Episode Two-
It was not until Cyrus heard a groan that he was able to end his search for Glenn.
The party had died out hours ago, as daylight receded and the sky was washed over with night's ebony cloak, the visitors to the castle began to filter out, half drunk and laughing with one another. Violet clouds stretched lazily across the full moon above as Cyrus took his leave, excusing himself to locate his friend who had disappeared some hours ago. It took near two hours of aimless wandering through the gardens, and it was so dark that had he not heard Glenn's groan he would have more than likely gone on for another few hours, until he grew too weary to continue.
"Glenn...?" He softly prompted, and the sound of his voice caused a stir in the bushes, but no acknowledgment that his words had reached human ears. Cyrus blinked slowly, a vain attempt to again adjust his eyes to the darkness, and stepped toward the source of the noise.
Looking down, his eyes cast upon Glenn's heaving body, hair matted to his face with sweat and eyes half closed, his arms curled securely around his stomach. The air was laden with the scent of alcohol, and when he detected it, Cyrus knew he needn't ask Glenn the source of his agony. It pained him to see his friend in such obvious discomfort, if he hadn't been 'distracted' by Lorelei all night, perhaps he could have told Glenn that he thought he was drinking too much. Then again, Glenn was no longer a child, he was quite clear in relaying that message to Cyrus. So....if he wanted to get drunk, he had every to.
"Glenn" He sighed and knelt down beside the boy, pulling him up into his arms with little resistance from Glenn, save for a nauseous moan. "Are you all right?"
"F-fine." Glenn murmured, his lips barely moving in effort to speak. He dared not to open his eyes, wishing this was part of his delirium. To have Cyrus see him in such a sorry state was about as mortifying as anything his mind could come up with at the moment, but he could not muster up the breath to ask him to leave. Besides, Cyrus's caring touch somehow managed to make the waves of nausea subside.
"You do not *look* fine..." Lifting one hand to his face, Cyrus brushed sweat soaked strands of hair off the boy's forehead. Glenn refused to open his eyes and instead turned, burying his face against the cloth of Cyrus's shirt. With a slight smile, he gave the boy's trembling body a gentle hug.
"Are you in love with that girl?"
Glenn's voice was muffled to the point where it was near inaudible, and when his question prompted no response, he lifted his face away from his shirt enough to ask again. "That girl...Lorelei, do you love her?"
It resembled in so many ways a child's question, but Cyrus felt no need to laugh at Glenn simply because of his innocence. Instead he simply raised an eyebrow and looked down at his friend, wondering what provoked such a random question. "No, she is just a friend. Why...do you ask?"
"Just...curious I guess..." Glenn's eyelids closed, covering the dull blue hue of his irises. He drew in a shaky breath and again buried his face against Cyrus's chest. There was growing concern on the older man's part, as to whether or not the reasons behind Glenn's binge drinking reached deeper than him testing the limits of his alcoholic tolerance.
"Glenn, is there something bothering you besides this temporary ailment?"
Then came another mute nod, this one slightly more meek than the one that preceded it. His brow furrowing, Cyrus put his hand to the boy's cheek and studied his face carefully.
"What is it? Can you tell me?"
If Glenn's judgment had not been impaired by the excessive intake of wine, his lips would have more than likely remained sealed. But as it was, his lips found themselves pressed against Cyrus's as he lifted his body into an almost upright position. The older man's eyes grew wide in surprise; letting his lips tarry against Glenn's before pulling back.
"GLENN! Why in God's name did you do that?"
"I..." Glenn's shaking hand flew to his own mouth as he averted his eyes, his cheeks growing the deepest shade of red. The look gracing Cyrus's normally placid face was a mixture of disbelief and disgust, a combination that did not settle well with the drunken boy. Nothing was quite as sobering as the sharp sting of tears and, unable to accept his own stupidity and his mentor's reaction, he rose shakily and fled.
It was his shock that delayed his reaction, and prevented him from immediately leaping to his feet and running down the person he had spent so long trying to locate. Something jarred him from his frozen state and he got to his feet, but by that time Glenn had long since disappeared into the night.
"GLENN!!! Come back!" His words, however heartfelt, were contradicted by his actions. He did not, as would have normally been the case, chase after his friend. His mind was too riddled with confusion. Instead, he turned and stepped over a row of drooping bushes, heading back the way he came from.
The wind rustled through the leaves threateningly as he made his way back throat the thickly rooted forest that bordered the palace, as if monsters were poised behind the dense foliage, waiting to pounce on the unlucky passerby. Luckily his sword was still at his hip, a faithful, yet forever silent, companion. The knight tried to keep his mind blank, but he couldn't keep from trying to analyze what had just happened. As hard as he tried, he could not get himself to the point where he could brush the incident off as a loss of sanity due to Glenn's drunkenness. There was something a bit more...solid to the kiss, as if there was suppressed emotion backing the action. The possibility of Glenn actually having feelings for him was beyond his ability to comprehend. After all, although he was somewhat timid, Glenn had never *acted* gay, he had even had a girlfriend once upon a time.
What had happened to her anyway?
Pulling his cloak tighter around his shoulders as a chilled wind picked up, Cyrus sighed. He had no idea how or if he should even confront Glenn about it, after all, the last thing he wanted to do was shatter their friendship and embarrass the sensitive boy. Perhaps it was best to just let it be. Somehow, though, he felt that would be easier said than done.
It was not until Cyrus heard a groan that he was able to end his search for Glenn.
The party had died out hours ago, as daylight receded and the sky was washed over with night's ebony cloak, the visitors to the castle began to filter out, half drunk and laughing with one another. Violet clouds stretched lazily across the full moon above as Cyrus took his leave, excusing himself to locate his friend who had disappeared some hours ago. It took near two hours of aimless wandering through the gardens, and it was so dark that had he not heard Glenn's groan he would have more than likely gone on for another few hours, until he grew too weary to continue.
"Glenn...?" He softly prompted, and the sound of his voice caused a stir in the bushes, but no acknowledgment that his words had reached human ears. Cyrus blinked slowly, a vain attempt to again adjust his eyes to the darkness, and stepped toward the source of the noise.
Looking down, his eyes cast upon Glenn's heaving body, hair matted to his face with sweat and eyes half closed, his arms curled securely around his stomach. The air was laden with the scent of alcohol, and when he detected it, Cyrus knew he needn't ask Glenn the source of his agony. It pained him to see his friend in such obvious discomfort, if he hadn't been 'distracted' by Lorelei all night, perhaps he could have told Glenn that he thought he was drinking too much. Then again, Glenn was no longer a child, he was quite clear in relaying that message to Cyrus. So....if he wanted to get drunk, he had every to.
"Glenn" He sighed and knelt down beside the boy, pulling him up into his arms with little resistance from Glenn, save for a nauseous moan. "Are you all right?"
"F-fine." Glenn murmured, his lips barely moving in effort to speak. He dared not to open his eyes, wishing this was part of his delirium. To have Cyrus see him in such a sorry state was about as mortifying as anything his mind could come up with at the moment, but he could not muster up the breath to ask him to leave. Besides, Cyrus's caring touch somehow managed to make the waves of nausea subside.
"You do not *look* fine..." Lifting one hand to his face, Cyrus brushed sweat soaked strands of hair off the boy's forehead. Glenn refused to open his eyes and instead turned, burying his face against the cloth of Cyrus's shirt. With a slight smile, he gave the boy's trembling body a gentle hug.
"Are you in love with that girl?"
Glenn's voice was muffled to the point where it was near inaudible, and when his question prompted no response, he lifted his face away from his shirt enough to ask again. "That girl...Lorelei, do you love her?"
It resembled in so many ways a child's question, but Cyrus felt no need to laugh at Glenn simply because of his innocence. Instead he simply raised an eyebrow and looked down at his friend, wondering what provoked such a random question. "No, she is just a friend. Why...do you ask?"
"Just...curious I guess..." Glenn's eyelids closed, covering the dull blue hue of his irises. He drew in a shaky breath and again buried his face against Cyrus's chest. There was growing concern on the older man's part, as to whether or not the reasons behind Glenn's binge drinking reached deeper than him testing the limits of his alcoholic tolerance.
"Glenn, is there something bothering you besides this temporary ailment?"
Then came another mute nod, this one slightly more meek than the one that preceded it. His brow furrowing, Cyrus put his hand to the boy's cheek and studied his face carefully.
"What is it? Can you tell me?"
If Glenn's judgment had not been impaired by the excessive intake of wine, his lips would have more than likely remained sealed. But as it was, his lips found themselves pressed against Cyrus's as he lifted his body into an almost upright position. The older man's eyes grew wide in surprise; letting his lips tarry against Glenn's before pulling back.
"GLENN! Why in God's name did you do that?"
"I..." Glenn's shaking hand flew to his own mouth as he averted his eyes, his cheeks growing the deepest shade of red. The look gracing Cyrus's normally placid face was a mixture of disbelief and disgust, a combination that did not settle well with the drunken boy. Nothing was quite as sobering as the sharp sting of tears and, unable to accept his own stupidity and his mentor's reaction, he rose shakily and fled.
It was his shock that delayed his reaction, and prevented him from immediately leaping to his feet and running down the person he had spent so long trying to locate. Something jarred him from his frozen state and he got to his feet, but by that time Glenn had long since disappeared into the night.
"GLENN!!! Come back!" His words, however heartfelt, were contradicted by his actions. He did not, as would have normally been the case, chase after his friend. His mind was too riddled with confusion. Instead, he turned and stepped over a row of drooping bushes, heading back the way he came from.
The wind rustled through the leaves threateningly as he made his way back throat the thickly rooted forest that bordered the palace, as if monsters were poised behind the dense foliage, waiting to pounce on the unlucky passerby. Luckily his sword was still at his hip, a faithful, yet forever silent, companion. The knight tried to keep his mind blank, but he couldn't keep from trying to analyze what had just happened. As hard as he tried, he could not get himself to the point where he could brush the incident off as a loss of sanity due to Glenn's drunkenness. There was something a bit more...solid to the kiss, as if there was suppressed emotion backing the action. The possibility of Glenn actually having feelings for him was beyond his ability to comprehend. After all, although he was somewhat timid, Glenn had never *acted* gay, he had even had a girlfriend once upon a time.
What had happened to her anyway?
Pulling his cloak tighter around his shoulders as a chilled wind picked up, Cyrus sighed. He had no idea how or if he should even confront Glenn about it, after all, the last thing he wanted to do was shatter their friendship and embarrass the sensitive boy. Perhaps it was best to just let it be. Somehow, though, he felt that would be easier said than done.
