Chapter Text
Shivering against the cold wind, MC made her way over to the stairs. Her destination was apartment 1C; Lucien’s. After getting a rousing approval by her department, Lucien was officially made her personal advisor. Lucien had promised MC that he wouldn’t press her to meet with him if she didn’t need to, as long as she promised to come to him the moment things got difficult: “emotionally or otherwise.”
Since then, she’d formed the habit of meeting with Lucien to go over ideas for school work, or even just impromptu coffee breaks with him at the campus center to talk about life. In fact, she wanted to ask his opinion earlier that night about her media psych assignment, but he hadn’t been in when she checked. Hoping that he’d come home by now, MC had just reached the bottom of the steps when suddenly, a dark figure appeared in the parking lot, silhouetted by its street lamp.
Letting out a feeble yelp MC shrank back. The silhouette spoke, “MC? What are you doing out here?” Stepping into the circle of light was Lucien, a worried look on his face.
“Oh my god! Lucien!” sighed MC, “Don’t scare me like that!”
Smiling sheepishly Lucien apologized, “Sorry, sorry.”
After unlocking his door and inviting MC in, Lucien found that the lights in the apartment did not work.
“It seems the power blew out.” MC explained as she told Lucien about the way the lights had flickered ominously in her bedroom.
“Ah, those pesky ghosts sent you running to me then?” smiled Lucien, thoroughly enjoying how the mention of paranormal activity elicited the cutest responses from her.
Noticing her wet sweatshirt, Lucien instructed her out of it in exchange for a soft, knit blanket which she wore like a cape as she plodded around the flat.
“So… what were you doing out so late if the storm didn’t wake you up?” questioned MC, examining the various pieces of art on Lucien’s wall. He watched her from the kitchen, admiring the innocent way she cocked her head to the side as she considered the displays.
With the sleeves of his shirt rolled up, Lucien struck a match and proceeded to light two candles. “I’ve got a proposal due first thing Monday morning.” replied Lucien, “Just finishing up a bit of work before the weekend.” He ducked below the counter to fish out a teapot that could be set above one candle, and a sort of wooden contraption for the other. “I didn’t realize it’d gotten so late, but at least the lab’s not far from home.”
“Oh, I see,” remarked MC retuning to the couch just as Lucien was walking over. He had a pot of tea balanced on a glass bowl containing one candle and two mugs in one hand. The other held a wooden lantern-looking contraption. *
Setting everything on the table, Lucien poured the sweet-smelling liquid, and took a seat on the couch next to MC.
“They’re the only candles I have, I’m afraid.”
Taking a gracious sip of the soothing chamomile, MC examined the lantern a bit closer to see the candle inside. On the outside, wooden carvings of animals spun around with the windmill on top like a carousel. “It works by convection,” offered Lucien, leaning in as well. He pointed toward windmill portion, “the heat of the candle sends air to the top and moves the turbine, which is connected to the rotating platform here.” *
“Its so pretty!” remarked MC, fascinated by the mechanism.
Lucien smiled softly as the candle light glittered in the girls eyes, “A German colleague of mine gifted it to me. I was never sure what I was going to do with it until now; I’m glad you like it.”
MC watched on a bit more as shadows shaped less like boogeymen and more like a circus glided around the room. Turning to Lucien, MC had an epiphany, “Oh! I bet you were just heading to bed now weren’t you? Sorry, I was just a little worried after the power flickered off; I can leave now.”
“Not at all. Stay as long as you'd like,” chuckled Lucien, “I wasn’t really tired, but I had planned to do a bit of reading.”
“Oh, then, by all means; go ahead,” offered MC, shrinking into the couch a bit, “I wouldn’t want to disturb you.”
Lucien’s gaze softened at MC’s attempt to be polite. Standing from the couch, Lucien walked over to his wall of books. A raised finger scanned as he searched for a particular title. Locating it, he gently pulled the text from the shelf and returned to the couch with it cradled on his forearm, “Well then, how about this one?”
Sitting back on the couch so that MC could also see, she realized he’d picked out, not a scientific book, but her favorite story: The Little Prince. “I thought you said you needed to do work?” questioned MC, smiling wryly.
Lucien held a finger up, returning her tone, “I said I’d planned to read; I never said what.”
And so, shoulder to shoulder, MC listened to Lucien as he read to her the story of The Little Prince. Lulled by the deep, familiar tone of his voice, MC soon found herself drifting through the cosmos right alongside The Prince, with all the circus animals from the lantern in tow.
As the weight of the girl’s head plopped against his shoulder, Lucien paused his narration, looking down at the the girl: placid and sleeping. He closed the book, and set it on the table, gently taking her into his arms. Carrying her with ease to the bedroom, he set her onto his practically-untouched-bed and tucked her in. Sitting on its edge, he gazed upon her serene face, a doleful expression on his own.
As she stirred in her sleep, a lock of hair fell out of place. Reaching to brush it away, Lucien stopped himself right before his fingers made contact. He pulled his hand away, staring at it purposefully as he clenched it into a fist.
Lucien shut the bedroom door gently behind himself as he returned to the living room. After retrieving his tablet from his work bag, he laid down on the couch; the blanket the girl used was piled up behind his head, surrounding him with her faint scent. He turned on the tablet’s screen, and was immediately greeted by a new email. It was addressed to a name that was not his own.
He sighed laying the tablet against his chest as he raised his free wrist to rest against his forehead. Turning to the carousel lantern, Lucien stared into the flickering light, mind on fire.