Disclaimer: I don't own SSTLC characters!

Heat me up, Degel!

It was a beautiful day, with soft light spreading around the whole Holy Land, with a sound of training people, and the trills of birds. In the early morning of that calm, peaceful day, Degel was sitting on the elaborately constructed chair in the middle of his Temple's library. He was reading leisurely some old book he get from the Pope last evening. That book was really old; sometimes its ancient language troubled green-haired reader and sometimes it needed great care with reversing the paper to the other side. And Degel surely was carefully with that, after all some pages looked as they could just turn into a dust at any move. He didn't even raise his head, when Kardia got inside, spreading his frustrated cosmo around Temple's room. Scorpio glanced quickly with disbelieve at many bookstand surrounding him, and stood behind Aquarius, popping at a crannied, old page.

"What are you doin'?" he asked.

Degel sighed.

"Are you dumb?" answered green-haired Saint with the question.

Kardia chuckled and got closer to friend's ear.

"Know what, Degel? I'm cold. Wanna heat me up?"

Aquarius flipped over the page, and continued to read.

"Go outside. It's a really hot and sunny day. Or go do some exercises. Surely it could warm you. Besides I'm here for cooling you, not warming, if you remember that small fact."

Now it was Kardia who sighed.

"You are not fun, at all," he whispered, touching Degel's ear with his lips. That touch was delicate, sensitive. Then he licked his skin slightly.

"Kardia, if you won't stop, I will freeze you."

Young Scorpio chuckled.

"That's bad, because I don't wanna stop," he said, still licking friend's ear.

"Then I have no choice", sighed Degel, pulling out his glasses, and closed his book with noisy crack.

Suddenly air in the room got much colder, than it should be in the middle of Greece's summer. A glass of water, standing on the table was frozen in the matter of seconds. Kardia looked at friend with surprise. But then Degel turned his head to Kardia, caught gently his blue curls, and kissed him deeply, violently, with passion.

For a few seconds, Scorpio couldn't return that kiss; he was too astonished by Degel's action. But when he felt a hot, agile tongue inside his mouth that broke through the clamped lips with brutal strength, he couldn't hold himself anymore. A moan of triumph escaped from his mouth, his hands tightened on the back of a chair, almost crushing its fragile wood. It was exactly what he wanted; this passion he saw that night, this temperament and heat.

But after several minutes later, the kiss ended silently. Degel stood up, not even looking at Kardia, and went to the bookstand to find some place for his new acquisition.

"It should be enough for you, Kardia. Now leave."

He heard a few steps, and felt as his friend caught him brutally, turning around. The book fell on the floor with a dull thud. Kardia pressed Aquarius' body against the bookcase, slowly approaching their lips.

"Do you think I will leave after that?" he asked. Degel felt a warm breath on his skin.

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Because the next time I will really freeze you, Kardia."

Scorpio looked inside friend's violet eyes to check if it was a bluff or not. It wasn't.

"Damn you, Degel!"

And despite the whole danger, Kardia kissed him hard, deep, and lustfully. Aquarius didn't resist, allowing friend's tongue touched his own with furious. Scorpio used this acquiescence, taking more and more from green-haired man, sucking his lips, licking them, dancing with his tongue. The taste of soft body was overwhelming, making him not able to think about anything; he just had to taste more, he had to force his friend to give him what he wanted. And he was almost sure, Degel just gave up with resisting, so now they will do that again, inside this library, surrounding by the thousands of books. He didn't stop kissing his Degel until he felt another drop of the temperature in the chamber. Then Kardia let Aquarius go, turned away and left without saying anything more. Owner of the library accompanied him with his sight, feeling that his friend was much more frustrated, than before.

It wasn't much later, when this peaceful day in the Sanctuary was turned into real hell. Degel was reading another book he got from the Pope, in the same room, on that chair as before, and at the same time trying to forget about Kardia's visit. It was hard to do that; these kisses just made him scatterbrained, so he couldn't focus on the book as much as he wanted. His desire was to finish that book before the evening, he wanted it so badly, but how could he do such a thing with Kardia inside his mind? And then, in the middle of the page he felt a few brutal, unknown cosmo, playing around the Sanctuary, and he knew that his book had to wait for tomorrow.

He sighed with a disappointment, putting the book on the table, and heading slowly for his Gold Cloth. After all he wasn't the only one Gold Saint around, right? There was the Leo Regulus, or the Aries Shion. So, why he should be in such a hurry?

And then he found an answer for that question. A violent, joyful cosmo ranging inside that mess. The cosmo of Kardia.

"Shit!"

He ran, as if Hades was chasing him, to get his Cloth. If Kardia was fighting, it could end badly for Scorpio at any moment. Then Degel had to be with him, to help. To keep him alive.

A few minutes later he appeared in the center of the battle, trying to get well with the situation. Some unknown warriors broke into the Sanctuary, of course for the head of Athena. There were many of them, to many for a few Bronze and Silver Saints. Their cosmo was strange a bit, lower than a cosmo of Bronze Saint, but despite that, they was winning. Degel couldn't recognize theirs armors, filled with a soft but dark and evil light.

Even if they were stronger than ordinary Bronze Saints, they didn't stand a chance against the powerful Gold Saints protecting this Holy Land. Degel got rid quickly of a few intruders, and headed to the burning, Kardia's cosmo.

When he finally found his friend, his heart almost stopped. Scorpio's Scarlet Needle was reflected by an intruder, and for Degel it was certain, that it wasn't the first Scarlet Needle, that hit his owner. Aquarius could see a few crack and the small holes in friend's Cloth; a blood was flowing from them. And… And Kardia was holding his hand on his chest. On that side where was placed his heart.

'Why it always has to by the reflecting ability? Why, dammit?!' he thought, attacking the enemy by surprise. It was against his pride as an Aquarius Saint, but he was ready to do anything to save his friend.

Even if the intruder was able to avoid the first attack, he couldn't escape from quick Aurora Execution Degel send him almost angrily. When he got sure, that the enemy was dead, Aquarius turned back from him, and approached Kardia, sitting in the ruins of the destroyed buildings. He was breathing heavy.

Scorpio was in really pitiful state. He received about five his own Scarlet Needle and some of enemy's unique attacks. His face was covered with red blood, but despite that, he was smirking to his cold friend.

"What have you done, idiot?" Degel sighed, kneeling near his friend. "You will never learn, right?"

Kardia laughed lightly.

"It's your fault, dear Degel. I had to free my frustration after ours earlier meeting. I have to calm down my Needle."

Degel shook his head with disbelieve. Then he removed gently Kardia's hand from his chest, and put his own on that place. He started to send cold into quickly and at the same time weakly beating heart. Kardia rested his head on the stone block, feeling a nice cold spreading around his whole, hot body. He smiled.

"You know what, Degel?" he started with trembling voice. "Someday I wanna fight with my life on the line. Fight with some strong opponent… Before it - he pointed at his heart - kill me."

Degel looked inside the blue eyes.

"Stop saying such a thing. I will not allow your heart to kill you."

"Yeah, right," Kardia laughed sarcastically. "You can't heal me forever, my Degel."

"I can. And I will do that, Kardia. Forever."

They didn't even hear anything behind them; it was already too late when Degel felt like something quickly pierced his body in five places causing him overwhelming pain. Two shoulders, two legs, and the chest. The chest near his heart. To close to his heart. A blood started to flow from his mouth, and at the same time a harpoon-shaped weapon appeared, stuck inside his body. Then someone behind the Aquarius pulled out that weapon brutally, with the evil laugh, tearing apart more of his flesh, and almost wounding his heart. Degel looked behind with a surprised look on his face.

A person behind them was heaving, slowly appearing in the sunny afternoon. There was no cosmo, that two friends could feel, and because of that they weren't aware of the dangerous. But it was certain - this person was full of a powerful, hidden cosmo.

Degel touched a wounded place close to his heart. He felt a blood stream flowing from the wound, his vision got fuzzy, and he started to hardly breathe.

"Degel…?" he heard Kardia's voice.

Before he fell to the ground Kardia caught him, and lied gently.

"Degel…?" asked Kardia one more time, but when Aquarius didn't respond, he howled with the rage.

The enemy didn't expect that the Saint near his death would almost explode in angry. He only saw a blue curtain, and a red spot, while the pain was spreading around his body.

Kardia laughed madly.

"Now, when you were hit by my Scarlet Needle, you have two choices, until another fourteen strikes pierce your body, fuckin' bastard," said Kardia, hitting him five times. "Give up, or die. But I think you don't have any choice." Another six strikes. "Die."

He didn't hesitate, just killed him, with the murderous grin of his face.

When Kardia returned to Degel, his heart really stopped for a moment. Aquarius' face looked paler that usual, his opened eyes didn't have any light inside, like their owner was already dead… But then Degel turned his head to him, and extended his hand in friend's direction, trying to reach him. Scorpio kneeled down, taking him into his arm.

"Stop… doing these… reckless things… Kardia," Degel whispered quietly, with the blood flowing from the mouth. He placed his hand with a difficulty on Kardia's chest, sending remains of his cosmo to the ill heart, cooling it calmly. Kardia caught that hand tightly, pulling it away from his body.

"Who is reckless now, Degel?"

But Aquarius didn't stop, obstinately cooling friend's heart from the distance. He smiled warmly and then fell unconscious in Kardia's arms.

The first thing he felt after regaining his consciousness was pain in his chest, surrounding his weak heart. Every hit of his heart was weak, quiet and painful. He almost couldn't breath; it was really hard to inhale an air to his wounded lungs. His sight was still fuzzy; something was ringing inside his ears. It took several minutes for him to hear someone else's calm breath, and warmth on his right side.

He opened his eyes, and saw Kardia's curls covering his bandaged chest. His hot-headed friend slept peacefully beside him, with his head on the also bandaged shoulder, surrounding Degel with his muscular arms. Kardia's body was in the same state as his, after all the blue-haired man got beat as well. But that heat… The heat radiating from friend's body… He should cool him right now.

Degel moved his arm, intending to reach friend's side, and cool him immediately, but after the first twitch of his muscles, Aquarius let a moan of pain escape from his mouth. It felt, like someone was tearing his flesh apart.

"You shouldn't move," he heard in dark night, seeing as his friend raised his head, and looked into the violet eyes with worry.

Kardia was worried about him?

"That harpoon, or whatever it was, had a poison inside. The Pope and Lady Athena managed to get rid of that poison, but I think you won't escape from a side effect."

"Why are you here, Kardia? Shouldn't you rest in your own bed?"

"Though that poison didn't affect your mouth…" Kardia chuckled lightly. "Besides we are in my bed."

Degel looked around. Fortunately that move didn't cause a pain. It was really Kardia's bedroom. That violent scent could be sensed only inside his temple.

"Why? And why are you hugging me?"

"You were cold. Cold as never before. I thought it could be good to try to warm you."

Degel smiled. He never expected that kind of thinking from his reckless friend. It was… unnatural.

Ignoring the incredible pain, Aquarius lifted his hand and touched the blue curls.

"Thanks," he said.

Kardia looked at him with surprise. And Degel could swear that Scorpio just blushed slightly. He smiled more warmly.

"What?!" the blue-haired Saint asked almost aggressively.

"Nothing." Degel kissed his cheek softly trying to not laugh, and repeating: "Thanks, Kardia."

And when he was heading back, Kardia's fingers caught his chin, holding tightly.

"No way I will let you escape now," said Scorpio, with a wild smile. He touched Aquarius' cheek with his tongue, and then moved to his cold lips.

That kiss wasn't deep, but soft and sensitive. Lips touching lips, trembling together; tongue touching tongue in a dance; the taste of a breath and the smell of the hot skin. A kiss of the two careful lovers; delicate, with tranquil passion, quiet, and warm; lasting for a few eternal minutes, uninterrupted by any word, or move. But when it ended, Kardia had an expression on his face that Degel knew. The expression of the excitement and the lust.

"Are you expecting something, Scorpio?"

He did it. His voice was really cold, almost repulsive.

"What game are you playing, Degel?" Kardia was really mad now. He jumped out of the bed, leaving Degel alone, covered by a thin blanket. "Last time, when we were lying like that, you allowed me to kiss you. Yes, allowed, because without a doubt, you knew, what I'm gonna to do. Then we did something more, you hadn't any objections. And it was you who kissed me first in that library. And still, you are rejecting me!"

"I think, I told you before. That thing will not happen again."

Kardia growled with the frustration.

"Damn you, Degel!"

Then he left.

Aquarius looked at the stone ceiling. When Scorpio left him, he felt cold. Really cold.

"Although, I like all these kisses…" he murmured to himself, closing his eyes.

Soon something slipped under the blanket. Warm arms hugged Degel tightly; the young man could feel a breath on his skin.

"Damn you, Degel. You will pay me for that!"

Degel smiled, sinking his fingers into the blue curls. Indeed… What game he was playing with Kardia? First, acting like he wanted something, but when Kardia was taking an action, just retreating. Leading friend's senses to the final line, and then saying "No". Then what…? Maybe he wanted to see Scorpio begging for it? Kneeling down in the front of him and begging? It was true, if Kardia wanted something, he was just taking it, so… Perhaps Aquarius was intending to show his friend, that the world wasn't working like that…

Or… Or maybe Degel was scared? Scared of his own desires, of his own feelings towards Kardia? Last time he showed his soul much more that he wanted to, and even if it was his friend, who saw him like that… It was an experience that scared Degel too much. Not be able to control himself, acting so hastily.

He didn't know if it was love, Degel just cared of Scorpio much more than anybody else, being worried all the time when Kardia wasn't around, like he could disappear at any moment. Was it love? Or just a strong bond? But they did something that could be done only by lovers, right? Though Aquarius didn't have any contraindications, he had no regrets. And from the very beginning he would not regret if it end the same as before. So why? Why he was playing like that?

Degel sighed quietly, moving his hands from Kardia's hair to his cheek, and then touching lightly the hot lips of the sleeping man. And then… Was it his imagination? Under his fingers he felt a slight smile.

He smiled himself, returning his hand to the blue, long curls and felt asleep finally.

Author's Note: Soon second chapter ;)