[MythicDusk]

Rexus smiled. A soft, gentle thing as he wrapped his arms back around Atlas. He loved him too, he hoped the hug portrayed that. The fact that he pressed a soft kiss to the side of Atlas' head. He carefully ran his fingers through Atlas' hair, squeezing once more before pulling away slightly, motioning to grab Atlas' attention.

'I love you too, so very much.'

He gave another smile, a gentle kiss to Atlas' cheek. He wanted to say more, to hold him more, to kiss him until all the sorrow had faded from Atlas' frame. Instead, he yawned.

'Sorry. Coming back to bed?'

[Mousen]

It was a few days later when it struck Atlas that he had a phone call he needed to make. He excused himself from Rexus' side and sat on the porch with a cigarette, the smoke curling around him. After a moment of watching the grasses sway in the wind he took his phone from his coat pocket.

He scrolled down to the bottom of his contacts, a practised gesture, and waited for her to pick up.

"Zari," he said.

"Thank Zu'hai," The relief in her voice was audible. "It's been months. Atlas, I've been wondering whether to tell Morte about you for weeks now. I was so worried. What on earth happened?"

"I- a lot."

"Are you okay?" She had a bright voice that came through clearly despite the slightly weak connection. Her accent was difficult to place, a little musical.He skipped a beat before replying and she interrupted him. "Physically, I mean?"

"Injured, not dead. I'll be fine."

She clucked her tongue. "Mentally?"

"...Getting there?"

"Do you need me to come and get you?"

"No, I'm all right."

"Start explaining."

He explained, starting from stumbing across Rexus' house in the rain that day, right up until his breakdown in the bathroom. The way he way he felt like the walls were closing in, how he didn't know how to not keep hurting him, how he didn't know what to do.

"Tell him! Say, 'I love you more than everything on this green earth and I don't know what to do with myself anymore, because I've only ever known how to run away from things.' Let him help you."

Asking Rexus for help hadn't even struck him. "What if I'm just burdening him, and you, and everyone?"

"We care, you moron. We don't want you to go. I let you and don't say anything because sometimes I think its what you need, but its not healthy to just keep running and running. I felt like I was loosing you and it was terrifying. You'll always be my brother and I'll always love you no matter what, but I wish you'd come to me with your problems rather than pushing me away when you get like this. Just talk to me or Rexus or someone before you decide what we want or what's best for us. He must love you, Atlas. Stop assuming people won't want you around."

"Thank you." He ran a hand through his hair, suddenly a little emotional. "I'm sorry, I never asked. How're you?

"I mean, Belias proposed two weeks ago."

He choked on the air, pressing a hand to his ribcage. "The hell, Zari? Why didn't you say!?"

"I was waiting for you to get your head out of your ass. Also, I was worried about you. I wanted to make sure you were okay first."

"Yeah. When-- should I come to see you?"

"You should come home."

"I will. Congratulations, Zariah. You're all grown up, now."

"If you make it home soon, I'll be able to say the same to you."

"I'll speak to you soon. Send Belias my best. Thank you for everything."

"I'll see you soon, Atlas. Take care of yourself."

[MythicDusk]

Rexus didn't chase after him, didn't follow him like the lost dog he felt like sometimes. He did mourn the loss of head for all of a moment. He could hear the voices, but not the words. He waited for them to stop, for the intonation of a farewell before he stood himself.

It was nice having voices around again. It was nice to have someone here with him. To know that he wasn't alone with his own mind and the sark eyes of the animals he cared for.

He stepped outside, opening the door and closing it with a quiet click behind him, pulling out his own packet of cigarettes and a lighter, sitting by Atlas with a cocked eyebrow, his head tilted in a question.

[Mousen]

Atlas tilted his head at the sounds of footsteps and smiled when Rex came into view. "My sister," he said, by way of an explanation. "I rang her because... well when everything happened I dropped out of contact with pretty much everyone. I don't think I'd spoken to her in about six months. I apologised and she gave me some good advice and told me she 'd gotten engaged. It's not exactly a surprise, she's been in a relationship for a long time. I'm happy for her."

He tapped some of the ash from his cigarette into the bowl on the porch and was silent for a little while. "She's home at the minute. At the circus. She wants me to come home and see her, and Mort, my dad. I- I don't know if I can face him. He hasn't seen me since I was a teenager. I'm sure I'm a huge disappointment to him." He rested his head on Rexus' shoulder. "I wish I was braver. I need to get over this."

[MythicDusk]

Rexus listened to Atlas' words in silence, taking slow drags on the cigarette. When Atlas leaned into him, he carefully wrapped his arm around the smaller man. He was still silent, he was always silent. He hated it sometimes. But right now, he felt like all Atlas needed was someone to listen.

After a moment, he moved his hand to sign in front of them both, making sure it was in Atlas' eyeline. It was one-handed and clumsy, but Rexus hoped he would at least get the gist.

'You're doing better. You're still here with me. And I can go with you.'

[Mousen]

Atlas nodded. "Thank you," he said. "Are you sure you're okay meeting my family? They're... well, from what I remember they're very eccentric. I think you'll like Zari, though. Her sign was always better than mine, and she's just... somehow an actual functioning good human being? Stubborn as anything, reckless, with a temper, but good. Her boyfrie- well, fiance now, I guess, is this huge ex-mercenary called Belias. We met for like... ten minutes after he'd saved her life and I was passing through trying to avoid my father. He seems like a good guy." Privately, Atlas thought that Zari could have probably done better. But he also knew he'd have said that about anyone she ended up with. It wasn't that no one was good enough for her, just that Zari seemed to be able to whatever she wanted. Her marrying into royalty wouldn't have surprised him much.

"There's also another problem. My mother's home is in whisper forest."

[MythicDusk]

Rexus listened, but he didn't hear anything much after the name of someone he used to know. He pulled away, turning his body to face Atlas, signing urgently.

'That old dragon bastard is still alive?'

His brows furrowed slightly, his cheeks puffing out as they did when he was irritated by something. He looked into the distance, gathering his thoughts.

'And he's getting married?'

He licked his lips, his ears ringing with a vague fury.

'You know this means we have to get married right? I can't let that old bastard beat me. He was Freyja's favorite ranch hand, and she was inconsolable when he marched off.'

Rexus would freely admit, there was a lot of jealousy left in him over Belias.

[Mousen]

"Yes, wait you know him?" Atlas' brows furrowed as he tried to keep up with where Rexus was going with this. "To my sister. Adopted, technically, but like- What?"

What? What on earth was going on? "Hold on. Please. What? Belias was Freyja's favourite ranch hand before he became a mercenary and decided to repeatedly break my sister's heart by almost getting killing and this means you gotta marry me?" He looked Rexus up and down. "I'm not smart enough to understand this," he whined softly, more to himself than for Rexus' benefit.

He felt like he needed to deal with the other elephant in the room. "I mean. Also. Like. Good plan? I love you and... yes? Probably? Maybe? But also you know how bad my commitment issues are and please don't say these things to me. I'll die."

[MythicDusk]

Rexus raised his hands to his forehead. He could feel a headache beginnign to sprout.

'I can't let that old bastard beat me.'

The signs were quick and concise. His brow still furrowed as he turned to face forward again, his shoulders sagging a little before a soundless laugh echoed throughg him. A soft huff of air expelled from his throat before he looked to Atlas, his eyes shining with mirth.

'Sorry, Belias is an old bastard. And I'm glad you would like to get married.'

He paused for a second, flexing his fingers, feeling the callouses of his hands. 'But not yet.'

[Mousen]

She stepped out of the small patch of woods like a small breath of summer air, so full of grace was she. Her eyes as blue as forget-me-nots or a cloudless day, her hair as dark as a midwinter evening. She was beautiful in every aspect, inhuman. Her face, ageless though it was, mirrored Atlas's. There was the high cheekbones and upturned nose, and on the edges of her mouth the same self-assured smile he'd been known to wear from time-to-time. Atlas, though, was scarred and freckled with heavy bags under his eyes. The woman at the end of the garden path had no such flaws.

Atlas stood the moment he saw her scrambling to his feet in fright. He clung to Rexus, standing behind him. The woman laughed as she saw this, tossing her head back.

"Why do you hide instead of coming to greet me, Son of Mine? Are you such a coward that you cannot even face your own mother?"

He stepped out from behind Rexus. "Go. You aren't wanted here."

"Petulant child! You are to come home. Why else do you think I sent the hounds after you? You're a Prince, you belong not here in this farmyard or with your father performing cheap tricks, no, you belong with your kingdom, at my side and with your dear brothers."

"Go."

She looked at him from across the garden and shook her head. "You will have no peace until you come to me. Do not think I will be so callous as to abandon my eldest son." She turned to walk away, but paused suddenly. "And no not think that your... farm dog will be able to protect you. Why, it can't even bark."

She vanished into the trees.

[MythicDusk]

Rexus felt himself snarl, the sound tearing through his animalistic throat. He felt his muscles tense and prepare for a lunge. He wanted to taste her blood, to feel her flesh under his claws, to sink his teeth into her bones. He couldn't bark but he could bite.

He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck on end, could feel his muscles so taught and tight they trembled, he moved so he pushed Atlas further behind him, even as he watched her walk away, he felt the animal fear, the need to fight back, the fight or flight instinct kicking through him forcing him to lower his stance.

When she exited from his eyeline, he let his lips drop to cover his teeth, let his powerful body slowly uncurl from its aggressive stance, felt the ache in his throat from the snarl that had just ripped through him like a hungry wolf in a hen house.

Slowly, he let his shoulders bow, turned his bright eyes to Atlas, suddenly looking tired, the adrenaline bleeding out of him like lifeblood, making his knees weak.

"Will she be back?"

[Mousen]

Atlas nodded. "From what she said she's not going to stop until she has me back with her. I never know if she's telling the truth... but it seems like it." His hands shook as he tried to turn the handle to head inside, and he rattled the door in its frame before he managed to budge it.

"I'm sorry to have you wrapped up in this. You don't deserve it. I didn't even think she would care after all this time, I thought if she did then she'd rather me dead. I don't know what to do anymore."

Atlas moved into the kitchen, sitting down at the table. "We're both in danger, Rexus."

[MythicDusk]

Rexus felt his shoulders heave with barely contained rage. It was like a tide washing over him, filling his body with another shot of adrenaline. Felt a snarl echo through his chest as he locked the doors, as he checked the windows, checked the iron and the defenses. He swept into the kitchen, his ears pricked to Atlas' words. He felt his geavy breath echo through his nose. His thoughts were a dull buzz in the back of his head, constricting around his spine.

'We're both in danger, Rexus'

The word sent a hot spike up his spine, forcing him to stand by the kitchen table, his palms flat on the wood, his eyes closed as he tried to regain control.

"I won't. Let her. Hurt you." His voice was rough, filled with anger, his fingers curling into the wood as his arms trembled as he slowly exhaled.

[Mousen]

Atlas rested a hand on top of Rexus', and he could feel him shaking with fury. It was almost steadying, to know that he had this on his side, that he wasn't alone. Rexus wouldn't let her take him, he wouldn't have to face the hounds again, he wouldn't have to run.

He stood up, wrapping an arm around Rexus' waist. "Thank you. It'll be ok," he said, not really believing it himself. "Just, don't leave any doors or windows open. Don't invite anyone strange inside, and don't let me go out for a cigarette on my own. Maybe we can figure something out in the meantime."

He moved away from Rexus, filling up the kettle and putting it on the stove. He'd wandered in just over a month ago now, begging for Rexus' help and protection, and still it seemed like he needed it. He was a burden, just a burden, that for whatever reason, Rexus wanted in his life. There was no point letting his head twist things around, though. That never lead to anything good. Instead, he looked towards Rexus and gave him a soft smile. "I'm sorry that you have all of this trouble on my account."

[MythicDusk]

Rexus let out a shuddering sigh, nodding distantly at his words. His throat felt raw, like he had cracked it open. Slowly, he moved. His arms feeling like bags of sand attached to his shoulders, even when he wrapped them softly, carefully around Atlas.

He couldn't speak. He didn't want to speak. He feared that if he spoke, all the curdling emotions in him would come rushing out, would threaten to overwhelm.

So, instead, he just held Atlas. Wanted him to feel what he wanted to say, wanted him to know that there was no trouble, that he wasn't a bother or anything else he may have thought of himself. He tightened his arms, just a little.

He wanted Atlas to know, beyond anything, that Rexus loved him.