Too Hot For Comfort

A gloved hand reached up to block out the sun's overheated rays of the Lamakin Desert. Felix stayed in the comforting shade while his group stopped for a break, but even there, it was still hot. He had entertained the thought of removing his armor, but then that would require him to carry it, which would only expend the energy he needed to fight the monsters.

One glance at the two Proxians told him that they were perfectly fine in this intense heat, despite living their entire lives in subzero temperatures. Even Jenna was holding her own while attending to the needs of Vale's sage. So why was he the only one suffering so damn much?

The sound of sloshing water brought him away from his mental rants and glanced at the offered canteen before taking it, murmuring a small thanks and drinking the cool, refreshing liquid. Wiping his mouth, he glanced up at the man who had offered him the refreshment, stopping when chocolate eyes met azure.

Alex. Dammit, he was perfectly fine too! Not a drop of sweat, and he had lived in a climate completely opposite this, just like Saturos and Menardi! Stupid Alex. Stupid, stupid Alex.

"You need to take better care of yourself, Felix. You won't last much longer in this desert otherwise." Alex scolded with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

The teen shot the older man a glare and shoved the canteen into his chest before moving to walk past him, "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself thank you..." Once out of the shade, the combination of heat and humidity hit Felix head on, causing the the teen to sway and lose his footing.

With a soft sigh, Alex reached out and caught the hardheaded Felix before he could hit the scorching sand and guided him back to the shade, "That just proved my point. You are incapable of going any further without assistance."

"Dammit, I told you that I'm fi--" Felix was cut off by the canteen being shoved into his mouth, Alex tilting it slightly so the water would go down the Venus adept's throat. Only once it had been emptied did he remove it.

"Again, you cannot survive the rest of this desert without assistance. If you were to continue as you were, you would've most likely suffered a heat stroke in the middle of this hell with no shade in sight. I highly doubt you want to cause Jenna the grief of losing her beloved older brother a second time."Alex said casually, replacing the empty canteen onto his belt.

"..." Felix said nothing and merely glared at the so-called "high-and-mighty" water adept before him. When Felix offered no retort, Alex glanced down at him and offered a small smirk.

"Oi, you two! Get your asses in gear and let's get moving!" Saturos called out, giving them no time to shout back as he and his sister began to advance further into the desert toward their destination, completely unphased by the unrelenting fervor.

Felix watched them go silently, his little sister and mentor following after. With a soft sigh, he moved away from Alex and began to follow suit. Except, Alex wouldn't let him go on his own. He was right there on his side, literally guiding him forward like he was a lost child.

Scowling, the teen slapped the helpful hand off of his waist and pushed himself away from Alex, walking under his own strength. It only lasted for several steps before the heat literally sucked the energy from his body just as his vision began to swim. He panted softly for breath and shook away the dizziness, not paying attention to where he was going in the process.

Felix's foot bumped into one of the many large rocks and stumbled forward, crashing into the soft sand with a groan. Alex let out a few soft 'tsk's as he approached the fallen teen and kneeled down, reaching out to gently brush aside his bangs from his face.

Curious, Felix glanced up at the man before him. He didn't want to admit it, but his cool hand felt... very nice. Noticing the gaze upon him, Alex gave him a smirk and leaned closer to murmur into his ear, "I told you, Felix." The words against his ear caused him to shudder before he attempted to get up.

Shaking his head, Alex helped the teen up before hoisting him onto his back, earning another groan of protest from Felix. Once he was on his back, Alex used his psynergy to cool down the overheated teen. Felix let out a content sigh and let the moisture cool him, chasing the boiling heat out of his body.

"We're almost there, Felix. Try not to..." Alex glanced back over his shoulder when he heard Felix's breathing change, blinking when he found that the teen had fallen asleep, his head resting gently against a shoulder. He allowed himself a gentle smile before facing forward again and following after the rest of his group.


All righty, so here's another fic from my to-write list. And since we're without AC until Monday, I figured that the heat would give me enough to write this out XD I got stuck a couple of times, but I managed Hopefully this is acceptable by all means