Work Text:
Cory’s impatient fingers drummed relentlessly on the conference room table, his eyes fixated on a random spot near his laptop while Cybil’s voice resounded in the background.
“Cory!” Her louder volume, paired with a slammed hand on the wooden surface, startled him back to reality. “Can you grace us with your mental presence as well, in this meeting? You’re the CEO for Christ’s sake, and you have been distracted ever since we started!”
Her eyes bore holes into his as he looked up at her, but still not feeling guilty enough to comply. Cory just let out a sigh in response, accompanied by a small nod for Cybil to go on, clearly communicating his disinterest for her scolding.
He was too preoccupied with personal matters to make the effort of listening to whatever she was rambling about this time. Actually, he was feeling quite joyful overall, as he and Bradley had started a (still clandestine) relationship just three weeks earlier; for this very reason, today was Valentine’s Day, and he really wanted to make it special for her (also given the very little amount of time they had been able to spend together in the last week), but their work schedules had other plans.
He’d had to wake up early to go to work as he had three meetings planned for the day, and Bradley had to cover an evening news Super Bowl special, which meant no fancy dinner, either. On top of all, he had just been told he had to leave for LA for two days that same night – a living hell for his aching, still honeymoon-phased heart.
Just as he thought he was doing a good job at paying more attention to the meeting, a text from Bradley distracted him again.
Hey, Kyle just told me about your last minute flight tonight. Does it mean I won’t get to see you at all today? 😢
Cory’s heart tightened in his chest, easily picturing her big blue eyes looking up at him, full of emotions. He spared one last gaze at Cybil, trying to appear attentive, while he slowly grabbed his phone and brought it to his lap under the table, like a high school student trying not to get caught by the teacher.
I know. I’m so sorry, I’m still fuming about it. But, over my fucking dead body, I’ll make sure I see you before I leave today. What time are you getting in?
Her reply came immediately:
5pm
That was in 30 minutes.
“...And it would also benefit our building, as it has come to my attention that our neon sign has been defective, lately. We’ll need to have that fixed, too, and soon. Our skyscraper has become one of the main staples in the Manhattan skyline, after all. We can’t afford to go one minute with a dead sign.” Cory managed to catch Cybil’s words once he put his phone down, which he immediately became grateful for, as they gave him a bright idea.
“That’s awful!!” He spoke up unannounced, startling everyone at the table. “Our beloved sign is so iconic, I’d never want it to die on us. I’ll personally check it out as soon as this meeting is over.” He was met with nothing but puzzled stares.
“Oh, I did shadow an electric engineer as a teenager.” Bullshit. “I can see what’s wrong and make the call myself, well, tell Kyle to make the call.” Cory grinned, already gnawing at the bit to get his plan in motion. “That’s just another topic that fascinates me, guys, you know I’m eclectic, come on!” He gestured wildly, casually grabbing his phone to text Bradley back.
Take the elevator to the top floor when you get here.
Twenty-five minutes later, Bradley entered the UBA building. She had read Cory’s message, and felt both curious and anxious, but she fully trusted him. Once she entered the elevator – glad that no one else was in it – she pushed the highest number with a hesitant finger.
The doors opened to a dark floor, looking like a maintenance area. Metal pipes and electric panels were the only elements decorating the otherwise empty walls.
“You made it!” Cory’s voice made her jump ten feet in the air, for she’d been too focused on her careful analysis of the place to register his presence.
“Cory!! Fuck… Me!!” She brought a hand to her chest, her breathing still labored.
Cory approached her with a grin from the dark spot where he’d apparently been standing. “Well, I’d gladly do that, but unfortunately we don’t have enough time for it.” He wrapped her in his arms, which she happily accepted despite still being speechless, and dropped a kiss to her head. “Come on. We gotta be quick or it won’t be romantic enough!” He grabbed her hand and led her to a metal door.
Bradley didn’t have time to question his actions, as she immediately found herself following him up a short staircase and then through another door, cold wind hitting her face and blowing her hair.
“Cory, what the–” Her words died on her tongue the moment she realized they were on the roof of the building, and staring at the most beautiful orange sunset illuminating the city below – and them.
Cory grinned at her, his eyes sparkling with genuine emotion. “It’s not a candle-lit dinner, but it’s the most romantic thing I could come up with, to celebrate Valentine’s day with you in the…” He checked his watch, “Twenty minutes of alone time we can get today.”
“It’s… so beautiful.” Bradley was still in awe at the view – Cory’s handsome figure included. “You’re something else, Cory Ellison.” She said, coming up to him and finally meeting him in a loving kiss.
“Are you cold?” Cory asked her once they pulled apart, sensing her shaking slightly.
“Not too cold. I’ll warm up if we stay like this.” Bradley replied, hugging him tightly and leaning her head on his chest, her eyes taking in the beautiful view from the edge of the roof balcony.
Cory’s heart swelled, squeezing her back in response, his chin coming to rest on top of her head. For those few minutes, they were alone in the world, reveling in each other’s embrace, the golden sunrays illuminating their faces as their hearts started beating in sync. They had never felt more at peace, all their worries fading away while they were quite literally towering above the world, both overcome with a sense of tranquility and power at the same time.
In that moment, Cory felt like he could take over the whole world with Bradley at his side, while Bradley felt like nothing could ever harm her, as long as she had him.
“This is even better than a candle-lit dinner. Thank you.” She murmured against his chest.
Cory smiled, dropping a kiss to her head. For once, he wasn’t thinking about his imminent departure, or calling Kyle to make sure his bags were ready. For once, he was living in the moment, enjoying every blissful second he could with Bradley, before his hectic day resumed. She had definitely made him discover new, exciting perspectives.
“Thank you, Bradley Jackson.”