It's been a while, but here's part two people! Enjoy, read and review :)

This picks up from where we left last time.

Disclaimer: We do not own Guild Wars 2 in any way, shape, or form. We only own the characters that we have created.

Thallis wasn't sure if he should pull away, but there was something that was just so…amazingabout being around Blyke Argentum. Maybe it was those blue eyes, for as pained as they were, they also sparkled with a mirth that the mesmer hadn't seen in a very long time. Something that was so ultimately warm, it made his fingers tremble when he fumbled and tangled them in Blyke's shirt, trying not to just…just show how affected he was by that smile.

Was that strange? That sudden pang of emotion in his chest, completely light and almost bubbly? He didn't know if there was something to compare it with; drinking champagne with Anise or simply fighting alongside his sister; none of it really held that same effect. And that was…odd, to say the least. He wasn't quite sure where the insurmountable pressure had come from, but it was something he could appreciate for what it was worth. He wasn't going to take it for granted. There was still that ache, that subtle pang at the back of his mind, nagging him in a chiding voice that - it's not real, Thallis, you need to get out of your little head - but it had dimmed almost considerably along with the pain that had been embedded throughout his body. There was some sort of ache, something that was so deep inside his bones he hadn't thought it possible to get rid of.

He barely paid any mind to what Blyke was doing, still halfway frozen, still shivering with his arms pulled up to his chest and his hair falling over his shoulders and out of the band it was tied in, unsure of whether or not he wanted to try and meet the elementalist's eyes again. It had been so long…longer than he'd thought possible. Or perhaps the time had been imagined; perhaps everything else had been. He doesn't know how much time has passed with him locked away here, trying to shut out the prying eyes and listening ears of Kryta.

"Blyke…" he coughed out, but he went silent as the man forced him to sit on the edge of his bed, pulling the blankets up and around his shoulders in a way that almost as if he was a kid, like he was being taken care of by his sister again, or his parents. But it was Blyke, and Blyke shouldn't have to do this, shouldn't have to fix whatever the mess was that Thallis had created.

He could feel the glass inside his head shattering, along with the glass from the mirror and the glass on the walls and in the few picture frames he'd kept. But it's not real glass; it's fictional, like memories, completely dismissive, not worth the thought. So he covered it up, covered up the ache in his head, and pulled his blanket further around his chest, giving a soft glance up to the elementalist.

"Hadn't really…wasn't sure. Honestly. Wasn't sure if you were coming back. I mean…they're telling stories about you these days. You're a hero. I don't know- I guess it just made me think that there wasn't any reason for you to leave that behind. But I suppose I'm not one to talk, not with what I left, back in Divinity's Reach."

Blyke shivered slightly at that.

"Stories are just stories," he told the mesmer simply. "And you needed me. So I came back."

He made it sound so simple. Like it was an obvious choice, when there was a continent out there that needed Blyke Argentum more than a single, stupid mesmer. And maybe it was that thought, that Blyke came back, that drove him to choke on the words he'd wanted to say, the questions he'd needed to ask, and just shut his eyes, tightly. Thallis wasn't sure; he wasn't sure if it was just selfish desire, neediness that caused him to write that letter, or if it was something more. Kinship, maybe. Perhaps even love. What was love, really? Nothing he could pin down, other than the sparks that flew from his skin when the elementalist touched him, or the way he instinctively wanted to look at Blyke whenever the man turned his head away.

"Don't leave again. Please. I know this isn't the welcome you were expecting. But…I'd appreciate the company. It's…" he didn't say it, didn't think he could force the words out, so he just bit down on his chewed-up lip again, and says: "I missed you. So much more than you could possibly believe. It sounds foolish when I say it. But it means a lot to see you. In good health, I can hope."

Blyke shifted uncomfortably. Of course. Of course he had to ask about his health of all things. It had to be Thallis, fucking Thallis, that always made sure he was okay. However, with the spike of annoyance, came a rush of gratitude and the feverish feeling that came with sheepishness, which soon became evident in his cheeks. His elbow gently brushed his side, a wound that was still healing. He made the mental decision to not make Thallis aware of it.

"Uh…" Blyke rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I've been fine. I've missed you too. But...shit, Thallis, what happened here? Are you alright? This isn't you."

Blyke was already worried for Thallis as it is, and the scene he'd just walked in on had made him more concerned about the mesmer's health. What if he went away and came back to a more dire situation? Blyke hated the fact that he had to go on all of these quests, but as much as he wanted to stay with Thallis, there were other people that demanded his attention. Yet still...with Thallis like this...it made him want to just abandon the Vigil and make sure he was okay.

Thallis didn't know what to say. Of course, there's probably so much that he should, but none of it passes his lips. It's sticky against the roof of his mouth, almost tasting like poison, and he can't get it out of his system even if he wants to. He isn't sure how to explain it to Blyke...how he'd snapped, how nothing here was real, how Thallis wasn't even sure if he was real.

It was like being paper, so fragile, torn apart so easily at the slightest touch of a blade or pen...or even the hands of another. Paper that was being burned in the encompassing fires of whatever Tyria had become, something that would soon turn to ash and float away on crystalline waves, out to sea. Thallis didn't want to come off as inadequate. Blyke wasn't the type to think of such things, such formalities. But to be fair, this comfort, and it wasn't something Thallis was used to, wasn't something he was used to being given or sharing, and he felt more than anything that he should keep his mouth closed, so he wouldn't ruin anything else.

He wasn't sure why the words finally slipped past his lips.

"I don't know…" he says softly, reaching up enough that he can grab hold of Blyke's hand, pull it close with his own and entwine dark fingers with light as he says again: "I don't know." He sighs, inhales, pulls back again, and turns his head to face the ground.

"Sometimes…I just…it's all illusion, Blyke. Everything…nothing is real. I don't know if I'm real, or if you are. For all I know, this is in my head. The mirror's gone, the glass…I don't know where my staff went…I've lost…lost it, Blyke. Lost everything. I don't want to lose you too."

As Thallis entwined his dark fingers around Blyke's pale ones, the elementalist did all he could not to jump at the electricity that sparked between them. Ugh, why was he so weird? Why was it that Thallis could leave him feeling so vulnerable without even doing anything?

Damn you Thallis! Blyke thought desperately, as he gently squeezed the man's hand before he took it away.

He looked so forlorn, so alone, so...afraid of everything, that it broke Blyke's heart to see him like this. This only worried Blyke more. Thallis wasn't well. But even greater than that, was that the thing Thallis seemed most concerned about was losing Blyke himself. He felt so warm inside that he felt like he could fly. His heart was like a hummingbird's, and he was soaring, almost ecstatic in some ways, that Thallis cared that much for him. It felt good, and Blyke didn't know why. But he went along with it anyway.

"I found your staff," he told Thallis, pointing at the instrument over by the window. "It wasn't too hard to find."

He considered the mesmer's words and added:

"Everything here is real. Yes, it's hard sometimes, and the world can be tough on you. It can drag you down and leave you there all alone. But you need to remember that even if this hurt and this pain is all real, then you have to keep going. There are people here for you that care! I...I can't lose you either, Thallis."

Blyke grimaced at his thoughts. He was raised to always "practice what he preached", but he had always been a hypocrite. Hell, the world was full of hypocrites! The dark cloud in his thoughts threatened to return, but he pushed them away, albeit halfheartedly. Instead, he chose to distract himself by watching the flickering candle on the bedside table nearby. Could he continue living like this? Could he run off to one place and always come back to Thallis? He would love to make a promise like that freely, but even Blyke knew that there was always the possibility that he could die out there, and then poor Thallis would be left alone…

Thallis can't help shaking at Blyke's words, almost withdrawing into himself again, his shuddering only increasing when he hears the glasses reconstructing themselves and the candles going out again. He knows it's not real. He knows it's not, because Blyke's hand is on his shoulder and he's blinking away pitch tears and swallowing back a sob of his own at how dark it all was, how dark everything was. It was like it was seeping into his skin, through his veins and into his bloodstream, flooding him with the darkness and self-loathing. There was an indescribable need to just get away from it all.

Thallis looked back up at Blyke, and the room settles again.

"This is real." he muttered, but it comes out as more of a question than anything, as if he can't believe it himself. It's like he was lying to his own ears, and that scared him more than anything. He didn't want to focus on Blyke, because he it made him feel silly and childish, scared of something that nobody in their right mind would be scared of.

"Sit with me," he finally coughed out, reaching back up and grabbing Blyke's arm, looking up at him with eyes that he hopes aren't too open. He knows the desperation is so clearly reflected in his voice, the desperation of how much he needed this company, needed Blyke.

He pulled Blyke closer, until the elementalist was sitting beside him. Finally, he could wrap arms around him, and bury his face into the man's shoulder, trying to hide the drying tears on his face. He quickly he pulls back, and takes in a deep breath.

"Please…don't leave me and you won't have to lose me. You won't lose me if I'm with you. You won't…you can't leave me alone, Blyke, no, no, p-please…I don't know how to tell the difference anymore...illusion and reality…what is the mirage really? An inescapable infinity of illusion…"

Blyke was conflicted. He had a duty to Tyria, but he also had a duty to Thallis, to his sister, to his parents...to everyone. All of these duties had to be kept, and although the current compromise wasn't ideal, it was something Blyke had to deal with.

He wanted to lie. He wanted to lie to Thallis and tell him that it would all be okay, and that he'd leave his work behind and carry on in life with Thallis. Every part of him screamed, calling out to him to remain with the one man he wanted to be with for the rest of his life.

But he couldn't.

And Blyke hated himself for it.

"Thallis...I'm sorry...but I can't promise that," Blyke explained slowly. "If I could, I'd stay with you forever, but there are some things that all of us must do. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I...I guess I just...need to do my duty."

It hurt Blyke a lot to say that, but he knew that it had to be done. He liked Thallis a lot. He wanted to be with him more often, especially with the mesmer in such a broken state and with such a tendency to hurt himself. Yet, Blyke had to look to the greater good. He didn't want to, but this was one man's life against so many others. Even if that man's life held his heart in his hands, he still had to help Tyria, otherwise, who else would help them? He cursed himself for his words and stared down at the floor in shame and anger at his decision.

Maybe it was wrong of Thallis, to pull away instantly, slamming his hand outward against the elementalist's chest as he withdrew, curling his body inwards as he tried not to focus on it, not to look at him, because if he looked, he'd never be able to stop looking, and where would that get him? More pain. More heartbreak.

That's all it was, in the end. Fucking lies. Nothing real, nothing real at all, some sort of twisted fantasy preserved in the mirror shards. They had to be taunting him, his magic was taunting him, fucking Blyke...

Everything. He didn't understand it anymore, pressing hands into his head and rocking back and forth with hands over his ears. He tried to block out whatever sounds were still there, whatever presence was still there. Because maybe he hadn't lost everything before, but now he had, and he hadn't the faintest idea what to do.

It was all bullshit. That was the worst thing; finding out that everything you believed in for your entire life was bullshit, he thought. It was so agonizing, threatening to push into his chest and collapse his heart from the inside out. Or maybe his lungs would stop first…maybe his stomach, his kidneys…he didn't know. He just knew that he thought he'd suffocate on all the fucking lies, all the fantasy, all that nonsense that he'd been prattling about with since he could remember.

What was real? What mattered? Was the world just a sphere of nothingness, a web of lies, something that was so corrupt he couldn't have one goddamn thing for himself? Was it wrong, to give up like this? To give up, to quit caring, quit trying, just…die.

A meaningless death to accompany a meaningless life. There wasn't much of a difference, in the end.

"Leave me alone," he hissed, trying to hide his face, cover his tears and unearthly sobs in whatever life was left in the room. "Get the fuck away from me!"

He inhaled deeply, hands slipping back onto his head as he tried to calm his breathing, whatever labored thing that remained…

"Blyke…you should…I hope you never come back. I hope you don't get to see it when it happens. I hope you suffer, because you're the only one who I fucking cared about, the only person I've ever had this ache for, you son of a bitch-"

Blyke was unusually calm, ignoring the fading pain of the mesmers hit on his chest. He just sat there, taking the words in. They echoed around the room and fired at him like bullet, and they struck deep. They burrowed down into him, into his very core and summoned the thundercloud back to his heart. Thallis was hurting him, but that hurt was not one of pain, but of need. Thallis couldn't hurt him. Maybe before he could have, but now, upon the dawn of a sudden idea rising to Blyke's mind gave him hope and made him strong.

This idea had one danger, but Blyke knew well enough that he'd be fine with doing that, with keeping a careful eye on Thallis. Blyke was convinced that Thallis was just being delusional, and if he listened to him, then maybe things would go his way.

Blyke stood up in front of Thallis, next to the door.

"I'll leave, Thallis," he told him woefully. "But only if you come with me."

With his words, he gripped his staff in one hand and raise his other out towards Thallis, just hoping, hoping, that the man would realise that he cared enough about him to want him to stay by his side, where they'd always be together. Sure, it put Thallis in danger, but Blyke knew that it was part of his duty to protect those that mattered.

And fucking hell, did Thallis matter.

Thallis couldn't even describe what those words meant. How often he'd wanted to hear them, thought he'd heard them, tried to consider that it was even a possibility - but was it? What was he to do, if he went with Blyke? Wouldn't he only get in the way? Without his staff, his powers were too erratic to keep calm.

And his emotions too. His emotions just got in the way of everything. He got in the way of everything. That's why he was the second-tier. He wasn't worthy of any titles, any honors, any respect. He wasn't really worth anything.

So why was Blyke making the offer?

He didn't know if he should trust it, but he knew that it set off a pounding inside his ribcage. There's a beat that grows in his ears and makes his head spin just a little more than it should. He doesn't know if he should accept, but he'd be a fool not to, with how clearly…how much he needs the man.

"W-why…? Why would you w-want that? I'm just going to break things. I already broke everything. All the glass…oh."

It took him a moment to realize that there wasn't any glass; not on the floors, the walls, no broken windows. A candle still flickered briefly on the table standing near Blyke…unwavering. There wasn't anything wrong. Not like there had been. And Blyke was here, he wasn't bleeding out from a spear in his gut or being stomped into the ground by a horde of centaurs or risen.

"I…do you want that?"

"Thallis…" Blyke sighed. "The question is why not? If you break things, then I'll fix them. If you need me, I'll try and be there for you. And if I'm offering you this? Then yes, you better stay by my side, or so help me I'll drag you behind me."

Maybe he was trying to be too positive in the hopes that Thallis' mood would improve. Maybe it was just some kind of false hope. But all Blyke really cared about right now was making sure that Thallis was safe, and that tomorrow, he'd be by his side.

He doesn't have words, not for a good few moments, and he's sure his brow is furrowed, as if he's more confused over the matter than he actually is. But in the end, it doesn't keep him back, doesn't keep him from standing and taking hold of Blyke's hand, letting the elementalist pull him back to his feet.

"Then it's a yes from me." He says, attempting to let a smile pass over his lips as he looks toward the door. "Who am I to reject you?"

"Well, gathering by what you said a minute ago…" Blyke chided him, maybe sounding slightly upset, but more tired than anything.

He pulled the mesmer in for a hug, holding him tightly, almost as if he didn't want to let the man go again.

Thallis couldn't deny that he was being contradictory, but the intensity of Blyke's warmth was nearly overwhelming, enough to cause the thoughts to slip from the mesmer's mind. He couldn't help blinking a few times, concentrating just on the look displayed on his friend's face, the feeling of being so close to someone…

It was distracting, it was genuine and it was real. He didn't pull away - didn't even try to - and he just gave a soft glance at the elementalist's face before sighing.

"I'm sorry, Blyke," he said, before relaxing just ever so slightly, letting the tenseness in his shoulders down as he exhaled shakily. "Sorry for putting you through all this…but trust me when I say there's no place I'd rather be than by your side."

Placing his warm hand on the mesmer's shoulder, Blyke felt the tenseness in his muscles. He squeezed Thallis' shoulder gently in silent reassurance.

"You don't have to apologise," Blyke replied. "I trust you enough to make that up to me by not dying."

Blyke's hand slid off Thallis' shoulder and dropped by his side. He creaked open the door, as if to leave, but faltered in his step.

"Are you ready?" He questioned.

Thallis didn't think that there are any words that would suffice for the feelings that have built up in his chest over the course of the evening; like being torn asunder and pulled back together, almost impossibly so. It was a surreal feeling, something that he wasn't sure he could even fully comprehend on his own…but maybe with Blyke, he'd be able to come to terms with himself. Come to terms with Kryta, Tyria, the evolution of whatever hell had crumbled in around him over these past few years.

Maybe Blyke was a first step towards something real. His regaining of humanity or whatever it was he'd actually lost. And so he couldn't think of any words to give the other man, and yet he slips his hand into Blyke's and offers a barely-notable smile to the other, his eyes curving at the sides just enough to make out that it's something genuine.

"I suppose I am."

And there is the end of the two shot! To anyone who reads this, I do hope that you enjoyed it.

As you can see, it did become a lot more fluffy in the end, but hey, fluff is alright really.

Leave a rating if you wish, and hopefully I'll see you next time! Until then feel free to check out any of my other stories.

Over and out!

~Mental