Work Text:
Tech Support John
Making sure his armful of ducks was well balanced, he walked away from the Hellp desk, pressing his phone to his ear, and dialing the familiar number, waiting for the person on the other end to answer. Just when he was about to give up the line clicked, her soft voice greeting him with a sweet hello, the way she always did. He focused on the sound of her voice, and the background noise of animals, creating more distance between himself and the chaos of the desk.
"Hey, is there a chance you're almost done?" He could practically hear the sympathetic look on her face as he pressed the button for the elevator, remembering the day he sent her up to Heaven in it.
"Hard day? Was it Stan and Carl again?" The doors dinged open gently, thankfully empty while he thought about how to answer. He didn't really want to rehash everything again, feeling scraped raw after talking to Azzy about why he couldn't stand being with them, but she knew all about it. She'd spent countless hours listening to him talk about his childhood while holding him close, gently brushing his hair from his brow. With the doors closed, and her compassion echoing through the phone he felt safe enough to respond.
"Azzy being there helped, but if I had to keep listening to them I would have done something drastic, like talk to them." She laughed, the lightness of the sound making some of the stress he was feeling drop from his shoulders.
"A truly dire situation then!" He sagged against the back wall, watching the numbers slowly count their way up towards the main Universal Hallway, not feeling the need to respond, just listening to her speak with her coworkers at the pet cafe about how she needed to go, and she'd call them about tomorrow. He was still several floors away when she spoke into the phone again. "Okay, I'm all set cariño." He felt the corner of his mouth tick up at the nickname, glad that he was alone and wouldn't have to explain his passionate exuberance to anyone else. "Want me to grab anything from the bakery on my way?" He shook his head, before glancing around to confirm that he was alone before responding.
"No sweetheart, I'm okay." In his mind's eye he could see her shoulders lift up to her ears as she smiled broadly at the endeament. Being vocally loving to her, particularly in public, wasn't easy for him, but she was worth stepping out of his comfort zone for. "Can we just... will you stay on the phone?" The elevator finally opened, releasing him into the people milling around, ratcheting up his anxiety again, holding his ducks more securely against his chest. He heard her hum on the other end, saying thank you to someone before responding.
"I'll stay on the phone forever if you want." No more words needed to be said as he strode purposefully towards the connection to the personal paradises. The sounds of her gentle breathing calmed him, while at the same time driving him to see her as soon as possible. At the last minute he deviated from his original goal, heading back into the sea of people towards the path she would have to follow, his heart beating faster the closer he got to her. His eyes swept the strangers walking past him, looking for her familiar face. John turned to look behind him for a moment, wondering if he'd missed her only to hear her delighted gasp on the other side of the phone. He spun quickly back, watching almost breathlessly as he saw her beautiful face, practically glowing with delight at seeing him. She kept the phone to her ear as she quickly closed the distance, staring straight into his eyes, her grin almost blinding him. When she stopped right in front of him, he removed the phone from his ear, watching as she copied him, warming his soul from the inside out.
"Hi." He mumbled, glancing down at her hand, before looking back at her face. She gave a quick kiss to her fingertips before pressing them to his cheek, so fast that if he hadn't been part of it he might have missed it, as a smaller, more secret smile covering her face now that they were together. Gently he brought his hand up to cover the spot she had "kissed," holding that feeling in. After a moment he blinked back to awareness and turned, gesturing with his unburdened hand for her to continue on. She walked beside him, barely a breath separating them, knuckles brushing with every swing of their arms. With every whisper soft touch his awareness of her grew. By the time they reached the hallway to paradise he felt almost sunburned by the warmth radiating from her, but all he wanted was to continue to bask in it.
Crossing the entrance to the "neighborhood" their paradise resided, in he reveled in the quiet sounds of life, nothing like the bustle of the common areas in the Universal Hallways. Now that they were in relative privacy John wrapped his hand around hers, quirking a small smile when she threaded her fingers through his and leaned against his arm, following their path from the gate to the metal door leading into the contemporary but welcoming home, allowing her to open it so they didn't have to disentangle.
John's mind dropped back into memory as they crossed the threshold. Since she had moved into the house, it had adjusted to become their home. Previously, it had been a bit sparse. Functional but comfortably furnished, some shelves for his ducks, an array of technology in various states of repair in his office. It had worked for him, and the semi sentient house seemed to accept the lack of nicknacks and clutter. Almost from the first time she had visited though, the house had taken any and all suggestions and preferences from her to heart, spoken or not. It started with the couch that was facing the wall of windows, becoming more plush, a soft knit blanket resting on the back of it near where she had sat the first time, wiggling to get comfortable, asking for a blanket as she chilled easily. The next time she had visited she'd written him a reminder, commenting that she'd hate to tape it to his fridge, causing the house to make an array magnets appear. She had smiled, glancing up at the ceiling and using one shaped like a duck to attach the note.
"Thank you!" She had softly exclaimed, patting the nearby wall with affection, giggling at the answering groan. The changes came much quicker after that, seeming to keep time with the frequency of her visits. His bed with it's dark modern frame turning into a more romantic looking white upholstered bed with blue sheets, the bathroom expanding from just a waterfall shower to add a bath big enough for two, looking out towards a stream that had started running through the backyard, inspiring wildlife to stop and drink. Soft rugs covering the now heated slate floors, a window seat with a bookshelf underneath, the closet adding extra poles, his dresser going rogue and almost doubling in size. After six months the house was barely recognizable, but it was so gratifying to John, seeing the marks she had left, both purposely and inadvertantly. The last major thing the house had added was a room right next to his office. He had asked her to move out of Heaven and in with him, to which she had joyously agreed, bringing a smile to his face as she hugged him gently before jumping a few times in delight. The door had appearing just a few weeks ago, as he had carried in the last of her things. The pair had looked at each other, her face shining with excitement. John had nodded for her to open the door, setting his burden down and coming to stand behind her, one hand resting gently on her hip. Pushing it open he listened to her deep intake of breath, watching the side of her face as tears welled, still causing mild panic despite knowing that she expressed all emotions this way.
"Did you tell the house to do this?" She queried, glancing over her shoulder at him for a moment to see him shake his head before turning her gaze back to the room that just screamed her. The walls and ceiling were a soft pink, with sunset colored clouds scattered around it, twinkle lights strung in a chaotic pattern that still somehow suited it. The shelves were full of supplies for all the various arts and crafts she did, from fiber arts to stained glass. The desk was wide and sturdy, the chair ultra soft and comfortable looking, a fluffy purple rug underneath. She stepped in, ignoring the goodies in favor of investigating the wall their rooms shared. He joined her, looking at a collection of images, clearly memories the house had pulled of them. He watched as she traced one finger over the photo of her sleeping on the window seat, her knitting dropped into her lap. John was crouching next to her splayed form, his face a clear mask of love and delight at her being there. He swallowed heavily, twisting to meet her eyes, those damn tears dripping down as she glowed at him, leaning in and placing a soft kiss on his cheek, buffing it with her thumb after.
He was pulled from his memories by the feel of that same woman dropping his hand, gently removing ducks from his arms one at a time, making sure to place both the duck in a shark onsie and the tiny duck in a hat right at the front, for easy aquisition should the need emerge. He blinked down at her, allowing her to retake his hand and lead him into the kitchen, sitting him down at the bar. He watched with quiet awe as she moved with confidence and grace, making quick work of his favorite indulgence, hot chocolate and snickerdoodle cookies. While she moved she hummed softly, making such a clear contrast with the home he grew up in, one where he didn't think he could ever recall anyone making such a joyful noise. Before long the snack was ready, a mug being placed in his hand, with her gesturing with her head towards the living room, and their favorite place, the window seat with the view of the creek outside. Kicking off their shoes they settled in, each leaned against a wall, facing each other, gently caging her legs between his own.
While they sat there, she spoke, filling the air with her melodic voice. She spoke about her day, and interesting people who came into the cafe, about what some of the animals had done. She finished her stories by talking about the odd pair that John had grown quietly fond of, a dog named Quackers and the duck named Fido, the pair completely inseparable and often getting into the strangest situations.
"-And I looked over and Fido was sitting on Quackers, riding him while he chased Jesus' nephew!" He let the smile that wanted to appear fill his face at the story and her enthusiasm. Hot chocolate long forgotten on the shelf, she brought her knees up, resting her chin on them and letting out a low sigh as she looked back at him. He rubbed his mouth uncomfortably when she didn't look away.
"Is there chocolate on my face?" He questioned, placing his mug down to have both hands available. She shook her head, pointing at him with a sneaky smile on her face.
"No, I'm just enjoying that." He furrowed his brow in confusion, and she immediately dropped her knees to scoot closer, placing herself between his legs and running a finger along his forehead. "Your smile, handsome, I was looking at your smile." He wrapped his arms around the gift in his lap, bringing his forehead to hers and closing his eyes. When she threaded her fingers through his hair, he felt the smile break through one more time.
"You give me a reason to smile." He remarked, appreciating her softness against his chest. After a few long moments he opened his eyes, staring straight into her still open eyes. "Thank you for being here with me. You make me a better man." He felt one hand playing with the hair she held while the other came up and brushed the fringe off his forehead.
"You're a good man, with or without me." She leaned back slightly, scrunching her nose in the most adorable way before continuing. "I sure am glad that I get to reap the benefits of you being so wonderful though!" He pulled her in tight, tucking her head against his throat, settling her legs over his and resting his other hand against her hip. After some more long moments of silence she spoke again, toying with the top button of his shirt. "There is nowhere I'd rather be than here with you, no matter how many bad days come." John felt his throat catch for a moment, and cleared it before nodding against her head, pressing a silent kiss to her hair.
"Me too, my love. Me too."