𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 ⟢ 𝘁. 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗶/𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗶

𝟓𝟒: 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

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𝐲𝐨𝐮

friday mornings always felt heavier than they should—like the week was stretching itself out to test me one last time before letting me breathe. i rolled over, groaning as the sunlight filtered through the edges of my curtains. my hand fumbled for my phone on the nightstand, its screen lighting up with a string of notifications.

first, a message from one of my assistants:

rika assistant

good morning, y/n. we've completed the preliminary testing on the new support gear prototype. let me know when you'd like the results sent over.

work. always waiting for me.

next, a text from mei:

mei

morning! i'm staying at ua today—some of the students needed help with their gear, and you know i can't resist that. hope you're okay without me!

of course she was staying at ua. i smiled faintly, picturing her buzzing around the workshop like a whirlwind of creativity and innovation.

then my eyes landed on my last text thread from the night before—the one with hawks.

oh no.

i opened the conversation cautiously, as if the words might jump out and scold me.

my cheeks heated up as i reread the texts. only if you stop thinking about me first. what on earth had possessed me to say that? and why did he have to twist it into something so... bold?

still, a tiny part of me—the part i rarely let see the light—felt a flutter at the memory of his words. i'd been trying, slowly, to let myself embrace these moments, to love and care for the people around me without guilt. it wasn't easy, but maybe... maybe i could do it.

my phone buzzed again, pulling me from my thoughts. another message from hawks.

hawks

you heading to the lab today?

he was persistent, wasn't he? i typed back a quick response, telling him that i was, since i had a lot to do , and would probably finish by late afternoon. he replied with a simple, "alright! i'll see you tomorrow then, heading to my agency."

[...]

by the time late afternoon rolled around, i was finally leaving the lab. my purse was heavier than i'd have liked, and my mind was swimming with notes and updates. as i stepped outside, my phone rang, the screen flashing with a familiar name.