For The Love Of Talent

Erza, who had been lost in contemplation of the painting by his favorite artist, turned his head toward the man whose voice rose above the crowd gathered in front of the famous painting. What had caught his attention was the perfect English tinged with a Scottish accent with which the sentence had been spoken. Having been in Paris for only a few weeks, he still struggled with the language. 

From where he stood, all he could see was the top of a ginger-haired man’s head, slightly taller than the rest of the crowd. Curious, he weaved his way through the museum visitors to get closer to the owner of that voice.

The man was tall and slender with red hair that seemed to catch the museum’s artificial light. He wore a name tag hanging from a lanyard that read: Anthony Crowley – Guide (English, French, and Italian).

Erza discreetly watched the guide as he continued his explanation. Anthony’s gestures were somewhat theatrical; his long fingers traced shapes in the air as if he were sculpting the story he was telling. To Erza, this demonstrated his passion for the subject. The painter couldn’t deny that the guide exuded a certain magnetism. Erza stayed on the outskirts, following the group at a respectful distance and straining to hear Anthony’s explanations. There was warmth in this man’s voice, a sincere love for the artwork he was trying to convey to the group of tourists he was guiding through the museum’s galleries. There was no doubt that English was his native language, judging by the way he spoke and answered questions from the English tourists. However, Erza had also heard him speak excellent French to his colleague, which made Erza a little jealous as he struggled every day to make himself understood by the workers in his gallery. 

The guided tour ended, and Erza watched the guide walk away with a sense of longing. Making the best of a bad situation, he continued exploring on his own. Three hours later, when he left the museum, he decided to treat himself to a cup of tea and a pastry at a tea room before heading home. 

Sitting on the tea room’s terrace, having just finished his strawberry crêpe, Erza was still thinking about the handsome tour guide. When the waitress came to clear his plate, he ordered a second cup of Earl Grey and took his sketchbook out of his bag.

Very quickly, his pencil began to dance across the page, guided by a sudden, frantic need to capture the redheaded guide’s features before the memory faded. He sketched the sharpness of Anthony’s profile, the intensity of his gaze, and how his hair danced when he moved. He also added a few sketches of the guide’s long fingers.

After an hour of drawing, he wrote “Louvre, May 13, 2026, Anthony” at the bottom of the page, slipped his museum admission ticket inside, closed his sketchbook, and put it away in his bag.

As always after an intense drawing session, he was in a daze as he left the tea room, his mind still inhabited by the subject of his sketch. He was jostled a bit as he made his way through the dense afternoon crowd on the pedestrian street toward his apartment. It wasn’t until he arrived home that he realized his bag had come open and the sketchbook was missing. It had probably fallen out when he had been bumped into, since nothing else was missing. 

After spending an hour retracing his steps, asking the tea room staff if they had seen his sketchbook, and scouring the pedestrian street with no luck, his phone rang in his pocket. Erza grabbed it and, seeing that it was an unknown number, hesitated to answer. By the time he made up his mind, the voicemail had kicked in. He figured that if it were important, the caller would leave a message.

A minute later, he received a notification. He had a new voicemail.

He pressed play on his phone and held it to his ear. "Mr. Fell, this is the reception desk at the Louvre Museum. It’s about your sketchbook. If you could please call us back at this number.”

Erza almost let out a cry of joy and frantically dialed the number.

"Hello, this is Mr. Fell. You called me about my sketchbook.”

"Yes, that's right. We found your sketchbook. It was turned in to Lost and Found thanks to the ticket you left in it. We found information in it that allowed us to identify you.” 

After a brief exchange, fortunately, the person he was speaking with spoke excellent English, Erza was on his way to the museum. His steps were light with anticipation at the thought of retrieving his precious notebook.

When he arrived at the front desk, the receptionist pointed him to a secluded area with a few deserted benches and comfortable armchairs at the end of the day.

"Please wait here, sir. The person in charge will bring you your sketchbook.”

A few moments later, a door set slightly back opened, and Erza gasped softly upon seeing the object of half his thoughts that day, the handsome guide, Anthony Crowley. He was holding Erza's well-worn, leather-bound sketchbook.

"Good evening. Is this your sketchbook, Mr. Fell?” the guide asked, standing before him. He had addressed him in English, and his voice was lower and more natural than the theatrical voice he used as a guide. Erza stood up, nodded quickly, and said, "Yes, that’s it! Thank you! Thank you!” 

Erza was about to grab the notebook that had been extended to him when Anthony moved it out of his reach with a teasing smile and said softly, “You’re really talented, but I have to say, it’s a little unsettling to be the subject of such close scrutiny.”

Erza felt heat rise from the nape of his neck to his hairline, spreading across his cheeks. Of course, the guide had seen those pages; that's where he'd found the ticket that led him to information about Erza.

"I...I'm sorry," Erza stammered. "It's a habit. If I see something that catches the light, I have to draw it.”

Anthony raised an eyebrow and asked, "So I caught the light?"

Erza’s thoughts were racing. He could lie. He could talk about the play of light on Anthony’s chiseled features or the aesthetics of his silhouette. That was the painter’s answer. The safe answer. To leave it at that.

Then, Erza remembered his old drawing teacher's voice when he was stuck in front of a painting he couldn’t seem to finish: “When the situation seems impossible, dig deeper and paint as if you could finish your work.”

Feeling emboldened, Erza replied, "No, that's not why. I lied. I only draw what I find beautiful,” he said, his voice suddenly gaining confidence. “And I found you beautiful. Besides, it's nice to have a fellow countryman in a foreign city that seems so vast. For a while, I didn’t feel alone. Thanks to you, I felt at home at the museum for a few hours. I wanted to sketch that so I could remember it when I look at these drawings of you.”

After a moment of silence, Anthony took half a step forward and replied softly, "That's sweet of you, Erza. I haven’t been in Paris very long either, and I haven’t met many people since I arrived. I know exactly what it’s like to feel alone in this huge city."

The guide held out his hand to Erza. "Nice to meet you. I'm Anthony." Then, he winked and added, "How about we spend some time being alone together?" 

Erza took his hand and said softly, "Nice to meet you. I'm Erza." 

Neither of them pulled their hands away. They stood there, hand in hand, at the reception desk, under the watchful, smiling gaze of the security guards.

"My shift is over," Anthony said gently as he brushed his thumb against the back of Erza's hand. "Would you like to have dinner with me? I know a place that serves tea that doesn't insult English tradition."

Erza laughed, a sincere, spontaneous laugh that surprised even him, and replied softly, "I'd love to, Anthony."

They walked out of the museum side by side and unhurriedly. The conversation flowed easily between them. 

Erza thought of the sketchbook in his pocket. He had the feeling the pages would soon be filled not only with works of art and inspiring subjects, but also with the quiet, intimate beauty of a life beginning to take shape. 

For the first time since packing his bags and leaving home, Erza no longer felt like a stranger. 

Asa had learned that Muriel had turned twenty and that they were the youngest of Lesley and Maud's adopted children. They were curious about everything and had a penchant for all things vintage. Asa, who also had a passion for antiques, had enjoyed a fascinating conversation with them earlier that evening.

Asa watched with amusement as Muriel unwrapped the accompanying vinyl records before setting them down beside the record player. They stood up and walked over to the huge, lit-up, decorated Christmas tree in the corner of the room to hand out the gifts placed beneath it. 

Asa sat in an armchair and watched, fascinated, as the gifts were handed out.

He had also met the other younger children, who, according to Derek, were inseparable — especially when it came to getting into mischief. Josh, who was slightly older than Muriel, was also one of Maud and Lesley’s adopted children.

The other two were Adam, who was dating Josh, and Eric, who was dating Muriel. 

Asa had had the opportunity to talk with them and had found them to be quick-witted, cheerful, and kind young people. The dynamics of this little family were rather amusing to witness: Lesley wanted to act like the patriarch, but he was generally ignored; everyone clearly looked to Maud, who seemed to be the true pillar of the household. 

Muriel’s voice brought Asa back to the present. They were standing in front of him with a gift in their hands. "For Asa, from Santa" they said.

Asa looked up abruptly, surprised, and took the gift from Muriel’s hands. Just then, Derek handed him another one, saying kindly, "Merry Christmas, Asa."

Asa took the second gift and placed it on his lap next to the first, pausing for a moment to take in the surprise. It had been so long since he’d received a gift. He looked around. Everyone was unwrapping presents, laughing and exchanging jokes. Suddenly, tears welled up in his eyes when he saw a row of Christmas stockings hanging above the fireplace; the one on the far right had his name on it. It was as if he were part of the family.

It had been so long since he’d felt like he belonged to something. He could barely remember the Christmases he’d spent with his parents. After his mother died, he was left with just his father, and eventually he was alone. 

Not knowing what the future held, he decided to enjoy these moments and etch them into his memory for the day he would find himself alone again.

A little while later, the excitement of opening presents had died down, the atmosphere was calmer, and scraps of wrapping paper littered the floor. Lesley, Josh, Éric, and Adam were playing Uno by the fireplace. Judging by Lesley’s expression, he was losing badly. Maud embroidered on the couch, smiling occasionally at the card players' antics. Muriel lay on the floor in front of their new record player and listened with delight to the music coming from the small speaker.

Asa was wearing an admittedly ugly new sweatshirt, like everyone else in the room, and was flipping through an old family photo album. Derek sat on the arm of the chair and commented on each photo with humor and affection. Asa paused at a picture of a little brown-haired boy—undoubtedly Gabriel—posing proudly.

"That was back when he saved a little raccoon." 

Asa, curious, asked, "How so?"

Derek recounted, his voice softening. "He was playing in the forest when he found the raccoon, lost and all alone. It wasn’t even weaned yet, so Gabriel brought it home in his jacket. The vet saved it and released it back into the wild later."

Maud chimed in, "He's a wonderful boy. Look! He gave us this beautiful basket of fruit for Christmas." She pointed to the basket sitting on the dining room table. "He knows I love fruit, especially strawberries. I don't need to tell you how much strawberries cost this time of year."

Lesley looked up from his cards and said, "What a good son."

For the first time, Asa had a genuinely negative thought about Gabriel. If Gabriel were such a wonderful person, he would have come to see his family for Christmas instead of just sending them a fruit basket, especially since Gabriel lived in the same city. And a fruit basket? That's something you give to an acquaintance or a friend, not family. But who was Asa to judge, since he no longer had a family of his own? He decided to put those thoughts aside and focus on the present moment. He continued to flip through the photo album and chat cheerfully with Derek.    

Much later, all the lights were off, and Asa was asleep on the couch, wrapped in a blanket. The photo album was on the coffee table next to him.

Suddenly, the quiet sound of a door opening roused him from his sleep. He stretched and opened his eyes, startled by the noise.

Someone tiptoed past the couch without noticing Asa, who said nothing and stayed still.

Anthony, unaware that Asa was in the living room, hung up his coat and headed toward the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator just as the light came on. A voice whispered, "At forty, are you still sneaking around like Josh and I do when we come home late, brother?" 

He spun around and found himself face-to-face with Muriel, who closed the kitchen door behind them. He merely waved his hand, looking like a child caught red-handed.

With a mocking smile on their lips, Muriel continued, "Don't worry. Everyone’s already asleep. It's a shame you didn't share our belated Christmas dinner, though."

Anthony replied sheepishly,  "I couldn't help it. There are many more deliveries to be made during the holidays. I had to work very late. Besides, Dad would resent me if I came here and half the work wasn't done. I’ll see them all tomorrow at breakfast."

"Anthony, you really should tell him."

"Not now, Muriel. Please."

Muriel whispered, "Gabriel’s in the hospital."

Anthony's expression turned serious again. He replied, "I know. I just got back from there. He seems to be doing fine, even though he’s unconscious." 

Muriel nodded.

"The doctors say he could wake up at any moment."

Nodding toward the upstairs where Lesley and Maud were sleeping, they said, "Who knows? Maybe they’ll be able to make up." 

Anthony shrugged and replied, "They both have quite the temper. Lesley isn’t a very demanding father, but he can be stubborn. He’s still mad at our brother for giving up the family business, so it depends on his mood. But maybe seeing Gabe like that will soften him up a bit."

Muriel nodded and replied kindly, "Just because Lesley and Maud are good parents who took me in doesn't mean I don't see their weaknesses." They winked at him before adding, "Or yours, or whatever you're hiding, big brother." 

Anthony put on an innocent expression, pretending not to catch the hint. He rummaged through his pocket and said, "You'll be the first to get your present. Merry Christmas, sweetie." 

He handed them a tiny package. Muriel tore off the wrapping paper, revealing a bike lock inside.

Muriel frowned and asked, "What’s that for?" 

Anthony replied teasingly, "It's for a bike." 

"But...but I don't have a—" Seeing their brother's expression, Muriel exclaimed without raising their voice, "You got me a bike?!?"

Anthony nodded and smiled as he explained, "I made a special arrangement with the store. They’re holding it for me all winter, and I just pay them a small amount each month. I told them we’d pick it up in the spring." 

He pulled out a magazine page and showed it to them. "This is the one. It's blue, but you can choose whatever color you want. That’s part of the deal."

"Wow! It looks perfect!"

Muriel hugged Anthony tightly and whispered, "Thank you, big brother. I hope that one day Lesley will see just how exceptional you are. You’re a good person."

Embarrassed by his sibling's thanks and compliments, Anthony cleared his throat and said softly, "We'd better go to bed before the cavalry arrives and I have to hand out the rest of the presents."

Muriel chuckled quietly as they left the kitchen.

They were about to cross the living room, but just as Anthony was about to turn on the light, Muriel whispered, "Wait, don’t wake Asa."

He stopped, and Muriel pointed to the bundled-up figure on the couch. Anthony couldn’t make out anything in the darkness.

Puzzled, he asked, "Who’s Asa?" 

Muriel led Anthony toward the stairs, whispering, "Asa is going to marry Gabriel. He’s his fiancé. Your future brother-in-law."

Anthony froze, but Muriel continued to pull him along.

"He's not Gabriel's fiancé."

"You’ve never met him?" Muriel asked.

Anthony shook his head.

"He's amazing. You're going to love him."

"Hm."

They had reached the doorways to their bedrooms when Muriel turned to Anthony and winked. "Don't eat my cereal in the morning."

"Well, listen. It's very special cereal."

"Yeah, but you're always stealing the toy."

"Good night, Muriel."

"Good night, big brother."

Muriel grabbed him just as he was about to enter the guest room. 

"Thanks for my bike," they said, then kissed him on the cheek before going into their room.

As Anthony closed the door, he muttered to himself, "Who on earth is Asa?"

Asa opened his eyes when his phone vibrated in his pocket, alerting him to the alarm. Not wanting to disturb the Davis family or Derek so early in the morning, he had ordered a taxi to pick him up.

He sat up on the sofa and stretched, allowing his thoughts to gradually come back into focus. He remembered vaguely hearing someone come home during the night, but he’d been too tired and had quickly fallen back asleep.

He picked up the blanket that had been covering him, folded it neatly, and placed it on the couch next to him.

He stood up, gathered the gifts that the Davies family had given him and tiptoed over to the coat rack. He put the gifts down, put on his coat, slung his bag over his shoulder and, picking up the gifts again, prepared to open the door.

"Good morning."

Asa jumped and spun around so abruptly that he nearly dropped the gifts, which were already precariously balanced in his arms. 

Seeing the man sitting on the stairs with a coffee mug in his hand, he stammered, "Oh, God. Oh. Oh, you scared me."

The stranger with beautiful red hair said sheepishly, "I'm sorry."

After looking at him for a moment, Asa recognized him from the photos in the album he had watched with Derek the night before and said kindly, "Good morning, Anthony."

Anthony raised an eyebrow and replied with an amused smile, "I guess I don’t remember meeting you."

Asa replied matter-of-factly, "Well, it's probably because we've never met."

Anthony took a sip of coffee before answering. Still wearing that same smile, he said, "That might have something to do with it."

A car horn honked outside. Asa pointed toward the door and stammered, "Oh, taxi! I have to go. I’m really late because I have to go."

Securing the packages in his arms, he added, "It was nice to meet you, Anthony. So...bye."

"Asa."

As he was opening the door, Asa stopped short.

"Okay, look, I—I know that I, um..."

Anthony cut him off mid-ramble, raising his hand and saying softly, "Welcome to the family."

Asa replied, his voice tinged with surprise, "Thank you," and stepped through the door. Just as he was closing it, he added, "Bye," and walked away for good toward the taxi.

He let out a deep sigh of relief, but he couldn't help casting several surreptitious glances toward the Davies' house until the taxi pulled away and took him home.

He remembered the words he’d said when he’d saved Gabriel.

"You'd better have a brother, and he'd better be hot!"

Amazed, Asa murmured, "I'm a fortune-teller."

Because Anthony really was hot.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

Anthony went into the bathroom and splashed plenty of water on his face. When he returned, he saw that Asa was slumped on the couch in the same position and that his book hadn’t moved an inch. 

The heat was so oppressive that the refreshing effect of the water on his face was already beginning to fade.

"We can’t stay here. It’s like an oven."

Asa looked up at him and replied wearily, "And where would we go? It’s just as stifling outside."

His lover was right; the city streets were equally unbearable, and they did nothing to tempt Anthony out of his apartment. His gaze swept around the room as if searching for inspiration, and suddenly his eyes settled on the telescope in the corner.

"I have an idea, Asa!" he suggested, excitement evident in his voice. "What if we went up to the roof?"

"What?"

Asa sat up straight and looked at him, confused.

"It’s true I haven’t had a chance to tell you yet, but I have access to the roof thanks to the owner. I use it from time to time to stargaze, as much as you can in a city."

Glancing at the sky through the window, he added, "The sky is clear tonight. Not a single cloud. We can see everything. Best of all, there’ll be a bit of a breeze. Anyway, it can’t be any hotter than it is here."

Asa didn’t think twice because he was fed up of being cooped up indoors due to the heat, and the idea of going outside was appealing.

He stood up and replied, "Let's go."

They climbed the narrow staircase to the roof. Even though the temperature change wasn’t significant, stepping through the door and breathing the lighter air brought them relief. 

Anthony spread a worn plaid blanket on the concrete floor. They lay down side by side, with Asa moving closer to Anthony until his head nestled comfortably against his shoulder.

After a few silent moments, Anthony pointed toward the starry sky and whispered, "Do you see that bright star over there? That’s Vega. Just below it, if you squint, you can make out the shape of the Lyre. It’s part of the Summer Triangle."

Asa looked up and followed the trails of light with his eyes, though the constellations were just a jumble of twinkling dots to him. Anthony twirled his finger as he continued to explain. Asa hummed from time to time but found himself looking more and more at his lover and less and less at the sky. He would never tire of the beautiful glow of wonder that lit up Anthony’s face whenever he spoke about what fascinated him. 

Asa felt a wave of warmth wash over his chest. He was happy to see Anthony just as he was, spontaneous, curious, passionate, and free, just as he loved him.

He snuggled closer to his lover and listened as he continued, "That's the Swan." They say it looks like it’s flying along the Milky Way. Can you see the wings?"

"I think so," Asa lied softly, his voice heavy with growing drowsiness. 

"It's...lovely." Anthony continued, his voice becoming a steady, melodious stream of names and cosmic distances as if he were telling a story.

Asa’s eyelids grew heavy, and little by little, his breathing deepened. His head tilted onto Anthony’s shoulder, and he sank into the softness of sleep.

"And there, you see?"

Anthony noticed that, this time, only Asa’s steady breathing answered him. He looked down and saw that his lover’s eyes were closed. His face was relaxed in an expression of serenity, and his lips were slightly parted.

A soft, amused chuckle escaped Anthony’s lips.

"Sorry," Anthony murmured. "I got lost in the stars. I didn’t mean to bore you to sleep." Asa stirred. He wasn’t quite awake, nor was he quite asleep. He didn’t lift his head, preferring to snuggle deeper into the crook of Anthony’s neck.

"It's okay," Asa mumbled, his voice heavy with sleep. "It's okay. As long as you’re having a good time, I’m happy."

Those spontaneous words made Anthony gasp slightly. He raised his hand to brush the hair away from Asa’s temple, then leaned in and planted a long, deep kiss on his forehead. 

"Thank you," Anthony whispered against his skin.

Asa stirred, his eyes opening wide though they were still misty with sleep. He looked up at Anthony, his eyebrows furrowed in an expression that was both sleepy and puzzled. "Thank you for what? I didn’t do anything."

Anthony moved his arm to pull Asa closer, pressing him against his side until they were touching all over. 

"You accepted me," Anthony replied, his voice hoarse with emotion. "For who I am. You never asked me to be anyone else. You don't try to make me fit into a mold. You just let me be myself."

Asa raised his hand to caress his lover’s cheek and replied softly, "I just want you to be happy, nothing more." 

Anthony could no longer contain the surge of gratitude washing over him. He tilted his face, and this time, their lips met in a slow, tender kiss.

When they parted, Anthony didn’t immediately turn his gaze back to the stars. He remained motionless, cradling Asa in the crook of his arm and feeling a deep sense of contentment.

After a moment of silence, Asa softly asked, "Go ahead. Try again to show me the swan's wings."

"Oh, I see. I still had your attention at that moment."

Asa chuckled slightly and said, "I'm sorry. I think I zoned out right after that."

"Oh, yeah, really?"

"Sorry."

Anthony pressed a kiss to his hair. "It's okay. I don't blame you. I know that when I get carried away, I’m a total nerd."

"But I love my stars nerd. Come on, show me that swan."

Anthony pointed his finger toward the sky and resumed his explanation. Even if he lost Asa’s attention again later, he didn’t take offense and continued to gaze at the sky he loved so much. He was content, knowing he was accepted for who he was.

_________

Still not beta'd (because I want it so)

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

Ineffable fan fictions Masterpost : here

Nina had been listening to Asa ever since they sat down. She waited until he paused to catch his breath before asking, "What's the problem?"

Asa exclaimed, "What's the problem? What's the problem?! They think I'm their future son-in-law! The father has heart problems. If I tell them the truth, he'll have a heart attack and die, and it'll be my fault!"

Nina took another sip of coffee, shrugged again and replied calmly, "Just play along... When the guy in a coma wakes up... What's his name again?"

Asa snapped, "Gabriel!"

"What's gotten into you?" Nina asked, surprised.

Asa rolled his eyes in exasperation, "I've told you his name five times!"

"Asa, this guy's unconscious, it's not like he's your boyfriend or anything."

Asa didn't answer, so Nina pressed on, "Right?"

"Of course not! I don't even know him."

Nina looked at him, narrowing her eyes, and Asa avoided her gaze. 

She continued, "When Gabriel comes out of his coma, the family will be so happy that they won't care if you lied to them. In fact, they'll thank you."

The waitress arrived with their orders and Asa looked down at his plate. "This is crème brûlée. I ordered a chocolate fondant."

The waitress let out an exasperated sigh, snatched the plate from his hands and walked away briskly.

"What if he doesn't come out of the coma?" Asa retorted.

Nina chuckled.

"Then no one will ever know."

Asa sighed, "Nina..."

"Listen, Asa. When I told my mum I was getting married, she fainted. If you tell them now, it'll be like killing your future father-in-law."

Asa banged his head against the table, "Oh my God..."

Nina delivered the final blow by adding, "You shouldn't have left your booth."

As evening fell, Asa was sitting comfortably on his couch in his apartment. Harry had his head resting on his lap and Asa was reading with a steaming cup of hot chocolate on the coffee table in front of him. 

Suddenly, his phone vibrated next to him on the couch. Harry watched curiously as Asa picked up the phone.

It was Maud. They had exchanged phone numbers because Gabriel's mother had insisted on being able to reach him at any time.

Asa answered, "Hello?"

"Good evening, Asa, it's Maud. We're all downstairs, are you coming? We'll take you to the hospital to see Gabriel with us."

After agreeing, Asa hung up and looked longingly at his hot chocolate, book and blanket. So much for his cosy evening, he had no choice.

He looked at Harry, shrugged, and murmured, "The show must go on."

Two hours later, they were in the waiting room, having each spent some time with Gabriel, except for Asa. Maud was sitting next to Asa again, patting his knee occasionally while holding her husband's hand on the other side.

Derek came out of Gabriel's room and closed the door gently behind him. Asa was about to get up, as it was his turn.

Derek walked over to Lesley and Maud and said kindly, "Go on, head home. If there's any news, I'll call you."

Maud stood up and asked, her voice trembling slightly, "Do you promise, Derek?"

This was the first time Asa had seen the woman show any sign of vulnerability. Until now, she had seemed like the pillar of the family.

Derek hugged Maud and said in a soothing voice, "Yes, go and get some rest. I'll be able to sleep later."

Maud turned to Asa, hugged him, and whispered, "Take care of yourself, too, Asa."

Lesley patted Asa on the back.

"I'll go get the car," he said before heading for the door.

Maud took a step back, keeping her hands on Asa's shoulders, and said kindly, "Come over tomorrow for a belated Christmas dinner."

Embarrassed, Asa replied hesitantly, "I don't know… I don't want to bother you."

Maud placed a hand on his cheek, stroking it gently, and replied reassuringly, "You're not bothering us. Besides, you'll get to meet Anthony, he's coming home tomorrow and will be here for dinner if all goes well."

"Anthony?"

Maud nodded and beamed. "Yes, he's another one of our adopted children. The second one."

It seemed as though Maud and Lesley's parental love was boundless. They hadn't been able to have children of their own and had adopted four: Gabriel, the eldest; Anthony, whom Asa hadn't met yet; and Muriel and Josh, who were adopted together.

Asa wasn't quite sure whether he should be excited at the prospect of meeting another family member. 

"Well, Asa, I'm off. See you tomorrow night, then!" 

Maud's voice snapped him out of his thoughts as she called to him over her shoulder and hurried away.

Once she had gone, Asa walked over to a water fountain and splashed water on his face. As much as he appreciated Gabriel's family, he also valued this moment of calm, as someone who had often been alone.

Looking up, he saw a nurse walking towards him, holding out a yellow envelope.

"Sir… here are your husband's personal belongings."

Asa grumbled, "He's not my husband."

"I beg your pardon… your fiancé's." 

Asa took the envelope without opening it, slipped it into his pocket and, after nodding to the nurse, went into Gabriel's room. 

He pulled out a chair gently and sat down next to the bed. He placed his hand next to Gabriel's, which was lying on the pristine sheet alongside his body.

"Hi," he whispered softly. The room was dark, lit only by the intermittent flickering of the monitors, and this was the first time he had found himself alone with the man in a coma.

"I suppose you're wondering what I'm doing here in the middle of the night," he continued. I thought I should introduce myself. My name is Asa Fell. Asa Fell. You should know that your family believes we're engaged. Damn it..."

Asa sighed and ran his hand over his face.

"I've never been engaged, I've never even played spin the bottle. I can count my exes on one hand, actually, on half the fingers of one hand, or two fingers."

Asa shook his head, laughing at his own foolishness.

"I just want you to know that I didn't ask for this situation. I have no idea what to do. If you were awake, I wouldn't be in this mess."

Asa placed his hand on Gabriel's arm before continuing in a contrite tone, "Not that I blame you. I mean, being in a coma is hard enough as it is."

Asa paused for a few seconds before continuing.

"When I was little, I used to imagine what I'd be like at forty. I had always imagined I would have a family, a house, the whole package. I'm not complaining, though. I have a rabbit, an apartment, and I can watch whatever I want on TV. It's just that… well, I've never met anyone to laugh with."

Asa looked at Gabriel, leaned forward, and whispered, "Do you believe in love at first sight? I bet you don't. I bet you're the sensible type. As for me, I'm the very definition of a dreamer. I believe in it. I believed in it with you for a few moments. But it was just a dream. I believe in love at first sight when you meet someone and you just know that they're the one for you and that the time you spend together is unique."

In a hoarse voice, he continued, "Have you ever met someone and known that, if they really got to know you, they'd realise you're the person they could grow old with?" 

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Asa added, his voice even hoarser. "Have you ever fallen in love with someone's family even though you don't know them?"

He gave a sad smile and whispered, "Have you ever felt so alone that you spent the evening talking to a man in a coma?" 

Asa let out a sigh and wiped away a tear rolling down his cheek.

He didn't notice Derek, who had been watching him thoughtfully through the half-open door behind him for a few moments, before walking away.

The next day, Asa had taken on a colleague's shift while they were off sick, in addition to his own morning shift. He stumbled home exhausted and collapsed on the couch after feeding Harry. Glancing at his watch, he decided that a quick nap wouldn't hurt before heading over to Gabriel's family's house. He was just about to fall asleep when the sound of a car horn from the bottom of the building jolted him out of his daze. Furious and eager to see who the idiot was who had prevented him from sleeping, he walked over to the window.

Pulling back the curtain, he gasped when he saw Derek, who waved at him as soon as he spotted Asa. Asa opened the window and shivered at the cold draught before leaning out.

Derek shouted up from below, "I've come to pick you up and take you to the Davies' house!"

"I'm coming!"

Asa hadn't expected anyone to come and get him. He hurriedly grabbed the bag of gifts he had prepared, ruffled Harry's hair and grabbed his jacket before rushing out.

As he finished coming down the stairs, Brown Jr. appeared in the doorway of his father's apartment and called out, "Tomorrow night at 8!"

Asa stopped short and asked, frowning, "What?"

Tim waved two tickets in front of his face. "I've got tickets to see *Grease* at the Rooftop Cinema Club." 

Asa, who was too stressed about the evening ahead, nodded distractedly and hurried over to Derek's car. The older man was behind the wheel and had opened the passenger door for him. Asa put his bags on the back seat and sat in the passenger seat next to Derek.

As Derek pulled away, Asa said softly, "I didn't know you were supposed to pick me up."

"It wasn't planned," replied Derek as he shifted gears, "but I thought it would be a good opportunity for us to talk a little."

Asa gave a tight smile, feeling uncomfortable, as Derek stepped on the gas.

"Asa, I don't know if you know this, but Lesley is like a brother to me."

Asa nodded, and Derek continued, "Actually, the Davies are like family to me. When I lost my own family, my husband, they took me in through Lesley and treated me like one of their own."

Asa smiled at the obvious affection Derek had for his adoptive family and replied softly, "You're lucky. It's nice to have someone to watch It's a Wonderful Life with at this time of year."

As they were stopped at a red light, Derek turned to Asa and asked kindly, "And you—who do you watch it with?"

Asa's smile faded and his throat tightened as he replied, "Well, it used to be just my dad, but he passed away a few years ago."

"I'm sorry." Derek looked at him sympathetically before pulling away as the light turned green. 

"He was sick for a long time."

"Was it just the two of you?"

"Hmm."

"That can't have been easy," Derek continued. "How did you manage?"

Asa smiled as he recalled the years he'd spent with his father. "We managed pretty well. We talked about everything. When I was little, my dad always had plans for places to visit, but he never got the chance to make them happen. He spent his life taking care of me. When he fell ill, I dropped out of school to take this job." 

Derek said gently, "You're a good son."

Touched by the compliment, Asa replied, "He was a wonderful father."

"When I lost my husband a few years ago, it was a very difficult time in my life." Derek looked at Asa. "Maud and Lesley helped me get through it."

"You're very close to them," Asa remarked.

Derek pulled over in the street.

"We're here," he said. He pointed to a house on the right and leaned slightly towards Asa, his gaze piercing. "The Davies are very dear to me, Asa. I would never let anyone hurt them." 

Asa swallowed and nodded. "Neither would I."

Derek stared at him in silence for a few more seconds, then, looking him straight in the eye, said in a soft, sincere voice: "I believe you." 

They got out of the car and, as Asa walked ahead of Derek, he felt compelled to tell him the truth. He turned towards the older man. "Derek..."

"Asa?"

Asa turned around to see Maud standing in the doorway. She called out into the house, "Hey, everyone! Asa's here with Derek!"

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

After narrowly avoiding the train, events had unfolded quickly. Emergency responders had arrived promptly and, given the circumstances, had agreed to let Asa accompany them. However, it was now 'Mr Handsome's' intern who was causing trouble, refusing to let Asa through.

Asa protested, "But I have to go in! I need to know if he's okay!"

The intern asked her haughtily, "Are you family?"

Asa shook his head and replied dejectedly, "No."

"Then that settles it, only staff and family members are allowed through these doors."

Asa watched the paramedics push the stretcher into the lift and replied, exasperated, "You don't understand. I threw myself in front of a train to—"

The intern didn't move, and the lift doors closed.

A nurse who had been standing a little way back, not far from the intern, stepped in and, taking Asa's arm, said softly, "Come with me."

Asa followed her reluctantly, averting his gaze from the lift.

The nurse gave him a knowing look and led him abruptly down a hallway, dragging him behind her. She stopped at the next intersection and looked to the right, then to the left, before whispering, "It's okay, the way is clear, come with me."

She led Asa towards an emergency exit, which opened onto a staircase. They began to walk down, and Asa asked her, "Why are you doing this?"

"Because this intern is a pain in the arse and as cold as a stone."

"Thank you for that."

The nurse just nodded, and they continued walking down the staircase until, a few floors down, they slipped into the intensive care unit.

At the same time, a few floors down, the lift doors opened and a group of people stepped out. The oldest of them, a man with light blue eyes wearing a delivery uniform, approached the nearest nurse and asked, in a panicked tone, "Where is he?"

The nurse, slightly taken aback, replied, "Who?"

"Gabriel Davies! Which room is he in?"

"Please wait a moment..."

The nurse headed towards the nurses' station, checked the computer and returned to the group. She said gently, "He's in intensive care, but—"

Before she could finish her sentence, the older man had herded his entire family into the lift to go to the ward where Gabriel was.

The nurse shook her head, knowing they wouldn't be allowed in. It was too late, though, the lift doors closed on the lively group before she could do anything.

The older man stared at the list of floors and names in the lift, looking lost. He murmured, "Where's the intensive care unit?" 

"Calm down, Lesley. It's on the sixth floor." 

A woman spoke up in a soft voice and placed her hand on his arm.

"How do you know that, Maud?" 

Maud replied in her usual gentle voice. "Don't panic, Tiger. It was written on a sign, and I had time to read it while you were stressing out the poor nurse.'

She pressed the button for the appropriate floor.

"I'm such an idiot..." Lesley sighed after a moment of silence. "I'm running around here freaking out even though Gabriel hasn't spoken to us in six months."

Maud didn't answer; she simply brushed a kiss against his temple. A ding announced that they had reached their destination, the lift doors opened and the family stepped out feeling a little calmer.

The nurse, Justine, whispered, "I can only give you a minute."

Asa nodded.

They were in the room of 'Mister Handsome', who was still unconscious.

He was surrounded by flashing, beeping monitors; a tube was in his mouth and an IV was attached to his arm.

Asa nodded and took a step forward. 'Mister Handsome' seemed calm, and Asa gently reached out towards him.

"Who are you?"

Asa jumped at the question from the doctor, who had just entered the room and was heading towards the bed.

Justine replied quickly, "He's his… fiancé, doctor."

Asa looked at Justine, eyes wide, wondering what on earth she was talking about.

The doctor's expression softened as he looked at Asa and said gently, "I'm truly sorry, but visitors aren't allowed at the moment."

Asa nodded.

"I understand. Is he going to make it?"

The doctor's face clouded over and he replied, 'His condition is stable. Nurse?" 

He gestured towards the door, and Justine had no choice but to usher Asa out.

"Don't talk to me about passes! Just tell me where he is, understood?

The voice that rang out from outside startled Asa, the doctor and the nurse.

Asa was about to open the door when he had to step aside to avoid being knocked over by the flood of people pouring into the room.

Lesley immediately spotted his unconscious son, and Maud rushed to the bedside to take Gabriel's hand.

Behind them, five other people, clearly younger, were wringing their hands anxiously. An elderly man with white hair was standing slightly further behind them.

The doctor, clearly irritated, asked curtly, "What's going on here?"

Lesley replied in a panicked voice, "It's my son! How is he?"

Showing no sign of softening, the doctor retorted, "You can't just barge into this ward like that!"

One of the youngest people in the group asked softly, "Is he going to be okay?"

Maud said gently, "Muriel, Lesley, let's listen to the doctor, okay?"

Lesley insisted, "What's going on here? What's wrong? What aren't you telling us?"

The doctor seemed uncomfortable under the group's probing gazes. Clearly reluctant, he replied, "He's in a coma. I'm truly sorry, but we're doing everything we can." 

Lesley stared desperately at his unconscious son. The rest of the family were in shock and a deathly silence had fallen over the room.

The elderly man raised his voice and asked somewhat doubtfully, "Are you a specialist?"

"Derek, that poor man isn't to blame," Maud said softly to calm the old man down, before adding in the same tone, "Please excuse me, doctor, do you know how this happened?"

"Um… Hm… He was pushed off the platform onto the tracks," Asa replied softly. He had been watching the whole scene, glad to have gone unnoticed until then, but seeing how things were unfolding, he felt he had to intervene.

Lesley turned abruptly towards him and asked, frowning, "And you, who are you?"

The doctor stepped in. "He's his fiancé. Now, please..."

The whole family seemed even more shocked than when they had learned that Gabriel was in a coma.

They all started talking at once.

"His fiancé?"

"What?"

"Does anyone know him?"

Stunned, Maud asked, "Is Gabriel engaged?"

The doctor, taken aback, replied, "Yes… I thought…"

Lesley looked at Maud and whispered, "But he would have told us…"

Derek interjected, "Maybe he was very busy."

Lesley looked at his son; his face was now etched with resentment. "Too busy to tell his own parents he was getting married!"

Maud raised her voice slightly for the first time. "Don't yell at him!"

"I'm not yelling!"

The door opened again. It was the intern who had stopped Asa from going with Gabriel. Seeing Asa, he exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

Justine, the nurse, stepped in front of Asa and retorted, "He saved his life..."

Maud rushed over to Asa and asked, "Really, you saved his life?"

"Yes, but..."

The whole group was stunned once again.

Lesley, whose attitude had softened, spoke up, "I thought he'd been pushed onto the tracks."

"That's right," Asa replied.

Nurse Justine interjected, pointing at Asa, "He's the one who jumped onto the tracks." 

Derek exclaimed in admiration, "You jumped onto the tracks?"

Asa repeated, "Yes, but..."

The intern, annoyed, began complaining again. 

"Only family members..."

Lesley shot the intern a murderous look and said, "He's part of the family!"

Even the doctor snapped at the young intern, "He's his fiancé, you idiot!"

There was a moment of silence as Maud approached Asa. She took his hand and said softly, "I'm Maud, Gabriel's mum. It's been so long since we've seen him... We didn't know about the two of you."

Asa didn't know how to respond as Maud continued to hold his hand and say, "I was hoping he would find someone."

Looking at Asa, her eyes shining with emotion, she suddenly cupped his face in her hands and kissed him on the forehead. Then she said softly, "Thank God he found you."

Still dazed by the kiss, Asa found himself being embraced by Maud, who held him tightly against her as she wept in his arms.

When she let him go, everyone in the group took turns to hug him, except Lesley, who shook his hand instead. Asa stood rooted to the spot in the middle of the room, stunned.

A few minutes later, they were all sitting in the waiting room. Lesley was pacing back and forth, unable to sit still. Asa was sitting stiffly on one of the sofas. Everyone was trying to take their minds off things. The younger ones were either playing games or reading on their phones. Derek, on the other hand, seemed to need to move around, getting up frequently to stretch. Maud, who was sitting next to Asa, often took his hand to reassure him.

Suddenly, someone entered the waiting room. They were dressed just as elegantly as Gabriel and carried the same kind of briefcase. They had an angled bob cut with raven-black hair. They approached Lesley and held out their hand. "I'm Bea, short for Beatriz, and I'm Gabriel's close associate."

Lesley shook his hand.

"I'm Lesley, Gabriel's father."

"I recognized you from the photo he has of you in his office; he talks about you often," said Beatriz politely.

Lesley replied coldly, "We haven't seen each other in six months."

Beatriz gave an awkward smile. Fortunately, Maud took pity on them both and changed the subject. Pointing to Asa, she asked Bea gently, "Do you happen to know Asa?"

Maintaining the same polite smile, Beatriz simply said: "Asa..."

Lesley clarified curtly, "Gabriel's fiancé."

Beatriz seemed to realise something and replied, "Ah... so it's you, Asa..."

The whole family smiled delightedly as if Beatriz had just confirmed that Asa was indeed Gabriel's fiancé. However, Asa could clearly see that they had no idea who he was and for good reason.

Beatriz undoubtedly had their own reasons for pretending to know him, and he had no intention of contradicting them since it suited his purposes, at least for the moment. He stood up and held out his hand to greet Gabriel's associate.

"Yes... I'm Asa. If you'll excuse me." 

Asa nodded politely and headed towards the door of the waiting room. 

Once outside, he leaned against the wall and took a few deep breaths to calm down. He looked around for Justine. When he spotted her, he called out to her in a low voice: "Nurse! Justine! When she saw him, the young nurse took a quick step back, but Asa caught up with her. "Wait!"

Justine had no choice but to stop and turn towards him.

He asked her urgently, "What am I going to do?" 

Justine shook her head and said imploringly, "I didn't know they were coming! I was just trying to help."

Asa replied, "She hugged me so tightly… I couldn't bring myself to tell her."

"I know… I know."

"I have to tell her, I have to tell them. I have to!"

Asa took a deep breath, turned around and bumped into Derek.

Derek grabbed him by the shoulders, shook him slightly and said urgently, "What did you say? Tell me! Is he going to die?"

He quickly let go of Asa and covered his ears with his hands. 

"No, actually, don't tell me that. Just tell me: is there a pharmacy in this hospital?"

Justine took a step forward and asked, "What do you need?"

"Lesley needs his nitroglycerin tablets."

Justine asked, frowning. "Does he have a heart condition?"

Derek exclaimed, "One? He's had several! He's already had three heart attacks. With all this stress, it's no surprise his blood pressure is high. But if you hadn't been there..."

Derek turned to Asa and continued in a gentler tone, "Asa, if you hadn't been there, it would have been worse. I assure you, I think you saved his life, and better yet, you saved the whole family."

Asa looked at Justine in despair. The nurse shrugged sheepishly before walking away.

A little while later, they were both back in the waiting room. Lesley had calmed down somewhat and was sitting next to Maud, who held his hand and gently stroked it. Asa sat down on the couch on the other side of Maud.

The young person who had spoken up earlier came over, sat down on Asa's other side and placed a hand on his forearm. "Asa," they asked gently, "would you mind telling us how you met Gabriel?" 

Gabriel's mother shook her head and said kindly, "Muriel, he might not want to talk about it."

"Why not?" they replied. "We could all use a beautiful story right now." Asa felt uneasy as all eyes turned to him.

"Muriel, how do you know it's a beautiful story, to begin with?"

"Eric, don't even start. It's obviously a great story,  why wouldn't it be?"

Eric replied mockingly. "Well, Gabriel's latest conquest... What was their name again? The one he defended in court because they had intentionally burned books…"They nudged their neighbour. "Adam, help me out…"

Adam shrugged.

"I stopped remembering the names of the people who come and go in Gabe's life a long time ago. Ask Josh, he always sees everything and always knows."

Asa watched with amusement as the young people — siblings, perhaps, or friends — bickered. He was finding it a bit difficult to keep up, but they seemed close, at any rate.

Josh replied in a pedantic tone, mocking Gabriel's ex,  "Their name were Michael."

"Oh yeah..." Adam sneered. "They had such a broom up their—"

Lesley and Maud exclaimed at the same time, "Adam!"

Adam shrugged and grumbled, "All I know is that they were a stuck-up little thing who kept Gabriel from seeing us."

Muriel said softly, winking at Asa, "Well, now he's with someone nice."

Asa gave a tight smile and silence fell over the room.

But Muriel was persistent and wouldn't let it go. "I bet it was love at first sight. Come on, tell us!"

They gave him an encouraging nudge before continuing, "I bet he took you for a ride in his fancy car, didn't he?" 

Asa shook his head and said hesitantly, "We were waiting for the train."

"Oh, see, I told you, a train... How romantic." 

Maud leaned towards Asa and asked him softly, "What was the first thing you liked about Gabriel?" 

Asa was finally able to answer honestly, "His smile, without a doubt. His smile was magical."

Lesley grumbled, "It can. Those are implants, £1,500 a tooth."

Maud silenced him by placing a finger over his mouth. For everyone was hanging on Asa's every word, watching him intently.

Asa cleared his throat to regain his composure and continued his story: "Well, our eyes met, he smiled at me, and, without really knowing how… we found ourselves in each other's arms. The moment I held him close, I knew I couldn't leave him." 

Asa didn't have much trouble telling this story since it wasn't far from the truth; he'd simply embellished the romantic and sentimental aspects. 

A lot. 

Yes, he'd had a crush on Gabriel, but nothing more, a fleeting fantasy that made him eager to come to work every morning, an unattainable ideal. 

All he had to do was embellish the rescue story to make it seem more romantic; after all, instead of falling into each other's arms, he'd held Gabriel tight to save him and he couldn't have let Gabriel die, so it was as if he couldn't leave him. 

It wasn't really lying, right?

When he had finished, he sat back down under the astonished gaze of Gabriel's family. All the while, he wondered how he was going to get himself out of this mess.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝