Phoenix Maplewood there was an empty space in the shadow beside you

her words hit him like teeth, tearing into him with each and every syllable. he felt weak, exhausted, out of breath.

and pathetic. not good enough. he knew it. it was about him. even his own wanderlust wouldn't sate her. she was limitless, meant to be tethered to no one. 

she'd have to make her own decision on the matter. perhaps she already had.

he flinched at her touch, so at odds with her words. how could she comfort him, speaking things like that? anger flickered in his heart, a tiny tongue of flame. 

he would have died a thousand times for her.

she was right. she was selfish. 

"i'm tired," aditya said, his usually musical voice devoid of all color. he couldn't look at her, instead gazing toward the ground as he rose to his feet. "i'm going back to sleep."

with lead paws, he trudged back to where easy was sleeping, the snow covering his tracks almost as soon as he'd left them. as if he'd never been there. 

maybe she'd prefer that. maybe she'd be happy.

maybe he should have died of that fever.