Bright Red Fury

Mother Nature is a bitch.

Now I may or may not be saying that because of my insanely hot and cold hormones, but still, Mother Nature is a bitch.

She also loves to make her appearance at the worst of times. Tonight, Stone was supposed to be taking me out on a date, but instead I'm locked up in my apartment, curled up in a ball of self-pity.

I'm sure my possessive giant is loosing his mind at this very moment, as the only ounce of energy I have managed to muster up is that of answering his constant messages.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't want my warm cuddly ogre here with me, because I do. But the heavy snow has caused the local council to close all roads leading into and around our town, so for now I'm left to waddle around like a penguin on my own.

I tried to put The Addams Family on a couple of minutes ago, but I just cried at all of the scenes with Lurch, because mine wasn't here with me.

The Addams Family ringtone of my phone had never felt so relieving, I pick up the phone instantly, eager to speak with my crazy giant.

"Ella." The grumbly voice grumbles. "Baby, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Lurch." I lie. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"

There's a deadly silence on the over end, I cannot even hear my boyfriends gravelly breaths, or even any hint that he is still on the line.

Stone's murderous voice presents itself as he suddenly demands to know, "You have been crying. Tell me why you have been crying."

"I so have not." I squeak out whilst playing with a strand of my bright green hair before mumbling out the most pathetic excuse for his expert behaviour. "Your ears must be blocked from all of that surfing that you are doing."

"Ella." He barks out.

A sudden wave of emotion crashes over me that I am unable to control and that I do not mean, "Don't shout at me, Lurch! I've had a really bad day."

The silence returns, though his heavy breaths are more than present now. The grumbling giant sounds distraught as he mumbles profanities beneath his breath, and I instantly feel upset again.

"Ella, baby." He utters out so softly, that I almost mistake it for someone else, "I am so sorry."

"It is okay," I sniffle, "I just miss you."

"I miss you too, Medusa. So much." He says with a gruff sigh. "But there is something else, I can tell."

I smile, rolling my eyes. "You're such an expert, it's scary."

"I am an Ella expert." He states proudly, and I can practically see how his chest is puffed out. "Now tell me what is wrong."

I look around my room for any inspiration as to what I can make up to tell the persuasive man on the end of the line.

My eyes land on the large pile of books pushed into the corner, "I...thought that I lost my copy of The Tell-Tale Heart." I swallow down the lie, "That's all."

"Ella." The deep, raspy voice grits out, obviously not believing me.

"Anyway," I sigh, changing the subject as I look up to the ceiling, "how was your day? It's snowing, did you see? Have you made any snowmen ye—?"

"Ella." He repeats again, cutting off my nervous rambling, "I am coming over."

"But the roads are closed!" My still-raspy voice exclaims, breaking slightly. "And it is cold, and—"

The determined voice returns once again, "I am coming over. Do you need anything?"

I sigh, biting my lip as another pang of pain spreads across my lower stomach. I'm really craving chocolate right now, but I don't want to seem too greedy.

I chew on my nail whilst mumbling sheepishly, "I'm just like a little hungry. But you don't need to get me anything! I have food in the fridge and that new takeout just opened down th—"

"I will bring food." My giant boyfriend says, his tone very clearly amused.

"Thank you." I sigh, smiling like a giddy little twelve-year-old.

"Always. I love you."

"I love you, too, I guess." I tease, "Now get your ass over here, and don't forget to wear your snow boots."

His deep, husky laugh sends shivers all over my body, casting an instant blush over my cheeks. And, after several minutes of trying to persuade him, he finally hangs up.

I bite my cheek to stop myself from squealing with excitement, a sudden energy blooming within me at the thought of Stone being here.

I'm instantly reminded of why I had been avoiding the six-foot-seven giant when a harsh pain shoots from my stomach all the way to my knees, sending waves of pain all across my body.

Whimpering at the monthly reality of being a freaking woman, I bury my face into the pillow of my couch, punching the fabric above my head with both of my fists.

I angrily grab my hot water bottle from my side table, groaning when my fingers come into contact with the cold material of the five-hour-old soother. I watch with one eye open when I throw it onto the floor, sighing when I realise that I'll have to now crouch down to pick it up.

I decide to leave it, instead picking up my laptop to jot down some more paragraphs for my incomplete book.

Around ten minutes later, the sound of my door opening and closing catches my attention in the back of my mind. But I'm so engrossed in writing that I don't even call out where I am to the man who had somehow managed to get here in record time.

I feel his presence the second that he enters my room. Typing the last couple of words onto my screen, I close my laptop, centring my attention onto the giant human stood in my doorway.

His large frame manages to make my doorframe look incredibly minuscule, his strong biceps strain against the long sleeved shirt that he is wearing as both of his arms fold across his chest.

The left side of his body is leaning against the wooden frame, his head dipped down so that it does not bash against the top of the door that is not far off from the ceiling.

He's scowling, of course, and I just know that it is because I haven't told him why I have been crying. I'm torturing him, I know that, but I'm too shy to tell my possessive boyfriend the truth.

The sight of his huge, muscly body has me wanting to jump his bones yet also snuggle into him and never leave all at the same time. He manages to do that effortlessly every day without fail—make me feel as though I am in a never-ending cycle of lust.

"Hey, Lurch." I smile from my curled up ball as I lounge on my bed.

"Hey, Medusa." His raspy voice utters back, his lip twitching up into a small, cute smirk.

He pushes off the doorframe, striding over to me with determined steps as his eyes never once falter from me. He stops right by my side, crouching down so that he is closer to my face as I lie beneath a mountain of pillows and blankets.

He presses a soft kiss to my forehead, then to each cheek, my nose, and finally my lips. My cheeks burn at the greeting, and I bring the blankets up so that the lower half of my face is not visible to him.

The big grumpy giant chuckles at my actions, instantly brining his free, skull-covered hand to the layers of material, tugging them down so that he can see me once again. I giggle, making him smile down at me as he runs his other hand through my bright green hair.

"What'ya got there, Lurch?" I query, peering down to the filled bag in his hand.

He silently hands over the bag and I take it instantly, eager to see why it is so heavy. Inside is all of my favourite things; gummy bears, chocolate, potato chips, and more gummy bears.

"I didn't know what else to get, that's all they really had at the store down the roa—"

"Get here, you big Lurch."

He instantly accepts my offer, climbing into my bed. The frame creaks dramatically under his weight, but neither of us care as he cradles me close to his chest.

He buries his face into my hair as I bury mine into his neck, the both of us basking in the incomparable warmth of one another.

"Tell me what is wrong, Ella, or so help me god I will do whatever it takes to find out myself." He grits out, and I laugh into his burly chest at his determined antics.

I sigh against him, not meeting his eyes as I whisper, "It's...like...kinda the time of the month."

Even though my words where deliberately a whisper, I still feel the way his tense body instantly relaxes, as though a world had been pushed off his shoulders. He'd clearly heard me, which I had no doubt that he would.

"Do you need anything?" The big softie utters gently, running his large calloused hand over my stomach, instantly relieving the dull pain beginning to grow.

"Just keep holding me, please." I sigh into him, not asking for him to open the packets of snacks, since I don't want to seem too greedy.

"Always." He mutters into my hair.

He must catch onto me eyeing the mound of snacks, because his free hand reaches over to them, opening each of them one by one.

"I cannot believe you painted my room green." I mumble in disbelief, looking around my vibrant room that the gruff man below me had managed to paint without a single flaw. "I think that you should be a house painter or something, Lurch, maybe that is what you are destined to do."

His hard chest vibrates with a deep chuckle, sending tingles over every inch of my body. I laugh with him, shimmying around until my chin rests against the his upper abdomen and so that I am peering up at him.

A whimper escapes me when a stabbing pain erupts across my hips and stomach. Stone tenses up instantly, soothingly running one hand across my bare skin and the other through my hair despite his obviously distressed state.

"Ella, baby." He says, as though the words physically pain him to say. "Please tell me how can I help."

His face has paled and his expression is nothing short of distraught. He looks like he's about to be sick, though he remains holding me tight to him.

"My hot water bottle." I wince into him. "It's on the floor but it's cold."

He's already standing up before I have even finished my sentence. As he returns from picking up the bottle, he pauses when I grasp his hand in mine.

"Don't leave me, please." I sigh, my tears spilling over at the seemingly never-ending cramp.

I'm in his arms before I can speak another word. I cuddle into him like a possessive koala, gripping onto him and never wanting to let go.

"Never." He grumbles into my hair, walking into my kitchen with me attached to his warm body.

His breaths are ragged as small sobs and whimpers leave me and the material of his shirt becomes damp beneath my tears. It hurts so much, I'm not sure my legs will work or even if I have the energy to see if they will.

I had never felt so cared for or so seen in my entire life, not until I met Stone. I watch as he skilfully manoeuvres around the kitchen, filling up the bright blue hot water bottle with me attached to him like a little toddler.

"Thank you." I sniffle into him as he finishes screwing the cap back on and wrapping a towel around it.

"Never thank me for anything, Ella." He grumbles out as he carries me back to my green-walled bedroom. "I would do anything for you."

"I know." I say as I lay back on the bed, cuddling into his chest once he has placed the covered blue bottle right on the place that I need it most and made sure that it securely held by him. "You're such a good person, Stone."

My eyes well with tears once again, my emotions changing faster than my brain is capable of processing them. He tenses up again, cradling me tight to his chest whilst repeatedly kissing the top of my head.

"Please don't cry, Medusa baby." He says with a gruff sigh. "It is killing me."

"God, I'm such a mess." I say, watching as he moves a piece of my l hair that had stuck to my wet cheek.

"You're beautiful." He frowns, his words firm as his dark eyes focus on me. "You are always beautiful."

I point my finger into his chest playfully, "So are you, you big Lurch."

His cheeks tinge a dark shade of pink, the same shade that mine are whenever he is near. He gulps, smirking down at me as I look up at him through my lashes.

We talk for around half an hour about nothing and everything. Stone is incredibly sweet whenever Mother Nature decides to bless me with her devilish acts, holding me close to him and hushing me through the pain.

I manage to eat more than half of what Stone had brought me. I stuff my face with the chocolates, gummy bears and chips until I cannot possibly eat anything more.

I had been drifting off to sleep for the past ten minutes, though I am absolutely determined not to fall asleep even though Stone is trying everything to get me to so that I can take a break.

"Hey Lurch?" I ask him, my eyes closed and my voice barely a whisper.

I can hear the amusement in his tone as he utters back, "Yes, Medusa?"

"Wanna build a snowman?" I grin, my eyes growing heavier and heavier by the second.

His chest rumbles with a chuckle beneath me. "Whatever you want, baby."

"I have an idea." I say, basking in the feeling of his arms wrapped around me. "I will make a snowman Valentine Stone, and you can make a snowoman version of me."

"That sounds perfect." He kisses my forehead softly. "Though it will not take me long, and it might be too small for anyone to see."

"I am not that small!" I exclaim, though my voice cracks and the squeakiness of my tone.

"Sure you are not." He says, a smirk more than evident in his tone.

"Oh my goodness." I suddenly shriek, opening my eyes and perching against his stomach so that I am looking down at him. "Tonight was our date night, Stone! I am so sorry!"

He shakes his head at my antics with a small smile alongside a frown of disbelief. His large hands come up to my cheeks, cupping my face into his gentle grasp.

I lean into his warm tattooed hands, "Do not worry, baby." He tells me firmly. "As long as I'm with you I do not care where we are."

"I will make it up to you." I point a finger at him determinedly as I mimic his scowl. "I promise."

A small chuckle leaves him as he brings me back down to lay against his chest. I instantly snuggle into the huge cuddly giant, my fatigue overpowering my ability to stay awake.

"Go to sleep, Ella." He whispers. "I am right here. Not going anywhere."

I whisper a small 'okay', lacing my fingers through his as I at last allow for my eyes to close and for the urge to sleep to consume me.

"I love you, Stone." I whisper to him.

"I love you too, Ella. So fucking much." I hear just as I am seconds away from entering dreamworld.

His heartbeat lulls me to sleep, that and the knowledge that he is here with me. My Stone, my everything, my Lurch.

———a/n Heyy you guys!!

I've tried to write this chapter so many times, but always cringe whenever his responses would be too cheesy. So although this may not be what you were expecting, just know that the typical period chapters aren't my personal style of writing!

I hope you guys are all okay!! <33