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Lynn knows better.
He always does, in almost every situation. He knows better than to buy apples at gouged prices, knows better than to let Lily hang out with Neil more than he can help, knows better than to let his students get away with sloppy work.
So, to be clear, he knows better than to fall to the whims of one Nick Hoult.
It’s not like he doesn’t care for romance, or even like he isn’t a bit interested. Despite what others might say, Lynn has fantasized about finding a romantic partner as much as the next guy; And he isn’t going to say that Nick isn’t at least a little attractive.
(Ok, if he’s being honest with himself, it’s a lot more than a little.)
But this is Nick Hoult he’s talking about. Regardless of Lynn’s interest, a relationship is off the table. He’s heard enough horror stories from Neil about Nick’s past relationships to ever let himself fall victim to the demon.
Which is why it’s so frustrating that Nick doesn’t seem to know when to quit.
Now, to be clear, it’s not like Lynn has asked him to stop. Maybe that’s stupid of him, but it would be embarrassing to outright have that conversation, and… Ok, he doesn’t entirely hate the attention. So, sue him. He probably wouldn’t even have a problem with the flirting—might even find it in himself to flirt back every once in a while, give Nick a taste of his own medicine—if it didn’t happen in front of everyone else.
See, that’s part of the reason that he knows Nick isn’t actually interested. He keeps the flirting to a minimum in private. It’s only when everyone else is around that he goes all in, as if Lynn is a prize at the arcade that he keeps trying and failing to catch with the claw machine, only putting in the next quarter because he’s trying to show off to his friends.
It’s happening now, as Lynn does the dishes while everyone else is watching a movie. Nick saunters into the kitchen, and Lynn can feel the eyes of everyone else on the two of them as the demon’s arm wraps around his shoulders and he steps up beside him.
“Need a hand?” he asks, voice low, sultry, and Lynn almost laughs. It really is funny, sometimes, seeing Nick put his all into making Lynn squirm. Maybe if he was a century or two younger, it would work on him.
But as previously stated, Lynn knows better by now.
“No,” he says, voice flat, “I’m alright.”
Lynn doesn’t look up to see Nick, but he can practically feel the way he pouts. He smiles softly at that, but unlike Nick his emotions don’t broadcast quite as easily, so the demon doesn’t react. Instead he withdraws his arm and turns to lean on the counter, just in front of the other half of the sink.
“Do you need something?” Lynn asks, and Nick perks up at the opening. Maybe that was giving it to him a little too easy, but Lynn wanted to play fair.
“Just you, angel,” he says, voice syrupy sweet, and Lynn turns to stare up at him with a blank expression.
“Angel?” he asks. “You’re doing pet names, now?”
“Well, it seems like I have to step my game up to get your attention,” Nick says, that shiteating grin on his face.
Lynn blinks at him, before looking back at the sink. “As if something like that is going to get my attention,” he mutters, half under his breath.
Maybe Nick isn’t as stupid as Lynn thinks, though, because he seems to have processed the words. “Oh? Then what do you suggest I do, Lynn?”
He shrugs. “Maybe treating me like a person instead of a piece of meat would do the trick,” he says.
And okay, maybe that part came out a bit too loud, because Lynn hears the chattering in the next room over come to a halt. Or maybe it was the bitterness that dipped into his voice when he said it, a tone that Lynn tried to keep out of his words in most situations.
Nick pauses, too, a long moment of silence between them before he finally tries to speak. “You think-”
With a flick of the wrist Lynn’s halo is in his hand and shining bright, and the dishes before him are cleaned, Nick suddenly forced into taking his sheep form beside him. “There, it’s all clean,” he says, as he steps away from the sink and towards the door. “If you’ll excuse me for the night.”
He’s sure he’s made it away scott free, because he doubts Nick even cares that much, but he stands corrected when the demon comes bursting into his room just as Lynn’s settling in. “Lynn-”
He pauses, and Lynn and him share a glance before Lynn finishes pulling his pajama shirt over his head. “Knock next time,” he says, and Nick finally looks away, the movement delayed.
“I need to talk to you-”
“About what? Can’t it wait until morning?”
“You know about what!” Nick says, and Lynn looks up at him, eyebrow raised. “Do you really think- When I’ve been flirting with you, does it really come off like I’m-”
“The piece of meat comment was out of turn,” Lynn answers, and Nick looks back at him hopefully. “It’s more… Like I’m a toy you just got for Christmas.”
Nick’s smile fades. “That’s bullshit,” he says, “you honestly think that I don’t care about you?”
Lynn furrows his brow. “Nick, I know your reputation. And when have you ever shown me that you cared?”
The demon marches forward and grabs Lynn by the wrist, as if he can’t stand the lack of contact anymore. “My reputation doesn’t change the way I feel about you,” he says, voice firm, before his expression softens and he looks down at their hands with a sigh. “I’m not… Good at this stuff. These big emotions, they’re hard for me. I care about you, but- I guess I screwed this up before we even got started, huh?”
Lynn knows better. He knows so much better than to let this happen, and yet-
He pulls his hand free of Nick’s grip, and Nick’s shoulders sag before he finds Lynn’s arms around him, pulling him down into his embrace.
“You’re an idiot,” he says, his voice as deadpan as ever. “If you actually had feelings for me, you should’ve said so sooner.” He pulls back to look at Nick, their faces close. “I mean, did you actually think any of that flirting was going to wear me down?”
Nick has never looked so shocked before, and the expression puts a smile on Lynn’s face. “Then- You- That means-”
“I’ll spell it out for you,” he says, and he leans up and lets their lips meet.
To be clear, Lynn knows better. But just this once, maybe it’s alright to go against what he knows—because taking what he wants feels a hell of a lot better.