Greatwater Lake i will never believe in anything again

set after this
maaaaaybe @Mahler? all welcome tho. other tags for reference

Herbs forgotten, he runs blindly for the place he'd last left the @Kid, afraid that his (ex)husband will retaliate in the worst possible way if he does not return to his ward immediately. The thought makes him feel sick. Tears sting his eyes, but he refuses to allow them to fall. Fuck him, he thinks with no small amount of venom, following his own scent trail around the curve of the lake and wondering distantly if @Caiaphas might be around.
The sight of the undisturbed den in the distance seems to drain the last of the energy from him. His limbs turn to jelly beneath him, and he collapses. In this moment, there is no thought — no second-guessing, no what-ifs, no regrets. There is only silence, and he finds it oddly blissful for a man who has spent his whole life afraid of being alone with himself.