A finger on your cheek bone.
A thumb against the delicate skin under your eye.
A pinky running along your eyebrow.
And two red irises staring unblinkingly.
The Collector's been going at this for almost an hour; gently tapping their fingers against your face, running them along the skin, and just feeling.
They like to do this every now and then, where they suddenly discard all their previous affairs and choose to sit and observe your face instead. You never really know why, and while you were curious, you've never asked. Whatever prompted them to scrutinize your features so closely is beyond you.
And then once he's satisfied with his gentle poking and prodding, he trots away as if he hadn't just spent an unnerving amount of time in complete focus and silence.
They're about to poke your lip when you ask, "Collector?"
His hand stops mid-air from your mouth.
"Hm?"
"Why do you do this?"
Their red eyes that were so focused on their destination flit up to yours, "Do what?"
"You know..." You make an obvious motion, "This."
"Oh." The Collector's eyes avert from you. Their mouth opens and closes a few times, before he simply grins and shrugs, "No reason!"
Then they tap your nose with a small, "Boop!" And skip away to Titan knows where.
You're left alone and baffled once more. Your confusion continues to follow you until later that night, when The Collector is gone and it's just you and King. You recall the bizarre incident to the titan, and you're surprised when he has an answer for you.
Despite the obvious exhaustion King exudes, there's a small glint of amusement in his eyes.
"He said it's because you're pretty."
Those words hit you like a slitherbeast running at 50 light years per hour.
Your face explodes in red and you're in disbelief, "They said what?"
"Oh, do you want me to go into detail? Tell you what they said word for word? Okay." King feigns a cough into his fist and straightens himself out. You feel a conflicting mix of mortification, bashfulness, and the urge to bark with hysteric laughter at the next words King says— in a poor imitation of The Collector's voice, "It's like the universe used the brightest star dust to make them? Like, you know how they kind of glow? I'm not the only one who see's that, right?"
"OKAY I GET IT YOU CAN STOP NOW—"
"It's almost like they're not real! You know when you see a really pretty flower, and you need to feel the petals to make sure it's real?—"
"LALALALALALALALA—" You slap your hands over your ears and speed walk out of the room.
Out of the corner of your eye, you can see King pointing and laughing at your retreating form.
——————
"Fear not, your highness! The beast has been quelled and we've come to save you!"
You gasp theatrically, "My rescuers! I am ever so grateful!"
With a snap of his fingers, The Collector's magic 'unlocks' the balloon cage you were trapped in. You step out and dust your costume off, trying to pat out any static electricity that might have rubbed in from the latex rubber of the cage. A small shock nips at your finger when you do.
The Collector approaches you idly, and when you look up, you notice that their eyes are roaming over your face with curiosity.
Then, they lift a hand and poke your cheek.
"Boop."
Then your other one.
"Bop."
Then your chin.
But this time there's no playful sound effect to accompany the gesture.
Their joyful expression falls into something more focused, and before you know it, he begins to lightly press and smooth his fingers along the details of your face.
King's word's from earlier resurface in your mind, and your skin is suddenly on fire and your cheeks are aflame.
The Collector's eyes immediately dart to the sudden bloom of color and their expression lights up.
"Oooh! That's new!"
You're going to scream.
