Notes: Not my usual couple, or my usual series for that matter. Oh well.
They're cute, ne? Eagle, Lantis and all of it belong to CLAMP. May be
rather OOC. Sorry.
Oh Yeah, I Love You Too
"No."
"Eagle, I have to return to Cephiro."
"No. I don't want you to go."
"Please, don't be difficult, Eagle," Lantis pleaded.
The two friends were comfortably seated on the carpet of Eagle's small, fully automated, dwelling.
"You are my friend, Lantis. I don't wish for you to leave. I may never see you again if you do."
"My home is falling apart. My brother is dead. Cephiro has no pillar. I must return home." Lantis honestly wished to remain in Autozam, but his duty to his own world pulled him away too strongly. He couldn't, in good conscience, not go.
"Fine," Eagle finally sighed, defeated. "I would probably do the same thing in your position." His eyes fell to where his hands rested in his lap. There was so much he wanted to share with Lantis. His secrets, his feelings, his life. And now Lantis was leaving him. First he found out he was ill, and now this. Life was so unfair.
He tried to put on his typical sunny smile for his friend, but found he couldn't force his eyes or his lips to comply. Instead, a single tear tracked down his face as he looked back up.
"Eagle," Lantis breathed, leaning forward to brush the tear away. "I would rather stay here with you. I don't want to go back there. All I have are painful memories, and now my brother is not even there. I have no reason to want to return, but I have many reasons that I must return. Please understand."
"I do," Eagle assured him. "I just don't like it, and I'm selfish and spoiled. I want to keep you here with me, instead of letting you go back where you are needed. When will you be going?"
"Today. Now," Lantis replied bluntly.
Eagle flinched. "That doesn't give me a lot of time to say goodbye."
"Goodbye is a short word. It takes but a second to say."
"That's not what I meant!" Eagle exclaimed, then calmed himself. "I can't convey all I want to tell you in one single word. That's what I meant. And now I don't have the time to tell you that." He paused and looked intently at Lantis' handsome face. It was now or never. "I love you," he concluded.
No expression crossed Lantis' perfectly schooled features, but a tightness crept into his chest. Slowly he leaned across the table and put his hand on Eagle's cheek.
"We will meet again. I will return here when all is settled in Cephiro," he promised.
"Ah. I see. Then I suppose I shall see you again after all, won't I?" Eagle smiled bitterly. At the rate his sickness was progressing, he wouldn't be able to last that long. It was goodbye forever. Lantis just didn't realize it.
"I know we will meet again," Lantis repeated. It tore him apart to see Eagle so sad. His friend was supposed to be happy.
"Yes. I'm sure we will," Eagle nodded.
Lantis almost smiled, then stood up and slowly walked out. As he closed the door behind him, he leaned back against it and closed his eyes, fighting to get his emotions under control.
Once he deemed himself suitably composed, he straightened up and took two steps away from the door before pausing to look back over his shoulder and say quietly, "Oh yeah. I love you too." Then he walked away, to return to Cephiro.
Inside the room, Eagle smiled through his tears.
Oh Yeah, I Love You Too
"No."
"Eagle, I have to return to Cephiro."
"No. I don't want you to go."
"Please, don't be difficult, Eagle," Lantis pleaded.
The two friends were comfortably seated on the carpet of Eagle's small, fully automated, dwelling.
"You are my friend, Lantis. I don't wish for you to leave. I may never see you again if you do."
"My home is falling apart. My brother is dead. Cephiro has no pillar. I must return home." Lantis honestly wished to remain in Autozam, but his duty to his own world pulled him away too strongly. He couldn't, in good conscience, not go.
"Fine," Eagle finally sighed, defeated. "I would probably do the same thing in your position." His eyes fell to where his hands rested in his lap. There was so much he wanted to share with Lantis. His secrets, his feelings, his life. And now Lantis was leaving him. First he found out he was ill, and now this. Life was so unfair.
He tried to put on his typical sunny smile for his friend, but found he couldn't force his eyes or his lips to comply. Instead, a single tear tracked down his face as he looked back up.
"Eagle," Lantis breathed, leaning forward to brush the tear away. "I would rather stay here with you. I don't want to go back there. All I have are painful memories, and now my brother is not even there. I have no reason to want to return, but I have many reasons that I must return. Please understand."
"I do," Eagle assured him. "I just don't like it, and I'm selfish and spoiled. I want to keep you here with me, instead of letting you go back where you are needed. When will you be going?"
"Today. Now," Lantis replied bluntly.
Eagle flinched. "That doesn't give me a lot of time to say goodbye."
"Goodbye is a short word. It takes but a second to say."
"That's not what I meant!" Eagle exclaimed, then calmed himself. "I can't convey all I want to tell you in one single word. That's what I meant. And now I don't have the time to tell you that." He paused and looked intently at Lantis' handsome face. It was now or never. "I love you," he concluded.
No expression crossed Lantis' perfectly schooled features, but a tightness crept into his chest. Slowly he leaned across the table and put his hand on Eagle's cheek.
"We will meet again. I will return here when all is settled in Cephiro," he promised.
"Ah. I see. Then I suppose I shall see you again after all, won't I?" Eagle smiled bitterly. At the rate his sickness was progressing, he wouldn't be able to last that long. It was goodbye forever. Lantis just didn't realize it.
"I know we will meet again," Lantis repeated. It tore him apart to see Eagle so sad. His friend was supposed to be happy.
"Yes. I'm sure we will," Eagle nodded.
Lantis almost smiled, then stood up and slowly walked out. As he closed the door behind him, he leaned back against it and closed his eyes, fighting to get his emotions under control.
Once he deemed himself suitably composed, he straightened up and took two steps away from the door before pausing to look back over his shoulder and say quietly, "Oh yeah. I love you too." Then he walked away, to return to Cephiro.
Inside the room, Eagle smiled through his tears.
