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Chuck startled awake and instinctively looked for the monitor with the Kaiju stats. All he saw was a digital clock proclaiming it was just after midnight in purple.
He blinked a couple times before he remembered where he was, when he was. He turned over, fumbling on the other side of the bed. He sat up when his hand encountered nothing but cold sheets. They weren’t even slept in. He groaned as he heard a cupboard slam in the kitchen, realizing what had woken him.
Getting up –testing for an aged bulldog before putting his feet down— Chuck wandered down the hall, blinking against the light. He made out the shape of his girlfriend in front of the sink and shuffled up behind her.
Addie squeaked as he slipped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her neck. She shivered and squirmed as he breathed on the junction of neck and shoulder, and it made him smirk. He always relished the effect he had on her; even two years into their relationship he could still make her go pink in the face and weak in the knees.
He trailed light kisses up to her ear. “What are you doing getting home so late, Addie?”
“Hey, Chuck. Sorry I woke you, but just go back to bed, I’ll be there in a jiff, okay?” She sounded shifty. Addie was always a terrible liar.
He pulled away to give her a look and caught sight of her hand.
“Is that blood?”
Addie spun around, pulling her left hand behind her back.
“Blood? Why would there be blood on my hand? It’s definitely not blood on my hand! Just- Just some red nail polish that spilled! Yes, nail polish!”
Only the most gullible person in the world would believe a word out of her mouth. Besides that, he could smell it now. There was a coppery tang in the air. He pulled her hand from behind her back, bringing it back over the sink. There was a small gash in the webbing between thumb and forefinger. It wasn’t deep, but the placement ensured it would take a long time to heal.
Chuck brought it under the running water and gave her a look that demanded explanation.
“Well, you remember Kyle, the kid I hired to keep up with the new workload?” Oh, he remembered Kyle alright. Obnoxious little arsehole hanging around Addie, following her around like a puppy. Even Jimmy didn’t like the kid, and that’s saying something.
“No, no. NO! Do not make that face, Chuck. He does not have a crush on me.” She poked him in the chest and pointed at the first aid kit she had taken out.
“Doesn’t mean I don’t have the right to threaten the little shite next time I see him.” Schooling his face back into a more neutral expression, as he tended to the wound.
“As long as nothing gets physically bruised or broken.” Chuck raised an incredulous eyebrow. Addie never condoned his over-protective behavior.
“You see this cut?” She flexed her fingers, wiggling her hand just a bit. “Anyway, he came up behind me while I was finishing up a, uh, personal project to let me know he was leaving. Of course, I thought everyone had left already and he scared the crap outta me when he tapped me on the shoulder.”
“I shall not ask what the personal project is, as my birthday is next week, and I know how you think.” Chuck smirked as he tied off the bandage and kissed her hand. “I am going to stop by tomorrow to have a friendly chat with Kyle, fair warning to hide whatever it is you’re working on.”
Addie nodded as she stepped back into his arms. She let out a shriek as he ducked down and picked her up bridal style, proceeding to carry her back to their bedroom.
“Chuck, I hurt my hand not my legs!” He smirked as she snuggled into him despite her protest.