Archive of Our Own ^beta

"How many stars do you think there are in the sky?"

A soft question, air rushing out past even softer lips that belonged to the man laying on his back, staring up at the sky. He didn't even glance at the man next to him to see if they heard his question; of course they heard, they always listen to him when he rambles. But this question, one that came out of seemingly nowhere, and was somewhat out of character for the quiet, soft spoken, and usually stoic man, really threw his companion off for a minute.

"Stars in the sky?" Blue eyes as light as the sky on a clear day blinked open, the sound of rustling as their owner sat up and turned to look at the man who had asked such a crazy yet reasonable question, head tilted to the side ever so slightly, making his light brown hair fall over his eyes a bit.

They hummed in response, a simple yes from him. The lying man, who's skin was much darker than his blue-eyed companion, didn't open his eyes, or even really move, just waiting for an answer to his question.

"A lot probably.. geez.. more than anyone could ever count in a life-time.. Why are you so curious about it, Vylad?" They wondered aloud, turning to gaze up at the clear starry night, sitting in a clearing surrounded by trees and the gentle rustling as the many creatures in nature moved about.

And finally, a pair of emerald eyes opened, only half way though, and turned to gaze at the sitting man. He chuckled, the sound soft and barely audible, much like the person who made it, who could slip away and no one would even know he was gone, or could be right next to you, and you would never know.

Vylad took a deep breathe before pushing himself up into a sitting position, still smiling gently at his boyfriend. "Because, Laurance, I doubt that if you gathered all the stars in the sky, you could never get a number more than the amount of reasons I love you."

A cough, stammering words as Laurance attempted to find a response, face becoming tinted with red as he blushed. "W-well how many stars do you think there are in the sky, mr. space nerd?"

Space nerd, a nickname Vylad was given after pointing out multiple constellations and talking about random facts he happened to know. He shook his head, scooting closer and leaning up, making their faces only inches apart. "More than a google." He whispered, voice dropping quite a few octaves to where Laurance had to lean even closer to hear him.

"And how many zeroes are in a google?" He asked, reaching out to place a hand on Vylad's hip and pull him closer, eyes locked together.

"A hundred zeroes, and I can still think of more reasons than that of why I love you." Vylad told him, and like that it was like a switch was flipped.

Laurance closed the gap between them, connecting their lips and feeling them instantly fit together like perfect puzzle pieces. He pulled Vylad into his lap, remaining gentle, as his other hand cupped the tan boy's cheek, smiling. One of Vylad's hands gripped the front of Laurance's shirt, the other tangling into brown locks and lightly tugging.

There was no ferocity in the kiss, no lust or need or feralness. Just a gentle press of lips together, gentle reminders that they had each other. The kiss didn't have to be fierce or desperate for them to be able to feel the passion.

Neither wanted to break the kiss, but sadly, things must be done and Laurance still has to breathe, even if Vylad doesn't. And when he pulled back, he watched as Vylad, eyes still closed, slightly trailed after him, as if not wanting him to end it so soon.

Emerald eyes open and met with blue ones, matching dopey grins spread over their faces as Vylad began to giggle lightly. The chuckling turned into soft chuckles, which soon turned to amused laughter. And when he laughs, well it's infectious and Laurance couldn't resist laughing as well, even if he wasn't sure what was so funny.

"Heh, mind telling me what gives you the giggles mr?" He asked, still holding the man in his lap.

Vylad took a second to calm down enough, hiccuping a bit and wiping his eyes. "Ah.. nothing much, other than how stupidly dopey your face looked."

"Hey! My face is beautiful, just like the rest of me. And just like you!" Laurance exclaimed, feigning hurt, which made Vylad laugh even more.

"Hehe!! I know, Laur..." He mumbled, grinning wide as he nuzzled into the crook of the taller man's neck, arms wrapping loosely around his shoulders as he let out a small sigh of content. "I love you."

The guard looked down at the rouge, smiling gently at how adorable he looked right then. "I love you too, V. I always will." He replied, running his hand gently through the other's dark brown mop of hair. "You wanna just stay outside tonight. Sleep under the stars?"

A small hum of agreement was what he got, and he could tell Vylad was already dozing off. So, Laurance laid down on his back once more, his smaller boyfriend curled up on his chest (like a cat in his opinion) and shut his eyes. Sleep didn't take long to find him, and as he was drifting off, he realized something.

Vylad was right, no amount of stars in the sky could ever come close to how many reasons they loved eachother, and Laurance realized just how lucky he was to find someone who understood him, who'd stay by his side till the end of time.