Chapter Text
After the fight between Tucker and Hazel. Hazel was out of it and in such unfathomable physical pain. You and all the girls from the fight club, excluding PJ and Josie, were sitting in Hazel’s living room as she healed from the aftermath of the fight. On the counter behind the sofa sat a plethora of gifts and balloons, filled with “feel better” messages. You sat beside her, a pillow on your lap as Hazel rested her head, her gaze distant. You gently carded your fingers through her hair and despite all the pain, Hazel felt a familiar surge of warmth and comfort from your touch.
Everyone in the room was watching one of Hazel’s favorite sitcoms to try and provide some kind of solace in the midst of the tragic circumstances. Hazel’s mother walked over and laid a bag of frozen peas on the side of Hazel’s face to help numb the pain. The air remained tense despite the attempts at a cozy atmosphere. Everyone ate dinner together and finally made their departure once the sun had set, filtering out of the house in staggered fashion. You helped Hazel up to her bedroom and got her comfortable. Sitting on the edge of the bed, you pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head before settling in beside her.
A bottle of painkillers sat on the nightstand, your hand already reaching for it and a leftover cup of water. Shaking two pills into your hand, Hazel sit up.
“Hey. Take these. It’ll help.” You assured her, offering her a sympathetic smile. She looked at you, gaze seeming to stare right through you.
A majority of her foul mood was from the indescribable pain she was enduring, but part of it was from humiliation. The course of events was such social suicide it was unbelievable. A twinge of embarrassment coursed through her as you took care of her like some hopeless puppy. Hazel blinked slowly as her gaze slowly fell to the pills in your hand, taking it and downing it with the glass of water.
You watch her with a compassionate smile, flashing her a “Hey, you look.. okay.” You mentally face palm, biting down on your lower lip to contain a self-inflicted grimace. Definitely not the right thing to say, but like Hazel, lying wasn’t a trained skill in your toolbar.
Hazel attempts to respond with a small smile, but it was more wistful than anything, refusing to meet your eyes. “Thanks.”
A silence falls over you two. Your usual bubbly and talkative lover now dimmed to a hollow shell, and you didn’t know what to do to fix it.
“Maybe I am naive.” Hazel confessed in an uncharacteristically small voice.
Your brows furrow, confused. “Naive?”
“Yeah. I mean, PJ walked all over me without a second thought and to think I was so loyal to her even when she didn’t care about me at all. It’s like no matter what I do, I can’t be..enough.” Hazel’s vulnerability was on full display for you. Never in the time you’d known each other have you seen her so broken in her insecurity.
Your expression falls into a frown, gently sliding your hand into hers. “Hazel. Just because someone like PJ doesn’t see how much you’re worth. Your value? That doesn’t mean that it defines you. You’re bubbly and smart, and.. nerdy.” A quiet chuckle escaping both of you, the mood lightening. A brief pause lands before you speak again, squeezing her hand in reassurance, “You are so much more than how you’ve been treated. You’re more than enough. Especially for me. I mean, come on, you fought like hell out there. That’s extremely attractive if you ask me.” The words hang in the air with an indescribable significance. “Not everyone has the courage that you have.”
Hazel kept her eyes on you during your entire speel, dumbfounded at the sincerity of your words. After a lifetime of feeling out of place and othered, you had managed to sneak into her heart and handle it with such unseen reverence. Even beaten and bruised, you could see her face melt into something softer. “You mean that?”
“Of course I mean it.” You replied, no hesitation.
Hazel gives a small strained smile. “I’m going to be real with you. My face really hurts right now because of how swollen I am, so I think I should maybe sleep.”
You stifle your laugh, letting out a small snort instead. “Right. Right.”
Hazel lays back down into the plush sheets, but her eyes never left you. “But thank you.. For that. And for taking care of me. No one’s ever done that for me before.” A bashful but genuine acknowledgment.
Your lips curve into a small grin and you press a soft kiss to the back of her hand. “I’ll come visit tomorrow. Want me to bring you anything?”
Hazel gives a small shrug of her shoulders, an almost delirious grin of her own appearing. “Yourself.” Immediately after, she narrows her eyes as if she’d said some brilliant pick-up line.
“That’s a guarantee.” You replied with a smirk, grabbing your things. “Good night, Hazel.”
“Night night.” Sleep already pulling at her pain-addled brain.