6.Curses

6. Curses

Here we go! My excitement can barely be contained as we head to our office bright and early on a Monday morning. I could almost skip if the world's grumpiest everything Azure Serrano weren't next to me and sure to make fun of me.

I walk into the unused classroom that will be our workspace and flick on the lights, illuminating the empty room that is full of potential.

"Here it is, this place is all ours."

Az files in behind me slowly. "I expected our new office to be… an office."

"This gives us more room to work."

The fluorescent lights overhead flicker as Az enters, which he doesn't even blink at, meaning that's a normal occurrence. Branded people balance the elemental essence inside them, but he isn't branded. Electricity is attracted to him and reacts funny in his presence.

Heading to one of the two tables in the classroom, I set down my satchel bag. I look up from arranging my workspace to see Az has stationed himself at the whiteboard and drawn a vulgar picture.

I promise myself that I'll be professional enough for the both of us.

A maintenance worker starts bringing in boxes containing paper copies of everything online. A lot of boxes. So many. They just keep coming, almost an intimidating amount. No wonder we needed a whole classroom to ourselves.

Given that we're working with unstable electrical energy, it's more practical to use old-fashioned tools like spiral notebooks and paper copies.

Using my magic and wits to overcome insurmountable obstacles is what drew me to this project. A stack of boxes won't stop me... I just wish hard copies weren't a necessity. Then I could use my laptop and dive into the old files from anywhere, like outside.

Duh, airbrand. I enjoy being outside under the wide-open sky.

Oh well.

"Should we get started? I have so many questions. "

Az shrugs and gestures to the boxes. "Go nuts."

"These aren't a substitute for a first-hand account."

He pats the top of the nearest cardboard box. "There are plenty of firsthand accounts in the files."

"You don't have anything to say about how the curse began?" I wonder.

He only shakes his head. I look from him to the files. Think a minute. Well, what other option is there?

I lift the lid of the nearest box and pull out the contents inside. After a few minutes skimming the contents and organizing them, Az clears his throat.

"Do I even need to be here?" he asks.

"Hmm. You can go if you want. But we will need to set up a meeting soon once I'm more familiar with these files and the previous research."

Surprisingly, he hesitates instead of rushing out the door. "Seriously? I can just go?"

"Yeah. Unless you want to help?"

"Pass," he says immediately. I fight a smile, expecting that reaction, and his eyes narrow at me in suspicion. "You're really letting me go? What's the catch?"

Seems like I'm not the only one who can't take yes for an answer.

"No catch. You've held up your end of the bargain by letting me try." I set down the papers in my hand and turn to him. "I promised to respect your boundaries. You made it clear you aren't sure about getting invested in a new project." Sounds like a boundary to me. A giant neon flashing boundary. "Unless that changes, I'll limit your involvement as much as I possibly can."

Az mulls that over. I go back to sorting. A lot of sorting is in my immediate future.

I can't fault him for being cautious. We're literally surrounded by all the evidence of past failed attempts. Now that I know he's not a stubborn asshole—or that he's more than a justifiably weary, stubborn asshole—I have no problem with earning his participation and trust. I have a feeling that breaking through his walls will make a magical breakthrough seem easy in comparison.

"Okay then," he says quietly a few minutes later. He hops on one of the tables, the one empty and unclaimed by my stuff. Not leaving.

Okay then. Him not leaving is a good sign.

"Is there anything you are willing to share with me?" I wonder.

"You only saw me trying to manipulate the electrical energy." I open my mouth, and he shakes his head. "Don't ask to see that again, McFly. That party trick is too exhausting to use regularly."

Seeing as we're getting along, I let the nickname slide this once.

"How about a proper demonstration?" he suggests .

"Yes, please." I cough to cover my eagerness.

With a goal in mind, Az springs into action. He comes closer, reaching out to touch me and trigger the curse. Alarm bells sound in my head.

"Maybe we should find some volunteers instead?" I jump back at the last second and raise my hands protectively in front of me... which won't help at all, unless I were wearing gloves or oven mitts for some reason. He still gets the message and doesn't come closer.

For a brief moment, hurt flashes across his face before he quickly masks it. Ugh, even though I'm trying to be on my best behavior, I struck a nerve. Does he think I'm afraid of him?

"Remember why we're here, Azure. We can't touch."

"Yeah, yeah, this is inappropriate . We need to be professional. Don't worry." His face is darker than his never-ending supply of black clothing. "I've never wanted to sleep with you less than I do right now."

"No, not what I meant!" I struggle to speak calmly. "I'm here because I'm an airbrand, remember? Me plus an unpredictable electrical curse equals the reason safety protocols were invented. For both of us to have peace of mind, it's easiest and safest to rule out any physical contact between us. "

"Oh yeah… you're right..." Az looks embarrassed as he realizes the truth of my words. His body language becomes more closed off, with his arms crossed tightly over his chest, as if trying to physically distance himself from the situation and his embarrassment. "Safety is, uh, important. Safety first."

Enjoying the surly Azure Serrano being flustered tempts me, but I'm trying to be professional. I hurry out of the classroom to find volunteers while we both compose ourselves.

He forgot about my sensitivity to electric magic and took it personally when I backed away. That makes it all the more important that we establish boundaries and keep our distance… I can't afford to forget the reality of the situation.

One quick zap won't kill me, but it feels like tempting fate. What if touching him feels good before the shock? What if I like feeling his skin against mine? What if I want more?

Yep. Best to keep things totally professional and to observe personal space at all times. For safety.

Hunting for volunteers takes a few minutes. Not many magical classes are offered during the summer season in an effort to encourage casters to develop a life outside of magic.

A classroom at the end of the hall is in use and I bring back two volunteers, a male and a female who are new students and excited to see more magic in action. Since they aren't branded or even focusing on air magic, they won't be more susceptible to electric energy like I am. They whisper eagerly until we arrive back in the classroom, and both stop dead at the sight of the man waiting for us.

"Are you willing to touch Azure here?" I ask them.

"Yes!"

"Duh… I mean yes."

They practically interrupt me with their affirmations. It's clear they find Az attractive, who wouldn't? His muscular frame strains his shirt, chiseled features unfairly handsome.

"Be aware, you'll experience a small electric shock when you do touch."

Both volunteers exchange glances before shrugging it off, thinking that a little shock is a small price to pay for getting close to Az.

As for the man himself, his expression remains neutral, though his eyes are sparking with something. I can't tell if he's smug about their attention or just annoyed I used his full name, which I did so they wouldn't ask what the hell an ‘az' is.

I nod for him to take over and he directs the volunteers to stand back-to-back in the center of the room. The girl's bright green eyes follow Azure with excitement. The male is more discrete but seems just as focused on my companion .

"Alright," Az begins. "Direct skin to skin contact is what triggers the electricity most often. This comes in two forms. One is a deliberate touch."

The petite female tosses her long black hair over one shoulder as she smiles shyly at him. Az and the female volunteer raise their hands, palms facing each other. Their hands meet in a slow, deliberate motion and the young woman practically swoons at the contact. One, two, three, four, five. He pulls back.

"Ah!" She yelps as the jolt strikes her, more surprised than hurt.

Though stronger than the static electricity generated from, say, dragging socks along a carpet, this quick and casual touch isn't enough to do her any real harm. But it packs a punch in the moment. The female volunteer appears stunned and unsure, her eyes wide as she looks at Az in a new light.

He's already moving away from her. "The other trigger is accidental contact."

As he speaks, he demonstrates this by casually bumping into the male volunteer while walking away from them and towards me. The contact is minimal, barely noticeable. The volunteer jumps a bit but it's hard to tell that it's even from the shock.

"Cool," he breathes, clearly feeling something. His wide blue eyes are magnified by the oversized glasses perched on his nose. He stares longingly after Az, regretting not being able to touch him for longer.

"The current builds with the contact," Az says. "And the shock happens when contact ends."

"Right." I remember reading about this. "The longer the touch, the larger the shock."

Well, the length of the touch is one important factor in the voltage. Az fills in that part next.

"There are a few other factors that can influence the current too. My mood, our intentions, the environment, the weather. The more times the energy is activated in a day and the closer I am to someone... it creates a bigger shock." Or sensitivity to electrical effects, in my case. He scowls. "It's the curse that keeps on giving."

How insidious. The shock are designed to keep everyone else away.

"What do you feel when the curse triggers?" I wonder.

"A current and a small amount of electricity. It doesn't hurt me, it's more like static electricity on my end. I feel it with any touch. Sometimes I don't notice immediately if I'm not expecting contact, but as soon as I feel the current, it reminds me I need to back up before things get worse."

"Can I see one more example of prolonged contact?"

Just like there's no substitute for a firsthand account of the events leading up to the curse, seeing the curse in action is much better than just reading reports.

"The longer the touch, the bigger the surge," Az warns. "Are you sure?"

"Just for about 15 seconds, if one of you is willing."

"Yeah, no problem!" The male volunteer eagerly agrees. "If you don't mind?" He turns to his friend and his enthusiasm fades as he notices the troubled expression on her face.

The volunteers and Az are strangers, and the contact will be brief. 15 seconds of touch is more than Az ever gets these days, but it's brief in the grand scheme of possible human interactions. The male volunteer won't be hurt, but it is going to feel incredibly off putting as it happens, so I let him decide for himself.

The male volunteer seems wary, torn between attraction to Az and concern for his friend. Eventually, he decides to go for it.

Az and the volunteer meet each other in the middle of the room. They each offer a hand and share a lingering handshake. The woman and I wait with bated breath, both counting down the seconds in our head. This time, when they drop their hands, a crackle of yellow energy shows itself for a second as the charge passes from Az to him.

"Oh!" He jumps away from Az. The female volunteer is there, ready to catch her friend in her arms. He leans into her and it's clear that the shock rattled him.

"Thank you for your assistance," I tell the volunteers. Deciding that isn't enough, I thank both volunteers profusely and promise to let their professors know how helpful they were.

The female musters up a weak smile of appreciation for me, but both of them give Az a wide berth, shooting him concerned looks and hurrying away from him. Lust and academic curiosity have been replaced by fear.

It dawns on me that this must have happened countless times before. The curse does not just shock all who come near, it drives people away, leaving Az utterly alone. It's cruel.

No wonder he created distance and kept himself cut off from others, and not just physically. He made it difficult to get to know him. A survival mechanism.

Az's hands drop heavily onto the table, his muscles tense and coiled.

My heart hurts for him. I try not to show it because my instincts tell me he won't handle pity well. When he finally musters up the nerve to face me, the usual wall of stoicism he presents is gone. He looks strangely… vulnerable.

"Now you understand why I pretended not to know you," he says quietly .

"W-what?" That was about the last thing I expected him to say.

"Friends, family, romantic relationships, it all goes away with the curse. Believe me, I tried. For a while at least."

"Az—" I try to interrupt, but now that he's started, he's not done talking.

"Even tried online dating but meeting online is the beginning for those people. They hope to find a relationship that will eventually transfer into the real world. I can't offer that. Felt like a catfish. My profile info was true, the guy in the picture was really me, hell it was even a current picture, but I couldn't promise I'd ever be more than a picture on a screen. Didn't want to get anybody's hopes up for nothing. I know what that's like."

"Oh." It's all I can say.

"When I changed my mind at the last minute, I felt guilty about canceling this study. The university already interviewed candidates and selected somebody. Selected you, I guess. Everything was already set up." He waits a moment, expecting some reaction from me. "Not gonna make some joke? Aren't you surprised I have a heart at all?"

"No." It's a guarded heart, but it's definitely hiding in there somewhere. I'm starting to see that.

"Anyway, Blossom convinced me to meet with this airbrand professor guy to try to change my mind. It was the least I could do after bailing. "

That's why he was at Airadise. The former professor knows air magic well and was trying to convince Az that I really might be able to help him.

"I never expected to see you again, Marty. That night, watching you from afar… I thought it was something I could have. One strange, sensual encounter from a distance with a stranger. But it can't be more than that. That's why I brushed you off. I've seen where this goes. It never works."

The memory of our intense, borderline erotic encounter floods my mind, followed by the sting of rejection when he later feigned ignorance.

Now it all makes sense—he did remember me, but he had a reason for keeping his distance. And the events suddenly hit me in a new light.

"The lightning," I realize. "There wasn't a storm that night. It was you."

He nods, guilty as charged. "Lightning rod, that's me. And it's worse whenever I feel anything… intensely."

I lean against the wall by the door, feeling like a bolt of lightning struck me. Now that I understand his side of it, now that nothing is quite as it seemed… I have no earthly idea what comes next.

Apparently, Az knows what to do.

"Romance isn't an option," he says. "Not with this curse. "

Right. Anything happening between us is still inappropriate. Inappropriate and potentially impossible.

I swallow hard, trying to maintain some semblance of professionalism. "Well, that... that's history. We're colleagues now, that's all."

"Fine with me." He averts his gaze and runs a hand through his dark hair. "Like I said, anything else isn't an option."

It seems we're both ready to call it a day.

Work is the last thing I'll be able to focus on right now and Az doesn't want to stick around either. He tells me he'll see me tomorrow and starts heading to the door to leave, keeping a wide berth between us as he comes closer.

After the volunteer's reactions, he seems afraid of getting within 10 feet of me. My heart hurts again at the thought. I must be suicidal, because unlike the volunteers, my reaction isn't to shy away. I'd rather hold him in my arms and comfort him.

But for so many reasons, that's not going to happen.

Az leaves. The lights, prone to being finicky in the moments after he enters and exits, flicker and sputter out, leaving me alone in the dark.

Well then… what the hell should I do now?