The Alphabetics of Our Story

Chapter Five - Elysian

Elysian (adj.)- Beautiful, divinely inspired

Aman Tripathi is a lot of things.

He's messy. He's so fucking messy. There were always things lying around no matter where he lived, whether it was Sunaina's annoyance at his antics or the way Kartik would take a deep breath looking at the mess that their room was. Aman would try - or pretend to do so - but things would always go back to the way they were.

"Aman, I swear if I find another one of your socks in my backpack at work, you are wearing shoes without them for a month," Kartik had grumbled one day when he got home from work.

Aman only threw him a guilty smile, claiming he didn't know how it got there cause he actually didn't and made bleak promises of being better next time. He didn't get any better. But, oh well, one day Kartik might or might have not tied his hands to the headboard with another one of Aman's lying around ties and made love and Aman couldn't not take the credit for it, you know?

He's stubborn. No surprises there. One time he had refused to talk to Shankar for five days because apparently he had said that the six-year-old talked too much for his own good. If he were to psychoanalyze himself, he would probably find something along the lines of that in a world where he couldn't express his sexuality, he stuck to standing strong by rest of his opinions, even though they were silly. But he really didn't have the emotional capacity to accept that so he just went along being the usual stubborn dickhead.

"Amu, come on, you have to sleep and eat and fucking let yourself breathe without those books in front of you."

Aman told Kartik that he had had a record of not sleeping for seventy-two hours straight with only three meals in between when he was giving his college exams. He could easily manage not sleeping for two days when it came to searching for his thesis.

"Nope," Kartik decided, snatching the heavy book from Aman who let out an annoyed groan, "That's before we were together. No more not eating and not sleeping cause of work."

"Just give me two hours, please." Aman requested, gently grasping his boyfriend's forearm as he gave him that look. That look in that tone of voice which always worked its charm through Kartik's mothering ways.

And Kartik almost gave in but then, he didn't. He just pulled Aman off the couch, protectively leading him towards the kitchen as he held him gently, "How about you eat and rest and sleep for a couple of hours and then do some work? That okay?"

It was Aman who gave in. Cause it was the way Kartik said it, the way he looked at him, the way he held him. It was gentle and so precious that he would have almost cried if it wasn't for the sleep drowning his eyes. He definitely could go to sleep happy cause he felt loved.

He's kind of an asshole. Sometimes. It's not like he didn't know when he was being one. Goggle had once told his fifteen-year-old edgy self that "you say mean things to me and then you hate yourself for it, you pretentious jerk!" In his defense - which is kinda pretty weak - the only reason he said all those things is because he dodn't know how to say things he did mean. He wasn't pretentious, just insecure. A hell lot fucking insecure.

"Are you mad at me?"

The way Kartik said it made Aman wanna punch him in the face and kiss him senseless. Anything might have worked.

"No," He replied bluntly, not looking up at his partner and using the chopping of potatoes as an excuse to stare at his hands.

"Right," The suspicion was very visible but Aman just tightened his grip at the chopping board as Kartik continued, "...Are you sure you are not mad?"