Chapter Text
He strode down the hallway, hands in his pockets to give the allusion that he didn’t give a shit, when he was most definitely on edge. His fingers flicked his lighter open and closed against the twill lining of his pockets, trying to focus on the soft clicking noise it made instead of the swarm of thoughts clouding his conscience.
He still couldn’t figure out why he cared so much.
So what, she didn’t try to contact him the past week? He didn’t give a shit. He had bigger things to worry about.
Like his job. And the next piece of ass he was going to conquer.
He had an ample selection of people to choose from, inside the Agency and outside of it. All he had to do was pick his target, turn on a bit of his whorish charm, and – nine times out of ten – they were putty in his hands.
It was baffling to him that since meeting her , when he caught someone staring at him, the familiar glimmer of hunger in their eyes, he felt nothing.
Sofía had burrowed her way into his subconscious and wouldn’t get the fuck out no matter how many distractions he created for himself.
He rounded the corner, picking up speed to push through the large wooden door leading to the meeting area.
Despite everything, his pulse quickened at the thought of seeing her again. Not that he’d admit it, but he was… mildly excited.
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He plopped onto the cushiony sofa, swivelling so that he could lay back and prop his legs up on the arm rest, folding his arms behind his head.
“Am I doing the Ferris Bueller pose right?” He grinned, wiggling his ankles.
Nate sighed, pointing to his feet.
“Yeah, aren’t my new sneakers sick? I wanted the Marty McFly shoes but they were so expensive so Sofia helped me pick a knock off instead,” he beamed, extending his leg towards Nate. “Wanna touch ‘em?”
“Please get your feet off the couch, Felix,” he commanded gently, licking the tip of his finger to flip the worn page of his dense book.
“Awe, you’re no fun. If I put my feet on the ground, who’s gonna see ‘em?”
“This isn’t show-and-tell, Felix. This meeting has a purpose,” Adam said from the corner of the room, standing rigid against the wall.
“Every meeting is show-and-tell if you have something new, like my shoes,” he wiggled his brows, leaning forward to untie and retie his shoes for the hundredth time, trying to get the loops just right.
“Seems like you had a good time with Sofía yesterday,” Nate murmured, glancing over the cover of his book, a soft smile on his lips.
Felix’s grin stretched wider at the mention of the detective’s name.
He’d had more than a good time with Sofía at the mall. He’d had the best time.
They’d spent nearly the whole week together, binge watching films to cheer her up. He didn’t really have the attention span to watch movies, but sharing a blanket with her, fingers grazing when they both went for the kettle corn at the same time… it was straight out of a rom-com.
He didn’t really get the hype of kettle corn, but people were supposed to eat it to enjoy movies more… right? He could care less about how shitty it tasted as long as he could spend more time with her.
“I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with me like… this for the past few days, but I really appreciate it,” she smiled, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’ve got to make it up to you somehow.”
“Hmm,” he mused, screwing his lips to the side of his face. “Nope. I’m just happy we’ve gotten to hang out. You’re always so busy!”
“You say that like you’re not a whole ass supernatural being that works for a secret agency,” she raised a brow at him, the smile still tugging at her lips.
“Touche, touche. I’ll give you that, human,” he said, pushing his brows together like he was trying to sound commanding.
“Oh, please, don’t give me that ‘human’ talk. You know you love our pop culture way too much to talk down to me like that,” she laughed, pretending to shove his shoulder.
“Yeah, I really do,” he laughed. “There’s so much I wanna do that I haven’t been able to with all of this ‘lay low’ shit. Sometimes it makes me wish I had a past human life I could remember like Nate or Adam, ya know?” He shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant, when it clearly was something that passed through his mind often.
She shifted on the couch, looking a little uncomfortable. Oh no , he thought. I should’ve just kept that in. There I go again, oversharing when I don’t even know if she cares –
“Is there anything I can do to help you with that?”
“Huh?” His focus was torn away from overthinking.
“If you’ve got a bucket list, I can try to help you check some things off,” she shrugged, tossing a few pieces of kettle corn into her mouth, crunching softly.
“What’s that?”
“Like, a list of things you wanna do before you die. Things you wanna do before you kick the bucket.”
“Well…” Felix trailed off, shrugging. “I don’t know why I’d kick a bucket, but I’m not dying anytime soon… or ever.”
Sofía snorted, the sound reverberating off of her apartment walls. “That’s an idiom, Felix.”
“Hey, you don’t have to call me names,” he pouted, brows furrowed.
An even louder laugh ripped from Sofía, her chest heaving as she cackled. “Felix – Felix, please –” She wiped the tears from her eyes, barely able to catch her breath.
He was a little upset at that.
He didn’t have a chance to learn all the stuff he wanted about humans. Nate really only taught him what he thought was important for Felix to know – boring things, like literature and etiquette.
She must’ve noticed him frowning, because her laughter tapered off, looking guilty as soon as she realized he didn’t get it.
“Hey, I’m sorry. I was just messing with you. You’re the funniest guy I know, seriously. And you don’t even try.”
A smile bloomed across his features, a warmth blanketing him, so comforting that he didn’t think the crisp fall wind could make him shiver.
She thought he was funny. The one thing he was good at without being taught.
“Thanks,” he murmured, looking away from her. Did he sense a blush coming on? Wow, that’s a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. But maybe not as of recently, since his cheeks burned around her way more than he’d like to admit.
“Well,” he said, after a brief silence. “I don’t really know where to start.”
She pushed her brows together, her glasses sliding down her nose, which she pushed back in place with a finger. “Hmm… is there anything from the movies we watched that excited you?”
He flipped through images in his brain, trying to pin down things he was drawn to from the movies they’d binged. His eyes lit up the moment he settled on an idea.
“I wanna go to the mall, you know, like in Chopping Mall, except we don’t get killed. I’ve never been to one before.”
Her eyes widened. “Seriously? You’ve never been? Like… ever?”
He shrugged. “I kinda had to stay inside until I learned, uh, what are they called?” He snapped his fingers, squeezing his eyes shut while he racked his brain for the phrase he couldn’t recall. “Social cues! Yeah I was terrible at that at the beginning. Couldn’t go two seconds without bringing up home and the fact that I’m… ya know.” He gestured to himself.
“A vampire?”
“I was gonna say devastatingly handsome, but that fits too,” he grinned as she playfully threw a piece of kettle corn at him.
His smile fell a bit. “I’m trying to make up for lost time.”
“You’ve got forever, right?” She asked hopefully.
He sighed. “Yeah, but when you’ve already missed so much of human history you kinda want to learn more. Nate and Adam and even Mason have cool stories that I can’t even compare to. I want that.”
He pretended not to see her flinch slightly at the mention of Mason. God, Felix, your one job was to distract her. Good work.
“Well, we’re just gonna have to make our own history, huh?” She said softly, gently placing her hand on his arm, a sweet smile on her face.
She was beautiful. He’d seen the movies – he knew exactly how he was supposed to feel when he saw the person he wanted. And for him, when he looked at her, the fireworks were firing off in the background.
He barely resisted the urge to reach out and touch her face. Just barely.
When they finally made it to the mall in the city, after pulling a Ferris Beullers’ (they lied to say they were going downtown to patrol when they were ditching), Felix practically skipped up and down the waxed linoleum flooring, in awe, like a child in a candy shop.
With comically large eyes, face pressed up against the window, he spotted the Marty McFly-esque sneakers and dragged Sofía inside.
So, the shoes meant a lot to him. A symbol of his favorite day in Wayhaven – well, technically outside of Wayhaven, but Adam didn’t need to know that.
“Yeah. I had a great time patrolling.”
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Mason pushed through the doors, barely acknowledging the rest of the team’s presence as he retreated to his usual corner, next to a one person armchair.
He tried drowning out Felix and Nate’s incessant chattering, the noise nagging at him like a toothache.
His hand reflexively reached for his back pocket, nearly about to grab a cigarette from the pack. Much to his annoyance, he was reminded that he’d left them in his room, since she was going to be there.
He settled for flicking the lighter again, lips curling into a sneer every time Felix laughed a little too loud.
His senses were suffering. His head was getting cloudier and cloudier with each passing second.
When the fuck was she gonna show?
Before he could leave to retrieve his cigarettes, Sofía shouldered her way through the heavy door, struggling a little beneath the weight, her bangs falling in front of her glasses.
She looked a little disheveled, like she’d just woken up, but not messy. She was well put together all the time, like every single item she wore was meticulously chosen; she made it look effortless, nevertheless.
It always made him proud of how quickly he could turn her into a writhing mess, and that he was the only one that saw that side of her.
He bit back a smirk, shifting his weight so his hip propped up against the arm of the chair, expecting her to plop next to him.
So when her hazel eyes focused on Felix first, he couldn’t help but grimace.
Her face lit up, and she rushed over to the sofa, passing Mason and Nate, while keeping her attention focused solely on Felix.
“You wore the shoes!” She grinned, dropping her bag on the floor next to the coffee table.
“Yeah, I’m just breaking them in,” he said, wiggling his feet, still splayed out on the couch.
She plopped onto his legs, making Felix laugh out loud. “Hey! Didn’t you tell me not to crease them?”
“Scoot over and I won’t,” she giggled as he lifted his legs dramatically one by one, grazing them over her ducked head.
He couldn’t take his eyes off of her face. She was so… happy. A complete 180 from earlier that week. Not that he expected her to come in a blubbering mess but… something wasn’t right.
Since when did those two get so damn close?
The ache in his head dulled, his senses more manageable from the moment she walked in.
“Hey Nate. Adam. Mason,” she said, waving generally. To any other person who didn’t know Sofía, they’d think she was being friendly. But the millisecond of a pause before she said his name proved she was still upset with him.
Felix leaned in to say something, eyes wide with a grin to match, invading personal space like he normally did. It wouldn’t have bothered Mason, if he hadn’t noticed one thing.
Her heartbeat sped up.
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He slid his bookmark into the crease, carefully closing the book. He’d heard Rebecca drive up, so she’d walk in any second now.
Where Nate sat on the love seat in between Felix, Sofía and Mason, he could sense the tension hanging in the air like a shroud smoke.
Mason was nearly seething in his corner, eyes locked on Felix and Sofía like a cat with its back arched, visibly frustrated. Felix was either willfully or blissfully ignorant of Mason’s energy, while Sofía was wrapped in her own bubble with him, quiet laughs exchanged in the tiny space between them, the occasional word echoing off the brick walls.
Adam could tell, too. A single glance exchanged between them proved they both knew something was wrong.
Rebecca pushed her way through the door, quickly surveying the group before addressing everyone and moving on to explain their assignment.
“We’ve heard rumors of something lurking on the outskirts of Wayhaven, right at the edge of the town’s limits. Over the next week, you’ll need to split and patrol to confirm if it’s petty gossip, or something more.”
As soon as the last word was out of Rebecca’s mouth, Mason stormed towards the door, opening it with such force that it smacked the wall, cracking the wood, splintering against the brick.
Sofía flinched, eyes wide. Her posture deflated, like she was finally in a good mood that was ruined by Mason’s explosive behavior.
Nate grimaced, sensing the atmosphere shift from tense to dismal. Even Felix’s smile had faltered as he stared at the doorway Mason exited through.
Sofía’s pulse raced as she stared at her lap, absentmindedly twisting her rings around her fingers.
Rebecca sighed, cutting through the uncomfortable silence. “Sofía will need someone to accompany her, but the rest of you should be prepared to defend yourselves if needed.
“This is a relatively laid back assignment compared to what you’re used to, but I don’t want you to let your guards down. As we’ve seen before, anything can happen. You need to be prepared for the worst. Are there any questions?”
“Who’s going with Sofía?” Felix blurted, glancing back and forth between her and Rebecca.
“I’ll let you decide amongst yourselves,” she gestured at the remaining Unit Bravo members. “However, Sofía has the last word.”
In her own way, Rebecca was extending an olive branch, as miniscule as it was. Sofía hadn’t warmed up to her quite yet, but Nate was anxiously hoping he’d see their relationship blossom in his lifetime.
Rebecca glanced at Sofía, who was still wringing her hands together, half paying attention.
“Keep me updated,” she nodded curtly, glancing back and forth from Nate and Adam once.
“Of course, Agent Olmos,” Adam said, tipping his chin at her respectfully. As soon as Rebecca was out of the room, Sofía rose from her spot on the sofa.
“I… I have to get back to the station. I’ll get in touch with you after I’m off,” she murmured distractedly, tossing her bag over her shoulder and exiting before they could respond.
“I’ll go with Sofía,” Felix volunteered. “She’ll need someone to cheer her up while she’s out there.” He was clearly upset with how things played out, and Nate knew he needed to physically be there for her to comfort her – that’s the way he’d always been.
“I suppose,” Adam mused, rubbing a thoughtful hand against his chin. “We’ll be close by in case you need anything from us.”
“Watch out for her,” Nate warned gently, nodding towards Felix. “Adam and I will take the West and East borders of Wayhaven. You can take the South, near the entrance.”
“And Mason?” Felix asked, looking like he didn’t want to know the answer.
“He’ll take the North border. Alone,” Nate nodded. “I won’t tell him that you’re with her.”
Adam squinted. “I can’t guarantee that I won’t let it slip if he asks me.”
“Adam,” Nate sighed.
“I refuse to lie. If Mason asks me directly, I will let him know. Otherwise, you’re in the clear.”
Felix grimaced, pinching the strings at the hem of his scarf between his fingers, tugging at them absentmindedly. “Guess I gotta hope I’m lucky.”
Adam snorted. “Luck won’t help us if Mason finds out we kept this from him.”
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Sofía jogged down the hallway, shoving out the double doors towards her car.
Mason stood next to it, puffing a cigarette, arms crossed, looking absolutely volatile. Smoke curled around him like a warning sign, like his boiling blood was pushing steam out of his body. Don’t come closer, it said. She did anyway.
“What are you doing out here?” She sighed, shifting her purse on her shoulder, keys in hand. She’d slowed a few feet away from him, his back turned to her.
He didn’t answer her, nor look at her, eyes transfixed on the swaying trees on the edge of the woods.
“I don’t have time for this. I have to get back to the station.” She walked around him, refusing to look at his face, reaching out for the handle.
“You seemed to have a lot of time to waste back there,” he growled, stopping her in her tracks.
“Seriously?” She turned towards him, pushing her bangs out of her eyes. “What does that mean?”
“I’m not gonna spell it out for you, sweetheart,” he mumbled around the cigarette, pinched between his lips, set in a thin line.
“Why the fuck are you acting like this? And back there, too, in front of everybody. What’s your problem?” She asked, craning her neck forward.
“You could’ve at least tried to keep that shit to a bare minimum in a meeting.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You know what I’m talking about. You’re not dumb, detective,” he enunciated each syllable of her title, like it was an insult.
“Since when do you care about being ‘respectful’ in meetings?” She air quoted around the word, keys jangling from where they hung off of her thumb.
“I don’t.”
“Then why are you berating me right now, when I don’t even know what you think I did wrong?”
“You didn’t do anything
wrong
,” he said, insufferably, shrugging like he wasn’t making her crazy. God, Sofía normally wasn’t an angry type – but she was stubborn, and Mason knew exactly how to push her buttons.
“Then why are you acting like a fucking child?” She asked, voice raised. Guilt set in after she heard her voice echo around her. Maybe it wasn’t the best move to argue with Mason when all of Unit Bravo could hear.
He was silent. He took long, deep drags from the cigarette, pinched between his thumb and pointer finger. He let the smoke seep out his nose slowly, clouding his features. He inhaled one last time, flicking the bud onto the ground before he smashed it beneath his boot. He met her eyes, the grey of his iris nearly swirling like the stormy, tornadic clouds.
“Your heartbeat.”
He said it so low that she could barely understand it herself. Maybe he didn’t want the team to hear. Didn’t want Felix to hear.
“I literally can’t control my heartbeat, Mason.”
“It spiked… around him.” His eyes flickered away from her, towards the trees again.
“ That’s what you’re mad about?” She huffed in disbelief.
Silence.
“Well, can you stop acting like that? I’m not yours. You made that clear last week,” she rolled her eyes, unlocking her car, opening the door.
“Acting like what?” He challenged, nearly growling. He’d completely ignored anything beyond the initial question.
“Like you’re jealous,” she nearly spat, tongue flicking as she enunciated each word.
“I’m not fucking jealous.” His nose scrunched like he was holding back a snarl.
“Yeah, well your tantrum says otherwise. Stop acting like a baby. You’re too old for this.”
His eyes narrowed, and he stepped back, letting her slam her door. He turned and walked in without another glance.
She revved the engine and peeled away from the warehouse, expecting to feel a sense of triumph in having the last word, but nothing came. Just emptiness.
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A growl ripped from Mason as he paced around his room towards the door, dragging his laundry basket behind him.
For the millionth time, Felix tried pawning his responsibility off onto Mason by planting his harder to wash items at the bottom of his basket.
He didn’t want to learn how to wash a beanie or a scarf, so he pawned it off on the person down the hall.
Felix never pulled this shit with Nate, so why would he try it with Mason? It was beyond him.
Laundry basket grating on the ground behind him, sending electric shocks up his spine at the volume, Mason gritted his teeth, ready to fling his basket at Felix’s door, fully prepared for the plastic to shatter and rip into their clothes. But it was worth it.
Instead, he found the door ajar, the sickeningly bright tones of Felix’s room instantly giving him a headache.
Ugh. What the fuck was so great about the color yellow?
Adam had warned all of them to passcode lock their doors behind him no matter what, since they clearly only relied on themselves for security, being that their home base was in the center of the woods.
Mason dug through the basket, flinging shit into the room, strewing the bright socks, beanies, t-shirts, and scarves across the floor.
He still had a bone to pick with Felix, but at least he got most of his anger out of his system.
Right as he was about to leave, something next to the entrance of his room caught his attention.
The shoes Sofía bought Felix.
Crisp, clean, and begging to be tampered with.
He didn’t mull over the decision for long, grabbing the shoes by their laces and chunking them into his basket, covering them with a pair of jeans.
He grabbed the basket with the tips of his fingers, hoisting it over his back, strolling back towards his room with a slight pep in his step.
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