chief -charlie swan-

three -edited-

She leans against him, her smile widening when he wraps his arms around her, pulling her tighter. "You should get home." He says into her hair, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I'd rather stay here." She says, looking up at him. "You can stay. Do you wanna head back to my room to get some sleep?" "I can sleep on the couch, I don't wanna kick you out of your bed." She says, her face going red. "If, and only if, you're okay with it... we could share the bed." He offers, face going red. She nods slightly. "Okay." "Are you sure you're okay with it?" He asks. "Yeah. It's no problem." She says with a red face. He unwraps one arm, tucking it under her knees and lifting her. She squeals, looking at him. "Charlie!" She laughs, shaking her head.

He smiles, watching her stare at him. He lies her in the bed, carefully brushing her hair out of her face. "I appreciate this, Charlie. If you don't want me to sleep with you, I genuinely can sleep on the couch." She says. "I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't okay with it." He states, crawling in bed beside her. She rolls onto her side to face him, carefully setting her hand on his cheek, gently rubbing her thumb over the apple of it. He smiles softly, kissing the palm of her hand. She goes red, going to pull her hand down. He catches it, holding it in his own. "You have no idea the things you do to me, Charlie." She says softly, almost wishing he wouldn't hear her. "Yeah?" "Yeah." She nods, pushing herself up on her elbow. "What kind of things?" He leans closer.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She teases. He pushes up on his elbow as well, leaning in. "Is it the same things you do to me?" He wonders, wanting her to know he feels the same way. Her eyes drop to his lips before quickly going back up to his eyes. "Come here." He sits up, pulling her into him. She sits up, her eyes widening when he plants his lips on hers. They slowly close as she kisses back, carefully moving into his lap. His hands drop to her hips, pulling her closer as her arms wrap around his neck. They pull back for air, panting against each other's mouths. "You've got no idea how long I've wanted to do that." She says, looking at him. "I couldn't stop myself." He says. "I'm not mad. I wanted to." He shakes his head, moving her off his lap and standing.

"Charlie?" "I can't do this, Brianna." He says. Her heart catches in her throat, the switchblade butterflies turning angry. No longer there because he makes her nervous but because he knows how she feels now and she can't take that back. Her nose twitches slightly as she looks at him. "You're my daughter's best friend." "I'm an adult, Charlie." He shakes his head again. "It's not about you being an adult. It's about the fact that you're my daughter's best friend, my coworker's daughter, a girl I watched grow up." She stands, nose twitching again as she holds back tears. "It's about the fact that you don't like me back." She says, sniffling and quickly walking out. She snatches her keys off the counter.

He catches her at the door. "Brianna-" "Move, Charlie." She wants to sound strong but her voice quivers. "Bri-" "I'm not asking again. Move." She says, tears threatening to drop past her lashes at any moment. He nods, stepping out of the way. She walks out, a cry working its way up her throat as she climbs in her car, hitting the steering wheel. "Damnit." She cries, speeding away, wiping at her tears angrily. There's one person she can go to, no matter how late it is. Leah Clearwater. She calls her as she drives. "Bri?" "Can I come over?" She sniffles. "Of course, what's going on?" "Charlie knows." She cries, voice breaking. "Oh, honey. Be careful, okay?" "Yeah." She says. They hang up and she continues speeding, driving haphazardly.

On the Rez, she presses harder on the gas pedal. Just barely slowing when she gets closer to the Clearwater's. When she pulls in, Leah comes out, wrapping his arms around her as she climbs out of the car. "What happened?" Leah Clearwater, a mean girl with a soft spot for the Wells girl. "He kissed me." "That's a good thing! Why are you crying?" Confusion takes over the native girl's features. "He said he couldn't do it. That it wasn't about me being an adult but that I was his daughter's best friend, his coworker's daughter, a girl he watched grow up." Brianna hiccups, more tears streaming down her face. "And I said it was about the fact that he didn't like me back. He never denied it, Leah." She cries. Leah wraps her arms around her, pressing her cheek to her hair.

"Don't let it get to you. He's stupid if he doesn't choose you." She swears, holding her tighter as she leads her inside. Sue watches her daughter comfort her friend as they sit on the couch, cuddled together. She walks in with two cups of hot tea, carefully smoothing down Brianna's hair, pressing a chaste kiss to her head. Brianna smiles at her with teary eyes. "Boy problems?" Sue asks softly. Brianna nods. "Talk to me." The older woman says, planting herself on the opposite side of Brianna. Leah laughs. "Mom, come on." "What? I might be able to help, I am older, therefore wiser." Sue says, lifting her chin proudly. The young girls laugh, shaking their heads. "So, spill." Sue orders playfully. "It's a long story." Brianna says, shaking her head.

"I've got all night." "If you say so..." Brianna starts. "I've liked Charlie since freshman year-" "Swan?" Sue cuts in with a small gasp. Brianna nods sheepishly. "You know, I always wondered." "Mom." Leah scolds. "Well, tonight, he kissed me." Brianna begins the story, voice wavering as she stutters through her account of the actions that drove her to her best friend's house at near midnight. "I feel so stupid." She concludes, biting her lip roughly. "Oh, honey, you're not stupid. It's a schoolgirl crush-" "It's not though. I've even tried dating other people and nothing comes close to the feeling of being with Charlie." She huffs.

The next day, Brianna wakes up later than usual at the Clearwater house. A text from her dad waiting for her. 'Heard you went to the Clearwater's for the night. You gotta let me know these things.' She quickly sends an apology text as she tells Leah she's gotta leave for school. She doesn't stop for coffee nor does she stop at the station. She gets a text from her dad, asking why she hadn't stopped. She tells him she was running late, she wasn't entirely lying. She goes about her day, denying Bella's offer to go to the diner with her and her dad. At her house, she's met with two police cruisers. "Damn." She was hoping she could avoid him. As she walks in, Charlie looks up, eyes desperately trying to lock with hers. She refrains from looking at him.

Greeting her father, she walks upstairs, only getting halfway up before Bill calls for her. She rolls her eyes, walking back down. "Yeah?" "What's up with you today? You're all teenager-y." She, yet again, rolls her eyes. "Well, it might be the fact that I'm a teenager, dad." "Everything okay, kid? You're snippy." She huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm fine. Can I go upstairs now? I've got homework." Bill's taken aback by her hostility but nods nonetheless. "Yeah, yeah, go ahead." She turns on her heel, marching up the stairs as the switchblade butterflies drown in her anger, their scratchy legs clawing at her throat. She swallows. A little while later, after finishing her homework and after Charlie's, hopefully, left, she goes downstairs.

She finds Charlie on the couch still, her father not with him. She turns, starting to walk back up the stairs when he catches her arm. "Brianna." "Let go of me." She hisses. And being the respectful man that he is, he does let go despite how much he wants to hold on. "I'm sorry. I just-" "Don't like me. I get it." She shrugs, trying to hold back the tears. "No, Brianna, you don't get it." He states, shaking his head. "I do. You don't like me and I pushed." She says, looking down. He slides his finger under her chin, lifting her head. "Listen to me." He starts, holding her head up as her eyes switch back and forth between his, her bottom lip quivering. "I do like you, Brianna. That's the issue. You're eighteen. You should be with a guy your own age. I'm forty one for God's sake."

"I don't care." She says, tugging her trembling lip between her teeth. "You don't care? You don't care that I'm twenty three years your senior? You're only a year older than my daughter and you don't care?" "I don't care about any of it, Charlie." She whispers, wanting him to believe her. "I want you." She says softly. "No matter your age." That's all it takes for him to grab her face and plant his lips on hers. She wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him impossibly closer. His hands move from her face to her hips, pushing her against the wall. He groans when her teeth sink into his bottom lip before she pulls back when she hears a car in the driveway. "That's-" "I talked to him about it." He says.

"My dad's okay with it?" She asks incredulously. "Well, not okay with it, but okay with the fact that it's me." He says, shrugging lightly. "I gotta get home. Bells is probably wondering where I am." He says as he steps back as her father walks in. "Can I come?" She asks softly. "If your dad's okay with it." "I'm eighteen, Charlie." She reminds. "I see you made up." Bill says with a smirk. "Now, remember what I told you, Swan. I will hunt you down." He promises. "Dad!" Brianna scolds, her face going red. Charlie laughs, shaking his head. "I wouldn't hurt her, Bill." He assures. "I'm gonna be with Charlie tonight, call me if you need anything." She tells her father, taking Charlie's hand and walking out. Said man grins, holding her hand tighter in his.