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Out of all the things Ras could be stubborn about, it aggravated Vildred the most when he just didn't seem to care about his own well-being.
"Just drink the potion. We don't have time for this." He dangled the potion in front of Ras, wishing he would take it out of his hand already. The blue liquid swayed violently in the glass bottle, bubbles covering the surface from the motion of his shaking.
"But Vildred, I'm fine, really," Ras said, his lips shaped in a slight frown. "You should drink it."
It had been going on like this for more than five minutes now, with Ras adamantly refusing to take the potion and Vildred trying to convince him to just drink the damn thing already. Ras was being so viciously stubborn about it that Vildred was sorely tempted to pin him down and force him to drink it. He didn't, though, because he doubted he could get Ras to be compliant and remain still while he poured the drink in his mouth. The potion would likely spill in their ensuing struggle, and they couldn't afford to waste even a single drop of it. There was only a quarter of the liquid left in the bottle.
Vildred had sort of known it would come down to this the moment they discovered there was only one potion left in the bag, but it irked him just how selfless Ras was, even though he usually considered that a good trait. There had to be a limit to his altruism, and Vildred was determined to find it.
"Ras, did you forget what I told you?" Vildred started, shifting to another line of persuasion. "It doesn't matter if I die, but you have to live. If you die here, there won't be anyone that can defeat the Archdemon. You, as the Heir of the Covenant, need to survive no matter what."
Ras's face tightened, and for a moment he looked like he might take Vildred's words into consideration, but then he shook his head.
"Why does it have to be that one of us lives and the other dies? Why can't we find some way to escape together? I don't want to leave without you, Vildred."
"Trust me, I don't plan on dying in this cave. But if we consider our current situation, it's better if you drink the potion. Between the two of us, it's more important that you live."
Ras shook his head again. "I've been through much worse and lived. This is nothing. I can handle more than this, so don't worry about me. You should drink the potion and heal your injuries."
Vildred sighed for what must've been the tenth time since the start of their bickering. Of course Ras wouldn't listen to him and just deflect his words back at him. "Hah… well, if you're not going to drink it, then I'm not going to either, so I guess it's going to waste." Vildred crossed his arms and turned away from Ras, opting to look outside the cave. He felt a bit childish acting like this, but if Ras was going to be this stubborn over a potion, then it was fair game for Vildred to respond in the same manner.
At this, Ras sounded alarmed. "What? You have to drink it!" He grabbed Vildred's shoulder, trying to get Vildred to look at him again. Vildred refused to face him, just keeping his arms folded and his back turned toward Ras.
"Vildred, please…" Ras said more softly this time, his hand leaving Vildred's shoulder and gently tugging his sleeve instead, and it took Vildred an incredible amount of willpower to not turn around and face him.
Once Ras realized Vildred wasn't going to listen, he heaved a sigh and let go of Vildred's sleeve. "Fine, if you won't drink it then I guess I'll just have to do this," he mumbled.
Vildred relaxed upon hearing that, thinking that Ras was finally backing down and taking the potion for himself. Good, he needed to recover his stamina. In the worst-case scenario—which it seemed like things were heading that way—Ras would at least have the energy to retreat.
He heard the cork of the bottle being pulled open. While Ras was busy consuming the potion, Vildred decided to take this time to check if those monsters were still on their trail. He poked his head out of the cave to take a look around, catching glimpses of trees, but before he could fully take in a view of the surroundings, a harsh yank on the collar of his coat tugged him back.
Vildred turned around with indignation, ready to ask Ras what the hell his problem was, but he was promptly cut off by Ras's lips crashing against his own.
It was sloppy and sudden, and Vildred's mouth opened out of sheer surprise. Ras grabbed Vildred's shoulders and stuck his tongue inside Vildred's mouth, pushing hard. Vildred felt the liquid spilling into his mouth, the bitter taste assaulting his senses alongside Ras's tongue.
He wanted to cough the liquid out, but Ras's mouth prevented him from doing so. He couldn't tell if it was the drink or Ras's tongue that was making him feel warm and hazy—probably both. Vildred moved his hands to Ras's shoulders, intending to push him away, but once he actually grappled them and felt how small they were, he found himself holding them gently, curling his hands over the slim curves of his shoulders.
Somehow the kiss became slower, more tender. Ras was no longer pushing his tongue in as hard, instead moving it over Vildred's in a steady grind. Their tongues were hot and the tonic mixed around between their mouths. The liquid leaked out the corner of Vildred's mouth and dribbled down his chin, but Vildred didn't care anymore. He continued kissing Ras, lapping up more from his mouth, hardly aware of the wet sounds their lips were making. If there was one thought that dominated Vildred's mind right now, it was that Ras's lips were undeniably soft.
Once Vildred swallowed down the remaining liquid with an emphatic gulp, Ras loosened his grip on Vildred's shoulders and moved his head back. He panted for a few seconds before seeming to realize what he'd done.
"S-Sorry." Ras sharply recoiled from Vildred, wiping his mouth with wide eyes, looking more surprised and terrified than Vildred even though he was the one who'd initiated it. "I... I just wanted you to drink it and..." He looked like he might run back out there and let himself die, either from the monsters or from embarrassment, whichever would do it first.
Vildred grabbed his hand before he could stupidly run away. "I know." He coughed even though there was nothing in his throat anymore, and he licked the last of the liquid that had leaked down his chin. "I was being stubborn. Sorry for making you do that." He made Ras do something he didn't want to...
"No, I'm the one who should be sorry for doing something like that so suddenly," Ras said, his voice low and tentative. "I… I don't know what overcame me. I just didn't want to see you remaining hurt, knowing that there was something I could've done, but I did something unpleasant, didn't I?" He frowned, his eyes downcast. "I'm sorry, Vildred." He pulled his hand out of Vildred's hold and kept to himself, scooting a couple of inches away from him.
"Ras," Vildred said hastily, closing the distance that Ras had just tried to make between them. He wanted to take Ras's hand again, but seeing how Ras had deliberately gone out of his way to avoid his touch, he clenched his hand and held back.
"I wasn't uncomfortable, just surprised," he started, gauging Ras's reaction. Ras seemed to be listening intently, though his body language was showing that he was stiff everywhere. Vildred continued, "That… I mean, it was just a kiss, right? It's not a big deal or anything."
He said that, but his heart was pounding and his face and neck felt warm all over.
Then, before Ras could take it the wrong way and start going around kissing other people, Vildred said, "But don't just kiss anyone, alright? I'm just saying… I don't mind that we kissed. It wasn't a bad experience."
Ras seemed relieved after hearing Vildred's words of reassurance and he smiled a bit. "Vildred, have you gotten lots of kisses before?"
"No, that was my first one." He almost stuttered.
"That was my first one as well," Ras said, sounding less stilted and more like his usual self now. Vildred wouldn't admit it, but he was secretly pleased to hear he was Ras's first kiss, even though he'd just stated it wasn't a big deal.
"So… are we cool now?" Vildred asked, hesitantly putting his hand on Ras's shoulder.
Ras tensed, and Vildred was worried he'd misjudged and Ras was still averse to his touch after what happened. But contrary to his assumption, Ras said, "Ah… I thought you were still mad at me."
Vildred scrunched his face up. "Why would I be mad at you? Didn't I just tell you I'm fine about the kiss?"
Ras shook his head. "I mean from before, when we were arguing over who should drink the potion."
Vildred still failed to follow the line of thought in Ras's words. "Sure, I was annoyed, but I wasn't angry. Did you really think I would get mad over something like that?"
"Well, it's because you've never acted so stubborn before. You always give in first, so I was a little surprised when you didn't concede this time."
Vildred felt himself redden further at Ras's assessment. Was he really that weak when it came to Ras…?
He masked his embarrassment behind a scoff. "If I'm stubborn, then what does that make you, huh?" He slung his arm across Ras's shoulders to pull him in and rubbed his knuckles into Ras's cheek.
Ras closed his eye on the side of his cheek that Vildred was rubbing and leaned his head on Vildred's shoulder. "I just don't want there to be needless sacrifices if I can help it."
Vildred's expression softened and he lowered his hand from Ras's cheek. "Hey." He tugged Ras closer to him by the shoulder. "Your wounds… are they okay now?"
Ras nodded. "I'm fine. I think the potion is taking effect."
"I'm feeling a bit better too." Actually, he hadn't even noticed when his wounds had stopped hurting, too distracted by Ras's kiss and dealing with the aftermath of it.
Ras smiled before lifting his head off Vildred's shoulder. "Vildred, earlier you said I shouldn't kiss just anyone. Are there people I should kiss and people I shouldn't kiss?"
Vildred grunted. Ras had to ask him a difficult question just when things were finally cooling down…
But since Ras seemed to be asking from a place of innocent curiosity, Vildred answered truthfully. After all, he didn't want Ras kissing people without understanding the kind of meaning that would convey.
"You should only kiss someone you really like," Vildred said.
"Oh," Ras replied. "Then… it was okay, right?"
Vildred tilted his head. "What was?"
"That we kissed. Since I like being beside you," he said. "But I don't know if you feel the same way about me in return… I'm sorry you had to share your first kiss with me, Vildred."
Somehow Ras had managed to misinterpret the kind of 'like' Vildred was talking about. Vildred shook his head, figuring it was better this way since then he wouldn't have to explain his own feelings. "I told you already, I don't mind." Then he lowered his voice. "I feel the same way so it's not like my first kiss was a waste or anything."
"Really?" Ras asked.
Vildred nodded. "Yeah, so stop fussing so much about it." He ruffled Ras's hair.
"Next time, I'll be sure to remember to pack more potions. Although we should make sure not to get separated from Ruele and Kise in the first place…"
Vildred chuckled. "Her magic works much faster than these potions anyway. And it doesn't leave you with a crappy aftertaste in your mouth." Although it didn't taste that bad when Ras's tongue had been in his mouth.
Shortly after he said this, a familiar, jolly voice spoke. "Oh! There you two are!" Ruele popped her head into the cave, giving them a wave. "Kise, look, I found them!"
"It seems Arkasus's sense of smell did not fail us for once," she replied, her voice sounding farther than Ruele's but gradually coming closer. There was a high-pitched response—obviously Arkasus—but it was too far away for Vildred to catch clearly.
Kise took a look inside the cave to confirm their presence for herself and ended up eyeing them very curiously. "…Did something happen?" There was a little bit of suspicion, but also some amusement in her voice. Vildred realized his arm was still around Ras.
Ras answered, "It's nothing. Vildred and I just had a small conflict, but it's resolved now." He stood up and patted his clothes. Vildred, after a second of stalling, did the same.
Ruele gasped once she saw their wounds, and she commanded them to sit down again while she examined the extent of their injuries.
"It's not that serious," Ras said when it was obvious he was downplaying it as usual. Fortunately, a back-and-forth didn't break out over whose injuries were more urgent and who Ruele should prioritize healing first. Ruele had already decided she was going to work on healing Ras since she was sitting closer to him. Vildred silently smirked to himself as he watched from the sideline.
Drinking a potion wasn't so bad, Vildred decided, if Ras was the one feeding him.