Archive of Our Own ^beta

August 4th

 

The club Nightprowler was beautiful. Strolh hadn't been able to enjoy it on his first visit, so nervous as he was about the diplomatic meeting with the paripus brothers. But now it was different. The candle flames shone behind lamps with thousands of details, which created sinuous shadows around him. He felt relaxed, watching the silhouettes slide through the world as if they were drops of water.

Will did not take long to arrive. He had participated in a battle at the coliseum that same afternoon, and after a well-deserved bath, his bangs were plastered to his forehead. Strolh leaned over, the corners of his mouth turning up as he brushed the wet hair away so he could see his face.

“Are you tired?” he asked.

“Exhausted. Half-dead. I have no words,” Will whimpered, letting his weight fall on Strolh. He continued to play with his hair, which shone under the lights with an enigmatic aura.

“Your hair reminds me of the sea at night. The vastness of the ocean waters,” he muttered, the whisper barely heard over the lively conversations of the other guests. The waiter had left them several picturesque dishes from the area, luckily, they looked edible. Will picked at them, while confessing:

"Your hair doesn't remind me of anything."

“Your honesty is commendable,” Strolh laughed, moving his hand away from his hair to place it on his shoulder, squeezing him in a semblance of a hug. “I can’t deny that I’m nervous. I don't wish for the thirteenth to come.”

"Have faith, everything will work out. Your plans always work out."

"So far, indeed, but everything can go wrong in an instant. Especially if Louis is involved."

"Still, I have faith in us." Will raised his face, and his eyes shone with the strength of the archetype, although he did not seem to be aware of it. "I have faith in you…"

He let the rest of the words die in his mouth, turning ghastly to the shoulder where Gallica usually sat on. It was empty now, the fairy gone on a boat ride with Hulkenberg and Heismay, claiming she needed to improve her wisdom by contemplating the calm waters of early August. Strolh cocked his head.

"Are you looking for Gallica?"

Will blushed up to his ears.

“No, it’s not that. I mean… Strolh, you always know what to do. You’re the kind of advisor every captain would wish to have,” he said, and now it was his turn to bite his lip. Will didn’t seem to know where to look, and even though his words made Strolh happy, he looked embarrassed by them. “What I mean to say…”

Strolh broke the silence that followed.

"I'm glad you think highly of me. I also value our friendship very much."

"Yes. Our friendship. Because we are friends," he said out loud in a somewhat bizarre manner.

"Will, what's wrong? Are you okay?." He then grabbed him by the shoulders, studying his head closely. How could he not have noticed?! Will had just returned from whole battles in the coliseum, of course he wasn't okay! "Where have you been injured?!." he demanded to know.

Will shook his head, trying to get away without success. Some customers were watching them with intrigue.

"Hold on, Strolh, calm down, for God's sake, it's not that at all. I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine."

"Do not lie to me. It's obvious something is bothering you, and it can't be anything other than that damned coliseum! It's bad enough to risk our lives for good causes, without needing to do it as a mere way of entertaining the masses. I never thought it was a good idea." Strolh said indignantly.

Will was stunned.

"You've never told me that before."

"Well, the subject has never come up before," Strolh excused himself.

"Yeah... talking about subjects, topics and the like. There's a topic… There's a certain… Something. I want to say something. Ask you something. Oh, I don't know. This is all very complicated."

Strolh finally stepped back, though their shoulders were still touching, to drink the liquid that the waiter said was raspberry and apple juice. To him it tasted only of sweet, harsh medicine. Like the conversation they were having.

"Ask whatever you want, Will, I have no qualms about answering you. Never you."

“That’s exactly what I mean!” Will exclaimed, suddenly indignant. Strolh paled, surprised by the outburst. “Don’t you make that face! Do you really not know what I’m talking about? You can’t possibly be that oblivious! Don’t let Hulkenberg and Gallica be right!”

“No, of course they’re not right,” he said hastily, then paused and hesitated. “They’re not right… About what? Will, I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Will dropped his head onto the table, hiding it in his arms. Through them Strolh heard an impatient cry. When he had groaned enough, he poked his face out a little, looking at him with his golden eye. It was shining again.

"Strolh, there's something I want to tell you."

"Tell me," he said.

"And yet, from your expression, it's obvious you don't have a clue about it."

"Will, for God's sake," he said exasperatedly, slamming his fist on the table. "What's wrong with you today? Speak your mind."

Will bit his lip again. Strolh recognized the thoughtful, determined look on his face. Will nodded to himself and jumped up, pulling out a handful of coins—too many, they don’t need that much tip!—only to then pull him along before he could complain. Strolh, somewhat shaken by the situation—Will was rarely so… direct with his strength—allowed himself to be led by the elda. The one who was a head smaller than him.

"Will…"

"Shush," Will said, and from the irritation he was emanating, he seemed willing to gag him had he not complied.

Back at the dock, Will approached the boatman at shore, jumping into the boat and holding out his hand for Strolh, who toke it without hesitation to steady himself. Strolh intended to sit beside him, but Will stopped him, instead guiding him so Strolh was sitting down right in front of him. Face to face. Strolh swallowed, seeing Will's tanned skin shining in the dancing lights of Brilehaven. The crescent moon shone in the night sky, surrounded by stars of all shapes and colors—the product of water levitating in the air. Will had once described it to him as an aurora borealis, an effect mentioned in the book he carried so fondly. It was usually seen in areas covered in snow, home of the cold; and yet, in reality, it could sometimes be observed over the sky of the port. That aurora was reflected in his pupils, on his disheveled locks and on the waters of the sea. Waves so tiny that the ocean looked like a mirror. There was something different. A sensation that gave him butterflies in his stomach.

Without a word, Will pulled a coin from his bag and handed it to the boatman. The boatman smiled and winked at him in a conspiratorial manner. As Will had requested him to keep quiet, he remained mute, silently observing the landscape. And that landscape was full of Will, who was looking back at him. Will was studying him with unparalleled passion, the very same intensity that he devoted to his novel. Yet now, the  focus of such unwavering feelings was him, not words or ideals, nor archetypes, struggles or injustices. It was him, flesh and blood, whom he was looking at fiercely. With excitement.

Every trace of innocence had long vanished, and now before Strolh was a man he cherished above all else. For whom he would give his life: with whom he wanted to also share it for along as he could, forever if he was lucky. 

Under his intense scrutiny, Strolh couldn't help but blushed, his pale skin also filled with the colors of the auroras in the sky. Will looked at him. Impassive and at the same time overflowing with emotion.

Strolh felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest.

They crossed a small canal, and after passing under a raised stone bridge, Strolh found himself in the most beautiful square he had ever seen. The center was pure sea water, a perfect reflection of the sky and the buildings around it, facades decorated with plants, intricate designs and bright light blue street lamps. The place was pure magic.

They reached the center, and only then did Strolh notice a boat following them. The boatman nodded to Will, who nodded back. The second boat stuck close to them, and with a practiced leap the boatman left them. Strolh watched as they disappeared down the channel.

"Uh… Will… Should I be worried…?"

Will ignored him, taking a deep breath.

"I have something to tell you," he insisted again. Strolh felt like they were huddled by a weak current, and his whole world was Will, Will and colors. Will and beauty. No. Beauty in itself. Everything he saw made him happy.

Absolutely everything.

“Tell me, Will, for God's sake, tell me now,” Strolh pleaded, his stomach in knots. Will smiled, and at last seemed to regain his composure. He leaned down so that he could take his hands in his own. He cupped them warmly, his fingers caressing them almost reverentially. He looked at them, getting used to the idea of ​​their union, then looked up with conviction.

“I can’t find the words,” Will admitted. “But. But. I have an idea. You yourself have said a thousand times that an action is worth a thousand words. So here I am laying it all out. These are my actions.” He moved even closer to Strolh, standing up enough to be eye level with him. Strolh could feel his breath on his lips, and Will’s determined gaze lingered on them. “Would you allow me, Strolh, would you allow me…?”

"What?" he muttered breathlessly.

"Would you allow me to kiss you, Leon?" It was the first time he said his name.

Strolh could care less, but it would be difficult.

The doubt lasted a few agonizing seconds. Will did not hesitate, his ferocity was worthy of a king. Strolh was quick to let himself go. Oh, how his heart was tugging. How he screamed at him, tearing his soul apart, to join the other. He did not say yes. Will had reminded him of what was important. So he acted.

He placed his lips on Will's, nervous, restless, not knowing how to continue. He closed his eyes so as not to see the other's expression. But Will simply let go of his hands to place them on his cheeks, merging with the other. He entered his mouth as if he were feeding on his soul, and now Strolh could see something else shining behind his closed eyelids: not Halia's flames, no, what was shining was Will. Along with the moon, the stars and the lamps. A new fire illuminated his path, his destiny. Strolh did not know how long he remained there, next to the other. Will's hands tenderly holding his face, the explosion of affection in his stomach crying out for joy.

Will pulled away at last, breathing heavily. He placed his forehead against Strolh's, his eyes shining with the strength of the archetype.

"I did not know how to tell you. I didn't know if you felt the same way." Will explained breathlessly. "I love you, Leon Strolh. For so many reasons that I only know that I love you, adore you, it is a truth as ineffable as it is perennial. I feel like it will never cease, that this feeling is… A flame. Another guide. I want you to always be by my side." Will sighed. "That's it… That's what I feel." He put a hand over his heart.

Strolh let out a long sigh, allowing himself to smile. His heart was beating calmly, but it was radiating with utter happiness. Ecstasy. How long this discovery, this new sensation, would last, he did not know. But in this place it seemed eternal.

“I love you too,” Strolh said with conviction. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want… I don’t know, I want it all.”

“So be it, you’ll have everything,” Will promised. “I’m yours, and you’re mine. And together we shall achieve everything we set out to do, right?”

Strolh nodded.

"Yes. I trust you. I trust us. I… I would give my life for you."

"Me too."

The two remained like that, face to face, calm. In the distance the people of Brilehaven could be heard, a distant murmur mixed with the breaking of the waters on the rock. The next morning Strolh would discover that Hulkenberg and Gallica had devised the plan, aware of what was happening, and that only Heismay had managed to stop them from trying to promise them. Hulkenberg and Gallica had been right, too, because Strolh had lived in denial of what he felt, and worse, he had not realized what Will saw in him. He felt that he had wasted his time, despite the short time they had been friends. He would also discover that waking up next to another person, with his breathing slow and his hair disheveled, was one of the most pleasurable sensations that existed. That the stolen kisses in the corridor of the gauntlet runner would make him burst out laughing, especially when he saw Gallica's indignant face. Or how cooking would be something very different now, the love of giving the person he liked most his favorite dish, his eyes opening wide at the sight of the delicacies he could create. And how facing the world, at the side of someone else, supported in every way, made him forget what it was like to feel alone. The mundane had a different color, because everything had changed.

He was no longer Leon Strolh, the disgraced noble, the survivor of the Halia massacre. He no longer heard the roars of the human behind him, or the flash of flames drowning out the cries for help from his people. Nor the voices of his parents begging him to flee, to get to safety. No, with his friends, with his family, he felt different. He was Leon Strolh, the best friend —self-imposed— of the devouring Hulkenberg; Heismay's comrade in arms, who would never hesitate to teach him as if he were his own father; Gallica's and Will's advisor, the last being his very own captain. And he was also that same captain's lover, and in his eyes he lost himself every day, only to find himself better and happier the next morning.

Junah would soon enter his new family, with his hope, with the voice that would not allow itself to be silenced. His sister, his confidant. And then Eupha, innocent, who reminded him of Will. His other sister, whom he wanted to protect, whom he wanted to show the world to. Later Delio, may he rest in peace, and Basilio, the older brother he always longed for. His brash yet caring being always made him smile. He would be complete.

Strolh would wake up one day to discover that he was no longer alone, and that his family was huge. He would hug each one of them and wouldn't stop sobbing, although no one would understand why. Except perhaps Will, who would hold him, as Strolh had done so many times before. Will's hair would be then the color of the sky, free, serene, and it would bring even more joy to their lives.

But that would be tomorrow. Now, Strolh was with Will, on a boat in Brilehaven. Holding each other, happy, enjoying the beginning of a relationship that would take them far away. Discovering themselves and who would become their family.

Neither of them was alone anymore.

So they smiled.

"I'm glad I met you."

Who said it?

Both, of course.

"I love you."