stepping stones: a deleted scene from next time i fall (895 wc)
for @strngerpairs valentines event: greatmage (gareth x eleven)
“Look, Bear.” El handed Gareth a smooth stone she’d just picked up by the edge of the lake. “This one is so pretty.”
“Yeah, it is.” He traced one finger along the small vein of purple threaded through the gray rock, then hefted it experimentally to feel its weight. “Would make a perfect skipping stone.”
She immediately caught his hand in hers. “No, please do not throw it! I want to keep it for my collection.” The moment the words were out, though, she regretted them. Was it weird to collect pretty rocks? Would he laugh? Their relationship was still fairly new, and Gareth seemed to adore every new facet of her personality he discovered, but that couldn’t possibly last, could it?
El was still trying to determine where his line was. The irrevocable line everyone drew between cute and weirdo. The line she was bound to stumble over one day soon, completely by accident; never sure just what it was she’d said or done to cross it, only knowing with a terrible certainty, as others’ smiles went from friendly to pitying or patronizing, that she had.
But Gareth didn’t laugh. “You have a rock collection?” he asked, handing back the stone. “That’s so cool. What are your favorite types?”
She shrugged, not meeting his eyes. “I do not know what they are. I just keep the ones I think are pretty.” Stuffing the stone into her pocket, she braced herself for whatever comments might be coming her way.
When he didn’t say anything, though, she finally dared to glance up. He wasn’t giving her the look she’d been dreading— wasn’t even looking at her at all. He’d crouched down at the water’s edge and was closely examining the rocks there. Plucking one from the water, he rubbed it dry on his jeans and held it out to her with a grin.
“Look at that one. It’s kinda sparkly.” His eyes were sparkly, too, shining up at her, and El’s heart did a funny little flip in her chest. “You want it?”
“Yes, please.” She returned his grin with a beaming smile of her own. “It is very pretty. You do not think it is weird, to keep pretty rocks?”
He shrugged. “Nope. Lots of people collect stuff they think is cool.” He picked up another rock, inspected it, then made a face and dropped it back where it had been. “I love that little things like pretty rocks make you happy.”
“You— you do?” El felt her eyes filling with tears. He did that all the time now, just casually mentioned something he loved about her, and it thrilled her every time. He was so generous, so free with his affection; not at all like Mike, who could barely bring himself to utter the word ‘love’ to her. Gareth not only said I love you easily, but he could make her feel it too, with nothing more than a smile or a touch of his hand. She doubted herself often, but he left no room for second-guessing the way he felt about her.
His cheeks flushed pink. “I thought it was obvious that I love pretty much everything about you. Even the stuff you think is weird.” He got to his feet and took both her hands in his, sparkly rock and all. “If you’re waiting for me to change my mind about you,” he added softly, “it’s not gonna happen, Janie.”
She gave him what, to herself, she called an Eddie-look; head tilted down, eyebrows raised in disbelief. “‘Pretty much’ everything?” she echoed, and he burst out in a loud delightful laugh, just exactly as she’d hoped he would. She loved to make him laugh, loved knowing he wanted to laugh with her and not at her. “What do you not love?”
He grinned mischievously. “I don’t love how you always steal all the purple Skittles.”
Now it was her turn to crack up laughing. “But they are the best ones!”
“I know! And you never leave me any!” He swept her up in his arms, lifting her feet completely off the ground as he spun her in circles, both of them giggling like crazy. “Just once, you could eat all the green ones—”
“I do not like the green ones.”
“What about orange, then? Hmm? Nooo, you’re single-minded in your grape thievery.” It was such a silly conversation— Max would’ve called them ‘dorks’ for sure if she’d heard it— but they were laughing so hard they could barely breathe, and El could literally feel his happiness, bright and unequivocal. Just like her own. She let her forehead drop to his shoulder as she came down, breathing him in, vital as the sunshine.
He touched her chin, gently lifting her face to his. “But, other than your complete disregard for candy sharing etiquette”— she couldn’t help it, another little giggle escaped her— “other than that, baby, I really do love everything about you.” His knuckles softly brushed her cheek. “You know that, don’t you?”
“Even the weird stuff?” She leaned into his hand, savored the comforting touch. “I know I am a weirdo.”
“You’re my weirdo. Yes, even the weird stuff. Everything, Janie.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.”
A promise like that ought to be sealed with a kiss, she thought, tilting her face up to his; he was only too happy to oblige.
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