"Let's get ice cream," Totaz said. His fingers closed around Saxiel's neck. His face lay near to Saxiel's.
Saxiel looked away, down the street. "Ice cream?" he asked.
"Yeah!" Totaz said. "Ice cream." His arms wrapped tightly around Saxiel, holding onto him, clinging to his neck. "Please."
But Totaz said please so softly, that no one else could hear. Not the sky, not the ground, not even the smoke between them. His voice tickled the curl of Saxiel's ear, and brought a faint blush to his cheeks. But he did not reprimand Totaz; no one else had seen.
And what no one saw did not exist.
"Ice cream," Saxiel agreed. The smog could hear him; he was loud enough. "Chocolate?"
Totaz shook his head, and then pillowed it against Saxiel's shoulder. Totaz' legs dangled from where Saxiel's arms held him up.
"Strawberry," Totaz said. "I want strawberry."
Saxiel nodded and began to walk, holding Totaz close in. "Strawberry it is, then," he agreed.
Saxiel could not see Totaz' eyes, but he could feel the tepid breath across his neck.
Saxiel walked quickly.
For the sake of the world. For the sake of the world.
The ice cream shop doors hung open. A line of people twisted from the heart of the shop. Saxiel stood in line. His arms held Totaz up.
People looked at them, and looked away.
Totaz did not raise his head from Saxiel's shoulder.
Saxiel did not meet anyone's eyes.
Totaz' mouth.
Saxiel's face felt warm.
For the sake of the world, he did not look at anyone. For the sake of the young girl in pigtails, holding a twist ice cream cone, for the mother holding her hand, for the father who had paid –
Saxiel did not say anything.
He stepped up as the next few people moved up in line.
Saxiel felt Totaz smile against his neck.
In the end we kept everything inside, even though it tried to escape.
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