Work Text:
Ever since their first date, Fern's imagination has been running wild.
She finds herself getting increasingly distracted by an irresistible pull towards her object of desire.
Short glimpses become wistful gazes, then outright dreamily stares.
Surely he will notice. Surely he will initiate . . . something.
Surely she is being silly. She might have stolen glances at his lips more often, but stealthily!
He won’t notice. He won’t do a thing.
So should she initiate? Find a quiet place for them alone and—?
Stark kisses her on the cheek. Her world turns upside down. She overheats. She doesn’t understand.
She is soaring.
He is plummeting.
His mind is a mess. He wonders if he has made the wrong move.
Should he have done more? Or nothing at all?
He noticed her glances. Acted upon instinct.
Surely he read her correctly. Surely she wanted him to initiate . . . something.
Surely he is being silly. He knows he has made the right move. She’s walking, giddily, right by his side.
Still, her scrutinising stare intensifies. He’s wilting under it. Say something al—!
Fern kisses him. His world grinds to a halt. He freezes. He understands.
Together, they are in equilibrium—anchored by each other's presence.