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Toonka arrived at Cale’s home with his usual level of grace.
Which was none.
He crashed into the doors, slamming them open with enough force that the walls rattled. One potted plant near the door wobbled dangerously and even some plates a few rooms over could be heard clicking together. A distant crash announced Toonka’s arrival in multiple parts of the manor.
Toonka didn’t mind any of that. Cheerfully walking straight ahead – not even closing the doors – and shouting loudly, “My friend, I have come to visit you!”
He naturally meant Cale and also naturally, he summoned about everyone but Cale.
Unfortunately, Ron was the one who appeared. His face carried a gentle smile, seemingly indulgently staring at Toonka while one of his hands experimentally touched a pocket in his uniform where his knives normally rested.
“You aren’t my friend.”
Toonka frowned at Ron, getting ready to shout again. Ron interrupted him, stalking forward with purposeful steps and murder in his eyes.
“The Young Master is currently away on business.”
Ron’s tone of voice couldn’t have been drier. His face still showed a gentle smile even though the glint in his eyes was anything but gentle. The butler, after noticing that Toonka didn’t turn around to leave, gestured toward a nearby table with comfortable couches.
“It will take a while, you may make yourself comfortable till the Young Master returns or leave.”
The ‘leave’ part was emphasized, making Ron’s stance clear.
Ron left before Toonka could open his mouth. Not having anything else to do, Toonka shrugged and threw himself onto the surprisingly comfortable couch. Now that he thought about it, Cale always has comfortable furniture.
His friend was really great.
Leaning back on the couch, Toonka stared at the ceiling. His hands were spread out over the backrest, using practically the whole, large couch as a chair. His huge body fit comfortably across the furniture, something Toonka didn’t take for granted.
His height wasn’t that extreme, with many beast people towering over his almost two meters. Rather, his muscle mass took up a lot of space. Flexing his arm muscles, Toonka suddenly had the thought that Cale’s waist was probably smaller than his arm.
Mystified, he touched his arm with his other hand, using his fingers to try and grip the whole appendix. Obviously, he couldn’t but his thoughts wandered to Cale. His friend was really puny with no muscles and even a gust of wind could topple him over.
Yet his strength was not something Toonka would ever doubt again.
Cale was different to him. He walked with elegance that made all those annoying nobles look like cockroaches and his smiles were soft, missing the average amount of shown teeth Toonka’s people would use to grin.
His clothes were well-cared for and not a strand of hair was out of place. Looking down at himself, Toonka grimaced when he noticed a large dirty spot on his shirt. He forgot to change his clothes, and he was far too excited to visit Cale after his morning spar with Pelia.
Not wanting to stare at his clothes any longer, Toonka’s eyes wandered.
Even though this was the guest area near the entrance hall, Toonka could easily spot personal touches from the inhabitants of the place. Papers littered a table in the corner, making Toonka’s head swirl at the thousands of tiny words. In another corner, a stuffed rabbit toy was placed in a chair.
Looking further, Toonka spotted some wooden swords, no doubt meant for practice. Not having anything to stave off his boredom, he walked toward the swords, wanting to take a few practice swings.
A small bottle caught his eyes. Frowning, Toonka walked over, lifting the clear bottle to his face.
He only noticed it because the shimmering liquid inside resembled Cale’s hair perfectly. A deep, blood-like consistency accompanied by the red shimmer of a warm fire.
His hands moved before his mind processed the color fully. Far too focused on the swirling liquid, Toonka missed a tiny note that was attached to the bottom. His forceful lifting detached the paper and it fell behind a potted plant. Rosalyn’s handwriting spelled out, “Don’t drink. Experimental potion. Untested.”
Toonka opened the lid. The smell of wine hit his nose. He blinked down, thinking the was just wine, and took another sniff. This time, the smell of ambers, a chaotic but warm fire that burned merrily everything in its way, hit him.
Was this a potion?
He experimentally shook the bottle.
Hm.
Looking left and right, Toonka shrugged and downed the whole bottle in one go. A funny taste spread over his tongue. He couldn’t quite place it since sour met sweet, both battling for dominance.
If he had to give it a name, he would say Cale.
The sour part resembled the permanent smell of lemons Cale always carried with him, while the sweet part tasted exactly like the delicious apple pies the little dragon gave out whenever someone was in a bad mood or looked hungry.
Feeling fine, Toonka soon forgot about the potion. He grabbed a nearby wooden sword and started swinging.
Meanwhile, a few stories below, Cale finally arrived back home. With him were Rosalyn and Eruhaben. Ron greeted them with a tight smile, making Cale quite alarmed. The butler held out a glass of freshly squeezed lemonade, giving Cale the ick by just looking at it.
Rosalyn smiled wryly.
“I will leave since I am still busy with the new potion.”
Eruhaben accompanied her, leaving Cale alone to the mercy of Ron, who was still smiling benignly. Even Raon left with his siblings, wanting to surprise Beacrox in the kitchen. Cale sipped the lemonade, doing his best to not flinch at the sour taste.
“You have a visitor,” Ron informed him at the worst timing, making Cale choke on a gulp of the lemonade he took. Coughing softly, Cale waved at him to continue, wanting nothing more than to give Ron the stink eye.
It couldn’t be Alberu since Cale just came back from visiting him. Was it Bud? He hadn’t heard of him for a while now, but he should be alive. Probably. Clopeh would send over a dozen missives before randomly appearing, so Cale assumed he was still safe from the lunatic. This month, at least.
“Your friend,” Ron stated cheerfully and Cale immediately knew who he was talking about, speaking his guess out aloud, “Toonka.”
Cale hummed thoughtfully, emptying the glass along the way.
Toonka kept on visiting multiple times a month. At first, it was all, “Harol said” “I was told to come” “Harol gave me papers for you” but soon, Toonka came whenever he had time, which was a lot since the Whipper Kingdom wasn’t at war anymore and its whole focus was on rebuilding, something Toonka had no proficiency in.
Cale minded it at first.
His peaceful evenings were interrupted by boisterous laughter and simple discussions, making his eyes water, yet as time went by, Cale started anticipating Toonka’s visits. The way the burly man described simple things was fun to listen to. He would find joy and amusement in a random peddle on the side of the road.
The kids loved his visits as well, always eager to listen to new tales the barbarian brought with him. He was also surprisingly patient once the kids started recounting their days. Toonka would clap and praise without holding back.
“Bring him to my tea room,” Cale requested.
He started walking ahead once Ron affirmed his orders. Cale wondered what tale Toonka would tell him this time. Unknown to Cale, a soft smile formed on his face.
The comfortable silence was interrupted by loud laughter. Toonka was heard before he was seen. Working hard to keep his face neutral, Cale stared at the door, witnessing it slamming open and Toonka walking in with confidence.
Toonka’s eyes fell on Cale.
“You are as pretty as always!”
His compliment was met with a nod from Cale, who was used to random comments from Toonka. ‘Pretty’ was in the same category as ‘weak’ and ‘puny’ for Toonka, so Cale took it as a compliment since he was proudly all above.
Ron was the only one who found the interaction weird. His eyebrow rose dangerously as he closed the door to fetch a new batch of drinks for them.
“How was your day?” Cale asked, grabbing a cookie in the process and happily munching on it.
Toonka beamed at him. He looked left and right before deciding to sit down on the same couch, Cale was lounging on. This not being the first time Toonka invaded his personal space, Cale just shifted more to the side, allowing Toonka to flop onto the couch.
Their arms touched with not much empty space between them. When Toonka talked, he would turn his body and face, giving Cale his whole attention. Cale in return would do something similar, while his body remained slouched on a pillow, he would turn his head and stare at Toonka before replying.
The missing personal space between them wasn’t noticed by them.
“It was rather boring. I sparred, I ate, and I saw someone that looked a bit like you only far less pretty. He had red hair but it was orange. When he called himself a redhead, I corrected him. We then fought. I won.”
The last sentence was followed by an expectant glint, asking Cale for praise. Cale tugged on a stand of his hair, agreeing that in a fantasy world like theirs, red hair was red and not orange.
“Good job,” he praised partially honest.
Toonka continued sharing his story.
“He wasn’t just ugly compared to you but also really bad at speaking. Some noble, he called himself, yet he couldn’t beat me in a verbal spar. Pathetic. You are so much better in every aspect.”
Toonka continued praising Cale, not noticing that Ron arrived with a tray. The elder butler had a dangerous look in his eyes. His fingers twitched slightly as he placed the tray on the table.
Meanwhile, Cale was impressed that Toonka knew the word ‘aspect’.
“You are having fun,” Ron stated, not even asking.
Toonka nodded.
“Of course, my friend is the best!”
Ron hummed.
“Is that so?”
Alarm bells were ringing in Cale’s head. Abort mission. Abort mission. He motioned to Toonka with his eyes to stop talking, which naturally failed. Boisterously, Toonka continued his telling, not paying Ron any mind as his brown eyes were locked onto Cale.
Rosalyn was hurriedly walking through the manor.
She left the experimental potion in one of the guest rooms. It was stupid but she had no other choice since a spontaneous meeting needed her attention more. The note under the potion should have stopped people from drinking it, yet when she located the bottle, it was empty.
She bit her lips anxiously.
Passing Cale’s room, Rosalyn decided to inform Cale of what happened. She knew he had a guest, his identity had been quickly revealed after his laughter shook the fundament of the villa. Only one person was so loud.
A thought hit her.
Knocking politely, Rosalyn entered Cale’s tea room with a shrewd look on her face.
Both individuals were seated on the same couch, gaining a raised brow from her before she focused her attention on Ron. The butler nodded, although she found the way he looked at the duo to be weird. Was this a hint of killing intent she was detecting?
Ron took her arrival as a sign of the gods and interrupted Cale and Toonka’s conversation.
“It is getting late. Young Master, the children want to have dinner with you.” Upon seeing Toonka opening his mouth, Ron added, “Alone.”
Making a face, Toonka decided to leave. The sun in the sky had vanished a while ago, making his way back in the dark annoying. Requesting teleportation, Toonka soon left with Ron while Rosalyn eyed the leaving Toonka critically.
“Is there something you need?” Cale asked her curiously.
Furiously nodding, Rosalyn explained.
“I think Toonka drank an experimental potion! I created it a while ago but had no time to test it yet. Side effects or if it is working as I intended, I have no idea,” she admitted, throwing another glance at the closed door.
Cale was also slightly alarmed.
“What does it do?”
“It’s a love potion.”
Cale blinked.
Rosalyn smiled hesitantly.
Cale blinked again.
“A love potion?” he repeated, just to make sure he heard it right.
Rosalyn nodded.
“Yes, a love potion. Although it shouldn’t create love but rather give the person a hint as to what their greatest love may be. Smell, taste, and color should resemble their love. While the potion is working it should also motivate them to seek out their love.”
Cale tapped the armrest with his fingers, recalling the interaction they had. He didn’t notice anything amiss with Toonka.
“Are you sure he drank it?” he asked.
“Toonka displayed no strange actions nor did he seem hurried to go anywhere. He was his normal self. He was here for hours and didn’t try to leave, nor did he talk about anything or anyone other than his normal conversations.”
Rosalyn was stumped. No strange actions? Did he really not drink it?
“Maybe he didn’t drink it,” she said, sighing in relief. “But who drank it then?”
Cale stood up.
“We can ask the kids. Eventually, they toppled it over into the plants nearby or drank it themselves. Is it harmful?” He asked with concern.
Rosalyn stepped next to him, shaking her head negatively.
“I used safe ingredients. There is no chance of poisoning or long-term effects. The effects should also last just a few hours.”
Cale stopped, thinking once again about his and Toonka’s interactions. Toonka had been with Cale for over four hours, giving the potion enough time to stop working. Cale didn’t notice any change in the man, affirming his guess that Toonka never drank the potion.
He shared the info with Rosalyn, who came to the same conclusion. They spent the rest of the late evening till dinner talking with the residents, finding no culprit.
Meanwhile, Toonka arrived home and immediately talked Harol’s’ ear off about Cale. The chief didn’t notice anything amiss with Toonka as well since their commander would always talk about Cale here and Cale there.
A few days later , Toonka once again came back from visiting Cale.
His excitement was almost bubbling over as he tripped over his words, trying to describe his day to Harol, who did his best to look interested even though he had no motivation nor time to listen to Toonka.
Amid another grand re-telling of how Cale’s hair resembled freshly shed blood, Harol felt the thin stand of sanity he had left snap. His eye twitched dangerously, with Toonka none the wiser.
“-and Cale said I was smart for recognizing the enemies! He praised me, you know?!”
Toonka was so excited that he started shouting loud enough that the silencing wards surrounding the room they were in probably failed to block his voice completely.
“Is that so?” Harol said, utterly uninterested.
Toonka nodded happily. His fuzzy mane of hair spilled over his shoulders, making his already fearsome face a lot scarier. The candlelight highlighted his scars in a weird light.
Harol had to seriously think for a second.
“Cale called me a puppy! My friend is always so nice.”
Doing a spit take with only air, Harol deadpanned at Toonka. Him? A puppy? The Young Master has weird aesthetics.
Toonka was many things, yet Harol wouldn’t call him conventionally attractive. He had scared off more women and men combined than Sir Clopeh Sekka, although with him the casing is pretty enough to somewhat hide the lunatic below.
“Just marry him then,” Harol pointed out, his nerves and patience thoroughly fried by Toonka’s babbling.
It took him a minute to realize that Toonka had quieted down. Looking up from his reports, a weirded out Toonka started at him with a tilted head. The wild look in his eyes made Harol frown.
“Marry? Why would I marry him?”
Toonka sounded honestly confused, confusing Harol in the process.
“Because you like him?” He asked, sarcastically.
“Of course, I do! He is my friend!”
Harol slapped his hand across his aching face, hiding his eyes behind his fingers and looking skyward in hopes the gods would show mercy on his poor self.
“I am also your friend,” he started only to be interrupted by Toonka.
“And I also like you!”
Harol held up his hand, signaling Toonka to shut the fuck up.
“But do you like me like you do with the young master?”
Toonka thought long and hard.
“No,” he said after a while. Harol was close to tears.
He finally got it!
“But that’s because you are less pretty than him and you don’t give me tasty pies to eat.”
Toonka then went off again about how awesome Cale was while Harol fumed angrily. Of course, he was less pretty than Cale fucking Henituse. Nobody, even dragons at this point, could match him.
“- Cale has this funny habit of blinking when he is confused. Did you know his eyelashes are really long? I like how –“
Harol sighed.
Even the gods had abandoned him.
Toonka loved fall.
He hadn’t cared for seasons before, only living for battles and those happened no matter the season.
His likes and dislikes started changing after the fateful day he met Cale. Whirlpools give him fond memories while the color red always makes him giddy. That was also the reason why he enjoyed the fall season so much.
Red, more red, and even more pretty red. Green leaves turn a startling red and Toonka enjoyed every second of it. Walking through forests and seeing them slowly being swallowed by brown and red reminded him of the Battle at Maple Castle, where Cale dyed the ground red with his fire.
Red started to catch his eye wherever he went.
He grabbed all the red items that could be carried.
(And those that couldn’t be picked or were too large, well, Toonka pushed and pulled long enough to make them pickable.)
As a result, his room started being a bit clustered.
The place where his wardrobe previously stood, free from items, was now filled to the brim with hundreds of items. A red necklace, a gown the color of wine, some small, dark red pebbles, and a large cup adorned with red gems. Even empty wine bottles couldn’t escape his new habit. Safely snuggled between expensive items, they would look more out of place than the red diamond-encrusted chandelier that rested near the wall.
Toonka obviously knew he had an issue.
How could he not when the reason was directly in front of him?
He needed a bigger room.
Pelia, his left hand and resident spear user, walked by with her laundry. She almost tripped over a pile of auburn pebbles, placed by Toonka in the hallway because he had to rearrange his room a bit. Cursing and cussing, she did her best to regain her balance and not throw her basket filled with clean clothes onto the dirty floor.
With the superior control of her body and even better emotional control, she asked Toonka through gritted teeth why he was causing a mess in the hallway.
Toonka just snorted in her direction, standing with crossed arms before a large problem. Should he clean out his wardrobe as well to make room for more of his stuff? Annoyed by his actions, Pelia set down the basket in a safe distance and a relatively clean patch of floor, she stalked over.
Her ponytail was fluttering dangerously, normally a clear sign to Toonka that soon her fists would move in rhythm. However, since he was busy eying his pile of treasures, he didn’t see the fist coming, only felt the impact on his cheek as his whole body folded to the side.
Falling straight into his bed, which was covered in red shirts, trousers, and some really gaudy ball gowns, his descent was without harm to his treasures.
“The fuck is your problem?” Pelia snarled, waving her other fist threateningly.
Toonka, not minding the slowly spreading redness on his cheek, just looked at her in confusion.
“What?” He asked.
Pelia stepped closer. Her shaking hand was pointing angrily at the cluttered hallway before shifting its destination to his messy room.
“What is all of this?”
Toonka shrugged.
“Some treasures I picked up.”
Pelia scoffed. She walked over to a random pile and pulled out an empty wine bottle. Shaking it mockingly, she repeated doubtfully, “A treasure? This?”
Upon closer inspection, she realized Toonka took the time to clean each and every item. The bottle was spotless with no liquid left to taint the reddish glass. Not believing her eyes, she rummaged through the pile, dragging out various items, each polished to perfection.
“What the fuck?” She gasped. “You really see all that trash as treasures?”
Toonka frowned at her as he got up from the bed. A red handkerchief was stuck in his hair, not that he noticed as he was busy glaring at Pelia before a weird expression overtook his face.
“Trash is also nice. Calling someone or something trash means they have good qualities,” he lectured her honestly.
Pelia stared at him with an open mouth.
“What do you mean trash- Ah, that’s it?! Are you doing all of that because of Young Master Cale?”
Toonka was suddenly quite flustered. He did pick up most of the items because they reminded him of Cale, his best friend. The way Pelia worded it sat wrong with him. He wasn’t doing this purely because of Cale, Toonka just liked how the items looked or smelled.
Pelia pointed a finger at him. No words left her for a while as she couldn’t grasp the situation and Toonka’s clueless look didn’t help.
He wasn’t that oblivious, right?
No, wait.
It’s Toonka, so of course, he was that stup- eh, oblivious.
Facepalming hard enough to feel a headache forming, Pelia just grabbed her clothes basket and went on her way. She wasn’t getting paid enough for this shit.
Toonka just went back to sorting his piles, later on dreaming about wine-colored eyes and glittering red hair.
Toonka’s next adventure far from his home sadly didn’t involve visiting Cale, instead, he had to travel to the remote Whale Village, which sat on top of a moving glacier.
Not only did Harol hand him a map that had probably been outdated for twenty years, but with the village moving around in the ocean, finding it was more luck than skill. Which was fine, since Toonka didn’t need skill.
His job was important. Really important. Harol gave him a sealed document that he should hand Witira as soon as possible. The seal was a red ribbon, which could be easily broken, forcing Toonka to be even more careful.
A nearby mage took pity on him and used magic to waterproof the document.
Toonka crossed various waters, steering a tiny boat by himself. He met some penguin beastmen a while ago. Unfortunately, before he could ask them about the village, they would all dive into the water, squawking loudly in alarm.
One crashed into his fellow tribe member, resulting in a penguin avalanche.
Toonka eyed the fleeing beastmen with extreme prejudice. Not having any other idea, he steered his tiny boat in the general direction where they fled.
By some miracle, he found the drifting glacier with a snow and ice village above before he froze to death. Toonka even spotted the previously fleeing penguin beastmen, cowing behind a white-haired whale beastman that looked vaguely familiar.
Not that it mattered much to Toonka, he just wanted to hand Witira the document and be on his way to Cale.
Practically tasting the delicious cookies the little lizard would offer him, saliva gathered in his mouth and his stomach rumbled in agreement. Toonka was getting impatient and since he still couldn’t spot Witira, his mood went down even further.
Blue hair caught his eyes as he climbed the glacier, getting thoroughly drenched in the cold seawater. Some penguins threw ice and snow at him, attempting to keep him away while the white-haired whale nearby just stared down at him. The desire to fight him arose, especially since Toonka somewhat recognized him.
But Toonka was a man with a mission.
Heaving himself over the edge, he officially reached the whale village. A snowball hit his face, not that Toonka minded, he was already drenched and the soft snow didn’t hurt.
“Oi, blue hair!” He called out, hoping the person would stop.
Toonka ran after the whale, almost slipping on some ice on the way. Fortunately, his shout had been heard, unfortunately, the person in question was Paseton and not Witira.
“Where is the other blue hair?” Toonka asked gruffly.
Paseton blinked at him, confused.
“Sorry?”
“Blue hair. Whale lady. Smacked me good with a whip. Cale watched?” Toonka summarized what he remembered of her. He added a confident, “I wanna fight her again, but not today!”
With a raised brow yet the wise decision of not wanting to know, Paseton answered, “Sister should be home soon. She left for a short errand.”
Just as he finished relaying her whereabouts, luminous blue hair glittered in the ocean. With an elegant leap, Witira jumped out of the ocean and up onto the glacier. A feat normally deemed impossible yet it was easy for the whale heiress.
Toonka walked up to her, shoving the piece of paper into her face. Witira took it with grace, opening the seal with an easy flourish. She read the message and as she got further down the note, a grin formed on her face. Smoothing it down to a bearable level, she coughed to clear her throat.
“Thank you for delivering the note. I will let Chief Harol know that you did your job.”
Her lips kept twitching as she solemnly spoke to Toonka, who naturally didn’t get her amusement.
The note in question was a simple plea to the Whale Tribe to allow him entry. There was no special message except Harol mentioning that Toonka had been annoying him so he sent him off to the most remote and hard-to-reach place he could think of that wouldn’t end in war with other countries.
Having said her thanks, Witira turned to Paseton.
“I will visit Young Master Cale in a bit. Do you wish to join?”
Before Paseton could answer, Toonka was in her face.
“Why would you visit him?” He asked, his voice slightly angry even though he knew Cale had many visitors.
Something just sat wrong with the way she smiled after mentioning Cale’s name and the familiar drawl she used to pronounce ‘Cale’. She made his name sound elegant, unlike Toonka who shouts it most of the time with a gruff pronunciation.
Witira raised a brow.
“Why wouldn’t I? We are friends and it has been a while since we sat down with some tea.”
Toonka frowned, resolutely rejecting her words.
“I will visit Cale later. He has no time for you.”
Instead of being shocked, Witira laughed. She threw her head back and laughed loudly, attracting a lot of attention. Even Archie, who so far had kept his distance and acted as a human shield for the penguins, walked slowly over, his interest caught in the strange way Witira acted.
“You think so?” She asked amused before continuing, “But how will you reach him, I wonder. Our mages will teleport us directly to him while you will have to travel back by boat and across land. I am sure the Young Master will be happy to enjoy our presence while you do your best to not drown.”
She goaded him.
Of course, there was no actual bite in her words. Witira had known for a while now about Toonka and Cale’s situation. Their interest in each other was so obvious even Archie had noticed it, which said a lot.
Cale and Toonka were the only ones out of the loop.
Although, she turned her attention to Toonka, who was slowly turning red. His hands clenched tightly, cutting off his blood flow. Witira saw how bewildered he was over his own emotions. If he was a cutie, she would have cooed, but since Toonka was as rough as one of the Tiger Beastmen, she just stared him down.
They had bets going on with even Crown Prince Alberu partaking.
Her time wasn’t up yet so she didn’t help him realize his emotions, instead, Witira grabbed Paseton and ran for the mages' houses. She skipped around a corner, twisting her head to see Toonka jump into action. However, it was far too late.
Once he arrived at the corner, Witira and her brother were already gone. Only Archie remained behind, watching the event with empty eyes.
Toonka snarled.
He didn’t understand why he was so angry. The whale lady was a friend of Cale, just like Toonka was. Yet it was this exact fact that annoyed him greatly. Cale was someone special to him. He was his friend, his savior, someone who saw Toonka and not just a stupid barbarian.
Toonka was suddenly unsure whether he was for Cale anything special or just another ally he met.
Anger was replaced by sadness before it was washed away by a burning fury. He looked around, not knowing where he could let off some steam when Archie wandered over, casually commenting, “Since you are done, when will you leave?”
He was greeted by a fist from Toonka, smashing directly in his face and sending the whale over the edge of the glacier. With a startled gasp, Archie went sailing, falling down into the cold waters with a loud splash.
It took him only a second to jump back out again, meeting Toonka head-on with his fist and returning the favor.
The two brawled, smashing into a nearby floating glacier and even splitting another one during their fight.
Toonka returned home, bloody and beaten, yet the satisfaction of an incredible battle was him denied . His heart and mind were still heavy with questions about his possessiveness and insecurities.
Not even two days after his return from the whale village , Toonka’s mood only got worse as time passed.
His emotions were a mess, making him angrier and lowering the general well-being of everyone in the Whipper palace, where Toonka currently resided. Even Harol was fed up with his moody antics.
With Cale busy attempting photosynthesis and Ron guarding their home viciously, Harol abandoned the idea of just redirecting Toonka to Cale and instead, he decided to employ Toonka’s best asset, his fists, to do some talking for him.
Bandits had been spotted near the area where the old magic tower once was. It became a technically lord-less land as the previous landowner made some questionable life choices and got punished for them. The land became worthless to the other lords since no villages resided there and with the magic tower out of commission, the land was just a giant wasteland.
Perfect to harbor some bandits.
The bandits numbered in the tens, not surpassing thirty if their scouts were to be believed. With average weapons and even less intellect – they made their camp in the ruins of the tower, lighting a campfire large enough to scare off animals – Harol assumed it would be safe enough to just send Toonka with a small group, maybe five or six, of their warriors to solve the problem.
Not complaining in the slightest, Toonka went on his merry way just a day after receiving the information. His loyal warriors accompanied him and their journey was both fast and comfortable.
The bandits, just as foolish as they assumed, made even Toonka deadpan at their stupidity.
The leader greeted Toonka with a threatening wave of his boring weapon, not recognizing Toonka nor the really obvious emblem they had engraved on their cloaks. Even the unruly mane Toonka called his hair remained unrecognized by the bandit group.
Toonka laughed, already feeling the thrill of battle setting his blood on fire. His trusty club had been left behind as Toonka wanted to smash their faces in with his hands alone.
“Kekekeke!”
The bandit leader blinked, having not expected laughter of all reactions. A deep scowl formed on his face as he gripped his sword menacingly. Toonka was as impressed as Cale upon seeing lemon tea. Lowering his fists, Toonka started to get annoyed by the unprofessional bandits in front of him.
Where were the traps, the thrill, the cunningness? All he saw were some random dudes who probably failed the knight exam and did the next best thing.
Exchanging a look with one of his warriors, something the past Toonka never would have done, he decided to just advance and deal with them accordingly. Cracking his knuckles, Toonka took a step forward.
The bandit leader recognized the hostile environment and took a safe step back. His companions came swarming outside, all equipped with weapons and some had pouches on their hips, filled with potions no doubt.
Toonka couldn’t care less. He threw himself into the battle, straight up running one of the bandits over. With flailing limbs, the other went down, their head giving way to Toonka’s harder one as he headbutted him.
Toonka threw himself forward, avoiding the sharp edge of a sword that was aimed at his neck. His hands moved swiftly, catching the blade and warping it, turning the previously pristine metal into a snail shell.
His warriors joined the battle as well. Their excited cries ignited Toonka’s desire to fight. With wide eyes, he looked around, trying to find his next opponent. His gaze fell onto the leader, who stared stupefied at the massacre Toonka’s warriors caused.
With a bloodthirsty grin, Toonka closed the distance between them. His fists were raised high, wanting to catch his opponent off guard. The bandit leader reacted fast, creating more space between them as his left hand went deep into his pouch.
Toonka scoffed. He didn’t feel threatened by whatever the other produced.
Not hesitating at all, Toonka closed the distance. With just a fist distance separating them Toonka aimed for the other's face while the bandit leader threw the bottle he grabbed at Toonka’s feet. The sound of glass shattering overlapped with Toonka’s fist hitting the leader’s face, directly knocking him unconscious.
Fumes rose from his trousers where the potion exploded. For a second, Toonka was mesmerized by the pretty red color he loved so much. It was enough time for the potion to hit his face. With a deep breath, he breathed in the potion, coughing harshly at the disgusting taste.
His warriors didn’t notice Toonka’s situation, having their whole focus on pummeling the enemies. With flying fists and boundless enthusiasm, they made quick work of the remaining enemies. Toonka joined in as well. He didn’t notice anything amiss since magic normally had lesser effects on him.
Seeing unfamiliar faces, Toonka smiled grimly, enjoying the thrill of the battle while his fists did all the work for him. Soon blood coated them as he kept beating strangers after strangers. A strange cry alerted him.
“Commander, no! That’s Bran!”
Toonka shifted his gaze to the familiar voice that cried out. A stranger’s face greeted him. Halting in his steps, the stranger stared at him, speaking in a familiar voice yet his appearance didn’t match anyone Toonka knew.
“Commander, let him go!” The stranger was pleading. Toonka frowned.
He looked around, spotting nothing except strangers. Their faces were unmemorable and easy to forget. No matter how hard he tried associating the voices of his warriors with the faces in front of him, he couldn’t connect them. Even worse, upon looking away and sifting his gaze back, their faces shifted again, turning from slightly familiar into instantly strange for him.
Toonka couldn’t separate strangers from friends.
The warriors, or whom he assumed to be his warriors, eyed him warily. One went away to contact Harol. Informing the chief of the newest situation. The other four remained nearby, speaking constantly to let Toonka know who they were.
Some of the tied-up bandits, knowing what the potion was capable of, tried to plead. Their cries spoke of injustice and how they were Toonka’s friends, not the strangers standing around him. They continue pleading for his sanity and feelings, speaking off camaraderie and so on.
It annoyed Toonka as he knew quite well that his warriors were the ones standing freely, the way they talked and acted was more familiar than the pathetic begging from the ones on the floor. Yet his eyes couldn’t discern a difference.
“How long will the potion last?” One of his warriors asked the recently awake bandit leader. The man just grinned, showing off his bloody teeth and spitting on the floor.
Magic circles fuzzed into existence, signaling the arrival of Harol. Having expected the outcome, Toonka was still disappointed when an unfamiliar face walked hurried toward him. It was unmistakably Harol’s voice yet the stranger staring at him unnerved Toonka.
They carted him off back to the castle, informing all staff and warriors in attendance of Toonka’s curse. Days passed with no solution in sight. People got used to announcing their names before entering so that Toonka would be able to recognize their voices right away.
It became a chore since Toonka would just need to turn his head, losing sight of the people surrounding him, and he would not be able to recognize them, no matter how much he tried to remember their positions and names. It was as disheartening as it was infuriating.
When Cale announced his visit, Toonka locked himself into his room. He didn’t want to see Cale only to gaze at a foreign face. Cale was Cale, in all of his magnificent glory. Toonka didn’t want to taint his image with an ugly face that was nothing like Cale's.
The ex-commander, having been informed by Harol about the situation, thought otherwise. He had Choi Han break down the door as he was flanked by Rosalyn and Eruhaben, both experienced mages who may have the solution to the problem.
Toonka hid himself under his blanket, looking utterly out of place with his massive frame covered under a soft sheet. Cale’s calm voice tempted him to leave the bed.
“Come out. We won’t judge. We will help you.”
Toonka held the blanket even tighter in place. That wasn’t the point. He knew Cale would help. His friend was incredible, of course, he would help. But the ugly part of Toonka didn’t want to have a face associated with Cale’s pretty voice that didn’t match him.
Cale was as beautiful as he was on the outside, he mirrored on the inside as well. Toonka didn’t want to taint the image.
“Come out,” Cale called again, this time more forcefully.
A hand grabbed his blanket and tugged on it a few times. Toonka holed himself up even tighter, not letting out any sound.
“We can see you under the blanket and we won’t leave until we get this problem solved.” The hand came back, tugging more gently.
Toonka shivered.
“Please,” Cale’s soft voice said, coming as close to begging as Cale could.
Toonka dropped the blanket without a second thought. As he looked over his shoulder, bracing himself to see strangers, he gasped loudly when Cale’s beautiful face came into view.
Cale was leaning forward. Some unruly strands escaped his brain, falling languidly over his shoulders. Red eyes the color of wine stared down at his crumpled form, showing support with no judgment in sight.
His gaze shifted to the back where still utterly foreign faces stared back at him.
Toonka was able to recognize only Cale.
Just Cale because Cale was that special to him.
As the others buzzed around him, Toonka felt his heart beating faster. Cale was special to him, wasn’t he? The kind of special that wasn’t associated with being best friends.
The realization was like a hit to his head.
He didn’t pay any attention to Rosalyn, who fed him a counter potion a few hours later, nor did he answer any of the questions Harol had about the fight. All he had eyes for was Cale, who was leisurely sipping tea in a chair nearby.
Toonka’s last thought before exhausting hit him was, ‘Cale is really pretty.’
It was fitting that Toonka would meet Cale at a noble party the next time they crossed paths.
A stuffy coat covered most of the quickly rising blush, his face was flushed red with angry red spots everywhere. The clothes were uncomfortable, forcing Toonka to move more carefully to avoid destroying the fabric. Harol and the seamstresses were normally far more careful and generous with his clothes but the party was randomly sprung at them and neither Harol nor the normal diplomats could attend.
A border noble from the Mogoru Empire invited the Whipper royals, who turned the invite down with arrogance, practically throwing the letter onto Harol’s desk. He found it a day later, blanching when he realized that the invite had been delivered by the noble house, but the host of the event was King Rex.
How could the Whipper King have missed that?
Time was not on their side. It was a simple party invite, with no specific goal of having them attend except solidifying the bond between the nations. Which meant, they had to attend. Here lies the problem. Harol couldn’t attend since he was set to have a meeting with Crown Prince Alberu on the same day; both of his diplomats were also in attendance.
He only had Toonka left.
“…”
Harol grabbed the letter again, squinting at the small words. He couldn’t spot any part in which Toonka could offend the whole Mogoru in one go and gave a sigh of relief. Since somebody of a certain level of recognition had to attend and only Toonka was left, Harol could just send him off without too many worries.
Having made his decision, he summoned Toonka, who was rather moody the past few days. The latter didn’t object and just asked about his clothes. This made Harol pause for a second. Toonka wore specifically designed clothes since his body was far too muscular for normal noble attire.
With the event taking place in just a mere three days, there was no chance that new clothes could be made for him. His old set had been destroyed, Harol recalled annoyedly. On their way home, by carriage, since mages were expensive and they wanted to save money where they could, bandits attempted to loot them.
Naturally, they didn’t succeed but Toonka’s jacket – a poor choice in making it mostly white – suffered for it.
Facepalming, Harol asked the seamstresses to do what they could and went back to his papers.
This was the predicament Toonka found himself in at the banquet. His clothes were too tight, having been altered but not widened enough for his frame. The collar was stuffy as well, closing up to his chin and an ugly scarf rested over the buttons, making breathing extra hard.
Even the pants were uncomfortable. Those typical noble pants had some extra padding in certain places, helping the nobles to appear more muscular than they were, which was unnecessary in Toonka’s opinion. It was easy to tell if someone had fighting experience or not by the simple way they walked.
All in all, Toonka was uncomfortable.
Yet not even twenty minutes into the banquet it all vanished instantly.
Cale walked into the hall with his usual level of grace, his steps unhurried and his expression as stoic as always. What a vision, Toonka gaped with an open mouth at the exquisite sight Cale made. His signature red hair was tied artfully in his nape, displaying his face fully to the mesmerized crowd.
Toonka was suddenly far too aware of his own scruffy hair. He grabbed a strand, having to wrestle it away from a button it was caught in. Dry and harsh, nothing like the fancy and silky hair Cale and the other nobles sported.
Cale was alone, although Toonka was sure the little dragon was with him since nobody was stupid enough to let Cale anywhere alone after the final fight. Nobles swarmed Cale before Toonka could muster up the courage to go to him.
Noble ladies in fluffy dresses, young masters decked in fake weapons and their fathers’ medals, and even lords and ladies, nobody could ignore the aura Cale emitted. They sought him out like bees with flowers, reminding Toonka once more that he didn’t fit into this kind of place.
Grabbing a nearby plate, Toonka started snacking on some sandwiches that wouldn’t fill him even if he ate all of them.
A voice surprised him, speaking from his side.
“He always attracts a crowd, doesn’t he?” King Rex asked, more amused than genuine.
The cat-knight-turned-king stared ahead, speaking to Toonka as if they were old friends.
“Of course, he does. He is Cale,” Toonka whispered.
His mind was a mess yet he couldn’t look away from Cale. The rise in jealousy, the anger, the need to see Cale, as well as the various positive emotions he experienced upon gazing at Cale were all unfamiliar to him.
The day he realized his feelings for Cale weren’t the brotherly kind, it was like a wall was built between them. How could he continue visiting Cale while his traitorous emotions would wreak havoc inside of him?
Toonka was stupid, yes. He would never be a scholar like Harol, tactically smart and charismatic like Crown Prince Alberu, witty like Miss Rosalyn, or even powerful with speech and presence like Cale.
Toonka was just a brute. He hit his problems until they went away.
This was probably the first time he was annoyed at his own insufficiencies. Why couldn’t Toonka be smart and more graceful? Maybe then Cale would want to walk with him in public. Cale never asks for his opinion on things like he does with Choi Han, and neither does he rely on Toonka.
What was he even for Cale?
With his mind a turbulent mess, Toonka missed the glint in Cale’s eyes when Raon informed him that Toonka was in the hall as well. His attention switched from maintaining a neutral expression at the various nobles that bothered him to gazing at the direction Raon pointed Toonka out.
The brown mane was a dead giveaway. Immediately excusing himself, he abandoned the sad pile of nobles, beelining for Toonka and Rex. His lips twitched upwards as he spotted Toonka munching on some snacks. His stomach rumbled as well.
“Greetings,” he said to the two while following Toonka’s example and grabbing a whole plate from the table.
Rex, with flushed cheeks, nodded.
Toonka almost choked on a piece of bread, coughing loudly to free his airway. Cale eyed him worriedly as Rex slapped his back.
The nobles surrounding them whispered mockingly. Their petty words were hidden behind fans and hands, acting as if they were so much better than him.
“Better?” Cale asked him worriedly after his coughing fit stopped. Nodding with a pale face, Toonka blinked when he realized that Cale was directly in front of him. His head was tilted upwards, staring straight at Toonka’s face with his beautiful wine-colored eyes.
“I am fine,” Toonka somehow said, sounding as if he was anything but fine.
Cale clicked his tongue.
“Ignore them,” he said, “It is not worth it to listen to the comments of people who have never experienced war and battles. They talk big because they could hide behind their fancy castle walls, not having to witness the gruesomeness of death.”
Cale’s words were like balm to his soul.
“You are a strong commander, having brought victory to the Whipper Kingdom and our alliance. All they can do is mock things that do not matter in the slightest.”
Toonka asked Cale curiously, his spirit lifted to new heights, “But you are a noble, shouldn’t you prefer the way they do things?”
Cale scoffed. His pretty face scrunched up in disgust.
“Prefer? They are a bother. Always lying, always trying to win in a competition that amounts to nothing, why would I care what they think? I much prefer your way of speaking. You say what you think without making a big thing about it. You are you in your best form.”
Cale’s compliment set Toonka’s cheeks aflame as his heart soared.
“You think I am great?” He asked with bated breath.
The reassuring grin he received as well as the following words lifted a burden off his shoulders he didn’t even know he had been carrying around.
“Naturally.”
It sounded so simple as if Toonka was the silly one for not thinking like Cale. Toonka did the next best thing he could think of, he laughed. His chest rumbled as he laughed heartily. It was like a chain was broken surrounding his mind, clarity set in and Toonka thrived in the knowledge and regained confidence.
“Then Cale,” he started with a happy grin, “How about I show you how great I truly am?”
Cale blinked at him, not understanding his words. Rex, standing nearby and forgotten, blanched.
“You wouldn’t dare-“ he started, yet Toonka was faster. With swift moves, he spoke to the nearby air, “I will take Cale! Little dragon, you can come along!”
His next actions were accompanied by scandalized gasps and some nobles even fainted outright.
Toonka grabbed Cale, lifting the other man in a princess carry. Cale dropped the plate in shock, grasping Toonka’s neck with both of his hands out of reflex. Raon flew nearby, allowing Toonka to take Cale since he knew his human would be in safe hands.
With his treasure in his arms, Toonka ran for the door. His steps were heavy as he tried to carry Cale as carefully as possible, ignoring the various dumbfounded guards who stared at them. Ron practically materialized out of nowhere with raised knives and a vicious look on his face. Choi Han was hot on his heels.
Cale was fearing for his life and decided to hide his face in Toonka’s neck. The other man just laughed loudly, his chest rumbling, making Cale flush a pretty red.
“Let’s date!” Toonka shouted, not giving Cale time to answer as he dashed into the darkness outside of the estate, followed by an exasperated Choi Han, a bloodthirsty Ron, a cheering Raon, and Cale safely nested in his arms.