Title: Helios’ Hopes

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Brian’s never denied Cliff anything, because oh, his smile when he gets what he wants. And he so rarely smiles nowadays. Slash.

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Brian’s never gotten Cliff’s affinity for comparing their love to the sun and its light, but his general rule of thumb is what if it made Cliff happy, he was all right with it. That policy led to their shared cabin being full of stray animals and numerous knickknacks cluttering every available surface. He’s probably spending too much time around Cliff, but he swears that when Cliff’s happy, his face lights up like the sun.

He’s never denied Cliff anything.

Except now, Cliff only smiles bitterly when he asks Brian if he really wants ‘damaged goods’. And no matter what Brian does or says, he can’t get Cliff to smile.

He’s even taken Cliff back to the sunny meadow where they had their first date, in hopes of bringing a smile to his face in the form of happy memories.

Cliff’s eyes brighten when they get there, if only a little bit. The effect is greatly diminished by the dark bruises under his eyes and his too-hollow cheeks.

Above them, the fading sun shines down brightly on their clasped hands, struggling not to give way to darkness in the form of sunset. Brian bites his lip and holds onto Cliff’s hand like it will help him hold onto this moment forever.

Cliff’s always tied their love to the sun, and sunset’s never been less far away.