Jacob could tell it was a dream, and yet, it was so bloody real. He stood near the center of Leicester Square, with its large fountain and various posh bystanders strolling by. Sunlight dappled across the pathways through trees, fresh with a spring regrowth. The air even had the faint smell of London's city streets nearby, both foul and familiar. Comforting.
He was more than happy in Vallo, but this place held some fondness still in his heart. Not as much as the man he spotted standing nearby, of course. Jacob grinned rakishly and swept up to Serefin with a bow. It may have been a dream, but he'd enjoy it all the same.
"Good morning, good sir. You are looking as handsome as ever. Care to take a walk with me?"
Serefin only knew London, in theory. The place grew into reality only through stories from Jacob, and still felt unreal when he tried to conjure up a memory of it by himself. He supposed the same could be said about Tranavia to Jacob, but they were not traipsing around in the bitterly cold, overly gauche country where Serefin came from. In fact, the current surrounding was distinctly anti-Tranavia, and part of him tried to pull his own knowledge from the back of his mind: this was London. This was Jacob's London.
It was currently sunny, a rarity Serefin remembered of the foggy city that seemed to stick in his memory, and he was squinting up at the sky. He knew this was a dream, it had to be as Serefin's own subconscious could never produce a place that pervaded his senses so acutely. Especially a place he had never been.
That was why he nearly missed the bow from Jacob, and only seemed the slightest bit startled at his appearance. Serefin smiled, giving an equally dashing air as his eyes slid over Jacob. "Good morning, I do," Serefin agreed. He started to offer his arm, and reconsidered, and nodded toward the direction they would walk.
"This is much more lovely than the water-logged streets I seem to remember you mentioning more than once."
Serefin’s response startled Jacob. Not because it was unlike him – it was perfectly like him. It was too accurate. Dream versions of people tended to be at least two-thirds Jacob’s personality wrapped in a dreamy shell. Jacob stepped closer, looking Serefin over. The details of this dream were spectacular, really. Some of his cavalier disregard faded away.
“I…this is likely the nicest spot in dear old London.” He reached up to brush his fingers up Serefin’s sleeve, feeling the texture of it, then his gaze snapped back to Serefin’s face. “Feels bloody real. Wonder if I ate something witchy…” As careless as he was in a lot of regards, he’d been careful not to eat any fae food after a number of warnings and horror stories had rattled him good. But accidents happened.
Serefin watched Jacob in a soft, endearing way. He had spent enough time being dragged around in a series of spooky hallucinations of a dead forest—no thanks to a certain banished god—that Serefin didn't seem as remotely perturbed about the dream. The dream sharing. Whatever this was. It was pleasant and the company was equally so. He would sweat about the implications later, if he remembered to. Somehow, he found it difficult to think of anything else but the man in front of him and the sunny day around them.
"If you ate something witchy, then so did I. We did insist on splitting the pad thai for dinner," Serefin said, holding up his index finger, as if pausing a thought. "A shame, I liked that place. And not that I dislike whatever this is. This is nice. But side effects can vary. I am certain you do not want me traipsing around in your dreams."
He lifted a knowing brow. "Though I seem to have been here before. Dream me?" Serefin asked, tugging nonchalantly on the cuff of Jacob's sleeve. He liked that their clothing was now matching and period appropriate. "Perhaps you can show the real me?"
"I don't mind you traipsing through my dreams," Jacob scoffed, slinging an arm around Serefin's shoulders. "Better still when it's the real you. Odd, mind you. And hopefully not a trap of some kind." It didn't feel like a trap. It felt like London, just as they'd left it. Well, with better weather maybe. He was fairly sure it had been raining his last day in London.
"May as well make the best of it, yeah?" He tugged Serefin along the path, paying no attention to the random people that passed them by. They didn't seem to be paying much attention to them either. He didn't think he could go back to subtlety and keeping the man he loved at arm's length in public. Maybe they could get into a fight with an opinionated stranger about that later. For now, he gestured at the city around them. "Which old haunt to show you first, hm. We could head straight for the palace and say hello to dear old Vic. I'm sure she wouldn't mind."
"I am here no more than ten minutes and you already want to trot me over to royalty, am I that obvious?" Serefin asked with a smile, as he followed along with Jacob, secure against his side. If the people weren't noticing them, then Serefin wasn't paying attention to the people either. He only had eyes for Jacob. And if this was real—realer than it felt, and honestly, what was reality at this point?—his obvious distraction would have had someone picking his pocket before he even blinked.
He reached up to touch Jacob's hand at his shoulder, not really holding it, but just enough to lay some layer of possessiveness over him. "I want a leisurely way. The scenic route. But only if it requires minimal climbing. I do not believe I get particularly better in dreams. And I quite like my clothes." His free hand smoothed down the button up shirt, over his own suspenders. "I would hate to ruin them."
Serefin made a thoughtful noise, before he added, "And a rendezvous spot. Show me the best one, in case we are separated here."
Jacob laughed and side-stepped them around a carriage, pausing only to brush a hand over the horse’s neck as they passed by. “ Scenic route without climbing is tricky, love. The best views in a city like London are up away from the bustle and stench of the street.” Despite the language, he looked over their surroundings with fondness. This hadn’t been where he grew up, but he liked to think it was where he chose his own path. Made himself.
“A rendezvous spot…hm…” He viewed the landscape. “Well, you know what Alhambra looks like if it’s not a charred husk. Not sure what’ll look like in this…dream? Illusion? Mind trap?” If it was a trap, he hoped Evie and Diego were working on it, but he wouldn’t be upset if it took a little time. “Or there’s my favorite pub? The train station I liked parking at the most often? The best view on the smelliest river?”
"Mind trap? Someone went through quite the lengths to pull this off then. That would be their first mistake. You and I can make a lot of trouble together," Serefin said, lifting his chin with a sort of smug regal air. It wasn't one he ever used in Tranavia, but playing the part of prim and proper with Jacob as they strolled through dream-scape London had his back straightening, the command of his area more sharp. He was comfortable despite the fact that this whole situation should have had his hackles raised.
Serefin took a thoughtful moment as he considered all the options. Rooftops and rivers, pubs and music halls. It all sounded thoroughly interesting, and his curiosity was intensely piqued, but prioritizing seemed to be the smart move, given the potential time crunch of their temporary dream sharing.
He waved a hand in front of his face, dismissing all of Jacob's suggestions, and skipped a step ahead so that he was walking backwards while in front of Jacob. "It can be scenic and a rendezvous spot. I want to know where you went when you needed to be alone. There. I've decided. I hope it still has a good view of the river, but I will not be disappointed if it doesn't."
Jacob huffed and hurried forward to crash into Serefin, wrapping him in his arms. "You say you won't be disappointed but it feels like you will. Maybe I talked this place up too much," he joked.
There was no question he had. Nostalgia always sounds softer than the truth. But their surroundings still felt dreamlike in the sense that the weather was perfect and they hadn't stepped in anything untoward yet. Still, he tugged Serefin up out of the street and down an alley. He barely needed to look where he was going.
"If you want where I went to be alone, you absolutely have to climb. But I'll make it easy on you." He led the way to a building near the shadow of Big Ben. It was an orphanage. It wasn't the workhouse that Roth had destroyed, but it was a place that Jacob had sort of haunted since then. Roth was gone, but it didn't hurt to keep an eye out. Jacob held out an arm to Serefin. "Hold on to me and I'll get us to top."
Even though they were weaving down a street and through a back alley, Serefin drank it all in. This strange and wonderful place that had sunk its teeth into Jacob and hadn't let go. A place that Serefin would have never seen in his lifetime. This dream was a stark reminder that this orbit they had accidentally stumbled into simultaneously was a miracle. Not just this London, but Vallo, too.
The thought was bittersweet, and he wouldn't let it bring him down now. Serefin wouldn't waste the opportunity to enjoy it, dream or not.
Looking up the side of the orphanage, Serefin grabbed for Jacon's offered hand pulling himself close and holding on like instructed. "Being around you for nearly two years has made me realize that I can see a building and think, that is not so high, just a few floors. Look at what you've done to me." His voice was teasing, cheeky even, before he nodded. "Lead the way, and when we get to the top, know that I am going to ask why here rather than one of the other taller buildings."
There was a nervous little bubble in Jacob's core that really made no sense at all. Serefin had seen more than enough of him to have run the other way if he was going to do so. And there was nothing especially embarrassing about having a perch spot over an orphanage. It's not like he watched the kids in any terrible sense. Still, it was a vulnerability thing he supposed, taking Serefin here and not to one of the of dozens of Rook hangout spots. This was a quiet place that the Brotherhood didn't reach.
He hooked an arm around Serefin and one leg around his calf for good measure before aiming his grappling hook and shooting them up towards the roof. He didn't usually do this with a passenger so admittedly, the landing was a little rocky, but he climbed up over the ledge and pulled Serefin with him.
"Right then, that was more romantic in my head, sorry." Jacob snorted and rolled to his feet. "This is an orphanage. Most of the time I'd come up here to make sure the people running the joint weren't sporting bad auras, have a seat, and watch the boats pass by on the Thames for a bit." He gestured out towards the river. It was early but this was when the river was busiest. "It's nowhere particular meaningful, but it did give me a few minutes of peace when things were tense between Evie and I."
As someone who did not frequent grappling hooks, the bumpy landing was expected and the romance not lost. Serefin squeezed Jacob's arm as he peeled away to take stock of the rooftop they were on, the surrounding buildings, and the bustling river that did have an excellent view. Serefin was not disappointed.
He was wandering and listening as Jacob explained—an orphanage, no less. The goodness in Jacob held no bounds. Serefin anticipated more prodding to get information from him, but of course not. If he asked, Jacob was always forthcoming with the truth. It pleased Serefin in a way he couldn't describe, to be trusted with secrets that were so deeply personal. He had asked so much of Jacob that he thought he might have worn out all his good fortune in the relationship.
"I think it is meaningful. To you, of course. A place to be alone doesn't need to hold significance to anyone but you, towy nóżczko," Serefin said matter-of-fact, as he settled toward the flatter edge of the roof. "I can see why it is here though. It is peaceful. And if I am being honest, I do not believe you talked it up too much, your home."
Jacob blushed and lowered his eyes for a moment. The rush of fondness didn't go anywhere, of course, and he didn't really want it to, but he was able to hook an arm around Serefin's back and guide him to the best perch on the roof's edge. He sat down and hung his legs over the edge.
"I know, I just meant…nothing happened here," he shrugged, looking up at Serefin with soft eyes. "That was kind of the point, I suppose. It wasn't the building Roth set ablaze, but it was similar and it felt…calming to know that this one was still fine." Looking out over the water, he sighed. "There are dozens of other ones like it in the city, probably, and it's not like I check every one of them. I don't know why I picked this one." The view had probably played a significant part. As filthy as the Thames could be, it was lovely from up here. The sounds were distant and melodic, like birdsong.
"I have an inkling as to why you picked this one, but I will keep my secret mind reading ability to myself," Serefin said, obviously bullshitting. He had been a bit more hesitant to sit down beside Jacob and dangle his feet over the side, but next to Jacob, knowing that their instincts were good, and Jacob's hand-eye coordination surpassed anyone he knew, Serefin settled. His heels hit the hard brick in thoughtful syncopation.
Serefin was more than content to sit here, waiting out the day overlooking parts of London, but not if it dragged up unwanted memories. He reached up to nonchalantly comb at the hair at the nape of Jacob's neck, comforting and soothing, all in one. Concern briefly crossed Serefin's face as he watched Jacob, before turning his attention back to the Thames.
"No one would fault you if you needed to check every one. There are things that stay with you, long after they have happened, that sometimes do not follow the same sense of logic that society bends to," Serefin said, followed by a soft exhale. He gently rested his head on Jacob's shoulder.
"I know this is a dream, and that at some point all of this will seem strange and far away whenever we wake up, but are you alright now? Being here?"
Jacob leaned into Serefin’s touch and reached over to rest a hand on his thigh. He knew his comfort with heights wasn’t necessarily shared by Serefin so the trust was not unappreciated. He smiled and hooked his knee over the top of Serefin’s.
“I’m better than alright.” It sounded a little cavalier so he straightened up and locked eyes with Serefin before clarifying. “London was fast becoming home when I was here last, but now wherever you are is home. I could take you to the worst of this place and it would still be alright. I would still be better than alright.” He leaned over to press a kiss to Serefin’s shoulder. “It’s nice to share this with you. Better than just telling you about these places.”
Serefin would be lying if he said that the words wherever you are is home didn't truly unravel him in the best ways. He took a deep, steading breath, trying to sort out all the bubbly, floaty feelings that Jacob gave him, like he could step right off the edge of the roof and fly. "You are, so, just—" Serefin started to say, lifting his hand to, well, he didn't know. It came back down to rest on Jacob's knee and squeeze with unending adoration. He followed by leaning in for an actual kiss, gentle and soft, one that said I love you dearly.
He was more than content to sit here, dangling over the top of the orphanage, trading affection through a touch here or a kiss there. And he'd suggest moving eventually, ask to see one of those worse-off places Jacob mentioned, but the solitude was nice. And his words felt clumsy and ill-equipped. He'd blame it on the dream.
"I now have a very clear picture," Serefin said, throwing his arms wide to encompass the entire view from their vantage point, Thames and all. "Can you believe I imagined everything much smaller? Or perhaps, shorter, squat like a stool." He made a squish gesture with his hands. "I assumed everyone could see you on the rooftops, but I have been proven wrong."
Jacob raised an eyebrow at Serefin's cut off thought until he recognized the intention and met the kiss with equal feeling. London hadn't given him much romance. Plenty of misplaced trust and a few hard lessons, sure, but not much romance. Familial love. Loyal friendships. But love had eluded him here. Until now. Sharing this moment was more precious than he wanted to admit. He said it with his hand grazing Serefin's cheek and the breathy sigh that slipped free as they broke apart.
"Smaller?" He barked a laugh. "Did you think people just pretended to ignore us then? Or maybe I just did a lot more running away." Amused, he leaned back on his elbows and tilted his head to study Serefin's profile. He was feeling warm and light in a way he labeled a Serefin feeling in his mind. His voice dropped to a heated whisper. "No one can see us here, love. Want to test it out?"
"Ah, well. Running away does not seem like you. I like to believe everyone was just casually oblivious, since no one seems to be looking up, a strange thing, don't you think?" Serefin said, grinning. The air here was crisp and cool despite the sun, but the way Jacob's voice dropped made Serefin's whole body deliciously warm, unexpectedly but not unwanted.
With new found confidence being up high, Serefin leaned into Jacob's space, barely a whisper of space between them. "I do," Serefin said, as his attention dropped to Jacob's mouth with intention. "Now you will not be able to say nothing meaningful happened here."