Work Text:
Elysium’s company trip to Sami shouldn’t have taken five months, but it did. Harsh weathers, unpredictable terrain, and the Sami priest casters- those damn Sami casters, made both the road to and back from Sami a living nightmare. Thankfully, Rhodes Island was blessed with the doctor, whose quick thinking and timely warnings saved his squad from impending doom. Elysium shuddered to think what would happen if they had lingered in Sami for even a little bit longer. The Liberi could only let out a huge sigh when he finally set his foot to Rhodes Island’s familiar metal tiles, still as beautiful as the day he left it.
On the day of his arrival, the hallway was absolutely packed with people. Hoards of families, friends, and co-workers celebrated the operators’ return. Some even cheered loudly with a megaphone, yelling about “celebrating these fools’ return with a pa~rty!”. Elysium just chuckled at the sight. There’s nothing more he wanted to do than join in on the commotion, but… Mantra was off on a senior ops mission, Lumen was on an excursion to Iberia, and Blaze was… well, Elysium didn’t really know where she was but he could hear her hiccuped, drunken laugh from the depths of the sea of crowds so she was no doubt occupied. Despite the copious amounts of people, no one in the crowd had a face he recognized. He looked back to see the rest of the Sami squad all reuniting with their friend groups. The ones who didn’t just left to their rooms for a well deserved rest.
Elysium sighed and picked up his tattered flag. Seems like he fell to the second category.
“Elysium.”
If it weren’t for his sensitive ears, the familiar voice would’ve been drowned by the commotion of the crowd. When he turned around, he was greeted by the sight of his dear friend, Thorns, still sporting his signature ash covered beige coat. He looked as unkempt as ever, with the edges of his hair pointing up and his new (well, it was new five months ago) glasses sitting crooked on his head. But that signature mess of his was what made Thorns, Thorns.
“You’re back.”
Elysium beamed. “You came to pick me up?”
Thorns simply hummed in response.
As if Thorns didn’t just reply with a vague sound of approval, Elysium pulled him close to a tight hug. “I missed you, too, man!” The smaller man groaned.
Once, Elysium hugged Thorns so hard, the Aegir suplexed him with an annoyed face. Elysium half expected the same thing to happen this time, but instead, Thorns just awkwardly patted Elysium’s back.
Elysium’s attention fell to the bright red cloth that was spilling from Thorns’ straw bag. He pulled away, “What’s that you got there?”
Instead of answering, Thorns took a step back, scanning Elysium from top to bottom. He hummed. The way he looked at Elysium at that moment was akin to his typical poison examination routine.
Noticing something was amiss, Elysium scratched his head. “W-what is it?”
After a moment of scrutiny, Thorns spoke. “You look awful.”
“Wow,” Elysium groaned in mock offense. “Thanks.”
Then, without any explanation, Thorns seized Elysium’s flag in an instant.
“Wha-” Elysium looked at his empty palm in disbelief. Just as he was about to sound his complaints, Thorns took Elysium’s hand and pulled him away. “Hey, wait a- Where are we going?!” Despite Elysium’s loud protests, Thorns didn’t seem to plan on answering soon.
Although Elysium hardly appreciated being dragged around in a crowd, the way Thorns navigated his way out of the hallway with that many people could be considered impressive considering how they didn’t bump into a single person along the way. The crowd started to dissipate the farther they were from the lobby hallway. Thinking about it, this sort of situation didn’t feel unfamiliar to Elysium. The two always dragged the other to random places, just going with the flow, as some would say.
He looked down at the hand Thorns’ was clutching. After such a long time in the Sami snow, even an Aegir’s cold hand felt like a warm hearth.
His observation came to a sudden halt when the Liberi bumped his chin on Thorns’ head. He groaned in pain before Elysium looked up at the door in front of them. They both stopped at the entrance of a certain room in Rhodes Island, and despite Elysium’s remarkable memory, he couldn’t seem to recall what it was. He looked up at the signage above the door.
‘The Convalescent Garden.’
He pursed his lips. “Why’d you bring me here?”
Thorns offered no explanation, instead he walked forward, scanning his ID Card onto a standing terminal. The doors opened ceremoniously, and Thorns gestured to Elysium inside. “Hurry up.”
Elysium rolled his eyes. Thorns was a genius in chemistry and science, but he’s just barely better than a newborn at communicating. Oftentimes, it would lead to misunderstandings. But in the worst case scenario, it would even end in disputes that landed them in the HR Office. Elysium had lost track of how many times he had to explain to Orchid that no, Thorns was not spouting Lateranophobia at Irene, he was just calmly, calm being the key word here, telling her that she should exercise scrutiny when dealing with religious affairs.
In any case, Elysium ended up having to let go of his grievances and followed Thorns inside anyway.
As Elysium stepped in the domed room, he was immediately struck by the tranquil ambiance of the garden. The air surrounding the Convalescent Garden was cool and fragrant. Whatever fatigue Elysium felt earlier was washed away by the soothing smell of freshly cut leaves and the sight of vibrant, multi-colored flora. Every part of the garden was adorned with shrubbery. The glass ceiling was a recent addition, brought by Muelsyse after her departure from Rhine Lab. It was a damn good feature, Elysium thought, as his eyes were at awe on how it absorbed the light green of the leaves then scattered it back throughout the room with an iridescent tint.
Elysium rarely visited the garden. After all, he hardly had the time to walk to the very edge of Rhodes Island just to take in the view. But seeing how beautiful the garden was compared to how it looked the first time he was there made him take a mental note to come back again with a larger crowd of friends.
From the corner of his eye, Elysium caught a glimpse of red. Thorns was there, on the opposite side of the garden, laying down a sheet of red cloth near a clearing of flowers. He patted the cloth down to let the air escape and carefully brought out a container of decorated fruits, preparing for a picnic. Elysium strolled over to Thorns’ position.
“What’s all this for?” he asked.
Thorns pulled out a few cans of drinks nonchalantly. “A picnic.”
Elysium laughed, “What’s the occasion?”
“It’s to celebrate you coming back.”
“A celebration with a picnic?”
With a sigh, Thorns turned his head away, “Well, you mentioned wanting to go picnicking, remember?” His words were as neutral as they usually were, but his reddened ears betrayed his underlying sentiment.
“Aww, you remembered! You shouldn’t have!” Elysium purred. “Y’know, you can be real cute at times.”
Thorns didn’t answer, lest for a small huff.
As Elysium settled onto the soft cloth, he couldn’t help but feel peace washing over him. His gaze fell to the vibrant blooms surrounding them. It’s felt like forever since the last time he’d felt this warm. No danger, no black snow, no floating white abominations of nature. This moment and the sweet, tangy flavor of tangerine was something Elysium will remember for the rest of his life.
The two sat in a comfortable silence, each immersed in their own meals. Elysium stole a glaze at Thorns. Despite how unreadable he could be, it’s clear how content Thorns was at this moment. There’s a certain glint in his eyes that Elysium would usually see when his experiments resulted in odd byproducts. Make no mistake, Elysium felt extremely elated when he figured out that Thorns planned all of this for him. This sort of sweet gesture was unexpected coming from the Aegir who barely remembers his own friends’ birthdays. He even went out of his way to cut the apples to bunny shapes. Adorable.
But …
He squinted at Thorns, studying him. The Thorns he knew wouldn’t typically think about doing something like this. Knowing Thorns, he’d likely be happier in his lab, barely avoiding Weedy’s wrath as he prodded and experimented recklessly. Or maybe he’d rather work out in the training room, honing his swordsmanship and battle posture. In any situation, Thorns would always try pushing himself to the limit. Not due to insecurity, he was just curious about how much he could grow. This time, though, Thorns was doing a relatively low stress activity. His gaze drifted aimlessly, and his expression blissfully tranquil.
Thorns looked up and the two made eye contact.
“You don’t look as awful now.” Thorns remarked between bites of his apple.
Elysium rolled his eyes. “Come on. I didn’t look that bad.”
Thorns swallowed and paused for a moment before continuing. “No. But you looked tired.”
Oh. Elysium thought. He looked at his tattered flag Thorns rested on the sides of a tree.Is that why he took my flag? So I wouldn’t have to carry it around?
Noticing Elysium’s growing grin, Thorns groaned. “What?”
“You know you could’ve just said you missed me, right?”
“That’s true,” Thorns admitted. “I missed you, Elysium.”
Elysium sighed. Teasing failed.
He opened his mouth to say something, but Thorns continued to speak.
“When Rhodes stopped providing updates about the Sami expedition, I got worried. Given Sami’s infamous nature, concerns about potential equipment failures arose.” He paused momentarily to sip his soda before continuing, “Lumen assured me things would be fine since, in his words, this is Elysium we’re talking about, remember? But still, the ‘what ifs’ kept pulling my focus away from work.”
His golden eyes met Elysium’s. “So when they announced your return…I was really relieved.” If one had blinked, they would’ve missed the way Thorns’ mouth slightly curved upwards. “I’m glad you’re back.”
“Oh.” Elysium rubbed the sides of his arm. “Um… Thanks.”
Thorns nodded in response. “No problem.”
Rhodes Island’s second floor hallway stretched out before them, its corridors housed a familiar sight to both Elysium and Lumen. The former busied himself by meticulously sweeping away the accumulated dust, steady and methodical, while the latter sat on the floor, absently twirling a stray piece of ripped paper. Lumen’s broom swept with a rhythmical groove across the hallway floor, the bristles swishing against the metal a backdrop to Elysium’s rants. The hallway, usually bustling with activity, merely echoed the swish-swash of Lumen’s cleaning. “And…?” Lumen spoke between each broom swing.
Elysium furrowed his brow. The events of his last outing with Thorns still lingered in his head. “And, well, you know how he is…” The paper swirled around in his palm, swaying back and forth. “He never really does these sorts of things.”
The Aegir hummed, sweeping away debris. “But isn’t that a good thing?” He asked, slightly nudging the broom bristles in Elysium’s direction. “What seems to be the problem there?”
Elysium shrugged and flicked the piece of paper away among the pile of debris. “There’s no problem,” he replied dismissively.
Lumen stopped to squint at the Liberi, judging eyes and all. “So you ran to me, all exasperated, just to tell me you had a picnic with Thorns?” he questioned, tone laced with a hint of confusion.
“It wasn’t just a picnic!” Elysium stood up. “It was a… a…”
“It was a…?”
Opening his mouth, he swallowed back the words flashing in his mind. Elysium’s cheeks flushed a deep shade of red the moment he envisioned the word he was about to say. He retreated backwards, pressing himself against the wall. “A date…” His voice barely audible as he whispered under his breath.
Lumen scratched his chin to ponder. He frowned and lifted his gaze. “Um… Was it?”
“Yeah! I mean sure he didn’t outwardly call it a date… But between that and the heartfelt confession and the ‘just the two of us’ vibes and the cutely cut fruit and the-” He threw his hands up in the air. “That’s not how our regular chill sessions go!”
“Maybe he was trying something different?” He sheepishly asked.
Elysium approached Lumen, each footstep heavy and echoed loud. “But what if he wasn’t?” He clutched Lumen’s shoulders with dear life. The broom wavered in Lumen’s grasp as he struggled to maintain his balance. “What if he likes me?!”
His steel grip on Lumen caused the shorter man to gulp. “W-what will you do if he does…? You’re not going to hurt him, are you?” He stammered, holding the broom close to his chest.
The sheer absurdity of Lumen’s question just made Elysium’s hold tighten. “What?! Of course not!”
The other squirmed. “Then you’ll…?”
“I’ll tell him I like him back!”
Sweat dropped in Lumen’s face as he nodded in agreement. “T-that’s a good idea!”
Elysium followed suit. “Right?!”
“So…” Lumen darted his eyes to the hands still clutching him.
Then, a moment of realization struck the Liberi. “W-wait!” Heat traveled to his cheeks in an instant, flushing it crimson red. “I’m not gonna tell him that!” He quickly backtracked, releasing his grip on Lumen and retreating away.
“Oh,” Lumen replied. “Poor Thorns.”
“No, no! I’m not-“ Elysium stuttered.
He drew backwards, stumbling slightly as he did so. The thought of him dating Thorns didn’t seem bad. But… but they were homies! Comrades, brother-in-arms, best friends, buddies- replying with a ‘I like you’ or a ‘I don’t see you that way’ seemed like equally bad decisions. The last thing Elysium would want is to hurt Thorns’ feelings or make things awkward for them. If there’s one thing Elysium knows from his years in Rhodes Island, it’s that dating your teammates can get messy real quick. Especially when one of them is infected and the other… isn’t. A scenario where he has to prematurely say farewell to Thorns due to Oripathy is a scene Elysium didn’t want to think about.
He strutted back and forth, crossing his arms with a slouch. There’s nothing he could say that wouldn’t change anything. But ignoring this might snowball into a larger problem in the long run. Elysium furrowed his brow and glanced at the window overlooking the view. The sun peeked low on the horizon, casting a warm, golden hue over the mountain landscape. Far below, Rhodes Island traversed among a patchwork of debris, scattered among the dusty, desolate road. The terrain was barren, lifeless, with no signs of life in sight. But it was a familiar scenery that Elysium has grown bizarrely fond of. “I don’t want anything to change between us.” The air was heavy as his sentence lingered still between the two of them. Breaking the silence, the Liberi slid downwards against the wall, ending with a loud thud.
Casting his gaze downwards, Elysium ignored any semblance of pity Lumen was emitting. Amidst the soft sound of rustling bristles and a slight tap of a metal husk, he remained unperturbed. Footsteps approached, growing closer with each second. From the corner of his eye, he could spot Lumen’s figure settling beside him on the ground. Lumen didn’t even look in his direction. He merely asked, “Don’t you like him?”
“Yeah,” Elysium replied in a heartbeat. “I love him.”
Lumen shifted his posture. For some reason, the sound of rustling clothes was the one thing that caused Elysium to glance over to the other. “Then you should confess.” Their eyes locked before Lumen flashed a sympathetic smile, briefly making Elysium regret his decision of looking over. “It’s better to do it sooner than later, y’know? If not…”
You’ll regret not confessing once you’re on your deathbed. He internally finished Lumen’s sentence.
“I... ” Elysium started.
“Attention all staff.” An announcement rung by the overhead speakers of the corridors cut his sentence short. Both of them casted their attention upwards to the ceiling broadcaster. “Calling operator Elysium of the 3rd Special Operations Squad. Please assemble to the Reception Room at once.” The female voice ended the broadcast with a slight technical buzz, its ring lingered for a while on Elysium’s ears. There was nothing else he wanted to say. Nothing he could say. He simply took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. Standing up, he made a point of turning his head away from Lumen, leaving the other on the ground on his lonesome.
“I’ll just… think about this later.” He murmured, brow furrowed.
“Elysium...” Lumen called out, but Elysium didn’t reply. Turning his back, Elysium patted away the dust sticking onto his lap. He couldn’t bear looking at Lumen for even a second longer. Because it reminded him of his position in Rhodes Island. Not just a worker meant to serve, but a patient to be cured.
“Thanks for listening to me.” Were the last words Elysium uttered before walking away.
“I finally caught you.”
A tug from the back halted Elysium from his stride. Not even attempting to turn back, he cleared his voice and straightened his gait.
“Oh, Thorns! Don’t see you ‘round here often, haha.”
His answer left the other party dumbfounded. Even when he couldn’t see Thorns’ face, he could practically sense the raised eyebrow.
Thorns squinted. “This is the cafeteria.”
“And so it is!”
As the two men stood in the empty cafeteria room, Elysium could only hear his beating heart. This is bad. Elysium thought. After his conversation with Lumen, he started to feel conscious of their… relationship. Ideally, Elysium would like to not see Thorns’ face for the next couple of months so he could sort out his feelings. He deliberately avoided eating in the afternoon to decrease the chances of him running into Thorns. But he forgot about Thorns’ tendencies of visiting the pantry on ungodly hours at night. Now, faced with Thorns, he could only avert his gaze away.
Elysium held an array of various fruits and snacks, so much so that some pieces were starting to drop to the ground. Stopping a stray apple from rolling away, Thorns used the back of his foot to nudge it ever so slightly still. He eyed the apple, then Elysium, whose back was still facing him. The Aegir sighed and leaned down to reach for the fruit. As he did, Elysium took small steps away from him, hoping he wouldn't notice the growing distance.
Thorns didn’t bother to look at him. Holding the apple, he asked, “Are you avoiding me?”
“Whaaaat?” Elysium guffawed. “Me? Avoiding you? I’d never!”
“Yesterday you ran away from me at full speed once you saw me in the corridor."
“There was a ghost behind you.” Elysium lied as easily as he breathed. “Anyway, it’s been nice seeing you! Adios!”
A sigh. “Did I do something to make you angry?”
“No!” Elysium spun back. The sudden movement knocking over his food. “No, you didn't.” With a groan, he started walking back to Thorns, passing by a lone table and dropping his food messily over it. Silence loomed before them like heavy fog.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Elysium hadn’t even once considered that Thorns would’ve gotten hurt by his actions. After all, days would pass where Thorns acted indifferent whenever they met. But here Thorns was, looking like a dejected puppy who got kicked, sprayed with water, and starved all at the same time. If one wasn’t as close to Thorns as Elysium was, they wouldn’t have realized how downtrodden he looked. His face was mostly obscured by the darkness of the dimly lit hall, though Elysium could still discern the furrow in Thorns’ brow.
“Sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to make you feel left out. I was just-” Elysium started to explain.
“Okay.”
“Okay?” A faint hint of offense riddled Elysium’s tone. “That’s it? At least listen to what I’m about to say.”
Rather than replying, Thorns hurled the apple towards Elysium’s chest. It collided awkwardly with Elysium’s hand as he caught it. They stood in silence for a moment, locked in a wordless exchange. “Yeah. As long as we’re good, we’re good.” Thorns said, walking away. He doesn’t want to hear the reason.
As Thorns moved past, the only feeling the Liberi could feel was regret. This was it, then? The problem has been resolved and they can go back to their usual, jovial selves. But a nagging voice at the back of Elysium’s head screamed at him to do something- anything.
He mustered all his courage to open his mouth and said: “Wait, stop.”
A huge distance had formed between the two of them, yet Elysium’s voice halted him in his tracks. He didn’t turn around, but the tilt of his head indicated his attention.
“I…” Elysium began. “Why did you drag me to the garden the other day?”
“I already told you. It’s to celebrate your return.”
“But you never did anything like that before.” Elysium pressed on. “Remember when I went to Iberia with Kal’tsit and Skadi?” Struts were evident in the footsteps echoing the hall. “Why didn’t you celebrate, then?” When he caught up to Thorns, he reached out, gripping Thorns’ shoulders and turned him around like a doll.
Doe-eyed, Thorns merely stared at the taller man. Trying to make some sense of his actions, he opened his mouth. No words escaped from him. His eyes darted around the room as if it had an answer to Elysium’s inquiry. Sweat beaded from Elysium’s forehead. Every muscle in his body told him to draw back, and yet… This was the only choice Elysium could think of. Either they resolve this now or stay awkward forever.
“I… I don’t know.” Thorns admitted, averting his gaze. “I guess it didn’t cross my mind.” He brushed the surface of a nearby table with the tips of his fingers, avoiding Elysium’s touch.
Following Thorns’ gesture, Elysium’s hand shadowed him. “Why didn’t you invite the others if you were planning to celebrate?” He inched closer to close the gap between them.
“I just wanted to…” Thorns hesitated, trapped in Elysium’s proximity. Due to their height difference, the shorter man had to slightly raise his head upwards. “To spend time… with you?” The reply given by him faltered.
Wanting to draw some distance, Thorns took a step back. Elysium, though, takes two steps forward for every step backwards. “Is that a question?” He interrogated.
“No… I…” Thorns squirmed. His eyes shot upwards. At an angle like this, the view looked like a prey’s hide. And Elysium, his predator.
Elysium didn’t know what to expect. He knew pressing his friend for an answer only served to stress the other out. But an unfamiliar warmth rested on his hand. He glanced down. Thorns’ palm sat right atop his.
“I missed you. I missed you so bad I didn’t think about the others. When I heard you were coming back, the only thing I thought about was… seeing you again.” Thorns’ face drooped, showing a flash of vulnerability rarely seen from the Aegir.
Elysium didn’t know what face he made after hearing that. But what he knew could love someone as much as he loved Thorns in this moment. He could feel invisible strings tying them both together. He moved closer, leaning his face forward.
But then, the Aegir lifted his hand away. With a lowered voice, he asked, “Was the picnic too boring?”
“No! It wasn’t boring at all! I had fun!” Elysium took Thorns’ retreating hand as quickly as it was raised. He peered right into Thorns. Words spilled eagerly out of his mouth. “And I… I missed you, too! A lot! In fact, a day didn’t pass when I wasn’t missing you!”
Thorns paused, his expression shifting as if processing Elysium’s words.
“When I saw you, that day in the corridor- I was beyond happy. I really thought if I came back, no one would care. It’d just be another day at Rhodes Island.” Elysium continued, voice slightly cracking. “But knowing you waited for me… It felt like I had someone waiting for me to come back home.”
Thorns blinked, bewildered. But his face quickly reverted back to neutrality as he quipped back, “So you’re treating me like a lonely housewife.”
Elysium smiled, tightening the hands clutching Thorns’. “Yeah, I guess,” he chuckled. “Like someone special.”
The shorter man’s face flushed a deep crimson. Thorns nodded, seemingly without reason, before breaking their locked gaze. The apparent embarrassment on Thorns’ face made Elysium hyper aware of the distance, or lack thereof, between them. He stumbled backwards, untangling their intertwining hands. Hand on his face, he attempted to conceal his reddening cheeks. It only made him more conscious of the heat radiating from his face. With a sigh, Elysium cleared his throat. No use in getting bashful now. Attempting to catch Thorns’ attention, face still as flushed as a tomato, he tapped his fingers lightly on the plastic table. “Thorns. If I go away…” He diverted his gaze to the tiled floor. “Will you wait for me again?”
“Of course,” came Thorns’ instantaneous reply.
Elysium looked up. Thorns’ gaze pierced right through him, immovable and steady. As Thorns usually is. He gulped, hesitation clear from the shake of his mouth. “Even if… I won’t return?”
“I’ll…” The voice wavered. From the sound of it, he’d already realized what Elysium was asking of him. He glanced at the markings Oripathy placed on Elysium, concealed beneath his coat. Crystals have already started forming on the surface of Elysium’s skin. Thorns had seen it firsthand. There’s no running from it. Elysium won’t be long for this world. Elysium half expected Thorns to walk away. Talking about your friend’s debilitating illness isn’t a very fun conversation to start, so neither have ever brought it up in the past. But this time, it was the centerpiece of Elysium’s question.
But Thorns didn’t shy away. Instead, he reached out and gently grazed Elysium’s shoulder. His usual stoic demeanor, softened by a gentle gaze.
“I’ll always wait for you, Elysium.”
Rhodes Island was a kind company. It provided its employees with a generous allotment of time for rest between shifts. Consequently, the hallways connecting the rooms buzzed with activity as operators engaged in various activities- some gossiping, some chatting, some simply passing by. Elysium always appreciated the steady work-life balance Rhodes Island had maintained, as it gave its operators ample time for repose. He pranced around the ship, skipping and humming an AUS tune that he had played on loop for days. Striding along the hallway, he greeted each passing operator with a gleeful “Hi!”, “Wassup?”, “Lookin’ goo~d!”. Even to operators he barely knew the name of.
The previous night ended with Thorns leaving Elysium behind in the cafeteria. Looking back, he could’ve confessed right then and there… But he could do more. No, he had to do more for Thorns. The confession has to be flashy, memorable, sweet, but not too sweet, spectacular, and, had Elysium thought flashy already? He couldn’t remember. He giggled to himself as he thought about all the ways he could profess his love. His glee evident in his light, almost heaven ascended steps. His animated stride came to a light pause as he spotted a familiar figure in blue passing by.
“Lumen!” Elysium’s voice rang out across the corridor as he approached, waving his hand enthusiastically. “Yoohoo~!”
The other man turned his head in response. “Hey, Elysium!” He waved back, one hand occupied with holding a paper board. “I was just talking to-“
“I decided.” Elysium interjected in glee, placing his arms on Lumen’s shoulders. “I’m gonna confess my love to Thorns!”
Lumen’s eyes widened in surprise, scanning the hallway before he replied, “Really?”
“Yup! Oh, what if… I organize a big party, and that’s where I’ll spill the big news!” He huffed in pride.
“Sounds like a great idea. But…” Lumen’s voice trailed off.
“Wait, wait. I know what you’re thinking. He would never show up! But I have a secret idea…” A devious smirk played on Elysium’s lips. “I’ll ask Matterhorn to serve cabbage salad! He could never resist! I am such a genius.” The notion of his confession being a grand one seemed to be a wonderful plan. Elysium liked big gestures. Thorns liked eating cabbage. The scheme was a perfect marriage between those two concepts. There’s no way Thorns would ever reject it!
“Oh, that’s-“ Lumen hesitated.
Oblivious to his surroundings, Elysium continued. “I’ll set the mood with his favorite AUS tunes, and at the end I’ll take the stage...” His hands danced animatedly in the air as he outlined his plans.
“Erm…”
“And then I’ll turn off all the lights.” He clutched an imaginary light bulb shut with his hand.
“Uh,”
“Then, spotlight all on me, I’ll shout into the mic…” He curled his hand and hovered it in front of his mouth. His voice rose to a crescendo. “I love you, Thorns! Be my boyfriend!”
“Really?” Thorns’ voice cut through the conversation like a butter knife.
The sheer ridiculousness of Thorns seemingly appearing in thin air made Elysium shriek, eliciting an eyebrow raise from the former.
“Thorns?! When did you- Why are you- What-?!” Elysium sputtered in confusion.
“I’ve been here since the beginning. Me and Lumen were discussing dormitory arrangements, since the new operator who got assigned a room next to me started complaining about explosions I’ve been making at night.”
Elysium shot Lumen a perplexed glare. A look that said, What the hell, dude? Why didn’t you tell me he was right there?!
Lumen laughed awkwardly in response, whistling like an innocent prisoner. “Well, I was just leaving…” He shielded half of his face with the board, taking a few steps backward. Eyes darting from Elysium, to Thorns, then back again to Elysium with a nervous blink. “You two seem really busy. Y’know, I just heard Irene calling me over, so… see you guys soon!”
Before Elysium could voice his thoughts, Lumen had vanished from their sight, leaving the two men alone. Distant clamors of the hallway echoed throughout the room. Elysium felt a blush creeping up his cheeks as he shyly glanced at the Aegir’s foot. Not only did his plan prematurely fail, he looked like a pathetic creature, yelling like that. “So, uh,” he muttered, an attempt to break the awkward silence. “About that. Lumen and I were just discussing something… Uh- did you hear what I just said, by any chance?”
“Yeah.” Thorns nodded. An instantaneous reply to a long winded question.
Gulp. “E-everything?”
“Pretty much.” Thorns nodded again.
“Cool, cool.” Elysium fumbled for words, trying to regain his lost composure. “Sooo…”
“I love you, too, Elysium.”
As Thorns’ words hung in the air, Elysium felt a whirlwind of emotions swirling within him. His heart raced, his mind flooded to the point of malfunction. His growing nerves fluttered more as Thorns leaned closer, his closing proximity sending shivers down Elysium’s spine. He could only guess how close Thorns was by the sight of his legs. When he looked up, taking a deep breath as he did so, he was met with a rosy-cheeked Thorns.
“Can I kiss you?” Thorns asked.
“Yes, please.” He replied. A bit too quickly. Elysium raised his hands in a defensive gesture, speaking hastily. “I mean, yeah, sure. If you insist, y’know. Like, I’m not opposed to it! I, just- “ His hands continued to wave exaggeratedly, but before Elysium could finish his sentence, Thorns leaned in. The thudding of his heart drowned out all the other sounds. Heat shot to his already reddened face. Elysium’s hand trembled and his lips parted in silent anticipation. As he awaited Thorns’ lips to graze his, he could feel a warm, unfamiliar sensation on his cheek. Steeling himself, Elysium cautiously opened one eye to see Thorns at the side of his face, before he withdrew bashfully. Elysium stared dumbfoundedly as the Aegir rubbed his lips with the back of his glove.
“What?” Thorns asked.
“I was expecting a kiss on the lips.” Elysium accidentally admitted, before covering his mouth.
Thorns sheepishly murmured. “...I’m not ready for that.”
“Oh.” He spoke. Then, realization hit him. “Oh. Yeah, no sweat! Hey, no rush here. I’m like, crazy patient. Nothing wrong with taking it slow and steady! Let’s just take this at our own pace, capiche?”
“Okay.” Thorns cracked a smile. He flashed a smile back. Elysium wanted to pull Thorns in for a hug so badly, he thought he was going crazy. But his thoughts were interrupted by a ringing bell that signaled the end of their break, echoing throughout the hall. As they looked around, they could already see operators saying their farewells as they parted from their friends. Though Elysium would love this moment to last an eternity, they have their paychecks to tend to. This didn’t stop Elysium from groaning in obvious annoyance. Watching the almost childish irritation, Thorns chuckled. He looked over the digital clock resting atop the ceiling, then turned his head back to Elysium. “I still have to run back to the lab to finish some things up. My shift will probably be over at six. Let’s go on a date at six thirty?” he asked.
A date. Elysium could barely stop himself from fainting. “Sounds good to me,” he replied, trying to keep it cool. Thorns snorted at the sight anyway.
“Okay.” A red hue still resting atop his cheeks, Thorns nodded. “I’m looking forward to it. See you, Ely.”
“Yeah, me too. See ya…” Elysium waved Thorns goodbye as the other turned his back. He gulped, then slapped himself on his cheeks. One of his hands lingered on the spot Thorns left his kiss, and he could feel his heart exploding into a million pieces.
I just landed myself a cute urchin boyfriend. He thought.