Work Text:
1.
“Nate?”
“Hm?”
“Did you finish all your homework?”
Nate gulped. He didn’t.
“Since when did you become my mother?” Nate asked.
Bronwyn, who was sitting across from him, arched an eyebrow, “So I take that as a no?”
Nate sighed, “I’m not an all A student like you.”
“I never said you had to be, but you should be at least trying to get your work done,” Bronwyn reaches for his hand across the table, giving it a light squeeze, “procrastination is a bad habit. What have you not done yet?”
“The reading for English… I had all week to do it, but I don’t understand Shakespeare at all. We have a quiz on it tomorrow.”
“I could help,” Bronwyn offered, “which story are you reading?”
“Midnight’s Summer Dream,” Nate pulled out a copy from his bag.
“Okay, so let’s go through the story together,” Bronwyn moves her chair so she is tucked into Nate’s side, “read to me aloud and I’ll explain it to you.”
Nate sets the book out in front of him, opening the first page.
“Now fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour… I feel like an idiot,” Nate huffs in frustration. He disliked reading aloud.
Bronwyn looks up at him, “You are doing just fine. Keep going.”
“Can we just do something else?”
Bronwyn frowns, giving him a look of disapproval. Nate knew he had to keep going. He turned back to the book.
“Now fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour draws on apace, four happy days bring in another moon, but, O, methinks how slow this old moon wanes! She lingers my desires, like to a step-dame or a dowager, long withering out a young man’s revenue,” the words struggle out of Nate’s mouth, almost as if he were forcing them out, “what the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Bronwyn realizes she’s been focused on Nate’s mouth for too long. Damn that sexy mouth. She becomes flushed. She points to the line he just read.
“So, Theseus is the Duke of Athens, and Hippolyta is the Queen of the Amazons. They are basically getting married. That’s what the word ‘nuptial’ means,” Bronwyn explains.
Nate nods, “But what does any of this have to do with the story?”
“Keep reading.”
Nate was becoming bored. Just as he opened his mouth to read the next line, he had a brilliant idea. He noticed the next line was a female character.
In his most high pitched, feminine voice, Nate began to read the next line.
“Four days will quickly-”
Nate was interrupted by Bronwyn bursting into laughter. Nate smiled in approval, continuing to read.
“- steep themselves in night; four nights will quickly dream away the time; and then the moon, like to a silver bow, new-bent in heaven, sall behold the night of our solemnities.”
Bronwyn’s laughter died down as she began to explain the story again, “In four days, Theseus and Hippolyta are going to get married and they are excited.”
Nate nods. He continued to read, giving each new character a different accent. Bronwyn had to stifle giggles as she explained every line to him.
Reading like this was entertaining.
“Ohhhhh,” Nate awes in realization once they finished, “this all makes so much more sense now!”
Bronwyn smiles, “I’m so glad you understand it.”
“Well, I couldn’t have done it without your help.”
“You put in the effort, and I’m incredibly proud of you for it,” Bronwyn kisses his cheek.
Nate grinned widely. Bronwyn thought she was going to pass out, he had such a beautiful smile.
“Could I get another kiss as a reward?” Nate asked smoothly. Bronwyn laughed.
“You can have as much as you’d like.”
2.
Nate leaned against the metal of his motorcycle, waiting for Bronwyn to join him outside. A new movie came out at the local theater that Bronwyn seemed interested in, so Nate offered to take her to dinner and then go see it.
Nate perked up when he heard a door close. Bronwyn stood there, smiling at him. She let her thick dark hair down out of her usual tight ponytail, letting it flow down in curls naturally. She wore a deep red off-the-shoulder dress that dropped down to her knees. Nate blushed at her beauty. He quickly realized how underdressed he was. He quickly put on his leather jacket and a pair of jeans before leaving his house.
Bronwyn walked to Nate, giving him a kiss on the cheek as a greeting.
“You look amazing,” Nate complimented her.
Bronwyn eyes widened, a red glow rising to her cheeks, “Thank you! Maeve helped me get ready. You don’t look bad yourself.”
Nate chuckled as he extended his arm, “Shall we, m’lady?”
Bronwyn giggles, “We shall.”
Nate passed Bronwyn a helmet. They both got on the motorcycle, Bronwyn gripping onto Nate tightly. Nate turned the keys into the ignition, and the motor sputtered to life. Bronwyn cringed.
“Maybe you should stop to get gas. That doesn’t sound right.”
“I’ll wait until after our date,” Nate stated, “we don’t want to be late to the movie, now do we?”
————
“That was a good movie,” Bronwyn sighed.
“You seriously liked that?” Nate chuckles, “that was garbage.”
Bronwyn giggles, “It’s better than the zombie apocalypse movies you watch.”
“What do you mean?! Those are a piece of art!”
Nate and Bronwyn walked out of the theater, Nate’s arm around Bronwyn as she rested her head on his shoulder. The chilly night air brushed against their faces.
Nate began to ride them home, enjoying the rest of the time they had together.
Until there was an interruption.
Nate’s motorcycle began to sputter uncontrollably. It finally gave out when they weren’t even halfway home.
“Shit!” Nate yelled, throwing down his helmet in frustration.
“I knew we should have gotten gas,” Bronwyn shook her head, pulling out her phone, “I’ll see if Maeve can pick us up.”
Nate felt himself become embarrassed as Bronwyn explained the situation to Maeve (he was pretty sure he could hear Maeve laughing on the other end).
“She’ll be here in a bit,” Bronwyn put the phone down.
Nate nodded, “I’m sorry.”
Bronwyn frowned, “For what?”
“For waiting ‘till the last minute to get gas and have the motorcycle breakdown in the middle of nowhere.”
Bronwyn gave him a small smile, “It’s okay. Things happen.”
Bronwyn grabbed his hand. She looked at him, a smirk curling on her lips.
“In the meantime… what do you want to do?” She asked, her voice husky.
Nate’s eyes widened, “Bronwyn… you aren’t suggesting-”
Nate could see the fiery spark in her eyes. He could feel himself getting warm.
“I mean… we do have time to waste,” Nate responded, agreeing with her idea.
Bronwyn slammed her lips into Nate’s. The kiss quickly grew violent, the two nearly suffocating themselves. Bronwyn became dominant, her tongue asking for permission to enter his mouth. Nate smirked, keeping his mouth firmly shut.
“Bitch,” Bronwyn swore, her voice muffled against Nate’s lips.
Nate laughs in amusement, as Bronwyn shoves her tongue into his mouth, their teeth clashing together. They let out a loud moan. As their tongues continued to battle, Bronwyn began to tug at Nate’s shirt.
“Wait…” Nate broke apart, sucking in a breath of air “are you sure you want this? We can always-”
Bronwyn interrupts him with a softer kiss.
“I have never wanted anything more in my life,” Bronwyn whispers.
He began to slowly slip off his jacket. Without warning, Bronwyn lifted his shirt off him within seconds, the cold stinging his body. Bronwyn’s fingers grazed over his abs. Once she reached his chest, Bronwyn pushed Nate onto the grass, leaving him surprised. He had never seen the sexy side of Bronwyn before. He didn’t want her to stop though. Bronwyn climbed on top of him, initiating another kiss. Nate’s hands trailed across her back looking for a button, a zipper, anything to get her dress off her. He found a zipper, carefully unzipping it so Bronwyn wouldn’t notice. She yelped when the cold air hit her bare back, the dress falling to her waist, revealing her black bra.
“Now we are even,” Nate states.
Bronwyn rolled her eyes, “At least I’m on top.”
“Not for long.”
Without warning, Nate flipped them over, pinning Bronwyn to the grass.
“That’s not fair,” Bronwyn pouted.
“It’s all love and war darling,” Nate purred, making Bronwyn melt.
Nate’s lips began to trail down Bronwyn’s neck, leaving bruises on her collarbone, making her shiver. Bronwyn’s hands moved to his waist, her thumbs inside Nate’s jeans. Just as she was about to execute her plan to get Nate back, a car horn went off. Nate jumped off Bronwyn as she let out a shriek.
“What the hell you two?!” Maeve yelled from the car, window rolled down.
“Shit!” Bronwyn cursed, attempting to put her dress back on.
Nate chuckled, picking up his clothes, putting them back on easily. He helped Bronwyn zip her dress up again.
“So um… you want to continue this later?” Nate asked.
Bronwyn playfully smacked him, Nate taking that as a ‘no.’
“So, did you guys have a fun time?” Maeve snickers as Bronwyn gets in the passenger seat. Nate stayed out to lift his motorcycle into the trunk.
“I hate both of you so much,” Bronwyn hid her face, which was red from embarrassment and arousement.
“You can thank me later,” Maeve turned the keys, starting the car again, “one, I’m taking time out of my night to get you guys, and two, I now have to have the image of my sister under her boyfriend engraved in my mind-”
“Can never speak of this again, please?” Bronwyn begged.
“Alright, the motorcycle is in the back,” Nate hopped back into the car, “thanks Maeve.”
“Yup,” Maeve began driving, “was the movie good?”
Nate nodded, “Pretty good.”
“What was it called again?” Maeve asked.
Bronwyn didn’t understand how Nate and Maeve were carrying on a normal conversation. She wondered if they were doing it just to torture her. As Nate described the plot of the show, Maeve pulled into a gas station so Nate could fuel his motorcycle.
“I have to buy something real quickly,” Maeve said, walking into the connected store.
“This would have never happened if you got gas,” Bronwyn said once Maeve was out of earshot.
Nate smirked, “We did enjoy ourselves though.”
Bronwyn thinks about it, but then nods, “We did.”
Nate finishes by paying, “We'll do it again sometime. I’m going to ride home on this. You should probably go with Maeve.”
Bronwyn nodded, kissing his cheek, “I love you.”
Nate smiled, “I love you too.”
As Nate rode away, Maeve returned.
“I got you something,” Maeve handed her a box. Bronwyn examined it closely. Condoms.
“I hate you,” Bronwyn deadpanned as Maeve burst out laughing.
3.
When Bronwyn enters Nate’s room, she is greeted by a mess. Clothes, food wrappers, empty plastic water bottles, and crumpled papers were scattered on the floor, on Nate’s bed, and on a chair that sat in his room.
Nate stepped over the scattered items, “Sorry, I didn’t have time to clean.”
Nate pushes off the clothes of his bed, sitting down. He patted the bed, signally for Bronwyn to sit with him. Bronwyn sat down carefully, and Nate could tell something was wrong. She looked uncomfortable and tense. He guessed it was the mess. Bronwyn was an incredibly organized and neat person. He figured a small mess probably set her on the edge.
“Um… do you want to clean up here?” Nate asked.
“Yes please,” Bronwyn got up, and immediately started picking up the trash. Nate was surprised with how fast she was. Soon, arms were full of wrappers and papers.
“Do you have a trash can anywhere?”
“I’ll get a trash bag,” Nate walked out, returning with the bag in his hands.
The two continued to pick trash off Nate's floor, shoving into the bag. Eventually, Bronwyn turned to Nate and noticed he looked bored. Bronwyn frowned. Nate invited her over, and she wanted him to enjoy their time together. She then got an idea. She stood up, pulling out her phone. She opened Spotify, pulling up a playlist with some of Nate’s favorite songs. She hit the shuffle button. Variations on Canon began to play.
Nate’s head perked up at the song.
“I figured we should listen to music while we do this.” Bronwyn states.
Nate stood up, holding out his hand.
“What if we dance real quickly?”
Bronwyn beamed, taking his hand. He lifted her up, wrapping his arms around her waist. Bronwyn wrapped her arms around Nate’s neck, pulling him closer so they were staring into each other's eyes. They began to sway, careful not to step on anything. Bronwyn’s finger began to twirl around a section of hair on the nape of Nate’s neck. Nate nuzzles his face into Bronwyn’s shoulder, inhaling the green apple scent of her hair.
It was a quiet moment for them. A moment neither wanted to end.
But they did have a messy room to clean.
4.
Bronwyn almost screamed when she saw Nate come into school with a swollen, bruised hand. His palm was twice its size, and his joints were highlighted purple. She noticed Nate was trying to hide it under the sleeve of his leather jacket once her eye caught it. Her mind went racing to all the possible reasons for the injury. Did he punch something? Did he fall on it wrong?
“What did you do?” Bronwyn asks, worry slipping in her voice. As she reaches for his hand, Nate flinches away.
“It’s nothing,” Nate mumbled. Bronwyn noticed how drowsy he was. Was he on something? Painkillers? Did he sleep at all?
“Nate-” Bronwyn began.
“I’m fine,” Nate hisses.
Bronwyn takes a step backwards, shaken by Nate’s sudden coldness. Nate walks away as the bell rings. Bronwyn’s eyebrows furrowed. She was going to get to the bottom of this.
——
Nate rubbed his eyes with his non-injured hand. He knew he shouldn’t have taken the ibuprofen. It was only making him sleepy, and not helping the throbbing pain in his hand.
Nate decided to rest his eyes for a moment. They were growing heavy, and he couldn’t keep them open much longer. His head also began to feel heavy, and he rested it on the lunch table.
“Nate?”
Nate jolted awake. Addy was sitting across from him.
Nate yawned, “Hey Addy.”
“You okay? You were passed out when I got here,” Addy asked, beginning to dig into her lunch.
“I didn’t sleep too well.”
He didn’t sleep at all. He spent the entire night focusing on pain.
“Yikes. That stinks.”
Nate nodded, resting his head onto the table again.
“Mind telling me what the hell happened to your hand?”
Nate shot up, “Bronwyn put you to this, didn't she?”
“No, I’m just a very concerned friend,” Addy winked.
“Oh my god, she did put you up to this-”
“Seriously though, what did you do to it?” Addy asked.
Nate sighed. He rested his busted hand on the table, “I think I broke it at work. You know how I do construction? Someone accidentally dropped a hammer on it.”
“Why haven’t you gone to a doctor yet?” Addy asked.
“I thought it was nothing.”
“You should tell Bronwyn.”
Nate sighed, “I don’t want to worry her.”
“You are by not telling her,” Addy stated, “she thinks you don’t trust her.”
“Of course I trust her!” Nate defended.
“Then tell her!”
“And I fucking will!” Nate sat up from the table. He walked out to find Bronwyn.
“Now that’s the spirit!” Addy shouted across the cafeteria, receiving a couple strange looks .
———
Nate found Bronwyn in the library with Cooper. Bronwyn obviously looked stressed, and Cooper was trying his best to comfort her. He began to feel awful from hiding from her.
“Speaking of the devil,” Cooper greeted Nate as he came in.
Bronwyn turned around, worry filled her face.
“I talked to Addy,” Nate said.
“I’ll give you two space,” Cooper left.
Bronwyn got up from her seat. Nate worried she was angry at him, and was going to leave.
Instead, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a comforting hug. She held him for a little. When she let go, Nate gave her his injured hand. She gently took it in her hands, careful not to inflict any pain.
“I was working, and a hammer fell onto it,” Nate explained, “I’m pretty sure I broke it.”
“Why didn’t you…?” Bronwyn began.
“I didn’t think much of it.”
“Come on,” Bronwyn carefully tugs on his sleeve, “I’m taking you to the hospital.”
“But we have class-”
“What the hell, one day won’t hurt anything,” Bronwyn says, leading him to her car, “your health is more important.”
——
“How do you feel?” Bronwyn smiled as Nate came out to her after a couple hours of waiting in the waiting room. In one hand, a cast covered his forearm. In the other, he had a piece of candy which the nurses insisted he have for taking his injury like a ‘champ.’
“Better,” Nate mumbled, the pain medication taking effect, “I’m really tired.”
“I’ll take you home and you can get some rest,” Bronwyn placed a hand on his back, as they walked out of the hospital together.
Ellen Macauley wasn’t exactly pleased when her son walked into the house with a broken hand.
“Nathaniel, you should have gotten help sooner!” She scolded, turning to Bronwyn, “Thank you so much for taking him in.”
Bronwyn nods as Mrs Macauley gives her a quick hug. Before Bronwyn makes her exit, she pats Nate on the shoulder.
“Take care of yourself, okay?”
Nate nods, “I will.”
5.
“Nate, did you pack at all yet?”
Nate keeps his attention on channel surfing, “Yeah.”
“You call this packed?” Bronwyn questioned, as Nate’s duffel bag was stuffed with only one shirt and a pair of pants.
“Uh… yes?”
Bronwyn had somehow convinced her parents to let Nate go to Connecticut with them. They were planning to go see the Yale campus, visit Bronwyn’s grandparents, and see some other tourist attractions.
Bronwyn shook her head, “We leave tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll finish it then,” Nate brushed it off, “is there anything you want to watch?”
Bronwyn ignored him, already in Nate’s closet, grabbing shirts.
“What are you doing?” Nate questioned.
“Packing,” Bronwyn folded the shirts she picked out for him, placing them neatly into the bag.
“I don’t need you to do it for me,” Nate got up from his comfortable spot on the bed, taking a shirt from Bronwyn, throwing it in the bag, “I can do it myself.”
“Well you weren’t doing it before,” Bronwyn states, opening Nate’s dresser and pulling out a couple pairs of pants.
“Well I can do it now,” Nate grabbed a couple pairs of socks out.
Bronwyn gave him a teasing smile, “But you just said-”
“I know what I said,” Nate rolled his eyes. Bronwyn giggles.
Nate zips up the duffle bag, “That didn’t take very long.”
“See?” Bronwyn says, sitting on his bed, reaching for the remote, “also, we should totally watch Allegiant.”
“Terrible choice,” Nate jokes, joining her on the bed.
+ 1
“Bronwyn? What time is it?” Nate yawned, sitting up in her bed, “What are you doing?”
“I need.. to finish… this essay…” Her voice was sleepy as she typed furiously on her computer.
Nate frowned. He opened his phone. It was one in the morning.
Nate was visiting and staying with Bronwyn in her Yale dorm room for the week. Her roommate was gone, so it would just be the two of them. Even though Bronwyn had classes, they still spent mornings and evenings together.
“No. You need to sleep,” Nate rubbed his eyes, “how long have you been up?”
Bronwyn shrugged, continuing to type up a paragraph.
“When is it due?”
Bronwyn stayed silent.
“Bronwyn…”
“The beginning of class today…”
“How long did you have to work on it?”
Bronwyn was quiet again. He could feel her guilt.
“You procrastinated, didn’t you?” Nate asked.
Bronwyn turned to him. Her glasses sat on the tip of her nose, and he could see the dark circles under her eyes through the smudged lenses.
“I was busy with other work,” Bronwyn explained, “and Chemistry isn't exactly my strong suite.”
Nate chuckled, “The Bronwyn Rojas procrastinated?!”
“Don’t make me feel any worse about this.”
Bronwyn returned back to her essay as Nate shook his head. He wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up from the chair.
“What are you doing?!” Bronwyn asked.
“You work too hard,” Nate adjusted her so she was in his arms bridal style.
“But my assignment-”
“Don’t worry about it, you can finish it in the morning. It looks like you got most of it done anyways,” Nate turned off her computer with a free arm, still holding her close.
Bronwyn whined, but obliged. She was too tired to argue. She allowed Nate to carry her back to the bed. He set her down, taking her glasses off, setting them down on her nightstand. He followed her back into bed.
“Remember in high school when you got on me for procrastinating all the time?” Nate chuckles, pulling the comforter on top of them.
“Shut up,” Bronwyn murmurs, already starting to fall asleep.
Nate couldn’t help but love Bronwyn when she was sleepy. Her expression softened and her words were slurred. It was adorable.
Nate kisses the tip of her nose. He laid down on the mattress, wrapping an arm around her, rubbing the small of her back in slow circles. Bronwyn curled into his side, her head resting on his chest. She lifted her leg into a humping position and rested it on Nate’s torso.
“Goodnight Bronwyn,” Nate whispered, closing his eyes.
“Goodnight Nate.”