| Title: Of Past and Present Author: Kitsune Spirit Warnings: Angst, sadness at first, romance, sap, shounen ai. PG Part 13 ~when you're gone~ The next morning as Zesian awoke, he reached his hand out along the bed, searching for warmth but finding none. He blinked his eyes open and sat up in bed, pulling the covers around him tighter noting it was cold in the cabin. "Kala-nesh?" he called out, his hand stroking along his throat again, still not used to the fact he could talk. He sat silently, listening for any noises to show where his lover was. /Lover./ he thought. /He really is./ Zesian blushed as the memories of the previous night came back to him, sending an unexpected warmth throughout his body. Picking up the falling sheet, he wrapped it around himself and stood. "Kala-nesh?" he called again. He looked in the small kitchen then the garden, a frown coming over his face. "Where are you?" he called louder. Opening the cabin door he shuddered as a gust of cold wind hit him. He stepped outside cautiously, his feet cold and wet on the damp grass. "Kala-nesh?" he called louder, stepping further outside. He received no answer; by now, panic was setting in. As he turned around to enter the cabin, he noticed the paddle bike was gone, and his face fell. /He's gone,/ he thought. "Kala-nesh," he whimpered, as he entered the house, not bothering to shut the door, the cold wind doing nothing now but cooling his free-falling tears. Walking to the futon, he collapsed, sobs wracking him. /Last night meant nothing to him,/ he sobbed. The salty tears made it hard for him to see, blurring his eyes. Crawling up the futon, he curled up his knees to his chest, shivering, a sob hitting him now and then as he cried softly in the now chilling room. Kala-nesh whistled on his way back from town. The biting wind around him made it hard to peddle, his face was frozen from the onslaught of the wind, but the thick kimono Zesian had brought him kept the wind outside. /I'll have to thank him again for this gift; it's kept me so warm,/ he thought again, beaming happily. He'd woken early that morning to rain drops splashing onto his face, the icy water waking him up with a start, almost disturbing the warm bundle in his arms. He'd stared at Zesian, letting the water hit him, snuggling his face into the younger man's back, breathing his scent before he moved, unwrapping his arms as he got up. It wouldn't do right to let the roof go unfixed. Borrowing some money, he slipped his robe on, tying it tight to keep away the wind, slipping on sandals Zesian had given him. Kissing Zesian, he left for town to get the supplies to fix the roof. He hoped he'd be back before the younger one awoke. As he pulled closer to the house, he saw the door banging against the house where it had been left open. /I thought I closed it,/ Kala-nesh thought as he parked the bike and took his supplies from the basket. He entered the house, stopping in his tracks as the sobs of heartbreak hit him. His gaze fell to the small curled up bundle on the futon, shivering, crying. Dropping his goods, he closed the door, walking straight to the man. As he wrapped his arms around the man, he noticed how cold he was. Pulling him closer to his body, he shielded him, soothing his hair and whispering to him. "Zesian, what's wrong?" /Please don't let him regret what happened,/ came the scared voice in his head. "Zesian, please talk to me." Zesian, seeming to have heard the voice, turned around, his tear stained cheeks and puffy red eyes making Kala-nesh's heart cry out in anguish. "What's wrong?" he whispered, holding the man closer to him, taking his hands and trying to warm them with his. More sniffling came as arms were wrapped around his neck, the small man sinking into his heat as if trying to become a part of him. "You...you left me," came the heart wretched sob, more tears flowing. "Oh, Zesian," the other man cried, pulling him closer, the younger one almost straddling him. Lifting his head, he stroked the soft, tear-stained cheeks. "I'd never leave you, Zesian, I love you. I just went into town for supplies; we have a leak." And as if on cue, raindrops fell, splashing onto Zesian's face, mixing with his tears. Zesian looked up at him with wide vulnerable eyes, and Kala-nesh felt guilty for leaving him, hating himself for causing the other so much pain. "R...really?" Zesian asked, staring up at him with hope. "Of course, Ai shiteru, Zesian." Hugging him closer, he whispered, "I love you so much, little one...so much." more sobs wracked Zesian, this time tears of joy flowing down his cheeks as he snuggled closer next to the warm body. "I...I love you, too, Kala-nesh," he whispered, his voice almost lost in the howling wind outside. Smiling with happiness, Kala-nesh hugged the man before setting him back gently, cupping a cheek and kissing him softly, trying to show all his love in that one soothing kiss. Zesian's own smaller hand cupped his, kissing him, closing his eyes, then opening them shyly when the kiss broke. "First thing we need is a fire, you're freezing," Kala-nesh said into the younger one's hair, slowly slipping from him. Moving to the fire, he brought wood from the small kindle box next to it and started it. Soon the fire was burning, and more was added to make the cabin warmer. "Next, we need to move this." He stood up, moving from the fire to the futon, dragging it closer to the fire and away from the leak in the roof. /Wow he's strong,/ Zesian thought as he fell back onto it from the jarring movement. He smiled up at Kala-nesh, who, before joining him, shook off his own slightly wet kimono and sat next to him, pulling him into his arms to share warmth, pulling covers up and over them, liking the closeness it brought between them. As Zesian snuggled back into his arms, he closed his eyes. "Ai shiteru, Kala-nesh," Zesian whispered, causing Kala-nesh to tighten his grip around the man's waist, lips skimming over his hair. "Ai shiteru, Zesian." And they both smiled, watching the fire as the wind continued to build outside. |