vaughn owens and daphne navarro's residence

Daphne was annoyed as she sat on the front porch smoking a cigarette while waiting for her fiance to return home. His best friend, Everett, hadn't even been back for 24 hours, and she already hated this whole thing. Daphne knew Everett probably needed a little more bonding time with Vaughn after everything that's happened in the last few months, but not until 5 AM. She got off two hours ago and was ready to go to bed, and Vaughn knew she couldn't sleep without him. So this was just cruel and unusual punishment, in her opinion. She flicked her cigarette over the railing before quickly bringing another to her mouth and lighting it. He had her nerves all out of wack. Daphne hated not knowing where he was or what he was doing. She especially hated when his phone would go right to voicemail. "Fuck," she murmured, shifting in the plastic chair.

It wasn't long before headlights appeared at the end of their street. The car stopped in front of their house, and Daphne immediately stood, trying to see who was in the car, but it was too dark to see anything. Then, finally, Vaughn appeared from the passenger side with a giant smile. That pissed her off even more. Here she was waiting for his stupid ass, and he didn't even have the decency to call her and tell her he would be later than expected or that he was still alive and well. Daphne watched from the porch as the two said their goodbyes. She could faintly hear what sounded like plans for later on that day. Daphne rolled her eyes and inhaled her cigarette.

Daphne didn't say anything until he was at the bottom of the steps. "You said you'd be here when I got home!" She yelled, not caring about their neighbors. "And then to turn off your fucking phone?" Daphne's eyes widened, utterly confused and dumbfounded at why he'd do such a thing. "I'm going to bed. Your stupid, inconsiderate ass is on the couch," she said before inhaling a few more drags off her cigarette and tossing that one into the grass. Before he could respond, she headed into the house and slammed the door behind her.

They've always been a bit toxic and dysfunctional, but things had been rougher since Vaughn visited her at the club one night and ran into the guy she briefly dated during a breakup they had last year. Of course, it meant nothing. He meant nothing, but things hadn't been the same, and Daphne didn't know how to fix it. So they continued to fight, make up and repeat the vicious cycle.

It had been one wild ass night. Vaughn met up with Everett at the airport as planned, then he proceeded to do his best to help his best friend temporarily forget about all his troubles. Vaughn only felt like he had lost a brother, Ev had actually lost a brother. It was rough, there was no way around that, but rather than spend the night mourning the list of him, they celebrated the life that he'd had. With beer. And liquor. And weed. And a little bit of coke. By the time that Vaughn had reached home, he had a broken phone in his pocket, a new tear in his favorite jeans, bruised knuckles with specks of dried blood, his wallet was a couple hundred dollars lighter, and he had no idea exactly which bar they had left his car at. Those were all problems for future him to deal with.

Vaughn climbed out of the uber, still riding the high of the night. "Alright man, see ya later. Go get some rest." He patted the top of the car before it drove off. "I'm a wild one, yeah baby, I'm a wild one..." he sang to himself under his breath until he finally looked up and saw Daphne waiting for him. 'Shhhhiiiit' He stood there with his head down as she gave him his scolding. She was absolutely in the right to be mad at him, he could have used Everett's phone to let her know but he hadn't. However, his pride couldn't seem to accept that. Plus, he was still a little pissed that she had put the visual of her giving another guy a lap dance in their home in his head. It wasn't just any old guy that he was picturing either, it was that scumbag from last year.

"God dammit!" he shouted and punched the air. To which one of the neighbors finally shouted, 'shut up!' out their window. Vaughn quickly responded with an aggressive "Fuck off!" before storming in the house after Daphne. When he entered the bedroom, he already found her tucked into bed with the lights off. "Hey! We're not done yet!" he said as he flicked the light on. "A, I wanted to be here when you got home, I just lost track of time. B, I didn't turn off my phone. I fuckin' broke it." He clumsily fished it out of his pocket to show the shattered screen and fact that it wouldn't turn on no matter how hard he tried. "And third... no, not third. C! Sorry, still a tad drunk. And c, I am not sleeping on that couch. I'm sleeping right there. Next to you. Where I belong."

Daphne managed to make it up the steps, strip out of her clothes and get into bed before Vaughn even started to follow. When he finally made it up after her, he opened their bedroom door, flicked on the lights, and declared they weren’t finished with their discussion. With her back still facing him, Daphne sighed when Vaughn started to tell her how he wanted to be there for her when she got home before explaining what happened to his now shattered phone. However, Daphne didn’t bother rolling over until after he started to stumble on his words. She had a smile on his face because she thought it was cute. Daphne could tell how fucked up he had been and still was when she finally saw him in proper lighting. “You’re a fucking mess,” Daphne said as she got out of bed and threw on one of his shirts that’d been lying on the floor. He was lucky that she was fucking exhausted; otherwise, she would’ve continued fighting with him just because Daphne knew she could and had valid points about why he should be sleeping on the couch.

Daphne walked to the other side of the bed and took his damaged phone out of his hand before placing it on the nightstand behind him. She looked back down at his hands before taking one in her hand to get a better look at it, “What did you do? Get into a fight?” Daphne asked as she dropped it and looked up at him. “What did you snort?” She questioned as she wiped away the white residue from his nose that he’d missed. This wasn’t a regular occurrence, but they’d been together long enough that this wasn’t Vaughn’s first time coming home to Daphne in such a state. There were times when he even came home and got her high so they could enjoy it together. Tonight wasn’t going to be one of those nights, though. She was going to be playing the wifey role, which she, of course, didn’t mind. Daphne liked taking care of Vaughn.

“C’mon, sit down so I can get your shoes off,” she said, directing him towards the bed. Daphne got him to sit down, and she kneeled before him and started undoing his shoe laces. She slipped them off she tucked them underneath their bed, so Vaughn didn’t accidentally trip when he got up. He already seemed to get banged up enough tonight. When she stood, Vaughn immediately pulled her between his legs, wrapping his arms around her. Daphne did the same, enjoying their embrace. Even if he currently wreaked from liquor, pot, and cigarettes. She pressed a quick kiss on his forehead before pulling away and tugging him behind her. “You need a shower before you get into bed. Let’s go, Blondie,” Daphne teased.

Once in the bathroom, Daphne started the water and checked the temperature while Vaughn removed his smelly, nasty clothes.

Vaughn couldn't help but smile at her when she rolled over to finally face him. The smile grew even more as he watched her climb out of bed and tossed on one of his shirts. He loved it when she wore his shirts, it was fucking hot. Vaughn was obsessed with the woman that stood before him for a multitude of reasons. She was gorgeous but also had the brains to match, she was able to move her body in ways that none of his other partners had which led to some of the most mind-blowing sex he'd ever had, and she always knew exactly how to take care of him. Even when he acted like an ass and made her worry all night. She was a goddess, and he worshipped every bit of her. "Yeah, but I'm your fucking mess, right?" he asked with a chuckle. "Yeah, it's fine. I'm fine." He looked down at her and his battered hands. "Oh, it was just a little sniff."

Following orders, he sat down on the bed and felt a wave of calm rush over him. Maybe it was the alcohol or drugs, but Vaughn didn't know how he'd gotten off that easy. Maybe it would just be another one of those problems for future him to deal with. Right now, Daphne wanted to take care of him, and he was absolutely going to let her. He truly didn't know what he had done to deserve a woman like her, but he felt blessed every day that he got to call her his girl. The moment he got his chance he pulled her in close to him and held her tight. He would do anything to make sure he never lost her.

Vaughn happily scampered behind her toward the bathroom and stripped off his clothes. Abandoning them in a pile on the floor, he turned his attention to Daphne at the shower who had just finished getting it set up for him. A devilish smirk crept on his face as he stood there completely naked, staring at her. "I think you need a shower too. I think... some of my 'mess' might have rubbed off on you." He moved closer to her as he spoke. Not too quickly, he didn't want to drunkenly trip over himself and ruin the mood that he was trying to set. Once he reached her, he casually moved her hair out of his way so he could gain access to her neck. His other hand found its way to the small of her back as he strategically placed kisses in a few of her favorite spots.

“My fucking mess, yes,” she agreed, moving his blonde hair out of his face to see his glossy bloodshot blue eyes staring down at her. “Always and forever,” Daphne added sincerely.

“I didn’t ask how much you sniffed. I asked what you sniffed. What all did you take tonight?” Daphne just wanted to know if she had to babysit while he slept or not. Vaughn was smart enough not to mix too many drugs, but she couldn’t help but worry a bit. The point of tonight was to show Everett a good time and celebrate his brother’s life, and she knew her fiancé could party a little too hard in instances like this.

Daphne could feel Vaughn looking at her as she tried to ignore the sensation she was currently feeling because of it. “I do? No, I don’t think so,” she shook her head in disagreement with a cheeky grin as she watched a naked Vaughn make his way towards her. Daphne had no self-control when it came to him. She liked to pretend she did, but the truth was, the moment Vaughn touched her, she was under his spell. Daphne’s body melted into his; they became one, with her willingness to do whatever he wanted.

Vaughn initially wasn't someone Daphne found herself wanting to date. In the beginning, it was just a lot of late-night booty calls until it wasn't. Feelings got in the mix, and things got complicated before they finally came out with their emotions. Now almost five years later, their relationship may not always be an ideal one; but Daphne wouldn't change a thing. She was head over heels in love with the man standing before her.

The more he kissed her favorite spots over her neck and jawline, the more things became cloudy for Daphne. “I fucking hate you,” Daphne said before peeling herself away from him momentarily. “You win,” she added, in conjunction with stripping off the t-shirt she had been wearing and tossing it with his pile. “Now we're both naked, happy?”

Daphne took one of his hands in hers, guiding him into the bathtub with her. She doubled checked the curtain was closed before shifting the two of them, so Vaughn was now underneath the water. Daphne reached for his shampoo, flicking the cap open and putting a dime size in her hand before rubbing her hands together and beginning to wash his hair. “So, it looked like you and Everett had a good time, huh?” Daphne asked while gently massaging his scalp.

She may not have been Everett’s biggest fan at the moment, but he was still Vaughn’s best friend, and she had to accept that he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

"Just a little blow babe. It's good. I'm good. Promise." Vaughn reassured her. Yes, sometimes he went a little overboard when he partied but he wasn't a complete idiot. He knew his limits, he'd built up his tolerances, and he knew to be careful with what he mixed and how much of it. Vaughn just wanted to show Everett a good time, not cause him to lose another loved one.

He couldn't help but smile as he kissed along her neck and up to her jawline, feeling her melt into him with each time his lips touched her soft skin. He had almost found his way to her ear when she pulled away away from him and stripped down. If their lives were a movie, there would be a choir of angelic voices singing as he stepped back slightly to admire her curves. "Very happy." His hand stroked his chin as he bit his lip and stared at her hungrily.

Vaughn wasn't expecting her to actually bathe him once they got in the shower - he had much steamier thoughts playing in his head - but once he felt her hands massaging his scalp, his mind went completely blank. Vaughn had never had anyone care for him and his well-being as much as Daphne did. Not even his own mother could be bothered to care about his well-being.

"It was fuckin' killer babe. Minus the dudes we had to knock some sense into. They fuckin' sucked." Vaughn let out a chuckle as he thought about it. Couple of frat guys started harassing some drunk girl outside the bar while Ev and Vaughn were outside smoking. The situation hadn't been funny and they ended up having to flee from the meatheads once the girl had escaped. What made him laugh was how it reminded him of all the times they ended up in brawls at their gigs in high school. They'd never been big dudes but they were fast and scrappy and that helped them many times.

Once Daphne was finished scrubbing his hair, he rinsed the suds then brought his attention back to her. "I missed you though. I really did. Couldn't wait to get home and hold you in my arms." He really meant it too. He had been having a great time tonight but the whole ride home all he was thinking about was crawling into bed next to the woman he worshipped and loved more than anything in the world. "Now it's your turn. Tell me, how was your night?" he asked as he reached past her to grab some shampoo. It had taken them many showers together for her to train him how to properly wash her long, thick hair but now he felt like a professional.

Once Daphne got the answer, she stopped pressing the subject about what drugs he'd taken. He was a big boy and could handle himself, but that didn't stop her from worrying about him.

Daphne smiled as she listened to Vaughn tell her about his night and his shenanigans with Everett. She rolled her eyes at him with a grin when he mentioned the scuffle. “One of these days, your ass is gonna get arrested for all the stupid shit you do, and I won't be bailing you out,” she warned. That was a bald-faced lie, but he didn't need to know.

Her stomach knotted up as he spoke of how he wanted to come home to her and hold her in his arms. Daphne’s bottom lip puckered out because it was the cutest thing he had said to her in a long time. “Aw, baby! I'm sorry I yelled at you,” she brought one of her hands up, cupping the side of his face as the water continued to beat down on them. “I love you so fucking much, and I hope you always know that,” she said before kissing him. “I may get mad at you, throw things, and say stupid shit, but those things don't always reflect how I feel,” Daphne explained. “You’re my everything. My Romeo.”

Daphne turned her back to him so he’d have better access to her hair. Everything was perfect until he asked about her night. “It was… ya know, uneventful,” Daphne casually said, looking back at him over her shoulder. That was a lie. The truth was, Daphne’s night was a mess. It’s not like she didn't want to tell Vaughn about the scumbag who followed her outside before trying to force himself upon her. She just knew it’d be for the best if she didn't. Vaughn would want to get out of the shower immediately and kill the guy. The mood was so good that Daphne didn’t want to ruin it over an already addressed incident. The dirtbag got handled, and Daphne was sent home to calm down. It wasn't the first time and probably wouldn't be the last.

It was silent between them as he focused on massaging the shampoo through her annoying long and thick hair. Daphne often thought about cutting it, but then she thought about how long and hard she worked to get it where it was and often talked herself out of it.

Once he finished, they swiftly switched places so Daphne could rinse her hair. When she opened her eyes again, she found Vaughn with the same look he had after she undressed. After a moment of staring at each other, Daphne finally spoke up. “Well, don't just stand there. You gonna come get some or not?” Daphne knew what he wanted from the get-go, and she figured since he was sorry and said such nice things, she'd give in to what he wanted.

Vaughn wasn't big on thinking of the consequences; it took away all the fun. Daphne had already saved his ass more times than he could count because she actually had the gift of forethought, unlike him. He'd much rather ask for forgiveness than permission and he'd had his share of asking for forgiveness. "I better not get caught then." Vaughn teased with a wink. Even on the chance that Daphne was being serious, he could always call Everett or even his brother if he was in a bad enough of a pinch. With the way Daph had easily folded over being mad at him and forcing him to the bed told him that he needn't worry about her not bailing him out, however. These two were head over heels for each other, they could never stay mad at each other for too long. Didn't matter how many fights they had, they always resolved them. Usually with sex.

"It's okay. My Juliet, I love you too." was all he could get out in response. Her hair and body had his full attention at this moment, he couldn't be bothered to come up with words. That gave him more chances to fuck up again and actually end up on the couch. His hands worked their way through her hair, his focus completely on her hair but it didn't take long for his eyes to wander down her body. He watched as the bubbles from the shampoo dripped off her hair and then rode the water down her curves. Vaughn hated thinking about other guys looking at his girl the way he did, so he was glad when Daph didn't feel much like talking about her night. Probably meant that something happened that she didn't want him to know about, considering how chatty she was about work on other nights when shit didn't happen, but he didn't care right now. He was the one who shared a bed with her every night.

Once Daph gave him the go ahead, he wasted no time. Vaughn closed the gap between them and feverishly pulled her in for a kiss. One of his hands worked its way back into her hair as his other hand made its way down to her hourglass hips. His hand then wrapped around the back of her leg and pulled it up until she caught on and rest her foot on the tub ledge so he could have better access to between her legs...

[FADE TO BLACK]

After their shower romp, they moved to the bedroom for an encore performance before finally falling asleep. When Vaughn woke up, naked and snuggled up next to the love of his life, it was almost enough to make him ignore the pounding headache creeping up on him. Almost. As gracefully as he could, he crawled out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Kicking a towel and his pants out of his way as he passed, he opened the medicine cabinet and searched for something to help him. He fumbled with a few bottles before finding some aspirin and bending down to chug them down with water directly from the faucet. When he'd made his way back into the bedroom, Daphne was already awake and staring at him.

"Good morning, beautiful... I didn't make a total ass out of myself last night, right?" he asked with a nervous chuckle. He liked to think he remembered a lot of the night but there were definitely a lot of blurs in his memory. The night had ended in sex and cuddling so clearly, he hadn't fucked up too bad if he had. Still never hurt to double check if there was any groveling that he needed to do.

Daphne immediately felt a shift next to her when Vaughn moved away and got out of bed. She whined, rolling over and watched as he left their bedroom. Daphne kept her eyes fixated on the door until he arrived back in all his glory. “Hi,” she murmured, rubbing her face in her pillow before holding open her arms and making the grabby motion with her hands. When he finally snuggled back up to her, Daphne shook her and rolled over, resting her head on his chest. “You were great,” she tiredly answered. “You were royally fucked up, but nothing I couldn't handle,” Daphne added, lifting her head to look at him with a grin.

“You feeling okay?” Daphne asked with a tone of concern. “Are you hungry? I can make you breakfast if you are.” Daphne could go overboard when caring for the people she loved most, especially Vaughn. They had two very different upbringings, but in many ways, they were still the same. Other than the girls at the club, Vaughn was the only family she had. She pressed a few kisses against his cheeks and lips before pulling away entirely and getting out of bed.

Daphne grabbed her satin robe off the back of the door, slipped it on, and tied it closed. She then started to rummage through one of the laundry baskets of clean clothes, looking for a pair of shorts for Vaughn. She tossed it over to him, “C’mon, I want a cigarette and some coffee,” she announced before turning around and exiting their bedroom, expecting Vaughn to be in tow.

Once downstairs, she prepared a new pot of coffee and put a few pieces of bread in the toaster for Vaughn before grabbing her pack of cigarettes and heading outside. She’d just lit up her cigarette when Vaughn stepped out onto the porch with her. “I meant to ask you,” she pulled her cigarette out and blew out smoke before continuing, “where the fuck is your car?” Daphne questioned. Not at all mad, just concerned he may have left it somewhere and forgot. “You came home in an Uber last night.”