Work Text:
Shelly pulled the hood over her head tighter as she walked through the dimly lit streets of the now familiar residential neighborhood. A few months ago, she would have never imagined regularly coming to a location such as this. But, well. Shelly swung her leg up over the white picket fence with practiced skill, taking extra care to avoid the bent nail that had scratched up her leg the first time she’d come. Piper swore up and down that she’d fix it at some point, but, well, Shelly could tell that she was busy.
The kitchen window was left open for her, and the light was on. Usually, that meant that she could expect more than just a plate of spare pastries being left for her by the window. Shelly’s heart pounded hard in her chest, and instead of forcing the window open like she usually did, Shelly opted to knock, and seconds later, a pretty lady greeted her at the glass.
“Why, good evening, dear!”
Her voice was muffled by the barrier between them, and Shelly watched, amused, as Piper struggled to pull up the glass. Shelly placed her palms on the window and pushed up, grunting as she slid open the stubborn frame.
“Evening to you too.”
Shelly gripped onto the window frame, knuckles white from strain, as she pulled herself up, digging her feet between the even set stone bricks for a foothold. Piper watched from a distance, giving her space to land, slamming hard on her feet. An arching pain sparked through her left leg, and she tried not to show it, but Piper seemed to catch her wince.
“Oh dear! Are you alright, darling? You look a right mess-”
“I’m fine, I’ve just been walking for a while. You know how it is.”
Shelly leaned back, arms propped behind her, pretending not to know that the reason Piper took her hands so gingerly was to inspect her arms and face for any new injuries. Despite this, her hands brushed her oh-so-gently, and soft touches against her skin made her stomach flutter.
“I don’t know why you insist on coming through the window in the dead of night. No one’s gonna try and stop you if you just knock and come in through the front.. And it’d be safer, too..”
“You know I can’t do that! The police are out for my blood.”
She was exaggerating, for the most part, but the thought of using the door.. Shelly really didn’t feel comfortable doing so. She didn’t want to feel invited, after all.
“I mean. I suppose.. You look absolutely starved.. I’ve left some blueberry tarts for you, I know you like those...”
Shelly wanted to object, she really did, but she knew that Piper wouldn’t let her go without eating. Begrudgingly, she accepted the pastry, leaning over the sink to try her darndest to not get crumbs all over Piper's spotless counter. And so they stood together in silence for a moment, both of them, in the soft pink, spotless kitchen.
“So how has work been?”
The buttery treat melted in her mouth, light and sweet on her tongue. Piper continued to pile more biscuits on her plate, which Shelly fought the urge to reject. She knew Piper wasn’t going to let her turn them down.
“Business as usual. You know how it is. My life isn’t anywhere as exciting as yours.. Tell me about your day-”
And though Shelly didn’t want to, she knew that the whole story would be forced out of her anyway. Piper listened, watching as she ate, pressing for details despite Shelly’s attempt to keep her retelling as vague as possible. And despite her best efforts, she accidentally managed to slip up and-
“You said you got shot?”
An interrogative tone, and Shelly scrambled for a way to dodge the question. She placed her plate aside, trying to come up with some way to
“I got nicked. Ain’t nothin’ too bad.”
“Shelly-”
“I said I’m fine! Now can we please talk about something else!”
Shelly felt her fingernails digging into her palms. Shelly paused, taking a deep breath, and uncurled her hands to press them flat against the counter. Piper seemed to be waiting for her to say something, or apologize, possibly, and Shelly exhaled.
“Okay. Why don’t you talk about your week?”
It was an awkward transition, a not so smooth attempt to brutally force a topic change. But it seemed that Piper wasn’t going to let it slide, at least not this time.
“Shelly, you know it's always the same. My life certainly isn’t as eventful as yours. Though I do enjoy the peace. You’ve traded tranquility and stability for excitement, darling.”
The words sounded like an accusation. Shelly put her plate down.
“Wasn’t my choice to make. Ain’t got no way to change it, anyhow, even if I wanted to.”
The conversation was putting a damper on her mood, and yet Piper.. Piper didn’t seem to want to leave her alone.
“Show me where you got shot, dear.”
“I’ve bandaged it! It ain’t no problem, honest to god..”
“Shelly-”
So Shelly found herself unwinding the bandage she’d hastily tightened around her arm. It tangled, so Piper grabbed her hand, slicing the torn fabric open with a thin kitchen knife. A shiver passed through her as Piper examined her bicep.
“Why, you’re lucky it didn’t get infected.. I swear, Shelly, it’s like you don’t care about yourself!”
Shelly twisted her arm, in an attempt to brush her away, but Piper’s grip on her wrist kept her in place. Still she struggled, pulling the crusted bandage over her wound once more, ignoring the sharp spike of pain as she did so.
“It’s nothing. I’m fine. If I knew you were gonna get like this, I wouldn’t have come..”
“Darling, I’m worried about you! You’re going to get yourself killed out there, someday.”
“And whatsit to you! I don’t stick my nose in your beeswax, do I?”
Shelly snapped back. Piper released her arm, she could see hurt flash in her eyes as she withdrew. For a moment they stood, awkward tension filling the room.
“Alright then. I’ve drawn a bath for you, if you want one.. I suppose I’ll leave you alone then.”
Regret hit her like a freight train, and Shelly awkwardly attempted to find words to amend the situation.”
I’m uh. Sorry. It’s my bad, fer bein’ so defensive. Just.. Don’t grab me, yeah?”
“Apologies, dear. I didn’t mean to. I was.. Hm..”
Piper seemed genuinely remorseful, and Shelly felt even more regret. She really shouldn’t have
snapped . She shouldn’t have said anything. Piper was just trying to help, after all.
“I.. thanks. I guess.. I’ll go. Take the bath.”
Shelly pushed herself off the counter, landing hard on her sore feet. She ignored the pain, ignored Piper’s eyes burning into her back as she made her way to the downstairs bathroom. The bathtub was full, and she gently dipped her fingers into the still warm water.
Now what?
She really should bathe. Shelly stared at her face in the mirror, at the dirt and dust staining every inch of her skin. No wonder Piper was worried, she looked like an absolute mess. Shelly sighed, slipping out of her dust filled clothes, before easing herself into the warm bath water. The scrape on her arm seemed to have scabbed over, and no longer bled when she pressed onto the hard skin.. Really, she thought it was fine, but apparently Piper didn’t.. The warm water eased her sore body, however, and Shelly let herself sink into it, letting her worries wash away. The warmth, as well as her full stomach, slowly began to lull her into a stupor.
“Shelly-”
She wasn’t going to leave her alone, was she? Another knock on the door, and finally Shelly responded, turning her head to see Piper slide into the room, armed with a small towel and an ointment of some sort
“Hey-”
Shelly sat up, embarrassed despite herself. It was nothing Piper hadn’t seen before anyways. Piper kneeled beside her, hands folded in her lap.
“You can turn the water back on, you know- “
“The water is still warm.”
Shelly could feel Piper dip the cloth into the water around her, and begin to wipe down her face.
“Hey. I can do this myself, you know..”
If Piper heard her, she elected to ignore her. Piper pushed her further up, to allow herself access to her back, and Shelly decided to focus on scrubbing the parts that she could reach, if only to prove a point. The soft hands on her back made her brain hurt.
“I’m sorry if I upset you earlier.”
“I-it's fine. I guess. I don’t know.. We live completely different lives, is all. Can’t expect you to understand.”
Shelly scrubbed filth off her leg, wrinkling her nose at the sheer amount of dirt she scrubbed off. The desert sand could be unforgiving.
“I suppose I don’t understand. How you could stand to live such a dangerous life! The excitement, certainly, but.. Wouldn’t you like to settle down, at all?”
The question filled her with a sense of unease. Her earlier drowsiness began to slip away.
“I don’t think.. I don’t think that now is a good time to talk about this..”
“It's never a good time to talk about this with you, Shelly. Certainly-”
“No. I don’t. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Shelly-”
“Why do you even care?! I’m a grownass adult, goddammit, and it's my life to do what I want!”
“Because I love you, Shelly. I care about you.”
And Piper was watching her, waiting for a response that Shelly realized suddenly that she had no desire to give. She stared into the water, pretending not to notice Piper staring into her. A long, tense silence passed, and she heard Piper sigh as she stood.
“Well then. Alright. I’ll go get you a towel.”
And with that, she was gone.
Shelly pulled the drain. The water spiraled down and out, and the cool air against her wet skin made her shiver.
What was she doing here?
She didn’t belong here, among the sweet smelling soaps and tint floral basins that lined Piper’s wash bin. Shelly stared at her reflection in the mirror. Dark eyes stared back, dull with pain and exhaustion, and Shelly rinsed her face with cool water.
Piper loved her. Shelly didn’t know how long she’d known. Shelly didn’t know how to feel. Piper loved her and while Shelly wished she could say the same, a heavy guilt weighed on her stomach, a nagging reluctance that prevented her from being able to say the same.
She needed to get out of here. She’d tread on Piper’s goodwill for far too long.
Shelly pulled her dirty clothes over her still wet body, ignoring the uncomfortable way that they dampened around her, coating her just-cleaned skin with mud and grime once again. Her shoulder ached with a familiar pain, tension easing back into her joints, but Shelly continued nonetheless. It was fine, probably; she was okay-
She pried open the hallway window, feeling the cold night air on her face. She hesitated, before stepping out, half falling, half hopping onto the neatly trimmed grass. The moon hung dark and heavy overhead, and there was no way she’d get out of this place before daybreak, but she felt that she’d suffocate if she stayed any longer.
If she stayed any longer. Stayed with the safety and security and love that Piper wanted to give her. She could sense her now, looking out at her from the living room window, half hidden by thick woolen drapes, as if that could prevent Shelly from the guilt that weighed down in her stomach.
Shelly paused, half waiting for her to call out for her to stop, to come back, but nothing came. It was fine. She didn’t deserve it anyways.
Shelly hopped the fence for the last time.