I know that all my A/N's ever seem to be is me saying that I'm sorry for how long it's been, occasionally updating no one in particular on my various medical mishaps... so I'll keep on doing that.
Sorry that it's been so long! Hopefully the chapter length is better than normal (7,500 bang on before all this) and makes up for the wait. Medical stuff is still making writing near impossible for me, so I can't say that chapters are going to speed up, but I've got nothing but time on my hands right now so fingers crossed things may come a little quicker.
Most of all, thank you to anyone who's still reading this. This fic is a labour of love for me. I truly adore writing it and writing River means the world to me, so getting to share her is better again.
WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A SLIGHTLY MORE IN DETAIL SEX SCENE THAN BEFORE (still nothing to call home about) SO IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THAT THEN SKIP FROM THE "*~*~*" TO THE NEXT OF THE SAME SYMBOL
The trees at the side of the road flew by with no second thought spared for them. In spite of the chill, River drove with the windows down, singing loudly and banging her hand on the side of her door in time with the music she had on.
She'd been sent out with a simple mission: get groceries for dinner.
Today was the day. Today was the day that her parents had invited Paul over for dinner. Sure, he'd been over a lot when she'd been healing from her crash, but when they'd fallen out he'd stopped coming over during the day and he'd spent limited nights curled up in her twin bed with her.
She hadn't personally invited him, in fact she'd even coughed so hard that coffee came out of her nose when her dad had told her that he'd run into Paul in town and had all but told him that he was coming to dinner the next night. So, it was decided. In the meantime, Alma had decided that nothing in their fridge would do and that they needed everything getting, but that she'd got to clean the house up, so River needed to get groceries.
River had offered to tidy the house, not wanting for her mom to feel any kind of uneasy or embarrassed, but her mother had dismissed her with a smile, telling her that she didn't want any of her new paints misplaced.
There had been a brief questioning of what Paul's favourite foods were, but apparently cookies and hot cocoa simply weren't enough. River realised though that she had no idea what else he liked, that was all they'd really enjoyed together. She wasn't sure what had been cooking when they'd had their fun in the shower, but it had burnt to a crisp anyway.
So, she was out in search of groceries. Dick had joked lightly that he and Paul would go and hunt some dinner down, but River quickly yelped that she didn't even know Paul's feelings on guns. She didn't, however, state that she was terrified that they'd come across one of the other members of the pack and accidentally bring a Seth steak home. The thought made her uneasy to say the least.
Her phone chimed once or twice while she drove, but she was smart enough to not so much as pull it from her pocket, though she did make a mental note to start saving money for a new stereo. She didn't so much mind having an old, beat up truck, in fact she loved it, especially the memories she'd already made in it, but she would have loved to have one of those fancy stereos in there with a touch screen. Hell, even an aux cord could do, though she had to admit that she thought the tape player had character. Maybe she'd keep that, just have one of those wireless things that stuck on the dash.
Naturally, the second that she stopped driving, having pulled into the grocery store's parking lot, she checked her cell immediately, grinning. The three messages were from Paul, including a photo. The texts weren't anything of much importance, just him stating his excitement to see her and his nerves to see her folks, especially since he didn't know what to wear. The photo however? Well, she saved that immediately. It was simply him in those grey sweats she loved so much, riding dangerously low. The word "imprint" was in her mind for more than one reason.
She tried her best to stay on task in the grocery store, grabbing everything that was on her mom's list, but all she could think about was Paul. She wasn't sure she'd ever wanted anything as much as she wanted to just ditch the store and go to him. It was odd, she knew that, according to him, that was exactly what the imprint did. She knew that it made things more... intense. Well, that much was right, her feelings were definitely intense.
When she'd made it through the store, out through the checkout, her phone sounded again. Another text. She ran her tongue against the back of her teeth, trying not to smile too much as she made her way out to her truck. She had little chance of that though when she caught sight of none other than Paul Lahote leaning against the truck bed, something between a smirk and a grin on his face as he watched her pushing the cart over.
"I like seeing you doing normal things." He told her as soon as she reached him.
Chuckling, she shook her head. "As oppose to what?" She joked, wanting so badly to point out the fact that he was the one who turned into a werewolf, not her, if not for them being in public.
He shrugged and pushed off, grabbing bags from the cart before she could, helping her to pack them neatly into the bed. "I don't know." He admitted with a light laugh. "I guess, we just don't see one another outside of, like, my place and your bed? I like seeing you everywhere, doing anything." She felt as though her heart may as well have just stopped right then, filled to the brim with... something. Something warm and fuzzy.
She ducked her head, trying to hide the blush, but he caught her with a simple finger under the chin. He was, as always, warm to the touch, sending jolts through her entire body. She almost had to take a second to catch her breath when he gently tilted her chin up. "That was kinda gay." She muttered, feeling warm to the core when Paul actually laughed out loud.
"I don't think you're allowed to say that." He told her playfully, releasing her chin and taking hold of the cart and immediately walking off with it, leaving River to shake her head with a smile.
She watched while he walked her cart back to the store, returning it, jogging back over to her, placing hands either side of her on the body of her truck. "I'm allowed to say that." She told him, thinking back to what he'd said. When Paul raised an eyebrow, she continued. "I'm, like, eighty-nine percent gay. I can say that."
"Eighty-nine?" Paul laughed, leaning down a little. "So, who else makes up the eleven?"
Smirking, she shrugged. "Wouldn't you like the know." She teased, gently punching his gut.
Closing the distance, he nodded with a raised brow. "Oh, I absolutely would." He assured her, inching closer until her back was wet against the truck and their fronts were pasted together. She could feel him against her, every single inch of him. "Who else?" He growled down at her. There was no threat to his tone, but there was definitely a possessive tinge. She had to admit, it was kind of hot.
*~*~*
"Get in the truck." She told him, so very aware that they were still in the parking lot. He raised a defiant brow, curious. When he opened his mouth though, she quickly reached down between them, boldly cupping him through his pants. "Get in the truck, Paul." She purred up into his ear.
He let out a low, want filled whine as his body curled over her, responding to her touch against his will. He looked down at her, into her eyes, for a long moment before hurriedly rounding the truck and hopping in the passenger side.
River chuckled as she followed suit, getting behind the wheel and eagerly turning the engine on. All she had to do was drive them far enough down the road that they could pull off into the woods, then they could stop for long enough to have their way with one another.
In fact, that was exactly what happened.
She all but raced out of the parking lot and onto the road, going down it as quickly as she dared, only pulling off onto the road that lead home for a few minutes, barely making it a mile before veering off into the woods, abandoning the track in favour of the harsh terrain beside it, skidding to a stop a second later.
They mashed into one another the second that they'd thrown their belts off, toned bodied grinding and writhing. "Take off your pants." River panted into Paul's mouth in the midst of their making out, fumbling with the button on her jeans.
Grunting when her hands, done with their task, made their way over to him, rubbing him through his pants, he instead reached out and cupped the back of her head, fisting the short hairs at the nape of her neck. "Who?" He growled, tightening her grip when she released a soft whine. "The eleven percent, River. Who?"
Ordinarily she would have laughed, made some joke about his jealousy, but the grip he had on her, both literally and emotionally, was doing things to her. Instead, she just panted, a slave to her desires.
"Who else?" He asked again, this time with a slight look of amusement flickering behind his eyes, not that River saw it. It seemed that he very much liked seeing her like this. "Who else?"
Continuing to rub him through his pants, River hissed through her teeth as his spare hand fell down to the undone zipper of her jeans, pushing past it with no resistance. Her mouth fell open when his fingers, strong and demanding, moved the waistband of her boxers with ease and slid down, further and further, until he was a mere inch from where she wanted him most. "You." She panted, sensing that his torture wouldn't end, not until she'd told him what he wanted to hear. "Just you."
Paul grinned at that. Damn right. She was his imprint. "You sure about that?" He teased, wasting no time in waiting for her answer before he allowed just one finger to slip further, pushing it into her with a satisfied grumble.
Her hips immediately shifted, desperate for more. Before she knew it, the palm of his hand was flush with her, his finger entirely gone. She could feel every millimetre, every bend, every ridge. Whining, she nodded her head as best she could, unable to stop her mouth from falling open when his finger was withdrawn only for it to push back with force before she could so much as whimper, this time forcing her head to loll back against the seat as her back began to arch.
It seemed that Paul was feeling a little more sure of himself as he moved, moving his hand little by little, intent on driving her mad. River's hips moved in tandem, rolling and bucking with every thrust until she eventually reached down and grabbed his wrist, stilling him immediately. "I want you." She reassured him before he even had chance to worry. "All of you."
Paul sure as hell wasn't going to deny his imprint, not for even one second. Instead, he took his hands away, quickly grabbing her thighs and pulling her along the benched seat, smirking at the shocked chirp that came from her mouth as she fell to lie down with her head almost under the steering wheel. She put a hand down in the footwell to prop herself up, using her opposing elbow, too.
She watched for what felt like an eternity as Paul, hunched over in the cab that yet again seemed far too small for him, pushed his pants down over his hips, leaving the thin cotton boxers as the last thing standing against him as he throbbed. From his pocket, he produced a small foil wrapper, actually shocking River. They'd been terrible so far about using protection, she'd been especially glad to have seen her period recently. "You were expecting this?" She asked, teasing.
Smirking, Paul simply dug around in his pocket some more, producing even more. Holy shit. River wondered briefly how many times they could squeeze in before dinner, but she knew that this had to be quick if she was going to get home in time to act as if nothing had happened. Still, it left her excited for later on. "Take your pants off. Underwear, too." Paul ordered from between her jean-clad legs.
Eager, she went to draw her legs up to close them long enough to kick the clothes off, but Paul didn't budge. He also didn't let her shimmy away, not that she tried too hard. Instead, she was happy to lay there and watch Paul as he hooked thumbs into her belt loops with a raised brow, silently begging permission. She was more than eager to give it.
He wasted little time, drawing her jeans down her thighs, not stopping until they were pooled around her ankles. Then he turned his sights to the boxers. They absolutely needed to come off. As badly as he wanted to rip them, he knew she wouldn't be pleased, so instead he gripped the waistband, fisting it, then pulled down with enough force that he actually moved River slightly, eliciting a strangely adorable yelp.
With the boxers down by her pants though, she was suddenly bare to him. He breathed the air in deeply, revelling in her scent as it clung to ever bit of breath he took. That was it. That was the limit as far as his ability to do anything other than take what was his. He fisted the mass of cloth between River's calves and used it to jerk her legs up. Her knees shot up against her chest, leaving her feet near enough resting against his hips. "Ready?" He asked her, just wanting one last confirmation.
"Please." She whined softly, still propped up and watching him.
Grinning down at her, he pushed the one remaining piece of fabric out of the way, finally freeing himself.
Remembering the condom at almost the last second, he grabbed it and set about ripping the package open, fumbling a little before settling on ripping a corner off with his teeth, spitting it back out again and pulling the prophylactic from the packaging. He was quick to roll it down, smirking as he caught sight of River watching him with hungry eyes.
While he had her eyes, he briefly ran the tip of a single finger into the short, kept hair between her legs until it met a hot, wet flesh. He let himself push it deep inside of her for just a moment, enjoying the hum of pleasure that she breathed out. Then, he took what he wanted.
With a hand clutching the pants around River's ankles and the other on himself, he gently pressed into her, moving slowly, an inch at a time. With each inch, River grew louder, voicing her appreciation.
The second he was all the way in, his spare hand flew to the driver side door as he bared his weight over her. He could already feel that all too familiar sensation building in his abdomen, but he wanted to hold off for as long as he could. Or, at the very least, until River had gotten off first. Before long, he was firing down into her as she bucked up to meet his every movement. A chorus of grunts and groans fell from both of their lips as they moved together, not once letting up until River, with hands fisting Paul's hair, pulling herself impossibly close to him, finally came with a gasp, eyes practically falling into the back of her head.
It was then that Paul allowed himself to follow, letting the wolf take charge as he continued to fuck her relentlessly, not so much as letting her catch her breath until he finally found his release with a deep growl.
The whole thing may have burned bright and fast, but they were both absolutely, positively, without a doubt, satisfied.
They panted together for a moment, hands holding the other close. Eventually, with River's hands in his hair, Paul drew back, rearing up and gently pulling his hips away from hers, grinning lazily when she hummed contently and trailed her hands down his chest and abs.
*~*~*
"Want me to clean you up?" Paul asked, glancing down at the mess on River's thighs. He would gladly spend hours down there if she'd let him.
Chuckling, she gave him a light shove. "Want? Absolutely." She grumbled, shuffling until she could sit well enough to pull her boxers and pants back up "We don't have time. I gotta get all this crap back."
Still grinning, Paul plucked the condom from himself, making to pull his boxers up only to stop short. "Was it okay?" He asked, then finishing pulling everything back on.
Stunned for a second, River was speechless. "What, the sex?" She asked, half expecting him to be joking. Instead though, with a sheepish look, he shrugged. "Paul, it was fantastic." She told him honestly, grinning up at him. She watched as he nodded, clearly not entirely sure of everything, but willing to take her at her word. "Seriously. It was perfect."
He smiled slightly at her, clearly having taken some kind of comfort from her words, but it was clear that he still had something on his mind. "It doesn't both you that it's... kinda fast?"
Immediately, she shook her head, reaching out and laying a hand on his own, tightening her fingers in what she hoped was a comforting gesture. "Fast paced, or over fast?" She asked, thinking about the fact that she honestly hadn't even noticed, she'd just enjoyed the ride and left it at that.
"Both, I guess." He admitted after a second, taking a deep breath before gently pulling his hand away. Was he embarrassed? "More the second one."
She tried not to let any kind of hurt show on her features as she took her own hand back from his lap, but it was difficult. She wasn't used to these conversations, her only previous sexual partners either hadn't been worried about asking or had checked in and taken her at her word. "Well, spur of the moment stuff tends to be a little rushed. I mean, we haven't exactly taken things slowly yet." She told him, hoping that it was enough. He smiled a little, but he still needed more. "But hey, even if we do and it's still fast, I won't care. I can go for hours or I can go for minutes, it's all the same to me. Plus, you're ready to go again in no time."
"It's really okay?" He asked gruffly, clenching and unclenching his jaw a couple of times, digesting.
"It's really okay." She replied as she began to right her pants, shifting in her seat and buckling herself back in.
"Okay." Smiling, he nodded. He may not have been entirely, one hundred percent convinced, but he, it seemed, at least wasn't actively stressing about the whole thing.
"Okay." River smirked, affectionately punching his thigh, earning a chuckle. "Now, roll that damn window down. Can't have my truck stinking of sex."
"Aye aye, captain."
.
.
.
.
.
The young lovers shared a flurry of small kisses upon parking up at River's home, then taking grocery bags and heading inside together. River wished more than anything that they could have simply gone and curled up together somewhere, perhaps wrap up in some blankets in her truck-bed and watch a movie, anything that wasn't sitting and having dinner with her folks.
It wasn't specifically that she didn't want to be with her family, nor that she didn't want Paul around her family, it was actually a nice idea to bring them together, but something about her dad organising the whole thing made her uneasy. She just hoped he didn't have a safe sex talk planned. That? That would make her cheeks as red as the tomatoes at the top of her bag.
Naturally, to add insult to whatever injury she felt there was, Brooke's was the first face she saw when she swung the door open, sitting in her spot across the couch while their mom hurried around the house. "Mo-om! They're here!" The younger girl yelled excitedly, but River only saw mischief in her eyes. Something about the two of them walking into the house together seemed entirely too funny for River's mind.
Alma, ever the whirlwind, was over to them immediately, ushering them toward the kitchen and demanding that they both place down the bags, worriedly rubbing at River's wrist that she'd hurt in the accident, doing it seemingly unconsciously before almost squealing and diving at Paul for a hug. To say that she'd loved having him over in the immediately aftermath of River's crash would have been an understatement. River clearly hadn't been ready to explore her feelings then, let alone talk about them, so it had been a quiet affair, but she had loved it nonetheless.
"Paul, my goodness, look at you!" She gushed over him, asking jokingly if he'd grown since she last saw him. River couldn't help but grin a little even through the discomfort of the entire situation.
Before too long, the whirlwind was over, moving on to food prep. River offered her help, but the teens were quickly rushed from the kitchen and offered drinks. Apparently Dick was out, just finishing up with some paperwork at the station, but would be back soon, so River offered Paul a drink and took him over to the couch that didn't have an annoying younger sibling on it. Still, Brooke's eyes never once left them, still amused by something or other.
Sitting side by side, shoulder to shoulder, thighs barely two inches apart, River felt awkward to say the least. She tried to bask in the fact that her father wasn't there, knowing that it would only get worse then, but something about Brooke's stupid face had her feeling all kinds of uncomfortable. Did they really look so odd together?
For the first time, she found herself feeling entirely uneasy about her appearance. She wondered, would he have preferred a girl with longer hair? Someone more faithful to their beliefs? Granted, her beliefs as someone from the Cahnol tribe differed to his as someone of the Quiluete tribe, but still. Long hair wasn't as important to her people, their fabled stories of old even spoke of warriors with nothing but skin atop their heads, but she couldn't help the nagging feeling that she just wasn't what he wanted. As if the hair wasn't enough, she also knew that her figure was far from feminine. She was closer to his own shape than anything that anyone would have deemed womanly.
Then, seemingly having caught the entire range of emotions as they'd washed over her face, Paul was there, pulling her from her thoughts with a gentle hand on the side of her thigh. It was barely even there, just knuckles pressing so very softly into the muscle that she had, moments ago, been so conscious of, but it meant the world to her. Something so small as one minuscule touch, it meant everything to her.
She looked up at him, trying not to think about the fact that Brooke was absolutely looking, seeing the concern in his eyes. Fuck, he really was gorgeous, wasn't he? She was floored momentarily, catching herself almost as quickly as he caught, and smirked at, her appreciate gaze. He smiled down at her, giving her thigh a gentle, comforting press, receiving a firm, loving nudge back from her knee.
All the while, Alma buzzed busily around behind them, not once accepting any kind of help from anyone, eventually calling a disgruntled Brooke over to chop veggies. At her sister's sigh, River offered her help, but Alma waved her eldest off with a grin, telling her that she and Paul could watch TV or sit in her room if they wanted, that they didn't have to sit in silence "like naughty kids waiting to see the principle", leaving Brooke with an open mouth while River, not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, simply punched Paul's knee with little to no force and stood, heading to her room with a middle finger sent Brooke's way.
"Door cracked open, please!" Came Alma's yell as the loved up teens took their chance and ran with it.
"And keep your mouth closed, slut!" Brooke's voice came next, followed by a faked pained gasp as River heard what she knew to be the sound of Alma failing at cracking a hand towel against her youngest. Neither of their parents had ever hit them, nor had they tried to, but Alma had a habit of pretending to whip their behinds with a towel from time to time. It had made them both laugh so much as kids when Dick had done it to her that she'd tried to learn, but it had only ever resulted in a lame wrist movement that just barely waved the cloth around.
River tried not to blush as Paul hid a smirk behind her, not that it did her much use.
They weren't tucked away in there for long before Dick got home, but River used that time wisely. Well, what she considered to be a wise use of time. Specifically, she moved like she was going to unbutton Paul's pants every damn time Brooke walked past, then stepping far enough away that, when Brooke inevitably snitched and brought their mom over, they were nowhere near one another. With siblings, River found that it was the little things that brought the most joy.
Dinner was, to put it mildly, awkward. Sure, they ate dinner as a family almost every night, but with Paul there? Her father so clearly wanted to give him the boyfriend talk, while River just wanted to hide her entire damn head in her food and die quickly.
"So, Paul." He father started, immediately putting her on edge. As Paul looked up from his plate of food, glancing over at River's father with a friendly smile, River looked at her mother with pleading eyes. "I know that River doesn't want me embarrassing her, so I'll keep this brief."
In spite of River's silent pleas, Alma did nothing, seemingly watching her husband through curious eyes. If nothing else, River could tell that they hadn't planned any kind of talk.
Quickly, River touched Paul's calf under the table with her foot, hooking his leg with her own. She wasn't sure if it was to calm him or her, but he didn't shy away.
In Dick's face, there was an almost harsh, seemingly scolding look, though River knew that to be his cop face. He only ever put it on when she and Brooke were fighting. "River has had her mind set on fighting since she was a little girl. That means going away, travelling, fighting wherever there are fights. You understand that, right?"
As River blushed, Paul simply smiled a little wider. "I do, sir." Paul assured him, moving his leg softly against River's beneath the table. "I can assure you, the last thing I want to do is try to hold her back." As he spoke, she felt the weight behind his words. She knew that he was destined to stay in the town. Could she really leave him?
"That's not exactly likely anymore, Dad." She decided to pipe up, fixing him with a stern look. Even if she'd not had her accident, it sure as hell wasn't his place to be saying these things.
Sighing, Dick moved the food around on his plate. She could tell that she'd upset him. He clearly saw this as his little girl giving up on her dreams for some boy. "Fighting is all you've ever talked about, River. A high school relationship-"
"Has nothing to do with things." She growled out, watching Brooke's eyes go a little wide as Alma sighed in defeat. She'd wanted for them to have one nice meal together, but her daughter and husband couldn't manage even that. "I haven't fought in months. I broke ribs, I fractured my eye socket, broke my wrist. You really think anywhere at all will give me fights now?" The truth stung even as it came from her lips. Part of her had still been hoping to breathe life back into the career that she had so desperately wanted all her life, but it didn't look so promising anymore.
"You haven't even tried, River." She could tell that he wanted to sigh at her, that he wanted to say something underhand about her relationship with Paul. She knew, not even very deep down, that he would have rather she still be dating girl. In his mind, a boy could trap her in town, get her pregnant, but a girl? Well, in her father's mind, a girl wasn't really someone that she would stick around for. While he never meant to be, she knew that he was a little backward in his thinking. "Look, I know what it's like to be in a relationship at your age. Hell, your mother and I were married by twenty, but River, you have to focus on your career."
"What career?" She scoffed. Was he not listening? "I just told you how badly my crash tanked my odds, why are you pushing this?" She knew why. She knew. She wanted him to say it.
With a groan, Brooke put her cutlery down and leaned back in her chair. "Dad, just admit that you don't like Paul so we can get to dessert." She grumbled, making the entire table go stiff.
River's eyes burned into her father's face, daring him.
"I don't not like Paul." Dick shook his head, grumbling. He then looked directly at Paul. "No man thinks that a boy is good enough for his little girl. You get that-"
"Not good enough?" River repeated, barking out a laugh. "God, is that why you invited him over? Are you serious?" She wanted to stand up, to storm out, maybe to yell at him.
Quickly, Paul's hand was on hers. On the table, in view of everyone, he took her hand and squeezed, quieting and calming her. "All due respect, sir." Paul started, fixing River's father with a stern gaze. "I'd love for you all to like me, but none of you need to. River's the one that matters most to me. As much as I'd love for you to give us some kind of blessing, for Brooke to feel like she can talk to me about anything, for your wife to feel comfortable calling me for help with chores, none of it matters. River is the only one of the four of you that needs to want me around. So, for as long as she does, I'll be here."
As her father grew annoyed, feeling showed up, River's heart melted. Neither she nor Paul were especially mushy people, but that had been mushy, right? It was certainly mushy enough for her.
She squeezed his hand back, smiling at him.
Alas, Dick wasn't done. "She has a career to think of." He ground out, earning a frustrated sigh from his wife.
Paul nodded with a smile. "I make a great cheerleader." He stated firmly, earning a chuckle from Brooke. "Sir, I'm not here to crush River's dreams. I know what you think of me, what you've heard around the res, but I only want her to be happy and to be healthy." As much as River hated this conversation, she oddly felt that it was needed.
"And you're, what? You're going to help her train?" Dick scoffed, crumpling his napkin and dropping it on his plate with a shake of his head. "Paul, do you understand the kind of dedicated time that River has to put into this? I mean, it's not just fighting. It's cardio, it's staying hydrated, it's getting the right kind of food into her. Are you, a teenage boy, really going to worry about my daughter's protein intake? Because, you see, that's what she needs to be thinking about."
River wanted to scream. She wanted to flip the table and curse her dad out. "He's not my keeper." She muttered, huffing. "If I fight again, it won't be because Paul made me some freaking chicken and kale, Dad." Though Dick didn't turn at her words, she knew he heard them.
Still, he and Paul were locked onto one another. While Dick was happy to undermine and disrespect, Paul was remaining calm and keeping himself cool with the feel of River's skin against his.
It was Brooke, however, who spoke up. "Dude's built, Dad. You really think he isn't used to thinking about protein or whatever?" She scoffed, smiling at River encouragingly. "Like, seriously. They'll probably have matching shakers by the end of the week." River was thankful for Brooke's intervening, it seemed to slow the whole conversation just a little.
"I'm not much of a cook, but I'm happy to learn." Paul assured the room. He got a sweet smile from Alma and eyes full of love from River. "I know Emily'll be happy to help me learn. She practically cooks for us guys all the time, she knows a bunch of recipes and I'll learn them all. You don't have to worry about me taking care of your daughter, but I understand of course that, as her father, you'll always worry."
"See, Dick." Alma laid a hand on her husband's arm, silently begging him to just drop it.
River, however, could see it in his eyes. "Go on, Dad." She urged, feeling annoyance and plain disappointment bubble inside her. "You don't care about whether or not he can cook, you just don't like the idea of me being with a guy. Admit it. You were happy enough for me to date Skylar, but now Paul. It's not him that you don't like, it's that he's a guy."
Quiet fell over the table for a moment.
As much as River knew that Dick had struggled with her initially coming out, she could see that he struggled more with this. It wasn't even that he had come to terms with her being gay and that this had shocked him, it was worse than that.
"Any father worries." He started carefully. Still, through it all, he was looking at Paul. Then, he turned, pinning River under his gaze, picking her apart. "You stay away from home for days at a time. I don't want you to come home pregnant one day, River." She knew that was part of it, but there was more than that. She knew, deep down, that he didn't view lesbian relationships are real, it was just girls being young and stupid in his mind, but if she was dating a guy then she wasn't just sitting in her room, giggling and talking. Not that she and Skylar had ever done much of that.
She shook her head with a sigh. This wasn't how dinner was meant to go. "We use protection." She offered up, though she knew that they didn't remember nearly enough.
Sighing, Alma shook her head. "This isn't a conversation for the dinner table, Dick." She told him sternly, but he didn't offer any sign that he was listening. "Dick." She repeated, this time more sternly. Still nothing.
Looking at one another, River could tell that there was something that he wanted to say. Paul was holding her hand, moving his leg against her in what she knew was meant to be a soothing motion, but it just had her more fired up. How the hell could her dad not see how happy she was? That was all that was meant to matter, but he was being an asshole.
Then, when she considered grabbing Paul and just leaving, he spoke. "You shouldn't even be having sex." He growled, looking at her almost in disgust. "You're seventeen, River. You're not an adult. You're... you're a child, my child-"
"I was having sex with Skylar." River shot back, feeling her very skin bristling. This wasn't an issue she had ever wanted to get into with him. The way that he invalidated gay relationships. "Since I started at the gym. Seriously, we couldn't stay off one another. In fact,"
"River." Alma's voice was warning, but River wasn't stopping.
"I fucked her in the closet that day Mom came to pick me up. Right in there with all the old invoices and the freaking mop. We were lucky it was loud that day, because let me tell you, so was-"
"River!" She stopped at her mother's shout, though she and her father held one another's eyes.
She hadn't ever wanted to talk about sex with Skylar around Paul, but her dad just made her so damn mad sometimes.
"I'm gonna go to my room." Brooke's voice was quiet, but the upset was clearly there. She didn't like seeing River and their father fight.
Scoffing, Dick shook his head. "Don't think I don't know what you sneak off to do, young lady." His voice, finally, was showing the venom that he was feeling, disgusted by his own daughters. "You think that your mother and I are blind, or maybe deaf? Believe me, Brooke, we're going to have a conversation about the boy that you're sneaking off to see every other damn night. As soon as we're done with your sister-"
"Alright, enough." Paul snapped, glaring at Dick across the table.
That got his attention. "Enough?" Dick laughed, looking the teen up and down.
Paul, unphased, nodded. "Enough." He confirmed. "I'm not just going to sit here while you act like you haven't raised two amazing young women. Brooke is fierce and loyal, smart as hell, too. You know how protective she is of River? She came and told me off for being an asshole. And River? Don't get me started because I could talk all night long about her, but you're sitting there, treating her like some kind of criminal."
No one spoke up. Alma stayed quiet, but the look in her eyes was clear as she looked at Paul. She was besotted, clearly adoring that he stood up for her girls against their own father of all people. "You're a child, Paul Lahote. I don't expect you to understand the difficulty of being a man-"
"Being a man?" Paul laughed, sitting a little straighter in his seat. "I didn't realise that men berated their kids over dinner." He was done smiling.
River wanted to move her hand to his arm, to silently remind him that they could just leave, but something stopped her. Whether it was curiosity of wanting to see where this went, or whether it was simply being amazed by him and everything that he did, she had no idea, but she kept quiet. Paul, however, was done.
Turning to his imprint, it took only the love in her eyes for all the fight in him to be gone. "Why don't you grab some clothes? Stay at my place a couple of nights while-"
"Like hell." Dick snapped, looking to Alma for support only to get none. "Alma." He pleaded.
His wife, however, shook her head. "I think that's a lovely idea. Paul, why don't you go and help her? Brooke, honey, head to your room. Dad and I have things to talk about." There was no arguing with her. She had sat and watched him ruin dinner. She had slaved over that food, poured all her love into it only for him to ruin things yet again. Never again. Now he had to suffer her wrath.
As River, Brooke and Paul each stood, Brooke reached out and touched River's arm. "Can I come with you?" She asked, clearly a little shaken up. "Please?" She then added, looking to Paul as a single tear fell onto her cheek.
River opened her mouth to reply, but Paul simply laid a hand on Brooke's shoulder. "Go get some clothes. You and River can take my bed, I'll sleep on the couch." He stood between them and their parents as the two girls scurried off to their rooms, acting as some makeshift barrier before following River into her room.
Quickly, she grabbed a few shirts, a couple sweatshirts, some underwear and a couple of pairs of pants. Just enough to fill her old gym bag.
The whole while, Paul stood just inside her room, silently fuming. He was just out of sight of River's parents, purposefully so.
He watched her flit around her room, wondering how the hell her father could be so out of touch with reality. He got that River was his daughter, he knew that he wouldn't ever be enough for her in her father's eyes, but to basically have slut-shamed his two kids? Well, Paul wasn't exactly seeking the man's approval anymore, that was for sure.
When River had finally zipped her duffle up, he saw his chance.
While they were still alone, while he could hear Brooke quietly sniffling the next room over as she grabbed her clothes, he lurched and grabbed River. He didn't give her chance to so much as yelp as he brought her into him, plastering his lips on her in a desperate kiss. He needed her. His wolf needed her. This kiss though, he knew, would have to be enough.
It wasn't so much that he was horny, but more that the frustration in him wanted out. He could be an asshole and break shit, or he could redirect that energy. He wanted to make River proud, which meant no more being an asshole, so no more breaking stuff.
She melted against him, their bodies pressed together, fisting his shirt as her eyes fluttered closed and she leaned up on her toes to get a better angle.
As quickly as he'd startled her, they pulled apart. He laid a single peck on her cheek after, looking almost apologetic, but that was it. "You okay?" She asked him quietly, far too silently for human ears.
He smiled tightly and nodded. "Are you?" He asked back, looking so deeply into her eyes that she figured he must have been able to see her soul.
She returned the same smile. Of course she wasn't okay, they both knew that, but she nodded all the same, taking his hand. "Come on, let's go." She said instead.
He laid a kiss on the side of her head, his chest constricting painfully. He hated that she wasn't okay. Moreover, he hated that Dick of all people was the one to make her feel like she yet again. At least he had an apt name.
They left her room together, hand in hand, and stood outside Brooke's room. River encouraged her younger sister with a smile, watching as she hurriedly wiped away her tears before grabbing her filled bag and coming out.
At the table, Alma and Dick were stuck in a staring match. They were clearly going to have words when the three teens left. River hadn't ever seen her mom this mad before. It was something that she was seeing more and more of as she got older. She honestly hated it. She hated that her father was pushing situations to the point that her sweet mother was forced to intervene. She also fucking despised the fact that they were fighting over her, she never wanted to be the cause of their conflict.
Still, her priority in that moment wasn't them. It was getting Brooke and Paul safely out of the house.
That's exactly what she did. The three of them walked out, leaving the two adults at the table to do as they pleased.
Brooke broke down into sobs as soon as they made it out the front door, not that River was surprised all that much.
Without a word, Paul took both of their bags, leaving River to wrap her arms around her sister. He offered to drive her truck, but she shook her head. Had he had his license, she would have agreed, but the last thing they needed was to crash because he was driving while they were crying. No.
Instead, she drove. Brooke sat between then, trying desperately not to look at Paul as she cried. That was, however, until he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into his chest, telling her with a soft tone that everything was alright. That was the point at which the dam broke and she sobbed into his chest while River absently stroked her head when she had a free hand.
Glancing at Paul, seeing how he comforted Brooke, River knew without a doubt that she was in love with him. Whatever future she had, whether it was fighting or not, she knew he had to be in it. That was the one thing, she decided, that she would not compromise on. Not now, not ever.
I know that this kind of took a turn (it took the turn while I was writing it, things were actually going to go nicely for a change but here we are) but hopefully all of that was okay! I just got to thinking that I enjoy writing Brooke from time to time and I think she could be interesting as far as something to shake up River and Paul a little.
This fic has been super focused on River's relationship with Paul as opposed to what their future could hold, so I'm going to try to circle back around to school, work, possible future jobs etc as and when I can, but I'll admit now that I just roll with whatever my brain thinks on the day, so hopefully it's all good! Either way, please let me know what you think so I can always try to improve where possible/carry on doing what's liked.
Have a great day and thank you again for reading this!