Sully

Sully
The men froze, every trace of swagger and bravado disappearing from their faces in a flash.
Snow paused, his gaze settling on the unexpected figure before him. He tilted his head slightly as if surprised, but his eyes held a deeper curiosity in them. He couldn’t help but think back to the small slip of paper pressed into his hand by the waiter, the ink scrawled in an uneven handwriting that looked more like a child’s scribble than a note. The one with a phone number and the name ‘Sully’ signed at the bottom.
“Sully…?” Snow asked unsure if it was actually the Mr. Vargrave he met at the gala.
The men’s heads whipped back to Snow, their eyes wide and their expressions in what he couldn’t exactly describe.
Snow’s gaze darted between them and the tall figure closing the distance. Sulien just smiled at him, his hands still in his coat pockets as he walked toward them.
The driver with the flat cap opened his mouth to speak but Sulien’s hand lifted, just slightly, and he swallowed back whatever words he was about to spew out in one big gulp.
“You’ve got something of mine,” Sulien said, he was speaking to the men but his gaze remained on Snow. “While I’m being generous, leave it here… or I’ll take it back myself.”
The words he spoke carried weight and flowed smoothly like butter but the reaction it got from the men were… concerning.
The men exchanged looks. Their expressions a bit complicated, like they were being wronged and wanted to cry. The resignation clear on their faces. The newbie looked confused and the brawny man, who seemed to be the leader of the group, sighed under his breath, as if this wasn’t the first time he’d been tossed under the bus for his boss’s amusement.
“...Fine,” the brawny man muttered with a sigh. He gestured at the crates. “It’s yours.”
“Good.” Sulien waved his hand at them as if shooing them away. “Now run along before I changed my mind.”
Just like that? Snow thought with one brow raised. He watched them shuffle off toward the truck and pack up the rest of the crates that were still littered on the floor.
They threw one last glance at Sulien and a look that was almost pitiful at Snow before driving away without another word.
A subtle silence followed after. The van’s engine faded into the distance until even the echoes of the rough scraping of its tires were gone.
Snow stayed still, his hands feeling the pen in his pockets. His eyes moved, tracking the truck until it turned the corner.
Only then did Sulien step closer, his gaze lingering as though tracing the outline of Snow’s figure, taking in every line and shadow.
Snow didn’t move, he just stared blankly at Sulien. The dampness clinging to his clothes from crawling on wet grass earlier had begun to chill him, the cold seeping slowly through fabric to skin. A faint flush touched his cheeks, staining them a light rouge.
“Interesting place for a morning walk,” Sulien murmured. His voice calmer than when he spoke with the men. “What were you doing back here?”
Snow tilted his head lazily, his lashes lowering and casting a shadow on his cheeks.  “Research,” he said smoothly. “For my criminal law project. Thought it’d be… educational.”
He scoffed internally at the fact that he actually got to use his excuse in the situation.
Sulien’s brow arched, his mouth curling in a faint smile. There was a small spark of amusement in his eyes, like he didn’t believe what exactly could be “Educational” about the scenario.
“Is it the kind of research where you need to crawl through broken fences for?” He said mockingly as he looked at Snow’s stained clothes.
Snow’s lips tightened in annoyance but he didn’t let his composure crack. He exhaled and lifted his shoulders in the faintest shrug, his hands still buried in his coat pockets as though he hadn’t nearly been caught moments ago.
“The experience makes it better”
“Mn…” Sulien hummed and stifled in a laughter. “And how did that go?”
Snow didn’t answer, but his brow tightened in irritation as his eyes followed the steady rise and fall of Sulien’s shoulders.
“You’re Mr. Vargrave, are you not? Or is it Sully?”
Sulien looked deep into his eyes without wavering. “Rhys, Sully, Vargrave. Whichever name you prefer,” he said softly, his tone carrying a trace of amusement. Then, leaning closer, his eyes darkened. “Although… I like it best when you call me Sully.”
Snow frowned immediately. He didn’t like how Sulien spoke to him. He didn’t like the familiarity.
“Stop talking to me like we know each other” he snapped.
Sulien tilted his head, eyes glinting with something mischievous. “Ah, but we do. Or rather, I want to know you better.”
Snow’s eyebrow twitched. The way he said it was utterly shameless, there was no filter in his words, as if confidence were something stitched into his very bones. He had the type of arrogance that didn’t feel forced, but instead was like second nature to him. Like he was used to the world bending to his will.
And that was what pricked at Snow’s ego like a thorn. He looked away first, shifting his gaze back toward where the truck had disappeared. His fingers tightened faintly in his pockets.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Sulien continued lazily, straightening up. “What exactly did you hope to learn from watching a bunch of thugs shuffle crates?”
“I told you,” Snow replied, calm but clipped. “Research.”
“Mm.” Sulien let the sound linger, like he was rolling it across his tongue. Then he gave a low chuckle. “You must be top of your class, then. All those poor students memorising case studies from books while you-” his eyes flickered toward the broken fence and then back to Snow’s damp sleeve, “…crawl through mud to witness crime first hand. Admirable. It’s very… hands on.”
The mockery laced in his tone pricked at Snow even more. He couldn’t help but think that it had the same rhythm as a lover teasing his partner over something trivial. He hated it.
Snow’s jaw tightened as the thought passed through his mind.
Sulien’s smile widened at that reaction. “I mean, do your professors encourage this sort of fieldwork? Or is it more of a personal hobby for you?”
Snow’s brow twitched at that. He didn’t want to take the bait, but his facial muscles betrayed him. Even when he knew that his annoyance only deepened Sulien’s amusement.
Snow met his eyes. “And what about you?” he asked. “What’s your excuse for showing up here? You appeared rather conveniently. Don’t tell me you were also taking a casual afternoon walk?”
Sulien didn’t miss a beat. “Me?” he asked, not breaking eye contact.  “Retrieving stolen goods.”
Snow looked dumbfounded. Like he could already hear the crows cawing in his head.
Sulien was smiling, with the kind of arrogance that made it impossible to tell whether he was joking or speaking the absolute truth.
Snow kept his gaze on that annoying smile of his. He didn’t push the matter any further. He didn’t believe him, he knew Sulien was lying one way or the other but just couldn’t prove it. Sulien didn’t believe Snow either.
There they stood in silence. Two liars, both standing their ground, both entirely composed, both thinking they’d gotten away with it.
And neither knowing just how far the other’s lie went.

The Author has Something to Say
Sulien (to the lackeys): Leave him alone before I break all your bones.
Lackey 1 (sniffling): Boss…
Lackey 2 (feeling wronged): Why do we always have to play the disposable bad guys for his wife?
Sulien (ignoring them, cupping XL’s face): You alright, baby? Did they scare you?
XL:…
Lackeys:…
Everyone (having a moment of silence for the unpaid emotional damage Sulien’s minions endure)