“Together, as one. I love it.”

-Lord Shaxx (Destiny 2)

For a moment, Ralsei thought he was dreaming. Everything just seemed too good to be true.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that he was still in the light world. The room was dim, illuminated only by the faint rays of the sun shining through the window. He smiled to himself; the light world was such a beautiful place.

Of course, as far as he was concerned, one beauty of the light world outshined all the rest.

Ralsei turned over to face the beauty in question: Kris. His closest friend, his dearly beloved, the one he cared about more than anything. His smile widened as he looked upon the sleeping form of his boyfriend.

Ralsei never understood why Kris chose someone like him. He was such a wonderful person - he was kind, caring, affectionate, handsome, and a million other things. Ralsei was nothing compared to him. And yet he loved him all the same. In spite of everything, he still chose him.

Ralsei shifted closer to Kris, wrapping his arms around him. He let out a blissful sigh. What a perfect moment this was...

Ralsei pulled back as Kris began to stir. He couldn’t help but stare into those beautiful green eyes of his.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you...” Ralsei muttered.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” Kris smiled. “How’re you doing?”

“Pretty good, actually. How about you?”

“I’m feeling pretty great, honestly.” He pulled Ralsei closer, resting his forehead against his. “You don’t have to pull away, by the way.”

“Sorry,” Ralsei chuckled nervously and returned his embrace.

“And stop apologizing so much.”

“Sorry, I can’t help it.”

“You just did it again,” Kris laughed. “It’s fine, though.”

Ralsei nodded and hugged him a little more tightly. “I love you, Kris.”

“I love you too. I wish I could just lay here with you all day, but, you know…” He climbed out of bed, stretching out his limbs. “…I’ve got a lot to do today.”

“But it’s Sunday. You don’t have school or anything today,” Ralsei sat up, “so we could spend a little more time here.”

“Well, I was planning on showing you around the light world, but if you want to stay here…”

Ralsei’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Yep. It’s a real nice place when it’s not raining. I know you’ll love it.”

“Oh, I can’t wait!” He excitedly hugged Kris. “This is going to be great!”

“As great as an unassuming small town can be,” Kris chuckled, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Let’s get ready.”

Later that evening…

Kris had given Ralsei a tour of Hometown over the course of the day. Ralsei was thoroughly enamored by the world around him, regarding nearly everything with a sense of childlike wonder. Kris hadn’t been able to stop smiling the whole time.

The sun had begun to set, painting the sky a lovely orange color.

‘Perfect,’ Kris said to himself.

“Hey, Kris,” Ralsei’s voice shook him from his thoughts, “what’s behind that weird door back there?”

Kris shrugged, “I don’t know. No one’s even tried opening it in years. My money’s on eldritch demon, though.”

“As good a guess as any, I suppose.” Ralsei looked up at the sky and noticed it was starting to get dark. “We should probably head home soon.”

“We can head back in a bit. Come on, there’s one last thing I want to show you today,” Kris beckoned him.

“What is it?”

“Something special,” Kris smiled.

He led Ralsei to a secluded lake at the east edge of Hometown. Light from the setting sun reflected brilliantly off of the clear waters. Kris sat on the ground, gesturing for Ralsei to sit beside him.

“I always like coming here,” he said. “It’s nice and quiet here. Pretty, too.”

“Yeah…” Ralsei was enraptured by the beauty of the scene before him.

“I was hoping to show you a light world sunset here, but then I remembered that the sun doesn’t set in the east. So I guess this’ll have to do.”

Ralsei chuckled slightly, resting his head on Kris’ shoulder. “It’s beautiful. I love it.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Kris held him close. “It’s nice to have someone to share this spot with.”

“Kris, thank you so much for bringing me here.”

“To the lake, or to the light world?”

“Well, both, but mostly the light world. It’s such a wonderful place… and I’m glad you’re here with me.”

Kris smiled, “I couldn’t exactly leave you behind after all we’ve been through together, could I?” He planted a kiss on Ralsei’s lips. “I love you.”

Ralsei’s cheeks flushed red. “I… love you too.”

“God, you’re cute when you blush like that.” Kris pulled him into an affectionate embrace.

Ralsei said nothing and returned his embrace. At least now he couldn’t see his face burning bright red.

He let out a blissful sigh. His dreams really had come true.