#( i want to get settled and focus on Erik before i return to the french lit multimuse - but i'll get back on there eventually! )

[delanuit]

( thank you all for the warm welcome back! i have been missing Erik and missing rp so much. i'll probably be reblogging some ask memes, maybe writing some open starters to get back into it <3 )

[thadelightfulone]

The Firm - Chapter 13

Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12

Summary: Erik has been hired to find an embezzler for an old friend. What happens now that LaNyah is back?

Pairing: Erik x Black!OC

Genre: Suspense

It's Friday morning and business as usual at GBI. No one on the accounting floor knows why or cares that they have to answer to Stacey. Matt’s office was occupied two days ago when he ran from Mr. Green and Mr. Stevens, but now, it is empty. It was cleaned up overnight, door placard removed, and no news from the man himself. Mr. Green dropped by the floor on Thursday to hold a meeting. He let them know that he will be reorganizing the current teams, and Stacey will oversee the entire department until further notice.

Stacey is upstairs at the coffee machine, making her first cup for the morning. She turns as she hears the elevator ding. Ashley and Alex walk in together, waving at her on the way to his office. Finished doctoring the coffee to her liking, she walks back to her desk and sits down as the elevator goes off on the floor again. Stacey looks up to see Erik walk out of the car. He nods in greeting to her before heading into Alex's office.  

They all greet one another before settling into seats. Erik is on the couch while Alex sits in one of his desk chairs with Ashley on the arm. They all sit silently for a few moments before Erik starts the discussion.

“Everything was cleaned up and fixed after we left Tuesday night. Nothing is linking us to anything that happened in Gina's warehouse. And all the money will be returned to you within the next two months."

“How did you get that handled so quickly?” Ashley asks.

“The same way I got us the fully loaded SUV.” He shrugs, “I still have connections all over from people I knew back then and even with my line of work now. A few phone calls after discovering LaNyah was missing. Not too hard to do.”

“But a clean-up crew? Was that necessary?" Alex rubs Ashley's back, "You could have let them find the bodies."

“You both know I couldn't do that. Gina needed to disappear completely." He leans back in the chair. "Besides accessing some of her stuff required parts of her or proof of her demise." Waving away their looks of shock, "But it's nothing that you have to worry yourself about. Like I said, it's been handled and will go away quietly."

“Including Matthew?” Erik nods at them.

Focusing on Alex, “I set up a meeting for you and a federal prosecutor for a week from today. Matthew will be offered a plea deal and serve his time for his part in the embezzlement. There will be no mention of Gina. Everything links back to him only.”

“Wow! I wasn’t expecting you to be this damn thorough.” Greens states. “Still covering all bases, leaving nothing to chance.”

“That’s what they pay me to do. You better ask somebody.” They all share a laugh as Erik grins at them. “But yeah, this is done.” He gets serious for a moment. “I need to take some time off before my next job. So, this is it for me.”

“What? You’re headed back so soon.” Ashley asks him. “What about our dinner date?”

“I plan to keep that before I leave Cali. It’s just that I- I-” he stops speaking and looks away.

“Oh.” Ashley squeaks out, understanding what he is trying to say. She turns to Alex. “Kill has to disappear.” Erik looks at them and nods his head.

"We understand, man. You left that part of you behind many years ago." Alex wraps his arm around Ashley, "I am grateful he showed up, though. Now and then."

Erik stands up after that. “Dinner before I head back home. I promise.”

"Yeah, of course." Ashley walks up and gives him a hug. "Thank you for everything, Erik."

"You're welcome, girl. I'm glad I could help you all out." He steps back and side steps towards Alex, clapping him on the back in a bro hug. "It was nice to see you guys again, even if it was like this.”

“Next time, just come visit us.” They both laugh as they release the hug.

"I'm gonna go say bye to Stacey. I'll send my final report and see you soon for dinner." He walks out of the office, headed towards Stacey's desk.

---  

“So, do you plan to stay a bit longer?” Stacey asks as Erik leans on her desk. He just finished his meeting with Alex and Ashley. He dropped by her desk before making his exit.

“Nah, my job here is done. A new one awaits me back home.” Stacey makes a face that he can’t read. “So, this is goodbye.”

“Really? Just like that. You’re leaving.” He straightened up at her words, “You know that’s your family in there, right?”

Erik shakes his head. He knows what she is saying is true, but he can watch them from afar as he has done for the past 7 years. He can always come back to visit, maybe. Looking up, Erik watches her expression change. Suddenly, he knows it’s time to rush this goodbye before Stacey changes the topic.

“What about Nyah?” And there it is.

“What about her?” Stacey rolls her eyes at him. “Look, I know everyone wants me to talk to her and settle whatever it is between us.” He exhales his frustration, “But I am not gonna force that on her now. Not with all she has been through in the last week." Stacey opens her mouth to speak, but he cuts her off. "Nah, when she's ready to deal with it, she will. She's strong, and when she wants to talk, we will. It's that simple." He signals for her to get up.

Stacey stands up and comes around her desk. Erik pulls her into a big hug. As she returns the hug, she mumbles into his chest, “I’m gonna miss you.”

“I know. I’ll miss you, too, Stace.” Looking over her head, he continues, “But you know how to reach me. I’m only a phone call away.” He pulls away, holding her hands, he looks at her. “Take care of her for me, ok.”

She looks up at him with watery eyes and squeezes his hands, “Yeah.” He wipes away her tear and kisses her cheek. One last squeeze, and he walks towards the elevator, pushing the button.

Ashley taps Stacey’s shoulder as she and Alex walked up to see him finally go. Erik looks up and nods at everyone as the elevator doors close in front of him.

--- One Week Later ---

Monday morning, LaNyah enters the GBI lobby after being out for the last week and a half. No one was expecting her back so soon. But she decided to come back early. She greets the security guy on her way to the elevator bank. While standing at the elevator, her mind flashes back to when she ran over Erik, trying to get to the office on time. LaNyah smiles to herself as she walks to the open car and pushes the button for the 35th floor.

The elevator chimes, and Stacey looks up to see LaNyah stroll out and make her way to the front desk. Stacey comes around and gives LaNyah a huge hug.

“Oh, I am so happy to see you chick!” LaNyah’s laughs are muffled as Stacey holds her close. She squeezes her one last time before pulling away to get a good look at her. “Does Mr. Green know you are coming back today?”

LaNyah shakes her head, “No, I came up here to let him know.”

“I am glad you are back, but you know he is gonna have something to say about it.” Right as she finishes saying that, Ashley and Alex get off the elevator.

“LaNyah!” Ashley runs over to her, smothering her in a hug. She hasn’t seen her since LaNyah sent her packing a week ago. She spent the night of the rescue at LaNyah’s place, and the next two days observing her before LaNyah put her out. LaNyah assured her that she was fine, so Ashley left. “What are you doing here? Alex gave you two more weeks off, at a minimum.”

Walking towards Mr. Green, LaNyah gives him a side hug, "I know I know, but I can't stand staying in my apartment another day."

“Nyah.”

“No, Ashley. I need something else to focus on. I would rather be here at work. In control of something outside of those four walls.”

"You sure? There is no rush for you to come back to the office." Ashley responds.

LaNyah nods at all three, “Yes, I am ready to be here.” Looking up at him, “I am ready to get back to work, Mr. Green.”

"Well, you know what you can handle. You are free to work part-time until you are ready for your regular schedule." Alex looks down at her as she stands beside him.

“I don’t want to work up to a full day. I am here all day.” She notices all the worried looks, “I promise to let you and Stacey know if I can’t handle it.”

“Good, because I am your new boss until Mr. Green finishes his restructuring of the Accounting department teams.” Stacey beams at LaNyah. Looking down at her watch, “Ooooh, it’s almost time for my first meeting of the day." She grabs her things and directs her next comment to Ashley and Alex, "I'll keep an eye on her. Come on, Nyah.” The two of them walk to the elevator and head down to the accounting floor.

Ashley and Alex walk to his office, “Do you think she is ready to be here so soon?”

Alex sits behind his desk as Ashley drops onto the couch, looking at his wife, “Do you trust that she knows whether or not she can handle being in the office already?”

Meeting his eyes, “It’s hard to believe she wants to be back here.” She sighs, “But if she says she is ready, then I trust her.” She lays on the couch, putting her legs up and stretching out entirely on her back.

Turning on his computer, “Now, when are you gonna go back to work?”  

"It's called personal leave, asshole." Alex sees the smile across her face as she closes her eyes. "Besides, all my clients know how to reach me if they really are in need. But my family comes first."

---

“Miss Lady, you up for hanging out tonight?” Stacey asks LaNyah as they eat lunch in the latter’s office.

“What did you have in mind?” LaNyah takes a sip of her water.

Taking another slice of pizza, she answers, “I was thinking movie night at my place.”

Nyah puts more salad on her plate, “Are we baking cookies or just shoveling ice cream?”

“Who says we can’t do both?” She glances at LaNyah, whose eyes grow wide. “Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies with French Vanilla ice cream.”

"I'm in." Nyah bounces in her seat. "I'll bring the stuff for the cookies, and you get the ice cream."

“Deal. Be there at 7:30.” She stands up, “Hate to eat and run, but I have another meeting this afternoon. So, I’ll see you tonight.”

--- 15 Years Ago ---

Killmonger was laser-focused as he entered the house. He was on another mission with a brand new team. He carried the tail as he watched the other guys lead the way. They make their way through, clearing every room and move onto the next one as their mission was to evacuate any stragglers hanging around the town. It was going to be rubble soon, and the powers that be wanted to display some sense of concern even if they were destroying people’s homes.

It had only been a few months since McCoy’s squad was disbanded after what happened to Bridges and McCoy’s death. It was his third team in 6 months. Kill was shuffled around for a while until he landed with this team. Everyone wanted him, and yet no one could handle him. The man was a natural killing machine whose reputation spoke to the core of a soldier. Follow orders, protect the team at all costs, and never leave anyone behind.

Yet, that is not the man who arrived on the last two special ops teams. Something happened, and it was like the killer instinct that he was known for left him. He was working on autopilot, completing all the jobs he was given. But the pride he took in picking up a gun and destroying an enemy was no longer present. Not when he realized the enemy could be looking him right in the face, and on the same side as him.

The whole situation with Bridges had him considering all he has done during his career. Yeah, he is great at what he does, but this can't be it—standing by, letting people get away with shit because the military protects its own. Nah, that isn't him. There are a lot of things he could be doing for the benefit of others then where he is now.

It was a shit assignment meant to bide his time as he contemplated re-enlisting. He chose not to make the decision rocking a desk. He wasn’t made that way. At least working out in the field on random missions overseas, keep him active and his mind engaged if nothing else.

Kill leads the team into the next building, as they were switching off on leaders. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he knew something was wrong. He stalled his entry and signaled back to the guys behind him, guiding them away from the entrance where he was standing. They cautiously retreated, but someone steps into a wooden door leading to a backyard.

Dust flies up near the men as his team is suddenly surrounded by a net lifting up around them. Kill turns around and makes the shooters on the rooftops of the cluster of buildings they just cleared.

"Rodriguez, on your right, up high." Kill yells to one of his teammates as he starts aiming to the left at anyone armed above them. Rodriguez turns towards the direction that Kill told him and starts letting off rounds. Both of them cover the sky while the rest of the team goes low. Their goggles are covered, and visibility is minimal, but they are also listening to the sounds amongst the rapid wind circling the dust around them between the gunfire.

Masked men approach from the North side, walking in a straight line towards the men caught in the net. Rodriguez is running low on ammunition and drops low to switch out rifles. Right as he pops back up, he is shot down by one of the men in the group strolling towards the center of the area where the team is trapped.

From his position, behind a low door leading to one of the nearby houses, Kill wipes the dust off his goggles and peers over it. He watched Rodriguez go down and come back up to a bullet through the skull. He softly whispers a prayer for the family man before lifting his M40A3 rifle. The rest of the men come into view, six men in total, and he knocks them down like he was at target practice.

It goes quiet, and the wind slows down to nothing. The dust storm that kicked up for all of five minutes now is just little tufts passing through the center of the buildings. When it calmed enough, and no movement could be heard, Kill hops over the fence door towards his team. Everyone slowly stands up, cutting themselves out of the net, if necessary. Looking around, they all notice their fallen comrade Rodriguez.

Shaking his head, Kill made his decision. It's time to move on. He couldn't keep doing this to himself. He is one of the first to lean over and pick up Rodriguez; another two guys help him. Walking back to their vehicle, he knows this will be the last mission he ever takes. Killmonger dies here.

Erik startles himself awake. He realizes he is on the couch, a blue screen on the TV. Who knows how long ago that movie ended? He never dreams about his last mission. The one that earned him a medal and leave the military as a hero. Running his hands through his unruly dreads, he swings his legs off the couch and stands up. Killmonger was never supposed to return.

He meant that shit, he never raised a gun with the same intent after that. Even though he was always packing because of his jobs, his ruthless killing days had long been over. Almost 20 years, and yet it felt like no time passed at all. He walks to the bathroom and splashes cold water on his face. The scared expression on LaNyah’s face as she looks at him at the warehouse flashes across his mind’s eye. He looks into the mirror and sighs.  

--- Two Weeks Later ---

LaNyah opens her eyes to find herself staring at familiar concrete walls. She’s back in the basement. Running her hands along her body, the same outfit she was wearing the day Gina set up her kidnapping from the parking lot outside her favorite market. She gets up, pacing the floor, hands touching the walls as she makes her way around the small room. LaNyah reaches the window that is too high for her to see outside before hearing the gunfire above.

She turns to the door of her room as a big bang crashes outside in the narrow hallway. LaNyah stands back as she waits for the door to clatter against the wall as he storms in. Erik bursts through the doorway, calling her name and extending his hand out for her to come with him. He patiently waits until she reaches for his hand. She doesn’t wait as long tonight. They walk out of the warehouse together, hand-in-hand.

LaNyah runs her hands across her face before sitting up in her bed. The light blue walls of her bedroom and the early morning sun greeting her once again. It’s the same dream she has had every night since coming home. Sometimes she finds herself in the warehouse, in the first small room without an IV. Then she hears all the gunfire again before the room to the door opens, revealing Erik.  

It’s always him, no matter how the scenario plays out. LaNyah is locked up somewhere, no way to get out on her own. Erik finding and bringing her to safety. Each time, every night. There is never anyone else. It is always just the two of them. What does this even mean?  Why does she keep dreaming about Erik? LaNyah shakes her head. She doesn't have time to analyze her dreams again this morning.

Rising from her bed, LaNyah prepares for her day. Today, she is meeting up with Stacey and Ashley for lunch. Everything has settled at work enough for them to get together.  

---

LaNyah arrives at the entrance to the restaurant at the same time as Stacey. Quickly, they greet one another, and notice Ashley being taken to their table. The two follow behind, shocking the other woman as she slides in to take her seat.

"You two nuts," Ashley calls out to them as they burst into a giggling fit while sharing hugs.

Stacey and LaNyah sit across from Ashley; they all order water before the host disappears.

"So, what's up? How are you two doing?" Ashley starts. LaNyah looks to Stacey so she can answer first. She knows this lunch will eventually turn to focus on her, giving her time to get it together before the inquisition begins. She picks up her menu, pretending to look it over even though she already knows what she wants.

"Busy. You know your husband has never had someone oversee an entire department like this before. Although it's new and exciting, playing catch up has been a bit draining." She smiles, continuing, "And having this lady around has definitely been helpful. That was one team I didn't have to worry about. Since I taught her everything, she knows."

LaNyah bumps shoulders with Stacey. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

Their waitress shows up with their water and to take their orders. The Cheesecake Factory is the perfect ladies who lunch type spot. So, they all splurged for a decadent pasta dish and their favorite drinks off the menu.

When the waitress leaves, Ashley continues. “Nyah. How have you been?”

“Good. I’ve just been helping Stacey adjust to being one of us again. You know that penthouse view had her forgetting basic stuff like running reports.”

"Really, Nyah? It’s like that.”

“You started it first.” Sitting up straight, “I taught her everything she knows.” Mimicking Stacey and laughing at her unimpressed face.

Ashley watches the two of them together. Acting like sisters more than friends. She smiles at this. LaNyah has a friend, someone else that she can count on when she needs help. Hearing about it and observing it are two very different things, but she is glad to have witnessed this.

LaNyah does not appear to be stressed or bothered about anything, and that makes Ashley happy. Stacey has been a significant influence on her during the short time that they have been working closely together. The fact that LaNyah let her in so quickly is a testament to how much she is growing as a person. Sipping her peach Bellini, she lets the two continue to bicker across from her.

“Ashley, you know I’m right.” Stacey grabs Ashley’s attention back into the conversation at hand.

“About what?”

“You didn’t hear what she just said to me?” Ashley shakes her head. “Go ahead and repeat it.”

“Nah, I’m good.” LaNyah picks up her hibiscus lemonade and takes a sip, batting her eyes at the two of them. Setting her glass down, “Oh, Ashley. You will be happy to know that I finally started some self-defense classes.”

"Really? That's great." Smile widening as LaNyah beams with pride. "Just self-defense or something in particular?"

"Self-defense for now. But who knows, maybe I will take on kickboxing or something. It is nice to have a physically active hobby, though." Everyone nods their heads in agreement.  

Another waiter arrives with their entrees, so the conversation fades out as they all start to eat their meals. After a few quiet moments of eating and drinking, Ashley clears her throat, gaining everyone's attention. Stacey wipes her mouth, and LaNyah puts down her fork.

"How do you feel about everything that happened earlier this month?" Ashley slowly advances the conversation to her primary concern. She knows Nyah knows it’s for her, watching as she picks up her drink before answering.

“I’m ok.” Ashley inclines her head at her, “No, I am really. I bought another journal so that I could start writing about whatever feelings and things come up from the whole ordeal.”

“Well, that’s good. And especially smart to separate it from the rest of your other journals.” Ashley bobs her head in thought. “Anything that you want to share?”

LaNyah shakes her head, "Not really. I mean, it reads more like any other journal that I keep." Using her spoon, she twirls her pasta onto her fork, "There were a lot of entries right after the kidnapping, but it's kind of dwindled to a thought or two every couple of days."

“So, coming back to work when you did really helped then?” Stacey asks.

"Yeah, it did. Stacey was not trying to coddle me, which made it even easier to get back to the life I was creating before it all happened."

"That's wonderful, Nyah." Ashley takes her hand, "I'm thrilled to hear that."

“Would you ladies care for any cheesecake or a refill?” With big, bright smiles all around the table, they each accept a dessert menu as the waiter collects their plates for bagging and glasses for refills.

Over pieces of fresh strawberry and chocolate tuxedo cream cheesecake, they just enjoy the delicious sweet treat. LaNyah sits back with her spoon in her mouth, watching Ashley, who has become her mother-figure over the years. She killed for her, and she would forever be grateful to her for being a dedicated presence in her life.

Then there's Stacey, who she has known for years; she trained her for her current position. But working together these last few months, they have built a genuine friendship and sisterly type bond. She really does consider Stacey, her best friend. These strong women are who she sees herself becoming as she continues to grow.

"So, how's Erik?" LaNyah's spoon clatters to the table at the question Stacey asked. Both women look her way, as she quietly apologizes and sets the spoon right in front of her.

“He’s fine. Taking some time off before his next consulting job.” Ashley answers.

“That’s good. I bet he needed that after everything that happened.” LaNyah raises her eyes at that comment.

"Everything that happened? Nothing happened to him." She lowers her voice feeling her anger rise. "I was the one used as a pawn in someone’s deadly game of revenge. Not him.”

Ashley inhales deeply before responding to her. "LaNyah, I know, sweetheart. We all went through it while you were gone. Trust me when I say no was more affected by it than Erik."

“Erik. Why are we even discussing him?" Exasperated, LaNyah throws down her napkin. "His job's over, case closed and now he's gone. I don't see the need to bring him up anymore."

“Nyah, are you ok?”

“I’d be better if we could change the topic.” She shakes her head, “Actually, you know what I think I’m just gonna go.”

“Nyah, come on. We can talk about something else. What about the upcoming Paint & Sip, you and I are attending later this week? Maybe Ashley would want to go with us?” Stacey looks at Ashley as they watch LaNyah collect her things to leave.

“That sounds like fun. I would love to go.” Ashley gently touches LaNyah’s arm, halting her movement. “Nyah, you don’t have to go.”

"No, I think I should." She grabs her purse and stands as much as possible. Stacey gets up since she was on the end. "Just let me know my share of lunch, and I will send the money to you." Ashley stands up as well.

LaNyah gives them both hugs and says she will let them know when she gets home. Ashley and Stacey watch together as LaNyah run walks out of the restaurant. They sit back down and share the same puzzled look.

“So, Erik?” Stacey says with her glass of wine up.

“I guess I found out what she hasn’t worked through after the whole ordeal.” Ashley spoons a strawberry into her mouth.

--- Two Nights Earlier ---

Erik is sitting at a back table in the steakhouse that Green brought him to only a few months ago. He thought it would be fitting that this whole situation started here and end in the same space. He lifts the tumbler of whiskey to his lips, taking a sip when he notices Ashley and Alex approaching the table.

He stands when they arrive, hugging Ashley and shaking hands with Alex. They all settle into the booth with Ashley in the middle and the men on her sides. She orders a Washington Apple Martini on the rocks. Alex pours himself a drink from the bottle of whiskey Erik had on the table.

“Feeling better?” Ashley questions Erik.

"Yeah, much more like myself. Thanks." Ashley's drink arrives, and they all place their dinner orders. "So, I finished up my final report and will have that sent to your office.”

“Good. The meeting with Matt went well. So, he pled guilty in court and will start serving his time soon.” Alex responds.

“I heard about that. I assumed it would be a month or so before he was arraigned in court.” Erik returns, then holding his hand out to Alex across the table, "I also wanted to let you know that we are even."

Alex nods his head and takes Erik's hand in a firm shake. The same way they made that unspoken promise so many years ago. It has now been paid in full. “I’ll be expecting your invoice soon.”

Erik looks over at Ashley, “Nah, this was personal. I’m not charging you for anything.”

“Erik-”

“I’m not taking your money, Green.” He waves off his comment, “I was going to, but when I found out it affected all of us. None of that mattered anymore. My main concern was making sure that we all could continue living our lives without looking over our shoulders." Picking up his tumbler, "This was as much for me as it was for you two." Everyone at the table nods in agreement.

Their entrees arrive, and the table goes silent for a few minutes. Wiping off her mouth, Ashley taps Alex on his thigh to get his attention. She nods towards Erik. He shakes his head at her. Her eyes widen in question. Alex touches her arm and points at her plate. She huffs and starts picking at her food. A soft chuckle reaches them from the other end of the booth.

"Go ahead, Ashley." With a caught expression, she looks up at Erik. "You have questions and want answers. So, go ahead and ask."

"What about LaNyah?" Erik smirks knowingly. "I mean, are you going to talk to her before you leave?"

“Only if she wants to speak with me.” He puts his fork and knife down on his plate.

“You don’t think you should do something now?” Ashley sets her napkin to the side of her plate.

“You make it sound like I don’t want to speak to her.” Erik reaches for his drink, “You don’t have her look of pure terror stuck in your head. She didn’t dodge every effort you made to help her once she was safe and sound. She’s not afraid of you.”

“She’s not afraid of you.” Erik rolls his eyes at that. “Erik, she doesn’t know how she feels about you anymore.”

“You are very right about that. Gina definitely made sure that I suffer. I will give the bitch that much.” He raises his glass in salute. “If LaNyah wasn’t scared of me before then, whatever Gina told her before we arrived got the job done.”

“You can’t possibly believe that?” Alex asks.

"What that Gina didn't say anything to her?" He bites back a cold laugh, "I know everyone heard her call me LaNyah's Killer lover. Why would she reference my military moniker except to prove a point? Tell her the only reason I didn't kill her was that LaNyah was there in front of her."

“Erik, we all had our guns aimed at Gina." Ashley states.

“Ashley, I’m a trained assassin. You really think that I could not have gotten a shot off without harming LaNyah?”

Ashley sighs impatiently. “That’s not the point, Erik, and you know it.”

"Look, I know everyone wants this to be tied up in a pretty bow, and that LaNyah will be able to see me for who I am. But I just don't see it happening that way." Exhaling deeply, "I will always be open to speaking with her, but only if that is what she wants. Like I told Stacey, I’m not forcing anything. I fucked up long before we knew she was a pawn and taken to lure all of us. If she never wanted to speak to me again, it would suck. But I would deal with it.”

“You mean, you would watch her from a careful distance?” Alex scoffs.  

“Damn right.” Finishing his current drink, Erik tops it off from the nearly empty bottle.

“Okay, okay.” Alex taps Ashley on the leg, “We’ll leave it alone. Just make sure that you make yourself available when she is ready.”

"Of course." Erik picks up his utensils and returns to his meal. They all quietly finish up dinner, knowing that they won't get anything more out of the brick wall sitting at the table. Ashley grabs Alex's hand under the table.

--- Monday Morning ---

Alex calls Stacey into his office. When she arrives, she sees Ashley seated in front of the desk next to him.

"I take it we are not about to discuss the accounting teams today?" Placing her meeting items down on the coffee table. She takes a seat on the couch across from them.

"Not today. We feel there is something more important that we should be doing right now." Alex responds. "The restructuring can wait another few weeks since business is running as usual again."

Stacey picks up her coffee and speaks over it, "Then, our star-crossed lovers?” She smiles into the streaming mug as Ashley's face falls. Alex turns away at her comment.

“That’s not funny, Stacey.” Ashley hits Alex, who is coughing to cover up his laughter.

“Okay, okay.” He clears his throat, “Yes, Stacey. We are concerned about them.”

“You recall what lunch with LaNyah was like. She is holding a lot of anger towards Erik.” Ashley states. “And I’m not sure she has truly dealt with what happened to her.”

"Can you blame her? From what you told me, that scary bitch used her as a shield, and all three of you held guns on them."

Alex nods and shrugs. “That’s true. But Erik also was the only one to put his guns down and offered himself up in her place.” He looks at Ashley, “We never lifted our guns off of them.”

"Well, damn. He really does care about her.” Stacey puts her coffee down. "So, what can we do? Erik's gone back home, and LaNyah doesn't want to talk about him or what happened.”

“Actually, Erik’s still here. We had dinner with him last week.” Ashley says. “Watching her at lunch, I got a real sense of déjà vu,” she rolls her eyes. “He believes that she would be better off without him, and she avoids talking about him. Which lets me know that they both are thinking about the other.”

“We want to get them together to talk.” Alex blurts.

"And you think it's a good idea for them to have this discussion before Erik leaves?" Stacey inquires, and they both bob their heads. "I don't know. Those two are all about control, and they do it in such different ways."

Alex sits forward. “Erik still needs to send me his final report. It would be easy to get him to the office.”

"And you can set up a meeting to talk with LaNyah about her work," Ashley adds.

“So, you just wanted me to know what you have planned.” Stacey sits back into the couch.

“Yes, but we also want you to keep this to yourself until we can get them up here next week," Ashley confirms.

Stacey looks at the both of them, "You agreed to this, sir?”

“We're back to, sir? Ok, I know you feel some type of way about this.”

"Of course, Nyah doesn't like change, remember, and she shut him out for weeks over a slight that she didn't understand. This could backfire in a really big way and hurt them both." Stacey retorts.

“I know, I know. But I think they both just need a little push.” Ashley tells her.

"I want to see them win, too. But I don't feel good about this approach. We really should let them find their way to one another."

“And they can. After they finally face one another and have some kind of chat.” Ashley pleads with Stacey, “Please say you’ll help us.”

Huffing out in frustration, Stacey gets up and grabs her things, “Ok fine. I’m in.” She gets to the door, “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Chapter 14

Taglist: @killmongersaidheyauntie @muse-of-mbaku @panthergoddessbast @youreadthatright @princessstevens @nahimjustfeelingit-writes @stark-red19 @kreolemami @bidibidibombaclaat @iamrheaspeaks @missumuch1918 @simplyyamberr @cheychey10142 @ajspencer1892 @chrismarcs @loosewindmill @sydneebleu @semianta @eyeknowmywrites @alexundefined @itsjustmezari @goddessofthundathighs @guccixcucci @kissmyafropuff @gimmeface @fd-writes @jozigrrl @soufcakmistress @scrumptiouslytenaciouscrusade @shaekingshitup @localtrapgod @post-woke @theesotericqueen

[foxes-evermore]

It wasn’t entirely their fault. “You missed a spot there,” Dan said, indicating on her own neck where the concealer Aaron had hastily dabbed on this morning had rubbed thin. Allison snorted and tapped Renee’s shoulder, pointing with her water bottle, “there, yeah, I see it too. Didn’t know sweet little Katelyn was into into that.” “Shut up,” he said, quickly ridding the panic from his expression and getting up to leave. “Don’t go.” Matt grinned, “you know, it was a rough game yesterday, some bruises are to be expected.” Aaron overheard part of another comment from Dan, and then the sound of his roommate’s laughter before the door closed and hid Aaron’s furious flushed face from them. He put a hand up to his neck, feeling for the mark that was there. For a moment he closed his eyes and was still and allowed his heart to race at the memory of chapped lips and hands and heat, and then he cursed and snuck down the hall into the girls’ empty dorm. He’d pay them back for the makeup later. It wasn’t entirely Andrew’s fault. They hadn’t been to Columbia in almost a month because everyone was busy studying for tests and whatnot- even Kevin was worn out at the end of practice everyday. He was glad to be going now, even though he had to ride crammed between Nicky and the door in the maserati and even though the ice cream at Sweetie’s and the loud music at Eden’s weren’t really his scene. The dim lighting at the club and the mass of moving bodies made it easy to slip away unnoticed. Not that they had to sneak around. Just that it was easier this way, for both of them. They didn’t have to answer questions or deal with gawking teammates. The two had almost lost themselves in the alcohol on each others’ breath when Kevin opened his eyes and spotted Aaron across the room. He narrowed his eyes and straightened up to look, earning him a protest from the boy in his arms. The little blond head looked over, directly at them, and then bobbed through the crowd, seeming to go back towards the tables. Not Aaron. Obviously it was not Aaron. He watched Andrew disappear and then shook the thought from his mind and turned his attention back to his previous engagement. It seemed their peace was not meant to be kept that night though, with the way a hand tangled itself in his hair and gripped tight and pulled. Kevin was turned around, dragged down to eye level. There was Andrew again, now much closer. Right in the taller boy’s face, in fact. He kept one hand still in Kevin’s hair and waved a knife with the other “fuck- Andrew, what the fuck?” A voice behind Kevin demanded angrily. Andrew’s attention didn’t leave Kevin's face though. He scanned it with cold eyes, locked onto the tattoo on his cheek, appearing for an interval to be almost confused. They had hid this from him. Of course he was surprised, and most likely pissed. Not necessarily because he really cared. Only because he made it a habit to know things. Andrew made a rude sound and pressed the knife to Kevin’s throat nearly hard enough to draw blood. He didn’t say anything, didn’t have to. Kevin knew that was the only warning he’d get. It wasn’t entirely Neil’s fault. Aaron hated French. Hated everything about the language. Hated how it sounded and how it looked on paper. It was like grammatical filigree, full of unnecessary lines and flourishes. He found himself learning it, though. Little phrases at first- just enough to be able to curse, and then really mean it when he follows it up with “pardon my french”. That, and he’d be lying if he said it wasn’t convenient to be able to eavesdrop on Neil and Kevin (even if they only talked exy 90% of the time). So here he was, headphones around his neck playing music and his elbow on the table with his cheek on his fist, jotting down notes on flashcards and half-listening to them talk about which pro-team Kevin should join when he graduates, even though that was still a year or two away. It was something Aaron tried not to think about, Kevin leaving. Not seeing him around the fox tower or on the court anymore. What would the foxhole court even be like once Kevin Day stepped off of it as Palmetto State’s #2 Striker for the last time? He took a deep breath, took a shot and then tried to focus on his cards. Aaron almost smiled to himself at the way Kevin reached over, unthinking, and refilled the small glass for him while still rambling on about- The tip of lead in Aaron’s mechanical pencil broke. He wasn’t fluent in french, but he caught on that Neil was talking about that team. “Thea.” Aaron hadn’t meant to speak. Eyes were on him now, though. Nicky, who looked up from his call with Erik out of curiosity. Andrew, who probably understood about as much of the conversation as Aaron had, and who now tracked his brother and Kevin with measuring eyes. Neil, who had just been about to ask if Kevin was considering joining Muldani’s team. And Kevin. Kevin, who looked surprised. Kevin, who looked cautious. Kevin, who looked as if he wanted to say something, but who knew better in their present company. Aaron cleared his throat, adjusted his headphones, gestured between Kevin and Neil and said, “you were… thinking about playing for the same pro team as Thea? That’s what you guys were… talking about?” “No,” Kevin answered them, “I, uh, I have a few other teams lined up to choose from.” It was enough to bore Nicky and enough to appease Andrew. Neil just nodded and kept talking stats. Kevin went back to bickering with him. Under the table, a fingernail traced a line across Aaron’s knee. He put his free hand down too and laced their fingers together, giving Kevin’s hand a gentle squeeze, which was immediately returned. The fear in him quieted. It wasn’t entirely Nicky’s fault. Kevin didn’t hate Nicky. He was a bit much, a bit loud, a bit all over the place. But he was also the kind of person that grew on you in the oddest way imaginable. Nicky was a half-awake late night run to the convenient store for a bag of ice in the middle of summer. He was a companion on the couch to point out all the obvious references that Kevin didn’t catch from the movies he didn’t get to watch when he was growing up at Evermore. He was someone who cared freely and without hesitation. But he was also someone who never knew when to fucking shut up. Maybe it was Kevin’s fault. They were all dead on their feet on the court. He had been pushing for longer practices and harder drills since they were nearing their final game of the year and were going to play against the Trojans. It made the rest of the foxes down right irritable. But this was the atmosphere in which Nicky seemed to thrive. The more upset people became, the harder he tried to lighten their spirits. He pulled out all the stops. Brought out all the jokes and jibes in his arsenal. Unfortunately, he became even more amorous as well. He clung mostly to Matt, because Matt was kinder- probably even reminded him a little of Erik in some ways. But every now and then he sent an overly dramatic wink towards Kevin. Blew kisses. He whistled and whooped at him across the court when Kevin made a shot at the goal or perfected a technique. It was obvious that it was upsetting Aaron. Kevin had to give Nicky credit, though, it wasn’t until they were getting ready to head to the locker rooms that he really damned himself. Kevin couldn’t bring himself to care when a hand slapped his shoulder and he heard Nicky say “looking good, baby,” as he passed by. He did, however, catch the tuft of blond hair dart by from the corner of his eye. Aaron tripped over a fallen racquet on his way to tackling Nicky, though, and he went down. The older boy spun around at the sound of his cousin yelping in pain and quickly bent down to help him but Aaron just pushed him away. “Fuck off,” he growled, attempting to stand up but landing hard on his ass again. Kevin saw him press a hand to his ankle and wince. He quickly position himself in between his boyfriend and Nicky, scooping Aaron up and gently caring him off the court, setting him on a bench so that he could survey the damage. The foxes were gathering around them. “Are you okay, baby?” Kevin asked, loud enough to stop the others in their tracks. Aaron had been trying to stand again but promptly toppled over at this. Kevin caught him by the arms. “I- my, um- my ankle,” Aaron stuttered, blood rushing to his face and making him red from the tips of his ears down to his chest. Everyone was behind him, so when Kevin smiled, only Aaron saw it. Aaron blinked at the realization that he liked it that way. This wasn’t Kevin’s over animated camera smile. It wasn’t his murderous “wake me up one more time before noon, I dare you” smile. It wasn’t the smile that accompanied his nervous laughter in a fit of panic. It was real, and it was rare, and Aaron wondered how long it had been stifled before Kevin had switched teams. The thought broke his heart. Kevin had knelt down and was checking Aaron’s ankle, but he stood up again now, and as he stood he swept his arms under Aaron’s knees and shoulders, effectively lifting him off the ground once more. “Come on, Baby,” Kevin said, “we’ll get changed and go home so you can prop it up.” Everyone was watching, they had to be. It felt somehow like a tidal wave and a weight off both of their chests all at once. Let them look. Kevin was his. A sense of belonging settled over Aaron. He briefly wondered if this was what Neil felt all times Aaron had seen him fiddling with his keys. It made him hate the small striker a bit less. Because he understood now. It felt like he was coming home. It was all Kevin’s fault.