7:12 - evil minion 👿

- idk what to tell u woman.

- i said u guys were all dumb so...

- maybe if u started listening to me !!

Your grip on your phone tightened as you stared at Tony's texts, and despite your peacemaking and anti-violent tendencies, you were feeling pretty inclined to fight a teenager. Two teenagers, actually. Because it was Friday night, and while Eloise had invited you to her 'cheer performance,' you would argue that you had actually just arrived at her high school's first varsity football game of the season.

A smarter person would've probably realized it sooner. They would've raised flags as to why cheerleaders would hold a performance on the night of the week typically dedicated to football games. Or maybe they'd have recognized that the address Eloise had sent was quite literally to the football field and not a theater or studio or performance adjacent venue. They would've known that high school cheerleaders don't even have performances in the first place– hell, they would've just been skeptical of any get-together orchestrated by the little devils that were Tony and Eloise.

Clearly, you were not that smarter person. That's why you were currently in the middle of a rowdy crowd mixed with spirited teens, exasperated school staff and faculty, and supportive families trying to find your way to the bleachers, which was proving to be an embarrassingly difficult task for you.

This was your high school– the one you'd attended not that long ago with Sarah– so you would think you'd know how to get to the gate that led to the bleachers, but in all honesty, you'd never gone to a single football game in the entire four years you'd attended the school. Not because of some cliche about all the meaty jocks being evil or the cheerleaders bullying you or anything– honestly, they were all pretty chill. No, you'd never attended any sporting event, because for you, Friday evenings were always designated family game nights with the Bartell kids and Gran Gran. You didn't need to dwell on such bittersweet nostalgia right now though– your mood was sour enough and you had friends to locate.

According to the group chat, you were the last to arrive, meaning that they all had to already be somewhere on the bleachers. You began to try to move through the thick crowd to approach the front of the stands, but even when the massive structure was before you, the sheer amount of attendees made it practically impossible to locate your group. You couldn't even catch a glimpse of Angel's white wings with how packed it was, and you felt anxiety start to bubble up in your chest as you stood between the athletes and fans.

Were all high school football games like this? The amount of spectators felt more appropriate for pro-level play, not a bunch of teens who you doubted were all that good. You felt like everyone's eyes were on you- taunting you as you stood embarrassingly alone. You were right in front of the student section too, where a boundless amount of teens stood hollering and blowing horns before you. A few seemed to recognize you, not so stealthily taking pictures while you heard them murmur about Megistos. Your neck began to grow hot despite the sharp chill in the evening air and sticky beads of sweat trickled down your back– the oppressive weight was back on your chest too! This was a nightmare.

You shrunk in on yourself as you looked back at your phone, trying to decide between sending the group chat and SOS message or driving back home and wallowing in shame! Because as much as you doubted your own ability to find your friends, the wave of embarrassment at both your predicament and your anxiety prevented you from wanting to reach out. It was humiliating that you– who had endured a kidnapping, virality, and online death threats– were now being rendered an anxious wreck by a high school event, especially at your grown age. Yeah, okay... you were definitely leaning towards the driving home like a little bitch option– at least until your phone vibrated from a few incoming texts from Piper.

7:17 - love doctor 🌱

- [started sharing location]

- Hey lady lmk when you're here and I'll come getcha

- The amount of people is insane and we can't go losing you... your not so secret admirers will go apeshit on these innocent bystanders

- Also wth we got so pranked this is NOT a cheer recital 😒

- Those kids are seriously devious... unfortunately I love them

You sighed in relief at Piper's messages, texting him back quickly

7:17 - you

- thank you for texting i am freaking out a bit haha

- [started sharing location]

- i'm near the entrance at the bottom

- hurry pls

You took a deep breath, hoping he wouldn't tease you for how anxious you were coming across, and you lifted your head so you could spot him as he made his way to you. Like a god-sent gift, a few minutes later you spotted Piper's form emerging from a lingering group of students near an entrance to the stands. He hadn't noticed you yet, walking nonchalantly with his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

The slowly setting sun cast a light on his brown locks that caused them to hold a golden glowing hue, and through his lenses, his brown eyes looked a soft amber shade as they scanned the area for you. You chalked it up to your sorry state and desperation, but in that moment no man had ever looked better in your eyes.

Despite the relief coursing through your body, you found you were still rooted to your spot and unable to meet him halfway as he drew nearer. You managed to raise an arm in a timid wave, hoping your pitiful movement would catch the man's attention. To your pleasant surprise, his eyes fell on you, and your heart got caught in your chest as a bright smile took over his features and he hurried his pace.

"(N/n)! You're late, you know? And you say I have bad time management-"

He was cut off as you wrapped him in your arms in a quick hug. "Sorry, I just- I was freaking out a bit," you said as you pulled away, feeling bashful all of the sudden. "There's um, a lot of people here..."

"Yeah. Yeah, lots." He scratched the back of his neck and he smiled at you, a faint red coloring his cheeks. "I forgot football was a big deal since I did high school abroad, but these stands are fucking packed. If it was actually our rising diva Eloise's cheer performance I'd understand, but all this for high school level football? I just don't get it."

You chuckled softly, already feeling more at ease as you scanned the football field and the track surrounding it for your sneaky little pink-haired fiend. While the game seemed to already be in play, the cheer squad was nowhere in sight. "Where is the con woman anyways? I don't see any cheerleaders."

"According to Tony, they're warming up in the cheer locker rooms? I didn't know cheerleaders had locker rooms either, but apparently this school is ultra fancy or something."

"Oh? I went here and I didn't even know that. It is nice for a public school though, I guess."

"You went here?"

"Mhm. With Sarah, actually."

"Well now I want to hear all about little (N/n)'s high school experience, but we should probably head back up to your- I mean Eloise's fan club before they go insane waiting for you. Even Tony was asking about you, and that's how you know you're special."

Piper began to walk towards the closest entrance to the bleachers, but you hadn't mentally prepared yourself to move and face the daunting stands yet so your feet remained stubbornly rooted to the spot. Thanks to the anxiety you were feeling the experience felt like total abandonment and your hands began to tremble as the small distance between your and his bodies only grew.

He only took a few more steps before he turned to where he'd expected you to be standing beside him, and his smile shifted to confusion at your absence. He finally turned around to meet your wide-eyed stare before chuckling lightly and closing the few feet of space between you again.

"You good?" he asked with a tentative smile. "You look a bit petrified."

"I'm fine!" you squeaked unconvincingly.

"Hmm. Right. Well, if you aren't fine, then you can hold my jacket or something as we walk so that you know I'm right with you." You looked away from him, feeling shy at his kind offer, and he sighed in resignation. "Okay, then. If you are fine, then let's get going."

He began to turn to walk away assuming you'd follow him, but in a panic, you grabbed at his hand and tugged him back. You were mortified by your boldness, but you were more mortified by the prospect of being left alone, so you didn't loosen your grip as you met his surprised gaze.

"I'm sorry– I know it's not polite to just grab you, I'm just, um... is this okay? " you asked him quietly, dreading what felt like an inevitable rejection.

"No need to be sorry," he smiled warmly, giving your hand a gentle and reaffirming squeeze. "If it's okay with you then it's okay with me."

For the third time, he began his trek towards your group, only this time with you actually in tow. He moved at a slow and steady pace, occasionally looking over his shoulder to make sure you were holding up fine. While you still felt slightly apprehensive making your way through the crowd, you kept your eyes glued on his hand's protective hold on yours, sending you tiny, reassuring squeezes every so often. After what felt like miles of moving up through the middle section of the bleachers he finally stopped at the very top where the rest of your group sat at the end of the row.

Oakley was sitting the furthest away with a haughty cross of his legs, wearing a disinterested scowl as he gazed at the field. Angel sat beside him, and was seemingly quite invested in the game as he sat on the edge of the bleachers, wings fluttering slightly and a warm yellow halo circling his head as he tracked the ball with his eyes. Tony was next to him, and like always he was lazily scrolling on his phone until he lifted his eyes to spot you and Piper, the first from the group to notice your presence.

"Look at you," he sighed. "Nearly twenty minutes late and not dressed for the weather. You're clueless."

"You're finally here, princess!" Oakley cried out, dramatic as usual and suddenly sporting his devilish smirk now that you'd arrived. You cringed at the pet name but you decided to ignore it in hopes that your non-reaction would send him the hint that you had already given him so many times before fruitlessly.

Angel's demeanor also shifted, and he immediately traded his interest in the game for interest in you as he stood up with a bright grin. "Hi, precious!"

He moved towards you as if to initiate a hug, and you instinctively moved behind Piper's body as you clung tightly to his hand. You weren't quite certain where you stood with the blond after you apologized to him the other day, so you were on high alert around him. You'd attempted to text him like things were normal again, but you had a sinking feeling that he still hadn't quite grasped your new boundaries. You didn't want to be so wary nor did you want to physically hide from him, but his lack of restraint was slowly wearing you down.

Piper looked over his shoulder at you, giving you what must've been the twentieth reassuring squeeze of the night. You regained your resolve and peered around him and sent a sheepish smile to the two men, deciding that cowering from then in fear was neither warranted nor practical considering you had a whole game to power through.

Oakley was sending you his perfect, practiced grin, but his eyes were quite obviously burning daggers into Piper. Angel on the other hand, while also sporting his luminescent rin, had his eyes trained intensely on where your hand was intertwined with Piper's, inexplicably sending a chill down your spine.

You still struggled to understand the burning jealousy that the two men seemed to always be oozing, considering that on Oakley's side, you had already made it clear that you were not his, and on Angel's side you had already explained that friendships were not exclusive and therefore you could be friends with multiple people besides him. Regardless of their reasoning for their obvious envy, it was unfounded and it got old real quick. Still, you didn't want to continue suffering their heated glares, so you reluctantly released Piper's hand with a sigh, missing the comforting touch already.

"Hi, guys," you greeted everyone. "Tony, what d'you mean I'm not dressed for the weather? It's not that cold. Also, you're a little bitch for not telling us this was gonna be a football game."

"I mean it's gonna get cold and you're dressed in thin layers. Note how everyone else is wearing a jacket." You did as he said and realized that you were in fact the only one without, but you maintained your glare, unwilling to give him a win. "Clueless, I say. And even if I'm a little bitch- you're a dumb one so I'll just call it even. You're the one who blindly believed El despite the countless times we've both openly lied to you. Be better."

You shook your head at the teen in distaste while Piper laughed beside you, but the two other men went back to fighting for your attention.

"You can wear mine, cutie pie!" Angel insisted, beginning to shrug off his jacket. "You'd look adorable wrapped up in my clothes!"

Oakley promptly stood up, pushing Angel into his seat as he began to hand you his jacket. "Please, if she needs a coat then she deserves to wear the finest of fibers, not your cheap-looking abomination! You'll wear mine, (Y/n)!"

"She probably would rather put on her best friend's jacket, not the weird old man's she pity hired!" the blond retorted in a chipper tone as he stood again, still smiling brightly as he insulted the man.

"She can't even wear yours, since it's modified for your musty wings!"

The men faced each other, their bantering turning slowly into a more heated argument that made you sigh in irritation. You were at least grateful that they had decided to sit in the top row since they weren't invading any spectators' views with their annoyingly large statures as they bickered. Tony looked up at Piper from where he sat and shook his head in disapproval at the scene, to which the older man simply rolled his eyes in agreement with the teen's unspoken sentiment.

You lightly tapped Piper's arm to get his attention again. "I don't even need a jacket, I don't get cold that easily. Why're they being so weird about this of all things?"

"I cannot deal with your density tonight, (N/n). Obviously, they want you in their clothes." He maneuvered you gently so that you'd take the seat next to Tony as he sat on your other side by the steps. "If you don't know why they'd want that then I seriously fear for you. How many men have fallen in love with you without you knowing?"

The other two men immediately ceased their fighting, heads whipping towards you desperately as they addressed you simultaneously. "Who's in love with (Y/n)?"

"No one, now sit down– the cheerleaders are coming out," you ordered them, to which they obediently complied.

Your gaze was trained on the students decked out in their cheer attire as they ran in front of the bleachers, golden and green pompoms waving around in excitement as the crowd cheered for their arrival. You spotted Eloise as she skipped to her spot towards the middle of the front row– and though you didn't know much about the cheer sport, that was still pretty impressive in your opinion. She was next to one of the people on the team you were pretty certain you remembered her crushing on– Audra, maybe– and you mentally noted to ask her about how that went her next shift.

She had on a sweet smile as her eyes roamed the stands, and it only grew when she spotted your group in the top row. You and Piper both waved excitedly at her, and you spotted Tony sporting a soft, proud smile as he watched his best friend. You sent Angel and Oakley a glare as you realized their attention was still zoned in on you, gesturing towards Eloise as she began her first cheer.

"You're here for her so please don't just stare at me the whole time," you frowned, "It's a bit uncomfortable, too..."

Angel apologized sheepishly as he began to watch Eloise, though a small pout rested on his lips.

"Debatable," Oakley grumbled, earning a harsh slap to his arm from Tony that you didn't even bother to reprimand the boy for.

"Then you shouldn't have come! If Eloise gets to come up and talk to us at halftime or something, you better act like watching her has been the most riveting thing you've experienced in your life. Or else," you threatened, wishing slightly that Eloise had only invited you, Tony, and Piper, because you were clearly the only ones who came for the right reasons.

"Fine," Oakley grumbled, eyes reluctantly falling back on the cheer squad.

You could hardly hear the cheerleader's actual chants due to the size of the audience and their distance from you, but you couldn't help but be mesmerized by how happy your girl looked when she completed stunts with her teammates. It was fun to see her in her element outside of the workplace, especially since you got to witness it alongside friends.

As the first two quarters went by, you primarily spoke with Tony and Piper about your different high school experiences since they were beside you, ignoring Oakley and Angel as they huffed about wanting your attention on them. Despite how excited he had looked to watch the game before he knew you'd arrived, Angel's eyes stayed on you entirely, and Oakley wasn't much better.

You couldn't blame them entirely for not focusing on the game when you yourself didn't really know much about football (nor did you care to know more.) Still, that wasn't an excuse for them to disregard Eloise after she had so excitedly invited them to watch her, not to fawn over you. So you ignored their bids for attention in an attempt at discouraging them, instead continuing to engage with Tony and Piper as you all actually watched the girl you had all come for.

"-so if I end up having to retake P.E. for running a twenty-five-minute mile, that's homophobic and I'll sue my principal for all he's-" Tony's nonsensical rant was cut off by the halftime buzzer, causing you and Piper to burst into giggles.

"I doubt you'd have enough funds to sue, peasant." Oakley jabbed, the first words he'd spoken since you chided him.

Tony sent him a chilling glare, but the man ignored it as he stood from his spot and stepped in front of you, pulling you up by your arm. You complied in a confused haze as he began to pull you away by your wrist with no explanation, the rest of the group questioning his actions with varying levels of concern.

"It's halftime- concessions! That's what you do at these underfunded little public schools, yes?" he called to them as he dragged you down the bleachers, not waiting for an answer.

"Underfunded?" you deadpaned as he practically dragged you along.

"By my standards? Absolutely," he affirmed, looking back at you with a wolfish grin as he led you to the snack bar. "I've been waiting to have some alone time with you all night, darling- it was agonizing to sit with those other fools watching that train wreck of a sports game."

You both stopped walking when you reached the line, and you removed your wrist from his firm grip with a huff. "Oakley, if you insult my friends all the time I'm not going to spend time with you outside of work. It's not a good quality to have, and it's not a quality I want around me."

"But-"

"No 'but's!" You crossed your arms as you slowly moved forward in the line, not even sparing him a glance as you attempted to control your frustration. "Being a dick isn't okay even if you don't like them. You don't even need to spend time with everyone else to be my friend, just respect them. And if you don't want to spend time with them, then why haven't you just asked me to hang out one-on-one?"

His hands were suddenly on your shoulders as he forced you to face him, his eyes wide open like he'd made a revelation. "I can do that?"

"...yes."

"Like a date?"

You blinked slowly, trying your hardest not to literally slap some sense into him. "No. I have told you countless times I'm not interested in you romantically. It'll just be a hangout. We could get food or something."

"I'll take it!" He turned to the woman working the stand as you both reached the front. "Five snow cones."

You were slightly confused by his request, but quickly amended his sharp tone as you addressed the woman. "Please."

"Right, yes- please," he added dryly, shooting the unimpressed woman a grin that, intended or not, came across as so condescending.

"We seriously need to work on your people skills, bud," you commented as the woman turned around to complete his request. "Why so many snow cones though?"

"For our group?" He raised a brow as he looked down at you, placing some cash on the counter to pay. "I thought that was obvious, but I forget you're quite the ditzy one."

"I'm seriously gonna bitch slap you one of these days," you muttered with a glower as the woman placed your many snow cones on the counter. You grabbed three and Oakley two as you made your way through the crowd and up the stands back to your group, your nerves from the crowd melting away due to your annoyance with your current company. Still, you wanted to give him flowers where they were due. "Thank you, Oakley. This is a kind gesture– and I didn't even ask you to do it. That's progress."

He smirked triumphantly as he walked ahead of you up the steps, and you had slight difficulty balancing the cones and matching his stride. When your race to keep up was concluded as you reached the top of the bleachers, you noticed that Eloise was now present standing in the row below yours as she... painted Piper's face?

"Hi, El," you greeted her, your voice loud enough for her to hear over the crowd. "You looked great out there, but don't think I'll forget how you played me tonight with your whole 'cheer performance' lie." She paused her artwork to face you with a guilty smile, pink face paint pen in hand as she waved at you. Also, what's going on here?"

"Hi, Miss (Y/n)! Hi, Oakley! I'm sorry for lying but also I'm really not, because everyone in the stands are literally here for me! Like, did I really lie? No! Anyways, you guys weren't giving enough spirit so I thought I'd help out. Piper's the only one that actually seemed excited when I offered, though." She cupped her hands around her mouth to faux whisper at you. "These two are fake fans and I hate them." She gestured behind her to where Tony and Angel sat, the former wearing an unbothered expression and the latter a pout.

"I said you could!" Angel cried out indignantly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Eloise turned to him. "Yet you questioned why the pen was pink instead of green or yellow. Fake fan, bitch!"

"Why would it be pink? How is pink school spirit when your colors are obviously green and yellow?"

"It's not about school spirit you stupid little himbo! It's Eloise Chen spirit– that's what's obvious! Pink hair, pink pen? Crazy how you've fallen down the ranks of my favorite supers so fast in this one exchange. You're. Evil."

You shared a glance with Piper, mirth in both your gazes as you observed the two's bickering. Although, despite the humor of the situation, part of you wondered if Eloise was masking her genuine disappointment over the lack of enthusiasm coming from Angel throughout the night, and the thought made your heart sink slightly.

Eloise turned back to you and Oakley with an innocent smile like she hadn't just been verbally berating Angel seconds ago, her eyes falling on the icy treats in your arms. "So what's with the obscene amount of snow cones? And how's he looking?"

She turned Piper's face towards you to reveal her work, a pink 'E' on one cheek and a pink heart on the other, but you were more focused on his goofy grin as he waited for your approval.

"He's very cute. Cause the face paint, I mean. It's– uh– snow cones! From Oakley!" You winced in embarrassment as you held them out.

"There's not enough, old man," Tony said with a disappointed 'tsk'.

"I didn't account for the loud one when I made the purchase," Oakley responded lazily as he handed the teen a cone, clearly not caring as he dug into his own. "Resolve it amongst yourselves."

"I'll give up mine," you and Piper both volunteered simultaneously. You smiled at each other appreciatively, but Eloise's giggles tore you from the moment. You didn't like the conniving smile playing on her lips as she looked between you both, the cogs clearly turning in her brain as she seemed to come to a realization that you weren't quite ready to.

"You guys could share one!" she chirped as she grabbed two cones from your hold, keeping one for herself and handing the other to a horrified-looking Angel, leaving one between you and Piper.

Angel and Oakley immediately tore into protests, saying they'd rather be the ones to share with you, but you immediately turned them both down and took your seat. "I'm next to Piper, so I'll share with him. It's not a big deal... just calm down."

"But there's only one spoon, so you can't!" Angel insisted, his voice heavy with a deep despair that felt a bit excessive to you concerning the triviality of the situation.

Not so surprisingly, Oakley seemed equally peeved by how things played out, as he mumbled complaints. "Wouldn't have bought for everyone if I knew this would happen... should be my romantic gesture..."

"Aw, so sad!" Eloise grinned. "Well, anyways, I've gotta get back to the track. Don't wait up for me after the game– I'm going out with some of the girls. Okay, bye!"

As she flounced back down the stands she paused at the bottom, tossing her cone in the trash with a very pointed flourish towards your group before she rejoined her team. You all watched her actions with gaping expressions, all for varying reasons. You weren't sure what she was scheming trying to get you and Piper to share a dessert, but you decided to laugh it off, taking a spoonful of the shaved ice while everyone around you either applauded or cursed the girl mentally.

Piper recovered next, taking the cone from you and holding it up so you had easy access. You thanked him for the gesture as you both fell back into easy conversation with Tony, just as you had during the first half of the game. You felt a bit shy sharing at first, but Piper was... well he was Piper, so the bashfulness quickly melted away into enjoyable normalcy, and sharing a spoon felt almost like second nature.

Unsurprisingly, the other two men still fought for your attention the rest of the night. Oakley's bids for attention were more overt as he openly pined for your affection, which was annoying but expected. Angel's approach was different– he went uncharacteristically quiet, but his eyes never strayed from your form even when a few of his fans noticed and approached him. The acute observation of your every action probably would've felt unnerving, but he was still your sweet friend a the end of the day, and you ultimately assigned his strange behavior to the recent, somewhat strained nature of your relationship.

You willfully paid both men no mind, and fortunately enough for you: Piper and Tony were the contrastingly perfect company, and therefore also the perfect distractions. After countless shared anecdotes from your own high school experiences, the buzzer eventually sounded and signified the game's end. Tony was quick to say his goodbyes and depart since his parents were there to pick him up, and you continued disregarding Angel and Oakley as you said your farewells to Piper.

"Thank you for coming tonight and for letting El use you as a canvas. As dumb as it is, it definitely meant a lot to her how willing you were to look stupid on her behalf."

He gasped in pretend horror. "I've looked stupid all second half and you didn't say anything? That's seriously messed up, (N/n)."

"Man, shut up," you giggled. "You know what I meant."

He rolled his eyes with a grin. "Yeah, well you're welcome, I guess."

"Also... thank you for keeping me company, too," you added shyly. "This pretty embarrassing to admit, but I haven't really spent a night with friends in a long time, so it was nice to be here with you guys instead of eating alone in my apartment while scheduling shipments and stuff..."

"You gotta stop apologizing for being 'embarrassing' all the time," he chided you. "You're not."

"I'm not?"

"No!" he laughed, flicking your forehead lightly. "You're just endearing. And cute."

Both of you went silent, his comment seeming to take him by surprise as much as it had you. You weren't sure what he was feeling, but honestly, you didn't really know what you were feeling either... If you had to try and explain it, you might say you felt like you were on the verge of spontaneously exploding into a million pieces! This was already different from your normal, unaffected response to most non-Jamie-administered compliments, and for some entirely baffling reason, you weren't entirely against the feeling?

Dear God. This was definitely going to be brought up whenever you got around to consulting Sarah and Benny for life advice.

Piper recovered first, his easygoing smile back in full force as he gave your cheek a light pinch. "You good?"

"Mhm. Yes. Great, even," you blurted, swatting his hand away and rubbing at your cheek. "So, uh... what was I– oh, right– thank you for the night. Again. Thanks."

You watched him bite back a laugh as he nodded solemnly. "Hey, gotta support my favorite boss's favorite employee. Maybe then I can become my favorite boss's new favorite employee and finally get that raise. It's all only for the raise, of course. I had a terrible time otherwise."

"Ugh, you're so fired," you teased, giving his arm a light punch.

"Sure. Want me to walk you to your car?"

You wanted so badly to say yes, but you could feel the looming presence of the men behind you, both of them so tightly wound up that they'd probably lose their minds if you left without giving them their proper attention, so you declined apologetically. Piper waved you all goodbye as he made his exit down the bleachers, and you turned to face the two men with a soft frown.

"So... what was going on tonight? You both were a mess. What was all the moping even really about? Not cool to Eloise and annoying for the rest of us." They both stared at you silently, Angel pouting remorsefully while Oakley only sighed in frustration. "Well?"

"Fine," Oakley scoffed. "I'm so, so sorry for not being kind to your little friends, darling. If you'll just spend some more precious time one-on-one with me, I'm sure I'll find it in my heart to be just as sweet to them as you are!"

You sighed at his lame offer, but seeing as you wanted this conversation over with, you agreed. "I already said yes earlier, man. You're putting it together though, so just text me the when and where when you figure it out. Goodbye." You guided him around you and gave him a light push down the steps before turning to Angel. "Okay, you're up, bud. What's going on with you?"

He waited a few moments as he watched Oakley reluctantly strut down the stands before looking back at you pitifully. "I'm sorry too, (Y/n). I was a bad friend tonight, wasn't I?"

"No, Ang- it's not that you were a bad friend. You just weren't being the most... considerate." You held your breath as you looked up at him, hoping not to send him into a mental spiral with your words.

"Well, have you been the most considerate of me?"

You paused at his soft-spoken inquiry, searching his face for any hint of anger you couldn't detect in his tone, but you came up empty. You then allowed yourself to actually ponder his question, and unsurprisingly, guilt began creeping up on you again.

You'd been so naive to think your apology text adequately expressed your remorse for ghosting Angel, his lingering hurt evident in the downright crestfallen expression face. He was likely feeling neglected because in a way you had neglected him, and right after a difficult conversation, as well. You didn't want to immediately revoke your prior request for less intimacy with him, but the longer he looked at you with such a broken countenance you felt your resolve slowly crumble.

"Maybe I haven't been," you admitted. "I'm really sorry, Angel. Again. I talk so much shit about your exes but then I go and hurt you by failing to communicate clearly. I just– I love you and I didn't mean to make you feel otherwise."

His eyes brightened and a wide smile pulled at his lips immediately. "Aw, you're so sweet, precious! I love you too, and of course I forgive you. That's what best friends do, right?"

"Uh, yeah..." you trailed off, brows knitting together in slight apprehension at his quick shift in emotion. His face lifted so quickly it was like he'd never even felt upset at all, and something about that made you feel a little bit uneasy.

As if picking up on your discomfort, his demeanor shifted back again to his saddened state, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "But... it has been hard to know if you really love me, I guess."

Your unease was erased quickly by his confession, being replaced by the familiar crushing guilt of your actions like had the other day when you spoke with Piper. The constant and quick oscillation between Angel's emotions admittedly still felt off, but your instinct to mend and fix things went into overdrive and used up all your energy and attention.

You struggled to decide how to console him. You still didn't really want to reinstate intimate physical touch, but you knew that with Angel actions seemed to speak louder than words– and clearly he needed reassurance you didn't feel confident your frequently clumsy words could provide. Beginning to reach out, you planned to give him a short, friendly shoulder pat, but it just didn't feel like enough. So despite not really wanting to at all, you ultimately pulled him into a hug.

"I do love you," you whispered into his chest. "I really do. I'm so sorry, Angel."

He quickly wrapped his arms around you, and you felt him relax into your touch. "I've been so sad without you and so lonely, you know. And then you ignored me tonight too, even after you said you'd stop."

It was like the guilt and self-loathing were physically constricting your chest as his voice cracked painfully, and you clung even tighter to him to try and further communicate your profound remorse. "I know I did, I know. How can I make things better?"

"If you wanna show me that you're really sorry, how about we take a little day trip soon?" he suggested, voice brightening slightly. "Maybe you could meet my parent? And you can just... you can show me that you still care about us and about me. No outside distractions or other people taking you away from me. Just us."

Whatever alarm bells his final statement should've rang in your mind were overshadowed by your intense fear of hurting and losing such a dear friend, so you silently complied as you nodded into his chest. You kept him in your arms like that for a good while before he walked you to your car, your hands carding through his hair and rubbing circles on his back as you whispered soft and sweet apologies to him.

You didn't notice how he only seemed to sniffle tearfully when you tried to pull away, nor were you able to see that despite how upset he sounded, he was sporting a wide grin as he nuzzled into your head. Oh well, ignorance was bliss, wasn't it? And besides, so long as your friends were smiling and happy, then your happiness was sure to follow.