Of Love and Death.

The Past Chapter 14: Party Time! Pt. 4

Mind studied the sun in front of him. Every scale, every hair, every flame. Every little detail about the man he'd fallen in love with. He was so beautiful. That was the only way to say it. Inside and out, the sun was beautiful.

Yes, Fire was rough on the outside. No, he wasn't perfect. He was a bit intense, and jumped to conclusions a bit. But he also tried to be better. He apologized when he did something wrong. He actually cared about Mind. Respected the shadow's feelings and his boundaries. And made a mean pasta - when he didn't put peanut butter in it.

With a bit of a shock, Mind realized that he couldn't speak. But not because he was afraid to. But because he didn't want to spoil this. He didn't want this moment to end. Of the two forces, surrounded by beauty. It was wonderful. The only sounds the shadow could hear was that of his and Fire's breathing.

At the same time, Mind also really wanted to talk. He'd been patiently waiting for this. For ages and eons, waiting. Now that this moment was here, he wanted to keep going. Wanted to be able to savor it, but wanted to get on with it. His excitement was kind of getting the better of him.

With a smile, Mind closed his eyes, a small smile on his face. The picture of Fire still lingered there. Gleaming in the blackness. Every detail was just as awe-inspiring as a second ago. Clasping his hands together at the base of his neck, the shadow smiled a little bit more. The words he'd obsessed over. Tweaking little by little, until paragraphs became a single sentence. Because that was what he really needed. Not a long sweeping declaration. But just words, that told the truth.

"Fire, I'm ready," Mind whispered.

There was a trackable progression to how Fire reacted. The very first thing he registered was Mind. Mind's voice, specifically. It blindsided the sun. Every single time he'd heard the shadow say something, it had been in thoughts. Thoughts inside Fire's head. Wonderful thoughts. They were filled with emotion like he hadn't ever heard from anyone else.

But there is something about hearing someone's voice.

Something that made Fire's heart skip a beat. Something that made him smile, and blush. The cadence of that whisper. It would remain in his head for the rest of his days. Maybe it was how unexpected it was. Unexpected to hear Mind speak. Maybe how unusual it was. To the point that spoken words were a grand treat. Maybe it was just Mind.

The shadow and the sun's relationship had always been surrounded by silence. They met in a place with no sound. Only recently had Fire been able to learn how Mind moved. How the shadow's hooves clacked on the ground. Or the way he definitely flopped into bed. He slept with a thud. Their first kiss. Surrounded by the silence of space. Even right now. They were so far away from the dancing and the songs that you could hear a pin drop. Only breathing was audible.

Yes, there was something peaceful about silence. It lets you realize everything else. But there was also something about sound. It clues you in on the world around you. If a friend is approaching. Or maybe just the beats of music you can get lost in. Or let you know someone. Know all the cadence of their voice.

That was what it was. Fire felt like he'd just learned something crucial about Mind. From just a whisper, he finally knew the answer. And it was to a question that he hadn't even been expecting to ask. Hadn't realized was in his head. What did Mind sound like?

Mind sounded like feathers. Soft and gentle. His words floated around with a sort of careful caring. Kind and sweet and glorious. But also something different. The shadow's tone had many layers to it. Layers that invoked every emotion possible. Mind's voice seemed to contain every thought, every feeling possible. Joy and excitement and caring. Sadness and hurt and anger. Frustration, success, hope. Fear. Everything. Fire heard everything in the shadow's words. Everything.