Work Text:
It wasn't a night that was in any way particularly special. The clouds were dark and all day the threat of rain or even a thunderstorm had been hanging in the air. Nicole was off work early that day, and Waverly had been quick to invite her over to the homestead for the night. She hated sleeping alone anymore, especially during a storm.
She hadn't really needed to specify that the auburn haired woman would be staying over, because as of late Nicole would normally arrive, the two would cook something together, and they'd curl up on the couch or in her room watching movies and old TV shows until they fell asleep. Rarely, they would make it long enough to change into proper pajamas, but most times, they would fall asleep in whatever they had on, and then would wake the next day laughing at the uncomfortable way their typical clothes had constricted them in their sleep. Of course, Nicole immediately responded and agreed to the offer, so Waverly took some precautionary measures.
She pulled off her skirt and blouse in favor of a pair of leggings and an old t-shirt that she was pretty sure had come from Nicole's house. All of her clothes now shared the smell of the red head's apartment, a comforting factor when she was faced with spending nights alone. The officer arrived not long after, and Waverly was quick to open the door before Wynonna could get to it.
"Hi," Nicole's face instantly lit up in a grin as she greeted the shorter brunette, pulling her in for a quick kiss. Waverly melted into her touch, wrapping her arms around her.
"Hi," she echoed the taller woman and mirrored her smile, taking her hand and leading her inside. Seeing past her girlfriend's smile and noticing the heavy bags of exhaustion under Nicole's eyes, Waverly settled for the living room, deciding not to make the officer climb two flights of stairs to reach her bedroom, especially considering she would have to walk back down them and up again if she was hungry or needed something downstairs.
"Long day?' she asked knowingly, flipping on the living room TV and clicking on her Netflix profile that was full of documentaries, horror movies, and the occasional cop show. Not because Nicole enjoyed them, but rather because it was funny to watch her critique the officers on screen about what they were doing wrong and how if they had been in her class they wouldn't have passed the academy.
"Yeah, there was a car accident and the driver at fault ended up with a broken leg," the ginger explained, letting her head fall into Waverly's lap, unable to hold back a relieved sigh as the shorter woman began threading her fingers between her fiery curls. "What about you? How was your day?" Waverly couldn't help but marvel at her girlfriend's question. Even after what was surely an exhausting day at an already stressful job, Nicole still cared and thought to ask about her own day.
Wavery gave up comparing Nicole to Champ long ago, because there was simply no fair comparison. But, sometimes, there were moments like these, and she simply couldn't help it. Champ rarely ever asked her how she was doing, even if she was clearly annoyed or upset, and if he did, it was for his own benefit, not hers. And yet here Nicole was, beaten down and stressed, and still worried about everyone besides herself.
"It was fine," she answered a bit too quickly after realizing she'd waited too long and the officer was looking up at her in concern. She rolled over and reached her hand up to cup Waverly's cheek.
"Whatcha thinking about in that big brain of yours?" she asked with a small smile, and Waverly couldn't help but blush.
"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?"
Nicole's question was so different from the way Champ asked. Waverly couldn't remember a time where he had ever complimented her intelligence. She wasn't stupid, she knew that, but she had never been called smart by anyone other than teachers and Gus. The first time Nicole commented on her brain, she hadn't even known how to react.
Now that Waverly really thought about it, there were a lot of things that while completely different to the brunette seemed to be the same in Nicole and Champ's mind, though it was no question to what she preferred.
Where Champ asked if she was "in the mood yet" and complained when she wasn't, Nicole still asked her for her absolute permission and consent, every single time.
While Champ asked if she was up for going out drinking and laughed when she said no, Nicole asked what she wanted to do that night, agreeing no matter what it was.
Champ questioned her infatuation with history when it didn't affect them anymore, but Nicole marveled at her passion and listened to every detail of why she cared.
Every touch, every word, every kiss, they were all so different.
Sex with Champ was rough, over as quickly as possible, like it was a race to beat his best time. Most of the time she couldn't even enjoy it, and there were plenty of nights where she would lie next to him after he had finished, passed out and normally drunk, while she shivered and curled into her chest to keep warm. He wasn't one for intimacy and he teased her when she used extra blankets or asked for him to hold her.
But sex with Nicole, god with her it lasted for hours, and that was just for herself. It went on into the earliest hours of the morning, and the officer did things to her body that she didn't think were possible. And when they did finish, she would wrap her arms around Waverly from behind, hold her close and bury the pair under a mountain of blankets. The brunette had grown accustomed to spending the nights alone and at first didn't know how to respond to the contact, but she had immediately melted into Nicole's touch and embrace.
As Waverly flipped through random shows and movies on her continue watching list, she smiled down at the ginger, shrugging and shaking her head in dismissal.
"Just thinking I guess," she explained. Nicole sat up and looked at her, not demanding an answer, rather asking if she wanted to talk.
"Are you okay?" the question was simple enough, but it made Waverly's heart flutter in her chest. She opened her mouth to answer, but she was cut off by a loud clap of thunder from outside. Jumping, she immediately cowered into her girlfriend's side, whimpering and shaking as lightning flashed through the room. She almost expected laughter- Champ had always teased her for her fear of thunderstorms.
The first time she experienced a storm she could remember was when she was five years old. Her parents had been in a fight earlier that day, and she was already scared enough by the screaming, so the thunder and the bright flashing only made it worse. It got to the point where she could no longer stand being alone, and she had made her way into Willa's bedroom. When she woke her sister and asked if she could sleep with her, she was only met with teasing laughter and sent away. She knew she couldn't this of her parents, so she hesitantly went to Wynonna, terrified that she too would turn her away. Instead, the 12 year old had welcomed her to her bed, and held her through the night as the storm raged on.
And now, Nicole did the same, her arms immediately tightening around the smaller woman's waist as she pulled her close and soothed her, stroking her long fingers through Waverly's even longer brunette locks.
"I didn't know you were scared of thunderstorms," it was not mockery and it was not a joke- Nicole's voice was genuine concern and worry. The younger Earp shrugged, unsure of how to justify the fear.
"They've always scared me, ever since I was a kid. I guess I'm just a wimp. It's pretty stupid," she laughed softly, but the auburn haired woman shook her head.
"That's not stupid. I'm glad you told me. Not everyone can admit their fears," Nicole reached out and cupped her cheek, and Waverly felt her heart melt in her chest. She couldn't stop herself from nuzzling into the touch and frankly she didn't try. The officer pulled her close as her fingers wove through long strands of Waverly's hair, and she pressed a kiss against her forehead. The first time she had been in a thunderstorm with Champ, she had whimpered at the sound and he had laughed at her, teased her, made her feel insignificant and small.
But now, even with Nicole holding her so delicately that she may believe Waverly would break in her arms at any moment, she had never felt so complete, so whole, so content. She curled into her girlfriend's side, wrapping her arms around the taller woman's waist as she pulled a mountain of blankets over the pair. She pressed play on a documentary about sharks that the pair had watched enough times that Waverly could quote it, but it was still her favorite.
As she lie still in Nicole's arms, thunder and lighting raged on outside with the storm, wind rattling the windows as heavy rain thudded hard against the roof. But, suddenly it didn't seem so scary anymore. No longer were the howling winds the source of her nightmares, nor was the rain enough to keep her up till the early hours of the morning. Now it was just a thunderstorm, nothing more.
Willa, her parents, and especially Champ- They had all abandoned her when she needed them the most, but not Nicole. No, the fiery haired policewoman was there to stay, no matter what the world threw at them. They would run into obstacles, sure, but that didn't matter. They were a team. And as long Waverly had Nicole by her side, they could face any storm together.