Chapter Text
It’s been silent.
A little too silent.
Lily is known not to be a person for conversation, but Oliver is. Their usual dynamic of one talking and the other listening is not there, making the walk all the more unsettling. Even more so that Lily has decided to walk behind them, rather than his usual place on Oliver’s left, as if he has a watchful eye on their movements.
Oliver kept walking in the lead, the permanent smile on his face still there. Yet his eyes, his hands now gloved and held in a fist, gave away what the smile won’t tell.
Then there was Sergio, awkwardly walking between them, seeing the married couple act like complete strangers to each other. He himself being married makes this quarrel hurt him as well simply imagining that it could very well happen to himself and his wife if the most happily wed couple he knew can get like this.
It doesn’t take long for them to find a village; after all, despite Lily hanging back, he was the one guiding them. Of the entire group, he was the only one who traveled and knew most of this kingdom despite not being a native.
They were wandering around seeming aimless. They needed to look for an inn to stay at for the night, but they were also hungry. So hungry that the smell of fresh bread led them in the direction of the nearby bakery.
Upon entering, the smell overwhelmed them all. There was bread on display in the front counter, shelves of bread on the wall that were near empty, and the ones displayed in the front window. There were two small tables inside, each having two chairs. It felt warm in the bakery. The entire shop felt like comfort.
They looked around for what they found interesting, Lily taking about 5 breads for himself. Many looked sweet, but there was an array of different options. Some were more fresh than others, but it didn’t make them any less appealing.
Sergio got two sweet breads, making it his meal of the day. Oliver got two as well, but they were simple plain bread that he planned to make a type of toast or sandwich, whichever felt easiest with that they have.
Lily was ready to walk out before Oliver grabbed his shoulder, granting a dark gaze at him. It didn’t startle Oliver in the slightest, he knew he messed up with this kind of approach.
With a moment of silence, Lily let out a huff and went to the counter to ring the bell. The shop owner emerged from a room in the back. His hair was dirty blond that went up to shoulder length. He seemed averagely tall, averagely faced with light brown eyes and a small beard that outlined his jaw. There was a soft air to him, such as the shop.
He looked familiar to Lily, who wouldn’t stop staring at him trying to figure out why. The owner looked back at him with equal confusion at the intense staring, “Can I..help you?” He himself couldn’t shake off this feeling of familiarity. There aren’t many people with blond hair in this kingdom, he’s only met a few handful of others.
“Yes, we’d like to-”
Oliver was interrupted with an “Ah! Ethan! It’s you, isn’t it?” He looks at Lily. There was only ever one blonde he ever met with one eye.
Lily’s eye widened. A small smile coming across his face, “Wait..is that you ? The bard! You’re um…uh…” he already forgotten his name. He was never good with them to being with
“Elliot.”
Lily snapped his fingers, “Yeah..! Wow, it’s been so long..so there is where you ended up. A baker..? Who would’ve guessed.”
He nodded, “I know, I’m surprised of myself too. My hidden passion that ended up more successful than my bard days,” he chuckles, staring at him with a smile.
Oliver’s eyes started to glow as they used to, making his eyes appear yellow once more.
He should’ve let Lily walk away with the bread.
It’s when the baker, Elliot, finally noticed the other two behind him, “Oh, you're still doing mercenary work?”
Lily shakes his head, “No, they’re-”
“I’m Oliver,” he cuts in, giving him one of his fakest smiles, “His Husband.”
The baker’s eyes widened, “Wait- You’re married now?! Wow, it really does put in perspective how long it’s been.”
Lily nods with a giddy smile, “Yeah..a couple years now,” but his smile soon turns flat when he remembers that they aren’t in the best of terms currently. He didn’t wish for it to be the case, but he can’t find himself letting it go so soon.
He nods, smiling for him, and looking at Oliver, “The name is Elliot-”
“I know.”
“...I’m an old friend of Ethan’s.”
“Oh- uh…” Lily gets Elliot’s attention, “It’s actually Lily, now..”
It doesn’t take any time or hesitation to quickly make the switch, he knew..Lily had a knack for changing his name constantly. Ethan wasn’t even the name he met him by! It was the last he heard him use before he went awol.
Sergio felt out of the picture here, but if he was honest he would’ve preferred it that way. He could sense the tension between the couple expanding with this..old friend now in the picture. But he can see Elliot’s gaze turn to him, to which he gives a lazy wave, “Sergio, just a friend of theirs.” If he can even be called that. He’s hardly interacted with Lily and he doesn’t think Oliver quite sees him as a friend as much as some tool.
Elliot nods before finally giving a nervous chuckle, “Sorry for the small talk, you probably have somewhere to be-”
“No, it’s fine..we’re going to stay here a little anyway.”
“Oh, have you found an inn yet?”
“Not yet..”
“There’s an inn very nearby, let me give you this.” He wrote on a paper and gave it to Lily, “Just give them this and they should have some rooms. It’ll be the first thing you see down the road, so don’t worry about what the paper says.” Lily looks down at it, trying to make out what it says. He can make out at least Elliot’s name..he thinks.
“Thanks…oh, I haven’t asked how much this is..”
Elliot’s eyes widened yet again before bursting into laughter, making everyone reasonably confused.
“You? Pay?? What a cruel joke.” Seeing how confused they still look, he himself looks bewildered, “Oh, you’re serious.” He gives a sly smile, “For you, it’s free.”
That smile, those words. It made Oliver feel…well it made him feel something. Something nasty. An anger, not at Lily, but at that man. But it was beyond anger, what was the word to this feeling? It can’t be- no, he refuses to believe it.
But as always, his magic betrays him. The bread in his hands started to toast, such as the wood under his boots. Sergio grabs onto his shoulder, only to retract it by feeling how warm he was. Warm was an understatement.
Lily, not noticing the scene behind him, disagrees, “No, really. I’m fine with paying..”
“I’m serious too, y’know? I can’t imagine you paying for the life of me, least of all, to me. I’ll be fine. Giving you this bread won’t send me down financial turmoil. You can have it as long as you won’t ask I pay for your dinners anymore-”
“Who says you’ll have dinner with him?” Oliver interjects sharply.
Neither are dumb enough to ignore that something is wrong.
Elliot now looks nervous, but tries to smile it off, “No one- I wasn’t planning on it.”
Lily scowls. Why was Oliver so upset now? Does he not trust him? Of course he doesn’t, if that wasn’t evident enough before they even came to town. Oliver doesn’t trust him, that’s the problem.
“I was.” he says out of impulse. He didn’t like being in the wrong, even if this wasn’t something he should feel a need to not be wrong about.
This brought shock across them all again, but more subtle, “Not like…dinner dinner, but I do want to catch up..” He turns from Ollie to Elliot.
Elliot had hoped their relationship wasn’t always like this, because now he started to worry. All he could do was nod at Lily, “Whenever you want.”
Lily smiles at him before turning and leaving. Sergio looks and waits for Oliver to leave, who is staring daggers at Elliot, his fake smile gone, replaced by an expression that could debatably be called protective.
Once again, Sergio grabbed his shoulder, ignoring the heat radiating off before leading him to the door as they leave.
Lily was already walking down the street to find the inn, his eyes fixated on the paper to figure out what he wrote. He could always ask Ollie or Sergio, but he didn’t want to. It was something so simple, but he couldn’t figure it out. In the end, he’d just have to give in and leave.
They eventually did find the inn. The paper was given to the owner, a woman, who then asked how many rooms. “Three.” Lily said, to Oliver’s dismay.
They each had gone into their rooms quietly. Despite their initial hunger, no one seemed to be able to eat what they had brought.