⌜𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 ~⌟

Chapter 2: Congratulations

Early the next morning, Lin opened the door to the backstage area. It was quiet, him always being the first to show up. With this in mind, he jumped when he was greeted by a fuming Renee.

"Renee! You scared me! Why are you here so early?" he asked, stepping back as she advanced angrily.

"Lin. Congratulations."

"... Thanks?"

"You've invented a new kind of stupid. A damage you can never undo, kind of stupid. An open-all-the-cages-in-the-zoo, kind of stupid. Clearly, you didn't think this through, kind of stupid."

"What? Renee, what did I do?"

"You know he chooses your happiness over his own every time."

"Who?"

"Jonathan."

Lin's heart sank. "What do you mean?"

"Lin, we all know you're a genius, but sometimes you can be really thick. You don't see how he looks at you?"

"I... I didn't do anything to make him feel that way."

"Sure. You only kiss him, hug him, let him touch you in... questionably sexual ways, tell him he's cute and handsome, toy with his feelings every day and yet won't let him be anything other than a friend."

"Renee, I'm married. Happily," he added after a quick hesitation.

"Then cut him loose. He's hurting real bad and you're not helping matters by pretending like you don't see. If you had to choose..." she trailed off, giving him one last piercing look before she walked out leaving him with even more weight on his shoulders than before. He had been dreading this day for years, when he would finally have to confront his feelings he'd been pushing down inside.

He ran his hands through his hair nervously as he set his bag down and took a seat at the counter, opening his laptop. He had planned to get some work done but now just stared emptily into space, thinking. He hadn't slept in a week, he was weak, awake, and didn't want to think.

An hour went by before he was jolted back to reality by the door opening and Groff entering the room. He froze when he saw Lin.

"Oh, sorry to bother you. I'll just head to the dressing room," he said quietly, walking off.

"Jonathan, wait!" 

Lin ran up to him, Jon turning around in surprise at his tone. Looking up at Jonathan, he suddenly felt immobilized by nerves. "I..."

He closed his eyes and kissed Jonathan—a muffled surprised sound escaped his lips—tentatively putting an arm around him and pulling him close as Jon let his bag slide off his shoulder onto the floor with a thump and melted into the kiss.

Jonathan's mind was a mess of emotions but all he could think about was how Lin was kissing him. Lin? Kissing? Him? He nearly short-circuited.

Lin pulled away and looked nervously back and forth, holding Groff's gaze. Confusion swirled around him, but for once he just didn't want to think. He just wanted more of the addictive drug that was Jon. He leaned in for another kiss, and Groff's suddenly blank mind couldn't think of anything to say to go against it. It was like a hurricane swirling around the two of them and they didn't care about anything else.

A feeling of indescribable comfort and safety warmed Lin's heart as Jonathan clutched Lin's hair and wrapped his other arm around his waist. Lin pinned Jon to the wall, running a hand over his cheek as he kissed him. Suddenly a surge of reality overcame him and he jumped back from Jon, wild fear and realization in his face as Jonathan watched him wide-eyed, flattening himself against the wall.

No!

"What are we doing?" Lin yelled, running his hands through his hair in a panic, pacing back and forth. "How could you? I can't... Why do you do this to me, Groff? I am ruined! How could I do this? You know I can't do this. Why do you make me love you? I can't love you. You can't do this to me."

"Lin! Please don't go!" Groff called after him.

But Lin was already storming out in tears over the feelings situation in his heart, calling Javier to cover for him that day and leaving a hurt Jon behind.

Word Count: 713 Words

AAAH MORE SAD GROFF IM SORRY!