Sundrunk

     The mid morning sun was the brightest of all torches.

     It ignited his indigo hair like gasoline, sending waves of shimmers flowing down his locks with each subtle movement he made. He gleamed like a lighthouse in the late Tuesday daylight, a perfectly polished statue of indifference. Though his visage held naught but a blank stare, the tiny smile set upon his lips revealed all that Edo had to know. He was content. And sitting there in the grass, skin glowing with the overpowering orange and gold rays of the sun, Ryo looked absolutely peaceful.

     He tipped his head back, sharp features accentuated by the light, and he drew in a long, slow breath of humid air. It did funny things to him, the humidity, making his hair fluffy and wild with frizz. The locks that he styled with such care were brought to look unruly at the hand of the weather, and it made Edo purse his lips into a smile. Effortlessly charming, that Ryo.

     Somewhere in the distance, the choral laughter of children could be heard echoing from a playground. Swings creaked under the wear of many years, slides crackled with static electricity. The sound of tramping footsteps across the mulch and grass resounded, created by a jovial group playing tag. Edo supposed the tightness in his chest was jealousy. Small infants carried over their fathers' shoulders or getting pushes from parents in swings was something that Edo never had in his youth. The carefree and wholly happy expressions the children wore made him wish he'd had such a luxury growing up, like they did.

     Ryo hummed to himself, something he rarely ever did. It was quiet, near inaudible, but still present enough for Edo to overhear. His eyes scanned the horizon, following birds zipping through the air.

     He exhaled a soft breath. "I love you."

    "Yeah, I love birds t-"

     Edo balked. "Excuse me?"

     Ryo's sharp gaze traveled to Edo, identifying the shock in his face. At first, he merely tried to smother a laugh, but then, a full, guttural guffaw broke out. He laughed so hard his cheeks tinged red and he clutched at his chest with one hand, cramping from the force of his breathing. "I have never seen you so stupefied, Edo. Is it really so hard to believe your own ears?"

     "I just- I don't get it. What? I mean, that's good, that's... ideal. But I would've thought destiny would've made this more... I don't know. Cliche? Romantic?"

     Ryo snorted. "For us? I don't think so. I think even destiny didn't know what to do with us."

     A wan smile spread over Edo's lips, his face both incredibly pale and incredibly red at the same time. "I guess so."

     He allowed himself slowly to relax, releasing the tension in his clenched fists and rigid shoulders as he leaned his back against the trunk of the tree that shaded him. Perhaps, of all places, this wasn't the worst for a declaration of love. After all, it was beautiful.

     But not half as beautiful as the way the sun illuminated Ryo's smiling face.