Work Text:
Aether treads along a forest trail, purple petals falling around him as he winds his way through to a small opening, where he finds a familiar gem sitting upon a rather large rock and reading a written work aloud.
“Solitary cloud,” he speaks softly, carefully articulating each word, “shadow in the setting sun.”
Aether approaches from behind, ready to scare the rhyme out of his companion. He raises his hands to represent claws and…
“ Boo! ”
Kazuha turns to face him, having not even flinched at the sudden noise or appearance of the blonde. “Hello there, my little maple leaf.”
Aether gives a pouty frown as he jumps to the top of the rock and slumps onto his back, letting his cape and hair drape down the other side. “You were supposed to be scared,” he whines, staring up into his boyfriend’s eyes.
“Well, my apologies, but you weren’t very stealthy,” Kazuha teases, tracing a finger up Aether’s side and drawing out a small giggle.
“ Still ,” replies the blonde, grabbing the ash-headed boy’s bandaged hand and bringing it to his lips to plant a kiss on it. “I never get to spook you, but you sneak up on me all the time. It just isn’t fair!”
“Neither are my feelings for you,” Kazuha teases oh-so-poetically, “and yet my heart is set aflame when I am in your presence! I am but a humble drop amidst the ocean that is your beauty, destined only to roam about your waves and ripples in hopes of gaining some sort of recognition of my existence.”
Aether’s cheeks puff out and tint with a beautiful red hue, like that of a Silk Flower. He cranes his head so that his bangs shadow out the upper half of his face, but Kazuha can still imagine that adorable blush underneath.
“I wish I was half as poetic as you,” Aether expresses longingly, “then I’d be able to make you blush how you make me blush.”
“Oh? You shouldn’t hope for such things,” says Kazuha with a frown. “You are perfect in your own ways; you don’t need a poetic nature to incite the most unnatural of occurrences within me. Every time you speak, my gut churns and my heart skips far too many beats. It’s a high I only get from you, though I cannot say I dislike it.”
“K-Kazuha!” Aether sits up, frowns burrowing deep into those soft cheeks of his, and the white-headed poet can’t stop the sight from curving his own lips down. He cups Aether’s cheek, leaning in close to his partner so that they can almost cross lips.
“What is wrong, dearest? Did I upset you with my analogy?”
“I don’t want you feeling sick because of me,” he whines, avoiding eye contact as he only ever does when he’s feeling guilty - mainly when he’s lying through his teeth; Aether is a horrible liar.
“When did I express I was feeling ill?” Kazuha blinks, replaying his speech in his mind but finding no discrepancies.
“You described symptoms of the Flu or the Common Cold,” the Traveler explains, and Kazuha mouths an “ oh ”.
“I meant not to worry you,” says Kazuha, pushing Aether’s face just slightly to compel him into locking eyes. “I only meant that my love for you is deeper than those who have remained mentally sober can comprehend. I adore you, Aether, every part of you.”
The poet watches as his lover’s blush bridges the gap between patches, crossing over his nose and highlighting his eyes, which are now much wider than before. “Kazuha, I…” He doesn’t finish his sentence, or if he does, his ash-headed companion doesn’t realize. He’s distracted by Aether’s pale lips; they look so soft and so perfectly plump, he wants to test his theory (even though he already has, many times, and knows he’s correct.)
He wants to steal Aether’s kiss, just he has in the past, and just as he will in the future. He can’t help it, they call out to him with the promise of a kiss with the Traveler, the beacon of light in a world cast into a shadowy darkness, perfection that belongs on a pedestal, in a frame, on display somewhere worthy of him - but he’s not. Aether is here, with Kazuha, and the blonde is all his .
Just the thought of it rushes euphoria into his veins, and he no longer resists the temptation. In one swift move, he closes his eyes, brings one hand up to entangle his bandage-wrapped fingers in Aether’s silky locks, and slinks the other around the exposed small of his back, before pressing his lips firmly against the other’s. Aether leans into the gesture, and the stars align to create the most perfect moment ever. This happens any time they kiss, it’s too ideal to put into words. There’s nothing like it, Kazuha knows, because nothing else in the world causes such ecstasy. Only the Traveler, only Aether, only Kazuha’s partner, who’s the most flawless person Kazuha has and will ever meet.
He even causes things he never could’ve intended, the boy realizes as their lips finally break apart.
“ Stirs the drifter’s heart .”