The rest of the night was long and restless as Wanda laid on the cold hardwood floor against Claire's sleeping body. Wanda would doze off, but inevitably would wake up with a start at seeing Claire's out of control wolf staring at her with glowing purple eyes, and when it happened, she would spend an even longer time making sure that Claire was alright whenever she stirred or growled quietly in her sleep.
Eventually, though, the sun rose and the light morning rays of sunshine drifted into the apartment. A yawn escaped Wanda's lips as she stood up from the floor, stretched her back to work out the stiffness that came about from sleeping on the floor, draped a blanket over Claire, and headed into the kitchen to make breakfast. Walking into the kitchen, she unlocked her phone and dialed the number of Josh, the store manager. Her shift didn't start for a few hours, but she found it courteous to call ahead to give Josh some time to find someone to take her place. She explained her situation—calling with the excuse that she was sick—and Josh understood, letting her take the day and hung up. Part of Wanda was guilty for lying to her boss, but she couldn't exactly tell him that her werewolf girlfriend had a mental breakdown early that morning, now could she?
She pulled the phone away from her ear and opened her music library, selecting the playlist that she uses to relax, and locked her phone, placing it on the counter as soft classical music filled the quiet kitchen. She walked over to one of the cabinets and pulled out a large frying pan and placed it on the stove before walking to the fridge and pulling out a carton of eggs, a pack of bacon, cheese, and butter. Wanda turned on the stove and as the pan heated up, she cut a small piece of butter and dropped it into the pan to grease it. Grabbing a bowl, Wanda started prepping the eggs while the pan got hot. When she finished prepping and the pan was hot enough, she poured the beaten eggs into the pan. A loud sizzle filled the air, covering up the sound of the music for a minute, and as the eggs cooked, she took out another smaller pan and placed it on the stove next to the eggs. She turned on the second burner, greased the pan, and opened the pack of bacon and started placing the strips into the pan.
The eggs were done soon, and when they were finished, she dumped them out of the pan and onto a large plate which she moved to the table. Still waiting for the bacon to finish, she made some toast and a cup of coffee for Claire. The bacon finished cooking right around the time that the coffee finished, and doing what she did with the eggs, Wanda plated the bacon and placed it on the table next to the eggs and toast. She poured the coffee into Claire's favorite mug and put it down in front of where Claire usually sat. Looking everything over, Wanda moved to grab two plates, two forks, and a cup of orange juice for herself, and set the table.
Claire's nose perked up at the smell of food, pulling her out of her deep sleep. She opened her heavy eyes and groaned at the pressure building up in her head. Carefully, she stood up, groaning again at the ache in her back, and walked to the kitchen, following the delicious scent of food. Wanda had her back turned to her when she entered the kitchen, and as she looked at the table, seeing the food, she let out a quiet sigh as she continued walking up behind Wanda, hugging her from behind.
Wanda flinched at the sudden contact, but soon relaxed and smiled as Claire's warmth spread through her. Claire rested her cheek against the top of Wanda's back, right at the base of her neck and sniffled, inhaling her scent to calm down.
"I'm so sorry about last night," Claire muttered as she tightened her grip on Wanda, afraid that she was angry with her, or worse, afraid. Wanda's smile faded into a sad frown as she turned in Claire's hold, facing her and touching a hand to her cheek.
"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pressed you to talk if you didn't want to."
"I should've told you from the beginning. I never should have let all that bottle up like that." Claire sent her a little smile. "Besides, despite what happened, I feel much better after talking to you." She closed her eyes and trailed her nose across Wanda's face before kissing her.
"I'm glad you feel better. I was really worried about you last night," Wanda said pulling out of her arms to finish setting the table.
"I hope I didn't scare you," Claire mumbled apologetically with a hint of sadness. Wanda paused and looked back over to her. Shame was painted on Claire's beautiful face and she sighed. Moving back over to her, she pressed her lips against Claire's taking her aback.
"If I was afraid of you, would I do that?" she asked, smirking at her as she pulled away. Claire grinned a goofy grin as a small tear rolled down her face.
"I guess not."
"Come on, the food's getting cold."
The two of them sat at the table and started eating the meal that Wanda prepared and Claire praised her the whole time, causing her face to become flushed. Once they finished eating, to thank Wanda for cooking breakfast, she did the dishes and argued with Wanda after every move she made.
"Claire, come one, just let me help," Wanda whined as Claire pushed her away from the sink.
"No. You made breakfast, so I do the dishes. It's only fair."
"I can handle it. I want you to relax." Claire chuckled and flicked a little bit of water and soap at her.
"Believe it or not, Little Red, washing dishes does relax me," Claire said turning back to the soaking pan and starting to scrub it. Wanda huffed and sat up on the counter next to her. They sat in silence for a few minutes while Claire continued to scrub the dirty dishes and Wanda tied her long hair into a messy bun. She looked over at Claire, hearing her humming to herself and bit her bottom lip nervously. Ever since Claire told her how much she hated her job, one question was burning a hole in her mind, and she wanted to ask, but was afraid to set Claire off again. Sighing, she figured she'd just ask it and get it over with.
"Claire?" she asked, bringing her left thumb up to her mouth and biting down on her nail.
"Hmm?" Claire hummed as she continued to wash the dishes in the sink, not looking up at Wanda and pausing the song she was humming.
"Can I ask you something?" Claire paused and looked over at her.
"Of course, baby girl. You can ask me anything," she said, caressing her cheek with her soapy hand, causing a small giggle to come from Wanda. She quickly turned serious again as the question came back into focus.
"I...I just want you to know, that I don't mean to upset you by asking this," Wanda prefaced, taking a brief pause.
Claire froze and looked at Wanda with sadness in her eyes. Whatever Wanda wanted to talk about, she knew it was serious, and she was guilty that Wanda was worried and afraid of upsetting her. She grabbed the dish towel next to her and dried her hands before she stepped away from the sink and over to Wanda. She rested her hands on Wanda's thighs and looked up at her, giving her a small smile as she leaned in and planted a kiss on her nose.
"Wanda, you don't have to be afraid to talk to me. You don't have to be afraid of upsetting me, I could never get upset with you." Claire's eyes softened, pain flashing through them briefly. "Last night...I shouldn't have lost my cool like that, and that's on me, Wanda; not you. Please don't be afraid of me, baby." Claire couldn't help the desperate whisper that came out at the end.
"I'm not afraid of you," Wanda said, her hands flying up to entwine her fingers in Claire's messy hair.
"What did you want to ask me?"
"You said you hated your job and gave very worthy reasons as to why. I guess...If you hate it so much, why don't you just quit?" Claire sighed and leaned her head down. "Clearly this environment isn't good for you or your wolf, and after you told me about your supervisor...I'm worried Claire. I don't want anything to happen to you."
"Honestly, I thought heavily about quitting, but despite my practical slavery, it's a good paying job and we need the money, Wanda. I can afford to be selfish. We don't always get our dream jobs, and sometimes, we have to endure."
"But at the sake of your sanity? Your mental health? Your safety? No, it's not worth it. You taking care of yourself and doing what's right for you isn't selfish, Claire. It's important." Claire leaned her head down into Wanda's lap, closing her eyes as Wanda ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm very worried about you, baby. Last night...I've never seen you like that; that bottled up anger isn't good for you, and I think you need to find another job. Forget about a paycheck, don't worry about it, we're fine, love; worry about yourself, please. I...I don't want to lose you."
Claire moved her hands from Wanda's thighs and wrapped them around her waist, pulling her into an awkward hug. Wanda in response wrapped her legs around Claire and scooted off the countertop, allowing Claire's arms to come around her back, holding her. Claire walked them out of the kitchen and back into their bedroom, flopping them both on the bed. Wanda's loud giggles echoed in the room, causing a large smile to take up Claire's face. She gently pressed Wanda down into the pillows as she kissed every inch of her face and neck, spending extra time at the spot behind her ear. Pulling away, Claire returned to Wanda's lips and passionately kissed once more.
Breaking the kiss, she leaned back in the bed and pulled Wanda's hair from her bun, freeing her orange locks. They fell down her shoulder in waves and some choice strands delicately framed her face. The late morning sun drifted in through the windows and set the light color ablaze, creating a gently fire as the golden light illuminated behind Wanda's head, igniting every strand of her hair. Claire marveled at the colors that laid in each strand; dark and caramel browns mixed with vibrant reds and soft yellows, creating the beautiful color that now took residence in her hair.
"What is it?" Wanda asked, her hand trailing against the soft skin of Claire's arm.
"I'm just thinking."
"Uh-oh. What are you thinking about?" Claire's face eased into a soft smile.
"Firstly, rude," she said and Wanda giggled, "and secondly, I'm thinking about how beautiful you are. My God, Wanda, you really are the most beautiful woman in the world."
Wanda brought her hand up to Claire's cheek.
"Well, that's a lie, because you are the most beautiful woman in the world."
"Even with my scar?" Claire asked through their mental connection, not trusting her voice to say it out loud. Wanda moved her other hand and awkwardly cupped Claire's other cheek, running her thumb across Claire's scar, feeling the raised bumps of each individual claw mark. Claire blinked, flinching a little at the soft contact; she wasn't used to anyone touching the sensitive skin.
"Even with your scar. Your beauty goes beyond your physical appearance, Claire, just as it goes beyond mine. You are not defined by your scar."
Claire opened her mouth to say something, but then remembered their earlier conversation. She sighed and thought back on her job. It really wasn't good for her (and anyone else, for that matter), but could she really just quit? Should she hold out a little longer while she tried to find another job to fall back on? It was smarter to have another job lined up when you planned on quitting your job right? Did she really have to wait two weeks until she left? Could she handle two more weeks of Brad? She shuddered at the thought of him.
"I'll think more about quitting and I'll do some research into other job positions. Hopefully I can find another job, soon that way when I quit I'm not out of work for long. But, until I find something, I'll stay where I am and put up with all the bullshit."
"And don't forget, I want you to tell me everything that happens, okay? It'll make you feel better and I want to help you. I don't like the idea of you bottling your emotions up, Claire. It's not healthy."
"I know, baby. I'm sorry," Claire whispered. "Hey what time is it? Shouldn't you be getting ready for work?"
"I took off today. I wanted to spend the day with you to help you relax after last night," Wanda said with a small smile. Claire leaned over and kissed her forehead.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
"So, what did you have in mind to help me relax?" Claire asked wiggling her eyebrows and throwing Wanda a mischievous grin.
"Whatever you want, baby."
"Anything I want?" Claire asked again, still wiggling her eyebrows. Wanda sighed and rolled her eyes before she started laughing.
"Really? That of all things?"
"Hey, you said 'whatever you want'," Claire said raising her hands in defense. "It was just natural for me to assume that that was on the table." Wanda rolled her eyes again and rolled over in the bed on top of Claire and kissed her.
"You're an asshole, you know that, right?"
"But I'm a loveable asshole. Completely different class of asshole."
"Whatever you say, dear."