Jocelyn tilted her head. "You seriously want to hug to make feel better?"
"Why not?" Delta asked with a shrug. "I've heard it works."
"You've only heard it works?"
"I don't really have anyone to hug either, you know. Maybe it will make both of us feel better. We won't know unless we test it."
She cracked a smile. His tone was matter-of-fact but that was definitely the sort of thing Keith would say. Just far more dramatically. Maybe his true self was shining through or maybe she genuinely was going crazy.
Either way, she wasn't opposed to a hug. Especially since she knew it was coming from a place of concern. Delta cared about her enough to want to cheer her up. No one else did so she wasn't about to turn down a sign that he cared.
"Your logic is solid. Go on and hug then."
Delta looked at her funny. "It's kind of hard if we're both sitting down."
"Right. Sorry."
"You really don't have much experience with hugs, do you? Co on." He stood and held his arms out, waiting for her.
He wasn't wrong. She didn't get hugs growing up and there was no reason for her to have them later either so she didn't exactly know what she was doing. Seeing other people do it and doing it yourself was different. She wasn't quite sure how close to get or where to put her arms.
Jocelyn stepped closer to him and felt his arms go around her, wrapping hers awkwardly around his back. This felt strange. She wasn't used to being touched. But she couldn't deny that the pressure was sowhat reassuring.
She suddenly felt rather overwheld. No one had ever hugged her when she was upset before. Why did she feel like crying again? What was wrong with her?
If Delta was Keith that ant he cared about her in two different contexts. That really got to her. Until recently nobody had cared about her even in one. How was she supposed to feel about that? Especially if he truly did like her as a more than a friend.
Jocelyn tightened her hold on his back as she felt the tears well up again. She didn't want to let him see a second ti.
It was stupid that she was getting emotional. Stupid and unlike her. No one would accuse her of being an ice queen right now. If anyone else saw her like this they would probably laugh.
Delta gently rubbed her back. "It's okay, Frosty. Whatever's going on, you'll figure it out. I believe in you. So believe in yourself a little too."
She let out a strangled laugh. Was it even possible to believe in herself in this situation? She had absolutely no idea what she was doing or how to proceed. She wasn't good at things like this. Navigating relationships outside of a professional setting was foreign to her.
It hit her a mont later that he almost always called her Frosty. It had started about six months after they t, around the ti they began working together on a sowhat regular basis.
Keith had started calling her Joss after he ran into her at his second job since they t. If they were the sa person was this a thing he did when he was comfortable with others? Keith considered her a friend. Did Delta think that way too?
"Hey, Delta…do you like ?" Jocelyn asked curiously.
Delta pulled away instantly and looked at her like she was crazy. "Did you not hear say I liked soone else earlier?! Just because I hugged you doesn't an—"
"I ant do you think of as a friend."
"Oh. Geez, don't give a heart attack! I guess so, for lack of a better term. We have each other's backs. That's sort of what friends do. We're just…friends who don't know each other all that well. Work friends."
Work friends. Jocelyn had never had one of those before. She wouldn't count any of her colleagues as work friends but couldn't deny that her relationship with Delta was different than the one she shared with her fellow therapists or heroes.
"I see. That makes sense. But why did you react so strongly to that?"
Delta rubbed his arm and wouldn't look at her. "Ah, it's sothing stupid Red Dynamo said the other day. I almost got smashed by a car and he said you would give him grief forever if anything happened to on his watch because you like best out of everyone. I guess I was worried for a second there that you asked that because you liked . Like-liked . I told you it was stupid. But you don't, right?"
Jocelyn frowned. Red Dynamo and Delta had talked about her? She couldn't deny being curious about the rest of that conversation…and why Red Dynamo thought that. He wasn't entirely wrong though.
She did like Delta best out of all of the heroes she knew. It hadn't started out that way. He had been an annoying rookie when they t but he quickly proved how useful he could be in a fight. He managed to save her life at one point and that was when she no longer begrudged his desire to tag along with her and learn the ropes.
"No," she said blankly.
Delta seed relieved. "Oh, good. That would make things awkward since we see each other a lot. Though we'll probably be seeing each other less once I start working towards my retirent. Do you have anyone you like?"
Jocelyn imdiately thought of Keith, Delta, and his possible confession to her. She had been overwheld by it and unsure what to think or feel.
She definitely couldn't afford to lose Keith. She didn't want to ss it up so she had to be careful. She needed to have all of the facts before she thought of a plan to move forward. That sort of strategic thinking had gotten her this far and likely wouldn't fail her now.
"Not really."
"That's a yes or no question, Frosty," Delta said with a slight laugh. "Is that a 'not really' closer to 'yes' or 'no'?"
"I'm honestly not sure. I have soone I can't afford to lose as well but I'm not sure whether or not I like them. I've never thought about such a thing," Jocelyn admitted.
"Yeah, neither had I until soone accused of flirting with her. Now it lives in my head rent free."
She actually knew that because of a teenage girl who ca to her for therapy. She was glad she didn't have to ask what that ant during a rather emotionally charged conversation.
All of the blood in her body froze when a thought hit her. Keith started acting funny after he was alone with Marchella when she was in the bathroom. Had she accused him of flirting with Jocelyn? Was that why he was so embarrassed?
Fantastic! Another coincidence. Just what she needed.
"Have you been flirting with her?" Jocelyn asked faintly. She couldn't recall anyone flirting with her in her entire life!
"I didn't think so but the person who called out isn't the only one who does. I like being around her…and I want to know more about her…but I know it could never go anywhere so if I was flirting it wasn't done consciously," Delta said with a sigh.
Her heart flipped in her chest. She liked being around Keith and wanted to know more about him. Did that an she had been flirting back all this ti? She hadn't been thinking about their association going anywhere either.
Jocelyn knew her reasons for not wanting to get into a relationship. What were his?
"Why can't it ever go anywhere?"
"I'm not very good at the whole 'making people like long term' thing. The closer I am to soone the more likely I am to screw it up," Delta told her, frustration tinting his tone.
"You're more likable than you think. I've kept working with you this long, haven't I?" Jocelyn asked.
"Yeah, but you also don't know the real . I'm a lot more annoying outside of the suit. Actually, I've tried to pattern my hero persona after rcury's. Everybody likes him. Why am I even telling you this? You have a real knack for getting people to talk, you know that?"
"So I've been told."
She imdiately thought of a conversation she had with Keith about how she had a very penetrating gaze that could make people spill all of their secrets. It seed that he had been right.
"You said you're less serious outside of the suit. I don't think that makes you annoying at all. You don't need to act like rcury to be likable. You're plenty likable on your own."
Delta shook his head. "You don't get it. I'm a total goofball. Nobody takes a class clown seriously."
A total goofball could definitely describe Keith. He really was Delta, wasn't he?
His tone was undeniably bitter. Did he think no one liked him because he was silly? That wasn't true at all. Keith's silliness was one of the main reasons she did like him.. He brought so fun and laughter into her bland life.
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