Archive of Our Own

Saturday evening’s were never anything exciting for Dawn. There wasn’t much time to get excited when you needed an entire weekend to recuperate from the week behind and prepare for the week ahead. It was much simpler when she was at university, when there was a set place where everyone would go Saturday evening’s. When there was no question of where to find someone or where to go if you want to be found. A time when it was so easy to sit down and find company over a drink.

But that wasn’t the case in Pokyo. There were hundreds of places to go, thousands of people to gather in all kinds of corners and all kinds of faces to stare up at as you drink. But that was just the thing – when you can go anywhere, where do you go? When you can meet anyone, how do you even begin?

Even her office often changed the location of their Friday evening drinks (not mandatory but recommended for morale, managers would say) to “keep it fresh”. But the only thing that felt fresh was the hint of lemon zest in her one and only drink from a different bartender every single time. Not even enough time to get to know the staff. And this was for socialising?

Busy bars and bustling pubs now brought a sickening weight to her stomach. The taste of gin and tonic was never the same after you’ve shared it with enough distant colleagues and visiting investors that absolutely had to be entertained and be made to feel important enough to drop about a thousand into whatever project was the “next big thing”. Only so many times Dawn could sip on a watered down drink before the straw started tasting better than anything in the cup.

So this was new. This was a strange new experience. A single tavern, single place for everyone to gather on a designated day. Single bar with the same bartender and staff.

A single invitation.

Not that it was the first invitation but that one certainly didn’t go as she anticipated. So here goes to round two – a second attempt at a first visit. Hopefully third time won’t be the charm.

The first invitation came from Alice after a helpful tour around the town, making it a nice way to end a whirlwind of introductions and hello’s – a kind gesture to truly welcome Dawn. But this invitation came from Scott. It certainly had the same tone, the same feeling of politely extending a hand to a stranger and simply following the small-town social norms. But at that point, they hadn’t seen each other in a few days... Was it her imagination or did he seem happy to see her? It probably was just a trick of the light, the way his smile got a little brighter and his eyes immediately fixated on her... He wasn’t that quick to invite her, was he? No, probably not. Just her brain looking for signs that aren’t there!

On top of all of that, she was early. Of course she was – she had been ready for hours in anticipation, going through her three outfit variations over and over before settling on the exact same thing she wore every single day. But she had to check, had to make sure that the exact same thing she wore every single day was worth wearing not only every single day but every single night too.

Was she overthinking? Probably. Was it justified? Now that’s a good question!

Just as her first evening standing in front of the door, Dawn took a pause with her hand stretched out to the handle. That same familiar nostalgic feeling followed, that soft butterfly fluttering at the bottom of her stomach from the sounds of laughter and music inside. It’s always so much more pleasant to imagine yourself where you want to be rather than take the plunge to be where you want to be...

For a moment, she expected the door to fly open as it did the night she met Scott. No matter how many times she replayed that evening over and over in her head, it still never felt as solid as it did with her here, at the scene of the crime. And if only Scott would be kind enough to bust out of that door again and follow his script to re-enact the scene... That would’ve made this so much simpler. Things are never simple though, are they?

With a deep sigh and a brave face, Dawn did the impossible and opened the door.

Whatever she was expecting, it certainly wasn’t a lovely establishment with live music and a massive bar. Everything was so large yet so fitfully decorated, nothing seemed out of place or randomly dropped, like every single detail had been thought about and every single piece had been accounted for. Yet despite the elegant decor that made Dawn feel like she was dropped right into the most exclusive bar in Pokyo city, there was still a warmth to everything – the seats that people used had a few threads sticking out, a couple of spots where the colour had faded to indicate years of use; the ceiling had a few boards that differed in material to show how much effort had gone into preserving this place; even the furniture itself had scratches and bumps from all the times it’s probably been moved around, only to find it’s way exactly where it was needed. Everything here felt loved and cared for. What a strange and beautiful place.

It was much warmer than anticipated, with most people already having their spring coats hung on a set of hooks. The smell of spice and red wine was certainly adding to the heat, mixed with the scent of whatever perfume it’s patrons had decided to adorn.

And speaking of patrons...

“Well, hello there.”

Dawn was only a few steps inside before a voice from the side interrupted her search. She turned to his direction to find a familiar face.

“Hi. Pablo, was it?”

“The one and only.” He practically beamed at her recognition. “Fancy meeting you here! How are you finding your stay in our quaint little town?”

“It’s great! Really nice and special your little town is turning out to be.”

Pablo grinned, almost like the compliment was aimed only at him and not at the collective team effort of the entire town.

“Glad you’re enjoying it. But now that you’re here, you can really start to enjoy your stay! Let’s get you a drink and you can tell me a bit more about yourself.” He gestured for them to start walking to the bar.

Dawn’s cheeks grew a little red, not from the potential flirtatious implications of his invitation but more from the decline she’d have to issue at a perfectly polite and reasonable request at getting to know the newcommer. Her first night at the local tavern and she was already finding ways to avoid socialising and talking about herself...

‘Probably not the best first impression...’ She thought.

“Thank you but I’ll have to take you up on that offer another time. My first drink is already accounted for.” She tried to say in her softest tone.

Pablo seemed more curious than taken back by her response.

“Is that so? Who’s the lucky buyer?”

“Guess.”

Almost as if on queue, an arm draped itself across Dawn’s shoulders, bringing a sudden warm weight and catching her off guard. That same weight shifted and made sure to keep her stable on her feet with a firm yet soft grip. Dawn felt struck by deja vu... That same arm with it’s familiar warmth and weight to it had previously been struggling to keep it’s owner upright last time it was in the same spot. Now said owner was confidently standing upright.

“Evening, Scott.” Dawn turned her head with a barely restrained smile. His face was much closer than she had anticipated, close enough for her to see his usual stubble was replaced by a clean shave and a fresh dab of aftershave. It smelled of pine and citrus but it wasn’t enough to hide his usual scent of moss and strong coffee permeating from his clothes.

Despite this closeness, Scott still turned his head to face Dawn. Now they were very close and Dawn could feel her cheeks begin to grow red.

“Evening, Dawn. Hope you didn’t wait long for me.”

Her smile grew.

“You’re right on time.”

This time it was his turn to turn a little red. His suave nature was quick to take over, flashing her a grin with a wink.

A laugh came from Pablo, who was beginning to feel forgotten about. He made a mental note to never let Scott forget what an amazing setup he had provided for his entrance.

“I should’ve known. He hasn’t shut up about you, you know. Dawn-this, Dawn-that! Maybe now I’ll get some peace and quiet.”

“Goodbye, Pablo! Nice seeing you, never speak to me again!” Scott wasted no time in turning Dawn on her heels and speeding her right to the bar.

“Make good choices, kids! But make sure he has something to tell me about!” Pablo called out at a pacing Scott.

“We’re done talking, go die in a hole!”

By the time they had reached the bar, Dawn was grinning wildly at a bashful Scott, who was looking everywhere but at her, arms tightly at his side and hands fidgeting with the corners of the menu.

“So what are you drinking? I’m buying, of course.” His eyes scanned the list of drinks over and over and over again, neatly studying the only two pages of the limited selection. The tips of his ears felt hotter than any sunburn he’d ever gotten...

Dawn’s gaze remained glued to him.

“Been talking about me, huh?”

“I’m feeling like a beer. I know it’s a cliche but it’s a classic, you know?”

“And talking enough to annoy your friend, my oh my.”

“Or maybe I’ll change it up and go for a cocktail. You’ve gotta be bold sometimes and try new things!”

At this point, his cheeks had so much colour in them one might worry he was about to have a heatstroke. But Dawn kept eyeing him with a mischievous smile and doing her best to make sure his gaze landed on anything but her. There was something so sweet about how shy he was being, something so fresh and so raw... Like he wasn’t exactly sure what to do with himself or how to respond to all of it. Like this was the first time he had to think about what to do with himself. There was a surprising amount of honesty in all of it, despite his lack of words there was no hiding any of it. Standing there, looking at him with this amount of openness practically spilling out of him like an overflowing cup... What a sight to drink up.

It wasn’t until her hand rested on his arm that he finally turned to face her with a slight jolt. It was unexpectedly cold compared to how warm he was, sending a chill up his side with the sensation rising all the way up to his neck. All because of how cold he was... right?

“You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to. I’m just curious... Sorry for teasing you.” Despite the apology, her smile still remained but her attention turned to the menu. Her hand retracted back from his arm, leaving in it’s stead a ghostly imprint. It felt unfair how easily her fingertips left their mark. How much would he have to scrub to erase the memory or had it already reached down to his bones? Whatever the answer was felt irrelevant as Scott was taken back he even asked the question in the first place.

He paused for a second, just long enough to soak her in – the soft yellow of the lights above mixing with the rich red in her hair to turn it to a shinning orange, the thoughtful curl of her lips to match the new unfamiliar laugh-lines, the distant look in her eyes that seemed to travel further than the paper in her hands, hands seemingly so fragile but riddled with fresh calluses and scratches. She looked like all the things she hadn’t said, all the things she didn’t need to say as they were right there, written all over her body. You only have look and you could find exactly what you were looking for. Maybe he should try being this open for a change...

Scott sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was going to regret this, wasn’t he? Too late now, she was already eyeing him curiously.

“Alright, alright, alright!” He sounded so defeated, and yet his deflated tone made her smile and fully turn to face him.

He was expecting her to speak, to ask something more. But she didn’t, she stood and waited. That felt worst than being asked. His lower back suddenly felt very sweaty.

“I may have mentioned how we met. How you walked me home and then the museum, taking you to the digsite. You know, nothing scandalous!”

That felt surprisingly difficult but his chest felt a touch lighter, despite the growing heat across his entire body. Good thing his shirt was white, just have to hope it doesn’t stick to him...

She still didn’t feel satisfied with the answer and remained quiet. Going against his instincts to look away, Scott kept his eyes locked on hers with the best neutral expression he could muster.

“That’s all?” Her eyebrows rose up, her eyes and voice holding the same playful note as before. For some reason, the way she was watching him made his knees feel weak.

“That’s all.”

‘Please, please, pleeeease don’t let my face give me away’ Scott willed his expression to remain as neutral as possible, fighting against his most obvious tells that he was lying.

Lying, lying, lying was all that was pinging across his head like a sped-up screensaver. It felt so loud, he wondered if she could hear it across his skull and realize how it very much wasn’t all, it wasn’t even close.

Those three seconds could’ve been hours for all he knew.

And then, like her expressions weren’t carrying the weight of his world, Dawn shrugged her shoulders and shook her head with a laugh.

“And you made it seem like such a big deal!”

Scott hoped he wasn’t too obvious with his visible deflating.

“A bit of an overthinker, are we?” She mused.

‘You have no idea...’

“I don’t know why I’m looking at this. I’ll just have whatever you’re having.” Dawn passed the menu to Scott in a way which felt insultingly casual compared to what was going through his head.

“I might start with something stronger.”

~~~

Normally, it’s difficult to have a good conversation in a crowded space. It’s easy for quiet words and soft changes in tone to go unnoticed when there’s a million other sounds to drown them out, small gestures and twitches to melt into the dim lights.

Yet the roof could’ve collapsed and those two wouldn’t have noticed.

After finding a comfortable spot to sit, the only time they moved was to get another drink. Stories followed one after the other, each reminding the other of another and another – from weird family traditions and unconventional feel-better meals, awkward teenage phases and clothing malfunctions, to movie guilty-pleasures and ground-breaking cinemas.

“And so naturally, after my fourth rewatch of Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark, child-me was fully confident I would be able to outrun a boulder! So...” Scott’s voice trailed off for dramatic effect.

Dawn’s eyes widened, her hands covering her mouth.

“No...” She gasped.

“Yes...” Scott nodded.

“No!”

“But yes!”

“You actually tried to outrun a boulder?!”

“I actu—Wait, no, of course not! What are you thinking, where would I have found a boulder as a child?” He couldn’t help but laugh at her imagination.

“I don’t know, you’re from the Big Apple! I don’t know what kind of things you get up to there, how many boulders you chuck at children down the street!”

“None, Dawn. We don’t throw boulders at children.” Now it was her turn to laugh as he shook his head with an amused look.

“Well, you should’ve lead with that. How was I supposed to know, you trailed off right at the most exciting part!”

“I was doing it for dramatic effect!” Scott made an exaggerated arm gesture to further demonstrate his dramatic point.

Dawn tried to follow suit and copied his wide-eyed and overly serious facial expression.

“Right, right, of course, ‘dramatic effect’” She put her fingers up in air-quotes.

Scott tilted his head with a raised eyebrow.

“You are familiar the dramatic effect... I see you are also a lady of the arts.” He made sure to give the final part an extra spin with a whily tone and a classical movie accent. This earned him another bought of laughter.

As he sat there, watching her entertain his silly jokes, he felt good. This felt good.

“So how were you going to finish the story?”

Scott grinned and gave a shrug.

“I guess we’ll never know.”

Dawn rolled her eyes with a click of her tongue.

“You tease...”

“I would never.” His boisterous storytelling took a turn as he lowered his voice. Now this he was good at. This was more up his alley, not the butterflies in his stomach and the tingle in his hands.

Yet, his suave nature wasn’t enough to take her down as she only shook her head with another eyeroll. Was it just the way the light was hitting her or were her cheeks redder?

The idea of making her as flustered as he did that first night they met with stumbling words and unsure hands made his head feel lighter than all of the drinks at the bar combined. Thanks to the drinks already in his system, there was enough of a cloud in his mind to keep him from overthinking on that light-headed feeling she seemed to bring him.

“So would you say your boulder-running-training paid off? Have you managed to escape every single boulder you come across your work?” She mused in-between sips of her drink.

“Most certainly, absolutely paid off. Happens all the time as an archaeologist, you got lucky when you came to see me! I had already set off all the traps and outrun all the boulders from that place...” Scott made sure to give a casual shrug and dust his shoulders off.

Her grin was sickeningly infectious.

“Mmm, how kind of you! Very lucky of me, indeed.”

Oh, there it was again – that mischievous look across her face. A redness across her cheeks, a daze in her vision, and a smile, oh, what a smile. Sharp fangs and shiny teeth... Why did she look hungry for him? The room felt empty for a second with no one around but them. Why did she have to look at him like that? This must be the feeling you get as the rollercoasted you’re on is going up and up and up... So high you’re starting to wonder how much longer is left before the inevitable fall.

He’d been on hundreds of rollercoaster. So many, in fact, the exhilarating fall was no big deal to him now.

But not this one. This one was different.

“But enough about me.” Scott was quick to shake the blush off, hoping she wouldn’t notice. “You still haven’t told me what your old job was.”

“Mmm.” Dawn hummed with a drink up to her lips. “I’m aware.”

His eyebrows went up.

“Oh, so it’s intentional?”

“Fully.”

He shook his head with furrowed eyebrows.

“You’re making it seem like you were a spy or something.”

This gave Dawn an idea – a certain word that was exasperated earlier came to her mind... Dramatic.

Dawn theatrically turned her eyes from one side to the other, making sure to take an extra slow sip of her drink with a shifty look.

“Wait, were you?” His posture straightened. “Are you serious?” He leaned close to her, whispering in a worried tone.

She made sure to once again look left then right before leaning in closer. Their faces were just inches apart. He could smell the alcohol from her chapped red lips. The sight alone made him forget all about his questioning until her eyes zeroed in on him with an intensity.

“You promise not to tell anyone?”

Scott stuck his pinky out.

“Pinky promise.”

Despite the serious tone of the conversation, Dawn felt the edges of her mouth twitch into a smile. Her finger looked so much smaller compared to his.

“Your secret is safe with me.” He made sure to give her finger an extra squeeze for reassurance. All his focus was on her, the surrounding sounds and voices fading into a blur. So this must be what it feels to hang on someone’s every word.

“So... were you really a spy?” There was no hiding his nervous excitement.

Once again Dawn made sure to eye the room before leaning in so close their noses were almost touching.

“No.”

His jaw dropped. She threw her head back and fell into a fit of laughter before he could even respond.

“Oh, you should see the look on your face!”

“That was so rude, what the hell, Dawn! You made me pinky promise and everything!”

“I know, I know, I’m sorry!” She didn’t sound sorry – she was still laughing.

Scott was slowly joining in with his own grins and soft chuckles but still making sure to look as offended as possible.

“Yeah, you really seem like you’re regretting it.”

That made her laugh even more, filling his stomach with a sizzling warmth. His blurry eyes with a tipsy lens made the whole scene feel so domestic, like they were sitting on the sofa after work. Sharing a glass after dinner with dimmed lights and flickering candles, exchanging stories about the day and making up new ones to daydream about. It made the tips of his fingers numb and his ears burn hot...

‘Stop looking at her with googly eyes! Avert your eyes, turn the conversation, quick, quick!’

“I’ll tell you what.” He leaned back in his seat. She was wiping tears from her eyes with a leftover grin. “If I can beat you in a game of pool, you’ll tell me what you did for a job.”

There was a visible shift in her posture, straightening her spine with a twitch in her eyebrow and a smirk across her face. How was it possible to look so confident so easily? Scott had to bite his lip to focus on the topic at hand rather than letting his mind wonder.

“Either you’re very confident at pool, or you don’t care that much about what I did...” Her eyes narrowed with a growing curiosity.

He himself tried to remain as casual as possible, leaning back in his seat with one hand on the drink and another across the back of the chair. He absolutely was very confident at pool but if he didn’t show it, she might agree to his challenge. And luckily, there was no one around to tell her he played every single weekend since moving here...

“How about I sweeten the deal?”

Somehow, she looked even more excited now.

“Go on.”

Now it was his turn to shift his composure, leaning lightly to rest his elbows on the table. Dawn in all her grace and kindness followed suit, their faces just a few inches away.

He had to stay focused, focus, focus! Don’t look at her lips, don’t look at her eyelashes, do not move that strand of hair away from her face and tuck it behind her ear, do not. Do. Not!

“If you win, I’ll tell you why I moved here.”

There was a pause as she mulled over his words. It took every single bit of self-restrain on his part to remain as still as possible, like a gazelle caught in the gaze of a lioness – afraid to move, afraid to breathe as all she did was study his face, her deep slow breathing tingling across his eyes.

Her eyes were tracing all across, shifting from his eyes to his nose to his lips and his cheeks... Left-right, up and down, slow and deliberate with intend that made the back of his neck freezing cold but his cheeks burn.

“But you already said it was for work.” The statement felt like a trap placed at his feet, just waiting for him to trip and get his foot caught.

“Did I say that because it sounded convenient or because it was the truth?” Lucky for him, he’d watched enough movies to know how to avoid traps and sail gracefully through the lava-filled floor with his hat still firmly placed across his nicely-gelled hair.

“Oh, is that so?” He had her... “So do you have a habit of spinning the truth to make it convenient?” Aaaaand down he goes, too busy looking at his feet to notice the ceiling collapsing.

Apparently, this ‘deer-in-headlights’ look was too much for her to handle as she burst out laughing, breaking the suffocating tension and lifting the heavy rocks off his chest.

“I’m just messing with you again.”

Scott covered his face with his hands.

“You have got to stop doing that..” He groaned through closed fingers.

“You just make it too fun for me.” There was a hint of amusement left but something in her words made his lower back tingle.

“So is that a no?” He uncovered his face to find her already standing by the table with her hands on her hips.

“You’re on.”

~~~

Scott didn’t think of himself as competitive: he was never one to aim for the perfect score, not once did he pout or snap when he would lose, always made sure to keep the sportsmanship spirit alive and well. No, he wasn’t competitive.

But this wasn’t competition.

This was survival.

Every inch of skin felt like it was crawling with creepies, hairs standing on the edge, fingertips itching to scratch away at the surface. Every single brow twitch of hers made him question his decisions, his curve of the ball, the angle of the pool stick.

This was Hell!

And yet somehow, despite his herculaen efforts at maintaining a cool and calm composure, she seemed almost effortless with her peace. No whispering threats, no invasive thoughts, no worrying about image or victory... How unfair is this?!

Little did he know about the mindless whirlwind happening inside her head, with swirling thoughts of pride and ‘professionalism’, with keeping a steady hand as to preserve the presumably positive idea he had of her. It was lucky she was a bad pool player to begin with because the shaking in her hands would’ve only thrown her off even more than the wobbliness of her knees.

Two players carefully formulating their strategies, two people deep within their own thoughts...

Two idiots too paranoid to just say what the hell they want to say.

Click

Another satisfying sound of hard resin colliding before the deep resonating roll down the wooden insides of the pool table.

“Mmm, I love that sound. Don’t you?” Dawn took the opportunity to grin at a frowning Scott. “Ah wait, you wouldn’t know.. You don’t hear it that often.”

“Careful there..” Scott said in a low tone, a poor attempt at intimidation.

That seemed to have the opposite effect, a striding Dawn making her way to him. Right as he was about to line up a shot, a distractingly-shaped shadow loomed over the table.

‘Focus, Scott, focus! You can do this, you can make this shot, don’t let the siren pull you into the sea! You can see the lighthouse, c’mon man!’

His palms felt so sweaty already, the obvious heat from her body right by his side wasn’t helping. But his eyes remained locked on the pool table, doing his absolute best not to lift his gaze.

Though his hands were starting to shake, he somehow managed to line the shot with a graceful lean. And just as he was about to hit the ball...

There was a weight across his back and a tingle down his neck.

“Careful there.” She whispered his words right by his ear in what can only be called the most un-sportsmanship manner.

His whole frame froze, stiff as a board. What would’ve been a beautiful shot was reduced to a sad ‘thunk’ with the ball barely moving.

Dawn burst out laughing.

“Oh, that was incredible, Scott! Just what I wanted to see!” Her weight was now gone from his back, leaving behind another ghostly imprint. What before was a warm comfortable sweat was now ice-cold with chills still spreading down his spine. Scott instinctively tugged at the sleeves of his shirt in an attempt to chase the cold.

“That was cheating! You scoundrel, you devilish woman!” Her head once again flew back in a fit of laughter. As tempting as it was to join in, he did his best to remain stoic and as ‘furious-looking’ as possible.

“Hey, we never said this was a clean game!”

“Oh, so if it’s not specified from the start, you take it to mean you can bend the rules?” He moved his hands to his hips to appear more threatening. But with his blond hair ruffled and tilted to the side, his cheeks flushed and lips raw, it certainly wasn’t working. The couple of buttons loose across his untrimmed chest were certainly not helping the situation.

Now it was Dawn’s turn to look away and prepare for a shot.

“What can I say? I’ll do whatever I can to win.” Her hair hid the smirk on her lips, eyes focusing on the next shot.

Just a few more and she’d have him, just had to keep up the good work. Don’t get distracted, don’t get carried away...

Her body tensed as she lined the hit; now that she had distracted him, it was time to prepare to be fully distracted by him. Maybe he would do something similar, maybe instead he would knock the table or spill a drink. Maybe he’d snake an arm around her waist, whatever trick he had up his perfectly folded sleeve, she had to be ready!

Any second now...

But instead of the expected distractions, all Scott had to do was lean on the table opposite her shot, right across from her with his delicately sculpted fingers gripping the corners, shoulders and forearms tensing at his weight. And, of course, his shirt just so happen to have an extra button undone. Was his hair always this nicely done? How did he manage to make it look so nonchalantly elegant, shaping his cheekbones like a frame sits around an art-piece? The way the soft bar lights danced across his body, eyes half-lidded yet so firmly fixed on her, chest rising ever so slowly up and down with such a delicate movement, this image in itself was sinful enough to be worthy of preserving for an eternity. What more could she ask for? How greedy would it be to ask for more?

“Dawn.” Oh, now this was a crime, how softly he said her name.

“Yes?” She replied barely above a whisper.

“Take your shot.”

Now it was his turn to smirk, a proud grin plastered across his face. He knew exactly what he was doing. Oh, that bastard...

Dawn hoped her hair hid her enormous blush. Now this was cheating!

The collision of the pool cue with the ball felt like a gift from above. Scott’s grin dropped.

“Ha! Want me to take my shot now, Doctor Jones?” She trotted over to him with a proud smile. Despite his disappointed head shake, he still squared his shoulders and lifted his frame to clearly underline the height difference between them.

“Easy there, Marion. We can keep this professional.”

“Can we?” She looked up at him, hands folded across her chest.

What is it they say about ‘liquid courage’? Toe to toe, chest to chest...

Scott’s hand slowly raised up and took a strand of her hair between his fingers. Without breaking eye-contact, he twirled it around his finger once, then twice, then thrice before gently taking her chin and resting his thumb right underneath her lips.

“Can we?” He echoed back at her.

A second too short would’ve left a lingering craving, a second too long would’ve been a wicked indulgence. But just a second enough for the world to melt around the edges of their eyes, nothing but the person across.

All other thoughts melted for Dawn, everything scared off as soon as Scott’s warm touch was felt. And once again, somehow once again, he managed to touch in a way that made her brain short circuit and turn all the lights off. Nothing upstairs, not a single thought besides this! This, this, this! It was shameful how parched he made her feel, the embarrassing thirst there was just for this seemingly innocent touch. The power this man held was disgusting yet how innocently he used it, how sparing he was with this command. How kindly he used it against her was what sealed the deal.

While her brain was completely blank, his on the other hand was running a thousand miles an hour. Normally, he was so good at this. Now this he was good at! He’s usually so smooth, so suave, so natural at this entire dance! He was the one in charge, the one leading the steps and setting the tempo, navigating the pace and maintaining the distance, his distance. There was a time that this was a calculated tango to which only he knew where it lead, where he wanted it to lead. And where to end. Where to draw the line, take a bow, and exit the dance-floor. It was a familiar routine, one he had tried and tested, perfected and maintained. One that he eventually got sick off, that exhausted him more than any actual dance. One that he left behind and didn’t make room for in his suitcase when he came here.
And while it felt so familiar to follow in those same footsteps, the routine was completely different this time. This time, there was no lights, no crowds, no judges. No one to watch his dance but him. And her. And how she watched, oh, how intently she watched, like every single step from him could make-or-break her very nature. Maybe it could. But maybe he didn’t want it to. Maybe it could break him too... But maybe he wouldn’t mind it as much.

Just maybe...

Just when it was beginning to feel like indulging in the sweetness, just when he would’ve normally leaned in and broken the spell with a kiss, he unwrapped his fingers from her hair and simply let his hand fall back down.

Almost like on command, Dawn seemingly snapped back into her own head, taking a shaky breath in... and out.

Scott grinned; as kind as he was, he couldn’t help but abuse his power once in a while.

“Good girl.” He muttered, his tone just as hungry as his words.

Dawn let out an involuntary groan, rubbing her face with shaking hands to try and wipe the memories of the moment.

It didn’t work.

“Shut up and take your shot.” She grumbled through her fingers as a laughing Scott.

“Whatever you say, darling.”

“Shut up!”

~~~

One shot after another, with each point and each chance to change the game dwindling, the cheating tactics and attempts at distraction lessened until both were fully focused. One ball left on each side, the tavern nearly empty, the pressure was on. Or was it?

There was only so much Scott could stall. Only so long he could twist his shots and curve the pool cue, only so many times he could say ‘one more for the road’ before it was time to fold. As much as he wanted to prolong the evening, as much as he didn’t want it to end, he knew it had to. There was only so much he could indulge.

With a final merciful hit, Dawn managed to hear the soft echo of the billiard ball falling down the pool table labyrinth. She won.

Despite the late hour and the amount of drinks they both had, she still had her energy.

“I did it! I can’t believe it, I actually did it!” She cheered with her hands in the air.

The weight of losing didn’t feel that heavy when victory looked so good on the opponent. Scott couldn’t help but smile and join her cheers.

“Congratulations, Marion. Victory well earned.” He extended a hand at her dancing frame.

“Woo-hoo! Suck it, Doctor Jones!” Dawn stuck her tongue out.

“Alright now, I see professionalism and sportsmanship has gone out the window!” He dramatically retracted his extended hand.

“No, wait, I’m sorry! I’m sorry, you’re right. That was a great game, Doctor Jones.” She tugged on his shirt with one hand and began shaking his with the other.

Even though her gesture was nothing but professional, the grip of her hand in his felt everything but.

“That’s better. Good game, good game.” Was this too long to shake hands? Was it too much to shake her hand with two of his? Perhaps it was time to stop now...

Just as he was about to pull away, she pulled him in.

“I won.”

Scott blinked at her mischievous smile.

“And? Would you like more of a ‘congratulations’?”

The implication of the question fell on deaf ears.

“And... I believe we had a bet.”

Now the lights clicked on for Scott as he groaned, pulling his hands to cover his face.

“Oh, we did, didn’t we...”

“Yes, we did!” There was no hiding the cheer in her voice.

Scott continued to groan into his hands.

“C’mon now, don’t tell me you’re not one to honour a bet, are you?” Her small hands tried to encompass his broad shoulders. There was just so much to dig in there for, it felt so easy to grip his biceps. The instinctive flex on his part made her nearly forget about the bet. Could just do this all night long...

Another groan as he pulled his hands away from his face only to find a smiling Dawn peering up at him. Oh, how easy it would be to just go for it. Wide-eyed and so stunningly inviting, it would be so natural to just follow the music. But her tune was different, hers was so much better to follow.

“Let me walk you home.” Scott mirrored her squeeze across his shoulders and immediately went to collect their things.

“But our bet-“

“I’ll tell you along the way, calm down!” He draped his jacket across her back without a question, threw an arm across her shoulders and began walking out before she even had a second to respond. Now this, this certainly felt natural. Much more than his usual ‘natural’.

“Shit, I forgot to pay. Wait for me outside, don’t go anywhere!”

Alright, maybe this was his ‘natural’.

It should’ve been warmer but the air had a surprising chill to it. Where there should’ve been leftover heat from the spring sun, there was only a biting cold. Must’ve been really late in the evening if there was nothing left from the day, the darkest time in the night. Time really does fly when you’re having fun.

While his jacket would normally hold residual warmth from his body, it was now just an extra layer of clothing against the wind. With the familiar scorch of the tavern gone and nothing left to cling onto, Dawn instinctively tried to bury as much of herself as she could in the coat before all the heat disappeared.

It didn’t take Scott long to walk out as well.

“Wow, it’s gotten cold out.”

“Do you want your—“

“Nope.” Without another word, his arm once again covered her shoulders, the other sitting by his side as his hand slid into his pocket.

There was no mistaking how comfortable the process felt at this point. How many times had he done this? Dawn was beginning to lose count. But as much as she enjoyed the familiar warmth, a part of her worried just how familiar that warmth was becoming. Should she really be getting this familiar with a person this quickly? She just arrived, it’s not even been a season and yet she was letting practically a stranger, albeit a handsome one, walk with her in the dead of night for a second time. They were beginning to make a habit out of this. But as much as she wanted to protest, this felt like a nice habit to make. Didn’t she escape Pokyo to start making nice habits? While this wasn’t what she had in mind, maybe it wasn’t one to avoid...

The silence between them felt just as comfortable as the gesture when Scott spoke.

“I didn’t move her for the job.”

Dawn looked up from the ground and away from her thoughts.

“C’mon, let’s be real – this isn’t really the place to go for a job. Unless you’re Surya or Pablo, or whatever. But if you’re an archaeologist? Nah, this really isn’t the place... I mean I’m the most senior person here, Dawn. Me! There’s so many people across the globe that are more qualified than me to lead digs and work at a museum. They could do a much better job than I could... Yet here I am. Not because I’m the best around but because I’m the only one around...”

His voice trailed off, only the sound of their slow footsteps to accompany the weight of his words.

Her hand went up to grab his.

“Don’t sell yourself short. You may not be the best in the world but that doesn’t mean you’re not good.”

Scott gave a distance smile and squeezed her hand back.

“Thanks, Dawn. But let’s be honest here – if there were other archaeologists around and they applied for this job, they would have probably gotten it over me.”

The extra weight across her shoulders meant his were slumped in a defeated fashion. This made her stop and turn to face him.

“So what?”

Scott blinked.

“Huh?”

“I said so what! So what if someone else would’ve gotten it over you?”

“This is a terrible pep-talk.”

“Let me finish!”

Scott gestured for her to continue.

“So what if someone else would’ve gotten it? They didn’t though, did they? You did. Doesn’t matter for what reasons you got but you did get it. Who cares what would’ve happened otherwise. What’s gonna happen now that you have it?”

He blinked again. Her words were beginning to seep in as his mind was work through what she said.

“W-well... I suppose you’re right...”

“Damn right I’m right.”

He raised an eyebrow with a stifled laugh.

“Sorry, too much.” She laughed at his response.

“What I mean is there’s no point in digging through alternative universes where other people with more qualifications applied or the best in the world suddenly decided this is where he’s going to focus instead of literally anywhere else. You can go around and around in circles that way for every single thing until you start retracting your own steps and start wondering why you’re not going anywhere else.”

Scott continued to bite on his lower lip as he was chewing through her words.

“What if I’d never moved her? What if my grandparents lived in one of the thousands of other islands across the world and their farm wasn’t here?” Dawn asked to which Scott gripped her shoulders with an iron hold.

“Don’t you say that. Don’t put those terrible ideas in my head!” He pressed his forehead against hers in an attempt to solidify her presence firmly.

Dawn laughed at that, pushing her head back against his and cupping his face. A gesture that at this point felt entirely his was now hers to use against him, and what a kind way she was using it in – her fingers felt so cold against his scorching skin, it was like a dive into ocean waters on the hottest day of the year. Her grip was so gentle, so careful with him, thumbs cautiously stroking his cheeks. Now he was beginning to understand why she froze up every time he did this. This was dangerous.

All thoughts disappeared under her fingers. This was so soothing, so calming. So enticingly welcoming. His head normally felt so heavy with thoughts. But she was now holding it so easily, like the weight of it meant nothing. Like he wasn’t heavy at all. Like he wasn’t a burden to hold.

For a moment, Scott felt a lump in his throat. His brows furrowed, shoulders lumped, deep breath out of his lungs. Doing his best to fight this heavy melancholic feeling, all he could do was close his eyes, lean into her touch and move his hands from her shoulders up to her hair, once again twirling his fingers in the strands.

No liquid courage, no bar music. No second too short or too long. Toe to toe, chest to chest, with everything beyond and in-between.

After what felt like an eternity of trying to chase away his sadness and trying his best not to question it, Scott opened his eyes only to find her already looking at him with the softness look. Something in her expression, the look of a stranger you barely know but know so well, an openness and vulnerability you’ve never looked for but suddenly found in the mysterious neighbour. Something about it made the cold give way to an unfamiliar warmth, a tingling sensation across his fingertips. He couldn’t help but laugh.

Dawn joined in as well, moving her hands to cover his and give them a reassuring squeeze.

“Sorry, Doctor Jones. No alternative universes here. You made your way here, I made my way here. Question isn’t we deserve it or not. Question is what we’re gonna do now that we’re here.”

Faces now pulled apart, both straightened their backs and took their hands back to their sides, the implications of her words taking up all the space between them.

“You’re very right, Marion.” He smiled. “Doesn’t matter that I’m not the best now. I will be.”

Dawn grinned.

“That’s more like it. Who’s gonna be the best archaeologist?”

“I am.”

“Say it again!”

“Alright, easy now. You’re a farmer, not a motivational speaker. We’re not at a confidence seminar.” Scott laughed.

Despite the lightness of his tone, there was a weight across her expression as she bit her lip left and right.

“Oh no, don’t be sad! I’m sorry, you’re a great motivational speaker!” He immediately began to rectify his mistake.

“You’re right, I’m not a motivational speaker. I’m not a farmer either, at least not yet.” Dawn replied.

“Yeah but you’ve only just started! And if you wanted to be a motivational speaker, you could do a great job! I’m sure if you just—“

“I’m an engineer, Scott.”

Scott once again found himself speechless, just being able to reply with a blink.

“Say again?”

“I said I’m an engineer.”

Scott mulled over her words.

“Riiiiight...”

At that, she couldn’t help but giggle.

“You don’t believe me?”

“Ah... Well no. I mean, not exactly!”

The combo of his reply and puzzled expression turned her giggle into a full laughter.

“Now hold on. Why would you be so secretive about being an engineer though? It’s nothing to be so sneaky about.”

“Not what I did but who I did it for.”

His eyes widened.

“Are you one of the engineer from the zombie movies? Is the company going to be responsible for the next outbreak?!”

All she could do was laugh.

“Stop laughing, I’m serious!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Unlike earlier in the evening, she did sound a bit sorry. But not enough to stop laughing.

“Not that kind of engineer. Remember how I said I’ve worked with archaeologists a lot?”

“Yeah?”

Dawn paused for a second, expecting him to put the pieces together. Scott only stared back.

“Alright, let me ask you this – when you find something really old and you want to find out exactly how old it is, what do you do?”

This seemed to jog his sobering mind.

“Well, we’d package it up safely and send it over to the lab—“ He cut his words short. His eyes widened at Dawn, who could only gesture in a ‘there you go’ manner.

“You worked as an engineer on the lab equipment?!”

“You could say that...” She took a deep breathe before speaking again, like the next part was difficult to say. All Scott do was stare dumbfounded. “I worked on the mass spectrometers for the biggest company you can think of.”

Somehow, his eyes widened more.

“You mean—“

“I do mean. I worked alongside Nathan—“

“Nathan? You mean Professor Gillian?!” Scott threw his head back in amazed laughter. “And you’re close enough to call him by his first name! The guy practically perfected the technique!”

“He was my project supervisor... And how I got the job in the first place, he needed an extra pair of hands.”

If his head felt any lighter, it would float away...

And yet she stood with slump shoulders and a chin glued to her chest.

“Why did you want to keep this a secret? Dawn, this is such an incredible achievement! You must be so stupidly talented to have done such a job with such a professional.” Just as he had calmed down, his eyes widened again. “Oh, and here I was complaining about what a loser I am at my job when I’m literally talking to one of the best! Oh, this is just great!” His hands went up to cover his face in an attempt to hide the massive redness across his cheeks.

“Why did you let me complain, Dawn?! I feel like an idiot!” He groaned.

“You shouldn’t! C’mon, please don’t say that, you’re not an idiot!”

“Compared to you, I am.”

Something in his tone made her demeanour drop even more, her expression so gloomy it nearly broke his heart in two.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way.”

In an attempt to lighten the mood, Scott put his arm around her back and give her a squeeze. Yet she still remained with her gaze to the ground.

“Why are you so ashamed of this?”

“Because I never wanted it!”

The answer seemed to surprise him so much, his hand floated off her body.

“I never wanted to do it! I just wanted to fix things, I wanted to learn how things work and how to fix them, I never wanted anything more! I didn’t care about the money or the papers and publications, or all the deals and hand-shakes! Scott, do you have any idea how many meetings I’ve had to sit through and grit my teeth and grin and just play nice?! I was the face of the team, so everything went to me! And I just wanted to help my parents out with their financial problems, buy them a nice house so they can live in peace but it ended up being so much more, so much worst!”

This was the longest Dawn had ever spoken without stopping, and it seemed like she really needed it, her chest rising up and down like she’d just ran a marathon. At this point, she wasn’t talking to Scott anymore but to the open air.

“All the corporate emails, all the stupid dinners and clients! The amount of times I had to just bite my tongue and just say whatever was needed, whatever the higher-ups needed me to say! You can’t complain, you can’t be honest, you can’t do anything but smile and do your job! Don’t take breaks, don’t go on holiday when there’s a project, and there’s always a damn project! Can’t take time off but can’t come to work sick either! Don’t be unhappy but don’t be too happy! And the money just kept rolling in, bonus after bonus every time I did what I was told, like a good showdog!”

“Money?... Dawn, are you rich?”

“That’s not important right now.”

Scott had the look of a fish out of water.

“And Nathan just kept telling me how I’d replace him one day, how I’d be even better than him! I was the future, I was going to be the head of the entire company, if I wanted to! And it got to a point where I looked at myself in the mirror, and all I could see what was they wanted me to be, not myself.”

Now it was her turn to grip his shoulders but with different intentions.

“Do you have any idea what’s it like to feel your years slip away between your fingers while you just sat passively in the drivers seat? I could’ve taken the wheel at any time but I didn’t, I just let the car drive on and on and on on it’s own, without a single attempt. Scott, I spend so long letting other people dictate my own life, I forgot who I was. I don’t—“ She broke eye-contact and looked down at the ground. “I don’t even know who I am anymore. It’s been so long that I forgot.”

What do you say to that? What do you say to someone who’s just spilled the entire contents of years worth of therapy appointments and diary entries? How do you comfort someone who can’t be comforted, who can’t feel better? Should you really? Is it right to try to chase away a feeling instead of leaning into it? It’s only human to hurt. To scream, to shout, to cry and to feel anguish. It’s also human to smile, to laugh, to love. To do it all in the span for 10 minutes. And even more human to do it with a complete and total stranger, and hope you’re not one by the end of the evening. And at this point, Scott definitely wasn’t.

“You’re Dawn.”

Her defeated expression shifted into a hurt laughter.

“Let me finish!” He copied her line before she could even begin.

“You’re Dawn. You’re the person who helped her parents, who left that crap job, and who took a massive risk to come here and start over. You’re the person who helps out a drunk stranger, who fishes things out of the trash and brings them to a museum.”

This time, her weak laugh sounded genuine.

“You’re the person who stayed and talked to me all night, who played pool, and who gave the most inspirational speech I’ve ever heard.”

Her eyes were now soft and warm, that same softness he’d seen all evening long. The same softness he hoped to keep seeing over and over again.

“You said so yourself, right? Doesn’t matter how we go here or why. We’re here now. What you gonna do about it?”

Both stood in silence for a second, smiling as the only sound around were the crickets.

“Thanks, Scott.” Her voice just above a whisper as she leaned in and wrapped her arms around his chest into a tight hug.

Her head fit so nicely on his chest, her small frame slotting between his arms so softly, it felt too cliche to even think about it. Even though they’d been close before, they’d never hugged before. Something about a hug was so innocent, so caring... Normally, he wasn’t much of a huger. But he’d be damned if he wasn’t one now.

His arms could cover such a large part of her body. If he wasn’t careful and pulled her in too tightly, she might almost disappear underneath him. Scott wasn’t a careful man.

His face buried instinctively into her hair, she smelled like alcohol and vanilla. Such a sweetly intoxicating aroma, no amount of drinks could make his mind feel this hazy, no amount of late-nights could bring him such quiet peace. So this is what feeling safe in someone’s arms feels like. This could easily become his new ‘natural’.

“Oof Scott.. Too tight, can’t breathe...” He barely heard her voice, so muffled like she was talking through a wall.

“O-oh! Sorry, sorry, sorry! Didn’t realize, my bad! Sorry!” Scott stiffed his frame, taking the expression ‘at arms length’ quite seriously and literally pushing her away from his grip.

The whole ordeal left her once again laughing, any trace of sadness squeezed out of her.

“We’ll work on it. Just give me a heads-up next time and I’ll move my head slightly so I can breathe.”

“Noted.”

Without thinking, Scott once again slung an arm over her shoulders and continued their walk. With the same automatic manner, Dawn wrapped an arm around his waist. Such an innocent and reciprocative gesture yet it left chills up his spine and made his entire body feel like it was crawling with ants. Goddess have mercy...

“You smell nice, by the way...” Scott mumbled.

“Oh, thank you! I don’t use this perfume often so glad to hear positive feedback.”

“Well, it’s nice... I like it.” Good thing he had a free hand to rub the back of his neck with, causing Dawn to grin.

“You smell nice too.”

“Oh? That’s good... What do I smell like?”

“Your cologne is citrus-y, very refreshing.”

Scott beamed.

“Awesome!”

“Your sweat also smells nice...”

“Wait, what was that?”

“Hey, that’s my house!” She sped up.

It was indeed her house – tiny, old, a little shabby. But with a fresh layer of paint, clean windows, and cleared path up to the porch. It made Scott wonder what she’d do with all the time in the world on her hands...

“It looks much nicer than the last time I was here.”

“That’s good! And it will look even better the next time.” She said with a smile. “You wanna see the inside?” Even before she finished the sentence, her face contorted into an awkward grimace at the implication of what she just said. It was obvious what an evening like this could lead to in normal circumstances. Normal for Scott, at least. But there weren’t normal circumstances, far from it. There were the new normal, the one he was looking for.

“I’m good, thanks though. Maybe another time.” Despite the decline in invitation, Dawn looked visibly relieved to be saved from the situation she had gotten herself into.

“Another time it is.” She replied as she walked up to her door.

“Thank you for walking me home. And thank you for a lovely evening. I had a great time, Scott.”

He couldn’t help but smile at the praise.

“You’re very welcome. Thank you as well. I had a great time too.”

It was so easy to keep talking, so easy to just stay where he was, ask her another and another and another question and just watch the dark sky melt into shades of golden and red before settling into a soft blue, only to remain still and repeat the process. So easy to do that and so difficult to pull his gaze away, to will his body to move.

“Have a good evening, Dawn. I’ll see you around.” Somehow, his feet began to move. Before they froze again.

“Wait, I just realized I didn’t honour the bet! I never told you why I came here.”

She hadn’t moved from the open door.

“That’s okay. Save it for next time.”

Goddess, what a smile. What a sight to look forward to.

“Next time then.” He turned with a wave. “Sleep well, Dawn.”

“You too, Scott.”

Dawn waited until his entire silhouette disappeared from view before she closed the door.