#TY MISH FOR ALERTING ME TO THIS..

[gaymooshroom-archive]

my first twitter crosspost and they called me a redditor .

[wildefiction]

Of Course...Mr. Collins

TWELVE

With a soft click, the door shut behind Misha, and, as he walked towards the elevator the quiet swish of his shoes over the carpet accompanied him. Pulling his phone from the pocket of the loose denim jeans he wore, he scrolled through his contacts, skimming over Vicki’s phone number as he rose the device to his ear. Knowing the elevator would likely interrupt his conversation, he elected to take the stairs. 

The resounding echo of the heavy iron door sounded behind him just as she answered the phone. 

“Hey babe, just wanted to check-in. We’re all settled into our rooms and I’m on my way to check in with Creation.” “How are the kiddos?” Smiling at the sound of his wife’s voice, Misha began the long descent towards the bottom floor.

“So, I actually wanted to talk to you ab–” “Yeah..ha. You know me so well love.”

Vicki had been expecting the conversation since the first night she’d met [Y/F/N]. Frankly she was surprised it hadn’t come up sooner. 

“Just remember the rules Mish. And if at any point it gets more serious for you than a casual relationship, we can talk through that too. I’m interested in [Y/F/N] as well ya know?” “Anyways, I’ve gotta get going - the kids need lunch and West has decided he’s not interested in wearing clothes all of a sudden. Like father, like son…” Her soft laughter echoed through the speaker as she said good-bye to her husband.

Sliding the phone back into his pocket, Misha mused over the rules of their agreement. There were three. 1. Be safe. 2. No un-discussed commitment and 3. Family comes first. There had only been one time in the last ten years that he had felt strongly enough towards a girlfriend to bring up the second conversation. Occasionally, his heart still twinged when he thought of her - but ending the relationship had been for the best when she had tried to take Vicki’s place.

Shaking his head to clear the fog that threatened to dampen his mood, he slid dark glasses over his eyes as he stepped from the stairwell out into the sun.

Back upstairs, you stood beneath the waterfall shower heads with your eyes closed, the steam rolling through the room releasing the tension from your aching muscles. Although the flight had only been six hours, combined with the early wake up call and lack of proper sleep, you were starting to feel the exhaustion.

Twenty minutes later, as you stood blow-drying the last of your hair, you heard Misha knocking on your adjoining door. 

“One sec!” you shouted, turning off the blow dryer so you could run to find a pair of shorts before opening the door.

“Hey [Y/F/N], ready for lunch? The low rumbling in your stomach chose that moment to speak up and answer for you. 

“I’ll take that as confirmation!” “Why don’t we order in and eat out on the balcony?” 

“Sounds good to me,” you mentioned as you padded over to the large windows, drawing the thick curtains to one side before stepping through them. 

The warmth immediately seeped through your skin, as the sun shone down on the table from above you. 

“So, [Y/F/N] have you had time to think about the conversation we started earlier?” Your cheeks flushed as you nodded. Normally you weren’t this shy, but there was something about Misha that made you unsure of yourself. 

“Actually, yes.” Sitting back in one of the wooden chairs clustered around the table, you committed to the idea of asking all the questions you had, regardless of how embarrassing or private they might seem. 

“First though, I have one request. Just..just tell me if I ask or talk about something that crosses some line. Okay?” 

“I’m an open book [Y/F/N]. Clear and concise communication is important in relationships like ours after all.”

“And just what does this ‘relationship’ of ours entail Mr. Collins?” Raising one eyebrow in a self-satisfied smirk, the curling of your lip spoke volumes, while out loud, you’d said only a simple sentence. 

As much as you thought your challenging expression was good - Misha’s own left eyebrow raised a few inches, instantly making you shudder as his normally bright eyes began to darken. 

“We’ve already covered this [Y/F/N], do you really want to test me? Sitting forward, the low chuckle that rumbled up from his chest sent bolts of lightning through your body and breathing became difficult as you slipped once again into your own imagination.

“No you don’t, missy.” Reaching forward, Misha wrapped his fingers around your own, pulling you from the daydream before it even began. A loud rapping on the door alerted the two of you to the room service that waited just outside. 

“Why don’t you go get our lunch Ms. [Y/L/N]?” Nodding silently, you rose from the chair across from your boss, disappearing behind the curtain as you moved towards the door.

Stopping to grab your wallet from the bag wrapped up on the couch, you pulled the door open while staring down into its contents. How much were you supposed to tip room service? 

“Oh..m’sorry I uh..mus’ve the wrong room.” Your hands stilled as the familiar voice curled around in your mind. Raising wide eyes to the man standing in the doorway, the wallet dropped from your hands as you tried your best to not stare.

“Fuucck m-me..” the whisper fell from your lips before you could stop it. 

Obviously he heard, as one corner of his face pulled up into a slight smile. Blinking, you stooped to retrieve your fallen wallet, but he grabbed it first. As his hands tucked the contents back into the leather, he smirked “nice wallet.”

“Reedus! How you been buddy?” Thrusting an arm out from behind you, Misha shook the man’s hand as his other arm curled around your waist. Eyes widening, you looked down at the fingers digging into your skin and back up at Misha, who was still talking with Norman and hadn’t looked at you. 

“Norman, this is my new assistant [Y/F/N], [Y/F/N] this i-” 

“Is..Norman Fucking Reedus…” While you worked to get your expression under control, the man standing outside the door reached forward to shake your hand.

“Nice to meet you [Y/F/N].” Turning his attention back to Misha he explained that he’d been looking for Jeff, but must’ve gone to the wrong building. 

“Nah man, it was good to see you - we should catch up sometime this weekend.”

As the two men said their goodbyes, you backed out of Misha’s embrace and retreated back onto the balcony - the sun warming your skin again as you waited for Misha to return.

Lunch was quiet, thoughts of Norman and of Misha’s unexpected grip on your waist invaded your mind while you talked with your boss. Of course they were friends, did you really expect anything else? With JDM having been on both Supernatural and The Walking Dead, it had made sense that the circles of friends would’ve mixed at some point right? 

“So boss, is there anyone you don’t know?” You chided the man across from you as you finished the grilled salmon on your plate. 

“You’d be surprised [Y/F/N], series actors usually run in the same circles, it’s a smaller community than you might think.”

Satisfied with your lunch, you were surprised at how quickly fatigue set in again. For some reason, you couldn’t shake the exhaustion. 

Showering…eating..nothing had worked. Stifling another yawn, you excused yourself from the table. 

“Hey Mish, if it’s cool, I’m gonna take a nap. Try to get caught up on sleep so I can actually function this weekend?”

“I could actually use a nap myself.” Rising from his chair, he reached out for your hand and pulled you into the darkened space of his room. Lowering himself to the large bed, he pulled you forward until you fell with a soft grunt beside him. Curling an arm around your waist, he drew you tightly in against his chest, your heart pounding at the contact. You still didn’t know what type of relationship this was supposed to be with Misha, but right now you just didn’t care, eyes drifting shut with the warmth of the man next to you as you cuddled into his body.

Several hours later, you groaned as you rolled over, eyes blinking open as you woke in the darkness. The bed next to you was empty and you sat up, looking around at the rumpled blankets and your wrinkled clothes. 

Yawning, you reached over to the small wooden table next to the bed, flicking the screen on your phone and noting it was almost nine o’clock. So..midnight back home. Of course you’d be wide awake at midnight right? Ambling over to the balcony door, you slid the heavy glass open, and were pleasantly surprised as warm tropical currents danced through the curtains. 

“Seventy degrees at midnight? Fuck this, I’m going to the beach!” Grinning to yourself, you skipped into the adjacent room and began rifling through your luggage to find one of your swim suits.

Since it was dark outside and you had no intention of getting in the water, you opted for the new green one given to you by your sister, not bothering to close your door since Misha was apparently nowhere to be found. After tying yourself into the contraption, you slid dark jean shorts over the bottoms and grabbed a towel from the bathroom before tying your long [Y/H/C]hair into a messy bun atop your head.

The halls were quiet as you walked barefoot to the elevator. The glass walls filled with moonlight as you descended from your tower like some proverbial princess. Once on the ground, you skirted around the hotel pools, filled with families and drinking coeds, instead choosing to walk out to the relatively empty sand lining the beach; rolling waves crashing over each other a few yards away before sluicing across your toes as you stood at the edge of the water.

Stepping from the shorts you’d worn through the hotel, you set them further away from where you stood before folding your legs under you and lying back on the sand.

Norman had looked up from his conversation around the pool just in time to see you walk out of the hotel, eyes briefly lifting to the crowds of people before changing course and moving through a stand of trees flanking one side of the tower. Excusing himself from the people around him, he grabbed his drink and trailed after you. Stopping in his tracks when you slid the shorts from your hips, he sucked in a breath at the sight of the dark green swim bottoms hugging your tight ass. He very nearly turned back the other way, but decided at the last moment to go say hello again, his own bare feet quiet as he moved across the beach.

“Hey..it’s [Y/F/N]…right?” The deep voice made you turn to look over your shoulder at the person approaching you. 

“Uh..yeah. Hello again Mr. Reedus.” Smiling up at the man as he stood next to you, the thought briefly crossed your mind that you were half naked on a beach in Hawaii talking to one of your celebrity crushes. 

Perhaps it was the shroud of darkness or maybe it was how he’d found you, but you weren’t nervous like you had been earlier. 

“Min’ if I join ya? ‘S gettin’ a bit crow’de by the pool.” Looking up and down the beach, there still weren’t many people around, and the sand stretched for miles. Clearly he wanted to be near you. 

“Sure.” A soft smile lingered over your mouth as he lowered himself to the ground next to you.

“So, how d’ya like workin’ for Misha s’far?” 

“Well, I mean, I’m on the beach in Hawaii, so I can’t really complain right?” Smirking as you raised your arms out in front of you for emphasis, he chuckled. 

“Though truth be told, I haven’t really done much work actual work yet. Kind’ve expected to be running around and being at his beck n’ call. Guess it’s only day one though right?” 

A quiet sound of understanding was his acknowledgement of your answer. 

“This yer firs’ time on the islands?” 

“Yeah, it’s amazing. And to think, two weeks ago I was upset about losing my last job.” 

“Who’dya work fer before?” Norman was unconsciously playing with a pile of sand, stacking the wet grains into random shapes between his outstretched legs.

You and Norman spoke for a few hours, hidden away by yourselves on that little stretch of beach. He seemed content to have someone to talk to and you realized, like Misha, that he was just a normal person. You learned he was in Hawaii filming his newest television series while on hiatus from The Walking Dead. 

“Well, you should take me for a ride sometime, Mr. Reedus. I haven’t been on a bike in years.” You’d said the sentence without giving it much thought and Norman considered you for a moment before agreeing, a shy smile ghosting over his features.

Pulling his phone from his pocket, he held it out to you, encouraging you to put your number into his contacts list. After sending you a text with his number, he turned off the screen and rose to his feet, reaching a hand down to help you up. 

“So uh..’re ya with Misha then?” The question came suddenly and when you turned to look at him, he was staring off at the foaming waves as they crashed over each other. 

“What do you mean?” Cocking your head to the side, you wondered why he was asking. The look on his face was answer enough - his meaning was clear. 

“Oh! Uh…no? I mean, he’s married - ya know?” Your voice was quiet as you looked back at him, confusion evident on your face. 

“Why would you think that?” 

“ ‘S nuthin’. Jes was wonderin’.” “C’n I walk ya back?” 

Turning, you began to walk with the man next to you, wondering what it was that he had been talking about just now. When you got to the elevator and stepped inside, you realized his room was a few floors down from yours as you both reached forward to press the relevant buttons on the display. As the elevator ascended towards the top floor, Norman turned to you and opened his arms. 

“C’n I get a hug gu-nih sweetheart?” 

“Uhm, yeah, of course! Who would say no to that?!” “Savin’ myself a nice chunk of cash, gettin’ hugs for free!” Laughing you stepped forward and he folded you into his arms, crushing you against his chest. His subtle cologne mixed with the heat of his body was heady and you inhaled deeply before stepping back from his embrace. 

“This ‘s me.” He rumbled as the car eased to a stop, the entry smoothly opening. As he stepped out, he turned back and smiled before waving as the doors closed with a quiet hush.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

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