Secrets - Part 2

Secrets - part 2

part 1 here

The morning light peeks in through the slightly ajar curtains, the rays making Adrian's blond hair look almost golden. Ash just woke up, then trudged half asleep to the kitchen for a glass of water when the sight made them stop in their tracks.

"Good morning!" , Alex announces, coming out of their room sporting a big yawn and the moment just breaks. Ash is just... standing there, in the middle of the hallway, doing practically nothing, staring at Adrian's sleeping figure which only just now twitches a little because of the sound. How were they supposed to explain this?

Ash decides to start with a "Good morning", taking quicker steps to the kitchen and hoping that Alex did not notice the tiny stutter in their voice.

"So, did Adrian finally complete their work?" Alex asks, aggressively poking the sleeping figure on the chair. Ash winces at the sight- that's definitely not the way to wake someone up.

Ash clears their throat with a low hum, "Not really, but they only have one more page left to complete. I was thinking about waking them up in another fifteen minutes-

"WHAT?! THEY STILL HAVE A PAGE LEFT!" Alex screeches, successfully waking up Adrian who jolts awake in their chair, staring at nowhere in particular, a hand coming up to rub their eyes. Ash just sips their water, staring at the scene taking place in the living room from the kitchen. Alex sure was lively in the morning, a little too lively for their personal taste. Adrian didn't seem to mind though, as they patiently answered to any of the questions that Alex had regarding their work. I guess this is a way of caring too, Ash thinks. I wouldn't know, since no one cared for me like that.

Adrian's eyes flicker to theirs for a moment during the conversation, and their face breaks into this bright grin and Ash feels like they're seeing the morning sun all over again. They're too bright, but I can't look away. No... I don’t want to.

"Hey Ash, good morning!"

Ash chokes on their water a little but somehow manages to utter a coherent "Good morning" in return. They make a mental note that Adrian’s morning voice has super high destructive powers - those husky undertones to that already attractive voice didn’t help calm their erratic heartbeats at all.

"What, since when did you both become such good friends?!" Alex asks, sounding almost jealous.

Alex’s voice is nice too, a little high, but calming all the same, Ash notices.

"Since last night. " Adrian replies, winking suggestively, earning a punch to their shoulder.

"Ow!"

Ash swears that they tried, tried to keep in the laughter that threatened to tear out of their throat, but they knew that they failed miserably when the first syllable of a chuckle tumbled out of their lips. That chuckle multiplied and soon they're full blown laughing, hand clutching at their stomach.

Adrian and Alex stop their playful banter, all attention trained on their new friend who seemed to be having a good time.

Laughter is a contagious thing, and soon enough, the three of them start cackling, and it's a start to a pleasant morning.

Well, at least until Adrian remembers that they still had their essay to complete.

"Oh shit-

Adrian put each of their arm around Ash and Alex, in an attempt to give them a group hug. Alex seemed like they didn't mind for a whole minute, and then they pull away, spouting something along the lines of, "Don't think you can pay me back with just a hug Adrian, this is not going to happen every time-

But Adrian and even Ash, who had just properly met the two of them yesterday can literally see the same situation happening again, like deja vu, but in reverse.

"Well, do you also expect anything else other than a hug from me?" Adrian asks Ash with a cheeky smile, who has been silent for the most part. They could understand that Ash was a person of few words, unlike their noisy roommate.

Ash chuckles, "It would be great if I could hang out with you both more often, if that's okay with you both of course."

A chorus "Of course you can!" is the next thing that Ash hears, making their spine tingle pleasantly.

"You both are so loud, you know that?" Ash says, faking annoyance.

"Well, that's kind of our specialty." Alex grins.

"More like your specialty Alex." Adrian teases.

"Okay, you're going to pay for that Adrian!"

Ash just snorts, watching their first friends ever bicker happily.

Maybe if I'm with you both, I can forget that I'm a villain. Just for a little while.

It's been a jolly few months after that, both hero and villain not having much on their plate. But that instead only succeeded in causing immense worry for both the sides (from the villains side, probably only Ash was worried), because not having much to do could only mean one thing-

The villains were planning something big.

Adrian wished that this was like the other jobs, where getting less work was actually a good thing. They find themselves growing restless, looking down at their sweaty palms, even though the night breeze is pretty chilly.

"Adrian, thanks for waiting! Let's go home."

Adrian had come to the grocery store to accompany Alex on a small errand. They said that they were going to buy ingredients for dinner and Adrian thought that it was only right for them to come along, since Alex was cooking for them and Ash. Ash had said that they would drop by later.

It was pretty late in the night, but they weren't worried for themselves, they were the hero, they could manage if anything were to happen. They were however, concerned for Alex's safety. They were a normal civilian and thus had no idea of their other hero persona, about the world of violence and bloodshed that hero was a part of. And they wanted it to stay that way.

Heroes and villains always wore a mask to protect their identities, so there was close to no way for their enemies to find out about their real identity.

At least, that was what Adrian had believed, up until then.

But before Adrian can understand what’s happening, they feel something hard connect to the back of their head, making their vision swim.

No... no... stay awake!

Alex screams their name out, and Adrian suddenly feels so helpless.

Why is all this happening?! Why are they hurting Alex? They have nothing to do with this!

Adrian's ears ring painfully and they just want all of this to stop. They want to stop hurting.

"Stop it... please!"

The last thing they see before everything goes black is a knife pressed to Alex's neck.

Here's the second part / *slides some drama in here* / a little more drama in the next part / ash is still waiting for dinner and they have no clue, the poor thing / adrian knew that grocery store trips were tiring for a reason, but boy were they not expecting this / alex is in for a ride

Our little Games

You stop in mid-motion, with your lips no more than two or three centimetres from theirs. Your breath fans warm onto their flushed skin as they look questioningly up into your eyes. They want you to kiss them. They expect you to kiss them. It’s written all over that adorable little frown of theirs.

But you won’t just hand yourself over to them on a silver platter. You’re not that cheap. And besides, you’re certainly not going to make it that easy. You won’t allow room for them to make excuses later, to tell themself you forced them and that they hadn’t actually wanted any of it.

No.

You know your own worth.

You are far too precious for that.

If they want you they’ll have to put in the necessary effort first. It has to be their choice, made of their own free will. If they want a taste of you they’ll have to claim it by themself.

They’ll have to seal this deal with their kiss.

You see the realisation gleam in the depths of those eyes they’re watching your every move with so attentively. A hint of desperation creeps into the lines on their face. Their throat bobs as they swallow, you can feel it brush against the back of your fingers.

A smile tugs at the corner of your mouth as you withdraw the hand that had been gently lifting their chin. They’re now free to turn their head away from you or lower it, but they do no such thing. Something in your gaze seems to be holding them in place still, even after you’ve removed the caress of your fingers.

The distance between you appears to be melting away gradually. You wonder whether they’ve noticed they’re slowly closing it. If so, they’re doing a great job at not letting it show on their face.

You can’t help but sigh as their breath starts to mingle with your own. So close you’re even breathing each other now. Traces of them are in the air all around you. The scent they carry conjures an image of an afternoon walk through the forest on a warm summer day.

Their half-opened lips tremble ever so slightly against yours. You’d think them vulnerable and on the verge of surrender, if it weren’t for that glint in their eyes, the persistent defiance underneath all that need and longing. There is a glimpse of danger lurking in the shadows, a predator.

They draw a gasp from you, running the nails of their fingers down your spine. You knew they’d try something, yet somehow this catches you by surprise anyway. Your body shudders against theirs.

Pressed flush to them now, you suddenly become keenly aware this is the closest you’ve ever been to them. The heat of their body seeps into you, seemingly unhindered by the oh so thin layers of clothing separating you from one another.

They wink at you, as if to tease you one more time. Then a simple touch of their tongue along your upper lip makes the last remnants of your self-restraint crumble as well. You lean in.

And just like that you lose yet another one of these little games.

You should have known better than to underestimate them!