lovefujitez

Title: No Air
Day/Theme: 23. Invisible, like air
Original Story: Photographs with Memories
Character/Pairing: Aiden x Julian
Disclaimer: This is an excerpt from the original novel I wrote about gays in the military and the once issue Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. The law may no longer exist but the problem continues to linger. The song entitled “No Air” is not mine.
Rating/Warnings : Gay romance
Word Count: 1,133 words

Aidan watched Deena turn the page. it was a full page spread of one activity Aidan just now recalled vividly. The page titled “What Marines Do for Fun” and the second line in glitzy die-cut letters, “Karaoke!”

Aidan held his breath remembering something that he filed away at the back of his mind. Deena chuckled then fell into silence as if recalling the same memory Aidan just pulled out of his memory file.

Julian had lots of talent and one that Aidan enjoyed as well. His lover could belt out a tune with hair raising, spine tingling effect on those who had the opportunity to hear his singing voice. No one knew, well Deena did of course, but that night of the May party. The female Marines decided on making it Karaoke Night and put the male Marines to shame. Numerous of them were placed on the spotlight, randomly selected by dimming the lights in the mess hall and the searching spotlight selecting a Marine from the crowd as the next shamed crooner.

After four soldiers were booed and ridiculed for their lack of talent and simply no sense of rhythm, the lights dimmed once more and when the spotlight stopped roaming it hit, focused on Julian, who was then just leaning on the wall across from Aidan, hands folded in front of him and eyes on Aidan’s direction. He remembered how Julian jumped out of his musing, surprised at the sudden light focused on him and the crowd of Marines suddenly chanting his name “Go Santiago!” as two female Marines escorted Julian towards the center of the mess hall where a made up stage was located.

Julian still looked dumbfounded when the microphone was handed to him. He crouched down to whisper to the female Marines as the crowd continued chanting “Go Santiago.”

Aidan watched the growing chaos hyping up around Julian, with some interest and a smile. Enthralled after discovering Julian was focused on him from where he stood across the room, equally like he was focused on Julian from his spot. He waited, in a way feeling bad for Julian and Aidan was already coming up with some way to console him after his moment of shame.

To his surprise and that with the crowd, the females handed the microphone stand to Julian, who smiled to the crowd with confidence while he settled the mic on the stand. When the music began to play the crowd hooted and the females playfully screamed like die-hard fans.

“Fellow Marines, I hope you enjoy this rendition of No Air." Julian coughed lightly away from the mic waiting for his queue to begin singing. Then with his almost like Chris Brown voice, he sang. He sounded nice and the female soldiers screamed as Julian got into emoting out the song’s message, in perfect tune and flawlessly smooth, melting everyone’s heart.

Aidan’s heart fluttered when Julian turned towards his direction and belted out the next lines of the song.

“I'm here alone, didn't wanna leave
My heart won't move, it's incomplete
Wish there was a way that I can make you understand

So how do you expect me
to live alone with just me
'Cause my world revolves around you
It's so hard for me to breathe”

The screams from the female crowd grew louder and the men silenced in awe at how Julian sounded perfect as he continued singing. Julian pulled the mic from the stand, turned his gaze at the crowd and worked at his charm on the growing number of females pooling before him as he approached the edge of the stage and crouched down. Aidan watched Julian, with his confident stage presence and almost like some real performer sang with full emotions, he made the female soldiers swoon.

Aidan saw Julian stood up and walked towards the far left of the stage and turned to his general direction again and sang to him,

“I walk I ran I jump I flew
Right off the ground to float to you
With no gravity to hold me down for real”

He couldn’t believe how much he was enjoying Julian’s attention. He could no longer assume it. It was right in front of him, serenading him and Julian telling him through this song that he’s interested in him too.

“Tell me how I'm supposed to be with no air?
Can't live can't be with no air
It's how I feel whenever you ain't there
There's no air no air

Got me out here in the water so deep
Tell me how you gonna be without me?
If you ain't here I just can't breathe
There's no air no air

I can’t live without you baby”

Aidan felt he was actually in need of some air. Somehow Julian’s attention was beginning to overwhelm him to the point of fleeing. He didn’t wait for the song to finish. Aidan moved towards the exit door. He turned to look at Julian before leaving, and Julian was focused at him as well. Aidan paused to listen to Julian as he sang the last lines, pointing to his direction as if trying to reach out to him from the stage.

“If you ain't here I just can't breathe
There's no air no air”

The crowd screams went frantic and the women swooning over Julian, if there were none before, well Aidan noted that the room was now filled with them. Julian stood unmoving at the center of the stage, the spot light still on him and Julian’s gaze dead-focused to where he stood. Aidan closed his eyes and slowly turned, pushing the double doors and exited the mess hall.

He couldn’t breathe. He should be the one singing the song. The temperature outside the mess hall seemed to be a little cooler. He couldn’t believe how quickly the temperature heated up since the moment Julian took the stage. Aidan smiled. Julian was surely focused at him and kept his watch of him, for how long he didn’t know or cared to know. The fact of the matter was Julian had his eyes on him before, during, and even after he was done singing.

Aidan inhaled the cool air deeply, his heart still pounding from the intensity of how Julian’s affected him and leaving him confused. Now that he knows, Julian is very much interested in him, should he act on his feelings for him? He didn’t know exactly what he wanted to do. Aidan never had such a situation presented to him ever since he began his life as a soldier. He left his gay life behind, well active gay life when he enlisted and not once before had to deal with any situations of the heart until now.

“I’m no longer invisible, like air.”