duty. (boyxboy)

chapter 6.

Look at me updating after months. I'll probably start uploading more frequently though bc my summer holiday is about to start !

~

On any normal day, Forven would have closed the door to his room behind him when he entered. So why did he decide to leave it open today, a day seemingly like any other? Perhaps he was hoping for Alre to come inside. What for he didn't know, but his heart ached.

Forven waited. He waited for an hour, and then another. Maybe he had figured that Alre wasn't going to come. Why would he, after all? After confessing your feelings so openly to another person, Forven wouldn't want to face them for a while either. Still, he waited.

He waited until the first sunrays were breaking through the glass of his window, making the pages of the book on Forven's desk readable again after the candle had long ago burned out.

Forven's blond locks were splayed across his forearms where his head was resting on them. His eyes were closed and his breathing was even. He had waited until he couldn't keep his eyes open, but Alre hadn't showed.

~

"You look absolutely terrible."

"Why thank you, you look like a troll but you don't see me commenting on that, now do you?" Orym nearly choked on his food while Forven shoved a spoonful of his breakfast in his mouth. The irritation was evident on Forven's face, the result of not getting enough sleep.

There were dark circles underneath Forven's eyes as a reminder of what had happened the previous day. He felt sad and guilty and confused and he didn't know how to make it better.

"What's got your panties in a twist?" Orym asked.

"It's nothing."

"Sure, that look on your face really tells me it's nothing."

Orym winced at the force with which Forven slammed his spoon down on the table. To his surprise, there wasn't anger on his brother's face but rather sadness. Forven was biting his bottom lip in an attempt to keep his tears in.

"Stop it. I said it's nothing," said Forven in a surprisingly soft voice.

"Well I'm sorry for caring about you. If this whole situation with Alre is making you this upset maybe you should consider talking to him first instead of coming down here and ruining everyone's mood."

It was Orym's turn to snap at Forven. To him, it was quite obvious that the two had had a conflict, but he had hoped Forven would have adressed it first.

Forven's jaw dropped at his brother's bold statement. Did he know? How? If Orym knew, who else? Were they going to be in trouble?

"What kind of assumption, you don't know what you're talking about," Forven said, but with an insecure tone to his voice. Orym noticed.

"Talk to him. Have you seen him? He's absolutely miserable and you know you've got something to do with it. Please."

Forven didn't reply and instead continued to eat his breakfast, desperately avoiding eye contact with Orym.

Of course he was right. His younger brother was wise beyond his years and often seemed to see right through people. Forven didn't know if it was a gift or a curse, but right now, it seemed more like the latter as he was unable to hide his feelings from his brother.

Fine, he told himself. He would see him today. He would talk to Alre, if the other was even going to let him.

~

"Forven, what do you think about the flowers? Do you like the white ones or the pink ones better?"

There wasn't a place Forven would rather not be at this very moment. Aywin was nice enough but this whole wedding meant nothing to him. He was against it and he would, out of principle, not help with any aspect of it.