The Systems Prince (DISCONTINUED)

[2.11]

Lance froze in place. He still kept his back to the deperate Cyrus, hoping to hide the range of emotions conveyed on his face. He swallowed the lump in his throat, "What did you hear?"

"Not much... I know you were talking about me, though. And the whole red wolf thing."

Lance drew a shaky breath, "I've been doing some research, is all. Etna helped me confirm something..."

"Research? About me?"

"Cyrus... you're different than when you were a child. I didn't think much of it at the time. You grew up, as did I. I didn't expect you to be the same as you were when you were younger. But, then, you seemed surprised at all the things you could do. At all the facts we learn at a very young age. Like our resistance to diseases, the history of our land, our speed and strength. It was like you were experiencing everything for the first time."

Cyrus becomes tense, contemplating whether or not he should let Lance continue. He didn't like where this was going, at how attentive he's been. Was I really being that obvious?

"I didn't know much about the whole red wolf legend. I didn't learn about it as a kid, only heard about it in stories. The only thing I knew was that red wolves were extinct, but they used to be great. They wandered these lands long before the arrival of our packs. The only thing Etna told me before you came back home, was that you were a red wolf," Lance finally turns to look at Cyrus, his brows furrowed, "I was surprised, but I promised to keep it a secret. I was naturally curious about you and your wolf, so that's when I started doing research in my free time. That's when I found a detailed book about the legend... about the prophecy... about the..." Lance looks at Cyrus as if he were a stranger, "...soul. The soul that would inhabit the body of the last remaining red wolf and save us all."

Cyrus is silent, tightly gripping the blanket beside him as Lance watches him. And then he utters words that terrify him, "I know you aren't Cyrus."

A tense silence devours them. Cyrus stares at the floor beneath Lance's feet. He didn't know what to say, or if he should say anything. Should he deny it? Or laugh it off? No... he's been silent for too long now. And... he didn't want to deny it. There were no rules that stated someone else couldn't figure out his true identity. He didn't have to mention the System's role in this.

"I also know..." Lance started to walk towards Cyrus. He sat down on the bed next to him, and then took his hand. Cyrus shivered at the sudden touch. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he watched Lance trace circles on his palm.

He looked conflicted as he continued, "The reason I was so infatuated with Cyrus as a child was because one day... you would come." Lance looks up at Cyrus, his golden eyes reaching out to claim the lost space, "You are my mate. I don't care who you are, where you came from, or how you came here - all I know is that you are here. Finally, with me." Lance smiled so bright it captured Cyrus's mesmerized gaze. Lance cupped Cyrus's face, looking not at his face, but deep into his eyes, into his very soul, "I love you."

Something within Cyrus - no, within Ethan - clicked. The look in this man's eyes, that burning longing, it was meant for Ethan. He couldn't quite believe someone could love him. All Ethan wanted was for someone to look at him and pay him attention. He wanted that popularity, because he believed it would finally make his life worth living. It would give him everything. He never even thought of love. It seemed so foreign a word to him. In Ethan's mind, love only existed in movies and television shows. It was far from attainable. But... someone loved him? This kind of attention, perhaps this was the kind of attention he had always wanted. Popularity was a warm blanket compared to love - a warmth greater than a thousand suns. This man, Lance, Ethan felt he had been waiting a very long time to meet. He had also been waiting to feel such feelings. Feelings that made life not only worth living, but vibrant and colorful. He didn't want to resist anymore, he needed this. He didn't care to protect his heart anymore, he wanted to give it to Lance. He didn't care what he did with it, it was only ever his to begin with. This heart, this body... this soul. Love? Yes, he did. He loved Lance too. So much so that it made him cry.