Angels with Newfound Hope
Act 1 Chapter 26: Sorrow
The following hours were hell for Alex. All he could do was stare and think. Think about what he and Bryce said. Think about his departure and those final wounds. Think about what he should've said, should've done. But most importantly was the one thing still harassing him from within: the fact that the dragon hadn't truly left...
Bryce threw himself on the sofa, all his energy expended from the arguments. His unfortunate landing put his face towards the open doorway of the ambassador's bedroom. For hours, he lay, eyes never leaving that one area...
Alex was the first to wake. His bleary vision and stiff body hindered him with every movement he made. Fortunately, the door was still open, allowing him better access to the kitchen. The last thing he needed was dehydration in any form. And yet... something still felt off.
'All I want is someone who can let me be me!' Those words still haunted the brunette, even after waking from the nightmares. Or so he thought. Bryce's slumbering form still lay on the sofa as Alex rounded the corner. His eyes grew in terror as the anvil of reality sent him plummeting from dreamland. The argument was real, and he said those horrible things!
But how come the officer never left? Was it because of exhaustion, or did he still have some words left? Not like the human would be around when he woke up to say anything. That was already made abundantly clear.
'I thought you were different, Alex, but I guess I was wrong.' The killing blow echoed time and time again. But instead of sending him back into a depressed coma, it made him think. All this started because he made assumptions of the dragon seeing other people. And they could've been true for all he knew.
But at the same time, he should've been calmer and asked about it instead. Then maybe things would've turned out differently. Alex carefully padded over and knelt beside the chief. His neutral expression defied everything that had been experienced prior.
"I know you likely don't want me anywhere near you, but..." The smaller male began softly. "I'm sorry for everything. This is all my fault. All I wanted was a chance and I screwed it up. I understand if you hate me after this. I just wanted to apologize, even if you won't hear it." He let his head fall by the sleeping dragon's paw, not even wanting that drink anymore...
Bryce awoke still completely racked with exhaustion. That had to have been the worst nights' sleep he's ever had. At least his bed was soft enough, for a sofa. He didn't remember it having arms, though. Further inspection revealed a dark blue upholstery instead.
And that's when it finally hit. Soft snoring, followed by a muffled 'I'm sorry' came from his left. Looking down revealed a certain head of brown hair. Alex's face was buried next to his arm. His only reaction was to shake his head.
"Why do you do this? You just hurt yourself." The officer chastised close to a whisper. It would normally be kind of sweet that the human cared that much if not for their argument.
"Don't..." The brunette muttered groggily again. It seemed he could hear what was being said.
"Don't what? Leave?" A sigh. "It's probably better for both of us if I do. I've said it before: I want someone who can let me be myself." A pang of sadness washed over Bryce as he watched the display.
"Urgh..." The smaller male groaned. His voice was husky, clearly lacking in hydration. "Bryce... you're still here?" He seemed a bit surprised at the fact.
"Yeah, I was just about to go-"
"Wait, don't! Just... let's get this whole shitstorm from last night off our chests first. I don't want things to stay how they were." Alex placed a hand on his paw, stopping the massive dragon in his tracks.
"You have one chance." He warned.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't in any good state of mind last night. And everything we said, it just... finally broke me down as you saw. It hurt so badly when you said I was the same as everyone else. And I was so scared you'd just leave without a second thought. Thanks for proving me wrong in that regard." The man released a heavy sigh before picking himself up a little more. "Now I want to prove myself to you." He awaited any kind of response, anything at all for one full agonizing minute.
"Why do you think I should let you do that? You accused me of betraying something that didn't even exist." The chief chastised heavily, leaving his human to only look to the floorboards.
"Because there was only fear behind those words. I lashed out at you in my terror, and it was beyond wrong of me to be that way. Just don't leave me all alone again. I was a fucking idiot..." A single tear spawned from the brunette's eye, rolling down his cheek and finally splattering against the sofa's fabric.
"I'm glad you apologized, but why did you assume we had something going?" Bryce asked in a pained manner. Looks like neither were alone in this.
"You were flirting back most of the time. I guess I let it get to my head. But now I can't deny it. I like you, Bryce, a lot. And all I'll ever want is a chance with you." Alex professed with renewed vigor. It felt to him like a weight had been lifted. Not quite a noticeable one, however.
"Well you almost wasted it." The larger reptile glowered momentarily before his expression softened.
"A- almost? You mean?!" The man snapped his eyes up, revealing the dragon's subtle smile. The former couldn't stop it anymore. His arms wrapped around Bryce's neck at a speed not thought possible. His face buried itself in the smooth neck scales, eyes weeping freely not tears of pain, but of pure joy.
"Try not to waste this one, alright?" The larger male stroked the back of Alex's head as he let everything out.
"Thank you so much... I promise I won't dare do anything to ruin this." He bawled silently. Finally, things were looking up again...