date night | nate

This wasn’t how Nate had thought the night would end up going but he was so glad it had done. Ever since they’d arranged this he had kept on telling himself that it wasn’t a date but the truth was that he had wanted it to be. He had thought that Allison would have moved on from him by now but seeing her again like this had made it clear that the spark was still there between them and he really was glad about that. He’d felt it that day at the Grill but he hadn’t wanted to get his hopes up. He knew that their lives were never going to be straightforward, he was a chimera and Allison had been brought back from the dead but they got each other in ways that he’d never found with anyone else. Maybe it was because they had known each other before the supernatural world became a part of their lives but either way it had felt good reconnecting with her and with Allison’s lips against his, Nate finally felt like they were back where they belonged.

As Allison said he had always been able to tell when she was telling the truth or lying, Nate felt a smile touch his lips. “Of course I have, it’s my super power,” he teased as he kissed her forehead gently. As she said that she wanted to be nothing but honest with him, Nate’s expression softened. “I want that too,” he admitted. Allison had pushed him away once before because she hadn’t wanted to drag him down with her but now he had a second chance he knew he was going to stand by her no matter what.

The idea of joining a pack was one that had crossed Nate’s mind a few times since he’d arrived in Mystic Falls but the truth was that he was so used to it being just him and Leanne that he had no idea how to join one. He’d done his best to figure the whole thing out until Allison came back into his life and after they broke up he had gone back to doing things on his own again. Nate had some friends in town but he tended to keep what he was a secret for the most part but he couldn’t deny that being around others like him would be a relief. “I’d really appreciate that, thank you,” he said sincerely as Allison said that she would bring it up to Scott when she saw him next. As she spoke again, a smile touched his lips. “I believe you,” he said, leaning forward and pressing his lips against hers gently. “I’m not actually that much older than you and none of you are kids anymore,” he added. They were all in college now and Nate knew that age differences didn’t matter so much after high school ended. He had been conscious about the gap between them when he and Allison first got together because she was still in high school at the time but now it didn’t matter to him one bit and he hoped that it wouldn’t matter to her friends either. It sounded like there was someone already in the pack who was around his age anyway so he knew he just had to trust that it would be fine. “That’s good,” he nodded as Allison said that if there was an issue then they would fix it. “I know how much they all mean to you so I’ll be on my best behaviour, I promise,” he added with a smile.

ALLISON ARGENT

There was a part of Nate that still couldn't believe that this was happening, he had tried so hard to convince himself that this wasn't a date after Allison invited him over for dinner but it hadn't worked. So many times he had found himself thinking back to the way things used to be and he hadn't been able to stop himself from hoping that they might be able to get back to that one day. He hadn't actually thought that it would happen but Allison had been the one who had asked whether this was a date and from that moment on something seemed to have shifted for both of them. It was good to be around her like this again and Nate was more than a little relieved to know that her feelings for him hadn't changed anymore than his feelings for her had. He still loved Allison and if he was honest he wasn't sure that he would ever stop.

As Allison asked what other power he had, Nate couldn't help but laugh. "If I told you then it wouldn't be a secret anymore, would it?" he teased, an amused smile forming on his face as he looked over at her. "You'll just have to see if you can figure it out on your own," he added with a grin, knowing that telling her really would take away the fun of it and he had no intention of doing that. Kissing Allison back as her lips met his, Nate couldn't resist pulling her a little closer. There was a part of him that wondered if he was dreaming right now but if he was then he knew that he never wanted to wake up. "Pinky swear? Seriously?" he asked, an eyebrow raised as he looked over at her. He would be lying if he said he wasn't amused by it but he was curious as to whether Allison meant it. A smile touched Nate's lips as Allison ran her thumb over his knuckles and be lifted their joined hands to press a light kiss to her knuckles. "I love you," he breathed. Allison could have easily wanted to keep some distance between him and her pack so she had that space away from him but she hadn't done, she had asked him to join and if it really was alright with Scott then Nate knew that he would. He had never been a part of a pack before but he couldn't deny that he liked the idea of not having to do this on his own any longer.

As Allison spoke again, Nate's expression softened. "You're not a kid anymore, you're an adult now and you're able to make your own decisions. Nothing happened between us while you were underage so we didn't do anything wrong," he said gently. They had shared their first kiss at Allison's high school senior prom while he was a chaperone but she was a year older than all of her classmates anyway. Nothing had happened between them before that and the truth was that Nate wouldn't have let it. He had never wanted to feel like he was taking advantage of Allison so they had taken their time. "We don't have to hide anything, I just hope your dad understands that we're back together," he added. Truth be told Nate liked Chris, he definitely had a lot of respect for the man and he hoped he would be happy for them. As Allison spoke again, Nate kissed her back gently before laughing. "We can't have that now, can we?" he teased before finishing his meal. "That was great, thanks," he said sincerely.

ALLISON ARGENT

Nate couldn’t help but laugh as Allison pouted. He knew what she was trying to do, she was trying to get him to tell her what his powers were. Truth be told there probably weren’t any others that she didn’t already know about but he liked to think that he had always been good at reading her and it had definitely served him well in the past. It had helped him see that she had needed time when she had broken up with him and that had helped him through their breakup. It still hadn’t been easy but he had known that it was what Allison had needed at the time although he was definitely glad that things had changed and now she was willing to give them another shot. “You’ll figure them out in no time,” he chuckled, unable to resist playing along as he hooked a finger under her chin and pressed his lips to hers. It felt good to be able to be like this with Allison again now, Nate knew that he would have contented himself with just being her friend if that was what she wanted but he really had never stopped loving her so he was glad that she was giving them another chance.

Feeling Allison’s arms wrap around his neck was enough to draw a smile to Nate’s lips. He would be lying if he said there wasn’t a part of him that wasn’t worried that Allison would end up pulling away from him again but he knew he needed to trust Allison when she said that she wanted to be honest with him this time. Nate wanted that too and as she confirmed that she was serious about the pinky promise thing, Nate hooked his pinky finger through hers. “Then it’s a pinky promise,” he said, his smile turning gentle as his eyes met hers. “Better not break it, that’s a serious promise,” he added, unable to resist teasing her a little at making him agree to that when it was something that he hadn’t done since he was a kid.

Hugging Allison back tightly, Nate kissed her cheek gently. “I’ll never get tired of hearing you say that,” he admitted as she said she loved him too. It had been strange going from being friends with Allison to being in a relationship to her to suddenly not having any contact with her at all. There had been a void in his life after she broke up with him and that void was only now being filled once more. He’d had Leanne, his friends and work to keep him busy but it just wasn’t the same. As Allison spoke again, Nate’s expression softened. “I know. It was never weird to us but it would have been to others if something had happened between us sooner. I didn’t want anyone thinking I was taking advantage of you,” he said gently. He wasn’t sure how many people knew their history and knew that they had known each other before Mystic Falls but Nate had still known that they’d had to be careful when their friendship had progressed into something more. It didn’t matter that there was an age difference between them now that Allison was no longer a minor but there was a time when it had. “It’s still good to know that about Derek though,” he added. He hadn’t realised there was anyone in the pack around his age but it would definitely make things easier.

Allison’s next words were enough to have Nate’s smile return and he let his hand rest lightly against her cheek. “I know. Who you date is your choice, I just wouldn’t be surprised if your dad would rather you were with someone human,” he shrugged. It would definitely be less complicated for Allison, that was for sure, but Nate hadn’t become a part of the supernatural world by choice. He had been bitten one night while he was working and then the Dread Doctors had experimented on him. It was all out of his control but it had brought him and Allison back together so he knew that he was never going to regret that. Nate’s expression softened as Allison kissed his cheek before making her way into the kitchen. “You wash, I’ll dry?” he offered as he followed her into the kitchen, knowing he would feel guilty about not doing anything when Allison had already gone to the trouble of making them dinner. “Sure, thanks,” he nodded as Allison offered him more wine before pausing as she said he could stay the night if he was worried about not being able to drive back. “Being a Chimera has its perks so I’m not worried about being over the limit,” he said, choosing his words carefully. It would take a lot more than that to affect him these days. “If you want me to stay tonight though, I’d like that,” he said, studying her face carefully for her reaction. He wanted to take this at a pace they were both comfortable with so he knew that nothing needed to happen even if he did stay.

ALLISON ARGENT