Work Text:
"Obscurio," Magmion greeted, kneeling respectfully in front of Obscurio. "You summoned me, Master?"
Obscurio gave a twisted smile. "Of course. A few of my other underlings were successful in finding something that can make those pathetic Forest Gormiti, how should I say, occupied."
Magmion's eyes gleamed. "And what is that, Master?"
Obscurio's twisted smile grew wider as he held out a staff to Magmion. "The Thorns of Hate from this staff will ensure no one will get in the way of our plans. Once a Thorn lands on its target, they will become so blinded with hatred towards the one they love that they cannot see anything else."
"And this means they won't be able to see us coming?" Magmion guessed.
Obscurio gave a dark chuckle. "Precisely. Now," he stood up as he gave the staff to Magmion. "I'm entrusting this staff to you, so use it wisely. Not even the Lords of Nature will be able to withstand the effects of the Thorns of Hate."
Magmion grinned, giving the staff an experimental tilt as he carefully inspected it. "I won't let you down, Master."
"See to it that you don't."
As Magmion left the lair, Obscurio gave an evil laugh.
*****
Pierre handed his girlfriend Emily a bouquet of flowers, with a single red rose in the middle. "Happy Anniversary!"
Emily was surprised at first by the bouquet she was holding, but then her face broke out in a huge smile. "Oh, you shouldn't have!" She gushed. "These are so beautiful, thanks, Pierre!"
Pierre brushed a lock of Emily's hair behind her ear. "But not as beautiful as you, Emily." Pierre used his hands to delicately remove the rose from the bouquet with the intent of placing it behind her ear, but not without accidentally pricking himself with one of the thorns. "Ow!" He shook his hand while Emily gave him a concerned look. "I thought I removed all the thorns! I'm okay, though," he reassured Emily. "Guess I should've taken another look at that rose, huh?"
Emily shifted the bouquet so that only one hand was holding it, and took the rose from Pierre's non-pricked hand with her free hand and inspected it. Sure enough, there was a single thorn on an otherwise smooth stem. "It's pretty small," she informed. "Very easy to miss unless you knew it was th— ow!"
"Emily!"
Emily had dropped the rose on the ground and Pierre rushed to comfort her. "I'm fine," she reassured before chuckling. "Trust us to both get pricked by the same rose moments after each other. But I could've sworn the thorn that pricked me wasn't there before," she added thoughtfully.
All of a sudden, it was like a switch flipped in Pierre. "Well, obviously the thorn was there! I hate how unobservant you can be sometimes."
Emily's eyes widened as she stared at Pierre, and the shock and hurt she felt was evident in her voice. "...What?"
Pierre gave a frustrated grunt. "And I hate how you never listen to me! What kind of girlfriend are you if the only one you listen to is yourself?"
Emily felt tears begin to form as she placed the bouquet on the ground beside the rose. "Pierre, that's not true and you know it! What's gotten into you?" Suddenly, that same switch flipped in Emily, and her sadness turned to hatred. "Is that so? Well, I hate how you never consider my feelings and only care about yourself!"
As the couple continued spouting hateful things at each other, neither of them noticed that the rose on the ground was producing more and more thorns.
*****
Since Jessica and Toby left to do their own thing, Lucas and Nick decided to spend some time together. After a while, the two of them started heading back to the Tripp house.
Lucas was fidgeting as they walked, and swallowed his nerves. "Hey, Nick, can I talk to you for a moment?"
Nick stopped walking and looked at Lucas. "Sure, what's up?"
"It's just..." Lucas began hesitantly. "You know the dance that's coming up in a couple weeks? There's someone I wanna ask, and I don't know the best way to go about it."
Maybe it was just his imagination, but when Nick smiled at him, for some reason it looked strained. "Don't worry. Gina will say yes regardless of what way you ask her."
Nick's words were meant to be reassuring, but all Lucas felt was a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he chose his next words carefully. "It's not Gina, but the person I wanna ask... it's complicated."
Nick looked at him curiously. "If it's not Gina, then... who is it?"
Lucas braced himself for Nick's reaction, hoping he'd react well. "It's just... it's a guy."
"You like guys," Nick realised, and Lucas was relieved to find that Nick seemed especially happy about this information.
Lucas nodded, feeling a weight off his shoulders at Nick's reaction. "I do."
Nick beamed at him, and Lucas's heart fluttered. "That's great to hear!" He tilted his head curiously. "Is it just guys? Or is it girls as well as guys? I don't wanna assume."
"Just guys," Lucas clarified. "You're taking me being gay really well, by the way. Not that I'm complaining."
Nick shrugged, still smiling widely. "Coming out is a hard thing to do. And you're my friend, Lucas. I'm not gonna make you feel bad for the way you were born. Does anyone else know yet?"
Lucas shook his head. "No, just you so far."
"Not that I don't appreciate being the first to know," Nick began. "But wouldn't asking Jess or Toby for advice be better?"
"While I'm sure Jess would give good advice," Lucas started to explain. "She'd be torn if she found out I don't like Gina that way — yeah, I know about that," he quickly added when he saw Nick's eyes widen. "I figured it out. And since I know about Gina and Jess is friends with Gina, I'd rather not put Jess in the position of helping one friend at the expense of another friend's happiness, and Toby? He's... well..."
His crush's brother so he couldn't ask him for advice...
"...Not exactly the best person to ask," Lucas finished.
Nick blinked. "We'll talk about you already knowing about Gina's feelings later..." He shook his head to get back on track. "But yeah, what you said makes sense. Asking Jess is out of the question, and Toby? Well, knowing him, he'd suggest you do a prank to grab his attention, which probably isn't the best way to ask someone out to the school dance. In that case, I'd be happy to help you out."
Lucas smiled. "Thanks, Nick."
"No problem," Nick replied, getting a strange look in his eyes for a moment before it went away. "So who's the lucky guy? He'd be nuts to reject you!"
"That's kind of the complicated thing," Lucas confessed with a wince. "I don't know if he even likes guys, let alone me specifically. I'm preeeetty sure he won't find me liking him weird if he doesn't feel the same since I recently learned he's cool with guys liking other guys, but there's always that fear of the 'what if', you know? Even if it's most likely not true."
Nick hummed thoughtfully. "I know what you mean. It's hard to apply logic to emotions, so although you know he most likely won't find it weird, deep down you're afraid of being wrong. While I can't say anything on whether he likes guys and whether he'll think you're weird for liking him if he doesn't feel the same, I can say that if he does find it weird, we'll have your back. And if anyone at school judges you for liking this mystery guy, including the mystery guy himself, or judge you for being gay, then they're not worth it. I'm confident Jess and Toby won't find it weird you like guys and will still want to be friends with you if they ever find out." He let out a chuckle. "After all, we transform into Lords of Nature on a regular basis. They've encountered weirder things than you being gay, so trust me when I say that logically they should be okay with it. Besides," he added in a mumble, glancing away. "Toby kind of already knows I'm bi anyway, so I know for a fact he'd be more than okay with you being gay, too."
Lucas's eyes lit up. "You are?!"
Well, that solved the mystery of whether Nick liked guys. Hopefully Nick would take it well after finding out the truth and not find his feelings for him weird like that awful fear kept telling him.
Nick nodded shyly. "Yeah. I am." His look turned serious. "But this isn't about me, it's about you wanting to ask this mystery guy to the dance, and as for giving you advice, the best thing I can say is to just be honest. Tell him how you feel and how you would like him to be your date to the dance. I know if someone came up to me and asked me to the dance, I would appreciate their honesty and how they're not pretending to be someone they're not in order to try and impress me, even if I don’t necessarily feel the same." His voice became gentle as he gazed into Lucas's eyes, and Lucas swallowed. "In other words, just be yourself, Lucas. That's all someone would want."
"That's great advice, Nick," Lucas replied gratefully. "Thank you. You don't know how much you've helped me." He chuckled. "I don't know why I was worrying so much!"
"Well, I wouldn't say that..." Nick replied, embarrased at the praise. "You still haven't asked the guy yet, so I can't take any credit for helping you for the time being until you do. How long have you liked him for, anyway?"
"A while," Lucas admitted. "But I didn't realise it at first. I only really acknowledged it the day after Gina hugged me when she was upset at losing her mascot gig. I was confused why she was only acting like that to get a hug, but then I put the pieces together and realised she likes me. I was trying to figure out why I didn’t like her back, and that's how I realised I liked this guy."
"Wait," Nick started. "You knew Gina liked you for that long? When you said you figured it out, I thought this was a recent thing. You had us all convinced you were too oblivious to notice. Why didn’t you say anything?"
"I was at first!" Lucas defended himself. "I just pretended to act oblivious after that because if you guys think I haven't noticed, then you wouldn't bring up her feelings, and I wouldn't have to say anything about being gay if you guys asked why I didn't like Gina and who I actually liked. I just wasn't ready for anyone else to find out yet."
"You're right. I'm sorry, Lucas," Nick apologised. "I can see how you revealing you know about Gina's feelings would have resulted in you sharing something so personal about yourself, especially when you weren't ready to tell us yet." He smiled. "Still, I'm glad you were able to tell me today. And I hope the mystery guy takes it well, too. Speaking of," he remembered. "You never mentioned who it was. Only if you're okay with answering, of course."
Although he knew Nick most likely wouldn't find it weird that he liked him, Lucas still felt himself tense as he prepared to tell Nick that he was the mystery guy.
But just as he was about to speak, the sound of shouting interrupted him.
The two looked in the direction of the shouts, and saw several couples arguing with each other with roses on the ground, seemingly dropped.
"What do you think they're arguing about?" Nick asked.
"Not sure," Lucas replied, feeling uneasy about what they saw. "But it's weird there's multiple couples in the same place arguing with each other."
"Think it's Gorm related?" Nick whispered.
"Possibly," Lucas whispered back. "We should head to the Primal Pad and see if we can find Razzle just in case it is. If he tells us there's trouble in Gorm, we'll contact Jess and Toby. We don't want them rushing to get there over a false alarm if we contact them now."
Nick nodded, and they ran the rest of the way to the Tripp house, the conversation about the school dance forgotten.
*****
The two arrived at the Tripp house to find Toby and Jessica already inside.
"There you guys are!" Toby exclaimed. "Razzle found us and said there's trouble in Gorm. Jess was about to phone you if you didn't show up soon. What took you guys so long getting back, anyway?"
"We got distracted with something," Lucas spoke.
Toby snickered. "With what? Figuring out who you're gonna ask to the dance in a couple weeks?"
Nick must've noticed the momentary panic on Lucas's face, because he answered Toby on Lucas's behalf. "No," he shook his head. "If you must know, we saw something strange and rushed back here in case it was Gorm related."
Neither Toby nor Jessica saw the grateful look Lucas gave Nick.
"Strange how?" Jessica asked. "What did you see?"
"Well, what we heard, mostly," Lucas responded. "We were walking, and we just heard this sudden shouting, and when we took a closer look, we saw what looked like multiple couples arguing with each other."
"That sounds about right," Razzle mused from beside them. "When I went to find Toby and Jessica —"
"And nearly scared us half to death in the process!" Toby interrupted.
"— To alert them about the trouble," Razzle continued, as if Toby didn't interrupt him. "I explained to them that the Forest Nation is being attacked by Magmion, who is using a weapon that causes those hit with it to hate the one they love."
"What's the weapon we're dealing with?" Lucas asked.
"A staff in the shape of a flower," Razzle answered. "The Forest Gormiti hit with its thorn projectiles are too distracted hating the one they love to notice Magmion and the Lava Gormiti attacking them, making it impossible for them to fight back. It's as if Magmion and the Lava Gormiti don't exist to them!"
Nick placed a hand on his chin as he thought. "Now that you mention it, I did notice a few roses on the ground around those people. The roses were covered in thorns from what I remember, so maybe those people we saw were pricked by the rose thorns, and are therefore experiencing the same effects as those hit by the staff's thorns in Gorm?"
"Most likely, yes," Razzle nodded before straightening. "Which is why you need to get to Gorm right away to stop the weapon and return everyone to normal!"
The friends raced to the Primal Pad and quickly made their way around the Gorm Gate.
"Earth!"
"Water!"
"Forest!"
"Air!"
"Reveal to us the Keeper, and give to them your chair!"
"And the Keeper is... Air!" Razzle pointed at Jessica. "That's you, kid."
Jessica made her way over to the Keeper's chair, to the disappointment of Nick.
Lucas attempted to reassure Nick. "Maybe next time?"
"Lucas is right," Jessica said when she sat down. "Besides, you must've been chosen to go to Gorm for a reason."
"And what reason is that?" Nick asked.
"Not sure, but I'm sure we'll figure it out eventually." Jessica drew her attention to the crystals, and began hovering her hands over them. "You're good to glow!"
"Elemental Powers Flow! Gormiti, Lords of Nature, Go!"
"Powers of the Sea!"
"Force of the Forest!"
"Strength of the Stone!"
Jessica began lowering the crystals. "Annnnd touchdown. The Travel Tome says you should be just outside Forest Territory, is that right?"
"That's right, Jess," Toby replied, looking around. "Do you know if there's any Forest Gormiti nearby? It looks pretty empty from what I can see."
"They're most likely deeper in the territory," Hologram-Jessica reasoned. "Magmion must be attacking for a reason. Maybe he's looking for something?"
Lucas frowned. "Or maybe he just wants to wipe out the Forest Nation before wiping out the other ones."
"Well, whatever the reason, just head deeper into the territory until you find something," Hologram-Jessica instructed. "In the meantime, I'll see what I can find out about that staff."
Nick nodded. "Sounds like a plan."
They didn't have to walk much further into the territory before they saw something. Two Forest Gormiti nearby didn't seem to be paying any attention to their burning surroundings, being too engrossed in their hatred to notice.
"This isn't good," Lucas stated. "If we don't do something now, those Forest Gormiti will be burned alive!"
"Not on my watch!" Toby responded. "Aqua Blast!"
The water put out part of the fire, and Lucas pulled the two still-arguing Forest Gormiti out of the newly-formed gap before the flames had a chance to spread again.
The two Forest Gormiti still didn't seem to notice them, which wasn't a good sign.
Toby waved a hand in front of their faces. "Hello? Sea Lord to Forest Gormiti? Everything okay in there?"
Nick and Lucas exchanged a worried look before Nick frowned. "I don't think it's working, Toby. It's not just being unable to sense Magmion and the Lava Gormiti specifically, it's like those hit can't sense anything apart from the one they hate. And if the fire is anything to go by, then they won't realise they're in danger until it's too late. We're just lucky we were able to rescue these two in time."
"That would be correct!"
The three tensed as they looked behind them, only to relax at the familiar sight.
"Cannon Trunk," Lucas greeted. "It's good to see you again."
"Yes, well," Cannon Trunk began. "I wish it had been under better circumstances. Magmion has been attacking us with a staff that throws projectiles." He gestured to the still-arguing Forest Gormiti. "Anyone hit has not been the same! With most of us being unable to fight back, I fear if this continues we will all be wiped out!"
"Not on our watch," Lucas promised. "The Forest Nation will survive. We'll make sure of that."
"We won't let Magmion get away with this," Nick agreed.
A determined Toby pounded a fist into the palm of his other hand. "Exactly! That's what we're here for, to stop Magmion. We will put a stop to this."
Cannon Trunk looked relieved. "Thank you, Lords of Nature. I speak on behalf of every Forest Gormiti when I say your assistance is most welcome in this challenging time. I shall continue to do everything I can to aid my companions and bring them to safety."
"And we appreciate everything you're doing," Lucas replied gratefully. "Take care, Cannon Trunk."
"And you, Lords of Nature."
With that, Cannon Trunk gave the Lords of Nature a respectful nod before taking the still-arguing Forest Gormiti deeper into the territory.
"Jess?" Nick asked. "Any update on the staff?"
"Not just yet," Hologram-Jessica answered. "It's not documented in any of the tomes I've looked at so far. I'll let you know once I find something."
From the corner of his eye, Lucas could see something heading straight towards Nick, who was too busy talking to Jessica to notice. "Nick!"
"Huh?"
Lucas pushed Nick out of the way, preventing Nick from being hit but at the cost of being hit himself, and he fell to the forest floor with a pained grunt.
"Lucas, no!" Nick's cry at Lucas's slumped form made everyone aware of what had happened, and they watched in concern as Nick gripped his head with both hands in frustration. "This is all my fault! If I had just been paying attention I could've seen the attack and dodged it so Lucas wouldn't have been hit!"
"Wait a moment," Hologram-Jessica realised. "Lucas being hit shouldn't change anything!"
"How come?" Toby asked. "Doesn't that staff make people hate someone they're supposed to love? Or at the very least, like?"
"Exactly!" Hologram-Jessica continued happily. "Gina isn't in Gorm, so it shouldn't affect our teamwork in stopping Magmion."
"Hate to burst your bubble," Toby informed. "But it might affect our teamwork just a tad. Turns out those hit aren't just distracted, they're completely unaware of anything happening around them that isn't the one they now hate, meaning they don't even know Magmion is attacking them or their surroundings. Which, of course, now applies to Lucas."
"Why didn't you say so earlier?!" Hologram-Jessica exclaimed.
"I was about to," Nick replied, swallowing thickly as he glanced at Lucas's slumped form again. "But then Lucas..."
"Lucas is strong," Toby reassured. "He'll be okay."
Nick sighed. "I hope so."
"I'll keep searching the tomes for answers," Hologram-Jessica said. "We'll find a way to return Lucas to normal. I can still sense Magmion's magic signature nearby, so be ready in case he tries to attack again, especially since he's shown he can use the staff from a distance."
Toby gave a thumbs up. "We'll be extra careful."
"We'll keep that in mind," Nick agreed. "We don't want the same thing that happened to Lucas to happen to us. Lucas may not know we're here while he's searching for the one he hates, but we'll find a way to cure him."
"Cure me? But I feel great!"
Nick's attention snapped to a now-standing Lucas, eyes lighting up as he felt a mixture of surprise and relief. "Lucas! You're okay!"
"But he was hit!" Toby protested. "Surely it should have some effect on him."
"Maybe the staff doesn't affect anyone who likes someone in a different dimension?" Nick theorised, thinking with a twinge of sadness in his heart about the mystery guy Lucas wanted to ask to the dance, whoever that was.
Hologram-Jessica's eyes lit up. "Yeah, maybe that's it!"
Lucas's shoulders were shaking as he started to chuckle, but there was something wrong about it that Nick couldn't pinpoint. "Oh, Nick. Who said the one I hate isn't here?"
Lucas grinned as he made direct eye contact with Nick, who paled. "Is... am I...?" Nick shakily pointed at himself in an unspoken question, hoping that his deduction was wrong. Lucas didn't deserve to be outed in front of everyone like that, and if he was the one Lucas liked, then he was a massive idiot. Not only did he not realise the feelings were reciprocated even though Toby kept telling him they were, he allowed Lucas to get hit and reveal his feelings when he could've avoided this whole mess if he had just paid attention in the first place.
Those hopes were instantly squashed by the sheer venom in Lucas's voice. "I thought you were supposed to be the smart one," he sneered, each step punctuating his words as he moved towards Nick. "I always hated how intelligent you are, but what I really hate is how oblivious you've been to how I feel. You're smart about everything else, but not this! Have you seriously not noticed a single thing? Have you not noticed my strange behaviour around you ever since that day the zoo animals escaped? You told me to be honest about my feelings earlier, so newsflash! I hate you, Nick! And to think, it was you I wanted to ask out to the dance all along. What a waste that was."
Nick was rooted to the spot. He couldn't move, Lucas's words had shook him to the very core, and the only sound his mouth was able to produce was a feeble "...What?"
Had he really been so oblivious to Lucas's feelings for that long? He had always thought Lucas was oblivious to his feelings for him and that he had actually reciprocated Gina's feelings even if he was oblivious to both her feelings for him and his own feelings for her until he said he liked the mystery guy during their conversation earlier, and he was planning on confessing to Lucas soon to get it off his chest even though he was convinced the feelings weren't reciprocated despite Toby repeatedly saying otherwise, but now it was clear that Toby was right and Lucas wasn't the only oblivious one.
Although he wanted to be happy that Lucas felt the same — that Lucas had wanted to ask him to the school dance and he was the mystery guy all along — all he could feel was guilt and shame as he knew for a fact this wasn't what Lucas wanted.
Some friend he was for allowing it to happen. He deserved whatever Lucas was going to throw at him.
Lucas was unimpressed by Nick's reaction. "Didn't you hear me? I said that I hate your guts, but I guess you need another way to get that fact through that useless mind of yours. Blast Bark!"
"Mighty Tentacles!"
Toby pulled Nick out of Lucas's line of fire before Lucas's attack was able to land, and used the cloud of smoke that was produced in the attack to his advantage to run and hide somewhere without Lucas and Magmion spotting them and seeing where they went to. Nick barely registered the movement, too caught up in his own emotions as he numbly went along with Toby.
*****
Jessica felt conflicted.
She had just witnessed Lucas seemingly feeling better before dropping the bombshell that Nick was the one he hated — and therefore the one he actually had feelings for — before attacking him. If it wasn't for Toby's quick thinking getting them out of there, Lucas would've continued attacking Nick, who was in no shape to fight back.
Poor Nick seemed just as shocked by the revelation as she was, and she couldn't help feeling sorry for them. Nick for being in the awkward situation of Lucas liking him, and Lucas for having his feelings revealed in such a public way in front of everyone.
And it was all her fault.
She knew Magmion's magic signature was nearby, but she thought he wasn't close enough to attack. If only she had warned them he was nearby, had remembered the crucial detail that they were dealing with projectiles which would obviously mean Magmion would be able to use them from a longer distance and not just a short one like she believed, Lucas wouldn't have needed to take the metaphorical bullet for Nick if they had known Magmion was in attacking range.
...How was she going to explain this to Gina?
Briefly, she wondered what would've happened if Nick did get hit after all. Would he have been aimlessly wandering around Gorm looking for his crush he wanted to crush, even though he wouldn't have been able to find her because she's on Earth? Or would he have remained stationary, unaware of anything around him if he didn't have a crush?
...Would he have attacked Lucas?
Jessica shook her head to get rid of the distracting thoughts before lowering the Keeper's chair and going to one of the bookshelves, hoping to find the right tome this time.
She scanned the pages from tome after tome without much luck, and she sighed. "Razzle?"
Razzle's head quickly appeared between two tomes on the bookshelf Jessica was at, causing one to fall. "Yes, Jessica? Is there something you need?"
"The right tome, for one," Jessica groaned. "We've looked through so many, and we still haven't found anything about this staff. Do you know anything about the staff other than it being shaped like a flower and shooting thorn projectiles?"
Razzle shook his head. "Nothing more, unfortunately. We have to do things the old fashioned way if we want to gather more information."
"Which means we can't risk Gating Lucas back while he's affected by the staff," Jessica concluded. "Got it. Gorm knows what bringing him back would do to him while he's like this."
"Precisely." Razzle scurried down the bookshelf and landed on Jessica's shoulder. "Now, is there something else you need?"
"No," Jessica lied.
Razzle raised a brow. "Now, Jessica, I know something is troubling you."
"We should be looking through more tomes," Jessica deflected, moving to another area of the bookshelf. "What about this one?" She asked, holding a tome in front of Razzle.
Razzle placed a claw on the tome and carefully lowered it so he could look over it. "Jessica." His tone was disapproving. "Pretending your negative feelings aren't there won't solve anything. You don't have to tell me the exact problem if you are not comfortable, but it might help to talk about it and 'get it off your chest' as they say."
Jessica sighed, moving the hand that held the tome so it rested at her side. "You're right, Razzle. Truthfully, I'm not thrilled at what Lucas revealed. Don't get me wrong, I've nothing against Lucas liking boys or liking Nick in particular, but someone else likes Lucas, and I thought that once she told him about her feelings that he would tell her he likes her too and they would get together and have their happily ever after, but after what I learned, I know there's no chance of them ever happening. She's liked Lucas for a long time, and I was rooting for the two of them so much and I feel terrible knowing Lucas doesn't feel the same and having to be the one to break it to her — without mentioning Nick and the circumstances of how I found out, of course — and I don't want to break her heart."
"Your friend Gina will understand," Razzle reassured, and Jessica's eyes snapped to him.
"What?! But I never sai—"
"You didn't have to," Razzle interrupted. "She made it quite obvious from what I saw."
"Not to Lucas, apparently," Jessica remarked before shaking her head. "But still. I feel bad for Lucas, too. He didn't want his feelings for Nick to be revealed in front of everyone, and I just feel so guilty because I could've stopped it from happening."
"How so?" Razzle asked, tilting his head curiously.
Jessica's emotions surged. "Because I knew Magmion was there! I knew, and I didn't warn them right away because I didn't think he'd be able to attack from there, and now it's my fault Lucas's feelings came to light and I'm the reason we have to save Gorm with one less team member!"
"There, there," Razzle comforted, tapping a clawed hand on her shoulder as she took deep, steady breaths to calm herself down. "You made a mistake. Nobody's perfect, Jessica, and mistakes happen sometimes. It's only natural, after all. But we can always learn from our mistakes, and I'm sure we'll be able to fix this and it'll all be okay again. Keep your chin up, kid."
Jessica smiled. "Thanks, Razzle. You're right, I needed that. I feel a bit better after talking about it."
Razzle flicked his tail happily. "Always happy to be of assistance. Now, let's take a look at that tome you found, hmm?"
Jessica nodded, and they started looking through the tome. Just under halfway through, they found what they were looking for, and proceeded to learn all they could about the staff.
*****
"Not even a 'thanks' for saving your butt?" Toby teased once they were safely hidden and sitting next to each other, but upon seeing Nick's face, gave him a concerned look. "Hey, are you okay, Nick?"
Nick grit his teeth. "Just... peachy. How are we meant to stop Magmion now with one member turned against us?"
With Magmion most likely already knowing about Lucas from witnessing what happened, it wouldn't be long until Magmion revealed it to the other Lava Gormiti, if they didn’t notice Lucas's behaviour and consequently found out about Lucas's feelings that way first. There was zero doubt in Nick's mind that Magmion would use that information against them from now on, and he grit his teeth again.
Great. Another reason why he was such a horrible friend for letting Lucas get hit.
"Technically," Toby corrected. "He's only turned against you. He doesn't really know me and Jess exist. But hey," he playfully nudged Nick. "Looks like my little brother's growing up! Who would've thought the first person out of you and Lucas to confess their feelings would end up being Lucas? I thought you were planning on confessing and possibly asking him to the school dance sometime this week!"
"Just stop," Nick pleaded. "I don't wanna talk about this anymore. Especially since this wasn’t how he wanted me to find out." He suddenly leaned forward, groaning as he remembered something. "Earlier, Lucas was about to tell me who his mystery guy was, just before we saw those arguing couples! I think he almost asked me to the dance at that moment! He even said my advice helped him more than I realised, which makes so much sense now that I know I was the one he wanted to ask! I'm such an idiot!"
"...Is now a bad time to say Razzle and I found something?"
Toby and Nick looked at Hologram-Jessica. "Nah, Nick's fine," Toby said, patting Nick's back in a comforting gesture. "He's just going through a crisis, is all. Don't ask," he added forcefully as he saw Hologram-Jessica opening her mouth. "What did you find out?"
"Right," Hologram-Jessica nodded, showing the relevant page of the tome. "It's a staff that resembles the shape of a rose, and it shoots tiny projectiles called Thorns of Hate. If the design of the staff is anything to go by, no wonder the thorns on Earth roses are creating the same effects since there's obviously a similar kind of flower on Gorm."
"Wow, really?" Toby muttered. "Never would've guessed."
Hologram-Jessica's sharp glance at Toby indicated that she heard his remark, but chose not to comment on it in favour of continuing her explanation. "Those affected by the Thorns of Hate are filled with so much hatred towards the one they love — even hating the aspects they once loved about the other Gormiti — that they literally become so blinded by their own hatred that they aren't aware of anything or anyone else around them. The staff was one of Obscurio's weapons that was sealed away a long time ago, but Magmion or someone else must've found it before Magmion started using it to attack the Forest Nation."
"But what about Lucas?" Nick pressed worriedly. "How do we get him back?"
"The good news is that the effects of the staff go away on their own," Hologram-Jessica answered. "But the bad news is that it's unclear how long that takes. For all we know it could last for hours, or days, or even years, so if we want to get Lucas back, our best bet is destroying that staff for good. Also I should warn you guys, while the hatred did leave, the memories of what the Gormiti said, did and felt while under the staff's influence did not, so it's crucial Lucas is cured soon before he says or does anything he'll regret."
Toby looked at Nick, whose gaze was now fixed on the forest floor. "Yeah... a bit late for that, given what happened." He looked back at a wincing Hologram-Jessica. "Any idea how to destroy that staff and cure everyone affected? Seeing as we can't exactly wait for the symptoms to run out on their own."
Hologram-Jessica frowned. "I'm not sure, the tome doesn't say, but maybe Supreme Luminos has the answer?"
Nick looked at Hologram-Jessica and nodded. "Thanks, Jess. We'll check with him now."
Hologram-Jessica nodded back, and Nick and Toby were brought to the Temple of Light.
*****
"Lords of Nature," Supreme Luminos greeted. "I saw what happened to the Lord of the Forest. The good thing is that simply destroying the staff will be enough to bring him and the other Forest Gormiti back to the way they were before, however this is easier said than done. It cannot be destroyed by just anyone, as only someone affected by the staff is able to destroy it."
"So how do we get one of them to break it, then?" Toby asked. "It's not like they listen to us when we try to talk to them."
"When they only have eyes on you, they won't be aware of anything else. Use that to your advantage. Lord of the Earth," Supreme Luminos addressed, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know how much this situation is affecting you, but you have to remain strong. Your friend needs you, and you will find a way for him to destroy the staff."
"But how?" Nick wondered. "I don't even know where to start."
"You will know what to do when the time comes," Supreme Luminos answered.
Toby looked at Supreme Luminos. "Anything I can do to help?"
"Retrieve the staff, and stop Magmion from going near your friends." A floating blue blob appeared in Supreme Luminos's outstretched hand. "Use this. With this, your Sea powers will temporarily turn into ice. It can only be used once, however, and it will be up to you to decide when the time is right to use it."
"I will not let you down," Toby promised, receiving the blob in his hand and absorbing it. "You have my word. Thank you, Supreme Luminos."
"Now, Lords, it is time for you to receive your Gold Armour. Witness the Might of Light!"
"Eternal as the Tides!"
"Indestructible as a Mountain!"
"Go now, Lords of Nature, and rescue those affected," Supreme Luminos instructed.
*****
Toby and Nick left the Temple of Light clad in their Gold Armour and were now back in Forest Territory, returning to the same spot they were hiding at before splitting off for their respective tasks.
While Nick left to search for Lucas, Toby was searching for Magmion, and he didn't have to search for long. He saw Magmion aiming the staff at a nearby Forest Gormiti, and knew he had to act fast. "Aqua Blast!"
The water struck Magmion, who grunted, and his momentary distraction allowed the Forest Gormiti he was targeting to notice Magmion and flee.
Magmion turned to face Toby in anger. "Lords of Nature, you will pay for this!" He noticed that only Toby was present, and smirked. "Lord of the Earth not feeling up for fighting? Is he too busy with the Lord of the Forest's hatred to help you? When I hit the Lord of the Forest, I never would've expected him to turn against one of the other Lords of Nature, but it is certainly a welcome outcome."
A split second later, Magmion aimed the staff at Toby, who narrowly avoided the Thorns of Hate being shot at him as he glared at Magmion defiantly.
"Leave them out of it!" Toby demanded. "This fight's between you and me!"
"Naive child, did you really think I didn't come with backup?" With a snap of Magmion's fingers, a horde of Lava Gormiti suddenly appeared and began circling around Toby, who took up a defensive position. "There's nowhere for you to run. Your friends won't come to rescue you. You can't defeat all of us, so surrender to us now and Obscurio might spare Earth. Or maybe I should just use this to put an end to things instead. You can't dodge my attacks forever."
"Not a chance!" Toby cried in determination. "By the Power of Supreme Luminos, I summon: Golden Shockwave of Ice!"
A ring of ice formed around Toby before rapidly expanding outwards, freezing the Lava Gormiti around him. Magmion did his best to shield himself, but it was of no use as he, too, was frozen.
Casually walking over to Magmion, Toby plucked the staff, which remained unfrozen, from Magmion's grip. "Thanks for the present!" He cheered. "Now to get this thing to Nick and Lucas."
*****
Finding Lucas was taking a lot longer than Nick anticipated.
"Lucas!" Nick called out for the umpteenth time as he looked around. "I know you can hear me! Can we talk things out?"
"Finally showing your face after running away like a coward?"
Nick turned to the direction of the voice, and saw Lucas, who had his arms crossed with an annoyed expression on his face. He hated seeing Lucas mad at him, but pushed his feelings down as he took a step towards Lucas. "Look, I know you're mad at me and don't like me very much right now, but I need your help."
Lucas raised a brow. "And why should I care?"
Nick winced, the feelings he had pushed down coming to the surface for just a moment. He just had to remember that Lucas didn't actually mean it, and that things would return to normal soon. "Ouch, okay, that stung. But if you help me with this one thing, you'll never have to see or deal with me again."
This piqued Lucas's interest. "Go on."
"I need your help to destroy Magmion's staff," Nick explained. "You're the only one capable of destroying it so everything can go back to normal."
"'Normal'?" Lucas scoffed. "You mean pretending my feelings don't exist because there's zero chance of you feeling the same? Yeah, no thanks! I'll just stick with hating you, it's way better! Fists of the Forest!"
Nick dodged Lucas's attack. "Lucas, please! It's for the good of everyone! Think of the Forest Nation, it'll all be destroyed if Magmion isn't stopped!"
"If Magmion was still attacking, I would've seen him or seen the damage like I did before I made the dumb decision of protecting you!" Lucas insisted, forgetting that not seeing Magmion or the damage was one of the effects of being hit. "But I haven't seen anything like that, or seen Magmion around at all. In fact, the only one I've been seeing around lately is you!"
From the corner of Nick's eye, he spotted Toby with the staff.
-----
"When they only have eyes on you, they won't be aware of anything else. Use that to your advantage."
-----
That gave him an idea.
"You're right," Nick pretended to concede, loud enough for Toby to hear. "It is just me. Toby and I were able to stop Magmion but the effects of the staff haven't gone away, so I lied about needing your help with Magmion's attack because I wanted us to work together again and hopefully cure you in the process." He took a few more steps to further close the gap between himself and Lucas. "I just want my friend back again. I miss you, Lucas. And I do feel the same."
Lucas was enraged. "You don't get to say stuff like that to me! You're trying to take advantage of my feelings on purpose, but it won't work! Jungle Attack!"
Like with the other attack, Nick dodged, but little did Lucas know that Toby — who he couldn't see — had moved behind Nick, and was ready and waiting for the moment Lucas attacked.
Toby held out the staff so the vines crushed it instead of Nick, and with the staff destroyed, it had the effect of curing everyone.
The effects were instantaneous.
Lucas clutched his head as he looked around in confusion and spotted Toby and Nick, who were giving each other a celebratory high five as the broken remains of the staff lay on the forest floor beside them.
Seeing Nick made Lucas's insides squirm as he guiltily remembered what happened and how he acted, but Nick didn't seem to hold it against him as he joyfully made his way over to him a second later and hugged him.
"I'm so glad to have you back," Nick spoke, and it was then that Lucas's eyes widened as he remembered the other thing that happened moments ago.
Returning the hug, Lucas smiled. "Y-yeah. It's good to be back, buddy."
He knew he'd have to talk to Nick about everything, and although he wasn't sure if Nick did feel the same or if he was only saying that to rile him up on purpose, he was hopeful that Nick was telling the truth.
"Thank you for the help, Lords of Nature! Everyone is cured!"
Cannon Trunk's arrival interrupted their moment, and they reluctantly pulled away from each other to face him.
Toby shook Cannon Trunk's hand. "No problem. We have to go now, but if you ever need our help again, we'll be there."
Once they said their goodbyes to Cannon Trunk, Nick and Lucas exchanged shy looks as the three of them were Gated out of Gorm.
*****
"By the Orbs of Gorm!"
The trio exited the Gorm Gate, and surrounded Jessica and Razzle.
"Man, that was awesome!" Toby pumped his fist in celebration. "I kicked Magmion's butt so hard he won't be able to sit down!"
"Don't take all the credit," Jessica shook her head fondly at him. "If I recall, it was Nick that baited Lucas into accidentally destroying the staff." She felt conflicted again when she noticed Nick and Lucas shifting nervously, but she decided to do the right thing by giving her friends the space they needed to talk. "That reminds me. Toby, Razzle? Didn't we have that thing we wanted to do after saving Gorm?"
Razzle frowned in confusion. "But we nev—"
"Yes!" Toby jumped, knowing exactly what Jessica was planning. "I remember! That thing! That we wanted to do! Outside the Primal Pad! Just us three! Bye!"
Toby and Jessica hurriedly marched towards the stairs as they dragged a yelping Razzle with them, leaving Lucas and Nick alone to talk about what happened.
Although he knew Nick didn't hold how he acted against him, Lucas still felt the need to apologise for upsetting Nick, and inhaled sharply. "Nick, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean —"
"I know," Nick spoke. "It was the staff that made you say those mean things, and I know you didn't mean for your feelings to come out the way they did, so don't worry about it."
"Yeah," Lucas nodded. "I wanted to tell you while we were alone when you asked me who the guy was, but then Gorm needed us, and you know what happened there. I didn't want Toby or Jess to know since if you don’t feel the same, it would only be a secret between us two rather than something everyone knows." He hesitated for a moment as he mentally prepared himself for what he was about to ask Nick. "About what you said, do you rea—"
"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't feel the same," Nick confirmed with a grin, knowing what Lucas was referring to.
Lucas gave a sigh of relief and grinned back. "Oh, okay. That's good. Makes what I'm about to say a whole lot easier." He reached out to hold Nick's hands. "Nick, will you go to the school dance with me?"
"Of course!" Nick exclaimed happily. "And I would've said yes earlier if you asked." He chuckled. "I was actually planning to confess to you sometime this week and potentially ask you to the school dance in the process. Even though my feelings were most likely unrequited, I had to tell you soon because I knew I couldn't keep it hidden for much longer. Little did I know you actually felt the same."
Lucas chuckled back. "Well, at least you know now. I wasn't sure if you felt the same way, either, so that makes two of us." He looked at Nick curiously. "What made you think I didn't feel the same?"
"Well, for starters, I thought you liked Gina," Nick explained. "And then when you told me you like a guy, I thought it had to be someone else because there was no way it was me." He gave Lucas a teasing look. "And also, you weren't picking up on any of the signs of my feelings, whether the signs were intentional or not. I thought I was being obvious with my feelings, so it's safe to say you really are oblivious."
"Hey, you're one to talk!" Lucas protested with a laugh. "You never noticed mine, either, so that makes you pretty oblivious, too."
"I'm not denying that," Nick conceded. "In my defence, I did notice a few things, but I thought I was reading too deeply into them and concluded you were just being friendly and you saw me platonically, not romantically. Toby was adamant about you feeling the same, but I didn't believe any of the evidence he provided. Guess Toby was right after all."
Something clicked in Lucas's mind. "Before me, Toby was the only one who knew about you being bi. And Toby knows you like me. Was I the reason Toby found out about you being bi?"
Nick smiled. "Yep. When I first realised I had feelings for you and therefore realised that I liked guys too, I didn't know what to do. Toby was there for me when I confided in him, and he's been aware of my feelings for you and about me being bi ever since."
"Wow," Lucas replied, feeling flattered. "I never would've thought I'd be the reason you realised something so important about yourself."
"And I never would've thought I'd be the reason you realised you're gay, either," Nick said, remembering what Lucas had told him earlier about how he realised he liked the mystery guy, who was actually him. "But yeah. You're the reason I realised I'm bi, and it feels great knowing I was your reason, too." A moment later, he chuckled. "Toby likes teasing me about how I act around you, you know. He still won't let me live down the time I accidentally called you 'Lukie'!"
Lucas blinked. "Hey, I remember that! I didn't realise that was a sign of you liking me back."
"I noticed," Nick replied fondly. "Toby noticed, too. He also likes teasing me about how oblivious you are, and he found it pretty funny that you didn't pick up on such an obvious sign."
"In my defence," Lucas repeated Nick's earlier words. "Since you never said it again, I just brushed it off as a spur-of-the-moment nickname that didn't have any deeper meaning behind it. If you had continued calling me 'Lukie' I feel like I would've noticed you weren't just being friendly."
"And that was precisely what I was afraid of," Nick admitted. "I didn't want you knowing about my feelings, but as time passed and I realised I couldn't keep it in for much longer, I was tempted to start calling you 'Lukie' again. But then the school dance got announced a couple weeks ago, and I decided I would confess to you sometime before the dance. Toby was thrilled when he found out about my plan, but it also meant I never did call you 'Lukie' again in case you asked me about it before I knew how I was going to confess."
"Since we both know now," Lucas began. "I'd like it if you started calling me 'Lukie' again. After all, there's nothing left to hide, right?"
"Right," Nick nodded before his look turned serious. "That reminds me. Magmion knows that you like me. I'm not sure whether he knows I feel the same, but I doubt he'd keep quiet about such important information about one of the Lords of Nature he's against. Now that he knows — which isn't your fault," he quickly added when he saw a guilty-looking Lucas opening his mouth. "I fear he'll use that knowledge against us." His earlier feelings of guilt returned as he began pacing. "If only I noticed Magmion's attack, then I could have avoided it and you wouldn't have gotten hit trying to protect me, and we could've used one of the Forest Gormiti affected by the staff to destroy the staff, but because I was being so careless it's my fau—"
"Woah, woah, slow down there, Nick!" Lucas exclaimed, placing both hands on Nick's shoulders to stop him pacing. "If it's not my fault, then it's not your fault, either. It's Magmion's fault for attacking in the first place."
"But he still knows!" Nick fretted. "I don't want you getting hurt. Magmion learned about your feelings in an event that could've been avoided, and I don't think I could forgive myself for playing a part in him learning about your feelings if you got hurt because of it."
"What if you were the one who got hit from protecting me?" Lucas asked. "And I was the one blaming myself for what happened. What would you say to reassure me?"
"I'd tell you that protecting you was my own choice," Nick began. "And that you shouldn't blame yourself for a choice I made willingly and don't regret. Even if Magmion now knows about my feelings for you, we can't change what happened and that Magmion is the one to blame, not you, and if I got hurt because my feelings for you were taken advantage of, you shouldn't feel guilty for playing a part in Magmion learning about my feelings because at the end of the day it's Magmion's fault, and what he does with this information is on him."
"So why can't the same thing apply to you?" Lucas asked gently.
Nick was silent for a few moments, before he smiled fondly at Lucas. "You're right. Thanks, Lukie. You always know just what to say."
Lucas's heart fluttered at the use of the nickname he had missed so much, and he returned the fond smile. "Anytime. We may not be able to control what Magmion or Obscurio or anyone else does, but we can control what we do, and we'll face whatever happens on Gorm together."
"I'd like that," Nick spoke softly.
Lucas's hands were still resting on Nick's shoulders, and when he lowered them to hold Nick's hands once again, time seemed to stand still as he hesitantly leaned in. "Can I?" He asked, voice barely louder than a whisper.
Nick nodded, closing the rest of the gap between them. It was everything Lucas had wanted and more and he couldn't wait to experience it again, and he knew that Nick felt the same way as both of them smiled into the kiss, looking forward to their future together.
A few moments later, they parted before delicately leaning in to rest their foreheads together, eyes still closed as they cherished the moment.
"Does this mean we're together now?" Nick asked, just as softly as before.
"Yeah," Lucas replied with a smile, matching Nick's soft tone. "I think it does."
The two of them stayed like that for a while longer, neither of them in any rush to leave the Primal Pad.
Whatever scheme Magmion was planning, they were certain they could handle it.
*****
"Forgive me, Master," a no-longer-frozen Magmion begged as he shamefully knelt in front of Obscurio. "The staff was taken from my grasp, and when I found it again, it was destroyed. But I have news!" He quickly added as he sensed Obscurio's ire. "When I hit the Lord of the Forest, he started attacking the Lord of the Earth. If we can find a way t—"
"Enough!" Obscurio snarled, and Magmion reeled back. "You have failed me again. But if what you say about the Lord of the Forest is true, then there is a chance you could redeem yourself."
Magmion bowed his head lower. "Thank you, Master! You won't regret it. I'll destroy the Lords of Nature for good."