Weekly Side-Story, Amos 3 (Patreon)

Amos shifted a bit on his feet. The shoes were unbelievably uncomfortable. Sonya kept insisting that they were the most comfortable dress shoes of their brand but it still felt like his feet were in a vice. That wasn’t even to begin to talk about the rest of it. He could hear the distant sound of Sonya talking, giving her speech, he groaned. Sure, this was exciting, but for heaven’s sake did it have to be so formal? He shifted again and a hand grabbed him by the tie, tugging him forward to hold him still and straighten it.

“You are worse than a kid before a school play,” Colin said with a huff, pulling a strand of hair behind his ear as he fussed with Amos’ tie. “Stop wiggling around.”

Amos glanced down at Colin’s expression of concentration and went still, relaxing as his boyfriend went to work straightening him up a bit more. He stared for a bit, lost in the smell of his perfume. Colin glanced up at him as he pat his chest and smiled coyly, Amos’ heart did a flip, “Now now, none of that,” He said softly, “I’m wearing lipstick today,” He said and reached up to touch Amos’ chin, “Relax. You’re going to be fine.”

“Why’d you have to wear lipstick?” Amos complained in a low whisper.

“Because I wanted to look good for you,” Colin hissed.

“It worked,” Amos muttered, “I can’t take my eyes off you.”

“You’re going to have to,” Colin teased and stepped back, putting his hands on his hips. He was wearing a suit jacket, tie, skirt, and black hose. He pursed his lips and gave Amos a once over from afar before nodding, “Okay, you’re good to go.”

“I dunno if I can do this, babe,” Amos said, “That’s a lot of people out there.”

Colin tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, his pretty lips doing that tilted thing again that made Amos feel weak. He walked forward and reached up to cup Amos’ face in his hands. They were so fucking soft. “Amos, listen to me, carefully,” He said putting some firmness in his voice, “You got your degree back, you’re Doctor Amos Carter, celebrated post-pandora scientist and the guy who probably saved billions of lives with your work. If there is anyone on the fucking planet who deserves whats coming out there, it’s you. You’re going to be fine. Fuck those guys, just talk about what you did, accept, and get the fuck outta there.”

“I-” He opened his mouth but it was cut off by a finger.

“Get through it, and you’ll get that kiss, mm?” Colin put a bit of that husk in and Amos melted, his shoulders slumping as Colin pulled back with a wink, “Okay?”

“Yeah,” He breathed, feeling significantly more motivated to get out there and get through it. He glanced towards the curtain to the stage again, he could hear the words. Time was up. He didn’t have a chance in hell at this point. 

“...and so with that said,” Sonya said to the audience, “I am honored beyond words to introduce my dear friend and fellow Nobel laureate, without whom, nothing I accomplished would have been possible. The father of the post-pandora era, Doctor Amos Carter. Doctor Carter, the floor is yours.”

Trumpets blared and Amos felt Colin push him towards the stage, he did his best not to stumble before stepping out through the curtains. The light beat down on him, the applause of the crowd was deafening, the trumpets were a lot, and the stage was bigger than he remembered. He focused on Sonya who was standing on the podium with her arm outstretched and a smile on her face. She wore a sheer white gown that sparkled as much as her skin and her hair was done up with crystals. She beamed at him and he felt his chest tighten, You say that, but aren’t you the one who pulled me out of the gutter? He thought as he marched forward and took her hand. She pulled him gently towards the podium.

“I’m so proud of you,” She whispered before giving him a kiss on the cheek and stepping back, clapping with the audience.

He cleared his throat, a little bit of pressure behind his eyes, and looked towards all of the people gathered. Physicists, scientists, historians, authors, amazing people. He looked down at the podium for a moment, his hands shaking and caught his breath. 

<You got this.> Sonya said through their technopathic connection.

He took another deep breath and blinked a few times before brandishing his best smile. Just handle it like Sonya would, he thought, using his usual mantra. “We all remember the time before the flash,” He began, “Before our world irrevocably changed and life as we knew it took on a whole new dynamic. The touch of pandora’s light brought out the best and the worst in us, it changed us, and with it came a force that shook the foundations of our knowledge and understanding of the universe,” He looked across the audience, “A veil lifted, our eyes were opened to just how little we understood.”

He rest his hand on the podium, “We as a species have fought our way tooth and nail throughout history to survive, to thrive, to adapt to an ever changing world and to learn more so that we can push that progress to the next level. Mana, that force that now swirls around our world, has added a whole other level to this challenge. Yet it is the very tool we need to push through the boundaries that we once saw as insurmountable for the foreseeable future.”

“My fellow laureates, excellencies, majesties, nobility and leaders, it is up to us to responsibly harness this power and turn it in the right direction. I believe in humanity’s capacity to do good, to accomplish good, and to struggle and thrive even in the direst of conditions. I have seen what it looks like for someone to fight against all odds, even when it feels like the world itself is their enemy, and step forward to make a difference. I have seen heroes rise, I have met them,” He lowered his eyes, “I made Firestorm’s armor. The same armor he wore when he walked into Vegas with his head held high.”

He looked up and smiled, “And I will keep supporting heroes, just like him. I hope you will too. Because that is our role in this post-pandora world. Strive for better, Earth. Thank you.”

He bowed and the applause took his breath away. He stood up straight and glanced back over his shoulder. Sonya was gone, back behind the curtain. It was all him. He blinked a few times and looked up and out at the crowd as the representative of the nobel committee stepped onto the stage and handed him his prize and shook his hand. The representative had tears in their eyes as they kept the handshake going for a few more moments before stepping back. “It was an honor to hear you speak, Doctor Carter, thank you.”

Amos swallowed, “Thank you,” He said before turning and forcing himself to walk naturally back to the curtain. He dipped through it and immediately felt a thin pair of arms wrap around his neck. Before he could react soft lips pressed against his own and he staggered forward and to the right. He felt the last bits of tension wash away as his shoulders sagged and he wrapped his arms around Colin’s waist. He held the kiss for a while, not wanting to ever let the moment end. Eventually though the two had to come up for air and they parted.

“You are amazing,” Colin breathed.

“Thanks to you,” He chuckled, resting his head against Colin’s before glancing up at Sonya, “And you too.”

Sonya was standing off to the side, leaning against the wall with a red face. She crossed her arms and looked away, “You’re a jerk,” She said quietly. “You know I can’t cry, right?”

He chuckled and while still holding onto Colin, walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. She rest her head against his shoulder and reached up to hold the back of his head. She sighed into his shoulder, “So proud of you, so happy for you,” She croaked. “This is where you should be.”

He squeezed her tight, “You deserve it too, no matter what anyone says,” He said and pulled back, squeezing her arm, “Thank you, for saving me. You are my hero, Sonya. Don’t ever forget it,” He said and grinned at her as she stared at him, wide eyed, her lips trembling. He chuckled and slapped her arm, “C’mon, let’s go home, get out of these horrible clothes, and play some games or something. Yeah? We don’t have to go to an after party or anything, right?”

Sonya and Colin winced and exchanged looks.

“...right?”