Take Flight

Family

"Hey, honey ?"

"Yes ?" you answer, kissing her forehead.

"I was wondering... I mean I assumed... Because you never talk about them... I mean you don't have to but... Well..."

"Hey it's okay. don't be nervous. I'm the one who gets nervous."

You both chuckle, but you can clearly hear the uneasiness even in her laugh. You stare at her but she won't look at you in the eyes, her knees looking way more interesting than your face.

"I just... I don't want you to feel uncomfortable," she sighs, finally looking in your direction.

You slide a hand on her thigh to reassure her and you can clearly feel her muscles relax under your warm touch. You tilt your head just the slightest bit and smile to her.

"You won't. You can't. I can't get offended by you, it's almost annoying, I swear."

She replies by a laughter but she can't hide her nervousness even after your comforting words. It even feels weird to see her that way, the confident and gorgeous woman that she is, and that you picture in your mind every time her name pops up in your head.

"It's okay, I swear. Angelina, look at me again, you can't be nervous. We can't be a nervous wreck as a couple, you need to get your shit together for the both of us."

Her laughter is lighter already and she doesn't try to shy away from your stares. She smiles back and licks her bottom lip as she thinks about the words she's about to say.

"Christmas is coming up rather quickly and... well I know we spent Thanksgiving together, partly because Mad was sick and we couldn't fly or just drive anywhere, but you know that of course. But for Christmas... Christmas is for families."

You heart feels like crushed in your chest. You are not a part of her family. She doesn't want you to spend Christmas with her. You're not enough to her to be spending Christmas with her. Why would you ever think you were ? Why hope for so much ? How could you be so oblivious of the situation. Of course she couldn't love you as much as you love her. Of course she wouldn't see you as family. You suddenly feel stupid and small, and most of all, out of place. If you're not worth being considered family, then why are you sitting on this couch, at Angelina's house ?

"And well... Maddox and I are going to spend Christmas at my mom's, with my brother as well. It's just family tradition, and I really miss them, so we're going out there in two days for at least a couple of days. And so..."

You don't her to say it. You don't want to hear it.

"Since most people do as I... as we do," Angelina corrects herself as she includes Mad, "I thought that you'd maybe rather spend Christmas with your family than with us. It makes me incredibly sad because you don't know how much I'd wish to spend Christmas with you, I love you so much, and I don't want to be away from you, but I understand if you want to go to your own family as I've kept you here for Thanksgiving already."

You only realize you closed you eyes, fearful of what you were about to hear, when you open them again, giving you an image of a still nervous Angelina, not looking at you.

"However... Well I've never heard you speak about your family, ever, and... Honey ? What's wrong, hey, come here..."

A few tears have rolled down you cheeks in relief, but your heart feels heavy still. Angelina wraps her arm around you and draw you into a hug, covering you with her own body. She softly kisses your forehead and strokes your cheek lightly.

"What's on your mind ?"

"I thought you didn't want me."

Angelina stops dead in her tracks, but you can't tell if it's because she didn't understand your words or because they offended her. She takes both of you hands in hers and makes you look at her in the eyes.

"Darling of course I want you. I want to be with you all the time, I don't want you to be away from me. I'm selfish for depriving the world from your wonderful self but I can't live any other way. I love you. I want you with me. You're my family."

Every bit of weight making your heart ache fades away instantly as she speaks these words and you start sobbing.

"Oh honey... Did you think I didn't consider you as such ? Of course I do, don't you worry about that, I care so much about you, I love you. It is gonna hurt me so bad to be apart from you for a few days. You're my family as much as they are and I wish you could be with us."

"I will."

Angelina stops speaking again, with a look of surprise and incomprehension on her face. Her left eyebrow raises as she expects you to explain your statement.

"You're all that I have, you're my family, and you're the one I want to spend Christmas with. You're the one I want to spend my l... Sorry."

Angelina doesn't pick up on your few last words, her mind seemingly still full of i unanswered questions.

"Do you not have any family apart from us ?"

"No. Not anymore."

"Will you tell me about it ? It doesn't have to be now, I... Don't rush, really it's..."

"Is that what you were so nervous about ?"

"Yes it was," Angelina replies in a sigh.

"Don't. There's not much to say, I have quite a cliché traumatic story. My mom died when I was 12 and my dad remarried. We were doing fine when my step-mother passed away as well just a year after they got married. I was 15 by then. My dad thought he was cursed, and he couldn't let go of some kind of guilt and tried to forget by using and drinking. He became abusive and I ran away from home when I turned 16."

"I... Where did you go ?"

"I went to my aunt's. She was the only family I had left. I had no grandparents anymore, no other uncles or aunts, and no cousins. I lived there for a while before she killed herself. I was 18, I had started to work in my company already, because I graduated at 16, and somehow they found me gifted, so I rented a room, until I could afford renting an apartment. And I've been living there for two years. Well, used to live."

"I don't quite know what to say..."

"It's okay. I learnt my dad died through the newspaper last year, I was surprised he made it this far. I think my life has just taught me how to be independent and how to rely on myself a lot. Which I don't know if it really is a good thing but that's what I know."

"You have the kind of life that mediocre writers would write in... those fanfictions you find on internet."

"I do," you answer with a chuckle, "But well. Unfortunately it's very much real for me."

Angelina tightens her embrace and kisses your forehead again.

"You're the strongest person I know."

"Oh believe me I'm not."

"You are. You're here with me, alive and well, after all you've been through. You've lost every single person who cared for and looked after you."

"Believe me it just makes me scared to lose every single person that I love."

"Well you won't. You're my family, Y/N. I want to spend the rest of my life with you too."

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i have to say idrk where that went lmao but anyways
i don't even remember which steps of their relationship i explored before so this is confusing af
anyways hope you liked anyways, and i see you ppl, pls comment (also weird chapter comin next)
-lou~

(also yes i called myself mediocre)