Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Rayla sat tailor-style in the snow, etching out patterns and lines that had no meaning with her butterfly blades. She sighed, pushing her bangs out of her face with her fingertips.

Callum walked up behind her with a smile. "Whatcha drawing?"

"Nothing…" Rayla propped her head on her fist which was on her knee.

"What's this?" Callum crouched down in front of a drawing that seemed to clearly be something, but Callum couldn't see what.

"A metal lotus…"

"Oh," Callum put a hand to his chin, thoughtfully staring at the drawing.

"We can't all be a super fantastic artist like you, Callum," Rayla said sarcastic, putting away her blade.

"It's not that bad."

"Don't lie to me," Rayla laughed as she stood.

Callum grabbed his sketchbook, taking the pencil and sketching the metal lotus from memory. "You just gotta…" he did the finishing touches, "clean up the lines a little."

"It was in the snow. Can't clean up snow."

"True." Callum pulled Rayla into his arms, resting his palms on her lower back. Smiling, he kissed her gently.

Rayla smiled for only a moment before pulling away.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Callum frowned. "It's not nothing."

Rayla went to open her mouth, but she saw two approaching figures in the distance and pulled away from Callum. "Runaan! Ethari!" She hugged the two elves tightly.

"Rayla!" Runaan exclaimed, pulling her in close.

"What's…?" Rayla's voice trailed off as her gaze met Runaan's.

"The silver grove. Are you going back with us?"

"I…" she looked down. "You're goin' back?"

"Yeah. It's our home, and Runaan and I are needed there…"

Rayla bit her lip. "Yeah… home…"

Ethari stared at Rayla for a moment before his eyes widened in remembrance.

Seeing this, Rayla flinched and grabbed Callum. "Welll, would you look at that! Callum and I have… that thing!"

"Huh?" Callum stared.

"You know, that… thing."

"No…?"

Rayla stared at her boyfriend for a long while, her grip tightening on his arm. "Come on, you cute but forgetful human." She dragged him away.

Rayla tugged Callum along with an urgency that Callum hadn't seen in a long while.

"Rayla…" he called.

Nothing.

"Rayla."

Still nothing.

"Rayla!" Callum tugged his arm away from Rayla with all his might, breaking her out of her panic and making her look at him. "Why are you avoiding Runaan and Ethari?"

"It's a long story."

"And we all know I'm a very good listener." Rayla glared at Callum. "I'm here for you, Rayla."

Rayla took a deep breath, fidgeting with the buttons of her shirt. "I can't go back to the Silver Grove. I'm a ghost."

"Can't you fix that somehow?"

"You don't get it."

"That's your home. You can't just abandon it."

"And I can't abandon you either!" Rayla snapped. "I was away for too long because of my own stupidity. I'm not gonna let myself do something like that again."

"So then what are you going to do?"

Rayla sighed with a deep frown. "I don't know…"

Callum stood there, his gaze fixated on Rayla's frown. He wanted to make her smile. He needed to make her smile. He then thought of something.

Reaching for his sketchbook, he flipped through several pages, reaching a page of ocean spell runes. "Snow is just frozen water," he mumbled to himself.

"Yeah…?" Rayla answered, half intrigued and half confused by his statement.

Callum drew a rune in the air, muttering a spell under his breath. He moved his fingers through the air, concentrating on the snow-covered ground. After a moment, the snow seemed to move by itself, forming three small balls stacked on top of each other. "Snowman!" Callum smiled to himself.

"Snowelf," Rayla smirked, digging through the snow to find two small sticks from the ground below and putting them on either side of the head of the snow figure.

Callum laughed. "Whatever you say."

Rayla took Callum's pinkie in her fingertips. She pulled his pinkie up to her lips and kissed it.

Callum smiled at Rayla for a moment before his gaze snapped back to the snow figure. "Okay, we can't have a snowman…elf with only horns."

"Hmm, you're right Callum, but where are we going to get the right accessories?"

Callum thought for a moment. He then parted the snow with magic, plucking up grass. "It can be… hair."

Rayla couldn't help but laugh. "The snowelf needs hair?"

"Definitely," Callum exclaimed as he slowly placed each strand onto the head of snow.

Looking back at Rayla- her smile- he knew he had succeeded in making her happy.

After a moment, Ezran walked up. "Hey, Callum?" Ezran smiled awkwardly.

Callum looked at Ezran and smiled. "What's up, Ez?"

"It's still a ways away, but could you…" his voice trailed off as he fidgeted with papers he held tightly in his hands.

Callum saw the papers and moved to stand where he could look at them over Ezran's shoulder. "What's this?"

"You're more of a book nerd than me. Could you pick out the books that'll be in the castle library?"

Callum laughed softly, putting a hand on Ezran's shoulder. "My little brother still needs me," he smiled, brushing snow off of his hands.

"I- I can… do it…" Ezran mumbled, "…if you…"

Callum profusely shook his head. "N- no! I can do it. I just like the fact that my little brother still needs me. You're… you're growing up too fast…"

"Oh." Ezran smiled slightly, handing Callum the papers in his hands. "Thanks."

Callum pulled him into his arms. "I love you, Ez…"

"I love you, too, Callum, but I do have to run. I have to talk to Soren."

"Soren? About what?"

"I'd… rather not say…" Ezran waved at his brother and then walked off.

Later that night, Callum and Rayla lay in their tent. Callum sat upright while Rayla lay, resting her head on Callum's thigh. Callum had the papers Ezran had given him in hand, somewhat using Rayla's head as a rest for the papers.

Rayla turned her head so the papers were now resting on her face. "So what are those papers for exactly?"

"The library in the new castle. Ez wants me to pick the books that are gonna go in it."

Rayla sat up. "So big, important stuff."

Callum laughed a little. "Basically." He continued marking up the page.

Rayla laid back down. "How much longer are you going to be? I wanna sleep…" she groaned.

"Just a few more minutes- seconds- minutes… I just gotta…" his voice trailed off as he eyed a specific book title. "Huh…"

"What? What is it?"

"Nothing. Just… books."

"Ugh, I'm going to sleep, nerd." She kissed Callum gently before laying down and covering her head with their blanket.

Callum nodded, still staring at the book title. "Spells from the Stars…" he read out loud. His gaze darted to Rayla's. "Do you think-?"

Soft snores.

He slowly got up, running outside and towards Ezran's tent. "Ez, Ez-" he stopped when he saw Soren walking out. "Oh, uh, hi Soren… Is Ez…?"

Soren didn't say anything. He just nodded and walked off, a slump in his posture. It was odd, but Callum didn't have time to think about Soren and his feelings. He had to get answers.

"Ez?" he called, marching into the king's tent. "Are-?"

Inside Ezran stood. He had a concerned look on his face that he quickly shook off when his gaze met Callum's.

"Callum? What's wrong?"

"These books, on these lists?"

"Yeah? What about them…?"

"Where are coming from?"

"Various libraries. Some from the human kingdoms and some from Xadia. Why?"

"A book on the list, it might be really useful."

"Useful? How so?"

"Uh…" Callum hesitated. "It's Spells from the Stars," Callum pointed at the book in the list.

"That one might've been one from Xadia."

"The Great Bookery?"

"Uh, no there was a bunch from somewhere else."

"There's another library in Xadia that's not The Great Bookery?"

"Uh, of course!" Ezran grinned. "There are other libraries here, aren't there?"

"That's… true…" Callum stepped back sheepishly. "I need to go to this library."

"What? Why?"

"That book. I need that book."

"Why?"

"Because that book will make the days I spent…" his voice trailed off as he looked down. "It'll make it worth it."

"I don't understand…"

"And that's fine. Just tell me where it is."

"No."

"What? Why not?"

"I-" Ezran hesitated, his eyes darting to the sky for a moment before going back to Callum. "I don't remember."

Callum frowned. "O- okay… that's fine…." He took a deep breath. "Thank you…"

He then walked away.

Back at the tent, Callum quickly walked in. "Rayla-"

On their mat was a fast asleep elf, bundled and rolled up with their blankets.

"Tomorrow," he smiled, sitting down next to her.

Rayla was so peaceful asleep. She had many troubles and memories that haunted her during the day, but fast asleep under the moonlight, all of that seemed to melt away.

When Callum laid next to her, she stirred sleepily.

The way her hair fell as settled after her movement could be framed within his sketchbook among the thousands of other sketches and drawings of Rayla.

He got out his sketchbook, slowly drawing out the wildly elegant sleeping pose that Rayla had ensued. Hugging her pillow with her face smushed against it, she smiled in her sleep.

Callum always loved when she did that. He didn't know why she did, but anytime he caught the subtle twitch of her mouth, it warmed his heart.

Detailing of his drawing was never hard- especially when it was Rayla. He had memorized every inch of her face, explored every inch of her body. In fact, he could probably draw everything from memory- the curves of her horns, her hips, and bust. But he liked admiring her. He liked, no loved, looking at her. And that was never going to change for as long as he lived.

He took her hand, gently kissing her fingertips, watching her smile grow as she instinctively leaned into Callum's touch. It was as if she subconsciously knew that it was Callum.

Putting away his sketchbook, Callum smiled, allowing Rayla to lean into him further. It was perfect.

Sunlight shone through the gap of the tent, calling Callum awake. Groaning, Callum turned and pushed his face into Rayla's hair.

It smelt of sweet moonberries and lilac- absolute bliss.

Basking in the smell of Rayla's hair, Callum wished he could only smell that- only be by Rayla- forever.

He let his hands travel from Rayla's hair, down her torso, down her arms, to her hands.

He let his hand engulf hers with a smile, running his fingers down each of her fingers with a smile. He stopped at her last finger, holding his hand there.

He wondered how it would feel to hold her hand with a ring there. He intertwined his fingers with hers.

Then, as Rayla shifted in his arms, gently brushing her horns against his chest in her sleep, he remembered the difference.

What steps did he need to take to propose to an elf and still be respectful?

Callum pulled her closer. All of him wished he could bathe in this sweet perfume that was Rayla forever.

But Rayla stirred again and, with a sigh, Callum pulled himself away. He knew that he shouldn't let himself wake her.

He got up, taking a step towards the opening of the tent. Looking back at Rayla, he smiled once more. It was clear in his mind what he was going to do- what he needed to do.

He was going to find Runaan and Ethari.

In a clearing, Callum found Runaan and Ethari. Ethari was at a bush, collecting berries. Runaan was sitting on a rock, sharpening his blade.

Ethari instantly heard Callum's approach. "Callum!" he smiled.

Callum mirrored his smile. "Hey, Ethari!"

"Where's Rayla?" Runaan asked, not looking up from his blade.

"Oh, uh… we're not always together…"

"Seems like you are." Runaan's harsh gaze met Callum's.

Ethari got up from the ground, walking over to Runaan. He put a hand on Runaan's shoulder. "Give him a break Runaan. We're not always together."

Runaan looked up at Ethari and smiled.

"What did you need Callum?" Ethari asked.

"What are you guys doing out here anyways?"

"Preparing to leave," Runaan said bluntly.

"Oh. Uh, well, then, I guess no better time to ask… what exactly are your moonshadow elf marriage traditions?"

Runaan dropped his blade. "Marriage?"

"Runaan, he's in love."

"Is he even going to-?"

"Runaan. He's asking about our traditions. That shows he cares."

Runaan sighed, crossing his arms.

"Our horn cuffs are like your human rings that you put on your…" Ethari extended his hand, wiggling his last finger on his left hand.

"Ring finger?"

"Oh, is that what you call it?"

Callum nodded. "So you don't do rings… at all?"

"Do you see rings on our… ring finger?" Runnan raised his eyebrow.

"No…" There was a long pause that made Callum fidget with the cover of his sketch book at his hip. "So what else do you do?"

"We dance!" Ethari exclaimed. "We have a dance that moonshadow elves learn to show their devotion to their partner and then perform at their wedding ceremony."

"Is… everything dancing for moonshadow elves?"

Ethari shrugged. "Yea, pretty much."

"So can you teach me?"

"What?" Runaan laughed softly.

"Runaan," Ethari elbowed him. "He's in love."

"And our rituals-"

"Are for love. We'll teach you if you want to learn."

"Really?" Callum grinned, excited.

"It's very hard, but if you're willing to learn, it'll show your devotion to Rayla."

"So then will you guys stay longer to teach me?"

Runaan hesitated but Ethari nodded.

"We'll help you out."

After a little bit, Callum walked back into his and Rayla's tent.

"Callum?" Rayla mumbled groggily.

Callum sat down on the mat next to Rayla. "Yeah?"

"What… were you doing out?" Rayla yawned, rubbing her eyes.

"Uh… nothing that important!"

"I remember hearing you leave…" She sat up.

"It was a real quick thing… for… Ez…" He wrapped an arm around Rayla.

Rayla laughed softly. "He's got you working to the bone, hasn't he?"

"Pssh, it's not that bad. It's like… It's not that much work." He laughed softly.

"Whatever you say." Raul's nuzzled herself into Callum's neck.

Callum leaned into the touch with a smile. "Now that you're awake, what other libraries… or whatever you guys call them… are there in Xadia?"

"Bookeries? There are a lot of them." She pulled away slightly from Callum to look at him. "Why are you asking?"

"There's a book that I wanted to get that's in one of the bookeries."

"Were you wanting to go to every bookery to find this book?"

"Maybe…?" Callum shrugged awkwardly.

"I guess I could take you."

"That'd be great!"

"When were you thinking?"

"As soon as possible. W- we could go now?"

"Now? Before breakfast?"

"Yeah! The sooner we go, the sooner we can get that book!"

"What's so important about this book?"

"It's called Spells from the Stars."

Rayla tilted her head. "You're not speaking any sense."

Callum took Rayla's hand, gazing into her eyes.

Looking into Callum's eyes, she groaned. "Fine. Let's go get your stupid book."

The two packed quickly, Callum excitedly rushing them as they did so.

After they were finished packing, Callum swiftly led them into the forest, messily recalling the steps that they'd taken many times before to Xadia.

Venturing deeper and deeper and with Callum's growing urgency, Rayla was getting the feeling that something wasn't right.

"Callum?" Rayla began softly. "Are you sure we're going the right way?"

"Of course! This is the exact route we've taken every time we've ever walked into Xadia."

"Are you-?"

"Callum? Rayla?"

Callum and Rayla's gaze snapped to behind them.

It was Ezran. His brow pushed towards his eyes and a small Xadian creature in hand, he glared at them.

Taken aback by his brother's gaze, Callum hesitated. "Ez? What are you doing out here?"

"Stopping you from leaving."

Chapter Text

Despite the warmth from the fire rubies within their tent, Soren and Corvus slept close, limbs intertwined.

When they awoke, Soren took a moment and gazed at his love in his arms. He smiled, gently kissing Corvus’s forehead.

Corvus eyes fluttered open as he smiled softly. “Good morning, love.”

“It’s always a good morning with you.”

Corvus pulled Soren in, kissing him.

Soren tugged Corvus on top of him, pulling him down against his body. 

“Is this comfortable?”

“Yeah. You’re my weighted blanket.”

Corvus laughed, kissing Soren once more. He then gently pulled away, looking at the opening of the tent and gazing at the bright light slipping through. With a small smile, he sighed, resting his head on Soren's chest and running his thumb gently across Soren's jaw.

Soren smiled at the touch, easing into it before pulling away and kissing Corvus's thumb.

Corvus moved his head to look up at Soren.

When their gazes met, Soren swore he fell in love all over again. He pulled Corvus closer to him, then took his face in his hands. Confusion still shone through the neutral expression on Corvus's face.

Perfection. That was all that Soren could find to describe Corvus's face. He took his thumb and ran it across Corvus's scar. He then sat up, somewhat forcing Corvus to sit up too and then kissed the scar softly.

Corvus smiled softly as Soren kissed it again and again, moving down Corvus's face, to his cheek and then jaw.

"Soren, Soren," Corvus laughed, "what are you doing?"

Soren pulled away. "Kissing you."

Corvus laughed once more, pulling Soren close to him like if he were to let go, he'd lose him.

Soren buried his face into Corvus's neck, playing with the ends of his hair. "I love you so much…"

"I love you, too, Soren." Corvus kissed the side of his boyfriend's head.

Soren pulled Corvus down onto the mat, wrapping his legs around him. He sighed into Corvus's collarbones. "Can we stay like this forever?" he mumbled.

Corvus played with Soren's hair, chuckling softly. "I would love that," he kissed Soren's head. "But we, unfortunately, have a life outside of cuddling."

"Boo…" Soren mumbled.

"I know, I know. We should probably…"

Soren looked up at Corvus and sighed. "Okayyy…" He gave Corvus space to get up.

Corvus got up, moving and opening the tent a little bit to look outside. He looked back at Soren and smiled. “Hey, look.”

“Hmm?” Soren got up, resting his chin on Corvus’s shoulder. His face lit up when he saw the thick blanket of snow. “I haven’t seen snow that thick in years. Since I was little, I think.”

Corvus stepped out, feeling the ice-cold slush of the snow on his bare feet. He grabbed a small handful of snow and put it down Soren’s shirt.

Soren yelped, glaring playfully at Corvus. “Hey! That’s cold!”

Corvus smirked, pulling Soren in to kiss him. “I love you, too.”

Soren saw his smirk and shoved him lightly, shaking the snow out of his shirt. “I think a snowball fight is in order.”

“You’re on.”

"You're going to regret putting that snow down my shirt because… I've got a really good throwing arm. See?" Soren flexed his arm, gazing directly into Corvus's eyes.

Corvus felt his face grow slightly warm. "Shush."

Soren grinned at his reaction and kissed his cheek. "Make me," he smirked, pulling Corvus back inside the tent.

"Oh, don't even say that."

"Why?" Soren's smirk stood strong on his face as he neared Corvus's face.

Corvus pushed Soren's face away with his palm. "You're so lucky I love you."

Soren's face softened as he intertwined his fingers with Corvus's. "I know."

The two got dressed with a little bit of kissing and then walked outside.

Soren put his hand out, letting the snow kiss his fingertips with a smile. He then looked at Corvus, still holding his hand. "You good?"

"What?" Corvus tilted his head and then he realized what Soren meant. "Yes, I have a fire ruby." He gestured to the fire ruby tied to his cloak clasp.

"Good." Soren slowly let go of Corvus's hand, walking further into the snow. He laughed at the snow crunching under his feet. "It's crunchyyy!" Soren cried, a smile on his face.

Looking at Soren's grin, Corvus couldn't help but smile too. When Soren turned around, Corvus bent down and took snow from the ground, throwing it at Soren.

The snow hit Soren in the back of the head.

Soren whipped his head around. The look that Soren gave was worth a million laughs. He shook his head with a laugh on his lips.

Corvus put his hands up. "Okay, so, hitting you in the head was an accident."

"Sure," Soren smirked, bending down and grabbing snow. "I will throw this as hard as I can." He put his throwing hand up.

"Oh I don't doubt that." Corvus bent his knees, preparing to dodge.

After a moment, Soren threw the snowball. Corvus turned and ran.

Soren bolted after him, throwing snowballs as he ran. "You know I'm faster than you, right?"

"Your aim is worse while you're running."

Soren stopped. "You're too smart!" He threw another snowball, it hitting Corvus in the back.

Corvus looked back at Soren with a playful glare.

Soren then bolted for Corvus, tackling him.

The two laughed as they hit the floor.

"Got you!" Soren exclaimed. He then looked at the laughing Corvus beneath him and couldn't help but smile.

When Corvus took notice he stopped as well, raising his eyebrow. "What?"

"I just love seeing you happy. I love making you happy, making you laugh."

Corvus chuckled. "I love you, too, Soren." He brought Soren's lips to his own, kissing him. He quickly pulled away. "Your lips are freezing."

"I guess we have to kiss more," Soren smirked.

Corvus laughed softly, shaking his head. He then took a handful of snow and shoved it in Soren's face.

Soren pulled away, taken aback. "Rude!"

Corvus, pushed at Soren's hand on the ground, making Soren unstable and then he wriggled himself out from under Soren, quickly standing.

"You could've just asked me to get off of you."

Corvus shrugged. "Where's the fun in that?"

Soren found himself laughing softly at his boyfriend. He loved that Corvus still indulged in his silly little challenges and that Corvus knew that it meant a lot to him. He picked up another chunk of snow, forming it into a ball in his hands. He then looked up at Corvus with an evil grin.

Corvus bent his knees, preparing himself to move swiftly to dodge once more. He stared at Soren's hands, waiting for the moment he would strike.

It was then that he saw the blue tint of Soren's fingers and hands. He knew this needed to stop. He stood up straight. "Soren-"

Soren, completely unaware, threw the snowball, it hitting Corvus right in the face. When he realized, his expression changed, softening in both care and embarrassment. "S- sorry, I-"

Corvus wiped the snow that hadn't fallen off of him onto the ground. "You're fine, but your hands."

"What about them?" Soren asked, looking down at his hands.

"They're turning blue. They're too cold."

"oh. I guess you're right. Huh."

Corvus's brow furrowed as he walked towards Soren. "You didn’t feel your hands start to go numb because they’re too cold??"

"no?" Soren forced a small laugh. "I didn’t know that was a thing."

Corvus went to wrap his hands around Soren's, but instinctively pulled away when he felt just how cold they were. "Shit, they’re cold." He forced himself to wrap his hands around Soren's. "Let’s warm them up before you lose them."

Soren stared at Corvus. "…y- you can lose your hands from them being too cold??"

"Yes! How do you not know that?! And how-" Corvus squeezed Soren's hands as if he could make the cold and the shivering go away by force. As he looked up at Soren- at his fear- realization struck him. "You know that this isn't normal, right?"

"I- … It’s… probably normal…" Soren mumbled, staring at his hands.

"Soren, no. This is not normal. Your nerves should be sending signals to your brain that you’re cold so someone else doesn’t have to notice for you."

Soren looked down. “I- I’m sorry…”

“No, don’t apologize. We just need to warm up your hands.”

"Okay…” 

Corvus pulled Soren along and back to their tent. 

Corvus reached up and untied the fire ruby from the roof of the tent, putting it in Soren’s hands. “Hold this. And…” He put his hands on Soren’s shoulders, pushing him down onto the mat. “Bundle up.” He wrapped Soren in the blankets.

Soren smiled softly at Corvus, watching him care for him like he was the most precious thing in the world. “Love, I think you’re overreacting a little bit. It’s just my hands.”

“I'd rather overreact than underreact,” Corvus said, sitting down on the mat next to Soren and wrapping his arms around him.

“Corvus, I’m serious, I’m fine.”

“You don’t know that. You didn’t know your hands were turning blue. You’re not going to know if they’re okay.”

Soren sighed. “You’re right… I guess I do like this.”

Corvus attentively fixed his wrap job of the blanket around Soren like his life depended on it. “You like me taking care of you?”

“Yeah…. Is that…" he looked down, "weird?”

Corvus shook his head, tucking the small sliver of bang out from Soren's bun back behind his ear. "I don’t think so.”

Soren smiled softly but still didn't meet Corvus's eye. “I don’t think I’ve ever really had someone take care of me like this. Even when I was sick… I guess my mom did… she spent…” His voice trailed off and he shook his head. "Never mind..."

“Well, then let me be the first in a while.” Corvus kissed Soren’s cheek.

Soren took his chin and guided his lips to his own. He pulled Corvus onto his lap, his lips still pressed against Corvus’s.

Corvus pulled away slightly with a laugh on his lips. “This is not taking care of you.”

“Actually, this is a great way to warm me up.”

Corvus chuckled, kissing Soren again. He went on for a moment and then pulled away. "Can I ask you something?" he said, still holding Soren close. Soren nodded slightly. "This was because of the… dark magic, right?"

"I- I guess…?"

"So it's occasional pain insensitivity, temperature, and an inconsistent heartbeat?"

"How do we even know it's occasional?"

"You felt the snow when I put it down your shirt," Corvus replied simply.

Soren's gaze met Corvus's and he melted into his arms. "I guess you're right…"

"See?"

Soren looked at him with a smile. "Thank you. I'm so lucky to have you."

Corvus chuckled and gently kissed Soren. When he went to pull away, Soren followed his lips. He looked at Soren for a moment before putting a hand behind Soren’s back and pressing Soren into him.

A shiver ran down Soren’s spine as Corvus ran his hand up Soren’s back and gripped Soren’s hair. He then groaned as Corvus pulled it. “You know me too well,” Soren mumbled against Corvus’s lips.

Corvus chuckled, gently pushing Soren down onto the mat. He folded Soren’s cloak down and took off his scarf, kissing his neck gently.

“Make marks if you want,” Soren mumbled. “Your scarf hides my neck completely. Show anyone who sees my neck somehow that I’m yours.”

Corvus chuckled softly. “You’re such a cheesy dork.”

Soren frowned. “Is… that a bad thing…?”

“No, no, it’s not. You somehow make the cheesiest things sound romantic.”

“Okay then I did-“ Soren was cut off by Corvus biting his neck gently. “That feels really good…” Soren groaned.

“Good…” Corvus pressed his lips against Soren’s neck until he had made several dark marks. He then took off Soren’s shirt, making more marks all over his collarbones and pecs.

Soren moaned softly as Corvus continued, putting a hand on the back of Corvus’s head to encourage him to continue. “You’re going to make my whole chest raw,” Soren chuckled softly.

“Are you complaining??” Corvus looked up at Soren from his pecs with a somewhat innocent look.

Soren felt his face flush. “You’re so fucking hot.”

Corvus chuckled softly, moving up Soren and kissing him slowly and passionately. After a moment, he pulled away, actually looking at Soren and his chest. “Fuck,” Corvus mumbled. “I’m sorry. I got a little carried away.”

Soren looked at his chest and laughed. “I don’t care. You can make more if you want.”

Corvus looked at the entrance of the tent and then back at Soren. He shook his head. He then laid beside Soren, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him close. “Not today…” he sighed.

Soren put his head in the crook of Corvus’s neck. “What’s wrong, love?”

Corvus shook his head. "Nothing…"

Soren took Corvus's hand and kissed it. "Something's wrong."

Corvus shook his head again. "Not now."

"You're so secretive sometimes…"

Corvus sighed, pulling Soren's head into his neck. "Another time… For now, lets just… lay here and warm you up…"

Soren nodded hesitantly. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Soren."

"I know," Soren smiled softly.

After a while of the two just laying there, a head poked it's head through the opening of the tent. Soren quickly pulled a shirt on, his gaze turning towards the opening of the tent.

It was Opeli. "Sorry if I'm interrupting… something, but… king Ezran would like to see you." She locked eyes with Soren.

"Me? What-? …Oh." He looked at Corvus for a moment, his eyes wide and then back at Opeli. "But I'm so warmmm."

"Then take a fire ruby," Corvus nudged him.

Soren frowned and looked at him. "You're no help."

"You have a job, Soren. Go do it. I will still be here when you get back."

Soren sighed, kissing Corvus quickly before getting up and following Opeli out.

Soren walked into Ezran's tent, a slight shake in his fingertips as he opened the tent. "King Ezran?"

Empty.

He stood awkwardly in the center of the tent, looking at the surroundings.

After a moment, Ezran entered the tent. "Soren! Sorry that for being late. I was…"

"No, you're okay. You've got… kingly duties."

"Y- yeah…" Ezran cleared his throat. "So, uh, about what happened... with that other guard…?"

Soren tensed. "Yeah…?"

"I want you to apologize."

"Apologize? But, I-"

Ezran put his hand up and Soren stopped himself. "I know, but violence should not be your solution to an issue like this. You should've come to me. You know I wouldn't have tolerated homophobia."

"I- I know…" Soren pushed his chin to his neck, looking down. "So just… apologize to him? For punching him?"

Ezran nodded. "In front of everyone."

"Oh…" Soren swallowed hard. "Won't that send the wrong message…?"

Ezran shook his head. "It'll show that violence isn't tolerated-"

"But it'll show that homophobia is."

Ezran shook his head once more. "That guard is going to be stripped of his status. I don't want someone like him on the guard."

Soren nodded slowly. "What happens if I don't apologize to him…?"

"Soren." Ezran's voice had spikes in the corners of it as if it came as a warning.

"What?? You know that he deserved it! What if I don't-?"

"I'll start separating you and Corvus on the job."

Soren's eyes widened. "You-"

"You're dating. You two shouldn't be in so many risky situations together. Being in risky situations with someone you care about like that could make situations worse."

"That's like separating you and Callum. We all care about each other, not just me and Corvus."

Soren's heart pounded in his chest. Every throb of it sent a burning sensation throughout his chest. His lungs ached as he just tried to breathe, but every breath came jagged and sharp. He tried to remind himself in his mind that it was just a job, but his body couldn't seem to take the hint. It felt like so much more than that. It felt like Ezran was trying to take away Corvus, lock him away, isolate him from everything he cared about- everything he had built after…

He couldn't stand to lose Corvus again.

"Soren, you know what I mean."

Soren fidgeted with his hands, trying to not let his panic show on his face. "We were best friends long before we ever started dating."

"I know that, but also, working with your boyfriend is a luxury. A luxury that I could easily take away. Now you know what's at stake… so I guess do what you think is right."

The smartness of Ezran's statement pulled Soren out of his panic for a moment. He glared, but he couldn't help but be proud. "Who raised you to be so smart?"

"You and Corvus helped."

Soren smiled slightly and nodded, the essence of his panic still shadowing him. "Glad we could."

Soren walked back to his tent, tossing himself onto the mat next to Corvus. He took a deep breath, the panic from before weighing down on him once more.

"Did he want what I think he wanted?"

Soren stared at the top of the tent, not daring to meet Corvus's eye. "Yeahh… He's making me apologize."

"Are you actually going to do that?"

Soren sighed through his teeth. "I have to. He's my king and I need to do what I'm told…" Corvus took his hand and Soren flinched away. "Sorry… or… I…" he sighed, pulling Corvus's arms around him.

Corvus allowed Soren to pull him, laying there, studying Soren, trying to judge what he needed from him. "You're okay, Soren."

"I'm making sense, right?"

"Yeah," Corvus ran his fingers through Soren's hair. "You're making sense. You don't need to worry, love."

Soren looked at Corvus. "What would you do in my situation?"

Corvus sighed. "Sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do. Sure, he might've deserved it, but that doesn't mean it was the right thing to do. Haven't we already had this conversation?"

Soren nudged his head into Corvus's neck. "Maybe…"

"Then why are you asking me again? Do you want me to say something different?"

"N- no…" Soren mumbled. "I just don't really want to apologize even though I know I should… especially…"

"Especially what?"

"Ezran said if I don't apologize, he's going to start separating us on the job."

"Maybe that wouldn't be a bad thing."

Soren sat up, staring at his boyfriend. "What are you-?"

"We can both be a distraction to each other. That's all I'm saying."

"We both know how to behave!" Soren's voice came out a lot harsher than intended, scraping against his throat on the way out.

"I know, but we both have our moments."

Soren opened his mouth and closed it a few times before ultimately just laying down, pulling a blanket over his face. He took a deep, shaky breath, trying to push away the emotions he was feeling. It didn't work.

He tensed his body, held his breath- anything to get rid of the feelings. All that came out were tears.

He tried to cry in silence, but a big, gasping breath alerted Corvus of his tears.

Corvus gently took the blanket off of Soren's face. "What's going through your head?"

Soren shook his head. "This isn't fair to you."

"How so?"

"Every time I have a… moment, it's always you who has to talk me down from whatever ledge my mind has walked me up to. I hate that. I don't want that to be the rest of our lives."

Corvus took a deep breath. "It won't."

Soren stared at the ground. "It sure feels like it's going to be and you don't deserve to walk around eggshells around your boyfriend or husband or whatever I'll be. You deserve to be happy and…" Soren got up from the mat, "you know. Do I even make you h-?" His voice cracked, cutting him off.

"Soren. Listen to me." Corvus's voice was gentle, coaxing Soren to look at him. "You're overwhelmed and tired. Your feelings are all valid, but believe me when I say that I don't feel that way. You're trying to regulate yourself. That's what matters. Sometimes it doesn't work."

"Sometimes? It never works!"

"In a low moment, you're not going to remember a good one."

"What made you so smart…?" Soren murmured.

"Observation. Lots of observation."

Soren took a deep breath, it catching in his throat. He groaned to himself, resting in a crouch. "I don't want to deal with this…"

Corvus got on the ground next to Soren and hugged him gently.

Soren leaned against Corvus, eventually finding himself gently falling to his butt. "I'm sorry…"

Corvus shook his head, gently kissing Soren's temple. "Don't apologize for something you can't control."

"I should be able to control it…"

"Healing from shit you went through takes time."

"Can we just go to bed…? I- I think I'm done with today…"

Corvus nodded. "Yeah. Do you want my help to stand?" Soren stared for a moment, more tears running down his face. "What?"

"Nothing. I'm fine…" he wiped his tears with the back of his hand. He then quickly got up, Corvus taking his hand and kissing it.

Soren stared once more.

"Something is wrong."

Soren shook his head and then quickly pulled Corvus into his arms.

Corvus hesitated for a moment and then hugged him back.

"Thank you…" Soren mumbled.

"Of course." Corvus held Soren's head as he hugged him, rocking them back and forth a little bit on his feet. "I love you, Soren."

"I love you, too…"

Chapter Text

"I think it's time for me to go back to Duren," Aanya spoke, quickly grabbing Ezran's attention from his desk.

"This soon?"

"It's been months. The people of Duren need their queen."

"Yeah, but-" Ezran inhaled sharply and sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"I…" he stood up. "Queen Aanya, you have been so much help. I… I don't think I'm quite ready for you to leave…"

Aanya laughed softly. "I fear I might've overstayed my welcome."

"You definitely haven't!" His voice came out louder and more desperate than he intended. "W- what if you… stay for the holiday? We have a lot of things we do here in Katolis or- … we did…"

"What do you mean?"

"So much has been going on… and we lost… everything that we would use for our traditions in that fire…"

"I would be happy to inform you of some of Duren's traditions if that would alleviate some of your stress," Aanya bowed her head slightly.

"It might… but…" he sighed.

"What's troubling you?"

"A lot of things…" Ezran shrugged.

"I could possibly help."

"What would you do if your head crown guard punched one of the other guards? I've been trying to figure this out for… a while now, but…" Ezran groaned to himself.

"What was the reason?"

"He said that the guard said… a bad word… a homophobic word."

"Do you believe him?"

"Yeah, Soren wouldn't lie about that."

"Then… what image do you want to set, king Ezran?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you tolerate homophobia?"

"No."

"Do you tolerate violence?"

"No."

"Then you need to make a decision that will show that."

Ezran took a moment and thought. He then sighed. "Do you think it would be too harsh to remove that guy from the guard?"

"If that's what you see fit, no."

Ezran nodded. "And then… Soren." Ezran slumped on his bed. "It feels… I can't remove him. He doesn't deserve that. He wasn't in the wrong… or- he was attacking provoked. I don't blame him for what he did, but I can't just let it go…"

"Then, a small punishment," Aanya elegantly sat next to Ezran.

"What about making him apologize…?"

"Along with removing the other guard from the line? Yeah."

"Thank you. I'll talk to them both."

Aanya got up. "Of course."

Guilt lived in Ezran's gut after speaking with Soren. It made him feel as though he was being unfair, unreasonable, but he knew that he was doing what was right… or at least he hoped.

He trailed behind Soren, stopping just before the opening of the tent. He sighed, moving back towards the center of his tent.

"Ez!" Ezran turned to see Callum at the opening of his tent.

"Callum? What's wrong?"

"These books, on these lists?"

"Yeah? What about them…?"

"Where are coming from?"

"Various libraries. Some from the human kingdoms and some from Xadia. Why?" Something told Ezran that Callum had another one of his big ideas. It worried him.

"A book on the list, it might be really useful."

"Useful? How so?"

"Spells from the Stars," Callum pointed at the book in the list.

"That one might've been one from Xadia."

"The Great Bookery?" Callum tilted his head.

"Uh," Ezran shook his head. "No there was a bunch from somewhere else."

"There's another library in Xadia that's not The Great Bookery?"

"Uh, of course!" Ezran almost laughed, but not in a cruel way. "There are other libraries here, aren't there?"

"That's… true…" Callum took a step back. "I need to go to this library."

Ezran stared for a moment, unable to say anything while anxiety pressed against his skin, trying to escape him. "What? Why?"

"That book. I need that book." With a small rasp of desperation, Callum's voice had an itching eagerness that made Ezran's skin ache.

"Why?"

"Because that book will make the days I spent…" his voice trailed off as he looked down. "It'll make it worth it."

"I don't understand…" He refused to understand.

"And that's fine! Just tell me where it is."

"No."

"What? Why not?" The pain and confusion in Callum's face hurt.

"I… don't remember…" Lie. It was a lie. He knew exactly where that book was coming from. He knew. Guilt forced his eyes down. He couldn't look at his brother mid lie.

"O- okay… that's fine…." He took a deep breath and turned away. "Thank you…"

The moment that Callum left, everything broke. Callum wanted to leave. He wanted to leave Katolis- Ezran.

His legs shook as the reality of the situation sunk in, digging itself underneath Ezran's skin.

He had to stop him. He ran out of the tent, eying the back of Callum's head in the distance. But could he even stop him if his mind was made up?

No.

He stopped. The idea made Ezran's whole body ache.

He then sighed, aimlessly walking camp, walking away from Callum and his chances of keeping his brother and towards Aanya's tent.

"What? What's wrong?"

"I-" Ezran hesitated. Surely he couldn't rely on queen Aanya for all of his troubles. "Nothing," he smiled.

"Something is wrong. Otherwise you wouldn't have come to my tent at night like this."

"Just…" His mind raced to think of another reason to be there. "…tell me about your holiday traditions!"

Aanya laughed. "I'm sure my holiday traditions don't matter much in this case. I'm honestly happy to see what traditions you have."

"Well… that's just the thing…"

"What's the thing?"

"I'm not sure using our old traditions is a good idea. Wouldn't it remind everyone of what they've lost?"

"I am an outsider to your traditions so I don't think I'm the one you should talk to about this. Perhaps talk to someone you trust like your brother."

Ezran looked down. "I don't think he'll care all that much…"

"Why's that?"

"He cares more about a stupid book."

"Sounds like you should talk to him."

"He seemed pretty set on going and getting that book and leaving…"

"Talk to him."

Ezran's gaze drifted to Aanya's. The comfort willed the anxiety to drain from his skin for a moment. "Will you stay for the holiday?"

Aanya nodded.

"Thank you…"

"Of course, king Ezran. I enjoy your company."

"And I enjoy yours."

The next morning, Ezran ran to Callum's tent. When he got there; empty.

Panic struck him. Were they already gone? Did they already leave?

He ran to the nearest common folk. "Have you seen Callum?"

"The high mage? I saw him and Rayla walking out of camp for… something."

Ezran's eyes widened. "No!" He turned to a nearby guard. "Get my horse ready."

"Yes, sir." And the guard ran off.

The more time that went by, the larger the pit of dread got in Ezran's stomach. He couldn't wait around. He needed to go.

Ezran ran into the forest until his legs begged him a moment to stop- until his breath came ragged, thin, and humid. He then searched for an animal burrow or tree knot or something.

"Anyone there?" Ezran called, overturning rocks and parting grasses.

Then, a small chitter.

Ezran's body released all the tension it had been holding in that moment.

"Hello!"

The creature tried to run, but the shift in Ezran's expression to kindness and the release of tension in his body, called it towards him.

"My brother might've passed by. Have you seen him?"

The creature tilted its head.

"He's about this tall, brown greasy hair, has a spellbook, a magic staff."

The creature nodded enthusiastically.

"Can you take me to them?" Ezran asked, extending his palms to the creature.

The creature slowly stepped on his palms. It then guided Ezran deeper into the forest.

After a ways of waking, Ezran found himself getting anxious again. "Are we close?"

The creature nodded.

Then, in the distance, Ezran heard voices.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?"

It was Rayla.

"Of course! This is the exact route we've taken every time we've ever walked into Xadia."

"Callum? Rayla?"

Heads beyond some trees turned to Ezran.

"Ez? What are you doing out here?"

"Stopping you from leaving."

"What? But I thought you were okay with me going and getting this book?"

"Isn't Katolis more important?"

"This is for Katolis! Getting this book will help all of us!"

"What is so important about this stupid book?!"

The air thickened as Ezran yelled.

Callum took a step back, but willed himself to take a deep breath and speak calmly. "Look, I did something hard that I thought was useless and stupid. This book gives it purpose."

Ezran bit his lip, furrowing his brow. "So that's it?"

"What's it?"

"You're just going to leave me?"

"Leave you? I just told you what I'm doing. I'll be back in a few days."

Ezran took a deep breath, his heart aching. Words struggled to form as Callum's head turned away from him. "Callum…" he started, words threatening to shake as tears poked holes in every defense he had. "I don't want you to leave. Not as your king, but as your brother…"

Callum turned and stared, seeing tears falling down Ezran's face. "Ez?"

"I- I miss having a home, I miss having… dad, I miss those nights that you'd let me sleep in your bed with you, I miss… being small enough to fit into the castle vents to sneak jelly tarts… I don't want to miss you, too."

Callum stared at Ezran, frozen. He didn't know what to do. "Ez, I-"

"Don't go. Please don't go…"

Callum took gentle steps towards Ezran. He then hugged him tightly. "I'm not."

"Thank you…" Ezran sighed into Callum's arms.

"Yeah, yeah of course… t-thank you for letting me know that you were… feeling this way…"

Ezran nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I… I didn't want you to worry…"

"I'm your older brother. It's my job to worry about you even though you're a big strong king running a kingdom."

The two laughed softly.

"Honestly, you know Callum, he'll worry no matter what," Rayla walked up to the two, crossing her arms.

Ezran laughed once more. "Yeah, you're right."

"I'll still worry about you even when we're both gray and old and we don't see each other every day."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"King Ezran, may I ask why you asked for us specifically? With your urgency, this feels like a matter that the council should deal with."

"I… I wanted you two. Just you two," Ezran smiled shyly as Soren and Corvus exchanged a look.

"Do I need to beat someone up?" Soren asked, driving his fist into his palm.

"N- no!" Ezran laughed a small bit awkwardly. "It's nothing like that."

"Okay, then what is it?" Soren tilted his head.

"I'm sure you're both aware that the holidays are coming up rather quickly." Soren and Corvus both nodded. "And with… recent events, Katolis can't do our normal holiday traditions… I don't know what to do… I've considered… canceling the holidays to-"

"You can't!" Soren blurted out.

"Why not?"

"Because! I… The people of Katolis have already lost so much! You're taking away another thing if you do that!"

"And because of that, I wouldn’t blame anyone if they didn’t want to celebrate anything."

"But that's also why we should have a holiday! Lift spirits! And… maybe forget about all of that just for a little bit."

Ez nodded after a moment. "You're right."

"I know I am," Soren grinned.

"I… need to figure out what we can do since we can't do what we normally do."

"If you need help with that, we're both here."

Ezran smiled softly. "Thank you both…"

"Of course. Even though I think it was mostly Soren that helped."

"You're both dismissed."

Soren and Corvus both bowed their heads and left.

After a moment, in popped Callum's head. "Did I… miss a meeting?"

"No it was just them."

"Oh, what did Soren and Corvus want?"

"Nothing. I was asking them for advice."

"Asking Soren for advice? My little brother has finally lost it."

Ezran laughed. "Maybe so, but he was actually really helpful. So what did you need?"

Callum stepped fully into the tent, revealing a pillow and blanket. "I was thinking that I could sleep in here tonight?"

"What about Rayla?"

"She's fine sleeping in our tent alone."

Ezran smiled softly, a nostalgic warmth in his heart at the thought of a sleepover with his brother. "Thank you…"

Callum set down his blanket and pillow and hugged Ezran tightly. "Of course! I think we've both gotten really caught up in life and work that we haven't had a chance to just be brothers… if that makes sense at all."

"It makes sense. And, yeah, you're right."

"So," Callum sat down on Ezran's mat. "Tell me about you and queen Aanya."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Is there not something going on between you two?"

"No? Nothing's going on between us." Ezran sat next to Callum.

Callum wrapped his arms around Ez, shaking him. "Are you sureee??"

"Yesss!! She's just been helping me a lot."

"Well, then do you like her???"

"I-" Ezran hesitated. "I… don't know…"

"That's okay. You don't have to know. You're young."

Ezran playful pushed Callum. "I'm not that young."

"You're young enough to be my little brother so you’re young."

"That's just how age works."

"It also makes you my little brother forever." Callum messed with Ezran's hair as the two laughed.

After a moment, Ez pulled away. "So when are you going to propose to Rayla??"

Callum's face reddened. "I- I don't know…"

"Oh come on!" Ezran shook Callum's arm. "You gotta do it soon! You two are perfect and gotta get married soon!"

"I do want to marry Rayla. I love her more than anything, but I want to figure out how to do it properly."

"Properly?" Ezran tilted his head.

"I want to propose to her like a moonshadow elf would. I- I don't want to mess that up because if I can't get that right, that might…" His voice trailed off. "I want it to be… proper."

"Rayla also knows that you're human and you didn't grow up with the things she did."

"Yeah, but I still want it to be perfect- for Rayla!"

"Don't let yourself get too wrapped up in it though."

"I just gotta research."

Ezran laughed, laying back on his mat with a sigh. "I missed this."

"Missed what?"

"Being able to just talk like this about anything and not worry about adult things for a while…"

Callum layed back next to Ezran. "I miss this too."

"We should do this more often."

"Yeah, we should."

The two smiled and laughed about various things.

Then, the pitter patter of rain on the top of the tent.

The two stopped and stared at the ceiling.

"Is it…?" Ezran's voice trailed off as he got up.

Callum followed.

Ezran reached out the opening of the tent, feeling water droplets kiss his fingertips.

"It is!" Ezran grinned.

From inside the tent, Callum raised his hand, writing a rune in the air. "Umida Palma Ferio."

Defying gravity, water shot towards Callum's hand, forming a sort of brick at his fingertips.

"Woahh…" Ezran gaped.

Callum gently pushed the water into Ezran's face and Ezran laughed.

"Your magic is amazing."

"Thank you. I've been working on this spell for a while." He pushed his hand out and the water tossed itself towards the ground outside.

The rain picked up.

"Do you think there'll be thunder and lightning?" Ezran gripped Callum's arm.

"Are you still afraid of thunder?"

"N- no! Why would I be-?"

"It's okay if you are. If there is any thunder and lightning, I'll be here," Callum smiled, pulling his brother into his arms.

"I love you, Callum."

"I love you, too, Ez."

Chapter Text

Soren's eyes shot open as he quickly got up, shuffling himself out of Corvus's arms. He walked towards the opening of the tent.

Corvus being a light sleeper, awoke, sitting up. "What's wrong?"

"N- nothing…"

"You're shaking."

"You can see that?" Soren's gaze shot to him.

"Yeah. Now what happened?"

Soren stood there, his thoughts a whirl, threatening to take him down.

"You obviously had a bad dream. What was it about?"

Soren sat down on the mat, facing away from Corvus. "We were fighting…"

Corvus studied Soren's body language along with his breathing. "What about?"

"I don't know. Something stupid I did. It was a screaming match." His hand began shaking again so Corvus scooted to sit behind him, resting his head on Soren's shoulder and taking his hand. "Why don't you yell anymore…? You're supposed to get angry when I do something stupid. You're supposed to get mad, call me stupid, say you wish you never knew me. Instead…" Soren inhaled sharply. "My- Viren was-"

"I'm not Viren."

Soren's eyes darted to Corvus's and then the floor. "I- I know…"

"That is not what love is to me. So I'm not going to treat you like that. You don't deserve that, Soren." He took a deep breath. "Do you think you deserve that?"

"I-" Soren hesitated. "T- that's a stupid question."

Corvus moved to sit beside Soren. "Why is it a stupid question?"

"Because… all my life…" Soren's voice trailed off as he took a deep breath. "Never mind. I don't want to talk about this anymore…"

"That's fine. I just want to make sure you understand- I'm not going to yell at you because it's not productive. Sometimes when people talk to you with a harsh tone, you shut down and-"

"I do-?" Soren realized that he cut off Corvus and hesitated. "S- sorry… continue."

Corvus cupped Soren's cheek, sliding his hand up to Soren's temple to run his hand through Soren's hair. "I want to be able to work through things, so maybe one day we don't even have to talk about the small things anymore. We'll just know. Yelling won't help that."

Soren nodded, leaning gently on Corvus. "I don't know what I did to deserve you…"

Corvus wrapped his arm around Soren, playing with his hair. "You deserve every good thing in your life."

Soren laughed softly. "I love you, Corvus. Thank you for… always treating me good…"

"That's what you deserve."

Soren brought his head up and kissed Corvus's cheek.

Footsteps. Instinct told Corvus to separate himself from Soren, but he stayed right where he was, freezing for a moment.

Soren felt Corvus tense and looked at him. "What's wrong?"

"Soren? Corvus?" A voice outside rang.

"Oh I see."

"King Ezran wants to speak with you two."

"We'll go see him," Corvus called.

"Okay, thank you both." And the footsteps faded.

Soren looked at Corvus. "Your hearing is too good."

"I'm a tracker. I have to have good ears."

"I don't see how that matters…" Soren stared.

"I have to be able to hear the smallest changes in my environment so I can know when-"

"Nerd!" Soren nudged Corvus gently with a big grin.

Corvus couldn't be mad. In fact, he couldn't help but laugh when he saw Soren's face of pure joy. "You ready to get up and ready?"

Soren sighed dramatically. "If we must. I guess the world doesn't stop to let me have a moment with my future husband."

Corvus's heart did a back flip as he met Soren's gaze, obviously watching to see a reaction from him. He kept a neutral face, pushing a palm into Soren's face. "No it doesn't."

Soren frowned, licking Corvus's hand.

"Did-? Never mind." Corvus wiped his hand off, already knowing that Soren did, in fact, lick his hand and did not regret it or really even think about the action beforehand.

"Armor?"

"Armor," Corvus nodded. "We don't know what exactly he wants."

Soren groaned a little bit. "My discomfort will be your fault."

"What?"

Soren took off his shirt, revealing the array of marks all over Soren's chest from the day before.

"Oh. I forgot that I did that."

"See?? Armor's going to rub all over this even with pajamas on under."

"Remind me to never do that again…"

Soren's gaze shot to Corvus, face hot. "W- wait- no I was just joking!"

Corvus chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "Just get ready."

"You're…" Soren huffed out air.

"I'm what?" Corvus raised his eyebrow.

"You're… difficult."

"You annoy me… in a very loving and not bothersome way so I annoy you too."

"I…" Soren's voice trailed off as his brain practically glitched, trying to figure out what to do or say. He went to kiss him but pulled away, took his hand and then let go, staring for a moment while Corvus stared back in half amusement, half concern. When Soren saw this, he groaned, glaring at Corvus.

"Soren, just use your words."

"Don't talk to me like I'm stupid…" Soren mumbled, crossing his arms.

Corvus laughed, extending his hand to Soren. "I didn't mean for you to feel that way. Just, if you are trying to tell me something, I can't understand. And I want to understand."

Soren took Corvus's hand, slowly and gently. "I was just… joking." His voice was small.

Corvus tucked Soren's bangs behind his ear. "I know."

"O-okay."

The two of them got ready quickly and headed out to their king's tent.

After talking with Ezran, the two walked back to their tent. On this walk, Soren's gaze lingered behind them.

Corvus noticed and stopped. "What's wrong?"

"Didn't you notice?"

"Notice what?"

Soren took a deep breath. "It's times like these that I remember that he's just a kid… I wish I could…"

Corvus gently took Soren's hand and nodded. "Yeah… but all we can do is offer our support to him when he requests it. He is a king that needs to figure it all out himself. We can't baby him. He's not our kid."

"He kinda is."

"No? He is not biologically related to either of us at all."

"But, he said it himself. We've helped him in small ways like dads would… or at least they should." Soren's brow furrowed as he stared off in the direction they had been walking.

Corvus saw this and tugged Soren's hand closer to him. "Lets go back to our tent."

Soren's gaze shot to his boyfriend. "O- okay."

As soon as Soren got inside the tent, he tore off his armor top and flopped down on the mat with a sigh.

Corvus frowned and laid next to him. "Are you still thinking about him?"

"Is it wrong to worry about him? He might be the king, but he's still my friend and he's still a kid."

"I know and it's not wrong to worry about him." Corvus rested his head on Soren's chest. "I worry about him, too, but we'll be there if he needs us." He then pulled away, hearing footsteps outside. Listening close, he determined there was a chance they were approaching so he placed a blanket on Soren’s chest to cover the hickies.

On the other side of the opening of the tent was Amaya. She smiled at the sight of Corvus.

Corvus quickly got up and walked to meet Amaya outside.

What's wrong? Corvus signed.

I'm going to go back to Lux Aurea. I'm assuming you're staying?

Corvus's hands froze.

You should stay with him.

What about you?

I will be with my wife. You be with your boyfriend. Just tell me when the wedding is.

Corvus chuckled. It won't be for a while.

Someone needs to be there to embarrass you.

Corvus laughed once more. Yeah.

Just write. Actually write.

You know I'm no good at that.

Amaya gave Corvus a look with a raised eyebrow. Just do it.

When are you leaving?

Soon.

Corvus sighed and then nodded. Is there anything I can help you with?

Just take care of that dumbass and write me.

Corvus nodded and pulled Amaya into a hug.

After a moment, Amaya walked away and Corvus walked back into his tent.

"What did she want?" Soren asked. He then sat up when he saw Corvus's face. "What did she say- or, uh, sign?" Corvus shook his head. Soren quickly wrapped his arms around Corvus.

"I hate that you can read me so well now…"

Soren tilted his head. "Is that a bad thing…?"

"I just can't exactly hide what I'm feeling anymore…"

"Why would that be a bad thing? I wanna help you when you're feeling bad…"

"I know… I'm just used to dealing with things alone…"

"But you're not alone. You've got me…for life."

Corvus inhaled sharply, feeling pressure behind his eyes. He wanted more than anything to lean into Soren's touch, but with Amaya and now Soren's words threatening his tears, he couldn't be comforted by so much. He nudged Soren off, taking Soren's hand instead. "I'm not trying to… push you off, I just-"

"No, no, Corvus, you're okay. I understand. We're different." He smiled softly.

Corvus gaze fell upon his love's smile and the feeling came back again. He quickly looked away. "Good… thank you…"

Soren gently kissed Corvus's fingertips. "I think I'm finally understanding the differences between us."

Corvus chuckled. "Took you long enough," he joked.

Soren nudged Corvus. "Hey, I'm trying."

"And that's all that matters." Corvus kissed Soren gently.

"Do you want to talk about what general Amaya said?"

"It's nothing important…"

"If it's worrying you, it's important to me."

Corvus smiled softly at Soren. "Maybe another time…"

"Are you sure?"

Corvus laughed. "You are so fucking stubborn."

"Is that a bad thing?" Soren tilted his head.

"No, it's not a bad thing." Corvus looked at Soren. Seeing his pleading face, Corvus's resolve broke. He sighed. "She's going back to Lux Aurea."

"Are-" Soren began to fidget with Corvus's hand. "Are you going to go with her? I- I know in the past you would've…"

Corvus shook his head. "No, I'm not going with her. I'm a crown guard. I can't leave that. I can't leave you."

Soren nodded slowly. "Okay. Okay… Sorry… I- I shouldn't have even worried."

"You have reason to worry," Corvus looked at Soren to see his face scrunch. "Let me rephrase. Your concerns are valid, but I'm not like the people that would do that to you."

"I know…"

"Good." Corvus brought Soren's fingertips to his lips, gently kissing them while looking into Soren's eyes.

Soren couldn't help but smile; not with Corvus's eyes on his. "Sooo," he began after a moment. "Do you want to go outside?"

"It'll rain soon."

"Psssh, sure," Soren smirked sarcastically. "And you've got the ocean arcanum??"

"Based on my understanding of Xadian magic, I think it'd be the sky arcanum."

"Stop being so fucking smarttt!" Soren groaned with a playfulness in his voice.

"Make me."

Soren's gaze shot to Corvus, his mind racing for a moment at the taunt. He then shook his head, mostly to himself. "I'll ask again, do you want to go outside?"

"You still want to go outside even after I said it'll rain?"

Soren stood up. "I want to hear you talk about nature and the stars."

"You're so gay."

"Yeah." Soren put his hand on his hip. "For you. And I'm not embarrassed to admit that." He then put on a shirt and went to pull Corvus outside.

Corvus stopped him. "Hold on." He took off his armor top and put on a regular shirt instead. He didn't want to get his armor wet if he didn't need to. He then let Soren pull him outside, where they walked aimlessly.

Soren looked up, eyeing the clouded sky. "Aw, you can't see the stars."

Corvus put his hand on the back of Soren's head, letting his fingertips sink into Soren's hair. "It's because it's going to rain."

Soren frowned. "How do you even know that?"

"Moisture in the air. It's humid and cloudy. Also," Corvus pointed at the clouds. "See those dark clouds? They're rain clouds. They'll be on us in…" he looked at the treetops, trying to judge the strength of the wind. He sighed. "I can't tell how fast the wind is blowing… if I could just get up there…"

"You could just climb the tree. You're… better now, right?" There was this sort of caution in Soren's voice as if he was dancing around what he actually wanted to say.

Corvus laughed to himself. "Yeah, I am." He then looked at Soren. "Do you know how to climb trees?"

"Kind of??? The…" his voice trailed off as he pushed his side into Corvus's, looking down.

"What?"

"I think the last time I climbed a tree you were dead…"

"Oh…"

"I saw a tree with what looked like a perch that you would've loved to sit on and I… I was grieving and so I climbed it because I know you would've… and then I fell and probably hit my head…"

"What is it with you and hitting your head?"

Soren shrugged simply.

"Do you want to learn how I climb trees? Properly?"

Soren grinned and nodded.

Corvus then pulled Soren into the forest, stopping at a tree at a good distance away. "Okay, so before you even start, you want to look at the tree- make sure it's a healthy tree with good branches."

Soren nodded, looking at the tree. It just looked like a tree. "I… don't have your eyes…"

"Look for thick branches, places you could grab or put your feet."

"Ohhh! This…" Soren narrowed his eyes at the tree. "This tree has… this tree's good."

"That's why I chose it."

Soren locked eyes with Corvus and smiled. The rest of the world seemed to melt away as he cupped Corvus's cheek and placed his other hand on Soren's waist.

"You're staring."

"I don't care. You're so amazing to look at. I wish I could look at you forever."

Corvus chuckled softly. "How did you ever deny that you had feelings for me?"

"Only an idiot would be able to deny how attractive you are."

Corvus laughed. "You're not an idiot."

"For not realizing how in love I am with you sooner and that this-" He pulled Corvus closer, hugging him tightly. "-is all I wanted? Yes, I am."

"Do you want to climb this tree or not?" Corvus mumbled into Soren's hair, gently pushing him away.

"Oh, uh, right. Sorry, I got caught up in… whatever this is…"

"It's okay. I love the way that you love. I've never once doubted if you love me because of moments like these…"

"I'm glad that my ability to not be able to shut up shows you that I love you."

Corvus laughed. "Come on. This tree isn't going to climb itself."

"Well, how could it? It's in the ground."

Corvus helped Soren with his footing, slowly and carefully before starting to climb himself.

After climbing part of the way up, Soren sat down on a tree branch, leaning against the base of the tree. Corvus sat down on his lap and Soren wrapped his arms around him.

"Good job."

"I've learned from watching you." Soren then pulled Corvus's face back, guiding his lips to his and kissing him.

"Glad to know that you pay attention."

"I try," Soren laughed, pulling Corvus closer and resting a hand on Corvus's thigh.

Corvus leaned back into Soren, putting a hand on Soren's.

Then, Corvus felt a drop of rain.

"Hey, love, guess what?"

"What?" Soren tilted his head.

"It's raining."

"Oh. I guess it is."

"See?"

"Yeah, you're so smart." Soren kissed Corvus's cheek, trailing down his neck.

"We need to get back inside, Soren." Corvus went to get up but Soren pulled him back onto his lap.

"Just a second…"

"The longer you wait for us to go inside, the wetter we're going to get."

"I can make you-" Corvus elbowed Soren. "Hey!"

"Now's not the time."

"Okay, fineee!" Soren grumbled with a small bit of a laugh. He then nudged Corvus up.

As Soren got up, he slipped, reaching for Corvus.

"Careful."

"Yeah, I got that."

As soon as the two got to the ground, the rain started coming down with force.

Soren stopped at the edge of the forest, looking up at the sky. "Wow, it's really coming down…"

"Soren," Corvus tugged his boyfriend's arm.

"What if I just…?" Soren tilted his head back and opened his mouth to catch rainwater.

"Soren!" Corvus tugged Soren's arm with more force. "I will leave you out here!"

"Nooo," Soren whined.

Then, Corvus let go of Soren's hand and ran towards their tent.

Seeing this, Soren bolted towards him, wrapping his arms around Corvus. "Okay, okay!" He took Corvus's hand again, kissing it. "This is where your hand belongs."

Corvus laughed. "You cheesy poet dork."

"Your handsome cheesy poet dork," Soren grinned, tugging Corvus into the tent.

The two then looked at the pouring rain through the opening of the tent.

“See? I told you it was going to rain,” Corvus chuckled.

Soren laughed some more, tugging Corvus close to him by their hands. “Okay, maybe you were right.” Soren went and wiped some of the water droplets off of Corvus’s face with his thumb and smiled as he pushed Corvus’s hair out of his face.

Corvus studied Soren’s face and appearance. The water droplets, how his hair stuck to his cheeks, and even the small rise and fall of his chest as evidence of him running to the tent with him. It was kinda hot.

Despite the coolness of his rain-soaked shirt, Corvus felt himself begin to sweat as his mind began to race faster than his heart. He needed Soren. He could feel it through the still lingering touch of Soren's fingertips on his face.

“Your hair’s getting a little long…” Soren said, breaking him out of polluted thoughts. His voice was soft but still had hints of a smirking smile as if he already knew what Corvus wanted from him.

“Yeah, maybe some change would be good.” Corvus stared at Soren’s lips. The lips that he so desperately wanted to kiss. He tried taking short, shallow breaths as a way to not move and alert Soren of the thoughts in his head. Not even Corvus understood the restraint he had. It was of steel.

Soren noticed Corvus staring at his lips and laughed, taking his thumb to Corvus’s lip and pushing down Corvus’s bottom lip playfully. “You wanna kiss?” he tried messing with Corvus.

Corvus furrowed his brow and for a moment Soren cowered, thinking that he was wrong to tease Corvus. Instead, Corvus grabbed Soren's wrist, pulling Soren towards him somewhat roughly. “Just shut up and kiss me," he mumbled, placing Soren's hand on his back and putting a hand on the back of Soren's neck, pushing Soren's mouth into his.

No protest came from Soren when their lips met. He welcomed the passion, the aggressiveness, and even the tongue. Corvus wanted him badly and he wasn't going to let anything take him away from him, not even a lack of oxygen.

Corvus didn't allow their lips to part even as he removed Soren's shirt. They only parted in the moments where Soren's shirt passed over his lips and then they went right back to kissing.

Corvus traced his fingertips along Soren's muscles, Soren flexing as he passed over each muscle.

Finally, Corvus pulled away, taking a moment to look at Soren. His cheeks were flushed, still littered with dew drops. His lips looked still entirely kissable. He went to lean in again, but stopped. Instead, he put his hands on the waistband of Soren's pants, gripping them hard and pulling him in. "Do you want me to continue?" he mumbled against Soren's lips.

At first, Soren couldn't form words. His dry mouth made it hard to do anything but stare. "you're so fucking hot," Soren mumbled, swallowing hard, "Please, yes."

"So polite," Corvus smirked at Soren as he slowly undid Soren's pants.

Soren was practically squirming as he felt Corvus's fingertips brushing against him. He knew it was on purpose by the way that Corvus watched him so intently every time it happened, but he still gave a reaction.

Then, Corvus got on his knees, groaning and rubbing his knees as soon as they hit the hard and uneven ground. "In our room- carpet or a rug."

"Are we going to have a head rug?"

"That sounds perverted and gross." Corvus gently pushed at Soren's thigh, allowing his touch to linger as he looked up at Soren. "Do you want me to continue?" Corvus smirked, pulling his hand further up Soren's thigh.

"Y- yeah…" Soren mumbled, spreading his legs so Corvus could touch more of his thigh. "B- but-"

As soon as Corvus heard the 'but,' he pulled his hand away. "What? What's wrong?"

"I- I just thought…"

"Soren, I'm literally about to give you head."

"I- I know! I just… don't want you to, I don't know, feel pressured…?"

"Attraction sometimes makes people do things that are outside of their comfort zones. Maybe in the morning, I'll feel differently than I do right now, but right now... I see my hot boyfriend and I want to have sex."

"What's changed now to make you feel differently right now…?" Soren tilted his head.

"It's raining. The way I'm trying to think about it is... the rain acts as a shield for any noises we make. Doesn't mean we should be loud, but it's going to make me feel better. Does that answer your question?"

Soren nodded. "Thank you," he smiled, gently taking Corvus's chin.

Wasting no time, Corvus moved his hand as far up Soren's thigh as possible, massaging him. He watched Soren twitch in pleasure as he massaged.

Corvus then took his balls, squeezing them gently as he took his other hand and ran his fingers along Soren's dick.

Soren moaned softly, leaning into the touch. Every touch sent a shiver through his body, pushing an aching warmth down.

Corvus palmed Soren, taking precum from Soren's tip and using it.

"Fuck…" Soren mumbled, pushing himself into Corvus's hand. Almost overwhelmed by the sensations, Soren nearly fell over. He grabbed Corvus's head.

Corvus looked up at Soren. "You okay, darling?"

"Y- yeah…" Soren growled, gripping Corvus's hair.

"Do you want me to stop?"

Soren profusely shook his head. "N- no, don't stop. Please."

Corvus smiled at Soren, putting his lips close to Soren's tip. He traced his tongue along the veins of Soren's dick.

"Fuck. That feels really-" Soren moaned as Corvus pressed his tongue into him. He gripped Corvus's hair tightly. "S- sorry..."

"You're okay," Corvus chuckled. He then wrapped his lips around Soren's dick.

Pleasure roared through Soren as he felt Corvus's lips tighten around him. He bit his lip hard to stop himself from shouting as Corvus's tongue moved along him. He groaned as he thrusted his hips into Corvus's mouth, almost forcing more of him into Corvus.

As Corvus went on, Soren felt the satisfying warmth within him grow more and more until-

Soren felt himself fill up Corvus's mouth, groaning. Corvus slowly took himself away from Soren's dick, swallowing

"That- fuck…" Soren groaned as he sat down on the mat.

"I don't think I've ever seen you this speechless."

"Well, I've never gotten a blow job from you."

Corvus chuckled, sitting beside Soren. He kissed his boyfriend, the still fizzling attraction between them pulling them together again. He put a hand on Soren's thigh, leaning against Soren as he kissed him. "I don't want to stop…" Corvus mumbled against Soren's lips.

"Me either…" Soren said, wrapping his arms around Corvus and pulling him close. "Can I take off your clothes?"

Corvus nodded and Soren peeled off his shirt, still wet from the rain.

"You're so fucking hot…" Soren mumbled.

Corvus chuckled softly as Soren pushed him down onto the mat. "We can take this as slow as you'd like."

Soren nodded with a smile. "Thank you…" He kissed down Corvus's chest. "I…" He looked up at his boyfriend. "…don't know what to say…"

"You know you don't have to talk during sex."

Soren felt his face flush. "…okay…" He kissed Corvus on the lips before taking off Corvus's pants.

He watched the subtle facial changes in Corvus as he touched different parts of his body.

When Corvus began to whine, he gently stuck himself in.

Corvus groaned as he felt Soren slip inside him.

He rocked his hips slightly as he felt Soren begin to thrust.

Corvus moaned as Soren picked up speed. He ran his hands down his body, gripping himself and rubbing himself. "F- fuck-" Corvus gripped Soren's hair, pulling him down to his lips.

As Soren picked up speed, Corvus found himself moaning into Soren's mouth.

Then after a little, Corvus felt himself finish. He let go of himself and Soren slowed down.

"Keep… going until… you…" Corvus groaned.

"I- I'm close…" Soren picked up the pace once more. And then, after a moment, Corvus felt him fill up his insides. Soren pulled himself out and laid besides Corvus, panting as he held him. "Fuck…" Soren groaned, "that was…"

Corvus laughed, pulling Soren in close. He kissed Soren softly. "Good?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it was- no, better than good." Soren sighed. "Maybe I'm gay…"

Corvus sat up. "I'm sorry, what??"

Soren's face went red. "Wait, fuck- I… that wasn't supposed to… I didn't mean to say that!"

"Was my head so good that you're questioning your sexuality??"

"N- no? Or… I don't know!"

"It's okay, Soren."

"I'm sorry for saying something so embarrassingggg!"

"It's not embarrassing. It's a part of life- discovering who you are. We'll be discovering little parts of ourselves for the rest of our lives. You've just discovered that maybe you have more of a preference for men."

"My preferences don't matter, though. I don't plan on doing any experiments or anything that isn't with you. I'm yours."

Corvus laughed and then kissed Soren. "I'm glad to have you."

After a little bit of cleaning up, Soren and Corvus laid there, limbs intertwined and holding each other's warmth.

The silence was cut by a laugh from Soren.

Corvus looked over at him. "What?"

"Sorry… it just hit me that we just had sex."

Corvus shoved him lightly with a smile. "You just realized that? You didn't realize that when I was giving you head or when you were inside me?"

"Well- uh-" he took a deep breath, taking Corvus's hand. "Words… I obviously knew we were having sex because I am very smart and handsome- very handsome. I just mean… we finally did it, you know? And I'm happy. I'm great. I feel like I just conquered something or… I don't know. I just want to be close to you… I wish I could capture this feeling and feel it forever…"

Corvus chuckled and kissed him softly. "Me, too."

"You're so warm…" Soren mumbled.

"I've had a lot of blood flow."

Soren laughed in a way that caught Corvus's eye. It was pure and joyous- beautiful. Corvus brought himself closer to Soren, kissing the side of Soren's neck as gently as he could.

Soren traced his fingers along Corvus's palm. He then brought Corvus's palm to his lips, kissing it. "I love you… wait, no, I shouldn't be… I shouldn't say that directly after…"

Corvus pulled away from Soren's neck. "What makes you think that…?"

"Because… I don't want you to think that sex equals my love…"

"You're overthinking."

"I am?"

And Corvus nodded. "I know that you don't love me more or less because we had sex. I love you, too, Soren."

The two laid there in silence for a while, Soren eventually bringing Corvus's hand to his chest.

Inconsistent. Corvus could feel Soren's heartbeat. His gaze shot to Soren.

"What?" Soren forced a small worried laugh when he saw how wide Corvus's eyes were.

Corvus shook his head, taking a deep breath. Soren couldn't control the effects of the dark magic. It wouldn't be productive to bring up his feelings. It wouldn't be productive to worry. There was nothing he could do to help Soren fix this. He knew that already, and yet as Corvus rested his head on Soren's chest, listening to Soren's heartbeat, he couldn't help but feel like control was slipping away. "I love you so much, Soren…" he mumbled.

"Corv, what's wrong?" Soren started playing with the ends of Corvus hair.

"It's nothing," Corvus said, pulling Soren close to him.

Closer and closer.

Tighter and tighter in his arms.

He wanted to fix it. He wanted to help Soren. He loved the man too much to just idly listen to this.

"Corvus. Just tell me what's going on…"

Corvus then sighed. "Your heartbeat."

"Oh..."

"It's nothing that can be fixed so I was trying to just not bring it up…"

"But it's obviously bothering you."

"And that's my problem, not yours…"

Soren instinctively pulled away, pushing Corvus off of him. "You can just not to listen to it…"

"I wasn't even trying to hear it. But, even still, I'm going to hear your heartbeat no matter what I do. Whenever I'm close to you, I'm going to-"

"Then I guess we don't need to be close so you don't have to hear it!" Soren scooted himself further away.

"I don't mean to-"

"Corvus."

"Just-"

"Corvus! Please stop…" Soren's voice trailed off weak and frail.

Corvus took a deep breath. "Can I please share my perspective."

It took a moment, but Soren nodded.

"The man that I love has something… wrong with him-"

"I'm not broken…!" Soren mumbled.

"I never said you were."

"Oh…"

"I know that you can't control it, but it's still scary. It's scary to know that your body doesn't function properly because I know how it's supposed to function."

"I… yeah… I'd be scared, too… I sometimes am… scared… I mean, what if it just… stops working… the dark magic? I'd probably die, right?"

"Let's not think about that… Death is not…" Corvus took a deep breath, his hands shaking as his chest began to ache in remembrance.

"Sorry… I can't believe I'm saying this, but I forgot you died."

Corvus laughed slightly. "That makes one of us…"

Soren's gaze shot to Corvus. He then quickly hugged him. "Let's think about something else… I want to think about something else."

Corvus nodded. "The holiday's coming up…"

Soren inhaled sharply. "It… sure is…" Corvus gave him a look. "The holiday's bring up things I don't want to think about… It's worse now…"

"How so?"

"Corvus, my sister is locked up in a tent on the other side of this camp- my sister- and the holidays are about spending time with family… I can't do that… and I wish I could help her, but… I can't…"

"Helping someone like that takes time…"

"I know!" Soren's voice came out a lot harsher than he intended. He took a breath. "I know… I'm sorry…"

"Come on." Corvus nudged Soren and pulled him out of the tent.

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to make Claudia a gift."

Soren walked into Claudia's tent with a small box. The instant that Claudia saw the slight smile on Soren's face, Claudia's face scrunched as she laughed. "I know that look," she said.

"What?" Soren paused, staring.

"You and Corvus…" Her face scrunched more.

"Oh-" he laughed awkwardly as he sat down on the ground next to the bars. "Why-? Why are you even…?"

"You walking in here reminded me of the first time you came home after getting laid."

"Don't remind me of that..." Soren groaned.

"Was… it good...?" Claudia asked somewhat hesitantly.

"Clauds, do you even need to know that information?"

"N- no... I just don't know what to ask… to say… you seem..." her voice trailed off.

"I seem what?"

"Happy?"

Soren stared at the box in his hands for a moment before looking at Claudia. "I am. I am happy."

"Happier than you were…?"

"What are you getting at, Clauds?" Soren groaned softly.

Claudia fidgeted with her chains, gazing at her weak and now uncovered fingertips. "was this the first time?"

Soren resisted the urge to pick at his fingers or get up and move. "Yeah."

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?"

"I mean, how long have you been together? I feel like by now you've normally already had sex. That's how you normally are."

"People change."

"You don't change. You're Soren. My dumb brother."

Soren took a deep breath. "Corvus... is different." He fidgeted with the box he held, running his fingers along the corners of it.

"How?"

"He values privacy and intimacy through privacy."

"Wow, you really do love him."

"Is that a surprise?"

"At first, I thought he was a phase, but the more I hear you talk about him, the more I see how… good he is for you."

"Clauds, he has helped me so much. He's helped me undo so much that was fucked up in my head. He makes me want to be better, healthier, both to others- to him- and myself."

"He's really done all that?"

Soren nodded. "Yes. And so much more. I love that man with all my heart and I'm going to marry him."

"When?"

"I- I don't know... he wanted to wait until we were finished building."

"Why?"

"He said he was scared."

Claudia raised her eyebrow. "Of marrying you?"

"N- no... or... I don't know..."

"Sounds fishy."

"No...?"

"I'm just telling you... he could be hiding something. It just feels too good to be true- a man who has fixed all the bad?"

"N- no, no. He's not too good to be true. He's... he's Corvus."

"Saying his name doesn't make him magically this amazing guy." Claudia crossed her arms.

"You obviously don't know him like I do!” He snapped and then sighed. “I used to think that, too, but Corvus is different. I know that because he has constantly shown me that. He was willing to help me through all the fucked up things, he stayed when I was having… basically explosive panic attacks that ended in him getting hurt- there were quite a few of those…”

“Explosive…?” Claudia stared at her brother, worry beginning to fall on her face.

Soren nodded slightly. “Not proud of it…”

“What caused that?”

“The awful childhood? The neglect? The nights I spent suffocating in a bed? Watching our father turn into a monster and then watching my sister try to follow those footsteps?”

“Did dad really neglect you…? He was good to me.”

“Happy for you,” Soren laughed somewhat bitterly and sarcastically.

“I can’t believe he… dad…”

Soren sighed. “I know. It’s okay, you don’t have to believe it all at once. He was really good at… making me feel stupid… and getting others to believe that too… All because he blamed me for…” Soren’s felt his voice threaten to crack so he left his voice trail off and took a deep breath.

Claudia looked up at Soren, hesitantly speaking. “So then… did he actually ask you to kill the princes…?"

Soren stared for a moment, memories pouncing their way to the front of his mind. He then nodded.

"So then did… did everyone I ever trust-?" Claudia's voice cracked as realization crashed down on her.

"Not just you."

Everything was burning. Claudia could feel it, and she didn't know how to stop it. But she needed it to stop. She needed to snuff out every ounce of the burning of what she thought was reality.

"How do you even know that Corvus isn't the same?!" Claudia snapped. “Maybe Corvus is just the same."

"You-" Soren tried, but with Claudia's rising voice, Soren felt his head spin as oxygen came to be in short supply, eaten by the flames of Claudia's false reality.

"Maybe he’s just really good at hiding it like… others were… Maybe…” Claudia's voice trailed off as the weight of her words hit her, “…chasing abusers is all we’re good at…” She hugged her knees as tears rolled down her cheeks, her knees, and then kissed her fingertips as if her sorrows were trying to hold her hand, comfort her.

"You don't know anything!" Soren snapped as he swiftly stood. He then quickly left. In his movement, he accidentally kicked open his box, the contents of it spilling out onto the ground. He left it there.

Claudia stared at the box. Food. There was food in it. She reached for it, but her chains pulled her back.

She groaned at herself.

Then, a bug, drawn to the food. A Xadian bug.

Hope struck Claudia for the first time in a long time.

She could escape. Not for Aaravos, but for herself.

She yanked against the chains. Again and again.

She had to get away. She needed to get away.

Again. Again.

She screamed at the rawness of her wrists. She scratched at her wrists. She wanted to get rid of her hands. The problem. The reason she couldn't escape. What were two more broken limbs?

When the chain pulled her back for a final time, she fell to the ground, crying out at the bleeding rawness of her wrists.

Of course.

She was trapped. Just like always.

Chapter Text

Ezran still had no idea what to do for the holidays. If they were going to stick to their traditions, they would've started weeks ago and if they were going to do something new, he needed to think of it within the next few hours. The pressure was sticking to his skin with a lingering nausea.

"Ez, what are you so worried about?" Callum's voice chimed through his panic.

Ezran shook his head.

Callum wrapped his arm around Ezran. "Tell your big brother everything," Callum joked and the two laughed.

"I… I feel like I've failed so badly…"

"What? Why?"

"I got so wrapped up in my own problems that I didn't think about my own people. I considered canceling the holidays and then changing traditions and then… in the mix of all of that, I made… no decision. Now… today's the day of our typical big celebration and… I've got nothing…"

"That doesn't mean you've failed, Ez. We can still celebrate."

"Celebration starts on the first snow. Everyone knows that."

"Okay then make a new rule, a new tradition."

"I tried!"

"Then… do you want my help…? It's okay if things are different this year. Life… has been different."

Ezran laughed softly. "You could say that again…"

He just had to think- think. He needed to make something big, do something big, but all of his lines of thought came up blank.

"I…" Ezran's voice trailed off as he stared at Callum's sketch. "What if…?"

"What if what?" Callum tilted his head.

"Can you make a whole bunch of small rectangular pieces of paper?"

"Yeah, I could do that."

"Enough for… everyone in Katolis?"

A small bit of panic spread across Callum's face, but he nodded. "Yeah, I'll… I'll go ask Rayla for help…"

"Okay, then… If you see them, tell Soren to gather everyone. and Corvus to find a lone tree that's… a good size, but not too tall."

"Got it!" Callum then quickly left.

As the sunlight disappeared and turned to dusk, the crowd gathered at the center of New Katolis, but there was no Callum or Corvus. It worried Ezran. Was he past the point of no return in messing up the holidays?

Then, a glimmer of hope in the crowd- Corvus.

Ezran drifted through the crowd to Corvus, held back by both the people and his fears. When he was met with his smiling face, he relaxed slightly. "Did you…?"

"Follow me, king Ezran." Corvus began walking into the forest, Ezran and the crowd trailing behind. The further they traveled, the lower the volume of the excited chatter got as confusion and- to Ezran's mind- disappointment washed over everyone.

Anxiety spread like a wildfire underneath Ezran's skin. He felt like a failure. He felt like he had just let the weight of the world, the happiness of everyone there, and the holidays rest on his shoulders, and he let it all drop on his foot like it meant nothing.

Then, Corvus stopped at a clearing. Within the middle of this clearing was one singular tree with large branches. It wasn't too big, it wasn't too small.

It was perfect.

Callum walked up to stand by Ezran's side, a medium-sized bucket holding the pieces of paper that Ezran asked him to make along with writing utensils.

"Thank you," Ezran looked to Callum and Corvus. He then took a deep, shaky breath, putting on a brave face. "Since we don't have what we normally have for the holidays, let's make something new- a piece of paper for everyone." Ezran gestured to what Callum held.

"Uh, I hate to break it to you, but paper isn't new…" Soren mumbled, taking a piece of paper and staring at it.

"It's not the paper that's new, it's what goes onto it. Write something in honor of those we have lost towards the top and those we hope to spend the future with towards the bottom. It can be names or a little note. And then we fold it up and hang it on this tree. That way, we can honor everyone."

At first, everyone hesitated, unsure of who to honor.

Ezran, having thought about what he was going to write, wrote down something on it immediately. He wrote King Harrow, Queen Sarai and then towards the bottom, my family in Katolis and Queen Anaya.

Callum read what he wrote over his shoulder, smiling. He then wrote something on his own paper, kissing Rayla, who stood nearby, on the cheek.

Soon, everyone followed in Ezran's footsteps, hanging the notes on the tree.

Soren walked up to his king. "I think yours should go all the wayyy up there." He pointed to the top of the tree.

"I can't reach all the way up there…"

Soren smirked and without a second more, he grabbed Ezran and pulled him up to his shoulders. "How about now??"

"Soren!" Ezran laughed. He then looked at his paper in his hand and then the tree. "I can reach now."

"Please don't drop him," Corvus butted in, very worriedly watching the two.

Soren turned his head to his boyfriend with a playful scoff. "I'm not going to drop him, Corv."

Ezran tied his note to the top of the tree and smiled at it. "There!" he exclaimed.

"Now get him down."

"Aww, you're no fun." But Soren complied, gently taking Ezran off of his shoulders.

"Thanks, Soren." And after a moment, Ezran was basically swallowed by the crowd of people putting their notes on the tree.

Corvus smiled softly at Soren and wrapped his arm around him.

Soren mirrored that smile. "This is a nice tree you found."

Corvus chuckled. "Thank you, love."

Soren kissed Corvus's cheek.

As if they were destined to have every moment of stillness interrupted, it was then that Amaya walked up to Corvus.

Dread filled Corvus. He let go of Soren. "I'll… be right back."

Soren took Corvus's hand, kissing his fingertips before letting go.

It's time, Amaya signed.

Now? In the middle of-?

Amaya nodded. Janai needs me. Her face softened with a small smirk. You wouldn't want to be away from Soren for this long.

Corvus chuckled and shook his head.

Amaya pulled Corvus in for a hug. I'll see you later.

Corvus looked down as Amaya walked off and then quickly found Soren among the crowd of people. He then took Soren's hand, dragging him away.

"Where are we-?" And then his eyes met Corvus's as he looked back.

When they were out of everyone's view, Corvus stopped, taking a deep breath.

"Did-?"

Corvus nodded, looking up towards the sky as he tried to not let his emotions show on his face. His chest ached.

Soren poked his face and Corvus's gaze shot to his.

The moment that he saw the concern in Soren's face, tears welled in his eyes and fell.

Soren hesitated. It was rare to see Corvus cry. He didn't know what to do and it hurt. "D- do you…?" He put a gentle hand on Corvus's hand, pulling him in for a hug.

Corvus didn't resist or lean into the hug. He didn't move. All he did was stare at a tree in front of him, vision blurred from tears.

"Hey." Soren's voice was soft, gently tugging Corvus out of his head. "It’s gonna be okay… she’s not gone forever."

Corvus nodded, pushing his face into Soren's neck and finally wrapping his arms around Soren. "I… I shouldn't be crying…"

"She's important to you. You're allowed to be sad."

Corvus laughed softly. "It's such a stupid thing to be sad about though."

Soren pulled away gently, cupping Corvus's cheek. "No, it's not. Like I said, she's important and she's leaving…" Soren took a deep breath and looked away for a moment. "People leaving is hard, but, hey, you've got an expert. I know how it feels… the feeling of your lungs being stabbed because you can't breathe, the burning heart-"

"Soren."

"What?"

"You…" He didn't know what to say. He furrowed his brow.

"It's true." He grinned at Corvus, wiping Corvus's tears with his thumb.

He put his hand on Soren's on his face. "I'm not leaving."

Soren laughed. "I know. I know you're not leaving." He smirked a little bit, taking his hand and tugging Corvus close by the clasp of my cloak. "You're not allowed."

Corvus could feel Soren's breath on his face. The feeling drove him closer and closer until his lips touched Soren's.

Soren put his hand behind Corvus's head, pushing his lips into his. The sensation shot warmth down his body. and then he pulled away.

"How are you after… Amaya leaving…?"

"I just… want to be alone…"

"Oh." Soren pulled away, an ache in his lungs surfacing. "That's reasonable."

Corvus took Soren's hand. "…with you. Alone with you."

Soren smiled uncontrollably. "Yeah, we can do that. I enjoy any time with you and I guess you enjoy any time with me."

"Of course I do."

Soren's smile just grew as he took Corvus's hand to his lips and kissed it. "So where do you want to be alone?" Soren looked up from Corvus's hand.

"I'm not sure…"

"We can go to where we had our first date?"

"Wait, what do you count as our first date? We spend basically all our time together."

"The hollowed out tree. For your birthday. That counts as a date… I think."

Corvus smiled slightly. "Yeah, I'd say it does."

"So do you want to go there??" Soren leaned his head towards Corvus.

"Yeah."

"Then let's go!" Soren took Corvus's hand and started in a direction. He then stopped. "Which…?" Corvus chuckled and Soren glared. "I'm just a little turned around, okay??"

"And that's fine."

Soren slumped playfully with a frown. "Which way is it?"

"This way," Corvus gently pulled Soren along.

When the two got to the tree, Corvus ran his fingertips along the markings put there by his parents.

Soren rested his chin on Corvus's shoulder. "What’s on your mind?"

He sighed, unintentionally knocking Soren off his shoulder. "On days like these, I wonder what they're doing…"

Soren wrapped his arms around Corvus from behind, pulling Corvus into him while speaking softly into Corvus's ear. "Well, what would they do when you were there?"

"Spend time together?"

Soren craned his neck over Corvus's shoulder, making eye contact with Corvus. "You miss them…"

"Of course I do… why wouldn’t I miss…?" His voice trailed off as he sighed and looked away.

"I miss my family too… or… I miss thinking that they loved me…"

"I love you."

"I know," Soren chuckled, kissing Corvus's earlobe gently. "I know you love me…"

"Good," Corvus smiled, leaning into Soren's touch for a moment before pulling away.

Soren let go of Corvus, gently turning him around to face him. "Are you going to actually send her letters?"

"Amaya? …I don’t know…"

"She told me to make sure you do. She gave me permission to be annoying until you do." Soren got close to Corvus's face with a small smirk. "And you know I will be annoying. She wants to hear from you." His face softened as he put a small space between their two faces. "You mean a lot to her."

Corvus laughed. "She’s so stubborn."

Soren gently elbowed Corvus. "Sounds like you."

Small specs of snow nestled in Soren's hair. Corvus gently pushed the snow out of Soren's hair, smiling.

"What is it?" Soren tilted his head.

"Snow."

Soren quickly looked up, seeing more snow falling. He smiled.

The two quickly took shelter within the tree, watching the snowfall get heavier.

"Looks like we got here just in time," Soren smiled, tugging Corvus down and then wrapping his arm around him.

"Yeah, I guess so," Corvus laughed softly before sighing.

Soren nuzzled close to Corvus, taking his hand. "Hey." He looked at Corvus. "I’ve got you."

"I know." Corvus gently kissed Soren.

They kissed, hands wandering down each other's bodies as the space between them got thinner and thinner. Soren pulled away after a moment.

"Soo, who'd you write?" Soren asked.

"That's secret."

"Boo," Soren frowned.

Corvus raised his eyebrow. "Okay, then who'd you write?"

"You, obviously. You're stuck with me."

"I wrote you, too."

"Who'd you write for the other part?" Corvus hesitated, so Soren nudged him. "Why don't you want to tell me?"

"It's complicated. You seem like you don't want to tell me what you wrote either so I don't think you're in the position to judge me."

"I wasn't judging you… I'm just…"

"Nosy?"

Soren blinked. "Oh…" He fidgeted with his hands.

"I didn't mean that in a bad way."

"How could nosy not be bad?"

"Your nosy isn't bad," Corvus nudged Soren. "If you weren't nosy, we probably wouldn't be together."

"Really?"

"Of course. I never would've shown my interest in you if you hadn't shown interest in me and you showed that by being kind of nosy."

Soren laughed. "I didn't even mean to show interest in you… I was just existing."

"Subconscious interest then. Even though you were literally asking to get to know more about me and trying to be physically close to me."

"I… okay, fine… but I didn't know that I was bi."

Corvus laughed. "I know." He kissed Soren's cheek and then looked outside. He sighed with a small smile. "I… I'm glad to be here with you."

"What do you mean?"

"Parties like that… sometimes overwhelm me so I leave early so I can just be alone. This time though… I wanted to be alone with you."

"That makes me feel special..."

"You are special."

Soren felt tears strike him. He quickly looked away, scooting himself away from Corvus.

Corvus cupped his cheek, moving Soren's eyes to his own. He wiped Soren's tears with his thumb. "You are special."

With a big sigh, Soren put his forehead on Corvus's shoulder. "I don't remember the last time I heard that in a nonnegative way…" He forced a laugh. "Could've been never…"

Corvus quickly pulled Soren into his arms. "I hate the way that your family used to treat you…"

Soren shrugged. "It was just how… it was. It was normal."

"It shouldn't have been."

"I- I know… but I'm fine."

"Soren, you were just crying because I called you special, because no one in your family ever bothered to tell you good things about yourself."

Soren gripped the back of Corvus's cloak. "And I… would like to stop talking about this now…"

"Stop making excuses for them."

"I'm not!" Soren snapped, pushing himself away from Corvus. "I'm just saying how they were! Claudia made jokes about me being stupid, Viren was disappointed in every stupid thing I ever said and… it was normal. That was how it was, Corvus!"

Corvus took a deep breath, opening his mouth to speak, but Soren cut him off, making Corvus furrow his brow.

"Can we please stop talking about this? I- I don't want to talk about my family…"

Corvus took yet another deep breath. "Okay. I just want you to understand-"

"Corvus." There was an edge to Soren's gaze that told Corvus to drop it completely.

"Okay…" He reached out to take Soren's hand, letting Soren be the deciding factor in the touch. He then kissed Soren's fingertips, trying to let Soren relax into his love.

Instead, when Soren felt Corvus's lips, he pulled away. When he saw Corvus's face of rejection, he hesitated. "I'm sorry…" he mumbled. "I'm… not in a good headspace…"

Corvus didn't say anything, he just brought his hand close to Soren's leg, not touching it.

After moment of Soren breathing and watching the snowfall outside, Corvus tapped his leg gently. Soren's gaze darted to Corvus's.

Smiling softly, corvus took his fist and extended his pinky, index finger, and thumb. He then did another sign that Soren didn't recognize- a pointer finger pointed up moving in a circle.

Soren leaned his head on Corvus's shoulder, his voice quiet as he spoke. "What did that mean?"

"I love you. Always."

After a while of talking and joking, Callum and Rayla found their way to the edge of the crowd.

"So… question… Have you ever learned… sal…?" Callum's voice trailed off as he tried to recall the name that Ethari and Runaan had given him.

Rayla's gaze shot to Callum's. "Saltatio foedus?"

"Yeah, that sounds like it."

"I… no I haven't learned it. Have-? Are you thinking about learning it? Do you know what it is?"

Callum nodded.

Rayla sighed. "That explains why Runaan and Ethari are staying longer."

Panic struck Callum. "D- does it?"

"Yeah! You're-"

"I've just been thinking…"

Rayla's face dropped. "About…?"

"We both have extremely different traditions."

"Then we should talk about it. Find a way they can go together. We're, fortunately, not the first elf and human to be together."

"That is true."

"So what are your traditions?"

"We give flowers… well… if I had been following tradition, I would've given you one a while ago…"

"Why?"

"You're supposed to give flowers to someone to show someone what they mean to you because certain flowers mean certain things."

"Interesting."

"Yeah…" Callum laughed softly.

Rayla then took Callum's arm, dragging him deeper into the forest.

"Where are we going?"

"To find flowers."

"Most of them are out of season."

"There will still be flowers though, right?"

"I mean, yeah."

"Then we'll find 'em!"

Callum smiled as Rayla tugged him along.

After a little bit of walking, Rayla stopped. She gestured to a flower on the ground. "So what do your human traditions say this flower means?"

"It's a Blood Rose."

"Blood Rose? Humans name their things so oddly."

"I… don't think so…?"

"It's not even remotely blood colored. It's more… of an orangey kind of red."

"It's still… red."

"True," Rayla crossed her arms. "But still yet another example of humans and their weird names for things. I mean, what does the name library come from?"

"It's old English."

"Okay," Rayla smirked. "So what does the flower mean?"

"Bad stuff. Because of its appearance, it's said to bring anxiety, pain, and well, blood."

"That's…" Rayla's voice trailed off. "Okay. Let's go find another with maybe a less… exciting meaning."

The two walked with their fingers intertwined, Rayla's observant eyes passing the ground as they searched for flowers.

Then they came upon another flower- a whole bundle of them. They were yellow flowers with rounded petals, all growing out of the same spot in the ground.

Rayla smiled softly at the flowers. "Oh what are these ones? They're cute."

"They're…" Callum grabbed his sketchbook from his hip. "They're called Winter Mogorium. Katolians like them because they bloom even in the harshest of winters. They symbolize hope."

Rayla sat down next to the flowers with a smile, running her fingers against the soft petals. "They're beautiful."

Callum sat down next to her, taking her hand. "Yeah." When his gaze met Rayla's, he smiled.

"Callum, I meant the flowers."

"I know." He cupped her cheek, getting lost in the magnificence that was Rayla's eyes. "And I agree, but also… you're beautiful, too."

Rayla's laughed softly, looking away from Callum. "You're such a dork."

Callum laughed and kissed Rayla softly.

Rayla looked at the flowers once more. She then eyed another color among the yellow of the Winter Mogorium-

Pink.

She parted the flowers to see a small pink flower.

"Oh! Is that-!" Callum exclaimed, excitedly. He leaned over the ground, gazing at it.

With bright pink petals, wrapping around each other in a spiral, Callum plucked the flower from the ground.

"This is an Amoris," he smiled, gingerly handing the flower to Rayla. "Blooming year round and even in the harshest winters, it symbolizes lasting love with its forever intertwined petals."

"Callum, it's gorgeous."

"And it's the flower that I want to give to you." He took Rayla's hand that held the Amoris and put it to his lips. "I love you, Rayla."

"I love you, too, Callum."

Back at the tree in the clearing, hours passed like seconds to everyone within the crowd, individuals exchanging small gifts, smiling, hugging and laughing. It was everything that Ezran had wanted and more.

He had done it.

After a while more of laughter through stories and smiles, Aanya found her way to Ezran's side.

Ezran's face instantly brightened when he saw her. "Queen Aanya," he smiled, taking her hand. "Thank you for all your help."

"Of course, king Ezran. I enjoyed being a guiding voice to you."

Ezran smiled. "Don't feel bad if you need to leave now. Duren has gone on too long without their amazing queen."

Aanya chuckled softly. "You are too kind, king Ezran. But, perhaps, I could leave after one more of Barius's stories."

Ezran nodded enthusiastically. "Sounds great!"

Laughing and smiling, the two's hands found their way to be intertwined as they listened to Barius's stories.