Bound

Part Three

California is all Scott has ever dreamed of and more. The weather is always perfect. The people are diverse and fashionable. And then there is the school. To the untrained eye, Scott, Mitch, and Kirstin are just commuter students attending classes at the University of Southern California. Weird classes that meet at odd times and allow you to bring your pets, but no one questions them. They spend several days a week learning to channel their natural elemental magic into other forms like transmutation and potion making and protection against the rare rogue Mage. Scott loves every second of it.

Admission to this elite and secret program was a piece of cake after all of their worry over their unique situation. As Kirstin had suggested, the sharing of a familiar between two Mages isn't unheard of here. It is far from common, since it requires a powerful soul bond early on in life, but Scott likes that not many can boast a love like the love he has for Mitch.

It was an option for them to live on campus and get the full college experience, but the idea terrifies Kirstin, who can't go five minutes in Los Angeles without being propositioned by a big jock. It's clear to Scott that she's flattered by the attention, but likes being able to get away from that for a while.

Mitch finds them a pair of bungalows for rent in a chic little neighborhood not far from campus. Scott worries about the cost, hating to blow through their savings. But Mitch just smiles and says that it's handled, which is code for: "I used magic on the landlord."

To Scott's relief--sort of--Wyatt doesn't require his Mages to share a bed. He's happy to sleep curled up next to Mitch on most nights, as long as he gets plenty of Scott time during the day. He still demands that they sit close to one another when they're watching television or reading their textbooks. His favorite position is one they discovered their first week in the bungalow. Mitch had dozed off on the couch and Scott had reached for his hand to wake him gently. Wyatt had wedged between them and rested his chin on top of their entwined hands, purring so loudly it was obvious to Scott that this would have to be repeated. It isn't always the most comfortable way to sit, physically or emotionally, but most nights when they wind down in front of the TV, Scott takes Mitch's hand and Wyatt locks them together.

As their first semester wears on, several things become apparent. Firstly, Scott and Mitch and Wyatt together are almost frighteningly powerful. Their lessons hardly pose a challenge, and their grades are perfect. Secondly, Scott falls more in love with Mitch every day. He knows he can't say much, that he shouldn't push, but the proximity they share in their classes and at home has put the face he's always loved on closer display, and that is something he's continually grateful for.

He feels so connected to his best friend, is filled with the certainty that comes with deep and abiding love. He can stare for hours at the curve of Mitch's lips or the long tangle of his eyelashes. He feels at peace and also restless with desire, something that leads to endless frustration when it becomes clear that Mitch does not feel the same.

The fight begins with Kirstin, actually. Scott and Mitch come by on a Sunday morning in December to take her out for brunch as usual and they see Olaf outside in the courtyard, head on his paws looking a bit dejected. In general, Mages and familiars don't abide voluntary separation well, and Olaf is clingier than most, so Scott's first reaction is panic. Is Kirstin hurt or sick? It's the most logical assumption, and Mitch and Scott use quick and dirty magic to pop the lock on her front door.

What happens next is a squeal of embarrassment and a flurry of activity. Scott is frozen in place when his eyes focus and the shapes in front of him coalesce. In the two months he and Kirstin had dated years back, there hadn't been much physical activity between them obviously. He'd never seen her fully unclothed before. But that's what he sees now, the bare, glowing skin of his longtime friend as she grabs a blanket off the back of the sofa and throws it over the boy lying there. She then yanks the boy's shirt up from a pile on the floor and covers herself with it.