Butterfly Reign - SilentTeyz

30

Jared stood out in the stables like a peacock that had wandered into a chicken pen. Techno almost decided that his brother had come here by mistake, but the palace was their home, for Jared even more so than Techno, and the thought of him getting lost was even more unbelievable than that of him seeking out Techno on purpose. He let Jared squint into the dark and tentatively stomp in place in prolonged silence, and when the crown prince showed no sign of leaving any soon, sighed and pointedly creaked a pen door open.

"You wanted somethin'?"

Jared's head snapped to him like a leather band pulled back and suddenly let go. "Of course, you'd be here, you antisocial fuck."

Attracted by the sound of a new voice, a head poked out of the pen, warm nose huffing into the crook of Techno's shoulder. A Badland pure-breed - the nobility of horses, people said, and they were not wrong. Limbs glossy and supple, with a mane of ivory silk, Carl's every movement was worth immortalizing in an oil painting. The yearling already had curiosity and intelligence in him that Techno had rarely seen in other horses. Carl would grow to be a great companion, he could tell.

"That's my twin brother, Jared," Techno informed the horse, paying no mind to the man in question. "He's the reason I don't tolerate humans."

Jared barked out a laugh. He ran his hand over his head, combing through unruly curls in what Techno recognized as his manner of gathering thoughts. "Fine. I won't make fun of you for the time being."

"Oh, the generosity," Techno drawled out. "Thank you, but now I would like to return to our evening walk."

Jared's eyes flit between Techno and Carl, not really seeing either of them. Whatever he was bracing to say next, it was taking him a colossal amount of effort. Techno would have been curious if he wasn't already bottleneck-full of his brother's attitude. He proceeded to fist the reins and tug Carl out of his pen when Jared stammered out, "Techno, wait! Just... Can I stay with you for a bit?"

Techno stopped. His back was still turned on Jared. "His Imperial Highness can invite himself wherever he pleases," he reminded, mouth set awry.

Jared recoiled and sucked in a breath, his eyes glinting - not with tears, but something equally desperate.

"Don't call me that," he said. "Not you."

Techno paused and peered over his shoulder, meticulously slow. He looked Jared square in the eyes for the first time this evening -

"Come on, Wil," Techno's voice turned out softer than he had anticipated. Jared drew his shoulders uptight, and for a brief moment, Techno feared that he would flee like a fretful doe at the sound of a hunter's steps.

Then, Jared followed.

There wasn't anything particularly outstanding about the night. Crescent moon hung over the horizon like a toy over a newborn's crib, and the crickets sang the same lullaby they did in the thousands of nights that came before. Yet as Techno and Jared sauntered side by side, the air felt lighter, breathing easier, and living - just the tiniest bit less of a struggle. Like sunrays splintered into a mirage, a truce was built between them on fleeting dreams.

Techno unbridled Carl at a grass lawn and watched the yearling gallop until it made him feel dizzy, at which point he noticed the suspicious lack of noise on Jared's behalf and the emptiness where his brother used to stand. A scouting glance discovered Jared hauling himself up an oak with a surprising amount of agility for his twig-like build.

"Wil, what are you doing?" he called out.

Jared - a grown man of eighteen years, the crown prince of the great Antarctic Empire - stood up with his feet criss-crossed and arms stretched like he was trying to fit the sky between his palms.