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The moment was a battle of things he couldn't stand, and what honestly spurred him to retreat was Jory trembling. The last thing he wanted was for the afanc to stress about a problem that wasn't really his, though Zaire supposed it now was his considering their relationship. But still to bring him stress was the last thing Zaire wanted.

Then again last thing he wanted, really, was to face Helik in the moment.

"Sorry...I'll explain later.." He offered as they started off, a glance of concern passed down to Jory. On a held breath Zaire tried to get as much distance between Helki and them as possible. For a few sweet seconds it had seemed to work, until he heard the cry of no. It felt like lightning struck, a tingle ran his body causing his toes to curl down viciously against the sole of his shoes and brain to cease function as Helki clung.

He could tell just by the tone, Helki was crying and he hated it, hated that it made him weak to the other.

The hold had glowing blues forced down to Helki, but the automatic mode he went into didn't process to shake him off. Anxiety built up and Zaire's body stiffened on both sides, against Helki and Jory. A soft whine of distress came from looking down into the wolf boils eyes, Helki had given him much in their time together, he knew this. And while not all the moments they spent together was sunshine and daisy, it had by no means been a terrible relationship. But Jory, the things he felt for him now, how happy he honestly was.

Torn, Zaire finally tore his gaze from the other only to have it rest on the floor where his features would curl into a look of puzzlement while searching for the right things to say.

Selfish.

Helki had always called him this, as did many creeple, maybe he was but he didn't have the courage to upset either of them. So he shut down, glancing up only to lock on those tears that ruled him in their relationship. Helki didn't deserve- no- Zaire tried to correct himself, reminding himself he had told the other boil. He had, jack damn it!

Zaire's heart twisted looking at tears, confusing further at his feelings, a hand tightened around Jory, selfishly asking for a rescue pleading while trying to pull him in closer for the comfort he brought.

"Am I now?" Helki smiled though it didn't quite reach his eyes, his gaze focusing back on Jory now after taking in the obvious discomfort that he was causing Zaire that had led to the afanc boil deciding that he needed to intervene on the mahamba's behalf. "Enlighten me then. Tell me what you would have done different were you in my place Jory."

He contemplated telling Jory what he had with Zaire back before the mahamba decided to up and leave him for Amityville. They looked happy. The wolf boil was not. This was all wrong. He should be where Jory stood right now. He was tired of always giving yet not getting what he wanted when it came to Zaire as of late. What right did either of them have to be happy at his own expense after all that he had done to get himself to Amityville so that he could be with Zaire once again?

And just as suddenly as the notion to fight what was at work against him so that he could reclaim the mahamba as his came, it was gone in an instant, replaced by a weariness that permeated his entire being. Very reluctantly he released Zaire then took a small step back from both boils. "Zaire can fight his own battles. I've been with him long enough to know what he's perfectly capable of." He muttered bitterly, his gaze lingering on Zaire now as if to implore him to make the choice of either chasing him away or getting him to stay for good. He did not like one bit the feelings he was getting from this entire situation and how he was reacting to them. This wasn't him at all.

It took everything the boil had not to back down, but he faced that angry smile with stubborn features, even if long ears had drooped back as far as they could possibly go. And he was still trembling, a fine shake that Helki would feel in the hand that was wrapped around his wrist before Jory released him and tangled his fingers together before him, like a shield. "Not this." The answer came almost automatically, without any actual thought. "Not here."

The maul was packed with people, they were being bumped and jostled into as they stood in the middle of the wide walkway. Under normal circumstances the afanc would have been fighting off panic, but to have this sort of confrontation crop up out of the blue, anchoring them there...it felt like his pulse was going wild. He could hear it in his ears, taste it on the back of his tongue.

He didn't want to be there.

Zaire was a solid wight at his back, and he leaned back into him a little harder, swallowing down the rising anxiety attack. The brush of tail against tail made him blink, and he looked down as Zaire cleared his throat, watched that thicker tail curling around his own.

He froze as that deep voice came out, finally, and kept his gave down, watching his feet, their tails, the floor. He didn't want to look up, didn't want to see the look on the wolf's face. Afraid of what he might have seen in Zaire's. So he stood still, holding his own hands to keep from shaking apart, head bowed. Even if he had stepped between the boils, come to Zaire's rescue, he was still a coward. Still so afraid in that moment that he could barely think.

Words stood out, and he clung to him. The Mahamba liked him, he hadn't been with Helki when they had gotten together. Important things.

The Mahamba felt like a real a** watching Helki run off in tears. A pain hit him high and low, it was awful but he didn't call out to stop him. Instead he pushed the hand that Jory wasn't clinging to through his hair and sighed, now noting all the eyes around them. This was going to be a rumor the entire school knew by end of the day wasn't it? He could only imagine and thus sighed a little deeper as he turned to look down at Jory.

"Sorry.." The word was whispered, all that could be said for the moment since Zaire was already starting to tense up under the eyes.

They should go, he needed to go. Slowly his hand laced fingers with Jory's and gave a silent tug. Feet moving on hesitant steps towards the door, giving Jory enough time to decided if he wanted to follow him back to his dorm or go off on his own for awhile. Zaire wasn't even sure what he wanted at the moment to be honest, to have Jory with him or to be alone, but either way he did know what he said was true.

And had to be said.