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speedane · 15 days

Text

Lavender

Main Character: Joe (Psyche) Supporting Cast: Q (Phanes)

Both AU variants of the characters belong to @murkyike

Number of Words: 2,648

Tags: Romance, Angst, pretty wholesome stuff

Summary: A lone Joe decided to return to Hazlitt after 3 years, in search of an important memento from the past.

This is a trade between me and Murky!! Warning for super self-indulgent writing!

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It has been three years since the destruction of Hazlitt from the emergence of the Shackled Miracle. What used to be a bustling city of colorful lights and wondrous architecture has turned into an empty wasteland. Crack on the asphalt streets, old walls adorned in fading graffiti, and a daunting feeling of being watched by wandering miramon… this is the scene that met Joe as he set foot on the abandoned city after all those years. The young man took a few steps forward, his fingers sliding on the brick wall as his eyes absentmindedly stared at the distance. It was depressing to see the poor condition of the old block that he once called home. He knew these very streets from the heart, yet they don’t feel the same compared to what is in his memory.

But he is not here to stand idly, for this pristine fairy is searching for something… something important.

With haste, Joe ran towards an old apartment building and broke into it by kicking the old door down. The premises were dark, dusty, and overrun with cobwebs, prompting a disappointed expression from the man’s face.

“This place hasn’t been cleaned in a while…”

Resisting the urge to clean the place, Joe went straight ahead to the 2nd floor while carefully climbing up the stairs. With no functioning lights, he had to rely on his lamp to navigate his way around.

The man had little problem finding what he was looking for this whole time within the darkness… a door. But not just any door, but the door to a bedroom. He looked at the knob with somber eyes before he pulled out a key from his right pocket.

“It’s good to be home… I guess.”

He inserted the key to its keyhole and opened the shabby door. To his surprise, the bedroom looked exactly just like how he left it, save for the amount of dust that accumulated on… everything. Regardless of the man’s discontent over the dust bunnies, he’s still happy to see it again.

Joe sluggishly walks into the room, with the lamp still at hand, looking at his surroundings from top to bottom. Unlike the dreary outdoors, this room looked just how he remembered it, from the wooden flooring to the white sheets of the bed. It’s almost comforting to see it, but he is not here just to stand around and look pretty.

With his right hand he reached to his left ear, poking the butterfly resting behind it. The pastel-colored butterfly obliged and fluttered to the young man’s finger. With it safely sitting on his finger, he gently moved his hand towards the lamp.

“Hold this for me, please.”

As if by command, the butterfly summoned more of its kind with divine power and started holding up the lamp with teamwork. With that in place, Joe went to the side table of his bed and rummaged into the stuff that was left on it. It didn’t take too long for him to find an old photo covered with dust, dust so thick nobody could make out what's in it. With a huff and a puff, he blows off the thick dust that was obscuring the image, throwing off dust particles all over the air and leaving him in a coughing fit. Even the butterflies got a little disoriented with the dust cloud.

After the dust settled, the fairy sat down at the side of the bed to get a good look at the old photo. It bore the image of him and his childhood friend, now lover, on a park bench. His boyfriend, a fair-looking young man with pink and blue pastel hair, was holding a bouquet of lavenders and white roses with a wide smile. Himself on the other hand is holding a box of chocolates adorned with a baby blue ribbon, also smiling. It was a simple photo, but it meant a lot to him.

Joe’s expression switched to that of melancholy staring at one part of his past, knowing that he can no longer return from it. Why did he come all the way here for this picture? Was it even worth the danger? He could’ve died from the miramon for an old memorabilia.

But it was a memory he couldn’t just let go of.

It was not just a simple memory. No, it was far more important. Joe closed his eyes while placing the photo on his chest. This was his beloved memory, his precious treasure. To him, this was worth all the trouble.

Unbeknownst the pristine fairy who is enjoying his silence, another person has entered the apartment. The slithering of a snake can be heard from deep within, breaking the silence of the room. With his elf ears twitching, Joe had caught on that he was no longer alone.

Before he could further act, a large figure had already pounced on him from behind. The weight of the other person was enough to make so much creaking noise from the old bed that it was a miracle that it didn’t break in an instant. By the time he opened his eyes, he found himself enveloped within a pair of wings and arms.

“So this is where you went…”

A familiar sweet voice spoke to him by the ear. He knows exactly who this is.

“Ahah, you didn’t have to follow me all the way here, Q.”

Joe turned his head. He saw Q’s knees and gigantic snake tail resting on the mattress and gave him a chuckle.

“You’ve gotten so big all these years, and you’re still clingy as ever.”

The winged serpent pouted, looking a little grumpy.

“You left on a very important day, how could I not look for you?”

The other man looked at him in confusion.

“Oh, is there a special occasion?”

Q seemed to take it as an offense and hissed at Joe, like a cat. For a second, his hair burst into pink flames and his head wings stretched in fury.

“Did you seriously forget??!!”

The softness of his voice was gone and was replaced with a thunderous tone. Joe could feel Q’s claws digging into his shoulders despite the article of clothing between them. The fairy winced in surrender.

“Ow ow ow ow I was joking I was joking!! I know what day it is today!!”

The serpent is already gritting his teeth, his fangs showing. Even the butterflies were erratically flying out of fear. He was very close to tearing those fairy wings off.

“I-It’s your birthday…!”

Joe’s answer was hasty, but it was right on the money. Q had finally calmed down and loosened his grip on the other guy.

“You remembered~!”

The wings on his head started fluttering in joy as his mood changed in a flick of the switch. The other sighed in relief as his cheek was being licked by a slit tongue. It was unwise to challenge his wrath in the first place, but all is well.

“Alright, alright Q, please stop,” Joe said while lightly scratching the back of Q’s ear. He gave Joe a pleading look as he ceased the licking, but his boyfriend insisted him to stop.

With Q starting to behave, Joe patted the space beside him to signal him to sit beside him. Of course, he followed with no hesitation. Joe never broke his gaze towards him while the other was shuffling to sit beside him.

Prior to his transformation, Q had gotten much bigger than he used to. His head could only reach his lover’s shoulders back when they were in highschool. Now, he could easily tower over him and pin him down effortlessly. Hell, he could easily send him flying with just a swing of his serpentine tail. Even in terms of flying, he could fly much higher than he could.

Q’s behavior also had noticeable changes. His display of anger a moment ago was not the first time something like that happened. It was just one out of many instances of the increased intensity of his emotions, and it wasn’t limited to anger. The anger was not even the worst of it. At times, his happiness would turn into euphoria. On other days, his sadness would render him immobile. Due to this, he was advised to take mood stabilizers.

All these changes were of Joe’s worries. Change is something he was not easily used to, even towards his own transformation. It was not easy to change one’s lifestyle for his new wings, let alone having to leave the home he had known ever since he was born due to the Shackled Miracle. But he could never imagine what Q was going through. It must be horrifying for him that he was losing control over his emotions, he thought.

“... Joe?”

The fairy realized that he was zoning out as the serpent called his name. The other person had a puzzled look on his face, wondering why he was sitting still like a statue.

“Uh, sorry,” Joe apologized, averting his eyes from Q.

Q only tilted his head, still confused by his boyfriend’s sudden silence.

“Why the long face…?” The pastel-haired man leaned closer to sniff the blonde’s hair.

Not liking what he was doing, Joe turned to gently press his palm on the other’s face. “Please don’t sniff me like that…” His face turned red. “At least not here…”

He wasn’t listening, too absorbed by the scent his lover was giving off.

“Hmm.. lavender…”

“Huh?”

“You smell like lavender~”

The fairy sniffed at one of his shoulders to see if he wasn’t joking. He was indeed giving off the fragrance of lavender.

“Well, I’m at least sure that I don’t smell bad, haha…”

“I can smell it very clearly… even on my way here.”

Joe blinked.

“You picked up my scent from that distance..?”

Q nodded enthusiastically, seemingly very proud of himself. “It’s how I found you all the way here…”

The blonde suddenly smiled uncontrollably. In his mind, he was imagining his winged lover sniffing the ground like a dog. It was cute, at least to him.

“Is this also part of your esper powers?”

“It’s part of the package, dear~” The pastel man’s response hit Joe’s funny bone, letting out a soft giggle.

“What powerful sense of smell you have.”

“All the better to find you…”

Slowly, the winged serpent wrapped his arms again on the pristine fairy into a sweet embrace. He rested his head on his shoulder and whispered something in his ear.

“I just wish to spend my birthday with you.”

The blonde man can feel his scaly tail wrapping itself around his waist. Tight enough to make him stay, but loose enough to let him breathe. Joe lifted the photo in his hand and looked at it fondly for a bit before one or two butterflies took it away from him so he could hug his boyfriend back.

“I’m sorry… I should’ve stayed with you…”

He gave him a light pat on the back.

“I was so caught up searching for our old photo in our old home, that I forgot where my real home is…”

Q smiled tenderly. “The one where I gave you that box of chocolates?”

“Mhmm… and that was the day I gave you that bouquet and said ‘I love you’.”

The wings on Q’s head gently fluttered with the rising feeling of happiness in his heart. It was indeed a precious memory. A memory that they both shared.

As the two enjoyed their minute of silence, Joe attempted to recall the events of the picture. It was the same day today, five years ago, in a small park within the lower city. They were sitting on the park bench together, exchanging gifts and laughter. The sky was fair and they have the place all for themselves with not a care for the world. The pastel-haired man suggested that he take a selfie together with his newly-bought phone, which the blonde agreed to. The phone was blessed with the very photo in his possession right now, and then…

“Q,” Joe spoke in a quiet manner.

Q lifted his head up to meet him eye-to-eye. Staring into his eyes, the other’s face turned red again.

“Do you… remember what we did on that bench?”

“You confessed to me… and we took that selfie.”

His heart raced, butterflies suddenly gathering in his stomach. The man pursed his lips as he mustered up the courage to gather up the words.

“N-Not that…”

It wasn’t long for Q to realize what he was referring to. Judging from his boyfriend’s rosy cheeks and facial expression, he formulated a small guess.

“Do you mean… the kiss?”

Feeling defeated, the fairy shyly nodded, ears twitching. His heart was pounding so fast that he felt like exploding. The winged serpent took his silence as a yes and gave him a warm smile.

“It was an awkward kiss.” He laughed. “We didn’t know what we were doing…”

“That was before,” Joe replied. “I think we can do better now…”

Silence once again filled the room as the two of them stared at each other like puzzled sheep. Joe attempted to replicate what he did on that day, it was exactly just like this. Like clockwork, he placed a hand on the back of Q’s head, cradling it as he leaned closer to him. Likewise, Q slowly closed his eyes, already anticipating what was about to come.

His serene expression put him at ease. There was no hesitation, no fear and anxiety. The gentle light from the lamp made his flushed face ever so beautiful and ethereal. Q was just there, waiting. Breathing in, Joe proceeded to inch closer.

Breaths steady, hearts beating, souls syncing…

Finally, the blonde pressed his soft lips against the serpent’s, with no intention to let go soon. The cold temperature was immediately felt upon contact, contrasting his own warmth, but it somehow felt comforting. The two were left motionless, like time stopped perfectly at this moment as the universe don the role of the audience to this act of love.

It was a shame that Joe had to let go, pulling away as he gave themselves space to breathe. Not satisfied, Q lifted his hand and brushed his fingers on the other’s cheek before diving into the second kiss. Unlike the first attempt, this one was more passionate, more sincere. The fairy was taken by surprise by the abruptness before giving in. He wanted this to go on forever.

The two broke off the kiss once again, giving each other a loving gaze as their breaths became more audible. Joe started to caress the fluffy cotton candy hair as he observed how relaxed Q is now. For each stroke of his fingers, his boyfriend’s eyes turned drowsier and drowsier, until such time that he found himself resting on his shoulder again.

“You still fall asleep when I do this, hm?”

The winged serpent only gave him a sniff.

“Lavender…”

Joe giggled as he lightly shook him with his other hand.

“Don’t sleep here, we still need to go home…”

He didn’t care. Q simply gave him a cuddle.

“I’m already home… you’re here… with me…”

The blonde’s eyes widened. Sorrow and relief swelled up inside him as he understood that he had been wrong about Q all this time.

Q, in spite of the various changes he had faced for three years, was still the clingy, affectionate, and tender-hearted person that he always knew and loved. And he was too blind to see it… not anymore.

It’s still him, right here with him. Or rather, he never left.

He finally saw that, despite everything, the person he thought had changed still remained the same. And he will stay this way for as long as the sands of time fall down until the very last grain.

#jee writes #dislyte #q dislyte #joe dislyte #I would like to thank Murky for letting me write their blorbos #fact: I have never kissed someone romantically before #so I literally have no experience in romance HELP

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