#fae?

Dusk

Jon stands on the balcony, staring out at the sea. It's waves are choppy, she's agitated tonight. He breathes in the salty mist on the breeze and pulls the blanket tighter about his shoulders. The sun is going down in a glorious, bloody show of red and gold and orange, but even as it warms him with his last rays, he shivers.

His hand rests upon the ironwork railing, the gold ring on his hand catches the light and almost glows like a hot brand. He doesn't need to look down to know the cliffs are tall, and the beach below is littered with sharp rocks.

There's a little bird in his chest that longs to hop up onto the railing and take flight, but the ring's weight draws his attention to it when he shifts his grip.

"Jon?"

The voice is calm, but he can hear an edge beneath it, something sharp. Jon exhales, and lets go of the railing, turning his head slightly towards the footsteps as the man who called him approaches.

Possessive hands wrap around him, and he allows himself to be drawn into their embrace.

"Jon, what are you doing out of bed? You still have a fever."

The man's tone, so measured and collected, edges a little into concern. "Come away from the balcony, Jon."

*Now* is written in the interaction, in the lines of the man's shoulders, in the way the gentle kiss to Jon's forehead lays claim to him.

A hand slides from around his back to gently caress his stomach, not yet rounded with their child, but soon. Soon.

I had a variety of dreams last night, but the last one was different than usual.

I was walking around doing some stuff in a different dream, when these two kittens pawed open an apartment door for me and then scampered into a different adjacent apartment. The one they went into was already open and vacant, but the door thry opened was warm and brown and there was a light further inside. Curious, I entered.

Down a short unlit hallway of earthen colors, it then opened to the right and a small living room with an older woman (60s+?) Comfortably seated in it beside a Christmas tree, glowing fireplace that now that I think about it I don't know it actually had fire in it, some couches and chairs, an unlit window, and a few moody lighting placements that gave the place a cozy feeling. She set down her cup and acted like she had been expecting me, welcoming me and offering me a seat. I talked about something, and so did she, but it was all polite jabber I can't remember. She did talk about needing help with something, finding something. I was of course willing to help.

So I sat and listened, though fidgeted and got distracted looking around. There were a few picture frames on the wall with nothing distinct in them, possibly jusr scenery. The tree had lights in it and baubles. Not long into the discussion more people wandered in the same way I had come, looking similarly confused but curious. The woman had gotten up to help everyone find seats as she talked about things I can't remember, and then sat by me.

After a time we all laughed at something and I realized we hadn't done introductions of any kind. Or, there was a vague memory of one but not specific. I apologized and said I get distracted easily and started saying people's names.so I could remember. I don't actually remember any of them but then I got to the old woman and without missing a beat I confidently said "Idris."

She held her smile but looked at me a little more sharply and said, "I don't think I ever mentioned my name..."

"Didn't you...?" I half mumbles as she got up. Now that she said that, I couldn't remember when she had. But all the same I was sure that I knew that was her name.

She moved on and said how her husband had passed and she had only this clock on the mantlepiece to remember him by. We all got up to look at it cause it was only jusr bigger than her whole hand. It had a whole bunch of little marbles all around instead of numbers, and it was missing one in the lower left. She said she had found almost all of the pieces again.

On the floor were a few bags of marbles, so even though she kept talking I just started looking in a bag. I got on the floor and looked arouns. But at a glance none of them were the right color. I tried looking harder, and more shapes started appearing, but a lot of them just looked plastic.

Beside the bag I found a really cool looking earth marble, the deep blue was almost see through. She and the others were also on the floor now, but gathered around like storyline as she talked. The earth marble was too big for the clock, but it was cool so I rolled it over to her. It hit a few smaller marbles around her with a satisfying glass click.

She stopped and looked at me, like a teacher that has been interrupted. "That's not what I'm looking for."

I shrugged a little self consciously and immediately explained as I also continued looking in the bag, "I know, its too big, but I told you I'm easily distracted, and it's a really cool marble, it's the earth, and it was sitting outside the bag, so I thought I'd roll it over, and I like how it looks." I was finding more weird oblong rocks than marbles now, despite being in the same bag.

Then I woke up.

How's it go? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery? @asktheboywholived

Bonus: