a million dreams [tgs klance au]

the other side

https://66.media.tumblr.com/dea6798beed5579b2abbf29525b23be8/tumblr_p5kmpkmm7y1ukyi2ho1_400.jpg

The business was booming. We had shows every other day and twice on Sundays. People from towns I'd never even heard of came to visit my spectacular display, and I was relishing in the fact that finally I was doing something right for myself and for my name. Finally, I wasn't the son of a general, I was my own person.

As I paid off the bank with ticket sales, I also kept a firm profit for myself until I had saved up enough for a surprise for Adam.

"Where are we going?" Adam asked lightly, touching his fingers lightly to the blindfold over his eyes.

"It's a surprise, silly," I told him. "No peeking."

"I'm not," he reassured me. The car bumped and rattled along the gravel road and I felt the anticipation build in my chest. Adam and I had always lived frugally. I mean, it's not like we had much money to spend, but we never splurged or did anything for ourselves, really. I wanted this gift to be more than just an object. I wanted it to symbolize the new life I was building for us. I wanted it to be a promise.

"Almost there," I murmured, looking out the window as I drove.

When we arrived, I helped Adam out of the car, then led him forward until we stood before the surprise.

"You can take the mask off."

Adam eagerly pushed up the handkerchief and, after blinking a few times to get used to the sudden brightness of the afternoon sun, his eyes went wide. "Shiro... you didn't."

The building that stood before us was a gorgeous house of our childhood. It was a place that, as kids, we had stared at in wonder, just out of reach beyond the wrought iron gate which had been overgrown with vines.

But now, the gates were thrown open and the house was sparkling clean, the windows repaired, the hinges new, the floors swept and scrubbed. I had done a great deal of the cleaning- I had just enough to buy the house, so I didn't want to spend too much on housekeepers or the like.

Adam stepped forward, his jaw slack. I couldn't read his face. "Do you... Do you like it?" I asked hesitantly.

Adam turned to look at me. For a moment, my heart stopped. What if this wasn't what he wanted? What if I had messed everything up?

But then, his lips broke into a smile so beautiful it made my heart sing and he launched himself into my chest, hugging my fiercely as I did my best to hug him back. "

"Come on!" I took Adam's hand and led him towards the huge white mansion, my pulse thumping in my ears. I had so much I wanted to give him. Finally, I could. 

...

"Well... that was two hours of our lives we'll never get back again," I told Adam dully. He punched my arm lightly.

"Don't be so harsh. I liked it," he said matter-of-factly.

"You like watching people stand on a stage and recite lines? No excitement? No thrills?"

Adam rolled his eyes. "There was excitement."

We were walking down the stone steps of the local theater after a play Adam had wanted to go to. He looked dashingly handsome in his new navy suit, and, as frugal as he was, I knew that he liked it. I, myself, wore a charcoal grey suit, tailored without the right arm so that I didn't have an empty sleeve hanging off my shoulder.

The summer night's breeze was warm and damp, reminding us that we had the whole hot season in front of us. Summer would bring more customers as the kids in school were able to open up their schedules.