Note: Has only been proof-read by myself so I apologise in advance if there are any mistakes. I know PPG is supposed to be American but I just can't get a handle on all their words. Mail box? No love, it's called a post box and it's bright red :) Hope you enjoy this lil KeaneXUtonium fic. If you read the comic on sanfu-comics (I hope you do or this is going to sound insane) then this is set just before it.
What was I doing here? It wasn't normal and it certainly wasn't right. There were probably laws against it in certain states. Even so I couldn't drive away. I sat in my car in front of the one man's house I swore I didn't love. My hands gripped the steering wheel as the light in his living room switched off. He was probably going to bed now. Sure enough after a few seconds, the lights in his bedroom were on briefly while he changed into his pyjamas. I couldn't see him clearly from down here, just the silhouette of his body. For a short moment he paused by his window and it dawned on me that he might be able to see me from up there. I quickly sunk down into the seat, praying the light from the half-moon wasn't strong enough to illuminate the outside world in such a way that he would be able to see me. That was the last thing I wanted.
I breathed a sigh of relief when his form moved away from the window, shortly followed by the turning off of the light. Thank heavens for that. Realising how close I had come to being discovered alerted me to the risks of what I was doing. If I got caught here...Well, I didn't want that to happen. I'd better get out of this neighbourhood before anyone caught m–
Tap, tap, tap. I didn't want to turn my head to see who was tapping on my window. My subconscious knew who it was even before I looked and sped my heart rate right up. When I did turn my head, my mouth ran dry. His black hair was unusually tousled and he was wearing a dark grey robe over the pyjamas he had only just put on. Even though what I was doing was creepy and probably warranted a restraining order, he smiled at me, his dark eyes shiny with – happiness? He motioned for me to roll down the window and I did so, my hand shaking a little. Why did he have to come outside and find me? I had just been about to drive home and then he would have never caught me.
"Uh, h-hello, Professor Ut-Utonium," I greeted, trying not to sound like an obsessed stalker. Which I wasn't. Professor Utonium leaned in and rested his hands on the ledge where the window was supposed to be. Now I couldn't see his face because it was in the dark, like mine. It was a shame too, because I quite liked his face with its square jaw and strong nose.
"Nice to see you, Ms Keane." We looked at each other for a minute. I was wondering what he was doing out here when he should be in bed. He and the girls had to get up frightfully early in the morning and I knew they had already fallen asleep hours ago. The Professor seemed to be debating something in his head and quite seriously, until at last he came to a conclusion. He lifted himself away from the window, walked around the car and got into the front passenger seat. Next to me. His being so close to me made my heart go into overdrive and I had to wonder how it was I was still alive. Then again, I was mostly likely seconds away from dying, which made more sense. His body was turned towards me and I felt like he was patiently waiting for me to explain myself. I cringed, knowing Professor Utonium deserved to know the truth.
"Sorry about spying on you. I ju–"
"It's fine." To say I was surprised was an understatement. I had not been expecting him to be uninterested as to why I was currently parked outside his house – and had been for a good few hours now. Any normal person would be alarmed enough to call the police and I wouldn't blame them. I gave him a strange look but his resolve not to be freaked out by my behaviour remained sturdy. Perhaps he'd suffered one too many explosions in his laboratory and was now feeling the effects. That was plausible, considering how accident-prone he was. The Professor cleared his throat, shifting his position on the seat so he was leaning even more towards me. His hand was resting extremely close to my own: they were almost touching.
"I wanted to see you one last time before I moved away," he said quietly. That wasn't too out there, considering we were friends and all. Friends parked outside their friend's house to watch them through the windows all the time, right? I doubted it very much.
"Same here," I gave him a weak smile, which he returned. I was really going to miss him. He and the girls were moving to Megaville which was a town a lot further away – practically on the other side of the state. It was all down to an amazing job opportunity Professor Utonium had been offered. Since he was looking for an elementary school for the girls to go to come the fall, it was only logical that this was the perfect time – especially since there was a school right near where Professor Utonium's new work place would be. I was just sad to see them all go.
"I'm really going to miss you – you and the girls," I said quickly, hoping he didn't notice my slip-up. Professor Utonium's smile broadened, causing me to be unsure as to whether or not he did notice it.
"I'm going to miss you too," he said. I felt my heart soar for a moment – the moment before the Professor continued what he was saying. "How am I going to replace the best female role model in my girls' lives?" He chuckled heartily and I felt obliged to join in although I didn't feel much like laughing. It would have been better if he had been going to miss me for me – not because his girls weren't going to have me in their lives anymore. It was definitely a harsh reality check. I reminded myself where I was, who I was and whom I was with. The last was the most important to keep in mind. I straightened up in the car seat and looked at Professor Utonium pointedly.
"I guess you should get going; early start and all that." Professor Utonium looked uncomfortable and lowered his gaze, his smile fading. As a kindergarten teacher I could recognise the signs of a person who was upset, so I asked him what was wrong.
He didn't answer me, at least not verbally. The Professor hastily grabbed me by my shoulders and pulled me towards him. His lips pressed against mine firmly and my eyes widened in shock. The kiss didn't last long but by the time I had snapped out of the daze it had put me in, Professor Utonium was already halfway to his front door. My heart sank.
"Wait!" I called after him. I couldn't believe what had just happened. He had actually kissed me. It had been such a real kiss – not like the ones I frequently had in my dreams. My heart was fluttering like crazy and I found it hard to control my breathing. Upon hearing my voice, the Professor turned and looked back at me. I noticed then that he didn't have anything on his feet; not even a pair of bedroom slippers. Had he been in such a hurry to come down and see me that he hadn't bothered putting them on? That was likely.
Without thinking about what I was doing, my hands were scrambling to open the door and I was rushing up to meet Professor Utonium. I had probably intended on returning his kiss but sort of lost the courage when I was close to him and saw he was significantly taller than I was. I'd have to be on my tiptoes and still the Professor would have to bend down if we wanted to kiss each other. If, of course, that's what we both wanted. I frowned.
"What was that all about? I thought you didn't like me," I said in confusion. It was true. We had dated briefly once but it had ended rather quickly once Professor Utonium discovered I had a cat I wasn't likely to get rid of anytime soon. I thought it a very irrational phobia, to be afraid of cats, and it wasn't like Valentino was going to harm the Professor. That hadn't stopped him from putting an end to our relationship though, much to my displeasure.
"Of course I like you, Ms Keane. I've always liked you. It's your cat I have the issue with," he replied somewhat tiredly. I knew I should have been over the moon after that. I mean, the man I liked – yes, that's right – said he liked me too. Where's the downside in that?
I'll tell you where the downside was. It was where he didn't make an effort to get over his fear of cats so we could stay together. It was where he hadn't fought against all odds to stay as my boyfriend. It was where he made me believe all this time that I liked a man who simply didn't feel the same way about me. I was furious.
"So you mean to tell me that all this time, we could've been together?" I fumed angrily. My cheeks flushed red, I was so mad. In contrast, Professor Utonium was as calm as the sea.
"If you'd gotten rid of your cat, then yes." I glared at him.
"Never!" I roared. The Professor sighed resignedly.
"I knew how you felt about Valentino. I could never ask you to dispose of something you loved for me, which was why I thought it best if you and I just didn't see each other. But now that I'm moving...Well, I wanted you to know the truth." That's right: he was leaving. First thing tomorrow morning Professor Utonium and the girls would be putting Townsville behind them. This was our last night together. I didn't really want to spend it arguing about what-if's and why-not's. It made sense to make our last moments together enjoyable ones. There was no point in having an enormous fight over our – let's face it – dead romance. It was old news. It was time to focus on the here and now.
I closed in on Professor Utonium, holding him in a tight embrace. I whispered into his chest that I was going to miss him. He probably would never know how much.
