"There is no decision that we can make that does not come with some sort of balance or sacrifice."
-Xamdú
________________________
Karos felt hot lips pressing against the side of his neck before feeling them kiss on his cheek down to his jaw line. They settled there, for a moment, and in the next, they were gone. Ake's arm wrapped around his chest and his face nuzzled into his neck. Since pushing him to the ground, Ake would not look at him fully which made him smile. Ake embarrassed much more easily than he had first thought. He did not mind his hands or lips touching in intimate places. It was not him that he found issue with.
"Forgive me," Ake mumbled, "about this. Kissing you like that and in that way in front of such people." His arm grew tight around him. "I had missed you much."
"In truth, this has not been the first time you had pushed me to the ground," Karos said smiling.
Ake lifted his head up and looked at him, his face reddening again. He, himself, was growing hotter by the second just by the way he gazed at him.
"I do not mind your kisses or touches, Ake."
His red hair had leaves and dirt stuck between the strands. Smudges of dirt splotched his face and clothes as well causing Karos to stifle a laugh.
"Or the dirt smudged across this pretty face." Karos pressed his hand against his cheek just wanting an excuse to touch him without being blatant about it.
"Pretty?" Ake leaned in close. "Do not become beguiled by it... I can bite you."
"As I can bite you back."
Ake pursed his lips and tried to get from over him but Karos kept him there, wanting to find some other way of asking him for a kiss. Just another, just one more.
"Ake!"
Ake turned and got from over him as if he was cold water at the sound of the voice shouting his name.
"A-Appa." Father. Ake stumbled on the word and brushed away the hair falling in front of his face.
Karos looked from son to father, father to son noticing for the first time their stark resemblance. As soon as Ake stood, his father came and hugged him tight. They spoke in their language and, like the other time with Oraanu, he could not understand them. He rose from the ground as he saw his father brushing his hair back before kissing his forehead. Karos had forgotten, for a moment, all of what had happened and what would soon come to pass. He would give them their time together. His father would not have him in his presence and he would rather not have Ake see it.
The door shut quietly as he walked down the hallway looking for Fariel. He had not seen his dear friend in a long while and he needed to tell him all of what was happening with the dragons and with Analia. Crowds of soldiers and dragons alike speckled the hallway causing Karos to weave his way through. He stopped the moment his eyes landed on Demir and Bjor. The last time he had seen them he had been hanging from a cliff with broken ribs and a fractured ankle.
"We are not here for malice but to see our little brother," Demir said as if reading his mind.
"We are in your debt, after all. Taking us all in and giving us shelter," Bjor mumbled.
Karos did not trust him and would never trust him. His fear of men had dwindled but the distrust of them had not. It had only grown with time.
"Ake is fine," Karos said as he thumbed his bottom lip. He had bit it and the thought of it made him realize just how swollen it had become.
"You act as if we are the only ones who want to be rid of you," Demir said just as Karos walked away from them. He stopped in his tracks and turned to listen. "You would be dead by now if Isla had not fallen."
Karos closed his eyes and continued through the corridor passing people left and right. It was cluttered with talk of griffins and gwasas. The fear was massing by the day. In order to live through this, Karos knew he had to amend their ties with the dragons if only for this. They had to.
As soon as Karos opened the door to the smaller common room, Karos saw Fariel pressing against Oraanu and kissing his lips. Karos let out a scoff before a small smile lingered. Was it love or lust, Karos could never tell with Fariel. It was always another and one more other when he thought it was love. Never would he had thought Oraanu would fall for such a man like him.
He cleared his throat causing them to pull apart, unabashed. Fariel wiped his lips with the back of his hand and coughed.
"We must talk." Karos looked at Fariel before looking at Oraanu. "Alone."
Fariel turned his head to Oraanu causing Oraanu to take his chin in hand and kiss his lips before leaving out the door.
"Gods, Karos," Fariel said as he brushed back his hair. "Must you ruin every good moment I have?"
"It is nice to be reunited with the one you love, Fariel, but there are pressing issues at hand."
"What is it?"
"It is Analia and the dragon king."
Fariel's eyebrows furrowed. "What of Analia? What has she done?"
"She is ill at ease with the way things are now. I had told her of Andel's death and how it truly happened and she has not been the same since. She tried to take Ake's gem and— "
"She... How could she... You took it out?"
"I had to. Hinem—" Karos sighed out, exasperated. How would he explain this to Ake? "It was obsidian that went through here." Karos laid his hand at his side. "As you know. I could not risk Ake's life."
"Gods be good."
"She is trying to kill him, I know it."
"Karos, she would never. She loves you far too much."
"She is not the same. I am telling you this now, Fariel."
"Very well. Then we will keep them separate."
Karos leaned against the pillar and rubbed his forehead. "We must bring the dragons back with us to Gasa. Ake will not stand to be somewhere not near me. He will not have it."
"Then Analia—"
"She will be bitter."
"Good gods," Fariel sighed out. "What will you do?"
"We have no time for it. Half the dragons had left before you arrived. The rest, as well as us, will leave tomorrow. I have no other choice."
"I will watch out for him then. He had... He had saved my life."
Karos looked at him with wide eyes. Before he could say anything, Fariel cut him off.
"And the dragon king?"
Karos pursed his lips.
"What of him?"
"He said he would not help."
"He has no choice but to help! Mercy has forsaken them!"
"He said he would not help because of me."
"You helped them!"
"He does not approve of Ake... " Karos closed his eyes. "Of Ake and I even until now."
"He is a spiteful man," Fariel spat. "Then let us fight on without them."
"We cannot. Not after we had saved them. The griffins are now fully against us."
"You are far too kind to a malicious monster like him. You should have let him and his people be picked off by those griffins." His words were stemming from anger. Karos knew he did not mean them.
"Rakkaus is back with Analia keeping an eye on her and things. I told him to modify the plans and change the defenses we had originally planned to fit them in it."
"Karos!"
"I am not doing this for him! I am doing this for Ake. He would want this."
"Since when had you become so soft?" Fariel hissed. "I had warned you of this! Do not go and sacrifice your people for his!"
"They are yours as well!"
"They are not! You are and no one else!"
Karos blinked in silence as he saw Fariel's eyes massing with angry tears.
"If you die, I will have no one left."
"Oraanu— "
"That—That is different!"
"... You mean much to me as well, Fariel," Karos mumbled despite his reluctance. They expressed their love with anger but never with words.
Fariel wiped at his eyes and shook his head. "Do what you please. I will hear no more of it."
Karos knew he was upset. He grabbed his wrist before Fariel could get too far knowing he was trying to leave because he did not want to show him the expression on his face.
"Fariel, I need your help in this."
Just as Fariel was tugging away from him, his eyes widened as he saw a woman limping in through the side door.
Her hair was long and black covering most of her bandagings. As she stared at him, Karos could see the sadness and regret looming through her dark blue eyes.
"I... I found you," she murmured.
"Illiya." Fariel was quick the bow causing Karos' eyebrows to furrow.
"No, do not. I do not deserve it. I am the cause of this all and I must amend this."
"You— " Fariel's voice shook. "You did this?" Fariel asked with disbelief. Karos was just as shocked to hear about what she had done. Her demeanor was sweet and kind. He had never expected her to go on and do something that would kill hundreds of her own people.
"I can help you," Illiya said looking at Karos. "I had been manipulated and used, tempted by the goddess herself. You mustn't as well."
She limped closer.
"Malice... " Fariel mumbled.
"Yes."
Karos' eyes lowered.
"Karos, Ake is in there with our grieving father. He is upset and afraid. He cannot risk his heir since losing our mother. No matter what words you say, he will not allow it, ever."
"It is not up to him," Fariel hissed.
"Malice comes and plays her games when two sides are at odds and pit them against one another until they do her job for her."
Karos knew well enough how treacherous that goddess could be. She had almost fooled him, once.
"So leave tonight. Both you and Fariel. Sneak away before the growing tension rises. Soon enough, our father will want you dead." She looked at Fariel. "And he had always wanted you dead. Loving our brother in such a way and not asking for his blessing first. Here, the dragons outnumber you, but in Gasa, you reign supreme. It will be safer for you there."
Her words were like acid to his ears. He swallowed dryly trying not to show how much of an effect those words had on him. Finally, he had seen Ake again and now he must leave? It was cruel.
"And you? Will you come with us."
She shook her head.
"What will happen to you?" Karos asked as Fariel's eyes looked away.
"I will die. It is a sin to kill my own kind and now I must pay with my life."
"Eria," Fariel said.
"She should have never loved someone like me," she said as she choked on a sob.
Karos walked out the room. His face was hot and he needed air. It was suffocating inside there. His throat was dry. His heart was hurting and there was no amount of words or medicine he could take to relieve it. Just as he was nearing the corridor going towards the outside, a hand grabbed his wrist and pushed him up against the wall.
A pair of blue eyes stared at him looking as if they wanted to devour him.
"Ake," Karos said taken aback for a moment. He was supposed to leave. The sun had long since went down.
"Karos." His eyes were assessing him, he knew. They scanned down his body until he felt a hand at his side squeezing it until he flinched.
"I did not bother to ask because I knew you would lie."
"Am I such a liar now?"
"Yes, although your face makes it whereas I cannot be so mad when you do," he smiled causing Karos' heart to warm.
Why he had such an effect on him, Karos would never understand. His heart ached less and his mind only filled with thoughts of him.
It was quiet for some seconds before Ake finally broke the tension with another one of his smiles.
"Let us spend our night together."
"I had already prepared a room for you," Karos said with furrowed brows. He could not stay and speak on matters of the heart.
Ake pushed the rest of his body onto his and laughed softly.
"I want to kiss your neck."
Karos' face flushed as his eyes lowered, heart thumping out of his chest.
"Am I being too direct?" Ake asked after some more silence passed before Karos pressed his lips to his, silencing him for a moment. However, Karos loved the feel of his lips against his and could not resist going back for another taste.
Just one night, Karos thought. Just one more.
________________________________
[A/N]
D: Ake's father is a prick. Making Karos do this to him. Karos can be so dense too!
"I had already prepared a room for you."
Lol, since when has Ake ever just wanted to "talk" 😂. Ahh... Karos😅. As you might already be expecting, I'll make an extra for you guys soon :3.
Tell me your thoughts because I want to fan with you guys!❤️