Happy to Help
Pairing: Keys x f!Reader
Genre: smut (18+, minors DNI)
Word count: 3.7k
Summary: Forgetting you'd spoken to customer support from your favourite game leads to something getting sent to the wrong person.
A/N: Listen, I know there's a set-up for potentially more. I would like to write potentially more. But nothing puts a writer off more than demands for a part 2, okay? For now, enjoy my first ever Keys fic. :)
Welcome to Free City Customer Support. We appreciate your patience. Connecting you to a member of our team…
Keys: Hi there! What seems to be the problem today?
You: hi, my screen is like. frozen dead. can't do anything, can't click anything. can't alt-tab out, can't ctrl-alt-delete. but i made a lot of progress between save points and idk if it can still be salvaged
Keys: Oof, yeah, that's the worst. Hopefully we can get you back up and running. Real quick, are you sure it's not your internet? I mean, you seem like you know your way around a computer, just worth double-checking, if it's your network then there's not a lot I can do.
You: yeah, sorry, should have added that. everything else that connects to my internet is working. i have an error message if that helps?
Keys: Yes! That's amazing! Can you send me it, please?
You: it says "error 72816: attempting patch repair"
You: there was a spinning buffering wheel in the corner but it gave up the ghost about twenty minutes ago.
Keys: Interesting. I don't remember making that error message, let alone what would trigger it. Are you sure that's what it says? No typos?
You: you wound me.
You: jk jk sorry this is a Very Professional Customer Support Exchange. no, definitely no typos.
Keys: Hahaha, don't worry, I've read far worse messages from people today, that made me laugh!
Keys: This is a little unorthodox but I'm wracking my brain here and I can't think of another solution. If I give you my work phone number, would you text me a photo of your screen?
Keys: Usually, I'd ask for an email of a screenshot, but, well…
You: yeah sure, whatever gets me out of this purgatory.
Keys: Super appreciate your patience here. My number is:
Keys: [redacted]
Keys: Okay, got it, deleted the message with my number so it won't show up in chat history, in case you're wondering. Data protection and all.
You: the professional techie guy with the techie-ass nickname being cautious about cyber security? groundbreaking.
Keys: Haha! You got me there!
Keys: Oh! Wait! Are you registered as a beta tester?
You: no?? i didn't know that was a thing??
Keys: Yeah, all ours are internal and I don't recognise your username in our database, now that I've pulled it up. I think you must have just slipped through the cracks, let me look into the code of our new test area and see if I can boot you back out.
You: ooh, are you gonna come bursting in through my door with a swat team to erase my memory, too?
Keys: I'm just a "professional techie guy" here, not a Man In Black, haha.
Keys: Hey, I see you!
Keys: In this code, I mean.
Keys: It's showing up that there's an unauthorized player.
Keys: That's what I meant.
You: well yeah, didn't think you were in my walls or anything
Keys: Just making sure! Didn't want you really thinking I was stalking you or anything.
Keys: Still don't remember making that error message, but that's another mystery, I guess.
You: ooh, maybe the game's becoming sentient and it's outgrowing us all!
Keys: There's that imagination again!
Keys: I'm gonna reset your position to your safehouse, hopefully also keeping your progress intact? If this doesn't work then a hard reboot is unfortunately the only other way.
You: you're a doll.
You: AHHHH IT WORKED I'M BACK AND I STILL GOT A SICK ASS BIKE WAITING FOR ME IN MY GARAGE
You: THANK YOU SO MUCH AHHHHHH
Keys: Pleasure's all mine, glad I could help. Please reach out if it happens again! Or if you have any other issues!
You: will do. so long, techie guy. thanks for everything!
Keys: Happy playing!
— — — —
It's been a relatively quiet Friday evening for you. Nobody's made any plans to go out, and you're unsure yourself whether you have the energy to. You've pretty much spent your whole day gaming, so you should probably fill your social battery a little, but do you really want to go to a bar by yourself?
You glance over at your phone and smirk at it. There is that guy you've been talking to… Maybe you'll send him something to spice the night up.
Once you've done your hair and make-up to add to the whole look, you find your cutest set of underwear, put it on and take a couple of selfies until there's one you're especially pleased with. Your muscle memory has you tapping three message contacts down, where he always is since you've been texting friends all day, and sending the photo on autopilot with the message: Hey, you.
You giggle with delight when your phone chimes almost immediately after - you've really got this guy whipped, huh - but are surprised to see you've apparently forgotten who else you texted today.
[8:23pm] Keys: OH
[8:23pm] Keys: OH NO
[8:23pm] Keys: I think
[8:23pm] Keys: You've sent this
[8:24pm] Keys: To the wrong person
[8:24pm] Keys: I'm so sorry I saw that!
[8:25pm] You: that's okay, i don't mind that you saw it. :)
[8:25pm] You: besides, burning the midnight oil, still being at your work phone?! don't they have out of hours customer service?
[8:29pm] Keys: I… Might have lied about this being my work phone. I normally have one, but it's getting fixed so I thought I would get away with saying it was a work line to help you out.
[8:30pm] You: and then i went and accidentally sent you an unsolicited lewd. sorry.
[8:36pm] Keys: It was just a shock, is all!
[8:38pm] You: well, since we're both here, and since you haven't deleted the photo yet despite how quickly you deleted your number from the chat log earlier, *and* how long it's taking you to reply, what do you think?
[8:40pm] Keys: Oh god, you're so right, I'm so sorry, I'll delete it now.
[8:40pm] You: don't!
[8:40pm] You: like i said, i want your feedback on it now.
[8:41pm] Keys: Oh! Well, it's very nice.
[8:41pm] You: nice?! ouuuuch.
[8:42pm] Keys: What do you mean? Nice is a compliment!
[8:43pm] You: yeah, from your grandma when you've given her a birthday card. c'mon, i can take it. tell me what you REALLY think. :)
[8:50pm] Keys: I… I think you're very attractive.
[8:51pm] You: there you go! it's super adorable that you're stammering over text, btw.
[9:01pm] Keys: [image attached]
[9:01pm] Keys: It felt weirdly unbalanced that you at least didn't know what I looked like, too.
[9:02pm] You: well damn, no wonder they call you keys, because you are just my *type!*
[9:02pm] You: get it?
[9:03pm] Keys: …That was cheesy as hell.
[9:03pm] Keys: But I like cheese :]
[9:03pm] You: oh yeah? give me your cheesiest pick-up line
[9:13pm] Keys: Are you made of copper and tellurium? Because you're CuTe!
[9:13pm] You: i award that 🧀🧀🧀/5. you could be cheesier.
[9:19pm] Keys: Okay, fine.
[9:20pm] Keys: Are you Google? Because you have everything I'm searching for.
[9:22pm] You: 🧀🧀🧀🧀. are YOU google because i'm feeling lucky. ultimate cheese has no comeback. c'mon, you're so close.
[9:26pm] Keys: Oof, okay, give me a sec.
[9:28pm] Keys: Although really you should never use Google if you can help it, they already datamine so much information out of you that the less you use any Google product, the safer you are. I use DuckDuckGo myself, but you should really do your own research when it comes to cybersecurity rather than just blindly trust someone, even if they are a professional.
[9:28pm] You: keys.
[9:29pm] Keys: Right. Sorry.
[9:38pm] Keys: If you were a grade, you'd be A+, because I want to take you home and show you to my parents.
[9:39pm] You: okay, that wins. maximum cheese for keys 🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀
[9:39pm] You: next ranking category: 🌶️
[9:39pm] You: let's see what you got, hot stuff
[9:45pm] Keys: What?! I can't just send you stuff like that! That's so forward!
[9:46pm] You: keys you've seen my tits
[9:46pm] You: i think we're past that
[9:55pm] Keys: Accidentally!
[9:55pm] You: and all the time you spend scrolling back up to it is "accidental", too?
[9:56pm] Keys: …How could you tell?
[9:57pm] You: every now and then you take a little bit longer between messages. just assuming you're scrolling up lol
[9:56pm] You: like i keep saying. i don't mind at all. you don't have to be shy around me
[9:58pm] Keys: Well, since all my cards are apparently on the table so obviously…
[9:58pm] Keys: Do you work at Subway? Because you just gave me a foot-long.
[9:59pm] You: ????? talk about 0-60! also i think that deserves negative 🌶️ for the psychic damage it caused me to read
[10:00pm] Keys: You just turned my software into hardware.
[10:00pm] You: what happened to "that's so forward", eh?
[10:01pm] You: but, credit where it's due, 🌶️🌶️. normally a 🌶️ but from you it's like a 2.5/5
[10:01pm] Keys: Your outfit would look great on my bedroom floor.
[10:01pm] You: oh
[10:02pm] You: oh my god
[10:02pm] You: oh you sweet boy, you're googling them, aren't you
[10:02pm] You: or whatever you use instead
[10:04pm] Keys: Some of us need the extra help! We're not all as smooth as you.
[10:04pm] You: sure you are, baby, you just need to get comfortable
[10:05pm] Keys: But I'm already on my bed!
[10:05pm] You: not just in that way! try taking something off
[10:06pm] You: and then send me proof 😇
[10:11pm] Keys: [image attached]
[10:11pm] Keys: ;]
[10:12pm] You: taking off your glasses doesn't count, dork!
[10:12pm] Keys: [image attached]
[10:12pm] Keys: like this?
[10:13pm] You: holy fuck
[10:13pm] You: hi you're hot
[10:14pm] Keys: Hahaha, thank you? I still don't feel any more charismatic, though!
[10:15pm] You: well, going back to your line about being like a good grade you wanna take home… does that maybe mean you also want to pin me up on the fridge?
[10:18pm] Keys: Well, the fridge isn't very sturdy. I think I'd rather do that against the wall.
[10:18pm] You: okay now *that’s* hot
[10:18pm] You: and what would you do with me once you'd pinned me to the wall?
[10:24pm] Keys: I'm not very good at all of the imaginative talk stuff that sounds sexy. Even using the word seems like the total opposite of what I'm trying to do.
[10:25pm] You: not at all, sometimes bluntness is the sexiest thing of all.
[10:29pm] Keys: Well, I'd really like to kiss you. All over, actually.
[10:29pm] You: *all* over?
[10:31pm] Keys: Yeah. The way you were posing made your neck look amazing.
[10:32pm] Keys: Oh god, now I sound like a vampire
[10:34pm] You: i promise you don't, that was my intention when i took it lol. besides, vampires are sexy as hell. i'd love it if you kissed my neck
[10:34pm] You: would you touch me?
[10:35pm] Keys: Wouldn't I be holding you against the wall?
[10:36pm] You: true, but there's other ways. like, you could put your leg between mine to keep me in place
[10:37pm] You: mmm, and then i could grind against your thigh while you keep this little promise of kissing and touching me *all over*
[10:37pm] You: does that sound good?
[10:41pm] Keys: Oh god yes
[10:43pm] You: and then that leaves my hands free to touch you, too. i wanna play connect the dots with those cute little moles of yours
[10:47pm] Keys: Oh my god
[10:48pm] Keys: that made me want to trace them myself for some reason and that felt so good
[10:49pm] You: you're touching yourself AND not paying attention to grammar anymore? for lil ol' me?
[10:49pm] You: that deserves a reward, i think
[10:51pm] You: [image attached]
[10:51pm] You: i seem to have lost my bra, come over and help me find it?
[10:58pm] Keys: holy shit
[10:58pm] Keys: can i just say what i'm thinking and then you can tell me if i'm going to far
[10:59pm] You: i think you mean *too, nerd boy, but yes, i'd love that
[11:06pm] Keys: sorry typing is getting difficult at the moment
[11:11pm] Keys: i want to hold them so bad. they look amazing, especially with your nipples so hard
[11:11pm] You: when you say typing is difficult, are you touching yourself right now?
[11:12pm] You: because now i'm playing with my nipples and wishing it was you
[11:13pm] You: tell me, baby. you want me to rub them? squeeze them? you wanna come over and suck on them?
[11:17pm] Keys: i want to feel them get hard. want to touch them while i kiss you
[11:17pm] You: attaboy! i knew you had it in you
[11:19pm] You: they're so sensitive now. and humping my pillow as if it’s your leg isn't enough, can i touch myself for you, please?
[11:23pm] Keys: oh god yes please do
[11:23pm] You: are you okay to call? i have a feeling both of us are getting preoccupied now
Your phone lights up with the name "Keys Freecity" and you immediately put it on speaker, letting the phone rest on your pillow next to you. "Well, hey there."
"Uh, hi." His voice is shaking and his breath is hitching.
"You know, you never told me if you were touching yourself or not," you point out.
"I - I am," he stammers out, and you purr back.
"God, I wish I was there to do that for you. Or at least to watch. I bet you look so fucking good right now. What are you thinking about, then, huh?"
"I was, uh… Thinking, about… The way you look up in those photos… And…" He falters out, but you hear the faintest groan, still.
"Aw, you want me to suck you off, baby?" You tease. "Thinking about me looking up at you? My lips wrapped around your cock? Mmm, I bet it's so big I can barely fit, huh?"
"I… I mean, it's not the sandwich I promised earlier, but… It's definitely bigger than… Average," Keys explains, and you don't hold back on the moan that hearing that news elicits from you.
You still laugh softly at his joke. "Yeah, I could tell, baby. Fuck, when are you coming over and splitting me in half already?"
"God, I wish I could," he replies in a strained voice. “Also, it’s really - hot when y- you call me that.”
"Yeah? And how do you like it, baby? You wanna fuck me on my back, so you can keep watching me as you play with me? Or you wanna be the one to lay there and take it while I bounce on your dick? Or d- do you wanna just - bend me over and - fuck me senseless, huh?" As you finally give into temptation, sliding your hand beneath your panties and finally giving your clit the attention it's been craving for far too long, your breath hitches and your voice gets weaker.
“Oh, god, I… All of it, god, please, I don’t care, just want you,” he groans through the phone.
“I want you too, baby, you sound so good,” you croon sultrily, rubbing yourself in faster, tighter circles. “Are you close, hm? Gonna cum for me? I wanna hear you get off so bad.”
“Wanna - wanna get off for yo- with you, want you, please,” he whines.
“Mmm, tell me one more time, baby. What are you thinking of now?” You ask as you sink a finger inside of you. “Thinking of fucking me, yet?”
“Mm - mm-hm,” Keys whimpers. “You - You on top of me, talking like that and - and riding me, treating my cock so good.”
“I’d treat you so good, baby," you groan, adding another finger. "And you'd fill me up, wouldn't you? Fuck me - oh, right there," you whine as you curl your fingers to hit just the right spot. "Oh god, Keys, need you inside me."
Something about you saying his name short-circuits his brain. You just about hear his strained string of moans and profanities through the phone, picturing in your head how that sweet face of his must look - eyes glassing over, lips slightly parted, chest heaving. Maybe you’d fuck him with his glasses on. Maybe they’d be clouded over, knocked askew on his face as you bounced up and down on his dick. “Did you just come for me, baby?” you coo, your shoulders tensing and toes curling as you feel your own release building.
"Mm-hm, yeah, made - made a real mess of myself, shit," he half-laughs with exhaustion.
“That’s my good boy,” you smile dazedly, your core convulsing around your fingers. "Want me to cum for you, too?"
"Oh, shit, you haven- where are my - God, fuck, yes, let me hear you s… Say my name," his voice shakes with the effort he's trying to exude confidence into his tone, betrayed by the immediate, "please," that rolls off his tongue.
Closing your eyes, imagining that look on his face again, pressing your phone flush against your ear as if it pulls him closer to you, you finally leg out an, "Oh, god, Keys!" before finally feeling yourself gush down your fingers, past your hand, even. Breathing heavily, you pant, "Shit, baby, I think you made me squirt."
"Is that a good thing?" he asks meekly.
"Very. You doing good, now?"
"Very!" He repeats back to you, breathlessly, making you laugh. "Sorry I was so… Pathetic, I guess. God," his voice muffles as though he's rubbing his face while he talks. "But it did sound like you were into it a little," he points out with a lilt in his voice.
You grin, "I sure did, but if you wanted to do it again, but more… Confidently, I'd be more than happy to do that again. If you wanted."
"I've never really done… Any of that before, like, at all," he starts, and you interrupt him with a laugh.
"Yeah, no shit, Mr Subway!"
"Ah, like I said, that's not entirely untrue," he laughs awkwardly. "But I've especially never done anything with a total stranger, much less someone I helped through work, um, they can't - you wo- please, don't -"
"You mean this isn't standard practice for Free City customer support?" You tease sarcastically, before adding in a serious tone, "I won't tell a soul. Besides, I like having you as my dirty little secret."
He chuckles, "Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah. Maybe the next time you're feeling up to it, we can video call."
"N-Next time?!"
You hurriedly add, "If you wanted, you sounded like you did, if this is the first and last, that's totally -"
"No! I mean, yeah! I mean… If that's… Cool," he stammers.
You smile, "It's very cool. Just gotta be a little more confident. Isn't there something you do when you need that extra boost? Like, surely in the game you gotta be a little more self-assured around trolls and hackers and shit, right?"
He groans, "I was hoping you wouldn't ask about that."
Grinning wickedly, you poke further. "Well, now I have to know. Who are you in the game? Have I ever seen you?"
"I… I play a cop," he admits, sounding as though he'd rather the ground swallowed him whole. "It's usually me and my buddy, and he's - he's a rabbit."
You light up. "Shut the fuck up, you're Dirty Stripper Cop?!"
"Oh god, the players call me that, too?! It's bad enough that Mouser does," he groans in despair.
"No, this is perfect. You just let me know when you’re ready to bring… Dirty Stripper Cop to our little talks, and I’ll be waiting,” you bite back a laugh as you repeat his character’s nickname in the hopes that he’ll still take your offer seriously.
A moment of silence exists between the two of you before he pipes up, “...And what if I still want to talk to you, without… All of this? I mean, if that’s all you want, then I guess, but… I dunno, you still seem really cool, and you made me laugh today, even at work when it felt weird in my cheeks to start smiling. But if this is all you want with -”
The rest of his words get drowned out as you move your phone away from its position to look at your dating app notifications. Keys has apparently not been your only option tonight. And you’ve never been one to commit. But something tells you that this was the best offer you’re getting. And the next one will be. As will the one after that, and that’s not even set in stone, yet. But you’re hoping to guarantee it.
As you return your headset to your ear, he’s still rambling. You cut him off with a simple, “Keys.” He shuts up quickly, and you continue, “I - I meant it. I wanna talk to you again. Maybe more than just this, I dunno, I’m bad at this sorta stuff. But… You’re cute. In more ways than one. And if you wanna keep talking, I’ll try. But that’s all I can promise.”
“That’s enough for me! I’ll, um, I’ll text you in the morning, then? Or is that too soon?”
“I honestly wish I could tell you,” you admit sadly. You hope it gets through to him that your reservations aren’t on his part.
Thankfully for you, he doesn’t seem so keen to give up. “Alright! Well, I suppose I got some cleaning up to do before I get some shut-eye. Um, so I’ll talk to you, tomorrow… At some point. Um, goodnight!”
“Goodnight, baby.”
220 notes
·
View notes
Man's Best Friend
Pairing: Keys x gn!Reader (no pronouns/gendered terms used)
Genre: fluff
Word count: 2.7k
Summary: Trying a new running route causes you to bump into a new friend - as well as her new friend.
A/N: I know y'all wanted more Keys smut and it's not been wholly abandoned, I just needed a break from smut to write something adorable.
Here we go. First day of the new jogging regime. This’ll be good. You’ll jog for a while, then just walk it off for a bit, then jog again, and walk again. You won’t keep straining yourself. Sure, you’ll be out of the house for a little longer, but it’ll be better for you in the long run. Plus, a longer route will mean you get to see more of downtown! You’d been wanting to - especially since your new best friend had entered your life.
You do feel bad, though - first time on the new route and Pup had to sit back. You’d tried to get him to recognise so many other names, but he only ever responded to Pup. Taking him to the vet’s earlier in the day may have started with you arguing with a five-year-old about how Pup is totally a legitimate name, but it ended with your poor canine best friend stitched up and wearing a cone.
As you pull on your running shoes, he waddles up to you sadly, whimpering. You ruffle just between his ears, “I’m sorry, Pup. You gotta rest up for a couple of days.” The dog huffs at you and you raise your eyebrows at him, “Hey now, you want lots of little Pup Juniors running around town, huh? Handsome little thing like you would be leaving trails of PJs all over the shop!” Pup looks over to the side and whines, and you you laugh, tickling him under his chin. “It’s sad that I’m able to have an almost human conversation with you, isn’t it?” Pup licks your hand sympathetically and you chuckle again, “Yep, there it is. A signal I should definitely leave the house.” You press a kiss at the top of his head and jump up. “See you soon, Pup! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t!”
You saunter down to where you’d normally end your previous all-jogging route. Usually once you hit this part of town you’d turn back, but today you start biting the bullet and move forward. The beeping interrupting your music tells you that it’s time to pick up the pace again, so you take off once more. You marvel at the little sights you manage to spot all around downtown, and this is only the first day. You’re relieved when you hear the next beep, not just because your muscles are tired but also so you get to soak in even more of the city.
You’re thinking about how much Pup’s gonna love these new sights and smells when you feel something against your knee. You look down and see a brown dog headbutting your legs and immediately melt down onto your knees to greet it. As the dog puts its paw on your shoulder, the sunlight that had been adorning you two is blocked. You look up to see a very cute guy smiling down at the two of you. “She likes you!”
You stand to your feet, making the dog whine, so you keep stroking her just below her ear, causing her to pant happily. “Eh, I have a way with dogs. It makes up for my lack of people skills.” You kick yourself internally for ultimately embarrassing yourself in front of said cute guy. Good job, self!
Thankfully, for whatever reason, Cute Guy laughs. “Don’t suppose you got any room for her at home, do you?”
You shake your head, “Sorry. As adorable as she is, I’ve already got one of my own, and I barely have the time for him!”
Cute Guy’s brow furrows as he looks around your feet. “Is he not out with you?”
You shrug, “Usually he is, but he’s out of action for the next couple weeks. He’s uh, had the snip this morning.”
Cute Guy hisses through his teeth, squeezing his knees together in sympathy. “Ouch, sorry for him!”
“Yeah, but he agrees, it’s better than him exponentially increasing the state’s dog population,” you nod and Cute Guy chuckles, to which you defend, “What?! He’s very cute! A real catch!”
“Don’t they say dogs take after their owners?” Cute Guy blurts out as you start stroking the dog again. As you look up at him again with wide eyes, he looks flustered, as though he didn’t intend on saying that out loud. You’re about to answer when your phone’s timer beeps, and Cute Guy frowns, “What’s that sound?”
“Shit, that’s me, gotta get going!” You shake yourself back into reality, turn the timer’s alarm off, and start running again, forgetting which direction you’d planned to actually jog down and solving that dilemma by just picking one and hoping for the best.
The next day, around the same place, you feel something brush against you. You look down and see the familiar big brown dog from yesterday. You look around but can’t see the Cute Guy anywhere. You fuss over her with a frown, hoping that she hadn’t been left to keep walking about the streets on her own again. You mutter to the dog, “It’s a shame you couldn’t hold on to that guy. I mean, following someone home for him to invite you into his house overnight? Talk about game, girl!” you commend, and the dog’s tail waves excitedly.
A familiar voice lifts your spirits too, “Ellie! I’ve been looking for you!”
Looking over to the source of the voice, you point to yourself with a confused look. “Uhh…” you start, but he bends straight down to hug the dog.
The sight warms your heart, and you almost manage to slip away and leave them to it before Cute Guy clears his throat, “Hey now, you’ve still got, what, three more minutes of slow-time? Right?”
You frown at him. “How did you know -”
“I assumed, and Googled ‘jog-walk running techniques’,” he admits, his cheeks tinting pink. “My endurance isn’t exactly the greatest at the moment, so I thought it might help me too.”
“Didn’t you just come out of a burger joint?!” you ask with a laugh.
He breathes in deeply, with a sheepish look on his face. “My impulse control isn’t all that great either.”
“I can tell, thought you were trying to get rid of Ellie,” you tease.
“Look, I’m not getting rid of her, I want her to go to a good home,” he smiles down at the dog fondly, who nuzzles at his hand, prompting him to give her attention. He obliges with a chuckle, “and how could I not name her after my favourite video game character? She’s stuck with me against my will, even though she can hold her own, and she has a little boo-boo on one of her limbs,” he explains, getting down on one knee to point it out, and you bite back the teasing grin that so badly wants to stretch across your face.
“Little boo-boo? Sure, it’s totally against your will,” you smirk.
“Look, I really can’t look after her long-term, I just don’t have the time to give her all the attention she wants!” He sighs, still fussing over her. “Anyway, speaking of names, I don’t think I ever got yours,” he looks over at you, eyes squinting behind his glasses from the sunlight that adorns you from the angle he’s crouched at.
“I never got yours either,” you shrug. “Unless you’re going the whole hog with this The Last of Us thing and your name is actually Joel.”
Cute Guy laughs again. Goddamn, you just want him to laugh forever. The way he smiles, turns away just a little, does that little rub of the tip of his nose every time. It’s driving you wild. Your thoughts very almost drown out him starting to say something that sounds like it starts with a “Wal-” before correcting himself with the word Keys. “So, what about you?” he asks.
You’re just about to answer when your phone beeps. You shrug, “Oops, guess you’d better find out tomorrow!”
You do end up telling him the next time you see him. You start learning little snippets about each others’ lives over the next few daily five-minute windows you get with him. He’s a game developer who worked on Free City. He bought Ellie a collar and leash because the city required it, but he’s definitely not keeping her. He lives in the area of the city where you keep bumping into him. Ellie now has a bed in his house, but he’s definitely not keeping her. Over the past few years he’s been writing code for his own video game project. He’s introduced Ellie to his family, and they love her, but he’s definitely not keeping her. He’s working on finishing his passion project game with a team of people from his old job with Soonami. Ellie responds to their commands as well as his, but he’s definitely not keeping her. He graduated high school and then college a year earlier than other people his age because of his programming expertise. His phone background is a picture of Ellie sleeping on his chest, but he’s definitely not keeping her.
Soon enough, Pup’s ready to venture out into the wild. Maybe not all the way to downtown just yet, but around your area. You plan to take it easy and just walk around with him for about ten minutes before heading back. He still wants to run alongside you, but every time he tries to pull against his collar, he whimpers in pain. You bend down to him, “I know, Pup, I’m sorry. But only a few more days and you’ll be doing that too! And you’ll get to meet Keys and probably Ellie too, an-”
“Is that our ears we feel burning?” Keys smiles bashfully from just next to you, making you jump.
“What are you doing here?” you ask, greeting Ellie as she, like usual now, rams her head into your leg.
Keys shrugs, “Felt like seeing more of the city,” before feeling something press on his feet. He looks down, and so do you, to see Pup sitting on his toes. “Hey, little guy! Heard a lot about you!” Keys strokes your dog behind his ears, and you’re shocked at how receptive he is considering Keys is a stranger to him. Keys looks up at you, hand pushing those beautiful bangs out of his face as he shields his eyes from the sun to point out, “Though you never did tell me his name.”
“I have done! Lots! He’s Pup!” you prompt.
The bridge of Keys’ nose wrinkles in confusion as he looks between you and the dog perched on him. “I thought that was just a nickname!”
“Nah, he’s just an asshole that doesn’t respond to anything else. Isn’t that right, Pup?” you ask loudly, but for the first time, Pup doesn’t respond to you calling him that. He’s still looking up at Keys, panting away happily, tail beating at his toes. “Oh my god,” you exclaim as your face falls.
“What, what is it?” Keys asks, worried.
“I’ve never seen him like this, but… He’s expecting affection from you. He already likes you enough to let you pet him,” you explain in awe.
Keys grins, “Aww, c’mere, little Pup!” and drops Ellie’s lead to kneel down and tickle him under the chin while stroking just the top of his head. You take that time to let Pup go, and properly greet Ellie with a belly rub, grinning at the sight in front of you.
“So, nearly two weeks now and Ellie’s still hanging around. Guess she really is stuck with you, huh,” you smirk over at Keys. He looks over at you with a defeated shrug, and you beam. “Although, by that definition, so am I.” Keys’ face turns a delightful shade of pink in record time as he flusters on the spot.
Pup yaps out a single bark at him, making him laugh. “Yeah, I know, buddy, I should say something real smooth right now, right?” Ellie snorts out a breath that could almost sound like a huff of disbelief if you really tried to make it so. Keys seems to think so, too, because he frowns over at his dog with an indignant, “Oh, what, you think I can’t be?”
“In Ellie’s defence, you are talking to a dog as if it’s a person,” you tease as you stand to your full height. “But I do it all the time with Pup, so I won’t judge you for it, at least.”
“Oh, so it’s just the dogs that will, cool,” Keys mutters as he stands, too, and you laugh. “Um, are you… You’ve not beeped yet, so I’m guessing this isn’t a run, do you - Uh, we were looking for a dog park for Ellie to play in, did you two maybe wanna… Join us?”
You sigh deeply. “If it were any other day, I’d love to, but it’s his first day out since the snip -”
Keys winces, “Oof, yeah, forgot about that, sorry.” He cocks his head to look down at Pup, but there’s a dejected air in his tone as he continues, “Yeah, sorry, I guess I - we’d better, let you two get along with your day, c’mon, Ellie,” he picks up her leash from the ground, but the dog stays close to you.
“Hey,” you frown, and he looks over at you with a sadness in his eyes he’s clearly trying to hide. “I mean it. We should do it another day. Really.” You smile softly at him and he lets out an awkward chuckle, his gaze shying away from you. You take a little step closer to him, and Ellie very helpfully headbutts the back of your leg as you do so, causing you to lose your footing just enough to stumble into him.
He catches you with a, “Whoa, there!” and you notice how deceptively strong his hold is versus how he looks as his arms wrap around you. “You good?” He asks softly, and you nod, licking your lips.
“I am, now. Thanks,” you smile at him as you lean away, but his hand doesn’t leave your back. You chuckle under your breath, “Guess Ellie wanted to play Cupid, huh?”
He laughs, “I didn’t even need to teach her that one!”
“Guess that means she’s meant to be with you after all, right?” You smile down at her for a moment before looking back to smirk at Keys, “So, were you planning on teaching her some kind of matchmaking move?”
“Nah, I think she’s had that in the bag for a solid couple weeks now,” he admits with a nod, and you feel his fingers barely contract against your back, the slight contact of feeling them pull across through your clothes making your breath hitch. “Guess I better keep her around if it keeps you around, too, right?”
You grin, “You should keep her around, anyway, but she’s not the reason I run the same route every day.”
“She’s not?” Keys voice cracks at the most adorable time, causing him to once again look away bashfully, and you feel the pressure against your back start to pull back.
Surged by adrenaline, you catch his jaw in your hand as it moves away from you, pushing it around until he’s looking at you, and you close the already small gap between you, quickly pausing to grin, “Nope,” before pressing your lips against his. You pull away after a peck, giggling at how he still leans into the kiss after you break it off. Pup barks again, and you smirk, pointing down at him. “Did you get all that?”
Keys scratches his temple jokingly, feigning a thoughtful expression. “I think he said, be back here at 7, and have you home before midnight. Was that right?” You laugh, and he smiles his adorable, bashful smile once more. “I’ll take that as a yes. Alright, Ellie, s’pose we better go find you someone to stay with for the night, huh? She gets a little testy on her own for too long.”
You frown, “Are you gonna be able to? Because if you can’t, I guess w-”
“Yeah, it’s fine, my best friend’ll have her for one night,” he nods, scratching her between the ears.
“Because she’s your dog?” You prompt hopefully, and he laughs in defeat.
“Because she’s my dog.”
68 notes
·
View notes