date night | nate

Nate hadn’t known how the night would end up going but it had to be said that this was already so much better than he had expected. As he was getting ready he had kept telling himself that it wasn’t a date, that it couldn’t be because Allison wasn’t interested in him like that any longer, but it turned out that he couldn’t have been more wrong about that. Things hadn’t worked out between them last time but Allison wasn’t in a good place back then and she seemed to be doing much better now so he knew that he just had to hope that this time would be different. As she said she was sorry, Nate shook his head and let his hand rest gently against his cheek. “None of that matters now, it’s all in the past,” he assured her gently, a smile touching his lips as his eyes met hers. “Hopefully this time things will be different but promise me that if anything happens then you’ll talk to me this time? I might be able to help.” That was a part of the problem last time, Allison had tried doing all of it on her own but he wanted things to be different this time and he hoped that she did too.

As Allison repeated what he’d said, it was Nate’s turn to be embarrassed. “Sorry, I probably said that way too soon,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. The last thing he wanted to do was to end up scaring Allison off but the truth was that he really never had fallen out of love with her although he wasn’t sure whether the same was still true for Allison. The words had slipped out without him realising and he really was kicking himself for them now in case it was enough to scare her off. As she said he could have been a changed man all of a sudden, Nate couldn’t help but laugh as he kissed her back gently. “You know me, I never change that much,” he chuckled.

Nate was able to keep himself busy while he waited for Allison to return but he felt much more at ease when he saw her emerge from the kitchen. “Perfect timing, I’m starving,” he admitted as he set their glasses down on the table. As she spoke again, Nate’s expression softened. “There wasn’t anything to be anxious about, I’m sure I’ll love it,” he assured her as he pulled her chair out for her so she could sit down before taking his own seat. “It smells delicious and it looks it too.”

ALLISON ARGENT

Ever since Allison invited him to dinner Nate had been feeling a little awkward about it. He had kept second guessing himself wondering if it was just a friends thing or whether it was an actual date but in the end he had realised that he would just have to go along with it either way and see what happened. Allison had always meant the world to him and that hadn’t changed even after they broke up. He had tried to move on from her but he had never truly fallen out of love with her and now he wasn’t sure if he ever would. There was something so different about her and he knew that he wanted things to work out for them this time. Nodding as Allison promised to talk to him if anything happened, he felt a smile touch his lips as she told him not to let her give up so easily. “You don’t need to worry about that, you’re stuck with me now. I’m not going anywhere,” he assured her. He had let Allison give up on them once and it had ended up being a mistake so he knew that this time he would fight for what they had, it was what they deserved.

“Probably but not that quickly,” Nate said, an uneasy laugh escaping his lips. “So much for playing it cool, huh?” The last part was just a joke to hopefully make things a little less awkward but it was the way Allison kissed his cheek and said he couldn’t scare her off that easily that put him at ease once more. “I’m glad,” he admitted, unable to deny that he was relieved to hear that she wasn’t going to go running for the hills again. Allison had said that she was all in and Nate believed her but he also knew that she might still be working through a few things so he knew that the last thing he wanted to do was to end up giving her a reason to regret the two of them getting back together. “I’m sure it isn’t,” he assured her as he took the set of cutlery from her. “You need to believe in yourself more,” he added before taking a bite. “Mmm. I was right, delicious.”

ALLISON ARGENT

“Nope, I hate to break it to you but you’re not pushing me away this time,” Nate assured her. He had made that mistake once and he knew that he wasn’t going to end up making that same mistake again. His feelings towards Allison had never gone away, he had tried to ignore them and he had tried to move on with his life but in the end nothing had worked. He hadn’t known what was going to happen when he had headed over to her place that evening for dinner, he had felt sure that it was just a friends thing but it had quickly turned into something more. It was a date and that was something that he hadn’t expected to happen at all. Nate knew he was lucky that Allison still felt the same way about him and he knew that he just had to hope that this time things would be different. They had taken a chance by giving things a go the first time around and it hadn’t worked out but they knew that they didn’t want to be apart now and he knew that this time they could try and make a real go of it.

“I’m not so sure about that but I appreciate you saying it anyway,” Nate chuckled. He really hadn’t meant for those words to slip out and the truth was that he hadn’t realised what he had said until Allison had picked up on it. Now it was too late to take it back but she seemed to be taking it in her stride anyway. His feelings towards Allison were just as strong as ever and that was something that he knew he was going to have to get used to once more. It was Allison who had taken the leap and said that she was ready to start their relationship back up again but even so Nate knew that the last thing he wanted was to end up making her feel like she had to rush into anything that she wasn’t ready for and he hoped she knew that they could take things at her speed.

The meal Allison had made really was delicious and Nate wasn’t afraid to admit that. He knew that Allison tended to worry when she was cooking as it had been that way when they were together before as well but this time she really had outdone herself and Nate couldn’t deny that he was impressed. Taking another bite f his meal, Nate felt a smile touch his lips as Allison reached for his free hand and he turned his hand so that he was holding hers. “You mean you don’t want her to find out if you run into her at our place one day?” he teased, lifting their joined hands and pressing a gentle kiss to her knuckles. “Seriously, I’m not good at hiding things from her so I think we should just sit her down and be honest with her. I think she’ll be happy for us,” he said gently. Leanne was happy for them the first time around and he had a feeling that she would be again despite the way things had ended last time. “How will your friends react to us being back together?” he asked. He had met a couple of them the first time around but there were plenty more that he still didn’t know and he knew that he wanted to change that this time around. They were important to Allison so he wanted to get to know them as well.

ALLISON ARGENT

This was working out so much better than Nate had ever thought that it would, he had tried convincing himself that this wasn't a date and he had felt sure that Allison just didn't feel the same way that he did. He had tried telling himself that he had moved on from her and that he didn't feel the same way about her any longer but he knew now that he was just lying to himself. He loved Allison and that had never changed and now he really hoped that this would be a fresh start for the two of them. He hadn't thought that fighting for Allison would do any good last time, not when she had made up her mind that being with him wasn't what she had wanted. There was a part of him that wondered if it was even a good idea to open himself up to that heartache again but he knew that he would regret it if he didn't give it a shot so he didn't hesitate in kissing her back.

"Are you sure?" he asked, bringing his hand up and letting it rest gently against her cheek. "I really did mean it, I still love you Allison," he added. He knew that he could quite easily be messing this up right now but he didn't care, it needed to be said and he really didn't regret it one bit. There hadn't been anyone else that he'd had feelings for since they had broken up and he hoped that it would be different this time.

It felt so easy to be around her again now and Nate felt a smile touch his lips as she squeezed his hand. "I don't think she could ever hate you Allison, you don't need to worry about that," Nate assured her gently. She and Leanne were friends before he and Allison got together and he knew that Leanne still cared about her. Nate never wanted to come between them so he honestly hoped that they would figure things out. Leanne was protective of him and he knew that she hadn't liked seeing him get his heartbroken but it already felt different this time and he hoped that his sister would see that too. "You'll get to do that again, just no ganging up on me," he teased, remembering all too well what they always used to be like. "This is what we both want so she'll support us, don't worry," he added with a smile.

As Allison said she liked to think that her friends would be happy for her, Nate nodded. "It sounds like you're heading in the right direction then. I hope you're right." He had met a few of Allison's friends before they broke up and they seemed like good people. He wasn't entirely sure what they had thought of him and there would always be those who didn't like the age gap between them but Nate hoped that they would be accepting of the fact that they were back together and that Allison's dad would be too.

ALLISON ARGENT

Allison seemed happy and that really was all that mattered to Nate. She had been a part of his life back in Chicago before he was bitten and before the Dread Doctors turned him into a chimera. Other than Leanne and Dylan she was the only person he had tying him to the person that he used to be back then and the truth was that it was refreshing being around someone who had known him for so long. Starting over in Mystic Falls was definitely the right thing to do after he and Leanne were both experimented on and he knew that he was never going to regret that choice but having Allison around made it mean that much more to him. “Hmm? What plan?” Nate asked, unable to deny that he was curious now. He hadn’t meant to tell Allison that he still loved her so quickly but it was the truth so deep down he knew that it really didn’t matter when he told her as long as she found out sooner or later. As Allison said that she still loved him too and went on to talk about what it had been like after they broke up, Nate’s expression softened and he lifted their joined hands to press a kiss to her knuckles. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to hear you say that,” he admitted, a smile touching his lips as his eyes met hers. “We have another chance to do things right this time and I plan on taking it,” he added gently. He had already lost Allison once and he didn’t plan on doing that again.

As Allison said she still felt bad for everything, Nate found himself nodding. “I know. Hopefully in time that will ease,” he said gently. He knew that Allison regretted what had happened between them and there was a part of Nate that regretted not fighting for them but being together wasn’t what Allison had needed at that time and Nate had understood that. Leanne was his sister so naturally she had been in his corner the whole time but he knew how much Allison’s friendship meant to her so he hoped that in time they would figure things out as well. As Allison said she could never turn down a chance to learn more about him and his childhood, Nate let out a playful groan. “Why do I get the feeling you’re going to ask her for every embarrassing story about me?” he asked, an eyebrow raised as his eyes met hers. Nate knew that in time Leanne would get used to the fact that he and Allison were back together and he hoped that Allison’s friends would support their relationship as well. “That’s true. They’re a nice group, I’m glad you’ve always had them in your corner,” he admitted. “What’s it like being part of a pack like that?” Nate asked, unable to deny that he was curious. He had never been a part of a pack himself but he couldn’t deny that the temptation was there, he just had no idea how most of it really worked.

ALLISON ARGENT

Nate hadn’t known what to think when he and Leanne had both woken up in Mystic Falls after being taken from their home in Chicago, they had both known that something was different but they really hadn’t known what it was. To this day Nate still didn’t understand how the Dread Doctors had done what they had done, somehow they had changed something inside of him so he no longer turned into a wolf every full moon, he now turned into a lion instead. It had been that way for a long time now and Nate had learned to accept it but that didn’t mean that he didn’t still sometimes find himself wondering how it was possible. He knew that they weren’t the only ones who were taken, others had been too and even some of those who had been spared from the Dread Doctors’ experiments had been through something awful as well. Allison was among those and Nate had known that when they had got together the first time. He had thought that they could make it work but he had been wrong and he’d had to respect Allison’s wishes when she’d decided that she didn’t want to be with him any longer. It had hurt but even then he had known that he’d wanted what was best for her and at the time that had been being on her own.

Now they had found their way back to each other, though, and he was glad that they had done. Nate would be the first to admit that the way he felt about her had never gone away and even though he hadn’t planned on telling her that he still loved her this quickly it didn’t mean that he didn’t mean it, not by a long shot. As Allison said she’d planned on telling him while he was on his way out, Nate felt a smile touch his lips. “It definitely would have done that but to be honest I’m glad you told me now because it makes tonight that much more special,” he admitted. He had spent the whole time he was getting ready and heading over there trying to tell him that this wasn’t a date but that was exactly what it had turned into and he couldn’t be happier right now. “I hope you won’t. Losing you once was one thing, I don’t want to go through that again.” Even though he had known that it was what Allison had needed the first time around that hadn’t made it any easier and he knew that he wanted things to be different this time.

“I know. You’re not alone this time though, you can lean on me whenever you need to,” Nate assured her gently. She really wasn’t on her own, she had her dad and her friends and she had him as well so Nate hoped that she would let them in. As she said she wasn’t thinking of that, Nate laughed. “Sure you weren’t,” he teased. He really wouldn’t put it past her but he knew that only time would tell. As she spoke again, he nodded. “I can understand that. It’s not always easy to let people in but they’re a great group,” he said gently. It had always been a relief to know that Allison had people looking out for her after they broke up and Nate knew that that wouldn’t have changed. As she said that in time she was sure he could join them if he wanted too, Nate’s eyes widened in surprise. “You really think so?” He knew that he could have looked into trying to find a pack but opening up to people wasn’t something that he ever found very easy to do and he wouldn’t have even known where to start with finding one. Instead he had been trying to deal with all of this on his own but he couldn’t deny that it would be good to know that others had his back and he could have theirs in return.

ALLISON ARGENT