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Magnai was not concerned about this year’s Nadaam, even with their recent visitors lending their aid to the Mol tribe. He has led the Oronir tribe to victory before so when it begins again he is ready to take his glory and rub it in Sadu’s face once more.
The morning was crisp. Dew still clinging to blades of grass and a soft layer of mist covers the plains as the ashes are cast and the Nadaam begins anew. Magnai takes a deep breath in and starts to make his run to the oncoming battle. Knocking down every obstacle he comes into contact with. Easy. Everything was as it should be until he spots the scrawny Warrior of Light trying to take the Ovoo.
When Magnai saw him on the grassy plains of the Azim Steppe he had to stop and do a double take. Any time he has seen him there is a spear in his hands but it was absent this time, and in its place are two round weapons.
But that was the least of Magnai’s worries. He wasn’t clad in his pointy little armor that covers his face, instead he was dressed in hardly anything, but draped in delicate silvers and every step he took made the glittering metals let out a pleasant noise not unlike a tambourine. Magnai’s mouth dries.
Usually he was a smear of black armor, but now? Now he was front and center, no blurred jumps or backflips to make you lose sight of him. And when he moved, oh did he move. Hips swaying as he prances and spins, round weapons meeting every single one of their marks. Grace and power in tandem. It had thrown Magnai off his game and the Naadam was lost because of it.
The loss bubbles sickly under Magnai’s skin. Irate that he lost because of a distraction. His pride won’t give him peace until he gets a fair chance.
So of course he had to go and investigate after they defeated the infiltrating Garleans.
“Sugar, was it?” Magnai asks as he eyes big white, gray tipped ears. They pull in his direction when he speaks, Magnai has no idea how he shoved them up that helmet. It couldn’t have been comfortable. The Viera turns to him with a smile across his face as he turns away from his friends.
Something happens when their eyes meet. It’s fast, like Magnai could have blinked and missed it.
“It is, can I help you?” A Dalmascan accent is heavy on his tongue and it distracts Magnai. Did Hien not say they came from Eorzea? He had not spoken once in front of him, letting his companions negotiate in his place, so Magnai tries to hide his surprise.
Sugar takes a few steps toward him and jingles softly, the sway of his hips leaves a confused feeling in Magnai’s chest as he realizes his eyes were not where they should have been.
Magnai coughs and averts his gaze.
“Your weapon and outfit change, was it a battle tactic?” The Warrior of Light furrows his brow and blinks.
“Excuse me?”
“Your state of undress, was it to distract your opponents?” It was impressive but still, Magnai didn’t think if he was truly as accomplished of a warrior as was said about him wouldn’t need to use those sorts of tactics. Sugar loses the furrow and laughs like he had just been told a secret.
“Magnai the Older was distracted by a little skin?” Magnai preens at his title falling from Sugar’s pretty little mouth before the rest of the question sinks in.
“No!” Magnai lies. “Of course not! You just surprised me. If we were to face off again I would most definitely win.” He huffs as he props the Scale of the Father on his shoulder, a Viera half his size will be no issue to beat now that he has no backup and no surprises up his sleeves. Sadu wouldn’t be able to get in the way either.
“I am confused, are you asking for a fight? I beat you during Naadam, what is the difference now?” Sugar scoffs as he crosses his arms over his chest and is looking mildly irritated.
“I will be ready this time.” Magnai explains, puffing his chest out; confident. There is a look on his face that Magnai couldn't quite place before he just sighs.
“Okay, if you win I will apologize for employing such ‘dirty tricks’ whether or not it was a conscious decision, but if I win you have to pull your head out of your ass. Maybe I’ll even help you blow off some steam in a different kind of way afterwards. I’m feeling generous and it looks like you could truly use it if a little skin was all it took to distract you.” A teasing smile on his lips makes heat flare on Magnai’s cheeks. Did- did he just insinuate-
“Now, will we be doing this out in the open or somewhere more secluded?” Sugar interrupts. “There seems to be merry making from the Naadam happening here at the Ovoo and I’m sure you wouldn’t want Sadu to see this.”
Magnai takes the jab because Sugar has a point, groups of people were already setting up bonfires and food in the field. Plus this wasn’t a spar for sport, it was to prove something and that deserved a quiet place where they could focus.
“The throne room, with the festivities here going on we would have seclusion.” Magnai was very quickly trying to bury the spark of excitement that stemmed from realizing that he would be alone with Sugar.
Would they actually do what he insinuated? No, of course not. Because Magnai was going to win. A determined smile crosses his lips as he calls for his yol, and it falters as Sugar surprises him by climbing onto the back of his yol as it lands. He guesses they will ride together then.
The fly back was swift as ever but Magnai’s eyes fall to the bare flesh of Sugar’s back, he’s so close he can spot the freckles littering his back. Why does their proximity make him nervous? And excited? The marvel of his appearance should have lessened, yet he cannot help but to feel enamored.
This is wholly unbecoming of him. But for some reason the realization didn’t sour his mood.
When they walk into the throne room Magnai returns his focus to the on coming fight. And when he hears the jingling start to quiet as Sugar walks away from him to the other side of the arena he rolls his shoulders. Time to win.
The anticipation buzzes under Magnai’s skin as he pulls out his axe, the promise of a good opponent smears a smile across his face.
Good, but not better, Magnai won’t be surprised a second time and this time he is ready to bear his all.
“Really quickly, I do have a rule if you don’t mind.” The Warrior of Light pipes up from across the room.
“I will allow it.”
“Excellent! You pull my ears, I take your finger. Non-negotiable. Okay? I do not care if you are a khan.” He says cheerily, like he didn’t just threaten bodily harm. Magnai just nods dumbly.
“R- right. Understood.” He wonders for a moment if Sugar ever had to enforce his little rule before shaking it off.
“Ready whenever you are!” Sugar calls with a smile. And Magnai wastes no time by rushing his target. His axe clashes against chakrams with such a force that it pushes the both of them back a few yalms. Sugar lets out a small almost wild-sounding giggle as they start to smack into each other in earnest.
Each collision hits harder than the last. The clanging of metal and sounds of his exertion fill the room to the brim. But his opponent doesn’t even seem to be breaking a sweat yet. Magnai tries to parry most of Sugar’s barrage of steel and does a pretty good job of it until he stops and dashes back, creating some distance between the two of them.
“Alright big boy, eyes on me.” He winks over to Magnai as Sugar starts to dance.
Soft twinkling of metals ring out as he sways his hips. Magnai watches as he effortlessly pirouettes and flourishes. The way he moves is beautiful and alluring and oh fuck- he needs more space between them, he saw this during the Naadam and it knocked several people unconscious.
There isn’t enough time to get completely out of the way so Magnai steels himself and takes the blast. It knocks the wind right out of him as he coughs, gasping in breath just in time to catch another flurry of chakrams.
They seem to be getting faster as chunks of his coat are sliced open by the sharp weapons. That or Magnai is getting tired, he can’t tell. He misjudges a movement and feels a chakram cut up his arm. He hasn’t even been able to get a solid hit in on him yet and Magnai was already bleeding.
He realizes has to get those weapons out of Sugar’s hands if he is going to stand a chance. His breathing is haggard as he closes the distance between them and swings the flat of his axe hard to try and knock the chakrams to the ground but Sugar just dodges with a laugh and a spin. Magnai has another idea, it’s stupid and he will probably loose his weapon but he can’t handle much more of this.
Magnai doesn’t remember Sugar hitting this hard during the Naadam. He can barely catch his breath between guarding. Something has changed… or, the even more chilling idea, Sugar was holding back then and now he wasn’t.
Magnai rushes Sugar once more with the intent to trap his chakrams in the handle of his axe and twist. He succeeded in getting his handle into the holes in the middle of Sugar’s weapons but when he twists it comes too easily. Sugar just lets go and grabs for the axe himself. A foot is braced on his chest and to Magnai’s awe he can’t hold on against his strength. He kicks off of his chest and lands just in front of him, determined eyes not leaving Magnai once as he chucks his axe behind him.
The Scale of the Father goes flying into the side of the wall, the chakrams clang to the floor and one rolls right back at Sugar’s feet. Magnai is gobsmacked, he had just taken his weapon right from his hands, the shock wears off too late for Magnai to realize what’s happening next. The Viera’s arm rears up and sends a punch right to his solar plexus; then Magnai is on his back gasping for air. He doesn’t even get a chance to put much air back into his lungs before Sugar is sat upon his chest with a chakram at his neck.
“Yield.” His tone and demeanor calm as the bite of cold steel lays on his throat. As crushing as it is going to be to say, Magnai knows when he has lost.
“I yield.” He croaks out. Expecting the weapon at his neck to leave but it doesn’t. Ice cold fear runs down Magnai’s back.
“You have made me upset. I have trained hard at Kriegstanz and for you to call everything I’ve worked for a ‘distracting battle tactic’ is an insult. I know I am a very pretty Viera but I am also the Warrior of fucking Light. I have felled beings that you could only dream up in a nightmare. If I were a less kind man I could have ‘distracted’ your head from your shoulders for your rude behavior.” Sugar blinks and removes his chakrams from the neck of man under him, sighing as he adjusts to sit more comfortably upon Magnai’s chest.
Magnai lets a breath out that he did not know he was holding, he could have dropped his tail if he wasn’t careful. That was absolutely terrifying… and confusingly arousing if he was honest. His strength is dangerous and breathtaking and Magnai regrets underestimating him now. He had let his pride and judgment get in the way of recognizing his accomplishments and he paid the price of loss for his ignorance.
“You were holding back during the Nadaam.” It was less of an accusation and more of Magnai just needing to say it out loud.
“Of fucking course I did! I didn’t want to kill anyone!” Sugar huffs as he crosses his legs. “Now, I would like an apology if you think you can muster it.”
“I- I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Sugar asks expectantly. Oh shit.
“For underestimating your strength and belittling your hard work.” He averts his gaze, embarrassed.
“And for being very rude to me and my friends.”
“And for being very rude to you and your friends.” Magnai parrots and Sugar sighs, looking content now.
“You know, I think if you apologized more often more people would want to talk to you, especially girls.” Sugar notes as he adjusts the strap on his sandal.
“It is beneath me to apologize.” Magnai explains.
“Are you sure about that?” He asks, and if it had been anyone else asking the answer would have been a quick yes, but he paused instead. He did just literally apologize. “I don’t think there is anyone on this star that is above an apology.”
The silence lingered for a moment as Magnai thinks, would it truly be so bad to apologize? It went fine with Sugar.
“You should try it and still see if girls run from you.” Magnai’s face sours. They don’t run.
“Do you think that is my issue? Sadu says it’s because I smell.” Magnai confides, Sugar tries to hide his laugh behind his hand.
“I think Sadu is just teasing you. But your main problem is that you are a bit of a conceited asshole, apologies are a good place to start. You would be surprised at what an apology will do, especially if you mean it. You really should take a second to think before opening your mouth so that you can avoid the apologies before they are needed though.” Sugar gives an easy smile as a glow emits from his hands on Magnai’s arm that got sliced open. His eyebrows are in his hairline as he realizes Sugar is healing his wounds.
“You are a healer, too?” Strength, beauty, and the ability to nurture. The more time he spends with him the more his original idea of Sugar shatters.
“Oh gods no.” A shy look crosses his face. “I’m not very good at it but I can do cuts, bruises, and headaches sometimes. Nothing impressive.” He says that, but Magnai’s soreness and fatigue is slipping from existence, he doesn’t feel like he just got the shit beat out of him by the Warrior of Light. He feels good, if not a bit warm. Especially with Sugar wiggling his hips on Magnai’s stomach.
And by wiggling he means an mesmerizing roll of his body, dexterous and controlled. Something he has only seen from expensive night companions from traveling caravans.
“Stop that, you surely don’t mean to start something you don’t intend to finish.” Magnai manages to huff.
The chime of Sugar’s laugh startles him. “I have to move my hips, movement is a requirement in this art. You act as if you have never met a dancer.” Sugar places his hand on the scales of Magnai’s chest and heat climbs the Au ra’s cheeks. He hasn’t, not one like this. “And I have just shown you I can finish things aplenty. Are you going to continue to say silly things or are you going to be agreeable and enjoy my company?” Sugar grins, lopsided and perfect.
“No, I think I can be agreeable.” He finds himself saying, more surprised than anything.
He had just made an ass of himself and Sugar was going to sleep with him anyway. He is at a loss for how to feel but as his eyes start to wander about on the Viera perched comfortably on his stomach he decides he doesn’t care.
Magnai’s bedmates have been… sparse. He spends most of his time training and he has little patience with anyone who he deems unworthy of his time. And that left little to interact with. A couple of fellow warriors and a few paid partners over his 27 summers but he thinks they all pale in comparison to Sugar.
The light bounces off Sugar’s decorative metals as shifts forward, catching Magnai’s attention as he leans in closer to the man underneath him.
“But before you say anything weird, no Nhaama talk, I’m not interested, nothing personal.”
“You aren’t?” Magnai gawks; it stung for some reason too. It would have been a privilege to anyone. This man means to wound his pride in every way possible and for some reason Magnai was just letting it happen.
“No, I’ve got enough on my plate as the Warrior of Light. I’m doing this because I think it would be fun. And because sparring makes me horny.” He says as he traces the lines of scales on Magnai’s collar bones. Well actually that takes some confusing weight off of his shoulders. He doesn’t need to try and overthink this anymore, he can just relax and enjoy the rest of the evening with Sugar.
And that is just what he will do.
“The Warrior of Light is a pervert.” Magnai muses with a teasing smirk as he sits up onto his elbows, jostling his precious cargo slightly.
“My fatal flaw if I’m honest.” He bites a smile back as he slips further down Magnai’s torso and settles in his lap. Magnai’s eyes are heavy as they roam across skin and twinkling silvers.
“Now, are you going to continue to undress me with your eyes or are you going to take me to your room and actually do it?” His bluntness makes Magnai’s cheeks flare with heat.
“You are bossy.” Magnai huffs, feigning irritation as he collects the Viera from his lap and totes him to his bed chambers.
“And you take direction very well. We are full of surprises.” Sugar smirks as he wraps his arms around Magnai’s neck, fingers curl into the hair at the base of his scalp and warmth rolls down his spine.
His steps are long strides as he walks down the halls, the Viera jingling softly in his arms as he begins to press kisses on the edges of the scales on his jaw. Magnai narrowly keeps his focus in opening the door to his bedchamber and gently setting Sugar down on his sheets. He follows quickly after he tosses his large coat to the floor haphazardly, crawling on top of the Viera and lips catch his own as he threads his fingers through the silver jewelry draped across Sugar’s chest.
The kiss made Magnai burn from the inside out. Sugar’s lips were plush and his tongue coaxed out easily, soft and invitingly warm against Magnai’s own. His hands travel upward and he does not miss the small gasp that he receives from thumbing over Sugar’s nipple. Magnai is drunk on the silky feel of the Warrior of Light’s skin and it leads him to break their kiss to nip at the tender flesh of his neck. The sound that leaves Sugar’s mouth is violin soft, light and sweet and Magnai needs to hear it again.
So of course he bites down harder.
“A-ahh~” hips buck against Magnai’s thigh and he groans in satisfaction. He detaches his mouth from Sugar’s neck and sits up, looking down at the Viera underneath him who is flushed and panting. Limbs splayed open, an invitation that Magnai intends to take as soon as he gets Sugar out of his clothes. A smile graces Sugar’s lips as Magnai runs a hand up the side of his hip.
“Enjoying the view, ‘Radiant Brother’?” The words drip from his mouth with no small amount of teasing but it makes Magnai throbs in his pants regardless, painfully hard at this point.
“I enjoy my title in your mouth.” He purrs as he slips the fabric of Sugar’s chest covering off his shoulders. Cloth and metals pool on his sheets and Magnai turns his attention to a pink nipple, already pert and wanting to be touched.
“I’m sure that’s not the only thing you would enjoy in my mouth.” Sugar gets out shakily with a smirk as Magnai rolls his nipple between his fingers. That would be nice, to have him gasping and drooling on his cock, more of the intoxicating noises he makes muffled by his length. Sugar seems to really like the idea as well as he sits up and pushes Magnai off of his knees and onto his butt easily. His strength was exhilarating and the Au ra was realizing very quickly that he finds it much more attractive than he originally thought.
Sugar’s hands already pushing Magnai’s pants down his legs as he settles between his thighs to kiss and suck at the skin there. Fingers curl around his length and give it a firm pump that forces a sigh out of Magnai’s mouth.
The pleased hum and teasing eyes from Sugar make him think that maybe he has been found out. Sugar kisses up the sensitive skin of his thighs to his dick and it took everything Magnai had not to rut up into his hand like a teenager. He finally adds his mouth to the equation with a pink tongue that licks up his shaft, mouth closing around the head of his cock and Magnai groans as he watches Sugar’s lips stretch over his dick.
“Oh, yes, just like that.” Magnai sighs as Sugar starts to bob his head. His mouth is hot, wet velvet around his cock and it is heavenly. The ridges of his dick scales rub just right against the soft palate of Sugar’s mouth. He slouches back as his hand goes to rest in the soft mess of Sugar’s hair. To his surprise a hand pushes Magnai’s until it falls around one of Sugar’s ears.
“You can pull on them a little, just not too hard.” The Viera gets out from around his dick, a flush across his cheeks. Good thing Magnai already has a healthy fear of losing his finger. An experimental tug makes Sugar’s eyelashes flutter and a pleased hum encourages him to start to control Sugar’s head on his dick. Both men moan as Magnai ups the pace to a dizzying speed.
Soft muffled noises start to fill the room as Magnai eyes Sugar’s arm that looks to be working his own dick in his shorts as the Au ra all but fucks his mouth.
Sugar was so worked up that he took his pleasure into his own hands; and that could have been all well and fine but Magnai was a greedy lover. He wanted to be the reason for his moans, his cries. He would feel like an inattentive partner if he personally did not deliver him to his orgasm. His mouth felt so lovely too, he deserved a reward.
Sugar is pulled off his dick and the lewd line of spit that connected to his mouth to where it was before was almost enough to make Magnai shove his head back down. Instead he pulls Sugar up from between his legs, settling him on his back beside him and starts to take off the rest of his dancer’s garb. Little shorts pushed to the floor and eager legs wrapping around the Au ra’s waist. His flushed face and blown pupils are beautiful as Magnai shoves his fingers into the Warrior of Light’s mouth.
“Get these good and ready for me, pet.” Sugar does not need to be told twice as he sucks and licks at the digits in his mouth. Magnai depresses his tongue and pushes deeper, reveling in watching Sugar’s eyes water as he moans. With his fingers sufficiently wet he kisses down Sugar’s body, he only stops to suck bruises in a trail to his dick. He won’t be able to wear his alluring little outfit without showing everyone exactly where Magnai has been on his body.
Sugar sighs as Magnai takes his dick into his mouth. the soft flesh of Sugar’s inner thighs hug his horns with a gasp as his spit-slick fingers prod his opening. Sugar sighs into the intrusion easily as Magnai fingers him open. He is pleasantly surprised to find the inside of Sugar was just like the outside; hot, silky, and addicting.
“ F-fuck , Magnai.” Sugar looks to be falling apart under Magnai’s mouth and hands. his features are pleasure slackened with a hand carded through his wild hair. He hears kitten-soft babbling muffled through his horns. “Gods- Ahhh~ Your mouth feels so good. Fuck, yes, there. More.” Magnai hums appreciatively around his little treat and gives into his request and adds another finger into the tight heat of his ass. His thighs brace tighter around his head as a heated sigh rings out and the pressure on his horns is perfect, pulling a low rumble from Magnai’s chest.
When he adds a third finger Sugar’s moans go up an octave with his back arching beautifully. He feels the Viera’s cock throb in his mouth as he starts to curl his fingers.
“Please- I’m ready.” Sugar almost slurs as he shoves his hips down on Magnai’s fingers. “Please fuck me.” Desire burns hot and thick through his stomach. If Magnai had things his way Sugar would never leave his bed again after looking and sounding like that. He removes his fingers and flips Sugar onto his chest with a surprised ‘oof’, his beautiful muscular ass propped up in the air by his knees. He quickly grabs some oil from his bedside and coats his dick.
Magnai lines himself up and pauses. He was about to be dick deep in a man that royally kicked his ass naught but a bell or so ago. Feeling like maybe he should have some sort of complicated emotion about it but he’s drawing a blank. The only thought at the forefront of his mind was that he was the hardest he has been in quite some time and it set a fire in his abdomen that he felt all the way to his toes.
Sugar looks back over his shoulder expectantly, tail wiggling in anticipation and ears relaxed over his pillow. Magnai pulls his attention back to his bedmate and wraps his hand around the soft cottony fluff of Sugar’s tail.
He presses the thick head of his cock against his rim and they both groan as he starts to push inside of the delicious heat of the Viera below him. Magnai’s can see the exact second that Sugar starts to feel the ridges of his dick scales push inside of him. His hands fist white-knuckled into the sheets as he moans into Magnai’s pillows.
As he finally meets the plush of Sugar’s ass Magnai groans. He takes a second to really take in the feeling of Sugar wrapped around his cock, he is blissfully hot and tight. Finally Magnai has mercy and gives him a slow and even pace. He wants Sugar to remember in vivid detail how his dick feels inside of him for weeks after.
“H- harder, I can ah- take it.” Sugar begs as he meets Magnai for every one of his thrusts. His voice is already wrecked and the Au ra has yet to really get started.
“Patience, pet.” Magnai folds over on to the man under him and licks up his spine. “Let me take my time with you.” The desperate noise that leaves his mouth makes Magnai snap his hips into him abruptly, satiating Sugar for a moment as he lulls back into his tortuous pace.
He could tell by the way Sugar pushed back on his fingers that he would want it hard and fast. Wanting to be fucked into the bed and left a mess. He looked and sounded too lovely to rush though. And if Sugar really wanted to he could just flip them and ride his dick any way he wanted to, he knows he has the strength to do it. The thought sends a shiver down his spine. But he doesn't, he wants Magnai to take him apart and put him back together even if his patience is waning.
Magnai reaches around to Sugar’s dick to find it leaking onto his sheets, he strokes it and relishes in the way it makes the Viera tighten around him with a cry. He thinks maybe he has savored this enough, Sugar was so good to indulge him and now he is going to give them what they both want.
The only indication Magnai gives that he was going to change pace is one of his hands bracing Sugar’s hip and the other pressing the Warrior of Light further into his bed with his palm splayed on his back; then he is driving into Sugar like their lives depend on it.
The intoxicating moans he forces out of Sugar’s body was music, and the melody flowed loudly through his bedroom and seeped into the empty halls of the Dawn Throne. He isn't going to last much longer and with the way Sugar starts to get tighter around him he believes that he isn't far behind.
He fucks hard and deep into Sugar’s pliant body, sweet cries pushing Magnai closer and closer to the edge. He grabs Sugar’s dick again as he folds over to the crook of the Viera’s neck. Magnai was getting dizzy from the pleasure, his whole body was aflame and every thrust pulled him further from sanity.
The feeling of the soft flesh of Sugar’s neck between his teeth was enough to have the songbird under him fall apart in pleasure. Whole body tensing as Magnai fucks him through it, rutting into him wildly as he chases his own orgasm.
When Magnai comes he sees white; his tail thrashes from side to side and his toes curl as he empties himself inside the Warrior of Light with a deep groan. Satisfaction settling deep in his chest as he pants in tandem with Sugar.
He pulls out and slumps beside his bedmate, maneuvering him off of his knees and spooning with Magnai. A soft whine comes from his throat at the discomfort but he melts into the side of the Au ra almost immediately, making a confusing feeling find it’s home in Magnai’s chest once again. He has never felt like this before. No one has had this much sway over him.
“I am going to be very sore tomorrow.” The sweet little thing beside him huffs tiredly. Magnai exhales through his nose in amusement.
“Can’t you just heal yourself?” He hears Sugar open his mouth and then shut it.
“I have never thought of doing that.” Magnai laughs out right at the irritated tone of Sugar's voice.
“Tomorrow though.” Magnai pulls Sugar closer to his chest. “It’s late and if I could convince you to stay the night I’d like to.”
“How surprising! I would have never pinned you for a cuddler!” Magnai can hear the smile across his face as he gets more comfortable.
“Shut up.” Magnai bites back, but there is very little bite in it.
“I have so many new fun things to tell Sadu!” He snorts as he laughs and it’s precious. It might be worth enduring Sadu’s teasing to get him to laugh like that again.
“No, anything but that.” He pleads anyway, ruffling Sugar’s hair into his face. She would become incorrigible and Magnai would not be able to deal with the annoyance for the rest of his life. Sugar gives another laugh followed by an amused hum and after a few ticks his breathing starts to even out; asleep.
He glows softly from the moon light that seeped it’s way into his room. It made Magnai’s whole chest tight just looking at him. The way his ears relax over the pillow. Limbs curled close to his body and pushed up flush to Magnai, they fit together like a puzzle piece.
The realization hits him like a mammoth.
His dancer in the morning mist. His moon. His Nhaama. That’s what happened when their eyes met. That’s the weird feeling he had in his chest that he chose to ignore for the sake of his pride.
‘ I’m not interested, nothing personal.’
His heart sinks. Denied before he had even realized who he was. The Dusk Mother was cruel in her fate that she bestowed upon him.
But maybe he can be convinced. There is something between the two of them, something innate and infallible. Sugar must have felt it too. Magnai watches the calm rise and fall of his chest for a while longer, they can talk in the morning. He closes his eyes to drift into dreams of sunlight and white ears.
His sleep was restful and pleasant as he stirs into awareness. There is someone knocking at his door, must be Baatu, so he calls for him to enter as he yawns. He stretches his limbs, surprised to have not landed into a body. Magnai finds his bed empty and sits up abruptly. His eyes find nothing and his stomach drops. Sugar is gone.
“Good morning, Radiant Brother.” Baatu’s voice startled him out of his stupor. His friend stands in the entryway of his chambers.
“Baatu. Did— have you seen Sugar?” Magnai tries to bury the panic that is clawing it’s way up his throat.
“Yes. His companions came to collect him before dawn, they had urgent business in Doma. Is something amiss?” Baatu wears a concerned look on his face, completely in the dark as to why Magnai looks like a startled animal.
'I’ve got enough on my plate as the Warrior of Light.'
Right. The understanding is like ice down his back. Of course. He is needed elsewhere. But there is a deep ache that lingers in his chest regardless.
“Uh- no. Nothing is amiss.” Magnai sighs; resigned. He gets up, pulling his pants off the floor and shimmies them up his body. His muscles ache. Sore from their exertion and a reminder that last night happened, it wasn’t a dream. He doesn’t know if that is a good thing yet. “I think I will spend the day training.” He pulls his coat from the floor and over his shoulders, striding across the room to the door.
“Are you certain?” Baatu asks, still not convinced.
“Yes, I just need to not think right now. You know where to find me.” He just needs to get his head on straight. The air will be good for him.
“Of course, Magnai.”