Naturally Topher did what anyone would do the moment he got some more intimate photos from their partner. Once he was done, he sat his phone face down on the bathroom sink countertop as he cleaned up after himself. Once he tossed the washcloth he used to clean up into the basket he had for things that needed to be clean, he heard his phone vibrate once more. He saw that the text message was from his aforementioned partner and furrowed his brows as he tried to decipher the words. Man, she must've been out of it. Though he'd dealt with drunken typos before so it didn't take him long to attempt and decipher everything. But there was one thing that stood out to him as clear as day.

"I love you."

His eyes widened as he skimmed over that line again and again. Was this real? Was she serious? Topher attempted to call her but found that her phone went straight to voicemail. Once, twice, three times. Immediate voicemail. Damn it, Cam. He gave up and tucked his phone in his pocket. It became a nightly ritual of theirs if they weren't sleeping together to send photos right before they went to bed, so by that factor he figured she was at home. Topher grabbed his keys and headed out.

It was relatively a shorter drive than he anticipated, probably due to the fact he was practically speeding on the way there. But the moment he got to her door, he gave it a quick turn and found that it was locked. Thankfully she'd given him a key so it didn't take him long to unlock the door. (He made sure to relock it once he stepped inside and shut the door behind him.) But as he entered the room, he found Camellia looking like shit. As he walked over and knelt down, he realized that, in fact, she was drunk. But even worse, she looked like she was about to get sick. Topher rushed into her bathroom real quick to grab the small trash can and offered it to her.

"Hey, do you have any explanation for the text you sent me?" he questioned. "You told me you loved me."

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Camellia Lemaitre

Most people would have probably flinched at the way she suddenly puked everything up, but Topher was used to the sight as it was one of the many things he had to clean up with work. It didn't stop the way his stomach turned when he heard her begin to retch. His hand reached up to carefully tuck some hair out of her face so she didn't puke in it. Once she seemed to recover and grab her phone to look, he gave a sigh. So she didn't mean to send it? He bit his bottom lip, unsure if it was good or bad to hear that. He figured she could have told him, but at the same time given how guarded she was, he understood. The fact of the matter was that it was still said.

"Just hang tight," he insisted.

It took him a few minutes to find everything, but he came back with a bottle of gatorade, some tylenol, and some crackers. If she needed something more to settle her stomach, he could likely doordash it if they were still running at this point in the night. Topher carefully sat on the edge of the bed and shifted a bit so she still had a clear shot of the garbage can. But he carefully offered each item to her one by one and even untwisted the cap on the bottle for her. Finally the words that he thought managed to come up much like the contents in Camellia's stomach.

"So did you mean it?"

He felt it hard to look at her, but at the very least, he wanted an answer. He wanted to know if it was worth him to make the trip in such a hurry over a drunken text. But more importantly, he wanted to know if those feelings were mutual.

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Camellia Lemaitre

When she offered her explanation, he didn't even seem to budge. He supposed he understood what she meant, but it seemed that given the last time they tried to have a heart-to-heart, he got up to leave, she insisted on keeping him anchored. A surprisingly tough grip on his arm kept him seated as he looked at Camellia and offered a nod to show he understood the words she had to offer him. Somehow, they reached through to him and he felt truly at peace. Between the two, Cam wasn't the most emotional person, but the fact that she thought she could confirm those feelings had been enough for him.

Topher shifted a bit so he could lean against her just a bit to show that he appreciated her answer. For now, he felt himself at a loss. What could he do? But more importantly, what could he say? It wasn't long before he turned his head to place a gentle kiss against her temple and soon broke away. But it only seemed to be so that he could shift his place on the bed to share the space with her. Despite the fact he still had his day clothes on, he didn't seem to mind. All he wanted in that moment was a sense of closeness. It came when Topher wrapped his arms around her torso and pulled her in to spoon her.

"Well... Let's just get some rest. We can talk about it in the morning."

Emotions weighed heavy in the air with such a revelation. He felt himself grow fatigued as his head hit the pillow.

--

Daylight broke through the cracks of her bedroom window and it was enough to wake Topher up. He used the opportunity to pull away from Camellia and carefully pressed a kiss to her forehead, gentle as not to wake her. After he excused himself, he left her apartment and locked the door behind him just so he could run and get them both something for breakfast. From the times he'd stayed at her house, he should have thought to get some groceries but never got around to it. But it wasn't an issue given the little Kalosian themed restaurant down the block from her abode.

It took him about forty minutes altogether to place the order and return. He could only hope that Camellia hadn't woken up yet. As he approached her bedroom door, he gave a gentle knock. The smell of confectioners' sugar and berries wafted in the air.

"Hey, I got us breakfast. Crepes just sounded really good."

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Camellia Lemaitre

A shame Topher fell utterly clueless to just how panicked she had been prior to his return. Maybe he was still in the process of waking up, or he was just too excited for breakfast. Though as he waited for Camellia to freshen up, he sat the bag that had their food in it down on her nightstand and waited for her. But once she returned, he was caught off guard when she grabbed his face for a kiss. This one was passionate yet clumsy. Teeth clacked together and left Topher stiff in surprise. The moment the two broke apart, he couldn't help but flash her a flustered smile.

"I didn't realize you missed me that much," he commented. "Sorry, I should have texted you. I didn't expect to be gone that long."

Topher turned to get their food and gestured for Cam to have a seat on the bed. The taste of toothpaste still lingered on his lips and he felt the need to remedy that. So after he popped open one of the boxes, he was eager to take the first bite. After that, he cut a piece off for Camellia and made sure to scoop up some of the mixed berries and fruit syrup to give her a little taste of everything. It was definitely a lot better than the minty taste of her clean mouth (not that he didn't appreciate the gesture -- he'd rather taste mint instead of vomit.) He felt bold enough to take the first step forward given last night's revelations.

"So I guess now that morning's here, we've got a lot to talk about," he insisted. "I guess the biggest thing I wanted to mention is that I'd... Well, I'd like to be exclusive. I don't expect you to make that choice, but it's a choice I've made for myself."

He pulled out his phone and showed her the lack of numbers in his phone added with the lack of photos (save for almost every single photo she'd sent him,) and even lack of messages. Topher had made sure to clean up shop on his phone and remove anything and everything that hinted at him having any side pieces. Once he was done showing her, he set his phone aside and went back to their shared breakfast.

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Camellia Lemaitre

The fact that she admitted she'd never exactly solidified a relationship earned a nod from Topher to show that he agreed. It was safe to say the same could be said for him. A lot of things in this relationship were new to the both of them. But since Topher was the one more in tune with his feelings, he figured it was easier for him to sort of offer some ideas of what relationships were at least depicted as. Not that the two of them really had to follow a picture perfect scenario, but it helped give them an idea of where to go.

"And likewise," he admitted. "But I'll be honest, you're the only partner I've been with for a while now."

That much rang true. The last time he'd been with someone was with Jasmine, and even then was embarrassing in itself. If the fact he said Camellia's name at that time wasn't enough, Jazz had to rub salt into the wound and tease him about it. It hadn't been something he figured worthwhile to share with Cam and even now, he felt hesitant to admit it. He was whipped, and it was obvious. No need to stroke her ego further. Topher continued to enjoy what was left of their breakfast before he sat the container aside and carefully pulled Camellia forward to sit on his lap.

"If there's anything you want to reason with our relationship, don't hesitate to bring it up, this encompasses the both of us, and I want to make sure you're satisfied too."

A thoughtful gesture from him, but a blatantly necessary one. It was only common sense he ask what she wanted from him in return. But something felt heavy about the word 'relationship' as it solidified a commitment. But Topher seemed eager to approach this new sense of mystery.

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Camellia Lemaitre

At her explanation, he couldn't help the way his heart swelled at her honesty. For a moment he felt distracted by it, but he soon met her question with a nod. Of course they'd still be them, and he couldn't agree more that it was probably better that they didn't reveal their status to the organization they worked so closely with. For the same of professionalism, it was better that way. At the end of the day, all that mattered was that the two of them were together. It's not like anyone had to know.

Fingers hooked into the waistband of her panties in an almost mindless fashion. His sweatshirt kept her modest, but part of him wanted to shed that modesty. Topher gave a gentle tug to encourage her to grind her hips down against him. Was it his way of asking for something further? Maybe, but he didn't seem to say anything. After all, the two spent the night before rather modestly, but that was due to Camellia being on the brink of being blackout drunk.

"What about your neighbors though?" he questioned unprompted. "I want them to know about us, but I hope they like hearing my name as much as you like saying it."

At the latter statement, his voice dropped. The offer on the table to turn their agreement more vulgar was set. All she had to do was accept or deny.

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Camellia Lemaitre

It seemed like hours until he finally managed to pull away. Maybe it was the fact that the two had exhausted themselves, or maybe even the fact that he just felt comfortable with her in his presence. Though there was one thing to note and that was the fact that the two managed to bring themselves to say something that still felt foreign on their tongues. Was love a word for them? He felt himself at a loss, but from what he understood, how he didn't want to let Camellia slip from his grasp, nor did she with him, that perhaps it was the closest thing to their strange situation.

His body was sore, whether it be from the way sweat stung against the scratches her nails had left behind, or the exhaustion that weighed heavy in his body. Topher was forced to push past that. He kicked his boxers on and mindlessly threw his sweatshirt back to Camellia so the two of them could make themselves momentarily decent. Ever the careful partner, Topher helped her out of the shared bed and gestured to the bathroom.

"Go ahead and jump in the shower, I'll get one after you."

After all, he had sheets they had to take care of. Once they were peeled off of the bed, Topher searched her room for a new set. It hadn't been the first time he was stuck doing this, and he doubted it would be the last. As new sheets were fitted onto the bed and it was quickly straightened up, Topher slipped into the bathroom to join his partner. Arms snaked their way around her waist as his head leaned down to rest his chin against her shoulder.

For once, he was silent. What could he say in this moment? That he was happy to hear those words? That he knew that with their vulnerability shared, that things would be more dangerous for them? It was a sticky situation to feel love for someone, especially someone who had a target on their back. But they shared that, did they not? Hot water helped his muscles a bit, but as he made a point to pull away and use the soap she had, he realized that the water didn't help soothe the aching sensation much.

"I think your neighbors are pissed, but...," he paused as he carefully thought on his words. "I think that it's definitely not a topic we want to bring up at work. It's gonna be hard though."

'It' being that the two were still expected to do their jobs by any means necessary.

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Camellia Lemaitre