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“Maybe one of us should go look for him?” Love offered brightly. A brand new, sparkly pink nail polish was waiting for her in her dorm room; she needed to get this show on the road.
The members of Magia Lupus were gathering to discuss the upcoming Divine Visionary exam. They had accrued quite a few gold coins; Abel needed to confirm who all wanted, and who truly deserved, to participate before any real strategic planning could take place. When Abel had arrived, he was surprised to discover he was the first. Love, Milo, and Anser had shown up together shortly after, apparently bumping into each other on the way. Olore had come in a few minutes behind them, arriving right at the designated meeting time. Wirth had strolled in five minutes later, leaving Abyss as the last member to arrive.
“Abyss knows the location and time of our meeting, and will provide a reasonable explanation as to why he is late. There is no need to seek him out.” Abel replied dryly. He was not worried about Abyss’ tardiness in the slightest. His Second Fang had never missed a meeting, usually arriving early to assist in the staging of whichever of their rotating venues Abel had chosen. He had leaned into Abel’s flair for the dramatic, offering surprising and brilliant ideas regarding candelabra placement.
“How long will we wait? We all know he is going to enter the exam for you, we don’t need him here to declare his intent.” Wirth supplied with a smirk. Not-so-subtly poking fun at Abels and Abyss’ closeness had quickly become one of his favorite ways to spend their meeting time.
“As long as is required.” Abel shot back cooly, bringing an end to the discussion. Wirth was correct, they did know Abyss was going to enter the selection exam for with Abel, so no, his presence at this meeting was not required. But that wasn’t the point. Abyss was part of their little faction, and it did not sit right with Abel to begin a meeting without him. So they would wait until he showed, or until Abel decided too much time had passed and maybe they should go searching for him. But not thirty seconds later, the heavy doors to their hideout creaked open, and in walked Abyss, his stride long and purposeful.
“Greetings, all.” He tilted his head in acknowledgment to each member before coming to a stop in front of Abel.
“I do apologize for my tardiness, Lord Abel. I came across a second year with two silver coins. After deafening him, they combined with the three others I had acquired earlier in the week.”
Abyss reached into his robe to pull out a gold coin, bowing his head in respect while making his offering. Abel plucked the coin from Abyss’ fingers and brought it to eye level. This brought their total gold coin count to twelve, with Abyss supplying four all on his own. Abel looked past the coin to his most dedicated subordinate, who had straightened and was awaiting a response. His Second Fang was truly remarkable and deserved high praise, but now was not the time, not with so many around.
“No need to apologize. You were right not to squander such an opportunity. I appreciate your contribution.” Abel slipped the coin into the inner pocket of his robe, his gaze lingering on Abyss for a moment longer than necessary before looking away to finally address the group as a whole.
“Now that we are all present, let us commence our meeting.”
***
Abel watched the doors come to a close with a heavy thud, then swept his gaze back to the last remaining meeting member. Abyss was meticulously snuffing out candles in a far corner of the room, the snuffer levitating from flame to flame at the direction of his pointer finger, as the tables that had been pushed together to accommodate their group rearranged themselves per his direction behind his back. He still wore his mask, but had removed his hood to reveal his long flowing ponytail. It was a little crooked atop of his head; Abel’s right eyebrow twitched at the thought of Abyss, fresh from his battle, hurrying through the twisted halls of Lang while hastily rearranging his hair, grumbling about his tardiness.
Lopsided as it was, his hair was lovely in the vanishing candlelight. As the last of the flames went out and deep shadows closed in, the color deepened into an ocean blue for the briefest of moments. Then Abyss turned towards the rear of the room; taking several steps forwards, he waived his arm in a large arcing motion to reposition the snuffer, and proceeded to smother more flames. Surrounded in light once more, his stands were now their usual sky blue, swaying with his movements.
Abel regarded Abyss a few moments longer before taking a few steps towards him.
“Abyss.”
Abyss finished smothering a flame, then recalled the snuffer to place it on the table beside him. He turned, giving Abel his full attention.
“Will you please hold Mother?”
Startled, Abyss hesitantly accepted the doll-wand offered, pulling her against his chest.
Abel then reached up, pads of his fingertips resting gently against the front of the porcelain mask, his other hand reaching behind to untie the ribbons that held it in place. He placed the mask next to the snuffer, eyebrows raising ever so slightly in satisfaction at the sight before him; Abyss, clutching Mother close to this heart, bright pink in the face from the attention he was receiving.
“Your ponytail is off-center. I will fix it for you. Turn around.”
Abyss opened his mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out. He just stared with a slack jaw until Abel raised a questioning eyebrow. Closing his mouth, he did as he was told, his grip tightening around Mother.
Abel stepped in to close the distance between them, gently pulling the elastic holding his hair up high down his length, releasing an ever-so-slightly herbal scented wave of sky blue. He slipped the elastic on to his wrist, then ran his hands through, mesmerized as always by the sheer silkiness. Starting near his ears, he began a slow massage of Abyss’s scalp, paying special attention to where his hair gathered for his ponytail.
Abyss titled his head back, leaning into the touch, sighing softly. His hold on Mother loosened, his thumb now stroking her arm. Abel had taken quite the liking to his hair; it seemed as if his fingers were always in it ever since that night a few weeks ago. They would be in class or the library studying, and Abyss would feel a slight tug, only to see the ends of his hair being twisted around long, slender fingers. Once, he had released his hair from its high gathering place, absently rubbing the spot where his ponytail had sat for a few seconds. Abel had noticed; as soon as he had lowered his hand, Abel moved to stand behind him, his fingers taking the place of his own, rubbing soothing circles throughout his scalp. The contact had sent shivers down his spine and a flush to his face; he had been very grateful the section of the library they were in was empty.
Careful to avoid Abyss’ bangs and face framing fringe, Abel gathered his strands and tied off his ponytail. Abyss turned to face him; he took a step back to review his work. Satisfied, he met Abyss’ eyes, then his gaze fell lower.
“You hold Mother in the same manner I do.”
Abyss looked down at the doll-wand he was still stroking, then back to Abel.
“Of course I do, Mother is important to you.”
Abel blinked once, then again.
“You don’t find it… odd? That I carry around a doll that I speak to and refer to as my Mother?”
Abyss smiled while answering.
“It is a bit… peculiar, yes. But who am I to judge you? Mother is a tether to someone you loved and have lost. Mother gives you comfort, and comfort is not always so easy to come by in this world. I too have lost my parents, albeit in a different manner. I know how it feels.”
His smile faltered as he looked down at the doll-wand once more.
“I wish I could speak to my mother.” Then his eyes, crinkled at the corners, rose to meet Abels. With a radiant smile, he continued.
“I finally have some good news to share with her.”
Those words were a wrecking ball to the walls Abel had so carefully built and maintained around his heart. No-one ever said anything to his face, but he heard their whispers. He knew how people regarded him and his doll-wand, knew of the nasty things they said under their breath. They often made fun of his trauma, snickering behind their hands, calling him weird and troubled. But no-one ever tried to talk to him, to understand why, so he never bothered with trying to explain.
But Abyss, his sweet, kind-hearted Abyss, understood. And more importantly, he accepted him as he was. He accepted Mother.
“You may share your good news with Mother. I am sure she will be happy to hear it."
He took a step forward, reaching out a hand to cup Abyss’ face, his thumb resting under his Evil Eye. Abyss’ eyes fluttered closed as he turned his head slightly, nuzzling into the warm palm against his cheek.
“Thank you.”
Abel thought it serendipitous, that Abyss would utter the words that were on the tip of his own tongue.
*****
Abyss was busy organizing his notes and other materials after the final period of the day when a Lang first year approached him.
“Prefect Walker wants to see you. He said to go to his office after class.” The student mumbled, her darting eyes looking everywhere but at Abyss. Abyss smiled, although she couldn’t see it behind his mask.
“Thank you. I’ll head right over.”
The students head bobbed up and down in a quick nod of acknowledgment before she spun around, scurrying out of the classroom. Abyss couldn’t help but to chuckle to himself. He was used to people avoiding him altogether, and if they had to interact with him, most let their fear get the better of them and were unduly rude and defensive. The ones that were scared, but lacked malice, always brought a smile to his face.
He quickly finished his packing, not wanting to leave his First Fang waiting. Abel had been quite busy with prefect duties all week; Abyss had offered his assistance, but Abel had declined at the time, telling him he would let him know if his services were needed. It seemed that time had come, and Abyss was eager to help.
Arriving at his destination with a bounce in his step, Abyss knocked softly on the open door to Abels office before stepping inside. Abel was leaning back against the front of his desk, right arm tucked under his left, ankles crossed, eyes quickly scanning over the scroll he held. Mother sat on his desk, propped up against a stack of papers near his hip. He untucked his arm to hold up a finger, acknowledging the arrival. Abyss waited patiently while he finished his reading, but didn’t have to wait long. Moments later Abel rolled the scroll up and placed it on his desk before pushing off.
“Good afternoon, Abyss. Thank you for coming, and for your patience.”
“It is my pleasure. Do you need my assistance? How may I be of service to you, Lord Abel?”
Abel had walked past him to his office door. He shut it, pausing for a moment before pushing in the knobs lock button. He then turned to address Abyss.
“First, may you please remove your mask? You do not need to hide your true self from me.”
Abyss hesitated, but did as he was asked, placing the mask on Abels desk. Shame forced his eyes to the floor before resolve had him looking up to meet Abels gaze. Abel nodded his approval before continuing.
“You have already been of great service to me, Abyss. You have turned in five gold coins, which I find quite amazing. I myself have only procured three.”
Abyss’ eyes dropped to the floor once more before responding.
“Thank you, Lord Abel, for recognizing my contributions, but please do not compare yourself to me. You have many other responsibilities to see to. It is my duty as your tool to fulfill your will.”
Abel took a couple of steps toward Abyss before replying.
“As my tool, you have performed your duties spectacularly. I could not have asked for better results.”
He took a few more steps towards Abyss.
“But I now see that I have been… lacking. In my duties as your leader, and as your friend.”
Abyss looked up at this, confusion written all over his face.
“You are my tool, my most prized weapon in the fight to achieve my dream. But I have failed to take care of you in the manner of which you are deserving; you are not an inanimate object such as a sword or wand. You are an incredible being with an incredible power that extends far beyond your magic.”
A blush began to creep along Abyss’ cheeks. A compliment from Abel was hard won; he demanded perfection and accepted nothing less. To earn praise meant you exceeded that exacting standard. His eyes widened as Abel took a few more steps in his direction. He was now less than an arms length away.
“I have thought long and hard about how I could show my appreciation for your efforts. I must have visited every shop in town searching for a gift to present to you, but nothing seemed appropriate. Some trinket could not even begin to convey the depths of my gratitude.”
Abyss' heart was hammering in his chest, his breaths coming up short. He wanted so badly to interrupt, to tell Abel that a show of appreciation was not necessary, that he would fight for him until and with his dying breath. Not because he wanted recognition and praise, but because Abel was important to him. Before he could even open his mouth to express these feelings, the words died in the pit of his stomach, the fear of rejection too great. What if Abel heard his words and understood the deeper meaning, only to expel him as the Second Fang of Magia Lupus and disregard his existence? He could not bear to lose the only person to have accepted him as he was. So he kept his mouth shut, refocusing on Abel as he took another step forward, feeling as if his air supply dwindled with each passing second.
“Then, well I wouldn’t call it ‘Out of the blue’ as I had been thinking about it for days, it hit me. I had completely failed to take you into consideration. I was searching for a gift that I wanted to give to you, but I had not put any considerable thought into what you would really want. When I did, I immediately realized my folly. You have no want for material things. At least none you have ever expressed to me.”
Another step forward; Abel was now so close he could feel his breath as he spoke.
“What you have expressed are your desires.”
Abyss’ face flushed red with heat. He could feel flames licking across his cheeks, stroking the bridge of his nose, the smoke tendrils curling up into his eyes, making them water. Had he really been so obvious? Did he really need to ask such a silly question? Of course he had been. Abel was his savior, and it wasn’t as if Abyss didn’t act as such. The latest in a long list of examples: He had practically skipped to Abels office once summoned. His eyes once again fell to the floor; the tears could fall, but he just could not look at Abel as they did. He could not look Abel in the eye and cry as he was rejected and tossed aside.
“Abyss.”
To hear his name spoken so softly tugged at parts of him he had tried so desperately to deny and bury. He looked up to meet Abels eyes with his own teary ones. What he saw sent him spiraling all over again.
Abel was not looking at him with his usual nearly unreadable mask. His mask had not cracked to reveal disgust, or mistrust, or anything of the sort. There was no mask.
Abel looked… open. Vulnerable. He let out a long breath, then continued.
“When I stopped and thought of you, truly thought of you, what you longed for, what you needed, and how I could give that you, the answer to my problem made itself clear.”
Another half step forward, and Abyss was suddenly pressed against Abel, an arm around his hips pulling him close to flush as a gasp was pulled from him. His hands instinctively came up to clutch at Abels robes. Abels other hand came up to wipe the tears that had fallen. He then cupped Abyss’ face, his thumb passing back and forth under his Evil Eye.
“I want to thank you.”
Abel leaned forward, resting his forehead against Abyss’.
“Thank you for your continued efforts. We now have fifteen gold coins, and are all but guaranteed entrance into the selection exam. Thank you for trusting and believing in me, for fighting so hard to make my dream a reality.”
Abyss’ eyes closed as he melted into Abels tightening embrace. Abels voice dropped to a whisper as he continued.
“Thank you for accepting me, and for accepting Mother. Your accomplishments as my Second Fang are only outshined by your compassion. It is a gift I cherish, that I hold close to my heart. A gift that I hope I can give to you in return.”
Abyss sniffled and smiled. How could Abel speak such words to him? Didn’t he know that he had already shown compassion and acceptance the moment he told Abyss to uncover his eye, to never hide from him, to use his terrible ability to fight for him? His kindness is what spurred Abyss to follow him in the first place. But there was no time to tell him this now; there was a startling rattle of the doorknob, then the muffled voice of Wirth.
“Open door policy my ass.”
Three quick knocks, and when a response was given in time, another round.
Abel sighed.
“One moment, please.” He called out. Wiping the last remnants of tears from Abyss’ face, he looked into his eyes, giving him a few moments to compose himself. Abyss nodded once ready, and Abel reluctantly released him to open the door.
“Lord Abel? We just wanted to check on tonights plan!”
Love bounded into the room the moment the door was open and Abel had stepped out of the way. Her eyes widened at the sight of Abyss, whose cheeks were still dusted a light pink.
“Buuut, since you’re busy, we will catch up later!” She said with a clap of her hands, spinning on her heels to exit, her twin-tails nearly slapping Abel in the face as she did.
Wirth was standing just outside of the door, his signature smirk somehow more smirkier than usual. She passed him just as he opened his mouth, elbowing him hard in the side to stop whatever unsavory comment he had lined up. He choked out a cough and shot her an angry look, which she returned. They stared at each other for a tense second, then he sighed and moved to follow her down the hall.
Abel turned back to Abyss and sighed again, to which Abyss smiled.
“Seems your duties as our leader are never-ending.”