Raising his staff, Theo cast an elemental spell. The Levia spilled from his veins with liquid ease, surrounding him in a circle of dawn light.
Zenith's sword blazed with light as well, stark and white. Through it, Theo could barely make out the knight's silhouette.
But he didn't have to see. Not when Zenith's resolve pounded in his own chest like a second heartbeat. He gripped the staff tighter, the metal warm against his palm. Though he hadn't even infused it with his own Levia, just having it with him made casting easier.
As Zenith lifted his sword, his muscles taut with purpose, Theo concentrated on maintaining the flow of Levia between them. Across the deck, Fia crouched down with their bow lifted.
"Don't go easy on me, Sir Zenith!" they shouted. "We're ready for whatever you've got!"
Green light erupted, cutting through the glow from Zenith's sword, and a shield diagram appeared in front of Fia. An intricate one, its densely packed lines blocking every trace of the sprite.
That didn't stop Zenith. He charged, white light streaking behind him like a comet.
So far, training was going well. They'd already defeated Lodo and Ryllis, and both still had plenty of gas in the tank.
Thankfully things hadn't gotten too awkward after that night Zenith had run into him and Victor on the deck. Theo had fallen asleep almost the instant he'd gotten back to his room, and the next morning Zenith was pretty much back to his usual self. When Theo had tried bringing it up, Zenith quickly apologized. He seemed embarrassed, so Theo decided to just let it drop.
And right now, none of this mattered. He needed to focus. As he poured more Levia into the spell, Zenith leaped high into the air. He swung his sword in a shining arc –
Suddenly the shield spell shattered into green sparks, revealing Fia crouching right in Zenith's path.
Theo's heart jolted, and Zenith's shock seared through the contract. The knight swung his sword to the side, but the change in momentum sent him tumbling. As the light from the sword blasted into the clouds beyond, Zenith slammed to the deck with a resounding clang.
Elemental spell forgotten, Theo ran to Zenith's side. By the time he reached his knight, Zenith had hauled himself up by his elbows. He was breathing hard, sword lying abandoned on the deck.
"What happened?" Theo threw a wild glance at Fia. "Zenith couldn't have broken the shield yet, right?"
"I – I dunno." Fia blinked huge eyes before whipping toward Ryan. "Hey Ryan, what gives?"
"Oh!" Ryan jumped like he'd stepped on a rattlesnake. "Shit, my bad. Kinda lost focus...."
He rubbed the back of his head, making his hair stick up in clumps. Theo waited for him to notice and fix it, but his hand dropped limply to his side again.
Damn, Ryan really must be out of it. Fia seemed to think the same thing, because they grabbed him by the jacket and shook him. "Ryan! Keep it together! What'll happen if you lose focus in a real fight?"
"Yeah, you're right...sorry," Ryan mumbled, staring at a spot on the deck beside his left foot.
"If you're not feeling up to it, we can take a break," Meg said.
"No, no, I got it." Ryan pushed Fia's hands off his jacket, but still didn't meet their gaze. "Just give me a moment. I'll be fine."
"Really?" Frowning, Fia put their hands on their hips.
"Just so you know, we can take over any time!" Sam hollered from the sidelines.
"Fuck you!" Ryan yelled back. "C'mon, Fia!"
Well, looked like he was back in good form. For now, anyway.
~*~
Theo didn't spare much thought to Ryan's strange mood until that night. Once again, he was having trouble falling asleep. This time he didn't run into anyone on his way up to the deck. But when he climbed out of the hatch, he saw a sandy-haired boy leaning over the railing.
"Ryan?" Theo blurted.
Ryan whirled around so fast his elbow smacked the railing. As he groaned and cursed, Theo made his way over.
Ryan's hair was sticking out every which way, while dark circles surrounded his eyes. The last time Theo had seen him even close to looking this bad, it had been after Avia's death.
Theo's heart clenched. Had Ryan had been thinking about Avia? Then he ought to give the guy some space....
But before he could back away, Ryan jabbed an accusing finger in his face. "Seriously, don't fucking startle me like that."
"Sorry," Theo sighed. Just like Ryan to blame someone else for his own clumsiness. "So, um, is something wrong?"
"Nah. Everything's good." With that, Ryan turned around and rested his elbows on the railing again.
"Okay...guess I'll just leave you to your, uh, stargazing?" Theo raised an eyebrow at the cloudy sky. Well, it wasn't any of his business how Ryan spent his time.
His mind made up, he took a step back – but that was when Ryan spun toward him again. "Wait a sec."
"Huh?" Theo stared blankly at the other wizard. Ryan glowered back, his face twisting through all sorts of nasty contortions like he was waging war on himself.
"Wait, I said." The words came out slow and reluctant, as if it was taking all his effort to speak. "Maybe...maybe you can help me out here. Yeah. Why didn't I think of it earlier?"
"Help you out?" Theo echoed, his stomach sinking. Did this have something to do with Ryan's weird behavior this morning? He didn't really see what he could do, but if Ryan was desperate enough to ask him of all people, he supposed it was only fair to hear him out.
"I think...I think...." His voice trailing off, Ryan drummed his fingertips on the railing. As the seconds slipped by and no other sound joined the drumming, Theo's patience began to fray.
"Hey, listen – " he said, only for Ryan to cut him off.
"I think – I think – I think I like Fia!"
The words burst out in a single breath. His entire face crimson, Ryan glared at Theo as if daring him to challenge him.
But of course, that was the last thing on Theo's mind. Not when he was still struggling to unpack the bomb Ryan had just dropped. "Like...? As in...that kind of like?"
"What other kind of like is there, huh?" Ryan barked, his face turning redder.
"Uh, so...congratulations? What's the problem here?"
Ryan scowled as if he couldn't believe how dense Theo was being. "C'mon, man. If I like Fia, doesn't that make me gay?"
All right, could Ryan at least take a break in between dropping bombs? As Theo sputtered, trying to come up with something even halfway intelligent to say, Ryan kept on blathering.
"I mean, since Fia's not a girl – but they're not a guy either? Well, either way, I like girls! Blondes with big tits! Fia's totally not my type. And I'm definitely not into guys, no way in hell, but Fia's not a guy, but they're also not a girl – "
"Okay, okay." Theo decided to intervene before Ryan talked himself into circles. "I get it. But why do you think I can help, anyway?"
"Well, duh. You're gay, aren't you?"
"What?" Theo felt like he'd just gotten socked in the stomach. His jaw fell wide open.
"Don't try to deny it, man." Ryan scrunched up his face. "You're totally crazy about Sir Zenith."
"No! No, I'm not!" Theo burst out. By now, he was sure he'd turned as red as Ryan – no, redder. Some part of him half expected to see steam rising from his cheeks. "What the hell gives you that idea?"
"You couldn't be more obvious if you tried," Ryan said, rolling his eyes. "But enough about you, we're talking about me here. So am I gay after all or what?"
Groaning, Theo tugged at his hair. Why, oh why had he decided to come out here tonight? But if he didn't say anything, Ryan might bug him about this all night. Or worse, blab about Theo's feelings for Zenith to everyone in the morning.
"Aren't you overthinking it? Does it really matter if you're gay or straight or whatever? You like Fia, don't you?"
"Yeah!" Ryan declared with a confidence that gave Theo the strangest stab of jealousy.
Trying to ignore it, he plunged onward. "And why do you like Fia? It's got nothing to do with them being a boy or girl or neither, right? You like Fia because they're Fia."
He felt like he was explaining basic concepts to a toddler, but with each word Ryan's eyes grew huger and huger. "Oh," he said, quietly. Then, louder, "Oh!"
A huge, shaky grin spread across his face. "Yeah, you're right. Absolutely right. I shouldn't worry about shit that doesn't matter. I like Fia because they're Fia. Yeah!"
"See, was it really that hard?" Theo sighed.
The next thing he knew, a heavy hand clapped his shoulder and Ryan leaned into his face, still grinning like a maniac. "Thanks, man! You're a lifesaver!"
'Aren't you just dense?' But there was no point in saying it aloud. And really, Theo did kind of envy Ryan. If only things could be that easy when it came to his own feelings.