This is weird

Written by Wolsal

It was late- the breeze was soft and the sound of the stream he sat next to paired with the chirping of crickets and blended into a calming lullaby. He breathed deeply.

“Solomon…?” a familiar voice spoke from a few yards away, making him quietly groan. Dammit. He’d been found.

He heard a sigh before footsteps approached where he lay. He opened an eye to see Keith standing over him- his form lightly framed by the moonlight casting a pale glow where he stood. 

“You know they wouldn’t be happy if they knew you were out here,” Keith spoke softly, taking a seat next to him- watching the clear rushing water of the stream they sat by. 

Solomon grumbled, pushing himself into a sitting position. “What, you come to drag me back?” His reply was tinged with a certain silent melancholy that still sat foreign in his mouth. He looked over to Keith, still not fully used to seeing him again.

“No, no. I just wanted to make sure you were alright.” Keith met Solomon's gaze, the pair sat staring for several seconds before Solomon looked away.

There was a pause. 

“...Are you alright?” “Never been better.” 

Solomon’s tone shifted from stoic to sarcastic, seeming almost annoyed at the question.  

Keith sheepishly looked away. 

Yeah, that probably wasn’t the best question.

Nobody was ‘alright’ now. 

“Do you plan to come back?” Keith questioned, earning a sigh from Solomon. “When I feel like it. I’ll probably be back sooner than I planned anyways.” Keith nervously shuffled.

“Do you… mind if I sit with you?” Keith asked hesitantly, speaking with a level of quiet earnesty that felt strange. In fairness, it was all strange. Strange to be together again, and under such different circumstances. It felt wrong- but so did everything. 

“You already are.” Solomon seemed to notice Keith cringe slightly- shit. He was being an asshole wasn’t he. “But no, I don’t mind.” His tone softened, looking away and into the dense forest ahead- the darkness so thick it almost seemed like it was reaching out to grab him. 

Things were quiet, the only thing you could hear was the sound of the night. There was a heavy air of tension- so much that went unsaid, it was impossible to broach. 

So much to say, but so much weight behind everything. Neither wanted to be the first to remove a branch from that dam, but it was quickly spilling over.

Solomon allowed his mind to wander as he allowed the darkness to consume his vision. It wandered to a time long passed, when he and Keith had first met. Before his imprisonment. Before Menhir. Back when things were so easy. 

To think that the fun times he’d spent on a whim with the man sitting next to him more than half a millennia ago would end up building a dam this high was… Gods, this was all so fucked up. 

He felt his claws digging into his pant leg, curled around the fabric and grasping it tightly. He hadn’t even noticed he’d been doing that. 

 Solomon finally broke the silence. 

“This- this is weird, right?” 

Keith turned to look at him- seemingly having gotten lost in his own thoughts too.

“What’s weird?” Keith questioned, turning his body fully to be facing him. 

“Just- this- all of this- we just- we’re sitting here on the ground doing nothing after, you know, everything-” he half-laughed before continuing “-both of us are wanted dead by the entire empire- it’s just-”

“It’s weird.” Keith sighed, cutting in before he could finish.
Solomon nodded, turning to face him too- albeit more reluctantly. “It’s weird.”

“I’m sorry I-” “Don’t be sorry, Keith, It’s-” Solomon interrupted hastily, stopping for a moment to collect his scattered words, staring at the ground. “I should be the one apologizing. It’s my fault. I got you mixed up in all this when I first met you- I… I let it go too far.” 

It went silent again for a few moments, the tension once more returning- it made him almost nauseous. 

Keith looked directly at him- Solomon tearing his stare from the ground to meet his gaze. Keith inched closer.

“I’m… glad you did.” Keith fiddled with the hem on his shirt sleeve, a light blush forming under his fur. 

“Why-?” Solomon blurted out before he could think more, or at all. Keith seemed almost startled by the question- staring at him wide eyed.

He responded slowly. “Because I like knowing you. And… I had fun.” He moved his hand closer to Solomon’s. “I’d do it again. Even if I knew.”

Solomon looked almost dumbfounded, unable to look away from him. It felt like the words were caught in his throat- so many he could say, none he felt he should. “I-”

He breathed in sharply “I think I would- too.” he murmured sheepishly. 

Their eyes stayed locked- Solomon hadn’t fully realised how close they were until now- he swore he could feel Keith’s soft breath on his face. 

Keith leaned in slightly closer, placing his hand on his. Their noses were almost touching now. 

“Would it… make things worse if I kissed you right now-” Keith’s voice was so soft it almost came out as a whisper. Solomon let out a shuddery flustered chuckle, placing his free hand on his shoulder.

“Probably…” He spoke just as softly. Solomon leaned closer, finally closing the gap between them. 

Keith’s hand met the side of his face, Solomon’s arm wrapping around his shoulder and onto his back- shifting his hand under Keith’s hold, their fingers interlocked as almost 1,000 years of emotions came crashing down as the dam broke. 

They sat there for what felt like hours, but was in reality no more than 30 seconds before they were interrupted-

“Solomon- Keith-!” A voice called out from just beyond the treeline- the pair quickly pulling away and turning to the sound. Fuck. Someone from the resistance camp had found them. Couldn’t it have at least waited a few more minutes…

“Yep- yes we’re here, I found him, we were just heading back-” Keith stood up, pulling Solomon up with him. He didn’t let go of his hand.

Keith glanced at Solomon. He nodded before they started the walk back to the base camp.

That was enough said for tonight.