...

The Element of Surprise

Written by Wolfqng

Disclaimer: this is a work of fiction, and I do not own Sense8 or any of the characters portrayed in this story.

...

He swore he could taste the sweetness of chai tea in his tongue.

There, from the darkness of his apartment in Berlin, lying on his dirty and uncomfortable couch with his eyes examining the dark spots on the ceiling beyond his head, Wolfgang actually thought he could hear the ever so familiar buzz of a restaurant, the constant conversation and clatter of forks and knives on ceramic echoing in the background, and the painful clench on his chest was almost as unbearable as the tingling sensation of hope building on his stomach.

His eyes remained trained on a particularly large, uneven brownish spot right at the center of his line of vision, the undeniable desire to look around adding to the uneasiness in his heart.

It had been a while since he'd last visited- been allowed to visit, that is- and yet Wolfgang still found the memories quite vivid in his mind.

It was all he had for a while after all. Memories. A recollection of facts and random images of bustling streets and a warm bed and curly dark hair. He found he'd rather replay those thoughts to himself for as long as they would last; try to keep them alive in his imagination seeing as reality would never replace the comfort his fantasies could provide him.

And that was exactly what they were; mere fantasies. Fragments of his story with her, projections of the future and the 'what could have been's'.

Wolfgang sighed.

He figured he must have been summoned for a reason. She'd been avoiding him for weeks, perhaps even months. This couldn't have been coincidental. Not when it concerned Kala and her unbelievable self-control.

He slowly rose from the couch, snorting at the fact that his room could at the same time smell like mould and fresh baked goods.

The surroundings weren't unfamiliar. Wolfgang could see the table he usually sat at from where he stood at the entrance of the small indian restaurant in Mumbai and could smell the scent of freshly brewed coffee. His eyes kept searching his surroundings stubbornly, looking for a glimpse of curly, vanilla scented hair and kind doe eyes he so loved.

Love...

Had it really developed into that? How? From what he could remember, neither one of them had ever made any mention of the word.

Funny how blurry the lines got when it came to their feelings for each other.

Wolfgang approached his usual spot, and still there was no sign of her. He sat at that same table, turned away from the entrance and allowing himself to enjoy the simplicity of just sitting somewhere and not having to worry about anything.

He'd been on the run for three months now, and the emotional and physical baggage that came with it was beginning to take its toll on him. His knuckles still showed reddish bruises, and the few ribs he'd broken might heal with time, but he suspected they'd never feel the same as before. There were also a few scratches on his face and plenty of purple marks along his legs and torso.

All in all, he was just glad to be alive. The streets of Mumbai provided him with some much needed warmth as opposed to the coldness of Berlin and there was an inevitable spark of hope growing inside his chest.

And suddenly there it was, the funny clench on his stomach; the feeling that his chest couldn't contain whatever it was that wanted out. A gush of air brushed his hair, the smell of vanilla and spice making him take a deep breath.

He wasn't sure he was ready to face her yet. Wasn't sure she actually wanted to see him either. Things were messy between them; messier, that is. There was always a bump in the road, an obstacle neither of them thought they could jump over.

The thought alone of being apart from her was enough torture, though.

There was movement in front of him; dark skin and hair catching his attention, deep brown eyes observing him as she sat down at the other end of the table.

Then there was silence. Torturing, heavy silence. Wolfgang was having trouble thinking of something to say. Would his 'I'm sorry' sound as superficial spoken out loud as it did in his head?

"How are you?" he asked instead, his voice raspy from disuse. Did you miss me?

Kala sighed and cleaned her throat uncomfortably.

"I'm... Fine," she sniffed, avoiding his eyes at all cost. Her voice was quiet- shy, almost- but the hint of an indian accent on her words nearly had him smiling. He placed his entwined hands between the both of them over the table, tilting his head so he could try and see behind the curtain of hair falling on her face and hiding her eyes. "You?" she raised her right hand to tuck a strand of curly hair behind her ear, looking at him even though her head remained held down.

"Same..." he mumbled miserably, his shoulders slumping as he suddenly took interest in one of the worn out tiles in the nearest wall. Kala looked around, her face emotionless when in reality her chest could barely contain the fast beating of her heart. She motioned for a waiter, asking for the usual and missing Wolfgang's soft smile at her request.

"Still into tea, I see" he said when the man came back with a cup of chai and a biscuit.

"It helps me relax." Helps me concentrate on my anger instead of on the smell of your cologne.

He watched as she fumbled with the white mug, the silvery material of her wedding band shining on her ring finger and his heart dropped.

He hadn't forgotten about Rajan. Of course not. He'd just thought that maybe... Maybe what? Maybe she'd broken things off?

Wolfgang frowned, unable to look away from her fingers. Kala realised this, slowly jerking her hand away and hiding it under the table, an uncomfortable expression on her face.

It felt awkward between them. That connection that had once felt so natural now seemed to be fading away; a constant reminder that good times were long since gone, the future seeming darker now than it had when they were all running away from danger.

There was a small 'click' at the back of their heads, and before they could do anything, Wolfgang's balcony fell into view. During their short conversation he'd apparently moved from the couch to the back of his apartment, though he'd been so engulfed in his and Kala's exchange he'd barely noticed the change of environment.

Wolfgang let out a small snort at the thought of her being there. He was used to calling it a 'balcony', but it was really just a door that led to the back of the building; a privileged view to his neighbours' windows. From the third floor of his apartment they could see a few windows below, where someone was cooking and another person's TV was shining through the closed window. He sighed. At least it would distract them from that previous awkwardness back at the restaurant.

Little droplets of water engulfed them, the rain wetting their faces; a chilly wind ruffling Kala's long hair and making her hug her own body in an attempt to keep it warm. It felt an awful lot like that one time she visited him at that cafe in Berlin, though things seemed to be much different now.

Wolfgang had an instinctive urge to wrap his own arms around hers, but thought better of it.

"Why is Berlin always so cold?" Kala said with a little gasp, her eyes finding his for a split second and then proceeding to wander elsewhere.

"You get used to it with time," he offered meekly. Wolfgang was trying hard to think of a way to bring the 'they' subject without sounding too desperate, which was exactly how he was feeling at that moment. He scoffed and shook his head. "This is ridiculous."

"What is?" she asked absent mindedly, still looking around.

"This" he pointed at the both of them and heard Kala sigh deeply. She wasn't too eager to get into that subject. In fact, she want even sure why she'd let him in again in the first place. Maybe because she was tired of the dreadful feeling on the pitch of her stomach that came with the idea of unfinished business, and wanted to end it once and for all. Or maybe I've just been too distracted by the image of his face plaguing my mind to actually worry about blocking our connection.

"Yes..." she finally looked at him. "Yes it is."

"Look, Kala..." Wolfgang began, not really sure what he wanted to say but taking the chance anyway.

"Please don't," she turned towards him in one swift motion, her now soaked hair sending little droplets of water flying towards his face, tickling his skin as they ran down his cheek.

"We need to talk," he pleaded, turning fully towards her too, one of his hands gripping the metal rail beside him and the other tucked deep inside the pocket of his jeans.

"There is nothing to talk about!" she raised her voice and immediately regretted it, looking around to check if anyone was looking at her. Kala got up from the table they'd been sitting at in Mumbai abruptly, her legs moving up the stairs and towards her room even though her body remained still in Berlin. She closed the door with a thud, Wolfgang only barely managing to hold on to the fading connection at the back of his head. It was all so quick he almost didn't notice the boxes scattered around the place, Kala's belongings safely tucked away and waiting for the moving van to take them to her new house. With her new husband- "I've been avoiding you for a reason, you know?" she finally continued, scoffing and shaking her hands in front of her in exasperation and claiming back his attention. "Two months, Wolfgang. Two months in which you simply disappeared from the map and I could barely sleep. It got to the point that I had to excuse myself from work because I couldn't think straight! And now, after ignoring me for all that time, you come here wanting to talk?" Kala sighed deeply, and it came to Wolfgang that he'd never seen her so angry. Then again, on the other hand, Kala had never seen him so broken.

Yes, she was mad at him, but she couldn't help but feel guilty as soon as those words left her mouth and his shoulders slumped, the evident self-hatred he'd most likely been dealing with during the time they'd been apart seemingly resurfacing.

She suddenly felt the urge to touch his face.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled almost inaudibly, looking down in shame and tucking the hand that had previously been on the rail into his other pocket. He looked defeated. The true consequences of his actions had finally dawned on him, and Wolfgang wanted nothing more than to be able to make her forget. Forget about all the things he'd done; about all the nights she'd spent awake with bloodshot eyes and her heart in her hands. Mostly, he wished he could make her forget about him entirely.

Just how much easier would her life have been if she hadn't gotten to know me in the first place?

Kala must have heard his thoughts echoing in her own head because in a moment she was wrapping her arms around him; to hell with all her resolve to stay as far away from him as she could.

The minute her hands found his back she felt his muscles tense. For a moment, Kala actually thought he would back away from her arms, but he seemed to relax immediately after that. His arms sneaked around her waist and he joined his hands at the small of her back, relishing on the feel of her skin in his even though he knew they weren't essentially in the same place.

"I'm so sorry... Kala, I-" Wolfgang began, but couldn't get himself to finish the sentence. He feared he'd finally break for good; expose himself even further than he already had, and he didn't want her to see anymore of what he stored within. No matter how much good she tried to look for in him, Wolfgang knew there was only so much she'd find before ugly things started to surface. His heart was as dirty as his hands, after all.

"Shh," she whispered and he let his head rest on her shoulder, his nose pressed firmly against her neck and they both shivered. She started moving her hands up and down the back of his soaked shirt, her fingers dancing through his spine, then his neck, then his hair. Her touch was electricity; a violent wave that shook through his bones and awakened all of his darkest desires.

He wasn't sure he wanted them awakened. There were things within himself that should never be unleashed.

It didn't matter at the end though, because as soon as he lifted his head and their eyes met, all that was left of their resolve seemed to completely melt.

Suddenly his face was too close, enough for the tips of their noses to touch and their breaths to mingle. Then his hand started caressing the curve of her waist, the small of her back, and there was nothing left for Kala to do except to finally join their lips.

His hands tightened slightly on her skin as soon as their mouths met, bringing her closer as a consequence. The kiss was sloppy at first, their wet mouths and noses clashing with hunger and desperation. It had been too long since they'd last seen each other, and for some reason it felt like they didn't have much time left.

Then it stated growing teasing, his tongue darting out to slowly run along her lips, his teeth pulling at the flesh of her mouth. Kala then finally beckoned him access to her tongue, and suddenly her taste was engulfing him; devouring him.

He backed her into the brick wall closest to the door, his body pressing against her and providing the both of them with some much needed friction.

The rain was still falling above them, but they didn't seem to mind the cold drops of water dripping over their heads.

Kala was the first to pull away, her hands still gripping the hair at the back of his head; her body never really breaking contact with his as she slowly turned her face. Her eyes were still closed in pure bliss, her right cheek resting against his as he drew little circles at her waist with his thumbs.

They were both breathing heavily, drops of water dripping down their noses and hair; chests rubbing together one heave after the other.

It was a delicious sensation. Kala wished it could last forever, but that previous uneasiness was back to torment her, and this time it wasn't because of his presence.

"We shouldn't have done this," she breathed but made no motion to move away from him at all. Wolfgang simply hummed in response, too wrapped up in the feeling of finally having her in his arms again to give thought to anything else. Then Kala opened her eyes, and it all came crashing down with it. Wolfgang suddenly felt a painful pang in his chest, but couldn't really tell if those were his emotions or her own. "We shouldn't have done this," she moved away so quickly he didn't even have time to think of anything.

"Kala, don't do this," he turned around to the entrance of his apartment, following her into the living room and trying to get her to stay still.

"I-... " she let out a breath through her parted lips, wide eyes looking at him with unshed tears as she slowly shook her head. "I'm sorry," his heart sank. Wolfgang knew what was coming. "I can't do this," her voice was muffled by the sound of the heavy rain tapping on the windows.

He moved forward; tried to grab her hand, get her to understand the depth of his feelings for her, beg her not to leave him.

Her small sob echoed through the room, hitting him with an unbearable pain; mocking him and his inability to hold onto anything good in his life.

She was gone.

A/N: Well, this was an attempt at Kalagang. It'd been rotting in my computer for quite some time, but I've finally gathered the courage to share it with you guys...
This will probably be a short story, with about six or seven chapters tops, and I promise I'll do my best to update regularly!
Reviews are thoroughly appreciated, as is any kind of constructive criticism. I love hearing from you guys, so please take some time to comment :)
This story is also posted on AO3, so if you want, check out my profile there under the same username.
Later!