undercover

— CLOSED STARTER FOR @jadengayle​AT NAVY PIER. ​

far from a man who liked long walks on the beach, jasper found himself on navy pier by mere accident. however, given it was his lunch break, and he was in a particularly better (the word good would be a stretch) mood, he elected to stay. even bought himself an ice cream that he’d hoped to enjoy. but, as he walked to find the perfect perch, eagle eyes fell on a particular figure: jaden. the two weren’t too familiar, but they’d run into each other a couple of times. usually, in odd areas, which often led jasper to wonder what the other’s deal was. “jaden.” jasper greeted in passing. “don’t you look different during the day.”

— 

one look over his shoulder, and he confirms what jaden’s already picked up on - a blonde bombshell in the corner, staring them down. any other day, she’d be just enzo’s type. but lately, he had no interest in self medicating with another long-legged dame. he was still paying for the last one. who, come to think of it…. was sure to hate his guts, the second she finds out he arrested her only source of relief left on the streets of chicago. “let’s not forget who you’re talkin’ to.” his superior, for one. and two, if they were keeping score… enzo’s had more ass than jaden could ever dream of. come to think of it, enzo can’t even recall a moment he’s ever seen jaden let loose with a female. he was usually so airtight, and well put together. “if you want her, you can have her. that is… if you think you can handle a dime like that. she might be out of your league.”

—

-

his ego was bruised and rightfully, so. hers would’ve been too, had he acted as though she didn’t exist. unfortunately, it was too late to consider that outcome, or how differently this conversation could’ve panned out had she approached it more maturely. now, it was her turn to feel the colossal ache burrow deep inside her chest and twist so hard, it felt like she couldn’t breathe when he’d written her off. like, someone had come along and taken a sledgehammer to her chest, knocking every ounce of wind right out of her. 

“how many adri’s do you know?” she questioned, feeling the jealousy stir as images of him with other women flashed before her eyes, making them smolder and glisten with visceral tears. part of her wanted to reach out and touch him, claw his entire being to shreds just so that no other woman could ever lay a finger on his gorgeous skin. even though a decade apart stood between them, adri had always claimed him as hers. how dare he choose to forget that, even though she’d pretended to first. 

peering down at his hand, adri noticed the amateur work he must’ve attempted to gauze it. the hospital was full, a bustle of critical patients all rolling in at once on squeaky stretchers. it would be hours before a doctor or nurse could see him. so although, she wasn’t thrilled about it, adri slid the chart in front of her back to the receptionist and tucked her pen into her scrub pocket. “i’ll handle this one. can you page dr. harding and let him know his patient’s bloodwork has been filed and she’s ready for him now?” after the receptionist nods, adri gestures for jaden to follow her into one of the exam rooms so she could take a look at the damage. “first of all, you’re not her type. so, you can give her your number but you’ll be waiting by the phone for hours. she swings for the other team. and secondly, you’re stuck with me. the adri with a less nicer ass.” accompanying her sarcasm was a roll of her eyes. “so let’s start with, what happened to your hand?”

—

jaden could play this game as well as she was. even if it killed them both. he’d allow the pieces to scatter around at their feet and perhaps appease himself with the thought of being near her in silence. the scent of her perfume would haunt him for days to come and he’d analyze each word of their conversation to decipher where things had gone wrong; how he’d allowed her to slip through his fingers. but right now, he would play and he would strike to win. 

“who the hell knows, i tend to just put their numbers in my phone and call it when i’m lonely. i’d like to say a few of them.” he shrugged his shoulder while he looked her over. he couldn’t help it. “there’s someone at reception downstairs who’s named adrienne. you should ask her how many jaden’s she knows. i figured its close enough” he’d seen the woman when asking where to pay for his parking and she was attractive, but it was her name tag that had scorned its way into his head. but this adri, his adri, didn’t have to know that it was as simple as that. instead, he’d let her be scarred by the vision of him on top of her. 

she watched her look down at his hand and he almost slid it into his pocket but stopped himself. he wasn’t gonna hide it now that she’d seen it, certainly not when she was determined to help. it was selfish and he didn’t care. fuck, even if it killed him with toxicity, he was a weak man in front of temptation and adri had always been that. he smirked, rubbing at his jaw then to hide the amusement. “it would have been worth the try but i guess second best isn’t the worst.” he flexed his fingers and held back the wince. not broken, maybe fractured, but swollen as fuck. “what happened doesn’t matter as much as making sure my boss knows it isn’t broken. i could have told him that but he wanted a doctor’s note. guess adri with the second best ass will have to do. are you going to observe me here or should we go to a room?” his hand extended to signal that she should lead the way, and frankly, he was eager to see that ass in action.

_

among other things, he thought wryly. preferring to keep that offhanded comment to himself. for no other reason than to not encourage jaden into dragging him into further trouble. they had a habit of bringing out the cheekiness in each other. and frankly, will’s had too much excitement and rousing for one day. if you looked close enough, you’d spot the bags under his eyes, the slouch in his shoulders, and the overall heaviness weighing on his lanky frame. rubbing the stress from his eyes, will pinches the bridge of his nose and fights back an oncoming headache as he motions for the bartender to pour him what his whiskey-drinking neighbor was having. “if anything, it gets worse mate.” that’s why most people preferred having a significant other to come home to after a long day, someone to help take the edge off. “get out now while you still can.” he was joking, more or less, yet a part of him was being dead serious.

~

_

for the better part of, oh…. twelve years, adri’s succeeded in dodging the ghosts of her pasts quite magnificently. jaden especially, given with him, there was always way more history to be had than she cared to admit. for starters, he impregnated her at the ripe age of fifteen and instead of coming clean to him about terminating the pregnancy, she lied and told everyone she had a miscarriage, then jetted off to california with her tail tucked between her legs to “recoup”. after that, she convinced her mother to ship her off to boarding school for the rest of the year. she figured the distance would give them both enough time to move on with their lives and pretend the whole shitshow never happened.

come to find, it’s true what they say, that absence only makes the heart grow fonder. so in the end, adri vowed never to feel anything for another man, EVER again. she ran at the first sign of commitment and never looked back. it’s done well for her these last few years. any drama she succumbed to, was that of other’s. or… well, until recently, when adri did the unspeakable thing of sleeping with her sister’s fiance. but that’s neither here nor there, at the moment.

the second he approached her, adri could feel the color visibly drain from her face. her heart, which she vowed to protect at all costs, swelled with rememberance, and a longing she hasn’t felt since she was a teen. since, she kissed his lips or he ran those magical fingers down the length of her spine. snap out of it, she warns herself, shoulders stiffening as she closes the manila folder with her patient’s records rather hastily. a visible sign that she was uncomfortable and ready to bolt. “i’m sorry?” she turns to him, and immediately feels her breath get caught in her throat. lord have mercy. he’s twice as hot as she recalls. “do i know you?” there. nothing puts a nail in the coffin of their past quite like forgetting he exists. even if it pains her not to entertain him for memory’s sake.

~

she smelt better than he could ever remember. but her presence still intoxicated him beyond belief, making him forget how to even talk at times. this was the woman he compared everyone to, and by default, every single one of them failed to match up. even at the tender age of fifteen, with less than a hundred dollars to his name, he was ready to give up every single opportunity to raise his child with her. but things hadn’t worked out and that knowledge still haunted him to this day, having wished on several occasions that things may have gone differently. perhaps then he wouldn’t have to wake up to an empty bed, albeit the string of women that rolled out of it alongside him. all to be forgotten. 

his mouth hung open, but not due to her beauty, rather the visible confusion. though he knew that she couldn’t be confused about who he was. “adri...” he trailed off silently before nodding his head. it killed him. not only had it bruised his ego but he felt his heart shatter that the years of silence had outweighed their memories. she’d forever been engraved in his being and he assumed.... well, fuck her then. 

“i must have mistaken you for the last girl i fucked. she had a nicer ass, though.” he hated himself but he couldn’t allow himself to be vulnerable. peering down at his hand, he looked back at her. “i’m going to go find a real medical professional to fix my hand.” his jaw was fixed and any hurt that was visible was swept away by an hardened shell. “do you mind telling the nurse that’s coming over here that I’m ready for her. I’ve been waiting to give her my number.” despite not being sure that it would, he hoped that it would kill her as much as it did him to play this game.

—  LOCATION: THE COMMON ROOM

closed starter for: @jadengayle

“drinks are on me tonight.” it’s the least will could do after the crime scene they both walked up on. it was always harder and way more haunting when women or children were involved. and in this case, it was both. which meant, will wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight. “what’s your poison?”

~

Jaden hadn’t anticipated getting a little too caught up when he met with his informant only for more of his friends to join them. Friends who hadn’t known that the man Jaden was having a drink with worked with the police. In order to keep them both safe, Jaden molded into the role of dealer and found himself on top of his informant with his fist driving into his face. He’d have a lot of making up to do but it was essential to save both of their cover. 

It also meant he’d spend the latter part of his day at the hospital getting stitches after his informant’s tooth had cut his knuckle open. All of which he forgot when he caught sight of the only person who could unravel his entire being. The nurse came but he brushed her off, walking after his first love and high school girlfriend. “Adri.” he called out, smiling at her. “I didn’t know... wow, I mean, you look great. How are you?”

JADEN GAYLE

gender: cis male / he & him

sexuality: heterosexual

age: 30 years old

occupation: undercover agent