:God this chapter gave me writer's block from hell, I had a very difficult time with this final chapter. I hope you enjoy it though. Please have fun reading this one!:
It had to be said; It hurt a lot. To see Nathaniel kiss her, it inflicted quite a bit of pain on me. (Not physically, of course. That'd be a bit strange.) It was easy to play along with his acting, all I had to do was remain hidden from sight and make sure Amelia didn't sense me. I had turned into a small fly, taking refuge in Kitty's ear. (Which was a terrible decision on my part, it wasn't that Kitty was an unclean girl, it was just that her ear was so clogged that it was sticky and sick inducing. It wasn't half as bad as Nathaniel's old ear. Now that, my friends, was a terrible situation.)
To hear him say he loved her, I knew it was an act, but again that hurt as well. I was overwhelmed with the sudden urge to stake my claim, to bellow out how he did not belong to her and that he was lying, but no.
That wouldn't do.
So I had remained in my hiding spot, whispering every now and then to Kitty. She had played her part extremely well, I had almost thought she believed Nathaniel's act. I couldn't blame her, really. He was putting on an impressive show and made me almost fall for it, but because I knew the truth, I didn't give into my possessive emotions. (Magician's were always into that whole theatrical act, putting on a big show, and making a damn good job out of faking it. It was almost as if they were all born with the talent to make impressive lies, who knows, maybe they were.)
I expected this pain really, when the words came out and the kiss occurred. Yes, I knew how hurt I would feel, I knew how jealous I would be. What I didn't expect was the sudden physical pain I felt when I could see the fabric of the world around us tear and open up like a gaping black hole behind the false princess. It was only visible on the seventh plane, but Nathaniel and Kitty could feel it.
Amelia and I did more than feel it.
We saw it, and I took notice of the moment where she knew something was wrong. The Afrit pulled away from Nathaniel in a rush of confusion and sudden anger. In a quick moment, he shoved her backwards, as if he knew of what was to come. Her clothes around her began to flow around, the black hole behind her beginning to drag her in slowly. She screamed out, the area around her began to morph into different forms. The altar nearby turned to mush, the walls turned into a darkened, earthy brown. I could feel winds inside the room and yelled into Kitty's ear to grab onto something.
She latched onto a nearby shelf that had melted into the floor. I threw my gaze to Nathaniel, seeing him now backed away from the spirit, who was now trying to claw her way to him as she fought against the pull. He crouched down, digging his feet and palms into the ground below, the floor now turned into a soil-like substance.
"Drake!" Amelia called out, her voice now deepened and harsh. The black hole became bigger, the rip in the world becoming greater and pulling in furniture and books into it. At this, I placed a large shield around Kitty, hoping to keep her guarded for now. (I knew that the black hole would suck in her anyway if it became big enough, but anything would work, as long as it kept her somewhat safe.) The pull increased, I saw Nathaniel's feet move, it was drawing him in.
I felt my essence pound with sudden fear of losing him. I checked where I was, making sure if I moved that I would not be taken in. I whipped my head, my eyes trailing over Amelia and Nathaniel. The two were a decent distance apart now, but if the rip got any bigger...
I knew black holes, I knew what would happen. (Okay, I'll explain it. Just because I'm nice and whatnot. If a black hole is conjured up by a spell or an incantation of some sort, then it will only close once it has consumed the being/item it was brought up to pull in. In this case it's Amelia, which meant it wasn't going away until the Afrit was pulled inside of it.)
The insane spirit was fighting, and she was fighting hard. She kept yelling out Nathaniel's fake name, her body changing little by little as she screamed. Her hair fell out of its braids, trailing behind her in a wave of red, her eyes glowed with bright venom, her shape abandoned a girl's petite figure, taking on a more womanly one.
I almost felt bad for her.
I changed out of the fly's form, moving out and turning into an old, favorable form of mine.
The gargoyle landed on the soil, carefully making way to the man on the floor.
Nathaniel grit his teeth, the pull becoming stronger and making him go further. I wanted to kill the damn princess at that moment. Why couldn't she get pulled in already?!
"Drake!" She called again, heartbreak and rage in her voice. He looked up to her call, glaring harshly at her.
"Nathaniel!" I yelled, his eyes now breaking from her and taking notice of me. I rushed forward, swooping him into my arms and carrying him away from the area.
Amelia's eyes widened at the sound. "Nathaniel..?" She whispered, almost in awe. I wanted to gut myself. I had revealed his birth name again. Well, no matter. She was going to die anyway.
The spirit's will to fight ended, her eyes widened in fear and – was that admiration? Her body deformed, now being sucked into the black hole, succumbing to it with no protest. In that moment, the pull lessened and the hole closed up, leaving its damage in its wake.
The three of us stared at the area where it was, our chests rising and falling heavily. I quickly looked to Kitty, finding her still clinging onto the shelf for dear life. I looked to Nathaniel in my arms, who gazed back up at me with amazed eyes.
"We..." He breathed. "We did it..." He smiled in relief, closing his eyes and letting his head fall on my shoulder. "We did it, Bartimaeus..."
I let out a stiff laugh. "For once, yeah, I suppose we did." I felt like I wanted to cry. I really did, and I would've if I had given myself tear ducts.
"Good job." Kitty stood up slowly, smiling as she looked us over. "Well done..." She sniffled, all of a sudden breaking out into a small run and throwing herself onto the magician in my arms.
Nathaniel adjusted himself, sitting upright in my hold and hugging her tightly. "Yeah, you too. You were fantastic, Kitty."
"Was I?" She laughed.
"Of course." He responded.
I let out a cough.
"You did good too."
"Just good?"
"Very good."
"I see." I grumbled. "I just get 'Good' and 'Very Good' as if I'm some mangy hound and Kitty gets a 'Fantastic'." Nathaniel lifted himself a little more, placing a kiss on the gargoyle's cheek.
"Incredible work, Bartimaeus." I felt my face becoming hot. (I never thought this form could blush, due to how stone usually doesn't contain blood vessels, but I assume it was just my essence acting like this.)
Kitty watched this small exchange with a blinking eye, before she smiled and blushed a small shade of pink. (Why was she blushing, was the question I had, she wasn't the one who had gotten kissed. Or did she enjoy watching this sort of thing? I wouldn't think she would...)
"So." Nathaniel spoke, his voice now becoming a business like tone. (Great...) "She's dead, right?"
I narrowed my eyes. "No, Nathaniel. She was just sucked into a black hole, she's completely fine. She's better than fine, in fact, she-"
"The sarcasm is much unappreciated, Bartimaeus." Nathaniel crossed his arms, looking up at me with an annoyed eye.
I sighed. "Yes, she's dead, or I hope she is, at least." I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something off about that black hole. It had a different feeling to it, as if it was welcoming instead of being completely fearful. If I hadn't known any better, I would have thought it was a portal and not a black hole. But portals don't exactly pull you in.
"Yes, hopefully." Kitty agreed. "Are you two going to hold each other like this for much longer?"
"Well, you haven't let go either." I argued. It was true. When Nathaniel had sat up, she had just sat up with him, her arms around his torso and her head close to his shoulder.
She let go immediately and I lifted myself up, placing Nathaniel on the floor upright and turning into Ptolemy. I dusted my tux off, the rose in my pocket undamaged.
The three of us looked to each other as we heard the sound of panicked footsteps heading in our direction. Oh, right.
The door burst down, guards surrounding a King as they threw their eyes around the room. They were awestruck at what the area had become. It was a soil floor, mushy looking furniture, and a earthy wall that seemed to have twisted around harshly. (This was the wall the hole was closest to, although I don't believe I had to explain that. After all, you are all relatively intelligent humans, correct? No? Maybe? Hopefully...)
"Amelia?" The King yelled out. "Amelia?!" He glared at us. "Where is she?!" He took a couple steps forward in Nathaniel's direction. To this, Kitty and I immediately stepped in front of him. (This was oddly amusing, because Nathaniel looked surprised at our sudden protective stance.)
King Isu narrowed his eyes at Kitty and I. "I thought I told you both to leave!"
"Yes." Kitty began. "You also instructed us at the beginning to take care of the demon threatening your kingdom, which we did. We have taken care of it and will have a couple of words with you."
"A couple of words?" He whispered. "Taken care of...You-!"
"King Isu of Arish." Kitty bellowed. "In the name of the British Government, I hereby-"
The King laughed, interrupting her as she did him. The two of us narrowed our eyes at him.
"You believe you have power here?" He asked, crossing his arms. The guards pointed their weapons at us. "I am King here and the British Government has no power over me. The only ones who could have control over me is my family, and you have gotten rid of the only family I ever had."
"Then allow me." Nathaniel spoke, making the two of us part as he walked in-between. "I declare a meeting with the entire town, immediately. I wish to tell them of all your deeds and to denounce you from your throne and announce your treason activities."
The King was taken back, before letting out a nervous chuckle. "You cannot do that. You are not my family. I may have taken you in, boy, but I did not claim you as my son."
"I am afraid you are mistaken, my lord." Nathaniel smirked. "Did you, or did you not, announce my engagement to your daughter?" The King paled. "This ceremony held was to bind us, one that many may view as marriage. I completed it, and it ended in her death, however I still hold the title of her husband, a widower." He stepped closer to the now frightened king. "You made me your son, my lord."
Nathaniel turned his eyes to the guards, his hands now behind his back. Even in tattered clothing, he still held that authoritative atmosphere and spirit. I had to admit, I was impressed. (And I felt a little warm at this, as if the sight of this pleased me in an...intimate way. Odd feeling that.)
"I order you to make the announcement now for the gathering. The meeting will start in approximately two hours."
"Sir, it is nightfall." A guard argued. "Most are already in bed at this hour, are you sure it would be wise to-"
"If they rest, then you will have to wake them, won't you?" Nathaniel smiled thinly. "Now go." A couple of guards left hesitantly, leaving only a few more. "Two of you, secure Isu and make sure he cannot escape. Hold him in the dungeon until it is time."
Two guards grabbed the King, the man hissed and glared at him. "I should have never saved you." He growled.
Nathaniel lowered his smile. "Indeed, but then again..." He brought his smile back. "You should have never listen to a demon's influence either."
The King was pulled away, the glaring eyes never leaving my ex-master until he was out of sight. One guard stood in the room, now shaking a little at Nathaniel's posture and aura.
"And you." Nathaniel said. "You will find suitable clothing for my guests and I to wear, is that clear?" The guard nodded quickly, before leaving the room.
Kitty and I stood still, waiting, before Nathaniel turned to us with a smile. "Well, let's collect ourselves in other room for a while, shall we?"
()()()()()()()()()
Kitty remembered when she knew Nathaniel was a leader, he would take things into his own hands and take control of business, even if that business was against her. She saw him as a kid, just like her, in the past. She then saw him as a fighter to lead them into safety, which is what he accomplished.
She never expected to see him turn into a King.
In the brief two hours, clothes were brought to the three of them and they were on their way to see the entire town inside the large throne room. When she thought of the clothes, she had to hold in a chuckle. The guard had brought two suits and a brown dress. Kitty found the dress quite pretty, but Nathaniel had yelled at the man, telling him that he would not allow her to wear it.
When she asked him of why after the guard left, he voiced he had never seen her in a dress and believed she would be uncomfortable in one. She couldn't help the smile at that moment. She had conversed with Bartimaeus and Nathaniel after dressing in a matching suit to them. The only difference to hers was that her jacket was a bit shorter than theirs. It was fine, she enjoyed it.
Kitty asked them of the plan, knowing that they had succeeded in what they had wanted to do. It was obvious, with Amelia now being long gone, but it was also obvious because of how the spirit and magician acted around another.
As soon as everything had calmed down, she had seen Bartimaeus grab Nathaniel and hold him close, she had seen Nathaniel kiss the Djinni on the cheek, she had witnessed it vocally announce that it cared for Nathaniel. She was overwhelmed with feelings of happiness for the two.
She felt the small pain in the back of her chest too, but she pushed it to the side. She would survive, it wouldn't be the first boy she ever liked, so she could make do.
The three had simply waited and conversed, when a guard had opened the door and spoke, telling them that everyone was gathered. Kitty and Bartimaeus had followed the man out, trailing behind him on either side and walking into the crowded throne room.
The room was filled to the brim, and everyone looked confused. Some were tired, some kids were yawning and clinging to their mothers and fathers. Some stood with their arms crossed, obviously angered for their sleep to be disturbed. She recognized some guards she and Bartimaeus had knocked out, hopefully they had been too distracted to remember their faces well.
King Isu was brought forth before Nathaniel, before he let out a speech and evidence on what he had done to bring horror into their kingdom. He announced the demon under his control, and how he was willing to sacrifice him to it. He did not dare reveal who the demon was, but instead spoke of how said spirit killed Princess Amelia. Many looked heartbroken by this, while some girls, Kitty noticed, smiled gleefully or gaped in utter shock.
Nathaniel forced the King to denounce his title, for allowing a demon to come into the village and offer a sacrifice to it, to allow it to murder his daughter. The King did this with a glare aimed at him, his teeth gritting as he then handed his title over to Nathaniel.
Bartimaeus and Kitty had looked at each other, taking in each other's reactions. The spirit had grown up with Nathaniel, and it had noticed how much he had changed as well. A child, to the apprentice of a strong magician, to a Minister, and now to a King.
The crowd began to cheer at the announcement of their new ruler. Accepting Nathaniel as their king without a second thought, the only objections were unheard, them being a few men and guards.
Nathaniel held a hand up to the crowd, silencing them as he announced the execution of King Isu, saying he will be disposed of in the dungeon. Kitty understood why. The man had raised him a little and had taken the role of father in a strange way, to let him die away from public eye was a merciful death.
Nathaniel had ended the meeting soon after, voicing that some changes were coming and everyone was free to go. Kitty and Bartimaeus had followed the man back to the princess' old room, refusing to let guards follow as they returned there.
"King Drake, huh?" Bartimaeus spoke, sitting himself on the edge of the bed. Kitty stood next to Nathaniel, who crossed his arms and looked to his ex-servant.
"Yes." Nathaniel said. "I had never imagined I'd become something like this in my lifetime, although it is a fascinating outcome."
"You always wanted to be someone who was large and in charge, didn't you?" The spirit teased. "Surely this must be what you have always dreamed of."
He let out a laugh. "Perhaps so..." He turned to me. "What do you think of it, Kitty?"
She shrugged. "It's a step up from a magician, so I would say it's fine."
"And guard," Bartimaeus added. "Don't forget guard, or should I say assassin?"
"I was a guard." He glared at the Djinni.
"No you weren't."
Kitty giggled at the scene, taking in the mock argument, before her face fell as she began to think.
()()()()()()()()
"I have to return to London." Kitty had said. Nathaniel's eyes widened as he looked back to her.
He knew this. He expected this. Kitty had come here just to follow through with an assignment given to her, she had no reason to stay with him. He felt saddened at this, but took it in stride. It would be alright, after all, she knew he was alive.
He smiled sadly to her. "I know." He admitted. "Rest assured, I will provide you the highest quality flight back to London."
"That won't be necessary." Her laugh came back, making Nathaniel smile even wider.
"I know, however do think of it as a thank you present."
"I don't need thanks from you, but what for?"
"Saving me again." Nathaniel said. "You've saved me so many times, if I recall, this is the fourth."
"I'd like to mention that I've saved you plenty more times than that." Bartimaeus commented. "I lost track after about thirty. You owe me more than you owe her."
"Jealous?" Kitty smirked.
"Of what?" Bartimaeus narrowed his eyes. "I've nothing to be envious of, I have the boy intertwined with me for life, so I'm fine. Oh, that sounds terrible when I say it out loud."
Kitty began to giggle at the phrase, while the Djinni just began to turn a slight shade of red. Nathaniel was lost in the whole phrase. What was terrible about that sentence? Was it because him and Bartimaeus were bound now? They had gotten past that, didn't they?
"I feel as if I ask I'll come to regret it, won't I?" Nathaniel grumbled.
"Quite right." Bartimaeus said.
Nathaniel smiled at his ex servant, thinking of what had happened in the short time they had reunited. He narrowed his eyes, casting them to the floor.
"What about you, Bartimaeus?" He suddenly asked. "You are Kitty's servant now, you are to return with her, are you not?"
The two of them looked at him with a blank stare.
"You're joking, right?" Kitty sighed. "Nathaniel, he's bound to you. He has no master. He only has you."
"I..." Nathaniel remembered the words in the book, recalling how the spell did, in fact, voice how the spirit would have no master. He paled at his stupidity. "I suppose you are right..."
"Sounds horrible when you say it out loud, doesn't it?" Bartimaeus teased.
"Shut up." Nathaniel rolled his eyes, turning his gaze to Kitty. "How soon would you like to leave?"
Kitty thought for a moment. "It would be best for me to return as soon as possible, if I had to be truthful. My work needs me."
"You're a marvelous replacement for me." Nathaniel complimented, meaning it wholeheartedly. The girl blushed, nodding in thanks at the compliment. "I'll have a plane arranged for you when morning comes." She nodded once again, words not passing between the two for a brief moment.
He stepped forward, wrapping his arms around the girl and drawing her close. He embraced her tightly, feeling her move her arms around his neck to hold him back. Kitty was a dear friend and he had just gotten her back. To lose her now began to pierce his heart. He hadn't had many friends from his past here, and although Kitty was an enemy at one point, they were closer than one might believe.
"I'm so glad you're alive." She whispered in his ear. "Please, keep in touch."
"You know I will." He pulled back, placing a kiss on her forehead. "There's a bedroom right below here, you may use it if you wish for the night."
"Thank you." Kitty said, putting her lips to his cheek. She turned her eyes to the false boy in the room, his legs crossed and looking away from the scene. She pulled away from her friend, crossing over to Bartimaeus and hugging him as well. The Djinni's eyes widened at the action.
"Take care of him, Bartimaeus."
"Hey..." A hand was placed on her back and head. "You make this sound as if we'll never see each other again, kid." Bartimaeus pulled away, a shy smile on his face. "I'm not going anywhere, I'm just being forced to stay with a brat for all of eternity."
Nathaniel grinned, feeling, not jealously at the sight, but a friendly warmth in his chest. "Careful what you say, I can hurt you for it." The Djinni stuck his tongue out at his words.
Kitty just smiled more, detaching herself from Bartimaeus and nodding to them. "Goodnight." She left the room, gently closing the door behind herself.
Nathaniel felt the atmosphere change. It was an unexpected one. It frightened him, but it made him curious as well. He felt his mouth turn dry and gulp suddenly. The reality of everything crashed upon him. He and Bartimaeus were...
"Are you sure you're okay with this?" He managed out.
"Okay with what?"
"This...our status...I-In a way of wording it."
"Nathaniel..."He heard the sound of someone lifting themselves off a bed.
"You do not have to reply if-"
"I'm more than okay with it.." A deep voice replied. "The question is; Are you okay with it?"
"I-I'm still..." Nathaniel bit his lip. "It's a bit...strange, this relationship we now have. I mean what are we?"
"What do you want us to be?"
"We obviously aren't Master and Servant anymore, we're hardly enemies. We're not exactly friends..." Nathaniel felt himself babble, his face became hot. "We just...We kissed and you told me..."
His eyes widened as he felt arms wrap around his body, trapping his arms as a pair of lips placed themselves next to his ear. "I told you my feelings for you were stronger than what I felt with Ptolemy, and I tricked myself into saying the other form of it, in a way." The lips touched his ear lobe, making the magician shiver. "You never said you returned my feelings, if I remember correctly."
"You said-"
"We have all the time in the world, yes I know." The deep voice let out a chuckle. "I will want to hear it at some point, Nathaniel. What shall I do to make you say it?"
Nathaniel's heart picked up, the room was too hot and Bartimaeus' body pressed against his was not helping cool him off. If anything, the body was making it worse. His face was burning him, he wanted water for his dry throat. He felt weird. This was odd. It was bizarre.
"Nathaniel." Bartimaeus breathed. "You need not rush if you are unsure of how you feel, but I feel the need to remind you that you do belong to me now."
"No! It's not that I don't know how I feel, it's-" Nathaniel paused, trying to think. He was probably one of the most intelligent magician's on the face of the earth, and yet this he couldn't even fathom thinking of. It was unreal to him. "I just..."
"We're lovers."
"What?" Nathaniel gasped.
Bartimaeus rolled his eyes, just holding the body in his arms tighter. "You want to know what we are now, correct? We're lovers. We're a couple, going steady, courting, or whatever else you kids call it nowadays."
"I..." The magician paused, smiling a little and calming down. "I think..I think I can get used to that."
"Good. Now then." Nathaniel let out a gasp as Bartimaeus suddenly swept him into his arms.
"Bartimaeus! What are you-" He was thrown onto the bed, landing with a small jump before the Djinni crawled into the bed next to him, reenacting a scene they had done just the other day.
"We have business to do in the morning, so its time for good little magician boys to go to bed." Bartimaeus teased, his arms wrapped around Nathaniel, pulling him against his chest. "Sleep."
"Or what?" He teased back, his body betraying his words as he snuggled close to the warmth.
The Djinni grinned, sliding his leg in-between Nathaniel's like he had done in the previous snuggling encounter, he moved his knee higher than last time. The voice became deeper, holding a different motive. "Or I'll eat you."
Nathaniel wanted to smack it. "I still don't know what that means..."
"I'll show you in due time." Bartimaeus' voice returned to normal, placing a kiss on the magician's lips for a quick moment. "For now, rest Nathaniel."
The man nodded with a smile, his head resting against the torso held to him. He breathed slowly, his mind and heart calming down into acceptance. He had almost died more times than he can count, and he had counted a bond with a demon one as well. This wasn't a death, he told himself. It was a life that he could rebuild, the right way.
()()()()()()()()()()
"Where did he go?" I asked myself, wandering around the large palace at night with a worried eye. Honestly, one would think that after losing him so many times I would be able to find him quickly, but no. I still had not pinpointed his technique to evading my grasp. (I knew I could track him, what with our bond and all, but that removes the fun out of finding him. Besides, if I couldn't find him in the next ten minutes, then I would cheat.)
I grumbled, walking around in my loincloth as Ptolemy. The people of the palace were not alarmed by my choice of clothing during my stay here, in fact they had complimented the style and some men were copying it. It called back fond memories from the past and I was quite glad about my influence.
It had been a month since Nathaniel had become King, and I essentially being pronounced his spouse. The people were shocked (and I even saw a couple of girls crying, I believe.) but they accepted it with no problem. It was a good thing too, I'd have been quite angry if the townsfolk disliked homosexual tendencies. (I could have changed into my female form, however I was not comfortable in a female form, and besides Nathaniel was more used to my male form.)
I crinkled my nose as I strode past the kitchen, hating the smell and trying to make a quick dash past it. Living in the palace was nice, however Nathaniel seemed to often return to his little home to cook himself something to eat or for some peace and quiet. I didn't blame him to be honest, I often went with him and he would show me pictures he had drawn. (He had denied showing me the one I had already looked into, saying that it was a private and special notebook. I never told him I already saw it, but I will one day.)
This was getting ridiculous. I strolled past a couple of guards, before I caught the sight of long hair and grabbed the arm of one of them. The man stopped, glaring at me with hateful eyes.
"James." I said with a smile. "Do you have an idea as to where Drake is?"
James was still obsessed with Nat, sadly, and often tried to flirt with him when I wasn't around. I had asked Nathaniel if I could simply devour him and get it over with, however he voiced that people would ask where he went and we could only go so far with excuses and that it would make hiding the fact I was a spirit harder. (People would have to know eventually, but after placing treason on the King's head for having a demon by his side would raise suspicion if he announced it too soon. I assume he was waiting until the people liked me or at least cared for me a decent amount. Which shouldn't be too difficult, I'm likable, aren't I? ...Don't answer that.)
To impress his new King, James had tried to copy my style of hair. (Ptolemy's, not mine, but you get the idea.) He let his hair down and it framed his face, making it stand out just a bit. He jerked his arm out of my hold.
"Bedroom." He hissed.
"And how do you know that?" I felt jealously creeping up on me. (Yes, that feeling...It still never went away when this man came near...)
"I saw him enter it, that is all." He turned around, marching off with the other guard and leaving me.
Sometimes I wished Kitty were here, at least she would have snapped at the man and thrown her fist into his face. I wish I could, but I had an imagine here, and Kitty voiced that she would only visit every 2 weeks. She still talked to us, since Nathaniel owned a scrying orb. (Surprisingly, he recycled Imps through it. After 1 week he would replace it with a different one, effectively making sure that they were not to suffer too much. It was honorable in its own way.)
I made my way slowly to the top floor, where our bedroom resided. My eyes traveled to the guard stationed and made a mock salute to them.
"Balcony." The bald headed man spoke, doing the salute back.
"Thank you, Carlos." I smiled, entering the room.
Carlos was Nathaniel's personal guard, apparently it was required that he have one and although he knew that I was all the protection he needed, he wanted to insure that he still seemed like a normal ruler. So he appointed Carlos as it. (At first I thought he was going to give James the position, but he seemed to dislike the idea. This pleased me very much.)
I walked in, my eyes shifting to the open balcony doors. I traveled to them, my gaze softening as I witnessed the man standing there. His attire had been switched out from his old sand colored garb to his old trend of wearing tight fitting suits. The trench coat was absent, his shoes were polished black, his pants were dark, and his dress shirt was unbuttoned at the top with the sleeves rolled up. I smiled at his hairstyle, which now was cut back into a shortened and messy fashion. (I thought it was fashionable, mainly because I was the one to give the haircut. He had voiced one day that it was far too hot outside and I had volunteered {Like I had about 2-4 years ago} to cut his hair. He let me.)
I took a place beside him, his body not shifting at all. It was as if he didn't even know I was there. I looked up, noticing how pretty the sky was. Earth was a terrible place, far worse than The Other Place, but it has to be said; It did have some breathtaking sights.
"I see you found me." Nathaniel spoke. "Took your time, didn't you?"
"You ran off, it wasn't my fault I was distracted."
"The fruit stand distracted you."
"I have a fear of oranges."
"I am aware." He laughed, stepping closer into my proximity and placing a kiss on my cheek as I stared at the stars.
I grinned. "No, we'll be having none of that." I turned to face him, placing a hand around his waist to make him face me. I leaned down to place a kiss on his lips.
I enjoyed this, kissing him that is. It always sent a pleasant sensation through my essence. I savored every bit of it and wanted to never stop at times. (We had to stop kissing at some point though, a pity Nathaniel's human...ish)
"Bartimaeus." He spoke against my lips.
I pulled away, looking at him expectantly.
He leaned up to my ear. "S'agapo."
My eyes widened at the words, I felt my essence tremble at the phrase. If I had a heart, I believe it would have stopped in that moment out of pure shock.
"You..." He grinned, pulling away a small bit. "You cheat."
"It's not cheating."
"Yes it is."
"How so?"
"I can't say it!"
"I'm not going to repeat it."
"I'll make you repeat it."
"How?" He challenged. "Are you going to sweep me off my feet and force me to say it again?"
"Yes." I smirked. "I'll make you say it over and over again while I eat you."
I had to stifle a laugh when he glared at me. My dear little virgin magician.
"I still have not a clue as to what that means." He grumbled.
"Allow me to show you." I chuckled. "Are you sure you wouldn't mind?"
"I cannot mind If I do not know what it is."
So I did exactly what I said I would do.
I swept him away.
:: And that is it for Swept Away! Thank you so much for sticking along on this ride with me! It was so much fun to get back into writing! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! If you want to make a request or talk to me, do send me a message, I'd love to write for all of you again! Oh, and before I forget! S'agapo; Greek words for I love you. Thanks for reading!