#slightly suggestive

I swear I didn’t mean it.

Dr Simon Tarn grabs the red rotary phone that Res resides as from his cluttered desk, disturbing the pens and pencils that where pushed against it, looking at the object with a sort of adoration. The shiny red paint that was so perfect… too perfect. The attachment to the rotary dial sticking out the face of the phone, like a nose on a featureless head. it was a normal looking phone, save for the lack of a rotary dial and numbers. one of Tarn’s pens —a glittery hello kitty pen— clatters to the floor. Tarn pays it no mind as he walks to the wall next to the heavy hydraulic powered door of his office space. The office wasn’t big, With room for only his desk and chair, a therapy couch, a bean bag chair and the facade of a fireplace. In front of his desk, between it and the therapy couch is a rug, made of faux fur. Supposedly it helps make the place more welcoming. Passing by his potted plants, the broad leafed kind, such as Elephant ear and and Monstera Deliciousa

Tarn walks through the wall, silently asking Res to take him to Dr. Darling. Stepping into the OceanView motel from the door with the three pronged symbol, Tarn looks around seeking out the spiral door. when he presses open the door, The room inside is remniscent of a highschool science classroom, the walls are a creamy yellow and covered in posters, one says "The Astral Plane" with a diagram of an inverted black pyramid. The room smells like sanitizer, cedarwood and fireworks.

"Dr. Darling? Are you here?"

Dr. Darling stands up, from underneath his desk, he twists around to face tarn, taking in the boyish features of the other man "Yes. I am! Dr. Darling is my name."

"okay. yeah. uhm… You said you wanted to pick me apart…oh gosh…"

"Yes! yes! please! sit! make yourself comfortable!" Dr Darling motions to a chair enthusiastically, nodding to Tarn

Tarn takes the cue, sitting down then looking up at Dr. Darling. "So…Uhm…"

"How do you do it? The dimension phasing" Darling leans in close to Tarn,and Tarn can smell the Doctor's cologne, mixed with alchohol and tabacco, Tarn swoons.

"Well I…couldn't. Until I met Res…He's a version of the hiss"

"oooh…oh..ahhh. ah. I see.. hmhm…And it hasn't killed you… fascinating…very fascinating…." Dr. Darling circles around Tarn, inspecting him.

Tarn stares at Dr. Darling with his mouth agape "you're… Handsome"

Dr. Darling freezes and he tilts his head, from left, then he tilts it right, almost manically.

"I'm serious! y-y-y-y-you're so really handsome…"

Dr Darling short circuits "Whaaat?"

Tarn leans on his knees, his mouth cocked in a smirk "Yeah! handsome~"

Darling laughs, he runs his hand through his hair before spinning around a few times, ending with him pointing at Dr. Tarn "You jokester. You absolutely joker. You funny, Funny little man"

"Funny? You think Im funny?-" Tarn smiles at the comment "-I'm not so little however… oh… oh Dr. Darling~ you really are a darling… Aren't you?

At Tarn's musing Dr. Darling laughs, he smiles softly at Tarn "It's fascinating. That you are able to enter and exit the FBC as you please… It's….Radical! You're the only truly free person I've met!" Dr Darling looks intrigued, his eyes widened with a boyish smile across his face.

"Free…", Tarn murmurs

"Yes!" Dr Darling exclaims almost maniacally "Free!" Dr Darling lets out a mirthful laugh "You could probably —no— LIKELY enter the Astral Plane, HELL! you could go where its too dangerous to send the Astralnaughts!-" He throws his arms into the air "-You're amazing! Utterly spectacular!"

"I am NOT cattle or-or-or An Oxen to use and abuse and bend into whatever shape you please!" Tarn spats, his voice filled with scorn

"Tarn…Tarn please-" Dr Darling lowers his hands placatingly "-Tarn, I'm only trying to extrapolate here, okay?" His voice is soft…gentle, Tarn swoons again

"Oh you… right…I'm…sorry I…uhm… snapped… you're so….. for a hot guy you're so…scientific and professional…"

Dr Darling tilts his head "Tarn? What are you saying."

Tarn bites his lip, looking the man up and down, absolutely undressing him mentally "You're so~ hot…You're all business and it's…Really turning me on."

Dr Darling stares at Tarn, as if the man had told him Russia’s nuclear launch codes before bursting out laughing “pppft-? oh- aaahaha! You’re-! hhaa! You’re just Dynamite! Ha ha. Ha! Dynamite baby. Dynamite.”

Tarn’s face heats up, his eyes flit anywhere but at Dr. Darling’s face before resting on the wall behind the man, the paint seemed to be chipping, leaving drywall behind it. So muchfor american construction. The height of Technology, and the lab’s seen better days. The ceiling is splattered with water damage, the walls not just chipping but streaked with the dark lines of prolonged water exposure. Tarn notes down that the lab seems to have hints of mold smell. Still transfixed on the wall Tarn mutters, “Say that again. Call me that again”

Leaning close to Dr. Tarn’s face, Darling grins sharkishly, too much teeth to be considered playful or even friendly, “Oh baby, you’re dynamite”, Darling takes a moment to take in Dr. Tarn’s scent, He smells earthy and simply, fresh. Dr. Darling also smells hints of pine and fresh coffee, subtley however is the scent of mildew. Dr. Tarn, in turn smells week old coffee and cigar smoke on Dr. Darling.

Dr. Darling stands back upright, stepping away from Tarn after a minute or two, “Back to business then! Tell me Tarn! Do you know how, or even why you end up in some places and not others? What are the mechanics of your planeswalking? How do you decide where you end up?”

Tarn hesitates for a moment, finding his words, “I don’t. I don’t decide a-anything. He, Res I mean, he chooses the places we end up”

“The hotline you mean. …You call it Res?” Darling inquires.

Tarn’s mouth twitches into a half-scowl,“He wants to be called Res. Since y’know…The hotline bound to a Hiss corrupted Elias.”

“Fascinating…” Dr Darling scratches his beard, deep in thought

Tarn leans in close to Dr. Darling, as if he were a farmer inspecting his crop “What’s so fascinating”

“You’re rather, Feminine are you not?” Darling squints at Tarn, “You’re male with the sex traits of a female.”

“….It’s complicated” Tarn looks down at his hands

“So, Let me try to understand. I’m not some guy on the street. I’m the FBC’s best.”

Tarn nods, before sighing “I was born female. I…Identify as male”

Darling pauses, and his head cricks to the side, his gaze darkens, Tarn gulps and he shrinks into himself ‘ah shit…I blew it. FUCK’, Tarn thinks

“Exquisite!”, Darling exclaims “Absolutely Exquisite! I’ve heard of Transexuals, I’ve never met one before!…That I’m aware of…So It was awful right? Being socialized as a little girl?'“

“y-yeah…Always felt like my skin, was eating me and my name…I’d changed it once before, Serena. I went by Serena, I- I liked the name…it doesn’t grate on me…b-but feeling like I…Had to be a woman…that I was a she…It hurt me too…and…I always dreamt to be a boy, I felt…Comfortable being referred to as a boy…”

“How’d you come up with your name?” Dr. Darling presses

“I…Well I read it in a book. Funnily enough…and, I liked the character, ….The name felt just…Right. For me….As for Simon, my name, I like my name…I got it from that show, Firefly”

“Firefly huh? Isn’t that the show with the Girl who freaked out on that planet everyone was dead?”

“That was in the movie…b-but yeah”

Dr Darling nods, and a smile breaks out across his lips “Like a Frog, or a lioness with a mane, leading her pride. You don’t conform. We could use someone like you at the FBC.” Darling takes Simon’s face in his hands “You’re young, you have drive. You’d be perfect, I’d love another Hand in my division, However… My sources say you’re a Parapsycologist?”

“Oh!…yeah…heh…heh….yeah” Tarn melts in Dr. Darling’s hands with a goofy, lovestruck look on his face as his cheeks heat, Tarn looks up at Darling through his lidded eyes, feeling his heart somersaulting in his chest

Dr. Darling laughs at Dr. Tarn’s expression, feeling his own cheeks heat up “You’re like a schoolgirl”

"Playing Minecraft, but whenever I jump, I get cracked."

Now,