Tamsy had always thought of you as far too mysterious a person. To the Cleaners, you were known as someone who always brought something healthy to the base. That was how they referred to you every time they saw you walking in through the front door. Sometimes it was vegetables to complement the meals, sometimes fresh fruit. All of it expensive and rare merchandise in that place.

He had already seen you carrying so many bags that you could barely make it through the corridors. In those moments, Enjin almost always offered to help you with the heavy load. Even so, it only made everything seem stranger in Tamsy’s eyes. You made a point of delivering each item personally, one by one, from Semiu to Corvus, when he happened to be at headquarters.

At first, Tamsy thought you were flirting with one of the donors. He was only half right. When he asked you directly, you answered that it wasn’t the case, without bothering to explain anything further.

But one day, curiosity got the better of him. He decided to dig deeper and find out the truth directly from you.

“You know, I get curious about these things you bring…” he began in a polite tone, clearly trying to make you comfortable enough to go on. “Why always this? And why so many sweets around here? Is there some specific reason?”

As he spoke, Tamsy watched you absentmindedly while picking out some fruit from one of the heavy baskets you had just carried over to him.

“Yes, it’s something I really want to happen,” you replied calmly. “And yes, I’ll wait as long as it takes to see my hard work bloom.”

That was when he understood.

You gave things without expecting anything in return right away. What you wanted was the moment when you could feel satisfied seeing the result of your own harvest.

That caught Tamsy off guard. You wanted to see everyone healthy? Was that really all? A thin line appeared on his lips as he tilted his head slightly and narrowed his eyes. In that regard, the two of you were alike. Both of you were willing to wait however long it took until your efforts became reality.

“Ah…” he murmured. Then he looked at you again. “What do you think of me?”

The question was sincere. He wanted to know what you saw when you looked at him. He placed his hands behind his back and tilted his head to the side, almost in a shy gesture.

Tamsy felt a shiver run down his spine when he noticed your gaze examining every detail of his body, from his legs to his face. The piercings beneath his lips held your attention longer than usual.

“You’re perfect.” A smile spread across your lips as you stepped closer, still holding the fruit. “But that falseness on your face ruins all the beauty. I think it’s something you shouldn’t hide.”

Tamsy’s eyes widened for a brief moment. He understood exactly what you meant. Was that your vital instrument? Seeing what people tried to hide? He didn’t know. What he did know was that you had courage. A lot of courage to say that to his face, with no one around to protect you if he decided to get rid of you.

“Relax, I won’t say anything,” you said next, pulling him back to reality. “And maybe no one would believe me anyway.”

The shock faded. His body relaxed completely.

Tamsy’s smile grew again. He held the fruit firmly, closing the distance between you. His tone remained polite, but there was something there, a veiled threat that made your body tremble.

“I like you.” The smile was genuine. The confession was too.

One of his hands tightened around the fruit, while the other moved up to your hair, brushing his fingers along the strands at the back of your neck. He leaned close to your ear and whispered, his breath hot and dangerous.

“I think we’re going to get along very well.”

He pulled away slowly and looked back into your eyes.

“So…” he said, curious. “How do you get these goods? Is it your vital instrument or something like that?”

(this is inspired by a fanfic i read a while ago about other characters, and then a while back I found one about Tamsy. How cool! 😖😖)