Eyes On You

by girasolesviejos

Summary:

Cameron is Donna’s plus one to a wedding. People read into it.

(Cameron is people).

Notes:

I couldn't stand the thought of there being only one Cam/Donna HACF fic for all of 2023, so I decided to do something about it. Hope y'all enjoy and know that I am always lurking in this tag waiting for new content, even if I have to write it myself :)

I adore this tiny fandom and miss you all. Hope you're having a lovely 2023.

Chapter 1

Donna answers the door with a toothbrush in her mouth. She waves Cameron in, starting down the hall back toward her bathroom, halfway through a completely unintelligible sentence before she realizes Cameron is wearing a suit.

 

She raises an eyebrow as she spits, bringing a glass to her lips to rinse what’s left of the toothpaste with a smile on her face.

 

“Okay, Diane Keaton,” Donna says, shaking her head as she walks around Cameron and back into her bedroom. She grabs a pair of earrings off her dresser and stands in front of a full-length mirror, gently putting them in.

 

“That’s all you’ve got for me?”

 

“Does it come with a jacket?” It’s true—Cameron is wearing the vest alone, exposing her shoulders in a way that might not be appropriate for a church wedding, if that’s what people are expecting.

 

“Because you’re worried about me offending or because you were hoping for something to wear when you get cold?”

 

Cameron doesn’t miss Donna’s eyeroll. “Let’s go with the first one. It is a company wedding after all.”

 

It’s the daughter of one of Donna’s partners at Symphonic, and plenty of their friends and colleagues will be there. Cameron hadn’t gotten an invite (she honestly wouldn’t be able to pick the bride out in a crowd) so Donna had decided to bring her along as a plus one “so that she didn’t have to miss the free alcohol and excuse to hang out with their friends.”

 

It was a Napa wedding. A big one. The type that made bridal magazines. But Cameron couldn’t care less about the wedding or the party. She was here for one reason, and one reason only: Donna had asked her to be.

 

This wasn’t her first clue that something had changed between them. Between Phoenix and Cameron’s bond with Haley and Joanie, they already spent nearly all their free time together. Late nights turned into sleepovers and sleepovers turned into weekends together and weekends together turned into, “Hey, would you mind grabbing Haley from school today?” or, “Hey, could you pick up some potatoes on your way over?” They were practically inseparable, at this point. All but dating. And Cameron was starting to wonder if Donna had noticed.

 

But try as she might, Cameron can't catch Donna's eye in the mirror, Donna is focused instead on some tuft of hair that won’t stay in its desired place. Only after Cameron’s been staring a while does Donna dare to turn her way.

 

Donna considers Cameron briefly, bringing a finger to her lips before disappearing into her closet.  She pulls out a jewelry box, digging through it, and finds a necklace. She pulls in gingerly from its space, holding it up in Cameron’s general direction.

 

“Try this.” She shows Cameron and then motions for her to turn around. Cameron watches in the mirror as Donna manages the clasp, taking a step back to take Cameron in.

 

Cameron’s speechless for a second at the sheer beauty of the necklace—this is real jewelry, the crazy expensive type that Donna or Diane can wear. Not Cameron. Never Cameron.

 

“Donna…” Her hesitance is clearly apparent, because Donna’s already waving her off.

 

“It looks beautiful, Cameron. You have to wear it. I insist.” She clasps Cameron’s shoulders, giving them a steadying squeeze before disappearing back into the bathroom to touch up her make up.

 

“How much time before we have to leave?”

 

“Not that long, you know I’m never that early.”

 

“What time is it?” Donna asks again, impatient. She holds perfectly still as she applies mascara, and Cameron finds herself utterly captivated by the action.

 

“Cameron?” Donna turns to look at her.

 

Cameron, embarrassed, looks to the floor. “You’re the one wearing the fancy watch.”

 

Donna turns her wrist, looking at it: “Shit. We should go.”

 

She stands, running a hand along the back of Cameron’s shoulders as she passes into the next room, sending a shiver down Cameron’s spine. She’s powerless to do anything but stare at Donna’s retreating form as Donna says, “I kinda like it without the jacket.”

 

---

 

Donna has a convertible now, because of course she does.

 

They drive down the highway with the top up, regardless, because Donna refuses to let the wind ruin her hair before the event. When Cameron teases her about being prissy, Donna laughs like it doesn’t pain her to hear that anymore.

 

It took a while for Donna to open up about the last few years. Arguably, Donna’s life had never been better—she’d been worth millions, had divorced a man she didn’t love, had two (relatively) well-behaved teenage daughters, and control over several early-stage start-ups that could be on the brink of changing the world. But on the inside, Donna was a pressure cooker. She was always waiting for the other shoe to drop. She told Cameron that after her Mutiny betrayal she never really knew peace again. At least, not till now.

 

Cameron understood it now: how Donna’s clothes worked like armor, protecting her from the world. How Donna’s whole game was looking smart and being smarter than she looked. How unless you knew her well enough to catch her tells, you might never really know how Donna really felt about anything.

 

She hadn’t really considered what the armor was protecting.

 

For the first few months she was back she knows for a fact Donna would still wake up in the middle of the night. She’d tried to play it off as insomnia but a few months ago she’d admitted to Cameron she used to wake up with her heart racing like she’d run a marathon. It hadn’t happened recently. At least, not while Cameron had been there to witness it.

 

But Cameron had learned in the last few months that seeing Donna with her guard down was a privilege—especially for Cameron. It’d taken them a few months to renegotiate their friendship; to get to the place where things were easy again.

 

She belts along with the radio and hopes that fondness she sees in Donna’s eyes is what she thinks it is. And maybe she stares for a beat too long, because there’s Donna’s smile again—

 

“What?”

 

Cameron just looks down at her hands, shaking her head. How could she even explain what’s on her mind? What if that fondness in Donna’s eyes is just that: fondness?

 

Donna reaches over, smacking her lightly with her non-driving arm. “Cam.”

 

“Why am I going to this wedding, Donna?”

 

Cameron asks it seriously, hoping for the real answer this time. But Donna just smiles her fake smile—the one Cameron knows so well, because she’s seen it so many times—and doesn’t look at Cameron as she says, “I told you: because everyone who’s anyone is going to be there and I don’t want you to miss out.”

 

“You know I don’t care about being anyone. Or everyone, for that matter.”

 

“Does inviting you to have a good time need an explanation?”

 

Cameron smirks. “I guess not.”

 

---

 

The arch is pretty.

 

The seat is uncomfortable.

 

They’re on the bride’s side, they think? But could also very easily be on the groom’s side. It’s not really all that clear. The precession hasn’t even started yet and Donna’s already complaining about how her stilettos have sunk into the grass (“…fucking outdoor weddings”).

 

Bos hadn’t had much to say about her outfit. Neither had Diane, really, and those were the only two people here whose opinion mattered as far as she was concerned. It’s not like she’s not used to standing out in a crowd or dressing in a slightly masculine manner, but there’s something decidedly different about breaking sartorial norms at a wedding. She’s received more attention than she bargained for, and Donna’s reaction to that attention—to stiffen up and ignore it—has really been of interest to Cameron.

 

Because really, what did Donna think bringing a female date to a wedding was going to get her? Normal attention? Sure, it was 1995 now, but people were still bigoted. Or at least… fascinated.

 

But now they’re seated and the bride is coming down the aisle and when Cameron looks over Donna is crying. She nudges her slightly, using only her expression to ask if she’s okay. Donna waves her off, smiling.

 

“It’s silly.” She leans close to say.

 

“I’m sure it isn’t.”

 

“I just… I was picturing Joanie going down the aisle without—”

 

She cuts herself off, but she doesn’t need to go on. Cameron takes her hand and squeezes it in sympathy.

 

---

 

The wedding’s at a winery overlooking rolling hills of grapevines, and unsurprisingly the wine they serve is fantastic. Even Bos thinks so.

 

“Well, it’s not my drink, but…” He sniffs it again, taking another sip. Cameron watches, charmed, and waits for him to finish before she asks about Diane.

 

“Oh, she’s just over there talkin’ to the bride,” he says, shrugging, “where’s your date?”

 

Cameron’s heart jumps a little at the term, but she does her best to keep a straight face. “Bathroom.”

 

Bos hesitates with his next words, “and she’s your date? Or your… date date?”

 

Cameron pauses; they’ve never discussed this before. Cameron’s dating life post-Tom has really never come up, and her bisexuality was sort of in a Don’t Ask Don’t Tell-type of place. No one asked, so she never told. Even Donna had never really asked about it.

 

“What?”

 

“Did I get that wrong?” Bos says, leaning in conspiratorially, “I just… I got the sense that—”

 

Cameron’s still processing when she says, “No, your sense was… correct.”

 

A whole beat passes where she just stares at Bos and he stares back. He gives her a big grin and grabs her by the shoulder. “Well that’s great news then. We should celebrate.”

 

“Me being gay?” Cameron says, voice low. Her confusion must be all over her face because Bos quickly jumps in with: “I meant about the date date.”

 

“Oh, it’s not a—”

 

“What are you two whispering about?”

 

Cameron’s eyes widen as Donna comes up behind them. She dedicates all her brainpower to trying to telepathically communicate with Bos, but her wide eyes seem to do nothing for his confusion.

 

“She was just telling me that my fly was down.” Bos pats Cameron on the back, “Sharp dresser, this one.”

 

“She’s the talk of the wedding, I’ll say that.” Whether Donna’s happy with or upset about that is anyone’s guess, what with the way she’s chosen to look past them and take in the view. Cameron watches Donna throw back her glass of seltzer water, and instinct takes over before she can do anything about it: “What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

“I just got asked if I was with you,” Donna laughs like the thought is insane, then says, “like, if we were together.” She keeps laughing, but neither Bos nor Cameron joins in. It's awkward. 

 

Bos spots Diane waving him over. He tips a metaphorical hat, “That’s my cue, ladies. Enjoy the evening.”

 

Cameron grabs her wine glass off a side table as he leaves, turning to take in the view of the rolling hills behind them. Donna turns to lean on the railing, snorting a bit when she says, “was it something I said?”

 

When that doesn’t get a rise out of Cameron, she adds: “I found our table.” She holds up the little table cards, waving them in front of Cameron until she gets the tiniest hint of a smile.

 

“There. Didn’t stay mad for long.” Donna says, satisfied.

 

“Please. For all you know I’m just hungry.”

 

---

 

Dinner is long. Longer than usual, because the caterers are taking forever.

 

Donna has been seated between work colleagues and introduces Cameron to the table as her “partner on her newest venture.” They both silently agreed before they even got here that Phoenix was in too early a stage to start talking about with outsiders, and both politely decline to really share what it is they’re working on, no matter how many times people try to ask.

 

Donna then gets sucked into boring work conversation, which is boring. So boring that Cameron is struggling to pay attention. Are all VCs this stupid?

 

She whispers, “I need to use the bathroom,” just as Donna’s actually getting up to do so.

 

“I’ll be right back,” Donna leans down to say.

 

“I can’t go with you? Girls go to the bathroom together all the time.”

 

Donna’s gaze drops pointedly down to Cameron’s suit before making its way back to Cameron’s face, “Are you trying to start rumors?”

 

She says this while smiling (flirting?) and Cameron just looks her dead in the eye and says, “I don’t know. Do you want me to?”

 

Donna stands up straight, thinking about that for a second before laughing it off and heading down the hall. She throws Cameron a look over her shoulder just as she disappears, and just like that Cameron feels adrenaline start coursing through her veins.

 

She drops her napkin on the table, debating whether she’s bold enough to follow Donna into the bathroom. She wants to—that much is clear from her trembling hands—but does she trust what she’ll find in there? If she ends this stalemate they’ve been comfortably living with, does that end it all? People are starting to get up to dance and they’ll be serving the cake soon—it’s as good a time as it’ll ever be to find out.

 

She stumbles down the hall, all nerves, and then pushes the bathroom door open hesitantly. She enters just as Donna’s exiting her stall. Donna greets her with a smile and absolutely none of the intensity Cameron’s feeling coursing through her veins.

 

“Couldn’t wait even just a second longer?” Donna teases, and just as she turns toward the sinks Cameron catches her wrist, turning her back around to face her. Before Donna can even voice her confusion, Cameron’s leaning in and capturing her lips in a bruising kiss.

 

Everything stops.

 

And then Donna’s hands come up to cradle Cameron’s face, deepening the kiss, and Cameron breathes a sigh of complete relief. She hadn’t read this wrong. They kiss for a few seconds longer before Cameron has to pull away because she can’t stop smiling.

 

“You could’ve at least waited for me to wash my hands before ravishing me in the bathroom.”

 

Donna laughs, and Cameron tries to chase that laugh with another kiss before Donna pulls away to—you guessed it—wash her hands. Cameron watches her in the mirror, spotting the fondness she saw in Donna’s expression earlier all over her face. Donna won’t meet her eyes in the mirror.

 

“I… I didn’t know know I was going to do that.” Cameron says, just to fill the space. She’s still not sure how Donna feels.

 

“I obviously didn’t either.” Donna says, smirking.

 

“I didn’t know you… I—” She’s not even sure what she’s trying to say, but she knows what she wants Donna to say.

 

“I wasn’t sure.” Donna’s reapplying lipstick now.

 

“Sure?” Cameron asks, hanging on her every word.

 

“How you felt.”

 

“How I felt?  You’re the one—” Cameron once again cuts herself off, struggling to find her words, “You’ve been so cryptic. And you don’t look at me anymore.  You always look away.”

 

Donna just smirks. She leans in and wipes lipstick off Cameron’s lips with her thumb. “That should’ve been your first clue.”

Chapter 2

The dance floor isn’t terribly popular with industry moguls, but Cameron finds a second to get out there with Bos, who hasn’t cared what any of them think since he got out of prison. He dances heartily, swaying a much taller Cameron in his arms.

 

And Cameron’s guilty because this isn’t where she wants to be at all. She keeps chancing a glance at Donna, who is caught up in a deep discussion with one of the partners. She can see Diane has joined the discussion—something that she was hoping would end the discussion but seems to have only prolonged it.

 

The difference now is: Cameron keeps catching Donna’s eye. She finds Donna staring at her and Bos swaying together and wonders what’s going through her mind.

 

She’s not crazy or stupid. She understands that under no circumstances is she going to be swaying in Donna’s arms tonight. Even if they were open with… whatever this is, it’s too new. She doesn’t know how Donna feels, not really.

 

But she knows how she does. This feels big. World-ending, really. It feels like the relationship to end all relationships. Something she doesn’t come back from easily. She thought she felt this way about Tom, way back when. Joe, too, maybe. But now, feeling it, she knows neither of those relationships came close to what she has with Donna, now. What she could have with Donna.

 

“What’s on your mind, Cam?” Bos says in her ear. He pulls away, his beard scratching the side of her face as he moves to look up at her.

 

“Nothing,” Cam says, “it’s not important.”

 

“Nonsense. Whatever it is, it’s all over your face. Spit it out.”

 

Cam sighs, trying to think of what to say. She’s not sure what she can say—what Donna would be comfortable with. She’s not comfortable having this conversation until she knows what Donna thinks of all of this.

 

“Is it about what we discussed earlier? Because you know I won’t say anything.”

 

“I know,” she says, and she means it. Bos has been her most trusted confidant for years, and in retrospect she really shouldn’t be all that surprised he saw how she felt about Donna. Bos makes her feel transparent in ways that sometimes scare her.

 

“And I’ll love ya no matter how all of this shakes out. You know that.”

 

“I know.” Cam says again, smiling sadly.

 

“So then why the long face?” He frowns deeply and she smiles despite herself. But then she loses herself in her thoughts, imagining her lips against Donna’s, soft and warm. She remembers the way Donna played with her hair that one time, on the couch. She’d felt so at peace then.

 

But then she remembers the way Donna wouldn’t meet her eyes as she washed her hands. She remembers Donna laughing out loud at the idea of them being together not even an hour ago.

 

“I don’t know how she feels.”

 

Bos laughs, and Cameron’s almost offended. 

 

“Does anyone ever really know how Donna feels about anything? I mean up until a few hours ago I woulda told you she was crazy about you, and then she comes out of the bathroom criticizing your outfit and making fun of the idea of y’all ever being together and honestly, I’ve got no clue.” He pauses, turning Cameron around and gesturing with his eyes, “but there she is, eyes on you again. So your guess is as good as mine.”

 

Cameron isn’t sure what to say to that. Bos pulls her closer as the song gets softer and slower, whispering in her ear.

 

“Here’s the thing about women, Cameron. You’re not always gonna know what’s going on in their heads. But if they’re inviting you around, that means something. If you keep looking up and finding them staring, that means something.”

 

He turns her again. When Cameron looks up, she finds Donna staring.

 

---

 

Cameron stumbles out to the balcony between songs, tired of moving her feet. She can’t chance sitting back at her seat and getting pulled the partners’ deep discussion, so outside feels like the next best option.

 

The bright moonlight has lit the grapevines beautifully, keeping the view as divine as it was in daylight. Still, Cameron’s the only one out here enjoying it. That is, until the screen door opens and Donna appears at her side.

 

“Sorry. I can’t believe tonight was the night the partners decided would be appropriate to discuss layoffs.” Donna says, coming to stand next to Cameron. She removes her heels, and when it becomes clear that Cam’s not responding, adds: “I’ve been a bad date. Forgive me?”

Cameron looks over at her as she looks up, meeting her gaze. She wants to badly to kiss her now, but she’s aware of the lights from the dance floor playing across their bodies, the party inside full of prying eyes. So instead she looks down. Donna reaches over, places her hand on top of Cameron’s on the railing.

 

“Cam?”

 

“Why did you invite me to this?” Cameron asks again. She meets Donna’s gaze, challenging her, and can see from the way Donna frowns and considers her question that she’s not planning on lying again.

 

“I don’t know, Cameron.” Donna says, “I don’t know what you want me to say when you ask.”

 

“I don’t want you to say anything. Just tell me the truth.”

 

Donna sighs. She almost pulls her hand back, but Cameron turns her hand over, holding Donna’s there.

 

“I couldn’t imagine this night without you.” Donna says, quickly. “As soon as they told me I had a plus one it was yours. It was… kind of embarrassing how much I wanted you here.”

 

Donna’s not looking at her again and Cameron squeezes her hand. Donna looks up, “I didn’t want to overthink it but… you’re the only person I’ve felt that way about since… well, ever maybe.”

 

“Yeah?” Cameron says, leaning over. Maybe she can get away with one kiss.

 

But Donna leans back, placing a hand on Cameron’s arm, reminding her where they are. “When we’re home.”

 

“Tell me that’s soon.”

 

Donna smiles, taking her hand and squeezing it again, “Let’s get in there and start our goodbyes.”

 

---

 

Donna does borrow Cam’s jacket on the way to the car.

 

Cameron gets in, closing the door behind her, and turns to find Donna staring at her. She leans over, brushing Donna’s hair out of her face.

 

“Is this okay?” Cameron says, suddenly shy. Donna nods, leaning in. They kiss again, this time slowly. Savoring the feeling of each other.

When Donna pulls back, she groans. She turns the key in the ignition, starting her car.

 

“What?”

 

“Can’t believe I have to drive an hour and a half to do that again.”

 

“Told you we should’ve gotten a hotel room.”

 

“Can you imagine the scandal?”

 

Donna laughs and Cameron reaches over, taking Donna’s hand in hers.

 

---

 

Hours later, after the stumbling in, after the undressing and exploring and all the laughter in between, Cameron heads out into the kitchen to start breakfast. It’s a Sunday morning and still fairly early, but she puts on a pair of sweats and a tank top, just in case she were to find a bleary-eyed Haley at the table.

 

She starts whisking some eggs, having decided to make pancakes, and it occurs to her as she works that she knows where all the ingredients are without asking. She finds bowls, batter, and plates quickly, setting them all out.

 

“What’s going on in here?” Donna says, and they might be the first words she’s spoken all morning, the way her voice sounds.

 

Cameron can’t help but turn and watch her stretch in the doorway, smiling when she remembers the night before.

 

Donna has opted for considerably less clothing than Cameron, wandering around in just a T-shirt (Cameron’s Star Wars T-shirt, which they’re going to need to have a discussion about Donna borrowing without asking) and underwear and reaching her finger into the bowl of batter to grab some for herself. She sticks her whole finger in her mouth, daring Cameron to do something about it.

 

“Excuse me.” Cameron says, grabbing the bowl and turning away, “this isn’t for you.”

 

“Oh come on.”

 

“No, I’m making pancakes for me and Haley. Make your own.” She holds the bowl up out of reach and Donna comes up behind her, fully wrapping herself around Cameron as she reaches up and not getting anywhere with it until she leans in and drops a kiss on Cameron’s neck.

 

Cameron lowers the bowl, turning to kiss Donna back, and Donna takes the opportunity to reach into the bowl and take some batter, smearing it on Cameron’s face. They pull back, laughing, and then Donna leans in to lick the batter off Cameron’s nose—

 

“Mom?”   

 

—just as Haley walks in.

 

Donna and Cameron freeze, thrown by her presence. They pull back quickly, unable to keep from laughing, and Haley joins in: “I didn’t know I was getting breakfast with a show.”

 

Both Cameron and Donna laugh, relieved, as Haley takes a seat.

 

“But seriously, can we keep PDA contained to your room? You’re still my mom.”

 

“You got it sweetheart.”

 

“And go put on some pants.” Cameron laughs out loud and Donna sends her a pointed look before starting down the hall toward her room.

Notes:

drop me a line if you enjoyed! i enjoy writing for like 40 people lol but it is sometimes nice to know someone liked it

if any of you have a particularly good camdonna prompt, I am always open for requests if they're unique and get me going :)