Chapter Text
It was just by coincidence that Felix Catton just happened to be in West Covina, California—Oliver didn’t move here for him, he didn’t, that would be crazy and Oliver Quick is anything but.
It was also just a mere coincidence that Oliver crossed paths with Felix on the streets of New York a month ago. A red neon sign quite literally pointed Felix out to him, so naturally Ollie dropped his prescription bottle in the alley he’d been panicking in, just to hunt—chase—collide into Felix.
The feel of those strong hands gripping Ollie’s shoulders always made him melt, but he forced his body to tense up, pushing a hand against Felix’s chest to create separation. “Ollie? Ollie—is that you?” Felix’s voice was sinfully deep in Oliver’s ears and just hearing the concern in it made his heart skip a beat.
“Ollie? Kinda scaring me here, mate. You alright?”
“F-Fine, just fine—just had to run out and get some air is all.” Oliver said quickly with a shaky laugh. “This is weird, right?”
“So weird,”
“Felix Catton, appearing out of nowhere after, what, I mean, ten years?” Oliver hoped he didn’t sound as awestruck as he currently felt, standing before the man he’d considered a god, his god. “Wow.” Never mind, too late.
“Wow.” Felix agreed with an easygoing smile that never failed to disarm those around him. As Oliver allowed himself to give Felix a once over, he was surprised to see Felix dressed in a sleek black suit of all things, though it defined his muscles in all the right places. His brown hair was shorter now, styled back out of his face and the sides were shaven down a bit. Oliver always believed himself to be Epimetheus so easily bewitched by Pandora’s beauty despite the many warnings he’d been given by his brother.
“Yeah I haven’t seen you since--”
“You didn’t come back to Oxford after spending the summer with me--”
“I transferred!” Oliver blurted out quickly, not wanting to think about that place nor did he want Felix to finish that sentence. He wasn’t ready for that can of worms, even after a decade had gone by. “I had an opportunity to study in the states and I took it.” More like the Cattons did their best to silence him with money and forced him out of the country altogether, but it didn’t matter anymore. Felix had come back to him at long last.
“You know,” Felix smiled a bit sadly at Oliver as he spoke, stuffing his hands in his pants pockets, “I’d always hoped I’d run into you one day.”
Oliver must have look genuinely taken aback, because Felix quickly followed up with, “I mean, we had such a good time that summer. B-But you probably don’t remember it...”
“No, I remember some...” Oliver laughed awkwardly, face flushed bright red then, “I remember all of it, Felix.” Especially the part where you almost died because of me. Almost immediately the color drained from Oliver’s face and he had to look away from Felix. “So, you live in New York now? We should grab a drink, catch up--”
“I wish I could, Ollie, really—but I’m shipping off to West Covina, California of all places in about...now, actually.” Felix rubbed the nape of his neck sheepishly, sighing. “But you know, if you’re ever out west—look me up, yeah?” Felix handed Oliver a white business card that had his number and email on it and as he took it, he intentionally let his fingers brush against Felix’s.
“Yeah, okay—see you around, Felix.”
And naturally, that was all the incentive Oliver needed to make the grand journey to the west coast. He’d respectfully declined his tenured position at NYU to teach at a community college in West Covina, bought a house with the Catton blood money that still conveniently lined his accounts to this day. You can have any number you think is best, just as long as you never return to Saltburn.
Oliver tries and fails to push Sir James’ face out of his mind, the dismissal in his eyes as he writes Oliver a check to kindly fuck off. He hadn’t been allowed to say goodbye to Felix, had no access to the hospital he’d been fighting for his life in, and as he’d gone to his room to begin packing—Duncan had quite literally beat him to the punch already, his face was stoic the entire time as he handed Oliver his belongings.
Oliver’s cellphone rings incessantly from his kitchen counter, a picture of his mother illuminating the screen—but Ollie doesn’t pay it any mind as he dumps bottle after bottle of his prescription meds down the drain of the sink, whistling all the while as he then flips the garbage disposal on. It had been kismet crossing paths with Felix that day, just when his world had felt cold and empty, Felix brought warmth back into his life just by acknowledging him.
There was absolutely no way Oliver was going to let Felix Catton slip through his fingers a second time.