Work Text:
Everything’s Alright Tonight
„I’m on my way!“ Sebastian spoke determinedly, already putting on a jacket and grabbing his keys from the small sideboard by the door.
“What-? Seb, no, you don’t have to, really, I-“ Ominis spoke through the phone, trying to keep Sebastian where he was.
“I know I don’t have to, but I want to;” Sebastian argued.
“But it’s the middle of the night, I feel bad enough already that I woke you up!” Ominis tried.
“Exactly, it’s the middle of the night, and you really think that I’m just going to leave you sitting there by yourself?”
There was silence at the other end of the line, and Sebastian could practically see Ominis trying to think of some argument.
“So, the usual place?” Sebastian asked.
Ominis sighed into the phone, “yes, the usual place,” he said reluctantly, “thank you, Sebastian.”
“Alright, Omi, I’ll be there in a bit, traffic shouldn’t be that bad this time of night,” Sebastian said before he hung up.
What was his boyfriend thinking? As if he would ever let him just sit there in the darkness on a bench by the park on his own. Sebastian knew he hadn’t always the been the best partner one could wish for, but he wasn’t that bad.
Quickly, he put on some boots, grabbed his helmet and hurried through the door. Right next to the door of his apartment building stood his precious possession: His father’s old Yamaha XV535 Virago It was one of the only physical things he had left from his father aside from his share of the financial inheritance he received after his parents’ death.
He often fondly remembered one of the few memories he had left from his father – how he used to take him on short rides, just up and down the street with his five- or six-year-old self clinging tightly to his father’s waist. Now that he was older and drove the bike himself, he was sure that his father never really exceeded a speed of maybe 20 kilometers per hour – his mother probably never allowed anything more than that – but back then, it had felt like they were riding at the speed of light, at least to Sebastian. Back then, he had found the small bits of acceleration exhilarating and exciting, and that was no different now, except for the fact that now he usually exceeded the 20 kilometers per hour.
He remembered how much he anticipated the day he finally got his license just less than a year ago; he had always taken great care of his father’s bike ever since the day it became his own, he kept it sparkling clean and well attended to, and the feeling he had when he could finally ride it on his own was indescribable.
Now, the bike not only was his most treasured possession but also a valuable tool when it came to see Ominis, his boyfriend of almost two years. They had been friends long before that, and that was something heavily frowned upon by Ominis’ parents. They were somewhat elitist and considering Sebastian’s origin in a rather low class of society, his contact with Ominis Gaunt was barely tolerated to say the least. Of course, it did not exactly help that Ominis was somewhat forced to still live at his parents’.
Sebastian mounted the bike, kicked the stand back and started the bike. The all too familiar uproar of the engine below him never failed to make excitement and joy bloom in his chest, though this time, it was dampened by the reason for his ride. He didn’t really have any idea why Ominis had called him this late, but his voice had given away that it was something rather serious.
Recently, Ominis had called him more frequently, usually because his home had become unbearable. Sebastian knew that Ominis’ family situation wasn’t exactly caring and loving. His parents had a reputation to uphold; a stuck-up and posh family that cared too much about appearances and impressions. Ominis had never fitted that scheme, and Sebastian knew that. The blind Gaunt’s disability was not the only disgrace to the family, but also his refusal to fit into the scheme and career his parents had anticipated. His parents wanted him to study economics or law at a high-ranking private university to one day take over the Gaunt family business along with his brother. Ominis had rarely ever talked about the heated argument that occurred when the boy had announced that he enrolled to study music and literature at a public university. Though apparently Ominis had never mentioned to his parents that it was the very same university Sebastian had applied to, it was very much clear to them, and Sebastian was certain that they blamed him for tainting and destroying Ominis’ future and character. The fact that they hadn’t kicked him out of the house was probably seen by them as the most gracious gift out of parental love.
Sebastian laughed in dry disbelief as he thought about that, the Gaunts really underestimated Ominis’ determination and eagerness.
The traffic was indeed low, the street was empty, and Sebastian would probably reach the agreed spot earlier than anticipated, not that he minded. He watched the bright cone that emerged from his headlight as he drove through the narrow, wavy street.
He had always found it unfair how Ominis’ parents were trying to restrict him. He cared so much for Ominis, and seeing how his partner blossomed in the subjects he was actually interested in whenever he saw him on campus (which was quite frequently) always brought joy and pride to his heart. The Gaunts never learned about their relationship, and while Sebastian hated to keep something so important to him a secret, he knew very well that it wouldn’t be for Ominis’ benefit if his parents ever found out. He knew that Ominis had experienced physical and psychological violence in his past. The young man never talked much about it, and Sebastian didn’t know how bad it actually was, but that didn’t matter. In his opinion, Ominis deserved the world, and anyone who would do him harm was his personal enemy.
Sometimes, Ominis had called him ‘overprotective’ and stated that he was very much capable of standing up for himself, and Sebastian supposed that was true sometimes. He was protective of Ominis, he knew the man could stand up for himself, but that didn’t change the fact that he wanted to protect his love from any damage at all costs.
Maybe it was due to some severe damage he had done himself. It had been a little more than half a year into their relationship, and it had been a hard time. Both their patience with each other had been wearing thin with everything that had been going on around them at the time.
On Ominis side, it was the backlash he was facing at home for his career choices after school among the ‘usual shit’, as Ominis had called it once.
On Sebastian’s side, it had been his sister dying of cancer and his uncle descending deeper and deeper into alcoholism. In that time, almost every encounter between them ended in a fight that had left both of them in misery and wondering whether they were actually made for each other like they always proclaimed. In one of those fights, Sebastian had said things he regretted deeply, he had called Ominis ignorant, among other things and insults – and that was one of the nicer things he had said back then.
Yes, he regretted what he said and some of the things that came after that which he didn’t like to think about. With his sister gone and his uncle being an unreliable drunkard, Sebastian himself had turned to the use of certain substances, and with that came minor criminal incidents to finance his addictions. It was nothing he was proud of, in fact, he hated this part of his life and the person he used to be. Sometimes, Sebastian wondered where his life would be now if Ominis hadn’t pulled him out of this hole. It had been him for whom he stopped the smoking and the drugs, and Sebastian would never forget the sickness and regret he felt when Ominis told him to his face that Sebastian was decaying and that Ominis didn’t want to lose him. Yes, he would never forget the pained expression on his loved-one’s face, and it haunted him to this day.
Only occasionally, he still longed for the taste of a cigarette, mainly when they were out with friends; it wasn’t something Ominis was particularly fond of but on the other hand, his boyfriend didn’t mind an occasional smoke on Sebastian’s side.
What was important though was that in the end, they came to terms, they apologized and Ominis forgave him, and that was all that mattered. He knew he couldn’t undo the past but he could try to be a better person each day. When Ominis had forgiven him, he swore that he would never let him down again, because really, Ominis was all he had. Sure, he had a large circle of very good friends, all of which he valued greatly, but Ominis was different. There was no one in this world more important to him, no one he wanted and needed so much, and no one he loved so much.
It didn’t take him long to reach the desired neighborhood. A collection of soulless houses of enormous size framed the street, and it reeked of richness and conceit. He drove past the mansion that he knew belonged to the Gaunt family, it may have looked inviting on the outside, but after everything he had learned about its inhabitants, it was nothing but a palace of misery for Sebastian. If he could eradicate just one single place on this earth, it would be this house, that’s how much he despised the ones who lived here. Well, all of them except for one.
Though Sebastian had picked up Ominis from here countless times, he had never seen the inside of it – not that he wanted to, this hellhole was not his destination today anyway.
Whenever there was trouble at Ominis’ home, the man had the habit to leave for a nearby park to get some calmness and tranquility. Of course, Ominis couldn’t drive, and before Sebastian had gotten his license, there had been no way to pick him up to get him to his own rather small apartment. So, whenever there was trouble at the Gaunt estate, Ominis would take a walk through the park, sometimes sit down on a bench, all while being connected to Sebastian by phone. Talking to him seemed to always have a certain effect on Ominis, and Sebastian was more than happy to provide that.
One day, he would get Ominis out of this house for good, Sebastian thought. Maybe he should have already suggested it by now, but for some reason, he wasn’t sure whether Ominis would actually want to move in with him. After their incising fight about a year ago, their relationship was still somewhat fragile. They did love each other, that was certain, but still, the aftermath of it all still left a lingering bitter taste on both their tongues. He didn’t want to rush things, instead he wanted to give their relationship the time it needed until the trust was back entirely. Maybe he interpreted to much into everything, though, and for now, he decided not to focus too much on this as the well-known park came into view.
He parked his bike by the side of the road and left his helmet hanging on the right rear-view mirror before he walked into the park with quick steps. It didn’t take him long to find Ominis sitting on bench.
“There you are,” he announced his presence though it was unnecessary considering that Ominis probably heard his boots on the gravel already.
“You really didn’t need to come,” Ominis said lowly, rising his head for Sebastian to see. What Sebastian saw made him freeze dead on the spot. Ominis eyes were red, one eye blackened and a busted lip.
His hands involuntarily clenched in anger. Yes, he knew Ominis occasionally experienced physical and psychological violence , but he had never seen any traces of that on his boyfriend’s perfectly precious body.
“What happened?” he said sternly. His voice was icy as the anger rose inside of him. How dare they!
“They found out about us,” Ominis spoke, his voice was raspy and monotonous. There had undoubtably been a lot of yelling and shouting involved in the fight that must have unfolded at the Gaunt mansion. Back when they were younger, Ominis never fought back, too intimidated by his parents and older brother. But over time, the boy had gotten quite confident; he knew what he was worth and at some point, he did start to fight back. Sebastian admired him for his strength each day.
“How?!” Sebastian said in shock and disbelief. They had put in so much effort to keeping their relationship from Ominis’ parents, Sebastian had no photos of the two of them on his social media – as much as he actually wanted to show the whole world how much he loved his partner; they only ever showed their affection in private – no matter how much Sebastian wanted to hold Ominis’ hand or kiss him whenever he wanted to, and only their friends knew about their relationship – as much as Sebastian wanted the whole world to know.
“Marvolo saw your goodnight message on my phone,” Ominis explained darkly. His face was twisted in anger and hatred for the people who called themselves his family, “and of course, the bastard immediately ran off to tell my parents. I don’t think I need to explain what happened after that,” he said gesturing to his face.
“I-“ Sebastian struggled to find the right words. There were so many things in his mind he would like to say, so many colorful insults and the sudden urge to beat up certain people beyond recognition came to his mind immediately.
He breathed deeply, trying to calm himself down. It was of no use to give in to his anger right now, his purpose was now to be there for the man he loved in the best way he could. Still, his teeth were clenched, and what he just heard did not make it exactly easy to remain calm. How could his own words, a simple ‘Good night, Ominis, I love you’ that was meant to make Ominis feel good cause so much pain for his boyfriend?
“I have no words,” he said through gritted teeth, “I swear, one day I will burn down that entire house with everyone of them inside!”
“I’ll gladly assist you in doing so,” Ominis spoke with poison. He sighed, “be serious, Seb, how bad do I look?” Sebastian cringed as he looked at Ominis again. Hurting a face as perfect as Ominis’ should be illegal – well, technically, it was illegal, but still.
“You never look bad, Omi,” Sebastian said; his mood had softened at least a bit as it always did when Ominis used one of the various nicknames for him.
Ominis chuckled lightly at the idle compliment, “Wish I could say the same for you, but,” he paused, “seriously though, how bad is it?”
Sebastian sighed before answering “it does look bad, but not like I need to take you to the hospital or something like that.”
“That’s good then,” Ominis exhaled.
“It hurts me to see what they are doing to you, Ominis,” Sebastian said as he finally sat down on the bench next to Ominis, whose hand immediately found its way into Sebastian’s.
“You should have seen Marvolo, I think I held up pretty well and I believe I managed to knock a tooth out of him,” Ominis said satisfied, “you’d be proud of me,” he laughed lowly.
“There’s no need to beat up your brother for me to be proud of you, I already am,” Sebastian chuckled lightly.
There was silence between them, and Sebastian’s thumb ran in circles across the back of Ominis hand. It wasn’t an awkward silence, but Sebastian felt something unsaid lingering in the air between them.
“Ominis, what aren’t you telling me?” Sebastian asked suspiciously yet careful.
Ominis thought for a bit, his face twitching occasionally with furrowed brows as he obviously tried to find the right words.
“They-” he hesitated, “they gave me an ultimatum,” he finally said, and Sebastian’s mood darkened.
“Of what kind?” he asked, as he stared at Ominis, his voice was low, and his words were quick. Quick with fear of what was about to come.
“Either I break up with you immediately or I will be disowned and have to leave the house by the end of the month.”
Sebastian felt sick. This couldn’t be, this couldn’t be the end.
“I don’t want to leave you,” Ominis voice was cracking, “but what am I supposed to do, I have nowhere to go, I don’t have a job or anything, I-“ he barely hid a sob before Sebastian interrupted him.
“Come with me,” he said quickly and without a thought. In his life, Sebastian had rarely ever questioned his decisions prior to making them, and more often than not, the outcomes hadn’t exactly been to his advantage. This though? This decision did not need any second thoughts or second guessing. If there had ever been a proper moment to ask Ominis to move in with him, it was this one, right now, right here.
Ominis’ eyes shot up at Sebastian, wide open. It was only then that Sebastian noticed a small split in his boyfriend’s perfectly shaped right eyebrow, a shiver running down his spine as the imaginary scene of his partner taking a punch to the eye assaulted his mind. Though his eye was bruised, Sebastian could get lost in the bottomless pale blue of Ominis’ eyes. They were his favorite feature, and though the eyes themselves saw nothing, Sebastian felt that he could see the entire universe in them.
“Don’t you dare say that you can’t because you don’t want to burden me,” Sebastian said, getting up, his hand not leaving Ominis’.
They have had this conversation before, Ominis had referred to himself as a burden to Sebastian more than once, sometimes due to his impairment, sometimes due to the rather complicated situation his family put the both of them into. Sebastian had always made sure that Ominis would never view himself as a burden to anyone because he was anything but that. Not to his friends and most certainly not to Sebastian.
“I love you dearly, Ominis,” Sebastian said as his other hand grabbed Ominis’ other to pull him up to his feet. He was a bit taller than Sebastian, maybe only an inch or two, but it was still something that Sebastian rather enjoyed, “and all I want is for you to be happy and to finally get out of this place,” he said and his hands moved to Ominis’ waist, “I want you, Omi, I want you with me, and by my side,” he held his partner gently, eyes locked onto him, and even though he knew Ominis couldn’t see that, he was sure the other felt it, “we’ll make it work, I promise!”
“But Sebastian, I don’t even have a job, and I doubt that anyone would willingly hire a blind guy, I don’t even know how to pay for my tuition, let alone half of your rent, I-“
“We’ll find something, Ominis,” Sebastian interrupted. He was determined to suffocate every doubt in Ominis mind for he knew that Ominis was the one for him, and he knew that he would be the one to give Ominis the life he deserved. For once, Sebastian wanted to be the savior after Ominis had been his countless times before. “And don’t worry about the rent, I have paid for it on my own so far and I can do it a little longer,” he smiled, “but you can’t stay there, Ominis. I love you so damn much and I can’t leave you here like this, I want you with me, I want to have a life with you.”
Ominis hesitated, his eyes looked right through Sebastian. A tingling sensation shot through his body as he felt Ominis’ arms wrap around him tightly.
“Are you serious? About all of that? That you love me this much?” Ominis asked cautiously. Sebastian felt a twinge of pain due to the doubt and hesitation in Ominis’ voice, but it faded with his answer.
“Dead serious,” he said as he tightened his embrace on his boyfriend, “all I ever wanted and all I ever needed is here in my arms right now, there are not enough words in the world to describe how important you are to me. And I mean it when I say that we’ll figure something out, that we will make this work. Maybe not today, maybe not even tomorrow, but that’s okay, that’s not important right now,” he said, his voice a determined whisper, “what is important right now is that you are safe from that hell hole your parents call home and that you know how much I want you by my side.”
“God damn it, Sebastian, I don’t deserve you,” Ominis mumbled, head buried in Sebastian’s neck.
“That’s true, you deserve so much more,” Sebastian chuckled, “but I guess, I’ll have to do for now.”
“And that’s all I could ever ask for,” Ominis replied, pulling his face from Sebastian’s neck briefly to capture him in a light, innocent kiss that was nothing more than the embodiment of what they felt for each other.
“So, what do you say? Come with me Ominis, my bed’s always ready for you anyway,” Sebastian said with a smirk, “have a little trust in your future husband.”
“When are you going to propose then? Can’t wait to get rid of my last name,” he said with a half smirk and a raised brow.
“In due time, believe me,” Sebastian laughed, as he couldn’t suppress the warm feeling that was engulfing him from the inside – not that he even wanted to.
“Alright, what do I have to lose?” Ominis said sarcastically and held onto Sebastian’s elbow, a silent sign that he was ready for departure. Secretly, Sebastian loved it when Ominis relied on him for navigation rather than his cane; it was such a sign of trust in between them that Sebastian valued greatly.
There was still a lot of things to take care of; gathering Ominis’ belongings from his home and the dreaded task of announcing to his family that Ominis had, in fact, made a choice – Sebastian knew it was the right choice.
“I love you, Sebastian, I really do,” Ominis said interrupting the pleasant silence that was only partially disturbed by the sound of their steps on the gravel-lined walkway.
Each time Ominis said that, Sebastian felt as if he was flying.
“I do too, more than you could possibly know,” Sebastian said fondly, and it couldn’t be more true.
“Care to take me on a ride tonight?” Ominis asked as they reached Sebastian’s bike.
Sebastian handed him the spare helmet he kept under the seat just for Ominis, “always,” Sebastian grinned, and soon, he felt Ominis sitting behind him, arms wrapped tightly around his waist.
Ominis loved to ride with Sebastian just as much as he did; he welcomed the sense of freedom and carelessness to his mind as he felt the wind brush against his skin and clothes harshly. He loved it, and Sebastian loved having him behind him.
Ominis finally felt at peace again after everything that happened tonight. This was the beginning of something new – and perfect.
As Sebastian was driving the through the turns and curves of the road outside the city – they both referred to this route as ‘taking the long way home’ – Ominis felt as if he was flying high, and he wished he could watch the world pass them by. He never wanted to go back, he never wanted to put his feet back down on the ground for all he ever wanted and all he ever needed was here in his arms right now, just as Sebastian had said earlier. Having his partner to hold onto was all that was needed tonight.
Sebastian gazed up into the sky as he felt the pleasant warmth of Ominis’ body behind him.
He wished his boyfriend could see the stars for they were shining so bright tonight.
Everything was alright tonight.