Work Text:
(1)
When Toots left home that day, there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
There wasn't that heaviness in the air that you feel before rain.
But in the middle of his escape from the town, the wind began to follow him along. Soon people began to close their doors and windows, and children sat behind windows watching the clouds loom over the town.
Toots tried to move faster. He went methodically from one awning to another, but when shelter became scarce, he tried to get through the city as quickly as possible, pulling his coat tighter around himself to shield what remained of his dry clothes.
Children ran past him, horse-drawn carriages sped around, throwing up water from puddles. Tootsi’s trouser legs were finally so soaked that he slowed down noticeably - or was it his general mood dampening his stride? He couldn’t even tell anymore, instead choosing to take shelter under a random roof, plopping himself down on the stone steps.
In great anger at the weather, he wriggled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, but when he opened it, he noticed that the pack had become soggy from the rain and lost hope of ever drying out. Furiously, he threw it into the bucket beside him and glared as the raindrops fell into the puddle in front of him.
If he hadn't been soaked through and a few cigars poorer, the pitter-patter of the rain would have been peaceful. Although right now he couldn’t find a sliver of a silver lining in his predicament– he didn’t even know where to begin looking– if he was being honest.
The door opened behind him and he stood up with a start. Smiling eyes and furrowed eyebrows followed him. “What are you doing here?” Tootsi's hand pressed against his chest, where his heart was pounding with fear.
“Imelik…” He shook his head, tired and wet.
“Will you come in? I can get you something hot to drink if you want.” The words fell from his lips like the notes of a flowing song, and the pattering of the rain behind him faded into the background, muffled by the blur of Tootsi’s sudden thought-drought.
He scraped the stone steps with the tip of his boot, "If it's not too much trouble, then yes..." he finally managed to press out from between clenched teeth.
Imelik nodded and pulled him into the house by the folds of his jacket.
Trailing behind him, he saw how fair hair fell over his shoulders, and how it was braided in the middle. A few stray locks fell over his eyes as he turned back to Toots and held out his hand, and if Toots had been completely daft by that point, he would have given out his hand to him.
But Toots was fully present and painfully aware as he squeezed himself out of his heavy, damp jacket and handed it to his friend to place by the stove to dry.
After that, Imelik disappeared into the back of the room for a moment and reappeared a few seconds later with a tea kettle full of water, which he placed on the stove to boil.
“Excuse me for a moment.” The fair-haired man passed Toots again and walked through the door into another room, where he could be heard talking to someone and two distinct voices answering him.
Toots crept towards the room, stopping on the threshold and peeking around the corner, trying to see who the other was talking to.
Imelik was sitting with his back to the door, talking to two youngsters. The papers on the table were in small stacks, and next to them was a kannel, but not Imelik's. One kannel was on the knee of the girl sitting next to him, which she held as if it was a precious treasure. Imeliku's head turned towards Toots standing in the doorway. Gaze meeting his, a gentle smile finding his mouth and eyes.
Toots backed away from the door, sat on a bench in the hallway and waited anxiously until Imeliku’s students left.
-
(2)
Being caught in the rain for the second time in a week, Toots was irritated to the last drop. There was no building close-by to duck under, only a dense oak tree looming over the bare patch of land, its bark rough beneath his fingertips. It was mostly dry there, apart from a few raindrops that occasionally escaped through the leaves and onto his head.
Sighing, he watched the angry raindrops fall in puddles to the ground. He chewed his lip and grabbed a new, dry, pack of cigarettes from his coat pocket, placing one between his lips before lighting it.
Then he was left standing silently, cigarette in hand, head resting against the scraggly tree, listening to the rain pattering around him.
Hearing a few footsteps approaching him, he peeked over. “Hello, Lord Toots.” Imelik said, walking towards him in a smooth stride. Toots waved him off, “Ah, not you as well.” he cringed to himself, blowing smoke through his teeth and staring at the umbrella over the fair-haired head. “Umbrella over his head, smiling like the ultimate fool.” This drew a small, amused burst of laughter from Imelik.
"Maybe you’re in need of help? I wouldn't drive my savior away like that."
“Ah, alright,” Toots looks at Imeliku’s mouth, “now you’re some kind of hero too?” Toots lets his smoke fall to the grass, extinguishing it with his boot as he makes his way towards Imelik. He peeks around a bit, surveying the surroundings. Imelik adjusts himself back to the direction he had just come from and Toots takes his spot beside him, still not fully under the umbrella and still very much exposed to the elements.
Walking out from under the oak tree, Toots tries to keep distance from the other man, attempting to ignore the raindrops falling on the side of his head and left arm. A grumble rises from Imeliku’s throat at his antics and an arm wraps around him, pulling himself and Toots closer together, the umbrella now covering them both.
Toots's heart was still pounding in his chest after the arm left his. Allowing himself to lean closer to Imelik, they walk through the city together. He tries not to get too comfortable, but the presence of someone else's warm body near him– as the crisp air of the rain surrounds them– grounds him.
When they finally arrive at the door of the house on the corner of the street, Toots holds the umbrella while Imelik unlocks the door. He takes notice– and fails to ignore– the way the fair-haired man's fingers tremble around his house key.
And when Imelik finally got the door open and turned back to Toots, he placed his hand on the umbrella handle, fingers a few centimeters away from his, pushing it back towards Toots with a warm smile. “Go home, bring it back tomorrow.” The words came as a whisper. Tootsi’s skin split where their hands met on the umbrella, and something wonderful wormed itself into his heart.
Toots nods, trying to return the blonde's smile, but he wasn’t really sure if he’d succeeded. He quickly turned around and tried to look as if his legs hadn't nearly fallen out from under him at the promise of a reunion.
(3)
Toots arrived in town after lunch, an umbrella under his arm as he walked, a carefree stride in his step.
He would have taken the umbrella back immediately, but he met his old school friends on the way and stayed to chat with them. When they finally headed somewhere towards a tavern, they grabbed Toots along with them. In the midst of spending time with friends and eating good food, he almost forgot about his umbrella completely.
Now, in the middle of the dark street, he held it in his hand, turning it over and thinking: Was it too late to take it back now?
But before Toots could answer that, his feet were already dragging him towards Imelik’s home. He blinked and he was already standing in front of the second door, his hand shaking in front of the door, ready to knock, but not quite. Finally, he gave a few raps on the wood, and stepped back.
The door opened suddenly and the blond peeked out, frazzled. Seeing that it was Toots, he pushed the door open wider and relaxed. “I thought you weren't coming.” Imelik smiled wearily, leaning against the doorframe.
“Sorry, a lot happened while I was in the city. I would have almost forgotten the umbrella if I hadn’t had it in my hand.” Toots said, handing the umbrella to the other man, who took it and placed it beside him near the door. “I should get going.” He finally added, looking at the sky behind him– the first rain clouds were starting to gather there.
“Stay a little while.” Fingers gently touched his arm. Even through the cloth, it sent shivers down Tootsi’s spine and he coughed in fright. “Come in, I won’t bite.” Imelik turned around and walked inside, and if Toots had been a stronger man he wouldn’t have gone with him, but he was weak and tired and ended up trailing after him, like a duckling.
And so he found himself seated on the couch in Imelik’s living room, a coffee mug in his hand, as he told the others about his day. The other sat next to him, leaning on his knees, listening intently. Even as the conversation swerved off to husbandry, he didn't mind and just nodded along gladly.
"What about you? What have you been up to?" Toots finally asked, after all the yapping finished.
"I tidied up the place, I waited, I did some writing..." He replied, pouring the second one so imperceptibly that it took a moment for it to hit Toots, and when it did, he calmly placed the cup on the table. At least as calmly as he was capable of at the moment.
“Mm…” A sound vibrated from Toots’ throat. His mouth dry as he held his hands together more tightly. “I should probably head home.”
Imelik regarded him with an interested expression, in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment and led Toots back into the hallway.
But as he entered the hallway, Toots finally heard the commotion outside. Had he really been so focused on all the chatting that he didn't notice when the torrential rain started to pound against the roof? It must have all been some kind of cruel joke at his expense– but he still opened the door and was bewildered when he saw the outdoors.
Imelik moved somewhere behind him and sighed softly.
“Goddamn.” Toots finally turned around, looking into the eyes of Imelik– who had the tiniest, most apologetic smile on his face as he stared back at him.
(-)
That's how Toots found himself back on the same couch he had just gotten up from. Imelik paced around the room and took a few glances out the window, but the rain wasn't ready to go anywhere. It just kept falling and falling, and just to add insult to injury a few white flashes, followed by thunder, could be seen.
“It isn't going anywhere anytime soon.” Toots snorted, turning his head towards the room.
“You might be right.” Imelik finally spoke. Cup in hand, he walked back to Toots and sat down next to him. They turned their heads apart by a centimeter, and Toots saw a small glint in the other’s eye. “I should have said something. But I didn’t want to interrupt you.” The fair-haired one turned his attention back to his coffee cup and took a sip.
Toots glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and looked down at his own coffee. “I haven’t had the best relationship with the father of weather lately.” He murmured, tracing the details of the cup in front of him with his finger.
Imelik chuckled quietly next to him and placed his cup next to Tootsi's.
“Do you think I can stay here until the storm passes?” Toots asks.
Imelik ponders for a moment and then says: “Of course you can.” glancing to the other corner of the room. Yet Toots’ gaze doesn’t shy away, continuing to carefully study the man with a blooming interest.
It was the first in a long time that the two of them had to sleep under the same roof. Suddenly Toots felt like the schoolboy he had been back then, when they’d first met on that snowy day. He sat there on the sofa in silence for what seemed like an eternity, listening to the rain and wind beating outside the window. While at the same time, a storm was raging in his own heart.
Imelik’s quick rise from the couch even startles him a little. He watches as the man walks around the table and opens the chest of drawers against the wall. After a short pause, he swivels his head to look at Toots. “I don’t think you want to sleep on the couch. If you don’t mind; you can share the bed with me.”
Tootsi's mind slowed down to a halt for a moment, before it started racing again at full force.
"I… Excuse me?" He fumbles, and Imelik’s face tints a little pink, his eyes widening, as if he had just realized what he had said.
Imelik turned back to the dresser, "Forget it, how silly of me." His hair fell to cover his expression as he rummaged through the drawers in a hurry.
“No, no…” Toots finally blurted out, and Imeli stopped his shuffling and peered cautiously at Toots. He saw the hope and anticipation in the other’s eyes, and his heart raced in his chest. His nails dug into his skin, his hand clenched into a fist, and several delicate flowers bloomed in his stomach as he opened his mouth to speak again. “I’m alright with that.”
(-)
Imelik’s bed was more comfortable than his own back home, the mattress sunk under his arms and he could have fallen asleep sitting there if lightning hadn't struck again at that moment. The rain was still beating furiously against the window and it didn’t seem like it was going to give way.
Toots sighed and lifted his clothes onto the table by the bed and watched the wind and rain rage on outside.
The door opened behind him, and footsteps sounded next to the bed. Toots felt the other side of the bed drop slightly and heard Imelik lift his feet onto it. “Is everything alright, Toots?” he asked quietly, after a long, haunting pause. Toots turned his head slightly and noticed the other looking at him, his eyes clear even in the dark room and filled with a sliver of doubt and worry.
Toots nodded, a sound of agreement coming from his throat.
“Yes.”
Toots turned his head to look out of the window.
There was a rustling sound behind him. "Then lie down, It’s not like I bite.”
Toots nodded again and stood up from the bed. Raising the edge of the blanket, he slipped into the bed and under the covers. Head sinking into the pillow as he considers the ceiling, afraid to even peek across the bed.
It was warm under the blanket, but the warmth of the other body next to him was still noticeable. The revelation made him feel things he hadn't let himself feel for the other in years. He took a small breath, turned his head ever so slightly. Immediately his gaze met Imelik’s, whose fair hair fell over the pillow as he lay on his side. His eyes sparkling in the faint moonlight.
“You are so tense.” Imelik speaks gently.
Toots rolls onto his side, tucking one hand under his pillow.
“I’m in your bed.” Toots says, the words falling so loudly from his mouth into the quiet room. Imelik smiles at that, his teeth glistening like pearls between his lips, and Toots couldn’t hold back his free hand as it gently brushed against Imeliku’s cheek.
Imeliku’s expression froze under the touch, but then he smiled again, delicately wrapping his fingers around his hand to guide it over his shoulder.
Toots couldn't get a word in, before Imelik’s arms were circling around his waist. Their bodies collide in an embrace that has Toots’ arms instinctively wrap around the other’s neck and burrowing his nose into his hair.
Toots feels his own heart beating fast in his chest, in tandem with Imelik’s, in that same frantic drumming. The hands were warm on his back and painfully gentle, as if Toots were a porcelain cup that would break if held too hard.
It was all so new and scary for Toots, but also very familiar. He held Imelik in fear that it was all some kind of a dream. As if he would disappear if he wasn't held.
And Imelik was holding him with that same fear.
°
Early in the morning, Toots woke up to the sun peeking into the room, right into his eyes. He raised his head a little to stare at the curtains, where a small ray of sunlight had fallen on his face, and then let his head fall back onto the pillow. When he opened his eyes again, he finally noticed the man next to him. Imelik, whose hand was currently under his own neck and whom Tootsi’s own arm was thrown over.
Imelik continued to sleep peacefully, even as the sun painted across his eyes and enveloped him in a warm, glowing light.
Tootsi’s mouth went dry at the sight – then even more-so at their sleeping situation.
Before Imelik could wake up, Toots was out of bed and dressed in record time. In all his panic, he failed to notice that it was still drizzling outside. He was at the door when Imelik came to him tiredly, and he put the umbrella back in his hand.
The umbrella that Toots had just brought back the night before.
“Take it straight to the Raja-Miss.” He said and then walked back into the room.
Toots reached Raja when the rain finally stopped. Now seemed like the right time to return the umbrella, but as he tried to leave it on the bench in front of the house and quickly be on his way, the door to the room suddenly opened.
Raja Teele stood at the door, wrapped in a dressing gown and looking at Toots with her piercing gaze. Toots, startled, turned to her fully and bowed politely. “Good morning, Teele.”
“Lord Toots,” Teele greeted, nodding her head at him. “What are you doing here so early?” she asked, crossing her arms to guard herself from the breeze outdoors.
Toots grabs the umbrella from the bench and walks to her, handing it back to her. Teele glances between him and the umbrella, before accepting it. “I had to bring it back to you, but I didn’t want to bother you so early,” Toots explains.
Teele sighed, “Ah, so that's how it is.” he said, twirling the umbrella in her hand before placing it by the door. “But do come in. I just made some tea.” The woman invites him in and steps out of the way.
If Toots thought he would be able to go home immediately after arriving, he was wrong.
Entering the room, the other closes the door behind him and leads him to the kitchen table. There he’s seated and a cup of tea is poured for him, which he carefully sips on. Teele’s gaze was smoldering, and Toots hoped he didn't look like a trembling aspen leaf across from her.
“I was in town yesterday when the storm came… and I had to stay there for the night.”
Teele's left eyebrow twitched slightly upward. A small smile dancing on her lips.
“Imeliku’s, I presume?” Teele asked, to which Toots could only nod at. He was trying– and failing– not to have a nervous breakdown. “So you’re the one whose aid he came to that day?”
“Excuse me?”
“When he asked me for my umbrella. I was in a café that day and he came up to me to ask for it. Well, I thought he was rushing to save some maiden with it – but it was you!” Teele recalled, a smile on her face the whole time. She seemed to blossom upon hearing this and poured Toots another cup of tea.
"That was me, then." Toots hums, grazing the handle of the cup with the tip of his finger.
Teele laughs a little, "He’s always going on about some secret somebody and now it turns out that it's you!" the words slip out of her mouth as if on their own.
Toots’ heart almost stops and his hand clenches in fear. His heart pounds heavily against his ribcage. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, Miss Teele." He finally clears his throat and Teele's face falls in confusion.
The girl's gaze hardens then and she takes a sip from her cup. "Then I hope you won't break my dear friend’s heart." She looks out the window and places her hands in her lap. Several shades of embarrassment run across her face.
Toots leaves with more than he arrived with.
`
Toots, upon arriving home, lays down in his bed to get a few more moments of sleep.
When he wakes, he has moments of peace of mind where he doesn’t remember what had happened that night.
He finally remembers when he’s eating at the dining table, almost choking on his spoon at the memory. He coughs so violently that his mother hurries to his side in concern and pats him on the back. Toots can only nod in gratitude and finish his food, so that the woman could go back to work.
Then his head was so full all day that it was about to burst. Even working couldn't take his mind off things for long. Whether it was rolling stones from the field or smoking a cigarette with Lible. Finally, he sent the old man home, blaming it on the pain in his leg – which of course hadn't really flared up today, he really just needed some time and space.
Thus he walked through the long grass to his usual sitting place.
Sitting where the hay had already been cut down, he lit a cigarette between his lips and listened to the river that was flowing a little distance away. Its sound and the quiet birdsong relieved his tension – gave him a chance to focus on something else. Even as the sky grew gray with clouds, he sat there, white puffs of smoke escaping from between his lips.
But his thoughts kept going back to last night, to that beautiful smile and warm embrace. Not that he would ever internalize those feelings – he simply stubs out one cigar and puts another between his lips.
The hay rustles behind him, causing him to stop in his search for his matches. Hiding his sullen expression, he twists himself to look away from the sound.
He lights a match and raises it. “I told you: go home, come back tomorrow.” He says to Lible, who is presumably now standing next to him, lighting a cigarette. Not that Toots can see him – he just assumes its the older man.
"But I just got here." A voice he wasn't expecting speaks, making Toots grab the cigarette from between his lips and grip it between his fingers.
He silently glances, out of the corner of his eye, to where Imelik is standing. He’s looking out over the reeds and at the river rushing past. Then the fair-haired one's eyes fall on him and soften. "Can I sit?" He motions besides Toots, to which he can only nod in agreement.
Imelik sits down next to him and Toots tries to focus on his cigar.
“Teele told me that you left Raja very gloomy today.” Imiliku’s voice was gentle and tinged with a hint of worry. Toots took his cigarette out of his mouth again and stared at a single flower peeking through the grass. “Is everything okay?”
Toots feels his throat tighten, but he pushes it down and exhales the last puff of smoke.
“Yes, it is.” He answered, more sullenly than he had intended. At that, the other moved a hair closer to him, his fingers briefly touching his on the grass.
"If you're okay, why are you brooding here like this?"
Toots sighed and pressed his cigarette bud to the ground to extinguish it. “Ah, what do you know…”
The wind blew through his hair and gently ruffled the grass behind her. Sitting next to him, Imelik silently looked at the nape of Tootsi’s head, where his curly hair billowed in the breeze. Imelik reached his hand behind the other's head and lets his fingers card through the curls.
Toots felt tingles all over his body, but he didn't pull away from his touch. Instead, opting to lean into it.
Imilik smiled at Toots when he finally looked at him again and said, “I know you’re not okay.” His gaze softened. “And that I care about you.”
Toots felt that tinge in his throat again – and how a single drop fell on his cheek. Of course he’d assumed that it was raining again, at first. But as he glanced up at the sky he realized that it had been his own tear. Imelik moved closer carefully and brushed their foreheads together. His hands rose up – caressing his face softly, brushing away the tears from where they had fallen.
When Toots opened his eyes, Imelik looked back at him, a glow of want growing within his eyes.
“This is all so new—” Toots’ gaze flickered away from the other, “so foreign.” he sighed. Fingers moved soothingly through his curls making him close his eyes again. Imelik remained, letting the remaining tears run down his cheeks—before wiping them away once more.
“I understand.” Imelik said, so close to him that Toots felt the words on his lips.
Their noses met cautiously. Now sharing the air, Toots felt his nerves frying. He let Imelik approach him. He himself stood still, afraid to make a wrong move.
When their lips finally met, Toots felt a wave of relief wash over him. It was much easier than he’d thought, to let his hand wander to the other’s jaw and rest there.
As they pulled away from each other and shared a glance, Toots let a small laugh escape his throat. At the sound, Imeliku’s mouth turns into a smile, his eyes sparkling so brightly under the sun’s bathing glow. Breathless, Toots pulls them together again—their lips meeting for a wanting kiss.
Tootsi's hands desperately grab the other man, trying to pull him even closer. Imelik smiles into the kiss at his eagerness, his hands resting on Tootsi's waist. Pulling apart for a final time, they press their foreheads together, eyes filled with uncertainty. Surprise melting into hope, they let themselves lean against each other.
Toots swallowed, his green eyes holding some semblance of fear, but looking at Imeliku’s unwaveringly. “Do you want a place to stay?” He finds the words leave easily.
Imelik smiles slightly, “Of course.” he stands up and offers his hand to Toots.
Toots grabs hold and lets himself be pulled along home.
When they arrive home, Tootsi's mother greets them, causing the two to detach their hands from each other's. She recognizes Imelik and greets him politely, allowing him to stay as long as he wants. "Toots rarely has visitors, I’ve started to wonder if he even gets along with anyone anymore- anyone besides Lible, that is." The woman speaks, holding Imeliku's hand in her frail one, to which the fair-haired one only smiles and nods along.
"Mom, don’t speak rubbish." He pats her on the shoulder and carefully removes himself from the situation, walking to his room.
As he entered, he took off his vest and placed it on top of his dresser. Looking out the window, he saw how the sun had already half set. How the clouds blended into the different shades of the sky. The sight was something that could make even him breathless for a moment. He stands, before a pair of arms wrap around his waist send him gasping in surprise.
When a head falls on his shoulder, he allows herself to peek aside for a moment, only to see Imelik gaze up at him. Through his light lashes, Imeliku’s eyes are bluer than usual. Toots hadn't let himself notice it before, and now he found why. He couldn't find the strength to look away.
But he didn't have to, because Imelik buried his face in his neck and let his mouth graze against Toots's neck. Heart pounding inside, Toots relished in how those lips felt against his bare flesh and how those gentle kisses began to pepper his skin.
Finding this strength within himself, he turns himself around in Imelik's arms and holds his face in his hands, his fingers naturally entwining themselves in his hair. Sharing stunned glances, they studied each other. Imeliku's eyes appeared to be searching for something – and when he finally seemed to find something there, he smiled warmly at him.
Toots, unable to stop the corners of his mouth from rising, watched as the other's eyelashes fluttered as his eyes fell on her mouth. Imelik slowly moves closer, so close that Toots could have counted all of his freckles. But when their lips meet between them, he can only breathe through his nose as he pursues the kiss.
Imeliku’s mouth captivates him like nothing else, and when Toots tilts his head slightly and their kiss deepens, he can’t focus on anything but the man in front of him and the sound of his own heartbeat in his ears.
Finally stopping, he takes a breath. As their foreheads meet in the middle, Imeliku's eyes are heavy but amused.
And when one of them finally said something, it was Imelik saying; "I didn't know you were so charming, Mr. Toots," to which said man can only laugh.
He grabs Imelik by the shoulders and guides him to sit on his bed. But as he stands before him, some inexplicable fear arises in him – a fear that makes his knees a little weak. His hands are clammy and his throat dry.
With trembling hands, he brushes a few stray strands of hair from Imeliku’s face and, swallowing, he says, "Beautiful things are always worth the charm." taking note of the gap between his top front-most teeth he can’t help but become enthralled.
Imeliku’s smiling eyes look back, full of tenderness and joy. Watching this, his own heart warmed within him, and in his hypnotized state he seemed to hear delicate bells in the air – but that could also be explained by his tired state. In a dazed stupor, he leans onto him and sighs, eyes fluttering shut.
“Shall we lay you down?” A pair of hands grab onto him and he’s laid down on the bed.
"How sweet of you..." He hums softly and lets himself cling to the other body that’s now beside him in bed.