Hylla had been reluctant a bit to go to the party; sure, she loved having fun, but it wasn't as if there was really any time for fun right now. Still, Bradshaw had dragged her along with him, and he was, of course, the only reason she was bothering to go. Over the past month, Hylla had been developing a sort of crush, so to speak. Unfortunately, it was not encouraged for partners to have romantic relations in her line of work, for it was "an extra danger". She supposed that in some ways, they were right. As pretentious as it sounds, love could cause people to do crazy things, things that could put lives in danger. Hylla still hated it, because she worried she was falling hopelessly in love with Bradshaw.
"Hylla..." Bradshaw drawled in a sing-song voice, bringing her back to reality, "what are you thinking about?"
"Nothing important; it doesn't matter," she replied, shaking her head. "Are we almost to the party?" Hylla quickly strayed away from the subject, for fear that he might catch on.
While they didn't encourage romance at the agency, they did encourage friendships; it obviously wouldn't be very useful for their agents to be trying to kill each other while they were trying to save lives of others. Hylla and Bradshaw had no trouble with that, easily becoming close friends. Hylla was still a little distant at times when her inner demons got the best of her, but she never shared that with him. She was also surprised that the two of them had become such great friends, seeing as she liked to be independent, but the pair were practically inseparable. She had never really had many friends before because she never let anyone get close enough; she never gave them the potential to hurt her.
"Almost, just a few more blocks," Bradshaw responded, his hazel eyes flashing in the moonlight. He hovered about eight inches over Hylla, and cast a shadow over her smaller figure as they walked.
"Fantastic," Hylla muttered sarcastically.
"Hy, seriously, you need this," Bradshaw said, pausing and looking at her with concern in his eyes. "I've seen you at work, and you always look like you're about to rip your hair out. When was the last time you let loose?"
Hylla shrugged defensively. "I don't know…"
"Exactly!" he exclaimed, running his fingers through his messy brown hair as they began walking again.
"Shaw, I still really don't see the point-" she began.
"And that's why I think you need a day to just relieve your stress," he continued, ignoring her comment.
"And you think a party is going to help?" she asked incredulously. "Bradshaw, I am the most socially-awkward person ever."
"So you can just stick with me then," he replied, and Hylla knew she wouldn't be getting out of this one. "But you're still going."
"Fine," she huffed in defeat. Hylla still didn't want to go, but Bradshaw was right. She did need to lose control for a bit because her work was just making her so damn tired all the time.
"We're here, so smile and just pretend like you're having a good time," Bradshaw said, and she snorted. "And one more thing: be nice," he added with a swift kiss to her forehead, dodging the punch to his shoulder.
"I'm perfectly nice!" Hylla argued, blushing slightly.
"Right," he laughed. "Only when you're around this sexy beast." Bradshaw gestured to himself with one hand and ruffled her hair with the other as he sauntered over to the door.
"This is going to be a long night."
…..
"Come on, Hy, dance with me. Pleeeeaaaaaaase," Bradshaw slurred, grabbing her arm and attempting to drag her away, though she resisted; he had obviously had more than a couple drinks, and Hylla wasn't complaining. She was still sober enough to appreciate her partner in his drunk state of mind, and she was taking full advantage of that fact. He was cute when he was like that anyways, in an uncoordinated, has-trouble-speaking-coherent-sentences kind of way. It was also amusing to watch him run into the same door frame seven different times.
Hylla always thought it was interesting how quickly people's attitudes and emotions could change, but it also worried her. She had always feared that one day the people she loved would change their minds and leave her, just as her mom had. But all of that changed when she realized that not everyone was her mother, and people really could love her no matter what.
"Hylla, just go dance with him. Or talk to him. Please, just make him shut up," their friend, Kenzie, muttered, breaking her out of her inner monologue.
"Oh, alright. One dance, Shaw, and then I'm returning to my corner of solitude," Hylla said as Bradshaw victoriously pulled her away from the wall with a goofy smile. "You're crazy, you know that?"
"You know you love me," Bradshaw said cheekily, grinning from ear to ear. Hylla didn't know which love he meant anymore; he only seemed to say things like this when one of them was in trouble. Maybe he said it to let her know that someone had loved her and to remind her that even if he was gone, it wasn't for nothing. Although, he had said it a few times recently when they were just hanging around, and it hadn't seemed unusual at the time. Best friends did stuff like that, right? It just seemed like something was different now, but maybe Hylla was looking into it too much.
"Obviously," Hylla conceded sarcastically, though she wasn't exactly lying.
They reached the dance floor, and Bradshaw took no time in twirling her around, causing her to almost lose her balance.
"I knew it!" he exclaimed, grabbing her arms to steady her.
"We've known each other for years; what do you expect?" The two of them fell into an impromptu showcase of bad dancing, ignoring the odd looks other people were giving them. At that moment in time, Hylla was doing the moonwalk.
"I figured you had just hung around because I always pay for the drinks," he replied, spinning in a circle with flamboyant jazz hands, causing Hylla to laugh unattractively.
"Yeah, well, you're absolutely hilarious when you're drunk," she said as the song ended.
"Why thank you," he finished with a bow.
The music changed to a slower song, and Bradshaw pulled her close, holding her waist in a tight embrace. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder. Hylla knew she said just one dance, but that certainly wasn't the first thing on her mind in that moment. As they swayed along to the music, Hylla couldn't help but feel so at home; he made her feel safe. She didn't know how long they were on the dance floor, but that wasn't really important.
…..
"Give me your phone! Your phone, Bradshaw," she snapped, impatient as he fumbled around.
"Why do you need my phone anyways? Where's yours?" he grumbled as he felt around in his pockets, struggling to keep his balance.
"I'm trying to call a cab because you insisted on walking! You were also very certain that I wouldn't need mine, damn you," she replied. "Bradshaw, it's literally in your front pocket."
"Right," he said, grabbing it and handing it to Hylla. She quickly called the cab, and they waited the few minutes in silence. As soon as it arrived, she noticed him attempting to walk in and almost falling over in the process.
"Do you need help into the car?" While he was amusing to watch when he was drunk, anything more than simple interactions was like dealing with a five-year-old.
"No," he said stubbornly as he hauled himself into the car.
"Whose place? Yours or mine?" she asked as she followed him in.
"Yours," he mumbled, already half-asleep. Hylla told the driver her address as Bradshaw's head fell onto her shoulder.
Hylla was silent on the drive back to her apartment, careful not to wake Bradshaw. All she could think about was dancing with Bradshaw; she hadn't danced in years. Her mom had made her and Reyna take dance lessons, and Hylla had never minded; she loved to dance. Reyna was another story altogether, resisting the class as much as possible. But when her mother left them, Hylla's attitude changed. She hated everything that reminded her of her mother. She stopped dancing completely. Hylla and her mother used to bake cookies every week, so she never ate cookies anymore, which most people thought odd. She stopped visiting the river she and her mom always had picnics at. Hylla shook her head to clear her thoughts, brushing away a stray tear.
The cab driver stopped the car and announced that they had arrived. Hylla quickly paid him, and gently shook her partner awake.
"Bradshaw, wake up," she cooed, stroking his hair.
"Are we here?" he asked groggily, rubbing his eyes and looking around.
"Yes, now get out, you dork," Hylla laughed while pulling on his arm. Luckily, his nap sobered him up a bit and he slid out of the cab without fault. She thanked the driver, and began ushering him towards her apartment.
When she opened her front door, Bradshaw made a beeline for the kitchen, Hylla walking to her room to change into more comfortable clothes. As she made her way back to the kitchen, she saw him holding a glass of water and just staring at the wall, lost in thought. Hylla caught herself watching Bradshaw, unbeknownst to him.
When Hylla finally came to her senses, she walked over to the fridge, pulling Bradshaw from his train of thought. He came up behind her while she searched her food and snaked his arms around her middle, resting his chin on her shoulder and burying his head in her hair. "What's wrong, Hy?" he asked, his words muffled.
"Nothing," she replied monotonously. She grabbed the leftovers from lunch the other day to heat up, leaving Bradshaw's grip as she walked over to the microwave.
"Come on, Hy, don't try this," he called. "I know when something's bothering you."
"How are you feeling?" she asked, steering the conversation away from herself as she started the microwave.
"Cut the crap, Hylla. You can't lie to me," he snapped, grabbing her by the shoulders and staring at her with concern. She gazed back at him, worry flashing in her eyes.
"I don't want to talk about it. It's not supposed to happen anyway," she muttered, grabbing her food out of the microwave.
"What's that supposed to mean? Hylla, what's going on?" Bradshaw pleaded, stopping in front of her to get her attention, though she just snaked around him.
Hylla set her food down on the island and began to eat, ignoring Bradshaw's desperate attempts for her to open up to him. He walked up behind her again and softly kissed her hair.
"Hy, please tell me," he whispered.
Her breathing became labored, clenching her fists repeatedly and letting out small whimpers.
Hylla turned around and fell into Bradshaw's embrace. When her first tear fell, he tightened his grip and she melted into him, letting out a small sob.
"Hey, hey, it's ok," Bradshaw murmured, stroking her hair and rubbing circles into her back as her body began to shake.
When she began to calm down, Bradshaw pulled back a bit, and tilted her chin up so their eyes met. He cupped her cheeks in his rough and calloused hands, brushing away her tears, and gently pressed their lips together.
After a few seconds, Hylla pulled away, looking up at him shyly. "That's what wasn't supposed to happen," she whispered, meeting him in another kiss.
…..
A/N: Well I'm back! I'm not entirely sure if I should keep this going or leave it as a one shot, so tell me what you think! And as always thank you to my amazing beta AubreenaGreen.
-Lissie