Lonan held his hand over his eyes and gazed at the city's heartbeat. As on rainy days, its veins glowed gold and threaded through the various buildings and streets of Sylvan. It seemed strong and invigorating, just like the rain that was pouring outside his window. The sound of the heavy droplets hitting the earth always felt like a victory cry to him, and even today it didn't fail to bring a smile to his lips.

"Alright, enough of staying in," he muttered to himself, getting up from his chair with a scrape and shoving all his books in a bag. "Let's get out there and experience the city at its strongest."

Even the pulse of his building was a steady thrum, and as he set out with an umbrella over his head and his bag over his shoulder, the pavement seemed to sing in greeting. Lonan felt so exhilarated by the rain that he pulled up the sleeve of his hoodie and checked his own heartvein. It glowed a bright golden like the city's, in a true reflection of his mood today.

With no particular destination in mind, he set out toward the public library to interact with its delightful readers. All of them loved the rain as much as he did, though they couldn't feel the heartbeats like he could. It had puzzled him in the beginning, but he quickly learned to keep quiet about his ability and lead his life peacefully.

Even now, as he skipped through the rain and admired the greenery around him, the miserable heartbeats of ordinary humans tugged at his happiness. Lonan had learned early on that he was one of the few people who saw rain as a cause to be happy. Another small trait that separated him from the ordinary populace.

It really was surprising, he thought for the millionth time, how humans cannot find happiness in the beautiful phenomenon of rain. It's really...

A blur of black thudded into him, and the umbrella slipped from his hands as he tumbled to the ground. His first instinct was to grab anything solid, a decision he seriously regretted when the solid object turned out to be his assailant, and he dragged the figure down with him.

"Oh my watering gardenias," he muttered, eyes still squeezed shut from the shock of the fall. Luckily his knees bent halfway through, and even though he ended up on his back, it was a soft landing.

The human on top of him chuckled at his choice of words, and he tentatively opened his eyes to meet two beautiful hazel eyes staring back at him. They crinkled at the corner from laughing, and he felt his body go hot.

"Urm," Lonan cleared his throat, realizing he was trapped under this heavy, but admittedly handsome guy. "Could you get off of me? Kinda suffocating here..."

"Ah, right," the guy said, his eyes widening as he extracted himself from Lonan and stumbled to his feet. Wow... this guy seemed good-looking from every angle, and Lonan ended up staring at him like an idiot until he realized that the stranger was extending his hand to him as a support.

Lonan blushed, hoping he didn't stare at the stranger for too long, and took his hand. The second their fingertips met, Lonan felt sparks sizzle through his skin, and to his amazement, felt the heartbeat of a soul so pure that his very being glowed a dazzling gold.

The sensations almost overwhelmed him, but Lonan managed to clasp his hand tightly and get hauled to his feet.

"Goodness, I'm so sorry for that. I was running to catch that bus, and all that rain made it hard for me to see. I'm so sorry," he kept apologizing until Lonan put a hand on his arm to make him stop.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. It was my fault too. I should have heard you running through the rain. I was just lost in my own..." Lonan trailed away when he noticed the way their connected hands emitted a soft glow.

"Um..." the stranger said, clearing his throat. "I don't know if this is appropriate to tell you, but you're, like, glowing. From head to toe. Er, not that I can see your toes..."

Lonan would have laughed if his statement hadn't shocked him. "You mean, you can sense heartveins too?" he asked, his heart not daring to believe. He'd never met anyone who had the same ability as him, and the fact that this handsome stranger shared his sight was almost too much to hope for.

And then the stranger nodded his head, and Lonan felt his heart soar at the small gesture. "Yeah, I haven't shared that fact with many people, but I can. Does that mean you can..."

The look in their eyes was enough to complete the statement. They had a unique bond now, and Lonan was excited to see where it could take them.

"I know this might seem too sudden, but you must be in a hurry now that you've missed your bus. Could we exchange numbers, and maybe meet later over a cup of coffee?" he asked, fiddling with his thumbs. When he realized how it sounded, he hastily added, "To discuss our unique sight, that is."

The stranger smiled softly. "Of course. My number is asim, henna..."

"Oi, lads!" a bus screeched to a stop beside them, and a conductor poked his head through the door. "You getting in or not?"

It was then that Lonan looked around and realized that they were, in fact, standing at a bus stop all along. It was a wonder that they were able to have such a long conversation without any bus making a stop there. Until now, that is.

"Yeah, I need a ride," the stranger replied and turned to Lonan. "It's asim, henna, viere, ako..."

The bus sounded its horn, and the conductor cast them a nasty glare. "Get in right now, or we're leaving you. The rain's bad enough as it is. Exchange words with your lover later."

The stranger's eyes widened, although Lonan couldn't make out if it was from the 'lovers' comment or from his reprimand.

"I'm so sorry, I have to go. There's this important meeting I have to attend," he said, his hazel eyes turning sorrowful.

"Then go," Lonan replied, giving him a small push toward the bus. "If we're destined to be, we'll meet again."

The stranger hesitated for a second, then stepped forward and gave him a brief hug. "I'll see you again for sure," he muttered before running into the bus. The conductor sighed dramatically and mumbled something about hopeless romantics before closing the doors and ringing the bell.

Even as the bus moved away and the stranger got away from him, Lonan stayed still as a statue, replaying the hug over and over. Only when he finally got his legs to work and reached the library did he realize that he could have easily accompanied the stranger on the bus. Stupid, stupid, he kept muttering to himself as he pushed the library's door and stepped into its warmth, taking a second on the doorway to inhale the familiar scent of its books and cypress wooden shelves.

While he would have generally immersed himself in the new hardbound books brought it by its owner, or headed over to the reading section to volunteer to read for the young ones, today he found himself sitting by the window and staring at the rain. He didn't think his presence would be missed, but he soon felt a warm hand on his shoulder and looked up to find an elderly man smiling down on him.

"Hey son, there's something I need to talk to you about. Are you free?" he asked, and Lonan put on his best smile and nodded. The old man led him to a corner of the library, and they sat on comfy chairs with coffee that Lonan picked up on the way.

"So, your name is Lonan, right?" he asked, and Lonan nodded. Although he'd never talked to him before, it didn't surprise him that the man knew his name.

"Is there anything that's bothering you today? You seem pretty distracted, and dare I say, lovesick," he continued with a chuckle.

Lonan didn't even hesitate. "There's this guy I bumped into on the way here. There's something about him..."

The man patiently listened to his story as Lonan managed to speak through the daze in his mind. It felt good to share his experience with this guy, and Lonan felt his heart ease as he reached the end of his story.

"So what's the problem now, lad?" the man asked after a while, his wrinkled eyes staring at him with a smile that already knew the answer.

"I don't know anything about the stranger," Lonan admitted, and his heart strung when he recalled the tragic end to their meeting. "I don't know his name, his address, his number... nothing."

"But you know how he makes you feel," the man replied, taking Lonan's hands in his own. "And there are other ways to find someone. Especially with a bond as special as yours. The only question is, how far are you willing to go to find him?"

"I can do anything," Lonan said, his resolve growing stronger. He didn't know how to find the stranger, or if anything would happen between them even if he did. All he knew was that he wanted to see him again.

"Very good," the man smiled. "Then close your eyes and look deep into your heart. You'll know what to do."

Lonan nodded and closed his eyes. He felt the old man leave his hands, and focused on the warm glow that he felt whenever he thought of the stranger. It seemed to originate from a corner of his heart, and when he steadied his breathing, he felt the brightness grow until he basked in the light.

"Now open your eyes," the man said, his voice like a soft sigh that wrapped around Lonan. He opened his eyes slowly, getting them adjusted to the lighting of the library bit by bit until he could see clearly.

The first thing he noticed was that the old man was nowhere to be seen. The seat next to him was empty, and the only sign that he'd even been there was the small smile on Lonan's face as he gazed out of the window.

While he could usually see the city's steady vein beating through the streets, his eyes caught a new vein that seemed to glow brighter than any pulse he sensed. It started from his wrist and meandered through the cobbled pathways in a beckoning call. I need to follow that vein, Lonan thought as he picked up his bag and umbrella and ran out of the library.

It was still pouring outside, so he opened his umbrella, held it as a shield over his head, and began running through the rain. His sneakers soon soaked through and his clothes grew damp with rain, but the only thing his eyes could see was the thin line that floated in front of him, leading him to the one his heart desired.

It led him to a part of the city he was not familiar with, and he noted with passing interest that this seemed to be the cultural part of the city, with museums and art studios and libraries lining up on either side of the street. They were only broken by large trees whose leaves swept the pavement, and black streetlamps that glowed a faint yellow in the evening sky.

When his legs began to tire, sending bolts of panic through him, he saw the vein leading to the Tieran Museum of Art and Culture, a reputed museum that housed sculptures and paintings by eminent artists. But most importantly, Lonan remembered with a thrill, it was known for its works of queer people and their stories of history.

He ran up the stairs with anticipation pounding through his body as the golden line drew him to the entrance. The guard took one look at his wet clothes and dripping shoes, shook his head with a sigh, and led him to a heating room where the heat evaporated the water from his clothes. Lonan then purchased a ticket and walked into the museum, his heart threatening to beat out of his chest.

"This led to one of the most significant parades in our history..." a voice floated to him from a room, and Lonan instantly recognized the voice as that of the stranger's. As soon as he realized that, his feet seemed to move of their own accord and he began walking to the conference room.

"...which paved the way for inclusivity and acceptance. The worldwide protests that followed his death was..."

"Found you," Lonan muttered, a slow smile spreading across his lips as he entered the room and took a seat at the last row. He considered interrupting the speech and going up on the stage with a grand proclamation of love, but it might have been too dramatic for strangers who just met.

So he kept to himself and watched the stranger give a dazzling and arousing speech on LGBTQ+ history. He gave it his all, and his expressive face spoke volumes of the pain suffered by their predecessors to grant them equal rights in their world. His hands seemed to move of their own accord in a halo around him, weaving an enchanting tale of hardship and love.

"And that's all for today, ladies, gentlemen and our friends from all spectrums," he said, ending the speech with a few affectionate chuckles from genderfluid gatherers.

"My colleague here will be taking any questions you have, so feel free to stay back and ask..." his voice trailed away, and Lonan felt shivers travel down his spine as the stranger's gaze locked with his. Everyone around them ceased to exist, and they felt like the only people in the universe as his colleague took his mike and began speaking.

Even from this distance Lonan could see his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed thickly and got off the stage. Lonan got to his feet as well and began moving toward him. It was the most surreal experience in the world, and Lonan would recall, days later, that it felt like his legs were moving of their own accord.

But even then, the speed at which he was walking didn't seem fast enough, and he covered the rest of the distance at a run. The stranger opened his arms as well, and Lonan crashed into him in a mighty embrace, causing him to stumble a few steps backward.

"Hey," the stranger breathed into his ear, and Lonan tightened his hold in response. "Looks like we meet again."

"Yeah," Lonan said, unwillingly extracting himself from their embrace. "I couldn't let you go just like that."

The stranger laughed, and his husky voice, combined with the way his doe eyes crinkled at the corners, was enough to melt Lonan's heart.

"Let's get to know each other then. My name is Kian," he said, his hands gripping Lonan's arms. Lonan took a shaky breath as he recalled that the word meant beauty.

"Hello, Kian. I'm Lonan. Pleased to meet you. I expect we'll have a very good time with each other."

"Yeah, I suspect we will."

~

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