Chapter Text
Monday morning Scott woke from a fruitless sleep. A quick look at his phone disappointed him. He thought about sending a ‘Good morning’ text to Isaac, but he wanted to respect the other’s wishes more. He knew that if he had any chance of keeping his único in some way, it had to be the right way.
He took a quick shower, mostly with his eyes shut and face turned to the ceiling as the hot water beat the morning into his skin. After dressing and starting his drive to work, he called the only person he could think of.
His mother’s pleasant voice was the first relief he’d felt in hours.
“Good morning!” He could hear her warm smile through the line. “I thought it might be a couple of days before I heard from you again. Still not tired of me?” she teased.
Her voice healed a small part of him, but a bigger part was broken, and he couldn’t help the choked sob that came as his sole reply.
“Mijo,” she called to him. “What’s wrong?”
Scott tried to explain the situation to his mother around the lump in his throat. He came to a stop in his clinic’s parking lot and sat back as he finished.
“I don’t know what to do,” he said pathetically.
“Honey, I think the only thing you can do is give him what he asked for. I don’t think he’s disappearing forever on you.”
“But what if he does, mom?” Another sob broke through his resolve. “Dad did.”
“This is not the same situation,” Melissa reminded her son. “You may not have met Isaac at the perfect time, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t meet him at the right time. That boy didn’t look at you the way you look at someone you need to escape. I’d say it was the opposite. Maybe he needs time to accept that. All he asked for was the chance to think. I don’t think that’s asking too much, and I don’t think it’s a reason to assume he’s leaving.”
Scott was quiet on the other end of the call.
“Have a little faith in him.”
He nodded, mostly to himself. “Okay,” he told her sadly. “I’ll try. I have to go in to work.”
“Call me if you need me. I’m off until tomorrow night, and I’m always here for you. You’re my favorite child.”
Scott smiled at that. “Only child,” he corrected. “And I know. Love you, mom.”
“I love you, Scott.”
He ended the call, taking deep breaths to calm himself before having to face Erica or any of his scheduled patients. He knew this would be a long day, and it hadn’t really even started yet.
Throwing himself into his work helped somewhat. At least when presented with a patient he could focus on their needs rather than his own problems. It was a small miracle, really, that he was able to function so well all things considered.
As there was a lull in their schedule, Scott found himself face-to-face with a curious Erica. He’d hired her as his office assistant based almost entirely on her captivating personality, and thankfully, she also turned out to be more than capable at every task he’d ever needed her to complete. Even so, he realized they hadn’t gotten the chance to really talk one-on-one much lately, so when she cocked an eyebrow at him and gave him her patented, knowing smirk, he felt immediately like prey.
“So,” she started innocently enough, “how are you and Isaac?”
“What do you mean?” he asked defensively.
“Oh, come on. You’ve barely gone an hour without talking to him since you met. I know you text him all day. He’s told me so himself. And I see your dopey grin every time your phone makes so much as a peep.”
At this news, Scott’s eyes went wide. “He told you about us? You know each other?”
“He didn’t tell you?” she asked, looking offended at the idea. “Of course he didn’t.”
“Neither did you!” Scott said a little too loudly. The look she sent back his way quieted him down and had a ball of guilt settling in his gut.
“Sorry,” he said quickly. “It’s…complicated.”
“I’ll say.” She leaned against the counter, arms crossing. “I thought he was still with what’s-his-face.”
“I don’t think he knows if he is or not,” Scott said with a shrug and more hurt in his voice than he’d meant to reveal.
Erica’s eyes watched him carefully.
“Thus the complicated part,” he added.
Her reply was a thoughtful hum. “He told me they broke up.”
Scott watched her, looking for some hint of deceit, and, finding none, asked, “When did that happen?”
Erica shrugged. “Friday, I think. But apparently dickhead didn’t get the message, so more officially last night, I guess. From what Isaac was telling me on the phone, he didn’t take it very well. Poor guy doesn’t do well with confrontation. The asshole goes and cheats on him, and then Isaac has the nerve to feel guilty about telling him to get lost for good.” She rolled her eyes, sighing in a what-can-you-do kind of way. “He’s a big idiot, but he’s a good idiot.”
“Last night?” Scott asked, face the very definition of surprise.
Erica watched him, adding slowly, “Did he not tell you that either?”
Scott shook his head. “All he told me was he needed time to think. I, well,” he paused, “I thought maybe he was trying to let me down easy.”
“Ah,” Erica adds. “That makes sense.”
Scott gave her an incredulous, openly wounded look.
“Christ, you give the puppies a run for their money, doc.” She reached over, patting his cheek in a friendly but entirely condescending way. “I wouldn’t worry about it.”
Scott gulped. “You don’t think he’s trying to disappear?”
“From you? Not a chance.”
Something in Erica’s voice gave Scott enough hope to make it through the rest of the day, but ending up at home alone that night, the hope he’d built up at the clinic creeped slowly away along with the sunlight. He called his mom, and she’d talked him through the worst of his fears, agreeing with Erica that she didn’t think Isaac was trying to leave his life.
“If anything,” she’d told him near the end of their talk, “it sounds like she wants you to have faith in him too.”
Scott liked the idea of that. He slept a little easier, and work went a little more smoothly Tuesday.
Wednesday felt like a challenge, but he’d risen to it. The lack of any word from Isaac made it more exhausting that it had any right to be, though, and if he tossed and turned in his sleep, well, he could blame the full moon.
Thursday went much the same as Wednesday, and by Friday afternoon, Scott thought he might just collapse onto one of the metal exam tables for the pets and sleep there until Monday morning—or until Isaac found his way back. Whichever came first, he thought.
Although she’d had work most of the weekend, Scott spent Friday and Saturday night at his mom’s. Being there gave him warmer memories than his decidedly more soulless house. He could still see the way Isaac’s eyes flashed, lit by the glow from the television screen. He could still feel Isaac’s warm laughter in the kitchen and his feet heavy on his lap whenever he sat on the couch. His mother probably worried that he didn’t leave that couch much in the two days he’d spent back home.
When the next week rolled around, the dull, persistent ache in Scott’s chase roared a little louder, and he felt a little less hopeful despite his mother’s kind voice over the phone and Erica’s failed attempt at a calming presence. Without the anchoring connection to Isaac he’d so come to rely on, Scott felt himself floating away from everything else.
By Friday afternoon of the second week, Scott thought he might seep into the walls of the clinic. It scared him that he felt just fine with that if it meant the longing would be numb or even a little quieter.
He was walking back from a follow-up appointment with a now flea-less dachshund when he heard the distinct chime of the ringtone he’d assigned Isaac’s number. His heart amazed him with its ability to stop and nearly leap out of his chest simultaneously.
He scrambled into his office, swiping the phone open immediately as he read Isaac’s message.
‘If you don’t hate me, do you want to join me and Tucker for our walk today?’
‘YES,’ was his immediate response.
‘I’m hoping that’s yes to the walk and not to hating me. Meet us at the park? We’ll probably be there in half an hour.’
Scott replied quickly again. ‘Yes walk. Never hate.’ Then, when he’d thrown off his exam coat, he sent ‘omw’ as he told Erica he had to leave and to please lock up when she left. He was fairly sure he heard her call out after him. It sounded vaguely like, ‘Tell Isaac I said hi.’
The park was close to the clinic, so he arrived early. While waiting to spot Isaac, he got out of his car and walked over to a nearby bench. The weather felt cool, but the nervous energy pumping through his veins fought off any creeping chill.
He was startled out of his reverie when he heard someone call his name followed by an excited bark. He turned around, watching as Isaac jogged over to him with Tucker, tongue wagging and red leash tugging him back in line each time he tried to wander off.
“Hey,” he said when the pair finally reached him. He found that somehow his legs wouldn’t let him stand up just yet.
“Hey,” Isaac responded with a smile. “Thanks for coming.”
“Of course. Nowhere I’d rather be,” he said honestly.
“Does that mean we’re okay?” Isaac asked, rubbing at the back of his neck and glance falling to the concrete. “I really am sorry about the text, but it’s the only way I knew I could go through with asking for what I needed.”
Scott nodded. “We’ve always been okay.” Then, deciding he could be a glutton for punishment just this once in his life, he asked, “Are you—did you get enough time?”
Isaac shrugged. “Honestly?” He paused, only continuing at an eager nod from Scott. The blond sighed. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you the entire time, and I hated not talking to you so much that I thought if I waited any longer, I’d go crazy. Like, actually crazy.”
Scott’s brilliant smile shone full force at Isaac.
“You missed me?” he asked in disbelief.
“So stupidly much.”
Scott leapt up off the bench, lunging for Isaac and pulling him into a tight, almost painful embrace. He whispered into the other’s ear, “I thought you were trying to disappear on me. That I’d never see you again.”
Isaac laughed nervously. “I told you I wouldn’t. And it wasn’t even two weeks.”
“Felt much longer,” Scott said as he pulled away.
“Yeah…” Isaac nibbled at his bottom lip, glancing over to meet Scott’s wide brown eyes. “Yeah, it did.”
Scott felt a shock run through his limbs and suddenly needed to move. “Ready?” he asked, nodding to the dog trail. Isaac agreed, and they set off, letting Tucker lead the way.
“So you and Erica know each other?” Scott asked after they’d been walking a few minutes.
“Mmhmm,” Isaac replied. “I thought she would have told you. I found out a few days ago that no, in fact, she had not.”
“And neither had you,” Scott said with a laugh. “She helped me not freak out so much last week.”
Isaac looked over, concern evident in his expression. “You were freaking out?”
“It’s embarrassing,” Scott admitted.
“So what? That’s stopped you before?” Isaac asked with a smirk.
Scott responded by scrunching up his nose and shaking his face at Isaac, which only earned a giggle from the taller man.
“Rude,” Scott began. “I, uh, I thought that maybe you were going to vanish forever because I was so pushy.”
Isaac shook his head, a look of endearment on his features. “You weren’t that pushy. Besides, I liked it. No one’s ever treated me like that before.” He added after a beat, more quietly, “No one ever made me feel like that before.”
Scott smiled, truly happy. “Maybe don’t do that to me again.”
Isaac agreed easily. “I think that can be arranged.” He looked at Scott, watching him curiously for a moment, before leaning over and placing a light kiss on the shorter man’s cheek. Scott flushed and looked back at Isaac, eyes wide and lips parted.
Isaac shrugged, a big smile tugging at his lips as he turned his attention to the trail ahead of them. Scott took a chance on something he wanted too and stretched his hand over, taking Isaac’s free one into his own as he intertwined their fingers. Isaac squeezed his hand and held the grip while they walked.
As they approached Scott’s car again, he grew nervous. He didn’t want this moment they’d captured to burst. He turned to Isaac, eyes watching him carefully.
“I need to say something,” he told his único. Isaac gave him a curious look and pointed over to a nearby bench. As they sat, Isaac looped Tucker’s leash securely onto the side rail before turning back to Scott.
“All yours,” he said, mimicking Scott, whose smile turned a little sloppy as his vision went blurry with the threat of tears.
“Hey, hey,” Isaac said, leaning over and wiping his thumbs under Scott’s eyes. “What’s wrong?”
Scott shook his head. “I don’t want to leave the park.”
Isaac looked confused but to his credit continued smiling. “It’s getting dark, Scott. Not to mention cold.”
“That’s not—I mean I’m afraid that if we leave the park, it’ll be like when you got the phone call at mom’s.”
Realization seemed to dawn on Isaac. Scott continued.
“I really like what’s happening right now, this,” he reached out to hold Isaac’s hand and tugged up, pressing a light kiss to Isaac’s knuckles, “us. I don’t want to lose you again.”
Isaac tilted his head to the side. “Scott, you didn’t lose me a first time. I’m right here.”
“You know what I mean.”
Isaac sighed. “I can’t promise these moments won’t end,” he said gently, reaching his free hand out to lightly grip Scott’s chin and lift it up so they were eye-to-eye, “but when they do end, there will be more to come. And more after those.”
Scott stared silently at the blue eyes looking right back into him. “What are you saying?” he asked innocently, nervously. Hopefully.
“I’m saying I may not be perfect right now, but I am yours. Or will be. Can be? If that’s still what you want.”
At Scott’s wide eyes and long silence, Isaac added, “and, um, maybe it would be nice if you said something too.”
Isaac watched as Scott’s eyes narrowed, gazing intently at the blond’s lips, and he growled, “Mine,” under his breath. When Scott’s lips met Isaac’s, the taller boy gasped at the shock, eyes open wide and watching Scott. A pulsating warmth ripped through his lips straight down to his feet and spread everywhere, and suddenly Isaac surged forward, wrapping his arms around Scott and pulling him closer. He swiped his tongue hungrily along Scott’s bottom lip, whimpering at the back of his throat when Scott parted his lips, letting his único explore wherever he wanted with tongue and touch alike.
When Isaac finally pulled away, his breathing was heavy and his eyes still as wide as they could be, staring straight ahead at Scott in wonder.
“What was that?” Isaac asked breathily.
“A first kiss?” Scott offered nervously. “Hopefully a good one?”
Isaac stared dumbfounded at Scott. “Good?” he asked incredulously. “That was—that was so much more than good. You didn’t feel that?” Isaac frowned.
“Feel what exactly?” Scott asked through his own delighted confusion. So much more than good, he thought repeatedly, happily.
“It felt like… It was like I was in a huge, warm pool surrounded by every good memory I’ve ever had, and there were these little shocks everywhere. But, like, good shocks. Really good shocks,” he added.
At that, Scott looked back at Isaac with equally wide eyes.
“You really didn’t feel that?” Isaac asked, a look like rejection settling in his blue eyes.
Scott reached forward, hands on either side of Isaac’s face. “I felt it,” he told him, “I felt it the first time I saw you, and I’ve felt it every time I’ve seen you since then.”
Isaac looked back at him, still at a loss. “You’re…” He stopped. “You’re not joking, are you?”
Scott shook his head. “Completely serious. I just never thought you’d feel it too. I don’t think that’s supposed to happen?”
Isaac’s confused expression reminded Scott that la llamada wasn’t exactly common knowledge. He wrestled with himself about whether or not he should share this part of his heritage, of himself, with Isaac.
“It’s a good thing you’re sitting down,” Scott began. He told Isaac everything—about his family’s maldición, about la llamada, about the truth behind what he’d first described as ‘love at first sight,’ and about how Isaac was his único amor. He even told him about his abuelos and his dad, his mother’s lost único amor. When he finished, he bit his lip, studying the stunned expression on Isaac’s pale face.
“I know how it sounds. I know it’s unbelievable. But, do you believe me?” he asked nervously.
“I—yes.” Isaac swallowed hard, taking a few deep breaths. “If it were anyone but you, I’d think they were crazy. But…” Isaac trailed off, looking down at his own hands. “I felt something. I’ve never felt anything like it—nothing close. So I’d be an idiot not to at least believe you a little.”
“Does everyone that kisses you feel that?” Isaac asked after a moment of thoughtful silence, still trying to understand as much as he could.
Scott shrugged, a small smile on his lips. “So far? Yeah. I’ve got a perfect streak.”
Isaac looked back at him, but the expression was unreadable to Scott. He laughed and reached over, placing his hand firmly on Isaac’s thigh. “You he said. You’re the only person I’ve ever kissed, and since you felt it, that means I’ve got a pretty great track record here.”
Isaac looked at him with sheer disbelief in every ounce of his body. “Shut up,” he said.
Scott shrugged. “It’s true. I told you I was waiting for you.”
“So you’ve known about this thing your whole life?”
“Since thirteen,” he corrected. “I knew it was probably going to happen, yeah, but most people in my family find their únicos way sooner than I found you. I guess I’m a late bloomer,” he admitted shyly.
“I’m sorry,” Isaac said, sounding sincere. “I didn’t know.”
Scott couldn’t help his laughter. “You don’t have to apologize, honestly. I found you. That’s the best thing I could have ever hoped for.”
“Does that feeling mean you’re mine too?”
“I’ve always been yours,” Scott promised. Isaac blushed but pushed for more information.
“Seriously. Are you…my único?” He pronounced the word kind of funny, but Scott found it endearing.
“I didn’t know anyone but my familia could have an único. Maybe?” He shrugged. “From what my mom and my abuela told me, the único doesn’t ever experience la llamada.”
“So I’m special?” Isaac asked.
“I’ll say,” Scott replied with a grin, leaning over to capture Isaac’s lips again with his own. A vibrant buzz flew across each man’s skin, raising the tiny hairs and enticing goosebumps to the surface. As they pulled away, they looked into each other’s eyes, a little in awe and a lot in love.
“Does it ever go away?” Isaac asked when he regained some semblance of brain function beyond staring at Scott and his full, kiss-bruised lips.
Scott rubbed at his neck. “Uh, no. You’re sort of stuck with me?” He didn’t look the least bit apologetic about it.
Isaac grinned. “Good.”