Bode 'Bishop' Coldiron (minorpiece) wrote in remains_rpg, @ 2016-11-27 23:43:00 |
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Entry tags: | # 2019 [11] november, bode coldiron, hazel dolan |
Who: Bishop Coldiron and Bunny Dolan
Where: Their Home
What: Bishop and Bunny sit down and discuss the shifts in their respective feelings.
When: November 9th, 2019 - Early Evening
The holiday had been head and shoulders above what it had been last year -- though Bishop had to admit it wouldn’t have been hard to improve upon, since last year he had spent in inside the four walls of La Quinta. As cheesy as it might be, he knew he had a hell of a lot to be thankful for this year. Sure, they had all experienced loss and that would likely linger with them for years to come. But Bishop had two healthy boys, he wasn’t facing jail time and he had Hazel. His mind paused at that thought, if only because he knew that while it went without question they were both here for each other, through thick and thin and she had agreed on three separate occasions that month to be his plus one -- there was still something very big and very serious that Bishop needed to talk to her about, or confess to her. He couldn’t quite decide in his mind how he wanted to think of that. The boys were both happily playing in a sectioned off portion of the living room, some kind of baby fencing -- Bishop didn’t know what the proper term for it was -- safety keeping them both in eyesight and away from anything danger. It was in his opinion the perfect opportunity to talk with Hazel. And talking is what he planned on doing as he stepped into the kitchen, a small smile appearing as Bishop took in the sight of Hazel preparing what he could only guess was dinner. “Hey,” he started as he slipped around the kitchen island to come stand near her, close enough that his elbowed knocked against hers while she worked. “Didn’t Vic or Marina send us home with any leftovers?” Bishop continued, well aware he was stalling on the real reason he came into the kitchen. It didn’t feel right though just leaping into the conversation he knew he needed to have. “They did,” Bunny confirmed with a nod. Since she was unable to really take her eyes away from her knife and the row of carrots she was slicing, Bode’s presence beside her was more sensed than seen. It gave her a familiar comfort, though, to feel him standing there with her, and she smiled and shifted to the side enough to nudge her hip against him. “I thought I'd pad them a little, all the same. It's been a long time since I cooked anything for the holidays, and so I figured I ought to take advantage.” Finishing up the final carrot, she set the knife down at last and turned to grin up at Bode. Just having him in the room made her mood a little brighter these days, a fact which only made her all the more inclined to keep in his company whenever possible. It was a lucky thing there had been so many opportunities for it lately. But as much as she'd enjoyed getting the chance to tag along to some of the functions Bode had been invited to, this was what Bunny truly liked best: a quiet night of just them and the twins. More and more she could feel herself coming to embrace this life and this family, like both were tailormade for her, and counting her lucky stars to have landed here. “It's wouldn't take me long to do,” Bunny went on. She used the back of her hand to brush away a lock of hair that had fallen into her face. “But if you’re asking because you happen to want to eat now, I'll put this away for tomorrow and make you a plate right away.” The carrots wouldn't suffer any from waiting a day for their brown sugar glaze, after all. “What would you prefer?” The tell tale way his heart skipped as Hazel turned her brilliant smile on him alone reminded Bishop why he had come into the kitchen in the first place. It hadn’t been to speed up dinner, or rob a task from her that she so greatly enjoyed. No, it had been because more and more often he found himself stealing glances, watching her when he thought she wouldn’t notice and fabricating reasons to be in need of her company in some form or another. Sooner or later he had to imagine Hazel would catch on, so it was about damn time he man up and own up to his own feelings. First though he needed to assure her he hadn’t come into the kitchen to hurry her along. “Nah, I ain’t starving and truth be told I wouldn’t ever take away the chance for you to prepare holiday dishes to go along with the leftovers they sent us home with,” Bishop said as he unconsciously reached up and tucked the stray strand of hair back behind Hazel’s ear. “Reckon since they did Thanksgiving, maybe we should do Christmas?” he liked the idea of inviting their friends into their home for the holidays, watching Hazel cook and play hostess -- she shined best when she was taking care of others, the pure joy just seemed to radiate off of her. Though, if Bishop were being truly honest it was nights like this he liked the best. Just him, Hazel and the boys. A cohesive and happy little family. Tragedy might have been the reason they were brought together, but there was no denying that they just fit in a way that could only be explained as it being meant to be. “Case you hadn’t figured it out that was my long ass way of saying you can carry on,” Bishop said with a laugh, his hand going to her elbow for just a moment as he gave it a good natured squeeze. “I just came in here to keep you company.” Not the entire truth, but he was building up to it. “Good,” Bunny said, decisively. She gave a firm little nod and smiled up at Bode. “I like having your company. And you've got fine timing too -- just in the nick of too late to be put to work chopping carrots.” It was a tease more than anything, since she knew he'd always be more than willing to lend her a hand in the kitchen, should she really need it. But Bunny was just as happy to have Bode there to talk to, too. There wasn't anyone in the world whose thoughts she prized over his. It was a realization that had come on so slowly she couldn't say when it had started out or when it had really hit her, but she knew it was just as true as anything could be. Now that they'd confirmed that the cooking could go on, she ought to have started back on it right away. But she didn't, instead keenly aware of the way that Bode’s hand lingered on her elbow as they stood together and how she shifted into the gentle touch. Like a flower leaning into the sun as it grew. “If you're really serious about hosting Christmas, though, there will be plenty for me to ask you to do soon enough. For one thing, I'll need a taste-tester.” A chuckle escaped Bishop as Hazel teased him about showing up just in the nick of time to miss doing any work. “You know my mama always said I had a real knack for getting outta work in the kitchen,” he remarked with a half grin, his blue eyes fixed on Hazel and again he felt the way his heart sort of swelled as he looked at her and the way she seemed to just light up at the mention of hosting the holiday celebration at their place. “I’m as serious as a heart attack that we should host it,” Bishop replied, “And that ain’t just ‘cause I want to be the taste-tester for all the treats you’ll bake up for it.” Truth be told Bishop had had to start spending a bit more time working out since moving in with Hazel, but he wasn’t complaining, not in the least. The months since they had moved in together had been some of the best months he had experienced since the whole apocalypse began and he knew it had everything to do with the woman standing beside him. This idea about having the holiday celebration here at their house was starting to appeal to Bunny. She reached for Bode as well, her hand grasping his arm in return, and her eyes stayed fixed on his face. The carrots on the cutting board were all but forgotten for the time being. “It's the boys’ first Christmas, too, so we should make sure to do it all right. Or as right as we can. It doesn't matter to me that they won't remember, as long as you don't think doing the whole nine yards is too much trouble.” As she leaned in closer to him it took everything within Bishop’s power not to close the last little distance between them and kiss her. While it would convey just how his feelings had changed, Hazel deserved to hear him say it and decide for herself how she felt on the matter. If she didn’t feel the same, Bishop would hate to have put her in an awkward situation because of his actions. With dinner prep stalled for the time being, Bishop became bolder in his actions and stepped in behind Hazel and gently turned her around with the hand still on her arm. “I don’t think going all out for Christmas is too much trouble at all,” Bishop said as he peered down at her, his hands gently settled on her hips as they stood mere inches from each other. She glanced down at where he held onto her, but only for a moment before raising her eyes to meet his again. “They ain’t going to remember, but we can always show ‘em pictures and tell ‘em just how over the top we went for their sake,” he paused. “They’ll know their parents care a hell of a lot about ‘em either way.” Bishop had expressed on more than one occasion that Hazel was the mama they’d know, had been since the moment she had stepped in to help raise them. So they way he said ‘their parents’ it felt as natural to Bishop as breathing did. Knowing he had stalled just about long enough, Bishop took a deep breath and then continued. “And they’re also going to grow up knowing how much their dad cares for you,” He kept his gaze steady on Hazel as he spoke. “Hazel, when this started I was real thankful for you stepping in and caring for the boys, loving ‘em like your own and supporting me, but then something shifted and I ain’t sure when or how, but I stopped thinking about you as just a friend who was helping me out and started caring for you deeper,” Bishop knew he was putting more words to this than needed to be spoken, but that was his way. “What I’m saying is my feelings shifted towards romantic, and while I ain’t expecting you to feel the same, I owe it to you to let you know how I feel.” It was written all over his face that Bishop meant what he said, that it was the honest truth when he said he didn’t expect her to return his feelings. Of course there was a flicker of hope inside of him that she might, but he wouldn’t hold it against her if she didn’t. Bunny’s heart was beating rapid fire against the inside of her ribcage long before Bode was even halfway through his speech. By the time he reached the end of it she was practically lightheaded from trying to imprint every piece of what was happening in her memory. One day she would want to remember how she’d stood right here in the kitchen, Bode’s hands on her waist as natural as if they'd always sat there, while the twins laughed and babbled at each other in the next room. Looking for something to ground herself against the way his eyes -- pale blue like winter sky over the mountains, if she wanted to be fanciful -- were locked on her face, Bunny reached out to lay her own hands against his chest. Bode felt reassuringly steady and real and and she splayed her fingers, half in awe still. “I feel it too. Right here beneath my breastbone.” She rubbed her thumb across the same spot on him to demonstrate. “Like all my feelings about you are a physical thing I'm carrying around inside me. And they just keep growing and getting stronger and deeper all the time.” It was so nice to be able to speak these thoughts finally, that Bunny wasn't even sure she had words to explain it all. Everything wanted to come rushing out of her at once. “I've been pining so hard for you, Bode. Maybe I wasn't nearly obvious enough about it, though, if you're not expecting your feelings to be returned.” A flicker of concern crossed her eyes, and her hands grasped his shirtfront now, using the fabric to tug Bode down until their faces were closer together. “I do return them. So whatever you've been wondering and whatever you've been wanting, I’ve been feeling the same way.” From the moment Hazel opened her mouth to the minute she stopped speaking, Bishop was convinced that time had stopped and hadn’t even been aware of the breath he had been holding in until she tugged him down close and he felt like the whole world started spinning in real time again. “Think I might have convinced myself that was just your brand of sweet, darlin’,” Bishop finally drawled out, one hand shifted from her waist so he could wrap his arm around her and pull her in close. “For months what I ain’t been letting myself think about doing is this,” and with that Bishop closed what little distance there was between them, his lips met hers in a kiss that was fueled by all the things he had been feeling and wanting for months. As the kiss deepened, Bishop reached behind Hazel to push the cutting board out of the way so he could easily lift her up onto the counter. When it felt like his lungs were on fire and he might make of fool of himself by passing out, Bishop broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. “I should have said something earlier and saved both of us all that pining,” he started, “I ain’t going to lie, all I could think about sometimes was holding you just like this, darlin’. We got so fucking close sometimes, you pressed into my side on the couch. Damn near kissed you more times than I can count,” Bishop paused. “Now I’m realizing I shouldn’t of stopped myself back then.” There was a hint of amusement in is voice. Amusement over the fact that for a man who prided himself on reading a situation well, he had been so off the mark when it came to Hazel and the possibility of her feeling the same way towards him. “Fuck, I’ve gotta be the luckiest man right now,” Bishop breathed out. There was a freeing feeling knowing that he could speak openly about how he felt, and act on those feelings. No longer was it a secret known only to him and a few others. All the concern he had used as justification to keep quiet had been ill placed. Bishop couldn’t regain the months he had lost in staying silent about his feelings, but he could try and make up for them, right? After all, there was no point in dwelling on the past. “You sure I'm not the lucky one? Feels that way right now.” Bunny returned, a little breathless herself between that kiss and the unfolding of everything between them. She was grinning too, the kind of smile that couldn’t have been held back, even if she'd wanted to try. She was just so happy. And beyond that, there was a lightness to her spirits that hadn't been there a few minutes before, like some weight she hadn't known she was carrying had lifted away. The burden of uncertainty, maybe, that little niggling worry that she just might've been reading more into Bode’s affection than was there. Now all of that was stripped away -- she had everything she wanted right here in front of her and knew without a doubt that things were going right. With Hazel solid and real in his arms and dinner forgotten for the moment, Bishop murmured. “Think maybe we’ve got a lot of lost time to make up for?” As he pulled back to look at Hazel, there was a smirk firmly in place and his blue eyes held a hint of mischief in them. Bunny shifted a little on the counter so she could hook her legs around Bode and draw him in until every bit of space between them was gone. Like he said, they'd spent long enough being close without being close enough and that was something she aimed to change from here on out. Bunny had always been a tactile kind of person, and Bode was sure to reap the benefits of that now. “A whole lot of lost time,” she agreed, with a small nod as she grinned right back at him. With her arms around his neck the way they were, she could just slip beneath his collar to brush her fingertips along the back of his neck, an action that made him shiver and his heart quicken. Even tracing just that small area of the skin there felt intimate, a sudden gift of being able to claim a new part of him. “I'm looking forward to all the catching up we’ve got ahead of us, even if I won't hardly know how to behave now that I can give into every impulse I have about you.” Then, just to prove her point, she kissed him again. It was new enough to be exhilarating, making her heart skip up in tempo, but at the same time this was Bode, who she'd known her whole life long, and that meant it was familiar too. Familiar in a way that just felt right, like how their mouths fit so well together, or how she curved toward his touch. This connection between them went beyond any physical compatibility, too, to a meeting of something more difficult to definite. Heart to heart, maybe. All Bunny knew was that they were truly matched in every way, and that made kissing Bode feel like home. Before Bishop could fire back a witty remark about how he wasn’t about to complain if she gave into her every impulse, Hazel’s mouth was on his again and he was pulled into the here and now. As the kiss deepened, his tongue ran along the seam of her lips until she parted them. One hand tangled in her hair while Bishop slid the fingers of his other just under the hem of her shirt, the tips of them ghosted over the smooth skin above the waist of her jeans. Thoughts of lifting her up just then and moving this all upstairs flickered through his brain -- what part of it wasn’t consumed with the kiss -- but just as soon as the idea had flared up in his mind it died down. Or more accurately was extinguished by the chatter coming from the living room. “Think they’d notice if I took you upstairs?” Bishop asked as he broke the kiss, a sly smirk tugging up the corners of his mouth again. His voice was low and rough and his breathing was heavy. God, now that they had started Bishop wasn’t sure he would ever get enough of having Hazel like this. Even with the kiss broken, his hand remained where it had been, calloused fingers drawing patterns on her skin, which felt exhilarating in the fact that he could touch Hazel this way, and god, there were so many other ways he wanted touch her and experience this new level of intimacy they could explore between them. It was heady and freeing and for a moment Bishop wondered why he hadn’t grown a pair and owned up to his feelings sooner, but he knew why -- fear. Now though, with Hazel still in his arms and their bodies so close he could feel every inch of her pressed tight against his chest, Bishop wondered how he could have been so dense as to not see how things had been leading in this direction all along. From that first moment all those months ago when he gave Hazel the loft in his trailer, right up until now, their steps had been bringing them here all along. As if she were a magnet pulling him to her, Bishop found himself ducking his head down to kiss her again and his hand inched up further on her side, his thumb just barely brushed the lace of her bar as he murmured into the kiss. “You know you ain’t the only one who won’t know how to behave now,” Bishop trailed a line of kisses from her mouth up to her ear. “I got a whole hell of a lot of impulses I’m just dying to give into.” Impulses he planned to give into in this very moment. The idea of going upstairs had been shelved in favor of remaining right where they were. There would be other times things could be taken elsewhere, hell, Bishop hoped they had a lifetime of those moments ahead of them. |