you aren't born with strength, you cultivate it

KIERAN/RHYS | play my heart like a drum

RE-PUBLISHED: 11 JAN 2024 (written sometime in NOV)

5 times Kieran Scooter's crush is obvious and the 1 time Rhys Valentine realized his crush:

tags: Falling In Love ×Idiots in Love ×Hesitant Rhys Valentine ×Kieran Scooter is smitten ×Slow Burn ×kind of ×Not Beta Read We Die Like LT. McGlocklin ×5+1 Things 

"Can't lay with these snakes, Medusa

You could be my hallelujah

Come on over, play my heart like a drum

Play my heart like a drum

Play my heart like a drum"

"Give Me Something" | The Man Who

_____

1-

A hand is offered to him, followed closely by a devilish smirk. Blue jewels-for-eyes casually trail from gleaming charcoal-brown down artfully docorated, toned skin to the offered appendage. Reciprocating the man's smirk, instead with a near-blinding smile, he snags the man's hand in his. He squeezes once and shakes up-and-down twice, taking an idle note of the man's grip and unwavering smirk. The platinum blond is the first to retreat, relaxing his grip and allowing the other man to release his hand. His arm falls back to his side with little fanfare.

"Rhys Valentine." Introduces the man, winking at him. "The hottest one around here."

There's a disbelieving scoff that falls from the blond's lips, a smirk crawling onto his face unconsciously. "Then I guess I can take that title from you?"

Valentine raises an eyebrow, playfully mocking. "Oh?" He muses aloud, "and who, exactly, would be taking my throne?"

"Kieran Scooter." The blond easily introduces, resisting the urge to dramatically bow in front of the other. "S'pose I'm the hottest, now?"

The brunet huffs a laugh, the sound pleasant to the blond's ears. "Well-" Charcoal-brown roams his form, taking in his appearance and appraising him not-so-subtly. "-I guess you fit the part."

Before the banter could go back and forth, over the exasperated phrase of 'oh no, there's two of them,' a redhead places himself between the pair. "Okay okay." The man placates, raising his hands as if surrendering. "I think that's enough from you two."

Valentine salutes near-mockingly. His grin hasn't faltered despite the interruption, tugging at a nearly unnoticeable scar on the right side of his lip that crawled down his chin. Those charcoal-brown eyes of his gleam with mirth, sparkling under the station's yellow-tinted light, almost making them appear aflame. Without another word except 'Yes Chief!' to Dubhlainn Glenanne, the man turns and exits. Not before sending Kieran yet another wink.

He finds himself watching the man leave, eyeing the sway of his hips and noting the way the man looked good in his uniform. Kieran swore the man was purposefully walking that way to tease him, tempt him in some way. But that may have been his imagination. A hopeless gay like he is, he wouldn't be surprised if he was conjuring that in his mind to make himself feel better.

Kieran swiftly realized he was staring. Jolting back into the presence, he returns his focus to Dubhlainn and Katerina Campbell, only to realize they were both watching him with coy looks on their faces. He can't conceal the blush that explodes onto his face at this realization.

Clearing his throat, he tries his best to keep his mind off the man that just stole his whole attention and dangerously distracted him. Like a siren luring a sailor. "Where were we?"

His prompting doesn't get rid of the smug looks on both the Chief and Deputy Chief's faces, instead, it seems to make it worse. Campbell is the first to answer. "We were going to ask if you were sure about the transfer back.." She smirks playfully, wiggling her eyebrows. "..but it appears as if your answer is clear."