THYME
"Though beyond compare is the beauty of the full moon,
More beautiful is my beloved who shines like the sun at noon…"
-Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib
When they finally got back, she was still asleep on his shoulder, much to the rest of the F4's amusement. Kavin had taken the wheel this time, with MJ beside him on the front. Ren had taken his own car; wise enough not to sit anywhere near the couple in the backseat.
"For privacy," he had said back at the airport with a knowing little smirk.
Thyme could only roll his eyes, although Gorya looked a bit more embarrassed than he did. But it meant that Thyme had to deal with two other friends winking and snickering like idiots the whole ride. Luckily, Gorya seemed to be a little worn out so they couldn't make too much of a fuss with all their teasing.
Maybe because she'd been rushing around lately. Thyme smiled, looking at her sleeping form. He had only ever seen her sleep once, back when they were stuck in that stairwell. But to have her this close-so intimate, unguarded, and with the meteor necklace on her neck it was-
"Are you getting out or what?" MJ tapped on the window, with Ren and Kavin looking on beside him, their faces riddled with mischief. We're home.
Thyme gave him one of his signature scowls. "Keep it down, or you'll wake her up."
Trying to ignore their stifled laughter, he managed to get the car door open and with some difficulty, had eased Gorya onto his lap.
"Was that necessary?"
"Shut up, Kavin."
He realized that he was probably overdoing this, both the low whispering and the carry. On a normal day she'd probably insist on walking on her own. But they were together, together now. From today onwards, as long as it was about her, everything he did would be overdone, all for her comfort. Careful and slow, he finally got out of the car with Gorya in his arms. Not far from where he stood, he could see someone hovering by the front door, smiling.
Auntie Yu.
Thyme had never seen that look on the elderly housekeeper's face before. But his world was changing. Their world was changing. And Auntie Yu must have felt it too. Thyme couldn't help but smile back.
He turned to his friends who had been watching him the whole time. "You're not coming in?" Not that he'd care if they did or didn't. But he wasn't himself today. There was so much excitement, so many things that he couldn't contain, that he found himself saying and thinking a million things at once.
Ren only raised an eyebrow, implying that Thyme was being painfully stupid. "Gorya needs to rest."
MJ winked, his tone suspicious. "So does Thyme. Now let's get going before one of them decides to kick our ass."
Oh, you better. Thyme shook his head as he watched them leave.
"Will you need any help, Master Thyme?" Auntie Yu asked. But even as she asked the question, Thyme sensed that she only did it as a reminder.
What next?
He looked down to peek at Gorya again. She was muttering now, seemingly half-awake. "D-dummy..."
Thyme tried not to laugh. Even in her dreams, she was still berating him.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of everything. I'll need extra toiletries though." He had to clear his throat at the last part, not knowing if it was appropriate to say, or if Auntie Yu would think badly of him. Though on his defense, Gorya might actually need things, and he really couldn't stand the thought of her not having anything to use when she needed it.
"Of course. I'll have some sent to your room. That is, if I'm correct in assuming that you're taking her to your room?"
He stared at the housekeeper, suddenly at a loss for words. "Yeah, but it's not like anything will happen. Um. I'll let her use the bed uh, because she's my guest. I will be and will only be in the couch, and I-"
Auntie Yu's eyes flashed. "Oh? But I wasn't asking about where you were going to sleep. You brought that up on your own."
"R-right. We should get going." Unable to meet her eyes, Thyme marched on, and carefully traversed the stairs up to his bedroom. He would've felt relieved to not have answered her, if not for the fact that it felt like she knew something he didn't. And he wasn't sure if wanted to know. Plus, it felt like Auntie Yu's gaze was burning a literal hole on the back of his head, which only added to the weird sensation that had been building in his chest since Gorya had asked for help with the necklace earlier.
Damn it, Auntie Yu. Stop staring at me.
They entered the bedroom at last, and Thyme felt a wave of relief wash over him. The sooner things settled down, the sooner he'd have time to deal with...whatever it was he was feeling. Very gently, he eased Gorya down on his bed, and, as if forgetting that he was still being watched, slowly pulled off her shoes before finally positioning her feet to a more comfortable position on the mattress.
"Excellent," Auntie Yu said quietly beside him. Thyme nearly jumped. The woman sure knew how to lurk. "I'll get you the toiletries, among other things…"
He blinked at that. "Other things? What things?"
The housekeeper sighed. "You'll know it when you see it. If you've ever sat down in one of those classes, you'd know. Besides, it's best to be cautious anyway."
"Wait-" but before Thyme could get another word out, she walked away, leaving him a little confused. He shrugged. Something about what she had said tickled his brain, but whatever it was, he'd probably find out later.
In the end, he did end up on the couch as he had promised, clothed in pajamas, with Dango curled up at his feet. The basket of toiletries Auntie Yu had given him earlier, he opted to place on the floor.
What was in there anyway?
He sat up lazily, and reached for the bundle. He rifled through its contents curiously, though there wasn't much to it. Gorya's own clothes, folded. Probably taken from her room in the servant's quarters. Toothbrush, tissues, a pink bottle of something liquid. It smelled nice, though he wasn't sure what it was exactly. Was it body wash? He didn't think bottles for body wash came in such small sizes. And shampoo.
What's wrong with using my shampoo?
And right at the very bottom, something wrapped in a small square packaging. Silver. He was about to stuff it back in, when the label stopped him dead in his tracks. What the hell, Auntie Yu.
"Thyme?" Gorya called out sleepily.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
He looked around frantically, for something, anything to chuck the thing out of sight. The last thing he wanted was for her to see something that she might not be ready to see. Then he saw it, the trash can right by where he kept his speakers. Perfect. With seconds to spare, he stretched out his arms and tossed with everything he had, hoping that all those days of playing hoops during class time had not been in vain. It landed with a faint clang. Yes! He pumped his fists in celebration, and in relief, leapt forward and plucked Dango from the couch.
"Dango. Dango. Dango," he half- sang, half-whispered, while twirling about with the cat in his arms.
"What are you doing?"
Thyme stood still at the sight of Gorya leaning by the doorway, her face alight with amusement. He flattered himself for a moment, thinking about how her eyes seemed to be dancing with what he hoped was happiness, as her gaze shifted from Dango and settled on him. Intently, almost. And though her hair and clothes were a little rumpled from sleep, she seemed to glow with what he could only describe as Gorya-ness.
That didn't make any sense, there was no such thing. But he invented the word just now. Surely that made him a genius.
Clearing his throat, he patted Dango's head awkwardly. "We were just…playing."
"Uh huh," she looked around. "So, how long was I out?
"The whole ride. But not too long. I actually thought you'd sleep longer. Ah, wait."
He placed Dango back on the couch, and handed the basket over to Gorya. "It's from Auntie Yu, just in case you wanted to use the bathroom."
"Huh, I could actually use a bath right now."
Thyme found himself searching for any sign of suspicion on her face. Why hasn't she said anything? Was she actually going to stay in the room? Not too long ago, she had accused him of trying to take advantage of her, but the truth was. Well. He didn't know what exactly. He only knew that he liked having her around. That she was everything.
She smiled again. "Mind if I use the bathroom? I won't mess with your stuff."
Don't. Don't smile at me. Actually no, your smile is the best thing I've ever seen.
"There's a towel in the-"
"I know. I mean, I know where the towels are." She looked down, as if she had been caught.
"Oh. Oh, ok. Uh, you should go then," was all he managed to say.
"It's because Auntie Yu told me to arrange stuff in the closets. So uh," she looked away, "anyway, I'll just go."
"Ok." No, it's more than ok.
When she had finally gone to where the bathroom was, he plopped down on the couch once again. "Dango," he turned to the cat with a grin, "she knows everything. Isn't it great?"
Author's Notes:
I came across a collection of translated Urdu poems recently. The poem you see at the beginning is one of those. I thought it was fitting for this chapter. After all, there is no bigger simp in this story than Thyme.
Also, this is my first ever fanfic. Literally. I hope people enjoy reading as much as I had fun writing. It was surprisingly easy to write from Thyme's pov, even though his life and personality is far from mine. Though if I have to say, it was his messiness and anger that resonated with me. I don't know if it's a polarizing choice, but it's because of this, that I consider him to be one of my two favorite male leads in a drama. Ever.
