Hope you guys like this. It's about a year later for them and it's really sweet! Let me know what you think!
Chapter 7 - Surprise One Year Celebration
February 29th 2021
"I'm home!" she yelled as she hurried into the house and out of the cold. She had just finished her twenty three hour shift at the hospital and she was beat to say the least. She wanted nothing more than to go upstairs and collapse into bed but it was her night to make dinner. She dropped her keys and coat at the door and made her way towards the kitchen where she could faintly hear music playing. The smell that hit her made her smile. Upon entering the kitchen she saw Raleigh at the stove flipping sandwiches in the cast iron pan. "You are an angel." She spoke quietly.
"You know it Ana." Raleigh said earning a laugh from her. She sat down at the table and watched him as he continued to cook. "How was work?"
"Long. Exhausting. Boring. The usual." She whined putting her head down on the table.
"Are you too tired to go out on a date?" He asked her, setting a plate of sandwiches in front of her. She looked up at him with wide eyes, not sure what to say. She hesitated for a moment wondering if he was joking or not. The look in his eyes told her he wasn't though, he was being completely serious.
"I'm free tomorrow. I don't want to pass out mid date." She smiled at him, grabbing a sandwich and taking a bite of it. The warmth of the sand which spread through her body and she had to hold back a groan in pleasure. He had always been the best at making grilled cheese.
"Ok. Sounds great." He grinned from ear to ear and she couldn't keep the smile from her face. Smiles like that from him were rare and when they happened she wished she had a camera each time.
"What do you have in mind Casanova?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him. He smirked and returned to the stove where he flipped a sandwich that had been left a little too long on the pan.
"That's for me to know and for you to find out." He looked at her over his shoulder and grinned at her. She just rolled her eyes and ate her sandwich. Butterflies were going crazy in her abdomen and she was excited to see what this date was going to be. She had been praying for this to happen but she had never thought it would. In her head she quickly counted the months that he had been here and then something clicked.
"Didn't you land on the beach a year ago today?" She asked suddenly.
"That I did. A year ago today, you saved my life and now I'm going to repay that with an amazing date." He told her as he sat down at the table with his own plate.
"I can't believe it's already been that long." She breathed as he reached over and took her hand in his. "We've been through so much."
"That's for sure. I am so grateful for everything you have done for me." He told her, giving her hand a squeeze so she knew he meant it. She couldn't stop the blush from spreading across her cheeks from his comment.
"Well I didn't do all of the work. In taking care of you you have healed me too." She replied, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles. She met his gaze and smiled at him. His deep blue eyes were drawing her in and she couldn't help it when her eyes flicked down to his lips. She could feel his hot breath on her lips and she wanted nothing more than to close the gap between them but the moment was ruined. They quickly pulled apart as Billy came bursting through the doorway. Their fingers were still laced but the atmosphere had been ruined and she had the urge to run from the kitchen.
"I'm going to go for a run." Raleigh said, standing from his spot as he finished eating. He came over to her and placed a kiss on top of her head before leaving the room. She immediately looked over at Billy and glared.
"Did I interrupt something?" He asked innocently.
"Oh don't act like you didn't mean to pipsqueak." She muttered under her breath. She got up and put her dish in the sink on her way out of the kitchen. Now she had to wait for tomorrow to come around. Instead of sitting around and waiting she went to their room where she planned to sleep.
As she got to the top of the stairs Raleigh came out of their room and they crashed into each other. There was a terrifying moment where she felt herself falling but a strong pair of arms wrapped around her and instead of falling backwards down the stairs she felt herself falling forward into their room. There was a moment of falling before she landed on something hard. She propped herself up on her elbows and looked down at what she had landed on and came face to face with Raleigh. His eyes drew her in and this time she didn't hesitant to swoop down and kiss him. She felt him hesitate for a moment before he relaxed and kissed her back. His hands found her hair, pulling her closer and she melted under his touch. They pulled away and looked at each other. She couldn't help but get lost in his eyes and the thoughts swimming in her head.
"Are you alright?" He asked, cupping her cheek.
"Never better." She whispered, leaning into his touch. "Are you okay?"
"My chest is a little sore from your dead weight but I think I'll leave." He joked, earning a slap to the chest. They both laughed as she rolled off of him and stood up. Not that it would help much she put her hand out to help him up. He smiled at her and accepted the help. "I'm going to go for that run now." He smirked at her. For a moment she looked at him confused but when his eyes turned downwards she saw that she was still holding onto his hand.
"Right. Of course." She stuttered, a blush flooding her cheeks. She had never been so open about her feelings towards him and it was an odd feeling.
"I'll catch you later Ana." He said, kissed her forehead and trotted down the stairs. She stood there for a few moments longer, frozen. They had just kissed. No. She had just kissed him and he hadn't pulled away. Instead he had kissed her back and then kissed her forehead before leaving. He felt the same. She was sure of it. Why else would he kiss her back? He wasn't the type of guy to trick a girl. Not now at least. He could have been that way but the life of a Jaeger pilot had changed him. He had seen too many things to know that being a man whore was a waste of time. She chuckled to herself at the thought.
She entered her room and flopped down on the bed, curling up on her side. The bed smelled of Raleigh and she couldn't help but sigh in content. Soon though she found herself drifting off into sleep not bothering to change out of her scrubs as she drowned in his scent.
Raleigh's POV
He needed to clear his head. All he could think about was how she had felt with her entire weight bearing down on him. He struggled each night to control himself with her when they shared a bed. She was a beautiful woman, though she didn't flaunt it. She was more than just a warm body to him though. After he had crashed on the Anchorage beach she had patched him. She had saved him. In a year he had gone from broke and ready to starve himself to having the motivation to do anything to make her happy, to see her smile.
He had made the decision to take her out that morning but didn't know when her shift ended. So he had sat around all day waiting for her, coming up with how to ask her and when George had come home to find him pacing he had talked to the old man about it. Who better to ask than the man who had taken care of her for ten years? It had been a good choice to ask him. George had notified him that she got home at seven for a twenty three hour shift, warning him that she would be exhausted. That had prepared him for the possible rejection so he had a back up. If she was too tired tonight he planned to see if she would go out the next day. George had also suggested that he make dinner for her because it was her night to cook but she would be too tired to do it.
Six forty five rolled around and he got to work preparing dinner. It wouldn't take long. He planned to make the first dinner George had made them after he had woken up. Grilled cheese and tomato soup. The moment he heard the truck pull up his heart had sped up and when she walked through the kitchen door and called him an angel he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. And when he finally got to turn around and look at her he had to try not to drop the plate of sandwiches he was holding. She was absolutely beautiful. Even after a long day of work. She had dark circles under her eyes and her braid was falling out all over the place but to him she was the most beautiful woman in the world.
The moment he had asked he had been surprised by her casual response and joking demeanor. It made him smile though. It gave him confidence that she would say yes. George had been right to say she would reject tonight but he didn't even need to suggest tomorrow. She had down it for him and his heart soared. Never before had a woman given him butterflies the way she did when she grabbed his hand when he sat down at the table with her. They had a casual conversation but when their eyes locked for more than ten seconds he was drawn in. He saw her eyes flick down to his lips and back to his and he took the sign but he was too slow. Billy had walked in and ruined it. He tried not to be mad about it and instead just decided to go for a run to clear his head. He left the kitchen and when he had come out of their room she had run into him so fast she had nearly fallen backwards down the stairs. Seeing this however he had managed to catch her. The air had been pushed from his lungs but he knew she was safe.
Now he was out in the cold Alaskan air running on the beach to clear his head of her. But it only got worse. He couldn't stop thinking about her. It had become his worst habit. Not that he minded. He didn't have much else to do anyway. Though he had been considering a job in construction of the Anti-Kaiju wall. He wanted to do something more important with his life now that he wasn't a Jaeger pilot and he hoped that Analia could be apart of it. She hadn't replaced Yancy as his best friend but she had filled the void in his heart and mind. Whenever he was away from her he felt lonely and the longing to see her again.
He hadn't realized the time until he got back and saw that the clock read nine o'clock. He had been running for over an hour and a half. His first mission was to get water to cure his overly dry throat, his secondary mission was a shower. Though it was cold in Alaska he still got rather sweaty. As he entered the bedroom, he paused at the sight on the bed. Analia had passed out on top of the covers in her scrubs, her braid was frizzy and coming out everywhere. He smiled at her but moved on to grab a change of clothes. His shower was quick and soon he was sitting on the side of the bed, shaking her awake gently so she could change.
"Ana. You need to change real quick." He whispered, shaking her shoulder gently. She swatted at his hand lazily and he chuckled. Her eyes peeked open and she looked at him with a semi glare.
"You smell good." She muttered, sitting up and stumbling over to the closet. She didn't even bother to go into the bathroom before she started stripping out of her scrubs and into a pair of shorts and a baggy t-shirt. When she turned around he couldn't help but smile, seeing that the shirt she had grabbed was his. She crawled under the covers, mumbling to herself and he laughed softly at her as he crawled in beside her. He didn't even get fully settled before she curled up on his chest and sighed as she fell back to sleep. He smiled to himself, wrapping his arms around her and pressing a kiss to the top of her head as he too fell into sleep.
