Chapter Text
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Snowbird
"Hey!", someone yelled behind him, making Fluixon turn around swiftly. Snowbird and Thomas did the same, even if they didn't look quite as alarmed as Fluixon felt. It didn't take long for them to see the person, a man with white hair and a smile as bright as the sun. He almost felt blinded by it, but maybe that was the actual sun shining behind the man, illuminating him in soft light. "Hey", Snowbird said, approaching the man slowly. Fluixon should pay more attention, should analyse the situation and the strangers intentions but he couldn't take his eyes off the other's face.
"Hi!", he said again, smiling even wider as he reached his hand out to shake Snowbird's. "I'm Saparata. Sorry for yelling- I haven't seen anyone else yet and was just really happy to finally see some other humans", he explained, flushing slightly. Snowbird laughed, taking the other's hand, shaking it lightly. "All good, I'm Snowbird. We've just been wandering around and gathering materials. You can join us if you want."
That- well, Fluixon didn't want anyone else in his group, especially not a complete stranger. They couldn't trust him and they needed all the recourses they could find, the night crawling in sooner rather than later. He felt unprotected without any armour or weapon, the threat of an attack always looming over their heads. He was about to refuse, no matter how kind and angelic the man seemed, when he felt an elbow in his right side.
"Ow-", he complained, turning his head to scowl at Thomas. "Stop glaring at him, man. Another helping hand is always welcome." He was about to refuse, irritated at the decision being made without his input. The only thing stopping him was the stranger- Saparata looking at him as if he'd killed his dog. "I'm sorry if I-" "No, no. Don't mind Flux, he's chronically paranoid. You can totally join us", Thomas said, reassuring Saparata quickly.
Then he reached out his hand. "I'm Thomas, by the way." Saparata quickly took his hand, shaking it with a happy grin. The previous look completely wiped away from his face in less than a second. "Nice to meet you! Thank you for having me, where were you headed?" They broke apart, discussing the plan they'd made just a few hours ago. Fluixon studied Saparata quietly, the way he held himself with a lightness he'd rarely seen in anyone, the hopeful glint in his eyes.
This was a man built from kindness and naivety, smile bright and unguarded as he laughed with Thomas and Snowbird. He'd probably never had to fear death and danger around every corner, had most likely grown up somewhere calm and loving before he'd washed up on the shore of this island. The thought made Fluixon frown, since there was no human who could ever be truly good. There had to be something Saparata was hiding.
Suddenly the other turned to him, golden eyes locking onto his immediately. It made Fluixon stop in his tracks, the intensity in them almost taking his breath away. They were obviously friendly, shining with hope and trust, and yet Fluixon could see something darker linger there, something heavy that was burried deep inside. It made his alarm bells ring, adrenaline suddenly rushing through him.
It was incredibly stupid, because Saparata just smiled at him dumbly, whatever he'd seen vanishing after another blink. "I hope I'll not be too much trouble, Flux?", Saparata said, his name sounding like a question on the other's tongue. It reminded him that he hadn't introduced himself yet. He refrained from rolling his eyes as he reluctantly reached out his left hand. "Fluixon, second prince of Aculon. My friends call me Flux", he said, pausing for a second.
He didn't know why he'd mentioned his heritage since he actually didn't want everyone to know where he came from. He knew that others had fled Aculon, for one reason or another, so he shouldn't mention it in the future. He hadn't even meant to. He frowned slightly before he remembered Saparata, the man he didn't know, still waiting. He cleared his face, smiling slightly before he added, "I'm sure you'll be plenty of trouble."
Saparata gawked at him, eyes wide with shock. "You're a prince?" Ah. Maybe Saparata had been from Aculon as well, which would be extremely unfortunate. His hand lowered as he scoffed. "Yes, even if I've left the kingdom. If you have any issue with that you can fuck o-" "No, no! That's not what I meant", Saparata said, rushing forward to grasp his falling hand tightly in his own two. "I'm just surprised! I've never met a prince or someone from a royal family before."
Saparata was still clutching at him tightly, the warmth from the other's hands seeping through his own, tiny sparks tingling at the skin to skin contact. He could swear his heart skipped a beat at the sudden contact, which was just ridiculous. "I'm not really- whatever. I believe you, you can let go of me now", Fluixon said, pointedly looking down at their joined hands. He'd expected for the other to immediately let go, to be embarrassed at the continued contact.
Saparata's grip tightened. "Oh, does it bother you, your highness? Are you not used to a little skin to skin contact?", Saparata asked, his lips turning into a mischievous grin. What the fuck was wrong with this guy? He couldn't get a clear read on him yet, with all these emotions and behaviours switching in seconds. Fluixon scowled. "It doesn't bother me-" "Really?", Saparata asked again. It was irritating and Fluixon was ready to bite back something really mean before they got interrupted by Snowbird.
"Hey, we've found a cave! Stop flirting and get down here", he called, making Saparata flush as he quickly let go of Fluixon. Relieved that his hand was free again he went to walk away from the strange man, back towards his friends and people he knew. He only got a couple steps further before he heard a gasp. "Oh my- what the fuck?", Saparata whispered behind him, inclining Fluixon to turn around.
The other was staring down at his hands, palms up to show that they were covered in something grey. It looked like paint to Fluixon, maybe washed out ink or watercolours, something not quite vibrant. It was intriguing for a second before Saparata looked at him, eyes quickly skipping away from his eyes to his left arm. Understanding sunk in before Fluixon even looked down himself, settling heavy in his chest.
He couldn't believe this. There was no fucking way.
"We…", Saparata said, immediately trailing off again in complete shock. Fluixon looked at his arm, stained in a dark purple that looked almost grey. He turned his hand, transfixed by the mark on his skin in a colour that matched Saparata's just slightly. It was darker, deep and rich against his skin like ink that had spilled from Saparata's hands, leaving the other's own hands with something softer, lighter.
It made sense in an ironic way. They didn't even know each other and yet the mark depicted them exactly as they were. Fluixon's almost as dark as the void, heavy against his skin and Saparata's grey like fog, purple and grey mixing like watercolours washing away from the palms of his hands. One drenched in darkness and one greeted by the light. He didn't know if he should laugh or cry at his own overdramatic thoughts.
"Guys, what's taking you so long? Gotoga and Hvyrotation showed up and-", Snowbird said, approaching them with fast strides before he stopped. Both Saparata and Fluixon looked up, staring at the other man with wide eyes. "You- Is that…" There was a tense moment, seconds ticking by before Fluixon shoved his sleeve down, hiding the evidence as best as he could. "Yes. It doesn't matter, let's catch up with the others."
He didn't look at Snowbird or Saparata, walking past both of them quickly. Nothing had changed, really. Marked or not, he didn't trust the other guy and he wouldn't just start because of some colour on his hand. He didn't know Saparata, could only guess what he was like and even then they'd make a terrible pair. There must be something wrong, there was no way they were- it was laughable.
The mark burned against his skin.