Chapter Text
It’s a very early morning in Seattle’s Pike place market neighborhood when a black Jeep rolling down the quiet streets suddenly slows. Its indicators blink a regular orange, signaling a turn and change in the cruising speed as the car parks on the side of the road.
Under the pouring rain, the Jeep’s driver turns off the ignition but there is no trace of movement from inside the vehicle.
Maya Bishop sighs in relief at making it in one piece through the Seattle downpour, followed by a gigantic yawn forcing its way out of her mouth.
The blonde woman rubs tiredly at her eyes and cheeks, willing herself to wake up.
Except she is exhausted and the pouring rain outside makes her want to curl up under warm sheets and nap the day away. Which is weird because Maya doesn’t nap. She sleeps good hours at night and that’s it. Except right now, her body and her mind both work in tandem, convincing her to stay and rest.
So, she taps her cheeks, fighting off another yawn and blinking rapidly.
Her eyes fall to her right and she smiles at the sight of a brunette woman, passed out with her head lolling around, mouth wide open and hair in complete disarray.
Carina DeLuca is, simply put, adorable.
The sight of her woman gives Maya some of her strength and motivation back.
Impulsively, Maya wants to carry the brunette up and inside the apartment, tuck her safely in bed and come back down to take care of suitcases and everything.
Except realistically, the rain is coming down hard and heavy, like blankets of never-ending water and Maya knows none of her plan is doable. Plus, she also has a sleeping boy strapped into his car seat in the back.
Maya adjusts her rear-view mirror to look at Matteo, who sprawls into his seat, innocent and uncaring, his chest moving slowly with his even, slow breaths as he sleeps.
A ten-hour plane ride really takes it out of you, Maya supposes.
The blonde decides she could carry Matteo up and come back for Carina and then the suitcases before frowning to herself. She’s good and strong but that is borderline, even for her. Plus, it really is raining buckets.
The blonde settles for waking up the other adult in the car. She runs her fingers through Carina’s wavy brown hair, her golden highlights seeming to shine even through the gloomy weather as Maya tucks a strand neatly behind a cute ear.
Carina’s eyelashes flutter and she wrinkles her nose as she wakes up slowly. Maya gently strokes Carina’s cheek with the backs of her fingers and the brunette’s bleary eyes snap open. She straightens up, running a weary hand down her face.
“Good morning sleepy head” Maya whispers, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
Carina only hums, swallowing through a dry throat. She was always exceptionally thirsty when and right after she traveled and she wishes she knew where she put the bag with the spare water bottle she always carries with her.
The thought prompts her to look around and she startles, eyes widening when she notices they are parked on the side of the road, having obviously reached their final destination.
“We’re here, already” she rasps, frowning at the pouring rain she sees splatter on the car’s windshield, greatly reducing visibility all around them.
“Yep” Maya answers, popping the p. “I drove slowly because of the rain but you guys passed out pretty early on once we hit the highway” she explains, pointing a thumb towards the backseat.
Carina’s head follows the movement and she realizes she and her son aren’t good road trip partners, what with both of them passing out ten minutes into a fourty-minute car journey from the airport to their rented Airbnb in downtown Seattle.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep” Carina apologizes but Maya cuts her off.
“No, don’t apologize, you’re exhausted” Maya waves it away.
“Yeah but so are you” Carina swivels in her seat, bringing a hand up to cup Maya’s cheek. The blonde leans into the touch, her eyes closing of their own accord. “Thank you for getting us here bambina” she whispers, planting a soft kiss to Maya’s cheek which is promptly followed by a pronounced yawn from the blonde.
Carina snickers before looking around, the smile dropping from her face.
Maya knows what she’s thinking and speaks up.
“We could just wait out the rain in the car if you want” she offers, while Carina looks out through the window, taking note of the street number. At least they are right in front of their place.
She turns back around and looks at Maya’s tired eyes, the bright blue irises sporting accompanying dark circles and decides on the spot, clapping her hands.
“No, we need to get in there and get some sleep. They said the key is under the mat so I’ll just go unlock the door, survey the place and you can bring Matteo in, hopefully not get him too wet so he won’t wake up but he sleeps like the dead so you should be good. Then, we’ll just unload the car as quickly as possible.”
“Are you sure?” Maya checks.
She knows it’s a lot to ask a still sleepy Carina but the brunette nods quickly and emphatically, obviously psyching herself up for the task.
“Yes, let’s do this and not sleep in the car, because I don’t think this rain is going away anytime soon.”
“Alright. There’s an umbrella somewhere in the back seat” Maya says as she stretches from her driver’s seat and squirms, blindly feeling around the footwell in the back for the umbrella she stores there. The blonde makes a fist on the steering wheel with her opposite hand as her fingers finally encounter a soft, water-resistant fabric and she pulls out the long-handled umbrella.
Carina gives her a sleepy, toothy smile before gratefully taking the umbrella and stepping out of the car. “I’m just gonna check inside quick before bringing him in, I’ll wave at you!” she quips, opening the umbrella and standing up on the curb, her back to Maya.
The brunette quickly skips up the wet stairs.
She shoves the welcoming mat aside and locates the small key underneath before unlocking the front door and stepping inside the apartment.
The entrance opens into the living room which sports a large TV mounted on the wall, a comfortable-looking brown sofa facing it and a grey chair around a large wooden coffee table with a small plant and candle decorating the area.
Carina leaves the door ajar while she steps in, setting down the open umbrella by the door and drying her shoes on the second rug inside the apartment.
She moves into the kitchen, bypassing what looks like welcome chocolates – perks of renting a rather expensive Airbnb – toward the hallway in search of the bedrooms. She gives the master bedroom an appreciative nod before stepping into the smaller room.
Carina is silently glad the place looks like it did on the website and she hurriedly makes her way back outside to start unloading the car, waving to Maya when she steps on the porch.
By the time Carina has made it down the steps with the umbrella, Maya has pulled up her hoody and is walking around the car to the backdoor where Carina meets her.
“Just hold the umbrella over him. I already wrapped him up in his blankie and he didn’t even stir” Maya says, putting her hand on the door handle but not opening it yet.
Carina nods. She adjusts the umbrella accordingly when Maya opens the car door. The blonde’s upper body disappears inside the car for a moment until she reappears carrying what looks like a bundle of blankets.
Carina watches Maya tuck Matteo’s head safely under her chin as she hurries up, making sure to cover them both with the umbrella while Maya tries not to trip and fall up the stairs.
“Hallway after the kitchen, second door on your right. I put the light on.”
Maya follows the instructions, finding the room easily. Once inside, she puts a still-sleeping Matteo down on the bed and holds her breath for a second when the little boy squirms a little, his blonde hair getting tangled in the sheet as he curls up on his side and grabs the blankie in a tight little fist.
Maya takes a moment to look at the little boy’s sleeping face. His nose is scrunched up until it relaxes at the same time as his grip on the blankie and Maya exhales, content she didn’t wake him up by moving him around. Unlike his mother, the now four-year-old is a bundle of energy, running and jumping around approximately three seconds after waking up.
Maya figures Carina will want to rest and recover before anything else. The blonde also remembers Matteo is used to sleeping with an army of stuffed animals and thinks they’ll have to find them soon and get them to him.
For now, she removes his little shoes and makes sure he’s covered properly before slipping out to start unloading the suitcases.
When she reaches outside, she sees Carina has dumped the umbrella and is unloading the trunk. Or trying to. Maya can hear her frustrated Italian grumblings as she jogs down and joins the brunette.
“Why don’t you grab your handbag and the carry-on suitcases” Maya asks lightly, trying to hold in her smirk at Carina’s pouty face which turns into a glare when the brown eyes turn on her and she notices Maya’s barely concealed amusement.
Maya holds her hands up innocently and Carina grumbles to herself again before huffing loudly. “Fine! I’m too tired for this” she grumbles under her breath.
Maya bites her lip - getting to work on the bigger suitcases.
It’s a tedious task but eventually they get it done, the rain having slowed to a light drizzle by the time Maya locks up the front door – sighing with relief – and removes her soaked hoodie.
The blonde sets to out to unzip her fly and wriggle out of her wet jeans when Carina reappears, smirking at the sight.
“Are you trying to turn me on?” Carina asks playfully, winking at her. “Cause it’s working” she answers her own question.
Maya rolls her eyes. “Down DeLuca, you’re too tired for this and we both know it” Maya volleys back.
Carina looks mildly offended, her mouth dropping open and a frown taking residence on her brows. Her immediate intention is to vehemently deny this but she also feels the exhaustion screaming in her bones, her arms aching and her itchy eyes begging to be rubbed.
The brunette huffs, conceding this round. She crosses her arms, closes her eyes and nods sadly in acknowledgment, her bottom lip poking out in a childish pout.
Maya wants to laugh at the look. She nearly does but manages to hold it in, settling for a beaming smile as she takes two quick strides to stand in front of the woman she loves. She puts gentle hands on Carina’s arms and strokes up and down softly, staring at her closed lids and welcoming Carina into her embrace.
They sway together for a moment, just breathing and basking in the warmth, the quiet and the togetherness.
“Is Matteo still sleeping?” Maya asks in a low voice, breaking the comfortable silence.
“Si, I just checked on him. Did you text your mom?”
“I’ll do it now. You know she’ll want to bring food. And we’ll never get rid of her.” Maya moves to her discarded hoodie and pulls out her phone.
Carina snorts out a laugh, following Maya and dropping her head on the blonde’s shoulder from behind. “She wants to help. But maybe in a few hours” the Italian concedes and Maya nods as she composes a text to her mother.
Yeah, her mom texts now. Maya is still getting used to it. It’s not that Katherine didn’t know how to text but well… she just didn’t do it.
“Should we unpack? Or you can do that while I go on a grocery run? Matteo will probably be hungry when he wakes up and what would you like to…” Maya stops because Carina is looking at her like she just grew a second head and started speaking fluent Estonian.
“Noo bambina” Carina’s voice comes out very near a whine and Maya tilts her head in amusement. “We should just get some sleep. We’re both exhausted. The last twenty-four hours have been a lot, for both of us” she says, looking at Maya pointedly. “We’ll just order in when we wake up”
“I mean, we could, but I can run out and get us some stuff.”
“It’s raining Maya, it’s a weather for cuddling in bed and watching movies. We’ll deal with the world later. I just need a moment to… settle” Carina finishes.
“Okay” Maya gives in. Carina is right. They’ve been through a lot. There is so much to do. Maya’s brain helpfully reels it all off and she really wants to start getting it all done.
However, cuddling in bed does sound good also.
Carina sees the wheels turning in Maya’s head, recognizing the blonde’s thought process when there are many tasks presenting themselves. She decides to help tip the scales in her favor.
“We can even get some groceries delivered…” Carina trails off invitingly, voice just a little breathy.
Maya laughs and Carina knows she won that round. She does a little happy dance, taking big jumping steps toward the bedroom and waving her arms around.
Maya shakes her head, enthralled as always by how adorable yet goofy Carina can get. It is one of the many things she loves about her.
For the first time, she takes in the rented apartment the brunette insisted on getting.
It’s a nice place.
Clean and homey but spacious.
There is a nice view of the harbor and Maya is pretty sure she could see the Seattle Great Wheel if she moved to the balcony. It is equipped with lounge chairs and she hopes they’ll take advantage of this later. Carina is right, it would be nice to just… be.
Maya silently moves to the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water from the tap. She stands there in her underwear as she peruses her environment, her eyes travelling from the fluffy-looking living room rug to the colorful art hanging on the walls and finally landing on Carina.
The Italian is opening one of her suitcases and happily pulls out her coffee maker, inspecting it for any bumps and bruises it may have suffered during the trip. She nods to herself when the item is unchanged from when she packed it, before carrying it to the kitchen.
Maya looks at her, raising a singular eyebrow incredulously but not saying a word.
“For later” Carina explains, shrugging innocently. “Sleep and coffee and I’ll be good as new”
“And me” Maya quips.
“And you, off course” Carina says making a playful biting motion at the blonde who only smiles. “Let’s go to bed” she says happily, guiding Maya to the hallway and toward the master bedroom.
After giving the room an appreciative glance, Carina opens a suitcase before jumping into the shower while Maya makes sure all the windows are secured and inspects the area for possible fire hazards.
This is a new place and the blonde always checks over new places she spends any extended time in. She checks it thoroughly.
Once Maya is satisfied with the bedroom Matteo sleeps in, she walks back into the master bedroom, wanting to join Carina in the shower.
Except, the brunette is passed out in bed, very obviously dead to the world.
Maya exhales a quiet laugh and smile at the sight. The Italian’s brown hair is splayed all over the pillow and she wears a blue crop top and navy sleep shorts. One of her long legs is tucked under the duvet while the other lays on top of it.
Carina needs to be warm and buried under all of the blankets to fall asleep so Maya knows she did this so she would not fall asleep, probably because she wanted to wait up for Maya. It warms Maya’s heart and she moves toward the sleeping woman, dropping a soft peck on her forehead and tucking a wayward golden leg under the covers before moving to take a quick solo shower.
When she is clean and dried, Maya joins Carina in bed. Maya moves slowly and tucks herself behind Carina, letting the brunette’s warmth permeate her bones.
There is still much to do. For both of them.
But Maya shakes her head.
Right now, she will just take in the smell of the Italian woman she loves.
The smell of the familiar coconut milk and jasmine body soap filling her nostrils.
The smell of home as she drifts off to sleep.
Finally.