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You only came up to the attic to add things onto your to-do list. Notepad in one hand, pencil in the other, you were going in there to make some notes. Gentle reminders to yourself to dust the cobwebs, sort through the boxes, find a better place for the board games, etc. At first it was all going well, you didn’t even have the Dateviators on when you walked in to avoid any distractions. But when you stepped through the threshold and started to scribble, you couldn’t help but hear the hum of the air conditioning. The gentle whirring always in the background, adding ambience to the attic unlike any other. Metallic and programmed, but gentle. Soothing. You smile as you look at it, and without a second thought you dart back to your bedroom to grab those trusty glasses. You burst back into the room with a smile on your lips as you aim the sunglasses right at Hector, and grin even wider when you see his kind, familiar face with arms outstretched for you. You don’t have what you need to Realize him yet, but you’re working on it - and you’re certain he won’t turn down your company in the meantime.
You chat idly for a while, before falling into a comfortable silence by his side. You turn your attention back to the notepad you brought in with you, a second futile attempt at productivity, but you grow bored of it quickly. You look up at Hector, who doesn’t meet your gaze, with a question for him you’ve yet to ask.
“Do you like to read, Hector?” You catch your partner off guard, your voice cutting through the thick silence of the attic. He looks at you with wide eyes, as if he’d totally forgotten that you can see him. He looks…sort of like an owl, you think to yourself.
“…I suppose so. You don’t leave many books in the vents, though, so it’s not exactly a common occurrence.” He jokes, smiling wide at you. You smile back, wide and genuine despite the silliness of it all.
“I don’t leave pens and paper in the vents either, yet you still manage to write.” You joke back, and you both share a chuckle back and forth.
“Fair enough,” He says between quick, breathy laughs. “Still, why do you ask, my love?”
“You have such a beautiful way with words, I just wonder where you picked it up.” You put your notepad down, atop the cardboard boxes piled high next to you. You scoot closer to Hector, close enough that you can rest your head upon his shoulder. The metal of his chestpiece is cool - refreshing, and inviting on a stuffy summer day. You sigh in content, nuzzling your face against him. A corner digs into you, but it's not annoying enough to make you want to move. He chuckles and blushes as you do so, covering his face with one of his hands. You can tell he itches to wrap the other one around you, you notice his fingers furling and unfurling against the hardwood floor. You wait for him to make the move himself.
“Well, thank you for the compliment, my love,” He looks down at you, an even wider grin on his face than before. After a moment or so he does move his arm around you, keeping you snug and tight against his chest. You couldn’t find something to complain about if you tried. “I guess I was just installed that way. I’ve never really thought about it.”
“Well, I think it’s beautiful. I wouldn’t change a thing,” You feel a blush of your own creep onto your cheeks as you recall some of the romantic, endearing, downright scandalous things Hector’s said to you over time. The compliments he's whispered through the vents as you walk by, the declarations of devotion every time you meet him in the attic, the shameless confessions in the dead of night through the vent above your bed. “Every time you speak to me, I can feel myself start to melt.”
“That would be quite a mess to clean up…I’m not sure Tyrell could handle it on his own.” Hector teases you again. He laughs a few times at his own joke, and though it isn’t the romantic, enigmatic response you envisioned him giving, you find it hopelessly endearing all the same.
“Don’t you tease me, I’m being serious!” You speak with mock offence as you shift your position. You laugh as you speak, mostly in response to the situation but also so Hector knows you aren’t really upset. You move so that you're now looking him in the eye, with one hand on his arm the same way as before and one hand newly planted on his thigh. “I wish I could speak the way you do. I’ve never met someone so…so charming, so romantic. So utterly caring. You have the most beautiful voice, Hector.”
“Gosh, my love, you flatter me!” Hector buries his face in his hands again, but you can see him smiling wide as can be between the gaps of his fingers. “I think your voice is…is quite wonderful, too. You sound like the prettiest birdsong, like a choir of angels. I could listen to you speak for hours upon hours, and I would still beg desperately for more.” He releases his head from his hands, and clasps them both over one of yours. He stares deep into your eyes as he speaks, a serenade of admiration and love. For a moment, you’re taken aback by his words. You’ve never heard someone say something like that in real life, let alone to you.
“See, Hector? That’s exactly what I mean!” You don’t dare to even move your hand, in fear that he’ll release you from his grip. “You sound so…I don’t know, so alluring.”
“My love, you think I’m alluring?” Hector squeezes your hand, “I don’t deserve all this.”
“I think you’re downright hypnotic, Hector.” You slowly raise the bundle of both you and your lover's hands up to your lips, gently pressing a kiss to Hector’s knuckles. His compressors start to whirr just a little bit louder as you do so, and he chuckles giddily.
“I…I don’t deserve such high praises, they should all be sung to you,” He looks at you, a new feeling behind his eyes. Affectionate, but with an almost wild head-over-heels backdrop. It only entices you more. “My muse, my darling, the object of my every desire. I would be nothing without you, you are the very reason this Earth spins. If you were not to walk this realm, it simply wouldn’t exist.”
“I wish I had something even half as beautiful as that to say to you, Hector.” You feel a little pit form in your stomach as the weightless feeling of pure happiness floating through your mind doesn’t translate to any words. Hector could sing your praises day in and day out, but you can’t manage to conjure a single sentence? You curse yourself, for your swollen tongue and your lack of vocabulary. Hector seems to feel your misery, and he puts his hand under your chin. He lifts it up, so that you face him directly, and he smiles.
“The sight of you is fulfillment enough, my love. Even if you were never to speak another word to me again, your visage alone would keep me going for the rest of my life.” He tenderly rubs his thumb over your cheek as he swoons for you, doing his very best to convince you that you’re enough. You appreciate it, but you can’t help but wish you were more.
“You’re very sweet, Hector, but that can’t be true.”
“How could it not be?”
“Don’t you wish you had someone that was more on your level? I mean, someone more romantic, someone more intricate. I’m not deep, I’m just…ordinary.” You don’t realize you’re beating yourself up until you feel a finger pressed up against your lips, a silent act demanding quiet.
“I can’t stand it when you talk about yourself like this, my love, please. How could you say things like that?” Hector’s eyes droop, his eyebrows screwing up into an expression of pure misery. “You’re the furthest thing from ordinary. You’re everything that ever has been, and ever will be. You have the most beautiful soul.”
You want to respond, but you feel choked up.
“I have an idea. Let’s try something.” Hector turns his head after the prolonged moment of silence, turning to face the stack of old boxes piling up in your attic. He stands up, and starts to rummage through them. You want to help, but you have no idea what he’s doing. He exhales a small noise of success when he finds what he’s looking for, and he turns back to you with a very specific box in his hand. You recognize it as your old box of…craft supplies?
“What are you doing with that?” You can’t quell your curiosity as he places the box on the floor. He opens it, and sorts through it until he finds what he needs. He pulls out a package of fabrics, from when you were trying to learn how to sew your own clothes. There’s a myriad of colours, a range of textures and patterns. He selects a few simple ones, namely ones bearing solid colours.
“You don’t think you’re romantic? Describe this to me.” Hector chooses what you presume he thinks is the easiest place to start: a vibrant red square of fabric. It’s dull, it’s deep, it’s eye-catching.
“It’s…red?” You try to wrap your head around the exercise, around what precisely he wants from you. When he starts to laugh, you realize you’ve gotten it wrong.
“No, my love, deeper. Feel it deeper. See it with your heart, not with your eyes,” Hector takes a moment to inspect the square, looking at it intently. “It’s as red as the fire of a thousand suns, the colour of ultimate passion, the only true expression for how I feel in my heart of hearts for you.” He demonstrates, rattling off a few examples for your benefit.
“Hector, I can’t-” You start, and he stops you immediately.
“Nonsense! You can. I believe in you, my darling. Just try,” Hector takes your hand, and places the fabric in your grasp. “Feel it. See it, breathe it. Live it.”
You take a deep breath, and you try your hardest to think of a comparison. “It’s…it’s as red as a ruby?” You can’t help but fall into the cliche, and Hector laughs at you again.
“Oh, my love, that’s a good start,” He coughs once or twice behind his fist, whisking away the last of his laughter. You know he means no harm, his tone is full of nothing but fondness. “It’s as red as all the finest rubies in the world, worthy only of jewelry custom made to adorn your radiant form.”
“Show off.” You huff, though you’re mostly joking. The more examples Hector gives, the more you start to get the hang of it. He takes the red cloth out of your hand, and retrieves a new one from the pile next to him. It’s a silky, vibrant blue - one that immediately reminds you of the waves on a coastal shore.
“Again, sweetheart. Try it again.” He places it in your hand, and you run your fingers over it. It’s just as smooth as it looks - as soft as real silk, even though it definitely isn’t. Not for the price you got it at, anyway. Your eyes are drawn to its deep colour, its calming effect, and the cool sensation it brings upon your skin. You take in a deep breath, and try your very best.
“It’s the colour of a cloudless sky.” You rack your brain to think of something to add on. Hector’s beaming at you encouragingly, smiling wide as can be. You come up with nothing, and your shoulders slump a little.
“A cloudless sky, one so perfect that not even the most beautiful songbirds dare to fly across it, lest they interrupt.” Hector finishes for you, and while it’s not a romantic comment directed at you, it’s still a beautiful painting in your mind. You really could listen to him speak all day, even if you didn’t understand a word of what he said. His words rival Cabrizzio’s in your mind, with how sweet and genuine they never fail to be.
You take another deep breath, and you try again. “A cloudless sky so quiet that the whole world stops spinning, just to let it be.”
“You’re getting it!” Hector nearly cheers, excitement almost pouring out of him. He cups your face with both his hands, and he kisses you on the tip of your nose.
“What was that for?” You ask, surprised giggles still escaping your nearly-parted lips.
“Positive reinforcement, my love.” He smiles at you, stroking your cheekbones with the pads of his thumbs. “When you do it right, I’ll kiss you.”
“If I do it wrong, will you bite me?” You couldn’t have stopped that from slipping out if you tried. You watch as his eyes widen, as his cheeks turn red, as his mouth gapes between open and shut as he tries to think of a response. You feel the urge to apologize, but his expression is too funny for you to stop laughing long enough to utter anything.
“Maybe we should save that for later, my love.” He settles on, though you can tell he’s a margin hotter under the collar now. You nod in agreement, a few laughs left to die on your tongue.
“If you say so,” You take a breath, to compose yourself. “Okay. Give me another one.” You gesture to the fabric, though for a minute you hoped he’d interpret the sentence as a request for another kiss. He gives you a knowing look, and he fishes out another cloth - this one a dark, mossy green.
“Whenever you’re ready.”
You look at the cloth harder than you’ve ever done before. You start to notice little things about it, now that you’re really paying attention. What you initially thought was just a blank square of fabric, quickly turns into a web of design, of intrigue, of beauty. There’s a pattern on it, one you never noticed before because it’s barely a shades difference atop the moss-painted background. Your eyes widen, like they’re being truly opened for the first time. You never noticed how beautiful the little things can be, but you get the feeling you’re going to be paying a lot more attention from now on.
“It’s so intricate…” You mumble, mostly to yourself but Hector smiles all the same.
“Isn’t it?” He responds, but he isn’t looking at the cloth. He’s looking at you, staring at you with eyes so full of love. You would notice, if you weren’t so lost in thought.
“Ok,” You take a moment to compose yourself, getting the words ready on your tongue. “It’s…it’s as vibrant as the leaves on the tallest tree in the forest, as deep and rich as the thickest moss by the creekside. As inviting as the hue of an emerald, as intriguing as the last flower to wilt before the winter.” You close your eyes, and you see the object with your soul. You try to sound as deep as possible, but it comes to you far easier than you expected. When you open your eyes, Hector is as proud of you as he could ever be. He cups your face again, and you expect another kiss on the nose - but instead you get a loving, passionate, deep embrace from his lips to your own. You let out a small noise of surprise, but you’re far from unhappy. You let him kiss you and you happily kiss him back, leaning into the embrace and placing your hands atop his.
He’s warm, he’s inviting, he’s comforting. You always expect him to be cold, just from the sheer amount of metal on him, but he never is. He’s always this way, and you’ve never been so thankful. Eventually he pulls his lips away, but he doesn’t move his hands. He stays with his forehead pressed up against yours, breath mingling with your own. He’s smiling as wide as can be.
“My love, that was so beautiful!” He praises you, twirling his fingers through your hair. “More beautiful than anything I could’ve come up with. I’m so proud of you, my angel.”
“I don’t know about all that.” You can’t help but smile with him, catching his infectious happiness.
“Oh, but I do. Your words are profound, my love. How can you say you aren’t a romantic, when the words you’ve spoken will ring in my ears forever and ever? You’ve touched me to my very soul! Though, that’s not to say you didn’t before…” Hector rattles on, and you take the moment to look deep into his eyes. They’re brown, and they’ve always been brown, but they’ve never looked so deep. So warm, so comforting, so…beautiful. Maybe you’ve just never been this close to Hector for a prolonged period of time before, but he’s quickly becoming the most handsome man you’ve ever seen before. “My love, are you listening to me?”
You never dropped the grin from before, but the curves of your mouth twist up into something that can only be described as devious. You look deep into Hector’s eyes, and you open your mouth to speak. “My love, your eyes are as beautiful as the Earth you were sculpted from.”
Hector’s eyes widen once again, and he stumbles over the words he’s trying to say. “I…pardon?”
“Your entire being is so attractive, so alluring, so undeniably addictive,” You thoroughly enjoy the reaction he gives you as you turn the tables on him - for once, he’ll know what it feels like to be complimented to death. “I’ll never get enough of you.”
“My love, I…wh-what are you doing?” He asks, and you move one of your hands to the middle of his chestpiece. You push down and down on it, until he’s flat on his back and you’re hovering over him. You gently drag your free hand down the side of his face, and you take a moment to cup his cheek and caress the skin. He’s looking at you with wild eyes, but he doesn’t dare interrupt the plan you’ve concocted. It may not look like it to an untrained outsider, but he’s precisely where he wants to be. He fights the urge to cover his face with his hands, more interested in watching your expression.
“Your hair is as soft as the finest silk, your skin as warm as the sun itself,” You take a deep breath, and you run your thumb over his lips. His cheeks have turned a new shade of red, a beautiful colour that rivals red roses themselves. His lips are plush under your touch, and you can’t resist the urge to swipe your thumb back and forth a few more times. “Your lips are as enticing as the finest meal ever prepared. You are all I’ve ever wanted, all I’ve ever needed. My whole body calls for you, Hector. It needs you.” You drop your voice as you get to the end of your sentence, and you lean down to kiss Hector on the lips once more. He squeaks as you do it, but his body language tells you he couldn’t possibly be happier. The fans in his chestpiece start to spin so loudly you can hear them clear as day, despite the heavy doors of his chestpiece acting as muffles. He’s turned to putty in your hands, and you enjoy the moment more than anything else.
“When I thought up this exercise, I didn’t think you’d use it against me.” Hector laughs breathily once you release him from the kiss. You don’t let him get up, however - the hand on his chest is still holding him down. His eyes dance all over your face, like he’s unable to decide if he should look at the wicked grin on your lips or the confidence in your eyes.
“I wanted you to know what it feels like, to be on the receiving end of things for once.” You look down at him, and the Dateviators start to slip down your nose. Before you can push them back up, Hector does it for you - and lovingly taps the tip of your nose before letting his hand slide back down to the floor. It makes you laugh, which makes him laugh, and before long the two of you are in it so deep that you’re hanging off each other for support. You aren’t even sure what’s so funny, but the moment is so precious you don’t care to question it.
For the first time in a long time, both you and Hector feel as beautiful as you truly are.
You’ll keep working on your similes in the days and weeks to come, and you’ll use them to compliment your lover every chance you get. It’ll turn into a competition, a back and forth tennis match of swoons and confessions between the two of you. Neither party will ever really win, but neither of you care, either. You both only do it to see the smile on the other’s face.