SpiritsShackled

Flambae huffs, running a hand irately through his hair. He takes a moment to answer, but when he does, his words are biting. "I'm just saying."

The air leaves Robert's lungs. He keeps staring at Flambae's face, which eventually loses its sharp anger and morphs into something more sheepish. He doesn't meet Robert's eyes, opting to stare at the wall instead.

He doesn't mean it. Robert tells himself. But even if he does, that's fine. It isn't that big of a deal. The second the thought crosses his mind, he feels his whole body recoil, a sickening sense of dread pooling in the pit of his stomach. His body moves before he even knows what he's doing.

Robert grabs Flambae's arm, his grip perhaps a little too strong and Flambae flinches back, startled. Robert's breaths comes out in shallow gasps, his lungs feeling like they're collapsing. His eyes burn as he desperately searches Flambae's face. "I-I can't—I—" Robert swallows, unsure of what he even wants to say. Should he explain himself more? Apologize? What can he say to keep Flambae? In the end, he's only able to utter a broken and defeated, "Please don't leave me."

Flambae's eyes widen, he jolts in shock before he quickly gathers Robert into his arms. In an instant, before Robert could even demand his body not to, he starts sobbing into Flambae's shoulder. It comes as a surprise even to him, this incredibly strong reaction to being dumped. It's not his first rodeo, and admittedly he's always been the one getting dumped anyway, but something about never being with Flambae again makes it feel like the world is falling apart.

"Shh, shh." Flambae rubs his back soothingly, the low rumble of his voice and the heat of his body slowly easing Robert into quiet sniffles instead. "You're such a crybaby, aren't you? Jeez."

Robert doesn't even retort it. He only manages to ask meekly, "Are we really done?"

"No." Flambae quickly replies, holding Robert tighter against his body. "No, I didn't mean that. I just..." He focuses on Robert's shaky breaths, still recovering from crying. His voice is soft, "We can work through it, right?"

"...I don't know." Comes Robert's tired, defeated response. "Can we really? I...I don't want to break up. But...maybe you're right—"

"We'll work through it." Flambae cuts off his rambling, giving him a strong squeeze. His tone is absolute, like he's confident. "Since you love me so much, I guess I have no choice."

Robert allows a wet chuckle at that, finally feeling the tension leave his body. He lets himself relax against Flambae's warm body, basking in his embrace. He can't imagine a world where he can't do this anymore.

They stay like that for a while, Flambae rubbing gentle circles against Robert's back, rocking them back and forth slightly.

"I love you." Robert finally says, partly in hopes that Flambae will say it back, to reassure him.