Work Text:
MC takes a sip of her coffee, embracing the warm atmosphere of the little cafe. A warm treat sits on the napkin beside her, still steaming and aromatic. Despite this place being an Onychinus safe house, it feels like any old cafe. Who would imagine the backroom being lined with guns? Or that the shop owner running the counter has a rifle within reach?
She can't help watching said shop owner; you smile warmly at the customer at the counter, bustling about to prepare their drink. The bell rings above the door as another comes in, catching your attention. "I'll be with you in a moment!" you call in second-nature. MC turns her attention to the newcomer.
Is that... Zayne?
The doctor steps into the line with the relaxed ease of a regular. He glances at the menu above the counter, but his attention is caught more by the case of goodies. He studies over them with the same focus he uses for his surgeries.
You send the customer off with their drink and a smile, before leaning on your elbows on the counter to smile at Zayne. MC tries to be subtle as she watches. "Morning, dear. How's work been today?"
Zayne shares a reserved smile of his own. "The children were asking me when you would visit again. They enjoyed the cookies you brought last time."
"They weren't the only ones," you tease. "D'you want your regular?"
He hums with a nod. You push away from the counter and begin making a drink for him. While you do, Zayne steps from the glass display case to stand in front of the counter. He watches you move about. Tilts his head to try catching a glimpse of what you're doing when your back is turned and you're scribbling on the side of the cup with a marker. You bring it over with a wide smile, setting it on the counter for him to pick up. "One large 100% sugar latte, made with love."
She can't read what it says on the cup from here, but she can see Zayne's smile grow wider and hear the light chuckle he lets out as he does. He shakes his head with fond amusement as he sets it back down. "Thank you. I also wanted to get a slice of the cheesecake," he says, nodding to the case.
"Is that all?" you ask, almost surprised as you grab a parchment square and pack the cake into a container.
"Well, I wanted to see what the owner would recommend."
You grin and step back to survey the backside of the case. Your fingers drum along the container in thought. MC watches as you pluck a few extra treats and tuck them into the container, finishing it off with a few soft blue macarons. "The owner recommends everything for your sweet tooth, but these are the best of the best." You close up the container and set it inside a decorative paper bag, folding over the top edge and sliding it across to him. She doesn't see you ring anything up, but you lean against the counter again and ask, "How would you like to pay today?"
His ears tinge pink as he leans halfway across the counter, meeting you in the center, and kisses your cheek.
She can't stop staring now. Anxiety and worry swirl in her stomach, turning her drink sour. She tries to make some sort of excuse - any little lie that she can tell herself to rationalize what she just saw. But that all does out the window when she sees you turn your head and peck his lips, then again, lingering just a second longer.
He pulls away bashfully, though still grinning, as he grabs his drink and bag of sweets, and heads out, back to work.
MC is reeling. Just a week ago, Sylus had brought her in here to introduce her to his spouse, the owner behind the counter. And now she's just seen them kissing another man - her own doctor?!? She can only come to the conclusion that you're cheating on the Onychinus leader. She doesn't know what else to think!
She hates to imagine how Sylus will react once he finds out. And she can't in good conscience just leave him to discover on his own.
You must notice her staring because you smile brightly her way. "Need a refill, hon?"
She shakes her head a little too quickly. "N-Nope! All good here, thanks!"
How is she going to tell him?
-
"Sylus, I think you should sit down."
The tall man raises an eyebrow at her. He's the embodiment of cool and collected as he stands there, hands in his pockets, blazer draped over his shoulders. "What is this all about, kitten?"
MC takes a breath, anxiety rising with each passing second. Her heart's beating so fast she's worried Zayne will find out and scold her for getting so excited - but, then, he's also part of this mess, too, isn't he? "Look, can you just sit down?" she bites. "This is really important!"
He sighs, shaking his head, but he relents as he casually saunters to the couch and sits down. He shrugs. "Alright, I'm sitting. Now what's so important I needed to miss an auction to hear it?"
She takes a breath. Her hands fiddle restlessly with each other, weight shifts back and forth between her feet. She's spent all day trying to figure out the best way to tell him. She didn't want to delay it any more than necessary, and she didn't want to tell him over the phone.
"I-I know you love Y/N. I could see it when you first introduced us, even when they had a gun pointed at you. Especially then. But..." She looks him directly in the eye, gathering what scraps of courage she can as she says, "I think they're cheating on you."
She studies his face. Watches his reaction. She's confused when it's so underwhelming.
He smirks slightly, tilting his head in that cocky way that annoys her. There's no murderous intent in his eyes. No unrestrained Evol buzzing in the air. No grit teeth and violent threats, or even the calm promise of 'dealing with' his spouse. Just a lame, "Is that all?"
"What do you mean 'is that all'?! I saw your partner kissing another man! Dr. Zayne, of all people! And that's all you have to say?!"
He chuckles and rises back to his feet. "No, of course, you're right. I should go pay them a visit right now and tell them what's on my mind. Would that make you feel better, kitten?"
She huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's a start, at least."
"Great. Get your coat and we can head over right away."
"Woah, woah, woah. 'We'? I don't want to be in the middle of your marital spat!"
"You already put yourself there the second you decided to contact me," he says. "Come on, sweetie. I'll drive you home after."
-
The anticipation makes her leg bounce. The entire drive, she's on high alert, waiting for the moment what she saw sinks in and pisses him off. It never comes, though. He just drives steadily through the streets of Linkon, taking each turn with grace.
He pulls up eventually to a gated community. He inputs the password quickly, like he's typed it a hundred times before, and pulls through when the gates open to let him in. Each house here is really nice. Aligned, spacious, with privacy walls facing the street and neighbors. He pulls into the driveway of one, pulling up beside another car.
"Oh, look," he says, amused, "it looks like we'll catch them in the act."
She balks at the prospect. Grips onto the seatbelt until her knuckles are white. "Now, wait- I don't want to go in there and see your spouse and Dr. Zayne going at it!"
He chuckles as he kills the ignition. "Don't chicken out on me now, sweetie." He doesn't wait for a response before he gets out of the car. She thinks maybe she can just stay here and watch - but the bastard just stands outside the car waiting for her.
Tomorrow morning she'll have to find a new doctor and a new place to hang out. Depending on what Sylus does, she may have to move to a new country, change her name, change professions, live a whole new life. She swallows. No way out now.
She undoes the seatbelt. Opens the door. Gets out. He smirks at her as she closes the door and reluctantly follows after him.
He presses his thumb onto the lock. It turns green and a number pad lights up. He presses a few buttons. Click. He opens the door and gestures her in. "Ladies first."
She glares at him as she steps into the front hall. He follows in after.
"Sy, is that you?" your voice calls from somewhere further in the house.
"It's me," he calls back. "I brought a guest over for dinner."
"Oh! Who'd you bring?" You appear from around a corner, wiping your hands on a dish towel. Your face splits into a wide grin. "Oh, hey! I'll set an extra spot at the table for you. We're having chicken alfredo tonight." You lean in conspiratorially, though Sylus can still hear everything as you whisper, "We always make extra because somebody eats like a horse."
He chuckles under his breath, but he doesn't refute it. She remembers the giant salad bowl he made for himself one night - she can't imagine the portion he'll get for himself here. "MC was concerned about our relationship."
Your eyes widen. "How come?"
"Why don't you tell her, kitten?"
She glares back at Sylus, mouth fumbling for an excuse as she turns back to you. "Um, I was just worried because, uh, you both live so far away from each other and- and Sylus sleeps during the day so I, uh, just wanted to know how, um, how that works."
You blink at her. Your eyes flicker over her shoulder at your husband, then back to her. "Is that all? Well, that's hardly a reason to be concerned, hon." You chuckle and wave for them to follow you as you turn back into the house. "C'mon. Why don't we get you settled in and we can talk about it while we eat?"
MC looks over her shoulder. Sylus gestures her on.
The house is nice. It's not as impossibly huge as the Onychinus base, but it's nowhere near as small as her apartment. There's an upstairs, presumably where the bedrooms are. She’s relieved there isn’t a trail of discarded clothes on the step. She follows you through to a dining room where you pull out a chair for her. She can see into the kitchen from here, aromatic smells wafting through and making her stomach growl.
Sylus's hand brushes your back affectionately as he slips past and into the kitchen. She tries try not to stare again as she makes out the figure of Zayne at the stove, finishing up the chicken for dinner. Sylus comes up from behind, large hands grabbing hold of his waist as he ducks down to kiss his cheek.
You set a plate and silverware in front of her, blocking her line of sight. She blinks up at you, feeling even more lost than before. "What do you want to drink? I can whip you up just about anything."
She stammers over herself. "Uh, water is fine, thank you."
You smile and head off to the kitchen as well. It's like watching a slice-of-life film. A fragment of domestic bliss. Sylus lets Zayne go to get down a glass for you. He holds it above your head playfully, until you wrap your arms around his neck and draw him down for a kiss. He's smiling, softer than she's ever seen him before, as he drops the glass into your hand. You whirl around to the fridge to pour a glass of water. Zayne steps away from the stove to tap you gently on the back. She can't hear what's being said, but she sees you nod and get out a container of juice as Sylus gets down another glass. Zayne's smiling, too. A gentle curve of his lips to counterbalance his stoic exterior. Sylus kisses your head as he steps past you, reaching around to take the glass of water you poured. He breaks her daze as he exits the kitchen and sets the glass in its proper place beside her plate.
"Having fun?" he teases lightly. There's no edge to him here. He's still sharp, but the bite is blunted and tamed.
She frowns at him, speaking in a hushed voice. "Are you gonna tell me what's going on here, or do I have to make a complete fool of myself?"
He tilts his head, considering. "Watching you flounder sounds much more appealing."
She jumps when Zayne comes from behind Sylus, rounding the other side of the table as he sets a plate of chicken and a bowl of pasta in the center. "We're married," he says bluntly, though not unkindly. He shoots a look at Sylus, lightly disapproving. He clears his throat awkwardly, not meeting her eye as his cheeks become warm. "I apologize for my inappropriate display at the cafe earlier. Y/N insists on such a payment when I visit, but I hadn't realized you were there."
Her own cheeks get warm with equal - if not greater - embarrassment to his own. "No, Zayne, it's okay! I just- I wasn't expecting it is all, and I had no idea what the situation was, so I was worried."
He nods stiffly, smoothing his tie out of habit. "I hope I don't come across as someone who would undermine someone else's marriage."
"Of course not!"
He smiles wryly, betraying the teasing nature of his remark that did not come through in his tone. You come around the table, too, setting down a steaming pot of alfredo sauce down on a potholder. You smile kindly down at her. "If you were that concerned, you could've asked, hon," you reassure her. "We get this misunderstanding a lot."
She chuckles bashfully. "Ah, yeah. Sorry."
You shrug off her apology and pull out a chair. Sylus and Zayne follow suit, seeming to situate themselves in their normal spots. You and Zayne sit side-by-side, while Sylus sits down beside her. His place has a much larger dish, ready to accommodate his massive appetite.
"Don't worry about it," you reassure her. But then you lean in with a sly smirk and mischief in your eyes. "Wanna hear how we met?"
She's never seen Zayne hide his face in his hand faster, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Please don't."
"Please do," Sylus argues.
You cackle excitedly, clapping your hands together as you launch into the story of the beginning of your relationship with the two men. MC finds it all too easy to settle into the warm environment. The food is delicious, the company is welcoming. At one point, she notices Sylus's lovestruck expression as he twirls a dual set of rings on his finger where once was only one. When he catches her staring, he winks. That bastard…