Archive of Our Own

Race around Okhema's market

Redsoil bricks breaking

Guiding dromases back to the hays

Spear throwing

Sparring

Phainon looked at his notes before wrapping the scroll back up. After a whole day, they still ended up with another draw.

"If it wasn't for Aglaea coming for your rescue, you'd probably be eating dirt now," Mydei teased, mindlessly walking next to Phainon as the water's soft hiss replaced the silence around them.

Phainon chuckled, placing the paper away. Like the other, he started to undress, letting his coat off his shoulders before pulling his clothes away. "Really now? You looked pretty beaten up after that last throw. I wasn't even expecting you to agree to another contest."

"That was nothing, deliverer," Mydei lifted his chin slightly, blankly staring at the wall in front of him. The crown prince reached for a robe, walking away without sparing a single glance back. "You're the one who should be worried. Your shoulders don't look like they were made for that."

With a smile and attire changed, Phainon quickly followed after. Mydei's confidence and pride could easily be mistaken by stubbornness — a fair, valid and probably right comparison — but it was something Phainon became fond of with the passing of time. At this point, he would join Mydei in these endless contests just to hear him boasting about his victories — or see him pouting whenever he was faced with defeat.

This, however, had become something important to Phainon as well. At first, he would simply try to compete and shrug whatever result off. Why would be acknowledge for lifting the heaviest weights be important to his daily life? But ever since Mydei came into his life, these challenges started to gain more and more importance.

And it was because of this importance that being forced to stop at a draw bothered him so much. Aglaea was probably just trying to avoid problems or speaking in the name of someone else that was annoyed by their banter, but couldn't she have waited at least before he tackled Mydei to the ground?

Phainon let himself sink in the bath's water to the lower part of his face, only his nose and eyes sticking out while he looked at Mydei, admiring watching the way he leaned against the border. Before he could take note of it, his thoughts were already stirring with one another: Mydei, their contests, the draw, Aglaea's scolding…

"Are you a kid?" Mydei mocked, opening only one of his eyes to look back at the deliverer, and pulled Phainon's out of that thoughtful turmoil. "Stop blowing bubbles in the bath."

He smiled, pushing himself back up and mimicking the other's pose. "You're such a spoilsport. I was just thinking of a way we could settle that score."

"I thought you were already over it," Mydei shook his head before flashing Phainon with a daring smirk. "But if you're that eager to lose, I suppose I can indulge you, deliver".

"Is that so?" Phainon purred, taking a small breath before scooting closer to the other, "but isn't a bit early to speak like that? Aren't you a little too confident?"

It was a bold move, yes, but something told Phainon that it was the right thing to do. He reached out, pressing one hand over Mydei's chest as he sat next to him. Phainon squeezed the muscles, pulling the other in his direction too.

"I think I've proven myself to be able to beat you in whatever, whenever and wherever you want, deliverer."

"Then…" Phainon mumbled, closing the distance between his and Mydei's face, letting their breaths mingle with one another. "Let me challenge you one last time today, Mydei…"

…

"Are you ticklish here too?" Phainon asked with amusement dripping from his tone, his fingers kneading and prodding at Mydei's sides, from near the curve of his hips to the bottom of his ribs. "You're turning red, Mydei ~"

"S-shut— it!" Mydei groaned, his face crooked into a forced smile as the corner of his lips were pulled up against his will. He bared his teeth, trying to intimidate Phainon with an angry stare, but ultimately only encouraging him to continue. "I-I'm not ti—nghh—cklish!"

"I said you could laugh if you want, we only talked about tapping out, right?" Phainon teased, clawing at Mydei's ribs like a kitten to a soft mattress, playing with each and every sensitive spot he found, "how long has it been?"

"T-two mihihinu- agh, dahamn you!" Mydei hissed, pressing his eyes shut and clenching his hand around the bath's edge. Phainon could see his muscles tensing under his touch, his fingers trembling with the pressure. "Y-yohou ahare dead!"

"I'm sure you can't wait for your turn, Mydei," Phainon teased, moving his other hand and tickling under Mydei's arm, "but to do that, you need to tap out now. Are you at your limit?"

"O-of cohourse not! T-thihis is nothihing!"