HOLY SMOKES

seventeen. it's nauseating

Magnolia sat up in bed, her back against the headboard. She smiled a little when Boone shifted towards her and laid his head in her lap, his arms winding around her thighs. She softly pushed the hair from his forehead and he stirred, letting out a soft hum but he didn’t wake up.

She'd been up for a while, just thinking.

The events from the night before were still fresh in her mind. And she knew it could’ve gone so much worse.

They were lucky, so very lucky even if she didn’t feel like it. She just kept replaying it in her head, and every other thought had been just how close she had gotten to losing Boone, and even Tyler.

She spun her ring around her finger, watching as it glinted in the sliver of light beaming in from the slit in the curtains. She wasn’t sure she could handle the stress that came with loving someone who faced tornadoes regularly.

She hated the thought, it was awful. It even left a bad taste in her mouth.

She knew she couldn’t ask him to choose, that wouldn’t be fair. He loved what he did, he loved his crew and he loved storms. She couldn’t ask him to give that up just because she was scared that somewhere down the line he might not come home. But at the same time, she wasn’t sure she could live with the not knowing if he was gonna walk through the door again or not.

But she'd try for him.

That she was sure of.

The soft brush of warm lips on her thigh pulled her out of her head, she looked down as he turned his head and trailed kisses up her exposed legs. When he reached the t-shirt she wore, he simply lifted it up and ducked his head under it as he kissed her stomach, making her giggle as she placed her hands on his head just as he reached her chest.

“Boone.”

Her head rolled to the side and she slumped down a little when he rolled his tongue over her nipple. Her eyes fluttered closed, a soft whine leaving her as he moved to the other nipple and rolled his tongue over the hardened bud and her body shuttered against his.

He left one more kiss right in the center of her chest before he pulled back, moving out from under the shirt he wore. A smirk tugged at his lips when he saw the look on her face. Her lips parted just a little, her eyes hooded, and her cheeks just the faintest pink color.

“G’mornin’.”

“Jerk,” she breathed out, shaking her head a little and he laughed as he leaned in, pressing his lips against hers.

“Looked like you were thinkin’ real hard,” he mused, moving so his body was between her legs, his elbows pressed into the mattress on either side of her. “Whatcha thinkin’ about?”

Her smile faltered a little and she looked down, not meeting his eyes, “just last night.”

His hands moved to her sides, his thumbs moving softly across her skin, “we’re all okay, angel.”

“I know, doesn’t mean it wasn’t scary.” She mumbled, brushing his hair off of his forehead, her eyes focused on the movement of her hand. “For me anyway.”

His brows creased, “you think I wasn’t scared?” She shrugged a little and he took a breath. “I was terrified, angel. It was the scariest day of my life.”

“Really?”

“I coulda lost you,” he leaned up, kissing her cheek. “I was so scared I was gonna watch you…” he trailed off, he couldn’t say it. “Don’t know what’d I do if I lost you.”

Tears brimmed in her eyes, a few falling down her cheeks, and he kissed them away. “What if… what if I can’t do it?”

“Do what, angel?”

“What if…” her voice dropped to a whisper. “-I can’t handle what you do?”

He just looked at her for a moment, processing her words and hoping she didn’t mean what he thought she meant.

She wasn’t asking him to choose, he knew she wouldn’t do such a thing. But it sounded an awful lot like she had made a choice, a choice he didn’t even want to think about. A choice that shouldn’t even be a choice at all.

“You drive into tornadoes, Boone. And I love that about you, and I know how much you love it. But…”

“No, angel, please, no buts.” He pleaded, softly pecking her lips. “Please.”

“But sitting  around and waiting for the day when you don’t come back to me, that's gonna-”

Tears brimmed in his eyes, “Maggie, please. Don’t… don’t, please. I-I’ll quit.”

“No, Boone. I don’t want you to quit.”

“And I can’t lose you, not again. I ain’t lettin’ you walk outta my life again.” He insisted, pulling her tighter against him. “Never shoulda let you leave in the first place. I shoulda begged you to stay or-or I shoulda gone with you. I shoulda done somethin’ other than walk away. An-and if that’s what I gotta do now, I will. I’ll beg. I’ll get on my knees, just please-” he pressed his lips against hers. “Please don’t leave me again.”

“I don’t want to.”

“So don’t.” He brushed his lips against hers again. “Stay with me, please. I’ll do anythin’.”

She nodded, tears flowing down her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around him, deepening the kiss. He got his arms around her and rolled so he was on his back. She straddled his waist, her chest against her hands in his hair as his explored her soft skin under her shirt. She pulled back a little, a mere breath of space between them.

“I’m not lettin’ you quit for me, you love it too much.”

“I love you more.”

“You ain’t quitin’, you hear me?” She brushed her nose against his and he nodded, a smile pulling at his lips. He pulled her back to him, his fingertips playing with the hem of his boxers that sat loosely on her hips. And just as his hand dipped into the band between their bodies, a knock came at the door.

“Y’all awake?” Dani’s voice came through the door, slightly muffled.

“No!” Boone called back, making Magnolia giggle.

“Well, Tyler’s gone!” She told them and they shared a confused look before Magnolia pushed herself up, straightening out her shirt as she made her way towards the door, Boone right behind her as she opened the door.

“What do you mean he’s gone?”

>>>>> • <<<<<

After they had all gotten to the motel the night before, Dexter had pieced together exactly who Kate was. And they all assumed that Tyler had gone after her. Magnolia thought it was sweet, Boone, on the other hand, had been pouting since he heard the news.

He even pouted as he sat next to Magnolia at the dinner down the street, where they had met Kelly for breakfast.

“What’s with him?” Kelly asked, nodding her head in Boone’s direction. He was using his fork to push his pancakes around his plate.

“Ty went after Kate.”

“He coulda at least said goodbye, that’s all I’m sayin’.” He mumbled, making Magnolia smile as she rubbed his back. The action made him smile then he leaned over and kissed her cheek, she giggled as his facial hair tickled her a little. She pushed him away, her smile still wide as she looked over at him.

Kelly smiled at the two, she’d never seen Magnolia smile so wide. She’d never seen her so at ease – which was odd, considering the ordeal they’d been through just the night before. But her smile dropped and her eyes grew wide as she watched Magnolia reach up and tuck some of Boone’s hair back into his bandana, her eyes catching the silver band around her finger.

“Magnolia Beth Carrington,” she reached across the table and grabbed her hand, her eyes wide as she looked at the ring. “What is this?”

“It's a ring.”

Kelly looked from the ring to Magnolia's eyes, then she looked over at Boone, who wore a soft smile as he looked at the blonde.

A smile tugged at Kelly's lips as she let Magnolia pull her hand back, “does it mean what I think it means?”

“It means she loves me,” Boone stated, raising his glass of tea to his lips as his other hand rested against her thigh, his fingers sliding under the hem of the shorts Lily had let her borrow.

Magnolia quickly wrapped her hand around his wrist, stopping him from going any higher. She smiled, hoping Kelly didn't notice, but of course she did.

“Yeah, we're engaged.” She nodded, her cheeks pink. “I was gonna tell you yesterday, but then everything just went downhill.”

“I'm happy for you, Maggie. For both of you.” She smiled. “Have you figured what you're gonna do about work? I mean, you live in different states. And he's on the road a lot."

“Actually, yes.”

“You have?” Boone asked, his brows pinched and she nodded.

“That was part of what I was thinkin’ about this mornin’ before you interrupted me.”

And it had been, the thought had crossed her mind mere seconds before he had brushed a kiss to her thigh. And only after a shower and a change of clothes, did she give herself time to think it over.

“You liked it.” He mumbled, leaning in to brush his lips against hers, both momentarily forgetting about Kelly, until she cleared her throat.

“Sorry,” Magnolia mumbled, her cheeks red. “But, uh, I was thinking maybe you'd want to take on more of a leadership role. I mean, you helped me build everything. It only seems right.”

“Really?”

“It's as much your company as it is mine.”

“But you love your job,” Boone mumbled, pulling her attention to him. He hated the idea of her giving up her job for him. That was the last thing he wanted.

He knew that, eventually, one of them would have to choose but he was ready to leave the Tornado Wranglers for her. Maybe not yet, but he knew that he'd choose her over everything else.

“I'm not quittin', I'd still be involved. Kelly would just take over as CEO. She'd be running things from New York and I would be out in the field. Primarily working with our tornado relief branch.”

“You've really thought about this.” Kelly mused, taking a sip of her coffee.

“Yeah, I ain't losin’ him again.” She nodded, making him smile as he leaned over and kissed her cheek again. “So, what do you think?”

“I would be honored to take over.” Kelly smiled. “So, when's the wedding?”

“As soon as possible,” Boone answered, pulling Magnolia into his side and he kissed the side of her head.

The bell above the door rang as Lily pushed the door open, merely poking her head into the diner, “hey, Boone, we got one!”

Magnolia took a deep breath, her hand curling into a fist as she swallowed the lump in her throat. She met his gaze, a smile pulling at her lips despite the pit in her stomach.

“Be careful.”

“Always, angel.” He gently caressed her cheek, leaning in to brush his lips against hers. “I'll see you in a bit.”

She nodded, a slightly more real smile tugging at her lips. She was worried, especially because of the night before but it was his job. And more than that, he loved it.

“Kelly,” he nodded in goodbye as he pushed himself up, spearing another look at Magnolia, who was twisting her ring around her finger as she chewed in her bottom lip.

He leaned towards her, using his thumb to lightly tug her lip from her teeth. “I'll be okay, Maggie. I promise.”

“I know,” she nodded, then he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers again, like he couldn't help himself. She giggled lightly, her hands on his chest as she pushed him back. “Go.”

“I love you, angel.”

“I love you, too.”

He pecked her lips once more before he finally – reluctantly – pulled back, then he made his way out of the dinner.

“You two are so cute, it's nauseating.”

NOVA SPEAKS

love them!

anyways, new tyler fic is scheduled to be posted in the next couple of days... i'm really excited about it!!

and i promise i'm still working on heart like a truck, i just have to figure out the dynamics a little bit more!!