Chapter Text
He knew this was a bad idea. He hid under the pretense of not wanting to be in Holly's hair but the reality was that seeing her in the domesticity of her own space, seeing her so comfortable and vulnerable is going to wreck him. He tried to hide his attraction towards his assistant coach at school seeing as it was a strict workspace and Marvyn knew better than to assume Holly would try to stain her reputation of professionalism but here, in her home, with no eyes on them, out of their tracksuits and without their whistles, he knew he wouldn't be able to hide anything from Holly for long.
As they cross Holly's threshold he hears his daughter ask about the bedrooms. Yes, bedrooms.
" Emma you can take the guest bedroom upstairs." Holly says pointing at the stairs on the left and he sees his daughter sprint off.
"Where will I sleep?" Marvyn asks looking around Holly's house, feeling like he's intruding.
"Well you can take the couch."
"The couch? You're making me sleep on the couch Holly?"
"I'm sorry Marvyn but I have a teacher's salary what did you expect? It's only available place besides my bed" Holly throws nonchalantly but at the mention of Holly's bed Marvyn goes rigid.
He can't let himself entertain the idea of her bedroom and especially not her bed. He can't bear the thought of possibly seeing Holly in her sacred space. A space where she rests, sleeps and oh god, changes. The mere thought of the woman in front of him undressing makes him feel like he can't breathe.
"I can't sleep here though, do you want to kill my back?" Marvyn says gesturing at the barely pulling-out couch.
"I know damn well I'm not going to sleep in here, so it's either this or the floor, your call Korn" she says leaning on her kitchen island.
"Why can't I share with you?" he blurts.
"Share what?" Holly tilts her head to the side looking quizzically at Marvyn.
"The bed"
And he swears for a second he thought her eyes are going to pop out of her sockets. She looks almost animated with her jaw hanging open and her bambi eyes shooting daggers at him.
"No." she simply states turning her back to him to open a fridge.
"Why not? I don't want to sleep here, you don't want to sleep here, you're an adult, I'm an adult and this is only for one night anyways so what's the issue?" this might be his dumbest idea yet.
"Marvyn." her back still facing him.
"Holly." he says softly. "Unless, of course you know you can't resist my charm and you're scared you'll jump me. Which is completely valid, by the way." is this how reverse psychology works? he wonders.
"Oh please, as if." she finally faces him again and he swears he sees the faintest tint of blush in her cheeks. "Fine" she says after a beat, locking eyes with him. "But behave, Marvyn." she rolls her eyes at him and he just chuckles.
He'd say he minds her being annoyed at him but having her be annoyed is better than not having her at all.
They head upstairs, making their way past Emma's temporary room. He peeks in only to see his daughter knocked out cold. Bag still untouched, her regular clothes on and the only sounds carrying in the room are her soft snores. He smiles and closes the door, following his coworker.
They finally reach her bedroom door and Marvyn feels his hard beating out of his chest. It's just a bedroom , he tells himself, but deep down he knew it's not just a bedroom, it's Holly's bedroom. And that somehow made it even worse.
"Sorry for the mess, I didn't expect visitors." Holly says while pushing the door open.
"Well I didn't think the city would be ending so it's quite alright." he sets his bag on the floor, near the dresser. He looks around and can't help but think this is so...her. This room exudes exactly the same energy his colleague does. And he loves it. Although the scent of her all over the room is a bit overwhelming and he feels it slowly clouding his common senses.
"I'm sure you want to shower so I got you some clean towels and the bathroom is down the hall" he hears Holly say behind him and when he turns to her she's smiling up at him. Seeing her without her heels, which makes her several inches shorter than him with her big, blue eyes looking up on him is an image he won't be able to erase from him mind for months to come. So while he still has some sort of control over his actions, he leaves her bedroom, following her directions to the bathroom.
He took his time in the shower, trying to wash off the scent of the grass, dust and fire off of him. And as he was stepping out, he realized he has to go face Holly. His co-worker, his colleague, his Holly. He dries himself off, puts on his pyjamas and looks into the mirror as a way of regaining his confidence.
He makes his way out of the bathroom and goes back into the bedroom. Marvyn softly turns the knob and enters the room. He doesn't notice Holly at first so he slowly closes the door with a soft click and looks around for the woman.
Once he spots her, she's already deep under her covers. Occupying right side of her queen sized bed, with her blonde hair sprawled all over the pillow she looks like a vision. Marvyn takes a deep breath, forcing himself to make way towards the bed. He slips in as quietly as he can not to startle Holly. He lies on his back listening to Holly's steady breaths. Marvyn doesn't even register the moment his eyes start to fall as all his senses are overpowered with her. He's seeing, feeling and breathing only Holly.