Adrian looked ahead to see if the others had overheard as well, but his companions continued forward, unaware. 

“You’re kidding,” Louise exclaimed. “The king, you say?”

He had to brush past the sea of bodies back to the counter to better hear the conversation between the bartender and this Moondrop regular.

“He left on a long journey by himself,” the informant said, “leaving his brother to watch over the throne, and no one seems to know why.”

“Is he coming back any time soon?”

“Who knows. Pretty sure he still is. It’d cause a riot if he went missing. He’s a big deal over there you know, hell, he’s a big deal everywhere.”

“I’m sure he’d be noticed right away. Would stand out, or something.”

The person took another drink from their tankard. “You’d think. Heard he’s in disguise. No fucking idea why he’d give everything up to be way out here when he has a castle and a whole kingdom to himself.”

“A damn mystery.”

Having heard enough, Adrian made his way back to his teammates who were all just barely seating themselves at a table in the corner of the bar. He slid into one of the chairs, his companions never having noticed he’d left. He fiddled with his hands under the table. 

Did Louise know? Had she figured it out? Probably not. He was just panicking. He hated that he couldn’t get away from his title. It followed him relentlessly and the thought of his team finding out made his head spin.

He released a small exhale, wondering just how long he could keep this from his teammates. If they did find out, how would they feel about him lying to them?

“Ian, you good?” 

He jumped slightly, looking to his left at Zuri who fixed him with a curious stare. “Huh? Oh, yeah.” He cleared his throat, needing to change the subject as soon as possible. “We’re going straight to Zartep after this, right?” He glanced at Jacques from across the table.

“Unless you want to meet up with Carnadine in Sablton and have a little chat,” he sassed, folding his arms. “By ship, we should be at Zartep in four or five days, so we’ll just need to make sure we have enough food and supplies.”

“What are the chances of her tracking our ship, do you think?”

“Somewhat high.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yup. She’s an expert tracker,” Zuri said. “Even with our flying ship... she has her ways. She’s fucking relentless.”

Andre chimed in, “We once went clear out to Orstram without restocking for days and she found us within a week.”

“We have a speed advantage though, don’t we?” Adrian asked, his chin propped up with one hand. “And how did she know we were headed east and not to a northern or southern location?”

Jacques shrugged. “Carnadine has sources everywhere that regularly report to her, and she’s dedicated her whole life to ending people like me. It’s in her nature to be good at what she does.”

Adrian hummed a note in response when one of the bar staff came over with their drinks.

“Four ales for ye,” they said, setting the tankards down with a loud clunk. “Food’ll be out in a bit, Loves.”

“Thanks.”

Exhaling a small breath, Adrian began downing his ale, wanting to forget the stress of the day. He was about halfway through when Andre was tapping him on the shoulder.

“Hm?” He set the tankard down.

“I think you’ve gotten someone’s attention,” he said, a smug look on his face. “That young lady over there has been looking at you since you sat down.”

Adrian blinked, turning and moving his eyes in the direction the black man was gesturing. A truly stunning woman with raven hair, cedar-brown skin, and rouged lips flicked her eyes up to meet his own. She gave him a small smile and his heart skipped slightly as he blinked away.

“Oh,” was all he said.

“You like her?” Andre asked. “You should make a move.”

He paled slightly. “Oh, um, I don’t know...”

“Oi!” Zuri hissed, leaning over to him. “She’s coming over. Act natural.”

Adrian stiffened at the suggestion. “How do I do that?” he whispered when a gentle hand was on his back.

He turned to meet those same stunning eyes, now only inches from his own. “Evening,” she cooed, and a shiver shot up his spine.

“E-evening.”

“The name’s Anne. What’s yours?”

“Oh, um...” His brain temporarily malfunctioned as he tried to recall which of his first names was the one he was supposed to use.

“His name is Ian,” Zuri offered, biting back a laugh.

“Well, Ian, you interested in joining me for a dance?” She gave him another one of those sly smiles that left him reeling.

“Well, I, uh...”

“Yeah, he’s interested,” Zuri finished for him, and he shot them a flustered look as the woman took his arm, making him stand.

That’s when he finally regained his composure, a lifetime of court life decorum possessing his body. “Actually,” he found his words as he took both her hands in his, looking into her face gently, “you seem lovely, truly, and I’m flattered but I’d rather stay with my companions if that’s alright with you.” It took every muscle in his body to not press her hands to his forehead in the formal court greeting.

She blinked at him in surprise. “Oh. You have quite a way with words.” She let out a small laugh. “Never been so politely turned down before. I feel like I should be thanking you after a rejection like that.” She stood on her toes and softly pressed her lips against the corner of his mouth. Zuri whistled suggestively. “You just let me know and we can continue this later, Hon.” She drew back to look into his bewildered face and her hands slid out of his as she took a step back. “See you around, Ian.” She turned and left, leaving him in shambles.

Adrian took a seat again, running a hand through his hair, exhaling.

“Why’d you turn her down?” Jacques asked, and blue eyes looked up. “Not your type or something?”

“I doubt that,” Andre said smugly, “considering the color of his face.”

Adrian blinked and touched his cheek with the back of his hand. Realizing the truth of that statement, he blushed further.

“Yeah, he’s definitely smitten,” Zuri teased, looking him over while chuckling. “Why’d you refuse her?”

“I just wasn’t interested in something that... fast, I suppose.”

“Fast?” they exclaimed. “It was just a dance.”

“You can always change your mind,” Jacques offered. “She was pretty eager.”

He was looking at the leader again, and as much as the woman named Anne had made him twitter pated, just seeing Jacques’s brown eyes staring back at him was enough to keep the red in his cheeks.

 “You’re right, though I’m not sure she’d be interested after finding out how inexperienced I actually am.”

Jacques snorted. “She might want you more after learning that.”

“Really?”

He shrugged. “The more shy and nervous types can be more fun. They tend to be easier to please and are more corruptible in bed.”

Adrian couldn’t even process that as he put his face in his hands breathing out an exasperated sound, the blush spreading to his ears.

“Oh shit, I think you broke him, Jacques,” Andre said, roaring with laughter. “Our innocent boy...” He patted Adrian roughly on the back.

“Don’t worry,” Zuri said comfortingly, and the king looked up at them. “You don’t need to be like Jacques and sleep around.”

“Hey!” the leader protested. “I do not sleep around.”

Both Zuri and Andre shot him a dubious look to which Jacques glanced away sheepishly.

“Listen,” Zuri continued. “You don’t have to rush into something and besides, it’s really admirable that you’d want to stay here with us instead of going off with her.” They smiled. “Just means you’re a really good teammate.” They hit him on the arm, and he rubbed at the spot, his own corners upturning.

“Hey,” Jacques interjected agitatedly, “just because I’m not attached at the hip every second of the day, doesn’t mean I’m not a good teammate either.”

Zuri rolled their eyes. “No one ever said that, Jacques, and I thought you were done being jealous of Ian.”

“I AM NOT—” He cut himself off, then exhaled before continuing. “Whatever. I was never jealous.”

“Sure.”

“I wasn’t!”

Adrian smiled when he saw the familiar flustered expression on the leader’s face as the two continued to argue. The grin sank as he realized he was nowhere closer to resolving these feelings for Jacques than he was before.

Looking back up, he took in everything from the glittering piercings in Jacques’s left ear, to the black hair that glinted under the lights, to his clever eyes and handsome face, then down to the revealing bronze chest. He noticed Jacques was wearing a long silver necklace that had a metal hoop at the end of it with a purple rock dangling inside, mingling with shirt and chest.

“When did you get that?” he heard himself asking, and the two halted their bickering to look over at him.

Jacques followed his gaze down to his front, his fingers finding the metal hoop. “What, this?” 

Adrian nodded. “Never seen you wear it before.”

“Yeah, saw it in town earlier and liked it.”

“I like it too.”

His face melted into a blank expression. “Oh.” He considered the blond for a moment and Adrian realized what he’d said. “Well, thanks, I guess.” A light pink gathered on his cheeks.

“You’re welcome.” Adrian took a long swig from his tankard to hide his own blush.

As he set it down, he found himself making eye contact with Zuri who fixed him with a knowing expression. They raised their eyebrows, and he gave a small shrug before quickly looking away.

 

🗲🗲🗲

 

Adrian was lying on his back on one of the beds with a journal in his hands, his leg crossed over the other as his eyes poured over the text.

A noon sun shone through the big windows and a breeze blew through one that’d been opened. Adrian’s red vest was off as well as his sash and stockings. His white undershirt was half unbuttoned to allow for better cooling, and his blond hair was away from his neck, tucked underneath him on the pillow.

He barely noticed as someone entered the room.

“How can you stand it in here?” came Jacques’s voice. “It’s so fucking hot.”

Adrian absentmindedly pointed to the open window, then looked up from the journal, his body stiffening as he realized who was talking. 

“It’s cooler in the crow’s nest, if you’d rather read there.”

“Thanks, but I’m good here.”

“Suit yourself.” He crossed the room over to the dresser then searched for a bit before his fingers found a golden hoop.

“You forget something?”

“One of my earrings. Thought I’d lost it.” He looked at himself in the mirror as he placed the hoop into the upper part of his ear.

“Oh.”

There was silence as Jacques made sure the jewelry was secure before making his way back out. “Well, have fun with your sweating.”

“Wait.”

He looked back at him. “Hm?”

Adrian stared for a moment before sitting up, his hair falling over his shoulders and into his eyes. “I think there’s something you should know about magic users that I’ve been reading about. It could be useful. Come look at this.”

Jacques considered him, then came over and sat on the edge of the bed beside him. “What is it?”

He pointed to something on the open page, ignoring the way his arm grazed past Jacques’s. “It has to do with your superspeed you used all those weeks ago. You know, where you transported all of us including the donkeys?”

“Yeah, what about it?” 

“Well, if done correctly, you may be able to teleport the ship with all of us in it using a very similar method.”

Surprise crossed his face. “What? How the hell would I have enough magic to do that?” 

He traced a finger over a picture of someone pushing a large object while holding an energy crystal. “It describes a way to activate and then channel your magic in a way that allows for you to use external energy instead of your internal reserves. Basically, you’d use the crystals on the ship to have enough magic to teleport us.”

Jacques looked the image over. “Let’s try it.”

“Huh?”

He stood. “Tell me how to do it and I’ll try moving the ship.”

“What, right now? While we’re flying?”

He put a hand on his hip. “Is now a bad time?”

“No, it’s just—”

“Come on.” He turned, motioning for him to follow.

“Okay, well, hold on.” He stood, tugging his boots over his stockingless feet, then followed after him with the journal under his arm. 

Once out on the deck, Adrian caught up to him as he brushed loose blond bangs out of his eyes.

Zuri, who was perched in a shady spot on one of the steps, looked up from the device they were tinkering with curiously. Pulling metal rimmed goggles off their face to rest around their neck, they stood.

“What’re you two up to?”

“Oh, Zuri!” Adrian exclaimed, climbing up the short steps to the helm. “We’re going to try teleporting the ship a short distance.”

Their eyes widened as they followed him. “Oh, really? How are you going to do that?”

“I’m going to be teleporting the ship,” Jacques corrected. “Let’s hope this works.”

“If it does,” Adrian said, “we’d save ourselves a lot of time getting places.” He took his regular position behind the helm against the raised platform, looking down at the book in his hand. That’s when he became very aware of just how low his shirt dipped downward, revealing his pale chest. Not wanting to look conspicuous, he simply held the book in such a way that it covered most of his front from Jacques’s view, his cheeks growing hot.

The leader rested an arm on the steering device, his attention on Zuri as he said, “We’d be able to stay ahead of Carnadine at all times this way. Maybe we could have the upper hand for once.”

“Oh wow!” they exclaimed. “How are you going to do it? Are we going to feel it when it happens? How will you know where to teleport us to? Is there risk involved? What if only half of us gets teleported, and the rest gets left behind as a bloody mess? What if—”

“Zuri, I need quiet so I can focus.”

“Oh right! I’ll shut up now.”

He closed his eyes and exhaled. After a moment, they opened again pupilless and he reached his arms out in front of him. Jaw clenching, sweat appeared on his brow, then the light petered out and he let out a gasp, his brown eyes returning.

“Shit. Lemme try again.”

He attempted this several more times, but after the fifth try, he had his hands on his knees, his chest heaving up and down. 

“Not quite, huh?” he breathed out. “You have any other tips, Ian?”

Adrian bit his lip, thinking as blue eyes traveled over the page. “You’re pulling from the crystals on the ship, right?”

“Yup. Well, I’m drawing from the one closest to us.”

“Can you draw from all four at once?” Zuri suggested. “Is that possible? They aren’t too far away, are they?”

Jacques straightened. “I can faintly sense the others’ presence.”

“You can?” Adrian asked. “What do they feel like exactly?”

“A humming, buzzing feeling, I guess? It’s hard to explain.”

“Try it out then!” Zuri said, and the leader nodded.

He closed his eyes again, hands out as Zuri and Adrian quietly watched him.

After a moment’s hesitation, a much brighter green filled Jacques’s eyes. His chest heaved as he let out a small grunt.

A feeling like his flesh was being peeled off washed over Adrian for a long moment, and when the sensation ceased, he was gripping the helm to steady himself, feeling severely nauseous. 

That’s when Andre burst through the door below deck, yelling, “The hell just happened?”

Zuri began to laugh in delight when they suddenly put a hand over their mouth and rushed over to the side of the ship to throw up.

Adrian, holding his head, looked up at a regular-eyed Jacques whose forehead was beaded with sweat. “Did it work?” he asked.

The leader grinned down at him, his breathing coming and going quickly. “What do you think? See for yourself. Look at the mountains.” 

Straightening, he took his hand off the steering wheel, wobbling slightly as he turned to look at the mountain range and his jaw dropped. “Weren’t those further away before?”

He breathed out a laugh. “Yeah, they were.”

“Jacques, you fucking genius!” Zuri exclaimed, running over as though they’d hadn’t just been sick, wrapping their arms around Jacques who tried to push them off. “I can’t believe how much you can do with your magic now.”

“Yeah, me neither. Zuri, get off!” He shoved them away, and they hit him on the arm in response. 

“It seems to take a lot of energy out of you,” Adrian said, looking the disheveled man over, “so maybe you shouldn’t use it too often.”

He gave him a confident grin. “I just need to practice. If I can get this down, we’ll be traveling around everywhere in no time at all. Besides, it really wasn’t that strenuous.”

He gave him a doubtful look. “You’re not just saying that, right?” 

“Don’t worry, Sweetheart. You just keep finding stuff in those journals I can use, and I’ll handle the rest.”

“So many things have changed since you started reading the journals, Ian,” Zuri chimed in. “I mean, we wouldn’t even have this ship if it weren’t for you.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I can’t take all the credit...”

“Humble as ever,” Jacques commented, shaking his head.

Adrian looked up to see a small smirk and he couldn’t help but grin in return.

He once again considered if this thing he felt for Jacques was just a result of their close friendship and nothing more. He’d, of course, never really had friends before this journey, so it made sense that he was just feeling overwhelmed when he had previously felt so alone and isolated.

That’s all this was.

He grinned further at the self-assurances, that is, until Jacques began tugging his shirt off his body. The smile shrank as Adrian now stared at a flushed and sweaty, topless Jacques who continued to breathe heavily. The silver necklace with the steel hoop stood out against his bronze, heaving chest. 

“I won’t lie, doing that is fucking exhausting,” the leader said, wiping his forehead. “And of course, it’s one of the hottest days of the year.”

Adrian found himself staring, his heart pounding in his chest, then his eyes met Zuri’s and he glanced away from the smug expression.

“I’m going to try it again,” Jacques said, sweeping a hand through his hair, “so brace yourselves.”

Adrian couldn’t make eye contact as he simply nodded in response.

 

🗲🗲🗲

 

After a few days, Jacques had begun mastering the use of his teleportation, and instead of stopping at Zartep, he decided they were making good enough time to wait until a further town to restock.

Everyone quickly grew tired of the bouts of teleportation Jacques subjected them to at random intervals of the day. At one point, a furious Andre stormed out of the bedroom while the stars were out, half naked and fuming.

“Can a man not even sleep anymore aboard your ship, Captain?” he growled, and Jacques rolled his eyes.

“You’re being dramatic, Andre.”

“Dramatic?” He got closer, glaring down at him. “Oh, no. I draw the line at sleeping.”

“You’ve been teleporting us for days,” Zuri joined in as they tinkered with something on the steps again. “We can’t take much more of it.”

Adrian, who’d heard the commotion from the crow’s nest, descended the ladder and was now approaching them. “We should stop somewhere soon anyway, shouldn’t we?”

Jacques’s face fell and he folded his arms. “Well, well, well. Everyone has a complaint. Me learning this is going to save our asses in the future, so don’t say I told you so later when everything goes to shit and we make a narrow escape again thanks to my magic.”

Zuri sighed. “It’s not that we aren’t thankful, Jacques, it’s just—”

“It feels like our insides are being turned inside out,” Andre finished. “I think we’d all appreciate it if you told us when exactly you were planning on making these jumps.”

Jacques blew a stray curl out of his eyes. “Fine. Ian, we’ll restock at the next town, and you two, I’ll only teleport us during the day. Happy?”

They all grunted in response and Adrian used the moment of pause to pull out the first Alchemist journal, flipping to the page with the map on it while stepping forward. “What is the next town, anyway?” Before he could lay his eyes on the eastern village, he noticed Jacques’s body go rigid.

“It’s Surtrum, isn’t it?” Andre asked gravely.

He looked between the brothers. “What’s wrong with Surtrum?”

“It’s where we grew up,” Jacques said, his face closed off. “My parents still live there, but it’s also the last stop before the long trek to Mermortiva, so we won’t be able to skip over it.” 

“Is it a big town?”

“Not at all.”

There was a pause.

Adrian looked back down at the map. “We could backtrack to Pilpeg if it’s an issue—”

“It’s fine,” he interrupted, brushing past him. “We’ll reach Surtrum in a couple of hours.” 

He watched him descend the stairs and disappear below deck.

“Is he alright?” he asked Andre softly.

“He’ll be fine.” The black man patted him on the back before walking away, ducking through the doorway after his brother.

Adrian looked over at Zuri who just shrugged in response.

 

 

Adrian was reading on his bunk again when the ship halted, the hum of the crystals ceasing as it touched down.

He sat up, setting the journal down to peek out one of the windows. They’d stopped just outside of a tiny village after only a few hours as Jacques had predicted. He stared at the dim, glittering lights, his heart sinking at the thought of how much pain the mere mention of this place was causing his companion.

Zuri burst through the door. “We’re here,” they exclaimed, and a sigh escaped Jacques’s mouth from the middle bed. “Andre, the barrel of ale is out. Can you brew up some more?”

Andre was sitting on the edge of the shared bunk as he sewed a tear in his sleeve with needle and thread. “We’ll need to get the ingredients for it in town tomorrow—” His eyes widened as his sewing hand halted. “Oh shit. The market is always closed on the weekends. Today is Friday, so that’s three nights without alcohol.” He let out a long groan as he tied off the end of his string and bit off the extra bits. “Jacques, can we please visit the tavern?”

The leader’s face darkened as he scowled from his curled-up spot higher up on the bed. “Not a chance.”

“Jacques, please. A man needs his ale and three days is too long to go without it. If you come, you’d be able to unwind.”

“Unwind?” Jacques’s voice rose a whole octave as he sat up. “You really think I can relax here? I know everyone in this stupid fucking town. There’s no way they won’t hear about it.”

“I know, Jacques. I really do—”

“Look, you want to visit the tavern, be my guest, but I’m staying on the ship.” He fell back onto the mattress again in a huff.

Andre released a sigh, then got up. “Anyone else is welcome to come.” He made his way out.

Zuri made to follow him before turning to Adrian. “You coming?”

“Yeah. Let me get ready first.”

“Sure thing! I’ll tell Andre to wait for you.” They left without another word, leaving him alone with the brooding leader who hadn’t moved from his spot on the bed.

Adrian bit his lip, unsure of what to say as he searched the dresser for his orange outfit. He mulled over possible words as he changed, and it wasn’t until he lifted his shirt off his body and set it aside that he hesitated, then said softly, “I can stay, if you want.”

Jacques let out a sigh. “No, it’s fine. Just go.”

He slipped one arm into the orange sleeve. “It... would feel wrong leaving you like this.”

The leader rolled onto his back, glancing over at him, and Adrian turned from him as he quickly slipped his other arm into the crossover shirt, pulling it over his chest and locking the hooks and eyes into place. 

“Just the thought of possibly seeing my parents is terrifying,” Jacques said, scrubbing a hand over his face in distress. “I’m acting ridiculous, aren’t I?”

“No, you’re not.” Adrian walked over and sat on the edge of Jacques’s bed, his shirt fully equipped now. “It’d honestly be strange if you weren’t freaking out.”

He sat up quickly. “I am not freaking out,” he hissed, and Adrian blinked at the hurt eyes that were now only inches from his own. They stared in silence for a moment until Jacques sighed, glancing away. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be getting mad at you.”

He hesitantly placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright.”

Jacques searched his face then put a hand over Adrian’s, glancing down in thought.

There was a pause.

“You should go without me. I’m sure you’re wanting to kick back and relax as well.”

Adrian took back his hand. “If you’re really okay with that—”

“Yes, yes. I’m fine. Really.” He lay back down with his arms over his head. “It won’t kill me to get some solitude.”

“Well, alright.” Adrian stood, grabbing the beige sash, and wrapping it around his waist then snatched up the green ribbon from the top of the dresser. He stood in front of the mirror and brushed out the knots in his long hair with a wooden brush, starting from the bottom of the strands and making his way up.

“Your hair’s gotten really long.” 

He jumped slightly, turning to see Jacques gazing at him from the bed. “Yeah, it has.”

“Ever think about cutting it?”

He turned back to the mirror, continuing his brushing. “Not really. This is the first time I’ve been allowed to have long hair, and I like the way it looks on me.” He turned his head from side to side as he admired the long blond sheets in his reflection. 

“Yeah, it looks good.”

He felt a heat crawl over his cheeks as he mumbled, “Thanks,” and began dividing the top portion of his hair from the bottom.

“You weren’t allowed to before?” he repeated.

Adrian nodded, both arms over his head as he grasped at the strands. “Had to keep it at a very precise length right above my shoulders. It was supposedly to maintain my image, but I probably could have insisted on something longer if I wanted.” He began tying it with the ribbon. “I wasn’t as daring back then as I am now.”

Jacques snorted. “I guess you could consider your current hairstyle daring.”

“It’s daring for past me.” After securing the knot, he checked his image over again.

“My necklace would go nicely with your shirt.” He heard the mattress creak slightly and turned to see Jacques walking towards him.

“Necklace?”

Jacques took something from the top of the dresser. “The one you said you liked.”

“Oh, right.” Adrian took the jewelry from his outstretched hand and glanced at him for only a second before unclasping it and wrapping it around his neck, trying to re-clasp it over his hair.

He’d never put on his own necklaces before, and his fingers fumbled at the attempt. His cheeks flushed slightly in embarrassment as he struggled with the jewelry until he heard a chuckle beside him.

“Need help?”

He let out a small, defeated sigh. “Perhaps.”

His heart skipped as fingers took the clasp from him, and his arms fell to his sides as he watched Jacques through the mirror. The leader threw sheets of light hair over Adrian’s shoulder to have better access to the clasp as he worked on it. Adrian pulled the rest of his hair to the front, his hands brushing past Jacques’s.

“You know, none of us think lesser of you, right?” Adrian said gently. The hands left him, and the necklace hung securely around his neck. Throwing his hair back over the side, he turned back to him. “I think we’d all just rather have your company is all. It feels wrong when you’re not with us, and plus, you’re a pleasure to be around.”

A hint of red decorated Jacques’s ears as he considered the blue eyes in front of him. “Thanks, for saying that.”

“Of course.” Adrian gave him a quick pat on the shoulder before walking over to his boots and pulling them on. Jacques watched him in silence. “I’ll see you later tonight then.” He left through the door, closing it behind him.

Once on the deck, Adrian let out a long exhale, touching his face with the backs of his hands, praying he hadn’t been red in the face during that whole encounter. Being with Jacques was so comfortable and easy and yet so punishing at the same time, and he wasn’t sure how that checked out.

“All ready?” Zuri asked as he approached them both. “Hey, isn’t that Jacques’s necklace?”

He looked down. “Yeah. He let me borrow it.”

They gave him a smug look, and he frowned.

“Well, let’s go then,” Andre said, leading the way.

“Wait up!” The group of three turned, watching as Jacques hurried across the deck, his boots on now and his hands tying his sash firmly around his waist as he walked. “Can’t have you drinking without me! Who’s going to pay if I’m not there?”