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“So do you have any preference for drink?”
As Morgan asked from the kitchen entryway, Obscura jumped, clearly not expecting him to return so soon.
Hand outstretched, they quickly pulled it back, folding the perpetrator into their lap. A sheepish smile resting on their lips, complementing the faint, subtle coloring to their cheeks.
“Ah… What was that?”
It wasn’t as if they had done anything in particular, but maybe just the fact that they were flustered was the reason his stomach was currently doing somersaults. It did that a lot nowadays, especially as the two had been spending more and more time together.
But come on, how was he supposed to ignore their obvious curiosity when he’d caught them in the midst of looking over his display of accolades. They were few, and presented without any type of theme in mind, sat between books and figurines he’d collected throughout the years. The awards never really meant much to Morgan, but with them…. A strong sense of pride flowed through him.
Like a rabbit tentatively checking the fauna before it engaged, they had reached their hand forward, gently lifted one, and read over the standard award of excellence nameplate. But instead placing it back down, their fingers glided over the etching, a hint of smile coming over their features.
And for a moment, his breath caught in his chest. He was staring. Felt his gaze glued and compelled to them, defiant to not tear away from the scene that was supposed to be private. But he had stolen a glimpse of something special. Something carved into his mind in memento this day. Time frozen as the world continued around them.
Eventually he found himself strong enough to shake himself from its grasp, an awkward yet appropriate question for his swift return.
“Are you thirsty? N-not like…” His hand palmed the back of his neck, clearing his throat awkwardly. “Would you like something to drink?”
Obscura pursed their lips, and Morgan couldn’t help but be drawn to the action. “What do you have?”
“Anything really. I’ve got a good variety. Pick your poison and I’m like 90 percent sure I have it.”
He wouldn’t tell them that he’d been paying attention to their past lunch excursions, and all the other times they’d been over before. Mentally storing whatever satisfied them at the moment.
“Do you have any mint tea?”
“Peppermint or spearmint?”
Their body relaxes, mouth widening into a small grin. And his heart takes a leave of absence.
“Surprise me.”
“Can you believe that in all those years, Ash never won a tournament?”
“He became the World Champion though.”
“Yeah, but it’s not like anyone is gonna remember.”
“What do you mean?!”
A raucous laugh burst free from Obscura, filling his living room. They nearly tumbled off the sofa, grabbing onto their stomach and buckling forward from Morgan’s outburst. Morgan huffed, narrowing his eyes, trying to fight the smile that threatened to spring free. They did that on purpose, knowing well enough that Morgan would get heated over it.
“Yeah, Ok.” Holding his tongue and his rant. “You got a good chuckle.”
They fell back into the cushions taking a deep breath to steady themselves. “I’m sorry. But it’s your fault for being so easily predictable to rile up.”
“Who’s supposed to be the mentor here? Someone helping another someone get comfortable with themselves?”
“Oh I’m very comfortable. I’m glad you're helping me. And I appreciate that help.”
“Right… So much so that you make fun of a guy’s special interest.”
“Hey, I like the franchise too. Otherwise I wouldn’t have come over to binge the movies with you.”
“Oh.” Eyes flitting to the tv as if something on the screen had caught his attention. “Is that the only reason?”
Morgan wished he had some way of smacking himself. What was he doing? This was supposed to be a nice chill night between colleagues. Colleagues… Colleagues? No. Even in his head that sounded wrong. They were his client for sure, but that felt clinical. Like it belonged on a set of documents, not spoken aloud. They had been spending time outside of work together. Just vibing. Hanging. Eating out. Going to the movies. Arcades. Comic shops. He’d been over to their place just as often as they’d been to his. Wasn’t that more akin to how friends would act? Yeah. He'd never really given much thought to it before but… openly… could he say they were friends. Maybe… But…
He glanced over at Obscura. They hadn’t immediately responded, eyes fixed on the tv just as he had been. Though their stare was downcast, deep in thought. Or at the very least, he hoped they were. Had he made things awkward. What did he say? How could he fix this?
They must have sensed him, head turning in his direction. Their expression shifted, veiled by the darkness of the room that surrounded them, save for the subtle glow from the screen. When had it gotten so late? How did time always find a way to escape him when he's with them?
“Morgan.” His name said on a breath. “Why did you invite me over tonight?”
His brow furrowed. “To hang. Like any other night. You said you were free.”
“I was. I am. Just… Why tonight?”
He knew the look on his face read as clueless as he wracked his brain for answers. There wasn’t anything going on that he knew about or had been mentioned at work.
Finally, as a show of mercy they told him. “Today’s Valentine’s Day. You didn’t know?”
Morgan blinked fast, his mouth falling open as everything fell into place. The red and white balloons. The bouquet of flowers. The giant stuffed animals. He rarely paid any attention to his coworkers, and likewise he left them alone unless absolutely necessary. An arrangement he had grown accustomed to. Though he had been aware of the presents and gifts, he never had much need to ask why.
“O-oh…” The word spills out. A second before he quickly stands, more than aware of how close they had been sitting on the couch. He holds out his hands. “No, I… I had no idea. I promise I wasn’t trying to imply or… uh I mean. Not to say that you don’t deserve a Valentine. But I wasn’t… That’s not…”
His words petered out. Yeah, totally didn’t look like an idiot. This was definitely something he could sweep under the rug.
He groaned, pivoting on his heels. “I’m gonna. Yeah. Bathroom.” Quickly striding down the hall and shutting the door behind him.
As Morgan sat on the edge of the tub, he lost track of how long he had been in there. Hands clasped together, he stared at the tiled floor. His nerves were a mess, tension wrapping around him, constricting him as a snake would hold tight to its prey. He hated the feeling. Hated feeling like he was out of control. But he supposed he only did it to himself. Usually he’d be well prepared for any possibility. Since they’ve come into his life however…
Pushing himself up, he went to turn on the sink. As Morgan scrubbed his hands over his face, the cold water electrified him. Uncomfortable but much better than the numb, dull feeling he felt only moments ago. The ends of his hair tickled his neck as he drew in sharp gasps of air.
He needed to clean up. Straighten the kitchen and the living room. Maybe soak for a bit before he dragged himself to bed and thought about how he was gonna explain himself to them tomorrow…
When Morgan exited the bathroom, he didn’t expect Obscura to still be there, in the very spot he had left them. Their eyes rose when he’d stepped into the hall, travelling down the length of him, no doubt in all its wet splendor, and met his gaze head on.
He swallowed, feeling like more of a horrible host for leaving them out here alone. “Sorry. I didn’t know you were still here.”
Their nose wrinkled in confusion. “Did you want me to leave?”
“No!” He nearly shouted. “I mean… no. I don’t. If you don’t want to.”
“Mogan… what do you want?”
“I want you to stay.”
They shook their head. Rising from the sofa, they closed the distance. Stopping when they were near enough that their breath easily intermingled with his.
Slowly, their hand lifted, sweeping the damp locks back and over his shoulders. Their fingers casually brushed against his neck, and Morgan shivered slightly from the gesture.
“If you don’t dry this soon you're bound to catch a cold.”
“Probably.”
They bit their lip, lowering their hand. And he chided himself for his short answer, Morgan mourning their retreat and the warmth they took with them.
Obscura huffed. And, in a move that Morgan hadn’t expected, took hold of his hand, and led him back over to the couch to have a seat.
“Can we continue our conversation?”
“I… sure. What else did you wanna talk…?”
“Do you know why I came over here tonight, knowing it’s Valentine's Day?”
Who was this person that could so easily steal his thoughts from him? That made simple questions feel like the most complicated of problems. This should have been any other night. Any other reason to hang out. To share in each other’s company. And yet…
Abruptly, a shaky laugh rushed from their mouth, pushed past a tentative smile. Their eyes, wary.
“God, this is stupid.” They shook their head. “But I guess you can’t be the only one feeling like a fool tonight.”
The hand at his palm tightened, making him aware that they were still connected. And alluding that, despite their calm demeanor, they may very well be just as nervous.
“I… I want to tell you something. Something that’s been on my mind for a while. And, I feel like if I don’t say it now, then I’ll never have the courage to ever say it again. How I’ve been living, I don’t want that to happen anymore. You’ve taught me that I shouldn’t let opportunities pass me by. Even when I’m scared. Even when I don’t know what tomorrow holds or can see it coming a mile away.”
They pause and take in a deep breath. A loud thumping works to distract him, but Morgan tries to ignore the beating of his heart. How loud it is to his own ears. And hopes that Obscura doesn't hear the sound given their proximity.
“Everything you’ve done for me, has held such a weight, and has been such a gift, I worry if I’ll ever be able to pay you back. Before I met you I had lost a sense of who I was. Where I was going. What I wanted to do. Since I walked into your office, from first conversation, I felt a kinship. One that pulled me from the depths of my own solitude and brought me out into the sun. Gave me a chance to take in this world. Enjoy the little things for once. And feel safe doing so. Because I had someone there beside me. Someone who guided me through uncertainty. Where clear confidence emboldened me to move forward. And it wasn’t by driving in how special I was. It was the little things. Treating me as a person, and not as someone just seen and defined by their powers.”
They licked their lips. Opened their mouth. Shut it. Then opened it again.
“Truly, there’s no one like you. Not Seer Obscura. Just… Morgan. And when I think about my time spent, present and future with him, I can’t help but smile. I’ve never had that feeling with anyone else… I don’t think I could with anyone else. I know it deep in my core and at the very root of my being. I… love you.”
Morgan hung on to every word they uttered. Every pause. Every break or stammer. And when they confessed, watched as their face flushed, blossoming in hue. They turned into their shoulder, the burden of what they had spoken released into the air, hanging between them, ripe to be plucked at any point at Morgan’s leisure. He wouldn’t make them wait long.
Cradling their cheek, he urges their eyes back towards him. They go without struggle, glistening like emeralds, vibrant and beautiful. Eyes he knows he could easily get lost in. Has easily gotten lost in, through hours and hours of conversation. The topics he couldn’t recall, but knew it didn’t matter. Their presence, and just being there in general, the greatest part of his memory with them. Ones he always treasured. Ones he always found himself recounting throughout the day when work would become too taxing. Or during times of solitude when he wished they would be by his side.
Morgan didn’t have to think about his response.
A smile stretched long across his face. “I love you.”
He laughed, the words freeing, releasing him from his unspent desire. Shaking his head, he wished it didn't take them confessing first the feelings he knew lay dormant inside. Meeting them doomed him. Hearing their voice shackled him. And seeing their smile for the first time cemented his condemnation to forever keep them safe and happy by any means necessary.
The smile in question made its return, his sun coming out once more. Tears fell, streaming down their cheeks. His core practically jumped, this precious person becoming even more of an important fixture in his life.
His other hand lifts to their cheek, caressing their face in his palms. Gently he bends, kissing softly at their forehead before wrapping them up in his embrace, their arms clinging tight around him. His promise, to their unseen future. Their happiness, a journey filled with boundless outcomes.