It'd been a week since Antauri had told Otto he would tell him. Every day since, he's found some excuse not to. Otto was in an absolutely foul mood, and everybody had been tiptoeing around him and Antauri. Conversations ceased when they entered rooms, whispers were said behind backs, it was ultimately a very bad place to be. Sparks, Otto, and Avery had just finished one of their shouting matches, Nova was growling over in the corner trying to get herself under control, Gibson was pouting in his lab and Antauri was failing miserably at meditating.
"That is enough!" Chiro shouted. All four of the present monkeys and Avery looked up towards him. Him and Jinmay had arrived during their scene.
"Chiro he-" Sparks started.
"I don't care! This has been going on for long enough, I am NOT going to have my team being torn apart by something like this!" Chiro yelled. Otto had been clenching his hands so tightly he was afraid that he would bend his metal fingers.
"What happened to a team doesn't keep secrets?!" Otto shouted. Antauri hung his head as Otto continued his rant. "It's been a week! A WEEK! Why is it so important that it's only ME who doesn't know? Am I dying? Is there something wrong with me?!" Otto asked, sitting down on the floor, head in his hands. Chiro looked at Antauri.
"Don't you have something to say?" Chiro asked. Antauri looked up and his mouth opened, then shut. Chiro sighed. "Otto, there isn't something wrong with you."
"Then why can't HE tell me?!" Otto shouted. Antauri finally stood up.
"Otto, this is my fault." Antauri said. "I finally, know how to tell you."
"Oh great, now that everyone else is here you'll tell me." Otto said with a glare.
"I'm sorry. Would you mind joining me elsewhere?" Antauri asked. Otto shot to his feet.
"Why does it matter? Everyone else here knows!" Otto shouted. Antauri flinched and nodded.
"I guess it's fair. I had the chance to tell you on my terms." Antauri said. He sat back down and looked up at Otto. "Otto, when I was being trained under the Veron Mystics, they taught me never to get involved with someone beyond friendship." Antauri said slowly. "Well, I failed. I have," Antauri paused. He still couldn't think of how to say it.
"You've what? Antauri?" Otto asked, impatient.
"I've failed to adhere to this rule. I've developed a romantic interest in someone so powerful I cannot simply ignore it." Antauri said quickly. His nerves were completely fried, and he was beginning to feel the same fear as before, his stomach knotted together and his hands shaking.
"So why couldn't you tell me that? So what? You've got a crush on someone!" Otto shouted. "We've ALL had a crush on someone!" Antauri was shaking hard now and he stood up, stepping backwards slightly from Otto.
"Well, you see Otto," He started and faltered. Chiro raised his eyebrows and Jinmay looked on with a disapproving frown. "I couldn't tell you because my interest is in you." Antauri finally said. Otto blanked and looked on.
"Huh?" He asked. Antauri shook his head and bolted from the pod room. Nova was looking from her corner completely in shock, Sparks and Avery were silent. Otto was looking at Chiro and Jinmay, both of whom were cringing.
"Antauri!" Jinmay called, running after him. Nova approached Otto and put her hand on his shoulder.
"Otto?" She asked quietly. He turned and looked at her with a look of complete disconnect.
"What just happened?" He asked. Nova led him to his seat and then sat down across from him.
"You see Otto, the reason we couldn't tell you his secret, and I guess the reason he couldn't tell you either, was because he was in love with someone, and it was you." She explained slowly. Otto scratched his head.
"You mean Antauri just told me that he has a crush, on me?" He asked. Nova nodded. Otto stood up and held his hands up. "If this is a joke guys it isn't very funny. Antauri looked really upset!"
"It isn't a joke you nimrod!" Avery exclaimed. Chiro looked at Avery, who groaned and walked away. Chiro sat down beside Otto and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Otto, Antauri isn't joking." Chiro said. "Maybe you should talk to him? Or think about what you're going to say?" He suggested. Otto sat down and put his head in his hands.
"Gosh Chiro, I feel really bad." Otto said. Chiro pat his back.
"It's alright Otto." Chiro said. "It's normal to be upset about being left out." Otto sighed and looked at Nova.
Jinmay followed Antauri all the way to the Brain Scrambler's cockpit, where she found the monkey curled up on the chair.
"Antauri?" She asked. Antauri was shaking and didn't respond. "Antauri." She said again. She placed a hand on his shoulder and he looked back up at her. His lip was quivering slightly and he wouldn't make eye contact. "Antauri it's alright." She said.
"Nothing is alright! I turned my back on my order's teachings, I've failed to adhere to my own, and I messed everything up by being cowardly and selfish!" Antauri yelled, his voice quaking. Jinmay sat down beside him and he curled his tail around himself.
"Antauri, nobody blames you for having feelings." Jinmay said.
"What do you mean?" Antauri asked. Jinmay smiled and picked him up.
"It's okay. Everybody has feelings, and we can't just turn them off. We can distract ourselves, or even convince ourselves otherwise, but at night trying to fall asleep, everything comes back to haunt us." Jinmay said thoughtfully. "That's what happened with you, isn't it?" Antauri nodded and curled back in on himself. "Antauri, you've been a team for a long time. Not only that, you've been their leader almost as long as you've been alive. They trust you, Otto trusts you."
"He may not trust me anymore." Antauri said. "I wouldn't blame them if none of them did."
"Quit being such a drama queen." Avery said, entering. Jinmay shot him a glare but he rolled his eyes. "So some crusty dusty old order that, if I'm not wrong, which I'm not, joined the Skeleton King and tried to kill all of you, taught you some bogus."
"It isn't bogus!" Antauri jumped up. "It's the way of the Power Primate which has guided us for centuries!"
"And it guided you right into their hands when they wanted you gone." Avery said. "My point is, there was good and there was bad. You're heroes, right? Do your thing, and get rid of the bad." And with that, the feline left.
"He has no idea what he's talking about." Antauri said indignantly.
"He does have a point though. They did try to kill all of you." Jinmay said.
"They were influenced by the Skeleton King!" Antauri said.
"Antauri, you know that's not true. Look, your tail has gone all rigid." Jinmay said. Antauri frowned and relaxed his tail. Jinmay stood up and set Antauri back on his seat.
"Jinmay, do you really think they won't be upset?" Antauri asked. Jinmay shrugged and approached the door.
"I can't speak for them Antauri, but you're their friend. There's no good reason they'd hate you for this." Jinmay said, leaving. Antauri slept in the cockpit that night.