Archive of Our Own

Strohl wanted to punch something. He wasn't sure what, but the satisfaction it would bring him to feel something breaking under his knuckles would be great right now. The Nidia sat in front of him, legs crossed one over the other, her red heels shining. Her hair was tied up, an elaborate bun on top of her head, braids twining around more and more braids. She faced him with an expectant  expression, as if she was still waiting for a reaction other than him staring at her dumbfounded. 

It was a while before his voice was his own again, but once he could he spoke hoarsely, ''So.. what you're saying is I'm fired if I don’t find a boyfriend?'' 

“You do get it!”, Junah nodded, a small smile reaching her cherry-painted lips. “Sorry, but after having Hulkenberg on staff today, I've realized just how much I hate the rumors about.. eurk.. you and I being together. Don't want her thinking she doesn't have a chance after all!'' She punctuated with a blue-eyed wink at him. 

''Junah, you would fire me over something like that!?'' He sputtered. 

She waved her hand at him. ''Maybe, guess we won't know until it happens.”

He felt panic settle in his chest. ''My parents- I- Where would I find another job-'' 

''Maybe it's my push on you to act, Strohl. You've been very comfortable being my assistant ever since what happened to Halia, and while I appreciate and love all of your help, no one loves menial tasks the way you do, but you could be doing so much more, and… ah well, you're the loneliest man I've ever seen.''

He started to say something, but Junah raised a hand and cut him off, her pointer finger aimed right at him. 

''Louis respects you. That's rare. Many of the other nobles do too, even with the fall of your house— just having a house is more than most. You have a mind to act but you need someone to push you to do so, so I’m trying to be that person.''

''Junah. I don't have time for that,” he sighed, “I'm busy making sure I can pay to house me and my parents-''

''And if you rose up the ranks in the world, maybe you could help the rest of the people of Halia, where they wouldn't need your financial help because greedy people wouldn't be allowed to get away with whatever they want.'' Her gaze was deadly serious, a chill went down his spine. 

Strohl groaned heavily, ''Still, how's a boyfriend going to help me with that?'' 

''Oh no no, that's for fun and to help me. And to make you start thinking more of your future, and honestly? Strohl, you’re a workaholic. I fear sometimes that I'm your only friend, I mean honestly— just a friend may help you. The boyfriend part is... for me, and my pursuit."

He sent her a cold glare, which she deftly ignored, standing up and patting down her dress. ''Good luck to you Strohl, I have to go prepare to be on stage now, you know, greet the crowd and all just the way they like?'' She snorted to herself, a joke he didn’t quite get— probably didn’t want to. She waved a hand to him as she exited the lobby through one of the many blank steel doors. 

Strohl then took the opportunity of privacy to slam his head into the coffee table. He let out a heavy sigh. Junah had never been ''gentle'' about his lack of relationship experience, and she'd never liked the accusations of the media guessing at the love they may have had, but he didn’t either. This however, this was something he would have never guessed she would have brought it too. 

''A week to find a boyfriend, huh….’’ he murmured under his breath, ''just to convince some people with way too little to do with their lives I’m gay so Junah can have her pick of awkward redheads. Damn her."

*+!

Strohl sipped at a drink backstage— non-alcoholic of course, he wasn’t  allowed to drink while on the clock, he knew better. The crowd cheered excitedly as Junah began yet another song. His head ached, he'd spent the past hour of the concert ordering people around to bring Junah water, then to shift the lights to the desired spot, all sorts of boring, menial tasks he was far too used to to have to put much brain-power into. So this left him just enough brain-power to scroll through every dating app he could download on his phone. This was a dead-end though, just as it always had been:it was nothing but hookups. He started wondering if he'd have better luck just hiring someone to fake it, to get Junah off his ass. 

He got up, stepping away from the backstage drama and leaving his post to someone else ending up in the hallway, he was typing away a post to figure something out when someone ran into him. He scrambled to catch his phone, but it had already flown out of his hands and landed on the floor with a crack that sent a shudder through him. He turned to look at the source of the collision: a younger man, dark blue fluffy hair covered his eyes and he had on a checkered white and black button up that was neatly tucked into his high waisted pants, boots with small heels, well kept— not usually the type he was nearly run over by after they'd have a bit too much fun at the bar. Though he didn't smell like alcohol, he looked absolutely sick to his stomach. He blinked at him— his eyes were two different colors, Strohl noticed. 

They'd been covered by his mop of hair before, but now they were peering into his own grey ones, and Strohl was frozen for a moment by the intensity of them. They looked pleading, and he was immediately compelled to do whatever he was told to. 

''I-..I'm so sorry in advance,'' a clear but high voice stammered out, coated with a sickly something, before the man lurched forwards— and vomited all over  Strohl's shoes.

The man was an Elda, something you didn’t see often, especially in Grand Trad. The capital was a huge city sure, but not the best for diversity; Brilehaven would’ve been much better to end up in if you happened to be a ''lesser'' tribe. He planned to tell the Elda that, but he was still busy puking his guts out into the small trash bin Strohl had gotten him. Strohl sighed softly. He definitely had empathy for this situation, he lost his food more times than it stayed in him sometimes. Tours with Junah meant planes, and vans, and all sorts of other things that turned his stomach inside out.

He patted the man on the back as he wretched again, a choked sounding sob coming out with it that made Strohl flinch. ''Hey, let me know when you're done so we can get you some water, your throat’s bound to feel raw.'' All he got in response were some shallow breaths and a shaky nod. Strohl sighed, staring down at his phone in his hands. He wasn’t about to leave him alone here, not in such a vulnerable state, it would be irresponsible— but he couldn’t exactly communicate to anyone where he was or ask for someone else to take over watch duty of the incapacitated. 

His shoes and socks sat to the side, discarded. He'd rather not think about that right now, if he had to be honest. Since he hadn’t heard the stranger hacking for a good minute, Strohl passed his water bottle to him, which was swiftly snatched out of his hands, and the Elda tipped back his head to chug the contents. 

Strohl found himself chuckling softly, ''See, told you you'd want water. Don’t drink so much next time,'' he stared at the man’s face, then squinted, ''Ah, actually… I might want to see an ID, you don’ look-''

''I wasn’t drinking.'' The voice cut clear through the air, impossibly clear for a drunk person. ''Something was put in my food,'' he stated with a pained cough. Water bottle set down next to him, he sat back against the wall of the dim hallway and brushed his blue hair out of his face. He was caked in sweat, his face still incredibly pale, and worry settled in Strohl's gut. 

''Give me your phone so I can call an ambulance If you've been poisoned-'' 

A gloved hand was raised in gesture for him to stop. ''Already took something, Why else would I have puked up literally everything I had in me.'' 

''Oh… Does this happen often— allergies?''

''No, people don’t like 'misfortune',” Bi-colored eyes narrowed as the person grimaced, looking even more sick for a moment, and maybe something bordering on worse. “Well. I guess that's all there is to it.'' 

Strohl went silent. Usually Junah's concerts were a better place for people of the ''lesser'' tribes, since her messages in her songs leaned towards a free and happy world, though some still would show up and somehow hear something in the music he didn’t, something that could excuse their behavior. Or maybe it was the vendors, the venue, or just an impossible person. 

''I'm so sorry,'' he growled under his breath. A finger tapped him lightly on the shoulder, and he looked to see the boy was smiling wryly at him.

''Should you really be apologizing to me,? I can lend you my phone since well, yours is uh…'' He paused, guilt crossing his features, ''out of commision.''

Strohl heard himself snort..

''Use mine to call whoever you’re with,”the Elda continued, “you don’t wanna end up alone at something like this,'' 

''Like you?'' Strohl raised an eyebrow. 

‘’Let’s... not talk about me right now- I can pay you for another phone but- lets just both try to make it home safe tonight-''

''I can promise that way easier than you can, I fear.'' 

''Please stop arguing-''

''I didn’t come here with anyone, I'm Junah's assistant. Though most don’t know that unless they’re a bit obsessed with her, not a huge fan of cameras. The most danger I’m in is that she'll have to find someone else to help her, though she did just hire a new guard and .. urgh. She is obsessed with that woman. So maybe I'm doing her a favor.'' He crossed his arms over his chest, shifting to lean himself against the same wall as the Eldan man. 

''Oh… I… that makes this whole situation so much more embrassing,'' he tugged on his dark bangs, a nervous smile crossing his lips.

''I don’t mind. This is far more entertaining than ordering around people who don’t want to be here.''

''Enjoying my suffering, are we?''

Strohl found himself laughing again, ''I'm Strohl, Leon Strohl Da Haliaetus. You?''

''Quite the name. I'm Will, just Will.'' 

''Good to make your acquaintance, Will.'' Strohl smiled and held out his hand for Will to shake, on impulse nearly. 

Will blinked down at his gloves before pulling back, ''Not that I’m against shaking your hand, but you probably don't want to do that.''

Strohl's mind ticked into place, then he nodded, ''Do you want to get cleaned up?''

"Honestly... I want to throw away everything I'm wearing and just take a shower. Whatever was given to me- I wasn’t even aware I could sweat that much.''

''Probably no thanks to the crowd out there either.'' 

''Mmn…'' A nod, Will flinched as his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and lifted it to his ear, Strohl watched him jump as whoever was on the other side started immediately yelling, though it was muffled to his ears.

''E-Eupha, I'm okay! The pill worked and I'm still alive! You two continue having fun- I just need to rest for a minute-'' He paused, to let the other person speak— presumably Eupha, ''No, I'm not alone, you have nothing to worry about, seriously. Just find Del, then we'll meet up again after the show.'' 

There was a few more moments of conversation before Will hung up, ''Sorry about that- here I was lecturing you about splitting from your friends.''

''It's fine, they have a right to be worried considering the state you met me in.''

Will looked away a bit shamefully. ''Ah... yeah.'' He took off his gloves and shoved them in his bag, resting his head up against the wall. ''I think I need a moment... if you don't mind,'' he murmured softly, his voice trailed off as his head lolled onto Strohl's shoulder. He was warm, and in the clammy back hall of a concert venue, heat wasn't something you wanted more of, but Strohl made no effort to move him, instead staring into his reflection on his shattered phone screen and lost himself in his head. Pondering how many missed calls he may have already gotten, furious texts, and maybe even an email here and there.

Of course he was only guessing, considering the dark dead screen. 

Ten minutes later Will sat up, gasping suddenly as he fell forwards, hugging his arms around himself. Strohl reached out to catch him but was stopped by a free hand, Will's, he caught his breath and instead quickly stood up, not looking back at Strohl, who was sat on the floor, barefoot and confused. 

''Is...'' Will sucked in a sharp breath, ''the show over?''

''Nearly, I think.'' Strohl stood with him, his eyes narrowed, worry for the Elda filled his mind again, ''Are your friends looking for you?''

''Ah- yes- probably,'' Will's eyes looked slightly dazed, he stared down at his hands before shaking himself, sending Strohl a strained smile that made him want to shift reality, just so Will wouldn't make a face like that. 

''Hey- give me your number. My phone isn’ working but I can borrow someone else's to call you, just to make sure you've made it home?''

Will froze, and now there was no smile on his face, his jaw slack, just staring at Strohl for a very long moment as if he was having to think about it, though what he said just shocked Strohl more, ''Please, don’t bother yourself with worrying about me, it will just cause trouble for you."

He wasn't going to take that for an answer, he grabbed Will by the shoulder and pulled him back. Will gave him another surprised look, though his eyes were fixated on the spot where Strohl held onto him. He pulled his hand back, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. ''Sorry, but if you care about my mental wellbeing you'll do this, please? I will worry no matter what you say or tell me or claim about yourself.'' He ducked his head slightly so he and Will were closer to being eyelevel with each other. 

''…Okay-'' Will nodded, though his expression made it clear he still had his doubts, ''I'll need a pen and something to write it on.'' 

Finding a pen in the bottom of his bag, but nothing of the sort to write on, Strohl paused for a minute before handing the pen to Will and holding out his wrist. 

''Eh- are you sure? What if it doesnt come off-''

''Better than being left guessing about your wellbeing.''

Will pursed his lips, an admittedly adorable expression on him, then he uncapped the pen. A warm hand came up to hold Strohl's forearm steady, and he desperately tried to ignore how the fingers only came to encircle half of it, then the gentle tickle of the pen tip digging into his skin ever so slightly, neat handwriting was scrawled onto his arm, the number written just below his wrist. 

When Will pulled back the air felt colder, not quite temperaturewise, it wasn’t cool inside this building far too stuffed with people, but a lonelier type of feeling. Strohl took the pen back and slipped it inside his bag. 

He followed Will out into the crowd, making sure he was with his friends before he left his side. They were a Paripus boy and Mustari girl, both incredibly kind, and looked like they'd nearly lost their minds worrying about Will with how they fawned over him when they met up again. Though Strohl couldn't much blame them, after even just spending the past hour with Will he couldn't imagine how worried he'd be if he'd watched him be poisoned by a stranger then run away barely conscious. 

Will had waved goodbye, promising he'd be up to receive Strohl's call to confirm he got home safely. This had Strohl staring down at the numbers on his wrist every chance he got for the rest of the night. Junah questioned him about it, of course, and he told her he was just making sure her ass didn't get sued for this, to which she gave him a flick on the forehead then commented on his lack of shoes, which he had no answer to. 

*!+

The drive home consisted of only one train of thought, how he hoped his parents would be awake enough to lend him a phone so he could enter in those stupid numbers that he'd memorized at this point. Cute boys did bad things to his brain. Luckily, his parents didn't even ask questions in their sleepy state, just handing him his father’s phone and going back to bed. 

He shut the door with as quiet of a click as he could manage, and then he was caught in time, staring at the keypad. He didn't even need to check his wrist anymore, he had every numeral seared into his mind, but some anxiety was making entering them in so incredibly hard. He paced back and forth, biting his lip as he thought of the best way to start said call, rehearsing different ways to say ''got home alright?'' "are you okay?'' ''Did you end up finding your way back?'' to himself, trying to keep his voice quiet, though he was soon cut off by a yell from his mother about his pacing and muttering. 

''Leon! Please, others are trying to sleep!''

He yelled back a frantic apology, walking into the living room where a rug carpeted the floor and would drown out the now frenzied tapping of his foot. After all, he needed something to ground him in the moment. He sucked in a deep breath, exhaling slowly, and his fingers typed the numbers into the screen, before his thumb halted over the call button. He was frozen again, shit. This was so terribly pathetic, after the entirety of the rest of the night: from Junah yelling at him for going missing and losing his shoes, to cleanup, to making sure the man who was out poisoning people was taken care of, to driving home, his head was reciting every word he'd repeat to Will the moment he got home, and he'd been excited. Now, his stomach was filled with what could only be described as dread. 

Strohl finally gave in, squeezing his eyes shut and pressing down. It rung for a moment before someone picked up and there was some shuffling heard, then a familiar light airy voice was heard from the other side.

''Sorry, I'm just gonna take this outside, I'll be quick!,'' A door shut, ''Hey? This is Will.''

He'd actually picked up. He kept his promise. Strohl's heart was too busy doing cartwheels in his chest for his mouth to form a reply. 

''…Er, hello?'' 

''A-ah sorry! This is Strohl, from the concert- did you... erm... make it home alright?'' He wanted to bang his head against the wall. Why was he so tongue tied now? 

''Wow,'' a giggle, ''You actually called… I didn't expect it. Yes I made it home, did you?''

''Huh,'' He said dumbly, ''me?''

''Yes, I'll return the concern you give me, it’ss only fair. did you get home okay, Strohl?'' 

''Oh! Yes- I did!'' There was a moment of awkward silence, Strohl's head was spinning, what was this?

Will interrupted the quiet, ''Was Lady Junah mad at you?''

"Eurgh- you must not call her that.'' He groaned, not even thinking before reacting. It worked as an icebreaker between them in the end.

''Hah! So I guess you guys aren't on the best terms now with that reaction, hope I didn't get you in too much trouble.''

''No, I was peeved with her antics before running into you. She was more upset with the man who spiked your drink, absolutely mad with fury, haven't seen her like that in a while, but I can't blame her. Don't worry, I made sure he'll never attend another show in his life, he seriously ran like his life depended on it and figuring Junah’s reaction it just may have.'' Strohl was smiling at the memory of the dumbfounded looking man, how stupid he'd looked when he'd been caught. 

Will was dead silent however. There was a shaky breath, then he said ''You… caught him? And- punished him?? -.."

''Of course, I made sure he'd pay for what he did, can't have that on my conscience after all. Plus I guess it's also my job, though I must apologize, It's why I'm calling so late, honestly shocked you’re up. He made it hell to find him.'' 

"Y-You’re serious? Why- you don't need to-'' Will's voice rose in pitch. 

''Will? I know we are practically strangers, but I think I'd like to ask you to value your wellbeing just a bit more.''

''…Right.'' Will’s voice cracked.

''If anything like that even happens again just let me know, I'll be on it.''

''..I don't know if I'll be going to a show again for a while..''

''Oh, I meant anywhere, don't hesitate to call me.''

''…You’re pretty forward, aren't you?''

Strohl paused, feeling heat rise up his face, ''Oh, no no- I just want to help- The cruelties of others need to be punished- Injustice can't be left to stir in this world- And you deserve far better treatment!''

A laugh, ''Hah! True, and I suppose I'll have to call on my knight in shining armor from now on, eh?''

''Oh.'' Strohl's voice cracked this time.

''Sorry, too much?''

Yes. But Will mustn't know how much he was currently panicking. As he'd die of the sheer humiliation. ''No no, if it’s what you need, I'll be there. Well.. So long as Junah doesn't have me busy.'' 

''Mmn.. Save this number for when you get a new phone, lets talk again. Do you like coffee? I definitely owe you one now.'' 

''Oh- I.. yes, though mostly for simple energy.''

''Okay, sounds great! I'll be seeing you Strohl!''

''…Yes .. see you.'' 

Strohl lowered the phone, staring at it with awe, Will had just asked him to meet up.. right? That's what it'd sounded like at least? Was he reading into this too much? What was happening? Either way, he figured there wasn't gonna be much in the way of sleep that night.

*!+

So now he was here, a small cafe downtown, Will on his way, and his hands were sweating enough to fill buckets. He had made a terrible fool of himself on that phone call, even though he was trying desperately to appear as the brave savior he wanted to be, for reasons of his good name as an assistant to the renowned pop star Junah, and for the more personal selfish reason of wanting Will to thank him again, to joke about looking to him for help again. (And if he was lucky, actually call him for help) 

His heeled boot was tapping frantically against the tiled, earthy looking floor of the patio, his thigh bouncing up and down, a terrible nervous tick. He stared at the black screen of his phone, dead with no updates from Will on when he was to arrive. Strohl’s own face stared back at him, looking strained from the anxiety he was giving himself.

Spending too much time staring at his frazzled expression in the dark glass, Strohl did not notice someone walk up to stand next to him, that was until there was a quick snap of movement in his peripheral vision, he flinched and turned abruptly. 

Will was bowing to him, arms tight to his sides and back rigid. "Thank you so much!!" He cried, eyes squeezed shut. 

Strohl was simply put, stunned into silence, to the point that the edla started to get worried, opening one eye and leaning back slightly to see if Strohl had heard him. Instead, warm gray eyes were staring at him looking absolutely perplexed. 

"..Erm—… you're very welcome! You.. gave that quite a bit of gusto. I'm sorry, I didn't expect that-"

Will laughed softly under his breath, which made Strohl tense even more. "Ya know, it's not enough of a thank you, I really do owe you one after all of that. How late did you chase him? You called me around 3 last night."

Strohl watched Will take the seat opposite him, dressed in a neat black turtleneck with a white T-shirt layered over it. It made his colorful hair and eyes pop even more, Strohl had to focus as to not stare.

"O-oh- yes, I got home around then.."

"You called me first thing?" Will tilted his head. Strohl wanted to scream.

"I-I did- your condition was worrying, you know! Speaking of that, how are you feeling today? I'm sorry to have not waited to speak to you - though you did want to today… I hope you aren’t too tired.”

"I'm feeling fine, thank you for worrying," Will answered with a warm smile that made Strohl’s stomach do a somersault. 

"A-are you sure-" 

"So how's it working for Junah? I'm sure you have tons of insane work stories," Will interrupted him, apparently wanting to hear nothing more about his condition or wellbeing. 

"You- you're asking me about work- of all things?"

"You work for the most famous woman in all of Euchronia, do you really expect me to not be curious?" A snicker.

Strohl sighed softly, "You have me there. The job is.. interesting. I mean, it's fun of course, but the headaches that come with a tour always end up reminding me why she pays me so well."

Will snorted softly, "Well a tour did just end, do you have a headache now?"

"Not.. right now no- actually, I wasn't helping Junah for most of the night, so I'm not as peeved as I usually would be right now-" he stopped, a sudden thought had uninvitedly just barged its way into his brain. Well now he had a headache coming. Strohl reached up and rubbed his temples with a soft sigh.

"Scratch that- I can feel one coming now." 

"Maybe a hot drink will help- I'll be right back!" Will stood, pushing his chair back as he hurried to the door of the cafe, the bells on the door jingling as he slipped inside.

Strohl stared at the empty chair, feeling a bit dumbfounded, guilty too. He'd gotten reminded of just why the amazing Juani Cygnus was annoying him so much right now, and his mood had taken a dive for the worse.

Feeling restless, he pulled out his phone, seeing all sorts of notifications from the dating apps he'd desperately downloaded. Strohl grimaced. Going through and painstakingly rejecting each one of these sex hungry assholes was gonna be horribly time consuming. He wondered about leaving them all like that; with how creepy they all acted, ghosting them shouldn't hurt. Honestly, they were probably used to it.

He opened one, a heavy sigh leaving him as he stared at the long array of messages, all with degenerate wording and no attempt to hide what they wanted. He tapped one that had the horrible message awaiting him of: "nice legs, do you roleplay?" Strohl felt his soul leave his body and started phrasing some sort of polite but firm rejection, when was suddenly stopped by a gentle tap on his shoulder.

He hummed softly, turning around to see Will staring down at him curiously, a hot cup of some sort of tea in his hand. Apparently, orders here didn't take that long, or that was just the fact that they weren't here at rush hour from a late night before. He reached to take the cup, then noticed Will glance at his phone, eyes widening slightly.

"Shit-" Strohl hissed, and with all the grace he had left he pulled his hands back and shoved his phone into his pocket, staring at Will with a guilty smile. "I- it's not as it may appear- I can explain-"

"It's.. your business dude- I don't care?" Will raised an eyebrow, placing the hot drink down on the table in front of the sputtering clemar. 

Strohl grabbed Will's wrist in a desperate attempt to get his attention. Every cell in his body was screaming for him to say something to defend himself, instead he just found himself staring at Will's face, contorted from him trying not to laugh. He was positive he was red in the face.

"..It's- not what it looks like..?" 

 The smirk he was given was huge, "..Okayyy… so, do you roleplay?"

Strohl let go of the man's arm so he could cough into his elbow, choking on his own saliva as he heaved for breath, and he could hear Will laughing somewhere. 

Everything he had previously believed about the blue haired Elda veered off track: his innocent put together appearance, the neat way he handled himself, his earnest apologies— this was a man who enjoyed the suffering of others. 

He caught his breath and sighed, dramatically taking a large hungry sip of his drink, he stared at Will with a tired expression, the other stared back with a small smirk, sat back at the table, across from Strohl, his cheek resting up against his hand that was propped up on the table with his elbow. "You, my friend, are a menace."

Will snickered softly, "Glad you didn't die there." 

"It's for work, okay-"

"You're roleplaying for work?" amusement littered his voice.

"No! Junah's just being difficult-" he wasn't going to explain any further, that was until he saw Will's face and realized this was incredibly confusing without context. 

"People love to try and pair me and Junah online, they've done it to her previously with all sorts of other people, what happens when you get an online presence or whatever. All things she's been just fine ignoring before, however she now has her eyes on this new bodyguard. And while I don't understand it at all, she wants to appear single, so for everyone to understand that I don't have interest in women, I'm to get a boyfriend in a week or be fired." After the long winded rant, he took a deep breath and took another grateful sip of tea.

Will was staring at him with wide eyes, "Oh..erm.. wow, isn't that- kind of a ridiculous thing to fire someone over?" 

"Thank you! Yes! It is, isn't it! She knows I can get another job easily and swears I'm overqualified, can be spending my time better, all fine and dandy, except I really don't want the hassle right now." He leaned back in his seat with a grunt, "Plus… I have a bad habit on... acting on impulse, which most employers don't exactly have a ton of tolerance for..."

"So Junah works well because she puts up with your attitude?" 

"…Suppose you could say that yes.." Strohl gave in with a sigh, trying to ignore the cheeky expression of the man in front of him.

Will gave him a thoughtful look, tilting his head slightly. "So you're desperately trying to find a boyfriend before she fires you?" 

"I'm… not too worried about it, I do doubt she will actually fire me over it, however, she's also threatened to write a song about me, all about my loneliness, which honestly sounds far worse than having to job search." 

His friend raised his eyebrows at him, "Oh… quite the threat indeed."

"I'm not desperate enough to date any creeps,” he lowered his head in defeat, “I'm deleting these and giving up," Strohl pulled his phone back out, furiously getting to deleting every app he'd foolishly downloaded that weekend. 

"I … hey Strohl?" Will breathed in a heavy breath, appearing to say something from the looks of it. Though it was never anything Strohl would have guessed or expected.

"Hm?-" he looked up.

"I do owe, you ya know. I'll pretend to be your boyfriend for a month, but you owe me and my friend Junah concert tickets for the next few tours at least. Oh. And some fancy dinners on top of that, if I’m going on dates they have to be decent ones,” Will pointed at him, then held out his hand to shake, a confirmation of a deal between the two. Too bad Strohl was too busy staring at him like he'd grown a second head.

"Y-you could what??-"

"You heard me? I know you did… hey- are you alright? You're looking kind of red-" he reached to brush Strohl's bangs out of the way, but the clemar lurched backwards in his chair. He watched Will panic, reaching for him further but, Will was backing away? What's up with that? Then there was a crash and Strohl was staring up at the sky, his ears ringing as the clouds spun. 

Junah tapped her fingers up against the table she sat in front of, Strohl was sitting across from her, looking down at his boots, a bandage wrapped around his head, tied crookedly to avoid his horns.

"So.. what happened exactly? Other than you getting hurt on your week off." 

"I told you, I have a boyfriend now!" He cried, pulling out his phone again, a picture of a smiling boy was presented to her: round cheeks, dimples, beautiful bright eyes- different colors too, his hair a dark blue that complimented his skin. Way too cute for Strohl in her opinion.

"Strohl, please don't think I'm that stupid, you can't just show me a picture of a boy you think is cute and claim that you're somehow dating him." She rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Strohl cursed under his breath and swiped to the next picture, one of the man from the other photo again, however this time he was hugging Strohl around the waist, smirking up at him. Strohl's face wasn't visible, but it was clearly him, the freakishly long legs made sure she could tell that at least. The picture was slightly blurry, as if it were taken with shaky hands. 

Junah raised her eyebrows, "..Huh. Well hat's harder to debate. Really, I can't believe you actually found a cute guy willing to date you- did you use your near concussion to guilt him into it?”

"Is teasing really necessary?" 

"Oh well of course it is, now I just need you to be the most annoying partner of all time and make sure you two are absolutely plastered over the internet, step one being the marathon next weekend!!” She clapped her hands together, her bracelets clinking together. “Eislen’s running in it!” 

Strohl raised an eyebrow at her, “you’re already on first name basis with eachother??” 

“Oh… guess you could say that,” Junah shrugged, a small wistful smile on her lips, “She just doesn’t know it yet.” 

“So, you’re delusional.” Strohl deadpanned.

Junah sent him a sharp glare, to which he smirked at, “can’t even tease me about being single anymore,” he snickered.

“It hasn't even been 24 hours yet and you’re already being insufferable.” Junah rolled her eyes, “maybe I’ll make you run in it afterall… I know you haven’t done cardio in forever, with treadmills making you dizzy or whatever, that was going to be the original punishment if you came back single after a week.” She leaned back in her chair, shaking her head slowly.

Strohl was too busy sputtering over all the responses filled to the brim with curse words that he was putting great effort into holding back to notice her getting up. She stopped at the door as she opened it with a creak, half slipping out before calling to him. “Just made sure to bring that pretty boy to the fundraiser! We need people talking! Be Extra disgusting and mushy!!” She shut it behind her. 

Strohl stared at the closed door, his hands tangled in his head as he groaned, “right… of course, damn I wish you didn’t sign my checks.”