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Finral watches.
He sees the man he loves, and he knows he loves another. It’s not hard to see, he’s simply always been blind to it.
Yami is his home, an anchor for him who has always had trouble finding his place, fitting in, being comfortable with anyone and anywhere.
Yami saved him and Finral knows it’s not special; he saved most of the squad. No, he saved all of this squad. He doesn’t talk about it and they don’t talk too often about it either, but most of them owe him their lives. Finral does, although he’ll never admit it.
He didn’t realize it was more than gratefulness, he didn’t realize it was more than admiration until he saw him with William Vangeance.
Finral isn’t jealous; not with the ones he loves and not if he knows that this is for the best. He had his loved ones’ interest at heart; he’d never put himself first. And so when he sees the way Yami is around William Vangeance is here, Finral stays frozen in place and forces himself to smile. Yami’s laugh is louder, but more vulnerable. It’s a trade, it’s a risk, there’s a fragility in that peel of laughter that neither Finral nor any other Bulls has ever heard.
William Vangeance is a captain, the captain of the Golden Dawn, the best company, one of the most powerful knights of the kingdom; he is the man who is deemed the closest to become the next Wizard King.
Finral is a spatial mage. He’s support. He opens portals. He’s no one. He’s the squad’s wheels, yes, he’s useful, yes.
But he’s not William Vangeance.
Langris watches.
He sees the man he loves, and he knows he loves another. It’s not hard to see, he’s simply always been blind to it.
William took him in with the promise to make him the strongest magic knight if he joined his squad. Langris accepted. He didn’t think much of it at first. He admired William, yes. He was his captain, and he respected him; he was one of the rare people Langris thought he might never be able to win against.
Langris likes to think that he’s like him, like William. Only Langris can see his ambition, how far ahead William is looking; although Langris isn’t sure to know where exactly William is set on going.
It didn’t take Langris more than two years to become William’s right hand man. It didn’t take Langris a month to fall in love with him. It took one instant, one frank laugh from William and a small tap of Yami Sukehiro on William’s shoulder to show Langris that he had no chance. His captain loves another.
Langris doesn’t understand what his captain can see in Yami Sukehiro. Langris is the best spatial mage there is. He’s the Golden Dawn’s Vice Captain. He’s the genius little brother, he’s the best Vaude and maybe he’ll take over the House in Finral’s stead. He’s one of the strongest knights out there. He’s a noble like William; he’s from the same world as his captain, he knows the rules, the ways, the constraints. Most of all, he knows the pressure. Sure, Langris is not a captain, but he’s worth better than that foreigner… right?
But William loves Yami Sukehiro. And Langris is not Yami Sukehiro.
Finral watches, standing in a well pressed suit, flower pinned and he squeezes Vanessa’s hand tighter because even if it hurts, he swears he’s never seen Yami smile so wide and so genuinely before. This is how it’s supposed to be and he’ll be happy for him.
Langris watches, standing in a well pressed suit, flower pinned and he grits his teeth because it hurts, but he knew all of this was doomed from the start. There was never a place for him in his captain’s heart and it’s not fine but it will be. One day, maybe, he’ll be happy for him.
And they’ll be happy for them.