AN: Yikes! I'm a terrible person - it's been sooo long since I updated. Here I am though! Complete with kisses, as promised. No smut - I don't think I'm going to put any in this fic. I'm really sorry this took so long. Appearantly, my writing is a form of "escapism" from my "issues". Whatever.
Floor... not seeming so comfortable anymore. And it looked like Connor agreed with her. Slowly, every muscle protesting, the pair eased themselves into a sitting position. Charlie hit Connor across the back of the head. "Why would you let me fall asleep there, you idiot?"
Connor shot her a death glare. "Don't scream at me."
Charlie cracked a smile at that, "You are so hungover. Go get me coffee."
"Why should I?" he asked petulantly.
"Because I'm sore from sleeping on the floor that I fell asleep on talking to you."
"Ditto. Plus, I'm hungover. So you get me coffee."
"No."
They sat there glaring at each other until Bass walked in. "What -"
"Go get us coffee," they demanded at the same time.
"Why..." deciding not to ask, he went and filled three cups of coffee. "You know," he said, awkwardly juggling them, "I think I'm actually glad I wasn't able to raise you. Were you always so bossy?"
"Yeah," Connor replied. "Well, I'm just going to go away, and be... away. So, if you two want to... oh, I don't know, finish that conversation you were having yesterday - the one I don't know about because I totally wasn't eavesdropping - then... Yeah. Go ahead," he rambled before hurrying out of the room.
Charlie hid her face in her hands. "I hate him."
"Yep."
"You know, he's listening right now."
"Mm-hm."
"Okay."
"Yeah."
"So..."
"So."
Charlie looked at him for a second, then sighed. "I guess we're doing the awkward DTR conversation."
"DTR?"
"Define The Relationship."
"Oh."
"Yep."
"Why is it awkward?"
"Because... it just is."
"I like you, you like me. Why does it have to be awkward?"
Charlie started at him. "Okay, seriously? What happened to the guy who hasn't even noticed my advances for like, weeks?"
Bass shrugged. "He found out you weren't dating his son."
"I - you thought... me and Connor? Oh my god, you just made my year. I can't - I mean he's so... Connor. Like, "Do you even straight?". I mean seriously. So gay." Charlie could barely breathe, she was laughing so hard. Bass glowered at her.
"Shut up," he pouted.
"Sorry," Charlie giggled. "Actually, I'm not. Are you really that oblivious?"
He narrowed his eyes. "Sorry, didn't I say shut up? I meant to."
"Make me," Charlie challenged. Before she even processed what had come out of her mouth, Bass was pulling her towards him, pressing their lips together.
Oh! Not exactly what she had in mind... but better. So much better. Brain short circuiting in three, two, one...
Bass's tongue swiped confidently over her bottom lip and she nearly fainted from the overpowering sensations. Automatically, she opened her mouth, deepening the kiss.
This was new. Charlie was by no definition inexperienced, but this kiss... it was doing things to her. It was just a kiss, but - oh God. It wasn't "just" anything.
Barely breaking away from Bass, she gasped out, "Bedroom. Now."
He looked shocked, "I'm not sure -"
"You don't have to be sure," Charlie interrupted, "You just have to look at me and see how sure I am, and assume I know what I'm talking about."
Bass grinned. "Well, alright, then," he said, taking her hand and leading her out of the room.
Neither of them paid any attention to Connor standing on the other side of the door, silently squealing. As they rounded the corner out of sight, he beamed and happily announced to the empty hallway, "My ship has sailed." Raising his voice so Charlie and Bass could hear him, he called, "You're welcome!"
From out of sight, Charlie yelled, "Go away!"
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Several hours later, Charlie smiled happily from when she lay draped across Bass. "You know, eventually we will have to get out of bed."
Bass held on to her tighter. "Nooo..." he whined.
"Yesss..." she mimicked him. "Me and Connor are singing tonight, remember?"
"I like hearing you sing," Bass said with a goofy grin.
"Good, I - What's this?" she asked, distracted. Her finger lightly traced the M tattoo on his left arm. "It looks familiar."
Bass shrugged. "It stands for Monroe. You probably noticed it sometime over the last few days. Now, what time do you and Connor go on?"
"Mmm... nine."
"Then we've got ages before we have to get up." She squealed as he rolled her under him.
If she'd thought about the tattoo, she might have realized why it looked so familiar. She might have remembered the suitcase under the bed in the guest room, and the Star Wars lunch box in it, and the little velvet jewelry box in that. And then she might have remembered the silver pendent her dad gave her for her fifth birthday, the one that looked just like Bass's tattoo. She might have remembered the nice man who went to the zoo with her and daddy, and she might have remembered his name.
But she didn't think about it.
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At eight thirty, Charlie and Connor went down to the bar to set up. Bass came with.
As they were setting up the sound system, Bass's phone started ringing. "Hello?"
"Hey, brother."
"Miles," Bass said with a grin, "What's up?"
"I just thought I'd check out how things were going with the kid - he's staying with you over winter break, right?"
"Yep. Things are great. Just great. Really, really, really, really great..." Bass trailed off, distracted by Charlie as she bent over, getting her guitar out of the case.
"Who is she?" Miles asked, amused.
"Hm? Wait, what? Who's who?"
"This girl. She must be something. I haven't heard you sound this pathetically lovestruck since Shelly."
"She's... amazing. Brother, I just met her, but... I think she's the one. I really do."
"Details, Bass."
"Her name's Christina, she goes by Charlie," Miles was silent, and Bass knew he was thinking about his own little Charlie, (hopefully) somewhere out there. Hoping to distract him, Bass continued, "She's gorgeous - this tiny blonde bombshell, but I'm fairly certain she could rip us both to shreds and paint her nails at the same time. She's tough as nails, and a literal genius. She's got a scholarship - she's brilliant with computers."
"Scholarship? She's still in college? How old is she?" Miles asked dubiously.
"She may or may not be Connors housemate. So possibly around the same age as him."
"Dude. She's twenty four?"
"About," he muttered defensively. "So? She's no kid."
"Really?" Oh Miles. Must we always be a skeptic?
"Shut up, okay? I like her. A lot. Maybe even love."
"Really?" less skeptical, more surprised this time.
"Really."
There was a pause, then, "Well, she sounds like a hell of a girl. Good thing I'll get to meet her when I come down to visit." Usually Bass went to Chicago to see Miles for Christmas, but since Connor was visiting, he'd agreed to come out to California.
"You'll be here on Sunday, right?"
"Absolutely."
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By ten o'clock, the Republic was busy, filled with chatter and laughter. Up until now, Charlie and Connor had just been background music, covers of songs, nothing spectacular, but now Charlie stepped forward and tapped the mic to get the audiences attention. A few people looked up, but not many. She didn't seem to care. "Hey, everybody. I'm Charlie, and this is Connor. We'd like to thank Bass for letting us play, and Jeremy for convincing us to do it by bribing us with free liquor." There was laughs and scattered applause. "So, here's a little something I wrote. It's called Run."
Why do I breathe with what's beating in my chest?
You think I'd learn better now cause you can't get any rest
Cause I keep trying to find happiness
In everybody else
It had the same haunted quality of the song she and Connor had played for him the other day, a breathy eerieness combined with a throbbing beat that made you want to sway and dance.
And please move that finger that's been pointing to my mistakes
I want no part in the feelings your words make
So let go, let me love you today
And you're so damn difficult
You'd lose a heart in your hand
And I can't believe you made me work for it
No one understands
Why I run as fast as I can
And I can feel everything
I can feel your emptiness
And I don't believe there's a way out of this mess
Unless I can forgive all your sins that I won't learn
I'll never love again
Again
It just about broke his heart, because there was an aching sincerity to the lyrics that reminded Bass of what Connor had said about her parents.
See right through my wounds
See I'm just like you
Watch me stumble, watch me choose
All your lies
All your lies
All your lies
You're so damn difficult
You'd lose a heart in your hand
And I can't believe you made me work for it
No one understands
Why I run as fast as I can
The last few notes of the song were drowned out by cheers and applause.
AN: I hate this chapter. I really do. I have writers block and so I just pushed the entire plot up like two chapters, and it's super short, I feel like the chapter breaks were at really awkward places, and there was zero build up to the Charloe sex. I just don't like it. But hey, no more unresolved sexual tension. And all of you wanting Miles - here he comes! I hope you liked this more than I did.