Fool Me Twice [3/?]
I had a stressful week and was sort of considering dropping/discontinuing this fic, but then I ended up having fun writing this part last night :ā) So hereās part 3ādefinitely a little different from what I usually write (and I was a little bold with certain decisions, haha). Enjoy!Ā
Part 3 ft. fake dating, a New Yearās celebration, drunken decisions, implied/referenced contagion (maybe)
You can read Part 1 [here]! (No additional context is needed aside from the previous 2 parts).
ā
Margotās decorated the bathroom nicelyā a glass soap dispenser, tied with a singular golden ribbon that seemsāintentionally or notāin theme with the decorations outside; a small, fluffy blue rug; a shower curtain lined with silhouettes of raindrops, and one of those scented reed diffusers, scented like bamboo and lemongrass. Neither of which heās allergic to, to his knowledge, but with this cold, any small push is enough to send him over theā
āhhEHā¦ hehhāIIZSCHEEW!ā
The sneeze does nothingāor close to nothingāto relieve the tickle in his nose. Yves desperately hopes that the walls are more soundproof than they appear to be. He reaches blindly for the roll of toilet paper, if only to have something to cover the resoundingā
āhEHhā¦ hEH-hHEh-! hhhEHāiTSSCH-Eew! Snf-! hEHHā¦ HEHhāiIZSCHEEw!āĀ
The sneezes scrape unpleasantly against his throat, enough that he coughs a little, after. He blows his nose into the handful of toilet paper and finds, even after, that his nose is still practically dripping. His excuse to Erika had been nothing more than thatāan excuseābut heās starting to feel as if this bathroom excursion was necessary in more ways than one.
The cold medicine from earlier is certainly starting to wear off, if the congestion settling in his sinuses is anything to go by. Heās tired, even though it isnāt especially late, and his throat is undoubtedly sorer than it had been before he got here. On top of everything with Erika, it feels like insult to injury.Ā
Erika. Where would he even begin with her? Nowāknowing that she wants to be friends with him stillāwhat can he do? Has anything sheās said tonight merited his forgiveness? Even if she hadnāt meant to cheat on himāeven if sheād been planning to break up with him formally, even if sheād only made out with Brendon because she was drunkādoes that make any of this permissible? She still lied to him. That night, when sheād gone to the party, sheād told him that she was just visiting a relative. The only reason why Yves had found her there with Brendonāthe only reason why heād shown up at the party at allāwas because heād been dropping something off for a friend.
She might not have chosen to cheat on him. But sheād still chosen to get drunk with someone she knew she had feelings for. Is that really any better?
And thereās this, tooāpart of Yves wants to forgive her. Part of him wants to move past everything, if only it means heāll get to keep her as a friend. There was a point where she was everything to him, and maybe a friendship would be second best to everything if it meant heād get to keep talking to her. That version of her that he remembers, walking with him through the 5am dark to crew practice, leaning into his shoulder.
Yves turns on the sink, lets the cold water wash over his hands for a few seconds before he cups his hands together to splash some water on his face. For reasons other than the cold water, his eyes sting. He shouldnāt have come here, he thinks. Seeing Erika again, after everything, feels like reopening a wound that had only started to close up.
Or maybe that isnāt right. Maybe heās not over her at all.
From the other side of the door, he hears a sharp knock.
āIāll - snf-! - be out in a sec,ā he says. āI thidk Margot has adother bathroom if you need to go.ā One that he hasnāt just sneezed in, notably.
āDo you need anything?ā
Itās Vincent.
It occurs to Yves, all of a sudden, what an asshole heās been. Heās the entire reason why Vincent is here in the first place, and here he is, locked in the bathroom, leaving Vincent alone at a party he wouldnāt enjoy to socialize with people he doesnāt know.
But what can he say? Heās far from presentable, right nowāwith the large, glossy bathroom mirror in front of him to confirm itāhis face flushed, his hair a mess. Thereās no way he can open the door, as it stands, and let Vincent see him like this.
āI couldā¦ hEHhā¦ hEHhāiIIZSCHEEW! snf-! Ugh, I could use a dridk right ndow,ā he says instead, which is more honest than he intends, except then he remembers heās not supposed to be drinking. āWait, fuck. I still have to drive.ā
āI can do it,ā Vincent says, āIf you trust me with your car. I wasnāt planning on drinking.āĀ
āI do trust you with my car,ā Yves says.Ā
āWhat do you want? Champagne? A beer?ā
āWhatever you find that will get mbe idtoxicated the fastest.ā Itās half a joke.
āSo you can wake up tomorrow with a hangover to go with your cold?ā
āHodestly? I canāt think of a better start to the ndew year,ā Yves says.
A pause. āIf itās what you want.ā Itās an easier victory than heād expectedāhe supposes he canāt complain. He listens as Vincentās footsteps recede.
He shuts the water off. Runs a hand through his hair, fixes some of the strands back in place. Blows his nose again, for good measure. His face is a little flushedāprobably a telltale sign that he has a feverābut if he drinks, who will notice?
Vincent is back a couple minutes later. He knocks with the same, curt knock as before, and this time, Yves opens the door.
Heās standing there, looking no less charming than before, holding a cocktail glass. Thereās an orange slice on the edge, and an elegantly placed sprig of rosemaryāMargotās doing, probably.
āVodka and orange juice,ā he says, by way of explanation. āMargot said itās called a screwdriver.ā
āSheās really committed to the orange juice,ā Yves says, and takes the glass from him. āThadks, snf! Iām sorry for disappearing on you.ā
Vincent looks like heās about to say something more. Yves braces himself for the questioning, but instead, Vincent turns away. āItās fine.ā
āAnd sorry about Erika,ā Yves says. He thinks he sounds a little less congested now that heās blown his noseāat least, for the time being.Ā āItās justāitās been awhile since Iāve seen her. But that doesnāt mbeanāi mean, I donāt wadt you to have to worry about all of this.ā
āDo you want to talk about it?ā
āI just want you to edjoy the party,ā Yves says. āWell, as much as you can, adyways. I can handle myself.ā
āI never doubted that,ā Vincent says.
āThatās why youāre the perfect pretend boyfriend.ā Yves tips his drink back, takes a couple large, indulgent sips. He doesnāt catch Vincentās expression as they take their seats again at the dinner table.
āYouāre back,ā Erika says. āI was starting to think you were planning on camping out in the bathroom for the rest of the night.ā
āYeah, itās quite the complicated bathroom,ā Yves says. āThankfully Vincent was there to show me the way out.ā
The rest of dinner is surprisingly uneventfulāor maybe Yves is too tipsy to pick up on Erikaās passive aggression. Either way, he finds himself actually enjoying himself through the haze of the screwdriver and a few glasses of champagne. It helps that Erika hasnāt brought up the whole friend thing again, and it helps that Margot stops by a few times, whenever the conversation lulls, to change the subject to something utterly unrelated to his breakup. Yves isnāt sure how much of a role Vincent has to play in that. At some pointāhalfway through another sneezing fitāVincent wordlessly gets him a stack of napkins, and Yves is not embarrassed enough to pretend he doesnāt need them at all.
After dinner and dessert (which Yves would usually help with, on the many occasions when he doesnāt have a cold, but which Margot does a perfectly impressive job with), everyone disperses again. Yves catches up with everyone he knows from college, introduces Vincent to them (āDonāt tell Vincent I said this,ā he says, āBut I think heās way too smart to be on our team,ā and Vincent laughs and modestly denies this), and wonders what heāll tell them all when, inevitably, Vincent doesnāt show up to any of their future meetups. At some point in the future, Vincent will find someone, presumably, who heāll spend every subsequent New Yearās with. Yves is a little too drunk to think about the slight pang in his stomach when he considers this.
Itās only when itās nearing midnight that he finds himself out on Margotās balcony with Vincent.
Itās a nice view of the city, with its rows and rows of glittering skyscrapers. Yves leans out on the railing.Ā
The alcohol has done its job of making him feel pleasantly warm indoors, but itās too cold outside for it to have the same effect. He doesnāt realize heās shivering until Vincent says, āAre you too cold?ā
āNo,ā Yves says, crossing his arms in an attempt to keep himself from shivering. āItāsā¦ ndot thatā¦ cold outāhh-! hHehhāIIZSCHh-EEW!ā Ugh. Very convincing.āThat was bad timing, snf-!, I swear.ā
āBad timing, Iām sure,ā Vincent says, his tone soft. āWe can go inside if you want.ā
āNo,ā Yves says, rubbing his nose. āItās nicer out here, snf-! Also, Iām sure there will be fireworks at mbidnight. Which is soon.ā
āSo youāre taking the best vantage point all for yourself,ā Vincent says.
āYes, Iā hHh-hHEH-!ā He thinks it might culminate in another sneeze, but the tickle in his nose dissipates, very frustratingly, at last possible moment. āI got here first,ā Yves says, sniffling. āFinders, keepers.ā
āIn that case,ā Vincent says. Thenāin lieu of finishing that sentenceāhe unbuttons his blazer and drapes it over Yvesās shoulders.Ā
Yves stares at him, disbelieving. The blazer is still warmāindulgently, comfortably warmāfrom Vincentās shoulders. āThereās no way youāre not cold wearing that,ā he says, gesturing to Vincentās button-down shirt. Itās long-sleevedāa small consolationābut with fabric that thin, thereās really no chance heās dressed warmly enough for this weather.
Itās starting to snow againālightly enough that the snow melts into water when it hits the ground.
Vincent shrugs. āI grew up here. Iām used to it.ā
āAre you sure?ā
āIām sure.ā
āOkay,ā Yves says, pulling the jacket closer. āThadks.ā
Inside, almost everyone who hasnāt left has gathered in the living room. SomeoneāMikhail, maybeāis telling a story to the crowd, to raucous laughter. Then, after a bit, Margot says something, lifting her glass of champagne, and everyone joins her in counting down. Ten. Nine.
āErikaās watching,ā Vincent says, after a beat. Eight. Yves turns and sees that heās rightāhe spots her somewhere in the crowd, in her sleek blue dress. When she catches him looking, she waves. Seven. Six. āSheāll probably be expecting us to kiss.ā
Yves looks away from her to look at Vincent. Vincent, whoās here just because Yves asked him to be, who looks unfairly attractive even in something as forgettable as a white button-down shirt, who Yves will probably never have another chance to spend a night with again. The question is out of his mouth before he can think twice about it.
āCan we?ā
He almost bites his tongue after. What is he thinking? Itās a ludicrous requestāsomething absolutely unfitting to ask from a coworker, especially when he has a coldāand heās certain he would never have asked it if he were sober. He opens his mouth to apologize, to explain himself, butā
Two. One.
Vincent leans in, briefly, and kisses him.
Beyond them, fireworks shatter into the sky. Thereās the sound of cheering in the living room.Ā
The kiss lasts only a moment before Yves is wrenching himself away, taking a couple hurried steps back before his head snaps forward with a sudden, sprayingā
āHhehhāIIDSCHiiEW!ā
āwhich, despite his efforts, almost certainly mists Vincentās collar. Itās enough of a warning for him to lift his hand to his face and twist away to cover the subsequentā
āhHEHā¦ HhehāyISSCHEew! Snf-! Hehā¦ hheh-!! Hhehā¦ HEHhāiiDDZSChiEw!ā
He feels heat creep up into his cheeks.Ā āIāmb so sorry,ā he says, and means it for everythingāfor the untimely sneeze, for the kiss, for inviting Vincent to the party in the first place. āThat wasā¦ Iāmb really sorry. Oh, god, I really hope you donāt catch this. I would feel awful if you caught this.ā His head swims, and he finds himself grabbing the railing to steady himself, muffling a fit of harsh, grating coughs into his hand. Usually, it would be his sleeve, but given that the sleeve he has on now belongs to Vincentās very nice blazer, his options are limited.
Yves leans his weight onto the railing, sniffling, and shuts his eyes against the dizziness. He might be drunker than heād given himself credit for.Ā
āYou donāt have to worry about that,ā Vincent says. Yves doesnāt want to look at him, doesnāt want to see what he might be thinking. He really, really owes Vincent for all of this. āAre you tired?ā
āJust a little drunk,ā Yves answers. āWe should probably head home soon.āĀ
āOkay,ā Vincent says.
The apartment is indulgently warm when they step back inside. Yves hands Vincent back his jacket and lingers in the living room to say goodbye to Margot (he has the pleasure of watching her hug Vincent for the second time tonight) and to the handful of college friends that he recognizes. Itās a short walk to the car through the snowājust a few minutes, except he finds it to be more of a tedious walk than expected, and Vincent has to grab his arm a couple times to keep him from stumbling.
āCareful,ā he says sternly, the first time.
Yves stares at him, tries to think about what sober Yves would say. Heās always been a little too honest when drunk.
āYou are a godsend,ā he says. āThanks for coming todight. I kdow you hate parties.ā
āI donāt hate parties. Are you always like this when youāre drunk?ā
āLike what?ā
Vincent laughsāa short, soft laugh which Yves wishes he could hear more of. āThis is the fifth time youāve thanked me.ā
Is it really? āNdo, I just amā¦ hEH-!ā Yves twists away from Vincent, just in time to let out a barely coveredāĀ
āhehhāIZZSCHH-iIEW! Snf!ā The sneeze jerks him forward, harshāand loudāenough that he feels a twinge of pain in his throat. Luckily, Vincent wonāt be here tomorrow to see him lose his voice.Ā
āBless you,ā Vincent says, reflexively.
āThatās definitely ndot the fifth time youāve blessed me,ā Yves says. āItās more than that for sure. So Iāmb allowed to thadk you more than once.ā
āIf you put it that way.ā
Vincent drives him home. Yves directs the GPS to his address and tries to stay awake so he can talk to him, until Vincent says, āIf youāre tired, you should sleep,ā which Yves wants to protest. It seems rude to fall asleep in his own car when heās supposed to be the one driving in the first place. But maybe Vincent is tired, too, from having had to socialize with strangers all night, and maybe silence would be preferable to him now. So Yves leans his head against the passenger seat window and shuts his eyes.
It feels like heās only been asleep for a minute before Vincent taps him on the shoulder.
āWeāre here,ā he says, pulling the keys from the ignition.
āThat was fast,ā Yves says. He muffles a small cough into his sleeve. āThadks again for driving me. Iāmb sorry we stayed out so late.ā He checks his watchāitās close to 1am. It occurs to him that he has no idea if Vincent is a morning person, if this is considered late by his standards. If heās tired, too.
āItās no problem,ā Vincent says, stifling a yawn into his hand. Well, that answers his question.
Yves unbuckles his seatbelt, opens the passenger door, and gets out. Itās brutally cold out, cold enough that he has to fight back a shiver. āAt least wait inside as I call you an Uber?ā
āYou donāt have to do that.ā
But Yves is already pulling out his phone, scrolling through their messages for Vincentās address. Itās the least he can do, after everything.
Vincent waits inside with him for a few minutes. Itās a bit of a wait for his rideāprobably everyoneās trying to get back home from their New Yearās parties at this timeāso Yves makes them both some hot chocolate (nothing fancy, given the time constraintsājust hot cocoa mix with some cinnamon and steamed milkābut Yves says āYou should come again some time, I promise I can actually cook when I have more than three minutesā) and sits with him in the living room. He finds himself almost disappointed when the cab finally arrives.
āGet home safe,ā Yves says.
āThanks,ā Vincent says. āI will.ā
āAnd Vincent?ā
Vincent turns.
Thereās a hundred things Yves wants to say to him. He wants to say, you didnāt have to do this. He wants to say, I donāt know what I wouldāve done without you. He wants to say, how can I make it up to you?
āHappy New Year,ā he says, instead, and Vincent smiles.
[ Part 4 ]
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