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A/N: This was originally meant to be a oneshot, but the characters did not cooperate and the wording got super long. SO this is going to have two parts. This post here is Part 1.
And as always, if you’d like to be tagged in my fics, let me know!
Perma-note: In my playthrough, I renamed Hayden to Ben; so in my fics, if you see the name Ben, that’s Hayden
Summary: A misunderstanding over a basket of laundry gets a little out of control.
Warning: Very petty arguments, Adults behaving like children
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything. Characters/canon belong to Pixelberry
“Maya?”
She looked up from the coffee she was sipping as she browsed through Netflix on the TV.
“Are you and Damien doing okay?” Nadia asked, taking a seat next to her.
She nodded. “Yeah, why?”
Nadia tilted her head in the direction of the kitchen counter. In front of it was a lidded basket full of clothes piled on top of one another. When Maya continued to stare blankly, Nadia elaborated. “I think this is the part where you explain the laundry basket. Is this some new interior decoration I don’t know about?”
Maya let out a long, drawn out sigh.
She had done the laundry this week as she’d planned. But when getting ready to sort and fold the clothes in the basket, She’d been paged into work. On her way out, she’d asked Damien to do it.
There had been a major highway accident with multiple injuries, so she’d ended up working much later into the night at the hospital. When she’d finally returned home, the basket was still sitting there and Damien was fast asleep on the couch, still in his work clothes; his briefcase lying haphazardly on the floor.
Maya had been a little irked, but was too tired to make an issue of it so she had just gone straight to bed, figuring he’d do it the next day.
Damien was a logical, planning sort of person when it came to his work. But when it came to his personal space, he wasn’t exactly stickler for cleanliness. It was never a major issue usually since he would still get the bare minimum done. Not this time though.
Two weeks had passed and the basket was still sitting there, untouched. Neither of them had spoken of it or acknowledged it, yet somehow, both had made it a point to treat the very space and air around the basket like a crime scene.
Nothing to see here, move along.
“Why didn’t you just do it when you got back?” Nadia asked as Maya finished filling her in.
“Because I was already so overworked that night.” Maya said indignantly. “I’d performed CPR on like 5 different people, given a kid 17 stitches, spent my snack break trying to convince a grown man not to drink Purell, gave this one guy a rec-”
“Okay, I get the point!” Nadia exclaimed. “You have a hard job and you were exhausted.”
“Exactly!” Maya said. “All I wanted to do was sleep when I came back. Besides why should I pick up the load when I’d specifically asked him to do it?!”
“Maybe he had a stakeout or had to follow someone that time and also came back late?”
“He could’ve done it when he got back!”
“Is it possible that he assumed the same thing about you?”
Maya went silent at that. “That’s … actually possible. But I clearly asked him to do it.”
“And did he actually say yes?”
“Actually it was more like a ‘hmph’. He was working on a case at the time.”
“Then he could’ve forgotten too.” she looked to the basket again. “Why don’t you just talk to him about it?”
“Nadia please,” Maya pinched the bridge of her nose. “This whole thing is weird enough without you actually coming out as the voice of reason.”
“Hey, I’m perfectly reasonable!” Nadia drew back, affronted.
“Then whose side are you on, exactly?”
“The house guest who’s seen your lingerie in plain view for the third time this week.”
Maya’s face turned beet red. “What?! I-”
Both girls went silent as the front door opened and Damien walked in. “Maya, Nadia.” He greeted them both with a smile before walking straight into the bedroom.
“Seriously the basket is right there,” Maya muttered, irritated.
“Relax, I’m sure he’ll do it once he gets changed.”
They both hid their faces behind their coffee cups as Damien returned to the living room, only in his pants … and faced the laundry basket. Maya’s jaw dropped as she watched him reach in and sift through the clothes, retrieving a clean shirt and putting it on before heading back inside. “Okay did you see that?” She hissed, turning to Nadia.
“Actually I did,” Her cousin replied, an amused smile tugging on the corner of her lips.
“That can’t just be a coincidence. He’s totally avoiding it on purpose!” She turned to Nadia, who was shaking her head, laughing as she placed a hand on her forehead. “Do you not see this?”
“Do you not see this?! You’ve been fighting for two weeks over laundry.”
“We are not fighting, Nadia.”
“Okay fine, but you could at least acknowledge this is some sort of Mexican standoff.”
Maya shrugged. “Maybe it is. But I’ll tell you one thing …” She pointed subtly at the basket. “The one who folds that laundry is not going to be me.”
Just as Nadia was about to reply, Damien returned to the living room and flopped onto the couch next to them, putting his arm around Maya’s shoulder. She selected an option on the TV and they all settled in for the latest episode of The Crown and the Flame.
About a half hour into the show, Maya glanced over Damien’s shoulder at Nadia, locking eyes with her.
No way, Nadia mouthed at first. But at her cousin’s pleading look, she rolled her eyes and then gave a subtle nod. “You know,” she said, trying to keep her body language casual. “That basket’s a good look for the living room.”
Damien looked to her, momentarily startled. “Hmm?”
Nadia pointed to the laundry basket. “Gives the place a very comfy vibe,” she said.
“Huh,” Maya remarked, squeezing her boyfriend’s hand ‘absentmindedly’. “Maybe that’s why it’s still there.”
“Yeah,” He said, once again staring at the TV. “I guess it is.” Maya watched him for several moments, then let out a soft sigh.
Nadia’s phone beeped and she swiped it open to find a text from Maya: “Can you believe him? 😒”
The girls avoided eye contact, keeping their eyes on the TV as they pretended to navigate social media on their phone while texting.
“Lol OMG, girl he’s definitely waiting you out 😂😂😂”
“Ugh, well I’m done with this waiting game. 2 weeks is long enough!”
“idk Maya, this is D we’re talking about. He’d be so good at pretending to forget that he might ACTUALLY forget!!”
“Oh believe me, I’m gonna make him remember this”
———————–
3 days later…
“Maya, have you seen my camera?”
“No,” Maya said, before sipping her coffee. Her elbows rested on the kitchen counter as she leaned forward casually, listening to him shuffling around the bedroom in search of his camera.
“Well can you help me look for it? I’ve gotta be at a stakeout in a half hour.”
“D, I’m sure you’ll find it. Just clean up around a little more.”
“I don’t have time to clean up,” he retorted, sounding mildly annoyed. “Can you just help me find it?”
She sighed. Was she being childish? Most likely. It had been three days since Nadia’s visit and still no indication from Damien that he remembered what he’d ‘forgotten’ to do. But this he remembered – because it was for work, not because she’d asked him. “Damien, just think back to what you were doing this week. You’re probably closer to finding it than you think.”
She heard his footsteps rounding the corner and approaching her in the kitchen before they stopped right behind her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Maya winced. Damn it, why is he so good at reading people? She took a quick breath, knowing this was it. “Maybe you dropped it while you were sorting the laundry into the closet?”
“I didn’t sort any laundry.” There was suspicion in his tone now.
“Really? I distinctly remember asking you to do it.” She said, never taking her eyes off of the coffee machine.
He shifted briefly before speaking again. “Maya?” She turned to find him standing with his arms crossed. “What did you do with the camera?”
“What makes you think I did anything with it?” She stepped forward and looped her arms around his neck, bringing her face closer to his. “I’m just trying to help you find it.” Damien put a finger to her lips to stop her, before taking her hands in his and placing them back on the counter top, effectively trapping Maya between his arms.
She bit her lip as he watched her intently for a few seconds. Then something seemed to occur to him and he tilted his head towards the other side of the counter. “This wouldn’t, by any chance, have anything to do with the laundry basket would it?” He shrugged nonchalantly, his gaze boring into her. “The one you left sitting out for the past few weeks?”
“Hmm,” Maya pretended to think. “I think a more accurate description would be the laundry basket you left sitting out for the past few weeks.” She could barely hold back the smirk on her face.
Damien opened his mouth to retort, but then stopped, his eyes darting between her and the basket. Frowning, he pushed himself off of the counter and strode over to the basket. He looked at it, then back at her in disbelief. “Are you serious right now?!”
“And so that concludes the case of the missing camera! Courtesy of the brilliant detective Damien Nazario!” She grinned widely, clearly pleased with her handiwork. “Now for the case of the neglected laundry …”
He narrowed his eyes, realizing where she was going with this. “You do know I can just reach in and take it out?”
“Oh believe me I put it pretty far inside,” she said as she approached him. “You’re gonna have to do a lot more than reach if you wanna find it. Like say, I don’t know, folding the clothes?”
“Do you realize what could happen if I lose this camera?! I need it for work, why would you do this?!”
“Oh don’t be so dramatic, it’s not like I hid it in the washing machine!”
Wordlessly, he tipped the basket over, watching all the clothes fall out before his camera landed on top of the pile. He picked it up, brandishing it in front of her angrily. “So to remind me to do the laundry, you hid my work camera in it?!”
“It wasn’t a reminder. That would mean you forgot, which I knowisn’t true.” She folded her arms, mimicking his earlier position as she eyed him accusingly. “I know you were avoiding it on purpose.”
Damien stepped back, then crossed his arms as well; staring at her inquisitively, relentlessly. “You were the last person to do the laundry.” If he wasn’t in full detective-mode before, he was now.
She nodded. “I was.” No way in hell was she gonna back down now.
“That means it was your turn to fold the clothes.”
“Yes and I was about to,” she confirmed. “But then I got paged into work so I asked you to do it.”
“I don’t remember that.”
Maya glared at him. “Yes. You do.” Before he could protest, she continued. “And when I got back, you still hadn’t done it.”
“It was two in the morning, and I’d just gotten back home and fallen asleep.”
“Fine,” she replied. “I accept that. But what about the next day? And the day after?” she stepped forward into his space. “And the weekafter?”
“First off, you came back the same night, I can say the same for you. And secondly, I don’t remember saying I would do it. I just figured it was your turn, but then days passed and I thought you forgot.”
Maya shook her head at him. “Why couldn’t you do it?”
Damien leaned forward, repeating her words. “Why couldn’t you do it?”
“I-” Her breath caught in her throat as he moved closer to her, one eyebrow slightly raised as he watched her expectantly. She stood straighter, nose-to-nose with him. “Because one, you did say you would do it, and two, you moved the clothes first when you tossed them onto the floor to get the camera. So that means … Your. Turn.” She lightly jabbed a finger into his chest to punctuate her last words.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “There is so much wrong with that statement that I don’t even know what to say, but you know what?” He took two steps forward and Maya unconsciously backed up. “I’ve gotta get to work.” Then he grabbed his briefcase and jacket, before storming out.
Maya placed her hand on her forehead just as he walked past her. “Damien wait,” she turned around and walked towards him. “I was only trying to-” the door slammed shut before she could finish.
“If you think this means I’m gonna give in, you are so wrong, Mr. Nazario!”
Unknown to her, Damien was already walking down the steps with a determined smirk on his face. “Well played, Miss Park,” he whispered quietly as he dialed a number on his cell phone. “Too bad it’s me you’re up against.”
———————
2 days later…
Maya kicked her shoes off and plopped onto the couch with a tired sigh. She closed her eyes and napped peacefully for a few minutes before getting up and removing her scrubs and undershirt, tossing them into the washing machine.
Then her eyes fell on the now-empty laundry basket, still sitting where it had been two days ago. The clothes that had been inside them were now on the floor in a messy pile. Still untouched, their placement into the closet long overdue. This is getting ridiculous.
Damien hadn’t said much to her since that stunt she’d pulled with his camera. It wasn’t that they were giving each other the silent treatment; no, things were still okay between them. They’d still kiss each other before leaving for work, watch TV together in the evening and sleep in the same bed, albeit with their backs turned.
But the silent war that had started between them was becoming a little more open.
Since that laundry basket had remained untouched for almost three weeks now, whatever clothes were up in the next washing cycle had just been directly tossed into the washing machine and dryer. And anytime either of them would pass the basket, they would make eye contact with the other, move as though to face it, then suddenly turn in the other direction; smiling smugly as the other rolled their eyes.
At least we haven’t had anyone over so far. This would be pretty embarrassing to explain.
Maya thought back to yesterday’s argument, remembering how angry he’d been about her hiding his camera. This whole thing had felt so absurd from the start. Then she thought back to what Nadia had said. Was it really worth prolonging this over a pile of laundry?
Then Maya huffed indignantly. No, this wasn’t about the laundry. This was about him trying to get out of doing something she’d asked him to help her with. By folding that laundry herself, she was setting a bad example. Somehow.
She shook herself out of that line of thought. Now wasn’t the time to think about that; it was time for her to get ready for Nadia and Steve’s dinner party. It wasn’t a formal occasion or anything; just a small gathering with their close friends from their adventures with Eros. Alana happened to be in town as well and had surprisingly agreed to attend.
Damien would be heading directly there from his office since he was getting out from work sooner and she’d decided to meet everyone there once she was done with her shift.
As she moved past the laundry basket towards her bedroom, a small post-it attached to the kitchen counter caught her attention.
Maya,
I have a little surprise for you. In the bedroom.
Was this his way of telling her he wasn’t mad at her anymore?
A small smile curved at her lips.
Maya had already thought about talking this out and this just made the prospect all the more appealing. Perhaps tonight, they could work out a compromise. They’d faced much worse problems than this together. Surely this wouldn’t be that hard to resolve.
There was a light skip in her step as Maya walked into the bedroom and rushed to the closet, quickly pulling out a new dress she’d bought that she figured he’d love on her.
Then as she turned to look for this ‘surprise’, another note on the bed caught her attention. “What the-” She frowned as she read it.
Then something on the bedside table caught her eye. All color drained from her face and shivers ran up her spine. Maya’s hands flew to the sides of her face and she let out a loud scream as she recoiled in disgust.
After a moment of shock, she turned away from the gross sight and dashed out of the bedroom, slamming the door and then pressing her back against it. Her eyes squeezed shut and she shuddered, rubbing her arms unconsciously as she tried to get that image out of her head; unaware of the high pitched squeaks coming out of her as she freaked out over what she’d just seen.
A fucking tarantula in a fucking cage. With bedding and everything.
At least it was in a cage, so it wouldn’t crawl its furry ass out of there right? Maya shuddered again at the thought and made sure the door was closed securely. Then she let out a sigh of relief before her fists closed over the note in her hands.
Fuming, Maya brought the note back up to re-read it:
It doesn’t have to be this way. Just fold the clothes and I’ll make it go away.
“Oh hell to the fucking NO!”
END of Part 1