I would like to apologize for the wait of this chapter but I feel that would be insincere if I can't promise to be better and posting at a quicker pace. I hope you all enjoy this!
Disclaimer: I don't own Scorpion
I never thought I would be that guy that enjoyed physical contact while sleeping. In previous relationships, I would snuggle or spoon for an average of thirteen minutes and forty-two seconds cause that was the average amount of time it took for my bed partner to sleep. Now with Paige...I feel I don't get enough.
Paige woke to what she thought was the sound of footsteps on the laminent flooring in the garage. She wouldn't say she had super-hearing but it was an innate mommy sense she developed to pick up the sounds of traveling feet. Especially during the night. Ralph went through the typical phases as a child, but the most taxing was his time battling night terrors. He would be up half the night pacing, moving to her room or in the midst of a dream. Once he escaped in his dream was strong enough to jolt him from bed and halfway out of their apartment complex.
Paige sat up, the arm that Walter had draped about her waist slid slowing across the bare skin of her stomach and his finger gripped reflexively to her hip. As if he was fighting her departure in his sleep. Securing her to him in bed. She smirked down at her genius, placing a kiss to his brow before stealing herself from his grasp and made quick work to adjust her tank top that had moved up during her sleep and slipped on a pair of Walter's sweats over her underwear. She barely made it to the door before she heard the faint whisper.
"Paige." Walter moaned running his hand about the recently vacated spot. It broke her heart into small pieces which then those pieces turned into butterflies that she felt fluttering against her rib cage. Paige had to force herself to leave the bedroom. The quicker she left, the faster she would return.
To those arms.
To his chest.
To him.
Paige heard another sound coming from downstairs in the kitchen. She yawned and made the trek to the noises. Paige found none other then the other female team member. The short mechanic was brewing tea and nearly dropped her cup when she turned to see Paige in the entryway.
"Shit." Happy said putting a hand to her heart. "Sorry," Happy apologized for swearing at the team liaison. "We should really put a bell on you."
Paige rolled her eyes at the other girl. The bell idea was from the boy genius, Toby. The doctor had a tendency when in the zone to forget the people in the room. Paige had been working at her desk for a few hours when she needing a couple signatures from the psychiatrist. She walked across the garage, was humming to herself but still managed to sneak behind the doctor and he dropped to the floor when she called his name to get his attention. The incident happened weeks ago and Toby still complained about his ilium:
"I'm sorry did I startle you?" Her eyebrow quirked as she noticed the disarray of her clothing.
Happy noticed the liaisons once over and did not give her the satisfaction of straightening her attire.
Wrinkles be damned if it meant a hit to her pride. "Do you hit a nail with a hammer?" Happy snapped, not let out an easy breath. "Sorry."
"It's alright." Paige smiled. It brightened her day seeing the mechanic be more open with her. It had been an awkward development and tenuous building of the friendship between the mechanic and liaison. Paige understood why Happy was so distant. Happy was one of the guys on the Scorpion team. Paige did not fit that mold, she wasn't one of the guys. Paige liked girlish things like make up, gossip magazines and reality television shows on Bravo.
Paige was the type of girl that scheduled out hair appointments. Happy was lucky if she remembered to use conditioner while in the shower.
Conditioner is so overrated even if it makes hair silky smooth.
Paige also wore high heels. Happy hated high heels. She was a woman of functionality and heels were the least functional contraptions in the existence of mankind. Paige was flirty clothes in shades of pastels. Happy was neutral tones and leather. Paige infiltrated the team and had the ease of conversation with everyone where Happy had cultivated a working a working relationship that required the least amount of words. Most of her responses were various silent queues, sharp looks and the well place smack of her hand against Walter or Toby's head. Sylvester was too afraid to step on her toes.
The other reason that caused the tension was the role that Paige was taking in Walter's life. Happy went from being Walter's number one girl, that wasn't family, to his number two. Paige slowly usurped that spot, and it made Happy jealous. Her best friend replaced her with this flouncy skirt, high heel wearing, high emotional quotient girl. It would irk anyone being replaced by their best friend. But over the months, Happy came about to the liaison. She understood Paige's value on the team. Plus, the distraction from Walter's friendship, it allowed her to see the sweet advances from Toby. They made her want to puke most of the time but they were endearing. Toby was also the reason Paige caught Happy in the kitchen at three in the morning.
"I didn't know you were sleeping over." Paige teased as the awkward silence progressed a few minutes.
The mechanic flushed, "Yeah. The doc and I were, um, watching a movie. It went late." The smirk spread across Paige's face. Happy rolled her eyes, "Are those Walter's sweats?"
It was Paige's turn to flush. "I don't think so."
"Are you sure?" Happy chuckled, "They look like the pair I bought him for his birthday last year." A deeper flush brushed across Paige's cheek.
"Fine. Yes." Paige shrugged, "Is there more water in the kettle?" Moving deeper into the kitchen and switched places with the mechanic who took a seat on the stools. "So what is keeping you up?"
"Toby has an annoying habit of gambling in his sleep." Happy said shrugging.
Paige shot her a puzzled look. "Do you mean talking?"
"Well that but more." Happy explained. "It isn't just mumbling of bits of conversations. He goes into prose about horse races, then reenacts some high stake game and screams to hit or raise and double down."
"Do you think it's possible to stage an intervention when someone is asleep?" Paige asked joining the mechanic on the stool. Happy chuckled at the thought.
"I dunno but if he wants this to continue and not end up dead, he's going to need to figure this out." Happy said and took a sip of her tea. "I'm not like the others, I need my sleep."
"I understand." Paige expressed her knowledge. Happy huffed with disbelief. "Trust me, Walter has his weird sleep quirks."
"Such as?"
"He's incredibly touchy when he sleeps." Paige confessed. "No. Not like that!" Paige screeched when she saw the look of repulsion flash across the mechanic's face.
"Thank goodness. I don't need to think that about Walter." Happy said while pinching the bridge of her nose. "He's like my brother. That's an image I could never stomach."
Paige just chuckled.
"So please continue."
"This might sound ridiculous." Paige started. "So, I am going to need you to promise not to laugh."
Happy nodded.
"I need to hear you say it."
"Seriously, Paige?" The mechanic sighed, "Fine. I promise I won't laugh."
"Walter is a cuddler." Paige said twisting a lock of her hair about her fingers. "Not just a little bit. I mean it's like he wants to meld his body into mine. I once woke up and nearly had a panic attack cause it felt like I was strapped into a straight jacket-
"Have you ever been strapped into a straight jacket?"
"Not the point." Paige said letting the incessant question habit Happy developed since dating Toby.
"But it's intriguing."
"Fine. Yes. I was a magician's assistant." Paige started but waved her hand in front of her face. "That is all I'm going to say. I feel like such a failure as a girl. I'm complaining because my, um, man friend likes to cuddle while sleeping."
"Man friend?" An eyebrow quirked delicately yet challenging the liaison to express more.
"Have you and Toby defined your relationship?" Paige retorted hoping to push the embarrassment back on the short mechanic.
"No, but we also aren't twelve year old girls." Happy rolled her eyes. "So, Walter makes you feel like you are a danger to yourself while you sleep at night. Has it always been this way?"
"Maybe?" Paige said offhandedly. She was trying to gauge when the habit began or if t was something that always was. "I don't know, I am just so tired."
"Have you talked to him about this?"
Paige shook her head. "I can't. He has had such an issue with expressing himself, and his awkward tendencies to touching. I don't mind most of it. I just don't want to wake up in a Vulcan death grip."
"Paige, Walter has an iq of 197. He will be able to handle a little conversation about his tendencies to be Spock while sleeping."
Paige barked with laughter, loud enough to wake up the respective boyfriends. It was a few moments before Toby and Walter entered the kitchen area, each in their own state of undress and in the process of waking. Toby had snatched up his hat on the walk to the kitchen. Walter was rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, he was naked from the waist up and Paige was momentarily distracted by the movement and his defined abdomen muscles.
"Ladies?" Toby asked warily, he seemed to be more awake than the resident 197 genius, who was still processing his surroundings and glancing between the occupants. "A fairly odd time to be shooting the breeze, don't you agree, Walt?"
Walter didn't respond as his eyes were affixed on Paige. Her face was a bit flushed which he gathered was from something embarrassing or an acute reaction to her sexual drive being kicked into high gear by something stimulating. It was likely a combination of both ideas. He sent her a trademark grin.
The one that lifts on a corner of his face and typically had a double meaning. Paige let out a slow breath, put her mug on the countertop and almost stood up from her seat.
But Happy interrupted her thoughts. "We were just chatting about our boyfriends obnoxious sleeping habits."
Paige flushed and looked down at her feet. She could feel the darkened look from Walter and couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye. If she had, she would have see the shit-eating grin blossoming across her genius's face. He had a hunch something was causing Paige discomfort, and to hear Happy acknowledge the couples romantic relationship status was a good sign.
"Oh?" Toby asked taking a step closer to the miniature mechanic. His hand reaching her waist. "What does my girlfriend have to complain about?" Toby directed his question to Paige. A curious struggle between pair, some awkward foreplay. Paige flushed deeper.
"You gamble in your sleep." Toby guffawed at the reason. A deep belly aching laugh, which broke the tension. Walter was still stationed in the entryway surveying the team members within. Paige glanced towards Walter but resumed her explanation, "supposedly it's as if you are at some sporting arena, and you scream at the top of your lungs."
"It's because I'm a pro." Toby chuckled and sneaked a soft kiss to the mechanic's cheek. Happy punched his shoulder at his audacious public display of affections.
"Well pro, if it doesn't stop, you will be sleeping by yourself with only your gambling to keep you warm." Happy warned and Toby saluted his girl as if she was his superior. In more ways than one.
"So what does Walter do to disturb Paige's dreams?"
"Something about he becomes Leonard Nimoy." Happy commented. Toby's head twisted excitedly to the leader of their team. His eyes alight with excitement for new ammunition to use against Walter.
"Don't even think about it Toby." Paige cut off the snipe that was dangling on the tip of the doctor's tongue. She stood up, leaving the mug abandoned and grabbed Walter's hand. Paige pulled him from the room without looking at Walter's face. Toby yelled at the couple as their made their way up the stairs in silence.
"You know what they say, without followers, evil cannot spread!"
Paige settled onto her side of the mattress throwing back the duvet and avoiding Walter's questioning look. His face was fighting the persistent need to chuckle. His poor Paige. "What was Happy talking about?"
"Please, let it go." Paige said shaking her head. "Come to bed, Walter. I want to go to sleep."
Walter shuffled to his side of the bed. Tentatively delaying his speed knowing it irritated Paige. He felt her eyes follow his form. Walter sat upon the bed and watched as Paige sink into the covers, pressing her head into his favorite pillow and check her phone one last time. A habit to make sure Ralph hadn't texted her for some reason. She set her phone aside and he felt her fingers wrap about his wrist. Then in s fluid moment, Paige pulled him down, twisted on her side and yanked his arm across her waist. Walter settled his left arm about her waist, let his hand splay across her hip bone, tracing softly along her side. His right hand cradled his head so he could stare down at her face.
"Go to sleep Walter." Paige commanded while screwing her eyes shut. Feigning sleep.
"Paige, you can talk to me about anything." Walter started ignoring her direction. "You know that right?"
Paige let out a struggled groan. "Even if I want to talk about my menstruation cycle?" She tried yet another tactic to divert the awkward line of conversation. Walter smirked and placed a lingering kiss on the underneath of her chin.
"Paige, I've known your cycle after the first month. Why do you think I stock up on certain groceries last week?" Paige sent a playful pitch to his side. "Please tell me what is bothering you about me."
"Fine. I really hate Happy at the moment." Paige groaned.
"Bette her then me."
"You have a tendency to smother me when we sleep." Paige confessed.
"I try to suffocate you?!" Walter looked alarmed at the confession. "What did I do? Why did you wait to tell me?"
"No." Paige shook her head. "You are like an extreme cuddler. I like it, but at times it gets uncomfortable." She turned to lay on her back so she could look into his eyes. "You grasp is to tight."
"Like a Vulcan death grip." Walter pieced the conversations together. "Hence the Leonard Nimoy reference."
Paige nodded.
"Well, I will trying to respect your space." Walter said, "Cause I want to put it out there that I have never liked cuddling until I started dating you. But I will do what I have to do, because I was us to live long and prosper."
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Please enjoy!