Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Truthfully, Falst didn't know why he was watching this stranger.

He stayed hidden, of course, like he did when anyone entered the castle. Still, he should have left for the darkest, most secluded corner of the building the second he saw them. Every instinct in his body screamed to run and hide, that this person was dangerous. They had several weapons on them, held a spear in their hands, and looked confident to use it if prompted. They probably wouldn't think twice before trying to kill Falst the minute they laid eyes on him.

Yet, something about them seemed… different. Against his better judgment, Falst found himself stalking the stranger, trying to figure out what their deal was, and why they were in this castle.

Dainix was starting to think he'd never find what he was looking for. In a building so large, it would be a miracle if he didn't get so lost that he’d have to climb out a window to escape.

Making things even more difficult, was trying to navigate and stay on the lookout for a monster he knew nothing about.

The accounts from the villagers had been… varied, to say the least. At least half of them were stories in the vein of “my cousin's friend once said they caught a glimpse of it”, and he had a hard time telling what was and wasn't exaggerated. Most of them said it was some kind of chimera, though that wasn't exactly specific.

Dainix clutched his spear tight. He had handled monsters before, many times, but not on so little information, and almost never alone.

This place… it was so big and empty. The dark stone, echoey halls, and extinguished braziers extenuated the vastness, and the air around him was eerily quiet aside from his own footsteps. He pressed forward anyway. He was holding on to such an unlikely hope of a chance he could find something helpful… because it was all he had.

On top of that, for the last half an hour, it felt like he was being watched.

Clang!

Dainix whirled around, spear at the ready.

Falst silently cursed when he knocked over the old, rusted brazier, scolding himself for getting distracted.

The stranger had immediately reacted to the noise, pointing their spear to the fallen object.

They scanned the area, and made eye contact with Falst.

Fuck! Falst tensed, ready to run.

To his surprise, the stranger lowered their spear. “Sorry, I didn't know anyone else was here.”

Falst froze. “What?”

“I was told this place was abandoned.”

Falst narrowed his eyes, analyzing the stranger. They didn’t seem like they were going to attack, at least not right now. “It is abandoned.” He said, in a tone that hopefully conveyed that he wasn’t interested in elaborating.

“Well, I was told there was a monster in-”

“Ha!”

“How is that funny?”

“It's not.” Falst scowled. They sent a monster hunter after me?! “There’s no monster here.” He started to walk away.

“Wait,” the stranger called from behind, “have you been here before?”

Falst wasn’t expecting that particular question. “Maybe. Why?”

“It's just that, I'm looking for something.”

“I already told you, there's no monster here.”

“That's not it. I- I came here because, I was told there was a library?”

Falst gave him a confused look.

“I was wondering if you would happen to know where I could find it-”

“West wing.” Falst dashed away before the stranger could ask any more questions.

“Wait,” they called to him as he left, “Thank you!”

Falst didn’t respond this time, just fled.

In the Rauan Desert, home to people who wielded fire magic, paper and wood weren’t exactly common materials. Anything written down was often melted onto glass, but most of their knowledge and stories were preserved orally. They built with glass and metal.

Because of this, Dainix had never seen this much paper in his life, much less all in one place. The ceiling reached several meters above Dainix’s head, rows of wooden shelves stretching floor-to-ceiling in neat, yet dusty, ordered rows. Similarly wooden ladders were connected to the top of each shelf, some of them so worn by time and neglect they looked like they would break from much less weight than they were meant to hold. It was probably a dream come true for anyone whose knowledge came from written works.

It made Dainix uncomfortable. If he had any better option, he especially wouldn’t be in here.

He exited that large room as quickly as he’d entered, closing both doors behind him and taking a moment away to collect himself. He could do this… he could hold himself together long enough to find what he was looking for.

He had to.

The scholar he’d met during his travels spoke highly of the library in the abandoned castle. Apparently, rumor had it one of the last residents was fascinated with “highly unusual” forms of magic, and owned a vast collection of information on elemental magic-like abilities that were, nonetheless, not elemental magic, which were supposedly stored somewhere in there.

It’s wasn’t much to go off of, but still more than he expected to find at all. No matter how vague, a lead was a lead, and this was all he had.

Dainix inhaled deeply, and exhaled. He had years of experience learning how to manage his emotions. This wasn’t much different, just with a different context and higher stakes. So long as he didn’t lose control, there was no reason to think he would accidentally set the entire library on fire and subsequently destroy this clearly important trove of knowledge.

Inhale, exhale. He could handle this.

Dainix turned around, and opened the doors again. He might as well get started now, he had a lot of searching to do.

Chapter Text

Before anything else, Dainix learned three things from the library:

One: it was even more weathered by time than it initially appeared. Only about half of the shelf labels were legible, and several of the ladders were indeed not suited for use. One of the seemingly-sturdy ones had broken under his feet, from which he barely managed to land without injuring himself on the severed wooden bits that littered the floor afterward. They were all connected to the top of their respective shelve, connected with small wheels that allowed for easier access to different areas when already climbing. Dainix’s couldn’t exactly move a functioning ladder away from its connected shelf, so he would have to improvise reaching some of the harder spots. Worse, some of the books were in bad shape as well, a few feeling like they might turn to dust under his fingers.

Two: that he didn’t have to worry about the reading itself being difficult. He wasn’t so much worried about doing so in his second language- he’d grown up fluent in his native Rauan language as well as understanding the more common one spoken across the nearby continents- as he was about linguistic drift over time. Some of these volumes looked older than the castle itself, and he was concerned that it would cause them to be written in a way that ran the risk of misinterpreting something important. From what he found on the first day, that didn’t seem to be too much of a problem, thank gods.

Three: he learned what splinters felt like. Also that they could be difficult to pull out if small enough. That was one thing he would have been fine without knowing.

Dainix looked out the window, where the sun was almost done setting, painting the sky in swathes of orange and pink. He wasn’t able to get as much done yet as he’d hoped, the new setting and the fading materials making it difficult to start out. Still, he didn’t know where any candles might be if he intended to continue searching. He decided to give it a rest for the night, and continue his search the next day.

He rose from the chair in front of the study desk he was borrowing. He gave one last look at the small pile of books he’d placed on top, the beginnings of his best hope of returning home.

As uncomfortable as this place made him, he could definitely see why it could be so loved. It wasn’t hard to imagine the library when it was still in use by its residents, dedicated bookworms in the exact same chair. Maybe if it weren’t for his fire-based worries, and him only being used to verbal storytelling and teaching, he would like this place a lot.

It was surprisingly easy to find somewhere to rest for the night. He’d considered finding somewhere in the nearby village to stay, but it would be more practical if he could temporarily live here, since it was so much closer to the library. He doubted anyone else was using the castle like this anyway.

The sitting room with sofas and a fireplace, not too far from the library, would do just fine.

Dainix took off the cushions of the sofa nearest to the fireplace, so he could start cleaning it enough for him to sleep on. He wished he could disinfect and remove the dust by heat like he would most things back home, but he was pretty sure that trying would burn the entire thing to ashes. Even if wyrmsilk were common outside of the Rauan desert, he doubted that even rich people who owned castles would have all of their furniture made with it. It took a while, but Dainix managed to get it clean enough that he didn’t think he’d get sick sleeping on it.

Luckily for him, there was a pile of chopped wood beside the fireplace, meaning he could use it for cooking.

Dainix wasn’t sure if there was a correct way to arrange firewood before lighting it, but he tried his best to do so in a way that would give the fire room to burn. Like many things during his exile, he’d figure it out as he went.

“Could someone light this for-”

Oh, right.

Dainix was alone.

Dainix had never needed to start a fire on his own. He grew up surrounded by fire mages, meaning there was always someone around that was willing to summon it instead. There had never been a need for him to have his own way to do so, except now.

Dainix sighed. Note to self: obtain firestrikers. He could probably stop by the village sometime and see if he could buy some there, if there weren’t any already here. A cursory search didn’t reveal anything.

He took out a knife from his belt, and picked up a smaller piece of wood with his other hand-

“Ow! Dammit…” Dainix removed another splinter from his finger. He needed to get into the habit of avoiding those. Should’ve brought fingered gloves.

It took him a couple tries, but scraping the blade against the stone wall did create enough spark to light the wood. After placing it in the fireplace, the flame spread well enough to create a steady fire.

“Yes!” Dainix smiled brightly. Even with his recent experiences, the lively flames did bring him some comfort. It didn’t hurt that the feeling of creating a successful flame was fairly new to him, and he was proud of himself for doing it. He didn’t mind relying on others for it anymore, and had long been okay without his own Fire magic, but he had to admit that it did feel good to know he could do it himself if needed. Fire was always going to be an important part of who he was, and so far from home, he hadn’t been able to feel that connection in a while.

At least it’s contained, and there’s no one else around, and this castle is made of stone ...

Dainix shook that train of thought from his head. There wasn’t anything around that might trigger a transformation, it was fine.

He took out his pack of trail food he’d brought with him. They were small pieces of packed nutrition, made to be easy to carry on long expeditions, but they could easily altered to make something that tasted good. Dainix had also been given a small pouch of spices for his journey. Apparently, the spices and his wyrmsilk were even more valuable outside of the Rauan Desert than Dainix had thought, as he’d had a couple run-ins with bandits because of it. Chances were, what he carried with him was all he would ever have of it before he return home, if he ever could.

Ideally, he wouldn’t be eating this as his only dinner, but he hadn’t realized just how long he would have to spend in the library. He hadn’t thought to get real food before he came here, a little preoccupied with his search. He could go back into the village tomorrow, and see what he could get there.

Aside from practicality, cooking was something he enjoyed doing. He’d been taught how as a child, and he was really good at it. Gods knew that would be good for him, without much else to bring him comfort.

But whatever food he got during his exile, it… It wouldn’t taste like home.

Dainix worked some seasoning into the bar of trail food, then held it over the fire to heat it up. It was edible without the heat, but tasted best when cooked. After a few minutes, he held a well-toasted piece in his hands, that smelled delicious, and tasted even better.

It was something he’d taken for granted back home. Now, it was one of the few familiar things in such an unfamiliar world.

He wished he was with his friends, the trail food something to eat in the middle of a patrol. The last time they did that, was just after taking down a pack of chimera. Later that day, Dainix had arrived home, then made dinner with his dad. It was done not long after his mom got home. Right now, he would give anything to have dinner with his family again.

Dainix wiped a tear away from his face. He was tired.

He set his gear on the low-rise table in the center of the room, making sure his bags were tightly closed, not wanting to risk any pests that may have taken residence here in absence of any people to devour his food supply.

The couch wasn’t too bad to sleep on, though he’d slept on worse surfaces since leaving the desert, so he was a little biased toward anything soft. The crackling of the fading fire comforted him as his drifted off…

Dainix was awoken by a rustling noise coming from where he’d put his gear down. He bolted upright just in time to catch glimpse of someone retreating into the shadows, the only thing he could identify being the flick of a tail before they disappeared.

Dainix hurriedly rushed to check the open bag on the table. He thought there was no one else here, but was someone trying to rob him again?

To his surprise, none of his gear was taken, not even the weapons or wyrmsilk bags. The only thing that was opened was the pouch of trail food. Not even his seasonings had been touched.

Whoever stole from him wasn’t after anything expensive to sell, they were just hungry.

Dainix looked around the room, and didn’t see anyone. Though, he could swear he caught movement near the door.

“If you need food,” Dainix called out to seemingly nothing, “you can just ask.”

He didn’t expect a response, and didn’t get any.

He shrugged and closed the bag again. “It tastes better cooked.”

Had it been the person he’d met earlier in the castle? It probably was, unless there were any other ferin of the same size and with the same ginger tail here. Guess I’m not alone here after all. But it didn’t seem like they meant any harm. Even if they did, Dainix was a light sleeper, and trusted his own reflexes. Plus, he needed to stay well-rested if he was going to get any work done the next day.

He went back to sleep.

Okay, this stranger was officially weird .

Falst bit into one of the filched bars of food. It didn’t taste bad, though a bit bland. Still, food was food, and Falst wouldn’t dream of passing it up when it was available.

Which was one of the strange things about this newcomer: they apparently didn’t mind sharing. Sure, they could probably get more somewhere else fairly easily, so it wasn’t too odd. But in Falst’s experience, most people were really stingy about it. Specifically when it came to him just trying to get something to eat.

Then there was the fire. Falst had originally identified them as an Ignan, and that was pretty well confirmed after they casually held their hand over the fire for several minutes while their food cooked. Only Ignans had that kind of heat resistance. But Falst had heard that all Ignans were fire mages? This one clearly wasn’t, apparently unable to summon fire like a mage would. They even started asking for someone else to light it, seemingly reflexively.

That could also be shrugged off. Maybe he was wrong and not all Ignans were fire mages. Or this one was, but just couldn’t do it for some other reason.

The biggest question was, why were they staying here? Falst had kept watch in the vicinity of the library, waiting and wishing that this stranger would leave soon so Falst wouldn’t have to hide. He hoped they would find what they were looking for, and leave.

Then, they apparently spent the entire rest of the day there. And when finally getting out, they were just going to stay overnight?

Just leave soon. Falst wished. These questions wouldn’t need to be answered when they were gone.

They wouldn’t stay that long, right?

Chapter Text

The stranger did leave the next day.

Then they came back .

Falst was once again watching carefully from the shadows, as the stranger began what appeared to be the same routine as the night before.

Why are you still here?! Falst nearly growled in frustration.

On the bright side, maybe he could snag some more food tonight. His attempts at grabbing something earlier today hadn’t been successful, and this was a pretty easy target. He was also pretty sure what he took yesterday was meant to be travel-friendly, so if he could get some more this time to save for later, that might hold him over for a little while.

‘If you need food, you can just ask.’ It was possible they wouldn’t mind Falst nabbing some more, maybe he wouldn’t even have to sneak around to get at it.

He shook his head. Too risky.

Deciding it was best to avoid trying the same thing as had nearly gotten him caught before, Falst snuck close behind the stranger while they were seemingly distracted holding a piece over the fire. He reached for the bag-

The stranger turned around.

Falst froze, ready to flee.

Then, they placed something in Falst’s still-outstretched hand. It was two pieces of food that looked sort of like small, closed-edge sandwiches.

“I don’t know what you like, but I made a couple extras. I’m not very familiar with the ingredients, so I’m not sure how good it’ll taste, but I added some seasoning from home.”

Okay, that was something Falst never would have expected.

“Sorry for coming unannounced, I didn’t realize you live here. I hope you don’t mind me staying for a bit.”

It took a moment for Falst to say anything in return. “Not my place, don’t care.”

Without further response, Falst took the offering and ran away.

He waited until he was sure that he was safely alone, then sniffed the food thoroughly. He didn’t smell any poison. He took a tentative bite.

It actually was pretty good. The flavor wasn’t bad, albeit spicier than he would’ve preferred, and surprisingly filling for its size.

Why? Falst risked a glance back into the sitting room, this time taking extra caution to make sure he made absolutely no sound, since this person was clearly more perceptive than most. They were eating their own food, as weirdly un-suspicious looking as before. Why give it to me?

Falst ate the rest of his gift, then wandered away.

Were they trying to gain his trust, only to kick him while down? No, they were well-armed, and could’ve tried to get rid of him much more efficiently. Plus, they genuinely seemed well-intentioned, not that Falst was really any good at reading people.

‘I hope you don’t mind me staying for a bit.’

Falst groaned. So they weren’t leaving anytime soon.

Great. Just great .

This castle had been a good hiding spot for Falst longer than any others, despite the people living nearby. It was decent shelter from dangerous wildlife, and big enough for him to hide whenever someone came near. Until now, he’d never really been caught.

But… he’d never been able to stay anywhere for long. Maybe his time here needed to end.

Fine, then. The second this stranger gave the slightest hint of posing a danger, Falst was out of there.

Dainix felt a little bad, giving away his first attempt at something new without knowing if it was any good. He was relieved when he ate his own, and found out it tasted okay.

He wasn’t familiar with almost any of the ingredients he’d gotten, although he’d been lucky enough to find a couple things that he’d tried before when traders had brought it through his village, so at least there was that.

Several of the villagers were surprised that he was alive. Apparently rumors had spread after he never came out of the castle; and even after he did his best to explain what actually happened, almost no one believed that there wasn’t actually a monster in there.

He didn’t tell anyone about the person living in the castle- they didn’t really seem like they wanted to be known, or would be appreciative of Dainix telling anyone about it.

He’d heard a few stories about most people’s views toward ferin. He’d never met any himself- the guy in the castle was the first- and had no way of really knowing what it was really like. Still, what he did know was enough to identify the stranger as a ferin, and enough to raise suspicion.

The villagers acted like there wasn’t anyone living there except the monster. He couldn’t dismiss the possibility that they somehow thought the ferin was the monster, but that brought up even more questions. If he- someone living as isolated from the rest of the world as his village was- knew about their existence, surely it couldn’t be uncommon knowledge, right? Dainix had quickly identified the stranger in the castle as not a threat, but he also probably had a lot more experience dealing with actual monsters than anyone here.

Was this a horrible misunderstanding? Or was the stranger somehow more dangerous than Dainix thought? Thinking back to what he’d seen of them… he didn’t think it was the latter, and he was fairly good at reading people.

Dainix resolved to continue paying closer attention to the situation, so he could try and understand it better. Maybe he could help, somehow.

Chapter Text

The next night, Dainix returned to the fireplace. As soon as he sat down to light the fire, he heard a skittering on the floor beside him. He looked down to see something new: a small piece of flint alongside a smaller piece of steel.

“For the food.”

Dainix turned back to find no one else visible, but he recognized the voice.

“Thanks.” Dainix turned back to the fireplace, starting the fire much easier this time.

Falst let his presence be known again a few minutes later. It was risky, but he decided it was worth it to try and find out more about the unexpected visitor.

They seemed to know he was there immediately.

“Here’s these back.” The stranger placed the firestrikers on the ground in front of Falst. Then they held out another piece of food, something different than the night before, but it smelled just as good.

Falst took it gingerly. “Why?”

The stranger frowned. “I’m sorry, do you not like it?”

“No!” Falst reflexively held the food close, though the stranger didn’t make any appearance of trying to take it from him. “That’s not- I mean, why are you giving me this at all?”

The stranger didn’t respond at first, kind of looking like they were choosing their words carefully. “You didn’t try to take anything else from me, just the food. And I have enough to share.”

“...Thanks.”

Food in one hand, Falst grabbed the firestrikers- which he hadn’t expected to be returned- with the other, then began to run off again.

“I'm Dainix, by the way.”

Falst stops in his tracks. “What?”

“My name, Dainix.” The stranger- Dainix- responded. “What's yours?”

For a while, he contemplated not answering. Then, deciding there probably wasn't any harm in it…

“Falst.”

They repeated this little routine every following morning and night. Falst offered firestrikers, and Dainix would prepare food for two. Falst would accept one, then disappear.

Falst had stopped keeping as close of an eye on Dainix as he used to, doubting he'd find anything new at this point. He even ventured into the library while Dainix was still in there, though he didn't exactly announce that. It became clear to him that Dainix was looking for something in particular, though Falst didn't know what.

It wasn’t any of his business, but… well he supposed he could only live in proximity to someone for so long before getting curious. After all, Dainix wasn’t the only one here who spent a lot of time in the library.

One day, Falst noticed Dainix’s frustration at apparently trying to figure out the library’s organizational system. Falst had figured it out a while ago, though not by any intentional search, he'd just put it together over time.

This gave him an idea. One that might make Dainix's search a bit easier, and therefore get him out of the castle sooner.

Dainix entered the library again in the morning, not looking forward to another day of the same so far-fruitless attempts. He didn’t expect his search to be easy, but that didn’t mean he didn’t wish he could find something soon!

He didn't notice anything different at first. It wasn’t until he almost reached the study desk with a couple books still open, that something caught his eye.

On the side of a bookshelf, under an illegible label, were runes scratched into the wood.

Emissary magic: A-D

He checked the shelf in the next column over. Sure enough, it had a similar addition.

Theoretical: A-F

A cursory search revealed that the scratched-in runes marked all of the shelves now, including the ones that Dainix had figured out on his own already. Even the few with labels that were technically still legible but difficult to make out, had their contents translated onto the wood.

That night, Dainix asked an admittedly expected question, and Falst’s hopes of his attempt at helping going unspoken were dashed.

“I noticed the labels scratched on the shelves. Was that you?”

“Yeah. So?”

“Thank you.”

Falst shrugged.

“You've been to the library a lot?”

Yes. Falst tried not to get too attached to anywhere he stayed, since it was inevitably temporary. But, if he were to have a favorite place in the castle, it would probably be that.

He gave another shrug. “I've been here for a while now.”

Clearly smart enough to not push the subject, Dainix wordlessly held out the firestrikers for Falst to take.

Falst hesitated, then shook his head. “Keep it. I can get more.” He knew where to find some leftover supplies in what was probably the castle staffrooms.

“Oh, thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” This time, Falst didn’t bother to run away as fast as he usually did.

Chapter Text

Dainix noticed his leg was bouncing when it bumped against the desk, startling him out of his reading stupor.

How long had he been doing that?

He tried not to worry about it too much, and went back to scanning the open book in front of him for anything useful.

Except… once interrupted, it became surprisingly difficult to go back to focusing on his task.

His mind kept wandering, and he found himself fidgeting with anything he could get his hands on.

Dainix sighed and leaned back in the chair.

He was bored out of his mind, subconsciously looking for anything else to do other than sit there and read for hours on end. Doing nothing but his exhausting search for-

Wait a second.

Just how long had he been at this? How long was it since he last got some exercise, how long since he’d been outside?!

He’d arrived at the castle only a few days ago, almost a sef at this point. The second day he’d gone to buy food, but other than that… he’d been in the same two rooms, repeating the same routine. Wake up, eat, research, eat, sleep, repeat. For five days .

Gods, no wonder he was so restless! He hadn’t stretched his muscles or even seen the sun in almost a sef!

Dainix stood up the second that realization set in, almost knocking over the chair in the process. He was out of that library that exact moment.

It was past time to get some fresh air.

The sun on his skin felt good . It wasn’t nearly as bright or hot as it was back home, the light broken up by the occasional cloud or leafy tree. Still, Dainix practically basked in the sunlight like a lizard. He breathed deeply, letting the fresh outside air into his lungs to replace the dusty, stagnant air of the castle.

It was probably the first time he found the world outside the desert not as cold and unfamiliar, but instead as a warm, welcome relief from the monotony he’d found himself in.

Dainix took his time familiarizing himself with his surroundings. The castle grounds had long since been neglected, the original gardens reclaimed by nature, trees and vines covering every stone arch and pillar. The amount of vibrant green still made him a bit uncomfortable, but not nearly as much as when he’d ventured into a forest for the first time. It was actually beautiful, in an overgrown, ancient way. The plant life here was so vastly different than anything he’d seen growing naturally in the desert, even in the underground oases.

He considered preserving something to take with him to show his family back home, settling on some brightly-colored flowers that looked like the wild descendants of what once grew in the flowerbeds. He’d seen something similar every once in a while, sometimes worn by traders and travelers passing through his village, and its likeness replicated during the Feast of Serenis. He hadn’t known roses came in colors other than red and pink, though. This one had petals that were white, its neighbors various shades of orange, yellow, red, pink, and white.

Careful of the thorns but knowing the wyrmsilk would block the sharp points, Dainix tucked the flower into his belt. He was aware that even dried out, it might not last for as long as it might take for him to return home if ever , but he tried to ignore that thought. It didn’t hurt to have a little token of hope.

Dainix started looking around for somewhere with enough space for him to get some exercise. He wanted to go over some of his forms and such, at least enough to keep his skills honed even if he wasn’t actively having to use them. He was still Ravvan, no matter where he was, and he wanted to hold onto that.

He thought he found a suitable place to practice, but stopped himself from entering all the way he noticed something off to the side, and realized this area was in use.

East of his position, back turned to Dainix, was Falst. He was sitting on the ground, a stick in one hand, and drawing something in the dirt in front of him. It was a little too far away for Dainix to see what it was, though what he could see were multiple pictures drawn in the ground around him. Falst was clearly absorbed in his work, detailing the lines in the ground with great care.

Dainix left try somewhere else, leaving Falst to draw in peace.

Falst’s ears picked up rustling and footsteps. Immersed in his drawing, he initially dismissed it as probably just an animal.

Sure enough, it stopped soon after. Then it came again, and Falst realized it didn’t actually sound like some random animal.

He whirled around, and saw the stranger- Danix- as he turned away and left the clearing.

Falst scowled. Someone so heavily armed had seen him with his guard down like that, and he hadn’t even noticed! He hadn’t seen Dainix outside the castle before, but context clues told him that of course he wouldn’t be the kind of person to willingly stay inside for too long. Falst was getting sloppy with keeping his guard up.

In frustration, he threw away the stick he’d been using, and raked his claws through the drawing in the dirt in front of him. It was a hobby he’d picked up in his time here, something he’d never had time for in the past. It gave him some comfort, at first just reminding him of the drawings gifted from a caring mother long ago, eventually becoming something he did fairly often.

Falst walked away from the small collage, leaving his newest drawing unfinished. Through the scattered dirt could be seen a rough sketch of tight, circular petals wrapped around each other above a thorny stem.

Chapter Text

The sun was setting by the time Dainix went back inside.

He collapsed onto the sitting room sofa he’d been using as a bed, the biggest smile on his face. He was appropriately tired, and knew he was going to wake up as sore as he was used to with regular training. His heartbeat had slowed down and his adrenaline wearing off, and he was more than ready to make something to satisfy the appetite he’d built up, and pass out for the night.

For a few minutes he sat there, letting himself relax for the first time in too long.

“Feeling better?”

Mildly surprised not by the presence, but by the apparent attempt at conversation, Dainix smiled at the appearance of a now-familiar orange-haired ferin.

“Much better. I spent too much time inside.” Dainix took out his bag of food and started making his way to the fireplace.

“Yeah, you didn’t seem like the type to sit at a desk all day.” Falst said in a snarky tone.

Dainix started lighting the firewood, left over from that morning. “I saw you outside today.”

“I noticed.”

“You like drawing?”

“Eh, it’s just something to do.”

Dainix thought back to the collage in the dirt surrounding Falst. He had the strong feeling it was more than just something he did to pass the time. Then again, Falst was more walled-off emotionally than anyone Dainix had met before. Perhaps he didn’t want Dainix to know what he held close to his heart, like with the library.

“I didn’t see any of it up close, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Whatever.”

Neither or them said anything for a while after that, sitting in an awkward silence while Dainix put together something from the ingredients he had, before he asked the question that he’d been considering over the past few days.

“I noticed you never asked about the fire thing.”

“Huh?”

“I mean,” Dainix paused in his food prep, “You almost certainly know I’m an Ignan, but you never asked why I can’t just light the fire myself. I just expected you to question it.”

“Not my business, so I don’t care.”

“Gotcha.”

“That a problem?”

“No, I don’t mind either way, just curious.”

“Ashamed of it or something?”

“Not for a long time.”

“That’s good.”

A short pause. Dainix himself really didn’t mind one way or another, but worried he had poked at Falst’s curiosity when he hadn’t wanted Dainix to.

“I get the feeling you like your privacy.” Dainix handed him half of the finished meal. “Don’t worry, I won’t pry.”

“You expect me to thank you for that?”

“No, just letting you know.”

“Hm.” Falst took the food and began to leave again. Dainix sat back down with his own.

“Actually,” Falst spoke up, taking Dainix by surprise. “Can I ask something else?”

“Go ahead.”

Falst turned back to look at Dainix. “What’re you looking for?”

“Oh.” Dainix probably should’ve expected that one.

“In the library, I mean. It’s clearly important, but basically no one comes here. So, why did you?”

Dainix sighed. “I’m… I’m hunting something. Sort of.”

“Sort of? And what does it have to do with this place?”

“I hunt monsters. In order to do that, you have to understand them first. And there’s very little known about this one. Usually we keep track of every monsters’ resistances, weaknesses, where they frequent, and most importantly,” Dainix looked down at his hands. Solid, physical , human hands, “how to keep people safe from them.

“The one I’m hunting, it’s called a demon. It’s something my people only have legends about. Those legends became real for my settlement when we… encountered, one. It… it destroyed a lot.” He tried not to look at the fireplace to his left. “We’re lucky to have survived. We know so little, we had no way to stop it.

“But somewhere there has to be some information on it. That’s what I looking for. This place is my best lead right now.”

“Huh,” Falst commented, “I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that.”

Dainix laughed a little. “None of us were.”

“What is a demon? Or at least what you do know.”

Dainix paused again. Lately, he’d have every reason to turn everything he’d heard about Demons over and over in his head. Hyperanalysing every detail in every story- which wasn’t much to go off of in the first place. It was a bit different to say it out loud now.

“We know they have physical forms. It contains the Demon for a time, but not forever. They’re made of an intense inner fire that, if it becomes too strong, burns away at the body and leaves a mindless being of pure instinct and emotion. You know how the part of souls made of Fire soul energy have to do with emotion? It’s like that, but it leaves room for nothing else. Once it becomes too strong for their physical form to contain, it becomes uncontrollable and volatile.”

Dainix decided to leave out the part where some stories described a Demon’s physical form being that of an Ignan. Or the more heroic parts that describe abilities that, if harnessed, could take out entire nests of monsters on their own. One legend described a demon saving their people by single-handedly fighting off not one, but three invading armies in her lifetime. Historical context meant that one might not even be exaggerated.

It wasn't really a monster, but maybe he had to prove that part to himself. Until he gained control of it, it was more dangerous than anything else he'd fought. Plus, as a Ravvan, it was the most plausible explanation if he was going to tell someone what he was looking for, without giving some of his more… personal reasons.

“I… can’t say I’ve heard of anything like that.”

“I’d be surprised if you had.”

“Well, it’s a big library. Good luck.” Then, Falst was gone again.

Leaving Dainix alone with his thoughts, and the lit fireplace.

He put it out early this time, long before the wood had burned away.

Chapter Text

Dainix's plans to go outside first thing the next day were thwarted the second he opened the door to the balcony.

The idea of water falling from the sky was a bit of a novelty to those living in the Rauan Desert. Of course he'd seen rain before, but it was very rare, and any that did come was what travelers insisted was a “drizzle”, or at best a “light shower”. He’d tried to prepare himself for dealing with rain once outside, along with many other things he’d never experienced before. But… well, it was different seeing it for himself.

This was the third time Dainix had experienced rain during his exile. The first time was, admittedly, not a great first impression. It had started suddenly, catching him off guard, away from any viable shelter. It was far heavier than he thought it would be, and the sudden, unexpected water surrounding him so thoroughly triggered an… unpleasant memory, to say the least. When Dainix was finally able to find somewhere to sleep that night, he was entirely soaked through and miserable. This taking place during the first few days of his exile, he had found himself almost wishing that the rain would put out the damned fire within him, ending his misery for good.

The second time wasn't nearly as bad as the first. He was passing by a small town when light droplets began to fall in warning, and he was able to get shelter well before it started raining in earnest. While he was inside, dry and warm, he could see the downpour for the first time as anything other than a something to dread. At least the sound was somewhat pleasant.

If the first rain Dainix experienced outside the desert was heavy, this must've been a full-on rainstorm. Standing in the doorway to a balcony (the nearest outdoor entry he found when he realized the noise was coming from outside), he had been immediately buffeted by the strong winds, causing the already drafty castle to become so windy there might as well not be any walls to block the storm.

Fast, fat drops pounded on the stone of the castle, a torrent that could rival a sandstorm just before the windy season. The occasional deep rumble that had put him on edge was louder now that it wasn't muffled by the stone walls. Probably several miles away, he caught sight of a bolt of lightning arc from sky to ground, lighting up the air around it in a golden glow before disappearing as quickly as it came.

Hesitantly, Dainix reached out a hand, until he found where the shelter of the stone awning stopped, and the curtain of water began. The instant he reached it, droplets immediately bombarded his figertips. He reached a little farther, and the hems where the wyrmsilk gloves began started clinging to his skin as the rain soaked through the fabric.

It was still new and uncomfortable, but that wasn’t an uncommon occurrence anymore. It was nice when, every once in a while, Dainix could really appreciate the new experiences of his surroundings. It was so far from what was his home, and he still would rather be under the bright sun in a cloudless sky over anything else. It would just feel different when he got home, after experiencing firsthand what the world outside the desert was like.

If he ever got home.

Dainix shook that thought out of his head. Dwelling on pessimistic what-ifs wouldn't do him any good.

He closed the door, blocking the additional wind and moisture that came from outside the parts of the walls that were still intact, allowing the place to return to its usual drafty state.

His muscles still yearning to get some activity in before going back to his studies, Dainix opted to use this time to get a better understanding of the castle interior. It was clear from the outside that the structure was very old, but that there were parts of it that were far newer than the original. It was even clearer from within, like the old and the truly ancient were two different styles of fabric stitched together, but the thread was fraying.

Being somewhere that obviously hadn't been maintained in ages, and while not seriously falling apart, there were many areas that made him uncomfortable just from the look of it. Dainix fell into the familiar habit of checking for gaps in structural integrity, and inspecting anywhere that might pose a problem. It was a routine part of patrols into abandoned structures, and something Dainix had picked up in earnest after nearly getting crushed inside a crumbling Ancient ruin, and his insistence on doing so had saved his and his teammates’ lives on more than one occasion.

The familiar routine was comforting, but also reminded him of just how alone he was. He kept noting his findings aloud, only to realize he was talking to an empty space. Lainn wasn’t there to comment on the parts of the old architecture they found interesting. The absence of Rase’s snarky banter was a weight on Dainix’s chest. He could almost hear Drann reciting the bad luck warding mantra he always did. Drann hadn't been particularly superstitious, but he said it was a habit he'd never had any reason to get rid of. No one minded, and if it did help them avoid bad luck, it didn't hurt. Not that it did much good in the end. Gods, he missed them so much.

One benefit of sharing the space and his food with Falst, was that Dainix had the chance to cook for someone else again. Falst didn't give much in the way of feedback, but it still felt good to make two servings instead of one. Dainix had missed that, as one of the many things he was used to doing with a group.

When he reached the level where the rooms were partially underground, the rain had evidently leaked into the walls enough to make the entire floor submerged in a couple inches of water.

Dainix gripped the hem of his cloak. Underground, with that much water; he… he didn’t like that. To say it made him uncomfortable was an understatement.

Which was exactly why he continued further into his exploration. Experience told him that it would be best to just get this part done with as soon as possible. Even when each small splash his boots made caused him to flinch.

The underground rooms were thankfully few in number, and largely seemed structurally sound, relatively speaking. Though, there was one particular area that concerned him, near to an old storage cellar in the last room. There was a gap in the roof corner, where the ceiling met two of the walls near the door. There wasn’t a safe way to climb up and check the area up close, unless Dainix wanted to try climbing the stone walls themselves, which he decided was more risk than it was worth. It didn’t seem like it would cause any further damage unless disturbed, but he decided to keep a close watch on it just in case. Something about it put him on edge, though maybe that was just because he was already feeling uneasy from the water.

The last room was thankfully a quick search. Though he made a mental list of what he saw in there that might not be too damaged from time, there wasn’t much that was of particular interest to him at the moment. He finally turned to leave the area.

CRACK!

In hindsight, paying such close attention to that particular hole turned out to be the right choice. Otherwise, he might not have noticed the collapse in time.

Chapter Text

It happened almost too fast for Dainix to notice it in time.

 It probably had something to do with the force of the storm outside. A lightning strike that came too close, maybe? That was the most likely answer Dainix could think of, though he didn't have any way of knowing from his vantage.

The important thing he did notice, was the part of the wall that began to collapse. He could get himself out of the way in time to avoid getting hit by falling stone.

That didn’t mean he had the time to figure out what exactly was happening before the light went out.

Before the walls closed in around him.

Before he was trapped.

When the noise of the collapse had faded away, and he was done coughing the dust from his throat, the first thing Dainix did was make sure he was still conscious. Once he was sure the darkness wasn’t because he’d been knocked out, he carefully rose from the wet floor, his clothes sticking to him from the water that’d splashed him as he fell. The darkness was pitch black, so solid it weighed on him as much as the rubble might’ve.

He slowly and carefully reached his hands out to get an idea of his surroundings. He felt stone uncomfortably close on all sides, at least half of it was uneven and slanted from the fall, but with still enough space for him to move around a little bit. He’d made it to the area of the small room where the ceiling hadn’t collapsed too far, though it was now closer down than it was before, maybe only a few inches above his head standing up. Those factors, combined with the former shape of the room, allowed Dainix to deduce what kind of collapse it had been.

Most importantly (aside from him not being crushed to death) was the noise from outside. While he didn’t have any teammates out there to call out to, he could still hear the storm, though it was muffled by stone. That, and the lack of any light, meant there was no accessible ways out. He was thoroughly trapped.

Dainix gritted his teeth. This was alright. He’d gotten out of worse situations than this. Not alone, but he still knew how to manage it. He just had to focus on finding a way out without creating any further collapse. He continued to feel out his surroundings, searching for-

Was the water higher than it was before?!

No, that wasn’t necessarily the case. The rapid shrink in room size might’ve just affected the water level. It was still more than low enough to not be a concern.

Unless… unless it was still leaking in from outside.

Hands shaking, Dainix breathed slowly and placed a hand on the floor, palm down. Paying close attention through his now-soaked glove, he found the water reached to just above his wrist.

A few anxious moments passed.

{Dainix was with fellow Ravvan trainees, on a task alongside seasoned Ravvan scouts and researchers who’d predicted an undiscovered oasis in the area. They’d been warned to watch their step, as there wasn’t any way to tell how stable the ground near the oasis would be.}

The water level was rising.

No. No, no, no! This could not be happening. He couldn’t be trapped down here, underground, where it was flooding. That couldn’t be happening to him!

{Dainix saw the sand shifting under the feet of his fellow trainee. He warned them away, but it was too late.

Dainix pushed them out of the harm’s way, but the action put himself in the area where they previously stood.

He fell.}

Dainix’s breaths were now coming in rushed, heavy gasps. Each inhale was met with a humidity that made his skin crawl.

{He hit the water. Before he could even take a breath, he was surrounded. The liquid pressed in on all sides.}

The water continued to creep upwards. Pushing out any already-limited breathing space he had. Not fast, but not getting any slower. Dainix estimated he had an hour, maybe even less, before the entire space he occupied was submerged.

He couldn’t die like this!

{He didn’t know how long he was in the water. His lungs yearned for oxygen as he desperately tried to swim out, but he didn’t know what direction was up, nor had he ever technically swam before. The water around him heated up, though he barely noticed over his panic.}

No, he wouldn’t die like this!

Gritting his teeth, Dainix felt around the collapsed walls. Surely the water was coming from somewhere , and maybe that somewhere was exploitable for his escape.

{The water around him began to boil.}

Would he have transformed all that time ago, if it weren’t for what happened next? Or was the fire not strong enough yet?

The scar where his right eye use to be started to hurt. And not like the usual flare-up that came as a result of the now-closed wound. It was more like… like it was…

Desperate, he began to pray to every deity he could think of that could help him. Lyssandra, Caliban, Deunn, Siodha, even Zefris. Dainix wasn’t the type to turn to divine aid, but he was low on options and would take any help he could get. He even found himself reciting Drann’s anti-bad luck sentiments, before realizing he should try and save his breath.

{Reflex taking over, Dainix unwillingly gasped for air. There was none for him, and instead, heavy water filled his lungs.

The pain of the weight in his chest became too much. He felt himself sink as he lost consciousness.

Drowning.}

Dainix tried not to panic, he really did. He knew he could use his fear, channel it into his search. He’d done it plenty of times before.

But the flashbacks were overwhelming. He tried so hard to avert his panic but…

{Drowning}

The force that had failed to claim him years ago was back. Ready to consume him, to drag him down into its depths where he would choke on his watery demise until he couldn’t even try to fight back anymore.

Drowning

The oppressive darkness was pierced by a faint orange glow. For the first time since Drunn Ainox, Dainix felt that same heat radiate beneath his skin. He looked down, now able to see his hand, shaking as lava-like veins poked out from the edges of his gloves.

If he failed to hold back the transformation, would the water extinguish him? Would it even leave any proof he was here at all?

Drowning

Dainix gave a wordless yell, splashing his fist at the surface of the flood, which was already above his waist.

He! Could! Not! Die! Here!

{A rhythmic, pressing pain on his chest. An acidic feeling rising in his throat. Rudely yanked back to conciousness, Dainix coughed, violently expunging the liquid from his lungs. He turned to the side, desperately forcing the water out of himself. It took several agonizing moments before he could finally breathe a loud gasp that, this time, let in a merciful lungful of air.}

He didn’t die back then. He wouldn’t die now.

But he’d had help back then. Now…

“Is someone in there?” A voice, muffled but loud enough to be heard over the storm, called from outside.

Falst?!

Chapter Text

Falst?! What was he- no time to think about that!

“Yes! Yes, I’m here! I’m stuck!” Dainix called out.

“Dainix?”

“Yes!”

“How are you not crushed?”

“Tell you later! Can you help? I can’t find an opening and it’s flooding !”

Several tense minutes passed. The noise of movement through rubble now came from both inside and outside of the collapse.

“Found it! Where the water’s getting in!”

“Where?! Does it look like I can use it to get out?”

“I think so, but we’d have to make it bigger.”

Rahkn. “Fine. Where is it?”

Falst described the area, and Dainix followed his words and the direction of his voice. Falst described the gap as at the bottom, where the floor had met a wall corner.

The water was now up to Dainix’s chest, and it soon became clear that he wouldn’t be able to find what he was looking for in the position he was in.

Dainix needed to bend down further. But if he did, his head would be underwater.

The faint orange glow became brighter.

Dainix gritted his teeth. He was stronger than his panic. And if he didn’t do it now, he wouldn’t have the choice later. He couldn’t afford to delay.

“Water’s too high! If you don’t hear from me in a minute, just start digging!” Dainix called out to Falst.

The second he heard Falst’s confirmation, Dainix inhaled as deeply he could. He could do this. He held his breath, and submerged himself.

He almost rose back up immediately, but this time his training kicked in, and he used that fear to make himself search faster. The sooner he found a way out, the sooner he could escape this nightmare. He just had to find…

There! There was the gap Falst had told him about! No wonder he hadn’t found it before, it was angled to be larger from the outside than within his flooding prison. Dainix quickly searched the surrounding stone as well as he could despite only being able to rely on tactile examination. He almost sighed in relief when he realized it just might work.

Dainix stood back up, gasping for air the second his head was above the surface. The absence of water pressing on his head was a relief, albeit a small one in the situation. The flooding was almost up to his shoulders now.

“I found it!” Dainix called back out to Falst. “Feels sturdy enough, and it’s the best option.” It was his only option.

“I’ll start digging!”

Dainix gritted his teeth, and took another deep breath before bringing himself to submerge again. It didn’t feel any better than the previous time.

He began trying to remove the stone above the gap. Every movement made his heart race, the mental image of getting crushed by further collapse driving him to caution with every stone he removed.

Every few moments, he brushed against another hand. Falst, clearly stronger than he looked, helping him from the outside. He didn’t know how he would describe just how grateful he was. He’d have to figure that out if he got out alive.

The next time he came up for air, only the top of his shoulders stood above the water. By now the faint, orange glow was enough for him to see bubbles rising to the surface. This much heat in such a small space was likely why the air was accompanied by such heavy humidity, it made each breath feel more like a punishment than a mercy.

He made himself go back under the water after only a few moments. The gap was larger now, but he didn’t feel any change in the water movement around him, meaning that either the water level still wasn’t going down, or that the heat was interfering with his ability to feel any change.

The work of making the hole bigger wasn’t making any appreciable difference fast enough.

Dainix came back up for air again. He almost inhaled too soon. He had to raise his chin to keep his mouth and nose above the surface. 

Wet hair clung to his face. He had to reach above the water to move it away.

A deep, humid breath, and he was underwater again.

He kept digging through the stone. He and Falst kept making progress. But still not fast enough!

Dainix stood up again and-

Nothing. Just more water.

He reached his hand over his head. It met stone without rising above the surface.

Rahkn!

The faint sound of sizzling surrounded him as he knelt back to the bottom-

Not again! Not again, not again, not again not again not again NOT AGAIN NOT AGAIN!!!

-and just dug with all his strength.

His lungs screamed. The cracks that marred his skin only grew bigger.

The gap also grew. But not in the way he’d hoped.

The change was as quick as the original collapse. Lightheadedness getting in the way of his perception, Dainix was hit in the side with a falling rock, the force of which caused him to inadvertently release any remaining oxygen in his lungs. Desperation clawing at his mind, he tried to stand up-

And broke the surface tension of the water. Met with fresh air, the clear sound of the rainstorm, and light.

The hole at the bottom was gone. But a new, much larger one, stood above him.

“Yes!” Dainix immediately scrambled towards the new gap, freedom finally in his reach!

Falst had climbed up to meet him on the other side, and reached a hand out to the interior. “Come on-”

“ Don’t !” Dainix warned, holding himself back from taking Falst’s outstretched hand.

It was then that Falst seemed to notice the cracks in his skin. He backed off but stayed in reach while Dainix climbed out of his impromptu prison, into the rest of the basement ruins that gave way to the elements.

He was out. He was OUT! He’d never been so relieved to be outside in a storm before, the rushing wind a welcome change from the diminishing air of his confinement.

But raindrops sizzled when they fell on his skin.

And Falst was standing right there.

“You…” Dainix managed between deep breaths, “you should probably get out of here.”

Falst furrowed his brow, gave Dainix an analyzing look, then turned his gaze toward their surroundings. “Yeah, I wouldn’t trust this place right now, either.” He gestured for Dainix to follow him. “Come on, I know a safer way back.”

“But-”

Ignoring what Dainix was about to say next, Falst began making his way out of the ruins. Notably, this time he kept himself in Dainix’s line of sight.

Dainix pursed his lips. Somehow he got the feeling Falst hadn’t missed what he meant by that request, but was just ignoring it.

And Falst was right, he really didn’t want to stay here.

Against his better judgement, Dainix followed him.

Falst didn’t give much thought to where he led Dainix, just that it was somewhere safer than before. Still, stopping in a place that was sheltered from the rain but not fully indoors had probably been a good idea.

He turned around to see Dainix rest his back against the wall, and slump to the floor in exhaustion. The strange orange veins that were scattered across the visible areas of his skin were noticeably less prominent; and the glow from the fire-like patterns, and that shone around his eyepatch, had diminished.

Falst leaned up against the opposite wall. It was strangely peaceful, where the stone awning above them prevented the rain from soaking them through, and the wind was blowing in a direction where the center wall blocked the onslaught.

“So,” Falst asked when it looked like Dainix had caught his breath, “that demon you’re looking for?”

Dainix grimaced. “Yeah.”

“You’re hunting… yourself?”

“Well, I mean… yeah. Like I said, we don’t know basically anything about demons. And if I can’t learn to control it…” He didn’t finish the sentence, still breathing heavily.

“Hm.”

They stayed there in awkward silence for a long, still moment; juxtaposed by the still-roaring elements around them.

“I’m sorry,” Dainix finally broke their silence, “but you should probably keep your distance from me.” Dainix said. “At least until this,” he gestured to himself, “is gone. I don’t want to hurt you by accident.”

Falst told himself he didn’t care. And he was used to people pushing him away, at least Dainix wasn’t being malicious about it.

I don’t want to hurt you.

“For the record,” Falst said as he turned away, “at least you’re not trying to kill me. I’ve had much worse.”

When he reached the easternmost corner of the library. Falst removed a small panel from the floor, revealing a hidden compartment about the size of his head. Whatever it had been placed there for originally was long gone, and now Falst had his own use for it.

He removed the pile of books that he’d filched from the library shelves, accumulated over his time living here. These were the ones that he particularly found interesting, and would sometimes revisit. The secret stash was basically a way for him to store his favorites.

He was pretty sure he remembered at least one of them recounting legends about beings of fire.

Chapter Text

At midday, Dainix took maybe a full minute just staring at the large, wooden doors of the library that he’d spent so much time in for the past sef. The room full of wood and paper and information, and it was only the day after his near encounter with his demon form.

Paper can also be damaged by water. Did that make him feel better or worse?

Worse. It only emphasized how delicate it all was.

Gods, he didn’t want to go in there. He’d held it off for this long, but it was over a day and a half since he’d done any of his research. And if there was any chance he’d find something, he had to try.

The door felt heavier to open than it had before. The old shelves loomed around him, their fragility distressingly obvious.

And…

And Falst was sitting at the desk Dainix usually used.

Approaching closer, when Falst didn’t react to his presence, it was clear he was actually sleeping, his head laying on top of a still-open book on the desk.

To his left was a small pile of more books; on his right two more that looked like they were sorted into categories. Most of them lay in front of a small “X” scratched into the wood, a couple more in front of a similarly scratched question mark.

Dainix couldn’t help but smile. He had known Falst liked the library, but this was his first time seeing him there.

Dainix pulled up another chair and grabbed the cushion from its seat. Then, gently so as not to wake the sleeping ferin, he slid the book from beneath Falst’s head, replacing it with the cushion. Falst murmured softly, but didn’t wake up.

It was kind of adorable, actually. He seemed like the kind of person who slept lightly, though for different reasons than Dainix did. So he looked surprisingly peaceful, resting deeply like that.

Strangely comforted by the presence- he spent too long alone nowadays- Dainix picked up the book he’d left off on a day and a half ago, and sat down next to the chair he’d brought over, and began to read.

It was the first time in a while that Falst slept without any nightmares, or at least none that he remembered.

Instead he dreamed about a pillow, which was weird, even by dream standards, since he hadn’t slept with a pillow beneath his head in years. It sort of just appeared out thin air beneath him, the absolute softest thing he’d felt under his head, and it made him very happy to sleep with.

He enjoyed a peaceful rest-

…Wait…

Falst bolted upright. He was sitting in a chair, in front of a wooden desk with… a cushion?

He hadn’t done that.

His books were on the desk, where he’d put them last night. But he didn’t remember stopping… had he fallen asleep while reading? But then why was there-

“Did you sleep well?”

…Oh. Damn it.

Falst’s face flushed with heat as he turned his head to face Dainix, who sat maybe a few feet away.

He’d seen Falst asleep.

First of all, it was dangerous to sleep anywhere that was open and visible. Even if he woke up easily- except this time apparently - he was most vulnerable when unconscious. It was dangerous if anyone found him asleep, especially that deeply.

But Dainix had.

And where most people would take the opportunity to try and get rid of Falst, instead he’d put that cushion under his head.

He’d… gone out of his way to make Falst comfortable. Why?

Even now, Dainix looked at him with more warmth and care than Falst knew how to react to.

“You okay?” Dainix asked when Falst had taken far too long to respond.

“Oh! Y-yeah.” Falst turned away to try and hide his definitely red face. “Thanks. For the cushion, I mean.”

“It’s the least I could do.”

What was that supposed to mean?

“I don’t think I ever thanked you.” Dainix said.

Falst startled. “What?”

“For last night,” Dainix put his book down, “You saved my life. I don’t know if I could’ve gotten out of there without your help.”

“Oh.” Right, I suppose I did do that. “Don’t worry about it, it was nothing.”

“No, really.” Dainix leaned forward, placing a hand on the Falst’s own hand, the one that was resting on the wooden desk. With the lack of the lava-like veins, came an equal lack of hesitation. “Thank you.”

If Falst thought the glow from the fire beneath his skin looked warm, he was proven wrong the second he saw the warmth in Dainix’s eye. The way he looked at Falst… his words could be nothing but genuine.

“You’re welcome.”

Falst didn’t know how long they sat there in silence. It could’ve been moments, it could’ve been days. His gaze was warmer than the coziest campfire, and Falst wanted to never look away. Freeze this moment in time and relax in Dainix's presence…

Falst cleared his throat, but didn’t remove his hand from beneath Dainix’s. “How are you feeling? After all that?”

“Oh. Um, not great, but… better than yesterday. I mean, I’ve been in plenty of life-threatening situations before.”

“Monster hunter does sound like a pretty adventurous career choice.”

Dainix laughed. “Yeah, it is. But I was never on my own. I’ve always had teammates, and we got really good at working together at that kind of thing. I don’t think I could’ve gotten out of there on my own, and I thought I was done for. Plus, the whole drowning thing was especially hard for me. Which I think is why I… you know.”

“Was a little bit on fire?”

“Yeah, that.”

“Never had risk of drowning in the desert, huh?”

“I mean… not usually, no. But most Ignan settlements, we get our water from underground oases. Little pockets of water gathering together over time, inside an environment where it’s otherwise so rare. They’re usually hidden from sight, it can take a while to find exactly where they are, much less a way in. And we always have to be really careful because… the ground above it isn’t always stable.” His hand held onto Falst’s a little tighter now.

“You fell in.”

Dainix nodded. “Right over the water. And I know how to swim in theory, but I’ve never actually done it before.” He paused, breathing deeply, like he was trying not to relive the moment. “I was fortunate. The others were able to get me out of there, and my dad was able to get me breathing again with… um, I don’t know what you’d call it in this language. The chest pushing-thing you do if someone isn’t breathing or their heart’s stopped.”

Falst’s confused expression was probably a bit comical. “What are you talking about?”

“You know? Like this?” Dainix removed the hand that was on top of Falst’s- which was fine, Falst wasn’t disappointed- and put it on top of his own, intertwining the fingers, and pantomimed pressing down rhythmically on thin air. Falst couldn’t help but smirk.

“Are you messing with me?”

“No! Did no one ever teach you that?”

“No, obviously. But keep trying.”

Seemingly to realize how ridiculous he looked, Dainix laughed and leaned back to his former position. “I can try and teach you sometime. The point is that I’ve got issues with water and fire now. Just four more elements to go, I guess.”

Falst didn’t miss the way Dainix smiled when Falst laughed at his joke. Not that it meant anything, and Falst certainly wasn’t going to overthink it.

“Anyway, what about you? How’d you even find me there?”

“Oh. I heard the collapse.” Falst replied. “First time something like that happened while I’ve been here. Went to check it out when I heard someone yell, and got worried. By the way,” Falst took the two books he’d gone over that were in front of the question mark he’d scratched onto the desk, and handed them to Dainix. “Not sure if either of these’ll be helpful, but you can check.”

“What?” Dainix accepted the books with a confused expression.

“These are some of the ones I’ve read before. Neither of them write about demons specifically, but there are a couple stories that seem similar.”

Dainix gave him a surprised look for long enough that Falst started to worry he’d done something wrong. Maybe he hadn’t wanted-

The next thing he knew, Dainix had wrapped his arms around Falst in what was the first hug Falst had gotten in years .

“Thank you.”

It… really wasn’t that big of a deal. He just… it was only fair. Dainix had been sharing his food with Falst. He was helping Dainix get out of the castle sooner.

Even if Falst really didn’t mind his presence. Even if was so much less lonely now that he had company. Even if it Dainix was actually kind of pleasant to be around.

It was probably the warmth of Dainix’s embrace that made Falst’s cheeks flush. “Don’t mention it.”

Chapter Text

Falst placed another book in the “X” pile, having finished skimming through it. He picked up the next one, and only took a glance at the cover before immediately placing it on top of the previous one.

“That was quick.” Dainix joked amicably, one of Falst’s books open in front of him.

“I’m a fast reader.” Falst quipped back, a smile on his face. “That one’s a Life spellcarving textbook, it doesn’t have anything fire-related unless you count burn treatment.”

Dainix glanced at the other books on the desk. “You’re really into spellcarving, aren’t you?”

“Eh, not that much,” Falst looked away, the smile falling. “I just… had reason to learn some, that’s all.”

Seeming to take the hint,  Dainix turned back back to his own reading.

Falst picked up the last book in the pile and started skimming through it.

It wasn’t until several minutes later, that the awkward silence was broken.

Falst looked over in confusion, and maybe a bit of concern. “You good?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Dainix responded, collecting himself. “Just a… mistranslation, I think. Ainoru did not get nasty with the Jandarra the Clever. He killed them.”

“ Oh! Oh, that makes so much more sense.”

“Right?! Jandarra’s other stories make it clear they weren't interested in that kind of thing. I don’t think there’s anywhere in the Rauan Desert where they tell this version.” He gestured to the book in his hands.

“How did that even happen?”

“I have no idea, but I get the feeling this isn’t written directly from the source.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

“Yeah.” Dainix sighed, and shook his head. “I kind of expected something like this, but still.”

“You expected to read that a legendary hero fucked an assassin?”

That got a chuckle out of Dainix. “Not specifically. I just meant that I didn’t expect much of  whatever I find that I know about to be… well, we’re a bit more isolated from everywhere else than we are with each other, mostly thanks to environmental differences. I’m not surprised that what this place does have isn’t that accurate.”

“But, you’re still searching.”

“It’s the only thing I can do, unless I give up. And, I like to think there’s at least a chance of me figuring out, of returning home someday.”

Was he saying that part to Falst, or to himself?

Falst picked up the books from his secret spot to go put them back, mildly disappointed that none of them had given Dainix anything to work with. But he supposed that was the risk of looking so far abroad for something so obscure.

Falst picked up another book on his way back to the desk, but when he came back Dainix wasn’t there, presumably off looking for something else that might tell him something useful.

Falst plopped himself down on the chair he’d claimed, but didn’t open his own book just quite yet. His pensive gaze landed on the candle he’d been using last night. The wick was black and curled, the flame long extinguished. A few drops of wax had cooled down before reaching the bottom, frozen in time halfway down. It had no reason to still be there, but it was, because it just hadn’t been removed.

“Don’t look at me like that. I don’t know why I’m here, either.”

“Are you talking to the candle?”

Falst grimaced. How much of that had Dainix heard?

“Of course not.” Falst responded with faux nonchalance. “Candles burn down. I was talking to the metal thingy that’s holding it.”

“Ah, my mistake.” Dainix’s smile had no business being warmer than any flame that candle could’ve made. “Is it a good conversationalist?”

Falst laughed. “Totally. Just make sure the clock over there doesn’t think you’re talking to it. It’s very self-absorbed.”

Falst’s heard gave an unexpected flutter when he made Dainix laugh again.

This was probably the first time Falst didn’t bother to hide while waiting for Dainix to prepare the meal. There was just no reason for it at this point.

Before trying Dainix’s food, Falst would definitely have been suspicious of the idea of spicy stuff with fruit of all things. He still wasn’t quite sure how Dainix made it work without diminishing the sweetness, but he sure wasn’t going to complain. For being unfamiliar with most of the ingredients, Dainix was very adept at creating something incredible from his supply, and Falst had to wonder what he was capable of in an actual kitchen. It was mesmerizing, how he kept his gaze so steadily on the food he was working with, keeping his hands busy; but his shoulders looked so relaxed, and there wasn’t a moment where his expression wasn’t graced with a gentle smile.

Falst was so lost in watching Dainix’s cooking, that he almost didn’t notice him putting more of the fruit in half of the food- the doclionana he’d called it- than in the other. He didn’t miss that when Dainix handed half of the dinner to Falst, it was the ones with more fruit.

“Here you go. Careful, it’s still hot.”

Falst almost laughed at the warning, coming from someone who was just holding the food he was cooking directly over the fire with his bare hands.

The doclionana was delicious, and once again Dainix had managed to make it so that it was simultaneously spicy and sweet in a way that didn’t cancel each other out or clash. How much different was it from what Dainix made for himself?

Was it possible for Dainix to have noticed Falst’s preference for sweetness?

He couldn’t have. There was no way he was paying that much attention to him. For as much as Falst paid attention to Dainix, he thought there was no reason for it to go the other way around.

Chapter Text

Dainix had spent so much time learning to channel his anger into something better than lashing out at the people around him, and he wasn’t going to throw it away at this one asshole.

It was really, really tempting, though.

The brash human who’d shown up almost immediately once Dainix came into the village was really getting on his nerves. First he came up to Dainix and tried to greet him like an old friend or comrade, wrapping one arm around him in a condescending gesture, before letting go and giving a faux-friendly punch on the arm that was definitely harder than it was supposed to be. He claimed not to be offended by the presence of an actual monster-hunter, but everything he did and said made the lie obvious.

“I told you,” Dainix insisted for the zillionth time, “there’s no monster in there!”

“Oh, you really don’t have to be so secretive about it. C’mon, I know you’ve claimed your prey, but how about we help each other! One hunter to another, we could take down this beast faster than you can say ‘tally-ho’! We’d make for a fine team.”

Dainix glared at him, not that it made any more difference than it had in the past hour. “My team is probably off fighting actual monsters, not stroking their egos with imaginary ones.”

Okay, that was a bit mean. It was true, but harsher than necessary.

And it was apparently the wrong thing to say, as the brash human got even worse.

After that, the guy started bragging non-stop about his exploits, that Dainix wasn’t going to say were underwhelming, at least out loud. It was obvious this guy thought more highly of himself than his supposed accomplishments gave him credit for.

Shut up right now or so help me Jiya I am going to lose my temper. Maybe if Dainix just ignored him, refuse to acknowledge anything this he was saying, he’d get bored and leave him alone.

“How many eggs do you eat in a day?”

Dainix was traveling, and he had common sense. He didn’t need that one-ingredient recipe for disaster.

“Ah, don’t want to give away your secrets, huh? Well don’t worry, I know very well how important eggs are to-”

He. Just. Kept. Going.

Dainix tried his best to ignore him, and he just kept going with no sign of backing down. It didn’t help that no one else seemed to acknowledge it, and Dainix could swear he saw someone give him an excited thumbs up after seeing this guy behind him.

Dainix tried not to let his relief be too obvious when he finally finished with his errands. “I’m leaving now.”

“Ah! Back to the hunt! Let me come with you-”

“No.”

“Ah, come on, that creature’s terrorizing of this town will be gone in seconds when we-”

Of course he didn’t take ‘no’ well. Which was especially a problem right now because if he didn’t leave Dainix alone, he might well follow him all the way back to the castle.

And to Falst.

Meaning Dainix had to figure out how he was going to lose him before he got there.

Okay, first he would try and dissuade him from following in the first place. If that didn’t work, he’d try loosing him on the way. Dainix hadn’t been here for that long, and he wasn’t very familiar with the terrain, but he knew the area well enough that some of his environmental evasion skills might be sufficient.

“-will finally be rid of that ferin once-”

“Wait,” Dainix attention snapped back to whatever the guy was saying when he caught that part, “what did you just say?”

“About the ferin, the one I’ve been talking about? Claws and tail and hungry eyes, you know the one.”

“You’ve seen him? And you know he’s a ferin?”

“Well of course, I’ve come closer than anyone else here to getting rid of him than anyone else here! No-” he said a word that Dainix knew as a slur- “will endanger our lovely town while I am-”

Dainix’s hands curled into fists beside him.

Dainix had fought monsters many times before. He knew exactly what entailed a dangerous creature. Claws and fangs and the like were all ancillary, and appearance wasn’t what made a monster. Monsters were beings that posed a danger to people. Many didn’t even have a good reason for bloodlust, instinctively resorting to violence at the first sight of anything it saw. Most of them didn’t hide, or if they did it was often used to ambush. Even the automata just had the response to attack someone they saw as ‘cavefolk’ on sight, and most of them were more than well-armed enough to kill anything its programming directed it to.

Falst was none of those things. He never went out of his way to hurt. He hid to protect himself. He could’ve made a move against Dainix at any point during the sefs they spent together in that castle, but he hadn’t! And he’d saved Dainix’s life, that was something a monster never would’ve even considered! He didn’t pose a danger to anyone, he was just trying to survive!

How could anyone see Falst as anything like-

“I tell you, he’s not the first one of his kind I’ve driven from here, but for sure the most elusive. That’s why when he’s dead, I’ll- OOF ”

He was interrupted by the surprise before he could finish whatever was at the end of his horrible rant, as Dainix grabbed him by the collar and pulled him to meet face-to face. Dainix wasn’t that much taller, but in that moment he appeared to tower over him.

“Listen.”

For once, the brash human was speechless. His reaction to Dainix’s outburst made it look like he’d never been on this end of one.

Dainix didn’t care.

“If you think I’m just going to stand by while you threaten his life and safety, then you’re completely wrong! I don’t care how much of a hunter you consider yourself to be. If you don’t back off and see that what you’re doing is wrong, then you are not a protector. You’re someone who people need to be protected from .”

“B-but- that beast-”

“ That ferin is minding his own business, and has posed no danger to anyone here. He’s just trying to live! And if you dare to come anywhere near him,” Dainix’s voice became low and threatening, the sound of raging wildfire that would destroy any who provoked its wrath, “you’ll have to deal with me. ”

Finally, Dainix let go. Then, he stormed off.

This time, the arrogant man didn’t follow him.

In their shared time in the castle, Falst had never seen Dainix slam a door. Especially not one so large as one of the massive double doors at the main entrance. It was pretty impressive, actually. That was a heavy door.

When the loud SLAM died down, Dainix spent a couple moments staring at it, while breathing deeply enough for the sound to echo in the large hall.

“Falst?” Dainix called out, “you near? I got you something.”

Normally Falst wouldn’t dream to coming close to someone clearly angry, much less let them know he was there.

“Yeah,” Falst called back, poking his head out from one of the alcoves near the ceiling, “what is it?”

Dainix’s demeanor immediately changed once he spotted Falst. Smiling, he pulled something small from one of the bags on his belt. “There was a street merchant selling these, I thought you’d like.”

Falst leapt down and snatched from Dainix’s hand something wrapped in a napkin, uncovering it to find a frosted piece of cake.

“So you did notice I like sweets.”

“I suspected, yeah.”

Falst was fairly certain the rising temperature in his cheeks wasn’t that noticeable. “Thanks.”

“Also I should probably warn you,” Dainix said nervously, “there was someone I encountered in the village that I’m worried will… will cause problems for you.”

“Most would. Why do you think I stay away from people?” Except you, apparently.

“I know, but the things this guy was saying…”

Falst listened to Dainix’s description while enjoying the actually really delicious treat he’d been given.

“Oh,” Falst said with his mouth full, “I know who you’re talking about.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. He talks big but he’s really more like the over-dramatic villain in a children’s story. Honestly I only recognize him ‘cause he's the only guy still actively trying to get me.”

“Yeah, about that.” Dainix rubbed his neck with one hand, “I may have lost my cool, and threatened that if I ever saw him come close to you, he’d have to deal with me first.”

Falst paused just before taking another bite of the cake, forgetting himself for a moment and staring at Dainix in shock. “You’re kidding.”

“I’m not. Sorry if I overstepped. Just because I lost my temper doesn’t mean-”

“Are you kidding?” Falst interrupted, “I wish I could’ve seen the look on his face! Don’t get me wrong, I can defend myself just fine, otherwise I probably wouldn’t be alive right now. But seriously,” Falst gripped the treat in his hand, careful not to squish it into a complete mess, “I don’t anyone’s ever done that for me before.”

“Well, protecting people is kind of my job,” Dainix smiled, “and even if it weren’t, that’s what friends do.”

Friends?

Falst actually turned his face away to hide the blush that was definitely getting visible. He hurriedly searched his brain for a subject change.

“Well, maybe if I’m lucky that’ll be enough to make them let go of their grudge. It’s not like a lacrima and some outdated rumors are even worth it anyway.”

Falst realized his mistake as soon as he said it.

“Lacrima?”

Falst tried to think of something to change the topic again, but this time he came up empty.

“That wouldn’t happen to be a random example, huh?”

“I just… never mind. It’s a long story.”

“I’ve got plenty of time.”

Falst pursed his lips. Fuck it, I might as well, there’s no reason not to as this point.

“...Fine. How much of what you heard says that the monster living here is a chimera?”

Chapter Text

Dainix recounted the various stories he’d been told when he came to the area. Several rumors said that the castle’s ‘curse’ had been there for as long as it had been abandoned, for the same reason the people who resided there had left in the first place.

Some said it was an animalistic invasion from the outside, or the result of the Chimeric Plague, or one of the mages living there had an experiment go very, very wrong. The threads that remained consistent was that it was a ruin because of some kind of chimeric disaster. Whatever happened, if it really did happen, would’ve taken place a long, long time ago and likely have been exaggerated over time. Otherwise, there would be more signs of what happens in the castle itself and the surrounding areas.

And now, the ‘monster’ everyone said lived there (Dainix shuddered to think of it, now that he knew the truth) was a beast that had something to do with the original incident had either spawned or returned to haunt the place.

Falst nodded. “I didn’t know about any of that until afterwards. Most places just chalk it up to ‘ferin are dangerous’, hell, in some small towns they don’t even know we exist, and being mistaken for a chimera isn’t uncommon. So I didn’t think it was anything unusual.

“I didn’t come here for the library like you did, but it is where I got an idea for… A plan, of sorts. After a while I found out it what I wanted to do had actually been tried before and it really didn’t work; though I only knew that because I kept reading up on it until even after it became clear it wasn’t going to happen.” He still did, on occasion. Spellcarving wasn’t a bad skill to have- or at least to know, since he’d never been able to actually try it. “By the time I figured out what was going on in this place, it was already a bit of a mess. The kind that, if this weren’t a really good hiding spot, I would’ve ran far away the second things started to go wrong. If I’d even known about the rumors it’s possible I would’ve…”

Falst paused for breath, then sighed. “The point is, the plan needed a Life lacrima to work. A pretty large one, too.”

“Why’s that?”

Falst didn’t respond for a moment.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t-”

“No, it’s… it’s fine.” Falst sighed. “I read that Life magic could be used to... change people. Alter their bodies in certain ways, for stuff like gender transitions.”

Dainix nodded. “I’m very familiar with that.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Though I went with the elixir instead, since I didn’t feel strongly about wanting anything specific aside from the transition itself, and it was a lot more accessible.” Dainix looked back at Falst, “You want to transition?”

“Well apparently the magic way doesn’t work for ferin either, but no, that’s not what I was going for. I thought I could try something similar to… to try and turn myself human.”

A long pause sat heavily the air as his words .

“Why-”

“I know it’s a bad idea! I know that now!”

“That’s not what I mean,” Dainix gave him a frustratingly sincere look. “Why would you want to be human?”

“Seriously?” Falst glared at him. “Haven’t you seen what people are like to me? The things that guy from the village was saying, that’s the kind of shit I deal with all the time! Just because I’m-” To Falst’s surprise his voice caught. He hadn’t realized he’d gotten so emotional. He twisted the leftover napkin in his hands. “It's not that I hate being a ferin, it's just that… everyone hates me for it. And I… I thought I'd found a way out.”

“Oh…”

Falst took a deep breath and discarded the napkin. “Anyway, it didn’t take long to find one that was probably large enough. But the mage in charge of it came back sooner than expected, and managed to drain it before I got very far. And as it turns out, a ferin trying to steal a Life lacrima and then retreating to this place… yeah, not exactly great. They really increased security over any sources of Life magic after that. I tried a couple more times but they were always either watched or purposefully drained before I could get to them. And then they stopped using any lacrimas larger than a pebble. And it wasn’t long before I started putting together the various whispers that the castle was already thought to be cursed or something, and that the chimeras were back and various shit like that.

“In some ways I’m lucky, most of the villagers don’t dare come near this place. But nowhere’s really safe from the kind of people that rush out with torches and pitchforks when faced with something they don’t like. When you first got here I thought they’d finally sent someone to get rid of me for good. I almost left, actually.”

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“Doesn’t matter now,” Falst interrupted, “Point is, I tried to grab one lacrima in what turned out to be a bad place for it, and now everyone hates me more than usual. Nothing really out of the ordinary.”

To Falst’s surprise, he felt Dainix take one of his hands in his own.

“I can’t say I completely understand what you’re going through. But, I do know that it’s hard being different from everyone else.”

Falst pursed his lips. Sure, Dainix was a non-mage Ignan, and had that whole Demon and exile thing, but... it wasn’t the same.

“Yeah? Well you seem to be doing just fine.” Falst snapped.

“Only because I had help.” He met Falst’s gaze, his expression communicating something that hadn’t been directed toward Falst in a very long time. “So, will you let me do the same for you? You don’t have to be alone anymore.”

Was... was it just Dainix’s presence, or was it much warmer than usual?

Falst’s heart was beating really fast. Dainix’s hand in his felt like warming up by a fire during the coldest night.

As if nature itself were taunting him, sunbeams shining through the window chose that moment to illuminate Dainix, like a lighthouse after Falst had been lost at sea for many years.

“I... I have to go.” Falst pulled his hand back and ran away, like he’d always had to.

“Wait!” Dainix called from behind him. But despite how much Falst actually did want to go back this time, he gritted his teeth and left.

Falst paced back and forth in a small room in one of the castle’s towers, trying to figure out what the fuck had just happened.

Dainix was just… just some guy! Sure, he was incredibly kind and generous and the first person Falst had actually gotten to know in many years, but…

Why did it feel like something other than just being around someone who was kind to him? Why did Dainix’s presence feel so good? It was comparable to a jump into freezing water only to find it pleasantly warm, or discovering a really soft, safe place to rest in the middle of the wilderness.

He’d never really had anyone to keep him company before, so he didn’t have any reference points to go off of. The thought of Dainix referring to them as ‘friends’ lifted his spirits in a way that made his ears perk up and his heart beat faster.

But he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something else there as well. Something that came from a from a similar, yet very different place than the rest. He knew what longing for companionship felt like. And while that deep-rooted desire was still there, he’d finally admitted to himself that Dainix filled some of it. But there was still something there, and he had no clue what it could be.

For some reason, he’d been reminded of a children’s story his mother used to tell him. It was about one of the first ferin, who’d unknowingly insulted the Life mage who’d created the curse, and been turned into a ferin because of it. The curse became the catalyst for destroying their life, and they were abandoned by everyone they’d known and outcast for it, and they started searching for ways to reverse the transformation. Years later, they found another person outcast from society, though for different reasons, who didn’t hate or pity them for being a ferin. They quickly became friends and, over time, fell in love with each other. It was through this connection that they were both able to keep each other happy and live long, happy lives, including that through the support of someone who accepted who they were, the ferin was able to accept it themself and even find happiness in it.

It had taken Falst years, even after losing his mother, to figure out why he liked that story so much; he’d never been especially interested in romantic stories (and this one probably would’ve worked just as well without the romance anyway). He eventually realized that it was because the main character from the story was only able to found happiness because of them being ferin, not in spite of it. It was one of the rare occasions that being a ferin was treated as anything positive, instead of the tragedy and misery of their existence.

Was that why he was reminded of it now ? Because he’d finally met someone who didn’t see him being a f erin as something to hate or pity him for? But that just led him back to his original confusion as to why that didn’t seem to explain it enough! Plus, he wanted the opposite of what had happened to the main character of that story anyway-

An idea popped into Falst’s mind. A shocking, terrifying idea.

He immediately tried to shove it away. No, that… that couldn’t be it. Just because Dainix was the first person he’d met in years that was nice to him and considered him a friend, didn’t mean that. If it were that, he’d probably, like, really want to kiss him or something like that!

Though, he probably wouldn’t mind it all too much. Actually, it would probably be really…

Falst froze, the idea already running rampant in his head, making his face flush with heat and his tail wrap around him like it was looking for something to embrace. Why was he immediately so…

Oh.

…

OH NO

Chapter Text

Although it had been sunny when Falst went outside, the sky was quickly transitioning to an ominous dark gray. The environment had been acting the way it only was when the world around was in the process of changing from Summer to Winter, the temperature fluctuations making weather a bit unpredictable.

Dainix would probably stay inside when it started raining, something Falst couldn’t fault him for, especially after the last time with the flooding. Falst wondered how the Ignan would react to the seasonal change, which was no doubt a stark contrast to the Rauan Desert, where a cool evening was just as hot as a bright midday summer outside of it. It was probably a good thing, then, that Falst was willing to answer any questions he had, with both of their survival strengths complimenting each other.

We work pretty well together, huh... Any further thoughts on the subject were immediately pushed away.

Several days after realizing how he… felt about Dainix, and Falst was doing everything he could to keep it hidden. Even if he were to bring it up (which he wouldn’t!), how could he even begin to talk about it? He was no social expert, but ‘Hey I know I only met you a couple sindahlans ago which isn’t super long despite having been sort of living together but I have a crush on you’ did not seen like the best way to go about it.

And if for some reason he did say some thing, then what? If Dainix didn’t reciprocate those feelings, what did that mean for their situation? What if doing so made it so Falst lost the only friend he’d ever really had? And if Dainix felt the same way... Falst had no idea what that could possibly entail, but that potential future was a massive unknown tha t was almost scarier to think about than the alternative.

Best to just not act on any of it. Or talk about it. Or even think about it!

Falst was making his way back to the castle after noticing the abrupt change in the weather. Hopefully the approaching clouds would be considerate enough to wait until after he got inside to start the downpour, but that seemed increasingly unlikely by the second.

He found himself on high alert the second he reentered the castle grounds. Taking a moment to analyze his surroundings, there wasn’t anything immediately obvious. But the wind and growing thunder made background noise much more difficult to listen through, and he was hesitant to dismiss it as nothing. The mentality of ‘assume there’s danger even if you’re not sure’ had saved his life several times.

If anything, it reinforced his decision to go back inside as soon as possible. If there was something dangerous out here, it either wouldn’t follow him indoors, or it would and Falst had more places to hide. He would usually be at an environmental disadvantage there, being much better at surviving outside, if it weren’t for the clouds that looked more and more like another storm coming his way. The familiarity of the castle seemed better than waiting to be at the mercy of whatever the sky was about to throw at him.

What if whatever the danger was followed him inside, and ran into Dainix? He dismissed the thought after a moment of consideration. Dainix was a skilled monster hunter, he’d be just as capable of handling it as Falst was, if not more so.

Unfortunately, Falst didn’t get the chance to get close enough to the castle to make a break for it, before he finally encountered the danger he’d been sensing.

FWIP

Falst dove to the right, the thick projectile missing him by a wide margin. He gritted his teeth and looked toward where it had been fired.

A large, brawny human came out from behind a stone wall with a heavy crossbow in his hands.

“Oh, fuck you! Didn’t you get told off already?” Falst immediately ran to the nearest area to hide. I actually thought Dainix managed to scare this guy off. But no, I guess that would be just too easy.

“What,” the human shouted, Falst’s barb clearly hitting a nerve, and the egotistic bravado on full display and he searched the surroundings for his target, “you gonna wait for your new friend to save you?”

Falst scoffed quietly.

Heavy drops of water had begun falling from the sky. He didn’t like running in the rain, the water and increased background noise making it more difficult to keep pace and his balance while still paying enough attention to his surroundings to avoid more danger. He could manage, but it made everything that much more difficult.

Falst easily disappeared into the stonework and sparse foliage, seeing the human’s face contort into anger as he pointed his crossbow at every sound loud enough in attempting to locate his prey.

Ignorant brute.

Falst silently picked up a pebble and, after another bout of thunder finished rumbling so the noise didn’t interfere with his plan, tossed it away from himself.

The crossbow was immediately pointed in the opposite direction from Falst, the human fully turning his back to Falst for just long enough.

Falst leapt out from his hiding spot, and kicked the human with the full force of his weight and momentum. He jumped off as the human collapsed to the ground, his grip on the crossbow significantly weakened, making it easy for Falst to snatch the weapon out of his hands while landing.

Feeling the full force of his anger and frustration behind the swing, Falst used all his strength to smash the weapon on the stone ground. Another rumble of thunder sounded and the rain fell heavier almost poetically as the thick, sturdy wooden crossbow snapped in half.

“For the hundredth time,” he shouted at the human, “just leave me alone-!”

Falst heard the sound of rustling behind him and picked up on the scent of another human, just in time to dodge when-

Pain tore through his skin like wet paper.

This time, the dampness that made his clothes cling to his skin wasn’t from the rain.

Maybe it wouldn’t have caught Falst off guard if this guy in particular always tried to go after him alone. Maybe it wouldn’t have caught him off guard if any attempts to drive him out had been anything more than disorganized rushes he could avoid easily. Maybe it wouldn’t have caught him off guard if he knew to expect it even a moment earlier.

Maybe if he hadn’t let himself get caught off guard, he would’ve noticed there were more people nearby much sooner than at the very last second before trying to move out of the way.

Maybe if he hadn’t noticed it too late, he could’ve changed tactics and gotten away.

Maybe if he’d known to do that, he could have avoided notice and been gone before anyone could try and track him down.

Any maybe if he hadn’t made that mistake instead of escaping in time, his leg wouldn’t have been brutally torn open by the points of a pitchfork.

Now, his only option was to run. Even with his injured leg immediately stained bright red, he had to run.

The rain was coming down in full force, making the ground beneath him slick and muddy. He had to pick himself back up too many times.

The throbbing pain matched pace with his racing heartbeat, but the pace at which his feet pounded on the ground as he ran got slower by the second.

Was he even going in the right direction? He was thought so, but blurry vision made it hard to tell.

His breathing was too heavy to sustain. The pain was overwhelming, and focus become impossible except for one thing: run!

He’d survived worse than this! He could still survive now if he just keep running!

The sound of voices and shouting was getting closer. Too close. And several footsteps.

He realized one pair of footsteps came towards him from the opposite direction from the rest.

Falst scrambled to change course. He slipped on mud. His leg finally gave in.

He tried to get up, the mud and blood making it hard to get a grip on anything.

“Give me that!”

Falst whirled around just in time to see the first human grab the pitchfork from one of the others.

No! No no NO!

Then it was right in front of him, raised upward, metal end toward Falst.

Falst’s desperate attempts to stand up were futile. Now both of his legs refused to bear any amount of weight, and his arms shook as he tried to keep his grip long enough to move himself away, black spots dancing in his vision.

“Say goodbye-”

SHLING!

The sound of metal against metal rang through the air like a bell, followed by the clanging noise of something heavy falling to the ground.

“STOP!”

Someone stood in between Falst and his attacker, one hand holding up the spear that had been used to disarm them, spearhead pointed toward the fallen pitchfork, barring the way from the target of their aggression. The other arm was held protectively above Falst.

“What are you doing?!” He demanded. His words were far more dangerous than any amount of thunder could hope to sound.

“D-Dainix?...”

“Getting rid of that!” The now-disarmed human pointed at Falst. “He’s been a threat to this place for too long.”

“Aren’t you supposed to do something about it?” Someone else shouted. “Aren’t Ravvan supposed to protect people from monsters?”

“Aren’t we- YES! I do protect people! Like him! And he is not a monster!”

Even though the haze, Falst could still hear the fury in his voice.

It was the last thing he heard at all.

Falst lost his grip, ground rushing upwards to meet his head.

“He’s my friend!”

Falst felt one last burst of pain, and the world around him disappeared.

Chapter Text

Ow…

Something… something was wrong.

Falst was in pain.

His leg… something was wrong with his leg.

It... it hurt. A lot.

Why did it hurt so much?

Something pressed against it.

“Augh!” A sudden, burning feeling in his leg startled Falst into consciousness. He lashed out, haphazardly aiming for whatever was causing the pain.

“Woah, hey!” Someone else was there, barely dodging his claws.

Angry humans. A crossbow. A bloodstained-pitchfork.

Run!

He darted off whatever surface he had been laying on, running for, well, away.

He was off his balance, but didn’t have time to be careful.

“Careful! You’re gonna-”

“AHH!”

Falst crumpled to the floor, sharp pain coming from his leg in agonizing waves.

“Falst! Please, stop! Hold still.”

Someone’s voice kept coming through the shaky haze in his head. Falst tried to lash out again, but that same someone managed to block his arm before he could reach anything important, claws barely grazing against skin.

“Falst, it’s just me.”

Wait, was that…?

“D-dainix? What…”

“Hold still.” Dainix hurriedly put down whatever he was holding before, and picked up a clean bundle of cloth. He bent down over Falst, and gently yet firmly moved his injured leg out from under him.

“What,” Falst asked, the world around him still swaying beneath his head. “What happened?”

“You tore your wound open further,” Dainix explained, pressing the bundle against the wound, blood quickly dyeing the cloth deep red. “It was starting to close already, but not that much. You’ve already lost a lot of blood-”

“N-no, I mean...”

“One moment,” Dainix said, “I need you to lie down, okay?”

Falst didn’t lie down.

Dainix sighed. “I heard you getting attacked. I got them to leave, at least for now. Then I brought you in here to try and help treat your wound.”

‘He is not a monster!’

Falst stared at Dainix. “You… you stopped them?”

‘He’s my friend!’

“Yes.” Dainix responded. “Now, will you please lie down?”

With Dainix’s help- and insistence- Falst lay down on the floor while Dainix raised the injured leg and kept consistent pressure to try and stop the bleeding.

Though still not fully cognizant, Falst was slowly able to get a better grasp of his surroundings. They were in the far end of the castle entry hall, in the nearest sitting area to the entrance. Where Falst had darted from, lay cushioned chairs around a low-height circular table. The stone gray of the cold floor was now interrupted by deep red where he’d fallen.

If his wound hadn’t closed over yet, that meant that either it hadn’t been long enough, or it was worse than Falst thought.

After a few minutes, Dainix asked if Falst wanted him to bring him back to the chair, “I can’t imagine the floor’s very comfortable right now.”

“No, it’s fine.” Falst lied. He didn’t want to be moved.

“Are you sure? It wouldn’t be a problem, and I put my first aid supplies down there anyway.”

Falst gritted his teeth, but supposed he would be grateful to get off of the cold floor. “Fine.” He moved to stand up.

“Wait,” Dainix interrupted.

Falst opened his mouth to retort, but before he knew it, Dainix had scooped him up in his arms, one hand still keeping pressure firmly on the wound as he did so.

The temperature rose higher than it was probably supposed to that quickly.

Dainix set him down gently, then placed Falst’s foot on the table in front. He gently took the cloth off, checking to make sure the bleeding had slowed enough, then began to clean the wound with the supplies he’d already taken out.

Falst was finally able to get a good look at the wound. He would’ve sworn out loud, if he wasn’t busy doing his best to just breathe. Well, now he knew why it hadn’t closed over yet.

“This is going to hurt again,” Dainix warned after cleaning the surface area. “Just remember to breathe.”

“Ugh, what’s that?” Falst covered his nose at the truly horrible smell that came from the small bottle Dainix opened.

“Kitridine. It’s to clean the wound, and it’s the same stuff that apparently woke you up. I’m sorry, but I wasn’t able to keep it on for long enough and with the-”

“It’s horrible.”

“I know.” Dainix placed five drops on the cloth, giving it time to soak through, and Falst noticed how careful he was to keep count of how much. Dainix braced his other hand on Falst’s leg, then hesitated before placing the cloth on the wound. He looked up at Falst’s face, to which Falst looked away. “I need you to try and stay still, okay?”

Falst scoffed, but nodded. He doubted it could hurt any worse than it already did.

He felt the cloth get pressed against the wound. Almost immediately afterward, the most horrible burning feeling.

“GAH!” Falst reflexively jerked his leg away, almost not noticing the subsequent pain that the movement caused- almost.

“Careful!” Dainix caught Falst’s leg before getting kicked in the face.

Falst grimaced, careful not to move the injured leg any more. “Okay, wow, you weren’t kidding.”

“I’m going to try again.” Dainix warned.

“Third time’s the charm or whatever.”

Dainix’s grasp was a bit firmer this time, though somehow not quite enough for Falst to feel trapped. The burning feeling came again. Falst hissed, but managed to stay still this time. His claws dug into the arms of the chair, tearing through the fabric lining.

“Are you-”

“It’s fine.” Falst forced the words out through gritted teeth.

It felt like forever, though was probably only a moment, but the burning did fade away. Falst felt as raw and exposed as the wound itself.

“You- you said it hadn’t closed yet before?” Falst forced himself to ask despite the pain.

“Yes. It was healing surprisingly fast, though. I could already see progress when I brought you back in.”

“Ferin thing. It probably would’ve already closed, but,” Falst gestured to the still-covered wound. It wasn’t just blood he’d lost. He was pretty sure he’d seen bone earlier.

“Even so, this’ll take a long time to fully heal.” Dainix took one hand off to start applying bandages. “You’ll need to stay off of your feet for a while, and off that leg in particular for even longer. I can put together a crutch for when-”

“I’ve been injured before, I know how to manage it.”

Dainix didn’t respond to that, just started wrapping the bandages around Falst’s injury. “Let me know if this feels too tight or loose, and we’ll want to replace the bandages regularly.”

Falst never dared to ask how Dainix managed to be so firm, yet so gentle at the same time.

Chapter Text

Falst knew something had gone wrong when he woke up shaking and drenched in sweat.

He felt a blanket draped over him. He didn’t remember it being there before. His hands were gripping the edge like a lifeline, and he kept it wrapped tightly around him.

It was too hot. He tried to pull the blanket off of him, them immediately regretted it and pulled it back up.

It took effort to open his eyes, and look over to where he vaguely remembered Dainix being. He’d fallen asleep as well, head resting against the side of the armchair that sat opposite of Falst.

I’m not going to wake him up just because I’m uncomfortable, Falst chastised himself, plus, I don’t think I have the energy.

That wasn’t good. No matter how tired he was, Falst always had to be able to get up and run or defend himself.

Defend himself... Oh shit.

Falst groaned and gingerly looked beneath the blanket at his leg. He couldn’t see much beneath the bandages, and he didn’t want to take them off because then he’d have to put them back on, and that was just too much for him right now.

This wasn’t the right place to rest. The castle’s front door was just across the room, and he knew he’d be too easy a target right now.

But the idea of trying to move felt much, much worse. He leg throbbed painfully at the mere thought of it.

Falst pulled the blanket over his head. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could pass for a pile of blankets or something. It was a ridiculous plan, and he knew it. But he was too tired to do anything else.

Perhaps unfortunately, Falst had a pretty solid idea of what was happening. Even through his exhausted and foggy mind he could recognize it.

He knew damn well what an infection felt like.

“Falst? Falst, are you awake?”

A gentle hand was placed on Falst’s shoulder over the blanket. Falst groaned as audibly as he could and shrugged, pulling the blanket down far enough for most of his head to poke out over the top. He hadn’t been able to actually sleep for who knew how long, fading in and out of consciousness in restless discomfort the entire time.

Dainix’s face fell immediately when Falst met his gaze.

“That bad, huh?” Falst managed, his voice hoarse and quiet so it was more like a croak than actual words.

“Do you mind if I check on your wound?”

“Knock yourself out.” Falst gingerly poked his injured leg out from beneath the blanket, gritting his teeth as the cold air bit his skin, and not for the first time wished his thin covering of fur actually did more than make his ferin nature more obvious.

Falst could hear Dainix grimace as he removed the bandages.

“Well?”

“Well, the good news is that it's still healing pretty quick.”

“And?”

“I’m afraid it’s infected.”

Falst groaned, vaguely remembering his fall into the mud. “Yeah, I figured that out already.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Could’ve been worse.” Falst shuddered to think of how bad it might’ve gotten if it weren’t for that really nasty stuff Dainix had cleaned the wound with.

He’d probably be dead if it weren’t for Dainix.

Godsdamnit, had he really survived this long just to get beaten by some assholes with a farming tool? He’d fought off real warriors and powerful mages and wild beasts, and had gotten injured far worse than this, and often walked it off within a couple days with little more than a scar or sore muscles or a bit of blood loss. But one mistake at realizing who else was there too late, and he’d nearly been killed by some self-important jerk with a half second of the advantage of surprise.

But you’re not dead. And you’re going to stay that way. Don’t ever make that same mistake again.

Between treating the wound and saving him from his attackers, Dainix had saved Falst’s life at least twice over. Falst had to remind himself that he’d helped Dainix get out of that collapsed and flooding cellar a while back, so they were even on those grounds.

Then again, Dainix didn’t seem like the type to worry about that sort of thing. Plus, like Dainix said, that’s what friends did, right?

His friend. The idea still felt strange to him, but no way was he going to let go of it. The idea made Falst feel warm inside, and this time in a good way, so that he almost didn’t feel the fever when he thought about it. His friend.

Hadn’t he already processed that? And then... right. His realization. Of his crush. That. How could he forget?

He put both hands to his face and groaned.

“Falst? What’s wrong?” Dainix asked. Did he sound worried?

“Nothing. Just frustrated, that’s all.” Falst dismissed. He pushed any thoughts of romantic feelings to the back of his mind. He definitely didn’t trust himself to not do something daft right now if he kept thinking about it.

Which of course meant his addled mind started focusing on those thoughts even more. Damn it all.

The fever wasn’t helping his plight, but at least it hid any blush he might’ve had.

Dainix wasn’t sure why he didn’t figure it out sooner.

Maybe he just hadn’t noticed it among all the other complex emotions he’d been dealing with lately. And a part of it was probably that his desire to protect and support Falst was mixed in with his desire to protect and support his loved ones in general, that he didn’t notice the differences in this particular situation.

Still, he’d had crushes before. It felt a little ridiculous that he’d spent so long alone with Falst, and still hadn’t realized it. Especially considering just how much effort he put into being in touch with his emotions. It seemed obvious in hindsight.

When providing his friend with a blanket to help soothe his clearly-troubled sleep, Falst had almost immediately grabbed onto the fabric almost desperately, and his hand brushed Dainix’s before wrapping himself within the covering.

That small, accidental brush against his hand made his heart flutter in a way that caught him by surprise. It was a very small thing, but it was what made him sit down and really think about it for the first time.

He remembered holding Falst’s hand at least twice before, so he knew what it felt like. A strengthened version of emotions that had become so normal to him when Falst was around, that it quickly became familiar. But the idea of holding his hand with the intention of something other than just reassurance was... bright.

Every thought of Falst was bright. His smile, his eyes, his relentless determination, the way his tail flicked when he found something interesting even when he wouldn’t admit it, the way he looked at Dainix when he was given the piece of cake, the way he sat in any position other than the one intended for the chair, the intense focus on his face as he read...

Oh, gods. Dainix was in love, wasn’t he?

Falst groaned, and the blanket moved as he shifted in his sleep. He was severely injured and sick, and now was so not the time to act on any of those feelingsd, even if Dainix now knew what he wanted in that regard.

Plus, even if he wasn’t in bad shape physically, Falst had been surviving alone for so long. Dainix still remembered the expression on his face when he’d first called him his friend. Dainix doubted Falst was going to admit how much the company meant to him, but Dainix had his own experience with agonizing loneliness, and could only imagine what Falst’s years of violent isolation did to him.

If Falst didn’t feel the same way about Dainix, would he even feel safe turning him down?

Was the risk of damaging their relationship worth it if it meant potentially driving Falst back into his isolation?

It was better not to say anything, at least unless Falst gave any indication of feeling similarly. Dainix's heart sank as he realized that if he was waiting for Falst of all people to make the first move, he might be waiting forever.

It was for the best, for Falst’s sake. Even if Dainix realized just how much he wanted to hold Falst in his arms and cusp his face in his hands and close the distance between their lips and...

Okay, wow. Okay. Yeah, definitely in love.

He hoped that when he was feeling better, Falst wanted even a fraction of what ran through Dainix’s mind.

Chapter Text

"How are you feeling?”

Falst groaned, pulling the blanket tighter around himself. “i’ve never wished for sleep more,” he replied weakly.

Dainix gently brushed a strand of sweat-soaked hair from Falst’s face. The gesture made his heart flutter, but he was determined to use the love and care he felt in his efforts to make Falst feel better however he could.

If only he knew if it was enough.

Dainix’s frown deepened as his skin brushed against that of Falst’s forehead. He wouldn’t have been surprised if it had just been warm to the touch, especially considering the lit fireplace a few paces away warming the area, and the blanket wrapped around Falst. It was more than just warm though, it was hotter than Dainix remembered it being during previous times of skin-to-skin contact.

He’d been doing his best to make sure Falst drank enough water, especially considering how much he was sweating and how non-Ignans almost certainly needed more than Dainix was used to to stay hydrated; but other than that he didn’t know how to approach the matter with someone who wasn’t heat-resistant.

“Falst?” Dainix asked gently, “do you think you can answer a question?”

Falst shrugged and made a noncommittal noise.

“Well,” Dainix went on, “With Ignans, when we’re sick, sometimes our bodies heat up to try and get rid of the infection quicker. And I noticed you’re hotter than usual,” Dainix fumbled over his unintentional wording, (of all times to realize he was down bad, did it have to be now?) “I mean, you’re temperature has definitely risen. Is that something similar, or is it potentially a problem?”

“mm, fever, yeah,” Falst replied. “same idea, can be a problem if it gets too hot, but it’s mostly just really uncomfortable.”

Dainix nodded, “Good to know.”

So it was something to keep watch on, but probably not too serious a problem. Which was good, since it meant one less thing to worry about.

He knew that no matter the species, infections had the potential to be extremely dangerous. Especially ones like this, as the result of such a severe wound.

Between that and the blood loss, things really weren’t looking good for Falst. Considering how much blood he’d need the time to recover, Dainix was a bit surprised at how much he was heating up. And despite the clear exhaustion, Falst hadn’t been able to sleep nearly as much as he needed to right now; and when he did, it was in fitful bursts that didn’t last long. His skin was sickly pale, and the wound wasn’t healing like Falst said it was supposed to, and even with regular disinfecting the skin around it was discolored and he regularly had to deal with the unpleasant side effects that came with the infection. Dainix tried to be as gentle as he could, but he did insist on doing everything he could to help allay the illness, despite how uncomfortable (or worse) it might be.

Being honest with himself, Dainix had to silently admit just how frightened he was for Falst. It was worse than Dainix could’ve known to expect, more than he felt it had any right to be from a pitchfork and mud, especially with the attempts at treatment. People could easily die of an infection this severe, even in much better circumstances. Dainix didn’t have any of the specialized herbal concoctions his father would’ve used in situations like this, just the medicine he had on him. And he definitely knew more about medicine than average, but he wasn’t a healer.

But he was all that Falst had. And Dainix would do everything in his power to try and make it so that he wasn’t just making his death as comfortable as possible. Falst wasn’t going to die, not if he had anything to say about it.

A loud WHAM interrupted Dainix stream of thought, and he whirled around to face the noise, standing up to settle reflexively into a defensive stance in front of Falst.

“Oh my,” a voice came from the castle main entrance, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to startle anyone.”

Standing in between the flown-open doors, in front of another raging storm, stood someone Dainix was certain he’d never seen before. They pulled down a hood to reveal a human-looking woman with long, messy gray hair, wrinkled skin, and small, pointed ears, leaning forward with one hand on a cane that was halfway covered in mud, with the bottom of the dark cloak similarly dirty.

“These winds sure are fierce, aren’t they?” The stranger remarked as they closed the heavy doors with apparently ease. “I hope you don’t mind me seeking shelter in here, do you?”

“Uh, no, it’s fine.” Dainix protectively pulled the blanket further over Falst, focusing on hiding the obviously ferin traits, just in case. “Come warm yourself by the fire, if you need.”

“Oh, how very kind of you!” The stranger beamed and eagerly made their way past the two of them, toward the fireplace.

A loud rumble of thunder sounded from outside, and Dainix frowned. The noise of another rainstorm was obvious, but he could’ve sworn he didn’t hear it before. He didn’t think there had been any signs of inclement weather before now.

Maybe I just didn’t notice it earlier, Dainix deduced, I have been pretty focused. And I guess it doesn’t seem out of place with the climate right now. Still, he was certain it was colder that it had been just a moment ago.

“Oh my, is your companion there alright?” the stranger looked over at Falst with what appeared to be a concerned look on her face.

At first Dainix wasn’t sure how to respond. Something about this person seemed... off, somehow. He couldn’t really tell if there was anything wrong per se, and it was definitely possible that Dainix was just on edge and that was coloring his perception, but he couldn’t shake a feeling of strangeness that accompanied their presence.

Falst groaned. “m’fine...” he said, voice barely audible beneath the blanket.

Dainix placed a hand protectively on Falst’s shoulder. “I’m helping him as best I can.” was all he said in response to the stranger’s question. He tried not to let his concern slip into his voice or movements, but he knew he wasn’t good at hiding how he felt.

The stranger hummed contemplatively. “Perhaps I could be of some help? I have a little experience in healing.”

Dainix looked to Falst, who just shrugged. “guess can’t get that much worse...” he murmured.

Dainix pursed his lips, and turned back to the stranger by the fireplace. “That depends... how do you feel about helping a Ferin?”

To Dainix’s surprise, the stranger laughed. “Oh, I don’t mind one bit. I don’t believe any of that nasty stuff people say, nor do I think there should be that kind of limits on kindness.”

Falst made a noise, and Dainix couldn’t figure out if it was a sigh, gasp, scoff, or something else.

Next thing Dainix knew, the stranger was standing next to him in front of Falst, and momentarily placed a wrinkled hand gently on the ferin’s sweat-soaked forehead.

“Oh my, that’s quite the fever, isn’t it?”

“don’ try anythin funny,” Falst warned.

“Hm,” the stranger pursed their lips and tapped their chin in an expression of consideration. “A wound and infection like that is potentially fatal, and even if not it could take quite a while to recover from.” Then, while Dainix still caught by surprise, they winked at him. “But I have a feeling he’ll be just fine in a fairly short time.”

Dainix was tempted to reach for his spear, but it was placed against the wall several paces away and he couldn’t risk leaving Falst’s side. “How did you-” he stopped mid-sentence.

“what’s wrong?” Falst asked, moving like he was about to sit up.

“I don’t... they’re gone.”

Dainix had only looked away for a second, but one second the old woman was there, and the next he found himself facing no one.

“what?” Falst managed to turn around to see the empty space where the stranger occupied not a minute ago.

Dainix looked around the room in confusion. “They just disappeared. Like they were never here.”

As soon as he said that, he saw proof that he was wrong.

Right there, on the floor in front of him where the stranger had stood, lay a single, healthy red rose.

Chapter Text

The mysterious stranger never appeared to either of them again.

Soon after the visit, Falst had insisted on moving away from the entrance area, not willing to take the risk of being exposed somewhere so easily accessible. He’d tried to move on his own, but that plan was quickly thwarted as Dainix was having none of it, and Falst didn’t have the strength to resist being carried in his arms.

It was weird how Falst could still feel the heat from Dainix’s body, or his own blush, through the fever.

Dainix ended up placing Falst down on the couch Dainix had been sleeping on during his stay at the castle. He’d debated finding one of the old bedrooms to see if any of them were suitable, but it would take time to find a usable one and disinfect the bed, and he was already carrying Falst. Plus, they were both familiar enough with this particular sitting room, and Dainix knew it was more than usable.

Falst curled in on himself as soon as Dainix set him down, covering himself back up with the blanket that had gotten shifted over him in the process, and Dainix could immediately see him relax a tiny bit. In only a couple minutes Falst was fast asleep, clearly more restfully than before.

Dainix let out a sigh of relief; Falst really needed as much sleep as he could get right now. Plus, this gave Dainix time to try an idea he hoped would help.

Falst was sick, but fortunately that meant he could hardly smell anything.

Unfortunately, it meant he could hardly smell anything.

Meaning that when he drifted awake from probably the deepest sleep he’d had in a while, when he noticed the scent of something new nearby, he couldn’t figure out for the life of him what it was. He didn’t think it was bad, but...

Falst gritted his teeth and sat up, though reality was still fuzzy- he had to know what it was he sensed.

“You awake?” Dainix’s voice came from beside the sound of crackling fire and... something else. Also probably where that smell was coming from?

Falst groaned. “Not really,” he murmured. “What’s that smell?”

“I’m making some soup. That always helped me feel better when I got sick back home. It should be ready soon.”

“Oh.” No longer worried, Falst curled back up and tucked the blanket back over his shoulders. He never remembered managing to feel this comfortable when ill before, and he intended to take full advantage of it.

The next time he was awake enough to be aware of his surroundings, was when he saw Dainix place a bowl of something delicious-looking on the table in front of Falst.

“Where’d you even...?” Oh gods, even through his dulled senses, he could tell that smelled good.

“This place still had most of its kitchen dishes usable, and I was able to clean these with fire, so yeah. Eat up.”

“Mm,” Falst hadn’t realized until just now how hungry he was- he had a lot of unpleasant feelings to keep track of- and nearly burned his mouth with hot stew.

He didn’t care. It was the best thing he’d tasted possibly ever.

Falst’s wound healed and his illness cleared up almost suspiciously quickly. By the time the cold in the outside world started up in earnest, he could swear it felt like he was never injured in the first place.

“I don't understand.” Dainix’s calloused fingertips brushed over the already-fading scar where the wound had been just a few days ago, the skin around it as healthy as it had ever been. Falst blushed furiously beneath his touch, but he refused to feed that line of thinking (or at least, he tried).

“Me neither,” Falst shrugged, “but I'm definitely not complaining.”

Chapter Text

Falst had been the first one to return to the library. Dainix was still concerned about the aftermath of the injury and illness, but Falst had argued that it wasn't like sitting around and reading was a very physically strenuous activity, and conceded that if he was that worried Dainix could still keep an eye on him, saying the location didn't matter all that much.

Falst was secretly relieved they were back to the now-familiar status quo of mostly quiet research. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep his guard up if Dainix was still caring for him like that and nursing him back to health and putting so much effort into making sure Falst was at least as comfortable as possible- people didn't do that for him! But Dainix did! And... and Falst was just glad he wasn't sick and fatigued anymore, otherwise he would certainly have said or done something embarrassing. He only hoped that he hadn't before and just didn't remember it or something.

Why did he have to go and make it so... so complicated? Dainix's friendship was amazing, and Falst didn't dare ruin things with sappy ideas like-

Nope. Nope. Not thinking about that. Not at all. Dainix was literally right there and could easily see his blush if he looked over. Book. Falst had a book in his hands and he was reading it. He was going to stop daydreaming, and go back to reading.

Falst changed positions on the chair, realized he made a mistake since it gave him a better view of Dainix, and was about to move again before noticing that he was frowning, his brows furrowed and his gaze appearing distant.

Nope. None of my business. It’s not like you know what’s going on in his head anyway, he’s probably just concentrating. Focus on the task at hand.

Sheesh, he didn’t used to be so easily distracted.

Okay, something was definitely wrong with Dainix. No one sighed that deeply about lighting a fire unless they were really, really cold.

“Fine, I’ll bite.” Falst said abruptly. “What’s wrong?”

“What?” Dainix looked over at him, his expression one of confusion.

“Something’s wrong, and you seem like the type to want to talk about that kind of thing. So if you wanna talk about it now, then,” Falst shrugged, wondering what the hell could have convinced him to try something so... open.

“Hm,” Dainix gave a sad smile, “that obvious, huh?”

“Kind of, yeah.”

Dainix looked back at the fireplace. The firelight danced in his eye like Fire auroras. “Just homesick, I guess.”

“Ah, sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Dainix began making their dinner as he spoke, though he didn’t seem to be paying much attention, like he wasn’t quite present. “I... I think I would like to talk about it, actually. It’s just that it keeps getting colder out here and I find myself missing the desert, you know?”

“Hm, makes sense.” Oh, stop stalling and just ask already. “What’s it like?”

“What?”

“The desert. You’re home. What’s it like?” Great job, Falst. Very smooth.

“Oh,” Dainix smiled, “It’s nice. A lot warmer, for one thing. There’s enough Fire soul there to keep it hot all day and night year-round. The only weather we get comes from within the desert itself, anything from outside gets dried up or absorbed not far in. It’s stone and fire and wind for miles and miles, and aside from the occasional mountain or settlement it’s sand in every direction all the way to the horizon. I live- well, lived, in a settlement in the northeast area of the desert. You could see it from miles away, sunlight reflecting off the glass like a beacon.”

“Glass?”

“Right, I forgot that’s not usual here. We make all our buildings and such out of glass.”

“Ah, makes sense. Fire and sand and all that.”

“Exactly.”

“Isn’t Raua full of monsters? If your town is so visible, how do you keep all the dangerous stuff from attacking it?”

“That’s why we have Ravvan to protect it. When there’s nothing to fight we use our skills to go out and hunt or gather resources, but our main job is to keep anything too dangerous away from the settlements. We always have at least one team ready to go fight at any given time, plus guards at each entrance and scouts in each watchtower to keep an eye out for anything that might be attracted to a large group of people as prey.”

“Sounds hard.”

“We’ve been doing it since before we evolved into Ignans there. So long as we’re prepared, it’s more than doable.” Dainix’s smile faltered. “Because if we’re not prepared, and we fail, we put everyone in danger. And as it turns out, not just from threats from the outside.”

Oh, shit. He was talking about the demon thing, wasn’t he?

“You really miss it.” Falst mentally kicked himself after saying that. Great job, pointing out the obvious.

“I do, a lot. I just wish I knew I could go back. I’d give anything to at least see it, even just for a little bit.”

Damn it, Falst didn’t like seeing Dainix upset. He’d been practically glowing when talking about his home, and now the thought was causing him pain again.

‘I’d give anything to at least see it,’

Falst shot to his feet. “I have an idea. Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

“It’s a mirror.” Dainix said when Falst came back.

“Very observant.” Falst nearly tossed the hand mirror over to Dainix, realized that might be a bad idea, and just handed it to him. “Your town has a name, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Tell the mirror to show it to you, then.”

Dainix shot him a puzzled look. “You want me to talk to it?”

“Just trust me on this.” Falst didn’t bother to hide his smile.

After a pause for consideration, Dainix shrugged and held the mirror up, then hesitantly asked it to show him his hometown.

The mirror frame was lined with a handful of light purple stones in between runes that circled the glass, all of which began to glow purple after Dainix spoke.

Falst moved over to see the mirror surface, as the reflection rippled like water and the image in the glass faded away from their faces and into a village of glass in the middle of a sandy desert.

“What the- how?!” Dainix asked in surprise.

Falst shrugged. “Found it a while back in some sort of mage’s office. Something about using Wind magic stuff with communication to connect with the name of whatever you want it to show you.” According to the creator’s notes, it was the result of a later attempt that didn’t require the subject to have a truename (and needed to use that truename to work). In general, the notes were messy and filled with complex magical jargon that Falst didn’t have the patience to try and decipher. It was interesting enough, but an extremely complex spell that Falst didn’t particularly care to know the details of. He’d mostly just learned how to use it to find that Life lacrima he wanted to use to make him human, after that he didn’t really have any use for it. He didn’t have anywhere or anyone he particularly wanted to see.

“This is incredible!” Dainix’s smile was back, this one flavored with astonishment. “It’s almost like I’m seeing it in person. You can even see the details in the glasswork and the way the sun reflects off them. Look here,” he pointed towards a fairly large, simplistic circular building, “that’s the Ravvan center, it’s where I learned everything I needed to know about fighting and hunting. And here,” a spiraling tower that opened to the sky like a half-bloomed flower, “that’s the town center, where all the administrative stuff goes on, but it’s also open at the top for stargazing or special events. And here,” one of the smaller, dome-like buildings that were abundant in the town, “that’s my family’s house. It looks like they finished fixing it up, as well as everywhere else that I...” he trailed off.

“What about that one?” Falst indicated a circular open-air building.

“Oh, that’s the theater. I remember when it wasn’t in use for plays and the like, sometimes an orator would gather an audience there to tell stories to.”

Dainix continued to excitedly show Falst everything of interest in his hometown. The medical building where is dad worked. A dome made so to that light shone through prismatically, like it was made of rainbows, that was a special play center for children. The market square, schoolhouse, a bakery, center for trade and inn, stable, greenhouse (that one Falst required a bit more explanation for), water storage, a monument to some historical Ignan hero Falst had never heard of before...

Dainix himself was practically glowing with joy at seeing his home, and the emotion was reflected in his voice and body language as he told Falst about his home.

Falst was mostly just glad that it worked, he was worried that the mirror would only serve to worsen his homesickness, but that concern was put to rest when he saw the smile on Dainix’s face.

I wish I had somewhere I’d be that eager to return to. Falst shook the thought from his head, it had been a long time since that idea had been anything other than an impossible fantasy.

Still, seeing Dainix happy made Falst smile and warmed his heart like nothing he’d felt before. He couldn’t help but imagine how Dainix would feel when he finally returned, and Falst’s resolve to make sure he found what he was looking for strengthened. It would be worth it, if it meant this much to him.

Chapter Text

Dainix's presence must've made his surroundings warmer somehow, because Fast found himself spending more and more time around the Ignan as the days grew colder, temperatures fluctuating and weather growing unpredictable as winter approached them.

But it was possible Dainix didn't get the same benefit, as he kept spending more time closer to the fireplace when it was active, or pulling his cloak tighter around him to mitigate shivering, or get up to get some exercise, the movement warming him up enough to be able to handle the dropping temperatures for a little while longer.

Falst was only nearby so often (even occasionally joining in when Dainix offered) because of the aforementioned warmth, there being no other logical reason for it. How Dainix looked while active had nothing to do with why Falst was there… (Okay, maybe that part didn’t hurt.) And maybe he wanted to make sure Dainix was alright despite the environmental changes, but that just made sense.

And when Dainix seemed to be having trouble sleeping from the cold? Well, one morning he woke up to find a worn and still slightly dusty, yet very insulated blanket draped over him, filched from one of the bedrooms in the East Wing.

It took Falst a little while to realize why he found himself worrying over Dainix's perfectly natural reaction to the dropping temperatures. The Rauan Desert was famously filled with Fire energy, warmer than many outsiders could manage for very long. From what Dainix described, a hot summer day outside of it was about the same as nighttime in long spring in the desert. The lack of heat was a big reason why not many Ignans traveled outside of the desert.

When winter arrived, would the cold become a problem for Dainix?

Falst found himself rifling through some of the wardrobes for clothes that had been left behind by the castle's previous occupants. He never bothered with it before, since he had no real need. He was well acquainted with freezing temperatures and little protection, having spent many nights curled up in the best area he could find with only his own body heat, and had endured much worse than it was likely to get this early in the season. Plus, most of the stuff here either didn't fit him well enough to provide any real use without impeding his mobility, and/or was too moth-eaten to wear. Still, he managed to find a few options that were usable that would probably work with Dainix’s height and build, and set them aside in case his friend needed some extra layers.

“Be right back.” Dainix stood up and left the research desk, feeling the need to stretch his legs.

He only went a few paces before stopping abruptly, taking a couple steps back, and getting a better look at the window he had just passed by. “Falst?”

“Hm?”

Dainix pointed to the window, or more specifically towards the outside. “What is… is that what I think it is?”

Falst initially responded with a confused look, then stood to make his way over to where Dainix stood.

“Oh great,” Falst said in a discouraged tone when he saw what Dainix was referring to, “it’s snowing. Guess it’s officially winter now.”

“Wow,” Dainix marveled at the view beyond the now-frost-bordered glass. “It’s… really white.”

Falst laughed for a second, before his eyes widened in realization. “Oh! Right, you’ve never seen snow before, have you?”

“Of course not.”

Falst smiled, and Dainix didn’t think he’d ever seen him really excited before now. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

“Huh?”

Before Dainix could even ask what he was doing, Falst had already disappeared, which Dainix was used to by this point.

For the next several minutes, Dainix stood with his hands on the windowsill, gloves protecting most of his skin from the cold stone beneath. The frost on the window made pale, crystalline patterns on all edges, the glass itself tinted with frozen moisture. Dainix’s breath, inches away from the surface, made a small circle of moisture in front of him. With hesitant curiosity, he lifted his hand, and pressed a fingertip to the surface. He didn’t know whether or not he’d expected the cold to radiate and spread like heat, but it did, causing him to draw back only a few seconds after making contact. Droplets of moisture beaded the calluses on his fingertips, and where he’d touched the glass was a small, oval island in the midst of a sea of frost. The opposite of the kind of oasis he was used to.

Like a kid with melted glass, Dainix made a second, identical dot next to the first, followed by a curve beneath to make a smile. His finger ached with the chill in the few seconds it took to draw it. The cold was already re-freezing the drawing to fade away. One could probably make several drawings, then come back and remake the first, or draw a new one on top of where it had been.

“Catch!” Falst’s voice called out.

Dainix turned around to be met with a face full of something soft. He barely caught the bundle of thick fabric before it fell to the ground.

“What’s this?”

“Coat and scarf. Figured it’d be good to have since you’ve never been outside in this kind of weather before, so I grabbed the best I could find.” Falst had a big smile on his face. “Wanna see it up close?”

Chapter Text

“I think I get what ‘powdery flakes of ice’ means now.” Dainix remarked as his boots sank through the somehow soft yet crisp layer of snow that covered the ground. His breath created the smallest cloud of fog in front of him, and his words carried on the cold air like they were the wind itself.

“Heh, can’t say I haven’t heard weirder descriptions.” Falst remarked, and Dainix noticed he hadn’t even put on any shoes, still barefoot despite the icy surroundings.

“Aren’t you freezing?”

“I’ve been in way worse with even less protection.”

“Shouldn’t you be worried about getting sick from the cold?”

“Nah, it’s not much of a problem for me.”

“Still, might want to warm up by the fire immediately when we go back inside.”

And yet, Dainix continued to walk the outdoor part of the castle grounds, dirt ground and stone path indistinguishable beneath the white blanket.

“It’s beautiful.” Dainix said almost breathlessly as he marveled at his surroundings.

“I guess. When you’re not having to deal with the freeze and ice and such.”

“Good thing the Feast of the Scales was yesterday, then. How would anyone do festivals in this weather?”

“Do I look like an expert?” Falst answered, and though he didn’t say anything else about it, Dainix felt bad for bringing it up. “It’s mostly the same, just everyone’s bundled up. I’ve seen some places do the events inside instead.”

“Makes sense. This place isn’t prone to snowstorms, is it?”

“Not that I know of. Might get a couple small ones per year but nothing out of the normal, I don’t think.”

“That’s good. I don’t have any idea how to handle one of-” Dainix paused midsentence when he turned around to find Falst with his face towards the sky, sticking his tongue out. “Uh, tasting the air?”

Falst laughed. “Not quite.”

“Then what…”

“Let the snowflakes fall on your tongue.”

“Isn’t it just ice?”

“Just try it.”

Dainix shrugged and followed Falst’s lead. Soon after sticking his own tongue out to the snowfall, did he understand.

“Okay, that's fun.” Dainix admitted. “Weird and cold, but fun.”

“Right? I used to do that all the time.”

“Used to?”

“Yeah.” Falst smiled, his gaze distant. “Back when I was a kid. Every time I saw it was snowing, I’d run outside immediately. My mom would barely be able to get me to wear a coat and shoes before rushing out to play.” His smile fell at the mention of his mother, like the memory made him sad. “Been a while since I’ve had that much fun in…” Falst froze up faster than the ice surrounding him could’ve. “Never mind, forget I said anything.”

Falst’s change from smiling and nostalgic to frowning and closed off, made Dainix’s heart sink, but Falst didn’t seem like he would appreciate him pressing the matter. He quickly tried thinking of something to lighten the mood.

“I imagine there’s a lot to have fun with out here. I wouldn’t know where to start, I don’t think the sand games I played as a kid would be very effective.” He laughed at the mental image.

Falst barely acknowledged Dainix said anything.

Deciding to give him some space, Dainix took a couple steps away, bending down to pick up some of the snow to see what it felt like. It stung his fingers with the cold, flakes sticking to the skin of his fingertips and the fabric of his gloves, and to each other. Running his fingers through its crisp surface made bits of the pile fall between his fingers, and gave him soft clumps in his palm that vaguely reminded him of wet sand, but with a completely different texture. It was simultaneously rough and soft in a way he never thought to expect. It was so weird, it actually delighted him a little.

Something vibrant stood out in the corner of his vision, a brightly-colored interruption to the white and gray that painted the world around him. Dainix looked up to find a bright patch of multicolored flowers that stood defiant in the surrounding snow.

How did those ones bloom so strongly, while all the plant life surrounding them were wilted and drained of their color? And, wasn’t that the same bed of roses where he’d picked the one to bring home-

TWACK

Dainix got up and whirled around the second he felt the clump of cold hit the back of his shoulder. Snow fell off of the coat he wore and sprinkled onto his shoes, most of it blending back into the rest of the white blanket on the ground. “What was that?” he demanded.

Falst stood a little distance away, a smirk on his face, and a handful of the snow in both hands, packing it into a small sphere.

“You wanna know how to have fun out here?” Falst quipped, holding up the ball of white in his hands. “Well, here’s something called a-” he chucked the ball at Dainix, “-snowball fight!”

Dainix reflexively raised an arm to block, the snowball falling apart as it collided with the coat sleeve.

“Try to keep up!” Falst ducked behind a now-white bush, which didn’t even rustle from his movement. It was only a few seconds later that another snowball flew towards Dainix from several feet away from where he last saw Falst.

He felt himself smiling playfully as he responded, “Challenge accepted!”

It only took Dainix a couple tries to figure out how to make a snowball that didn’t fall apart the second it left his hands, and longer to figure out how to move quickly in several inches of snow, but once he did it was on.

More times than not, Dainix would react to Falst’s attempts to pelt him in snow by avoiding it at the last second, and using the temporary reveal of Falst’s location to aim his own throw. At least twice their snowballs collided with each other in midair, causing a small shower of powder to accompany the discarded handfuls as they melted back into the white carpet, then the remains of the attempt were thrown into obscurity by footprints of someone already running with the next handful of snow.

Soon both of them had bits of snowmelt sticking to their clothes, had covered most of the grounds in the space of their game, and were smiling and laughing like a gaggle of children.

“If this is really your first time in the snow, how are you so good at this?” Falst called out from within the hollow of a tree behind Dainix.

“I’m a fast learner!” Dainix called back, new snowball in hand and searching his surroundings, steadily approaching Falst’s location, “also I knew you were good at hiding, but this is really impressive.”

Falst’s smile widened at the compliment. He prided himself on his stealth abilities, no matter the setting. “It’s easier outside, too.” Falst darted onto the nearest branch, flipped himself upside-down so he was hanging on by his legs, and dropped a snowball on the back of Dainix’s head.

Dainix laughed and gave his own snowball a light toss, which fell apart against Falst’s palm when he held a hand up to block it.

“Not gonna lie, I thought you’d be an easy target. I mean, you kind of stand out a lot in this.”

“I’ve learned to make up for it. The desert doesn’t have many hiding spots.”

“I can tell,” Falst jumped off where he hung, flipping midair to land on his feet. “Okay, I don’t get to do this a lot so the bar’s pretty low, but I think it’s still worth it to say this is the most fun snowball fight I’ve ever had.”

“Well, it’s my first time ever and also the most fun one.” Dainix responded as he brushed the snow off his head, a decent amount of it still sticking to his hair. “I’m gonna head back inside, though. I can barely move my fingers right now.”

“You’re in for another treat, sitting by the fireplace after playing in the cold is one of the best feelings in the world.”

Chapter Text

Once ignited, the fire immediately became a small haven of warmth that melted away the cold that had followed them inside. Falst felt his muscles relax in the way that was only possible when a safe heat wraps itself around one like a blanket and invites them to rest.

Or maybe that part came from Dainix, because before Falst knew what he was doing, he’d sat down next to him so close that Dainix had wrapped one arm around his shoulders. Falst’s first instinct was to push him away, his second to lean into the embrace. To his own surprise, he gave in to the second one.

Dainix had shed the coat and scarf Falst gave him, both of them draped over the back of a chair to dry out, leaving only the wyrmsilk that wouldn’t prevent him from placing his hands in the fireplace to melt the snow that stuck to his skin and regain circulation in his fingers. He’d offered to lend Falst some wyrmsilk to wrap around his hands so he could join, but Falst found that the idea made him blush furiously and turned it down. It just seemed... intimate, somehow.

Now Dainix’s hand rested on Falst’s shoulder, still warm from the fire, and Falst could swear he felt more heat coming off of him than from the fireplace. Maybe that was why he let himself be so close, conserving body heat and all that. Telling himself that didn’t stop the other thoughts that galloped through his head, but hopefully his blush could be dismissed as a reaction to the heat.

As time passed in comfortable silence, Falst felt his eyelids start to grow heavy as the sound of the crackling from the fireplace lulled him closer toward Emnis’s domain. How long had it been since he’d last let himself relax this much? Not since he’d been a child in his mother’s arms, did he think he’d ever felt so comfortable, so vulnerable without fear, so... safe.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, the habits and instincts that kept him alive for this long screamed that this was dangerous. That it was too good to be true, that he was basically asking for a stab in the back, that he should never, ever have allowed anyone to get so close. No human could be safe for him to be around, much less like this! He was being too reckless, and it was going to cost him.

For possibly the first time ever, he ignored it. He knew he shouldn’t, but at the moment he didn’t care.

Because godsdamnit, he was going to savor this perfect, idyllic moment while it lasted.

Maybe it was okay to be a little reckless, just this once.

It had to be okay, if it felt this good.

Contentment filled his heart so much that a small, subtle vibration manifested from within him as a result. He felt it, but didn’t realize what was happening until Dainix spoke up.

“Are you purring?”

...Oh shit, he was purring. When was the last time he’d done that?

“I...” This time the heat that covered every inch of his face was definitely from more than the warmth of the fire. “S-shut up. You touch fire with your bare skin, you don’t get to judge.”

“I wasn’t judging.” Dainix’s smile was too genuine for his words to be anything but the truth. “Don’t let me stop you.”

Damn it, why was he so sweet? And way, way too beautiful in the fire’s glow. How was Falst supposed to deal with that?

Well, maybe he could think of one way...

Before he even realized what he was doing, the question slipped past his lips. The words were soft, almost inaudible but resonated through the comfortable silence, otherwise only broken by the crackling of the fireplace.

Leaning ever closer, Dainix responded just as softly, “Yes.”

They don’t stop leaning into each other, even after their lips made contact. Even slightly chapped from the cold, Dainix’s lips were shockingly soft. A bit larger than Falst’s, just enough to engulf him, the rest of him following suit as Dainix embraced him. One hand on Falst's waist, the other caressing the side of his face. Obligingly, Falst's tail came forward to wrap around Dainix’s waist, the end just barely reaching the opposite side.

“I…” Falst whispered during pauses for breath, “I’ve never done this before.”

“Well,” Dainix whispered back, so tenderly it melted Falst’s heart all over again, “First time for everything.”

Falst smiled, and felt Dainix smile too during the time where their lips were pressed together. He tasted like campfire smoke and desert spices and warmth.

If Falst was purring before, now the reverberations felt like a roar of thunder.

Falst raised him arms, which were previously resting on Dainix’s back, to the base of Dainix’s neck, and fingers began to tangle themselves in his hair. It wasn’t long until his ponytail came undone, long, red hair cascading around them like a curtain, sheltering them from what lay beyond their embrace. Nothing could shatter the moment. It was just the two of them, and Falst felt that, when he was in Dainix’s arms, nothing else mattered.

“Is this a good first time?” Dainix asked gently.

Falst nodded, breathless. He didn’t think it could get any better than this.

Chapter Text

What. Was. He. Thinking?!

Falst paced back and forth in a lonely room at the complete opposite side of the castle from where he’d left Dainix that morning, face beet red and hands unable to be held still.

What was he thinking? Clearly, he hadn't been thinking at all!

He'd kissed Dainix. He'd fucking kissed him!

And then Dainix had kissed him back! Falst had had the audacity to ask if he could kiss him, and Dainix said yes!

Why?!

Falst had no idea what to do about these damned feelings before he'd gone and kissed Dainix! Now- what? He didn’t know how to be romantic or anything like that, he was still figuring out the whole friendship thing! Why did he have to go and mess it all up like that?

And …and why did Dainix kiss him back?!

Falst placed a hand over his mouth, like he could feel the echo of Dainix’s lips on his and was trying to preserve the sensation. Kissing him had felt so, so… right! He might as well have been blessed by Serenis to make Falst feel this way.

And damn it all, Falst had no idea what to do about it.

He put the other hand up so both were in front of his mouth, and indulged in a small, muffled scream.

That made him feel a little bit better, but still had no idea what to do.

He could always leave. Run far away and never have to face Dainix again-

No. Not happening. He surprised himself with the thought, even if it seemed obvious.

Okay, so for once, no running away. That was still new to him. Usually running was a matter of survival, but not this time. It felt like it was, but it wasn’t. Just… emotional vulnerability.

…

He yelled into his hands again.

Dainix didn’t know whether to go find Falst or not.

On the one hand, if Falst hadn’t woken him up, it was definitely on purpose. He probably needed space.

On the other hand, what if he was embarrassed about it? Or worse, what if he felt ashamed about it? Or what if he needed help with something? What if…

Dainix sighed. He should give Falst the space he needed. He knew that.

He just wanted to see him again after… after last night.

‘I’ve never done this before.’ Well, he was still really good at it. Dainix would definitely say yes again, given the chance.

Dainix‘s cheeks ached from smiling so much. He'd actually kissed him! The thought made him feel giddy, though also a bit flustered.

Thank Serenis, he thought the kissing itself had gone pretty well. And then they’d fallen asleep cuddling by the fire. It was basically perfect.

How long had it been since Dainix realized he might wait forever if he was waiting for Falst to make the first move? A little over a sef, maybe. Definitely better than forever, in his opinion.

And if I’m not careful, I’ll sit here thinking about it all day, and then I might start overthinking it and get all worked up about it.

Dainix sighed. He really didn’t want to leave the relative warmth of his location, and he wasn’t sure how much he could focus on research with the kiss still on his mind, but it was better than sitting there doing nothing.

The cold air bit him to the core, even with the warmth that the memory of kissing Falst provided. The contrast seemed to make the chill sharper, somehow. So much so that it felt like the cold wind from the day before followed him to sneak up on him as soon as he was alone, to surround him like a flood in a collapsed basement.

He shook the thought from his head. Gods, he could really, really do without the cold.

Was that actually a bruise on his neck?!

It hadn’t even been that hard. Really gentle, actually. Really romantic too, and had felt amazing...

Falst huffed and turned away from the window whose reflection had practically shouted that little detail at him from across the room, only becoming more obvious when he’d stopped to take a closer look.

Whatever. Falst got bruises all the time. This one… there was no reason to assume it had come from last night.

Even if was definitely in the exact same place, and he could almost still feel Dainix’s lips pressed against his skin...

Shut up, he told himself, just… just ignore it! Of course, he went about this by hyperfocusing on trying to pay no attention to the bruise. Which, obviously, didn’t work.

No way he could face Dainix while he was still such a mess. He didn’t like letting himself get flustered like this, but he didn’t know how to stop it. Especially when a part of him didn’t want to.

A distraction, that’s what he needed. And reading would be a good way to do that...

Unless Dainix was in the library. Which he probably would be.

Good thing Falst was so good at hiding.

Nope. Nope, this is worse.

Dainix was indeed in the library, and Falst couldn’t stop paying attention to him.

Falst gripped the open book in his hands, having reread the same several paragraphs over and over again because he just couldn’t get himself to really pay attention. Not when the guy he’d made out with last night was right there.

He was distracted, alright. In the exact opposite direction he came for. Godsdamnit.

Falst hissed quietly and pulled his hand away from the book, a tiny drop of blood marking the spot where his fingertip had brushed against the page’s edge.

Almost immediately afterward, he heard Dainix stand up from the desk. Falst held his breath, worried that Dainix had heard him, but watched as Dainix wrapped his arms around himself and left the room, shivering noticeably more than usual.

Which was probably fine and nothing to worry about.

He was probably just taking a break to warm himself up again. There was definitely no reason it should be any different this time.

I’m not going to follow him. That would be creepy and weird. And probably not the best impression to make after kissing him. Instead, he was going to use this opportunity to actually focus. Like he’d been trying to do since he got there. The reason he came to the library in the first place.

He told himself that multiple times. Even when Dainix didn’t return for a while. Midday passed and daylight changed and Dainix still hadn’t come back.

...

Oh screw it, he might as well go check to make sure he was okay.

Chapter Text

Dainix was an expert in many things, but for obvious reasons, that didn’t include dealing with the cold.

However, he was pretty sure it wasn’t supposed to feel like this.

Dainix found himself sitting so close to the fireplace he was practically inside it at that point, since nothing short of direct contact with the fire could give him any semblance of relief from the freeze. He kept his hands wrapped in the flames while his back shivered despite the blanket draped over himself, placed carefully so it didn’t burn to useless ashes.

Whatever was causing him to be so deprived of heat, Dainix needed to figure out what it was so he could take care of it. Preferably before he pulled a reverse-demon transformation and froze solid.

Even aside from the pain and discomfort that came from it, Dainix was getting increasingly worried about what the chill might do to him physically. Ignans really weren’t made to handle the cold, surrounded by fire and heat to the point where it was as natural to them as breathing. And like air, not having enough of it for too long could cause some serious problems. He wasn’t kidding when he mentioned being worried about getting sick from the cold.

The thought gave him pause, then he heavily pressed a hand to his face, the residual heat it still held from the fire giving a little bit more reprieve.

Damn it, he probably should’ve figured it out sooner. He knew it was possible, and he’d tried to be careful, but how was he supposed to tell the difference between it and regular cold if he was so unfamiliar with either?!

He needed to shift his focus from trying to prevent getting ill in the first place, to trying to avoid making it worse.

So this is what frost-sickness is like.

It’s awful.

Dainix sighed heavily, and stuck his hand back into the fire to ward off the chill that was already beginning to bite at his fingers again.

On the bright side, he knew frost-sickness was manageable so long as he dealt with it early. If he was careful, he should be able to heal well enough that it didn’t cause long-term damage. The biggest problem he needed to concern himself with was that while his own body heat was compromised, so was his immune system, so for the time being he’d have to take extra steps to not catch something else on top of it, since that almost guaranteed long-term health complications.

Other than that, he just needed to keep himself as warm as possible until he recovered and his natural body heat came back to where it was supposed to be at. Which, to be fair, he was already-

Dainix yelled in surprise and practically launched the blanket off of him. How it felt like the fabric made no difference when draped over him and yet taking it off made the cold even worse made no sense, but that was far from the front of his mind. The important part was that the blanket that now lay several feet away was flammable. So was all of the furniture in the room, probably.

Dainix shoved the rest of his forearms into the fireplace. The thing that had scared him was quickly overwhelmed by the active flame; and although he couldn’t see it anymore, Dainix felt the surface of his arms reconstitute themselves and the glowing cracks in his skin retreat.

He nearly sighed in relief, before feeling the same cracks in his skin appear on his back. No! At least this time it was beneath his wyrmsilk cloak, but if he let the inner fire grow it wouldn’t stay that way.

He felt more cracks manifest along his torso and legs, then saw a couple along his upper arms and the flame pattern along his skin begin to faintly glow.

Shit, he couldn’t let himself transform, not now!

If this was being caused by the cold, then he needed to warm up as fast as possible. Was there even a way to do that without the risk of burning everything down around him?

His mind raced as the fiery cracks spread.

Could he squeeze his way into the fireplace itself? Would it even fit him?

The pain in the place where his right eye used to be- likely set off by the cold- was getting worse while the fire inside of him became harder to keep at bay as his panic grew.

If he could even fit, would he be able to do so and still breathe? Would the attempt extinguish the wood fire that was his only hope? Was there any other option?

Dainix was snapped out of his spiral by the sound of something rolling on the floor toward him, immediately followed by the faint sense of heat coming from the same direction. He looked to the side to find on the floor next to him a small rock inscribed with runes in the First Language, glowing with a mild orange light.

Dainix immediately grabbed the lacrima with one hand and held it to his chest. Mild as it was, the elemental Fire within the stone and the heat it gave off was as much of a relief to Dainix as the fire in front of him.

“Looked in the kitchen for any that hadn’t lost their charge.” Falst- when did he get there?!- dropped a handful of small stones next to Dainix, which ranged from almost completely gray to having a recognizable, if small, orange glow coming from the center. “Try putting these in or by the fire. I’m not sure how fast or well they’d recharge, but it’s worth a shot.

“R-right,” Ignoring the feeling of déjà vu, Dainix did as Falst instructed without a second thought, motivated by the hope the lacrimas provided. “I... th-thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“But-”

“And if the cold’s that much of a problem, you should really keep the blanket.”

“N-no!” Dainix insisted. “I-I’m sorry. You should r-really keep your d-distance...”

“If you’re worried about setting it on fire, at least then it can provide an extra heat source for a bit, and I can go find more. And I’ll move anything else away.” As Falst was talking, Dainix felt the blanket he’d thrown off get draped over his back and shoulders, immediately followed by rustling and scraping noises behind him.

“N-no, Falst, I’m t-too dangerous to be around-”

“Yeah well, I’m used to that. Plus, I think it’s a safe bet to assume your demon-fire-thing is coming up because of the cold, right?”

“R-right-”

“Then it‘s in both of our best interests to take care of that. But if you’re really worried about loosing control while I’m here, then try to deal with it now, because I’ll be back.”

“Falst...” but, of course, Falst was gone before Dainix could say anything else.

When he returned several minutes later, Dainix had actually managed to calm himself down enough that he wasn’t in immediate danger of combusting into a fiery inferno and burning everything down around him. (The lacrima helped.)

“I’m assuming this isn’t normal.” Falst said as he dumped a pile of sheets onto the chair that he’d moved several meters away from Dainix.

“I d-don’t think so,” Dainix responded. “I th-think I c-caught frost-sickness.”

“That sounds bad.”

“It’s n-not serious if you’re c-careful. I should be f-fine in a couple days if all g-goes well. A-and it’s not c-contagious.”

Falst nodded. “Then it looks like it’s my turn. Remember that soup you made when I had that infection?”

“W-what... I mean, yeah?”

Falst walked over to where Dainix had stowed the pot he’d used to make the soup in question. “Then tell me how to make it.”

“What?”

“If you need to warm up, hot food will help. I can’t say it’ll be as good as how you made it, but it’s better than nothing.” Falst looked back at Dainix, and the room must’ve been much warmer than Dainix could feel because his face was flushed deep red. “Look, I... I’ve never had to take care of anyone like this before, so just, bear with me here and tell me if I’m doing it wrong, okay?”

“...Okay.”

Chapter Text

Falst definitely didn’t do as well with the soup as Dainix had, but in his defense it wasn’t like he got to practice his cooking skills... well, ever.

But it smelled good and looked edible, so hopefully it was good enough.

Falst had to work not to stare when Dainix took the first sip. He wasn’t sure why he cared so much, so long as it was edible and hot it should do the job just fine. Still, the look on Dainix’s face when he tasted it made Falst’s heart leap in his chest.

He’d do it a hundred times over if it meant making Dainix smile the way he was now.

Dainix definitely wasn’t shivering as much as he had been earlier, less like a scared cub and more like a usual reaction from the cold. Falst kept feeling like he had to stop him from eating the soup while it was still burning hot, as if the Ignan hadn’t just had most of his arms directly in the fire not ten minutes ago.

Dainix put down the now-empty bowl with a sigh of contentment, then looked back up at Falst with a gaze that could melt his heart.. “Thank you, Falst. That helped a lot.”

“Good to hear.” Falst bit his lip to keep himself from saying the next thing that came to his mind, then immediately regretted keeping it in. Instead, he grabbed a second blanket from the pile and moved to drape it over the first on Dainix’s back.

Do it, you coward!

“Is the demon-fire thing giving you any more trouble?” Falst finally asked.

Dainix didn’t respond at first, and for a moment Falst wondered if he’d even heard the question before he answered, “I... I don’t think so.”

“Good.” Before he could overthink it, Falst sat down right next to Dainix and gathered the covers so that they lay over both of them.

“What-”

“Body heat.” Falst insisted, wrapping one arm as best he could around Dainix’s broad shoulders. “You know. To help.” What am I doing. Why am I doing this. This is a terrible idea. If he had a dime for every time the heat served to camouflage his blush...

“Thanks.” Dainix said softly.

For the second night in a row, they remained sitting by the fireplace in comfortable silence for a long time. Falst soon noticed Dainix’s breathing had slowed down and he was leaning heavily on Falst’s side. It couldn’t be that late already, but Falst supposed sleep was always a good thing with any illness.

Gently, careful not to disturb him, Falst moved Dainix so that his head rested on Falst’s lap, which was certain to be more comfortable than his shoulder and better for a decent rest. Dainix still clutched the Fire lacrima to his chest like a child with a stuffed animal.

Guess learning about lacrimas came in handy after all. Granted, at least half of them were already placed in housings that had the inscriptions before he took them out, and all he had to do was copy them onto the stones themselves (rather than take the risk of the housings not being fireproof and loosing his reference), but at least now he knew that he could do it in a way that worked. Even though Dainix was fireproof and would be alright if something went wrong, Falst definitely was not and wasn’t a fan of the smell of burned hair or flesh. Much better this way. It definitely looked like it was helping.

After a few moments, Falst thought he’d started purring again before he realized he was humming. He did that sometimes when he was alone and certain no one could hear him, but in front of Dainix? Well, at least he was asleep.

It was always a tune Falst knew from his mother. The songs she sang to him before her final days forever burned into his mind. They were some of the few things he still remembered clearly about her. This time it was a lullaby she’d sing when he was having trouble sleeping.

Would his mom like Dainix, if she got to meet him?

The thought stopped his humming faster than a punch to the gut.

Did it matter? Why would he bother thinking about such a thing?

But... would she? If his mom were still alive, what would she think of Dainix?

She probably would...

Falst dismissed the idea. He only remembered so much. And it didn’t matter anymore. She was gone. Unless he decided to try learning necromancy or something like that, he would never know the answer, so it was pointless to consider. Falst firmly shoved the thought out of his head. (Then dismissed the even worse idea of what Dainix’s parents might think of Falst. That one was mentally buried so far down it might as well be placed in one of Stone’s hearts.)

“You okay?”

Falst would’ve leapt in shock if he didn’t have someone resting on him at the moment. Someone who, apparently, wasn’t as asleep as Falst had thought.

“I- I’m fine. Why?”

“Stopped humming,” Dainix said, his voice still a bit shaky from the chill, but still sounding a lot better than it had earlier, “wanted to make sure.”

And apparently he’d heard that. Great. Just great.

At least this time, it actually doesn’t mean anything. I’m not the one who’s sick-

Shut up!

“It’s nothing.” Falst insisted. “You feeling better?” It was a genuine question, that just so happened to double as a diversion from everything Falst didn’t want to talk about.

“Hm, yeah. Much.”

“Good.”

Dainix reached up and took one of Falst’s hands in his own, still warm from the heat of the lacrima. “I’m sorry. This isn’t the first impression I wanted to make after... well, you know.”

Damn it, sick or not, Falst was very tempted to smack him if he dared to make him blush any more. He thought about the bruise on his neck, and figured a matching one would- Wait, no, not like that- UGH!!

“Hey, with my luck, it could’ve been much worse.” was the first thing he could think of to say that didn’t seem fatally embarrassing. Seriously? My luck? He’s the one who’s sick! Gods, why did he let himself into a position of caring about how he talked to someone? Most of his lifetime was spent running from or fighting countless dangers that might’ve destroyed any normal person, but this might be what ended him.

“I guess.” Dainix smiled softly, “a friend of mine first kissed her crush while covered in sandwyrm blood.”

“Ha! How’d that go?”

“Pretty good, actually. Apparently she thought it was hot. They’ve been together since.”

“Good for them.” Falst laughed. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered how hot Dainix might look in that situation... SHUT UP!!

Yeah, he wasn’t going to last a day like this. But the only solution he could think of was... talking about it. That idea was scarier than getting caught in the middle of a fight between dragons. Though, if push came to shove, the two of them could probably survive that. That train of thought quickly led back to the mention of sandwyrm blood to kissing to the them making out last night. It really, really didn’t help that Dainix’s hair was still unreasonably soft, at least as smooth as it was when-

Why. The fuck. Was Falst. Running his fingers. Through Dainix’s hair. And how long had he been doing that?!

R.I.P. Falst. Cause of death: an unfairly attractive Ignan.

Chapter Text

Dainix dreamt of rock and fire and flowers. And Falst.

Falst was in front of him, so close Dainix thought he could feel his breath. He was smiling that rare, special smile he did in those moments when he actually let his guard down at least a tiny bit.

Their hands met in between them, holding up a glowing, bright orange stone in their palms that radiated heat around them like a shield. It was round, with cured lines carved to resemble petals that circled tightly around the center in a way that looked oddly familiar.

“It looks kind of like a rose,” Dainix mused, “you know, like the one that appeared when you were recovering.”

Falst smirked. “Poetic, since this one’s helping you recover.”

Dainix leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on Falst’s forehead. “It’s not just the lacrimas,” he whispered, “it’s also the one who made them work.”

“Try telling me that while you’re awake,” Falst said.

That part confused Dainix, but before he could ask, he was interrupted by something in his hands rapidly loosing heat. He looked down to see the stone rose’s glow flicker until the orange light became faint, then faded completely, leaving the stone gray and heatless.

The world turned cold around Dainix. Frost crept up to surround him, quickly growing thicker into actual ice, biting his skin as it stole the heat from his body.

Dainix darted forward, letting Falst wrap his arms around him for warmth-

“Dainix. Dainix, wake up. You need a new lacrima.”

Dainix’s eyes snapped open, and almost without thinking, reached one hand forward when he saw the fire in front of him. While his hand was embraced in the merciful relief of the flames, he felt something rough beneath his fingers that didn’t burn with the wood. As it turned out, the sudden cold did a lot to wake him up quickly, and he remembered the lacrimas Falst had given him, including the one he still held to his chest that had apparently been emptied of Fire. Dainix quickly grabbed one of the engraved stones that had been resting in the fireplace, which now glowed a steady, solid orange, and held it close like he had the other one.

“I would’ve replaced it for you and let you sleep- I almost did before remembering not to- but I’m not fire resistant.”

“That’s alright,” Dainix casually placed the previous lacrima into the fireplace with the rest to recharge, “Thank you.”

Falst tucked the end of the blanket from where the movement had displaced it, back over Dainix. “Feeling better?”

“I... I think so, yeah.”

“Good, because I’ve needed to move for a while now.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. Be right back.”

Dainix moved off of Falst, who wrapped the rest of the blanket around Dainix’s shoulders before leaving.

Dainix leaned forward to be close to the fire.

He’d been worried about what kind of impression getting sick right after the first kiss would make, but Falst didn’t seem to think of it like that, the way Dainix had worried he might. And then he quickly went to help and take care of him, which made Dainix feel so much better.

Huh, earlier Dainix had helped Falst when he was sick, now their roles were reversed. Before that, Falst had saved Dainix’s life, and later Dainix had saved Falst’s. So by that pattern, since Falst had asked to kiss him first, maybe it was Dainix’s turn to ask.

The thought caused the heat of his blush to cut through the frost-sickness. Well, it only made sense that he ask next. He’d wait until he wasn’t sick and could think more clearly, but soon. And, he wanted to talk with him about it. About them. About us.

Huh, maybe it was the sickness getting to him, but the thought made him feel almost giddy.

“I’m back.”

“Great.” Dainix opened his blanket and held out an arm, trying to ignore the momentary increase in cold as he did. “More cuddles, please?”

Falst laughed, and came over obligingly, ducking back under the blanket with Dainix and holding one arm around him as he rested his head against Falst’s chest.

“How’re you feeling?” Falst asked.

“Hm, still cold, but definitely much better than before. And it’s thanks to you.”

“What?”

“The lacrimas, blankets, food, and body heat.” Dainix elaborated. “I’m not sure how I would’ve handled it otherwise.” For all he knew, the cold might’ve brought out his demon form despite his efforts, and he doubted that would’ve gone well at all.

“Oh. Well, um... It’s like you said, right? It’s what- what friends do.”

Dainix smiled and hummed in affirmation. “It is.”

“We...” Falst faltered, and Dainix could tell it took a lot for him just to ask, “we are still friends... right?” He asked quietly.

Dainix adjusted his position just enough so he could hold Falst’s hand in his own. “Definitely.”

Even if neither of them really knew what else they were now, being friends was still more than enough for him. Even if the romantic part didn’t work for them, gods forbid, he couldn’t let that ruin what they had.

“Still, I’d like to kiss you again when I’ve recovered, if you want. Consider it a thank-you gift.” Dainix added with a bit of mischievousness. He could feel the resulting blush from both himself and Falst.

“Yeah,” Falst responded softly, “okay.”

Chapter Text

Dainix wrapped himself in the coat Falst had provided for him, a charged Fire lacrima tucked in a pocket close to his skin to keep him warm. He was still dealing with some mild effects of the frost-sickness, but he was mostly recovered by that point, which meant he was no longer stuck in bed rest (or floor rest, but thanks to a certain ferin it was at least as comfortable) and could actually move around to take care of his very stiff muscles, which would also help him regain some of that body heat he was steadily building back up.

Dainix took a deep breath, and the cold air didn’t sting nearly as much as it had before. Good. Still, he tucked the scarf over his mouth and nose just in case. He didn’t plan to be outside for long, but better safe than sorry, especially since he was technically still recovering.

Even having seen it before, the view of snow blanketing everything in sight was just as breathtaking. He could easily get lost out here, the snow almost rivaling the desert sands of his home in many ways.

Luckily, the subject of his outing was easy to find amidst the white and gray. Though every single plant in the area had gone dormant from the cold, one section of the old garden stood in defiant juxtaposition to its neighbors. Dainix had noticed it when he came out with Falst, though hadn’t really gotten a closer look at it. Now, he clearly saw the bed of wild roses apparently thriving, possibly more so than before. The place where they grew wasn’t coated in snow like the rest of the grounds, the only hint of the weather being small, white dusting that accented the petals and leaves, like the snow itself knew better than to interrupt their growth. The flowers themselves were brightly colored, the petals making a kaleidoscope of color in a wide variety that Dainix didn’t know such plants could produce naturally.

Was this normal for roses? Did they usually flourish in such cold weather? It was the only reasonable explanation he could think of at the moment.

Dainix reached out with a gloved hand, and carefully plucked a bright orange flower by its stem.

Falst was not blushing. It was just warm in the room. It made sense for it to be warm. Dainix was right here and using the lacrimas to help keep himself warm. It just made sense.

I can’t keep using the heat to excuse blushing. It’s getting too predicable.

It didn’t help that Falst kept rubbing petals between his fingers. They were unfairly soft. Dainix had even gone to the effort of removing all the thorns from the stem.

Damn it, Dainix! How am I supposed to keep my composure with you pulling shit like this?

“It’s a callback, of sorts.” Dainix had said. “Since we got one when you recovered. Consider it a form of thanks.”

Too sweet. Too romantic. Falst... had no clue how to respond.

Worse, Dainix didn’t mind! He said Falst could take all the time he needed, and they could talk about, well, everything, whenever he was ready.

Gods. Fucking. Damnit! He could as least stop making Falst want to kiss him every two seconds.

“You alright?” Dainix asked.

Falst was snapped back to the present, where he and Dainix were sitting at that familiar table in the library now that Dainix was finally able to continue researching, and Falst had an open book in front of him that he’d made no progress on in a while because he’d been starting at that damn rose.

“I’m fine!” He insisted quickly. Not blushing not blushing not- oh fuck it all.

Dainix looked down at the rose in Falst’s hand and smiled sympathetically. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to throw you off like that.”

“No, it’s not- it’s fine, I- shutupI’mreading!”

Falst immediately put the rose down on the table and held the book up to his face to hide his expression.

Dainix did feel a little bad for apparently throwing Falst off balance so much. At the same time though, he could only feel so bad about it considering Falst was extremely adorable when flustered.

Chapter Text

Dainix wasn’t sure who initiated the kiss. Obviously one of them must’ve, but the details didn’t really seem important.

Dainix stood in front of Falst, who now sat down on the desk, having moved aside the books to make room. Falst held his hands at the side of Dainix’s face, while Dainix had his arms wrapped around Falst’s torso, hands on his back as the muscles in Falst’s shoulders pressed against his palms. Falst was purring again, and he fit so perfectly in the embrace. Dainix wanted to never let go, to hold him in his arms like that for all time, to make him purr as often as possible.

Falst’s tail wrapped around Dainix’s waist as if to pull him closer, and Dainix complied, leaning further forward. While readjusting their balance, Falst put a hand down to the table behind him.

Then Falst gasped, pulling away from the kiss so suddenly that for a moment Dainix thought he’d fallen down.

“What-”

“Fire! Sleeve!” Falst had brought his arm up and started blowing on the end of his sleeve, which had indeed caught fire.

Thinking quickly, Dainix grabbed Falst’s arm and pressed a hand over the flame before it could spread, quickly smothering the fire.

Falst let out a sigh of relief, “thanks.”

“No problem.” Dainix let go to let the heat dissipate, and noticed something had come off on his palm: quickly identifying it as candle wax. Sure enough, when he looked at the desk, Falst had drifted a little to close to the taper candle that helped light the room as the sun began to set.

Dainix quickly moved the candle away so they were at significantly less risk of bumping into it. Now to help Falst-

Shit, he didn’t know what to do for burns! He’d never needed to! Would water help? Ice? Would ice be too much? There was probably some kind of medicine to apply but Dainix didn’t know what it would be much less have any on hand.

Dainix carefully took Falst’s arm in his hands and inspected the burned area, brushing aside the ashy sleeve to get a better look. The skin didn’t look particularly damaged- maybe a little more pink- it was mostly the hair on his arm that had been affected, but Dainix really didn’t know what made a mild or serious burn.

“How do we-”

“You really don’t need to worry about it.” Falst interrupted, pulling his arm away. “It’s not that bad, and it’ll heal up quickly.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’ve had much worse that didn’t even scar. This won’t last a day.”

“Okay,” Dainix still took a mental note to learn how to treat burns, just in case. “Did you at least enjoy it before the candle so rudely interrupted us?”

That got a laugh out of Falst. “Yeah,” he admitted, “You’re good at that. Have you done this before?” He paused. “Wait, have you?”

“A couple times,” Dainix admitted, “But we decided it wasn’t working for us after a couple sefs and broke up on good terms.”

“Lucky me.” Falst whispered.

Dainix laughed. “Yeah.”

Falst leaned forward and pressed his head against Dainix’s chest, placing one of his hands in Dainix’s, weaving their fingers together. “What are we?” he asked quietly.

Dainix squeezed Falst’s hand and leaned against him in turn. “I was thinking boyfriends, if you’d like that.”

Falst hummed in consideration. “Sounds good to me.”

Chapter Text

Technically, the book never actually said the word “demon”. But since it was a translation of a book actually written in the Rauan language, Falst knew he couldn't think of that as foolproof. What it did tell, was suspiciously similar to the legends Dainix had shared about what his people knew of demons.

So, Falst grabbed the original tome and handed it to Dainix. And by the look on Dainix’s face as he read it, it was the right choice.

This time Falst didn’t even make an effort to not stare, or act like he wasn’t. He doubted Dainix would even notice anyway. It was beautiful, the way his eyes lit up every time he came across something familiar, and now that light reminded Falst of a strong flame. Every once in a while Dainix would nod or hum, but aside from his eye moving as he read, the view looked almost like a painting, the sun coming through the window perfectly illuminating him in a golden glow that framed him so beautifully it almost had to be intentional.

When he got to the end of the tome, Dainix flipped a few pages back and ran over some of the words with his finger as if looking for something specific.

“Find anything?” Falst asked.

“Probably. There’s some important theories I’ll keep in mind, but mostly it recommends something that is apparently written by a past demon!”

“Wait, really?!” Falst didn’t think he’d ever seen Dainix so excited or hopeful before.

“Yeah! Here, A Treatise On Soulfire. Does that ring any bells?”

“Hm, I don’t think so? But I have an idea where to look first.”

Now that they were looking for a specific title, their search throughout the shelves of the library went much faster than they ever had in the past. Still, it took them until almost nightfall as they combed through every shelf in the library, twice, and searched every nook and cranny for anything that might have fallen out of place. Falst even dashed off to a couple of the disused offices and bedrooms at one point to see if there was anything taken out there.

“I might have to look elsewhere,” Dainix mused, “If I could find someone who’s read it, or even has an idea of where I could find-”

“Oh!” Falst snapped his fingers as the realization hit him. “The mirror!”

The two of them rushed to the study where the lacrima-framed hand mirror was, still next to the pile of research and experimental notes that accompanied it.

“We just need a name, right?” Dainix confirmed as he picked up the mirror, “so a title should work?”

“I don’t see why not.” Falst agreed. “Not sure if it’ll be as effective without the Wind soul thing, though. Maybe add the author’s name with it.”

Dainix nodded, “Good idea.” He held the mirror up and took a deep breath.

This better work! Or I got him all excited and hopeful for nothing. No fucking way am I gonna let this slip away from us, even if I have to scour the whole world for it!

Huh, Falst still wasn’t used to feeling so strongly about anyone. This whole thing was still so strange and new to him, and it had been so long since he’d felt any kind of love he’d kind of forgotten what it felt like.

Maybe that’s why it scared him so much.

“Show me A Treatise On Soulfire,” Dainix said aloud, immediately followed by naming the treatise’s author.

For a moment, nothing changed in the glass surface, only Dainix’s reflection staring back. His expression changed to one of anxiety.

Then that reflection shifted, the colors swirling and merging in the middle, just to part to reveal a new image, one that didn’t reflect the view in front of it, but the image of a small, leather-bound book on a wooden shelf.

“Yes!” Dainix said excitedly.

It took some futzing around with the verbal commands and several minutes, but eventually they were able to get the mirror to show them a wider view of where they could find the treatise. First, they figured out its place in a large yet humble building in a mountainous region. Then further to reveal where it was on a continent, whose shape soon became recognizable.

“Helm, huh?” Falst crossed his arms. “An entire ocean away and in the middle of a mountain-y wasteland. Not exactly the most accessible place.”

Dainix’s expression took Falst a moment to decipher what it meant: it was one of determination. “Neither is the Rauan Desert, for most.” He gave a nervous smile, “Guess I’ll have to figure out how to get passage there.”

Falst gave him a playful nudge. “You’ll finally be out of this dingy castle then, huh?”

“Yeah.”

Wait. Shit. Dainix was going to leave.

“Thank you.”

“Huh- for what?”

“For helping me. I don’t know if I’d have been able to find this without you.”

“Oh.” Falst’s face heated up. “It’s- don’t worry about it.”

Dainix was leaving. Going off to find out how to manage this thing about himself. Falst knew it was gong to happen eventually, that was the goal after all. He just... hadn’t really thought that far ahead. It had been forever since Falst had been able to focus on literally any goal other than surviving the next day. Find his next meal. Figure out somewhere relatively safe to sleep. Stay close enough to a decent enough water source. Survive. He’d never had the space for anything else... until now.

What would he do now? He couldn’t stay at the castle, especially with Dainix gone, then the villagers would figure it out soon enough and eventually get bold enough to come after him again. Not that could‘ve stayed very long anyway. Where would he go... he had someone he cared for now. Life without him seemed even more bleak then ever before, and that was saying something given what he’d been thorough. He... he might never even see Dainix again...

“Would you come with me?” Dainix asked.

Falst’s breath caught. “What?”

“To Helm. I know it’s a big ask, and you don’t have to, but, I’d like to go with you.”

Falst’s world may as well have turned upside down. Though it had already turned upside down when Dainix came into it, so by that logic would it mean it was righted back up?

Eh, that was sappy nonsense. Falst knew what he wanted the next step to be.

“It’s not like I have anything to stay here for. Plus, I might as well finish helping you with your search. It’s only fair.” Falst smirked. “And it’ll be helpful to have someone with experience surviving outside of the desert.”

“Yes!” Dainix reached forward to give Falst a hug.

Falst returned it, reveling in the warmth and the feeling of Dainix’s arms around him. “But if you’re too annoying of a travel companion, I’ll disappear into those mountains faster than you can blink.”

“Ha! I’ll do my best.”

Chapter Text

“Alright, you ready?”

Falst smiles, and leaps down from the rafters, landing beside Dainix- his boyfriend, that’s gonna take some getting use to. “Are you?”

Dainix nods, a wide smile on his face. Just by knowing what to look for next, he’s already that much closer to learning what he needs to about himself. To being able to return home.

“Then what are we waiting for?” Falst opens one of the doors of the castle’s entrance. “After you.”

“Falst,” Dainix reaches forward to hold Falst’s hand.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you, so much.” Dainix tells him. “For helping me find what I need, and for coming with me.” His eye shines with gratitude and excitement. “I’m so glad I met you.”

Falst smirks and pulls Dainix forward through the entrance. “Don’t get too sappy on me. We still have answers to find.”

Dainix nods. “Let’s go.”

They step beyond the stone walls, and soon beyond the overgrown grounds of somewhere that now had a new story to call its own. They walk side-by-side, and hand-in-hand. Together.

From the thriving wild rose bed in the castle grounds, one has a clear view of the path leading in and out of the castle. A good vantage point to watch a certain couple leaving.

An old woman caresses the petals of a yellow rose with the hand that wasn’t holding on to a cane, that when not caked in mud looks an awful lot like the thorny stems she stands beside. “I will miss having company,” she speaks to the roses like they’re her oldest friends, “but I suppose this was bound to happen eventually.” She nods as Dainix and Falst fade from view. “Take care, you two.”

In the blink of an eye, she vanishes without a trace. And no one stands anywhere on the grounds of the ancient castle.