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"You—you know what? You wanna just kill this guy, like right now, and like?"
The mood felt comparatively lighter than when Lomedy had first approached their base. Following behind Skrilley, he had detected Flame's flat tone of voice, a signature of his when he feels disheartened—Much like when he had felt discouraged on continuing the hunt to uncover Wemmbu's secret identity to reclaim his title as the strongest, and their rough patch during law when he had said so many hurtful things he regrets. But despite all of their previous arguments and separations, this one has been a very different experience—The permanence of death wasn't something anyone could simply come back from, no consideration even if you're the strongest player in the server.
During the journey back, Skrilley had briefly explained to him what Flame had gone through—How desperately he had looked for him, his impatience when he'd found out that he was trapped in a cave with a dead end, and when he looked at Lomedy's supposed grave with Flow repeatedly taunting him in an attempt to break him, saying how he had killed Lomedy. Even the slightest thought of the blaze hybrid having to endure through all of that, and how shaken up he must've gotten had Lomedy's heart feeling unbearably tight.
He must've been really, really cold.
Flame's temperature management had always been terrible—You could practically read his moods just by standing beside him, a distinct unusual lack of warmth radiating from the blaze when he was upset.
But, in this moment when Flame catches up to him with Skrilley trailing behind him—Of course he was never outrunning Flame, despite both of their exhaustion there was a clear stamina difference. His thoughts are interrupted when suddenly he gets tackled into a hug—And all that Lomedy can feel is the heat radiating from the other, the pure relief washing over his tense body. and when Lomedy placed his arms around him, Flame's tensed muscle visibly relaxed like a knot getting untied. Burying his face in Lomedy's neck as if he's trying to permanently glue himself to him. Surrounded by the metallic scent of dried blood on both of their clothes, and Flame's not yet healed injuries from the battle—The dark night suddenly feels much warmer. Lomedy's ears droop down as he tries to lean closer into the embrace—Their frantic hearts so close, almost beating as one. But the trance was quickly broken when he felt just how tight the other was holding him, almost suffocating.
"Are you okay..?"
"Why—Why wouldn't I be?" All the words were stuck in his throat, and all he managed to get out were a few meager words scraping against his dry throat. His voice had sounded smaller and muffled, so unlike the usual confidence that always radiated from 'The Immortal Demon'. But now he had realized just how no titles would ever truly measure up to the importance that Lomedy's safety is to Flame. Everything else was simply insignificant.
"I can put my best friend's life over every single one of you."
"Okay, alright. Let's hurry up and get back so we can rest, okay?" Lomedy's hand moved upwards to slowly pat the blaze on the head in a comforting way for the other.
"Mm.. okay."
After leading Skrilley to one of their guest rooms with Flame practically stuck to Lomedy like a fridge magnet, they could finally start preparing to get some rest.
"We stink so bad dude, do you want to shower together?"
Flame didn't give a response, simply following Lomedy to their bathroom. He had always been quieter when he's exhausted, the adrenaline rush after finding out that the bunny was alive had completely run out. They settled into a silence—Not quite as comfortable as their usual one, with so many words left unsaid yet neither one of them bringing it up.
After the shower, they both changed into comfortable sleepwear. Flame offers to towel dry Lomedy's hair, and he readily accepts—Sitting on top of their bathroom sink in front of him, looking up and directing his golden eyes over Flame's injuries. The blaze avoided his probing gaze and focused himself on the task at hand.
"Flame—I'm sorry," Lomedy decided to break the ice.
He was startled at the bunny's sudden apology and momentarily paused before continuing to dry his hair for him.
"Look at me?" Lomedy placed his hand on top of Flame's and dragged it down to his cheek, leaning into the touch as his gaze was returned—Meeting the blaze's clear eyes that's usually covered by his blindfold.
"What—I mean like what are you even apologizing for... you told me that I shouldn't be reckless, yet I was and I got you hurt—You were—I'm sorry. You're right, I've never been considering you like I just... 'm just not strong enough," He was getting choked up, being vulnerable even to Lomedy has always made him feel so unbearably weak—Yet all the words and regrets he'd been bottling up are emerging like pure word vomit. He dropped his other hand still holding the damp towel, only feeling the warmth between Lomedy's cheek and his palm over him.
"I shouldn't have stood up on the ghast in the first place, that was silly—Look, you're still the strongest person I've ever met. I know how anxious you must've been, and I really do support your goal of becoming a combat grandmaster." All that Flame can see behind Lomedy's eyes are sincerity—Absolute trust and faith in him. Even if he's not deserving of it, yet Lomedy is always willing to place his life in Flame's hands. Constantly sacrificing himself to support Flame's dreams—Even if it seems shallow and impossible to reach—Lomedy would never ever think that.
"I don't—I don't care about that right now like. I... look—The title means nothing to me… if you're not with me," Admitting that feels as if he's betraying his whole life—His whole life mission, every step he had taken ever since he started learning on how to properly fight. Ever since he was younger, training with Mane whom he’d idolized so much as an older brother figure. Maybe that was what he was talking about when they reunited, learning on how to wholeheartedly care about people, not in a shallow, ingenuine way.
“Have you ever thought about caring about people? More than that title.”
“I mean… there was a point,”
“but I don't think we're there anymore.”
Yet—Maybe now he could finally admit with certainty that he actually really does care about one singular person in this world. The boy who managed to bring his life even more warmth than his birthplace in the nether, the boy who smiled so bright the sunflowers would face towards him as if he was the sun itself, the boy who’d managed to make even the most mundane activity that is farming something he dearly cherished.
And when he had that realization, during that moment in the cave. How he had felt after finding out that Lomedy was 'dead'—Face to face with the grave of the one he loved—It was so unlike his usual nature, he really really cared. So badly and pathetically it was almost laughable how choked up he felt. It was so, so obvious.
And then everything caved in like an avalanche, he thought about how much he regretted every decision and bringing the only person he managed to care about to such a dangerous place that caused his demise, desperately wishing that he had spent more time with him—Doing things that he'd actually enjoy rather than dragging him into dangerous situations, and now it was as if he was given one last chance to make it right. The world was unusually merciful when it came to this, it feels as if it was too good to be true.
"It was my fault—I didn't need to drag you there. I wasn't properly thinking about the risks. Mistrul, Flowtives... it was my oversight." He looked away, away from those golden eyes—The same ones he had described at Skrilley's village that's now burnt down, he couldn't bear to continue staring. Not when he keeps bringing destruction to everything around him.
Lomedy gets off from the countertop, quickly closing the distance between them and tiptoes to peck him on the cheek. Even though they have been in a relationship for a while, seeing Flame's reaction when Lomedy gives him even the smallest scrap of affection would never get old. The way he gets easily flustered despite his tough exterior never fails to put a genuine smile on Lomedy's face.
"Don't blame yourself, it really wasn't something you could predict. The important part is that we're both safe right? I'm sorry for being stubborn. Can I patch you up?"
Flame gives him a nod in response, and at this point Lomedy is a certified expert in bandaging him after fights. They fall back into a silence yet it feels different this time—Raw, vulnerable honesty slicing through the pretenses they'd put up. He moves methodically, grabbing the first aid kit they keep in their bathroom and applying a medicinal salve over his cuts and bruises, a recipe he had learnt from his past teammate.
He doesn't think about his tragic end. Or the familiarity between him and Flame—Of course he had repeatedly worried about his safety in the past and maybe wouldn’t ever stop doing so. But, he chooses to completely trust in Flame's word that he'd change his ways and wouldn't pick unnecessary fights to stay out of danger.
"Lomedy... after this, Let's go and do something else first okay? Why don't we like, go exploring or something...? You know—Like Skrilley and stuff he's um. He likes exploring and I thought that you'd… enjoy it too,"
"Mmm, where do you want to go?"
"What about that place we saw—The one with the giant wheat fields. Like. Wheat civilization or whatever it's called, it's your dream right?"
They let out a light chuckle at the absurd memory, running errands for law with Spongs and their ragtag squad was one of the rare times where they were able to playfully mess around.
"Okay, sure. Wait—Let me fix your lips... stay still..."
Lomedy moves in and captures Flame's cracked lips, the wet heat of his mouth instantly captivating the blaze's full attention—Clearing any of the previous thoughts that had been brewing in the back of his mind. All he can focus on is how soft his lips feel, and when he grabs the back of his head to deepen the kiss he feels the soft fur of the bunny's drooped ears. Everything about Lomedy is soft to Flame—His body, his clothes, and even the light scent of freesias from his body wash. In hindsight, sucking on his lips wouldn't really solve the cracks. In fact it really only made it worse when Lomedy accidentally bit his lips when he'd deepened the kiss, but Flame never cared about that.
After breaking the kiss, Lomedy quickly packed up the first aid kit he used and placed it back in the bathroom cabinet. They make their way into the bedroom, lying down on the bed that they can call theirs, with Flame holding Lomedy in his arms like usual. They don't do anything for tonight, exhaustion carved deep in their bones. But with Lomedy in his arms—Feeling his solid presence, the warmth of his body, and the methodical rise and fall of his chest—He could never ask for anything more.
"I love you." Lomedy murmurs against Flame's chest.
"...I love you too." His sincere reply was accompanied by a kiss on the top of the bunny's head.
It was admittedly one of the roughest situation that they've went through yet somehow they both easily fell asleep, with the other's presence as a constant—Maybe it was simply the exhaustion taking over, and maybe they do still need to have a lengthier conversation when they're not as exhausted, but the air feels clearer—And it feels so nice to be embraced by warmth when the unbearable cold of the Mist was just surrounding them.