Chapter 12

Warm light flooded into the living room where Cain lay snoozing on the couch. The summer evening sun warmed his skin, and when the glowing orb moved out from behind the clouds, the light shined on his face to wake him from his lazy slumber. He blinked his auburn eyes a few times, yawning as he awakened. A familiar, comfortable weight was on his chest, and he was met with a face full of soft green hair when he glanced down. Abel was still asleep, using his chest as a pillow. Their legs were entangled together on the couch in Abel's home—no, it was his home too, now. Cain smiled at this thought; it had been months since he'd moved in, but the magic of the place hadn't faded.

Cain's languorous eyes watched the sun disappear behind the clouds on its journey down the sky, tinting the white vapor different shades of red and orange like patterns of stained glass. Somehow, he couldn't find beauty in the sight. The way the colors smeared through the clouds as the sun moved, so fluidly, that blood red color…

"Cain… Cain?" The redhead quite literally brought his head back down from the clouds, and turned his attention to the resting man on top of him who had started to stir. Abel stared at him with sleepy green eyes and a languid smile. "What are you thinking about?"

Cain looked at Abel's drowsy face; the sun bathed his dark skin in a beautiful golden glow. He started to relax, not realizing that he'd tensed up. When he laid with Abel like this, the troubles they'd gone through seemed a million years in the past. Still, he had something on his mind, and he finally spoke his question. "Abel… Why did you choose to stay with me?"

"Somehow, I don't think 'your devilish good looks' is the answer you're looking for."

Cain smiled at Abel's words. "You'd be right."

"Well, what can I say…? Maybe I bumped my head." Abel smirked as he kept teasing Cain, lazily tracing his fingers along the redhead's sharp jawline.

A blush heated up Cain's pale cheeks as his partner mentioned how they'd met by Cain's failed shot while fooling around in the park. It seemed so long ago; it was hard to imagine how he'd ever gotten on without Abel in his life. Even though it wasn't the serious answer he wanted, the green-haired man's words cheered him up. "Does love have anything to do with it?"

Abel laughed at the question, and he nodded. "I suppose I could sum it up into those three little words…" He leaned forward to give Cain a small kiss on the nose. "I love you more than anything."

"That was more than three." Cain grinned as Abel rolled his eyes playfully. "I love you too." Cain reached his hand up to cup Abel's cheek, holding it with a gentle hand.

Abel put his hand over his partner's; Cain widened the space between his fingers so that Abel's could entwine with his. The green-haired man looked down at Cain with a warm, affectionate gaze, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile.

"What are you thinking about?" Now it was Cain's turn to ask the question of Abel, tilting his head to the side as his hand gently toyed with his partner's soft green hair.

"I'm just thinking… Perhaps some of your luck has rubbed off on me." Abel's serene voice was quiet, and he slowly tuned to look back at Cain, smiling contently. "Not many people get to spend the rest of their life with their best friend."

Cain felt a small blush rise to his cheeks, but the words made his heart flutter. "The rest of your life? Are you proposing to me?" Cain teased with a grin, leaning forward for a kiss.

"No way," Abel laughed, meeting Cain's lips with his for a few blissful moments. "That's your job. Don't forget, I'm a ring size eight."

~The End! Thank you for reading!~