Work Text:
"There’s a lantern festival next weekend, would you like to join me?"
With a nervous yet firm grip on his phone, Alan stared at the bright, rectangular screen, cheeks aching from grinning so widely and for a long time. A brief moment passed before the little ‘read’ status appeared next to his message and Alan quickly locked his phone, setting it down by his computer, eyes still glued to the now dimmed screen. Gaipa had just left his office, he was probably still in the building.
A couple more seconds went by and there was nothing. Momentarily, Alan feared he would be ignored, just as quickly wondering if maybe the other would soon appear by his door. Either would make everything extremely awkward, seeing as to how they were scheduled to meet again next week for work-related business, but Alan definitely preferred the second option. It wouldn’t be until a couple hours later that he would get the reply he so anxiously waited for.
"It’s a date"
This took place almost a year ago. Both were a little clumsy at first, Alan with his stilted way of speaking, and Gaipa with his big, round eyes that basically spoke for him, but they managed to find comfort in spending time with each other. The pair visited multiple places after, eventually getting to know a lot more about each other than they ever thought they would. Both found solace in the tiny moments they shared, but neither dared to take it a step further.
Gaipa was scared. He had fallen for no more than one person in his whole life, and he could still feel the deep hole that rejection left in his heart, the look of pity on Jim’s face haunting him even in his sleep, especially in his sleep. What if that happened again?
Alan, on the other hand, was cautious. Even after all this time, the scars Wen had left him with still hadn’t fully healed. He didn’t love him anymore, but the sting of knowing love can end just as quickly as it forms was still very fresh in his mind. He wasn’t sure he could handle another heartbreak.
But when Gaipa suggested they visit the Light Lantern Festival again, just like last year, hoping that they made it a tradition, Alan couldn’t say no.
Both looked forward to it for over a month, Gaipa dragging Leng to all the stores he could find, so he could help him find a new outfit Alan would like, and the latter researching and planning everything they could do at the festival.
Gaipa stood by the entrance gates, which were decorated with garlands of jasmine and elaborate banners. Nervously glancing around was Alan, searching for the other beyond the gates, just then noticing the lantern-like fairy lights scattered around, casting glowing highlights on the visitors, making the scene look like it was straight out of a movie. It didn’t feel real.
Their eyes met just moments after Alan’s arrival, and the older began to close the distance between them, a sheepish smile painting his lips as he raised a hand to wave at the figure in the distance. Gaipa remained still, not shifting his position as he smiled widely back at him. To Alan, the people between them took distorted shapes as they sped by, the image captured at a lower shutter speed through Alan’s eyes, as the echoes of their voices drowned in the fluid of time. The air around Gaipa, on the other hand, seemed to be frozen, in the warmest of ways. It was inviting.
Alan had thought about this moment for the longest time, and so had Gaipa. Neither knew what the night had in store for them, but there was nothing they wished for more than to spend it together.
Once together, the pair headed inside. Gaipa was oddly quiet, perhaps even nervous, Alan would say. It didn’t surprise him, he had known for a while his feelings weren’t purely one-sided. The last few times they went out for a meal back at the food truck, the younger barely spoke, rather focusing on the way his hands fidgeted with each other under the table, pink lips matching the tinting of his cheeks, covered in happiness.
“You look good tonight” Alan blurted out just four steps into the festival, barely focusing on the glowing path ahead of them as they passed through adorned archways, studying his reaction without letting his gaze linger for too long. Alan had previously learnt he would easily crumble under Gaipa’s stare, so he avoided prolonged eye contact.
Still, it was hard to miss the not-so-subtle way Gaipa’s cheeks lit up in watercolour crimson, even as he tried to cover it by letting his head fall forward, long strands of hair covering his crescent moon eyes and a smile as wide as the sky betraying his intent to hide the way Alan made his heart flutter with as little as 4 innocent words. Just then Alan knew; they wouldn’t last much longer like this.
They walked around in silence for a couple of minutes, their fingers brushing together momentarily, skin tingling and hearts pumping adrenaline into their systems as they savoured the sensations, secretly hoping for more. They quickly reached the food area, and Alan didn’t need to look at Gaipa to guess what he was thinking of, so he simply guided them to the sticky rice stall, offering to pay as he usually did.
“I didn’t think you would come today” a gentle voice from behind them remarked just as the lady placed the small plastic bowl, filled to the brim, in Alan’s hands.
“Oh, Wen” Alan exclaimed, soft eyes darting between him and Gaipa, who was by then nervously offering to help him hold the container, the spoons and all the napkins the lady had kindly given them, a smile so pure and genuine that never failed to warm his heart.
“How have you be—” he was interrupted by the hand weighing on his shoulder. Jim, standing by his side the whole time, shot him a curt, urgent glance. Wen quickly wrapped his hand around the fabric of his sleeve, pulling it up to reveal a raven-black watch, and his eyes widened at the realisation they were already late.
“We’re in a bit of a hurry but do you want to join us by the river?”
Alan and Gaipa quickly exchanged a glance. “We’ll hang around for a bit longer, you guys go and have fun,” Alan answered with a smile that was hesitantly mimicked by the duo and Jim let his hand fall on Wen’s back, turning them both around as they too exchanged a quick look. The pair left, Jim’s hand giving the shorter’s a reassuring squeeze before they disappeared into the crowd.
Following the thoroughly planned itinerary Alan had made weeks ago, the pair headed for the lantern workshop stall so they could buy lanterns and write each other’s names on them. The night breeze was chilly as it whispered in their ears, and Alan felt Gaipa shiver by his side, his arm instinctively wrapping around the younger’s back, coming to rest on his shoulder to pull him impossibly closer and share his body warmth, his hand running up and down Gaipa’s arm to hopefully warm him up.
“Do you want my jacket?” and the younger simply shook his head. In all honesty, Gaipa wasn’t cold, but he’d take every chance he could to be closer to Alan, his head just a breath away from his shoulder as he hid a smile, their steps slowing down to turn their pace into a gentle sway of bodies colliding with each other.
They eventually reached the stall, and Alan offered to go buy the lanterns as Gaipa searched for a bin to throw away the half-eaten dessert. Alan came back, refusing to let Gaipa carry the materials, and the younger held onto his jacket as they struggled to stay together while passing through the crowd, heading towards the river.
Gaipa sat right at the edge of the pier, giddy feet dangling over the border just centimetres over the water, as he motioned for Alan to join him. Rather than doing so, Alan placed the items next to Gaipa and allowed his hand to rest on the other’s shoulder for a split second, feigning the need for support as he stood back up, taking a few steps back and pulling out his phone from his back pocket, the old wooden floor creaking beneath him.
“You can start without me!” he said, almost yelling to make sure Gaipa heard him over the sound of people chattering around them, which earned him a few judgemental looks, to which he politely apologised. Gaipa nodded, grabbing a pen and one of the lanterns as he shook his head, quietly giggling to himself. Not too long ago, Alan had asked him if he minded it, the photos. Something about protecting all and every memory in his life, his life history preserved in the safety of his phone. No one had ever taken interest in keeping photos of him, and Gaipa, for once, felt special, not needing to think much before agreeing, under the condition he too got to keep those memories safe, from his own point of view, of course.
Alan had made an album, full of photos of the many not-dates they went on this past year. The latest photo was of Gaipa, sitting in a cafe as sunlight hit his face and he squinted, closing his eyes. A hot chocolate cup was set on the table in front of him as the steam mixed with the rays that came in through the blinds, creating the most perfect, real-life painting Alan had ever seen. That photo was one of his favourites.
Alan bent down, resting his right knee on the floor as the soft chime of the camera opening got drowned by the loud sounds of the festival. Gaipa didn’t need to pose, he didn’t really need to do anything. Gaipa was beautiful to him, especially when he didn’t try.
A few seconds later he joined him by the water, phone still in hand as he sat cross-legged as his clothes would surely get wet were he to mirror the way Gaipa sat by the edge, later placing the device on the spot where his feet met. Gaipa handed him the pen, which he quickly took to write on the lantern before setting both things aside. He wanted to enjoy the moment.
They sat in silence for no more than a couple of seconds, shoulders glued together, both fearing putting any more space between their bodies. Gaipa sighed nervously under his breath as he tentatively relaxed himself, head coming to rest on Alan’s shoulder, who froze in place, heart racing with expectation.
Grabbing his phone once more, Alan went through the album with Gaipa, from their oldest memories to the most recent ones. The pair laughed as they recalled the memories trapped behind the photos, staring at the screen, heartbeats in sync as they finally promised to be each other’s worlds.
Eventually, that photo came up. An empty chair in a cafe, geometrical highlights and shadows cast by the cold winter sun, a small, hot chocolate cup resting on the table, untouched.
Alan’s grip on his phone tightened, fingers desperately swiping the screen, his heartbeat increasing by the minute. He looked through the pictures he’d taken earlier, two sky lanterns and a pen by the river.
The device now sank below in slow motion after a big splash, the light getting dimmer and dimmer until it eventually disappeared under the cold, dim waters. There were two lanterns by his side, one empty. Alan grabbed his own lantern as salty drops painted lifelines on his cheeks, quickly meeting the sweet waters beneath, holding it in front of him to read what he’d written one last time before letting go.
I’ll be with you soon.