Too Close

Once Finral regained enough mana for a couple portals, he retrieved the package from his room at House Vaude and gave it to Tatsuo before opening one back to the hideout.

"Hey, where have you guys been? I woke up and you guys where gone." Vanessa said when they interred the living room. "Are you okay, Finral?" She asked when he collapsed, face first, on the floor as the portal closed. "And why are you soaked, Yami?"

"'Es," Finral said into the floor. "Ou' o' mana, 's aw."

"Oh. Seriously though, where'd you guys go?"

"What do you mean where'd we go? I told you before Finral left you where going on a mission with him but as soon as he was ready to leave you where asleep. So Finral decided to go by himself."

"I was talking about you and Gordon, not Finral."

"We had to go help him out."

Finral mumbled something into the floor.

"What was that kid?"

Finral didn't answer.

Vanessa gave Yami a confused look before replying, "okay... but that doesn't explain why you're soaked."

"This kid dumped about fifty gallons of water on me," he replied, lightly nudging Finral in the side with his foot. "Tatsuo thought it was funny so he keep refilling his glass."

"Do I even want to know what you did to deserve that?" Vanessa asked as she took out her grimoire and used her threads to lift Finral off the floor by his arms.

"No... Tired..." Finral protested in a mutter as she brought him over and sat him on the couch next to her.

"Then sleep somewhere more comfortable," she said wrapping an arm around him and letting him rest his head on her shoulder. "Now why did you soak Yami with water?"

"'M not 'alking to 'im," he said sleepily.

"Why not?" She asked glaring at Yami.

"Latter... sleepy," he said practically already sleeping.

When his breathing slowed and she was sure he was asleep and couldn't hear, she turned back to Yami, "Care to explain? Finral's not one to get mad easily. And he especially doesn't give people the silent treatment for no reason."

"I with held some information about his mission today and things went a bit south. I had Gordon follow him just in case."

"What kind of information?" She began to scold him.

"Nothing too major. Just that the package he was delivering was a magic item that a group from the Golden Dawn found in a dungeon near the Diamond Kingdom that they were after for their magic research and experiments and that they probably already new we had it and would probably be after it... We just didn't expect them to be after it before it was in Tatsuo's possession. We figured it would be while Finral was handing it over or after he left."

"Nothing major! To Finral that's the most important detail! You know how sensitive he is!"

"It's not that big of a deal. He didn't get injured. He successfully completed his first mission... by himself in fact."

"Then why did you go?"

"Like I said, I had Gordon follow him to make sure nothing happened and if it did then he was to contact me. I went and took care of the three Diamond Soldiers that were there when Finral arrived. But the mission was to deliver a package not fight Diamond Soldiers and that's what he did. Gordon and I had nothing to do with that, so yes he completed his mission by himself. Just like Gordon completed his by himself."

"Oh...? And what was Gordon's mission?"

"To make sure no Diamond Bastard damaged my ride... You where supposed to help with that but you decided to get yourself drunk instead..."

"I see... and why did you decide to with hold information in the first place?"

Yami let out a sigh. "Look, if I had told him he never would have gone. The kid needs to get some on field experience, then maybe he'll gain some self confidence."

Vanessa looked down at Finral. "Is with holding information that would scare him really the best way to do that though? He hates fighting. If he had gotten hurt today he'd never trust you to send him on a mission again... Even now he might not."

Just then Fatry could feel himself beginning to take over Finral's body as he slept.

Oh crap, no, no, no! Not now! He thought trying to open his eyes and grab Finral's robe to cover his face but couldn't move. It was a weird sensation as the two laid there with their head on Vanessa's should. It was a feeling of being awake yet at the same time asleep. A moment ago he and Finral both were resting soundly but now Fatry felt wide awake but couldn't move. He could hear Yami and Vanessa talking, they didn't seem to notice anything but that didn't stop the elf from mentally panicking as his elvish ears began to point. He prayed Vanessa couldn't feel it when finally (every time I type finally/final/fine I end up typing Finrally/Finral/Finral... Thanks Finral you broke my ability to spell... don't worry... I still love you ❤️) his hand snapped up and lifted the robe over his face as he sat up so his ear wasn't on Vanessa's shoulder.

"You okay?" Vanessa asked, concerned, when he stood up just as quickly as he sat up.

"Y-yeah..." he said slowly backing away from them. "P-perfectly Finral... F-fine! Perfectly fine!" He said waving his free hand out towards them before retreating to Finral's room through a portal.

Vanessa and Yami turned to each other.

"What was that about?" Vanessa asked. "D-did he say 'perfectly Finral'?"

"Yeah, I think he did...," Yami said now staring at the spot Fatry had been. "I don't know but don't think I'm not going to pry it out of him. And if he refuses to tell me... I'll just kill him."

"How about you let me get him to talk... I think you've done enough damage with today's stunt."

"Damn it..., that was way too close," Fatry said leaning on the dresser in Finral's room and looking into the mirror at the tattoo on his face.

That last part took a turn even I wasn't expecting...

"Perfectly Finral" originally another "Finral broke my ability to spell" incident turned joke.

Also this chapter has a drawing with it but Ff doesn't let you attach pictures like Wattpad or AO3, so if you want to see it you'll have to check it out at one of those two sites... sorry for the inconvenience.