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The journey ahead of Sett felt terribly long, but it was nice to have company.
If anyone bothered to ask, Sett would always tell anyone who was willing to listen that he was searching for his father. He never shied away from the subject, but it was definitely hard to hold a conversation because it always ended quickly and with bloodied knuckles.
For a while he was growing troubled with his surroundings. This heavenly place felt like a fighting ring all over again; it was like he never left home. In his slumber, he couldn’t evade the nightmares that crept on him slowly like a poison coursing through his veins. When he awoke, he was often met with a serene picture yet found no fulfillment anywhere. Not a single person balanced him, treated him as an equal. Just like home. Well, at least here, he had Truffle and Southpaw— his badger spirits.
That was… until he met him. Aphelios.
After meeting Aphelios, Sett was more bright-eyed and curious about everything. After spending what felt like weeks mulling over his father, he finally found a quiet pocket of peace within Aphelios’ presence. It was an infectious glow within the belly of his spirit to walk alongside him, to marvel at his stature and being. Sometimes he’d have to shove his badgers away from giving away too many hints that this level of admiration was becoming a crush.
It was clear to Sett that Aphelios had been here a long time, perhaps longer than he let on in. If only Sett could remember when he first came to the Spirit Realm. He agreed to accompany Sett after much convincing, saying he had no particular qualms with the suggestion but he didn’t know what good his company would do. Sett found a million reasons within those eyes. Aphelios agreed to go as far as Sett was willing to let him stay, and at no point would he hesitate to leave his side once Sett told him to.
“That’s kinda bold of ya. Why agree to go that far for a stranger?” Sett asked.
Aphelios replied rather simply, “Because something about you makes me wish we could be more than strangers.”
Sett had all the time in the world to replay that statement in his thoughts like a broken record. He shouldn’t read too much into it. He didn’t want to read too much into it out of fear that he was given the wrong impression.
Aphelios walked with ease around every terrain and pasture while Sett could use some help with the footwork. If he so much as tripped over stepping stones across rivers, Aphelios was right there to lend a hand. The tilt of his head and his patient gaze was enough to make Sett’s head spin with infatuation. He hadn’t expected a man like Aphelios to be so touchy, but in his own words, he felt that to touch another kindred spirit was healthy for the soul.
His badgers sure seemed to enjoy being touched by Aphelios since he liked to occasionally pet them.
Aphelios saw no threat in Sett, at least not in the sense that he felt threatened by him. Occasionally he had to glare over his shoulders as the half Vastayan would throw a mild fit at inconveniences throughout their long passage. He once got mad at a lonely herd of deer out in the meadows as they walked past. A little one snatched a trinket out of his hand, given to him by Aphelios during one of the campfire talks. He rushed after it and yanked it back out of its mouth, defensive and worried about the damage its little teeth may have caused on the little memento. Aphelios hadn’t stopped walking at all and was slowly drifting farther and farther away, so when Sett returned to him, he merely gave him a cold stare and kept walking. He felt the frustrated aura of two individuals and knew he had made a mistake.
By the next resting spot, Aphelios looked around for something to eat. He didn’t need to eat, of course, but he liked the delicacy of being able to taste. So without him looking, Sett reached up to the tallest branch above him and made the tree bow before Aphelios, however he was gentle not to snap the branch in two. In front of Aphelios, as he stood there with wide eyes and lips parted with surprise, he was presented with a perfect arrangement of apples hanging from branches. They were rich with color and shined vividly under the speckles of sunlight filtering through the trees. He merely extended his hands out and plucked the one his eyes favored the most; a rattle from the leaves rang through his ears then came the small cracking of wood as Sett released his grip on the tree to return back to its stature.
“You forgive me?” He asked simply.
Aphelios tipped his head; his gaze was practically doe-eyed and adoring then he looked down at his apple and took a bite. It was ripe with the sweetest juice that delighted his taste buds, and the evidence of that was written in the happiness of his expression. He had forgiven him in full.
Their journey together was never lonesome, though whenever Alune appeared, he knew he’d have to wait a long time before he’d hear Aphelios’ voice again. Alune was a lovely girl, with gentle eyes like her brother’s but much more sad as if she carried his sorrows for him while he wielded his weapons. Sett wondered how much of his emotions she’d take from him, and did some of those emotions include love.
She normally came around for important news, especially during their nights by the campfire. This realm had a weird day and night system going for it. There were times where Sett and Aphelios would go from town to town to town and to another town, and it would still be daylight! The sun never says its farewells. Sett asked Aphelios one time, “Why does the sun take longer to go down here?”
Aphelios goes, “I suppose the people here never want to let it go, never want to see it leave.”
Somewhere along the way, they met up with two men, who looked weary with fatigue but content nevertheless. Two brothers. Aphelios recognizes them from a prior encounter and tells Sett to not be alarmed.
The eldest sat on a stone by the water, overlooking the pastures in the distance with the breeze filtering through his long hair. The way it moved reminded Sett of windchimes. The man seemed like the embodiment of how beautiful peace could look like, his face was gentle and beautiful. Above him, sitting on a tree branch and playing a shakuhachi, was the younger brother.
Aphelios greets the older brother warmly with a small bow. He returned that bow in kind before looking up to the tree branch and hollering, “Come down, Yasuo, we aren’t alone anymore.”
Sett felt his presence was too brazen when standing next to these two modest men up until the younger brother dropped down from the tree and swooped his hair back. “Well, would you look at that? You were right. There are people around here.”
The older brother, Yone, scoffed at him. “You insist on believing I’d lie to you.” Yasuo pulls up behind Yone and pulls him into a headlock against his chest. Yone grunts and struggles against him, looking at him with one eye closed. “Yeah, yeah! You always gotta say something like that, don’t you?”
Aphelios smiled, and Sett looked at him. Normally he enjoyed being in groups but for some reason, he didn’t really like to share Phel’s attention with anyone. Of course, there was Alune but she was different. It seemed rather possessive of him to think this, but he was allowed to be selfish in his thoughts. He was envious that other people would have the pleasure of hearing his voice as he spoke, “Yone. Yasuo.” Aphelios looked at each brother as he said their names, “Would you like to accompany us for a little while? We were heading north from here if that interests you.”
Yone, once he was able to free himself from his brother’s arm, straightened himself out and stood up. And Yasuo mockingly straightened up at the attentive next to him, which only made him sigh with exasperation. He mumbled something under his breath before regaining his composure. “If our presence does not burden you in any way, we wouldn’t mind the offer. We were just resting here for a while to focus on our meditation.”
“Ya wouldn’t be a bother to us at all,” Sett chirped up to put aside his initial feelings. The loudness of his voice startled Aphelios but he never faltered to smile. Sett had enough moping and being lost in negative emotions; he wasn’t going to let it get to him this time around. Besides, he might like these two around. They looked pretty strong. “If you’re ready, we can just go right now.”
Yasuo shrugged, put his instrument in the satchel wrapped around his shoulder, and placed his arms behind his head. He sized Sett up before giving him a slight smirk. “Sure thing.”
They walked together, the four of them, side by side. The breeze between them cooled them off from the gentle sun above them. Here the sun was merely a mirage of the mind; a reminder of their mortal bodies. It felt exactly the way they remembered how it felt, and each ray of sunshine bestowed a light, toasty feeling. Nothing haphazard or pain inducing to the skin.
“So where are you headed?” Yone asked after they walked far enough away from the tree.
“And who’s your friend?” Yasuo asked, leaning forward so the two men could see past his brother.
“We’re heading to find my friend’s father,” Aphelios replied.
“The name’s Sett,” he answered as if continuing Aphelios’ sentence. Then his little badgers appeared on his shoulders, growling and yapping for attention. “Oh, and uh, Truffle and Southpaw.”
“Ah, we got some furballs in the mix,” Yasuo said in a playful tone.
Truffle and Southpaw yapped more to this comment.
Yone let out a lighthearted laugh. “Ignore my brother, little ones.”
“Whaaat? I didn’t even say anything bad?”
“And you know where you’re going?” Yone asked Sett, already doing what he told them to do.
“Not a damn clue,” Sett admitted with a sound half between a scoff and a laugh. “But I’ve got a hunch, and with what little information I’ve been going on, I feel like I’m getting close.”
“I know a thing or two about going off nothing,” Yasuo commented and pulled out something from his satchel. Sett could hear the sound of sloshing and the occasional gulps.
“And what have you been doing, Aphelios? Are you looking for something as well?”
“No… Not really.” Aphelios says this and the brothers accept this answer as truthful, but Sett can hear it in his voice. The uncertainty of it. He figures this is not the time or place to ask what was on his mind.
“He’s been really great by my side,” Sett said before the silence settled in. “Smooth talker and can really handle his own when faced with a bunch of Akana.”
Aphelios’ eyes widened for a second before he blushed. “U-Uh? I don’t— A smooth…?”
Yone notices his reaction and smiles lightly at him. “Is that right?”
Sett was preoccupied by what he had done to Aphelios, looking down at him and smiling at his flustered expression.
Another sound of swishing. A smack follows. “Ow?! What the hell, Yone?”
Sett looked up towards the brothers. Yone’s head was facing towards him. He sees the sway of Yasuo’s hair.
“Do you have to drink so much?”
“Do you have to nag so much?”
Sett chimed in with a loud, “Y’know how it is, don’tcha? You can’t shake the people that love ya. I know Ma was always on my ass about every lil’ thing.” Sett left Phel’s side to walk over towards Yasuo, going behind the three of them. As Sett got behind Yasuo,Truffle hopped off his shoulder and snatched up the bottle from his grasp in between his teeth before floating into the air just out of reach from all the men. He shook it a bit before leaping through the air and landed back onto Sett’s shoulder, where he took it in his hand and examined the contents in the bottle. “Ya like the hard stuff or you soft?”
Yasuo scoffed at him, allowing him to take his drink just this once. “Try it yourself.”
“Oh, don’t egg him on, Sett. He’ll want a drinking contest if you do.”
Sett throws his head back, still walking, as he takes a big swig of the bottle before letting out an obnoxious sound of satisfaction. “Heavy duty there, friend.” He says this to Yasuo but catches Aphelios looking at him. When their eyes met, Aphelios immediately looked straight ahead. His blush was still there.
“Yeah? Most people turn me down the second that stuff touches their tongues. We could’ve made good drinking buddies back in the living realm then.”
“I’d sweep ya, no problem.”
Yasuo nudges him as if they were already good friends. Yone sighs at the fact that now he’s stuck with two idiots. But it was all the same for them— they were at peace here. With the Akana and Azakana away, all four of these men had a reason to smile about. And once more, Sett counted each reason when he caught sight of Aphelios. Every flicker of his attention that went by him, he quietly drank in the sight of him as a blessing. That blush on his face… he enjoyed knowing he did that. He wanted to do it more if he could.
Their banter went on for a while until they had to climb up a steep hill. “Feels like this road stretches on forever,” Yasuo comments when they get to the top and he uses his hand to shield off the sun. They all stood at the top, just enjoying the view. Past them were just woodland pines that stretched farther than the eyes could see. They could see the path they were following disappear into the forest. “That’s because it does. It stretches farther than time,” Aphelios said calmly to which Yone nodded at him.
“That’s poetic,” Yasuo grunted, almost sounding annoyed with that fact.
“Don’t do the ‘poetic stuff’?” Sett asked.
“You could say I had a change of heart.” Yasuo said, looking over at Yone. His brother’s expression shifted to worry as he realized what he was about to say. “Wasn't too into it until I read a poem recently.”
Yone cleared his throat. “You liked it. We’re moving on.” He walked forward, ready to continue down the path.
“It was sweet.” Yasuo followed after him, leaving the other two men as they stayed put.
“Yes, okay. On to the next point.”
“You love your little baby brother,” Yasuo said in a mushy, babyish manner to antagonize him.
“You are the worst thing to happen to me.”
“Yeah, probably. I killed you and all.”
“Yasuo! PLEASE!” Yone shoved him off only for Yasuo to laugh and slouch against him, all friendly and stupid. Yone rolled his eyes and couldn’t help but smile.
Sett laughed. “You two get along nicely, I see.”
Aphelios shook his head, walking over to them with Sett. “It’s good to see you’ve reconciled since I last saw you both.”
Yone’s expression softened. “Yes… it’s a good feeling.”
“So, what’s this about killing you? Sounds gruesome.” Sett asked, and all three of the men became instantly nervous.
“Ah! Uh…”
“It’s a long story,” Yasuo scratched behind his head.
Aphelios went over to him and linked around his arm. “We have a lot of time for stories. They’ll tell you another time, okay?” He looked at him patiently, and Sett could feel his head getting woozy.
Sett could only think about his heart racing in his chest. Truthfully, he didn’t care that strongly for what happened but figured it was probably a good story to indulge in. With a lot less action happening these ‘days,’ Sett was growing needy for anything violent. He could only handle the peace and quiet for so long before his urges kicked into overdrive. Well… with Aphelios, he guessed he could stave it off for a while.
“Yeah. Sure. ‘Course! Whatever you say, Phel.”
They dropped the conversation and continued walking.
Eventually it did get dark. After a couple of paces, they noticed that people must have inhabited here because of some abandoned cabins and wood craftwork scattered around. Many of them looked far beyond repair. The night creeped up on them, and they decided it was best to rest until the sun came back. Assuming it did at a convenient time. Aphelios and Yone, in particular, didn’t mind wandering around in the dark, but Yasuo had a nolition for wanting to wander around unable to see. Sett also didn’t want to go around in the dark. They compromised by only staying around for a little while and after a certain point, they’d have to keep going regardless.
“Didn’t know there could be abandoned places,” Sett commented when the four of them got a little fire going. His two badgers curled up on him as if getting ready to fall asleep themselves. The pairs of men sat on opposite ends of each other. “Guess it makes sense with the Akana roaming around. You think we’re safe here?” He turns his attention to Aphelios, who looks at the fire with dull eyes. “Phel?”
Aphelios flinched a little before looking over at Sett. “Hm?”
“I think we’ll be okay.” Yone chimed in, poking the fire with a stick. “We’re no ordinary spirits, and I don’t sense anything at this current moment.”
“‘Suppose that’s true. Shame, though. I’m down for a fight.” Sett cracks his knuckles.
He hears sloshing again, and immediately knows Yasuo is drinking. This time his drinking gets longer as more gulps could be heard. Sett hears the bottle getting empty. When Yasuo sighs heavily, he could hear the intensity of that burn in his body, how the liquor scorches his insides. It was written in the happiness of his breath.
“Did you drink yourself to death? Is that how you got here?” Yone asked.
Yasuo perches himself onto Yone’s shoulder and talks to him half-drunkenly. “Wouldn’t surprise me.”
Yone makes a sound of disgust. “That reeks!”
“No kidding, it’s alcohol.”
“Get away from me,” Yone tries to shove him off, and Yasuo slumps over him, almost desperate to bother him even more. There’s a crooked smile on his face before Yone physically puts his hand on his face to shove him.
“You’re trying so hard to get rid of me,” Yasuo mocked cried as he placed a hand over his heart to show his wounded feelings. Yone groaned and shook his head, before his whole upper body bounced with a laugh. He lays his head on the palm of his hand and looks over at his brother. “Never.” Yone grabbed Yasuo by the head this time, wrapping his arm around his neck into a lock and nuzzling his face into his hair. With a quick swipe of his nose, Yone sniffed the crown of Yasuo’s head which instantly embarrassed him. “Hey! Knock it off.” His brother laughed at him for this. “What?”
“Only mom kisses like that.”
Sett’s ears flickered at the sound of this. Seeing the two brothers interact in this way made him feel comforted. He didn’t know humans had their own version of sniff kisses too. Sett wanted to bring it up, to mention his own Ma that she used to do that, but he really only wanted to focus back on Aphelios. He watches them intently before noticing that Phel got up to leave. Sett didn’t follow him just yet, but rather he watched him push past some ferns to make his way over to a lake close to them. He looked over at the brothers, who seemed to be content with bantering amongst themselves. They were all fairly independent spirits, confident in their own selves to trust when things are awry between them, they’d inform the other. Sett left them without saying a word.
He whispered to his badgers, “Gonna need some alone time for a sec. Think you can find somethin’ else to do for a while?” Truffle and Southpaw growled before disappearing into the night.
Aphelios, who already has absent-mindedly preoccupied himself with something else, sat on a log. He was in a small clearing, in front of the lake. The moon shined down on him through the hanging moss above him. He was tying a little red string around his necklace. Seeing him there with the chimes ringing in the distance, he looked graceful under the moonlight. Sett went over and sat next to him, and he saw Phel’s eyes blink over to him then back to typing the knot. He kept messing up; his hands were shaky. “Is something on your mind?”
Phel shrugged, not at all startled. “Not particularly.”
“You’re shaking like a leaf.”
He laughed. “Ah… I guess I am.”
Sett felt awkward because it had been awhile since they last talked intimately. He wasn’t much of a talker like that, and didn't like to shed his emotions. He looked back over at the brothers, they were hardly visible from where he was sitting because the tall ferns were in the way. They had calmed down and were simply enjoying the silence, save for a couple of popping from the firewood. Yasuo had his back pressed against Yone’s arm while Yone had his eyes closed, breathing softly as his chest rose and fell with ease. After a while it was easy to forget they were there; he didn’t feel pressured into thinking other people were listening.
Sett carefully reached over to his hands, making sure Phel understood of his intent, before enveloping around them and helping him tie the knot. He could practically hear his own heartbeat hammering from inside. “What is this for?”
Aphelios didn’t answer, and he kept his eyes glued on Sett’s hands. He was still shaky but not quite so much as before. “It’s… It’s a… a uh…” Aphelios looked away to cough and clear his throat before looking over at Sett and going, “It’s a protective… thing. For where we’re going. I recognize some of the symbols written within the totems we’ve been passing, and we’ll need to be careful.”
“A little red piece of fabric is gonna do that?”
“It’s the color. It’s…” Aphelios sighed. He mumbled under his breath, “What is going on with me?” Then he said, “It’s hard to explain. I plan to get you and them one too. Just to make sure you’ll be ready for whatever we’ll face. I figure it’d be better to mention it in the morning, and—” Aphelios abruptly stops as Sett leans in close. He hasn’t looked away for a second. It’s not a dreamy look per say, and he hesitates to come closer. “What? What’s wrong?”
Sett decides to not think about it anymore and playfully, but still affectionately, Sett leans in and sniffs Aphelios on his temple, much quicker and not as strongly as Yone did to Yasuo. Aphelios froze. He didn’t even blink. In fact, he looked stunned.
“I uh…” Sett immediately felt embarrassed after he did that. He thought to himself, it can’t be that weird, right? I just saw humans do it. Regular humans. Not half Vastayan humans. Is it too weird for him? Gods, I hope he doesn’t think I’m a creep—
“Did you just… kiss me?”
“In a way! Uh… I guess I did. I did. I kissed you. I’m sorry.”
“You kissed me.”
“Y-Yeah, Phel. I kissed you.”
Aphelios finally blinked. “I…”
“I totally get if you’re mad. Like it came out of nowhere, and I just went with it and y’know that’s cool if you want to hit me or something or I don’t know maybe you want to not talk to me. Give me the cold shoulder like you usually do. I don’t know. You—”
Then Aphelios placed his hands on Sett’s knees and gently kissed his cheek. When his lips left his skin, Sett’s entire being yearned to pull him back in. Their eyes locked on each other instead, letting the quiet solidify this moment.
“I liked it,” Aphelios spoke softly, almost a whisper, as he grabbed Sett’s hands and looked at them. He confessed, “Though I hope this is not an insinuation that you’ve...” Aphelios blinked with hesitation and rolled his eyes as if looking for the word elsewhere. “Friend-zoned me?”
Sett’s ears perked up in surprise. “W-What?! No! It’s not— Okay, listen, I get that it’s more of a family thing? Like Ma does it to me, and I saw them do it,” Sett juts his thumb over at the brothers. “So, I thought, ‘Well! Maybe Aphelios will know what it is and—!” Aphelios leaned back against Sett, pressing his forehead to his and became dangerously close for another kiss. “You’re awfully cute when you’re all riled up, has anyone told you?” Aphelios smiled in those words as Sett scoffed with a timid expression. “It only sounds good when you say it, if it matters to ya.”
Aphelios went serious for a moment; his eyes looked down, exploring the ground for more words that would never physically appear for him. “If you humor me… just this once… to recall when I told you, I was willing to become more than strangers…” Their eyes lingered over their faces as if both were watching for the other’s reaction. For their rejection. For their consent.
Sett gulped as Aphelios continued with, “Perhaps… we can be more than friends?”
Aphelios let out a gentle sigh as if he were holding that question in his lungs. It was spoken into existence, and Sett returned this confession with a gentle sweep of his fingers through Phel’s hair. He admired his face once more before taking his chin between his fingers and kissed him. All the little noises around them could never be as sweet as the light sound of their lips parting. Aphelios’ lips delicately touched Sett’s as if hesitant to ask for more. Sett granted him this permission again… and again… and again until their hearts were filled to the brim with the most sincerest of love.
“It’s gonna be so cruel…” Sett whispered. Aphelios was already trying to lean back in for more kisses but his mind had to register that Sett was speaking. He lets out a light gasp to question him, unable to form words. He suddenly forgot how to speak.
“When I leave you,” Sett choked up on a laugh. “When I go back… I’ll be leaving you alone.”
Aphelios looked as if ready to interject, so Sett quickly grabbed both of his hands and enveloped them with his as he continued, “I know you have Alune. And I know you talk so eloquently, and everyone that meets you adores— should adore you! You’re never truly alone, but… I wish…” Sett can’t help but feel like a fool. It was really no use trying to speak words. Neither of them understood their native tongue anymore. “You are literally…” He gets lost in his eyes, and the reflection of the water from the light of the moon casts such opal shine on them. No painter that has ever lived and died in these eternal plains could ever capture the depth of them. “My little moon prince,” Sett whispered with a lovesick sigh. Sett could see that this nickname resonated with Aphelios by the way he somewhat straightened up. And there— outlining his cheeks was that blush again.
“My moon prince,” Sett murmured once more.
Aphelios went and kissed him. A bit more passionately than the last before biting his lower lip and groaning, “Then don’t leave. Don’t go.”
“I can’t stay here. I got unfinished business back home too.”
Aphelios chuckled at this. “Busy man.”
“You know it.”
“If you really have to go once all this is over, I hope I see you again.”
“Awh, now, don’t get all gloomy on me. I’m in no rush right now. Besides, we can take our time. You’re stuck with me for a while before that time comes.”
“I know. I know.”
Sett tips Aphelios’ head up, rubbing his thumb over his lips. “If I can meet you in a thousand different ways just to fall in love with you, it’ll be worth it.”
Phel shook his head but couldn’t stop smiling. “You are a fool.”
“Yeah. Yeah. I know.” Sett mumbled before kissing Aphelios again. It suddenly felt like second nature as if they’d always been kissing like this. Aphelios’ kisses were infinitely better than what Sett had imagined. They don’t even come close. But eventually they stopped, and eventually they sat there just enjoying each other’s company. Aphelios pulled out a red thread and began tying it around his necklace but before he could even pull it off, Sett stopped him. “Can it be anywhere I want?”
Aphelios arched an eyebrow. “It can go anywhere, yes.”
Sett presents his hand like a paw. “Can you tie it around my finger?”
Aphelios suddenly became shaky again. “Y-Yeah, sure.”
Specifically, Aphelios tied the red string around Sett’s ring finger neatly. “Is that what you wanted?”
Sett grinned confidently. “Exactly that.”
The two of them felt warm inside at the significance of this thread. What it could mean for them moving forward. And admittedly, Sett was already getting flustered at the idea of the two wind brothers taking notice of the red threads. They’ll know about it soon enough. Sett grunts as he gets up from the log and extends a hand out for his new lover to grab. “C’mon, mooncake, let’s go.”
Aphelios suppressed a laugh. “Mooncake?”
“Yeah, kinda cute, right?”
“Am I to expect all sorts of moon-related nicknames?”
“If you’ll let me.”
Aphelios grabbed Sett’s hand and wrapped his arm around his. He pressed his head against his arm, already comfortable in finding a place like this by his side. “For as long as you'll have me, Settrigh."