Chapter Text
The shrill beeping of an alarm split the silence, and Meredith hurriedly slapped at the clock, nearly knocking it to the floor in her haste to turn it off. Movement from beside her made her hold her breath as Addison grumbled in her sleep, shifting slightly.
Carefully, Meredith leaned off the edge of the bed, withdrawing a shoebox from beneath it. As she opened the lid, the sickening yellow eyes of a zombie mask stared back at her, and she shuddered. Mask secured, she turned back to her sleeping fiancée, grinning as she tapped Addison’s shoulder.
“Wake up, love.”
Intense blue eyes flew open, blinking rapidly as Addison adjusted to wakefulness—but instead of any sign of terror or fear, her expression turned devastatingly fond.
“Kitten,” Addison sighed, arms wrapping around Meredith, drawing her close, “why did you wake me up this early? We can sleep for two more hours.”
Completely ignoring the mask Meredith was wearing, Addison simply rolled, sprawling atop Meredith’s torso, red hair splaying out across the sheets. “Go back to bed,” she murmured into Meredith’s neck, gently pecking the skin there.
As Addison’s breathing evened back out with sleep, Meredith stared at the ceiling through the tiny eyeholes of her mask before ripping it off and breathing deeply.
“Happy April Fool’s, Addie,” she muttered before following the redhead into Morpheus’ arms.
After they’d woken to their proper alarms, Meredith tried to prank Addison again—this time, she’d switched the sugar and the salt.
Her jaw dropped as Addison, without so much as hesitating, reached straight for the ‘sugar’ bowl, sprinkling some on the eggs she was scrambling along with pepper.
As Addison slid a finished plate across the table, she caught Meredith’s expression and calmly reached over, closing her jaw with a fingertip.
“You’ll catch flies,” the redhead purred, undeniably smug as she placed her own plate next to Meredith’s, snagging two pieces of toast from the blonde’s plate.
Meredith sighed, eating her breakfast as she grumbled softly. “...unfair…”
Grinning, Addison reached over to kiss the top of her head. “Demons don’t play fair. You know this.”
As she slid their empty plates into the dishwasher, Meredith instinctively leaned into Addison’s warmth behind her as the redhead put lids on their coffees for transport.
“It’s cute that you’re trying, though,” Addison hummed thoughtfully, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Adorable, really.”
Rolling her eyes, Meredith slid into the passenger seat of Addison’s red Porsche, curling protectively around her coffee.
The residents milled about the lockers, changing out of their street clothes. Meredith whispered to Cristina while they tugged on scrubs, telling her how the mask hadn’t even phased Addison.
Instead of laughing or making a witty joke, Cristina simply stared at Meredith, aghast. “Mer. You tried to scare Satan with a Halloween mask?”
Rolling her eyes, Meredith sighed. “And it didn’t work. Keep up, will you?”
“Just remember,” Cristina muttered, peering around as if someone would listen in, “by trying to prank her, you’ve given her the green light to prank you back.”
Meredith grinned. “I’m going to get her at some point.”
She tugged off her hat, letting her hair fall down to her shoulders—only to stop dead. Instead of the blonde she’d expected in her periphery, her hair was a bold, unmistakable red. Addison’s red.
At the silence, Cristina looked over, and choked. “Oh my god.”
Meredith opened her mouth, but no words came out. She pulled a strand in front of her face, staring at it as if hoping it wasn’t real. But the hair gleamed in the fluorescent hospital lights, unmistakably bright, shiny, and red.
“Damnit, Addison,” she muttered angrily, digging through her locker for her scrub cap. Withdrawing the red and purple fabric, she twisted her hair up and slid the cap on, trying to hide the color. As she quietly cursed out her fiancée, Meredith felt the second heartbeat in her chest thrum, sending a wave of warmth through her body, and she knew Addison was currently laughing at her plight.
“Looks good,” Cristina chuckled, giving her an exaggerated thumbs up. “It’s times like these I’m glad I’m not dating a prankster.”
Groaning, Meredith trudged out of the lockers, dreading rounds.
A familiar warmth stepped behind her, and Meredith tilted her head back, making eye contact with Addison, who was grinning down at her, already dressed in her own scrubs and matching cap.
“Look at that,” Addison purred happily, reaching out to play with the auburn strands that had escaped Meredith’s scrub cap. “We match.”
A deliberate cough from Bailey interrupted them. Addison stepped back, faux-innocent expression on her face, and Meredith flushed deep red.
“Grey, if you think you can keep your libido in check, you’re with Montgomery today. Do not make me regret letting you loose in this hospital.”
“Yes, Dr. Bailey,” Meredith squeaked, cheeks as red as her hair as Addison hummed in delight, wrapping a possessive arm around her waist.
As Addison steered her away, Meredith caught a glimpse of Cristina flicking her hand, followed by an exaggerated whip cracking noise.
As Meredith dropped off a few charts with the nurse’s station, she ran into another attending.
“Hi, Dr. Sloan,” she greeted before nodding to Alex, who was assigned to the plastic surgeon.
“Well hello, Grey,” Mark waggled his eyebrows, gaze sweeping up and down her form. “You’re looking lovely today.”
Meredith pinned him with a flat look as she slid her charts into the stack. “Not happening.”
Undeterred, Mark pressed a bit further. “So you don’t want me to give you a kiss?”
Before Meredith could respond, a sharp smack rang out, and Mark stumbled backwards, clutching his cheek. An arm wrapped around her shoulders, and Meredith let herself be tugged into Addison’s side, laughing at Mark’s stunned expression.
“Mark Sloan,” Addison growled, draping herself possessively around her fiancée. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Mark grinned, reaching into a pocket. He dramatically held out a closed fist, opening it to reveal a single Hershey’s kiss. “I was just asking Dr. Grey here if she’d like some chocolate,” he said innocently.
At Addison’s glare, he raised his hands in surrender, backing away slowly. “Easy there, tiger. Your girl. Got it.”
He winked before disappearing around a corner, leaving the two of them alone.
Meredith scribbled a few choice words on the bright yellow sticky note, hiding it in her palm as she waited for the right moment. As Addison passed over a chart, she seized the chance—sliding behind her fiancée and firmly sticking the note to her back in a smooth brush-pass. A yellow square reading ‘Ask me about eternal damnation! :)’ gleamed brightly against the sterile white of Addison’s coat. Meredith watched gleefully as two confused interns approached Addison, whispering and gesturing to the sticky note stuck to her back.
"Uh. Dr. Montgomery?" Steve asked shyly, prompting Addison to stop and turn. Faced with Addison's full attention, however, he lost his nerve. "I. Um. It's just, there's..."
"We're supposed to ask you about eternal damnation?" Sadie interjected cockily, putting him out of his misery.
Meredith, watching the exchange, hid her snickers with a particularly theatrical sneeze, burying her face in her elbow. Instead of any reaction she'd anticipated, however, Addison simply laughed, winking in her direction.
“Oh, are you now?” Addison grinned devilishly at the interns, eyes sweeping over the hall—where everyone had abandoned their duties to eavesdrop shamelessly. “Well, what would you like to know?”
Sadie straightened, and Meredith suddenly regretted her decision of prank. “Is it true you conned Death—I mean, Dr. Grey—into giving you her soul?”
The other intern, Steve, choked, throwing his hands up and backing away. “Nope, not going there,” he muttered, shrinking under Addison’s glare.
At Sadie’s words, Meredith scowled—the other woman knew full well they’d never get back together, and was simply trying to bait Addison. Feeling the foreign rage welling in her chest, Meredith strode over, purposefully making her steps louder as she slotted herself into Addison’s side.
This close, the similarities were undeniable—Meredith had given up on hiding her hair hours ago, and it fell in auburn waves around her shoulders, identical to Addison’s. She glared at Sadie, winding an arm around the attending’s waist, feeling an equally possessive hand land on her shoulder.
“Dr. Harris,” Meredith emphasized her use of Sadie’s last name, “even if that were the case, I fail to see how it would be any of your concern.”
Addison chuckled behind her, a warm, rich sound that resonated in the cramped hallway. “If anyone’s soul was stolen, Dr. Harris, it was certainly mine,” she purred, squeezing Meredith’s shoulder possessively.
Meredith squeezed Addison’s hip to convey her irritation at the joke before pulling the sticky off Addison’s back—it was clearly not having the effect she’d hoped for.
Before she could shove it in her pocket, Addison snagged her arm, plucking the paper from her fingers.
“Ask me about eternal damnation, hm?” she mused, a smirk winding across her lips. “Dr. Harris, I presume you’d like to know about the finer points? It’s really quite similar to hospital bureaucracy, what with all the paperwork–mpf!”
She was cut off abruptly as Meredith slapped a hand over her mouth and dragged her off down the corridor. “You are not starting a cult,” Meredith hissed in frustration—but Addison could hear the amusement hiding beneath.
“Okay, kitten,” she purred, looking around the hallway to ensure they were alone before dragging the resident into a searing kiss. As they parted, she carefully tucked Meredith’s auburn hair behind her ears, grinning toothily at the dazed expression on her face. “All my attention is for you only. No cults.”
Meredith pinched the bridge of her nose, staring heavenward as she begged for supernatural patience. “That is not—oh, never mind.”
Meredith finished her final chart and slipped out of Addison’s office, headed for the resident lockers. As she walked toward the showers, she caught sight of her reflection and stopped, sighing as she took in her new look. As she played with a lock, the auburn strands caught the light, glinting copper. She rubbed the strands between her fingers, scowling—not only was the color holding fast, her hair was somehow softer when red than it had been blonde. Looking up, she made eye contact with her reflection, taking in the auburn waves, identical to Addison’s, that fell to her shoulders.
As she watched, her eyes glowed faintly, and the face in the mirror changed. Her mouth fell open as Addison smirked at her through the glass, eyes gleaming with amusement and adoration. Meredith rolled her eyes, watching as Addison winked before the reflection rippled, returning to Meredith’s own.
She slipped beneath the warm shower spray, lathering a generous amount of lavender shampoo into her hair. To her dismay, the suds remained stubbornly white, a stark contrast against the damp auburn strands beneath. She groaned, scrubbing harder at her scalp, but to no avail.
Giving up, she stepped beneath the water, eyes closing as she basked in the sensation of water droplets coursing down her face. The tension of the day melted away, muscles relaxing in the searing warmth. Hands wove through her hair, gently scratching at her scalp, and she hummed in delight, leaning backwards into the comforting heat.
“Have a good day, kitten?” Addison purred in her ear, head dropping to rest on Meredith’s shoulder.
Meredith whined as Addison’s hands slipped from her hair, sliding down to wind around her torso. Warm chuckles reverberated through their bodies as Addison laughed, pressing a kiss to Meredith’s damp cheek before pulling her closer, spinning them chest-to-chest.
Wiping the water from her face, Meredith opened her eyes to see Addison grinning at her, teasingly winding strands of their hair together, undeniably pleased at the color match. “I told you before, you know,” she murmured, “you absolutely should dye it to match. Red’s a good color on you.”
Meredith rolled her eyes, reaching for a washcloth—only to be stopped by Addison winding their fingers together. “Addie, I’m trying to shower here.”
Addison simply smirked, raising her other hand to reveal a perfect, ruby-red apple.
“That’s…” Meredith giggled, and would’ve doubled over if it hadn’t been for Addison’s embrace. “A bit on the nose, isn’t it?”
Chuckling, Addison brought the fruit to Meredith’s lips, raising her eyebrows. Eyes softening as she stared at her fiancée, Meredith took a bite, exhaling amusedly as Addison’s eyes sparkled in triumph.
The flavor exploded on her tongue, sweet flesh and sharp skin, and she felt sticky juice drip down her chin. As she watched, Addison brought the apple to her own lips, taking a deliberate bite on top of Meredith’s, lipstick leaving faint smudges on the shiny skin. She chewed slowly, humming in pleasure as faint trails of pink apple juices slid down her own chin.
Meredith’s eyes darkened at the sight, and she reached up, fingers winding into damp auburn hair to drag Addison down into a kiss. The attending’s tongue brushed her lips and Meredith let her in, tasting the sweet apple and undercurrent of sin that was synonymous with her demonic fiancée. As they broke apart, Addison pulled her in close, foreheads resting gently on each other as they caught their breath. Warm water cascaded down across their bodies, dwarfed by the heat radiating from Addison, and Meredith found herself momentarily overwhelmed.
Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, mixing with the shower spray and rolling down her cheeks. She placed a chaste kiss on Addison’s lips before tucking her head into the taller woman’s shoulder, listening to their heartbeats thrum in tandem. Cradled in Addison’s arms, Meredith always felt so safe. Memories flooded back, the last time they’d shared food in the locker room showers, when Addison had been haunting her.
Meredith flushed red, recalling how she’d hurled a granola bar at Addison with a desperate plea to be given privacy. “I can’t believe I proposed in a shower,” she groaned into Addison’s neck, feeling responding laughter. “And you accepted.”
She lifted her head, gazing into Addison’s eyes, feeling herself get lost in the endless, swirling pools of blue.
“I told you then, kitten.” Addison grinned, pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose. “Once I decide someone’s mine, I don’t let go.”
A smile crept across Meredith’s lips unbidden, cheeks aching from the force of her overwhelming feelings for Addison. “Good,” she murmured, pecking Addison’s lips. “Because I’m not letting go either.”
They stood in the spray together, letting themselves relax after the taxing day, simply enjoying the presence of one another, the closeness of their bodies. Meredith slowly worked shampoo through Addison’s hair, feeling her heart warm when Addison leaned into her hands, eyes slipping shut, expression of absolute peace written across her face.
Soapy fingers traced her cheekbones, and Addison hummed, corners of her mouth twitching into a lazy smile, her own hands tracing soft circles across Meredith’s shoulders.
As Meredith guided her fiancée beneath the spray, slowly working the soap from her auburn locks, she felt the last of her irritation slide away, flushed down the drain with the suds. She’d never been able to stay mad at Addison for too long, and deep down, she truly did like the overt claiming. Meredith knew had a tendency to go dark and twisty, her abandonment issues digging their claws into any serious relationship she’d ever had—but, with Addison, they didn’t stand a chance. Every waking moment, the demon was determined to make sure Meredith knew she was loved and wanted. From matching scrub caps to love notes scribbled on stickies, Addison never made her feel like an afterthought or a burden. Here, with Addison’s face cupped in her hands, Meredith couldn’t feel anything but overwhelming love. Addison had lived millennia believing caring was weakness, any vulnerability was a chink in her armor to be exploited—and yet, she’d let down her walls for Meredith.
Addison’s eyes fluttered open, crinkling as she met Meredith’s, and Meredith felt herself smile in response, cheeks tightening reflexively. She leaned in, pressing their lips together, humming contentedly into the kiss.
Eventually, they stepped out of the shower, taking bites of the apple as they dried their bodies and walked towards Meredith’s locker, where Addison had stashed her own clothes. They pulled on their clothes side-by-side, and as she pulled her shoes in her locker, an idea struck Meredith. She reached into the back, grinning as her hand closed around an object.
“Hand me my heels?” Addison asked, holding out a hand, and Meredith dropped her prize into the attending’s waiting palm.
The wrapper crinkled as Addison’s fingers closed around it, and her head turned, eyes flicking from the granola bar in her hand to Meredith’s smirk. She laughed delightedly as she unwrapped the bar, taking a deliberate bite before holding it up to Meredith’s lips.
As Meredith took her own bite, Addison hummed happily, tugging her into an embrace. “You’re mine, you know.”
Swallowing, Meredith grinned up at her, looping her arms around Addison’s neck. “And you’re mine.”
They got home, and Addison guided Meredith to the couch, retrieving her favorite hairbrush from their bathroom. Gently, she ran the brush through Meredith’s hair, watching the strands return to their usual blonde beneath her fingers.
“As much as I love the visual reminder that you’re mine,” Addison murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of Meredith’s head, “I love you most when you’re you.”
Meredith tilted her head back, resting on Addison’s chest as she gazed up at her fiancée. “I love you too, you menace. Forever and always."