Chapter Text
“Are you sure about this, partner?” Phainon said, twiddling with the bell collar around his neck.
“When am I not?” Cealus replied with his usual cheeky grin. “It’ll even out the battlefield since you’ve had way more experience in hand-to-hand combat.”
It was hard for Phainon to argue with Caelus, especially after he had insisted for the last five or so matches. Besides, the courtyard was practically empty by now—there was no need to be embarrassed over a silly collar. Ever since they started sparring, the other citizens naturally distanced themselves from the two fighters, sparing themselves from the debris and intense clashing.
The two had been at it for hours already, but thanks to Okhema’s Dawn Device, Phainon couldn’t be certain of how much time had passed. Though what he could tell was that they were both reaching their limits. Their tees were damp with sweat, while their pants and boots were stained with grass and dirt. Caelus’ chest rose and fell deeply, his face was flushed, and his hair was seriously messed up.
Phainon wasn’t doing much better either. His muscles were heavy, and his heart was racing. But he couldn’t afford to give in just yet, after all, how could he save the world if he couldn’t come out on top against Caelus?
“Alright! Let’s see if this little trick of yours can give you the edge against me.” Phainon shouted across the courtyard. He gave his arms and legs a little stretch, then lowered his stance, intending to end this in one decisive strike.
“You’ll see.” Caelus grinned and summoned his flaming lance. He held the rocky weapon before him, beckoning for Phainon’s approach.
A defensive position, huh. It wouldn’t hurt to humour him.
Phainon darted toward Caelus in an instant, wind whistling past his face. Phainon had his sword drawn, predicting how his sparring partner would parry it. But instead, at the last possible second, Caelus drove his lance into the ground, engulfing the entire courtyard in a plume of misty earth.
The surprise defence intrigued Phainon. “So this was your plan, clever.” His eyes darted around the haze, but it was no good. There was no locating the Trailblazer when he could barely see an arm's length in front of him. Neither could he hear Caelus’ footsteps, putting Phainon even more on edge.
He tried treading away lightly, but was stunned by the sudden chime that emanated from his neck.
Phainon gripped the bell, blood rushing to his ears.
A second later, his head rose to a dark shadow rapidly drawing closer. He could barely register what looked to be a spinning hat before it hit him square in the face. The uncommon projectile erupted into a puff of golden sparkles. The impact only hurt a little, but it definitely caught him off guard. Then, the sound of footsteps emanated from behind him.
So that’s your angle.
Right on cue, the Trailblazer leaped behind him, the electric sizzle of his bat so familiar. In the blink of an eye, Phainon spun around and thrusted the blunt side of his sword out. It was a defensive gamble; if he missed his target, he’d be giving Caelus the perfect opening. But luckily, the push back on Phainon’s sword told him that he’d made the right choice. He thrusted with all of his remaining strength, his muscles screaming for reprieve.
Not a second later, a rocky crash resonated through the courtyard, followed by a softer thud. Soon after, the dust finally settled, and Caelus was across the courtyard face-first in the grass.
A deep exhale escaped from Phainon’s chest. The adrenaline from their fight was starting to wear off, his body exhausted beyond belief. But even so, he jogged over to check on Caelus.
“Nice trick you pulled back there,” Phainon said, kneeling over the spoils of their training. “If I were a less experienced opponent, you would’ve had me.”
“Ugh,” Caelus groaned, his words accompanied by laboured breaths. The once-white shirt was now stained beige. “I’m just gonna stay here for a while.” He remained in his defeated position, but at least he was alive enough to speak—all other injuries could be mended by the Twilight Courtyard. But even so, a twinge of guilt coursed through Phainon for roughing Caelus up like this.
He patted the back of the dejected Trailblazer, trying to figure out something that would put both of them at ease. “You know, partner, I think the perfect resolution to our training session would be to rest in the baths. I usually attend them after training, and it always puts me in a better mood.”
Caelus tilted his head to face him with raised brows that gestured: ‘I’m listening.’
“Come on, it’ll be an easy way to freshen up, " Phainon remarked. He paused for a moment, then wondered if the reason Caelus wasn’t accepting was that he was too injured to walk. Suddenly, a new idea bloomed in his head that made his body steam. “You know, I could even carry you if you want. It’d be my treat! I wasn’t pulling my punches, and it was kinda my fault that you were—”
“Yes,” Caelus replied instantly, cutting off the stammering proposal. He sat upright and raised his arms. His knit brows and stern expression reminded Phainon of an impatient toddler demanding to be lifted.
“Wait, are you serious?” Phainon said, not expecting immediate compliance. He hadn’t fully thought this through, and there would actually be civilians around to see them this time.
Caelus huffed. “Are you seriously asking me that again? What if I said something like. . .” The corners of his lips turned upwards as he clasped his hands together like a prayer. “Oh, please save me from my torment, Deliverer! I was wronged, beaten, by this tall, strong, handsome, ethereal man, whose deft arms, broad frame, and sublime visage made my—”
“Okay!” Phainon exclaimed, his face blazing like Kremnoan body paint. “I, uhh, thank you? Here I’ll lift you over my shoulders. Just hold on.” Phainon bent down for Caelus to climb on top. It was a bit awkward for Phainon’s body to stand with another man curled up around his neck, but it wasn't anything he couldn’t physically handle. His psyche, on the other hand, was on the verge of spontaneous combustion. The adrenaline was back in full force while they headed for the baths.
“This is nice,” Caelus said, his breath hot on Phainon’s ear. “It’s like riding a droma, sort of. Bumpy but fun. Speaking of dromas, are they the only animal you people have domesticated on Amphoreus, or rather, Okhema? I really haven’t seen any other. . .”
Phainon couldn’t really hear what Caelus was saying over the roaring heartbeat in his ears. The additional weight mixed with their closeness and occasional glances from locals made his chest thump with unparalleled speed. It took everything in him just to keep waking.
But once the crashing water filled Phainon’s ears, he knew they were close. The number of people in towels and thin fabric grew denser. Distinct chatter enveloped the air, and the surging humidity engulfed his senses, finally allowing Phainon's body to return to its usual state of excitement.
“Ahh, here we are, " Phainon sighed contentedly. He stood inside the main entrance with the stiffest of shoulders. But that wouldn’t bring his mood down, because no matter how many times he came here, the grand yet comforting atmosphere of the baths never ceased to impress him. “Hey, freeloader, do you think you’re ready to dismount?”
“Hehe, thanks for the ride,” Caelus replied, rolling down and landing on his feet. He surveyed the mildly crowded pools, eyes glazing over everyone and everything until he identified his target. “Race you to the changing area?”
“But you can’t—” Phainon began to protest. But then, a flurry of thoughts raced through his head: I thought he was too injured to walk, much less run. The floors have got to be slippery. Man, I’m so beat. But the water is so enticing. And I just can’t say no to this guy.
A contented grin spread from ear to ear. “You know what, why not?”
—
“So you’re telling me your crew crashed this Astral Express into the face of a god?” Phainon exclaimed while stashing his boots on the wood-carved shelf.
“Uh huh. And that was Penacony, also the planet where I got this top hat from.” Caelus set it beside him on the bench next to his bathrobe. At Phainon’s request, the Trailblazer was going on about his exploits and victories while they were getting ready for the baths. Though his stories could be seen as bragging, to Phainon, they were something he admired about Caelus—a man who travelled beyond the sky to distant worlds, whose only goal was to help save everyone he came across.
Phainon chuckled, “So you must have seen about everything by now.”
“Well, I think reclaiming my soul and becoming alive again is a new one for me.” Caelus shrugged, like this was just another average day for the Trailblazer.
“Speaking of, how are you holding up?” Phainon asked. The recent incident made him wonder if he should have let Caelus reconstitute and recover a bit longer before sparring together. After all, he’d spent so much time training with Mydei’s immortal body that he forgot that making contact during intense training could be dangerous.
“I mean, besides the blow to my midsection, I’m pretty fine,” Caelus replied.
Phainon’s heart crescendoed again. Without realizing it, he grew more protective of those close to him after losing so many in the last few months, so much so that he walked over and knelt before Caelus.
“Please, let me make sure you’re okay.”
The resolute request unintentionally ensured that this time, the trailblazer would be the antsy one. His feet tapped rhythmically on the smooth tile floor while the humidity beaded with moisture wherever skin met the air. He held Phainon’s steadfast gaze with raised eyebrows for a few long and heavy seconds.
“Okay,” he replied, though it sounded more like a question than an answer. He lifted the center of his shirt to his mouth, then hooked it between his teeth. Reclining on his back, arms, he gave Phainon an easy display of his lower torso.
The first thing Phainon did was exhale a sigh of relief. A faint reddish hue lined the surface of Caelus’s abs, glossy from the thin coat of sweat. There was no broken skin in sight, but just to be thorough, Phainon leaned in and ran a hand along his back. The smooth, creamy white skin quivered under Phainon’s warm touch, and to his surprise, nothing out of the ordinary was to be found or felt. The Trailblazer’s slim yet lean figure had withstood a blow to his front and the impact of a marble column to the back without major injury.
Intrigued by the immense durability, Phainon shook his head and met his eyes again. “You know, partner, you’ve got an impressive body.”
Then, without warning, Caelus cupped his hand around Phainon’s cheek.
The Trailblazer’s thumb slid intently across his face. Caelus’ piercing golden-eyed stare seemingly peering into the depths of Phainon’s being. The touch left him speechless.
It was at that moment that he’d realized how intimate his last sentence and the whole situation were. There he was, kneeling between the legs of, and even feeling up the body of his friend directly above him. He also hadn’t even registered that Caelus was holding his tee with his teeth until now. It took every ounce of willpower Phainon had to stay collected.
Stained glass bathed the room in a yellowish-orange hue, contouring Caelus’ face, and erasing any trace of the light-hearted Trailblazer from earlier.
Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. Why did I say that? That was much too provocative. What's my next move? Why are these clothes so tight?
Caelus tilted Phainon’s face higher. His body was paralyzed with an emotion he couldn’t pinpoint. Intrigue, fear, curiosity, and countless other sensations all coursed through him as he tried to predict Caelus’ next move.
But what he should have known was that Caelus was anything but predictable.
After the longest seconds to have ever passed, he swiped his thumb under Phainon’s nose and withdrew it. His thumb was dyed gold.
“You’re bleeding,” Caelus said bluntly. Phainon could barely take in what was happening as the Trailblazer continued, “It was probably the hat that did it. It is a weapon after all, and I did hit you square in the face.”
“O-Oh, yeah. You’re probably right,” Phainon finally responded. He shot up like a firework to retrieve a cloth from the bath shelves. Leaning over the shelves, he tried to look like he was busy looking for a cloth, but all he could do was try to calm the thunder in his chest.
What was that?
The nosebleed took no longer than a few minutes to resolve, and by then the two had finished changing into their standard bathrobes. Phainon left his clothes neatly folded with the bell collar, while Caelus’ were hastily thrown onto the shelf.
The robes hung a strip of modestly decorated white fabric over their soldiers, while the rest was tied neatly around their waists. Caelus’ had a splash of golden stars and fit snugly around his figure. Meanwhile, Phainon carried blue inscriptions along the edge of his robe; titles of stories from his childhood.
The humid air washed over Phainon gradually, easing his nerves. “How about I lead you to the Hero Bath, partner,” he suggested to Caelus. It was a tier of the baths that was expressly for Chrysos Heirs, but Phainon assumed an exception was made for such an important person. Located at an extremely high point of the baths, it overlooked all others and would be the perfect, secluded area for some relaxation.
“Lead the way,” Caelus said with a strained voice, his arms overhead while stretching his back. “Oh, and I think this is the first bath we’ve had together. This should be fun.”
Phainon wasn’t sure if “fun” was a word he’d use to describe a bath, but he brushed aside Caelus’ remark for now. He stood under the arch separating them from the serene pools; all he wanted now was to rest his muscles in the tepid water without a thought in the world. But Phainon had a slight inkling in the back of his mind that Caelus being there might switch up his plans in one way or another.