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They were finally reunited and neither of them wanted to leave the warm embrace they were in. It was a miracle their shirts didn’t rip—despite how the shirts didn’t truly exist in this realm—from the relentless clawing upon the fabric in their hopes and yearning to bring the other closer. Caesar and Joseph’s shirts were drenched from the fat, hot tears streaming down their faces.
“Jojo, I can’t even begin to say how happy I am to hold you again, there are no words to express how I feel.” Caesar sobbed, gripping Joseph’s back hard enough that Joseph could hear his bones creak.
“Caesar, oh god… Caesar, I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you. I can’t forgive myself for what happened, I-if I didn’t yell at you, if I-I just apologized and stopped you from w-walking away m-maybe you never would have died…” Joseph choked out every syllable through his sobs, and it made Caesar’s heart ache with sadness.
“Jojo, it was never your fault!” Caesar spat out, tears rolling down his cheeks. It pained him to know Joseph thought it was his fault for over half a century. “It doesn’t matter anymore!” He laughed out knowing they were finally together, “I have been waiting so long for this, to hold you again, to…” Caesar’s words trailed off as he felt Joseph freeze up as if all his joints went rigid. He pulled away just enough to see his lovers face riddled with regret, anger, and sadness.
Joseph was trembling as if he were in an earthquake. “You were waiting…” he breathed, voice just as shaky as his body, words oozing with the same emotion that flooded Joseph’s sea-foam green eyes, the same emotions that took claim over his sun-kissed face.
“You were WAITING! ALL THOSE TIMES I WAS TOO SCARED TO GO THROUGH WITH IT, BUT YOU WERE WAITING FOR ME!” He was sobbing into Caesar’s neck, digging his nails into Caesar’s back.
He pushed himself away from Caesar, tucking his knees into his chest, pulling his hair, and clawing at his face to try and rip the skin off. “I-i should have never hesitated, I-I SHOULD’VE KILLED MYSELF WHEN THE BLADE WAS ALREADY AT MY THROAT!” His voice was hoarse and dry as he yelled, and all Caesar could do was watch the man he’s loved for nearly a century, the man that saved the world fall apart and breakdown into sobs in a field sunflowers.
The air was thick with emotions after. The silence left behind only being broken by choked up breathing and their throbbing heartbeats. They remained in each others arms crying from sadness instead of the joy they deserved to feel.