Epilogue: Winter

In the small town of Lewes in Sussex, a county in the south east of England, it doesn't snow in winter. It rains. In the Grange, the leaves had long since fallen from the trees, been trodden into mulch and washed away. Skeletal branches touched the drenched grey sky. A figure stood in that torrential downpour. Being watched.

The figure in the rain walked barefoot across the muddy grass, moving almost in slow motion, each pace measured and careful. There was mud and grit on the soles of his feet. Good blond hair that was now long enough to tickle his collarbones was plastered flat to his skull by the rain. Loose blue jeans were soaked through, as was the long sleeved white shirt he wore. The water had turned the garment transparent. Cotton clung to the outlines and shapes of the muscles in his chest, his abdomen and across his shoulders, and it also revealed the tattoo black wings, line art outlines only, that the boy bore across his shoulders. Sera had designed then for him, and these days, Thomas really did have wings. He walked softly in the rain, each step slow as he moved forwards with his eyes closed, palms open and turned upward, held away from his body to catch the raindrops.

Sera watched him from under the partial cover of a leaf-less chestnut tree, hands jammed deep into the pockets of a high collar black leather trench coat. The garment wrapped around him right the way down to the ankles, leaving only a few inches to show the trailing ends of damp black jeans and metal studded boots. His black hair was held back from his face, wet and messy with the rain, dripping in his eyes as he stood and shivered. Eyebrows lowered to shield him from the rain which was drizzling steadily from the branches, Sera watched his lover walk in the rain. He could never see the temptation himself, and most days he simply stayed indoors while Thomas enjoyed himself, coming home damp and shivering in need of warming up. Today was special. It had been a serious effort to drag Sera out of bed that morning, Thomas didn't want to miss the dawn. Sera grumbled that you couldn't see the sun rise through all the clouds. But, true to his word and unable to deny the look in those summer blue eyes, Sera had donned his coat and left his flat following the other boy.

Thomas smiled as he watched his partner sulk in the shadows, miserable as the rain found it's way through the folds of his coat. He wandered over, not ceasing in his slow walk, and held out his hand to Sera. The other didn't take it, but stepped away from the tree to join him, instantly becoming just as soaked. Together they walked, Sera's eyes urging Thomas to hurry as the other continued to walk slowly, smiling, to the walled off gardens where they had first met. It the centre of the box hedges the willow tree no longer stood. A many-jetted paved fountain was there instead, adding its water to that of the downpour. They both stood looking at it, and Sera finally dragged his hand from the relative warmth and dryness of his pocket to twine his fingers with Thomas's.

"Thank you."

Sera shrugged a little.

"What for?"

"For coming out today," Thomas leant over on frozen toes to place a damp kiss on Sera's dark cheek. The other boy smiled, but did not raise the fingers to his other hand to swipe the water droplets that made Thomas's eyelashes glitter.

"Sera," Thomas's voice was full of hidden laughter, "It's Christmas."

Sera grinned. He knew perfectly well what day it was. Thomas had turned up yesterday with an armful of presents, a small bottle of champagne and a tiny Christmas tree. They had put it up together, covered with fairy lights that made the apartment into a glowworm's cave. Sera had run away with himself and the tinsel, and managed to tie it to everything, including Thomas to the bed.

The stayed there for a long time, watching the pouring water and the fountain, Sera's chocolate eyes stayed mostly fixed on Thomas as he stepped around in between the fountain jets. Getting more and more soaked through with every second. The Latino smiled as he watched. It had been an interesting six months, Thomas giggling like a child when autumn rolled around and the leaves turned bronze and gold. How many days had they spent here in the Grange, day and night, armed with camera and paints? Sera smiled. It had been very interesting time. The rest of the summer ahead of them, he had finally got round to meeting Thomas's parents properly. They had been, surprisingly nice about it all, and Sera had spent the entire time neither of them were at work attached to the other boy at the hip. Inseparable. Then Thomas had gone to university up in Chichester. Sera had joined him for fresher's week, and they were together every weekend. Thomas licked his throat and pressed himself up against the front of the trench coat. It was enough to stir Sera out of his reverie and wrap an arm around the boy before him.