Under The Stars

“Han, I’m tired.”

“The next town isn’t too far away.”

“But I’m tired now.”

Leigh sighed dramatically, putting the back of his hand over his forehead and pretending to sway. Han rolled his eyes, though there was a slight quirk to his lips. He was used to his boyfriend’s theatrics by now, he had hardly changed in the many lifetimes he had known him. It was far too easy to give in to his charms. 

“Alright. We’ll find a place to rest for a while but the sun is setting,” Han gave in, shaking his head. 

At that, Leigh shot him a mischievous grin. It was one he recognised intimately, as if the twinkling in those eyes like the dancing of fire in a well-kept hearth wasn’t enough of a giveaway that he was up to something. He was not at all surprised when Leigh grabbed his hand and tugged him further along the dirt path with a sudden newfound energy. 

“This way! This way!”

Han let himself be pulled this way and that until they reached their destination. It was an abandoned set of ruins, moss crawling up the aged stone bricks. They weren’t too uncommon to come across but Han could feel something special about this one in his very core, though it was evident that it wasn’t something foul. Leigh let go of his hand and walked up towards the ruins.

There truly wasn’t much there. The ruins didn’t even make up a single room, just a set of half torn down bricks on either side, a back wall, and half of a rooftop upon a set of spiralling stairs and tower. Han followed Leigh towards the ruins, running his fingers gently over the markings on the wall. The magic in the air was very faint, which was rather uncommon for most ruins with any magical energy but Han could feel it thrumming through his veins. 

Then, he watched Leigh climb on top of one of the broken-down walls and then made his way half up the spiralling staircase before gesturing for Han to follow. Han cocked an eyebrow but did indeed, follow. The ruins did not give him any indication that they were dangerous.

Leigh climbed to the top of the spiralling staircase and then pulled himself up onto the rooftop tower. He looked down at Han and smiled, holding out his hands towards him.

“I’ll lift you up, come on,” he said.

“I could just—”

“Sprout your wings and fly, yes I know. But I think you want to be lifted by me more.”

Han felt his cheeks grow a little warm. He said nothing and reached out so Leigh could grab his hands and pull him on top of the rooftop. When he reached the top, he hesitantly looked around and then down at the flooring. He experimentally stomped his foot on it, noting that a few pieces of brick crumbled under the weight.

“I’m not sure this is safe,” he said, glancing at Leigh.

“Aw, don’t worry! You’ll be fine!”

“I’m not worried about me.”

Leigh blinked owlishly at him and then chuckled. He wrapped an arm around Han’s waist and pulled him in so he could plant a fat kiss on his cheek. Han couldn’t help but let out a small laugh before he pushed him away. 

“Why did you want to come up here?” Han asked. 

“There’s something here that I wanted to show you. I’d read all about it and when I saw those signs a little way back, I just knew we were getting close to this spot,” Leigh explained. “No one will see us up here. We have to wait for sundown though so we might as well get comfy!”

Han watched as Leigh shucked off his jacket and laid it down on the floor of the rooftop, then sat down. He looked up at Han and pat the inviting space left next to him. Han took a deep breath and sat beside him.

“This was your plan all along,” he said, thinking to how Leigh had feigned exhaustion not too long ago.

Leigh raised his hands in surrender. “You got me.”

The two of them both let out a laugh. 

Han leaned his arms on his raised knees and looked towards Leigh. With the sun setting, a warm orange glow encompassed both them and the world. Han took a moment to admire the way it drew attention to Leigh’s soft, brown skin and the light splattering of freckles that covered it. Thick layers of his chocolate brown hair framed his face and splayed out over his collar bones. Leigh had called him plenty of things, had told him that he had an ethereal kind of beauty from the moment they met (he would later realise the irony of that compliment), but Han couldn’t help but think Leigh had an underrated kind of magnificence to his appearance.

Not that it mattered, he thought. He would love Leigh in any form he came in, it was just a perk that he was so devilishly handsome on top of all that charm. 

“It’s a pretty view from up here, isn’t it?” Leigh said. 

Han knew it was cheesy but he didn’t draw his eyes away from Leigh to follow his gaze until he said: “Yeah.”

From this spot, you could see the nearby town, their patched up rooves and the candlelight in their homes illuminating each window. You could see the forest they had left an hour ago, the trees huddling together like artic creatures in a snowstorm. It seemed to carry on for miles, trickling into the distance with varying shades of green. One look up showed the vast expanse of the sky, of the different colours – oranges, pinks, and a tinge of red. 

Leigh wrapped his arm around Han’s waist, pulling him in. Han sighed into the embrace and leaned his head on his shoulder, letting his long hair spill over his back. It was nice, he had to admit, to take breaks like this sometimes. They had just gotten back from a rather strenuous task, a large rift in the town on the other side of the forest. Han appreciated the breather. It gave him a chance to replenish his energy and his qi, something that seemed to be happening a little quicker than he thought it might. Perhaps it had something to do with the light magic surrounding these ruins?

“I’ll let you know when you can see it,” Leigh said. Han simply nodded.

It took a little while before the sun fully set and the moon rose in its place. In the meantime, the two of them lamented about some of the rude townspeople they had encountered earlier and a humorous moment in which a rather forward market stall owner tried to sell them a magical plant that would “enhance their nightly activities”. 

“Ah, there it is!” Leigh said. Han lifted his head from Leigh’s shoulder and saw him point up into the skies. “This star to this one and this… It’s a constellation, do you see?”

“Yes.”

“That’s the constellation Altair. Now, if you look up a little higher, there’s this cluster of stars a bit further up. You see them?”

“Mhmm.”

“That’s Vega.”

“Is this what you wanted to show me?” Han asked. 

Leigh nodded and grinned. He squeezed Han’s waist fondly. “There’s an old legend about Altair and Vega, you know?”

“Tell me.”

“So, they tell the story of a cow herder, Altair, and a weaver girl, Vega. They were deeply in love. The girl comes from a family of immortal Gods and the cow herder is mortal. The Gods did not approve of the romantic mingling of immortals and mortals though, and they arranged to separate the two lovers. They carved a river between them,” Leigh explained. He drew a line between the two sets of constellations, where there was a faint splash of white spiralling in the dark sky. “They can only spend one night a year together, when the birds come together to form a bridge so they can see each other.”

Han listened quietly to his story and stared up at the two constellations. Trust Leigh to pick a romantic spot with a romantic story to match. He could be so cheesy sometimes, but wasn’t he just as bad? 

“I see…” he said.

“It makes me sad; you know? That something like mortality got in the way of their love. I’m really happy that it doesn’t… it doesn’t apply to us,” Leigh replied. Han’s eyes flickered over to him to see him clutching at the necklace around his neck. A little part of his soul, forever with him.

Han cupped Leigh’s cheek and drew him in for a kiss. It was long but chaste, their lips melding together like perfect pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. Han had never doubted for a second in his mind that Leigh was the one for him. Over a thousand lifetimes, they would always find a way to be together, to share moments like these. He would let Leigh tell him a thousand cheesy, romantic legends if he wanted to, if it meant that there would be more times like these.

“I’m happy too,” he said softly when they parted.

For once, Leigh was quiet. He gazed directly back into Han’s aqua eyes, lips slightly parted and glazed over with spit from the kiss. Then, all in a rush, he turned his body completely towards Han, wrapping both arms around his waist and pulling him into another bruising kiss. Han squealed a little at first, but quickly melted into the kiss.

He wrapped his arms around Leigh’s neck as he let him lay him back against his jacket. The kiss deepened, Leigh’s hands skimming down his waist as he settled between his legs. 

When the kiss ended, both of them were breathless. Leigh leaned his forehead against Han’s, his hair tickling his skin, and took a moment just to catch his break. Han’s hands slid down from the back of his neck to hold his cheeks in his palms. 

“You don’t think it was too much? The romantic getaway in the ruins, looking up at the stars?” Leigh asked, leaning into his palms.

Han shook his head. “I happen to like things a bit cheesy, apparently.”

“Lucky me,” Leigh chuckled and kissed him once more.

They stayed like that for a while, just kissing and embracing under the moonlight, under the gaze of two forlorn lovers who they were sure, would bless them if they knew. While the stars had aligned for them, they knew that there were many others out there who weren’t quite so fortunate.

“Thank you for indulging me,” Leigh mumbled partway through their kissing session. 

Han rolled his eyes and smiled wide. “You don’t have to thank me for that.”

“But you didn’t have to, you know?” Leigh pressed kisses all over Han’s cheek and down towards his jaw. “You could have just told me to get lost from the moment we met. I mean, it might have taken more than that to get rid of me but… the sentiment is there.”

“I wouldn’t do that.”

“I know.”

Leigh slowly rolled off him and laid by his side, getting to look up at the stars once again. He reached out and took Han’s hand in his, kissing his knuckles and squeezing his palm. Han let out a deep breath and leaned his head on Leigh’s chest. It was surprisingly comfortable like this, just laying together under the moon.

“Hey, Han?” Leigh spoke up again.

“Hmm?”

“I love you.”

Han paused, glancing up at Leigh. He had heard it a thousand times or more, but it never got old. He liked hearing it every time. Even so, after the night they had, Han was feeling a little impish himself. Leigh did rub off on him, after all. 

“I know,” he said, with a slight smirk.

It was worth it to see Leigh puff his cheeks and pout, pinching Han’s side playfully when he laughed. “Here I am, pouring my heart out to you and this is how you treat me?”

Han smiled wide, open and honest, a warm blush to his cheeks as he leaned up to press a kiss on Leigh’s lips. “I’m just teasing you.”

“Uhuh.”

“I love you too.”

Leigh smiled back at him and brushed a lock of glimmering pink hair behind Han’s ear. Han soon spotted that mischievous twinkle in his eyes again. Then, Leigh leaned in to whisper in his ear.

“I know.”