Secret of a Naga's Heart

Faltering Hearts

Gordon climbed into his engine's cab and closed the door, before slowly sinking onto his knees. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he put a hand over it to try to soothe it, to no avail.

He has never felt such darkness from a human in so long...

Taking deep breaths, Gordon relaxed enough to rise to his feet, and shovel coal into his engine's firebox. His hands shook as he scattered coal over the flames - and they were still shaking as he picked up his travel cup full, slowly taking a sip of his too-hot tea.

He just wanted this week to be over with.

...

"Gordon seems worried about something..." Connor thought to himself, waiting for passengers to enter his coaches at King's Cross Station in London.

Connor and the others had picked up worry from Gordon, James, and Henry - but the three of them just continued acting like their normal selves.

Though Connor could see past the mask Gordon had put on.

Something was bothering him.

At the thought of Gordon, Connor blushed, but quickly shook his head.

He hasn't told anyone, (though he was certain Caitlin already knew) but he had a huge crush on Gordon.

His problem was that his relationships had failed in the past and was scared to pursue after Gordon in case it headed that way too.

Plus, he believed Gordon to be straight - considering women had seen flirting with Sodor's number four engine driver; which he had seemed chuffed about.

He also didn't want to ruin the friendship he had built with Gordon.

When he and his sister first arrived on Sodor, Gordon was constantly challenging them, wanting to prove that his engine was faster. Spencer joined in when he didn't have official duties to attend to; but it mostly had been those three, and a friendship had been built over windswept hairstyles and celebratory lunches or coffee and cakes afterwards.

Connor always admired that, despite Gordon's boastfulness and arrogance, he has also seen his gentler side.

Sure, he teases his siblings and cousins a lot, but Connor could tell that he cares about them greatly.

But while this was the biggest reason he had fallen for Gordon, his muscular physique played a big part, along with a strong jaw, soft-looking lips, and the most beautiful... and most oddly familiar sapphire-blue eyes.

Shaking his head, Connor sighed as he climbed back into his engine's cab, closing the door. Unlike the steam engines his friends drove, his was fully enclosed which helped during the winter - and it was nice having the option to either open or close the windows.

During the warm weather, he usually kept them open to help cool the inside of his cab but during the winter, he kept them closed to keep the heat inside.

Connor sighed again as his engine started moving out of the station and back towards Sodor. Back and forth, back and forth, it felt like an endless loop to him.

He doesn't mind, normally - but lately, he had been wanting a day to relax, more so try and catch up on sleep.

~~~

Caelan gasped for air as he swam to the surface in the dark cave, water sloshing viciously everywhere. Nearby, he can hear his remaining crew gasping for air as well as fish constantly splashing out of the water.

"I-Is everyone alright?!" Caelan coughed, trying to see in the darkness.

"I-I think so." A member coughed.