#i write!

Tonight, hidden in a small open cavern still within earshot of the camp, Aspanu's breath was slow and heavy as he laid in the sleeping bags while Turi busied himself with dinner. Aspanu had turned his nose up at the stew that was served for lunch, and his friend had known better than to push. Now, after taking the pills Turi coaxed into him with sips of wine, he knew he wouldn't be that lucky. He let out a sigh, wishing he would forget dinner and lay next to him already, then cursed himself as the taller man interrupted his humming and stepped closer.

'Do you think you're getting worse? We should take you to the doctor.'

'I'm alright.' His voice was hoarse but steady, 'The night air will do me good.'

Turi changed the cold cloth in his friend's forehead and let his hand cup his chin. The sharp features, always in motion, were now lax and pale. In the low light, it seemed to him his mouth looked red like drying blood in contrast. Turi ran his knuckles along his lower lip, making him open his eyes, halflidded and shimmering with his fever. It was his stare, the blush on his cheekbones, the heat of his breath against his skin; it was too much for Turi, and he found himself giving a small smile before going back to the campfire feeling like he'd caught some of his cousin's fever from that touch.

He distracted himself by carefully watching the bread he was toasting, as he knew Aspanu liked, before letting a slice of cheese melt on top of it. When be took it off the fire he topped it with a diced tomato before bringing the plate inside to find Aspanu sitting up, toying with some weed he pulled off the cave floor. His fever seemed to have gone down, and Turi hoped he'd eat on his own, but he didn't as much as look at the plate as it was set between them. Turi started peeling an orange thinking he eventually would, but Aspanu's attention was taken by him which, by reasons he couldn't parse, only made him focus harder on his orange.

When he gave up and met his friend's eyes, they were glossed over with his illness. With concern, he offered him a section of the fruit.

'Eating would do you good.'

Aspanu stared a moment longer, then took it and ate it whole, his hand lingering in front of his moviestar moustache, eyes closing in exhaustion or delight.

'The bread is also good. Is not too hot, is it?

The smaller man gave the food a look between fondness and weariness, then made a undecided noise. Turi frowned, picking a piece and deciding it had cooled enough before passing it to Aspanu, who accepted it after a pause and bit half off at once. He made a sound of appreciation, not waiting to swallow entirely before raisinga eyebrow at his companion.

'Soon you'll cook as good as La Venera, if you keep going to see her.'

'Are you complaining or giving me your blessing?'

'Why would I complain? Be nice to have someone around who can actually prepare a rabbit.'

He smiled down and another bite, this one way smaller, before putting the bread down and laying back with a feeling of unease he couldn't place. This was quickly dispelled as Turi made his way to sit next to him. He'd missed his closeness and, when his friend sat him half up so he leaned on his stronger frame and raised the bread to his lips in an offer, or maybe command, he accepted. It was really good, but too big a mouthful to chew with ease or maybe he was right and not hungry at all, but maybe it was l'ansia coiling in his stomach. No, not fear, but something else and just as powerful. He startled when Turi spoke, and washed it down with some water.

'I don't know. Truth is I haven't been down in a while.' He spoke pensively, maybe as a distraction as he tried to feed Aspanu a new slice, but he jerked his head to the side. 'Sometimes she just makes me sad. Candelaria was a good man, all in all.'

Aspanu stared into the fire outside and said nothing to that but, when Turi offered him more of the orange he huffed out a protest.

'I'm fine now, I've eaten.'

He made a listless attempt to get off his friend, jerking away but falling back into his chest without him needing to hold him there. Something in Turi's chest tightened at fhe contradictions his most beloved friend seemed to be made of. He'd, however, anticipated this resistance, and now dug into his pocket for the Torinese chocolate bar he knew Aspanu wouldn't resist. When he broke off a piece and pressed it to his lips, still bemused by this new nutrition arrangement of theirs, Aspanu took it immediately as predicted.

'You actually bit me!' He pulled his hand away, wiping it in Aspanu's shirt who only hummed in amusement. 'Now have some more bread, yes?'

Aspanu obliged, cajoled by his unspoken bargain. Slowly, comforted by the gentleness of the strong hands coaxing him and the steadinessof the body holding him up, he finished the orange and all but one pieces of bread, insisting on Turi eating some, no matter how much he insisted he'd already eaten wjth his men.

When Turi laid him down on their combined sleepingbags, he was relieved to see some of the colour had returned to his face. Dark, delicate with consumption, his mind was taken to the arab dancers he'd seen at the carnival once. This, and all thoughts, left him as Aspanu started coughing again, the small truce his lungs had given them over. He gave the larger man a look between jaded and resigned, but let him wipe the blood away.

'Open your shirt.'

Aspanu quirked lip at that, but figured he had no real reason to deny him that. His eyes were calculating as he undid the buttons, but Turi only looked worried back at him. When he'd finished, he kneeled around his hips.

'This will be cold.'

'What...' Aspanu's loss for words was momentarily. 'What will be cold?' His only response was the ball of his friend's hand pushing down on his chest. His wet hand. 'Turi...'

'Giuseppinna told me her husband heard about it in Corleone. I'm going to help your lungs.' He stopped to take in Aspanu's flushed expression, checked his temperature. 'It's supposed to be done with vinegar, I can go to the camp to see if there's any...'

'No.' His protest was joined by his hand resting over Turi's, still on his chest. 'No, I think the smell will make me nauseous.'

Turi thought about it for a moment, then sighed out a laugh. 'Right. Don't get nauseous.'

He put the rest of the chocolate in his hand and resumed his task with light, circular movements on his friend's skin. It was dark against his and hot as he expected, softer than he knew to expect. Aspau ate slowly, he wasn't nauseous but there was this tension setting in his stomach that felt inadequate in this moment. Maybe Turi's touch was too light.

'You can press harder.' At the quizzical look that answered him, he only raised the sweet to his friend. 'I think you should press harder'.

Turi took a bite, then pressed down with one hand on top of the other, small firm circles down the centre of the thin chest. Aspanu gasped when he made it to his solar plexus.

'I don't think...'

'Right, ribs.'

Night falls, the best time of the day if you ask Malleus Draconia, the time were it's way easier to avoid your knights, and babysitter, avoid the whispers of envy and fear, avoid your own destiny if he would be so bold to say, and a time... the only time, were he can meet a dear friend of his... but seems tonight you are late, and nowhere to be found on your usual spot were you await his arrival, with those eyes that when fall on him shine so bright, he wishes that this happines you have towards him never fade...

"TSUNOTARO!" Your voice stops his tray of thought, you're running on your pajamas wich is... unpratical for a cold night, but you never fail to surprise him "you won't BELIVE what i found this morning, HOLLY SEVEN you're gonna LOVE IT!"

"Slow down child, what is so important that you're lat-" you grab his hands and start pulling him to Hamshack, let's say that he's allowing you to pull him, it is NOT that you startled him and it is absolutely not the fact that it might be the first time you held hands, and yours are so warm.

"So~ you like gargoyles right?" You close the door while he sits on the couch, making himself comfortable, the ghosts are finishing setting up the tv, and Grim was discovering the goods of popcorn besides him.

"Yes, I thought you already knew that, It is a comum topic of our nightly conversations after all"

"Geez it's a retorical question dumbass" Grim answer with a full mouth, he'll let the audacity slide... for now.

You ignore Grim's rude answer, bouncing besides the tv putting the first tape, picking the controler and jumping to the couch besides him.

"This show is called, you guessed it, Gargoyles" you explained wille choosing the set ups "this show exists on my world too! I can't belive I found it earlier, can you belive objects appear and disappear on this dorm? Crazy right? Anyway the show is about-"

For the name alone you had his interest, as the time went on, he was about to tell you that, the name was proposterous for the character are grotesques and not gargoyles because the diference of function, but retained himself when he saw how much fun you were having.

You looked so fondly to the screen, nostalgia written all over your face, all those characters, all those interactions, they are all fond memories that you're remembering and sharing with him, letting he see this side of you, a more comfortable and relaxed side, showing a little bit of your world that you, sevens knows how, found on this strange world you're trapped in, you're trying to bond with him, and for the first time, malleus doesn't have the ego to brag about the inconsistency of the show anymore

It was kida hard not to be picky, but as time went on, comedy kicked in and the more interesting plot point arived, he found himself hooked, unfortunately it was so late, and you're only human after all, one that have school tomorrow, you both bind farewell with the promise to watch again next night.

Some days later, a distraught Silver rushes to Lilian after noticing something strange "fath- Lord Lilian! There's something wrong with the young master"

"Oh? And what might that be ?"

"I noticed just now, but I have, again, mistaken a grotesque for a gargoyle earlier today, but the young master didn't corrected me, is he sick?"

"Humm... maybe he just doesn't care?"

"But he has cared before"

"Maybe our young master is maturing faster than I imagined"

"Yeah.... maybe... but I still want to make sure, were's he now anyway?"

"Wasn't he with Sebek?"

Distantly a very loud screen can be heard

After grabbing some dinner, Jamie was absolutely fascinated with the concept of barbeque and Dani spent most of dinner trying to figure out how she was going to get the sauce stains out of Jamie’s shirt, they made their way back to their room. 

They both quietly got ready for bed, performing a silent dance they had perfected throughout their nights in different rooms scattered along the east coast. First Dani would take the bathroom while Jamie stepped out for a smoke, scrubbing her face free of makeup and combing her hair. After Dani was done, Jamie made her way in, brushing her teeth and putting on her favorite matching pajama set.

“Do you want me to soak that shirt you had on?” Dani said absentmindedly from where she was looking through her bags, trying to find the book she had started on the last leg of their journey.

“Yeah if you don’t mind that would be great,” Jamie replied after spitting out her mouth full of toothpaste. 

Dani picked up the shirt and made her way into the bathroom, turning the sink on as Jamie stepped out of the way to sit on the edge of the tub while Dani went to work.

As Dani started wetting the shirt and looking in her toiletry bag for the small spot treatment she knew she brought with her she could feel eyes on her. 

“Would it kill you to keep the sauce on the ribs next time?” She said as she looked next to her to see Jamie looking at her with a dopey smile on her face.

“What?” Dani smiled back at her, going back to what she was doing.

“Nothing,” Jamie replied, continuing to smile, “just watching. And yes, actually, the mess is half the fun.”

Dani rolled her eyes, knowing Jamie was messing with her. She went back to trying to scrub the stain out. She felt, rather than saw, Jamie move from her perch to stand behind her. She looked up and made eye contact in the mirror with Jamie.

“Dani?” Jamie said as she took a step closer so her shoulder was against Dani’s back and reached out to turn the sink off.

“Yeah?” Dani responded, turning her face to look at Jamie next to her.

“Kiss me,” Jamie whispered, her face was so close her breath ghosted across the bridge of Dani’s nose. It was all the invitation she needed before leaning in to firmly kiss Jamie. The stain on the shirt forgotten.