Fire Extinguishers and Spies - Actor!Jean x Reader

“Um, hey. So, we haven’t met before, and I was kind hoping to introduce myself under better circumstances, but could I borrow your fire extinguisher? I just moved into the apartment next door to you, so there’s going to be misery for both of us if you say no.”

You blink, taking in the sight of the tall, lanky boy – or rather, young man – covered in flour on your doorstep, before wrinkling your nose. He smells like burnt cake. “… Who are you?” You finally ask, raising an eyebrow.

“Your new neighbour, of course.” The man answers (with a tone far too cocky for someone who looks like he’s just taken a bath in cooking ingredients), holding out his dirty hand for you to shake.

You take it meekly and grasp it for a split second before pulling away with a slight shock, although whether it was from the flour on his hand that has now been transferred to your own or from the sudden crackle of heat that had occurred when the two of you touched, you weren’t sure. “… I’m [Y/N].” Is what you finally respond with.

“Not to be hasty – well, this is probably something that we really should be hasty about – but do you have a fire extinguisher?” He asks you again, ruffling a hand through his two-toned hair and subsequently causing flour to spread through it.

You nod slowly, turning around and walking back into your apartment. “Stay right there, do not come in.” You call out to the man, before grabbing the fire extinguisher.

Your roommate, [B/F/N], raises an eyebrow from where she’s sitting on the couch and watching some show she’s recently become obsessed with. “Who’s at the door?” She asks in a low tone.

You roll your eyes. “Some weirdo who wants to borrow our fire extinguisher.” You mutter back to her.

She raises an eyebrow, but says nothing as you return to the door and hand the red cylinder over to the man.

“Thank you!” He calls out, already running back to the door of his own apartment – 121, the room across from yours, you note – and leaving it wide open. Vaguely curious, you step out of both your home and your comfort zone when you make the decision to peek into the man’s apartment. Just to see if he’s okay, of course. After all, he has your fire extinguisher.

“So I’m not allowed to go into your apartment but you can come into mine and spy on me? I’m sensing a sort of double standard here.” The man laughs from where he’s standing behind the counter of his kitchen, putting the lid back on a permanent marker. You’d be vaguely curious to know why he needed a permanent marker in the first place if you were even looking at him and his stupid hands. ….Which you’re so not.

… Ahem.

“I wasn’t spying!” You retort indignantly, folding your arms defensively and turning your head away from him with a huff. “I just wanted to see if you were okay!”

“Well, obviously I am, so what exactly are you doing here now?” He smirks. You decide to nickname him Smirky – he smirks a heck of a lot.

You shake your head at him, leaning against the door and as you do, you’re vaguely aware of [B/F/N]’s head poking around the corner, the muffled yelp she lets out when her head knocks into your side and the gasp she emits when she spots Smirky. “What was on fire, anyway?” You ask, ignoring both your friend and the previous question asked by the man.

Smirky grins slightly, fiddling with the permanent marker before setting it down on the counter. “That’s for me to know and for you to never find out. The crisis has been averted. Thank you, by the way.”

“Don’t mention it.” You reply, seriously hoping that he never mentions it again. “And – you burned something you were trying to bake, didn’t you?” You ask, remembering the smell of burnt cake from before.

He runs a hand through his hair again, trying not to look sheepish as his gaze turns back to you. “Maybe. …I’d invite you and in, but I had somewhere to be around...” Smirky bites his lip slightly, his smile fading as he glances down at his watch. “Half an hour ago.”

You blink a couple of times before shaking your head, looking over at him. “I – um… Yeah, of course. I had to go – do some stuff, anyways…” You fumble around before deciding to awkwardly jerk your thumb over your shoulder, almost elbowing [B/F/N] who gives you a soft pinch in return.

Smirky steps out from behind the kitchen counter and takes a few steps towards you before tossing your fire extinguisher back to you. [B/F/N] gives you a light shove and you stumble forwards a little in order to catch the extinguisher.

“So… I’ll see you around, then?” You suggest.

Smirky does exactly what he was named after – he gives you a wide smirk. “I hope so, yeah.”

“Okay…” You grin at him, feeling like you could look at the admittedly handsome young man all day if not for [B/F/N] grabbing the fire extinguisher from your hands and yanking you out of the doorway after saying a hurried goodbye to him.

“Dude!” You hiss at her when you’re both back in your apartment. “Why’d you do that?”

[B/F/N] gives you a long look. “…Are you telling me you didn’t recognise him?”

You shake your head slowly. [BFN] looks like she wants to shake you. “Are you kidding? Dude, that was Jean Kirschtein! You know, the actor whose face is plastered all over your bedroom walls? And he was totally checking you out! I mean, he didn’t even notice me!”

Your jaw drops and you’re unable to speak for a couple of seconds. [B/F/N] rolls her eyes at you before she looks down at the fire extinguisher in her hands and her eyes widen as her jaw drops open into a silent scream. Her hand flails out and whacks you in the stomach and you yet out a huff of breath before looking down at the red can.

On it, written in permanent marker, are the words ‘If we don’t see each other around, call me. ; ) – Jean’ written in all caps, followed by his number. You look at [B/F/N] and you both have a loud session of fangirl squealing before the two of you collapse onto the couch in a fit of giggles.

[B/F/N] turns to you, her face suddenly solemn. “But seriously, do you think that Jean would give me Marco Bodt’s number?” You look at her for a moment.

What is air.