pretty when you cry ☆ {serj tankian}

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{im so sorry for not updating this— its gotten a lot of traction and i appreciate that. i felt that i owe an update because man do i hate when my favorite fanfics are left unfinished. with that being said i will finish this with maybe 1 or 2 more chapters after this and then ill wrap it up. thank you so so much for reading and i apologize if this is a boring (and quite short) chapter— i tried to make it interesting lol 😭😭 and i promise the next couple will be much longer}

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I woke up with a nasty headache, and the lingering feeling of wanting to puke, but also the warmth of the body attached to mine, bringing me comfort despite my hangover. Serj's warm breath hit my face, his breathing steady and slow. I found myself drifting off once again, comforted by only the feeling of being held and his simple presence.

The second time I woke up that morning, it was because Serj began to shuffle, awakening just as I did, his eyes meeting my half lidded ones. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

I shrugged, my eyes fluttering shut, my brain unable to shut off again. I felt a hand sift through my hair, scratching at my scalp with dull nails. I opened my eyes once more to notice that Serj was beginning to sit himself up, no longer in the sleeping position. "It's almost noon, figured I needed to get up."

"Shit, for real? I've gotta get to work on a few things."

"I can drive you home then, love." he yawned, stepping out of bed, groaning as he stretched. I tried to contain my giddiness at the small nickname. I didn't think he'd ever be able to not fluster me.

-

Later that night when I was relieved of my responsibilities— I contemplated the last few days, the events that had unfolded. It felt like looking back on some surreal dream, one that felt too hazy to actually be real. I was exhausted, really.

Just as I was about to go to sleep, it was early yet, my phone rang. I reached across to my nightstand, groaning as I picked up the phone, too tired and too lazy to check the caller ID. "What's up?

"Hey, hon."

The voice on the other side was unmistakeable. I instantly knew who it was, perking up and feeling less tired as adrenaline coursed through my veins.

"Hi, Serj," Thank god he couldn't see the stupid smile that covered my face.

"I've been wanting to ask you something and I decided I'd do it now instead of having to wait until I see you again."

My breath hitched. "Yes?" I had some sense of what he was planning on asking and I was filled with giddiness. It was about time...

"Would you... uh..." he trailed off, recomposing himself. "Would you want to make things between you and I official? I guess I've been meaning to ask and— I don't know." he chuckled at himself. It was cute that he seemed to be nervous, for once, stumbling over his words and rambling as he waited for my response.

"Of course, are you kidding?" I held the phone away from my mouth and let out a half-silent scream, covering my mouth which still held the same stupid grin. This was too good to be true.

"Really?"

"I've been waiting for you to ask me that, Serj. Yes, really."

I heard a sigh of relief on the other end. I muffled my own giggling, the moment feeling surreal and still filling me with giddiness. What he did to me was insane. I felt myself begin to yawn and attempted to conceal the sound, not wanting to allude to my worn out state, wanting him to talk to me forever. If I passed out from exhaustion I wouldn't have cared, desperate for any sort of communication between the two of us— though I was sure there'd be a lot more of it in the near future, being as I was actually his girlfriend.

It felt weird to think about that. He was my boyfriend. There was nothing else I wanted in life.

"Would you want to come over to my place sometime this week after my shift? I have something for you." he asked. "I could pick you up too on my way home, if you'd like."

"That'd be nice— I can drive though," he'd already done enough for me, and if I was being honest, sometimes a good drive was enough to give myself some mental preparation.

We discussed a day and a general idea of times and such, and then I dreadfully hung up the phone and went to sleep. Most of my weariness was gone, replaced with an overwhelming feeling of happiness and disbelief. Something about how he'd asked me the big question had made me feel so special, so important to him. It made me feel like maybe I was worth loving despite what I'd believed for a lot of my life.

I slept with the sun still setting yet and a linen blanket draped across my body. Sleeping alone didn't top sleeping in someone's arms, but I still had a peaceful slumber with reminiscing dreams. I hoped that one day soon I'd live with Serj and I could have the comfort and pleasure of falling asleep next to someone every night, but for now I'd have to settle for thoughts of him.