"Lower it in carefully please?" I leaned over his shoulder as he placed the propeller into the other completed parts of the drone.

"Nah, I'm just going to shove it in."

"Dorian!"

"Fine." He grunted, getting to it.

   It was finally done. Sure, it took nearly all day, but looking at the two completed Piccolissima replicas with their Camo Chameleon outer covering made everything worthwhile. Oddly enough, my junkyard tech merged with his from home had been able to work together and produce two, almost professional-like, drones.

   Who knew?

"I guess that's it, then?" Dorian asked, rising from the table he'd rested his both arms on.

   I scanned the messy table. "Well, we still have the remotes. But I think we can take one each for tonight?"

"Fine by me."

"Great."

   His eyes took in the garage like he was just noticing where he had been in hours for the first time. Not knowing what to do, I simply kept my stare on him, waiting for any reaction that was bound to arise.

"Huh." My gut curled into knots when his gaze finally rested on what had been uncovered by the hell-bound tarp that caused our earlier fall. "I didn't know you were, uh, really into comic books."

"Um, yeah," I mumbled, only now realising the tarp we'd fallen into was the one covering all my comic books. Yep, the comic shrine.

   There was no hiding the comic books I had collected into a pile over the years now anyway. Or my humiliated expression. This was one of the things I had taken extra-care to cover. Stupid tarp. I didn't dare think of kicking it again though.

   My still recovering butt wouldn't have even let me if I wanted to.

"May I?" He walked over to where the books had been laid.

"Sure." It's not like i could hide them now, anyway.

   Just my luck on whom my obsession would be revealed to.

   He reached to grab a handful of comic books splayed out on the tarp and took a seat on the floor.

"Oh, that's a good one." I joined him and glanced over his shoulder for a better look at the one top. "In this Seekers comic, the team has to stop a multidimensional wipeout of living beings. It does not end well. One of the rare occasions where they actually fail."

   I stayed silent for the next few minutes to allow him to flip the comic book's pages in peace but it was difficult holding my peace when he picked up and opened the pages of a different comic. Then another.

   What was that supposed to mean?

"I kind of get it." He looked up from his fourth comic with a smile. "Why you like them. They're actually interesting reads. Even though two whole pages of a particular one just had 'ZOONNNGGG!' written over it."

"Yeah." My body trembled with laughter at his terrible impression of the sound.

"So how come you've got so many?" Dorian questioned. "You must have spent forever collecting all these."

"Yeah, I've had them for as long as I can remember." I beamed. "I've been getting them from Mr. Shin, the old man you guys met the other day when we went to the store. Even though they're easier to get online nowadays, not going to his comic store at least once a week feels like all forms of wrong. And you know, it's cheaper."

"Whoa."

   I didn't have to stretch over his shoulder this time to see the new comic in his hands. The tips of my fingers already felt cold when my hands met them in a fist. I leaned over to retrieve the fifth comic book he held up.

"That's just manga." I hoped my chuckle was enough to downplay my chagrin. "It's just a little different. Here, um, let me just..."

   I chose to believe he didn't notice me shove it beneath and reinforce my seating stance for good measure.

"I could lend you the ones you're holding if you'd like," I offered. "The Seekers Comics! Not... manga."

   Not the one I'd taken from him anyway. But for the rest of the superhero comics, it was the least I could do for him not mocking something I really loved. Besides, he had convinced into believing he was ready to give it a chance.

"Really?" I faced shiny eyes when he turned to respond.

"Yes." Shiny, lush green eyes that reminded me of—

"You didn't have to. Thanks." His eyes returned to the comics he held.

   Stop being creepy and look away from him, Beth. You guys are done. Just say 'you're welcome' and kick him out already.

"Hey," I shot up the tarp filled floor we had made into seats. "Would you like anything? Water, a drink?"

   Kick me.

"Sure, I'll take a drink." He answered as he draped his backpack over the table to place the remaining device parts into it.

   After joining in to help him organise the parts he'd overlooked, we headed towards the kitchen.

"So," I said when we got there, walking to the fridge with the hope that we still had soda left. "What are you into? What's your thing?"

"My thing?" His lost gaze from the seat behind the counter I'd offered made me elaborate.

"Yeah, your thing." I shrugged as I handed him the soda can. "I mean, I like comics—"

"I saw."

   I would have taken offence to the teasing smirk that followed his statement if I hadn't made sure to shove extra comic book copies into his bag when he wasn't looking. We'll see who's laughing later in the evening.

"My thing would be the Robotics Club," he remarked like I should've known.

"Yeah, it must be fun being captain and everything but is that it? Nothing outside of school? Nothing fun?"

"Robotics is fun." He shifted in his seat with an uncomfortable look.

   I focused on the drink I had taken for myself. Silence replaced our conversation. This was not on me though. At least I tried.

"Okay... I mentioned music earlier today."

"Oh right, I forgot about that! So what genres do you usually prefer to play?"

"I try to learn every genre." He shrugged. "But... I also like, uh, stargazing, with telescopes and everything."

   I did not expect that. Judging by the look Dorian had on, I was certainly the newest of a really tiny circle of people who knew this hobby of his.

"That sounds really cool." And I meant it.

"Yeah, it is. Especia—"

   The bang of the kitchen door as it flung open against the nearest wall stunned Dorian and I to silence. The mirrored reflection of me twenty years from now scrambled through it, barely containing the countless bags in her hands.

"Beth, there you are! Could you..."

   My mother halted at the sight of the dark-haired boy sitting next to me in our kitchen. I could have sworn my eye just twitched.

   Crap.

   Normally, there wouldn't be any reason to assume the worst out of this situation. But this was Mum. Her jaw was dropped for goodness' sake.

"Mum," I gulped. "This is Dorian. Dorian, Mum. He's a, uh, friend from school. We had a..."

   Luckily, my hysteria didn't linger enough to go noticed because of what Dorian did next.

"A tutoring session." He rose from his seat and approached her still gaping frame. "Beth told me she has been having some problems in Electronics class so I offered to help. We just wrapped up, actually. Let me help you with that."

   He transferred the items Mum was holding into his arms with ease. After setting them on the empty counter before him, he walked back to her with an outstretched hand.

"Nice to meet you, Beth's mum. I'm Dorian Mathers."

"Nice to meet you too, Dorian." Mum murmured her reply.

   She couldn't even pretend to be normal towards Dorian's gesture. Could my chair just eat me up already?

   A nagging voice at the back of my head reminded me that her reaction could be because this was technically the first time I had had a boy over in a while. Okay, since my eighth birthday.

   Probably.

   I picked up the bag Dorian left in his seat and rushed to the two people I had dreaded meeting. It looked as though a conversation was going to spark up at any moment. Like hell.

"Now that you've met," I shoved his backpack into his hands. "As Dorian said, we're done. He has to go home so I'll just walk him out."

   With more strength than I thought I would have to muster, I gave a gentle push to his back till we went through the exit.

"Well, bye." I gave him a nod as we both stood on the porch, heading toward the door we'd just walked through.

"Beth, wait." He breathed, taking my hand.

   I managed to keep the gasp from my throat in check and act stoic from the impact of his grip which turned me to face him once more.

   Even though the familiar warmth from his hand was stronger than ever.

   What the hell?

"I just wanted to say thanks for today. I loved working with you. Even though your freak accident almost killed both of us." He let out a chuckle.

"You wish that was an accident." I scoffed. "Don't expect to get lucky next time. My methods would have become more refined by then so expect instant death. You're welcome for now though."

   The airy tone I had begun to recognize beneath his deep-voiced laughter sounded pleasant—when it was for me and not at me, anyway.

   The sound took me back to when I had pulled him down with me during my fall.

"I really hope you enjoy the comics," I said, a little too loudly.

   It did the job of stifling my out of control mind though.

"Me too. See you at the bunker tomorrow." He grinned.

"See you."I whispered a goodbye as he headed back the way he'd arrived.

   The pleasant heat persisted after he let go of my hand and in my mind even as he eventually disappeared from view toward the street on the next turn.

   But that couldn't eliminate my other concern that for some strange reason or reasons that he wasn't interested in letting anyone else find out, he hadn't been affected by the Virtuo glasses like every other Zavolonian present at the dance.

   Which still made him a liar and suspicious for reasons my mind was begging to discover and unravel.

Just like that, my hand turned cold.   

A/N: I hope you savor in these Dorian, Bath moments while you can cause the next chapters are just 😏

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