47.

He doesn’t want to be the one to interrupt something, or to pull him out of some sort of process. He just felt the need to come to him. It is stupid, but it is true.
Arlon stops moving around the split second he hears the door open. So he was right; Elai was approaching him. He felt him coming minutes ago. It was an odd feeling, and he wasn’t sure why he felt it. It is weird now that it becomes the truth; Elai was after him.
Arlon doesn’t think about his actions and allows his fire to shoot out of his hand. Elai, with the amount of lessons he has had, easily dodges the hot streak.
“Close.” He says, his body getting ready to fight for some odd reason. It is as if they both feel each other’s thoughts, as if the connection between them has deepened without any notice.
“Grab a sword.” Arlon points at the weapons on the side of the arena as the other one holds onto his own. It is still covered in fire, the orange streaks eating up the blade without harming it.
Elai doesn’t hesitate to do as the king says, hands grabbing a tight hold of one of the simple swords. He wishes to have one of his own someday, one that Connie or Cesilia will craft for him. It is a weird wish to have when he should be thinking about other things. It feels good to disobey his father’s wishes, though.
Would king Heseras be thinking of his exiled son?
Elai doesn’t believe so as he strikes first, startling the king. Their swords clash as their eyes lock. The heat of Arlon’s blade comes close to Elai’s face. Close enough to leave a mark on the boy’s cheek. He doesn’t grit his teeth, though. No. The prince smiles.
“You have become strong.” Arlon’s eyes slowly travel down to look at Elai’s muscled arms. His grip has become firm and his legs keep the boy in place with ease.
“You’ve missed quite a few weeks of my progress.”
“No- I mean- you’ve become strong.” Arlon puts a different tone onto the word.
Elai huffs. “You seem tense about it.”
“Rather amused.” They both talk with heavy breaths as the swords strike over and over again. Elai isn’t as good with his feet as Arlon is yet the boy keeps up with him with ease. It is like dancing together, dancing the way they did earlier this night. They are in complete unison, as if they both know what move the other is going to make. And perhaps they do; perhaps the connection has grown that strong.
“Amused, huh? Aren’t you afraid I am going to beat you, moonlight?”
The nickname still makes Arlon weak in the knees.
“You think you can beat the king of Turi, sunshine?” Arlon raises his eyebrows as he moves his foot towards Elai’s leg. It is a quick decision, one that Elai couldn’t see coming.
The boy falls down, back hitting the ground. A gasp leaves his mouth as he watches the sword hover over him, his own now trying to protect him with all the strength he has. It is in this moment that Arlon looks frightening. The light makes him look like a mere shadow, a dark figure with burning eyes and a devilish grin on his face. He is terrifying. Is this how the men on the battle field see him?
“Yes.” Elai answers, even though his eyes fear the image in front of him. If Elai didn’t know better, he’d believe this man was a god.
But he knows better. Right?
“Prove it to me.” The fire that licks his sword becomes hotter and hotter until the burning tops turn blue. Elai watches it happen with widened eyes; Arlon is much more than he often pretends to be. Elai should’ve read more books about the young king of Turi, maybe then he would’ve realized what kind of fear he should be having towards this man.
But it is too late for that; now his heart already desires him.
“Arlon-“ Elai has to grit his teeth the harder it gets to push his sword back.
“Prove it, then.” He says it twice. He doesn’t seem to notice the weakening look that is appearing on Elai’s face.
“Stop-“ The fire is getting too close. It is getting too much.
Elai takes a deep breath before he makes a decision he didn’t expect to make. He loosens his strength, the burning blade almost cutting through his face. But it never does; Elai has taken over Arlon’s bones with a loud yell, his mouth wet and his eyes filled with fury.
“Stop it!” The boy is as equally terrifying as Arlon is.
It startles the king. He falls back into the mud, sword dropping beside him and flames disappearing from their sight. Elai’s breath is heavy as he looks back at the widened eyes of the king. “You could’ve fucking killed me!” Elai spits out as his hands slide deeper into the mud. His back hurts, and so does his face. He was about to be burned alive, all because of the king’s pure absence. “You’re truly something, Blacking out while fighting me! Are you fucking nuts?!” Elai wants to go on and on, wants to yell at him until his throat gets sore, but it rushes away from him when he feels Arlon’s gloves hand reach for his cheek. The king is on his knees between Elai’s legs, his eyes filled with amusement. “You are one to talk to your king like that..” Those are the last words he says before his lips crash against Elai’s own. He’s eager, one hand now grabbing a hold of the back of Elai’s neck.
Elai tries to kiss back with a frown on his face; Arlon is quite obviously all over the place. He recognizes this behavior. All too well, even. It is one of the things Elai struggles with as well. The only thing is that his veins stay their original color. Unlike Arlon. Elai peaks through his closed eyelids and sees the way the king’s veins light up. His muscles are tense as he tries to push Elai over, the boy keeping his hands firmly dug into the mud.
“Arlon-“ He whispers when he gets the chance, still feeling Arlon’s lips touch his. “I keep making promises I can’t keep-“ Arlon doesn’t want to talk about his emotions and what is happening inside of his mind; he just wants to focus on feeling good. On making Elai feel good, even.
“What do you mean-“ They’re both out of breath yet Elai still refuses to lay down in the mud completely. He won’t take advantage of a man who is clearly not there with his head. No matter how much he’d love to have his hands all over the king’s body.
“I told you when the time is right but- I can’t wait any longer-“ Arlon’s words are mumbled and breathy as he tries his best to unbutton Elai’s blouse.
“You will have to wait, Makuyi.” It is weird to speak Lylenian now that Elai’s identity has been revealed. It feels so.. different.
“Hey-“ The kisses finally stop when Elai grabs a hold of Arlon’s arm. He doesn’t use his ability, like he normally would’ve done. He doesn’t know why that idea doesn’t even pop into his head. “You’re a mess.” The blonde boy breathes out as he looks at Arlon’s face. the king looks a little lost, if he has to be honest. His face isn’t filled with desire like it was last time, and it encourages Elai to get him to calm down. The prince needs him to be present if he wants this to happen.
“Why did you go?” He isn’t sure if it was the right thing to ask.
His veins stay yellow. Better yet; the color deepens. “I was tired.”
“And thus you went home to train? Because you’re tired?” Elai knows he’s made a stupid decision to try and talk. Connie was right.
Arlon leans back, heels digging into his ass. “Are you fucking kidding me?” Elai watches the man’s thighs tense up when he stands up, and for a tiny moment, he feels regret. Maybe he should’ve just let it happen. Now they’re back at the continuous arguing they’re so good at.
“What is it that you want to know so badly?!” Arlon spreads his arms as his angry eyes look down at Elai, who is still trying to catch his breath. Yeah. This definitely was the worst decision to make. Now the king is unable to control his fire, hands burning and veins brightly shining their yellow.
“You want my past? You want to hear about how I’ve been beaten, raped and manipulated?! Is that what you want to hear?!” Arlon spits the words out without thinking. He breaks his own rule and lets it out, a thing that brings Elai to keep his mouth shut. Not because he doesn’t want to talk back to him, no, but because of the shock Arlon’s confession brings to him. The prince’s eyes are wide as he looks at the pacing Arlon, unable to let a single word fall out of his mouth. He knew Eryx was a bad man, but he didn’t know how bad he was. Not until now. He doesn’t know if he should feel relieved now that he knows what haunts Arlon. He doesn’t know if he should feel guilty, or sorry, or feel anything at all.
He does know he won’t say another word, not even when Arlon walks away from him. He can hear the whimpers leave the king’s mouth, he can hear the way his fingers roam through his hair. It startles the boy when the door shuts behind Arlon, and the arena suddenly feels even bigger than it already is. Elai feels the lump growing in his throat as he blinks away his tears. He was aware of Arlon’s struggles, but he wasn’t aware that they were this bad. They were.. absolutely horrifying. He will not sleep. Not tonight. Not now that scenario’s roam through his head.