Archive of Our Own ^beta

The halls of Themis Law Firm were packed with people. Papers flying left and right, interns running ragged delivering copies of cases while others sat and looked at their own. Phones blaring, clients talking, the works. Lyra and Kiki were at their desks, each working on their cases (or, in Kiki’s case, filing and maintaining the records of who was assigned what case).

“I need a break,” Kiki says, thunking her head on her desk. Besides her, Lyra sighs, reaching for her energy drink. “I think becoming a lawyer was a mistake. Do you think I could sue Stellis U for getting my hopes up?”

“The more time you spend lamenting yourself over wanting a break, the longer it’ll take to get to your actual break.” Lyra crushes the can of her drink after finishing it, tossing it over to the recycling bin near her desk. “And besides, we get two weeks off after this. You’re not gonna do yourself any favors if you sue them, that’s more work.”

Kiki grumbles but lifts her head. Lately, the office has been bombarded with cases, an ‘All hands on deck’ situation, as Celestine put it. Even as an intern Kiki managed to scoop up a sizable amount of work, leaving her feeling like a freight bus had run her over. 

“A girl can dream about it,” she quips back, sifting through the pile of papers on her desk. “Do you think Celestine would represent me in court? I’m her favorite intern.”

Lyra snorts out a laugh, “Do you even have enough money for her fees? Why not go all out and get Artem, then?”

“Mr. Wing scares me. Don’t give me that look, he obviously has a soft spot for you and that’s why you’re not afraid of him.”

“Artem does not have a soft spot for me!” Lyra’s face flushes red, with indignation or embarrassment, Kiki doesn’t know. She just knows that it’s so easy to rile her up like this. She needs a mental break from her case and this was just what she needed. 

“First of all: You calling him Artem does not help your case. Second: I’m just saying that if someone else took you to the Halloween Festival, you’d call it a date.” Kiki shrugs, giggling at the flustered mess Lyra was becoming. 

“We were there on a case!”

“That you stayed for a day after to check out. He made you a pie that you offhandedly mentioned once. Once! ”

Lyra closed her laptop, standing up and putting her files in her bag, “You know, I was going to ask you to come down to get that limited edition cream puff you wanted to try, but now I’m second guessing your invite.”

“No, wait, please, I didn’t mean it!” 

“Mhm, sure, you didn’t mean it at all.” She huffed, throwing her laptop into the bag and checking her phone. “Marius said that barring any catastrophe, he’ll meet us there.”

Kiki closed her laptop, shoving it and a couple of loose documents into her bag. “Oh, so it’s Marius instead of Mr. von Hagen.”

“You’re dead to me.”

 “You know, Marius,” Lyra says, pinching the bridge of her nose, “You, genuinely, have the worst luck ever. Why do you even go outside?”

On their way to the creampuff shop, they caught the tail end of what they could only call a shitshow. Marius was coming out of the shop in handcuffs, followed by a gurney carrying a body bag. To make matters worse, the press seemed to be in the process of realizing something happened and started to gather around the shop. Lyra grabbed Kiki’s hand and made her way over to where Marius was being held.

Captain Morgan had placed Marius in the back seat of the car, hands in shiny metal cuffs behind his back. He was pouting at them, looking from the captain to Kiki, and finally to Lyra.  

“Miss, I think I’m cursed.”

Lyra snorts, “I’m beginning to think you are.” 

“Will you break the spell with a kiss, missy?” He asks her, batting his eyelids. Lyra, in turn, rolls her own. 

“You do realize I can’t be your lawyer this time, right? Same reason you wouldn’t use Artem. Conflict of interest and all that.”

“But last time—”

“I hadn’t joined when I took your case,” Lyra interrupts. “And taking care of PAX affairs behind the scenes doesn’t count. …You know, maybe my friend here can take your case!”

Kiki stilled, not daring to do anything to call attention to herself. What in the world was Lyra thinking?! She was fresh out of uni with a law degree, sure, but she hadn’t even taken her first law advancement exam yet! Let alone studied for it! And now out of the blue, she was expected to take a multi-million-stellin client as her first client, who just so happened to be accused of murder?! Oh, she should’ve never introduced herself to Lyra that day in their required math course. She should’ve stayed quiet and—

Lyra turns to Kiki, smiling and pulling her into Marius’ direct view, breaking her out of her spiral, “She’s an intern but she has what it takes! I’ll help her, and so will her mentor.”

She turns bright red, looking over to Marius and to her friend in a panic. “W-What are you doing?!” She whisper-yells at her, tugging her arm away from her grasp. “I’m an intern, the most I can do is case intakes and clerical work!”

“We’ll figure it out later.”

“Later? Lyra—”

The captain clears his throat, making all of them turn to him, “The case seems eerily similar to the Estelle case, so unless Mr. Von Hagen did poison the cream puff—”

“Which I didn’t.”

“Then this should be a good training case for her,” he finishes. 

“How do you know he’s innocent?” Kiki asks, ignoring the offended ‘Hey!’ from her maybe client, “I mean, innocent until proven guilty and all that, but you seem pretty sure he didn’t do it.”

Darius smirks, “I was in the shop and saw what happened, so while I may not be leading the case, I am a key witness.”

“And my driver, right Captain?” Marius winks at him, not at all phased at the lack of reaction. “I’ll tell Vincent to set up a contract. I, unfortunately, know how these things work. Miss… uh…”

“Bennet. Kiki Bennet, Mr. von Hagen.”

“Right. Miss Bennet, If my missy trusts you, I trust you.

“My missy?” She mumbles, looking at Lyra. “He calls you ‘my missy’?” 

“Not now, Kiki.”

She crosses her arms, a look of amusement on her face, “No, no. I would really like to know why he calls you that.”

“D-Do you have everything you need, Captain?” Lyra asks, desperate to deflect the question.

Darius raised an eyebrow at her, sighing at the pleading look on her face. “Yeah, I do. With that settled, we’re off to the station. The detective in charge should allow you to look around.” He closed the door of the car. “You know where to find your client, Ms. Bennet.”

“Okay, thank you, Captain.” She says, giving him a small yet nervous smile. 

Darius nods, patting her on the shoulder before moving to the other side of the car. “Good luck on your first case.”

“Ooooh~,” Lyra says, nudging her shoulder, “Your first case!”

“I will go into debt for the rest of my life just to afford Celestine as a lawyer when I murder you.”

Vincent loved his days off. 

Working for PAX had a lot of benefits, the good outweighing the bad. Could he get called in at any moment per his contract? Yes. Would he be compensated by the von Hagens personally? Yes, absolutely. Perks of being a personal assistant. It was another plus that he liked working for Marius. He got to see the ‘behind the scenes’ of the young CEO and, in his humble opinion, if more people could see this side of him… well, he wouldn’t be having so many PR issues. 

His days off were spent relaxing, of course, or as relaxing as one could get while doing basic chores. He’d sent off his uniforms to the dry cleaners, not trusting himself to be able to properly wash such nice fabrics. (Who knew his uniform would be made of really nice material? Well, maybe his boss did, he had it custom-made.) He sat down to watch Super Attorney while waiting for the rest of his laundry to finish, as relaxed as he could be.

He wasn’t surprised when his work phone rang. He’d come to expect it. What he didn’t expect was to hear the automated message coming from the police station again. He accepted the call without a second thought. 

“Assistant Kim speaking.”

Well… never let it be said that working for the von Hagens is anything but interesting.

Marius instructs him to meet the two attorneys (or, the attorney and the intern) back at the creampuff cafe to create a contract. He’d given him the standard rundown: how he was just minding his business and, in an act of kindness, gave an extra cream puff he had gotten by mistake to the person behind him. The person behind them ate the cream puff and then fell to the floor, dying mere minutes after. Miss Lyra was on her way to meet him at said shop with her friend and happened to catch the end of the commotion. A perfect case of the right place at the right time if there ever was one.  

The place was taped off when he got there. Not unexpected but definitely a hassle he wished to avoid. He was debating calling Lyra when she caught his eye through the window, walking outside to meet him.

“Assistant Kim, you’re here! We’re just wrapping up. I like the outfit.”

A plain button-down and some slacks. Nothing too spectacular but definitely out of the norm for him. 

“It was my day off and I had some laundry to do,” He shrugs, going through the holographic yellow line and walking inside the shop. 

“Yikes, sorry about that.”

He passes the contract to her, “It comes with the job, nothing I’m not used to.”

“Oh,” she says, handing him the contract back, “I’m not the one you’re supposed to give this to. Kiki’s over there interviewing one of the chefs. Kiki! Are you almost done?”

“Just finished!” The other person he assumes is Kiki says, turning around and— 

And. 

Wow. 

She’s. She’s really pretty. 

He’s worked with models, business executives with thousands of Stellin to throw at plastic surgeries, and reality TV stars, and he can confidently say that she was the most beautiful human being to ever grace his sight. He wills his cheeks to stay their normal color (the heat on his ears tells him that he’s failing) and takes a deep breath. Lyra’s giggle takes him out of his stupor. 

“Vincent Kim, Mr. von Hagen’s assistant,” he says, extending his hand to her. 

She takes his hand, giving it a firm shake. “Kiki Bennet, Themis Law Firm Intern. It’s nice to meet you, Assistant Kim.”

He wonders if she’d ever call him by his first name. 

“Likewise.” He lets go of her hand, handing the contract over. “Mr. von Hagen requested I give you a contract for your services.”

Kiki takes the papers, “Oh, right. But I’m not… I don’t think I should get the papers? I’m—”

“Kiki,” Lyra says, plucking the papers out of her hand, “You got this. Marius’ contracts are really solid, but if you want we can go run this by Celestine. Or Artem.”

“Right, okay. Um, Assistant Kim, would you mind following us to the office? I’d like Celestine to take a look at this.”

“Of course. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know.”

It’s been a couple of hours since Marius got arrested. Realistically, it would’ve taken Kiki a couple of days to get all her evidence and arguments in order, but she had help. Very annoying help, but help nonetheless. It seemed they were all going to put in some major overtime. Vincent had offered to bring them all dinner (on the PAX card), so it was just Celestine, Lyra, and herself in the room.

“So,” Celestine says, passing over a stack of papers to Lyra. “Lyra tells me you met someone new.”

Kiki stopped typing her report, turning to look at her boss. Celestine had a soft smile pointed her way but she was still weary. She’d worked with her enough to know that that specific smile was meant to lure people into a false sense of security.

“Who? Assistant Kim?”

“Mhm, that’s the guy. He seems nice. Charming.”

“He definitely thinks you’re cute,” Lyra quips, giggling at the glare Kiki sends to her. So that’s what this is about?

“Of course he thinks that. I’m downright adorable.” Well, she’s not giving them what they want.

Celestine picks up another stack of papers and lightly thunks her on the head, “You know what we mean.”

“No, I don’t think I do.”

“Oh, you should’ve seen it, Celestine,” Lyra sighs dreamily, pressing the stack of papers to her chest, “It was like love at first sight. He walked into the store, she turned around, and bam! Instant chemistry. He got flustered! I don’t think I’ve ever seen him make a face like that.” 

She balls up a loose paper from her notebook and throws it at Lyra. The traitor dodges, laughing at her flustered state. 

“Okay, maybe he’s nice-looking, but I don’t know anything about him! He could be a serial killer for all I know!”

“Phsst, Assistant Kim is a Certified Good Boy, I don’t think he’d willingly hurt a fly.”

Celestine smirks, “So you’re interested?”

“In being his friend and getting to know him better? Yes. Him being easy on the eyes is a bonus.” Kiki says, turning back to her laptop and continuing her report.

Three sharp knocks interrupt the banter. Celestine and Lyra give each other a knowing look before Celestine goes to open the door. 

“Oh! Assistant Kim! Back so soon?”

“I brought steak, I hope that’s alright,” He says, setting the bag of takeout— is that a bottle of wine?! — on an empty table. 

Lyra makes a bee-line to the bag, opening it, “That’s more than all right, thank you! Wait— is this from the fancy restaurant from around the block?”

“They do takeout?” Kiki asks. 

Vincent shrugs, a small smile gracing his lips, “Under certain circumstances.” 

“But there are only three takeout boxes, you’re not joining us?”

“I wouldn’t want to impose. There are some matters I have to attend to at PAX—”

“Nonsense,” Celestine cuts him off, pushing him further into the room. “You’re in the same boat as all of us, you deserve some food.”

“But—”

“No buts! We’ll split food if we have to.” She shoves him into a chair right beside Kiki, snickering at the glare her intern throws at her. 

“Oh! I’ll go get the plates,” Lyra says, making her way out the door. “Celestine, do you mind helping me with the cups?”

“Yes, of course! Don’t move you two, we’ll be right back!”

The two of them exit the office, leaving a whirlwind of confusion and niceties in their wake. Leaving the two of them there. Alone. 

Vincent hopes he won’t suddenly combust in the presence of someone so pretty. 

“I’m so sorry about them,” she says, turning to look at him, “They’re… Honestly, I have no excuses for them.”

“A-Are they always like this?”

“In front of me, yes. In front of a client? No.”

He snorts at that, wringing his hands (still gloveless, he kind of wishes he had some on.) He doesn’t know what else to say. He’s used to being in the background, working behind the scenes. But he still wants to talk to her.

“How, um, how is the case going?”

She sighs and for a second he thinks he picked the wrong subject, but— 

“The case is going fine, we’ve just been swamped with so much work. You’d think everyone in the city is trying to sue someone.”

He nods. “It gets like that at PAX too. Not that I have experience with the legal team, but the PR department looks like they’re putting in major overtime every week.” 

“That bad? I can’t imagine that workload. Or yours, for that matter. You said you were a personal assistant, right? How does that work?”

“It depends on the day.” He shuffles a bit in his seat, facing her with his whole body. “Some days I just write emails and set up schedules, on other days I help outsmart shady business professionals. It’s a change from Hotel Management.”

“Oh? You managed a hotel?”

“Sort of!” He smiles. He’s glad she’s at least interested in him enough to ask. “I went to college for Hotel Management and started working at The Merlot. Mr. von Hagen,” he chuckles, “Well, Giann, for simplicity's sake, stayed one night on a ‘business trip’.” The air quotes make her giggle. He silently hopes Giann isn’t going to be mad if he tells this story, but it’s too late to back out now.

“I was making my rounds before I clocked out and in the corner of my eye, I saw one of the monstera plants moving. I was going to let it go but my curiosity got the best of me and— well. I ended up seeing a naked Giann von Hagen.”

“ What!? ” She’s full-blown laughing now, trying and failing to cover her laughs with her hands, “Why was he naked ?!”

“He was there with his fiancee,” he says, wiggling his eyebrows, “You put the dots together.”

She snorts, “Not that! I mean, sure that helps the context but why was he outside naked!?”

“I never did find out. All I knew was that I tossed him a towel and opened the door with the master key I had. Didn’t ask any questions. Three days later I got an email from Pax that I had an interview scheduled and bam, personal assistant.”

“So… luck?”

He shrugs, “Kind of, yeah. I’d like to think it was because of my awesome reaction time and all that.” 

She laughs, “You know what? I think he just hired you to put you under an NDA.”

“Maybe, but guess I just broke that NDA. You wouldn’t happen to know a lawyer, would you?”

“Ha ha,” She knocks her knee into his, “Funny. I’m not a full lawyer yet, but when I am, I’ll be sure to give you my services.”

“Much appreciated, Ms. Bennet.”

She extends her hand to him, “Kiki. I think first names are fine since you broke your NDA for me.”

He takes her hand, giving it a soft squeeze. “Vincent, then,” he says, smiling at her. 

The door to the office swung open, making both of them retract their hands as if the other had burned them. He knew his cheeks were heated, but he wouldn’t dare look at Kiki for fear of incrimination. 

That didn’t stop Celestine from smirking like the cat who got the cream. 

Marius lasted three days in the holding cell, which wasn’t the ideal scenario, but it was all they had to work with. Kiki, with Celestine and Lyra’s help, wins her first case. Vincent was in the audience, awaiting the final verdict to give Marius some clean clothes to change into, and got to watch the whole thing. He wondered if this is what Marius felt every time he saw Lyra debate. 

The passion, the persuasion, the determination. 

He doesn’t get much time to talk to her then, more preoccupied with the media vultures and getting Marius away from the courtroom as soon as possible. The longing looks he sends her don't go unnoticed, though. 

“So…” Marius starts as he drives him home to the estate, “Lawyer caught your eye?”

One of the very first things he learned about Marius, as the assistant to his brother first and later to him, was that Marius never got the chance to gossip around. Sure, his brother and father filled that void, but it was only them. Never his acquaintances. Something about revealing too much information about himself and his weaknesses. 

He looked through the rear-view mirror. Sometimes he forgot how young Marius really was. How the things that happen to him shouldn’t be happening at all. He was too young to be so weary of people. 

It’s why he was offered the position as his assistant. He was trustworthy. He’d like to think that they were friends, too. So he indulges him. 

“Miss Bennet, yes.”

Marius chuckles, “You’re not subtle at all, dude. You kept looking at her like she was the whole world.”

“Should I remind you of the time you walked into a pole just because—”

“You made your point!” He interrupts him, dragging his hand down his face. “I’m not going to live that one down from you or Payton, huh?”

“Nope!” Vincent says cheerfully. 

They remain in comfortable silence for a while, both seemingly lost in their thoughts. Or, one lost in thoughts. The other was pulling out his recently returned phone and beginning to plot. 

MVH: MISSY~ 

MVH: EMERGENCY!! 

Lyra: What did you do now?

MVH: Oh, my missy is so mean to me! 

MVH: *crying marius emote* 

MVH: Anyway, I need your help

MVH: I think Vincent has a crush on your friend and I want to help

MVH: We can both help them

Lyra: Oh?

Lyra: I think Kiki is open to dating rn 

Lyra: Even if she claims Kanon stole her heart

MVH: I will fight this Kanon for Vincet’s honor! 

Lyra: Please don’t.

Lyra: We just got you out of jail. Again.

Lyra: What do you have in mind?

 “A resort?” Kiki asks, looking down at the envelope in her hands. 

It was a nice envelope, her name written in blocky letters with what she could only assume was fancy stationery. The envelope, which probably held two pieces of paper, felt extremely heavy in her hands. Lyra had given it to her in the steed of Mr. von Hagen as a thank-you gift, but it was what the gift was that was sending her into a spiral. 

The Merlot was a fancy resort, so fancy in fact that Kanon had trouble booking a room. The envelope in her hand held a booking code, effectively giving her a room in a resort even Kanon had trouble staying at. 

Lyra eagerly nods at her, “Marius and I were talking and he wanted to express his gratitude towards you for being his lawyer. I mentioned we were getting two weeks off and, well, he said this was the least he could do.”

“Lyra,” she says, pushing the envelope back to her, “This is for The Merlot. A five-star resort. This is waaaay out of my budget. I can’t take this!”

“But it’s a gift! He got us all something!”

“Really? What’d he get Celestine?”

“A voucher for this upscale jewelry store.” She shrugs, “I don’t know how that works but it left Celestine looking like a gaping fish.”

“Lyra, I can’t. This is too much,” She whines, waving the envelope around. “This is easily a month’s salary. I don’t—”

“Kiki, just take it.” She puts her hands on her shoulders, shaking her a little. “You deserve it. Marius wants to thank you and this is one of the ways he knows how. He’s a gift giver and it’d make him happy to see you take this. Please?”

They both stare at each other and frankly, Lyra has the better puppy eyes out of the two of them. She looks away first, unable to be under her superior puppy dog stare any longer.

“Fine,” she sighs, “I’ll take the voucher.”

She gives her a tight hug, letting her go relatively quickly. “Yes! You’re gonna have so much fun!”

“Um, out of curiosity… What did Mr. von Hagen end up giving you ?”

“Oh! We’re going to go to a rainforest! He’s taking a week off after this whole fiasco and our schedules happened to line up.”

Kiki gives her a flat look, “So you two are going to a remote place. Together. Alone.”

Lyra flushed red, “KIKI!”

The Merlot was a five-star resort by the Long Beach District, close enough to the airport and a logistical paradise for someone who just arrived from the airport and just wanted a place to crash. It was right by the beach, giving it the appeal to normally landlocked tourists as well as ample choices of activities. 

As Kiki walked into the lobby, she couldn’t help but stare in awe at the way the hotel was designed. Marble flooring, dark leather couches scattered around coffee tables, gorgeous young palm trees framing entryways of different hallways. Something out of a catalog. 

Not wanting to stand there looking like a very confused tourist, she made her way toward the front desk. 

“Hi, reservation under Bennet, please?”

The clerk behind the desk looked at her and then back to her computer, typing something in. There was a subtle change in her demeanor as if she had been surprised by something, but it was quickly replaced by the professional customer service mask. 

“Could I see an ID please?”

“Yeah, sure, here you go.”

A glance at the ID and she was getting it back along with a keycard— a gold-plated keycard. 

“Right. Thank you. This is your keycard to the presidential suite up on floor 110. It also acts as an access pass to all the amenities in the resort, including dining. Everything in your stay has been covered by PAX Enterprises, so just be sure to present this card as proof of payment. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to make your stay more comfortable. The bellboy will guide you to your room.”

“W-Wait, what do you mean ‘everything is covered’?” She asks, face flushing red. 

“Just what it says on the box,” The clerk answers, pointing to the keycard, “The card itself acts like an arcade card of sorts where people can add funds to when they want to do something. Your keycard is basically the equivalent of a Black Stella Card, it has no limit. Your bill is being footed by PAX.”

Kiki’s whole body was paralyzed by the information. She had free rein. She could do whatever she wanted and PAX would foot the bill. Holy shit!

“I see, thank you.”

“You’re welcome. We hope you enjoy your stay at The Merlot.”

Kiki was almost in a daze as she followed the bellboy to her room. Could it even be classified as a room? She had stayed in hotel rooms for concerts and cons, but she always booked the cheapest ones she could find. They were small rooms that had a bed and other amenities, but to jump from that experience to the presidential suite at The Merlot?

She was going to kill Lyra when she got back from her Romantic Getaway with Marius. Why didn’t she tell her these things?!

“Right, here we are. Presidential Suite 1. If I may, ma’am? ” He asked, holding out his hand. 

“Huh?”

“Your keycard, ma’am?”

She handed it over, “O-Oh, right. Sorry, got lost in thought there.”

The bellboy opened the door with a flourish, ushering her inside. 

The first thing she thought was that this was a proper apartment. They were standing in a living area, for heaven’s sake! The room was littered with plush sea-green sofas and armchairs surrounding a clear glass coffee table. The rest of the room was decorated with exquisite-looking artwork and flowers, making it feel a little more inviting. 

What really caught her attention were the wall-to-ceiling windows overlooking the sea. She walked towards it, mesmerized by the view. The ocean looked so… vibrant from where she was standing. She could see the various families and other people having fun on the beach, playing in the water, or just walking around. 

“This room is furnished with a King-sized bed, a hot tub, and a kitchen if you need to use one. There is a fully stocked mini-fridge as well as a complimentary robe and various other things in this room.”

She turned around, walking back towards the bellboy. “Thank you so much for showing me the way up.” She scoured her wallet, looking for money to tip the boy when— 

“O-Oh! That’s— There’s no need to tip me, ma’am! Since your bill is being paid by PAX, we automatically get a tip added to our paycheck.”

Kiki startled, “Really?”

The bellboy handed her the key card, “Absolutely. Don’t hesitate to call the front desk if you need anything!”

The guy gave her a wave and was on his way, closing the door after himself. 

Kiki took one more look out the window before walking into the room, making a beeline for the bed, and flopping backward on it. God, it was like floating on a cloud. The bed was deliciously cool at the touch, perfect for the summer heat. She grabbed a pillow and was mesmerized by how plush yet firm it felt. Was it stuffed with cotton? Memory foam? A mix of both?

She hugged the pillow to her chest and sighed. This, she thought, was the height of luxury. She lay there for a good ten minutes, not even thinking about getting up when she heard a door jingle. Maybe it was room service? 

“Oh. This is a problem.”

Kiki turned towards the voice and— oh. She can see why this was going to be a problem. 

Vincent was coming out of the bathroom with nothing but a towel around his waist. Were… were assistants supposed to be that jacked?! That was a whole eight-pack!! He probably just got out of the shower if his damp hair was anything to go by. It made him look like he was glistening. How could someone look that good? 

He coughed, hunching in on himself. Ah. She was staring. 

“O-OH MY GOD! I AM SO SORRY!” She screamed, shoving her face into the pillow she was holding. “I saw nothing. I, uh, didn’t mean to be here? I just followed the guy and—”

“It’s alright,” he sighed, “It was probably a mix-up. Just let me get changed and we can go get it sorted, okay?”

Kiki could only nod into her pillow. Maybe if she could suffocate herself she wouldn’t have to deal with being caught ogling a person she barely knows. (‘ How is it different from an idol or a model?’ she asks herself. She mentally whacked herself upside the head.)

15 minutes later they were both at the front desk looking unimpressed at the clerk. Realistically they knew it probably wasn’t their fault, but they were still somewhat mad at the situation. 

“I’m so sorry about this, there must’ve been a mix-up in the system,” The clerk explained, withering under both of their stares. “Essentially, since Mr. von Hagen might’ve made two same reservations, the system must’ve seen it as a duplicate and placed both of you in the same room.”

“That sounds like the plot of a poorly written fanfiction,” Kiki mumbles under her breath. 

“Unfortunately we’re fully booked for the next week. There’s no way we can get you two different rooms.”

Vincent sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Is there any way you can move the reservation to the sister location at Cloudbreak Mountain?”

“I don’t think you’d have luck with that,” Kiki said, turning to look at him. “It’s peak testing season, there’s gonna be a lot of people going up there to pray.”

The clerk nods, “She’s right, that’s fully booked too.”

Vincent nodded and after a second placed his keycard on the counter. “Go ahead and check me out, let Ms. Bennet take the room.”

“What? No!” Kiki exclaimed, taking out her own card and placing it on the counter, “He should have the room, he got there first.”

“Absolutely not, this is your vacation and you deserve to have a nice place to spend the time.”

“Lyra said you came in on your day off, I can’t imagine what other things you’ve given up. I won’t let you, you deserve nice things.”

“And I think you should be the one to have this nice thing. You deserve them too.”

“Why don’t we share?” She asked, startled by her own boldness. He seemed to be startled too if his shocked face was anything to go off of. 

“A-Are you sure?”

She shrugged, “Why not? I could take the couch and we’d just be sharing a room, right?”

“Like hell I’m letting you take the couch.” He crossed his arms, frowning at her. ”I found you hugging a pillow. You can take the bed.”

She shook her head, huffing, “We can figure that out later. So you’re okay to share?”

“Are you? You… barely know me.”

“I wouldn’t be offering if I wasn’t sure. I know that Lyra speaks highly of you and I trust her judgment.”

“Oh. Thank you. For, uh, trusting me.”

“So, roomie,” Kiki says as soon as they were back in their room, “What did you have planned after I so rudely interrupted your shower?” 

Vincent snorted, “You didn’t interrupt me showering, you interrupted me changing .”

“You say potato…”

“To answer your question, I was headed down to get a massage at the spa. What do you plan on doing? Have you ever been here before?”

She shakes her head, “I wouldn’t be able to afford rent if I stayed here for a single night. You worked here, right? What do you recommend?”

“Well,” he shrugs, shoving his hands into his pockets, “The sales pitch would be to recommend the lazy river and the open bar, but I’d recommend the spa and a cove not too far from the beach itself. I could, uh, show you around. Only if you want, no pressure.”

“Wait, really? Please, I feel like I’d act like a bumbling tourist if I was alone.”

Vincent smiles at her and her stomach does a funny flip. How can someone have such a sweet and soft smile like that when they also had abs of steel? 

“Well then, I’d be happy to be your tour guide.”

They hit the beach first at Kiki’s suggestion. It was a no-brainer, really. With the weather being just on this side of hot, the beach was a perfect place to cool down. (Not just because she wanted to see him topless again, nope, definitely not a reason at all. She was not disappointed when he didn’t take off his t-shirt, nuh uh.)

Vincent carried the beach umbrellas and a basket full of food while she carried the towels. She had no idea where the hell he’d gotten them from, but she wasn’t too interested in asking because she fully intended to spend her time in the water.

“You go on ahead,” he said once they chose a spot to set their stuff down, “I’ll set up here. And I need to go back for something anyway.”

So off she went, first taking off the t-shirt and shorts hiding her bikini, to enjoy the water to her heart's content. She was a decent swimmer so she made it out far enough that she could swim comfortably while still being able to touch the shore. She dove under waves, doggie paddled her way around and got freaked out from time to time when seaweed brushed up against her leg.

She spent a good fifteen minutes in the water before hazarding a look at their stuff. The umbrella was open, two towels laying on either side of its pole and the basket of food near it. What really caught her attention was the blue surfboard sticking out near their little setup. That was enough to get her out of the water.

Vincent was beside the board, in a wetsuit, doing some stretches as she was coming over. (He definitely turned red at the sight of her in a bikini, but the colored zinc sunscreen made it very hard to tell. His ears though, were bright red.) He handed her a towel as soon as she approached.

“H-Have a good swim?” He asked, pointedly looking anywhere but her. 

“You know how to surf?” She asks him instead, not bothering to even answer his question.

“Yes, I do! I haven’t had the chance to do it because of work but it’ll be nice to ride the waves again.” He bent down to fasten the leash of the surfboard to his ankle. “Are you going to go back in?”

She shook her head but realized he wouldn’t be able to see her, “Nah, I’ve never seen someone surf in real life before, I’d like to watch you if that’s okay.” 

He whipped his head up to look at her, eyes wide before regaining his composure, “Oh! Sure, if that’s what you want. I’ll try not to disappoint.”

With that, he picked up his surfboard and made his way into the water. Kiki sat inside the shade of the umbrella, rummaging through the basket for a water bottle.

He bobbed up and down a couple of waves, maybe deeming them not big enough to ride. She was beginning to think that maybe he was going to give up after he bobbed the fifth one, the waves just weren't what he wanted, before looking at him paddle deeper into one wave and turning his board around. 

He propped himself up with his hands, leaning into the wave before finally standing up. From her point of view, it all looked effortless. He turned at an angle, moving closer to the bottom of the wave before crouching lower and using his momentum to shoot back up the wave. And shoot back up he did, all the way up until he was in the air. He had essentially catapulted himself upwards, spinning a full 360 degrees in the air before coming back down on top of the wave. The whoop of joy he gave after that maneuver was short-lived as he lost balance and fell backward, wiping out. 

When he said he knew how to surf, she thought he meant knowing the basics and maybe a few beginner tricks. Vincent was, apparently, really good at surfing. She pulled out her phone from the basket (“So we don’t have to worry about them getting dirty later,” Vincent said to her.) and set it to record. After that trick, she was sure that he was going to do more and she wanted to record him to send to Lyra later on. 

She was right and he did end up doing a couple more tricks. He spun on the wave, he rode the hollow part of one, he zig-zagged along up and down the wave, it was all very impressive. Aside from a couple of failed tricks and wipeouts, she was thoroughly impressed. (A part of her wondered if he was showing off to impress her. She didn’t know why that thought made her heart flutter.)

“So?” He asked once he was out of the water a good half an hour later, out of breath and with a huge grin on his face. “What’d you think? I’m a little rusty, but I hope it was alright?”

“That was amazing! I didn’t think you could even do tricks like that on a surfboard!”

“With enough practice, it’s not that hard. I know a lot of people are intimidated by trying to stand up on a board, but once you get the hang of it the rest kind of flows on its own. No, uh, no pun intended.”

“Still, that was so cool to watch. I wish I knew how to surf.”

He looks at her for a few moments as if he’s debating something and then nods. “I could teach you if you want.”

“Really?!”

“Yeah, we’re not going to be able to get you doing tricks soon, but maybe you could ride a wave today.”

He puts the board down, taking off the leash and holding out his hand for her. “Here, let’s get you used to the board first and some movements.”

She grabbed his hand, stepping onto the board and marveling at the texture of the board. She assumed it would’ve been smooth, but it felt rough under her feet and slightly sticky. He lets go of her hand and steps behind her.

“Ideally, I would’ve wanted you on a wider board instead of mine, but they don’t have the best beginner boards in their rental inventory.”

His board? She looks down at it, looking at the design. She hadn’t [paid much attention to the design on top, all she could see from her vantage point on the beach while he was surfing was the solid-colored base. The design of the board was… mesmerizing. A beautiful coral reef, wildlife swimming as if they had no care where they were when they were photographed. The bottom of the board seems to get more crowded with anemones and the creatures who inhabited the reef. The whole design looked painted on with oil pastels. 

“I think the board is lovely.”

She turns to look at him, watching the surprise bloom on his face. She can see it morph into embarrassment for a second before it turns into pride, “Oh! Thank you! M— I, uh, had it gifted to me by an up-and-coming artist. I pitched a rough design and, well. That’s the end result.”

“Really?”

He shrugs, “You get to know people working as an assistant. Anyway, This board is a little narrower, so it’ll be a bit harder for you to maneuver and balance on, so that’s why we’re trying it out here first. We can get to paddling later. Is, um, is it alright if I touch you?”

“Huh?”

“I need to be able to center you on the board correctly. Is it okay?”

“Oh, sure.”

As soon as she gives her consent, Vincent puts his hands on her shoulders and gently pulls her back. She stumbles a little, still not used to the stickiness of the board, but she ends up where he wants her to be. 

“We’ll start with your stance,” He says, his voice a bit more serious than before. “Can you put your legs shoulder-width apart? Excellent. Now, you’re going to shift your weight a bit.” He moves behind her to grab her waist and all thoughts exit her head. 

His hands are soft, she muses, and incredibly hot. It’s probably because of where they are. He has a firm grip on her waist and she vaguely realizes he’s explaining something over her shoulder. Her body reacts on its own, bending her knees and her head is about to explode when one of his hands' shifts from her waist to her leg, moving it to position. Through the fog in her mind, she hears him apologize, but she shakes her head to fend it off.

She doesn’t think she’ll do much learning at this rate.

Against all odds (against the way his hands on her body distracted her for a good 20 minutes) they’re in the water. She’s on the board while he’s swimming by her side. They’re not that far off of shore, but far enough that the board doesn’t hit the sand. She’s dressed in a wetsuit now at his behest, knowing that they’d be there for a while. 

She’s already wiped out twice just trying to stand up on the board, but they’re making progress. Or, Vincent thinks she’s making progress, she just thinks she’s making a fool of herself. 

“One more time,” he says patiently from behind her as if sensing her growing frustration, “You’re doing great, just one more and if you want we can call it quits.”

She shakes her head, “No, I’m gonna ride a wave if it’s the last thing I do.”

“That’s the spirit! Okay,” He looks behind her, “There’s a baby wave coming up, you keen to try again?”

“Absolutely,” She says, pouring all her determination into a single word. 

She feels the wave start to move the board and she stays laying flat until she’s on what she thinks is the peak of the wave. It’s hard to tell with how small they are. She pushes up with her arms (this is the tricky part, she thinks) and pops up. She’s a bit wobbly and throws out her hands to counterbalance herself even if she’s crouched low to the board. Vincent is cheering beside her, letting the wave push him toward the shore. 

“One more step, you can do it! You’re almost there!”

She straightens into the position that he taught her. It’s rough around the edges, she knows, but she’s doing it! She gives out a little whoop of joy, a little hop because she’s so close, but she gets too cocky. The board lurches from under her and she’s falling backward again.

She doesn’t land on the sand like she thinks she’s going to. Worse. She lands on top of Vincent. He’d seen her falling and positioned himself to catch her while still laying down, making her topple backward onto his chest. He lets out a grunt on impact and the wave carries them the rest of the way to shore. 

“Are you okay?”

She nods, getting off of him and helping him up, “I’m fine. Thanks, and sorry about landing on you.”

“It’s fine, at least you didn’t get hurt. But hey! You did it!”

She blinks. Oh! She did do it! She just wiped out at the end, but she rode a wave! She grins at him, “I did it!”

He offers up his hand for a high-five and she gives his hand a satisfying smack! “That was great! Do you want to take a break or do you want to try again?”

“Let’s go for another wave!” She says, bouncing on the balls of her feet. 

They end up riding two more waves before taking a break for lunch and enjoying the view. Maybe spending her time with him was the right call.

Vincent, honest to god, forgot about the room thing. Maybe he was a little too preoccupied trying to proverbially puff out his chest and impress Kiki. Maybe he genuinely enjoyed her company enough to forget about it. Maybe, just maybe, it was a combination of the two. Hours ago they hadn’t come to an agreement, could they come to one now? She might use her arguing skills to convince him to take the bed. (A part of him really wanted to see her argue again. Another part of him just wanted to concede and take the bed to keep her happy). 

 “So,” She asked him, looking at the bed, “How are we gonna do this?”

“Well—”

“Rhetorical question,” She interrupted, already making her way out of the room. “I take the couch and you take the bed. End of story.”

He blocked her path, essentially trapping her in the room. “I can’t do that. You were kind enough to let me stay here, the least I could do is take the couch.”

“Vincent, that couch is probably softer than my bed, I’d probably crash as soon as I sat on it.” She tried to sidestep him, but he stepped along with her. A silly dance of sorts ensued, Vincent blocking her path while she tried to juke him to escape the room. Had it been any other person she would have already knee-ed them in the crotch. (Listen, she, Lyra, and Celestine signed up for self-defense classes together and their instructor said to never fear fighting dirty.)

But this felt different. It felt playful and fun. 

Vincent was smiling at her attempts at escaping and she had to ignore the way seeing him smile made him feel. “That’s exactly why you should take the bed. We can take turns if you want.”

“You’re unreasonable!” She teased, putting her hands on her hips. “Just take the bed, please? Or else, I’ll have to resort to drastic measures!”

“Drastic measures?”

She grinned, widening her stance to anchor herself. In their waddle dance, she had gotten close enough to him to be almost chest-to-chest. Somewhere along the impromptu surf lesson, their personal bubbles between each other popped. It just felt… natural to play with him like that. To be able to push him around, for him to catch her if she stumbled. 

It’s probably why she didn’t think twice to pull at his arm and knock him off balance. Using her momentum to spin him into an arc motion, she let go as soon as he was on track to crash onto the bed. She didn’t expect him to pull her down with him in a desperate attempt to get back up. 

He flopped onto the bed, his legs not fully on the bed. She crashed into his chest with a soft ‘oof’, propping herself up as his chest filled with laughter. 

“You’re stronger than you look.”

She smiles at him, “Thanks! I do self-defense on weekends. Now, are you going to take the bed?”

“I still think I should sleep on the couch.”

“Vincent!” She huffs, lightly smacking his chest, “You know what? Neither of us is going to give up on this, why don’t we both sleep on the bed? It’s big enough.”

“W-What? Are you, uh, sure about this?”

“Yeah!” She says, beaming at him, “It’ll be like a sleepover! We already got the play fighting out of the way.”

“Guess we did,” He laughs, looking down at the way both of them are positioned. A beat passes before his entire face turns red and he averts his gaze. “Would you, ah, would you mind…” 

She looked down, finally realizing that she was basically caging him under her. He’s looking anywhere but at her, letting her get a good look at his jawline. It didn’t have any harsh, defined edges like the main protagonists of the movies she liked. His jawline was much softer, almost as if the world made him in the least intimidating way possible. It suited him. He was cute. 

With that thought she broke out of her thoughts, removing herself as fast as she could from him out of embarrassment. 

“S-Sorry, I didn’t realize—”

“No, it’s okay! I’ll just, uh, I’ll go… get ready for bed!” He says, rushing to get up and making his way to the bathroom. 

She splayed out on the bed, face burning. Maybe sharing a bed would be a problem.

He hadn’t shared a bed with someone in a while. It was one thing to share a Twin bed in a college dorm when you didn’t want to walk back to your dorm in the middle of the night. It was fun and it made for a funny story. 

Sharing a King-sized bed was better in terms of space, they both got a decent amount of bed, but… now he was acutely aware of her presence. How she was laying next to him, within arms reach. If he tossed and turned around he could accidentally graze his hand against hers. 

They’d gone to bed after doing their nightly routines (and after being goaded to try a facemask with her.), both of them picking their respective sides and crawling into bed. He was pretty tired but even after a full day of surfing and teaching, he couldn’t fall asleep. He didn’t want to move at all just in case she was a light sleeper, but he didn’t feel comfortable. (Ironic when the bed probably had a silk count higher than his own.) He was much more accustomed to sleeping on his side, not his back.

“Vincent.” She whispers beside him. 

Oh. She was awake too. 

He could hear her shift under the covers. He turned to look at her, surprised to see her on her side looking at him. He shifted over to his side to face her, an arm under his pillow. 

“Can’t sleep?”

He shook his head. 

“Me neither. You’d think it’d be easier ‘cause the bed is so soft but… I don’t know, I guess I’m not used to sleeping somewhere that isn’t my bed.”

“You don’t travel often?” He asks, whispering as well. There was something about late-night talks that felt secretive. Whispering just added more to that feeling. 

She pulls her hand from under the covers, making a see-saw motion. His eyes are adjusted enough to the dark to see it. “More or less. I don’t get cases as an intern but we do go on company retreats. I, uh, never sleep well on those either.”

“Where have you gone to?”

“We went to this place near the base of Cloudbreak Mountain,” she starts, smiling softly at the memory, “We all got carsick because Mr. Wing took a work call and then we all started working. How he didn’t get carsick is beyond me. There was this berry-picking event Celestine booked so we went to go do that while Lyra and Mr. Wing prepped dinner. If you ask me this was all a ploy by Celestine to get them alone together.”

He hums, filing away that information for later. Maybe he could try to one-up Celestine and push Lyra in Marius’ direction instead? “Celestine seems nice. Does she always meddle with people’s love lives?”

She stills, then pulls up the covers up to her nose as if she could hide the embarrassment. “Not really? Lyra and Mr. Wing are usually her main target, probably because Mr. Wing is her friend and I think he likes Lyra so she has to meddle there. I, uh, well, I’m her intern. So that probably explains the whole obvious office thing. She doesn’t believe in subtlety.”

“I guess meddling bosses are a staple in high-end places,” he shrugs, giving her a soft smile, “Marius is kind of like that. He can overstep sometimes, but his heart is in the right place. Giann would say that he’s too giving at times, and it gets him in trouble.”

“Like the cream puff?”

“Exactly like the cream puff.”

She sighs, closing her eyes and snuggling into her pillow. “I think it’s nice that they meddle. It means that they care. They help in their own way. When things go right, anyway.”

“That they do.”

Kiki doesn’t know when she fell asleep, probably between asking him about his self-defense instructor and asking what his favorite ice cream flavor was. (It was strawberry.) 

If the whole… room mix up never happened, she would’ve gotten a chance to explore the room and notice that there were blackout curtains alongside the regular curtains she could’ve drawn. But she didn’t, and apparently, neither had Vincent. She feels the sun hit her face, all but demanding that she wake up with it. She doesn’t open her eyes, it’s still way too early and she’s on vacation damn it, she’s gonna sleep in against the sun’s wishes. She curls further into her warm, squishy, pillow, nuzzling it further and basking in its scent. It smells like freshly washed linens and something a little more subtle. Like the lingering smells of the beach clinging onto your skin after spending an entire day there. It’s nice. 

She almost, almost falls back into the blissful fog that was calling her name when she realizes… Pillows aren’t supposed to be both warm and squishy. They’re also not supposed to smell like the beach. She opens her eyes to see what on earth she’s grabbing and comes face to face with Vincent’s back. She’s… she’s spooning him, she realizes with horror (that fluttery feeling comes back with a vengeance but she doesn’t think she can appreciate it, or even tell it apart from the nerves of engaging in accidental spooning.)

One of her arms is under his pillow, cradling his head and she silently thanks whatever can hear her that at least one arm is easily removable. Her other arm was going to be a bitch to get out. It was squished between his arm, hand splayed on his chest, while his hand was loosely curled around hers. ( Don’t think about it. Don’t think about the fact that you’re touching his chest right now, she thinks. She fails.) 

She has to start with that arm to get out, so she does. She slowly tries to pull her arm from under his and is making really good progress when his hand tightens around hers. He’s been asleep this whole time, the way her hand rises and falls tells her as such, so she just assumes he’s doing it out of those weird sleep reflexes people have. But he has her hand gripped tight, what the fuck!? How is she gonna get up now? 

The thoughts racing through her head keep her from noticing the way his breathing pattern changed. How he lets out a yawn, shifting slightly— 

“Kiki?” He asks in a deliciously husky voice. “What… huh?”

“I am so sorry,” She whispers, pulling both of her hands away from him as fast as she could and clearing her throat, “I, uh, I… I think I moved in my sleep and, um, spooned you?”

He shifts around to look at her, trying to blink the sleep out of his eyes. “Oh?” He… He doesn’t sound like a morning person if it's taking him this long to realize she basically spooned him all night. 

 “Yeah, but you can sleep a little longer! I’m gonna go figure out if I can drown myself in the hot tub.”

He’s clearly not a morning person, she thinks as he flops back onto the pillow he was using once she’d mentioned going back to sleep. She moves to go into the bathroom when he suddenly starts talking. Or, more like mumbling into the pillow.

“They have a nice breakfast here. I think you’d like it.”

She smiles at him as his breathing starts to even out again. Even sleep-deprived he was trying to help. He was one of a kind, huh? 

(Later, when she finishes her moisturizing routine, she groans with the realization she likes him. As in she wants to go get coffee with him.) 

((In the distance, Celestine and Marius cackle for the same reason)).

—

Vincent was trying to drown himself in coffee. 

He never was a morning person, nor would he ever be. Coffee was his best friend and in a job like his, it was a godsend. Maybe he became too dependent and missed a lot of things before his first cup of coffee. He knew something happened in the morning and that was why Kiki was avoiding looking at him but he thought that he should just let it be. 

He was just going to let it go, returning his focus to his coffee when Kiki managed to look at him for the first time since this morning. 

“So, um, what do you say to going somewhere today? You know, away from the resort and all that.”

That was… not at all what he thought was going to happen. Maybe she’d give him the reason why she was avoiding looking at him, then he could apologize for what he’d done, and then they’d go on their merry way. But she had other plans, and if anything, he was an expert at adapting to new plans. 

“Where were you thinking?”

“...There’s a fair? Back near Heights, once a year—”

“The Heights Fair, right?” He asks, cutting her off. 

The Fair itself was nothing new, a staple fundraiser for the citizens of Stellis. He’d gone there before as a scout for his boss, taking notes on what people liked or disliked for a PAX-branded fair that was in the works. It was a way to celebrate the city’s schools and any profits would be pushed for the funding of various schools in the area. 

She smiles at him, “Have you been?”

“A handful of times. Not on my own, for work mostly.”

“...How do you go to— Nevermind. Do you want to go? You, ah, you spent all day yesterday showing me around and I want to return the favor.”

“Oh, you don’t have anything to repay,” He says. Because she really doesn’t. He likes her company, and broader still, he likes her. He’s still not sure if she likes him (In his heart of hearts, he hopes she does. Realistically he knows that it’ll take more than an impromptu surf lesson to get her attention.) But this could be a chance to test the waters. 

Fairs could be romantic. Ferris Wheels were romantic. Playing games and winning plush toys was ambiguous enough that he could pass it off as a friendly gesture. He could like her all he wanted but he wasn’t going to make her uncomfortable with his advances if he picked up on her discomfort. She was a great person and he wouldn’t mind just staying friends too. 

“Still, I want to. So, what do you say?”

He smiles at her and wonders if the change in color of her cheeks is just a trick of the light, “I would love to.”

—

They’d decided to take the afternoon to do their own thing, but apparently, they both had the same idea and went down to the spa together. After, when she finally convinced him into being the one who would drive, they were on their way in the evening. 

There was something about a fair at night. Gleaming, flashing lights, the smell of sugar, the delighted yells of people on rides, and music blasting through grainy intercoms. The quintessential fair experience and it was their luck to be at the fair when there seemed to be a lull of people. Not too crowded, but not too empty. 

“So what does ‘Going to a fair for work’ entail?” She asks, making her way toward the booth that sold the tickets. The bonus she’d gotten for working on that case was heavy in her wallet, waiting to be used, and she was excited to use it. Two unlimited bands sounded like fun.

He follows closely behind. “Well, I mostly went for the food, they wanted to know what foods sold well. So I sat by the food stalls and people watched. Unsurprisingly, the answer is funnel cake.”

“I’m partial to the deep-fried Oreos, honestly.” She made it to the booth window, pulling Vincent along by the hand when she noticed that he was going to stay behind to probably buy his own wristband. The glare she sent him when he tried to pay was enough for him to back off with a sigh, so she paid and gave him his bracelet. 

“Uh, Kiki?” He pointed at their intertwined hands, “I kinda need to put on the bracelet.”

She let go of his hand, her face becoming a lovely shade of pink, “R-Right, sorry!”

“Don’t worry about it,” He said, fastening the band on his wrist, “So? Where to first, oh mighty fair sage?”

She bumped his arm with her shoulder, “Ha ha. How about the Fireball?”

“I don’t get on rides that often, lead the way,”

She came to learn that Vincent does not do well on spinny rides, or rides in general. He was able to ride some of the rides with her, but he tapped out after the second one and since he was looking a little green, she decided it was a good call. 

He was, however, very good at shooting games. He’d managed to get her a very big stuffed penguin on one of those while she’d won him a similarly large dog. (She’d thought, as a joke, to get him a life-sized DAVIS, but that seemed a little too on the nose for his job so she just chose the dog instead.) 

They’d just gotten back from putting both stuffed animals in the car when someone called out to Vincent in a frazzled tone. They both turned around and saw a very tense person carrying a whole lot of paperwork in one hand. 

“I’m so sorry to bother you on your vacation days Assistant Kim, but with both you and Mr. von Hagen out of office, we’re stretched thin—”

“Wait a second,” Vincent said, crossing his arms, “I thought both Mr. von Hagen and I specified that no one would contact us during our respective vacations.”

“I know,” the employee says guiltily, “And we had no intention to, but the deal with the Nexus Trading Group fell through at the last minute and without either of you we have no idea what to do.”

He winced, turning over to her, “I’m so sorry, I need to make some calls and try to fix this.”

“No no, it’s fine. This is important and I’m guessing this happens a lot?” She said, eyeing him sadly. 

“I didn’t want this to happen, not while spending time with you.”

“Really, it’s okay. I’ll walk around, maybe ride some more rides.”

He frowned, “Give me thirty minutes, it might not be so bad and I could try to fix it from here. I’ll come find you if anything changes, okay?”

“Okay, good luck!”

—

The whole thing left a bitter taste in her mouth. She couldn’t fault him, never, for doing his job, but having the job come to you? Just what did this guy do? But that’s not exactly the only thing that left her feeling like this. 

She went to grab a couple of deep-fried Oreos and sat down to think. 

She knew she liked him enough to invite him for coffee. That she wanted to spend the rest of the night with him, and that he was nothing short of a gentleman. She also knew that he had a very demanding job that literally sought him out on vacation. This wasn’t the first time she had seen it too, she thought bitterly. Back when she took Marius as a client, the initial intake was done on his day off. 

If, hypothetically, she asked him out on a date, would he be called into work like he was now? Would their date be interrupted just like this? She also never even asked if he was single! What if he was taken and all of this had been for naught? Would he, if he was single, be able to handle her as a partner? How would she? 

If she were to get together with him, he’d be her first relationship. Sure, she’s been on a couple of dates before, but nothing ever stuck. If he returned her affections, what would be the next step?

She scowled as she stabbed an oreo with her fork and stuffed it in her mouth. 

And not to mention she was really busy too! Or, it would be soon. She had her exams to study for and work at the law firm. Celestine had hinted that now that she had taken her first case, she trusted her with a different type of workload that would definitely increase the amount of work she had to do. Would a relationship even work between them? Why did things get so complicated all of a sudden?

“Sorry I just ran off like that,” Vincent said from behind, startling her half to death. He sat down across from her, gaze worriedly poised on her. He set down another plate of Oreos in front of her almost as an offering.“I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!”

“It’s okay! You just caught me off guard, that’s all.”

He frowned, “Still. I’m sorry. This doesn’t usually happen but Master Marius is away on a trip as well… It’s not fair to you in the slightest.”

“Vincent, it’s okay.” She pointed at the Oreos, “Are you going to eat them?”

“What? Oh! No, those are for you. You said you liked them so I thought I’d get you some as an apology.”

“Really?” She was touched. She only mentioned it in passing, but he remembered. (Granted, she told him like two hours ago but a win is a win. She also didn’t think Vincent was the type to easily forget something.)

“Yes, really.”

“Thank you, Vincent. That’s sweet of you.”

They sat in silence while sharing some of the Oreos, (She wasn’t a heathen, of course she shared with him.) but she just kept thinking if telling him that she liked him was worth it in the long run. 

— 

Vincent knew something was off the second he came back from his calls. Calls as in 5 separate calls and one huge conference call. Really, the whole thing fell through on technicality and shoddy logistics. How did people not have the common sense to fix them? 

And what’s worse was that Kiki was acting a little colder after getting back. If it had been up to him he would’ve shoved the papers the employee had up where the sun didn’t shine, but he was better than that. He knew he left his location with hotel staff for emergencies and that, technically, this was an emergency, but he was allowed to be mad about it. It ruined the vibe, and he didn’t know how to fix it. 

“Do you wanna ride the Ferris wheel?” She asked him after a while of walking around looking for things to do. 

He’d responded with an overenthusiastic ‘Sure!’ That probably seemed a little too enthusiastic but he didn’t know how to fix this. He wasn’t some omnipotent god that could change the moods of others with a singular thought. He was usually in the background of things while Marius could deal with the executives and the mood shifts.

They made their way into a cart on the wheel, him offering his hand to let her go in the cart first. They settled into their seats, across from each other, and waited for the ride to start. The atmosphere around them felt awkward, not something surprising given that they were still getting to know each other, but there was something else. There was something in her sigh as she looked out the window. 

“Is everything all right?” He asks because he wants to fix whatever damage those phone calls made. He wants her to look at him as someone dependable, not someone who would flake at the first moment. 

“Yeah, everything’s fine, I was just… you know, thinking.”

He nods, “A Stellin for your thoughts?”

“Well… you’re pretty busy, right? They look for you on your days off.” She turns to look at him, her brows furrowed. Was she worried for him?

“Yes, but it’s not like I don’t have boundaries.” He shrugs. “PAX is good at leaving me alone on my days off. Emergencies, like this one and on the day we met, are compensated with hefty bonuses.”

She frowns at that, “But what about a work-life balance?”

“It exists,” he says, tilting his head to the side. What was her goal here? “I do MMA on my days off, I go to a book club—”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?” he asks her. He really can’t see what—

“I like you, Vincent.”

He blinks, his entire train of thought completely derailed. As much as he wanted to preen at the statement, because she liked him, this didn’t feel like something to celebrate. There was something else she wanted to address, and he had a feeling it had to do with her probing questions from before. 

“I feel like there’s a ‘but’ in that statement.”

“There is,” she sighs, looking at her hands, “I like you, but I don’t even know if you’ll have time for a relationship. I don’t even know if you’re single!”

“I’m very much single,” he says, standing up and making his way to sit next to her, “And I like you too. But I feel like that isn’t what you’re worried about.”

She nods, wringing her hands in her lap. “It’s just… You have this job that demands a lot, my job will demand a lot later, do you really need a relationship on your plate? A-And, well, in the spirit of honesty, I’ve never, you know… dated anyone.”

“I think I can manage my time.” He places his hand over hers, “I can’t promise that it’ll be easy. I… I know my job is demanding, and I’m sure you’ll be busy too. But that’s okay. We can take it one step at a time, and figure things out as we go. And, well, I’m right there with you. I’m not exactly the most versed in relationships either.”

She threaded her fingers through his, “I… Yeah. Okay. Do you… wanna go get coffee? When we both get back to our places.”

“As long as it's not the cream puff place, I’m sold. I’ll send you my schedule?”

She squeezed his hand softly and he returned the squeeze, sighing in relief as he saw her smile at him, “What, you don’t wanna relive when we first met?”

“Yes, but without the murder part.”

They both laughed, Kiki moving to lay her head on his shoulder. They hadn’t let each other's hands go, and quite frankly he didn’t think he wanted to let go. This was the start of something incredible, he could feel it, and he wasn’t going to let go that easy. With the way she had laid her cards down in front of him, he had a feeling that she wouldn’t let go either.