Based on an episode of One Tree Hill. Jackson and April move in together and end up at war.
There was so much to unpack.
April didn't consider herself to be a person who owned a lot of material goods, and yet she'd almost forgot just how stressful moving was. She'd managed to get quite settled at her tiny apartment, but she had kind of missed living with other people, and it just made sense for her to move into Jackson's after the wedding. It was bigger, fancier and had all the things she wanted but couldn't afford on her own, so it hadn't exactly been a hard sell for him. It didn't hurt that she got to live with her amazing husband again, either, and that they could finally be together without guilt.
After opening what felt like the tenth cardboard box that day, the redhead sighed to herself, feeling rather restless. They'd given themselves plenty of time to get her all moved in before they headed back to work (as they knew it'd be impossible finding the energy to do it after a long shift), and yet, it still felt like a never-ending task. She'd easily managed to put away her rather modest selection of clothes and shoes (especially in comparison to her husband, whose sneaker collection was intense), but finding room for all of her knick-knacks and sentimental items proved more difficult - especially when they had such different tastes.
"Should I put my throw pillows on the couch, or the bed?"
"Whyyy do you have so many?" He sighed, eyes widening at the colourful assortment he found in the box she was looking in, "They're so pointless and stupid."
"No they're not! They're totally useful, and I don't have that many!" She frowned, "So, couch or bed?"
"You know, maybe you should put them somewhere where they might be appreciated more."
"Like?"
"Like...the Ikea showroom you probably bought them from, maybe?"
April's mouth dropped open in shock, as she picked up a forest green cushion and threw it in his direction, "Jerk!"
He managed to catch it before it could hit him, and let out a chuckle. "You really oughta work on your aim, babe."
She gave him an unamused look, before turning her attention to one of the rather large paintings near the front door.
"You can't criticise my throw pillows when you have a giant picture of dress shoes on the wall. What the heck is that?"
"It's art," Jackson responded.
"It's pretentious, is what it is."
"Hey, I spent a lot of money on that."
April scoffed, raising a finger matter-of-factly, "Of course you did. See, pretentious."
Jackson found himself rolling his eyes. They had different styles and tastes - that was a fact, but he wanted this apartment to feel like a home for both of them. They'd managed to make living together work before, so he didn't see why it would be different now, "How about, you can put your decor on one side of the apartment, and I'll put mine on the other?"
It was clearly an attempt to lighten the mood, judging from the way he was smirking, but April couldn't help but entertain the idea - mostly because she was stressed and tired and wanted this to be over. "Oh really, you wanna split the apartment in half?"
"What? No. April, I was joking."
"Oh, you don't think it's a good idea? I think it is. Then I can put my throw pillows and cow photos where they'll be appreciated, and admired, by me."
"Come on, this is stupid-"
April didn't listen to him - she was far too hung up on how she could use this to prove a point (a point that she wasn't even sure on, yet, but a point nonetheless), so much so, that she picked up a wheel of masking tape and started placing it down the centre of the apartment, causing Jackson to look at her in disbelief.
"Seriously?"
"Yes, seriously. Now, I'm going to go make the guest room look pretty."
She needed to get him to crack.
It had been several hours since she'd impulsively decided to split the apartment in half, and she was seriously regretting it. The fridge was calling her name, and she was starving, but she was also stubborn as hell. She did not want to be the one to forfeit this little game they had going on - she couldn't, which was why she'd come up with a plan.
April grabbed the red lacy underwear set she'd purchased recently from the drawer and quickly changed into it, taking a moment to look at herself in the mirror. She pulled her hair out from the loose bun it was in, running her hand through the soft waves it had created, before turning on her heels and exiting the bedroom.
She made her way down the hallway, being careful to stay on her side of the apartment, and waited for a moment to see if Jackson would notice her presence all on his own. When he didn't, she cleared her throat, before immediately getting into seducing mode.
Jackson flipped his head around and groaned, closing his eyes and letting out a deep breath, "Seriously? That's unfair."
"Hmm? I don't know what you're talking about," She replied coyly, "I'm just gonna sleep in my underwear because it's really, really hot tonight...thats all."
Oh, she was good, he thought, and the blood rushing to his groin had him seriously reconsidering his desire to win this game. He just wanted his wife, in that sexy little set (or preferably naked) in their bed, and she was making it very hard for him to resist. Judging by the look on her face, she knew that.
He attempted to reach out and touch her, but she moved back a few steps before he could, "Ah, ah, ah. You know the rules. No stepping over the line. That includes your hands."
Jackson frowned, looking up at the ceiling for a moment to centre himself. When he looked back down and saw her sauntering back to the bedroom, biting her lip gently, all of his stubbornness seemed to go out the window.
Throwing caution to the wind, he crossed over the line of tape, causing April to stop and point her finger at him. "Ha! You lose! Now I can finally-hey!"
Before she had time to finish her sentence, Jackson had picked her up and practically thrown her over his shoulder, causing her to squeal, "Jackson! Put me down! I wanted food!"
"We'll order in after, alright?!" He stated, eventually putting her down on the bed and overlapping her body with his, "Right now, I just need to get you out of this damn outfit."