Work Text:
Bespectacled stress magnet and a fitted suit sure is a specific wavelength.
And yet they found each other against all odds. -Wazy Hemisphere
Machias first noticed Dudley on the thirty-fifth floor, eyes locked on each other for just a moment, before each turned again to his own work. He knew, almost by instinct, what sort of person Alex Dudley was. Sensing the potential behind those dark green eyes for far more intense scrutiny than he wanted to deal with just then, Machias soon moved to another floor.
Later, their eyes met across the cafe, each unknowing that his thoughts mirrored the other as they shared a nod of acknowledgement across the space between their tables.
Across their unwittingly shared mugs of dark roast.
Watching Dudley as the days passed, Machias soon realized something: he was attractive. Very attractive.
Tall, stern, handy with firearms, not afraid to run headlong into a fight or get his hands dirty.
Not to mention his taste in coffee.
One night, everyone else had gone home. Dudley was leaning back in his chair, reading a report. Machias could see that he had taken off his jacket, loosed his tie and rolled up his sleeves, tight enough to cut into his arms just below the elbow.
“Have a good night, Dudley!”
“You know…Alex is fine. At least after hours.”
“His work has also given us plenty of opportunities to talk,” Dudley- no, Alex- was telling Lloyd and his friends when they stopped in on his last day. Their teasing made him feel a little self conscious but it was no worse than his friends in Class VII could do.
“We've got a surprising number of things in common, too, and not just our shared love of coffee,” Machias added. “I also learned a lot from you during that case a while back that we ended up helping resolve together
I was just grateful for your assistance with it. While I regret that you will be leaving Crossbell today, depart knowing that coffee is on me next time you're in the city.”
“Tempt me with a good time, why don't you? I'd be happy to take you up on that. I’m sure my work won't be getting any less challenging anytime soon, so it'll be nice to have something to look forward to.
“The feeling is quite mutual.”
They had exchanged contact information, and he had reason to return to Crossbell. With any luck, he would be assigned to follow up in the city following the withdrawal to ensure completion.