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Mithicia adjusted the strap of her bag as she walked the familiar path toward the training grounds. The air in Bastion always felt crisp and steady, like everything here had its place… she liked that most days. Today, though, her mind kept drifting.
Adrestes had been waiting near the edge of the grounds when she arrived, helmet tucked under one arm. He did that sometimes lately: showed up just before she started her drills, never making a big deal out of it.
"You’re early." she said, smiling before she could stop herself and feeling a familiar heat rise to her face.
He gave a small nod, the corner of his mouth softening in that way he probably didn’t realize showed. "The aspirants finished sooner than expected. I thought I would make sure the area was clear."
That was the first thing. He always said it like it was duty, but lately, she had started noticing how often his schedule seemed to line up with hers. Not every day, though. Just enough that she noticed but could never quite prove.
She started her stretches, and he stayed. Not hovering really, but just… there. When she reached for her practice blade, he was already handing it over, grip turned toward her like he’d done it a hundred times.
Their fingers brushed. It was nothing new, but her stomach still did that annoying little flip like it always did. She'd grown used to it by now, but it still never failed to make her inwardly curse at herself.
"Thanks." she murmured.
"Of course."
They fell into easy quiet after that. She trained while he observed, offering pointers now and then in that calm, measured voice, but it was the smaller stuff that kept catching her attention today. Things she hadn't really noticed before, but was somehow noticing now and silently assumed that maybe he'd always done those things.
When she paused for water, a fresh skin was already sitting on the low wall nearby. She hadn’t seen him place it.
Later, when the sun shifted and glare hit her eyes, he moved to stand where his shadow fell across her path without a word. And when she finished her drill, breathing hard and wiping sweat from her brow, he had a clean cloth ready, folded neatly, offering it to her without a word and an easy smile.
Mithicia took it, pressing the fabric to her face for a few seconds before her hands lowered. "You’re always one step ahead," she said teasingly, "Should I be upset that you know my routines better than I do?"
Adrestes’ wings gave the faintest twitch; he looked almost embarrassed. "It is only practical. You push yourself hard. Someone should make sure you don’t overlook the small things."
…someone. Just someone. But that someone was always him. For a second, she wondered if he did it on purpose.
They stood together in silence a few moments longer, the silence somehow both awkward and comfortable at the same time.
But it didn't take long for Adrestes to break the silence. "Shall I walk you back?" He offered, holding his hand out for her to take.
She blinked at his offered hand, her cheeks burning hotter.
For a moment she just stood there, heart stuttering like a bird trying to take flight. She slipped her hand into his before she could really overthink it, fingers curling lightly around his. His grip was warm and careful, the way it always was.
Like it always was. Every time they held hands. This was far from the first time. The thought made her a little sick.
She watched him as they started walking back together. He kept his pace matched to hers, even though his longer strides could have carried him ahead easily, or he could have simply used his wings. But no, he kept himself on the ground.
Just to be beside me?, Mithicia wondered, but she quickly shook it away, fearing the thought was inappropriate. Archons, she was overthinking this, wasn't she?
Her chest felt entirely too warm. She felt like she was doing drills all over again with how wired she felt, and she feared Adrestes might feel the sweat in her palm if there was any. (She hoped there wasn't. But it was useless, probably.)
This is dangerous, she thought. Not because of him, no, but because of how much she wanted these moments to mean something more.
He was the Polemarch, and she was still finding her place here. An aspirant and little more than that. Friendship was already more than she should hope for. Anything else would only complicate both their paths. It could ruin both of them, if their feelings got in the way of their duties.
If Adrestes returned her feelings, that is. She wasn't sure. She almost dared to hope he didn't, but she wasn't perfect; she was capable of feeling, and to be capable of feeling was to be capable of selfishness.
They stopped walking. The pause pulled Mithicia out of her thoughts.
Adrestes turned to her, expression steady as always, but his eyes lingered a heartbeat longer than necessary. "Rest well tonight, Mithicia. You did good work today."
She nodded stiffly, throat tight. "You too. Try not to keep yourself awake for too long, lest you lose your ability to focus."
A soft huff of amusement escaped him, almost a laugh. It made her smile widen before she could help it.
As she walked away, Mithicia let herself hold onto the feeling for just a little longer. The small cares, the quiet thoughtfulness…
She knew she shouldn’t read too much into it. But Archon, it was hard not to. It was so easy to want more when he made the ordinary feel like this.
As she walked away alone, the warmth of his hand still lingered on her skin. Mithicia pressed her fingers to her palm, a small, secret smile tugging at her lips despite herself.
She knew better than to hope. But for tonight, just for a little while longer, she let herself savor it anyway.