Genevieve Vipond (vievenvol) wrote in vrrpg, @ 2017-07-10 17:53:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, char: adelaide de blacas, char: benjamin vipond, char: genevieve vipond, location: diagon alley, location: residence, time: 2009 06 |
RP: Being a Good Date
Who: Coop, Gen, with appearances by Addi in the beginning
When: Friday, June 23 - Saturday, June 24 [backdated]
Where: Diagon Alley, then Coop's Flat
What: Coop ropes Gen into walking him home after Open Mic Night
Warnings: None!
The bar had closed, and the group had collectively made their way down Victory Road toward Diagon Alley, parting ways there as Hyperion and ZJ headed toward her flat and Coop, Gen, and Addi turned toward the Leaky Cauldron. "So is Coop walking us home, or are we walking him home?" Addi asked with a laugh, shoving her sister's arm a bit, though there wasn't any force behind it.
Gen still stumbled a bit, nearly slamming into Coop on her other side, and she shoved Addi back with a bit more force. "Shut up, you. I'm in no shape to apparate right now," she pointed out needlessly. She was definitely still more than buzzed, and she knew better than to apparate while like this. She'd been splinched before - not by her own doing - and had no desire to experience that again.
While the prospect of taking both of the sisters home, Coop really just wanted to take Gen home. He wanted to curl up next to her in bed and not worry about Addi being downstairs wondering what was going on with the pair of them. Cooper even surprised himself that his first thought hadn’t been sex, it had been about just curling up next to the woman he loved and holding her. He hadn’t been able to do that yet, not since they had fixed things.
Cooper chuckled, catching Gen as she stumbled into him. He was still intoxicated himself, though his arm had slipped around her waist when he had caught her. “The Leaky has a floo,” He pointed out, though moments later was kicking himself for doing. “Though, if you take the floo then you’re not walking me home.” He told Gen with a goofy little smile. “I’d have to call you both a bad date then, don’t give Addi that reputation.”
Gen leaned into Coop as his arm went around her, then found herself laughing when he pointed out that the Leaky has a floo. She'd known that, it was where they were heading, after all. "Your flat has a floo, too," Addi chimed in, causing Gen to shoot her a look, which she just ignored with a roll of her eyes. "And I'm not your date, anyway. That would be gross!"
Gen had to snort a soft laugh at that, shaking her head, though she glanced up at Coop with slightly hooded eyes, clearly inebriated. "She's not wrong, mon coeur," she told him, letting her arm settle around his back as well.
He had heard her teasing him, he really had. Though when Gen was so close like this... He was so tempted to kiss her. He could just bend his head in and press his lips against hers. He was intoxicated enough that he didn't realize he had stopped them a moment, or that was leaning in to do just that, until his lips came inches from touching her's and he straightened up, blinking rapidly. He wanted to apologize but he wasn't about to apologize for that just now. He instead kept them moving, they had to get home. Whatever home they were all going to.
Instead he let his eyes lift to look at Addi and smirked. "There is, does that mean you're walking me home?" He looked down at Gen. "You could be nice and let her go home when we get to the Leaky, and then walk me yourself. That way it won't be gross that my date ditched me." He was teasing but he was doing his best to not talk about the fact that he wanted to kiss her.
When he came so close to kissing her, Gen's eyes nearly slipped closed, her lips parting slightly, but the he was moving them along again, and it took her just a moment longer to get her legs moving again. What the hell had that been about? Her alcohol-fuzzed mind was protesting, not the fact that he'd almost kissed her, but that he hadn't kissed her.
"Cooper," she warned, though there was no heat behind it. How could there be when she'd just given away how much she wanted to kiss him? Her free hand lifted to play with the little bird hanging from her necklace he'd just given her that morning, and she couldn't help the ridiculous smile on her face. Oh yes, she was definitely drunk, but that happy level of drunk.
"Oh, don't worry, I'm totally flooing from the Leaky," Addi chimed in, winking at Coop.
Cooper just gave her that smile when she said his name like that, he wasn't worried. He knew that tone but he knew she wanted to kiss him now. He had seen her face, he had seen that she had wanted to too. He wanted to kiss her but something felt wrong about doing it in front of Addi.
When he heard Addi pipe up, he gave a chuckle and nodded his head. "See? You've got to walk me home now, it's only fair." Coop couldn't tell you just why it was fair, he just knew that it was only fair. Why couldn't she walk him home? He didn't know how to go about swaying her to come with him, though he hoped that just being with him tonight had done that for him.
As the trio neared the Leaky, he pulled her in closer a moment and may have slowed them down just a fraction. "I wouldn't mind falling asleep next to you again," He said in a soft voice, "Holding you against me and listening to your soft snoring." He was fighting dirty and he had no idea why he wanted to tell her, but it had just come out. He wasn't about to promise to be totally innocent though, he knew he was intoxicated and if she instigated things... He couldn't say no.
Gen was flushed, though she wouldn't say she was blushing per se. But between him and Addi, she was starting to feel maneuvered into something, and she was just drunk enough that she wasn't sure if she was being manipulated into it or if it was something she actually wanted. But that was ridiculous - no one had forced her to sing 'No One' tonight or to stay close to him or anything. No one had forced her to tell him two weeks ago that she still loved him.
And then he slowed them down and pulled her closer and his words completely scrambled her brain. It hadn't been that long since she'd slept next to a man in a bed, but the memory of that couldn't come close to the reality of curling up next to the man she was deeply, passionately in love with. "Coop," she breathed, not quite a whine, but close, as she came to a stop and pressed her face against his chest. He was not playing fair at all!
Addi had kept going a bit before realizing they'd stopped, but after a quick glance back, she chuckled softly and just kept going. Okay, so maybe she should be trying to thwart anything happening between the two for a couple more weeks so that she would win the bet, but she wanted Vieve happy more than she wanted to win the bet, so she wasn't going to interfere.
Cooper laughed when he heard her whine and his arms moved to wrap both around him and enveloped her in a hug. He let out a soft sigh and squeezed her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I won't push you, you know that," he muttered. "I just really miss you, little bird. It's been so long." It was torment every morning going on this run and then having to turn around and come home alone. He loved spending time with her and he wasn't going to stop their runs just because he wanted her in his bed, he wanted her back fully, he wanted all of her. He was willing to take whatever she was willing to offer though, he was completely lovesick.
As his arms went around her, hers moved more fully around him, and she sighed against his chest. Good god, this felt so right, being in his arms like this. "I miss you too, mon coeur," she murmured back. She turned her head to look up at him from his chest, her heart starting to race. Until tonight, all they'd done since dancing together in Provence and that kiss she'd not returned was run together, and all of the repressed feelings seemed to be bubbling to the surface now. She wanted to kiss him. But they were in the middle of Diagon Alley, and even though it was the middle of the night and she was a bit drunk, she didn't want their first kiss together again to be so public.
"Let's go home," she whispered without thinking, sighing and resting her head back against his chest, letting the moment pass without a kiss.
His heart soared hearing her say that. He didn’t doubt that she did, it just felt so damn good to hear her say that again. He let out a happy little sigh as he tried so hard not to kiss her. She had her head against his chest and the angle was just all wrong. Instead when she said let’s go home, he had started moving them again. His hand slipped into hers again and he brought his free hand up to put his thumb and index finger between his lips, before whistling ridiculously loud. It was an empty street, Addi would have heard him if he’d just spoke at a normal volume. Since Cooper was drunk, he was stuck in the loud setting.
“ ‘ey! Hold up, li’ bit.” He chuckled as he squeezed Gen’s hand, throwing her a smile. “I want to be sure you get back safe.” She was little, it was late, it was just safer. He would do the same with any random woman he would run across this late at night running around. He knew that the streets were so much safer than they had been previously but he still worried about this sort of thing.
When the pair caught up, he wanted to burst and tell her that Gen was coming home with him. He wanted however to act casual, he didn’t want her to think he would go back on his words. He was trying very hard though to let Gen tell Addi, it was her house anyway.
Gen was happy to start walking again, settling naturally at his side with her hand in his. How had she fooled herself into thinking she was ready to embrace a future without him in it? It seemed so impossible now. What Gen was not happy about was him suddenly pulling a very Coop move and whistling so loud that it rang her ears. "Coop!" she groaned, lifting her free hand to her head. She was drunk, not deaf! Though she wondered if maybe now she was.
The whistle would have been impossible to not hear in a loud, bustling crowd, which meant it was positively piercing in the empty, quiet street. It stopped Addi in her tracks, and she turned to look at the couple with a laugh. "Mon dieu! You realize I wasn't that far away, right?" she tossed back at him, rolling her eyes that he wanted to make sure she got back safe. She was fine - really, what could happen to her between here and the Leaky? But that was Coop, overprotective to a fault.
Once they caught up to her, she looped her arm through Vieve's other arm. "You guys didn't have to worry about me. I was just going to floo from the Leaky. Nothing scary about that," Addi pointed out dryly.
She was frustrated with him but he was still grinning at her, he loved hearing her groan. He had missed absolutely everything about her. He chuckled as they all caught up not at all upset that both of them seemed annoyed with him. “We’re your date, Adelaide.” He was trying to sound formal but he was almost certain he just sounded ridiculous. He chuckled though as they neared the doors to the Leaky. It really had been right there. ZJ lived far closer to the Leaky than he remembered.
He only let go of Gen’s hand when he stepped up to open the doors for them, allowing them in first. He followed them inside and got nervous, he hoped Gen wouldn’t go back on her word. He knew she wasn’t the type but he knew that she could still choose to go home. He really wanted to sleep with her tonight, to feel her against his chest and in his arms. Gods, he loved her. He was still standing in the doorway just staring at her, that lovesick look that came complete with a goofy smile plastered to his drunken face. He had drank a bit too much, he was sure to crash soon after they got back.
Once they reached the Leaky, Addi bounced over to the floo and paid for a bit of powder and was just about to step in when she turned back to the couple, winking at Vieve. "I won't wait up for you! See you tomorrow," she said cheekily before stepping in and calling out the name of Vieve's home floo. While she hated that Hyperion was probably about to win the bet, she really hoped that tonight would be good for her sister. It was about damn time they were back together! And anyway, she had to figure Hype was far too honorable to choose an awful tattoo for her.
Gen didn't realize at first that he'd let go of her hand, but after Addi disappeared in the floo, she chuckled and turned to look for him. "What are you doing, mon coeur? Come on," she urged him with a bit of a loopy smile on her face, stretching her hand out toward him. Addi would be fine on her own at her house, Gen was sure, and she wanted nothing more than to fall asleep in Coop's arms again tonight. It had been too damn long.
“Just being grateful,” he muttered as his hand slipped easily back into hers and he moved to lead them out the other door, to the streets of London so that they could walk the few blocks to the flat. They were back to his flat in minutes, the walk having been a quick one. As soon as they were inside though, he didn’t know what to do. He wanted to pull her to him and kiss her, he had promised though and he would keep his promises to her. She was the most important thing, especially right that moment.
He gave her hand a gentle tug, pulling her closer to him. “We should go to bed.” He knew it was the easiest way to keep himself from making the situation worse. If he was asleep he wouldn’t be tempted to kiss her, he wouldn’t be tempted to say something stupid and wildly inappropriate. “Think you can make it up the stairs?”
His quiet answer had her stomach fluttering in delight, and she tucked herself against his side as they walked back through London to his flat. Once they were there, only the second time for her since moving out after their breakup in December, she did her best to stay focused on him. She didn't want to look around and see things different from how they'd been when she'd lived here with him.
When he pulled her close, she slipped into his arms easily, nodding against his chest. "Oui, we should," she agreed. And then she chuckled at his question. "Of course I can. I've done it a million times before," she pointed out, giving his chest a playful shove. And then she moved away from him just to prove that she could. Once she was upstairs and in his bedroom, she crossed to the closet and opened one of the drawers automatically. It... didn't have her clothes in it though, and she stared at it for a long moment, utterly confused.
Reality caught up with her then, and she sighed. Right. Of course her clothes aren't in the drawer, because she moved out. This wasn't her home. Biting her lower lip, she went on poking through the drawers until she found one of his old t-shirts to sleep in. "You don't mind, do you?" she asked when she turned around again, holding the shirt up a bit.
Coop didn’t follow her up right away only because he had first slipped into the kitchen so that he could grab two bottles of water before he started to head upstairs. He was just reaching the landing when he saw her in the closet, she was turning and asking him about that shirt. He set the waters next to the bed, he knew they’d need them at least in the morning to try to avoid the hangover. Hydration and all that, it was the only reason he had bottled water in the flat.
“Of course I don’t mind,” he said with a chuckle. “I’ve never minded. I’m not going to start now.” Especially not when he was imagining her in just that. He wondered if she would try to use a pair of his pajama pants and pull the string on the pants to fit her. He took off his own shirt then, tossing into the corner of the room. He was just about to undo his jeans when he realized he should ask what she wanted for him. “Do you want me to put on pants?” he called out, his hands still on his pants as he unbuttoned them.
At his answer, she chuckled as well, rolling her eyes in amusement as she turned back around. She set the shirt down and lifted her shirt off, tossing it to a corner of the closet before twisting her hands around her back to unclasp her bra just as he asked her about pants. Gen glanced back at him over her shoulder. "We both know you'll sleep more comfortably if you don't," she pointed out with more than a little amusement.
Gen tossed her bra over with her shirt then before tugging his shirt on. She thought about finding a pair of boxers or pajama pants of his she could borrow, but the boxers would likely just fall off and the pants would be too hot, so she just slipped out of her shoes and shorts, tossing them aside as well. When she left the closet, it was another automatic thing to cross over to 'her' side of the bed and sit on the edge of it as she took off her earrings and necklace, setting them on the side table with her wand and phone before slipping under the covers.
It was all so painfully familiar. It killed him to know that she had not actually sat in that spot in months, that it had been ages since he’d had her in his bed. Before he could even help himself, a sad little sigh slipped from him. He finished undoing his jeans then, letting them hit the floor and nudging them away with his foot. It was only then that he climbed into the side that he had slept on even after she had left, his side. He had only slept on her side until the pillow cases had lost her scent and he had to wash them.
Then they were in bed together and everything felt right again. He slid close to her, his eyes on hers. He was still so intoxicated and he knew it but he was at least here, in this bed with her. He slipped an arm around her middle, bending his head to press a kiss to her cheek, he had been aiming for her lips but he seemed to have missed. “I love you, little bird.” He whispered then, as his foot moved under the blankets to lightly rub against the top of hers for a moment. He had missed sleeping tangled in her, feeling her breath against his skin as she fell asleep with her head on his chest, or hearing those soft snores… He missed all of it. The few women he had brought home had definitely not felt as right as this moment.
Once Coop was laying down, in another move that felt as natural as breathing Gen rolled onto her side and tucked herself against his side, resting her head on his chest as her arm draped over his torso. She smiled at the kiss to her cheek, brushing a lazy kiss against his chest in response to it. "Love you too, mon coeur," she murmured before yawning. Feeling safe and loved, it was all too easy for her to fall asleep.
When the morning came, Gen slipped out of his bed and grabbed her wand, yawning as she went to the bathroom off his bedroom. She was certainly not awake yet, but was on auto-pilot as she relieved herself and then went to wash her hands at the sink. Continuing the morning routine she'd had for years, she went downstairs, still only half-awake, and started the coffee, waiting until she had a mug of it before she would go back to the bathroom. Only she was a bit more awake on the trip back, and she got her first good look at the flat since being back in his life.
There were so many little things that were wrong. Pictures that were missing, knickknacks that they'd collected together had been divvied up between them - most of hers were in a box in her garage, and she couldn't help but wonder what he'd done with his. She shook off the looming sadness at the thought and made her way back up the spiral staircase, going back to the bathroom to deal with the rest of her morning hygiene routine. But when she reached the sink, none of her stuff was there. Which, of course it wasn't, because she didn't live here anymore. "Merde," she breathed before using her wand to take care of the most important things. And then she took her mug of coffee to the bathtub, sitting on the edge of it with her feet inside as she stared out over the city. It was something she'd done many times before when she'd just wanted to think.
Cooper couldn’t remember the last time that he had slept so well, it had to have been ages. When he woke though there wasn’t a warm body in the bed with him, a low groan leaving him as his hand moved to feel the other side of the bed to confirm that she was not in fact there. He pushed himself to get up but as he did he caught the sight in the mirror, it was Gen on the edge of the tub looking out the large windows. He’d caught her that way a few times, it didn’t always mean something bad but it did mean that something was on her mind.
A yawn slipped from him and he climbed from the bed and padded barefoot to the doorway of the bathroom. He had to use the bathroom, it had been what had woke him up but that wasn’t the first thing he wanted to say to her. Hey, can you leave so I can take a piss? Didn’t sound so nice. It sounded far too rude and really... He just wanted to be there with Gen. “Need company?” he asked as he knocked on the doorframe, announcing his presence. “How’s the city look? Still standing?” He didn’t wait for her to answer before he took a step into the bathroom, it was so familiar. He wanted her around the flat more, he wanted to see her more.
Gen was almost finished with the mug of coffee when he came into the bathroom, and she glanced over at him with a faint sort of smile. "It is still standing," she confirmed, looking back out the windows then. "So much has changed, and yet... so much is the same," she murmured. The view hadn't changed, but so much within the flat had. Could they really go back though? Could they slip back into each others lives as if the last seven months hadn't happened? Could things be different, better?
"Oh! You probably want the bathroom," she realized, flushing faintly at the realization that it was another thing that had probably changed. She swung her legs back over the side of the tub and stood up. When she was about to pass him, she paused and leaned up to brush her lips against his cheek. "Don't worry, I won't disappear while you're in here," she promised before slipping out of the bathroom and heading back downstairs to top off her coffee, still wearing only his shirt and her knickers. She knew she should probably put some more clothes on, but she couldn't be bothered to just yet.
Coop couldn’t help it, he glanced out the window when she said so much had changed. What had changed? He knew they’d put in a few new shops but mostly it was all the same. He hadn’t noticed a different. Though she was already moving from the tub by then, Cooper chuckling. “Sorry, yeah.” He admitted as he reached an arm up to rub at the back of his neck awkwardly. While he used to be comfortable enough to use the bathroom while she was in there… It had been a while since they were together. He didn’t want the first time she might potentially get a peek be like this, he knew it was ridiculous but it was a worry. Then she promised not to leave and he let out a happy sigh, “Thank you.” He murmured as an arm slipped around her waist to give her a squeeze before he let her go.
Then she was gone and he went about his own morning routine, going to the bathroom and splashing some water on his face. He was only slightly hung over. He was out in minutes, grabbing his water bottle from beside the bed before he headed downstairs to find her. He couldn’t help the smile that graced his lips when he saw her in the kitchen, it was so familiar. “I missed you seeing you in there.” He said as he uncapped his waterbottle then, taking a long sip from it. As soon as he killed it, he set the empty bottle down and licked his lips. “What had you in the tub?”
He seemed so awkward about it, but she didn't think he should be. They weren't together, not officially yet anyway, and they'd been apart for seven months. But he seemed so relieved that she wouldn't be disappearing on him, and that made her smile. "Of course," she murmured back before heading down.
When he came into the kitchen and said he'd missed seeing her in there, she glanced at him with a bemused sort of smile, her head tilted slightly. "Ahh," she hummed when he mentioned the tub. "I was a bit disoriented when I first got up. Took me a minute to remember why so many things are missing around here," she admitted. She supposed it was understandable for that to happen her first time sleeping over at his flat again.
“They’re just in the trunk?” Cooper said with a look of confusion, pointing behind him towards the stairs before he was coming around to get to the fridge. He wondered if there was some food, were they going for a run? He couldn’t tell if he was completely hung over yet or not, he thought he might be able to handle a run this morning.
“Do you want to go for a run this morning, or grab some food?” He wondered if he should be asking more important questions, like what was this? Were they back together? He wanted her things here, he wanted to tell her that. He wanted to know if it was even appropriate. Was she rethinking trying things again with him? He had so many questions to ask just then and he had no idea where to start. He instead shut the ice box door that he had opened a moment before, licking his lips. “You weren’t thinking about how this is a bad idea or anything like that…. Were you?” He tried to sound light and airy, but that were you held the fear he felt that she was going to change her mind.
He didn't know precisely what he would have done to make her rethink it all, though he wondered if maybe just sleeping next to him had been enough. If really being in the flat again, seeing every inch of it again, had been the trigger that made her rethink it all.
It was so nonchalant, the way he said the missing things were just in the trunk, as if that made all her mixed up feelings about it ridiculous. But how could she explain it to him? Should she even bother? If nothing else, though, she felt some comfort in knowing he'd kept everything. "Oh," was all she said on it.
Gen let out a sound that was somewhere between a hum and a groan at the question about going for a run, wrinkling her nose a bit. "We probably should - go for a run, that is. I'll need to head h...home first to get dressed for it." Although she stumbled a bit referring to her cottage as home, she tried to move past it, waving a hand down her front as if highlighting just how little she was wearing, which was probably not fair of her at all, but it was still true - she couldn't go running like this!
But then he was closing the door to the fridge and asking her that question, and she frowned at him, her brows furrowed. "What? No, Coop, that's not what I was thinking at all," she murmured. She really wanted to cross to him, to kiss him and hold him and reassure him that everything would be just fine, but she knew what would happen if she did, and she wasn't sure she was quite ready for that yet. "Stop worrying so much, mon chou," she said softly, taking a couple steps closer to him and reaching out to take his hand. "I love you, and it was wonderful to be back here last night."
His eyes slid over her body as she gestured, that goofy smile gracing his lips as his eyes found hers and that smile turned into a wicked little expression that gave away the fact he was thinking about her naked, he was thinking about that first time she had been in his kitchen dressed very similar. They were good memories and he really wanted to make more, though he had a feeling that right now was not the time for him to press his luck.
He heard the stumble in her words and he just nodded, “We can put it off... Or I could come with you? We can leave from your place,” It wasn’t her home and he wasn’t about to call it that, her home was with him and he knew it was ridiculous but it was the thought that had entered his mind just then. “I can apparate back home after our run. What do you say?” He wasn’t up for losing their morning runs, he had missed those so much over the past few months.
When she reassured him that wasn’t what she was thinking, his heart instantly felt lighter and he didn’t even think twice. He raced forward to close the gap, his arms wrapping around her waist and he lifted her up, giving her a quick spin before he set her down. “Good, don’t count me out yet? I’ve still got things to do to win you back.” He knew technically he already had her back, he swore it wouldn’t count though until she was his girlfriend. He wanted her as his again, though he knew they were very close… He still had a few things he wanted to tell her and show her before then.
Gen couldn't help smiling as he seemed to be trying to work out a way for them to still get their morning run in together. "Why don't I apparate to my cottage and get dressed and all, and then we'll meet up at our regular spot for our run?" Because she didn't want to give up their runs together, either, she just couldn't go in what she was wearing now, and she didn't see the point in him coming to her cottage right now when his running gear was all here. It would be quicker for her to just go on her own and meet him.
When he scooped her up and spun her around, she shrieked laughingly. "Ahh, coffee!" she warned him, trying her best to keep her mug from sloshing too much and spilling - she didn't want to burn him with it. But then she was back on her feet, and she laughed again before taking a sip and then setting the mug on the counter. "Oh, do you now?" And she couldn't help smiling widely at that thought, and she pulled her lower lip between her teeth as if that might contain it. Maybe it was unfair of her to be thrilled that he wanted to woo her again, but she loved it, and she wanted to enjoy every minute of it.
He knew that was really the best option, he needed to change himself anyway so it would give them both time to do that. He nodded his head, licking his lips. “I can do that, I’ve got to change anyway.” He motioned behind himself to the stairs and the closet. He was wondering then if he might go through the trunk. He wanted to get a few things out, the pictures at least. There were some bare spots that needed filling.
“Of course,” he replied cheekily, his brows perked in amusement. “It’s just a few things. You’ll see.” He wanted to admit nothing crazy but he felt that might ruin the mood. He didn’t want to ruin the mood, his mouth tended to get him into trouble far too often. His arms tightened around her gently in a hug before he fully let her go. “Don’t leave just yet though?”
At his cheeky response, Gen couldn't help chuckling softly under her breath. Just a few things, right. If that was true, she could imagine those few things were probably on the grander scale. That was what Coop did, after all, and she could admit that she'd missed that. If things hadn't been so rocky when he proposed in December, she knew that it would have been the perfect proposal. Having their family there and even it being public... it was them, and she still wished things had been right back then, that she'd been able to say yes. But, that didn't matter now, as they were getting back on track toward that future together.
With that thought in mind, she smiled at him at his question, nodding her head slightly. "I'm not in any rush, mon chou," she promised. "Maybe even we could take the coffee to the couch and talk a bit?" she suggested. Having stayed the night last night, even though they'd not done anything but sleep, meant that there were probably some things they should talk about.
He knew that chuckle, he just grinned at her. It would work out, everything he had planned would work out he was sure of it. He still had so much to tell him, so many. He was going to fix this though, she was his soulmate. There was no one else for him, there was just Gen.
“I’d like that,” Especially since he was sure that this talk wasn’t going to be Gen telling him to bugger off. He didn’t know what she wanted to talk about but he had a feeling it wasn’t that. He moved to open the fridge again then, pulling out his orange juice before he busied himself finding himself a cup and pouring a big glass. “I can meet you in the living room if you’d like? I’m going to grab a bagel I think, I need something in my stomach to soak up the acid.” He wasn’t a fan of coffee often enough to need some this morning. He would stick to his water and juice.
"What, you don't want me to stand here and watch you make a bagel?" she teased lightly before bringing her mug to her lips again, looking at him over the rim for a moment. She definitely couldn't do carbs before their run, but she would grab a piece of fruit at home so her stomach wasn't empty.
Gen left the kitchen then, though, going to sit on the couch, tucking her legs under her and looking natural and comfortable being there. She sipped at her coffee, looking around as she did. They'd shared so many amazing memories here, and a few not so pleasant ones, but on the whole she loved the memories she had of this place. Especially the couch, she thought with a bit of a smirk, patting the back of it fondly.
When he came in, she smiled at him. It was almost strange how relaxed she felt now after making the decision to sleep over last night. But staying away from him didn't feel like an option anymore, and she was more than okay with that. She'd suggesting talking a bit first, and there were so many things she wanted to say, but she was having trouble sorting through them, which wasn't like her at all. "It felt... so right to sleep next to you again last night," she finally said at first. "But it does make it harder to take things slow. I'm sure it's a bit frustrating, but... you understand why I don't want us to rush back together, right?" Because it was frustrating for her, as well, but they'd broken up in December for a reason, and she needed to be sure it wouldn't be a problem this time around.
Cooper rolled his eyes playfully at her, even playfully moving to pinch her ass as she went by. He chuckled as he dug out what he needed and went about putting the peanut butter on the bagel and then carrying it out to the living room. He really should have put more clothing on but he hadn’t thought twice about coming down here in just his boxers still. Besides, she was still in just his shirt.
“I...” Cooper gave a shrug of his shoulders, he wasn’t entirely sure he got it. “Not really, no. I know that we need to fight less, we need to fix things that were upsetting you. I need to change for our future, and any future children that we might want to have together. I can’t have a family and have them live in fear of something stupid happening.” He sucked in a breath, “I have a lot of growing up to do still, I’ve changed a little but compared to what I know I need to… It isn’t enough.” He knew he still got that rage, he had felt it when Oliver Wood had sat across from him at the bar. He had wanted to smash his face in.
Gen sighed, closing her eyes for a long moment when he first said no. Honestly, how could he not get it by now? She didn't want to be frustrated with him, though, and she didn't want the optimism she'd regained since he'd come back in her life to be stomped out. And then he went on, and she looked at him again, relaxing slightly. He might have said he didn't really understand, but from his next words, she thought maybe he did.
"That's just it..." she said softly when he finished. "I've started going to therapy, and I've already made better sense of some of what I was feeling last year, of why I said no." She took another drink of her coffee, giving her a small moment to organize her thoughts. "After we lost the baby, that reality hit me like a speeding train. What if we hadn't lost the baby? What if we had got married and had that baby and then something happened to make you snap and you got yourself killed in a bar fight or something? Your injury combined with the unhealthy way your jealousy came out was terrifying," she admitted.
Cooper knew there some things he couldn’t keep to himself any longer. He bit his lower lip, nodding his head as he tried to think of the best way to let her know everything. In true Cooper style, it was all at once in a rush. “I’ve been going to therapy myself, for a few weeks now? I actually saw two different doctors with Hyperion before we settled with one that I liked.” Yes, it had definitely been a we thing. Hyperion had not gone into the appointments with him but they had gone to lunch afterwards and talked about it, Cooper would let him know if he had actually felt like he had been heard, and they figured out if Cooper should go back. They both were happy with Alec, the man lived up to his reputation of being the best.
He sucked in another breath, before he continued on in his rush. He didn’t want her to interrupt until he had said everything he needed to because the next bit had been weighing on his chest. “I’m going to be working on the Magpies, I think. It’s not official official yet but they were who I was talking to, they were the only ones I was talking to. As much as I love you Gen, and I’ll be honest a little bit was because you’re there, but it wasn’t about us. It was about wanting to be back on my favorite team and when the news had dropped that Fin would be coaching…” He had that goofy grin on his face then, looking at his hands nervously. He was so certain she was going to be so mad. “I had to throw my hat in the ring for assistant coach. He’s brilliant Gen, one of the best. I’d be ridiculous not to throw my name in to work with him, on my favorite team. It’s almost as good as the other dream.” It was almost as good as being coached by Fin while playing for his favorite team. “Don’t be mad, I’ve been trying to find the best time and way to tell you… This was not it.”
There was the injury, he wanted to talk about that more. He wanted to talk about how he wanted to talk to Aly about fixing him. He wanted to mention that it was something Aly could do, within his powers. He would still never be able to play again, people don’t just recover from those sort of injuries. You were left with them for life. He didn’t want to get her hopes up though, while he loved Aly he knew that he had his own code. If it wasn’t meant to be... Well, he would let Cooper know. He didn’t see Aly turning him down but there was always the slim chance.
There was something he wanted to tell her, she could sense it, but she wasn't going to rush him, not right now, not with something this important. And then he spoke his admission, and she knew her jaw had dropped, literally. He'd been in therapy for a few weeks?! How in the world had he managed to not tell her about it until now? He was the man who couldn't stand to hang onto a gift for more than a few days, even if her birthday or Christmas was only a few weeks away, and yet, he'd managed to keep this to himself. That spoke volumes to her about how seriously he was taking it.
She was still trying to wrap her head around the therapy thing when he launched into the other thing he'd apparently been working himself up to telling her, that he was very close to joining the Magpies' coaching staff. It wasn't until he asked her not to be mad, that he was trying to figure out how and when to tell her that she finally picked her jaw back up and tipped her head back, letting out a laugh. "Mon dieu, Coop, did you really think I didn't know? Of course you want the Magpies. I never believed you were in talks with anyone else; I know you too well. It's always been them for you, and with the coaching shakeups this year, I knew you were going for it. How could you not? I'm not mad, mon chou, though I do wish you would have told me yourself sooner."
After taking another pull of her coffee, she looked at him with a slightly more serious expression. "You're really in therapy though? For a few weeks?" That meant he'd started before she'd come to him two weeks ago and told him she still loved him. Oh, how she wanted that to be true, that he was trying to work on his own things before she'd given him hope that they could be together again.
Cooper relaxed when she laughed, she could have been crazy and two seconds from killing him sort of crazy laugh. It wasn’t though, she had just known. He grinned a bit, shrugging his shoulders in an ‘awe shucks’ sort of way. “I was afraid you’d be mad, that you’d think it was all just to get you back.” He shook his head, “I want you back, that’s never been a question. It’s different though, I’m not delusional enough to believe that. I... When I told Em, she made it feel like I only wanted to coach because I wanted to get you back. She realized after I explained that there was no way but..” He shook his head. “I just am very glad you knew me well enough to know.” He whispered a little softer.
That expression had him worried, her question though had him smiling. “Yeah, Hyperion sort of... Agreed it’d be a good idea after that first karaoke night out with everyone. The one you couldn’t make.” He wasn’t going to say why she hadn’t made that first night, “It was the next day or so that I got to talking with Hype... We found a lot of the doctors in the area and he went with me until we found one.” He was so thankful for that, he wasn’t entirely sure if he would have gone through with it if it hadn’t been for Hyperion. He knew he also owed Addi a lot of thanks too, she had helped so much that weekend too.
She had been mad at first, that night before the festival when he'd first told her he was potential switching teams and in talks with some of them, but it hadn't taken long for her to get over herself and realize that it truly wasn't about her. She knew him, and so she knew that if he had an opportunity to be a part of the Magpies' team again, he was going to take it, and she couldn't fault him for that. "Of course I know you better than that," she whispered back with a small smile. She didn't understand how Em hadn't realized it without him explaining it to her, but there was nothing she could do about that.
"The one I... oh! That's right, Eloise and I went out that night. She'd bought tickets to a show," she remembered. She'd been so disappointed to miss karaoke night, but it had been really good to catch up properly with Eloise. And that had been before her sister knew she was pregnant, or at least before she'd told them about it! And she couldn't help the warm smile at remembering it - she was going to be an aunt soon! "That's really great, mon chou," she said genuinely. Hope was blossoming in her chest, and she couldn't deny it.
Cooper felt such a weight lifted from his chest, she seemed happy with him. He was doing things right, he was doing things for himself though as well. He was thrilled that he seemed to be on the right path though. He wanted to hug her then, kiss her, pull her to him. He couldn’t though, he knew that he needed to follow her rules. He had to play this game the right way and that meant that he had to listen to her rules for now. He would try to break them later, he was sure of it.
“Thank you,” He said with a sheepish smile. “Just don’t tell anyone I take Hype? I should probably have asked Em to go but I haven’t even told her I’m going yet.. It’s just you, Hyperion, and Addi.” Who had apparently kept his secret, he always knew that she could. He shifted in his seat then, “How is Eloise?” He was scooting just a little closer to her, his knee bumping against hers. He wanted to touch her.
Gen couldn't help laughing at the admission that Addi had known about Coop going to therapy. She was actually proud of her sister for keeping that one to herself, but then she'd always known Addi was capable of keeping secrets; one just had to make sure to tell her outright that something needed to be kept secret. "It's not mine to tell, mon chou," she replied. And who would she tell, anyway? It wasn't anyone's business that Coop took some comfort in dragging his best friend along to his therapy sessions. Honestly, whatever it took for Coop to feel comfortable so he would keep going. She wanted him to get better, she wanted this to work.
"Eloise is wonderful!" she said, gushing softly. It had only been a week since her sister had announced her pregnancy, but the pure excitement of it had definitely not worn off just yet. "She was telling me just yesterday that she never thought she would be excited to be sick, but that the morning sickness hasn't been too awful so that could be why. I can't believe there will finally be a baby in the family in just six months!"
Cooper knew it was ridiculous to ask her to not share, but he had to. He chuckled though when she spoke of her sister, happier subjects. He was hoping they had maybe covered the important bits that they needed to before they got together again. He wondered if that would be happening sooner than later. He couldn’t bring himself to ask just then, he didn’t want to push his luck.
“They’ve been trying for ages, of course she’s excited. I’m sure she would be excited even if it was the most horrible morning sickness.” Which he was glad that it wasn’t, he was glad she seemed healthy and so was the baby. “The first grandchild, niece or nephew. They’re going to be so spoiled.” Cooper chuckled, shaking his head just thinking about it. He knew the family far too well, that child was going to be absolutely spoiled in the best ways. There would be a lot of love to go around.
He felt it then, that tug at his heart. That feeling that he wanted that, he wanted kids. His eyes met Gen’s a moment and he knew his face was likely giving him away. He couldn’t say it though, he couldn’t say aloud that he wanted a family with her. They weren’t even together yet.
He probably wasn't wrong there, though she too was glad that Eloise wasn't plagued with terrible morning sickness. After it taking so long to conceive, her sister deserved that little bit of reprieve, in her opinion. "Oh, of course they will!" she agreed enthusiastically. She couldn't wait to spoil the baby, and she had even already ordered some things online and had them shipped directly to Eloise. She couldn't help but be excited.
She knew that look, and even as it made her heart race a bit, even as she felt the same thing he was feeling then, she couldn't say the words. Not yet. She needed time to process everything he'd told her, to figure out what that meant for them and their future together. "All right, mon chou, I'm going to go home and change. I'll meet you at our spot in fifteen?" she asked. It would give her enough time to drink another half a cup of coffee, she thought.
Cooper nodded his head at her words, fifteen minutes. "I can meet you at our spot." He told her with that goofy smile, peeking at her through his lashes just a moment. He liked that they had their spot. He wondered if it would still be their spot once they got together. Would they change and start running closer to his flat or her home? He wouldn't press the situation yet. He would leave it up to future Cooper to deal with.
He got up from the couch then, holding hands out for her. "Let me walk you to the floo?"
When he got up, she chuckled softly before standing as well. "I was just going to apparate," she teased him, setting the mug down on the coffee table before hugging him. "I'll see you soon," she promised. And then she was pulling away, and a moment later, she was gone, back to her little cottage. It was only after she'd gone upstairs to change that she realized she was still wearing his shirt, that she'd left her clothes and jewelry at his flat. The realization made her smile, and she thought it was a good thing no one was around to see it.