Chapter Text
Saparata: 8
Fluixon: 8
Zam: 12
Cynikka: 13
-
Saparata huffed in boredom, his winged ears flapping ever so slightly, looking around at one of the large and empty hallways of the castle. Today was just like any other day for him. Another meeting with the neighbour empire, discussing important stuff only for adults ideals, as his father would always say whenever Saparata asked to be a part of the meeting. Even if Saparata promised he would just sit in the corner and look pretty (a saying he learnt from his sister) his parents always refused! It wasn't fair... He always ended up playing with Zam, the mentioned sister of his. But she wasn't around at the moment, up to Ish knows whatever. So here he was, just walking around the big halls of the castle which even he gets lost in sometimes, considiring he's lived in here since he was just 3 years old.
Yes, he was adopted into this family after being found by his now called home Theria. He didn't have a lot of memories of the incident, all he remembered was loud explosions around him and being scared. Then it all blurs out, as if he just had a scary nightmare and suddenly woke up in this family instead. And sadly enough, he didn't remember much of his actual parents to mourn for them. But there was still the grief in his heart.
Still unsure what to do, he decides he will just find something to play with in the castles garden. It was almost as large as the castle was, filled with different kinds of flowers. Saparata had to admit, his favorite part was this garden. He always loved flowers and taking care of them, learning about all the other kinds and their meanings behind them. It was pretty sunny outside, the sunlight making him place his hand above his forehead almost immediately. There was a large oak tree in the garden, which caused some shadow on the grass. Saparata made his away to the tree, hopping and smiling to himself. As closer he got, he saw some sort of... figure, below the tree itself. Saparata slowed down his steps, squinting his eyes to make a more clear image.
Then there he saw, a young boy around the same age as himself. The boy held a small book, his short black hair with front bangs were covering his eyes. He seemed to be too carried away on the pages that he didn't even realize Saparata's presence. Saparata tilted his head, he could swore he never saw this kid ever before. He was dressed loyal, way too loyal if you asked Saparata. He even had a coat sitting next to him! Which made it obvious he was probably here because of the meeting between the empires.
Overcome by his curiosity, Saparata approached the boy. He still seemed to be engrossed by the book to react, which Saparata couldn't help but smile slightly. He slowly bent over, trying to see the pages. Then, finally he began talking.
"What are you reading?" Saparata asked quietly. The boy next to him yelped and closed the book caused by his sudden reaction. He immediately turned his head upwards to face Saparata, breathing heavily by the shock. After seconds he frowned, fairly pissed at Saparata for scaring him.
"Are you out of your mind?! Why did you approach so quietly!" the boy yelled, he had a deeper voice than Saparata did. Now facing him, Saparata could see his eyes. They were bright purple, shining like a amethyst. There were lighter shades of purple on the edges. Saparata came back to the moment of the reality when the boy groaned, still pissed off. Saparata chuckled, scratching his neck a little.
"Sorry, sorry. You seemed too locked in onto the book to realize me, kinda got me curious." Saparata admitted quietly, which got the other boy to click his tongue in annoyance. The black haired glared at the now closed book, and let out a deep sigh.
"Now I lost the last page I was at, thanks a lot." he said, there was no tone of humor included in his voice. Saparata made a face, held his hands up in defence. "Hey, you were the one who did that! Can't really blame it all on me." he argued, which got him another glare from the boy. Now that he took a clear look at Saparata, he raised one of his eyebrow.
"Why the heck do you look like that?" the boy suddenly asked, now it was Saparata who shot him a glare. "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Saparata questioned him, the other rolled his eyes in reply. "Just look at yourself, why do you have white hair? Did you dye it or something?" this made Saparata gasp, offended by the comment.
"Uh, no? That's how it is natrually, what's wrong with it?" Saparata asked, and the kid seemed to be amused by Saparata's question. "What's wrong with it?" he repeated Saparata's question, "You look like a old woman in her 90's, dude." the kid couldn't help but giggle at his own comment. Saparata held his hair, slightly playing with it. He felt kinda insecure about it now.
"T-thats's not true! I think it has is own vibe to it, I like it." Saparata eventually said, which got the other to laugh more. "Yeah, you might be the only one to think that way, hate to break it to you." comment after comment, the boy had a hard time to catch his breath between his chuckles. Saparata felt a small heavyness in his chest, he rolled his eyes.
"Okay well, what makes you think you're any better?! The way you dress tells me enough, I wouldn't make fun of others like that." Saparata snapped, and the boy seemed pissed at him now. He got up from the grass where he was sitting, dusting off his clothes. He was shorter than Saparata was, which was funny enough for the white haired kid.
"Excuse you, there is a reason why I'm dressed like this. Do you even know who I am?" the kid asked the last part almost like he's threatening Saparata, but he paid no care to his words. He instead huffed in reply.
"Please, enlighten me." Saparata said with a cold face, he added the most obvious sarcasm to his voice. The short boy grinned proudly, taking his hand to his chest.
"Fluixon, the youngest prince of Aculon." Fluixon said his own name with such honor and pride. Saparata breathed a laugh, shaking his head in amusement.
"Yeah, okay, the fact that I've never heard your name before tells me enough." Saparata then said, now Fluixon looking somehow more angrier at him. It was too easy to get on this boy's nerves, which made Saparata enjoy these taunts even more.
"Alright then, what's your name? You seem way too comfortable talking to a prince like me, surely you should have your own title as well." Fluixon replied, his voice was filled with rage towards the kid infront of him, even if they met not even close to 5 minutes ago. Saparata shrugged, grinning.
"Saparata, the prince of the castle you are standing on." Saparata introduced himself while standing his ground, nothing compared to the kid who had his ego as a personality, he thought to himself. Fluixon looked like he had more to argue about though. He chuckled and pointed at Saparata as if he wanted to humiliate his presence.
"You, really? The prince of this castle? Damn, no wonder I didn't think that would be an option. You don't look like you belong in it." Fluixon probably said this just to anger Saparata more in return, but it seemed to actually upset the white haired boy for some reason. He paused, didn't really give away a reaction to Fluixon's surprise. It created a tension between the two, before Fluixon tried to pull it off by keeping at his words. Not a smart move, clearly.
"What, cat got your tongue now?" Fluixon instead kept pushing, with that stupid smug on his face. Saparata wanted to punch him so badly. But instead, he opened and closed his mouth a few times, as in to wanting to reply. Words couldn't escape him at all, he didn't know why. Then his breath began to warm, and it started to burn his throat. His vision slightly blurred out. He lowered his head, in hopes that his front hair would cover his watery eyes.
It shouldn't hurt him this much anymore really, he thought to himself. It really shouldn't but it did. It hurt so much.
Voice shaky a little, Saparata answered Fluixon.
"Yeah, you're right about that. I don't."
-
Fluixon just stared at the taller boy. He was pretty taken aback when the kid suddenly quit the bickering. Saparata lowered his head in the slightest, Fluixon squinted his eyes, trying to make out his face.
"Are you-" he paused, before finishing his sentence. Saparata's face suddenly covered in wet tears answered it for him. Was he...
Was this kid actually crying right now?!
Fluixon took a few steps back, before making a face. What did he even say? Saparata was literally keeping up with this bickering a moment ago, but Fluixon says one more word and he suddenly starts tearing up?! It didn't made sense whatsoever.
"Saps! There you are, I've been looking around for you." Said an unfimiliar voice Fluixon never heard before. Saps?, he thought to himself. He turned his head slightly from the crying boy in front of him, then there he saw a blonde girl. She seemed to be a little older than both of the boys, wearing a dress mixed with her hair color and some green of an emerald. Her hair was longer than Saparata's, which his were tall enough to reach at the beginning of his chest. Her's was almost reaching her waist, a braid with flowers between each strand.
Seeing Saparata sniffling from where he was standing, the girl paused for a second. Then began rushing towards the white haired boy, concern covering her face.
"Hey, hey, look at me." She said rapidly, her voice growing softer as she spoke. She held Saparata by his shoulders gently, trying her best to face him. Then her gaze finally found Fluixon. He was just staring at the happening scene, seeming confused by it himself.
The blonde girl frowned, she was now fully facing Fluixon. "What happened here?" she asked, her voice suddenly colder now that her yellow eyes were directly staring at his purple orbs. The white haired boy merely leaned slightly towards the girl. She started to caress his back in act of comfort. Fluixon was about to defend himself, but Saparata spoke before he could.
"It's fine, Zam. It's not a big deal." Apparently the called girl Zam, turned her attention to Saparata again. "No, how is it not a big deal? Did this kid make you cry?" she said as she pointed at Fluixon.
"I didn't even do anything! We were arguing and he suddenly started tearing up like a baby!" Fluixon argued back, his voice getting louder. His words seemed to only bring more frustration though, as Zam glared at him.
"Watch your mouth, kid. Now-" before she could finish her words, she got cut off by the sudden approach of someone else behind them. "Pardon, what's going on here?" said a fimiliar voice for Fluixon this time.
Cynikka, his sister. She was standing behind Zam and Saparata, trying to make sense of the situation standing in front of her. She had a similar clothing style to Fluixon, a few inches taller than Zam. A small crown sat in the middle of her side buns, slightly shining under the sunlight. Her posture was so still, shoulders squared. Him and Cynikka shared that same cold look, it was usually easy to tell they were related.
"Cynikka!" Zam glanced at her when Fluixon suddenly called her name. Cynikka shared a brief look with the blonde girl, then walked over to her brother. "I heard your shouting, what trouble have you gotten into this time?" the eldest of the three asked, huffing in annoyance after finishing her words. Fluixon just rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.
"Seriously, I didn't do anything! Why does everyone just assume I'm the one who caused this?!" Fluixion was shouting even louder in self-defense, Zam gave him a look in return. "My brother is literally crying in front of you, what else do you want me to assume?"
Fluixon was taken aback again, brother? They did look close to each other, but he could never have thought they were related. They didn't look alike at all. First of all, Saparata had white hair and winged ears. Just as he was about to comment, Cynikka grabbed his shoulder harshly, as if she had read his mind. When Fluixon looked towards his sister, the girl made a warning sign by simply raising her eyebrows. She sighed and looked at each of them one by one.
"He was the one who suddenly approached me! I was just reading my book, then we started arguing and he began tearing up." Fluixon defended himself. Saparata finally stopped sniffling and found the shorter boy's gaze. His face was still wet from tears, he wiped them away before speaking.
"We didn't just argue over nothing, you made fun of my hair." Saparata replied, voice still a little shaken. Cynikka just took a deep sigh, shaking her head slowly. "Okay? And you literally made fun of my clothing!" The black haired boy then said. Zam was about to say something but Cynikka gently stopped her from doing so. Seeing this wasn't going anywhere, the eldest stepped in again.
"Why did he start crying, was it just because of your bickering?" she spoke quietly again. Fluixon paused for a second, then just shrugged.
"I just said he doesn't look like he belongs in here because of the way he looks! I don't see what's so hurtful about that." he said coldly. Saparata sighed deeply, lowered his head again. Zam now fully covered with anger, snapped her looks towards Fluixon. Cynikka watched both their reactions, observing their moves.
Next thing he knew, Zam started yelling at him a bunch of things. Saparata trying to calm him down, Cynikka still calm but arguing back for Fluixon here and there. After that lots of chaos, he learnt the reason behind it.
Saparata was adopted after an brutal incident.
-
After a day or two, Fluixon was still feeling uneased about what happened. He did feel some empathy towards the white haired boy, if he was honest. His usual mood was nowhere to be seen these past few days. Noticing this obvious change, Cynikka rolled her eyes and began.
"If you feel that bad, just apologize to him. It won't kill you." Even if the girl knew that was probably not gonna be the case, she still reminded Fluixon of that option he seemed to just pass on all the time.
"I don't feel bad, I feel pity for him. Besides, no way I'm doing that. Where would I ever see him again anyway? Not like I would want to." Fluixon added the last part, his stubbornness has not died down at all. Cynikka sighed, but a grin appeared on her face.
"Well, lucky you. There's another meeting called between the empires, he will be here before the afternoon." his sister said with a teasing voice. Fluixon blinked once, then twice.
Oh, you have to be kidding me.
-
Fluixon felt this awkward tension as the family entered Aculon. Zam didn't stop glaring at his soul, if that wasn't scary enough by itself. Cynikka in the other hand, 'saved' Fluixon by requesting to spend time together with the blonde girl. She was still unsure about it at first, but eventually got bored and accepted her offer. Before doing so, she warned Saparata a thousand times.
After the girls left, it became even more awkward than it had been. The taller one was sitting on the edge of one of the hallways, watching snowflakes glide away. Saparata probably thought the other would've left by now, seeming curious by his presence. And the ironic part was, so did Fluixon. But for some reason, he just didn't. He chose to stand leaning against the wall.
While Saparata was avoiding eye contact, Fluixon couldn't help but stare at him here and there. The silence was too loud for itself, he felt as if the tension was growing bigger by every passing second. After Ish knows how long passed minutes, the shorter boy cleaned his throat. One of Saparata's winged ears flinched, giving a sign he was paying attention.
"So, uh... I-" Fluixon hardly began, not completely sure how to put his words together. The taller one glared at him from where he was sat, which caused the other one to frown.
"Okay, listen. My bad, alright? I didn't know you had a sad backstory. I guess I shouldn't have just assumed or, whatever. You get what I mean." he finally managed to say. It really wasn't an apology, he was aware. But that was all Fluixon was willing to give. Saparata turned his attention to the snowflakes again.
"It's alright. Thanks for, well, at least trying to apologize." he hugged his own legs, placing his head on top of his arms. Fluixon didn't say anything else. He did wonder though, what actually happened? What was that incident about?
"I don't know what happened that day, the incident, I mean. I just remember loud explosions around me, and that I was scared." As if Saparata read through his thoughts, he began explaining. Fluixon stayed quiet, waiting for him to continue.
"All I know is they died, my real parents. But I somehow survived. While a group of Therians was sent to investigate, they found me. Apparently I was injured and needed to be taken care of before I died because of hypothermia." Saparata's eyes looked nowhere as he kept explaining. The black haired boy paused, then he slowly stepped towards the taller boy and sat down next to him.
"You know, it kinda sucks wanting to keep alive the memories of people who you barely even remember anymore. It would've been nice to have some more knowlage of where I actually came from, or not feel like I don't belong anywhere." Saparata paused, not wanting to say any more than he already had. He kinda lost track of what he was saying, he realized. I guess not being able to talk about certain feelings makes you do that.
"Doesn't mean it has to stay that way." Fluixon then said out of nowhere, causing the other boy to glance at him. "Hm?" Saparata hummed in reply, offering him to elaborate his words. The shorter shrugged. "I mean sure, it's an unpleasant beginning. But now you have a new family you can continue your story. You can share and heal the pain by time, and create your own place you feel most belong to, I guess."
Saparata was taken a back by that, but he huffed instead, "Huh, that's the nicest thing you've said to me so far." Fluixon rolled his eyes in return. "Don't push your luck, I can be meaner than the last time." Saparata laughed at that, completely believeing that he would. He hummed again, there was silence filling the room.
"Hey, I'm... I'm actually sorry, you know?" Fluixon said shyly, Saparata couldn't help but huff out a small laugh. "Thank you for actually saying it this time. It's okay, you couldn't have known." he said teasingly, the shorter boy just glared at him.
"Then, let's start this from the beginnig again," Saparata began, and suddenly extended his hand. "Hi, I'm Saparata. You can just call me Saps for short, what about you?" Fluixon blinked once, staring at the other surprised.
"Wow, that was a quick change. I thought you would still feel bitter about the whole thing." the shorter one admitted quietly, Saparata just smiled in return.
"Nah, again, it's not like you could've known. I'm not gonna hold it against you forever. Besides like you said, it doesn't have to stay that way, right?" the white haired boy grinned, Fluixon huffed with a slight smile and shook the other's hand. What an interesting kid, he thought to himself.
"Fluixon, just call me Flux for short." they both couldn't help but chuckle a little. What a silly situation they were in. A silence again, however this time it wasn't awkward. There was some sort of comfort in it. Saparata was the first one to break the silence.
"Hey, can you show me around a little? I'm kinda curious since it's my first time actually being here." his gaze found Fluixon's, the shorter one raised a brow.
"Isn't it way colder in here than your own empire? You sure you can handle Aculon's freezing nature?" he said teasingly, Saparata huffed in reply.
"I'll manage, it doesn't affect me as much as you believe. I'm way more durable than that." the taller one said, as if challenging him to prove him wrong, which Fluixon grinned to.
"Well, don't say I didn't warn ya'. Hopefully you won't start whining after 5 minutes." the black haired boy said, which made the other just roll his eyes. Then, he stood up from where he was sat.
"Lead the way, Flux." Saparata said with a warm smile on his face, causing his cheeks to puff and his winged ears to widen. He extended his hand again to the boy in front of him. Fluixon couldn't help but smile back, shaking his head in amusement.
"Sure, follow me." he reached for Saparata's hand. After balancing up, they let go of each other. Fluixon lead as he showed the other around, and Saparata followed him right behind.
After that day, they got to spend more time together. Playing games, messing with each other, chasing after one and other... Cynikka and Zam seemed to be enjoying their time together as well, they usually shared matching hairstyles, bracelets and such. As weeks, then following months passed by, the meetings happened less. But it didn't effect their friendship in any way, they still visited here and there. Going as far as exchanging letters at some point.
And just like that, 3 years already passed by.