ᴛʜɪʀᴅ ᴘᴏᴠ

𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 & 𝘔𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥

♛♛♛

Last night was the first night Hazel had slept soundly.

The mattress was as soft as clouds, and the silence in the home ensured that she wouldn't be having any more nightmares.

As draining and exciting as yesterday was, it also allowed her to sleep deeply.

Which was a bad thing for her because when you have school the next day, you're going to have to force the girl out of bed.

It seemed her alarm didn't work, nor did the man she lived with currently.

Because he sat silently at a desk in an opened office, typing fast on a laptop in front of him as his sole focus was that.

That was until she stepped in.

"Juls?" She rubbed her tired eyes, stepping into the room. Julius looked up at her immediately, her crazed red hair in tangles, her cheeks pale, and her warm penguin pyjamas on sight for him.

Standing, Julius made his way over to the girl.

"You okay?"

She raised her head, dropping her hands and frowning. "Why didn't you wake me? I had classes this morning," She said softly, her arms slowly wrapping around his body as her tired eyes rested against his chest.

"Forgot." He muttered while caressing her hair.

Sighing, she lifted her head and shook it.

"Liar," She said, teasing.

He lifted her chin, letting her tired mixed swirls fill his own silver ones. Hazel felt emotions upon emotions when he stared at her, the settling warmth in her stomach lowering.

"You have work soon," He reminded her, abruptly bringing her unpredictable body to the surface.

"Mhm, right," She moved back on her two heels, her gaze lingering on his lips while she smiled. "I'll be back."

Tilting his head, she felt him watching her tiptoe out of the room and scurry off and down the hall.

Hazel had a pretty decently long shower, one that only left her only 10 minutes or so to get ready before having to leave.

She didn't want to interrupt Julius and ask him to drive her, she did have her own car parked outside so she'd just drive herself.

After changing into her uniform, applying minimal makeup, and sliding her Air Forces on, Hazel had her brown tote bag over her shoulder ready for the shift ahead.

Hazel didn't want to remind him that she was leaving, but she felt rude and slightly incomplete if she didn't say goodbye.

So, this time she knocked on his open office door, his beautiful eyes ducked up and met hers once again.

"I'm leaving," She treaded lightly inside the room, careful to not make a creak in the floorboards that were un creak-able

"I'm taking you." He said gruffly, standing as he left everything behind him.

Her eyes widened and she immediately went to defence.

"No, no, you're working you don't have to—

His palms cupped both of her cheeks lightly but firmly, silencing any and all words that came out of her mouth.

After only a few seconds of peering into her eyes, his lips crashed down onto hers.

Those smooth, pillowy lips took hers in as his life depended on it. Her head was angled up higher as his left hand slid through the back of her hair.

Whimpering into him, she noticed her hands loop around his shoulders and her foot pop up behind her.

His lips caressed her lower lip, sucking and kneading it with his own. Their kiss swiftly escalated into intensity, but he backed away as her breaths became shallower.

Breathlessly leaning against his chest, Julius brought her chin up to him with his fingertips.

"Was that your way of telling me to be quiet?" Her whisper-like voice resulted in him nodding for a response.

His curious eyes jumped back and forth from her eyes to her mouth, almost as if he were contemplating kissing her again.

But as she looked at the time behind his head, she jumped away from his grip and instantly pulled him out of the room with her.

"I'm going to be late, Juls!"

Chuckling behind her, he grabbed his car keys and instantly guided her to his car.

♛♛♛

Cooking Fever has always been Hazel's favourite game to play, ever since she was a child. She'd find it so addicting that she wouldn't even stop to take a single glance at someone.

The game always caused her stress levels to skyrocket, which wasn't ideal when she was at work. But it was eerily, tortuously quiet tonight.

Hazel was admitted to the emergency room, which was typically rather active because the clinic was located in the heart of the town square, and everyone came here instead of driving thirty minutes to the nearest hospital.

Not tonight, though.

So, Hazel was sitting on a hospital bed, her slender fingers poking around her screen trying to serve five customers at once with five different orders.

Hazel, as previously stated, would not stop for anything. Only if her parents called 10 minutes before her shift ended, and the phone call briefly halted her nearly finished cheeseburger.

Hazel's parents never called her. Ever.

Which was why she answered immediately. She might dislike them, but she definitely didn't want them hurt or dead even.

"Hello?" She greeted at the phone, anxiously standing to her feet.

Her mother's slurred voice taunted Hazel's mind, causing her to sigh when she just seemed to run from them.

"What's wrong?" She looked to her clock, figuring Julius would be here soon. She sat down on a small stool, her head resting against a wall as she closed her eyes, listening to the blaring music in the background.

Her mother seemed to be all over the place, especially with her words.

"No," Hazel whispered, the mere thought of returning to her home was just enough to stand up for herself. "I won't be coming back, not unless you and Dad get some help."

Hazel felt a pang of pride wash over her. Even if they didn't listen, even if she wasn't confident enough, she eventually said the words that were needed, and she meant them with every fibre of her being.

Her mother slurred again as if she had no idea what Hazel was talking about.

With another sigh, her eyes watered and she tried desperately not to break apart here. "For your drinking Mother."

— Her mother quickly covered up her mistake, which only brought Hazel's upcoming sob to gulp back.

With a discouraged tear, Hazel felt all hope break free from her body, and the call that drained her helplessly was lying in her hands to end.

"I'm nineteen, turning twenty, Mother. I'm free to live wherever I want and you no longer have a say. Please, for my own mental health and if you still love me as your daughter, just leave me alone and don't call again unless it's serious."

With that, Hazel reopened her sore eyes and hung up, dropping her phone into her lap. It felt like a release, a heavy uplifting release from her shoulders.

She couldn't tell if the tears were of sadness or relief now. Maybe a mix of both.

Standing, she sniffles and looks to the doorway on instinct, but she finds what she didn't expect.

Julius stood up against the frame, his head tilted to the side and eyes narrowed down at her.

With empty shock, she exhales a breath and drops one last tear.

"Did you hear that?" She asks, curling her arms around her stomach, unsettled.

He nods slowly, leaning off of the wall and walking up to the vulnerable woman. Julius displayed no emotion but as he took his two fingers under her chin to direct her to him, the emotion swirled in his silver eyes.

Something that showed how proud he was.

"I'm proud of you, Hazel." He whispered, taking his lips to her last tear that fell below her jaw.

Her eyes studied his as he drew back up, her features sustained neutral although her cheeks were pink. "I hate that they do that," She admits, dropping her eyes for a second.

"It's like they want me to not forget."

Julius narrows his eyes at her, his gaze hardening. "Forget what, Angel?" His voice soothed her, making her lean into the palm on her cheek.

"The pain."

She extended both of her arms around his lower body and matched both of his around her.

"But I'm okay now, I feel better." She smiled into his chest and he could feel her smile from under his attired skin, instantaneously calming from that.

"I've got a surprise for you," Julius says, combing her hair with his tattoed fingers.

Immediately, she looks up, eyes bright as the sun. "Yes?"

Lifting a hand, she is braced with her favourite bar of chocolate. "Scarlett said to say hi,"

Hazel immediately smiles, remembering the elder couple who were more like parent figures to her than her own. She then smiles more seeing the chocolate he'd bought for her, which lead her heart to hammer.

"Thank you, Julius." She took the bar of chocolate and proceeded to take his palm and peck it.

"There's one more," He says, taking her waist and guiding her out of the room.

"Another surprise or chocolate?" She raises her brows, smiling mischievously.

Chuckling, Julius looks up and around at the clinic. "Surprise." He mutters still guiding her to where she'll sign off.

"I can get you more if you want," He says into her ear quietly as they passed Elaine, the young receptionist that disliked Hazel greatly.

She giggles and shakes her head, proceeding to motion him down to whisper into his ear. "I think I'd die from a chocolate overdose, Juls."

He shook his head, amused by the small girl.

Hazel writes away at the clocking out form, the hand on her hip was most definitely distracting and had nearly caused her to write Julius' name instead of hers.

When she was done, she stood and turned around to him. Her smile faded slightly as his eyes were on something in front of him, his own expression completely cold and numb.

She followed his eyes and was met with Daniel, who was casually filling out some type of form.

When Hazel tugged on Julius' hand, he turned back to face her. As his gaze collided to her own, she smiled softly and gestured to the doors.

"Ready?" She says, he nods.

They start walking out, passing Daniel slowly until he glances up from his paper and meets her eyes.

"Hazel!" He smiles as he drops the papers and walks over to her. He comes to a halt, though, as he realises she is attached to another giant being.

His whole face drops, his eyes deaden and his lips curl in disgust.

Hazel frowns at that. She didn't like the way he looks at Julius. As if he were disgusted by him. Judging him.

"Hi, Daniel." She smiles. Fake.

His eyes flutter to her, flabbergasted. When he finally returns to the present, he nods at her simply.

"I just wanted to say goodbye. I'm resigning. I managed to get a role as a local officer." He smiles halfheartedly, pride glimmering off of him.

Before Hazel could congratulate him, the man who had protectively wrapped his arm around her scoffed.

As he stared the man down, his gaze was sharp and narrowed, his tongue pushed smugly to the side of his cheek.

"Congratulations, Daniel," Hazel said softly, wanting to end this conversation as soon as possible.

It was weird though. She expected to be a little upset about Daniel leaving, but she wasn't. Not even a bit.

"Thanks, Hazel. I'll miss you," He stared openly into her eyes, his smile just a little too smiley.

Hazel smiled lightly back, not responding and she awkwardly looked down at her Air Forces, silently hoping this would end soon.

Thankfully, Julius ended her misery. Leaning down, his hand sliding to the higher part of her waist, he whispered into her ear, butterflies rising.

"You're uncomfortable, darling?"

She nods lightly and he pulls away instantly.

As Julius starts walking forward, pulling Hazel along with him, she looks at a confused Daniel once more.

"Good luck in the police force, Daniel."

He half-smiles and thanks her, she turns and walks right out into the cold.

"I don't like him," Julius says almost immediately, his gaze hard on her but she ignored the stare.

She shrugs and holds onto his hand tighter. "I did once. After he left me that night, I haven't been fond of him since."

"I don't need him," She continued, now looking up into his stormy eyes. "I have you."

Julius inhaled through his nose, his chest rising as he abruptly trapped her against his car.

Hazel stood motionless, unable to speak or move, her chest rising and falling anxiously yet excitedly.

His body was hovering over her, both hands on either side of her head, and his chiselled features were so finely adorned by the starlight. He looked heavenly.

"You're so precious, Angel." His dark voice happened to suit the word 'precious', oddly enough it sounded as if he had created the word itself.

Moving further forward, Hazel felt her whole body rise with fire, his lips so taintingly close to her own.

"Those lips of yours can produce the most ethereal things. Some of which that have my heart," He takes her hand and placed it against his pulse, "—beat a thousand times fast."

The darkest look was in his grey eyes as if the darkness was curling inside him and around his frame. Although, in the eyes of the angel, she saw only light as he absorbed her wholly with his gaze.

"Julius," She said his name, his full name. Feeling his pulse skip and his lips lick, he pushed forward as her back hit the car, and their lips absorbed each other.

She breathed heavily, her mouth opening wider as he inevitably breathed her in. Their tongues mingling, fighting, and swirling. Mouths swollen and passionate and slightly rough.

Her hands escaped to his hair, tugging at the darkness of locks, and the hands of his roughly in her hair, inching her forward impossibly more.

Hazel felt the growth of heat around them, the tension and atmosphere.

But it stopped immediately as she ran out of breath.

Breathing hard, she rested her eyes closed and head back against the door of his car. The unstoppable blood rushing through her veins, the blood in her cheeks, and the liquid between her heat.

She felt the wisps of her hair being played with, the bangs on the sides of her head being pushed back.

Slowly, her eyes fluttered open to his. They stared down at her, dark and lustre.

"No one's ever made me feel the way you do, Hazel. I don't feel. But somehow," He takes her in again with his eyes, her own wide with innocence and his with evil.

"You have managed to obtain those feelings. But only for you," He says deeply, his dark voice never meeting the words he says.

"Only me?" She says out of breath, even after she calmed from the kiss.

He leans in, his lips lingering as his eyes remain lingering too.

"Only you."

A certain wave of shock and pride washed over her. She felt slightly surreal that she was the one that he opened up to. That she was the one who could make his pulse beat the way it did under her touch.

As her gaze met with his stare again, their eyes remained, never blinking.

Caught in a dream, in a time where they weren't in a car park and admitting the affection at their feet. No, they were caught in a world of only them. A dream that they longed to have, even if it's silent.

Her hand reached to his cheek, her fingers feeling the smooth of his skin and the cool chill of it. The touch of her Julius was right under her fingertips, and now that she had proof that she wasn't dreaming, Hazel smiled truthfully.

"Would you like to be my boyfriend, Juls?"

With confidence and poise, Hazel tilted her head in curiosity.

A wave of emotion flickered through his silver specks, his hands around her waist loosened and all of sudden he shook his head, laughing.

Dimples appeared and flecks of his deep brown hair flickered down into his eyes. He looked young here. Young and youthful.

"Fuck, Hazel," He pressed against her again, his lips smirking and eyes piercing. "Beat me to it, darling."

She giggled at his words, the blush coating her cheeks evident.

"What do you mean?" She says, smiling at him soulfully.

"Tonight. The surprise that's still on, I planned asking you then."

Her lips formed an O shape. The bangs on her head fell and she pulled him closer by the neck.

"But it doesn't matter," He says suddenly. The wind flowed freely through them like spring in their wake.

"I've got you now. I'm yours as you're mine."

With that, his lips once again crashed onto hers, endowing her into the bliss of his words and touch.

Their kiss was light this time, filling a void that needed to be filled. Both hearts were racing, one that was empty now full, one that was hopeless now hopeful.

As the breeze whipped again, they pulled away, the stars alight and their gazes light. Julius brought his lips to her cheek once more, and then ever so suddenly, pulled them to her ear.

"Will you be my girlfriend, Hazel?" He drifted his hands to the dips of her hips, his lips moving to hover hers.

With a smile that consumed all, the heart that now rested in his palm now fulfilled. "I will." She replies.

With a small smirk of his own, he leans his forehead against hers and closes his eyes, her eyes doing the same.

"What's the surprise?" She asks.

He pecks her nose and says, "You'll see."