#sneaky link is my new fav expression lmfao

[mermaidenisaacs]

isaac has a fwb

it’s all fun and games until isaac catches feelings for his sneaky link. he’s certain she doesn’t feel the same and it’s killing him not to tell her. but he’s fine with pretending he’s fine. he’ll take what he can get, and anything is better than nothing at all.

friends with benefits, secret pining, workplace au, isaac’s a lawyer and he hates theo

warnings: graphic sexual language

“I just don’t understand why you have to wear tight skirts all the time.” 

“Don’t act like you don’t love me in tight skirts.” 

“I like the view, yes. But they’re hard to take off. And the stupid zippers always get stuck.”

“Fair enough. But you’re cute when you’re frustrated, Lahey.” 

She swiveled around, thwarting Isaac’s efforts to slide her respectably tight skirt down her legs. Grabbing a fistful of his curly hair, she mushed their lips together, effectively cutting off the beginning of his next verbal jab, triumphing in his muffled “mmph.” 

“So, that’s it then?” Isaac mumbled, pulling away and redoubling his efforts on her neck, sucking on the tender flesh there. “You like torturing me? Walking around the office all day, teasing me in your absurdly tight clothes, just to get me riled up?” 

“They’re not that tight,” she muttered. “And I can neither confirm nor deny that.” 

Isaac snorted. “Such a lawyer response.”

She scratched her nails across the breadth of Isaac’s broad shoulders before sliding her hands down his subtly defined chest. She began slowly undoing his Oxford blue button-down. 

“Besides,” she continued, ignoring his quip, “you do the same thing. It’s really endearing how you strut around in fake glasses just to look smarter.”

Isaac didn’t even bother acting embarrassed; he knew he looked good in those glasses. He had decided to try on non-prescription glasses one day just as an accessory to switch up his look, but the positive reception from everyone was incentive to keep wearing them. He was in his late 20s but he still had a bit of a baby face, so the glasses also helped him come off older and more competent to potential clients. 

Those were the only reasons he wore fake glasses. It had absolutely nothing to do with the time y/n came over to his apartment and drank three glasses of wine and drunkenly confessed to finding his glasses sexy.

“So what if I strut around in fake glasses?” he said. “Do they do something for you?” 

She paused. “I plead the fifth.”

Isaac chuckled in amusement. He watched her undo his shirt and huffed in annoyance at her leisurely pace. He adored the woman in front of him, but few things frustrated Isaac as much as she did, from her parading around the law firm in her form-fitting pencil skirts and sweaters to her pulling him into storage closets and viciously attacking his lips minutes before really important staff meetings. 

“If you keep going at this pace, we’re gonna miss Derek’s meeting,” Isaac complained. His squirming did not go unnoticed by her, who seized any chance to get under his skin. 

“What’s the matter? Worried you won’t have enough time to kiss the boss’s ass?” she said, smirking at Isaac’s eye-roll. “Just so you know, it would be useless. Derek likes me better.” 

And just like that, she had literally pushed Isaac’s last button. His hands found her hips and he spun her around. They were sandwiched between two tall shelves with Isaac pressed into her back. He aligned her with his cock, his arousal prominent against her ass. 

“Someone’s excited to see me,” she teased.

Isaac swept away her hair from her neck and bit the supple flesh of her shoulder, eliciting a soft gasp that rang like music to his ears. He bunched up her skirt around her waist and was pleasantly surprised to see she wasn’t wearing any underwear, her bare ass exposed and already leaning into his touch.

“Fuck, really?” he said in disbelief. His mind went blank and he swiftly slapped her ass, evoking a surprised yelp from her. It was then that realized he had never done that before. He should’ve made sure it was okay first. “Fuck, I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. I liked it, actually,” she said, breathless, reaching behind her to tug on his hand. “But you should probably hurry up and get inside me before we miss the entire meeting, yeah?”

Isaac was taken aback for a moment. He had lost count of how many times he’d succumbed to her, fell unapologetically victim to her allure. Despite this, it floored him every time that she could be so assertive, so unabashedly direct about her desires. She used to be so shy and unsure when they first started hooking up.

It should be noted that the first time they fucked, it was by mistake (or so they told themselves). 

It happened last year at Derek’s Christmas party. It involved mistletoe, Erica’s spiked eggnog, incoherently babbling her address to a cab driver, making out in the backseat, giggling between sloppy kisses, undressing each other, falling into her bed, sleeping in a tangle of bare limbs, blinding morning sunlight, throbbing hangovers, the crushing weight of reality.

And regret, or, “Let’s just forget this ever happened?” “Deal.” 

That first time, they could blame it on the alcohol. Every other time after that--when Isaac texted her to come over and play girlfriend to get rid of a clingy one-night stand, when she let his fingers wander up her thigh during late nights at the office, and all the other times--they had nothing to blame but their own desires. 

“Turn around,” Isaac murmured. “I need to see your eyes.” 

Her breath hitched in her throat. Every once in a while, Isaac would catch her off guard and say something unexpectedly sweet and romantic. It unnerved her. The last person who said sweet things to her was her ex boyfriend Theo. She believed all his sweet words, but in the end, he abandoned her and left her with nothing but trust issues and a broken heart.

Isaac got impatient and turned her around by her elbow, looking into her eyes and affectionately tucking some loose strands of hair behind her ear. She tried her best not to squirm under his warm gaze. He looked like he was torn between wanting to worship her and devour her. 

He cupped her cheek and placed a soft kiss on her lips. He used his other hand to palm her ass. He firmly squeezed the soft flesh and pulled her body flush against him. She wound her arms around his neck and squealed in surprise when Isaac swooped down to scoop her thighs and lock them around his waist. 

“That’s better,” he murmured affectionately against her bruised lips. “You ready?”

She was having trouble finding her voice and managed to give him a meek nod. 

“I need you to say it out loud, baby,” Isaac gently reminded her. He always asked her permission and it always surprised her. Her past involved a lot of men taking rather than asking. 

 “Yeah, I’m ready, please,” she whined.

Isaac kissed her once more and moistened the tip of his cock with her wetness, making her clench her thighs tighter around his hips. He buried his face into her neck and sponged kisses into her skin as he pushed in slowly, allowing her to acclimate to his size. 

He pushed in deep, all the way to the hilt, trying to savor the feeling of being inside her. To Isaac, she felt like heaven. She was warm and wet and velvet and exquisite and he had to measure his movements for fear of accidentally hurting her. 

She dug her nails into Isaac’s shoulder as he stretched her out, helplessly whimpering for him to start moving faster. 

Isaac complied, retracting his hips just to slide back in again, cock freshly slick with her juices. As much as he wanted to take his time with her and make this moment last, he knew they were on the clock at work. He set up a faster rhythm, snapping his hips repeatedly into her warmth. 

At one point, he had to clamp his hand over her mouth to contain her satisfied noises. Isaac loved hearing her moan knowing he was the reason, but they couldn’t afford to be loud lest a nosy co-worker should discover them in their compromising position. 

“God, you feel incredible,” Isaac grunted into her ear. “You’re so fucking hot. I couldn’t even tell you all the filthy things I’ve imagined doing to you all day.” 

“Really?” she panted breathlessly. 

“Fuck yeah.” Isaac tightly gripped her ass as he pounded into her from below. “Please don’t stop wearing tight skirts. You look so sexy in them. You look so fucking sexy all the time,” he muttered. 

She clung to the curls at the nape of his neck, clawed at his back, all but bit down on his shoulder to keep from moaning loudly as he whispered sinful things into her ear.

“Fuck, Isaac,” she whimpered. “I can’t--I’m gonna--” 

“Me too.” 

After she came, she untangled herself from Isaac and kneeled in front of him. She swiveled her comparably small fist around his cock and kitten-licked the bright red head. 

“Fuck,” Isaac breathed. 

“I don’t want to make a mess,” she said matter-of-factly, grinning at his incredulous expression. “So come in my mouth, okay?” 

Isaac groaned reflexively as her words sent him into euphoria. He released down her throat, coating her esophagus and her tongue with thick, gooey residue. He had to white-knuckle the shelf in front of him to avoid violently bucking his hips into her mouth. When he pulled out, he helped her back to her feet.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Isaac leaned against the shelf behind her. He observed her as she busied herself with pulling down her skirt and smoothing out the wrinkles in the fabric. Her gaze darted back and forth to anything that wasn’t Isaac as she combed through her disheveled hair and adjusted her clothing. Isaac grew concerned at her distracted behavior.

“Hey,” he said quietly. When she didn’t respond, he took hold of her elbow and stilled her. He gently brushed the sweat-damp hair away from her face. “You okay?”

It took her a second to process his concern. The truth was, she wasn’t really okay, and she was surprised that he could sense that. It had been a long, stressful morning, and coming down from the high of her pleasure brought on a fresh wave of dread: the end of her time with Isaac would mean having to return to work. 

She was trying to hide it, but Isaac had picked up on her change in mood. She often forgot how incredibly sensitive he could be. They worked in a realm of cutthroat professionals who cared only about their own well-being, but he was different. 

Isaac had once mentioned that he wished he was less sensitive. Being caring wasn’t the best quality for a lawyer to have. He viewed it as a weakness, but she disagreed. She knew that his being sensitive and observant and caring made him a better lawyer. His ability to connect with clients and the jury was the reason he was so successful. 

Unfortunately, these same qualities helped him sift through her carefully curated exterior and know what she was really feeling. It was unnerving. She wasn’t used to being seen.

“Of course I’m alright,” she responded casually. She chuckled and shooed his hand away. “I’m just not looking forward to going back to work. Okay, how do I look?” 

“Freshly fucked.” He laughed at the scandalized expression on her face. 

“Isaac!” She playfully swatted his arm. “God, we’re gonna be so late.” 

Isaac shrugged. “Probably.” He buttoned his shirt and tucked it into his pants while she reapplied her nude lipstick. 

“Okay, I’m gonna head to the conference room,” she announced. “Wait a couple of minutes before you follow. I’ll cya in there--” 

She was cut off by Isaac, who had reeled her in by her waist to give her a searing kiss, one that fogged her newly found bearings. He slipped in his tongue and curiously grazed her teeth, and just as she began to reciprocate, he abruptly pulled away. 

“I’ll cya in there,” Isaac said, grinning at her dazed expression. She let out an offended scoff before she turned on her heel and exited the storage closet. 

Isaac smiled to himself as he heard the clicking of her heels fade away. He tried to remember his life before she entered it. He found nothing in his memory except a lukewarm existence filled with meaningless affairs with women who only cared about his looks or his money, the endless monotony of work that didn’t interest him anymore, and a sinking loneliness. 

Isaac remembered the first time he saw her. It was on her first day of work. He remembered hearing her laugh, soft and melodious, drifting through the cubicles. He saw her surrounded by the other associates, who stared at her with glitter in their eyes and hung onto her every word. Even Derek found her charming. 

Her voice, her eloquence, her warm honey eyes, her aura. He found it all captivating. She was beautiful. 

More than all of that, he loved her mind. She had joked that Derek liked her better, but he knew she was right. She was better in every sense of the word: smarter, funnier, wittier, and more ambitious. In point of fact, Isaac started caring more about his job after she showed up. It was her drive that sparked his, her passion that geared them into an unspoken competition of who could win more cases. 

She changed his life without even knowing it, and somewhere along the way, Isaac started to fall for her.

But Theo got to her first. He approached her with his smarmy smile and slithered his way into her affections. Isaac watched their relationship unfold over the course of eight months. He watched her fawn over him like all the other women in the office, watched her eyes light up when he entered the room. He even walked in on them making out in the break room and lost his appetite for the rest of that dreadful day. 

He watched Theo dump her in a heartbeat when he was offered higher pay and cushier benefits at a competing law firm in the city. He watched her fall apart.

By that point, Isaac had convinced himself that he could never have her and his feelings went stale. But as soon as he saw her heartbroken, he didn’t even hesitate to race to her side and give her his shoulder to cry on. 

Isaac was there for her. He absorbed her pain and her sadness. He helped her find her drive again and worked on cases with her. The late nights and deep conversations turned into friendship. His feelings returned. He considered confessing, but everything changed the night of their drunken hook up. 

She was the one who suggested they should forget that it happened, and then when things continued, she seemed satisfied with being just friends with benefits. It seemed like that was all she could want from him. 

So, Isaac kept his feelings to himself and let her use him. It’s not like he didn’t do the same. 

He knew she deserved better than casual hook-ups, but he couldn’t confess his feelings or set her free. He couldn’t get enough of her. He selfishly wanted her, in any capacity she would allow. 

She had no idea how much power she held over him. He was completely in love with her and slowly being crushed by the weight of his own feelings, but for her, he could endure it. 

Pushing his thoughts aside, Isaac adjusted his tie one final time and took a deep breath. He made sure to smooth down his hair as he walked into the conference room; she always had a thing for tugging on his curls and messing them up. Not that he minded. 

“Lahey,” Derek announced as Isaac walked in. “Good of you to grace us with your presence.” 

Isaac inwardly cursed. The meeting had already started. He took the empty seat besides Boyd and coughed out an apology to Derek. Isaac saw y/n smirking from across the room.

“As I was saying, this meeting concerns tonight’s Christmas party at my house,” Derek said. “Normally I wouldn’t call a meeting for this since I host one every year. But this time, I’ve decided to do things differently. Instead of Christmas sweaters and eggnog, I’ve decided that this year, it will be a formal, black tie event. I’ve also decided to invite the other firms from around the city as a show of goodwill.”

A round of groans ensued. 

“But they’re all assholes!” Erica complained, then shrank back at Derek’s miffed expression. “I’m sorry, but they are. The Christmas party is supposed to be for us. It’s supposed to be fun. And they’ll ruin it.” 

“I disagree,” Derek said. “I’m sure that if we try to make peace, so will they. I’m hoping to have a good year, one where competing firms won’t try to steal my associates out from under my nose.” Isaac scowled at Derek’s implication: he was talking about Theo. “Anyway, I want everyone to be on their best behavior. As I said, it’s a black tie event, so everyone should dress formally, and--”

Stiles hand shot up in the air. 

Derek sighed. “Yes, Stiles?”

“Uh, sorry,” Stiles said, smiling guiltily. “By dress formally, just how fancy are we talking here?”  

“It’s a black tie event,” Derek repeated, enunciating every syllable in annoyance. “Do I have to teach you how to dress now?” 

“I mean, not now, but if you wanna come over later and help me get dressed...” Stiles grinned as Derek turned red and coughed away Stiles’s flirting. A chorus of faint giggles ensued. It was well known that Stiles had a crush on Derek and made it his mission to mess with their boss. 

“Okay, that’s it everyone,” Derek said stiffly. “I’ll see everyone at my house at eight. Don’t be late.” 

~*~*~*~*~

Later that night, y/n stared at herself in the mirror.

She had decided on the red, curve-hugging dress that Isaac had once pointed out in her closet. He’d asked her why she’d never worn it before and suggested she should. She had merely shrugged in response. 

The truth was, she bought the dress thinking she could be brave enough to wear it one day, but every time she came close, she got scared and put it back. She thought it was too bold. She was scared of the attention the dress would draw in.

That was then. These days, she had no reservations about wearing form-fitting clothing. She didn’t fear attention. Isaac had played a large part in boosting her confidence: he always told her how much he loved her body. It wasn’t like he was the first man to ever call her sexy; Theo had done that plenty of times. 

The difference was that Isaac didn’t make her feel like an object when he said it. He made her feel like she was something holy, a deity to be worshipped. The way he touched her sometimes, so careful and so tender, made her feel like she was the answer to his prayers. 

But that was just wishful thinking on her part. They were just friends, after all. 

Isaac was there for her when she was completely alone after her breakup and he never even let her thank him for it. He swooped in like the knight in shining armor she was taught not to believe in and rescued her from her own grief. 

It was embarrassing really, how deeply entrenched he had become in her life. She thought about him all the time. She thought about him when she got dressed in the morning, about what outfits would make his head spin at work. She thought about him when she accepted pro-bono cases, especially those that concerned abusive parents and broken childhoods. 

Before Theo approached her, it was Isaac who had filled her thoughts. His smile, his eyes, his laugh when she was lucky enough to hear it. It was Isaac she thought about in the shower while she touched herself, pretending it was him. 

Even after she got together with Theo, every once in a while when they were intimate, she’d catch her thoughts drifting to Isaac’s sharp jawline and his pretty blue eyes and imagine that it was his large hands all over her body instead of her boyfriend. 

She thought about Isaac tonight while getting ready for Derek’s party, spent a little extra time styling her hair into loose waves and obsessed over the precision of her makeup and wore something she knew he would like. Underneath her dress, she had on the lacy lingerie he brought her back from his trip to Paris, just in case. 

She wanted to show Isaac that it was all for him. That she was finally over Theo. Isaac was the only one she wanted. 

~*~*~*~*~

Isaac arrived at the party promptly at 8 o’clock. He didn’t want to be late for Derek twice in one day. 

He entered Derek’s sizable estate and immediately made a beeline for the open bar. He ordered a scotch on the rocks and exchanged pleasantries with the pretty bartender, passing time until y/n showed up. 

Isaac adjusted his collar and scanned the room. Most of his co-workers were already present, but she was nowhere to be seen. Knowing her, she’d probably be a little late. 

Isaac remained at the bar, not feeling compelled to interact with his coworkers. He didn’t have issues with them, and he wasn’t typically the anti-social loner who avoided the chattering crowd, but tonight was different. He felt restless. 

It was at this time last year that everything changed between y/n and Isaac. The last time they had attended one of Derek’s Christmas parties, it was the first time they were ever intimate. 

Even though a year had passed, the memory was still fresh in his mind. He even remembered what she had worn: a black skirt and a red sweater that had a reindeer on it, and a Santa hat. She looked downright adorable. He remembered that she smelled like vanilla and tasted like cinnamon and sugar when he kissed her. 

Isaac winced after taking a particularly large sip of his drink. He was feeling sentimental tonight. It was nice to think about the past. Back then, things weren’t so complicated. He didn’t have to worry about whether having casual sex with someone he was in love with did more harm than good. 

It was then that a man with a familiar style of perfectly coiffed hair had made his way over to the bar and was sitting about five feet away from Isaac. 

“One whiskey sour, please,” he said.

Isaac could recognize that voice anywhere. 

“Theo,” Isaac said flatly. 

Theo smirked at the sight of his former associate. 

“Lahey! It’s good to see you.” Theo extended his hand, a gesture Isaac pointedly ignored. His blood boiled at the sight of Theo standing there so casually, like he could just waltz into Derek’s house after turning his back on everyone there.

“What are you doing here?” Isaac said, trying to keep his voice even. 

“Derek invited me. Well, he invited my firm. I figured since it’s the holidays, I should probably come, maybe clear the air.” 

“Clear the air?” Isaac repeated. “Oh, you mean after you left with no warning and took all your clients’ accounts with you? Yeah, you could probably make a few apologies.” 

Theo raised his brow at Isaac’s defensive response. 

“Don’t pretend you weren’t glad I left,” Theo said. “I basically did you a favor.” 

“What are you talking about?” 

“My ex girlfriend. I know you always had a thing for her.” Isaac’s stomach lurched at Theo mentioning her. As far as he was concerned, Theo lost all right to talk about her when he left her crushed and devastated. 

“You know,” Theo continued, “I’m actually amazed she never figured out you had feelings for her. She was pretty naive though. And in her defense, I kept her occupied with other things.” 

“Shut the fuck up,” Isaac seethed.  

“Why, what’s wrong? After I left, you had her all to yourself. Don’t tell me you didn’t man up and make a move, especially since she was so broken after I dumped her. You had the perfect chance to swoop in.”

“I don’t really do the whole, preying on vulnerable women thing. That’s more your style.” 

Theo scoffed. “Please. You make it sound like I tricked her into dating me. Everyone knows she was all over me. I actually kinda miss her being all over me. Who knows, maybe if I see her tonight, I might try to get back into her good graces, you feel me?” 

Rage swelled in Isaac’s chest at the idea of her and Theo together again. All the pain of the past came rushing back in one all-consuming wave and he was pretty sure he heard his glass crack a little bit when he slammed it down on the counter. 

“I swear,” Isaac muttered, “if you even look at her--” 

“Theo?”

It was her. Too caught up in their verbal stand-off, Isaac and Theo didn’t notice she was standing behind them. 

Theo didn’t miss a beat, flashing her his signature dazzling smile. 

“It’s so good to see you,” Theo said. “Wow, you look amazing.” He approached her with open arms. To Isaac’s relief, she ignored his attempt at a hug. “How long have you been standing there?”

“I just got here. But… you’re here,” she stated in disbelief. “Why are you here?” 

Isaac tried to meet her eye, but she seemed transfixed by Theo. He silently watched them interact, ready to jump into action if Theo made a wrong move.

“I’d like to say I came for the party, but,” Theo paused, then plastered on the phoniest somber expression Isaac had ever seen. “I was actually hoping to run into you.”

Theo’s eyes flitted back to Isaac for a brief moment, catching his gaze and sending a silent message of victory.

“You were hoping to run into me?” she asked, flustered. “Why?”

“Because I miss you, baby,” Theo drawled. “Can we go somewhere to talk in private? There are some things I need to tell you.” Theo reached forward and caressed her arm, and Isaac had finally had enough. 

“Don’t listen to him,” Isaac said, catching flickers of indecision in her eyes. “Come on,” he pleaded with nervous laughter. 

“I...” she began hesitantly. Isaac’s heart sank when she answered, “I’ll go with you, Theo.” 

Isaac was taken aback. Her words felt like a betrayal. “He’s not worth it. You don’t need to do this,” Isaac said, his self-assuredness tapering off.

She gave him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry! I’ll be right back. Come on, Theo.” 

Isaac watched Theo lead her into a nearby empty room. He downed the rest of his drink in one throat-scorching swig. 

~*~*~*~*~

Isaac checked his watch for the eighteenth time that night. Or maybe nineteenth. He’d lost count. He had been sitting at the bar for the past twenty minutes, waiting for her to return. Isaac hung his head at his own naivety, mentally berating himself for holding out hope for the impossible fantasy that she would reject Theo. 

He was stupid to think she could ever want him the way he wanted her. She would always choose Theo over him.

A light tap on his shoulder broke him out of his thoughts. He ignored it. He wasn’t much in the mood for dinner party chatter. The tapping on his shoulder persisted and Isaac turned around to confront the agitator. It was her.

“Hey,” she said. 

He faltered in surprise, scanning her face for signs of distress, but she looked more relaxed than when she had left. Theo had worked his magic after all.

Isaac snorted. “Hey back.” 

She frowned quizzically. “What’s up?” she prodded. 

“Nothing. I’d ask how things went with Theo, but judging by the look on your face, I take it everything went well. But I get it. He’s pretty fucking dreamy, isn’t he? Makes you forget all about the past.” 

Isaac’s words were an assault, denting her pleasant mood with accusations. He’d never spoken to her like this before, so scathing and condescending. Her eyes drifted to the glass of scotch in his hand.

She gently placed her hand over his and pried the drink away. 

“I think you’ve had enough,” she said softly. 

“Of you.” 

She visibly flinched. “Excuse me?” 

“You’re excused.” Isaac threw back the rest of his scotch, ignoring its stinging path down his throat.

She took a steadying breath and her lawyer instincts to kick in. She reminded herself to be calm and rational when dealing with distraught and combative clients. Or in Isaac’s case, indignant crybabies. 

She dismissed the bartender when Isaac called her over for another drink. She tightly clasped his forearm, pulling him out of his seat. 

“Let go,” he grunted. “What are you doing?” 

“You’re going to embarrass the both of us if you don’t stop struggling. We’re going upstairs.” 

After a couple more attempts to shake her off, Isaac stopped resisting and let her lead him up Derek’s staircase, which was no easy task. He was a large man who was half-intoxicated, but he was sobering up with every step he took. 

She led him into a random room and slammed the door behind them. He took in the lavish surroundings and photographs capturing Derek and what looked like his family. They were in their boss’s bedroom.

“You’re mad at me,” she stated matter-of-factly. “Tell me why.” 

Isaac scoffed, shuffling over to sit at the edge of Derek’s bed. He leaned on his elbows and rubbed his face. He was so tired of it all.

“It’s always gonna be Theo, isn’t it?” he said.

She faltered at the mention of her ex-boyfriend’s name and the undercurrent of defeat in Isaac’s voice. “What’s always gonna be Theo?” she asked.

“You’re always gonna go back to him. It’s you and Theo forever, the way it’s always been. The way it’ll always be.” 

She scrunched her brows in confusion and crossed her arms defensively. 

“Okay, seriously. What are you talking about? Nothing happened with me and Theo. We just talked.” 

“For twenty minutes? I don’t think so. Don’t lie to me. I’m a lawyer.” Isaac chuckled emotionlessly.

“I’m not lying to you. I’ve never lied to you. Why are you acting like this? Do you seriously think I ditched you to go hook up with Theo in the middle of Derek’s Christmas party?”

“You did ditch me. Like I meant nothing to you.”   

“Meant nothing to me? God, Isaac,” she groaned frustratedly. “Do you really believe that?” 

Isaac shrugged noncommittally. 

“Isaac.” 

Nothing.

She sighed. “Look at what I’m wearing, you idiot.” 

Isaac rolled his eyes, but did as he was told. He scanned the length of her body. He realized that the color of her dress looked familiar, as well as the cut and length. He finally recognized it as the same dress he had asked her to wear a few months back. She had refused to put it on that day. She didn’t say it, but he knew she felt too insecure to wear it, which he thought was ridiculous. She could look beautiful wearing a trash bag. 

He blatantly ogled her, taking in the way the delicate fabric draped over her body. She grinned at his reaction. The dress had achieved its intended effect. 

“You’re staring, Lahey,” she pointed out. 

“You’re wearing the dress,” he said dumbly. 

“Good observation. I wore it for you, you know. I wanted to look good for you.”

“For me,” he repeated, awestruck. “But... what about Theo?” 

“What about him? He just went on and on about how much he missed me and how letting me go was the biggest mistake in his life, blah blah blah. His little soliloquy was pretty entertaining, but he’s so full of shit. I can’t believe I ever let him touch me. He’s repulsive.” She grimaced.

Isaac felt the suffocating weight lift off his chest. He was finally able to breathe.

“What did you say to him?” he asked.

“I basically told him to go fuck himself a million different ways. It was great.” 

“So, does that mean you’re over him?” Isaac asked timidly, still afraid to believe that Theo was a relic of her past. 

“Yep. I’m into someone else now. You might know him. He’s tall, got curly hair, gets crazy jealous around my exes, likes to wear fake glasses...”  

Isaac covered his face and laughed. She watched him fondly, relieved that he was back to his usual self. 

“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I just care about you so much, and the way Theo was talking about you, like he owned you. I just got so angry.” 

“It’s fine, I get it. But it’s over between me and him, and that’s because of you. I wanted to tell you that tonight. You made everything better. I wouldn’t have been able to face Theo without your voice in my head, telling me that I was strong,” she confessed shyly. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”  

Isaac silently nodded, letting her words wash over him. “I’m glad you stood up for yourself. You deserve so much better than him.”

“Thanks,” she said, blushing at his praise.

Isaac nodded. “So… did you really drag me up to Derek’s bedroom?” 

She laughed. “I didn’t realize it until we were already inside. My bad.” 

Isaac smiled and extended his hand, which she gladly accepted. He tugged and pulled her down to the bed. She sat beside him, their fingers still interlocked. 

“I have to confess something,” she said quietly, piquing Isaac’s curiosity. 

“What is it?” 

She ducked her head, letting her hair curtain her face and shield her from Isaac’s questioning, attentive gaze. “Before Theo came into the picture, it was gonna be you. I think I knew even back then that it was always you.” 

Isaac froze. “What do you mean?” he asked, trying to contain the nervousness in his voice.

She looked up at him. “I think I always knew that the person I wanted to be with was you. I should’ve broken up with Theo a long time ago.” 

“You... you wanted to be with me?” 

She nodded. “Before Theo, I used to like you. Even when I was with him, you were still in the back of my mind. And I thought I would be okay with just hooking up and being your friend, but I want more. I was just scared to tell you because I was so traumatized from my past relationships. But I don’t feel scared when I’m with you. You make me feel so safe. I... I love you, Isaac.”

Isaac was floored. Here she was, telling him everything he ever wanted to hear, and he couldn’t believe it. He was at a loss for words. He didn’t know how to express how much he wanted her. He didn’t know how to tell her she could do anything she wanted to him and he would let her. She could carve up his heart into a million jagged pieces and he would just thank her in return.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear you say that,” Isaac said, voice shaky with feeling. “I love you too. I love you so much.” 

He leaned forward and gently kissed her, savoring the feeling of her soft lips. Her pretty mouth, her honey skin. He laid her backwards onto Derek’s bed. He undressed her to find that she was wearing the lingerie he brought her back from France. 

They made love. Afterwards, Isaac zipped up her dress and she helped him with his tie. In the silence, they knew they didn’t need to speak. They couldn’t if they tried. There were no words that could contribute anything else to the moment. It was perfect.

They went back downstairs and rejoined the party, walking in holding hands. The stares of their coworkers were hard to ignore; subtlety wasn’t their thing. Derek gave his annual end of the year speech, thanking everyone for their hard work and wishing everyone health and happiness. Derek’s gaze drifted over to them mid-speech. He glanced at their joined hands and rolled his eyes fondly.

Across the room, Isaac caught Theo looking at them. He pulled y/n closer into his side and kissed her forehead, grinning in Theo’s direction. 

One whole year of secret pining later, Isaac finally got what he wanted.

fin.

author’s note: this fic was initially posted on my old blog that got terminated. i wrote it for a mutual named addison. i modified it to take out her name and sadly had to leave it in 3rd person. otherwise i would’ve had to edit way too much. as a result, sadly there are a couple of y/n mentions in there lol. 

this original fic also had a very different ending that was extremely graphic and sexual, and it made me v uncomfy, so i edited it out completely. 

if this fic or any of my other writing makes it seem like i hate theo, it’s because i do. i feel like if isaac had ever met theo, they would’ve loathed each other. it’s fun imagining their dynamic. 

anyway pls let me know what you think and interact with me bc i am sad ahaa <3