#ln osborn

Rating:T
Characters:Osborn/Reader
Word Count:3080

Summary: Even if you see through the other person’s tiny schemes, it’s only polite not to expose them because it means they’re thinking of you. (Pre-Relationship).

You had just arrived home after a busy day of work and then a night out with a friend when he unexpectedly dropped into your city for a work trip. Thankfully, it was Friday and you were ready to simply collapse onto your bed and sleep until the next afternoon.

Unfortunately, the anticipated date with your bed was interrupted by a phone call. For a second, you deliberated on ignoring the call because who would be calling you at 11:00 PM? But you still checked, just in case it was an emergency, and your diligence was rewarded when you saw that the caller was Pu Ning, who rarely called you and would only do so if something happened to Osborn.

There was no hesitation in accepting the call while you scooped up the purse you had dropped to the ground and stepped into your shoes again.

“Hello? Pu Ning? Is something wrong?”

“Sister-in-law! Please come and get Osborn! He’s drunk and won’t listen to any of us!”

“Huh?!”

It took a moment for the words to register, and you were so surprised you ignored the title Pu Ning gave you. Although you didn’t know Osborn for that long, maybe a year or so, he didn’t give the impression of someone irresponsible enough to get drunk outside and be a burden on others. There also didn’t seem to be a trigger for this. As far as you knew, the racing season was having its mid-season break and so there were no celebrations to be had.

Pu Ning didn’t give you a chance to ask for clarification though and continued speaking, “I’ll text you the location. But please come as soon as you can!”

In the noisy background of people talking and laughing, you heard a familiar but low voice ask Pu Ning what he was doing, Pu Ning stammering for Osborn to calm down, and what sounded like a short chase before the call ended with his yelp.

No way… was Osborn a belligerent drunk? Ridiculous and strange scenes flew through your mind, originating from the noises you heard through the phone earlier, as you rushed out the door, locked it, and called for a taxi. Just as the taxi pulled up to your street you also received the location and room number where Pu Ning and Osborn were, which seemed to be a normal bar in the city.

You arrived at the bar a short time later and, even though it was almost midnight, the nightlife in the city was as lively as ever. Groups of people walked on the streets or hung around outside, drinking and smoking, and music could be heard leaking out of the bars and clubs on both sides of the street.

When you entered the bar, loud music assaulted your ears and, as you took a moment to adjust to the dim lighting, you were impressed with their soundproofing because you barely heard their music from outside. Fortunately, most of the noise came from the dance floor and, after you got directions from the bartender and went down a hallway to where the private rooms were, the noise decreased significantly.

After finding the right room number, you knocked politely to give a warning before opening the door.

The sight that greeted you was cleaner than you expected. Everyone present were members of Osborn’s racing team and, while the thick smell of alcohol made you wrinkle your nose, you noticed that there didn’t seem to be that many beer cans on the table in front of Osborn.

Speaking of Osborn, his head snapped up the moment he heard the door open and surprise and something that seemed like joy flashed through his eyes, but it was gone before you could confirm what you saw. Then he frowned and dropped his head into his hand as if he was feeling uncomfortable.

Pu Ning stood up when he saw you at the door and ran over to receive you, greeting you with a “Sister-in-law!”.

However, this earned him a growl through gritted teeth from Osborn. “Pu Ning.”

The other man snapped his mouth shut and laughed nervously, shooting a nervous look back to Osborn, who didn’t lift his head.

Everyone else wisely read the atmosphere and greeted you with your name. You nodded and smiled back in greeting, ignoring the embarrassment you felt at the unspoken address you could hear in their words, before you quickly made your way to Osborn’s seat and reached out to tentatively pat his shoulder to soothe him. Just from that short interaction, you could tell something went down between Osborn and Pu Ning and that currently Osborn wasn’t too happy with the man.

“It’s okay, don’t be mad. I don’t mind.”

“Really?”

Osborn raised his head again to look at you and, for a second, you completely lost your train of thought and could only reflexively nod in a daze. His cheeks and ears were faintly flushed from the drinks he had, giving him a warmer and more approachable look, but the most deadly change to his appearance from being drunk was how the corners of his eyes were a deeper red, emphasizing the layer of mist in his eyes that changed those aquamarine eyes to gentle, rolling waves of blue and green, tempting you to submerge yourself in them and explore the depths of his ocean.

If Osborn’s looks were a 10/10 on a normal day then right now he was a 11/10 and you absentmindedly thanked whoever booked this private room, otherwise there was no doubt that Osborn would have girls swarming all over him right now.

Swallowing past a dry mouth and suddenly feeling a little nervous and jittery, you averted your eyes with great effort and tried to withdraw your hand but Osborn reached out and circled his fingers loosely around your wrist. He had to tighten his grip in the next second though when you unconsciously jerked away at his scorching temperature.

Osborn also felt the difference in your temperatures and he frowned with unhappiness. “Why are you so cold?”

He reached out to grab your other hand and brought both of them to his cheeks, as if to help you warm them up, but also because he found their coldness to feel nice. Meanwhile, you inhaled at how his face was even hotter. You always knew he ran warmer than ordinary people but now, and maybe it was the influence of the alcohol in his body, he seemed to veritably burn.

“How much did you drink? Are you feeling OK?” You couldn’t help but ask.

“Mn,” he responded lazily with a nasal note, which wasn’t an answer at all, and then he nuzzled his face into your hands, closed his eyes, and sighed in pleasure.

Your cheeks heated up as you imagined you could feel the occasional glance in this direction from everyone else in the room. They did their best to mind their own business, resuming their games and conversations, but the noise level had dropped considerably. You didn’t know whether that was because they were being considerate or because they wanted to hear what you and Osborn were talking about.

Coughing to hide your embarrassment, you tugged your hands ineffectively against his hold. “Okay, great. I’m here to pick you up. Did you drive?”

Osborn didn’t respond and just kept his eyes closed.

Pu Ning helpfully jumped in at this point. “He did, but I can drive his car back to his place while you two take a taxi.”

You nodded in thanks. “Osborn, where’s your car key?”

Osborn opened his eyes and looked up at you through his eyelashes. Inwardly, you clutched at your heart and screamed at this perfect lady-killer move, especially when just enough of his face was revealed in your hands to show off the beauty mark below the corner of his right eye.

“Be good, I don’t like troublesome drunks.”

Your joking words seemed to jar him into action because he released you and shot up from his seat at a speed which startled you. You instinctively raised your hands to catch him if he stumbled but fortunately there was no need.

However, after standing, Osborn didn’t do anything but lower his head and stare at you with those misty eyes, looking very much like an obedient but silly dog who didn’t really understand his owner’s words but was trying to please her as best as he could.

So, you had no choice but to brazen it out and reach into his pants pocket and keep your hand to the outer side so as not to accidentally touch… dangerous territory. You studiously ignored the heat and hard muscle of his thigh that you could feel even through the fabric of his pants, and the way his breaths brushed across the top of your head. Luckily, it didn’t take long before you touched something metallic and you pulled out the contents in his pocket.

Success! You heaved a sigh of relief under your breath at not needing to check his other pocket. Anyway, you found the key to his car and his place, which you decided to hold on to temporarily since you were going to send him home.

“We’ll be leaving first then,” you told everyone as you handed over Osborn’s car key to Pu Ning before you turned to coax Osborn. “Come on, let’s go home.”

“Mn,” he responded but still didn’t move, so you could only helplessly grab his coat for him, drape it over him, and then take his hand and pull him into following behind you.

As you retraced your steps through the bar to leave, the establishment was more crowded than when you first arrived and you had to split your attention into making your way carefully across the dim floor and into ensuring that Osborn was still with you and not drunkenly stumbling into anything. Surprisingly though, he actually acted as a barrier between you and the other customers and your path out of the bar was smoother than when you had entered the bar.

At one point, just when you were about to reach the entrance hall, your foot caught on something on the ground and you would have fallen if it wasn’t for Osborn quickly wrapping an arm around your waist and holding you up against him.

“Phew.” When you finally got outside, you took a deep breath of the cool air and then called for a taxi. Osborn stayed beside you obediently, holding onto your hand without any sign of impatience or restlessness, and you were glad that he wasn’t a fussy drunk like what you heard through the phone with Pu Ning at the start.

Once you both got into the taxi when it arrived and you gave the address to Osborn’s place, you turned to check on him again.

“Still with me?”

“Always.” There was a seriousness to his voice that made your heart stutter and, for a second, you wondered if he was really drunk.

However, Osborn didn’t do anything other than stare at you like he had since you appeared at the bar to pick him up, so you dismissed the thought. “Okay, you can stop staring at me now, I’m not going anywhere. Close your eyes and get some rest.”

He tilted his head, as if considering your words, and then leaned over to rest his head on your shoulder. You couldn’t help but laugh helplessly at how far he had to bend down to do that and reached up to pat his head. Who would have thought that Osborn would be so clingy as a drunk? Figuring it would be more trouble than it was worth to correct his posture, you left him alone.

After reaching Osborn’s place and using his key that you had grabbed earlier from his pocket to open his door, you settled him on the couch in the living room and went into the kitchen to prepare some lemon water for him. This wasn’t your first time at his place and so you were familiar enough with where everything was placed.

“Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?” Seeing him shake his head, you nodded in relief at how you didn’t need to dig through his medicine cabinet. “Make sure to drink this entire glass so your hangover won’t be as terrible tomorrow and go to sleep early.”

You covered your mouth when you reflexively yawned at the thought of sleep and got up to leave, but then your wrist was suddenly grabbed.

“Leaving already?” Osborn asked.

“Mhm, it’s already past midnight,” you spoke through another yawn and patted the back of his hand holding you, “I’m exhausted from running around all day.”

His eyes seemed to dim in response to your words, but when you blinked past the tears that came to your eyes from your yawns to take a second glance, he looked down and the shadows cast by his eyelashes hid his emotions from you. “I’ll send you home.”

“What? No, you’re drunk,” you immediately replied.

Osborn shook his head and let you go to stand up. “I’m not that drunk.”

The certainty in his voice caused suspicions to form in your mind and, as you stared at him, your suspicions only grew when you saw the way his eyes evasively slid to the side.

“Why did you drink so much tonight?”

Osborn was stunned for a moment, as if not expecting that you would ask this question. He shrugged. “I was a bit unhappy.”

“Don’t you go for drives when you’re unhappy?”

“I did that earlier.”

“What made you so unhappy that even going for a drive didn’t help and you had to turn to alcohol?” You asked, raising your eyebrows. Normally, at this point, you would have been concerned over what troubled him but the picture you were putting together in your head stopped that.

He looked at you and you could see him weighing the pros and cons of telling you with a clarity of mind that only strengthened your suspicions.

“I was going to ask if you wanted to have dinner together after your work. But when I reached your company, I saw that you already had plans.” His voice was low like he was reluctant to speak about this.

After work? You went through your memories and recalled that this was when your friend came to pick you up. Suddenly, the last puzzle piece clicked into place in your mind and you felt a surge of amusement, affection, and exasperation. There was also a bubbly feeling of embarrassment and giddiness at being this important to someone that spread through your body.

This was how the story went. Osborn came to pick you up, but saw you and your friend. He became upset and went to drink with his racing teammates. Somewhere during this, Pu Ning couldn’t stand Osborn’s moping anymore and called you over, using the excuse that Osborn was drunk. Osborn caught him in the act and was unhappy, but you knew that if he really wanted to stop Pu Ning then he could have, meaning he was also complicit in this scheme of letting you think he was drunk. Honestly, this man… You wouldn’t expose him but you wouldn’t let him off easily either.

“Are you stupid?” You held back your laugh at the way Osborn’s eyes widened, clearly not expecting you to suddenly call him that. “You can just ask me who he is instead of going around in circles like this.”

Osborn opened his mouth and closed it. Then, as if bracing himself, he clenched his jaw and went for it. “Who was he?”

“A friend.” You couldn’t help but tease. At his skeptical look, you elaborated, “A friend who is already in a deep, loving relationship. I recommended that couple’s bakery for him to bring a gift back to his girlfriend from his work trip and, along the way, he got something for me as thanks. That’s all.”

Osborn’s eyes brightened again. “Oh.”

“Yes,‘Oh’. In the future, you can just ask me what you want to know instead of going off to sulk by yourself.” You knew things weren’t that simple, especially when it involved feelings, but you wanted to lighten the mood.

“I wasn’t sulking.” Osborn averted his eyes sheepishly. “But I’ll go looking for you directly next time.”

“If there even is a next time. Now that you’re feeling better though, I’ll be going home.”

“Let me send you,” Osborn immediately suggested again.

“No, because you’re drunk,” you emphasized the last word heavily and saw how he subtly winced and pulled his shoulders up. “You’re punished to stay home and rest.”

If he was going to put on an act, then he had to act to the end. However, when you saw him look at you like a puppy being abandoned by his master, your heart couldn’t help but soften.

“But to make up for all the trouble you gave me tonight… you have to buy me breakfast tomorrow.” Osborn’s head shot up at your words. “Didn’t you say the place downstairs has the best breakfast? I’m definitely not going to wake up before noon tomorrow so you have to deliver it to me.”

A grin spread across his lips. “Leave it to me.”

He followed you to the door and watched you put on your shoes and grab your purse, but just as you turned and were about to head out the door he grabbed your wrist.

“Text me when you get home.”

“Okay."Your heart warmed at his concern for you.

But Osborn still didn’t let go. He lowered his head to look at his hand and it was only when you trembled at the ticklish feeling of his callused thumb stroking the thin skin of your wrist that the corners of his lips curved.

"Then… it’s a date.”

You saw his mischievous smirk and the teasing light in his eyes when he glanced up at you and felt an affectionate exasperation at how the return of his confidence also meant a return of his teasing. So, even though your cheeks heated up at his half-joking and half-serious tone, you replied in the same nonchalant manner.

“It’s a date.”

The last thing you saw before you turned around to leave and hide the deepening blush on your cheeks was how the curve to his lips became more genuine, transforming into a lopsided smile.