No Better Than The Beasts

Chapter 24- Apple Blossoms

"Where are we?" Jake asked, spinning around to find the exact same trees in each direction.

Derrick stiffened, but complied. However, before answering Jake's question, the prince uncharacteristically took a hold of his soulmate's hand, which surprised the werewolf. 

"We-We are in an abandoned apple orchard," Derrick said softly, obviously struggling to tell Jake this information. The werewolf wanted to ask why they were in an abandoned apple orchard, but Derrick spoke first.

"Want to climb one?" Derrick asked, pointing to a pretty tree with many handholds for climbing. Jake shifted from foot to foot.

"I, um, never climbed a tree before," Jake said biting his lip.

"It's okay," the prince said," I'll help you."

"You've climbed a tree before?" Jake asked as they made their way over to the tree. Derrick just nodded, and started to climb. The tree wasn't very tall and the prince had done this many times before, so he easily scaled his way through the crown of it.

"Step your foot right there," Derrick said as Jake started to climb: Jake did as he was told. "No-put your hand on that branch. Good. See it's like a ladder, you just have to find the rungs. That's it. Keep going-"

Jake listened to Derrick's instructions until the very last branch. He lifted himself in front of Derrick, and noted how close they were. One more inch closer and their lips would be touching. Derrick was standing on a rather thin branch, unable to move any further now that the werewolf was in his space. Jake's back was pressed against the trunk, and he decided to slide down until he was sitting on the branch he was previously standing on. Derrick decided he was going to do the same thing.

They sat, facing each other, on the same branch.

"So..." Jake asked, aware of how close they were and wondering if Derrick was aware too.

"Yeah?" Derrick asked softly, without his usual sharp tone. Jake looked closely at his soulmate with concern; it seemed...like he was nervous? Why would he be nervous?

"W-Why did you bring me here?" Jake asked, biting his lip. Derrick looked down at the branch he was straddling.

"I-um-I'm sorry I just-"

"No no, it's okay," the werewolf comforted, "You don't have to tell me."

"But I want to!" Derrick growled, his snarky attitude coming back for a second, "Why would I bring you here if I didn't want to explain?"

Jake held out his hands in surrender, but he felt like that question was more directed at Derrick himself rather than him. They sat in silence. Jake felt as if Derrick needed it to calm down, and he was right.

Snow fell lightly into the prince's dirty blond hair, that was slowly becoming darker from the melting snow's moisture. Jake just wanted to run his hands through it, pull him closer by it, and then kiss him like he's never kissed before.

"My mother," Derrick suddenly said, breaking Jake from his thoughts,"She-She always used to bring me here as a kid. We found it together, in the middle of the woods. We'd always make up stories on how it ended up here, with no one to take care of it. It's so beautiful in the spring; she'd always bring my favorite book and read it to me as we lounged in the branches and munched on apples. We'd laugh-" Don't cry, Derrick thought to himself," We'd carve our name into a new tree everyday, but we never managed to get all of them. This tree is the last one without our names."

Derrick ran his hand over it's branches, "But nobody knew it would never get our names carved into it."

Jake looked around the orchard, the thousands of trees. Derrick and his mother must have come here for many years to fill up so many trees. Jake's heart broke at the thought of Derrick's mother dying before they could carve this tree. He grabbed his soulmate's hand just to hold onto him and grant him solace.