Each year the Kingdom of Khearia throws a festival in remembrance of one of their most beloved kings who had tragically perished along with his wife and second son. His first son, Prince Fabian, was the only one to survive. Witnesses claimed his cro...
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Alex looked pathetic.
ㅤTired sunken eyes and a perpetually slumped posture dragged him by his feet, a heavy exhaustion bearing down on him. Thankfully, he seemed uninjured, but his mind hadn't come away unscathed.
ㅤ"When was the last time you slept?" James asked.
ㅤAlex rubbed his face, burying it in his hands as he strained his brain to remember. Words weren't necessary.
ㅤHe was still wearing those grimy garments, the dried blood crusting and browning, dirt sticking to him like sap. It couldn't have been comfortable for him to wear the filth of the men he'd killed.
ㅤSlowly approaching him, James stopped only a step away, waiting to see what would happen.
ㅤAlex didn't move.
ㅤAwkwardly, James gave in to the urge to pull Alex into his arms, stealing his weight as their bodies came together.
ㅤAlex was still at first but James was persistent, if not deathly unsure of himself. He didn't have the experience of comforting people through touch. Alex might not like it, perhaps finding it emasculating, and these sorts of concerns twisted him.
ㅤEventually, Alex melted, resting his forehead against James' shoulder and leaning against his chest, his breaths shallow in the stretching silence. James held him tighter, his fingers stroking the hem of his untucked shirt whilst Alex began to cling to him, squeezing around his abdomen.
ㅤJames was conscious of the grime that was pressing up against him but he couldn't summon the ability to care. It felt like he was initiating a precious event that he may not have the twist of fate experience again.
ㅤAlex was so delicate at that moment that James' heart welled up.
ㅤ"Nothing lasts forever," James whispered. Alex's struggle would soon end and he'll be given the space to breathe. James would make sure of that.
ㅤAlex said nothing.
ㅤ"Go wash up," James continued, his hand shifting up to delve into the back of Alex's hair, tangling up in the curls.
ㅤ"I don't want to think anymore."
ㅤIt was so quiet that James nearly thought he imagined it. But, before he could think to respond, Alex pulled away, leaving the embrace and breaking the moment, rendering it into shatters as if it had only been an illusion.
ㅤJames grieved deeply, wanting desperately for the moment to return, his hands left bare.
ㅤAlex left and James had no idea if Alex was going to come back or return to his own room. Hell, he may decide to watch the pre-hearing in the Senate.
ㅤIt wouldn't hurt to prepare the room for him, just in case. James felt a little silly collecting up the lamps and candles and lighting them all, spreading them across the room to chase out the darkness as much as possible. He even prepared some blankets and pillows on the sofa in the event that Alex wanted to sleep alone tonight. He'd learned over time that the worst thing to do to Alex was to assume. Alex liked having the choices available to him, even if the outcomes were predictable.
