Playing With Fire

Souhait always loved drinking Nova's lavender and lemon tea in their cottage. It always kept him calm and relaxed, no matter what sort of peril faced them both. Today was no exception too; he was taking small and slow sips of the usual with his eyes closed.

"This is bliss." He muttered as he savored the aroma.

When he placed his cup down, he opened his eyes and saw the entire cottage ignited in lavender fire. He wasn't bothered by the sight unlike Polaris who was bouncing back and forth in panic. He placed a hand to the nearest flame; he felt heat coming from it, but it wasn't burning him.

"Master Nova, please calm down!"

Nova's face was buried into his knees as he was leaning against a corner. The room's temperature got hotter the more Polaris spoke to him. Nova retorted, "How can I calm down when my naked self was revealed in front of Arcturus?" He spoke so fast that it sounded as if he was babbling.

"Master Nova, you and Arcturus are both men, so it's fine to see each other in the nude!"

"No, you don't understand, Polaris!"

The fire became brighter and hotter. Souhait stood up. "Let me handle this."

Polaris became even more panicked. "Are you sure, my liege? My own consoling words have no effect on Master Nova."

"Relax. I know how to calm Nova down easily." He walked over towards Nova and knelt down. "How are you feeling?"

"Embarrassed." Nova muttered.

"Why? Are you embarrassed because Arcturus saw you naked or that he washed your body?"

"Both."

"Like what Polaris said, it is definitely normal for two men to see each other naked. The fact that he washed you himself means that he is taking his job of protecting us very seriously."

"I know that."

"I also know that you fancy him, which is why you are even more embarrassed."

Nova had no response. Souhait then took a deep breath. I really do not want to do this, but if it means stopping the fire in the cottage, then I will do it.

"Nova, I hate to say this, but Arcturus does not feel the same way about you as you feel about him."

The fire stopped spreading; Souhait felt the heat dissipating as the cottage soon became its usual room temperature. Nova peeked a glance at Souhait while maintaining his fetal position.

"I am aware of that."

"That means looking at your body means nothing to him."

Polaris gasped. "My liege, please tone down the severity of your words."

The flames quickly disappeared. A small stormy cloud formed above Nova's head. "I am aware of that too…"

"Then stop being so embarrassed."

Rain droplets started drizzling down Nova's head. The water went into his hair, but it wasn't getting wet. "I guess he's not interested in me, then…"

Souhait started worrying about seeing Nova in such a depressed state. He wanted to calm him down, but he did the opposite. After pondering a few solutions, he had a bright idea. "Nova, since you are still exhausted from that airship ordeal, how about I trade places with you? That way, I can talk to Arcturus and ask how he feels about you."

Nova raised his head. His face contorted into worry. "Aren't you exhausted from the transformation?"

"It is fine. I can still walk around fine, but we can not grant wishes as you are still exhausted and tired."

The rain stopped. "If you say so…just don't wear yourself too much when you come to reality. You do have a tendency to get too carried away." The clouds gradually got smaller.

Souhait sighed after listening to Nova's nagging. "I will be fine. I will do my best to control myself. Besides, sleeping around for three days will not get us anywhere. We have so many things we need to do."

He then reached a hand out and the purple earring appeared from his palm. "We need answers regarding that Monarch Shiftie. I think asking that Shiftie girl, Constance, will be our best bet. I also want to talk with Arcturus in this human form. I cannot wait to see the exasperated look on his face when he sees this form for the very first time." He plastered a mischievous smile on his face.

Polaris sighed. "Just don't do anything too crazy like stealing food from people's kitchens. You did that once and it was the worst thing ever."

Souhait closed his hand so that the earring went back into his palm. He then hummed teasingly. "Oh, come on, Polaris. That was centuries ago. Besides, Nova and Arcturus stole and ate food from the airship."

Polaris clammed up, but then he became deep in thought. He muttered, "Touche."

Nova's clouds gradually got smaller. "Souhait, you better ask Arc what he thinks of me, okay?"

"I promise."

After his declaration, Souhait proceeded to gather some of his long hair and then headed towards the door. He took one hand towards the knob and opened it. He leaned forward and fell into the void with all of his hair tagging along.

As he fell, he thought about how long it has been since he last came to reality in his human form. He thought about how Arcturus would react when he would see this form for the very first time. Would he be exasperated? Imagining his default, sleepy looking face contorting into one with protruding eyes and a wide gaping mouth amused him; he couldn't wait to meet Arcturus in reality.

He closed his eyes. The feeling of fall stopped, causing him to open his eyes to find himself staring at a ceiling. The pleasant aroma of food caught his attention the most. He turned his head to see that Arcturus was preparing the dining table with Murphy. His stomach started growling as he sat up; he wanted food.

He glanced over and saw that Murphy noticed him. His eyes widened, but then he reverted back to his composed state as he got out another table mat and cutlery. Arcturus had been confused and when Murphy had mentioned someone next to him, that was when Arcturus's eyes locked onto Souhait's.

His reaction was much better than he had anticipated. He still had the protruding eyes and gaping mouth, but the body language had enhanced the reaction. He turned to look at the bed and then back at him.

"Who are you?"

"It is me, Souhait."

Arcturus blinked a few times before yelling out, "WHAT?"