Chapter Text
Damian Desmond wasn’t quite sure how he ended up being roommates with Anya Forger for two and a half weeks, but he thought it went something like this:
Damian was in one of his summer houses about a half-hour away from civilization, just basking in the air conditioning. It was peaceful, quiet. He drove up alone to enjoy the beachfront and to have time to himself for leisure reading, or really whatever he felt was most relaxing in the moment. The summer house was a nice interlude for Damian.
Until the phone rang.
He was confused for a moment. Very few people knew that he came up and even fewer knew the number of this landline. Damian gave into his curiosity and answered it.
On the other line was a frantic Anya.
“Hello? Damian? Oh! Thank God you answered! I know you’re away, enjoying your alone time, but I really need your help! I just- can you pick me up? Please? I need a place to stay for a while-”
“Anya, Anya, slow down. What happened?”
He heard a long sigh on the other end and the sound of clinking change.
“Hang on, are you in a phone booth? Where are you?”
“Yes Damian, I’m in a phone booth,” her annoyance was palpable, "Unfortunately my little brother caught fucking Hand Foot and Mouth so now my entire family is showing symptoms and I cannot risk catching it. You remember what happened last time I got sick, right? Not to mention, a fever in this weather? I think I’d rather kill myself.”
Damian vividly remembered Anya’s last illness. It was in freshman year and all was as you’d expect. She was out for a day, no biggie. Until it was two days, then two turned into four, and four turned into fourteen. When Anya came back to school after two weeks, there was a bit of an uproar. Everyone thought something crazy happened and rumors flew. Some said she’d been kidnapped and held for ransom, others said that she must’ve been on some secret investigation and had gotten arrested by the secret police.
Anya never set it straight to everyone, but Damian did ask her what happened and had gotten the truth. All she had was the common cold, but she talked about it like it was the black plague. Apparently she’d had a 104 fever for a few days straight and had to take an ice bath when it wasn’t breaking. Then she said that she’d had nonstop chills, a splitting migraine, and so much phlegm that she could barely talk. Damian doubted it at first, but he knew her parents would never let her miss that much school if she didn’t need to. Anya was in academic hell for the next month after missing three tests and two new units in different classes.
Once Damian asked her why she was so affected. Anya had said that she must’ve had an autoimmune disease or something, but she never went to the doctor’s to actually check it out. Damian thought it was stupid that she never consulted someone about it and told her so, but she just shrugged him off.
Damian sighed into the receiver, “Where are you right now?”
He could hear her smile through the phone, “I’m right in front of the bookstore on 23rd! I’ll wait inside for you.”
“Okay, I’ll be there in thirty.”
—
The car ride was quiet for the first few minutes.
Domain hazarded a glance over to the passenger seat. Anya was staring out the window and basking in the chill of the car’s AC, sitting with shoes kicked off and her legs crossed on the seat. The phone booth must’ve been hot. He thought for a minute. It had been a few years since they had a summer this hot. He had a distinct memory of it.
It was the last month of the year at Eden, just after finals, when Damian had his best and worst idea yet. To celebrate the end of the school year he decided to bring everyone to Stella Lake and enjoy the cool water. Everyone, meaning Ewen, Emile, Becky, and of course, Anya.
Damian usually prided himself on forethought, but he didn’t consider everything. So, when Anya arrived in her own bathing suit rather than the school issued one, Damian nearly had a nervous breakdown. Now, by no means was it raunchy or too revealing, they were only in seventh or eight grade, but it still shocked Damian to his core. He vividly remembered the way she looked in that yellow tankini.
“So, Anya, did you pack anything or are we winging it?”
“I mean,” she turned the AC down to hear him a bit better, “I brought a few things but nothing crazy. Tooth-brush, a few changes of clothes, and a bathing suit. Just in case.”
He tried not to get too hung up on the bathing suit.
“Is that all? How long are you planning to stay?”
“Oh, just until everyone is better. Mama and Papa said they’d call once they’re sure the coast is clear. It shouldn’t take more than two weeks or so.”
“Can I ask why you didn’t call Blackbell?”
“She’s away, remember? I think she’s in France right now.”
“Oh, of course.”
Domain swallowed. He wasn’t sure he’d make it two weeks living with Anya. It wasn’t that she was messy, or lazy. Damian just wasn’t sure he could trust himself not to do anything dumb in front of her, knowing about his long-time crush and all. It had been a while since Damian accepted his feelings for Anya that he’d harbored for the better part of… his entire life? He wasn’t sure if “crush” was a strong enough word, but he didn’t have the courage to call it love just yet.
“Damian, what is there to do in your summer house?”
“Well, there are tons of books there, though I’m not sure you’d be interested in any. We do have a TV, but I don’t think we pay for cable since we don’t use this house very often. We might have a working radio though?”
Anya looked at him in horror.
“I- ummm. There’s also a fireplace, I’m sure we have wood. We could probably roast marshmallows or something. We could probably do that outside too, I think we have a firepit. There’s also a private stretch of beach.”
“Hmm. That’s cool, no pool though?” she asked, tilting her head.
The nerve! A beach wasn’t enough for her? “Uh, no. But there is a Jacuzzi, I can heat it up when we get there.”
She gave him this weird little smile, not a smirk entirely, but it definitely didn’t seem genuine. “Well, then. I’m sure we’ll have a lot to do.”
—
Damian pulled into the driveway and reached into his pocket, “Here are the keys, let yourself in and claim a bedroom or something. I’ll bring your stuff in.”
He walked around to the back of the trunk and stared at her “luggage.” All she brought was a tiny duffel bag. This was meant to last her two weeks? Damian decided not to think about it too hard otherwise it might give him a headache.
It wasn’t hard to find where she had run off to, honestly this house was much smaller compared to some of his family’s others. She was strewn out face-down across the bed, giggling.
“Haha! The sheets are so cool!” She made a snow-angel in the duvet.
Damian smiled to himself.
“Here’s your bag, unpack as you see fit. I’ll probably stay in the bedroom across the hall, and the bathroom is at the end of the hall when you need it.”
With that he left, not wanting to seem overbearing. Damian thought about what to do for a moment, but decided on making some lemonade. Anya seemed to overheat easily, it would be refreshing for both of them. As he squeezed the lemons, his mind wandered. He’d probably have to see Anya in a bathing suit at some point. He knew she’d want to swim, maybe he should get the shock over with sooner. Damian decided that early exposure would be the best course of action.
Once the drink was done he quickly ran upstairs and got into his own swimsuit. He knocked on Anya’s door.
“Hey, I’m gonna head down to the beach. I made lemonade too. Do you wanna come with?”
She sat on the bed, massaging the space between her brow with the back of her thumb, but smiled as he spoke.
“Yes! I’ll get changed and meet you outside!”
Damian paused for a minute before leaving.
“Are you alright?”
Anya paused her rubbing, “Oh! Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just a habit I picked up from Papa, I think.”
“Oh okay,” Damian laughed, “Bring a towel, I’ll meet you at the beach.”
—
Damian thought he was ready to see Anya in a swim suit, he wasn’t. To be perfectly honest, he expected the same yellow tankini, but of course he could never predict her.
She arrived in a blue two-piece with a halter top and tie bottoms. Damian felt his face heat as he stared at her. It fit her well, she looked- he tried to school his thoughts. He refused to think anything lewd about his friend. He couldn’t let himself go there, he just couldn’t.
“Do… Do you need help? With… sunscreen?” He offered, though he secretly hoped she declined.
“Yeah! Sure, if you're offering,” she chirped, bearing him her back.
Damian reached into the beach bag and willed his hands not to shake, it was fine. This was fine. This is what normal friends do. He watched as she pulled her hair to the side, revealing the full view of her shoulders. Damian didn’t notice the dimples at the base of her spine, he didn’t. In fact he was sure he blacked out entirely as he gave her a once-over with the spray.
Thankfully, she didn’t seem to expect him to rub it in. It was over, Damian could breathe.
“Thank you! Now I’ll do you!”
Fuck.
—
Somehow Damian survived with his dignity intact.
Originally Damian only planned to lie on the beach and bask in the sun, but Anya seemed to have other plans. Very quickly she broke down his walls and convinced him to join her in the water. It was fun, he’d admit. Though Damain was sure he’d swallowed at least six mouthfuls of salt water. Soon enough the sun began to set, taking some of the heat with it.
“We should dry off,” Damian suggested.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Anya said, seemingly quiet. She must’ve been tired after such a long day.
“We can roast hotdogs on the fire and use the hot tub after, does that sound good?”
“Yeah! That’s cool. We should- we should do that,” she tried to sound enthusiastic but it came across as too mellow.
Damian shot her a look and it was clear she noticed.
“Ah, sorry. I’m just tired is all, let's start the fire.”
Starting the fire took longer than Damian would like to admit, but it was lit. That was all that really mattered. They roasted the hotdogs mostly in silence, Damian tried to small talk, but Anya didn’t seem too interested. He began to worry. What’s wrong with her? Did she notice him acting weird? Oh God. She didn’t realize that he liked her, did she? Fuck. How was he gonna make it through two more weeks of this.
But Anya was a woman of her word. And soon they were in the hot tub. It was meant to be relaxing, but Damian couldn’t find it in him to be tranquil. Not with Anya’s cheeks so flushed across from him, it wasn’t until she started panting that he said something.
“Anya, you’ve been acting weird all day. Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Huh? Yeah… I- I need to get out I think.”
“Yeah, of course!” Quickly, he helped her over the edge and back onto the patio. But he was hesitant to let go of her completely.
Finally, she started talking, “I just… I started getting a headache earlier. It really wasn’t that bad at first. But I think… with the heat… and… I don’t know. But fuck it really hurts now,” she gave a breathy laugh, but winced at the motion.
“Shit Anya, why didn’t you say anything?”
He started walking her inside.
“I don’t know,” she shaded her eyes from the light as they stepped through the door, “It really wasn’t that bad. I could deal with it…”
Damian sighed, “Is there anything I can do?”
“Mmh, not really. I’ll just get changed and sleep it off, that’s the only thing that really works for me.”
He watched as she entered her room to change, but made sure to stand outside the door. Just in case something happened. Damian knew that she got headaches fairly often, but none of them ever seemed this bad. He couldn’t help but feel bad. If he’d known then he wouldn’t have invited her to sit in the heat. Maybe if Damian just noticed sooner then he could’ve helped in some way.
Eventually he heard the light flick off and that was it.
Damian quickly changed himself and headed to bed. Hopefully she'll feel better tomorrow.
—
It was still dark out when Damian woke up. He was confused by the sound of hurried footsteps and the faint light sneaking under his door. And then… coughing? Or…
Damian rushed out of bed to knock on the bathroom door.
“Anya? Are you okay?”
When he didn’t hear a response he pushed the door open. His heart hurt at the sight. Anya was sitting on the floor, hunched over the toilet bowl. Damian watched her let spit hang from her mouth as she fought not to gag. It wasn’t long before her stomach seized and she threw up again.
Damian quickly ran over and gathered her hair out of her face.
“Shh shhh, it’s okay. It’s gonna be okay, Anya,” he rubbed her back as the coughing died down.
Soon she put the lid down and flushed the evidence of her sick away. Anya crossed her arms over the bowl and stared up at him with watery eyes.
“All done?” She nodded, “Okay, stay here and I’ll grab you a glass of water to rinse your mouth out with.”
Damian made it back in record time, giving the glass to Anya. They both sat on the cold tiled floor as she took small sips from it.
She let out a shaky breath before speaking, “...Sorry I woke you up,” she rubbed at her face.
“Don’t apologize for that. How do you feel?”
“Well…” she hummed, “I think my stomach is fine. My head still hurts a little, but it’s much better than before.”
“Okay… That’s good. Do you wanna go back to bed?”
“Yeah…” they both stood, but Anya paused for a moment, “I- this is gonna sound weird… But… Do you think I could stay with you? I just- I don’t wanna be alone right now,” She stared at her feet.
Together they slowly walked to his bedroom. Damian wanted to think about the fact that they would be sharing a bed, but he just couldn’t bring himself to care right now. He could see how distraught she was, he would do anything to make her feel better.
It wasn’t long before he helped her lay down, even though he knew she could probably do it by herself. Damian took it upon himself to lay as far away from her as possible, he didn’t want to cramp her. But it seemed she had other plans. Damian blinked and Anya was sidled up beside him.
“G’night…” she whispered, resting her head on his shoulder.
—
Damian didn’t remember falling asleep, but he woke up to warmth and the sun streaming in through the windows.
He sighed contentedly before registering a weight on his chest. Damian looked down. At some point during the night they both must’ve gotten cold or something and latched onto each other. Anya laid there with her head on his chest and arms hugging his torso. Damian couldn’t place all the blame on her though, he realized that his arms were circled around her back as well. He laid there for a moment and basked in the comfort of it all. It would be great to wake up like this everyday–to wake up to her.
Eventually she stirred, looking around the room, and smiling up at him.
“Good morning,” she greeted softly.
Maybe two weeks wouldn’t be long enough after all.