Chapter 8

Cale was the first one to step out of the carriage when it finally rolled to its final stop. He kept a hand on the doorframe as he peeked out and carefully stepped on the two-step staircase before he dropped down the last bit to the ground.

They were in the middle of the town at the bottom of the mountain. In actuality, the mountain that Aurelis Academy was located on was not very high, its ideal defensive position was instead due to a combination of low valleys, deep crevices and rushing rivers. It took barely over an hour for the carriage, at top speed, to reach the town. That was faster than when Cale had traveled to the academy in the first place. But then again, he hadn't exactly been rushing. He had spent the whole journey to the school quietly panicking and taking the opportunity to try to relax.

Try, being the keyword.

Cale's feet stepped on the cobblestone and he straightened out, moving out of the way so that Julius could follow him. Stepping to the side, he held out a hand to Julius when the younger boy started to step down from the carriage. Cale's lips curled in amusement when Julius rolled his eyes at him but still gripped his hand.

Julius stepped down on the road and smoothly transitioned the grip on Cale's hand until it was much more comfortable and they were holding hands. Cale stared at their connected hands for a solid three seconds, his mind blank, before he forced his gaze up to Julius face and asked, "Where to now?"

"This way," Julius said and started walking, Cale dutifully keeping pace with him.

It was getting closer to midday and they were smack in the main square of the town. As they moved west, they came closer to a line of houses, the buildings old and stately, with storefronts facing the square. Some large windows had mannequins in them, others simply showed a peek into the store, and even more had workers standing in front of, eagerly walking up to those that seemed to be hesitating in front of the shops.

In the middle of the square made of cobblestone was a large fountain, surely at least three meters across. It was round with three round circles of stone in the middle, each circle getting higher the closer to the middle it was, and a sprinkler sitting in the very middle, the water oozing down the circles to be collected at the lowest one.

Many people were out, dressed in fashionable winter wear. Coats, hats and mittens were visible on almost everyone, in many different colors. In comparison, Cale was dressed in the same manner that he had been in the summer, and it felt even more comfortable than before.

Julius was wearing a proper winter coat though, a white one that was tailored to perfection and must have cost a fortune.

They walked along the line of buildings on the sidewalk, the occasional carriage passing by them. The snow laid heavy on the cobblestone, bundled and shoved down in the gaps between the stones until there was virtually no gaps at all. Glittering frost covered streetlights and benches, the sun an unwavering force of light in the sky.

"Here," Julius nodded at a building ahead of them. They weren't very far from the square but when Cale looked back, he couldn't see it, the curving of the road and the high buildings hiding it from sight.

As they stepped up to the building that Julius had indicated, Cale peeked in through the front window. It was high, with artfully placed brickwork around it like a frame and when he looked through it, he could see the inside of a restaurant. It appeared nice; there weren't many people there and it had elegant air even through the window.

The door was opened from the inside by an employee of the restaurant. The woman held the door open and Julius and Cale stepped through the doorway, still holding hands.

The fact that Julius was wearing gloves was only a little bit helpful.

Julius coldly stated, "Reservation for Claymore."

The woman nodded and calmly said, "This way."

They walked behind her up a hidden stairway to the side and found themselves on the second floor of the restaurant. Along one wall was a line of booths and spread out over the rest of the room were circular light wooden tables. There was enough distance between each table to give one a modicum of privacy, and at the back wall the furthest from them, there were three room dividers placed consecutively.

The woman lead them in precisely that direction and Cale squeezed Julius' hand for reassurance. When he felt Julius' squeeze back, Cale let out a soft gust of wind and smiled gratefully at the woman.

When they had sat down behind the room divider, she left for a minute to get their menus. During this time, Cale took the opportunity to examine Julius closer; he had been too nervous to really look him in the face ever since Julius knocked on his door. Cale's eyes swept past the slightly curling hair and met the cold green eyes that sparkled gold when the lights hit them just right.

Julius took off hid coat while he was sitting, hanging it half-haphazardly over the back of his chair. He dragged a hand through his blond hair and then gave Cale a look; "What?"

Cale shrugged, pulling off the thin summer jacket that didn't really do a thing for him, "You're just very good-looking."

"Is that so?" Julius smirked at him, the expression fitting so well on his face that it was unfair, really. Cale licked his lips and nodded at Julius' question, and there was no mistaking that look, Julius was undoubtedly pleased.

Julius let out a half-laugh and said, "You're good-looking as well, Calla."

Cale's stomach fluttered and he ducked his head. As if on cue, the waitress returned with the menus and handed them over. Cale gratefully accepted the interrupting, taking his menu and quickly opening it. His eyes swept over the dishes, before he remembered that this was a date and he shouldn't just ignore Julius simply because he was having feelings.

"What are you getting, Julius?" Cale asked, making a concentrated effort to appear interested.

Julius looked up at him and rose an eyebrow, perfectly conveying his skepticism without saying a word. He put the menu down and leaned forward, his elbows on the table, and asked, "Are you honestly asking?"

Cale opened his mouth to say something, let out a useless puff of air and then closed his mouth again. He shook his head.

Julius smiled at him and reached over. Without input from his brain, Cale reached out as well, and their hands clasped together over the table. Julius' thumb immediately began to sweep calming circles on Cale's hand, and Cale's body relaxed. He smiled back at Julius, the fluttering feeling in his stomach growing. He was sure that everything he felt must be visible on his face.

The warmth of Julius' hand was calming, soothing his ruffled feathers and letting his mind relax. Cale's tense body unwound on his seat and he gripped Julius' hand tightly before he let it go and leaned back on the chair.

"Thank you," Cale said.

Julius nodded at him without saying anything.

Once again, Julius picked up the menu. Calle chose not to look at it again for a bit, just until his heart calmed its frantic pace. Instead, he amused himself with staring at Julius' face and the expressions he made as he read. The fact that Julius was exaggerating his reactions to whatever was written on the menu was obvious; he usually wasn't that expressive. But Cale was gratefully nonetheless.

After a while, the waitress came back. She looked inquisitively at them with an expressionless face. "Have you decided?" she asked, her voice low and soothing.

When Julius started rattling off orders, Cale decided to just let him order for them both. He hadn't, after all, actually started perusing the menu again and his first try hadn't left him with any particular desire to order anything specific. Also, he was kind of curious. What did Julius think that he liked to eat?

Thus, Cale sat back and waited patiently for Julius to finish ordering. It didn't take long; Julius knew exactly what he wanted and wasted no time in conveying it.

While they waited for the food to arrive, Cale thought that this was the perfect opportunity to find out more about Julius. In the carriage, he had been preoccupied with keeping his heart rate in the normal, non-lethal range, and so hadn't managed to ask any of the things that he wondered about.

It was his own fault, he knew, for being so busy with studying that he hadn't bothered to learn anything about the people around him. He'd thought that what he knew of them through reading 'Fire & Ice' was enough, that that was all there was to them.

Arrogance, he supposed.

"You said you have siblings?" Cale asked.

Julius nodded, "Two older brothers, one older sister and one younger sister."

"What do they do? Do you like them?"

"Malory is married and expecting her first kid, Ayland is working with father in order to prepare and learn for his eventual takeover of the title and accompanying responsibility, Tobias eloped last year to marry Vincent, his butler, and Joanna is at Aurelis Academy, two years below me. They're okay. Very enthusiastic," Julius added.

Cale blinked. "Eloped?"

"Yes." Julius didn't look like he was joking. "It was very dramatic," he added, like that helped any.

Cale didn't know what to say to that. "Congratulations?" he tried, frowning as he tilted his head to the side. "I'm happy for them."

"They're taking care of a farm until father forgives them for marrying without telling anyone. Apparently they really like it." Julius shrugged. "Tobias says it's super domestic and they're very happy. Even though mother cried when she found out she wasn't invited to her son's wedding."

Julius said it all so matter-of-factly that Cale had no idea how to respond. Thankfully, the food soon arrived and the pressure of commenting disappeared.

***

The play they would be seeing was 'The Night of a Thousand Stories', a heartwarming tale about a storyteller who came to a small village to share their stories. Depending on the troupe performing it, the storyteller could be male or female, there could be a romantic interest or not, the story ended happily or not. It was, all things considered, a very famous play that had been performed for over two-hundred years.

The troupe performing it this time was The Onyx Ghost Company, a relatively famous troupe that had started out as a gang in the capital, created theater plays to scam people out of money, gotten ridiculously good at it and then became a real theater troupe. With some shady things going on in the background.

But for the most part, they seemed like decent people to the general public.

When Cale and Julius entered the venue the theater was to take place, more than half of the seats were already filled up. Julius had gotten them a private balcony to watch the play from, with a good view of the whole stage. Setting himself down on one of the two chairs on the balcony, Cale couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure this is alright?"

Julius rose an eyebrow at him and Cale continued, "Didn't it cost a lot, to reserve a whole balcony only for us? Wouldn't it have been cheeper to sit down there with the rest of the audience."

"Do you want to sit down there?" Julius asked, glossing over everything else. Cale started and blinked, surprised that it sounded like a genuine question, and not mocking.

"Here's fine, I just..." Cale didn't know how to continue. He had never gone to a theater play before. Cinema, yes, lots and lots of cinema, with many different people. Some of them had even been dates. Heck, his first boyfriend had taken him to the cinema for their very first date.

They were twelve and had only been boyfriends for two months before deciding that it was more fun being friends, but still, it had been pretty nice. What Cale remembered of it was all pleasant.

"Then it's not a waste of money," Julius said.

Frowning, Cale took a beat longer to follow Julius to sit down. The chairs on the balcony, facing the stage, were wide armchairs with high backs, large arm-supports and the kind of bulky appearance that meant it had to be comfy. When he sat down on the left one, Cale was proven correct; the chair was stupidly comfortable.

He scooted back on the chair and leaned against the backrest, letting his head hit the soft cushion. He sighed and closed his eyes for a brief moment, taking the opportunity to clear his thoughts before the play started.

They had stayed at the restaurant for almost two hours, talking and eating together. Cale had learned more things about Julius in this two-hour period than he had in the entire time they'd known each other. It had reminded him, once again, how much he was neglecting because of his studies. After lunch, they had gotten small bowls of ice-cream for desserts. They had spent an additional half-hour just talking and then headed over to the theater.

The lights went out. In the darkness, Cale took a deep breath and rested his arm on the armrest, splaying his hand out and determinedly staring down at the equally dark stage. After a minute, he felt Julius' hand grip his, and Cale let out a quiet breath.

Smiling, he changed his position slightly so it was easier to hold hands, and waited for the play to start.

The stage-lights turned on.

Over the course of first act, Cale's eyes stayed pinned on the stage like they had been glued stuck. Occasionally, he would squeeze Julius' hand in reaction to something that happened, like when the Storyteller was telling the story of the Bard and the Knight, and it ended in the kind of tragedy that made him want to write fanfiction.

At one point, the Storyteller was betrayed by their dearest apprentice, and Cale felt his stomach drop. He flinched when Storyteller barely managed to escape the swing of a giant sword.

In this production, the Storyteller was a middle-aged man, played by a person named Grim Black, according to the list of actors that had been posted outside the theater next to the ticket line. It was very obvious that Grim Black used to live a life of crime, something that the troupe had decided to work into the play itself, rather than attempt to clumsily hide it.

Leaning closer to the edge of the balcony, Cale's hands were clammy when the curtain fell on the Act I. He let out a loud breath and collapsed onto the chair as the dim lights turned back on to provide som light for those wishing to make use of the break to visit the bathrooms.

Taking the moment to breathe, Cale felt his heart almost burst out of his chest when Julius leaned his head against Cale's shoulder. Startled, he tried to look at him through the corner of his eyes so that he didn't dislodge him, but it didn't go very well. After a beat, he asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Julius said against Cale's shoulder, his breath ghosting over the skin on his neck. Cale gulped and tilted his head back to give Julius more room. Julius continued, "I thought that I would try to initiate an intimate interaction to see how you react. Are you alright with this?"

Cale's hands clenched on the armrests and he said, as clearly as he could, "Yes."

There could be no doubt.

Even now, his stomach was fluttering. His hands were clammy. Saliva was pooling in his mouth. A prickling sensation was traveling along his spine. Cale was more than alright with this, he reveled in the moment and gratefully took advantage of it. He didn't want to deceive Julius; didn't want to make him think that Cale had anything against skin-contact with him.

"Good," Cale could hear the smile in Julius' voice, and found his own lips twisting into a small smile. The weight go Julius on his shoulder was slightly uncomfortable, even with both of their positions altered for maximun comfort, but it was absolutely worth it.

Closing his eyes, Cale concentrated on taking even breaths. They stayed like that for the entire intermission.

Act II started with a bang. A shocking secret was revealed, as the Storyteller started another tale, this one about two young girls going on a magical adventure to another world. A world in which the floating islands drifted through the skies, portals to different worlds would sporadically open in the sky and anyone unlucky to wander through it would drop a thousand meters to the ground.

Soon, Cale was enthralled in the play again, and he hardly paid attention to what Julius was doing by his side. This was a play that he had never before seen, not even seen any spoilers for, in a new world, and he was quickly caught up in the storyline, the dramatics, the dedicated actors who gave it their all, the stage-lights and fog.

It was fun.

During the break before Act III, Cale took advantage of it to go the bathroom and then get a drink for his parched throat. When he returned, Julius had gotten them some snacks. Gratefully, Cale grabbed the plate of cookies and started munching on them, his mind a mile away.

He had been too nervous at the restaurant to eat properly. Even the ice-cream, he had only been able to eat half of.

The play had, in total, five acts. Depending on the performers, act four might be cut completely, but from the information at the outside of the theater, this troupe would be performing all five acts. The combined time would be a play over three hours long. By the time it ended, and the story had come to a close, Cale was rubbing tears out of his eyes and trying his best not to sniffle.

As the lights came on, Julius rose from his seat and extended a hand toward Cale. "Here," he said and waited patiently for Cale to take it. Once he did, Julius effortlessly pulled him up.

Pulled to his feet, Cale swayed a little when he stood upright. He dried the last of his face and moved to the coat-hangers on the wall, grabbing his coat and putting it on. Meanwhile, Julius got dressed in significantly warmer clothes, preparing to face the evening winter weather. At this point, it was the middle of november (and Cale was still kind of shocked the name of the months were the same as on earth) and the evening weather, especially on a mountain, was a constant battle.

They exited the theater together, Julius putting on his gloves as they walked, a blue scarf wrapped around his neck and bunching his ever-growing hair around his neck, his head covered by a thick hat.

As they stepped onto the street, snow had started to fall. Small snowflakes drifted along the wind, falling on the ground and settling there. Cale followed one with his eyes and saw it land on Julius' cheek. Julius, in turn, merely blinked at Cale and asked, "What?"

"Nothing," Cale responded, a smile breaking out onto his face. He grinned to himself, the sight of the snowflake melting on Julius' cheek filling him with an indescribable feeling.

***

They journeyed back to the academy side by side. Cale stepped into the carriage before Julius and only hesitated for a split second before he sat down on the side Julius had ridden into the town on. Julius didn't seem to think that this was weird; he sat down next to Cale without any visible hesitation.

For the first couple of minutes, neither of them spoke. Nor did they make any move to touch each other. Cale stared out the window, watching the people going about their business. Eventually, they left the town behind them and traveled up the mountain path toward the academy. As the last house left his sight, Cale's eyes caught on the snow falling heavily outside the window. Not long after they'd left, the snow had started to pick up speed.

It reminded him, once again, of how excruciatingly soft Julius had looked with snowflakes all over him, staring back at Cale with incomprehension. Cale's heart jumped in his chest and he pressed his hand down over it, feeling it beating viciously behind his ribcage.

Smiling slightly, just the tiniest turn of his lips, he continued to stare out the window with his hand over his chest.

"See anything you like?" Julius' voice brought him out of his reverie.

Cale didn't startle. He glanced over his shoulder and smiled at Julius, "Yes. The snow is beautiful."

Julius hummed and looked out the window at the other side. He rose an eyebrow and then looked back at Cale. "Do you want to live in a place with snow?"

Blinking, Cale's lips dragged into an amused smile and he shrugged. "Doesn't really matter, as long as I get away. Although," his lips twitched and he sat back properly on the seat. "I have the feeling I would either burn really easily in the sun, or not at all."

Humming again, Julius didn't respond for a while. As the carriage rode over the uneven path through the mountain forest, Julius kept quiet, his eyes on the wall in front them, clearly thinking something over. Cale let it be, his eyes drifting back to the window, and kept himself amused by trying to count the falling snowflakes and tracking their path to the ground, rocks and tree branches that they drove past.

The silence in the carriage was easy, comfortable, the kind that didn't demand anything. Cale sat still and basked in it; it was not a silence that he often encountered. Usually, silences were awkward and uncomfortable things, filling him with the need to get away.

A particularly large snowflake drifted by the window, caught in the wind's grip. Cale's eyes automatically followed it.

"Shoisia might work," Julius mused by his side. Cale reflexively turned his head to look at him. Julius continued, his eyes still staring at the wall, "It's right along the equator. Claesal is more toward the north and it's on another continent, an island nation, if I remember correctly. Zotrioye is on the same continent as us to the north and is supposed to have snow every winter. They're quite famous for their frozen lakes and fjords; my sister went there once with her husband."

He fell into silence once more. Cale dragged out what little fact he had on the other countries and nations of this world, but during his studies, he had been concentrating on this country. In addition, the vast majority of the plot took place here in Glaiz Gria. So he didn't actually know much about the countries that Julius had listed, especially not Claesal that was on a whole other continent.

"Is there a place you want to go?" Cale asked, his eyes sneaking a peek at Julius' thoughtful face.

Julius turned his head to face Cale and said, "I don't have any preferences."

Scowling, Cale turned his own head to stare at the wall opposite him. He grumbled out, "You must have some preference for where you want to life."

"No," Julius stated. "As long as you're there with me, I don't care where I live."

Cale covered his face with his hands and tried his best not to let out the unintelligible noises that were caught in his throat. The fact that Julius could just say things like that was bad for his heart. It left him feeling off-balance, but in the sweetest of ways. His stomach fluttered at an insane level and he mumbled into his hands, "I'll think about it."

He would. He would probably think about more than he should, what with everything going on right now. But the idea of living together with Julius, somewhere where the plot couldn't touch them, where they were away from the toxic proximity of the protagonist... it made his heart squeeze painfully tight in his chest. It made him lick his lips and close his eyes, his hands clenching against his face as he voiced the thought to himself; he wanted that. He wanted to live with Julius.

Dragging his hands up through his hair, he sagged back against the backrest of the seat, the cushions comfortable against his body. He quirked his lips and glanced at Julius through the corner of his eyes.

Julius, with his eyes closed and his head leaning back against the cushion behind him, was beautiful. Cale could easily imagine that as he grew older, his body would fill out even more, the small bit of babyfat still clinging to his cheeks would disappear, his shoulders would broaden — he would become handsome and instead of the more pretty he was now. Cale didn't care either way; Julius was so good-looking that sometimes Cale wondered if he was a protagonist of another story that Cale simply hadn't read. Perhaps a side-story or something.

Sagging deeper into the seat, Cale put his elbow on the armrest along the wall, and leaned his head on his hand, his eyes glued to the passing view outside the window. There was still time until they would get back, and Cale needed something to force his heart calm down.

Beating that fast couldn't be healthy.

A touch on his shoulder startled him. He twitched and looked to the side, humming in question. Julius didn't respond to Cale's unvoiced inquiry, he simply pressed their bodies together and stared back at Cale with a challenging glare in his eyes while doing so. Cale bit down on the laughter that wanted to escape him and let Julius do as he pleased.

The warmth of another body next to him was scalding. Cale was unused to it, far too unused to touch. He didn't think some casual touching was supposed to affect one this badly; perhaps he was more touch-starved than he'd thought.

They stayed like that, their bodies pressed far closer together than was necessary, for the rest of the ride back.

At the gate to the academy, the carriage rolled to a full stop. Cale yawned, his eyes closing from the force of it as he stepped out of the carriage and onto the snow-covered ground. He stepped out of the way so that Julius could get out; the carriage had doors on both sides, and when it rolled to a complete stop, Cale was the one facing the gate.

As soon as they were both out of the carriage, it rolled away again, the horses speeding up as it traveled toward the town again. Julius said, "I rented it in the town."

Nodding, Cale shook his hands free of snowflakes and shoved them in the pockets of his jacket, walking up to the Gatekeeper. The Gatekeeper stared harshly at them, scowling furiously the whole time, but opened the gate without any trouble. Side by side, they walked through it, following the path up toward the fortress.

Their bodies didn't make contact with each other, but Cale thought that sometimes it almost felt like it. Their leisurely pace meant it took them longer to reach the entrance than it had when they left the fortress this morning, but Cale felt no urge to speed up.

There was a hole pile of homework and studying for him to do, just waiting for him on his desk. He was going to have to spend the whole day tomorrow after classes in the library to make up for the studying that he missed.

He didn't feel an ounce of regret.

Rather, Cale felt like he was flying.

Breathing in the frigid winter air, Cale's lips formed a smile without his consent. He smiled all the way to his room, feeling as if he was walking on air the whole way there. Julius stared at him every now and then, but not even that was enough to force the smile off of his face. His insides were full of air, his heart so full with emotions it was about to burst. He couldn't contain his feelings if he tried. And he didn't think there was any reason he should.

At his door, he turned on his feel and faced Julius. He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, straightened his back and took two quick steps forward.

He pressed his lips against Julius' cheek.

For a moment, the whole world was quiet. Then Julius' hands gripped his shoulders, rooting him in his position. Cale smiled against the skin of Julius' cheek and moved his head, nuzzling against Julius' as he went, and hugged Julius tightly for just long enough to whisper, "Thank you. I had fun," into Julius' ear.

Cale stepped back and smiled brightly at Julius. Julius nodded at him and in the darkness of the hallway, his eyes sparkled from the lights of the wall-lamps. Julius said, "I had fun too," and his edges of his lips rose, until Cale felt like he couldn't breathe, because Julius was smiling. It wasn't the mocking or the smirking smiles that Cale had seen before and it took his breath away.

"I'll see you in the library tomorrow," Cale said and fumbled with the lock, opening the door to his room as quickly as possible, and shoving it closed behind himself. He pressed a hand over his chest. He was pretty sure now... yes, he thought that it was probably...

It was probably love.