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Eichi’s heavy heart weighed uncomfortably within his chest. Gasping, he jolted awake and lifted himself to a sitting position, hand clutching at his hospital shirt as he attempted to regain control over his breathing.
Shakily, he lifted his head to look out the window beside his bed, longingly staring out at the faraway moon, barely a recognizable glow amongst the grey of the cloudy sky. His free hand then unconsciously pulled the thin sheets of his bed over his body, intimidated by the feeble glare of moonlight.
Squeezing his eyes shut, Eichi gulped down a rising lump in his throat, urging himself to power through the pain until the ache in his chest dulled to that of a faint throb. He then let out a shaky breath, squeezing his knees to his chest with teary eyes.
Alone, as always, Eichi. Suffering all alone.
Could the world, just this once, bring him a miracle? A reward for all the pain he has had to endure since his childhood—recompense for his loneliness?
It was then that he shivered under a sudden chill, the faint scent of winter abruptly filling his senses. In response, he squeezed his knees tighter and dug his face deeper into himself, hoping to eventually squeeze the rest of his life out of his body, until he would exhale his final breath.
Yet the world greeted him with long-awaited compensation—a gift.
“What is wrong, my love?” the world’s most wonderful voice spoke, coming from the windowsill beside him, and his head swiftly snapped up.
“Wataru,” Eichi breathed, newfound tears of relief now freely streaming down his cheeks, gentle pearls shimmering in the gleam of the moonlight. The cold air of the now-open window halted its cruel act of hitting his face as Wataru reached forwards, blocking the wind’s path.
He wiped his tears away with a gentle smile, eyes wrinkling fondly, “my heart aches for you so; to me, there is no greater pain than to see you in such despair.”
“Wataru,” Eichi choked out this time, hands flying towards the man in desperate attempts to bring him closer—an attempt soon proven to be successful as Wataru hopped from the windowsill into the hospital room with all the grace in the world—landing in complete silence, and somehow simultaneously shutting the window just as soundlessly.
“Eichi,” he murmured and approached him, resting one knee on the bed as he leaned forwards to hold the trembling man in his arms. So gentle was his embrace, so warm despite his having just been out in the winter weather, that Eichi immediately melted upon contact, sighing as he nuzzled into his lover’s chest.
It was when Wataru’s hands began to rub at his back and brush at his hair that his trembling completely subsided, the dull throbbing of his chest diminishing and his breathing finally evening out.
“I’m here,” Wataru mumbled against his skin as he pressed a chaste kiss to his temple, “never again will you succumb to solitude, not for as long as I live.”
It was just like Wataru to know exactly what had been troubling him without the need for words—further proof of the fact that they were fated to be together, destined to love one another.
Eichi pulled away for a moment, making eye contact with the kind gaze of his partner, and it seemed that the earlier clouds had dispersed, as the radiance of the moon was now at its strongest, forming a halo around Wataru’s otherworldly features, highlighting his perfect structure.
Indeed, Eichi found it difficult to believe that such an ethereal being would be satisfied with being trapped down to the earth by a creature as lowly as himself. It was in the sky, among the sparkling stars and blinding sun that an angel like Wataru belonged, not shackled to a sickly mortal on filthy ground, where his wings would forever collect dust, never to soar again.
A warm hand then settled itself against Eichi’s cheek, completely dissipating his self-deprecating thoughts as distraction came in the form of a thumb occasionally rubbing below his lower eyelid.
Eichi blinked, and he soon found himself lost in those alluring eyes of his, momentarily drowning in a sea of lavender while he allowed himself to sway from side to side as Wataru readjusted his position to instead lay beside Eichi.
Fished out of his daydreaming by a slight pinch of his nose, Eichi looked up at Wataru, who smiled once more—albeit his expression a little cheekier than earlier, “why, I seem to have caught you in an atypical moment of distraction and stolen your nose!”
Eichi giggled, gaze softening, “Oh no, whatever shall I do for you to return it?”
“Hmm,” Wataru pretended to think for no longer than a few seconds before grinning, “how about a kiss? Only then will I consider returning to you your nose.”
“My, what a daring request,” Eichi commented, comfortably settling into his character. He then gingerly cupped Wataru’s face and pressed their lips together, smiling as he felt Wataru brush a stray strand of blond hair behind his ear. Eventually, they pulled away from one another and Eichi asked, “well? Will you now give it back to me?”
Wataru shook his head with a chuckle, “how gullible… your nose never left its place on your face since the very beginning! It was but a trick~!”
Eichi gasped dramatically, two fingers instantly flying up to his nose, “ah, it appears that you are right...! How naïve of me, to believe you so readily without prior investigation of my own…”
“Foolish, is it not?” Wataru hummed, “that people can be so prepared to accept the most outlandish statements as fact despite contradicting, conclusive proof residing just below their eyes!” he completed his point with one final poke to Eichi’s nose.
“Alright, I think I get your point now,” Eichi sighed, yet still smiled, “what situation is this particular lesson a parallel to in our real life?”
Wataru’s eyes turned serious, “I love you,” he stated firmly, full of conviction and care, “no matter what foolish ideas your subconscious tries to bring to you, this is an indisputable fact.”
Eichi blinked for a moment, truly taken off guard. He then broke into quiet laughter, giggling and snorting behind his hand.
“I mean it, Eichi,” Wataru scolded, yet failed to hold back a smile at seeing him so giddy.
“You… You truly are magical, Wataru, as I can think of no other explanation as to how you manage to read me so perfectly on every occasion,” Eichi finally said once he had calmed down enough to speak, “or are you a telepath?”
“I think you’ll find the answer is that we are simply meant to be—you and I.” he brought Eichi’s knuckles to his lips as he spoke, “we are bound by the red string of fate after all.”
“Funny,” Eichi’s voice cracked, “I was thinking the same. But still, I—”
—“Ah, ah,” Wataru tutted, “won’t you erase all lingering doubts from your mind? There isn’t anyone else in the world I’d come flying in through the window of a ten-story building for, Eichi. None but you.”
Eichi’s cheeks warmed in response, a beautiful, moonlit flush spreading across his lovely features. He looked down, “perhaps for now… but one day, you might meet someone new, someone you’d be happy to do much more than that for. Someone to whom you will give everything. Someone that’ll have much more time than I do.”
Wataru grabbed Eichi’s hands with an exasperated sigh, holding them close to his own quivering heart, “I have already given you everything, so I’m afraid that imaginary person of yours might end up with nothing more than scraps to pick up after. But well, this is but a fictional scenario—and despite my deep love for theatre, I must say that this kind of script is one I find hard to like.”
“… Do you truly, honestly love me as I love you?”
“Are you calling me a liar, Eichi?”
Spluttering, Eichi hastily shook his head, “of course not! It’s just… I find it hard to believe.”
“Then how about this,” Wataru begins, leaning his weight onto one elbow, “what if you were in my position? That despite your adamant affirmations of love, I continued to insist that you couldn’t possibly be telling the truth, that you were someone far too great for me.”
“Unimaginable. Never has my love for you wavered; I forever have and forever will pine for you, my Wataru.”
Wataru grinned triumphantly in response, “if you find that so ridiculous, how do you think I feel? Honestly, you’re hurting my feelings! It’s painful to always be relentlessly rejected when I pour my truest feelings out to you so sincerely.”
Eichi paused, taking in the information as he hummed thoughtfully, cutely unaware of the fact that he was unconsciously squeezing Wataru’s hands tighter as he contemplated his reply. He eventually sighed, eyebrows furrowed, “I have no argument to give. You truly are amazing, Wataru.”
“Yay~” Wataru cheered, lifting their joint hands in the air so as to celebrate his victory, “then from now on, you shall no longer deny my endless love for you~”
“That is a difficult task indeed,” Eichi hummed, and then looked into Wataru’s eyes with a small smile, “but for you, I will try. Because I… I love you just as much as you love me.”
“Now that’s a great start,” Wataru commented, “though I’m afraid something like that is impossible~! I love you far, far more than anyone on this earth ever could; and that is simply a level too high for anyone else to reach—even you.”
Eichi looked far too adorable as he pouted, “you don’t know that…” he trailed off as a yawn ripped itself out of him, and he leaned against the comfort of Wataru’s chest once more, “mm… I’m tired.”
“Understandable, seeing as it’s now three in the morning!”
“… Wataru,” Eichi murmured against the cloth of his shirt, “how did you know to come here now? As you just said, it’s quite late; yet you arrived just as I’d woken up in pain. You were just in time.”
“Hmm… Call it a lover’s intuition?”
Eichi chuckled, eyes closing and shoulders relaxing, “I see… G’night… my Wataru,” he slurred, drowsiness already beginning to overwhelm him.
“Goodnight… my Eichi. May your sleep be peaceful tonight, and for the days to come.”