declan had never really cared about ronan's friends.

in his mind, they were a distraction from his brothers education. they were something that kept ronan from becoming something great, leaving him as something good.

it wasn't something that declan hid - he refused to be someone that his brothers friends looked for in a moment of desperation. sharp stares and even sharper comments were the common thing from him and really, he wouldn't change it for anything else.

you were not the exception. or at least that was what he had thought.

but then you had to show up. had to appear in the lobby of his apartment in dc. of course it had to be you of all of those goddamn friends - the one that he happened to be slightly fond of.

you'd shown up, drenched from the rain that had been pelting down on the city for days at this point, babbling about something to do with ronan and his dreams - he was pretty sure that you were crying but instead of sending you away? he'd let you in.

and so here he was.

watching as you slept on his couch.

he'd forced you to change into something dry, settled you down with a cup of tea with the intention of talking about whatever had happened with his brother, yet when he'd come back into the room, you were dead asleep on his couch.

you didn't fit into the apartment.

declan had always been the picture of elegance. the best of everything, tailored suited and five star hotels. god, the apartment that the two of you were in right now was a penthouse directly in the center of the city. it was clear that this was his world, and not yours.

yet as he watched you sleep, something was ticking in his brain. something he should not indulge at all, ever.

you were his younger brothers friend. one of his many annoyances. yet you were here, sleeping on his couch like some sort of fixture in his life.

he knew that he should wake you, grill you on why you'd shown up. figure out what had happened with ronan and his dream creatures yet he couldn't bring himself to wake you up. not when you looked so stupidly peaceful.