ANGELEYES, dbh connor

FORTY

━━━━━━(●'ω｀●)━

IN THE EARLY HOURS of the morning, with a thick blanket of a dark sky resting above you and the occasional fall of snowflakes as your only company, you find yourself standing in front of a familiar house.

It's a little messier than how it was last you saw it ━ the beautiful front hedges aren't as crisply cut, the gravel stone path is overflowing over to the snow-covered grass, and the entirety of the driveway is snowed in, with a set of deep-set tire marks marring it.

Still, it warms your thirium pump to be here after all this time. It feels like forever has come and gone since you've seen his face, though it's been less than six hours.

You raise one hand and tap it against the white front door, knocking quietly. Through the top, glazed window you see the faint glow of an inside light. Momentarily, you wonder why he's awake so early in the morning.

Your internal clock tells you it's just after 3 AM. What could a human like him be doing so early? But it's so distinctly him that even that has you smiling to yourself like some crazy person.

The soft patter of footsteps sound from down the hallway, rushing quickly.

In the next moment, the front door quietly squeaks open, shaking on its hinges. You stare, a little wide-eyed, as that familiar face of his pokes out from the side of the door. He blinks at you in stunned silence for a moment as his lips slowly part and his jaw drops.

He looks just as handsome as he did some five hours ago, not that you're surprised ━ when it comes to humans, not much can change in that time. But for your people, everything changed. Crazy, right?

His hair is slightly messier than usual and his eyes are a little sleepy. They droop downward at each edge and there's a hazy, dream-like gleam to them that makes him look impossibly attractive like he's no more than a figment of your imagination.

Beyond that, the shock on his face has his pretty pink lips forming a pout, and the shirt he wears is loose and lazy. It hangs off his collarbones and reveals the broadness of his shoulders.

You gulp, needlessly.

"Connor," you say quietly. Softly.

He opens his mouth to speak but then promptly shuts it. You give him a moment to gather his thoughts as the sound of his racing heart fills your senses ━ and in those moments that pass, his eyes flicker across every inch of your face.

He drinks up your warm expression.

"Y/N," he settles on, finally. "You did it. You... I was just watching the news, I mean... You're really free. All of you."

"I know," you smile slightly, suddenly feeling a little shy. "It wasn't just me, though. Everyone played their part, even you."

Connor's lips tug up at either side, "Me?" As he speaks, he opens the door a little wider and steps to the side, inviting you inside. You oblige and slip off your snow-covered shoes, leaving them at the front door before you step in.

Something churns in your stomach. Something like nervousness, but a little different. It's that same feeling you had when he kissed you.

You stare up at him with honest eyes, "Yes, silly. I don't think I would've deviated without you, Connor. I wouldn't have had the strength to." You slide in past him and watch over your shoulder as he shuts the door and locks it shut. His fingers move a little clumsily.

From the cold? Or from something else?

Connor faces you and smiles, again. It softens the sharpness of his cheekbones and there's a warmth to his eyes that remind you of melting caramel ━ and, as cheesy as it sounds, you'd look into them forever if you could.