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Wanderlust had to tread carefully, only narrowly avoiding each haphazardly tossed item of clothing with every step of his house slippers. While he wasn’t the neatest coach in the Danceverses, his closet didn’t typically look like a tornado had swept through and torn all of his clothes to the ground — no, that was reserved for special occasions. Clothes that he had once thought of as perfectly suitable were now quickly discarded, tossed either to the ground or his bed depending on how much contempt that particular item inspired in him. Suffice to say, most of his wardrobe lay on the floor. The only sign of the Prince was the constant rattle of coat hangers until he finally peeked his head out from behind the doorframe, hand thrust forward to display a pair of plain blue shorts. “How about these?” His voice was breathy and overly quick like he was trying to choke out the sentence between breaths for air. Hovering nearby was Discoball; as she nodded enthusiastically, small squares of light danced across Wanderlust’s room with the movement. Wanderlust’s eyes followed the shifting lights for a moment before refocusing on his companion, lips pulled into an uncharacteristic frown and his brow wrinkled. “That’s what you’ve said about all of them!” He gave a theatrical sigh, hands going up to clutch at his crown as he strode back out of the closet and flopped onto the bed beside his friend. The covers, a deep midnight blue embroidered with bright yellow stars, were thoroughly obscured behind the mess Wanderlust had left in his wake, and Discoball had decided to nuzzle herself into a nest of discarded clothes. It observed Wanderlust in his prone position on the bed for a moment before slowly floating upwards, nudging itself against Wanderlust’s cheek.
“I need to look nice,” he groaned.
She chirped in response.
“Jack always looks so much more put-together than me. I don’t want him to think I didn’t put in any effort.”
She paused, then made a low, drawn-out hum, before chirping once more.
“It is not a date… technically. The word ‘date’ was never used. We are hanging out. As friends. At the zoo.”
After Sara had chased off Night Swan, everyone made efforts to keep in touch even as they drifted back to their own corners of the Danceverses, or in Sara’s case, Earth. Jack was always the most reserved in their messages to each other, going days without sending anything before suddenly reacting or replying to a message. Wanderlust had begun to worry Jack had stopped reading their messages at all; it had been weeks since he sent anything, and Wanderlust couldn’t help but remember… in the moment, it had felt like he was drowning, or being suffocated — he couldn’t see, couldn’t feel, and could only barely hear. Everything was so muffled, it reminded him of his childhood when he would overhear his parents talking when he was only half-awake, drifting between dreams and waking. He knew it must have been important, but he was so tired, so heavy, and nothing really mattered more than falling back into that dark, quiet place. Then he had felt something. Something warm and firm, something real. Above all else, that’s what he remembered; it felt so real. He had reached out with a hand he hadn’t even really been aware he had, desperate to feel that touch, to touch back even — the light had been blinding at first, but he refused to shut his eyes and seep back into that darkness. When his vision cleared, the first thing he saw was his hand, tightly intertwined with someone else’s. The second thing he saw was Jack. He had looked so confused, shocked, and yet also happy. Wanderlust remembered thinking: what have I done to make you look at me like that?
Disco nudged up against his cheek again, and he nearly startled at the feeling of her cold mirrors against his skin. Wanderlust thought that at that moment, with their hands interlinked, there had been something. During the party, and even when they parted ways, he had kept looking back at Wanderlust as though searching for something. That’s why the way Jack texted was so off-putting. Wanderlust had expected to hear from him, to talk about what had happened, and instead, he became increasingly more quiet. More distant. Until Jack had messaged him. Privately, not in their group chat. Jack told him that he should come visit Eternyx, maybe do some sightseeing now that the verse wasn’t under Night Swan’s thumb. After a brief back-and-forth, they had settled on a day at the zoo; it would give them something to look at and talk about, and it would be a new experience for Wanderlust. Because Eternyx didn’t have a day and night cycle, instead staying dark at all hours of the day, its native flora and fauna had to adapt to live without the sun… Wanderlust didn’t exactly know what that implied, but he had to admit that it did sound pretty interesting. Even if it wasn’t just his ticket to finally seeing Jack again. Disco chirped at him, beginning to knock herself against the side of his head, and he jolted upright to escape the assault. “I know! I’m going!”
He ended up settling on a pair of black trousers with a magenta dress shirt that leaned a little closer to pink than purple. He had worried over whether the trousers would be too dressy for the zoo, or if he’d end up getting hot in them, but Disco managed to eventually talk him down. The routine of combing through his jewelry, searching for the right pieces to wear soothed him; he donned his usual belt, picked out a few rings, and stood in front of the mirror, mouth slightly agape with his tongue poking out as he carefully pushed each golden earring into its respective place on his ear. Discoball let out a chorus of approving chirrups as he turned from side to side in the mirror examining himself. He held out a hand for Disco to hover over, idly giving her a gentle spin so his room was once more lit up with the specks of light she threw across the room. “I should be back in a few hours. Yes, I promise to tell you all about it.”
Opening portals had always felt so easy to him. It was all the other stuff that was hard — like holding them open long enough to step through or making sure they actually opened to the right spot in the right Danceverse. He waved his hand and the air in front of him seemed to shiver, and then split, opening into a doorway to Eternyx. He knew he had the right place because he could see Jack from beyond the portal, standing next to a large sign with ‘Eternyx Zoo’ emblazoned on it. Jack stood with his arms down at his sides, hands pressed flat against his thighs, and he seemed to be idly looking around; not wanting to keep him waiting, Wanderlust tumbled through the portal, feeling the air quiver behind him for just a moment before the sensation vanished. “Jack!” His voice was loud with excitement, and he couldn’t find it in himself to mind the stares he felt on his back. It was probably more because of the portal than the yelling, anyway. “Jack!” As Wanderlust jogged up to him, his weight seemed to shift to one hip, hands easing from their places at his sides. Like he was relaxing. “I found you.”
Jack nodded, using a hand to comb through his hair. He was dressed similarly to his usual style, with a white shirt, red waistcoat, and red slacks. Wanderlust couldn’t help but notice that his eyes continued to sort of roam even as Wanderlust stood in front of him, but there was also a small smile on his face. He looked… good. Happy, if a little nervous. “You did.”
“Are you ready to see the animals?”
“Yes. I haven’t been here since I was a kid, but I think it’ll be fun.”
The exchange at the ticket booth took longer than it probably needed to — the coach selling tickets had immediately recognized Jack Rose and the Danceverses Prince and refused to take their payment for the tickets. She had called over her manager, who proceeded to start making a fuss about giving them free membership cards, all the while Jack kept urgently shoving his cash over the counter at the two coaches. Eventually, they had handed over the tickets, and Jack dropped the money on the counter and quickly walked away before they could manage to push the bills back into his hands. By the time all was said and done, and they had scanned their tickets and entered the zoo proper, Wanderlust’s cheeks had begun to ache from how much he was smiling. While Jack had been negotiating with the zoo employees, Wanderlust had plucked a little brochure from the counter, and now he unfolded it. Where he expected to find at least a few familiar animals there was instead a list of enclosures for animals he had never even heard of, along with a map that pointed out some gardens the zoo had to showcase Eternyx’s flora.
“Hm,” Jack’s voice came from just beside Wanderlust; he hadn’t realized how close he had gotten to read the map over Wanderlust’s shoulder. “It looks like they don’t have as many animals as they used to.” He pointed at a few spots on the brochure.
Wanderlust blinked, looking closer at the map. Jack was right; there were more enclosure areas on the map than there were exhibits listed off to the side — they were probably empty. “Where do you want to start?”
Jack wanted to start with the ghoulbucks. They sort of looked like deer, only a little smaller, without the cute tail, and they were colored a ghostly white; the informational plaque by the exhibit informed Wanderlust that their coloring was how they got their name. A herd of them idled in their enclosure, full of towering, dark trees and a thick fog. While Jack watched, Wanderlust squinted down at the little plaque beside the viewing window. “Ghoulbucks are a species native to Eternyx,” he read. “These animals are completely blind due to the darkness of the forests they live in. They use a form of echolocation to navigate; to coaches and other animals, this echolocation can sound like screaming which helps to ward off potential predators…” Wanderlust looked back up to the ghoulbucks, watching them graze in their enclosure. They did kind of look like little four-legged ghosts.
“We do have other animals, too. Like… what you see in other Danceverses,” Jack clarified. “This place kind of caters to tourists, so it has Eternian animals. To make it more exotic, I guess.” He patted his hands down on his pants, eyes slowly shifting from observing the animals to watch Wanderlust.
“They’re cute!” Wanderlust leaned in, trying to get a better view of the herd through the glass. “I kind of want to hear what the screaming sounds like. Is that weird?”
They continued to walk through the zoo, stopping at every enclosure along the way to peek at whatever animal was inside. As they continued through the zoo, Wanderlust couldn’t help but notice the number of empty exhibits; Jack had been right. Several parts of the zoo were blocked off with big signs indicating they were employee-only areas, or that they were under construction. When he tried to stop and look into one of the enclosures, he realized that it had been left in ruins. Something that must have been some sort of climbing platform had collapsed into a heap of garbage onto the grass, and the little drinking hole was filthy with algae and debris. After that, Jack wanted to check each empty enclosure they came across. They were all in varying levels of disrepair, often with trash or other debris littering the inside. Even when they stopped at an exhibit full of animals, Jack seemed to eye the enclosures more carefully, scanning their conditions instead of just marveling at the animals housed within. All the inhabited enclosures seemed normal and well-kept, though; there was no stray garbage in these areas and everything seemed clean and in good repair. Some parts of the zoo just seemed… old. Like all of the resources they had were put into taking care of the animals they already had, and everything else slowly withered into disrepair. When they finally came to a bench along the walkway Jack quickly sat down. Wanderlust sat beside him.
“...It’s a zoo for tourists,” Jack said.
“What?”
“For tourists,” Jack repeated. “It’s meant to appeal to coaches from other Danceverses. That’s why all the animals are Eternian,” he gestured. “And my mother… kidnapped coaches. Especially coaches from other Danceverses. Tourists. I don’t know how this place has stayed in business.” He leaned forward and rested his head on a hand.
When Jack didn’t say anything else, Wanderlust simply sat with him, feeling the warmth of his thigh against his own. He began to once more leaf through the brochure he had picked up, and his eyes naturally sought out the little symbols representing the abandoned enclosures they had walked past. He wondered what animals had once lived there. “Hey,” he shifted, nudging Jack’s leg. “Night Swan’s not around anymore, right? People are starting to come visit Eternyx more.” When there was no response, he nudged again. “We haven’t even checked out this garden yet!” Jack shifted, and a large brown eye of his peered up at Wanderlust.
The garden was a little overgrown, yes, but it looked like the plants that were meant to be there had been maintained as best they could — Wanderlust tried to wander off the paved pathway to get a better look at a crescent-shaped flower, and Jack had to grab around his arm and pull him back. Wanderlust had stumbled a little, colliding with Jack’s chest before the grip on his arm was loosened. Jack quickly stuttered something about carnivorous plants, and his face seemed to glow a deep crimson before he wheeled around and started walking farther into the garden. Wanderlust kept to the beaten path this time; he wasn’t entirely sure if Jack had been messing with him about the carnivorous plant, but he also wasn’t keen on finding out. Still, even the path was a little grown over, with various vines and branches snaking over the cobblestone. Though Wanderlust had to take care not to trip, it seemed that Jack could navigate through the garden effortlessly, and Wanderlust wondered if he had explored the very same garden as a child. He wondered how well he remembered it.
Jack’s red waistcoat stood out among the thickets of green foliage; he wasn’t sure he would have been able to spot him, otherwise, stooped over as he was. At first, Wanderlust worried that he had stumbled or gotten his foot caught in a root, but as he approached he realized that Jack was crouched down because he was looking at something. “Jack?” Leaves crunched softly underfoot as he approached.
What Jack stooped over was a bush. It had grown wild, its branches stretched out to the sky like reaching fingers and a spider’s web draped over its leaves. Between large, green leaves and snaking branches there appeared to be a small bud of blue. Delicate, lacy petals unfurled outwards, soaking in the light of the moon — there were layers upon layers of them, all swirled together into the shape of a spiral. A blue rose. Its petals seemed to almost glow underneath the moonlight, and it was the only blush of blue in the bush, though small green buds were scattered throughout. Just waiting to bloom.
“I didn’t think those were real,” he murmured.
“They are in Eternyx.” Jack turned to him and smiled, one that made the corners of his lips curl up and reveal his teeth. Wanderlust thought his lips looked like rose petals.
Their hands were curled around each other’s. He wasn’t even sure when it happened, but he felt Jack’s fingers squeeze at his, and he squeezed back. “I’m sorry about your mother, Jack.” So many words left unspoken; sorry for the way she treated you, sorry for not stopping it sooner, sorry for the hurt she caused. She should have protected the people who depended on her.
“I’m sorry for not reaching out to you sooner. It’s… a lot.” Jack’s free hand reached out to touch the rose, gently tracing the pale purple-white vein of a petal. “And I’m sorry for getting sad on our date.”
Wanderlust sputtered. “Date?”
Jack raised his eyebrows. “Yes… our date.” All at once, his face bloomed a deep crimson again, and he tucked his chin down, eyes peering up at Wanderlust from beneath red lashes. “Is that not what this is?”
Wanderlust squeezed down on Jack’s hand, wanting to feel the gentle give of his flesh beneath his, the warmth, the reality of it. “No, no, it is! A date! You don’t have to be sorry for getting sad on our date.”
“It’s been fun. Even though I did get a little sad.”
“Well, that’s what matters, right?”
Although Jack’s face was still flushed red, he seemed content with that and eased himself from his stoop over the bush to instead sit on the ground, heedless of the dirt and leaves that would cling to the fabric of his slacks. He was just happy that Wanderlust sat down alongside him, and he could press himself up against Wander’s chest and hear the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Night Swan might not be gone forever, but she was for now. The garden was overgrown and full of weeds, but it was quiet and out of the way, and in its heart, it sheltered an old rosebush. There was only one blue rose in that garden, but it kept the company of countless little green buds, and one day the moonbeams would make those rosebuds bloom, and then there would be enough blue roses for Jack to take a clipping home and begin to grow his own.