The Spark. (001/Peter Ballard/Henry Creel Fanfic)

- 05

(I actually love this chapter)

 Monday marked the first day they had a lesson together. An official lesson.

Papa had sauntered into 001's room, going on and on about the importance of keeping your mind sharp, paying attention, and all the other things he always rambled about. What he didn't expect was for Papa to start discussing teamwork and socialization. Sure, he had met many of the infants, but it wasn't like he could work or socialize with them. And then it hit him. A1 had mentioned something about having extra training all next week, but he hadn't known it would involve her. He guessed she wasn't told so either. So, when Papa walked over to the door and placed his hand on the doorknob, he was half expecting his next words.

"We'd like you to meet another patient, around your age. A1."
He swung the door open and there behind it was A1 and a few guards casting nervous looks at her. He would have laughed if he wasn't in a bit of shock. After all, the guards cast worried looks at him too, even at the infants, as if they were going to suddenly jump out and snap the guards' necks.

Not yet.
What he was more worried about was the fact that Papa seemed like he didn't know they had been meeting up for a bit now. After all, Papa knew everything that went on in his facility, from the drop of a chess piece to a light going out. He would definitely have known about their meetings. And maybe he did. Maybe this was some bigger plot to make them squirm, make them confess that they had snuck out of their rooms, that they had been practicing their abilities, that everything they had been doing was strictly against the rules Papa had placed.

And so it became a battle of wills.

A1 hesitantly stepped in, casting sharp glances around the room as if searching it for hidden traps or dangers. Her hand was wavering near her pocket, likely where a blade or weapon of some sort was stored, he guessed. Then, her gaze fell onto him. The cold, hostile, calculating look she gave him nearly made him jump. She was doing a great job of pretending to not know him, to not trust him, as if they hadn't been practicing their abilities together for nearly a week. As if all those times he snuck out to meet her had merely been a dream.

It sure felt like one.

And then, as Papa went to talk to the guards lingering outside the open door, her gaze fell back onto his. And there, only for a split second, her gaze softened, and she once again looked like the girl he had been sneaking out with nearly every night. And then it was gone.

She took her place near the corner. He was sitting on one side of a cold, metal table, with a chair opposite of him. She chose to stay standing, her eyes still flicking around the room. Papa walked back in and motioned for her to sit. After a hesitant pause, she did so, dipping her head as she walked by as if he were some sort of respected leader. His hand clenched under the table, and his glare swung to Papa. Forcing people to respect you like that, especially her, made him ready to throw him through that damn door. But when his eyes switched back to meet hers, and she gave a small shake of her head, some of the anger faded. He would still make Papa pay later, though.

"So, after careful consideration we have decided to add a combined lesson for the two of you. I hope it'll be helpful to challenge your abilities and also, hopefully, make a new friend." Papa stated, smiling at the both of them. "So, for the first day, I'll leave you two alone. You don't have to go on pushing your abilities during your first meeting. There's even a few games in that cabinet if you'd like." he offered, before stepping out of the room, closing the door behind him.

A1 glanced around again before leaning forward, motioning for him to do the same. Once they were both nearly touching noses over the table, she whispered, "I don't see any cameras, but just to be safe we should keep the conversations...boring. At least for the first day, alright?"

He nodded and leaned back, hating the way the feeling of butterflies shot through him as they'd leaned close, so damn close.

He cleared his throat and got up, choosing to grab a game of chess from the cabinet and set the game on the table. She helped him set it up, and so they had their first, official meeting.

—-------------------------------------------

Later that night they met up again, this time she snuck into his room, making sure the door was shut before they both began talking about the meeting.

After a few minutes of both sharing their opinions, she sighed and sat down on her bed. "I'm just saying, there's no way he doesn't know about us, about this." she remarked, waving her hand to reference their meetings.

"Either way, if he hasn't said anything I'm not going to stop. He certainly can't make us stop." 001 snapped back, getting up and pacing the room with crossed arms.

She stood up too, walking over to where he was pacing. She placed a hand on top of his crossed arms, waiting before he made eye contact and stopped pacing to speak. "Either way, I think we should keep these meetings short. If we're being provided lessons together, we might as well do them in the safer environment. But-" she cut him off as he opened his mouth to speak, "that doesn't mean we have to completely stop these." she added in a softer tone.

He scoffed, "You really trust Papa?"

"Of course not! But it's safer for us. For you, for me."

That seemed to get him, and he gave a frustrated sigh, shaking her hand off. "Fine, but don't expect me to like it."
She took another step forward, the look in her eyes making him slightly nervous. But of course not, she couldn't, his mind argued. He logically had to be the only one driven crazy with thoughts of her, there was no way she felt the same, especially not with how casual she seemed around him.

"Thank you." she murmured more than anything, her hand coming up to softly brush his cheek. However, they were so close he heard it, he knew that she knew he would hear it.

And then she rolled onto her tiptoes, her hands coming up to rest on his chest as she leaned up and ever so gently pressed her lips to his.

It was only for a moment, but in that moment a million different emotions ran through his head, his body, and oh god, the butterflies.

And then it was over. She pulled away, gave him a quick, nervous smile, and left his room. This time she was the one to leave him standing there, staring after her.