This is a multi-chapter fanfic about the time between Blue Bird and Nothing But Blue Skies. Lots of fluff. The chapter names are all Fall Out Boy lyrics because I went down a lyric rabbit hole recently. They have some of the best lyrics around, most of them not suitable for this kind of story but I've picked some good ones (I think).
"Alone Together" is also a song of theirs.
This first chapter, "And I cast a spell over the west to make you think of me the same way I think about you.", is a lyric from "Bang The Doldrums" which is a track from their 2007 LP "Infinity On High".
This fic is also posted on AO3 under my name on there, Easily_Obsessed.
Hope you enjoy!
(Find me on Twitter: heclosescases)
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"And I cast a spell over the west to make you think of me the same way I think about you."
There has always been something about the way he looks when he snoozes that has tugged on her heartstrings. At first, she thought that it was because when he is sleeping, he is quiet and not causing any mischief, but she has known for quite some time that isn't really the case.
The sun is setting in Miami over the gorgeous beaches as people begin to head out to enjoy its famous nightlife. A fleeting glance towards the window tells Lisbon that somehow, they have managed to nap all afternoon. It is a surprise to her because she's never been much of a napper, but the physical and emotional exhaustion of the last twenty-four hours have caught up on her and she managed to drift off with him.
This wasn't the plan. After Abbott had sweettalked the TSA into letting Jane go, they decided to head back to the Blue Bird Lodge whilst the rest of the team returned to Austin – without telling them of course. The idea was for them to stay in Florida whilst the removal company returned her belongings back to her place in Texas, with the items already having started their journey to D.C.
Fortunately, they hadn't got very far, and her landlord had yet to rent out her condo to new tenants so she can return there. It was all surprisingly easy. The difficult part was the phone call to Marcus; she feels the guilt about the pain in his tone.
Briefly, the memory crosses her mind, but then she looks back at the man dozing next to her and that thought is quickly forgotten. His blonde curls, the lines at the corners of his closed eyes, the stubble lining his jawline… he really is handsome, and the fact that they are finally in this position after all these years brings a smile to her face.
This time yesterday she was stewing in an airport departure lounge having just accepted a marriage proposal from one man whilst being angry at another. Now she is lying next to the latter in his hotel room. Life can be wild at times. Things are rarely ordinary though when it comes to Jane and Lisbon.
Once returning from the airport she followed him up to his room without another thought having already checked out of her own. He had been automatically moved to a different room following the fracas that occurred yesterday before he rushed to stop her from flying away.
Neither of them expected to fall asleep but almost as soon as they fell backwards onto the bed they slipped away. They are still dressed in the same clothes that they were wearing at the airport, but now they are creased from their afternoon of napping; he is even still wearing his suit jacket.
The brunette turns onto her side and continues to stare at his features, taking in every crease and hair whilst feeling surprisingly calm about this whole situation. It feels right. One of her hands finds its way to his face and she gently strokes a finger down his jawline, loving the sensation of his rough stubble against her digit. Deep down she knows that she's wanted to do this very action since the moment she saw him for the first time in two years, in the FBI meeting room. The first thing she commented on was his new beardy image.
Her touch on his face makes him stir and even before he opens his eyes he is smiling, because he knows that it is her. He remembers what he did, how he dramatically declared his love for her. "Hey." He murmurs drowsily and turns his head so that he is able to take in her beauty.
"Hey yourself." She replies as she removes her hand from him but only for him to catch it in his to let their fingers entwine.
"Have you been awake long?"
"No." His eyes are searching her features and she can imagine him cataloguing every element of her to store safely away in his memory palace. She doesn't mind though, she thinks it is touching, plus it gives her time to appreciate how adorable he looks when he has first woken up.
It is something she has seen numerous times before, usually after she has had to awake him on his leather couch, but this is different. She hasn't just awakened him as his boss or as a colleague or just as a friend, but something more than that. They may have not verbally discussed it, but she knows that he is now her boyfriend and she, his girlfriend.
The thought makes her stomach flip in delight. Lisbon can envision the shock on Grace's face when she tells her, but for now, she wants to keep him all to herself. They don't need anyone else because they only have eyes for each other. "You look so cute when you're deep in thought." He reveals and gives her hand a squeeze for good measure.
"I think I am still getting my head around all this." She divulges, and momentarily a flash of concern crosses his expression. "Don't worry, I'm not having doubts! It is just a lot to get used to."
He understands of course. It is a lot for him to grasp too and he wasn't the one who was leaving to cohabit with someone else. "What time is it?" He asks, mainly to change the subject, but he regrets it immediately because she releases his hand and shuffles away from him to reach for her cell on the bedside table.
As well as seeing that it is nearly eight o'clock, she has messages from Abbott, Fischer and Marcus, and also has missed calls from him. He really isn't going to make this easy for her. "Nearly eight."
Patrick watches how her expression alters on reading her phone screen, a definite look of stress creeps in but she is quickly shaking her head as she harshly drops the device back on the furnishing. He assumes that she has had plenty of contact from Pike, but he doesn't say anything, he knows that she doesn't need that right now. "I cannot believe we slept for six hours." She comments as she falls back down on the sheets next to him.
"Kissing is tiring." She playfully hits him on his chest at this reply, not because of the words but how he said them. His glee was evident in his tone.
Staring up at the ceiling she breathes out a happy sigh, any lingering thoughts about Marcus Pike having quickly dissipated by her boyfriend's kissing comment. He detects her relaxing at his side. They both would be happy to simply remain like this forever without a second of thought or worry. "Do you think they do room service here?"
"I don't know, probably." They really should think about eating something and neither of them find sitting in the classy restaurant at all appealing, especially because last time they were there she chucked a glass of water in his face. "If they don't then I will go to the store to get us a feast."
"Not with your bad ankle you won't." Her response is swift, and she sits up slightly to peek at the offending body part. Even through his thick socks she can see the swelling.
"Meh." He shrugs off her concern because the pain is worth it.
"I cannot believe you jumped a fence. I didn't know you had it in you."
"Love makes us do crazy things." She beams at this and it is a gorgeous sight.
Jane has always loved her smile, ever since the moment that he met her. At first, it was because it was such a rare sight with her being so focussed on work and the seriousness of being the senior agent in charge. The more they worked together though, the more frequently he started to catch a glimpse of her mouth turning upwards and subconsciously he made it his task to elicit the movement as much as possible.
When his stomach grumbles, they chuckle but the hunger makes sense, neither of them have eaten much at all today and they're running on empty. "I will call and ask about room service." She announces before starting to get up.
"Wait." He instructs and when she turns back to face him with a question forming in her mind, it is quick to disappear because he is immediately dragging her back down onto the bed to kiss her tenderly. The excitement they both feel when their lips connect is immense.
When did they start to fall for each other? It is really difficult to say.
The longing they both felt during his two-year jaunt in South America, how it was like there was a hole in each of their lives, told them how much they cared for the other. However, Lisbon thinks that perhaps the first moment she felt a different kind of love towards her friend was when he took off for six months to Nevada. She missed him much more than she thought she would, and oh how she worried.
For Jane, he was in a constant battle to keep his feelings for her at bay until he caught Red John. He didn't let himself think about it. When he made the phone call to say that it is done, Thomas McAllister was dead, and he said that he would miss her; it really hit him.
All his letters to her, signed U No Hoo, were almost love letters but when he finally returned to the US it didn't seem like he could profess his love. Their relationship needed to heal, they both had wounds to dress, but the harmless flirting appeared to be anything but. He had an inkling that she was just being a good friend and that turned into a full-blown theory when she started to date Pike.
He thought that he had got it wrong. That she didn't feel for him the same way he does for her. If he believed in a higher power, then perhaps he would have prayed to them in hope that this would change. Turns out she felt exactly the same.
There was this nagging feeling at the back of her mind that maybe he liked her like she liked him but then he kept running away. To Vegas for six months, to the Island for two years, and since his return there have been several more occasions. From him accepting incarceration over a job at the FBI and essentially freedom to when he escaped Fischer's presence in New York on their first case together in years. Him walking away from her after presenting a bag of cannoli was the final nail in the coffin… or so she thought.
They have spent the past six months since his return dropping hints that maybe they could be good together but neither of them had the confidence to really do anything about it. Not until it was almost too late anyway.
A part of her was always hoping that he would say something to stop her from leaving. She gave him enough chances, but it never looked like he would. Instead, he kept explaining that her happiness is the most important thing to him, without realising that being with her would make her the happiest.
It may have been a close call but at least they are here, together, now.
Fortunately for Jane's ankle, the hotel does offer room service and they order food to the room along with a bottle of wine and some vanilla cheesecake to share. The hotel staff who bring their dinner, both are a little shifty which the mentalist puts down to them most likely witnessing their bust up in the restaurant the day before.
Watching him hop around the hotel room makes Lisbon chuckle under her breath. She should possibly feel guilty, but it was his decision, and she remembers the time she sprained her ankle on a case which was one hundred percent his fault. "Wine, my dear?" He holds up a bottle of Bordeaux triumphantly, offering it to her.
"Please." She replies, although he is already pouring the contents into two glasses before she speaks.
The fact that they've barely been together a day and he has already started to use a pet name brings an unexplainable joy to her. It is strange how normal this all feels, like they have been together months, but she is glad it is like that. In a way, they've skipped several stages that a textbook relationship would have.
They have not had the awkward first date filled with tedious questions while both parties try to work out how much they are willing to share. They've not estimated how many dates is sensible before a first kiss or even welcoming the other person into their home. They have known each other too long and know far too much to do any of that – not that either of them wanted any of that uneasiness.
After devouring their food, they continue to drink the wine but instead of being sat at the small table, they are cuddled up on the bed watching a rerun of some cop show on the television. All the way through, he voices his theories about who did the crime and she listened, interested in everything he has to say. He is wrong about the outcome, surprisingly, and seems very annoyed at the fact.
His complaints fill her ears up until she heads into the bathroom and turns on the shower. He is still carping ten minutes later when she turns it off again. She shakes her head at his mutterings, but she doesn't mind. Not really. She just makes a mental note that cop shows are a no go.
They go to bed at just gone midnight, this time making sure they have changed out of their clothes and into something more comfortable and slip under the covers. He outstretches his arm, inviting her to snuggle into him, which she accepts with ease. She relishes the touch of being so close to him and she hopes that it never wares off. Lisbon would quite happily perpetually remain in the honeymoon period and she is sure that Jane would agree with her. "Goodnight." She mumbles against his chest while she starts to doze off.
"Goodnight Teresa." She feels him kiss the top of her head and she is smiling as she drifts into sleep once more.