Hey all, sorry for the delay with this chapter. Like always, characers that you recognize are from Glee, the others belong to myself. Jeremy, Dylan, Mikki and Courtney belong to KikiJuanita, and you need her permission to use them. Enjoy!
"Ugh, I hate this," she complained, falling onto the couch, her head resting on her boyfriend's leg, her feet dangling over the arm of the couch as he sat in the middle. Their pup curled up in the chair, watching them when he wasn't sleeping.
"Babe," he sighed, running his fingers through her brown locks. "It's not that big of a deal, really." She went to protest what he's saying, because to her, it's a huge deal. "We'll order in and enjoy catching up with Seb and Jeff," he told her, cutting off any protest she may have at her disposal. "They don't need a special home-cooked meal; they're family, and they know how it goes," he assured her.
Coming back from Ohio for Christmas things had been a bit more hectic for the couple. Clint spent most of his time at the club making sure everything was going smooth, and they had everything they needed for the New Years crowd. He thankfully was able to skip out on that. Onyx, however, spent her days going over the last few weeks of the term with Jake through Skype, which had been a hassle within itself. And with dealing with all of that they had been the ones to say they would throw the small gathering for New Years.
"I know, but I want to make them one, but I feel so drained," she sighed, closing her eyes, relaxing under his gentle touch.
"Why don't you go make yourself a bath to relax?" He asked her, frowning when his palm made contact with her forehead, feeling how warm she felt.
"Ya know that sounds wonderful," she told him, yet she made no move to get up. "Do you think you can finish getting things set up?" She asked.
"Babe, with how warm you feel; it's safe to say that we're not hosting anything tonight," he told her. "We'll have a get together once you feel better," he assured her, before she protested.
"I'm fine," she told him, sitting up. "I feel fine," she said, looking at him.
"Then humor me here," he pleaded with her. "Let your boyfriend be a little on the protective side of things," he said.
"More like overprotective," she mumbled; he gave her a stern look. "Fine," she sighed, standing up. "But you get the pleasure of calling my brother and my best friend and telling them why you're canceling at such a late time," she informed him, walking to the bathroom to start a bath, adding some bath salts and bubbles for a relaxing bath.
"You do know that I don't mind being an overprotective boyfriend, right?" He asked, seeing her exit the bathroom and head for the bedroom.
"I'm starting to see that," she smiled, having collected what she needed from the bedroom. "Once you take care of your phone calls, do join," she smirked, shutting the bathroom door.
Clint sighed, grabbing his phone from the coffee table, scrolling through his contacts coming across Jeff's name first, hitting the call button, he put his phone to his ear and waited for the call to go through and connect.
"Hey man, we're just getting ready to head up," Jeff told him, answering his phone, as he rushed around the apartment getting his things in order, making sure he had his keys.
"That's what I am calling about," Clint sighed. "I didn't want to risk it; I believe that your sister is coming down with something, she felt awfully warm," he explained to his girlfriend's brother.
"Yeah, no worries. Take care of her, and if you can make it through her being sick, well you can handle anything she throws your way," Jeff chuckled.
"That bad, huh?" Clint asked, propping himself up on the kitchen island. Curious as to what Jeff was saying to be true. They've already been through quite a bit rough patches; he couldn't imagine her being a horrible person when sick.
"If you can understand her groans; she's not the most talkative person when sick, nor will she tell you what she wants, that you have to figure out on your own," Jeff explained.
"Okay," Clint sighed. He thought he could read his girlfriend quite easily, but he didn't know if he could tell what she needed by a look. "Any tips?"
"Can't say I have any; I didn't spend time with her when sick, not enough to figure out what each noise she makes means. I'll have Seb give you a list of notes; he did spend quite a lot more of his time with her when sick than I did, I got outta dodge," he chuckled lightly. He couldn't handle his sister when sick, she drove him mad, so he stayed away until she got over whatever it was she had.
"I'll ask him for those tips; I still need to call him and inform him," Clint said. "But thanks anyway."
"Sorry I couldn't be more useful; I love my sister, just not when she's sick," Jeff sighed. "Give her my love and Seb is here, so no need to worry about calling him; I've got it," he informed Clint.
"Alright, we'll figure out another time for dinner and drinks and catch up," Clint told him. Jeff agreed that they would find a time when no one else was coming down with something. The two said their good-byes and hung up.
Clint laid his phone down on the kitchen island, locked the door, checked to see that Captain is still curled up in the chair sleeping away, before slipping into the bathroom.
"How'd the calls go?" She asked, making room for him once he was undressed. "Was my brother a smartass? Seb?"
"It was good," he nodded, pulling her back into him, keeping his arm wrapped around her, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Jeff did warn me about how bad you can be when sick, I'm not sure what he meant by that," he sighed, his thumbs caressing her skin under the warm bubbly water.
"Seb has a whole note book filled with notes; I find it ridiculous, but it helped him," she shrugged. "I will admit I am not the easiest person to deal with when sick. I say and do things that I don't mean nor do I want. There's a lot of reading between the lines and just knowing me," she told him. Being sick made her go crazy, and she didn't understand why, she tried to be more normal when sick and lay around but that wasn't her.
"That's not the way he put it," he told her. "He made it sound like you being sick is going to ruin us," he sighed, kissing her bare shoulder.
"It won't," she assured him. "Now come on, this tub is way too small for the both of us," she told him, pulling the plug to drain the water. "It's not that bad and besides you know me, so you can manage me when sick," she said, getting out of the tub, wrapping a towel around herself.
"I know," he told her, getting out and grabbing a towel, to wrap around his waist, pulling his girlfriend into his embrace. "I'm not worried about us breaking up, because, honestly, I don't see us breaking up at any point here," he stated very matter of factly. "Our love and Seb's notes will get us through this," he said, pressing a soft lingering kiss to her forehead.
"You're getting the notebook, aren't you?" She asked, shaking her head, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"Hey now, just because I'm getting it doesn't mean that I am going to use it, if you do end up getting sick," he defended himself.
"Which won't be happening because I feel fine," she stated, pulling him down to kiss his cheek. "You'll see," she winked, walking to the bedroom, grabbing one of his shirts to wear now that they wouldn't have guests joining them.
Clint followed behind his girlfriend, going to his dresser, slipping sleeping pants on and foregoing a shirt. Grabbing a blanket from the closet, Clint joined his girlfriend, on the couch, spreading the blanket over the both of them as they snuggled together on the couch, Captain jumping from the chair and stretching as he made his way over to lay on the part of the blanket that laid on the floor.
They settled on binging movies on Netflix, getting up to eat what leftovers they had from the night before, once again getting settled on the couch wrapped up in each other as they turned it over to Dick Clark's New Years Rockin Eve.
"Last year, when I should've spent ringing the new year in with Hunter, I was with my brother and friends, Hunter not even in the state of Texas, I don't even remember what lie he used to get out of spending time together," she frowned.
"That doesn't surprise me," Clint grunted, kissing her temple. "There's no where else I would rather be than here with you; we do need to have our first kiss at midnight, for luck," he smirked.
"We do not need luck," she told him with an eyeroll. "But I am not about ready to object to kissing the man I love," she smiled. "There isn't a better way to spend the new year than giving Captain some loving," she teased, reaching down to give her pooch some ear scratches and belly rubs when he rolled onto his back.
"Real funny," he deadpanned, tickling her side, making her squirm as she laughed, trying to swat his hands away.
In the small space the couch allowed them to have; Clint hovered over his girlfriend, his arms on either side of her head; her hands wrapped around his arms, their foreheads pressed together as the countdown could be heard in the background. Noses were rubbed together at the count of 5, lips connecting at 3, as the ball dropped on the TV, neither one was watching, their tongues were doing their own private dance, heating things up between the pair.
The small get together took place the night before Seb and Onyx were to return to work, winter break over with.
"Hey Seb, we couldn't help but notice you never finished the little notebook on how to deal with a sick me," she smirked, leaning into her boyfriend as they occupied the chair that Captain had claimed, the pup on the floor in his dog bed, not very happy that his chair is being taken over by his humans.
"I figured I'd let Clint finish that one off since ya know I am not sure how you'll be when pregnant, and I can say I am very thankful that I don't have to deal with a very hormonal you," he laughed, placing his beer on the table next to the chair he shared with Mikki.
"Then we're all lucky, because I can," Clint smiled, kissing her head. "Everything she will be going through will be worth it in the end. In the big scheme of things, we do get it easy," he shrugged.
"You have yourself a keeper," Mikki commented, refilling her wine.
"I think so," Onyx smiled, kissing his cheek.
"Hey, now, I'm sitting right here," Seb pointed out, giving his girlfriend a pout.
"I am aware of that," Mikki nodded. "Not that I get why you needed to point that out for," she shrugged.
"Dear best friend, I do not like your boyfriend," Seb teased, trying to pull off a disgruntled look, but it failing.
"Like it's his fault that he's winning boyfriend of the year," Onyx smirked. "Though it might have something to do with him fitting in with not only my family, but yours as well," she smugly smiled.
"Dude, your brothers are awesome, and Jeremy; I swear; he could have his own stand up if he wasn't so hell-bent on Broadway," Clint told him.
"You two make it seem like no one missed me coming home for Christmas," Seb stated with a small pout.
"We missed you, Seb; we had no one else to tease," Onyx joked. Seb knew that wasn't the case and that his whole family missed having him come home for the holidays.
"Everything good when you went to visit his family? Jeff asked, getting up to get another beer, seeing if anyone else wanted one.
"You sit down," Courtney demanded, getting up to get the round of beers.
"Have I told you that I like your girlfriend, I mean I really like her," Onyx smirked looking at her brother.
"You only like her because she won't deal with my shit," Jeff said, rolling his eyes.
"That's because I'm your better half," she laughed, walking back and handing out the beer. "You need to be challenged, and I do just that," Courtney stated, raising an eyebrow at her boyfriend.
"In more than one way," Jeff retorted, wiggling his eyebrows, getting giggles from his girlfriend.
"Things a sister doesn't need to know," Onyx stated, scrunching her face up.
"Yet you're the one sitting on your boyfriend's lap," Jeff retorted. Onyx rolled her eyes at him, moving closer to her boyfriend, not wanting to be anywhere else.
"He's comfy," she shrugged, feeling Clint tighten the hand he had on her waist. "I love his family," she smiled, getting back to the question Jeff had asked. "And I want to believe that his family loves me, despite the little rocky first meeting," she frowned. She did love his family; they made her feel like she was home with them, and in an atmosphere where she could be herself around them and not have to worry about them judging her.
"They adore you, babe," Clint assured her. "I think they love you more than they do me," he chuckled lightly. "It did help that you already knew Rachel and Puck, and that you're so amazing with kids," he tacked on.
"That's not hard to do; I am more lovable than you," she teased, running a hand through his hair, her eyes locked onto his. "I do want answers as to what happened to make the farm animals attack Seb," she smirked, looking at her best friend.
"I was more curious as to what happened with Jeff and Courtney over the holiday as they were stuck here," Seb commented, looking at his once rival turned friend.
"Seriously no offense to my brother or Courtney, but I don't want to hear about the antics they got up to. Some things a sister just doesn't need to know about," Onyx stated, making a disgusted face.
"Yeah, I can't say I am very comfortable in giving details while my sister is present, and I want to hear all about Seb's misfortune on the ranch," Jeff shared laughing at his friend's expense.
"I think we can skip that portion of that night," Seb nodded, not at all wanting to relive some of his worst moments well at his girlfriend's parents house for the holiday.
"Like heck we can," Onyx retorted. "I want answers to the pictures and videos I was sent," she stated, giving her best friend a glare.
"When did you send those and did my brothers see, mainly Jere?" He asked in a panic looking between his friend and girlfriend.
"I made sure that none of your family saw, especially Jere, I know him, and you had it rough enough from what I can gather," Onyx assured him.
"It was too funny to pass up, and I knew that your best friend would enjoy seeing how your holiday was going," Mikki told him, not seeing the big deal with sending the pictures and videos to Onyx.
"It did make me smile to see how you were doing with the animals out to get you, but I felt for you, and I don't understand what you did for the animals to attack you," Onyx told him, shaking her head, when offered a refill on her wine.
"I can't even tell you, I had thought it was going good, but nope, one trip out and they all banded together to get me, after that I stayed away," Seb sighed. He loved animals; it was the animals that didn't like him. Dogs and cats didn't mind him, but others he avoided at all costs.
Meeting Mikki's family, her father, and siblings, thankfully he had already met Artie, the one good thing about going in he at least had someone he knew among a house of strangers. Her dad takes in troubled kids; he currently has three kids, good kids. A little teasing from them was the one thing to put him at ease, reminding him of his brothers. He had tried to avoid seeing the animals up close, from afar was good enough for him, but Mikki wouldn't take no for an answer.
"We'll start off with the chickens; they'll be the easiest for you to handle," Mikki assured him, heading to the coop they called home.
"I'd feel more comfortable being in the house," Seb quipped, his fear of the evil bird coming out. Mikki rolled her eyes at how dramatic her boyfriend happened to be over a harmless bird like a chicken.
"You're such a city boy," she laughed, getting some chicken food.
"I find nothing wrong with that statement," Seb stated, eyeing the chickens from the corner of his eye as they came running hearing Mikki in their food. "They will literally eat another dead chicken, would you eat a friend?" He asked, taken back at a chickens' behavior.
"No, I wouldn't, but that's just a chicken for you, and how the animal kingdom works. They won't attack you to eat you, Seb; you'll be fine," she told him with a small smile, trying her hardest not to laugh at her boyfriend for how ridiculous he was being over some harmless chickens.
"We'll see about that," he muttered, following behind his girlfriend into the fenced in area for the chickens, keeping an eye on them, making sure they didn't come near him. His flinches couldn't be helped when a chicken would get too close to him. He doesn't trust them, thinking that they are coordinating an attack against him.
"I have never met a person with Alektorophobia before," she commented, heading into the coop to feed them and check their water.
"What now?" He asked, refusing to step inside the coop. There was no way that he was going to pretend to be brave for anyone.
"Alektorophobia, it's the fear of chickens," she informed him. "It's common, but no one knows how many people it effects, because some people, mainly a lot of people, feel silly in telling anyone about being afraid of a chicken. It's nothing to be ashamed of," she told him, giving his arm a squeeze. "I still love you," she smiled, kissing his cheek.
"I love you, but I am not going near the horses or those llamas," he said, rushing out of the pen with the chickens, instantly feeling relief.
"We'll leave the horses, but I did say I would feed the llamas, and I do want to get a closer look," Mikki told him.
He sighed and followed behind his girlfriend, wanting to keep a good distance because he didn't want a llama to spit in his face. And seeing how the llama was minding his own business eating; he figured it would be a good time to check out the llama, how wrong he was when he got a face full of llama spit.
"Hasn't anyone ever told you that you don't get involved with a llama when they're eating because they'll spit?" Mikki asked with a few soft giggles.
"Even though it was such a disaster, he's agreed to go back over the summer for a week or two," Mikki shared. "Maybe then he'll learn how to be one with the animals."
"I highly doubt that I'll ever get over my fear of chickens," Seb scoffed.
"Aren't Jeremy and Dylan scared as well?" Onyx questioned. She could remember why Seb was freaked out by a chicken for. Being chased by a chicken at a young age didn't help you become friends with the fowl.
"Not so much," Seb shrugged. "Jeff told us about your moms. How do you feel about it?" He asked, ready to be off the topic of him and chickens.
"I feel like they're going to be in way over their heads with two kids plus a newborn in their house. I'm happy for them, but it doesn't have this huge impact on my life, as we do live states apart. It might be different if I was younger and still lived at home," she shrugged. Sure the family dynamics were going to change, though she didn't have a say in it, not that she was against it, she wanted her moms to be happy, and she wouldn't do anything to jeopardize that.
"It's weird though," Jeff commented, nodding. "Nothing against Lydia wanting to experience pregnancy and all that but like you said, Onyx, I too feel like they'll be in way over their heads."
"I think they'll be just fine, one teenage Onyx had been equal to like two kids alone, and then you've got Jeff, who equaled like five kids all in one," Seb teased.
"Onyx was the troublemaker growing up," Jeff smirked. Onyx glared first at her best friend before turning on her brother, tossing a throw pillow at him. "What? You know it's true," Jeff laughed.
"Want to bet?" Onyx asked him. "We can always call up my other family, and I am sure they'll tell you I was an angel," she smirked, referring to Seb's parents.
"When you have Jeremy as a son, we'd all be angels," Seb laughed. "But what I was trying to say is that, your moms will do fine and can handle three kids," Seb clarified.
"I don't doubt that, but they're not getting younger," Onyx shrugged. "But I do know they are the only ones that know what is the right thing for them," she shared.
"So true," Clint muttered, kissing her shoulder. "Now if we're done gossiping like teen girls," he chuckled. "The food should be done," he commented, moving his girlfriend from his lap.
"And if you don't like it, then you have learned not to come back here for a dinner get together," Onyx smiled, following her boyfriend into the kitchen.
"What did you do to the food?" Jeff asked slowly, making his way to the table, doing his best to pull out a chair for his girlfriend what with a cast on his right arm, and a walking cast on his left leg.
"Nothing, it's just a new recipe that a friend gave me, and I told him I would try it out and let him know what I thought," she informed her friends, helping Clint get the food to the table.
"Jay?" Clint asked, having the answer he needed when he had spotted his friend leaving the apartment complex earlier in the day.
"Yeah, most the food he's made has been good, figured this would be too," she shrugged, taking her spot at the table.
"It smells good, mind telling us what you made?" Seb asked, helping himself to the food being passed around.
"After you try it. I want honest opinions and for that to happen, you need to have an open mind," she informed them.
"Is this tempeh?" Courtney asked, holding up her sandwich.
"It is," Onyx nodded. "It's an avocado TLT; the tempeh replaces the bacon on BLT," she shared. "It's also a vegan chicken noodle soup and the baked zucchini has vegan cheese on it," she let them know.
"Are you going vegan?" Jeff asked his sister with a frown. "This is good an all," he started to say, only stopping because he didn't know what else to say.
"No, I'm not going vegan, but a friend of ours is, and I want to know that I can make vegan food where he doesn't have to worry about it when he comes over here," she explained. She didn't like that Jay felt like he needed to bring his own food when they hung out, so learning how to cook vegan food and having it taste as good as he had done was all she wanted.
"Jay will be impressed," Clint chuckled, removing the tempeh from his sandwich, as it was one food he couldn't stand to eat. And he tried it enough times to know he won't like the stuff ever.
"He will be because I couldn't tell the difference," Courtney told her. The rest of them agreeing with her.
She fell into bed, having spent far longer than she would have liked cleaning up after their guests had left. Not that they were slobs or anything like that, as they did take care of their own trash. It only took them so long because she really didn't want to be cleaning up and instead crawl into bed with her boyfriend. No matter how many times she tried to convince him to leave it until morning, he gave in for a few moments, enjoying his girlfriend, but he always broke it off and told her it would be best if they finished the cleaning tonight as no one would be home long enough in the morning to clean as they both needed to be at work. And that's when she realized she'd need a lot of coffee to get through her first day back to work.