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it had been twenty years since everything. since scaramouche, now better known as kunikuzushi, lost his title as a harbinger, since heizou lost his job as an fbi agent. twenty years since their relationship had been exposed by that idiot fatui member. since then, the most that had changed was their whereabouts.
they were as far away from teyvat as they could manage now, hiding away in a small house that was just big enough for the two of them but far away from most civilisation. the closest they got to being near people was a store and gas station combo about six miles away from their house which.. took some time to get to most days, along with all other establishments which were much further.
despite that, they enjoyed the way their lives were now. it was a little more domestic than either of them had ever imagined they’d settle for, but it was incredibly nice. of course there were drawbacks and parts of their situation that were still catching up to them, but for the time being, they were free and they had each other.
“hei, dear. you up already?”
the man in question perked up at the sound of his boyfriend, placing the book he had picked up an hour ago down for the moment. he smiled over at the man, walking over to meet him halfway. the intimate touches they immediately shared seemed practiced, like they did this same routine everyday and had for the past twenty years.
and honestly? they probably had.
“morning, kuni.” heizou hummed softly as he cupped the man’s cheek, smiling when he leaned into the touch. “sleep well?”
kunikuzushi only let out a tired hum, eyes closed as he reached up to intertwine their hands against his cheek. neither of them felt like they could ever get tired of waking up like this in the mornings, no matter how much longer they had left to live.
as the morning went on, they discussed whatever they could come up with over a small breakfast just as they did every morning, though this seemed to be one of the slower mornings. in fact, this morning seemed more.. melancholic than usual. they both could feel the weight of their past coming back to creep up on them for the first time in a short while, as they were constantly remind of their shared past, even if nothing happened to do so.
as they sat on the couch together, remote in kuni’s hand and tv playing softly in the background, heizou let out a sigh. he moved to rest his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder, not caring that it was slightly uncomfortable with the way they were tangled together.
“it’s one of those days, isn’t it?”
that was what cemented it. heizou saying those seven words was what brought all those memories of a past filled with experimentation and rumours and gunshot wounds and lifesaving surgeries back to the forefront. neither of them necessarily wanted to bring those memories up explicitly but sometimes it felt like it was the only option. sometimes it felt like debating what could’ve gone differently was the only thing they could do on days like these.
“..kuni?”
a small hum came from the boy.
“do you ever wanna go back?” there’s a pause from both of them as the question sinks in before heizou continues. “at least to before our relationship was revealed. before.. what was her name again?”
“lyudochka.”
“right. before lyudochka figured out how close we were and..”
he trailed off, feeling kuni squeeze his hand for a second. they were both silent for a moment, trying to find the right words to continue this conversation. kunikuzushi especially had to consider his boyfriend’s words, staring at their intertwined hands and rather tangled bodies. after another moment or two he sighed, shaking his head.
“no. i don’t miss the countless experiments or the lack of any warmth from anyone back then.” despite the years, kuni still struggled to express his affection, so his next words took another moment for him to get out and he had to look away when he did. “and i wouldn’t.. want to give you up just to keep my job either.”
there were words that went unspoken, but heizou heard every single one. he heard every word of affection kuni wanted to let spill out, even if the man would probably never succeed in doing so, and he smiled at that. it was.. comforting. he was surprised he even really needed the comfort still, but it was nice nonetheless.
“good.” after a moment of consideration, a wide grin spread on his face as he looked over to the tv. “well, i would go back in a heartbeat, obviously.”
it wasn’t the truth, but he couldn’t help but tease kuni every now and then. the man in question let out a shocked laugh, taking a moment before he rolled his eyes and gave his boyfriend a playful punch.
“liar.”
heizou couldn’t help but laugh as he spoke.
“maybe so, but what’ll you do if it becomes the truth, hm?”
“hm, i wonder where those weak spots dottore talked about are..”
the former fbi agent smacked his boyfriend, mouth wide open as he stared at him with a shocked gaze. it was all fun and games of course, but jeez.
“hey! no death threats!”
they both dissolved into laughter, heizou’s head curled into the crook of kuni’s neck and the other man holding his boyfriend close as they just laughed their hearts out. this wasn’t always super common on days like these, but it was always welcome.
they wouldn’t let their pasts hold them back anymore. they had the rest of time to discuss whatever they may need to about what had happened, but that wouldn’t stop them from being happy. despite everything, they were together and it kept them both going. it kept them both motivated to continue on without death in the horizons.
as they both calmed down, their smiles stayed on their faces. nothing could convince them that this wasn’t what it meant to truly be happy. sure, they’d probably get to a point where the hundreds of years in their future would get them tired of each other, but it was better having each other than no one at all. plus, they had chosen this fate themselves. their own actions were basically screaming for dottore to give them that surgery, and now that all was said and done neither of them could complain. as horrible as dottore was, he had given them both a chance to be happy with each other for the rest of eternity, and that was what mattered.
it almost made them understand why the god of thunder and lightning and the like seemed to enjoy eternity as much as she did. maybe things staying the same for the rest of the world’s existence wasn’t so bad after all.