A/N: Yeah. Uh. Hm. This is a Reks/Balthier one shot, but it's cute, not explicit, so don't be shocked when the end comes. The song Reks sings is "Missing" by Evanescence. Enjoy and R&R!
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Apologize. He must find a way to do so, before it's too late. Maybe it's already too late. The truth hurts, so they say, but lies hurt worse, even when they're for the best. The blond flinched away from his hand, and in that instant he knew the blond would kill him with the look in his eyes. He saw the world blur as his lover walked away and shunned him. He fell to his knees, in anguish, in defeat. And the tears didn't stop.
Reks.
The rain started.
xXx
Stupid, stupid, stupid! The man was impossible! To tell him that they couldn't be together because he was jailbait? JERK! He was seventeen, and old enough to make his own choices. Reks stopped, rubbing his eyes dry, only to have more tears flow out. He screamed out of frustration, dropping down to his rear next to the wall, bringing his knees up to his chest, sobbing quietly.
He considered how many people he could go to discuss his problems and sighed. He had a grand total of three friends in the world, one being his younger brother, and one being gone from his life—the bastard—leaving only one he could speak with. He hit his head against the wall behind him and sighed. Figures he'd be friends with a bloody prince. Of course.
Reks sighed and stood up, gaining his bearings, realizing with a shock that he had gone straight to where the prince was residing at the moment. He paused another moment and formed the right words before going up to the side door and knocking so the cook would let him in.
And the rain kept coming down.
xXx
Rasler was hitting his head on his desk when his best friend entered the house, trying to get the treaties memorized. When his manservant entered the room, announcing Reks, he welcomed the diversion despite his headache. However, when he actually saw Reks, he jumped out of his seat, knocking over the chair and jostling everything on the desk.
"Reks!" He ran to the teen and hugged him tight, rubbing his back to warm the freezing boy. "What happened to you? Come near the fire!"
Reks shivered and sniffled, and Rasler looked up in time to see a tear roll down his cheek. "It's alright, Rasler…it's nothing, really!"
"Please, I'm not naïve. It's Balthier, isn't it?" When Reks turned his face away from his friend, Rasler burst. "Reks, what did he do to you? I swear to the gods, if he hurt you in any way, I'll kill him!"
Reks flinched and shook his head. "He…no, nevermind. It's private, and not that big a deal!"
"Not that big a deal?! You only come to me when something big has happened!" Rasler sat Reks down in a chair, a hand on each shoulder. "Reks!"
"He—he—"
BAM
Both blonds jerked their heads up, looking directly into the culprit's stormy eyes. Rasler was up in an instant and got in several decent punches before the man tried to fight back. Reks pulled Rasler back from his lover and moved to stand between the two men just as both sent a punch. Rasler's hit his right arm, Balthier's hit his gut.
"Reks!" Balthier dropped to catch the teen, bringing him into a hug. He cradled the boy, who wrapped his arms around Balthier's neck and began to sing, albeit softly.
"Please, please forgive me/But I won't be home again/Maybe someday you'll look up/And, barely conscious/you'll say to no one:/"Isn't something missing?"/You won't cry for my absence, I know /You forgot me long ago/Am I that unimportant...?/Am I so insignificant...?/Isn't something missing?/Isn't someone missing me?/Even though I'm the sacrifice/You won't try for me, not now/Though I'd die to know you love me/I'm all alone/Isn't someone missing me?/Please, please forgive me/But I won't be home again/I know what you do to yourself/I breathe deep and cry out/"Isn't something missing?/Isn't someone missing me?"/And if I bleed, I'll bleed/Knowing you don't care/And if I sleep just to dream of you/I'll wake without you there/Isn't something missing?/Isn't something..."
Balthier hugged the boy tighter and let himself release the tears he held back before. Reks smiled and wiped away the tears.
"Reks, I'm so sorry, and I—"
"It's too late to apologize, Balthier, so don't try." The older man's head fell before Reks continued. "But it's not to late to start over. Just, this time, don't lie to me, alright?"
Rasler smiled at Balthier's nod and turned away as the two shared a loving kiss, bending to stoke the fire.
And the stars came out from behind the clouds.
