Scott/Emma Fic: "Push Back"
Sep. 6th, 2008 12:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thehappyfangirlWord Count: 1267
Rating: PG-13 (for a few naughty words)
Summary: Nothing is all that simple with this couple, even something as simple as turning off a light. Thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sionnain for the beta! *hugs*
"Will you turn off that damned light?"
Scott looked up from his magazine, noticing the time and the irritated expression on Emma's face simultaneously. "Sorry, honey," he said, flipping the magazine shut and reaching over to turn off the light. "G'night."
He leaned in for a kiss...and drew back when she turned away in a huff. "Everything okay?"
She leaned up on her elbows. "That's it? I snap at you and you just obey?" He could hear the arched eyebrow in her voice, and felt his arch in kind.
"I'm sorry, I thought the light was bothering you." Wasn't that what she wanted?
"It was bothering me, but you were reading. Didn't you want to finish your article?"
"I did, but it's late, and the light was bothering you. It can wait until tomorrow."
"That's precisely what I mean! Why didn't you tell me that you'd be done in a moment?" She pushed herself up to sit, her arm draped over her upraised knee, and he rolled onto his back, pressing the heels of his hands against his closed eyes before letting the lenses drop back into place.
"Emma--"
"What makes my need for sleep more important than what you were doing?"
"You realize you're making no sense at all?" It was too late for this kind of talk, especially now that he was realizing how tired he was. Unlike Emma, it seemed, who now didn't sound sleepy at all.
"Should I use simpler questions, darling? Why do you always do whatever anyone tells you? Why don't you stand up for yourself?"
"Why are you picking a fight when you were ready to go to sleep less than a minute ago?" He sat up with a grunted sigh. Now he was irritated.
"When was the last time you said 'no' to anyone?"
What? "I tell the kids 'no' all the time."
"What about your peers?"
He gritted his teeth; he just wanted to sleep. "Emma, can we not fight about the fact that we don't fight? We deal with enough of this outside the mansion, and I don't want to deal with it in here."
"And that's precisely the problem, Scott." She sounded calmer now, which only raised his mental hackles higher; she always sounded calmer when she knew she had the upper hand. "You never fight in here."
"How the hell is that a problem, Emma? What is wrong with wanting a little peace at home?" He scrubbed his hand through his hair, over his face, already shaking his head.
"It's not peace when it's you - it's self-preservation."
"Okay, that's enough." He looked out the window, not wanting to face that knowing tone even in the dark.
"Have I hit a nerve? You don't think I've met a peacekeeper or two in my life? The ones who fear abandonment so badly they will do anything to keep the social waters smooth?"
"Stop it." His jaw was already starting to ache at the maddening calm in her voice.
"One gentleman at the Hellfire Club let me hang lead sinkers from his--"
"Emma!" He felt the heat race up his neck to his cheeks.
"--all so I would hold and comfort him afterwards and tell him I would never leave him."
He threw the covers back and stood up; he'd had enough of this. He grabbed the pair of sweatpants he'd left next to the bed and headed for the door. He was riled up enough to burn through about an hour of paperwork before he'd sleep now.
The light next to the bed clicked on -- the very one that had been bothering her, he noted --- and her voice reached him as he had his hand on the doorknob. "Don't walk away from this, Scott."
"Or what?" He turned around, jaw clenched and arms folded across his chest. "Or you won't be here in the morning?" Was this really going to happen over a stupid light?
"Because I will. I'm not letting you avoid this any longer." She swung her legs around to sit at the edge of the bed. "Everyone who has noticed this, with one exception, has used it to their advantage, either consciously or co-dependently, and it has to stop."
"Stop what, Emma? Stop being the--"
"--sole voice of reason in a mansion full of mavericks?"
He felt his teeth click as he clenched his jaw again.
And you're practically shouting in here, she sent to him, her gaze unwavering. All full of righteous indignance and 'If I don't, who will?'
"Stop it!" He wanted to throw a lot more at her than the sweatpants he was holding.
"God forbid you give anyone else the responsibility for peacekeeping." She hadn't moved from where she sat, her voice still calm. " You have a team that would follow you to the ends of the earth, but you can't keep people here if they don't want to stay. We don't want them here if they don't want to stay. You know that as well as I do.
"Sometimes people need to leave."
Scott looked away again, swallowing at the twist in his gut that accompanied the idea of anyone leaving.
"I know it hurts, darling, but you've let yourself react to it for too long. It's time to stop reacting and remember that you're not the only one who can keep everyone safe and happy."
Her tone was softer now, but not placating. He kept his gaze focused on the window and the night outside.
"I love you, Scott. I won't ask you to accept all this tonight. But I want you to think about it, because I won't let you do this to us."
Now he looked at her, feeling his brow knit above the glasses. "What?"
She smiled at him. "Push back. When I'm being a shrew, push back." Her chuckle was wry. "I've had enough of being obeyed without question."
Even he could find the humor in that, and he puffed a soft sigh through his nose. The tension was loosening in his shoulders. It was a lot to think about, but it wasn't the first time she'd helped him realize things he didn't know about himself. His own personal, infuriating therapist.
She stroked the sheets next to her. "Come back to bed, darling."
He stayed where he was. "What if I want to finish my article?"
"Now you're just being obstinate, and we've already lost enough sleep over this as it is. Don't try and prove that you've heard me."
He took a deep breath, and another. On the third, he set the sweatpants on the end table again and slid back under the sheets. This time she met him with a kiss and settled back to spoon back against him. "Good night."
He reached up and turned off the light that started the whole thing, smiling against her neck and curving his arm across her belly. And farther.
"Stop that."
"Maybe I'm too keyed up to sleep after all this."
"Scott."
He heard the warning and ignored it. "I thought this was what you wanted," he taunted her gently, letting his hand wander to new places.
"I didn't mean--mmmh!" She squeaked in surprise when he moved atop her and kissed her, smiling against his lips as she pushed at his chest. This is not what I meant, darling.
Since when does your need for sleep come before-- And then he was the one who made a soft, surprised sound.
When they finally fell asleep, Scott let Emma steal the covers, because there were still some things that weren't worth pushing back.
Rating: PG-13 (for a few naughty words)
Summary: Nothing is all that simple with this couple, even something as simple as turning off a light. Thanks to
sionnain for the beta! *hugs*"Will you turn off that damned light?"
Scott looked up from his magazine, noticing the time and the irritated expression on Emma's face simultaneously. "Sorry, honey," he said, flipping the magazine shut and reaching over to turn off the light. "G'night."
He leaned in for a kiss...and drew back when she turned away in a huff. "Everything okay?"
She leaned up on her elbows. "That's it? I snap at you and you just obey?" He could hear the arched eyebrow in her voice, and felt his arch in kind.
"I'm sorry, I thought the light was bothering you." Wasn't that what she wanted?
"It was bothering me, but you were reading. Didn't you want to finish your article?"
"I did, but it's late, and the light was bothering you. It can wait until tomorrow."
"That's precisely what I mean! Why didn't you tell me that you'd be done in a moment?" She pushed herself up to sit, her arm draped over her upraised knee, and he rolled onto his back, pressing the heels of his hands against his closed eyes before letting the lenses drop back into place.
"Emma--"
"What makes my need for sleep more important than what you were doing?"
"You realize you're making no sense at all?" It was too late for this kind of talk, especially now that he was realizing how tired he was. Unlike Emma, it seemed, who now didn't sound sleepy at all.
"Should I use simpler questions, darling? Why do you always do whatever anyone tells you? Why don't you stand up for yourself?"
"Why are you picking a fight when you were ready to go to sleep less than a minute ago?" He sat up with a grunted sigh. Now he was irritated.
"When was the last time you said 'no' to anyone?"
What? "I tell the kids 'no' all the time."
"What about your peers?"
He gritted his teeth; he just wanted to sleep. "Emma, can we not fight about the fact that we don't fight? We deal with enough of this outside the mansion, and I don't want to deal with it in here."
"And that's precisely the problem, Scott." She sounded calmer now, which only raised his mental hackles higher; she always sounded calmer when she knew she had the upper hand. "You never fight in here."
"How the hell is that a problem, Emma? What is wrong with wanting a little peace at home?" He scrubbed his hand through his hair, over his face, already shaking his head.
"It's not peace when it's you - it's self-preservation."
"Okay, that's enough." He looked out the window, not wanting to face that knowing tone even in the dark.
"Have I hit a nerve? You don't think I've met a peacekeeper or two in my life? The ones who fear abandonment so badly they will do anything to keep the social waters smooth?"
"Stop it." His jaw was already starting to ache at the maddening calm in her voice.
"One gentleman at the Hellfire Club let me hang lead sinkers from his--"
"Emma!" He felt the heat race up his neck to his cheeks.
"--all so I would hold and comfort him afterwards and tell him I would never leave him."
He threw the covers back and stood up; he'd had enough of this. He grabbed the pair of sweatpants he'd left next to the bed and headed for the door. He was riled up enough to burn through about an hour of paperwork before he'd sleep now.
The light next to the bed clicked on -- the very one that had been bothering her, he noted --- and her voice reached him as he had his hand on the doorknob. "Don't walk away from this, Scott."
"Or what?" He turned around, jaw clenched and arms folded across his chest. "Or you won't be here in the morning?" Was this really going to happen over a stupid light?
"Because I will. I'm not letting you avoid this any longer." She swung her legs around to sit at the edge of the bed. "Everyone who has noticed this, with one exception, has used it to their advantage, either consciously or co-dependently, and it has to stop."
"Stop what, Emma? Stop being the--"
"--sole voice of reason in a mansion full of mavericks?"
He felt his teeth click as he clenched his jaw again.
And you're practically shouting in here, she sent to him, her gaze unwavering. All full of righteous indignance and 'If I don't, who will?'
"Stop it!" He wanted to throw a lot more at her than the sweatpants he was holding.
"God forbid you give anyone else the responsibility for peacekeeping." She hadn't moved from where she sat, her voice still calm. " You have a team that would follow you to the ends of the earth, but you can't keep people here if they don't want to stay. We don't want them here if they don't want to stay. You know that as well as I do.
"Sometimes people need to leave."
Scott looked away again, swallowing at the twist in his gut that accompanied the idea of anyone leaving.
"I know it hurts, darling, but you've let yourself react to it for too long. It's time to stop reacting and remember that you're not the only one who can keep everyone safe and happy."
Her tone was softer now, but not placating. He kept his gaze focused on the window and the night outside.
"I love you, Scott. I won't ask you to accept all this tonight. But I want you to think about it, because I won't let you do this to us."
Now he looked at her, feeling his brow knit above the glasses. "What?"
She smiled at him. "Push back. When I'm being a shrew, push back." Her chuckle was wry. "I've had enough of being obeyed without question."
Even he could find the humor in that, and he puffed a soft sigh through his nose. The tension was loosening in his shoulders. It was a lot to think about, but it wasn't the first time she'd helped him realize things he didn't know about himself. His own personal, infuriating therapist.
She stroked the sheets next to her. "Come back to bed, darling."
He stayed where he was. "What if I want to finish my article?"
"Now you're just being obstinate, and we've already lost enough sleep over this as it is. Don't try and prove that you've heard me."
He took a deep breath, and another. On the third, he set the sweatpants on the end table again and slid back under the sheets. This time she met him with a kiss and settled back to spoon back against him. "Good night."
He reached up and turned off the light that started the whole thing, smiling against her neck and curving his arm across her belly. And farther.
"Stop that."
"Maybe I'm too keyed up to sleep after all this."
"Scott."
He heard the warning and ignored it. "I thought this was what you wanted," he taunted her gently, letting his hand wander to new places.
"I didn't mean--mmmh!" She squeaked in surprise when he moved atop her and kissed her, smiling against his lips as she pushed at his chest. This is not what I meant, darling.
Since when does your need for sleep come before-- And then he was the one who made a soft, surprised sound.
When they finally fell asleep, Scott let Emma steal the covers, because there were still some things that weren't worth pushing back.
