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Sometimes, he thinks that being a Grimm is more trouble than it’s worth. Sure, his instincts come in handy in a fight, and he can’t bring himself to regret being a part of this secret world; even with all it has cost him, he wouldn’t trade it. His friendships, his wife, and his beautiful son and step-daughter all make life so much better.
But those same instincts-the ones that keep him alive in a knock-down drag-out with a Gelumcaedus-can make Christmas shopping very difficult.
Adalind has been looking forward to this for weeks, and she’s absolutely in her element now: practically bouncing, list in one hand and pen in the other, humming Christmas carols under her breath. She’s adorable, in her puffy jacket and her pom-pom cap, and he tries to focus on that, but to no avail.
Everything is too loud, for one thing. Apparently, everyone in Portland decided to go Christmas shopping today, because everywhere he turns, the crowd is overwhelming. And every breath, every heartbeat, every ticking of every watch, echoes in his head. It isn’t always like this, but his heightened senses kick into overdrive whenever he’s stressed, and apparently they don’t care if they’re the cause of the stress.
Even if he could block out the noise, the chaos is unbearable. He keeps catching movement out of the corner of his eyes, and awareness hums in his mind, telling him where everyone is. Stressed customers keep woging, and while none have noticed him yet, he dreads the moment that one of them makes eye contact with him. Hopefully they’ll only leave, instead of coming after him. Or worse: coming after Adalind and Kelly. He’ll protect them with his life if he has to, and Adalind is no damsel in distress, but there are a lot of wesen here.
“Babe?” Adalind’s looking up at him expectantly, and he blinks, trying desperately to focus on her. “What do you think?”
He searches his mind, trying to retrace their conversation, but comes up blank. He could, he knows, tell her. She’d understand. But she’s so excited about this, and he doesn’t want to mess it up for her. Not when it’s probably the first proper Christmas she’s ever had. “I think…” He wraps his arms around her, dropping a kiss to her forehead, trying desperately to ignore the flickers of movement all around them, pressing in, suffocating- “You’re absolutely right.”
It seems like a safe response, but she stops short, eyes dancing. “You do?”
Well, it’s definitely too late to back out now. “Yeah, I do.”
She bites her lip, obviously trying to bite back a laugh, and he really wishes he could remember what she’d been saying. “Are you sure about that?”
He’s definitely miscalculated, and he scrambles for an explanation. “I mean, you’re always right. Right?”
A full giggle escapes her, and it’s lovely, even at his expense. “You think Kelly should pay for our Christmas presents?”
… Ah. “Yeah. I mean, it’s about time he starts earning his keep around here, don’t you think?” Maybe he can still play it off as a joke. … Probably not, but it’s worth a try.
She doesn’t seem convinced, but apparently is willing to let it slide, rolling her eyes in amusement. “Maybe we should wait until he’s out of diapers before we start hitting him up for money.” Speaking of diapers… A heightened sense of smell definitely isn’t always a good thing, Nick muses, wrinkling his nose.
He’s about to suggest Adalind take their son to the changing room-it’s definitely her turn-when someone bumps into him. Before he can think, his hand is in his pocket, curled around a knife, and he’s whirling to face his attacker.
Not quite an attacker, he realizes a split-second later. Just a little old lady making her way through the store, caught up in the crowd. But now his heart is racing in his chest, pounding in his ears, threatening to drown out the noises of the store. His senses adapt- oh joy- and now everything is even louder, a quiet conversation across the room practically screaming in his ears. He can’t-he can’t-
A hand lands on his arm, and he jerks back, turning to face… A very concerned Adalind. All the amusement has faded from her face, and she’s watching him, eyes wide and brows furrowed.
“Honey, what’s wrong?”
He forces himself to focus on her hand on his arm, honing in on that point of contact, breathing in and out. It helps, a little; his heart rate slows, and his senses once again adapt, dulling the raging noise a bit. “It’s… Loud,” he says, which doesn’t even begin to sum it up, but he doesn’t know how to explain what’s happening.
“Loud?” She frowns, taking a step toward him, pressing her hand against his forehead. Checking for a fever, he knows, but the touch is soothing in and of itself. “I mean, it’s Christmas shopping.”
“Yeah, I just…” He swallows, regret curling in his stomach. It’s her perfect Christmas, and he’s messing it up. “It’s a lot. I’ll be fine; don’t worry.”
She arches a brow. “Yeah, no, I’m not just going to not worry. Of course I’m worried about you. I’m just not sure what-” Realization dawns on her face, and she goes impossibly gentle, taking a step toward him. “This is a Grimm thing, isn’t it?” She murmurs under her breath, and he casts a wary glance around, but no one seems to hear.
He gives a slow nod. “Apparently countless generations of Grimm instincts can’t tell the difference between a shopping mall and a battlefield.”
The corner of her lip quirks up. “In fairness, sometimes I can’t, either.”
Another band of tension releases itself from him, and he chuckles, almost in spite of himself. “I’ll be okay,” he repeats, a little more sincerely. He leans down, pressing a soft kiss to her lips before resting his forehead against hers, centering himself.
“You don’t have to shop with us,” she offers quietly, stroking his cheek.
“I know this is important to you-”
“ You’re important to me.” She pulls back, catching his chin in her hand, forcing him to look at her. “If you need to sit in the car while we do all the shopping, that’s okay.”
He hesitates for another long moment, before something crashes. It’s just a vase, he realizes as he looks over, but it’s enough to send his senses into overdrive again, warning him of danger, danger, danger all around. His throat’s a little too tight, and he can’t think-
“Go,” Adalind orders, drawing his attention back to her. Her expression is gentle, but firm, and he knows there will be no arguing with her. “We’ll be okay.”
Exhaling heavily, he nods. “Okay. Just… Call if you need anything.”
“I will.” Somewhere between amused and just shy of exasperated. Then- “Wait, does that include coffee?”
He considers. “I think there’s a coffee shop down the road. Want me to run through the drive-through?” Frankly, he could go for a cup or two himself.
She positively lights up, and fixes him with the most adorable pout he’s ever seen. “Pretty please?”
“Give me a call when you’re almost done.” He gives her a brief kiss, then drops one on his son’s head. “I’ll be waiting at the door with coffee and a warm car.”
“Now, see, this is why I love you.”
Rolling his eyes fondly, he heads to the car, settling into the seat. It’s immediately better, with the door closed and the world blocked out. Blissful silence, at last. He will go get the coffee, and soon. But Adalind will be awhile. So he has a few minutes to just sit here and breathe.