Outtake from the fruit with an obligatory reminder that the crack quartet takes place in the distant future where all concerned parties are consenting adults.
"Did you know?"
Soren glances up. He's been waiting outside the infirmary for a couple of hours now but only because he hasn't been allowed in, and only because of some stupid ancient rule that doesn't really apply. Next of kin only, Apollonius, the caslte doctor, had said, as if Opeli's very life was in danger, as if the only people allowed to see her were those who had something to gain if she—
He doesn't think about. It's unfathomable to him. And then Rayla had said—
"No," Soren mutters. "I didn't."
Callum twitches his lips grimly and slides into the spot next to him. He has not been the best friend to anyone these last few months: not to Ezran because he pardoned Claudia, and not to Soren because he vouched for her, so this... is unexpected. Callum shifts awkwardly like he knows.
"Sorry," he murmurs after a moment. "I've been... kind of a jerk."
"Yeah," says Soren shortly. "We noticed."
Callum grimaces at the impatience of it, but it's been... an afternoon to be certain, and Soren does not have the capacity to be kinder. All he can think about is Opeli, the way she'd screamed, the way she'd collapsed, the way her blood had soaked into the white of her cloak.
He's the father, Apollonius, Rayla had said, and I am ordering you to let him in.
Soren squeezes his eyes shut and hides his face behind his hands. He'd known something had happened. Opeli had been distant for weeks, had barely spoken to him unless she needed to after months of them finding each other in secluded corners and empty rooms. It wasn't as if they weren't aware of the danger of what they were doing but this—
He is no stranger to being scared, but this is something else entirely. This is loss and dread and grief and fear rolled so tightly into one that he doesn't know where one ends and another begins. There is anger there too, that she didn't tell him, disappointment that she didn't feel like she could trust him, and betrayal, worst of all, because he had a right to know.
It's a lot to be feeling all at once. Soren swallows the lump in his throat because he doesn't need any more of Callum's pity on top of it. He's angry at him too, and Ez, and to a lesser extent Claudia, because they'd all be too caught up in their own lives to notice anything or anyone beyond themselves. At least Rayla had asked. At least Rayla had done what she could for Opeli, even if she had kept it from him just the same.
"She'll be okay," says Callum at last. "She'll pull through."
"The baby didn't."
Callum falters. He looks away. "I don't know what to say, Soren," he murmurs. "I don't... I can't even imagine how you feel right now. I'm sorry this happened. Neither of you deserve it. I just... wish there was something more I could do."
Soren scoffs to himself. He knows all too well the lengths Callum would go to for his loved ones. Soren was there to watch him choose Rayla over the rest of the world. He'd fought him over it, the foolishness of it, and now...
"I guess I owe you an apology," he says to Callum at last.
Callum blinks. "For what?"
"For... For all the shit I gave you about the cube. About Rayla's parents. I—" Soren coughs to hide the tremble in his voice. "I get it now. I'd do anything for Opeli too. And if I could change this... If I could make her happy..."
"You do that already, Soren."
"But she still lost it, didn't she?" he snaps. "She's still in there bleeding enough that she might not make it through the night. And I didn't even know, I didn't even try to find out what was happening when she pushed me away, and I—" He sucks in a shuddering breath and realises too late that he's crying and that Callum is watching him with a sad understanding in his eyes. "How do you do it?" he asks hoarsely. "How do you do it knowing it'll hurt like this if something happens?"
"Honestly?" murmurs Callum. "I don't know. When Rayla left..." He shakes his head. "I couldn't let it happen again, that was for sure. I don't know how to be without her and that's what it comes down to, I think. When you care about someone that much, you move mountains just to see them smile, part seas to make them laugh... Trade the world to keep them safe. I think that's just what it means to love. And you do love her, don't you?"
"So much," whispers Soren. "More than I thought I could love anyone."
"I get that," says Callum with a sad chuckle.
The door swings open. Apollonius appears in doorway, haggard and bloodied but altogether relieved and Soren is on his feet before he even starts talking. "She's stable," he reports. "She gave us quite the scare, but she's going to be okay. You can go in now, Captain."
"Give her our best," says Callum. "We'll be here when she's ready. And if you ever just... want to talk, I'm here."
Soren pauses in the doorway and studies him. It's not an offer Callum has ever made in the last but... there's understanding between them now. Common ground where there used to be none. "Thank you," he says quietly.
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