Aether's Obsession
Sobs.
Vaelor crossed the space in three steps, pushing the door open without hesitation. Lirian sat on the edge of the sunken bath, face buried in his hands, shoulders shaking. His ash-blond hair, usually tied in a neat bun for the lab or formal occasions, hung loose and damp around his shoulders, strands clinging to his tear-streaked cheeks like golden threads in rain. His full, small lips were swollen from biting them in a futile attempt to stifle the cries, his face red and blotchy, eyes puffy from the onslaught. The sight hit Vaelor like a gut punch, pulling at the stoic alien prince’s heart in ways he hadn’t known possible, a visceral tug that made his chest ache. This human, so small a