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As he was being driven to the convention, Alek caught his leg shaking for the umpteenth time. Sighing, he forced it to stop and focused on his breathing exercises once again. All of this was just another sign of anxiety, yes, but it was of the good kind.
Or so Alek hoped to conclude by the end of the day.
(Second thoughts, here we go again.)
But could anyone blame him? It was the first time he was allowed to go to an event like this, as fan conventions were considered to be too puerile to be appropriate for his family and its status, or so his father said. Luckily for Alek, he was away on a business trip, and so, he had been granted permission to attend as long as he kept a low profile, all thanks to his mother’s intervention.
And after finally being given the chance, he had gone all out with it, cosplay and all. Well, maybe calling it “cosplay” was a little too presumptuous of him, since he hadn’t made a single thing of his outfit. It had been mostly thrifting, and online on top of it, but it was the only way Alek found to fulfill his long-time dream of honouring one of the characters of his favourite show, even if it wasn’t his favorite. That would be Pauline, the daring and resourceful protagonist of the series, but Alek couldn't exactly go and dress up like a girl from the 20s. It would raise too many uncomfortable questions that he didn't want to deal with. Mother had told him to be discreet, after all.
No, he was going to the con as Alfred, Pauline’s fiancé. His design was simple, not prone to calling too much attention, and easy enough for an amateur like himself. Besides, he might not be his favourite, but Alek felt a sort of kinship with him. Maybe it was because their names and circumstances were similar: sheltered heirs with their paths already drawn for themselves, but who wanted to explore more of the world than what had been set for them.
Or maybe it was just because Alek dreamed of piloting a Walker like Alfred’s.
Or maybe it was the fact that both loved Pauline to pieces, and by cosplaying as him, Alek could gush all he wanted about her, and it would be totally in character.
… At least if someone recognized his cosplay. Stress on the “if” part. The Perils of Pauline fandom was a small one, composed of, like, seven people, and perhaps a giant walking robot.
Curse whatever weird part of his brain that tended to hyperfixate on such niche things.
The reaction, or better said, the lack of it when he got out of the car and set a foot into the con was an indication enough of this. But it was a good thing, Alek thought: at least that way, he could make his way across the event unbothered.
So, he went through it, took some photos from other cosplayers (always asking for permission first, as courtesy dictated. This might be his first event of this kind, but he had read the guidelines online before, thank you very much), and spent a whole hour and a good part of his pocket money on the artist alley (he was lucky to find the stand of a fellow Pauline's fan, who showed him their secret menu of tPoP merchandising after noticing his cosplay. Alek, of course, bought one copy of everything, maybe some more, and followed them on all their socials.) He was heading towards a cosplay panel next (another presumptuous thing from him, who was wearing his very first attempts at cosplay and didn't even know how to sew a button in the first place, but everyone starts from somewhere), when he came across the most unexpected yet marvellous thing he had seen in all day.
A Pauline cosplay.
Alek had come to the con with absolutely no hope of finding anything related to his fandom, and now his best dream was standing right in front of him. And it was such a good cosplay, too. The skirt of the dress fell in the same way it did in the show, the makeup was present but not overdone, and the wig was right on point. Every detail was perfectly accurate, from the shoes she was wearing to the hat on her head, as if Pauline herself had left the screen and turned real.
He had to talk to her.
But how?!
Anxiety rose inside, which was, honestly speaking, stupid. He had been chatting with cosplayers all day. Why was this different? Ah, it was because she was cosplaying Pauline, right?
Come on, Alek, you can do this.
“E-excuse me!” He blurted in a loud voice, hoping to catch her attention, yet he internally grimaced at the same time. “Excuse me”? What was he thinking? It had been way too formal, hadn't it? Alek cursed his strict upbringing once again; he couldn’t even talk like a normal person to save his life and–
And she was looking at him now.
“Barking spiders, are you Alfred?!” She exclaimed, checking from head to toe. Alek didn’t know if he would feel self-conscious or just proud she had recognized his cosplay too. “Please tell me you are.”
“Yes,” he laughed breathily, “though I don't think I did as good a job as you.”
The Pauline cosplayer shook her head in response.
“Nonsense. It looks really well thought out.” She extended her hand to them. “Name's Deryn, by the way. Yours?”
“I'm Alek,” he replied while taking her hand. And then he did something very stupid, yet very accurate to the series.
He kissed the back of it.
…
He regretted it instantly. He had been too excited, got carried away and made everything awkward again. Great. Just great.
Alek was about to apologize, but then he heard the sound of a closing shutter. Wordlessly, both of them turned towards its source: a man was in front of them, the camera in his hands and still pointed at them.
“Sorry!” The guy exclaimed, realizing his mistake. “I thought you were posing, and I didn't want to miss the shot.”
Now that he said that, Alek noticed they were surrounded by some people. Deryn’s cosplay was more recognizable, he figured, and by being together, attendants had noticed both of them. They had attracted quite the audience, it seemed: in the background, he could even see the same artist from earlier, who had left their stand and was furiously sketching something on their tablet.
God wounds, he had to see that fanart later.
“Ask first,” Deryn barked at the photographer, recalling his attention to the scene. The man apologized again, lowering his head, but she ignored him and turned to Alek next. “You too.”
… But then she gave him a subtle, knowing smile, and lowering her voice just enough for him to hear, continued.
“Though I don't mind it from a fellow tPoP connoisseur.”
And then she winked at him, and Alek felt… weird. As if a thunderbolt had struck him. Or as if the ground under him had moved, yet nobody noticed it. As if the axis of the world had changed ever so slightly, and yet so fateful…
This… would get complicated.