Jester (Man x Man) ✔

1) s o u l m a t e s

Jester

part one
the end of innocence

"If nothing saves
us from death,
may love at least
save us from life."

- Pablo Neruda -

chapter one
s o u l m a t e s

Eli had 14 hours to live and couldn't have been happier. He had been waiting for this day to come, making plans and perfecting every detail. He felt lightheaded, like the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders and he was floating two feet above the ground.

Eli even whistled while he hastily combed his short light brown hair, taking a quick glance at his reflection from the bathroom mirror. There was a glint of hope in his hazel eyes, which was something he hadn't seen in them for a long time. He had never felt more alive. That was, of course, in conflict with the fact Eli was going to end his life in just 14 hours.

No more fake smiles, that didn't quite reach his eyes. No more making the others laugh for the entire evening, only to come back home and sit back against the wall in a dark room feeling hollow, numb and so entirely alone. No more mornings, when all he wanted to do was to go back to sleep. 24 years of pain was more than enough, and just the thought of making it all go away was enough to curve his lips in a content smile.

He pulled on black cargo pants, a simple white t-shirt and lastly, his mandatory piece of attire, a black leather jacket that covered his tattooed arms. As a final detail, he put on all his rings and a golden cross necklace. After cramming his feet in his combat boots, he was ready to go.

Eli lit his fight cigarette of the day, inhaling the grey smoke deeply. It wasn't like he was going to die of lung cancer, so there was no reason to deny the pleasure. He had a few errands for the day, such as returning books to the library and his working clothes to the convenience store. After he was done with those, he bought a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks and took it with him to a nearby park.

Eli had an audiobook to finish, which would take about an hour and half. He sat on a bench, put on his earbuds, took a sip from his latte and immersed himself in the story. It was a chilly autumn day, but the coffee warmed him up and kept his hands from getting frostbitten. There weren't many people, except one or two passer-bys hurrying to work or off work.

It was peaceful, almost dreamlike. How different everything looked when you knew you were looking at it for the last time. While Eli listened to the story, he kept saying goodbyes to the things he saw: the passer-bys, the pigeons trotting around his bench, the sun and the cold autumn air that tinted his cheeks red.

When the book ended, he went to get sushi from his favourite restaurant and took it with him in a plastic case. Bye bye, restaurant. Then he bought a pack of cigarettes and two Mars bars. Bye bye, convenience store. Carrying those he walked back to his apartment. He savoured the sushi, smoked some more and then a little more and watched two fantasy movies, because it turned out he was ahead of his schedule.

Only when the clock ticked to 9 pm, Eli got up from the floor. In case you're wondering, he did have a sofa, he just never used it. He looked around and determined it was spotless and organised enough, so he had nothing left to do there. The next stop was none the other, but his and his friends' favorite hangout, a gay bar called FAB.

"Eliiiiiii!" Steven called out as soon as he spotted Eli, startling all the others already at their table. Steven was Eli's best friend and together they tended to get a little overboard, so it was good to have the rest of the group present to curb their mischief.