IC contact for wethelost

[devoutish]

Solomons & Melborn
1108 Sweet Cream Street

[Feel free to use this space for letter/package deliveries as well as visits/knocks on the front door!]

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[devoutish]

[And so Alfie follows.

He knows he's not likely to get anywhere, and sure enough, when he reaches the ground, Royce is nowhere to be seen. So he wanders out to the beach, to the surf, and just stands in it, alone with his thoughts.]

[bywolves]

[ A little while later, he'll hear Royce approaching, deliberately making enough noise for Alfie to hear. Alfie will feel pressure against his back, between his shoulderblades - the sensation of Royce pressing his forehead there, holding on to the back of Alfie's shirt with one hand. ]

Don't go home. [ Royce says, voice raw and broken. ]

[devoutish]

[Stay here. In a rush, the true meaning of what Royce had meant comes to him, and it breaks his heart. His face crumples, and without turning around, he reaches behind him to hold on to the back of Royce's head.]

[bywolves]

[ Royce closes his eyes and holds on tightly, hiding his face. His shoulders tremble, but he's not crying. Not anymore. He's just upset to the point of distress. He doesn't say anything else, not wanting to beg or be even more outwardly vulnerable. ]

[devoutish]

Heartsick.

[His voice is choked, too.]

When I said I was homesick and heartsick - that's what I meant.

[bywolves]

[ Royce sighs out a shuddery noise. ]

I don't want you to go home to die. [ He mumbles, almost like he didn't hear Alfie. ]

[devoutish]

I'm not gonna die, Royce. I'm not.

[He lets go of Royce to shuffle around to face him.]

[bywolves]

[ He actually wraps his arms around Alfie, something he doesn't normally do - holds onto him, face hidden. He feels like he's eight years old and curled up in a barrel outside a tavern. The nightmares really shake him, sometimes. ]

You're already going to die far before me. I don't know how long I'm supposed to live, but it'll be longer than your natural lifespan.

[devoutish]

Do you really wanna deal with me for any longer than that?

[It's a weak attempt at a joke.]

[bywolves]

[ His grip on Alfie's shirt tightens. ]

Yes.

[devoutish]

[Alfie just hugs him back hard, both arms wrapping around him tight.]

[bywolves]

[ For a while, he just stays there, eyes closed, letting the waves soothe him back down out of his panic. He's okay. He'll be okay, and they'll be okay, and maybe Royce can make a deal with Zephyr or something. If Alfie dies, Royce can bring him back. It doesn't have to be permanent, that's what these places have taught him.

He gradually loosens up, and his breathing evens out, and he leans heavily into Alfie, exhausted from the stress. ]

[devoutish]

[Alfie loosens his grip when Royce does, but he doesn't let go.]

I love you.

[He'll always say that, again and again and again.]

[bywolves]

[ It's good. Alfie tells him, again and again and again, and Royce believes it. This is different. Alfie represents a whole lot of important people all compressed into one and Royce doesn't know what he'll do when he loses it.

He's raw and ripped through, but he tries words anyway. ]

Love you. [ That's what he can manage. It's a lot, and it's weak and he's a little scared to say it out loud (because what if it means Alfie dies, like everything Royce loves), but it's true enough. ]

[devoutish]

I know.

[Even though he rarely says it, he doesn't need to for Alfie to know it's true. There's a part of his head that keeps saying it now - I love you, I love you, I love you - but he doesn't say it out loud, letting it hang silently in the air instead.]

[bywolves]

[ There's a long pause, as Royce just absorbs it. The words settle him down the rest of the way, and he finally lets go of Alfie, coughing as he clears his throat, wiping at his face. He sniffs, and then just goes ahead and drops down into the sand, sitting.

He gestures for Alfie to sit with him. He just wants to stare at the waves for a while. ]

[devoutish]

[Even though he hates having sandy clothes, he follows without hesitation, stretching his legs out in front of him.]

It's heartbreak either way, isn't it.

[bywolves]

[ Royce has a bunch of their clothes squirreled away in the treehouse, at least. He pulls his knees to his chest. ]

I don't see a way for anything to end without it. [ Sigh. ] I don't want to lose you like I did her.

[ He knows Alfie will know who he's talking about. ]

[devoutish]

I'd get away from London.

[He squeezes their shoulders together.]

I promise you.

[bywolves]

Okay. [ He doesn't think Alfie has a way to guarantee that, but he goes quiet anyway, leaning against Alfie's side. ]

[devoutish]

[He doesn't, and that hurts too. Heartache, heartbreak.]

I don't want to leave you.

[He whispers it as quietly as he can while still being audible.]

[bywolves]

[ Royce takes a deep breath. ]

I don't want to leave you either.

[devoutish]

[He holds Royce against him, and closes his eyes.]

[bywolves]

[ He stays there for a while, and then sighs out slow. ]

Let's go back. [ Royce murmurs. ]

[devoutish]

[Alfie noses into Royce's hair.]

You're sure?