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In a Romanesque practice room, in the front of a grand piano sat two men who, together, danced on top of the black and white keys with their deft fingers. One of the two Cheng Xiaoshi sang through the resonant walls. The tenor voice and sweet piano built together a smooth and romantic symphony.
Outside the room's window, a fountain blocked half the sight of a tall tower, with it, equipped a stupendous clock. A man and woman danced before the fountain—the man in a loose orange suit tailored for dancers and the woman in an alluring, red flowy dress. They complemented each other, both dance and style, perfectly.
Chasse 'n whisk 'n natural-turn,
Their dance like one of a couple fresh into the innocent euphoria of love's first few stages, they exchanged loving glances as they held hands and reciprocated gentle steps. Her dress blew through the night's gentle breeze—like the mesmerizing flow of a betta fish's fin underwater. His orange blazer contrasted with her red dress, like the sunset they illuminated the little area even through the dark and cold night with the moon, which gleamed on their features like a stage light's.
Lean in close, I'll cast a spell over you
Throwaway and oversway,
Alone amidst the night of a sleeping city where only a clock tower reminds them of the late hour, these little things together created such a magical and romantic atmosphere. Only in this moment can the meaning of love be expressed not through words but through the miniscule and mundane details stacked together that most people would overlook.
Love does not require itself to be loud to be known nor does it reveal itself only in big acts. It can be shown minute, shy, and abashed actions—like the nostalgic first glee of a teenager's first love, or the time spent an old married couple sit together through in acts of their fervent love until death do they part. Time can tick and tick away and it causes great anxiety for most of humanity as the clock's hand slowly wipes them away, but with another person to share that feeling with it can and shall ease those feelings of anxiety as you will wish to spend and share your precious limited time with that someone, share your anxieties, and share the sweet painful feeling of your time's end.
What's in a name, this is honey mead~
The soft ding of the bell reverberates across the city as its hand strikes midnight. Even as it has already reached a new day, the two dancers continue to sway through the late night and early morning of the twelfth o'clock. And the two musicians continue to press down on the grand piano's keys together. Their fingers, on occasion, accidentally brushing against the others. Whenever it happened, Cheng Xiaoshi would look at Lu Guang who would act as if nothing had happened and would intent his gaze onto the piano.
Honeymoon, un deux trois
Slowly, we entwine our fingers
while dancing along
Singing, swinging, sweetest song—
Humming to the tune of our
dreams 'til the break of dawn~
His voice struck deep, high and romantic in Lu Guang's ear. The foreign words were enunciated to perfection as if it were sang by a native, and the notes were sang in tune and wonderfully clear. His eyes shut as he felt the saccharine embrace of a romantic night; Cheng Xiaoshi's fingers tensed as he felt the irritable inattention of Lu Guang's heed. He tensed as a sudden surge of perseverance run itself through his mind—his eyes turned into one alike of a man on a mission.
Their hands brushed, their thighs touched, and their glances nudged each other's. These shy exchanges of a longing that words could do no good permeated and struck through the short moment of their song. Each seemingly little act communicated the feelings of a deeper type of yearning.
Near the conclusion of the song, Lu Guang lifted his gaze from the piano to Cheng Xiaoshi. The moonlight captured perfectly the beauty of the man—his eyes were shut as he pressed down on the piano's keys and sang his sweet voice. His face was one he would recognize in every universe and timeline. No matter where, he would recognize that face, the aura that encapsulates him, that sweetly irritating voice, that naivete, and that feeling.
Shava diva, honeymoon, now un deux trois
So I place my lips on yours
while humming along
Singing, swinging, sweetest song
Between the two of us,
dance the tune of love.
The last few notes rang and reverberated through the echoey room, in which they continue to ring out and bask in the aftermath of. When it had turned silent, Cheng Xiaoshi turned his head to speak of his praise and it is only then he realizes how the stool was too small for two men to sit upon. The tip of his nose brushes against the other's and his mouth stays dumbly agape. They are both withholding their breaths, and the loud thumps of their heart can be heard in the deafening silence of the room.
"Cheng Xiaoshi," Lu Guang finally breathes out. His gaze fell to one soft and caring with pupils dilated like the lens of a camera's, and a warmth tinted his pale contour.
Cheng Xiaoshi's hands shook where they laid in his lap. He gazed expectantly into his eyes. The three words he was expecting to hear were written around his iris. He knows, he had known, through those little actions, gazes, promises, and everything they had gone through together. All he was missing was those three words.
"Lu Guang," he whispered lower than he intended, like the other had taken away his breath.
The mentioned placed his hands over the others and brought it up to intertwine their fingers. Cheng Xiaoshi's hands were warm over his. It always brought him great comfort to feel the other's warmth. He knew it somewhat disturbs Cheng Xiaoshi but he allows him the pleasure of doing so anyway.
He pulled his hands onto his cheeks and shut his eyes to bask in his warmth. Like the comfort of a warm blanket in a soft bed, it could have lulled him to sleep then and there. Like the scratch of a vintage vinyl, the pumps of his pulse soothed him. Like the soft hum of the lights in a concert hall, the in and outs of his breath mitigated the unnerving silence. Simply knowing he was real and here were enough to calm every anxiety that could ever arise within him.
"I love you."
The hands which cupped his cheeks pulled him in close that their noses nudged.
"I love you, too."
Their lips caught into a kiss—with perfect amounts of gentle and loving.
Cheng Xiaoshi felt the cold dampness of tear catch on his cheek in which he pulled away from, "I will always love you, Lu Guang. Don't cry. It hurts to see you that way—You never cry."
He brushed a final kiss to his lips before he seized him into a warm embrace. Lu Guang buried his face into his shoulder and returned a tight embrace.
"I'm not going anywhere."
Five minutes after the clock struck midnight on the thirteenth of September, marked the anniversary of a budding romance between two men and the end of a year-long decade.