Work Text:
You glace at your phone, a new message chiming out.
Smiling to yourself in the mirror, you pluck your phone off your desk and read the text from your tinder date, announcing his arrival.
You don’t usually do this, the idea of Tinder scares you, but after having too much wine, you found yourself enthralled in conversation with one man named Robert.
The description on his profile was charming enough to swipe right, most guys put stats or nothing at all, so it was nice to see something new.
Plus, he goes by ‘Bo,’ which you found absolutely darling in itself.
You snatch your purse off your bed and skip down the stairs, trying not to be too eager. Slipping your shoes on, you open the door and step out, freezing in your tracks as you see Bo leaning against his car.
“Hi!” You smile, walking down the steps toward him. He returns your grin and waves, meeting you halfway. The closer he gets, you realize just how tall he is.
“It’s nice to meet you in person,” He stuffs his hands in his pockets and smiles down at you.
You crane your neck too return his gaze, trying to be subtle as you marvel at his height. “Likewise.”
Bo notices your expression and huffs, rolling his eyes playfully. “Alright, get it all out.”
You laugh, “Well, I can't exactly ignore it!” You gesture your hand up and down.
He chuckles and turns around, opening the passenger door. “Yeah, yeah, get in.” He points in the car, and you stick your tongue out at him as you climb into the passenger seat. He shuts the door and walks around the car, getting into the driver's seat, settling before pausing to look you over. “You look beautiful.”
You beam, “So do you.”
His smile widens, and he blushes, looking away to stick the keys into the ignition, starting up the car.
You look around the vehicle as he drives, noticing a deck of cards on his dash, picking it up.
“I’m practicing card tricks,” He explains, nodding at the deck in your hands, “but I can’t quite get it down, think I might just stick to what I know.”
You hum, fiddling with the cards. “What do you mean?”
He doesn’t take his eyes off the road, smirking to himself. “I’m a Magician.” You raise your eyebrows, “Really?” You cringe inwardly, trying to keep an open mind.
He looks over at you, a strange look in his eyes, and nods once. “Yep,” he turn his attention back to the road.
You arrive at the restaurant and take your seats, chatting about yourselves while you wait for your food. You’re lost in conversation when your waitress comes with your dinners.
“So, magic?”
You can’t help but tease, obviously not in a mean way, but it’s not often you find a man in his thirties who’s proud to call themselves a magician.
Smug, even.
Bo laughs, “There’s more to it than you think, especially the version I practice,” He pauses, pointing at you with both fingers, “Mentalism”
You nod, gesturing with your hand for him to explain. “Okay, and that is.” He playfully rolls his eyes, like he’s shocked you don’t know what Mentalism is.
“It’s essentially hypnosis, but I can also read expressions and pretty much get the truth from anybody.”
“That’s actually really impressive. How long have you been doing this?” You lean your elbows on the table as you take a sip from your drink.
He huffs a breath, “Well, I got into magic when I was around 16, but I discovered mentalism when I was 20 and sort of took off from there,” he smiles.
You purse your lips. “So, you’re like an expert?”
Bo shrugs coyly.
“Can you do it right now?” You scoot closer, smiling mischievously. Bo goes stoic suddenly, “I thought you’d never ask,” he grins.
The look in this eye implies a double meaning you don’t understand, but he moves so your thighs are touching before you can think more about it. He glances around the restaurant briefly, and you watch him in curiosity before he turns back to you and slightly bends down so you’re more face to face.
“Do you trust me?” Bo murmurs, and you roll your eyes. “Just don’t make me cause a scene.” his grin widens. “Okay,” He starts, guiding you to full-body face him. He places one hand on your shoulder.
“Look in my eyes… and sleep!”
Bo reaches behind you and snaps his fingers behind your head, the last thing you hear before your vision fades out. He places your head against his chest, hand on the back of your head.
Everything around you is in slow motion, only one thing registering to you: Bo’s voice.
“You don’t remember who you are,” he snaps again, the sound echoing. “You are lost- in need of guidance.” He grabs your shoulders and pulls you away slightly, so you can see his face. You look deep into his eyes when he taps your forehead sharply, and you gasp as everything focuses on him. “The person you see, the voice you’re hearing- is your new god.”
Snap.
“You can’t say no to me- you don’t want to. You want to please me. He grips the back of your neck and pulls your head back against him, snapping once again before continuing. “You won't remember this conversation, but your devotion will linger in your subconscious.”
Another snap rings out before he pulls you to look into his eyes once more, tapping your forehead and picking up his untouched spoon, dropping it into your drink, your eyes following blankly.
“This is your favorite soup.” Your body is tense as you pick up the spoon, scooping beer into your mouth and chewing the liquid. He smiles to himself, leaning back against the booth. “When I snap my fingers, you’ll wake up.”
Snap.
Your surroundings clear up instantly, everything coming back to you.
You’re stunned in silence, before you laugh in disbelief, staring at him in shock. “Did it work?” You don’t need to ask, obviously something happened, though you can’t for the life of yourself remember anything.
“How’s your soup?” he replies instead.
Your brows furrow, “it’s good, it’s..” you trail off, looking down at the spoonful of beer in your hand. Your jaw drops, and he starts laughing. You join in as you set the spoon down, shaking your head.
You find yourself suddenly taken aback by his smile, feeling more attracted to him than ever.
“So, magic?” Bo mocks your works from earlier, causally plucking a fry from his plate in his mouth and raising an eyebrow at you. His movements are hypnotizing.
“You're incredible,” you breathe, visibly confused by your own words and how intense your feelings for this man are becoming. He chuckles at your response, a knowing smile playing on his lips.
“I bet you say that to all the ladies,” He winks, and you laugh again, immediately feeling at ease.
Though, you can’t quite shake this weird feeling. There’s a dark undertone to this newfound adoration, almost sinister.
The conversation continues, mostly one-sided after the trick, Bo being the only one able to form a coherent sentence. Though he occasionally asks you questions, seeming to enjoy watching you get flustered as you stumble over your words.