musesandlyrics | 4.15. Juno quote
4.15. "Find a person who loves you for exactly who you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, the right person is still going to think the sun shines out your ass. That’s the person worth sticking with."
Juno
Co-written with paramedically
Andrew sat stiffly on the sofa as he watched Ali rushing around the apartment trying to do ten different things at once. After all the excitement and squealing and sloppy baby kisses that afternoon that came from seeing her Mummy and Daddy again after so long, Sunshine was exhausted and was fed, bathed, and sleeping soundly in her bed by six pm. But Ali was primed waiting for James to call her back so she could blast him about not telling her when baby Campbell was born. Andrew knew she was really hurt by it, and coupled withjetlag , it was manifesting into what Ali termed her Bitch Mode. It had been important for her to be there for James during the birth of his first child, and Andrew suspected she was now feeling even more shunned by her best friend because of it. It seemed to be just one thing after another with her friends. If it was Luke or Leila who had their first child on the way and didn't tell Andrew, he knew he would be pissed off too.
Normally he would be sympathetic, and understanding. And he was, but right now, he was going to have to try and catch her attention. He needed her attention, and he needed her not in a bad mood. "Ali," he said, wringing his hands in front of him as his knee bounced anxiously without him even realising he was doing it. "Can you just stop for a minute, please?" he requested quietly as she roughly shoved a handful of diapers into Jamie's baby bag so they would be ready for the visit to the hospital in the morning, as was apparently arranged.
Ali paused and looked over a him, a small frown on her face that she was struggling to fight. It helped stop her starting to cry in frustration. She knew she would feel better once she tore James a new one and got it out of her system. "I need to pack her bag," she protested. "I don't want tofriggen do it in the morning when she's tired and cranky. Or when I'm tired and cranky... more tired and cranky I should say." But when she moved to shove some spare pacifiers into the side pocket, it dawned on her that something was off with her new husband. Husband. That was still a term she was trying to wrap her head around. Now they were back from the over-sexed, relaxing honeymoon, it was all starkly real that she actually was married now. "Are you okay, baby?"
Andrew shook his head slowly. "I want a drink," he admitted to her, the last word coming out hoarsely. "Can you just come and sit with me for a bit?" He didn't know what was bringing it on so abruptly, but he had a suspicion deep down. He hadn't gone near an AA meeting since before the wedding because things had just been so hectic, but it was also veering extremely close to the two year anniversary of his father's death. On top of all that, even though he was overjoyed for them, hearing James and Harri's happy news about the birth of the baby stirred up lingering pain from the miscarriage, and with Ali so discontent over the whole thing, it seemed he was coming crashing down in a heap after the euphoric honeymoon. He contemplated calling Leila or Luke, and then Rachel, his AA sponsor, but he wanted to try and fight it first, with Ali. She was his wife and it was important to him that they deal with their pain together now. At least as a first port of call.
Ali immediately abandoned the diaper bag and was by his side in a heartbeat, taking his hand and kissing his fingers. "What do you want to do, sweetheart? Get some takeout? Watch a movie? Have a bath together? I can give you a massage. Or I can callIz to come over and stay for a couple of hours with Sunshine, we can go for a little drive, get some air?" She watched him closely and brushed the fingers of her other hand through his hair. "I'm sorry for being a bitch today. Just boot me up the arse for it, okay? I've just never felt more separated and isolated from James than I have this past year. We can't seem to get our acts together. I feel like I'm losing my friends. But I won't offload on you. Are you feeling okay? Do you want a cup of tea? Hot chocolate?"
"Offload," Andrew urged, looking at her with a small nod. "You don't have to walk on eggshells because I'm craving, okay? Please, don't ever do that, beautiful. But in saying that, a drive and some air sounds good. Do you think Izzy would mind? If she can't, I can maybe call in a favour of one of my work mates. I don't think Sunshine is going to wake up anyway." He gave Ali's hand a soft, grateful squeeze, and let his thumb brush over her wedding and engagement rings. He wondered if he knew how much they suited her.
Ali did actually have a slight moment of wondering if Iz really would be able to help her out. It was just paranoia, probably, stemming from Ali's recent concerns that the three once extremely close best friends would ever end up on the same page together again. She cleared her throat. "I'll ask her. If she's busy, I'll think of something." She paused, and gave him a devious smile. "We could always find a place to park and have hot awkward sex in the back of the car. I won't even wear any undies and we can pretend we're teenagers."
Andrew laughed, a wave of relief washing over him that Ali just seemed to have this way of being able to tip the scales from a threatening slump of depression to something naughty or fun. It's exactly what he needed. Distraction was the best tactic for coping with alcohol cravings, and she just seemed to get it. "Or how about those Little Miss Naughty undies I found that you tried to stash at the back of your drawer behind the lacy ones?" he asked, managing to meet that smirk of hers that he loved so much.
"Oh, Andrew Connor, I do believe you're tapping into your not-so-innocent side there. What will your family think?" Ali said through a feigned gasp of horror. She leaned forward and kissed him softly, cupping his cheek on her palm. "Only if we stop at Ben and Jerry's, and I get to lickKaramel Sutra off that gorgeous chest of yours," she bargained. Whatever was pissing her off before was shoved deep down in favour of her husband. She would be the first to admit how great he was for her. Even if it was a sensitive subject and she knew it wasn't easy for him to admit to his cravings when it felt like he was failing, she just knew that she needed him as much as he needed her, and if that's what being married and being a wife was, bring it on.
Andrew bit down on his lip, always having found Ali's ice cream addiction hot, especially the way she licked it off the spoon or her fingers. "I think we've got a date, babe."
Now, if only he didn't want to booze up like a teenager, too...
All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe
Word Count | 1,240
Juno
Co-written with paramedically
Andrew sat stiffly on the sofa as he watched Ali rushing around the apartment trying to do ten different things at once. After all the excitement and squealing and sloppy baby kisses that afternoon that came from seeing her Mummy and Daddy again after so long, Sunshine was exhausted and was fed, bathed, and sleeping soundly in her bed by six pm. But Ali was primed waiting for James to call her back so she could blast him about not telling her when baby Campbell was born. Andrew knew she was really hurt by it, and coupled withjetlag , it was manifesting into what Ali termed her Bitch Mode. It had been important for her to be there for James during the birth of his first child, and Andrew suspected she was now feeling even more shunned by her best friend because of it. It seemed to be just one thing after another with her friends. If it was Luke or Leila who had their first child on the way and didn't tell Andrew, he knew he would be pissed off too.
Normally he would be sympathetic, and understanding. And he was, but right now, he was going to have to try and catch her attention. He needed her attention, and he needed her not in a bad mood. "Ali," he said, wringing his hands in front of him as his knee bounced anxiously without him even realising he was doing it. "Can you just stop for a minute, please?" he requested quietly as she roughly shoved a handful of diapers into Jamie's baby bag so they would be ready for the visit to the hospital in the morning, as was apparently arranged.
Ali paused and looked over a him, a small frown on her face that she was struggling to fight. It helped stop her starting to cry in frustration. She knew she would feel better once she tore James a new one and got it out of her system. "I need to pack her bag," she protested. "I don't want tofriggen do it in the morning when she's tired and cranky. Or when I'm tired and cranky... more tired and cranky I should say." But when she moved to shove some spare pacifiers into the side pocket, it dawned on her that something was off with her new husband. Husband. That was still a term she was trying to wrap her head around. Now they were back from the over-sexed, relaxing honeymoon, it was all starkly real that she actually was married now. "Are you okay, baby?"
Andrew shook his head slowly. "I want a drink," he admitted to her, the last word coming out hoarsely. "Can you just come and sit with me for a bit?" He didn't know what was bringing it on so abruptly, but he had a suspicion deep down. He hadn't gone near an AA meeting since before the wedding because things had just been so hectic, but it was also veering extremely close to the two year anniversary of his father's death. On top of all that, even though he was overjoyed for them, hearing James and Harri's happy news about the birth of the baby stirred up lingering pain from the miscarriage, and with Ali so discontent over the whole thing, it seemed he was coming crashing down in a heap after the euphoric honeymoon. He contemplated calling Leila or Luke, and then Rachel, his AA sponsor, but he wanted to try and fight it first, with Ali. She was his wife and it was important to him that they deal with their pain together now. At least as a first port of call.
Ali immediately abandoned the diaper bag and was by his side in a heartbeat, taking his hand and kissing his fingers. "What do you want to do, sweetheart? Get some takeout? Watch a movie? Have a bath together? I can give you a massage. Or I can callIz to come over and stay for a couple of hours with Sunshine, we can go for a little drive, get some air?" She watched him closely and brushed the fingers of her other hand through his hair. "I'm sorry for being a bitch today. Just boot me up the arse for it, okay? I've just never felt more separated and isolated from James than I have this past year. We can't seem to get our acts together. I feel like I'm losing my friends. But I won't offload on you. Are you feeling okay? Do you want a cup of tea? Hot chocolate?"
"Offload," Andrew urged, looking at her with a small nod. "You don't have to walk on eggshells because I'm craving, okay? Please, don't ever do that, beautiful. But in saying that, a drive and some air sounds good. Do you think Izzy would mind? If she can't, I can maybe call in a favour of one of my work mates. I don't think Sunshine is going to wake up anyway." He gave Ali's hand a soft, grateful squeeze, and let his thumb brush over her wedding and engagement rings. He wondered if he knew how much they suited her.
Ali did actually have a slight moment of wondering if Iz really would be able to help her out. It was just paranoia, probably, stemming from Ali's recent concerns that the three once extremely close best friends would ever end up on the same page together again. She cleared her throat. "I'll ask her. If she's busy, I'll think of something." She paused, and gave him a devious smile. "We could always find a place to park and have hot awkward sex in the back of the car. I won't even wear any undies and we can pretend we're teenagers."
Andrew laughed, a wave of relief washing over him that Ali just seemed to have this way of being able to tip the scales from a threatening slump of depression to something naughty or fun. It's exactly what he needed. Distraction was the best tactic for coping with alcohol cravings, and she just seemed to get it. "Or how about those Little Miss Naughty undies I found that you tried to stash at the back of your drawer behind the lacy ones?" he asked, managing to meet that smirk of hers that he loved so much.
"Oh, Andrew Connor, I do believe you're tapping into your not-so-innocent side there. What will your family think?" Ali said through a feigned gasp of horror. She leaned forward and kissed him softly, cupping his cheek on her palm. "Only if we stop at Ben and Jerry's, and I get to lickKaramel Sutra off that gorgeous chest of yours," she bargained. Whatever was pissing her off before was shoved deep down in favour of her husband. She would be the first to admit how great he was for her. Even if it was a sensitive subject and she knew it wasn't easy for him to admit to his cravings when it felt like he was failing, she just knew that she needed him as much as he needed her, and if that's what being married and being a wife was, bring it on.
Andrew bit down on his lip, always having found Ali's ice cream addiction hot, especially the way she licked it off the spoon or her fingers. "I think we've got a date, babe."
Now, if only he didn't want to booze up like a teenager, too...
All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe
Word Count | 1,240