Dwayne wakes up to the sound of voices in the hallway. Kara, Charlie, and two he doesn't recognize. They must be Kara's parents, he thinks. He rolls over and looks at the clock. 8am.
"Shit."
His body is wracked with exhaustion. Muscles ache. It feels like someone is sitting on his chest. From outside he hears Kara's mother.
"Two wine glasses?" The judgment in her voice is razor-sharp. "Was someone here last night?"
"Mom, I'm allowed to have a life," Kara retorts.
Shit. They forgot to put the glasses back in the kitchen last night.
"Did you have someone over?" Her mother asks again.
"Yeah, Dwayne!" Charlie says loudly. "He's in momma's bedroom!"
"Charlie!" Kara exclaims. "What did I tell you about lying?"
Dwayne chuckles and crawls out of bed. He puts his jeans back on and zips up his jacket before opening the bedroom door. The light is low in the living room. Sunlight is barely peeking through the curtain. If he stays away from the windows, he should be fine. A fog hangs thick in his mind. He just wants to go back into that pitch-black bedroom and fall into unconsciousness. Instead, he leans against the door frame and waves at Kara's parents, fighting his body's natural urge to collapse right then and there.
"Hi. I'm Dwayne," he rumbles. "Kara's boyfriend."
Kara's eyes almost bulge out of her head. Her face flushes bright red. They haven't labeled what they are. He knows she's been waiting to have that discussion. Dwayne figures he may as well just bypass it entirely and say it out loud. Her mother and father's jaws drop. Dwayne suspects that he's nothing like Kara's previous boyfriends. Her mother stammers and Charlie flashes Dwayne a big smile.
"H - hi, Dwayne. I'm Cynthia, and this is George." She gestures to her husband. "We're Kara's parents."
George crosses the room to shake Dwayne's hand.
"Pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise," Dwayne replies. "Sorry about the mess. We were just exhausted last night and forgot to clean up."
Kara smiles at him. Cynthia giggles like a schoolgirl. Turning on his charm is like flipping a light switch. He can have humans wrapped around his finger in a nanosecond. It's almost too easy. Cynthia flushes and shrugs.
"It happens." She turns to Kara. "We should get going."
Kara nods and looks down at Charlie.
"You ready, sweetheart?"
"Wait!"
The boy darts over to Dwayne and flings his arms around Dwayne's leg. Dwayne laughs and ruffles his hair before crouching down to lightly pinch his chubby cheek.
"See you in a week, pal."
Charlie grins. Kara looks like she's about to melt. She kisses her parents goodbye and waves at Charlie as he stumbles out the door. She turns back to Dwayne and sighs. She's just as exhausted as he is, if not more. Her hair is all over the place and her makeup is smudged from sleep. Her spindly limbs stick out of her oversized t-shirt and pajama shorts. She's got a pair of knee socks on that are beginning to slide down her shins. She's absolutely beautiful. Dwayne beckons her toward him with one finger. When she wraps her arms around his waist, he kisses her softly.
"Sorry for the interruption."
She shakes her head.
"You may have just saved my ass. I thought my mom was going to rip me a new one for a second. Thanks for zipping up your jacket."
YOU ARE READING
Sick Child - MarkoxOC
Fanfiction"Santa Carla has always been a weird place - one of those places where you always had to be on the lookout, keep your wits about you. 'Look straight ahead and keep up' is what her mom always said whenever they hit the boardwalk. It's a strange mix o...
