Mr. Love: Queen's Choice One Shots

Lucien: Fear

October 31st. Halloween.
It was always one of the busiest times for the studio. Lots of people wanted a Halloween show; you, being the producer, had to deliver. You looked over the folder of the latest plan, making sure everything looked good for the airing of the show later that evening. You rubbed your forehead, tapping the pen against your lips as you marked another error in the script.
You were too wrapped up in your corrections to notice that the door behind you had opened. Lucien smirked when he saw how concentrated you were. He walked over, making no attempt to be quiet. He glanced over your shoulder, watching as you made another mark on the paper. He found it cute that you were muttering to yourself as you did so. He slowly lifted his hands, leaning down to your ear as he did so.
"Boo," he whispered, touching your shoulders.
You jolted and let out a small cry of surprise. You dropped the pen, turning quickly and seeing Lucien's smile greet you. You touched your chest, frowning deeply. "Lucien! You scared me!"
"That was my intention," he said, pulling back and slipping his hands into the pockets of his lab coat. "You were so focused, it wasn't hard to startle you."
You shook your head. "Whatever," you grumbled. "Why are you here?"
"I came to ask you if you wanted to go somewhere with me tonight," Lucien said. He handed you a ticket out of his pocket. "There's a traveling haunted house that's stopping in Loveland tonight. Care to go?"
You bit your lip. You were definitely not a fan of haunted houses. The sounds put you on edge, not to mention the countless scares from the people in costumes. Rationally, you knew it was nothing harmful, but the atmosphere convinced you otherwise. "I-I'm not sure."
Lucien saw your nerves and touched your head softly. He ruffled your hair gently. "Don't panic. I won't let anything happen to you. I'll see you at seven."
You were still questioning why you were doing this as you walked up to the haunted house later that night. The air was brisk, the darkness surrounding you. You looked around and saw Lucien waiting for you near the entrance. He smiled when he saw you. He was dressed casually, a black turtleneck and black pants with a dark belt. He almost blended into the background.
"There you are," he said. "Are you nervous?"
"A little," you confessed. "Sorry I'm a little late. The show just aired."
"No worries." Lucien held out his hand. "Ready?"
You slipped your shaking hand into his strong, warm one. He gently led you into the entrance. You both presented the tickets before being ushered in. He smiled when he saw you nervously picking at your cuticles. His hand touched yours, making you pause.
"Don't worry," he said. "If you get too scared, hold my hand."
At first, you weren't necessarily freaked out. Lots of the scares were merely elements of surprise. They made you jolt, but nothing extreme. Lucien smiled at your reactions. He was unaffected by their attempts to scare him. He was far too rational to be scared by this, but he invited you simply because he wanted to spend time with you. And, of course, comfort you.
Soon the level of scariness rose. You were completely freaked out by the special effects and the sounds. You jolted any time anything made a noise. Lucien chuckled and held your hand. "Don't panic," he said. "I'm right here."
And suddenly, he wasn't. You looked around, desperate to find where Lucien had gone. "Lucien?" you called, not hearing or seeing him. You began to feel panicked. "Lucien!" you called louder.
No response.
You felt someone wrap their arms around you. You froze, unable to cry out for help as a man in a costume grabbed you from behind. He pressed a fake knife against your throat, laughing in your ear. Despite the knowledge that this was fake, you couldn't help but hold your breath. You could feel the fake knife against your throat, your body pouring sweat.
"My, my," the man snarled, laughing at your reaction. "Scared, aren't we?"
You tried to get out of his grasp. He freed you, watching as you stumbled and nearly fell over. He laughed, screaming at you as you bolted. You were disoriented in the dark, unable to find the way out. You were close to hyperventilating. You desperately sought freedom and protection, both in the form of Lucien's tight hold.
"Lucien! Where are you?" you cried out, desperately trying to find where he was.
You slammed into something hard and nearly lost your balance. You felt a familiar hand hold your wrist, a strong arm snake around your waist to catch you. You looked up and through blurry eyes saw Lucien looking at you. Relief swelled in your chest as you stared at him.
"Easy," he said, smiling softly. "I've got you."
You buried your face into his sweater, shaking violently. You were absolutely terrified; too terrified to even form a coherent sentence. Lucien patted your head and led you out of the haunted house. He sat you down on a nearby bench and had to pry himself away from you.
"(Your name), it's okay," he said softly. "Look, we're back out in the street."
You shifted your gaze and saw that you were indeed out of the haunted house. You were trembling still. You touched your throat, still feeling the plastic against it. Your brain hadn't pieced two and two together in that moment; you were convinced you were going to die.
Lucien's eyes widened when he saw tears spill from your eyes. "Hey, hey. I'm sorry that was scary for you." He brought you close, stroking your hair softly. "It's okay. I didn't mean to frighten you that badly."
You held onto him. "I-It's fine," you said, your voice shaking from nerves. "I-I just didn't like being separated from you so suddenly."
Lucien looked down. "That's what scared you so badly?"
You nodded. "I felt safe with you. When you weren't there, it made me nervous."
Lucien felt his heart skip a beat. Despite the haunted house being fake, the confession of him being a source of safety for you was real. He knew that. He swallowed hard and smiled at you, a light blush dusting his cheeks.
"Come on," he said. "Let's get you home and relaxed."
You nodded. You felt him gently hold your hand and lead you away. You smiled at him and walked with him, leaving behind the terror of the unknown.
—
This one is Lucien's Halloween one...almost a week late. Oof.
Today is the day I'll publish all four parts. I finally got Victor's redone. That one will come next. Then Kiro's and then Gavin's to finish it off. After that, it will be updates like normal until Christmas and other holidays.
See you all in the next one!