For the Fic title ask, “We deserve a soft epilogue” 🥰
The grass is warm under Eoin's head, the smell of summer wafting up as he settles in the shade. The birds perched in the trees are chirping their tunes, harmonizing with the locusts and the occasional gusts of wind, the summer song lulling Eoin to a half-sleep. Like this, it's hard to believe the last six years were real.
And yet. At the back of his mind, Eoin can still hear echoes of gunshots and Lewes bombs going off, the smell of blood and gunpowder still firmly stuck in his nostrils. His knee throbs faintly, pain zapping up his thigh like current. Perhaps war will always be a part of him.
Soft footsteps reach him before Paddy's voice does, warm and rich like honey.
"Found a nice spot, lad?" Eoin hums happily, squinting to make out Paddy's face.
"I saved you a seat," he invites, patting the space next to him as though the space by his side hadn't always been Paddy's.
Carefully, Paddy lowers himself to the ground, back stiff, and a pained grunt leaves him as he joins Eoin, laying down in the grass with his hands on his stomach. Eoin keeps silent, though he makes a mental note of drawing Paddy a bath tonight. The attention would make Paddy grumble, but he'd relent if Eoin joined him in the hot water. The thought has a smile pulling at Eoin's lips. This is their life now.
"We could grow old, here," he muses aloud, voice high like he can't quite believed it.
"Did you not want to travel?"
Eoin takes a moment to think, mouth pursed. He'd like to go back to the desert someday, and then to Greece. Maybe explore Italy too, and the South of France. They could visit Augustin. But closing his eyes only brings forth images of destroyed buildings and bombed streets, rubble that's gray with dirt and crimson with blood. Europe will need time to heal, to rebuild its cities and not merely to paint over the bullet holes in their walls. Eoin and Paddy need to do the same.
Tipping his face towards Paddy, Eoin shakes his head, expression gentle.
"Maybe later. I'd like to see your roses bloom first."
Paddy huffs, but there's a faint smile pulling at his lips as his hand falls on the grass to find Eoin's, squeezing softly before intertwining their fingers together.
I can't believe I had the perfect opportunity to turn this into an angsty mess but the idea didn't cross my mind.. I'm losing my touch..
Thank you for the title 🥺❤️
