"Great, this is just great," Jacob growled, banging on the doors to the small room he and Ezekiel had wandered into. "It's no use, mate, that's a Granit lock," Ezekiel said as though it were obvious. He was leaned up against a corner of the room on his cell phone. Jacob didn't know he was actually just trying to get cell signal so he could ring Baird and he turned on the younger man, "I thought you were the World's Greatest Thief, get us out of here!" His voice was harsh and loud. "I'm not magic mate, I can't just—" Ezekiel started to yell back at him, then looked him in the eye. Jacob looked panicked and more scared than Ezekiel had ever seen the older man. The cowboy was trying his best to act angry, but he was really just afraid. "Stone, you alright mate?" Ezekiel inched closer to him, hand going out to touch Jacob's arm. Jacob flinched and backed up like a cornered animal, he was strung tighter than a piano. "I'm fine, Jones, just get us the fuck out of here!" Okay, language, Stone was really upset now. He didn't use that one unless it was serious.
"Hey, hey, it's okay, we'll be fine, cowboy. I'm ringing Baird right now, see?" Ezekiel held the phone up for Jacob to see he had signal. Jacob's eyes glimmered with hope and he nodded, breathing heavily now. He might start hyperventilating any minute if Ezekiel didn't act fast. He rang Baird and told her where they were, making sure not to mention how freaked Jacob was. He knew it would be a while before they could get to them, they were at a party distracting the mark while the boys searched the place. He put the phone in his pocket and turned to Jacob again, who had sunk to the floor, hands over his head, knees up to his chest. This wasn't good. "Hey cowboy, how you doing?" Ezekiel sank to his knees in front of him, tilting his chin up to look him in the eyes. Jacob's eyes were swimming with tears, he was terrified. "I'm claustrophobic," Jacob's voice was barely a whisper and Ezekiel had never heard the other man sound so small.
He reached his hands out and started running them up and down Jacob's arms soothingly. Ezekiel may not be claustrophobic, but he had had his fair share of panic attacks. "Shh, yeah, I put that together, mate, it's okay," he mumbled in a calming voice. After a few minutes of just caressing Jacob comfortingly, Ezekiel had an idea, "I want you to close your eyes." Jacob looked askance at him, but at Ezekiel's persistent prodding ("Come on cowboy, eyes closed"), he obeyed. "Now, I want you to think about a time where you felt truly free. You might be running in a field or playing an instrument or… driving down a backroad." You could hear the smirk in Ezekiel's voice on the last one. Jacob huffed, but he was smiling. "Do you feel it?" Jacob nodded. "Good, what are you doing?" Jacob responded, eyes still closed, "I'm playing the guitar on my back porch." Ezekiel raised his eyebrows a little, he didn't know Jacob could play the guitar.
He tried to continue, despite being somehow even more attracted to Jacob than before, "Ok, good, now imagine your favorite place, it could be a spot in the Library or back home, a museum or a park bench with a view." Ezekiel paused until Jacob nodded again, this time needing no prodding, "I'm in the Library, back in the Ancient Literature section, there's a hidden study room of sorts back behind some of the shelves." Ezekiel smiled at that one, he knew the git would pick the Library, although he didn't know what room he was talking about. He would have to go see it when they got back if Jacob liked it so much. "Good. Now I want you to picture a person. A family member, a friend, a lover… I want you to picture someone that you can ground yourself to."
As Jacob was about to nod thinking of the team, Ezekiel continued, "Someone whose smile brightens a room or whose laugh is contagious. They give you the feeling of home. Someone you trust, someone who makes you feel safe and wanted… someone you love." Ezekiel paused, lost in thought, not realizing he had closed his eyes too. Jacob opened his eyes, suddenly more focused on Ezekiel than his claustrophobia because Ezekiel was in love. The only question now was with who? Jacob let his hands down and crossed his legs underneath himself, calming down more now. Just as Jacob was about to ask, Ezekiel continued, "They might have kind eyes, and a gentle spirit, whether or not people realize it. Someone who infuriates you but also is the only person who truly gets you, someone who makes you want to be better than you were yesterday." Ezekiel had a far off look on his face, but after a second he shook his head a little and opened his eyes, spell broken.
Jacob still had his eyes open, looking at Ezekiel in awe, but Ezekiel gave him a chastising look and said, "Come on, think of the person." Jacob closed his eyes again and thought through the list. He had been thinking of the whole team, but if he had to pinpoint one of them, who was always his first call? Who was the person he messed with on account of that laugh and that cute little smirk? Who was the one that he wanted to hang out with aside from the Library? Who made him feel the most comfortable, the safest, the most valued? Jacob's mind began to wander to a strange place: Ezekiel. But he wasn't in love with Ezekiel… was he? He tried to refocus, but he couldn't get Ezekiel out of his head. He went through the points Ezekiel had mentioned. The only person that gets me? Check. Infuriating? CHECK. Someone who makes me want to be better than yesterday, check check check. 'Oh my god, I'm in love with Ezekiel,' Jacob thought clearly. He kept his eyes closed for a second as he tried to process the information, but then he had an idea. If there was ever a time, this was it. He opened his eyes and looked defiantly into Ezekiel's.
"Well?" Ezekiel said, "Why aren't you nodding, come on, quit focusing on the room, close your eyes. Focus on the person." Jacob held steady eye contact as he said, "I am." Ezekiel's eyes widened just a bit, but he didn't say anything. Jacob just watched, looking for any sign that Ezekiel felt the same way. Ezekiel snuck a glance at Jacob's lips. "Someone who drives me crazy, but would stop anything to make sure I'm okay. Someone that I can truly trust, who makes me feel safe and wanted," Ezekiel's mouth fell open slightly. Jacob took that as his queue to continue, "Someone who gets me, and who is so inherently good, even if they try to hide it. Someone whose laugh I would do anything to hear, which might be why I'm always giving them a hard time." Ezekiel recovered a bit and chuckled lightly at the last statement. Jacob didn't stop there though, "Someone I love." Ezekiel was speechless, he had of course been thinking of the cowboy too, but he never thought Jacob would feel the same way.
Jacob leaned closer slowly, a question in his eyes. It only took Ezekiel a few seconds to react, but when he did it was like the flood gates had been opened. He basically leaped on Jacob, wrapping his arms around his neck and kissing him with everything he had. Jacob chuckled a little into the kiss, but then responded in kind, leaning forward to wrap his arms around Ezekiel's waist, pressing himself against the thief. Ezekiel scooted closer to where he was almost in Jacob's lap. Jacob pulled him by the backs of his thighs the rest of the way. He leaned back against the wall and just enjoyed the feeling of being kissed by Ezekiel. Ezekiel wanted to talk about what had just happened, what Jacob had just confessed, but was afraid that if he did anything other than continue the kiss, the cowboy would remember where they were and get upset again, and he wasn't having that. He also couldn't complain about the current situation one bit, so they kissed on.
Kissing Ezekiel was even better than Jacob could have ever imagined, not that he had of course, of course not. Ezekiel raked his tongue across Jacob's lower lip and the cowboy didn't hesitate. He opened his mouth and the two explored each other curiously. After kissing for a while, Jacob leaned back to take a breath, opening his eyes to lock eyes with Ezekiel. "Wow," was all he could think to say. Ezekiel chuckled a little, soft and light, his eyes never leaving Jacob's. "Mm, couldn't have said it better myself, cowboy. We should've done that a long time ago." Jacob nodded, smirking as he reached up to push a strand of hair out of Ezekiel's eyes, deciding to play with it when he realized how silky it was. Ezekiel busied himself with running his hands down Jacob's back, snuggling into his chest a bit further. They stayed like that, wrapped up in each other for a few minutes before they heard footsteps down the hallway.
Jacob had completely forgotten about his claustrophobia, Ezekiel was too good a distraction. "Stone? Jones? Where are you?" came the hushed but urgent voice of Colonel Baird. "In here," Ezekiel said to the door as he got up, lending Jacob his hand. Jacob took it and as he was getting on his feet, the door swung open. "Come on, we have to hurry, the –" Baird immediately was ushering them out of the room and filling them in, they were back on the mission. Jacob glanced at Ezekiel as they were running out of the building and Ezekiel just grinned at him, one his rare real smiles that made Jake smile too and he knew whatever happened in there was going to be good, it had to be.