It's The Little Things [3/15]
Title: It's The Little Things [3/15]
Fandom: Private Practice
Ship(s): Addison/Pete, mentions of others.
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I don't own them.
Series summary: Pete has decided to be her gladiator, and is going to fight for her. Sequel to Elephants.
Chapter Summary: "He was fine with her dating, but the mornings were his thing. And now that pretty little cop was using his Addison time, enjoying his Addison smiles and stealing his Addison morning moments. And that was more than he was willing to accept."
Previous Chapters: 1, 2
Thanks to
youreyesaregems for the wonderful beta work :)
It had been a week since Pete’s coffee-induced victory in the game he shared with Addison, and he hadn’t won a single round after that. Not that he was trying too hard to win. He couldn’t say he didn’t enjoy seeing her win, especially not when she shoot him one of her arrogant smirks afterwards. He loved those smirks. And he also loved her warm smiles, which is why he’d started driving for a bit longer every morning just so he could stop by the coffee shop and give her a cup before the morning meeting. Was seeing an arrogant smirk worth letting her win? Yes. Was being the target of a warm smile worth waking up 15 minutes earlier than normal? Definitely.
Pete arrived at the clinic, as everyday for the past week, with a coffee in his hand and a smile on his face, already anticipating the reward for his gesture. He walked towards Addison’s office before stopping at his own, as always, but something was different that morning. Addison wasn’t alone. And Pete had to resist the urge to smash the cup against the crystal wall. He was fine with her dating, but the mornings were his thing. And now that pretty little cop was using his Addison time, enjoying his Addison smiles and stealing his Addison morning moments. And that was more than he was willing to accept.
He knocked on the door and walked inside, trying to look as neutral as possible. “Morning, Addison. Kevin.” After shooting him a fake smile, he walked towards her. “I hope I’m not interrupting, I just wanted to give you this while it’s still hot.” The same fake smile stayed on his face when he handed her the cup. He was not happy. “Thanks, Pete. You’re the highlight of my mornings.” Her tone was slightly sarcastic, but then again, it always was. She didn’t want to let him see how true her words were, and he didn’t need the words anyway. Just the smile. Which, apparently, wasn’t going to happen that morning. He was almost ready to go when she took the first sip of her coffee and smiled at him. There it was. The highlight of his mornings.
When he left her office, instead of going into his, he decided to visit Violet, the only one of his friends who wouldn’t laugh at his misery. “Did she have a date with Pretty Boy last night?” Violet looked up from the file she was reading. “It’s Hot Cop. But yes. Why?” He sat on the couch and spoke again. “Did he drive her here today?” He didn’t want to think about her having spent the night at his place. “No. Why, Pete?” Violet’s voice demanded an answer. “He’s in her office. Talking to her. I was just wondering.” She sighed before sitting next to her friend. She hated seeing him like this. “Pete, if you want something to happen, maybe you should tell her. She’s not supposed to be able to read your mind, is she?” “It’s too soon. We’re not ready for the fireworks yet.”
Violet didn’t know what he was talking about, but she didn’t have the time to ask before he spoke again. “In a fight between a manly gladiator and a pretty cop, who would win?” She was even more confused now. “The gladiator, I guess...” And she supposed it was the right answer, because Pete smiled at her as she stood up. “Yeah. Thanks, Vi.” And, with that, he walked towards the meeting room, leaving his very confused friend to her thoughts.
Addison was surprised when she didn’t catch Pete looking at her at the morning meeting. She was even more surprised when he didn’t catch her as she looked at him. And she could hardly believe it when he didn’t make a big deal out of winning that round. That’s why she didn’t wait for him to talk to her and went to his office instead. “Hey. What’s wrong?” He smiled at her. The same fake smile as before. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m fine. How’s Pretty Boy? I hear you guys are very happy together.” Ohh. So that was it. She couldn’t help but smile at his fake neutral act, especially now that she knew what was going on. “A little jealous, are we?” He did his best to look unaffected by her comment. “Why would I be jealous? As your friend, I celebrate your happiness.” Her smile grew wider by the second. He was jealous. And she liked it.
“Well, I’m glad you’re not jealous, because Kevin and I are far from together.” His smile gave him away. “Oh, you were so jealous.” He figured there really was no point in denying it. “As your friend, I really am happy for you. You deserve to have fun.” She smiled at him, even though she was secretly disappointed for him not being a bit more jealous. “So, if you’re not together, what are you guys exactly? I’m asking out of friendly curiosity, of course.” His usual smirk was on his face, and she was glad to see things were back to normal. “We’re friends. Kevin is my friend.”
Now that he knew Pretty Boy wasn’t a real threat, he felt in the mood for a round of their favorite game. With his best teasing voice, he spoke again. “Well, you don’t go on dates with all your friends, do you? I think that makes him at least a special friend.” She wasn’t even thinking about the game when she replied. “I don’t go on dates with all my friends. But I’ve dated many people, and I’ve only played shrinks once.” He had to admit, not only had she won that round, but she’d also won in the most spectacular way. It took all his self-control not to kiss her, but he made himself wait. He was serious when he told Violet they weren’t ready for the fireworks yet, and he wanted to give her what she deserved. And he also felt the need to lighten the mood before she noticed what he was thinking.
“Mornings are our friendly time of the day. I don’t appreciate you cheating on me with another friend at our friendly time of the day.” She smiled at his attempt to shoot her an offended glare. “It won’t happen again. I have great respect for our friendly time of the day.” His fake glare stayed on his face. “And you owe me one friendly time of the day.”
“Actually,” she said with a thoughtful look on her face, “since we’re spending time being friendly, I’d say this qualifies as friendly time of the day.” With an overly dramatic expression on his face, as if he was shocked at her statement, he opened the door motioning for her to walk out. “No more special coffee for you.” She tried to suppress a smile as she walked out. “Evil quack.” He accompanied his last words before closing the door on her face with an amused smirk. “You love it.”
After a fairly uneventful afternoon, Addison walked into Naomi’s office and sat on a chair. “Kevin came over earlier today.” Naomi looked at her friend, knowing something was up. “He asked me to go out with him again tonight.” She didn’t really know what to say. “What did you say?” Addison sighed before answering. “I said yes. But I’m going to cancel.” Naomi looked confused. “What? Why?” Addison didn’t answer, and Naomi realized what was wrong. “Addie, if you want something to happen with Pete, you should tell him. And if you don’t, you have to stop thinking about him and give Kevin a real chance.” Addison shook her head. “I don’t want to rush things, Pete and I are friends now, and it’s going great. And Kevin is perfect.” A small smile appeared on her face. “But I love my morning coffee.” Naomi suspected morning coffee was code for Pete, but before she could ask, Addison had wished her good night and walked out.
Addison looked confusedly at the menu in front of her. After cancelling her date with Kevin, she’d driven to a tea shop that a certain holistic therapist had mentioned as his favorite, and she was now trying to figure out what his drink of choice was. She wasn’t too interested in tea, which was why she hadn’t paid too much attention to him when he had explained what his favorite was, and now she wished she had. After thoroughly studying the menu and mentally crossing off the ones that didn’t ring a bell at all, she ordered a cup of the ten varieties that were still a possibility and proceeded to taste them, hoping to recognize at least one of them as Pete’s favorite.
After about half an hour of careful consideration, she chose the one that she thought was the correct answer, and ordered a cup to go. She drove to Pete’s house feeling slightly nervous and hoping he wasn’t out on a date. Or in with a date, which would be infinitely worse. She took a moment to calm down as she parked on his driveway, and knocked on his door, mentally asking the universe to let things go well just this one time. It was hard to say who looked more surprised when Pete opened the door. He certainly wasn’t expecting her to be there, but she wasn’t expecting to find a man in sweat pants and an old t-shirt to look that good either.
Pete was the first to bounce back after the shock, and the first thing he noticed was the cup of tea on her hand. Smiling slightly, he broke the silence. “I didn’t know you liked tea.” She matched his smile with one of her own. “I don’t. But you do.” She handed it to him, and spoke while he took the first sip. “It’s a present in the spirit of friendship. Hopefully the nice tea will help you forgive me for...” she stopped talking when she saw the look on his face. “You don’t like it? Oh, God, I’m sorry. I tried ten different teas to see which one tasted like the one you drink, but I guess I messed up.” Pete looked amused. “I appreciate the gesture. I forgive you for giving Pretty Boy my friendly time of the day.” She smiled in relief. “Are you busy? I still owe you a friendly time of the day.”
He lead her to the living room and sat next to her on the couch. He had to resist the urge to wrap his arm around her shoulders. “What are we watching?” She’d grabbed a handful of the popcorn he’d been eating when she knocked on the door, and he smiled at her. He definitely liked this friendship thing. “Baseball. It’s a classic 1979 game.” She shrugged slightly. “I’ve never understood this sport.” He had to laugh at that, and he proceeded to explain the rules to Addison, who focused on giving him her undivided attention. When the game ended, and after Addison had made him promise he’d teach her how to play some time, they let a comfortable silence settle between them.
Pete was slightly startled when he heard her voice. “What are we doing?” He knew what she meant, and it took him a moment to answer. “We’re being friends.” She nodded before speaking again. “Just friends?” He kept looking at the TV, even though he wouldn’t have been able to tell someone what he was watching if his life depended on it. “No.” She smiled slightly. “We’re getting ready.” Her smile grew wider, and she unconsciously moved slightly closer to him. “We really are.” He smiled at her, feeling better than he had in a long time. “You hate tea.” She didn’t have to answer, he already knew that. “And you tasted ten different teas trying to find my favorite.” She let out a small chuckle, remembering the strange looks of the other customers at the tea shop. “We are getting ready.” And, this time, he did wrap his arm around her shoulders.
Fandom: Private Practice
Ship(s): Addison/Pete, mentions of others.
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I don't own them.
Series summary: Pete has decided to be her gladiator, and is going to fight for her. Sequel to Elephants.
Chapter Summary: "He was fine with her dating, but the mornings were his thing. And now that pretty little cop was using his Addison time, enjoying his Addison smiles and stealing his Addison morning moments. And that was more than he was willing to accept."
Previous Chapters: 1, 2
Thanks to
youreyesaregems for the wonderful beta work :)
It had been a week since Pete’s coffee-induced victory in the game he shared with Addison, and he hadn’t won a single round after that. Not that he was trying too hard to win. He couldn’t say he didn’t enjoy seeing her win, especially not when she shoot him one of her arrogant smirks afterwards. He loved those smirks. And he also loved her warm smiles, which is why he’d started driving for a bit longer every morning just so he could stop by the coffee shop and give her a cup before the morning meeting. Was seeing an arrogant smirk worth letting her win? Yes. Was being the target of a warm smile worth waking up 15 minutes earlier than normal? Definitely.
Pete arrived at the clinic, as everyday for the past week, with a coffee in his hand and a smile on his face, already anticipating the reward for his gesture. He walked towards Addison’s office before stopping at his own, as always, but something was different that morning. Addison wasn’t alone. And Pete had to resist the urge to smash the cup against the crystal wall. He was fine with her dating, but the mornings were his thing. And now that pretty little cop was using his Addison time, enjoying his Addison smiles and stealing his Addison morning moments. And that was more than he was willing to accept.
He knocked on the door and walked inside, trying to look as neutral as possible. “Morning, Addison. Kevin.” After shooting him a fake smile, he walked towards her. “I hope I’m not interrupting, I just wanted to give you this while it’s still hot.” The same fake smile stayed on his face when he handed her the cup. He was not happy. “Thanks, Pete. You’re the highlight of my mornings.” Her tone was slightly sarcastic, but then again, it always was. She didn’t want to let him see how true her words were, and he didn’t need the words anyway. Just the smile. Which, apparently, wasn’t going to happen that morning. He was almost ready to go when she took the first sip of her coffee and smiled at him. There it was. The highlight of his mornings.
When he left her office, instead of going into his, he decided to visit Violet, the only one of his friends who wouldn’t laugh at his misery. “Did she have a date with Pretty Boy last night?” Violet looked up from the file she was reading. “It’s Hot Cop. But yes. Why?” He sat on the couch and spoke again. “Did he drive her here today?” He didn’t want to think about her having spent the night at his place. “No. Why, Pete?” Violet’s voice demanded an answer. “He’s in her office. Talking to her. I was just wondering.” She sighed before sitting next to her friend. She hated seeing him like this. “Pete, if you want something to happen, maybe you should tell her. She’s not supposed to be able to read your mind, is she?” “It’s too soon. We’re not ready for the fireworks yet.”
Violet didn’t know what he was talking about, but she didn’t have the time to ask before he spoke again. “In a fight between a manly gladiator and a pretty cop, who would win?” She was even more confused now. “The gladiator, I guess...” And she supposed it was the right answer, because Pete smiled at her as she stood up. “Yeah. Thanks, Vi.” And, with that, he walked towards the meeting room, leaving his very confused friend to her thoughts.
Addison was surprised when she didn’t catch Pete looking at her at the morning meeting. She was even more surprised when he didn’t catch her as she looked at him. And she could hardly believe it when he didn’t make a big deal out of winning that round. That’s why she didn’t wait for him to talk to her and went to his office instead. “Hey. What’s wrong?” He smiled at her. The same fake smile as before. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m fine. How’s Pretty Boy? I hear you guys are very happy together.” Ohh. So that was it. She couldn’t help but smile at his fake neutral act, especially now that she knew what was going on. “A little jealous, are we?” He did his best to look unaffected by her comment. “Why would I be jealous? As your friend, I celebrate your happiness.” Her smile grew wider by the second. He was jealous. And she liked it.
“Well, I’m glad you’re not jealous, because Kevin and I are far from together.” His smile gave him away. “Oh, you were so jealous.” He figured there really was no point in denying it. “As your friend, I really am happy for you. You deserve to have fun.” She smiled at him, even though she was secretly disappointed for him not being a bit more jealous. “So, if you’re not together, what are you guys exactly? I’m asking out of friendly curiosity, of course.” His usual smirk was on his face, and she was glad to see things were back to normal. “We’re friends. Kevin is my friend.”
Now that he knew Pretty Boy wasn’t a real threat, he felt in the mood for a round of their favorite game. With his best teasing voice, he spoke again. “Well, you don’t go on dates with all your friends, do you? I think that makes him at least a special friend.” She wasn’t even thinking about the game when she replied. “I don’t go on dates with all my friends. But I’ve dated many people, and I’ve only played shrinks once.” He had to admit, not only had she won that round, but she’d also won in the most spectacular way. It took all his self-control not to kiss her, but he made himself wait. He was serious when he told Violet they weren’t ready for the fireworks yet, and he wanted to give her what she deserved. And he also felt the need to lighten the mood before she noticed what he was thinking.
“Mornings are our friendly time of the day. I don’t appreciate you cheating on me with another friend at our friendly time of the day.” She smiled at his attempt to shoot her an offended glare. “It won’t happen again. I have great respect for our friendly time of the day.” His fake glare stayed on his face. “And you owe me one friendly time of the day.”
“Actually,” she said with a thoughtful look on her face, “since we’re spending time being friendly, I’d say this qualifies as friendly time of the day.” With an overly dramatic expression on his face, as if he was shocked at her statement, he opened the door motioning for her to walk out. “No more special coffee for you.” She tried to suppress a smile as she walked out. “Evil quack.” He accompanied his last words before closing the door on her face with an amused smirk. “You love it.”
After a fairly uneventful afternoon, Addison walked into Naomi’s office and sat on a chair. “Kevin came over earlier today.” Naomi looked at her friend, knowing something was up. “He asked me to go out with him again tonight.” She didn’t really know what to say. “What did you say?” Addison sighed before answering. “I said yes. But I’m going to cancel.” Naomi looked confused. “What? Why?” Addison didn’t answer, and Naomi realized what was wrong. “Addie, if you want something to happen with Pete, you should tell him. And if you don’t, you have to stop thinking about him and give Kevin a real chance.” Addison shook her head. “I don’t want to rush things, Pete and I are friends now, and it’s going great. And Kevin is perfect.” A small smile appeared on her face. “But I love my morning coffee.” Naomi suspected morning coffee was code for Pete, but before she could ask, Addison had wished her good night and walked out.
Addison looked confusedly at the menu in front of her. After cancelling her date with Kevin, she’d driven to a tea shop that a certain holistic therapist had mentioned as his favorite, and she was now trying to figure out what his drink of choice was. She wasn’t too interested in tea, which was why she hadn’t paid too much attention to him when he had explained what his favorite was, and now she wished she had. After thoroughly studying the menu and mentally crossing off the ones that didn’t ring a bell at all, she ordered a cup of the ten varieties that were still a possibility and proceeded to taste them, hoping to recognize at least one of them as Pete’s favorite.
After about half an hour of careful consideration, she chose the one that she thought was the correct answer, and ordered a cup to go. She drove to Pete’s house feeling slightly nervous and hoping he wasn’t out on a date. Or in with a date, which would be infinitely worse. She took a moment to calm down as she parked on his driveway, and knocked on his door, mentally asking the universe to let things go well just this one time. It was hard to say who looked more surprised when Pete opened the door. He certainly wasn’t expecting her to be there, but she wasn’t expecting to find a man in sweat pants and an old t-shirt to look that good either.
Pete was the first to bounce back after the shock, and the first thing he noticed was the cup of tea on her hand. Smiling slightly, he broke the silence. “I didn’t know you liked tea.” She matched his smile with one of her own. “I don’t. But you do.” She handed it to him, and spoke while he took the first sip. “It’s a present in the spirit of friendship. Hopefully the nice tea will help you forgive me for...” she stopped talking when she saw the look on his face. “You don’t like it? Oh, God, I’m sorry. I tried ten different teas to see which one tasted like the one you drink, but I guess I messed up.” Pete looked amused. “I appreciate the gesture. I forgive you for giving Pretty Boy my friendly time of the day.” She smiled in relief. “Are you busy? I still owe you a friendly time of the day.”
He lead her to the living room and sat next to her on the couch. He had to resist the urge to wrap his arm around her shoulders. “What are we watching?” She’d grabbed a handful of the popcorn he’d been eating when she knocked on the door, and he smiled at her. He definitely liked this friendship thing. “Baseball. It’s a classic 1979 game.” She shrugged slightly. “I’ve never understood this sport.” He had to laugh at that, and he proceeded to explain the rules to Addison, who focused on giving him her undivided attention. When the game ended, and after Addison had made him promise he’d teach her how to play some time, they let a comfortable silence settle between them.
Pete was slightly startled when he heard her voice. “What are we doing?” He knew what she meant, and it took him a moment to answer. “We’re being friends.” She nodded before speaking again. “Just friends?” He kept looking at the TV, even though he wouldn’t have been able to tell someone what he was watching if his life depended on it. “No.” She smiled slightly. “We’re getting ready.” Her smile grew wider, and she unconsciously moved slightly closer to him. “We really are.” He smiled at her, feeling better than he had in a long time. “You hate tea.” She didn’t have to answer, he already knew that. “And you tasted ten different teas trying to find my favorite.” She let out a small chuckle, remembering the strange looks of the other customers at the tea shop. “We are getting ready.” And, this time, he did wrap his arm around her shoulders.