There was pacing. There were doors slamming. There was an exasperated phone conversation happening in the other room. And, though it was 9:32 AM, Ana was still foolishly holding out hope that she'd be able to sleep in despite the noise.
However, after the second door slam, Ana finally abandoned all foolishness in favor of leaving her bed's comforts. Wandering out into the kitchen, she found Jim, partially dressed for work, wearing a shit-eating grin atop his face.
Raising an eyebrow at his palpable smugness, Ana approached and asked: "Do I even want to know why you look so pleased?"
Jim continued to eat from his bowl of Honey Smacks while chuckling lowly. "Mike won't be coming over. This is the first day in six long, excruciating months that they will not be seeing each other!"
"I hope you know that's going to come back to bite you in the ass," Ana challenged before capturing the cereal from him and proceeding to eat her own spoon full.
The taste of soggy puffed wheat hitting her taste buds had Ana gagging lightly, before spitting the offending breakfast food back into its offending bowl. A look of disgust claimed Ana's face, followed closely by a look of accusation as she told Jim: "Those are revolting, and you're gross for liking them."
Reclaiming what was initially his meal from the woman in front of him, Jim placed the now ruined bowl in the sink while arguing that "they're my favorite, you're just picky." A look of skepticism was all he received in return from Ana.
Deciding not to allow Ana's negativity to affect his good mood, Jim pulled her towards him by the hips, so she was resting against his chest while his back leaned against the kitchen counter. "I've got to deal with protesters at the mayor's office today, but we're still on for tonight, right?"
Ana's hands had come to rest upon Jim's chest as a means to stabilize herself with the sudden change of position. Tracing her fingers over the metal of his sheriff's badge, Ana found herself quickly distracted while gliding her fingers deftly over the smooth, shiny surface.
Noticing her absent gaze, Jim tightened his grip on her hips slightly, attempting to reground her in the conversation he was trying to have.
Shaking her head of the haze, Ana dropped her hands from the badge, in favor of circling her arms around Jim's middle. Giving him a light squeeze to indicate she was now paying attention. "Yep, I'm clocking in at the pool late, but I'll be back tonight."
This answer seemed to be satisfactory enough because Jim mumbled a quick "good," before pressing forward and capturing Ana's lips with his own. Leaning into his body entirely, Ana pulled his lower lip in between her own, while her right hand slid up to weave its fingers through the thin hair at the back of his neck.
Before things could progress any further, the pair felt a presence lingering behind them. Drawing apart, Ana turned her head, still held in place by Jim's large hands on her waist, while he, in turn, looked over her shoulder at the teenager who had quietly entered the room — effectively killing the mood.
"What's up, kid? You need something?" Jim asked politely, though a slight air of smugness had returned to his voice. His question only received a glare in response. Shifting her eyes to Ana, El asked: "Can you take me to Max's house."
Turning her head back to Jim, Ana mouthed 'Max's not Mike's,' which earned a smile from the man. Dropping one last peck to his lips, Ana detached herself from Jim's grasp and assured that she'd drop the girl off on her way to the pool.
After, the family dispatched for what would, unfortunately, not be a nice, normal day in Hawkins.
Happy Valentine's Day! In honor of the Season 4 Teaser Trailer, here's a bit of trash. Don't say I never gave you nothing. Remember, comments and votes are all I have to live for.
Edith Sidebottom
