Thatz could see the sky through the tree above him. It was a deep sapphire-blue and white patches of fluff would float by every now and again, obscuring the sunlight. The grass was cool beneath him, and the warm breezes floated by him, teasing at his hair, tickling his nose. The sun was warm on his skin; it filtered into golden feathers on his face and his arms folded behind his head. To his feet was a brilliant aqua carp pond that was glistening the way treasures do, making Thatz long for some kind of adventure. He was gnawing on a piece of tall grass that was going to seed while giant white lilies were bursting into bloom just behind him, growing around the base of the tree. He was tired, but alarmingly awake for someone who could happily nap the day away.

He'd been alone in the castle for about a week.

And not alone in the sense of, "Woe am I, no one's here to cook for me and I am the last man alive." No, it wasn't that. There were servants wandering around (looking for him right now, actually) and the Dragon Lord was there, and everyone was there, actually. Rath, the officers, Cesia…

Rune wasn't.

That's what got him aching. He missed the blond, who was off somewhere in the wide world of fairies playing diplomat again, par usual. He was lonely for him and really only for him. That's what brought him here.

It was the only garden on the grounds of the castle where Rune would come to practice. Rune had been an elf before he was a knight—and he had been trying to regain his powers of healing. He would come here to meditate because, for the longest time, he'd thought that Thatz didn't know where it was and knew that Rath wouldn't bother him here. Truthfully, Thatz had found it before him while avoiding lessons when he was younger and, for the sake of Rune's sanity, just left him alone whenever the once-elf ventured here.

But Rune wasn't here, and this was really the only place that Thatz could stem the little ache in his chest when he thought about him.

It was inexplicable, really. He really couldn't explain away the ache for anything other than this bizarre longing he felt for the man. To see the blue eyes, the slightly curled hair (which was getting straighter every day, not that Thatz minded), the smile, the rage, the one-ton boulder that was occasionally looming overhead… he missed it.

"S'not healthy," He murmured, the words slurring slightly around the piece of grass.

He began turning three words over in his head that he wasn't really brave enough to admit to himself, let alone say to the man he'd been working with for—for forever, it seemed. Three little words, that really meant everything to anyone. He began to test them out loud to see what they sounded like.

"I love you." Too standard.

"I love you." Well, who else would he be loving? That sounded weird.

"I luuuuuuve you." Creepy.

"I L-O-V-E Y-O-U." Rune wasn't stupid; he didn't need it spelled out.

"You love I?" Now Thatz was putting words in the other man's mouth.

He sighed, and closed his eyes. "'Hi, Rune. I have this weird feeling in my chest that leads to one in my gut which makes me really stupid in the head and it, for once, has nothing to do with hunger, and I think the word starts with an "L", and—'" Thatz groaned. He was making this way, way too complicated.

"Rune, I love you." He said it with such honesty and such passion that he surprised himself.

He also surprised a certain knight walking by.

"Is that so?" The dulcet tones of Rune's voice made Thatz jump about a foot in the air. The wind kicked up, blowing away some loose leaves and bits of grass from the ex-thief's back.

"Rune! I—w-welcome back—when did you get here?" Thatz stumbled over words that he barely remembered the meaning of while trying to think of something intelligent to say.

"About twenty minutes ago." The blond walked over and sat next to Thatz, facing the pond. "How long have you been professing your love for me to the tree?"

"A-about three ho—hey, wait." Thatz stared at him. "Wh-why aren't you—are you mad? I mean, I— that's to say, I'm—" Rune shut him up with a light kiss on the lips. It wasn't much, but those soft lips pressing against Thatz's chapped ones made his mouth dry out just a little more.

"I missed you, too." Rune chuckled.

"You're not mad?"

"Do you want me to be?"

"NO!" Thatz yelped, scrambling away from the other man instinctively. Rune just laughed.

"How long, Thatz?" The water knight murmured quietly. "Since you realized that?"

Thatz was silent. The wind whispered answers above him, and a carp jumped in the pond out past their feet.

"A while ago." He finally said.

"Me too."

Rune laid his head down in the grass where Thatz's had been moments before. The golden flecks from the sun highlighted his hair, and shimmered in his eyes. The man was a little treasure, a treasure that Thatz had all to himself. A treasure he'd been searching for, it was right under his nose.

"Found you." Thatz whispered, and curled up next to him.