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There once was a man, sitting on the shore. Completely alone.
The shore was completely dry - the water long gone, leaving only dusty, red stone behind. The dried land stretched as far as the eye could see. No people to keep him company. But these days, he was fine with that.
The Lover sat in a relaxed position, with his legs crossed. His long, blond hair were tied into a loose, messy bun, just so that they wouldn't fall into his eyes. A single, bright cornflower was tied into the bun, its petals fresh despite being plucked out of the ground a long time ago. He wore a thin green t-shirt, as well as a thick, dark blue sweater, wrapped over his shoulder like a warm scarf. His eyes, blue and peaceful, stared out into the distance, as if waiting for something. Or someone.
And then, someone came.
"You shouldn't be here."
The Lover turned around, looking up at the second man who just appeared. At first glance, they looked quite alike - same deep blue in their eyes, same blond hair, even most of the scars on their bodies matched. But this is where the similarities came, as the second person, the Pirate, saw himself as nothing as the Lover. His hair was similarly long, but tied into a thick, tight, yet messy braid - and instead of a delicate flower, sharp, striking red coral shrouding his temples. Instead of a loose, comforting outfit, his white shirt and black vest hugged his body snuggly, with a red sash so tightly wrapped, it looked as if it restricted his breathing. More coral wrapped around his chest, arms and legs, digging into his skin into an uncomfortable manner. Heavy marching boots left deep footsteps in the dusty, red soil.
"You shouldn't have won. Not like this. Do you have any idea what you've done?" The Pirate growled. Seeing the other man's lack of reaction only enraged him further. "I already won once. And that should've been enough! You never should've come here!"
The Lover tilted his head, trying to read the Pirate's emotions. He knew how the man felt - he felt the same once. He knew about their true connection, and as far as he saw it, so did he. To some degree, he felt bad for him. Back in the day, when he was in his place, he had no one to pity him. Maybe now he could change that, and make things easier for him.
"But I did win," the Lover eventually answered. "I didn't ask for this, but... It had to be done. Would you like it better if I let someone else take the crown?"
"No, no! No, of course not! Don't twist my words, you bastard!"
In the blink of an eye, the Pirate pulled out a sword and pointed it at the Lover. The tip of the blade barely missed piercing the sitting man's eye. Somehow, the Lover seemed completely unmoved by the sudden aggression. Even worse, he smiled at that.
"And stop smiling, damn it! I didn't need you to win! Especially not like this!" The Pirate stomped, clouds of dust picking up into the air around them. "I already won! I tricked them, I backstabbed them, and this is how we were supposed to win! And what did you do? Propose a duel, and then actually fight?" His face was becoming redder and redder with anger. "What were you even thinking?! What if they killed you?!"
"Then I wouldn't have won. And you would have no reason to yell at me."
"You-" The Pirate groaned in frustration, then began pulling on the tight coral crown. No matter how much he tried, it just wouldn't come off. He didn't even remember if he wanted it to come off. "You're so annoying! Is this really who we are now?!"
"Hey..." The Lover stood up from his spot and put his hands on the hands of the other man. His voice, despite being the same, was so much calmer, gentler, and... Somewhat more tired. "Stop it... It hurts, doesn't it...?"
"Why do you care?"
"I care about you. About us . It wouldn't hurt you to care as well..."
"Me, caring ? Who the hell do you take me for?" The Pirate snickered bitterly. However, somehow, the gentle touch of his other half actually worked. His fingers slowly let go of the coral. The rough surface left tears and bruises on his thick, dry skin. "Why would you want me to care...?"
"It's not as bad as you may think. I promise." The Lover gripped his other half's hands tighter and guided him to sit down next to him. From his face, he could see just how uncomfortable that made him, considering his tight clothes and the coral that dug into him like barbed wire. "If it hurts, you can take it off... I know what you look like. You look like me."
"I don't. I'm nothing like you. You won like some sort of wimp, risking everything... And for what?" He scoffed, before adding "You shouldn't have won."
"Why not...?"
"Because...! Because..." For the first time, the Pirate's voice broke. He loosened his sash a little, and as soon as he did, his breathing got quicker and more shallow. "If I won by tricking everyone... And then you won, playing honorably... Does that mean I... I did something wrong...?"
The Pirate let out a nervous chuckle, wrapping his arms around himself in a self-soothing manner. There, he said it. The one thought that's been boiling in his head for way too long. This feeling in the back of his head, that his win didn't truly matter. To achieve it, he burned every bridge, stabbed every back, clawed and bit until he could finally take it... And then, the Lover claimed victory without any of that. Just like that. Why? Just to spite him? Just to show that he was better than him? At that moment, the Pirate hated him, hated everything about him, about them , about himself-
"No, you didn't." The Lover squeezed his hands once more. "You... We did what we had to do. It's just that, my circumstances were so much different to yours. You were so alone..."
"Who cares if I was alone...?"
"I do."
The Pirate looked down upon the coral wrapping around his legs. It hurt, it hurt so much, way more than he was willing to admit. But then again... For the first time, he actually felt as if someone saw and understood his pain. Maybe even wanted to help soothe it. If it even could be quelled at this point.
"I wasn't alone... I had Scott..."
"But it wasn't enough, was it?"
"No... Scott was nice, sure, but I... He didn't see me for me... Did he...? He saw the fighting capability, the brain, the body, these..." He said as he raised and flexed his arms with a sad smile. "But he didn't see... The rest."
"It wasn't easy for him, either... But no. I don't think he saw that."
The Pirate shook his head in a sad, remorseful manner. Finally, he felt like he could admit it... He was alone . He was lonely . So lonely it actually hurt. But it was his fault, wasn't it...?
"How did it feel to be with Ren again...? And with Cleo...?"
"It felt... Wonderful..." A shy blush crept up the Lover's cheeks. "They cared so much... Especially Cleo. I never expected her to care this much about me... But once I turned red, they were the first to make sure I was okay..."
"So... We really are... Connected to them...?"
The Lover pondered the question a moment, before shaking his head. His golden hair fell right into his eyes.
"I don't know... And I don't know if she knows. We don't have to be connected for her to care... Look at Ren."
"Right..." The Pirate shivered, the next words slipping his mouth without him even noticing. "My King..."
"He doesn't have to be just that. And we can be so much more, as well..." The Lover smiled. "Wouldn't it be nice to be equals with people...?"
"It would... But it sounds... Scary... What if he does something to us?- What if we do something to him?"
"Then we fix it. Just like we always have."
"Right... Right..." The Pirate muttered. He unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, to allow himself to breathe.
For just a second, his eyes diverged up. The sky above them was dark, endless, with tiny speckles of glowing stars as far as eye could see. Two of these speckles were considerably larger, and their light was a lot weaker - most likely only reflected. Two moons, looking down upon them, guarding them with their warmth and stillness. He didn't know how, or why, but at that moment, he understood what both of them symbolised. And that made him feel so much better.
"Can we... Can we exist together...?" The Pirate asked quietly. "The fact that you exist doesn't mean I have to disappear, right...?"
The Lover shook his head, his eyes following that of his other half.
"I don't think so... We're two parts of a whole. You're the ruthless survival. I'm the tender care. We're both needed to enhance one another... At least I think that."
"You don't hate me...?"
"I don't... I don't think I do. You're not easy, but... You're a part of me, just like I'm a part of you." The Lover turned to him, their eyes meeting. "Do you hate me...?"
"...maybe a little. But I'll work on it. It's just... Scary, to change like this."
"Change is scary... I remember when I was at your place, fearing what I might become if I let my guard down." The Lover smiled, his eyes then going back down to the dusty ground around them. What was this place? Why was it so desolate? Once upon a time, maybe it did support life... Could it ever come back? "But... It's not all bad. You can relax and let others take care of you... And one day, I might have to pick up my own sword and fight."
"You don't have to fight..." The Pirate whispered. A shy smile lit up his features, when the Lover took his cornflower off and put it in his other half's hair. A little strike of blue among red, browns and blacks. "I'll protect you."
"And I'll take care of you. It sounds nice, doesn't it...?"
"It does... I think I want it."
The Lover reached his hand out. Slowly, and still a bit reluctantly, the Pirate accepted it. The two halves embraced, becoming one once again. The sharp coral softened, tiny flowers blossoming from its surface. His hair fell down, finally not so dehydrated and dry. His clothing no longer suffocated him, the sash and a slither of the sweater as soft reminders of the fact that they did, in fact, have someone who cared for them. He kicked his shoes off. They landed in a tiny puddle of water, which gathered not too far away from them.
There once was a man, sitting on the shore. But he was not alone anymore.