One Shot Series 3

Always Have, Always Will

Justin saw a side of Demi that no one else could see. It was his favourite side of her, the side where her hair was pulled up into a bun, strands brushing against her face (and he so badly wanted to raise his fingers and gently move his knuckles over the soft skin of her cheeks), where her brown eyes were translucent behind the thick frames of her glasses (and he so badly wanted to get lost in those eyes forever), and where she wore sweatpants and no makeup (and he so badly wanted to lay next to her and feel the soft fabric against his skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps up and down his arms as he admired her bare face, where her beauty truly shined).

He loved it. Though he didn't admit it in every way possible, that's what he felt. It was a desirable emotion that left him breathless, just locking his eyes on her and seeing her, the real her, that no one else had the opportunity of seeing.

God, he was the luckiest man ever, and this he knew. The late nights, early mornings, and savoring memories were what made him feel so lucky. He was so very in love, deeply and hopelessly in love, with this girl that was nothing but herself... her beautiful, sincere and loving self. That was his favorite thing in the whole wide world: to come home and see her in his jumper, cuddled up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate as she scanned her homework and paperwork, glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose as she waited for him to come home from work. To see her look up and smile warmly and welcoming at him was the one thing that drove him mad... in the most amazing way.

There were days when she wasn't herself, of course. She could become so quiet, distant and trapped in her own world. That also drove him mad, but not in the most favourable way. It worried him more than anything, seeing her asleep under the heavy fall of blankets, hiding her face from him after coming home from a long day.

All Justin wanted was for her to be herself. There was nothing he loved more, nothing else he wanted to see, and no one else he could ever fall in love with but her. To see her upset, cold and silent left him feeling like he wasn't himself either.

That boy would do anything to have her be happy. There was nothing he loved more.

* * *

"Demi, I'm home now!" Justin's shout for his girlfriend was soon cut short, trailing off into a whisper when he saw her asleep on the couch, a blanket curled tightly around her as she slept in a ball, knees pulled up to her chest. Justin knew what this position was and how vulnerable she felt in it.

With a sigh, Justin dropped his bag onto the floor and took off his shoes one by one, never taking his eyes off Demi. His mouth was pulled into a tight line, stress already coming through his chest.

Slowly, he crept over to the sofa and found himself putting his hand on the curve of her hip, scooting her over just slightly and gently so he could press himself against her. His arm came up and reached over the back of the couch, grabbing another blanket to use for himself and tuck half of the ends over Demi's body, just to make sure she was warm. His arm came back down and rested over her shoulders, his slightly slim hands coming down to settle against her collarbones. His thumbs rubbed soothing circles into the skin there, causing Demi to make a noise from the back of her throat and roll into him, her nose brushing against his neck.

"Hey." His voice was soft and caring, his hand reaching up to press into the back of her bun, slowly pulling the waves out of her elastic, watching as the hair tumbled onto her shoulders. He smiled timidly, running and twirling his fingers over a strand of hair.

Surely enough, Demi cracked one of her eyes open, peering up into her boyfriend's eyes; her own were so tired, heavy bags resting just below her irises. She looked nearly deathly, pale and just so exhausted. It brought down her demeanor.

Without much speaking, Demi crawled over just a little closer. She placed her head over Justin's heart, her tinier hands coming up to fist the red t-shirt on his body. He smiled slightly, pressing his face into her vanilla scented hair. His arms wrapped tightly around her waist, keeping her put as he pressed his lips against her scalp. It was a loving motion, something that easily caused Demi's fears and nerves to disappear. She could just fall asleep like that - both of them could - without having to worry any longer. Besides, he was there. That's all she needed to get through all this.

It took a few moments for Justin to find his voice. When he did, his tone was solemn; "What's wrong, baby?"

Pressing a few kisses onto his chest over his shirt, the love of his life shrugged. Shaking her head, she mumbled, "Just a bad day. I missed you."

How Justin had missed her - he still missed her. He missed the real her, the one that was so bubbly and fun. This was the exact opposite. Though he didn't mind lying with her like this, pressed against her chest (because he did very much love moments like these), he missed the girl that he had fallen in love with. There was no doubt in his mind that she should would return eventually, perhaps a few hours later or the next day - that was what usually happened. Except seeing her frown, sleepy and bland made every worrying aspect be brought up to the surface. He couldn't hide the fact that he was worried, it was just impossible not to be. He wanted to be worried, to prove that he really did care whether she was upset or not.

Whispering back, "I missed you too, babe. But I'm here now, okay?"

Demi nodded, her thick eyelashes fanning against her cheek as she closed her eyes again, leaning into his touch. He continued to run his fingers through her hair, pressing tiny kisses into each strand as much as he could. His other hand rested on the small of her back, drawing and tracing patterns to remind her that he was there, always there.

"I miss your nerdiness," Justin said suddenly, his voice low, "You know how you're always reading a book with your glasses on when I get home, or just being your normal, happy self." He kissed her forehead tenderly, moving his hand up to the back of her neck where he massaged the tense areas. "I don't like seeing you upset."

"Mmm," Demi hummed, her lips ever-so-slightly grazing against his neck, "I don't like seeing you upset either."

To Justin, that didn't matter at that moment in time. He was more focused on getting her happy; smiling, laughing, having a good time with him like the night before. One day of seeing her like this brought him down in such a way where it felt like he got whiplash... or just a really bad headache. Him being upset - to him - was way less important than her being upset.

"That doesn't matter." He whispered in her ear, kissing her earlobe softly before pulling down gently, which usually got her to laugh. And she did. The faintest of giggles radiated throughout the room, making Justin smile the biggest he had all day.

"Do that again. Laugh."

Demi looked up at him once more, her head nestled underneath his chin. She smiled slightly before she felt his fingers tickling against her ribs. Her smile grew wider and she squirmed, pushing against his restraining hands, laughing that angelic laugh that made Justin get that funny feeling inside of him.

This was the side of her that he loved so dearly. There was nothing he wanted more than to see his baby girl happy, laughing, smiling and just being herself. He loved everything about her: her nerdiness, her glasses, her messy hair, her bare face, the jumpers she wore around the house, and the beauty that caught his attention when they first met.

Pulling her tightly against him, he trapped her once more and leaned down to nip at her neck. He gently kissed the mark, his lips smiling boldly.

"I love you. Always have, always will."