Work Text:
JULIETTE's pov
“Do you even own sweatpants?”
Without context, it might look like a CEO of an inspirational film is stuck in a cheesy sit-com. His dashing crisp navy suit, completely contradicting the pastel walls, mismatched cushions, fluffy blankets and floral wall decors of my house.
“Do you even know what ‘Decorum’ is?”, he countered.
“You could’ve worn casuals, and bought the suit to change in later. There’s still 2 GODDAMN hours!. Seriously”, I frown at his collar, “You could’ve at least skipped the tie.”
“One. It’s classy and efficient. It works on any occasion.”, he continues numbering his fingers. “Two. It doesn't make me look like someone who just stumbled out of a ransacked slum. Aka Kenji Kishimoto. Three, a t-”. I interrupt him but he cuts me off, “A tie is a sign of professionalism and competence. It demands power and respect.”
Just as I started feeling relieved, he's done, he continued. “Fourth, since when have you been interested in my outfits? Should I be concerned?”, he flashed a coy smile raising an eyebrow, “or flattered?”.
Heat rushed up my cheeks as I walked away throwing my hands in the air, “Whatever!”
***
Preparation for the meeting started. Castle sent us particulars of the clients. Going through the contents of the presentation, we decided that Warner will explain the overall idea and I'll explain the technical implementation.
We were working with our PCs, taking notes, walking sometimes, rehearsing and so on. Somehow we ended up on opposite sides of the couch, our legs stretched against each other and slightly brushing. His coat hung delicately from the chair frame. His tie a bit loose. His arm slung over the couch and fingers spinning a pen as they have a mind of their own.
He has his “work” face on. His jaw clenched, green eyes focused and eyebrows furrowed a little(like it's not even there).
But there's something about this guy that just demands attention. Like he's posh. He never swears. He's calm, collected, composed. Speaks like he swallowed a dictionary. Don't even get me started on his fashion sense.
I mean yeah, he's annoying and extra. But God he's so inhumanly attractive. And his outfits just make it worse.
Ping
I check my phone. It's Castle.
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Castle
The clients are not available today. Their network is not good enough for the meeting. They want to reschedule it to next week.
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Grunting , I move to the centre of the couch to show him the message and all that came from him was an Ohh. Why would I even expect more from him?
He clears his throat. That's when I notice how close we are. I'm leaning over him with my knee between his. He chuckles as I stumble back to my place.
“Do you always get into awkward situations or is it just when you are with me?”, he teases. Standing away from the couch, I try my best to wear a poker face, avoiding his eyes, and hand him the mobile.
“Okay”, his voice monotone, “What can we do now?”. I half-expect Mr. Perfect to suggest finishing the work we started. Or leave to his place. But-
“Can we eat something? Warm and seasoned… Why are you staring at me? I can't go home. It's pouring outside and we have a storm alert today. It's better to stay here. And you'd curse me if I asked you to finish the work”, he shrugged.
Maybe there's hope for him after all.
WARNER's pov
“Let’s make soup and fries.”, she beams and hops to her room. Literally.
As I was notifying the changes in the plan to the rest of the team, Juliette walks in. Hand-combing her long hair hastily as she searches for a hair stick on the shelf. Casually she wraps her hair into a bun and sets it up messily with the stick. In the process, her white shirt rides up revealing her waist slightly . The hem of her floral skirt grazing her knee as she checks herself in the mirror . I try to rip my eyes off her, failing miserably of course. That's when I notice, she’s already staring at me through the mirror.
“Shall we?”, I tried to sound indifferent.
“Yeah. You fine with veg soup and potato fries?”
I nod. Trusting my words to betray my emotions. While I loosen my cuffs, she pretends to be professional at chopping vegetables but turning out to be ridiculously messy at it.
“So, Is this the ‘DO NOT ENTER. ONLY FOR AESTHETICS’ part of your house? You are struggling like you’ve never held a knife.”
“I’ve held a knife for other uses”, she glares as she sticks out the knife murderously.
That effortlessly pulls a chuckle out of me. I gesture her to move aside and take care of the chopping. She does the cooking. The room is awfully quiet, save for the bubbling oil. Not long after, Juliette starts to sing. She loves to sing and I love to watch her sing. Especially when she forgets a few lines and matches it up by humming the tune. I enjoy it because I get to carry on with the lines that she forgets (only sometimes though) .
I believe that you're for me, I feel it in our energy
I see us written in the stars
Huh huh uhhmm, huumm haannn, baby
Nothing's ever, ever too far
Glitter in the sky, glitter in our eyes
Shining just the way we are
I feel like we're forever, tata thut tu
But whatever, let's get lost on Mars
(Levitating - Dua Lipa)
Smiling at me, she starts to sing using a cooking spoon as her make-shift mike. She makes a lot of funny faces and gestures me to join her, but I deny the offer by pointing to the boiling soup as an excuse.
***
Placing the bowls of soup on the table, I turn and she rams me against the table. Taking a moment to steady herself holding my shoulder, she meets my eyes and I could hear my heart racing in my ears.
“Phew, that was close”, she sighs awkwardly.
“Huh?”
“The bottle,” she said, glancing at the ketchup in her other hand. “It’s glass.”
“ Ohh ”, I managed.
She avoids my eyes but can’t stop her fingers from shivering.
We start with the soup. She glances at the window, warming her hands with the heat of the bowl, enjoying the rain tapping softly against the glass. The soup’s not getting her attention. Or mine. Frankly, all I could think of, is my skin still tingling from her touch.
“You’re staring…”, she breaks the silence.
“You are stealing my fries”, I point to her fingers on my plate.
“I ate mine”, she makes the sad puppy face and I try my best not to give in.
“You had your share. I'll have mine. So let me”
“What if I don’t stop?”
“I dare you”, I say as I lean closer.
She has the audacity to take one from my plate, with her eyes locked with mine. I watch her smooth pink lips, as she savours every single bite.
Even after she finished my fries, neither of us move (and I don’t think we want to).
JULIETTE's pov
Every time I'm leavin' on you (ooh)
You don't make it easy, no (no, no)
Wish I could be there for you
Give me a reason to, oh (oh)
(Sunflower - Post Melone)
He sings his heart out. Dimples flashing with every word. Sleeves rolled up. Tie thrown away. Top two buttons undone. The crisp of his collar gone. Golden hair so beautifully ruffled. Giving me the most unguarded impression of himself. The boy in front of me is nothing like the industrial perfectionist I work with. To be honest, that’s one of the things I actually adore about him. He’s the fusion of all the contrasting traits you can ever think of. A walking paradox. Complex, but still captivating.
And you'll be left in the dust
Unless I stuck by ya
You're the sunflower
I think your love would be too much…
Funny how we ended up here, huh? One second, I was just humming Sunflower, and the next, Warner—who so fashionably stood resting his arm against the doorframe (not that I mind) —decided to turn on his Spotify.
And how did I get him to dance? All it took was a pull to the centre of the room and motivate him with my goofy dance moves.
Now we are practically blasting music off with the speakers. All thanks to Mr. Green Eyes.
(Let’s just hope Winston doesn’t complain about the speakers again. *Fingers crossed*)
***
Goin' out tonight, changes into somethin' red….
(Night Changes - One Direction)
Warner’s face lights up. He loves One Direction.
(Ooh) We're only gettin' older, baby
(Ooh) And I've been thinkin' about it lately
(Ooh) Does it ever drive you crazy
(Ah-ah-ah) Just how fast the night changes?
Spinning us together, he sings the lines while I howl the background Ooh’s and Aah’s. Gasping for air, I sink into the couch—only to lose my breath all over again.
He looks relaxed. Soft. Real.
He catches my eyes before I could look away. Pinning me with those emerald eyes, he sings like he means every word that slips his lips.
(Ah-ah-ah) Even when the night changes
(Ooh) It will never change me and you
Something started to shift between us as the beats slowly faded with each song. Something new. Different. Light. Something we have been fighting against for too long. Denying it every now and then. But can’t anymore.
Or maybe… we don't want to anymore.
WARNER's pov
Georgia, wrap me up in all your
I want you in my arms
(Until I Found You - Em Beihold version)
Voila! One more masterpiece. All these songs are our favourites.
“Wait a minute!” , she holds her hands out, “This playlist is too good. Where did you get it?”
She glares at me and I freeze. I look away, trying to come up with a less awkward excuse but it’s hard to lie when she sees me with those expectant eyes.
“I……I might have saved your playlist when you shared it”, I grinned.
When she steps forward, I cut her off, pulling her into a dance, twirling her with the brightest smile I can offer, singing…
I would never fall in love again until I found her
I said, "I would never fall unless it's you I fall into"
I was lost within the darkness but then I found her
I found yooouuuuuuuu………..oohuhu………
Quickly, she stepped away.
Hell, Did I mess this up?
She moves away as I try to get closer. She sings pretending to hold an invisible mike, very pleased with herself…
Heaven
When I held you again
How could
We ever just be friends?
She dramatically turns and winks at me. If she had missed to steal anything after all this time, it would have just fluttered out of my chest now.
I would rather die than let you go
Juliet to your Romeo
How I heard you say….
Stepping closer, she nudges my shoulder. I roll my eyes but I don't move away. Facing her, losing myself in her eyes, I sing the rest of the song hoping she feels the words I've never spoken. Hoping she feels the same. Hoping that she wants to love me.
The song ends but we still don't break apart.
***
The soft strumming of the guitar tugged at the silence of the room, setting the mood before the words ever began. She just looks at me and that's all it takes me to blush like a lovesick teenager. If not now, I can never ask this again.
I raise my hand inviting her for a dance. She obliges with courtesy and a smile.
I wanna be your Vacuum Cleaner
(I Wanna Be Yours - Arctic Monkeys)
Placing her hand on my shoulder, I held her waist.
I wanna be your Ford Cortina
“Eyes up here, sweetheart”, I tilt her chin so her eyes meet mine, intertwining the fingers of our free hands. Her breath hitches with every word of the song.
She follows my lead. After a while we sway on our own. Feeling the rhythm. Every time we step apart, we come closer than before.
Somehow my hand on her waist reaches the small of her back and her hand on my shoulder runs behind my neck, slightly brushing my hair.
At least as deep as the Pacific Ocean
With that, I dip her. When we come back, both her hands are behind my neck. Both my hands wrapped around my waist. Bodies so close, but not touching.
Air thickening with the weight of unspoken words and unexpressed emotions. So close I could feel the heat of her breath. The cool rain barely reduced the temperature, steaming between us. Hearts beating so fast that the music is tuned out. So close, but still miles apart.
Wanna be yours
Wanna be yours
Wanna be yours
Wanna be yours
Slowly, our noses brush. Cupping her cheek, I brush a lock of her hair away as it falls in front of her eyes. Soft. Caring. Vulnerable . I tilt her face, so our lips could mee-
JULIETTE's pov
Dale a tu cuerpo alegría Macarena
Que tu cuerpo es pa' darle alegría y cosa buena
Dale a tu cuerpo alegría, Macarena
Hey Macarena, ay
We both jump back.
”The hell is that?”, Warner snaps.
“My phone!”, I say reaching it,”Oh it-”
“Please don't say it's Kenji”
Unfortunately, it is.
“Hey, Kenny!”, I try to ignore my racing heart.
“Jello. Hi, it's just-”, he pauses. “Are you okay? You sound different…”
Ohhh
I check on Warner, he looks like he's gonna murder someone. Brutally . It's obvious. Kenji.
“What’s the matter?”, trying my best to sound normal. Warner paces the room and finally drops to the couch to massage his forehead.
After 15 minutes of ranting about a Bruce Lee film, he stops and cuts me off as he doesn't want to fall behind on his movie binge schedule.
Warner just lies there on the couch. Clearly, annoyed. Why exactly is-
Oh God! Did I almost - ALMOST!!!!! - KISS AARON FREAKING WARNER!!!!!!!!
Does it mean I’m really attracted to him? Like physically… romantically?????
Does it mean he liKES ME TOO?????
WOAH!!!!!!!!
WhatDoIDoWhatDoIDoWhatDoIDoWhatDoIDoWhatDoIDoWhatDoIDoWhatDoIDoWhatDoIDoWhatDoIDoWhatDoIDoWhatDoIDoWhatDoIDoWhatDoIDoWhatDoIDoWhatDoIDoWhatDoIDoWhatDoIDoWhatDoIDoWhatDoIDo
Arrrghhh!!! Someone smack a brain cell into my skull!!!! WhatDoIDoWhatDoIDoWha-
Glancing over the table, I can't help but smile.
Aaron Warner. You are so done for.
***
“Want a bite?” Sitting next to him, I ask teasingly.
“Huh?”
“KitKat”, leaning closer.
He nods.
There are three bars in it. Holding a bar out to him, I reach for his phone to resume the next song(careful not to leave any chocolaty smudges) , I hold mine between my teeth. The last bar is still in the wrapper. The music starts and I get to see those dimples again.
All I am is a man
I want the world in my hand
(Sweater Weather - The Neighbourhood)
Breaking the last bar, still holding his, I eat my half. Snatching his, he holds it between his teeth. Carefully, not biting it. Waiting for my reaction.
“You’re staring”, he finally says.
“I wanted it”, pointing at the chocolaty piece.
“This?”, his face completely innocent, “Ohh”
“Give. It.”
“If you want it, take it”, still showing off the piece smugly.
You are not the only tease here, sir.
WARNER's pov
“If you want it, take it”
In a blink, she leans in and takes the other half. With her lips!
I freeze. She doesn't move away either. Lips just a breath away. The crunch of the KitKat brought me back to my senses. She was THAT close. SHE WAS SO CLOSE. She breaks away, grinning. Still shy.
If that wasn't an invitation.
We just stare at each other for a moment.
She knows what I think about….
What I think about…
That's it.
Was it me? Or was it her? Who cares?
All I know, all I feel is her lips pressed against mine. Her hands around my neck. My hands around her waist. She tastes so sweet .
If I may just take your breath away
I don't mind if it's not much to say
Sometimes the silence guides the mind to move to a place so far away….
Her shirt slightly rides up, my fingers brush against her bare skin. She gasps. Taking advantage of it, I deepen the kiss. No matter how hard our bodies are pressing against each other, we can't seem to get close. Get enough of each other. Out of nowhere, her hair stick is thrown away and her long silky hair falls loose. I can't help but just run my fingers through it. Straddling me, she digs her fingers into my hair and tugs me towards her.
She wants me so bad!
*Thunder cracks*
We both move away.
She's such a sight. Chest heaving. Cheeks red. Desperately trying to catch her breath. Still smiling. Her smile only widens looking at me.
“What?”, my voice, so strange and raw.
“I’ve never seen you this happy. Ever”
“You look gorgeous, Love”
Damn, my jaw hurts from smiling too wide.
She kisses my cheek, as I pull her into my arms. Nuzzling her nose into my neck, she wraps her hands around my waist and I go still.
“You okay?”, she sensed it.
“Ye-”, and her hair does it now.
“Do you want me to-” she's already moving away.
Absolutely NOT!
I pull her back. Holding her tighter than before.
“It’s -”, I sigh, “I’m ticklish”. I hide my face, resting my chin on her shoulder.
“You’re….. ticklish???”
“Yes”, I say, matter-of-factly.
That was the worst mistake ever.
In seconds, I was begging her to stop, but she claims to like my “giggles”. Tickling each other, till our stomachs ached “giggling”. Tangled in the couch, feeling hearts drumming against our chests. Listening to each other till the evening came to an end…
And in that sweet moment, I realized—this, right here, is home.