i like you (say it back) ; egobang

06

In the late morning Arin finally wakes up. And for the first time in weeks, he feels fucking great. He climbs out of bed and makes his way to the bathroom, making a face at the bruise on his side since he can see it better when he passes the mirror. When he's done, he gets dressed and leaves the house, heading to the office but making sure to take his time getting there.

Dan isn't here yet, but almost everyone else is. Arin spends a while talking to Ross (who's lingering outside of his office for once) about things, and then spends some time chatting with Brian and Kris and Tucker before he finally heads back and disappears into his private office for a while.

He's sure that everyone can tell that his mood has shifted a lot for the better, and it's definitely all thanks to Suzy. It's insane how good he feels just from sharing and getting it all out there, but it hasn't all gone away yet. It has just become a lot more manageable though, and Arin can breathe easier for sure.

There's a knock on the door after a while, surprising Arin a little. "Come in," he says loud enough for whoever it is to hear. The door immediately opens and in comes Dan, smiling that small, cautious smile he's been giving Arin lately- the one that Arin hates because it usually means that Dan isn't comfortable with the situation and doesn't quite know how it's going to go, so he's being hesitant about everything.

"Hey Arin," he greets as he closes the door behind him and walks forward, sitting down on the edge of the desk swiftly. "How are you feeling today, man? Did you talk to Scuze?"

Arin nods, sitting back a little in his chair as he spins it to face Dan, who's so close it makes Arin just a little nervous. "Yeah, I did," he confirms, smiling a bit. "I apologized and then I kinda just... unloaded everything onto her. I feel a lot better after getting all of that shit off of my chest, to be honest with you; you were right. But I was so fuckin' scared about what she was going to say, and yet... things worked out, I guess. She's not upset and we talked a few things out."

"Yeah?" Dan asks, seeming happier already. "That's fuckin' great, dude. I'm proud of you. Don't be afraid to talk to me too if you need to, okay? I'm always here for you, Ar. I've said it a thousand times, but it's true." Dan pauses for a moment before continuing. "Anyway, I'm just glad you're feeling better."

"Me too," Arin agrees, exhaling. "You have no idea, man. It's not all sunshine and rainbows now, but things are a bit easier to deal with now that I don't have to hide how I feel from Suzy anymore. I mean, I guess I never had to, but I was afraid, you know?"

Dan gives a nod in response, and then things are quiet for a moment. "How are you feeling physically, by the way?" he inquires, gesturing to Arin's head and side. "Probably not that much fuckin' better, huh? You fell pretty hard."

"For you," slips out of Arin's mouth without his brain giving the okay, and although it sounds flirty, it also sounds like a joke. He needs to figure out how to stop that from happening. He plays it up anyway with unnecessary eyelash-batting and eyebrow-wiggling and an over the top smirk.

"There's the silly bastard I know and love," Dan giggles, and Arin's face feels hot as he grins. There's another moment of silence until Dan speaks again. "So what do you want to do today, dude? We can always record some more if you're up to it."

Arin shrugs. "We have enough that we'll be good for a little bit," he tells the older of the two, sitting up a little more and shutting off his monitors, "But it's up to you, man. Whatever you want to do is cool with me."

"We can always record the Power Hours or something," Dan suggests. "We were supposed to do it yesterday, but you got hurt and understandably didn't feel like it anymore, so... I figured it'd be fine now since you're in a better mood."