it beats my heart when you are gone

1/2

A request for _n0r4_ who wanted a story about the days before LG went to Italy to film HOG 

Stefani breezes out of the master bathroom, hair wrapped up in a towel, Freddie trailing right behind. His grin says it all; they'd obviously had fun creating together.

"You ready?"

Bradley pulls himself into a sitting position, a lazy, dimpled smile blooming. "Big reveal?"

Freddie giggles, sweeping his hands out in front of chest grandly. "This needs a drum roll or something."

"It's gonna be kind of anticlimactic," she warns. Her fingers are already going up to the towel, beginning to unravel it. "You know what I look like as a brunette."

The accent isn't as thick when they're together, but it's always there, even if it's just under the surface. It doesn't bother him; if anything he understands completely adopting a voice that's not your own has to become seamless. No one who is close to her seems remotely phased either. It's just another day at the office. 

"I still wanna see," he murmurs as their eyes lock. Freddie's grin grows so wide that Bradley fears he's about to injure himself somehow. 

Stefani purses her lips as if she's indulging him, but they both know he genuinely appreciates everything about her and he's not shy about letting her know. 

Her hair is still slightly damp, but it is a glorious shade of chestnut, much darker than the brown Ally had and she gives it a full shake, posing. 

"Do I look like her?"

"You look gorgeous," he tells her sincerely. "Do you feel like her, more importantly?"

"Not yet. But I'm getting there."

She wasn't ready to go to the dark places yet that would be required of her, despite all of the research she'd done. That would wait until filming and he knew that under Susan's guidance, she could get there and get there safely. 

The actor in him, the director, was sure of it because he himself had been a firsthand witness. She was more than capable of it and the prep work she had done set her up for total freedom in that arena.

And yet, as someone who loved her and worried about her, there was also the fear that she would break down, that she would push herself too far; he'd been there for that, too.

While they were together, quarantining for the brief period before she was set to fly out,  he was sure to offer as much support as possible. He was the first person she went to after she had spoken to Ridley and the fact she valued his advice so much wasn't something he took lightly. She had incredible instincts, to be sure, but he also knew that this was a brand new undertaking and while she didn't need a hand to hold, he was certain to consistently tell her how proud he was, how wonderful she was going to do. It wasn't only because he was her boyfriend, but rather he was aware of just how much encouragement meant to her. Many people never offered it, simply because they saw her as someone who didn't need any, when the truth was she was human and to hear someone believed in you went a long way.

And it was the getting to be with her in the days before she left that mattered most of all, to spend that time doing nothing but eating and watching films, hiking, cooking. At times, they'd sit in the same room, side by side on the couch. She'd be typing or reading, he'd be working on something on the Mac and it would be silent. Stefani would glance up, nudge her foot with his, maybe, give him that smile that absolutely fucking melted him and that was everything he needed, right there. Distance was nothing new; they were old hat at navigating it by now. It was more the idea that for months, even with visits (which would be few and far between because of his own filming) that this was the longest they had really been apart for years...they managed to see one another fairly frequently, taking long sojourns away when they were able, either with Lea or alone. The knowledge that this was a greater physical separation, though for an exciting purpose, made him ache a little.