Severe looked up at Rory and smiled. It was hesitant, because he knew it was a sensitive topic. For both of them. But he needed to tell him. He had to…
“It was…freeing,” Sev said softly, looking at Rory with soft eyes. He wanted the man to sit by him. But he understood.
“Link has…lost it. He’s not the hero I knew. The hero I hated…I was obsessed with him. To the point of…not being healthy. I know that now. But…it was all I’ve ever known. But now…” Sev sighed as his eyes started to tear up.
“Rory…if Link can stop being a hero….why do I have to be his shadow? I am my own person. If Link can ignore and hate his destiny, I have more than every right to do the same. I decide who I want to be. I decide my destiny.” He suddenly laughed and scratched the back of his head. Tears still running down his cheeks in rivers now.
“Plus I get to be with you. I want to spend time with you. Get to know you as Severe….not Dark Link. Not a shadow…not a monster…”
With that, Sev kept laughing but he was crying too. He wanted Rory to understand…he wasn’t doing this for him. Sev was doing it for himself. Seeing Link face to face was his choice. That’s why he didn’t tell Rory beforehand. He didn’t want to keep it a secret but…
He needed to make the decision himself.
“You have been doin that, Sev. Ever since I’ve met you, you ain’t been no shadow, or no monster. Even when you told me, it didn’t change anything between us. You’ve always been Sev, to me.” Rory had started walking towards the bench now. Any anger he’d felt, quelled upon seeing Sev’s expression, upon hearing his words. Some slight anger bubbled at hearing Link’s name, but Rory was circumventing that by focusing in on Sev.
Rory’s expression was fond, so, caring and gentle. He was looking at Sev as though Sev were, in this moment, the only thing that mattered. Rory cared about everybody, yes, he loved life. He wanted to see people happy. But above everything, except himself, he cared for Sev the most out of those people.
Now standing in front of Sev, Rory laid his hand on the backside of the bench, nearest where Sev’s right shoulder was. He then leaned down, and pressed his lips to Sev’s. The kiss lasted about ten seconds, and it was so gentle and soft, respectful and kind. When Rory pulled away, he smiled so warmly,
“I’ve been doin some thinking. About what you told me, in the clinic. N’if that’s still the case, then… I want to be with you, Sev. Now, I ain’t too keen on physical things, sure I like huggin and holdin your hand, but kissin’s as far as I’ll go for now. I ain’t, well, never done the deed before, you know? Most I’ve gone for is uh, well,” Rory was blushing now, trying to calm down his beating heart, but he was still smiling. Carefully, he sat down next to Sev, so his left arm was beside him, and wrapped his arm around Sev’s shoulders while pulling him closer to Rory.
“I did like you bein on top of me though. That felt, real nice.”