He's a Mess of a Man

Book Two ~ Chapter Eight (18+!!)

When Leviathan came to, the dungeon was gone. All around him, the sky shattered and repaired itself in endless kaleidoscopic patterns. The ground seemed far, far below, rolling like a stormy sea. Melchior clung to Leviathan's suit, every inch of his fur standing on end. His warm, solid weight was Leviathan's only anchor amidst the chaos. Leviathan closed his eyes tightly and held Melchior close, waiting for the world around them to stop lurching. It was uncertain how much time had passed when the ground finally fell still. The sky continued to churn overhead, punctuated by cracks of lightning.

With a groan, Leviathan picked himself up, "Everything hurts..." Melchior certainly wasn't a big helper. He was practically plastered to Leviathan with his tail between his legs. "Where are we..? It.. it looks like a village." The burnt out ruins of a long abandoned village laid around the two. Blood and ash stained the snow, which periodically boiled off in acid-green geysers. Leviathan called out many times, but no answer. His voice grew louder with each echo, eventually forcing him to clasp his hands over his ears.

But through the chaos, Leviathan heard another sound. A sword singing through the air, followed by an earsplitting crash of wood and stone. Melchior immediately took off in the direction of the sound. Leviathan called out to him, but he didn't listen. If anything, he ran faster. Leviathan followed carefully. Every few seconds, the ground rolled again, as if he were walking on some great beast. The ruined buildings swayed like saplings in the wind. Leviathan heard the sword again. But this time when he saw the flash of the sword in the distance, an impossibly bright arc stung his eyes.

"That's it, Mercedes!" yelled Lucio, "Get 'em, girl!"

Leviathan's eyes started to build tears, "He made it out... He's alive!" Buoyed by a painful surge of hope, Leviathan broke into an immediate sprint. Finally, he spotted Lucio atop a ruined staircase, brandishing a large sword. At the base of the stairs, Mercedes stood triumphant over a worm twice her size. Another, anthropomorphic dog watched Leviathan approach with serene, blank eyes. "LUCIO!!" Leviathan yelled, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Lucio spun around at the sound of Leviathan's voice, perilously close to the edge of the stairs, "Who-" When Lucio's eyes landed on Leviathan, a brilliant smile spread across his face. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. "Leviathan?!" Lucio tossed the sword aside, leapt off the stairs, and rushed toward him, "It's you! It's really you!" Before Leviathan could say anything, Lucio scooped him up into his arms, "Hey there." Fighting back tears, he asked, "What's a cute magician like you doing in a place like this?"

Leviathan couldn't help but indulge, "Looking for a Count."

"Well, lucky you. And lucky me." Despite his bravado, Lucio's hands trembled against Leviathan's skin. He kept searching Leviathan's face, not believing what he was seeing. Leviathan reached up, gently pressing his lips to Lucio's. He gasped softly, pressing Leviathan to his chest. "Levi..." The remnants of the spell Leviathan had cast when they first met sent a tingle through his lips when the two parted. Lucio held him tighter, as if he'd vanish the moment he let go. "I... I really missed you," Lucio chuckled lightly, "Weird, right? It hasn't been that long. Or at least, I don't think it's been that long... But I..." he opened his mouth, shook his head, and dropped his gaze.

"What's wrong?"

"I wanna ask you something, but in retrospect, it sounds kinda dumb..."

Leviathan nodded, "Go ahead. Ask."

Very carefully, Lucio sat down on a burnt door, still holding Leviathan close, "I..." he buried his face against Leviathan's neck, his words barely more than a whisper. "Can we just... you know... forget about all this for a second..? Pretend it's not happening?" Lucio vaguely waved at the boiling sky and bizarre landscape surrounding them, "I know we'll have to deal with it eventually, but I... I can't right now..." he sighed, "I just got you back..." As he spoke, he clung to Leviathan like a lost child.