The story so far:
---- Aija is a Volunteer at the Pristine School at Innermost. She works along with Zuri and Ze, who are her friends. Aija witnesses a strange event one night – light emanating from Rez's body. The kidnapper is after her soul, next, but he leaves her alive and goes away. Another man finds her, he wants to take her somewhere else - Aija though wary of him agrees. Aija learns of the existence of the aliens – the Ytai. Also, about the R'ies and H'eon, Harvesting and Àvo from Etrie. Etrie tells her that the man, who Harvested Rez (Thieron), will now go after her. He tells her that the spy/kidnapper's name is Luka. Etrie asks her to work along with him. Aija agrees to work along with Etrie on Harvest Stopping Missions.
---- Gale work is getting to Goldstar. Iyler too seems to be distancing herself from him. He leaves after a disagreement with her about his secret identity. Vincent, who worked at the Research Centre, talks to him at the Dining Hall. Goldstar is flustered by him when he asks to accompany Goldstar to the South Land. Goldstar is rattled by his argument with Iyler. She doesn't visit him, though he is leaving for the South Land. On the South Land, Goldstar meets Prince Irih'va of Ierne's Hi'er Empire. The Prince offers him help if ever he needs it. He also tells him, "You are in for heartbreak. And then you will do something great. A storm will provide you respite from the scorching heat." He gets information that the Leadership is blaming the Gale for the blast at the Research center.
---- Ze is restless as he takes care of a class. He finds out that a student of his is in the hospital for an unknown sickness. The boy Xan's friend Vaughn asks him to visit Xan at the hospital as Xan would really appreciate it.
---- Ze fights with his mother, again, about his powers. He leaves home and goes to the hospital to visit his student Xan.
---- Ze finds something strange as he reaches the hospital and decides to check it out.
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****18.3 - Xan****
He listened to the soft beeps of the machine and pressed a small button next to his left hand. He felt drunk on the pain medication (is this what being drunk feels like? he thought), yet he seemed to be in more and more pain as time passed.
He had sent his parents back home by force – they needed rest too. His siblings had visited him that morning, and it made him happy.
Xan* opened his eyes and looked out the window. The sky was bright, and a few clouds were rolling by. He stared at the white fluffy clouds. There seemed to be so much peace outside. It was unfair, he thought, as he lay on a Hospital bed gripping to the last shreds of life. Everyone told him he would be fine, but Xan had come to accept that time, and the world would move on without him very soon.
He didn't remember much but knew that one moment he was talking to Vaughn*, and the next, he had woken up at the Hospital, excruciatingly in pain.
One day he had told his mother that he was sorry. He had felt like saying it. His mother had told him to save that sorry for another day when he actually did something wrong. He felt guilty for making his parents roam from work to home, to the Hospital; especially since they had a lot of work at the Institute.
Vaughn visited him every day, and Xan felt awful for making Vaughn go about Innermost to school, music practice, and the Hospital. But, Vaughn's presence gave him so much comfort. Vaughn had been a constant in his life, and having that part of him at the Hospital made him calm.
Not once had he asked Vaughn not to come and not once had Vaughn skipped a visit. Vaughn read a book out loud for Xan every day, which helped him take his mind off his pain for a while.
A nurse entered his room, took note of his vitals, and asked if he was feeling any better before leaving. The doctors didn't know what really was wrong with him. People at Innermost rarely fell sick. The majority of the people who visited the Hospital included mothers-to-be, the old, and those who had gotten hurt through minor accidents. Even the Plague tormented the Open and outer towns, and no one could travel all the way to Innermost for treatment. A medical facility in the Open took care of them.
Surely, Xan hadn't caught the Green Plague; he had never been out of Innermost. He had been near someone who didn't live at Innermost – the boy he had spoken to during his test. But, the doctors had ruled out the Green Plague, he showed no symptoms of the Plague.
Vaughn kept insisting it had something to do with his Medicine Administration. But, how could medicine make him this sick?
The door slid open, and Vaughn entered, his violin case on his shoulders, a sweet smile on his lips. Without saying a word, he pressed the button on the bed, and the top lifted, putting Xan in a seated position.
"You're early."
Vaughn nodded. He looked tired, and if Xan wasn't wrong, it looked like Vaughn had cried. It made him feel sad.
"What's wrong, Vaughn?"
Vaughn held his right hand as he sat next to him.
"I miss you as I go to school, I miss you in class. I miss you at the Academy, I miss weekends with you." Vaughn whispered. "I miss you."
Xan smiled. "I miss you every moment."
His best friend smiled as he blinked back tears. "Hima* was asking about you today. She wishes you well."
Xan was quiet. So, Hima was a daily presence in Vaughn's life now.
"I'm not going around with her," Vaughn said, his voice holding a nuance of laughter. "You're so cute."
Xan felt his cheeks warm up.
"Where are your parents?"
"They just left. They'll come tonight with the twins."
"Guess what I brought?" Vaughn asked and placed his bag on the bed opening it. He took out an ink pad.
"Oh!" Xan smiled.
Vaughn pressed his thumb into the ink pad. Ink pads weren't really used much, they existed merely as the novelty of a bygone era. Vaughn took Xan's hand and placed the ink-stained thumb onto his palm as he smiled at Xan.
Vaughn and Xan used to do this as kids ever since they had found the inkpad at Xan's home. His father had left it open on the dining table once, and the boys had found it when they were running about the house. They had taken it and never given it back to his father. His father never asked for it, probably having forgotten about it or thinking it he had lost or misplaced it.
Vaughn and Xan had placed thumbprints on each other's palms declaring they were best friends for life. Xan now looked at his palm, and tears threatened to break loose.
"Do you want to put your thumbprint on my palm?"
Xan nodded. Vaughn helped Xan press his thumb into the ink pad and place it on his palm. Vaughn grinned and showed off the thumbprint to Xan, before placing the ink pad back into his bag.
"Do you want to continue the book? I took a peek ahead – it has awesome spaceships. I wish there were spaceships in real life."
"Vaughn?"
"Yes, Xan?"
"Please play the violin for me."
Vaughn looked at him, worry in his brown eyes. Xan had never asked Vaughn to play the violin even once ever since he was hospitalized.
"Okay...." Vaughn agreed. He unpacked the violin and set it on his shoulder. "Any requests?"
Xan shook his head and only looked at his palm, at Vaughn's thumbprint.
Vaughn drew in a deep breath and played a familiar piece of music. Vaughn's music was a warm cup of tea on a rainy evening. It reminded him of all the times the two of them had spent together and of all the times they wouldn't, going further.
It reminded him of the first time they had met in music class and recognized each other from school. It reminded him of the day Vaughn had declared he was changing to the violin, and Xan had cried. Vaughn had promised him that they were still friends. The music wrapped around him like warmth.
Vaughn's warmth; the warmth of his hands, the warmth of his eyes. The warmth that spread in his chest whenever Vaughn smiled. The warmth that burned his cheeks as he realized he loved Vaughn more intensely than friendship. The realization that Vaughn was a constant in his life and that he hadn't seen his true feelings for him for so long because of their closeness.
Vaughn stopped playing the violin abruptly in the middle of his fourth piece. Xan opened his eyes. Vaughn was looking at him, tears staining his cheeks.
"Why are you crying?"
Xan hadn't noticed the tears on his own cheeks. "It's a beautiful day, and I can't go out to see it, Vaughn."
Vaughn placed the violin back in its case, took his seat next to Xan, and held his hand. Xan intertwined his fingers with Vaughn's. He expected Vaughn to feel uncomfortable, but he didn't flinch. Instead, he held his hand tighter.
"You will be able to do it soon, Xan. We'll have a picnic the day you go back home. So you get well soon."
Xan sniffled.
"Mr. Roan spoke to me today. He asked about you. I told him you're at the...uh...here. He said he would visit. Keep an eye out for him today."
"Really?"
Vaughn nodded. Xan liked Mr. Roan.
They sat, silence taking over for a while, listening to the breeze outside. Xan liked it when it was breezy. The wind intertwined with Vaughn's soft hair, and the sun filtered through trees, turning his eyes into soft pools of honey. Vaughn radiated warmth on such a day.
"What was my birthday gift, Vaughn? You had come empty-handed."
Vaughn smiled. "It's not something I can simply handover."
Xan's eyes rounded. "Tell me, what is it?"
"When you go home, the day we have a picnic, I'll tell you."
"No. Now, Vaughn."
Vaughn considered it for a moment.
"Please, Vaughn."
Hesitantly he whispered, "It's words never spoken between us before, but we have constantly been feeling."
Xan held his breath, waiting, as Vaughn looked at him candidly.
"I'm in love with you, Xan Ae Lee," Vaughn whispered, blushing.
Xan's breath hitched as he considered and reconsidered every word Vaughn had just said.
Tears ran down his cheeks as he came to the realization that Vaughn had loved him a while, too, just like he had loved Vaughn.
Vaughn leaned forward and came close to Xan. So close, he felt his breath on his face, and he smelled the sweet scent of the flowers that blossomed in the Park.
Xan's heart beat faster, and the beep of the machine fastened. Vaughn kissed him; his lips were soft and tasted of something sweet. Vaughn pulled back and sat on his chair.
The machine beeped faster, and a nurse came running in and skidded to a halt as she saw Xan sitting and looking fine. She narrowed her eyes, looking between the two boys, and checked the machine and his vitals.
"Are you feeling alright?" she asked.
Xan nodded, suppressing a smile.
Unconvinced, the nurse reluctantly left. And as soon as they felt she was out of earshot, the two boys burst into laughter.
It hurt to laugh, and Xan was the first to recover from the bout of laughter. He looked at Vaughn's happy smile. He ran his fingers through Vaughn's soft hair, and he stilled.
"I'm in love with you too, Vaughn."
"I know," he whispered. "This time, the thumbprints not only declare that we are best friends. It declares that we belong to each other wholly."
Xan smiled and placed a peck on Vaughn's lips.
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*Character reference
Xan Chr/In 2.a
Vaughn Ot/Chr 3.l
Hima Ot/Chr 3.n
A/N:
*** Credits of Video used, go to the Original Creator/Owner. It doesn't belong to me! If it needs to be removed, please let me know.