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Beautiful.
That's what Kassidy had called him when they laid eyes upon him for the first time. The real him, not just some face cast in shadow within the vents, whispering words of praise and gazing with admiration from afar. He couldn’t believe it, they had said it so easily, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Beautiful.
But how could that be? Him? Anything other than subpar? Grotesque, in his own words. What could possibly be beautiful about him? His crooked nose? His yellow teeth, his nervous smile? The purple bags under his eyes? His messy mop of dark, curly hair? His double chin, jaw soft and unlike the chiseled marble he so desired?
Maybe his hands. His hands could be beautiful. Sturdy, soft, reliable. They were just about the only thing he liked about himself. Maybe his eyes, too, deep and dark and sincere, shining almost gold when caught in the right lighting.
He cleared his throat, finding it incredibly hard to breathe or make any sound at all in the very presence of them , his object of desire that he had been admiring from afar, only hoping that one day they could meet face to face. Finally, here they were, in the flesh, right in front of him, looking at him so sweetly, calling him beautiful. The universe must have been playing a joke on him, a cruel joke. The rug would pull out from under him any second now, revealing that the person in front of him was lying. They’d laugh at his desires, his one sided crush. They’d call him obsessive, ugly, a creep. Surely, they’d look at him with disgust, wouldn’t they? He looked at himself the same way, so why wouldn’t they?
“M-Me?”
“Yes, you,” they said, lips parting in a smile as they stepped a bit closer. They seemed nervous, possibly just as anxious as him. He noticed they didn’t like to hold eye contact. In a way, that comforted him, the idea that they were just as intimidated by him as he was them. Though he couldn’t imagine why they’d be nervous around someone like him.
“What other hvac unit would I be talking to?”
“I don’t– I just never–” he forced himself to exhale a deep breath, attempting to steady his nerves. He smiled shyly at them, his cheeks burning. “I didn’t expect you to say– I thought ‘cute’, maybe, in my wildest fantasies, but never… beautiful. Me.”
“You’re cute, too,” they laughed, covering their mouth as they did. He wished they wouldn’t. “Really cute, actually. If I knew how cute my ac unit was I would’ve acted faster…”
Hector made a strange, surprised noise in his throat, lips pouting as he looked away from them, not expecting the sudden onslaught of praise. He wrung his hands, attempting to speak again, despite the rising temperature throughout his whole body.
“My love… I never thought I would stand in the divine light that is you. Never thought I would be brave enough to face you, that you would even desire to see me at all…”
He reached out his hands, beckoning the other to slot their own into his waiting palms. They did, warm skin against skin, a light squeeze to reassure him. Surely they could feel how his hands shook, but they said nothing, only looked at him patiently with those big, hazel eyes, allowing him to continue.
“Thank you. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I appreciate you, my dear. I cannot ever repay your patience, your guidance, your graciousness, but, please know, I care for you so deeply, as I have cared for no one else. I–”
He bit his tongue, stopping suddenly. He was usually so good with words, so eloquent, so thoughtful, but being in their presence now, breathing the same air as them… it was intoxicating, suffocating, but in the best way possible. Words, this time around, could not possibly express his gratitude, his love for them. How could you form coherent thoughts when in the same room as an angel?
“It’s okay,” they began, voice soft, their presence bringing light to the dim, dusty surroundings of the attic. They squeezed his hands again. He ran his thumbs along their knuckles, their skin smooth and warm and grounding. “You don’t have to thank me, Hector. I understand, I do, but you don’t need to be scared. I love you.”
His heart skipped in his chest, jumping into his throat, making it completely impossible to breathe now, but he didn’t hesitate. He couldn’t, not when the opportunity was directly in front of him, his for the taking.
“I love you, too,” he gasped quietly, whispered as if it was a secret kept between them, meant for no one else’s ears. He pulled them closer by their hands, barely any space between the two of them now, a beaming smile straining his cheeks, as if he had never smiled before in his life. “I love you completely, my darling, with all of myself, all of my being, and even more than that if such things are possible.”
“Oh my god,” they laughed nervously, an embarrassed look on their reddening face, their eyes darting away from his for a moment, suddenly shy and overwhelmed. It seemed they weren’t used to such praise, either. “Hector, god… Can I kiss you?”
“Absolutely, yes,” he made his need known with no hesitation, his confidence growing the more they basked in each other’s presence. He had nothing to be afraid of. They were them, and he was him, and they were in love, and he was happy. “Please.”
Their hands slipped from his own, cupping his face instead, thumbs brushing against the light stubble of his cheeks, fingers cradling his soft jaw. He was beautiful, and so handsome; those deep, dark eyes looked at them with want and longing and love and, perhaps, even a little impatience. They didn’t miss how his eyes darted between their own eyes and their lips, like he was barely restraining himself from diving right in.
“Close your eyes,” they smiled sheepishly, stroking their thumbs lovingly across his cheeks, “I’m a little embarrassed…”
He didn’t say anything, only did as he was told, his eyebrows knitting together in anticipation.
Finally, after what felt like eons of waiting, a century of wanting and needing and yearning, of passionate desire, of sleepless nights just fantasizing about this very moment… their lips pressed against his own.
It was featherlight at first, but nothing short of intense. It was not a shock of electricity, as one might expect, but something deeper, something tender, setting them ablaze, keeping them warm all the way down to their bones, comforting and all encompassing.
The feeling strengthened as the kiss deepened, the two of them focused only on the other, nothing else in the whole world mattering to them in this moment.
Hector bravely nestled a hand against the small of their back, pulling them close to him, their bodies pressed against each other, as close as they could possibly be, and yet it didn’t feel like enough. Even if they could somehow fuse together, their very souls intertwining, he thinks it still wouldn’t be enough. He needed to devour them whole, every inch of them his, and him theirs. It still wouldn’t be enough, but he craved it all the same, felt it ache deep within his chest.
He kept them pinned to him as they embraced, kisses slow and loving but anything but chaste. His free hand brushed through the back of their long hair, fingers slipping under the dark locks to trace the back of their neck, squeezing, keeping them in place. Possessive. Mine. All mine.
Kassidy shivered, whimpering quietly, finally breaking apart from him, both of them gasping, the air hot between them. Hector kept his hands right where they were, not moving an inch, unwilling to release them, to break away from this. He wanted to trap both of them, and this moment, in amber forever. Even if this tiny snapshot was all he ever got, feeling their body and their mouth against his own was worth it all, and he could die happy with that. Musings of a lovesick fool, as it were.
Despite their need for air, Kassidy only nuzzled in closer to him, arms wrapping around his shoulders, burying their heated face in the crook of his neck and taking in his scent. He smelled good. Warm, pleasant, if not a little sweaty. They placed a soft, lingering kiss to the side of his neck, a sweet noise vibrating in his throat at the touch.
His own grip tightened on them, his arms around their body feeling secure, safe, like nothing could hurt them as long as he held them just like this. Just like this, forever.
“My love…” he sighed against their ear, sounding breathless and happy, a smile evident despite his face not being visible to them. His fingers found themselves in the thick waves of their hair, stroking through them with care. They had such soft hair, such a soft body… “Oh, my love…my love…”
He repeated his words in hushed tones, peppering their ear, their jaw, with soft pecks of affection until he reached their lips again, capturing their mouth against his in that same heat, that same deep warmth that bloomed throughout both of their bodies.
The fingers in Kassidy’s hair tugged slightly, the hand on their back beginning to wander, his tongue prodding at their open lips, making them squirm and shudder under his grip. He was all too much, yet not enough, their body aching with want, an ache they hadn’t felt in a long time.
They broke from him again, and this time a twinge of anxiety shot through Hector’s chest. Was something wrong? Was he being too much? Too forward, too fast? Were they regretting their decision to meet him?
“I am sorry, darling,” he began, his voice a gentle murmur as if to not scare them away, “Is this too much? I did not mean to– I got carried away with you being so close to me, now… Forgive my greed, with how long I’ve wanted this, my sweetness…”
“No, no, I’m okay…” they were out of breath, a starstruck look in their eyes as they gathered their thoughts. Hector couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride at their flustered face. He wondered what other expressions he could contort it into. “Fuck, I want you, Hector. I want you. I don't want to wait anymore.”
“Goodness…” he sighed, taking in the sight of them, taking in their words of desperation. They were just as eager as he was, if not more so, if that was even possible. It was nice, feeling wanted, feeling needed, feeling loved, and hearing it spoken so boldly out in the open. “Yes, yes, of course, my love… Ask anything of me and I will graciously give it to you. I will give you everything you desire…”
He kissed their neck again, feeling one of their hands bury itself into the back of his dark curls, keeping him there, making him shudder out a breath. He needed so desperately to dig his fingers, his teeth, into their warm and succulent skin, their plush body… but he held himself back for the time being. This was about them, not him, and he wanted them comfortable, despite the degrading thoughts and images bouncing around in his head.
“Do you wanna…” they giggled with nerves. He noticed they were shaking a little, so he stroked along their back gently, reassuringly. “We can– uh. Sorry, now I’m nervous. I’m excited.”
“It’s alright, my dearest,” Hector shared in their anxious laughter. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind their ear, then cupped their jaw, not being able to help himself as he stole another quick kiss. “I want what you want…”
“I want you,” they repeated, suddenly looking intense, “Not here, though, um… we can go to my bedroom.”
“Yes,” he answered too quickly, making a noise in his throat, something of excitement, still laced with anxiety, but he nodded along to their suggestion. Thank god, because he didn't know how much longer he could hold himself back. “Yes, my love. Please. Lead the way.”