Balancing Acts (sequel to You're My Little Secret), chapter 6
Back at the house Ava took Tre's advice and murderously ignored Billie Joe.
Adrienne sat rigidly at the table as she saw Tre and Ava walking up the porch steps, Tre's arm flung around her sister. Ava still didn't necessarily look happy but she was grinning up at him and Adrienne knew that if anyone could alleviate the stress of the situation, it was Tre. Adrienne tilted her head a little, wondering suddenly why she didn't give Tre enough credit. No one got Ava like he did; maybe she really needed to start putting a little more faith in him.
Adrienne hadn't had a chance to tell Billie about what had happened last night but he sensed something was up as Ava and Tre plunked back down at the table for breakfast, neither able to look at him. Ava's parents didn't even blink an eye at the sudden turn around, always joking that both of their daughters and the group of people who were so intricately woven in their lives could write a soap opera for a living.
Tre had wrapped his hand around Ava's as soon as they sat down at the table. He could feel her erratic breathing, the way her body was tense, and he only hoped that Billie had enough sense not to address her. Tre had caught Billie's eye once and felt incredibly guilty for the way he was looking around in confusion. He would pull him aside later and let him know what was going on, he owed him that much.
After breakfast Billie and Adrienne were swept out into the yard with the kids, Harold and Lois, as Tre and Ava volunteered to do the dishes. Tre was washing and Ava was absentmindedly drying, hardly glancing at all at the objects in her hands. Her train of thought was broken when she felt water hit the side of her face. She glanced over in surprise, Tre's face falling to laughter.
"Welcome back from space," He jokes, splashing more water at her as she squirms and turns away.
"Stop! That's dirty water," She complains, trying to twist away again when he wraps his arms around her waist and picks her up off the ground. With her back pressed against stomach he indicates suddenly that he's going to put her in the sink as she screeches and tries to fight him. He had only managed to get her feet in the water when Billie Joe appeared in the doorway, grinning at the two.
"Can Tre give me a bath in the sink next?" He jokes, noticing the way Ava goes completely rigid in Tre's grasp as he sets her down.
Tre turns to look at Billie, nodding awkwardly. "Sure... strip down, lemme see that pretty lily-white butt of yours."
Ava makes a noise somewhere between an exasperated sigh and a disgusted snort before turning and marching from the kitchen, throwing a heated look over her shoulder as she goes.
Tre stands awkwardly for a moment watching her go before shrugging sheepishly at the lead singer. "She, uh... "
Billie frowns a little. "What?" He asks when Tre can't quite finish his thought. "What the hell did I do this time?"
Tre sighs, stepping towards Billie. "She knows about you cheating on Adrienne," Tre finally mumbles, keeping his voice low in case one of the kids or Ava's parents walked in.
Billie's face paled a little, a darkness creeping behind his eyes. "How does she know?"
"She said that her and Adrienne got drunk last night and Adrienne accidentally let it slip... "
Billie didn't know why it mattered to him whether Ava liked him or not, it just did. They had never really gotten along since Ava moved out to California, most of the blame in their give and take relationship falling on him for not being a good enough Dad or not being home enough, but this, well, he wasn't going to be able to come back from this. And he knew it. He was dead in the water so to speak, and if had been up to him, he never would have given Ava this kind of ammo against him, or given her a chance to prove her theories about him right. And he especially didn't want to drudge up an issue that had been haunting him for the past two years, one he'd had to relive over and over again.
Tre sighs, seeing the confliction on his friend's face. "Look, you just need to give her time to cool down. You know, steer clear of her for a while... months if need be."
Billie glances up, frowning at his advice. "How come she isn't mad at you?"
Tre takes a step closer. "She is mad at me, but I'm pretty sure that anger is shadowed over by her untapped reserve of rage for you."
Adrienne chose that moment to wander into the kitchen, frowning when she sees the look on Billie's face. "You tell him?" Adrienne asks, noting the tension in the room and the way Tre looks like he's been coaching Billie about something.
Tre nods. "But I'm more than happy to let you finish up here," He insists. "I'll go find Ava."
With that, he leaves the room and hurries up the stairs, leaving the two in silence. Billie turns to Adrienne when he's gone, frowning. "You told her?"
"I was drunk, it just sort of came out," Adrienne mumbles feebly. To be honest, she was beginning not to care about what might happen now that Ava had been set into motion; she was tired of feeling guilty for not being honest with her sister. "She would have found out sooner or later Bill, it had been kept from her for too long anyway."
"What else did you tell her?" He asks, unable to keep his eyes from darting to the floor.
Adrienne leans against the counter, crossing her arms over her chest. "I didn't tell her anything... I spoke in past tense, not present."
He frowns deeper, head bowed as he stares at the floor. "So she doesn't know we're thinking about separating again?" He grumbles low in his throat, the words still a little hard to say.
Shaking her head, Adrienne wills herself not to tear up. "No, I haven't told anyone. But she knows Bill, she doesn't even have to say anything but I know she does. She's aware that we haven't been happy for a long time."
Billie bites his lip. God, this was so hard. "I haven't told Tre or Mike, I didn't want to have to put either of them in the position to lie."
"It's all going to come out sooner or later," She regretfully whispers as she hears the screen door being flung open, the two reasons why she even gets up in the morning hurrying to stand in front of her.
"Grandpa said he's taking us to a carnival tonight, isn't that cool?" Jake mumbles, looking up at her with big, trusting eyes. And this, this right here was the only reason she was willing to try and work things out with Billie. She would do absolutely anything in the world to protect her children from being hurt. That seemed to be the only thing she and Billie could seem to agree on lately, the interest of their children.
"That is cool," She agrees, swallowing her emotion for the sake of a smile. "Do you think I could go too?" She asks playfully, Jake nodding as Joey leans against his Dad's legs, almost knocking him over. He had gotten so big lately, she notes, watching as Billie playfully wraps an arm around his son's neck.
"And Dad! I want Dad to take me on the tilt-a-whirl!" Jake requests, almost bouncing in place as the idea comes into his head.
Billie smiles at his son, nodding. "I'll go on it, but I'll probably puke on you though."
"Nah, Dad won't go on that with you, he wouldn't want to mess up his hair!" Joey teases, making Billie laugh as the two wrestle for a moment.
Adrienne grins, running her fingers through Jake's soft hair. She remembered how hard it was for the kids when Billie had moved out a couple years ago, renting his own apartment just so they could have some time apart to breathe. She remembered Jake crying as Billie loaded the last box into his car, trying to comfort his child as he knelt down and pulled him into a hug. "This is just like when I leave to go play my music... " He kept insisting but Jake continued to cry well after Billie had finally left. Likewise, Joey had locked himself in his room for days, not bothering to speak when he did come out. She couldn't help but to feel responsible, after all, she was their catchall, the one who would be absorbing all their mixed emotions if Billie did move out again. She wasn't sure she was strong enough, but she had to be, she had to protect her children from the mess she and Billie had made.
"Let's go back outside, huh?" Adrienne finally says, willing away her destructive thoughts. She had to concentrate on what was happening from moment to moment otherwise she would go crazy wondering what was going to happen.
"Okay! Race ya!" Jake yells to his brother, both taking off at a dead run through the kitchen and almost skidding out the door.
"Careful!" Adrienne yells, turning to walk after them. She gives Billie Joe one last final look before grabbing her sunglasses and heading back outside.
Billie watches his family leave, his chest pulling. He could remember the last time he felt like this, the last time his walls were coming down around him. It was two years ago when he and Adie had been having so many problems. He could remember feeling like hell every day because the only time he had peace was when he was in the studio, which only seemed to piss his wife off more. But it was at the studio that he could write about it, and it was there that he could stay out of Adrienne's way. It seemed like a simple solution to him, but then again he'd never been very good at figuring out the logistics of things. And here they were again, both trying to figure out a way to coexist, trying to figure out how to communicate. Both unwilling to admit that maybe it was time to let what was once good in their lives finally die.
"Just something else I can add to my list of failures... " Billie mumbles out loud as he jams his hands in his pockets and scuffles back out into the front yard with his family.
Upstairs, Ava was strewn across her bed, silently fuming at Billie being in her house, in her comfort zone. She heard a thundering up the stairs a few minutes later, shutting her eyes when Tre plummeted through her door and quickly closed it again. He toppled down on top of her, humidity and high temperatures aside.
"I know what cheers you up when you're blue... " He half whispers, half sings into her ear as his hand creeps up her back.
"I'm too angry to have sex with you right now," She grumbles in response, feeling him grin against her skin. "And besides, that's what always cheers you up."
"But angry sex is the best kind," He argues. "That's when there's a real throw-down."
Turning to look over her shoulder at him, she frowns. "Did you tell him I know?"
Tre nods earnestly. "Yes, I told him you know that he has the Footloose soundtrack in his car. He's beyond mortified."
"You jacka—" Ava's fist lands softly against Tre's stomach as his lips quickly press against hers.
She can feel him smiling as they struggle for a moment, Ava moving to straddle him as he peels her tank top off in one swift motion. She sighs, tipping her head back as she feels his hands sliding down her sticky skin. She rocks on top of him for a moment, wrapping her arms around his neck when he suddenly sits up, his shirt flying to the far corner of the room. His fingers begin to work at the ponytail holder fastened at the back of her head. Pulling at the long hair now cascading down her bare back, he tips her head up, nipping at the pulse point in her neck. She groans, eyes closing at the feel of his tongue swirling against her skin.
"Your Distraction Sequence begins in 4, 3, 2, 1... " He mumbles hotly against her earlobe, hands already working to get her shorts off as she roughly pushes him back down against the mattress. He almost yelps when she forcefully unbuckles his belt, ripping it from his belt loops in one flick of her wrist. She giggles a little at his wide-eyed expression, gripping his forearms as her world is turned upside down suddenly, Tre landing on top of her.
Feeling her struggling underneath him, he grabs her wrists and presses them above her head. Her brown eyes darken as she wraps her legs up around his waist, pulling him hard against her.
Tre leans closer, mouth just out of range of her pouting lips. "I'm going to make you beg for it Ava... "
Later that night the family had piled into two cars and headed three towns over to the carnival that the kids hadn't been able to stop talking about all day. Bouncing from the car, Jake latched on to his Mom's hand as he stared awe-struck at the fairgrounds in front of him. "Mom, can we go on the ferris wheel first?" He wonders, looking up at her.
Adrienne nods, pulling her jean jacket tighter around herself while still holding on to her son's hand. "Uh huh, but we have to go buy tickets first, okay?"
Ava and Tre trailed behind, hands clasped as Tre practically glowed with excitement over the prospect of rides that spin until you vomit and monster bags of cotton candy. Joey was walking next to Tre, both talking animatedly about some ride that was making Ava's stomach turn just listening to the description. And behind those three, the stragglers, Billie and his in-laws were bringing up the rear of the scattered group. Harold had already assured Billie before they left that this was a small town occasion and he doubted they would have any security issues, something that put Billie at ease.
He watched Adrienne walk ahead with Jake, noting that even though his son put on a brave and excited face, he still looked a little intimated by the giant, fast-moving rides. Jogging to catch up with the pair, he took Jake's other hand and clutched it tight. "What ride are we trying out first, huh?" He asked, bending down to his son's eyelevel as they continued to walk.
Jake shrugged. "I asked Mom if we could go on the ferris wheel and she said okay... "
Billie grinned confidently at his words. "The ferris wheel sounds like a good place to start."
Ava watched the interaction in front of her, unknowingly applying pressure to the grip she had on Tre's hand.
"Baby!" He yelped a second later, shaking free from her grasp. "You're squeezing the shit out of my hand," He explained when she looked up at him questioningly.
"Sorry," She murmured without much sympathy, following him to the ticket booth.
She leaned against the counter with disinterest, barely listening as Tre put in his ticket order. He glanced over at his girlfriend as he paid the lady and let her wrap a wristband around his arm that guaranteed that he could ride as much as he wanted.
"Hey," He grumbles, poking Ava in the side. "Get your butt over here and let her wrap this thing around your wrist."
She frowns at him. "No way," She insists. "I don't intend to ride as much as you. My stomach is still off from the fifteen margaritas I drank last night."
Tre stared at her for a moment before stomping his foot. "You will ride, you will have fun and you will like it!"
Ava saw the lady in the ticket booth smirk a little as she hesitantly stepped up, glaring playfully at her demanding boyfriend as the woman wrapped the wristband around her left arm. "Thank you," She politely offers before stepping away and following Tre and Joey, who had already seemed to pair up, to their first ride.
Ava watched as Adrienne and Billie Joe tried coaxing an alarmed-looking Jake on to the ferris wheel, but in the end he decided that the pony rides at the other end of the fair would be more suitable. Her parents followed behind, undeniably content that their whole family was here. She rolled her eyes in amusement when she saw her Mom go for her digital camera, omitting a sigh from Adrienne who was trying to duck out of the shot of her, Billie and Jake.
She jumped when she felt a hand wrap around her elbow. Looking up she saw Tre's excited form in front of her. "Come on sweet stuff, we're going on the double ferris wheel," He says, practically skipping as she allows herself to be dragged along behind him.
"Where did Joey go?" She asks, glancing around for her nephew.
"With Adrienne and Billie, he was going to try and convince your Dad to take him on the scrambler."
The pair stops in front of the ride, Ava's eyes widening slightly. "Umm, that's a rather tall device," She mumbles, neck craning to watch the ride rotate on its large axis.
"You know," Tre starts, ignoring her comment and the fact that he knew she had a slight fear of heights. "You could hold off on the death glares when your nephews are around, it sort of brings down the morale of the group."
Ava bites back her comments as they walk up on the platform of the ride and climb into their cart, already tensing slightly as the ride squeaks to life and they're carried about ten feet in the air before coming to a grinding halt. Her stomach lurches a little as she stares at the ground, noting her Mom under their feet with her camera in hand.
"I don't even realize I'm doing it," She grumbles miserably as Tre tucks his arm around her shoulders and pulls her in closer to his side.
"Liar," He mumbles, waving happily at her family scattered on the ground.
"Stop being so damn cheerful," She snips suddenly, hands clutching at him as the ride starts again and they're taken higher, screeching to a halt once again to load more passengers. "Don't you have a fear of anything," She bursts again, glaring at him as he pretends to rock their cart.
Tre grins over at her, loving every bit of her random and slightly neurotic nature. He blamed her upbringing. "What do you mean?"
"You're not afraid of heights or spiders, you don't have a weak stomach which is apparent from the foods you eat and the amusement park rides you don't throw up on—"
"What's wrong with you?" He asks, cutting her off. "What's with the random inquisition into what I am and am not?"
"Have you ever lied to me? And I don't mean about stupid stuff, I mean about big things, important things."
He frowns at the desperate look on her face. "No, but thanks for your vote of confidence."
She rolls her eyes, shoving softly at him as he pretends to get huffy and turn away. "I'm sorry, I had to ask."
"You shouldn't have to ask me something like that. Trust has never been an issue for us."
Ava's heart plummets once again when the ride starts and this time doesn't stop. She shuts her eyes as the wind blows through her hair, noting the fact that Tre might as well be giggling because he was so amused at being twirled around and around fifty feet above solid ground. "Make it stop... make it stop... " She was murmuring as he pressed a kiss to her head.
"Suck it up, you're fine."
She frowns at his words, holding his hand tightly, one leg wrapped firmly around his. "Why didn't you take Joe on this ride? He loves this shit."
"Because I was hoping this, like my awesome love making techniques, would distract you for a while. You've gone downhill this afternoon," Tre replies, waving at Jake who had his head tilted at an abnormal angle just to see them.
"What do you mean?" Ava asks, finally beginning to relax a little as the ride began to slow.
"Seems like the more time you spend under the same roof as Billie, the more you slip into this deranged coma. Twice during dinner I swear I saw you reach for a steak knife."
"So?" She mumbles indignantly, hoping to God they were going to be let off next.
"Ava, you were only eating a salad at the time. The knife was your Dad's. "
She sighs. "I just need him to go away so I can talk to Adrienne."
"But baby," Tre whispers softly, leaning in closer. "When he goes, I go."
Ava frowns, patting his cheek. "I know... you win some, you lose some kid."
Tre chuckles at her response as their cart descends back to the platform. The ride attendant lifts the bar in front of them and Tre helps Ava off the ride. She continues to hold on to his arm as they walk back towards the group, Jake and Joey both equally excited at the prospect of going on more rides, both wanting their favorite 'Uncle' to take them.
After much debate, it was agreed upon that both Billie and Tre would take the boys on some ride that promised to put you in a cage and then spin you until your depth perception was obscenely compromised. Ava decidedly wanted to sit this one out, her Mom and Adrienne heading off to find the bathrooms. That left Ava and her Dad on a bench, both eyeing the contraption that the boys were standing in line for, both equally alarmed that anyone would willing go on such a ride. Ava couldn't believe Jake had warmed up to such a daring ride so fast, but suddenly he looked eager to impress his Dad and older brother.
Harold had been watching Ava most of the week, Adrienne too. He knew something was wrong with one of them, if not both of them. But not being one to pry into their business, he decided to drop a few hints that he wasn't completely in the dark like the girls thought.
"So," He casually starts, noting the droop in Ava's usually happy features. "Are you having fun?"
Ava turns to her Dad, already catching on to his covert methods of interrogation. "Uh huh."
"Good, good... " He replies, casually surveying the fairgrounds. "Is there anything you need to talk about?"
Grinning, Ava shakes her head. "No Dad... but thanks."
Harold nods slowly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Is there, uh, anything your sister might need to talk about?"
"What do you mean?" Ava innocently responds, watching as Joey and Tre climb into one of the cages, Billie and Jake climbing in the one right behind them.
"I mean, is there something wrong with my first-born that I need to know about?"
Ava loved that her parents cared so much, both trying not to pry, both ultimately failing. "It's just relationship stuff. It's always relationship stuff."
"You two taking care of each other in California?"
She nods in return, heart pulling in her chest. "We try our best." But I haven't done such a good job as of lately.
"Good, good," Harold mumbles again, watching as his wife and other daughter approach them.
Adrienne slid down next to Ava on the bench, cringing at the sight of the ride in front of them. "They went on that?" She asks, squeezing in close to make room for their Mom.
Ava nods. "I haven't heard any of them scream yet, I'm not sure whether that's good or bad."
"I'm sure Billie's probably passed out," Adrienne jokes, immediately regretting the reference. Normally Ava would have laughed and joined in with the mockery, but not today, she wasn't amused.
A few minutes later the guys were stumbling towards them, mixed expressions on their faces. Tre and Joey apparently wanted to go again, but Jake wanted a hug from his Mom... and maybe some cotton candy to cheer him up. Billie also looked slightly pale as Adrienne moved so he could sit down and rest his still spinning head.
Tre had plopped down in Ava's lap, much to her Mother's dismay, already wanting to move on to something else. "Want me to win you some tacky stuffed animal for you to love and cherish?" He jokes, wiggling his eyebrows at her as she wraps her arms around his waist.
"Aww, how sweet... " Ava trails off. "Except we both know that you couldn't win me a prize if your life depended on it. So, the better question is, do you want me to win you a prize?"
He chuckles, standing up and pulling her up next to him. "We'll meet you guys back at the car," Tre says, puffing his chest out. "I need to show Ava what a real man can do."
"Ahh well, it looks like Ava is screwed then seeing as how Mike isn't here to show her," Billie jokes, Ava lunging at him just for speaking in her general direction.
Tre blocks her path before she can get to him, quickly turning her around to walk in the opposite direction. "Meet you guys in about an hour?" He asks calmly, having to practically latch his hand over Ava's mouth as Harold nods in confirmation, staring oddly at the two.
"Okay, uh, sounds good."
Ava writhes from Tre's grasp as they round the corner, safely out of sight from her family. "Unholy bastard," She mumbles angrily, practically foaming at the mouth as Tre grins.
"Me or him?"
She ignores his comment, turning on her heel to look up at him. "And why isn't Mike here?"
"He had some prior commitment with Lauren. Why does it matter?"
Ave chortles. "Because if you hadn't noticed, Mike makes everything all better. We need his rationality and good sense to keep this group going."
"I just want you to know that if I didn't agree I would be quite offended."
Ava tips her head up a little. "Don't worry baby, when we get back I'll be sure to tell Mike that you did your part in maintaining the peace in his absence."
Hiking his pants up a little higher, Tre smirks. "I do what I can."
Twenty minutes later Tre was frowning and Ava was giggling as she admired the giant teddy bear she had just won. "I believe this is yours."
Tre rolls his eyes, accepting the enormous black teddy bear with the red heart across his chest that said 'I love you' in an unnecessarily girly font. "So you threw some darts at a bunch of balloons and won. Big deal."
Ava smirks at his huffy comment, leaning in to kiss her stubborn boyfriend. "Your ego aside, I think Mr. Huggles really says it all."
"Who the fuck is Mr. Huggles and why is he talking to us?" Tre absentmindedly asks, arm slithering around her waist as he tucks the bear up under his arm.
Pointing to the giant stuffed animal, Ava grins. "[/i]That's[/i] Mr. Huggles and he is doing his part today to tell you how sorry I am for this morning...and also to lessen the need for being alarmed when I have more sudden outbreaks of crazy in the upcoming months. He is our reminder, our beacon of truth and patience."
Tre stops walking for a moment to eye one of the stands that was selling cotton candy and other treats while Ava waits patiently to hear his response. "I like your craziness, it makes me seem boring and level-headed. And I thought we weren't going to talk about this morning," He finally grumbles, rearranging the bear in his arms. "I thought the sex cancelled out the need for a discussion. S'one of the reasons why I followed you upstairs."
"I want cotton candy," Ava murmurs suddenly, now ignoring his response to her question.
"The monster bag?" Tre asks.
Shaking her head, Ava cranes her neck around to see the list of items. "Do they have an extra large monster bag?"
Tre's eyes widen a little. "I thought your stomach was still off?"
"Oh, no, I just didn't want to go on all those rides with you," Ava replies, sounding bored as she continued to read the list.
"Are you trying to tell me I'm selfish?"
Ava turns, giggling. "You know, I'm in the weirdest place right now because all I want to do is hang Billie from that lamppost but I can't for the sake of my parents, my sister, my nephews... and I guess you. And I also want peace with my sister, which probably won't happen ever again seeing as how I flipped my lid last night when she told me about Billie fucking everything that moves... " She trails off, trying to focus once again. "And I don't actually know what we were talking about anymore. I think I tried to have a serious conversation with you, but like usual, you were a dick and avoided it."
Tre grins back as he purchases two bags of cotton candy and then quickly leads Ava away to one of the far corners of the carnival. "What kind do you want?" He asks once they're settled on a secluded park bench, Mr. Huggles situated comfortably between them.
"Uh, the one with the most pink in it I guess."
Handing her the bag, Tre smirks, now ready to breach the looming topic. "I know what you said this morning has little to actually do with you Ava, that's why I don't think there needs to be a big discussion."
Ava watches as he tilts his head sideways and shoves an entire section of blue cotton candy in his mouth. "What do you mean?" She asks, glad for the fact that she had grabbed a handful of napkins.
Licking his lips, he replies, "I know Adrienne doesn't exactly like me. And that's okay, I get it, you're precious cargo and she doesn't want to see you damaged."
Ava is unable to keep her mouth from going slack at his bluntness, but it wasn't the nature of his delivery, it was the words themselves that caught her off guard. "Tre, she doesn't dislike you. She—"
"She doesn't approve of my past choices, I guess maybe that's a better way of putting it. Or that she likes me fine... she doesn't like me with you. How's that?"
Tre laughs at Ava's floored expression. "What? You think I didn't know that you came all the way out here with the intention of proving me noble and worthy to her?"
Silence passes between them for a moment, Ava's face crumpled in thought. "This is so stupid," She finally mumbles with a hint of disgust in her voice, flashes going off in her head now that she had heard him say these words out loud. "You are amazing and faithful and I shouldn't have to prove you noble and worthy because I already know you're noble and worthy and that's all that matters! Fuck what other people think!"
"Exactly," Tre calmly replies, shoving more cotton candy in his mouth in order not to laugh at her triumphant expression. "And on a side note, you and Adrienne both need to ease up. Otherwise, Billie and I are going to drop you two crazy women and just date each other. Or Mike, we'll actually probably end up fighting over Mike... again."
Ava wasn't paying attention to him though, face screwed up in thought at her sudden realization. "You know what?" She says rather loudly, watching as Tre begins licking in his fingers, eyes still trained on her excited form.
"What beautiful?"
"I... I fucking love you! And that's enough for me! To hell with her approval, to hell with anyone's approval!"
Tre laughs deep in his throat, amused by her freeing declaration. He quickly grabs up Mr. Huggles by the ear as Ava comes hurdling towards him, a big smile on her face. She lands solidly against his chest, pink flavored lips meeting blue ones, sticky fingers meshed into his hair. He leans back against the arm of the bench to support her weight as her tongue quickly slips past his sugary lips, omitting a sigh from both of them. Tre quickly drops his bag of cotton candy on the ground as he pulls the giant bear up in front of them, making Ava giggle as he inadvertently provides a small amount of privacy for the couple.
"I love you too," Tre finally had whispered back as the couple finished up their intimate moment on the bench. They were walking back to the car now, hand in hand, Ava looking up at him in admiration as he toted along the giant bear and their forgotten bags of cotton candy.
"I want to take something back," Ava randomly insists, the taste of cotton candy and Tre mixed pleasantly on her lips as she stops walking. He turns to look at her curiously as their entangled fingers make him stop too. "Mike doesn't make everything better, you make everything better. You always do, even when you don't try to or mean to. And to me, that's the best kind of salvation."
"Yeah, well, you're my favorite person to save," Tre freely admits, grinning as Ava's arms wrap around his waist.
Ava leans in a little closer, ignoring the fact that she can hear Adrienne yelling a few feet away that they were ready to go. "Know what else?" She whispers, nose almost touching his.
Tre's blinks once, twice. "What?"
She leans an inch closer and wickedly whispers, "Nobleness aside, you're still in the doghouse for lying."
Tre's mouth drops open as Ava giggles and then turns to hurry back towards the car. "Hey!" He calls in a huff. "But... but I'm your savior! You fucking love me... remember?"
Ava wordlessly turns back with an amused grin, motioning for him to follow as he groans. Tre begins walking again, dragging his feet a little. "Ahh well, at least I have Mr. Snuggles to keep me warm at night." He's silent again for a moment before yelling, "But you better get over being pissed by the time I get home... ya hear me? I won't allow any more anger after next weekend!"
When Ava turns back again with a warning look he quickly shuts his mouth, taking off at a jog to catch up with her. Before long everyone was piled back in the cars they came in, Ava and Tre with Ava's parents, the Armstrong's occupying the other car. With everyone buckled in the cars headed back home, ready to settle in for the night, and hoping against all odds for no further complications or drama.
Adrienne sat rigidly at the table as she saw Tre and Ava walking up the porch steps, Tre's arm flung around her sister. Ava still didn't necessarily look happy but she was grinning up at him and Adrienne knew that if anyone could alleviate the stress of the situation, it was Tre. Adrienne tilted her head a little, wondering suddenly why she didn't give Tre enough credit. No one got Ava like he did; maybe she really needed to start putting a little more faith in him.
Adrienne hadn't had a chance to tell Billie about what had happened last night but he sensed something was up as Ava and Tre plunked back down at the table for breakfast, neither able to look at him. Ava's parents didn't even blink an eye at the sudden turn around, always joking that both of their daughters and the group of people who were so intricately woven in their lives could write a soap opera for a living.
Tre had wrapped his hand around Ava's as soon as they sat down at the table. He could feel her erratic breathing, the way her body was tense, and he only hoped that Billie had enough sense not to address her. Tre had caught Billie's eye once and felt incredibly guilty for the way he was looking around in confusion. He would pull him aside later and let him know what was going on, he owed him that much.
After breakfast Billie and Adrienne were swept out into the yard with the kids, Harold and Lois, as Tre and Ava volunteered to do the dishes. Tre was washing and Ava was absentmindedly drying, hardly glancing at all at the objects in her hands. Her train of thought was broken when she felt water hit the side of her face. She glanced over in surprise, Tre's face falling to laughter.
"Welcome back from space," He jokes, splashing more water at her as she squirms and turns away.
"Stop! That's dirty water," She complains, trying to twist away again when he wraps his arms around her waist and picks her up off the ground. With her back pressed against stomach he indicates suddenly that he's going to put her in the sink as she screeches and tries to fight him. He had only managed to get her feet in the water when Billie Joe appeared in the doorway, grinning at the two.
"Can Tre give me a bath in the sink next?" He jokes, noticing the way Ava goes completely rigid in Tre's grasp as he sets her down.
Tre turns to look at Billie, nodding awkwardly. "Sure... strip down, lemme see that pretty lily-white butt of yours."
Ava makes a noise somewhere between an exasperated sigh and a disgusted snort before turning and marching from the kitchen, throwing a heated look over her shoulder as she goes.
Tre stands awkwardly for a moment watching her go before shrugging sheepishly at the lead singer. "She, uh... "
Billie frowns a little. "What?" He asks when Tre can't quite finish his thought. "What the hell did I do this time?"
Tre sighs, stepping towards Billie. "She knows about you cheating on Adrienne," Tre finally mumbles, keeping his voice low in case one of the kids or Ava's parents walked in.
Billie's face paled a little, a darkness creeping behind his eyes. "How does she know?"
"She said that her and Adrienne got drunk last night and Adrienne accidentally let it slip... "
Billie didn't know why it mattered to him whether Ava liked him or not, it just did. They had never really gotten along since Ava moved out to California, most of the blame in their give and take relationship falling on him for not being a good enough Dad or not being home enough, but this, well, he wasn't going to be able to come back from this. And he knew it. He was dead in the water so to speak, and if had been up to him, he never would have given Ava this kind of ammo against him, or given her a chance to prove her theories about him right. And he especially didn't want to drudge up an issue that had been haunting him for the past two years, one he'd had to relive over and over again.
Tre sighs, seeing the confliction on his friend's face. "Look, you just need to give her time to cool down. You know, steer clear of her for a while... months if need be."
Billie glances up, frowning at his advice. "How come she isn't mad at you?"
Tre takes a step closer. "She is mad at me, but I'm pretty sure that anger is shadowed over by her untapped reserve of rage for you."
Adrienne chose that moment to wander into the kitchen, frowning when she sees the look on Billie's face. "You tell him?" Adrienne asks, noting the tension in the room and the way Tre looks like he's been coaching Billie about something.
Tre nods. "But I'm more than happy to let you finish up here," He insists. "I'll go find Ava."
With that, he leaves the room and hurries up the stairs, leaving the two in silence. Billie turns to Adrienne when he's gone, frowning. "You told her?"
"I was drunk, it just sort of came out," Adrienne mumbles feebly. To be honest, she was beginning not to care about what might happen now that Ava had been set into motion; she was tired of feeling guilty for not being honest with her sister. "She would have found out sooner or later Bill, it had been kept from her for too long anyway."
"What else did you tell her?" He asks, unable to keep his eyes from darting to the floor.
Adrienne leans against the counter, crossing her arms over her chest. "I didn't tell her anything... I spoke in past tense, not present."
He frowns deeper, head bowed as he stares at the floor. "So she doesn't know we're thinking about separating again?" He grumbles low in his throat, the words still a little hard to say.
Shaking her head, Adrienne wills herself not to tear up. "No, I haven't told anyone. But she knows Bill, she doesn't even have to say anything but I know she does. She's aware that we haven't been happy for a long time."
Billie bites his lip. God, this was so hard. "I haven't told Tre or Mike, I didn't want to have to put either of them in the position to lie."
"It's all going to come out sooner or later," She regretfully whispers as she hears the screen door being flung open, the two reasons why she even gets up in the morning hurrying to stand in front of her.
"Grandpa said he's taking us to a carnival tonight, isn't that cool?" Jake mumbles, looking up at her with big, trusting eyes. And this, this right here was the only reason she was willing to try and work things out with Billie. She would do absolutely anything in the world to protect her children from being hurt. That seemed to be the only thing she and Billie could seem to agree on lately, the interest of their children.
"That is cool," She agrees, swallowing her emotion for the sake of a smile. "Do you think I could go too?" She asks playfully, Jake nodding as Joey leans against his Dad's legs, almost knocking him over. He had gotten so big lately, she notes, watching as Billie playfully wraps an arm around his son's neck.
"And Dad! I want Dad to take me on the tilt-a-whirl!" Jake requests, almost bouncing in place as the idea comes into his head.
Billie smiles at his son, nodding. "I'll go on it, but I'll probably puke on you though."
"Nah, Dad won't go on that with you, he wouldn't want to mess up his hair!" Joey teases, making Billie laugh as the two wrestle for a moment.
Adrienne grins, running her fingers through Jake's soft hair. She remembered how hard it was for the kids when Billie had moved out a couple years ago, renting his own apartment just so they could have some time apart to breathe. She remembered Jake crying as Billie loaded the last box into his car, trying to comfort his child as he knelt down and pulled him into a hug. "This is just like when I leave to go play my music... " He kept insisting but Jake continued to cry well after Billie had finally left. Likewise, Joey had locked himself in his room for days, not bothering to speak when he did come out. She couldn't help but to feel responsible, after all, she was their catchall, the one who would be absorbing all their mixed emotions if Billie did move out again. She wasn't sure she was strong enough, but she had to be, she had to protect her children from the mess she and Billie had made.
"Let's go back outside, huh?" Adrienne finally says, willing away her destructive thoughts. She had to concentrate on what was happening from moment to moment otherwise she would go crazy wondering what was going to happen.
"Okay! Race ya!" Jake yells to his brother, both taking off at a dead run through the kitchen and almost skidding out the door.
"Careful!" Adrienne yells, turning to walk after them. She gives Billie Joe one last final look before grabbing her sunglasses and heading back outside.
Billie watches his family leave, his chest pulling. He could remember the last time he felt like this, the last time his walls were coming down around him. It was two years ago when he and Adie had been having so many problems. He could remember feeling like hell every day because the only time he had peace was when he was in the studio, which only seemed to piss his wife off more. But it was at the studio that he could write about it, and it was there that he could stay out of Adrienne's way. It seemed like a simple solution to him, but then again he'd never been very good at figuring out the logistics of things. And here they were again, both trying to figure out a way to coexist, trying to figure out how to communicate. Both unwilling to admit that maybe it was time to let what was once good in their lives finally die.
"Just something else I can add to my list of failures... " Billie mumbles out loud as he jams his hands in his pockets and scuffles back out into the front yard with his family.
Upstairs, Ava was strewn across her bed, silently fuming at Billie being in her house, in her comfort zone. She heard a thundering up the stairs a few minutes later, shutting her eyes when Tre plummeted through her door and quickly closed it again. He toppled down on top of her, humidity and high temperatures aside.
"I know what cheers you up when you're blue... " He half whispers, half sings into her ear as his hand creeps up her back.
"I'm too angry to have sex with you right now," She grumbles in response, feeling him grin against her skin. "And besides, that's what always cheers you up."
"But angry sex is the best kind," He argues. "That's when there's a real throw-down."
Turning to look over her shoulder at him, she frowns. "Did you tell him I know?"
Tre nods earnestly. "Yes, I told him you know that he has the Footloose soundtrack in his car. He's beyond mortified."
"You jacka—" Ava's fist lands softly against Tre's stomach as his lips quickly press against hers.
She can feel him smiling as they struggle for a moment, Ava moving to straddle him as he peels her tank top off in one swift motion. She sighs, tipping her head back as she feels his hands sliding down her sticky skin. She rocks on top of him for a moment, wrapping her arms around his neck when he suddenly sits up, his shirt flying to the far corner of the room. His fingers begin to work at the ponytail holder fastened at the back of her head. Pulling at the long hair now cascading down her bare back, he tips her head up, nipping at the pulse point in her neck. She groans, eyes closing at the feel of his tongue swirling against her skin.
"Your Distraction Sequence begins in 4, 3, 2, 1... " He mumbles hotly against her earlobe, hands already working to get her shorts off as she roughly pushes him back down against the mattress. He almost yelps when she forcefully unbuckles his belt, ripping it from his belt loops in one flick of her wrist. She giggles a little at his wide-eyed expression, gripping his forearms as her world is turned upside down suddenly, Tre landing on top of her.
Feeling her struggling underneath him, he grabs her wrists and presses them above her head. Her brown eyes darken as she wraps her legs up around his waist, pulling him hard against her.
Tre leans closer, mouth just out of range of her pouting lips. "I'm going to make you beg for it Ava... "
Later that night the family had piled into two cars and headed three towns over to the carnival that the kids hadn't been able to stop talking about all day. Bouncing from the car, Jake latched on to his Mom's hand as he stared awe-struck at the fairgrounds in front of him. "Mom, can we go on the ferris wheel first?" He wonders, looking up at her.
Adrienne nods, pulling her jean jacket tighter around herself while still holding on to her son's hand. "Uh huh, but we have to go buy tickets first, okay?"
Ava and Tre trailed behind, hands clasped as Tre practically glowed with excitement over the prospect of rides that spin until you vomit and monster bags of cotton candy. Joey was walking next to Tre, both talking animatedly about some ride that was making Ava's stomach turn just listening to the description. And behind those three, the stragglers, Billie and his in-laws were bringing up the rear of the scattered group. Harold had already assured Billie before they left that this was a small town occasion and he doubted they would have any security issues, something that put Billie at ease.
He watched Adrienne walk ahead with Jake, noting that even though his son put on a brave and excited face, he still looked a little intimated by the giant, fast-moving rides. Jogging to catch up with the pair, he took Jake's other hand and clutched it tight. "What ride are we trying out first, huh?" He asked, bending down to his son's eyelevel as they continued to walk.
Jake shrugged. "I asked Mom if we could go on the ferris wheel and she said okay... "
Billie grinned confidently at his words. "The ferris wheel sounds like a good place to start."
Ava watched the interaction in front of her, unknowingly applying pressure to the grip she had on Tre's hand.
"Baby!" He yelped a second later, shaking free from her grasp. "You're squeezing the shit out of my hand," He explained when she looked up at him questioningly.
"Sorry," She murmured without much sympathy, following him to the ticket booth.
She leaned against the counter with disinterest, barely listening as Tre put in his ticket order. He glanced over at his girlfriend as he paid the lady and let her wrap a wristband around his arm that guaranteed that he could ride as much as he wanted.
"Hey," He grumbles, poking Ava in the side. "Get your butt over here and let her wrap this thing around your wrist."
She frowns at him. "No way," She insists. "I don't intend to ride as much as you. My stomach is still off from the fifteen margaritas I drank last night."
Tre stared at her for a moment before stomping his foot. "You will ride, you will have fun and you will like it!"
Ava saw the lady in the ticket booth smirk a little as she hesitantly stepped up, glaring playfully at her demanding boyfriend as the woman wrapped the wristband around her left arm. "Thank you," She politely offers before stepping away and following Tre and Joey, who had already seemed to pair up, to their first ride.
Ava watched as Adrienne and Billie Joe tried coaxing an alarmed-looking Jake on to the ferris wheel, but in the end he decided that the pony rides at the other end of the fair would be more suitable. Her parents followed behind, undeniably content that their whole family was here. She rolled her eyes in amusement when she saw her Mom go for her digital camera, omitting a sigh from Adrienne who was trying to duck out of the shot of her, Billie and Jake.
She jumped when she felt a hand wrap around her elbow. Looking up she saw Tre's excited form in front of her. "Come on sweet stuff, we're going on the double ferris wheel," He says, practically skipping as she allows herself to be dragged along behind him.
"Where did Joey go?" She asks, glancing around for her nephew.
"With Adrienne and Billie, he was going to try and convince your Dad to take him on the scrambler."
The pair stops in front of the ride, Ava's eyes widening slightly. "Umm, that's a rather tall device," She mumbles, neck craning to watch the ride rotate on its large axis.
"You know," Tre starts, ignoring her comment and the fact that he knew she had a slight fear of heights. "You could hold off on the death glares when your nephews are around, it sort of brings down the morale of the group."
Ava bites back her comments as they walk up on the platform of the ride and climb into their cart, already tensing slightly as the ride squeaks to life and they're carried about ten feet in the air before coming to a grinding halt. Her stomach lurches a little as she stares at the ground, noting her Mom under their feet with her camera in hand.
"I don't even realize I'm doing it," She grumbles miserably as Tre tucks his arm around her shoulders and pulls her in closer to his side.
"Liar," He mumbles, waving happily at her family scattered on the ground.
"Stop being so damn cheerful," She snips suddenly, hands clutching at him as the ride starts again and they're taken higher, screeching to a halt once again to load more passengers. "Don't you have a fear of anything," She bursts again, glaring at him as he pretends to rock their cart.
Tre grins over at her, loving every bit of her random and slightly neurotic nature. He blamed her upbringing. "What do you mean?"
"You're not afraid of heights or spiders, you don't have a weak stomach which is apparent from the foods you eat and the amusement park rides you don't throw up on—"
"What's wrong with you?" He asks, cutting her off. "What's with the random inquisition into what I am and am not?"
"Have you ever lied to me? And I don't mean about stupid stuff, I mean about big things, important things."
He frowns at the desperate look on her face. "No, but thanks for your vote of confidence."
She rolls her eyes, shoving softly at him as he pretends to get huffy and turn away. "I'm sorry, I had to ask."
"You shouldn't have to ask me something like that. Trust has never been an issue for us."
Ava's heart plummets once again when the ride starts and this time doesn't stop. She shuts her eyes as the wind blows through her hair, noting the fact that Tre might as well be giggling because he was so amused at being twirled around and around fifty feet above solid ground. "Make it stop... make it stop... " She was murmuring as he pressed a kiss to her head.
"Suck it up, you're fine."
She frowns at his words, holding his hand tightly, one leg wrapped firmly around his. "Why didn't you take Joe on this ride? He loves this shit."
"Because I was hoping this, like my awesome love making techniques, would distract you for a while. You've gone downhill this afternoon," Tre replies, waving at Jake who had his head tilted at an abnormal angle just to see them.
"What do you mean?" Ava asks, finally beginning to relax a little as the ride began to slow.
"Seems like the more time you spend under the same roof as Billie, the more you slip into this deranged coma. Twice during dinner I swear I saw you reach for a steak knife."
"So?" She mumbles indignantly, hoping to God they were going to be let off next.
"Ava, you were only eating a salad at the time. The knife was your Dad's. "
She sighs. "I just need him to go away so I can talk to Adrienne."
"But baby," Tre whispers softly, leaning in closer. "When he goes, I go."
Ava frowns, patting his cheek. "I know... you win some, you lose some kid."
Tre chuckles at her response as their cart descends back to the platform. The ride attendant lifts the bar in front of them and Tre helps Ava off the ride. She continues to hold on to his arm as they walk back towards the group, Jake and Joey both equally excited at the prospect of going on more rides, both wanting their favorite 'Uncle' to take them.
After much debate, it was agreed upon that both Billie and Tre would take the boys on some ride that promised to put you in a cage and then spin you until your depth perception was obscenely compromised. Ava decidedly wanted to sit this one out, her Mom and Adrienne heading off to find the bathrooms. That left Ava and her Dad on a bench, both eyeing the contraption that the boys were standing in line for, both equally alarmed that anyone would willing go on such a ride. Ava couldn't believe Jake had warmed up to such a daring ride so fast, but suddenly he looked eager to impress his Dad and older brother.
Harold had been watching Ava most of the week, Adrienne too. He knew something was wrong with one of them, if not both of them. But not being one to pry into their business, he decided to drop a few hints that he wasn't completely in the dark like the girls thought.
"So," He casually starts, noting the droop in Ava's usually happy features. "Are you having fun?"
Ava turns to her Dad, already catching on to his covert methods of interrogation. "Uh huh."
"Good, good... " He replies, casually surveying the fairgrounds. "Is there anything you need to talk about?"
Grinning, Ava shakes her head. "No Dad... but thanks."
Harold nods slowly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Is there, uh, anything your sister might need to talk about?"
"What do you mean?" Ava innocently responds, watching as Joey and Tre climb into one of the cages, Billie and Jake climbing in the one right behind them.
"I mean, is there something wrong with my first-born that I need to know about?"
Ava loved that her parents cared so much, both trying not to pry, both ultimately failing. "It's just relationship stuff. It's always relationship stuff."
"You two taking care of each other in California?"
She nods in return, heart pulling in her chest. "We try our best." But I haven't done such a good job as of lately.
"Good, good," Harold mumbles again, watching as his wife and other daughter approach them.
Adrienne slid down next to Ava on the bench, cringing at the sight of the ride in front of them. "They went on that?" She asks, squeezing in close to make room for their Mom.
Ava nods. "I haven't heard any of them scream yet, I'm not sure whether that's good or bad."
"I'm sure Billie's probably passed out," Adrienne jokes, immediately regretting the reference. Normally Ava would have laughed and joined in with the mockery, but not today, she wasn't amused.
A few minutes later the guys were stumbling towards them, mixed expressions on their faces. Tre and Joey apparently wanted to go again, but Jake wanted a hug from his Mom... and maybe some cotton candy to cheer him up. Billie also looked slightly pale as Adrienne moved so he could sit down and rest his still spinning head.
Tre had plopped down in Ava's lap, much to her Mother's dismay, already wanting to move on to something else. "Want me to win you some tacky stuffed animal for you to love and cherish?" He jokes, wiggling his eyebrows at her as she wraps her arms around his waist.
"Aww, how sweet... " Ava trails off. "Except we both know that you couldn't win me a prize if your life depended on it. So, the better question is, do you want me to win you a prize?"
He chuckles, standing up and pulling her up next to him. "We'll meet you guys back at the car," Tre says, puffing his chest out. "I need to show Ava what a real man can do."
"Ahh well, it looks like Ava is screwed then seeing as how Mike isn't here to show her," Billie jokes, Ava lunging at him just for speaking in her general direction.
Tre blocks her path before she can get to him, quickly turning her around to walk in the opposite direction. "Meet you guys in about an hour?" He asks calmly, having to practically latch his hand over Ava's mouth as Harold nods in confirmation, staring oddly at the two.
"Okay, uh, sounds good."
Ava writhes from Tre's grasp as they round the corner, safely out of sight from her family. "Unholy bastard," She mumbles angrily, practically foaming at the mouth as Tre grins.
"Me or him?"
She ignores his comment, turning on her heel to look up at him. "And why isn't Mike here?"
"He had some prior commitment with Lauren. Why does it matter?"
Ave chortles. "Because if you hadn't noticed, Mike makes everything all better. We need his rationality and good sense to keep this group going."
"I just want you to know that if I didn't agree I would be quite offended."
Ava tips her head up a little. "Don't worry baby, when we get back I'll be sure to tell Mike that you did your part in maintaining the peace in his absence."
Hiking his pants up a little higher, Tre smirks. "I do what I can."
Twenty minutes later Tre was frowning and Ava was giggling as she admired the giant teddy bear she had just won. "I believe this is yours."
Tre rolls his eyes, accepting the enormous black teddy bear with the red heart across his chest that said 'I love you' in an unnecessarily girly font. "So you threw some darts at a bunch of balloons and won. Big deal."
Ava smirks at his huffy comment, leaning in to kiss her stubborn boyfriend. "Your ego aside, I think Mr. Huggles really says it all."
"Who the fuck is Mr. Huggles and why is he talking to us?" Tre absentmindedly asks, arm slithering around her waist as he tucks the bear up under his arm.
Pointing to the giant stuffed animal, Ava grins. "[/i]That's[/i] Mr. Huggles and he is doing his part today to tell you how sorry I am for this morning...and also to lessen the need for being alarmed when I have more sudden outbreaks of crazy in the upcoming months. He is our reminder, our beacon of truth and patience."
Tre stops walking for a moment to eye one of the stands that was selling cotton candy and other treats while Ava waits patiently to hear his response. "I like your craziness, it makes me seem boring and level-headed. And I thought we weren't going to talk about this morning," He finally grumbles, rearranging the bear in his arms. "I thought the sex cancelled out the need for a discussion. S'one of the reasons why I followed you upstairs."
"I want cotton candy," Ava murmurs suddenly, now ignoring his response to her question.
"The monster bag?" Tre asks.
Shaking her head, Ava cranes her neck around to see the list of items. "Do they have an extra large monster bag?"
Tre's eyes widen a little. "I thought your stomach was still off?"
"Oh, no, I just didn't want to go on all those rides with you," Ava replies, sounding bored as she continued to read the list.
"Are you trying to tell me I'm selfish?"
Ava turns, giggling. "You know, I'm in the weirdest place right now because all I want to do is hang Billie from that lamppost but I can't for the sake of my parents, my sister, my nephews... and I guess you. And I also want peace with my sister, which probably won't happen ever again seeing as how I flipped my lid last night when she told me about Billie fucking everything that moves... " She trails off, trying to focus once again. "And I don't actually know what we were talking about anymore. I think I tried to have a serious conversation with you, but like usual, you were a dick and avoided it."
Tre grins back as he purchases two bags of cotton candy and then quickly leads Ava away to one of the far corners of the carnival. "What kind do you want?" He asks once they're settled on a secluded park bench, Mr. Huggles situated comfortably between them.
"Uh, the one with the most pink in it I guess."
Handing her the bag, Tre smirks, now ready to breach the looming topic. "I know what you said this morning has little to actually do with you Ava, that's why I don't think there needs to be a big discussion."
Ava watches as he tilts his head sideways and shoves an entire section of blue cotton candy in his mouth. "What do you mean?" She asks, glad for the fact that she had grabbed a handful of napkins.
Licking his lips, he replies, "I know Adrienne doesn't exactly like me. And that's okay, I get it, you're precious cargo and she doesn't want to see you damaged."
Ava is unable to keep her mouth from going slack at his bluntness, but it wasn't the nature of his delivery, it was the words themselves that caught her off guard. "Tre, she doesn't dislike you. She—"
"She doesn't approve of my past choices, I guess maybe that's a better way of putting it. Or that she likes me fine... she doesn't like me with you. How's that?"
Tre laughs at Ava's floored expression. "What? You think I didn't know that you came all the way out here with the intention of proving me noble and worthy to her?"
Silence passes between them for a moment, Ava's face crumpled in thought. "This is so stupid," She finally mumbles with a hint of disgust in her voice, flashes going off in her head now that she had heard him say these words out loud. "You are amazing and faithful and I shouldn't have to prove you noble and worthy because I already know you're noble and worthy and that's all that matters! Fuck what other people think!"
"Exactly," Tre calmly replies, shoving more cotton candy in his mouth in order not to laugh at her triumphant expression. "And on a side note, you and Adrienne both need to ease up. Otherwise, Billie and I are going to drop you two crazy women and just date each other. Or Mike, we'll actually probably end up fighting over Mike... again."
Ava wasn't paying attention to him though, face screwed up in thought at her sudden realization. "You know what?" She says rather loudly, watching as Tre begins licking in his fingers, eyes still trained on her excited form.
"What beautiful?"
"I... I fucking love you! And that's enough for me! To hell with her approval, to hell with anyone's approval!"
Tre laughs deep in his throat, amused by her freeing declaration. He quickly grabs up Mr. Huggles by the ear as Ava comes hurdling towards him, a big smile on her face. She lands solidly against his chest, pink flavored lips meeting blue ones, sticky fingers meshed into his hair. He leans back against the arm of the bench to support her weight as her tongue quickly slips past his sugary lips, omitting a sigh from both of them. Tre quickly drops his bag of cotton candy on the ground as he pulls the giant bear up in front of them, making Ava giggle as he inadvertently provides a small amount of privacy for the couple.
"I love you too," Tre finally had whispered back as the couple finished up their intimate moment on the bench. They were walking back to the car now, hand in hand, Ava looking up at him in admiration as he toted along the giant bear and their forgotten bags of cotton candy.
"I want to take something back," Ava randomly insists, the taste of cotton candy and Tre mixed pleasantly on her lips as she stops walking. He turns to look at her curiously as their entangled fingers make him stop too. "Mike doesn't make everything better, you make everything better. You always do, even when you don't try to or mean to. And to me, that's the best kind of salvation."
"Yeah, well, you're my favorite person to save," Tre freely admits, grinning as Ava's arms wrap around his waist.
Ava leans in a little closer, ignoring the fact that she can hear Adrienne yelling a few feet away that they were ready to go. "Know what else?" She whispers, nose almost touching his.
Tre's blinks once, twice. "What?"
She leans an inch closer and wickedly whispers, "Nobleness aside, you're still in the doghouse for lying."
Tre's mouth drops open as Ava giggles and then turns to hurry back towards the car. "Hey!" He calls in a huff. "But... but I'm your savior! You fucking love me... remember?"
Ava wordlessly turns back with an amused grin, motioning for him to follow as he groans. Tre begins walking again, dragging his feet a little. "Ahh well, at least I have Mr. Snuggles to keep me warm at night." He's silent again for a moment before yelling, "But you better get over being pissed by the time I get home... ya hear me? I won't allow any more anger after next weekend!"
When Ava turns back again with a warning look he quickly shuts his mouth, taking off at a jog to catch up with her. Before long everyone was piled back in the cars they came in, Ava and Tre with Ava's parents, the Armstrong's occupying the other car. With everyone buckled in the cars headed back home, ready to settle in for the night, and hoping against all odds for no further complications or drama.
