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Under normal circumstances, gathering together an entire houseful of college students in one place for any significant amount of time was enough of an achievement to merit a special notation on the calendar, but to have everyone sitting around the kitchen table at 8 AM on a Saturday morning and mostly coherent while doing so was very nearly a miracle. The last time even a fraction of the house at Parkside Terrace had been awake this early on a weekend was when exams were in full swing and both Colin and Olivia had stayed up all night studying together in the kitchen in a frenzied attempt to pass their chemistry class, and that had been a case of “never slept” instead of “got up early”. This morning was quite frankly an anomaly of fantastic proportions, and not one that was likely to be repeated soon.
The early morning wake-up rumblings for the household had begun with Olivia once again, and she was very decidedly not happy about it. To be honest she had absolutely no idea why her body had decided that it needed to be awake at 7:30 in the bloody morning on one of the only two days that she got to sleep in, but awake she was and awake she was going to remain for the time being. No matter how she tossed or turned in her narrow bed she simply could not fall back asleep, not with the sliver of light that was coming through the window to fall directly on her face or the way Lizzie and Darren were both snoring as they clung to each other across the room. Finally with a frustrated groan she lurched herself out of bed and rummaged around blindly for the slippers that had managed to disappear again, grumbling angrily to herself all the while until she finally located them under a pile of dirty clothes that had not yet made it to the laundry. Bollocks, I really need to do those…later. Not now. Coffee now.
Shuffling her way down the hallway with a yawn, Olivia navigated her way around the squeaky floorboard automatically and sidestepped the pile of clothing that Dennis had yet to move into the room he shared with Fitz. It really was ridiculous how tall the pile had gotten by now, but Olivia was fairly certain that there just wasn’t space in that disaster that the two of them called a room for so much as a sock, much less the stack of shirts and trousers that were amassing in the hall. Besides, it would get cleaned up eventually when the rest of the house bullied them into moving their shit elsewhere, so there was no point worrying about it now. Not when her brain was barely functioning.
The kitchen and the promise of much-needed coffee seemed miles away, but at long last Olivia had made it down the perilously narrow staircase, through the cluttered sitting room, and into the kitchen that was filled with more sunshine than should ever be allowed at this time of day. Much to her great and somewhat muzzy surprise there was already another person standing at the kitchen counter, wearing only a stretched out grey Agricultural College sweatshirt and making coffee while humming a familiar tune quietly under her breath. Yawning one more time with nearly jaw-cracking force, Olivia stretched hugely and shuffled over towards the fridge to see if there was anything close to edible still in there. “Morning Kath” she mumbled, eyes still full of sleep and mouth not quite working properly yet.
The woman at the counter whirled around in surprise, and Olivia nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw that it was in fact not Seth’s girlfriend Kathy who had almost become a permanent addition to the house, but someone she did not recognize at all. The two women stared at each other for a moment, the stranger looking increasingly nervous and embarrassed as she clutched two mugs wearing nothing but a very large sweatshirt, but finally a hint of memory worked its way into Olivia’s brain through the surprise. “Wait, it’s…Molly?” she asked hesitantly, at last remembering the late-night meet and greet in the hallway that had left the entire house baffled. “Martin’s Molly?”
The woman nodded, looking extremely relieved that Olivia had remembered her without needing any additional prompting. “Yes, that’s right – was it Olivia?” The nod her timid question earned sent a quick smile flashing across her face, but it was quickly replaced by a guilty grimace as she gestured towards the coffee pot that was busily brewing two cups worth of coffee. “Sorry if I woke you, I didn’t mean to. I was just making some coffee and I didn’t know where everything was so I had to dig around a bit…”
Her voice trailed off however as Olivia bolted over to the counter, suddenly very much awake and alert at the promise of the coffee she so desperately needed. Snatching a mug off the counter she poured herself a cup and inhaled deeply, savoring the smell that somehow seemed even richer and more wonderful than usual. “Oh, you’re a saint. Bless you, I don’t think I could go much longer without any coffee.” A long sip later Olivia could feel herself finally beginning to relax, and she sank bonelessly into the nearest kitchen chair with a sigh of deep satisfaction. “Oh lord that’s good, way better than anything we ever make. What are you, a wizard or something?”
Molly was staring absently at the space where the mug had previously occupied on the counter, then shrugged her shoulders slightly and poured herself a cup before moving to clean the pot. “Er, no, I don’t think so. I just measured the coffee and the water and put it all together. How do you make it?”
“Uhh wait, you measure it?” Olivia asked in confusion, completely unaware that such a thing was ever done. Since when did coffee need to be measured? Didn’t the pot just do that for you? But evidently there was more to making coffee than simply throwing a couple spoonfuls of grounds into a filter and pouring some water in while you were half asleep, and Olivia watched in amazement as Molly moved about the kitchen with quiet efficiency despite never having been there before. Soon enough another pot was being brewed, this time a full pot instead of just two cups, and as the smell of fresh coffee began to spread throughout the house sounds of life started echoing through the floorboards and down the stairs.
Olivia groaned slightly and rolled her eyes in mock resignation at the rumbles of multiple footsteps walking about overhead. “Well, so much for the peace and quiet, it sounds like the thundering herd has awoken. It’s only a matter of time before we’re bombarded with sleepy, grumpy boys.” Molly giggled slightly into her coffee, joining in on the collective eye roll as a resounding crash came from one of the rooms upstairs. Even though she had only known Molly for all of about half an hour, Olivia could tell already that she was already warming up to this woman and might very well even like her. Looking over the top of her mug with a sly smile, she asked innocently “Oh, speaking of boys…how is yours doing?”
A slight flush spread over Molly’s cheeks as she looked hastily down at her coffee with a small smile, trying her best to look nonchalant and failing miserably. Standing there with bed-mussed hair, wearing only a worn old sweatshirt and grinning like the happiest cat who had ever gotten into the cream, she was the very picture of blissfully shagged out contentment. And Olivia had a sneaking suspicion that somewhere up in that dismal attic of his, Martin looked very much the same. “He’s…well, he’s, I suppose Martin’s good” she mumbled quietly, her smile only growing wider when she said his name. “A bit tired.”
Olivia snorted, and Molly’s blush only deepened even as she flashed a surprisingly wicked grin that vanished just as quickly as it appeared. Well now, who would have guessed? “Yeah, I’ll bet he is” she teased, earning another giggle. “You two seem ridiculously happy together. Still in the honeymoon phase?”
“Um, I suppose. It’s been about a month now since we seriously started dating, and it’s – it’s wonderful. He’s wonderful, really, I don’t know if I’ve ever been this happy.”
Slow and unsteady footsteps came echoing down the stairs, plodding heavily in the unmistakable pattern of a person who had not yet gained total consciousness or the full coordinated use of their limbs. The two women turned curiously towards the entry of the kitchen to see who was shuffling towards them, and both had to stifle a laugh when Dennis ambled in with eyes nearly closed and still wearing the same bathrobe from last night – this time thankfully closed. He barely seemed to register their presence as he made a beeline for the coffeepot, pouring himself an enormous cup with eyes still closed. “Alright there mate?” Olivia asked with a laugh, wondering to herself whether Dennis had managed to get more than an hour of sleep around his gaming marathon.
“…merh” was his only answer, and he turned to leave the kitchen again with an enormous yawn and a sleepy scratch in a place that was thankfully still barely covered by his tatty bathrobe.
“You know, I’m not even sure he was fully awake” Molly giggled into her hand when he had shambled away.
After nearly two years of living with Dennis, Olivia was more than used to his morning routine of not fully regaining consciousness until sometime in the late afternoon, but it was still more than amusing to see his antics fully on display for a new member of the house. Because even if Martin and Molly had only been together a month, even if they were still in the “glowing with happiness”, “everything is perfect beyond belief” stage of their relationship, Olivia had a vague but somehow still certain feeling that this thing between them was going to be more than just a brief fling. At least, she hoped it would be. Martin was a nice fellow, even if the house hardly ever saw him between his endless flights to God knows where and even more demanding van trips that kept him away all hours of the day. But just because he was barely home and not the most sociable of people when he was, the pervading sentiment of the younger members of the house was that if anyone deserved to be happy, it was Martin. The poor man seemed to have no friends at all, substituting even more work for the time he could be spending with others and hiding away in his attic no matter how many attempts they each made to persuade him to join in their social events. But no matter the brave face he put on things, insisting that everything was fine thank you, everyone could tell that he was desperately lonely. It broke their hearts to see him that way, especially Olivia who sympathized with him more than he knew, but what could they do about it?
But now, Molly was here. Molly, who was not only beautiful but by all appearances was kind and funny and generous as well. Molly, whose smile practically glowed at the mere mention of Martin’s name and giggled at the thought of him. Molly, who had managed to slide her way into this madhouse in a matter of hours and somehow seemed unfazed by it all as she took each of them in stride and with gracious good humor. Yes, Olivia thought to herself with a happy smile, Molly should stay. Molly needed to stay.
Suddenly remembering the half-asleep comments and jokes that had been thrown around in the hallway last night, Olivia started as she recalled the comment she had made in passing without thinking about how crass it may have sounded. “Hey Molly, uh, that thing I said last night? You know I was kidding, right?”
But thankfully Molly did not seem too worried about it if her gracious smile was anything to go by. “Of course. Honestly, I think I was pretty tipsy last night so I’m just glad I didn’t manage to embarrass myself somehow.”
The footsteps upstairs were getting louder now as the rest of the house roused itself, and the sound of at least two pairs of feet began to approach the kitchen down the stairs. Making a split-second decision, Olivia leaned in and said quickly before they were joined by anyone else, “Listen though. What I said last night, about Martin deserving to be happy…well I did mean that. He’s a good man, and we all want the best for him. He seems crazy about you, and you about him.” She shifted nervously, realizing that this statement was fast getting away from her and straying into territory that was likely best left alone. “I just – all I wanted to say was that I think you’re a lucky girl. To have someone like him.”
Molly smiled, small and warm and genuine. “I know, I really am.”
With a sudden flurry of conversation, Seth and Kathy bustled into the kitchen, waving sleepily at Olivia as she sat at the table and looking over at Molly in mild surprise but still giving her a wave as well. They exclaimed over the coffee in unison, pouring themselves a cup to share and settling into a chair at the table with Kathy snuggled up on Seth’s lap as they passed the mug back and forth between them. It was a trifle nauseating really that anyone should be so cuddly at this time of the morning before they’d even had any coffee, but that was typical for them. They were sweet, if a bit overbearing with their affection, taking every opportunity to spend each moment in the closest physical contact with each other possible. More footsteps were approaching now, and with a quick blush Molly reached over for one of the few remaining mugs to pour herself a cup from the rapidly diminishing pot of coffee. She obviously wanted to depart before many more people arrived, and so with a small wave she hurried out of the soon to be full kitchen with two cups of coffee in hand, brushing past Colin with a tiny grin as he wandered in.
Soon enough the entire household, minus the probably back asleep Dennis of course, was crammed in around the too-small table, everyone clutching a cup of coffee better than they’d had in ages and chatting amiably and sleepily with each other. No one quite knew why they all had woken up at such an absurdly early hour on a weekend, especially considering their late night rendezvous in the hallway, but with such good coffee and a delicious piece of gossip to dissect no one was really complaining.
“So, Molly then” Colin began, not even bothering to segue into the subject with any sort of grace. Then again he never really bothered with tact on any subject, so this was hardly surprising to anyone. “What do we think of her?”
There was a brief moment of thoughtful silence, until Fitz said abruptly “I like her.” Every face turned to look at him in surprise – Fitzwilliam was by far the least talkative of the group, usually reserving his opinions until others had spoken and he was able to contribute to a conversation that had already begun. He shrugged off their raised eyebrows and questioning looks casually, taking a long sip of his coffee before saying “What, she’s nice. She handled us all pretty well last night even when we ambushed her, and she even dealt with Dennis. I’ve been living with the bastard for years, and I still don’t quite have the hang of that.” They all snorted, knowing that the words were both absolutely true and meant with no venom whatsoever – for whatever reason from the moment they had moved in together Dennis and Fitz had been nearly inseparable despite the miles of difference in their personalities. “Besides” he added thoughtfully “she made us all coffee, and it’s bloody fantastic. She’s good in my book.”
There was a moment of silence as they considered his words, followed by an indistinct but still unanimous grumble of assent from the group. The coffee really was very good, and it had been a stroke of kindness none of them had expected for her to make it without even being asked. Molly was more than welcome in Parkside Terrace, for however long she decided to stay. Hopefully, that would be for quite a while yet.
Suddenly, Olivia broke the silence with a loud gasp of dismay. “Oh, fuck!” Every eye now turned to her, startled by her outburst and confused beyond measure as to what could have possibly caused it. Olivia did not answer right away, her face turning bright red as she clapped her hands over her mouth in embarrassment.
“Liv, what is it?” Lizzie finally asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
“She wasn’t making coffee for everyone, not at first.” Confused silence greeted this statement, and with a sigh Olivia elaborated “When I came downstairs, she was making coffee and I grabbed a cup without even thinking about it. Oh God, she was just making coffee for her and Martin and I acted like a total tit and messed it up. She only made coffee for everyone because there wasn’t any more for Martin and she heard everyone getting up…oh Christ, I’m such an ass!”
There was a pause, during which the household considered the generous nature required of a person who would make coffee for total strangers after having her morning plans foiled by an errant college student. The quiet contemplation was broken however by a faint strain of sound coming through the air duct, muffled and indistinct and yet still clearly identifiable as a happy giggle fading into what could only be termed a moan of pleasure. Eyebrows shot up, snickers began, until finally as one every single person sitting jammed into rickety chairs around a tiny table burst out into uproarious laughter.
“Don’t worry Liv, I don’t think you put a damper on anyone’s spirits with your coffee stealing” Kathy tittered, laughing into Seth’s shoulder. “They sound like they’re more than happy with what they’re doing.”
There was another laugh of agreement, and in moments the conversation began to flow once more as it turned to topics other than their beleaguered housemate’s love life. And if their words were a little louder than usual to cover the occasional noise echoing its way though the house’s rather ancient walls and ventilation, well, it was only sporting to give the man some privacy after all.
-
“Oh there you are, I thought you’d gotten lost. What took so long?”
Molly smiled hugely as she nudged the door closed with her bare foot, clutching two mugs of coffee that were still steaming gently into the morning air. She picked her way across the floor of the tiny attic delicately, carefully avoiding the discarded clothes that had yet to be picked up after they had been so carelessly thrown aside in the headlong rush to get them off as fast as possible last night. A jacket lay tangled up with a pair of jeans near the door, and a jumper and polo shirt were strewn across the table with blatant disregard for both the items that lay there and the potential wrinkles that had probably already formed. Such trivial matters could be dealt with later, after more important things like finally getting the first cup of coffee of the day had been dealt with.
And besides, Molly simply could not bring herself to care about anything in the entire world other than the man who was sitting up in the tiny bed that was wedged under the window and smiling at her as though he had just won the lottery. Martin looked more relaxed and happy than Molly had ever seen him, and the glow of warmth that had been burning inside of her ever since she arrived in Fitton exploded into a blaze of happiness and affection at the sight of him. She smiled at him in return around the dizzying joy that came from the look of pure adoration on his face, sitting down carefully on the bed and handing over his mug of coffee.
“Sorry that took forever” she murmured while leaning over to give him a quick kiss on the lips. “I got, um, a little detained in the kitchen.”
Martin continued to smile as he took a careful sip of coffee, obviously still distracted by her sudden kiss, until the grin slid right off his face as he realized what she had said. “Wait” he began slowly, puzzling his way through the many ways her statement could be interpreted. “You didn’t…you didn’t run into anyone in the kitchen, did you? They’re usually not up for hours yet on the weekend.”
It was a struggle to not start giggling at the look of increasing panic on his face, but Molly managed it somehow by biting down forcefully on her tongue and concentrating on her coffee. “Well there wasn’t anyone down there at first, but I think by the time I left almost everyone was there…how many people live here again? Six? Seven?”
“Oh God” Martin breathed, face slowly turning the brilliant crimson that he so despised and that Molly secretly adored. She bit down on another giggle, enjoying this far more than she should.
“Yes well, I think everyone was there, or at least it seemed like it from all the questions they were asking me about you. It’s amazing how curious college students can be about other people’s sex lives…”
“What?!”
The extremely undignified squeak of panic in his voice was enough to break Molly’s resolve, sending her into a fit of giggles that very nearly ended with her on the floor and scalding coffee in places it should never be. It only took a moment of her helpless laughter for Martin to realize that Molly had been joking, and when the look of startled shock had finally left his face he “That wasn’t very nice” he said ruefully.
“No” she giggled, “but it was funny.” He stuck his tongue out at her and she responded in kind, acting very much like a ten year old and loving every second of it. “Besides, I did actually run into some of your housemates downstairs. Don’t worry” she said quickly, cutting off his nervous interjection before he could even begin, “I didn’t tell them anything embarrassing and it all turned out fine. Olivia’s very nice, by the way.”
Martin leaned back against his pillows and after setting down her mug Molly crawled in bed to join him, snuggling into the curve of his arm with a sigh of contentment. “Oh yes, Olivia is very nice. I think she’s one of the sanest people here actually, which does make me feel rather bad for her sometimes. I don’t know how she stands sharing a room with Lizzie sometimes, or how she manages to spend time with Seth and Kathy without killing them.”
Thinking back to the way Seth and Katy had seemed to be absolutely glued at the hip even when they had just awoken, Molly nodded in sympathetic agreement. “Yeah, the happy couple came downstairs while I was in the kitchen too. Are they always like that?”
“You know, I think they are. It’s nauseating.” He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close and breathing in the scent of her hair with a deep and happy sigh. “Ahh, I don’t think I even need coffee when I have a Molly to wake up to in the morning.”
His words only made the glow of joy burn brighter in her chest, but all the same she reached up to smack him lightly on the chest in mock disapproval. “What, you mean I got out of this comfy bed to make you coffee for nothing? I got dressed for you, you ass!”
He grinned, reaching over to tweak her nose gently. “Yes I know, it was all a part of my evil scheme to watch you get up and root around for a sweatshirt of mine to wear. It looks very fetching on you by the way.”
Another smack was delivered to his chest with a laugh, earning another nose tweak from him and before long a full-on wrestling match had broken out with much squeaking and breathless laughter. Blankets flew every which direction, pillows landed on the floor, and soon enough Molly was sitting tall as the laughing victor atop a helplessly laughing Martin. The stillness lasted only a moment, only long enough for Molly to look down at the gorgeous man beneath her who was looking up at her as though she were the most precious and incredible thing in the entire world. She lunged down for a kiss, far more passionate this time, a kiss that lasted until they were both flushed and gasping for air and the coffee that had seemed so important not very long ago was entirely forgotten.
“Well now,” Molly mumbled against his lips, feeling every shift of his body and every delicate trace of his fingers against her skin like fire “what on earth am I going to do with you after you’ve been so very naughty this morning?” She felt his lips curl into a smile, and in the blink of an eye with a strength that was belied by his thin frame he had surged up and flipped her over onto her back. Looming over her he grinned wickedly, sending her heart racing with the promise it held.
“Oh, I’m sure you can think of something. Now, I think you’ve been wearing that sweatshirt of mine for far too long.”
The sweatshirt very quickly joined the rest of the clothing and the mugs of coffee to lie forgotten on the floor. There were much more important things to be worried about now.