A couple of weeks had passed since you and Piper both were honest with each other about your feelings, and true to his word: you were falling pretty hard for him. He made it easy, designating most of his free time to doting on you and providing you his company, whether that was at your place or his– and oftentimes with the kids too, who were both ecstatic in their own ways when they heard about you reciprocating the man's feelings.

The companionship between you and your boy felt natural and easy, and you appreciated the fact that while there was now an undercurrent of romance in your relationship, your dynamic hadn't changed at its core. You could still make fun of him and he could still be a smartass with you, but there was always a tenderness behind it all that made each moment spent with him more precious to you than the last.

Another positive outcome of that day were the ways in which you were being less harsh in your assessment of yourself concerning your work life. He had genuinely helped you quell so many of your fears concerning your perceived inferiority or uselessness in his words about Gran Gran, and in turn, you were able to be less tightly bound and rigid as you ran the shop. Your fear of letting Gran Gran down was waning day-by-day as he reminded you that what your grandmother wanted most for you wasn't for you to overwork yourself, but rather for you to cultivate contentedness and joy in every aspect of your life.

That's why today at around two in the afternoon when he showed up at the shop after class, it was quite easy for him to convince you to close down early to catch up on rest. Admittedly, the job itself was why you needed to catch up on sleep, seeing as your past three days had been spent laboring over concocting arrangements for the gala later tonight– but the fact that you listened to Piper when he suggested closing up was a big deal for you regardless.

Today you were extra tired, too, so a nap opportunity was too appealing to pass up on. You'd primarily enlisted Piper's help in recent weeks brainstorming how to incorporate the requested flowers into arrangements, and while he'd also helped with crafting them, last night you pulled a solo, last-minute all-nighter to work on a few finishing touches (under Angel's watchful eye, of course– convinced your ex-employee was still a threat, he insisted on sticking to you like glue when not working the hero shift).

Commission representatives in charge of the gala picked up your whimsical pansy and wildflower masterpieces earlier so you wouldn't need to attend the event before it began to set up or anything, and that was around when Piper arrived, strongly advising you use the rest of your shift to head upstairs to bed until you needed to get ready for the night's festivities.

That's where you were now, asleep on your bed and using his crisscrossed legs as a pillow while Francesca's was peacefully closed below you. When you awoke from this Piper-enforced nap, you were met with the soothing sensation of his hand lightly scratching your scalp. Your eyes slowly opened to reveal his upside down face smiling down at you warmly, a sight that had become more recurring to you over the past couple of weeks but had yet to lose its butterflies-inducing effect.

"She lives," he joked in an awed whisper, and you rolled your eyes with a smile of your own as you pushed his glasses that were slipping off his face back up the bridge of his nose.

"What?" a light voice voiced disinterestedly. You turned your head to see Eloise lying on the other side of your bed, scrolling on her phone as she half-listened for a response. "You said Miss (Y/n)'s up?"

"She is," you replied through a yawn, prompting the girl to actually give you her attention with a bright smile.

"Was your nap nice? Piper kept telling me and Tony to shut up so we wouldn't wake you."

"We weren't even being loud," Tony's irate voice claimed from somewhere on the floor out of your

You frowned at the sudden absence of Piper's hand from your head, watching as it began to comb through his own hair in exasperation. "You guys were literally yelling at each other. Don't try to paint me as a liar in front of (N/n) or I'll get her to cut your wages."

You giggled at their bickering, knowing Piper was telling the truth since you'd endured the teens' rowdiness before you'd managed to doze off. The reason the kids were even there was because they'd been scheduled for the day's shift, and since you closed early you invited them to spend the rest of what would've been their time on the clock hanging out with you and Piper in your room.

Still, despite the cacophony of sounds that should've hindered your sleep– mostly the kid's fighting and laughing and Piper's shushing– you managed to fall asleep pretty quickly upon getting cozy on your bed. Something about their spirited conversations lulled you to sleep, the sound of life in what had retrospectively been a lonely apartment for so long soothing to you.

"Put it back," you sluggishly ordered Piper in reference to his hand, grabbing it yourself and situating it back on your head. He resumed his massaging with a chuckle and you smiled satisfactorily. "Feels good."

"Oh?" he asked, smile sharpening in the way that told you he was gearing up to say some thirsty-ass comment that would have you rolling your eyes in thinly veiled amusement.

"Whatever you're thinking, don't–" you tried, but it was too late.

"I could make you feel good in other ways," he finished, and with enough unwarranted cockiness to have everyone in the room groaning.

"You disgusting pervert!" Tony spat. "Absolutely vile– and the fact that you just get to be a whore because you voodooed her into liking you is still beyond me. Are you sure you can't still go for Megistos, Miss (Y/n)? He would never."

Piper's hand paused its ministrations as he rolled his eyes at the boy's comments, but you reacted opposite, smiling softly as you realized at his mention that with each passing day, your feelings for James were waning.

"I challenge you to not be a hater for like two seconds, Tony. They're cute!" Eloise said, sending you a supportive grin before narrowing her eyes at Piper. "Still though... get a room, man. I do not need to hear about how you wanna suck face with Miss (Y/n). Like, that's my sister."

You bit back a laugh as Piper gasped at her accusation. "We have a room. You little parasites just followed us here! We could be happily sucking face if it weren't-"

"Couldn't be," you cut in from his lap, earning yet another playful gasp from the man. "Kissing's scary, sorry."

You were joking around, but at the same time, no you were not. Similarly to how you hadn't begun using labels yet, you were also yet to share any kisses with Piper, even though multiple opportunities to do so had presented themselves. It wasn't that you didn't want to– you were just as anxious to 'suck face' with him as he was with you. It just felt like suge a huge milestone for you, and you weren't prepared to tackle it quite yet. Part of the price of steadfastly carrying your secret feelings for James all your life was a severe lack of experience in the romantic and sexual department, and you weren't quite ready to go through the mortifying ordeal of trying to scale that unknown terrain. Also, despite Piper's constant reassurance that he didn't mind, something about kissing him before you'd fully gotten over James didn't sit right with you.

"Aw, Miss (Y/n), don't worry! Kissing isn't that scary once you get the hang of it," Eloise mused. "I kinda see it as a sport. One I could go pro in, probably. Maybe in college."

"Slutty as hell," Tony murmured from below, much to the girl's offense. She grabbed one of your throw pillows and chucked it at him with all her might, and while you couldn't see if she'd hit her target, his pained wheeze and her maniacal grin told you she'd done what she set out to do.

After snickering at their violent display you brought your hands up to gently smoosh Piper's cheeks. "Once I get over myself, I promise my first kiss is reserved for you."

"And I promise if you asked me to, I could wait a lifetime," he smiled back. "Besides, there are countless ways to love someone until then, right?"

"Mhm," you agreed bashfully, somehow still never prepared for his boundless patience with and gentleness towards you.

"I'm literally gonna throw up, you guys are so cutesy," Eloise whined, her short attention span back on you. "Like, maybe I should start seriously dating someone because this is a need. Wait, what's that old saying? 'Going steady', right? Yeah, I wanna go steady with someone."

"Gross. Wrong. Do not wish for a relationship like theirs. Not when he's involved," Tony gagged. "He's not even a part of the super harem. Look at what happened to the last non-super-harem contender: he got fired for shady undisclosed reasons likely pertaining to him being a fucking creep. Which I called, in case you people have forgotten. Anyways, Megistos and Angel are right there in their huge, hot, superhuman glory, but Miss (Y/n) landed on the glorified nerd. So much wasted potential."

"And with that horrendous opinion, time for you both to go so I can get ready for the night with my (N/n) who chose me!" Piper chimed in, tone clipped.

You knew his problem wasn't actually with Tony, mostly because you both knew for a fact that the boy was actually in full support of your budding relationship, largely due to Eloise showing you his texts with her where they'd been manifesting your union for weeks. No, you surmised his annoyance was more related to the mention of the many other men in your life who Piper had made it clear he did not respect.

It was honestly a bit surprising to you to find out about his stark dislike for the men, given his high emotional intelligence and maturity, but he told you in no uncertain terms that when it came to people he thought fucked with you on a consistent basis, he had no qualms in revoking his good graces in order to essentially become a certified D1 hater. Oakley, James, and Angel all apparently fell under that category in his eyes. (You didn't quite understand the extent of his dislike for the blond– at least not in the ways you understood his negative feelings towards the other two men, but you also didn't think his opinion of the occasionally clingy, immature man was entirely unwarranted.)

"No, don't make us leave just cause Tony's a miserable bitch!" Eloise pleaded. "Besides, I want you guys to come over when Tony and I get ready for homecoming in a couple of weeks, so think of it as returning the favor in advance!"

"You want me and Piper to help you both get ready for homecoming?" you asked the girl unsurely. "Don't you wanna get ready with your actual, uh... high school-aged friends who will also be attending the dance...?"

"Well, yeah. Of course, I do," she replied with a sympathetic smile. "I guess I just wanted to give you guys a chance to see what actually having fun in high school is like instead of just being a wallflower loner stoner type."

You sat up from Piper's lap to send the girl an unimpressed stare. "So those are cliche archetypes, babe, and now I'm with Piper. You're out."

"What, why?" she protested, but Tony had already stood up and was pulling her out of the room as he waved you goodbye dejectedly.

"You need to work on the delivery, El," he sighed, the two resuming their bickering all the way until you heard your front door click closed behind them.

"They're crazy," you chuckled. "What time is it?"

"A little past five right before you woke up," Piper responded. "I was just bluffing to get the kids outta here, but we probably should start getting ready before we meet with Angel."

"Yeah. You're probably right," you agreed hesitantly with a frown, a few seconds passing before you flopped back onto your bed, this time bringing him with you so that you both lay inches from each other's faces. The early autumn sun was just setting, and it cast a golden light over your resting bodies that also provided you a subtle warmth. This moment was what life had felt like since the night of the confession: soft, bright, and easy– and it's what you hoped life would continue to feel like from now on, too.

You fell into idle chatter with him for a bit, part of you wishing you could skip the daunting gala in favor of more meaningless, quiet conversations in the privacy of your home. Sadly, you'd made a commitment with Angel, and you also supposed you'd like to see your arrangements in their full glory, so you knew it really was time for you to get up. You consoled yourself that at least if you had to push through an exhausting night of putting on appearances, Piper would be there with you the whole time.

Begrudgingly, you left your bed to retrieve the light blue dress Angel had purchased with you for the night from your dresser, and you made your way to your bathroom to start your shower. The task of getting ready for such a formal event was sure to be tiresome, but you knew that the end product would be gratifying enough to propel you forward.

When you stepped out of the bathroom in your new dress, Piper was quick to smother you in compliments and flattery that had you feeling yourself before you'd even completed your look. His praises only increased as you fixed up your hair and face, him standing behind you in the mirror providing his slightly confused yet supportive commentary after every step.

Once you were satisfied with your own appearance, you offered to assist Piper in his preparation as well, grumbling to him the whole time about how easy he had it as a man with basic fashion taste. First, you forced him to sit through a condensed version of your skincare routine which he pretended to hate quite unconvincingly, then it was struggling to style his wild curls, and finally, you faced together the humbling ordeal in which you both learned you had no clue how to tie a necktie, resulting in you instead styling his silky cream button-up beneath his dark brown suit jacket by leaving the top few buttons roguishly unfastened, which you both decided fit his vibe better anyways.

There were also the few final moments before you hit the road that were equally enjoyable in their simple domesticity, like how you leaned on a wary Piper as you slipped on a pair of heels you assured him were necessary to complete your look, insisting they were your 'comfy pair,' or how you spotted the hidden fondness in his eyes when he lectured you for your phone's pitiful 21% percent (which you argued adamantly was an improvement for you) and shoved your new portable charger into your purse, shaking his head with amused disappointment. Even though the process was a long one and not without its many hiccups, there was no doubt in your mind that nothing that took place at the actual event would be able to top your time alone together.

All good things must come to an end, though, and soon enough you were in your car and on your way to a diner near the gala venue. When planning for the night, Angel had suggested you meet up near the actual event's location rather than him flying you there from your apartment so that your glam look wouldn't come apart due to the high speeds. When he brought up the food situation at the actual event, you were the one to suggest that wherever you met beforehand you could also grab a more filling bit as well.

"I'm glad we're grabbing food first. Ang said all the Commission got catered was hors d'oeuvres and drinks," you informed Piper as you pulled up against the street to park a few shops down from the diner. "The night's already gonna be long, but enduring it on an empty stomach would've been actual torture."

"So did Angel actually invite me to this food pregame situation, or did he invite you and you're just bringing me along?" he questioned skeptically. "Because last time you brought me along to a dinner uninvited I almost got beat up."

You cringed at the reminder of that night with James months ago. "Low blow, man. Low blow. And no. Well I mean, he technically only invited me at first, but I wasn't gonna go without you or anything, so I asked if you could come and he 'thumbs up'ed my message. It was painfully dry coming from him, but a half-assed yes is still a yes."

"Right," he replied shortly, not sounding too convinced. "Speaking of drinks, hear me out. Tonight I was thinking maybe about kinda being an asshole, getting you wasted, and then probably forcing an unexpected marriage proposal on you as well... what do we think?" After a few silent seconds spent at the receiving end of your glare he cracked a nervous grin. "...should I take your silence as a green light or is it too soon?"

"Totally green lighting it, Piper. Really. Do it! And then I'll fire you, text you tomorrow to reinforce the fact that I don't want your sorry ass, block you, and if I'm feeling extra crazy, maybe I'll also inform my two overprotective superhero friends of your unwanted whorish behavior and let them finish you off," you threatened with a bright smile, giving his hand a light squeeze to emphasize your words.

You chuckled to yourself as you proceeded to remove your hand from his and exit your car to the sound of his offended protests. You made your way around to the sidewalk, opening the door for your appalled passenger princess who was still going on about how cruel you were to even insinuate you'd cut him off after he laid his heart bare to you. It was exceptionally stupid and overdramatic, and it had you giggling to yourself like an idiot.

"This is on you for bringing up two of my lowest moments back to back," you shrugged as you slipped your hand back into his. "Besides, you're doing way too much over a hypothetical situation. Although, this level of pathetic groveling really has you nailing the Oakley impression. Like, it's pushing you into severe ick territory, that's how good it is. Maybe we should just call it quits now before every time I look into your eyes I see him."

"(N/n), please. At least let me get up," he sighed. "Tell me if I'm wrong, but I'm getting the vibe it actually was too soon."

"Huh. Maybe," you agreed, mustering up the most seriousness you could before breaking into giggles again and playfully leaning into him. "Is this how you feel when you bully me? I could get used to the power trip."

He rolled his eyes as he tried to suppress a smile, though his expression genuinely turned grim when his eyes fell on something ahead of you both by the actual diner. You turned your head to see what had soured his mood so quickly, only to be ripped from his hand and engulfed by a large and softly glowing grey blob with wings.

"Precious!" Angel exclaimed as he pulled you tighter against his muscular frame, your feet lifting from the pavement due to the vigor of his embrace. "You look so pretty! You're the prettiest, most beautiful girl in the world! I mean it!"

"Thanks," you wheezed as he still failed to put you down, his cheek nuzzling yours aggressively. "Angel– please-"

"Okay, put her down. You're crushing her," Piper's unamused voice ordered from beside you.

Angel complied rather roughly, releasing you from his hold with a slight huff at the reminder of the other man's presence. While you appreciated being able to breathe again, you did not appreciate the lack of warning before you were let go which resulted in you hitting the ground awkwardly and nearly falling off balance in your heels. Thankfully, Piper seemed to anticipate the unfortunate turn of events, catching you in his arms in such a way that positioned his worried face inches from yours as his arms wrapped firmly around your waist.

A few wordless seconds passed in which Piper's eyes momentarily dipped down to your lips, causing your cheeks to heat up expeditiously, though the humor of the cliche situation was not entirely lost on you.

"This is so corny," you giggled. "Are you gonna pull me up, or..."

He laughed with you when he realized you were alright, and he gently maneuvered you so you were once again upright. "You say it's corny, I say it's a romantic landmark in our relationship that I will in fact be forcing our grandchildren to hear about every time they visit in fifty years."

"Already thinking about grandkids? I'm starting to fear you'll actually propose tonight," you joked.

"Maybe I-"

"You will not."

You both began to walk towards the diner when you noticed Angel's absence, and you turned around to see the man firmly planted right where he'd dropped you. You took the moment to actually take in his appearance now that you weren't being squished against his chest, and you were pretty impressed. The light blue fabric of his dress shirt matched your dress and brought out his eyes, and his grey slacks and jacket were fitted perfectly to boast his impressive stature. Even his normally unruly bond locks were styled handsomely in a sweeping side part. It wasn't his normal look and it didn't quite match his typical boyish vibe, but he pulled it off exquisitely.

To put it simply: he looked great. But all you could really focus on was the distant, lethargic look on his face. It was similar to the expression he wore the second half of the day you both spent with his parents, and you immediately sought to cheer him up– both for his wellbeing as well as so that you wouldn't be forced to relive that day every time you looked at him throughout the night.

"You coming?" you called out to him, waking him from his trance. He blinked at you a few times before nodding and hurrying over to catch up with you. You slunk your free arm around his and smiled up at his still-blank face. "You look really handsome, sunshine. I like how you styled your hair. It's very mature."

"Aw, really? Thanks, cutie pie!" he beamed down at you, visibly revived as your group made its way inside. "Y'know, you haven't called me 'sunshine' in so long! I missed it."

"Oh, m'sorry," you muttered guiltily as you realized he was right, giving his arm an apologetic squeeze. "I'll try to use it more often again like I used to."

You hadn't been using his nicknames as much to better enforce your boundaries with him, but truthfully, you felt he'd made healthy progress in your friendship lately. You weren't sure what exactly had changed. Maybe he'd finally learned to be more respectful, or maybe it was because he'd noticed how close you were getting with Piper. You hadn't told Angel explicitly about your feelings for the other man, primarily because you'd yet to truly define the relationship, but it wouldn't be surprising if he'd picked up on it simply by watching you both interact. No matter the reason though, you probably could've afforded to be a bit more familiar with him than you were allowing yourself to be, and you felt bad that he'd taken note of your needless coldness.

Thankfully a hostess welcomed you all before your guilt could fester too much, and she led you to a small booth. Much to Piper's irritation, Angel was quick to slide into the seat next to you as he emphasized that he was your date for the night, leaving Piper to sit on his lonesome. You frowned at the bickering that followed, noticing that beneath their trivial words, there was a deeper unspoken tension between the two that you only partly understood.

You knew where Piper was coming from since he disliked the blond for how he sometimes treated you, but Angel's animosity you couldn't quite grasp. Piper had never really exhibited concerning behavior towards you in the hero's presence that would merit such behavior. Sure, there was the occasionally brought-up 'bullying' from your youth, but that was more so a running bit at this point than it was a genuine unsquashed beef you and Piper held. So why it was that Angel seemed to resent the time you spent with Piper and why he had this new personal vendetta against him you weren't entirely sure, but you couldn't deny the fact that his resentment was there- and it was stronger tonight than it had ever been.

A waitress came and took your orders before things could get too heated, and as she walked away from your booth with your menus you attempted to get a hold of the conversation before the guys could start going at it with each other again.

"I'm gonna complain about something, and Piper-" you stared at him pointedly "-I need you not to say 'I told you so' or 'you should've listened to me' or any other smug comments. Okay?"

He mirrored your expression dubiously. "I don't know if I can agree to that. You might really need to be humbled."

"(Y/n)'s already humble!" Angel jumped in, eager to come to your defense.

"Thank you, Ang, for supporting me through the many trials of womanhood. And Piper, I'm being humbled enough if you'll just let me explain," you huffed. "Basically, my-"

"Wait- 'trials of womanhood'? (N/n), if it's those damn shoes, I swear-"

"Ahem. As I was saying- basically... my shoes are already uncomfortable-" you gave Piper a preventative shush "-even when I'm sitting down. I think I have blisters, which means I might actually die from the mild discomfort tonight."

Angel frowned sympathetically at your melodramatics, but Piper scoffed at your sorry display.

"Well if it isn't the consequence of your own decisions," he intoned. "Knew they weren't your 'comfy pair.' No heels are comfy, even I know that..."

You glared at him across the table and crossed your arms. "I said no smug comments, and those were without a doubt incredibly smug. Now if you have any actual helpful advice– or even condolences– then-"

"Yeah, yeah– just take them off."

"The floor is dirty, she shouldn't go barefoot," Angel said with a grimace. "It's like you want her to catch a disease or something."

"Uh, okay... I don't know if I'd go that far, but you've got the spirit," you said with a halfhearted chuckle. "Plus the tiles are freezing. I fear this wasn't your most genius idea, but I'm sure you'll get 'em next time."

Piper shook his head in disbelief. "Okay yes, I know that. Since I'm across from you– thanks again, Angel– you can put your feet on mine to avoid both of those issues, and it'll give them a break from having the shoes rub against them," he explained, quickly putting your earlier critique to rest. What a brilliant little fucker.

Angel visibly deflated at the realization he physically couldn't offer you the same gesture, and slight satisfaction worked its way across Piper's face at the minor victory. Naturally, you had to cut him down a little bit from his high seeing as he'd just torn into you for what was an incredibly necessary shoe choice, so you smiled to yourself inwardly as you went in for the kill.

"Weird... you want me to touch you with my feet so bad," you stated with an exaggerated gag, still taking him up on his offer anyway.

"Just nasty," Angel added, and you couldn't suppress your smile at Piper's obvious dislike towards your temporary alliance.

"For fucks sake. This is not weird or nasty, it's romantic and sweet, just like when I caught you outside and we nearly shared an incredibly passionate, cinematic kiss– which we can still do anytime, by the way," he shot back at you, looking quite pleased with his cheeky rebuttal.

For whatever reason, he was being bolder than ever tonight, and you couldn't lie– it kept catching you off guard and you were pretty damn flustered. Somehow you managed to calm your pulse, and you narrowed your eyes as you opened your mouth to reply, only to be interrupted when Angel made a strange, strained sound from beside you.

You turned to check in with him, and his facial expression was almost distressed as his eyes shot between you and Piper. You began to wonder if maybe he didn't know about the nature of your relationship with your boy, because looking back, after each of his displays of affection towards you tonight, Angel seemed almost beside himself. Still, you weren't entirely certain why he'd be so affected by such a revelation unless Piper was somehow right about Angel not only seeking friendship from you... well, you could explore that potentially disastrous possibility on a different, less important day.

"You okay, bud?" you asked him.

"It can't be him– you– you're supposed to be my date tonight– you shouldn't be acting like this with him," he sputtered, side-eying Piper venomously. "People are supposed to see us together. That's why you agreed to come with me."

"O-oh, okay," you replied, a bit confused. "We're not at the event yet, so I don't think it's an issue-"

"I'm telling you it is, (Y/n)," he snapped at you, startling you slightly. "This– this is my one night– and you're my date, so you should be acting like it. People could be watching at all times and you're– you're blowing it and you're ruining everything."

You shrunk back at his rude, bordering-on-cruel words, failing to comprehend where he was coming from. You understood him wanting you to maintain a united front with him as his plus one, but the diner was empty, even the waitress and hostess effectively absent from the dining room. There was no need to pretend right now, and even if there was, he didn't need to lash out at you like this.

"Okay, no. You need to calm the fuck down, Angel," Piper cut in sharply on your behalf. "(N/n) didn't even say anything, so your problem should be with me, not her."

"My problem is definitely still with you, don't worry," Angel spat back.

You ever hadn't seen this side of his before. Even when he was upset with you that day with his parents he hadn't seemed so unraveled and unrestrained in his anger. It was unsettling, and you felt you needed to diffuse the situation before things got too out of control.

"Can you guys please both just cut it out?" you intervened, rubbing your temples in exasperation. "I can't force you to be friends, but if you care about me then you'll both start acting respectfully and you'll be civil with each other. Understood?"

They both mumbled their abashed apologies and agreements to your requests, though you caught them eyeing each other in obvious distaste. The remainder of the dinner went by this way: fewer outbursts, but a very thick tension looming over every interaction. Fortunately, both of the men seemingly concluded that in order to best avoid conflict, they should ignore each other's presence entirely in favor of fully focusing on you. Any tiny traces of lingering animosity came from Angel, Piper being content to share your company with the other man so long as you were happy.

You no longer had to deal with their petty arguments, but to your immense disappointment, Angel seemed to suddenly regress from his aforementioned progress within your friendship, becoming extremely clingy and affectionate with you yet again. You didn't call him out for it then, seeing as you didn't want to embarrass him in front of Piper, but it was getting to be a bit much by the time you were out of the dinner and on your way to the gala venue.

You didn't even try to hold Piper's hand on the walk over, not wanting to set off another possessive outburst. For most of the short journey, Angel was satisfied to simply lock arms with you, but just as you made it to the manor entrance he instead brought his arm around your waist and pulled you closer, fleshed tight against his body. You tried to move away discreetly as he led you towards the growing queue of finely dressed people waiting to pass through security, but his hold was unrelenting.

Looking to Piper on your other side in slight discomfort, you were unsure how to approach the situation without causing a scene. You caught his eyes immediately, and he brought a comforting hand to your arm before quietly addressing Angel. "You don't need to be all up on her. She's getting uncomfortable."

"Can you seriously butt out of it?" he snapped back in a harsh whisper. "She's my date, and the press will be in the lobby as soon as we enter. They need to see us together as an item."

"I'm more of your plus one than your date, Angel, that's why this feels a bit unnecessary," you quietly pointed out, his glare faltering as he looked at you.

"I know... I know that, (Y/n)," he replied with slight uncertainty. "But the press– they should still see us as a pair, remember? I'm not being unreasonable 'cause it is necessary, and, uh– and you agreed to it too."

"I guess..." you trailed off, your group finally reaching security and promptly being separated.

The screening process was surprisingly extensive for an event primarily hosting superheroes who could likely protect themselves in the case of an unforeseen intrusion, but it allowed you to take your time in appreciating your surroundings away from Angel's increasingly suffocating presence. As a guard thoroughly inspected your small purse, you noticed that many of the attendees around you still wore their masks or other smaller aspects of their hero costumes in addition to their formalwear, likely an attempt to signify their hero personas as well as to keep secure their real identities. You also spotted a few of your floral creations sitting outside the main doors you'd soon enter through, appreciating how well they complimented the older architectural style of the manor.

Soon enough you were cleared and allowed inside the main lobby, back to being pressed tightly against Angel's body as he maneuvered you through the scattered groups of chatting supers. Piper had long since slipped away to do a bit of Francesca's promo, and while you appreciated it as his boss, as his almost-girlfriend you missed him dearly, especially when you were being left in Angel's smothering care in his absence,

You were relieved to find the present journalism publications had set up a few organized photo and interview ops as opposed to a full-on paparazzi situation like what you still occasionally dealt with at Francesca's. You smiled by Angel's side as he made his quick rounds answering questions and working the camera, and you were grateful that no one seemed too intent to grill you, only asking you simple questions about your opinions on Angel's quick rise in the ranks. Any expected questions thrown your way concerning Megistos or dating rumors in general Angel gracefully evaded for you, putting his media training to good use.

Soon enough he met his media quota set by his PR manager, and you both made your way towards the main hall where Piper had likely also ended up. A sign by the main doors informed you that much to your relief, no media could enter into the actual event, meaning that Angel should be able to let up on his clinginess. You weren't so lucky, and his arm seemingly constricted tighter around you as he guided you through the many finely decorated tables set up before a small stage set up at the end of the room.

You located Piper at a table near the back conversing disinterestedly with a tall man whose back was to you, and you pointed them out to Angel who rolled his eyes as he quite slowly led you over. Piper was quick to notice your gaze, demeanor brightening at first and then quickly dimming again when he noticed your tense expression and Angel's tight grip on you.

"Interviews are over, time to let go," he instructed the sidekick once you both were within earshot, prompting the mystery man he was speaking to turn and face you both.

Your eyes widened when you realized it was James, frustratingly handsome as ever in his white eye mask and a classic black suit he filled too well. Countless emotions coursed through you at once– happiness, guilt, anger, and confusion to name a few– and he seemed to be undergoing a similar internal process as his face twitched slightly in confliction before landing on a practiced smile.

What felt like hours of your wordless reunion was really only a few seconds, and by the time you'd re-entered reality, your waist was no longer being restrained by Angel's arm and Piper was looking at you in tentative concern.

"Hey, hon," James' low voice said, thick with affection, calling your eyes back to him. "You look beautiful tonight. The prettiest girl in the room, if you ask me– and I am a guest of honor, so I think that means my opinion might mean something."

"Thanks," you replied hesitantly, for the first time in years unsure how to talk to the man who had been your best friend for so long. "You look nice too."

His brow quirked playfully at the compliment, a smugness behind the expression that you didn't appreciate. "Do I, now?"

"I guess, but your suit's pretty basic. All black's a bit villainous too."

He chuckled softly at the light jab, his eyes warm yet sharp on you, like you might disappear if he looked away for even a second. Not entirely unwarranted, seeing as you sort of had disappeared, but you still felt incredibly shy under such watchful eyes.

"You know, I've missed you real bad. You never answered my texts or my calls, and I was starting to worry. Almost just showed up to your place a few times, honestly," he admitted.

"You said I could reach out when I was ready," you muttered. "And I wasn't."

"Fair enough. But I won't lie and say I haven't been going crazy without you around. I think it's time things go back to normal, right?"

Had your nerves not been producing small, full-body tremors, you might've laughed in his face. You could not go back to normal, nor did you really want to. But any words you had in response felt too thick to make it past your throat, and all you could manage was a short hum in response.

It was cowardly, but all you wanted was to escape. The conversation, the gala, the overall tension that seemed to plague the night– it was all getting to be too much for you. As though he could read your mind, Piper was instantly at your side and carefully encasing your hand in his, drawing you out of your anxious stupor. You sent him an appreciative squeeze as he guided you to your seat at the table without a word to the two heroes. He sat down next to you with a contemplative smile, and you could tell he was mentally brewing up ways to ease the growing disquiet in your mind.

"Look," he said, pointing to the bohemian floral centerpiece that decorated your table– one with a slightly floppy purple bow holding it together that gave it a wonky sort of charm. "Finally after tonight, we can get your sleep schedule on track now that these things are off our hands."

"Oh, true. Y'know, I think Tony put this one together... it's cute in an ugly way," you chuckled weakly, struggling to ignore Angel as he sat on your other side and James as he sat by Piper's. You'd hoped the two would converse with each other while you took refuge in Piper's company, but they seemed more inclined to stare at you silently, their thoughts largely a mystery to you.

"Well it definitely wasn't El's work," Piper responded, thumb beginning to rub gently across your knuckles. "I feel bad... I lowkey went in on her when she said her cheer experience made her a 'bow expert.' Guess she got the last laugh with her final touches, though. Her bows looked better than mine. If only she had given you a hand when you were helping me get ready, maybe then I'd actually be wearing a tie right now."

"She does not know how to tie an actual tie, be so for real," you laughed, slowly relaxing even under the two heated stares of your friends. "Also, I don't know why you're coming for me when you didn't know how to tie it either. We're equally clueless this time."

"Yeah, for the first time ever," he agreed, smiling to himself until he met your unamused gaze. "Not that you're stupid or anything– and certainly not more frequently than I am– which I already said! ...remember? Cause you're obviously the smartest, prettiest, funniest, sweetest, most intuitive woman in the world who I care about very deeply and would never call stupid ever."

You shook your head as you laughed at his frantic backtracking. "You're cute when you make an ass of yourself."

"I think what you're trying to say is that you think I'm incredibly handsome and perfect," he beamed at you.

"I thought that was implied," you granted with a giggle, actually enjoying yourself until you heard James scoff at Piper's side.

"Can we talk for a sec, hon?" he asked rigidly, moving to stand just as the lights slowly dimmed above you signaling the beginning of the night. He sank back into his seat in mild annoyance, but you were thanking the stars that you were safe for a while longer.

You turned your attention to the stage-lit front as an older man made his way to its center. Despite your minimal knowledge of the superhero world, you recognized him pretty quickly as the current Head Chief of the Commission as well as the retired superhero Mirage: Francis Augustine. Despite his greying hair and the wrinkles that decorated his face, he was still a large and lively presence that commanded the attention and respect of everyone in the room.

He approached the mic with a polite smile. "Good evening and welcome to the heroes, sidekicks, Commission employees, and other guests gathered here tonight to celebrate the passing of the highly esteemed role of Head Chief to my incredibly disciplined and worthy successor– the first of his kind to hold such a role, I'll add with no lack of pride! Now, I'll admit I am a bit partial to him, but that's to be expected, ey?" He paused as the crowd chuckled at what you assumed was a joke whose context you didn't quite understand, Piper shrugging when you looked to him for context. "It truly is my honor to host such an event where we all can come together and not only recognize his achievements, but also have the opportunity to celebrate each other in our many efforts to create a safer, brighter community through the employment of our powers. Before the formalities of the night begin, I hope you all can enjoy a brief social hour to partake in some refreshments and good company with each other. All press has retired for the night, so I suggest you take advantage of the beautiful estate entrusted to us, including the lovely gardens outside. All I ask is that you return here at the end of the hour so that our scheduled programming can commence. Until then, enjoy."

As the house lights came back on you reflexively squeezed Piper's hand, knowing now that you had an hour designated to chatting with people, you'd have no logical excuse if and when James tried to get you alone again. Confirming your fears, he stood up and made his way to your seat.

"Let's go have our chat now," he stated rather than asking as he held his hand out, looking down at you with an expectant smile. "Seems we have a lot to catch up on."

You swallowed thickly at the subtle implication of his words before hesitantly removing your hand from Piper's to place it in his. You didn't even spare your boy a glance, not wanting him to worry about your rapidly spiking anxiety, and you let James lead you away from both him and Angel.

You tried to remain optimistic amidst your growing unease. This was the 'social hour' after all, might as well try to renew a connection during it. Unfortunately for you, you weren't the only one hoping to rekindle broken relationships tonight, and you were in for a lot more treacherous interactions than a quick chat with your estranged best friend.