Work Text:
3-12-15
Prompt: Poetry
Pairing: SouTori
Rating: T
“Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,” whispered Ai, running his fingers through Sousuke’s hair. “Old time is still a-flying.”
“What are you talking about?” Sousuke mumbled.
“It’s a poem,” Ai replied.
“Didn’t know you read English poetry,” Sousuke said, sitting up a bit.
“I don’t,” the smaller boy answered with a giggle. “Rin-Senpai taught it to me in an attempt to get me to learn.”
“How’d that work out for him?” Ai just smiled and went back to stroking. “Do you know more of it?” Sousuke asked. Ai nodded. “Will you tell it to me?”
“Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today,
Tomorrow will be dying.
The glorious lap of heaven, the sun,
The higher he’s a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he’s to setting.
That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.
Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may, go marry;
For having lost but once your prime,
You may forever tarry.”
Sousuke breathed a gentle sigh and closed his eyes. “Rin would teach you something like that,” he said with a chuckle.
“What’s wrong with it?” Ai demanded, but his voice was soft enough to show he was not offended.
“Noting,” Sousuke answered. “It’s just very romantic.”
“Is it? I’m still not sure what all of it means.” Sousuke laughed at that.
“You really are hopeless, aren’t you?” Ai hummed softly, and they fell silent for some time.
That night, when Sousuke left Ai to return to his own room, he lingered a bit in the hall, mulling over the poem Ai had recited for him. He chuckled and opened his door, flopping onto Rin’s bunk. “You did that on purpose,” he said to the redhead who was busy at his desk.
“Did what?” Rin asked without looking up.
“Planted that poem in Ai,” Sousuke answered. Rin looked up at that and eyed him with a poorly concealed smile.
“What’d you think?” he giggled.
“’And while ye may, go marry?’ Really? The poor Duckling practically proposed to me, and he had no idea what he was saying,” Sousuke growled.
“Oh come on,” Rin said. “He loves it, and I know for a fact that you enjoyed it to.” Sousuke turned away, to hide the blush he could feel rising on his cheeks.
“Shut up,” he muttered. For a while, Rin actually did as he was told.
He seemed to have had enough of the silence, however, when he got out of his chair and leaned over Sousuke, a wicked grin on his face. “Hey, Sou,” he sing-songed. “That wasn’t the only poem I taught him.”
“I hate you.”
“Ask him about the one about the flea sometimes, you’ll love that one.”
“Fuck off.”
“I taught him ‘The Man from Nantucket’ too.”
Sousuke punched Rin in the side and stormed out of the dorm, determined to find a new best friend.
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