( his grin turned downright wicked . apparently , subtlety had officially left the building . he stepped forward until robert was forced to either hold his ground or give way , then he shifted his weight and turned them around — smoothly reversing their position so that
-
the dispatchers back met the wall instead. . )
. . there .
( he glanced from one side to the other , then back to robert , looking far too pleased with himself . )
you wanted to see how bold i could get ..
( a beat . his grin widened . )
-
( flambae’s eyes dropped briefly to the hand against his chest , then slowly lifted back to robert’s face. instead of backing off, a crooked grin pulled at his lips — the kind that made it painfully obvious he was enjoying this far more than he should. )
that confidence, for one. the whole ‘i’m gonna corner
the guy who literally sets things on fire’ routine ?
( his grin widened. )
kinda hard not to admire the stupidity .
( his gaze lingered for another moment, amusement dancing in his eyes. )
-
( flambae goes quiet again when robert presses him—properly quiet this time, like the circling has finally reached the center. )
( watching with the same careful attention robert has been giving all along. the tension between them stretches,
—
like he understands why robert cut straight to it. )
( he studies him for a long second, as if measuring the weight of the answer before giving it. )
it’s headed wherever you let it go, ( he says at last, tone steady, certain. ) because i’ve already made my choice.
—
( flambae stills at that—properly still this time. )
( not irritated. not defensive. just quiet in a way that feels deliberate, like he’s weighing the question instead of brushing it off. his gaze settles on robert, steady and searching. )
—
you’ve kept me here because you haven’t pushed me away, ( he says after a moment, tone even, certain. )
( a small pause follows. he studies robert’s expression, unhurried. )
and I’m still here because I don’t want to leave.
—















