Chapter 4

Yuu proves to be a silent walking companion and he has the distinct feeling that the other boy is still wary of him. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if Yuu only came along because of the amount of food he bought.. Not that he could blame him, survival, no matter what it takes, is the basic human extinct.

It's the beginning of Autumn now which means the days are still warm, but getting cooler and the scenery is beautiful. Warm colors and clear skies, he considers the perfect weather a good luck for their journey.

They've been traveling a few days now, encountering very few people coming from the direction they're heading and it's actually pretty boring. Walk all day, stop for a few meals, sleep at night, rinse, repeat. They're making good time and Yuu doesn't complain about all the walking, but he wishes the other teen would at least try to talk with him. Otherwise, it's going to be a very long and silent six weeks.

"Snake," Yuu's monotone voice warns him and he makes an awkward half step to the side to avoid the slithering creature while Yuu doesn't even break his stride.

"You know, it's okay to talk to me, Yuu-chan."

"And what do I have to talk to you about?"

"Anything! Your favorite color, favorite food, what you're thinking about…"

"I'm not thinking anything."

"But you're so quiet all the time, I know you have to be thinking about something."

Yuu shrugs, "I mainly think about the next meal and how I'm glad we have enough water."

"That's it?" Mikaela sighs, "I wanted a companion."

"And you got one, you never said talking was part of the deal."

"I know, I just thought...nevermind."

Emerald eyes glance over towards him, then look away when he doesn't respond, unbothered by his lack of explanation and Mikaela's left to acknowledge that what he was hoping to have from Yuu was friendship, not just a walking partner. Though it doesn't seem like Yuu has any interest in progressing their relationship anywhere beyond two people traveling together out of convenience. He frowns and picks up his pace to match Yuu's unwavering stride.

Yuu sighs as Mikaela matches his pace in silence. When he said he hadn't been thinking, that was a lie. He's been doing more thinking that he cares to admit, mostly about the blonde beside him. While, yes, he did agree to come with him because the benefits outweigh the cons, it looks like Mikaela wants more from him than he's prepared to give. He hasn't been able to make up his mind on whether he can trust Mikaela or if he's just another fleeting person in his short life.

In he is, there's no point trying to connect with him when he won't be around long. He thinks Mikaela intends to stick around with all his efforts to make conversation and get to know him. The other boy hasn't given up yet and he knows he's not making it easy. But, he's still planning to leave before they reach the Mages, he's not going to willingly let them find out about him, who knows what punishment they might exact on him for no fault of his own.

"You want to stop for lunch?"

He glances over to where Mikaela's looking at him with a patient expression and nods, following him over to a clear spot a little ways away from the dirt road. He drops the heavy bags from his back and stretches his aching muscles. He doesn't mention it to Mikaela whenever the other boy asks if he needs a rest, but those bags are heavy. His back is always sore, especially after he wakes up in the morning with muscles stiff from no movement and the cooler nights. Moving again is almost a blessing even with his constantly sore feet. His shoes are so thin, they provide almost no protection from the hard ground.

As for his back, well he's padded his extra pair of pants under his shirt to keep the weight from rubbing it too raw and it seems to help. It still hurts like hell, but at least it's not bleeding anymore. Yuu nudges his share of the bags out of the way with a sigh, still so full, meaning they have a long way to go. The lighter the bags, the closer they are to their destination and right now it doesn't seem like they'll ever get any lighter.

Yuu pulls out his canteen and accepts the two dried fruit stuffed onigiri made with leftover rice from yesterday's dinner. It might not seem like much to some people, but having three meals a day, no matter how plain, is a welcome change for him. The first night Mikaela had boiled water for rice, he was shocked. Somehow it had never occurred to him that Mikaela might have any kind of survival skills. In fact, he hadn't given much thought at all to how they would prepare food. He certainly hadn't been able to help, he'd never cooked a day in his life and with that came the realization that he was in no way prepared for a journey this long. The most he typically went was a few days between cities, weeks on end is a whole new experience.

But, he hates being dependent on other people, so he's doing his absolute best to watch what the other boy does and store the knowledge for future use. Mikaela waves another onigiri in front of his face and when Yuu reaches for it, he pulls it away, getting a glare in return.

"Don't look at me like that, I've been calling your name."

"Well, clearly it wasn't important," Yuu retorts, folding his arms.

"It is," he tosses the food towards him and Yuu scrambles to catch it before it hits the ground. "Yuu-chan, why did you help me?"

"What?" He grumbles around a mouthful of rice.

"Why did you help me back in the city?"

"I was just returning the favor, don't think too much of it."

"But you didn't have to, you could have just continued walking and avoided the danger."

Yuu gives a sigh of annoyance, "You didn't have to give me food, but you did. Why did you?"

"That's different," Mikaela shakes his head. "No one was around who could hurt me and you looked like you could use some help."

"Same, they might have killed you if I hadn't stepped in." And it's true, he had been returning the favor, but at the same time, he had thought it would be a shame if one of the few decently nice people he'd met ended up dead. The world could do with a little more kindness it. Although, he's curious as to how Mikaela ended up with that kind of trouble. "Why were they after you anyway?"

"Oh...um…" the blonde shifts uncomfortably and glances away before murmuring, "They thought I stole some money."

"And did you?"

"Not really."

"And you call me a thief!" Yuu jabs a finger in his direction, "You have no right to talk!"

"I said, not really!" He protests.

"Stealing is stealing Mikaela! It doesn't matter who you are or how you do it."

"Nobody missed the money, they didn't even know it was gone!"

Yuu rolls his eyes at the other boy's complete lie. "Everyone misses their money, you can't get far without it. But, hey, I'm not judging you and you have no right to judge me either."

"I never did."

"You didn't even want to travel with me because you said I was a thief!"

"You stole my shirt!" He counters. "I had to get to know you first."

"You still don't know me."

"Well enough."

"Not even close," Yuu scoffs. "I wasn't pampered liked you, we're completely different."

Mikaela gazes back at him with a knowing look in his eyes that Yuu can read, but not decipher, "Not as much as you might think."

"Doesn't matter." He's not going to waste his time arguing with this spoiled blonde. Yuu shoves the last bit of food in his mouth and hefts the bag back onto his sore shoulders. "I've got places to be, can't keep this slow pace you've set."

Yuu turns back towards the road as Mikaela scrambles to gather his stuff and chase after him. I'll be the one to set our boundaries and pace, Yuu thinks smugly.

~~~~~
Mikaela curses as he stumbles over a rock, scowling at Yuu's smile that he catches in his peripheral vision. He'd been side eyeing the other boy instead of watching the ground because Yuu hadn't deigned him important enough to speak more than one word at a time to for the past few days. He's so aggravating, so stubborn and closed off, unwilling to even try to form a friendship. But he's just as stubborn as Yuu is and he's not quite ready to give up yet.

Although, he's not opposed to messing with Yuu just a little considering the other boy ignores him most of the time now. His eyes glance to the side, mouth widening into a smile at the purple fruit weighing down the tree branches. It feeds off magic, so the fruit is almost nonexistent the farther you travel away from the Mages. From what he's heard, a lot of things change the closer you travel to their kingdom.

This particular fruit, called a lucin, is known to give you vivid illusions if you eat enough of it uncooked, though he's betting Yuu doesn't know that. Mikaela steps away from the road and quickly plucks a few and tucks them into the side of his bag, leaving one out that he hands to Yuu.

Emerald eyes peer between him and the tree suspiciously and he nods in encouragement. "Why are we eating random fruit? You bought enough."

"Oh, so now you're talking to me?"

Yuu raises his chin, "When you're holding us up, of course I'm going to ask questions."

"It never hurts to conserve and forage for food where we can, just because we brought food doesn't mean we should ignore our resources."

He watches Yuu turn the fruit over in his hands, studying it critically, "What is it?"

"It's a lucin, a type of fruit that needs magic to thrive. It apparently tastes like bitter vanilla."

Yuu wrinkles his nose, "That sounds gross."

"We can't afford to be picky, Yuu-chan. I'll probably mix it in with dinner tonight." He reaches for the fruit, "If you don't want it, I'll save it, but we're not stopping for another break for a while."

"I didn't say I didn't want it!" Yuu protests, quickly stepping out of range and taking a large bite before Mikaela can take away his snack. He chews slowly, "Well, it's not terrible, but definitely not sweet enough for a dessert. Yeah," Yuu nods, taking another bite, "Needs sugar."

"Yet, you're still eating it."

"Can't waste food," he shrugs. Mikaela smiles in response as Yuu's eyes begin to widen in confusion. "What…?"

"Yes, Yuu-chan?" He questions, blinking in wide eyed innocence.

"You…" Yuu drops the fruit to the ground and kicks it away, "What was in that?"

"What do you mean? It was just fruit."

"No, it wasn't." he argues weakly, eyes flicking rapidly back and forth at unseen images.

Mikaela leans in to peer at him, "Are you okay, Yuu-chan? You're starting to sweat a little."

Yuu reaches out to grab his shirt clumsily, "I'd murder you right now if I could feel my body," he spits out through clenched teeth.

"And if you weren't hallucinating too, right?" He chuckles at the furious look Yuu sends him, "What do you see?"

"Colors...animals...the ground is...talking to me."

"Really? What's it saying?" Mikaela questions with barely suppressed laughter.

"Stop stepping on its face."

"That does sound about right," he laughs, peeling Yuu's fingers off his shirt. "Did you apologize?"

"No! I'm not going to apologize to the ground! Why's it so hot?" Yuu drops to the ground, yanks his bag off and begins struggling to pull his shirt off.

"...What are you doing?"

"The ground said I'd be cooler if I took my clothes off," he answers, giving up and tugging at his pants instead.

Mikaela grabs his hands, "You can't take your clothes off in the middle of the road, Yuu-chan!"

Emerald eyes stare at him for a few seconds before he nods, "The ground said I could and it's his road."

"The ground can't talk, you're hallucinating."

"No, you are, watch out for that giant bird behind you. It might claw your head off."

Mikaela whips around to see nothing except a clear sky and trees, by the time he turns back around, Yuu's got his pants halfway down his legs and he's really starting to think that fruit was a bad idea. "Ow!" He glares at the raven haired boy as Yuu attempts to kick his hands away again. "Put your pants back on!"

Yuu gives up on getting his pants over his shoes and collapses on his side with an ear to the ground, "You think I should listen to you just because you're cute? I shouldn't even be here."

"You think I'm cute?"

The other teen gives him a critical look for a brief second before whatever illusions he can see regain his attention, "Not as beautiful as the colors, but you could be uglier."

"Well, thanks I don't think you're too ugly either. A little stinky and thin, but you could smell worse."

Yuu shoots him a dirty look, "I'm going to fly away and leave you here to walk alone."

"Really?" He raises an eyebrow and attempts to pry Yuu's head away from the ground, but he's quickly swatted away.

"Shhh!" Yuu presses his head harder to the ground, "Someone's coming!"

"What?"

"The ground told me, someone's on their way."

Mikaela quickly stands, glancing both directions for any sign of travelers. He doesn't see any and Yuu could still be hearing things, but there's also a chance his magic could be giving him a warning. He looks back down at Yuu, half-dressed and barely moving with dilated pupils. They can't take the risk. For anyone passing by, this looks bad no matter how you spin it and with Yuu like this, they're far too vulnerable in the middle of the road if it's enemies approaching.

He dumps their bags out of sight, then elbowing Yuu's hand out of the way and ignoring his protests and complaints of the heat, he yanks the other boy's pants up the best he can and starts dragging him by the biceps towards cover, sending out thanks that they're not out in the open and there are options for shelter.

He grunts, yanking Yuu the last few feet into the cover of the brush and collapses with Yuu's dead weight falling on his legs. For someone so scrawny, he's hella heavy to drag and it's really starting to make him regret convincing Yuu to eat that fruit.

"You're comfortable."

"Huh?" Mikaela glances down to where Yuu's positioned himself so his head is resting against his torso. "This is nice," Yuu sighs out. He laughs quietly and rests his hand on Yuu's head, scratching lightly and he's almost positive the other teen lets out a content purr before his breathing evens out.

Mikaela lays there, debating on whether to move or just rest too. It's been so long since he's had another person's warmth next to him for comfort. The last time was when he was still in the orphanage before the other kids began to notice something different about him, before his magic was new and uncontrollable. He wasn't allowed to be kicked out of the orphanage, but that didn't mean he was accepted. The past years have been lonely ones, from being an outcast at the orphanage to keeping others at a distance for his own safety.

Maybe that's another reason why he was eager to keep Yuu with him once he realized the other boy had some good in him and no one else to turn to. The people who ran the orphanage always said he had a penchant for taking care of others and in the beginning he used to help out in the nursery, but that was a long time ago. He only has himself to care for now.

The sound of footsteps and carts pull him from his musings and he thinks on the fact that Yuu was right. Whether it was his magic or something else, he's not sure, but he's thankful that he and Yuu's dead weight are out of sight. The voices don't sound particularly hostile, but that also doesn't mean they would have believed him had he said it was all just a silly joke.

Sighing, he shifts Yuu's weight off him and onto the ground as their voices fade. There's nothing to do until Yuu wakes up, so he may as well study a bit. He sifts through his bag until he comes up with a small book filled with pages of handwritten notes comprised of any scrap of knowledge about magic he happened to discover, from hidden books to rumors, anything that might be of use to him. Now, would be the perfect time to add what he's learned about Yuu in. Maybe someday soon, the other boy will actually willingly share information with him.

Not long after, he hears Yuu stirring and the other boy wakes with a groan. He sits up in confusion, looking around blankly until his eyes land on Mikaela and Yuu's expression immediately changes to one of anger. "You did that on purpose!"

There's no point denying it now, "You shouldn't have left me," he replies simply.

"That's why you tricked me into eating that fruit?" Yuu questions in disbelief.

"I didn't trick you," he replies, tucking his book away and pulling his bag back on. "You chose to eat it."

"That's because I didn't know it was poisonous!"

"It wasn't, but it is a fruit that feeds off magic. They usually have side effects."

Yuu huffs and grabs his own bag, "Why is there magic fruit out here anyway?"

"The closer we get to the Mages, the more magic there is that has leaked out. It doesn't always like to be controlled, so it spills into the environment and changes things."

"That would have been good to know beforehand!"

He shrugs, "I can't help what you don't know, Yuu-chan."

"You're such a jerk."

Mikaela open his mouth to respond, but his ears perk up instead at the distant rumble he hears, "What's that noise?"

"How should I know?" Yuu answers crossly. "You're the one full of secrets and knowledge."

Mikaela rolls his eyes and peers back towards the road where he can hear the sound getting louder before what looks like some kind of transportation machine comes into view. It hovers several feet off the ground, is silver in color, and seems to be made with simplicity in design. There are two wheels in the front and one in the back and it gives off red sparks of magic as two men riding it settle towards the ground. He's never seen anything like it and he can't help staring in awe at how easily they control the machine. Some people still have trouble getting their carts to go in the desired direction.

"Whoa, what is that?" Yuu gasps, coming to stand beside him and peer at the strangers.

He quickly claps a hand over Yuu's mouth, "Shh!"

The first man who looks to be the driver gets off with a vaguely irritated expression on his face. He's tall with broad shoulders and vibrant red hair framing his face, leading down into a long braid. Mikaela feels Yuu shudder beside him and he glances over, but Yuu's expression has completely closed off. The red head faces the second man who has yet to stop talking and wears a wide grin. This man seems to be the complete opposite of the first, slender with long silver hair tied back in a ponytail, an open cheery smile, and a confident ease to his movements.

If the strange machine wasn't evidence enough, their clothes clearly mark them as being Mages. Everyone else wears simple loose pants and shirts in various styles depending on the weather, but these two wear boots, tighter clothes in vivid colors unsuitable for any sort of labor. He even catches sight of a few chains, not to mention the red haired one wears a cloak tied around his shoulders, far more extravagant than the average person would wear and even less places would make them. Apparently the Mages' like of frivolous things was true.

Mikaela snaps back to attention when the broader man raises his arm and chops down with the side of his hand directly into the talkative man's neck. The smile is wiped off the shorter man's face immediately as he grabs his neck with a grimace of pain. "Stop with your nonsense, Ferid," he sighs.

"My apologies, Crowley."

"Lord Crowley. I only let you ride with me because you said you would behave."

"And I have!" Ferid responds with another rub to his neck.

"Causing chaos amongst the townspeople is not behaving."

He chuckles lightly, "I was just giving them a little excitement in their boring lives."

"This is why they fear us."

"They should, we are Mages after all." Another smile breaks out as Mikaela catches a flash of magic, then Ferid's standing taller again, neck apparently fully healed.

"You will not be in my quarters tonight," Crowley states flatly.

"Eh?! After that minor indiscretion?"

"No, but also because I'm tired and I can't tolerate your presence for longer than I must." He turns away from him and swings one leg over the machine again as it sparks red again. "I should make you walk."

"But, I might get lost, then who would take care of you?"

"Anyone could do a better job than you and quieter too."

"So mean," Ferid pouts.

Crowley gestures behind him, "Let's go, but I am serious. Don't show your face for a while once we return."

The other man swings a leg over and settles behind him without answering, although the smug grin on his face makes it perfectly clear he has no intention of obeying his Lord and that he's confident enough to think he can get away with it.

"I agree with the Crowley guy," Yuu mumbles, yanking Mikaela's hand away from his mouth. "I can't tolerate your presence either."

Mikaela glances at him with a half smile, "That's not what you were saying a little while ago when you were falling asleep on me."

His reaction is instantaneous, Yuu flares up red and points menacingly at him, "That doesn't count! You gave me crazy fruit!"

"It wasn't crazy fruit," he laughs.

"Whatever it was, it made me think weird things, so none of it matters."

"I don't think you need much help with that, but whatever you say."

"Stop laughing!" Yuu shoves him out of the way. "I should abandon you at the next town."

"Uh huh, we'll see about that." He steps out of the cover of trees once the two strangers have disappeared off into the distance and beckons Yuu out. "Let's go, it's clear! We have to make up time unless you can summon a giant winged bird to carry us."

"Shut up," Yuu growls, following after him and Mikaela can't help smirking. He got to see another side of the sour raven haired teen and it was surprisingly enough...cute. Mikaela files the thought away, more material to tease Yuu about later.

~~~~~
Flames crackle and soothe his tired stiff legs as Yuu sits close to the fire for warmth. The nights are getting chillier and soon the small fire will die down and he'll have to bundle up for warmth. There's no point adding more twigs this late at night, hopefully soon he'll manage to fall asleep. His spinning thoughts are probably what's keeping from being able to sleep, but he can't slow them down.

He's still so confused as to what he's doing here and with the same person after a few weeks together. Honestly, he's surprised that Mikaela has stuck with him for this long, he knows he's not the easiest person to be around and while he may not talk to the blonde much, his presence has already become familiar, the subtle comfort in knowing Mikaela's never far from him.

That there's someone who expects him to be there and who might actually miss him if he's gone, it's both a novel and dangerous feeling, not a feeling he wants to get used to knowing. Spurning Mikaela at every chance he gets comes easily, yet he can't deny there's some sort of tenuous relationship forming. He wouldn't call it friendship and he's pretty sure the blonde feeding him has a large part to do with any sort of fond feelings he's developing, but something's there. Maybe… it's the beginnings of trust between them.

Yuu looks down to where Mikaela lays beside him, a little further away from the fire and wrapped up warm in his bedding. Resting as carefree as a newborn baby, secure in his confidence that he won't be betrayed in his sleep. He's far too trusting, but it's been a few weeks. Mikaela probably figures if Yuu was going to do something, he already would have, and he kinda has a point. He might not be overly fond of the blonde, but he doesn't wish him harm.

If only he could be that trusting.

He stares at the sleeping teen and can't help admiring the way the firelight illuminates his features, the way the light casts shadows on curve of his cheek and highlights the smoothness of his forehead, a sign of stress free sleep. Yuu tentatively reaches a hand down to curl his finger around one soft blonde curl and tugs lightly. Mikaela doesn't even stir. Yuu shakes his head at how deeply asleep and unaware of his surroundings the other boy is before gently placing the curl back and reaching out to touch the other boy's cheek.

His finger barely brushes against skin when he stops himself at the sight of his dirt caked fingers and Yuu yanks his hand back in embarrassment. It's not his fault he's filthy. He'd tried to bathe again, but his back stung so painfully that being clean wasn't worth the effort. But now, for some annoying reason, he's wishing he'd tried harder.

Yuu curls his hands back into his lap and grimaces, wondering what the hell he was thinking. No one has ever wanted to keep him around before and he's let the fact that Mikaela seems to want him here lull him into a false sense of comfort. He would never have tried that with anyone else he'd met so far. Then again, no one else would have left themselves exposed to him in such a way. A few weeks together and his defenses are already coming down, he has to pull it together.

With another look in his traveling companion's direction, Yuu scoots a bit away putting some distance between them as he feels his hands start to tingle again. A quiet curse and Yuu shoves them under his thighs, concentrating on forcing the magic back down. It looks like his control hasn't improved at all. In fact, it's worse if the light sheen of sweat on his face from the effort of forcing his magic down means anything.

He lays back on the ground to calm his racing heart and shivering body. At this rate he's not sure how much time he has left before he dies or completely loses control and honestly he wouldn't mind so much it being the former. At least then he wouldn't have to deal with the aftermath and he'd be free of this place altogether. It's not like he'd be missing much.

As another shiver racks his body and his back stings, Yuu turns onto his side to stare towards the road, already knowing he probably won't get much sleep tonight.

~~~~~
Mikaela sits against a tree idly flicking sparks of magic at Yuu's back and watching him tense up with clenched fists, then relax until he flicks another spark at him and the process repeats. He hadn't meant to torment Yuu like this, but the other boy has been gradually fading over the past few days, the circles under his eyes getting darker and darker while his pace slows throughout the day.

Yuu hasn't told him what's wrong or complained, but he could tell that the other teen desperately needed a break. They're lucky rivers are plentiful in their region, so they never run out of fresh drinking water. Yuu leans heavily against another tree, taking small sips from his canteen and Mikaela watches the shallow rise and fall of his chest. He really does look awful and it makes no sense, they eat three times a day and rest at night, there's no reason Yuu should be suffering so much...unless he's hiding something.

He had hoped if he agitated Yuu enough this way, the other teen might finally break and tell him what was wrong, but so far no luck.

The wind shifts and Mikaela wrinkles his nose at the smell it carries from Yuu. They've been traveling days and Yuu has, again, avoided taking a bath the entire time. It's not cold yet, so day in and day out of traveling and the smell is really starting to get to him. Anytime he takes a dip in the river, Yuu just stretches out with their belongings and takes a nap, no matter how much he tries to persuade him otherwise. Speaking of which, Yuu barely looks like he has the strength to stand, let alone resist. Even if a bath doesn't help whatever's hurting Yuu, at least it'll save his nose.

Yuu starts when Mikaela strips down to his underwear, tosses his clothes aside, and stares him down. For the most part, he does his best to look everywhere but at Mikaela's sun-kissed pale skin and the way it's dusted with fine blonde hair or the definition in his stomach and legs. He really wished the blonde would get in the water or put some clothes back on.

"It's been long enough, you smell awful and you're taking a bath."

He shakes his head stubbornly and peeks at Mikaela in his peripheral vision when he huffs. It's not that he dislikes baths, but he hasn't always had the chance to take one, so he's kind of gotten used to going without. Food was always the bigger priority plus now his back hurts every time water touches it, so it's definitely not something he's interested in and now he's been so tired lately. Whenever they're not walking, all he wants to do is rest. Although, from the set of Mikaela's shoulder, he might not back down this time. "Lay off, I said I don't want to right now," Yuu mumbles back tiredly.

"You don't have a choice."

"I appreciate the concern," Yuu responds, "But, I've been taking care of myself this long and I think I've done a pretty good job."

Mikaela stills, eyes narrowed in concentration, and suddenly he's right in front of Yuu, leaving him blinking confusion at how quickly Mikaela's position changed. He hadn't even seen him move.

"How'd you do that?" Yuu exclaims, jumping up and stepping back from him.

"Do what? I just walked."

"No, you didn't! One second you were there," he points back towards Mikaela's previous spot. "And then you were here!"

"Maybe you just weren't paying attention," he shrugs, reaching for Yuu's shirt. Yuu jerks out of the way and Mikaela's fingers slide along his back instead causing a flinch of pain and an involuntary gasp to rip free. He peeks behind him in the hope that Mikaela missed it, but the second he turns, blue eyes lock on his and immediately Mikaela's right behind him, yanking his shirt up.

"Hey, stop!" Yuu exclaims, struggling to get free and confused at how Mikaela keeps moving so fast.

His gaze rakes over Yuu's back with wide eyes, taking in the bright red, infection swollen lacerations that are no doubt the source of Yuu's pain, "What the hell is this, Yuu-chan?!"

"Stop calling me that stupid nickname!" Yuu snatches his shirt back and stalks away with flushed cheeks, furious at himself for letting Mikaela get a hold of him and embarrassed that his wounds have been discovered.

Mikaela regards him with that caring look he hates so much and he looks away, "Why didn't you say something?"

"It's none of your business!"

"What happened?"

"I just told you!"

"..." Mikaela appraises him for a moment, "Fine, don't tell me, but we're cleaning them."

"I said I'm fine," Yuu responds through gritted teeth.

"Is this why you haven't bathed? Because they're infected?"

"Mind your own business. We're just walking together."

"Yuu-chan…"

"They burn, okay! Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"That's because they're infected and your filthy shirt isn't helping." Mikaela kneels in the grass, digging through his bag for a knife before gesturing Yuu over. Yuu glances at the knife in his hand warily and shakes his head. "Now."

"What are you going to do with that knife?"

"You'll find out if you get over here and quit being a baby."

"Mikaela…"

"I'm not going to let you walk around with your back like that anymore, we need to fix it."

Yuu sends up a silent prayer to the universe and drops down in front of Mikaela, already knowing it's going to hurt. "Hey!" He protests when his shirt is peeled off and tossed aside. He only has one other, the blonde could at least try to care a little.

"You can have one of mine," he answers dismissively.

Mikaela slowly leans him onto his side, careful of his back and when the knife slices into the first section of swollen skin, Yuu locks his jaw, refusing to make a sound. Mikaela is gentle as can be when he cuts into each of the lacerations in turn, pressing lightly until the infection runs out little by little. It's still painful though, and Yuu finds himself burying his face in the ground with tight fists to hide his expression from the other boy.

Glancing down to make sure Yuu's not paying attention, Mikaela uses one hand to grip Yuu's shoulder and the other to pull water from the river with a swirl of his hand, guiding it to run down Yuu's back in a quick stream, clearing away anything extra, so he can see that the entirety of the infection is gone. Yuu hisses and jerks in his hold, but doesn't attempt to break away, resigned to his fate.

Once it's clear, he lets his hand slide up toward Yuu's head to card his fingers through the sweaty strands soothingly. Yuu's so surly, so hard to get close to and bond with. He keeps to himself, but he's horrible at hiding his emotions, most of what he's feeling in a particular moment is reflected across his face. The only thing is, he can't always read the thoughts behind the feelings, so even that isn't always the most helpful.

"That's not where it hurts," Yuu mumbles.

"I know." He glances down to see Yuu glaring up at him balefully with red rimmed eyes on a face streaked with mud from where tears and dirt have mingled. "Feel better?" Yuu doesn't bother responding and he sighs with a shake of his head, "Come on." He slips into the water and gestures Yuu over with a handful of soap.

"Haven't you caused me enough pain?"

"There's always room for more," he quips back. "Come here."

Yuu sits up with a grunt and peels off the rest of his clothes, annoyingly aware of Mikaela's eyes on him the whole time, before joining him in the river and wading into the middle. He flinches at the sting of soap on his broken skin and wishes Mikaela would hurry up rather than trying to be careful, pain is pain and the faster this is over, the better.

Mikaela glances from the tense line of Yuu's shoulders to his own hands tingling with the need to heal the other boy's red skin. Honestly, his back already looks a lot better and now that the infection is out, he could probably heal on his own, except they don't have time to wait for that and he doesn't want to risk Yuu neglecting to keep it clean and the whole situation repeating itself. So, he decides that Yuu is trustworthy enough.

He leads Yuu over to the river's edge and has him lean over, bracing his hands against the ground as the water swirls around them, just barely reaching mid-chest. His palms begin to glow gently and warm in preparation, but he doesn't get within two inches of Yuu's skin before the other boy looks back over his shoulder and his eyes widen at the subtle blue glow emanating from Mikaela's fingers, "You can heal?!"

"I can," he answers with a slight smile.

"Then why didn't you just heal me instead of dragging it out?" Yuu exclaims.

"I can heal shallow wounds and mend the skin, but if I tried to heal you with your back like that, it would have sealed the infection inside and you probably would have died." Fairly quickly, now that he knows the infection is what was hindering Yuu so strongly.

"Oh."

"Yeah, now turn around."

Yuu braces himself and Mikaela presses his palms flat against his skin, concentrating on knitting the skin back together and erasing any lingering traces of infection.

Involuntarily, Yuu's body relaxes as the coolness seeps into his back, taking away the last remnants of pain. He can't help a quiet sigh when the sensation changes to a soothing warmth as his back tingles with healing magic.

He could stay here forever with Mikaela's palms against him sending soothing waves like warm honey through him. Mikaela must have the same idea because the next second arms wrap around his waist, pulling him firmly against the other boy's chest and he feels the blonde nosing into his neck, inhaling deeply.

Yuu freezes, hands dangling limply as he stands there stiffly. He knew he shouldn't have let Mikaela get this close to him. This is why he keeps the other boy at a distance because without knowing too much about him, somehow he could still tell that Mikaela would take more liberties than he was given. And the worst part about it, is that he likes it. Not the invasion of his personal space, but the comfort of another person especially given that it's Mikaela.

No matter how much he tries to fight it down, he's not immune to the fact that he finds Mikaela attractive, beautiful even, but that's all he has going for him in Yuu's eyes, so he hates how nice this is. It makes him want to drive his elbow back into the other boy's stomach, but then he'd move and he's not sure he wants that either.

Mikaela exhales deeply against his neck and Yuu's hand's spark. He looks down in horror at his rapidly warming hands and quickly submerges them underwater, hoping the other boy didn't see. Mikaela may have magic, but he's still not willing to let anyone know about his weak, yet uncontrollable magic. For all he knows, Mikaela might adhere to the Mages' teachings and consider him evil too.

Yuu wiggles out of the other boy's arms and settles against the bank as Mikaela drifts away from him. He glances down at his hands again, relieved that their calm again. It's starting to make sense now, Mikaela seems to be the trigger to when his magic becomes uncontrollable. Nothing like that ever used to happen until they met, meaning the blonde's even more trouble than he anticipated.

But, at least one good thing came out of it, his back is nearly fully healed now and there's no longer any pain after weeks of suffering. Mikaela has powerful magic, now he understands the reason for this trip a lot better and why Mikaela doesn't seem worried about the Mages turning them away. Well...they won't turn Mikaela away, but Yuu's pretty sure he won't get past the entrance.

Yuu glances back at the blonde one final time, still annoyed at him for taking liberties and clueless as to what his thoughts were, before sinking underwater and letting the river clean his hair. He'll have to keep a closer eye on the blonde from now on.

Mikaela's not unaware of the way Yuu's gaze lingers on him warily. He'd be more worried if he didn't already know that Yuu possessed some scrap of magic himself. So, as it stands, the other boy can't be too afraid of him, if at all. He's almost sure the source of Yuu's burning gaze is how close they were after he healed Yuu's back, maybe a little too close, but for that one moment, the temptation was too great to ignore.

A slave to his own wants, it's not unexpected that he would develop some desire to be close to the other teen, even given his rough personality. Traveling together all this time brings them closer together whether Yuu wants to admit or not, besides it was only a hug, nothing too intrusive. Yuu probably craves touch just as much as he does, plus he's a little lonely. Even so, he's aware that Yuu has to come to him first, pushing him won't amount to anything.

He smiles quietly at the remembrance of how quickly Yuu tensed when he leaned into his neck, that was probably bending their boundaries more explicitly than he should have, but he doesn't regret it. Yuu had smelled so nice and warm, earthy and pleasant now that his natural scent was free from the layers of dirt and sweat he had accumulated over the past days of travel. It was a scent he enjoyed rubbing his nose in, for Yuu not so much.

One day soon, he'll crack open Yuu's shell before their time together ends.

~~~~~
The raindrops fall heavily to the ground, dropping almost as fast Yuu's spirits. Lightning strikes in the distance, starkly visible against the dark sky, followed by a thunder clap. Yuu groans, they're going to be stuck here until the rain lets up and it's the worse. It's not even the fact that they might lose hours of walking to the storm that bothers him, it's the fact that he's stuck under this small outcropping of rock, wedged in tight with Mikaela to keep their bags from getting soaked. He could even handle if they were stuck anywhere else together, just not so close.

It puts him on edge to to be so near the other boy without any means of escape. Then there's the air. Mikaela's scent, a subtle mix of eucalyptus and coconut, permeates the space as it rises like steam with the drying rain and it's suffocating him in the small humid area. He's never wanted to breathe clean fresh air so much.

Yuu takes a quick peek out of the corner of his eye and he's pleased to note that he's not the only one who's uncomfortable. Mikaela's body language is closed off and he seems to be trying to keep as far away from Yuu as possible, almost like he can feel Yuu's annoyance in the small space. Green eyes widen, can Mikaela tell? Yuu curses himself quietly, of course Mikaela can tell, he's a Mage. He probably feels everything Yuu feels.

Now he feels a little guilty because the blonde also looks a little sad and he's sure it's because of the animosity his body is giving off. Yuu adjusts slightly, loosening his body, and trying to lighten the atmosphere a bit.

"Hey…"

"What?" Yuu questions, giving him a side glance.

"Are you still mad about the river? You've been weird ever since."

Yuu shrugs, "I've been normal."

"No," Mikaela shakes his head, "You've been different. It's like you're actively trying to keep a physical distance between us. You're not usually quite so aware of where you are."

Unfortunately he knows exactly what Mikaela's talking about and it's true, he has been actively monitoring their proximity. Now that he knows Mikaela triggers his magic, he has to keep the other boy away to keep magic his magic under control. "Maybe I just don't want you near me," Yuu responds, ending the questions.

It's a shame he has to fight a relationship with Mikaela so much now when he'd wished for a companion not long ago. Although if he was going to pick someone to trust, he didn't want someone who was going to make his problems worse. I guess that's why they say be careful what you wish for.

"Yuu-chan?" A quiet voice.

"What?" He answers tersely.

A slight pause, then, "I know you might not like me much, but you don't have to do everything alone."

"I have so far," Yuu replies without turning. "And I'm alive 16 years later."

"You don't have to anymore."

Yuu glares at the blonde with his caring eyes and false promises, "And for how long?"

"Huh?"

"For how long will I not have to do it alone?"

"Ah," recognition dawns in his eyes. "For as long as you want, Yuu-chan."

"Yeah, right," Yuu scoffs, averting his gaze back outside. He's not interested in believing in something he knows isn't true. Mikaela has plans. Plans that don't involve him, he'd be stupid to assume otherwise.

"Yuu-chan-"

"Don't call me that."

"Fine," he sighs, "But we're not so different. If you want us to stay together, I will."

"Not different?" The fact that Mikaela thinks their experiences can even compare makes Yuu flare up in anger. He struggled to survive for eight years, there's no comparison! "We're not the same at all! You probably have parents and a family! This is just a fun trip for you. Afterwards you'll go back home to be comfortable and safe! Don't pretend like you won't just forget all about me!"

"You're wrong, I don't have a family. I was raised in an orphanage and once I left, there was no chance of going back." Mikaela looks at him sadly, "That hasn't been my home for a long time."

Yuu deflates slightly, confused on how someone like Mikaela could possibly be an orphan like him, it doesn't make sense. There's nothing about him that screams abandoned, in fact he seems more confident than people he's met with actual families. "You're lying."

"I wish I was, but I was raised in an orphanage and you've seen my magic. Even if they let me stay, once that appeared, I was no longer accepted. Just an unwanted burden until they could throw me out at sixteen."

"...And then they did?"

"They never got the chance. I left the day I turned sixteen." He shrugs, "I miss not having a stable roof over my head, even if it did leak, but I think I've done better on my own. Once I was away from there, no one knew what I could do and blending into the crowds was easy."

Yuu frowns at the surprising information, it doesn't change his opinion of the other boy, but maybe he is just trying to survive each day too. Mikaela still has his own motivations, though it seems they're not quite what he thought initially. "So, you're traveling this far to see if they accept you?"

He hums noncommittally, "Something like that, but I don't really care if they do. There are many other places I want to see. This is just one stop, then I'm free to go wherever."

"The transient life isn't how you think, Mikaela."

"Isn't that what you've been doing?" He questions with a pointed look in Yuu's direction.

"That's why I know it sucks!"

"The past few weeks haven't been so bad to me."

Yuu shoots him a condescending look, "That's because somehow as an orphan you had a lot of money."

"I worked," he answered simply. "People are more likely to trust me since I don't smell like I haven't bathed in weeks."

"I don't either!"

"Anymore."

"So!"

"And only because I forced you to take a bath," he teases. "Then again sometimes my nose still burns!"

"I don't smell," Yuu mutters crossly.

"After so long, you wouldn't really notice anymore, would you?"

Yuu shifts to face him, "I. Do. Not. Smell."

"You sure about that?" He opens his mouth to tell Mikaela just how little he thinks of his opinion when the blonde leans over, taking a deep inhale against his neck and Yuu freezes. "Huh, I guess you were right. You do smell...nice."

Shit. He let his guard down again. Yuu pulls back and retreats farther into his side of the small space, abruptly quiet and no longer willing to entertain the other boy.

A hesitant hand reaches for his shoulder and he shoots Mikaela a dark look that's met with a sigh. "I'm not going to ask you to tell me about your life if you don't want to, but Yuu-chan, you really can trust me." He pauses and fidgets slightly before continuing, "I know you think we can't possibly be alike, but we are and if you believed me, you wouldn't have to be so lonely."

"I'm not lonely."

"So you say, but I have a feeling you want a family and wouldn't mind being surrounded by them."

Yuu doesn't respond, ending the conversation and letting them lapse into silence. Rainfall the only sound between them. Mikaela may have a point, but he's not going to admit it. Besides who wouldn't want a family? It's only natural, even Mikaela wants one. Why else would he be going to the Mages other than finding a place he belongs? No matter if he pretends not to care.

His legs begin to ache from being curled up so long and he starts to think getting a little wet may be worth the chance to stretch his legs and get away from the stilted atmosphere. After several minutes of silence, there's a nudge to his shoulder and Mikaela drops a handful of dried apple slices into his palm, a peace offering.

Yuu shoves them all in his mouth at once, "This doesn't mean I trust you," he mumbles around his chewing.

Mikaela responds with a smile, "I know," and the tension around them lessens. He sits back, leaning his head against the rock with an air of satisfaction and Yuu knows his goal was to put him at ease.

He lets the slower gentle patter of rain relax him, it looks like they might be able to leave soon and he lets himself wonder... It would be nice to let himself rely on Mikaela, to believe the emotions swimming in the depth of those blue pools. But to do that, he'd have to strip himself open, laying everything bare and he's not ready to take that big of a step yet. Although if Mikaela really is serious about sticking around, he'll find out soon enough and then...maybe. Maybe, he and all his faults wouldn't be rejected. Because, while the blonde may be pushy, he's not all bad. He could be stuck with worse people besides the too caring, nosy, warm touch-

Yuu abruptly ends that trail of thought and refocuses his attention on something more innocuous, dinner.

A head falls on his shoulders and Yuu flinches, barely restraining himself from pulling away. Knowing Mikaela, he probably did it on purpose, the jerk. Although, he has his doubts that Mikaela is actually asleep, he lets him stay rather than shove him off. At least he's quiet, it's not worth the fight if Mikaela is really sleeping and he's tired of arguing besides his hands don't seem to have reacted this time.

Instead he pulls a curl and peers closer to see Mikaela's lack of reaction. Guess he really was asleep. Yuu tucks the lock of hair behind Mikaela's ear, letting his fingers linger over skin for a brief moment before making a mental note to stop making a habit of that. He tilts his head just slightly to rest upon Mikaela's curls, inhaling that same refreshing scent, then exhaling quietly. If this continues, Mikaela might just win.

~~~~~
I think I'm really making progress. Or at least he hopes so. Yuu still tries to keep a certain distance between them, but he's no longer shoved off quite so fast nor are his attempts at conversation spurned so quickly. So to Mikaela, that's progress.

Although, he probably pushed Yuu's limits a bit too much this time. They haven't talked for the past two days since he last irritated Yuu. He didn't think it was a big deal, but Yuu obviously thought otherwise.

"You can touch me, Yuu-chan, it's okay," Mikaela comments from his spot stretched out next him.

Yuu sits up with a frown, "I don't want to touch you."

"Are you sure about that?" Mikaela flips over onto his stomach and grabs one of Yuu's hands to place on his arm, "That's not so bad is it?" Yuu yanks his hand back with a warning growl and Mikaela sighs. He rests his palm against the raven haired teen's calf, already knowing he's goading him.

"Mikaela!"

"Yes?"

"Stop touching me!"

"What do you mean?" He questions back, sliding a hand up the length of Yuu's calf and squeezing gently. Yuu's fist lashes out and catches him in the throat. "Ow, Yuu-chan!" Mikaela jumps up, cradling his neck, and stalks several feet away, shooting daggers at the other teen. Yuu merely shrugs and looks away with red cheeks. "Well?"

"Well what? I'm not going to apologize."

"Fine, be a jerk."

"You're the jerk!" Yuu yells back, "I told you to stop touching me!"

"Why? It's not that big a deal."

Yuu turns away from him, "I don't have to explain myself to you."

"Okay, stay over there, sad and alone."

He hadn't really been mad, he'd just wanted to see what Yuu would do if he backed off and didn't make anymore effort. However, it's not turning out how he'd thought. Yuu seems completely fine with them not speaking a single word to each other, relieved if he's not mistaken. It's disheartening.

It's obvious Yuu likes him, at least physically and he's pretty sure Yuu's not completely averse to him emotionally either. It's the little things, such as the refusal to make eye contact and the avoidance of his touch, but his willingness to touch his hair when Yuu thinks he's asleep. The aggression whenever his personal space is invaded and how defensive his eyes have started to get whenever they have a conversation. It didn't used to be that way, so he must be getting close if Yuu has gone on the defensive.

Still, he wants more. How much more? He's not sure, but the longer they stay together, the more curious he becomes. What makes Yuu happy? What does he want? Why's he still hiding his magic? Why can't Yuu believe in him?

He realizes he's somewhat of a hypocrite. He wants Yuu to trust him and talk to him, but he hasn't been entirely honest with other boy either. Yuu doesn't know that the whole reason they're traveling this far is because of a letter demanding he comes when he's sixteen or that he has absolutely no idea what to expect when they arrive.

From the other boy's previous outcry, he likely thought Mikaela was some nobility with connections to the Mages, now that he's debunked that thought, who knows what Yuu is thinking and well he's not going to volunteer information that'll tip Yuu towards separating. Better to let Yuu think he's completely in control of what's happening.

As for himself, he's pretty sure Yuu does have a kind heart, it's just guarded. Not like himself, he's cruel. His own survival was always most important to him. Yuu may snipe and bicker with him, but not once has he done anything unkind. If saving him really had been just for Yuu's own benefit, Yuu would already have stolen everything from him and taken off. Really, he's had numerous opportunities. By this point, Mikaela's positive that Yuu's completely trustworthy. A trustworthy, less scrawny than before traveling companion who's determined to do everything by himself.

It won't last. Yuu will learn very soon that you can only survive by yourself for a short amount of time. And while he wouldn't say he has any particularly strong feelings for Yuu, he has the qualities of a loyal friend and that's reason enough to want him to stay around. Getting to know him is just a plus.

Yuu opens his mouth to say something, but quickly shuts in when Mikaela looks towards him. That damn blonde, he's so carefree as if it's so easy to trust another person. He hates being as guarded as he is, but after eight years alone, it's how he's learned to protect himself. Mikaela is touchy and he's not, but he wants to be. He desperately wants to be okay with the occasional casual touch without tensing up. Mikaela can throw an arm around his shoulders so easily and he can't even bring himself to tap the blonde's shoulder.

When Mikaela had grabbed his hand, he'd pulled back so fast on instinct, then the other teen had gone a step farther and rubbed his leg in a far too intimate touch that set his heart racing. It was too much, too fast and he'd reacted as quickly as possible to get the other boy away from him. It didn't help much.

Even afterwards he could still feel the tingle on his calf where Mikaela's palm had trailed and no amount of rubbing had made the sensation go away until it was good and ready. Two days later, the ghost of the caress on his leg still triggers when he remembers.

He wants to apologize for hitting Mikaela, but he's scared. What if Mikaela doesn't forgive him? What if he's made himself as unlikable to Mikaela as he's always been to everybody else? They haven't talked in days and the blonde hasn't made any signs of wanting to speak to him again.

Mikaela's presence is something he's unintentionally come to rely on and the thought of being hated now weighs heavily on him. The other teen is one of the nicest people he's ever met and he's quickly coming to regret brushing him off as much as he did.

It's easier this way, Yuu consoles himself despondently. Now he doesn't have to worry about his magic sparking whenever the blonde gets close to him or the strange feelings whenever pretty blue eyes blink at him in concern. It's fine, it's fine, everything's fine. This is good, I'll leave at the next town and none of this will matter.

"Yuu-chan!"

"H-huh?" He whirls around to where Mikaela is staring him down with a determined look on his face. This is it. Yuu hardens his heart.

"Come here."

Mikaela watches as Yuu takes a few hesitant steps towards him and pauses. He doubts Yuu has even noticed the lone tear track streaking down his left cheek and more than that, he could sense the distress and fear Yuu was feeling. Nothing like the anger he was giving off when they were trapped in their shelter. This is sadder and more targeted, Yuu needs someone. He doesn't care that the other boy won't admit it. They're not the same, he can survive alone if he has too, he's not so sure Yuu can do the same.

"Call me Mika!"

"What?" Yuu looks at him in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"Call me Mika," he repeats, pulling Yuu towards him by the wrist without a protest for once. "I'm sorry I touched you like that, I should have listened to you when you told me not to."

Yuu blinks at him with cautious hope in his expressive emerald eyes, "It's...okay."

Mikaela nods and they drop the subject, but he notices Yuu still hasn't pulled away and this close, he can feel the way Yuu's emotions begin to settle. No longer turbulent and sad.

Yuu's emotions are more tangled than he realized.

~~~~~
It's time. He's finally going to open up and trust Mikaela, even if the blonde does overstep his boundaries way too much. Part of him knows he can trust the other, Mikaela won't reject him. If he does...then every word he's said will have been a lie and annoyingly enough, Mikaela has always been sincere with him.

Plus, he's sick of dealing with the side effects all alone. Everyday they get worse and it's finally time to admit he needs help before one of them gets hurt. Yuu's already figured out the blonde messes with his control and the longer they stay together, the more likely something unfixable will happen.

It'd be a shame if he accidentally burned half of Mikaela's face. Although in the chance that he's the one who dies, it gives him a sense of morbid satisfaction to think of Mikaela having to drag his corpse away since it'll have been his fault anyway.

"What are you smirking about, Yuu-chan?" The other boy questions with a glance up from his journal of magic notes.

"How you'd suffer if you had to drag my corpse."

Mikaela wrinkles his nose and stares at Yuu weirdly, "What?"

"Nothing, put the book down. I need to talk to you." His eyebrows raise, but he nonetheless obeys and gives Yuu his full attention. It's amazing really, Yuu does nothing but spurn him and the first time he needs to talk, Mikaela focuses on him like he's never done anything wrong. Yuu tsks, he's too accommodating.

"Well? I'm waiting. What could the silent and sulky Yuu-chan need to talk to me about?"

"Mika…" He starts, using the nickname to make him more amiable and noting the slight smile the other gives. "I have magic."

"I know," he replies simply.

"You...know?"

"Yep!"

Yuu stares at him blankly, "You couldn't have known."

"But I did," he replies with an easy smile in Yuu's direction.

He can't have known, I've done everything possible to hide it and he's never said a word! "For how long?"

Mikaela watches him thoughtfully, "Since I found you passed out in the town that time. I used a little magic to track you and when I pulled it back to me, it felt different. That's when I started to suspect."

Yuu stares at him in disbelief, that's almost since the beginning. "And you never said anything?!" All this time, he's been struggling alone, trying to keep it inside and hoping he didn't keel over and die from the stress on his body. None of it was necessary! "Why didn't you say something, you jerk?!"

Blue eyes blink at him in bemusement, "Are you seriously mad that I didn't force you to reveal your secrets?"

"Yes!"

"That makes no sense," he shakes his head in confusion, "You could have told me at any time, you knew I had magic."

"So! I can't believe you pretended you didn't know!" Yuu stands up in frustration, pacing back and forth, too angry to be still anymore. This isn't going how he expected at all.

"Yuu-chan, I don't get why you're so upset, but now I can help you. That is what you wanted, right?"

"I don't want your help now!"

Mikaela frowns and shoots out a leg faster than Yuu can avoid to sweep him off his feet and drag him over by the forearm until Yuu's upper body is halfway in his lap, being held in place by his thighs. "Give me your hand."

"That hurt," Yuu mutters, locking his hands together behind the other boy's back where he can't reach them.

"We both know you have a high tolerance for pain." Mikaela reaches for his interlocked fingers, "Are you really going to make this difficult?"

"Did you really pretend you didn't know I had magic for weeks?"

He shrugs and leans back on his palms, "Fine, don't give me your hand. You can stay in my lap as long as you like, it's not like I mind."

Yuu flushes when he realizes he has in fact effectively trapped Mikaela in his arms and there's something vaguely familiar about the position. He stares at the other boy's torso and shoves his hand towards him, "Here, just hurry up."

His hand is encased inside a tight grip and Yuu looks up to see Mikaela staring at their hands with furrowed eyebrows, but Yuu's too busy staring at him to focus on whatever he's trying to do. This close, he can see every lash surrounding Mikaela's eyes, the curve of his lips pressed together in concentration, even the light spattering of freckles near his cheeks from all the sunlight they've been traveling in, otherwise unnoticeable from the distance he usually keeps.

Green meets blue and Yuu freezes as Mikaela holds his gaze. We're too close.

"Are you going to stare at me the whole time? It makes it a little harder to concentrate."

"No," Yuu answers, looking away back towards the empty landscape. Their environment has changed since they've been walking, over three weeks together now. The dirt road is no longer as defined or well traveled, trees are sparse here and everything is wide open land with browning grass as the seasons change. He supposes it's good there aren't any people traveling this way because there's no cover at night. Although, they'd be able to see anyone approaching them from a distance, even if there wasn't anywhere to hide from thieves. There are still the occasional rivers, but they're slower and shallow, just enough for them to get by on.

It's quiet out here without their footsteps, only the sounds of the wind blowing or a bird chirping breaking the calm and Yuu involuntarily finds his eyes drifting shut and his head tilting towards the other boy's chest before his voice startles him. "It doesn't seem like your magic likes me much."

"Hmm?" Yuu murmurs sleepily, barely paying attention.

"It retreats from me," Mikaela explains. "When I try to coax it out, it feels my own magic and pulls away."

"Oh...well, good because I don't like you either."

Yuu feels his stomach drop when the other teen looks down at him with a gleam in his eyes, "Oh yeah? I seem to remember you touching my hair at night whenever you think I'm asleep!"

"W-What? That didn't- I never, I-I wasn't," Yuu fumbles his way through an explanation, wishing he could get a single sentence out. "That never happened!"

"Did so! I remember it. You were so gentle for once, I couldn't believe it was you!" If he was red before, his face is absolutely burning now, just how much knowledge has Mikaela been hiding? Mikaela laughs at his expression and Yuu's grateful he looks away, so he can recover. He can't hide anything from Mikaela it seems like. He drops his head against Mikaela's thigh in defeat and a hand cards through his hair, "Not gonna hide what you like anymore?"

"Shut up, I'm just sleepy." And comfortable.

"Mmhmm." Yuu feels a weird tugging sensation and he sits up quickly when he feels that familiar tingle racing through his arms. "Ah, got it!" Mikaela exclaims just as green sparks start cascading from his hands.

"Ahh!"

"Yuu-chan! Calm down!" Mikaela's voice breaks through his blind panic, reminiscent of the last time he lost control. "It's fine, this is normal. Just let it play out. You've been repressing it a really long time." Hands press down on his shoulders, "Breathe. You okay?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Are you scared of your magic? Is that why you finally said something?"

"I couldn't control it. All I could do was push it down to..." Yuu trails off.

Mikaela nods in understanding at his unspoken words, "You won't hurt me, Yuu-chan. You don't have to worry."

"Yeah." He looks into Mikaela's confident eyes full of compassion and Yuu curses to himself, He's the best.

Yuu holds his hands in front of his face, marveling at the green sparks. Last time his hands were like this, his body went numb after burning someone's face half off, but now there's only a mild tingle.

Mikaela interlocks their fingers, pressing their palms together and Yuu watches as blue and green sparks intermingle until he can't separate the two colors, only feeling the warmth between their hands as a low hum builds under his skin.

He looks up and his gaze is captured by the movement of Mikaela's lips. He's not sure what the other boy is saying, but he's caught and he can't bring himself to care either. Yuu wonders what it'd be like to kiss Mikaela and he's struck by the urge to lean forward and press their lips together. It's that thought that jolts him back to his body and he blinks rapidly, dismissing the invading thought.

"Yuu-chan," his name is repeated patiently until they make eye contact. "I'll teach you the best I can, okay?" Yuu swallows nervously and nods. "You okay?" He asks, head tilting to the side in concern. '"Is this too much?"

He shakes his head no because the last thing he wants is for Mikaela to let go and take all his warmth with him. God, he hasn't felt this safe with another person in years. Mikaela smiles at him and all Yuu can think is oh no.

~~~~~
Yuu brings his hands together imitating Mika and letting loose a flurry of sparks, the leaves in his hands burn to ash and he lets them drift away. It's nice not having to be afraid of being found out or that his magic is slowly killing him. In fact, since he's started practicing with Mikaela, he feels better than ever. He sleeps better, has more energy, and his appetite's grown.

He feels lighter than air.

It's amazing how much freer you are when you don't have to worry about every single thing. The only thing he worries about is what will happen when they reach the Mages, but even that's far enough away that he doesn't bother dwelling on it too much. Yuu's more curious about if Mikaela likes him enough to let himself be kissed at least once. Although even that doesn't bother him much.

"Hey, Mika! You sure they won't care if I learn?"

The other boy shrugs in response, "They don't have to know. I learned myself."

"Yeah, but clearly they like you. They've never met me."

"They're Mages, Yuu-chan. They know. Come here," he pats the ground beside him.

Yuu bounds over to him curiously and settles next to him, "What's up?"

"You understand fire, so I wanna tell you what I've learned so far."

"Is this going to be a speech?" Yuu groans out dramatically. "You know I was only in school for a few years."

"Good thing you're listening not reading then, right?" Mikaela ignores his exaggerated sigh and continues on. "So, we have control over the four elements to some extent and we can affect change in the human body. Magic also acts a power source which is why the Mages are more advanced than everyone else. I think there's other more advanced uses, but you have to be taught those."

"Affect change in the human body…" Yuu thinks contemplatively. "That's you healing my back and that silver haired guy healing his neck?"

"Right."

"And that weird thing where you appear in front of me?"

He laughs, "That's me taking your perception, so you don't see me move."

"Well, I hate when you do that."

"I haven't done that in weeks."

"Still, it was a cheating when you did," Yuu responds, letting Mikaela pull him to his feet. "I should have been able to tell you in my own time."

"You would have been dead by then, sorry I didn't let you die."

"You're not forgiven."

Mikaela scoffs lightly, "I didn't expect anything else." He lets go of Yuu's hands and takes a few steps away, contemplating Yuu's change in personality as Yuu puts several feet between them for practicing. He wouldn't exactly call him open now, but he's far more talkative, still stubborn, but the glares don't come out nearly as often. Yuu even cracks the occasional smile now. It's starting to feel like he actually has a companion now and part of him is pleased that he's the one caring for Yuu.

He's starting to see more of the Yuu who saved him, the one who's hidden under his many hard layers of protection, yet still a little soft on the inside. The one who was so used to being alone that he'd almost given up hope of anything else, because he knows Yuu didn't see much point in going on when they met. But there's a warmth to him now, a warmth that would blossom with only a few gentle strokes and part of that makes him sad. Once Yuu finds his own inner strength, who's to say Yuu will even need or want him anymore? He's nowhere near as warm as Yuu and it won't be long until the other boy realizes it.

"Mikaela!" He looks back in the direction of the shout too late to heed Yuu's warning and there's a hot flash of pain before he's flung harshly onto his back. "Mika!" Yuu runs over and tries to pull him to his feet, but everything's wavering including the beginnings of pain in his stomach and he waves Yuu's hands away.

"What just happened?"

Yuu looks at him guiltily, "Well...I...uh wanted to try changing my hair color."

"Your hair color…?" He questions uncertainly through the throbbing ache in his body.

"Yeah...you said we could affect change in the human body, so I thought it'd be cool to see what I'd look like with green hair." Mikaela groans in disbelief and shifts away from Yuu to catch his breath. "I'm sorry, my magic got away from me." Yuu flashes him a wide grin, "I'm still a beginner, you know!"

An apology, another new development. He glares at Yuu's grin, unable to hold make his grunt of pain from the quiet burn making its way through his body. Yuu looks at him in concern, "Are you...okay? You're looking a little green."

"Is that supposed to be funny?" He hisses out in annoyance.

"Uh, no," Yuu replies nervously, "You really do look a little green…" No wonder his skin was prickling.

Mikaela raises a faintly tinged green hand in front of his face and shoots Yuu a scathing look, "Yuu-chan!"

"What?!" He raises his hands in defense, "I said I was sorry! Do you want me to try and fix it?"

"No!"

"Mika, come on! If you don't let me help, you're going to hold this against me. I know you will."

"I'm fine."

There's no way anything Yuu would do could make him feel better and when Yuu reaches for him, he throws out his hand to keep the other teen away and a quick blast of sky blue magic shoots him off his feet where he lands several feet away. "Oww! Mika!" Yuu protests, rubbing his back, "Don't be like that! Let me help you!"

"No way! You've done enough!" Mikaela crawls desperately away and collapses on the ground with a gasp, out of breath. "Just practice or something."

Yuu frowns at him, but stays back and he lets out a sigh of relief as Yuu returns to practicing, only glancing back at him every so often to check if he's still okay. Mikaela flips onto his back and watches Yuu, his eyes trace lower, drawn to the flex of each of Yuu's strong calves as he moves. Yuu's filled out nicely, he thinks appreciatively. All the walking and three meals a day has transformed him from a scrawny orphan to a healthy male with a lot of lean muscle for him to admire.

It's appealing.

However he can't explore too far down that train of thought because he still feels like shit and he wants nothing more than to sleep until the side effects from Yuu's magic fade away. He's almost there when he hears footsteps and his head is lifted into a lap.

"I thought I told you not to help."

"The ground is hard," Yuu offers by way of explanation. He feels Yuu's fingers shift his bangs away and cold fingers are pressed against his forehead. "Sorry."

"Mmm."

He winces in the harsh light of the sun when Yuu uses his thumb to pull one of his eyelids open, "Hey, are you asleep?"

"Not when you do that!" He answers in annoyance, smacking Yuu's hand away from his face. "Can't you just leave me in peace?"

"No." And there's something about the way Yuu says that one word that makes him open his eyes and look at the other boy in confusion. Yuu merely meets his gaze with an unreadable look that he clearly has no intention of explaining and looks away.

Mikaela adjusts until he's more comfortable. "Fine, but don't talk." It's unsurprising that although he's never given any indication that he minded whenever they're in close proximity to each other and Yuu's more trusting now, he can still sense Yuu's hesitation in reaching for him. In the way his touches never linger, only enough to get his point across. Like now, Yuu tucks his hair behind his ears then pulls back as if to say, that's enough for now.

But he's done all he can, it's up to Yuu to meet him halfway now.

~~~~~
"No wonder our bags are so heavy all the time, you brought so much stuff!"

"It's not just stuff, Yuu-chan." He pulls out two sets of thick winter pants and shirts, cloaks that have been bound tightly, and boots with fabric enough to stretch halfway up his calves. "It's going to get cold and we'll freeze if we're not prepared. Here, change."

"Don't look."

Mikaela's gaze flicks to him with a raised eyebrow, "You know I've seen you before, right?"

"Not the point," Yuu replies stubbornly.

"Well, I was going to change at the same time, but now I think I'll just sit and watch you change."

"Mika!"

"I'm kidding, Yuu-chan," he responds, yanking his own sleeveless shirt off and reaching for a new one. "I have no interest in seeing your scrawny body naked."

"Hey, I've gained weight! I'm probably the same size as you now!"

"Wanna prove it?"

"No!" Yuu hastily grabs up the change of clothes and strips down. They've taken plenty of baths at the same time, but it feels weird if Mika were to watch him change. There's been something different about the other boy's gaze recently and it gives him butterflies. Mika looking at him like that while he's half naked isn't something he wants to experience quite yet, especially with his already fluctuating feelings.

He's happy whenever Mikaela's near, they've become friends now and there's an easy camaraderie between them. He doesn't want to ruin it or scare his first friend in years off, but anytime they laugh together...it's hard. Sometimes, he just wants to push him down and kiss him silly. It'd be nice, he thinks, being with Mikaela like that. Having arms wrapped around him, pulling him close, and being kissed back. He's never experienced it before, but he wants to now.

I'm so greedy. Before all he'd wanted was a friend to stick with him, now he has that and he already wants more. But, he's not stupid, he already knows he can't have Mikaela. Mikaela's so clean and he's so...grungy. The blonde teen probably wouldn't even want him in that way, plus they'll separate soon after they end their journey. Getting tied together like that would be bad for both of them.

"Yuu-chan…" Hands reach out to grab his shirt and tug it over his head. "You're going to get sick if you don't hurry up. Why are you just standing there?"

"...What?"

The other teen shakes his head and takes his old clothes to pack away, "When did you become so spacey?"

"I'm not, I was just thinking."

"Oh? About what?"

"None of your business." Yuu finishes the last tie on his cloak and scoops up his bags before striding off. There's no way he'll admit to what he was thinking about.

"Wait up!" Mikaela grabs his hand and he immediately pulls away from the warm grip. "What's wrong with you? I don't really think you're scrawny anymore."

"It's not that! It's nothing, I'm just tired." He doesn't wait to see the worried look he's positive Mikaela is wearing, it wouldn't help anything. He's let his thoughts and feelings get the best of him and now the only thing is to wait it out and tomorrow when he wakes up, he'll feel better about everything.

They don't get more than a half mile down the road before he's encompassed in a tight hug. "I don't know what's wrong, Yuu-chan, but if I upset you, I'm sorry." He doesn't respond and almost involuntarily his arms wrap around the blonde's back as his head settles against Mikaela's shoulder.

Hugs are just as nice as he remembers from his childhood.

"You're such a sap," he finally mutters.

A kiss is pressed to the top of his head that makes his heartbeat stutter and sends blood rushing to his face. "I think you like it though."

"I don't." He wants to bury his face in Mikaela's neck and breathe in his refreshing scent, but he might never let go if he does that, especially paired with the teasing circles being rubbed against his lower back. Yuu straightens, ignoring the heat in his face and states, "We should go, the days are getting shorter, so we can't walk as much."

Mikaela smiles in amusement, "I don't think you really care, but okay. Although if I were you, I wouldn't be so eager to move so fast. This is the easy part."

He's not quite sure what that means, but if he has to look at that smile any longer, he might do something rash. There's too much flipping around inside him, yet when he hears Mikaela laughing behind him, something loosens and he finds himself smiling as his magic settles once again.

It's close to sunset when he's shivering and extremely grateful for the change of clothes that Yuu finds out what the cryptic remark from earlier meant. In front of them is a glacial landscape, devoid of all trees with miles of snow covered land as far he can see. There's nothing remotely welcoming about the area and he turns to Mikaela with his mouth open in shock, hoping they won't have to cross this.

The look of resignation is the only confirmation he needs that this is going to be the worst trip of his life.