Work Text:
His hands moved with gentle grace, each touch perfect as if the actions were all muscle memory from overuse. It was a pity those hands were gloved.
Eli Clark couldn't help but stare. Every trait of the man in front of him draws him in. His half-lidded eyes, serene gaze, impeccable movements and even the simple way of how he speaks and carries himself, all perceived from his faithful owl's eyes and burned into his own mind. Eli Clark has a good memory, you see, yet he can't help but crave more of what he had caught sight on. He gave the owl on his shoulder an absentminded stroke and continued peering through the animal's sight. Such entertainment.
Those hands. Every stroke from the brush they're holding, added a drop of life onto the cheeks of the girl, no, the woman laid on the wooden table. With her eyes closed in never ending sleep, she looked so serene and at ease that Eli nearly lost all his resentment towards her. His covered brows furrowed as his sight trained on the features of his fiancee, his lips pursed in displeasure. He remembered the feeling of betrayal when he saw her cheating on him with another man.
He missed the inquisitive glance of the embalmer in front of him, who stopped his brush for a short second, before continuing his work.
Eli's head throbbed in discomfort. Sharing his owl's sight for too long tends to give him a migraine. Eli stroked his feathery companion once again. The poor dear was tired, he'd better let her out. Eli mumbled a small apology towards the embalmer before opening one of the windows to send off his owl. Eli sat down on one of the chairs. Now that his owl was gone, the only way for him to continue drinking in the sight before him was to remove his blindfold, but that would be incredibly rude if he was caught staring.
Would the embalmer, Aesop Carl, mind if he started a conversation? He seems like a quiet man, someone who keeps to himself. Eli Clark did not want to ruin his only chance to leave a good impression on someone he's interested in, so he played safe and kept quiet.
The room was silent. The only sounds were the faint chattering from the marketplace outside. Eli sat, stiff. His hands fidgeting at the hem of his cloak, itching to just take off his blindfold and continue his gawping at the embalmer.
A cold hand was placed on Eli's warm but restless ones. Eli flinched in shock. His hands stilled and clutching at the ones that belong to the embalmer. He has taken off his gloves, and his hands look delicate. Eli could stare at them for a whole day.
"I am finished with the make-up." Eli's eyes widened, this was the second time he had heard the embalmer speak. His voice was deep and rich, like melted chocolate simmering in a pot. He couldn't help it, with one hand still clutched tightly at the embalmer's hand, his other went to remove his blindfold.
Wide cerulean eyes met Aesop's grey ones.
Aesop Carl was stunned. He didn't expect the quiet spectator to be so... pretty. Sure, his actions were uncommon and most people would deem them weird, from carrying a corpse for burial to treating an owl like a human companion, but he never expected such eye-catching features. Aesop Carl's hands moved unconsciously, tracing the markings under the blue orbs he's staring into. Such unappreciated beauty hid underneath a crude blindfold. "Why do you wear this?" he mindlessly asked.
No response from the man he's facing. Self-doubt and uncertainty slowly clouded his mind, causing his eyes to dart from the man's intense stare and to face the ground beneath him. He flinched as the man gripped at his hand tighter. "I will answer if you are to remove your mask and look at me," he heard him answer.
Aesop was miffed now. Why is a stranger asking for so much? Personal boundaries, ever heard of it? Yet he slowly locked eyes once again with the other. A hand slowly removed his mask. Aesop's cheeks were flushed being under the scrutiny of the man he had just met. Him being extremely handsome doesn't improve the conflict in his mind, it made what's left of his confidence slowly dissolve.
"Why do you wear this," the man echoed, this time somewhat amused. His lips were pulled into a smile as he continued to search Aesop's face for an answer.
"Chemicals," Aesop answered, "I don't like breathing in the fumes of the embalming liquid, gives me a headache. Why do you wear a blindfold?"
Aesop could tell the man was stunned at his answer. Honestly, Aesop himself was too. This was the first time he had spoken so much to a stranger in one go. His mind was reeling, what's going on?
"People are scared of my eyes, said that they're a bad omen. That is why I hide them," his voice grew quieter at the end.
Aesop Carl felt pity for this man. So he was shunned too. "They're beautiful," he said softly, his eyes bashfully trained on the ground, "You don't need to hide them. I think they're beautiful."
"Well, Aesop Carl, I think you're beautiful too."