Julian x Apprentice

Chapter 2

You both agreed not to talk about work tonight, knowing you wouldn't make any major breakthroughs in the tavern. Julian quickly slipped into his old ways, telling extravagant stories of his swashbuckling days. You were never sure if he exaggerated them or not. They seemed too fantastic to be true, but he had the scars to prove them. Needless to say, both of you were more than a few drinks in.

Him and his damned salty bitters. You thought they were disgusting and refused the things, preferring lighter drinks with exotic fruits in them. Having just finished his story and his drink, he left your rather private booth in the back and stumbled his way to the bar for a refill. It had been a while since either of you had drank, and you were finding yourself unable to hold your alcohol as well as usual. Face flushed with drink, you watched him walk to the bar. You knew the doctor was attractive, but damn you had never quite realized how much you appreciated that man's ass.

You vaguely heard him weakly convincing the barkeep "-- last one, I promis-*hic*". Julian, quite the charmer, could talk anyone into anything. He turned around, beaming at you, and raised his drink in cheers from across the room. Chest puffed out in confidence, he sauntered back to the booth and nearly fell into it on your side. He paused, suddenly deep in thought, and then, seemingly totally sober for a moment, looked directly into your eyes.

"Thank you. Really. For tonight, I- ah... I didn't realize how much I needed a break."

Almost immediately, his illusion of sobriety totally disappeared, his form slumping onto you to show how inebriated he really was. Not used to this level of sincerity from him, and suddenly very aware of his leg pressing into yours in the cramped booth, you were speechless. All you could do was stare back into his tired eyes, lost in thought. You took him in fully, committing every detail of his gorgeous face to memory. Starting at his mussed curls, down to his hooded eyes, that nose you loved, finally landing on his lips. In your drunken haze, you did what you'd never thought you'd do. You leaned up and kissed him. You were so surprised, you pulled away without realizing if he was kissing you back or not. Looking away, flushed red to your ears, you screamed out in your own head "why did I do that, I'm so stupid, I've ruined everything."

When you finally gather your thoughts enough to string together I sentence, all you can stutter out is "I- I'm so s-" before he grabs either side of your face with both hands and presses his lips against yours once more. His lips were incredibly -almost unnaturally, he definitely exfoliates- soft, and warm, and hungry.