Can't Sleep... Love? (Mavi)

Night Forty

Just another amazing day. Well, minus the travel-part. We actually had brunch together with the Hoyings seeing which was even better. Since I had spent a greater part of my childhood with Scott and his family, it was great to catch up with them.

Travelling back home was annoying as always, yet our flight wasn't delayed and we landed just as planned. Back in the arrival hall, Scott organised two uber, one for us and one for Kirstie and Jeremy.

"Are you staying with me tonight?" I ask Avi as we're waiting for our transport to arrive. "We could make some good use of my huge mattress" I add lowly, making sure only Avi could hear me.

Avi smirks. "We definitely should. After all it's been a while" he agrees and presses a chaste kiss on my temple.

"Mmhm" I hum my agreement and smile happily.

"The ubers will only be here in half an hour. Starbucks?" Scott says into the round.

"Yep" I directly say, craving some good coffee after the flight.

~

An hour and a half later, we're back home. We've already picked up Wyatt on our way so we don't have to get out once more.

"Shall we order take-out or cook tonight?" Alex asks.

"I could actually go for something light after the tons of food we've had at brunch this morning" Avi returns. "Salad maybe or something like rice and veggies."

"Rice with veggies? We've got rice, bell  peppers, carrots and some broccoli left from last week" Alex says, looking into the fridge.

"Yeah. Let's start directly, though, I actually can't wait to go to bed. The next week is going to be exhausting" Scott adds. He and Alex share a maybe not so subtle glance and I can't help but grin at that.

"I'll second that" I add, avoiding Avi's look because I don't want to make him uncomfortable.

Cooking and eating goes by rather quickly. I sense that Scott and Alex really want some alone-time and to be honest, I can't wait to be alone with Avi, either. Not only for obvious reasons but also because I just need to unwind and most of all cuddle and some sleep. It's still rather early but that's mainly because we've travelled through time zones.

"I'm heading upstairs" Scott announces as soon as we finished loading up the dishwasher. Alex had already disappeared to take a shower.

"Alright, good night! See you bright and early for rehearsals tomorrow?" Avi asks.

"Yep."

"Good Night, Samantha. Don't have too much fun" I remark, winking at him and then lean in for a hug and a good night kiss on the cheek.

"Same goes for you" Scott whispers into my ear, making me giggle.

"Go now, won't you?"

With that Scott turns around and leaves Avi and me alone. "So... do you really wanna go upstairs or shall we settle down in the living room for a while?" I ask him, already knowing the answer.

"Upstairs? Cuddle up?"

"You had me at cuddle!" I take his hand and together we make our way into my bedroom.

"I'm calling first dibs on the bathroom, though. Human needs."

I grin at him. "Just do you, I'll wait."

While Avi gets ready in the bathroom I start spreading out the sheets of the bed and check the nightstand to see if I have everything we might need in there and ready to use.

"Your turn" Avi comes out of the bathroom, ready for bed.

"Great, cuddle up, I'll be there in a minute."

I quickly brush my teeth and take care of my skin before getting undressed except for my briefs and then make my way back into the bedroom, already looking forward to some us-time with Avi.

"I'm ready, Big Dad-" I falter when I see Avi. He's sitting on the edge of the bed, head in his hands, holding his phone against his ear.

"Yeah, thank you for calling, Esther ... no I'm with Mitch ... we'll talk tomorrow ... Bye."

"What happened? Avi?" I plod over to the bed and sit down next to him.  Is head is hanging and his face is showing no emotion.

I've never seen him like that, so... broken. "Avi?" I carefully lay a hand on his back. "Talk to me, please."

"She's gone" he says toneless. "Grams is gone. She didn't wake up this morning."

I gasp. "God, Avi." I don't actually know what to say. I know that he loves his grandma a lot, so this is hard on him.

"She's gone, Mitch. And I wasn't there, I didn't get to say my goodbyes." I hear his voice breaking and see tears forming in his eyes.

Quickly I throw my arms around him, pulling him into a bone-crushing embrace as he starts crying without inhibitions. It pains me to see him hurt, yet I push my own feelings aside. He needs me to stay strong, needs me to be there. I hold him until he calms down, I take a tissue and start dabbing his cheeks, a small gesture to show him that I care for him, glad when I see the hint of a smile on his face.

"Thanks" he says with a raspy voice.

"Always, Avi. I'm so sorry" I say looking into his eyes. "Do you need something? Anything?"

He just shakes his head. "No, can we just cuddle and try to sleep? I'll deal with the rest tomorrow."

I nod. "Yeah, of course." I crawl under the sheets and wait for Avi to get settled as well. He cuddles up against me and I hold him tight.

"If you need something tonight, wake me up, right? Even if you just can't sleep, okay?" I ensure.

Avi nods. "I will. Thank you, Mitch." He takes some deep breaths while I draw little circles on the back of his neck. I feel him relaxing, slowly falling asleep.

"Good Night, Big Daddy" I whisper.

"Night, Queen" he returns and I can't help but smile when he completes our nightly ritual.

~~~~~~~

A/N: Sorry :(