Chapter 22: Chapter Twenty-One: Midas’ Love

Shade had closed his eyes, concentrating on the feeling of Midas' arms around him; he felt safe. Then, he noticed a change in Midas' breathing. "Midas?" Shade spoke softly.

Midas coughed a little, "Yeah?"

"Are- You crying?"

"N-no."

Shade turned to him and put his hand on Midas' face, feeling the tears. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't you apologize; this is all me," Midas said firmly. "You said you haven't dealt with your shit- Well, me either. I still wear my wedding ring. I haven't gone more than a couple weeks without sex in years but this is the first time someone is sleeping in my bed with me in, probably, eight years... For some reason, I'm just- Suddenly thinking about her... About Anna..."

Shade took his hand. "Can you tell me about it- About your time with her?"

Midas was silent for a few moments before answering. "Okay..." Shade pushed the button to turn the lights back on. Midas took a breath and began, "We met in a library. I was eighteen and, as you know, I was a thief then. When I could, I liked to seek out rare things so I used the library for research fairly regularly. She was an assistant there, it was summer and she had just started. She was- So beautiful... Her long blonde curls and the brightest green eyes- It was love at first sight, for me." He smiled fondly. "I have a picture." Midas pulled the curtain aside and reached into his bedside drawer, pulling out the golden framed photo. He handed it to Shade. Shade stared at it for a moment; she was undeniably beautiful. "Mari looks a good deal like her, except her eyes are blue, like mine used to be." Shade handed the photo back to him and Midas put it on the nightstand. He considered Shade for a moment. "By the way, are your eyes purple like your hand?"

"Yes; it's- A very odd color. Your golden eyes are striking; mine are more like I think it's Halloween all the time and I won't give up the contacts." Shade sounded so annoyed that Midas couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'm sure they're amazing. I've thought about using contacts regularly, to have my blue eyes back; but, it didn't seem important. I only use them sometimes... Your eyes... They used to be green, didn't they?"

"Do you really remember that from the frickin' closet!?" Shade asked, astonished.

"I do now, thinking about it. I remembered thinking, when I found you, that your eyes reminded me of my fiancee's; because they were the same shade."

"Fiancee? Sooo- You met in the summer, then were engaged by Christmas?"

"I guess when you know, you know, and we both knew... Or, more likely, we were young, dumb, and lucky." Midas laughed, then sighed. "Who's to say if we would have worked out in the long run or not, had things turned out differently; but, the time we did have was perfect... In its own imperfect way," Midas paused.

Shade took his hand. "Okay; so, she was gorgeous- Now, how did you win her over?" Shade asked, smiling under the converter; the two of us getting together was accidental... I wonder how he pursues someone he's interested in.

"I started going to the library every day. I'd ask her for help that I didn't need as an excuse to talk to her. I don't know when she started to like me but, one day, she just told me- 'I get off at seven and you're picking me up.'" Midas chuckled, "So I did."

 

*** 24 Years Ago ***

Anna was behind the desk at the library. A friend of hers had come for a chat so they were leaning on the desk having a conversation when her friend noticed Midas come in. "Hey, is that the guy you were talking about?"

Anna looked over. "Yeah; that's him."

"You think he likes you?"

"I'm not sure; he keeps asking me for help with things that I know he knows how to do. He's here every day and he's asked me a few things about myself and stuff- But he hasn't asked me out, or for my number, or anything like that. Maybe I'm wrong; perhaps he's just friendly."

"Maybe you should ask him out."

"Ugh... I don't know..."

"Since when do you have trouble asking someone out?"

"I only ask girls out now. Whenever I tried to ask out guys they didn't seem to like that I made the first move," Anna explained.

"If a guy doesn't like your boldness, is he really the one for you?" Her friend asked pointedly. "In fact, you shouldn't even 'ask' him."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember how you told Delilah that you were picking her up?"

"Yeah; she hated that- And she was probably right to."

"And I'm telling you, the right one is going to love that about you. Stop wasting your time not being your authentic self. Go-For-It."

Anna sighed, then took a deep breath. "Fine; you're right. I may as well not drag this on not knowing what he's thinking." She approached him. "Hey, Midas."

"Anna," He turned and smiled but, before he could say another word, she spoke again.

"I get off at seven tonight so you're coming to pick me up and we're going to that nice restaurant on third." She maintained a sly smile but inside she felt queasy.

Midas' smile widened as his heart beat faster. He leaned a little closer to her. "Seven o'clock... Do I need to make a reservation or do you already have one?"

"Make one," She answered.

"Alright, I'll do that. See you tonight." He left the library since he'd come for no other reason than to see her. She let out a breath and returned to her friend.

"I saw him leave, sorry." Her friend placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"He's coming to pick me up tonight." Anna grinned.

"Wait, so- He didn't leave because he was annoyed?"

"Nope; I think he liked my approach." Anna let out a relieved laugh and her friend chuckled too.

*** *** ***

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"Wait- Wait, wait, wait," Shade interrupted.

"What?"

"You made no real moves, she told- Not asked you- Told you- To take her out; but, you had no idea you like being told what to do?"

Midas rolled away from Shade, putting his hand on his face. "Oh my God, you're fucking right. She... Actually told me what to do all the time. Not, um, the same way you do, sexually, but... Hmm."

"I mistook you for intelligent," Shade teased. Midas rolled back towards him, still covering his face. Shade pulled Midas' hand away, laughing a little. "Please, continue."

Midas took another breath. "We dated for about four months before she found out what I did for a living. I was completely shocked when she was okay with it. She even started helping me research what to steal. She was actually the smart one... She's the one who pointed out your father as a target, actually," Midas said, remembering. "It was the first time she selected a mark by herself. She encountered him at a cafe. He made a pass at her, then didn't want to take no for an answer. After she told him off, he finally gave up; but then he was incredibly rude to the employees. He had tried to use his wealth to persuade her; she assumed he was full of it, until she noticed he left in a really nice car. She'd heard his name from his order and found him online later. We figured he deserved to lose some worldly possessions..."

"Yeah; that sounds like him. As you know, he did in fact deserve it," Shade agreed. "I got my mom's necklace thanks to that too, so I'm grateful... It was after that that you two got married then, right? So what about your wedding?"

"It was a few months later, March 30th, shortly after our nineteenth birthdays. We didn't do the big white wedding thing. We had a small ceremony with a couple witnesses and then a slightly bigger reception party. We didn't have a lot of money then; even when I'd get a big haul from a theft, that just meant a longer break before I'd go on another, rather than increasing our spending. So, just like our wedding, our honeymoon was simple too, but we didn't care- It was perfect to us..." He smiled for a moment, but it faded as he continued. "It was a little while after all that when she found a book that led to us discovering the coin. She suggested I steal it so, when I became cursed, she blamed herself..."

Shade hugged him tightly. "It'd be hard not to feel responsible..."

Midas nodded, "Yeah; I would have, had it been the other way. I didn't want her to feel responsible though- Who could have predicted that kind of outcome? It would have been ridiculous to think the thing was real! I think it was because I wanted to prove to her that I was okay that I figured out how to live with the curse so quickly. Had I been on my own, I'm really not sure I would have handled it so well... I also started learning how to use it to my advantage, trying my best to make it a positive. Just turning stuff and selling it isn't as lucrative as everyone thinks. Especially since, as you well know, there are consequences to using your ability. The short-term energy drain and long-term spread makes using it like that untenable. What I figured out how to do, with more help from Anna of course, is turn money into more money. Back then, we manipulated things just enough for the two of us to start doing well, without raising too much suspicion. I also kept freelancing as a thief for hire." Midas rolled onto his back, taking a moment. "By our first anniversary, we had a nice house and we felt we were ready for a family. She became pregnant on, or right around, that anniversary. Despite feeling ready, the pregnancy was a bit of an accident. We had still been discussing whether or not biological children were a good idea. I was so worried that maybe the curse would be passed on- But what happened, happened and I chose to put those worries aside and cross that bridge if it came. We were so excited; preparing the nursery, disagreeing about names," He smiled. "You know, the whole nine yards." Shade turned away from him for a moment; Midas frowned. "Shade?"

"Sorry- Just... Sorry." Even though Shade knew this part of the story would come, he didn't realize it would hit so hard. Midas could tell Shade was crying but wasn't very sure why. Shade turned back towards him. "I'm sorry; I guess, something about babies..." Shade knew precisely what about babies; I never got to have my baby...

"You have a soft spot for children."

"You do too," Shade pointed out. "When you found out about Erica, you brought her straight here. You called the authorities for me. I also heard that Jason has been with you since he was a teen?"

"Yeah; it'll be ten years since Jason joined the family this October. I guess I do kind of have a soft spot for kids." Midas smiled and kissed Shade's head. "Another thing we have in common..."

"Why wasn't I told to guard Jason?" Shade realized Midas had never even introduced them; he'd met Jason on the dance floor. "If he's your family... Why wasn't I instructed to keep him safe too, like Mari?"

"When I made the decision to hire you, he informed me he didn't want you to be assigned to him too. He's a grown man so I respected his wishes not to be put on your priority list. I think he assumed you would be very different though. He may feel a little differently now... He didn't want to trust you, I think."

"I see," Shade took a deep breath. "Sorry for interrupting; you can continue your story now, unless you can't bear to..."

Midas smiled sadly. "Mari was born in December. Everything went as it should have. Mari was born on time, healthy, and curse-free... And Anna, Anna was fine. That Christmas was the best one of my life. The only one where I had both my wife and my child..." Midas took another breath and spoke his next words while trying to keep his emotions at bay. "It was about a month after that when Anna started getting sick. Our second anniversary came around and she was stable, but not healthy. June and July marked three years of being together... Then her condition rapidly deteriorated. She passed in September; she didn't make it to Mari's first birthday..." A few tears escaped him. "After her, I just- Didn't love like that again. It wasn't a conscious decision. I didn't date for about two years but then I started seeing women again. I even dated seriously for a long while, looking for a connection. I just never found one. Eventually, I just stopped looking and started keeping things casual. Until now..." Midas turned towards Shade, wrapping his arm around him and pulling him close. "Now... I think I might be falling in love with you." Shade laid against Midas' chest, crying. "Don't think that me saying that means that you have to or that I expect anything. I just- Wanted to be honest with you and with myself."

In that moment, Shade wanted to say it; I think I love you too. He stopped himself; I can't say that... Shade can't say that. If ever it's said- Vee needs to be the one who says it. You can't say something like that until you know it's true. Until you can let your guard down and truly feel it... When the tears stopped, Midas kissed Shade's head again and turned the lights back out. They held each other until they fell asleep.

 

Midas stirred to movement next to him. He turned the canopy lights on to see Shade was moving in his sleep, mumbling, "Lucca- Please, you can't hurt him." Shade jumped to a sitting position, screaming, "Lucca!" He was breathing heavily and was covered in a cold sweat.

Midas had sat up as well. "Shade?" He gently put his hand on his shoulder. Shade pushed his hair back, still breathing rapidly. He seemed zoned out. "Shade," Midas repeated.

Shade slowly came back, looking at Midas, "Sorry... That must have frightened you. I forgot to take my medication."

"What medication?"

Shade sighed. "It stops me from dreaming, or, something... I started taking it after you brought me lunch that day. I know I didn't see Carla then and I still haven't seen the doctor. After you talked to me, I did go to the pharmacist to ask about sleep aids. He gave me something and I do get more sleep now."

"So, nightmares were why you got so little sleep?"

"They're mostly memories..."

"Who is Lucca?"

"Lucca- Was my first love."

"How did he die? You were just begging someone not to hurt him, weren't you?" Midas asked sadly.

"Yes... He was shot..."

"I'm sorry," Midas squeezed Shade's hand and Shade squeezed back.

"I'll be fine, truly; I'm used to this. You should go back to sleep," Shade assured him.

"Shouldn't you sleep more too? What are you going to do?"

"I can never get back to sleep right after that. I'm thinking that maybe I could give your fancy shower with the bench seat a whirl. Then, perhaps, I'll watch some TV." Shade looked at him, "I'm honestly, truly, going to be fine- And I would prefer just a little bit of space right now anyway. Please; go back to sleep and then come join me at the TV, once you've gotten enough sleep," He insisted.

"Okay..." Midas sank back into the bed; he was still tired. "If you're sure, I'll sleep just a bit more and join you soon."

"I am sure," Shade pulled his converter down a moment to kiss him before heading to the bathroom. After locking the door, Shade quickly disrobed; it felt risky using Midas' shower. Vee sat on the bench seat and removed her prosthetic, which she put outside the shower. She then closed the door and turned the shower on. Using the movable head, she quickly rinsed off the sweat; she felt her emotions calming as the water ran over her. She turned the shower off and grabbed a towel, drying thoroughly before putting her prosthetic and clothes back on.

 

Shade settled on Midas' couch and took some deep breaths before he turned on the TV. He watched a few shows and soon forgot the feelings from his dream. He eventually grew bored and began to channel surf. As he did, a porn channel popped up. When it came on, a man had a woman in bed; the camera was focused on her. She was moving in rhythm with the man's momentum. She was panting and moaning and Shade's mind instantly replaced her with Midas. Shade imagined him in her position, body rocking back and forth in rhythm; you've definitely gone off the deep end now! You're not really a man, remember? You will not be recreating this scenario. Suddenly, Midas was speaking in Shade's ear, leaning over the back of the couch. "Straight porn, huh? Thought it wasn't your thing and that screaming women didn't do it for you?"

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