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Veritas has his eyes on you.
Not in the way of one turning back to take a double look, for they have seen something unusual. Because Veritas understands why you are, he is not called a genius for nothing.
Not how some men look at their wives, sliding their hand down the small of her’s back while ignoring her dense body. No, Veritas cannot simply ever imagine himself that way, he’d rather perish.
Nor is it in a way an archer aims at the prey, waiting for the perfect moment to strike in a minute of its guard being put down.
Veritas sees through you, or at least, he’s beginning to.
He doesn’t know why or how, but you bring his soul to familiarity and warmth, whenever you stand by him, or stand up for him. He acknowledges you willing to try for him.
And that itself is something he cannot understand. People know him as a genius, a part of the Intelligentsia guide. A human being who’s known for his intelligence and superiority, as well as his stunning looks.
Veritas is a genius, for Aeons sake, so why is it so hard to figure you out?
You, out of all people.
You fit perfectly between every other idiot, your chatter fills the silence he has hoped to keep, and your carefree nature makes you act at home quite literally anywhere.
You express yourself freely, as if you didn’t know who he is. Emotions are normal, yes, but most people wouldn’t be so careless around him.
Yet that doesn’t seem to bother you, as you have a mind of your own. You sent a wave his way with that stupid grin of yours when you spot him in the public, making your way over, ignoring his face morphing into annoyance and tiredness.
But you also make sure not to cross his boundaries. Every time his muscles tense as you’re about to reach out to make skin contact, you stop, bringing your hand back to your body and apologizing with a light smile on your face.
It is rather… interesting.
It is not like he gives you special treatment for him to receive such radiance. He ignores you as much as he can, sighs whenever he sees your phone contact lit up on his screen.
It is nice knowing you know your limits, because these days, people just can’t keep to themselves.
That brings Veritas to question; What is it, that makes you so different?
He is not unfamiliar with love, he has feelings too, after all. Yet, (un)fortunately for him, he cannot remember ever falling in love with a stranger, experiencing romantic love and crushes.
If you asked him about it, he’d say that he feels no need for it, or in a worse case, that it’s a waste of time.
But that’s just how things are. Through all the denial and restless nights, Veritas cannot control the thumping of his heartbeat at the thoughts of you.
For all his smarts, he notices too late, when you’ve already rooted yourself into his heart. He doesn’t remember when exactly it happened, but somewhere between the time you got assigned into the same mission, and the time you nearly died, in that said expedition.
The mission wasn’t supposed to be of any danger. It was simple; You two arrive at the planet and look for some information about a small society what has been causing problems, return, and spill what you found that could make use in research in the Intelligentsia Guild.
Everything was going smooth at first, you and Ratio kept a low profile while roaming the land, looking for the target. The people proved themselves to be a bit of trouble, for they noticed you were outsiders, and refused to be of help.
This should have striven Veritas as weird, as it didn’t take long until you together received an invitation from the society you were looking for, requesting your presence.
That morning, before going to your destination, you have spoken up about feeling uneasy about this. You reminded Veritas to not let his guard down, as he reminded you.
The truth is, Ratio got paired up with you for the intelligent balance you together make. Ratio is smart in common sense and knowledge, but you possess an ability to determine one’s thoughts and state by a mere body language movement. You read people bare, and based on their mental state, you respond with caution and carefulness.
You are kind to people, no matter who, and in most circumstances it would be a good thing, but Ratio can’t bring himself to admire your kindness when there’s blood dripping down the floor. Not when it’s your blood.
The leader who sent the invite cornered you and Veritas when you arrived into the base. He didn’t strike instantly, instead, made you talk.
You didn’t really have a choice, anyway. The moment you stepped into the building, you both got drugged with a type of gas, leaving you in a state of weakness, as well as Veritas.
That is the first time Veritas can recall his thoughts automatically jumping to you, making sure you’re okay.
Ratio let you handle the talk, as he knew you were better to speak with the dying adrenaline flowing through both of your bodies. And you did your best to appear as a non-threat. Yet even if your voice was soft and reasoning with an undertone of honey, the guy didn’t buy it.
Perhaps it was too sickeningly sweet, because the man in front of you made a move in no time, and in a flash, there was a hole in your stomach.
Ratio felt as if he was dreaming. The grasping of your hand around his wrist brought him back to reality. In an instant, you were running with him, taking as much corners as you could.
He doesn’t know how you managed to stay on your feet with a hand pressed on your body in an attempt to slow down the blood loss, much less run for your life while you’re at it.
However, the moment you started to slow down in exhaustion, Veritas pulled you into a secure room and locked the door.
He pulled off the cloth thrown over his shoulder and unsecured it around his waist, wasting no time in wrapping it tightly around your wound.
Mind you, you didn’t get a word in, as you stared dumbfounded at Ratio, trying to process everything that just happened. He forced you to sit down and lean against the wall, while fishing out his phone and sending a SOS message to the Intelligentsia Guild.
You heard him mumble something about staying low for the time being, before your body finally gave out.
Ratio finally got to calm his senses and only then did he recognize the worry pulsing through him.
It didn’t take long until you’re were both transported into safety, Intelligentsia members surrounding you. You were brought to the emergency room while Ratio was taken to fill in the information you have gained.
He didn’t see you that day again, and it left him restless. And neither did you point out those dark eye bags on his face when you finally get to see him after a week, for his sake of pride.
From that day on, Ratio wasn’t sure what you were to him. He didn’t want to give into his believes just yet, and really, things weren’t so bad as they were. You two were coworkers, and you stayed that way as long as he could lie to himself.
But he had to accept it one day. He had to accept the fact he has seemingly taken a liking to you.
He just wasn’t sure how you feel.
And that brings him to the present. The time didn’t help lessen his thoughts of you. Aeons, it only made them appear more often.
You treat him as you have always; warmly, with a kind smile on your face. The look in your eyes that never falters with his, no matter what his is.
With every moment you share, Veritas comes each time closer to admitting that the feeling blooming inside is not just something anymore. Only an idiot would be so ignorant after all this time.
But he still takes it slow. Even through your ability to read people and your happy personality, Ratio can’t seem to figure out how you feel about him. He’s never met such an open yet unreadable person.
Things stay this way until he gets a call from a colleague in the middle of the night, asking him to come and take over you, for they aren’t sure what to do.
Turns out, you got drunk, no, screw that. Wasted, while hanging out with a few coworkers in a bar. The only reason why Ratio accepts to come pick you up is hearing you slurring your words from the phone in the background.
And he is right, as when he arrives, you’re laying your head on the counter while mumbling some stupidity.
The second his figure enters your view, your head is pulling up and falling back, a smile complimenting your eyes. Ratio can’t stop his cheeks from warming up, even with keeping a stoic face.
As he comes closer, without any warning, you stand up wobbly and launch yourself at him, to which he responds with a ‘tch’. Thank Aeons you can’t see his face, because if his face wasn’t red then, it sure is now.
After some battling with you, he finally manages to pull you off and hook your arm over his shoulder, placing a hand around your waist to help you keep balance.
It isn’t long until you’re both out the bar and in front of your home. Only then does Veritas let you down while making sure you’re stable. He’s telling you about being more careful, especially in the middle of the night, as he won’t always be there to take you home.
You step away and unlock the door, taking a step inside and turning to look at him. You’re silent at that, and it makes Ratio go silent too under your heavy gaze. He can tell there is something on the tip of your tongue, it’s reflecting in your eyes.
You may not be in the right state of mind, but they say drunk words are sober thoughts, and as those three words of adoration leave your lips before closing the door, he can’t help but wonder if you’ll mean what you just said as much when he asks you in the morning.
Maybe he’ll give you a peck or two, if you’ll be honest.