forum The Only One // One on One // CLOSED

Started August 23, 2019 by @ElderGod-Icefire

tune

Ayce nodded. "Okay." He said softly. For a moment, he stiffened at the contact, then relax a bit. It had been a long time since he had had someone that didn't hurt him.

"Do you want to lay down on my pack? It won't be the most comfortable but it will be better than the ground." Nolan looked down at him.

Ayce blinked. "I-I…" He shrugged slightly. Can't get too close to him can't let him get too close or he will get angry and when he gets angry i lose i lose i lose i always lose this fight i always always always lose…

Nolan moved his pack behind Ayce. "Lay down, sleep. I'll protect you. I'll make sure no one hurts you."

Ayce looked at him for a long moment. "Okay." He finally said softly, and lay down, thin body curled up in a ball. He closed his blue eyes with a soft sigh.

Nolan stroked his long, mangled hair. He prayed that they would make it to a village tomorrow. He would get Ayce all cleaned up. A bath, new clothes, a hair cut maybe.

Ayce swallowed softly at the feeling of Nolan's hand in his hair, keeping his eyes closed as he slowly fell asleep. He hoped he wouldn't dream.
(Would you like me to time skip on my next reply? Or you can, if you want. Up to you)

Nolan stayed awake all through the night. He had done it multiple times before but this time was harder. He was exhasted from the constant walking and the heat baring down on them. He took a sip of his water before going to wake Ayce.

Ayce had had a few nightmares during the night, and had occasionally woken up from them. Sometimes with a scream, sometimes with just a gasp. It had always taken him a bit to get back to sleep, but he had learned a long time ago how to force himself to get to sleep. He woke up when Nolan awoke him, blinking and sitting up.

Nolan pet his head twice before he stood up. He placed the water beside Ayce and handed him a small piece of jerky. "Take a minute then we'll start travelling again today."

Ayce nodded, taking the jerky and starting to eat it. "Okay." He responded quietly. He muttered to himself under his breath slightly. "-stupid stupid stupid just shut up you'll make it worse when you get back and you know it he won't like it…" He mumbled.

Nolan listened intently to his words but he didn't comment on anything. He double-checked everything before slinging his bag on. He extended his hand towards Ayce. "Are you ready?" He asked

Ayce chewed on his lip for a moment, then nodded, taking Nolan's hand and standing. He was a bit steadier on his feet than the day before, though he was still nowhere near as able as a normal human, much less a Fae.

"I think today will be better, don't you?" Nolan asked. He placed his hand on Ayce's back. After covering up their temporary camp, he assisted Ayce in walking. "I think we'll make it to a village today. What do you think of about a haircut?"

Ayce nodded in agreement, eyes focused on his feet again. He blinked. "I-I…do I need one?" He asked, touching his hair. His black and white streaked hair was ratty and tangled, snarled up. It would have been impossible to even try to brush it out. "I guess I d-do…" He said softly, lowering his hand.

Nolan smiled down at him. "Yeah you do. You got a rat's nest up there. We'll get you looking all handsome in no time."

Ayce looked at him, and nodded slightly. "Okay." He replied, trying to muster up a smile, which faded almost as soon as it appeared. He directed his attention back to the ground, not wanting to fall and hurt himself, or Nolan, for that matter.

Nolan's heart skipped a beat as he noticed the smile. He didn't understand why he was feeling this way. He was a soldier. He shouldn't feel a thing. And yet he couldn't help this ache he felt for Ayce.

Ayce kept walking, eyes focused on the ground and his feet. His ratty, tangled hair fell into his face a bit, and he used one hand to tuck it behind his ear. It was almost strange…all that time in Raifa, and yet he wasn't missing a limb. Not even a finger gone. Sure there were scars all over his body, and those wounds that were nowhere near healed, but he wasn't missing limbs, and he wasn't completely insane. Not yet, anyway. It was entirely possible that he eventually would be, driven mad by memories he couldn't get away from. It had happened to other escapees from Raifa; their memories of the dungeon slowly driving them into insanity.

Nolan kept Ayce close without him being too close to be uncomfortable. "What's going through your head?" He murmured. Ayce looked as though he was deep in thought. He wanted to know what he was thinking about. He didn't know why. He didn't know why he felt this way. Why, why, why, why, why, why? Why did he felt this way? Why did his heart ache for Ayce?

Ayce glanced up, looking at him. "Nothing much…" He replied softly. "Nothing important." He shrugged slightly, then turned his attention back to the road to make sure he didn't trip. He was leaning on Nolan a little bit, and hoped that Nolan didn't mind.

Nolan nodded. "That's okay. You can tell me anyways if you want too. I'll listen to whatever you want to say." He smiled.

"I'm not missing anything." He mumbled quickly. "Most people are missing at least a finger by now but I'm not missing anything but m-my magic." His voice was rushed, words tripping over each other. "A-and that's not even a limb, I can live without it, b-but I…" He shook his head quickly.

Nolan placed a soothing hand on his head. He brushed his fingers through his hair, careful of the mangled mess. "Don't worry, your magic will come back to you in time. We'll work on it everyday once we get to base." He reassured. "And its good you're not missing anything."

Ayce leaned into his hand a little, much like an attention starved animal. "Magic isn't what I'm worried about." He mumbled. "I should be missing something i should be I should be they broke them so many times but I…" He trailed off, shaking his head a little.