Unlike the first time the two of you cooked, everything went smoothly. Though, you were forced to sit through another serving of beans on toast, which wasn't exactly your favorite part of the meal. The Afton siblings went about their usual shenanigans, tormenting one another with silly jokes and embarrassing stories. The dining room table was slowly becoming one of your new favorite places in Utah, right behind your boyfriend's arms.
Hell, even Gregory seemed to be making himself at home. After his and Michael's little glare-off in the kitchen, you were worried that your adoptive younger brother was going to run away or something. To your surprise, he got along just fine with Evan and Elizabeth. Apparently, he was the perfect playmate.
You spent your day watching Gregory bond with the younger two of the Afton siblings. He still acted weird around Michael, though you figured that wouldn't be fixed automatically. After breakfast was finished, you watched as the kids brought their dishes to the sink. Seeing them be responsible made your heart warm with pride.
The Afton siblings grabbed Gregory by the arms, pulling him away to presumably make him play games with them. You giggled a little as Gregory whispered a quiet plea for help, but he didn't receive any.
Michael stood, bringing his own plate to the sink as he watched you closely. "Hey, Y/N...?"
Your heart jumped for a moment. You should be used to Michael calling your name by now, surely. You decided to blame your sudden shock on the tone of voice he was using. It was low, like he didn't want anyone else to hear, and for some reason, he sounded uncertain.
"Yes, Michael?"
His eyes traced over you for a moment, like he was seeing you for the first time. It was a long moment before those glistening blue eyes met yours again, and you were really beginning to worry. Why would he hesitate? Was he still upset with Gregory? Did you do something? Was there something on your clothes?
He took a moment to clear his throat. "Are you by chance busy this weekend?"
You blinked. Okay, so, maybe he wasn't mad at you. He was just nervous to ask if you had plans.
"No, not at all. I don't have any plans."
"Good." He took your hand in his own, bringing it up to his lips. "I'd like to take you out this weekend. How does roller skating sound?"
You felt heat rise to your cheeks at the gesture. You wished you didn't have this reaction every time, but you supposed that was just par for the course in a new relationship. "Yeah, ah, roller skating sounds great."
Michael laughed a little at your reaction, earning himself a punch in the shoulder.
The day felt like it passed so quickly. Before you knew it, you were putting the kids to bed and helping Gregory into your car. Michael kissed you goodbye, and you were headed back home.
"Y/N?"
You turned your head slightly to look at Gregory, who was fiddling with a loose thread on his shirt.
"What's up?"
Sneaking another glance, you saw that Gregory had switched from messing with his shirt to biting one of his fingernails.
"Thanks. For today, I mean."
"What are you thanking me for?" You smiled, turning your focus back to the roads. "All I did was bring you here. From the sounds of it, you've been here before."
He let out a dry laugh. "When Mr. Afton originally hired me and found out I was homeless, he let me spend a few nights there. It was hell. To be honest, I never thought I would go back but..."
"You could've said something at the house," You sighed. "I don't want to put you in situations that make you uncomfortable."
"N-No! It's not like that!" He assured you, stumbling over his words a little. "How do I put it...? I'm thanking you for today because it was actually a nice experience at the Afton's this time."
A breath of relief escaped your lips, one that you didn't even realize you'd been holding in. "Oh. Good."
"And I got to learn about your plans this weekend." A mischievous smile worked its way onto your adoptive brother's face. "Y/N and Michael, sitting in a tree–"
"Shut up!" You squealed, hitting him playfully as you pulled into the driveway. "I already have mom to tease me, I don't need you joining in!"
He practically jumped out of his seat as he ran towards the house. "Just wait until I tell her! She's going to be even worse with me around!"
"Don't you dare!" You called after him, grabbing your bag and being sure to lock your car.
The door was swung open before you had the chance to unlock it yourself.
"What's this I hear about teasing?" Your mom grinned down at the two of you. You had to fight the urge to hide behind Gregory, despite the fact that he was shorter than you.
"Y/N has another date this weekend~" Gregory cooed in a sing-song tone as he sauntered into his new home.
"Oh, do you now?" Your mom held the door open for you as you stepped inside.
"Yes, mom. Michael asked me today if I would go roller skating with him this weekend."
Before you could run off, she ruffled your hair. "Oh my sweet Y/N, I hope you have a wonderful time."
You began to climb the stairs to your room when you heard her say something about "young love."
The weekend came so much sooner than you expected. Here you were, standing in front of your mirror once again. You looked like you usually do, you were sure of it, but something felt off. Like you were sort of... glowing?
You had heard somewhere before (probably from your mother's ramblings, if you were being honest) that love did that to you. Love made you feel like you could do anything... is that how you felt now? You weren't sure.
If you had to describe it... well, it felt like you were in an air balloon. Your heart was soaring somewhere high above the clouds, and there was no sign of it coming down anytime soon. You had to wonder, did Michael feel the same way? You certainly hoped so.
You gave yourself one last look-over before deciding that you looked fine. You made your way downstairs, wishing your mom and Gregory a goodbye before driving to the Afton's.
Michael was waiting on the front steps, running over as soon as he saw your car pull up. He was wearing jeans, sneakers, an Aerosmith t-shirt, accompanied by a familiar gray sweatshirt tied around his waist.
He climbed into your vehicle, sharing a quick kiss with you before giving you directions.
It wasn't long before you arrived at the roller rink. You grabbed some skates and began to put them on your feet when you noticed your boyfriend struggling.
"I think I grabbed the wrong size," he muttered, still trying to shove his foot into the far-too-small shoe.
You giggled a little at the sight. "Why don't you go grab new ones, then?"
He let out an exasperated sigh. "That's so much work."
You had already finished putting yours on, and with a laugh you went to go grab him new ones. Thankfully, you grabbed the correct size this time.
"What would I ever do without you?" Michael asked, his tone sounding rather blissful.
You felt like you were back in that hot air balloon again, your heart skipping a beat with Michael's words.
"I don't know," You admitted, taking a seat next to him as he struggled to but the skates on. "You'd probably still be that angry little 18 year-old I met a few weeks ago, who hated everyone and everything."
For a second he doesn't say anything, and you're worried you've crossed a line, but he just laughs. "You're probably right. You've changed my life a lot in the short time we've known each other. I'm so glad I met you."
You leaned into him a little. "I'm glad I met you too."
The moment of silence was broken as soon as he was able to put his roller skates on. "Shall we, my dear?" Michael held his hand out to you, and you graciously took it.
The two of you weren't the best skaters by any means. Your legs wobbled and you felt like you were going to fall at any minute. Michael was a little better, but that wasn't saying much.
And, of course, the inevitable happened. You weren't sure if a rock or some other foreign object happened to be on the rink, but Michael tripped, taking you down with him. You knew you were likely causing a scene but in this moment, all you could do was stare up at Michael, directly into those beautiful blue eyes.
"Y/N..." He trailed off breathlessly.
You didn't need to hear the rest of the sentence. You knew what he wanted. Leaning up, you pressed your lips against him, not giving a damn about the world around you. All that mattered was here, and now, with the man you loved.
–
BONUS:
"Michael, why is there a bruise on your forehead?" Elizabeth asked.
"I got into a fight. You should see the other guy." Michael tried to play it cool. Surely the truth didn't matter.
"But you were out with Y/N today... they wouldn't let you get in a fight..." Evan mumbled.
"Yeah!" Elizabeth jumped in. "Didn't you say something about taking them to the roller rink?"
Michael let out a defeated sigh. These kids were getting too smart for their own good.
"I may have fallen directly on my face... multiple times."
--
A/N: Hello everyone!! It's been such a long time... I'm sorry about that! It's crazy to think that I published the first chapter of this story just over a year ago... and now here I am, putting this fic to rest. To be honest, it feels great. I've NEVER had the motivation to see a fanfic to the end, and yet, here it is! Fully finished! And I'm happy with it! I think I did a good job, so I'm patting myself on the back.
I also want to say after such a long break: those side projects I started working on... hehe... well. For now, consider them on hiatus. I started the Gregory fic, and when I have the right motivation I'll finish it.
Thank you all for sticking with me, and for making this fic popular (Seriously, I mean it! I haven't updated this thing in a while and it's still doing INCREDIBLE in rankings! You are crazy!). I couldn't have asked for better readers. If you'd like, follow me on Twitter @ samunhinged to keep up with me and any of my future projects. I'm currently thinking about writing a BSD fic... hmm... anyway, see you all around!