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Geo found himself trapped in the bedroom he and Cole shared within the Rookery.
Today, while out scavenging, he had stumbled upon pieces of a mirror. Using his powers, he had fused the glass back together. Good as new.
But as he had brought it inside, and later hung it on the wall, he couldn’t help but stare at himself. He had been sitting there on the bed, staring at himself for god knows how long.
His ears drooped down, matching with his lips as they curled into a frown. His bottom teeth prodded out from his mouth, anxiously attached and biting on his upper lip.
It had been a long time since he’d looked closely at himself in a mirror like this. He tended to avoid them, either way.
It was enough to look down everyday and see the Geckle purple hue of skin – but to be able to see closely his Munce features – Geo hated the constant reminder that no one wanted him.
He jumped as there was a knock on the door.
“Geo? You alright?” Cole’s voice asked, pausing for a moment after receiving no answer. “You’re gonna miss dinner…I made your favorite…Violet Berry Soup! Can I come in?”
Geo seemed to choke for a second, his chest tightening as he glanced from the mirror to the door, and to the mirror once more. He didn’t want to be seen this way. He didn’t want to be seen at all.
“Uhm…” His voice shook, cracking and fragile. He had been crying…he didn’t even notice.
Cole waited a moment before turning the knob and swinging the door open. He scanned the room until he stopped at Geo, assessing the situation. He quickly closed the door behind him and approached Geo, his golden brown eyes glistening with concern.
“Geo? What’s wrong?” He asked, his voice barely softer than a whisper as he sat down on the bed next to him.
When Geo gave no response, Cole put the pieces together himself. He glanced toward the mirror, seeing Geo’s sorrowful face reflected back at him.
Cole immediately pulled Geo into a hug, who immediately buried his face into Cole’s neck as sobs escaped his throat. He wailed incomprehensible sentences, tears quickly moistening the fabric of Cole’s shirt.
“Hey…Hey, I’ve got you…” Cole soothed him effortlessly, his arms wrapped around him comfortingly like a life jacket that kept Geo from drowning. “You’re okay, I’m here…”
“I…I don’t understand, Cole…” Geo croaked, lifting his head to meet Cole’s eyes.
“Don’t understand what…?” Cole gently stroked Geo’s back, tracing subtle hearts along his spine.
“ What do you see in me ?”
The words came out like a plea for help. His hands grasped at Cole for dear life, like he’d simply float away if he let go.
Cole’s heart stung at the question, his own eyes tearing up. “Geo…”
“I just…don’t understand …”
Cole quickly moved a hand to cup Geo’s cheek, stroking away tears and brushing gentle circles to trace the blue markings on his skin.
“Every day…waking up next to you…making breakfast for you and the others…spending our days out scavenging…it’s something I’ve never known that I needed, but I do.” Cole began, and Geo watched in confusion as he listened.
“Back when the merge first happened…I was scared, confused…and when you found me…well, I didn’t know what to think,” Cole chuckled softly as he recounted the memory. “But…as the days passed…I realized something. Sure, I missed my family and the monastery…but I had a home here. Not just a roof over my head, but a place where I felt found .”
Geo opened his mouth to protest, but Cole simply leaned down to kiss his nose and interrupt him.
“...A place where I am loved . Every art-piece you make…every little ‘adventure’ we’re able to go on together here…It’s everything to me. At the end of the day, I get to look at your beautiful face and kiss you before bed. And even when I drift off to sleep, I’ll dream of the future we’ll have together. I love you, Geo. And if I ever lost you…I’d spend the rest of my life searching to find you again.”
Geo had melted into Cole’s touch as he cried, his aching of shame melding into that of happiness. He reached his hand up to hold the one Cole had on his face, further anchoring himself to reality. The reality where he was loved, and his new family didn’t care if he was Geckle or Munce…they cared that he was Geo.
“I love you, Cole…” Geo sniffled, his frown turning into that of a sad, yet deep down happy smile.
“I love you too, Geo.” Cole then leaned down to kiss his cheek, then his nose, then his lips, then his eyebrows, then his temples, and so on. “And I love your pretty face…and your smile…and your eyes…and your hair…and your teeth…and your ears…!” He then began to bombard Geo with kisses, slipping compliments between every smooch.
Geo soon erupted with laughter as Cole tackled him onto the bed, holding him down as he attacked with kisses. “Hey…! That tickles…!” He protested, making feeble attempts to push him away, only to later relent and eventually tangle his fingers in Cole’s hair.
“No escaping until I kiss you everywhere!” Cole laughed elatedly. He had a way of brightening Geo’s mood like the sun illuminated the day.
Cole continued his barrage of fast-paced kisses, now ending up at Geo’s neck and not stopping until he was sure every centimeter of skin had been covered. Geo couldn’t stop laughing along with him, a blush rising to his cheeks.
“What about dinner, Cole?”
“It’ll still be warm, don’t worry…”