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[threedontknows]

 

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[threedontknows]

"Just the first chapter." He smiles a little and holds it to his chest. "Did you like it? What's it about?"

[creeksidealtarboy]

"Nah, it's not one of my favorites." He gestures to the table and sits down. "It's about love and separation during a war."

[threedontknows]

Huaisang takes the seat next to Aaron, setting the book down to flip through it idly. "Is it the theme or the writing that bothers you?"

[creeksidealtarboy]

"Just the subject," he answers, eyes flicking to Huaisang's face, watching his reaction. "It's kinda boring."

[threedontknows]

Love and separation during a war, boring? Huaisang laughs fondly, putting his hand under his chin. "I don't know, it kind of appeals to me."

[creeksidealtarboy]

Aaron hums, meeting his face and then looking away. "Eh, maybe I should give it another read. You should try it, though. I can, I don't know, give context to it if you want."

[threedontknows]

“I don’t think I will,” he says lightly, pushing the book aside. “If you didn’t like it then I doubt I will too.”

[creeksidealtarboy]

His eyes widen slightly, almost imperceptibly, and he nods.

"You might like Gatsby," he finally decides. "A lot of weird context you might not get at first, but it's - well, it's real dramatic."

[threedontknows]

"And you know how I feel about drama."

He grins and rests his hand onto his chin.

"Will you help me read it?"

[creeksidealtarboy]

"'course," he laughs. "I got lots of shit to say about it. There's a whole love triangle. Affairs. The death of the American dream, which is a fucking joke anyway."

[threedontknows]

"I don't think I've ever heard of that." He's not sure what an American dream is. What's an American? "Some sort of fantasy?"

[creeksidealtarboy]

"It's like - hm. So I'm American. America is the country I'm from, so...American. And there's this whole big thing that you can work to achieve the American dream. Like - if you work really hard at your job, you'll be real successful and have a perfect family with kids and all that."

[threedontknows]

"Is that just everyone's dream? Most people's?" Success and a perfect family and happiness? He doesn't quite understand what makes it American, but he's willing to go with it for now.

"The book sounds fun though."

[creeksidealtarboy]

"Eh, it's more like....that's where you can find it. You come to America from another place and you get the American dream because life in other places ain't that great. But uh - life ain't great anywhere."

He glances over his shoulder. "I'll find it for you. Hang on."

[threedontknows]

"You're not wrong." Huaisang nods, encouraging Aaron to find the book with an intrigued little nod. Now he has to read this book, just to find out what Aaron's talking about! Plus he likes the idea of failed dreams and love triangles in his novels.

[creeksidealtarboy]

Aaron stands up and walks past, brushing his hand along Huaisang's back as he does so. It takes him a couple of minutes, but he returns with the book.

[threedontknows]

Huaisang tries very hard to suppress a visible shudder as Aaron passes him by. He waits for him with the slightest of dreamy looks in his eyes, thinking about…

Well, thinking about him. He’s missed him.

When he returns and Huaisang smiles happily. “You found it!”

[creeksidealtarboy]

"Course I did. I knew where it was," he laughs. "The library is big, but it ain't that big. Don't start it now, though."

[threedontknows]

“I’m too impatient for that,” he huffs playfully. “But for you I’ll wait.”

[creeksidealtarboy]

He flushes a little and clears his throat. "Yeah, sure. If you want. Anyway, uh - thought maybe we could go out in a couple of days to the Enclosure. See some art."

[threedontknows]

He does want that, very much. "Like one of the museums you went to with your warden?"

[creeksidealtarboy]

"Exactly. He might - be around, though. But he knows we're - uh - we're together."

He says it carefully, cautious. Not for his own hesitation, but because of Huaisang's. He's watching him, watching his expression.

[threedontknows]

Huaisang's reaction is just a reaffirming nod and the same smile as before. Yes, they're together, of course they are.

"Did you tell him, or did he pry it out of you?" Wardens can be nosy like that.

[creeksidealtarboy]

"Nah, I told him." Eventually. It just took him a while.

[threedontknows]

That surprises him for a few reasons. He sits up a little straighter and tries to read Aaron’s gaze.

“When?”