Author's Note: Woah this took way longer than I hoped it would. Also as I was writing I just got so many ideas that I loved so it turns out that there's going to be another chapter. Hopefully not a fourth because I have a great many plots I want to start. Enjoy! :D


When you're searching for someone you can't just check the obvious places. Tulio learned that the long and hard way. After an entire day of probing the streets of Spain in search of his partner, Tulio was about ready to fall to his knees and sleep for a week.

He had looked everywhere for Miguel. The first thing he did was go back to their hideout where they'd made a home. Miguel wasn't there as he predicted, but the room seemed very dull without him there. It wasn't often that Tulio was here without his partner and now he knew why. It was like all the energy had just been sucked from the room. He shivered before leaving, making a mental note not to return without his bright-eyed comrade.

The market place was busy as usual, but in his current state Tulio couldn't help but reminisce. He saw Miguel strutting past the stalls like he owned the place, awkwardly trying not to attract attention to the obvious bulges beneath his trademark red shirt. By some miracle he managed to make it out of there without trouble, but Tulio was convinced if he had tried the same feat, the guards would devour him in a second.

He remembered the time his partner had stolen bread, and climbed the alley wall to escape. When he had gotten to the top he had turned and started doing an insulting jig to mock the guards, but in his zeal he lost his footing and fell into the hay on the opposite side. Tulio had a field day with that one.

Miguel truly was one of a kind. Who else would do the outgoing things he did and still manage to get away without a scratch? In fact, the only times things seemed to go wrong was when Tulio got involved. He may design the blueprints, but Miguel was the real architect.

He had to find Miguel. Had to make him understand that this really was for the better. They wouldn't work romantically but they could still be best friends, just like always. That was just how it had to be.

Tulio had traveled from the market place to the city square. He was surprised to see that there weren't as many people milling about as usual. The people that were there either ignored him or were sizing him up like he was a defenseless child. He balled his hands into fist, ready to swing if necessary, but everyone eventually turned away as if deciding he wasn't worth it. He wasn't sure which prospect made him angrier.

As his eyes roamed over the pavilion in search of Miguel they landed on a small wooden bench holding a relaxing couple. They were smiling and laughing and suddenly it was like Tulio was seeing with another pair of eyes and seeing a different couple perched on that exact bench.

"I could to!"

"Miguel, you couldn't pick up a girl if you paid her."

"What and you could?"

"Exactly. Because I'm tall dark and handsome and you're clinging to your baby fat for dear life."

"Braggart."

"Braggart who has facial hair before you."

"Just wait. I'm going to get a beard someday too."

"Yeah and in the same day horses will talk and someone will find El Dorado."

"I consider those pretty good chances."

"The only facial hair you're ever going to have are your eyebrows."

"Well your little goatee is hardly worth gloating over."

"Are you crazy? It's magnificent."

They had been friends longer than Tulio had realized. He must have been no more than sixteen when he and Miguel had met. Which meant Miguel had been only fifteen; hardly even a man yet, and even then they talked as if they'd known each other forever.

"Tulio! Tulio, look!"

"What is it?"

"Here? Do you see it? Isn't it amazing?"

"Is that a hair?"

"Yeah! Right on the end of my chin too!"

"Hmmm…"

"Tulio…what are you thinking?"

"Wouldn't it be a shame if…?"

"No!"

"Oh dear well isn't that unfortunate."

"You bastard!"

"Don't worry, you might grow another one someday."

He remembered how they'd met and smiled to himself. It wasn't a memory he thought of often, but it was one he'd never forget. It was unexpected and at the time it had seemed too good to be true, but when Miguel had stuck with him he had thought that maybe, just maybe, not everyone in this world was going to Hell. Tulio had been at a vendor for fruit when he was only sixteen. It was the first time he had ever attempted to steal, so when his inexperienced hand closed itself around the apple the vendor was just turning and about to catch him red-handed when suddenly-

It was then that he realized the couple was giving him a strange look. He blinked, not having noticed he was shamelessly staring at them. He cleared his throat awkwardly and shuffled away, making sure he didn't glance over his shoulder. Miguel hadn't been there anyway.

Tulio's eyes were growing heavy, and a headache was slowly beginning to fog his thoughts. He couldn't think when he had a headache; couldn't concentrate. His mind kept wandering and thinking about things that weren't going to help him find Miguel.

A sudden blast of air blew him out of his thoughts and he shook his head to get a clearer view of his surroundings. He found himself staring at the clear expanse of the sparkling teal ocean and the exotic gradient of the sky as it shifted from blue to orange. There were several ships in the port at the moment, preparing to leave with Cortes within a fortnight to find the New World.

If Miguel was here, there was only one place he'd be. Tulio made his way down the docks and found what he was searching for; a recluse spot hidden beneath one of the piers where the water was shallow enough to hide without getting too drenched. The duo used this spot all the time to escape from sticky situations.

Even now, as he bent over to get beneath the pier the water soaked into his trousers and stuck against his skin making him shiver. He had forgotten how uncomfortable it was here; he hadn't been here since…

"I just never saw it coming." Tulio's face was downcast and his eyes seemed to stare at anything but his friend's face. He dipped his hand into the filthy port water that was currently soaking his trousers. Miguel seemed closer to tears than he did, and the thought just made him angrier with himself.

"It's not like we were ever especially close, but he still raised me. I just saw him a couple weeks ago." Tulio took in a deep wavering breath and closed his eyes as Miguel put a hand on his shoulder. "Just a couple weeks…"

"It's alright Tulio. Just let it out." Miguel was watching him with such an expectant look and it just made Tulio moan into his hands.

"I can't. My father just died and I can't…I can't even cry." Tulio ran his hands through his hair and whimpered. He couldn't remember haven't felt so sad before, and yet he could recall having cried several times. Was it because his father had always been distant? Was it because he had always sought approval that was never there? Was it because he only saw him once in a blue moon, especially after he ran away with Miguel? He loved his father, he knew he did. He just wasn't sure if it was because he was a good father or because he fed him and gave him a house to sleep in-even if it wasn't truly a home.

"I don't understand how you feel, but if you ever need me to do anything just ask." Miguel's green eyes held so much more than his words could ever convey, and Tulio had never felt more grateful for his partner than he did right then.

"Thank you."

And he truly was thankful for every moment. The thought only gave him more conviction, and the stubborn Spaniard abandoned the port, suddenly more desperate than ever to find the damn blonde so they could make-up and move on.

He wandered the streets of Spain, passing all the people who didn't give a shit about him and trying to find the one person who did. He passed many empty alleyways and vacant shelters. He was practically dead on his feet, but somehow he managed to keep moving even though he didn't know how.

Then he passed one backstreet where he saw a huddled figure in the corner. He paused, unsure, when he saw a tuft of bright golden hair he knew only too well and his heart leapt. He didn't know what he was going to say, but he wasn't leaving without him.

He took large strides like he was afraid Miguel would dissolve into thin air if he dawdled too long. And then he was there; close enough to reach out and touch him, when he realized something was off. The person he had at first assumed was Miguel was muttering under his breath and now that he was closer he saw all the wrinkles drawn tight against his skin and that the yellow hair he had thought he'd seen had merely been the old man's white mane cast in a golden sheen from the afternoon sun.

"Damnit!" Tulio groaned and hit his fist against the wall in frustration. He could feel all his confidence and energy draining away and he fell to his knees, leaning his head against the brick behind him. The man had stopped whispering and Tulio only just now noticed the old-timer staring at him. Tulio stared back relentlessly until he broke the silence.

"What are you looking at?" He snarled; his patience having worn thin. It took the man a few moments to reply, and when he did Tulio winced at how hoarse and dry his voice sounded. Like wood popping and fizzling in a fire.

"Are you waiting for someone too?" he rasped. He looked emaciated and gaunt, as if he hadn't eaten a good meal in years. Which Tulio had no doubt was true. His hair was shriveled and white, but also long. His beard would probably reach his stomach if he stood, and Tulio wasn't even sure he could do that much.

Tulio was skeptical at first about responding, but he figured it could do no harm and he could use a rest.

"No, I'm searching." To no avail. He added silently. The old man took a few more moments to respond, and when he did Tulio was surprised at how spiteful he sounded.

"Well you better find her or you're going to end up just like me," the elder warned. Tulio glanced at him, his blue eyes filling with shock at his tone. Though the shriveled human in front of him looked ancient and pathetic, Tulio saw a blazing fire in his gray eyes that couldn't be extinguished.

"What makes you think I'll be anything like you?" Tulio mumbled.

"Because this is what happens when you lose her." He wheezed. He sounded like his lungs were made of dust. Tulio couldn't help but wonder how old this guy must be. It seemed like he was close to one thousand. He contemplated what his ominous words meant, but decided he was too tired to think about it.

"I'm not going to lose anything." Tulio felt like he was comforting himself more than the stranger. Why did he feel like that?

"I said the same thing. And yet. And yet…" The old man shook his head in sympathy and Tulio rolled his eyes.

"Well you can rest assured that I am nothing like you." Even as he said it, he knew he was dead wrong. Though he may have been years older, Tulio recognized a stubborn pride in the old man that he saw in a mirror every day.

"Let me guess, you know someone. Someone you've known for a long time. Maybe you've known for a while or maybe you found out today, but you love them. As much as you could ever love anything. This person lights up your world. They give you a reason to wake up each morning and they put a smile on your face before you go to sleep at night. They-" the man broke off from his speech in a fit of coughs and wheezes, but Tulio didn't need him to finish. Because every single word that came out of the man's mouth reminded him of Miguel.

"They hold you up when you can't stand," he continued as if he hadn't stopped, but this time he was whispering, "they…they are the face you see in your dreams. The one who makes you laugh and holds you when you cry. The person you can't stay angry at, even when they're furious with you. Someone you can be purely yourself around…" He trailed off, ending in so soft a voice that Tulio barely heard him. The old man's eyes had misted over but no tears fell. As if he had already used up all his tears a long time ago.

"How do you know all that about-"

"I may be a raving old man but I can recognize a broken heart better than anyone." The beggar spat. Suddenly he seemed to no longer be there. Like he was lost in his mind with no way to return. Then he was back as swiftly as he had vanished and he stared at Tulio as if he was just now seeing him. Tulio was uneasy just sitting there, but a part of him needed to know what happened to this man and who he was waiting for.

"Yeah. Yeah I know someone like that. How'd you describe him so perfectly?" The man merely smiled as if he knew a secret that Tulio didn't and sighed blissfully.

"Because Maribel was exactly the same." The man donned a poignant expression as if the mere thought of her was enough to make him forget his misery and remember it all at once.

"Maribel?"

"Aye. She was the most beautiful woman I'd ever known. At least to me. Long golden hair, bright as the sun. And the most beautiful emerald eyes. She had this way about her that just made you want to smile. She had wits too. I couldn't get a thing past her. I don't know what she ever saw in me. "

"What happened?" Tulio didn't know why he was asking, but the words just seemed to slip past his lips without his permission.

"I didn't think I deserved her. She was so perfect, and I was but a poor sailor. A grimy man she would sometimes go weeks without seeing. She deserved so much more. She deserved a god. I told her that and she reassured me I was wrong but…I couldn't believe her. I left her. I thought-" His voice cracked and he let loose another round of coughs.

"I don't know where she is. To this day I don't what became of her. Because when I went back for her she wasn't there. She had left ya see. She had left because I broke her heart. I never deserved her in the first place. But I needed her."

Tulio didn't answer; he had no words. But the man's story had struck some sort of nerve inside of him and he understood the old man's warning now. (Not that it was utterly perplexing in the first place.) He found that he was waiting for someone, but maybe it wasn't Miguel. Maybe he was just waiting for himself to figure out that he didn't need to be scared anymore. Miguel wasn't going to leave him, whether their romance worked out or not. And he sure as Hell wasn't leaving Miguel.

"Gracias." Tulio took the man's hand and pursed his lips when the elder flinched visibly, as if no one had bothered to touch him in years. Like he just a filthy beggar and that was he'd ever be worth to anyone except the only other person who'd dared to touch him. His mouth was agape and his eyes whispered disbelief, but he embraced Tulio's hand and hugged it with a strength Tulio hadn't expected.

Tulio sucked in a breath when an unexpected realization hit him and he knew without a doubt where Miguel had fled to. There was nowhere else he would go in his current condition. Tulio hadn't gone there since he was sixteen, and it was the best decision he'd ever made.

He flew to his feet and bounded down the alley and into the boulevard, not caring who he knocked over. He'd wasted enough time checking places he knew he wouldn't be because Tulio was afraid. Afraid of what would happen, afraid of what he'd say, and simply petrified of what Miguel would say.

But he wasn't scared anymore. In fact he was eerily calm, and even a little excited. He wasn't sure how he had remembered the way after all these years, but if Miguel had found his way to somewhere imaginary like the City of Gold he would have found him.

And then he was there. The place he had always dreamed of living and the place Miguel had always prayed he'd get out of. Mansions dotted the proper looking roads and everything looked expensive and fragile; including the people.

The rich snobs who lived here had always turned their noses up at him; the poor dirty child who cleaned clothes for a couple doubloons per house. He had thought getting a job and earning a bit of money might make his father notice him, even be proud. But he wasn't even sure if the man had ever known.

The place looked smaller than he remembered it being. Maybe it was because he hadn't been here in twelve years, or because his young eyes had never seen mansions-but castles. They had always made him dream of bigger things like being a benevolent king. His father would have surely been proud of a king.

He hoped he wouldn't have to pass anyone who currently lived here. Some of these assholes would no doubt have demanded he leave or something equally as adorable.

Then he saw it; a large gray manor with a navy shutters and a black roof. The white door and picket fence complimented the dark house's colors nicely. The only difference between the house then and now is that it used to be trimmed, neat, and perfect. But now, the grass was overgrown and brown. The paint on the door was peeling and he saw broken pieces of the fence halfway across the yard. He hadn't known the man who lived here personally, but he knew his type all too well and he would never have let his household grow into such a rebellious mess.

He stood there for a moment, staring at the house Miguel used to call home and scoffed, before moving on. He walked down several more streets and rounded a couple corners before his breath caught in his throat.

There he was. Although it had been less than a day it felt like he hadn't seen Miguel in ages. He was truly a sight for sore eyes and Tulio approached slowly, as if he were hunting and couldn't let Miguel know he was there.

"Have you lost your mind?!" Tulio suddenly snapped. Miguel jumped and Tulio took a small amount of pleasure in knowing he had just scared the shit out of him.

"Took you long enough." His partner was smiling as if nothing had happened and Tulio crossed his arms so Miguel would know how pissed he was.

"I haven't slept in over a day, my trousers are soaking, and you had me running all over Spain looking for you!" Tulio was complaining, but he really just wanted Miguel to know that he had been searching everywhere for him.

"It's nice to see you too." God. What was up with Miguel and his smug little smile? Tulio suddenly thought of something he could say that would wipe it right off his face. He struggled to suppress a smirk of his own.

"And what are you thinking being here? What if he would have seen you?" Tulio had been right, Miguel's smile vanished, but it didn't bring Tulio any pleasure like he thought it would.

"Tulio, it's not like I can't handle myself." Miguel pointed out bitterly. The playful air was suddenly gone and Tulio found it difficult to find words to say around his partner which was strange to him.

"I know but-" he cut himself short. Miguel looked at him smugly, thinking he had just won.

"But what?" He was pushing it, but Tulio merely shook his head in dismissal and let it slide.

"Nothing. Look, let's get the hell out of here. We need to tall and this place isn't safe. Also I need to change out of these pants." Tulio gestured to his trousers which had only begun to dry in the bright sunshine.

"Nah. I like it here." The playful atmosphere had come back, along with Miguel's smile and Tulio felt both relaxed and annoyed simultaneously.

"Miguel, think for a second," he warned. It really wasn't safe to stick around here for too long. They were pushing their luck as it was. Tulio didn't know just how much this neighborhood had changed since he was a child, and he didn't care to find out.

"I am. And I think you don't really have the right to tell me what to do at the moment, do you?" Tulio rolled his eyes and fought off the overwhelming urge to strangle his partner, feelings and all.

"Fine. We stay here. But if anything goes wrong-"

"What could go wrong?" Miguel interrupted, reaching out to pat him reassuringly on the shoulder. It didn't help. He appreciated the effort, but wiped his hand off his shoulder in irritation.

"If anything goes wrong we hightail it out of here and I kick your ass." Tulio was truly glad to see his friend, but he was too worried about their safety to show it at the moment. Besides, he had a hunch Miguel could already sense it anyway. He sighed inwardly, trying to think of what he was going to say. He had been hoping to use the walk home to figure that out, but now it seemed like he was just going to have to improvise.

"Sounds like a plan."