Firstly I want to say that this chapter has mention of a woman's menstrual cycle, so if that isn't for you, I am sorry, but it's natural and a big part of life and something that I feel fits into this chapter.
Secondly Mikki belongs to KikiJuanita and can't be used without her permission. Onyx is mine and if you do so wish to use her, ask. The rest belong to Glee.
Enjoy.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Onyx asked, having gotten up from her friend's couch to get them another glass of wine.
It was a day after getting back to town before she called her friend up to see how she is with the break up. She didn't get the time to rest from the craziness of her mom's wedding. Not that the wedding was crazy as it was beautiful and she shed a few tears but it was that final day that happened to be crazy and she didn't get much sleep as the reception kept going even if it was just her, Jeff and Clint hanging out in the backyard. Mix in the early morning plane ride home, all she wanted to do was sleep and not freight over a break up. Not when things were going good for her in the boyfriend department.
She found it harder to exercise caution with what was said as in this case she couldn't pick one side over the other and she shouldn't have to do such a thing as she can support both her friend and her brother. She wanted to support her brother and her friend and she should be able to do so. In doing that lead to an afternoon of drinking wine and watching rom-com movies.
"I can't make him stay," Sugar shrugged. "I've accepted it for what it was. As much as I like your brother, I don't think he was the one," she stated, sipping her wine. "It hurts, but not like it should, ya know?" She asked looking over at her friend.
She got it, because that is how she felt with Rory and when she dated Ryder. That relationship lasted six months and they broke it off because that spark wasn't there like it had been in the beginning of their relationship.
"I thought you were smitten and in love with Jeff?" She asked, reaching for the chips.
"I thought so too. I can't explain it, Onyx," she sighed, dropping her head on the back of the couch. "Dating Jeff was nice, but there was something missing. And I want that feeling of a wholeness while dating a guy. We started dating and things moved so fast that we were forced to slow down. Onyx, I was devastated to learn he had been flirting with another woman, but the more I think about getting back with Jeff the more I don't want to," she explained, wanting her friend to understand where she is coming from. It wasn't to hurt Jeff, but she really did feel it best to stay friends.
"I am not pushing you into anything and I am not pushing him into anything. I am staying out of the middle of the drama between you and my brother. But you need to be talking to him about how you feel and let him know that you only want to be friends," Onyx shared. She wasn't going to report back to Jeff with what was said between herself and Sugar. They weren't kids anymore and they needed to sort through it on their own.
"I don't expect you to," Sugar replied. "Telling him is a bit harder, but I will because I don't want you to be placed in the middle of this. Just like I want to be asking what Jeff said, but I won't, because it's not your place," she said, taking a longer drink of her wine. "Now tell me about the details with Clint," Sugar smiled. "And don't lie, I know things happened because I know you," she smirked.
"Can't the details between myself and my boyfriend stay between us?" Onyx asked a smirk on her lips as she slowly drank from her glass of wine.
"Details?" Sugar asked, pausing the movie to look at her friend. "What sort of details are we talking about?" She inquired, grabbing the half empty bottle of wine to top off their glasses.
"They're not all sordid or anything like that," Onyx laughed, swirling the dark liquid in her glass.
"Like that matters, but it has to be cute with the way he has been smitten with you," she teased nudging her friends knee with her own.
"It has to do with Mason," Onyx said, throwing her friend off.
"I don't see how Mason plays into the equation," Sugar commented. "How does that even happen?" She questioned, sipping at her wine.
Onyx launched into the story of it went down, Sugar adding in her own comments along the way, making them laugh and giving them a girl's day filled with laughs instead of tears giving Sugar a break from stressing over her the end of her relationship with Jeff.
"Girls night didn't last long," Seb commented looking up from the stacks of papers in front of him, happy for the small distraction.
"I wasn't feeling good, didn't want Sugar to catch anything. You need the bathroom?" She asked, placing her things on the kitchen counter.
"I am sure it's nothing and more to do with the wine you drank," Seb laughed. "Nope, you enjoy that bath of yours," he told her, going back to what he was doing. He knew his friend and the first sign of her stomach hurting she soaks in the bath with hot water and bubbles.
"It's not the wine," she sighed, making her leave. Seb shrugged and sighed looking at the papers, deciding he needed a break and now with his best friend home and not feeling the greatest he would make some homemade chicken noodle soup. The one he learned how to make from his nanna. The only problem he didn't have any ingredients. "I am headed to the store, need anything?" He asked, standing outside the bathroom, hearing the water filling the tub.
"Some ginger ale would be nice," she told him, pulling the door open a crack to look at her best friend, her towel wrapped tightly around her body. "Crackers too," she told him. "Maybe some chocolate," she tacked on.
"You're sick, I am sure you don't need to be eating chocolate," he laughed. "But I will get you some for when you start to feel better," he assured her.
"Thanks," she smiled, shutting the door to slip into the half full tub of hot water.
The drive to the market wasn't a long one. His thoughts were occupied on the noodles figuring out what kind he wanted to buy when he felt his cart moving, as he held onto it. He pulled it further to him giving whoever more room to pass, muttering out a sorry, as he scanned over the noodles not finding the kind he wanted to be buying.
"Someone is deep in thought," his girlfriend laughed, coming to stand next to him.
"Oh hey," he smiled, glancing at her quickly. "Trying to find a certain type of noodle and I can't find it," he explained with a sigh. "Onyx is feeling a bit under the weather so I figured I would be nice and make her chicken noodle soup," he explained.
"What kind are you looking for?" She asked, scanning over the boxes in front of her. She grabbed a box of egg noodles, hidden in the back on a lower shelf. "This the kind?" She asked, handing him the box when she straightened up.
"You're a lifesaver," he laughed, tossing the box into the cart. "I could kiss ya," he smirked, turning to look at his girlfriend.
"Can't say I am going to stop ya," she smiled, leaning in to share that kiss with her boyfriend.
"Yeah, but I can stop you," Blaine laughed, looking for noodles himself. "I don't need a side of making out with my lasagna," he said, grabbing the number of boxes he needed.
"Is everyone at the market today?" Seb laughed, shaking his head. He didn't think it would take him quite this long as he didn't want to keep Onyx waiting longer than necessary. He hadn't been anticipating everyone showing up in the noodle aisle.
"I think so," Blaine laughed. "We all need food," he shrugged. "But I've got to run, got a date night," he informed them shaking the box of lasagna noodles before leaving the couple alone in the aisle once more.
"I should let you go," Mikki told him. "Call me?" She questioned.
"Of course," Seb told her, quickly sharing a kiss with her. "Shouldn't you be heading home anyway, what with your company?" He asked, placing a hand on his cart.
"My company can go home already," she sighed. She loved her family but at a certain point she couldn't deal with them being in her house and telling her how to do things. "My cousin and his husband can go back to Seattle," she shared annoyed with their antics.
"Why don't the four of us go out tomorrow. I can have Clint come over and deal with a sick Onyx," he suggested pulling his girlfriend into his embrace, dropping a kiss to her head.
"I'd like that," she smiled. "We can discuss this further," she shared, letting him get on with his shopping as she did the same.
By the time he got home Onyx was curled up on the couch watching TV. He put the stuff away leaving out the things he would be needing for the soup and taking her a can of ginger ale with some saltine crackers.
"Are you feeling alright?" He asked, walking back to the kitchen to get dinner started.
"Not really," she sighed, popping the can open to take a small drink of it.
"And remind me why you aren't in bed?" He asked, getting a pot out of the cupboard.
"My bed sucked and the couch was comfy," she shrugged. "And it's not like I am sick with the flu or anything," she shared. "So that chocolate bar," she commented with a sweet smile.
"If it's not the flu that what is it?" He asked, realizing what it was before he finished the question. "Nevermind, I got it," he told her. "You didn't need anything else from the store did you?" He asked worried. It wouldn't be the first time he went out and bought her things for her menstrual cycle. It didn't bother him or make him uncomfortable, it was a natural part of life.
"I'm good on that front," she smiled, getting up to help him make dinner. Just because she had some bad cramps didn't mean she needed Seb to cater to her. At that moment she doubled over in pain when a strong cramp bubbled up.
"Yeah, it'll take me too long to work around you," he said, pointing her in the direction of the couch. "Relax, I got this covered," he assured her.
"Fine," she rolled her eyes, giving him a small smile. "So I know going to the market, especially the one around the corner doesn't take long, so what took you so long?" She asked, making herself comfortable once more.
"Mikki and Blaine," he shrugged, moving around the kitchen. "Blaine is cooking for his girlfriend. Have you met her yet?" He questioned, working on pulling chicken off the whole cooked rotisserie chicken he bought for the soup.
"Nope. Should I know her?" She asked, taking a small drink of the ginger ale.
"Actually yes," Seb beamed at her. "She's a substitute and last year she filled in the two weeks for Mr. Jackson in the English department. Avery Jacobson. Ring any bells?" He asked, washing his hands.
"Nooo! You're lying," she smiled while he shook his head. She remembered the blond woman in question. She got on with her quite well enough for the time they spent together on break. "I don't know how I feel about that. And how do you know and I don't?" She asked, resting her head against the back of the couch.
"When you were committing to that boyfriend of yours, I saw them out, though if he had it his way they would still be hiding their relationship," Seb replied. "You know how he is with his girlfriend's," he stated.
"He's never been straight forward when it comes to them," she nodded. "I didn't ruin any plans you had with Mikki did I?" She asked feeling bad if she had ruined anything there.
"Nope," he replied, adding the meat and veggies to the broth on the stove. "She has her cousin and his husband visiting for a few days. Though since you're not sick I will be going out with them tomorrow, I was going to have Clint come take care of you," he rattled on.
"I can still have him come over," she shrugged. She wasn't worried with the way she looked as he has seen her looking worse and yet he was still around. She felt comfortable enough to wear sweats and a tee around him. "But even if I was really sick, I don't want you to feel like you need to be here taking care of me, I can handle being alone while sick," she assured him.
"I don't feel like I have to take care of you when sick, it's just what we do for each other," he shrugged. They had been doing it since they started to be friends. He had let Hunter take care of her when they dated and she got sick, but with her newly minted relationship with Clint he didn't dare leave him to take care of her, he liked the guy, he wasn't about to throw him into the deep end when it came to a sick Onyx.
"True," she smiled. "I couldn't ask for a better best friend," she stated. Seb easily agreeing with that statement. If anyone would have his back it would Onyx and vice versa without a doubt.
Her night of a girls night turned out to be different but still enjoyable nonetheless with her best friend as they enjoyed the soup he made and the romcoms she made him watch. More often than not they joked about the movie being played.
She didn't want to leave her bed in the morning, her cramps having gone away as they normally do as they always seemed to be bad the first and last day of her cycle, but she still felt like crap and didn't want to deal with people, but she did want to meet Mikki's cousins so she pulled herself from bed and slipped her boyfriend's shirt on using the bathroom before making her way to the kitchen for a cup of coffee.
'You feeling okay?' She smiled reading her boyfriend's message. Instead of texting him back knowing he wouldn't believe her through messages she called him.
"Hey babe," he answered. She frowned hearing a bit of rustling in the background.
"Hey, you busy?" She asked, stirring the sugar into her coffee before sitting at the counter.
"Nope, just finished taking a shower," he responded with a chuckle. "How are you feeling?" He asked, not knowing about the little turmoil his girlfriend happened to be in over the bit of information he shared.
"I'm good," she answered, with a gulp. "I wasn't sick and I am not sick just that time of the month," she explained to him.
"So you don't want to go out?" He questioned, looking for something to wear.
"No, I really just want to curl up on the couch and watch campy love movies and snack on sweet and salty foods," she told him.
"Want some company?" He asked, putting his phone on speaker and setting it atop his dresser before pulling his shirt over his head.
"If you have anything better to do, go ahead and do it as I will be fine here by myself," she assured him.
"Can't say I have better options at the moment," he teased. "Need anything? I can pick whatever up on my way over there," he offered for her.
"Even feminine products?" She asked him with a teasing smile.
"I guess," he retorted running a hand through his hair. "If I knew what to get," he told her.
"You're off the hook," she laughed. "I have plenty, I think," she sighed, trying to figure out if she did in fact have enough or if she would need a new box in the next few days.
"Why don't you send me pic of the kind you use and I'll stop and get you a box just to be on the safe side," he caved. Having grown up with Rachel, buying pads or tampons got a bit easier but it wasn't fun shopping for them. And if his girlfriend really needed them he could stop since he would be going by there instead of making her go out when she just wanted to stay in for the day.
"You don't mind?" She asked, taking a drink of her coffee now that it cooled off some.
"It's not something I want to be doing, but I can suck it up," he told her.
Whatever weirdness she felt about this whole situation left at how sweet her boyfriend happened to be. She really didn't want him to know that she was on as it can be embarrassing and she felt that no one other than herself needed to be knowing, especially her boyfriend of almost a week. As weird as it is for her it couldn't be any less weird for him.
Wrapping up their phone call she went to the bathroom and snapped a picture for him as she didn't want him to pick up the wrong kind. She still didn't know if it was sweet of him or just weird. "It's normal and all apart of life," she told herself. "Nothing to be embarrassed about," she said, talking to herself as she walked back to where her cup of coffee sat.
"I knew you weren't all there," Mikki teased, scaring Onyx in the process.
"A heads up next time would be nice," she stated a bit more harshly than intended. "Sorry," she sighed.
"You're good," Mikki smiled. "This is my cousin Spencer and his husband Elliot," she introduced. "Guys this is Onyx, Seb's best friend and roommate," she told them.
"Hi," she smiled, looking both men over. "Ya know I wouldn't picture you two a couple," she stated.
"And why is that?" Elliot asked, feeling offended by the woman before him.
"Don't get me wrong you two are totes adorable," she smiled, waving between them. "But just that you guys seem like total opposites. Spence looks like he's into sports and about his physical appearance," she rattled off. "And Elliot, it's like you're all about music and such," she said.
"That is them," Mikki nodded. "Spencer runs the little league team back in their neighborhood in Seattle and Elliot teaches music lessons," she explained.
"We do have things in common even if it doesn't look like it," Spencer stated.
"You two make it work," she smiled, refilling her coffee and making herself comfortable on the couch.
"You could come along," Spencer blurted out. "If you don't mind being the fifth wheel, that is," he shrugged.
"Thanks for the offer, but my guy is on his way over here and we're going to spend the day curled up watching movies," she politely declined. "The next time you're in town," she offered.
"It's a date," Spencer smiled.
"What's a date?" Seb asked, coming from his bedroom having changed.
"We'll explain on the way," Mikki told him. "Feel better," she said to Onyx as she ushered her family and boyfriend out the door.
"There's aspirin in the glove box of Seb's car, if you need it," she offered, having a feeling that Mikki would end up with a headache before the day was half over with.
"Thanks, I'll be needing it," Mikki sighed, shutting the door behind her.
No more than she had rinised out her mug and placed it by the kitchen sink than a knock sounded throughout the apartment, she smiled walking to the door.
"Oh it's you," she stated in a dull tone. "Seb isn't here, you just missed him," she said.
"Good thing I am not here for Seb," he laughed. "You could look a bit more happy to see me when I came with sweets," he teased holding the container of various sweets up for her to see. "I am here on behalf of my wife, she made these last night and has been freaking out about the taste," he informed her, handing the container over.
"I won't skip a detail, even the smallest one," she smiled, knowing just how mad Marley can be when she makes something new or even when she changes up a recipe. "Thanks for these, Nick," she said, walking to place them on the counter.
"Don't thank me yet," he laughed, walking off. She shook her head, walking to the door to shut when she saw her boyfriend approaching.
"Do I even want to know?" He asked, walking into the apartment with multiple bags.
"Marley is on a baking bender and driving him nuts," she offered as her response, helping him put things away, making sure they all found their rightful spots.
"Ah," he responded, pulling his girlfriend into his embrace, when she walked past him. "Hey," he whispered, pressing his lips against hers for a soft kiss.
"Hi," she smiled, pulling back to look at him. "You sure you don't have anything better to do?" She asked, walking over to the couch, Clint following behind her.
"Positive," he responded, sitting down and pulling her into his side. "Nowhere I'd rather be, and it's nice to know where my shirt went to," he joked.
"Not sure how it got mixed up in my things," she smiled sweetly at him, reaching for the remote to start the first movie. "I'll gladly give it back another day," she promised.
"You can keep it," he stated, pressing a kiss to her head. "I don't mind," he said. It wasn't even a shirt he really liked. A gift from his sister one year, and he didn't want to hurt her feelings by tossing the shirt out.
She smiled, resting her head on his chest as she started the movie. Clint felt himself starting to doze off, not keeping up with the storyline of the movie, knowing in the end the woman would get the guy of her dreams. It was the sobbing next to him that startled him. Seeing her in tears over a movie was a shock to him as he didn't even see her in tears over Hunter cheating on her on their anniversary.
"Baby," he said softly, pulling her closer. "Mind telling me what's wrong?" He asked, handing her a tissue that sat on the end table next to him.
"It's clear that she loves him and that he loves her," she sobbed, pointing to the two people on screen. "They should be allowed to be together and him not marrying some random woman who is nothing but this evil little witch," she explained through sobs.
"This is just hurtle for their ever growing love," he softly told her, knowing not to mock her as he didn't want her to go from a sobbing mess to taking her anger out on him. "He will realize how much he loves her and he will stand up to his parents and go after the love of his life," he said.
"You think so?" She asked, wiping the tears away.
"I am pretty confident that it will happen for them," he assured her. He hasn't been paying attention and he doesn't watch movies or shows like this one but with it being a cheesy romantic movie it would happen maybe not the way he said it but they would ended happy at the end of the movie.