François' life changed really fast. He finally got the bakery he wanted. It was slow at first, but he started to get customers after a week. Marvel got his braces off and started middle school, Beau started testosterone, and he was semi famous thanks to Lloyd. He thought about him every day. He wasn't allowed to call him more than once a week. It almost felt like they were in the war again.

He enjoyed the time with family again, but he was looking at houses for him and Lloyd to move into. They planned that when he was sick. He knew the other didn't want to live too posh and he didn't want something too simple. He found somewhere really nice and he and the other both liked.

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"Hi, baby!" Lloyd exclaimed through their vidcall. "Look what I got!"

He moved his head to show François his newly pierced ears. The other wooed and commented on his new haircut. It was still long in the back, but the sides got the cleanup they desperately needed. He even got bangs.

He showed off his rings. "You like?"

"Is that one red?"

"Yeah, I know you like red." He was so cute.

François showed off his necklace. "Look at this!"

"Ahh, blue! You even got it in my favorite shade!"

He looked before looking into the camera. "God, you're so beautiful. I can't wait to see you again." Lloyd laughed and covered his face. "Aww, don't cover it!"

"Well, I'm coming soon. In just a week!" Apple jumped on the bed. "Are you excited to meet her?"

"Well, I did you and her presents." He smirked as the two presents were in his room.

"Aww!! I got you something too!" He looked over at the present in its cage running around.

"I have that whole day planned out for us. I swear you'll love it."

He smiled warmly. "If it's with you, you could set me on fire."

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In February, François anxiously waited in the house. He had already moved his stuff in, and the guards moved the other's in. Now he was waiting for the other guard to bring his boyfriend here.

Would he really like it here? Would he be comfortable coming back to France? Wou-

"Franny, I'm home!"

François sprung up as Lloyd jumped into his arms. They kissed, ruffling each other's hair. They fell on the couch, still in each other's embrace. The guard wished them well and went on their way.

"You're here!" The redhead pulled the other away from his lips and hugged him tight. "You're already here!"

"I know!" He remembered his gift. "Close your eyes, I have something to give you!"

"Oh, me too! Let's do it at the same time!" Apple scratched at François's leg. "Hi, doggy!"

With their eyes clothes closed, they got their gifts. Apple ran to the two presents and sniffed them.

"1....2...3!"

"OH MY GOD A PET!"

The two dogs that François got him ran over to him, the big one knocking him over. He kissed them, kissed Apple, and asked their names. Benjamin and Blueberry! How cute! The other was excitedly staring at the bunny in the cage. She was a chuck with orange fur.

"Oh my God! I'm gonna call her Ginger!" François took her out and patted her head. He never had a pet before, Marcel always got afraid of even the smallest animals.

"Franny, you got me babies!" He picked up the smaller one, rubbing her belly as she kissed his face.

They gave each other a quick kiss before getting settled. Lloyd really liked this house. It reminded him of his childhood home with his aunts, just in better condition. He saw the room that they were going to share.

"We should paint the room. I'm thinking pink."

"Oh my gosh, that would look so good." He laid on the bed. Lloyd laid next to him, holding his hand.

"I have somewhere to take you."

The other smiled at him. "Really?"

"Yeah, but we gotta wear our disguises, babe." They decided that they wanted to keep their relationship a secret, so they both had to wear costumes anytime they went out.

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First, they went to La Cour du Louvre. They couldn't stop laughing over fond memories. Then they went to a museum. They took a lot of selfies and pictures. Both got their nails done. Lloyd got blue and red, and François got purple, only having his ring fingers being painted black.

Before they went home, they decided to just drive around. They blasted Queen and drove fast yet carefully on the empty highway. They had the windows open, the cold winter air blowing on their faces. They had their hats and shades off. It was just them.

"BABY!!!! I LOVE YOU!!" François yelled as he laughed, his heart feeling hot from exuberance.

Lloyd looked at him, his face red from cold and laughter. "I LOVE YOU TOO!!"

"YOU'RE THE BEST!!"

"YEAAAH!!!!"

After a while of yelling in the wind, they stopped at a park to stargaze. They stayed in the car because it was too cold, but they pulled their seats back.

"That one," Lloyd pointed to the red one that shined like a ruby. "that's you."

François blushed. "I'm a star?"

"My star." Now they were both blushing.

"Well then, you're that one." He pointed to a dark blue one. "Oh, look, they're together."

Lloyd squinted his eyes. "They're holding hands."

They started to hold hands. François had the radio quietly playing Pretty Young Thing. That song always reminded him of Lloyd. He was pretty, he was young, and he was a thing, non-binary of course. He sneakily peeked at the other's eyes.

He still wasn't used to the new look yet, but it was beautiful. It's frighteningly gorgeous. The stars looked so much different in his eyes, like that's their home. He felt that same way. There's something about him that's home. He never really had one. Sure, his grandparents, but that just didn't feel the same. Home was supposed to be the love in his mother's touch, her smell, her face. He wasn't had that until Lloyd. He loves him, he holds him, and he feels this feeling in his heart when they're together. Like the softness of vanilla ice cream, or the way flower petals feel in your hands when you rub them.

Sometimes, he sees his mother's face in Lloyd's expressions. He sees the warmth, the joy he missed out on. As much as he hates her, she had the most beautiful smile the rare times that she was genuinely happy. Never with him, though. The first he saw Lloyd smile at him, he felt those feelings again. That sense of comfort and peace, though he never knew what it was like from her. He knew that when she wasn't smiling, she was yelling. She was mean. She was scary. But when Lloyd didn't smile, he was still safe. He never felt afraid of him. He never felt like at any moment, he was going to snap and hurt him. His boyfriend wasn't smiling right now, but he felt the most content he's felt in a while.

When the song changed to an Art Garfunkel song, it was the other's turn to steal glances. His face reminds him of Martha.

"You can sleep now, go to sleep~"

He felt her in François' laugh, his hugs, even in the way he walked. Those two years with her were the best in his life. She would hug him, bake with him, make him feel like he was the important person in the world. He would feel his face flutter when she was kissing him. He would just sit with her for hours, letting her stroke his once brown hair and tell him stories from her youth. He would often dream of those stories of her first date or having to live with a friend in America when the Nazis were in France. When she died, he never thought he would feel that again. Even with his mother, who watches him play piano for ages and picks him to be held anytime he wanted, he never felt what he felt with Martha.

But then, he met François. He had her blue eyes, her curls, even her wink. Sometimes, during the war, he would pray over him when he slept, thanking Martha for coming back to him and to keep this one safe. He felt him in everything he did. When he would brush his teeth after smoking, when he would shower, or would he would write pages and pages of poetry that his heart couldn't keep to itself.

He reminded him of a lot of things. He reminded him of springtime. Of books that he could get lost in for days. Of the feeling of sunshine on his skin. At times, when he thought of him, Martha's happy old face popped up in his mind. She always smiled. This sounds crazy, but he talked to flowers like he was talking to her, she used to love flowers and always had them in the house. He asked them if François really was as great as he thinks he was. As if she listened, François always smelled like roses. Once, he asked her about him, and he came to him just moments later with light pink cherry blossoms in his hair. She used to put them in his hair in the spring.

He looked over at him and shyly looked away when their eyes met. François turned off the radio so it was just them and the stars. They liked quiet. There was no shouting, no gunshots, no war. Lloyd lit up. He was always feeling good. Why not add more good feelings?

"Lloydie, smoking isn't good for you." Sometimes, he even says things she would say to him.

Lloyd blew the smoke out the window. "But it's fun." He finished quickly to go back to holding his hand.

François didn't mind the smell, but those things are so bad for your body. Lloyd always chewed gum afterward to keep his breath from smelling, like he was now.

"Strawberry gum?" That boy and his damn strawberries.

"Yeah. Want a piece?"

"Nope, all for you, strawberry boy." He loved the sound of his giggles.

They kept staring at stars. Lloyd swallowed his gum (😟) and kissed François' forehead.

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Lloyd got to cuddle all his new dogs and see François' cute pajamas when they got home. He wore an oversized shirt and panties before laying down to tell his parents he was just fine as François did skincare in the bathroom. When the other was back, they laid in bed, too shy to do anything.

François had his hand on his thigh, rubbing it with his finger. "Um, do you want to cuddle?"

"Yeah, but I don't really know how to do it."

"I mean, we did it once, but that was when we were friends..."

They pulled out their phones to look at different cuddling positions on Pinterest. They tried a few, it didn't really feel right.

"Hmm..." Lloyd yawned after they tossed and turned. "Let's just do what we want to do."

They thought about it, then just wrapped their arms around each other. Lloyd's head was on François' chest as the other had his leg around him.

"This is nice." François stroked his hair. "You comfy?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Totally."

He felt different. Lloyd felt healthy. He couldn't feel his ribs as much anymore.

"Lloydie?"

He received light snoring as a reply. He smiled and looked up at the ceiling. Hid heart felt light. He remembered dreaming about this, and now it was happening. He rubbed his back until he fell asleep as well.

Marianna Foster -MOONLIGHT OVER THE OCEAN