Author's Note: Hey guys, here's my update. Hope you like it! Let me know what you think!
Red Hood woke up in a bed that smelled of her shampoo and perfume. He rolled over and buried his face in the scent, unwilling to open his eyes and spoil a wonderful dream. When he finally did open his eyes, he was surprised to find that he still was in Melody's bed and his mask was still undisturbed but Melody was nowhere to be found. His head was pounding and his body ached though he couldn't remember why. He downed the glass of water placed next to his bed then realized he really, really had to go to the bathroom. He dragged himself from bed and once he finished with the longest piss of his life, he looked into her mirror. He peeled off his mask and thought about how strange he looked without it while in her home. He washed his face and hands quickly, reapplied his mask, and exited the bathroom. The bedroom now smelled of cooking bacon which was incentive enough to venture out into to kitchen/living room. As he did, the events of the previous night slammed into him and the shame he felt couldn't be measured.
"Oh God," he grumbled, staggering into the brightly lit room.
"Did you drink the water I left for you?" Melody asked, not bothering to turn away from her cooking.
"Yeah." He took at seat and the island to watch her cook, hoping she would turn to look at him. She was still in her tank top and tiny little black shorts and her hair was as unruly as he'd ever seen it. "Melody, I—" she slid a plate to him, but didn't look him in the eye. He didn't miss the chill behind the gesture. "Waffles?" He asked, looking down at the plate.
"I make waffles when I'm angry." She poured him a cup of coffee and set it down with the same coolness.
"And you have every right to be angry—"
She finally turned on him and the look on her face could make a war-hardened criminal shut up. "You don't need to validate my feelings, Hood, I know I have the right to be angry. What you need to do, is make sure that it never happens again." She leaned forward on the island and that's when the bruise on her wrist caught his eye.
"Melody, did I do that to you?"
"Yes, and let me make something clear. I get that you were out of it last night, it happens, whatever, it doesn't matter, but that is not the way you deal with something, okay? You don't go to the bottle when things go bad and you take your medication when you're supposed to." She went to one of the cabinets and opened it, showing him a space filled with prescription bottles. "I take mine when I'm supposed to and it may be a pain and sometimes I get sick or it drains me out, but I take them anyway because they help." She slid a white pill case over to him.
Red Hood was quiet for a moment. "Melody, I didn't know."
"I know you didn't," she said. "Make sure you eat something before you take those or you'll get an upset stomach. I'll be in the shower." He watched her go with a new feeling in his chest. She got him. She really got him. And he might've just fucked it all up with this wonderful woman who really cared about him. He inhaled the waffles and swallowed his pills, leaving the large white one behind on the counter. He found himself at her bathroom door, steam already pouring out of the crack at the bottom and the sound of running water coming from behind the wood. He knocked on the door and when he didn't hear a response he went in. She peaked her head out from behind the shower curtain and Hood was convinced he'd never seen anything more beautiful. Her hair and eyelashes were dark and wet while her face and lips were flushed from the heat. "Did you need something?" She asked.
"You," he replied. "I need you." He had his hand on the shower curtain, his face close to hers. "May I?" Melody nodded. Hood slipped off his underwear and stepped into the shower. She had the water temperature somewhere around the temperature of molten rock but he wasn't bothered by it. Just like her face, the rest of her body was flushed and wet, but he didn't spend a lot of time staring. Instead, he pulled her against him and just reveled in the feeling of her warm, wet body against his. "I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you or insult you last night. The truth is that you make me a better man and I didn't realize that until now. I used to turn to booze to cope, or I would run away from my problems, but now I realize I don't have to anymore because I have you. I don't need to run or drink because you will always open the door and let me in. I'm sorry it took so long for me to realize that, or to realize that I loved you. And I'm also sorry that I told you I loved you while drunkenly crying on you. You deserve so much better than what I can give you. You deserve to see my face and have me at your side. I'm sorry I can't give that to you. I'm sorry that I fell in love with you."
Melody ran her hands through his now soaked hair and pulled his lips down to hers. She kissed him gently, letting one hand grip his hair and hold his head in place while the other stroked his face and jaw. "So you did mean it when you said it last night?"
"Of course I did. I mean it now, too. I do love you, Melody."
"I love you, too." She shuddered when she said it and Red Hood loved how that felt against his body. He dipped his head down and captured her lips in a steaming kiss. It felt good to be with her like this, like a normal couple. He almost could've deluded himself into thinking they were normal until her fingers traced the outline of his mask. "This thing is waterproof, right?"
"You think I'd have a mask with infrared vision, night vision, and a billion other gadgets and not make it waterproof?"
"Well, I was planning on spending a while in here with you but if you're going to have that attitude—"
Red Hood cut her off with another kiss and pressed her back against the shower wall. He was gentler when he touched her, terrified of leaving another mark on her body. His fingers ghosted along her hips, thighs, and in-between, touching, probing, and exploring everything her body offered him. He took his time, making up for the pain he caused her with gentle touches and kisses. This is what she deserved. She deserved a man who only touched her the way she wanted to be touched, to be loved by someone who can love her completely. He wished he could be himself with her, but there will always be this mask between them. She can only ever know the Red Hood.
He watched her wrap her body in a fluffy blue towel and wring out her hair in the sink. "You're being very quiet, Hood." She pointed out, opening the bathroom door to let out the steam. Hood grabbed a towel off the rack and started drying his hair.
"I'm just thinking."
"About what?"
"About what this all means for us," he said. Melody waited for him to continue. "I mean, what's going to happen in a year? Two years? How can we keep pretending that we can go on like this? Eventually you're going to want more. Hell, I'm going to want more! What are we supposed to do then?" Melody rolled her eyes at him, dropped her towel and kissed him. Red Hood groaned and gripped her ass in his hands. She pulled back and looked up at him.
"I find your thoughts on the future of us charmingly optimistic, but don't you think we should worry about the future's problems in the future? Right now, you and I are more than content to just be with each other as we are. When the need for further commitment hits, we'll deal with it then." Red Hood smiled at that, tossed his towel on the sink, and scooped her up in his arms. "What are you doing?" She asked, laughing at his surprising action.
"Taking you back to bed."
"We just got out of bed."
"Yeah, but I want to take you back to bed." He set her down on the bed and climbed over her, looking down at her.
"So what? We're going to spend all day naked and having sex?"
"Occasionally stopping for food. Do you have work or something?"
"Called out this morning. I figured you would be more hung-over than you turned out to be."
A knock at the door disturbed the pair and Melody rolled her eyes. She climbed out from underneath Red Hood and slipped into her robe. Curious, Red Hood watched her go to her door but kept himself hidden in the shadows, out of sight. Melody answered the door, unsurprised to find Charlie carrying at least three containers of soup. He didn't say "hello" or even acknowledge she was there, pushing past her to set the containers on the counter.
"So I brought chicken noodle, a beef broth, and wonton soup because I wasn't sure which you were in the mood for." Charlie explained, pulling out plastic spoons from his pocket.
"Charlie, what are you doing?"
Charlie looked as confused as Melody did. "You called out sick for the first time in, oh, I don't know, since we opened the goddamned store. I figured you had to be dying, but you're not dying. Your hair is wet. Why is your hair wet?"
"Thank you for the soups, Charlie." Melody said, evading the question. Realization displayed itself on Charlie's face.
"OH MY GOD. There's a man in your bedroom, isn't there? You're taking a sex day!" Charlie accused.
Melody rolled her eyes and opened the door wider. "Goodbye, Charlie."
"That's so unfair. I want a sex day. Is he cute? Is he the mystery guy you won't tell me about? Must be some pretty good sex if you're going to take the day off for it." Melody grabbed his arm and he allowed her to push him out the door.
"Goodbye, Charlie."
"I want details!" Charlie exclaimed as the door slammed shut. Melody could hear his laughter from the other side and she knew he would be telling everyone downstairs what he saw. Red Hood emerged from the bedroom with a smirk on his face.
"So who's 'mystery guy'?" He asked with a laugh.
"Hard-dee-har-har. You're so funny." Melody said as she placed the soups in the fridge. "That was Charlie, he owns the bookstore with me, well, the café part. My employees and him guessed that I was sleeping with someone a while ago because, apparently, I had gotten significantly less bitchier and they're butt-hurt I won't tell them who it is."
"That's kind of funny," Red Hood admitted.
"But, hey, we did get free soup." Melody chuckled and shut the fridge. Red Hood came over and placed his hands on her hips.
"I love you." He said and kissed her forehead.
"I love you too."
Red Hood lifted Melody off the ground and slung her over his shoulder. "Now let's go." He carried her back to bed, reveling in the sound of her laughter.