Leave me once, Never again.
It had been almost a year since Sephiran had been taken to the Serenes forest to heal after his battle with Ike. Although he'd been accepted by the other herons, and even the other bird tribes he had never felt so alone. He appreciated everything they had done for him – for it was under the herons care that he was still alive today – however it did not fill the hole he'd been left with after losing his companion in the final battle.
Even under the calming influence of his new home the heron had never taken the man's death well. They'd been very close; most saw them as master and servant – as that was the image they had put out, however they had been closet lovers for as long as Sephiran could remember. There had been an instant attraction between the two – obvious by their deepest held secrets being shared almost instantly upon meeting. It was these secrets being shared that had set the ball rolling for the couple and they'd never even considered they would be split – Neither believed death could touch them as long as the other stayed by their side.
How young and naïve they had been.
Recently Sephiran had found himself staring out of the window more often, searching for the man he so desperately missed. His health was still good; the healing had brought him to practically perfect health, however his mental health was not as good as he lead people to believe. He was never a weak man emotionally – He had his morals and opinions and he followed them. He had been known as a generous man who never asked for anything from the world… Now however, he wanted something. No. He needed something.
He needed Zelgius.
Unfortunately Sephiran himself was not the only one to believe Zelgius had died in the battle all those years ago – if they'd known he still wandered, seeking out the beautiful man it would have been certain that they would have been reunited as soon as possible. This didn't stop Sephiran from waiting at his window. Although he knew the blue haired knight was dead, Sephiran had promised himself he would continue to wait and every night in a hazed routine the dark haired man would open his windows and call gently into the wind that one name that brought crystalline tears to his face and left moist trails on his cheeks as they were swept into the night.
After his nightly ritual, Sephiran would awaken the next day, slumped by the window. He did not sleep well – Perhaps he often passed out at the window? It didn't matter to him. Even at the best of times the herons face was delicate and pale, and there was little showing of the dark circles beginning to form; he did get some sleep after all.
He went about his daily life without much thought – Serenes forest was still in development and was beginning to look developed and just as beautiful as it had many years prior. Sephiran would converse with anybody he met on his way, secretly praying that some news of a blue haired knight would reach his ears. His head told him to lose the hope he held so fondly – There was no logical way that Zelgius could have survived – Ike had said himself, he'd finished Zelgius off…
So why was it that his heart would not let go of the idea that his lover lived on somewhere? Perhaps Zelgius was alive… he may have even been searching for Sephiran…
The heron was roused from his thoughts by a male voice calling his name. He span on his heel quickly, swearing for just a moment he'd heard Zelgius call to him. He was met with tousled blue hair and shining eyes. His breath caught in his chest. The figure infront of him had a tattered cloak around his form and dented armour shelling his body. He looked like a man who slept rough most nights, however… to Sephiran, this man was a key. The key to unlock and finally set free the palette of emotion he'd bottled up for years.
"Zelgius…"
That name refused to fall so easily from his mouth. Sephiran felt his chest constricting and his mouth was dry. He felt fear, joy, anger and love all well up at once. He was unaccustomed to such a rush of emotion – there was so much to say but he couldn't find even one syllable to start it all off. Luckily for Sephiran, Zelgius had found his voice easier.
"I've found you…at last…"
That voice drove him over the edge. He'd thought he'd never hear that rough yet gentle voice ever again. It didn't matter what he said, it all sounded so beautiful and melodic to Sephiran. Memories flooded back, disagreements, affirmations, husky whispers during sex – it was all so beautiful to Sephiran.
Nothing could have made the heron happier than the moment a pair of strong, yet trembling arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him closer.