Chapter 33
Gunner could only muffle his own laugh as the three of them stood soaked from head to toe on dry land once again. Drenched and dripping water all over the ground below he removed his muzzle and held it in his hand by his side so that he could have a chance to catch his breath easier after the fall. Adrenaline was making his pulse race so much that he wondered if Clyde was reacting to it because he would not stop glaring at the both of them while trying to calm himself down. The vampire should not have been hungry because he had already ate the other night from him but he considered the idea that maybe the adrenaline rush was tempting the man. He knew Clyde was angry with him for leaving the safety zone but the look he had in his eyes he could only make guesses at so he just decided to go with the prince might be reacting to his racing pulse.
"Do you both want to explain this to me? We're in the middle of a ruined city that is over run with monsters and yet you both decide to do stupid things?!" Prince Clyde's body shook as he looked down at the ground. He felt certain he would snap if he was not careful with himself.
"Prince Clyde, you shouldn't yell at my sweet hound like that." Apollo said as he sincerely wanted to help calm the prince down so that Gunner would not be yelled at.
The sound of Apollo's voice and the fact that he had called him his hound made Prince Clyde's brow twitch. His lip curled up slightly in a sneer as he really thought about hanging the man off the side of the fifty foot stone wall for the beasts to devour. Only the sight of Gunner standing in front of him kept him calmed down compared to what he really felt raging within himself. As Gunner stepped up to him a sense of calm washed over him like a cool breeze among summer heat. It felt refreshing just be within the man's presence once more.
"We are fine, alright? You know I'm use to running the streets of Abaron city even before you and I met after the war. You don't have to keep pushing me aside when it comes to things that involve Abaron. You're always keeping things from me and I hate it!" Gunner said honestly as he desired to be included in the restoration of the city. He wanted to know the truth of what was out there among the city no matter what it was they were up against.
"Ah~ My sweet hound~ So brave~" Apollo smiled at the bravery of the young man to so boldly declare his feelings over the situation to the prince. He felt like the man never failed to surprise him at every turn. His words were something that Clyde was not in the mood to hear regardless of meaning or intent behind them. Clyde raised his foot and sent Apollo flying backwards onto his back a few feet away.
"You know well that it's not my intention to keep you in the dark.. but things are complicated and I don't like the chance of anything happening to you." Prince Clyde quickly spoke in order to defend himself for keeping Gunner in the dark over things. There were many things that the man could not handle on his own and had no knowledge of in Clyde's eyes and he wanted to protect him for everything he possibly could. Even if Gunner could not recall in their childhood the first true memory of how they met as children he would carry that memory for his lifetime and never allow it to fade away. He had worked hard all his life so far in order to give all he could to Gunner and not look like a worthless weakling in his eyes and yet the man had a habit of putting himself in harms way again and again.
"You don't intend any of it but it's what you're doing and I hate it. I might be called a hound but I'm not your dog so lay off already." Gunner blurted out the words but as they left his own mouth he felt a tinge of pain in his chest that was both heavy and tight. He did hold feelings for the man but he was not about to let himself become someone's property. It was not that he did not know Clyde felt something for him but the man would never be honest with him to admit it. At times Gunner could only feel as if he was imagining every bit of it himself and as time went on he was beginning to feel more like he was being used by Clyde.
"That's not it! I don't think of you like that!" Prince Clyde shouted as he grabbed Gunner's hand before the man could turn and walk away from him. He was not sure why the man was acting like he was or why he thought the way he did. In his eyes Gunner was not property nor the hound they all called him by. He was everything to Prince Clyde including the very reason he woke up each day and worked so hard to revive the city. If it was not for the mere reason he wanted to give everything he could for Gunner he would have never even gone to war to remove the tyrant that had been plaguing the city and took it over when the war ended.
"You don't even see it yourself do you? The things that you do to push me away." Gunner sighed heavily as he spoke. Knowing that Clyde was so unaware of the very things he said and did to keep himself distanced from him only made it feel all the more painful.
"Don't assume things like that! Gunner I lo-" Before Prince Clyde could finish his own words that he almost instinctively blurted out at Gunner he found himself being knocked to the ground by Apollo's foot slamming into him from behind.
The demon had a bright smile on his face as he knew what he had interrupted though he would never openly admit to it. Apollo only stood there watching as Gunner turned to walk away from the both of them. Prince Clyde was grumbling angrily as he climbed back up to his feet and grit his teeth. He was not sure whether or not to thank Apollo for stopping him before he could finish talking or to be enraged at the fact that he had finally almost admitted it to the man he desired so deeply in his heart. It did not matter either way because he knew the only reason Apollo kicked him down was not because it was a repayment for him having done the same thing moments ago, it was because Apollo was not ready to give up his own chances in the future.