Dorian Wraith's Arc

Chapter 8 of 27

Dorian left the cabin before the others woke. He walked through the wet grass and into the trees. The barrier hummed at the edge of his skin as he passed under it, then settled behind him. He needed somewhere to sit and think. Beak's words followed him the whole way. I love you. I have for a long time. Dorian pressed his palm to his chest and kept walking until he reached the pool. He sat on a flat stone at the water's edge. The pool glowed pale blue in the morning light. He pulled off his boots and put his feet in. The water was warm. He tried to sort the mess in his head. Beak had trained him. Beak had fed him. Beak had helped him build the barrier that kept Evander alive. And Beak was hurting because of him. Dorian did not know how to hold all of it at once. The water rippled. A head broke the surface a few feet out. Short teal hair, a bright grin, a yellow tail flicking behind him under the water. The merman rested his arms on the stone beside Dorian's knee. "You look like a man carrying too much," he said. His name was Tidus. Dorian had seen him once before, from a distance. Dorian told him about Beak. About the confession. About not knowing what to do. Tidus listened without moving. Then he started to hum. The sound was low and sweet, and it slid inside Dorian's ribs before he noticed it. Tidus lifted himself higher on the stone. His eyes held Dorian's. The humming rose into words Dorian could not follow, but his body followed them fine. Dorian leaned in. Tidus met him. Their mouths touched. The second they kissed, Dorian saw Evander's face. Bright hair. Blue tunic. The small smile Evander made in the morning before he spoke. Dorian pulled back so fast he almost fell off the stone. Tidus was already sliding back into the water, palms up. "I'm sorry," he said. "I did that on purpose. You needed to know who to choose. Now you know." Dorian stared at him. His mouth still tingled. His chest felt clear for the first time in a day. "Thank you," he said. Tidus dipped his head and sank under. The pool closed over him. Dorian grabbed his boots and ran. He crossed under the barrier and did not slow until he saw the cabin through the sunflowers. Evander was the answer. Beak would have to hear it plain. Dorian did not know yet how he would say it, but he knew what was true, and that was more than he had at sunrise.