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The horn of the train screamed through the tunnel, just barely breaking through the music playing through Eli’s earbuds. Sixteen hours had been spent sitting and being jerked and swayed around on various railways, but Eli couldn’t help but smile and be wide awake. He found himself enamored with the repetitive view of rolling hills being passed behind him. Not many others were on the train, likely because no one planned to be up at the early hour of 4 am on a long train ride to a small city. It made Eli able to relax and sprawl out with his luggage as he pleased. Though, he spent most of his time sitting backwards in his seat, facing entirely towards the window with a wide smile on his face as he perched his chin on his folded arms. He was finally beginning to see familiar territory of his home country, meaning he likely only had an hour or less until his two year long adventure was over.
With a peaceful sigh, Eli couldn’t help but be grateful to be returning. He loved the experiences he had in a foreign country. He met lovely people, and saw amazing sights alongside his studies, but nothing could compare to where he was going: home. Eli couldn’t help but feel giddy at the knowledge that Aesop was waiting for him. He had already spent hours, if not days, imagining him being welcomed home by his boyfriend, but he found he could never get enough of it. Finally, they wouldn’t have to make do with calls before bed, or simple affectionate texts in celebration of each others’ accomplishments.
Eli recalled a specific night, where he heard his phone buzz on his desk far past sunset. He picked it up to read that it was from Aesop. Eli unlocked his phone, initially to scold his partner for being up at 2am, but when Eli read the message, his heart melted.
“Are you still up? I want to call w you.” Was the message across Eli’s screen. Instead of responding, he simply tapped the video call button, hearing only two short rings before he was met with a dark camera.
“Hello.” Eli sang softly, unable to stop himself from smiling as he heard frantic movement before seeing his screen light up from Aesop turning on a light.
“Hey.” Aesop replied, a small smile across his face as he dropped himself got comfortable on their bed. Eli wished he could be next to Aesop right now, but even if he wasn’t in another country, there was still school work to be done.
“Why did you wanna call?” Eli asked as he propped up his phone to point at him with a few of his textbooks before trying to go back to his work. Eli glanced at the screen to see Aesop shrug after a moment, watching as Aesop fidgeted in embarrassment.
“I don’t know, I just wanted to see you.” Aesop finally mumbled, subconsciously pointing the camera away from his face in attempts to hide. Eli dropped his pencil as he felt his heart be squeezed in adoration. God, he loves his boyfriend.
“Awe, how could I say no to that.” Eli cooed as he rested his chin in the palm of one of his hands, settling on forgetting his work temporarily and instead devoting his complete attention to the slightly disheveled man on the other side of the screen. It looked like Aesop had been trying to sleep for a while, having already gotten into his pajamas and his hair knotted in a way that only happened through tossing and turning.
“Though, you really do need sleep. I thought you had work in the morning?” Eli stated, unable to hold a scolding tone was he watched Aesop glance to the side to avoid looking at the other.
“I do… But I thought- maybe…” Aesop’s voice trailed off, and Eli reached out and turned up the volume on his phone to make sure he heard his boyfriend’s mumbles.
“What were you thinking?” Eli prompted once he realized Aesop wasn’t going to finish his thought by himself. Aesop didn’t respond for a few seconds, instead he repositioned from sitting on the bed to laying sideways on it, taking his phone with him so it still looked like Aesop was up right from Eli’s view.
“I was hoping we could call until I fall asleep. Y-you don’t need to talk or anything.” Aesop said anxiously, his words slightly slurred from uncertainty and drowsiness. Eli swore all of the air in the room was taken as he stared at the screen and the view of his boyfriend. Aesop had his hair untied and sprawled around his neck and shoulder as he curled in on himself, burying his mouth into the blanket he pulled up. The way Aesop’s eyes stared and pleaded at Eli through the phone made it impossible to deny him.
“Of course, I’d love to.” Eli answered softly as he entirely relaxed in his chair at the sound of Aesop letting out an almost silent sigh of relief. Nothing more was said as Eli went back to work. Aesop’s ears were filled with taps of a pencil and occasional sighs from Eli hard at work, and just before Aesop found himself entirely asleep, he was sure to mutter a quiet “I love you”. Eli was certain that the other didn’t even wait for his response before drifting into a dream, leaving Eli alone with his homework. But now, the homework didn’t feel nearly as grueling, knowing that he could glance over to the side at any moment and see his beautiful silver prince sleeping soundly.
Eli couldn’t help but chuckle to himself as he saw his reflection in the window of the train, seeing how he was smiling like an idiot. Yet, he couldn’t help but let the silly grin stay on his face as he continued to think about his boyfriend, who only recently he realized acted almost exactly like their cat they adopted a few months before Eli left. Aesop had a tendency to not show that he wanted attention, and instead simply expectantly stared at the other when he believed Eli wasn’t looking. But, now that Eli wasn’t around to be stared at, Aesop had to resort to texting him on random occasions about the weirdest things. Simple texts of “hey” became almost a daily occurrence, which Eli realized after a month of it happening didn’t actually mean Aesop had something to talk about, and was just texting him to let Eli know that his boyfriend was thinking of him.
This passive-aggressive behavior was what made how Aesop said goodbye to Eli when he initially left so comedic. Just like a pet knowing their human was going off to work, Aesop did everything in his power to hinder Eli’s last minute preparations with hugs, kisses, and affirmations of love. It was almost enough for Eli to cancel his train rides and plane flight then and there, but he knew he couldn’t.
“I have to go now.” Eli chuckled as he kissed Aesop’s forehead, patting the man’s head as Aesop continued to cling to his shirt with a silent pout in his eyes. They stood on the pavement of the parking lot with Eli’s luggage surrounding them, a persistent reminder of how long Eli was going to be gone for.
“I’ll miss you.” Aesop mumbled as he returned a kiss on Eli’s cheek, doing his best to give a smile through his unwilling expression.
“I’ll miss you more.” Eli argued, dropping his backpack and wrapping his arms around Aesop, giving one final, tight hug before leaving with a casual wave. Eli couldn’t look back at his partner after he turned to look where he was walking, for if he did, he knew he would never want to leave.
Thank God Eli was coming home now. That's all he could think as the train passed farm fields. He promised himself that he would never be dumb enough to leave his home for so long again. Or, at least without Aesop and their cat. Eli chuckled, remembering how Aesop and their cat were inseparable. Once the two had grown comfortable with each other, they never left the other's side for long. That's how Eli gave their cat the nickname "Duckling".
About a month into their cat living with them was when the attachment truly started. They had rescued the cat from a shelter, so of course she was skittish for a while. But that night was special. As the two men got ready for bed, kissing each other goodnight before burying themselves in thin sheets, there was a sudden weight on the edge of the bed. Aesop had read that it's best to not make any sudden movements around a new cat, so Eli watched as the other froze entirely in a half laying down position. Eli would have snickered at him if he knew it wouldn't scare off the brown and white tabby.
Careful steps were made by small paws, inching their way towards Aesop's half-bent legs. Eli, all the while, carefully lowered himself from his sitting position to laying down, facing Aesop's side of the bed. Eli watched Aesop's face through the darkness, and he couldn't help but compare the wide, platinum eyes to those of a deer in headlights'. A few minutes passed, and Aesop still made no movements to lay down the rest of the way. Instead, he simply stared where Eli couldn't see.
"You can breathe, you know." Eli half-joked, noticing that he never heard an exhale after Aesop's sharp inhale when the cat had initially dropped into a comfortable position.
"She's laying against me." Aesop whispered, giving a tone of pure excitement that Eli had never heard. Then and there, Eli knew that he lost the competition for Aesop's attention tonight. More minutes passed, and Eli grew impatient for Aesop to finally lie down.
"Come on, I don't think she'll mind if you lay down." Eli whispered as he tugged at Aesop's sleeve. Aesop thankfully listened and slowly dropped his head onto his pillow, shifting around until his face was only a few inches from Eli's. Both of them had wide smiles, Aesop's was mostly because a new milestone was reached with their pet, and Eli's was because he enjoyed seeing Aesop so happy. He would tolerate their cat winning over Aesop's heart if it meant he would see such a joyful expression more often. He had only seen a similar gleam in his eyes when something truly worth celebrating happened, such as when Eli finally confessed to Aesop after a solid year of them helplessly flirting at each other.
Eli wished he had taken a picture of Aesop during one of those blissful moments. He really enjoyed every part of his boyfriend, and when it was one of the few times Aesop was truly expressive, Eli loved him even more. The way his soft skin made small dimples at the slightest uplift of his lips, and how Aesop's bangs both hid and accented his eyebrows when he emoted. Aesop's eyes were the only things that Eli could consistently rely on when it came to Aesop's mood, as it was often the only part that expressed anything. A squinting grey like clouds of a distant storm when he was annoyed, or the shimmer of a lucky coin when he's surprised. The most common emotion told through his eyes was anxiousness when Aesop caught Eli staring into them again. Eli would have thought the other would have gotten used to it by now, but no, every time their eyes met on accident, Aesop's would dart away and frantically search for somewhere else to look. It almost always caused Eli to smile wide and kiss the flustered man, well aware that the action didn't calm the red growing on Aesop's cheeks.
A muffled voice from a dying speaker pulled Eli's attention toward it. His eyes widened as he looked out at the world outside of his train. He was at his final stop. Finally. Faster than what was safe, Eli sprung to his feet, almost being thrown to the ground as the breaks caught the wheels of the train with an unpleasant screech. Eli scolded how long it took for the train to stop, internally whining about when the doors would open like a child asking their parent about when they would be done with paying for their candy. A seemingly-never-ending minute later, the train hissed and the doors opened, finally freeing Eli into the station.
Eli had to stop himself from hopping over railing as he jogged through the almost empty halls towards the exit, just barely making sure to remember to scan his card to mark that he had gotten off. The sun was painful as it peaked out from behind buildings, it now being at the early hour of 7am. It caused Eli to wince his eyes closed, not letting him search for the car or the person he desperately needed to see.
Just as Eli's sight adjusted, he heard footsteps racing toward him. He had just barely enough time to brace himself before a thin form wrapped their arms around him into a tight embrace. The speed at which Aesop ran at him -- having not bothered to slow down as he reached Eli, caused the other to drop his bags in favor of catching his balance.
Eli couldn't bother to care, though, as he laughed out of relief as he hugged Aesop back. Eli buried his face into the crook of Aesop's neck, not minding how the arms wrapped around his neck were just too tight. Aesop gave a joyous squeal as he tightened his hold on the other before letting go to look at Eli's face. Even with Aesop's arms no longer choking him, Eli still found himself breathless as he saw Aesop in person for the first time in two years. And it could have never been more perfect. Aesop had dressed up for the occasion, as he often showed his care for something by how well he put himself together. So the fact that Aesop had put on a white button up shirt and black dress pants, along with how he had put on makeup, meant that he was just as excited for Eli to be home as he was. Not only that, but Aesop was showing pure happiness all throughout his body language. Just like the time they got together, just like the time they finally landed an apartment together, just like when their cat slept against Aesop. Eli felt overwhelmed by the rush he felt from seeing such a beautiful sight and eagerly pulled Aesop into a kiss. And oh how sweet it was. Never again would he go two years without this. Eli was home, with Aesop in his arms. And that was where he was going to stay.