Chapter Text
A long jaded yawn crossed your body while you stretched your muscles long, in that boring noon. It was the least active time in the city, not to mention there, in that average library where you were temporarily working with your cousin. You were extremely bored, there had been no customers in hours and you had already put all the books in their place, so there was little else to do, other than perhaps reading to kill time, again.
You lazily rubbed the back of your neck, looking at the books on that particular shelf, in the foolish hope that something would catch your eye. You liked to read, but not enough to run to find a specific one, so your eyes wandered over the back of the books, while you absently hummed the instrumental version of The Sound Of Silence that was playing softly in the background. It was a library, slow instrumental tunes were the only kind of music they played, and while it was nice, it bored you sometimes.
A soft “Excuse me” sounded behind you, so you turned, looking for a moment at this man standing nearby, wearing a black leather jacket, in tune with a motorcycle outfit, black pants with pockets on the sides, military tone boots. It took you a couple of seconds to register his face, the brown hair, that pair of smiling brown eyes, before taking a short, surprised breath and saying a happy “Kelviiiiiiiin!” so hard that it made your cousin smile from the desk in the hall.
You immediately shortened the little space that was left, to hug him tightly, your arms chained around his neck, listening to him give a laughing "Hello", hugging you.
You almost couldn't believe you were looking at Kelvin, not after all. That soldier who had been seriously injured, deaf and mute, by your side, during those months of extreme survival on that dangerous secret island. The one who had sat next to you when you had been rescued after several months stranded. The one you could barely see again in the hospital, while he was recovering from his injuries. The one you lost track of when you lay off the service as a soldier, since you were from a different platoon and district than his. The one you hadn't seen since then, almost a year ago, and whom you thought you'd never see again.
You squeezed him even harder. The affection you had taken for that man, on the island, had been monumental, and you were completely sure that nothing had changed on your side. You still remembered, embarrassed, how at the time you had suggested to him to become "closer", being that you both were alone on an island, and how he, somewhat uncomfortable, had written you a "I'm sorry. Engaged” that left you internally ridiculed to even now.
You had remained very good friends, companions and mutual guardians, you had put your life in his hands, just as he had done with you, until life itself had separated you. But there he was, after so many months.
You released him gently, to see him better, still absurdly close to him, touching his shoulders. It would have been weird, unless he had never refused your physical closeness, neither before nor after your mini confession. You two had gotten used to it, and he was, secretly, a hard cuddly.
"God... Look at you, Mr. Style" You laughed, patting his chest "Jeez... So long... What the hell are you doing here?" You looked at his kind eyes and his beard from a couple of days.
"What? Can't I visit whom I owe my life to?” He smiled, patting your side.
"Sounds like I'm your mother." You laughed.
"With what you took care of me when I was half dead... almost" He shook his head softly, looking you up and down "You haven't changed a thing"
"You do" You looked at him better "I almost didn't recognize you... What the hell?"
"What are you taking about?" He frowned. "I look the same."
"Visually, yes... But I'm talking about..." You pointed randomly "I don't know, your presence, your way of speaking..."
"Maybe what you're noticing is that I don't have intracranial hemorrhage, total hearing loss, and a verbal difficulty," He admitted. "I'm basically the same as before the accident, silly... But I understand you, you got to know me better when I was half brainless, it's normal."
“Right…” You gently cupped his cheeks, as you used to do when you wanted to check his head back on the island, looking at him with a concerned air “How are you? Have you healed well? Tell me you don't have serious sequelae"
“I'm fine, calm down” He smiled, touched by your constant concern “I can't hear high-pitched sounds well, I have frequent migraines, PTSD, and I developed a strange taste for boiled eggs, but nothing serious. I am medicated, very medicated"
"Thank God." You sighed, relieved. "Are you still on duty?"
"No way. Even though they hadn't let me continue, they gave me medical sick leave."
You were going to speak, but your cousin's voice crossed the library, shouting a "Do me a favor and talk somewhere else, this is not a bar!"
You gently covered Kelvin's ears with your hands, so as not to strain his ears with loud sounds, and raised your voice to answer him with "It's work time!"
"Sure! Because, as you can see, there are a lot of customers!” Your cousin laughed "Get out of here, I'll see you tomorrow!"
"Thank you! I'll tell you later!" You let go of your partner's head and looked at him “Do you have time for a coffee or do you have to go now?
"I have time, don't worry" He hesitated for a moment "If it can be in a quiet place, better... The crowds now make me a little anxious"
"Mmmm" You thought, walking through the shelves to where your backpack of things was, turning slightly to see him while you put it on "We won't find it quieter than in my house"
"Sounds good to me" He nodded, taking a pair of fabulous aviator-style sunglasses from his pocket, putting them on "I'll take you"
You smiled slightly, he looked seductively cool, with much more style than you used to see in that area. You said a quick goodbye to your cousin, who followed Kelvin with his eyes, sure that he would later ask you questions about your friend, and you left the library, with him following close behind.
You saw him go ahead and approach a good-sized black motorcycle that was parked on the sidewalk, and as soon as you got closer, he put his black military-style helmet directly on your head.
“Is it too tight or too loose?” He asked, checking your head, seeing your “ok” sign.
Kelvin got on his motorcycle, with great agility, starting the engine, which purred like a giant cat, looking at you and gesturing for you to get on.
Smiling to yourself, you climbed behind. It wasn't the first time you'd been on one of those machines, on the contrary, when you were young you were the first to get on whatever had two wheels, and in your years in service, you did everything possible to get into a motorized squad. You loved motorcycles, you had always dreamed of having one for yourself and spending a whole month just on the road, seeing the landscapes on top of an iron horse.
But now it was also Kelvin who would be driving. You were going to hold on to his waist as if you were terrified of life, just to feel him a little.
"You're going to have to tell me where and when to turn" He mentioned, looking at you out of the corner of his eye as he felt your arms hold him tightly, which made him believe that you didn't feel safe getting on one of those "Lord... I'm sorry, are you too scared to go back there? Would you rather we walk?"
"Noooo" You laughed, looking at him "I love motorcycles, I'm just being a little clingy, sorry"
"Ah" He laughed "Would you rather go fast or enjoy the engine?"
“I have no interest in breaking my neck under a truck, I prefer to go slow and enjoy the ride”
"That's my girl" He smiled, looking straight ahead again and pulling away.
Your face turned various shades of red as you felt yourself move. Still, you enjoyed the ride, a soft purr through the city streets, holding onto Kelvin's firm body, feeling his warmth slowly intoxicating you.