sweet talk

they've cut out from my brothers

chapter twenty-two

The two continued onward, trekking through the forest. The clouds seem to follow, rolling over the sun and casting a shadow over the land. Rigby knew it would rain-- he could smell the crisp, dampness in the air and he knew they would have to stop at some point.

Drawing his gaze upward to look at Mordecai, he noticed the other seemed just as uneasy. Carefully, he slipped his hand into the other's.

They walked for what seemed like a few hours. Rigby couldn't tell; the clouds had thickened and darkened in such a way that he knew it would storm, and he could feel the fear slowly trickle across his chest.

"We should stop, dude," Mordecai mumbled, breathing out, slow.

Rigby hummed in agreement, as the humidity combined with anxiety left an awful sweat on him. And his legs seemed to ache, too. Looking around, he found they had walked into a small clearing, surrounded by stray undergrowth and tall, looming trees.

"There!" Mordecai said, suddenly, and pointed somewhere off the course of the clearing. Rigby turned his head and saw.

A hollowed out tree, laying on its side, providing barely enough shelter. A small, tight looking space that seemed uncomfortable just to look at.

"Seems kinda small, dude. There's no way we're both gonna fit under there!"

It was starting to rain, lightly, and Mordecai didn't argue. He tugged Rigby along, and stopped just at the base of the hollowed out tree, moving slowly towards the sheltered part.

He crouched down, pushing Rigby underneath, and the raccoon yelped. He scrambled in the dead fronds of bracken until he was facing Mordecai, eyes wide.

Mordecai was still crouching, his eyes soft as the rain started to grow harder. It pounded against the warm earth, and  bounced as it soaked Mordecai to the bone, causing the other to shiver some.

"What are you doing?!" Rigby had to raise his voice over the rain to be heard. Thunder rumbled from somewhere above.

"It fits you!" The other yelled back, "I'm letting you stay underneath! Because I know you'll complain a lot!" He grinned, and water trickled down the side of his beak.

Rigby winced, and grabbed both of Mordecai's hands. "But that's bull! You can fit too!" He tugged Mordecai under the shelter, and the blue jay yelped as he hit his head on the very edge before quickly ducking low as he was forced inside.

They were uncomfortably close to each other, Mordecai's soaking wet body pressed shakily against Rigby's, his leg tucked underneath the others.

"Dude, you're getting me wet!" Rigby complained.

"Oh, shut up," Mordecai smiled, and nudged Rigby as they both turned heads to look at each other. Rigby wanted to slap the smirk off the other's face, but stopped himself, staring into the other's eyes.

This was who he was fighting for this whole time. This is who he devoted his entire life to.

And it's all going to waste. Because you can't ever protect him like he can protect you.

Rigby winced, and Mordecai frowned slightly at the other. "Are you okay, dude?"

"Yeah... yeah, I'm okay," Rigby mumbled, then forced a small smile upon the other. He looked down, and gently grabbed Mordecai's hand, intertwining their fingers. "Heh..."

Mordecai smiled too, and then thunder boomed, shaking the ground. He wrapped both arms around Rigby, curling his body around the other. The raccoon was shaking, and as he looked at Mordecai, he realized the other was trying to protect him, still. He realized this too, and pulled away under the shelter. He said something, quietly, but Rigby could read his lips perfectly: "sorry."

He thinks you're helpless. He is doing this out of pity. He doesn't love you.

Rigby pushed the words down, and leapt onto Mordecai, wrapping his own arms around the other into a tight hug.  The blue jay lay on the ground with the raccoon laying on top of him. Rigby felt the other's arms, and he snuggled close into the crook of his neck.

Mordecai mumbled something in response, the rain pounding against the earth next to his head, but not enough to touch him. His feathers were soaked, still, ruffling from the impact, but Rigby didn't seem to care anymore. He kept his arms around the other.

His warm touch seemed to make the voice fade, or maybe Rigby was just starting to forget why exactly they were in the forest.

"Are you okay, dude?" Mordecai tried again.

Rigby looked down at the other, and then laid his chest down on the other's so his head was at a slight tilt next to his lover's. He could hear his heartbeat, fast and running under his ear.

"I'm okay, now," he whispered, but he was shaking. He wasn't sure what he was feeling.

"That doesn't sound convincing."

"Well, what about you? Are you okay?" Rigby sat up, pulling away from Mordecai in a frantic hurry that left the other hurt, in a way that he couldn't describe.

"Yeah... fine."

"That didn't sound convincing." Rigby smirked.

"Oh, shut up. We're both not fine, dude. It just... something feels off. Like something's wrong."

Everything is wrong. The demon is out there. We took a break. Now we have no time to find Skips and fix anything.

"I know that face," Mordecai mused, jarring through the raccoons thoughts. He looked at his friend with a strangely calm demeanor, but his hands still shook.

"What face?"

"You're thinking too much, dude. You're anxious."

"Well, no shit, Sherlock," Rigby snapped. He was in no mood to talk about his mood. The raccoon turned away from his friend, facing the wall, and closed his eyes, listening to the rain pounding outside. He tried to focus on that, but the thunder that rumbled onward didn't seem to help his anxious mind-- Mordecai was right. He was thinking too much. But the thoughts swirled in his brain.

He felt Mordecai's wings wrap around him, suddenly, making him jump some in small warning. But then he looked up at the bird, and relaxed, turning so he could hug him back.

"I'm scared," he mumbled.

Mordecai seemed lost in thought. But his touch was everything, then and there. And his words were even softer, ir seemed.

"I know."