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 Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2025 5:13 pm
Quote: The Fairies (8 ) : The City has been lit up for the Star Festival with banners and twinkling decorations strewn off the windowsills of shop fronts and windows. The gardeners at one particular park have put their heart and soul into creating a fairy's paradise: Fairy lights have been carefully dangled from trees to make strings of stars, little beaded jewels have been hidden among the hedges, and even the old cobwebs have been sprayed with just a touch of glitter. The park is open to everyone and the citizens of Destiny City have been invited to respectfully explore the hidden wonders that have been placed throughout. The park is magical enough on its own but there have also been reports of a strange, ethereal and shimmering stranger in the park. The glimmer of a beautiful costumed figure fluttering through the park has been passed around as rumor, and no matter what anyone claims to see, no one can take a picture of it. As if simply seeing some magical figure isn't mysterious enough, there are also reports of mischief and small pranks being played at the same time this figure seems to appear.
“Hey, love…” Basyl hummed in the gentlest entreaty he could muster as he stepped past the rickety screen door of their rental cabin and out onto the small concrete porch beyond. …Where his poor fiancé was not lounging in a chair, but instead sprawled out on his back on the ground, staring blankly up at the rotating fan blades on the overhang above.
It was hot, Basyl wouldn’t lie. Somewhere in the 90’s with about 60 percent humidity. That type of hot was pretty uncommon for Destiny City, and if they’d known what they were getting into, Basyl was sure they would’ve scheduled a different time to be off of work… A different time to be outside.
Even now, Basyl debated the merits of staying at the camp versus going home.
Yes, they’d paid to rent the space, and it was really only that bad during the middle of the day, like now… Everyone else seemed to be having an alright time, despite the uncomfortable weather. Everyone besides Nat, of course. Even Basyl was warm, but he wasn’t… lounging-on-the-bare-ground-disassociating-from-life levels of warm. They’d be more comfortable doing something else, inside, for a couple hours.
But Nataniel was stubborn.
Because of course he was.
And despite how much he’d deny it, Nat had at least as much fomo as his brother, and he wasn’t going anywhere if all of his friends were here. Which they were. So Basyl and Nataniel stayed, despite the pitiful situation.
Basyl folded himself to the ground at his fiancé’s side, keeping one hand innocuously behind his back, while the other went immediately for Nat’s hair, combing through sweaty bangs and teasing the curled ends between his fingers.
“You could’ve gone to the bath cabin and taken a cold shower?” He offered. “I know it’s- er- well, I know you don’t really enjoy using the facilities, b-but it’s probably still better than getting heatstroke?” He drew his fingers down from Nat’s hair to his cheek, still warm despite the moisture on his skin. And his gaze lacked a certain clarity- enough to juuust infringe on Basyl’s certainty that this was just the usual drama. “You just look so miserable, love…”
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Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2025 5:35 pm
Basyl was exaggerating. Nataniel wasn’t gazing lifelessly into the middle distance; he was simply conserving energy that he would need to deal with everyone when they came together again in a couple hours for dinner and games. They’d agreed on this rest time. They’d decided as a group that while the sun hung highest in the sky, scorching the Earth with its inhospitable rays, it was safer to hide in the shelter if the cabin rest. That’s what he was doing. It was just that this part of the day did seem the best time to not overly exert yourself.
He wasn’t as concerned about a possible heat stroke as Basyl was, but that didn’t mean Nataniel wasn’t concerned about it at all. He considered his constitution to be well above average, but he was far from infallible…
So he’d settled in with his stainless steel water bottle, decorated with a cute dangly star charm, on the coolest slab of concrete he could find and began the wait for the hours to trickle by in the annoyingly still air. If there had at least been a breeze- but there wasn’t. Why would anything happen that he wanted to happen? The cabins weren’t equipped with air conditioning, so there was no point in being inside, but the little concrete patio had an overhang for shade and a fan that… well, it didn’t do much besides move the hot air around.
The Look Nataniel sent the other man as Basyl knelt down to his level had to be among the most scathing he’d ever given; and Rakovanite had shot Narcissus some pretty venomous stares before they’d known each other very well. “I would not waste my time,” he muttered, obviously unimpressed with the suggestion. A quick spray under some cool water would feel good for a few minutes, sure, but unfortunately, Nataniel thought the camp showers were disgusting and he was not interested in using them more than the bare minimum. Once in the evening to lower his temperature enough to get to sleep for the night. Little beyond that. That Basyl would even suggest he subject himself to whatever foot fungus the masses dragged through those stalls- Horrifying.
During the day, they were better off getting in the pool or the lake… If not for the sun. It was a ridiculous notion, but Nataniel would say it was even too hot to be out in the water. Which was a shame because that was most of the activities they’d planned to do at the camp. Swimming and hiking and sitting around a campfire…
Nataniel wasn’t versed in these sorts of things. His family were not campers. But he was given to understand this was the typical agenda.
And he wanted it to be typical for Basyl.
He huffed, lips drawing into a tight, thin line as narrowed eyes dragged back to the other. “Sorry, mera pyaar. I know this is far from how you imagined the trip going…” He wouldn't have expected himself to be the problem here. Nat certainly didn’t think he’d be the most affected by the heat- he’d always preferred cooler temperatures, but he got over it… usually. He got over most things that impeded him. “I invite you to do anything you would like to do without me. There is no reason for you to stay here.”
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2025 9:19 am
Basyl snorted out a little laugh, still carefully petting the sweat-frizzed strands of Nataniel’s hair. “Except there is a reason?” He offered, brows raised and lips quirked into a little smile. “You’re the reason. I don’t want to do anything without you. I don’t want to go off somewhere and leave you here like this. I’d feel bad! You d-don’t want me to feel bad, right?” And that was true and fine! He didn’t want to leave Nat. He would feel bad. …What he wouldn’t say was that he’d also be a little worried.
Nataniel was used to managing himself by himself, and he was generally very good at it! Very aware of his needs and limits. Just- well, even Basyl still didn’t completely understand where the line was drawn between ’I’ll take care of myself,’ and ’this is too much work’ because it frankly seemed to skew one way or another on a whim.
He was very, very dutiful about his workout routine, kept up with it every day. Physical form in top shape (and oh, it definitely was). But if he was sick, doing literally anything about it was too much work. No medicine, no hospital, no rest. Just blind, stubborn perseverance. Fine. No illness had snatched him from the mortal plane yet. Basyl had to resist an eye roll at the mere thought. And just like his physical routine, he was also very, very strict with his diet. No sugars, no meat, limited carbs. The man was a nightmare to cook for. …Except sometimes he pounded back a shelf’s worth of tequila because he’d been left alone for ten seconds. Why? Hell if Basyl knew. Hell if Basyl understood.
Literally where was the line, and how close were they to ’I don’t care anymore’ at this very second.
Well, they weren’t going to find out, since Basyl was here he’d be taking over the Nat’s personal management role, thanks. The necessities of water and a good enough place to cool down were already handled, which meant Basyl could take on the more superfluous methods.
He leaned over Nat, bringing his gaze exactly parallel with the other man’s. “And anyway, I’ve got something for you.” The ‘treat’ he’d kept hidden behind his back. “Close your eyes, okay?”
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