Cicil chuckled softly "anytime you need a reminder just ask. I promise no matter what, I'll always love you. my memories can be whiped again, you can be human, the world could be ending and I'll still love you." He nestled close, for sure set on not m oving for a long while.
"and here I was looking forward to having a fancy dinner." he protested with grin "Though you do intrigue me. What would you have done that would have gotten us kicked out?" He asked, lazily twirling a lock of Larson's hair around his finger.
"I'm sure a lot has changed." He murmured a bit sadly. The home he knew was probably a tourist trap now, no longer the cobblestone streets with the terracotta Spanish style homes. Their gardens overflowing with abondant tropical crops. Cool nights spent wandering the streets, bumping into strangers…more than once for a select few. Those mysterious nights were Cicil's favorites. From the few memories he was gratefully allowed to keep, Cicil remembered being much younger, he'd say around 18 or 19. Just a kid with wild hair and even more of a wild dream to become a scholar, running the streets at night looking for Orion to guide him.
He idly traced the tattooed constellation on his arm, a faint smile crossing his features. "Thank you, Lars. That means a lot to me." He murmured, affectionately nudging their heads together.
Larson let out a shaky breath at Cicil’s beautiful words of affection and kissed his forehead. “I’ll try to remember that.”
“We still go out to fancy dinners every once in a while. I’m much more behaved now.” he smirked. “You’ve tamed this wild beast.” he added with a chuckle. “Back then… well, things that would get me thrown out back then weren't the same as what would get me thrown today. But for a comparison, I would have taken all the alcohol they had out, draped the tablecloth over me like a toga, and gotten up on the table.” he admitted, leaning into the gesture.
He nodded a bit sadly at the reminder of how much things had changed. “It's been a while since our last visit but some places and streets are still there… as historical sites, but they’re still there.” he sighed before gently adding a light, loving, pressure to his husband’s action. “I know it does. And I’d do anything for you.” he assured.
"You're right, that does sound way more fun than just a normal dinner." He agreed, humming softly. "Temporarily perhaps but that beast is still in htere somewhere."Cicil gave a laugh as he ran his fingers through Larson's hair. It was comforting, knowing that even just a sliver of his beloved home was preserved after so long. Things may not be the same as before but at the very least some of it would remain eternal.
"You've done so much already." He protested softly, closing his eyes and sinking into their shared comfort. "DInner and a show, I look forwards to it, my dear." He murmured after a moment or so of silence. "Who knows, maybe I'll join, after all, we live a life far too long not to indulge in a bit of mischeif here and there."
Lars gave a playful growl but didn't deny Cicil’s teasing. It was true he had calmed down over the centuries but, when the mood struck, he could be as mischievous as ever.
“If I didn't know you any better, I would say that I've been a bad influence on you if you did.” he chuckled, leaning into the touches and holding his husband against him. “But I’ll just have to find a couple of our photo albums to show you how much trouble we got into together.” he grinned, showing off his fangs.
Cicil lifted his hand when he felt the slight vibration through his arm and laughed in surprise. "I wouldn't say bad. Interesting yes, I can't imagine my younger self doing anything like that. I still remember a vague image of myself going to boarding school, all proper and serious about my future but way back then I didn't know I'd live forever with you. If anything, you helped me loosen up and learn to have fun. There's no harm in that, certainly nothing bad." He gasped in mock offense, already imagining what he looked like drunk or wildly letting loose. "You are a menace, my love." He muttered teasingly, reaching for his phone on the nightstand and starting to scroll through. "I thought these were it, I didn't know there were more, much less photo albums full of more." He scrolled through the photos again, finding ones of them both enjoying themselves, whether at bars or parties, some of them in various stages of drunk or singing at the top of their lungs, even ones of either one of them fast asleep against the other. "I take that back, you are a terrible influence." he joked, shaking his head in disbelief but the spark of excitement bloomed in his chest. His life had been exciting, they had found ways to keep their spark alive and flourishing throughout their endless lives, no matter what might have been going on. They could do that again even without Cecil's memories. He paused on a few photos of them on dates in Barcelona, tears prickling in his eyes when he saw his familiar homeland. To be able to share somewhere so special with someone equally as special made his heartache with happiness. But they lived here now, wherever here was. He had taken a look at his file from the doctor's office and had caught sight of a few signs on their drive back home and had discerned it was somewhere in Canada but he had no recollection as to why the place was so special to them, enough for them to move here but he was ready to explore again. He was itching to explore anywhere and everywhere allowed until he got his memories back. The countless photos around their home and on his phone depicting beautiful landscapes and breathtaking experiences had him desperate to rediscover those places again.
Lars raised his hands when Cicil pulled away, assuring that he didn't mean anything by the sound, smiling brightly back. “It's ok.”
He nodded a bit. “You mentioned the boarding school… and I thought it was restricting and a bit boring for me but I admired how you stuck with it.” His smile grew at the teasing but shrugged as he leaned in to look at the phone. “Amore, those pictures are fairly recent compared to how long we’ve been together. Some of them are digital scans from pictures in our albums but there are older ones too. There’s many more than just these.” he confirmed gently, placing a kiss on his husband’s cheek. “These are just some of your favorites… and some of mine too.” he admitted as he saw the pictures of them together in Barcelona. Those were such beautiful memories for him. Such wonderful times… maybe a trip back was overdue. “We traveled a lot. Trying to stay out of serious trouble while having fun and just staying together, no matter what.” he recalled with a somewhat nostalgic sigh.
Cicil breathed a small laugh and curled up back against Larson, "That couldn't have been easy, but thank you, for staying by my side even back then." He laced their hands together and rested them on his side while his free hand continued to scroll through the countless photos. He shook his head with a fond smile. "At least we know how to keep our lives interesting. I'm surprised neither of us hasn't committed minor crimes…we haven't right?" He asked, glancing up at Larson and leaning into the kiss. "It sounds like a wonderful life, one I'm sure younger me would be proud to know we lived, and one I'm excited to continue living." He reassured, finding the camera on his phone and taking a photo of them together. What was one more photo of their collection? Even if now didn't seem like the best of times, Cicil still wanted to preserve this tender moment, proving no matter what they'd get through anything. He set his phone aside and snuggled deeper against his husband. "We call Finn tomorrow." He decided softly. "In the meantime, while we figure out the details with him, I want to get used to our life again. Go to places we've been a hundred times or just do what we normally do every day. Just because I can't remember my life, doesn't mean I have to stop."
Lars smiled and brought their hands up, kissing the back of Cicil's. "I will always stay by your side." he promised, before chuckling at the question. "Honestly… We do try to avoid that but we briefly got a little mixed up with the whole prohibition thing back then… Ok, it was mostly me and my fault but we didn't stay involved long… even though it was sort of fun and I still remember the recipes." he admitted quickly with a blush. "But even through that, through all our ups and downs, I have loved our life together and wouldn't change it for anything." he professed, smiling as his husband admitted his feelings about their life. He barely noticed Cici taking another picture but didn't react to it. After all, what was this if not another beautiful moment to remember?
"If you're sure." he nodded, not resisting the way he was cuddling against him. "We can certainly do that, depending on how long it takes Finn to… help. But, we can absolutely do things together, live our life, plan trips… though we'll have to talk to your school too." he remembered. "Let them know more about what we plan to do and when you'd be ready to go back."
"ah, I suppose that explains the extensive bar set up in the kitchen." He mused with a chuckle. "Is it normal for vampires to want to drink alcohol? Does it affect you the same as a human? Or was that something everyone did back then no matter what they they were?" He asked. Cicil nodded slightly "that sounds nice, and yes we would. I'm assuming until we get my memories back I won't be going back to teaching for a bit." He had no recollection of being a teacher after getting his degree way back when but it felt as if he was leaving something important behind by not teaching. Obviously he had loved it before, seeing how many students had sent him cards and flowers. This job, more importantly, the students he taught were important to him. "I can always start taking the degree again, in case thing don't work out…" He suggested softly, not wanting to jinx their chances but there was a possibility whoever had his memories may not show up. If that were the case, Cicil would have to move on and love his new life without them, as devastating as that was to just think about.
Lars blushed a little and laughed softly with Cicil. "Well, maybe a little. But to answer your questions; it is normal for vampires to drink alcohol it just isn't as strong for us as it is for normal humans… actually it depends on the vampires' tolerance before. Like if they were a lightweight then they'd be closer to a normal human's average tolerance." he explained before smirking. "But yes, it was pretty common for almost everyone to do. It's still a common thing regardless of what they are." he assured, holding him again as the topic changed back to Cici's career. "Your students are going to miss you. You were such a favorite but I'm sure they'll understand. You've always had a soft spot for kids." he added with a light chuckle. Though he didn't like the idea of them not succeeding in getting his husband's memories back, he nodded. "Of course, you could. You're so smart, you could get your degree… refreshed easily. Maybe I'll try studying something again with you."
"I think it's safe to say neither of us are necessarily lightweights. Some of that stuff out there is quite strong," he exclaimed, matching his husband's smirk with his own. It was bittersweet, knowing he had a love for his lifelong dream career and for the people who helped him achieve it, yet not being able to remember any of his passions. It hurt not knowing what he had dedicated so much of himself to in his eternal life, even more so that he couldn't as easily return to it. "I'll hopefully be back in some capacity." He reassured hopefully, his gaze wandering around the room once again to all the photos on the wall.
At the mention of Cicil's fondess for his students, he had assumed they had a child themselves, perhaps through adoption but when he had looked at all the photos, he couldn't recall seeing any notion of them raising a child. The more he thought about it, the more it started to amke sense to Cicil, at least on an emotional level. Having to live forever and watch their child grow and die before them would break him. Cicil didn't even want to imagine what he had gone through when he had to face the reality of moving on without his family. Mercifully his mother and sibling were a memory he was able to latch onto, though he assumed these were memories from when he was a young man, considering his only had started to grow grey roots and his younger siblings were just starting college. He couldn't have been more than 25 last he remembered seeing them. To having had to sit down with them and explain to his patient mother he couldn't die, that he had fallen in love with a vampire, and that they would live forever couldn't have been easy. His throat tightened slightly as his image filled in for his memories. He didn't need to remember exactly what happened for him to already know his mother's reaction. Confusion of course at first. Vampires were just being introduced themselves to Barcelona back then but they weren't a foreign concept to them. Eternal life was a bit more niche. But then he imagined her breaking out into a smile, perhaps understanding what Cicil explained to her, perhaps not, yet still overjoyed that her eldest child had found someone to love. After the entire family would be swept into celebration, his mother insisting Cicl bring Larson over every occasion possible, his sibling nagging him with personal questions he pretended to be annoyed at but secretly indulged in telling them everything about the vampire he so deeply loved, the topi of eternity being swept under the rug until decades later.
Cicil assumed similar would happen with their child if they had one, minus the celebration. He honestly had no idea how he'd explain to their child that they would die before their fathers, and the emotional turmoil that cam with that would surely kill Cicil, if he could die that is.
He buried his face against Larson's shoulder, taking a few deep breaths so he wouldn't spiral. After a few moments, a small smile twitched at his lips as he refocused on the family he still had. "What did you study when we first met?" He had seen academic textbooks scattered around the livingroom and on the shelves but he had assumed those were mostly from his work.
“You’re right about that. And of course, we have a nice collection of wines as well… for special occasions.” Lars smiled proudly. Maybe they could open a bottle sometime soon… even if it wasn't necessarily a celebration, it could still be nice. “I’m sure you will be. I’m sure we can find some of your old notes and books from the last time you had to renew your teaching license. It might give you a headstart.” he offered, wanting his husband to be happy again and knowing how much Cicil enjoyed teaching.
During their long lives together, Larson could never really read Cici’s mind but he could guess by little tells he had learned… but now, he wasn't sure if they meant the same thing. “What are you thinking about, mi vida?” he asked softly, holding him gently close.
“Oh, I wasn't studying at the time.” he answered. “I was so confident that I already knew everything that I needed to, so I didn't feel the need to study anything… at least for a decade or two.” he admitted. “And I always avoided studying history. It seemed redundant for someone who had lived through it… and the historians hardly ever got things right.”
"forgive me, ermoso. Just lost in thought." He murmured, taking a deep breath and hugging back in appreciatiin. "Did you get the chance to mee Mama? Lida or Manuel? My siblings. Did they love you as much as I know they do…did?" He asked, still getting used to refering ri his family in the past tense.
He had just told his mother about his degree a few months ago and how well his assistant teaching job was going. He had been seeing Larson for a months now, and was excited for him to meet his family. But all these memories, no matter how recent they seemed, happened lifetimes ago. His mother and siblings were gone.
"I'm sure they loved you. Lida might have gone overboardwhen she found out you were a vampire but she's harmless…mostly. and I'm sure Manuel had thousands of questions." He chuckled, if not a but sadly.
He peeked up at the mention a wine, "for special occasions, huh?" He paused and thought on it for a moment. "Does coming home after a car accident and losing my memories count?" He asked, "ah makes sense. Why try and learn something through someone else's works when you have your own experiences. I'll have to take a look at the books we have here to see if anything sparks my interest again."
“There’s nothing to forgive.” Lars assured with a soft, loving smile as Cicil hugged him. “Of course, I met them and they grew to love me. Your mama was a wonderful woman, she was a bit wary of me at first but she accepted me… us. And Manuel did have a lot of questions but none that I hadn't heard before so things went well. As for Lida… she wore a very decorative rosary around her neck the first time I met her.” he chuckled, shaking his head at the memory. “She did it on purpose too, just to see how I would react. But the look you gave her for it… I was barely able to keep from laughing.” he grinned.
“It can count.” Lars nodded. “Honestly I was thinking along those same lines too. Maybe something from Barcelona? Something familiar?” Though he chuckled at his husband’s understanding of his choice for not studying at the time. “Exactly.”
Cicil shook his head fondly, "That sounds exactly like them. Honestly I'm surprised Mama wasn't the one with the rosary. Manuel has always been the curious one. He was the one who inspired me to start teaching. As for Lida, she has a twisted sense of humor. But that meant she liked you." He grinned and shrugged a bit proudly. "She most likely deserved it for poking fun a my partner." He sat up slowly and nodded. "I think I saw something out there we used to drink back home." He suggested, starting to gather the empty dishes from the side table. "So if not history then what did you study?" He asked, nodding towards the living room. "Think there's enough for a bit of dessert?"
(sorry I did not mean to post that, that was a text for a friend😅)
"I think she was only going to wear one if she didn't approve of me." Lars admitted with a half-teasing shrug. "I'm still glad she gave me a chance in the first place. And, believe me, I learned all about Lida's sense of humor but we eventually got to a point where it became easy banter between us." he smiled assuringly. "I actually liked Manuel's curiosity. It was refreshing to have another person who knew what I was and wasn't afraid back then." he admitted as he started helping gather the dishes. "There should be enough wine left. Want me to get it?" he offered. "Let me think… there was a point where I didn't study anything because not enough had changed for me to need to learn anything else. But eventually, I took a couple classes in literature and mathematics, just to pass the time. Then when the car came around, and I learned about mechanics… then almost anything that involved electricity since it was so new. You know, telephones, radios, whatever came with it."
"Simply out of spite or a warning, perhaps." He agreed with a chuckle, starting to wash the dishes as Larson gathered the rest. He smiled fondly as he scrubbed at the pans and bowls. His siblings would always be a soft spot for Cicil, especially now that they were no longer with him. "Manual had a macabre curiosity. Where I wanted to know about the world and other cultures that were not my own, Manuel loved the more personal aspects of life. Life and death, the thin gray area in between. He collected dead birds and insects from the gardens and carried around a little journal he would take notes at every chance he got. It's no surprise the moment he met a vampire he'd take the chance to ask everything he could. As for Lida, she had a similar curiosity but I supposed more geared towards the aesthetic of other beings, not just vampires. She was wild and free. No one could tell her what to be and not to be. Similar to you. Perhaps that's why she took an initial liking to you." He dried his hands and dug around the cabinets until he found a pair of wine glasses.
He nodded in awe, wondering how anyone could study how something as expansive as electricity or machinery worked throughout its evolution.
“And I would have expected nothing less.” Lars smiled, grabbing a towel to help dry. “I know he did. The bird thing was… well, it wasn't that strange but…” he trailed off, failing to find the right word but he laughed a little when he thought of Lida. “Yeah, she asked me so many questions about the lifestyles of others “like” me. Including the differences in clothes.” he shook his head, still chuckling a little. “But I did like her for that reason you said. She was stubborn in a way and I don't remember her really backing down.”
Once he finished drying the dishes that Cicil had washed, he turned to their bar and grabbed the bottle they had talked about it earlier. “Here we are, love.” he smiled, showing it to his husband.
Larson set down the glasses on the counter and rummaged throught the refridgerator for the chocolate ice cream he ahd seen early, suddenly craving something sweet to pair with their drinks. "From the collection I can vaguely see why some people might have been concerned with drinking back in the day." He chuckled lightly and a moment later found a spoon to scoop out a portion of the ice cream for the both of them. "I'm glad to know they loved you so much. I don't think I would have known what to do if they didn't accept my choice in partner." He put the ice cream pint back in the freezer, grabbed and extra spoon and set the bowls on the side table by the couch. He went back to his husband and took a look at the bottle he had pulled from their collection, his brwos turning up in amused worry. " Lets hope at least my body remebers how to hand alcohol."
“Yeah, maybe a little bit but I think America went overboard making all alcohol illegal at the time.” Lars admitted, pouring the wine professionally into two glasses. “Limiting is one thing, arresting people for it is… overreacting.”
He nodded with a sympathetic look at the thought. “Well, fortunately, we didn't have to worry about that. It would have been awkward if they didn't like me… I wouldn't want to cause a rift between you and your family but I wouldn't want to leave you either.” he sighed, glad that they didn't have to go through that.
“Hey, muscle memory is a thing. I bet alcohol tolerance is similar… if not, I’ll take care of you tomorrow.” he assured with a loving smile.
"That's true. No need to get rid of a good thing simply because a few abuse it." He reasoned, swirling the wine glass and inhaling its aroma. Beyond the innitial sting of alcohol, he could detect something floral intertwined with spices and cedar. It was nostalgic and comforting. Something recognizably barecelonian but also newer, something full of life. He took a sip and let the flavors swirl around on his tongue and throat. "Just a bit. But I'm sure you would have convinced them eventually." He shook his head as he found one of the photo albums and settled into the comfort of the couch cushions with his drink an dessert. "You wouldn't have, I don't think. I'd do anything to keep both of you in my life. Thankfully they were so accepting of you, even with hesitation at first. I wish they were still here so they could see just how far we've gone." He toyed with the edges of the pages for a moment. "I hop ethey knew from the moment I met you until the last time we were together I was the happiest with them and you. Even now, with everything thats happened, I wouldn't trade any of it for the world." He gave a small toast and sent a silent prayer to his family in spirit. "bendiciones mi's amores." he murmured, closing his eyes and taking ameaningful swig at the wine, welcoming the sting to wash aaway some of the sadness but also the flavors of his homeland.
Lars smiled at his husband’s assurances about that hypothetical scenario. “I certainly would have hoped so. But I’m very glad that we didn't have to go through that.” he nodded as he took the seat next to Cicil with his ice cream and wine. “I’m sure they know. Being a vampire complicates certain things but I do believe that they can see us and know how much we love each other.” he said sincerely, joining the toast as well as a small thanks that Cici remembered enough about him that they didn't have to start completely over.
