Eleanor Shellstrop is (teamcockroach) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2019-12-27 14:11:00 |
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Entry tags: | !closed, !log, ~2019 december, ~25 points, ~~chidi anagonye (mystomachhurts), ~~eleanor shellstrop (teamcockroach) |
Who: Eleanor Shellstrop + Chidi Anagonye
When: Monday night
Where: her place
Warnings: Surprisingly, no
Status: Closed | Complete
As the movie on the TV ended, Eleanor reached down into the large bowl on Chidi’s lap and plucked out the last piece of popcorn, which she tossed into her mouth before stretching and looking over at him. “You know, movies are all well and good, but there are times I almost - almost miss your ethics lessons,” she commented. In truth, she actually missed them quite a bit, but it was a weird thing to admit aloud and she didn’t feel like turning him into a big mushy puddle at the moment.
“I miss Janet and Michael, too. And Tahani. She was barely even here,” she complained.
***
Being here with Eleanor, doing normal couple things like watching movies together, was the first time in Chidi’s life he actually had something resembling a normal relationship. It wouldn’t surprise anyone who knew him that his indecisive nature made maintaining relationships difficult. Former girlfriends would get frustrated eventually with his inability to make choices. He understood now the emotional labor he was putting on them and was trying to be better about it with Eleanor.
It was easier with her somehow. Maybe because he never felt like she was going to judge him for making a wrong decision. She just… accepted who he was, flaws and all.
“Hey, anytime you want a lesson, I’m happy to oblige,” he said, looking over at her with a grin. He fully expected her response to be a vehement denial.
***
“Nah, that’s why I said almost,” she replied before moving the empty bowl to the coffee table. “I’d say it’s your turn to pick a movie, but instead I’m going to hit shuffle on the playlist and see what the app picks for us.” Eleanor gave him a light smirk. There were times when his near-constant indecision was kind of annoying, but in the long run she had figured out ways around it, and knowing that he had decided on her - well, let’s just say that she was okay with it overall.
“How are we on snacks on your side?”
***
Chidi very much appreciated when she took decisions out of his hands. Even though he was improving on that front, it was still difficult and honestly, he knew that it was unlikely they’d make it through another whole movie. A lot of nights, they didn’t even make it through one before they got sidetracked with making out.
“Plenty of candy,” he said, glancing over to the table next to him. “I could use another drink though. You?”
***
“Sure, another beer will do,” she replied, and reluctantly eased back a whole inch so that he could get up and get their drinks. “Hey, do you think we should invite Jason over for Christmas Eve? Or for something? He’s been quietly lately and that makes me nervous for some reason.”
***
“That’s… a good idea, yes,” Chidi said. He hadn’t really given too much thought to how they would celebrate the holidays. Including Jason was a surprising display of empathy for Eleanor and he couldn’t help but feel proud of her for it. “Do you want to come to my place? I can order in some food. See if Brooke has any friends she wants to bring.”
He definitely needed to consider his ward in whatever plans he made.
***
“I’m full of those,” Eleanor pointed out with a smirk. His question had her tilting her head, and after a moment she shrugged. “Yeah, your place works. God knows I hate having a lot of people over here.” Bringing Brooke into it meant that it’d be a whole party, and she grinned at him.
“I’ll bring the eggnog.”
***
Chidi laughed, heading to the kitchen to grab them new drinks. Of course she would bring the eggnog. That was a very Eleanor thing. And he’d make sure to order shrimp because he enjoyed making her happy.
When he returned and handed her a fresh beer, he leaned in and stole a kiss before settling next to her again. “Is there anyone else we should invite?”
***
Eleanor’s face lit up more at the kiss than the beer - which actually showed a lot of personal growth - and she smiled as she snuggled against him again. “Most of the people around here are losers, but I like Rose Tyler. She might come.” Honestly she hadn’t made a lot of friends in all the time she’d been there, but there were a couple people she was okay with.
“Anyone you want to invite? The only deal is that they can’t be hotter than me.”
***
Despite what some people thought, Chidi did have a sense of humor, and he chuckled at her caveat. “Well, now, I don’t think we can fit the entire town in my apartment,” he joked. Call him cheesy, but he only had eyes for Eleanor.
“Other than you and Brooke though, there’s no one else I feel particularly close to,” he said. There were plenty of people he enjoyed talking to, but he wasn’t sure any of them were close enough to spend the holidays with.
***
“We could try. Or Rose has that friend, the Doctor something or other. Isn’t he supposed to have some magic box that can fit anything?” Which coming out that way sounded exceptionally dirty, and Eleanor smirked as she took a sip from her bottle.
“Just make sure you let Brooke handle the planning. I think she’s into that kind of thing.”
***
Letting Brooke plan was a good idea since Chidi was not the party planning type. It really was too bad Tahani wasn’t still around. She’d love organizing holiday celebrations. “Good idea,” he said. “I’ll talk to her tomorrow. Unless she’s still up when I get home tonight.”
He worried that he was neglecting his ward with how much time he spent at Eleanor’s place, though he knew Brooke was more than capable of taking care of herself.
***
Eleanor hesitated for a minute, taking another sip from her drink for a little bit of liquid courage, then looked over at him. “You know, you can stay the night. Or even...I don’t know. Move in? Or I could move in there? Then no one has to worry about getting back to wherever.”
It was all said a little bit of a rush; it wasn’t the first time she’d lived with a boyfriend, but somehow Chidi was different.
***
Chidi was glad he wasn’t drinking when Eleanor made her suggestion, otherwise he might have choked since it was so unexpected. “Oh, well, we could think about that,” he said. “Maybe look into getting one of those townhouses or something so there’s enough space for all of us.”
They’d basically lived together in the Bad Place so he didn’t think it should be a problem. Even though they were a couple now and hadn’t been then.
“You’d be okay with having Brooke with us, right?”
***
“Yeah, extra space would be good. Especially with a teenager around.” If Brooke was anything like her, she was definitely one to stretch out. Meeting Chidi’s gaze, Eleanor nodded.
“Sure. Would you be okay with this hot mess being around all the time?” She gestured to herself.
***
“I’m used to having your hot mess around,” Chidi said with a grin. “And we don’t have to deal with those hideous clown paintings.”
It was a big step, but it felt right and for once, he didn’t feel the need to overthink a decision.
***
“I’m still mad that every time I put up a hot mailman, the paintings reverted back,” she grumbled, but she was smiling anyway as she snuggled back against him. “Guess that’s settled, then.”