All in his head

twenty four

Tate

Slowly I focus in on the moonlight shining through the windows of the bedroom, the cold sheets  around me making me sink further into the large hoodie I'm wearing. But the lack of a heavy arm around me jolts me completely awake. 

The spot where Adrian normally is now cold and empty. I throw the covers off me and look in the bathroom for him before leaving the room. 

My eyes squint at the flooding light from the kitchen, a single large figure stands in the kitchen. Slowly, I walk over to him and rest my forehead on his bicep.

"Princess what are you doing up?" He asks, I shrug and wiggle until his arm is around me. The feelings of his expensive dress shirt rubs my cheek, open my eyes enough to see that he is dressed like he is about to go into the office. 

Something he rarely does unless he absolutely has to now.

"What's going on?" I ask, he smiles and runs his hand through my hair. "Just taking care of some loose ends with all that bullshit with Jonah, why don't you go back to bed. I don't want you getting a headache" 

I shake my head and wrap my arms around him, it's not like I was going to sleep without him with me anyways.

He sighs and starts typing on his laptop again. The beating of his heart, lulls me back almost too sleep as I hug his torso. 

"Do you have to go to work in the middle of the night?" I ask, he hums a 'no' and moves one on his arms to my waist, holding me against him.

"No, but a couple squad captains came by about an hour ago and I couldn't not be dressed." He explains, I nod and let the comfortable silence fall between us. The smell of him invading my senses whenever I cuddle deeper into his chest. 

We stay there for awhile he does his work, occasionally mumbling something in what I now know is Dutch. Slowly, I lean more into his side until Adrian is the only thing keeping me from falling over. 

With a small laugh, he lifts me onto the cold stone countertop and moves my arms to be around his neck. Standing between my legs, he starts typing again as I bury my face in his neck.

"I do have something I wanted to talk to you about, if you're awake enough" Adrian says, I lift my head and sleepily look into his wide awake eyes. 

He smiles and runs a hand through my hair, "I've been meaning to head down and see my parents, would you want to come with me and meet them?" 

Meet his parents?

My mouth falls open and I start messing with one of the buttons of his shirt.

"You want me to meet them?" I ask, he grins and nods. "Well it would pretty weird if they didn't meet the woman I'm living with and promising the world too. And my mom would start world war III if I didn't introduce you to her soon" 

His mom knows about me being in his life? Did she know everything that has gone on? Or is she even aware of who and what I come from? Surely she wouldn't want her son with someone like me.

"Can you stop doing that? I can sense your internal panic, princess" I nod and look down, more questions swirling in my head. "For fucks sake, Tate. Yes, she is fully aware of who you are. No she isn't concerned about your past. I'm a grown ass man and she knows that, she also knows I am fully capable of picking a woman. Well, at least this go around" 

Frowning, I stare at him and tilt my head, "Can you read my thoughts?" he laughs and kisses the tip of my nose. "You're just very easy to read"

I nod and lean into his chest, "Okay. But I'll only go if you turn that damn computer off and come back to bed" his smile grows and closes it before picking me up and walking us back down the hallway. 

"Good night, my princess" He whispers as he settles us in the bed.

***

The next morning, Adrian and I clean the apartment and get ready to leave for the weekend. The uneasy nervous feeling of meeting the people who raised him bubbles in me. 

It makes it even more strange that I won't get to introduce him to any of mine family, I think my brother and mom would have loved Adrian. 

"What are they like?" I ask as we replace the sheets of the bed. 

A small smile takes over his sharp features as he flops on the fresh fitted sheet and pull me to be on top of him. 

"My mom is the sweetest, most mannerly woman I've ever met. You'll love her, I know she is really excited to meet you." He starts, I smile and roll to his side. "And my dad is this big brooding Dutch guy, but he isn't as scary as he appears. Deep down he is a big softie, and he's happy I'm bring home someone"

I nod and run my finger across the tattoos on his chest.

"I think my mom would have liked you" I say, he grins at me "Yeah?"

"Yeah, she always told me that I needed someone who could see and be with me at my worst and not view me a some weakling. But her main thing was to marry someone who was nothing like my father. And you are the exact opposite of him" 

He nods and twirls my hair between his fingers, "I wish I could meet her and hear stories about baby Tate"

I agree quietly and let the memories of her take over my thoughts. 

All of the times she would try to protect me and my brother and it only ended worse for all of us. Or the few times she tried to run with us and it failed. 

"You know you can talk about them, I'm all ears whenever you need." He adds, I kiss his jaw and make him get up to finish helping me get the bedding back on the bed. 

Soon we have the place shining and have our overnight bags sitting by the door. 

Adrian manages to hold both bags and my hand as we walk out and to the car. A big smile on his face the whole time, even when he starts driving out of the city and towards the small town they live in. 

"I don't know if you know, but after everything about what happened came out, a lot of people moved away. Almost that whole neighborhood ending up leaving the town. I'm pretty the new owners torn down your old house ad rebuilt from the ground up" He says, I nod and hold onto his big hand as we get further into the country side of California. 

I didn't know how to answer him, even if it felt good knowing. 

"I hope your parents like me" I say instead, he squeezes my hand and nods. "They're going to love you, princess"

_______

A/N

I know this is super late and I'll try to get a couple more updates out this week!!