Heir of the Labyrinth

Chapter 33: Sound and Visions

It had been now weeks since Jareth Jr. and Ruel first met by the river, and in that time, something subtle but undeniable had begun to grow between them. The quiet conversations, the stolen glances, the way Jareth's heart seemed to race whenever Ruel was close—it was all beginning to feel like something more than just friendship.

But Jareth, cautious as ever, couldn't bring himself to admit it out loud. There was still that tiny, nagging voice in his head that reminded him of the pain he'd felt before, the walls he'd built around his heart after Elira had left. And yet, Ruel was different. He had a way of making Jareth forget about the past, of making him feel seen in a way that was both comforting and terrifying.

The forest by the river had become their place, a quiet haven where they could talk—or not talk—without the weight of the outside world pressing in. Today was bit different. They wandered along their usual path, the leaves crunching underfoot, the air cool but pleasant as autumn settled in around them. Ruel walked beside Jareth, close enough that their shoulders brushed occasionally, sending tiny sparks of awareness through Jareth's skin.

-"You're quiet today," Ruel said, glancing at him with that soft, knowing smile that always seemed to unravel Jareth's carefully composed exterior.

Jareth shrugged, trying to play it off. -"Just thinking."

Ruel raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. -"About what?"

Jareth hesitated, his fingers curling into the pockets of his jacket as he walked. He wasn't sure how to answer that without giving too much away. -"Just... stuff," he muttered, feeling awkward the moment the words left his mouth.

Ruel laughed, a quiet, warm sound that made Jareth's heart do that stupid fluttering thing again. -"You're terrible at deflecting, you know."

-"I'm not deflecting," Jareth said, a bit too quickly.

Ruel gave him a knowing look, then nudged him lightly with his elbow. -"Right. And I'm an excellent dancer."

Jareth snorted, remembering the time Ruel had tried—and failed—miserably to demonstrate some kind of fancy dance move only to trip over his own feet and nearly take Jareth down with him. -"Okay, you're terrible at dancing," Jareth admitted, laughing. -"But seriously, it's nothing."

-"Uh-huh," Ruel said, clearly unconvinced, but he didn't press the issue.

They continued walking in companionable silence for a while longer, the sound of the river bubbling in the distance. As they neared their usual spot by the water, Jareth couldn't help but feel the tension between them growing, an unspoken charge in the air that had been building for weeks now.

When they reached the riverbank, Ruel turned to Junior, that easy smile still on his lips, but there was something else in his eyes now, something that made Jareth's pulse quicken. -"You know," Ruel said, his voice soft, -"you're allowed to feel things, Jareth. Even after everything."

Jareth swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. He knew what Ruel was talking about—knew that Ruel could see through the walls he'd built, knew that Ruel understood him in ways that made him feel both exposed and strangely safe.

-"I do feel things," Jareth said quietly, his heart pounding in his chest. -"It's just... complicated."

Ruel stepped closer, his gaze steady, and Jareth felt that familiar pull, the one that made it impossible to focus on anything but Ruel's presence, the way he stood just a little too close, the way his long ruby hair framed his face in a way that made Jareth want to reach out and touch it.

-"It doesn't have to be complicated," Ruel murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

Jareth's breath hitched, and before he could stop himself, he took a small step closer, their bodies almost brushing. His heart was in his throat, his mind racing, but everything else faded into the background, everything except Ruel.

For a brief, dizzying moment, Jareth's eyes flicked down to Ruel's lips, and he wondered what it would be like to close that final distance. He wasn't sure if it was the pull of the river, the quiet of the woods, or the simple fact that being around Ruel made him feel more alive than he had in months, but suddenly, it didn't feel so complicated. It felt simple and right.

Ruel must have felt it too, because he didn't move away. In fact, he leaned in just slightly, his breath warm against Jareth's cheek, and Jareth could feel his heart hammering so loudly he was sure Ruel could hear it too.

They were so close now, Jareth could practically feel the softness of Ruel's lips just inches away—

-"Hey, young prince! There you are!"

Jareth and Ruel jumped apart so quickly that Jareth nearly tripped over his own feet, his face burning bright red as he whipped around to see Hans and Lars—two of the most annoyingly loud creatures he knew—stomping through the woods like they were on a mission.

-"Hans.. Lars...?" Jareth sputtered, his voice cracking slightly from the shock. -"What are you two doing here?"

Hans, completely oblivious to the tension that had just been shattered into a million awkward pieces, grinned and jogged up to them with Lars trailing behind. -"We were looking for you!" Hans said brightly, slapping Jareth on the shoulder with way too much enthusiasm. -"Lars thought he saw a unicorn around here earlier, and we figured you might want to, I don't know, help us chase it off or something."

Jareth stared at him, still trying to recover from the fact that they had just been *this* close to kissing, and now Hans was talking about unicorns. Unicorn?!

"Unicorn?" Jareth repeated, his brain struggling to catch up.

-"Yeah!" Lars chimed in, scratching his head. -"Or maybe it was just a white horse. Hard to say."

Ruel, to his credit, had somehow managed to keep a straight face through the whole thing, but Jareth could see the amusement dancing in his eyes. -"Unicorn," Ruel said slowly, looking between Hans and Lars. -"In this part of the woods?"

Hans nodded eagerly. -"Yep! Or, you know, a large white horse with a horn."

Jareth groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. Of course this would happen. Of course the moment he and Ruel had been about to... whatever that almost was... Hans and Lars would show up with some ridiculous story about a horse.

-"Did you actually see this... creature?" Ruel asked, his tone polite but with a barely concealed smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

-"Well," Hans began, looking at Lars for confirmation, -"we heard something."

-"Yeah, definitely heard something," Lars added.

Ruel glanced at Jareth, and the look they shared was enough to make Jareth's cheeks burn even hotter. The moment was gone, shattered by the absurdity of the situation, but there was still something unspoken between them, something that hadn't quite disappeared.

Jareth cleared his throat, trying to regain some semblance of normalcy. -"Right, well... thanks for the heads up, guys, but I think we'll be fine here."

Hans gave a half-hearted salute. -"If you say so! Just thought you'd want to know." He and Lars exchanged a look before turning to leave, clearly satisfied that their mission had been accomplished.

Once they were out of earshot, Ruel let out a soft laugh, his amber eyes crinkling at the corners. -"That was... unexpected."

-"Understatement of the century," Jareth muttered, still feeling the lingering heat in his cheeks.

Ruel stepped closer again, though this time the moment wasn't quite as charged, the awkwardness of the interruption hanging in the air between them. -"Maybe next time we should pick a spot that isn't on Hans and Lars's usual patrol route."

Jareth snorted, finally able to laugh at the absurdity of it all. -"Yeah, probably a good idea."

But even as they laughed, Jareth couldn't shake the memory of how close they'd been—how close they (almost) were. And somehow, despite the interruption, it only made him want to try again.