"Simplicity"
title Simplicity
characters Matt Parkman + Daphne Millbrook from the TV show Heroes
word count 1377
rating G/K -- nothing bad or anything
summary Matt was a simple man, who only really needed one thing in his life.
chapters one-shot
notes I'm new to writing Heroes fanfic, so please be gentle! Just a bit of fluff. :) Reviews/comments appreciated, especially constructive ones, but no flames please. This is actually my second Matt/Daphne fic but I'm still working on the first one so I thought I'd start off with this one. Hope you enjoy it :)
"Hello?" Daphne Millbrook called out as she entered her New York apartment. "Matt? You home?"
Nothing. Frowning quizzically, Daphne stepped through the door and wandered to make sure Matt hadn't holed himself up somewhere accidentally. What she did find, though, in their bedroom, was a dress and a note.
Speedy --
Put this on and meet me at Redondo Beach. You have thirty minutes.
-- Parkman
Tilting her head to one side, Daphne thought about it for a second -- Redondo Beach? As in... Redondo Beach, California? -- and then grinned. She and Matt had been dating for two years and it was scary how well he knew her now. "Please, thirty minutes," she muttered, as she took her time to get herself ready (the dress really was pretty) and make herself pretty for Matt. It'd only take her about five minutes to get to where she needed to go, anyway.
"Hmm, Redondo Beach," she thought to herself, as she fastened on some earrings. Best to take a sweater and some sandals, just in case. This was California they were talking about, after all.
*
Matt was standing under the pier, glancing out at all the people enjoying themselves in the late afternoon sun and surf. He was too focused on his own thoughts to really register anyone else's. His eyes scanned the beach every now and then, waiting for someone to suddenly zoom up to his side. Nothing yet.
He idly wondered if Daphne had ever been out to California as he fidgeted with something in his pocket. And then he started getting nervous again.
I must be crazy to do this. What if she says no? What if she runs away and I can't find her? This was all a bad idea, Matt thought to himself. But he wasn't allowed to continue on in the same train of thought, because just then, Daphne appeared in front of him, not even leaving a mark on the sand she had just zoomed across. "Redondo Beach?" she asked, by way of greeting.
Matt shrugged. "I didn't think you'd ever been here before," he said, draping an arm around her. Daphne looked up at him, her eyes sparkling. "Yeah, too close to home." Matt poked her playfully in the shoulder. "Brat."
She stuck her tongue out at him and then laughed. "So why here?" she asked again. "Other than the fact that yeah, I've never been here."
"Oh, I used to come out here a lot as a kid," Matt said. "And I enjoyed it. So I thought I'd bring you here, so that you could enjoy it with me, too." He looked down at her dress. "It looks good."
"Thank you." She grinned and mock-curtsied. "I don't usually do dresses, but I like this one." Smoothing it out, she let Matt lead her through the surf, the water lapping around their feet. Daphne had to admit, it was a good feeling. Something different.
As they walked, Matt reflected on his thoughts some more. He'd done this once before -- not in the same manner, though, and definitely not with the same ring -- and it had turned out badly. Why was he doing this again? Oh, that's right... because he had fallen in love with this woman, and somehow he knew it would turn out differently. Even though he'd first seen her in a vision of the future, he was determined not to let it happen the same way. He let out a sigh and Daphne looked up at him, concernedly.
"What is it?"
Matt stopped. The sun was starting to come down on the horizon; it was almost sunset. How poetic. Unable to take the pressure of his internal dialogue anymore, he decided to just go for it and deal with whatever would happen next.
"I've been thinking a lot lately. Just about a lot of stuff." He paused, and Daphne asked, "Like what?"
"Well, see... I need to ask you something, and I'm worried about what you're gonna say."
"Matt," Daphne told him, laying a hand on his soothingly, "you know you can ask me anything. We've come this far."
Matt sighed again, said, "I know, but..." And then he launched into a little explanation, not even knowing why he was going there in the first place.
"Daphne, the reason I took you here is because I wanted to show you something from my life, back when times were simple, that made me happy. Even though it's just the beach, just water and sand, somehow it filled me with a peace and a joy that nothing else could. Then my life got really complicated and it took a lot to find that again." Here, he grasped her hand and looked her in the eye to show that he really meant what he was saying.
"But you brought that back to me when I thought I'd never see it again," Matt told her, smiling now. "So I wanted to ask you if, well, you'd consider my selfish request and let me keep it for as long as I can."
"Matt, what are you..." Daphne asked, bewildered, but then it clicked as she saw him pull the ring out of his pocked and suddenly he was on his knees in front of her.
Looking up at her, he wasn't able to read the expression on her face, and that scared him. But he wouldn't read her thoughts, not right now, not in the biggest moment of their lives together. Instead, he just asked the question. "Marry me?"
Daphne's eyes widened. She had never expected that coming, not even when Matt had told her they'd get married one day anyway. It was just a dream, a vision. To her, marriage was almost like being tied down.
But looking down at Matt, at his offer, at his wish for them to spend their life together (not because he'd seen it, Daphne knew, but because he wanted it), somehow she knew that even if she fled halfway around the world, he'd follow her. He wouldn't rest until he found her. He'd proved that over and over. And with the way she felt about him, she'd never want to flee him. She'd much more rather run towards him and be enveloped in his embrace. She knew he was a good man, more than she deserved. She almost felt like she wasn't worthy to accept his ring, his promises, his love.
But he wanted it from her, which was more than Daphne could fathom, and she'd do anything for Matt, because she loved him.
So she nodded, slowly at first, but then with more conviction. "Okay," she whispered, a grin starting to form on her face, one she soon couldn't suppress. "Okay," she repeated.
Matt said nothing, just smiled his "are you kidding me?" smile that he always wore, then rose and placed a hand behind her head in its familiar spot, lifting her head to his to kiss her gratefully. "Okay?" he repeated. "Seriously?"
"Seriously," Daphne breathed against his lips, pulling him closer to her, wrapping her arms around him. He squeezed her tight, holding her close to him. "You have no idea how much I needed to hear that. I just... thank you." He nestled his head in her shoulder.
Daphne ran a hand through his hair lovingly. "What are you thanking me for? You're giving me the expensive thing," she joked, and at that, they both laughed. It also reminded Matt that yeah, he did have to give her something.
Pulling away from her just enough to present Daphne her engagement ring again, Matt handed it to her, explaining, "I had this custom made for you. I hope you like it."
It was small, simple, but flawless. Daphne couldn't stop staring at it. It was hers. She looked up incredulously at Matt and said, "So what, you just happened to have a bunch of diamonds randomly lying around?"
"Actually?" Matt replied. "I did. But that's another story for another day." In an instant, the ring was on Daphne's finger and they were officially engaged.
In the next instant they had disappeared in a flash, leaving in their wake the reflection of a few tiny twinkling stars on the dark water.
(If you're a friend not familiar with the Heroes fandom, you can totally not read this ;D)
characters Matt Parkman + Daphne Millbrook from the TV show Heroes
word count 1377
rating G/K -- nothing bad or anything
summary Matt was a simple man, who only really needed one thing in his life.
chapters one-shot
notes I'm new to writing Heroes fanfic, so please be gentle! Just a bit of fluff. :) Reviews/comments appreciated, especially constructive ones, but no flames please. This is actually my second Matt/Daphne fic but I'm still working on the first one so I thought I'd start off with this one. Hope you enjoy it :)
"Hello?" Daphne Millbrook called out as she entered her New York apartment. "Matt? You home?"
Nothing. Frowning quizzically, Daphne stepped through the door and wandered to make sure Matt hadn't holed himself up somewhere accidentally. What she did find, though, in their bedroom, was a dress and a note.
Speedy --
Put this on and meet me at Redondo Beach. You have thirty minutes.
-- Parkman
Tilting her head to one side, Daphne thought about it for a second -- Redondo Beach? As in... Redondo Beach, California? -- and then grinned. She and Matt had been dating for two years and it was scary how well he knew her now. "Please, thirty minutes," she muttered, as she took her time to get herself ready (the dress really was pretty) and make herself pretty for Matt. It'd only take her about five minutes to get to where she needed to go, anyway.
"Hmm, Redondo Beach," she thought to herself, as she fastened on some earrings. Best to take a sweater and some sandals, just in case. This was California they were talking about, after all.
*
Matt was standing under the pier, glancing out at all the people enjoying themselves in the late afternoon sun and surf. He was too focused on his own thoughts to really register anyone else's. His eyes scanned the beach every now and then, waiting for someone to suddenly zoom up to his side. Nothing yet.
He idly wondered if Daphne had ever been out to California as he fidgeted with something in his pocket. And then he started getting nervous again.
I must be crazy to do this. What if she says no? What if she runs away and I can't find her? This was all a bad idea, Matt thought to himself. But he wasn't allowed to continue on in the same train of thought, because just then, Daphne appeared in front of him, not even leaving a mark on the sand she had just zoomed across. "Redondo Beach?" she asked, by way of greeting.
Matt shrugged. "I didn't think you'd ever been here before," he said, draping an arm around her. Daphne looked up at him, her eyes sparkling. "Yeah, too close to home." Matt poked her playfully in the shoulder. "Brat."
She stuck her tongue out at him and then laughed. "So why here?" she asked again. "Other than the fact that yeah, I've never been here."
"Oh, I used to come out here a lot as a kid," Matt said. "And I enjoyed it. So I thought I'd bring you here, so that you could enjoy it with me, too." He looked down at her dress. "It looks good."
"Thank you." She grinned and mock-curtsied. "I don't usually do dresses, but I like this one." Smoothing it out, she let Matt lead her through the surf, the water lapping around their feet. Daphne had to admit, it was a good feeling. Something different.
As they walked, Matt reflected on his thoughts some more. He'd done this once before -- not in the same manner, though, and definitely not with the same ring -- and it had turned out badly. Why was he doing this again? Oh, that's right... because he had fallen in love with this woman, and somehow he knew it would turn out differently. Even though he'd first seen her in a vision of the future, he was determined not to let it happen the same way. He let out a sigh and Daphne looked up at him, concernedly.
"What is it?"
Matt stopped. The sun was starting to come down on the horizon; it was almost sunset. How poetic. Unable to take the pressure of his internal dialogue anymore, he decided to just go for it and deal with whatever would happen next.
"I've been thinking a lot lately. Just about a lot of stuff." He paused, and Daphne asked, "Like what?"
"Well, see... I need to ask you something, and I'm worried about what you're gonna say."
"Matt," Daphne told him, laying a hand on his soothingly, "you know you can ask me anything. We've come this far."
Matt sighed again, said, "I know, but..." And then he launched into a little explanation, not even knowing why he was going there in the first place.
"Daphne, the reason I took you here is because I wanted to show you something from my life, back when times were simple, that made me happy. Even though it's just the beach, just water and sand, somehow it filled me with a peace and a joy that nothing else could. Then my life got really complicated and it took a lot to find that again." Here, he grasped her hand and looked her in the eye to show that he really meant what he was saying.
"But you brought that back to me when I thought I'd never see it again," Matt told her, smiling now. "So I wanted to ask you if, well, you'd consider my selfish request and let me keep it for as long as I can."
"Matt, what are you..." Daphne asked, bewildered, but then it clicked as she saw him pull the ring out of his pocked and suddenly he was on his knees in front of her.
Looking up at her, he wasn't able to read the expression on her face, and that scared him. But he wouldn't read her thoughts, not right now, not in the biggest moment of their lives together. Instead, he just asked the question. "Marry me?"
Daphne's eyes widened. She had never expected that coming, not even when Matt had told her they'd get married one day anyway. It was just a dream, a vision. To her, marriage was almost like being tied down.
But looking down at Matt, at his offer, at his wish for them to spend their life together (not because he'd seen it, Daphne knew, but because he wanted it), somehow she knew that even if she fled halfway around the world, he'd follow her. He wouldn't rest until he found her. He'd proved that over and over. And with the way she felt about him, she'd never want to flee him. She'd much more rather run towards him and be enveloped in his embrace. She knew he was a good man, more than she deserved. She almost felt like she wasn't worthy to accept his ring, his promises, his love.
But he wanted it from her, which was more than Daphne could fathom, and she'd do anything for Matt, because she loved him.
So she nodded, slowly at first, but then with more conviction. "Okay," she whispered, a grin starting to form on her face, one she soon couldn't suppress. "Okay," she repeated.
Matt said nothing, just smiled his "are you kidding me?" smile that he always wore, then rose and placed a hand behind her head in its familiar spot, lifting her head to his to kiss her gratefully. "Okay?" he repeated. "Seriously?"
"Seriously," Daphne breathed against his lips, pulling him closer to her, wrapping her arms around him. He squeezed her tight, holding her close to him. "You have no idea how much I needed to hear that. I just... thank you." He nestled his head in her shoulder.
Daphne ran a hand through his hair lovingly. "What are you thanking me for? You're giving me the expensive thing," she joked, and at that, they both laughed. It also reminded Matt that yeah, he did have to give her something.
Pulling away from her just enough to present Daphne her engagement ring again, Matt handed it to her, explaining, "I had this custom made for you. I hope you like it."
It was small, simple, but flawless. Daphne couldn't stop staring at it. It was hers. She looked up incredulously at Matt and said, "So what, you just happened to have a bunch of diamonds randomly lying around?"
"Actually?" Matt replied. "I did. But that's another story for another day." In an instant, the ring was on Daphne's finger and they were officially engaged.
In the next instant they had disappeared in a flash, leaving in their wake the reflection of a few tiny twinkling stars on the dark water.
(If you're a friend not familiar with the Heroes fandom, you can totally not read this ;D)