Warm Blood

"So, we're alone now. What did you want to tell me about exactly?" - Screks asks with slight worry in his voice, calling his partner's attention, who looks at him with a soft smile.

"Well, I got you something and... I wanted to give it to you now, if that's okay." - Katsu steps up towards the scientist while reaching for something in his back pocket.

The doctor stares at him, one of his eyebrows raising extravagantly while he crosses his arms in front of him, as the magician, who is looking away, seems to be searching for something. - "And... Why exactly couldn't you just, hand it to me normally?" - the scientist sighs and uncrosses his arms, seemingly annoyed for having thought it was something of importance. - "You insisted for a moment in private just to... give me... something...?"

Katsu lets out a gentle giggle. - "Calm down, it won't take long." - he affirms, seeming to have found what he was looking for, his gaze diverting towards the annoyed scientist, that stares back. - "I just wanted to rob you some minutes of your time, Cael." - Katsu says with a warm and soft voice, getting closer to the scientist and taking the doctor's organic hand onto his own.

The doctor pauses for a moment, letting the magician take his hand willingly. - "...What have we talked about you calling me that while at the lab?" - Screks calls out, the slight annoyance still very present in his voice now seemingly softer.

"I know but..." - Katsu gets on one knee, making the scientist take a step back, confusion feeling his face. - "I got you this." - the mage opens a small black leather box in front of the scientist, its case embroidered with some magic runes, revealing two rings lying on one another, a silver and a gold one.

"Uhm..." - Screks pauses once again, even more puzzled than before. - "What are those exactly?" - he asks, his eyes fixed on the two rings.

"These are custom "Rings of Shared Suffering" I ordered." - Katsu clarifies, his gaze fixed on his partner with a dazzled gaze, a soft smile tracing his lips.

"O...kay...?" - the doctor squints at the rings and then at Katsu, who has his eyes fixed on him. - "Why... exactly?" - Screks inquires, still pretty much dumbfounded.

"Well." - the mage makes the small box float in front of them and takes the silver ring out, while delicately making it so the scientist extends his organic hand out towards him, which was being held by Katsu up until now. - "I want you to be able to share a bit of the physical toll you have to endure whenever you take your prosthetics off." - the mage's smile grows warmer - "With me."

The doctor takes a moment, and Katsu lets him have it, still holding his partner's hand with one of his own, and a silver ring, that glows with a magic touch, in the other, patiently.

"...You know better than anyone that you're not the greatest at... dealing with pain, we don't have to share this. You do enough just by helping me with the "taking off" process, this is unnecessary." - Screks pauses. - I don't understand." - he expresses, seeking to understand the mage's intentions.

"I know, I will take it very, very slow, at my pace, safely, but I really... really want to do this, to share this with you... if you allow me to." - Katsu discloses, a tender and sincere smile ever so present on his face.

The doctor takes another moment to think, letting out a soft sigh after some time. - "Alright, we can talk about the specifics later." - he replies, with a soft tone, relaxing his left hand so Katsu can do as he pleases.

Katsu takes the chance to put the silver ring on the doctor's ring finger gently, subsequently getting up in front of the scientist who looks at the mage as he stares back tenderly.

The small box slowly floats closer to Screks, who takes the golden ring out and looks at it for a moment, before looking back at Katsu who already had his left hand extended towards him. The doctor takes a peek and the mage's hand and then back at the magician's red eyes, which seemed for some reason to be shining even more brightly than usual, which makes the doctor almost get lost in them for a moment, before gazing back a Katsu's hand and taking it onto his own, carefully putting the golden ring on his partner's ring finger, just as Katsu had done to him.

"Alright, you had what you wanted now go finish helping out our... customers with what they need, will you? I need to finish sorting things in here, so we'll meet back at the main lab in a bit." - the doctor suggests while stepping away from the mage.

Katsu lets out a soft happy chuckle. - "Alright, I'll be going now dear, see you in a bit." - the mage replies, going towards the big metal door that leads to the exit to the training area.

"Yeah, yeah, just go already." - Screks says, turning towards the opposite side, starting to sort his mind on what his next chores are.

As the doctor hears the metal door opening and the quick steps of Katsu leaving the room he feels the right side of his face warm up slightly, as the word "dear" echoes in his mind.

"H-hey! What did you just call me?!?" - Screks shouts out, glaring at the exit's direction, where Katsu had gone through just a few moments ago a warm kind of annoyance filling his chest, only to hear the distant joyful muffled laugh of the magician, that very clearly knew what he had just done there.