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“The circles under your eyes have gotten darker, haven’t they?”
Shulk felt Alvis’ finger against his cheek before he heard his velvety voice, his head snapping up to attention, greeted by another facet of Alvis centimetres from his face— his slight smile.
“U-Uh!?” Shulk pulled away, immediately, nearly crawling across the entire room from Alvis’ presence alone. The worst of it, was that Alvis barely looked affected. “Y-You-I-”
“Ontos,” Before Shulk could finish what amount of coolness he had left, he was interrupted by the stern voice of his uncle. “This isn’t the break room.” Klaus stood at the door frame to Break Room #2 , arms crossed over his chest, the loose fitting lab coat tightening around his shoulders. His weight loss was becoming ever-apparent.
“Um, but, I’m in Break Room #2 , aren’t I…?” The sign above the table Shulk was hunched over was bright red, each letter larger than Shulk’s head.
Klaus glared at him, walking farther into the room, acting as if he was breaking an invisible tape in order to enter. “It is not the proper break room for our team. This is where the rabble eat, as you can see, by how empty it is.” Shulk almost piped up, stating that it wasn’t empty for he was here, but Alvis quickly shut him up from further embarrassing himself in front of his uncle.
“I was merely exploring. A processor is to process, no?” Alvis was a few inches shorter than Klaus’ hulking form, and he even had to tilt his head slightly in order to address Klaus, yet Alvis never stood back in fear. “I have seen Mythra enter this room a few times during her break. She claims they have better coffee.”
Shulk’s eyes immediately went to the corner, where the coffee pot sat in the corner, covered in dust and with an ‘OUT OR ORDER’ sign taped on the front.
“ That salvaging brat ,” Klaus hissed under his breath, loud enough for both Alvis and Shulk to hear. “The designated break room is provided for a reason, Ontos. You are not to leave the parameters of the research team’s facilities without my approval.”
On the turn of his heel, Alvis turned to Shulk with his same, easy smile. He was barely affected by Klaus’ words— outright ignoring them— making Klaus’ face turn nearly pink with anger.
“Good luck on your work, Shulk,” Alvis gave Shulk a curt nod, bidding his farewell, pushing past Klaus and walking out the door. Shulk could barely register the interaction, feeling his chest tense at Alvis’ attention. He had a moment to catch the way the fluorescent lights caught Alvis’ nametag against his chest, Alvis Ontos, Trinity Processor #1 .
Clearly, Klaus wasn’t happy about this. But he had nothing more to say, walking out the door without even so much as a glance in Shulk’s way.
Shulk had become accustomed to the quiet Break Room #2 over the past year he had spent studying here, much larger than the other break room that he was apparently not allowed inside, despite no keys or identification required for him to go inside. It wasn’t like he wanted to, after all, Klaus’ presence was already oppressing enough in the car ride home. Shulk knew his father wanted to patch things up with his brother, but it was becoming futile with how often Klaus would drive off without saying goodbye to Shulk or even offering to say hello to his brother. He had no idea why Klaus even bothered in the first place.
As much as Shulk wished those dark circles were because of his uncle and the situation he had been forced into due to Shulk failing his driver’s test 3 times— rather, it was because of Alvis. Shulk had met Alvis a year ago, when he was first accepted in the building under visitor’s permission, and Klaus’ research partner, Galea, gave him a brief tour of the facility. Shulk was told to stay in Break Room #2 and was told where the bathroom was, and how to get a hold of someone who can contact Klaus on short notice (except each and every time, it was Galea who picked up the call), but Shulk was left in the dark for the most of it. Shulk would’ve thought Galea as Klaus’ secretary if it wasn’t for her nametag, or for the fact Alvis had come up to her, interrupting their tour to ask Galea a question. Shulk didn’t think much of the interaction then, he wasn’t going to listen to confidential information regarding a research project he had little to no knowledge about (but an extreme amount of interest). But Shulk had seen Alvis a few times since then, no formal introduction until a few months ago.
Shulk was finishing up his first-year in university, his classes merely a 5-minute walk away from the research facility his uncle worked in. This was how the carpool was set up, much to both Klaus and Shulk’s dismay. Shulk wasn’t even sure why Klaus agreed to it in the first place, since Shulk had to sit around most days for hours on end until Klaus was done for the day, the sun had set, and they were to drive home. Shulk had dread the days when he had to wait here for Klaus to finish, feeling like an elementary school child finishing up on his addition homework rather than the engineering and physics work that made his head split. The people who did manage to stay later than necessary and take one last donut or bagel from the cafeteria were nice folks, Shulk rarely spoke to them but they made sure to keep their voices down, even though Shulk wore noise-cancelling headphones. A few, especially a young man named Rex, had struck up a conversation with Shulk, but for the most part, he was alone in this breakroom.
Of course, that was until Alvis.
Alvis had started visiting the breakroom a few months ago, alongside the aforementioned Mythra who usually waited around for someone until their break was over. Alvis, perhaps because they had met that one time almost a year ago, had taken interest in Shulk’s work and Shulk himself. They didn’t usually speak much or for very long, due to the short time they were allotted for both their break and before Klaus’ bloodhound nose began to sniff them out. But that didn’t stop Alvis from popping in every now and again.
Or from Shulk developing a crush.
It popped out of nowhere and with little to no warning, but had become apparent when he spoke to Melia about Alvis one day, and she told him how much he looked like Reyn when he spoke about Sharla.
And now, Shulk spent sleepless nights thinking about Alvis. He struggled to finish his to-do list for exams when Alvis was somewhere in the building, The ‘Trinity Processor’s’ break wasn’t consistent in the slightest— a few days ago Alvis had sauntered in a few minutes after six and today, it was nearly eight— so Shulk constantly felt on edge for when Alvis would appear out of nowhere. Somehow, it seemed to always coincide for when Shulk was in a focused state, much like today, and Alvis would find some way to press his cool hands against Shulk’s skin. It would be horrific, if not for how much Shulk yearned for more.
“Focused, aren’t you?”
Though Shulk had a knit turtleneck and a vest on his shoulder, he still felt the weight on his shoulder like it directly touched him, and he felt his soul leave his body.
“A—Alvis!” Shulk squeaked, and then, he cleared his throat. “Wh— What are you doing back here?”
See? Always when Shulk was focused. Even if his focus was on Alvis himself.
Alvis tilted his head in a half-shrug, a ring of keys dangling from one of his finger, alongside Shulk, who was wrapped around it. “I’m off for the night. Your uncle asked me to take you home, he’s gonna be here for a few more hours.”
That quieted the butterflies. Shulk frowned, his composure almost entirely recovered. “What? Are you sure?”
“Merely an act of kindness. You don’t want to be waiting around here until midnight again, do you?”
Shulk grimaced, and began cleaning up his work. Klaus had at least one midnight night every week, and Shulk was still recovering from the last one.
But, as Shulk was pushing his notes and scrap pieces of paper into his backpack, Alvis peeked over the table and pointed to one of the papers Shulk poured over the last hour. “What are you currently learning, Shulk?”
Shulk grabbed the paper and studied it. He sighed and handed it to Alvis. “It’s just chemistry. It’s review from one of our earlier classes in the semester, I barely remember it.”
Alvis’ pensive look over the sheet lasted for a few seconds, before he handed the paper back to Shulk. “Is that why you have written down the same equation multiple times?”
“W—Well, yes…” Shulk flushed. Alvis was Shulk’s age, yet he already had a position at one of the most elite astrophysics facilities and military bases in the world, and in one of the most secretive teams. He didn’t need one of the smartest child prodigies on Earth telling him how dumb he was. “It just wasn’t making much sense to me, you see…” Didn’t help either that this was one of the weeks where Alvis first made his appearance, and Shulk was in the deep end of denial.
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Shulk.” Alvis smiled, and as Shulk hulked his backpack on his shoulders, turned to walk out of the breakroom. “I was merely remarking. You and your uncle have similar weak areas.”
The comparison sat uneasily in Shulk’s stomach. Ever since he was a child, his father would delight in the similarities between his brother and his son, down to the fact Shulk looked more like Klaus’ child than his own. Not that his father and Klaus looked very different. His father’s position in the military never interested Shulk, rather it was the short times Shulk got to glance into Klaus’ work that made Shulk’s eyes sparkle with interest. But as Klaus became increasingly distant in the family and Shulk grew, those comparisons would appear more when Shulk would frustrate his father, rather than a time of praise. It rarely happened, but as Shulk spent more time in Klaus’ world and was studying something very close to what Klaus did, it would show up more and more.
“Guess it runs in the genes,” Was all Shulk could utter as they left the breakroom, and into the linoleum halls, passing a few of the cleaners.
“I made you uncomfortable, I apologise.” Alvis spoke before Shulk could even take a deep breath to push down that feeling.
“N—No! You didn’t!”
Alvis smiled. “You went quiet. I presume you were lost in thought about your uncle.”
It was hard to lie to Alvis, so Shulk sighed. “He isn’t exactly the ideal person to be compared to.” Shulk grumbled, hand tightening around one of his backpack straps.
Alvis laughed, in spite of Shulk’s tension. Shulk realised how little he heard that sound come from Alvis. “Mythra says something along the lines of him having a stick up his anus.” Shulk couldn’t help but laugh, too. “He is an impeccable researcher, but he makes the workplace unpleasurable to most of his colleagues.”
“You work directly underneath him, right? Moreso than Mythra and, um… Logos?”
The smile on Alvis’ face lessened, but didn’t disappear completely. “Malos. Yes. I work closely with both Mythra and Malos, but all of my reports go to Klaus directly. Even Galea doesn’t see many of my reports.”
Shulk had no experience in work, let alone such a political place as this facility, his father’s position in the military and his mother’s in the medical field never required Shulk to work— outside of the drill camps he would be sent to during summers in high school. It was more confusing than what he thought to be necessary— at least through all the verbal abuse he’d suffer at the hands of his commander, he knew there were no secrets between him and his fellow officers.
“Sounds like a problem,” And Shulk was ever so grateful he didn’t have to deal with that, yet . “But, you seem to never say anything bad about him, outside of what Mythra says.”
They entered the parking garage, where Klaus car sat not so far away from the one that lit up upon Alvis pressing a button on the key fob. “I don’t find it necessary to develop an opinion on him. I do my work, and head home. That is all.”
“You live with Mythra and… Malos, right? In the employee apartments?”
Alvis opened the door to the driver’s side, and Shulk tried not to awkwardly fall in himself. It was a nice car, a black with purple accents on the outside, with matching leather seats. It looked like a car straight out of a magazine, and Shulk had never been too interested on what was outside of the car, rather what was inside, but even he had his jaw on the floor when he had seen the way it looked from afar. Or from the way it purred when Alvis started the ignition.
“That’s correct,” Alvis said, like he was a preschool teacher. Or one of Shulk’s lecturers. “The apartments small, but I find them adequate for residing in. Malos is less impressed by them, he often calls them ‘shoeboxes’.”
Shulk could only imagine. It was part of the reason why he declined living in a dorm and still lives with his parents. He had nothing against small living confinements, but they were sometimes a little too much to bear. He had begun to regret the decision, since living in one of them would allow him to escape ride homes with uncle Klaus. But he did meet Alvis…
“So long as you are comfortable,” Shulk shrugged, leaning back into the seat. Alvis drove out of the parking lot and out onto the street.
The conversation ended there, and while Alvis seemed comfortable in the silence, Shulk shifted uncomfortably. Maybe it was just because it was only the two of them, without the watchful eyes of Klaus on their back. Shulk could spend as much time as he wanted with Alvis, and yet, he was clamming up.
“Do you mind if I turn on some music?” Shulk had to drive out his anxiety somehow, lest his hands start pooling the car and drowning them both from his sweat. “Looks like there’s a CD in here.”
Alvis nodded. “Whatever you please.”
Shulk pressed CD and ‘play’, and the soft droning of a familiar artist Shulk couldn’t quite put his finger on until the chorus began, when it clicked.
“You listen to Mitski?” Shulk remembered Fiora listening to this on repeat a few years ago, to the point Reyn began humming her songs at work, despite how critical he was of ‘Fiora’s boring music’.
“Hmm.” Alvis’ smile came back to his face, and he looked to Shulk from the corner of his eye. “You listen to this artist, as well?”
“Not exactly,” Shulk sat back in his seat. “My friend does, or did, a lot, and I remember this song from when she did.”
Alvis perked up at the mention, and swiftly he said: “This friend, do you have feelings for her?”
“Mmmhmm.” Shulk hummed, before the question registered. “I— I mean— wait— I— no! She’s just a friend!”
At least, she was just a friend now . Shulk used to harbour a similar crush to his one on Alvis with her, that was until he learned that this Mitski playlist was because of another girl. Shulk figured they were better as friends, anyway.
Alvis laughed again. “I was only inquiring.” Alvis slipped back into silence for a few more moments, allowing Shulk to recover, but not for long before he asked again: “Do you prefer male accompaniment, then?”
“I— Alvis—”
“Hm?”
Shulk was glad they were both steeped in darkness, for Alvis couldn’t see how hot and flustered Shulk had become. “I like both.” Shulk managed, luckily without more spluttering.
All Alvis could provide was a hum in thought. “I ask because Mythra has recently told me about a male friend. Malos told me that they seem more than ‘friends’, and so, I wonder if due to biological processes, male and females who say they are ‘friends’ are more than such.” Alvis spoke with the same casual lilt in his voice, as if he was reporting research data rather than gossip, but Shulk supposed, in Alvis’ case, he really was reporting data. “However, Malos speaks about a friend of his in much a similar way to Mythra. And Mythra told me about this friend, a male, much like Malos.”
Shulk frowned. “Is this sort of thing… Unfamiliar to you, Alvis?”
A crack in Alvis’ visage, or rather, a tense grip on the steering wheel as they whirred past streetlights and merged onto the highway. “Yes. I’m unfamiliar with feelings of… Romance, as I recall Mythra calling it. Malos is merely two years older than both I and Mythra, but we are all child prodigies. I haven’t had a friend until I came to the World Tree Research Facilities, you see. Let alone a ‘lover’, so to speak.”
“Yet, you speak of Mythra and Malos’ perspective like… Like they’re sufficient for you. So, why do you bring this up to me?”
Alvis didn’t speak for some time, eventually the Mitski CD came to an end and they were merging off the highway, however Alvis pulled over in a nearby Wal-mart parking lot. Perhaps he had to pick something up.
But Alvis didn’t get out of the car, instead, he turned off the ignition and turned to Shulk.
“May I be frank with you, Shulk?” Alvis’ smile was nowhere to be seen, instead, a focused look shimmered in his blue eyes, causing Shulk to nod like a deer caught in the headlights. “I present to you a theory, you are free to deny and provide your counter to it as you please. But I ask you to wait until I am presenting you my own evidence.”
Shulk nodded. Alvis always had a cryptic way of speaking, but he usually wasn’t so… Robotic, he assumed. He wondered if this what it was like working with him,
“You have a ‘crush’ on me, or rather, romantic feelings for me.” Alvis said, flatly, without breaking eye contact, even as all the blood rushed away from Shulk’s head. “I provide you with two points of evidence— whenever I speak with you, you stumble over your words and when I am with you like this, you stare at me.” Alvis’ surgical way of dissecting Shulk’s own soul was— well, if Shulk were to speak like Reyn— downright nutty, but Shulk found it… Well…
“At first, I thought you disliked me. I noted to Mythra that it seemed like you were trying to avoid speaking to me, perhaps I unsettled you due to my proximity to your uncle.
“But, when she observed our conversations, and I observed hers with her male friend— of whom I believe you know— it seemed like there were, instead, romantic feelings behind your interactions with me. Mythra, as well as Malos, signed off on my speculation and theory. Now, all that is left is your agreement.”
Shulk felt like dying. Maybe Alvis would agree to letting Shulk out of the car, and running Shulk over with his car a few times. Just for good measure.
Alvis’ face remained stark, stationary, but a hand rested on the console between them. Shulk had no idea what Alvis was trying to say here.
“I apologise that I put you in a… difficult place. However, this theory has been giving me sleepless nights. I find it difficult to focus on my work because of this.”
Shulk’s body finally began to loosen from the shock— from the sudden adrenaline that stopped him in his tracks, and it began to dawn on him. This clearly was… Well, these feelings somehow had the same affect on Alvis as they did on Shulk.
“Well,” Shulk cleared his throat, though his body finally loosened to allow his mouth to speak, his brain still had yet to catch up. “I… Well…”
“As I said before, you are free to decline my theory. If that is the case, I apologise. I just wanted to confirm for the sake of our friendship.”
Shulk smiled, or, he tried to. He probably looked pained, or like he needed to go to the bathroom. “Alvis— I— You are… correct…” Shulk swallowed, looking away from Alvis in that moment, and out onto the parking lot ahead of them. “I do have feelings for you.”
Alvis was quiet for long enough to catch Shulk’s attention, allowing him a moment to catch the same smile on Alvis’ face…. Well, it wasn’t quite the same, at least, not really—
But Shulk didn’t have much time to dwell on the details, for the information overload that was to come caused another short circuit in his brain. Alvis’ cool hands on both sides of Shulk’s face, and his lips pressed against Shulk’s. He couldn’t help the embarrassing sound that left his throat at the sudden gesture, or the way he melted into the kiss and pressed his own hand against one of Alvis’ arms.
“Interesting,” Alvis whispered, pulling away for a brief moment before Shulk pushed forward once more. The console between them was annoying, but Alvis disregarded it, pushing even closer to Shulk, allowing Shulk’s hand to fall down to the dip of Alvis’ waist. Shulk had a fair few of kisses, not many but this wasn’t his first, but he was sure this would be Alvis’ first… And Shulk could almost sense that, if not for Alvis’ boldness by pressing the tip of his tongue against Shulk’s, asking for entrance.
Shulk allowed entrance, and their tongues danced together, Alvis’ more greedy than Shulk’s somehow. Shulk’s hand was exploring, but not too much, rubbing up and down the length of Alvis’ waist as Alvis’ hand threaded into Shulk’s hair.
It was a little too much all at once, Shulk didn’t want to let go, his hand gripping onto the fabric of Alvis’ jacket. But he wasn’t so sure how he’d feel about his first time, especially with Alvis, being in a Wal-mart parking lot.
Shulk was the first to pull away. “Alvis,”
“Hmmm?” Alvis smiled, and had it not for how pleased he looked, he looked as perfect as ever. “Is this not to your liking?”
Shulk shook his head, quick and perhaps a bit too fast— his brain feeling like rocks stuck in a can. “N—No. It’s, uhm, everything I wanted for months. I just…. Don’t think we should go further than this… Here.”
Alvis considered Shulk for a moment, perhaps thinking of a reason why they should , but he relents, pulling away from Shulk to his dismay. “Perhaps you are right.” The car purrs back to life, and Shulk noticed a pleased smile on Alvis’ face. “Let me take you home.”
They pulled out of the parking lot, where Shulk probably couldn’t look towards without thinking Alvis ever again, and back onto the road towards Shulk’s house. He pressed his hand against his chest, trying to quel the beating of his heart. If Alvis noticed, he didn’t say anything, continuing their drive in a now comfortable silence.
That was, until Shulk found a surge of confidence and asked: “Wait, where did you learn how to kiss like that!?”
A mischievious smile graced Alvis’ features, and he turned his head. “I may be merely a data processor, but I am a more than capable researcher, too.”
Shulk didn’t get a chance to ask more questions, for they pulled up in front of Shulk’s house. Shulk turned to Alvis, perhaps to get a kiss goodbye, just one more— but Alvis opened his door and got out of the vehicle. Shulk quickly pulled himself together and got out, to be met by a very tall man that Shulk would’ve mistaken for Reyn based on physique alone, had it not been for his jetblack hair.
“Have fun, pipsqueak?” Logos, or as Alvis called him, Malos, stood face to face to Shulk with a grin Shulk could almost describe as evil before him.
“L—Logos!” Shulk squeaked, living up to his nickname. “Wh—What are you doing here?”
A pair of keys flung against Malos, and would’ve hit the side of him had he not raised a hand to catch them swiftfully. “I borrowed his car,” Alvis spoke up from in front of the car, hand on his hip. “He must have received a ride from Mythra to your house.”
Malos rolled his eyes, stuffing his keys into the pocket of his hoodie. “You owe me one, Alvis. Girl’s got the worst fucking taste in music, ever .”
Shulk paused. “So, that Mitski CD was…”
“Mine? Fuck yeah. Paid a pretty fucking penny for it too. Stupid ass resellers trying to sell Mitski CDs like they’re made out of fucking diamonds.” Crossing his arms over his chest, Malos gestured towards his car, eyes locking with Alvis’. “I hope the two of you cleaned up after yourselves.”
Shulk’s entire body became hot. “W—We just kissed!! We didn’t do anything like— like that!”
Malos grinned. “Guess Alvis’ theory was correct. Galea owes me $30.”
Alvis barely reacted to Malos’ abrasive personality, pushing between the two to look Shulk directly in the eyes. “I went against Klaus’ orders and brought you home. I presume he will be calling your father once he catches wind we went missing, so I urge you to intercept the call before its too late.”
But, all Shulk could do was stare. He had heard rumours about the Trinity Processors, but only Alvis had lived up to those rumours… Yet, in a way, he didn’t, what with how caring and unsuspecting he was. Especially when hunting a prey like Shulk. “O—Okay.”
“W—Wait!” Shulk shook his head as Malos and Alvis stood in front of their car doors. “Alvis, you—”
“Don’t mention it.” Alvis smiled. “I will see you tomorrow, Shulk.”
They climbed into the car, and with a smile from both Alvis and Malos, though one was more sinister than the other, they drove off, leaving Shulk standing in front of his porch with his jaw still on the sidewalk. And feeling a little in love.