Work Text:
"This ain't for the best
My reputation's never been worse, so
You must like me for me"
Fez stood at the counter of his store, staring at the flickering, red neon sign on the wall. He had sat at this counter everyday for as long as he could remember but today was different. His mind wasn’t occupied by his grandma, Ash, Rue, or his drug business.
No, this time his mind was occupied by something completely different. Or more like someone.
Lexi had been the center of his thoughts ever since they’d met at the New Year’s Eve party a week ago. He kept replaying their conversation in his head, her sweet and challenging statements spoken in that soothing voice. Her peach perfume. Her soft smile. At that moment he hadn’t felt like a criminal or a drug dealer. He had felt like a guy that was talking to a beautiful girl at a party.
But he’d messed up his chances with her. He had let vengeance take over him and he’d beaten the shit out of Nate. No girl would consider dating him after that, especially not a girl as pure as Lexi. If anything, she was probably disgusted with him and never wanted to see his face again.
Fez had resigned himself to this but he couldn’t stop his mind from thinking about the girl.
His grandma had said that love was the only instinct he could never trust and maybe she was right. Maybe Fez should just push Lexi out of his mind forever because just a minute into their conversation at the party the drug dealer knew that he would hurt anyone that wronged the girl in front of him. Lexi had made his quiet heart thump loudly in his chest and he wanted that feeling again.
But he would never get it. He’d given her his number and immediately after ruined any chance of getting a text.
The door to the store opened and Fez didn’t even look away from the neon sign. His eyes were dead as he looked upon the red light, remembering Lexi’s red lipstick from the party. He didn’t acknowledge the customer until he felt a presence near the counter and heard a pointed cough.
Fez turned and immediately was awestruck.
Lexi stood in his store, just a few feet away from the counter. She was wearing a tight black shirt and plaid pants that hugged her legs perfectly. He didn’t let himself stare at her for too long though because Lexi deserved all the fucking respect.
She stared up at him with those big brown eyes of hers and he swallowed uneasily. Why was Lexi here of all places? She should be looking at him with disgust and fear, not with the care and curiosity currently in those dark eyes.
“Yo, Lex, what’s up?” He felt the nerves in his whole body, from his shaky legs to his nervous smile. Lexi looked gorgeous even under the fluorescent lights of the store. Her brown curls were pushed out of her face and she wore dark red lipstick that made Fez just want to push her against a wall and bite her lip.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t text…” Lexi spoke, her voice hesitant as she watched him.
Fez shook his head. “Don’t be sorry, Lex.” He looked around the empty store then back at her, not wanting to look away from her for more than a second. “You shouldn’t be here.”
The look in her eyes assured him that she understood what he meant. That Lexi shouldn’t be in his world or anywhere near him. He was dangerous, case in point: the New Year’s Eve party. But she was somehow still standing here.
“I know.” Lexi admitted, a frown flitting across her face for a moment. “All week I’ve just been thinking about the blood on the carpet, how fast everything happened. I saw where you were looking, who you were headed towards…but I did nothing. I just watched. Watched you beat the shit out of Nate.” She looked down at her hands as if she were the one to punch Nate. As if she had some invisible bruises across her knuckles.
Fez gulped nervously again. He couldn’t imagine what she’d gone through, watching him go crazy like that. He sometimes felt such rage in him and while he didn’t feel guilty for beating up Nate, he did feel guilty for showing Lexi that side of him.
“Sorry. I didn’t want to scare you. I was having a nice evening with you. The best evening I had in a while.” Fez looked at her with an honest look. She returned the look with a small smile that sent his whole stomach lurching from nerves.
Lexi looked towards his hands which were hidden behind his back, as if he were trying to hide what had happened from her sight. “Are your hands ok?”
Fez’s blue eyes went wide as he watched her expression turn to one of concern. Out of everything she had seen and experienced last week, her first question was whether his hands were ok?
“Little bruised but I’ve got worse before.”
He brought out his hands from behind his back and she gasped from the bruising. His knuckles were blue and yellow as the bruises were fading extremely slowly, as if a reminder to him of losing his chance with Lexi. His skin was littered with callouses and cuts but Lexi didn’t seem to be scared as she surged forward and grabbed his hands delicately.
Lexi held his hands as if they were delicate, fragile things that needed to be protected. He watched in fascination as she examined the bruises and traced a finger over them lightly. It was a fluttery feeling and his hands didn’t hurt for the first time all week. Just Lexi’s presence soothed him completely, her calmness dousing the fire constantly burning at him.
She looked up at him and their eyes met, obvious surprise across her face that he had already been looking at her. As if he could ever look away from her.
“Did you put ice on them?” She stuttered slightly before gaining an authoritative tone that took him completely by surprise. He could only nod at her question.
“Did you wrap them?”
Hesitantly, he shook his head and she shot him a scowl.
“Fez, you have to take care of yourself. You need a cold compress for at least 30 minutes a day to get rid of the bruising. And if they start swelling you should put them above your head to help the blood flow.” As Lexi continued to scold him for his bad self-care, all he could do was nod back and watch her with rapt attention.
After she finished her lecture, a silence fell between them. She still held onto his hands carefully and he looked down at them. He couldn’t help the smile that grew on his face at seeing how small and gentle her hands were. They were pale and perfect and held his so tenderly. No one had ever asked him if he was alright or bothered to make sure he was taking care of himself. No one had ever touched him like this.
The air between them was electrifying as he looked up into her face once again. He took in the delicate slope of her nose, the long dark lashes surrounding her big brown eyes that he could get lost in. Her dark lips quirked up at the corner as he continued to stare at her, grabbing his attention. He just wanted to raise a hand and touch that dimple in her cheek and trace the outline of her soft jaw. Lexi was all soft, from her hair to her hands, and Fez knew what he wanted to do.
Because he couldn’t go another day without knowing what it was like to kiss her.
“Can I kiss you?” He asked and watched her whole face light up instantly. It was as if she didn’t even try to hide her excitement and hope and that made him fall even harder. A second passed before Lexi nodded, speechless.
So he kissed her.
He moved his hands faster than he thought possible and wrapped them around her waist. He saw her smile before he pulled her into him and captured her lips. Lexi was still smiling and he couldn’t help but smile back into the kiss.
Kissing Lexi was electrifying in every sense of the word. She was as soft as he thought she’d be, melting against his touch and moving against him in an intoxicating manner. They gained a rhythm quickly, their lips and bodies fitting perfectly against each other in a way Fez couldn’t stop thinking about. His brain and body were screaming “Lexi!” and the familiar scent of peaches from her perfume made his pulse flutter and his want for her grow greater.
After a minute without air, Lexi eventually pulled away, both of them gasping and out of breath from what had just happened. Her dark red lipstick was smeared slightly over her kiss-swollen lips but he thought he’d never seen anyone look so beautiful.
Fez’s hands moved from the small of her back to her face to cup her cheeks. He ran his thumbs over her cheekbones and he didn’t care about the aching knuckles and she didn’t care about the cuts and calluses scratching against her soft skin. Instead, Lexi just grinned at him and he felt himself return the look.
He’d never felt this before, this giddiness and complete happiness. And he knew at that moment that he would do anything for this girl in his arms. Fez would do anything to protect Lexi and make sure she was happy and safe for the rest of her life.
“Wanna get some food?” Fez asked, his eyes searching Lexi’s for any fear or confusion or nerves.
But all he saw was joy in her eyes and smile.
“I’d love to, Fez.”
So they got dinner. They talked and ate and laughed and the whole time Fez held Lexi’s delicate hands in his, returning the tender touch to her.