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Nicolò woke when Yusuf screamed. And as usual, it only took Nicolò one second before he was standing up with his sword in his hand, while checking his surroundings for any threats.
Nicolò: "Are you hurt, Yusuf?"
Yusuf: "That depends."
Nicolò: "On what?"
Yusuf: "What that thing on my face decides to do to me."
Nicolò lowered his sword.
Nicolò: "What do you mean?"
Yusuf: "Take a closer look."
Nicolò walked over to Yusuf's bedroll to have a closer look.
Nicolò: "I see you have made yourself another desert friend."
Nicolò sat down in the sand with a chuckle. It was a sound Yusuf had grown to love during their time together.
Yusuf: "Very funny. Do you mind removing the scorpion from my face?"
Nicolò: "Why? The scorpion was probably looking for a nice, warm place to stay during the cold night and decided on your pleasant face."
Yusuf was scared of moving his head, so he rolled his eyes so he could look at Nicolò.
Yusuf: "You think I got a pleasant face?"
Nicolò: "Yes, it is a very pleasant face to look at, and you have a higher standard of personal hygiene than any of those I used to travel with."
Nicolò couldn't resist it any longer, so to Yusuf's horror, Nicolò touched the scorpion. Yusuf was really happy the scorpion didn't move.
Yusuf: "Thanks for the compliment, Nico."
Nicolò: "You are welcome."
Before Yusuf could stop Nicolò, he touched the scorpion again, but this time, the scorpion moved and ran under Yusuf's tunic. When that happened, Yusuf got up faster than Nicolò had ever seen him do before. Then, Yusuf started shaking his body in an attempt to get the scorpion out of his clothes.
Nicolò: "Is that the latest dance craze in Egypt?"
Yusuf hadn't heard anything of what Nicolò had said for the last seconds because of the scorpion, but when he was sure the scorpion was gone, he looked at Nicolò, who was rolling around in the sand, laughing while holding onto his ribs. It was the first time Yusuf had ever heard Nicolò laugh like that, and Yusuf knew he already loved that laughter so much. And the best thing about Nicolò's laughter was that it was contagious, so Yusuf also started to laugh.
When they were done laughing, Yusuf sat down next to Nicolò in the sand.
Yusuf: "This is the first time we have laughed together."
Nicolò: "I know, and I think we should do it more often because it is so much better than hating each other."
Yusuf: "I can only agree with you. So, should we try to laugh together every day in the future?"
Nicolò: "I think it is a wonderful idea."
They smiled at each other.
Yusuf: "Do you want to see the sun rising with me? It is a beautiful sight."
Nicolò: "I would very much like to do that with you."
They didn't speak together while watching the sun rise. They both knew it wouldn't be the last time they would watch the sun rise together because, as they had discovered recently: it was so much more fun to do things together with a friend than an enemy and with time when they became lovers, those things they did together would take on a new meaning for them.