Archive of Our Own

Felix grumbled as he looked out into the horizon. Or what he could see of the horizon to be more precise. What started out as the thick fog had been joined by gently falling snow, and together it made for poor visibility. At least the moon was close to full, providing him some light to work with in what had, so far, been a quiet night.

Even still, a lot of things could remain hidden out in the open between the fog, the snow, the cold, and the sound of the gentle rolling of the waves below.

None the less, Felix got first watch for the night, and he was not about to slack off. He walked the edge of the ship’s deck, making a lazy loop around the perimeter, keeping an eye and an ear out for trouble. In the meantime, the others were below deck, tasked with cleaning the ship’s galley after dinner, and getting their gear ready for the next day.

Despite the cold, Felix was still thankful that everything had been uneventful so far. Even the local seabirds and other wildlife had kept their distance for whatever reason. A bit unnerving, but Felix decided to simply not look at the gift horse in the mouth. If he got a few hours of peace and quiet to himself, all the better.

Not like anyone could really complain to him if he let his mind wander a bit in the stillness of the night anyway. The group’s recent visit to Lemuria still left an bitter taste in his mouth. The rest of the party was also affected, but to varying degrees. Piers being the worst one off out of the group without a doubt.

It also made Felix wish he was better at words in general, because if anyone deserved a proper tongue lashing, the chief advisor, Conservato, more than deserved it. Manners and respect your elders be dammed. Him and his asinine beliefs that Alchemy should be resealed and the whole of Weyard doomed to a slow death. Even after seeing proof that Weyard was crumbling away by comparing the maps from three different eras, with Pier’s own showcasing the latest shifts after the massive earthquake and tidal wave that followed the lighting of the Venus Lighthouse, the old man refused to see reason!

Then again, the elders of his own hometown of Vale were just as stubborn, senile and stuck to the old ways.

Maybe he would give into Jenna’s idea later. Said idea proposed sneaking back into Lemuria somehow, kidnap the elders, and let them retire peacefully ―meaning, dropping them off― somewhere on the Apojji Isles. Preferably within walking distance of Gaia’s Falls, so that they could see and hear what their inaction was doing to the whole world. Let them see, let them hear, and let them feel the earth erode step by step right beneath their feet.

Just as Felix saw in Prox, where the land around the Mars Lighthouse slowly shrank day by day, and with it, the chances that Felix’s parents and Issac’s father would remain alive.

How long did they have left before the lighthouse fell away into the abyss? Months? Maybe a year or two? When Saturos and Menardi had dragged Felix into their second attempt at breaching Sol Sanctum, the abyss stood a sad snowball’s throw away from the tower’s northern exterior wall.

With a grimace, Felix shook his head to stop himself from further spiraling into more worries. He could only hope and pray that the two active lighthouses were providing the world with some Alchemy. Or at least, enough energy to slow down the erosion and buying them a little more time in the process.

Hopefully enough time that they could afford this little detour of chasing tales of an island with hidden treasure.

Truthfully, Felix didn’t put too much stock into the rumors they had heard from a handful of somewhat drunk sailors and pearl divers. His current guess was that they would end up finding some old ruins, or remains from a long-abandoned settlement. Maybe an old coin or two, or an interesting artifact from a bygone era. Quite frankly, for the most part, he expected little more than crumbling walls, broken pottery shards, frayed fishing nets, and a lot of washed-up debris.

Well, perhaps a Djinn, since his group did seem to run into them in the oddest of places.

He mainly went along with the idea to help get Piers out of his current slump. The Lemurian was putting on a brave face, but the loss of his mother and being exiled from his homeland were still weighing heavily upon his soul. Felix had caught Piers spending a lot of time staring off into the distance or fidgeting with the red band around his wrist. And if not that, then Piers would wander around the various rooms inside the ship, letting his hands go over various tools and trinkets, or over nicks and scratches carved into the wood of the walls after years of use. History, Felix supposed, or stories that only Piers got to see. Little pieces of his homeland that he got to keep. Maybe the last few things that allowed Piers to feel some sort of connection to Lemuria.

Felix wanted to do some something, but he did not know what or how. There was just something wrong about seeing Piers so downtrodden and listless. Just wrong, wrong, wrong! Sure, the man tended to be upright and was a bit archaic in his mannerisms, but in general Piers usually was fairly easy going. More of a “work with what you have on hand and make the best of it” kind of guy, with the occasional sassy quip here and there. Heck, Piers was often on the receiving end of Jenna’s and Sheba’s daily brand of mischief, and he still took it in stride. Even turning the tables on the girls about half the time with a big grin on his face. It was the man’s current lack of a reaction to the girl’s baiting that still worried Felix.

At the very least, Piers was moving about and talking when prompted, unlike the near catatonic state he had been when Felix had first seen him before his mother’s grave. Even before they left Lemuria, keeping Piers busy with little tasks had helped, and asking him how to fix or repair things on the ship turned out to be even more effective. The distractions, no matter how mindless, be they washing and drying dishes or mopping the entire upper deck of the ship, had helped breathe a bit of life back into turquoise haired man.

Hence why those first few days after the group had left Lemuria, Felix had taken it upon himself to half help, half drag Piers into doing various repairs and chores all over the ship. Good thing that king Hydros had supplied them with enough tools and supplies that might very well last for a couple of decades with careful usage. Half foresight, half an apology Felix suspected.

Food on the other hand, they didn’t receive as much of in comparison. Mostly a sum of salted meats, pickled vegetables and some dry grains. Plenty for a few weeks out at sea, given that there were only five people onboard. The group could extend that further by supplementing it with some daily hunting, fishing and foraging for variety.

Plus, in Felix’s opinion, the variety was sorely needed. Lemuria’s brand of cooking was somewhat uninspired and bland to boot. Then again, when the only widely available spice for cooking was salt, options had to be limited. Who would have thought that garlic, of all things, was considered a luxury in Lemurian cuisine? Ginger? Nearly unheard of. Asking about chocolate had earned Felix plenty of blank stares and questioning glances.

Little wonder Piers was usually very interested in trying out the various local dishes from every town they had visited so far. Except for anything that had squid in it, but that was a different story altogether.

It was after one of Felix’s turns to cook, did he notice that Piers seemed a bit more animated after eating a bowl of curry chicken with a medley of vegetables over a bed of rice. Felix might have misread the recipe he had been loosely following, and the curry ended up being a few steps short from hellfire hot, but after nearly a week straight of porridge, steamed rice and grilled fish, it was a welcomed change of pace. The end result had been quite tasty, even if everyone at the table suffered from the heat of the sauce.

In addition, about halfway through the meal, Piers had been lively enough to mention wanting to continue charting the areas they had yet to visit. Soon after that, Jenna brought up the treasure island stories. Skeptical as Felix had been initially about those tales, if savory foods and charting maps helped bring Piers back to life, then he would welcome the detour without questions.

And the best place that Felix could think of that had savory foods? Izumo.

The hero’s welcome they received was not expected, but the impromptu party and feast was nice. Apparently, Lady Kushinada and the newly dubbed Lord Suza had finally wed less than a fortnight ago, and most of the townsfolk were still itching to throw another party, regardless of reason. The newlyweds had also greeted them in person, along with Kushinada’s elder sister, Lady Uzume. Together they exchanged news and stories. They were quite happy to hear that Poseidon had been defeated and that the surrounding seas were returning to normal. Had half the village not been nursing some form of a hangover, they might have thrown another week-long festival once news of that broke out.

Seeing Piers enjoying himself and willingly join some of the locals in a handful of games of skill and chance had eased a lot of Felix’s own worries.

Festivities aside, they were also able to trade a dozen Lemurian pearls (also provided by king Hydros) for a nice sum of various spices, bottles of sauces, some long-lasting dry goods and an assortment of fresh fruit and vegetables. All in all, the fresh produce would likely last them a little over a week or so. After that, it was back to the dried staples.

And so, with their bellies pleasantly full and better food options for the near future, Felix and the group had set sail northwestward in search of uncharted lands, and supposedly, hidden treasure.

The first leg of the trip from Izumo had been as smooth as anyone could have hoped for. Somewhere around noon, that changed. A chilled wind started to blow from the north, shortly followed by a fog that rolled in and surrounded them. With each passing hour, the fog only grew thicker, just as the air kept getting colder. Towards the late afternoon, it got bad enough that no one could see more than a couple dozen paces in any direction.

The lack of visibility had forced them to slow down considerably, even with the whole team acting as lookouts from every side of the ship while Piers carefully steered them as carefully as he could, using his Psynergy more than his sight to feel the sea around him. Eventually it was Felix who had been able to sense an island of some sorts―which turned out to be more of a large sandbar than a proper island―and the group decided to drop anchor and call it a day.

It had been several hours since the sun had set by that point, and the very air itself had turned cold enough that eventually everyone on the ship had changed into their thicker, and significantly warmer, winter clothing. For Felix, the changes were minimal since his usual gear provided a fair amount of protection against the cold. Even still, he did put on a thicker woolen tunic and matching pants beneath his armor, then wrapped his scarf a little tighter around his neck for good measure.

Now, as for where exactly the group was currently at… well… truth be told, no one onboard really knew where exactly. Nearly all of Piers’ seafaring tools depended on being able to see the sun during the day or the stars at night, which wasn’t an option because of the time of day and the fog.

Good news was, that they were not completely lost. While Felix and Jenna were making dinner a little earlier, and with Sheba keeping an eye up on the deck, Piers and Kraden poured themselves over their maps and what tools they could use, trying to narrow down their most likely location. They ended up concluding that they were definitely northwest of Izumo, and somewhat close to the eastern edge of the Angaran continent. Additionally, by Kraden’s measurements, and likely some amount of guesswork, latitude wise they were likely around the same level as the Fuchin Temple. Meaning that they were somewhere on the right path, and not worryingly close to Gaia’s Falls.

With that concluded, the group then decided that they would just have to sit tight for the night and hope that visibility improved with the sunrise. Failing that, their next best option was to slowly sail westward until they caught sight of the Angaran coastline. Better to hug the coastline and go northwards than to blindly sail unto unknown waters.

And a little later, about an hour into Felix’s watch, snow started to fall, making him glad that he had changed clothes. Granted, it wasn’t as bad as it tended to get in Prox during most nights, but Felix would still rather not be shivering from the cold for most of his watch.

A slight creak of wood bought Felix’s mind back to the present. He had been walking around the back over by the ship’s stern, so the doorway into the ship’s hold wasn’t too far away. Still, it was a bit odd for someone to come up on deck this late at night unless it was for the change in the night watch shift. By Felix’s estimate, his shift was only about a third of the way through, and Jenna’s turn was supposed to be next.

Curious as to who it might be, Felix jogged his way over to the doorway. There, he found the tall figure that could only be Piers standing a few steps away from the cabin, holding a steaming mug in each hand as he was looking around as if searching for something or someone.

Once Felix got close enough to get a better look at Piers, Felix did a double take. Seeing the man without his Lemurian headwrap was a bit of a shock, even if he could only see the other man’s backside. Odder still was that Felix could see Pier’s hair loose, no longer contained in an ever-familiar braid, and falling freely from beneath the edges of a knitted cap in gentle waves. On top of that, the man had switched out his usual attire for some actual pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and a rather form fitting overcoat on top.

All in all, it was a good look on Piers.

“Piers? Did something happen?” Felix called out.

When Piers turned around, Felix stopped dead in his tracks a couple of paces away. The Lemurian struck quite the image, standing there as he was, illuminated by both the gentle moonlight and the nearby lamp by the doorway. If anything, Piers looked like he had just walked out of one of the adventure books and fairy tales that Felix used to love as a little boy. Or more specifically, like one of the brave and dashing sailors that would go on all sorts of adventures all over the high seas.

But Piers did not remind him of any run-of-the-mill sailor. He was a cut above the rest. A proper Captain, a man who knew how to take charge and how to get things done. Tall, strong, dashing, confident, noble, humble… all the markings of a man that was well liked and respected by those around him.

Had Piers always been that well-built? That Lemurian headwrap was really doing him a disservice, along with the rest of his usually loose-fitting clothes. With shoulders and arms like that, Piers could have easily gotten the attention of many young and single ladies.

Heck, Felix knew from personal experience that Piers was strong enough to throw him over the shoulder, clad in full armor, and make a run for it with the rest of the group right next to him. That had been due to a surprise ambush that left Felix unconscious and the rest of the group was too worn down and running low on supplies to consider finishing the fight. Piers had assumed command at that point, ordering the others to retreat, and had carried Felix all the way to the next town over, where the local priest got him back in working order. And if that wasn’t enough to get most women all hot and bothered, then clearly those women were plowing the fields in the other direction.

And with his hair loose as it was, it just made him look even more dashing. Roguish even.

Needless to say, Piers looked very, very good with his current attire. It made Felix itch to loosen up his own scarf just a tad bit, but he was able to resist doing so.

Thankfully, it didn’t appear that Piers noticed anything odd with Felix, and instead smiling gently as he extended one arm, mug in hand towards Felix.

“Ah, I was wondering where you were. And no, nothing dangerous happened,” Piers greeted as he allowed Felix to take the mug, earning a soft thanks from the Venus Adept. “Here, Jenna decided she wanted to try making some spiced apple cider. It was actually pretty good for her first attempt.”

Felix raised an eyebrow as he looked at the mug in suspicion. Jenna’s cooking attempts were hit or miss. Simple and quick things she could do just fine. Anything that required a lot of careful steps, carefully measured amounts or took a while to property cook, quite often were in danger of Jenna using her fire Psynergy to speed things up. As for the mug now in his hand, it looked normal enough. Felix could smell the apple juice mixed in with spices. The warmth of the mug seeping in through his cold gloves felt great too.

“She didn’t burn down the kitchen while doing so?” Felix asked as he took a sip. It did taste good. A little too much clove and cinnamon for his taste, but still quite pleasant all around. There was also something else in there that he couldn’t quite name. Some other kind of spice he wasn’t familiar with most likely.

“Thankfully not,” Piers answered as he allowed himself to lean back against the ship’s cabin. “I was there in case something did happen. There were a couple of small spills, but those have already been cleaned up. I would say we got lucky tonight. The fact that your sister wanted something warm to drink managed to temper her usual tendencies towards burning things to a crisp and calling it done.”

Felix couldn’t help but chuckle at that. It certainly sounded like his sister. He still loved her dearly with all his heart, but there were times where somebody had to gently pry the girl away from the stove or campfire, less the group’s next meal end up as charcoal. If she ever wanted to impress a guy with her cooking, she still had a long way to go down that road.

Piers took another sip from his own mug and stared out across the deck. “I was wondering why it started to feel so chilly inside. I for one was not expecting snow.”

Felix found himself humming in agreement. “I don’t think any of us were. Or at least, not this close to the Sea of Time.”

“A consequence of Poseidon’s downfall mayhaps,” Piers mused. “Or of lighting the Mercury Lighthouse that we are just now starting to see.”

“Mercury’s Lighthouse? But that is all the way in northern Angara, and we are nowhere close to that.” Felix argued back, as he tried to recall what fallout he had been able to see as Menardi dragged him and the others away from the Lighthouse after the matching Elemental Star was thrown into the well. He could remember seeing a bit of it while on the run, but mostly he ended up hearing about widespread flooding around Imil, the Goma Range and the Kolima Forest.

Then again, Saturos and Menardi had drove a hard pace. They didn’t stick around long after Mercury’s Beacon was activated and instead forced the group into a hard march towards Lalivero. Towards the next Lighthouse. Maybe they had simply not stuck around long enough to see the whole aftermath.

“If the Venus Lighthouse could cause an earthquake that was felt across the whole Eastern Sea, and was strong enough to shift the very continents themselves, then there stands to reason that the first Lighthouse must have had some effects of the similar magnitude, but of a different nature. Besides, water tends to be the slowest of the elements in some aspects. It takes time for it to build up and take action. But once it starts moving, it will continue to do so until something else pushes back, or it has run its course.

“Or at least, Kraden is inclined to contemplate that as a possibility. Stronger, harsher storms are one possibility. Abnormally longer winters would also be in line with Mercury’s powers.”

To further illustrate the idea, Piers extended a hand, palm facing upwards. Soon, the tell-tale blue glow of Psynergy use followed, creating a nice clump of snow in the middle of his palm. Within a few seconds, the clump grew until it was large enough to make a nice sized snowball if he really wanted to. It made Felix think back to what spells he could recall seeing Piers use in and out of battle. Most of them were water or ice related, unless he borrowed some non-Mercury Djinn for some experiments.

And yet, what was snow but another form that frozen water could take? Maybe he and Kraden were on to something after all.

“It might also explain why that trip to the Tundaria tower all the way in the south was so perilous.” Piers cut off the flow of Psynergy and shook his hand free from the snow he had summoned. “But to your point, that wasn’t so long ago and we were considerably further away for the Eastern Seas. I know not what this area normally looks like at this time of the year, so I am inclined to think that the Mercury Lighthouse is having a stronger effect onto the areas around it. And now the currents are pushing the cold downwards, since Poseidon is no longer pushing back by boiling the seas.”

“Then we will need to be well prepared for the cold weather,” Felix added as he stared into this mug. “Prox, and the Mars Lighthouse are located at the top of the world, even further north than the Mercury Lighthouse. The weather there was harsh all year around. But if this―” he gestured to the snow falling around them, “―is a taste of what is to come, then we must be ready to face the full force of a brutal winter.”

“Worse than what we saw in Tundaria?” Piers asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Much, much worse,” Felix grunted.

Piers frowned, deep in thought, turning to look in the direction where the Mars Lighthouse stood. The gentle tapping of a couple of fingers around the side of his mug showed that his mind was going over plans, routes and logistics. Something that was not one of Felix’s strongpoints.

“We should also start to think on some alternative routes to Prox.” The Lemurian shifted in place after a few moments, then turned to Felix. “The ship is sturdy, and she can handle some ice flows like we did when we retrieved that prong for the trident. But if the path northward is frozen over, I would rather not test our skills nor our luck at breaking through sheets of solid ice.”

Felix had not thought of that. The people of Prox would likely be somewhat invested in attempting to keep the waterways clear of too much ice. Their main and most reliable source of food year around was the sea, be it fishing or hunting, so it should stand to reason that they would at least attempt at keeping some of the waterways open. Felix could vaguely recall seeing the adults break and clear the ice from the town’s river and water wells when it was needed. He just wasn’t sure if the town had enough fire wielding townsfolk and seaworthy ships to make clearing the sea routes viable.

Saturos and Menardi had been chosen to lead the raids into Vale for a reason. At the time, they were the best of the best that Prox had to offer as far as survival and fighting prowess. And now, they were gone. He had no clue where Karst and Agatio stood as far as skills went, but Alex would not have joined forces with them if the pair had not been a force to be reckoned with.

If push came to shove, then their group would have to get as close as they could to Prox. From there, they would have to find a land-based route, potentially using the ice itself to cross. The one silver lining to it was that if the ice was too thick to break, then it would be strong enough to be walked over in relative safety. It would still be a horrible and miserable trip on foot, with nothing to spare them from the harsh winds, and little to no chance of finding shelter along the way. The sheer thought of having to do that sent shivers down Felix’s spine.

“You should drink your mug if you are getting cold,” Piers nudged him gently out of concern, breaking him out of his thoughts. “Or if you want to change into something warmer, I can wait here until you get back.”

“S-Sorry,” Felix stammered, having been caught by surprise. In a way, he should be thankful that Piers broke him out of his mental spiral once more. “I was thinking about how bad it would be to have to cross the ice flows on foot. I would rather not have to do that if we can help it. And thank you for the offer, but I’m good. I already changed earlier.”

Piers looked a bit unconvinced at first, giving Felix a quick glance up and down as if to verify if he had changed into something warmer or not. It would have been hard to tell at first glance anyway, since the tunic and pants that Felix had changed into were of a darker shade of brown, instead of his usual pale olive green set. But soon enough he relented with a shrug. “As long as you are sure.”

That was another one of things that Felix appreciated about Piers. He didn’t go about pressing Felix for answers. Or anyone else for that matter. One more thing that further set him apart from Alex, and praise everything that was holy that they two men were so different.

Not that Felix wanted to lie to Piers anyway. The man had done a lot of the group, and he didn’t deserve it anyway. Even less so after the recent events from Lemuria.

Opting to instead reassure the man next to him, Felix raised his mug and took a few more sips. Might as well enjoy the drink while it was still warm after all. The cider had cooled down a bit while they had been talking, but it still left a pleasantly warm felling as it went down his throat. A nice treat at the end of a day will chilly weather.

A few seconds later, Felix could feel a second wave of warmth spreading out from his belly. What in the world?

Concerned, Felix took a closer look at his mug. There wasn’t anything special about the mug itself. It was just one out of the several, nearly identical mugs from the ship’s galley, shared by the whole team many times over since they had started to sail across the Eastern Seas. The spiced cider was the oddity. Cautiously, Felix took another sip, this time trying to focus on the individual flavors that he might have missed previously. 

Now that he paid a little closer attention to it, that extra warm feeling didn’t quite line up with the temperature of the drink. There was a bit of a burning sensation, hidden at first by the spices, which followed a few seconds after the drink itself. If the drink itself wasn’t hot to the touch, then that meant… alcohol.

“Did Jenna… spike the drinks?” Felix asked. Normally Jenna wasn’t that gutsy with her cooking attempts. Plus, Felix didn’t recall seeing spirits or anything else of that sort among the ship’s cabinets nor pantry. Did the people of Izumo gift them a bottle or two of sake that Felix hadn’t noticed?

Piers briefly blinked and raised an eyebrow back at Felix. The man then turned to look at both of their mugs, silently mouthing the word ‘spike’. It hadn’t occurred to Felix, but maybe Piers was unfamiliar with the phrase. He was about to explain when he saw Piers’ eyes briefly go wide, as if the man had figured it out on his own.

 “Oh. No. No, that was… actually my doing,” Piers replied, although going by the hunched shoulders and the wavering smile, he was embarrassed by the action.

What?!

Felix turned towards Piers, gaping at him incredulously.

At the silent question, Piers fidgeted some more in place, eyes wandering back and forth between Felix, their mugs, and the area around them. Normally, Piers wasn’t prone to shyness or being embarrassed of his actions. Which made the current situation very odd coming from him.

It took Piers a few more moments for whatever internal debate that was going on in his mind to reach a conclusion. His shoulders dropped a bit in defeat, and then he gulped down whatever was left in his own mug in one swing.

“It… hadn’t been part of the original plan,” Piers began explaining, raising one arm to scratch the back of his head in embarrassment. “To be fair, Jenna didn’t quite make enough for everyone. Or maybe she did start with enough, but she kept taking sips every other minute to taste test. Once she was happy with the taste, she poured herself, Sheba and Kraden a mug each, since they were in the kitchen. I had declined at the time, since I was still halfway through washing the dishes from dinner, so she covered the pot with what was left and went on to get ready for bed. By the time I was done with the rest of the dishes and went to take a look… there was barely enough cider left for one more mug.

“For a while, I thought about pouring what was left and bringing it up to you, since you would likely need it the most because you were up here in the cold. But… it did smell good while Jenna had been making it, and I wanted to at least try it. So instead of keeping it to myself, I started to look around the galley to see what I could use to spread it out. To make enough for the both of us.”

That sounded a lot more like Piers. Always looking out for everyone and trying to make sure no one was left without. Had Piers decided to keep to himself the last of the cider, Felix honestly wouldn’t have minded. Instead, the Lemurian went out of his way so that Felix wasn’t left out.

It had been a long time since anyone had done something for Felix out of true kindness, and not out of some form of self-preservation or necessity. And here was Piers doing just that, and all on a spur of the moment idea.

It made a different kind of warmth spread out from Felix’s belly. One that he wasn’t sure if he wanted to blame on whatever Piers had added into the drinks or not.

“I didn’t find anything promising initially,” Piers continued, still not quite willing to look at the Venus Adept beside him. “For a while there I was considering making a pot of tea and mixing what was left of the cider into that. Make it into more of a spiced tea. However, I feared the flavors would not mix well. I was close to trying anyway, when I chanced upon a bottle of brandy in the back of a cupboard. The label was too faded to see what it was initially, but I figured out what it was from the taste and the smell. It had some faint applewood notes, which could have been what the keg was made of, so I took a chance to see if it would mix well with the cider. Oddly enough, it did.”

Felix wasn’t really knowledgeable about distilled spirits. Certainly not enough to tell apart one from another by smell alone. Strong drinks were not wasted on prisoners back in Prox. Nor did Saturos and Menardi allow Felix to splurge on anything that wasn’t considered a bare essential, back while he had been forced to follow them through Angara and Upper Gondowan. All he knew was second-hand or from word of mouth, and mostly that some drinks were far stronger than others, and that you should pace yourself unless you wanted to be addled beyond measure after a couple of gulps. As best as he could recall, whiskey and brandy were in that pace-yourself as a precaution category.

“How much did pour into our drinks?” Felix found himself asking out loud without thinking.

“About two fingers worth in our mugs.” Piers then raised his own mug close to eye level, placing his free hand so that his two topmost fingers were covering the lower part of the side. About a fourth of the mug then. “I did add a bit of water, juice from an orange and some honey, along with what Jenna left us, then stirred it well before serving. That way it didn’t lose much of that spiced cider taste and… well… it would be enough to fight off the cold up here on deck.”

Oh. That was both kind and practical of him. Just enough to warm him up, without the dangers of leaving either one of them too drunk to effectively keep watch.  Felix wouldn’t have come up with something like that. The best he would have come up with was to brew either tea or coffee, depending on what was available. Plus, taste wise, it was far better than the revolting sludge of firewater he had been forced to drink all those years ago, when he had been rescued after near drowning. It might have saved Felix’s life at the time, but he would rather not have to repeat the experience, regardless of the circumstances.

Maybe he’d be willing to try out other drinks later on, if Piers was the one mixing and serving them. He knew that Piers would not intentionally harm him.

Was it that brandy that made Felix suddenly want to lean into the Lemurian’s side? He wasn’t sure. Maybe he should drink the rest of his drink slowly. Just in case.

Felix really needed to do something nice for the other Piers. A real gift or kindness. Not just the little distractions and chores he’s been using to keep the man busy. He knew food worked to a point. Was there a snack or treat that Piers was really fond of? In hindsight, maybe he should have pried Piers’ uncle for an aniseed cookie recipe or two while had had the opportunity to do so. He would have to check those bookcases near the galley on the off chance there was a cookbook somewhere in there that Felix had overlooked.

But what could be do for the man here and now? Say thanks? Well, it was better than nothing.

“Thank you, Piers,” Felix said with a gentle smile. “For the drink. It does taste good. I guess if Jenna ever tries to make some more spiced cider, you can make the same adjustments you did today to ours.”

Piers blinked back at first. Perhaps caught by surprise.

“I… You’re welcome,” Piers stammered initially, but he recovered quick enough. A small, hopeful smile soon spread across his face. “And yes, I wouldn’t mind making this… spiked and spiced apple cider again if you wish.”

That smile did suit Piers better that the barely hidden grief that empty look that he had worn for the better part of the last few days. It was good to see him back to something closer to his usual, cheerful self. And standing where he was, the nearby lamp on the wall really bought out the gold in his eyes.

He did look a bit flushed though. Was it the cold? Did he drink to fast? He hoped the Lemurian wasn’t about to come down with a cold or a flu.

Before Felix got around to voice his worries, Piers decided that he had more to say.

“Truth be told,” Piers continued as turned to face away from Felix. His earlier cheer was gone, and in its place, a worried look crossing his face. “I’m the one that should be thanking you.”

“Huh?” Not Felix’s finest moment, he would admit, but why would Piers be thanking him out of the blue?

Piers stared at Felix briefly, before sighing deeply and sitting down on the floor with his back leaning on the cabin’s wall. He let his legs extend before him, bending one and letting his elbow rest upon his knee. After a moment of hesitation, Felix joined him on the floor, sitting cross-legged next to the Lemurian.

“I know I haven’t been able to pull my own weight since we left my homeland,” Piers began explaining with a deep sigh. He cast his sight downwards, to the now empty mug in one of his hands which he began to fiddle with. “My heart and my mind were still catching up to the fact that my mother is gone, and that I am now exiled for the rest of life. Never to set foot upon her shores ever again.”

It was true to a point. Piers had really been out of it for those first few days. Even still, there was nothing to apologize for. Anyone would have been shocked and left reeling after experiencing what Piers went through in such a short amount of time.

“While I was stuck in a daze and being of little to no use to anyone, you took over the day to day tasks onboard the ship. You kept the girls in check, made sure no one skipped meals, and you charted out our next course. All while I was staring uselessly at the walls and ceiling around my bunk.”

The scowl on the man’s face was a bit surprising, but it was the man’s words that left Felix feeling uneasy. There was a lot of self-loathing in there. A sentiment that Felix understood perhaps a little too well, especially those first few days after the events at the Venus Lighthouse, where Felix had found himself sorely lacking in so many aspects to the point that he had no idea how or why he had been designated as team leader. Had it not been for Jenna and Sheba still there that needed him, pushing him and urging him forward, then he would have most likely been doing the same as the Lemurian in front of him.

And yet, Felix couldn’t remember ever hearing Piers speak like that, or about himself in such a crestfallen tone.

Motives and reasoning aside, Felix did not like where this was going. Before he realized it, one of his hands had already moved on its own, reaching out and grabbing hold of Piers arm just above the elbow. His fingers were gently digging into the thick wool of the sleeve. He couldn’t explain it, but he needed something to hold on to. Something to ground him. Something to make sure Piers did not go off the deep end. Whatever it was, it was as if his heart was screaming at him to stop Piers. Don’t. Please. Come back. You are not useless. We need you.

The Lemurian blinked a few times at the sudden movement, but made no move to shake him off or pull away. A couple of heartbeats later, and the barest of smiles spread across the sailor’s face. He still looked sad, but he was no longer borderline angry with himself. With a huff, Piers placed his empty mug down close to the wall next to him, then reached over with his free arm, gently placing his hand on top of Felix’s. The relief that Felix saw in Pier’s golden eyes made him believe that his actions had ended up being the right choice. That Piers appreciated the gesture.

Maybe, maybe Piers needed something to ground him too.

“You were the one that managed to drag me out of my stupor, Felix,” Piers stated, his voice soft and gentle. “It took me a while to realize it, but all those little chores around the ship helped me. It kept me moving. It gave me something to else to focus on that was not my mother’s gravestone. Nor Conservato’s parting words. I won’t lie, because there will likely be days ahead of us where I may relapse, but I am eternally grateful to know that I can depend on you to watch over us and steer us true. That is why I want to thank you Felix. In a way, you have been saving me from myself.”

Felix stared at the man in surprise, even as his face felt hot from both the embarrassment of having been caught and the sheer admiration in the man’s words. He had expected Piers to catch on eventually, but not so soon!

Then again, the Lemurian had always been a lot more perceptive in general than Felix was on a good day.

Either that, or Felix’s attempts at being subtle had been lacking considerably.

“Piers… I-I...” Felix bit his lip and looked away. When was the last time someone had made Felix feel that kind of… appreciated? Welcomed and wanted even. How was he to respond to that? He was at a loss. Words had once again left him floundering. He tried to say something, anything, and yet the only thing coming out of this throat was a sad little whine.

Amidst his inner turmoil, he felt more than saw Piers giving his hand a gentle squeeze. Acceptance, and a silent encouragement.

Well, if words were failing him, then at least he could return the gesture, right?

With that, Felix took a deep breath for strength. Then, he placed his mug down gently on the floor beside him, safely out of reach. Now that he had both hands free, he shifted closer to Piers, wrapping both hands around the man’s arm. Felix would likely deny it later, but he did find himself leaning towards the Lemurian too. To the point that he was almost hiding his face in the man’s shoulder.

Piers had tensed up initially when Felix started shifting, but stayed still, letting Felix do as he pleased. After a few moments of stillness, Piers gave his hand another gentle squeeze. Like always, the Lemurian was patient with him, willing to wait until he was ready to speak.

Did the man trust Felix so deeply? Despite having met only a few months ago? Granted, they had been some harrowing experiences since they started traveling together. Funny how a handful of shared near-death experiences could bring people closer.

And yet, when he started to think back about what drew him to the Lemurian, so many things came to mind. Sharp gold eyes that rarely missed anything, and yet would also light up with glee when he came up with a way to foil whatever mischief the girls had been up to. A wide grin whenever the group had managed to bring down a particularly strong foe. A helping hand here. A snarky but brilliant quip there. The sassy comebacks that came out when someone really started to rile the man up. How the man enjoyed trying out different foods, to the point of occasionally sweet talking the older ladies manning the food stands into getting extra portions. Not to mention all the times in battle that Piers watched their backs, taking some nasty hits while defending someone else and then hitting back twice as hard.

Their initial meeting, all the way back in the hearth of Gongaga felt so long ago. They had joined forces on the condition of reaching Lemuria, and yet so much had happened since then. By the time the group had started searching for the pieces of that trident, it felt less like following through with a promise, and more like they had become something akin to a well working team. Almost like a family even.

Come to think of it, while Felix and Jenna were the only two related by blood out of the group, the others had claimed spots of their own. Kraden was the grandpa on his third or fourth wind, with a little too much wanderlust and a penchant for adventure despite his age. Sheeba was like a second sister, who often fought with Jenna over the title of Mistress of Mayhem on a daily basis. And Piers was… the adventurous cousin?

No that didn’t quite feel right. Competent but exasperated uncle? Sort of, but not quite either.

Unofficial babysitter and minder? Partially. The voice of reason? Yes, mostly when Kraden decided that humoring the girls was far more interesting than to be the responsible one.

A brother of some kind? Closer, but also no.

Best friend? Well, yes.

Maybe part of Felix had indeed latched onto to Piers due to being the first and only male acquaintance in several years that was close to his age group (or whatever was loosely the equivalent of a young adult in Lemurian terms) that didn’t see Felix as a hassle to tolerate, like the Proxians made very clear, or like a villain that needed to be stopped at all costs, like Issac and his group.

In the end, Piers had more than warmed up to the group. He had really become part of the team. He cared for them. Looked out for them. Trusted them. And the group trusted him back in kind.

But now, after hearing the depth of Pier’s recent words, Felix found himself pondering. Did he trust Piers just as much? To be willing to lay bare his inner hopes, thoughts, fears, and everything else in between?

A few months ago, that would have been a hard NO. Felix had clammed up and refused to share anything about what he had been forced to endure back in Prox. Not even to his sister, regardless of how much she badgered him. But now? He’d still hesitate for the most part… except if it was Piers. Piers had proven himself time and time again, and he was not one to make slight of whatever was shared in confidence. If it came down to it, the Lemurian was the kind of man that would take those secrets with him to his grave.

In that moment, as he was looking down to where his hands were still wrapped around the man’s arm, Felix realized that yes, he did trust Piers. With all his heart.

And, if he was honest with himself, Felix struggled to imagine how it would be to go back to traveling without Piers there at his side. In truth, he didn’t want to even consider the possibility of them parting ways. The very idea that the man would want to leave out of his own volition out of some misplaced sense that he had failed the team made the brunet’s stomach churn with dread.

No. That would not be happening if Felix could help it. And for that, he needed to let the man know how much he meant to them. To him.

“But you have been helping us a lot too, you know,” Felix began once he had managed to get his thoughts in some semblance of order. “You sailed us around almost the whole Eastern Sea. First to find Lemuria, and then when he couldn’t make it past Poseidon, you helped us search for the pieces of a rumored trident of legend, so that we could stand a chance of fighting him. You were the one that figured out that the parts to Yepp’s song and dance were instructions on how to navigate the deadly whirlpools that made up the Sea of Time. It is thanks to you that we were able to set foot into Lemuria. It was because you, and your maps, and your words and your actions that King Hydros gave us the Grindstone. We now have a way to clear the rocks blocking the path towards the Western Sea. You did all that. Not us. No one would have really believed us. But… you did, and you helped us, even if we hadn’t been fully honest in the beginning.”

Felix took a deep breath. His hands trembled as words he had not been able to voice out loud for a long time came spilling forth. He needed to say this, for both of their sakes.

“We would not have made it this far without you, Piers. If not for you… if you hadn’t decided to take a chance on joining forces with us… then I suspect that the girls, Kraden and I would have most likely been taken prisoner once more by Alex and his new Proxian allies. Forced to do their bidding, and later cast aside once we had outlived our usefulness.”

Felix felt a shiver course through him. He didn’t want to see anyone from their little group at the mercy of the Proxians ever again.

“In a way, we are alive and we are free thanks to you Piers,” Felix rushed out while he still could, determined to say his peace even as his heart hammering away in his chest. “If we are to even have a chance at lighting the remaining Elemental Lighthouses, we need you. Not your ship. Not your maps. We need you.”

I need you.

The duo froze in place as silence engulfed them. That was a lot more than what Felix usually said in one go, but he needed to get the point across, no matter how much his hands kept shaking. If he looked like a shivering mess of a man that was afraid of losing the one thing that was keeping him afloat, well, then so bet it. His pride, or what little there was left of it, wasn’t worth seeing Piers abandoning them.

When Piers remained frozen place, his face locked in shock, Felix started to fear he had overstepped his bounds. Unable to meet those golden eyes after all that, the brunet buried his face into the Lemurian’s shoulder in shame. Shame creeped down his spine at the same time his eyes started to water and sting.

Maybe the best he should have hoped for was for the Lemurian to be willing to stay with the group until the Lighthouses were lit.

“Oh, Felix…” Piers whispered softly. It almost sounded as if the man was yearning for something? 

A few seconds later, he felt and heard the other man shift in place. The hand that had been resting over Felix’s disappeared, only to reappear around his shoulders and pulling him into a tight hug. The kind of hug that squeezed the air out of your lungs for a split second, then wrapped around you like a warm blanket in winter.

Piers wasn’t pushing him away? Could it be?

Then suddenly, Felix felt what could only be someone else’s lips on his forehead.

Did… Piers just gave him a forehead kiss?!

Felix might have squeaked. He wasn’t sure. His eyes did fling open in surprise, catching sight of the Lemurian’s neckline.

“Perhaps I did do some, or all of that,” Piers whispered as allowed himself to rest his cheek over the top of Felix’s head, his arm still firmly wrapped around the brunet’s shoulders and upper back. “But please, do not belittle your own contributions to those achievements. You were there with me every step of the way.”

Weird as their current position was, especially knowing that the two of them were similar in height, it somehow felt right. Oh, so right.

Within seconds, his body all but melted into the embrace. Felix ended up letting go of Pier’s arm so that he could fully return the hug, and then all but buried his face into fabric that covered the crook of Piers’ neck, even if that left him partially sitting in the other man’s lap. Piers too shifted, letting his newly freed arm pull Felix even closer.

How was it that a man that could summon ice on a whim could be so warm?

When was the last time that Felix had felt so… safe?

Probably since before he and his parents had been taken prisoner by the Proxians.

But right there, in that moment, that felt so far away. It was, as if time had paused. His worries were put on hold. For once, the pressing need to hurry to the next Lighthouse was gone. To stay one step ahead of Issac and his team, less their whole mission be put in jeopardy.

He could breathe. He could live in the moment. He could let himself enjoy something so simple as a warm embrace. Something he had not been allowed to do in years.

With a shudder (and maybe a few tears) Felix allowed himself to go limp in Piers’ arms.

The hand gently rubbing his back as a surprise, but one that only further soothed his fears and allowed him to slowly relax deeper.

“Your presence was instrumental in each of those achievements, Felix,” Piers began explaining after Felix had settled down. “You and the others helped me recover the Black Orb for my ship without leading to bloodshed. When we visited villages and towns, where I stood out due to my hair and eye color, you were able to smooth things over with the locals to ward off further suspicions. You lead us through those many caves and ruins with confidence, coming up with ideas on how to clear the way forward when it appeared that we had reached a dead end. You convinced Champa’s elder to reforge the fabled Trident of the Ankohl. We stood together side by side and faced our foes, even as made battle with the likes of the Great Serpent at Gaia’s Rock and Poseidon himself.

“And do not forget that your firsthand testimony of the events at Mount Aleph and the continued erosion of Weyard’s edges confirmed what King Hydros had been suspecting for so long.”

The man sighed deeply. “I may have been banished from my homeland, but the council has been disgraced by their actions. Conservato’s seat of power will not last, especially since he decided to ignore clear evidence brought before him. Our meeting had plenty of witnesses, both from guards and from the castle’s staff. He will not be able to buy the silence nor the goodwill of all who saw his misplaced outrage. Perhaps it is pitiful of me, but I take solace in knowing that some form of justice will be served, and that Conservato will have no say nor hand in Lemuria’s future soon enough.”

That was news to Felix. The elder had acted as if he was as untouchable as the king. Maybe there was something half buried within Lemuria’s laws that handled situations like that, which justified removing high ranking governing officials from their post under certain conditions. The way that Piers had put it, it sounded as if Conservato’s actions more than qualified for the dismissal. Had King Hydros informed Piers somehow about the council member’s soon-to-be expulsion? Felix had been too busy seething at the time, and focused instead on loading their newly gifted cargo into the ship’s hold. Maybe he missed something in the interim.

Not that Jenna’s idea on the whole forceful retirement thing stopped having an appeal. A simple dismissal was far too lenient on a sentence for what the man did. Piers would still not be able to see his homeland, nor ever hear from what friends and family he had left. Meanwhile, at most Conservato would be barred from the castle? Where was the justice in that?!

“That old coot deserved far worse,” Felix muttered under his breath. “Jenna’s plan would have been better fitting.”

Piers chucked above him. It was a stilted thing at first, but little by little it was becoming more genuine, until his whole frame as shaking in barely contained laughter.

“Well…” Piers drawled for a second with a teasing tone, letting his fingers gently tap away at Felix’s back, as if deep in thought. “If your sister comes up with a more tangible way of sneaking ashore and kidnapping some elders in the thick of the night unnoticed, I may consider it. I should be able to summon a thick enough fog, or a lesser blizzard, that would hide us from view if our Djinn feel like cooperating. Now, I know that I am no longer an upright citizen of Lemuria, but I had hoped to not need to engage in… unsanctioned privateering so soon.”

Unsanctioned― Wait, what?!

Felix pulled away briefly to stare incredulously at the Lemurian. Piers was grinning. Actually grinning. He’d made a joke at his own expense about taking on piracy as a new career, despite that it was exactly what had landed him in Madra’s prison a little over a month ago.

And more importantly, Piers had heard the full extent of Jenna’s harebrained schemes.

Tentative criminal activities aside, the idea of swapping their Djinn around and summoning some fog cover was actually pretty clever. The blizzard idea would probably more natural for Piers with a dull deck of Mercury Djinn at his side, but if Jenna traded with him some of her fire Djinn, he’d be able to summon a fog like the one they had encountered earlier that day. It would be horribly humid and borderline uncomfortable for the rest of the group if Piers didn’t get the ratio right, but it had potential.

He’d still have to figure out the sneaking on land and the kidnapping parts… But hey, that’s already half of a working plan, right?

Despite the oddity of the scenario being planned for, it made something deep within Felix thaw in relief. If he could get the Lemurian to grin and joke like that, then surely, he was well underway to recovering from the recent events. Felix found himself smiling and burying himself a bit further into the crook of Pier’s neck, even as the man shook with mirth.

“Mischief and plans for questionable future endeavors aside, mayhaps we can reach a compromise. How about that we can be thankful for each other,” Piers said as he gave Felix a couple of good-natured pats on the back.

Felix huffed at the statement. A compromise sounded perfectly acceptable. And he was more than glad to hear and see more evidence of Piers going back to normal.

“I think I can live with that,” he replied with a nod.

“Good, then we can keep watching over each other. Make sure we don’t go astray or get into too much trouble.”

“Or do something too reckless like kidnapping elders?” Felix added with a grin.

“Or like jumping off the top of another Lighthouse?” Piers teased back with devious smirk.

Felix’s brows furrowed. He was tempted to jab the man in ribs on sheer principal, but he let that slide for the time being. He was never going to be able to live that down, was he?

“Like jumping off another Lighthouse, yes.” He groused, mildly glaring at the other man.

Piers chucked. “Same goes for you. You can stop me if I suddenly get possessed by the urge to swim rather than sail across the whole sea.”

“Your ship may not have a mast like others, but I will tie you up somehow if I need to.” Felix glared back, fully intent on carrying out the threat if it ever happened. He had been practicing his rope tying and knots during some of his night watch shifts in case they had to fight off more enemies during a bad storm. He knew where the rope was stored, both below and on the deck.

That earned him a snort, a few more chuckles, and another friendly squeeze around the shoulders. Felix rolled his eyes at the Lemurian’s antics.

It took Piers a few moments to get his laughter under control, but when he did, he released a deep breath and gently whispered into Felix’s ear.

“Oh Felix. You are a truly are a treasure. Let no one else tell you otherwise.”

A treasure? What in the world? What was he going on about now?

Felix had been about ask for an explanation, when he felt Piers pull away. The sudden loss of warmth was a bit jarring, but nothing that would prevent Felix from getting his answers. There wasn’t even a full arm’s length between them, but the small distance allowed Felix to get a good look at Piers’ face.

The man still looked pleased with himself, but it had taken on a softer look. Those lovely, golden eyes shone with something that Felix couldn’t quite put a word to. Relief? Hope? Kindness? Longing? Something else entirely?

It… reminding him briefly of the occasional looks his dad had sent his mother’s way, back when he thought no one had been looking. As if his mother was one of the most precious of treasures he had ever seen.

Precious treasure…

What had Piers just called him? A treasure?

Felix’s breath hitched, his eyes went wide.

Did Piers care for him like that? In him, Felix?

Why would, dare he even think it, but why would Piers love him?

Why him? As strong, smart, dashing, charming and so many other things that Piers was, he could have had plenty of admirers all over Weyard already. Any one of them would have been lucky to spend their lives with Piers. Why throw away all that for a man like Felix?

Pier’s earlier words from that same night came back to him with sudden clarity.

You were the one that managed to drag me out of my stupor, Felix.

You were there with me every step of the way.

We stood together side by side and faced our foes.

… He did do that. He had been standing by Piers’ side ever since the man had come into the fold.

Maybe that’s what Piers wanted. Someone that could be his equal in everything. Someone that could stand beside him, on equal footing, through hell and highwater. To celebrate the good, and to help each other during the bad. To watch each other’s blind spots, and to cover the other’s weaknesses. And most of all, to be there, when the other needed him.

Felix could live with that.

Maybe, just maybe, Felix had been falling in love with Piers all along. It was just now that he was starting to realize it.

Perhaps what Felix really needed to do now was to figure out a way to let the other man know that he cared about him too.

A gentle touch along his jaw snapped Felix from his thoughts, bringing him back to the present. It was then that he noticed that Piers had leaned in, their faces barely a palm’s width in distance. It made him swallow around his suddenly dry throat. A fire burned within the pit of his stomach. The fingers on his chin tilting his face upwards and the hand on his shoulder felt like brands searing his skin. And yet, Felix couldn’t move. He couldn’t look away. All he could do was stare into sea of turquoise and gold.

Before he knew it, Piers had leaned in, tilting his head over so slightly, and placed a feather soft kiss on Felix’s cheek.

Felix’s mind went blank.

He… didn’t imagine that, right? That Piers had kissed him again? Felix felt hot all over. His breath was coming in short gasps and his heart was going crazy in his chest.

The puff of warm air over his skin told him that no, he had not imagined it.

Something deep inside Felix snapped. The next thing he knew, his body was moving on its own. His hands had roughly grabbed Piers by the nape of his neck and yanked him back down just as the man had started to pull away. The Lemurian made a startled sound and briefly tried to jerk away, only to be cut off when Felix managed to crash their lips together into a haphazard kiss.

Oh sweet heavens, he could taste the cider on the Lemurian’s breath.

And bloody hell, Felix still had no idea what he was doing. He had never kissed anyone before romantically. But dam if it didn’t feel amazing.

Several seconds passed while the pair remained frozen in place. Felix was the first to move, once he realized just what he had done.

In a panic, pulled back his hands in a hurry, which made Piers wince a bit when some of his fingers had gotten caught in some tangles. A hand quickly grabbed hold of Felix’s to stop him from any further unintentional hair pulling.

“P-Piers― I’m sorry, I didn’t― I don’t know what came over me. I―” Felix went pale. He wanted to beg for forgiveness, yet he didn’t know where to even start.

He has spared from making any further pitiful floundering when Piers placed a lone finger over his lips, shushing him.

“Did you mean it?” Piers asked. His face was guarded, but his voice carried an edge of uncertainty. “Did you really mean to kiss me?”

Felix wanted to look away, to hide, but with his hands held by the wrists and Piers not letting him speak, there wasn’t really anywhere he could run.

Well, technically he could make a hasty retreat, but it would require him to use his Psynergy to throw off Piers… Which one, the man didn’t deserve it, two, he wouldn’t have been able to look at or speak to Piers for a good long while from the shame, and three, there were not that many options as to where Felix could retreat to. They were still out in the middle of the sea with only a little sandbar for company.

Not to mention, it would have made things very awkward for everyone else on the ship too.

Piers deserved an honest answer anyway. And so, after taking a deep, if shaky breath, Felix nodded slowly as he closed his eyes in defeat. Ready to accept whatever judgement fell before him.

Out of everything the Venus Adept could have braced for, hearing a relieved sigh was not among them. Cautiously, Felix risked a opening an eye and taking a glance at the other man.

“Rest assured Felix, I am not mad at you,” Piers said as he removed his hand from Felix’s face, letting it instead give him a gentle shoulder squeeze. The turquoise haired man looked pleased with himself more than anything else. “You surprised me. I never took you for one to act on spur of the moment impulses.”

Felix hadn’t known he was prone to impulsive decisions either, so that made two of them. He did notice that Piers was not letting go of his wrists. Perhaps knowing that if he did, Felix was likely to bolt.

“Sorry,” Felix said meekly. “I… didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“That I know.” Piers smiled back gently. “Outside of spars, you would never hurt me. And even then, you would be pulling your punches. As would I.”

He then looked down and enveloped Felix’s hands with his own, letting them rest over their laps.

The Lemurian stared at their hands ruefully for a while. But then looked up to Felix.

“For a good long while, I was trying to not get my hopes up. I knew not if you would even be open to the idea of being courted. Or more specifically… if you were willing to be courted by me.”

In hindsight, it was a bit of a fair statement. Up until a scant few minutes ago, Felix himself would have said that he wasn’t really interested in courting anyone. Or being courted in turn. The pressing nature of his mission to release Alchemy and save his parents took up almost every drop of energy he could muster.

But with Piers… maybe things could be different. Maybe they could find a way to make things work out.

Chances were, Felix would still make a mess of things since he was effectively clueless in all things related to romance. At least Piers appeared to have some idea of what he was doing, so all Felix could do was put his faith in him.

It would take time, and patience, to get used to the idea of being romantically involved, but he was willing to put in some effort. He just had to hope that things would turn out well in the end. Even if Felix ended up turning beet red, much like his dear baby sister, whenever Piers did or said something sweet in his general vicinity.

And maybe hope that the girls didn’t take it the wrong way when they eventually found out. Because it was not going to be a question of if, but rather of when. They were more than likely, and capable when they wanted, to do something crazy like setting them up on some kind of formal date, and to mercilessly tease both Felix and Piers for days on end.

The chuckle he heard made Felix suspect that he was already blushing.

“Truth be told, had I known you would react like that, then maybe I really shouldn’t have dragged my feet for so long.”

“Dragging your feet?” Felix attempted to glare at Piers, even if there was no real heat to it.

“You’d be surprised how good you look in the middle of a fight,” Piers grinned like a sly fox. “You make for quite the knight in shining armor in fact. Jumping to the rescue, all fierce and determined to take down your foe, all while seamlessly combining swordsmanship with Psynergy. Even outside of battle, you hold yourself with confidence and strength. A fearless leader through and through. You did not cower before Alhafra’s mayor, and you stood your ground before King Hydros and Elder Conservato. You are man worth admiring Felix.”

Ancestors help him. Piers was making it sound like Felix was some kind of dashing hero from a fairy tale! If he wasn’t beet red before, he was for sure now.

He really wanted his hands back so that he could hide his face. Since he couldn’t do that, he did the next best thing he could think of. Hide his against Pier’s shoulder.

The Lemurian chucked and released his hold on one of Felix’s hands. “You really do look good in the middle of a battle. But back to what I had hoped to ask of you at some point.” 

“Ask of me?” Felix leaned back, tilting his head to the side in confusion. Piers wanted to… well, date him, right?

Piers hummed in agreement. The devious glint that sparkled in the Lemurian’s eyes could only spell trouble for the Venus Adept.

A gentle tug to one of his hands made Felix look down, only to see that Piers was removing one of his gloves. The cold air was unpleasant on his bare skin, making him wonder what exactly the other man was planning. How Piers managed to keep his own hands warm without gloves would forever be a mystery to him.

He was not prepared for when Piers raised their joined hands and placed a feather soft kiss to the back of his hand, making Felix jump a bit in surprise. Evidently, Piers was not going to be doing things in half, and he was going to take every possible chance to fluster the Venus Adept.

“Felix, my love,” Piers began, his eyes shining with glee as his voice came out deeper than he had ever heard from him. “May I court you?”

Felix was going to be in trouble if the Lemurian kept talking to him like that. That deeper purr-like voice, along with the man’s warm breath over his bare hand, were already making him squirm in place. That fire in his belly wasn’t helping one bit either.

It took Felix a few seconds to process the question, a bit too distracted and embarrassed by how easily Water Adept was affecting him.

Did he want Piers to court him?

Yes. Yes, he did.

Felix was left gapping for a few seconds as he tried to get his voice to answer. A couple of false starts later, and he was able to answer.

“Y-Yes.” Felix replied sheepishly.

Piers grinned widely and pulled Felix into a fierce hug. Just as Felix had recovered from the surprise, Piers had brought them closer for another kiss.

A sweet, soft kiss on the lips that made Felix’s heart skip a beat. Felix found himself closing his eyes and smiling into the kiss.

One kiss became two. Then two, turned into three. After that, Felix simply decided to not bother keeping count. He still didn’t quite know what to do, but Piers was gently guiding him along. And it felt amazing.

When the pair pulled away, they were both breathless. Breathless, but smiling wildly. Piers leaned forward, letting their foreheads touch, allowing them to catch their breaths while still not being away from one another.

Never would have Felix been able to guess that his life would take such a turn of events. And to think, just that very same morning, he had been worried for the other man’s wellbeing. Now? Not only could he rest easy knowing that Piers was recovering from the loss of his closest family and homeland, but he had something wonderful to look forward to. A life with the best man he had ever met by his side.

To think that all this time, the two had been gravitating towards each other. Yes, it took forever for Felix to realize that his desire to help and protect Piers went further than friendship and self-preservation. He’ll likely be teased for being so clueless for a good long while anyway. In the end, what mattered was that he loved Piers, and that Piers loved him back.

They stayed like that. Together in silence. With nothing but the waves, the wind, and the gently falling snow for company.

Until a sudden gust of wind made them both shiver from the cold. It also reminded the pair that sitting on the floor as they were doing was probably not a good idea in that kind of weather.

“I believe that’s our queue. For us to continue this elsewhere at a better point in time.” Piers reluctantly let go of Felix and began to stand. “Preferably when one of us is not on the night shift and that the weather doesn’t want to give us frostbite.”

Felix grumbled a bit, but he had to accept that it was for the best. He did have half a shift left to go, and he had most certainly not been paying attention for the last few minutes. With a sigh, he pulled his glove back on and grabbed both of their mugs. One empty, one mostly empty but long since gone cold. Well, as the old saying went, waste not, want not. Felix tilted his head back and drank the rest. The taste had not changed much, but now that he was looking for it, he really could feel the burn from the alcohol. He could also feel that warming sensation start to spread to his limbs.

In the meantime, Piers had done a few quick stretches and brushed off the snow from his clothes. He then extended a hand towards Felix who was still sitting on the floor.

“Here, I’ll take those back inside,” he offered, and Felix handed the mugs over without a fuss. The Lemurian then shifted the two over to one hand, he extended the other towards Felix once more to help him up as well. “Do you think you’ll be able to make do until the end of your shift?”

Felix took the offer and grunted as Piers pulled upwards. “Considering I just polished off the last quarter of the cup? I think I’ll be fine.”

Piers smiled and helped Felix dust himself off. After making sure that they both were presentable, and mostly free of snow, the Lemurian clasped Felix’s shoulder.

“Together then? Till the ends of the world, and come what may?”

“Together. And come what may.” Felix agreed with a smile and returned the gesture.

Piers grinned once more and gave Felix one last kiss on the cheek before heading back indoors.

The Venus adept chuckled at Pier’s retreating form. Chances are, they both looked like love-struck loons, but Felix couldn’t find himself to care.

Together still had a nice ring to it. The rest of their journey was bound to be perilous, between climbing the Lighthouses and dodging both Issac’s and Alex’s group. Together they more than stood a chance of making it. It would take a lot of skill, cunning, wit, and maybe a good amount of plain old luck, but seeing how far they had come, the challenges they had overcome and what they had already accomplished… suddenly lighting the remaining Elemental Beacons didn’t feel as impossible as it did.

They could succeed.

Felix had no idea what the next day would bring, or the one after that, but knowing that Piers would be there supporting him all the way, he felt ready to take on the challenge.

Together they would face whatever came their way, their heads held high, and standing side by side.