Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Earl sighed as he put down his numerous luggages on the ground. He'd never expected much in his life. He never really had plans. Getting trapped in a contract with an evil queen, saving in-extremis orphans from her hands, getting liberated by an army of cookies and getting accepted in their kingdoms ... Was a series of event that didn't seem exactly random, but was at the very least surprising for him. He didn't think that the people who overthrown Dark Enchantress would be kind enough to understand his case, but here he was, invited to live with them. He wasn't allowed to live alone and was supposed to be under surveillance but to him that was just not much. He had a home. And his kids too. That was pretty much all that mattered.

"What's that giant house ? Is this another hotel ? It looks weird."

"It is a museum, White. It's a place where people come admire relics of our past or rare pieces of nature."

"I don't like it ... I want to go back to our hotel..."

"I'm afraid that is not possible. I'm sure you'll like the place. It has a very large collection of rare items you probably never heard of, you should take a look at it !"

"Mmmh ... It still looks weird."

White pouted as they held Earl's hand. They were the one that liked this kingdom the least ... It was understandable. They were young, they needed stability in their life. Changing places to live was very much disturbing to them. On the other hand, their sibling was hiding right behind them and didn't say a single word during the entire journey. They didn't seem to care as much, or at least not in a negative way. They even looked curious about the building.

A museum was a rather weird place to live, but the owner was the only person kind enough to accept the idea of both Earl and the kids living with him, and he needed someone to clean around the gigantic place. Most people refused the job due to the museum being so big you could easily get lost in it, but Earl's passion for cleaning quickly took over and he didn't think long before accepting the offer.

The second they stepped inside the building, a man ran the speed of light towards them, grabbed Earl's hands and began to shake them rapidly with a smile.

"I'm guessing you're the new arrivant here ? Oh my, oh my, it is a PLEASURE to have new occupants in the museum !! It gets so lonely here, alone with my thoughts all day ... Well not anymore, since you're going to stay ! Ah, I didn't even think about introducing myself, how rude ! I'm Éclair. It's a pleasure to have you here."

The man looked at Earl's eyes and finally noticed that they weren't focused on his bit rather on the kids. Éclair took a bit to notice it, but the twins seemed rather reluctant to salute him. They were hiding behind Earl, grasping his legs as if they lives depended on it.

"Forgive them ... They don't especially like meeting new people."

"Ah ... Well it is okay. I guess I should bring you to your rooms, there you might finally be able to relax. I-I'll be right there if you need me ... I'm trying to add some new relics around the museum, we have to keep the place diversified and entertaining, y'know ?"

Earl nodded as he got back his luggage and began walking towards the employees only door which he got through, still followed by the two kids who would simply not leave his ankles.

It took him a bit of time to find the room. The backrooms were mostly made to keep numerous old pieces of cookie culture and lots of taxidermied animals. Thankfully, the kids were too focused on finding their new room that they didn't pay much attention to the giant lions and bears that were displayed around. After finally finding it, they ran right into the door trying to open it thinking it was unlocked. It was definitely not. Earl chuckled, took his keys and jangled them around the hole before opening the place. It wasn't the biggest place around, but it definitely felt comfortable. Four rooms in total, two bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. The twins ran into their bed and started jumping on it, laughing and smiling.

"I'm guessing the room is to your taste."

"It's not as nice as the hotel ... But we like it !!"

"I'm glad. Do as you please with your room, your toys are in the red bag. But don't break anything, Eclair was already nice enough to let us live here ! I'll call you for dinner. We're having a truffade tonight."

"Yay ! Thank you Earl !!"

The man sighed as he leaves for the kitchen.

He prayed to whatever god was watching upon him that things could go right this time.

Chapter Text

Earl's life as a janitor was just beginning, but he was already liking it a lot. It was simple, of course. Most people would find it rather boring or even too repetitive. But he enjoyed this kind of routine. Cleaning things was his passion. He liked the satisfaction of looking at a cleaned room and knowing he did a good job with it. That was more than enough to him. That, and his new colleague was pretty nice.

After swiping the floor with some water and soap, Earl and Eclair had decided to sit down in a small corner to wait for everything to dry off. And it seemed that Eclair was eager to start a conversation.

"So ! How were your first few days here ?"

"Pretty good ! The kids aren't going out too much right now, but I'm sure they will soon enough. They're resting. As for me, well ... As long as the floor shines, I'm happy !"

"It certainly doesn't take you much."

"Well, your museum seems to be enough for you as well."

"It holds an immense amount of stories ... Keeping them alive is what's important to me."

"I understand that. I would love to hear about some of your stories one day."

"Oh, speaking of that ! Would you mind if I were to ask you a few questions about, you know ... Your past life ? N-not that I hold any kind of grudge or see you differently, I'm just ... Curious ! As an historian, I have a deep love for any kind of historical records, and testimonies tend to be the biggest and most exciting part of it ! We may own artefacts, but they have little to no value if we do not know their history ... I-I hope you can understand ! Oh god, was I too direct ? I hope it wasn't too direct ..."

Earl was surprised to see the man so genuinely curious. Most people he'd met were neutral or even weary about him, but none had ever asked questions, even if they did feel fairly simple.

"Of course ! It would be a pleasure to answer."

"Oh ?! Great !! Umh ... So ... How was dark enchantress ? Was she a tirant ? Was she nice ? Did you ever see her or did you only hear about her through the other grunts ? Oh, oh, what kind of job did you do for her ? Were you a warrior of some kind ? Or perhaps you already were a janitor ... Do people like her even need janitors ?"

Earl stared at him for a few seconds, trying to gather up his thoughts.

"Ah, forgive me, I talk too much ... I may have asked some very personal questions, huh ? Sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel bad."

"No, no, don't be ! I'm just ... Surprised. People tend to get scared of me, let alone get curious ! I rarely ever get questions about my own person or what I experienced. It's always "how many people did they kill" or "is it true that you drank blood ?" ... I'm certainly not against new things."

"I tend to ask a lot about people I meet, especially when I know they had unusual experiences. It's simple curiosity. I like to learn about large and impressive history events, but smaller parts of it are nice too ! It's all part of the past. I find that learning about little details makes me even happier. They're all precious in their own way."

"That is a nice way to think about things. To answer your questions ... I wasn't just a grunt. I was rather close to her. In fact, she used me for missions that required espionage, since I tend to blend in easily. She was ... Strict. Perhaps not as much as people would think she is. She was charming at first, but it's just a facade. Most people she recruited were in desperate need of help and she promised them a wonderful life. After that, the trap is closed and she just manipulates and gaslights people to work for her. I saw what she was doing and I could've leaved before it was too late but ... I decided to take another path."

"So you saw how bad she was yet you stayed there ?! How come ?"

"The twins."

Éclair stared at the man with eyes that were opened wide for a few seconds. The janitor began to laugh, which confused his employer even more.

"Do you mean ... The two kids that follow you everywhere ?! That's where they came from ?! How do ... How ?!"

"A combination of multiple tragic events. They weren't really lucky in life. Their parents didn't have much money to survive in the winter, so they dropped them in the middle of nowhere in the snow. Dark Enchantress found them, starving and freezing, and decided to take them in. As children, they were extremely gullible. And so, when she began to manipulate them into obeying every single order she could provide, they simply listened and followed her like mother. I was about to leave for my own safety, but I knew that if I were to leave them there ... It would be too late to save them. I told Dark Enchantress I would take care of them if she wanted, and it didn't even take convincing for her to accept. She ... Does not like kids. After that, I just tried my best to keep them away from her and hope that someone would come to put an end to her reign. The rest is history, I guess."

"Woaw ... I've heard of plenty of noble sacrifices, knights who fought until their deaths, people who took threw their entire career away to save their friend's life ... But you truly are one of a kind."

"Oh please, I certainly do not need such praise ..."

"I'm certainly not praising you ! It is the truth ! I know so much about history, and some people, despite their relative anonymousity, should be remembered, Earl Grey."

"Well, I'm not sure I'll leave enough of a trace to be remembered."

"I'll remember you. I'll make sure your take will be told. And even if you were not to be remembered in a few generations ... Some people would've known your name."

Éclair took the man's hands between his and smiled. Earl blushed and returned the gesture.

He hoped that he could stay in this museum for the rest of his life

Chapter Text

For the last few days, eclair had been desperately trying to befriend the little kids that were now living inside his museum ... With little to no success. They weren't really aggressive nor mean ... Just scared. Every time he would try to approach them, they would freeze and either flee or try to hide.

After a while, Earl ended up admitting to him that they weren't good with adults overall. They needed time, that was all. Most people they'd met up until this point had tried to hurt them in a way or another. Eclair was saddened by these news, but didn't want to give up. After all, they didn't seem to be refusing all sorts of contact. They were just a little careful, which was understandable. So within his free time, and with the help of Earl, Eclair began to slowly befriend them from afar.

Every day, the kids would find their favorite snacks right behind their door. Little toys and action figures left on their beds with notes. Small hellos from across the room. The twins kept their distances, but seemed to be less nervous around him. Eclair was still a little sad about it, but Earl knew full well that this was encouraging. It was really rare for them to be this intrigued by someone. They just didn't know how to show it yet.

One day, as Eclair was roaming the museum like usual, he noticed the kids staring at an item much longer than usual. It was as if they were hypnotized by it. For Eclair, it was a precious part of his collection, but nothing he'd expect to catch someone's interest that bad. Still, he tried to use that opportunity. He observed the kids for a while before clearing his throat and finally talk about the piece of history.

"This is a game of go. It's one of the oldest games in the world ... A very complex one too. Most people find it too hard to play nowadays."

The twins turned around to see Eclair looking at them from the other side of the room. He smiled and slowly walked over them, hoping that they would not flee like usual. But weirdly enough, they stayed. They looked at the man with shining eyes, ones obviously filled with questions.

"How old is it ? How do you play it ? Have you ever played it yourself ? Can we try it ?"

"Ah, it's been in this world from the dragons's creation, a long long time ago ... We can't play with this one, I sadly only have one in my collection and it is very ancient so I'm scared that using it might rip off some of the rare traces of paint left ... But we could try to buy a new one if you're interested. That, or we could also play other board games. Do you have any you like ? I believe I have a game of checkers in the backrooms !"

"We don't like checkers !! It's too simple ! We like Chess !"

"Chess ... Now that's a very specific and rather difficult game. But I'm sure I have a box somewhere. Do you want me to get it ? We could have a battle if you want !"

"YES ! YES !! We haven't played in weeks, we'd really love to !!"

And so, they played. A lot, even. And the true talent of these kids was finally revealed. These weren't ordinary players. They were true masters at chess. Every time Eclair felt confident about a move, the twins already planned ahead to counter him. And during this whole time, they had a large smile on their face, often stopping themselves from giggling with excitement.

This was the 8th defeat for Eclair in a row. And with all of his pride, he had to accept that this was a dead end for him.

"Now I must admit, you really destroyed me on that game ! Congratulations, you're incredible, you two !"

"You were really good too ! We liked that a lot ! We rarely see opponents that know a lot of about chess, we usually beat them in just a few moves ... It's not fun."

"Haha, I like old games of strategy, they're always nice to learn. Chess has a lot of history to it too ! There's been a lot of versions of it. Even some made out of chocolate !"

"Chocolate ? Why chocolate ? That sounds inconvenient."

"But why, to eat it of course ! Take your opponent's pawns and eat them to claim victory !"

"WOAW !! That sounds so cool ! Is there other kinds of special chess games like that ??"

"Yes of course ! So at first, there's the chess boxing sport. It's a sport where you take turns between a match of box and a chess game. It was very popular twenty years ago, and ..."

Earl looked from afar with a large smile on his face. This was probably the first time he'd seen his kids open up so much to an adult that wasn't him.

He couldn't be more proud.

Chapter Text

Earl was a little nervous. Not a lot, just a little. It was enough for it to be concerning. In a few weeks, the twin's tenth birthday was coming. And he wanted to make this a big event. The only problem was ... He didn't know how. So of course, he asked Eclair for help. But even with his dear friend's ideas, he was still scared that something would go wrong. That it wouldn't be enough. And for his love of perfection, this was a nightmare.

The twin's father was supposed to discuss this matter with Eclair at this very moment, but had went through the entire museum to find him ... With no success. This museum was a true labyrinth, he could've been anywhere ! Exhausted, he decided to come back to the museum's entrance, hoping he could just wait for him there.

Earl walked in to see Eclair, the twins and adventurer cookie gathered in a room with a bag filled with what seemed to be white rocks. Éclair smiled as he grabbed one of the rocks and stared at it for a boy before the little group began to yell.

"LICK THE ROCK ! LICK THE ROCK !"

"Let's see ..."

Éclair took the rock to his mouth and landed it on his tongue. He left the stone hanging on it for a couple of seconds before taking the rock back in hand and smiling.

"It sticks to my tongue ! It's a bone !"

"YAAAAY !"

Earl confusedly stared at the little group before walking towards Éclair who was already taking another rock, very clearly to stick it in his mouth once more.

"Éclair ? I'm sorry to disturb you, but I would require your assistance for our ... Plan."

"Oh !! Of course ! Sorry everyone, looks like Adventurer's rocks will have to be tested without be from now on. But you know the technique now ! Have fun !"

The kids nodded and waved the man goodbye before sticking their hand in the bag in hopes of finding a stone they liked. The two associates walked out to another room, with Earl still just as confused.

"What was that all about ?"

"Adventurer brought some ancient fragments from an ancient sanctuary near the Churros tribe ... The natives allowed us to inspect potteries and old sculptures, but wanted the bones of their ancestors to be returned to them ... And the best technique to identify a bone is to see if it sticks to your tongue !"

"So you're actively making my kids lick some old cookie bones ?"

"Ah, well, Umh ... That is ..."

Earl chuckled as he looked at the man trying awkwardly to find his words.

"I'm just messing with you. It looks like they're having fun ! They've been learning lots of things ever since they came here, and it's all thanks to you. I owe you a lot."

"Awh, please don't say that ... I just love sharing with whoever will listen to me, they just happen to enjoy listening to my ramblings !"

"You're underestimating your worth, dear."

"Haha ... Perhaps you're right."

Earl smiled as he brought the man over to his room and locked the door behind them.

"So. Secret birthday plan time ?"

"Secret birthday plan time. Hohoho, this is exciting ... My first time planning a surprise like that !"

"You're always so creative, I knew you could probably help me with this ..."

"Well of course ! You know it is always a pleasure to spend time with you Earl, so to do that and get the kids a good birthday gift ? I'm sure it will be a nice moment."

Eclair gently put his hand over Earl's, making him blush. The man quickly tried to go back to his usual thoughts as eclair kept talking.

"So, tell me Earl, do you have any base idea we could work on ? Do you want something physical or perhaps something they could experience ? I'm not that good with things like fairs or what children might like to do but ... I'm sure I could ask other kids around what they think about it."

"I'm ... Not sure, to be fair. They tend to be really calm, so a fair or a party with many people might be overwhelming to them. Plus, they don't really have friends to play with. Just the four of us would be alright, and being here all together would probably be the best thing for do."

"Okay. So small party, with just the family. Let's see what we could do for it ..."

Earl's heart had a little flutter as he heard the word family. Technically, they just lived together. Yes, they'd been close in the past few months, especially him and Earl ... But they weren't any kind of couple. Nor any traditional view of the family. But the man certainly did not correct his colleague.

"Oh, I know ! Earl, tell me, do you have knowledge in cakes ? I've learned quite a lot about how to do royal icing decorations, but I have no idea how to bake one ..."

"That is rather surprising, to learn decorations before the actual food ..."

"... I impulsively watched a tutorial about it one night. It was three hours long. I barely slept but at least now I can make nice cake art."

"Haha ! Okay, I do know how to bake carrot cakes, that should do the trick. But still, the most important part is the gift ... They usually like any kind of gift, big or small. But it's their tenth birthday. They went through a lot in their small lives ... And they didn't even know if they were going to make it to that age. I want this to be special. For them to truly remember it."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea ... Oh ... OH !! Earl, I know the perfect thing for them !! Let me show you !"

Eclair grabbed Earl by the hand, unlocked the door and dragged him along the reserve for a good minute, happily chuckling as he grasped his friend's hand. Finally, he stopped in front of a large box, opened it and showed it to Earl.

"Here ! What do you think ??"

"... It's perfect. Thank you."

Chapter Text

Chess Choco waddled back into their room, sipping on their brick of chocolate milk as they held hands. Today had just started and Eclair had already asked them to pick something up that he forgot at the other side of the museum. They were a little annoyed at first, since it was a long walk, but in the end, they didn't mind. Eclair rarely ever asked them anything. He was really nice, always brought them new things to try when they ate together, bought them plushies and even gave them this new home at the museum. They really loved him.

When they opened their door, they noticed that Earl was waiting on their bed with a large smile. They took a few steps back, looked at each other and shivered.

"Did ... We do something wrong ?"

"What ? No no, come here. Everything's good !"

"Then ... Why were you waiting for us ..?"

"Well, Eclair made you fetch that thing for a reason ! Didn't you guess already ?"

"... Nuh-uh."

"It's your birthday, chess !"

"It is ?! Is it really ?"

"I didn't think you'd forget ... I know you used to never celebrate it, but still ! Anyways. Happy birthday, sweetheart. Eclair and I have been planning a small party for you, just the four of us."

Earl walked towards the kitchen as the two kids began to follow him with round eyes and a mouth wide open, still surprised about the reveal. After a bit, they began to waddle towards him to take a look at the kitchen. It was ... Pretty much exactly everything they could've wanted. A few small decorations, but nothing too big or outstanding to make them feel uneasy. A simple brown cake with a white icing and two little candles in the middle of it. And a large box wrapped with a plain gold paper. Eclair was sitting at the table with a large smile, waiting for them to get in the room.

"Is that ... Our cake ? Can we get a slice of it ?"

"It was made for you, I sure hope you'll want a slice of it."

The twins sat down, looked at Éclair and nodded to give him a little hello, and each took a piece of candy that they chewed for a little while before swallowing.

"So, you only get one gift, but it's a rather big one. Eclair and I worked quite hard to make it perfect for you."

The kids nodded, grabbed the gift and the wrapper was quickly ripped appart by the tiny eager hands before the kids stopped and gasped. The pinkish paper revealed a gorgeous sculpted hardwood box underneath. It was rather simple, a dark wood with small square motifs with little golden letters over on the top of the box.

"For one that shall rule a country, reflection is primordial."

The twins looked at each other, then around the room, and finally got the courage to open the box. And what was inside of it was better than what they could've ever imagined.

It seemed to be an old set of chess, handmade in the most precious ways you could imagine. The white pawns were made out of ivory, wereas the black pawns where made out of pure obsidian. All of the figures were unique and crafted in a way to show a different figure on all pieces, even the ones with the same roles. The kings and queens where fully dressed in superb outfits with small details covered up in gold leaves. The Knights were horses accompanied with their riders. And even the usually insignificant pawns were sculpted as their own person.

The twins were simply flabbergasted. They couldn't even process what they were looking at. After a good minutes, a few tears of happiness finally rolled over black's cheeks. This was their new favorite thing in the whole world.

"Earl and I thought of you when we saw this piece. I wasn't sure if it would be something you appreciated, since you seemed to love playing more than the actual board but ... I'm glad it fits you. This was a gift from a king to his son hundreds of years ago. He offered this set to him, and they played together every day. The man promised he would let his son lead the day he would beat him in chess. Legends tells it took him no less than 20 years."

The kids were still silent, sobbing and softly looking at the pieces together, carefully holding each and every single one of the pawns, imagining how long it must've taken to be created.

"So ... Umh ... Do you ... Like it ?"

"You're the best dads in the world."

Each of the twins rushed to one of the men sitting in the room, hugged him and began to cry even harder.

That was probably the most rewarding thing they'd ever done.

Chapter Text

The day had been a little busy. There was a large exposition about jewels in the museum, which had got many people interested. Between making sure that nothing was stolen, checking visitors for potential weapons, answering all of the attendees's questions and cleaning up, Earl and Eclair were exhausted. It was getting pretty late, the two men were sitting on the ground of the last room they cleaned, finally taking a break. Earl was adjusting his outfit and quickly cleaning up his sleeves, but Eclair seemed a little ... Tense. Not exactly in a bad way. He wanted to say something, but didn't know how. He just needed to find the right moment.

"Alright ... Okay. I Know this might sound a bit weird. But ... I need to thank you, Earl."

Earl tilted his head, filled with curiosity and confusion.

"Did I do something that's worth thanking me lately ? I feel like I've merely done mondaine tasks."

"T-that's more or less the thing. I know it's a little weird, but I wanted to say thank you. Because you don't just work here. To me... You're not a simple employee."

"Ah ? Well, while this is rather pleasing to hear, I believe that I still do not know why are you thanking me."

"I'm here to say that ... I'm grateful that you're my friend, Earl."

A little silence insued. Eclair glupped nervously and immediately tried to end this awkwardness.

"I know it's weird. But I felt the need to say it. I'm bad with feelings, you know ? I can explain to you in details the numerous emotions the great dark cacao felt when betrayed by his son, but I usually can't even put a single word over my own thoughts. But today, I know one thing. You're someone I truly appreciate, Earl. You're nice, I love talking to you, you're a caring parent, a wonderful helper, but most of all, you're a friend I know I hold close to my heart. And since I'm bad at showing it, I wanted to say it directly."

Earl blushed, rubbed the back of his neck and sat down.

"You're not bad at showing it, at all. You're a wonder to be around. I mean, not a lot can afford to make me smile, let alone every day ! I'm happy you wanted to tell me that directly, thought. Hearing it ... Is kind of comforting."

Earl walked towards his friend, took his hand and smiled.

"Let's keep doing our best to be good friends, okay ?"

It was a bit natural for him. It's not rare for Earl to be direct with his feelings when it comes to appreciation. But it took him a while to understand what he just did. He grabbed his hand. They were holding hands. And went that information finally reached his head, he noticed that Eclair was completely red, staring at their hands and shaking a little bit. Earl immediately removed his hand, laughed nervously and took a few steps back.

"Haha ! Oh well, looks like we're happy like that ! So Umh ... Yeah ! I'm goinf to ... Go back to my room. The kids are waiting for me. Goodbye !!"

Earl ran through half of the museum back to his room, slammed the door behind his back, and immediately sat against the door, sighing loudly. He was way too embarrassed for his own good, but dear lord he was happy. Eclair was such a nice person, he couldn't even say how much he loved him. He was just so sweet and calm and ... And ... Ah, the mere thought of being with him gave him butterflies in his stomach. That was it. The point in his life he thought he'd never be able to reach. Happiness. A simple life, filled with small pleasures, one that is fulfilling without the need to always seek excessive things to fill up a deep void within your heart.

He was so deep in transe that he didn't even notice his kids rushing towards him to check on him.

"Earl ? Is something wrong ?"

"H-HUH ?! Oh my, I didn't even see you here ... Yes, yes, I am doing good, do not worry, sweetheart. I am merely calming down from a positive experience. I'm happy, that's it."

Pawn white nodded with a smile and ran back to their room, but pawn black didn't. They stared at the man for a few seconds, keeping their usual neutral face. After a while, Earl noticed that they were staring at his cheeks. They were probably still red. He surely needed to hide that

"... So when are you two going to kiss ?"

Earl didn't have enough time to understand what the kid asked that they'd already ran back towards their sibling.

... Touché.

Chapter Text

He could do this. He could do it ! He studied the subject for years, technically. Romance is one of the biggest subjects that was ever brought up in history !! There's always been couples, they're an inherent part of this world, they bring happiness to others. So why ? Why was it so stupidly difficult to say something as simple as "I love you ?" He's not even asking to date him. He doesn't know how he could even ask Earl for this ! Should he wait for a response ? Prepare himself in case something wrong happens ? Earl is nice, he probably won't see him so different, even if he learns that he is in love with him. He's so nice, that's one of the many appealing things about him ... And he's just so sweet and caring too ... Urgh, no ! He had to focus. Fo-cus. What's the worst that can happen ? Maybe he won't be able to touch him without it being weird anymore. But who cares ?! He barely even touched him in the past outside of big events. He's too shy to do so !

Eclair feel his heart beating out of his chest. He just wanted to say it. I love you. Why must simple feelings like these be so taboo ?

"Hey, Eclair ! What are you doing here ? I thought your shift was supposed to be over."

He didn't expect to see the man here. At all. The museum had been closed for about an hour, and Earl usually spent his free time in his home with his children rather than inside the museum.

"Ah ! Well ... Umh ... I was observing this painting. It's a rather ancient piece of art, but I can't help but be fascinated by it. It's supposed to symbolise the love of the moon and the sea. Legends say it took them hundreds years to finally reach out to one another. It is a rather sad story ... But one that I'm simply mesmerized by."

"I've heard about that story in the past. It's a sad tale, but it does have a good ending. I must say, I'm okay with all kinds of stories, but my favorites are always the one that end with positive notes."

"I understand it. I study the ancient world we live in. Most of the people I admire have been long dead, far before I was even born. But I feel like their lives were always worth it, for what they brought to this place."

"Trying is always worth it. I'd rather live with remorses than regrets."

"That's a good set of mind. I wish I could have it, but ... I'm too much of a coward."

"I guess you just have to try whenever you can."

"I'm not sure how I could do such thing..."

"Let me show you."

Earl gently took the man's hand within his, smiled and bowed.

"Eclair, for the last few months we've spent together, I couldn't help but feel like your presence has been a blessing. For my family, yes, but for my own person as well. You are truly a person that has a soothing personality, a great intelligence, a sweetness that I've never seen before and a heart of gold. You're passionate, kind and always willing to share with others. You make me happy. You've said it before, I matter to you. But more than anything, you matter to me. As more than a friend. I would like to share something that I've kept a secret, perhaps for way too long ..."

"I love you."

When Earl finally ended his bow to look at his friend in the eyes, he noticed that they were looking quite ... Moist. He knew that this declaration wouldn't be without a tear or two. But he thought that these tears would be his own.

"See ? I told you, you can say things when you feel brave enough."

"Earl, I ... I love you. Please, stay with me. I don't want you to ever live my side. It's a little selfish, I know, but ... I want to make you as happy as you made me."

"You already did. And I think that things should keep going this way. Just the four of us."

"Of course ..."

A sweet hand gently dried off Eclair's tears as it brought his face closer to Earl's lips, allowing the two partners to finally kiss.

The moonlight illuminated the two of them from behind the stained glass windows of the museum.

It was as if she'd blessed the two beings herself.