“I told you to let it go!” “Wilred! Hey!” Holle grabbed his shoulder, and Wilred shrugged him off, looking the other way. “Really? You pull that shit and now you won’t even talk to me?” “I just don’t see what the problem is.” His shrug was sullen, almost pouting. “He bothered you, and I told him not to do it again.” “But he didn’t bother me! He asked me a harmless fucking question, and you had to go and be an ass about it, even though I asked you not to. I asked you to leave him alone!” “And I didn’t. So what?” “So- So what?” Holle bit back a snarl of frustration, his tail lashing behind him. “You embarrassed me, that’s what! What am I supposed to do the next time I fight him, huh?” “Maybe he should have thought about that before he asked you out!” Holle closed his eyes and took a shaking breath, trying to rein in the frustration that had been building inside him for months. He tried, and he failed. “And maybe I should have said yes!” Wilred stared at him in shock. “What?”

Holle sank down to sit on the edge of the bed, feeling oddly defeated by how freeing it had been to say that. “Maybe I should have said yes. Maybe this was a mistake.” “Holle…” Wilred stood and closed the distance between them, setting a hand on his shoulder. He batted his hand away and repeated, with more conviction this time, “This was a mistake. I knew it. I knew it was, but I never could tell you no.” Wilred reached for him again, and he jerked away. When he tried a third time, Holle snapped. “Don’t touch me!” He hated saying it, hated that he had to say it, hated all of this. “You never fucking listen. When did you stop listening? Why?” “Holle, please.” This time, at least, he didn’t reach again, holding up his hands in entreaty. “Please what? Let you micromanage my life? Tell me who I can talk to? What jobs I can take? Or should we cut to where you tell me you’re sorry and you won’t do it again, except you will do it again because you always do, because you don’t trust me! Why can’t you just fucking trust me?!” Wilred opened his mouth to respond, and Holle cut him off with acid, knowing exactly what he was about to say. “Don’t you even. We broke up.”

“But you still should have-” “Come crawling back to you for help because I went into a shed? Absolutely fucking not. The only thing I did that I shouldn’t have done was agree to try again.” “Holle, you don’t mean that.” “Yeah, I do. I really do.” Holle felt a strange sort of peace settle over him as he finally said it, in spite of the tears running down his face. “Get out, Wilred.” “Holle, come on-” “Get out. Go crash with Rory, or something. And when we get home, get your shit and leave.” His name had barely left Wilred’s lips again when he fixed him with an icy glare, both daring and threatening him to try. He watched as Wilred weighed his options, and realized that there was no winning this fight. Not right now, at least: Holle knew full well, from prior experience and the stubborn set of his jaw, that for his oldest friend, his first love - and oh, he loved him still, he did, it had just all gone wrong somehow now that they weren’t kids anymore - this wasn’t over. But it was. It was.

Auraugust Day 17: Quarrel

Modern AU, Holle realizes there is no fixing his relationship with Wilred.

| #hollekha | #wilredglasse | #AU | #auraugust2025 | #auraugust |

Holle tugged open the door, and found himself face-to-face (well, face-to-chest) with someone he immediately took two steps back from, and turned to leave - he didn't even care in which direction, he just needed to go, and now. Unfortunately, it was much too late for a clean escape. “Holle!” He didn’t want to turn around. Didn’t want to chat, didn’t want to deal with this in any way, but what was he going to do, run? Holle took a breath, set his jaw, and half-turned. “Wilred.” “Holle, hey.” His ex looked something akin to relieved, and that alone set him more on edge. He knew that look, just like he knew the smile that had always warmed his heart. That he could never say no to. He tried to avoid making eye contact. “Hey.” “It’s good to see you. How have you been?” “I-” Holle struggled, fighting the ingrained need to be polite, to answer and go through all the pleasantries. “Can we not, Wilred? Please?” The other man wilted, and Holle had to stave off a stab of guilt. He was like a kicked puppy when he was hurt. “Oh, I- Yeah, of course. Yeah. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

And there it was, the prelude to a guilt trip, and maybe he deserved it. Maybe he was being too harsh, maybe he had been too harsh, maybe, maybe, maybe. But he didn’t have it in him. The most he had was “Sorry.” _________ He made it home on autopilot, and almost didn’t bother to take off his shoes before hunkering down on the sofa, shutting his eyes and curling his tail around himself as he made himself take a deep breath, and then another. He certainly didn’t hear Hien, forgot he was even in the apartment, until a hand on the sofa next to him applied enough pressure to make him aware of it, and he opened his eyes to see his roommate crouched before him, looking concerned. “Hey. Are you alright?” “I- Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, I just…” He shook his head. “It’s nothing.” He watched Hien weigh how much he could pry. He rested a hand near his knee, and sighed, evidently deciding that the answer was ‘not much.’ “As long as you’re alright.”

Hien lingered a little longer before standing, and once he’d left - though he was clearly conflicted about it - Holle closed his eyes again. A short time later, he heard the gentle thud of a full mug being set on the sidetable, and felt the weight of someone settling on the other end of the sofa. A hesitant hand just above his foot. “Hey. Do you want to talk about it?” Holle shook his head, even as he came to the distant realization that the weight of Hien’s hand was a comforting one, rather than something he wanted to pull away from. That he wanted the company. That it helped. That there was something reassuring in someone worrying after him, and that he shouldn’t be worrying him unnecessarily. Holle sighed and sagged forward, until his face pressed against his knees. “I ran into my ex, that’s all.” “Shit, that’s always rough.” Hien rubbed lightly at his shin. “I’m sorry. You want some space? I can disappear for awhile.” Holle shook his head again. “No, it’s alright.” And so Hien stayed, saying nothing else for a long while; at some point, he did lean over to pull the throw from the ottoman and drape it over Holle’s legs. They simply sat, until Holle’s breathing evened out, and the tension slowly began to ebb from him, bleeding away once he was able to let go of the spike of stress that had knocked him so off-balance.

Hien felt that change in him, and patted the top of his foot. “We should eat. Do you still want pizza?” Right. Like the pizza he’d been going to pick up for them, until he’d run into Wilred just inside the door and come running home instead. “Shit, I forgot. Sorry.” “Don’t worry about it.” Hien stood and stretched, then retrieved the mug of now-cold tea from the side table. “A little walk won’t hurt me. So, pizza? Or something else?” “No, pizza’s good. Maybe from somewhere else, though?” Hien laughed. “Fair enough. I’ll be back in a little bit, alright?” Rather than head right out the door, however, he detoured to the kitchen, and promptly returned with warmed-up tea; this time, he delivered the mug right into his hands. He then ruffled his hair, and Holle found himself smiling up at him. “Thanks.” “Anytime.”

Fluffvember Day 8: Tension

Modern AU, Holle runs into someone he was not ready to see again just yet (and forgets he was supposed to get dinner).

| #hollekha | #wilredglasse | #hienrijin | #fluffvember2025 | #fluffvember | #AU

Wilred, a teenage highlander in low-level gladiator equipment, bowing his head at the shrine to Rhalgr in Little Ala Mhigo

An older Wilred in his 20s, with tied-back longer hair, simple DRK sword, and a blue and gold tunic, standing outside of the Ala Mhigan Quarter.

Stolen time.

| #wilredglasse |

a teenage xaela au ra, Holle, and Wilred, cuddled together, asleep on an old rug in Little Ala Mhigo

Holle years later in the Aitiascope; Wilred has met him there, and is kissing the top of his bowed head.

I long to hear your voice
but still I make the choice
to bury my love in the moondust

| #hollekha | #wilredglasse |

Holle on his knees in Urth's Fount in the rain, weeping over Wilred's body.

love me and let me go
you're not the one that I used to know

2/2

| #hollekha | #wilredglasse |

teenage Holle, a xaela au ra, leaving Little Ala Mhigo, holding back tears; behind him can be seen the silhouetted form of Wilred, arms crossed and his back to Holle

during ARR MSQ, an older Holle and Wilred meet again; Wilred has ambushed him, and they are fighting

another angle of the fight, showing Wilred's lunge

I think that I need to let it go
I need to let you go

1/2

| #hollekha | #wilredglasse |