A/N: It's looking like these will now be a series of one-shots.


In the early days of their relationship, it was not easy. But then, when it came to love, that kind of made sense for the both of them.

His confession wasn't very cool. He hadn't even meant to say anything. She had come over to watch an episode of a drama she had been working on and was particularly proud of. It was the completion of an arc for her character and she wanted to watch it with someone who might appreciate how much work she had put into developing the character. She had come over a few hours early with two grocery bags full of ingredients as well.

He led her into the kitchen and though she tried to shoo him out, he decided to stay and watch her prep the food for what would ultimately result in a delicious meal. She enjoyed the company. They talked about things, nothing too controversial. They stuck to topics like work, friends, how her studies at school and in her acting courses were going.

The whole experience was very pleasant, and he realized then and there that he could get used to this kind of life. It probably wouldn't seem like much to anyone else, but with her, he felt like a normal guy with a normal job. He hadn't ever noticed it before, but he realized that this feeling he always got of calm was the same feeling he had as a kid watching his parents together. When they were with each other, they weren't super stars. They were just people who truly, deeply loved one another.

She finished preparing everything just in time for the episode to begin, so they moved all the food out to the coffee table and ate in front of the television. He had to hand it to her: her acting really was superb in this episode. He knew she had initially had a very hard time identifying with the character, but once she figured it out, she was a force to be reckoned with.

They were both sitting on the floor leaning against the couch, but she was a lot more animated than he was. She provided the whole episode with a running commentary track, and instead of being annoyed at the constant interruption, he was surprised at how excited she was. She was usually enthusiastic, but he felt like she didn't normally open up this much about the things that truly mattered to her, so he turned down the volume on the television a little without her knowing so that the volume from the tv wasn't as much of a distraction.

At the climax of the episode, she grabbed his arm, wanting to make sure he was paying attention. Her commentary trailed off, and she focused on the television screen. He knew he should have been watching the performance, but he got so wrapped up in looking at her face that he couldn't tear his eyes away.

"I love you."

It just slipped out. He didn't know why he said it. He hadn't meant to say it. He hadn't been planning on telling her at that point, or at any point, really. Confessing wasn't something he had anticipated doing any time soon.

"Hmmm?" she asked, not entirely paying attention. She had been focused on what had been happening on the television and not entirely present in the room. She made the mistake of glancing over at him, though, and the look in his eyes made her brain back track and slowly the words he had spoken dawned on her. "Wait...what?"

He knew if he said it again, she would run, but at this point he couldn't backtrack and lie. He didn't have enough strength to cover up his feelings anymore. He stood up, and not looking at her, he said, "I love you." He didn't look at her face. He waited for a response, but none came. Sensing rejection, he made his exit. "It's late and I have a crazy schedule tomorrow, so I'm going to go to bed. The guest room is available. It's too late for you to go home tonight anyway, so please stay here."

With that, he retreated.

It definitely hadn't been his finest moment, but he didn't really care anymore. He lay in bed awake all night, replaying the event in his head. It really was nothing like he had expected it to be. At 5 in the morning, he heard rustling somewhere in his apartment, then a few minutes later he heard the front door open and quietly click shut.

So that was the way it was going to be.

He got up and surveyed his apartment. The bed she had slept in was made. The dishes from last night were washed. The left overs had been put away. It was like any trace of her being here the previous night had been erased. The feeling struck him so hard that he wondered if that would be the last he would ever see of her.

A week passed without any interaction whatsoever. He was strong. He could wait a week.

Another week passed without any contact. That was a little more disheartening.

Halfway through the third week, he got a phone call. It was her. And she wanted to come over. He was terrified of what this new development might mean, but he agreed to meet with her without even hesitating.

She arrived after what felt like decades. She silently entered the apartment and went to sit down on the couch. He followed and did the same. She didn't say anything for what felt like a very long time, but finally she turned to him and looked him in the eyes.

"Could you...say it again?" she asked. He would have expected her to blush at that request, but she didn't.

He felt even more nervous.

He took a deep breath and poured as much emotion into his words as he could muster. "I love you."

She closed her eyes and a look of pain crossed her features. He was about to ask what was wrong, but before he could, she breathed, "Again?"

He was surprised, and a little disheartened by this reaction, but he complied. "I love you."

In shock, he watched as her chin trembled and tears begin to fall. "What's wrong?" he asked, alarmed.

She tried to compose herself quickly, wiping angrily at her tears. "Please, just say it again."

He was confused, but he said it anyway: "I love you."

At this point, she thoroughly dissolved into tears. He was at a complete loss when she leaned her forehead on his shoulder. He cautiously lifted his arm and draped it across her shoulders to pull her closer. "Why are you crying?" he asked. "Was my confession that bad?"

He was surprised when he heard her giggle. She sighed and wiped at her eyes again. "No, no, it's just not everyday that someone says something like that to me."

He felt a deep pain in his chest as he gathered her up and held her closer. He kissed her forehead. "I love you, I've loved you for a long time, and I'll say it as many times as you want to hear it." She reached an arm around him and held him like there was no tomorrow.

They stayed like that on the couch all night.

From that point, their courtship was very slow. She had gotten more timid since the experience, and he found it extremely frustrating to have what he felt was a breakthrough and then find himself in a very rigid, polite relationship with her. The problem was that whenever she sensed his frustration, she pulled away a little more. It took him a long time to realize that she was acting this way out of fear. She didn't want to be a nuisance. She didn't want to cause him trouble. She didn't want to get in his way or annoy him. She hadn't even confirmed that she loved him back.

He realized then that the more she wanted something, the further she stayed away from it.

They got better at communicating and things progressed more normally. He would hold her and tell her he loved her, and she eventually stopped crying whenever he said it. Sometimes he got the feeling that she even took his feelings for granted, which was oddly kind of what he wanted. Every once in a while, though, he could see a look of sadness hidden deep within her eyes. She tried to cover it up, but he could see it. He knew what she was thinking.

"Someday you'll leave, too."

Most days are fine between them. Most days it seems like she's incredibly happy to be with him. But when she pulls away now, he knows the only thing he can do that will make her feel better is to assure her that he will love her forever and that he's not going anywhere.