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To say that Caeli’s day was going wonderfully would be an understatement. Every single second about it was a moment to savor, making his life all the more sunnier and making his heart feel so light it could soar into the clouds. Everything that could go right went right, and even the things that could go wrong still went incredibly right.
He figured the reason for his incredible luck was his companion for the day, someone who had been by his side since the very beginning of his journey. Someone who he found a great fondness in. Someone who he thought to be a shining and warm beacon of life and still did.
As he wandered through a quiet street of an otherwise bustling harbor, a habit of his as he tried to remain as inconspicuous as he could to the common folk, that very same person idly wandered at his side. Practically touching his side, even. The other’s hands were clasped behind their back, long and clawed fingers laced together and fiddling idly with their sleeves.
Even if they weren’t holding hands, they didn’t need to with this degree of closeness. The warm wind wafting up from the ocean and through the city streets ruffled their hair, sending it tickling the cheeks of the other. With each step, they bumped into each other, metal rubbing against the softest of fabrics. The moment felt special, a small capture in time where they were the only people to exist.
“Ah, what a quiet day!” Zorro lamented, raising their face up to the sunlit sky and allowing the warm rays to wash over it. As their closed eyes soaked up more of the warmth, their hands finally untangled themselves and now found Caeli’s own fingers. “I need to start going on these outings more with you, you know all the best places to go.”
A rush of color rose up into Caeli’s cheeks at the compliment, which he was glad he could hide so well with the gas mask resting on his face. Despite its best efforts, he could still feel yellow-tinged skin peeking through.
“Only places here,” he said modestly, “I’m sure with all the places you’ve gone and visited, you’ve seen things far prettier than here.”
“You may have a point,” Zorro conceded, “But I disagree. Because unlike here, I don’t have anyone to enjoy it with~ and you being here makes it all the more radiant to behold.”
If his cheeks weren’t burning before, they were now. Caeli looked to the side, away from his partner as he even felt the tips of his ears begin to warm. To say that he felt pleased by the flirts was more than an understatement. In fact, he felt as if Zorro had given him the highest praise anyone could dish out on a silver platter covered in beautiful golden flakes.
He had no idea why Zorro treated him in such a way, how he raised him onto such high pedestal when he himself could never compare to any of the radiance his partner had. Zorro was a literal walking god amongst others, dwarfing Caeli in influence, power, and the ethereal nature they exuded. Surrounded by so many people of similar status and importance, they had so many others to choose from, yet their eyes fell on Caeli. Caeli of all people.
How did he get so lucky to be with this person? What did he do to please fate so much that it granted him a walking angel? Caeli couldn’t answer the question, instead only marveling at the sheer beauty that held his hand. Not only that but someone who had always been there for him, guiding him even when they weren’t there in person.
On top of that, he wasn’t going to take Zorro for granted. Not for a single second.
“Earth to Caeli, did I lose you?”
Startling out of his spiraling thoughts, Caeli jolted back to reality and looked up to Zorro, who grinned from ear to ear at him dazing out. It didn’t seem like an impatient kind of smile at all, instead being one of complete amusement and endearment. Caeli felt more of his face fry.
“Sorry!” he apologized, nervously laughing, “Ah, what were we talking about?”
More humor passed over Zorro’s face and they tilted their head to the side. By now, the two had stopped in their walk underneath a small shady roof. While it did give them a reprieve from the sun, Caeli still could feel his face burning to a crisp. With how things were going, he doubted that it would cool any time soon.
“I’ll leave it up to you to figure out,” Zorro said with more teasing, “Though how about a change of conversation instead? What were you thinking about that made you so focused on that plant pot ahead of us?”
Now he was truly backed into a corner. How could Caeli even begin to answer without making even more of a fool out of himself? While lying could be on the table, he knew that it would be disingenuous as well as guilty from he fact that Zorro could pick up on it.
Telling the truth was the best bet, and the thought became even more appealing at the prospect of getting Zorro to flush his beautiful shade of plum.
“Just thinking about you,” he said coyly.
“Oh? Are you so starved of me that even when I’m right next to you, you also need a little old me in your mind~?”
As Caeli expected, the other’s cheeks became dusted with flecks of magenta, slowly becoming more violet. Thank whatever god was up there that Zorro was pleased by the comment, rather than confused and put off over how they themselves weren’t the center of attention.
“Hey, I can marvel about you being by my side, right?” he said lightly back. Gaining some confidence, he raised a hand and cupped it under the other’s chin, his thumb stroking their cheek.
A pleased sound rumbled from the depths of Zorro’s chest, almost like a purr. Did kitsunes purr? Perhaps Zorro’s species did, but Caeli didn’t really mind it as it was a beautiful and downright adorable sound nonetheless. Even without a beating heart in his chest, Caeli felt it melt.
“Verbally, so I get to blush at what you have to say about me,” they replied silkily, raising their own hand and wrapping their slender fingers around their own.
“Well, I might sound a bit selfish here,” he admitted, “But you have all these people around you, far grander in life than me, yet even amidst it all, you still look my way. Honored can’t even begin to describe how I feel.”
“You really think that highly of me?” The question didn’t sound as if his partner was trying to scrape more praise out of him, but rather out of a genuine heart.
“I don’t think anything or anyone can surpass you.”
Zorro’s lips turned upward as he leaned forward, gracing Caeli’s forehead with a kiss as soft as a feather, sending his mind reeling all over again. Now humming with an upbeat key to it, they locked their arm under his shoulder before guiding him along on their walk once more. Feeling like a kid in a candy store but already drunk off sweets, he allowed himself to be carried along, the world seeming to be brighter than ever before.
A wonderful comfortable silence fell over the two, binding them together as if the rays of the sun wrapped them up like presents. With every footstep he made, Caeli found himself sinking deeper and deeper into Zorro’s side, slowly becoming one.
The illusion broke itself as they finally came to a stop beside an overlook to the water. Crystal blue waves sparkling like polished diamonds stretched out as far as the eye could see, leading the way to a faraway continent even Caeli couldn’t imagine. The two stood there, allowing the sea breeze to fully ruffle their hair and clothes and bringing up the saltiness of the sea.
To complete the storybook effect, the sun hung overhead, bathing the water and the nearby shores with its golden light. Warmth welled up within him, almost matching the sun’s glow on his skin and the warm body beside him. If there ever was a moment that he wanted to revisit again and again, it would be this singular spot in place and time, where the cries of gulls filled his ears and Zorro’s hair tickled his face.
“Even after you feel like you’ve seen it all,” Zorro commented, their voice settling over Caeli like honey, “There are times like these. They remind you of how wrong you are.”
“I like these surprises,” he said back with a smile. Of course, Zorro couldn’t see the one on his face, so he did it with his eyes, which shined true.
They both turned their attention back to the water, allowing themselves to be swept up within the moment again. The waves were mesmerizing, each climax caught the light, allowing the serene image to dance in a glittering spectacle in front of their eyes. What made it all the more beautiful was that the other was there to experience it with them, just as Zorro said.
As the minutes ticked by, neither of them spoke a word or hardly moved. That was until Zorro went rigid as if a shiver had run through them. Blinking himself back to the present, Caeli tore his eyes away from the ocean and back up to his lover’s face. His light expression faded as he noticed the placid smile replaced by a thin line.
“Love?” he asked.
Not saying anything, Zorro turned his chin upwards to the sun, his expression now grim. The wonder of the moment completely faded from Caeli as well as he turned his attention sky-high as well.
The sun was normal… until it wasn’t. Its flames flickered and died like a candle flailing about in the wind. The sky around them grew darker as if the night decided that it no longer wanted to wait for the sun to set and extinguished it itself.
A spectacle that Caeli had only seen once or twice, but never with Zorro. The beautiful solar event should have arrived as a novelty, an extra blessing to their perfect day, to shower them in all that was glittering and gold.
“An eclipse,” he said aloud, glancing back to Zorro again.
They hesitated to respond, their brow furrowing as the blue of the sky turned itself off into darkness with gold leaking from the glowing ring in the sky. Finally, they lowered their chin once more, now looking right down at Caeli. The grim expression never left their face, becoming more pronounced as they sucked in a breath to talk.
“Indeed it is… such fascinating events,” he said, voice distant and morose. It carried a melancholy that Caeli never expected it to, especially on a day as happy as this. “However, my experience with them has only brought bad memories and ruin.”
Ah. Caeli realized where it was going now. He reached forward with his other hand, taking Zorro’s in his own. The last thing he wanted to do was to have Zorro sit through an event like this, not when it brought back such terrible memories. He had no idea what happened to them, but he knew better than to ask.
“We’ll go home,” he offered.
Zorro shook his head, his hold on Caeli’s hands tightening. A silent plea for the two to stay. A plea that he obliged without question.
“But that is from a previous chapter of my life,” Zorro continued, his voice gathering more strength and serenity, “An age that is far behind me.”
Their usually closed eyes opened a fraction, the beautiful shades of dandelions and night skies washing over Caeli. All of his worries vanished away in an instant with the stare stripping away all sense of anxiety and nervousness. They were as deep as the ocean ahead of them, a warmth like the covered sun peeking out from beneath.
Caeli found himself speechless, now clinging to the very fabric of Zorro’s being.
“I want a new chapter to begin now. One where I can paint new memories… good memories.”
Zorro raised their hands, bringing their partner’s own up to their lips as they kissed his knuckles. Still too stunned to speak, Caeli only watched, the ticks in his chest appearing to flutter at the contact of Zorro’s soft lips against the fabric. He could still feel the softness and warmth on the skin beneath.
“Will you make this a good memory?” they asked.
The spell of silence broke like a veil falling away, leading to a surge of emotions to well up in Caeli. In that single moment, all of his aimless thoughts surrounding a realization he was always too nervous to acknowledge pieced themselves together, paving the way to a sentence he could never turn his back on.
“Yes,” he said, nodding, “Until the end of time, I will make and cherish all of these moments… I would go to the ends of existence to give you something to smile about.”
Those beautiful golden and violet eyes stared down at him with a love so deep he could feel himself drowning. No one had ever looked at him like that, not with such depth and intensity. The charming smile crept its way back onto Zorro’s lips as they gently let go of Caeli’s hands.
“Then we have a shared dream,” they hummed quietly, “Take a deep breath.”
Without question, Caeli did as he was told, so immersed in Zorro’s grace that if they told him to do the most outlandish thing, he would. Still smiling as elegantly as ever, Zorro reached behind his head and unfastened the mask, allowing it to slip away from his cheeks and chin.
No time passed before the sweet lips of lavender met his own and Caeli was immediately sent away to another plane of existence. However, the scenery didn’t change and his feet stayed firmly planted on the ground. But in Caeli’s mind, in one swoop and kiss, Zorro had sent him hurtling all the way up to Cloud Nine.
He returned it, sealing the promise between the two with no desire to back away from it. There had never been a day where he doubted that terrifying wish, only shying away at the impossibility of it ever happening. But it was. He stood there now, wrapped up in the arms of the one that he admired to no end.
They were making a memory together, a sweet-tasting memory that washed the bitterness of an unspoken past away. They were in that new chapter, joined at the hip with no intention of straying from the shared path. Their steps were shared, their hearts beat as one, and their love only strengthened.
They never wanted to stray from that path.
And they never did.