Garden Of Hearts

Love Comes with Heartache

They did as one would expect them too on their second day of the spring. They relaxed and mated, for almost the entirety of the day. Relaxing took up the majority of the time, the cervitaur didn't want to be insanely sore for their walk home. Brett obliged to that wish. He was more than happy he got to mate with Eddy more than usual anyway. This proved to be a good choice when the day of traveling back came. The cervitaur didn't hobble or limp, he simply trotted with Brett at his side. Seeing as Eddy didn't have to be back with the herd until the day after today, they took their time walking to get acclimated to the temperature change. They didn't want to risk Eddy overheating again and getting sick.

It took them longer to reach home than on their other trip but both didn't mind the slightest. They simply enjoyed their time together.

The hand holding and the kisses were growing less and less frequent the closer they got home until it stopped altogether. And that marked the end of their intimate time as well.

Brett mourned the loss but that was the best course of action they could take. He still hated it though.

He made a fire and soup when they arrived at their dens and it didn't take long then they sat side by side and munching on their food.

Brett didn't have the heart to speak up first since the silence was comfortable but he definitely missed the physical closeness they spent together at the hot spring. Here things were different, somehow stiffer. Brett did not like that at all. But what could he do? Cervitaur-napping was out of question still. He leaned against Eddy and laid his head on his shoulder, staring into the flame. Eddy glanced down at him then lightly ruffled his hair. He smiled softly, he could understand why this felt different than the hot springs. There they were free but here they were under a watchful gaze, one that was ready to scrutinize at any second. It was a lot more uncomfortable being who they were when hate was at the corner.

Brett looked up and smiled thinly, "I liked the hot springs better," he whispered. Who could fault him? Here it felt like he was being under a master again. A bad one. One that could and would hurt Eddy at any given moment. How could Eddy live like this? Hidden and always fearing taking the next, possibly wrong, step?

"It was really nice there," Eddy spoke softly, not blaming Brett for liking it more. It was what it was, and sometimes it didn't feel very good. Either way he had to deal with it until he got to his goal of his parents' love or perhaps their eyes were opened.

"Let's go there at some point again, okay? Just us two. Like before. A whole week," Brett sighed and rubbed his cheek against Eddy's shoulder. He knew he was getting greedy but he couldn't help it. He wanted to stay at Eddy's side, but what was the price he had to pay for that?

So far the gain outweighed the pain. But what would he do if it turned the odds? He had no idea. He didn't want to leave Eddy, not to mention that he would really not survive that.

"We can do that, but we also have all of spring together, and possibly winter. Do not forget," Eddy smiled softly at Brett. Their time would come and it would be soon. They would just have each other and no worries.

"Yeah. I didn't forget. But when we are here, it's still different from what we have at the hot springs, far away. Well, far enough at least," Brett didn't want to drag the mood down but it was easy for Eddy because he was used to it. Brett escaped a prison to just enter a new, shiny one? He wasn't so sure. It was not the thing he wanted. But he would endure for longer, just for Eddy.

"We will travel and perhaps we will find something that you like more than the hot springs," Eddy said assuringly, sometimes hiding one's love was all someone could do. Yes, it was a restriction but also sometimes it was better not to announce it to others. Hate would be everywhere, some stronger or weaker than others.