"Are you not joining us today, Oz-sama?" Sharon stirred her tea cup with a small, patterned spoon. The older, white-haired man next to her added five sugar cubes to his own cup, glancing up at the young blond, awaiting a response. Oz paced around the room, the sun setting in the windows around him, causing his body to suddenly grow colder.
"Oz-kun?" The man asked.
"Not today, Break." Oz chortled silently.
"But this is already the third time you've skipped tea with us,"
"And this is the third time he hasn't shown up," Oz stopped, walking toward the end of the room to the door on the far left, leading out into the hallway.
"...Oz-sama," Sharon set her cup down gently, after taking a sip. She spoke quietly. "We've discussed this many times before. And we all believe... that after such an extended time of being missing, Gilbert-sama has-"
"I know!" Oz retorted. "I don't want to talk about it anymore, though. I'm sorry, Sharon-chan." The Vessalius heir stepped out of the room into the dim hallway. Shutting the door behind him, he leaned against it, sighing angrily, however it seeming to linger heavily with worry.
He began walking down the long corridor, muttering to himself. His hands clenched at the fabric of his white shirt. He held his upper arms tightly as if they were the only things keeping him from falling into the lowest level of the Abyss again.
"We all promised to meet at the tea party after everything happened, so why haven't you?" Oz' breath hitched loudly, his body shivering at the thought of the man never being able to touch him anymore; wrap his own arms around him, let him know-
"It'll be alright," He said aloud. "Was that a lie? What you said to me in the Abyss...?" His eyes burned and stung with the raw tears awaiting immediate release. Oz' steps faltered, he tripped over his own feet, and knowing he wouldn't be able to brace himself in time, he let himself hit the floor.
...Or he would've, rather, had a large hand not reached out to grab him halfway down. The blond's eyes widened as he was held against the man's chest, dears dropping onto the black coat before him.
"...what took you so long?" Oz said, almost inaudibly. "I was... for you..."
"I never meant to make you cry, Oz." The raven-haired man spoke softly to the other, slowly trying to calm his nerves. "I'm so sorry. But I'm here now."
"Where were you...?" Oz sniffled as the man kissed his forehead.
"That's a story that you'll have to wait and hear at the tea party." Gilbert rose to his feet, his hand never once leaving the boy's side.