"Don't-Don't touch me,"
In which Noah Harden despised being touched and is dragged in front of three thrones. Noah took one look at those blinking red eyes and was certain he'd made a mistake in vacationing in Volterra. That is, until he realised th...
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"You did not tell me we were going to the middle of fucking Antarctica," Noah knew he sounded bitter, he felt bitter. Trudging through ankle-deep snow and shivering from head to toe, he couldn't remember ever having been so truly miserable. He was close to having frostbite and his feet and legs ached from walking through the thick ice for so long. For the most part, his complaints went unaddressed though he knew they heard him over the whistling wind.
The others walked quite far ahead in the distance, though stayed within his eye range. It must have truly angered them that he was so slow and refused to be carried, they'd have reached their destination within minutes if not for him anchoring them to this slow trudge among the slush.
"Shut up, Noah and walk before I carry you!" Caius snapped, not for the first time on this endeavour. A mission that was set to only take a few days was greatly extended with a human in their midst and Noah only blamed them, he could feel no guilt for slowing them down as they were the ones who kidnapped him in the first place, and the morons who had chosen to bring him on their exhibition across the frozen wasteland. He wished to be lounging in Caius' minimalistic quarters with a drink in hand but instead he was hardly feeling his feet and wondering when they'd finally draw to a halt.
"You will do no such thing!" Noah returned. "This is all your fault in the first place. You could've left me behind!"
"Knowing you, I'd come home to find you broken at the foot of a very tall tower!"
"Oh and what a shame that would be for you!" Noah was testy and angry and Caius grouchy and impatient-- a combination that would cause arguments in the most stable of relationships, let alone there's where they both had the desire to inflict pain almost half the time.
"Both of you stop bickering like children, we are here," Aro hissed from somewhere ahead in the wind. When Noah looked forward, he was only met with a face full of snowflakes and wind burn to the eyes. They had geared him with everything he needed to survive this cold and yet, he was still shivering under many layers.
On any other day, Noah would be beyond disappointed to find a small wooden shack in the middle of the snow. It was one story and likely constructed of only four or five rooms. Yet, after the day he had had thus far, any form of warmth or shelter was appreciated and highly sought after.
Thankfully, Felix opened the front door, releasing a warm glow or Noah would never have been able to find it through the thick snow. The warmth inside hit him like a wave the instant he stepped through and the mountain of layers on his body heated him to the bone after only a few moments. Stripping off the top layer of jacket and fleece, he dropped them onto a patchwork chair. By the time he had glanced around him, everyone except Caius had vanished. The blond king walked broodily into one of the side rooms and Noah sighed as he followed. He could already feel that sweet Caius was nowhere in sight.
"Get it out then," Noah encouraged as he relocated the coat and fleece to the wardrobe. Caius was busy searching through the bags he'd dropped on the bed, his gloves discarded in a small pile by the pillows. The sight of them made Noah swallow despite himself-- it was a sign that Caius clearly didn't have any intention of touching him anytime soon for if he had, he'd have kept the gloves on hand. It was difficult for Noah, who had spent such little time having genuine communication with people, to know what to make of Caius' anger, wasn't he always at least slightly agitated? It was his permanent state.
