Chapter Text
Surprising himself, he had actually followed through on that bet. It was as if his curiosity was behind a dam, and the Sage had just broken it with that ridiculous claim. Him? With a girlfriend? While he has seen a lot, this has to be the most baffling one yet. In a flurry of emotions he found himself back in his room. He was still in that chair and he still had his tea.
His first thought was that he should probably return the furniture. The second one was that he didn’t know what he’d do if this woman was real. For starters, if Sage had a partner, his purpose would be obsolete. There’s no use of a second half if you already had a half that you were willing to settle down with. The Sage was already a passionate man too. If the two actually got together, assuming that she’s real, the Sage would no doubt talk his ears off about her. And, truth be told, he wouldn’t be able to handle 30 minutes of it.
Not only because the Sage was annoying as is, but also because his envy would skyrocket. It was an odd feeling as is; to be jealous of the Sage and jealous towards others in his presence. He wanted to be bright again, and some parts of him wanted to be the only thing the Sage would shine for. Unfortunately, it seemed like the Sage was shining for someone else. Someone who was probably more deserving of him anyways.
With a heavy sigh he made his way back into the Sage’s home with the furniture in tow. Thankfully the Sage had left, no doubt to pursue whatever harlot attracted his attention. …maybe not a harlot, but a part of him hoped she was. He quietly made his way out of the strange home, having gotten used to its shape and weird happenings. If he hadn’t known any better, he’d have assumed that this place was built just to torment the weak of heart.
Fortunately the Sage had explained to him that the building was an old haunted wizard tower that he happened to settle in. He found the whole story to be endearing, and he wished that he could hear it again from him. Unfortunately the Sage hardly went back to the old and simply moved on to the newest thing. Be it a person, an artifact, or whatever caught his interest. In this scenario, the Sage got bored of him and moved on. How tragic. How so him.
A fresh wave of bitterness washed over him as he snuck outside of the building with ease. How dare the Sage? How dare he move on? Were his fascinations and dotings a lie? Did the Recluse allow himself to be comfortable for nothing? If he wasn’t in public, he’d be crying now. If not crying than tearing into that ridiculous stuffed plushie Sage gave him after attending his first midsummer festival. He found the mockery of the Sage to be endearing. Soft and comfortable too. Admittedly, holding onto the plush helped him sleep at night. He wouldn’t tell the Sage that though.
Speaking of the Sage, he looked up. The sun was beginning to dull and fall down and a navy blue soon creeped up on him. He sighed and teleported to the Sage who wasn’t here yet. Good. It gave him time to vividly imagine the scene that was going to play out. Just great.
He distantly wondered what the Sage was doing. It was more unusual for him to be late.
The Sage, frankly, was not doing okay. He had bitten off more than he could chew and he now had a life sized doll of one of his (mostly unused) forms. The script he had written for her had been great. It would’ve been better if she actually moved naturally though. And it would be an A+ if everything felt real. But it didn’t. Consequently, he was going to suffer for it.
Checking the time, he short circuited once he realized that he had lost precious seconds! It was 6:57 and he couldn’t be late. It would make the Recluse more suspicious of him. While he did lie, he’d rather not have the Recluse know that he did. (Not yet, anyways) Otherwise he’d never hear the end of it. With a short huff, he dusted himself off and teleported in the greenhouse.
He could sense the Recluse was here. Good. No need for side talk then. He started the scene.
His doll began to move along with him in short strides. She looked stiff but the Recluse shouldn’t notice. Not yet. When the two got near an empty wall, he decided to kiss her hand. Then the audio began to play.
“Oh, my dear Sage. You’re such a romantic.” The doll said.
“A romantic? I’d rather consider myself a fanatic for you.” He gently held the doll’s cheeks, setting off another spell.
“Then…I am a fanatic too. You’re just so radiant… it’s hard to resist!” The doll said, mimicking his multitude of fans.
He cringed a little, but the show had to go on! He could already feel his Recluse watching. Deciding to up the ante, he kissed the doll’s cheek. He could faintly hear a scoff nearby. It was hard to not giggle at that.
“Alas, these are public grounds. We must hold off for now. Say, will you be available next week? I know an excellent meadow for us to walk in.” It had been Truthless’s idea. To spend time in the fields together. Not as a date, of course. Just a replacement for tea time if things got too overwhelming. He used this idea to rub more salt in Truthless’s festering wounds. Maybe he was a bit malicious.
But who cared? Certainly not the doll. He had one last spell to activate. Leaning in for a chaste kiss on the doll’s lips, he activated the last line that was supposed to seal the deal. Fortunately or unfortunately, he knew not, that didn’t happen. Instead a broken and twisted audio he did not create played.
“Liar. You’re a liar, Sage. My heart is fickle as is. How could you?” The doll hissed, sounding like someone very familiar. He let out an amused chuckle.
“Your heart was affected, my dear? How strange. For someone who claims so frequently to not care, you did care to show up. In fact, a person who didn’t care wouldn’t even bother to refute such a statement. Tell me, my Recluse. Do you care for me?” He asks, looking distantly at the botany.
The Recluse flinched before stepping out. He looked angry, if not conflicted. “Was this all a scheme? I figured you to be better than this Sage.” He said with a sigh.
“Anything for the Truth.” He said nonchalantly.
“Anything? Oh please. You just wasted our time with this.” His Recluse was angry. That was kind of cute.
“This was no waste of time, as I believe you owe me an explanation.” He began as the Recluse suddenly noted how close he was. “Do you care for me?” A pale finger pointed at his chest.
“…no. I was simply curious.” The Recluse lied.
“Curious? Oh, you’ve become a terrible liar, my dear. A curious person would have left by now. A person who cared would’ve stayed. That brings up the question; "Do you care for me?” He pressed further.
The Recluse began to squirm a bit. His grip on his staff had tightened and his other hand was gripping his cloak. The Sage found it to be adorable.
“I….i care not for this conversation.” The Recluse hissed instead. The Sage simply smiled and cupped his cheeks.
“I can feel how heated your face is. Tell me one truth in exchange for my previous deceit. If you do so then I promise to leave you alone.” He said. A tempting offer, no doubt.
With the Sage being up close like this, the Recluse found it hard to think. He took note of how cold the Sage was, how thin his fingers were, and how intense his gaze was. He felt as if he was trapped. He was caught in the Sage’s jaws, unable to flee but able to accept his fate. He grabbed the Sage’s wrist and kept his hand there.
“…I do care.” He finally admitted. “Is that what you wanted to hear?”
The heat on the Recluse’s cheeks spread throughout his whole body. As if it were an instinct, he butted his head against the Sage’s chest. The near violent force of it knocked his cone shaped hat askew. There, the Sage finally saw it. The answer he had first been looking for.
Curled horns lay upon the Recluse’s head. Clear signs of one being a hybrid. A sheep hybrid, no doubt. He had to fight off the urge to squeal at the sight. The bitter and feared Recluse being dumbed down to a lamb? Oh, his Recluse would never. But he so would. Instead of gently pushing him away, he lightly rubbed the blond’s hair. It was greasy, disgusting, and matted in a few areas, but he didn’t mind. It mattered little because he adored the way the Recluse simply melted for him.
Who could blame him for what happened next? With the close proximity and the vulnerability of that confession? He guided the Recluse up by his cheek, uncharacteristically gentle in his approach. He leaned down and…
The Recluse didn’t know how to feel about what happened next.