Nearly There Nicely 51

ntn51 ~~~~~~~~~~~


It only took a few minutes, but Will heard a knock at his bedroom door. At first, he didn't get up, but another knock came. After a brief sigh, Will went over and opened the door. He stepped to the side and let Rhys come in without a word. The king smiled at him, gently patting his head as he went past Will.

“You know, if you never wanted to go into a position of power like a Grand Duke, why didn't you just say so?” Rhys asked, as he turned toward Will, crossing his arms. Will stared at him, surprised. “Will?” he asked again, walking toward him. “You don't really wanna do it?”

Will shook his head, “No, that's...” He shrugged a bit, closing his eyes to compose himself and then opened them to look at Rhys again. “No one... ever really asked me. I spent days inside from the rain, or when it was sunny, I was outside studying, still. I kind of wondered why I didn't really meet many kids my age, but it...” He smiled a bit, “It was cool. My mom made it fun.”

Rhys smiled a bit. “Well, if your heart isn't in it, I can't make you do it.”

Will's smile broadened, his eyes casting downward as he nodded a bit nervously. “Thanks, Rhys. You're, really, not upset?”

“Nah,” Rhys shrugged, patting Will's shoulder, “Do what feels natural.” He gave Will one more confident smile before he left the room without another word.

I hate to butt in, but weren't you going somewhere? Matéas asked softly, snapping Will back to a different sense of reality.

Shortly after Will was standing outside the barracks once more. It was a bright enough day, somewhere around eleven in the morning. The two guards were standing watch at the entrance, and Will was standing off to the side being hesitant and unsure about how to go about this.

I really don't want to bother him, but I do want to help Matéas, and if I can get back his memories, then I can get back Adell's and maybe then he'll stop being such an ass to me. Well, it's not like recovering your memories will just magically change who you are now or fix everything he's done in the past.

Will was cut off as he heard Matéas chuckling through his thoughts. Sorry. He apologized through a throaty chuckle he was trying to stifle. Your train of thought is just highly amusing right now.

Shifting nervously, accompanied by suddenly bouts of pacing, and the guard nearest Will gave him weird looks for a while. Suddenly it had been two hours.

Finally the guard spoke up, “Hey! Do you need something?”

“Oh!” Will yelped, shaken from his deep rambling thoughts to look at the guard. He shook his head, then nodded. Will walked over to the guard with a determined look on his face. As he got closer, he noticed the guard was a head taller than him, with an intimidating presence and irritated look in his eye. It created an uneasy look on Will's face by the time he was in front of the guard. “I, uh... Could you... Uhm...” The guard raised his eyebrow at Will, apparently having lost all sense of patience by this point. “Could you call out Crow?”

“Crow...?” the guard lengthened the word, implying that he was waiting for some sort of clarification.

Will nodded, frowning a bit, “Corian. Please.”

The guard nodded, “One minute,” and walked toward the building behind him. Will watched and waited, shifting around, extremely antsy. A moment later, the guard walked back and took up his post again. “He'll be out soon.”

Will nodded, backed up and then wandered back over five feet to where he had been pacing nervously before. This is the dumbest idea in the world. No, wait, it could work. You know, if Crow's a moron. Which he's not- of course- but this is kind of- no, it really is dumb. I should just ask him straight out for the sword- no! I can't. If I do that, then he'll know I'm planning to go confront Phyte, and then he won't give it to me. No, instead, he'll tag along! But I can do this alone. Yep, after all, Isaac and Akiio helped me and I have to repay them.

“Will?” Crow asked.

Startled, Will looked up. Standing directly in front of him with a concerned look on his face was Crow. He yelped, taking a step back, which made Crow chuckle a bit briefly. “The guard said you've been waiting for a while. Is everything okay?”

“Ye-yeah.” Will nodded, still staring at Crow.

It was his appearance that shocked Will. Crow was dressed in some nice dark jeans with a belt, and a loose sleeveless hoodie that was some form of fashionable tunic, because it had a swoop down the front like a v-neck, tied with some form of cord to create cross patterns across his pale skin. His navy hair was gelled back with a single lock defying the rules and falling forward, and Will could clearly make out the wing stud-earring at the top of Crow's right ear, connecting to a thin golden chain that draped to the blue stud on his lobe. After taking all of this in, Will was almost certain that Crow had showered just recently.

“Will?” Crow asked, a frown still on his face. He reached up to touch Will's cheek, which Will suddenly jerked back from. Concerned, but not saying anything, Crow lowered his arm. He took a step closer to Will, “Is Matéas hurting you?” He asked softly, almost whispering.

“What?” Will blinked, baffled.

Crow leaned in close to Will's face, making Will's eyes widen some. “Your eyes are a bit puffy, like you've been crying.”

“N-no.” Will shook his head, taking a step back. There was a brief awkward silence as Crow straightened back up, his eyes thinning a testing look at Will. “H-how's training? I'm not interrupting you, am I?”

“Nope.” Crow shook his head, “I finished an hour ago.” Wait a minute. Crow tilted his head to the side, his eyes fixated on Will's face. He's acting just like when...

“Oh... What will you be practicing with tomorrow?” Will asked, shifting his hands over into each other anxiously.

He is. Crow realized, smiling a bit. He came here to spend time with me and just doesn't wanna say it. The little cutie's trying to flirt with me, even if he doesn't know it. “Hey.” Will looked to Crow interested, “Walk with me.” Crow turned and started down the street. Will hurried to keep up with him.

For a bit, they just walked in silence. When they had turned down the path to take them toward a few bakeries and cafés, Crow started to talk, “How long were you waiting?”

Will shrugged a bit, “A few minutes.”

“Liar.” Crow laughed, reaching over and grabbed one of Will's hands. “They're too cold for that.” A blush bloomed into Will's cheeks, and he closed his eyes. “So why were you crying?”

“I wasn't crying.” Will answered, opening them again, to see Crow leaning close towards him. “Hey, you're too close.”

“It's fine, nobody cares.”

Someone giggled. The sound made it to Will's ears and he tilted his head down so his bangs hid his blushing cheeks.

“They're laughing at us.”

Crow shifted back, his smile vanishing. Still holding onto Will's hand so he wouldn't bolt, he looked around them. Crow spotted three girls pointing and giggling at them. By the way they were gesturing he could make out that they were cooing over how cute both Crow and Will were. Crow had gotten cleaned up nice, and Will was in a thick yellow sweater and dull brown slacks; colors that helped his black hair look crisp. A slight smirk developed onto Crow's mouth. He turned back to Will, leaning so his nose brushed against one of Will's cheeks.

“They think you're cute.” he whispered softly.

Will shook his head, “You're wrong about that.”

“Am I?”

Will lifted his head up a bit, opening his eyes. Instantly, Will was forced to close one eye as Crow began to gently kiss at his left eye, eyelid and lashes. It was a delicate motion. The sound of the giggling and laughing stopped reaching Will's ears. He was growing deaf from the sound of some loud drum throbbing inside of his head.

Is that my heart pounding? I can't tell. The brief thought ran through Will's mind as he felt the tickling sensations at his eyelashes. He couldn't tell if he should close that eye tight, or force the muscles to relax, but he could feel a pain forming in his back. It was growing stiff and tense as he arched back.

“You're...” Will managed to meekly get a single word out of his mouth, but any thoughts or words were vanishing from him. Coherent thought was evaporating again, just like when he was at the table with Irene. “Why are you...?”

Crow shifted back, his eyes shut and he said very smoothly, “Cause I think you're cute.” His breath moved like a wave over Will's face. Slowly, Will opened his other eye so he could see Crow clearly now, blinking it a few times to clear the fog. He was standing there, looking very smug. Will saw Crow glance over his shoulders at the girls who had gone silent, he did some gesture, and then started to walk down the street again, dragging Will.

Will was unable to get away, his fingers laced with Crow's as he was pulled along. They passed the girls, and continued walking until they reached a small courtyard between some of the shops. Crow sat himself down on one of the benches, pulling Will so he was standing knee-to-knee with him.

“So. Why were you crying?” he asked with a gentle smile on his face.

Will sighed a bit, looking down to him. “You're not going to let this go, are you?”

“Nope.”

With another sigh, Will sat down next to him, leaving a bit of space between them. “Adell yanked my hair earlier, that's all. It hurt, so I cried.” Their hands were still loosely together.

Crow frowned, propping his chin up on his hand, his arm balancing on his knee. His entire focus was on Will. “Why'd he do that?”

Will looked up to Crow in surprise. “Wait, you're not mad?”

“I'm mad.” He answered flatly.

“Oh...” Will looked ahead of them to the people walking by on the cold autumn day. “They... want me to be king.”

“They?”

“Rhys and Adell.”

“Mmm,” Crow closed his eyes for a moment. Curious, Will looked over to him when he didn't say anything right away. “Just,” he opened his eyes, “ignore them.”

“What?”

“They can say whatever they want, but they can't make you be king, or anything.”

Will groaned, sinking down into the bench. “Do you really wanna be the knight of some lame title-less guy though?”

“Yep.” Crow chuckled, adjusting his hand so their fingers looped together more securely. “I wanna be your knight.”

Will chuckled half-heartedly, “You make it sound like some weird declaration of love.”

“Don't you feel it?”

“Hm?” Will asked, sliding father down the bench, his head now lower than the top of the back. “Feel what? My head throbbing? Your pulse in our hands? You're gonna have to be a bit more clear right now.”

“My love.”

Will looked up to Crow, kind of annoyed at first. Crow had a slight smile on his face, pretty genuine, and a really good tilt of his chin. It made the light cast his face in a really sexy way. “You have to stop looking like that.”

“Like what?” Crow asked, smiling wider.

“Like you're trying to seduce me.” Will answered bluntly, looking straight ahead. When Crow started to laugh, a blush formed on Will's cheeks.

“You know, Will, you suck at lying.” Crow said after he was finished laughing. Once more, Will glared up toward him, and it just made Crow smile. “I know you just wanted to hang out, but I'm gonna guess you're here for a reason, too?”

Will looked straight ahead, slid an inch lower and then sighed. Crow waited patiently, watching Will, as the guilt began to eat him up. It took hardly a minute before Will straightened up, pulled his hand away from Crow, and created a bridge out of his hands for his chin to rest on. “Can I borrow Invictus?”

That happy, soothing atmosphere that had been around them fractured and disappeared. The air became tense, and suddenly the coolness of the daytime air was poking needles at their bare skin. Their noses were beginning to turn red, and the feeling of warmth was leaving their fingertips.

Crow stood up, their hands releasing from each other in the process. He took a few steps out from the bench to think clearly in the cool air. Will leaned his body forward, trying to get a glimpse at Crow's pondering face, but he couldn't make it out.

“No.” Crow replied, very firm and hard. “You can't have it.” He didn't even turn to look at Will before answering.

“Why not?” Will asked. With that, Crow turned to look Will's face over. He had a genuine look of curiosity, so much so, it almost surprised Crow.

Crow's eyes thinned a bit. Just who's talking here? Will or Matéas? “Because the last time an agent of his used the sword, Phyte took his soul out, ate it, and is now happily using his body as a vessel.” Will's eyes slowly slid over to the intense look in Crow's sapphire eyes. “That's why not.”

Will sighed, closing his eyes as he spoke. “I can't just sit here and not help him, Crow.”

“Why not?” Crow asked, “If he's causing you any pain-”

“It's guilt.” Will cut in. Crow stopped, leaning back a bit to take a deep breath. Will raised up his left arm, straightening it out. “This glyph is getting bigger, darker, and the longer it's on me...the more I can feel his pain and sadness.” He looked up to Crow, “Besides, I want to know what he's forgotten.” Crow's jaw loosened and he looked away suddenly. Will tilted his head, “Wait... Do you know?” Crow shrugged his shoulders, not making eye contact.

Crow shook his head, letting out another sigh. Then he hung his head and answered softly, “I can't tell you. Matéas will hear.”

“So what?” Will stood up suddenly. “Tell me. What's Phyte keeping from him?”

Crow reached up, grabbed Will's forearms and pulled him to meet his face. Nose-to-nose, Crow spoke very softly to Will, “I can't tell you.”

Looking into Crow's blue eyes this closely, Will could feel the warmth of his hands rise up his forearms. Their chests were nearly together. Maybe he's not telling me to protect me. Will thought, and realizing this dedication from Crow renewed his blush on his cheeks. Slowly, Crow released him, and the two took a few steps away from each other.

With Will looking off to the side, Crow looked up to the darkening sky. Another rainstorm was coming in for the afternoon. That felt too short. I would've liked to hang out with him longer. Crow thought, then smiled when he looked at Will. “Hey.” The word caught Will's attention immediately, bringing that tan face and vibrant blue eyes toward Crow's. “You wanna go out?”

Confused, Will's brows furrowed, “Uh, we are out.” Crow burst out laughing, so loudly and suddenly that Will took a step back to cover his ears. “What? What's funny!” He cried, feeling his blush brighten. “Stop laughing!”

Crow leaned over himself a bit to catch his breath. When he straightened up to address Will again, a little chuckle escaped his lips upon seeing that embarrassed look on Will's face. “I meant: do you wanna date me?” Slowly, Will's hands dropped from his ears, but he still looked confused. Crow laughed a bit, briefly, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. Dear god, I forgot how cute he can be. He smiled a bit, taking a step toward Will. “Boyfriend, is what I mean, Will.”

“Oh.” Will nodded, then suddenly it clicked what Crow was asking. He whined, covering his face with both of his hands under his bangs, “Why would you ask that? Right now?”

Crow laughed again, feeling his own cheeks starting to burn with a blush. “Do you not wanna? I'm not that bad, am I?”

“That's not the point!” Will whined again, swinging an arm at Crow to push him away. “You don't just ask that out of the blue! Th-there's rules you need to follow.”

“Like?” Crow asked, raising a brow, a smile still stuck to his face.

Will shook his head, one hand still covering his face. “Like first you get to know them, then you realize you like them, and then you confess, and then you go out and then you--”

“Kiss.” Crow laughed. Will uncovered his face to shoot a glare at him, but it held no power considering the blushing face it was coming from. Covering his mouth again, Crow closed his eyes, “Wouldn't you say we've done all of that, albeit a bit out of order?”

Will stared at Crow for a moment, and then he recalled their kiss from last night. His head bumping against the mattress, the hot steamy feeling that lurked in his gut, and the blush that scorched his cheeks.

Crow watched Will's face turn a deeper pink. He was really enjoying being able to see these shades of color dance across Will's face, but it was probably enough torment now. “So, what's your reason to reject me?”

Will snapped back to reality, his blush slowly fading away. He looked away from Crow, his hands lacing together nervously. “I have to have one?” Crow didn't say anything, but his expression was plain now. “I guess, I'm scared.” Will glanced over to Crow quickly for any change in his mood, and then looked away again. “I don't want to say yes and then realize that I don't... I mean, what if I don't..?” He sighed a bit, looking down, unable to form the sentence properly. Crow waited patiently. Just when he looked up to check the status of the clouds, Will spoke, “I don't know if I like you in the same way that you like me.”

“That's okay.” Crow smiled when Will looked up to him surprised. “Ask yourself these two questions: are you comfortable around me, and, can you see yourself having sex with me?” Before Will could answer, his words muddled by his flabbergasting, Crow took his right hand and started to guide him out of the courtyard and down the streets. “I'll walk you home before it starts raining.”

“But, Crow,” Will blabbered.

“Nope, you can answer me later.” Crow chuckled. “And no, you can't borrow Invictus.”

It began to gently mist on their way back to the Bel'vaz estate. They didn't talk, but both of the boys could feel their heart-beats echoing together through their hands as they walked. Crow stopped nearly a block from the estate before turning to Will.

“You can get back from here right?” he asked, smiling to him.

Will nodded a bit, looking to their hands, still clasped together. “Yeah.” Crow eased his grip loose and they parted hands. He patted Will's shoulder a bit and then began to walk on his way to the barracks. “Crow!” Will called to him when he was barely six-feet away. Crow stopped instantly, turning to face him fully. “You'll still come to the concert, won't you?”

At that, Crow grinned, waved his hand up over his head. “You bet'cha. Later.” He waved again, then turned and started walking away again.

“I'll hold you to it!” Will shouted after him, smiling a bit.