[PRP] All good things... (Zeffer & Aprife)

[saedusk]

...must come to an end.




Location: Near the edge of the swamp village.

 

[saedusk]

Maybe it was the way his brow was creased or the way he'd been pacing the swamp for ten minutes now or even the way he occasionally looked around the area with too much purpose for it to be nothing, but Aprife was obviously on edge. Since returning to the rundown village, he hadn't seen hide nor hair of Muerte, and while he'd tried to be patient, it was well past an appropriate amount of time for gathering a few things and meeting back here as they'd promised. He lived in the ******** forest, for ******** sake. Had he been captured?

This was more than enough waiting, he finally decided. There were things he still needed to do here, things he'd been trying his best to avoid thinking about, but they would have to hold on a while longer as much as he knew they really needed to be addressed. It made his gut twist with a multitude of emotions in that instant when his guard weakened and the thoughts slipped through. ********, didn't he have enough to worry about?

About the only thing he'd been able to check off his mental list so far was Bumbs. The relief when he'd found his lusus safe and alive still hadn't quite dwindled yet. It payed to hang onto what good feelings he could, even if they were stuck in the mire with all the rest. It was an awful, confusing slurry, but things could always be worse.

Well, if he loitered here any longer it might turn out that way. Worse. So instead he hastily threw on a cloak and made his way towards the edge of the village.

Kamileunaire

 

[kamileunaire]

The rebels' escape into the swamp had been rough, more so for some than others. Though he was still on the road to complete recovery, Zeffer was not using his injuries as an excuse to slack off. The previous couple of weeks had been nothing short of nerve wracking; he'd been laid up for part of it, weak from blood loss, paranoid that the Royalists were still trying to catch up with them. With Akko's help and Vremea's healing powers, he had recuperated quickly, retrieved Arcus, and returned to the swamp to help ramp up security measures and finish construction work on whatever hives still needed to be built.

Despite everything that had happened, Zeffer hadn't forgotten the massive ******** up he'd made during the cavern fight. Aprife had survived the trip into the swamp, he'd been told...but he hadn't seen the yellowblood since. The entire problem felt like a lead weight in Zeffer's stomach. Couldn't blame Aprife for being evasive, Zeffer supposed, as he lurked around the outskirts of the village, preparing to go on patrol. He knew they were going to have to work it out eventually, but...

He tensed at the sound of footsteps, and looked around, only to tense more as he spied Aprife through the trees. Immediately he began to cross the distance between them, wondering where the other was headed in such a hurry.

"Hey."

He called out quietly, hurrying his steps, trying to steel himself. This was his chance...unless Aprife didn't have the time. He swallowed hard.

"I've been meaning to find you...to talk. Are you in a hurry?"  

[saedusk]

Pace brisk, Aprife was nearly out in the swamp proper when a familiar voice froze him where he stood. The hands that had been buttoning his hood around his horns fell limp to his sides before quickly snaking across his chest. It was defensive, that much was clear in the way his normally casual stance became rigid. Still, he was good at hiding behind his mask. Zeffer might notice the difference, but it was unlikely many others would.

"I am in a hurry." The response was short, but as soon as he said it, it almost felt wrong. It was true that he had places to be, but even with what had happened between them, his history, his life with Zeffer was still significant to him. He cared.

When Aprife had left the first time, he'd left with only the assurance that Zeffer wasn't in a position where he'd die from his injuries. They'd been severe, and the blueblood had been out cold the one and only time he'd checked up on him in person. To continue blowing him off now... as much as he almost wanted to, he couldn't. With a small sigh, he shifted his weight and shook his head.

"But it's fine." Aprife could only hope that his worry over Muerte was unfounded and spending a little longer in the swamp meant nothing of consequence for the greenblood. "We do, ah... need to talk. About us."

About us felt like such a cliche thing to say, but what else was there?

Aprife had an idea in the back of his mind, an inkling of what he'd tell Zeffer, how he'd deal with what their relationship had become and where it was going... Even so, he'd reserve all of those thoughts. For now. This wasn't a one sided conversation, after all.

Kamileunaire

 

[kamileunaire]

The blueblood seemed to wilt as Aprife gave affirmation to his question, expression blank as he stared over. He indeed recognized the other's tense posture, and the guilt ate away at him as he tried to swallow the growing lump in his throat, wondering if they would ever be able to clear the bad air between them. Where was Aprife even headed? If he wasn't so sure about the fact that Aprife probably hated his guts, he would gladly have offered to accompany him.

Aprife's follow up comment stirred a shimmer of hope in Zeffer's eyes, and he slunk forward to close the distance between them. He certainly didn't want their voices to carry back into the village. "Yeah, we do." Zeffer agreed awkwardly, looking a bit like a lost puppy as he tried to think of what to say. There was no denying the warmth he felt for both Aprife and Byakko...but he knew that was unacceptable. He'd spent many sleepless nights during the time he'd taken to heal up, trying to figure out what to do, what to tell the yellowblood when they finally met up again. The fact that he hadn't seen Aprife once during that period had stung, but he really couldn't blame him.

"I don't know what we should do." Zeffer's voice was quiet, as his gaze trailed down to the murky swamp floor. "I didn't mean for it to...to happen that way." He swallowed again. He knew what he wanted to say, but it was hard. There was a chance that they could mend things, possibly, but he knew he had to be honest with himself. Better to wait, to see what Aprife thought, to see if he was even interested. The yellowblood's absence during Zeffer's time off, however, seemed to spell the answer out beforehand.

saedusk

 

[saedusk]

This wasn't quite like before. The rage Aprife felt when Zeffer first revealed this rift to him had largely subsided and the internal atmosphere it left in its wake was solemn. Sadness was something the yellowblood had grown used to, but this was a new sadness entirely.

"It's not as if there are a lot of options. I still love you, Zeffer, I do." Aprife's lips remained slightly parted as he finally gave the blueblood a good look over, only now truly seeing him. "And I'm... glad to see you're alright," he added quickly, a surprising edge of slight awkwardness to his voice. He may have avoided visiting, but he had been concerned, even as he'd completely failed to show it. There was guilt in that. Still, the excess emotion was reigned in when he spoke again.

"But you know better than anyone that I don't do second place. I shouldn't have to compete for your full affection. If you can't keep your eyes from wandering to someone else now, would you be able to later, would you even want to? I can only assume your feelings for Byakko are strong if you felt the need to confess to me about it."

Shifting his weight, Aprife frowned, chest tightening so much it was impossible to keep the grief from his expression now. "What we had... I'd never felt as strongly about anyone else before you, but-" Even though he'd decided on what he wanted to say, it was still difficult to finish. "-things have obviously changed. Maybe we're not meant for this."

Kamileunaire