Here is the fifth chapter to my Oz x Gil fan fiction, called A Bond Light.
The next morning, I woke up with my head on Oz's shoulder. I sat up and saw that he was sleeping peacefully. I felt weightless with joy, my heart racing as I watched him. My hand touched his face, then traced down his neck, over his shoulder, across his torso. I felt giddy as I waited for him to wake up. Maybe I should get up, I thought, wanting to train myself to function without Oz. I wouldn't always be able to be near him.
It was easier to tear myself away from him when he was sleeping. I quietly crept out the door, then walked to the living room. Ada was already up, playing solitaire. I joined her on the couch and asked if she would like to play Go Fish with me. I ended up with 3 sets; she had 10. I had no strategy, instead asking her for any random card I happened to have. I called her Oz several times (they were siblings, after all). Alice came in and we played another game of go fish with her. I didn't have the excuse of a family resemblance when I kept calling her Oz, too.
"Oz, um, Alice, do you have any 6's?" I asked. I must have been quite sleepy.
"I'm not Oz, you seaweed-head," she replied grumpily. I wondered when Oz would get up. What would he think when he saw I wasn't there? It would probably be disorienting for him. In this second game of Go Fish, being more awake, I managed to get 4 sets; Ada also had 4, and Alice had 5. I went to Oz's room as Alice gloated over her victory. He was sleeping, but he started to stir when I got back in bed.
Still half asleep, he muttered, "Gil," then rolled towards me. I wrapped my arms around him, my heart dancing. His warm lips touched mine. I wanted to stay with him forever, but I knew that was impossible. He drew away, looking at me with purposeful eyes, less blank than normal.
I said softly, "I got up before you, but it was impossible to stay away from you for very long. I've become so used to your company, Oz."
"Then let's stay with each as much as possible," he said, smiling at me. We held each other closely. I lusted for more.
"Do you mind..." I said, looking at him quizzically as I unbuttoned his shirt. He let me take off his shirt, then he took off mine. Our bodies melting together, we kissed with open, eager lips. I felt giddy with excitement.
He eventually pulled back to say, "This love isn't possessive; you aren't mine. You're your own wonderful person. I love that about you. I love everything about you." I smiled and laughed delightedly. I realized that I thought the same of him: Oz was his own confident, determined person, and I loved that. I pulled him towards me, kissing him enthusiastically to show my agreement. We stayed in bed for a long time, hugging, kissing, and saying we loved each other.
"When you're older, we could get married, if you want," I said.
He looked into my eyes happily. "I need you always. I would love to marry you." Then he added, "Do you even know if boys can marry each other? I've only heard of marriage between a boy and a girl."
"Come to think of it, I haven't heard of marriage between boys either," I said.
Ever the optimist, he replied, "There's a first for everything, right?"
"Yes," I said fervently. "I would break a million rules if it would make you happy." This was an exaggeration. A few months ago, it had been true; I had joined Pandora, become a legal contractor, and even shot people for his sake. Now, however, the support he gave me made me feel that I shouldn't sacrifice anything more than I had to. Instead, I wanted to improve the world for his sake. "Well, maybe just bad rules. You would only truly be happy if I did something good."
He murmured gently, "You know me so well, Gil." Realizing that it must have been late morning by then, I forced myself to get out of bed, feeling like I was tearing out my heart, shaking from the emotional strain. I succumbed to my desire and came back in bed, clinging to Oz. His eager face reflected my feelings. The room seemed very warm, so I kicked off the covers. I felt tingly when Oz pressed his body into me. I could feel his torso on my uncovered chest, but his bare lower legs (he was wearing shorts) rested on my long, black pants. Why did there have to be clothing separating us? I ran my fingers through his hair, which was messy yet soft.
"Closer," he whispered urgently, closing his eyes.
I told him, "It must be very late by now. We should get up." However, I couldn't help giving him one more long, hard kiss before we climbed out of bed. He looked deeply into my eyes. Suddenly, he gasped and fell to his knees, clutching the seal on his chest. I knelt beside him, my heart thumping. It angered me that he had to go through this pain. I felt like I was suffering with him; the left side of my chest ached, and my breathing was quick and shallow. He relaxed and stood up, with my arms around him protectively. The seal had moved backwards again (this time, having seen him with his shirt off, I could tell for myself). He stood there for a few minutes then eased himself out of my arms and searched for our shirts.
After putting on our shirts, we found the others in the living room. Alice and Oz were playing a card game while Ada read the Holy Knight series. They all turned their faces towards us as we entered the room.
"What took you so long, lazybones?" Alice inquired. I looked at the clock, surprised to find that it was almost noon.
"I didn't realize how late it was," I remarked. She, Ada, and Oscar looked suspiciously at our tousled hair and wrinkled clothing.
Oz said, "The contract seal on my chest moved backwards again." They looked surprised. He continued, "I wonder what will happen if it reverses entirely?"
"Maybe the contract will break entirely, and you'll get to stay here," Ada said, smiling at her brother.
"But that would mean that I wouldn't be bound to this world and I would have to go back to the Abyss," Alice pointed out. "I like it here. I never want to go back."
Oz said, "Then let's see if there isn't some way to keep you in this world." I looked at him, my heart burning with pleasure at his determination.
"Definitely," said Oscar. "Let's consult with Break and Sharon after lunch." As we ate, my thoughts drifted towards memories of that morning with Oz. I remembered how his body had relaxed into me as he had murmured lovingly. The experience had been unfamiliar but delightful. I stopped eating to take his hand in mine, my heart skipping and leaping. He looked so blissful; he must have thinking about how he wasn't going to be dragged into the Abyss. Months ago, he hadn't even cared about his own life. I loved him even more for his stronger will.
As always, I drove the carriage, wishing that I could be inside it where Oz was (despite the more equal status I now had with Oz, I was still regarded as a servant). All four of the others had decided to come. We arrived at the Rainsworth house a few hours later. Break and Sharon were on the balcony, drinking tea.
"Nice to see you guys," Break said, leaning back with a piece of cake on the fork he had in his hand.
Oz said, "The seal on my chest moved backwards again. Do you think that the contract will break and Alice have to go back to the Abyss if it reverses all the way?"
"That seems likely." Break studied Oz. "You're different than you used to be. You'll figure something out. The seal might stay there even after it's all the way reversed, though, keeping Alice in this world. Just a thought." He ate the cake, looking unconcerned. Oz looked at me with what was probably supposed to be a comforting expression, but he looked uncertain. He never had trusted Break. Break's idea seemed like the only solution, though.
"In order to keep the seal on, but not let it advance, I would have to reach a delicate equilibrium with my feelings for Gil and Alice. What if I disrupted that?" said Oz. I understood him: his love for me was breaking the contract, but he cared about Alice as a friend. If he let go of Alice too much, she would no longer be tied to this world.
Sharon said, "That would be a problem. Not only that, but the Will of the Abyss might interfere. However, you don't really have a choice, do you?"
Alice replied, "We can do it. It doesn't sound too hard. I bet we've gone through worse." It definitely didn't sound as bad as many of the adventures we had been on, especially if it meant I could be close to Oz. I looked longingly into his large, green eyes.
"Why don't you stay for tea?" Sharon said.
Oz turned his head towards her to reply, "That sounds great." Ada and I nodded in agreement and Oscar grinned. We continued to discuss the contract over tea. We came to the conclusion that we could manage to keep the Will of the Abyss from finding out, avoiding any problems with her. The rest of it would depend on Oz. I hated to leave such a heavy burden on him, but I saw no way out of it. If we let Alice go into the Abyss, he would regret it forever (to be honest, I would miss her, too). I made up my mind to love and support him as much as I could to help him get through this.
By the time we finished tea, Oz seemed to be more comfortable with the idea that he would have to keep Alice from losing her tie to this world. He smiled at me, and I smiled back, leaning towards him.
"Great to see you guys. Visit again soon," Break said, looking disgustedly at me and Oz as we laced our hands together; he wasn't at all interested in romance.
"You're shooing us out?" Oscar said, disappointed.
"So long," Break said, waving with his fork.
Sharon waved her hand, saying, "Good luck."
"Good riddance," Emily chimed in. We left when Break started lecturing Emily about Emily's brutal honesty. After we got home, Alice, Oscar, and Ada went inside. Oz asked me to stay outside with him. I thought that he wanted to talk about his illegal contract, but I he drew me towards him and pressed his lips on mine. Nerves tingling and heart dancing, thoughts of Oz pushed everything else out of my mind. Our eager tongues touched and my heart ached pleasantly. I could have exploded with joy. My arms holding him close, I pulled my head back to see his blissful expression for a moment before kissing him again. He gently put his hand on my chest and drew away, looking at me tenderly.
"I'll always be here for you," I whispered. "No matter what happens, I'll try my best to help you."
Oz said, "I'm here for you, too, Gil. I'll protect you always." I felt dizzy, overwhelmed by the determination written on his face. I loved the willful young man he was becoming even more than I had loved the uncertain boy he had been. We kissed intensely again, then walked inside, hand in hand.
