Something wasn't right when you woke up the next morning. Namely, you'd somehow found yourself atop an extremely toned, extremely bare chest. Your mind short-circuited for a moment- there was simply no way you had slept on top of James, especially not after explicitly telling him you didn't want to cuddle. Right?

You must have still been asleep or something, because such a circumstance could only ever occur in your dreams. Further investigating this idea, you gave the firm surface beneath you a tentative poke, only to feel hard, warm, real flesh. What the fuck...

To say your face was on fire would've been an understatement, but that was fine because James was still asleep. You could carefully crawl off of him, and he'd never even know you were-

"Why'd you poke me, hon?"

Goddammit. For the first time since you'd been awake, your sleepy eyes moved at a snail's pace to meet his extremely alert ones. How long had he been up? How long had he seen you curled up on his chest like some human body pillow? His smug grin answered your unspoken queries sufficiently enough, and truthfully, you wouldn't have minded if the bed decided to swallow whole.

One of his hands reached to ruffle your hair, and you realized you'd yet to remove yourself from your far too intimate position. You rolled off of him clumsily in a hasty blur, tangling yourself in his expensive sheets all while sputtering incoherent apologies and words. "I didn't- wasn't when I was- you- why on top?"

Your morning voice was groggy and scratchy as expected, and you shut your eyes tightly in mortification as you waited for James to lay into you for... well, for every humiliating thing you'd done this morning. A few moments of silence passed, allowing you to naively believe maybe he wouldn't tear into you this time, but soon enough the sound of his robust laughter filled the room.

"Jesus, (Y/n)- the manly voice is even funnier in person... and you look insane," he managed to voice through his frankly villainous giggle-fit.

Momentarily foregoing your immense embarrassment, you opened your eyes so you could send a proper glare at the man who was now sitting up and clutching his side as he chuckled. His unclothed, extremely muscular side. His unclothed, extremely muscular side that you had just a few minutes ago been slumbering atop of... and there the embarrassment was again! Damn him.

"You were wearing a shirt when we got in bed," you grumbled. "Slut..."

"Yeah, well, it got hot," he responded, thankfully having missed your final, mumbled accusation. "I usually sleep with a shirt off when I share the bed, so I didn't think this would be an issue. Sorry."

"'Didn't think this would be an issue' my ass," you mocked him sorely.

He stared back at you amusedly, though something very briefly flashed in his eyes that you didn't miss. You didn't think much of it, preoccupied with your conflicting feelings regarding this distressful morning and, more specifically, James' last few words to you.

You were well aware that he'd very casually dated and therefore slept with plenty of beautiful women in his life, hence his whole 'when I share the bed' comment. You'd never been introduced to these partners, as they were never anything serious and not something James ever really discussed with you, anyway. Still, you'd been able to infer what he was doing because you'd spotted the remnants of his affairs on occasion throughout his apartment (forgotten lip gloss, discarded fake lashes, and- every once in a while- a lacy bra or two).

What had you feeling conflicted was the absence of the understandable pangs of jealousy and rejection you often felt when reminded of James' sexual escapades. It wasn't that you held it against him or the women he was seeing- just because you were reserving such activities for him, it didn't mean he had to do the same for you. You weren't dating, and he should get to enjoy himself. Also, he was an objectively attractive man, so you couldn't blame women for wanting a piece. Still, it had always been at least a little bit upsetting to think about.

Today though, you felt relatively unaffected. There was no pang of jealousy, no sadness that he still wasn't choosing you, and no picturing yourself in the women's shoes. Huh. You supposed that maybe your being the one to wake up with him this time was likely the reason you didn't experience those uglier feelings, but you made a mental note to potentially discuss this with Sarah and Benny the next time you spoke with them.

That being settled, you were back to frowning at James, though the expression was a bit more teasing now than it was genuine. "I said no cuddling, mister."

"Hey, I woke up with you on top of me. You looked so cute and peaceful, I couldn't bring myself to wake you."

A flush dusted his cheeks, and you realized with further confusion that you had no similar reaction. Those words should've had you bashful as fuck, but instead, you just felt sorta... generally flattered? Your brain and heart were so fried.

"I thought I was a manly sleeper, not a cute one."

"Two things can be true at once."

"Right," you sulked, although, there it was! That was you didn't feel so flustered- because you could feel the oncoming teasing that prevented you from really relishing in the compliment. Internal conflict solved, and now you could move on. "What time is it? It's still dark outside."

He paused at the quick subject change, but still reached to his bedside table where both of your phones sat charging. He grabbed yours and tapped to check the time, brows furrowing at what he saw.

"Who's 'sunshine' in your phone, hon?" he asked, unlocking your phone and beginning to scroll continuously through a text conversation. "Cause, uh, I'm a bit worried..."

"Oh, that's Angel," you responded, worry increasing the longer he scrolled. He was probably just being dramatic, but you still felt uneasy. "Um... is he okay? He seemed fine last night and just missed me, but you're kinda freaking me out."

James handed you your phone with a deep frown. "Yeah, he definitely missed you. He's acting like a toddler being separated from their parents for the first time. He always so needy?"

You didn't answer, entirely focused on your phone.

6:37 - sunshine ☀️

- i love you

You checked the time stamp- he must've sent this message right as your phone died. You felt your stomach drop, already beginning to understand your accidental mistake.

6:39 - sunshine ☀️

- you didn't say it back 🙁

6:44 - sunshine ☀️

- wait, are you mad at me?

- im so sorry cutie pie!💞

7:08 - sunshine ☀️

- sorry to spam

- it's just i saw you read the text and im confused why you left me on read

7:45 - sunshine ☀️

- maybe you turned your phone off for bed?

- it's too early though

- you should keep it on for your safety

8:00 - sunshine ☀️

- and cause it hurts when you ignore me

10:02 - sunshine ☀️

- please (y/n) we can talk

- why aren't you reading these?

- you're being kind of mean right now

12:34 - sunshine ☀️

- friends reply (y/n)

- this isn't like you

- i'm getting scared precious

- are you in danger?

"Fuck me," you winced, skimming the rest of the frantic messages,. "I fucked up, Jamie. Can you please take me home?"

"Now?" James questioned. "It's like 4:30."

"I know, I'm sorry. I just have a feeling Angel's at my apartment." James narrowed his eyes at you, clearly both displeased and confused by your hypothesis. "He still has the key from when he was living with me- that doesn't matter, though, okay- just- I really fucked up so I need to-"

"How did you fuck up? He's the one freaking out-"

"No, I know," you groaned. "He's definitely reacting more than a better-adjusted adult would, but Angel never really learned healthy attachment. I'm usually better- I usually don't mess up like this. Shit." James looked even more displeased, but that was the least of your current concerns. "So can we go? Like, right now? I don't even need to get changed first let's just-"

"Yeah, okay. Fine," he yawned with a deep stretch, rolling out of bed and pulling on his discarded shirt over his pajama pants. "I'm not gonna fly you though. I'm not on the clock yet and I still don't want you to be seen with Megistos in public. We'll take a car."

You both quickly headed downstairs where James had the valet bring out one of his cars, opening the door for you and guiding you inside with a hand on the small of your back. You were a bundle of nerves the whole ride as you fiddled with your fingers, and at one point James had even placed a hand on your knee in what you surmised was an attempt to soothe you. You hardly acknowledged it, too anxious to fully appreciate the gesture, though in the corner of your eye you'd caught him staring at you almost expectantly before sighing and returning his attention to the road.

As soon as the car pulled up and parked in front of your home you were unbuckled and out of your seat. You uttered a quick thanks to James, barely hearing his "I love you, be safe," as the door to your apartment stairs shut behind you.

You rushed upstairs to find your front door slightly ajar, and you allowed yourself to slow down as you opened it further and crept inside, surveying your living space for any signs of an upset Angel. You didn't see anything too alarming aside from the now-shut front door, but you picked up on soft whimpers coming from behind your closed bedroom door. You took a deep, self-loathing breath before making your way over and peering inside your room.

There lay Angel, curled up in a ball on your bed while clutching your pillow and sobbing into it quietly. His pearly wings draped across your sheets as he faced away from you, and under different circumstances, you might've been tempted to snap a picture of the unintentionally beautiful scene. You could fawn over him later, though, for now you needed to help calm him down.

You slowly padded towards him a placed a hand gently on his arm, whispering to avoid startling him. "Hi, Ang. I'm so sorry-"

"(Y/n)?" he sniffled, instantly shooting up and grabbing you tightly by the upper arms.

His were eyes wide and red-rimmed as they met yours, and traces of white light emanated around his tousled hair like a halo. It came as no surprise to you that Angel made one of the prettiest criers you'd ever seen, but his beauty failed to mask his pain- evidenced in his trembling lip and knitted brows. He lifted a hand to softly cup your cheek, maneuvering your face around delicately and studying it.

"You're okay? You're really here?" he asked softly, and almost reverently.

"Yeah, I'm here," you nodded faintly, placing your hand atop his on your cheek like a physical confirmation of your words. "And I'm so, so sorry. Really. My phone died and I didn't check it until this morning. I shouldn't have been that careless with you, so I'm-"

"Do you still love me?"

You blinked at the interruption, slightly taken aback by the desperation in his voice. "Yeah, Angel. Of course I do."

Tears pooled in his eyes again as he shook his head. "No, say it. Please. Please, (Y/n)."

"O-oh, okay, sorry. I love you," you began, kicking yourself for how wobbly your voice sounded. He still looked crestfallen, so you attempted again, this time more firmly. "I love you, Angel."

"Okay. Okay, thank you. I'm sorry I freaked out."

You frowned at what you deemed to be an unecessary apology. "No, it's okay."

"It's not, and you look so upset... I overreacted, didn't I? If you don't wanna be my friend anymore I get it-" his voice cracked and he looked away from you pitifully, holding back another sob. You felt him try to retract his hand from your cheek, but you refused to release it from yours as you sat down beside him.

"No, please don't say that. I'm sorry I seem upset, it's just so early in the morning, still. I'm a bit tired and, I think I just got really scared when I read your texts because I could tell I'd hurt you. You came off kinda strong but you're not-" you paused to yawn- "not gonna get rid of me that easily. I know you're just sensitive, and I value that in you. Okay?"

"Okay," he agreed as you yawned again, his smile slowly returning as your eyes began to grow heavy. "I thought you hated me or something..."

"No... no, Ang. Never," you mumbled, your stress leaving your body and your exhaustion catching up to you now that you knew for certain Angel was safe and okay. You sleepily leaned into his hand still sweetly holding your cheek, and you found yourself beginning to ramble aimlessly. "I know you didn't mean to, but your texts... made me feel so bad, sunshine. 'N wanted to cry for you... m'so sorry."

"No," Angel gasped, a low, pained sound. "I made you feel bad?"

"No, not on purpose... know you wouldn't guilt me on purpose," you elaborated rather poorly with a weak smile as you struggled to remain upright, ultimately electing to wrap your arms around him as a makeshift crutch.

He reciprocated your hug, arms encasing you snugly as he tucked his head into your neck. "I wouldn't. Of course I wouldn't. I never want to make you upset, even though it's nice to hear your reassurances sometimes."

"Oh, I can reassure you more then...?" you ventured unsurely. You were hardly conscious at this point, but your offer still gave you a slight pause as you voiced it. You doubted it was physically possible to reassure Angel more than you already did, and also wondered what more he could even want more reassurance about.

"Okay." You could hear the smile in Angel's voice, and you giggled both out of relief and deliriousness as you clutched onto him tighter. "Aww, you're so sleepy, aren't you, cutie? Can I spend the rest of the night here?"

"Mmm, I dunno, Ang," you murmured, pulling away to meet his eyes with your drooping ones. "Maybe this all happened because we don't have-" a yawn snuck past your lips "-many boundaries, 'n are too dependent on each other..."

Angel frowned, chewing his lip guiltily, maybe? You were too tired to tell.

"Okay, I get it. I'm just still a little upset and... I'm hurt, I guess. Um, I'm really tired too. But I'll go if you really want me to." He spoke with a bleak uncertainty, which you guiltily attributed to your own mistakes that night.

You hugged him again remorsefully, speaking into his shoulder. "I'm sorry, 'course you can stay... 'n we can talk about boundaries later. What time d'you go into work?"

"I think I'll call out. Can I stay around the shop with you?"

"Um... dunno... 'cause what about boundaries and healthy... um, healthy dis-"

He shushed you sweetly. "Let's just sleep for now, cuddle bug. We can talk tomorrow, right?"

"Oh yeah," you agreed easily, your eyes now nearly unable to keep themselves open.

You were putty in his arms as he maneuvered you beneath your covers, though he paused before entirely tucking both of your bodies in.

"Woah, are you wearing a guy's shirt, (Y/n)? And you're not wearing pants either? Wait- why weren't you home tonight?"

Huh. Angel sure was yapping a lot for someone who'd just claimed to be 'really tired.' Clearly, you were similarly exhausted, but you found no such success in expressing anything remotely coherent as you responded. You could only manage to mumble half-answers as your consciousness began to drift away and you shut your eyes: "Jamie's. His shirt, 'cause- was sleeping with him."

"What? You slept with him?" you heard Angel ask.

"Mhm, but don't worry. Not good at cuddling like you, just... weird."

You were inches from dreamland now, unaware of the terror etching itself across Angel's face as he sat up. "Um, can you please explain a bit better, (Y/n)?"

"M'sleepy, Ang," you grunted in slight annoyance, curling further into your sheets. "You said talk tomorrow, remember?"

"But-"

"Shh. Love you, 'kay? Night."

...

"No, (Y/n), please just..." Angel stopped, blinking in a slight panic at your now dormant features. "Okay, sorry, um- I love you, too. I really love you."

His shaky hand found your cheek with a ghostlike touch as he tried to regulate his breathing. You were wearing another man's shirt and you'd 'slept' with him? Did you mean like a sleepover- what you did with Angel- or did you mean the other kind of sleeping with someone? Angel didn't know which answer would leave him more devastated- which didn't make sense.

He understood why the first scenario would be hurtful. Of course he didn't want you having sleepovers with other people, because that was your special thing with him, your best friend. What confused him was the fact that the mere possibility of the second option occurring also had his blood boiling and his heart-shattering. Seriously- the more he pictured you wrapped intimately in someone else arms- making love to them- the more he felt like he was gonna puke up his guts.

He knew it wasn't right of him. You weren't even dating him- you weren't- so Angel didn't have any say over who you shared your body with. Still... why couldn't you come to him with all your wants and needs like he did with you? When he wanted cuddles, hugs, friend kisses- he always went to you. So, if you wanted that, then couldn't you come to him?

No. Obviously you couldn't, so you wouldn't- you'd made that clear to him on day one. Some things were only for couples. Right? Your words rang through his mind almost tauntingly- 'No funny business with my lips or neck or anything.' Right. So, definitely nothing beyond that either. And that made perfect sense- friends didn't do those things, nor did they want to do those things.

Angel knew all of this, and he completely understood! He was your best friend, and he was honored to hold such a title. He'd dropped the whole 'crush' thing as soon as you'd asked him to, and he genuinely believed you when you told him you were better off as friends. You had his best interest at heart, so if you told him that he'd be happier operating within the restraints of friendship around you, of course he'd believe you.

That's why he was so confused. Because, why was he still staring at you now so tenderly, fantasizing about claiming your lips with his own? Why did thinking about you being with this Jamie guy in a way Angel wasn't allowed to make him so sad? Why was he feeling jealous? Why did it feel like he wanted more?

If it truly was for the best, then why did being 'just friends' hurt more than anything else he'd ever experienced?

Normally, he'd bring these issues to you just as he did everything else, but he was already so close to scaring you away after tonight. You'd even threatened to enforce new boundaries- boundaries he didn't want one bit. As guilty as it made him, he couldn't come to you this time.

Maybe he could go to Megistos? He was also your friend (though not as good a friend as Angel, obviously) and he was also so wise! He could help clarify Angel's feelings for you, and then he could go from there.

Now, he'd have to deal with your strange boundary fixation either way, but that didn't worry him too much. No matter how many times you'd tried to verbally insist on creating a supposed 'healthy space' between you both tonight, your actions begged to differ. It was honestly cute how confused you'd seemed as you sleepily clung to him, your sweet and nurturing nature overriding the adorable nonsense you'd tried spewing. He could rely on the softness you harbored for him as a loving last resort if this 'boundaries' silliness persisted much longer.

With this new mindset, he finally lowered himself back down so that his head rested on your pillow, feeling much less afraid of losing you than he did at the beginning of the night. You were still his just as he was still yours, and he couldn't resist planting countless kisses across your pretty, dormant face, in awe of your perfection both inside and out. Things were gonna work out, and your relationship would be even better than ever before.