Icy Beginnings

by ShinraWeapon

Yaoi. Can one night change things between Magus and Glenn? (Revised and updated!)

Author's Note: This story is based around "The Story of Magus" by ZealPropht. So, if things seem a little convoluted, go hunt it down and read it for further details.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they belong to SquareEnix. I am only borrowing them for fun, non-profit yaoi.

Icy Beginnings

By GoldenVendetta

The princess was crying. Again. Magus sighed and wished fervently that there was something he could do to bring a smile back to her lovely face. It wasn't that he liked her. Far from it, in fact. But her crying was getting on his already paper-thin nerves. Of course, if she ever did stop crying, she would probably start talking. She was taking Crono's death very badly indeed.

I'll be happy when we leave this place, Magus thought. He felt like icicles were jabbing holes in his pride as he was forced to have to rely on the Earthbound for even meager food and shelter. That, and being confined in a small area with former enemies was doing nothing to lighten his mood. His eyes narrowed as a particularly loud note in Marle's sobbing stabbed into his ears like a knife. When Lavos is defeated, I'll kill every last one of these annoying idiot. He even knew which party member he wanted to start with.

"Where's...ahem...Froggy?" he asked as casually as he could muster.

Lucca looked up from where she was repairing her clunky robot friend. She pulled a few sparking wires out and examined them with squinted eyes. When she spoke, there was a slight edge to her voice. "I think he went to his room. Why do you want to know?"

"Oh, no reason," the former Prophet replied. "I just thought I should go and thank him for sparing my life today."

Lucca glanced up from her work. She didn't like the way he had emphasized the idea of "thanking" Frog.

"Instead of saving this...this monster," Marle sobbed, gesturing at Magus, "he should have been trying to help me think of a way to bring back Crono!"

"Miss Marle," Robo piped up, "we all agreed that it would be best to bring Master Janus with us. His expertise in the realm of magic could prove a valuable asset to our side."

"Hmph! Watch it, tin can! No one gave you permission to address me that way. My name is Magus and I suggest that you call me by it. Unless, of course, you don't object to me turning you into scrap metal?" He flexed his hands, a dangerous glint in his eyes. Before he could follow up with the threat, he was whacked in the leg by a flying screwdriver.

Lucca got up and put her hands on her hips. "Don't you dare menace a member of this team! Especially not one I'm trying to patch up. You were spared only because of your possible usefulness. Against our better judgment we allowed you to join us. So far, the only thing you seem to be good at is getting on everyone's bad side." The inventor pushed her glasses higher on her face and scowled. "If you're not going to help out around here, then why don't you just go to bed and leave us alone?"

Magus pulled his hood up over his head and wrapped his cloak about his lean frame. "I think I shall. The atmosphere in here reeks of self-righteousness." Marle broke off her crying to glare and Lucca's hands tightened on the wrench she held. Even Robo gave a few disapproving beeps. "Goodnight, ladies and robot," the wizard sneered. "Try not to miss me too much." He got to his feet.

"Oh believe me, we won't," Marle spat, scrubbing at her tears with the back of one hand.

Magus turned with a flourish and made to leave. His dramatic exit was ruined as a bouncing mass of curves and blond hair flung open the door and nearly ran him over.

Ayla skidded to a halt and shook snow and water all over the place like a dog would. Everyone groaned and tried to avoid the spray as much as possible. "Ayla like snow," she grinned, sitting down to scratch her ear with a foot. "It fun! You come see. It look pretty at night. No more dirt flying in sky. Ayla show pretty stars to all!"

Grabbing Magus' hand, since he was the closest, she dragged him out into the cold night. He couldn't pull away; her strength was incredible! Instead, he concentrated on trying to keep up with her and not fall face-first into the snow. He half succeeded.

"See?" The prehistoric woman skidded to a halt and released Magus' wrist. She pointed to the vast expanse of snow-covered land and the black backdrop that was the sky. The snow reflected the light from the moon and the stars sparkled like tabs spread out on ebony silk. "Stars make pretty light. So bright, like daytime!"

The crunch of snow behind him told Magus that the others had followed. They shuffled over to where Ayla and the annoyed warlock stood, drinking in the sight around them. After a while, Ayla took off again, pouncing in and out of snow drifts like a playful kitten.

"It is beautiful," Lucca breathed, pulling the collar of her coat closer to her skin. "I don't think I've ever seen anything more lovely."

Magus glanced down at the purple-haired inventor then away. "This is nothing. It looked best on the floating continent. If you were in the right spot, it felt like you could see the entire world. The stars all seemed close enough to touch." He looked up wistfully. "Zeal Kingdom was a perfect blend of magic and technology." I will always regret not being able to save it. His fists clenched under his cloak where no one could see.

"You're forgetting that your precious Zeal Kingdom was making life miserable for tons of others down here on Terra Continent," Lucca pointed out, giving a disdainful sniff. "I much prefer to see the stars from here."

"I'm sure. With glasses like those, the starlight would blind you that high up." He smirked at Lucca's outraged expression and turned away.

"I just wish Crono could have seen this with us," Marle sniffled, hugging herself. Lucca nodded and patted her shoulder while Ayla made sad little mewling sounds.

Magus rolled his eyes. "Am I the only one here who isn't in love with him?"

"Who asked you?" Marle flared. "No one wants you here anyway!"

"Whatever you say, Princess. I'm going to bed." Magus stepped around her and headed back toward the cluster of huts.

Lucca removed her glasses and wiped them on her jacket. "Be quiet when you go in there. Frog is probably asleep by now."

That caught Magus off guard. "I'm staying with the amphibian?"

"Yeah, and you'd better not do anything evil to him. If you've turned him into a dog or a fish or a-"

"Corpse?" Magus inserted with a dark smile.

"Just know that if he's not exactly the same way we left him tonight, I'll slap you upside your face with a Fire spell faster than you can blink. And don't think I won't!"

Magus chuckled. "Oh, I understand now. You're just jealous that I get to share a room with the Frog and you don't." The mage had the satisfaction that he hit a nerve.

The inventor blushed and she drew her lips back in a snarl. "Just go away!" With that, she pushed him with all her might. It wasn't much of a push, and Magus should have easily defended it. However, standing on ice isn't the most helpful thing in the world. He slipped and ended up on his back in the cold, wet snow.

Ayla purred happily and pounced on him. "You play in snow too, Magus?" She picked up an armload of the powdery stuff and began hurling it at him. The wizard scrambled to his feet, pelted at every turn. He opened his mouth to chant a spell but every time he began, he got a face full of snow. Retreat was the best option before Ayla decided to make him into a living snowman. Running would have been undignified but walking only encouraged her to throw more of the stuff. So, he settled for a brisk jog. That still got a chorus of shrill laughter after him.

By the time he reached the small domes that served as housing for the party, he was shivering so hard his teeth felt like they were about to grind to dust. The doors of these domes were made up of layers of heavy monster hides. He pushed past them and into the relative warmth with a sigh. There wasn't room for a fire in this dome so the natives had settled for little braziers that stood around the hut.

He looked over at the two beds that had been set up. One was piled high with furs while the other had a rather skimpy looking little blanket and a single, rough monster fur. Assuming that his foe was in the other bed, Magus scowled. In one night, he had been laughed at, humiliated, and called useless. Now he was to be cheated out of a warm bed as well? He rather thought not.

Stripping out of his wet clothes, he placed them over the weapon rack beside his famous scythe and moved a brazier closer to help dry them. He wrung melted snow out of his hair and used the single blanket on his bed as a towel to dry himself as best he could.

Coming up beside the other bed, he looked down on the slumbering form of his nemesis. The wide green face was almost obscured by the furs that covered his body. He gave a little whimper and turned his back to the mage, hugging the pillow he slept on to his body. His brow was crinkled slightly with some dream he was having. The amphibian clutched at the covers, burrowing further into them.

So, the little green worm is cold, is he? Smirking, he reached for the edge of the bottom fur and began to slide into the bed, all the while whispering the words of a spell. Well, dear Glenn, you won't be cold for much longer.

=000000=

He was dreaming. That was the only logical reason for Cyrus' presence. Glenn moaned softly, twisting away, trying to escape the vision of his dead lover. Such memories hurt him like acid on his soul. He whimpered as he felt arms encircle him. They were cold. Did all ghosts feel this way? Despite the chill, the arms were strong and cradled him with gentleness. The dream Cyrus was whispering words that didn't make sense to him, but they were soothing to hear and so he relaxed.

His whole body felt strange. It was as if he were a jug and warm honey were being drizzled inside of him. Glenn gasped as heat seemed to fill his skin, rushing from head to toe. It was so real that he awoke with a start.

"So jumpy," Magus laughed, drawing closer to his bed mate. "You were relaxed a moment ago. You needn't worry. I don't bite." He smirked. "Not unless you irritate me, anyway."

"W-what is the meaning of this outrage?!" Glenn blinked his eyes to try and wake up. He wanted to know why a cold, and very naked, magician was in his bed. He tried to sit up but the arms around his waist wouldn't let go.

"You're warm," the wizard breathed against his shoulder, rubbing his cold nose against the bare skin of Glenn's neck. "And it's freezing out there."

"In case it hath escaped thy notice, fiend, thou art making me cold!"

"Well, Sir Knight, if you hadn't taken all my blankets for yourself, I wouldn't be forced into this humiliating predicament," Magus retorted. "Besides, you should at least thank me for restoring your true form for a while. It won't do either of us any good to freeze."

"My...what?" Glenn raised a hand to his face, touching the shoulder-length green hair, then the normal nose and lips. He looked at his hands and smiled outright at the healthy skin tone, not the green and brown he had grown accustomed to. He gave Magus a suspicious look over his shoulder. "But...why?"

"I already explained that, you simpleton," the wizard replied with a yawn. "I'm cold. Amphibians have lower body temperatures and I refuse to sleep next to something so clammy. Don't worry. You'll have your green motif back in the morning. Besides, doesn't it feel nice to have your old body back?"

"It wouldst feel nicer if thou left mine bed or at least clothed thyself." He was becoming increasingly aware, as the mage's body heat began to grow, of the hard muscles pressed against his back in the narrow space and the breath that tickled his cheek. He hadn't been this close to anybody since Cyrus' death. It felt good to be touched, and that's what was driving him to distraction. This was Magus doing the touching, the person who had condemned him to this life and had killed his best friend and lover. But gods, how could he not respond to every sinuous caress, however accidental or pre-planned?

No! Stop that! 'Tis unthinkable! 'Tis unforgivable! But the Mystic's very nearness was more arousing than he had ever anticipated. Was that really a gasp coming from him as icy fingers stroked his throat, his cheek, warming themselves on his breath as they touched his lips? This...this cannot be!

"What's the matter? Afraid my nakedness might make you want me?" There was sarcastic amusement in those words. Magus rubbed his face into the smaller man's hair, smelling the scent of a great forest after a rainfall. It was so wild and untamed, like Glenn himself. A low groan rumbled from in his chest. "Yes, you want me. I know you do."

Glenn blushed, angry to have been read so easily. "Thou art a sick man," he spat. Then his breath caught in his throat as a strong hand moved down his chest and lightly tweaked a nipple though his shirt. Glenn hissed and jerked back from the sensations, but only succeeded in pressing harder against his enemy. Immediately, the former Frog wished he had thought to wear more to bed besides the shirt. "What art thou doing?" Gods, was this really his voice sounding so weak and ragged?

"How long has it been since you've had intimacies with anyone?"

That question caught the knight off guard. "Uh...," he mumbled intelligently.

Magus snickered. "That long? Probably not since Cyrus, unless I miss my guess."

Glenn stifled a moan as lips teased the nape of his neck. Goosebumps broke out under the hand that still caressed his arm and chest. A cold, muscled leg moved between his own, forcing them apart so that sly fingers could stroke the silken insides. Glenn shivered and sighed, unable to do anything anymore to prevent this from happening. He was losing this battle and he knew it. What made things worse was that he really didn't seem to care one way or the other. He turned his face deeper into the pillow his head rested on when he heard the other man chuckle at his plight.

"Do you think you'd enjoy yourself if I took you?" Whispered words flowed into Glenn's burning right ear, followed by a moist tongue tip. "Between the both of us, I'm sure we could create enough body heat to stay warm the rest of the night." The warlock's mouth found the tender spot just below the smaller man's ear and placed a wet, sucking kiss there. "It's up to you."

Glenn whimpered as he felt his shirt pushed up around his armpits and a growing erection rubbed against his rear cleft. The fingers between his legs moved higher and cupped his testicles, tickling the underside with soft finger strokes. Glenn arched, feeling the hand move higher and around his aching manhood. His head fell back against Magus' shoulder, and he closed his eyes when lips once again found his neck. He hated this loss of control, hated wanting his enemy so badly, but most of all, hated the feeling of guilt for betraying Cyrus like this.

"Please..." he groaned. "Please..."

Magus licked a trail against the smooth shoulder that was exposed, the shirt having fallen to the side a bit. "Please what? It was a yes or no question."

"Please do not force me to make a choice. Just do as thou wilt." Rolling onto his back, Glenn stared into the white face above him. His dark eyes were tortured as they met cool violet ones. " I cannot give in to this. Thou knowest that full well." He reached up, pulling Magus closer, nearly kissing him, but unable to cross that threshold. "Thou art evil and treacherous, but damn me, I want to submit to this...to you..."

"As I always suspected," Magus whispered, his amusement evident. "Kiss me."

Their mouths came to together with force, their need fueling their passion as their tongues danced and twined together. Magus plundered Glenn's oral cavity with stabbing motions, giving him a preview of other acts to come.

This isn't right, Glenn's mind screamed. It isn't...it's not...him. With a ferocious cry, he tore away from Magus. "No! I mustn't! For Cyrus' sake, I canst not give in to thee!" The small knight struggled to get free of the bedclothes and of the wizard's arms. "Leave me be! Stop it!"

"Calm down, fool! You'll upset the bed. It's flimsy enough as it is!" Magus held on to the wriggling knight until he simmered down somewhat. He looked at the suffering face of his bed mate with an unreadable expression. "You're still upset about that day, even after all this time?"

"Thou killed mine best friend! Should I forgive and forget and let his spirit wander the earth unavenged?" Glenn gave a bitter laugh. "To ask that would be to waste thy breath. 'Tis a harsh road I tread, fighting beside thee against Lavos. For now, I shall lay aside revenge for the sake of the greater good. But do not think me so easily swayed. Once the quest be complete, thy life will be forfeit."

"You had the chance to kill me today," Magus reminded him, coldness seeping into his voice. "Why didn't you?"

"Because we may need thy skills. Despite my loathing for thee, I needs must admit that thou art a magician of merit." Glenn lowered his voice. "Without Crono, our force is sadly depleted. We may need all the help we can get before this battle be ended."

The blue-haired warlock sighed, looking away. "I suppose I understand. You're just using me, like everyone else." Before Glenn could ask what that was supposed to mean, Magus continued. "Like you, I also lost something...someone...of great value to me, a long time ago." A faint smile touched his colorless lips. "Maybe that's why I like hurting you. Why should you have the right to exact justice when I have suffered indignities far worse than anything you could ever dream of? Someday, when all of this 'alliance' garbage is done with, I'm going to strip you of everything you have ever held dear to you and cast you into the darkness. Only then, when you have nothing and no one to stand beside you, when all you have left is your hate and your loneliness, will I put you out of your misery. You say you want revenge, but I hunger for it. I want to see you break." Magus looked back at Glenn, and for a moment there was a feral light to his eyes. "I hate you," he said simply. "Because I know you never will."

"Magus..." The swordsman was at a loss for words. He had never heard the mage open up like that before. It was unexpected, and it made him feel weird. He frowned down at the covers. "Thou hast never spoken like that before. I do not think I like it. 'Tis not like thee to offer forth such confessions."

"Hmph! You presume too much." Without warning, the mage rolled on top of him and pinned the smaller man to the bed with his weight. "If you have so much to say, than tell me this, Sir Knight. Will you cry rape if I have my way with you, or will you enjoy yourself the way I think you will?"

"I..." Glenn's eyes grew wide. He felt so damn confused and even more wary of the warlock than before. This wasn't the Magus he had grown accustomed to. Not at all. "What art thou saying?"

"I take it, from your expression, that you've always seen me as nothing more than a ruthless bastard with no conscience whatsoever. I imagine your idea of being bedded by me involves a lot of pain and bleeding on your part." He laughed harshly as the knight's face went cherry red.

"No! 'Tis not what I...I mean, I have never-"

Magus waved away Glenn's sputtering. "As gratifying as it is to know that you do fantasize about me, I'm afraid I'm sure to disappoint." He gripped the knight's shoulders, hard, though his voice remained even. "I could be brutal with you, if you want, but that is an awful lot of work on my part and I don't think you'd appreciate my efforts." He relaxed his hands and settled more comfortably on top of the smaller man. "If you want this, you're going to have to ask for it. There will be no misunderstandings between us."

Glenn shifted a little under the wizard, unsure of his next move. "Such an act would mean nothing," he said slowly, playing for time. "'Tis no declaration of love on my part."

"Rest assured. Whatever happens this night is purely for physical release and warmth. Were I to choose a mate, it would be someone far prettier than you, Froggy."

"I still mean to slay thee when the time comes."

"You're welcome to try," Magus replied with a coy smile. "So, are we agreed?"

Glenn didn't move for a few seconds, debating about what course of action to take. On the one hand, he could refuse. Magus wouldn't dare force him, not if he didn't want to have a huge brawl first. The ruckus would alarm the others and they'd rush to his aid, so it wasn't as if he were helpless to resist. But on the other hand, this was a side of Magus that he had never seen before. Or maybe he just hadn't been looking hard enough to find it. 'Tis much easier to hate someone if thou dost not know anything about them, he reasoned.

Magus dipped his head and gave a gentle bite to the tip of the swordsman's nose. "Try not to take all night to make up your mind, hmm?"

Glenn sighed. "Very well." He took hold of the collar of his shirt and tugged it over his head. He dropped it over the side of the bed, hoping it didn't land in any sort of water from melted snow. He flinched as cold air touched uncovered skin. He felt more nervous than he had that night when he'd been under Cyrus, an inexperienced virgin with the only person he ever felt he could love. Glenn licked his lips and wrapped hesitant arms around the wizard's pale neck. He gave an affirmative nod and took a deep, tremulous breath.

=000000=

Magus realized what this portended and looked down at his bed mate. Glenn's eyes were large and luminous in the flickering firelight. He looked so vulnerable and unsure of himself. Magus felt his heart moved to something close to pity for the young man. He felt almost tender as he lowered his face for a slow kiss. Almost.

This means nothing, he reminded himself. I can't let it mean anything, any more than he can. As much as I might want to...

Glenn's lips were warm and soft, his mouth tasting like the honey cakes Lucca had provided for dessert. There was so much hesitation, but also a great deal of desire lurking under the surface. It needed only to be coaxed out. Perhaps a little exhibitionism would help break the ice.

He drew back, sucking at Glenn's lower lip a moment. When he was done, he reversed their positions, rolling so that the smaller man was on top. The furs slid off of them, but they barely noticed the cold now. The warlock raked his eyes over the swordsman's physique. He marveled at the play of muscles under bronzed human skin. It was hard to imagine that the gangly thing he'd turned into a frog so many years ago could be this handsome man straddling his hips tonight.

"I want to watch you touch yourself," he said, delighting in the immediate flush that crept up the knight's throat and into his cheeks. "If you make a good show of it, we'll continue."

For a second, it looked like Glenn was going to protest. Then, all hesitation melted away, revealing a wanton creature that threw back its head and lazily began stroking itself. First, just the tips of his right fingers skimmed along his engorged shaft. He muttered a soft curse and curled his fingers into a tunnel. Rolling his head on his neck, Glenn made contact with the violet eyes tracking his every move. With deliberate slowness, he slid his hand up and down his manhood, rocking his hips in a dance to the erotic rhythm he had set.

Magus realized he was holding his breath, captivated by the display. By the darkness, I lied, he thought. He is beautiful. In this moment, he is probably the most alluring creature I have ever seen.

Glenn wiped a drop of clear fluid from his member with an index finger and placed it against Magus' lips. Without hesitation he opened his mouth and took the finger inside. The slightly bitter tang of salt on skin assaulted his senses, making his chest heave with quickened breathing. He felt his own white face growing crimson. He was enjoying this far too much.

The swordsman offered a seductive look. "Dost thou consider this adequate display?" His finger hooked the wizard's lower teeth and drew him forward like a fish caught on a line. When Magus was sitting up, the finger was removed and replaced by Glenn's tongue. Their mouths latched together, Glenn battling against Magus for dominance of the kiss. The swordsman's hands tangled in the warlock's blue hair as Magus moved his own hands restlessly up and down the other's hips and sides.

With athletic grace, Glenn shimmied his way down Magus' chiseled body until they were laying flush against each other. A simple flick of magic, and they were covered by furs once more. Their shafts pressed against each other between them, iron hard rods of heat and need. The knight's hands moved down and gripped the firm backside of the man under him and pulled upward, even as he ground his hips downward. Their kisses became more frantic as they rocked against each other. The slippery heads of their erections slipped and slid against each other, but it wasn't enough to grant true satisfaction.

Why had he denied himself this pleasure for so long? Glenn felt Magus' forehead come to rest against his left shoulder as they broke their kiss, felt the rapid exhalations of hot breath, heard the soft cries of enjoyment as they moved as one. He had missed giving pleasure to another, and being pleasured in return. True, his ungainly amphibian form prevented him from much contact with normal humans, but he had lived as a monk since Cyrus' death, not even permitting himself the simple act of self-gratification. But here was a person, his enemy of all people, whispering his name in a breathless litany of joy at his touch.

Magus tightened his arms around Glenn and reversed their positions one more time. As much as he liked laying passive and letting someone else do the work, there was still so much he wanted to do to the knight before morning came. He gave the knight a brief nip to the collar bone before tossing his hair out of his face and swooping down to take one sensitized nipple into his mouth. Glenn's fingers ran through those blue strands, making his scalp prickle pleasantly from the sensation. He worried the nub between his teeth and tongue, flicking it till it became a hard pink point. He moved to the other side, repeating his actions a little more firmly this time, loving every strangled gasp and whimper rising from Glenn's throat.

The hands in his hair were trying to push him further down, now. He allowed them to steer his mouth over ridged stomach muscles, pausing to circle Glenn's navel, before his chin bumped into his desired destination. Lips parted and wet softness licked the pearly drops weeping from the slit. Glenn tossed his head and whispered encouragement. Magus inhaled the scent of musk and salt. He lowered his mouth around the rigid member, drawing it out while he watched the play of emotions on Glenn's face. His tongue stroked the underside as he bobbed his head in Glenn's lap before nibbling on the mushroomed head.

A fine sheen of sweat had broken out on both participants. Glenn's face was flushed with passion and his eyes had rolled back into his head. He seemed on the verge of blacking out from the sensations. Muscles tensed under pale hands and Magus could tell that the end was near. He was surprised the knight had lasted so long after such a long period of celibacy. There was a tightening on his scalp as his hair was gripped tightly for an instant and that was all the advance warning he received before his mouth was flooded. He swallowed Glenn's release and licked his lips, wiping at his mouth with the back of his arm.

"You are a most pleasant playmate, Froggy," Magus laughed, coming up by his partner's face and kissing him deeply.

Glenn found that he couldn't move a muscle under the firm pressure of the mouth sucking at his own with slow, deliberate motions. He could taste himself on Magus' tongue, and that was a bit of a turn off, but he allowed the kiss to go on anyway. Maybe it was lethargic aftermath, but he didn't feel like drawing back at the moment. But when fingers stroked back green, sweat damp hair from flushed cheeks with a tenderness that he wasn't ready to accept just yet, the smaller man batted the hand away irritably.

"Enough, villain," he snapped, though weariness seemed to draw the sting out of the words. "'Twas fun while it lasted. Now, 'tis time for slumber, methinks."

Magus gave a slow smile, a predator teasing its prey. "Oh, I don't think so. Not yet, anyway. There is still the little matter of my relief." He captured one of Glenn's hands in his and flicked his tongue over the open palm before placing it over his burgeoning manhood. Glenn shuddered to feel the firm heat pressing and rubbing against his palm, leaving wet, sticky marks on the skin. Had he been such a fool to think that Magus would be satisfied with what had already transpired?

"What didst thou have in mind?"

"Let me make love to you," the wizard breathed, his glowing violet eyes mesmerizing the ones under his gaze like a snake about to strike for the kill.

"What we're doing is not called love making," Glenn protested stiffly, finding a bit of his old fire. But even as he said that, he felt as if he were telling a lie. He dredged up images of Cyrus and their times together. He remembered every nuance of every moment, and the feelings that had been invoked. Yes, that had been love making, he thought. When two souls meet and merge and become one. He glanced at Magus and felt suddenly sick. He was already betraying his dead beloved by sleeping with his murderer, but to dare call it "making love"... That was farther than even Glenn was prepared to go.

Magus felt something in him tighten at Glenn's look. Was that disgust in the swordsman's eyes? Revulsion for him, and what they had done just now? That thing inside continued to tighten until it was a hard, uncaring ball in his chest. Who cared what Glenn thought? This was only a moment's diversion, after all. Just something to keep warm, and provide a little before-bed entertainment.

When he spoke, his voice was perfectly cynical and chilling, a blatant reminder of who and what he was. "Making love, fucking like a pair of Roly monsters, it's all the same thing. Sex is sex, no matter who it is with. You're naive to think of it any other way."

"Silence!" They were both shocked to hear the vehemence in the knight's voice. He calmed himself with a deep breath, looking away. "How canst thou say we shall make love when we have both made it clear beyond any doubt that no love doth reside in thy heart, nor mine?"

The blue-haired man gave Glenn a serious look. "And if I said I loved you?" he whispered.

Glenn searched his face for a moment, then said, "I shouldst call thee a liar if thou didst."

Magus' voice turned as cold and bitter as the unforgiving winds of Death Peak. "I've never known love. You had your precious Cyrus. You have no idea what it's like to grow up with the Mystics, to be used over and over again like you had no soul at all, to be their whore-" His voice broke off in the middle of his tirade as he realized he was dangerously close to crying. Why? He hadn't cried since he was a child. And why was he telling this no-account knight about his inner torment? Blinking, he cleared his throat. When he spoke again, it was in a harsh whisper. "You and your stupid little friends in the other hut will never understand me!"

Magus grabbed onto Glenn's right knee and pushed it up, revealing the dusky pink entrance to his eyes. Glenn squirmed under the scrutiny as the mage knelt between his legs. He could pull away, the swordsman reasoned. There was still enough time. He could kick and scream, or even call on his magic to help him. But when the pressure came, he relaxed with it, opened to it. There was no preamble, no stretching to help ease any discomfort, only the feeling of fullness as the pre-ejaculate slicked head popped through the barrier ring of muscle. He hissed and clenched his teeth as Magus slowly pushed the rest of the way inside. The two enemies groaned, one in pleasure-pain at the penetration, the other with some mixed emotion that Glenn couldn't put a finger on.

Magus began to thrust. He retreated until he'd almost pulled out all the way before delving back into Glenn's tight, hot ass. The mage's hands held onto the smaller man's hips and almost raised him off the bed with each jabbing motion. The strokes were deep and strong.

The swordsman beneath him groaned again. Each time Magus entered him fully it felt like a small punch to his guts from within. The sensation wasn't altogether pleasant, as Glenn was being taken dry and unstretched. His opening was burning. But even so, each thrust rubbed against a sensitive spot inside that made his toes curl and his fingers dig into Magus' upper arms. He found himself tilting his own hips to meet the next rhythmic plunge. Before long, the pleasure started to override the pain.

Glenn entangled his fingers back into the long blue silk of the wizard's hair and pulled his face close for another searing kiss. Something wet hit his cheek and he opened his eyes. He had instinctively closed them for the kiss, but now was curious. Magus' face was wet, his expression contorted with a look of concentration as he strove for climax.

Sweat, Glenn told himself, even though a nagging part of him wasn't convinced that was the truth of the matter.

The rhythm picked up, their bodies pushing against each other with primal ferocity. Glenn's newly formed erection slapped against his stomach with every driving slam into his body. The muscles of Magus' abdomen rubbed over it with teasing brushes that were irritating in how unsatisfying they were. The blue-haired warlock was spitting and snarling like a wild thing as his hips rushed forward and away. For a long time that seemed almost too short, the two bodies on the bed strained towards their mutual goal. In a move that surprised the knight, the dark wizard's hand groped between their sweaty bodies to grasp Glenn's cock, giving it a few good yanks in tempo to the sound of his own testicles slapping against smooth skin.

Glenn was giving dry sobs and groans, rubbing against his partner as if he couldn't feel and touch him enough. But when he felt Magus' fingers close around him and begin to pump, he was gone. His back arched and he cried out. There was a splash of hot liquid between them and Glenn fell back onto the bed, spent. He rested but a moment before surging up again to lick a drop of sweat from the side of Magus' neck, biting the skin hard enough to leave small, red marks.

"Release for me, wizard," he commanded into one pointed ear.

The magician gave a stuttering gasp, stiffened, and pulled out. He shuddered violently before the waves of mind-blowing pleasure radiating from his groin crashed over him. His climax squirted onto pale thighs and dripped between spread cheeks as he fell forward, barely catching himself in time to avoid crushing his smaller bedmate.

The two sated men leaned their sweaty foreheads together, savoring the afterglow that still sent the occasional aftershock through them. As Magus had predicted, their passion had generated heat that filled them from within and without. Glenn tried to lean in for a kiss but Magus turned his face away, moving off of him.

"Well, that was a pleasant romp," the magician chuckled. "We should do this more often."

Glenn turned his head away and stared at the wall, not answering. The swordsman couldn't see the mage's face, and he wasn't sure he wanted to. Something had happened back there, and it was profound. However, he could not find the voice to give it utterance. If the other's attitude was any indication, Magus felt it as well.

In a halting voice, Glenn said, "'Twould be best if we never speak of this again, and not make a habit of it."

"Oh, you're not going to be all moody now, are you? I know you enjoyed yourself. If you need proof, I can always show it to you. It's warming my stomach rather nicely right now-"

"Thou art the sickest man I know."

Magus laughed again, getting out of bed for a moment to grab the damp blanket he had used as a towel earlier. He wiped himself clean and threw it at Glenn.

It hit the smaller man in the face and he pulled it off, glaring. "Fiend," he muttered, brushing the cloth over the sticky white trails on his stomach and between his legs. When he was done, he hurled it back at the magician who dodged it.

"Yes, but you like me anyway." Magus moved back into the bed and tried not to look as hurt as he felt when Glenn scooted as close to the wall as possible. He crawled in and rested his cheek on one of the downy pillows, trying to think of something to say. Could anything be said after such an ordeal? What had started as such a fun way to annoy the amphibian had turned into something far more complex than what he'd bargained for. And right now, he didn't think either of them were ready to deal with the ramifications of such a thing. As he began to drowse, he could hear Glenn muttering something behind him. Holding sleep at bay for a few minutes, he tried to distinguish what the knight was saying.

"Forgive me, Cyrus...I have betrayed our love with this foul act. I swear to thee, it will not be repeated. This night will not go unpunished."

Sure Froggy, the wizard's mind snickered, but the words were dark and self-cutting. I think we're already being punished. He opened his mouth to tell Glenn that this night was only the beginning, but the words never made it past his lips as sleep stole them away.

=000000=

Magus awoke the next morning feeling as if someone had turned his skin into ice. As he felt around for the blanket that had fallen off during the night, his hand passed over the spot where Glenn's body should have been. The lack of contact with him caused Magus to open his eyes. As he had expected, the Frog was gone, probably having fled as soon as daylight broke.

I am not bothered by this, he told himself firmly, attempting to snuggle down deeper into the furs. It was a one-time event. It will never happen again. He hates me, and I hate him. I'm okay with that. It's how things should be.

With a sudden vengeance, he hurled Glenn's pillow across the hut. "And that's the only reason why I want to kill him right now!" he shouted. No, this had nothing to do with feeling used, or jilted, or anything like that. Anger was a good thing. It was his power, his source of magic, his savior in dark times. And the empty feeling inside of him, the one that felt suspiciously like the one left by Schala's death... He sighed, covering his eyes with his right arm. That feeling wasn't so easy to explain away.

The sounds of the Earthbound milling around outside reminded him that he wasn't here for a vacation. There was a task at hand, one that had been offered him in exchange for his own life. Lavos was waiting for him. There were more important things that needed to be done, rather than moping around because of some stupid amphibian.

I'm the Magus, and I stand alone.

He got dressed in record time. The air was still freezing, even though he could see sunlight peeking in between the door flaps. His clothes were still damp, and very cold. His cape felt sodden around his neck and didn't offer any warmth. He would just have to deal with it. At least his gloves, which had been stored in his pack, were dry. Collecting the rest of his things and his scythe, he exited the hut into the glaring light of day.

Lucca, Marle, and the repaired Robo were gathered in the commons by a fire. In the distance, the sound of children laughing could be heard, and he saw Ayla letting two little girls ride around on her back as she dashed here and there on all fours. Lucca was stirring something in a pot, and even from here, the smell was delectable. Assuming his usual arrogant stance and putting Frog far from his mind, he sauntered out to meet them.

Marle looked up as he approached and turned her nose up at him. "Morning," she muttered. "Here." The princess thrust a bowl of something steaming out to him as if it were the most tedious chore she had ever endured.

He grunted and accepted the offered food. It appeared to be some sort of lumpy oatmeal with chunks of bacon in it. It didn't look very good, but he identified the smell as the same one coming from the pot Lucca was hunched over. He took hold of the spoon that was wedged into one side of the goo and lifted a mouthful to his lips.

Lucca glared at him, as if daring him to make some sort of comment about her food.

"It needs more salt," Magus said out of the corner of his mouth before chewing and swallowing.

"If you don't like it, don't eat it," Lucca snapped, returning to stirring the rest of the cooking oatmeal. "I didn't slave all morning just to hear you complain!" Still, she handed him her salt shaker. While he used it, she added, "You behaved yourself last night. I have to admit, I'm surprised."

Magus shrugged in silence, handing the salt shaker back. He stirred his food, mixing it up.

"Frog seemed rather quiet this morning," Robo beeped. "I hope he is well. My sensors indicate that it is still very cold. Amphibious life forms do not do well in cold climates."

"We should leave soon," Lucca agreed. "Marle, could you go see if you can find Frog and tell him that if I have to stir this pot any longer, my wrist is going to break off? It's going to have all burned up by the time he gets around to eating."

"I'll find him." Magus surprised himself and the girls with the declaration. When they gave him suspicious stares, he tried to save a little face with annoyance. "What? We're on the same team now, right?" He looked to Marle. "Where do you think he went?"

Marle rubbed her hands together, more in nervousness than from the cold. She glanced at Lucca as if for courage. "He...he said he wanted some time to himself to do some thinking and some sword practice. When I asked where we should look for him when breakfast was ready, he said for me not to worry myself." The princess cleared her throat. "I shall return anon," she said, attempting to imitate Glenn's accent. "And off he went."

"In which direction?" When Marle frowned, Magus sighed in exasperation. "East? West?"

"Um..." The princess thought about it for a moment, chewing her bottom lip. "That way, whichever direction that is." She pointed north.

Without further words, Magus finished his meal, handed Lucca his empty bowl, and started on his way with his scythe in hand like a walking stick.

"You're welcome," the inventor called after him. "And if Frog is missing any limbs when he comes back, the threat from last night still stands."

He ignored her. Instead, he cast his levitation spell so that his already damp boots might have a chance to dry out. He didn't like the idea of wading knee deep through the snow. Besides, he liked the frightened looks many of the Earthbound and a few of the Enlightened threw his way. At least some things remained constant.

He knew where he was headed, even if the solitary footprints weren't a clear enough path to follow. North Cape loomed into view, a green figure standing out like a patch of grass amidst the white of the snow. The occasional flash of light off the Masamune's blade winked off and on. As he drew closer, he could see the short Frog performing various moves with the weapon, the snow at his feet churned into a slushy mess. It seemed that he had either been here for some time, or his practice had been rather vigorous not too long ago. From the slow, heavy motions of Frog's swings, it was apparent that he was feeling the strain now, the weariness of holding the Masamune for so long. Magus could see the tremble of overworked muscles with each steady swing.

He really is a remarkable swordsman, Magus thought, content to levitate a short ways away and just watch his nemesis practice. Cyrus would have been proud. His toady has become a force to be reckoned with. All flowers need light to grow, but they can't when they're standing in the shadow of a larger glory. Glenn may not know it, but Cyrus' death was probably the best thing that ever happened to him. Otherwise, he might have remained a stunted little bud, unable to bloom and resentful of it. Then he might have been the one to kill his friend, not me. Magus shook his head, pushing strands of blue hair behind his pointed ears. Glenn had never seemed to be very emotionally stable, in his opinion.

At last, Frog's movement's stopped. The tip of the Masamune embedded itself into the ground at his feet and the amphibian leaned on it for support, breathing hard. Sweat trickled down the sides of his wide, green face. Sensing that he was not alone, Frog looked over his shoulder. "Well, wizard?"

"I'm playing errand boy today," Magus answered, tone light. "Your breakfast is about to burn, and that girl with the glasses is getting worried that your sensitive froggy skin might not agree with this cold environment." He drew a five-pointed star in the mushy snow with the butt of his scythe. "And I want to ask why you crept out of bed like a thief in the dark." There, he'd said it. Now that it was off his chest and out in the open, he felt better already.

Frog turned his face away, looking out over the vast expanse of ocean that covered the remains of Zeal Kingdom in a watery blanket. "I didst not think that thou wouldst care," he replied, his voice not much louder than the soft wind and the sound of the surf crashing into the base of the cliff side.

Magus sniffed in disdain. "You can do whatever the hell pleases you. But..." He looked at his reflection in the polished surface of his scythe blade. His expression was wounded, as if he was actually hurt by Glenn's actions. In anger, he shook it off. "Never mind. To hell with you! I never said I cared, and I don't. Do what you want. I'm done here." He turned to go.

Blasted Frog! I don't know why I ever bothered with him in the first place. I should have just killed him when I had the chance. But no, I had to be feeling sentimental that day. Ozzie was right. Sometimes I'm too soft.

"I couldst be persuaded to stay next time...if thou wished it, Magus." Frog's voice called after him, his tone unreadable. "At least until I have avenged Cyrus."

Magus paused, his back still turned. "And what makes you think there will ever be a next time?" He waited for more than twelve heartbeats, listening to the silence stretch between them. Then he flashed a dark, cunning smile over his shoulder. "I'll hold you to that." He took in Frog's relieved, if suspicious, expression and snickered. "Here's to a new beginning, then. You'll find that I do not intend to go down without a fight, but I expect you knew as much."

"Hast there ever been such enemies as us, I wonder?" Frog mused, sheathing his sword. "'Tis beyond propriety."

"As if I ever let propriety stand in my way," Magus smirked. "Hang common sense and proper behavior! I say, let the war rage in the battlefield and in the bedroom, and to the victor go the spoils!" He offered his hand to Frog, and after a second of pause, they shook on it.

It was done.