"So . . . now that we're done with our coffee, what do you want to do next?" Toris grinned, his green eyes flashing with the calmness and coziness this place provided.

"Hmm . . . Why don't we buy a book? You can read it to me." Feliks decided, since that seemed to be a romantic thing in stories, and, well, you had to drop hints for your crush somehow, right? 'Ah . . . Did I just admit I have a crush on him? I mean, I know I do, but at the same time, I'm not sure . . . Plus, we're both guys . . . What will he think of me?'

"Oh? Which book would that be? I never knew you liked to read." Toris guided Feliks to his car as they spoke, eyeing the road cautiously. When he was younger, he had clumsily tripped on the grey floor and scraped up his knees. He was unaware, since his pants covered his knees, but when he got home and was changing, he saw the dried blood and scratches. No wonder his knees had been stinging. He still didn't trust the road.

"It's not a huge story . . . More like a small one that's for children . . . Though, this one seems a little sad for them. The author's made many adventure stories that I like, but this was a short story they just thought of and wanted to write it down. They've got it all, though; they can write and they can draw. So they illustrated a small children's book on that subject. Somehow, it's somewhat popular among all ages."

"If it's a short story, then it can't be that expensive, so . . . that's fine by me. I'll buy it to thank you for helping me down there. Knowing myself, I probably would have only gone down there for five minutes a day before fleeing, and that wouldn't have gotten me anywhere. What is it called?"

"The book is called 'Little Sparrow.' Feliciano read it with a friend and cried, so it should be something of interest, right?"

Toris sweatdropped, and pointed out, "But doesn't almost everything make Feliciano cry . . . ? Maybe it isn't that sad. I actually hope it isn't too sad, I just read a mildly depressing novel that kept me up all night as I stared into the uncaring void of my mind. The main love interest died from his sickness at the end."

"Toris, why do you torture yourself with those sad novels? Whatever, we've got to go get it! Please, please, please?" Feliks begged him, grabbing his arm and staring up into Toris' eyes with his own. He looked like a little kitten meowing at its owner for attention in a squeaky, high-pitched tone that no one, at least, with a heart, could ultimately refuse.

"Feliks, I already agreed to it, you literally have no reason to beg me, haha. Any bookstore will be fine, right?" Toris and Feliks dropped into the car seats,Toris in the driver's seat, like before, but Feliks in the back this time, relaxing in a satisfied atmosphere after drinking stinging hot coffee that stuck to their tongues as they shivered in the freezing car. Once Toris had the engine started and began to drive, he turned up the heat, earning himself a pleasantly surprised gasp from Feliks.

The car ride to the bookstore, unlike the one to the coffee shop, was a little quiet. Though, it wasn't as if they didn't have much to say. Feliks was simply too busy enjoying the heat gracing his skin and dozing off a little, while Toris was consumed by other thoughts, his ears getting pink when he glanced to the back and saw the adorably snoozing Feliks.

Once they had arrived, Toris parked, checking his car's position multiple times to make sure he had driven in perfectly. Once he was sure it was up to his standards, Toris opened the car door for Feliks and shook him gently. "Feliks, we're at the bookstore. Come on, let's get up. You wanted that book, right?" Toris urged.

"Alright, Toris, I get it . . ." Feliks, lazy as always, allowed Toris to slightly pull him out of the car before standing on his own two feet, marching off to the bookstore with a hum. Toris opened the door for Feliks, but then stood there and held it for about ten more people who were coming in and leaving, much to Feliks' annoyance and impatience. He was tired of Toris being so nice to people all the time. It interrupted their schedule.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Feliks. Would it be in the kid's section?" Toris sweat as he caught sight of the irritated expression on Feliks' face. Feliks sighed and just nodded, trotting off to the kid's section, knowing Toris, as always, would follow. He found it on a shelf, while Toris stared at someone who looked to be a couple years older than him and Feliks, who was, just like Feliciano apparently had, reading 'Little Sparrow' and gushing out tears. It was hard to understand what they was blubbering, though Toris heard '-aru' ending all of his sentences.

"Ah, um . . . sir, what do you think of this book?" Toris needed to know what he was getting into. The man . . . or woman's eyes met his, full of tears. Then, as if they were close friends, he started bawling louder and smacking his head on Toris. If it weren't for all of the already screaming and crying children at the top of their lungs in this section, Toris was sure he'd stand out and maybe even be asked to lower his voice.

"The poor sparrow, aru . . . He's so cute and nice but he has to suffer so much, aru! But I do recommend it, so if you're buying it, just know that the sparrow will have to go through a lot, aru!" Toris turned blue with shock. He hoped this man was just emotional, but maybe he related to the sparrow somehow. It wasn't really Toris' business, and, with a surprised inhale, he stepped out of the way, apologizing, to the man's companion, who comforted him while the man yelled at him and tried to make him go away. Something was frighteningly familiar about the man's companion, and Toris began tugging on Feliks' sleeve.

"Feliks, do you have the book yet? We should hurry and go . . ." Feliks turned to him and raised an eyebrow, though, once he caught sight of the man's companion, he nodded swiftly, and the two of them left. As they were leaving, that man's voice greeted them, and they were both forcefully reminded of someone they had forgotten long ago,

"Ah, Feliks, Toris, da?^^ It's been a while, we should catch up sometime, da." That man turned out to be Ivan. They were both afraid of him, even though Feliks had attempted to pretend he wasn't. Toris bobbed his head stiffly. There wasn't anything too wrong with him, there was just . . . kind of intimidating about him. And he bullied Feliks and toris a bit when they were younger, even though he was unaware of it. They didn't wish to get too mixed up with him. Besides, he had a friend now, it seemed. Though, Toris thought, maybe it would be more fair if, he somehow contacts us, if we actually try to get to know him. We'll see.

"Yeah, sure, we can hang out sometime. Feliks, we'd better get home before the cooking burns. We'll see you two around!" Toris and Feliks skipped to the counter at the front of the bookstore and paid for the book. Toris gave a nervous smile and handed it to the shorter male before they bolted out of the bookstore and back into Toris' car.

"Are you comfortable enough?" Toris asked as Feliks laid his head in Toris' lap, his long blond locks spilled over Toris' legs as Feliks waited for Toris to start the story. Feliks gave a small nod and a yawn.

"Alright then. I'll start."

"Once, there was a little sparrow. He was but a child, though he did not remember having parents to raise him. The sparrow was lonely, and lived in the forest for endless days. One day, he spotted a bunch of children playing together. They looked happy, and got along well. He wanted to be with them, so, he turned into a human to be with them, and they allowed him to play with them."

"They asked him how old he was, and he was unsure of how their human time operated, so he acted as if he was their age. And everyday, when they would come to the forest, he would play with them. He grew close to a girl in the group, and though he didn't know the word then, it was what one could express as 'love.' One day, he gave her a precious charm he loved very much, his only remnant of his mother, saying he cared about her as much as he cared of the charm. He never found time a concern; everything moved slower for him. He was unaware of the sins his parents had committed. Their relationship itself was one that was considered wrong in their world, and so, to punish them, the Gods punished their son."

"And so, he was forced to live forever. He didn't know of this, but began to notice one day as the kids started to grow taller than him, began to talk of different things, and soon, stopped visiting the forest altogether. He was sad, very, very sad. He missed them. He went into the nearby town, guessing they lived there. Years had passed like minutes to the sparrow, but he changed his appearance to be like theirs. His age ticked forward. But, he found he could not progress any further from 17."

"He could never become an adult, and as the girl he loved grew older and older, he stayed by her side, using aliases and lies, changing his appearance and deceiving her, feeling only guilt and longing. He was sad, very sad, as she became so old that he was one of the only people who still wished to speak to her, excusing himself as a young man who had lost a grandmother a while ago, whom he loved dearly. She gave him a charm, saying it was from a dear friend long ago, whom she had lost contact with foolishly as she grew older. It was the charm he gave her. She said he reminded her of him. That day, when he left, he cried, knowing her time was almost up. All of his friends began to fade as they disappeared with time. Soon, the only way he could see this girl was by visiting her grave. He cried, very, very much. So he tried again. He made friends. Over, and over again. And each time, as they would fade away, he would cry. Eventually, over the boundless sorrow, he flew."

"He escaped, far, far away. He took solitude over the sorrow, and lived alone, high in the mountains. Yet, he still suffered. He was cold. He was sad. He was hungry. He was often lost. But the worst of all was how lonely he was. At least, around others, he felt warmth and happiness, even though, by the end, it resulted in bitter farewells and tears. He tried to grow up, but he remained a child at heart, reaching out to try to grasp the old memories and glee he once felt."

"One day, a shadow passed and stole the charm, which was the only thing he had kept when he fled his old home. He pursued the shadow, angry, furious, and, most of all, regretful. The shadow eventually stopped, and turned into a girl. One that looked like the girl he once loved. He knew she was different, but he wanted to know what she wanted, so, taking the charm back from her, he heard her out."

"She stepped forward with a big smile. 'Are you like me, boy? Have you lived for decades, centuries in this world?' The sparrow was surprised, but nodded. 'I'm lonely. How are you so happy?' 'Because I'm done despairing. I was decades ago, but I couldn't find someone like me. So I have a proposal. Let's live in this world together, and help humans. They have shorter lives than us, so we should help them enjoy the time they have. Does that sound good?'"

"The little sparrow agreed. Anything to be around someone again. And so, throughout the years, they helped humans. They weeped. They matured. They took breaks for themselves, from the humans who slipped from their fingers so easily. It was a bittersweet life, but one that neither the shadow or the sparrow could regret. And, to this day, the little shadow and the little sparrow help humans, hand in hand, hoping each day, that they could come to appreciate humans a little more."

Toris finished with a smile and a cocked head. He could accept that ending. There were some qualities of the book he would have tweaked a little, but the beautiful and lustrous illustrations easily saved this story from receiving too much disgrace from critics. A little sniff came from his lap. He looked down and saw Feliks with tears forming up in his eyes, in tiny, clear orbs, his nose pink. He puffed out his cheeks and cast his gaze elsewhere.

"Don't look at me. Don't make fun of me. I know it's stupid." Feliks whispered.

Toris beamed down at him comfortingly, and stroked his hair. "Shhh. I know a story like this would make you sad. But, at least it helped me with something." Feliks picked up at his phone, feeling it in his hands and wondering if he would regret what he suggested next.

"Hm? What's that?" Feliks sat up, reaching out to take a tissue and blow his nose. He hated that that dumb story made him cry, but, like Feliciano, he was overly emotional at times. Maybe Feliciano even had a bit of an influence on him.

"It told me . . . to appreciate the people around me more. To get to know them, because we don't know how much time they have left. And, though this kind of strays away from the story, it made me realize that simply judging someone by the way you see them, and the way they used to be is kind of . . . wrong, isn't it? Everyone changes and grows. So, hey, Feliks . . ." Toris got up and rummaged through the countless things in his drawers, and, with a relieved sigh, found what he had been searching for. He was surprised he hadn't thrown this out very long ago, but, he supposed, in the long run, it was best that he hadn't.

". . . What do you think about giving Ivan a little call?"

/Hey guys, Azul here!^^ So sorry for the two week delay, whoever's reading, I was really busy on one of the weeks, and the other I was sick. Also, if this counts for anything, I have a minor writer's block right now. I hadn't actually planned to involve Ivan very much in this story at all, just to have him as a little memory in Feliks and Toris' past, but I decided to look more into Ivan and listen to White Flame since the nagging sense had been bothering me for a while, and I wanted to go over how I had shown him all those chapters ago, and show that he has changed over the years. And he needs more friends!;; Besides, I've always wanted a time for Toris and Ivan to just sit down and talk about how they feel without Toris just being too intimidated to give his honest opinion. But thank you so much for reading. Well, um, anyways, if you'd like to, favorites and follows are always greatly appreciated and fill me with glee. I love reviews even more, because it either helps me see my awful writing in a more positive light, or gives me suggestions for other stories that I could either work on in the future, when I'm finished with this one, or work on as another story to balance on my schedule, now that I have too much time on my hands. Thanks again, I'm really touched that there are actually people wasting their time to read my story.^^