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“Do you think there's a chance we won't go back together?” Talay murmured, staring intently at the shirt he was folding as if it would answer him back instead of Puen. Puen glanced over, an incredulous look on his face until he saw how worried Talay was.
Determined to fix the pang Talay’s sad face caused in his heart, he hummed, placing the rest of his socks in the basket before looking up at Talay.
“Of course not baby.” He grinned, wrapping an arm around Talay’s shoulder and trying to pinch at his cheeks. “There is nothing in this world that can take me away from you. You’re stuck with me until the end of time, and the universe knows that.”
He leaned in, peppering Talay’s face with as many exaggerated kisses as he could manage before the poor man tried to shove him away.
“Hey! Get off of me you fiend, I’m serious!” Talay laughed, playfully swatting at Puen’s arms as he felt himself being guided onto his back on the couch, Puen gleefully looming over him.
“So am I,” Puen replied, casually. His eyes gleamed, determination set as he leaned closer, hair tickling Talay’s brow. “I love you way too much to let anyone else have you. I would fist-fight the sun, and win, before I let you slip away from me. Plus, I know every stalker-groupie trick in the book, a little bit of multiverse travel won’t stop me from finding you.”
He ended with a smirk, an air of bravado around him despite the way his heart was threatening to pound right out of his chest.
Poor, foolish organ.
Now was not the time for his own fears. The painful, persistent fear in the back of his mind that this love wasn’t his to keep. His own desperate need for Talay to stay with him, the way in which the possibility of losing Talay once they went home clawed at his chest in the dead of night. How he would lay, staring at the ceiling in the pitch black, shame boiling in his belly at the thought of being alone again as bile threatened to rise and spill from his throat. Because truly, he was not sure if he would have the strength to live in the cruel irony of his loneliness again after knowing the warmth that was Talay’s gaze.
But this was not about him. No, now was the time for Talay. Sweet, beautiful Talay. Talay who was just so good, who made Puen know he was seen, and loved. Who despite everything, wanted Puen in a way no one had before. Wanted him for who he was as a person, wanted to support his dreams and believed in his passions, regardless of his face or fame.
Talay who was lying underneath him, soft skin glowing in the natural light, an array of moles dancing along his cheeks and deep, dark eyes watching him intently. Wide pools of brown which seemed to watch his every move, scanning his face and analyzing every feature.
He exhaled the breath he had been holding in.
Of course.
Talay saw him.
How stupid he was to believe the universe could separate them.
He shifted, lowering his body as he reached over to cup Talay’s face, closing the distance between them. Warmth spread throughout Puen's body as he felt Talay smile against his lips, raising a hand to card through Puen’s hair as the kiss deepened.
Puen’s hands wandered, fingers ghosting over smooth planes of stomach as shirts were haphazardly removed. He felt alive, heart bursting with joy as Talay’s hands roamed across his chest. One rouge palm reached to squeeze the flesh of Puen’s pec before traveling further down. Fucker, Puen smiled to himself, feeling Talay laugh beneath him. He broke the kiss, breathing deeply before moving down the column of Talay’s neck, traveling further and further before planting a kiss on the swell of Talay’s chest right over his heart.
“I love you” He whispered, reverently listening to the sound of Talay’s breath hitch as he worked his way over to kiss another mole nearby.
Moles..
Puen only had a few short moments to try and piece together why that distant thought felt so important before a cold wave of realization washed over him.
This isn’t what Talay should look like.
He was kissing Talay’s real body, the one at home.
The one still inhabited by Tess.
As soon as he realized, Talay’s body began to become less clear, the edges getting fuzzy as his brain fought to maintain the dream. Hot, angry tears welled up in Puen’s eyes as he struggled in vain to grab onto Talay as if to prove he was still real.
“Oh no baby, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Talay asked with genuine concern, reaching his hand out to cup Puen’s face. Puen inhaled sharply, the sweetness of the action mixed with the tenderness of his voice causing him to look up at Talay even though he knew he wasn't truly there.
It felt so horribly real.
Puen felt like vomiting.
“Oh Puen, don’t cry sweetheart, don’t cry. I love you too.” Talay whispered, running his thumb along the apple of Puen’s cheek. He whimpered, round eyes welling with more tears as he tried to force the sobs breaking their way through his chest to settle down.
“God fuck Talay, Talay I’m so sorry I left without you, I told you I wouldn’t I’m so sorry, Talay please, I’m so fucking sorry.” He heaved, choking on the sadness that had been building up in his throat since the day he woke up in the ambulance alone. He couldn’t control himself, crying full force as he begged dream Talay for his forgiveness. “I don’t know how to live without you Talay, please come back, I miss you so damn much please, I promise I will never leave you just please Talay, please come home.”
Talay sighed, wiping the tears from Puen's face before gently pulling him closer. “You can Puen, you have to. Be strong for me, okay? I’ll be back soon. It’s like you said, the universe knows we were meant to be together.” He chuckled, referencing the conversation from before as if it had been real and not something Puen's mind had fabricated out of longing.
“Wait for me Puen. I love you.”
It was only then he realized the tears in Talay’s eyes too. Sniffling, he reached to hug Talay, closing his eyes and praying he could hold onto his warmth for just a few moments more.
When he opened them, he was back in his room, alone.
Exhausted, he rolled onto his back before forcing himself up and out of his bed.
Time to go bother that asshat Tess, and pray that today is the day Talay comes back.
He would wait as long as it took, even if it killed him, and then some after.
"Tippy sleeps and Zelda's shrinking, Perhaps, one day, they'll meet once more"