Pushing Up Daisies.
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#2: A Little Personal Space Invasion Ain’t so Bad
#3: Trouble is you
#4: Chace Crawford
#6
The situation from then on was either like walking on eggshells or in a field filled with landmines for Chris. Even when at home, Sebastian managed to avoid him like plague and to date, had successfully not looked at or talked to him for over three whole weeks.
How in the bloody blue hell was that possible in an 1,800 square feet apartment with one main entrance and exit, Chris Evans didn’t know but it was how it was and honest to God, it was frustrating as fuck.
He hates me.
Annoyed by the noise in his head, the young CEO of Christopher’s Haven Hospital for Children muttered a swear word under his breath. He’d been standing in front of the vending machine for a solid minute, staring at bubble gum packs like they were the most complicated thing he ever saw before it occurred to him that he didn’t want any gum in the first place.
He fucking hates me.
Once again, his mind wandered too far and got the blonde lost. “How do I do this?”
How do I fix everything?
“Please tell me that’s not what you’re having for lunch.”
Startled, Chris turned his head to see Chace Crawford appearing from thin air and into his zone, in stealth mode so solid it was practically magic.
A ninja-slash-magician-slash- Sebastian’s new boyfriend. Look at that. Unstoppable already. “ Chace! Hey, man.”
At the back of his head, Chris quickly raked his brains to remember if he was scheduled to be in a meeting or lunch date with his good friend and core business partner that day.
Nope. None. What’s he doing here?
“Evans!” The other man sang, finally coming to a stop before him after what it felt like a long walk up the hallway they were in. In a white golf tee in the middle of Friday, too. What a jock, this guy.
And he went, “quick question now. Should I be worried about you?”
Chris froze. Shit. He knows. “I’m sorry?”
“I said, should I be worried about you?”
Cornered, the young CEO of Christopher’s Haven Hospital for Children decided to pretend to be confused at the question that sent his heart rate skyrocketing.
“No. I’m good.” Of course Sebastian told him what happened! “Why uh, why do you ask?”
“Oh. Well…” The other man’s dark green eyes darted to the machine in front of them and back to the blonde before raising his eyebrows in question again.
“Because I saw that you’ve been standing here staring at this thing for quite some time. Got a lot on your mind?”
“Paperwork,” Chris replied, quicker than he expected himself to. When lying was not his forte, working with an alternative truth was something he could feel less worse when using it to save his ass right then. “Really sensitive ones.”
“Ah.” Chace nodded, knowing that kind of pain too well. “I heard POTUS is in the building?”
“POTUS! I wish. Nah. Politician from Chicago. Been a hectic morning, looking into demands for heightened security and please don’t make me go through the list again,” the blonde sighed, acting his ‘misery’ with a great roll of his eyes and a shake of his head. Theatrical.
Thank you, High School drama club . “Wasn’t expecting you here today. What’s up, Tiger Woods?”
“Yeah, about this!” The young entrepreneur laughed at the jab. Good-natured. “Had a quick tee-off this morning with one of my investors. I know I usually call or text you beforehand but I found myself in the area and thought I’d go grab lunch with you.”
Yup. He knows everything and he’s plotting my murder already.
“Haven’t gone to Bruno’s since I got back. Can you believe it? They’re still serving those crazy yum lobster rolls, right?”
Under the unpretentious context of ‘lunch’, too . Always so smart, this guy. “Yeah.”
“Great! I’m dying for one right now. My treat, Evans. Work can wait. Let’s go!”
Can I take a raincheck, like, forever? “I’d love to but I’m a little tied up at the moment.”
“Ah, come on. All the more you need to get out of here for a bit!"
Chace reached out, putting his hand on the blonde’s shoulder and squeezing it. Telling Chris it was a friendly one but he wasn’t taking a no for an answer.
“We didn’t get to catch up much the last time we met. Been quite an interesting few months, hasn’t it?”
Good ol’ Bruno’s at the corner of Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade never failed to deliver in its special lunch sets. The menu was not extensive but the food could turn any frown upside down and the lousiest of days into a perfectly good one.
So if this was really going to be his final meal on Earth, Chris Evans would like to think that at least he would go a very full and a very satisfied young man.
Or you can relax and enjoy your softshell sub? You’ve been with him for the past half hour and it doesn’t look like he’s gonna start slicing you into ribbons with goddamn machetes.
If he knew what happened, he wouldn’t be so civil with you, would he?
Maybe he’s being civil because he knows. And then, all of a sudden...Here lies Christopher Robert Evans - Rest in Pieces!
You seriously need to motherfucking relax, son.
Either his self-conversation was too obvious or Chace had developed mind-reading abilities because their casual chat about their epic volunteer programme in Cambodia (once upon a time) suddenly took a totally different turn when the brown-haired man suddenly asked, “so how are things with Sebastian?”
Hah! I knew it. His murder plan is now officially in motion!
Luckily, Chris managed to swallow his water without choking on it. He was looking at Chace eyeballing him next, the curiosity in his stare making his heart skip three beats once again.
“I found out that the two of you are having a major fight.”
This is it. “Uh, yeah. We’re not seeing things eye to eye at the moment.”
“He’s really angry at you, Chris. How bad is this?”
This is how I end. “What did he tell you?”
“Not much. He only told me that you broke his trust.”
Ouch. Wait a minute.
Across the table, Chace’s smile changed to a tight one. “Other than that, he said there’s nothing that I should be overly concerned about.”
Oh, good God! Thank you, Sebastian.
Keeping a straight face with that much relief flooding into him was goddamn tough but the blonde had to do it. Thankfully, diplomacy was an art the young CEO had mastered from all the years of running his father’s legacy so no doubt, he got this. He knew what to say to Chace.
“The fight’s pretty serious.” Chris said, twirling the fork in his hand. “Kinda personal.”
“I had no idea it’s personal,” the other man went, saying it like he didn’t quite hear it right.
Or rather, he didn’t quite like what he heard. “So this means you’re not gonna tell me anything too, huh?”
The light and casual lunch atmosphere began to darken from the way the CEO chose to answer his business partner. It came like a cold, hard suckerpunch to his face rather than a diplomatic attempt to keep things under control. Great.
Here lies Christopher Robert Evans...at least he made it this far. “I get it that you’re a little upset.”
“A little upset?”
His ridiculed scoff was mighty. “A little upset , my friend, is an understatement. You do know that we're together, right?"
Pins and needles pickled his skin as the turmoil in him returned: in one hand, Chris felt terrible for not being able to be honest with his own good friend while on the other and in his defense, he really did not need another casualty on board this train wreck.
Stick to your original plan, Chris. He’s not your main problem right now. “ I know you don’t like it but I need you to understand that I rather keep this between us too, Chace.”
“Right, right,” Chace snorted, his reply laced with acid. “Because there’s really nothing that I should be overly concerned about - especially when it involves you .”
If things weren’t tense enough, it just nosedived into further awkwardness with Chace Crawford flexing serious territorial behaviour on his new man.
“Okay, I might as well get this out in the open.”
His sigh was curt. “I can’t change his fondness for you, Chris - you’ve been there for him since the start of his new life here. I get that, I respect that but you’ve to understand that he’s become very special to me, too.”
Chris wasn’t following. “What exactly are you saying?”
The other man was calm despite his patience running on low. “I’m saying if you haven’t accepted the fact that he’s with me now then you really need to do that, Evans.”
Silence wedged itself between the two men, threatening to kick up one hell of a shit storm within him if Chris wasn’t already goddamn done with what people kept accusing him of.
“I’m not jealous , Chace,” the blonde replied, his defense tripling at the frontline to the ridiculousness of it all. First a total, smart ass stranger and then his own friend.
Talking like they got me all figured out. “I’ve never been jealous of you and him. Why would I be? I’m not like the both of you."
“Not like the both of us.”
The dawn of something on the brown-haired man’s face the next second made him smirk at the young CEO’s statement. “What, you mean like gay?”
There he was trying to be tactful and Chace just chuckled as if Chris had said something funny to him. “Oh, I’m not gay. I know Sebastian is but I’m not.”
Huh? “You’re with him, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” He nodded, reaching for his wine. “But it’s not because of that. I’m still into women.”
10 years of friendship and this was definitely new. Perhaps living overseas in the past couple of years did change him. Different people, different pastures, right? Right. He didn’t need details.
“Let’s not get into that right now. So I don’t know what you have for Sebastian but if there’s one thing I know about chemistry, Evans, is that it does not work on a one-way street. I just wanna know if I should be worried.”
How his defense cracked when the facts tallied against him was rather too easy. It felt as if his own conscience had practically volunteered itself to be riddled by the bullets his friend was firing. At point blank, Chace couldn’t miss even if he had his eyes closed.
But if there was anything a stupid two-second kiss could tell Chris Evans was that he was a delusional douchebag and nothing else to Sebastian Stan.
Ultimately, all phases will end . “Rest assured you’ve absolutely nothing to worry about when it comes to him and I, Crawford. We may care about each other deeply but I’m, in no way at all, your competition.”
The stare down between the two men only grew more tense but Chris couldn’t exactly flip a goddamn table in his exasperation right then. “I just want to fix what’s broken between us. He’s my friend and I can’t lose him over a stupid mistake - this friendship matters a lot to me and making things right again is the only thing I want to do right now.”
Chace was still somewhat dissatisfied. “That’s all there is. Friendship.”
Jesus Christ, seriously. Overprotective, much? “He’s yours already, isn’t he? Come on, man.”
Finally, after a long time of holding his good friend in crazy suspense and trying to burn everything to the ground, the entrepreneur finally decided to let up on his offense.
“Alright, Chris. I’ll take it as it is - that my intervening into your very personal matter with my boyfriend will not make things any easier for you.”
I swear this brother has no motherfucken idea. “Thank you.”
“But only this one time,” Chace went, almost in a threat. “I’d like to think that Sebastian enjoys waking up in my bed every other morning but I want it to be because he wants to be there - not because he’s avoiding you.”
Wow. TMI, really.
“Can I trust that you’ll fix this as soon as possible, Evans?”
“I’ll get straight to it, I promise.”
Chris Evans was a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Good or bad, something only happens for a reason.
But finding that one person who wouldn’t as much as glance at him inside their own home suddenly sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk the second he stepped back into office after lunch had to be the work of a much higher power.
Him and his blue, blue, insanely sky blue eyes. No talk, no calls, no texts, no nothing for what it felt like eternity and suddenly *poof* there he was.
Yet another ninja-magician in my life . “Sebastian!”
At the other end of his working space, the photographer didn’t acknowledge Chris’ surprise. Neither did he smile back when he said, “Danielle said I could wait in here.”
His assistant. “Of course! How long have you been here?” by the way, I came out of a freaking warzone with your boyfriend literally just 5 minutes ago and now you’re here.
Issit Make Things Difficult for Chris Day or what?
“Not that long. Listen, Chris,” he said, the urgency in his voice bringing the other man out of his thoughts. “Before anything, I’m not here for you.”
The CEO then realized that the other man was a little edgy when he got up and began walking over to him, his footsteps big and rushed. The expression on his face was cold but he was chewing the insides of his cheeks like he was contemplating something really serious. Sebastian was nervous.
Before Chris could ask, a huge shimmery red package with a massive silver bow stuck to it materialized in the other man’s hands and he held it out to him.
Gift bag?
“Right now, I need you to do me a favour.”
The amount of signatures he dropped on those really delicate paperwork earlier this morning when a VVVVIP’s daughter got wheeled into the Haven’s ER straight from her family’s private jet the moment it landed in LAX was not a matter to be taken lightly.
For a very popular and well-respected clan, the Arden family had very little air about them.
“This is so freakin’ awesome!”
Whatever a Mewnicorn was supposed to be, it made the nine-year-old girl squeal so loudly in her joy that her voice echoed down the entire private ward floor. Thankfully, none of her bodyguards jumped at her sudden outburst. They would’ve locked down the entire compound if that happened, Chris bet. Declare compound-wide martial law on things or something.
“Yay!” She cried again, holding up the stuffed toy in the air before hugging it tightly in her arms.
Her big brown eyes were glassy. “How’d you know I wanted one? Did daddy tell you about it?”
Whatever a Mewnicorn was supposed to be, Chris had to act like he knew everything about it. “Not exactly. It’s pretty popular with kids in this hospital. Figured you’d like one.”
“Popular?” Jemma Arden looked confused all of a sudden. “But Mewnicorn is not available in stores yet, Chris. At least that’s what they said on their Instagram page.”
Oh, snap. Lying is DEFINITELY NOT your forte, man. “Oh. Err…”
Luckily, he was quick to run the database of toys that he knew the children actually had. Yes, he had such things in his memory just in case. Amusing fun fact but right then, could potentially save his embarrassment.
“I guess I got it mixed up with the Pokemon ones? Anyway, this is for you and I hope you like it!”
“ Mewnicorn is not a Pokemon, Chris.” Jemma’s laughter was infectious. “You’re so funny.”
Phew. “So I was told.”
“And I absolutely freaking love it. Thank you very much!”
Whatever a Mewnicorn was supposed to be, it totally trumped the rest of the 5,000 gifts and presents from well-wishers that were inside her recuperation unit right then. “You’re welcome. Hold on to your new buddy real tight, okay? Rest well. I’ll see you again tomorrow.”
Jemma’s grin disappeared. “Do you really have to leave now? I wanna invite you to my tea party. It’s going to start in, uhm, five minutes! Please stay for awhile.”
If adorable could kill, seriously. “Sorry, sweetie, I’d stay if I could. Hey, how about tomorrow? I’ll bring cupcakes and a really fun board game. Deal?”
“Deal!” She nodded, quick to agree. “The party will start at three. Don’t be late, okay?”
Consider my calendar updated . “It’s date, ma’am.”
Jemma’s father insisted on walking him out when the blonde took his leave from the ward. Him and 2 very burly, insanely protective secret service agents shadowing the man at a good arm’s length, of course.
He was amused by what just went down between Chris and his daughter. “You know, my princess doesn’t reschedule her tea parties for just anyone, Mister Evans.”
The man stuck his hand out to the blonde next. “Congratulations in making it to her ‘It’ list!”
Never could the younger man ever imagine that a powerful and highly decorated political figure like Eric Arden would welcome puny ol’ him into his daughter’s prestigious tea party society with an official handshake but look at that.
Felt a lot like an achievement unlocked, honestly. “Thank you, sir. I feel honored.”
“Please. The honor is all mine - your facility has been very responsive in accommodating to our demands. Her allergy reaction was never this serious before - I truly and especially appreciate the personal touch to make Jemma feel comfortable during her recovery here.”
See? No air. Just a worried father. He was genuinely grateful. “So thank you, Mister Evans.”
“You’re welcome, sir.”
Your job is done, Chris.
The blonde was about to go into the elevator when a sudden uprise within the walls of his heart reminded him that he had, as a matter of fact, predetermined an entirely different outcome from this meeting with the politician. The moment Sebastian handed him the present to be sent to his VVVVIP patient, he knew he had to do it.
Thing is, he also knew that he really, really, seriously shouldn’t. It was, after all, none of his business.
But….“you know!”
The CEO was standing face to face with the Democrat again. This time, Chris had lowered his voice to a considerate level of hush - he understood that the man’s family and fleet of agents were just a corner turn away. He supposed Eric wouldn’t want them to know.
“He told me that for a person of your position, you’re an awfully humble and nice guy.”
At first, he totally lost the politician. The man raised a brow in wonder. “That’s flattering. Who told you that about me?”
“Sebastian Stan did.”
The mention of his housemate’s name instantly drained the color off the prolific figure’s face like bleach thrown onto a watercolor painting - he paled over so hard and so fast, Chris thought the guy was going to pass out the next second.
“Sebastian!” He went, the calming brown of his eyes completely gone. “You know him.”
Well, he reacted to that nicely. “Yes, sir. I do. He’s a very good friend of mine.”
Chris couldn’t tell if he was surprised-surprised or terrified-surprised when he asked, “Is he here right now?”
“Don't worry, he already left the premises,” Chris replied. “I want you to know that the present was actually from him. He also sends his regards to you and hopes Jemma gets better soon.”
Next came a really long and increasingly uneasy pause.
“Ah...So he gave her that Mewnicorn . That’s very thoughtful of him.”
Another pause.
“Well, isn’t this is a small world,” Eric sighed to himself, perhaps to the irony of it all. “He’s living in Los Angeles now...”
“Yes, sir. He is.”
Pause.
“Hmmm…”
Pause.
Seeing the articulate and poised Eric Arden suddenly reduced to struggling with his words was amazing. Lucky for him, Chris wasn’t in a rush. He let the guy take it all in, process everything.
After eons of staring into space and probably running around like a maniac in his headspace, the politician finally found his tongue.
Only to ask Chris, “Can I know if there is anything else that he wants from me, Mister Evans?”
That’s all he’s concerned about? “No, sir.”
For a second there, relief dawned upon the politician’s worried expression. “Very well, then. Please thank Sebastian for me and tell him that I wish him all the best.”
With a quick glance at the Tag, Eric’s part in the conversation reached its end. “Now unless you have something else which requires my immediate attention, I’d like to go and be with my daughter now. Have a good day, Mister Evans.”
“Hold on a minute, Mister Arden.”
Never in his entire life could Chris ever imagine stopping someone as powerful as Eric Arden by reaching out to catch his elbow when he turned to leave but he doggone did.
The madman he turned into, Christ. “With all due respect sir, I’m not done talking to you.”
“I suggest you take your hand off me before my agents see this,” Eric scoffed.
“I'm afraid I can't and I sincerely apologize for my action but I have a really important question to ask you.”
“Which, in any case, I’m not obligated to answer.”
“I understand that,” Chris said, persistent. He kept it simple. “But I hope that you will answer it and before you do, I’ll need you to do that with all formalities between us put aside, sir.”
The politician was surprised that the young gun even dared to touch him and then challenge him like that, as if the warning about the agents dropping his ass was a joke. “You want us to talk like we’re friends or something like that, Mister Evans?”
“Preferably, from one concerned man to another.”
Maybe he was seeing things but Eric actually looked somewhat impressed by the his negotiation skills right then. “You won’t give up, will you?”
Sighing, Chris shook his head. He let the politician take his arm back. “I can do this all day.”
Three goddamn summers passed before the politician finally leveled down to his request. “Fine then, Christopher . What is it that you want to ask me?”
With those eyes in mind, the young CEO of Christopher’s Haven proceeded to bid his sparkling reputation with someone who was practically a mini-POTUS right then a big, fat adios amigos.
“Don’t you want to know how Sebastian's doing these days, Eric?”
That Friday had to be the longest, most trying Friday of his entire life. At merely 36-years-old and fighting fit but Chris Evans practically crawled home using his face the whole time because goddamn, that was the longest and most trying Friday of his entire life.
A long, heavenly hot shower.
Nat King Cole on loop.
Cup of hot Chamomile tea = checked.
Lights out and sleep until Monday comes around = In progress.
The comfort of his king-sized bed was beyond magical when he sunk himself deeper in it, yawning like a goddamn lion when he did. Chris was this close to losing consciousness when he heard the familiar jingle of keys and then the front door of his apartment opening.
Not like he’s gonna talk to me anyway .
The blonde grunted to that annoying fact before rolling over to one side, turning away from the door to face the wall. He picked up his pillow and smashed it over his head, as if doing that would drown out his housemate’s existence inside their home and grant him immediate sleep.
However, the sound of footsteps outside grew louder. Came closer. Stopped right outside his bedroom. A couple of soft knocks came and then…
“Chris?”
He didn’t the Hell know what just surged into him but for a guy whose battery life was supposedly depleted, Chris practically cartwheeled out of bed and swung open his door in an overly excited manner, startling the man on the other side with it when he did.
His blue, blue, blue as Hell eyes. Breathtaking.
Chris wondered for a second there if this was a dream. Nothing in his dream had gone to shit by the way, as opposed to what his reality was like. “Hi. Hello, you!”
Miraculously, Sebastian smiled. Obviously, the Hello , you was a bit too much but Chris didn’t fucking care. Right then, nothing exploded on the ground he was standing on. Death wasn’t staring out from those eyes and for the first time in what it seemed like for-fucking-ever, Sebastian just smiled at his corny-ass, Queen of England hello, you .
“Were you asleep?” He was asking, his eyes bright as day despite the little amount of light in their home right then. His voice, kind. Soothing. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
Fucking kidding me right now or what, this guy? “No! You’re not, not at all.”
The young CEO realized that he needed to stop talking like a goddamn dolphin. He cleared his throat and shook his head. “I was, uh, I was doing push ups. Pull ups. Sit ups.”
“A circuit.”
“Having a hard time going to sleep. Yeah.”
The brown-haired man glanced over his friend’s shoulder and came back to him looking confused. “In the dark?”
Liar, liar plants for hire. You’re not even sweating, too. And in your pajamas! God, you’re horrible. “Er...Yeah. So!”
“So…” Sebastian’s smile changed to a knowing grin, immensely amused by the fact that Chris even tried with him. Thankfully, he wasn’t going to tease him to Hell about it. “Not a bad time?”
“Not at all,” Chris said, holding in a sigh from exiting. The amount of relief he was experiencing was phenomenal, kind of how someone would feel when a desperate prayer was answered.
With a silent Hallelujah, he moved aside. “Please, come in.”
The blonde then turned on his floor lamp and sat down at the edge of his bed while Sebastian, in the reading chair in front of him. He didn’t need much visibility to see that Sebastian Stan looked like a 1000% effort right then. His hair was done up, his stubble neat. The whole fitted navy overcoat, dark grey slacks combination screamed metro as fuck. Those brogues must be new.
Noticeable details like the dangerously low neckline of his jet black top under his outerwear kicked off their first conversation in decades with Chris going, “date night?”
“Yup,” the photographer nodded, suddenly falling shy at his prompt. “But you’ll never guess with who. Oh wait a minute! Maybe you do because you just couldn’t stop yourself, could you?”
Because Chris was doggone tired, he was slower than a turtle. “Huh?”
“I did not send him my regards, Chris. He wasn’t supposed to know that it was from me. I just wanted you to play messenger but you just had to, didn’t you?”
“I had to what? Seb.” Chris swore the guy was speaking alien right then. “What are you talking about?”
“You really don’t know? I just had dinner with my ex.”
“Whoa! What?”
The blonde was not expecting that at all. That woke him up straightaway. “You serious? You met up with Eric.”
“Yes! Well, him and about five of his bodyguards. In a ‘meeting’,” the brown-haired man snorted, rolling his eyes to the air commas he just did. “Freakin' boyband.”
“Then what happened?” The blonde felt excited too, almost like a giddy teenage girl listening to gossip. “What’s with dinner?”
“He wanted to apologize to me. Properly, formally and in person. Also, to talk. So we talked. Like, seriously talked. Everything out in the open - it was insanely refreshing.”
The smile on Sebastian’s face then stretched to Hell. “Also...he’s agreed to drop the court order. Provided that I don’t run press, of course. So that’s the long story, short.”
Can I get another Hallelujah in here? “Oh my God!”
Chris caught himself before he could scream like a giddy teenage girl who was just fed gossip. “That’s amazing, Seb.”
“Amazing? It’s fucking unbelievable , Chris! So surreal,” the photographer went, beyond elated. Of course, he had to wonder. “I have to know: what exactly did you say to him that made him do this? I don’t think anything like that can ever happen, even in another lifetime.”
Frankly, Chris couldn’t remember much. “Just how you’ve been, really! Here and there. Don’t mind me sharing my opinion?”
“Go ahead.”
“I think he still cares. I’m serious - he had a lot of questions about you in the end.”
“I suppose,” Sebastian grunted. Ironically, he sounded like he was so damn done. One could only take so much drama, Chris guessed. “Did you tell him that we live together?”
“No. I don’t want government service agents suddenly kicking down our door, Seb.”
Sebastian was amused. “Whatever for?”
“I don’t know! Well, I know your secret. You weren’t supposed to talk about Eric but you did with me and he kind of flipped out a little when he knew I knew.”
The photographer was still laughing. “In case you’re wondering, you’re still invited to Jemma’s little tea party."
Great. Looking forward to the awkwardness with Eric tomorrow. “Yay.”
“So...just here and there, huh?” Sebastian went, leaning back in the chair after his amusement died down. “Just that?”
“I promise! But look, it doesn’t matter what I said to him anymore - I seriously had no idea about the dinner plan but I bet he looked for you only because he wanted to. It’s about damn time anyway, Seb.”
The photographer was genuinely worried. “He could’ve damaged your reputation, Chris.”
“Well, he didn’t. He made a better man out of himself in the process too, don’t you think so?”
Sebastian didn’t answer him. He only stared harder at Chris, this time with blue of his eyes appearing a little glazed over. His silence wasn’t hostile or menacing.
Suddenly, the young CEO wasn’t sure of what to make of the situation with his housemate looking at him the way he was right then. His head was slightly tilted and the adoration that was written all over his smile filled the blonde’s heart, making it swell with pride.
Chris liked it very, very much.
But this is where my phase ends. “And unlike that guy, Chace is rather serious about making you happy - he’s all about you, wants to treat you right and protect you at all costs.”
“He is, isn’t he?” Sebastian sighed, with sparkles all over his eyes at the mention of his new partner. “I’m lucky.”
Please. He’s the one who’s lucky. Fucking blessed, is more like it!
Sebastian shifted himself to the edge of his seat and leaned into the blonde, still smiling like that . He was beaming with immense gratitude, he looked like he was going to cry anytime now.
“Thank you, Chris. Again, for everything.”
The hot blush on his face torched the words at the back of his tongue into ash, causing Chris to only nod sheepishly in his response. His difficulty to speak threatened to become permanent the longer he held those eyes with his, finding himself once again, caught in the moment where time, space and continuum seemed to not matter or exist right then.
“Can I trust that you’ll fix this as soon as possible, Evans?”
“I’ll get straight to it, I promise.”
Your job is done here, too.
With that, he exited out of his thoughts to find the photographer talking about something else “...I put the flowers in water already. They are really nice. For the house?”
“Flowers?”
He blanked out for a solid minute before Chris remembered that he had stopped by the florist on his way home earlier. Despite crawling on his face and everything, yes. “Oh! The flowers! No, not for the house. They’re…”
His blue, blue, blue as Hell eyes. Christ. Beautiful. “They’re for you, actually.”
“Oh.” They fluttered in his surprise. “For me?”
The drum of his heartbeat was suddenly so loud in his ears. Pumping more blood to his already red face, making Chris feel a little light-headed. “Thought they’d be perfect for an apology.”
Sebastian however, was sadly amused by his effort. “First you assaulted me and then kissed me and now you’re buying me flowers.”
He smirked. “You straight guys are all the same, aren’t you?”
Chris would have found that pretty funny if that didn’t just plunge a blunt stake into his heart. The photographer’s savagery tore him into oblivion but okay. Whatever, bring it. Chris was beyond bent on making amends between them, he was willing to take anything.
“I’ve been meaning to say sorry for what I did to you. It was seriously fucked up, Seb.”
Sebastian’s scoff was monumental in his agreement. “It was.”
The kind of pain that could bring a man to his knees was literal for Chris. He then quickly leaned up to hug Sebastian while he was still seated in the chair, catching the other man off guard when he did.
“I was very selfish to have hurt you like that. I’ll make it up to you, no matter what or how long it takes to build the trust back. Just don’t ignore me anymore, Seb...It fucking sucks when you do.”
He buried his face deeper into the crook of the other man’s neck in his remorse, feeling the light stubble on his jaw rough and ticklish against the smooth of his own.
“Please forgive me.”
It took a while but Sebastian’s hold around him was equally tight when he finally returned the hug. His warmth was beyond comforting, gradually relaxing the anxiety and turmoil within Chris the longer they held onto each other in the embrace. He smelled airy and sensual, reminding the young CEO of a light summer breeze blowing over pristine white sands of an unspoiled beach.
Just like his beautiful eyes, which struck a mental image of a bright midday sun over that same, empty shoreline.
Right then, everything was perfect.
“Apology accepted, Chris.”
And that was how the next shitshow happened.
It was a quarter after 4 in the morning and for someone who was supposedly maxed out, Chris was still wide awake. He had been on his phone for hours ever since Sebastian left, going through work-related emails, thinking he could at least bring himself to focusing on replying to them but nope. He watched dog videos, cat videos, iPhone 8 videos. Still a problem.
Truthfully, he needed constant distraction from the one thought that had been a monopolizing, gigantic tennis ball bouncing back and forth in his head and that was I need to get over this.
Inside, his feelings were in a rage. He was hot and bothered. Anxious and excited. It wasn’t until he held the guy in his arms for so long that Chris Evans realized getting Sebastian Stan out of his system was going to be a lot like that time when he went cold turkey from cigarettes - it wasn’t going to be easy at all.
“Urgh. Fucking kidding yourself, Evans. You like girls. You don’t like dicks.”
Frustrated, the young CEO then decided to get some fresh air and clear his head. He rolled off his bed, feeling the cold of the floor biting into his bones the second his feet landed on it. In a matter of seconds, Chris was in his activewear and was ready to go for a run. He might as well catch the sunrise while at it.
“Hi.”
For the second time that night, the blonde was surprised to find Sebastian standing outside his bedroom. He had a fist in the air and looked like he was about to knock it when Chris swung it open.
In the darkness of their living space, Sebastian looked like he was in a trance. The color of his eyes blazed with an impossibly bright shade of sky blue but his expression was somewhat blank, unreadable to a certain extent.
Why can’t he wear a shirt that doesn’t have a goddamn plunging neckline, Christ? “Hey, Seb.”
Sebastian let out a soft sigh. “I can’t sleep, Chris.”
"Me neither." For a second there Chris wondered if he was sleep walking. “What’s keeping you up?”
“You.”
Wait. What? “Me?”
“Yes, you. Why do you always have to make it so fucking difficult for me, Christopher?”
The way he asked that and then said his name sent Chris’ heartbeat drumming like crazy. He didn’t have the chance to do anything else when Sebastian took a single, swift step towards him and eliminated the distance between them. His housemate was standing so fucking close, the blonde could practically count the lashes on his eyes.
“You come into my life, picking me up and making me feel like…Like I can’t live without you. Who the Hell do you think you are?”
Blindsided by his sudden confession, panic began to strike into his common sense, telling him: this is not happening. It cannot happen! You don’t have feelings for him. You never had. What you had for Sebastian was just a fucking phase.
You’re not like him, Chris. “What are you doing, Seb?”
“To be honest, I’m not sure but.....”
Next thing he knew, they were kissing. He couldn’t remember who moved in for who first - Chris’ preoccupation with his emotions running high and horribly confused was derailing him from working with a conscience right then. This was motherfucking surreal, overwhelming beyond all sense.
Unfortunately he tasted sweet and wonderful, making Chris demand for more after each kiss was given to him. The cheeky, habitual twirl of Sebastian’s tongue between his lips never bothered Chris before - not until it moved teasingly against his own, causing spasms to erupt underneath his skin. The mere notion of Sebastian wanting to savor him turned Chris on. His knees became jelly. His whole body felt really, really, warm. His worries and hesitation were torched to oblivion the second he heard a meek, breathless moan escape the other man’s throat.
More.
No further words were needed or exchanged after that. Their kissing quickly turned heated, fast. Messy. Hungry. Sparks of electricity ran up and down Chris’ spine when he felt the photographer’s fingers curl into the hem of his top, pushing it upwards. His coarse touch caressed the naked skin underneath the stupid layer of fabric, setting the blonde’s heart and senses ablaze.
More.
“I want more,” Chris rasped, grabbing him by the waist and spinning the other man around before pinning him up against the door of his room.
Never in his entire life would Chris ever understand the powerful attraction he was having for the other man but right then, that was making him see stars. The chemistry between them was fucking explosive, everything felt so right. And those pair of blue, blue, blue as Hell eyes, Chris wanted nothing more than to lose himself completely in them.
“I want you, Sebastian.”
In front of him, Sebastian’s pupils were dangerously dilated, his lips a little bruised, his breathing shallow and hard. His consenting moan was all Chris needed to hear before he waltzed his housemate into his room and kicked the door close behind them.
"I'm all yours, Chris."
Infinity War kind of left me looking like O_O for a long, long time.
Thank you for reading, hope you like this twist!
#7 is a WIP! Hopefully I won't take so long to get it out :X *fingers crossed*