Aesop And His Harem [OneShots]

Moonlight Talk

Binder Eli x Rorschach Aesop

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There was no noise. None, only silence reigned over the asylum where Morpheus had charmed each of the residents. The clatter of cutlery in the cafeteria had stopped since the last meal and the shouts of joy from the playroom had stopped too. In the bathroom, the water ceased to flow after the last person awake went in to freshen up, letting only a drop fall from the faucet every now and then and slide down the pipes. At that hour, no one was playing on the piano in the chapel. Everything was so quiet, so peaceful.

The asylum had many halls and many rooms that were similar to each other. Well, "room" was a big word to describe these colourless and undecorated chambers, "cells" seemed more appropriate. However, after spending so much time within these walls, some were getting used to it and seeing some shades of warmth appear in this sinister place.

Only, this flame emitting a weak light was so fragile that it could be extinguished at any moment. How to survive in this cold place where you are looked at as an experimental subject? For those poor souls still clinging to that flicker of hope and clarity, there was one person who was willing to act to protect their innocence. As crazy as it sounds, there was someone willing to help them when everyone else had given up.

A strange doctor. He was much quieter than the other staff members and spoke very little, saying only what was necessary. Yet, despite his quiet nature, he always managed to calm the most disturbing and disconcerting group in the asylum as if he performed magic. He was the only one who could communicate with the silent artist, who gained the trust of the smiling young woman, who calmed the one suffering from paranoia and finally... He was the one who gave this man a reason not to want to escape, to go away from him. 

Even today, after exhausting the nurses with their pranks and running around, the quartet had fallen asleep on the floor near the many hospital beds laid out. Huddled together, they sought comfort denied by the cold, hard tiled floor. Then a shadow appeared over their sleeping faces and, in a delicate movement, laid a blanket large enough to cover all four of them.

The figure disappeared into the courtyard next door, meeting the cool midnight breeze and the starry sky. It was an amazing thing to be able to see the beauty of the moon's reflection and the brightness of the stars even from the asylum. The figure moved a little further outside, approaching a stone bench and taking a seat on it. No sooner did he sit down than another presence was heard through the sound of footsteps echoing on the flagstones. The seated person turned slightly back, coming face to face with one of the patients they covered earlier.

"I thought you were sleeping."

"Shouldn't you be asleep too, doctor?" he replied in an amused tone.

The doctor said nothing for a moment and simply looked at the blindfold tied around the patient's eyes. He didn't really know how he managed to see anything with it hiding his vision but one thing didn't change, the fact that no one saw what was under there, nobody except a single person. 

"Someone has to stay awake in case something happens."

The dark-haired man then detached his gaze from the blindfolded one to look at the moon again. Then, he lowered his attention and shifted slightly to the side to make room for the other person. The latter took a step forward, and at the same time, metallic noises and leather falling to the ground resounded at this step. The restraints tied around the patient's arms had just been removed, he had taken them off himself.

"I still wonder why the other doctors insist on tying you up."

The patient let out a laugh and took more steps to get closer to the doctor, also removing the piece of cloth covering his eyes in the process and revealing two blue orbs that seemed to glint in the darkness of the night. The doctor looked up at him briefly but quickly looked away to focus on the sky once more. There was nothing special to see. After all, it wasn't the first time he had seen the other's eyes, nor was it the first time he encountered him late at night.

Finally, the young man with blue eyes took place next to the one with gray eyes, looking in the same direction as him with a brief smile on his lips. Was there a single moment when the latter did not have a smile? If so, the doctor would like to know when the other male's expression was quite disturbing for some reason. He had the impression that something strange was happening in his stomach, he felt lightness.

Lost in his thoughts, he failed to notice that the patient just rested his hand on his. Or maybe he knew but chose not to say anything. What kind of relationship did they have that made them seem so close? Neither of them knew, friendship, hatred, love, discomfort? Did it really matter? Was it more interesting than the fact that they were together at this very moment and enjoying the peacefulness of the night? No, they couldn't put a name to their feelings but they didn't feel the need to either. 

"It's pretty, isn't it?"

"Indeed."

Few words were exchanged. Not much needed to be said. It was only their two presences alone in the huge courtyard among the flowerbeds and the moonlight.

"Doctor, do you remember?"

"Mhm."

"The first time you saw my eyes."

The first time... He remembered it vaguely but still remembered parts of it. He didn't know how he managed to get a glimpse of what was behind that blindfold, but he still recalled some of the words he spoke that day. He told him that his eyes reminded him of the beauty of the stars in the night sky. Perhaps that sounded strange, but he meant it.

"That was the first time anyone ever said that to me! Do you still mean it doctor?"

"Of course."

"I'm glad then, nothing brings me more joy than bringing you joy doctor!" he exclaimed.

The patient's voice sounded in his ears like a sweet melody he couldn't get enough of. He was probably the one with the most genuine smile in the asylum of all people. Putting his boisterous side apart, he was one of the most docile and endearing. A funny thing to say about a patient, and one that surely crossed the line that the doctor shouldn't cross.

Well, just for this night, maybe he could afford to step over it slightly.

The doctor then turned to the other man and gently stroked the top of his head with his free hand. The latter looked at him with an astonished air, surprised by his gesture, since when this inexpressive man who hardly ever said anything could show such tenderness? However, he did not reject this touch, on the contrary, he accepted it with the greatest happiness. The patient then untied his hand that held the other male's and then brought his two hands on the one that touched his head, delicately passing his fingers around the frail hand of the black-haired man and placing a kiss against it.

"Should we watch the moonlight a little longer?"

A tinge of red formed on the doctor's cheeks at this contact and he nodded slightly in response. The blue-eyed young man smiled wider and intertwined the fingers of one of his hands with the gray-eyed man's. The distance between them decreased a little at the same time, and so they continued to observe the constellations, hand in hand.

"The moon is beautiful, isn't it?"