How To Fall From Grace [MxM]

Step 12: Fall victim to hugs

The familiar sights and atmosphere of the Glowing Afternoon stud farm washed over Frey like a soothing wave of nostalgia as he stepped out of the carriage. The surprisingly warm breeze despite it being late summer, the golden fields in the distance, and the scent of hay and trampled grass in pastures truly befitting the paradise he considered it to be.

"Wow," Marius whispered, appearing next to Frey to take in the view. "That's a big farm."

Frey wasn't sure how to deal with Marius at the time, thoughts spinning between wanting to talk to him and needing to push him away before getting too close, so he stayed silent.

"Do you have a headache?" Marius asked, hurrying along as Frey walked past the pastures without a word. "Drank too much yesterday?"

Frey spared him a shake of his head. He'd been cautious not to drink too much around his family, should his well-known, poor reaction to alcohol cause him to reveal too much about his current life.

"Did... Did she not like the gift?" Marius tried again. "Or the gifts, I mean."

"She's a baby," Frey said in a low voice. "It was hard to tell."

"I meant your sister."

Frey decisively stared forward as he walked.

"I think so."

"And you're sure you'll be fine without Tea For Two for a while? Even if it's just a couple of months?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure your head is all right?" Marius inquired. "You're so quiet."

"My head is fine, but I don't want to talk."

Marius did not seem to grasp that.

"Did... Did you at least get one cake yesterday?"

Frey nodded.

"Was it good?"

Did that man ever stop talking?

Frey didn't reply, and he could hear Marius suck air through his teeth.

"So it was bad, then?"

"... I don't know." Frey lightly kicked a pebble in front of him. "I actually don't like cake, or sweet things in general."

"You don't?" Marius sounded aghast. "You could have said that before I bought you a hundred cakes!"

"I know you didn't, because I saw the items from the lis—"

"Joking!" Marius almost sounded exasperated as he picked up his pace so he could look Frey in the eyes. "Like always."

"Just... Don't," Frey mumbled, wishing nothing more than to avert his gaze, but he couldn't show that kind of weakness. "Not now."

Marius sucked in another breath, falling back a little to give Frey space again.

"Just so you know, I know something's wrong," he said. "And I'm not gonna force it out of you, but you know you can talk to me if you need to."

Frey smiled wryly as Marius couldn't see it. He was the 'something wrong'. How was he supposed to help Frey through that without making things worse?

They reached the main stable after another awkward moment of silence, but before Frey could even approach the doors they were opened and almost slammed into his face instead.

"Lord Clausson!" Paulina Glowell ran up to them, brushing black stray tendrils of hair away from blocking her view. "Welcome back!"

It was an unbecoming amount of outwards excitement coming from a groom of the best stud farm in West Kerilia, but at least she remembered the no-touching rule regardless of how much it looked like she wanted to hug him.