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Nicole was just about to climb into the shower when she heard the front door of her apartment slam. Alarmed, she ripped a towel from the rack, hugging it to her chest, before she heard the angry voice of Waverly Earp echoing from down the hallway, "Nicole Haught! You better be awake enough for me to yell at!"
Nicole grimaced, shrinking against the bathroom vanity, when she heard the petite brunette's footpath pause outside the bathroom door.
"Nicole! A shower? Really?" She called.
"Wave?"
Suddenly, the door burst open. Waverly entered, crossing her arms and cocking her hip to the side.
"So, Wynonna made it home," she began, "said you and her had quite the time at Shorty's."
Nicole fidgeted, clutching the towel closer to her chest, "We might've had a coupla drinks," she supplied, trying to smile.
"You're drunk." It wasn't a question and Waverly's eyes were fierce, unwavering as they bored into Nicole's.
"I am, a little bit," Nicole grinned, shrugging.
"You think it's funny?"
"I—uh, I think, well, Waverly, what is this, babe?" Nicole chuckled. The shower, streaming hot water behind her, began to fog the mirror.
"Oh, well, aren't you just so smug, Officer."
Nicole stared, unsure where this was going.
"Look at you, you can barely stand, and you're going to get into the shower?"
"Wave--"
"You could slip and fall, break your goddamn neck," Waverly was mumbling, tugging off her clothes one layer at a time.
"Wave?" Nicole's eyes widened and she swallowed hard, gulping like a cartoon character.
"Crazy woman survives revenants and getting shot by my frickin' sister, but dies, drunk and alone, in the shower," Waverly is still ranting. "Well, come on then, Officer Haught," she sneers, one hand on her bare hip as the other pulls the shower curtain aside for Nicole.
Nicole, unsure of just how precarious the situation is, does as she's told and steps into the hot spray, followed closely by Waverly, who is skillfully whipping her hair into a tight bun atop her head.
"Are ya just gonna stand there or can you not even clean yourself?"
"I—uh," Nicole babbled, uncomfortable in Waverly's piercing stare. The smaller woman, for her part, was just standing there, arms crossed, slight frown, wrinkled brow, hip cocked. Just staring. At Nicole. Expectantly.
Nicole was torn. She wasn't exactly sure how angry Waverly was, or why, really. At the same time, they hadn't—as yet—showered together, for crissakes! Sex, yes. Warm, wonderful sex through hushed moans and whispers in the Earp barn of all places. But, now, here Waverly was. In the shower with her. She couldn't help but stand there, dumbly, letting the water cascade down her back as she eyeballed her girlfriend.
Girlfriend. Right?
Nicole, unaware that she'd spoken the words out loud, jumped slightly when Waverly responded, hiking one eyebrow up and tilting her head.
"Not for long if you don't get to scrubbin'!"
"I—I, yeah, of course," Nicole stammered, reaching for the bar of soap. Clumsy with nerves, she felt the bar slip from her grasp to the floor and begin sliding around between her feet. Both women bent to grab the escaping soap at the same time, cracking their heads together painfully.
"Ahh, oh, shit, that hurt!"
"Goddamnit, Nicole!"
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"
"Just, I dunno, wash your hair or something, I'll get the soap!"
"Sure. Right," Nicole sputtered, grabbing the bottle of shampoo and trying to ignore the fact that Waverly was kneeling down in front of her—buck naked—reaching for the soap with one hand while the other curled around Nicole's calf, steadying herself.
Nicole sucked her lower lip between her teeth, attempting to focus on working up a good lather against her scalp.
"I'm thinking about going back to brown," Nicole said, absentmindedly, indicating her soaped-up locks.
"You wouldn't dare," Waverly hissed, spinning Nicole around by her shoulders and forcing her face into the spray. She sputtered, slamming her eyes shut as the soapy water ran down her brow.
"Wave!" She spit, rubbing at her face with her hands. "You can't just.." She trailed off when she felt Waverly, sudsy loofah in hand, scrubbing the skin of her shoulders and back. She let her head fall forward against the tiles and moaned, "Jesus, Waverly."
"Be quiet and lift your arms," Waverly spoke, moving to scrub Nicole's underarms.
"Waverly, stop," Nicole breathed, turning around to face her. "I've got it from here. Really," she supplied, holding out her hand. Waverly shrugged and consented, handing Nicole the loofah, her eyes drifting down to the taller woman's soapy breasts before rapidly returning to meet her gaze.
"Suit yourself," the brunette said, her voice beginning to falter as she looked up into Nicole's eyes.
Nicole was starting to feel her confidence return, noting that subtle shift behind Waverly's stare. The dilation of her pupils, the change in her breathing. Smiling, she turned away and continued where her girlfriend had left off, making sure to stretch and flex her muscles as she went.
"Don't think I don't see what you're doing there, Nicole."
"Hmm, I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't think you were noticing," the redhead grinned.
"Sobering up, are you?"
"Waverly, I wasn't really that drunk to begin with."
"But, Wynonna said—well, she said you matched her drink-for-drink all night, she was just so 'proud, couldn't believe ole Officer Dimples could keep up with an Earp' and on and on before, well, before she passed out with one boot still on."
"Waverly," Nicole breathed. She stepped closer to the smaller woman, placing a hand on the wall behind her, "I had a few drinks," she said, leaning in and cupping her jaw, "and Wynonna wanted a few more drinks and Wynonna does whatever Wynonna wants to do. I had the bartender switch out my shots with apple juice after the third round or so."
Waverly stared up at her, mouth opening and closing, unsure of what to say.
"I was definitely a little buzzed," Nicole smiled, bending forward to kiss Waverly's neck, "but I'm feeling much more like myself, now."
"Nic."
"Hmm?" Nicole responded, running her fingertips across the taut expanse of Waverly's stomach.
"I'm—I was just worried. I wasn't sure if you'd driven yourself home or what and you weren't answering my texts and I wasn't sure if you'd driven into a ditch somewhere," she rambled, "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Nicole smiled, running her thumb over Waverly's chin and lower lip, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to her mouth. "You're cute when you're all worked up."
"Worked up?"
"Mm."
"I was not 'worked up', Nicole, I was worried about you and rightly so!" Waverly was already stepping out of the shower, grabbing a towel and storming off into the hallway before Nicole could even register what had happened. She stumbled out of the shower, shutting off the knob as she went, and reached for a towel that wasn't there. She'd already begun to soak the bathroom rug before she finally grabbed a hand towel from the sink and patted her skin, taking long, hurried strides after her girlfriend.
"Wave! Wave, where'd you go?" She looked down at the damp footprints impressed into the carpet, leading toward her open bedroom where the soft glow of her bedside lamp spilled into the hallway.
Waverly sat, knees tucked beneath while cradling her forehead in her palm, curled up on Nicole's bed. Nicole, unsure if maybe the poor girl was still in pain from their collision earlier, hurried toward her, placing her hands on either side of Waverly's skull, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
"Babe, Wave," she began, kneeling down before the bed, "I'm sorry."
"No, no, I'm being a complete freak."
"A freak? Waverly, that's nonsense," she soothed, "listen, this is all my bad, okay? I know you worry. I know you. I know what you've been through and I should've known to call you, let you know I was okay."
"Yeah, well, I also shouldn't be so darn mad just because you went and had some drinks with my sister. I feel like one of those overbearing wives that drive their spouses nuts!"
"Mmm," Nicole smiled, wiping a tear from Waverly's cheek, "wife, huh?"
"What?" Waverly sniffled.
"Nothin'," Nicole rushed, "nothin' I just, I wouldn't care at all what kind of wife you were, as long as you were my wife."
Waverly met her eyes slowly, a small smile curving the corner of her mouth upward.
"I mean, if I should ever be so lucky, that is," Nicole finished, looking down at the floor, at the drops of water falling from her hair.
"Shit buckets, Nicole, you're soaking wet!" Waverly exclaimed, pulling the towel from around her and tossing over Nicole's head, ruffling it aggressively, as if Nicole was an unruly puppy.
"Wave! Hey!"
"There," the brunette announced, tugging the towel away from Nicole's head and tossing it around her shoulders instead. She just knelt there, a blank expression on her face and her red hair sticking out in every direction. Waverly couldn't help but giggle at the sight of the usually so composed officer now so disheveled. "Come here," she grinned, patting the bed beside her as she scooted up toward the pillows. Nicole complied, crawling up the bed and flopping down onto her side, facing her smiling girlfriend.
"I love you," Nicole whispered, pulling Waverly closer with a gentle hand on her waist.
"I know," Waverly's smile faltered, "I love you, too. Obviously," she finished, the grin returning to her face.
They lay there quietly for several minutes, openly adoring each other.
Naked.
Content.
Nicole's fingers were tracing circles against Waverly's skin.
"I like your room," Waverly said, her eyes drifting to the bookshelf in the corner, the oak dresser with a collection of older-looking glass bottles she assumed Nicole had discovered, a couple of framed art prints on the wall displaying black-and-white scenic vistas. It felt surreal that she hadn't been in Nicole's room before but, instead of feeling awkward, it felt homey and right and so very Nicole that all she felt was comfortable. She snuggled in closer, loving the feel of her girlfriend's arms gripping her tightly.
"Thanks for coming to rescue me," Nicole whispered, closing her eyes and sighing.
"Yeah, even though you didn't really need rescuing."
"Hey, if your idea of rescuing me involves tearing off your clothes and joining me in the shower, you know, I'm always game. Consider me a damsel in distress."
"You're incorrigible."
"But you love me anyway."
"I love you all the ways."
"Oh yeah?" Nicole smirked, peeking one eye open. "Wanna show me?"
"I thought you'd never ask."