I.L.Y. - A MewGulf AU

Prologue: Mew

Disclaimer: This is pure fiction and I claim no right to any of the character portrayed. I want to underline I have a lot of respect for MewGulf and support whatever relationship they may or may not have. This story is purely written for my own and your entertainment.

This story is heavy on feelings, angst and inner dialogue, but it's also a tale of self-discovery and acceptance, and of people falling in - and rediscovering their love. I have a lot of planned out for this, and I'd love any comments or criticism you have!

If you're still not sure what the story is about, the prompt is: G wakes up with a husband M, but realizes this is not his life. He discovers this is an alternative reality (A) where he met M at an audition and years later got married.
In his own universe (B) they never met since he rather pursued football than acting. He doesn’t know M in his universe all that well, except from TV and drama.

---

Sometimes Mew wished that fiction could become his reality, while other times he wanted reality to become fiction. As an actor, he had gotten used to walking on the thin line between the two concepts, balancing between the what is and what he pretends he is.

Thinking back, maybe that’s where his downfall began. Mew had never been good at keeping his roles and himself separate, the two always seemingly bleeding into each other naturally. Many had called it one of his biggest strengths, as he was praised for his realistic acting and emotional empathy of his characters, but losing yourself like that never ended well.

The first time -- well, everyone and their mom knows how that ended. Mew had fallen in love and confessed, only to be publicly outed and embarrassed. His co-actor had warned him beforehand, in between the cliché ‘don’t fall for me’ joke a warning that was left unspoken. But he was young, naïve, and at the time – in love.

“You’re not in love with me, your character is in love with the character I play, it’s not real”.

He kept repeating that to himself, ‘it isn’t real’, desperately wanting to believe that.

Now, 5 years later, he has trouble believing it was real.

Mew picked up his glass, the ice had melted turning his whisky into a stormy brown appearance. Raising it up to his lips to take a sip, he grimaced at the taste, and opted for downing it in one go. He held his glass out to the barman, who quickly refilled it, this time without ice.

The second time he had fallen in love with his co-actor, had been the best experience of his life. While he tried to guard his heart at first, the younger man had no trouble breaking his defenses. From the moment he caught a glimpse of the awkward boy at the audition, the moment of surprise he realized he was auditioning for Type and not Tharn, there had been something so fascinating about the other’s smiles.

Gulf had been a puzzle to Mew at first, but every small step he took towards solving the mystery of the younger had been so joyful and thrilling. His Nong was shy, a little socially awkward and had the worst morning attitude he had ever seen. However, he was also super sweet, genuine and although Mew hated to acknowledge it, he had his funny moments.

And so, he had fallen for his co-star again.

This time, it had been sweet. There is nothing better than falling in love with someone who answers to your feelings. Every touch, every kiss, every smile made his days brighter until he couldn’t help but let down his guard and feel so absolutely happy. He had given his heart and everything to the younger, just as Tharn gave his all to Type.

And there you have it. The inevitable comparison between his fictional character and himself.

In an attempt on getting to know Tharn and Type, Mew and Gulf had talked about similarities and difference between them and their character. While summing up differences seemed easier at first, the two had found that it wasn’t that hard to identify with their counterpart. Some roles seem to be written especially for the actor, and this had always felt like the case for the two.