No edits. Need sleep. Stupid Tumblr. And work. And watching the Warrior on Netflix. I don't recommend fangirling after you get home from work and you're already tired. You will waste more time than you care to. Anyway… I shut up now and go to bed. Haha. Enjoy! :) - D
I walked into the bedroom and shut the door behind me quietly. I stared awestruck at the room around me. The old style furniture, bed, and floors – it was all surreal. I looked down at my clothes and vaguely remembered why it was never good to stay at someone's place without having the intent to. No pajamas and no toothbrush. I carried myself to the attached bathroom and opened the medicine cabinets, searching for mouthwash. Something, damn. I pulled out a box of tampons and snorted childishly. Okay. I sat the box down and jumped at the knock on my door, creeping towards it as if I were a burglar. I smoothed back my hair and opened the door, revealing Alfred.
"Mr. Dorrance gives his apologies on not giving you these sooner. They're a pair of his pajamas and this –" he held up a packaged toothbrush "– is brand new for you to use. I didn't have enough time to put a guest basket in your room. Please forgive me for that." I smiled and shook my head.
"Thank you, Alfred, don't worry about it," I told him, smiling brightly. He returned the smile and nodded as I took them from him.
"Can I get you anything else, Miss Engel?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, no thank you, Alfred, this is exactly what I needed."
"Well then, I'll leave you to it. Good night, Miss Engel," he chimed, giving a smile and a slight bow. I gawked at him as he carried himself down the hallway. This is way too much. I shook my head and closed to the door. Pajamas from Liam, huh? I held them up to get a good look at them. They were a set of flannel, light blue pajamas with a button down shirt and drawstring pants. I couldn't stop myself from seeing if they smelled like him. I buried my nose in them and breathed in. Oh, yes. They definitely did. I smiled and tossed them on the bed, hurrying into the bathroom to brush my teeth. After I finished I stripped naked and pulled the pajamas on, smiling like an idiot the entire time. I snuggled down into bed, cuddled with the pillow beside me, and fell asleep.
The next morning Alfred woke me up by knocking on my door, letting me know that breakfast was ready. Jesus. What time is it? I squinted as I looked for a clock and fell back against the bed when I couldn't find one. I wasn't used to wake up calls or breakfast, for that matter. My body slid out of bed, pulling me to the bathroom for my morning duties. I yanked a large white terry cloth robe off of the back of the door and slid it on. It was way too big for me, just like the pajamas. I sauntered down the steps and found Liam at the table in the dining room. He was wearing track pants and a gray tank top, a towel around his neck. Working out already? That just makes me look lazy. He cleared his throat and turned the newspaper that was folded up in his hands.
"Good morning," I yawned, sinking down in the chair beside him. He sat the newspaper down and smiled.
"Morning," he repeated. He took a sip from his orange juice as plates of food were sat down before us. "Sleep well?" You have no idea. I smelled you the entire night.
"Very well," I answered, cutting into my food. I raised an eyebrow as they placed a third place setting across from me. "What about you?"
"I slept pretty well, too." He smiled and turned as Alfred walked into the dining room.
"I just received a phone call that Mr. Lucius Fox will be joining us for breakfast," Alfred informed us before disappearing again.
"I wondered when and if he would be by," Liam spoke, taking a stab at the mound of eggs on his plate. He picked up the paper from his side of the table and handed it to me. This can't be good.
"New mystery villain, Ivy, caught by surveillance cameras as she flees the scene from Batman and Catwoman," I read out loud. No shit. Really? "Ivy was found blocks from City Hall last night, trying to break into the file room…" I peered up to look at Liam who was staring absentmindedly at his plate. "Really?" I asked, flipping the paper over to view the black and white images of a curvaceous woman with darkish looking hair running in a skintight suit. I wonder what she's hell-bent on destroying.
"Yes, really," Lucius answered, walking into the dining room. "I hope that whatever chemical Bruce told me ended up on the Batwing will help us analyze what she's doing and how she's making it." He sat down across from me and took a long drink, looking between the both of us. "Venus is supposed to be here soon." Oh, shit. "Would you mind staying and helping us out? I have feeling that the more brains we have, the faster we can crack this formula," he told me. I have rounds to today. I have patients to see. I need to check on Ryan. I have so much to do.
"I can stay for a while," I answered, mentally thinking about how long I could stay if I pushed everything back for a few hours. He nodded and smiled to me.
"That's great," he added. I sat the newspaper down and took another bite of food. Liam leaned in and smirked. Don't make that face at me.
"I will have to say, my pajamas look much better on you than they do on me," he flirted, his smirk growing into a grin. That weird heat I wasn't used to flared up across my face, making me drop my head out of bashfulness. When was I going to get used to that? Hopefully soon. Blushing all of the time is driving me fucking mad. He placed his right hand in my left and squeezed. I regained my composure and smiled at him, just in enough time to look up and see Venus fuming in the doorway. I pulled my hand out of Liam's instantly, watching his smile fade from the corner of my eye. Oh, fuck.
"Good morning, Venus," Lucius chimed, giving her a warm smile.
"Morning," she clipped, not making any attempt to smile as her hands went to her hips. She was dressed for business, black pinstripe pants and a white silk blouse, her hair still tamed into a soft curls. "I need to speak with you in private, Holly." Oh, hell. I wanted to roll my eyes. If she thought she could intimidate the ruthless she was just being silly. I hadn't talked to her in months, how was I supposed to know she had gotten all goo-goo eyes for Liam? I really found myself to be – enjoying the time I spent around him.
"Please excuse me," I whispered to Lucius and Liam as I rose from my seat. I walked across the floor, tying my robe a little tighter around my waist as I stopped in front of her. Better prepare myself for battle. Her eyes were blazing with anger. She turned and stalked out of the room, leading me out of the dining room and past the atrium. I watched the rooms pass us by and she stopped abruptly, turning on her heel.
"What in the hell is going on?" she snapped, throwing her arms up. Um, I have no idea. You're totally asking the wrong person? I didn't plan for this to happen.
"What in the fuck are you talking about?" I barked. Knowing damn good and well what she was referring to. I raised an eyebrow at her and put my hands on my hips. Don't get nasty with me, Venus. You know who I am. She thrusted a finger at me and fumed.
"What were you doing holding hands with Liam? And why are you dressed like that? Did you spend the night here last night?" she hissed, taking a step closer. Don't think about it. You better just take that step right the fuck back.
"I can't believe you're angry at me for this right now. I really can't. I didn't make the first move. You know me better," I spat, ignoring her questions all together. It's none of your fucking business.
"If men make the first move on the friend they're supposed to back down. Most best friends do that in those situations." Oh, best friends, huh? We're going to play that card?
"I like him, Venus." Do what? I mentally rammed myself and completely shut down all mental processes for a second, trying to recount what I just said. I really fucking said that out loud.
"You what?"
"I like him," I repeated with more confidence. I was tired of playing second fiddle to my goddamn pride.
"How convenient." I growled and widened my stance, ready to attack her if she tried to touch me.
"How convenient?" I recited, cocking my head at her. "I don't like very damn guy that gives me even the slightest bit of attention, Venus. I didn't even know you liked him until the party the other night." My voice came out in a snarl.
"Most best friends will back down or stop talking to the guy. That's what friends do."
"Oh yeah?" I asked, raising my voice, taking a step towards her, shoving my finger in her face. "Friends? That's what friends do? If we're such best friends, why don't you tell me where in the fuck you were the day I was in the hospital? Where the hell were you? Gordon was the only person that came by to visit me that night. It wasn't like you didn't know, seeing as you're 'Bruce's employee' now. You could have texted or called. But did you?" She dropped her gaze and looked down at the floor. I've fucking got you, you bitch. "I was always there for you. Talking to you through your constant man problems, helping you with your fucking work, talking to you about your family drama…" I shook my head and exhaled. "Did you ever stop to ask me how I was doing? Did you ever ask me how my therapy was going? Or even ask me if I wanted to talk about my fucked up past life?" I shook my head again, realizing how naïve I had been for the last year as her friend. She was so selfish and I never fully realized it until that point. "Well?!" She stared at me with less conviction in her eyes.
"No," she replied in a whisper.
"Exactly. You fucking didn't." I pushed my hair back and took a deep breath. "I don't feel the least bit bad for you," I quipped. "I don't at all. You like any guy who says 'hi' to you. I bet you've never even talked to him past 'how are you.' And guess what? I don't give a shit if you're mad at me. Hate me all you fucking want, because I'm happy for the first time in a long ass time, so you can happily fuck the fuck off." I turned on my heel and began walking back to the dining room, feeling liberated.
"Holly," she called out. "Please," she begged. "Can we talk?" Nope.
"No," I growled, turning back around. "You and I?" I pointed to her then at myself. "We're completely fucking done." I spun back in the direction I was heading in and stopped in the middle of the atrium to head to the bedroom I was staying in. I slammed the door after I made it into the room and curled myself against the bed. How could I have been so stupid not to notice it before? She never really cared about me. She wasn't my friend. I wasn't shit to her. Were we fighting over Liam? Why a boy? There are plenty of boys on this Earth. And her mind will be changed in days. She likes someone new every week. Was I wrong? Should I have just let her have him? I was content with being a loner. I shrank down against my knees and sighed, trying to push my anger out.
"Holly?" asked a sweet voice from the other side of my door. I wiped my eyes and sniffed. "Holly, it's Selina. Can I come in?" Selina? What the hell does she want? I don't have any more fights left to hand out today, Selina, but if you'd like to try, come on in and try.
"Yes," I answered, sounding stuff as hell. The door opened and she stepped in, bare faced with a pink silk nightgown and robe on. She smiled at me as she shut the door behind her.
"Don't listen to that bitch," she stated, looking down at me. I raised an eyebrow to her. She laughed and pointed at me. "I was walking downstairs to see if Lucius was here and I heard your argument," she admitted. My face flushed. Talk about embarrassing. "Hey!" she exclaimed, making me jump. "Don't be ashamed of it. I always knew she was a little too friendly with guys. Why do you think I stayed in Arkham all of those days when I didn't have to?" I knew it!
"I figured," I added, smiling at her. She smiled back and dipped her head down.
"Don't worry about Venus. If you like him and you're happy, you should go for it. She didn't even talk to him when she came by here. Anytime he barely opened his mouth in her direction she would take off running out of the room." I nodded. I knew Selina was telling me the truth. I knew Venus all too well. "You know I'm excellent at reading people and figuring them out. Well, let me tell you, there is nothing admirable about that woman. She's way out of her league if she thinks someone like Liam was going to get with her." She smiled at me and crouched down beside me. "I've watched you for a while, Holly. I know what kind of person you are. I see some of myself in you. That no shit attitude and all – it's nothing to be ashamed of," she told me with a smirk. I smiled at her words and wondered why I had never noticed that before. "You just know what you want and keep your mind on it. You don't get flighty and caught up on everything else. I like that about you." She smiled again and patted my hand. "Come on, let's get you back downstairs."
We returned to the dining room to find Bruce, Liam and Lucius all hunched over Bruce's laptop. Men and their toys. They were replaying a recording of the surveillance video. Selina gracefully padded across the floor and wrapped her arms around Bruce, kissing and nuzzling his cheek. He smiled and held her close, but didn't break his concentration from the video. I walked over with a lot less grace and looked at the screen, staring at the video as Ivy scaled up the side of a building and disappeared. Selina dropped down onto the building from the Batwing and scanned the shadows, finding no trace of Ivy at all. Liam reached over and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, tugging me closer to him. I couldn't help the smile on my face.
"Did you get chemicals anywhere else?" Lucius asked, looking between Selina and Bruce.
"No," Bruce answered, yawning. He gave me a nod and smiled. "Morning, Holly," he breathed.
"Morning," I replied, staring at the paused screen.
"Well, considering the events of this morning, I'm going to have to ask you if you will stay and help me with this today. All day." Um, what? I have patients to care for.
"Events?" I asked, raising a brow.
"Venus has resigned from her position for personal reasons," Lucius answered, keeping his tone even. Guilt rose in my chest. Fuck. I really fucked this over.
"Jesus, I'm really fucking sorry you guys."
"Don't be," Bruce warned, holding up his hand. "I can find three others just like her with the snap of my fingers."
"That he can," Selina added with a grin.
"You have a knowledge of chemicals and serums. You may not know a lot, but it'll be enough to be beneficial," Lucius stated. Sure, sure. I nodded. "Well, let's go check on the Batwing, shall we?" He ushered Bruce and Selina out of the dining room quickly. I avoided meeting Liam's eyes as they left, still too embarrassed to look at him.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, holding my head down.
"For what?" he asked, putting a hand on my face.
"For what I just caused." He shook his head and rubbed my cheek.
"You didn't cause anything." I smiled, keeping my head in its position. He tilted chin up for me to look at him. "I like you, too," he breathed, taking a step closer. Oh, my. I wasn't expecting to hear that. Redness crept over my face again. He leaned in and put both of his hands on either side of my face gently. The warmth on top of my already warm skin felt welcoming. It was so different compared to the chill I always felt. I put my hands on his shoulders and leaned into him. His lips brushed against mine in the softest, sweetest way. I felt a jolt of energy hit me in the head like a truck. I pushed my lips against his harder, moving my hands to the back of his head. He pulled me against him, holding my face and jaw. We released for a second and I met his blue gaze. I smirked as I watched them crinkle from his smile. He leaned in again with his mouth open. I opened mine and felt his tongue invade my mouth. I flicked mine against his. His hands were moving everywhere. One was in my hair, holding a fistful of it, while the other held onto the small of my back, pulling my hips into his. We broke apart when it started to get more intense. I breathed in deeply as he panted holding onto a chair beside him. I was speechless. He dropped his eyes down my body and smiled.
"Come on, let's go find you some different clothes to wear," he whispered. "I don't want you to get those dirty. They've recently became my favorite." I blushed and followed him to his bedroom.