Chapter Text
The next day Rook decided to approach Smoke at lunch. His plan was to sit with him and try to start a casual conversation. He figured it would make for a good start. Nothing too forward but enough to show that he wanted to know him more. After a morning of working out and mentally psyching himself up, Julien stepped into line for his lunch and scanned over the mess hall looking for James. Not seeing his familiar face, the Frenchman felt his shoulders drop both from disappointment and releasing the tension he was holding in them. He made up his lunch, took a seat at an empty table, and ate in silence.
Even though he had been anxious all morning now that his plan had failed, he for some reason felt upset about it. He admitted to himself that beneath the nervousness, he was excited to get the chance to talk more with Smoke. He wanted to know more about the man under the mask—
Someone had sat down in front of Rook during his inward monologue. The Frenchman slowly raised his blue eyes to see the figure before him munching on something.
“You know why I like eating grapes? For one they taste good, yes, but also because of that little pressure you feel when breaking the skin of it. It’s satisfying, innit?” Smoke casually talked at Rook who sat with his jaw hanging open slightly. Smoke stopped chewing and raised an eyebrow, “trying to catch flies, are you?”
Julien blinked and quickly shut his mouth. How did James just suddenly appear like that? Did he miss him sitting out in the crowd? Was he behind him in line? But the most important question was: why was he sitting with Julien?
“You should eat, kid. This food is barely edible when it’s warm, eating it cold is just a form of torture at that point.” Smoke jabbed his fork in the direction of Rook’s plate. Rook forced the cogs in his brain to begin moving again and process what was happening before him. Now was his chance to get to know Smoke, just as he wanted.
“I doubt I will get an answer to this question, but why did you choose to sit with me today?” Rook asked cautiously. As Julien suspected, Smoke didn’t answer and instead stared him down with the tiniest smirk appearing on his lips. Rook sighed, “alright then, keep your secrets.”
As strange as it was, the two men were able to keep a conversation going through the entire meal. There were never long pauses of awkward air where they thought of new subjects to switch to. Everything smoothly transitioned from one topic to the next, with each man having plenty to add to the discussion.
Once they noticed that both their plates were empty, Smoke propped his elbows up on the table and folded his hand into a fist with the other hand cupped around it, “you know, I got to thinkin’ after you helped me in my lab and I’ve decided that you can come by and watch whenever you feel the need to. You keep your hands to yourself, so I trust you ‘round my work.”
“You,” Rook’s voice hesitated, “you’re allowing me to visit you in your lab? Do you ever let anyone besides yourself in the lab when you work?”
Smoke shook his head, “not until you, no. I don’t trust a big part of this lot, but you,” James shrugged, “you managed to get on my good side. So, congrats.” The Brit flashed a toothy grin. A certain glint in his eye as he smiled made Rook shudder slightly.
“I—wow. Thank you for trusting me. I would love to watch you work more often.” Rook beamed at the other man, genuinely happy for this special permission.
Smoke raised an eyebrow and let a small smile appear on his face, “careful kid, you’ll rot someone’s teeth out with that sweetness of yours.”
Rook blinked and stopped beaming only for it to be replaced with a blush, “you think I’m sweet?”
“Is that really something you got to ask? I’m pretty sure it’s well-known you’re one of the real rays of sunshine ‘round these parts. You and that German lad.”
Julien looked down at his hands. He was so confused by Smoke’s words. He was calling him sweet, which could be seen as a compliment, but at the same time he sounded so passive and nonchalant about it as if it was a statement. So, which was it, was it him trying to flirt or him just stating the obvious? Rook didn’t know anymore.
“I’m afraid I don’t have any more beauties to make today, but you can stick around with me if it tickles your fancy. I’m going into town to run some personal errands if you’re into that sort of thing.” Smoke said, breaking Julien’s thoughts.
Julien looked up, “oh! Well, it’s a rest day for me, so why not. I would love to come along as long as I’m not intruding on anything.”
Smoke stood up from the table and waved the Frenchman off, “bah, nonsense. Come on then, get going.”
Rook smiled excitedly and stood up in a flash, emptied his tray and went to his room to fetch some fresh clothes once he remembered he was still in his workout garb. The younger Frenchman met James at the front doors and the two took a bus into the nearby town. It was small but lively, with various little shops, a bakery, and other businesses. As the two men exited the bus and began walking down the street, Rook inhaled the pleasing aroma of fresh bread baking somewhere nearby.
“Smells good, yeah? Remind me and we’ll take home a few rolls to sneak to some mates.” James smirked. Rook nodded in agreement, already eager to taste the warm bread. Smoke spent some time picking up a few supplies for himself and his gear; ducted tape for his suit, a few new flasks for his lab, and other items Rook didn’t care to remember. He found himself exploring other sections of the store, half spacing out in the process. He felt himself relaxed around Smoke now, the original uneasiness a distant memory. Smoke had a strange way of expressing his thoughts, but Julien could see he meant no harm and was simply going about things in his own unique way. After James bought his supplies, he collected Rook and the two left the store.
“There’s this tiny bookstore ‘round the corner there I’m taking you to. The wife of the owner has a little thing for me, I’m sure of it. Last time she took half the price off the book and the time before that she gave it for free. So, if you see anything you fancy, just say the word.” James smirked and winked at the other man.
Rook offered a tiny smile, “No, I couldn’t do that, it would feel wrong. If I find anything, I will buy it myself. I want to support them fully.”
James scoffed, “fine, fine, be the good guy, then. Damn you for having a big heart.” He sighed and patted the Frenchman on the shoulder. Rook blinked, confused by his action. It felt too affectionate for Smoke. Maybe he meant it in a fatherly way instead. Rook told himself this to stop himself from thinking there was anything more going on between the two of them.
The two approached the bookstore and James entered first. Sure enough, a woman who Rook assumed was the owner’s wife looked up as they entered and beamed from behind the counter, “James! It’s good to see you again, you haven’t been in in a while.” She chirped.
“’ello, misses Reid. Good to see you, too.” Smoke replied with a small smile.
Mrs. Reid looked to Rook, and her smile wavered just slightly, “ah, hello there. You came in with James. Are you his boyfriend?”
Rook coughed and shook his head, “oh, no, no, we’re just friends.” Rook hesitated on the word friend, debating if he had even earned that title yet. Should he have used something else? Teammate? Coworker? He could already feel the heat growing on his face from the blushing.
“Oh my, I’m so sorry for assuming! Well, it’s nice to meet you,”
“Julien.” He replied, now wanting to leave the store from embarrassment.
“Julien.” She echoed, nodding her head and returning to the books on the counter.
Rook hurriedly moved to a bookshelf close to the corner of the shop that was practically overflowing with aging novels. James rounded the corner, flashing a big grin on his face, “Told you she had a thing for me. She saw you as a threat as soon as you stepped in.” He held back a chuckle and shook his head.
Rook hid his face in a book he had opened, “I’m glad you enjoyed it, because I’m so embarrassed now.”
“Eh? Why’s that? It was an honest mistake, don’t take it too hard, kid.” He rested an arm up on the bookcase. “Did little Rook here think we were going on a little date together?” he teased the other man.
Rook lifted his head, “what, no! No, I—” he stopped short, unsure of where he was going with his sentence.
“You what?” James pressed, cocking his head to one side. “Did you want this to be a date?” The other man took a step closer to Julien. Julien noticed this and felt himself tense up.
“No, I didn’t. I expected this to be a harmless trip into town and that’s all.” Rook forced out the words as best he could without stammering and tripping over them.
Smoke continued to move closer but kept himself far enough away as to leave room between their chests. He kept his eyes trained on Rook’s face, watching as his eyes moved all around Smoke but never settling to meet his gaze. It entertained the Brit to see the younger man so flustered. “Hm. What a shame. I’m not against this being more than a trip into town.”
“Wait, what? Are you being serio-“
“Find anything you like, boys?” The Frenchman was interrupted by Mrs. Reid who came over to check on them. Rook whipped around, stepping away from James to create more breathing room between them.
“Nothing yet Mrs. Reid but thank you for checking.” Julien replied, fighting to keep his voice level. He swore he heard a quite chuckle from James behind him.
“Alright then, please let me know if you’d like any suggestions.” She smiled, glancing over at James before returning to the counter.
The younger man let out a sigh of relief and slowly turned back around to face James, “I think I’d like to go back to base now.” He said defeatedly. He was at his limit with the tension building between them.
James raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, “what a pity. Not even buying yourself a book?”
Rook glanced down at the one in his hand, “I suppose I could give this one a try. This is the fantasy section, so I will probably enjoy it.”
“Right, c’mon then,” Smoke snatched the book from the Frenchman’s hand and headed toward the counter, “it’s my treat.”
“Wait, James, I can pay for it.” Rook tried to snatch the book back.
The Brit suddenly whipped around and grabbed Rook by the collar. He leaned his face in so close that their noses were now touching, “I said it was my treat. For being so fuckin’ cute.” He let go of the other man and treaded off to the checkout counter. Meanwhile, Julien found himself frozen in place. Smoke had called him cute. He complimented him, as aggressive as it was, but in a flirtatious way. Did this mean he actually had feelings for him?
Smoke bought the book, with a generous discount from Mrs. Ried of course, and walked back over to Julien. He snapped his fingers in the other man’s face, “Rook, you there? Time to go, just like you wanted.”
Rook blinked a few times then focused his eyes on the operator in front of him, “uh, yeah, yes, right. I’m ready.” He followed the other man out the door, letting his head continue to spin. As they walked down the street, Rook strayed behind James and stared intensely at his back. His brows were furrowed, and he felt like something had to be said. But what? Then, something broke within him. He was suddenly tired of this confusing game James has begun to play with him. In his rush of frustration and anger, he grabbed the Brit’s hood and dragged him backward to stand closer to the Frenchman.
A grunt of protest came from Smoke as he was dragged backward and whipped around to smack Julien’s hand off him, “steady on, fuckin’ hell! What’s gotten into you?” He asked, slightly irritated from the harsh treatment.
Julien cocked his head to the side quickly, motioning for the two of them to step off the path into a small alley. The Brit followed; his brows now furrowed.
“I want to be done with this game you seem to have with me, James. I don’t understand what you want from me. Do you want to just be friends or are you wanting to be something more? Just-” he raised his arms then dropped them back down to his sides in a frustrated gesture, “tell me already, dammit!”
What happened next was something that Rook did not expect. He was expecting a yes or no from the other man, given to him in that strange manor Smoke always did. But no, he didn’t. Instead, a sound rose from his throat and slipped past his teeth through his now opened mouth. Smoke had started laughing. Not a full laugh, but definitely more than a chuckle. It was softer than Rook imagined the Englishman’s laugh to be. It made something bloom in Rook’s chest and he left his cheeks warming in embarrassment.
“James?” Julien asked somewhat timidly.
The other man collected himself and waved his hand dismissively, “that’s probably the angriest I’ve ever seen you get the entire time you’ve been with Rainbow.” Rook’s shoulders dropped, disappointed in Smoke’s apparent dismissal of his question. Smoke, picking up on this, let out a small sigh and crossed his arms, “alright, I’ll stop with my bullshit now. To answer your question, yes, I want to be something more than friends. Is that what you wanted to hear, love?” He asked teasingly, suddenly snaking his arms around Rook’s stomach.
The Frenchman tensed and his cheeks grew even more red at the very forward gesture, “I don’t know—I mean—I think so. I—yes. Yes, it is.” He stumbled over his words before arriving at the answer he wanted to give.
Smoked hummed in response and tightened his grip on the other man, leaning forward to put his weight against Rook and force him to lean back slightly. He forced the Frenchman to take a few steps backward, moving the pair further into the alley.
“James, what are you--?” Rook asked, now very flustered. Before he was able to finish his sentence, the Brit put his full weight on the other man, forcing him to fall backward onto the ground with a grunt. Frozen in place, Julien watched Smoke carefully, unsure of his next move.
Smoke leaned his face down to hover just above Rook’s nose, flashing a toothy grin. He finally opened his mouth and let out another laugh just like the one Julien heard a few minutes ago, “sorry, making you uncomfortable is just so easy. Plus, I like watching you squirm, it’s kind of adorable.” Rook, having no idea how to respond to this, simply gripped at the back of James’s sweatshirt with both hands.
James tilted his head to one side and smirked, “like a bird caught by the cat, I see. Come on then.” Smoke leaned down and gently kissed Rook on the neck. Rook stiffened but relaxed after a moment and loosened his grip on James. James chuckled and stood up over Rook, offering a hand to the other man. Julien slowly took the offered hand and stood up, brushing off his back as best he could. The Brit smirked at the other before turning around, “let’s go get some of those rolls I told you about, yeah?” the man walked to the entrance of the alley where he turned back around and held a hand out to Rook.
Rook, whose head was still stirring after what just happened, simply stared down at the hand. Smoke raised an eyebrow at him, “you’re supposed to grab it, mate.”
“Ah, right, sorry.” Julien slowly placed his hand in Smoke’s and the other man gripped it immediately, pulling the Frenchman over to him.
“Cat got your tongue, Julien? You were talking just fine not too long ago.” James teased as he playfully poked the other man’s side.
Rook grunted but let out a chuckle nonetheless, “no, I’m fine, this was all just very sudden. I honestly wasn’t expecting you to say yes to my question.”
“Well, I did, and now we’re here. There’s nothing to worry about, I don’t bite I promise ya. Well, not unless you want me to, that is.” He winked at Julien whose face instantly flushed, which prompted a small laugh from the Brit as the two headed back to the bakery.