The Gift of War [bxb]

Silence between us

Hello hello!

...

It was a little after midnoon, and Ryan stood at the main gates awaiting his carriage when his husband appeared at his side, stone-cold faced.

"Good afternoon to you." Ryan tried, smiling awkwardly. "Have you come to see me off?"

Nusrat looked at him, and then ran his gaze over his own clothes, that were obviously fit for an outing, and back to Ryan with a raised eyebrow.

"Alright." Ryan rolled his eyes. "Just making sure."

"Hm." Was the only response.

"You don't have to come."

"I'm not obliged, but I am willing."

"Alright." A pause. "Pretty good weather today, isn't it?"

"Hm."

Ryan felt his patience trickling through his control.

"You still got blue balls from yesterday?"

"What?" Came the offended reply as the crown prince turned to him raptly. "What are you talking about?" It wasn't the heat that was making the man go red, there were clouds scattered throughout the sky.

"Nothing." Ryan smiled innocently. "Ah, our carriage awaits."

"After you." Nusrat told him stiffly.

Ryan stifled a laugh and went ahead.

There were no conversations between them for the first half of their journey. Nusrat was obviously irked, and Ryan did not feel like trying. They would reach their destination by the end of the day, maybe in complete silence.

But then-

"I'm sorry for how I behaved, yesterday."

"Hm?" Ryan put his attention on his husband. "Oh, but I thought nothing happened?"

"Whatever happened, was the consequence of my lack of... self-control." Nusrat struggled with his words. "It was not appropriate, and I apologise. It will not happen again."

"What will?" Ryan goaded. "What will not happen again? Us fighting? Us disagreeing? You... seducing me? Or anything intimate between us in absolution?"

"Nothing will happen between us." Nusrat finalised, nodding.

"Oh, please."

"What?"

"You're such a liar. And a hypocrite."

"What?"

"You said you wanted me the moment you saw me, and now that we are husbands, suddenly you don't. You're a hypocrite, Nusrat." Ryan smiled tauntingly. "It was you who lusted for me."

"My feelings for you had never been restricted to lust." Nusrat leaned forward to look into Ryan's eyes. "I wanted you, not your title, not your peace, not your... lavish country and rotten brother-"

"So this is what it's about, right? You hate Sythians, you hate Sythia, but I was the exception?"

"And what about you, then?" Nusrat challenged back, not missing a beat. "You'd flinch away from me every time I raised my hand in greeting. You are scared of me, and that it worse than hate. Deep down in your heart you're always afraid of me snapping, like I'm some barbarian to you, not the man you claim to love!"

Ryan looked away. The crown prince was more perceptive than it seemed.

"What have they told you about me, Ryan? What lies have they filled your mind against me?" Nusrat pleaded, wanting to put his hands on his husband so that he could somehow shake the answer out of him. "I know I don't... look a certain way, but I'm not a monster, Ryan." His voice cracked at the end.

"Were they lies?" Ryan asked in a quiet voice.

Nusrat fell back into his seat, defeated and shocked. This is what his lover actually thought of him. His husband would believe rumours and propaganda over the moments he'd experienced for himself. His heart felt cold all of a sudden.

There were no words spoken for the rest of the journey.

...

A bit dialogue heavy on this one, but they do need to talk. Sometimes.

What do you think is about to happen in Sythia?