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“If I don’t bring you home, your father will kill me.”
Derek knew neither of them could run from the issue anymore. His quest from the King was something they hadn’t talked about at all for the last two weeks. Their conversations during fishing or dinner or late at night in their tent had crossed many topics, but never the reason for their initial conflict. There was no better time than now in his mind, considering Derek was at the stage of recovery where he could begin walking again.
“I know.” Avery’s voice reflected his own in its solemn expression. The truth they were avoiding had finally been let into the light, even they would rather avoid it together. “I’m scared. I don’t want to go back.” The ends of his slime turned a deep blue, fear.
“I know you are.” It had taken Derek almost the entirety of these past weeks to accept that he couldn’t keep making excuses for Hastur. The man had abused his power, abused his staff, abused his son. His loyalty to his kingdom and the one who governed it had blinded him for so long he had almost forgotten the pain that man had caused so many. The pain he caused him.
He remembered now, remembered the pain of bones splitting and cracking and the shaft being pulled and pulled and pulled-
“We could run away.”
Derek crawled out of his trance to stare at Avery, his face surely one of confusion. Since he and the Prince had gotten closer, he had gotten comfortable without his helmet to the point it hadn’t left its spot for three days now. He wanted to go against the idea immediately, there was no way they could get out. The King had locked down every port in Carcosa until his son was found, and there had to he bounty’s on both of them by now. Even so…
“Where would we go?” He could entertain it at the very least. Avery moved closer to him, leaning against his shoulder. Ever since Derek awoke one morning to find them cuddling, they had been carefully allowing themselves these moments of physical touch. Avery’s skin was smooth, warm and not as damp as he expected. Slimes were consistently recycling energy to keep their forms steady, so they ran only about ten degrees colder than the average human.
“I don’t know,” Avery admitted. Derek wrapped his arm around his shoulder, resting his chin on his slimy head. It was soft enough to be a passable pillow. “There has to be somewhere my father wouldn’t find us.”
“Possibly.” Derek shrugged, hesitating but pushing away to stand up. “Walk with me?” Avery didn’t answer, only took his hand while appearing deep in thought.
The brainstorming began five minutes later.
“The Hypxil kingdom is no fan of Carcosa.”
“With how many murders there are weekly? I’d rather take my chances elsewhere.”
“The Land of Hermits?”
“I don’t think we have the skills necessary to enter.”
“L’manberg??”
Derek had stared Avery down, who just sighed. “Yeah okay, that one was stupid. We don’t need to know where we’re going anyway! We can just- find a ship! Get out of here!”
“The only ports that the King hasn’t shut down are across the country.”
“So?”
Derek stopped walking, his boots kicking up dirt. It was a stupid plan, downright ridiculous. It was reckless to the point it would put both their lives at stake, but what other choice did they have? Sit here in the woods until the King send his former comrades to capture them both? Derek would be executed, and that was the best case scenario for him. Their options were essentially wait for their doom or face the world and hope Lady Luck blesses their fate.
“We’ll need a cover story.” They were back at camp by now, and Derek began to pack up his things. “Fake names, a way we met, the reason we’re traveling.” He heard Avery shuffle around trying to pack their tent into his bag.
“I’m Themo already, but I’ll pick a new last name. ‘Stmayo’ came from a crate of mayonnaise I saw while coming up with it.” Derek laughed at the absurdity, not caring when a carrot hit the back of his head.
“I think I’ll go by Der.”
“Come on, that’s lazy!”
“It’s easy to remember.” He hoisted his bag onto his back and grabbed his helmet from the tree stump that had become its resting place. “Der… Lorde.” He tried not to spit venom as the name left his lips. He would never in his life use his fathers last name in any other circumstance, but it was all he had at the moment.
Avery, bless him, didn’t ask him about it. He instead tapped his foot against the ground. “I still need one.” He went to walk towards Carcosa but Derek took his arm and guided him the other way, walking in time with him. It felt like something natural between them, so natural that Derek didn’t even let go.
“You can take mine.” The words had leapt from his throat the moment they crossed his mind, and the ends of Avery’s slime turned a pinkish-shade. Derek felt his own face heat up and stumbled to correct himself. “I meant- we could pretend to be husbands! Husbands- newlyweds!- searching for a home of our own! Of course that is only if you’d be comfortable because we can think of something-“
“Themo Lorde has a nice ring to it.”
Avery took Derek’s hand and pulled him into a jog as if he didn’t turn the knights brain into mush with seven words.
Avery was going to be the death of him.
He couldn’t wait.