𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 ; 𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐑

9. | 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

** lil warning for up ahead, **
some slightly mature content.
i do not write smut, but
this chapter contains a bit
of sexual tension and whatnot
so yeah ,,

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  You sat on the edge of Onceler's desk, feet swinging gently over the side of it, as you were leaned ever so slightly back in a relaxed position. The familiar, almost forgotten, sounds of a guitar echoed throughout the office.
You watch thin hands strum on the strings of an electric guitar with excitement, every so often catching the smiling gaze of Once when he'd break his sight of the chords to look at you.

"I missed your guitar." You tell him. "I mean, like, when you play."

Onceler lets out a quiet chuckle and slows his strumming down, a slight loss of focus now in his ability. "I guess I'll have to play more often, then." His voice was light and playful.

  Your smile grows bigger, and you wish he couldn't see it. It was embarrassing how much you liked him. Your chest was fluttering, and there was always this feeling of excitement you couldn't shake when you were with him. Seeing him was like having plans that you'd been waiting around for for weeks.

"I guess so." You reply with the same smile.

 

"Uh, so . . can I ask you something?" He completely stops his playing, leaning the guitar over his lap as he looks at you. Blue eyes flick down for a brief moment of where you'd been sitting, as it came to his realization, and then down to the floor.

You nod, a little anxiety in your mind now. You straighten up and lean forward a bit, crossing your arms over your lap. "Yeah, what's up?"

His mouth pulls into a crooked frown, and he shifts in his seat. "Y-You don't think I'm . . bad, do you?" There was a little laugh behind his voice, and it wasn't meant to be funny.

Bad? As in, a bad person? You wondered where that thought came from.

Now that you think of it, he'd brought it up before a few weeks ago in the dressing room, but you were ignoring him because of being too caught up in the sewing. 

  You frown down at him. "What d'you mean?"

"You know," he looks back up to you and shrugs in his jacket. "Like, what I'm doing. It's not bad, right? I-I kinda always thought I was a pretty good guy," he starts to banter on, waving his hands around a bit, a nervous habit you supposed.

"Once," you frown, speaking softly.

"It's just . . the Lorax," his voice raises, and brows furrow as he continues to bicker, "He's been sort of getting to me again, and keeps talking about this promise we made, and—"

"Onceler." You try again, but he was too far gone inside of his own mind.

"—Y'know, I started to think, what if he's just trying to take me dow—"

"Hey!" You raise your voice, drawing him from his rants. You hop off the desk and grab his shoulders. He stops, flinching as he looks up to you with big blue eyes. "Breathe. Just for a minuet," you urge him.

Onceler nods. He seemed slightly embarrassed, but you weren't really one to judge. You were actually just as nervous as he was about this- - or, so you thought.