And so the fire finally ignited

Screks organic eyelid flinches as the scientist starts slowly waking up, his robotic one blinking repetitively to calibrate to the environment around him as he looks at his front seeing Katsu still asleep with a pleased expression filling his face, while still holding the doctor close, but not to close, the way he knows he is most comfortable with.

Upon seeing this, urgent thoughts fill Screks mind as panic starts to settle.

“What time is it?” 

In a fast motion, he rapidly raises himself up, being now sat on the bed and looks over to the clock standing on the bedside table, realizing it's been not two or three hours but eight hours since they went to bed. They had slept for the full night, something that he definitely wasn't counting on doing in any way and that he thought that he had been very clear about not wanting to do, with the one that was still asleep next to him, that apparently had forgotten that fact and just went ahead and fell asleep.

“You idiot, you said you would wake me up after two and a half hours and look how much time it has been! You know I-” - Screks tantrum, which swiftly wakes the magician up, is interrupted by an intense wave of pain that rushes through his spine, the vestiges of his cyborg exoskeleton that are now just metallic dots that go all the way through his whole back following his spice, pounding with excruciating pain as they are all at once activated by the rapid motion Screks’ made in a moment of panic. - “Ah- F-fuck…” - he mutters, not being able to raise his voice higher than a whisper, the pain making him curl onto himself as his body trembles in agony.

Katsu that has half-asleep before, being waken up by Screks’ out-burst, goes completely awake the moment he sees the doctor in enough pain to make him tear up as he curls onto himself, which isn’t something usual for him since he knows he has a very good pain-tolerance due to all the body modification and experiments he had done to himself.

The magician quickly sits up involving Screks with his arms, his hands that immediately burst into white flames laying on his back as he holds him close, trying to ease the pain and make him relax.

“Hey, hey, hey you know you can’t move out of nowhere like that after you wake up, your nerves are all strained from using that exoskeleton for as long as you did. You’re only supposed to use it for a maximum of one week straight and then take a full day break from it you know?” - Katsu discloses, trying to distract even if a bit Screks from the pain by making him listen to his voice, clearly filled with worry.

“Ugh…yeh, y-yeh…. ugh… I know….” - Screks groans, trying to compose himself, holding onto his friend as the pain very slowly starts becoming bearable.

 “I know you understand how… extreme that exoskeleton is and how much of a toll it leaves on your body, but... Tell me, for how much time straight have you been using it?” - Katsu asks, the uneasiness growing on him as he sees that his white flames aren’t being able to act as quickly or effectively as he wishes, which means the damage on Screks body is greater than it seems.

“Ugh… I don’t know, like… one… or two… months…?” - Screks responds, slowly trying to raise himself, his voice lowering with each word as if trying to hide what he did.

Katsu sighs deeply as the concern clearly fills his mind, as he puts his forehead against the doctor’s that is looking away from him, still clearly in pain, but trying to hide it.

“How can you be so smart but such a dumbass at the same time.” - the magician whispers, loud enough for it to be clear to Screks, that refuses to look at him in the eye even tho their foreheads are against each other.

“You know I lose track of time and these things just slip! It’s not entirely my fault… I mean it is, but still, I have more important things to worry about and stuff like this just isn’t on my mind while I’m working!” - Screks complains, pausing for a moment, after feeling Katsus gaze upon him. - “…I’m sorry ok.” - he murmurs, finally facing the magician, meets his eyes, and clearly sees the concern in them, which makes him uneasy, ending with him looking away once again, as a strange feeling that he doesn't quite understand slowly starts to rise from deep within him.

Katsu moves away a bit, his hands enveloped in white flames still healing Screks back as he sighs once more, his expression softening a bit.

“It’s fine, but now I need you to lay down on your stomach so I can heal you better.” - Katsu requests, giving the doctor space to move.

“Ok, but be quick I really need to-”

“Cael.” - Screks uncooperativeness is swiftly interrupted by Katsu, and the doctor meets Katsu's worried gaze once again. - “Please.” - the magician pleads.

“Fine.” - Screks acknowledges, a slight annoyance in his tone as he lays down just as Katsu had asked him to.

Screks clearly unhealthily thin back is now in full display for the magician that sits by his side and starts massaging it gently and carefully making the white flames envelop it, focusing on the spots he could see were more dangerously damaged, Screks body shaking slightly as the magician touches some more sensitive spots that send a jolt of pain up his body.

They stay in silence for some good minutes, until Screks pain finally starts to subdue as Katsu that was previously really concentrating on what he was doing now relaxes a bit more, noticing the majority of the harm had been taken care of.

“…Can I ask you something?” - Katsu questions, in a serious tone, breaking the silence.

“… You already did you stupid mage.” - Screks responds in a sarcastic tone.

A light chuckle comes out of Katsus's mouth, his serious expression slipping away slightly.

An awkward silence follows for a few more moments.

“Does it actually bother you when I call you ”Cael“? I can try my best to stop if you want, I know you can get uneasy sometimes when I say it…” - Katsu inquires, his tone going back to a more serious and low one as he continues.

Screks pauses, raising himself slightly, looking at the nothingness of the pillow in front of him for a moment, as a confused expression fills his face, and then he, slowly and carefully to not harm himself again, turns to Katsus, facing him as the magician averts his gaze.

“What?” - …Screks utters in a puzzled voice.

The silence fills the room once more as Katsu refuses to either speak further about the subject or even look Screks in the eye.

“Where did that come from?” - Screks questions once more, now in a more serious voice, which makes Katsu clearly uneasy, fidgeting with his own fingers.

“…It’s just that… you sometimes seem bothered when I call you that name, especially in public… and I thought-

“Katsu.” - Screks calls, but in an unusually gentle tone.

The scientist takes a deep breath.

“Cael is the name myself and the people from way back used for me when I was someone very different from who I am today. The reason I don't want people to call me by that name anymore is that I no longer consider myself that person, for me that represents a stage of my life where I was really weak and vulnerable and did a lot of really bad things that I deeply regret.” - Screks explains in a genuine and calm voice, unusual of him.

Katsu grips his arm, thoughts that he might have caused discomfort for someone dear to him fill his head.

“But.” - Katsu's train of thought is interrupted by Screks that gently pushes on the man's chin so he is looking at him. - “If it’s with you, especially in private. I… I don't mind being Cael… I… I don't mind being weak or vulnerable and not this great untouchable scientist… if it’s with you I can be just…” - a light embarrassed chuckles leave Screks mouth as he feels the organic side of the face flush up and feelings from very deep inside start bottling up closer to his heart. - “Me. I can just be me. The real me. The one that I don't have to put a butch of extravagant-looking cyborg parts over to appear more… confident… Because with you, I know I can be as weak as I once were when I lost almost half of my body in an explosion and was saved by a young sorcerer and a human woman and taken back because they saw something in me that I didn’t see on myself. The potential to be better.” - Screks discloses in a calm voice, being as honest as one can be, knowing that he could, because the person in front of him would accept him no matter what.

As Screks' speech continued Katsu's eyes got brighter as his expression soften, transitioning from uneasiness to awe, seeing Screks being so genuine and hearing how much he truly trusts him, something he has basically never done, at least so directly.

“So… Please continue to call me Cael. But only in private, because that's something that-” - Screks stops, reaching his hand towards his chest, feeling it kind of tightening as this very unique feeling he has only when he is specifically with Katsu, usually in private, starts raising once again. - “Something… that I want… to be only between you and me…”

Screks looks slightly away from the magician as the strange feeling doesn’t stop rising in his chest. Katsu doesn't know how to respond, just looking at Screks still in awe as he feels a similar feeling rising from not as deep inside him, but differently from the scientist, he knows what it means very, very well, and his face flusters up slightly.

“Katsu…” - Screks finally breaks the silence, still avoiding the magician’s dazzled gaze. - “I don’t really understand the term… ”love“… but, I’ve observed and gathered a lot of what the usual association is with that word is. You know I have a hard time with… feelings… especially my own, understanding how I feel is… hard… for me… but, there’s been one… that has been actively coming back to me at very specific times and is such a unique and particular feeling that I can very well identify when it reaches me, even though I don’t understand it fully… it’s a feeling that only comes to me when…” - the scientist swallows, feeling his mouth dryer than usual as this weird embarrassment overcomes him, he takes a deep breath. - “… when I’m with you, largely when we’re alone… and… I… think…” - Screks pauses once again and gathers the courage he needs to now look Katsu in the eye. - “I’m in love with you, and have been for… quite a long time now.” - he finally confesses.

Katsu’s face completely flushes up in an almost bright red as his face and hair suddenly go warmer and his braid starts tangling and shifting in the air around him as the magician freezes up.

Screks stares at him, confused at his reaction but, weirdly finding it kind of funny, which makes him smile slightly as the tension from before starts subduing a bit.

After a few moments of panic Katsu, averts Screks’ gaze, rapidly blinking multiple times as he takes a deep breath trying to get a hold of himself and some moments later looks back at the scientist, taking his organic hand onto his own slightly shaky hands, moving closer, as his magic hair wraps around Screks torso.

“I… I feel the same… To be honest I’ve been feeling like that for a long while now but, I never expected you to… also feel the same, not only because of the mistakes I’ve committed in the past with you but also… I-I don't want this to come out the wrong way but I actually thought you weren't capable of romantic attraction and honestly, I was ok with that if I could be at your side, but… I knew I wanted something more with you I just… couldn't push myself to say anything because I was… scared… that you wouldn't feel the same.” - Katsu explains, his voice shaky and emotional, but most of all genuine. - “Cael, I love you, I love you so so much, not only this you, but all of you from the most vulnerable to the extravagantly insane I love all of you… so…so much. I want to be by your side now and forever and I never have to leave it ever again.” - Katsu declares, pouring his heart out while gripping tightly Screks’ hand, feeling his heart pounding as his eyes water slightly with him finally expressing these emotions that have been bottling up for such a long time.

“O-oh.” - Screks utters, not knowing how to respond as he feels his face flush up even more. - “That uhm… yep t-thats… uhm something… yeh…. that uhm we… hmmm… yep… I… yes…This is surely-”

A genuine smile fills Katsu's face as he sees Screks rambling on nonsense due to his not understanding how to react in this situation. Noticing this, the magician decides to, interrupt the doctor's gibberish, taking initiative to hold Screks back of the neck, pushing him towards him for a passionate kiss of two people that were, finally, after hundreds of years, able to get over their own doubts and be honest to each other about a feeling that's been building up for a time longer than the lifespan of certain species, this stage of their lives previously filled with uncertainty having finally come to a happy conclusion.