Zèklè

In the time since Själ had seen him last, her badass had learned some important things. Like: friends are the people who don't leave even when your Ma gets really mad at them. Or: being a big brother is hard, but also pretty rewarding except for when it's not. And, most relevantly: people had this awesome habit of showing up exactly where and when you want them to, almost as though something, or someone, was conspiring to put them there.

Weird, huh?

It was a bright day, and Zero was determined to make the most of it, to enjoy the last of the sunlight before winter bore down and blanketed the world in cold. He'd set off without a set destination in mind, wanting to get somewhere without any real concept of where- just so long as he was out of the Throat, far away from where the confusion of his family loomed mountainous and overwhelming over his small bay form. Lately the boy had found himself wishing that things could go back to 'normal', when it was just him and Ma and that was enough. Before anyone cared who his Da was, before he'd broken his wing, before Mesec and Gaucho and Tae and Grusha had made things confusing- when it was just them, Zèklè and Ma, a duo who could take on the world without it interfering.

That's not to say that he didn't love his sisters- he did. They were his sisters. He was pretty much doomed to love them forever. But them being around made things so complicated, and Zero had never been a complicated kid- in fact, he'd made it a very distinct point to avoid complicated issues, thank you very much. He liked his adventures, and his rocks, and friends and whales and stories and Ma. Sisters and Da's were just unnecessary drama, and sometimes (though he'd never tell them) the lightning boy wished that they would just go away.

Ugh, but no, no more of that. Zero frowned and set his jaw, orange eyes bright with stubborn determination. He was determined to have a good day and be happy, and he wasn't about to let his confusion over the world get in the way of his enjoyment. The world could just be complicated without him. He was gonna go have fun.

He continued on his path north-ish, not quite sure where he was going but now more determined than ever to get there. Maybe he'd go seek out one of his friends, see if they wanted to share an adventure. The idea brightened him considerably. Yeah!

But who to choose?

Somehow, immediately, he began to think about Själ. Or maybe she was already on his mind, and that's why he'd wound up so far north, outside his normal roaming territory while still within the realm of known geography. He hadn't seen his errant princess in quite some time. Was she well? Had she made herself a home somewhere, a home of ice and stone and flowing water, found a kingdom just for her? Maybe she wasn't even here anymore- it had been a while, after all, and they were both older now. Maybe she'd forgotten her badass.

Or maybe she was there, exactly where he'd left her, just waiting for him to show up and sweep her off her feet say Hi.

Because she was there, her back to him, and despite the time that had passed the boy saw her from a distance and knew at once who it was. A grin stretched lopsided across his face- he wanted to run to her, to appear beside her and make her laugh, and so he did, his wing flapping inelegantly behind him like a flag as he trotted toward the snow-bitten maiden, sunbeam eyes bright in an older, but still vibrant, face. "Hey, Princess!" the boy cried out, nothing but innocent delight in his deepening voice. "Did'ja miss me?"

(I missed you, he doesn't say, because it's obvious in the way he smiles up at her, in the way he stops by her side, head tilted and wild mane falling across his eyes. It's in the way his tailfeathers splay just so, in the way he kind of prances in place, youthful eagerness making every line of his body vibrate like a string. It's in the way his wing relaxes instead of curling up against his back, as though trying to sink down into his skin. Because Själ is pretty and clever and sharp, and she's a memory of when things were simpler, easier- and he's happy to be her badass, her badass, at least for today.)

Zèklè

Zero had always been a simple child, with simple emotions. And sure, sometimes complicated things happened to him, or he would up in stressful situations- and sure, occasionally he would even have to deal with two or even three feelings at the same time. But in general - and especially when it came to his friends - the boy rarely felt more than one thing at any given time, and that was why friends were the best. It wasn't complicated, it wasn't stressful, and it definitely wasn't difficult to understand.

But then Själ turned around in slow motion with her hair and her smile and her eyes and her laugh and suddenly Zero's heart was doing a funny, bumpy, flip-floppy thing that was definitely not simple, not at all, and Zero was at a loss.

Because not so long ago she'd been a little filly and he's been a little colt, and that was that. But now, now- now he was still a little colt, but she was definitely more than just a little filly, and the feelings he inspired within him were deeply, horribly complicated. His grin faltered and shifted into something powerfully bashful and self-conscious, and a flush rose hotly into his cheeks as he shuffled uneasily, powerfully aware of how stupid his greeting had been and desperately trying to pull himself into what he hoped was a cool, calm, collected pose.

Then she bumped her nose against her, and boy, did it all fall apart.

"YEAH!" the lightning boy exclaimed loudly, pointlessly (in response to what, even?), his voice echoing like a mockery in his own head. Was it hot? It was definitely hot. Zero fidgeted, his face split in a helpless grin as he tried to look anywhere but at the (his?) princess. Try to be cool, like Erebos or Ode- but that was hard, and complicated, and none of this was going well at all. His eyes roved hopelessly around and settled on Ansgar, who had also been significantly smaller the last time they'd met. Good- this was something he could talk about that wasn't her, or him. Neutral ground. He exhaled.

"So how's your 'panion she looks a lot bigger an' she's really beautiful I bet she flies great I don't got a 'panion but my sisters do I got two sisters now an'..." he inhaled deeply and colored again, suddenly realizing that he was babbling and definitely not cool. Maybe he should stop trying so hard. Ma always told him to just be himself, and even though Själ was super extra pretty now she was still the same Själ, right, and she liked him as a friend and maybe if he was just more him she'd like him more?

It was a theory, at least. And it made him feel much calmer.

At last he let his eyes turn properly to Själ, lopsided smile lodged securely on his face. "A lotta stuff's happened," he grinned to the girl (much quieter now, thank goodness) "An' I wanna tell you about all of it, an' find out all about you..." he paused, and reached his nose out toward her (and was that his heartbeat in his ears?).

Then his grin was back, bright and mischievous, and he was back to being her Badass and they were back to being friends. "But first we gotta climb this mountain, so you can be Princess of it an' me an' your 'panion can be your noble knights! Wha'd'ya say, huh?"

This last part was directed at Ansgar, but his ears stayed on Själ, eager for her answer and that beautiful smile.

One thing was certain- Zero was going to be in a fair bit of trouble if all his crushes hit this hard.

Zèklè

This was all so terribly, horribly strange, and poor Zero had no experience on which to base his actions, or to gauge her response. He would have been nervous, desperately nervous, except that when Själ laughed she laughed with him, not at him (he hoped), and that made his chest swell with something complicated, yet pleasant. Laughing was good. Laughing was familiar. Slowly the lightning-backed boy relaxed, his frenzied heartbeat growing a little bit slower and a little bit louder as her radiant smile blossomed, bright enough to match his own.

The boy danced in place on iron hooves as he waited for his princess' answer, sunbeam eyes bright and enthusiastic, tailfeathers glinting blue in the light. He wanted her to say yes- and she did, in a way, though her answer left the boy quieter than usual, a troubled thought running through his mind.

But she was off before he could reply, her tail dancing (so pretty) in the breeze, hips swaying (holy Sun God how had he not known about hips before?) neatly. For a minute he could only stare, dumbfounded, mouth slightly agape and brain empty - or maybe too full. Why were girls so pretty? That wasn't fair, especially when he wasn't handsome, when he was barely more than a pile of black and brown fur on stilts, still awkward in his youth, with a too-big wing and a too-short tail. For all his smiles and all his joy he was really just a kid with one wing in the end, and she was a princess, and what chance did he even have, and-

-and she was quickly getting ahead of him.

Zero blinked, his face growing powerfully hot, and thanked whatever gods were listening from the sky and the sea that she hadn't been looking because oh my Sun that would have been embarrassing! Scrambling inelegantly, the boy threw his wing over his back and tried to pull himself into a trot-canter, jumping to catch up with the taller Själ before falling into step beside her.

Panting, the boy finally voiced the thought that had been troubling him. "I don't know if I wanna be a King," he answered, thinking of Gaucho and how angry and busy the Sultan always seemed. "I think king's have a lot of pressure on 'em. I'd rather be a knight, an' not have to worry 'bout what people think of me, an' have more time- y'know, to spend with the people I love."

"...people I love."

"...people I ... love."

"...I love."

"...love..."

Oh, gods, did I really just say that?

"But I'd be your prince, if you really wanted!" Nope nope nope. He was only making things worse. Desperate now, he remembered her other comment, latching onto it like a drowning tortoise might cling to a giraffe-shaped floatie. "But yeah I have sisters!" he exclaimed wildly, "An' they have 'panions, which Ma was upset about 'cus she doesn't like 'panions even though I don't see what's so bad about 'em. Ouch!" He stumbled on a loose rock, splaying his wing out toward her as he struggled to regain his balance. The path was steep.

"I dunno, though- at first I was angry 'bout havin' sisters, 'cus nobody told me or anything. But then I was happy 'cus, I dunno, it was kinda cool bein' a big brother. But now... I dunno. They're weird, kinda, an' sometimes I feel like I don't understand them." His lips twisted, a conflicted expression crossing his face before it cleared and the boy's shoulders rolled in a gentle shrug. "But that's OK, I'll figure it out! Whatabout you, you got any brothers or sisters or..." boyfriends? he silently added, but for once Zero held his tongue, holding himself to a shy, hopeful look which he directed at the filly, his trademark grin peeking around his inky lips.

Zèklè

The lightning boy nodded seriously as Själ, too, denounced the weight of royalty. Mothers who were queens, he silently decided, were probably just as bad as Das who were sultans. Once upon a time Zero had thought it to be something of his birthright, that he was a mighty prince of the Throat- but as surely as his mother had given up her position as Sultana long ago, the boy had eventually discarded this particular life goal. It would be much better, he'd decided, to be a great fighter and hero and badass of the entire world, than just a Prince of the Throat.

Besides, Gaucho had like a zillion children who were 100% his and not just maybe his, and so being a prince wasn't even that special, really.

They continued up the steep mountainside, two children caught up in an adult's world, trapped beneath the weights of their mothers, even if the lightning boy didn't exactly see it that way. Black lips contorted into an expression of uncertainty, his ears dropping down as he attempted to voice Ampere's opinion on companions- something he had never really come to terms with, himself, but accepted nonetheless because it was Ma. "I guess she thinks that nobody oughta be forced to be with someone else, y'know? That 'panions oughta be able t'choose if they're gonna bond, 'stead of bein' born into it." Zero sighed, shaking his head- it was horribly complicated, and the boy didn't like to think about it too hard. He shrugged. "But I never met a 'panion who wasn't happy bein' bonded, I think, so... I dunno."

It didn't help that Ma was bonded, now, too. Or that his sisters both were. In fact it only made things worse.

He was happy to turn the subject back to her, although that happiness quickly faded, his expression flashing from disbelief to righteous anger as Själ described her family. "What a bitch!" the boy exclaimed, mouth fumbling over the unfamiliar insult (one he had heard Ma use to describe mares she did not like, which seemed appropriate here). "How could anyone hate you? You're awesome!" So earnest and emphatic was his opinion on the matter that for a moment he forgot about his strange new feelings and simply stared at her, a protective disbelief adamant in his sunbeam eyes. How dare anyone tell his Själ to leave?! Why if he'd been there he would've- would've-

Then he realized he was staring and quickly looked away, powerful embarrassment mixing with his dislike for Själ's sister, who was obviously an idiot anyway.

He shrugged at the mention of his own sisters, his anger quickly subsiding. "They're just babies, 'cept they keep actin' like they're grown up and it drives Ma crazy," the boy explained sagely, blissfully oblivious to the share of insanity he'd unwittingly added to Ampere's life. Then he perked up. "But my Ma's awesome! She knows all the best stories, an' she's teachin' me to fight 'cus she's a great warrior, an' she used to be Sultana of the Throat but she stopped 'cus she wanted to be able to do more stuff an' have adventures an' spend time with me!" If the filly felt any discomfort or sadness as Zero described his mother, the boy did not notice. He was fully recovered from his earlier dismay, always more than happy to brag about the Ma he adored to anyone who would listen.

"Anyway, we live in the Dragon's Throat, an'- HEY!" he practically shouted, because just then he got a perfect idea, and he couldn't bear to hold it in. "Why don't you an' Ansgar come to the Throat? It's really warm an' nice an' everyone's super friendly an' you could live with me-" Oh, no, that was an embarrassing slip. "I mean not with me but in the same place as me, an' then y'could meet my Ma an' my sisters an' I could show you all around an'- an'-"

He sputtered, catching himself, pulling himself into a facade of calm so she wouldn't think he was too desperate. "I mean, y'know, if you want to." But his eyes shone with hopeful affection, and his tailfeathers shook with anticipation at her answers. "You could be whatever you wanted. You don't have to be alone anymore," he finished softly, a quiet promise in his earnest voice, a quavering and youthful pledge from a Badass to his Princess Själ. "You never have to be alone again."