In a world where saying you care about someone could scare them away, there lived a boy with an open heart. He learned to hide his emotions and to never share how he felt. He wandered with knights, princes, and pirates, but something always felt like it was missing.
In a land where vanquishing your armor could tarnish your appeal, there lived a man with a matching heart. He learned to keep others at a distance and to only open up when he felt safe. He marched from city to city in search of connection until he met this boy.
Their chemistry was instant. They couldn’t ignore it, but the boy didn’t want to say he cared about the man and scare him away, and the man didn’t want to remove his armor and lose what could be. They both were too proud, too stuck in their own ways, to see that all this man wanted was to be needed and loved for who he was, and all this boy wanted was to love him and to tell him so.
Their fears kept them apart, but they kept thinking of each other. This didn’t feel like when the boy would leave a pirate’s ship or a prince’s castle. The man still wanted to connect with the boy, but he couldn’t risk revealing vulnerability only to be met by defeat. They both cared for each other so much that they thought the other could be with anyone they wanted. Neither felt worthy enough for the other, but nor were they happy without each other. Then, when the boy couldn’t take it anymore, he couldn’t listen to anyone saying that this man was just another knight, he marched up to the armory and got down on his knees. He showed his open heart. He finally said how he loved this man, and although it could’ve been too late, the man saw this boy again and felt him in his heart. He couldn’t turn the boy away, and he took off all his armor. He took the boy in his arms, and they lived happily ever after together.
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Solomon Robert is a gay man living in Seattle. He writes fantasy and contemporary novels. Follow him on Instagram @SolomonRobrt to find out more.
GAY FLASH FICTION 