Oneshots [IdentityV]

Lovely Rambling [Luca x Aesop]

When the new survivor arrived at the manor and introduced himself to the embalmer, instead of answering him as all the others had done, the only thing he answered was not to speak to him. Luca Balsa, also going by the alias 'Prisoner' was quite surprised to say. However, he simply smiled at the man before going to talk to someone else.

The embalmer, Aesop Carl, did not like to interact with others and he thought he had made that clear enough to the rest. Who would want to talk to him in the first place anyway. All they knew to do was wear a mask depending on who they were with before flipping it over and revealing their true face when they were out of sight.

This was one of the many reasons why Aesop preferred to stay in his room, thinking, remembering how deadly quiet the funeral home was, his only company being the corpses he embalmed. How much he would sacrifice in order to return to that time. There were simply too many people here and it made him sick.

"Hello, I'm Luca Balsa!"

He already knew that.

Luca had already come to him with the same words yesterday and Aesop had built up some appreciation for him because the male had left him alone rather quickly instead of trying to make friends with him but why had he come back to his doorstep again? Was he being a fool or was he trying to annoy and pester him?

"You're the only person I haven't introduced myself to yet it seems, may I know your name?"

What?

"Aesop... Carl..."

The words had come out on their own from his lips hidden by the cotton mask covering his mouth. Maybe if he finally told him his name, the brown-haired man would finally leave him alone. Seeing that Luca was about to say something else, Aesop immediately closed his door after revealing his name. He didn't want to continue the conversation any longer. 

However, was it the brunet's stupidity or stubbornness, who knows, but Aesop had to say goodbye to his peace and quiet when Luca arrived in his world like a loaded cannonball right before his eyes. Balsa was simply a burst of electricity, never staying in one place for long, so in itself, the time he spent with Aesop was very short.

Nevertheless, the embalmer soon discovered that the man had some problems with his memory and that he easily forgot things. So, Luca could come and bother him at one hour of the day, leave, and then come back to him a few hours later and greet him as if it were the first time he had seen his face all day.

It was tiring.

"Aesop, could you explain to me the process of embalming someone?"

"Why would you want to know such a thing...?"

Eventually, Aesop could only get used to Luca's presence beside him. The dark-haired man was always hanging around him for some reason, and the latter didn't seem intent on changing his routine of talking to the embalmer at least five times in one day. They were no longer strangers, but could they call themselves 'friends'?

No. They were not close enough for that.

"I'm just curious. People call me a genius because I'm good at science they say. However, my area of expertise is more around physics and chemistry to be honest. Science covers a lot of areas and despite all the knowledge I have, I still have a lot to learn. So, can you bring me your wisdom?"

The male sketched a smile at him as they both walked down the hallway when Aesop suddenly stopped to look at Luca, his eyes slightly wide.

"Aesop?"

If he was honest with himself, Aesop hated the gaze and voice of others, but when it came to Luca's, it was strangely non-disturbing. When he spoke with the inventor, or at least when the other offered him a monolog, Aesop didn't feel like Luca was looking directly at him and it wasn't because of his half-closed eye.

Rather... Luca was not looking at his person but at his soul. It was strange to say it that way, but it was what the embalmer thought. Luca didn't wear a mask like the others, no, his physical problems prevented him from doing so and the male always remained true to himself, even in the craziest situations.

Luca Balsa was a knowledgeable man but he was not arrogant. There was a certain greed in him but it was different from the other people in the manor. Simply put, Luca was different.

His presence was tolerable.

"Fine."

Even now, Aesop couldn't believe that this was real. In his mind, it only seemed like the day before he would glare at Luca after the latter surprised him again by appearing out of nowhere. However, the saying that people change when they were in love seemed to have been proven correct. 'Love'. A very special feeling that would never have crossed his mind a few months ago when he met Luca.

Yet here he was sitting on the bench in the garden as Luca placed a rather poorly made crown of yellow flowers on his silver hair and his heart warmed at the gesture, his exposed cheeks turning slightly red as he saw the other's smile. For the first time, Aesop felt a pang of mirth.

"It suits you, Aesop."

'Aesop', in the past he would have asked him not to call him so familiarly but today, his name coming out of the other's mouth seemed like the most natural thing in the world. It felt right. He didn't know how but, this extrovert who kept opening his lips to talk about things he knew nothing about had managed to force his way into his thoughts. 

He didn't know when or how, but slowly, hearing Luca's voice beside him, talking for hours on end, was no longer a disturbance. Instead, it was his new silence, his new inner peace. Instinctively, Aesop grabbed Luca's hands, the latter shuddering briefly at the contact before squeezing them lightly in return, sketching a faint smile.

"What is it, Aesop?" he asked in his ever so honeyed voice.

"...Thanks."

"I don't know what special thing I did to make you thank me, but I'm guessing it's something positive by the way your eyes crinkle and the plastered smile on your face!"

Really, even his tiresome descriptions of how he was acting didn't do anything for him anymore. A slight smile played on Aesop's lips and Luca chuckled before bending down and placing a kiss on the top of his head. Then he placed another on his cheek, and finally sealed his lips with a kiss. This intimate touch was another thing Luca got him used to.