In Between

Welcome to the Kingdom

Travis pushed open the door from his garage into his living room and paused. Immediately his senses were enveloped by the mouth watering smell of vanilla and something he couldnt quite place. 

"It smells fucking amazing in here." He said, stepping into the kitchen where he found Taylor in what was obviously an elaborate baking operation. His marble topped island was covered in various ingredients, used dishes scattered across the coutnertops and littering the sink. 

"You're early!" She turned to face him, her teeth worrying her lip and a look of embarrassent on her face that he didn't quite understand. 

"Yeah, the charity thing ended earlier than expected."

"I'm sorry. I totally made myself at home, I thought I would have time to clean this all up before you got back."

"It's not a problem. I can help clean up."

He didn't miss the little sigh of relief she gave when he assured her he didn't mind her cooking in his house. He hadn't known her all that long but it bothered him that clearly she had expected him to be angry. That wasn't his style and in time he would come to know that but for now he added it to his ever growing list of ways other men before him had dulled her shine. 

"What did you make?"

Her eyes lit up when he showed an interest in what she was doing and he was again momentarily distraught over how bare minimum efforts were shocking to her. Fuck whoever had made her feel unworthy of basic human decency. 

"I made pop tarts!"

"What do you mean you made poptarts? Don't you just like.. buy those in the store?"

"I mean you could..." she said, wrinkling her nose. "But these are a hundred times better I swear, look." She grabbed his elbow, immediately sparks shooting up his arm from her touch but he did his best not to let the way she already affected him show. They'd only known each other in person a few weeks. She led him towards his dining room where spread across sevearl cooling racks he didn't know he owned were rows of delectable looking pastries.

"What flavor?" He questioned, bending over slightly to see them better and inhaling the sweet aroma of sugar and something fruity. 

"Strawberry with sprinkles."

"You hiring a taste tester?" 

"If that's your way of asking if you can have one, of course you can. I made them for you." She said, tip toeing up to kiss his cheek as she grabbed one and handed it to him. Her face was awash with hopeful excitement as she lifted one of the frosted treats off the rack and handed it to him. It was still warm and even before he bit into it he knew it was going to be one of the tastiest things he'd ever eaten.

He wasn't dissappointed. The moan he let loose was a bit embarrassing to be honest but the way her cheeks flushed the prettiest pink and the smile that lit up her face was worth it. "God, if everything you bake is this good I'm gonna have to add an extra gym session to my week. Fuck, Tay that's delicious."

"I'm glad you like it. I'm not used to having someone I can bake like this for even though it's something I love. Even my friends are usually on some kind of meal plan for roles, or shows, or whatever they've got going on in life."

"Well, anytime you need a taste tester, I'm your man." He moved towards her, his arms sliding around her waist, pulling her in for a kiss, gentle and reassuring. Everything about the moment perfect. It solidified his decision to do what he did next. "I um... I actually need to head to the stadium to see the physical therapy team. Today's been busy for me and I hate that we haven't been able to spend much time together so I was wondering if you might want to go with me."

Her jaw slackened and her mouth opened before slowly reclosing as he waited patiently for her response. Desperately, he wanted her to say yes. He wanted to show her a little piece of his world, his home away from home and introduce her to his work family. It was the kind of move you made when things were getting serious, and for him at least that was where things were headed. 

"You want me to go with you?" Her response was just short of shell shocked and again he was bothered by how clearly she had been starved for basic decency in previous relationships. 

"I want to spend time with you, but I have commitments. This gives me the best of both worlds."

"You're sure I won't be a distraction?" 

"Most of the guys will be out at practice but I'm sure you'll meet a few of my teammates. They'll probably give me shit for bringing a woman around but that's just typical teammate banter."

"What if we get papped?"

He sensed her nerves and moved closer to her, placing his hands on hers in quiet reassurance. "Sweetie, how many times have you already been to Kansas City and we've gone out?"

"I don't know...a few?"

"Yes, and how many times have we been papped."

She released a sigh, "None."

"Exactly. One of the many things I love about Kansas City is the way they allow me privacy. This city sees the Chiefs as part of their community and if you're with me they'll give you that same respect. My teammates are the same, if you stick around you're joining the family and they'll treat you as one of us. They'll give you that respect, Tay. But to clarify, even if we were to get papped it wouldn't be a big deal to me. I feel priveleged to be spending time with you, whatever this turns into I'm happy for the moments we're spending together and if someone takes a fucking picture, ok, whatever, we'll deal with it then. I won't run from it if that's what you're so scared of."

He had a sneaking suspicion that last bit was a bit on the nose judging by the way she sucked in a sharp breath, but he had meant every word. 

"What if your team, your "family," doesn't like me?"

"Lead with the pop tarts...that'll definitely get you started off on the right foot." 

AN: Ugh I'm loving writing all this soft fluff. I think I'll keep this to one shots instead of developing a full story line. Feel free to submit requests for Tayvis scenarios you'd like to see. 

Sav