Matthew was up with the rise of the sun and he had thought he'd never feel so happy to see the sun in morning. Ivan was asleep for the moment; he had been napping on and off all night so it was likely he would awaken again soon.

"Come on Kuma." Matthew shoved the large animal. "Let's go hunting together this morning."

)*(

Matthew and Kumajiro returned about a half hour later. The young man was riding the hippogriff, a brown sack resting on his lap. Both were soaking wet, a mess of feathers and cloth sticking to their flesh.

Ivan was awake by then and arched an eyebrow, an amused smile appearing on his face as they approached. "Did you two go for a swim?"

"Yes!" Matthew said with a great smile upon his face as he tossed his arms above his head. "And it was wonderful! It's been so long since I last bathed."

Ivan chuckled. "I am glad you enjoyed your swim. Maybe I shall go down later for a swim myself." He noticed the sack in Matthew's lap. "I assume you two went hunting as well?"

"Indeed. We've brought fresh fish for this wonderful mornings feast" He cheered before hopping off Kumajiro. He nearly dropped the soaked bag as it thrashed about. "And still quite lively at that."

Ivan laughed and stood up, going to help him steady the bag before it thrashed out of his hands. "Certainly very lively." He agrees. "How many?"

"Seven." Matthew moved a step away from Ivan though still smiled happily. After he was no longer worried about the bag slipping from his hands he made a hesitated move towards the fire pit. "Four for us and three for Kumajiro."

Ivan nods and sits down by the fire. "I can start on cooking them if you would like to go change into dry clothes." He offers. "Unless you planned to let the sun dry your soaked clothes?"

"I... guess the clothes would dry faster if they hung from a branch." He thought aloud.

Ivan nodded in agreement. "Yes, they would. Shall I get started on the fish while you get changed then?"

"Eh, sure." He looked down at the bag before slowly handing it to him. "Though don't clean Kuma's, he needs to eat it whole no matter how much he dislikes it."

Ivan nods and took the bag from him and began to work on cleaning and cooking the fish.

Matthew then walked over to his bags and looked for new clothes. Once found, he laid the garments out across the grass before pulling off his wet jacket, which was thrown over the nearest branch to hang. Next was peeling off the shirt and removing his trousers with a shiver, the water had been cold but the cloth had helped block the chill. He was left with only his undergarments that still clung to his pale flesh. Though he did all this without standing behind any sort of cover and possibly for the first time showing as much skin as he was. It was just not something that crossed his mind as an indecent act.

Ivan took no notice as he was focusing on cleaning four of the fish and then cooking all of the fish. By the time Ivan turned to offer Kuma's fish to the hippogriff, Matthew already had clean pants on but no shirt yet. Ivan's gaze paused on the boy's back, blinking and staring a bit in surprise. He had not expected the boy to have any sort of scars at all, let alone ones of that size.

Either by sense or by instinct, Matthew felt eyes on him and slowly looked over his shoulder. Though he did not know what to say when he saw Ivan's gaze fixed on him, or more specifically, his back.

Ivan blinked and returned to his task when he realized he'd been caught staring. He passed Kumajiro his fish and then turned back to cleaning and cooking his and Matthew's fish.

"I did not think you would have any scars, let alone ones such as those to be honest." Ivan says after a few moments of silence, keeping focused on his task.

"Oh..." Was all he could say before slipping on a dry shirt and a light jacket. He then moved to sit down by the fire with Ivan. Kuma was being rather hasty and was not waiting until their food was done. Matthew sat silently, not sure if he should explain or say anything for that matter, so he just looked at the fire or his lap.

"You do not have to explain what they are from if you do not wish to." Ivan says, offering Matthew his freshly cooked fish before working on his own.

"Thank you." He said as he took the fish. He thought he could tell Ivan the same lie as he had told Francis. After all, it was his own fault for not thinking to face his back the other way.

Ivan nods. "Seeing scars on others is not new to me, and I certainly have more than a few of my own." He says, cooking his fish. "I was only staring because I had not expected you to have any."

"I... had them before Kuma was born." Matthew says quietly before slowly pulling the meat off the fish from the thin bone.

"Ah." Ivan says with a nod, taking his fish off the fire and letting them cool a bit before doing the same and starting to eat. "I will not pry if you do not wish to share anything more."

"I am not ready to share this with you. Yet."

"That is fine." Ivan says with a nod. "Oh, while you were asleep Francis spoke of our next lesson. We will most likely be staying at this location for tonight too as he said our next lesson is dancing."

Matthew's gaze was quick to set on Ivan. "Dancing?"

Ivan nodded. "He says he wants to teach because I never bothered learning and it is 'something all nobles should know how to do'." He says with a shrug.

"You don't know how to dance? I even know a few myself and I love it" His normal happy smile graced his lips once again.

"I did not find it a necessary trait to know. Working with swords and learning battle tactics seemed far more useful than how to dance." He says with a shrug.

"But-." Matthew stopped with a sigh; there was no point in continuing so he just picked apart his fish.

"But?" He questions curiously, continuing to eat his fish.

"Dances and festivals are the lifeblood of the kingdom. How could you not have indulged in dancing at any point?"

Ivan went quiet for a few moments, eating his fish while contemplating how he wanted to answer Matthew's question. "I have not ever had the chance to 'indulge' myself in anything such as that." He finally says with a shrug.

"Well it seems like you will be having a very small taste tonight."

"So it seems." Ivan says nodding.

"Do you look forward to it? Or are you going to grit your teeth through the whole thing?"

Ivan shrugged. "I am a bit skeptical about enjoying it as much as Francis seems to think I will but other than that I do not really have an opinion on it yet."

"Well I enjoy dancing too. That doesn't make me overly affectionate." He fiddled with a fish bone before throwing it in the flames.

Ivan finished up his fish and tossed the bones into the flames as well. "Well I shall give it a chance tonight."

Matthew smiled over at the man. "I'm glad to hear that."

A little while later Ivan went down to where Matthew had gone for a swim and went for a swim himself. The water wasn't cold compared to the water in Solstice; it was actually fairly nice in the water. He returned an hour or so later looking rather refreshed.

"A swim feels nice don't it?" Matthew said in greeting as Ivan returned. He was currently helping Kumajiro with grooming.

Ivan chuckled and smiled. "Yes. The water is very nice here. Not too hot or cold."

"I guess so. Though going to the hot springs must be nice."

Ivan gave a shrug. "Perhaps. I would not know."

"Huh?" Matthew turned to look in the man in confusion. "I thought you had hot springs in Solstice."

"We do. I just have not been to any of them."

"Then perhaps we could enjoy one together sometime? I've never been to one either."

"Perhaps we could if we come across one." He agrees with a nod.

"I think that would be very nice." Kumajiro grumbled softly at Matthew's words and Matt elbowed the bird.

Ivan let his hair dry and then he lay down to sleep properly. He wasn't that tired but he hadn't gotten a lot of sleep last night so it was wiser to just sleep now and not have to worry about it later. When he woke up it was just after sunset.

Ivan looked around; Matthew and Kuma were not in the camp and he was momentarily confused until he saw that their stuff was still there. He went and got something to eat from his bag and started a fire, waiting for them to get back and for Francis to appear.

Matthew came galloping back about ten minutes. "Oh, you're up, did you sleep good?"

Ivan looked up and nodded. "Yes."

"Sorry for not leaving a note but Kuma was getting annoyed with nothing to do so we went out for a run."

Ivan chuckles. "It is fine. Francis should be here soon."

"All right, I look forward to this." He grinned with joy and hopped off Kumajiro with ease.

Within two hours, Francis appeared with a smile. "Hello, Matthew, has Ivan shared tonight's lesson with you yet?"

"Indeed and I am quite excited!" Matthew almost, almost, wanted to hug the man for just showing up. They were going to be dancing! Goodness it had been a year since the young lad went to a festival to dance and listen to music. Though he suspected that there would be no music this time, but he was more than happy without it.

Francis chuckled softly. "I can see that. Do you know any dances?"

"Only the simple partner and folk dance that are held at my town."

Francis nodded. "Alright. I hope you do not mind learning the woman's part for the dances I'll be teaching?"

He blinked in confusion for a moment before realizing that someone was going to have to play the role of the woman. And with Ivan obviously needing to learn the male role in dancing for his future bride, it left only Matthew. Another reason would be that Ivan would need someone to practice with once Francis was no longer giving lessons. The young man smiled and gave the incubus a curt nod. "I do not mind in the slightest."

"Excellent! We will start with a slow and fairly simple dance."

"Alright." He turned to the prince. "Are you ready Ivan?"

Ivan nodded and stood up. "Yes."

Francis smiled. "All right, we will be starting with the waltz. Both of you come over here away from the fire and I shall instruct you two on the proper positions for the hands."

Ivan moved closer as asked and Matthew just about skipped over, he was full of excitement again. He had never done the waltz.

"Okay, first you face each other. Matthew, your right hand, and Ivan your left hand should be held up in between the two of you and holding the other's hand." Francis starts, waiting for them to do that.

Ivan turned and faced the young man holding his hand up and out as instructed and waiting for Matthew to do the same. Matthew placed his hand gingerly in Ivan's with a big smile as he moved in closer to the other. If he was going to play the female, he might as well have some fun with it.

Francis nodded and smiled. "Good! Now Matthew, your left hand goes on his shoulder."

Matthew did as asked, though he did not remember Ivan's shoulders feeling the way they did. It was quite different than when he had carried and dragged the man into his home, they felt... well he couldn't really put it into words at the moment. He would have to figure this out later. Perhaps the man had gained some weight from Matthew's cooking?

He smiled at the silly thought, oh what Ivan would have said if he had suggested that his cooking was fattening up the prince in some way. Ivan would most likely feel the need to do training exercises to try and get himself back into his perfect soldier form.

Francis nodded and smiled. "Good, now Ivan, your right hand is going to rest on Matthew's shoulder blade." Ivan nodded and put his hand where he had been instructed.

Lost in his small thoughts, Matthew didn't quite hear what Francis had said. But when Ivan's hand touched his back he flinched away slightly and made a small noise, which he was quick to silence. Though he could do nothing to hide the form of embarrassment that was showing on his face. "S-sorry!"

Ivan's eyes widened slightly in surprise, an eyebrow arching as he looked at Matthew in confusion. "Ah, what?"

Francis blinked in surprise, staring in confusion before remembering and smirking a bit in amusement but saying nothing.

"N-nothing! I'm fine, truly." He cast his face downwards so Ivan could not look at his face. Ivan glanced over at Francis in question. Francis just shrugged with a smile.

Ivan looked back down at the boy and cautiously rested his hand on Matthew's shoulder blade again, trying to be even gentler in case he had accidentally touched those scars, thinking that maybe they hurt still.

This time, not only did Matthew make another odd sound, but also his body responded with a tremble as he flinched closer to Ivan.

Ivan looked very bewildered as the boy came even closer to him and he could tell Matthew's face was red. "Matthew…?"

"S-sorry! I-I don't have any control over it." He laughed awkwardly. "Just don't be so gentle, alright?"

"Ah? Okay…?" Ivan looked very puzzled but returned his hand to Matthew's shoulder blade, being a bit firmer. "Like this?" He questions.

"Yes, much better." He looked up, though was still blushing and feeling a little uncomfortable.

Ivan nodded, though still wasn't quite sure what he'd done. "Ah, good."

Francis stifled his laughter and smiled. "Are we ready to continue?"

Matthew did his best to scowl at the other man; he did not doubt that he knew this dance would cause him 'problems'.

Francis laughed at Matthew's expression. "Before we continue, you need to take a step back Matthew. You are much too close to Ivan for me to properly teach you both how to waltz." Matthew nodded and took a step back.

"Now then, for this dance, you are mirroring your partner. The basic box step begins with both of your feet closed. Ivan, your left foot goes forward as Matthew's right foot goes back. Then, Ivan your right foot slides to the right as Matthew's left foot moves to the left and you both stop with your feet closed again. Also, Ivan is leading so Matthew, you are mirroring him, not the other way around. That is only halfway through the basic step but how about you two try that much before I explain the rest."

Ivan nodded and slowly did as he asked, feeling a bit awkward as he did so. Matthew did his best to let himself be lead by Ivan and not to trip.

"Now, Ivan your left foot goes back as Matthew's right goes forward. Then your left foot goes to the left as Matthew's right foot goes to the right and you both stop with your feet closed again and you are back in the starting position."

Ivan nods and so far his opinion of dancing was that it was strange and a little more awkward than he would like, but not too bad over all.

Matthew nearly stumbled over his feet, it was hard to catch all of Francis' guidance and follow Ivan at the same time. It was just getting a little mixed up at times, but he would get it down.

Ivan went slow and made sure not to step on Matthew's feet, keeping a steady grip on the boy so he would not fall. It was much easier for him to pick up on directions and follow them, as that was what he had become accustomed to doing in the army.

Francis smiled and offered pointers, telling them to repeat the whole thing a few times. "It's a step on each beat of the music if we had any so it's 'one, two, three, one two, three, one, two three.'"

Matthew started to smile again as he got better at the steps. And Kuma started to whistle to Francis' beat, it was as close to a flute as he could get and it made Matthew giggle. Ivan chuckled a bit when Kumajiro added to Francis' counting while he and Matthew repeated the steps, both of them improving the flow of movement with each complete box step they did.

"We are getting good at this, aren't we?" Matthew smiled brightly up at Ivan.

Ivan smiled and nodded. "Yes."

Francis clapped his hands, pleased at their improvement. "Excellent. Now, there is much much more to the waltz than just this. However I shall teach one more step called the left box turn and then I shall leave you to practice it for a day or two before I return."

Ivan paused their steps and nodded.

"Turn?" Matthew questions.

Francis nodded. "Yes, the waltz is all about the rising and falling steps as you do turns and steps that will move you across the ballroom. Like so." He looked to make sure he wasn't anywhere near the fire first and then acted like he had a partner and showed them an example of the waltz, making his way slowly around their camp and returning to his place when he was done.

"Beautiful..." Matthew said after he had watched Francis glide around the campground.

Francis smiled at them and nodded. "Yes, it is. There are also spins and other things I did not do to add flourishes. But it's all about the rising and falling motions and the flowing motions of the dance."

Matthew looked up at Ivan with hopeful eyes; he wanted to proceed with the lesson so they could learn this spin. Ivan chuckled and told Francis to proceed with the lesson.

Francis saw the look on Matthew's face and laughed softly. "You will not be able to do what I did for another lesson or two Matthew. I am only teaching the turn today; there is another step or two after the turn to learn before the spins are possible."

This made Matthew pout a little with a small huff. Both Ivan and Francis chuckled a bit at Matthew's expression.

"Patience Matthew, learning the waltz takes time. Now Ivan, these are your next steps." He demonstrated it. "And Matthew you mirror it. Then you both repeat it and end up in the starting spot."

Ivan nodded and slowly copied what Francis had done. Matthew did the same, but was determined to learn quickly.

Francis laughed at Matthew's determination and let them practice it a few times. "All right, since you are so determined I'll show you the progressive step now. It's not the spinning yet but it will get you closer to reaching it by our next lesson." He then showed them the next steps and let them give it a try, counting the beats for them again.

Again Kumajiro whistled along, but this time... he wasn't just singing and it was making Matthew's face turn red from a mixture of anger and embarrassment. Ivan arched an eyebrow curiously at Matthew's expression but did not stop their practicing.

"Now try combining the three." Francis says. "First the box step, then the turn, then the progressive." He then went back to counting.

Ivan nodded and they did just that, it got them about a quarter of the way around the camp. Ivan repeated the three, one after another, mixing and matching them a bit by doing half of the turn before doing a progressive or vice versa. Matthew was quite happy at the progress they had made in only a short while. Soon enough they found that they had made it around the camp and returned to where they started.

It had not been nearly as fancy or spinning as Francis' had been, but it was a good start. Francis actually looked impressed at Ivan's creativity in the mix and match method to make the spin happen anyway despite what Francis had said about not getting to it until a later lesson.

"Want to do it again?" Matthew asked with an unusual form of joy that he had never expressed before.

Ivan smiled and nodded. "Yes."

They went around the camp several more times with Francis counting out the beats for them, smiling and praising them every so often on their progress.

Matthew smiled the whole time as they danced around the campfire. The only thing that would make this better was if he could spread his wings, even a little. Ivan had a small smile on his face as well. He found that he was liking this a lot more than he thought he would.

Francis watched them with a smile, both impressed at their progress in one lesson and pleased that they both appeared to be enjoying themselves.

Matthew wished that they could dance all night long, but they still had to make some progress in their travels to the next castle. "Ivan. As honored and happy I am to dance with you, I do believe we have to make some effort in reaching the next King."

Ivan chuckled, stopping them and letting go of Matthew. "Yes, you are right."

He gave a small bow before turning around to face his partner. "As for you mister."

Kumajiro jumped up from where he had been laying, though he looked as though he was a knight standing at attention. He knew very well Matthew would still be upset from what he had done, though pretended once more that he had no clue why his partners voice was so stern.

"I'm not salting your meat for the next meal for your immaturity, you're not a fawn anymore. You should know better." Matthew said with a huff.

Kuma squawked in shock. That was unfair. All he did was a little teasing. The hippogriff unhappily bowed his head down and gave a soft chirp for a reply.

"Too late, you embarrassed me and I'm not just going to take it so no salted meat for lunch." And with that he crossed his arms and walked over to their things to start cleaning up.

Francis arched an eyebrow and looked to Ivan curiously, wondering if he had any idea what that was about. Ivan just shrugged at Francis and then started to clean up as well.

It took only a few minutes for Matthew to get everything packed up and Kuma saddled. Ivan was done just before Matthew and had his pack on his back.

Francis bid them farewell and reminded them to practice what he'd taught them before he left, promising to find them again in a few days.

"Ready?" Matthew asked with his usual kind smile.

Ivan nods. "Yes."

)*(

For the next few days they mainly travelled during the day and slept at night since it was easier for Matthew that way. They practiced what Francis had taught them in the evenings, getting better at it with each night they practiced.

Francis returned a few nights later as promised and had them show him what they'd been practicing while he was away.

"So do you think you can teach Ivan the spin now?" Matthew's voice was full of excitement.

Francis laughs softly. "The spinning is more of what happens when you put everything together." He says with a smile. "There are turns however that the women do that is similar to spinning. The only reason you did not see it the other night was because I did not have a dance partner. I will show you those first if you would like."

"Would I ever!" He ran up to Francis. Ivan chuckled softly at Matthew's enthusiasm.

Francis just smiled. "All right, if you don't mind I'm going to be your dance partner so I can instruct you through the turns and so Ivan can watch to see what I am doing while you do the turns."

Matthew placed his left on Francis's shoulder and held up his right hand as he waited, more than ready to begin.

Francis took his hand and slowly instructed and led him through various types of turns. One was out away from Francis and another brought Matthew closer to him than the normal distance for the waltz. Ivan stood off to the side, watching how Francis was moving as he led Matthew through the dances.

Matthew couldn't help but laugh as he was spun. It was a wonderful feeling. Though Kuma still didn't really like the incubus, it aggravated him a little watching the two dance but he said nothing since Matthew looked like he was having a great time.

Francis chuckled a bit and smiled at Matthew's laughter, going through them with him a few more times before stopping. "And now I shall turn you over to Ivan." Francis says, letting go of Matthew. "Firstly, because he needs to try leading the spins. And secondly because your partner keeps looking at me like he'd very much like for me to stop touching you." He nodded in Kumajiro's direction.

"Oh, I'm sorry about him. It takes a while before he fully trusts anyone." Matthew frowned. "Truth be told, he still doesn't trust Ivan that much, if that makes you feel any better."

Francis laughed softly. "You do not need to apologize. I understand; although I'm fairly certain he trusts Ivan more than he trusts me. But that aside, your turn Ivan." He turned and looked at the man.

Ivan stepped forward, taking Matthew and slowly mimicking what Francis had done. It was a bit awkward at first but got easier the more they practiced.

Francis watched them carefully, impressed to see they weren't doing too badly, a mistake or two here and there but overall very well done for a first try.

Matthew giggled this time as Ivan did the spins. Dancing had been wonderful with Francis, but with Ivan... With Ivan it was different; it was almost like flying. Sure they were still learning and making mistakes, but it still felt better this way.

Ivan smiled as he and Matthew did the spins, finding that while it was a bit more complex, it was also rather fun to do. Just for the fun of it, Ivan experimented with leading Matthew through all that they had been taught so far, mixing and matching a bit and adding in spins every so often.

Francis watched, quite impressed with how Ivan wasn't afraid to experiment and see what worked and what didn't. After a moment Francis realized that he hadn't been counting aloud so Ivan must have been following the tempo in his head.

Kuma watched them go round and round, wondering how they weren't getting sick of it already. He was quite bored and he got into quite a bit of trouble when he was bored.

"You both are doing extremely well." Francis says after a while. "I am very impressed with how quickly you both are learning this dance." He smiled. "I think I shall leave you both to practice this for a few days and I shall return later to see how much you have improved."

Ivan stops them after a few moments and looks over at Francis with a nod. "All right." He says, letting go of Matthew and stepping away. "Are you leaving now?"

Francis nods. "Yes, I think I shall."

"Well, thank you once again and I await the next time we meet." Matthew says. Kumajiro huffed and caused Matthew to send a small glare towards him, but he returned the glare.

"As do I." Francis says with a smile before leaving.

Ivan looked over at the two glaring at each other and arched an eyebrow questioningly. The two continued to glare at each other as Kuma slowly rose off the ground. He hissed and shifted his wings, but Matthew didn't move. Ivan had been going to speak up but at hearing Kuma hiss, he decided to stay put and just watch silently for now.

"Now isn't the time, Kumajiro. If you were that bored, then maybe you should have gone for a run."

Kuma made a noise that was more like a growl and locked his eyes onto Ivan. Ivan watched warily, taking a slow precautionary step back at Kuma's growl and the eyes on him. Which made Matthew hiss at the hippogriff as he charged up to the mighty beast, just stopping an inch from his face. Kuma was surprised to say the least and took a slow step back. Ivan was also quite surprised by Matthew's reaction, stopping and continuing to watch the two silently. He wasn't entirely sure what was going on.

After a few more awkward moments, the hippogriff turned and walked away from Matthew silently. As for Matthew, he stood as he was, watching him. Ivan continued to just stand there, not sure what had just happened. Though he was positive it had something to do with himself. He just wasn't sure why.

"So..." Matthew started, but didn't really know what to say after that.

"What was that about…?" Ivan questions, glancing over at Kuma for a moment and then back at Matthew.

"He got grumpy about being bored that's all." He said softly as he walked back to the fire to sit.

"And what did that have to do with me?" He asks, following Matthew to sit down as well.

"Nothing."

"Why was he growling and looking at me then?"

"No reason, really. He's just-" Matthew made gestures with his hands as he tried to find something to say. "Jealous...?"

"Jealous?" Ivan looked both surprised and confused by this. "Of what?"

"... You?"

"Why?"

"I... don't know?" He fidgeted his foot in the dirt. "Because were having fun dancing and all he can do is watch?"

"I think you may know more than you are saying." Ivan says after a moment. "Does this have anything to do with that whistling he did a few nights ago that made you blush?"

Matthew would have choked if he had been eating or drinking anything. He did blush as deep as he had the night Kuma had whistled.

Ivan arched his eyebrow curiously. "Would that be a yes then?"

"I-I..." It wasn't true, but it was a good cover.

Ivan continued to stare at him with a raised eyebrow. "What was the whistling about anyway?"

"I don't want to talk about it... It-It's embarrassing."

"I will not make fun of you for whatever it is. Just tell me, I was wondering about it then as well."

Matthew continued to fidget as he looked down. Ivan just stared at him expectantly, waiting for an answer.

"I-I'm not saying it!"

"Why not? It can not be that bad."

"Yes it can."

"I doubt it Matthew. Just tell me… Please?"

"I'm sorry... I c-can't."

"You can, you just don't want to." Ivan says rolling his eyes a bit. "Does it have any connection to whatever your reaction to this is?" He asks, lightly touching Matthew's shoulder blade like he had the first time they had started dancing.

Matthew yelped and jumped away from Ivan. "D-d-don't do that so lightly!"

Ivan arched an eyebrow and looked at Matthew curiously. "Why? I do not understand why your reaction is so out of proportion with my action."

"I-I don't know either, alright!?" He raised his voice a bit, his tone shaking. He felt a little scared right at this moment.

"Does it hurt for me to do that?"

"N-no..."

"Then how does it feel if it does not hurt?" Ivan asked, puzzled. Matthew's blush became dark once more and he took a few steps back and Ivan just looked at him in confusion. "…?"

"It... I-it feels nice." He whispered in great embarrassment.

"Nice?" Ivan questions, looking like he didn't understand what was so embarrassing about that. "Nice how? I do not understand why you flinch away from it if it feels nice."

Matthew snapped his head up, his face as red as could be and practically in tears from embarrassment. "T-that's because you're only suppose to share t-that kind of feeling with a-a mate!"

Ivan stared at him blankly for a few moments before it clicked and his eyes widened. "Ah! It feels nice." He says in understanding.

Matthew sat down abruptly and rested his head against his knees, wrapping his arms around his head to block out any further humiliation.

Ivan stayed where he was for a few minutes, watching Matthew and deciding upon a course of action. After a few more moments he moved to sit next to Matthew before waiting to see how the boy would react to him moving closer. The young guardian did nothing as the other sat next to him.

"Matthew…?"

"...Yes?"

"You do not need to be so embarrassed. Ah… I have a spot like… that as well actually…" Ivan confessed a bit awkwardly, only mentioning it because he was hoping it would make the boy feel a bit better to know. Matthew slowly peeked out from his arms, but only enough for his eyes. Though you could clearly see his face was still red. "I just keep mine ah… better protected." Ivan motioned to his scarf with an awkward smile.

Matthew giggled slightly, though awkwardly as well. "I-it's your neck?"

Ivan's cheeks flushed a light pink self-consciously at the giggle and he nodded. "Yes." He says, awkward smile still in place.

"..." Matthew relaxed a little. "W-well at least yours is easy to keep out of reach."

"Even if it wasn't…sensitive I would have the scarf on anyway." He admits, his hand coming up to touch the outside of the scarf. "I- my scars tend to frighten people because of how they look." He gave a wry smile. "The people who aren't frightened stare at them… I do not like it."

"Scars?" The boy sat up and looked a little surprised. "You have scars on your neck?"

Ivan fidgeted with his scarf and nodded once. "Yes."

"What happened? If you don't mind me asking."

"Ah." Ivan averted his eyes and tugged his scarf up to hide a self-conscious and embarrassed blush. "I was weak."

"I don't believe you Ivan, you are very strong." Matthew frowns a little.

"I got them before I got strong." He mumbles.

"Do... you mean when you were a child?"

Ivan gave a short nod. "Yes."

"I'm sorry." Matthew looked down at his hands.

"Do not apologize Matthew. It was my fault, not yours." He went quiet for several minutes before starting to ask something in a mumble, only to cut off before he finished. "Would you, ah-"

"What is it?" He asked softly, scooting a little closer to Ivan.

He fidgets with the ends of his scarf a bit. "Would you… like to see them…?" He questions in a mumble. "I have already seen yours after all…"

Matthew thought about for a brief moment before smiling gently. "I'd like that. But only if you are all right with showing me."

Ivan seemed to think about this for a few minutes while fidgeting with his scarf before he gave a short nod and slowly started to unwind it. He folded the scarf and set it in his lap, glancing at Matthew and waiting for his reaction, his own cheeks still tinted pink.

Matthew looked over the scars slowly and carefully. He didn't want to do anything that would scare or upset Ivan in any way. They looked a little thick, but that was due to the fact the Ivan had got them as a child and they might have stretched over the years of growth. He oddly wanted to touch them, but kept his hands to himself. Matthew smiled softly. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I think they look attractive."

Ivan's eyes widened in shock, a bright blush appearing on his face as he fumbled for a response to Matthew's very unexpected words. "C-chto?" He asks, slipping into his native language in shock before trying again. "Ah- I mean... W-what...?"

Blush returned to Matthew face as he realized what exactly it was he said and it didn't help that Ivan was blushing as well. "I-I-I." Well there was no turning back now. "I said that I think your scars look a-attractive."

Kuma sighed quietly and rolled his eyes as he watched these two clueless idiots fumble about. If they had been sitting in front of a lake he would have shoved them both in.

Ivan blushed a bit more and looked down at his lap, fidgeting with his scarf there. "I- ah... why?" He asks quietly, a confused tone to his voice, a soft frown appearing on his face.

Matthew had to think about this a little at first, no one had ever asked why. Well, he had never really told anyone that he thought scars looked attractive. "A-uh... w-well you see. I-I've kind of seen scars as something to be proud of... Like how a little boy would get bit by a dog and then show off the scar to his friends and girls he likes. S-so for the longest time I've wanted a scar of my own that I could show off as some sort of triumph, that I fought or recovered some- some mortal injury. I-I don't know how to fully explain it. I just-... w-wasn't expecting myself to like another's so much." He fiddled with a twig nervously before tossing it in the flames.

"Oh." Ivan was quiet for a moment before frowning again. "Ah, but you do have scars?" He says in confusion, shifting the focus from himself and his scars as he quickly wrapped his scarf back around his neck.

"Huh..? Oh. Um well... Mine aren't really from anything that I would like to remember. I-I'm not saying that yours might be something that you want to remember o-or something that you don't want to. I-I'm just saying that the one- ones, I have are something I don't want to remember."

"Ah." Ivan nods, fussing with his scarf a bit. "Many of mine aren't that kind I wish to remember either." He says quietly. "Some I am proud of but for most of them I am not."

"What of the ones around your neck...? Are they ones you are proud of?" He asked carefully.

Ivan shook his head. "No. I hate them and I hate the man that gave me them even more."

Matthew hung his head. Oh north's wind. I had to pick the ones he hated to like didn't I? ... I still don't quite get why I like his scars. He ran a hand through his curls as he sighed sadly. "I'm sorry, I did not know. If I had known, I would have kept those words to myself."

"It's fine." He replies, a bit too quickly. "I… your words surprised me very much." He mumbles, tugging his scarf up to hide his blush. "I have never had anyone think of any of my scars like that before. Especially not the ones on my neck."

"Oh, you're... Welcome?" He wasn't sure if it was really all right to like Ivan's scars.

"It's fine, really." Ivan repeats with a nod, looking over at Matthew. "It just is surprising to find someone that likes them when I do not."

"Do you like the idea of m- someone liking your scars?" He asked in a whisper.

Ivan looked away and seemed to think this over silently for a few minutes before giving a slow nod. "Yes, I think so…"

Matthew felt himself smiling as he saw the other nod; it made him happy to know, even if he couldn't quite explain it yet. Ivan smiled a bit back though it was mostly hidden by his scarf.

)*(

Over the next few days they travelled and practiced dancing. On the third day they found their path blocked and they had to double back a bit to three separate paths. One was the one they had just tried which was blocked by a rockslide, the other led into a dark forest, and the third went into his homeland. Ivan looked back and forth between the two available choices before looking at Matthew. "Which way would you prefer to go? I do not care either way."

"The one that doesn't require us to go through that forest." Matthew immediately replied, Kumajiro nodded rapidly as the guardian spoke.

Ivan nodded. "All right, then we shall take the path through my homeland."

Ivan turned and they headed down that path. It only took them an hour or so before they reached Solstice and the temperature dropped the further they walked.

Edit: Hey guys~! RQ here, I'm just wondering what stories you would like to see posted. I think we're getting to a point where we could have another going. No, this does not mean any of the stories right now will stop. We are giving you MORE to read.

So those that haven't voted, tell me which story would you like next? Have a look at our profile page, I set up a poll :3

*I'll keep posting this until I close the poll. Poll ends on Aug 18/13*

-RQ