“Well, that was a surprise.” She shuts the door behind her. “If I’m responsible for you, there’s no point in staying home. I can drag you around town as my arm candy.”
“Arm candy?”
“Yes, you’re not exactly ugly, even if you don’t smile much. You’re cute enough for Azure’s tastes anyway.” She reaches for his arm, ignoring his flinch backwards and grins. “Give it up,” Sara laughs, pulling him over. “He left you at my mercy, let’s go.”
And he really doesn’t want to go with her. Still doesn’t trust her fully, though she’s dropped the innocent act with him. She’s still no one to him and he doesn’t care to be dragged around this fish smelling town, stuck to her side while she attempts to show him off. There’s only one person he’s willing to be this close to and it’s not her.
Unfortunately, that person also left him with her.
“Stop sulking. No one will believe you’re here with me willingly with that face.”
“I’m not.”
“Glory,” Sara yells, yanking him after her with a hard pull towards a blonde girl with brown eyes. She’s surprisingly strong for such a small girl. “How are you?”
“I’m good, Sara,” Glory answers slowly, her eyes riveted on him. “The same as when you saw me yesterday. Who’s this?”
“Ah, this,” Sara begins, leaning closer to her friend conspiratorially while still keeping a firm grip on his arm. “Is Ocher. Azure’s...friend.”
They share a meaningful look before turning back towards him and now he's starting to think he misunderstood her intentions because the more she drags him around town to make introductions, the more he realizes Sara’s not connecting herself to him, but connecting him to Azure. For what reason? He’s not sure. He doesn’t understand the spark of interest everytime Azure’s name is mentioned.
“Why are you doing this?”
“Doing what? I’m just entertaining you for the day.”
“No,” he finally pulls his arm away. “Why do you keep mentioning me with Azure?”
“Oh, that,” she waves her hand as if it’s something insignificant. “It’s just unusual to see him spend this much time with anybody, but he’s well known here. Plenty of people would be curious about you and what he’s been doing since he left. He did have a life before you, you know?”
“I don’t think he wants you introducing me like that.”
Sara shrugs, “When has Azure ever given any thought to what other people want?”
He looks away, knowing she’s right. “Can we go back now?”
“Nope! Savanta and Calliston are off now and they’re going to a bar! We should go!”
Ocher looks her over skeptically. He’s never had alcohol, it’s not allowed on base, but he’s heard the stories of other soldiers in towns that go out drinking and he was a little curious. However he’s pretty sure nobody was as young as Sara. “Are you allowed to?”
“Don’t worry about me,” she grins. “They know us there. They won’t let me drink, but they’ll let me in if we’re all together. So do you want to go?”
“Alright.” What could it hurt?
Nothing, it turns out. Drinking hurts nothing. It makes him feel weightless and happy, like every problem he has is just a minor blip in his life. For once he’s not thinking about how to keep Azure close or what he’ll do next. He’s just living in the moment, completely content. Savanta had chosen the first drink for him and Sara the second. He thinks Calliston picked his third, but everything started to get a little fuzzy around then.
He’s content to sit here and let himself be talked to. It’s a stranger that’s speaking with him and he’s not really listening. They seem friendly enough. It’s not hard getting to know someone, why had he ever been afraid to be on his own? Even when Azure finally joins the others at their table, he doesn’t feel the need to rush over to his side.
Azure’s eyes linger on him the entire time and he’s not making any attempt to be discreet about it. After a while, Ocher can’t even taste what’s in his cup anymore. He’s not sure who’s holding his arm right now or who he’s next to. Multiple people have come over to talk or laugh with him. None of them are memorable though, everyone has blurred together in the music and enjoyment of the night. And when his eyes start to drift shut from exhaustion and he leans into whoever is closest to him, that feels nice too.
Eventually he feels hands settle around his waist, pulling him away from whoever was holding onto him so nicely. “That’s enough, let’s go Ocher,” is spoken into his ear and he tilts his head over to see Azure looking back at him in what could almost be called concern.
Ocher stares blankly back at him, wondering if that’s really what he’s seeing, but more importantly, Azure’s close, very close. So close that all he has to do is lean forward to press his lips against Azure’s...just like that and it’s as nice as he’d hoped.
Azure’s lips are warm and soft beneath his and he sighs into the kiss, moving closer until Azure pushes him away. It’s not rude or forceful, but it’s rejection all the same and it hurts.
“You taste like alcohol,” Azure comments, dropping the hands around his waist to take him by the arm instead. They meet up with the other three at the entrance and he feels wetness on his cheeks as they step outside.
“Am I crying?”
“No, idiot, it’s starting to rain,” Calliston answers.
“Oh, that makes sense. Although, I think I want to cry too.”
“Ocher,” Azure says. “Now is not the time for this.”
He thinks he might have blacked out after that because the next time he’s aware, Azure is pushing him into bed and from the tone of his voice, he can tell Azure is criticizing him for something. Most likely for drinking too much. None of it matters when he loses consciousness again.
The next morning, blinding sunlight wakes him up and he stares at the curtains which have been left wide open. He has a feeling that was on purpose, as a punishment. The light exacerbates his already pounding head and his emotions dive straight into panic when he realizes Azure isn’t next to him like usual. He rushes out of bed and into the living room, scanning the room in all of two seconds. Only Sara is sitting at the table, watching him with a raised eyebrow and a wide smile.
“Where’s Azure?”
“Worried that he’ll disappear on you?” She questions back. “You don’t even like him that much, do you? Then again, you didn’t hesitate to try and make a move on him last night. It didn’t go well for you by the way.”
Ocher flushes, “It doesn’t matter if I like him or not. We made a deal that we both have to uphold.”
“Uh huh,” she nods knowingly. “And that’s all it is.”
“What’s it matter? Azure doesn’t even like guys.”
Her eyes widen at his words before she clears her throat, “He went to the docks with Savanta earlier. Said he didn’t want to be here when you woke up in case you tried to throw yourself at him again.”