Myrnin whispered complaints of confusion to Claire for about half an hour into A New Hope. Eventually, after telling him multiple times that watching the movie is the only thing to make the confusion stop, she threatened to duct tape his mouth shut. Claire wasn't sure if he actually had any idea what that meant, but it managed to get him to stop talking. That is until he was murmuring distress for the characters into her ear.
His face at the big Vader reveal in Empire Strikes back was priceless. Claire sincerely wished she'd thought to have her phone out, ready to film his reaction. They had to pause the movie for Claire to calm him down enough to keep watching. Michael and Shane gratefully took the opportunity to get more popcorn and cokes.
Eve had ended up passing out first, curled into Michael's lap like some sort of goth kitten, barely even half way through The Empire Strikes Back. Claire, later, fell asleep somewhere between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. As exhaustion crept up on her she hardly even noticed herself cuddling in closer to Myrnin until she felt Myrnin rest his chin lightly on top of her head. She recalled thinking briefly that having her face pressed into Myrnin's chest was like constantly having the cool side of the pillow, even with him wearing a velvet vest.
She woke up in her bed, glad to find that nobody had taken it upon themselves to change her clothes. Although she briefly wondered if it was Myrnin who had tucked her so nicely into her bed. With a small smile on her face at that thought, she went to take a shower. Being Saturday she didn't have class, so she could just head right over to the lab.
She grabbed a pair of old jeans and a plain light blue t-shirt. Something told her it was absolutely not the day to wear something nice. Michael was sitting at the table, drinking from one his sports bottles by the time Claire made it to the kitchen.
"Heading to the lab?" he asked, sliding a cup of coffee over the table to her.
She grabbed the coffee, and took a long sip before saying, "Yeah, I've got a feeling whatever we're working on today is going to be…adventurous."
Michael laughed, "When is it ever not with the two of you?"
They talked for a few more minutes, as Claire finished the coffee. Myrnin and Michael, since neither actually needed to sleep, were the only two who actually managed to finish the movie. Apparently, according to Michael, Shane went up to his room not long after Claire fell asleep. He'd said he would carry Claire up, but Myrnin hadn't allowed him too. Claire tried, likely unsuccessfully to hide the childlike giddiness at the fact that Myrnin was actually the one who had brought her to her bed the previous night.
"Shane's jealous and Myrnin's still basically in love with you, so not much is new there," Michael said. Claire blushed slightly.
Michael and Eve were both very insistent that Myrnin was just as infatuated with Claire as she was with him. Claire simply couldn't see it, but they weren't there for the times he'd made her feed Bob (something she had surprisingly gotten less squeamish about) or the near daily lectures about timeliness and not being late. Even if she was early.
With that thought, she realized she actually was running late and said a rushed goodbye to Michael. And another to Eve who was groggily making her way down the stairs as Claire headed for the door. Eve gave her an exhausted, half-hearted wave as she left.
On her walk to the lab, Claire had a total of three thoughts. The first was 'he's going to yell at me for being late'. This was quickly followed by 'I should stop for doughnuts, so he's not as mad'. And finally, as she left Common Ground's with a half dozen doughnuts (of which she would get one, and he would inhale the rest), she thought about how nice it would be to have a bike. A car would be great, especially at night. But she loved her morning walks to school and the lab. But a bike would be faster… She'd have to look into getting one.
She was, of course, absolutely correct that the doughnuts would calm Myrnin down. She hadn't even made it halfway down the stairs before he was in front of her.
"You're la-" he started. Claire quickly pushed the box of doughnuts in between herself and Myrnin. His eyes immediately lit up. He snatched the box out of her hands, and before she had the chance to blink was sitting back in his chair, shoving a chocolate glazed doughnut in his mouth.
Claire walked down the rest of the steps and put her bag down on her usual chair. "What was that you were saying?" she asked, feigning innocence.
He said something through a mouthful of crumbs that Claire elected to interpret as a thank you. It likely wasn't it.
She walked over to grab a doughnut for herself, and they briefly ate in silence, Myrnin on his third before Claire had the chance to finish her first.
"I'm very glad you're here, Claire. Come, we have much to work on today," Myrnin said suddenly, pushing the box of doughnuts to the side.
"Please tell me I'm not just cleaning the lab, again," Claire begged.
"Nonsense. Why would I have you do that when we have far more exciting things to do?" He asked. She had several answers to that question. She said none of them. "Come, come look our new task."
Myrnin walked, with childlike impatience, with Claire to the other side of the lab, where his newest project was. On the table, Claire saw what appeared to be some sort of thermos. She looked at it for a minute before picking it up.
"What is this supposed to be?" She asked, finally.
"It's a lightsaber, little one. I supposed if people long ago could create such things, I could as well," he said, grinning wildly. "Naturally it's simply the start of the prototype. The end result shall be much smaller and efficient than what you hold now."
"Myrnin this isn't-" She stopped herself before she said the word possible. She'd heard his 'nothing is impossible' lecture enough times for one life. She finally settled on saying "Those movies are just fiction. Lightsabers aren't real... And I don't think we have advanced enough technology yet to make them."
He shot her a look that just oozed with 'that is absolutely ridiculous, Claire' and said, "Do you not see what you have in your hand, Claire? I developed that prototype after the films finished quite early this morning."
"Show me how it works, then." Claire handed the 'lightsaber' over to Myrnin.
He took it out of her hand. "You're quite a clever girl, I'm sure you could have figured out this was how you turn it on." He held it out in front of him and flipped a switch.
For a moment, a very brief moment, Claire was surprised and extremely impressed. A bright blue beam shot out of the open end of the thermos. Myrnin looked very smug, for the very brief moment, his contraption actually seemed to work.
Suddenly there was a loud popping noise, the beam of light collapsed and whatever chemicals Myrnin had used to try to create the bubbled over the top of the thermos. Claire let out a small shriek and quickly stepped away from the overflowing chemicals. Myrnin dropped the thermos and did the same. He was cradling his hand to his chest, and Claire was surprised to find that it was burnt, rather badly in fact.
"Oh my god, Myrnin! Did you use silver in that?" Claire exclaimed.
"Fascinating," Myrnin said as he stared down at his hand. "No. No, I didn't use silver. Fascinating indeed." That was very, very not normal.
"Then what did you use?" Claire went over to Myrnin's fridge to grab him some blood, because his hand wasn't healing. As Claire microwaved the bag of blood Myrnin listed off chemicals so fast it made her head spin.
"I know copper couldn't have caused your hand to burn like that," She said, handing the warmed up blood over.
Myrnin drained the bag before he answered her. "Of course not, only silver could have done this."
"You said you didn't use silver in it, Myrnin," Claire sighed.
"I didn't," he said again.
"So, then what else could have caused your hand to burn?" Claire pointed at his hand, which was finally starting to heal.
"I haven't the faintest idea. It is a mystery indeed!" He grinned at her. He didn't care at all that he'd injured himself, of course. Claire wondered if he would have reacted the same had she been hurt by his ridiculous attempt at making a light saber. Probably.
Claire sighed again, realizing they were going to investigate the chemicals until they figured out why Myrnin had been burned. At least she wasn't cleaning.
Three hours went by, with Claire finding different bottles of chemicals as Myrnin restated which ones he used. She tried to stop him the first few times he did, but Myrnin kept pouring the chemicals onto his arm, seeing if they would burn him. By the time he poured an entire bottle of Bromine out on himself she'd given up trying to get him to stop. He would heal either way. And, Claire was hesitant to admit, her curiosity was getting the better of her.
"So, despite the lightsaber failing-" Claire said, pulling goggles on.
"It did not fail, little one… It simply did not work entirely the way it was meant to."
"Yeah, well, that's pretty much failing." Myrnin went to say something, but Claire quickly continued, "Anyway! Despite it sort of failing, I'm guessing this means you liked the movies."
"Well…" he said hesitantly, "I did not understand why they went backward in such a manner."
"Oh, the prequels?" Myrnin nodded. "I don't know, I guess the main plot was Luke vs Vader, but people wanted to know more about Vader when he was Anakin."
"Are there more?" Myrnin asked. Claire nodded.
"Well, sort of, they're making more, they won't be out for awhile though," she answered. Myrnin poured out a beaker full of mercury onto his hand. They both watched in silence for a moment, nothing happened.
"I'd like to see them." Myrnin placed the beaker on the shelf.
"I can take you to see them when they come out. Only if you want to, of course," Claire said.
"Would you really?" Myrnin asked excitedly. Claire turned to see him with a Cheshire worthy grin on his face. She couldn't help smiling as he grinned at her.
She nodded."Promise." She wondered if it would count as a date. "So, other than the prequels you liked the movies?"
"Oh, I quite enjoyed the prequels as well!" Myrnin said, happily. "I must admit I was surprised by Darth Vader being Luke's father. And the fact that they were siblings, Leia and Luke that is. She reminds me of you, you know."
"Leia?"
"Yes, yes. Very clever, like you. Very much like you." Claire smiled at the back of Myrnin's head. He probably didn't even realize how sweet that was of him to say.
Eventually, they ran out of different chemical combinations, including a combination of all of the used chemicals, and nothing had happened. Claire was confused by this, but Myrnin was downright irate.
He threw a glass beaker against the ground, causing it to shatter and Claire to jump away from him. Then he threw himself into his chair, his arms crossed over his chest.
"I don't understand. I don't like not understanding, Claire," he said. Claire had to suppress a laugh. Despite his evident anger, Myrnin was pouting.
"Well, that's what science is, Myrnin," she said, in an attempt to comfort him.
"Science should have results. You are not stupid, little one. Do try to show that." He was putting his annoyance at their failed experiment on her. She hated when he did that.
She glared at him. "It did have results. None of the chemicals here burned you, that's your results," she spat.
He stared, unblinking, at her for a long few moments. She ignored him, grabbing a towel to start cleaning up all of the chemicals that had been spilled. She felt a twinge of guilt for snapping at him. She shoved the feeling to the side, reminding herself that he was the one who told her she was being stupid. At least she didn't have a temper tantrum every time an experiment didn't go the way she wanted it to. It was moments like these that reminded Claire just why Eve continuously tried to get her to agree to a date with Shane.
"Claire," Myrnin whispered her name. Without turning around she knew he was standing right behind her. She didn't respond until he gently grabbed her wrist, forcing her to turn around to face him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"
Claire cut him off, "Yes, you did. Let go of me." She tried to pull her wrist out of his grasp, he didn't let go.
"Please, Claire." Myrnin tried again, "I didn't mean to upset you. Truly, I am sorry."
Claire sighed again, feeling her anger dissipate. Sometimes she hated that a simple apology could make her forgive him, but he always sounded so sincere.
"Fine, Myrnin. Now, will you let me finish cleaning up?" He let go of her wrist.
"I'll finish the cleaning. It is my mess, after all," he whispered. She wasn't sure if he was talking about her or the lab. Either way, she let him take the towel away from her and continue cleaning off the tables. She went to get a broom to clean the glass shards from the beaker he'd broken earlier.
He finished cleaning the tables at exactly the same moment that she finished clearing away the glass. She went to grab the thermos that had held Myrnin's attempted lightsaber concoction but he beat her to it. He picked it up and managed to hold onto it for all of half a second before a low growl ripped through him and he dropped it again.
Claire looked up at him, surprised to find that his hand had been burned again. He was glaring down at the thermos and desperately wiping the liquid off his hand.
Before he could kick it away, Claire picked up the thermos. It was still slippery from the chemicals originally spilling over.
"I suppose you were right, Claire. It did fail."
"Yeah, well. Failing is part of all of this, I guess." Claire let a few droplets of the liquid fall onto a glass slide on the table. She grabbed up the slide and shoved it under the microscope.
"Myrnin," she called. "There's traces of silver in this."
"Nonsense. I know for certain I did not use silver in this." He looked inside the microscope anyways. As he, in mild shock, examined the slide, Claire picked up the thermos again. Myrnin continued murmuring that he hadn't used silver.
"The thermos."
"What?"
"What did you use to make the thermos?" Claire asked.
"It's not a thermos, Claire it's-" Myrnin glanced at Claire, "Ah. Not the point. I used aluminum, predominantly. I do believe there are also traces of chrome and..." Myrnin froze.
"Silver?" Claire asked. Myrnin nodded slowly, avoiding eye contact. Claire, if she were anyone else, would likely have been annoyed at Myrnin for making her waste her day. But she was Claire, so she stared at him for a few quiet moments, then she sat down in a chair and began to laugh.
Myrnin stared at her in silence, then a smile began to play at the corner of his lips. Soon, he was laughing along with her.
As she calmed down Claire said, "Myrnin. Myrnin, promise me you won't build another lightsaber while I'm gone, okay?"
"Claire, just because this one didn't work doesn't mean it will never work."
Claire felt her face flush, "I know. I just meant that I wanted to be here to build it."
"You can stay," Myrnin said.
"I still have to sleep, Myrnin."
"You can still stay. The night, if you wish," Myrnin said, quietly, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. He added quickly "Therefore we can begin when you wake. And so you will not be late, once more."
Despite it perhaps not being in her best interest to, and despite Eve's lecture about 'lab safety' Claire agreed to stay the night. Together they drew up plans and formulas for the newer lightsaber. Myrnin went on and on about how he'd like to get himself a television, to watch more movies on. Claire wasn't sure it was a good idea.
She fell asleep in Myrnin's chair, as he babbled on about the entertainment that existed when he was a child. Claire tried to stay awake, she really did. It was interesting listening to Myrnin talk about his life, since he so rarely did, and never in such detail.
But she fell asleep sometime around when he said, "I did spend most evenings, before my mother sent me away, actually counting sheep. I assure you, it was an effective method for boring one into exhaustion."
She wasn't awake to feel Myrnin softly kiss her forehead, nor to see just how careful he was not to wake her as he ran throughout the lab looking for a blanket for her. But she couldn't help the small smile that played on her lips when she awoke the next morning, to Myrnin rummaging around for the tools they would need to build their lightsabers. She yawned, and suddenly Myrnin was standing in front of the chair.
"Doughnut?" he asked, holding the box out in front of her. Claire grinned and took a strawberry frosted. "You know, I have yet to try one of those. You seem to like them best." Myrnin sat himself down in Claire's usual chair, careful to place her backpack on the floor first.
"Want half?" Claire asked, holding the doughnut in front of her.
"Nonsense, that one's yours. I have plenty of others to choose from," Myrnin said. He kept staring at it though.
Claire rolled her eyes and ripped off a piece of the doughnut. Before he had any chance to say no again, Claire shoved the piece into his mouth. She let out a small giggle at the look of shock that crossed his face. It turned into full on laughter when the look of shock turned into one of absolute delight.
"Good?" She asked. Myrnin nodded. "Want the rest?"
"But it's your favorite, little bird," Myrnin insisted, earnestly. Claire wondered if he could hear her heart flutter every time he called her that.
She shrugged, "I've had plenty of them. Here." She passed the doughnut over to him and grabbed a chocolate frosted instead. Myrnin, for once, ate the doughnut slowly, seeming to actually savor every bite. She even managed to get a second before he inhaled the rest of them.
The moment the two had finished their breakfast, Myrnin was rushing Claire over to her lab table, to begin their work on the newly improved lightsabers. Without silver.
It was bordering on ten hours of straight working, with a break to get lunch, by the time they finished. To Claire's great surprise, their designs for lightsabers actually worked. And they actually looked like real lightsabers.
They spent the next hour tossing things back and forth, trying to cut them with their lightsabers. At one point Claire accidentally sliced the corner off of one of the lab tables. Myrnin briefly set the floor on fire.
Sadly, in that moment, Amelie was stepping in through the portal. Much to their disappointment, she confiscated both lightsabers. Under the excuse that they could become a dangerous weapon in the hands of the anti-vampire humans.
Myrnin and Claire theorized it was because she secretly wanted to be a Jedi too. Finally, Claire had to leave the lab. She said nothing when she found that one of the straps on her backpack had been burnt off in Myrnin's floor fire.
"So, how was spending the night with Crazy Boy?" Eve asked with a wink as Claire walked into the Glass House.
"Oh my god! It wasn't like that Eve," Claire exclaimed. "We built lightsabers today. He wanted me to stay so we could actually finish it today."
"You did what? Girl, you gotta show them to me!" Claire explained how they had been confiscated by Amelie. It was obvious that Eve didn't believe her. Neither did Michael if his snickering from the upstairs was any indication.
"Count Crackula gonna come back for another movie night?" asked a voice from the kitchen doorway. Claire turned to see Shane, lazily leaning against the door frame.
"Maybe at some point. But please, dear god, no more science fiction movies. I don't need him trying to go to the future or build hoverboards," Claire laughed.
She hoped he would want to come back for another movie night. It had been a terrible, terrible idea the first time. But if she could think of a movie that he wouldn't try to… recreate.
She suddenly remembered him talking, as she fell asleep, about how exciting it had been when musicals came out. She decided that if she were going to invite him over for a movie again, she would have to find a musical that he would enjoy, and Shane and Michael wouldn't protest too harshly.
When she awoke the next morning, it was to find her lightsaber sitting on her nightstand. Next to it was a note, with Myrnin's messy scrawl. I know where Amelie likes to hide my possessions. I do believe this belongs to you, my dear. And if I may be so daring as to ask, would you be so kind as to allow me another evening of films with you?
Claire couldn't help her wide grin, as she nodded despite knowing he could not see it.
Hey, guys! Thanks for reading! Again, please, please, pretty please review! It's the best thing you can do! And thank you Hidden-Feeling for your review! I agree Myrnin and Claire are super cute!
