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The camp was busy, bustling as usual. Felicia and Flora trotted along side by side, holding bags of groceries fresh from the market in their arms. At the stables, Silas poured the feed into the troughs for the horses, a bridle strewn over his shoulder, while Gunter brushed his warhorse down in her stall. Scarlet jogged past them, buckets of fish in each hand as she made a beeline for the wyvern and kinshi stables, hurried by their insistent hungry snarls and roars. She was swiftly joined by Reina, a saddled propped up on her hip as she headed for her own mount.
At the sparring grounds, Odin faced off with Hinata, their practice blades clacking loudly together. Oboro and Subaki sat down together, armed with whetstones to sharpen the armory’s lances, Orochi perched nearby while she accounted for her scrolls. Peri jumped excitedly around Laslow, showing off her freshly sharpened lance for him. Across the way, Kagero, Saizo, and Kaze were all arguing whilst trading and examining one another’s shuriken. Effie and Rinkah were checking the quality of the armor stock, evidently doing so by punching the shields and armor and seeing whether or not they dented. Elise was being scolded by both Xander and Camilla for sneaking out to the marketplace unattended, while Leo wove through the camp with a clipboard in the crook of his arm and Takumi trailing behind him.
Nyx flipped absently through her tome, tucking a stray raven lock behind her ear. It was strange, but for once she didn’t mind the noise. It was… pleasant, almost. Everyone from both armies, coexisting as peacefully as they were. Even her book could not distract her from the gradual harmony. It was interesting enough, The Classification and Examination of Wyverns. Currently she was on the chapter regarding the ‘evil’ dragons unique to malig knights. She was considering skipping ahead to the chapter on warlord class wyverns when a strong arm suddenly slung around her shoulders, a shadow cast over her book as the unwelcome intruder draped himself over Nyx.
“Darling, there you are! I’ve missed you.” Niles chuckled, twirling a lock of her hair around his finger. Nyx scowled.
“How many times do I have to tell you to shoo, you pest?’ She grumbled at him, shouldering his arm off of her.
Niles tilted his head. “My, my, how cold. Anyways, I’m surprised to see you outside today! What, with all the busybodies milling about.”
“I do like to be outdoors every once and awhile.” Nyx replied dryly. “Why don’t you go and bother someone else? I recommend Peri - she looks like she wants to try out her new lance on somebody.”
“Aww, but that’s no fun. Why go elsewhere when my lovely little lady is right here?”
She glared daggers up at him. “I’m no one’s little lady, most certainly not yours.”
Niles smirked at her. “I love it when you’re sassy with me, sweetheart.”
“Enough of that, lest you want me to cut that slippery tongue of yours.” Nyx growled, her fragile good mood already dissolving. “I have no qualms with that.”
“Ooh, how dominant of you. I do love a girl who can take charge.” He purred, and Nyx slammed her book shut. Her patience had been weared thin the moment he’d shown up to bother her. For the eighth time in the last three days. Enough was enough - if a silencing spell wouldn’t chase him off, it was time for new methods.
“Oh, Niles. I’ll ensure this foolishness ends in time.” Nyx snarled under her breath, inky black wisps of magic coiling around her fingers. “Nunc te qui horribilis fortuna, ut quietam patientia vestra.”
Niles blanched, his eye widening as he caught sight of the swirling curse in her hand, and finally that smug smirk of his vanished. “Ah - no, I’ll pass, but thank you.”
“You brought this on yourself.” She hissed. Niles took wary steps backwards, frantically recalling the few times he’s had to dodge stray thunder spells from Odin.
“Oh no you don’t! You won’t be silencing me again, or I’ll tell Lord Leo.” He held up his hands, as if that would hold her at bay. She only gave him a wicked smile.
“You’re right, I’m not silencing you. I’m doing something much worse.” Nyx chuckles, approaching him. “Lord Leo doesn’t scare me. Nor do his dogs. ” She sniffed in disdain.
“Ouch.” He mumbled.
“Now,” She growled, lifting her arm. “Let’s see how you fare against this!”
With a grand sweep of her arm, Nyx flung out the curse, and Niles yelped as he leapt backwards. His back crashed into the passing Selena, whose boot caught on his ankle, causing the two of them to topple to the ground.
“Niles! You clumsy-!”
The whirling black wisps shot into the mercenary’s shoulder pauldron, ricocheting against the metal and came whizzing back towards Nyx. Nimbly, she ducked out of its path, and spun around with wide eyes.
Selena, disentangling herself from Niles, followed both of their gazes as they watched the curse shoot towards Laslow, who was lifting up his sword to admire the blade. It smacked into the gleaming edge, and rocketed off in another direction, bouncing off of the mirror Charlotte was holding. From there it hit Peri’s shield, onto Beruka’s axe, onto the stack of lances Subaki was carrying, headed for the armory, onto Prince Leo’s hip pauldron and finally finding a target in…
The back of Prince Takumi’s head.
Nyx, Niles, and Selena all sucked in a breath through their teeth. Niles winced as Takumi paused, lifting a curious hand to scratch the back of his head, before shrugging and marching off to the archery grounds, bow in hand.
All three were silent for a good few moments, Nyx slowly turning around to face the other two.
“You.” Selena began. “Are both dead. When Lord Leo finds out about this, he’ll-”
“Find out? No, no, Lord Leo is not going to find out.” Niles waved his hand dismissively.
Selena arched a brow. “You’d lie to your liege?”
Niles shook his head. “No, not lie. We’ll simply remove the curse before anything bad happens, and he’ll never have to know. Isn’t that right, Nyx darling?”
The sorceress tapped a pensive finger on her chin. “Well, actually, I don’t know how to reverse that curse in particular. It’s supposed to wear off on its own after two weeks.”
Niles pursed his lips. “Oh, perfect. Wonderful to know you go around flinging curses that you can’t undo.”
“Undoing curses is not the job of a dark mage, fool.” Nyx shrugged. “Perhaps we should approach Lord Leo about this. He’s quite talented, I’m sure he could find a way to reverse the effects.”
Standing abruptly, Niles marched over to her. “Oh, no no no. You must not have heard me. Lord Leo will not be finding about this. Ever.”
Nyx tilts her head. “And why not?”
“Why, I have no idea, Nyx. It’s not like you just cursed his fiance. It’s not like he’ll be furious about that. Oh, wait, you did. And he will.”
“Yet, you leave out the details.” Nyx jabbed her finger into his chest. “I intended to curse you. Prince Takumi is undeserving of that hex.”
“Look,” Niles holds up his hands in surrender. “I’ll not say a word to him about this. You won’t be punished. And you won’t say anything to him, either, so I won’t be punished.”
“Sweeten the pot.” Nyx growls.
Niles hums. “And… I’ll leave you in peace.”
“Truly?”
“Truly.”
“Deal, then.” Nyx holds out her hand, and Niles shakes it. “My lips are sealed.”
As Niles moved away from her, most likely eager to make good on his promise, Nyx bit her lip and spared another glance towards the youngest Hoshidan prince. He was set up at the archery range, taking aim with a standard yumi at a target he had already hit 2 bullseyes on. She let out a soft sigh.
Hopefully, for his sake, the curse’s strength was weakened before it struck him.
Day 2
“S-Sorry again, Lord Takumi…” Felicia mumbles from behind her laundry basket. “Helping out a clutz like me isn’t befit a prince at all…”
Takumi takes another damp tunic from the basket, and drapes it over the clothing line. “Don’t worry about it.” He assures her, reaching for another.
“The last time you helped, I dropped everything and we had to start all over!” She frowns. “I don’t want to take up too much of your time, I’m sure you’re busy…”
“Felicia, really.” He glances at her from behind the row of drying clothes. “It wasn’t your fault, you just got excited. And what sort of prince doesn’t help out?”
At this remark, she giggles shyly. “Hehe, well, the Nohrian sort, if that’s a genuine question.”
He gestures for her to give him the basket, and she complies, clasping her hands behind her back.
“Hah, well, that’s not surprising. I think Leo doing laundry might prove even more disastrous than you doing it.” Takumi chuckled.
“Hey!”
“I’m serious! Could you imagine? He’d try and magic his way around the work and burn all our clothes to a crisp. I’d sooner let Setsuna do it.”
They both laugh as they make their way back from the clotheslines, down the grassy slope of the hill. It was rather pleasant out today, temperate, not too warm nor too chilly. These days are truly rare; the astral plane was not immune to the unruly whims of weather. Felicia walked at his side, a skip in her step, and he couldn’t help but smile. It was good to see her in high spirits, for how much she was reprimanded for her mistakes.
“So?” Takumi prompted.
Felicia perked. “Hm?”
“Aren’t you gonna start going on about your homeland? You were in the middle of telling about the ice sculpture festival before you slipped last time.” He says, lifting up the basket to carry it on his shoulder.
“Oh, don’t remind me!” She flushed, shaking her head. “Ah, I could, but I thought it would be nice to hear about your homeland instead today!”
He smiles. “Curious, huh?”
“Of course!” Felicia grins at him. “I’ve always been curious about Hoshido. We spent hardly any time there earlier… and most of the time I was too preoccupied with protecting Lady Corrin to enjoy myself.”
Takumi tilted his head. “Ah, that’s right. I haven’t heard much about the beginning of our campaign, to be honest… I still thought Corrin was a traitor before I even saw her again.”
“If- If I can speak freely…” Felicia started carefully. “It was incredibly difficult. In the beginning, it was just milady, Lady Azura and I. Thank the heavens for Lady Azura’s song!”
“I… I’m sorry. It would have been easier for you all if I hadn’t gone and gotten myself kidnapped…” Takumi grumbled, eyes downcast. Felicia’s eyes widened.
“No, milord! Don’t hold yourself accountable. Just you joining us when you did was a huge help!”
He glanced back at her. “Truly?”
She flashed him a wide smile. “Yes! Milord, you’re incredibly strong. When you joined forces with us, our morale improved greatly! We knew it would get easier with you on our side. And milady was relieved, too!”
He couldn’t help but smile at the praise. “Ah… well, that’s good to hear. I still get irritated with myself, though, for being so stubborn- aAH!”
Takumi cut himself off with a shriek, his heel sliding forward on a slick patch of grass. His leg swept right out from under him, and he failed to right himself with the other as he ungracefully toppled forwards, an undignified yelp escaping him on the way down.
Felicia, gasping, lurched forwards in attempts to grab him, her hands just missing the back of his shirt. “Milord Takumi!” She shrieked, and immediately let out a ‘wAAH!’ as, predictably, she too slipped on the oddly-wet grass. The pair of them tumbled the rest of the way down, side by side.
The back of Takumi’s head smacked against several rocks before they finally rolled to a stop, his arm shoved into a pile of dirt in attempts to slow his descent. Felicia landed next to him shortly afterwards, plunging a leg through the dirt and clutching her head.
“Oh, ow ow ow!” She whined, peeking through a gap in her fingers. “Milord, are you alright?!”
“Mgh, yeah, I’m gonna feel that for a while.” He grunted, making to sit up when a sudden pinch on his arm made him jerk upwards. And then there was another pinch. And another. And another. He let out a shriek, and as if things couldn’t get any worse, he and Felicia registered that they were sitting in an ant pile. They both promptly screamed, Felicia flinging herself upwards and shaking her leg vigorously. Takumi clambered to his feet, swinging his right arm rapidly and slapping it with his left to rid it of the ants crawling up and down his skin.
“Ow! Ow! Agh, I’m sorry! Stop biting!” Felicia yelped, frantically swiping the furious insects off of her leg. More stings were littered on his arm, concentrated on his hand and wrist. Takumi gritted his teeth, resorting to slapping the ants themselves in frustration.
“Get off!” He snapped, flailing his hand for a moment.
Felicia shrieked again, running towards him. “L-Lord Takumi, they’re in your hair!”
As if on cue, he felt another sting on the nape of his neck. “Augh!” He yelled, shaking his head rapidly. “Get them off!”
Her fingers were soon in his hair, brushing frantically. “I’m trying! I’m trying!”
Upon feeling more stings, Takumi practically tore out his hair tie, shaking his wild mane loose. “They’re! Still! On! Me!” He snarled out between head shakes, scrubbing his fingers through his hair.
Felicia grabbed ahold of his locks, making him wince. “Hold still milord, please!”
“Ow!” He shrieked, feeling another bite behind his ear and instinctively slapping his hand there.
“Ahh- ahh!” Felicia shouted, and he felt an icy cold draft crawl up the back of his neck.
Takumi winced as Sakura rubbed salve on his arm, unable to contain the tiny smile curling on her lips.
“So that’s what happened...” She giggled softly. “That sounds like quite an ordeal.”
“I really am sorry, Lord Takumi…” Felicia mumbled from where she sat beside him, her left leg stretched out on a stool in front of them. “I - you know, I just… panicked…”
He let out a heavy sigh while turning to look at her. His hair was spiked up every which way, sticking mostly straight upwards, frozen in place by Felicia’s icy touch. It hadn’t melted yet, still practically solid. The ants were surely dead by now, but still trapped. His clothes were covered in frost, too, making it difficult to move properly. In truth, he felt like a human icicle. Hell, he’s sure he constituted as one, at this point.
“I told you already,” He huffed. “It’s fine. They’re not stinging me anymore, are they?”
“Still…” She frowned, looking almost near tears. “I’ve made you look so foolish… knowing me, I probably spread my clumsiness to you…”
“C’mon, Felicia. It’s okay! Really.” He mustered up a smile to reassure her. “How’s your leg feeling?”
She nodded quietly. “Ah, better, thankfully. Your salve is wonderful, milady!”
“Oh! A-Ah, thank you, Felicia. That’s very kind of you to say.” Sakura smiled, blushing faintly. “It should help with the pain. I do hope the both of you will be more careful next time.”
Felicia chuckled nervously, and Takumi groaned.
“I still don’t know how we fell… it was like there was mud, suddenly, but there wasn’t. It just doesn’t make any sense to me.” He griped, accepting the offered salve from his sister and began applying the serum to the bites on his neck.
Felicia sighed. “Perhaps clumsiness really is contagious. I fear we might become a disaster duo, milord.”
“I sure hope not.” Takumi shook his head, and handed her the serum.
Before Felicia could respond, a booted leg kicked open the tent’s flap, and Elise jumped inside, looking out of breath and with staff in hand. Arthur burst in behind her, holding medical supplies. “I’m here, I’m here! Where’s Takumi?” Her eyes went wide as saucers upon seeing him. “OH NO! Takumi, you’ve been iced! Did someone use a Bifrost on you?! Who was it? It doesn’t matter! I can reverse it! Don’t worry!”
As Elise began her advance towards a startled Takumi, staff raised like a battle axe, Sakura whirled around, hands out. “Elise! Calm down! It was just an accident!”
Slowly, Elise halted and lowered her staff. “Huh? But… Hinata said he was in trouble?”
“Oh, of course.” Takumi exhaled in relief that he wasn’t about to get zapped with intense healing magic, and rolled his eyes. “I knew he didn’t listen to a word I said.”
Elise offered him an apologetic smile. “Okay, well, I’m glad you’re not hurt!”
“It was just… ants.” He huffed. “And Felicia, er, helped me out.”
“Oh, I hate ants!” Elise puffed out her cheeks, crossing her arms. “Anyways, I guess I should call off Leo.”
Takumi’s eyes snapped open wide, suddenly alert. “Oh, gods, please don’t tell me he’s coming.”
Elise giggled. “Well, of course, silly! I sent Effie after him right away when I heard you were injured!”
“He. Cannot. See me. Like THIS!” Takumi wrenched his hand from his sister, gripping his head. “I look like the biggest fool in all the kingdoms- he can’t - if- he’ll-”
“Hey, hey!” Elise frowned, approaching him. “There’s no need to panic. I’m sure he’s just worried about you.”
Takumi levelled a glare at her. “You look me in the eyes, and tell me I don’t look horrid. He’d laugh his ass off at me!”
“W-Well, you do…. Look... funny, but…” She paused. “Okay, maybe you have valid concerns. I’ll keep him from seeing you then! It shouldn’t be too hard.”
“Gods, I can’t face him like this.” Takumi has taken to muttering to himself, tugging at one of the spikes of ice jutting out of his head. “He’ll think I’m an idiot. I am an idiot.”
Sakura flashed Elise a worried look, and dutifully, Elise whirled around. “Arthur!”
Arthur nodded his head rapidly. “Right away, milady!” He spun on his heel and hurried out of the tent, the flaps drifting closed behind him. Takumi exhaled slowly, his ears burning. If Leo were to see him like this, he’d never hear the end of it for as long as he lived. They’d be lounging in bed together when they were old and gray, and Leo would poke him in the chest and say, hey, remember when Felicia froze your hair and you looked like a cross between a court jester and a yeti? I remember.
There was but a moment, maybe six seconds, of shaky relief before it was shattered by the sound of armored footfalls approaching the tent. Arthur jumped back in the tent, holding the flaps closed behind him. “Alas! They’ve just arrived…”
Immediately, Takumi locked eyes with Sakura, who then looked at Felicia, who looked at Elise, who looked back at him. He mouthed please, and Elise’s face suddenly took on a serious expression, and she turned and marched to the tent’s entrance. Arthur stepped aside for her, and she leaned forwards, holding each flap open just enough for her to poke her head out.
“Stop right there!” He heard her order, and the footsteps halted.
An indignant scoff. “Elise, what are you doing? Is Takumi in there?”
He swallowed, his fears confirmed; that was most certainly Leo.
“Uh-” She paused. “Yes.”
“Then let me in , you dolt. I want to see him.” Elise leaned forward, clutching the tent flaps tighter around her.
“No can do, brother!” She chirped. “Medical personnel only.”
“I just saw Arthur walk in here.”
“Arthur was bringing me supplies! It’s - it’s too gruesome in here for you!”
Sakura jumped up as Takumi slapped his forehead, rushing over to Elise. She made room for her to stick her head out as well.
“S-She’s right!” Sakura blurted.
Takumi held back a groan - neither of them had ever been good liars, but this was just awful.
“Sakura? You as well? ” Leo growled, incredulous. “What are you two going on about? Just let me in so I can see him.”
“His nose is broken!” Elise spluttered.
Sakura nodded frantically. “Blood everywhere!”
“Real ugly!” She added.
Takumi shared a panicked look with Felicia, who was biting her nails.
“You are telling me,” He heard him begin, slowly but undeniably furious. “That my fiance is in there, with a broken nose and other injuries, and I am not allowed inside?!”
“We’re - uh - we’re in the middle of surgery!” Elise retorted. “And we can’t have you distracting us!”
“You’re WHAT?!”
Apparently having had enough of being a sitting duck, Felicia knelt on the ground, and lifted up the back wall of the tent. She gestured frantically at it, and getting the hint, Takumi got down on his knees, crawling through the opening as the argument on the other end continued. Felicia and Arthur followed after him. He moved slowly, but he sucessfully escape with the help of Felicia pushing him through the gap.
“You can’t come in!” Snapped Elise. “So buzz off!”
“It’s a d-delicate- it’s a delicate situation!” Sakura added.
There was a very brief pause before Leo, fed up with negotiating, gave his sister a shove and burst into the now-empty tent himself.
“Leo!” Elise gasped, nearly falling into Sakura. She let out a nervous chuckle as her brother slowly turned around, a vein popping out of his neck. “H-Heheh, I guess he - uh, isn’t here after all?”
“Let’s go find Flora,” Felicia whispered, holding his arms as they crept away from the tent. “She’ll know how to melt this. And then I think you’ll have some explaining to do to Lord Leo.”
Takumi groaned.
“So.” Leo folds his arms over his chest, a dark glare settled over his features. “You’ve finally decided to stop playing hide and seek.”
Takumi winced at his tone, rubbing the back of his neck as he entered the tent. “Leo, I can e-”
“No, no, it’s perfectly fine. It’s not as if I’ve been searching for you for, oh, I don’t know, hours?” He hissed, arching a slim brow at him.
“Leo-”
“It’s splendid, actually. My absolute favorite activity is being worried sick over whether or not my soon to be husband is running around camp with a bloody, broken, unattended nose and steadily bleeding out to his death. You should give it a try sometime.”
“I-” Takumi tried again, but Leo stood abruptly, cutting him off.
“Oh, and what’s this? Your hair is sopping wet! Were you just too preoccupied with taking a bath to bother to come and see me? To tell me that you, actually, are not dying from blood loss? And I suppose that your lovely locks are far more important than-”
“Leo!” Takumi snapped at him, jerking his right sleeve up to his shoulder and revealing his arm, littered from knuckles to elbow with fire ant bites. The salve helped to numb the pain, but did little to reduce the welts. “Give me a chance to explain before you go on with your accusations, at least!”
Leo’s eyes widened, and gingerly he held his hand out to touch Takumi’s arm. “What-”
He huffed, feeling his ears beginning to burn. “Look, I fell down a hill while helping Felicia with laundry, and I landed in an ant pile.”
“Goodness, that’s-” Leo shook his head. “That’s terrible, but I don’t understand why you were avoiding me! This is, frankly, ridiculous.”
“I wasn’t avoiding you because of the bites!” Takumi griped. “I - the ants, ah, got into my hair. And Felicia tried to get them out… and ended up freezing my hair. And my clothes. Well, she just sorta froze me in general.”
Leo leveled him with an unimpressed stare. “And? If you think I’d judge you for that, you’re a fool.”
“No! You don’t get it, I looked so stupid that even Sakura laughed at me! It was like I had icicles sticking out of my head in every direction!” Takumi blurted. “I didn’t want you to see me like that! You’d have laughed at me too.”
For a second, Leo is quiet. Then, he snorts, and chuckles softly. “And… so you enlisted our sisters to fool me.”
Takumi flushed red. “I- I didn’t tell them to say that. They went on about the broken nose thing on their own! How was I supposed to know Elise would tell you something that dumb?”
Leo laughs, and for a moment, Takumi can forget about his embarrassment. Leo lifts his hands to cradle his face, and he instinctively leans into his cool touch.
“You’re an idiot. An absolute, complete idiot.” He giggles, and quickly silences Takumi’s retort with a sweet, soft kiss on his lips. At first, Takumi gives a surprised ‘mmph!’, but quickly relaxes and slips his arms around Leo’s waist, his comeback dissolving on his tongue, forgotten.
When they pull away, Leo rests his forehead against his, still chuckling to himself.
“...But I’m your idiot?” Takumi offers, cracking a smile.
Leo snorts. “Yes. You’re still my idiot.” He pulls back from him, grabbing his wrist, and Takumi reluctantly lets go of his waist as he’s tugged along to Leo’s cot. “And as my beloved idiot,” Leo says as they sit down on the covers, holding Takumi’s ant-bitten arm. “You will not lead me on a wild goose chase just because you’re afraid of looking foolish in front of me. I want you to come to me so that I can help you. Do we have an agreement?”
Takumi leans his head on Leo’s shoulder. “Alright, fine. Next time I fall in an ant pile and get incapacitated with an ice spell, I’ll be sure to come crying to you right away.”
Leo smiles, threading their fingers together. “Good. And no more letting Elise cover for you! I thought I might’ve have a stroke when she brought up surgery. Gods, I trust her healing abilities, but surgery? I get the chills just thinking about it. ”
Despite himself, Takumi snickers. “I’m sorry, Leo, really. Won’t you forgive me?” He squeezed his hand, scooting closer so he could rest his head in the crook of Leo’s neck.
Kissing his forehead, Leo squeezed his hand in return. “You’re forgiven.”
Day 8
“Good Gods,” Takumi groans, instinctively assuming his default position of one hip cocked to the side and his arms folded defiantly across his chest. “This… is disgusting.”
The bog in front of them could not possibly have looked less appealing. It stretched out for what was said to be miles in either direction, three solid feet of disgusting, sticky mud. It bubbled occasionally, as though the whole thing was alive and burping, which made the situation infinitely worse.
Takumi grimaces as the bog belches once again, and he catches an equally, if not more disgusted expression on Leo’s face as he draws next to him, a hand on his shoulder.
“Oh, how lovely. We get to walk through actual shit.” Niles hums, sizing up the bog with a curled lip.
“Don’t say that, Niles, you’re making it worse.” Odin grunted, staring glumly forward. Niles glanced at him, surprised.
“Goodness, Odin! No fanciful verses today? Truly, we are doomed.”
Odin just huffed at him. “Hush up, you. This swamp is draining me.”
Hinata joins them at the bank, curiously leaning forward and taking a sniff. “I don’t see what’s so bad about it! ‘S just mud!”
“That’s because you don’t have a sense of smell.” Oboro deadpanned, keeping her distance from the bog until it was necessary to cross.
Takumi and Leo shared a look, dutifully ignoring their bickering retainers.
“Don’t look so sullen, Brother.” Ryoma smiles reassuringly, rolling his shoulders as he steps up to the swamp’s bank. “We can do this!”
“Of course we can!” Elise sings, skipping past them. “Come on guys!”
“Elise!” Leo gasps, trying and failing to snatch his sister by the back of her coat. “Wait-!”
It’s too late, as she has already taken an enthusiastic leap into the bog. Camilla winces, and Xander sighs deeply. Immediately, she sinks in up to her waist, effectively ruining her clothes. She snorts at her peers, and begins to wade across, twisting her arms back and forth to further her movements. “Get a move on, you guys! Last one there is a rotten egg!” She declares, giggling to herself.
“Good enough for me!” Hinata laughs, and takes after her, leaping into the squelching mud. The others reluctantly follow him, if only to take advantage of the wake he leaves.
Xander recovers then, sighing in defeat. “Well, it cannot be helped.” He looks back to his remaining siblings, and gives a serious nod. “I will go first, and you three will follow in my wake. Camilla, Corrin, then Leo. It will be easier for you to cross that way.”
Leo’s lip twitches, watching as his brother tentatively lowers himself into the bog. Being the giant he was, he was only knee deep.
“Oh, gross! I don’t want to go in there!” Corrin voices his thoughts for him, vigorously shaking her head.
“Maybe, if you wore shoes, you wouldn’t have so much trouble.” Leo quips, and Corrin stuck out her tongue at him.
Xander tosses an unamused glance over his shoulder. “Come now, little princess, you can’t just-“
Ryoma cuts him off with a hearty laugh. “I’ll carry you across, Corrin, just like when you were little.”
Corrin gasps in delight, clapping her hands. “Really?!”
He squats down in invitation, and she wastes no time in leaping onto his back, legs hooking around his waist. He chuckles, letting her adjust her grip before raising his arms, as though he were a bodybuilder showing off his biceps. “Sakura, you too.”
The youngest sister hastily complied, trotting over to him as he lowered himself into a deeper squat. Tentatively, she took a seat on his offered shoulder and squealed when he suddenly rose again, clutching his hand tightly.
Ryoma approached the swamp bank. “Are you both ready?”
“Yeah!” Corrin yelled, gripping him tightly.
Sakura swallowed, holding Ryoma’s hand with both of her own. “Y-Yes. Please don’t drop me…”
“Here we go!”
The sisters whooped and giggled as Ryoma stomped his way into the bog, miraculously keeping each sibling out of the mud. Elise was close to the opposite bank, still twisting and turning her way across. Hinoka sighed, and gave a defeated shrug as she jumped in after her brother, forcing her way through the mud.
“Well then, Leo, Camilla.” Xander’s ever present crease between his brows grows deeper, evidently annoyed by how easily Corrin switched over. “I will clear a path for you. You as well, Takumi. Come along- hgh!”
Before he can take another step deeper into the bog, Camilla has jumped onto his back and latched tightly onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
He lets out a deep, exasperated sigh.
“This was not the plan, Camilla.”
She chuckles fondly, resting her chin on the crown of his head. “My feet ache so much, Xander. Won’t you do your darling baby sister a favor and carry me across? Just as you used to when we were children?”
“Appealing to my sense of nostalgia is not working well for you,” He grunts, struggling to find his footing slightly with her added weight. “Must I remind you that you are no longer a child now? Nor as light as you once were?”
Camilla gasps, feigning offense. “How dare you, big brother? I could cry at your insensitivity. Truly, I could!”
“Forgive me for expecting you to walk on your own, like an adult.” Xander made a sound that could only be described as harrumph, and trudged his way deeper into the muck, after Ryoma.
Pensively, Leo hovered at the edge of the bog, his lips pursed and nose scrunched up in obvious disdain. He quite resembled the noble ladies of the court in this moment, daintily lifting a leg to carefully prod the toe of his boot into the mud. He withdrew the second his foot began to sink in, somehow looking even more disgusted than before.
“It’s mud,” Takumi grumbled, partially to himself and partially to Leo. “It’s just mud. It can’t be that bad.”
Without allowing himself to hesitate a moment longer, Takumi stepped into the bog, his leg immediately sinking in and reaching near his upper thigh. He winced at the squelching that accompanied his movements as he forced his other leg in, first swinging it up and then plunging his foot down, wading another step into the mud. A shudder ran up his spine, causing him to tense up as his hands curled into fists.
“Eugh,” Takumi hissed. “It’s warm.”
“Wait-” Leo worried at his bottom lip. “Wait for me, Takumi. I’m coming.”
He glanced up, and sure enough, Leo was - well, he was trying, at least. He seemed to be trying to figure out the best angle to come in, like a small child pacing at the shore of a freezing cold lake. Clearly, he wants to get in, but he’s hesitant. And he doesn’t blame him - the mud is disgusting. It clings to him like slime, and the stench is comparable to a herd of cattle with flatulence issues.
Takumi looks back across to their elder brothers, who, thanks to their extra weight are taking quite a while to get across. Their sisters look quite content, minus Hinoka and Elise, the only ones bothering to make the journey themselves.
His eyes flit back to Leo. Then Ryoma. Leo, then Ryoma. Ryoma, valiantly carrying his sisters. He looks back to Leo.
Takumi swallows.
“Leo,” Determined, he turns around, the mud squelching around his legs as he does so.
“I know!” Leo isn’t looking at him, still trying to work up the nerve to plunge himself into the bog. “I’m trying- I’ll be in there in a second. Don’t leave.”
“That’s not what I was gonna say!” He huffs, briefly reconsidering his decision before shaking his head. “I’m not gonna leave you, just - come here.”
Leo glances at him, eyes widening at the sight of his outstretched arms, quickly meeting Takumi’s gaze.
“You’re serious?”
Takumi nods. “I’m serious. I’ll carry you, since it bothers you so much.”
Leo pauses, long enough for Takumi to register how his ears are burning. Without even a gracious refusal, Leo then reaches out for him, and Takumi leans closer, eager. Slender arms loop around his neck as he slides an arm under his long legs, around his back. He carefully adjusts Leo in his arms, making sure he has a proper grip on him before he turns back around.
“Thank you,” Leo sighs, once he’s settled. “I certainly owe you a favor.”
“Don’t mention it.” Takumi mumbles as he trudges his way through the bog. The wake Ryoma left is large, but slowly is beginning to fill up and reform - ironically symbolic, he thinks. “You know I’d do - ugh - “ He thrusts his leg through a particularly dense spot, causing a wet squelch as the mud clung to his boot. “You know I’d do anything for you.”
“And I appreciate it.” Leo tells him, a smile playing on his lips. Takumi does his best to focus on his task; as much as he wants to kiss him, he hardly thought this was the place to do it. So, for now he concedes on just getting through this muck and enjoying having Leo in his arms while he can.
“Aww!” Elise chirps, startling both of them. “Takumi, you’re such a gentleman!”
This prompts the others to look their way, and Takumi reddens, while Leo tries to keep his expression neutral.
“Hinata, why don’t you carry me through this? You can be just like Lord Takumi.” Niles drawls, earning a round of dry glares from his fellow retainers. “Or not.”
“How k-kind of you, big brother.” Sakura smiles, watching him get closer and closer with soft eyes. He’s catching up to them fast; as strong as Ryoma is, the weight of his siblings hinders him immensely. Xander isn’t much better pace wise, but rather than weight its his extreme caution, taking Camilla’s height into account and keeping his footing steady as he treads.
“I’m not just gonna make him walk through this if he doesn’t have to...” Takumi grumbles, positively pink. They were nearly all the way across, now, Takumi already accustomed to the squish and squelch of the sludge. His only priority was just getting to the opposite bank - surely, he could manage that.
“Such a sweetheart,” Camilla purrs, and Xander grunts as he shifts her higher onto his back. “I do hope you’ll reward him nicely for his troubles, Leo. If you don’t, I’ll have to.”
Leo chuckles, and Takumi cringes at the thought of one of her suffocating hugs. “That’s not necessary, sister. I plan on thanking him properly, once we’re across.”
For a brief moment, Takumi wondered what that entailed. A hug and a kiss, most likely. He rarely went beyond that, at least when they were around family. Perhaps, if he was lucky, a filthy promise for later, whispered into his ear. He had a naughty habit of doing that, Leo. As a person who was focused on now, a teasing, sordid later, tonight, tomorrow, drove him absolutely crazy. He wondered if he would get anything more if he ferried him across on the return trip, as well.
Leo was always one for repaying favors. His betrothed shifted in his arms, laying his head on his shoulder.
“Are you still doing alright?” Leo murmured, running a lazy finger over his collarbone. “I can walk, if you need me to.”
Takumi tried not to think about that distracting finger. “Ah, no, I’m fine.” He was, really - he could easily support Leo’s weight. Carrying him around had always been something he liked; a display of both strength and their relationship. He very much enjoyed it, when Leo allowed him to. It was getting a little harder to ignore the fingers tracing over his collarbones and following the path of his muscles - Leo was obviously just bored, but Takumi couldn’t help but be distracted. His nails running over his skin reminded him of how he would always-
Takumi’s train of thought was shattered when his boot suddenly plunged downwards through the bottom layer of sludge and he lunged forward, throwing up his arms in an instinctive last-ditch effort to keep Leo out of the bog. Both of them shrieked as Takumi fell face first into the swamp and Leo landed ungraciously on the opposite bank, almost tipping back into the bog had it not been for Elise grabbing his arm.
With a grunt of effort, Takumi pulled himself out of the sludge, spitting mud out of his mouth and attempting to get back to his feet, which was proving easier said than done.
“Oh, Gods, Takumi!” Leo clasped his hands over his mouth, shoulders trembling with laughter. “
“This isn’t - blegh! - this isn’t funny!” Takumi retorted, his foot slipping and causing him to topple back into the mud again.
“Lord Takumi!” Hinata yelled, and stomped over to where his liege was still stuck in the mud. He grabbed Takumi’s arm and hauled him up, both of them sinking further down into the muck. Oboro arrived soon after, helping to pull the pair of them out of the small pit they created.
“Augh, this is so nasty!” Oboro growled, tugging her liege and partner retainers behind her.
Takumi spluttered onto the ground upon dragging himself onto the bank, attempting to wipe his face on his sleeve only to remember that his sleeve was also drenched in sludge, and promptly made a noise of utter disgust and contempt.
Ryoma and Hinoka arrived soon after, followed by Xander and Camilla.
“Poor thing,” Camilla cooed sympathetically. “You be nice to him, now, Leo, look what he did for you.”
Hinoka crouched beside Takumi, slapping him on the back. “Hey, you did a good job! Some mud isn’t gonna hurt you!”
“That’s easy for you to say,” Takumi spat. “It didn’t get in your mouth!”
“It was an act of valor to carry him across.” Ryoma praised, smiling warmly down on his brother.
“Valor. Schmalor. This is the most disgusting thing that I’ve ever tasted in my entire life.”
“Takumi,” Leo giggled, still recovering from his and Elise’s bout of laughter. “Come here, come here.”
Takumi pouted, but obeyed nonetheless, getting up and cringing at the way his now wet clothes clung to his skin, and awkwardly made his way over to Leo.
Leo, still chuckling to himself, took his own sleeve and wiped Takumi’s mouth for him, slinging off the excess mud before going to clean the rest of his face. When his right was too dirty, he used his left, effectively ruining the white fabric of his tunic, but clearly that mattered little to him.
“There you are,” He smiled, wiping the last streak of mud from his cheek. “Much better.”
Day 11
“My, my, Takumi. And just how did you manage to get into this?”
Leo chuckles, hands on his hips as he approaches the extremely irate, upside-down prince, glancing him up and down to assess his situation with amusement.
“Well, obviously, some asshole thought it would be funny to leave a trap in the middle of this path, I stepped on it, triggered it, and now I’m stuck!” Takumi snarls, wriggling in his bonds in fruitless attempts to loosen them. “Didn’t think I had to spell it out for you!”
Leo tries and fails to stifle a snort, coming closer to examine the ropes that held him captive. “Can I ask you when, exactly, you inherited Setsuna’s affinity for traps?”
“I didn’t!” Snaps Takumi, his ears burning. “This - This was an accident!”
“I’d think a fine hunter such as yourself would have avoided this.” Leo giggles, circling around him and giving the ropes experimental tugs here and there.
“Don’t make fun of me!” Takumi’s face is steadily getting redder and redder, the deep flush spreading from his neck. “It’s not my fault that this happened! I just - I didn’t see it, that’s all!”
“Oh, but of course. My apologies, love.” Leo hums, and Takumi continues squirming as he carries on with his examination of the trap.
“Hmph.” He grumbles, fixing the ground with a fierce, begrudging stare. At this point, it’s pretty clear that Leo is his only hope of getting out of this mess, and that meant he was going to have to deal with his teasing until that happened. Apparently having his fill of studying the ropes binding Takumi, Leo walks away towards the tree from which he now dangles, murmuring something to himself. Takumi keeps his eyes on the ground, face burning with embarrassment at yet again making an utter fool of himself in front of his betrothed. Here he was, tasked with escorting him through the woods in search of specific herbs for whatever potion he had been toying with recently, and yet Leo was the one taking care of him.
“Oh, fascinating! Absolutely fascinating. Takumi,” Leo exclaims suddenly, and hurries to return, assuming his place in front of him. They are eye level like this, with Takumi hoisted up in the air as he was. “You’ve managed to get yourself into an enchanted trap! I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how you did, since this appears to be designed for deer, or elk perhaps.”
“Enchanted?” Takumi groans. “Oh. Perfect. Just what I wanted.”
“It’s delightful, actually. See, when the deer triggers the trap, it hoists it up in the air, like so,” Leo gestures unhelpfully at Takumi. “Then, these ropes will keep it secure and still, while that hidden piston there fires a dart at the deer. My guess is that it’s either coated in some sort of asphyxiant poison, or perhaps a tranquilizer-”
“The WHAT?!” Takumi shrieks, amber eyes going wide. “Get me down! Get me down right now!” In his sudden panic he begins to thrash, trying to force his way free of the ropes keeping his arms bound behind his back to no avail, hair swinging wildly beneath him like a pendulum. “I want out of this damned thing already!”
“Takumi! Takumi, stop flailing! Just calm down!” Leo grabs his arms, struggling to still him. “I deactivated the piston! You’re fine!”
“Why didn’t you say that?!” Takumi gasps, starting to feel the effects of being hung upside down like an animal for so long. The ropes are fastened just a little bit too tightly around his chest, making it a tad difficult to breathe while he’s so worked up. “You nearly gave me a heart attack!”
“I would have, if you had let me finish.” Leo sighs, keeping his grip on him firm. “You’re alright, Takumi. Deep breaths, now. I’ve got you.”
“Gods,” He huffs, still recovering from that initial scare. “Can’t Nohrians hunt normally? What-” Takumi rakes in another breath. “What’s the point of wasting magic on this stupid trap?”
“Shortcuts, dear.” Leo smiles fondly at him, and cups his cheeks. “There, that’s it. Don’t worry yourself so much.”
He gives him a quick kiss, then, and in a matter of seconds a deep scarlet flush shoots up Takumi’s neck, turning his face a color that nearly matches his older sister’s hair.
“Hey!” He sputters once Leo pulls back, apparently unsure whether to be angry about the sudden affection or not.
“What’s the matter? It’s not like you to get embarrassed from a kiss.” Leo hums, trying not to laugh at just how deeply flustered he was by this.
“Can’t you kiss me later? N-Not that I don’t enjoy it, but-“ Takumi manages to collect his thoughts, squirming in place. “I already look enough like a fool.”
Leo gives him a soft smile, stroking his thumb over his cheek for a moment. “Nobody is here but me, you know.”
“That’s the worst part! I look like an idiot right now, in front of you, of all people.” Takumi pouts, forcing his glare elsewhere.
“Perhaps, but you’re my fiance, aren’t you?” Leo chuckles. “Looking stupid in front of me is par for the course. As I have in front of you, as well.”
“Yeah - well,” Takumi grumbles sheepishly, still averting his eyes. “It’s not any less embarrassing. Especially since it feels like all I’ve been doing for the past two weeks is making an ass of myself…”
“You’ve been doing no such thing,” Leo murmurs. “I admit you’ve had a… strange bout of bad luck, lately, but if anything, it’s funny. I don’t think any less of you.”
“Wow, thanks.” Despite his tone, the corners of Takumi’s lips quirk up in a smile.
“You’re welcome.” Leo smirks, and leans in again to plant a kiss on the corner of his mouth.
Takumi chuckles, not even bothering to try and squirm away from him anymore as another peck is placed on his chin. “I’m starting to think you’re taking advantage of me being in this trap, you know.”
“And what possibly gave you that idea?” Another kiss, this time on his cheek.
“I don’t know, you’re just getting real… ah…”
“Affectionate?” Leo provides knowingly.
“Yeah - you could say that. I was gonna say ‘kissy’, but that kind of sounds dumb now that I think about it.”
Leo giggles at this, “Kissy? Who are you, and what have you done with my Takumi?”
“Hey!”
“That sounds like something Camilla would say.” A wicked smile plays on Leo’s lips. “Does somebody want a kissy wissy, Takumi?” His voice increases in pitch as he puts on his best impression of his doting sister, puckering his lips and leaning in towards Takumi’s face.
Despite himself, Takumi snorts, and shakes his head. “No! Oh my Gods, don’t even start.”
“Aww, come on, just a kissy wissy!”
“Knock it off!” His face is burning, and he’s starting to feel dizzy from being upside down for this long. But he can’t fight back his smile, his stress and temper now forgotten in favor of this unorthodox but welcome affection. Leo regards him with an evil smile, holding his face so close that their noses were touching.
“Was that a yes? Extra wet?”
“No!”
Ignoring his half-hearted protest Leo plants a rather wet kiss on his cheek with an exaggerated mwah, and did so again on the other cheek. Takumi tries and fails not to laugh, grinning like an idiot as the process is repeated several more times, to the point where if Leo had been wearing lipstick, he’d be boasting kiss marks all over his face. He positively melts at the attention, despite his protests.
“I swear, Leo, when I-“ Takumi says through his snorts, abandoning his efforts to avoid the kisses. By now, he’s accepted his fate.
Mwah, another one, this time at the juncture of his jaw and his neck.
“-When I get out of this, you’re so gonna get it.”
“Is that so?” Leo finally ceases his assault, but not before kissing him one more time on the lips, into which Takumi smiles and eagerly leans in, eyes closing in bliss for a short moment. Leo hums in content before pulling away. “Consider me absolutely terrified.”
“Uh huh, you should be.” Slightly dazed from the onslaught of affection, Takumi lets himself admire Leo’s upside down face with half lidded eyes and a lazy smile for a moment. “I’m… I’m kind of surprised. I didn’t expect that.”
“But it cheered you up, did it not?” Leo withdraws his hands from his face, holding them behind his back as he resumed his usual posture.
Takumi smiles warmly. “W-Well, yeah. That would cheer anyone up!”
“I’m glad.” Leo returns it, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. “Well, then. I believe you’ve had enough of being upside down, yes?”
“Oh, Gods, please.” Takumi groans at the reminder. “My arms are getting cramped.”
Leo gives him a parting pat on the cheek as he makes his way back to the tree, a coil of magic already forming around his finger.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get you down.”
“I think I deserve a massage after this,” Takumi declares, rolling his neck to relieve some of the tension. “You left me up here just so you could tease me.”
Leo’s giggle is quiet and musical, as his finger follows a path in the air, leaving a glowing trail in its wake. The way he wove spells was captivating. “I was lead to believe that you rather enjoyed it.”
“Maybe I did!” He huffs. “Anyone would. Being kissed all over like that… it - it just feels nice.”
“I’ll remember that, I hope you know.” He can practically hear the smirk in his voice. “But, I do suppose you’re deserving of extra treatment today. As thanks for letting me toy with you, for a while.”
Takumi can feel the ropes begin to slacken their grasp on him, starting to lower him slowly to the ground. He wriggles, attempting to get his arms free to brace any potential fall. “I - ah, it’s not like I had much of a choice, but I’ll take what I can get.”
“As if you would do any different if our places were switched.” Leo quips, leaning up against the tree to reach part of the rope.
“I’d have gotten you down first!” Takumi retorts, indignant. “If I thought you were in danger, I would have cut you out of this in a heartbeat.”
“We just have different methods, darling.” Leo gestures to an object he hadn’t noticed before now, a small box with a hole in the middle. It was toppled over on the ground. “This is the piston I mentioned earlier. See, I was going to get you down immediately, but then I noticed this, and, obviously, I broke it so it couldn’t hurt you. And then I realized what a wonderful opportunity this was to have a bit of fun with you.”
Finally, Takumi manages to pull his arms free of the ropes, stretching them out and flexing his wrists. At that point, the rope holding him up slackens completely and he lands in an ungraceful heap with a fleshy thud on the ground.
“Curses! Takumi, are you alright? I didn’t mean to do that, I promise!” Leo’s smug attitude vanishes and in a moment he’s knelt down at Takumi’s side, who sits up with a long groan, a hand on his head.
“Oh…head rush…” He mumbles, swaying slightly as his vision spins, blood rushing back down throughout his body.
“I’m sorry, love.” Leo worries at his bottom lip, laying his hand over Takumi’s forehead. “I shouldn’t have left you up there that long.”
“Mgh, don’t worry about it. I’m down now, aren’t I?” Takumi managed a smile at him, and Leo returned it, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.
“Take it easy, now. Let’s head back to camp, shall we? I believe I’ve promised you a massage for your troubles.”
Day 14
Leo giggled, tilting his head to the side as Takumi littered kisses over his pulse, hands roaming over thick, muscled shoulders, down a back sculpted by years of archery and training. Takumi held his waist, one arm wrapped under him and the other drifting down to his hip, his thigh, kneading steadily. Leo’s hand traveled up his back and ran through his hair, undoing his hair tie so he could freely card his fingers through his mane, tugging on his locks occasionally and enjoying the low grunts he got in response. Takumi remained focused on his neck, now choosing to leave bites and marks in his wake rather than the featherlight kisses from before.
As he trailed lower, Leo squirmed under him, hooking his legs around his waist. As much as he wanted to continue, there was a niggling in the back of his mind that simply could not be ignored much longer.
“Mm, Takumi…” He murmured, sinking his nails into his shoulder. “Takumi.”
“Yeah?” Half lidded amber eyes glanced over at him, a brow arched in inquiry.
Leo sat up, propping himself up on his elbows. “Takumi, we need to stop for a moment before we go on.”
Puzzled, Takumi followed suit, sitting back on his knees. Leo appreciated the view of his muscled chest and built shoulders for a moment before drawing his legs back and swinging them over the side of the cot, walking over to the the chest at the corner of his tent.
“Uh… if you’re looking for the lube, it’s over there, baby.” Takumi blinked, pointing.
“No, not lube. Something about you has been bothering me for a while.”
Takumi spluttered, “W-What?”
Leo shook his head. “No, sweetheart, not like that. I mean something is off. These past two weeks - well, I’m sure you’re aware.” He opened the chest, rummaging through its contents and various compartments. He pulled out a few tomes, setting them behind him carefully before he continued. “You’re so much more clumsy than normal. You almost drowned during fishing, you keep tripping on nothing, you fell down a hill, you fell down the stairs five times, you fell into a trap magically designed so that humans wouldn’t fall into it-”
“Okay, I know, I get it.” Takumi huffed. “I’m not trying to be clumsy!”
“No need to be defensive, honey,” Leo shot him a smile before returning to his search. “I actually think I know what’s wrong, I just need to prove it.”
“Yeah? What’s wrong with me then?” Pressed Takumi.
“Aha!” Leo sat up, a small tome in hand. It could even be considered a journal, it was so stuffed full. But this wasn’t one of Leo’s research notebooks, or else Takumi would have recognized it. “Alright, you. Stand up for me.”
Sensing that his questions weren’t going to be answered until Leo was through, he sighed and did as told, pushing himself off of the warm cot. Leo approached him, and flipped open the book, rifling through the pages before muttering something under his breath. Takumi shifted his weight from foot to foot, feeling nervous even under the eyes of his fiance. Leo finished the spell, and nodded thoughtfully, walking around him in a circle. He prodded at him, having him lift each arm and flex, then set it back down. He examined his chest, his sides, his stomach - what it was he was looking for, he couldn’t guess.
“Okay, off with those.” Leo gestured at his trousers, and Takumi huffed indignantly.
“Seriously, what’s going on? Why are you making me do this?”
“Enough questions, Takumi. Now take off your pants.”
Takumi grumbled something unintelligible as he complies, shirking off his pants and kicking them to the other side of the tent. Leo crouched down, looking at his inner thighs and behind his knees.
“No, not here either.” He muttered. “I doubt it would be on your ass… hmm…”
“What are you even looking for?” Takumi groaned.
Leo stood up again, glancing down at his book and back at Takumi. He walked behind him, and he felt Leo’s hand run through his hair again. A pleasurable tingle ran down his spine when Leo gently gathered his wild mane back into a ponytail and lifted it off of his neck.
“Oh! Splendid, I found it. Takumi, dear, will you tie your hair into a bun for me?”
Takumi did as instructed, though nervously. “Uh… what is it?” A pause. “Is it like… a-a bug?”
“No, not at all. It’s the mark of a curse!”
A chilling draft swept over the nape of his neck as Leo muttered another spell, and immediately he felt a strange, itchy tingling spreading from the base of his skull down to between his shoulder blades. He shivered at the sensation.
“All that trouble, and it was this easy to solve. It’s my fault for not acting on my suspicions earlier, for that I apologize.” Leo was sincere as he placed the book down on the chest and returned to Takumi, cupping his cheeks in his hands. “Oh, my poor dear, you’ve been suffering for all this time...”
Takumi clapped a hand on the back of his neck, baffled, wide amber eyes staring into Leo’s. “Cursed? I got cursed? Who the hell cursed me?” He paused. “And what did I do?”
“A bad luck hex, and a powerful one.” Leo hummed. “This is Nyx’s work - I’d recognize it blindfolded. I will approach her about it in the morning, I promise.”
“N-Nyx?” Takumi shuddered - the idea of the curse being placed on him by one of the most powerful mages in all of Nohr greatly unsettled him. “What - what reason does she have to curse me?”
“That’s what I’ll find out.” Leo stroked a thumb over Takumi’s cheek. “As for now, don’t worry yourself anymore - you’re cured! And now we’ve ensured there is no chance that a horrible accident will happen while we have sex.”
Takumi gawked. “Is that why we stopped?”
Leo nodded, a teasing smile on his lips. “Am I the type to stop abruptly?”
“Well - no, but…”
He chuckled, quieting him with a finger pressed to his lips. “Well, now that that’s dealt with… Would you mind showing me where we left off?”