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Asra forced his eyes open and stared uncomprehendingly in front of him. He knew he was in his bathroom of the shop, but he had no memory or knowledge of how he got there. He was laying against the tub on the floor, head pounding, body sweating uncontrollably, and shivering. He managed to look around a bit more and he spotted Faust on the bathroom floor. He grinned lazily at the sight of her but the grin swiftly fell as he noticed something off.
“Faust,” he called out to her in a raspy voice, but she didn’t respond. Fear shot through him, adrenalin spiking and allowing him to crawl over to her. He gently wrapped his hand around her and immediately felt relief at the sensation of her breathing. As he gathered her up in his hands, his fear spiked again as she felt unnaturally limp.
“Faust,” he croaked again. Yet again, she didn’t respond. Asra tried to remain calm but his fear was starting to get the better of him. His head jolted with pain and he cried out. He still couldn’t remember what happened for them to get to this point.
He racked his brain for anyone who could help. His mind settled on his parents living in the castle. They were the most knowledgeable magicians in the area and would know how to help something that was affecting his familiar too. He forced himself to stand and gently cradled Faust to his chest. He stumbled down the stairs and instinctively looked for Graece, his former apprentice. He shook his head frustratedly as he remembered that they were with Julian to help him learn about healing magic for the last few weeks. Asra glanced down at Faust before grabbing his bag and stumbling out the door, not bothering to place any protection charms or even lock the door.
As he stumbled through the streets, he realized that it was late at night. The last he remembered was waking up with a slight headache early that morning. At least, he thought so. Had he spent the entire day in the bathroom? Had it been multiple days?
He pressed onward in a direction that he hoped would lead him to the palace, but he really wasn’t sure. He walked for what felt like hours, but could only have been a few minutes, each step jolting his pounding head.
Finally, he came to an alleyway where he collapsed to the ground. His head felt like it was moving through thick fog and he couldn’t seem to hold on to any thoughts. His heart was fluttering like a dying butterfly.
“Faust,” he croaked, tears beginning to well in his eyes, “I’m so sorry.”
He stroked her unresponsive body with his thumb, clinging to the weak hope that her shallow breaths gave him. He slumped back on the brick wall of a building he didn’t recognize and began crying in earnest.
Suddenly there was a flash and a sound of tinkling bells. Asra pulled his head up to look at the figure emerging from the light and kneeling down to him.
“Oh, little kit,” a familiar and warm voice floated down to him.
“Magician,” Asra whimpered as his eyes met the unusually serious face of the Arcana before him.
“I hate to see you suffer so, little kit,” they murmured as they ran their paw-like hand through his sweat-damp hair.
“Please,” he whispered hoarsely and weakly lifted Faust to the Magician, “Please can you help her?”
“I can not,” the Arcana murmured with a tinge of genuine sorrow in their voice, “But ones who can help you both are nearing here. I came to ensure that fate does not pass them by.”
“Please,” Asra whimpered again and the Magician sighed softly. They began humming a tune that Asra vaguely recognized and running their hand through his hair again. They stayed like that for several minutes before Asra heard distant voices and footsteps.
“Fate calls, little kit,” the Magician murmured, “While it calls for them, do not pass up this opportunity in the midst of illness.”
“Magician,” Asra clutched their wrist weakly as he tried to understand the meaning of their words. As the voices grew closer, Asra’s eyes widened in recognition.
“Graece,” he croaked, looking up at the Magician, “and Ilya.”
“Yes,” the Magician hummed as they stood, a light glow beginning to emanate from them.
“Hey,” Asra heard Graece call out, “Ilya, come over here a sec, I want to check this out.”
“Ok,” came Julian’s confused reply. The footsteps grew closer and the Magician turned and faced the entrance to the alley, their hand still buried in Asra’s hair.
“What the hell?” Asra heard Julian cry out.
“Asra!?” Graece called out as they ran over, “Magician!”
“Graece, Julian,” the Magician acknowledged.
“What’s going on? Is Asra ok?” Julian asked, panic beginning to tinge his voice.
“Take him to the palace, there are ones there who can help,” the Magician commanded. Julian nodded and scooped the smaller form into his arms. After his few escapades in the Arcana’s realm, Julian knew it was unlikely that they would get any helpful more information out of the Magician.
As they turned to leave, the Magician stepped forward and ran their hands through Asra’s hair one last time murmuring, “Take care of my little kit, yes?”
Julian and Graece could only nod, dumbfounded at the Magician’s show of genuine emotion. The Magician nodded and gave their signature knowing smirk before fading with a flash of light and a tinkling of bells. Julian and Graece stared at the spot where they disappeared for longer than they would like to admit before Asra let out a low moan. Their attention snapped to him.
“Asra,” Graece spoke up, “What happened? Are you ok?”
“Hurts,” Asra whimpered, “S’mthing’s wr’ng with Faust.” He held up the limp snake and Julian and Graece gasped.
“Faust!” Graece cried as they took the snake from Asra’s shaking hands, “She’s breathing, but she’s not responding.”
“Ok,” Julian’s voice slipped into what Graece liked to call his ‘doctor voice,’ “The Magician was right, there’s bound to be someone at the palace that can help.”
Graece nodded and they both took off towards that palace as fast as they could manage. Julian let them through alleyways and over paths that, until a few months ago, Graece would have never known about. They reached the palace in record time, even with Julian carrying Asra’s extra weight.
“Please, quickly,” Julian called as they skidded to a stop in front of the guards at the palace gate, “We must see the Countess, it’s an emergency.”
“Of course, Doctor,” one of the guards moved quickly to open the gate.
“Thank you,” Graece called out as they sprinted across the bridge and into the palace followed by a guard. Once they were in the palace, the guard stopped them and spoke.
“Stay here, I will find the Countess,” she said and ran down a corridor.
In the meantime, Julian looked down as Asra in his arms and began searching for any clues as to what was causing all of this. His first instinct was to peel open Asra’s fluttering eyelids and check for the Red Plague. Luckily, there was no sign of the telltale reddening of the sclera. He then gently pressed his fingers into Asra’s neck to check his pulse. Julain’s eyes widened as he felt the erratic heartbeat that thrummed through the vein in the magician’s neck. He also noticed his body temperature was higher than usual as the smaller form was pressed against the doctor’s chest.
Before he could make any more observations, the guard returned with Nadia in tow. She was wearing her nightgown and looked more frazzled than Graece had ever seen her, even during the Lucio Debacle™. Still, her presence commanded respect and she began assessing the situation. Her eyes widened and she rushed forward when she spotted Asra’s unconscious form in Julian’s arms. She looked up at Julian and over at Graece where she saw Faust’s limp body in their hands.
“Come,” she said, already turning back down the corridor, “Let us go to a more private room.”
Graece and Julian followed at a brisk pace. They walked deep into the palace before coming to a beautifully decorated room.
“Here,” Nadia gestured to a large, plush looking bed, “Place him here and please explain what is happening.”
Julian set Asra down on the bed gently before he began a full examination. He gently tugged away Asra’s satchel and cloak and placed them beside the bed. He then began removing Asra’s thin, sweat-soaked shirt and began searching the skin for any clues as to the magician’s current state.
“We just found them like this,” Graece explained as they stroked Faust’s limp form, “I went over to Julian’s to continue tutoring him in healing magic. I was going to go home this morning but we uh… got a little distracted… and by the time we realized how late it was, Julian offered to walk me home. We were walking to the shop when I felt my magic tug at me and I saw a soft glow coming out of an alleyway. We went over to investigate and found Asra collapsed in the alley with the Magician standing over him.”
“The Magician as in the Arcana?” Nadia interjected incredulously.
“Yeah!” Graece exclaimed, “They told us to take Asra here, that there are people here who can help, and to, and I quote, ‘take care of my little kit.’”
Nadia pondered this as she observed Julian. The doctor's pale fingers were starkly contrasted with the deep olive tone of Asra’s smooth chest. When he didn’t find anything, he gently removed Asra’s skirt, leaving his smallclothes be. He repeated the same gentle movements down Asra’s legs, scanning meticulously for any sign of injury or illness.
“I-I can’t find anything wrong with him besides a slight fever, and his pulse. He shouldn’t be this out of it from a fever, and there’s no obvious reason as to why his heartbeat is so erratic,” Julian ran his hand through his own hair that was now damp with sweat after running around the town. Graece put their hand on Julian’s shoulder.
“It’s ok, love,” they murmured, “I have a feeling this is a magical ailment of some sort for it to be affecting Faust like this.”
Nadia hummed thoughtfully before saying, “If it is a magical ailment… let me try something.”
Julian and Graece nodded. Nadia closed her eyes and took a deep breath before the Arcana’s mark on her head glowed brightly and activated her
Her eyes glowed slightly as she looked over Asra’s form. She gasped as her eyes focused on something on Asra’s chest.
“Graece,” she whispered and held out her hand, “Look at this!”
Graece took Nadia’s hand and maintained their contact with Julian to hopefully transfer whatever they saw to him. When they looked at Asra, their stomach lurched. Emanating from a dark spot on his left pectoral was a dark mass that seemed to eat away at Asra’s beautiful amethyst aura.
“W-what the hell is that?” Julian cried, reaching toward the spot but still not feeling anything.
“I don’t know,” Graece whispered, brushing their magic warily against the spot but recoiling quickly at the sharp jolt of pain and sickness that overcame them, “whatever it is, it’s deeply wrong and it’s hurting both of them.”
Everyone seemed to be at a loss before Nadia spoke.
“Aisha and Salim will know, but I don’t think starting tonight will do any good. Is he stable enough for the night?”
“His aura is still strong so I don’t think he will be in any danger tonight,” Graece said.
“Then let’s rest for the night and come back in the morning refreshed,” Nadia murmured. Julian nodded hesitantly and Graece looked torn.
“Would you two like to stay here with him?” Nadia asked. They both nodded.
“We can just share the bed with him, right Ilya?” Graece murmured. Julian made a choked-off noise and reddened but nodded again.
“Then I bid you both good night, we
find answers in the morning,” Nadia declared before sweeping dramatically out of the room.
Graece gently led Julian in the steps to prepare for bed. Before getting in, they tucked Faust into Asra’s discarded scarf on a bedside table, making sure she was nice and warm. After that, Graece climbed into the far side of the bed behind Asra. Julian hesitantly took the spot of the little spoon and faced Graece creating an Asra sandwich. Graece ran their fingers through Asra’s hair before looking over at Julian’s worried face.
“He’ll be ok, Ilya,” Graece murmured, “he has to be.”
Julian hesitantly ran his own fingers through the snowy hair in front of him before sighing and pressing a gentle kiss to Asra’s sweaty forehead. They both drifted off to troubled sleep with their fingers buried in their magician’s hair.
Julian awoke with a start as he felt something connect with his gut. He shot up in bed, looking around for the assailant but quickly relaxed when he saw it was just Asra thrashing around in his sleep. The night’s events quickly trickled in as the haze of sleep left the doctor and he instinctively checked Asra’s temperature with the back of his hand. He drew it away sharply in alarm at the burning heat radiating off of the magician's forehead.
“Graece,” Julian shook his partner awake as they blearily sat up on the other side of the bed. Graece ran their fingers through Asra’s sweaty hair.
“His temperature is dangerously high,” Julian began but was interrupted by a shout from Asra.
“No! No please!” The magician cried out and struggled against an invisible force, “No! Julian! No! Don't hurt him, please!”
Julian looked up at Graece sharply with wide eyes before turning back to his patient.
“Asra,” the doctor murmured, gathering the sweltering magician up in his arms and shaking him gently, “Asra it’s ok, I’m ok.”
“No,” Asra mumbled and continued to struggle, “No they’re going to kill him! Please no!”
Julian looked up at Graece helplessly as he continued attempting to comfort Asra. Graece
again at the mark on Asra’s aura and shook their head helplessly.
“I still don’t know what’s wrong with him,” they murmured, “I’ve never encountered anything that could do something like this.”
“Is there anything you can do for his nightmare?” Julian asked, “He’s going to hurt himself at this rate.”
“Ilya!” Asra all but screamed in his sleep, “Please they’re going to hurt him please please…” His pleas trailed off into incoherent mumbles and sobs. Graece’s heart broke at Asra’s current state, and they ran through a few options before settling on one.
“I can dreamwalk to him and try and let him know it’s just a dream,” they voiced their idea. Julian, for his part, looked more concerned than skeptical.
“Is it dangerous?” he asked.
“Not very,” they replied, “Asra and I used to do it all the time when he traveled.”
“Ok, if you think it will help, let’s try it,” Julian took a deep breath and released it. Graece’s heart swelled with pride at Julian’s acceptance of a magical solution but kept quiet knowing he would be embarrassed if they mentioned anything. They laid back down on the bed and let themself relax enough to begin dreamwalking.
When Graece opened their eyes, they were greeted by a familiar scene that often haunted their own nightmares. It was the town square in Vesuvia, bustling with people. Not an uncommon thing, except for what was holding the attention of the crowd. Gallows. Built-in the middle of the square. Julian stood alone, the rope already around his neck. He had silent tears streaming down his face. For a moment, they forget it’s just a dream, and panic begins well in them. They begin to take a few stumbling steps towards the gallows.
Suddenly everything snapped back into focus as they remembered what they came here to do. They spot Asra and run over to him. They grasp his shoulders, turn him to face them, and look deep into his eyes.
“Asra,” they called as they gently shook him.
“Graece!” Asra cried as he began panicking more, “Graece they’re going to kill him, he’s innocent! We have to stop them!”
“Asra,” they called again, “Asra this is just a dream, it’s ok, Julian’s safe.”
“Huh?” Asra looked up at them, perplexed.
“It’s just a dream,” they repeated, “Julian is awake and holding you right now, and you’re both safe. I’m dreamwalking right now, you were thrashing around so much we were worried you would hurt yourself.”
“O-oh,” Asra began to calm down but still looked confused. His normally vibrant purple eyes were glazed over and he didn’t seem fully aware. When Graece looked around, the village square had disappeared and was replaced with the wheat field that they used to meet Asra in during their normal dreamwalking. There was a sickly gray that tinged the world around them that indicated to Asra’s fevered state.
“I don’t feel good, Graece,” Asra mumbled as he slumped forward.
“I know, love,” Graece murmured and brought the taller magician into their arms and lowered him to the soft wheat below them, “Ilya and I are going to take care of you, ok?”
“Ok,” Asra replied dreamily, “That sounds nice.”
Graece slowly awoke from their dreamwalking and looked around. Julian was still holding Asra. It took them a moment to realize that there were some additional people in the room. Seeing their initial surprise, Julian spoke.
“The guard heard Asra yelling and went and got Nadia who sent for Aisha and Salim,” Julian explained and nodded to each person as he named them. Graece simply nodded.
“Well there’s good news and bad news,” Salim began, “The good news is that we’re pretty sure we know what’s happening.”
“The bad news is that our dear child has done something dangerous and is now suffering the consequences,” Aisha finished solemnly.
“What did he do?” Graece whispered, terrified of the answer.
“After you broke the Devil’s deals and freed us, Asra spoke to us at length about what had transpired while we were locked away,” Salim said, taking a deep breath to steel himself.
“He told us what happened to you dear Graece,” Aisha murmured. Graece was stunned.
“But he hasn’t even told
what happened to me!” They cried slightly angry.
“And it’s something he regrets deeply,” Aisha looked heartbroken, “but every time he tried you had those horrible migraines, and after several attempts, he couldn’t stand seeing you suffer, so he gave up.”
Graece was silent for a while. They looked over at Julian who shrugged slightly, looking uncertain. They took a deep breath and nodded towards Asra’s parents.
“Dear Graece, he told us how determined you were to help the plague victims. He said that he was so young, just barely into adulthood, and so afraid all he wanted to do was run. You refused and he became angry and left. He was so sure you’d follow him eventually. Several months passed and he didn’t hear from you at all. He became worried and decided to return to Vesuvia. When he did, Julian met him at the docks and gave him the news that he had been dreading. You had contracted the plague and had been sent to the Lazaret, not a week before.”
Graece sat in stunned silence at the implications of those words. They looked over at Julain who looked stunned and pale.
“I died of the plague,” they murmured and Julian flinched violently.
“I remember now,” he whispered in a rasp, “You came to be my apprentice and soothed the sick with your magic while I studied them for the cure.”
Silence ruled the room as the occupants processed the bombshell of information. Julian grasped Graece’s hand as if to reassure himself that they were really there.
“Then-” Julian cleared his throat, “Then how are they… alive?”
“Asra refused to accept that you were gone for good,” Salim picked up the story, “ he put all of his efforts into researching how he could get you back. He heard rumors of a ritual that the count was planning and became curious. He placed himself in a position to get involved and was eventually roped into finding the cure where he met you, dear Ilya.”
Julian blushed and looked away from the two telling the story. He mumbled something unintelligible. Graece squeezed his hand reassuringly and smiled weakly at him.
“He should be telling you this, and he would if he could right now,” Aisha continued, “but he told us with many tears how deeply he regrets how he treated you. It’s no excuse, but he was in a very dark and desperate mindset and he was warped with grief. He wanted so badly to care for you as you deserved, but he couldn’t move past Graece’s death.”
Julian simply nodded mutely, eyes shining with unshed tears.
“When the time came for the ritual, Asra had learned enough to hijack it for his own purposes,” Salim took over once more, “Lucio, as you now know, was putting together a ritual to appease the Devil and gain himself a new body. Asra sabotaged the ritual and offered his own deal with the Devil.”
Graece went pale and Julian gasped.
“No…” Graece whispered, “What did that fool do?!”
Aisha met Graece’s eyes and spoke, “He sacrificed half of his heart to bring you back.”
Graece sat in stunned silence, looking down at the magician they now knew they shared a heart with. The conclusion that Aisha and Salim came to was that being away from Graece for too long put a strain on their bond. Since Asra was the one who made the deal, he was the one to take the brunt of the backlash of the deal.
“We still need to bring his temperature down, it’s dangerously high,” Julian reported, quietly breaking the silence.
“Bring him to my bath, it has enough room for all three of you,” she commanded. Julian turned bright red and Graece nodded mutely.
“We’ll go work on some potions that can help ease him through this,” Salim said, “and we can look after Faust.” Aisha nodded in agreement, gathered Faust into her arms, and shuffled to the door.
“Thank you for caring for him even after all the hurt he’s caused,” Aisha murmured. Graece and Julian nodded in unison as the couple left the room.
Julian gathered Asra’s limp form into his arms. Graece got up behind them and all three of them moved after Nadia and her guard to Nadia’s private chambers. The bathing chambers were magnificent. Graece and Julian had seen them before during the Lucio Debacle™ but this time they barely noticed the splendor around them. Nadia’s servants set about cooling the water to a cold but bearable temperature.
“I’ll leave you two to it then,” Nadia said as she swept from the room.
While the servants worked, Julian and Graece undressed and got into the silky robes for the bath. Once they were dressed, they helped Asra into his robe and moved him towards the water. The servants left when they finished and left the three to get into the bath.
Graece went in first and helped Julian keep Asra’s head above the water. Asra whined when his overly hot skin touched the cool water, but Julian was quick to soothe him. The doctor maneuvered the magician’s head to rest on his chest to keep the other man from going under. Once they were settled in the water, up to Graece and Asra’s necks but Julian standing confidently, a calm settled over the bathing room.
“Ilya…” came a slurred murmur from Asra as he nestled his face further into Julian’s chest. Julian stiffened and looked wide-eyed at Graece. Graece smiled gently before running their fingers through Asra’s sweat-dampened hair.
“He still cares about you an awful lot, you know?” Graece murmured, “But he’s very afraid to let anyone else in.”
“He was calling out for me in his nightmare,” Julian replied dazedly, “What was he dreaming about?”
“I’m sure you have an idea,” Graece replied sadly, “The hanging.” Asra gave a violent shudder in his slumber when Graece uttered those words.
“You two weren’t even there,” Julian muttered in disbelief.
“And it’s something we regret every day,” Graece mourned, “I still have nightmares about it and they’re probably all the more horrible because I didn’t see it. All I have is the horrors my subconscious can conjure up.”
“You do?” Julian looked up sharply.
“Of course, I would have been there by your side if I could have, but the Devil affected time in a weird way,” Graece looked at Julian sorrowfully.
“It’s ok,” Julian looked away.
“It’s not, but we can do nothing but learn from it and move on,” Graece smiled softly, “Asra was just as heartbroken that we weren’t there for you. I suspected you two had a history, but his reaction to learning we had missed the execution confirmed it.”
“How did he react?” Julian dreaded the answer.
“All the color drained from his face, he stumbled a little bit, and I had to stop him from running straight to your room.”
Julian looked down at the mop of beautiful platinum hair resting below his chin and sighed.
“I think I love both of you,” he whispered, “Is that ok? Can I do that?”
“Of course dear,” Graece murmured, “I love both of you too.”
Julian sighed and replied, “Once he’s better we’ll have to talk to him.”
Graece nodded and responded with a smile, “Of course, but I’m certain he’ll agree.”
Suddenly Asra stirred and tried to stand on his own. His legs gave out and Julian had to catch him.
“Shhh,” Julian murmured, “It’s ok Asra, Graece and I are here. You’re pretty sick right now but you’re going to get better.”
“Wh’happen’d? Asra slurred as he tried to lift his head up.
“You’re a damn fool is what happened,” Graece murmured irritably, “Being away from me for so long put a strain on what remnants of a heart you still have. You’ll be ok but it’s going to take a bit for you to recover.”
Asra groaned and let his forehead thump against Julain’s chest.
“‘m sorry,” the magician cried out weakly and whimpered again, “it hurts.”
“Ok love, it’s ok, we’re going to clean you up a little and then take you back to the room ok?” Grace moved over and got some soap and began washing Asra’s sweat-soaked hair.
“Faust?” Asra questioned, looking up blearily.
“With your parents, they’re taking care of her,” Julian replied, adjusting his grasp on the weakened magician.
“Mmkay,” Asra mumbled as he slipped back into a shallow sleep.
They finished cleaning Asra and dried him off. Then Julian gathered him up into his arms once more and carried him back into the guest room. He laid the magician on newly changed sheets and silently thanked whoever had the foresight. Probably Nadia. He tucked his patient into the bed and sat in the chair next to the bed with a sigh.
Graece walked over to where Julian was seated and gently tugged his eyepatch off. Julian still instinctively flinched away but allowed them to do so. Graece took his face into their hands and smoothed their thumbs over his slightly stubbled chin. They stared deeply into his eyes and saw fear, hope, and love all battling for dominance in his mind. They pressed their lips gently into his and he sighed again before sinking into the kiss.
Graece pulled away first, pressed their forehead against his and murmured, “You are amazing, everything is going to be ok.”
He smiled lightly, his reddened eye glimmering, and replied, “Thank you.”
Their focus on each other was broken by a flash of light and the sound of bells tinkling. They looked over to the source and saw a fox-headed figure standing solemnly over Asra’s unconscious form. They remained silent as the being gently ran their hands through the magician’s fluffy hair. A slight glow emanated from their hands and Arsa’s pinched face relaxed into a peaceful visage.
“What did you do?” Julian asked quietly, not wanting to disturb the stillness of the room.
“Not as much as I would like to,” the Magician murmured almost bitterly, “we Arcana have little power in your world, our powers best used in our realm or through our protege. I merely relieved his pain, for the time being, and eased the strain of the exerted bond for a time.”
“You care for him quite a bit,” Graece observed. The Magician made a noise that was almost a laugh.
“Yes,” they mused, brushing a stray curl away from Asra’s face, “he seems to have wormed his way into whatever an Arcana may have that resembles my heart. I essentially raised him as far as his magic is concerned.”
“We couldn’t have asked for a better mentor,” Aisha said from the now open door, her voice cracking. The Magician turned to her with a private smile on their face. Graece and Julian were suddenly very aware of the fact that they were seeing a side of the Arcana that quite possibly no one had ever seen or ever would.
“Your words gladden me, Aisha,” they said. Aisha slowly walked towards the Magician with tears in her eyes.
“We would have taught him if we could have,” she whispered as tears spilled down her face.
“I know, Aisha,” the Magician murmured as they took her into their arms in a hug, “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect his heart.” Aisha let out a sob.
“It’s not often, if ever, that an Arcana can be changed at a fundamental level,” the Magician continued, “But our little kit has awakened something in me that has changed me forever.”
They gently pulled away from Aisha as they spoke and peered deeply into her eyes. She gave a watery smile.
“He’s pretty incredible,” She whispered as she pulled away and wiped her tears.
“Indeed,” the Magician hummed. They turned to Asra and ran their fingers through his hair one last time, before smirking as Graece and Julian and disappearing in a flash of light.
Aisha took a deep breath and smiled weakly at the doctor and apprentice. She gently sat Asra up enough to coax him into drinking a potion she had brought along. Asra reflexively swallowed the elixir and sighed in his sleep. Aisha helped him settle back onto the bed, smiled once more at the other two, and left quietly.
Graece nestled their way into the chair that Julian occupied and curled into his chest. Julian brought his un-gloved hand to their hair and began stroking the midnight blue locks. They heaved a gentle sigh as they began to relax into the doctor’s warmth. They sat in silence as the sun slowly made her way across the sky to the horizon. Asra slept on, oblivious to the mounting worry building in the other two.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, there was a gentle knock on the door. Julian made a noise indicating for the knocker to enter when he realized Graece had fallen asleep. The door swung open gently and revealed the worried face of his sister and the carefully controlled face of the countess. Portia was carrying a large tray of food and bustled into the room as quietly as she could manage. Nadia followed her gracefully and moved to stand beside Asra’s bed.
“I heard Asra was sick,” Portia murmured, “Is he going to be ok?”
Julian nodded and replied, “He will be eventually, hopefully, sooner than later.”
“That’s good,” Portia smiled gently, “Well I brought you guys some food, Nadia said you guys haven’t eaten today.”
“Thanks, Pasha,” Julian smiled as he gently roused Graece from their slumber. They lifted their head up with a quiet grumble that elicited a chuckle from the others in the room. Their eyes widened at the realization that there were more people in the room and they blushed.
“It’s ok my dear,” Julian murmured with a chuckle as he brushed their hair from their face, “Pasha brought us some dinner is all.”
“Oh-” they were cut off by their own stomach giving a loud grumble. The room burst into laughter.
“Sounds like I came just in time,” Portia said with a grin. Graece grinned sheepishly and reached for a warm bread roll. Julian smiled down at them and reached over them, using his long torso to his advantage and slightly squishing them downward. They giggled as he grabbed a couple of slices of an aromatic cheese and nibbled on them. Portia looked at Nadia who smiled gently.
“We’ll leave you to it then,” Nadia murmured.
“Thank you so much, Nadia,” Graece murmured back with a soft smile.
“Of course,” Nadia replied, “He’s been a wonderful friend to me. I want to help in any way I can.”
“Take good care of Asra, Ok? We’ll see you guys in the morning!” Portia said with a grin as she took Nadia’s hand.
“Good night you two,” Graece said with a cheeky grin. The two women made their way to the door.
Just as they were about to leave, Julian yelled, “Use protection!”
“Ilya!” Portia cried out in embarrassment as if she wouldn’t do the same. Nadia merely let out a hearty laugh and shut the door behind them.
Graece and Julian sat in comfortable silence as they nibbled on various foods. After a while, Graece managed to rouse Asra into shallow wakefulness and coax some warm bone broth down his throat. They settled him back down into the soft bed and pressed a gentle kiss on his forehead. They threaded their hands through his downy hair and smiled fondly. Julian came up behind them, his head towering above their shorter figure. He bent down and placed his chin on the top of their head. He gazed down at Asra’s sleeping form and sighed gently.
“We should get some rest,” he murmured to Graece. They nodded and turned to wrap their arms around his chest. He nestled his nose into their hair and breathed in the scent of them. They stayed in that position for several minutes before gently breaking apart to prepare for bed. Once they were in more comfortable clothes, they both climbed into bed in a similar fashion as they had the night before. Once they were all settled, Asra stirred slightly and curled into Graece’s chest.
“M’love you, Graece,” he mumbled in his sleep. Graece’s gaze snapped to Julian’s with tears in their eyes. They looked back down at the sleeping magician.
“I love you too, Asra,” They murmured into his hair and let tears fall from their eyes. Graece looked up at Julian, who was looking down at both of them with love written plainly on his face.
“I love you, Graece,” he murmured, looked down to Asra’s face, and whispered, “I love you, Asra.”
“M’love you, Ilya,” Asra mumbled, still asleep. Julian smiled softly as Asra sighed and nestled further into Graece’s chest then lay still. Julian reached to the bedside table and snuffed out the lantern before burrowing down into the blankets and joining his loves in sleep.
The next morning, Julian woke to gentle voices murmuring next to him. As he chased consciousness, he recognized who was speaking and was jolted into wakefulness.
“Asra!” He gasped, looking at the magician next to him, who smiled weakly.
“Good morning, Ilya,” Asra smiled and brought his hand up to Julian’s cheek.
“How do you feel?” Julian questioned rapidly, “Does anything hurt?”
“I feel much better, Ilya,” Asra murmured fondly, “All thanks to you two.”
Julian let out a sigh of relief. He was suddenly very aware of the fact that he was in bed with Asra and Graece wearing nothing but his boxers. His cheeks reddened almost painfully fast as he stuttered an apology and made to get out of the bed.
“Ilya, my love, it’s ok,” Asra whispered fondly. Julian blushed harder as he registered the words.
“Y-your love?” He stuttered. Asra smiled gently.
“Yes, my love,” he murmured, “Graece and I have been talking for a bit. I love both of you so much. I’m so sorry for the trouble I’ve caused. I hope that you can welcome me into your relationship, as Graece suggested.”
“D-don’t apologize! If you hadn’t done what you did-” Julian’s voice broke, “if you didn’t do that, Graece wouldn’t be here right now.”
Asra gazed lovingly at the doctor next to him and ran his thumb gently over the other man’s lips. Julian swallowed thickly and shivered slightly.
“I love you so much,” the redhead rasped, “I love you both so much, I was so scared to lose you.”
Asra cradled the sightly stubbled chin in his hands and brought their lips together in a tender kiss. Julian whimpered slightly as tears slipped down his face and he melted into the kiss. After a moment the silence was broken by a soft whine.
“Guuuuys,” Graece whined with a childish pout, “It’s my turn!”
Asra and Julian broke apart with a smirk and quickly turned on the apprentice. They began pecking them with rapid-fire kisses and causing them to break out into boisterous laughter. As the laughter died down and the two relented, they all felt warmth grow in their hearts. As they settled back down in the bed, limbs tossed carelessly over one another, warmth being traded back and forth, they all knew that this was exactly where they were meant to be.