dream a little dream of me

[guilder]

In some part of his mind, Dio knows that he is dreaming. It has all of the right elements. He's in his old flight uniform in the belly of the Sylvana, walking calmly along. His light feet don't make a sound or echo through the deck. But what really tells him that this place is a dream is the fact that for the moment, there's no one here. Certainly there were times when the hangar could be quiet and solemn, but more often it was filled with the ruckus of mechanics, of Al running around and playing, Tatiana bawling someone out.

This place was his home, long ago and far away.

He places his hand on the side of his vanship, feeling the cool metal beneath his gloves. He thinks of flight, and he stares without meaning to at the empty back seat.

But if this is a dream, he wishes it could at least be a happier one.

Comments

[castling]

Luciola, being a dream's manifest, is none the wiser. Ghosting into his position behind Dio is as natural as sleep and he settles in with a polite bow, though he's aware that Dio isn't paying him mind.

"I am sorry for my absence, Lord Dio. I had to attend to something with Ressius."

A simple apology, face calm and straight, as if nothing is unusual.

[guilder]

"Luciola?" Dio's voice swings upward and childlike, echoing throughout the hangar. He whirls around, immediately getting too close to Luciola's face, chin in two hands, examining it. "It can't be!"

This is the part where the dream starts being obvious to him. He doesn't want it to be simply an illusion, so he decides it simply isn't. Luciola is here, taller, stoic, beautiful. He is breathing.

For several moments Dio swims in silence. He can't even hear his own heart beating, his own breath. He cannot believe it.

Then he finds words, the first that come to mind: "You're late!"

[castling]

There's some concern to the slight shift in his gaze when Dio seems to stop in time for a moment, seeming dazed, almost confused. Is something wrong? Quietly, as always, he debates whether or not to ask the other what is on his mind.

Of course, Dio speaks long before he makes a decision and Luciola almost seems to jump in surprise at the sudden outburst.

Again, he bows his head, a little further, this time, in apology. "I am very sorry, Lord Dio."

[guilder]

In that moment where Luciola bows his head, Dio does something that is perhaps unexpected. The unasked for touching is a given, after all, even gloved hands that slide over the nape of his neck and into his hair. The tippy-toe is another familiar move, probably, to nuzzle or lick a bit of cake from his friend's face.

But this is something a little bit different.

This is a kiss, warm and slow, and very grown-up indeed. There is an air of desperation to it, and of emotions that run deeper than friendly affection.

[castling]

Luciola is not really sure how to react to it. It's a first, for him, and it bristles the pale hairs on the back of his neck. He knows what this is. A kiss, and from Lord Dio, though he would not allow anyone this close to his person.

His hands stay limp at his side, but his wide eyes eventually shut and his mouth relaxes to at least accept it. This isn't something someone like him really deserves, as far as he is concerned.