It was about 2.30 when she was disturbed, or so she thought the bright red of the alarm clock on the nightstand told her. She had been heavily entwined with Flynn, one leg thrown over his hip while the other was tangled with his, her head and hand resting on his chest, the pressure of which (if there was much) he wasn't complaining about. She had been so comfortable and warm snuggled up next to him that she'd fallen into a deeper sleep than she was used to (okay and it might have something to do with the feeling of protection she got from his arms enveloping her), which is why she didn't move until she felt a tap on her shoulder and finally awoke.
"Baird" Stone whispered. "Psst."
She shuffled slightly and peered over her shoulder, the familiar voice surprisingly not startling her, but furrowed her brows nonetheless. "Stone?"
"Yeah. Sorry to wake you, I let myself in with the emergency key you gave me. The pipes in my apartment burst an' there's water everywhere. Can I stay here?"
"Yeah yeah, sure" she replied, rubbing Flynn's chest as he began to stir. "Do you need anything? There are sheets and stuff in the closet by the bathroom."
"I managed to grab a few things but yeah I'll get a couple of those too, thanks. Sorry 'bout this."
"No, don't worry about it, that's what the key's for."
He gave her smile before turning to leave the room. "G'night."
"Night" she muttered before turning back to Flynn and burying herself against him again.
This time he was roused a little more and his voice was hoarse. "Whatwasthat?" he mumbled. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Stone. I'll explain later, go back to sleep" she whispered, a little in vain since his almost inaudible snores informed her that he already was.
They both awoke with a start several hours later as a loud twanging sound burst through the walls into their room.
"What the hell is that?" mumbled Eve, squeezing her eyes shut as though doing so would lessen the sound.
"Banjo" came a muffled reply from next to her as though it was the most obvious thing. "Eve, why do you have a banjo?"
"What? I don't- it's not me!" she cried indignantly pushing away the hand on her face that was apparently trying to shush her.
"Then why are there banjos on a Sunday?"
Eve sighed and reluctantly shifted away from Flynn, shivering slightly as the cold air hit her skin once she'd thrown the sheets off. Despite the fact that it had been quite blustery she still slept in shorts, being used to having bare legs during the warm nights in the Middle Eastern countries she'd served in as well as slightly resenting the fact that it was difficult to find PJ bottoms that were long enough for her legs, which meant she sometimes borrowed Flynn's if she was particularly cold. The first time she'd worn them was when they'd had one of their most normal nights in to date. It had been a particularly miserable day in Portland and neither of them had wanted to leave the Annex to make the reservation they'd made at a fancy place across the city, especially since they'd had a long enough morning battling with centaurs. Instead they'd stayed at Flynn's place in the Library where he'd insisted on cooking for her despite her protests (although she was later so glad he'd ignored her pleas because it turns out Flynn Carsen was a damn good cook and if she hadn't already known she had completely fallen for him she would've done after the first bite of that molten chocolate lava cake). He'd turned down her offers of assistance and after hovering around for a while watching him completely engrossed in his cooking she'd decided she'd shower. She always carried essentials in her gym bag but skinny jeans were not what she wanted to wear for a cosy night in so she'd asked if he had anything she could borrow and he had happily complied, after initially staring at her open-mouthed and trying to piece together a response (okay so it had been kind of mean for her to innocently request an outfit while stood in his kitchen in her underwear but she had always loved that she could make him that dazed, and she had definitely noticed him accidentally puncture one of the lava cakes when he'd noticed her which she was definitely not going to regard as a metaphor). He'd given her one of his old college shirts too and she'd appreciated that even after he'd cooked her such an exquisite meal he was happy with them just eating it on the couch, her in PJs. They'd fallen asleep on the couch, huddled under a blanket and she was glad when she woke early the next morning, although regretfully leaving him with a kiss and a text explaining she'd see him in a couple of hours - she'd missed out the fact that she was hoping not to bump into any of the others in what would seem like a walk of shame, especially while wearing his clothes.
Still half asleep Eve opened the door and walked into the kitchen, wincing as the music hit her eardrums even more and rubbing her eyes to fully view the scene in front of her. Jake was bustling about the kitchen shirtless, whistling along to his music as he whisked eggs and made coffee. He was so engrossed he didn't even notice her until she calmly but firmly said "Stone, just because it's Sunday, doesn't mean I won't shoot something."
He spun around and beamed at her as though there weren't still birds asleep outside. "Oh hey darlin', sorry."
"What are you doing?"
"I wanted to say thank you for lettin' me stay, I know you're not a fan of people sneakin' into your place in the middle of the night so I thought I'd make breakfast."
"Oh." Okay now she felt bad, well only slightly, Tim McGraw was still blaring across the room so she hadn't fully forgiven him. "Uh, thank you" she uttered.
"Coffee?" he asked.
"Now you're talking" she replied, a small smile gracing her face as she watched him disappear behind the refrigerator door to search for the milk. At the same time she felt a pair of arms snake themselves around her waist as familiar lips pressed a soft kiss to her neck.
"There you are. I was wondering where you'd got to, I was getting cold in there all alo- Stone!" Flynn cut himself off once the fridge door closed and Jake's face was revealed, jerking backwards away from Eve, though his hand was still fiddling with the hem of her shirt. "Hey! You're- you're here. In the kitchen...that is...not your apartment" he spluttered as though he was a child that had been caught stealing candy from a jar.
"Yeah, Eve was kind enough to lemme stay. So this is my thank you" he said, motioning to the brewing and frying going on behind him.
"Oh" he simply stated, repeating Eve's earlier statement.
"So why don't you guys go back to bed and I'll bring it in for you in sec? Go" he urged, wafting his hands about in order to get some movement from them.
They complied, still confused as to what was happening and got back under the covers, Flynn's arm cautiously wrapping itself around Eve's waist as she sat up next to him. "So Stone's here" he declared after a moment.
"Yeah. He got here in the middle of the night. I'm pretty sure he said something about the pipes and his place and lots of water. I said he could stay. We're the closest to his place and he has a key for this exact reason" she explained as Flynn nodded his head in understanding. "Is that okay?" she asked, not really sure of herself.
He looked at her in both confusion and slight amusement. "Why would it not be? And why are you asking me, it's your apartment."
She gazed at him as her eyes sparkled and her dimples made a slight appearance, lighting up her face further. "Yeah I know...technically. But it's not as if you spend much time at your place is it? I'm not asking your permission as such but...I dunno, is this the kind of thing I should consult you about, as partners." This time it was Flynn's turn to smile. Partners. It had been a while since he'd had that and she was it in every way he'd ever imagined and more.
"I get what you mean. As your...boyfriend..." He took her somewhat shy smile as confirmation that it was okay to call himself that. "... and someone who completely accepts your status as an individual, I'd say it is really not my place to say who you can and cannot have in your apartment. As yourpartner I'd say of course it's okay, that is exactly what we're all here for, inside and outside of work, and I'm very glad that you think we should consult each other on stuff like this." Her efforts to lean forward and kiss him were thwarted by the entrance of Jake who was very focused on not dropping the tray of assorted foods he was carrying. Eve quickly repositioned herself in her spot, this time a few inches away from Flynn and returned Jake's smile as he laid the tray down next to her.
"Wow Jacob, this looks great. But you know you really didn't have to."
He shrugged and replied "I know. But I wanted to." He paused seemingly thinking about how to phrase his thoughts before he continued. "I'm really grateful, to the both of you, for everything. You guys are my family and I don't know if I always show you how much I appreciate that you've given me the opportunity to do what we do and to be myself."
"That wasn't really all us" Flynn responded. "You kept following your passions, even if that meant writing under pseudonyms, you took on the jobs here even when I wasn't here to help you guys, you're always looking out for the others and Eve. It's not always about what you have Stone, it's about what you do with what you have."
Jake nodded and smiled appreciatively before mumbling "enjoy" and leaving the two of them alone.
Flynn looked down at all the food and eagerly grabbed a cup of coffee before digging in. Eve just continued to stare at him in disbelief. "Flynn" she whispered. He looked up at her, eyes wide. He barely had a chance to respond before her lips crashed against his and she kissed him like that first time before he went off in search for the Library.
"What was that for?" he asked once his eyes had fluttered open.
"You're getting so good at being a person" she replied before pecking his lips again and stealing a bite from his fork.
"Hey I'm real sorry 'bout this" Jake said to an understanding Eve as she sat on her and Flynn's desk. "I didn't think it was gonna be this much of a problem. If you want I can go stay at a hotel or somethin'" he suggested.
Eve tutted and raised her eyebrow at him. "Please. What was all that you were saying about family the other morning? Of course you can stay a few more days, it's not your fault the plumbing is sucky in your place. Besides, like I'm actually going to let you stay at a hotel when there's a perfectly good pull-out couch at my place."
"I'm a big boy, Eve" he grinned.
"That's not the point" she retorted rolling her eyes. "Oh hang on a second" she added, grabbing her phone from her back pocket and hastily typing out a message.
Hey partner, Jake's apartment won't be fixed for a few more days. Just consulting you before I say yes for definite x
Her phone 'dinged' almost instantly and she chuckled as she read the message.
Howdy!
Wait, we don't mean that kind of partner do we? I don't know why I suddenly got all John Wayne on you. Ignore that. Say yes. Miss you, see you later x
She shook her head as a smile continued to spread across her face. "It's all good...roomie." Jake laughed and nodded in appreciation before turning to leave her to her work. "Hey, what do you want for dinner tonight?"
"You cookin'?" he inquired with a grin.
"Yeah"
"Then whatever's the easiest to not burn" he said with a wink.
"Oh my god that was one time! I knew he told you about that!" she cried as she watched the highly amused art historian climb the staircase to the card catalogue.
"You know, I didn't think I'd be this excited about date night" Flynn thought out loud as he swung his and Eve's entwined hands on their way back to her apartment.
She raised her eyebrow questioningly, "Wanna rephrase that Librarian?"
His face turned pink as he realised what he'd said. "Uh, no! I mean, not no. Yes, I want to rephrase that because no, that's not what I meant" he mumbled as she surreptitiously smirked. "Of course I was excited, I just meant I didn't think I'd enjoy the normal stuff so much. Going out to dinner and sitting across from you holding your hand, sharing a dessert, getting to kiss you without someone running in and shouting about the Crown of Osiris. She couldn't help but chuckle at the last line, it was usually him that came running in shouting about whatever danger they faced next. "It was nice" he stated simply, smiling at her.
As they reached the steps to her apartment she grinned at him and he furrowed his eyebrows wondering what exactly she was thinking. "So" she began. "If this was a normal date and we were a normal couple, what would you be doing right now?"
"What do you mean?" he asked perplexed.
"Would you have walked me to my car, or my apartment? Would you have taken me to yours?" she added with a mischievous glint in her eye.
"Ah. Um well I would not have walked you to your car because I would've picked you up. So I guess I'd have walked or driven you back to your place...which I am, technically."
"Technically" she nodded in agreement. She ascended the few steps to her door, walking backwards slowly, still gripping his hand. "So now we're at my door...and I'm fumbling for my keys. What do you do?" Her voice was low and she dragged out the words in a way that made him more nervous than he realised he was.
He cleared his throat before answering. "Uh. Well I would tell you that I had a great time and that I hoped you did too, and I'd tell you again how beautiful you look" he replied, edging closer to her and locking his gaze with hers. Eve could feel her heart beat faster and his breath hot on her skin as her stomach began to flip. Oh yeah, this was going exactly the way she wanted it to. "Then I'd hold onto the hand which held your keys, which you actually found five minutes ago and pull you closer with it" he whispered, stepping so close to her that she swore he'd be able to feel her heart pounding against her chest. "Then you'd ask me in for coffee" he added with a smirk.
"I would?" she asked, gulping.
"Mmhmm. But before you'd even have a chance to finish the sentence I'd..." he trailed off as his hand slid up to her neck and pulled her against him, thumb brushing her cheek as his lips glided over hers taking advantage of the fact that she'd opened her mouth slightly in surprise.
Eventually she pulled back a little and their noses brushed together before she pressed a kiss to his jaw, feeling the slight scratchy sensation of his stubble. "You know, Stone said he'd be out tonight" she whispered, eyes still closed.
"Who's Stone?" he teased, continuing their act as his hand now crept up into her shirt.
"Shut up" she smiled, kissing him. She felt him reach into her hand and grab the keys, then fumble about at the lock as she wrapped her arms around him, not making it any easier but being too lost to care. They stumbled into her apartment and she heard him throw her keys half-heartedly at the kitchen counter before he kicked the door shut behind him and she began tugging at his jacket, rolling her shoulders to help him with her own. Eve spun him around, mouth still feverishly pressing against any part of his skin that she could find and began unbuttoning his shirt as she pushed him towards the living room, silently thankful she'd managed to persuade him not to wear so many layers tonight. She guided him towards the couch and settled herself on his lap once he'd sat down, his knees having given way as he bumped into the piece of furniture.
Flynn was just beginning to enjoy the feel of her palms against his chest and her lips pressing soft kisses to his neck when he heard movement that wasn't from the two of them. Frowning, he glanced across to the other room and from around the corner he spotted what appeared to be a plaid shirt and in his haste to warn Eve he did nothing of the sort and jerked suddenly, his hands batting her away. Unfortunately he'd been a little too forceful in his panic and Eve went flying backwards off his legs, crying out as she hit the hard floor below. "Ow! Flynn!" Flynn cursed silently and his eyes grew wide as he peered down at a very annoyed and dishevelled Eve. He reached out a hand to help her up which she begrudgingly took, her glare getting stronger by the second. Getting ready to go into a full blown rant asking what the hell that was about, Eve was silenced when she saw Jake walk around the corner and her eyes matched that of Flynn's as he hastily gripped his shirt and held it together trying to act as innocent as possible. "Jake!" she cried in surprise, "What are you doing here? I uh I thought you were out tonight?" she said, hastily brushing her hair back and straightening her dress.
Jake was aware of what he'd just walked into but tried to hide his smirk as he replied, acting as normal as possible. "Uh yeah I was. I was just helpin' Cassie with somethin', turns out it didn't take as long as we thought it might."
"Oh" Eve muttered as Flynn just nodded his head slowly in acceptance of the fact.
"I um, I think I'm just gonna get ready for bed" he declared before walking off to the bathroom with a grin on his face.
For a minute Flynn and Eve were both silent trying not to think about how awkward it would've been had he walked in moments later. "Sorry" mumbled Flynn. "I didn't mean to...I panicked" he apologised, wincing.
"It's alright" she replied smiling and taking his outstretched hand once more. "I know your mind works a little too fast for you to be able to function sometimes" she teased as he stood up and held her close.
"Are you okay?" he asked with concern.
"Fine. You know, I can't really get you that coffee if we want privacy, but I can show you my meticulously made bed which is great for snuggling."
"Oh well how can I resist that? Lead the way Guardian."
She walked them over to her bedroom, remembering to grab their jackets as she did and placed his arm around her own waist. "Do you really think I looked beautiful tonight?" she asked, voicing something she rarely did.
"Stunning" he replied, gripping her waist a little more. "But you always do."
Eve stammered into the kitchen, taking the coffee Flynn handed to her as she reached him. "What is that? Is that Jake?" she asked pointing to the bathroom as she settled next to Flynn against the counter.
"Yup. He sings too."
"Of course he does! Great." Flynn chuckled and held her waist as she rested her head on his shoulder. They stood quietly for a minute just taking in the moment. Unless it was one of their days off or a 'no one seems to be taking over the world today' day, they were usually up and out the door pretty early, meeting as they passed in doorways and handed one another cups of coffee before they reached the Annex and the Clippings Book sent them on their separate ways. "How come you're up so early?" she inquired. It was rare that he was awake before her, even rarer that he was actually ready with coffee.
"Stone's book is taking him to one of the new exhibits at the Cairo Museum, I haven't really been around there since the thing with the mummies and he asked if I'd like to go. Plus, I know a couple people there so it might help if we need any strings pulling."
"Is it dangerous? Do you need back up?"
He grinned at her response, she was always worrying.
"No it's just a pick up job, we'll be fine. Thanks anyway" he smiled and gave her a quick peck on the lips as she looked up at him. "Besides, you can think of this as a bonding session. You're always saying I need to spend time with them."
"That's 'cause you do."
"And look how well I'm listening to you" he teased. "Best. Boyfriend. Ever." She rolled her eyes at him and was about to reply with an equally snarky comment when the bathroom door opened and Jacob strolled in, one towel around his waist another ruffling his hair as he dried it. Eve couldn't help but grin as she saw him. She was pretty sure Cassandra would be a pile of melt if she was there at that moment.
"Mornin'" he nodded to a still smiling Eve and took the coffee Flynn handed to him (apparently he was playing Mr Starbucks this morning). "I'll be ready in a couple minutes" he informed Flynn before walking away again.
"Don't worry, I'm sure I can find something to do in that time" he said beaming down at Eve.
She laughed at his comment, rolling her eyes at his innocence. "You know, that sounds a little wrong." She chuckled as she watched realisation cloud his face before he stammered about not intending for it to sound like that. A few minutes later as promised, Jake walked out of the bathroom ready to go. "Keep me updated" Eve urged as they exited the apartment. "And call me if you need help."
Flynn chuckled at her and quickly walked back up the steps to give her the kiss she seemed to be expecting which okay he'd kind of forgotten about because he was too excited about going back to Cairo. "Stop worrying" he whispered, before giving her another quick but soft kiss and turning to catch up with Jake who'd wandered off already to give them some privacy.
"Then stop being so amazing and giving me a reason to" she mumbled to herself as she watched them go. She sighed and went back inside, gazing around the too quiet and empty apartment then frowned as she realised she'd just stood at the door and waved her partner off for the day as though she were a 50s suburban housewife. She groaned slightly at the thought, what had they all done to her?
Sorry. We're gonna be another half an hour.
Eve sighed as she responded to Flynn's text.
You said that an hour ago. Where are you anyway?
You know that bar you said was nice? The one that you and Cassandra came to?
Yeah
Not that one. There's a "dive bar" as you like to call them around the corner from that. Jake apparently knows a few people. We won't be too long x
Eve locked her phone and made her way over to the refrigerator to find something appropriate for what she wasn't going to refer to as a 'meal for one'. At least boy's night seemed to be going well. Apparently Flynn and Jacob had more fun in Egypt than either of them thought they would and decided to celebrate their successful mission with a drink, having surprisingly dragged Ezekiel with them too. It wasn't that she didn't like being alone, she did. Well, she liked being by herself, she'd done it enough times and was comfortable in her own company, but she did find she missed Flynn just being around in the evenings, even if he was working in a separate room she liked knowing he was there, it was nice to hear him muttering to himself rather than just the all too familiar and lonely sound of the humming refrigerator and dripping tap.
A few hours later after it had just hit midnight and she was pacing around her kitchen trying to call all three of them, to no avail, and panicking about their whereabouts there was a knock at her door. She practically ran to answer it and met a very disgruntled looking Jenkins on the other side. "Oh. Jenkins. What are you doing here? Is it about the boys? Have you heard from them?" she hastily asked, concern evident on her face.
"I believe this belongs to you" he stated simply, dragging a giddy looking Flynn who had been hidden from view and thrusting him towards Eve. "As does this, temporarily." From his other side he held an amused Jake out to her, gripping him with minimal effort as though he was something disdainful.
"Where were they?!" she asked in relief as she attempted to hold them both up as neither one seemed to be able to do it themselves.
"And where's Ezekiel? Is he okay?"
"Oh Mr Jones is quite alright. I don't know what was more of a shock to the system, him being perfectly sober or these two. I found them near the Book of the Dead. They seemed to be attempting to summon the pharaoh Djoser to ask him how exactly the pyramids were built, since they apparently differ in their opinions on the subject." Eve's eyes widened and her brows furrowed in confusion as he spoke. "Colonel, intoxication is highly inappropriate and dangerous in the Library and the Annex, particularly while I am sleeping" he added before turning away. "Goodnight."
"Uh, night" she called out before shutting the door and facing the two wobbly Librarians in front of her. "What the hell happened to you two?!" she implored, knowing she wasn't exactly going to get an answer.
Flynn spun around as soon as he heard her voice and his face lit up when he found her. "EVE! YOU'RE HERE! JAKE, LOOK IT'S EVE!"
Jake turned to look at her unimpressed face and winked when he saw her. "Hey sweet'eart" he smiled cheekily. Eve shut her eyes and shook her head, this was going to be a long night.
"Right. You." she grabbed Flynn's arm and sat him down at the dining table before getting two glasses of water and setting one down in front of him. "I'm going to see to him and when I get back I want this glass to be empty. Understood?"
He beamed at her as though in a trace, simply staring at her with glistening eyes. "You're so beautiful." He leaned to the side to look past her at Jacob and she gripped his arm to stop him from landing in a heap on the floor. "Didn't I tell you she was beautiful?"
"You did man!" Jake replied stretching his arm and pointing a finger at Flynn as though it was a handshake of sorts and winking again. "You guys should get...like a...like a weddin' or somethin'! I have a truck!" he randomly added, excitedly.
She rolled her eyes and hoped to god that whatever they'd been talking about while they were out neither of them would remember in the morning. "And you!" she turned to Jake and steered him to the living room, taking the other glass with her. "Drink this and go to sleep" she instructed, opening up the couch and setting him down on some pillows before draping a blanket over him.
"He luuurrvvvesss you" Jake revealed like an 8 year old in the playground, ignoring her completely.
She couldn't help but smile and replied, "I'm sure he does. Now sleep."
"Eve!" he felt for her hand as she walked away. "You're the coolest sister ever" he mumbled before drifting off.
She smiled and ruffled his hair before she left. "Goodnight Jacob."
When she entered the kitchen she bumped into Flynn who'd gotten up from his seat, water barely touched and was now gazing at her dizzily. "Hello" he said, smile still gracing his face.
"Hello Flynn. Come on, let's get you to bed" she replied, holding his hand and pulling him towards the bedroom.
"Yes ma'am!" He followed it with an attempted wink which was actually just a lot of blinking and squinting.
"To sleep. And nothing else."
"Well that's not fun" he frowned, sulking.
"I think you've had enough fun for one night Librarian."
He waved a hand about in front of him. "Eh, it wasn't that great. You weren't there." She hung his jacket on the headboard and leaned to turn down the bed when she felt him wrap his arms around her stomach and rest his head at her waist. "Missed you" he whispered.
Ugh, why was it so difficult to be mad at them?! She couldn't help the smile she gave him as she peered down and placed her hands on top of his. "I missed you too Flynn."
She managed to get him undressed and into bed which she hadn't been intending on, imagining it would be too much of a struggle. But he'd miraculously undone his belt before she knew it and had flopped onto the bed having gotten tangled in his trousers as he'd attempted to take them off, so she'd had no choice but to continue what he'd started anyway. She got under the covers and he shuffled over to her, draping an arm across her stomach and resting his head on her chest. "Eve" he stated, sighing contentedly as though he been searching for her for days and had finally found her. "Love you" he mumbled before finally falling asleep.
Her whole body warmed the way it always did whenever he said those words to her and she beamed at him, placing one arm across his and holding his head close to her with the other before placing a kiss to his unruly hair and running her fingers through it. She could forgive them, especially since the next morning would be punishment enough for them both, not that she'd actually tell them that. "Love you too" she whispered before resting her head against his and letting sleep claim her, her worries and concerns gone for another day.
"Flynn wake up! I'm not gonna tell you again." Eve tugged at his legs as she stood at the edge of the bed trying to wake him. He'd said he'd be up early to help her go through some of the Library's security details (she insisted on doing regular checks since too many villains kept making their way into it), but in the time she'd managed to go for a run and wash her hair he still was spread out like a starfish on the bed, drooling ever so slightly onto the pillow, swatting her hand away whenever she came near.
"Five more minutes" he mumbled incoherently.
"It was five more minutes two hours ago!"
"I'm tired" he murmured into the pillow.
"Well you should have thought of that when you and Stone were up til god knows what time comparing Greek and Roman architecture." They'd spent the night nerding out after a mission had lead them to the discovery of a new kind of building material used in Rome...or something like that, she gave up listening after they kept shouting out long words in Latin that she didn't understand. On the one hand it was good they were bonding because Flynn was right, she did want him to get to know the others a bit more but on the other hand there was only so long she could handle feeling like she was living in a frat house, even with the experience of her male-dominated career.
At that moment there was a knock on the bedroom door and Stone poked his head round it. "My landlord just called, he said everything's sorted so I'll be outta your hair by tonight. I was thinking about making you both dinner-"
"Jake" Eve began, cutting him off.
"I know, I know, 'I don't need to', so I thought I'd go get breakfast and coffee from that place you were talkin' about the other day."
"Oh okay, uh thank you, you still don't have to but thanks" Eve replied, smiling.
Flynn's ears seemed to have picked up the latter part of the conversation thus far and he jumped up from the bed and spun round to face Jake, apparently now wide awake. "Oooh! You mean the little Italian place?! They have the best...well I don't really know what they are but they're these teeny little pastries that have all these different fillings and there's one with chocolate and peanut butter!" he rambled excitedly, pulling on his clothes as fast as he could. "Wait for me!" he called to Jake who had already started to head for the front door. A second later the door slammed and Eve stood there trying to process what the hell had just happened. She'd been trying to get him out of bed for hours, one word from Jake and suddenly he had super speed. This bromance was really starting to grate on her. She sighed and made the bed before writing a quick note and leaving for the Annex, every stomp evidence of her annoyance.
"Eve! They had your favouri- uh oh." He stopped in his tracks when he saw the little post-it stuck to the refrigerator.
"What?" Jake asked, frowning.
"She left a note."
"So?" Jake walked over to it and picked it off the fridge door. "She's just gone to the Annex" he said shrugging.
"Is that what it says?"
"Yeah" Jake replied, turning it round to him. "See. 'Annex'" he read.
Flynn's eyes widened as he began to panic. "Th- that's it? That's all it says? Just the one word?"
"Yeah. What's up with you man?"
"Oh this is bad, this is very bad."
"What?" Jake said, confused as ever. "She probably just went to help one of the others or get a head start on her work. You kinda did keep her hangin' round for ages."
"No. You don't understand. Eve only leaves notes if she's mad, and the fewer words there are the madder she is. If she's just gone out she'll text me so I know straight away."
"Huh" Jake uttered. These two were weird, perfect for each other and absolutely in love, but weird.
"This is Eve's equivalent of when a woman says she's fine."
Jake winced at Flynn's statement. "Ooh. Okay this is bad. You better go find her...although, I gotta admit I'm surprised you know about the 'fine thing.'" Flynn frowned questioningly. "Well...look don't take this the wrong way but I assumed with your history and you being the Librarian for so long that...you wouldn't have 'got around' so much."
"Ah. Well, it's true I haven't. Well, no, I have...kind of. Enough to know about the 'fine thing.'"
"You're not uh...you're not plannin' to 'get around' anymore are you?"
"Huh? What? No? What?" Flynn mumbled in even more of a panic. "No! Why would you ask that?"
"Sorry, sorry. It's just, I've gotten to know Eve a little better than I have you and we get on really well. Honestly I get on better with her than I do my actual sisters. I guess I just feel a little protective of her that's all."
Flynn nodded in understanding. "It's okay, I get it. My track record of running probably doesn't help. But you have nothing to worry about, I promise. I don't intend to hurt her or leave her. While I was searching for a way to stop Prospero, alone, I got a glimpse of what my life would be without her and that was scarier than anything magical I've ever faced."
"Then go get the girl, man" Jake smiled, lightly hitting Flynn on the back.
Flynn poked his head around the door of his office in the Library, blonde hair hitting his line of sight just as he'd expected. She couldn't be that mad if she was in his office, surely everything would just remind her of him. "Hey" he whispered, smiling at her in an attempt to get one in return. She looked up from her stack of books, glared at him then carried on working.
"Where's your boyfriend?"
He couldn't help but chuckle at her grumpy little face. She was pouting, definitely not mad mad. "Is that a hint of jealously I hear?" he teased.
"No" she lied. "What do you want anyway?"
"You" he replied honestly, his voice low.
At that she finally glanced up at him properly and had to silently shush her heart as it shot around inside her when his eyes locked with hers. She remembered she was supposed to be mad at him and cleared her throat before attempting to look stern again. "Well, you could have had me this morning but you chose Jake and pastries. Pastries Flynn!" she repeated, folding her arms.
"I know" he replied sincerely, walking up to her and perching on the edge of the desk. "Although they do taste great" he mumbled before quickly shaking his head and adding, "not the point, sorry" as she glared at him. "I didn't mean to leave you waiting around for so long, to be honest I'm surprised you didn't throw water over me."
"Hmm, don't think I didn't think about it."
He took her hands before he spoke again. "Look. You know why I love that place?"
"Chocolate and peanut butter, I heard" she muttered.
He laughed softly before continuing. "No. Well a little bit but that's not why, not really. Remember when we first found that place, on our third official date?" She nodded and he noted the little cross of her eyebrows as she tried to determine where he was going with this. "You tried the Nutella and Oreo ones and absolutely loved them. You told me that while you were out on your tours in the military you'd get both of those things sent to the base but they never tasted right. But these ones in the shop did, they tasted like home. I love that place because it reminds me of you, I love being able to go there and get you those things and make you feel like you're home."
Eve felt her expression and stance soften. "You remember that? she whispered.
"Of course. I can pay attention too you know. That's why I was so eager to go this morning, I knew I'd made you mad and by the time I actually had enough energy to wake up I wanted to apologise. But I did make you a promise yesterday and I didn't stick to it, and for that I really am sorry."
He was so sincere and so sweet but there was still something nagging at her in the back of her mind which she knew she had to say to him or it would be left just hanging in the air. "It's not just that Flynn. I know I wanted you to hang out with Jake but I didn't expect to feel so...left out. Then when you both left this morning after I'd been pleading with you for so long it was just like we'd backtracked, like you weren't listening and there was something more important than me, like with the Library and Prospero. I'm not saying they weren't important, they were, the Library will always come first, what we do is so...alarmingly important but sometimes I just feel like in the middle of all the crazy, we're gonna lose us."
He could see the hurt in her eyes but what tugged at his heart more was hearing her say that she knew she wasn't his top priority. "Eve. Don't- you're right, the Library has and always will be important, but you? Don't ever think that you are not the most important thing in my life. The fact that I still have a Library to go to is only because I've had you, Jenkins and the others to help me. I did my time alone and I did it good but I'm not stupid, I know I couldn't have done any of the stuff we've faced without all of you. I don't want to do it without you Eve, not just work, everything."
Before he had a chance to say anything else he felt Eve's lips capture his own and his erratic mind seemed to shut down, consumed only by the sensation of her soft lips gliding over his, a hint of the raspberry lip balm she wore filling his senses. She pulled away slightly and he barely flickered his eyes open before he felt her wrap her arms around his neck, face burrowing into it.
"I'm sorry too."
"For what?" he frowned.
"Leaving a one-worded note to make you think I was madder than I actually was."
He chuckled at her confession. "You're forgiven."
"Thank you. By the way, did you at least bring me back a damn pastry?" she asked, her breath warm on his skin.
"Nutella, Oreo and a non-fat, triple shot latte" he whispered back.
"You're the best" she smiled, facing him again. She pecked him on the check, breathing him in as she did before taking his hand and leading him back towards the Annex.
"Thanks again" Jake said as he hauled his bag over his shoulder and headed towards the front door of Eve's place.
"Would you stop?" she chuckled. "Come on, we're Team 'Ninjas in Oklahoma!'"
He laughed as he recalled their first meeting. "Yeah alright. Listen, don't be too hard on him, he really does care about you a lot", he told her, unaware the pair had already made up.
"I know. Thanks for spending time with him, he needs to be with people a bit more. Well, you all do, you need your guy time as much as Cass and I need our girl time."
"You and Cassie have girl time?" he grinned in disbelief.
"What? Just cause I can take down a minotaur I can't enjoy girl talk every now and then?"
"What does girl talk consist of with you two?" he asked, intrigued.
"Yeah, like I'm gonna tell you." He didn't need to know they had stereotypical boy talk while eating cookie dough and drinking cocktails (or mocktails for Cassandra because Eve was not dealing with any tiny purple rhinos for a while).
"I'm glad he makes you happy. He knows what he has to face if not."
Eve furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Huh? Jacob what did you do?"
"Nothing! It's just, you know..." He brought his arm up and softly bumped it against hers, more sentimentally than they usually did so. She smiled but said nothing, appreciating the significance of it all. "Anyway, I'll uh...I'll leave you two alone, I'm sure you have things to uh...do" he added with a wink and a smirk.
Eve's eyes widened in horror and she felt herself blushing as heat engulfed her from the neck upwards. "I- wh- Stone! Can we please not ever talk about my sex life?!" she blurted out, squeezing her eyes shut as she pleaded with him.
"EW!" he exclaimed as she merely blinked at his outburst.
"What? You started it!"
"Yeah but you don't have to say it!"
"Wh- you did!" she argued back as though they were teenage siblings.
"No, I implied it! Don't say sex it sounds weird when you say it!"
"Rude!"
"Yeah! But you're like my sis-" He paused as he realised he was about to say out loud what they'd never actually said to each other (at least not while sober), although they had to everyone else. "You're like my sister" he repeated, this time more confidently. It felt weird but he had to remember this was his new life, he didn't have to pretend about anything anymore.
She smiled and lightly slapped his cheek, which he recognised was becoming kind of a habit, even though it was done lovingly. "Yeah. Go home little bro" she replied, ruffling his hair as he flinched with a wince.
He walked down the steps and called back to her, though not turning around. "By the way, you can't pull off 'bro'"
"Yup. Never gonna say it again" she agreed, realising how weird she'd sounded.
She shut the door just as Flynn entered the room. "Was that Jake?"
"Yeah" she answered, turning to face him. "He was just grabbing his stuff."
"It was kinda nice having him around, fun."
"Yeah except I got my boyfriend stolen for like a week."
"You know, I really like when you're jealous" he teased, a glint in his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah...hey, remember that time Moriarty kissed me" she retorted knowing it would get him feeling the same way.
"Wh- why would you go there? That's just mean" he grumbled.
She giggled and pulled him close. "Sorry" she whispered into his ear. "I'm so glad we made up. I can't kiss you when we're arguing, and I like kissing you" she confessed, not as embarrassed as she thought she might be saying something as soppy as that.
"And I like you kissing me" he murmured, tilting his head and kissing her neck as she closed her eyes at his touch. "Come on, I think we have some unfinished business to attend to from date night" he whispered, taking her hand and pulling her towards the bedroom.
"Oh. Well, it would be bad to leave a job incomplete."