The Theory of Attraction

[Galaxy Sith]

That was it, the last box. All of them packed in her apartment. Galaxy hadn't stopped crying yet, since she woke up it'd been non-stop. She wiped at her face, which was swollen and red from her incessant tears. The petite blonde looked around, remembering what it was like stepping through the doors the day she'd decided not to leave. She hadn't gotten on that flight, and taken a taxi back to the apartment to see Orsino - and he was gone. She held in her hand the picture that replaced the one of Vinny - it was she and him together. Feeling weak, the young mother sat on the love seat, and glanced over at her sleeping child in her carrier. Mia wouldn't even remember Orsino she was sure, and that was a good thing. The woman knew that she needed to think of her baby in this situation. Introducing a new man into their lives was a bad idea, and she'd known it from the start. How was she to know she was going to fall in love with Orsino? She wasn't, and that's what made everything so much harder on her, as she packed the photo away in her purse. Maybe she would tell Mea about the tenant whom had helped her pay rent, and whom had been kind to them both. She would tell the story of how he saved her from a terrible fever - leaving out that months later they'd decided to share intimacy. She would speak of Orsino like a friend, like family maybe. She would not tell Mea that her first word was daddy, and that she'd mistaken the large bear-like man as her father. Galaxy felt more hot tears seep from her ducts, and she covered her face. She was tired of crying, but she couldn't help but feel a bit empty. She was moving from the only home she'd known in New Zealand, and leaving behind the only happy memories she had. Of her daughter's first steps, or Orsino's lips on her. Of getting the job she now held at Gladrags Wizardwear. Every good memory was going to be behind her as she moved on into yet another stage in her life.

The petite woman stood and readjusted her dress. She took in a shaking breath, and slipped her scarf back on. She only had a few bags to carry out of the apartment at this point. The moving trucks had already started to move things about Gladrags. She'd already set up her bedroom there, and for the past few nights had been sleeping there even. It wasn't the same, but she would have to make due. It seemed obvious to her that the apartment was not made for her to lay alone, two bedrooms and one bathroom. It had a dining area and was really just a nice second house. She'd spent everything she had to buy the shop`when the opportunity came to her, signing the lease before any minds could be changed. She needed it - especially since she'd lost the other job and wouldn't have Orsino around to ease the tensions. "Orsino..." For the first time in what seemed like months Galaxy breathed his name. Spoke it aloud. Maybe that was when the thought of his leaving actually hit her. It was all her fault. She knew she'd flown off the deep end. She couldn't help it, and she hoped he would have understood had they talked it out. She'd only bee with three men, Vinny, Quinn, and Orsino. To hear his list be so extensive made her wonder if he could truly love her. She was a single mother, she was improperly put together emotionally. She wasn't as mature, or interesting, or stable as those other women, and yet Orsino picked her. Galaxy moved to the rooms to make sure she'd gotten everything. Orsino's room seemed to be left in tact still, and she was going to leave it that way. He had a key after all, so he had the chance to let himself in. She stood in the middle of that room, looking at the made bed, and at the desk. "Goodbye." She whispered to the empty room, as if he were still there. She turned, ready to leave now. Mea would settle in at their new home she was sure - and so would she. Even if that meant settling in alone
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[Orsino Antolini]

Orsino Antolini had given up. He'd spent two months in Italy. He had gone from province to province, door knocking houses, shops, restaurants. He'd asked around, talked to people that he thought might know her. Kimberlyn had been a massive help. He'd never have gotten around without her. He had no idea where she had gone. He missed her a lot. He wished he had been there for her, but he had no idea where she had gone. Searching had done nothing to help him however. He had looked as far and wide as he could, but he couldn't think where she might be. He'd stayed where ever he could find whilst he was there. He missed everything about her. He missed her hair, he missed her eyes. Orsino missed her smile. He missed Mea. He missed the way she sounded when she woke up in the morning. He missed the way she used to just get him coffee without him having to ask. He missed the way she needed his help to reach her appliances. He missed the smell of her shampoo. Orsino missed a great many things about Galaxy Sith and now he had lost it all. She had trusted him, he had broken that trust. He wasn't sure if he was ever going to be able to forgive himself for any of this. He hadn't even gone to Italy straight away. He stayed with his parents for a while. He'd been there to seek advice and had stayed for about a week. Talking things out with his father and his sister had given him a lot of insight into what he had needed to do and that was why he had immediately gone to Italy. He'd realised a couple of things whilst she was gone. Orsino needed Galaxy, he loved her. Orsino loved Galaxy, but it was all over now.

"Where are you, Galaxy?" Sighing, Orsino stepped up onto the stairs leading up to the door. She used to be here when he got home. Home. When had he started thinking of this as his home anyway? For him it had always been intended to be a short stay. That was the plan. In, out, don't bother with the problems, fix your stuff, get out. That had been the agenda. The one thing that Orsino had not counted on was Galaxy. Sure, he knew she was there, of course he did. When he had arrived that first day she had not been what he was expecting. Orsino closed his eyes and thought back to that first day. She had been wearing a yellow sundress. He remembered it vividly because it clashed with her hair. He loved her hair. It was always so silky. Sighing heavily again, Orsino pushed open the door. Hadn't he locked that when he left? Crap, now what. Pulling his wand, but being sure to be able to conceal it should there be a muggle inside, Orsino inched into the apartment and rounded the corner. The sight before him stopped him dead in his tracks. Her hair was lighter, she was wearing a black dress and she was facing away from him, but... it was definitely her. "Galaxy..." Orsino would have dropped his wand had he not been gripping it so tightly that the knuckles of his hand were beginning to turn white. She was here, actually here and not in Italy. She was standing right in front of him! Orsino didn't know what to do now. He looked around, searching for the thing that had brought them together. "Um... where is..." She was in a carrier, he could see her now. A weaker man would have cried, Orsino would have if he were alone, but she was here. She was obviously here to spite him, perhaps grab the few things she left behind and return to Italy. He never had found out where she lived after all. "Get everything?"
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[Galaxy Sith]

There was a faint dinging, a very faint sound that signaled an alarm in Galaxy's own room was going off. Had she really been so dumb as to forget that clock? She supposed it wasn't her fault. Her mind was elsewhere, remembering the way it felt to love again after losing what she thought was her only lover. Galaxy could feel another hot tear burning her face as it fled down her cheek and dripped off her chin. Reaching a hand up to dry her face, she thought maybe she should quiet the beeping. If it woke Mea up there would be two crying women in the apartment. She could hear the footsteps of a neighbor on the stairs, and thought that if they heard too much racket they would want to help, and that was the last thing Galaxy needed. She'd already let so many hear her argument with Orsino all those months ago - if they saw her crying they might think she was unfit to be a mother. Though it had been a minute or so since the alarm had gone off, Galaxy's head did not turn for the beeping - it turned for the sound of her front door. With brown eyes wide, Galaxy searched her side for her wand, only to remember she had left it on the kitchen counter while packing so that she could try and reach something above the cupboards - something she would ave had Orsino grab for her. She would have to be ready to fight with her bare hands, and hope whoever had managed to make their way into her apartment was not going to kill her or her child. The footsteps grew closer, and as she heard them only a little away from her, she swung around, and breathed. "Orsino?"

Her eyes watered profusely, unable to control the way her tears fell now. Her face remained tense and unmoving, his wand only inches from her face. She should have screamed, yelled, kissed him - anything but what she chose to do. Se stood like a statue, as if she were rooted to the two wood planks she stood on. Her eyes scanned over every inch of his face - his big blue eyes and his stubble. The way his blonde hair looked plastered and framing his face. He looked as beautiful as when she left. She heard his question, eyes flickering shut briefly before she shook her head. "N-no." She said, looking down at her feet. Mea was still asleep. The alarm was still beeping. And her tears were still falling. Galaxy finally found strength to move and crossed the room to Orsino. She wanted to say a thousand things, she wanted to apologize - but she could not speak. It was a miracle she was even breathing, her face red from holding in sobs. She was now inches from the large dragon tamer, and her arms wrapped around him, uncaring on if he was willing to receive the hug or not - if he hated her for it he could push her away.
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[Orsino Antolini]

Orsino still couldn't believe what he was seeing right in front of him. Despite it all, he refused to believe that Galaxy, the girl he spent nearly three months in a foreign country trying to find, was right here. Why was she here? Was it really to spite him as he was so sure? He desperately wanted to not believe it, but the evidence was overwhelming. Why else should she come to the apartment? Obviously she'd heard that he was on Italy and had come back to pack everything up. She'd left him after all so it was her responsibility. Shaking his head to gather his thoughts, Orsino slowly lowered his was back to his side before shoving it in his pocket. He knew it was a bad place to keep his wand, considering accidents happened rather frequently to wizard silly enough to do so, but he'd lost his wrist strap in the chaos that was the airport and not had the time to pop by Obsidian for another. His wand would surely be fine for a little while longer, at least until he dealt with all of this. Looking from Mea to Galaxy there was a flood of emotions behind his eyes that he wasn't sure how to interpret. Not coherently. Anger, jealousy, sadness, relief, happiness, guilt. He hadn't known that someone could feel all of these things and not explode. Was this what it felt like to be in love? Because were that true, he was pretty sure he would like a refund now please. If he was expected to feel all of these things all of the time, he'd rather die alone and unloved. It was just too mush for a simple guy like himself to handle. Did everyone go through this? Or was it exclusive to him?

She looked, well, he supposed she looked tired. Really tired. She looked like what he felt actually. Well she deserved it, letting him traipse all over Italy looking for her whilst she snuck back here and did everything she could to make him feel like a goddamn moron. What had happened between them? How could they have ended up like this? She said his name, it was like she had been longing to say it the whole time she was gone. Serves her right. She left him, she should suffer as he had. All he had wanted those weeks in Italy was to hold her in his arms again. Kiss her as he once had, touch her like he had. All he had wanted was to play with Mea's toes, kiss her nose, notice all the small details that weren't Galaxy and wonder what Mea would become in her future. Galaxy had denied him these things and now he would deny her. "No, you don't get to say my name, Galaxy. Not like that." Was he mad? Of course he was! There were so many things he had wanted to say. So many things he never got the chance to say and now he never could. She was heading back to Italy. She was crying, yes, but that didn't mean anything. She's cried for a lot less he was sure. That ringing sound was starting to get on Orsino's nerves now, but he didn't care. He was too busy calling Galaxy every bad name he could think of in his head for what she had done. What he had done. Who was he even kidding? He was just as guilty as she was, though he hadn't left her. She'd left him and then just slunk back when she thought he was gone for good. How pathetic. Her next action however, surprised the hell out of him. The feel of her arms around him, alone, had nearly caused him to break his resolve. There was so much he could associate to the feeling of her body against his. He was much taller the her, of course, but that didn't stop him feeling so very small at that moment. It was then that he realised everything. He knew what had to do. Pushing her away, but holding her shoulders, Orsino looked down at Galaxy. It was time. "I love you Galaxy. No matter what you might think of me now, no matter how you feel in the future. I love you. I will always love you. I didn't know it then, but I loved you the first moment I saw you. There was a connection I had never expected. There were so many reasons why I shouldn't have stayed, so many reasons to go, but I always found the one reason to stay, you. I loved you then and I love you now. I love Mea, as much as she frightens me, I love her. I love that she is yours, I love that she sees me as her father, even though I'm not. I know I could never replace him, but I think, if you let me, I could try to help you and help Mea. I want to be in your lives, I want you in mine too. I know I don't say much and that probably won't change, that's why I'm saying it now, because you won't hear it often. Galaxy, I love you. Please say you love me too."
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[Galaxy Sith]

Galaxy didn't have time to be dumbfounded. She'd found that she just needed to hug Orsino, that she needed to be near him. Close to him would never be enough for the girl. She couldn't stop the barrage now, one tear following the other and her lithe form trembling. She felt as if she couldn't stand on her own. Never before was Galaxy so weak, so exposed to someone. Not even to Vincenzo, whom was not around for her breakdowns after finding out she was pregnant. No one had seen her cry the way Orsino was seeing now - not even when her lover died. No one could say that this red haired woman was weak, not until today. Her arms held the giant in place firmly, she didn't' want to crumple in front of him. The beeping in the background only adding to the throbbing in her head that crying brought about. However, she was not about to leave Orsino's side to turn it off. She feared that if she let go of him, he may just leave again.

Finally looking at him through blurry eyes she noticed just how tired he was, the bags under his eyes. She wondered where he could have gone for three months. He'd left so quickly after she did - he must have really hated her for what she did. She couldn't help it, she was so afraid of being hurt again, of losing him and having no one again. Of Mea remembering him as her father and being broken over losing him as well. She ran scared, and that was her problem. She was more upset than afraid now - angry at herself. She had thought about his exploits with her coworkers and thought now of how she overreacted. It wasn't any of her business, just like it was none of her business of her past lovers, though she'd only really had one. Maybe that's what hurt the most, was knowing that he'd been loved by others the same way he had loved her. She didn't care now, though. If he took her back she would forget ever sexual exploit he'd had. She only wanted him to love her. Perhaps tat was why she sobbed more when he pushed her away. Even though he kept a grip on her, she couldn't help but feel like this was it. He was going to leave her for good, tell her she was nuts and inconsiderate, and the other thousands of things she had been calling herself. However he had taken her by surprise, just as he had when he picked her up the first night they made love. Her big, brown orbs searched his own blue pools. She was silent for a while, the beeping of the alarm clock the only thing permeating the thick atmosphere. There was nothing more she could say than four little words. Nothing would ever have as much impact in her life - even if she let him replace Vinny, even if she told him a string of beautiful words, nothing was as powerful as what she settled on.

"I love you too."
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[Orsino Antolini]

Never in all his years of being old enough to think about love or sex, had Orsino experienced emotions like he was right now. People spoke about love like it was the most amazing thing in the world. Like you couldn't be complete without it. They were wrong. Love was scary, it was cruel and painful. He could have gone a thousand years never having fell in love with anyone, never having to know that complete and total agony of having someone to love. Orsino could have gone his whole life, never knowing what love was. He still didn't, but if that was what this was, if that was what he was becoming, then damn it all to hell, he was glad it was with this woman. If he was going to have to suffer through the torture of love, then he wouldn't want it to be anyone else by his side. When Galaxy finally confirmed that she loved him too and the tears ran down her face, Orsino smiled down at her and cupped her face in his hands. With his thumbs he caressed her cheek, rubbing the tears away when he could. "Good, that's good." Orsino leaned down and pressed his forehead to Galaxy's, kissing her nose softly. "I don't want it to be anyone else. If I have to love someone, I'm so very glad that its you." Orsino had truly never felt his way about anyone before. He thought he'd known of love, but there were so many things he did not know and given the chance, he would learn with her. She was a special kind of love, that he knew. She would transcend it all, as his mother had once told him she would. Maybe she hadn't been talking about Galaxy specifically, he was only fourteen at the time, or maybe she had, either way, she was the one.

Orsino pulled her to him then, wrapping his arms around her tightly, as if he might never see her again. Those three months, though he was never alone, felt like the longest and loneliest of his life. He had never felt so lost and he never wanted to feel that way again. Smiling, Orsino moved his hands from her face and trailed them to her shoulders and down her back until they reached the backs of her thighs. "I hope you understand that you are now stuck with me. I am never letting you go again. You or Mea." Of course should she honestly decide she didn't love him anymore, then he would let her leave, but he would put up one hell of a fight first. He felt awful, thinking he would never see her again. He wasn't sure he could accept that next time around. Pulling away slightly and lifting Galaxy up, Orsino wrapped her legs around his waist so that she was more comfortable, after all, he was quite a bit taller then she was and it was annoying for him to lean down and for her to stretch those lovely legs of hers. This was just so much easier on everyone. "I swear to whatever the hell gods are real, I am never going to leave you again."
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[Galaxy Sith]

Galaxy should have known. The minute this man walked through her door, the minute he held her when she cried, when she was sick. The moment they kissed. Orsino was not just there to be a friend and to help her cope; he was there for much more. Her hair, now faded to an auburn color, was still striking now against her tear stained cheeks. She held her head up to look at him as much as she could, but it was no easy task. He was so much taller, just one of the things she'd fallen in love with. With his hands on her ace, she no longer felt the sinking feeling in her heart. Her mind whirred to every possibility of moments that could have happened when she came back, and this truly wasn't the one she had pictured. She had pictured him shouting at her to leave, and many times dreamed of him finding her in Italy. She even dreamed of him talking fluent Italian, but it was nothing compared to the way his voice spoke to her in English. The soft firmness she had come accustomed to knowing. She wanted in that moment t apologize to him, for yelling and screaming. She felt that apologizing would just kill the mood. So the petite woman looked up into Orsino's deep oceans and gave him her best smile. "I feel the same, Orsino. Ti amo, a hundred times, to the moon and back." She spoke with a voice more confident, but still quiet, so as to keep the atmosphere about them.

Galaxy barely recognized that her stomach was nauseated, and she was not just feeling butterflies. "I never want you to let me go." She said with a grin. She wouldn't want anyone else. The red-haired woman was ecstatic until her lover lifted her up, and a familiar wave of nausea and dizziness hit her. Her heart rate sped up, and she felt her head spin for only a minute. She tried hard to speak, but instead turned her head away the best she could. She gagged a moment before vomiting. She should have felt bad for throwing up at all, but it was worse when she realized she had not only gotten it on herself, but on Orsino as well. Mustering everything she had Galaxy spoke briefly. "Orsino, there's something we need to talk about." She then pushed away from him quickly, dashing to the bathroom once more. Three months they had been apart, and for nearly that same amount of time, Galaxy had been sick. She had an inkling of why, but until that motion sickness came to her, she was sure she was worried over nothing. While Galaxy felt awful for getting it on Orsino, she was more concentrated on finding the right words to tell him she thought she was pregnant. And that it was his.

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FIN​

Galaxy and Orsino did get cleaned up, and after some talking, they decided it was best Galaxy seek medical attention, and they confirm what's really going on. But is Orsino really ready to be a dad?

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