Eugene left the botanical garden just in time to pick up his daughter. Well, he was just a bit late as the kindergarten had gotten a bit desolate, but some children were still waiting for their parents, so...
Hannah, who was waiting for him on the swing with other children, jumped off and ran to welcome her Papa at the gate.
"Pap--"
She shouted as usual before suddenly stopping as if she remembered something and proceeded to curtsy--even though she wore the kindergarten tracksuit instead of a dress. She pinched the side of her pants and stretched them while bending her short legs.
"Good afternoon, Papa."
Eugene arched his brow at his daughter's soft voice. He could see the other children on the swing also curtsied to each other, giggling. He recalled that Hannah had been fixated on a children's show set during the Victorian era about the uncanny friendship between a little princess and a group of resistance children.
Have children's shows become political these days? Eugene chuckled and brought the hand holding the paper bag to his back while placing his other hand on his chest, returning the bow.
"Good afternoon, my Lady."
Instead of the usual grin, Hannah straightened her back elegantly while offering her father a gentle smile. "Thank you for picking me up, Papa."
"It is my greatest pleasure, my Lady," Eugene replied after holding back his laughter. "How delightful it is to see you excel in your study, Lady Hannah."
"But of course, Papa," Hannah tucked her wavy hair behind her ear. "Hannah--ahem--I am a refined lady, after all."
"How wonderful!" Eugene nodded at the proud little lady, slowly shifting the paper bag to the front. "A refined lady would rather have a vegetable muffin than macaron cookies for their tea time, right?"
Hannah gasped; her eyes quaking at the sight of the paper bag. It was the same paper bag where those delicious madeleines came from. That means...that means it's those amazing fairy baker's sweets!
She opened her trembling mouth. "T-the refined lady doesn't think so, Papa."
"Really?" Eugene pursed his lips, putting on a dubious expression. "Too much sugar is not good for a refined lady, you know?"
"H-Hannah doesn't know!" the little lady shook her head in an unrefined manner. "Hannah is just a normal lady, after all!"
Eugene could no longer hold back his laugh. Well, since she had started differentiating between do and does, he could reward her a little bit.
"Very well," Eugene nodded again, still maintaining his gentlemanly act. "I guess a normal lady does have a penchant for sweets."
"That's very true," Hannah said quickly before her father changed his mind, even throwing a hug to seal the deal. "You're the best, Papa!"
Eugene chuckled, and the paper bag moved into Hannah's hands. While the little girl squealed excitedly, Eugene could only stare in silence; his heart felt as heavy as lead.
No, Hannah--Eugene sighed. Your Papa is not good at all.
* * *
Aside from the soundproofed room, another reason Arthur chose his apartment was the communal gym.
Well, it was called a 'communal' gym, but the residents barely used it. The owner provided it because he was an exercise junkie, but the residents didn't seem to share his enthusiasm, as Arthur only ever saw three other people on three different occasions.
It was better for him, though. The gym was a small one; it only had two treadmills and one stairmaster, as well as three other pieces of equipment for strength training. It would be hellish if every resident tried to use the gym at the same time.
For Arthur, 'hell' would be quite literal as sweat contained pheromones.
For that, Arthur always came right after the gym was cleaned in the evening. Coincidentally, he was usually the only one who used the gym at that time, so he could have the whole place for himself. The silence and isolation were truly good for him to think about some things.
Like a new recipe. Mostly new recipes.
But that night, all Arthur could think about was the meeting with Eugene that afternoon.
It was weird. He felt weird. He felt he was grasping at something and then losing it as if he was trapped in a mirage. He was confused, not because his deduction was off mark, but because he found out he actually...didn't mind it.
Yeah. He didn't mind if Gin wasn't Eugene's partner.
Actually, he preffered that.
What he didn't understand was...why? Why did he feel more relieved that Eugene's partner might not be Gin than finding the man he had been looking for these past six years?
Six years! He had been looking for Gin for six years! Shouldn't he be disappointed that Eugene said it might not be Gin? He didn't say his partner wasn't beta, though, which means there was still a possibility, but...
After the meeting, Arthur realized that he actually didn't want that partner to be Gin. He didn't want Eugene's child to be...Gin's child?
Arthur pressed his forehead against the bathroom's cold tiles, letting the hot water pour over his head. Before long, he turned the temperature down until his head felt the cold water.
Because at that moment, he realized that he could no longer deny his feelings. He did have a crush on Eugene.
"Aaaargh!"
He screamed in the bathroom, burying his face in his hands. Disgusting! He felt disgusted at himself!
How?! How could he fall for someone he knew already had a partner? How much more pathetic could he be?!
It was even more pathetic because...because his initial crush was the person he thought to be Eugene's partner. But when he finally thought he could move on, it was with someone who also had a partner?
W-why? Why couldn't his heart stop beating so strongly in the omega's presence? Why couldn't his brain stop the rush of dopamine that flooded his system every time Eugene was near?
Arthur groaned and threw himself on the couch without drying his hair, feeling the frustration welling and coursing through his body and mind. Even a cigarette couldn't help him at that moment, so he just screamed into the fabric of the couch, making it wet with the droplets from his hair.
"You're disgusting! You're a disgusting homewrecker, Arthur Crowley!" he grunted. "You don't deserve to be called by your first name."
Technically, though, he couldn't be a homewrecker if he didn't intentionally court Eugene. All he did was try to fix their weirdly antagonistic first impression of each other, becoming friends and text buddies, and gifted the omega a few sweets...
Arthur lifted his torso and sat down on the couch, staring blankly at the blank screen of the TV.
"That...totally looked like I was courting him, wasn't it?"
Ugh--Arthur truly wanted to cry.
Why...why couldn't he just fall in love normally? His first crush was like a Cinderella who only left a faint trace, and his second crush was a--possibly--married man with a kid.
Scum! You are scum, Arthur Crowley! Grandpa would have whipped my ass if he knew!
But...but then again, Eugene himself wasn't exactly stopping him...right? He could ignore the text that wasn't about their work, or he could tell Arthur to only contact him about work. Eugene wasn't the type who couldn't say no, after all. In fact, the omega was very good at saying 'no' and drawing boundaries.
Eugene could also reject the gift of sweets that Arthur had been giving him, or at least tell him not to do it again next time. Arthur promised he was a reasonable enough man who would stop doing something if someone told him to stop.
Well, more like he didn't have enough spine to say otherwise--but the point stands!
No, no--stop making excuses, Arthur!
The poor, confused alpha snatched the towel he threw to the armchair earlier and dried his hair agressively it looked like he wanted to dry his brain instead. His eyes rolled around in dizziness, and as they settled again, he caught the sight of books sprawled across the coffee table. Those were the books he brought last month, impulsively, because he was browsing the bookstore while thinking about a certain unpublished author.
Right...
Right! Arthur gasped as if he had just received an epiphany. Perhaps it wasn't love? Maybe it was just admiration? After all, he was a fan, wasn't he? As someone who worked closely with movies and celebrities, he wasn't a stranger to fans' reactions to their idols. Those sparkling eyes and flushed cheeks, the clutching of their chest as if they had a heart attack!
Surely some of those celebrities were married, and surely some of those fans were also married. But there was nothing wrong with it, right? There was nothing wrong with a fan getting excited about meeting their idol. Nothing wrong with his heart beating fast and his cheeks slightly flushed.
Also, gifting their idols was totally a normal activity for a fan, right?
Yes, that was it. Arthur stood up and nodded firmly, proud of his deduction.
It wasn't a crush. He didn't fall in love with someone else's partner. He was just a fan. It was normal for a fan to feel flustered, having their heart beating fast, desiring to see their idol often, and wanting to gift their idol something.
Certainly, it was also normal for a fan to get jealous of their idol's partner--it didn't mean they were actually falling in love.
Right?