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Alex is a teacher at the New Dawn Public High School. Ileao is a substitute teacher. On the few days that Ileao is at the school, the students play pranks on one that makes them turn to the other for help; over time, they grow closer, dedicating all of their break times and days off to spending time with each other. Ileao gets a permanent job at the school and they become known as Mr. and Mx. Candleson, the teachers who are in love.
Ileao is the captain of a pirate ship, and Alex is a nobleman intent on experiencing the high seas. He sneaks onto eir ship, and ey don ’t notice until ey find him laughing with the crew. At first, ey’re angry, and ey make him work to earn his place on the ship. With time, though, they start getting used to each other, and Ileao begins teaching Alex the ways of the sea.
Alex is the owner of a cute little flower shop, and Ileao is the owner of the bakery next door. They fight over whose shop is the better one, and compete over the amount of customers they have each day. Eventually, Alex shows up at Ileao ’s doorstep with a bouquet of flowers in his hands, and Ileao presents him with an array of cupcakes in the shape of a heart.
Ileao and Alex are survivors in the zombie apocalypse. They do whatever it takes to survive, picking up friends and enemies along the way. When Ileao gets bitten, Alex stays by eir side until ey turn, and he does not stray from em even then.
Alex is a bounty hunter, Ileao his bounty. Alex knows that ey are a slippery one, so he packs his best gear and begins learning eir schedule by watching em throughout the day. Slowly, he falls in love with eir tiniest mannerisms, and when it comes time to kill em, he can ’t. He introduces himself to em instead, and ey invite him in for dinner.
Ileao is a ghost, and Alex buys the house ey are haunting. Ey are as much as a nuisance as undeath allows; ey rattle the bedframe and creak the floorboards. Alex calls some friends over with a Ouija board and speaks to em as best as he can, and Ileao takes a chance: ey answer. The more they speak with each other, the stronger Ileao ’s connection to this world becomes, and soon they get to the point where Alex can look in a mirror and see Ileao’s face. It becomes his favorite sight.
Alex is an angel of Shar, and Ileao is a monster hunter for the Daybreaks. Alex does his best to slowly corrupt em, leading em to feel empathy for the monsters ey fight each day. At the same time, Ileao learns more and more about Alex and his life, and they find they have much more in common than they previously thought.
Ileao is a mermaid and Alex is a fisherman. One day, Alex ’s hook catches on Ileao’s tail; when ey come to the surface to plead for freedom, he is captivated by eir composure, and they become quick friends. With a kiss to give him the ability to breathe underwater, Ileao gives Alex a tour of the underwater city of Atlantis, showing off all of eir history. In exchange, Alex finds a way to get em legs for a day and he shows em around town, taking em to every shop that catches eir eye.
Alex is a bartender and Ileao is a regular at the bar who is going through a rough break-up. Alex gets to hear all of eir stories about eir ex, and finds himself wishing he could know em as more than just a customer. After some time, Ileao slips him eir number and they find time to get together when Alex is off work.
Ileao has the word Alexander in calligraphy on eir wrist, and Alex has the word Ileao. They are drawn to each other by fate itself, though they get to know each other without informing the other that they have their name on their wrist. Eventually they make the reveal, but it changes nothing, as they have already fallen in love.
Alex is tied to Ileao by a red string. They spend decades searching for each other, following the string as far as it will go, and yet they run into each other by chance while in the same city. Things progress from there, and they quickly fall in love.
Ileao is an angel, and Alex is a monster hunter. Ileao is sent by Lathandar to protect Alex, his guardian angel, and Alex is out to aid the Daybreaks by killing monsters. As they learn more about the world, they realize the monsters are not all bad at the same as they realize that they fit together quite nicely. They call each other ‘forever partners’ and retire in a house in a quaint little town.
“Can I say something weird?” Ileao asks one night as they lie in bed.
“Always,” says Alex. “What is it?”
“It’s just- We would find each other in every universe, I think.”
“Oh,” Alex says quietly. “I… Yes, I think that, too. I can’t imagine a version of me that wouldn’t love you.”
“Neither can I,” Ileao admits. “I think we’re made for each other, like you smooth over my edges and I lend color to your sight.”
“That’s a nice thought,” says Alex. “I’d believe it, but it isn’t necessary.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that I would find you even if the world forbade it,” he explains. “I would find you even if it was bad for me, even if it tore me apart.”
“I would mend you,” Ileao instantly replies. “I would do whatever it would take to be good for you.”
“See? It does not matter if the world wants us to be together, if we were truly made for each other. It matters that we would seek each other out in a crowded room. It matters that you magnify the best parts of me, and I light up the best parts of you. It matters that if given the choice, I would choose you every time.”
“In every universe,” Ileao says, and then yawns. “I love you, Alex.”
“I love you too, Ileao.”