Undercover Lover

Lingering

A/N: Thanks so much for reading so far :) I've been planning out the story and big things are coming soon!

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It was a busy night at Club Killjoy, sending you from person to person, serving drinks and chatting lightly. You were used to talking with strangers because of your actual job, but the increased social interaction of this fake job was starting to wear on you. You felt more like Skylar than Y/N these days, falling into a character you had no connection with other than this case. Sometimes, you missed life outside of this case. You always had to watch what you did or said, especially around Gerard. You were afraid you'd lose his trust before you even began to gain it.

Speaking of Gerard, your eyes caught onto movement from the entrance of the club. Gerard and two other men walked inside, actively talking with one another about something that seemed serious. You watched them walk past everyone like they weren't even there before disappearing into the VIP lounge. You wanted to follow so bad, but your common sense overcame your curiosity. A little bit.

"Who were they?" You asked Jenna, who was waiting at the bar with you for drinks.

"Frank and Ray. They're just some business partners," Jenna told you, satisfying some of your curiosity.

You had definitely seen those names somewhere in the case file. They were around Gerard a lot, so they had to have some hand in all of the illegal activities going on around here. You narrowed your eyes a little as you watched the door to the VIP lounge, suspicious of what they were discussing behind closed doors. You went on with your job, but your eyes often wandered to the door throughout the next few hours, impatiently waiting for someone to emerge. How long could they meet for? How elaborate could planning a hit be?

You were cleaning off an empty table when you finally saw the door open, Gerard stepping out into the glow of red basking the interior of the club. You couldn't help but watch him closely, noting how distant his gaze seemed, like he was suspended in his thoughts. The lack of focus didn't last long as his eyes met yours across the distance, jolting you out of your staredown.

You quickly forced your head down to avert your gaze, your neck bordering on aching because of how frantic you had moved. Cursing yourself under your breath for your lack of control, you picked up a few empty glasses, trying to clean up the table as quick as possible so that you could disappear from sight.

"Having a good night?"

Gerard's voice managed to cut through the heavy bass that filled the club, jolting you so bad that one of the glasses slipped from your grip, shattering at your feet. A heated flush of embarrassment crossed your cheeks as you knelt, hurriedly trying to pick up the glass pieces. You really weren't this clumsy. Like ever. Or skittish.

"Skylar. Hey, hey, Skylar!"

You felt his hand grab yours, the stinging sensation just now coming to you. You looked at your palm to see a defined cut that you had gotten without even realizing. You winced a little as the stinging increased, blood welling up along the incision.

"Come here," Gerard told you, keeping his hand on yours as he helped you to your feet. He led you into his office, shutting the door behind him and switching on the lights. After guiding you to sit in the chair at his desk, he rummaged through one of the desk drawers and pulled out a small first aid kit.

You wondered if you should find that odd or not for him to have a random first aid kit in his office. Maybe it wasn't odd. Injuries, like the idiotic one you suffered, were bound to happen in a place like this. But you still couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at it because of who he was.

"I'm going to get this glass out of your hand," Gerard murmured, focusing intently as he started to pick at the small remaining pieces of glass embedded in your skin.

You held still, letting him fawn over you, the oddness only increasing. You felt your eyes trail from your injury to his face, watching how his eyes narrowed in concentration, how his jaw tightened. The heat in your face returned, and it wasn't welcomed. It was just because he was so close to you! So close. He was sitting on the edge of his desk facing you, one hand caressing the back of your hand and the other removing glass from your palm and fingertips.

"Luckily, you didn't cut yourself deep enough to need stitches," Gerard told you as he opened the first aid kit and fished around through a pile of bandages and guaze.

"Is that outside of your medical expertise?" You found yourself asking, tone laced with a hint of sarcasm.

A smirk crossed Gerard's face as he shook his head and pulled a roll of gauze and a tube of Neosporin out of the kit. He applied a generous amount of the antibiotic ointment to the cut, being gentle in his motions. "Actually, I've done some stitch work a time or two," Gerard murmured quietly as he wrapped your hand up, a faint red line forming in the white material.

You bet he had. "Thank you," you told him, watching him tape down the end of the gauze. You gave your hand a tender flex, admiring his work for a moment.

"I didn't mean to scare you," Gerard replied, his smirk falling away into what seemed like a look of regret.

He actually seemed sorry. You expected him to be upset with you for making such a commotion and a mess, but here he was apologizing to you. "I'm really not that jumpy. Usually," you sighed, shaking your head at yourself.

"Am I that intimidating?" Gerard chuckled, playfulness glinting in the hazel of his eyes.

He shouldn't be to you, but he was. "You're far from intimidating," you lied, putting on a look of defiance to match his playfulness.

"Hm, that's a first," Gerard murmured, his words seeming more for himself than for you. He held your gaze for a few moments, his smile warm.

You kept telling yourself to look away, but you couldn't help but feel drawn in. Maybe if you just continued looking into his eyes you'd find your way into his mind. Why did he have to put up such an indestructible wall?

"If you want, you can go home for the night. Rest your hand," Gerard broke the silence, the tension falling away slightly.

You shook your head, your automatic stubborn nature kicking in. "I'm fine. Really."

"Are you sure? I really don't mind sending you home," Gerard tried to insist as he watched you rise to your feet.

"Yeah, I received the best care there is," you replied, words bouncing with a light laugh as you gave your bandaged hand a stiff wave.

"Well, if you need any more, you know where to find me," Gerard told you, shooting you a playful wink.

You willed your face to keep its normal color and not break out into a furious flush of red. You ducked your head a little as you moved past him toward the door, a small smile gracing your lips uncontrollably. "Goodnight," you told him, hand resting on the doorknob but not making a move to turn it just yet.

"Take care, Skylar," Gerard responded softly, watching you duck out of his office, his eyes lingering on the door as you pulled it closed.