Seated on a worn bench in the bustling train station, a man in a meticulously tailored black suit adjusted his cufflinks and briskly dusted off any traces of lint. As far as he was concerned, public transportation was a necessary evil—his older brother had apologetically told him that his car wouldn't arrive until the next day. At this thought, he sighed deeply.
People milling about the station couldn't help but stop, or at the very least slow their hurried pace, to steal glances at him. High cheekbones framed his chiseled face, a sharp nose lending a certain aristocratic air. His eyes were small, a curious blend of disinterest and intensity, but they were by no means unnoticeable. His hair was an artful mess—deliberately casual but expertly styled. It wasn't just his startlingly good looks that held their attention. It was also an aura of charisma that oozed from him like molten gold, combined with an air of icy aloofness.
Checking the time on his designer government-issued watch—more out of habit than actual interest—he let his eyes drift shut, his fingers lightly gripping the handle of the leather briefcase by his side. He sensed someone hesitating, then finally mustering the courage to approach him. Yet he didn't see fit to disturb his brief respite.
"Um... excuse me," stammered a voice timidly.
Internally sighing but outwardly maintaining his impeccably stoic façade, he opened his brown-coloured eyes and locked onto the woman standing nervously in front of him. She gestured to her friend standing a few steps back, her face flushed tomato-red.
"She was wondering if you are… attached?" the woman mumbled, almost swallowing her words.
A subtle tilt of his head, so slight and graceful, made the two women catch their breaths in a mix of awe and anxiety. After appraising them in a single sweeping gaze, he decided they weren't worth his time. His eyes fluttered shut once again, yet his lips curled into a sly, knowing smirk.
Just as a movement that signaled that someone else was approaching him from his back, his fingers began to curl upward into a loose fist, seemingly ready to strike the bold woman who dared approach him, another man, Reid, grimaced in the background. The entire act wasn't planned but it gave Reid the chance to set up an ambush that had now spectacularly failed.
Faster than the eye could follow, the man in black caught Reid's descending hand, halting it with an almost supernatural ease. With a slight clicking of his tongue, Reid's disappointment was palpable.
"Dammit! I thought you'd be distracted by the two ladies," Reid whined, his voice tinged with exasperation.
Without a word, the man in the black suit released Reid's hand. He leaned back, giving Reid an oddly angled but perfectly clear view of his slender neck and defined jawline. And then he looked up, his gaze piercing Reid with an inscrutable expression.
With a playful flick of his long, elegant fingers against Reid's forehead, the man sent a sharp jolt of pain reverberating through Reid's skull. Reid clutched his throbbing forehead, groaning in exaggerated agony.
A rich chuckle emanated from the man in black, resonating through the air like a perfectly struck chord. The deep timbre of his voice touched seemed to resonate in the hearts of everyone within hearing distance.
The man then returned to his previous position, reclaiming his aloof, mysterious air as if nothing had happened. His fingers once again found their way to the handle of his briefcase, and his eyes resumed their closed, contemplative state.
For passers-by, the exchange was just another ephemeral encounter, too brief and too inconsequential to note. But for Reid and the man in black, it was a continuation of an ever-evolving dialogue, a cat-and-mouse game played not just with fists, but with glances, gestures, and unspoken understandings.
"Where's the whip, man?" Reid plopped down next to Archer Everett, the man in the suit so black it could give the night a run for its money. Archer had nudged aside his sleek briefcase to make room for Reid on the bench. The two ladies who had approached Archer earlier seemed to have turned fifty shades of red and were fluttering about like nervous butterflies.
"Garage," Archer replied, with a shrug that screamed 'I couldn't care less.'
Reid hummed in faux excitement, "Ooo, so the train it is, huh?"
Archer's eyes narrowed, a squint so intense it could slice through granite. In a fluid motion that should be patented, he stood up, startling Reid.
"Wait, has Archer 'Too Cool for School' Everett had a change of heart? Willing to slum it on the train now?"
Archer shot him a look that could curdle milk. "If you want to see me in a packed train, you might as well plan my funeral. Cab."
Reid grinned, "Ah, the Archer I know."
Archer whipped his briefcase towards Reid, who dodged it like it was a grenade. The case thudded to the ground, landing at the feet of the lady brave enough to have approached Archer earlier.
Without a second glance, Archer gestured for Reid to pick it up. "Your mess, you clean it up," his eyes seemed to say.
Reid rolled his eyes, muttering, "spoilt."
Bending down to collect the briefcase, Reid shot the tomato-red lady a rueful smile, as if to say 'sorry for the drama.' But just as he was about to grab the handle, she reached down too, wanting to help.
Their fingers brushed for just a split second—skin on skin. Reid felt like he'd touched a live wire. At that moment, Reid blinked and internally cursed. A tidal wave of emotions—unfiltered and overpowering—surged through his mind. He sucked in a breath like he'd just been dunked in ice water.
Suddenly, his hand was yanked away. He looked up to find Archer's eyes, sharp as a hawk's but tinged with concern.
"I'm good," Reid said, giving Archer a soft reassuring smile.
"Thanks, miss," he said, accepting the briefcase the still-clueless lady held out to him.
Archer shot her a look that said 'back off' more eloquently than any words could. Then, as if he was shepherding a lamb through a pack of wolves, he steered Reid away from the area.
Reid threw an apologetic grin over his shoulder at the befuddled ladies before turning his attention back to Archer.
Archer threw a worried glance at Reid who waved it off, "it was mostly her undying love for you and intense admiration for your looks."
Archer scoffed before pulling down Reid's coat further, covering his wrist. Reid proceeded to jam his hands into his pockets and gave Archer a goofy grin. Not yet satisfied, Archer gripped onto Reid's arm before trudging through the crowd.
As they weaved through the labyrinthine corridors of the station, Reid couldn't help but notice the tightening hold on him. Archer was being over-protective again. The skin contact he had with the lady was unexpected. He still hadn't had a good grasp on his second Ability. Nonetheless, Reid felt reassured that Archer was back in the city.
"Jill's not gonna flip that you're MIA?" Archer broke the comfortable silence a few minutes into the car ride, glancing at Reid through hooded eyes.
Reid shrugged, his shoulders rising and falling with practiced nonchalance. "I'll hunker down in my room, go full hermit. She won't even know I'm there."
Leaning into Archer's shoulder, he sighed, "I need to recharge, man. It's been one hell of a day."
Archer's eyebrows arched as if Reid had just announced he was running for president. But without a word, Archer subtly adjusted his own posture, transforming his shoulder into a more inviting headrest.
The car hummed its way through the streets, each man lost in his own world.
When Reid finally blinked his eyes open, he was met with a familiar scene—his own apartment building. Confused, he shot a questioning look at Archer, who smirked back at him. The last he'd heard, Archer was bunking at his brother's place while scouting out his own digs.
Archer's sly grin widened as he ushered Reid into the lobby, nodding respectfully at the security guard, who saluted back with military precision.
The elevator ride, during which Archer pushed the button for Reid's floor, only added to the confusion. By the time they reached the hallway and started walking towards Reid's apartment, he couldn't hold it in any longer.
"Hold up, Arch!"
Archer halted so abruptly that his briefcase swung forward, smacking his calf as if chastising him for the sudden stop.
"That's my place! What?"
Archer tilted his head with a smirk. "Can't I live here?"
Still puzzled but some recognition in his eyes, Reid chuckled. "Man, you could've given me a heads-up! The guest room's a mess!" He quickly punched in his passcode and pushed open his apartment door. "Park it on the sofa while I make some space for you."
But as Reid gestured for him to enter, he noticed something off. Archer hadn't budged an inch.
Archer was actually standing beside the door to the apartment next to Reid's.
Reid's eyes shot wide open, flipping from disbelief to recognition and then to a frown. "You sneaky—"
Archer burst out laughing, finally cracking his cool exterior. Entering his passcode, the door swung open, releasing the fresh scent of new paint and construction. "Welcome to my humble abode, R."
Before Reid could process this new revelation, a piercing shriek erupted from his own apartment. His eyes widened in alarm.
Slamming his door shut, Reid practically yanked Archer into his new space, quickly securing the door behind them.
Archer's eyebrows shot up in a mix of amusement and curiosity. "Little Jill's feisty nature hasn't toned down after 2 years?"
Reid kicked off his shoes and flopped onto Archer's pristine sofa. "Jill's got the temper of a grizzly bear. I'll face the music when I'm up for it."
Archer chuckled, tossing his briefcase onto the coffee table. As it landed, the clasps popped open and a document slid out. With Archer making a beeline for the bathroom, Reid picked up the paper, curiosity piqued.
His eyes scanned the lines, and a new wave of frustration bubbled within him. "You conniving, sneaky monster!" he yelled towards the bathroom, hearing nothing but laughter and the sound of cascading water in return.
Tossing the paper back onto the table, Reid buried his face in his hands before diving back onto the sofa in a state of mock fury.
The document was from a law firm, confirming that Everett Corporation had acquired Mirrors Corporation, a prominent real estate company. Their biggest project? The very building Reid now called home. And guess who had ponied up a small fortune for his dream apartment just last month?
Yup. To Everett Corporation.
"ARGH!" Reid's vexed shout filled the newly minted walls, mingling with the fading echoes of Archer's laughter.