Aladdin didn’t like the cold.
He didn’t hate it per se…the snow is beautiful and winter was always a time for togetherness and fun traditions. But he didn’t like it. The first ten years of his life were spent in a room of cold marble floors. Ugo kept the sacred palace livable, but didn’t know how to comfort him or provide him with the warmth he needed.
So on winter solstice this year, Aladdin retreated to a warmer place. The Samon Isle. He excused himself from the festivities with his friends in Rakushou and used Uncle Kouen as a scapegoat to escape the cold.
And the strange sense of loneliness that had recently been plaguing him.
Try as he might though, he couldn’t mask it. Uncle Kouen was always too perceptive.
“What’s bothering you, Aladdin? Shouldn’t you be with your friends? It’s a holiday.”
He plastered on a smile. “Don’t worry, Uncle. Alibaba and Morg didn’t want me to forget about your yearly check-up.”
Aladdin took the prosthetics out of the magic circle he had been charging with magoi and began helping Kouen put them back on. Hakuei came in with a tray of tea and dumplings.
“It’s always nice to see you, Aladdin,” she said, “thank you for taking the time to come visit.”
“Of course! I was actually thinking about staying here for a few days, if you don’t mind. Alibaba finally gave us all some vacation time.”
“Whatever you’re avoiding, you need to confront it head on instead of lollygagging around.” Kouen snipped.
Aladdin ruffled his hair. “Eheheh…what do you mean, Uncle Kouen? Really, I’m just fine!”
“Hmph.”
Hakuei chuckled. “What Kouen means is you’re welcome to stay as long as you like, but you don’t have to go out of your way to keep us company.”
Aladdin smiled. “Oh, don’t worry. This is just a stopover. I’m spending my holiday break traveling to see all my other friends too! Next I’m gonna go visit Yam in Magnostadt, and then I’ll be going to Sindria, Parthevia and Reim. Maybe even to Heliohapt to say hi to mister Sharrkan.”
Kouen looked incredulous. “Why don’t you just call them on the phone? It’s just as effective as seeing them in person. More convenient too.”
Aladdin pouted. “’Cause that’s just not as fun. Besides, when I visit mister Sharrkan, he likes to give me alcohol and let me hang out with all the pretty ladies!”
Kouen buried his forehead in his palm. Hakuei giggled.
“Well, I guess it’s also convenient when you’re a powerful magician who can just go wherever you like in the blink of an eye. But I can tell you’re avoiding something. You’ve got that stupid look on your face that says you’re trying to hide something. Man up and deal with your problems and don’t run from them. Got it?”
“Eheheh…yes Uncle Kouen.”
Aladdin rapidly changed the subject. “Can you move your limbs okay? Any adjustments needed?”
***
After fixing Kouen’s prosthetics and enjoying some tea and dumplings, Aladdin wandered down to the beach and sat at the end of a rickety little pier to enjoy the sunset.
Or rather, he tried to enjoy it, but the beautiful rosy colors in the clouds always reminded him of that person he couldn’t seem to muster the courage to speak to. That person he couldn’t stop himself from watching and thinking about and she never had any idea because her attention always belonged to someone else. Besides, she had far too many responsibilities to manage…he couldn’t possibly waste her time with his little infatuation.
Didn’t help it hurt any less. It was a cold hurt. Icicles creeping into the pumping chambers in his chest, so his heart pounded even harder to shake them loose.
He disliked the cold and he disliked the ice, and he had plenty of reasons to. Why was she so enraptured with the person of ice, anyway? How could he possibly keep her warm? If it were him, he’d never let the cold even touch her. That’s what she deserved.
He kicked his foot in the water and spooked the minnows.
Stop thinking about it, stupid.
Try as he might though, all he could think about was the way all his friends seemed to be finding their comfort and happiness with each other. Alibaba and Morgiana were so inseparable now. He was so happy for them, but at the same time he understood why Alibaba used to get so jealous whenever he saw Olba and Toto. And then Hakuryuu threw himself into supporting his sister as much as he could. Even if it wasn’t what it once was, he finally had his family again.
Family…
That’s what it was. That’s why he felt left behind. That’s why it feels too cold all the time. Even here in the warmth.
“Why the long face?”
“GYAH!”
He looked up from his stupor to see Kouha cackling as he bobbed in a little rowboat near the pier. Aladdin had been so spaced out that he didn’t even notice the youngest Ren brother approach.
“Geez, Kouha, you really spooked me.”
Kouha paddled closer and tied the boat off at the post before climbing out onto the pier and plopping down next to him.
“You alright, Aladdin? Never seen you look so bummed before.”
“Y-yeah. Just thinking about something, that’s all.”
“It’s Kougyoku, isn’t it?”
Aladdin turned beet red.
“Wh-wh-what makes you think that?”
“Ahahaha! Oh come on. It’s sooo obvious. You’re an open book, buddy.”
Aladdin ruffled his hair again. “Heh heh…guess I don’t need to hide it anymore.”
Kouha snorted. “You’re terrible at trying to hide your emotions. But that’s alright. I like earnest people like you. So you still haven’t confessed to her, eh?”
Aladdin sighed. “Well I…I don’t know if I should. She clearly isn’t interested. Besides, she has enough to worry about. Why add to it? But…it doesn’t really do anything to change the way I feel.”
Kouha dipped his toes in the water. “Just forget about it then. You don’t really stand a chance anyways.”
Aladdin glowered. “You’re not very encouraging.”
Kouha shrugged. “Well, I could tell you to go for it, but that’d just give you false hope. That’s like lying. Sometimes you just gotta face the facts and accept them as they are. You can’t let your feelings make you do stupid stuff. That’s just a recipe for getting yourself hurt worse.”
Aladdin toyed with his staff, swirling patterns into the sand and stirring murky clouds in the water. “Do you think her and Judar will be happy together?”
“She’s been chasing after him since they were kids. Sure he’s a jerk a lot of the time, but he makes her smile. And besides, if he screws up in any way, he knows us brothers would all take turns beating him to a pulp.”
Aladdin chuckled. “It’s funny. He was always trying so hard to defeat me. I don’t think he knows just how much he’s got the upper hand.”
Kouha rubbed the back of his head. “Oh man. You’ve fallen so hard. You’re really crashing and burning aren’t you? Didn’t expect it to be this bad.”
Aladdin hugged his staff to his chest. “C-can we change the subject?” he said as he forced a smile and wiped away an escaped tear, “I know Uncle Kouen said I should deal with this stuff head on, but I’m not sure I’m ready to.”
Kouha stood abruptly. “I know what’ll fix you up.”
He leapt back into his rowboat and produced a pail of fresh caught fish.
“Why don’t you start a fire and we’ll roast these? Nothing beats a good meal of fresh fish.”
Kouha got to work boning and scaling the fish while Aladdin gathered some firewood and set up a good campfire on the beach. The two boys enjoyed their meal in a comforting silence as the sun fell beyond the horizon and twinkling stars began to dot the sky. The sound of the ocean waves began to calm the turmoil in Aladdin’s heart.
Kouha finally broke the silence again. “So how’s work been?”
“Challenging, but good. Alibaba’s a great leader. We finally broke even enough to send everybody on vacation. How about you, Kouha? Do you stay busy?”
“Well, I was mostly helping out with En-nii, but since Hakuei decided to come live with him, I’ve been having to find other stuff to stay occupied. I really like fishing, and sometimes I help the islanders with construction projects.”
Aladdin chuckled. “I never pegged you as someone who would like this sort of life. You could try petitioning the International Alliance to re-evaluate your criminal record. Then you could find something more exciting for work. Alibaba’s company is always looking for new talent, and the Dark Continent research is really interesting.”
Kouha shrugged. “I don’t mind the simplicity of life here at all. Maybe you wouldn’t understand, but being royalty was a pain in the ass. The only way I ever fit in is because I was good at fighting. And the only reason I ever fought so hard was to give my mother a good life. But she's gone now...she just wasn't strong enough to carry on without me. So there’s really no reason for me to fight anymore. Besides, I like being with my family, even if we’re a little spread apart. JunJun is here keeping me company too.”
“What about those other two girls that were always with you?”
“JinJin and ReiRei went back to the capital and got married. And Meihou’s clan went back to the Tenka plains once Kou was demilitarized.”
“I see…so even if it’s just you and a little bit of your family, life is nice and simple and you’re happy. Is that it?”
“Yup. Plus the island girls really like me. Heh heh!”
Aladdin’s expression waned again.
Kouha went back to his boat and grabbed a small item from under the seat, then came back over to the fire and sat close to Aladdin. The item turned out to be a flask made out of a gourd. Kouha uncorked it and held it out to Aladdin.
“Try this. It’s a liqueur I distilled with melons and coconut.”
Aladdin took a swig, and delighted in the sweetness combined with the tingle and burn of the alcohol as it trickled down his throat.
“That’s good.”
Kouha smiled brightly. “Glad you like it.”
The boys passed drinks back and forth and told stories and jokes as they started to get a bit tipsy.
“Kouha…can I ask you something?”
“Shoot.”
“Do you think it’s my destiny to be alone?”
“…what makes you think that?”
“Well…everyone else has a family…or they’ve managed to find their family. Me? …I’ve never had anything like that. I’m grateful for all the friends I have, but I feel like I need something more. And as time goes on, I just feel like I’m getting left behind.”
Kouha snickered.
“Why are you laughing?”
“’Cause…that’s some weak ass shit.”
“What the hell?!”
“Dude…you’re the son of fricken’ Solomon. You’re the most powerful magician in the fricken’ world. And you’re sitting here bellyaching about not having a girlfriend? Weak. Ass. Shit. And you’re like…what, 18? You’ve got your whole life ahead of you still. Just ‘cause all your friends have paired up doesn’t mean you’ll never get the chance. You’re just jealous ‘cause it’s being paraded around in front of you.”
“…you don’t pull any punches.”
“I’m honest. I ain’t ever gonna mince or sugarcoat words. It does no good. The truth doesn’t care about your feelings.”
“Haha…guess you're right.”
Aladdin put the flask back to his lips and downed the rest of the liqueur.
“If you’re so worried about it, why don’t you go out with me?”
“PHBBBBBTTTTT!!!!”
Kouha busted up laughing.
Aladdin sputtered and wiped his face with his sleeve. “That’s not funny!”
Kouha recovered from laughing, but then he stared Aladdin down with a sultry smirk.
“I’m not joking.”
“…what?”
Kouha leaned in until he was nearly nose to nose with Aladdin. “I like you.”
Aladdin gulped. “R-really? Uh…why?”
Kouha reached out and ran his fingers through Aladdin’s hair. Aladdin blushed darkly.
“Remember when we met during that trip to Magnostadt?”
“Y-yeah.”
“Well…I really enjoyed that time we had together. You made that boring carriage ride a lot of fun. And since then, I’ve kinda had you stuck in my head.”
Kouha started idly braiding strands of Aladdin’s hair, just like he did on that carriage ride. Aladdin was so flustered he was practically paralyzed.
“I like you because…because you were the first person to treat me like an equal. Up until then, everyone either spit on me or put me on a pedestal. I’d never had an equal before. You didn’t know who I was or what my status was, and you didn’t care. You just saw me as a friend. Even with my metal vessel and my fighting skills. You didn’t see me as a monster, or a prince, or anything but a person. A fellow human. That’s really special. And you don’t ever pretend to be something you’re not. You’re earnest and forthright, always. It’s…really attractive.”
Aladdin sputtered out his words. “W-wow um…th-thanks? I think? B-but…it’s not weird that we’re both guys? I-I mean, you’re pretty like a girl, Kouha b-but…”
Aladdin pouted and pawed at Kouha’s chest. “Nothing here…”
“Ah geez, you titty baby. If that’s a problem, you can have concubines. I don’t care. Heck, JunJun will even let you play with her, as long as you’re not weirded out by her deformities.”
“Wha…wha…?”
“Look, I don’t care that were both guys. Do Hakuryuu and Judar care? And if you think they aren’t messin’ around, you’re fricken’ blind.”
“I…I…”
“Look, just say yes already.”
Aladdin swallowed hard. “Uh…o-okay.”
“Wooo!” Kouha tackled his newly appointed blue-haired boyfriend. “Best holiday gift ever!”
“You sure you’re not just drunk and you’re gonna forget all this in the morning?”
“Positive. You’re my boyfriend. Now kiss me.”
“Wha--?”
Without waiting, Kouha planted his lips on Aladdin’s
And then, Aladdin didn’t feel cold anymore.
THE END