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Cecil stared openly at Carlos as the scientist did… something. Cecil wasn’t really paying attention to what he was doing. Something to do with Science. There were a lot of glass containers and flasks and tubes containing all sorts of substances from neon green Kool-Aid to antique skin that one of the other scientists had found. But that wasn’t nearly as interesting as Carlos. He watched as Carlos’s lab coat fluttered majestically as he moved, ripples of white in the air. As his beautiful and perfect hair shifted along with his movements, dark tresses falling in front of his eyes, only to be gently shooed away by a strong, caramel hand. No matter what he was doing, Carlos was always beautiful.“Ceec?”Cecil was startled out of his stupor. “Huh?”“What are you thinking about?” Carlos asked, radiant eyes fixated on his boyfriend.“Oh, nothing really.” Telling Carlos that he had just been staring would be so embarrassing. “Why?”“You’re smiling,” Carlos said, “I was just wondering what about.”“Oh.”Neither of them said anything. Carlos turned back to his Science things after a few moments.“Uh,” Cecil started. Carlos looked up. “I was thinking about you.”Okay, it was embarrassing but it wasn’t nice to lie to Carlos especially about something that was about him.Carlos smiled back. “You’re adorable, Ceec.”Cecil totally wasn’t blushing. He wasn’t. Even if the Secret Police’s surveillance footage would show otherwise. They were walking home from Big Rico’s under the night sky and their hunger sated, hand in hand as Carlos animatedly told Cecil all about his latest Science stuff.Cecil couldn’t understand a word of it for the life of him. If it weren’t for the occasional “the” or “and” or some other word that he recognized, he would have assumed that Carlos was speaking another language entirely. Maybe he was at some points. But Carlos was just so vibrant, so alive. He was beautiful in a different way than when he was concentrating. His brows didn’t furrow adorably and he didn’t chew his cheek, but the smile on his face more than made up for it.“Isn’t that just fascinating?” Carlos chirped.“Yes, most definitely,” Cecil nodded. “Very neat.”Carlos turned his head, making eye contact with Cecil. His smile widened. “I’m so glad that you find this so amazing too, Cecil.”Cecil hummed. “Why wouldn’t I?”He smiled. That is, he would have. Or rather, he already was. He hadn’t even realized that his mouth was stretched in a wide grin.“It’s a little—” Carlos began and cut himself off. “It’s just, well, you know, uh…” Cecil cocked his head to the side. “Science-y?”“Yeah, something like that,” Carlos said, his smile dimming down a few notches. “People have said it can get kind of… annoying.”Cecil had to stop himself from gasping. “No. Never, Carlos. You love Science. It’s absolutely breathtaking to see you so passionate. Don’t ever let anyone else tell you otherwise.”And just like that Carlos’s smile was back. And so was Cecil’s. Cecil wasn’t being creepy. Probably. Maybe. It could be considered creepy but it definitely wasn’t under the circumstances and that was all that mattered, right?He stroked Carlos’s perfect hair gingerly, a soft smile at his lips. Carlos was so peaceful when he was sleeping. Cecil preferred him more when he was awake, but being in bed with Carlos and simply touching him was something intimate and it made Cecil’s insides all warm and fuzzy. Like intestine caterpillars except a whole lot better.He liked watching Carlos sleep (it wasn’t creepy!). He liked being so close to Carlos, able to see all the lines on his face and just how relaxed he was. Even his snores were adorable. And even though his hair wasn’t perfect when he woke up, his bedhead was to die for.“I love you,” Cecil breathed out.To his surprise, Carlos stirred slightly, a low note being drawn from his throat. “You too, Ceec,” he mumbled. “Now go to bed.”Cecil couldn’t stop himself from giggling before he snuggled into Carlos. “He really likes you,” Cecil said.Carlos petted Khoshekh, the cat purring and leaning in to his touch. “Yeah, I think he does.”Cecil had been about to leave earlier to go to the radio station, trying to carry a huge bag of cat food for Khoshekh and his kittens. He hadn’t been able to. Carry the bag, that was. It had been far too heavy. But Carlos, wonderful, considerate Carlos, had helped him lug the thing all the way to the station and was now petting/playing with Khoshekh.“I still don’t get how they hover,” Carlos said. “I really want to know.”“No experiments on my babies,” Cecil warned. “I wouldn’t dream of it, Ceec.”Cecil looked over from feeding one of the floating kittens. Khoshekh loved visitors and Carlos was always so kind and gentle to the cat. He felt pure delight well in him seeing two beings he cared so much for get along so well.“We have to go home now, Carlos.”“What?” Carlos looked almost sad now. “Why?”“Station management doesn’t like it when people who aren’t working loiter in the building.”It had been a joke, but Carlos seemed to take it seriously as the scientist all but sprinted out of the restroom, only pausing to grab Cecil’s arm to tug him along, the radio host laughing the entire time. Cecil was sore all over. His back hurt when he moved it in a sort of weird way that wasn’t really that weird but didn’t happen enough to be constant and his neck felt stiff and his legs ached. He didn’t like it.“Cecil, what are you doing?”Cecil raised a hand into the air and shook it in what he hoped was a somewhat dismissive manner. “No interns,” he spoke into the couch, “had to run around myself. “Aw, Ceec.” He could hear Carlos walking towards him.“Hm?”“You want a backrub?”“That sounds heavenly,” Cecil all but moaned. “You’re wonderful, Carlos.”“Thanks.”So Carlos set to rubbing the knots out of Cecil’s back and easing the tension from his neck, Cecil letting out little sighs and mewls as he did so.“Carlos you are perfect at this,” Cecil stated, turning his head to the side.“You’re too nice,” the scientist replied. He looked up to Cecil’s face. “Glad to see that you’re happy again.”Cecil hadn’t even known that he was smiling. Carlos seemed to have that affect on him.“Yeah,” he grinned. “I am.”
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Carlos felt every nerve in his body shriek and protest as he fought against the hands that were pulling him back. An iron grip clutched at his lab coat and he shook it off only to have his arms and legs pulled back again. “Cecil!” He screamed, voice raw and alarmed.No, he thought, this can’t be happening. It can’t.“Carlos,” Cecil smiled. “I love you. Always have.”“No, Ceec, don’t say that!” Carlos screeched. “We’ll get out of this!”Cecil shifted his gaze to the ground. The monstrous thing behind him moved. “I hope that the University of What It Is realizes what an amazing scientist they have.”“No!” Carlos yelled again.Cecil looked into his eyes. “I love you.”And then there was blood. Carlos watched in horror as the red liquid stained the ground, seeping through the dirt.No longer struggling, the hands pulled him backwards into darkness.
Carlos woke with a start, eyes wide open and a light sweat on his body. He was on the floor somewhere. Oh god, he had been kidnapped, hadn’t he. He was never going to see Cecil again and he was never going to get to go to Night Vale again and he could feel his heart shattering into a thousand tiny pieces—“Carlos, what are you doing?”Carlos stiffened, head whipping to the source of the noise. “Cecil.” Cecil regarded him curiously. “Are you alright? You were talking in your sleep, not enough to make out or anything, and then you started thrashing.” Cecil paused. “And then you fell out of the bed.” Carlos stared. “Oh.” It had been a dream. More accurately speaking, it had been a nightmare. It was nothing more than a fictitious scenario that his brain had conjured from his imagination. Cecil wasn’t dead. Carlos wasn’t being dragged back to the university and everything was fine. He sobbed. “Carlos!” Cecil sounded afraid. Carlos couldn’t even recall Cecil coming off the bed or sitting next to him. All he could focus on was squeezing Cecil as tightly as he could, tears staining his cheeks. Cecil’s arms were around him, warm and loving. It took Carlos a few moments to realize that Cecil was talking and then a few more to make out what his boyfriend was saying. “It’s alright,” Cecil whispered into the dark. “I’m here and you’re safe right now. I love you and I’ll make sure that you’re safe and you shouldn’t be scared now, my sweet Carlos.” Cecil continued on, but Carlos was a bit busy heaving into Cecil’s shoulder, tears dampening the short he wore. Cecil’s voice murmured in the background, calming Carlos’s fried nerves bit by bit until he was still, curled up in Cecil’s lap as the moonlight permeated into the bedroom.“Are you alright?” Cecil asked again.“Yeah,” Carlos gulped.It was just a nightmare. None of it was real. His reaction upon seeing Cecil when he had woken up wasn’t logical or rational. He should have been happy. He had just been so afraid and all of his emotions had just surged forward until he didn’t even know how to handle them.“Do you want to talk about it?” Cecil’s voice was soft and sweet.Carlos thought. It was just a nightmare, not a real thing. There shouldn’t be any need to discuss it.He found himself nod anyway. “Yeah.”Cecil rested his head on top of Carlos’s. “What happened?”“We were on a date,” Carlos started, already feeling his throat constrict. “It was really nice. I don’t remember what it was of, but I remember that I was happy.”“Then what?” Cecil asked, a hand going to card through Carlos’s hair, gently running his fingers through dark strands.“Then—” Carlos felt his voice give out on him. “Then there was this thing and it was appalling and terrifying and it was right behind you and then I was getting pulled away from you and I tried to get to you and the thing just got closer and it was so huge and scary and dark and—”“Carlos.” Cecil’s voice stopped him. It was only then that Carlos realized that he was shaking and that his words had been flying from his mouth at a ludicrous speed. “It’s alright, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”Carlos whimpered. “You said you loved me.”“I do.”“And then it killed you.”Cecil’s arms tightened around him and a gentle kiss was placed on his hair. “I’m not dead, dearest Carlos.”“I know,” Carlos’s voice was hardly audible.Cecil moved them both until they were staring each other directly in the eyes. “I can’t promise that I’ll never die,” Cecil said, “but I can promise that I will do anything and everything in my power to make sure that you’re happy. And if that means not getting killed by a giant, dark monster, then that is what it will be.”Carlos felt his throat ache as he kept down more tears.“And Carlos,” Cecil continued, still maintaining eye contact, “I will always, always love you no matter what.”“I love you too.”Cecil smiled softly. “How about we get off of the floor and back into the bed. Does that sound good to you?”“It does,” Carlos said.“I’m already quite comfortable though,” Cecil continued. “So why don’t we…”Cecil’s arms removed themselves from Carlos and he turned to grab at the comforter of the bed, which he promptly pulled off.“What are you—”“There,” Cecil declared as he took two of the pillows down as well. He rearranged the objects as best he could with Carlos in his lap.When he was apparently done, he looked back up to Carlos and grinned. “I made a nest. Now we just have to cuddle and go to sleep."And despite the still lingering anxiety in his stomach, Carlos found it in himself to laugh.
Carlos blearily opened up his eyes as sunlight trickled into the room. Since he couldn’t hear the screeching that usually accompanied the sunrise, he realized it was probably already well into the morning.He went to nuzzle his head into Cecil’s chest then realized that his boyfriend was gone.Carlos felt a cold fear travel down his spine, the nightmare still fresh in his mind. Where was—?“Good morning, beautiful Carlos,” Cecil entered the room and just like that Carlos felt every stray doubt evaporate from his mind.“Morning,” he drawled out sleepily.It was then that he noticed the tray in Cecil’s hands.“Breakfast in bed,” Cecil explained. “It’s just some toast—gluten free, of course—and City Council regulated eggs and I know that I’m not that good of a cook—”“It’s perfect Cecil,” Carlos couldn’t stop himself from laughing. “You’re perfect.”“No one is perfect,” Cecil said, sitting down next to Carlos. “But I would like to think that we are perfect for each other.”Carlos agreed wholeheartedly.
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Cecil liked music. Not just a genre of music. Cecil liked all music from rap to pop to classical to some really obscure indie stuff that he was certain that pretty much no else had even heard before. Point was that Cecil was a man who appreciated music of any sort.It was then quite obvious to realize that Cecil also loved to sing. He would sing in the shower or when one of the many songs that he liked played over the radio or just about whenever he wanted to sing. Even if he was waiting in public or filling out mandatory City Council issued forms, he was usually humming some sort of tune, not even knowing that he was doing.Other people found it annoying. They didn’t like that he would simply stop midsentence in a conversation to burst out into song or that he would idly hum when he was doing rather municipal tasks.Maybe he was just a bad singer. Cecil didn’t really know. No one had ever told him that he was a bad singer, but it would explain why some people kept telling him to stop. No one had told him that he was good, either. So Cecil labeled himself as an average singer, maybe a bit below average.Then Carlos had come along with his perfect hair and majestic lab coat and his perfectly imperfect self, and Cecil did his best to try to kick the habit. He didn’t want to annoy Carlos or assault the scientist’s ears with his possibly horrid singing. That simply wouldn’t do.And so Cecil had restricted himself to only singing softly in the shower or when Carlos wasn’t around.Eventually the act of trying to break the habit became a habit in itself, Cecil never singing a single note if Carlos could hear him. It hadn’t stopped when they started living with each other either (Cecil giggled even now at the memory of Carlos asking to make a home with him) and as far as Cecil knew, Carlos had never heard him sing. He was pretty sure that Carlos hadn’t, but one could never be certain what with time travel and the relativity of space.Cecil looked up from whittling another wooden carving of Khoshekh as Carlos entered the room, fixing his shirt and only one sleeve of his lab coat on. “I’m going to the lab, Ceec. Call or come over if you need anything.”“Of course,” Cecil replied. “Have fun with your Science.”“I will,” Carlos leaned down and the two shared a sweet, chaste kiss. “I love you.”“I love you too.”And with that Carlos finally pulled on the sleeve of his lab coat and left the apartment, Cecil watching him go. Then he dissolved into a fit of giggles and curled up on the couch.Oh, Carlos was just so adorable! He had still looked disheveled despite his best efforts and Cecil found the entire thing far too cute to possibly contain. What had he done to deserve Carlos?Giddiness eventually subsiding, Cecil soon straightened himself out and stretched his arms over his head. Carlos would be out of the house for a while. Maybe he could do something romantic and surprise him. I could do his laundry and help fix that one pocket in his work lab coat, Cecil thought. Okay, maybe it wasn’t that romantic, but it was still rather nice. Carlos had bemoaned his misfortune when the pocket had been torn off and the threads frayed after barely escaping the library. Now he was simply wearing his casual lab coat to the labs.The idea decided upon, Cecil quickly gathered his sewing kit and took Carlos’s lab coat from the closet. Then he set to work. This lab coat was a bit sleeker than the other ones, with tighter sewing than the other, but Cecil was certain that he wouldn’t mess this up.The lab coat even smelled like Carlos, which wasn’t that odd seeing as the scientist wore it quite often. Cecil felt his heart melt just a bit as he continued.The task in itself wasn’t that boring, but it was rather monotonous. He glanced around even though he knew that Carlos wasn’t there. Then he started to hum.It wasn’t any specific song, just a small tune that he made up as he went along. Soon enough though, the mindless humming started to form a sort of familiar melody. A song that was perfect for Carlos. “’Cause when you smile,” Cecil sang out, “the whole world stops and stares for a while, ‘cause boy you’re amazing, just the way you are.” He continued to all but bellow the lyrics out as he sewed. He probably didn’t get the order completely right but it wasn’t like it mattered that much.“His hair falls perfectly without—”“Ceec?”Cecil sprang up a good foot into the air. He turned around. “My gosh Carlos, you really startled me.”“What were you doing?”“I’m sewing your lab coat pocket back and patching it up,” Cecil said. “It was supposed to be a surprise.”“Oh, that’s really sweet of you, but,” Carlos paused, “I was asking about the singing. I suppose my question didn’t come out right.”Cecil could feel the blood leave his face. “Oh.”“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you sing before,” Carlos said. “Yeah.”Carlos looked down at his feet. Then back up. Shuffled his feet a bit. “You have a really beautiful voice.”Cecil stared, processing the words. “What?”“You’re really good at singing,” Carlos reiterated. “I like it. A lot.”Cecil could hardly believe his ears.“Oh Carlos that’s wonderful!” Cecil grinned. “I was so worried that you would find it annoying and I can’t tell if I’m any good or not.”“Aw, Cecil,” Carlos walked over to the couch now. “You’re great, honey. I love your singing.”“And just when I thought that I couldn’t love you any more than I do now.” Carlos looked up from the specimen that he was examining in the microscope. He thought he could hear something from outside…He made his way over to the window and opened it.“Cecil?”“When I see your face,” Cecil sang out, cheeks stained pink, “there's not a thing that I would change, 'cause you're amazing just the way you are.”“Oh my god Ceec—” “And when you smile,” Cecil continued, “the whole world stops and stares for a while. 'Cause boy, you're amazing just the way you are.”“Cecil what are you doing?” Carlos finally asked.“I’m serenading you!” Cecil answered. “Now hush.”Needless to say, Carlos faced a rather large amount of teasing from his fellow scientists that day.