Chapter Text
It’s been... two weeks, if Thorn had to guess.
Aurelian had been gone for about two weeks or so since the wedding celebrations at the manor died down. Aurelian kept close to the spider woman he had married, and while it hurt Thorn’s heart to see, the man looked genuinely happy with her— so Thorn didn’t interfere with it. Thorn couldn’t have done anything about it anyway.
They were on a honeymoon of sorts, probably. He remembered Adonis talking about his parents’ honeymoon— they had called him distraught, asking him if they would look after Thorn for a few days while they were away. They were so polite that Adonis couldn’t have refused.
(Adonis spoke with such fondness when he had talked about Thorn’s parents. If they were anything like Ado was, Thorn would have loved to meet them.)
Even before the wedding and honeymoon, Thorn saw Aurelian and Yenn spending time together at the manor. The first few times Thorn had responded back to their greeting him, but gradually, he just stopped leaving his room when they were around. It wasn’t as if Thorn had no reasons for it— he felt his health taking a downturn, and he didn’t know why right away. Aurelian had tried to fuss over him as much as he could, but he couldn’t figure it out either. And then he would get distracted with spending time with Yenn, and Thorn would be left alone to rest.
Thorn eventually realized it when the butterflies told him about it. They were trying to eat away at his sorrow, but doing so was risking his physical health, too. They had an agreement, but even so, they seemed sad about the cost of it sometimes.
Now, Thorn wasn’t sure what to do with himself. They were likely going to be back soon. Was he selfish to feel so sick when he thought about the wedding? Thorn had skipped out on it. He didn’t know if he could stomach watching it, even when Aurelian had tried so hard to involve Thorn in it. Aurelian had to have known why being there would have twisted the knife even deeper for Thorn.
The worst thing for Thorn to think about was that Aurelian didn’t even seem to notice Thorn anymore before talking to him about the wedding. Aurelian had been spending time with Yenn, and Thorn in those days could only listen to the others talk about how the two spiders looked so happy. Thorn wished he had someone he could be happy with like that.
Thorn had lost some weight from how stressed he felt from trying to think about it. He was lucky that he had his jacket to cover it up. Even looking at his own arms, thinner than he remembered them being, still didn’t dredge up an appetite. Most of the time, it was the kind servants and butlers that remembered that he needed food. He never ate much, just enough to make them think he was healthy.
It didn’t stop him from feeling too selfish. Aurelian had spent so much time with Thorn, and instead of trying to make their link official, he chose another monster over him. Did something about Thorn not make him good enough? What made him unworthy? Was it his health? Was it because he was human— different from the rest?
Thorn spent so much time in his room crying, and when he was too tired for that, he stared blankly at the walls. He was so lost. More than once the poor servants stumbled on him in the middle of bawling his eyes out when trying to serve him dinner. He could tell they were worried about him when they’d started to serve him more comfort foods.
(Sweeter things such as cakes were with easier items to eat, such as bread or stews. Sometimes, knowing they were trying just made him cry even more. He felt bad for the one moth girl that had lent him a shoulder to cry on and she was stuck there for more than ten minutes. Even so, she assured him that helping him wasn’t a burden to them, and that they had grown to care for him too.)
Would Aurelian care for Thorn still? They were gone for so long. The butterflies told him to have hope. He can’t just forget about you! was what a younger butterfly had told him. What was there left for me, then? Thorn had asked to the butterfly. He’s all I have left. What do I do when he chooses somebody else?
-
Thorn could tell the servants bustling around earlier than usual was when the two newlyweds had arrived back from their honeymoon. Thorn’s heart hurt still, but one of the servants convinced him to at least leave his room for physical exercise. Another servant offered to help him get his hair cleaned, to which he accepted.
With his usual butterfly perched on his nose, Thorn left after having his hair and skin washed. He did feel better after a bath, but...
He could feel Aurelian looking at him.
Thorn kept his expression neutral as he met Aurelian’s gaze.
Aurelian moved before either of them could say something, and Thorn was enveloped into a tight hug that squeezed the breath out of him.