Timeline: Sometime after university.

Simmer

...

The soft click of a door shutting and a gentle rattling of keys echoed around the apartment. Nearly inaudible footsteps paraded across the floor, calm and careful. The fridge door opened with a soft squick and clinking of bottles, its electrical hum buzzing to life instantly.

Paulina laid on her side, head buried deep in the pillows with her eyes closed, and listened. The walls were thin, not allowing the much needed silence to settle in the bedroom. Fortunately, she was a heavy sleeper. Unfortunately, her mind decided that sleep wasn't scheduled tonight. Which, considering the events prior to her retreat to bed, was somewhat reasonable. The not-so-quiet guest milling about in the kitchen was also a large part of the reason.

She knew he'd be back soon, but she did not expect him to be this late. He must've been really riled up this time, even more than she was which was unusual considering that between the two hotheads, she was an active volcano and he was a boiling kettle.

She sighed irritably and turned on her other side, back facing away from the door and the unoccupied half of their bed. The simmering anger made itself known once more in her tiring mind. She squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to think about the heated debate and failing. Miserably.

It was a stupid fight anyway, she tried to reason, knowing very well it was not if it made him leave to cool off for—Paulina peeked an eye open at the clock then shut it again even tighter than before—three hours. She'd been cooped up under the sheets, mind ablaze with incoherent thoughts and less than pleasant words for three exhausting hours.

Taking in even breaths, she tried to calm herself down. They had fought in the past, it wasn't unusual for it to happen in relationships. No two people were always going to see eye to eye every time. She knew they'd fall back into place again and find a middle ground. It was simply the path that made it difficult.

Soft bedsheets draped across her bare shoulders alerting her of the sudden presence in the room. A hand brushed her hair aside, the touch a gentle, refreshing cold. Paulina fought the urge to lean into it and kept a relaxed look on her face, betraying no signs of her being awake. A pout nearly curled her lips when his hand slipped away and all she heard was a defeated sigh.

There was a rustling of clothes before his familiar weight dipped on the other side of the bed. The springs creaked, sheets shifted and silence settled in once more.

Paulina missed the noise almost instantly. It was almost suffocating how quiet it was now that he was right next to her.

She didn't like going to bed angry, and she definitely did not like it when he did either. Setting her pride aside, she let the tense muscles of her shoulders loosen, braced herself and turned around to—

"Ow!"

"Shit."

A sudden spike of discomfort blossomed across her forehead. She blinked rapidly, adjusting to the darkness and the mass of red and blue dots sprinkling her vision. Massaging the soreness away, she glanced at Danny's shining blue eyes. He was also nursing his forehead and it was then that she realized what had just happened.

Something tickled in her gut. This was so stupid. There was no way she would want to laugh now after hours of rage. She tried to swallow her giggles resulting in more bubbling up in her throat. It wasn't until she felt Danny shaking with laughter that she released a breath of hearty chuckles.

And then Paulina found herself pressed up against Danny's chest, his arm wrapped around her waist. Their eyes met, noses atoms apart. She wanted to stay frozen in this moment forever. The tugging in her mind and gut told her she couldn't. Not now.

Her fingers tightened into a fist resting against his chest. "I'm sorry about today, I shouldn't have said half the things I did an—" her lips suddenly became occupied with his. Eyes wide, she spared a moment to melt into the embrace then reluctantly pulled away. "Danny..."

"Apology accepted," he mumbled and pulled her closer to him, legs intertwining with hers. The warmth rocketed across her body in waves. "And I'm really sorry too. I was acting pretty dumb." His breath was cold against her cheeks, she felt her face begin to burn despite the fact. She mentally cursed at how easy it was for him to set off a cage full of butterflies in her stomach.

"Apology accepted," she repeated. "No more fighting, okay? At least not for another month or two."

He hummed in agreement, nose pressing against her cheek. His lips brushed against hers when he spoke, "Any objections to more makeup kisses?"

When she didn't satisfy him with a reply, he began peppering her face with fleeting kisses. Paulina giggled despite herself and gave him a soft peck on the lips. Danny smirked and leaned in for a deeper kiss.

Her arms wrapped around his neck, while his hands explored her back. He pulled her closer, eliminating what little space was left between them as they continued their embrace.

"Maybe we should fight more," she mused when his lips began trailing down her neck.

"What do you mean?"

"Makeup kisses feel pretty great don't you think?"

He snorted then met her gaze, a coy smile played on his lips.

"Y'know," his voice possessed a sudden low quality, sending shivers of excitement up her spine, "we can do more than just kiss." His hands roved along her thighs, dancing at the hem of her night dress. Paulina rolled her eyes, then pressed her lips on his.

Danny you cheeky dork. :P
As always, thanks for reading, I'd love to hear your thoughts!