At first there was only silence, then the soft pitter-patter of rain on the rooftop. The grandfather clock chimed once, twice, three times, continuing until it signaled to the room's occupants the time, ten, and the dial on its face portraying the nighttime. The fire crackled and lit the room in a soft glow, the warm light resting on two strangers on the couch near the source of heat. One's face, wrinkled and worn, tired and weary, held a soft smile, half-open eyes watching the man holding him in his lap with such amorous warmth, hiding the melancholy swirling in the depths of his pools of green. The other, face taut and eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly, cradled him in a tight but gentle hold, afraid to let go and lose him.
Reaching up, the young man brushed the hair from his face, gray locks rough and course from years of outdoor work and stress, and watched him closely, tensing up ever so slightly when the man gave out a soft sigh. The young man, hair still golden and soft, felt his heart clench tightly, teasing his lip with a sharp tooth, trying to hush the older man when he began talking.
"Arthyrus…"
"No, please, save you breath, love. You don't need to say anything, I know your time is drawing near and I can't do anything about it…"
The old man sighed, shakily reaching up a hand and touching the young one's cheek, smile widening a bit before dimming as he felt a tear race down the blond's pale cheek.
"Oh…Arthyrus…do not cry for me. I will always be here with you, and you know that. I live for only so long, and you forever; we both knew this was coming," the elder whispered watching Arthyrus's hand travel up and touch his own, their wedding bands touching softly.
"No, please, I don't want you to go," Arthyr whispered, choking up as more tears flowed down his cheeks, holding the other's hand tightly. "Art, I love you. I love you so much…I don't know what I would do without you…"
Art, tired smile slowly fading, whispered in return, "I love you too…don't you forget that, Arthyr." With a little sigh, Art shifted his hands and took both of Arthyr's in his own.
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey."
Arthyrus felt more tears welling in his eyes, holding back a sob as he moved to hold Art against his chest, hold tightening in the fear of losing his love. Art's eyes slipped shut as he continued singing in a hushed tone, voice slowly fading with the lyrics.
"You never know, dear, how much I love you…Please don't take…my sunshine…away…"
Moving the covers away from his body, Arthyrus stares up at the ceiling of his room, instinctively looking to the left of himself and feeling pain shoot up inside of him at the sight of an empty bed. Sitting up and wiping his eyes, the man slowly rises, whispering to himself as he drearily heads to the bathroom.
"The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamt I held you in my arms. When I awoke, dear, I was mistaken, so I hung my head and I cried."
Running a hand through his blond hair, he runs his fingers over the fragments of a broken horn jutting up from his head, staring blankly in the mirror at his battered body: scratches and bruises, the frayed horns on his head, the wings on his back no longer capable of flight. The devil considered himself a mess. Arthyr turns away from the mirror and presses his hands against his face, taking a deep breath and wiping the tears from his welling eyes, and heads downstairs bleakly, turning right and heading silently into the backyard, continuing his morning ritual. Passing through the streaked glass door, Arthyr folds his hands into his pockets and walks straight, eyes focused ahead of him.
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You never know, dear, how much I love you…"
He stops, looking down at the engraved stone and flowers protected at the base of an elderly oak tree, tears freely slipping down his face once more.
"Please don't take my sunshine away."