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Let’s search the skies for a while, you and I
Collide like two stars for a while, you and I
Pyro claimed he had a surprise for Scott. Scott didn’t like that very much; he truly had no idea what to expect of Pyro anymore. Not after 8 years of separation. He was different. Scott could admit that now.
Despite his fiery demeanor, he wasn’t the warm type; perhaps when they were younger, but not as he was now. He wasn’t without affection, but he showed it in unconventional ways. Words weren’t his style. Gestures, actions that showed he was listening, paying attention, knew you: that was how he operated.
He could be blunt in ways that cut, even if it was something that needed to be said. He had an ego wider than a dragon’s wingspan, and an unfortunate amount of skill to back it up. A hot head, but firm, measured principles behind it.
So a surprise that had them venturing into the wilds of the Academy’s island? Who knew what it could be. It could be anything. It could be some horrible secret related to the corruption. More than likely that was it, but then again, Pyro didn’t tell him that. He would’ve been very up front. That blunt nature was part of it.
They stood before the highest peak Scott had seen on the entire island, black stones carved away to reveal patches of spring-green grass. Trees dappled the peaks higher up, but he had no visual otherwise. The sun was beginning its slow descent into the west; if they wanted to be back at school by nightfall, they’d need to turn back now.
“It’s up here,” Pyro told him, taking the first leap up onto the cliffs.
“Pyro, it’s going to be dark soon.” Scott crossed his arms and refused to budge.
“I’m aware. Follow me.”
“You want me to climb an entire mountain and sit in the dark?”
Pyro huffed down at him, holding a hand out for him; Scott pretended not to see how the palm was warped from burns. “I want you to trust me.”
Scott heaved a defeated sigh. “Fine.”
He grabbed Pyro’s hand, cheeks warming at the touch, then allowed himself to be hauled up.
The climb was long, the sun setting fast as they moved. Pyro would use his flames to launch himself higher up, then would sit and wait for Scott to catch up anyway. He wasn’t sure why; it wasn’t like Pyro was saying much to him while they climbed. Maybe he was lost in his thoughts, maybe he was afraid of spoiling the surprise.
Scott was out of breath by the time they got to the top. Pyro used his magic to make the last hurdle, once more holding out a hand to pull Scott up. The momentum from being pulled forced Scott against Pyro’s body. Scott’s nerves lit on fire, heat crawling all over his skin, and he couldn’t tell if it was Pyro or him. Pyro was very warm; it was the only thing that brought equilibrium to his cold.
“You good?” Pyro asked.
“Yes. Fine.” Scott let go, smoothing out his shirt. “Now why are we up here?”
Pyro ignored him again, walking across the peak to its middle. It was surprisingly smooth, likely worn by years of erosion. From his satchel, Pyro pulled out a large woven blanket, spreading it across the grass. He sat down, patting the space next to him in invitation to Scott.
“What is this?” Despite the question, Scott did as instructed.
“I wanted to watch the stars with you. Sunset’s not too bad either.”
Scott followed the line of Pyro’s gaze, the sky’s deep orange rapidly fading into the purple of night. From this position, he could see everything: the academy’s spires, the sprawl of the capital, and even several of the shield towers. It was beautiful. And the sentiment surprised him.
Maybe that was the biggest surprise of this: not the sweet gesture, but that Pyro would think to do it at all. It wasn’t selfish, it wasn’t focused on climbing some social ladder. It was just for them. Just for Scott.
Scott sat next to Pyro, watching the sun crawl behind the horizon. Pyro dared scoot closer, their knees brushing together where they sat. Scott swallowed, leaning back against Pyro. The quiet gasp, the rare occasion where Pyro could be rattled, filled Scott with a different kind of warmth.
They hadn’t been close like this since they were boys. They used to watch the auroras together during the winter, until their noses and fingers got so cold and stiff they couldn’t stand it anymore. They were chattier back then; now they sat with the stillness. The nostalgia of it all had his heart aching. If he thought too long about back then, Scott would be reminded of Pyro leaving.
But here he was now. Reaching out. Wanting to be close again, like they used to be.
Wanting to watch the stars.
When the veil of night shadowed the sky completely, Pyro flopped back on the blanket. Scott went with him. He stole a glance at Pyro, pale blue eyes firmly fixed on the sky. This far from the capital, from all the glowing lights of the academy, the stars lit up the world so brightly he could still see every feature on Pyro’s face. His regal nose, with a new ridge from being broken; his high cheekbones, cut like stone; long lashes that framed his eyes, now looking at him.
“What is it?”
“Just relearning what your face looks like,” Scott admitted. They were sharing this moment. He’d return the care and not hide what was on his mind.
“Oh. Well… relearn away.”
“How did you get the scar?”
Pyro scoffed. “Bandit. First city I found after leaving Tegrith. I hardly had a thing. Fought like mad and managed to keep most of it… but I got a gift in return.”
Scott lifted his hand, pulling off the dyed leather glove. He reached for Pyro’s face, hesitating. Pyro answered by taking Scott’s wrist, guiding it to his lips. He kissed the soft inner part, allowing Scott to cradle his cheek with his palm. Scott ran his thumb over the scar, pursing his lips.
“I’m glad you weren’t killed for fighting back. Stupid thing to do.”
“Eh. I lived though.”
Scott sighed, taking his hand back and turning his focus back on the skies. He pulled his glove on then folded his hands across his chest, going quiet once more.
Pyro said nothing. The only sound came from the chirps of insects, the occasional hoot of an owl, the sound of the breeze blowing the grass and trees around them.
Stillness. Quiet. Shared with somebody he cared for.
He wasn’t sure what they were. They hadn’t put a label on it. Most days, they got along as friends. Some days, old hurts became too great to consider Pyro anything. Some days, like this one, Scott thought that perhaps, just maybe, Pyro Dagmeare was the love of his life.
Nobody else had ever made him feel this way. Not that Tegrith had anybody else their age, but even still… He’d traveled alone to the Academy. Nobody he’d met along the way had caught his attention. He’d grown up knowing that sometimes people bedded one another for a night, maybe a few, and then were happy to move on with their lives. No desire for the other. Unchanged by the connection. Unbothered.
That had never been true for Scott Borealith. He wasn’t sure when his feelings for Pyro had really blossomed. There’d always been love there, as he loved all his friends. But one day it had become different. It had grown beyond the scope of anything he’d ever experienced, and the hole Pyro had left in his chest after leaving had been a chasm. He’d fallen into an endless pit, unsure of when the despair would ever end.
After a long, long time, he’d been fine. Mostly. The hurt never truly went away, but he’d become numb to it. Used to it. Used to Pyro’s absence.
And then Pyro had the nerve to appear again. He’d grown into his features, become more handsome than Scott remembered. His fashion was loud, as bold as he always was. And he’d just had to run his mouth.
But their familiarity brought relief in such a tumultuous, uncertain place. For both of them. How cosmic, how cursed to find comfort in the one that had abandoned you and all that you’d built together?
Pyro nudged Scott’s shoulder, pointing to the sky. “You see that formation of eight stars there? That sort of looks like a serpent?”
Brought out of his roiling grief and love, Scott nodded. “I see it. But couldn’t any string of stars be a snake?”
Pyro huffed back at him, lowering his hand. “That’s Camacel, a legendary winged serpent that was taken out by a hero named Fenris.”
“Oh, my apologies to Fenris then.”
“I’m trying to share something with you, Scott.” Pyro sounded genuinely hurt, and it got Scott to bring down his defenses. Just this once.
“I’m sorry,” Scott sighed, “Show me more.”
Pyro hesitated, but he continued. “That one, next to Camacel. That’s a dragon named Ortitius.”
“Ortitius is a bit of a silly name, isn’t it?”
That time, Pyro laughed. “It doesn’t sound very suiting of a dragon, does it?”
They continued on this way for a long while, Pyro pointing out more and more constellations, naming different planets and moons as they appeared in the sky. Scott’s heart swelled in his chest as he listened, as Pyro leaned over him more and more, as he heard Pyro’s passions. Every constellation had a story, every planet had a reason for its name.
Pyro would’ve never learned all of this in Tegrith. There was no way. It hurt to think that Pyro really had become better for leaving. That he’d been right, and Scott had been wrong. That home had prevented him from growing into the man he was now.
“Love,” Pyro whispered, “What’s troubling you?”
That got Scott to snap to attention. “What… what did you call me?”
Pyro was half on top of him at this point, and very much able to look him in the eyes. Scott could see the rare flash of anxiety now, was amazed he could still recognize it. In that way, it was also a comfort that for all that Pyro had changed, some of the Pyro that Scott knew all those years ago remained.
“Love. It’s… It felt right. After all of this.”
They stared at one another for a beat, silence punctuated by the whispers of nature. Was this Pyro’s confession? Did he even need to confess? Like when Scott’s feelings changed, did it just… become? Were they just as they were meant to be?
“My love,” Scott sighed. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted you to say that.”
“I don’t know why I never did. I… I don’t know. I think I was scared that what we had would change, and then I left anyway. Can you forgive me?”
“Only if you forgive me. For being so cold.”
Pyro snorted, then put a hand on Scott’s cheek. “I can do that.”
The heat of Pyro’s skin permeated into Scott’s, his entire body growing hot from attention.
Softly, barely audible above the nearby crickets, Pyro asked, “Can I kiss you?”
Tears stung at the corner of Scott’s eyes, threatening to spill. This was what he’d wanted for so long. If this was a dream, he didn’t want to wake up. He wanted to stay in this moment forever.
“Please,” Scott rasped, unable to hide his desperation.
Pyro hesitated, swallowed audibly, then closed the gap between them. Warm. He felt warm all over, warmed by their connection, by overwhelming sensation. All too soon, Pyro pulled back, soft huff escaping his parted lips.
They stared back at one another. Scott examined Pyro’s face again, the set of his jaw (loose, relaxed), the curl of his bangs over his eyes (messy in just the right way), the moon outlining Pyro above him (like a halo).
“I can see the stars reflecting in your eyes. Matches your freckles,” Pyro said.
Scott couldn’t help but blink, brought back to reality. “You’ve never struck me as the romantic type.”
“Only because you don’t pay attention.” Pyro’s smirk was an easy, playful one. “If it’s not said to you, you don’t notice.”
“I’ve been learning that,” Scott admitted, “But it’s nice when you use your words.”
“Then let me use them. I love you, Scott. I have for a long time. I know… I know leaving probably made it seem like I don’t. But I had to be somewhere else. I had to be better. If I thought you’d go with me, I would’ve taken you.”
It was Scott’s turn to swallow hard. “I don’t think I would have. Even loving you as I did.”
“Isn’t it fucked up?” Pyro laughed, leaned down and pressed their foreheads together. “We’re so fucked.”
“I don’t know where this will go, or where we’ll end up… we might be dead soon.”
“Maybe. Probably.”
“I… I wouldn’t mind having this. While we’re here. Just to have something.”
“I like having something to protect. Terraventus. Tegrith. You. I’ll fight for you.”
“I’ll do the same.”
Pyro closed the distance again, lips meeting. This one lasted longer, neither willing to part anything but lips, to try and get closer; closer than they ever had been, to enjoy this moment alone, far away from all responsibilities, all worries, all the doom hanging just above their heads.
They stayed that way, on the blanket in the grass, for gods knew how long. Held hands on their walk down the peak, back through the woods to the academy, through its winding halls, and again in front of their dorms. Scott didn’t want to let go. He finally had Pyro, and he didn’t want to let go.
“My bed’s bigger than yours,” Scott offered.
“Is it?” Pyro tilted his head, small smile playing at his lips, softer than Scott had expected, the ones that he wanted against his mouth all over again.
“It is.” Scott yanked Pyro towards his door, Pyro pliant as he was lead through the door.
“Then lead the way, love.”