Because I Love You✔️

Chapter 22: The Selfish and the Selfless

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Selfless and the Selfish

Xaphile sulked as he walked away from the campsite since the weight of Amelia's question was a heavy burden on his mind. He didn't really want to talk about science anymore, he didn't even want to think about it... not just because of how anxious the reality that he was stuck made him feel, but because he was finding it harder and harder to comprehend what was going on.

As a boy who had been raised with a present-day Earth mindset, he couldn't exactly wrap his head around the concept of being on another world, or whatever the hell Atlas truly was.

He'd read books on mythology, had been writing a story of his own on Irish mythology, and he'd seen movies filled to the brim with supernatural people and creatures... but he'd never once believed any of them could have been real, much less that he himself would have ever turned into one.

He turned back only when the smell of cooking food met his nose, and upon arrival, Amelia handed him a glowing china plate, which he took without asking questions since a glowing dish was literally the least bizarre of all the things he'd seen so far.

During the meal, Gus looked up and regarded him curiously.

"Hey, Phil," he gruffly called, green eyes gleaming a bit. "Once we finish our meal, will you come with me for a swim in the river?"

It was so abrupt that it actually came as a surprise, and for the longest time Xaphile only stared at him, silently considering the offer with an inscrutable expression. It didn't sound like a bad idea, and since he was kind of craving a shower, he eventually figured he might as well.

"A cold wash sounds good to me, I guess."

"Great," Gus chuckled. "Let's finish eating first, though."

Xaphile responded by going back to his food.

Once he'd finished, he got up and started trotting through the trees toward the sound of fresh, cool water. It took him only a few minutes to get to the river, but once he was there, he looked around and purposely made sure there was nobody watching.

Feeling uncomfortable, he began to undress, carefully undoing the front of his trousers and shrugging them off before slipping out of his underwear.

He folded both articles of clothing and set them on the river bank, then turned towards the water, but for a long moment after he was nude, he only looked down at himself, gazing at the features that now made him something other than human. A strong breeze swept through the clearing when he lifted his hands, gazing at the sharp-looking black claws stretching out of them.

Closing his palms, he frowned in dismay and dropped his arms, walking into the river and letting it flow up to his waist before he dunked beneath the surface. The cold water slid over his bare skin and washed out his long hair, refreshing him and making him feel alive.

After a few moments of swimming underwater, he broke free of the surface and took a deep breath.

Wet tail flicking around, he paddled contentedly for a while, then floated on his back and let the current carry him. Every now and then, he swam back upstream and repeated the process, not even noticing when Gus came lumbering through the trees and started undressing.

Rolling his shoulders, the man tentatively stepped into the river.

"Ah," he drawled, sinking down and closing his eyes. "I was right... the water is perfect."

"It's a nice temperature," Xaphile agreed, lazily drifting along with the current. "It's cold, but not enough to be uncomfortable."

The two of them just relaxed for a while, neither one speaking.