Wyatt was relieved upon reaching the safety of the next plateau; he’d underestimated Brynn, subsequently setting off unprepared for such an ascent. The climb was as treacherous as he’d warned but they’d made it – just about – and thankfully, she didn’t seem intent on going any further.
As soon as she’d safely scrambled her way onto the ledge, she’d headed for the outlook over the valley below, drawn like a moth to a flame. Wyatt half expected her to drag him with her to enjoy the view, or throw her arms wide and laugh, rejoicing in her accomplishment for the day, perhaps even rub it in his face that she’d made it this far. But she hadn’t done any of that.
Instead, she’d stared in silence, lost in her own world; until eventually, she sank to the ground and cried. It wasn’t a soft, quiet sob either. It was deep, guttural, and full of pain, echoing through the emptiness below.
Parked beneath a gnarled tree with his arms folded, Wyatt thought she might have forgotten he was here. He didn’t exactly know Brynn, but he hadn’t expected this; she always seemed so mischievously upbeat.
Maybe he wasn’t the only one who was adept at maintaining a certain visage-.. maybe that was why he’d found it so difficult to read her; she was wearing a mask. He couldn’t know for sure without asking what was wrong but he didn’t particularly feel like intruding. It didn’t feel right.
He could barely remember the last time he’d cried, but he remembered the way his father had vehemently chastised him for it, despite the fact that he was a mere child at the time. Of course, he’d realised over the years that men felt the same emotions as women, and had just as much right to express them; but it was too late. Try as he might, he couldn’t shed a single tear. He hadn’t cried when his father died, or his mother, or when he’d left Darien behind-.. or countless other times he’d felt like weeping.
He found himself wondering how long it’d been since Brynn had cried like this. Was it a regular thing, or was it a rare occurrence he’d accidentally fallen privy to? It was easy to assume the latter, given the depth of her appeared anguish. You could only hold onto your grief for so long without breaking.
Shivering, Wyatt’s teeth began to chatter involuntarily, distracting him from his sprawling thoughts. The wind had picked up considerably since their arrival; they ought to get going before they got stuck up here for the night and froze to “freedom”.
“We should probably head back before it gets dark…” he said, tentatively approaching her.
Brynn nodded, wiping her nose on her sleeve as she struggled to her feet. It’d gotten cold since the sun began to set; he wasn’t surprised she’d stiffened up.
“Are you-…”
“I am sorry you had to witness that-.. is not normal.” She interrupted.
Brynn frowned apologetically as Wyatt shrugged it off, gesturing for her to take the lead instead. He was almost tempted to ask if she meant normal in general, or normal for her, but he didn’t.
Staring out over the precipice, Wyatt hesitated, struck with the sudden realisation that he hadn’t enjoyed watching Brynn cry. Peoples tears usually entertained him for multiple reasons; either he had caused them - which always produced an odd sense of gratification – or perhaps their face contorted in such a way that made him want to laugh, or it was over something ridiculous and pathetic which was equally fun to observe-.. then there were the classic crocodile tears, especially hilarious if they didn’t work, which they rarely did with him.
As wrong as it was, Wyatt couldn’t help it, watching people cry was fun-.. at least, it usually was. He’d analysed Brynn the same as he would’ve with anyone else, but he hadn’t found it amusing in the slightest.
“Do you have parachute?” Brynn called over her shoulder as she trudged through the snow.
Wyatt snorted. “No.”
“Come on then!” she tittered.
There was that laugh again…
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More face challenge requests! The board is almost done!
Hitoshi/Hiro in D2 @kinomiya
Brooklyn in C5 @let-it-ripperoni
Wyatt/Yuuya in D4 @nekobakubey
Boris/Volkov in B8 @nekobakubey
Zeo in E7 @imma-lil-teapot
Here’s what’s on the way! One slot left!
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