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It had been a while since Stardust had visited the sacred forest, but he had passed by it enough times to know it like the palm of his hand.
And it was not surprising, since the guardian of this forest himself offered to show him the maximum splendor of that leafy and holy place. From the meadows richest in flora that his eyes have ever seen, to the oldest temples that kept many secrets of the forest and those who reside there.
The relationship with them and this mystical guardian has become more intimate and meaningful with each visit, establishing a bond of mutual trust and loyalty. Wind Archer showed them the pure beauty of his world, and Stardust revealed the secrets of the universe to him.
They both made the other fall in love with each other's reality. Still ignoring the darkness and coldness of both extremes...
Just thinking about the archer made the starbird's heart skip a beat, he was really excited to see him again after so long! marking their route towards the forest to arrive as soon as possible at nightfall.
After a while he managed to get closer to the peripheries of the forest but something was...strange. The forest has always been in a calm and cool climate, with breezes that felt like a warm and welcoming hug. But now, the winds are erratic affecting the aggressive wobbling of leaves on the trees and bushes in the surrounding area.
The rustling of branches and dry leaves was what was heard most throughout the forest, a bad feeling crossed Stardust's body just as the strong winds hit them.Something must be wrong, and he felt that something had to be related to Wind Archer.
Without thinking further, they entered the forest with some difficulty, thinking about all the possible places where Wind Archer would be. They knew that at night he liked to rest at the foot of the trees, and it was common to see many types of animals near him in his brief hours of tranquility. But this didn't seem to be the case, Wind wouldn't be the type to rest when there is an unexpected change in the conditions of the forest.
Remembering all of his "special points" that Wind Archer had shown him with every step he took—at one point along the way he had to start using his feet since levitating with an altered wind became difficult—, he noticed that the gusts of wind were becoming more tenacious in a certain direction. It seems that that is the origin of the cause of these gusts! Stardust was wondering if Wind was there, so he headed to where the gusts of wind were coming from.
With a lot of effort not to lose his balance, having some firm trees for support, he was able to make his way through this part of the forest that was the most affected by the wind. The conditions were so harsh that apparently the birds had already fled their nests, no animals in sight and many flowers that the wind distributed throughout the point of origin.Among some of those flowers he was able to grab one: a Blue Delphinium, Wind's favorite. He held the flower of an intense blue color, which was beginning to mix a little with the bright particles typical of the luminescent cookie.
"He has to be close." They thought as they clung to the flower, moving as best they could until they reached what was a small lake, one of Wind's favorite places, they knew that the wind spirit went to that place when he needed a break from everything, being an area considerably separated from the rest of the forest, it was a good option to be alone.
With a hand on his face to try to block the strong currents of wind and the upturned earth, he could make out a figure in the roots of a veteran tree. A slight smile appeared on his face as he could make out Wind Archer's signature colors in this silhouette, but it quickly faded as he heard...sobs? Even with his ears partially blocked by strong breezes, after all it was what he listened to most in his eternal solitude in the vast space.
The squalls were strongest around the protective cookie of the forest. Was it Wind Archer himself creating these gusts? Wind Archer wouldn't do something to harm the forest, not on purpose. Something was definitely wrong for Wind Archer and Stardust knew it. With his claws he stabbed the bark of the trees enough to hold himself firmly —he would have to apologize to them later to have Wind's forgiveness— and get to where the cause of this problem was.
And there he was, Wind Archer Cookie, collapsing his face into his knees, his hands gripping strands of his disheveled greenish hair, dislocating the small flowers that adorned his mane. His cries were audible when close enough, his eyes didn't dare to open but they could see how red they were and his tears hurt like crystalline glass down his cheeks. Seeing their loved one suffer like this felt like a stab in Stardust's chest. "Oh dear Wind…” they whispered that thread of words that were lost in the wind, settling as best they could next to this messy cookie who seemed to have not yet noticed their presence.
He carefully slid his left hand on Wind's shoulder, wanting him to know that he was there, he was going to be there for whatever Wind needed, that he was not alone. Wind Archer gasps at the touch, breaking him momentarily from his pitiful shame-party. Perplexed, he slowly looks out of the corner of his eye to where the feathered figure was posing. "Stardust..?” Wind Archer finally speaks, straining his throat so his voice didn't sound broken. "Wind! Is everything okay???” He basically screams so that his voice is not lost in the gusts of wind that continued to erupt from the emerald gem that had cracks.
The archer didn't know what to say to that question, he felt a strong weight on his chest that made it difficult for him to breathe, and his mind was clouded with suffocating thoughts and painful memories, which didn't help with the uncontrollable crying. Nothing was okay, he wasn't okay, he was never going to be okay. What hurts the most is trying to make things the same as before, but unfortunately things change and many cannot return to their original state no matter how hard you try.
Stardust noticed Wind's struggles to find words, that only overwhelmed the wind more, unable to resist anymore, he hugged his beloved as tightly as he could, clinging to him. He didn't care that Wind had flinched from feeling the hug, he didn't care that Wind was still crying, he just wanted him to feel him, to feel that he was there for him. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me now. Just breathe for a moment, I'm here for you my heart..." The star cookie leaned into his ear, whispering more soothing things as Wind struggled to regulate his breathing to a normal rhythm.
Minutes passed, Wind Archer didn't take long to calm down after that. Everything around him looked like a mess, some young trees twisted, plants torn from their roots, many fallen leaves…he also looked a mess. He gave a tired sigh, resting his head on his lover's shoulder. "Wow...I didn't know you could do that." Stardust breaks the ice, observing the traces of this catastrophe but seeing it from a...marveled perspective. However, Wind Archer only shrugged in response, but his eyes showed that he wasn't proud of this virtue and of what he had done. "Hey...are you feeling more comfortable talking? You looked very distressed, dear…” The space cookie pokes their head closer to the legendary cookie's, showing how worried they were about him. Wind Archer only sees him out of the corner of his eye as he reflects for a moment, before releasing a sigh that seemed to be one of defeat.
"I think I...I'm just tired. I'm tired of trying and not seeing results, my light..." The archer begins, his voice no longer broken, but it
sounded very tired. He always sounds so smooth and elegant when he speaks, but it seems like he doesn't have the feeling to follow that stance today. Stardust just tilts his head a little as a sign of curiosity and interest in what Wind Archer is referring to. "I-I failed in my duty to protect the Tree…I am no longer pure....I am no longer worthy.." he continues as he feels his eyes break again, each word hurt too much. "Churro has tried to help me, but nothing works... I'm just getting weaker with each passing day" he begins to cover his face with his hands, he felt ashamed that his boyfriend saw him in such a state, he felt ashamed that he had to listen to his problems, God... this is all so embarrassing. Stardust could feel goosebumps from the cold wind that was passing through them, he deduced that these breezes were caused by Wind's emotions, the more overwhelming, the more disastrous.
"Why did this have to happen to me? Why can't I be purified...? What a waste of a guardian..." Tears filled his eyes again like collapsing dams. The weak emerald on his forehead seemed to darken its nuances, adding more cracks to the collection...Stardust could only hear their beloved flower crying, hiding his beauty from the sun, a melancholic but sympathetic expression invaded their face, trying to understand his suffering, fluttering the stem of the Delphinium flower.
"Why are you still here? Why do you still love a useless guardian like me-" His cries stopped when he felt an unexpected but very welcome contact, Stardust had leaned down to place a kiss on the wind spirit's forehead, long enough to give that safe, reassuring feeling to Wind Archer. This action makes the mystic archer's cheeks burn, but he lends himself to looking directly at Stardust, traces of dried tears on his cheeks.
"Shhh I understand now, you don't have to continue." Stardust says calmly after ending the kiss, placing his right hand on his flower's cheek. "Honey, I didn't fall in love with you because you were a good guardian or not. I fell in love with you because of how you are, because of who you are." He gives the guard a brief kiss on the lips. "I still love you Wind, and I'm sure the others in this forest still love you, even Millenial Tree." Those words hurt like warm daggers pointed at his heart, but he was able to receive them with affection, giving Stardust a slight smile.
“...I guess you're right, you win for now." Wind states with a small chuckle muffled by his scarf. "Forgive me for making it difficult for you to come see me, my light, I'll have to clean up this mess later." Wind Archer mentions remembering that unfinished business that cost him dearly. "Oh don't worry, sweetheart, I'd go through a hurricane if it meant spending time with you” The star jokes and giggles, which infects Wind. "Also..." With the flower he was holding before, he carefully places it in Wind's hair, resting it by his ear. “...your breezes really bring pretty things, don't you think?" The guardian of the sacred forest grabs the flower for a moment and realizes that it is a blue Delphinium, one of his favorites, he had not even noticed there were some near this area, but in a way it made him happy that they were there and that they returned to him, adorning his messy hair.
"I love you, Stardust." He exclaims lovingly as it is his turn to hug his partner tightly from the side, who receives the gesture with great excitment. "I love you too, my little blooming flower.” they respond with the same affection, planting one last kiss on Wind Archer's gem and then settling down to take a nap together.
The night is still young, they would have time to do other things together later, for now they are both very exhausted from so many emotions for one day, they deserve a brief rest in each other's arms.