g/t one-shot book

misunderstanding (m/f)

"Go away Lucas. Just...go away. Please."

Victoria shivered. She didn't know why she had stayed for so long. The arrangement was for a month, and then she'd be reunited with her family again.

She deflated. Her family. Her younger brother was probably worried sick about her. At 14, Aaron was definitely old enough to take care of himself, but to take care of their parents as well? With their mother bedridden and their dad absent, Victoria worried it was only a matter of time before he lost it entirely.

That kind of responsibility was stressful for one teenager. It's the whole reason they'd been hesitant to let Victoria go to begin with - there was just too much to do.

And not enough time to do it.

She perked slightly when she heard his footfalls. Victoria found herself relaxing as the giant's steps faded, the only reminder of his existence being the door he left ajar. He was her best friend, sure, but this had become ridiculous.

She just had to befriend a giant, of all people. No wonder he hid it from her when they started talking. The 20 year old was once afraid that he was someone he wasn't - a kidnapper, a predator, anything that blurred the lines of legality. Any kind of person could hide behind a screen and fake the photos he sent her online.

But no one could have the FaceTime conversations they had. Or the texts they sent later at night. Truth be told, this entire month hadn't been too bad with him by her side. But as for everyone else...

She took a deep breath. Victoria had tried to be open to the rest of his family, even the strangers that he'd paraded her existence to, but it was exhausting. The human never meant to be the giants' only source of inter-species contact since the war, but she supposed it was bound to happen at some point. Lucas made it a point to use a humans-only VPN, so if it wasn't her, it could be any other human.

She sighed. It didn't help that she actually liked being with the giant. He was as entertaining in real life as he was online, but living together meant new perspectives for both of them. Arguments included.

She just couldn't understand why. Sure, they were only a day delayed now, but what was stopping the giant from holding her for longer? It wasn't like her parents could just get her, and she'd rather die than let Aaron do it.

Victoria groaned, focusing her attention on her surroundings. He'd left her as she requested, but how was she supposed to get down from here? The window had a gorgeous view of the outside, but the trip down wasn't exactly pleasant for someone of her size.

She rolled her eyes. So much for being tall for her species. Reluctantly, the woman got to her feet, cupping her hands around her mouth. She took a breath in and-

"LUCAS!!!"

Silence answered her. She debated calling for him again when she began to hear his footfalls.

She grimaced as she took in his pace. He'd be back any second now, and judging by the increased tremors he caused with each step, he wasn't very happy. She bit her lip as his form squeezed through the door, her heart racing.

"I told you not to yell for me!" He exclaimed. "Giants have very sensitive hearing."

So he wasn't mad at her for wanting her space? Victoria's heart rate began to steady as a smug expression made its way to her face. She could work with this.

"And why is that?"

His composure faltered. "I...I don't know. It just is."

She grinned. "Maybe if you weren't texting me in class you'd remember the answer."

Lucas scoffed. "Bold of you to assume I'd pick up anything from that place." He paused, appearing to remember something. "Besides, weren't you just mad at me?"

Her face flushed as she avoided his gaze. She had been upset with him. But when he didn't reciprocate the energy, she thought he'd had it figured out. And she still needed to get down from the window.

She sighed. "Yeah. I was."

A beat of silence filled the room before she eventually broke it.

"I just...want to go home."

His face softened at her hesitancy. Slowly, he closed the gap between them, kneeling get a better view of his friend.

"And you will," he assured her. "I promise I'm not just holding you captive. It's just our people have a lot to give you on your journey back, and we couldn't fit all their goodbyes within just a day."

Her head perked up. They...wanted to give her gifts? To go home with?

"Are you lying?"

Lucas flinched at the accusation. "Of course not. The others just refused to let you go home until you said goodbye."

He chuckled as she began to relax. "Oh," she managed, and Lucas resisted the urge to tease her for thinking otherwise. He scratched the back of his neck with a hand.

"You're kinda a celebrity, I guess."

A celebrity? A soft smile graced her features.

"I guess that's okay." She looked past him. "Does my family know?"

Lucas grinned. "I'm surprised Aaron didn't tell you. Your parents don't know, your brother wanted it to be a surprise, but I had to get his approval before putting this into motion."

Victoria squinted. "Is that why you weren't there yesterday when I stayed over the Guzman's?"

He shrugged. "Nah, I just didn't have the energy to fight with you. The call only lasted an hour, but we spent most of it figuring out how to send the gifts to your house without arousing suspicion."

She nodded, taking in all the information. It was sweet of him to plan that surprise for her, even if it meant forcing her brother to take care of the house for a few more days. She bit the inside of her cheek as her gaze settled on his face.

Bags that were definitely not there before sat under his cocoa brown eyes. His facial hair, which he usually trimmed daily, was sprouting in patches along the bottom of his face.

She sucked in her teeth. The human had been worried about her family, but she never imagined how hard this was for him. Being a liason between species for a whole month? The fact he hadn't been paid for the endeavor was a miracle in and of itself.

How many sleepless nights had he endured, worried about her safety?

"You need a nap, man." She managed, watching as he snapped out of his stupor.

He sighed, his right hand snaking underneath the window. "I know, but I needed to make sure you were okay first." His gaze dropped to the floor and then back to her.

"Ready to get off of there now?"

She chuckled. "I thought you'd never ask." Her eyebrows narrowed slightly, a smile still painted on her face. "Although, if I knew I had so many adoring fans, I would've asked them to get me instead."

Lucas reeled in mock offense as the woman stepped onto his palm. "You wouldn't!"

I would. She thought. Lucas was a good man, the 21 year old giant had too much on his plate, and Victoria was willing to do anything to ease his burden. Even if it meant dealing with the others for another few days. She grinned.

"That's for me to know, and for you to never find out."