There were a lot of situations you could prepare yourself for. In his line of work, there wasn’t an awful lot you could predict, but you could prepare yourself for the worst situations. But, well, Xander’s personal life was a lot harder to bring together. He’d been trying, there was no real doubt about that, but it was no way coming together how he would’ve hoped. Between everything happening there, with his family, he’d pretty much lost all sense of direction other than… Well, work, look after his dogs, work out, eat healthy. Just keep going.

But Jared provided a reprieve from that monotony.  Basically dragged him out every chance he got, didn’t let him stew in his own thoughts too much. He appreciated that, but recently he’d been thinking about it as something… More. Entertained the idea for half a heartbeat before throwing it aside like he did every other chance that popped up for him to finally have something for himself.  He wasn’t sure why that made him feel selfish, it shouldn’t, but it did.

And then he read the messages, and it gave him that stupid sense of hope he’d always done so much to just. Stifle within himself. He’d ushered his dogs in to his room as soon as Jared said he’d be heading over, knowing that this wasn’t a conversation that he wanted to have with the distraction of his dog’s. Of course, the minute he heard that knock, he felt his stomach surge.

Shit. Right. He could handle this. Opening the door, they’d talk. Figure it out. Work things out.

But when he actually saw Jared? All he could do was grab him by the collar and pull him in, lips colliding with Jared’s without a second thought.

     Jared couldn’t hear the usual barking after he  knocked, in fact it was too quiet from where he stood and that made him even more nervous. Maybe he should have given Xander some time, and just come up to him at work. That would be less weird right? His heart was racing against his chest and it only confused him. Why did he feel this way when it came to Xander? 

There wasn’t much left to think about because within seconds the door was opening and he felt himself freeze. If he could explain his actions, and make this right, he’d do it, but Jared wasn’t able to. Within moments, he was being pulled closer and he felt the other’s lips crashing against his own. Did it surprise him? Yes, it did, but he didn’t pull away or stop him, or ruin the moment by saying anything. 

Instead, Jared found himself kicking the door closed with his foot as he was being pulled in, and continued walking forward until Xander’s back was pressed against the wall. Something was different about this -- the kiss and everything and he found himself enjoying it more than he should have. No need to blame the alcohol; It was just them; 

He let the kiss linger a moment longer, before pulling away just a bit, just enough to be able to breathe. “So, i’m taking it that you’re not mad at me?” he asked as his lips brushed against the other’s. One hand was braced against the wall as his free hand wrapped around the other’s neck, fingers trailing up his hair lightly. “--because I was pretty sure you’d be.” 

He nodded. “Good. I’m not a detective or anythin’. I’m just patrol and shit. I mean, I’m a training officer, so I train people for patrol and shit but,” he shrugged. He liked being out in the field. The idea of doing anything else but uniformed work seemed odd to him. There was plenty of lateral moves he could make, and he had gotten an offer or two, but this is where he like to be. To train the incoming officers on anything that could be thrown their way. “We’ve gotten a lot since it’s Chicago, big city and all. Lots goin’ on. I’ve walked into some strange things though.”

Jared nodded in response, to indicate he understood what the other was saying. “It makes sense, but I can only imagine some of the craziest things you could run into. I’ve heard some crazy stories.” at the mention of strange things, Jared raised a brow, “How strange can things get? Share something -- if it’s alright.” he asked while gesturing for the bartender for a refill. 

“Oh, don’t lie, we both know you love the idea of me in handcuffs,” Xander answered without missing a beat, a wide smirk spreading over his lips to reassure the other he was just joking. He had zero intentions of winding up in jail, he knew too many people at the police department to not get teased in to oblivion regardless of how minor the situation was.

It was at least a relief to see the streets mostly empty, getting out late enough that the work rush had been and gone, and left for pretty smooth sailing. Nothing worse than getting stuck in traffic, at least without decent company. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so terrible with Jar- He was quick to refocus his thoughts on to the situation at hand, offering another laugh as soon as he heard the other mention his dogs loving Jared. “I mean, you do usually end up bringing them food. I, on the other hand, get sarcastic comments and snark. No wonder they love you more than I do. Gotta start making up for it if you wanna be over more.” It was all tease, even if it was probably the opposite.

“Oof, hard hitting questions right there,” Xander replied, shifting a little in his seat before humming. “Broke a guys arm in four place, he pressed charges. Should be glad it didn’t go much further. He was my sister’s boyfriend, and he was not a good guy. She came home with bruises on her wrist one day and I just… I lost it. Guys lucky I didn’t kill him.”

“--I mean...” Jared trailed off with the imagery of Xander in cuffs and the thought only caused a grin to play across his lips. Under different circumstances, he would enjoy seeing the other in cuffs, but he kept that thought to himself. “--But it wouldn’t be fun if you’re arrested and I can’t do much about it, so try and keep out of jail, yeah?” he asked with a hint of tease behind his voice.

“You know what they say about food right? That it’s the way to a man’s heart?” he asked, as he glanced at him with the grin still on his face. “It’s suffice to say that it works for dogs too, so honestly i’m not even sorry.”  the smug grin remained on his face but the other’s words resonated in his mind. “Only if you don’t get sick and tired of seeing my face all the time, then i’ll be happy to make up for it.” 

As he explained what had happened, Jared’s smile faded just a bit. He noted that the other was overprotective, and it was something he could relate to. “I told you that I have five sisters, right? So if anything were to happen to them, i’d do the same thing.” it was as simple as that. “--But i’m glad you’re okay and safe to assume your sister is okay too, yeah?” he asked as he looked over at him. 

With the drive going by smoothly, he hadn’t realized that they were going to reach the bar soon. “Alright, share a secret that you’re comfortable enough sharing.” he asked.

[ Text : Cooper ] : You won’t be sober until tomorrow night, regardless of the effects [ Text : Cooper ] : Take the uber.

“I don’t think so, Wilson, not with how hard you were struggling to keep up,” Julian teased with a cheeky grin on his lips. “However, you could have been distracted by something else. What that was, I couldn’t say, but maybe you could enlighten me,” he questioned, tilting his head a little.

“Pinball. Pfft. I could’ve tilted the machine to win if I wanted,” he joked, taking half a step forward again until there was hardly any space between them. Maybe it was the alcohol, or simply his comfort level with the other, but Julian certainly wasn’t shy when he leaned in to claim a kiss from Nathan’s soft lips.

Nathan’s grin only widened in response and while his gaze fell down to his lips yet once again, he had taken a step closer. The close proximity between the two had rendered him slightly breathless, or perhaps Nathan had forgotten how to breathe. No, rather than responding to his comment on pinball, Nathan leaned in and softly pressed his lips against Julian’s. 

His hand found it’s way up to his neck, cold fingertips pressing against his skin, as his free hand dropped to the man’s waist. He had been waiting to do this all night -- no correction, multiple times before, but the fact that it was happening now was worth the wait. His lips tasted of alcohol, as expected, and he realized that the man may still be intoxicated. 

It was pretty rare for the both for them not to be on call, which was yet another reason to be keen to get out of the usual spots for a little. They could afford to go further afield and Xander was more than happy to spread his wings a bit. He’d pretty much only been sticking to work, home, the park, and any areas within that comfort circle. Jared was good at making him get out of his shell a little, and he appreciated it. Made it easier for him in the grand scheme of things.

He offered a quick flash of a smile when the other opened the door for him, a mock bow before giving his thanks and slipping in to the passengers side. Buckled up in o time, but only after being sure he had the essentials on him. Wallet, keys, phone.

“I mean, occasionally you do just end up saying things without thinking. As do I. It’s really not the best mix when alcohol and random guys get involved. I’m just impressed neither of us has wound up in a jail cell recently.” It was easy for Xander to match the tease in the other’s tone, even as he settled a little more comfortably in to his seat, eyes shifting between the road ahead, and the man sat next to him. This felt… Nice. Things hadn’t felt nice in a long time.

“I suppose tomorrow depeds entirely on what trouble we get in to tonight, but today’s been good. Finished up early so had a chance to spend some time with the wild pack I ave living in my apartment, which is always nice. How about you? Been staying out of trouble like a good boy?”

He couldn’t help but agree and a part of him hoped neither one of them would wind up in jail for something stupid. “Don’t jinx it, the last thing I want is to hear you’ve been arrested for something.” He added with a hint of tease behind his voice. It wasn’t about Xander getting arrested that worried him, not really. It was more along the lines of him getting hurt than anything. Still, a part of him left that bit out. 

The drive seemed a lot better with the streets cleared, but he wanted to hold this in for a while, to just be driving with him, even if they were stuck in traffic together. A silly thought, right? As he listened to the other speak of his day, a smile played across his lips. Eyes were trained on the road but he did glance at the other, “Honestly, I think they may love me a little more than you. I should come over more often.” He teased, all while insinuating that he would enjoy coming over if the other allowed it.

“Tell me something --” he starts, before eyes train back on the road. “--What’s the worst trouble you have gotten yourself into?” he asked. “--And why? or more so, what led to it?” he asked

     Why had he gotten into a fight? While a part of him could blame it on the alcohol, he knew he was much sober when it had happened. Now, he was on his way to Xander’s place. He refused to think about why he had done what he had done, and he also regretted a lot of the texts he had sent his co-worker about this. This is also why he had to go see and talk to Xander. To make sure he wasn’t angry, or disappointed, or even awkward about the entire situation.

It wasn’t a long drive back to Xander’s, in fact he was already on his way there, but rather than heading up, he sat in his car and waited. To compose himself, to expect the worse out of this situation-- to put it simply, expect a rejection of some sort. Isnt’ that why he had invited him over? To tell him not to do this ever again? To tell him not to interfere with his personal life even? 

While a part of him wanted to do what Jake had done, he was afraid. Mainly due to the rejection, but also at losing a friend in case things got awkward. Rather than beating himself up with his own thoughts, Jared finally found the courage to get out of his car and head on up. He was at Xander’s door and still hesitant to knock. He did in the end, only to wince a bit when he realized his knuckles were swollen. With his hands shoved into his pockets now, he waited, and hoped everything was okay.

[ Text : Cooper ] : Your texting is literally giving me a migraine [ Text : Cooper ] : He did reciprocate, we fucked and then discussed being a thing. [ Text : Cooper ] : Easy as pie

[text; jared] So, you punched a guy out… [text; jared] For asking for my number? [text; jared] That’s pretty… [text; jared]: He wasn’t good enough? [text; jared]: You… Get over to mine. [text; jared]: Now.

“I mean, you definitely shouldn’t drink and drive. Especially if you’re going to do so after talking with an officer,” he chuckled. Maybe tonight wouldn’t be so bad after all. “Oh cool.” He hadn’t talked to a lot of firefighters, mostly just because he happened to only run into them during cases he may work. 

“What if I told you that I was planning on taking an Uber or calling a buddy to pick me up?” he asked, before finishing off his first glass. “I can assure you, i’d never drink and drive.” he added as if that would assure the man. “So, how was work? When I usually speak to officers, they don’t go into much detail, but tell me, have you ever had a terrifying case of some sort?” he asked.