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The rain had just stopped.
Drops of water still clung to the roses in Arthur's garden, glittering like glass beneath the afternoon sun. The air smelled fresh and sweet, carrying the scent of damp earth and blooming flowers.
Arthur knelt beside a flowerbed, pruning a stubborn rosebush.
"You're being too rough with it."
Arthur glanced over his shoulder.
Kiku stood a few feet away, holding a porcelain teacup.
Arthur immediately smiled.
"Oh, and you're suddenly a gardening expert?"
"I have learned from observation."
"Observation?"
"Mostly observation."
Arthur snorted.
Kiku's lips curved upward.
That tiny smile always seemed to make the world brighter.
Arthur stood and brushed dirt from his gloves.
"When did you arrive?"
"A while ago."
"You could have announced yourself."
"You looked happy."
Arthur rolled his eyes.
"Don't say ridiculous things."
Kiku took a sip of tea.
"Very well."
The smile remained.
Arthur found himself staring.
There was something peaceful about days like this.
No meetings.
No arguments.
No endless responsibilities.
Just the two of them.
The garden.
The sunlight.
The quiet comfort of familiar company.
Kiku walked toward him.
"You have dirt on your face."
"What?"
Before Arthur could react, Kiku reached out.
His fingertips brushed Arthur's cheek.
The touch lasted only a second.. Yet Arthur felt strangely warm afterward.
"There."
Arthur cleared his throat.
"Thanks."
Kiku nodded.
Neither moved away.
The moment stretched comfortably between them.
Arthur wasn't sure who leaned closer first. Maybe they did at the same time. Maybe they had simply drifted together over years and years until there was no distance left to close.
Kiku's gaze softened.
"Arthur."
"Hm?"
"I am glad."
"About what?"
A faint flush colored Kiku's cheeks.
The sight was so unexpected that Arthur nearly forgot to breathe.
"That it is you."
Arthur blinked.
"What are you talking about?"
Kiku lowered his eyes briefly. Then he looked back up.
There was no hesitation.
No embarrassment.
Only honesty.
"You."
Arthur's heart stumbled.
The world seemed unusually quiet.
Even the birds had stopped singing.
Kiku stepped forward.
"I am glad it is you."
The words settled somewhere deep inside Arthur.
For a moment, he couldn't speak… Then he laughed softly.
"You make absolutely no sense."
"I know."
Kiku smiled.
A real smile.
The kind Arthur spent years hoping to see.
The kind that felt precious.
Rare.
Entirely his.
Something in Arthur's chest loosened.Centuries of uncertainty seemed to vanish all at once.As though everything had finally fallen into place.
He reached for Kiku's hand.
Kiku immediately intertwined their fingers.
Natural.
Easy.
As though they had done it a thousand times before.
Arthur looked down at their joined hands. Then back at Kiku.
"You really are serious."
"Very."
Arthur laughed again.
"God."
Kiku squeezed his hand, Arthur squeezed back.And somehow that felt more intimate than anything else.
The afternoon faded into evening.
The two of them sat together beneath the garden arbor, drinking tea while the sky turned shades of gold and pink.
Kiku rested his head against Arthur's shoulder.
Arthur didn't question it.
Didn't doubt it.
Why would he?
Kiku belonged here.
With him.
Everything felt exactly as it should.
The sun slowly disappeared beyond the horizon.
The first stars appeared overhead. Arthur thought he could remain there forever.
Then a strange sound interrupted the silence.
A distant ringing.
Faint at first.
Then louder.
Arthur frowned.
"Do you hear that?"
Kiku looked up.
"Hear what?"
The ringing continued. The garden blurred slightly. Arthur blinked.
"What the—"
The sound grew louder. The stars smeared across the sky. The roses lost their color.
Kiku's fingers slipped from his hand.
Arthur immediately reached for him.
"Kiku?"
The world tilted.
"Kiku."
For the first time, uncertainty crossed Kiku's face.
Arthur grabbed his wrist.
But his hand passed through empty air. The garden vanished. The sky vanished. Everything vanished.
Arthur's eyes flew open.
Darkness.
His bedroom.
The shrill ringing of his alarm clock.
His heart hammered against his ribs.
For several seconds he simply stared at the ceiling.
He looks at his calendar.
April 28.
Today's the day Kiku is wed.
But not to him.
Only in his dreams.
In his dreams, Kiku loves him back.