Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Right, welllll, pizza later?” Wally says in Jared's direction, snapping his fingers into pistols as he leaves. With a quick confirmation, Wally swerves around and down the hallway – out of the cortex, he goes. Jared tries not to let his mood deflate at the mere disappearance of his best friend, so he fixates on Jesse sitting at the cortex's main desk, her head following Wally's progress for a spell before facing back forward. Jared notes of a little smile etching across her face, something almost telling that she knows a secret. He frowns, curious as to what she could be so happy about.

“What?” he asks.

A little chuckle streams out of her mouth. Yet quiet, she remains.

“What’s so funny?” he prompts again, more insistent.

“Nothing,” she replies, shaking her head, but the amusement still remains.

Jared crosses his arms. “Are you really that titillated by pizza?”

“Iii don’t think you’re using that word right," she says, her eyes looking up to catch his.

“Whatever. I’m trying to expand my vocabulary,” the inertia-manipulator dismisses. “What kind of problem could you possibly have with me and Wally hanging out later?”

Jesse raises her hands in defense, lips pressing into a line – but it’s all playful, even Jared can tell that much. “I don't have a problem. At all ,” she reassures. “You guys just seem to be getting quite close these days.”

‘Quite close these days’ rattled around his head, pulling his brows into a V. His heart beats a little stronger in his chest.

She can't possibly know, he thinks. She's not that smart. She's not... telepathic .

Jared liked to think he hid his feelings well, that he knew how to keep himself hidden. Proof that something good came out of his delinquent years. Yet the way she spoke, held her shoulders (sort of scrunched, rounded, as if she really didn’t want to say it outright, just thought hinting would go over well and quell her ego)... well, he and her had dated for long enough that he knew firsthand the dangerous waters he was wasing in here.

“We’re friends,” said Jared with a shrug.

“Suuuure.”

“Friends hang out and get pizza together, right?”

“Are you asking for confirmation orrr…?”

“Shut up, Jesse. We're just friends. Drop it.”

“–Hey.” Plain, simple, cutting straight to the chase. “I like it. I don't have a problem with it. And frankly, I think it’ll be good for you." She let's that settle in before realising. " He’ll be good for you.”

His shoulders didn’t drop, but his mouth did open to release breath.

“You’re not, like, weirded out by it? Or jealous?”

“Why would I be weirded out?” A pause. “Wait." Another pause. "Are you not… out yet?”

That’s when his heart skips a beat altogether. “Out of what?” he tries to ask as innocently as he can.

Checking left and right to make sure they are totally alone, Jesse lowers her voice as she swings her head back to face Jared. “I don’t want to make assumptions about things," – you're already doing that, Jared thinks darkly but keeps his mouth shut, "but… you know I’ve dated girls in the past, right?”

He shakes his head, clearing away the residual emotions to see things clearly. “You’re…?”

“Bi. Yeah.” She smiles at him and this time it is slight but actually genuine. Coming out of her seat, she moves out and away, pushing the chair around her form until it circles back around to park under the desk. “It's a fun time, isn't it? But anyways, why would I be jealous? Go out, live your best, rainbow life, my friend. Don't let me come in the way of that.”

As if it were that easy...

But with that, she makes it look as such. She grabs her sweatshirt from the chair’s back and one-eighties on her heel. Back down the hallway, she goes, until Jared is left reeling with all this new insight to mentally sort through. He blinks… once, twice, three times… before uncrossing his arms.

Well.

Well then.

"Don't dwell; just move," he mutters under his breath, and – with a great deal of effort – he wrenches his feet off the floor.