All Is Fair In Love And War

Chapter 25

Finding the gyre was easy. What wasn't easy was getting everyone to fit. They eventually managed it, but it was a tight squeeze. With a pull of the lever, the gyre shot forward.

It screeched to a stop inside a cave, a mechanized door cutting them off from the rest of the New Jersey, Trollmarket. Blinky was the first out, a wild grin on his face.

"That will never not be fun," he said, turning to help Jim out.

Jim made a queasy face. "Let's just... get into Trollmarket."

"Hate gyre," Aarrrgghh agreed. He couldn't get off that contraption fast enough.

Douxie hopped down, turning to help Carter out. But his boyfriend ignored his offered hand, jumping out on his own and following Jim towards the tall doors. Douxie felt his chest constrict with guilt and hurt. Carter wouldn't even look at him.

"What happened?" Steve asked, brows pinched with worry. "Why isn't he talking to you?"

Douxie sighed. "I think I might have said something wrong."

Steve pursed his lips. "Do you want me to talk to him?"

"No, no. No, Steve," Douxie shook his head, helping Laura down. "I'll figure it out."

Steve gave him a look. "I wouldn't be so sure of that. I mean, do you even know what you said that pissed him off?"

"I have... a general idea." Douxie said with a sigh. "I've got it, Steve."

Archie landed on his shoulders, looking in Carter's direction. "Douxie, perhaps you should take the offered help? It takes a certain sort of stupid to get Carter to not talk to you."

"Archie-"

"Hey, you having relationship problems?" Claire asked, poking into the conversation as Blinky and Jim worked on getting the door open.

Douxie huffed, crossing his arms. "Honestly, it's none of your business. I'll figure it out."

Claire raised a brow, and then glanced at Carter. He'd been looking in their general direction with a scowl on his face. "Yeah... you probably won't." She pat Douxie's shoulder. "Let me talk to him. We're friends now."

Steve scoffed. "Since when?"

"Since the party heist." Claire gave him a smug look. Then she looked at Douxie, a much more sympathetic expression on her face. "Seriously, Hizzy. Let me do it. I don't think he'll talk to you right now. Whatever you did, it must have been majorly idiotic."

"Agreed," Archie nodded, kneading a paw into Douxie's shoulder. "Let her talk to him. Then you tell me what you said to him so we can figure out how to get rid of that death glare."

Douxie sighed in resignation. "Alright, fine." He glanced at Claire. "You sure you've got it?"

Claire nodded. "I've got it."

With that, she turned and walked in the direction Blinky was leading the others.

--

Carter split off from the group silently, wandering down the maze of troll huts and shops absently. He couldn't think in the crowd. He couldn't breathe with everyone taking wayward glances at him, knowing he was upset but not knowing him well enough to comfort him. He couldn't look at Douxie without feeling that burning anger in his chest. Without feeling overwhelmingly sad and disappointed with his partner.

He wandered until he was decently lost. He found himself on the edge of a deep ravine, a steep drop-off that would send him tumbling down into the depths of the earth if he wasn't careful. Part of him wondered if it would be easier to stop everything now. He could stop his dad now. Right now.