Fictional Men George

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"He is your solution to fixing this mess?"

"Yes."

"…are you sure about this? I mean look at him."

Mara and Stratt both turn their attention to Grace, who is profusely apologizing to a chair he almost tripped over.

"I suggest you get acquainted instead of judging my ability to make decisions."

"I–"

Before Mara can protest, Stratt walks away, leaving her stunned.

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She's not supposed to be in this room, watching Grace experiment on the astrophage.

In fact, she's not even supposed to be in this section of the building at all.

Mara reaches for the intercom to talk to him, starting gently so as not to startle him.

"Dr. Grace?"

"Uhhh, yeah?"

"Any progress?"

She watches him shift around in his hazmat suit before he turns to face her.

Instantly, her face burns, but she tries to keep her composure.

"Nothing yet. Did Stratt send you?"

"No."

"So what's a young woman like you doing in a place like this?"

"…"

"That- That sounded- That came off worse than I meant it."

"Is it true that the sun is dying?"

"Yeah. But that's why I'm here… apparently."

"Do you think they can do it? Save the world?"

"All we can do is hope."

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How Mara ended up at a bar with Dr. Ryland Grace is a mystery to her.

But here he is, sitting beside her, and looking much more comfortable in his fox cardigan than that stuffy hazmat suit.

Neither of them has said much since he offered to take her to dinner, and there's a tension that isn't exactly awkward, but there really is no other way to describe it.

"So… Mara, right?"

All she can manage is a nod, still fidgeting with her hands under the table.

"Are you alright, Mara?"

"Mhm–"

Mara notices Grace's hand twitch, as if he's fighting the urge to reach out.

She glances up to make eye contact briefly before dropping her gaze again.

"Was I wrong to ask you to dinner?"

This time, her head snaps up and remains there.

"No! I mean it's not you. It's just...been a while… since I've been out with someone."

"Are you nervous?"

"…"

"It's okay if you are. I am too. If that helps."

"Yes."

Grace watches her gaze drop again and slowly slides his hand closer to hers.

"Can I- Would it be alright if I hold your hand?"

He turns his hand palm-up, letting Mara choose whether or not to accept the offer.

As she slowly shifts her hand to rest on top of his, he remains patient and gentle.

A shaky breath leaves Grace as his fingers curl around Mara's hand, seemingly a mix of relief and nerves releasing all at once.

"That's- That's better, right?"

"Can we go outside?"

His eyes widen at her request, but he quickly manages to recover with a firm nod.

"Yeah- Yes, let's do that."

He quickly guides Mara to the exit, pushing through the crowd with more force than she expected from someone who appears so gentle.

"Stay close. It's busy in here and we don't want you getting lost."

She leans into him further, shivering at his warm breath against her ear, which he takes as her being cold.

In less than a second, Grace is shrugging off his cardigan and wrapping it around her shoulders, just in time for them to finally get outside.

"There we go. Much better, right?"

"It was a lot louder in there than I thought it would be…"

"I'm, uh, sorry about that. If I knew…"

Mara leans against the brick wall and tugs his cardigan tighter around her, closing her eyes to savor the cool night air.

The chill is replaced by a sudden warmth, and when she opens her eyes, she finds Grace standing in front of her.

He's looking down at her in a way that makes her heart race, not imposing but certainly not innocent either.

"I should probably… take you home."

"Oh?"

"Before I do something you'll probably regret."

"What–"

The words die in Mara's throat when Grace gently lifts her chin, maintaining such intense eye contact that she swears he can read her mind.

"I really like you, Mara."

"I like you too…"

Neither one of them moves for what feels like an eternity, until Grace moves to take a step back.

"We, um. We should go- I want to–"

Before he can fully turn away, Mara grabs his arm and kisses him hard.

At first, Grace freezes, unsure of how to react.

When they separate enough for him to look her in the eye, he checks on her to make sure she's okay.

"That was- Wow. Are you sure?"

"Very. Was that okay?"

Instead of answering her, Grace leans down and kisses her again.

He grabs her waist to steady her when she stumbles, and she, in turn, wraps her arms around his neck.

"I want to take you to my apartment," he mumbles between kisses, "Can I?"

He pulls back enough to look Mara in the eye again, his nose still brushing against hers.

"We don't have to do anything you're not ready for. I promise."

She nods and looks confused when he frowns instead of leading her to his car.

"Use your words, Mars."

Grace presses gentle kisses to her neck while waiting for her to muster the courage.

"Yes- Yes, please. I want to see your apartment."

"Good girl."

Before Mara knows what's happening, Grace sweeps her off her feet and carries her bridal-style to his car.

There, he sets her in the passenger seat before securing her seatbelt.

The drive to his apartment is comfortably quiet, filled with anticipation, as Grace keeps a hand on her thigh the whole time.

When they arrive, he comes around and opens the door for her before offering a helping hand.

"M'lady."

Mara laughs as he does a silly bow, letting him guide her into the apartment complex and up to his door.

"You won't regret this, I promise."

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When Mara first wakes up, she can't remember exactly where she is.

That is, until she recognizes the soft rise and fall of Grace's chest beneath her head.

She has to get out before he wakes up. Before he regrets what they did and never wants to see her again.

Okay, maybe that's a little dramatic.

Either way, Mara still has time to–

"Mmm, what time is it?"

Grace's raspy morning voice startles her, sounding much deeper than she expected.

Of course he sounds even better in the morning…

"Still early, I think. How'd you sleep?"

"Better than I have in years. How about you?"

"Still a little sore. But I'll manage."

Grace's hand finds Mara's back and rubs her bare skin soothingly, which sends shivers down her spine.

"Was I too rough last night?"

"No. I- I liked it."

"Good. I was worried for a minute there."

Mara finally manages to gather her courage, and shifts to look up at Grace.

She remains lying on his chest as she does so, still consumed by his warmth.

"Um… so about last night…"

A slight tilt of his head shows that Grace is listening intently.

"What was this for you? I mean, it doesn't, um, have to be anything but- I just–"

A soft kiss interrupts her from spiraling any further.

Despite being startled, she melts into him, pressing impossibly closer.

"I told you I liked you," Grace mumbles, " I meant it."

"'Like' as in…?"

"As in I would really like to take you out on a real date sometime. If that's something you're interested in, of course."

He smiles when Mara's face flushes a deep red and brings a hand up to cup her cheek.

"You're so beautiful when you do that. Though I may be biased."

"Biased?"

"I think you're beautiful all the time."