Monster's Labyrinth ~ Hyunlix

>18<

(I+she • GAGULU)

738 days before the incident.

“… The boy didn’t want to talk about the Pyramids. His heart was heavy, and he had been melancholy since the previous night. To continue his search for the treasure meant that he had to abandon Fatima.” Felix read out loud. Hyunjin was laying with his head on Felix’s lap. His eyes were closed, trying to take in as much of Felix as he could.

The voice. The words. The smell. The feeling of the skin of his thighs in Hyunjin’s neck and on his cheek. Everything.

He opened his eyes and looked up at the focused male, who was reading out of his favorite book, The Alchemist. Hyunjin had walked in on him reading it, and he had insisted on being read to by his boyfriend.

“‘I’m going to guide you accross the desert.’ The alchemist said.
‘I want to stay at the oasis.’ The boy answered. ‘I’ve found Fatima, and as far as I’m concerned, she’s worth more than treasure.’
‘Fatima is a woman of the desert.’ Said the alchemist. “She knows that men have to go away in order to return. And she already has her treasure: it’s you. Now she expects that you will find what it is you’re looking for.’” Felix’s calm and soothing voice floated around the room. Like it was a beautiful butterfly. Where it would first spring to life at Felix and dance around the room to eventually land on the tip of Hyunjin’s nose, where he’d admire it with all he’d got.

“‘Well, what if I decide to stay?’ The boy asked.
‘Let me tell you what will happen. You’ll be the counselor of the oasis. You have enough gold to buy many sheep and camels. You’ll marry Fatima, and both be happy for a year. You’ll learn to love the desert, and you’ll get to know every one of the fifty thousand palms. You’ll watch them as they grow, demonstrating how the world is always changing. And you’ll get better and better at understanding omens, because the desert is the best teacher there is.‘“ Felix said in a sensual voice. His eyes were roaming around the paper in rapid spread, making sure not to bore his lover in any way. Not that that was possible in the first place.

“‘Somewhere during the second year, you’ll remember about the treasure. The omens will begin to insistently speak of it, and you’ll try to ignore them. You’ll use your knowledge for the welfare of the oasis and its inhabitants. The tribal chieftains will appreciate what you do. And your camels will bring you wealth and power.

“‘During the third year, the omens will continue to speak of the treasure and your destiny. You’ll walk around, night after night at the oasis, and Fatima will be unhappy because she’ll feel it was she who interrupted your quest. But you’ll love her, and she’ll return your love. You’ll remeber she never asked you to stay, because a woman of the desert knows she must await her man. So you wouldn’t blame her. But many times you’ll walk the sands of the desert, thinking that maybe you could’ve left… that you could have trusted more in your love for Fatima. Because what kept you at the oasis was your own fear that you might never come back. At that point, the omens will tell you that your treasure is buried forever.‘“

Hyunjin knew the story by heart, yet hearing Felix read it aloud made it at least a hundred fold better and a thousand fold meaningful. With wide and entranced eyes he watched the relaxed face of his lover. Watched as his mouth and lips made those beautiful words. That beautiful sound of his voice.

Felix continued: “‘Then, sometime during the fourth year, the omens will abandon you, because you’ve stopped listening to them. The tribal chieftains will see that, and you’ll be dismissed from your position as counselor. But, by then, you’ll be a rich merchant, with many camels and a great deal of merchandise. You’ll spend the rest of your days knowing that you didn’t pursue your destiny and that now it’s too late.’” Felix read aloud. Hyunjin’s mouth fell slightly open. He watched the majestic man who’s lap he was resting on. The man who he could call his.

“‘You must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his destiny. If he abandons that pursuit, it’s because it wasn’t true love… the love that speaks the Language of the World.’” Felix took a deep breath before continuing.

“The Alchemist erased the circle in the sand, and- Hyunjin are you even listening?” Felix chuckled. He had caught the man staring at him attentively, seemingly not paying attention to the story. Hyunjin didn’t break away his gaze from his lover and just hummed absently.

Felix chuckled. He grabbed the torn piece of paper on his bedside table and put it in between the pages he had stopped. He snapped the book shut and gently put it down on the nightstand.

Hyunjin felt his eyes getting droopy, though he was determined not to avert his eyes from the majestic man.
He could feel the legs under his head shuffling slightly, and Felix laid in a more comfortable position.

Thereafter Felix started to softly caress the other’s cheek with the bridge of his finger. The affection made Hyunjin close his eyes for a moment, and somehow he didn’t manage to find the strength to open them again.

He let out a deep sigh of content and he leaned in to the touch. He smiled, a bit absently, and let his body relax completely.

“You look tired.” The deep soft voice of his lover slowly entered his ears. He just hummed a yes, not capable of using his voice right at that moment.

“You should go to sleep.” Felix said. Hyunjin just hummed again, indicating that he was more than comfortable. To show it off even more he wrapped his arms around the other’s legs and snuggled his face deep in between his thighs.

“Hyunjin.” Felix sighed. “This is bad for your neck, use a pillow.” He said semi-annoyed. Hyunjin shook his head aggressively. Felix chuckled.

Hyunjin felt Felix take a lock of his hair between his short fingers, slightly tugging it and letting his fingers slide all the way down. He dropped the lock of hair before repeating the process.

And before Hyunjin had known, he was far away in dreamland.