Chiaroscuro

dieci

The rumors were true.

As they both peered into the giant hole splitting apart the woodlands they were in, a multicolored vortex awaited from down below. It hadn't been there before, but when Aldrich and Lenore approached and peeked their heads out, it began to materialize into existence– almost like it somehow knew that they didn't belong, like it could sense their otherworldly presence.

Right now, the portal spun around in a rainbow loop, beckoning for them to jump.

This was it.

This was the moment of truth.

"Do you think it'll actually lead us back to where we came from?" Lenore asked.

Aldrich was skeptical too, though he tried to not let it show. Confidence was key. Taking risks was a natural part of progress.

"Even if it doesn't, we're still in this together," he said. "You and me."

As he glanced over at Lenore, expecting him to quietly agree, his heart almost stopped at what he saw instead.

Tears were budding from the corners of Lenore's misty eyes, dampening his white cheeks. A shudder ran through him as he staggered back, on the verge of panic.

"Lenore?" Aldrich's stomach twisted. "Lenore, what's wrong?"

"I can't."

Something sharp stabbed through Aldrich's heart. Frantically, he reached out for him, attempting to cling onto his arm or shoulder for an explanation– anything.

But Lenore abruptly retreated, as if his touch would hurt. The distance between them expanded. Pain flashed in Aldrich's eyes, triggering them to radiate with a blinding white-gold glow.

"I can't," Lenore rasped, shaking his head. "I need to stay here. Maybe someone should look after the gnomes after all, see that they'll be okay for longer."

"And you decide to tell me that now?" In a fit of distress, Aldrich's eyes continued to flare up, shining even brighter. Steam accompanied his words, a trail of smoke leaving his mouth. "If that was true, you would've told me sooner. What's the real reason?"

With more tears flooding his eyes, Lenore stepped back once more. "You have a whole life waiting for you, Aldrich. I can't be a part of that."

"Don't assume what I can and can't do!" He didn't intend to yell, but he couldn't help it. They'd been through too much to not make it out together. "Why wouldn't you be a part of my life?"

"I'm an Umbra."

"We've been over this." Aldrich's heart clenched, his blood boiling. "That doesn't matter."

"But it does out there," Lenore said, a stern bite to his ultimatum. "I don't want to take everything good away from you if you continue to be with me. You have a kingdom, you have a prophecy, you have a crown. You can tell your people that you've slain me while I remain here. Fulfill your destiny."

"If it all truly falls apart, then I can still live without those things. I can make do. But I can't be without you," Aldrich insisted, his ears ringing. "Forget about what our destinies are supposed to be. We make our own."

"Aldrich." Agony resounded from the way he uttered his name. "I can't."

"You keep saying that you can't, but what about what you want?" More steam billowed around Aldrich's head as he stepped forward. His eyes pricked with tears of his own, but they were quick to evaporate into thin air from the heat. "If this is what you want, Lenore, then I will respect your wishes. I will follow through with it. But you have to say it. Say that you don't want to be with me."

"Aldrich..." Lenore played like a broken record on repeat. "No–"

"Say it."

"I want you!"

Lenore gripped his chest with a hand after his confession, struggling for breath. His eyes were wide and feral with desperation, his pants labored, his hair a frazzled mane of inky darkness.

"Please, Aldrich," he begged in a wounded voice, unable to deny what they had any longer. "I want you."

Aldrich bolted to where he was, ready to leap into his arms at full speed. As Lenore caught him, they clung to one another in a meaningful embrace, their arms snug around their shoulders. When their foreheads touched, they locked eyes, getting lost in the intensity of their mutual gazes. Everything drifted around them in slow motion as the glow in Aldrich's eyes flickered out, returning back to a calm honey brown.

"I knew you would say it," he whispered, brimming with sweet satisfaction. He cupped the side of Lenore's wet cheek, smiling so wide that it ached. His fingers grazed past his porcelain skin, thumbing away the remainder of his tears.

Dazed, Lenore continued to admire the golden freckles scattered across the bridge of Aldrich's nose, savoring the way that they glittered against his tanned face. He seemed completely and utterly hypnotized, focused on nothing else.

Then he grabbed him by the waist and leaned in.

Their lips met, stealing Aldrich's breath away. Sparks ignited, electric currents frying his brain. Warmth surged from within, crashing in waves. A loud gasp shuddered through him as he jerked back by instinct, his hands pressed flat against Lenore's chest.

Oh.

Oh.

Appalled, Lenore tore himself away. "Sorry–"

Aldrich grabbed him by the arm and yanked him back in, their mouths meeting again. They stayed attached a while longer, relishing in the taste and thrill of each other's company.

Once they separated for air, Lenore's black lips parted open, struggling for words.

"Are best friends supposed to do this?" he blurted, genuinely confused.

Tides of excitement washed over Aldrich as his heart rapidly hammered away against his ribcage. He steadied himself against the muscle of Lenore's shoulder, propping his head against him. Peals of laughter bubbled, resonating deep from his core.

"No," Aldrich confessed, grinning. "They're not."

Then, just because he could, he grabbed Lenore by the collar of his shirt and gave him one more kiss. This time, he pulled back with an endearing smack from their lips, loudly making his affections known.

"But lovers can."

Lenore looked like he was about to explode from the blush that suddenly tackled his face. Beautiful reds vividly spread across his neck, reaching all the way to the tips of his ears. Meanwhile, Aldrich wasn't any better, burning brighter than ever, but he didn't mind.

They matched this way.

Lenore's hand grabbed his, a hopeful glimmer twinkling in his eyes. "I changed my mind. I'm going with you."

Beaming, Aldrich squeezed their fingers. "That's what I thought."

With joined hands, they approached the edge of the gaping hole and examined the portal that patiently awaited them.

"Let's go home," Aldrich declared. "Whatever we do, whatever happens, we're in it together."

After exchanging meaningful looks, they both smiled before taking a leap of faith.

Soleils and Umbras. Light and dark. Sun and shadow.

Aldrich may not have saved their world in the way he was told to, but perhaps he could still reshape it to be a better place for both sides.

Just wait. He would show them.

With Lenore by his side, he would show them all.