The Wrath Of The Ice King

36

With the confirmation from Sage, Romeo felt his heart drop for the final time. He tried to breathe, the only ounce of hope leaving his body as he stared at Sage, waiting for him to start laughing, to tell Romeo that he was just kidding and that his friend, Chris, would never do something like that. That he was loyal. That he had actually loved Romeo.

Silence hugged the wall, engulfing the atmosphere into a thick blanket of uncomfortable tension between the three boys. Alex looked at Sage for a moment, feeling under the pressure as his submissive held the power of the last and final confirmation of Christopher's loyalty. He had denied it, breaking the last rope of connection between Romeo and Chris with one single statement.

But, Romeo persisted.

"Are you-" he swallowed thickly, trying to şgnore the burning in his throat. He felt claws behind his eyes, claws that scratched at his eyes to make way for the incoming waterfall of tears. "Are you sure?"

Sage looked behind him for a second before nodding slowly. He shrugged, almost as if an entire relationship built on trust and loyalty wasn't depending on him.

"Yup saw nothing, heard nothing." He turned to Alex for a moment, tugging at his arm with a slight, urgent whine. "Can we go now?"

Alex gave him a stern look, gripping his chin tightly. He peered into his eyes, looking at both of them one by one, trying to detect a trace of a lie. Sage remained with a neutral, poker face, not letting Alex in on his true emotions or thoughts. He was a great liar when he needed to be, after all.

"Sage," Alexander began slowly. "If you know anything, if you saw anything, you have to tell us. please. This isn't between you and me, and even if you are on punishment, please leave your pride and ego behind and be the bigger person. Tell us what you know, please."

Sage scowled at him, stepping back and ripping away from Alex's grip. He waved his arms into the air in frustration, letting out a loud groan, "I'm being serious! This has nothing to do with my stupid ego or whatever. Why the fuck would I lie? It doesn't benefit me in any way." He refused to meet Romeo's gaze. "Now. Can we please go home? I'm hungry."

Alex looked at him, appalled. His own submissive was a total brat, sure, the way he was acting right now made him doubt if he had any capacity for sympathy or friendship. His own friend, Chris, was about to be sent away. He was about to lose the person he supposedly loved, and Sage had the chance to stop it.

Alex sighed in defeat, shaking his head in disappointment.

He turned to Romeo and walked towards him, giving him a slow, tight hug, one that sent tears into Romeo's eyes. Romeo gritted his teeth in fury. After sending Chris away, he would never let anybody in again. No more submissives, no more boyfriends. No more traitors. No more cheaters. And no more doubting himself about whether he was the problem of not, whether he was just that unlovable to deserve such treatment.

No more pain.

"You can always give me a call Romeo. Anytime. We're both here for you. Call me before you go to bed, please. Let's arrange a meetup sometime soon. Keep me updated."

Alex then left without touching Sage, suddenly not being able to recognize the boy he sleeps next to every night and wakes up to every morning. Sage, shooting Romeo one last look, quickly followed after, seemingly in a hurry to get the fuck out of there.

...

It took Romeo a few seconds to be able to move. Maybe he had been holding in his breath the entire time. Probably. But even though he was clutching his chest, the pain never seemed to trail off. He continued staring at his throne, the place he first saw Christopher. He chuckled darkly without a trace of humor, remembering that Chris has been mocking him as the king of the palace. It was kind of ironic. Chris was making a mockery out of him. Again.