It was quiet. Neither of them said anything. They just looked at each other.
Luinor pushed Lui a little in the blonde's direction, which earned him a glare from Lui.
He took a deep breath and approached the blonde.
"It's...nice to see you again...Free..."
"...Same..."
An awkward silence fell between the two again. Somehow they suddenly had forgotten how to communicate with each other.
"That's so cringe..." Valt's statement was quiet, but both of them could hear it.
"What do you mean cringe? Sorry but this is a very important moment between him and me right now so could you shut up?!" "Lui, it's all good. He's a friend of mine, just like Shu" "I loke the other one, he knows when he should shut up. He's not tactless like this clown" "HEY! I'm not a clown" "Valt may be quite loud at times, but he's all nice" "Awww thanks Free" "At least they're talking "
The two looked at each other and silence fell again.
"Great job Shu" "Be quite for youself"
There were a short silence, before Lui breathed in and decided to talk.
"Free...Have you...read the letter?" "What would you say if I answered 'no' to that?" "I would tell you the truth right now" "What truth?" Lui took a deep breath and stepped closer to Free. He took one of the blonde's hands in his. He felt a bit uncomfortable knowing that others were starring at them but he had lied for so long...Free finally deserved to know the turth. "Free...I'm sorry...I lied to you all along...Your soulmate, that was me... I know it may be hard to believe but you gotta believe me that this is the truth. You're probably wondering why I never told you any of this...It's like...at first when we first met I was just focused on your looks...the way you looked with the disheveled hair, the scars on your body, the painting...I didn't know any of that and thought that if I let myself be shown with you like that, everyone would laugh at me...I care about my pride and my reputation but then, as we spent more time together, I realized that behind this strange look, there is a wonderful person...you have such an open and loving personality, I didn't know that...you have showed me the value of even the smallest things. I realized that I judged you way too quickly back then and that you are a much better person than I initially thought. But...I still didn't tell you I was your soulmate...I liked you a lot from a point on...I fell in love with you and you were so freaking important to me...Every time you said that I'm a wonderful person and that you're glad to have me as a friend, I was afraid that once, you find out I lied to you, you won't like me anymore...I was afraid you than losing my fairy and... That's why I still never told you anything... And that's why I let you move on then... I know it may all be many things at once but you have to believe me that I only wanted the best for you... At least I thought that was the best thing I should have done, but I've realized that the best thing is for you to know the truth, no matter if you still like me afterward or not. I'm sorry I lied to you...I can understand if you don't forgive me right away and it's okay if you don't want to hear from me anymore, but it was important to me that you heard the truth from me and for that I risk our friendship...I'm so sorry for hurting your feelings..."
Lui had lowered his eyes, he didn't want Free or anyone else to see how much this was affecting him.
He had never felt like this before. He was so afraid...He loved Free but knowing that he screwed up everything...Made that situation even worse...
"...I know" Lui looked at Free. "I read the letter..." "...I see..." "Listen...I...I need time to think this all over again...It's not like that it doesn't mean anything to me...But I can't just make up my mind...I'm sorry" The blond teen looked at the ground. He knew he had every right to take as much time as he needed, but he still felt bad. "It's alright, really. Take any time you need..." Free nodded. "Thanks..." The blond turned around. "Fafnir...let's go" The golden dragon looked at his master and then back at the silver dragon before following Free.
Valt wanted to go after Free, but Shu stopped him. "Shu...?" "Let's leave him alone..." "Are you sure...?" Shu nodded and Valt accepted the decision, more or less.
He looked at Lui. "Hey you!" Lui said nothing. "I'm talking to you! What were you thinking doing to Free like that! You knew why he left home, how can anyone be so heartless?! Free is such a good person and you?! Shame on you!"
"As if I didn't know that..." Lui felt isolated raindrops land on his body. "These two years...were just as bad for me as they were for him..." The rain increased fairly quickly and Lui was wet within seconds.
"Let's go, Valt..." "Mhm..." The two walked on.
Lui was left alone...But he didn't care...He had always been alone...
Free was walking in the rain...His mind was blank even though there was so much to think about.
"Why did you leave? Didn't you want to see him again?"
Free looked at his kite.
"Of course that was my interest but...I didn't know...what to say..."
"You should have just said what you feel"
"It's easy for you to talk...Now please leave me alone..."
Free wandered without a goal and arrived at a lake. He stopped and looked at the water in front of him.
How he felt...hate...love...joy...fear...It was a fucking mess inside him. He couldn't say for sure what he was feeling.
He loved Lui, there was no doubt about it, but is that what he wanted...? Was what had happened really that easy to forgive?
He closed his eyes...Trying to feel what his heart craved...
It was quiet except for the rush of the wind and the pelting rain...
"Free..."
The blonde exhaled.
"Mother..."
Free looked at the blond woman. "Why are you still awake, mother?" She smiled at her son. "I know what you're up to" "What...do you mean?" "You will leave the island tomorrow, am I right?" "How...?" "I just know you, son." Free looked away. "Are you disappointed in me? I will defy the law..." "The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved. You won't get rid of those feelings if you stay here, so at least it's understandable for me that you want to go. Besides, you've always been a free spirit and you've always done what was right for you. I'm sure you'll find someone out there to take that loneliness away and love you, like you are and if you have found that someone, believe me, then I am happy for you" "Thank you mother" "Take care of yourself, Free" "I will. Thank you for everything, mother. I will never forget what you have done for me and what I have learned from you" Free took his mother in his arms. It was difficult for him to leave her, but he knew he had to go. "Just don't forget one thing, Free...
Soulmates aren't the ones who make you happiest. They're instead the ones who make you feel the most."
His mother was right...
Lui was the person made for him...
And it would be the biggest mistake of his life to let him go...
He loved him with all his heart.
Free opened his eyes. "Take me to him, Fafnir"
Lui was huddled under a tree. He was snuggled up to Luinor and had his eyes closed. He was cold, tired...and scared. As if the last two years hadn't been bad enough...It felt like someone was making him feel that way on purpose.
"He's still in the same place...has he been here waiting for Free the whole time?" Valt and Shu had taken shelter in a shop during the rain and when they left, they saw Lui with Luinor. "...Free seems to mean a lot to him..." "But the question is, how much does he mean to Free..." Valt saw the blonde return.
Free stopped short of Lui, and when Luinor sensed the other dragon, he looked up. The movements of the silver dragon also made Lui look up...
"...Free..."
Lui stood up and approached the blond.
They were quiet for a moment.
"Listen Lui...I can understand why you initially thought that way...The insight into your life that I got back then helped me to understand you better...I was disappointed when I read the letter...And I didn't understand why...I could have been angry...I could have hated you...And still, I was just disappointed that you didn't just tell me like you did earlier...But thanks to the help of my friends, I've learned that I was scared too...I was scared that my soulmate would hate me because of my looks...don't like me because of my background and although that was the case at the beginning you made me feel like I don't have to be afraid...that it's okay to be who I am and that's why I have I fell in love with you even then... And to be honest I should have been honest with you and confess my feelings to you but I was afraid that you would end the friendship because at that time I didn't know that we are soul mates and it would have been unfair if I had put myself between you and your soul mate...Maybe we could have saved ourselves all this if we had talked to each other but no one dared..."
Free sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. He then listened to that what his heart wanted...And it was obviously...But that's what he really wanted...He wanted him...From the bottom of his heart...
Free took Lui's hand and held it tight. "I don't know what the future holds for me, but I know that I can only do it all with you by my side. I want to rebuild the trust between us and work step by step on our future together. I forgive you, Lui...I really forgive you"
Lui looked at Free. He had the feeling he had misheard. After all this, did Free really give him a second chance?
The soft smile on the blonde's lips confirmed that he was telling the truth.
Lui didn't really know how he had felt at that moment
His heart raced and screamed for one thing...
For the blonde guy right in front of him...He wanted him...He wanted him from the bottom of his heart...
Lui got closer to Free, still looking in these beautiful black eyes
It was as if time had stood still at that moment. Purple fixed black. They never took their eyes off each other, even as the pale hands came to rest on the blond's pink cheeks. "It was stupid of me to think that I couldn't love you." The blue-haired came closer to him. "I've never met anyone as versatile, lovable and likeable as you." He breathed those words against the blonde's lips. "So I'm begging you...let's try." Softly, their lips touched while the black eyes slowly closed. "Do you want it?" The blonde parted his lips slightly and a hot breath escaped him. He nodded slightly as the word "yes" slipped out of his mouth. Without even waiting a second longer, the smaller one joined their lips in a deep kiss. "I love you Free..." "I love you too Lui" Lui smiled, wrapped his arms around Free's neck and kissed him. Free kissed back gently. It was just a quick kiss but in that moment it said so much.
Who would have thought it was that easy? That what they had feared for so long, had suddenly been so easy.
As their fingers interlocked again, the backs of their hands began to tingle and slowly a symbol became visible. It was like a ying yang in the form of two dragons.
They looked at the back of their hands. "So...we're...connected" They looked at each other again and smiled. It still felt like a dream but it's not...It's real
Fafnir and Luinor approached the two. The boys laughed a little. "You can now cuddle as much as you want" Free cuddled his dragon and gave him a kiss. "We will not separate again and therefore you will not be separated anymore either" Lui scratched his kite a little.
"Awww how cute" Valt interrupted the moment. "You always find the right words at the right time, don't you?" "Sorry guys" "No, it's alright. We've had our moment, haven't we?" "Like I said, I like the white-haired one better." Free laughed a little and pulled Lui to him. "Lui, this is Valt and Shu, my friends. Valt, Shu, this is Lui, he is my soulmate" "Can we be friends now too or will you hate me forever?" "We'll see about that but for now, nice to meet you" "Yay, you're not that mean after all" "Don't get used to it" "Oh..." "Don't be like that, Lui. Valt isn't a bad person" "To me he's more of a nuisance. I prefer quieter people." "As far as I remember, your friends aren't exactly the quietest either." Lui looked at Free. "They aren't really my friends either. They're Gabe's friends, just like me and since Gabe doesn't want me to rot somewhere alone while they're hanging out, he always invites me to their meetings." Free sighed a little. "You're really exhausting" "That still surprises you?" "I like that, do you agree Shu?" Free and Lui looked at Valt and Shu. "What exactly do you mean?" "Well, the way the two treat each other, like they've known each other for ages" "Hm...I see what you mean" The dragon boys looked at each other, got red in the face at the same time and looked aside, slightly embarrassed. "I think we should celebrate this reunion with a nice meal" "We only had breakfast a few hours ago" "I still want to eat something! Please Shu!" "What do you two say to that?" "I'll be there for coffee and cake" Lui shrugged his shoulders. "Why not?" "Yay! Food!" Valt started running. "Is the boy always like this?" "Yeah, he's been like this since he was little" "How long have you known him?" "Since kindergarten" "My condolences" The three of them followed Valt and looked for a café. They spent the rest of the day looking around the city. Valt and Shu went ahead, Lui and Free followed.
"What have you been doing these two years?" "Not much to be honest. Was at school studying, was at home stressing with my dad" "Why?" "Well, I'm graduating this year and actually the exams start today..." "You defied your father?" "You're more important to me than exams. It spunds stupid but...I'd live on the street as long as I have you by my side" "Never thought you'd rebel" "I guess I got that from you" Free laughed a little. "I'm glad you're going your own way now" "Yes, but there will be trouble" "And if so, we'll just travel around the world if necessary" "Haven't you already done that?" "Alone, yes, but not with you. There were so many places I want to show you." Lui blushed slightly. "You thought about me...?" "Why wouldn't I? I promised you to come back one day so I'd never forget you" "...I never forgot about you too...You were always in my head...One of the reasons why I decided to search you..."
"Hey, it's getting dark. We should find a place to stay for the night" They looked to Valt and nodded. They'd later have more time to talk about some things.
The four had looked for a hotel in the city where they spent the coming night. After a long back and forth, Free and Lui decided on a room with one bed, in which Free woke up alone in the middle of the night. He was a little confused as he was sure that Lui had fallen asleep next to him. When he sat up, he saw him. Lui was standing on the balcony. Free got up, grabbed his blanket and went out to Lui. He carefully laid the blanket on the blue-haired's shoulders, which made him look at him. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be sleeping?" "I could ask you the same thing." Lui looked straight again. "I was just thinking about the last few months..." Free stood next to Lui. "Even though I tried to forget you, it just didn't work and I'm very grateful for that in retrospect." "I felt the same way...Day or night all I could think about was you" "I'm glad we finally found each other and finally made it..." "Me too. It feels so amazing" De La Hoya slipped an arm around his soulmate and pulled him closer to him. "It will still take a while before I trust you 100% again, but I think after all this we'll get there." Shirosagi nodded slightly. "Will you tell me one thing?" "Yes, what is it?" Free looked at his right hand. "What's with this symbol? You said we're connected now" Lui looked at his left hand. "As I recall it is a sign of bonding with your soul mates. It differs from couple to couple and has different meanings...I guess the two dragons symbolize Fafnir and Luinor... dragons not only symbolize the uniqueness, but also luck, kindness, intelligence and strength" "That means I'll never get rid of you again?" "That's right." Free wrapped his arms around Lui and rested his head on Lui's shoulder. "It's good...It will never be the case again anyway" "I wouldn't let you go again and believe me when I say I promise you that" "I trust you and take your word for it" The two stood on the balcony for a while and really enjoyed this moment. Only when Lui heard the blonde snoring softly did he realize how late it was. At the same time, he was surprised that Free had fallen asleep standing up. "Free?" He caressed the back of the blond's hand, which slowly woke up again. "Hmm...." "Let's go in and sleep in the bed" "Hmm...Good idea..." De La Hoya let go of him and together they entered the room again. Snuggled in their blankets and hugging each other, Free fell asleep pretty quick.
Lui watched him a little and smile softly. He laid a hand carefully on the soft skin of the blonde. "I missed you so much...You can't imaging how much this means to me...Thank you for forgiving me...I know I actually don't deserve it but you still forgave me..." Small tears ran down Lui's cheeks. "I love you...I love you so much..."
Lui jumped a little when Free pulled him closer. For a moment he thought that Free woke up again but the blonde kept sleeping. With a small smile on his lips, Lui hugged the blonde and snuggled against him. "Thank you, Free...I love you" He kissed the blonde's jawline and closed his eyes before he fell asleep too.
A small smile formed on Free's lips. "I love you too, Lui"
"So what are you planning to do now? Do you want to go back to Japan now?" It was the next day, Valt and Shu had decided to fly back to Spain. Free looked at Lui, actually having no idea what to do either. "Let me guess, you didn't give it a thought?" "The plan was actually to meet you in Japan, but to be honest I didn't think any further." "What would you like to do now?" "I think the best thing would be if we fly back..." Lui crossed his arms. "That would probably be the best, yes, but what do you really want to do?" Free looked at Lui. That's right, Lui had the gift of reading him like a book. He knew exactly that this wasn't that what Free wanted. Free sighed softly and looked at his boyfriend. "I would like to travel further. There are still places I would like to see" "Okay, then we'll do it" "But Lui..." "I'd rather travel the world with you than to listen to my father's nagging" "Are you sure?" "I've never been more sure than I am now...Well apart from my decision to look for you yesterday but you know what I mean" "I think that's a great idea, you can make up for lost time" "Valt is right "Yay" Lui rolled his eyes. "We have all the time in the world. You have no obligations, I have none, so why not use this time?" "But do we even have enough money to get by with it?" "Goldy my dad has a multimillion dollar business, I've owned a piece of it since I'm 18" "But that's your hard earned money" "I wouldn't call it hard earned but that doesn't matter now. It's my money and I can do whatever I want with it" "If you're sure" "Yes Goldy, I am" Free nodded. "Then we'll travel on" "But you're coming to visit us, aren't you?" "I can't promise you." Valt pouted. "Lui is just joking" "I don't know...I don't see him laughing" "He's often very sarcastic. We'll visit you when we're around" Shu sent Free the address and after a very long goodbye because of Valt, he and Shu made their way back to Spain.
"And us? Where are we going?" "Where do you want to go first?" Free thought for a moment. "Honestly I don't care as long as we fly there together" "Then I know the perfect place for it" Lui mounted Luinor and Free mounted his kite too. "Where are we going?" "That's a surprise" "A tip?" "Even if I give you a tip, you won't know" "How do you know I haven't been there?" "I just know that" "I've been traveling for two years" "Just trust me when I say you hadn't seen this place before" "Fine if you say so" "Los Luinor" "Fafnir" Die both kites took off and they flew off.
They had endless time and many places to go. They could go everywhere and whenever they wanted.
As long as they're together, time was endless...