Work Text:
Officer Nicole Haught stopped just inside the doors of Shorty's Bar, removing her white Stetson and pausing to allow her eyes to adjust to the dim interior. Glancing around but not finding the person she was there to see, she stepped up to the bar, leaning on her forearms.
"Um, excuse me..." she raised a hand to catch the attention of the woman serving drinks.
Without even looking away from the beer taps, a motion of her head to the side gave Nicole as much direction as her words did. "She's in the back room, Officer."
Nicole blushed. Obviously her inability to stay away from Waverly wasn't much of a secret.
But they were just friends. Nothing more.
Oh sure, there had been flirting...but it was harmless.
Because Waverly was straight.
And Waverly was with Champ.
So, see? They were just friends. And now Nicole headed down the hall to find her beautiful, spunky, intelligent, straight friend.
She was just stepping through the doorway at the end of the hall when she pulled up short. Her heart stopped, and she willed her eyelids not to blink so she wouldn't miss a single moment of her petite friend up on tiptoes, stretching to reach a tequila bottle on the top shelf. Her sweater riding up to expose a patch of creamy, smooth skin.
The red head silently set her hat on a nearby shelf, hooking her thumbs behind her gun belt and grinned as Waverly mumbled what sounded like Latin curses and worked the bottle closer to the edge with her fingertips.
Seeing the bottle dangerously close to toppling, Nicole moved quickly across the room, reaching over the smaller woman to catch the bottle the moment it fell.
The two women were frozen in that moment.
Nicole leaned lightly into Waverly's back, cheek pressed to the side of her head. She couldn't help taking a slow, deep breath, inhaling the familiar scent that was uniquely Waverly. Only just barely stopping the groan that formed deep in her chest.
Instead, Nicole spoke softly into her completely-straight-friend's ear, "Hey."
For Waverly, her breath caught in her chest when a starched blue shirtsleeve suddenly reached over her. A taught, warm body pressing against her from behind. Not even a little bit trying to resist the urge to turn her head slightly, she inhaled the familiar scent that was uniquely Nicole.
They stood together, content to simply breathe for several long moments. Nicole's thumb gently caressed the bare skin at Waverly's exposed waist before she realized it and took a self-conscious step back, rubbing her forehead.
Waverly cleared her throat and turned around, leaning against the shelf behind her and quietly watched Nicole.
When she spoke, Nicole's words were rushed; partly from suddenly remembering why she was there in the first place, and partly because her body and brain were buzzing. "Oh! There's...if you're not doing anything tonight...I know it's cold out and it's last minute and you're a planner and you probably already have something to do with Champ...or Wynonna...but I just heard that there's this thing happening tonight...and I was wondering if you would like to go see it...watch it...with me. It's silly...nevermind."
Waverly grinned at Nicole's nervous rambling. "What is it? And no, I'm not doing anything."
"There's a..."
But before she could finish, they both jumped at Champ's loud voice in the hallway. "Babe!"
Nicole instinctively put a few more steps between the two of them just as Champ strutted through the door.
"Hey, there you are." He pulled Waverly tightly against him, going directly for a full tongue assault on her mouth.
Nicole's stomach flipped with a wave of disgust, and she was sure it momentarily reflected on her face before she could reign it in. She couldn't manage to look away, like it was the punishment she deserved for enjoying what had happened just a few minutes earlier. Swallowing a large lump in her throat, Nicole's brows furrowed when she noticed that Waverly's eyes had remained open, and were locked on her for the moment before she could shove Champ away.
He didn't seem at all fazed by the abrupt end to the kiss. "Poker game tonight. You can hang out with Pete's step-mom."
Nicole's heart sank and she turned to pick up her hat.
"Wow, Champ, as enticing as that sounds...Nicole has already invited me to a thing with her tonight."
Nicole half turned, seeing Waverly's beautiful brown eyes pleading with her.
Champ squinted and shook his head. "Nicole who?"
The woman in question awkwardly cleared her throat and raised a hand when Champ finally noticed her standing there. "uh, yeah. That would be me."
"Oh yeah. Officer Steamy or something, right?" He slung a possessive arm around Waverly's shoulders.
"Haught." Waverly supplied with a dejected whisper. "Officer Haught." She was completely mortified by her boyfriend.
He acknowledged that she had spoken with an uninterested grunt. "So what are you gals doing?"
Nicole's eyes darted between Waverly and Champ, not sure where to settle.
"It's not a big deal. Just a meteor shower."
Waverly's face immediately transformed with excitement. Her wholly authentically, eager smile was infectious and Nicole couldn't help but catch it.
Champ's barking laughter jarred Nicole. "You mean like shooting stars and shit? God! Are you a nerd, too? Waverly's been trying to drag me out to look at the stupid sky for years!"
Nicole's smile faded at the sadness that washed over Waverly's face.
"Um, yes. Well..." Nicole said, stepping forward to hand Waverly the tequila bottle she still held, "...it's supposed to begin a little after 11. Pick you up about 10:15?"
Waverly nodded silently, lips pressed tight in humiliation.
"Ok, great. Here? Or your place?"
Waverly glared at Champ, praying he didn't say anything else cringey before responding. "My place."
Nicole gave her a nervous half-smile. "Um, well...Ok then. I guess I'll see you tonight." She glanced over to Champ and tried to sound equally as friendly, but just couldn't do it. "Champ. Always a pleasure." Spinning on her heel, she eagerly took her leave.
Champ stage whispered, "She's so weird."
Waverly jerked out from under his heavy arm, moving to storm out of the room only to whirl back around, eyes blazing. "She is NOT weird. She's kind, and sweet, and brave, and intelligent. And she's my friend."
It was 10:09 pm and Waverly had already been pacing and peeking out the window for several minutes.
"Waverly!" Wynonna barked from her spot on the couch. "Sit. You're bugging the shit out of me."
Flopping into a chair, Waverly let out a dramatic sigh.
Wynonna studied her sister as she sipped a beer. "What's wrong with you anyway?"
Waverly's hands rubbed along the arms of the chair, the fabric scratching at her palms. "Nothing. Nothing, why? Nothing. Just excited."
Wynonna squinted skeptically. "Mmhmm. Whatever. Just be careful tonight."
Laying her head back, Waverly stared at the ceiling. "You know I'll be with Nicole, right?"
"Yes. But she doesn't know about Revenants, now does she?"
This question brought Waverly abruptly forward in her chair. Frustration evident in her voice. "You're right. She doesn't. Why can't we just tell her? You KNOW she can help! She could be so good for us!"
Wynonna just shrugged. "Dolls said no. And he's the big cheese of this shit show. So keep your vegan pie hole shut."
Waverly growled her frustration at Dolls, at Wynonna, at the whole situation.
Hearing tires on gravel, Waverly jumped to her feet. With a grin, she grabbed her coat and was out the door before she yelled "Love you!" back to her sister.
She stood on the weathered porch watching Nicole park and step out of her truck, returning Waverly's grin.
They said "hi" in unison and then chuckled.
Hands in her coat pockets, Nicole leaned back against her truck and looked up at the night's sky. "Clear night."
"And cold."
"Yeah, that's what makes it the perfect night for this. Warm air holds moisture, which blurs our view of the sky. And colder air holds less moisture, giving us a better view." She looked down to Waverly, and smiled. "I brought blankets."
Waverly was still grinning as she stepped off the porch. Of course she'd already known all that about the clear sky, but it was endearing to hear Nicole tell it. And when Nicole opened the truck door for her, that grin changed to a soft smile. It just felt so damn good spending time with Nicole; she should probably feel guilty for that, but she didn't. There was nothing to feel guilty about. They were just friends.
Because Waverly was straight. Waverly liked boys...men...Champ.
Nicole hopped into the cab and turned to face her. "So, where should we go? I have a couple ideas, but you know the area a whole lot better than I do."
"Um..." Waverly drummed her fingers on her thigh as she thought. "Oh! There's a lake that will be perfect! I'll navigate."
"Sounds good to me."
They drove for a while in comfortable silence until Nicole spoke softly. "You can turn the radio on, if you want. Whatever you fancy."
"Whatever I fancy, hmm?" She tried to laugh, to appear normal. But the truth was, the unnamed warmth that flowed through Waverly felt so weird - no, not weird. It was unsettling. Champ absolutely never ever let her touch his radio; he would explicitly say "don't mess with the radio" when she got in his truck.
When she did reach out and push the power button, calm, smooth voices came through the speakers. "What's this?"
Nicole's response was casual, giving a nonchalant gesture toward the radio. "NPR. But you can change it."
Intrigued, Waverly regarded Nicole - subtly studying her friend's profile, lit green by the light of the dashboard - before turning to stare out into the dark. "No," her voice soft, distant. "I like it." It was so confusing, and frustrating.
Why couldn't Champ be more like Nicole? Life with him was just so...small.
The silence had grown heavy, something had changed. Nicole chewed her lip, tapping a thumb on the steering wheel. She tried to focus on the topic of the NPR conversation, but it was just buzzing, nonsensical noise. She had no idea what had happened, but something had upset Waverly. When she couldn't take it one more minute, Nicole's concerned voice broke into Waverly's musings. "You ok?"
"Hmm?" Waverly was dragged out of her thoughts, back to the cozy warmth of the truck filled with the scent of Nicole. "Oh, yeah. Peachy." She picked up the thermos lying atop the pile of blankets that lay between them. "Coffee?"
"Nope." Nicole popped the 'p' with a smirk, anticipating what was coming when she answered, "hot cocoa."
And she wasn't disappointed with the squeak Waverly released. "Chocolatey Haught-ness!"
Nicole laughed at Waverly's purely genuine enthusiasm, and the words "God, you're adorable" had escaped her mouth before she had even realized it. Her heart hammered waiting for Waverly to respond.
Which she did when accepted the compliment with a sincere, but shy, "thanks."
Following Waverly's directions, Nicole pulled off the main road and onto a rutted, dirt road. And finally onto a faint two-track path which led them through the woods surrounding the lake. Even without foliage, the thick tangle of overhead branches blocked the night's moonlight, making their drive along the winding path rather dicey.
Now that they were in the middle of nowhere, in the dead of the night, Nicole was getting nervous to be alone with Waverly - not just about keeping her own thoughts in check, but she also needed to keep Waverly safe in a place where some seriously weird shit happened. But through her anxiety and fears, she was delighted to be here with Waverly...strictly as friends of course.
Because Waverly was straight.
And Waverly was with Champ.
Escaping the press of the trees, the lake lay before them. The still water a sheet of shimmering silver. Parked, Nicole took a deep, steadying breath. Looking to her friend, warmth flowed through her as she watch Waverly gazing out her window at the sky.
"This is absolutely perfect." The quiet awe in Waverly's voice sent tingles through Nicole and all nervousness in her body instantly vanished. She was simply thankful to get to enjoy tonight with her friend.
She opened her door and stepped out, turning to grab the blankets. "Back of the truck ok? I think the ground will be too cold."
"Oh sure. I've spent plenty of time in the back of Champ's truck." The look in Waverly's eyes was utter horror at what she had just said.
Nicole just blinked, mouth moving silently for a moment before she clenched her jaw and wrapped her arms around the blankets, slamming the door shut with a foot. "God, gross!" She muttered to herself, grimacing. Let it go. You're just friends...and she's fucking straight, you idiot!
She shifted the load, freeing up a hand to lower the tailgate. The biting cold of the metal stung her palms when she pressed the flat. She let her head drop forward while she struggled to dampen the heartache and wrangle in the myriad emotions swirling about.
She could feel Waverly's eyes on her, so she shook herself and hopped into the truck. The air between them felt strained but she had absolutely no idea what to do about it.
Pulling the thickest blanket off the top of the pile, Nicole spread it out in the truck bed, taking her time to unnecessarily straighten each corner. With a deep breath, she worked to keep her face neutral when she peered down at Waverly who was looking up at her with uncertainty, wrapped in her puffy coat.
Realizing her fists were clenched, Nicole forced her fingers to relax as braced herself - both physically and emotionally - to reach down and pull the smaller woman into the truck with her.
Waverly let out a squeak and steadied herself with a hand on Nicole's shoulder, dropping it almost instantly. "Nicole, look, I'm sorry..." She started, her voice tentative and apologetic.
Nicole couldn't handle what she thought might be regret and sadness in Waverly's eyes so she turned away with a quiet "don't worry about it."
It really was a chilly night - actually, it was colder than chilly, but not unbearable so. To Nicole, the frigid air was fortifying, cooling the heat in her burning in her cheeks.
Handing two blankets to Waverly, Nicole took the last for herself and sat. After a moment, she peered up at Waverly with a shy smile, patting the blanket beside her.
Waverly smiled back. And just like that, the weirdness between them evaporated.
Nicole inhaled the fresh night air deep into her lungs. "I love it here, you know? The air. The sky. It's ridiculous! How can it be real? Nothing matters; like all my problems just disappear into the ethos." Leaning back on her elbows, she stretched her long legs out. Her eyes danced across the star filled sky. "You've been here all your life; you may not even see it. But in so much of the country, people can't even see the stars anymore."
Waverly shook her head, fidgeting with her blankets. "I haven't seen the country. I haven't even been anywhere that I can't get to and back again on a single tank of gas. But I do appreciate how amazing it is. I can see the beauty and magic of it. I've heard people say it makes them feel small. But not me. I feel it all right here..." she tapped two fingers against the center of her chest. "Like I'm connected to everything." She sighed, staring into the distance, eyes unfocused for a few moments before giving herself a subtle shake. With a little chuckle, tinged with self-deprecation, Waverly turned to pick up the thermos. "Hot cocoa?"
Nicole blinked, breaking free of the spell of her friend's sweet voice. She pulled in a deep breath, coming back to herself. "Hot cocoa." She tried to sound normal. "Good for what ails you."
Waverly poured a bit of the chocolatey liquid into the thermos lid, clutching it tight to her chest; apprehension evident in her voice when she asked, "Are you ailing?"
Nicole let herself fully recline, hands behind her head. "No. I'm just...peachy." Until Waverly took her first sip and moaned with enjoyment.
This was a very bad idea.
"Nicole, this is delicious!" Waverly turned to look at Nicole, who looked as if she had just stubbed her toe. She took another sip before slowly holding out the cup to the red head.
Nicole cleared her throat and pushed up onto one elbow to take the cup. "Glad you like it. My Nana used to make it every Christmas Eve."
"So...it's...special to you?"
Nicole smiled softly, dimples visible in the moonlight. "Yeah. It is. Special occasions only." She raised the black, plastic cup in a solute to Waverly and to the sky. She drank deeply, finishing off the contents and handing it back to Waverly for a refill.
With more of the hot liquid cupped between her hands, Waverly couldn't stop the silly smile that formed. Another swallow, and she could feel the heat flowing through her. Glancing up, she saw the first meteor streak across the sky. "Oh! It's starting!" She handed the cup to Nicole before laying back and pulling the blankets up. Nicole took another swallow before setting it down and laying back.
They lay there, side by side in silence, watching the amazing display above them. Nicole sighed, "I've never seen anything like this." A moment later, she felt Waverly's fingers tentatively brush the back of her hand before coming to rest against it. Nicole's body reacted to the hesitant touch: her throat tightened, her heart skipped. Before she could think about it, she turned her hand to cover Waverly's.
Waverly didn't know why she had reached out to touch Nicole like that, but she allowed herself to enjoy it for a while. "Thank you" she whispered, "for this."
"It's no big deal, Waves. It's not like I placed an Amazon order for ginormous meteor shower."
"Well, you may not have created this..." Waverly waved her free hand around them. "But this is...well...I'm just glad you asked me to come with you tonight."
A spontaneous thought popped into Waverly's head, and before she could think herself out of it, she rolled over and pulled Nicole's arm around her, laying her head on Nicole's shoulder. Even through the winter coat, Waverly could hear Nicole's heart pounding beneath her ear when she draped her arm across Nicole's waist.
Nicole couldn't breathe. Her eyes closed. She swallowed. And she tightened her arm around Waverly, pulling her in closer. She shouldn't be doing this. She shouldn't be allowing this. They were friends. Waverly was her straight friend. A straight friend who was in a relationship. But she was so weak where Waverly was concerned. And she slowly relaxed into it, watching the show in the sky, fingers playing with Waverly's hair. She pulled her blanket up to cover Waverly's arm.
"Can I ask you something, Waves?"
"Is it about Champ?"
"Yeah."
"Then no."
"Ok. Then can I ask you a different question?"
Waverly chuckled. "Sure."
"If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?"
Without even hesitating, Waverly answered "Everywhere. I want to see everything: museums, mountains, oceans, ancient ruins. Everything."
Nicole turned her face into Waverly's hair. "Someday." She mumbled.
She didn't say maybe someday. She said someday. And Waverly had heard it. There was a difference. Nicole's felt like a promise.
Waverly hesitantly asked, "So can I ask you a question?"
"Mhmm."
"When did you know?"
Nicole kept her face buried in Waverly's hair, biting her lip to keep from laughing. So they were going to have THIS conversation. She wanted to mess with her friend...just a little. "Know what?"
"That you're gay."
"You think I'm gay?"
Waverly panicked and began to sit up, but Nicole held tight and chuckled. "I'm sorry. I couldn't resist." Waverly smacked Nicole's stomach, which caused her to laugh harder. "Ok, I'll be serious. When did I know? Well, I finally put words to what was going on inside me when I was 13. But it was horrible. I refused to accept it, I fought it. I hated it. I hated myself. Not to be Debbie Downer on such an amazing night...but it was really hard. So I isolated a lot. Then when I was 18 I met someone, a woman, who saw me...really saw me. She was like me, she understood me. She was secure and confident in life, in business, in her own skin. And she helped me learn how to live a life I wanted, a life I dreamed of, a life I would be proud of 50, 60 years from now. And so all of that has led me here, tonight."
Waverly was quiet, processing Nicole's story. "Did you love her?"
Nicole took a deep breath before answering. "Well, I thought I did. But it wasn't love. It was admiration, infatuation, and gratitude. We both needed something from each other at the time. And then..." she paused. "Then it ended."
"What happened? At the end?"
Nicole sighed and shrugged. "Oh, what usually happens when two people are together for the wrong reasons...they grow apart, they head in different directions. I needed someone who made me feel normal, accepted, special. She needed someone to need her. That all sounds very dramatic, but it was mostly about sex. I wanted more than that...and she didn't."
Waverly couldn't help but cringe, her body stiffening, and her stomach turned sour. That reaction confused the hell out of her. Part of her wanted to pull away from Nicole, stop touching her. But the other part of her-the one that had been completely drawn to this woman from day 1-won out...so she burrowed closer to Nicole.
They lay that way for a while longer. The meteor shower passed, but still they lay there. Nicole let herself enjoy it for what it was, for only this single encapsulated moment. When she felt Waverly shivering, she took a deep breath and rolled them over. Resting her weight on her elbows, peering down at Waverly's surprised face in the dark...surprised but not uncomfortable or scared. They just watched each other, breathing, taking in the other's face.
Waverly whispered, "I like your hair down." She reached up with one tentative hand, touching it.
Nicole was fighting every urge to kiss the woman only inches below her. She thought maybe, just maybe, Waverly wanted it, too. But she just couldn't. She wouldn't. Waverly was with Champ. So she took another breath, closed her eyes and rolled off Waverly and flopped onto her back. "We should probably get going. I have to work tomorrow." She lifted her arm to look at her watch. "Today."
Waverly was trying to clear her head, too. "Ok. Champ is picking me up in the morning to help me clear out Uncle Curtis's stuff."
Nicole groaned. Champ would get to spend the day with Waverly when she was going through her beloved uncle's things. She stood up, offering Waverly a hand up. "I know that'll be hard on you. Call or text me if you need to talk...or if you just need a distraction. I'll drum up a knock-knock joke or two, just in case."
Waverly took the offered hand and stood up, laughing. "I will."
They folded the blankets, and Nicole hopped out of the truck, turning to lift Waverly down. She just couldn't stop herself from letting Waverly's body slide down her own, and it felt so good. She just wanted one more memory in this encapsulated moment.
With Waverly on her feet, Nicole stepped back and picked up the pile. She lifted the tailgate into place and moved to the passenger door to slide the blankets into the middle seat. When Waverly was settled, Nicole walked around the front of the truck to her side.
Opening her own door, Nicole hesitated with one leg in the cab before climbing the rest of the way into her seat. Waverly gave her a shy smile from the middle seat, the blankets relegated to the passenger side.
Neither of them mentioned it as Nicole started the engine. Focusing intently on the rough dirt road, Nicole had both hands tight on the wheel.
Waverly asked if she could turn the heat on.
Nicole quickly glanced over at Waverly, shocked, and then back out the front window. "Waves...yeah...yes of course!"
They bounced around in truck cab when they hit a big dip and Waverly's hand landed on Nicole's thigh. They both looked down at it, then at each other, then out the front window. But Waverly left her hand where it was.
Nicole could barely breathe, heart in her throat, mouth dry. Her thigh burned where Waverly's hand rested. She knew she should move it. But she just couldn't bring herself to do it. And when they were back on the main road, with the pavement smoothed out, she released the wheel with one hand to cover Waverly's on her thigh.
Waverly had never felt so content. None of her dates with Champ had ever left her feeling this way. Wait...she shook her head...this was not a date. She glanced up at Nicole's profile. Things were changing in Waverly's life, inside her and out, and it was terrifying.
They were quiet the rest of the way to the Earp homestead. But it wasn't the uncomfortable sort of quiet. They each had a lot of thoughts racing around in their heads.
When Nicole pulled to a stop outside the Earp home, she released Waverly's hand to put the truck in park. Sitting there, in the dark, in the silence, neither knew what to do.
Taking the situation in hand, Nicole made the first move. She got out, turning to help Waverly down.
Standing in front of Nicole, Waverly leaned against the side of the truck. She looked briefly at the house where all was dark, then back to Nicole who was watching her intently.
"What are you thinking, Nicole?"
Nicole was thinking a lot of thoughts she shouldn't be thinking. She was thinking that she wanted to push herself up against the smaller woman. She was thinking that she wanted to kiss Waverly, to make her moan into her mouth. She was thinking that she wanted to smell Waverly's hair one more time before the magic of this night faded back into reality. But she couldn't say any of those thoughts. So instead she said, "Sleep well, Waves."
"You too, Nicole" Waverly pushed off the truck and Nicole watched her walk up to the house, watched her walk in the door, and watched her turn back to wave before the door was shut.
And with that, Nicole took a deep, head-cleansing breath.
The night had been amazing, it had been far more than she had been thinking possible all day long. Now it was over. Waverly was probably already calling Champ. So she climbed into the truck and headed back to town. Back to her own place. Alone.
Nicole heard her phone chirp with a text message, but waited until she was parked outside her place to check it.
Waverly: get home safe?
Nicole: just now
Waverly: tonight was amazing. Thank you
Nicole: yeah. It was pretty great. Glad you were there with me.
Waverly: I have a lot of thoughts.....but I don't know what they all mean
Nicole: they'll sort themselves out..just listen and trust yourself
Nicole: No matter what...I will ALWAYS be your friend
Waverly: Thank you. Good night, Nicole
Nicole: Good night, Waves
Nicole smiled. Walking into her place didn't feel quite so alone.