Chapter Text
the first time they lock eyes is a time that nobody remembers. It happens in a crowded marketplace on a stuffy summer afternoon, merchants bartering, coins clinking, hoovesteps and boots clattering on ragged stone floors.
Saparata clutches his mothers hand, small fingers wrapped around hers. Eyes wide with wonder at a world he doesn’t yet understand, so full of tragedy and wonder he would one day grow to know.
she had smiled softly at him and pressed a pretty purple flower in his hands, before turning to barter with the florist for a bouquet. people pass by, chattering, laughing.
he clutches the blossom tightly to his chest and turns around.
and sees,
a boy his own age, gazing back at him in a dark alleyway. Raven-dark hair falls over his face. Sandy, warm skin bright under the sunlight.
his eyes were vibrantly purple, purple like Saps’ flower.
the strange boy stiffens at his gaze,
blinks in shock,
and runs away.
Saps does not know better, he is only a child. curious and confused, he follows him. Follows him through shabby dark roads and down twisted, ragged paths, until the town opens up and everything falls away to a beautiful beach.
There are two islands in the distance. they are large and imposing, a smudge of ominous gray on the otherwise peaceful horizon.
the strange boy seems to think he’s lost him, and sits down on the sand with a quiet huff, breaths still quick and ragged after running for so long.
So when Saparata speaks to him, he jumps a mile into the air.
“Hi,” he hesitates, heart racing, suddenly nervous for no reason. he’s made friends in strange places before. why’s this any different?
Up close, the other boy’s purple eyes seem all the more beautiful. they are layered, like fractured amethysts, like sunsets and betrayals and wars and everything both their tragic lives will intertwine with, from beginning to end.
but right here right now, they are two friends, meeting for the first time. they are two children, blissfully, wholly unaware of everything to come between them.
so Saps smiles, and holds out his purple flower. “Here you go. My mom gave me this, and I saw your eyes and I thought it matched really well!”
The other boy takes it with wordless surprise, gaze flickering over the flower and jumping back up to Saps’ eyes.
“Thank you.” he murmurs quietly, a small smile blossoming across his face.
Something warm settles inside his chest at the sight of the boy’s smile. “What’s your name?” Saps asks.
“I’m Fluxion. What about you?”
“I’m-”
“SAPARATA! Oh, finally! I can’t believe you ran this far. Are you hurt?” his mother frets around him, brushing imaginary dust off his coat. Saps makes a face at Flux, and the other boy giggles. Saps' mother takes his hand and begins to lead him off, but he turns around and looks at Fluxion again.
he looks faintly amused, still smiling, still holding the purple flower, watching Saparata go.
and Saps will barely listen to his mother as she drags him home, berating him for running off so rashly. Fluxion’s violet gaze lingers on his mind, and he will try to remember that moment as the world around them forgets.
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the second time they lock eyes, they are a little older, a little more brave.
Saps has grown considerably, and at twelve years old, stands quite a bit taller than most of his friends. He is in a field, fiddling with his toy axe, practicing practicing swings he half-remembers, half-invents.
But what he does remember is looking down and seeing a pair of startled amethyst eyes stare back into his.
Time seems to stutter in its reins.
Maybe Fluxion has forgotten that moment shared on that beach, but Saps most certainly hasn’t.
“It’s you,” he breathes, not quite sure of what he was seeing, quite sure that he never thought he was going to see him again.
Fluxion tilts his head as he studies Saparata curiously. A hint of recognition flashes behind his gorgeous eyes.
“...Saparata?” He breathes, unsure but hopeful. “Hi!”
The distance between all those years apart collapses into nothing.
Saparata lets out a small, disbelieving laugh. “Hi.”
They begin to speak again and it feels easy, like settling into a warm river, into a home you remember. It doesn’t take long for them to become friends, after that.
They race through tall grass that brushes their knees, tumble down the golden slopes of wheat fields, argue over who cheated and who tripped first. Fluxion shoves him. Saps shoves him back harder. Neither of them win.
But it doesn’t matter.
By the time the sun starts to dip, Flux and Saps lay side by side in the grass, breathing hard, staring up at a sky painted in soft streaks of gold and violet.
“You got taller,” Fluxion says after a while.
“You didn’t,” Saparata shoots back, grinning.
Fluxion snorts. “Rude.”
Saps’ eyes trace a cloud’s path through the dying sky.
“...Did you keep the flower?” Saps asks, quieter now.
Fluxion hesitates, then shrugs. “It died.”
“But I remembered it,” he adds quietly. “And you.”
Saparata smiles.
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One evening, Saps finds Flux sitting on the beach where they first spoke. A storm is brewing beyond the horizon, ominous clouds and gusts of wind blowing the salty sea air into the village. All around them, neighbors are closing up shutters, lighting oil lanterns, docking boats and preparing to weather the storm.
Fluxion just sits in the sand, jaw tense, arms wrapped loosely around his knees. His gaze is locked onto the islands, dark shapes against the fading sky. They feel…bigger, in a weird way. Larger and scarier.
“Do you ever worry about them?” Flux asks, quiet. Too quiet.
Saps hesitates. “Not-not really. Sometimes, I guess?”
He doesn’t know why, but he’s not sure he likes Flux’s sudden fixation on the islands. Not that it isn’t slightly creepy, too, seeing your friend ominously brood over two distant landmasses while a damn near hurricane brews a few miles away.
“They feel important, in a strange way.” Flux says quietly.
That, Saparata can agree with. The village has been wondering about them for years, ever since their ships finally became sturdy enough to reach further waters.
“Do you think we’ll go there someday?” Fluxion asks, voice nearly lost to the rising wind.
“Oh, for sure. And when we get there, I’ll win every fight, become king, and probably throw you into the ocean.” Saps grins, eager for an opportunity to cheer Flux up.
Fluxion huffs a laugh. At least he’s smiling, at least he’s laughing. Even if it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “You wish.”
Lightning flashes in the distance, and thunder rolls in, loud and heavy.
“I don’t wish, I know.” Saps elbows him. “Now why don’t we get out of this storm before it drowns us while we walk home?”
Saparata is right about them drowning. They run home in the warm summer rainshower, droplets falling like skyfire, thunder shattering the quiet around them, shoes slipping on the wet stone walkways as they sprint down quiet streets.
Both of them laugh as they are completely soaked from head to toe. Oil lit streetlights flash by Saps’ vision as he turns his head to catch Fluxion smiling, genuinely this time.
And briefly, the islands are forgotten.
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It is not the third time they have seen each other now, but it is the first time they begin seeing each other differently. They are seventeen now. For them, it feels far too soon to be this old. Days bleed weeks into months, but they keep meeting up, every single afternoon. Because being with each other feels easier than anything else. It feels familiar, warm, beautiful in a way like nothing else could ever be.
They spar in the woods with wooden weapons. Saps likes to use an axe, the powerful blade reassuring in his hands. Fluxion prefers a sword, lighter, faster, sweeping in wide arcs that can almost keep up.
Not that it helps him much. Taller, stronger, and better at PVP, Saps can easily take him down. Most of the time, sparring is more for fun than actual practice, and always ends with them wrestling on the ground, dizzy and laughing in the stuffy summer heat.
But Flux has been training, and is adamantly insisting he can finally beat Saps’ ass this time.
“I’m serious,” he insists, flexing his grip. “I’ll win this time.”
“You say that every time,” Saps says, grinning.
Fluxion rolls his eyes. “Well, I mean it this time.”
To his credit, he is better. He lunges with faster, sharper strikes, more precise footwork that lets him dart out of Saparata’s range.
For a moment, Saparata actually does have to concentrate. Still, it only takes a little while before Fluxion stumbles and missteps, barely blocking a strong blow from Saparata’s blade. Saparata knocks his shield aside with a sharp crack and taps his side with the flat of his axe.
Fluxion yelps, more offended than hurt, and stumbles back before collapsing dramatically into the grass.
Saparata grins down at him. “Nice try.”
Flux rolls his eyes at him from where he’s sprawled on the grass. “You’re so stupid.” He mutters softly.
“Yet I still won.” Saps sings, laying down next to him.
They lay side by side in the shade of the oak tree, gazing up at the beautiful way the sunlight filters through the dappled leaves. They overlap like gemstones, soft petals swaying in the late summer air, breaking into shifting patterns across their skin, gold and shadow flickering softly with every passing breeze.
The leaves cast such pretty shadows on Flux’s face, adding impossible depth to his orchid eyes as Saps stares at them.
So they stay like that, fingertips touching, shoulders brushing. Too close to be accidental, too far to be explained. They pretend they don’t feel it, feel the air becoming charged with electricity between their gaze, feel the way their heartbeats speed up when contact is made. Deny it. laugh it off. Pretend it’s nothing.
Even as it quietly, inevitably, becomes something more.
Something akin to dread greets Saps when he hears the news. The village leaders are talking about the islands, whispering about the possibility of rare minerals and new discoveries. They tell the townsfolk that a team of explorers from our village will be sent to one island, and a team of explorers from a distant land will be sent to the other.
They hear about the recruitment, about the officials asking for volunteers. And when Flux runs up to him, eyes shining with eagerness, how can Saps say no?
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A stray ocean breeze tosses Saparata’s hair, and he smoothes it back down with a frown. “What do you think is on there?” He asks Fluxion, who snorts back an annoyed reply.
“No idea. It better be worth it, though.” He hunches over next to Saparata, miserably seasick.
Saparata grins. “What, you hoping there’s a motion sickness cure waiting for you?”
Flux sticks his tongue out in reply.
A few moments pass as they ride along the waves, the croaking, dissonant calls of seagulls blanketing the silence between the gentle crashes of the ocean. The seaspray feels wonderful on Saps’ skin.
“I dunno, though. I have a bad feeling about this.” Fluxion murmurs, words soft amidst the ocean’s cacophony.
“Really? About what?”
Fluxion shrugs, staring out at the water. “We’re heading into uncharted territory, for one. And… well, the other island.”
“Yeah, but the other village is taking that one, right?” Saparata leans back in his chair. “I think it’ll be fine. We’ll get along.”
By the way Flux is so silent, Saparata can tell he doesn’t agree.
“Hey.” Saps nudges him with his elbow. “You know no matter what, we’ll still be friends, right? You’ll always be here to annoy me, and I'll just have to tolerate you, I guess.”
Fluxion huffs a laugh. “Please. We both know you’re the annoying one.”
“Wow. Rude.”
“We could argue about that allll day long,” Flux snickers.
“Tempting.”
The roaring of the waves lapses into a distant, ethereal sort of calm, and for a second it feels like the world closes in on just the two of them.
Fluxion looks beautiful in the dying sunlight. Hair soft and framing his face, lips pink and mischievous, eyes painted those beautiful, haunting shades of purple.
Suddenly, Saparata realizes he’s staring, and looks away quickly to the seabirds instead, coughing to hide his embarrassment.
After a while, he feels Flux lean quietly on his shoulder.
And if they fall asleep together on the deck, only the moon and rippling sea will know.
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