal."
It took a moment for the words to sink in. "At work?" She questioned.
"Yeah," he said.
"And you didn't tell me?" She asked.
"It wasn't a big deal, it doesn't matter," he said. "It just honestly wasn't important enough to tell you."
She took another moment to register these words. "Chimney, of course it's important to me if you get hurt," she said. "So important. Everything about you is important to me."
She reached for his covered hand, slowly sliding back the sweatshirt sleeve. It was wrapped in compression bandages and didn't look too bad. "Chim, you need ice for this," she said, fully twisting in her seat now and going into nurse mode. "Who bandaged you?"
"Hen," he said, and she visibly relaxed. She trusted Hen.
"So the bandages are good but you'll need ice," she said. The server was coming back and she asked for a whole bucket of ice. "Just use the popcorn bucket, please," she requested.
"It's fine," Chimney said.
"It'll be better than fine if you ice it," she said, finally settling back into her seat.
Silence for a few minutes.
"Are you mad at me for hovering?" She slowly asked, words soft and forced from her lips. She was terrified of the answer.
"No," he said, immediately. "God, no. I just had no idea that you would care, honestly. No one I've dated before has ever really cared about my day or been worried about me."
Silence for a moment.
"I said dating, didn't I?" He said quietly.
"You did," she replied, voice just as quiet.
The movie was going on around them but Maddie couldn't be paying less attention.
"I just meant important women in my life," he said. "I know we aren't dating, but in previous relationships with women, no one has ever cared...like you do."
He turned to face her and Maddie felt her heart melt.
"Well, they were wrong, but maybe they weren't wrong, because if they'd picked you then that means that I wouldn't have you," she said. "They missed out, Chimney."
She slid her fingers through his left hand's fingers, holding tight. "I don't mind saying that we're dating," she said slowly. "I think we are."
They turned their minds back to the movie. Chimney was holding her hand just as tightly back.
It was a good movie, about a girl who was trying to turn her parents back into humans after they were turned into pigs.
At the end, Maddie turned back to him, as everyone around them started to leave.
"I'm still worried," she told him. "I want to stop and buy more bandages and rewrap it. It's probably all wet from the ice."
"It is," he said.
"Do you have gel ice packs at home?" She wondered.
"Maddie, I'm an EMT," he replied.
"So the answer is yes?" She questioned.
"No, I gave them to Buck," he admitted.
"So we should go back to my place," she said. "Did you drive?"
"Hen dropped me off, I'm trying to avoid it for a few days," he admitted.
"Good plan," she said, standing up. "I'll drive."
He felt like he was staring at her, and he probably was. Maddie drove a very practical SUV, an older model but it still had Bluetooth and a rearview camera. She was very proud of her car and the good deal she'd got when she'd bought it.
She amazed him, and always surprised him.
She always made him feel loved.
Chimney was totally self reliant and self sufficient. All of his family was back home and he almost never asked anyone for help. Not this kind of help. He just never needed to.
And here was Maddie, immediately jumping in and taking care of him. Not because she had to. Not because he asked her to. Because she wanted to.
He hadn't felt like this, well, ever. His mom was amazing and he loved her dearly, but she'd been very insistent that she raise an independent child, and not the one to coddle.
Maddie drove them back to her apartment after stopping at a drugstore and getting another roll of bandages. She opened his door for him, which was totally unnecessary, but he let her, quietly basking in the attention.
"Maddie?" He questioned once they were outside.
"Yeah?"
"Come here," he whispered, and she stepped closer, confused.
He wrapped his arms around her, feeling her warmth. He was so tired suddenly. He felt like their roles had reversed, just a little. Usually he was the one to take charge, to make sure she was comfortable.
And here she was, just trying to make
his night and this sprain just a little more bearable.
He buried his head in her shoulder, and she shifted closer, holding him tighter.
"Next time," she whispered. "Tell me as soon as something like this happens."
"So you can worry even longer?" He joked, pulling back a little.
Her eyes were luminous in the moonlight, glowing at him. Dear god, she was so beautiful.
"Yes," she said. "So I know what's happening, and I know if I need to be there."
He realized he was leaning in, leaning his forehead against hers, letting his eyes drift shut. "You saying that makes me really want to kiss you," he whispered, his breath hitting her lips.
"Then you should kiss me," she replied, closing the distance and pressing her lips to his.
Her lips were so warm, and she was so soft, and god, he'd never felt like this before.
He brought his left hand up to cradle her face, and the kiss deepened. She moaned, in the back of her throat, moving closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
His wrist was throbbing and he pulled back. "Okay," he said. "Time to go inside. Will you redo the bandage?"
She smiled at him, breath coming a little fast. "Yeah," she said. "Yes, of course I will."
She slipped her hand into his left hand and they walked inside.
He could get used to someone worrying about him.
A/N: So it's pretty short but omg the WrITersssssSSssS BLoCkkkskskkskskskksk ugh. So i barely finished it lol.
