Work Text:
It was autumn 1891 in New York. The leaves in Central park were turning as the days grew shorter and colder. In his lab, Nikola Tesla was working on his latest invention. Precision hands made sure each wire was connected right. Each plate was securely fixed. It was a work of craftsmanship making sure each component, big or small, was in the right place. Nikola was busy concentrating on his latest invention he didn't realise he was being spied on.
"Ah za ime boga!" (Ah for god sake) Nikola shouted as he pulled his hand out and sucked on an injured finger.
The visitor bit her lips to hide a laugh. Nikola didn't notice as his concentration was focused on the task at hand. It was the one thing the visitor loved about him. When something caught his attention he put everything into it. Nikola returned to the device before he stepped back in triumphant.
"Ja sam genije ima!" (Ha I'm a genius!) Nikola shouted as he clicked fingers on both his hands.
Now he turned round and spied the visitor in his doorway. His lower jaw momentarily dropped at the sight before him before he managed to regain his composure. Nikola headed over to her and took in the woman before him. Her hair was still blonde and her face was still as beautiful as ever. However, she looked like she had the world on her shoulders. Her normally bright blue eyes showed a hint of the youthful glint upon seeing him smile at her.
"My dear Helen, you should have said you were coming." Nikola said to her as he kissed her knuckles but never letting go of her hands.
"Did you not get my letter?" Helen asked as she gave him a smile that said she knew.
Helen moved over to his desk and sure enough there was the letter, unopened. She held it in her hands as she turned round to face him. Nikola ran a hand through the back of his head, ruffling his hair further.
"I'm sorry my dear. I got so stuck in my work." Nikola floundered; his Serbian accent came through more as he raced for an explanation.
Helen could only smile as she placed the letter back on his desk as neatly as she could. As Helen turned round to face him, his back was too her as he mutter in Serbian once more, his hand in his hair.
"Ja sam takva budala." (I'm such a fool) Nikola mumbled.
"Nikola you're not a fool." Helen told him.
Nikola spun in shock.
"How did you...?" Nikola started.
"I figured I'd best learn." Helen said with a smile.
Nikola grinned back. Quickly his eyes darted round the room before he remembered what he was doing and then why Helen was here.
"Forgive this fool, but why did you decide to pay me a visit? I mean if I'd read the letter I'd know." Nikola asked as he went to make some tea realising his manners.
"Can't a friend come visit to see how you are Nikola?" Helen asked as she watched him make her favourite brew.
"Helen, I've known you long enough now to know you don't visit without a reason. Before you ask, yes I'm still taking that dreadful medication." Nikola said to her while he waited for the water to boil.
Helen smiled as she realised Nikola did know her well enough to know. Nikola offered her the cup and Helen took it willingly.
"Helen, I'm sorry about John." Nikola dared to say.
"It's not your fault Nikola. I just wished I'd seen it sooner." Helen replied her voice was full of sadness and guilt at herself.
Nikola inwardly cursed wishing he hadn't brought it up. He needed something to light the mood. Spying his devices around him he figured he might try and intrigue her some way.
"Why don't I show you what I'm working on?" Nikola said as he went to the middle of the room.
In the middle was a mesh like cage, he opened the door and gestured for Helen to enter. Helen looked puzzled but entered the cage as he shut the door with him inside. The space wasn't too cramped but enough.
"Why do I get the feeling that you and I are going to like small spaces in future?" Nikola joked.
"Behave yourself Mr Tesla." Helen slapped him round the arm.
Nikola pretended to look hurt as he rubbed his arm. However he couldn't help but grin before turning his attention to a control box on a wall of the cage. It had 6 switches on it. Nikola flipped a couple and Helen jumped as lightning struck the cage from different parts of the room. Nikola turned them off before regarding Helen who had recovered from her shock and was now in amazement that Nikola could control lightning.
"Impressed?" Nikola asked.
"Very." Helen said as she spied the six mushroom-like devices room the room.
"Tesla coils. My latest invention. An electrical transformer for my alternating current work." Nikola explained as he opened the door again.
"You seem to have made a name for yourself." Helen said to him as she left the cage.
Nikola grinned but the glint in his eye didn't go unnoticed by Helen. She'd seen it many times when he about to do something else, something that would be amazing but possibly stupid as well.
"Nikola, what are you planning?" Helen asked as she watched Nikola move the cage out of the way.
"Oh don't worry, you won't be harmed." Nikola said calmly as he straightened his suit and went to the middle of the room.
"Wait, you're not going to harm yourself?" Helen panicked.
"Oh no, no, no." Nikola said as he screwed his face up as if she was being silly, "I'm going to show you how far my source blood exposure has changed me. Trust me."
At those last two words Nikola grew serious. Helen nodded knowing the look on his face said everything. Nikola was going to do something stupid but no harm was going to fall on her. Helen trusted him greatly. Nikola took a deep breath as he held his arms out, fingers splayed. All of a sudden lightning arcs from the devices hit his fingers in ever changing frequencies. Helen was worried he was in pain, however he was grinning like an idiot. Helen went to say something but Nikola cut her off as he spoke above the din of lightning cracking.
"Just listen." Nikola said to her.
So Helen did. The firing lightning made a noise similar to a note. With all of them firing at different times and speeds Helen could pick up a song. It took her a moment to realise Nikola was singing the words as well.
"For she's a jolly good fellow, for she's a jolly good fellow." Nikola said.
"Oh Nikola you remembered!" Helen shouted happily as she went over to him.
Nikola dropped his arms as the lightning stopped.
"Happy Birthday Helen." Nikola said to her happily.
Helen leapt at him, wrapping her arms round his neck as she kissed him. Nikola was surprised but kissed her back. Some of the coils fired as lightning struck around them. Nikola broke the kiss worried about Helen.
"I was enjoying that. It was all tingly." Helen told him.
"What can I say, I'm electrifying." Nikola replied as he pulled her closer.
"Oh dear god." Helen laughed before pulling him into another kiss.
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Helen awoke from trip down memory lane as her eyes focus on Nikola tinkering about at his workstation. Her lips tingled at the memory of Nikola and his Tesla coils as well as night. Even though it was autumn back then it felt more like a hot summer eve for them all night. She had to admit, he was showing why his hands made him such an amazing craftsmanship then. Not only with the devices but making the lightning among other things. Finally Nikola was finished as he handed her back her iphone which had been previously smashed to smithereens. Helen smiled as she went through the phone amazed that everything was still there.
"Nikola I'm impressed." Helen congratulated him.
Nikola just smiled.
"Sure you weren't a clock maker?" Helen joked as she was amazed at how carefully and with complete precision he had reassembled her phone.
"Not that I know of." Nikola replied.
"Shame. I would have liked a clockwork owl." Helen smiled.
"So you can call it Bubo?" Nikola asked a grin on his face.
Helen just smiled before leaning on the workstation with Nikola opposite.
"You know it's only a movie." Helen pointed out.
Nikola just shrugged before his eyes seemed to shine. Helen didn't question it but instead grabbed his hands as she traced her fingertips over his hands and long fingers. They looked as delicate as the work he could produce. But her mind began to wonder at what else he could do with them before her mind was sent back to memory lane to remember what happened after the kiss. Nikola was just watching her wondering had made her so fascinated with his hands. Nikola flipped one of her hands as he treated it with the same tender touches and strokes as she was giving his other hand. Helen let out a slight moan as her wondering seemed to be turning into a reality.
"Are you going to read my fortune?" Nikola asked.
"I think its save to say I don't need to look at your life line to know you'll live for an incredibly long time." Helen said as she went to pull away from him before he clicked onto her little memory.
However Nikola closed his hands around hers. Helen looked at him.
"I think I deserve a kiss for fixing your phone." Nikola asked.
Helen raised an eyebrow.
"You're telling me you weren't thinking of August 1891 while I was working. I saw you touch your lips." Nikola said to her.
Helen just sighed in defeat before leaning further across the station and giving Nikola a kiss. Helen let out a moan of pleasure as the tingle returned. However it wasn't from Tesla coils around his old New York lab. It was from him. Helen pulled away before making her excuses to leave. Nikola just smiled before picking up a pen and paper and got to work.
It was a few days later and Helen went into the library. She was quietly reading a book when she heard a mechanical hooting sound. Helen looked all around the library but couldn't see its origin. The hooting returned and Helen spied something golden on a bookcase. As she got closer she saw it was a clockwork owl. Behind it was a bottle of '56 Bordeaux.
"Ah Nikola. You crafty little craftsmen." Helen said as she placed the owl on the table and poured herself a glass of the red and continued reading her book.
Helen didn't know Nikola was watching from a hidden doorway in library looking at his hands while leaning on one shoulder on the door frame.
"Not bad if I say so myself." Nikola said to himself. "Now my little Trojan horse owl has worked its magic time for me to do some magic of my own"
Nikola walked over to Helen intent to repeat that night in 1891.