She hums thoughtfully, “You don’t trust him at all. Maybe you shouldn’t have gone with him last night, you could’ve been killed.”
“I wanted a better idea of what he was up to. Don’t worry,” he smiles. “I stayed close to the door. There’s no way I’d let myself be trapped so easily.”
“So arrogant.”
“Isn’t he though?” Ocher drops down next to Sara and peers over her shoulder to see the screen. “What are you searching for?”
Sara grimaces and leans away, “You smell like him.”
Azure frowns, “What’s wrong with the way I smell?” He questions in offense.
“Nothing. When it’s on you.” She wrinkles her nose and shifts down the bench.
“It’s not my fault Ocher can’t keep his hands to himself.”
“Hey! It takes two!” Ocher yells.
“Does it really? Pretty sure you seduced me, I wanted no part in it.”
“That’s not what happened!” Ocher protests with red cheeks.
Azure laughs at the sight, “You pulled me down, I just wanted to sleep.”
“I…”
“Yeah?” He raises an eyebrow.
“Don’t make it sound like that!”
“Like what? Like me, an innocent, was coerced into bed?”
“Azure, you’re not an innocent! You’re the least innocent out of all of us!”
He rolls his eyes and reaches over to shove Ocher off the bench. Serves him right for attempting to besmirch his name, Azure thinks.
Sara frowns between the two of them, “You two are so attached, it’s disgusting.”
“We’re not attached,” Azure disagrees as Ocher smirks at him. Instead of getting back in his seat, he crawls over to settle between Azure’s calves on the ground.
“And he looks so smug about it!” Sara exclaims.
Azure blinks, glancing down at the top of Ocher’s head, and realizes the truth in her words. He hadn’t wanted to admit it to himself, but it’s bad if his fondness is obvious to Sara. He’s become used to having Ocher around and so accessible to him at every turn, used to having those big gray eyes follow his every move and turn to him for direction on their next steps.
He’s used to the push and pull of his actions with Ocher and he had taken it for granted that Ocher always put up with it. Then the one time he didn’t, he had caved and told Ocher the truth because he couldn’t resist when he knew the other boy was considering leaving him.
This is worse than he’d thought. Basel never even got this close. He looks down again and Ocher has turned around to watch him curiously, a hand on each of his thighs.
As much as he’d tried to keep Ocher loyal to him, he might have to cut his losses and disappear.
Chapter 18: Ocher
Azure has been gone for three days now and Ocher has a feeling he knows why. There was a lot to his decision, but Sara’s words were the catalyst. Ocher saw the horror in his face at her words, he just hadn’t known exactly how Azure would react at that moment.
He probably also realized that rather than risk having him leave, Azure had actually been honest and told him the truth. Something he probably never intended to do. At that moment, Ocher discovered that maybe he wasn’t quite as much at Azure’s mercy as he’d thought.
That theory was put to the test when he’d tried to pull away from Azure last night and he hadn’t responded well. In fact, the next morning when he was almost in Azure’s lap, the other boy hadn’t pushed him away either, just stared at him with more of that slowly dawning horror. So, maybe he wasn’t the only one struggling with his feelings.
He’ll be patient. If he’s right, Azure doesn’t let go of things that have use to him or...it may be a stretch, but things he cares about, even if he won’t admit it to himself. Azure will regret his decision. All he has to do is wait.
He’s ingratiated himself to Azure by now, knows him too well. He’s also a liability. Azure won’t leave loose ends and he’s not sure Azure still has the will to kill him now, so he’ll be back. His personality won’t allow otherwise.
Sara and Savanta don’t question him when he remains with them while Azure is gone. They probably know where he is, but they don’t volunteer any information and he doesn’t ask. It’s not important anyway.
On the fourth morning, Azure returns.
Ocher wakes to see Azure standing over him, eyes filled with hostility. He doesn’t know how long Azure has been standing there, but he looks angry.
“Welcome back, Azure,” he greets, sitting up and drawing the other boy into a hug. Azure doesn’t return the embrace or answer. He doesn’t push him off either and that speaks volumes.
After his return, Azure is more easily irritated and he keeps a certain distance between them again. Ocher treads carefully, doing his best not to antagonize him too much. Azure is more volatile now and he might actually act on one of his various threats, just short of killing him. He’s seen and experienced firsthand what Azure can do without taking his life.
Still, as ornery as Azure is now, he was never the friendliest regarding him before either and Ocher can’t help goading him a little and exercising his newfound power.
“Why so sullen lately, Azure? Did our separation hurt you that much or did you miss me?”
Azure glares, turning away from him and Ocher laughs. Azure is almost as trapped as he is, that’s how he wants it. It makes them equal.
“If you’re so upset, why did you even come back?”
Azure fixes him with a dark look, “Like I’d let you go. You belong to me.”
Ocher nods. If that’s what Azure needs to tell himself to make him feel better, then he can. It doesn’t matter to him. The outcome is the same both ways.
Besides, he’s not exactly wrong. They are entwined now, come good or bad, and there are worse people for him to belong to. It’s almost the end now. They’ve traveled together this long and this far. Now he wonders what will happen with them if Azure doesn’t intend to discard him anymore. What happens when Azure isn’t solely focused on his one goal in life?
The world is vast and there are so many places to visit once this is over. The question is, will he be alone or will he be at Azure’s side?
“Ocher.” Azure calls, interrupting his thoughts.
“What?”
“We need to go meet with Odaius and his people.”
“Now, you’re letting me meet them?”
Azure rolls his eyes, “You’ve made it obvious that you’re not going anywhere. You would have met them sooner or later. Let’s just get this over with. I don’t want to deal with these people ever again.”
“Won’t you see them again whenever you decide to break in?”
“That’s what they think. You and I both know better.”
He follows Azure away from the center of the city and towards the outskirts to a shabby looking hotel. Azure gestures him around back to a large meeting room where Odaius and several bulky men are gathered.
They all have thick arms and empty eyes, but he’s not worried. Even if they’re bigger than he and Azure combined, he’s still a soldier and Azure is...whatever he is. If things turn sour, they should be able to escape easily enough.