Kawaii-Cherri: Yeah, I got some plans for Abigail and they aren't good. The chapters I'm working on at the moment are completely different from what I wrote in the other fic. I lean heavily into the whole AU thing I've created and there's very little of the original game concept left. Welp. We'll see what happens.

Chapter eight: Helpless against the current.

'I can't bend that way!' Elspeth laughs as she attempted to lean backwards on the pool table, half sitting on the edge while aiming the pool cue at her target from behind. It had been a couple of hours since she arrived and she had a warm, buzzy feeling; she was a few drinks in but a bit of a light weight. Sam had won the first game and so they were all taking turns to play. Hayley had suggested teams, girls against boys, each taking turns. 'I'm too short!' Elspeth giggled as she sat up straight, her legs swinging a little as she was too short to reach the floor. She looked at Sebastian. 'I don't know how you pull it off but I literally can't balance like that!'

They had been softly flirting all night. Hayley had picked up on it and gave them plenty of opportunities for them to interact, it didn't look like anyone else had caught on and Elspeth was grateful for it. Sebastian was certainly reserved and had avoided touching her or being in close quarters but he was also like that with everyone else, so Elspeth didn't take it to heart. His lingering looks and teasing tone was enough to confirm his interest and that was enough.

Elspeth was supposed to be Hayley's wing woman and confidence booster but it had spun the other way around. Hayley grinned as she sat on Alex's lap and watched Elspeth fail at her attempt to hit the ball. 'Seb!' She called, gaining his attention. 'Show her how to do it again!' She subtly suggested. 'Before she falls off the edge of the table.'

He had been standing near Elspeth already and wore an amused smile at her antics. 'Sure,' he said simply as he nodded at Hayley and moved closer to Elspeth. She was sitting on the bumper and held the pool cue between her legs, she grinned as she looked up at him from her seat.

'You're gonna school me, hmm?' She teases, swinging a leg.

Sebastian chuckled and held out his hand for the pool cue, 'watch closely,' he said, his tone implied an open invitation for Elspeth to enjoy the view with no shame or guilt. Her cheeks flushed lightly and she passed over the cue. He wrapped his hand over hers, the feeling of his glove was rough against her skin but she was delighted at every touch. 'Need help down?' He teases as he looks at the floor and then back up to her.

'Asshole,' she said with a giggle but nodded regardless.

Gingerly, she placed her hands on his upper arms and he reached forward and placed his empty hand on her waist. Her cropped jumper was cruel to both as it meant that his fingers rested between the belt line of her jeans and the loose fitted hem. Sebastian mentally cursed at the fact that he could feel the heat of her skin through his gloves and the way her muscles tensed as she moved. Again, I find myself asking, what the hell am I doing? I need to be creating distance not… holding her close and feeling… fuck… her perfume is amazing. This is insane. If Demetrius catches me I'm so fucked. I'm literally playing with her life. I really am an asshole, the mental tirade screamed through his head in a matter of milliseconds.

Elspeth was ignorant to any mental conflict and simply moved into his touch as she gripped his arms as tightly as she dared and hopped off the table. He steadied her with the hand that was on her waist and merely smiled as she leaned against his arm, regaining her balance now that her feet were on the floor. Unawares to either of them, Hayley was snapping pictures on her phone and made note of the way that Sebastian looked down at Elspeth. It was obvious that he was enamoured; if their moment of reality were playing on television, it would have come to standstill and romantic lighting would have appeared, along with a background blur as it seemed that nothing else was important in that second.

Alex kinda stepped into the moment as he stood up and announced that he was getting another drink while he waited. 'Hayley? Another?' He asked. Hayley nodded with a smile, lowering her phone. Alex grins and looks at everyone else. 'Hey! Sam, Abi? Drink?' Hayley looked over at the other two and noticed that Abi wore a very curious demeanour. Her arms were literally crossed and if Hayley didn't know better, she would have said that Abigail was sulking. Alex was given an answer and then he turned to Elspeth and Sebastian, who were still standing rather close to one another; Sebastian's hand was still resting lightly on her waist and they were talking. 'Oi! You two!' Alex called over.

Sebastian jumped and Elspeth; who had been balancing on one leg while chatting, stumbled. 'Huh, what?' Sebastian replied as he steadied Elspeth, grabbing her arm before realising what he had been doing and taking a step back from her. He checked his sleeves and gloves subconsciously and cleared his throat. 'Sorry?' He said to Alex.

'Do you two want another drink?' Alex repeated.

Elspeth looked at Sebastian and nodded, 'yeah… but this will be my last one,' she said, hoping that her blush would be mistaken for a drunken glow. I think my heart is beating so hard you can hear it, she thought to herself. She hadn't expected any of what had happened that evening. 'Thanks, Alex,' she said as she stepped aside to let Sebastian move against the table.

Knowing that he had been caught being physically close to Elspeth and all that would have been assumed in regards to such actions, Sebastian cleared his throat and nodded at Alex. He then readjusted his hold on the pool cue and perched on the edge of the table to show Elspeth how to correctly do it. Elspeth mentally felt her imagination run into overdrive as he reclined against the table, turning his head to the side to look at the target ball as he positioned the cue behind him. Fuck me… Elspeth thought as her face flushed with heat. There was something about the way he made it look completely effortless, with the lines of his body and the way his t-shirt slid up his navel. She literally had to refrain from biting her lip as she watched his hair fall over his face as he took the shot.

Hayley caught Elspeth's eye and they shared a look of unanimity, both of them a little pink around the cheeks. 'Damn,' Hayley mouthed at Elspeth, who had to look away from her best friend to stop herself from giggling in response.

After Sebastian had taken the shot, it was determined by everyone that Elspeth simply didn't have the height to pull off such a trick play, and so she retrieved the cue and took her turn so that Abigail could have her go. Sebastian walked over to his hoodie and pulled out his pack of cigarettes. 'I'll be back in a bit,' he said to Sam, who was up next.

'Sure thing, dude,' Sam replied with a nod.

Sebastian stepped out into the cold air and sighed heavily. He walked away from the door and leaned against the wall. Pulling off a glove, he lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. 'What the fuck am I doing?' He moaned lightly to himself, exhaling the smoke into the night sky. 'Am I really that selfish? Selfish enough to risk killing her?' He whispered as he stared at the bright end of his cigarette. Putting it back between his lips, he closed his eyes and breathed in; feeling the hot smoke fill his mouth as he did so. This night has been amazing but I… I need to be sensible. This is just cruel… to both myself and to Elspeth.

The door to the Saloon swung open and he opened his eyes to see Buddy hop down the steps, followed by his owner. Elspeth smiled shyly at Sebastian as she wandered over, watching Buddy walk off to smell the bins. 'I'm sorry. I feel like I've been… like, stuck to you all night,' she said quietly as she wrapped her arms around herself. Sebastian noticed that she was wearing Alex's coat; he must have given it to her as it was cold out. 'Buddy started to complain so I had to bring him out for a bathroom break,' she explained. 'I'll leave you to decompress once he's done, don't worry.'

He tilted his head as he watched her. She flapped Alex's sleeves about a little as she avoided looking at him. 'There's no need,' he said, hating himself. Tonight. I'll allow myself tonight and then… put a stop to this, he thought, sadly.

Elspeth smiled a little and leaned against the wall with him as she watched her dog. 'I just…' she began. 'It feels like a lot, doesn't it?'

'… Yeah,' Sebastian admitted.

Elspeth nodded. 'It's been a real sudden change,' she mumbled, fiddling with her nail beds and Alex's sleeves bundled up around her elbows as she did so. 'You used to just…. Just be someone I saw around town…'

Sebastian nodded and looked at his cigarette once more. 'You're nice to everyone,' he said softly. 'You make an effort to talk to people and give them gifts… I don't even know your birthday,' Sebastian said, feeling like shit. Was he only acting on his shallow attraction? He knew basically nothing about her.

'To be fair, the only reason I know yours is because your mother told me,' Elspeth pointed out. That made Sebastian chuckle and shake his head. Elspeth looks over at Sebastian, 'look. I'm just going to be honest,' she said, her voice quavering a little. He stubbed out his cigarette and gave her his full attention, his heart thundering painfully in his chest as he wondered where this was going. Elspeth bit her lip and looked back at her hands. 'I want to get to know you, Sebastian. Like, properly. I… I know you don't like to be touched and I'm trying to be aware of that. I don't ever want you to feel uncomfortable or that I'm like, pushing your boundaries. So, I want you to be honest with me right now,' she said firmly and looked up at him. 'Does..,' Elspeth breathed in deeply and swallowed her fear. 'Does my… attention, bother you? Do you want me to stop? Go back to being just… neighbours? It just… it seems like you're in two minds about me.'

Sebastian felt a lump in his throat. This was the moment. He needed to set the boundary to protect her. He blinked and breathed in deeply only to find that when he opened his eyes, she stood in front of him holding one arm with her hand. Her hair flicked and fluttered around her in the breeze and she had tucked one foot behind the other. Elspeth's eyes glittered in the low light and he realised that he couldn't do it. Sebastian couldn't bear to even imagine the look of pain and rejection on her face. He held up his bare hand and pulled out the glove to put on it. 'Elspeth…' he said quietly. 'I… like your attention. I don't… I don't want you to stop… paying attention to me,' he admitted. Demetrius is going to lose his fucking top, Sebastian thought bitterly.

'No?' Elspeth whispered.

He shook his head. Elspeth watched as he slipped his glove on and sigh. 'It's…' he said as he tried to figure out a way to explain. 'It's my skin,' Sebastian said as he dropped his hand. 'It's not physical touch that bothers me. It's when people or things touch my skin. I can't use things that other people might touch after me… if I use something, I have to clean it.'

She tilted her head and stepped forward. 'Is that why you create distance?'

Sebastian nodded. It was a white lie but she seemed to understand what he was saying. 'I can't let anyone touch my skin, Elspeth. Ever. It's a boundary that can't be broken and I'm sorry… but it's also something that won't ever change,' he said weakly, feeling his chest tighten. Elspeth nodded and bowed her head. Sebastian knew that any hope he had was extinguished in that moment. He sighed and looked away from her. 'I'm sorr-'

Elspeth interrupted him; she had pulled up Alex's hood and zipped up the coat, the sleeves were far too long for her arms and engulfed her hands. With a firm step forward, she hugged Sebastian, making sure that she wasn't near his neck. Elspeth pressed her cheek against his chest and she could hear his heart beating quickly. He faltered and froze before slowly reciprocating, pulling her close as he dared while he wrapped his arms around her. Tilting his head back, he tried not to let himself become overwhelmed. Elspeth began to speak. 'If that is what you need to feel comfortable around me, then that's that. I won't touch your skin, Sebastian. I promise.'

He strokes her head through the hood, 'you understand… that any…. Any real physical intimacy is… is impossible for me,' Sebastian said painfully, feeling her tense.

Elspeth looked up at him. At this distance he could see the hazel colour in her eyes swirl in the flickering light. Slowly, he lifted his gloved hand and stroked her cheek. Elspeth leaned into his touch and smiled a little. 'Wouldn't you say that this is intimate?' She whispered.

The corner of his mouth turned up and he chuckled lightly. 'I would.'

'Then isn't this enough?' Elspeth said as she buried her head back into his chest.

Sebastian smiled weakly. You have no idea how much I wish to kiss you, Elspeth, he thought bitterly. Buddy sniffed around the pair and then sat down on the cobbles. They hugged until a rather brisk breeze buffeted them about and they parted shyly. Sebastian's phone went off and he pulled it out of his pocket reading the message. 'Sam is wondering what is taking us so long,' he says softly to Elspeth who grins in embarrassment. 'We had better return, huh,' Sebastian said as he replied to Sam saying that they were on their way in. Slipping his phone back into his pocket, he checked his clothing and cleared his throat as he looked at Elspeth who wore a cheeky grin. 'What?' He asked.

'I'm wondering what you saved me as in your phone,' she said as they began to walk towards the door of the Saloon.

'Oh that,' he chuckled. 'It's nothing very inventive. Just a like a… shorter version of your name,' he said as he held open the door for her and Buddy to walk through. She gave him a look as she stood on the step and was finally, for the first time, at eye level with him. He knew what the look meant and gave in. 'Elsie,' he revealed, rolling his eyes playfully. 'I'll admit I did toy with the name, Ellie, for a bit-'

She stilled and went a little pale. Something about that nickname seemed to upset her. 'I prefer that other one,' she said, quietly, trying to hide her brief vulnerability.

Sebastian smiled and nodded, 'I prefer Elsie, as well,' he said, pretending not to notice her sudden withdrawal.

Elspeth blushed lightly and reached down, taking his fingers in a brief squeeze. 'Perfect,' she said, softly, as she stepped back. Knowing that they were in the doorway and that everyone could see them, Elspeth settled for that and moved further into the Saloon so that Sebastian could follow.

They walked back to their friends and Sebastian leaned down to talk to her, 'what have you saved me under then?' He asked curiously.

Elspeth gave him a beaming smile. 'You'll have to wait and find out,' she said as she skipped back to Hayley, leaving Sebastian in the metaphorical dust. He couldn't help but watch her with a smile and butterflies bouncing around his chest.

I hope you enjoyed it! From what I can remember, there are a few little time skips in the upcoming chapters, so they're weeks, or even months apart in the year, sorta thing. Gotta move this mess along!

Be well. Stay safe.