3. Both Knew It

Hawk stood outside his gym with his arms crossed as he watched Lilly disappear in and out of her new shop. The black paper covering the windows irritated him more than it should have. 

Blocking his view felt personal. But that wasn't the only thing eating at him. He knew Quill had been watching her just as much.

It wasn't just about Lilly anymore. It was about everything between him and Quill. Years of unspoken pressure had resurfaced the moment she moved in. Hell, the moment she signed that damn lease and left with that odd smile on her face. 

Hawk tried to shake the thought. Quill had always known how to get under his skin, and lately, it was becoming unbearable.

Quill walked out to take a break from a long session when Lilly stepped back out of her storefront with her face splattered with paint.

She had a bright blue streak drying stubbornly across her nose. She smiled at him as he jogged over.

"Wearing your art, I see," he teased as he tried to wipe the paint away. He chuckled when it didn't budge. "I respect the dedication but wouldn't recommend it on the nose."

She laughed after she looked at her reflection in the nearby window. "The true mark of a dedicated artist, right?"

"If you want it permanent, I know a guy," he replied. He winked at her before he looked towards the gym to see if Hawk was watching. 

He'd noticed Hawk had been keeping an eye on them, more than usual.

"Oh, I think I'd rather have something else on my skin if you're the one doing it," she teased back.

Quill snorted. He was enjoying the banter seemingly as much as she was. "Fair enough. Come by the shop sometime. You can check out my work and decide."

Hawk stood outside the gym, his eyes locked on them. The look Hawk sent his way was practically a warning. The irritation was apparent, and it grew the longer Quill lingered.

Quill only smirked. He enjoyed the easy pull between them, and letting Hawk stew in the background was a bonus. 

After Lilly headed to her car, Quill turned to Hawk. With his usual confident stride, he strutted toward Hawk. 

"Still brooding out here, I see," Quill said as he smirked. He stopped a little too closely in front of Hawk on purpose. 

It was always on purpose.

Hawk didn't respond right away. It was always like this.

Quill pushing, testing, waiting for Hawk to crack. Hawk knew exactly what Quill was doing, and it pissed him off that it worked.

"You're getting sloppy," Hawk finally muttered. "Trying too hard."

Quill just continued to smirk. "Funny, I was about to say the same thing about you."

It felt like a challenge, one Hawk wasn't sure he could walk away from. He hated how Quill always knew where to poke and where to push, making it impossible to ignore the pull between them. It had been there for years, even when they were closer.

Before everything went to hell and they started just surviving near one another instead of living as the friends they once were.

"You're obsessed with her," Hawk spat. He hated the jealousy he couldn't seem to hide. "I see the way you look at her."

Quill's eyes flashed. "Oh, come on now. Don't make this about her. We both know it's not."

He hated that Quill could see through him. Hated even more that Quill was right. 

Quill finally closed the distance between them. "You think you can control everything. But this? You can't control this."

Hawk cracked his neck as his entire body started to vibrate. The temptation to throw the first punch overtook his senses, but he held back. 

Barely. 

"What makes you think I'm trying to control anything? You're the one trailing her around like a lost dog. Touching her like you have permission to touch a random human."

"She's not a random human. You're not fooling anyone. Least of all me."

Hawk's heart pounded like it always did when Quill was this close. He hated how Quill looked at him. He hated how Quill made him feel like he was losing control.

Because he was.

Quill bumped him with his chest. "Why do you care so much? About her? About any of this?"

Hawk stared at him, his breath coming faster as he watched the sweat beading on his forehead. He didn't care about Lilly the way Quill thought he did, and they both knew it. 

The problem wasn't Lilly. The problem was right in front of him, standing too close, with beautiful dark brown eyes. 

Dark brown eyes that had always held too much power over him.

"You wouldn't get it," Hawk growled.

Quill wanted to reach out and touch Hawk's face. To trace the lines of his facial hair. To tell him to calm the fuck down because acting like this wasn't helping them.

Instead, he made a fist and punched the wall by Hawk's head. "Maybe I would," Quill groaned.

Hawk's pulse jumped up faster than any workout could provide. One wrong move could send them both over the line they'd been walking for years. 

He wanted to push Quill away, to tell him to back off, but he couldn't. 

He never could.

"You think I don't see it?" Quill asked quietly as he leaned in to Hawk. "You think I don't feel it? You are always there. Always. Watching from the shadows like I can't sense it or something."

Hawk felt like he couldn't breathe. Quill was too close. He didn't respond. He couldn't find the words. Instead, he finally shoved Quill back.

Quill stumbled back but didn't flinch. He straightened and cracked his knuckles. "You wanna do this?"

Hawk stepped forward as his heart pounded in his ears. "Yeah. Let's fucking settle this."

They squared off in the gym, knowing this fight wasn't about winning or losing. This was about release, about everything they couldn't say or admit. 

Hawk swung first, his fist flying toward Quill's jaw. Quill dodged, but Hawk was faster, landing a punch to his ribs. The sound of the hit echoed in the empty gym.

Quill's fist connected with Hawk's stomach. That made him grunt, but Hawk welcomed the pain. 

It was easier to handle than the mess of emotions they were tangled in together. He swung again, catching Quill's side.

They fought like they always did. Brutal, relentless, each punch filled with years of frustration neither could acknowledge.

Each hit was a release, but it wasn't enough. 

It never was.

Quill connected with Hawk's jaw, and for a second, everything blurred for both of them. They were close to knocking each other out. 

 But Hawk didn't back down. He swung harder, catching Quill in the ribs again. Their bodies collided in the center of the ring, and blood sprayed across the floor. 

They couldn't even tell which one was bleeding at first.

"You really think this will fix it?" Quill snarled as he blocked Hawk's next punch.

Hawk growled. "I don't know, but I'm not pretending anymore."

Quill threw another punch, but Hawk caught it, their hands colliding midair. Both wrapped their bleeding fingers around the other's wrists. They were too close now, closer than they'd ever let themselves get without the pretense of a fight. Hawk's grip tightened, as  both of them panted, eyes locked.

"This isn't about her," Hawk growled.

Quill scoffed. "No," he muttered. "It never was."

They just stood there.

Neither of them moved. Neither of them gave in.

Finally, Hawk released Quill's wrist and stepped back. "This changes nothing."

Quill wiped the blood from his lip. "Maybe not. But it never does, does it?"

Hawk turned and stormed out of the ring. 

He hated that Quill was right. Hated that no matter how many times they fought, nothing between them would ever be resolved. 

Because neither of them could admit the truth.