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The explosion he'd expected. After all, he'd seen the plane go down. What Azen hadn't expected, travelling down the mountain to the site of the crash, was the body of a hawk laying half-dead a few dozen yards nearby. The ejection apparently hadn't worked until almost too late, and Azen could see he was beginning to bleed out. The parachute was open, trailing behind the hawk like his ghost was almost dead too. The phoenix looked over the scene, grimacing, and moved towards the parachute to do what he could.
...
Blitz was a fairly young red-tailed hawk. Well, he would have said he was in the prime of his life, really. He was eager, confident, and loved pushing himself to do better. He was 6'3', and clearly won some genetic lottery, having been gifted with enormous wings uncommon for his family, and with his family's trademark blue stripe in his plumage. He'd always loved feeling the wind beneath them, always loved the sensation of flight. But his drive to push himself meant that the simple heights he'd been able to reach with his own wings weren't enough for him. And so as soon as he was able, he began learning how to be a pilot.
He'd worn his luckiest bomber jacket and his favorite pair of aviator glasses on his first independant flight. His breathing was giddy with excitement, and he couldn't quite calm the pounding in his chest or suppress the huge grin on his face as the plane began to lift off. He'd practiced for a long time, and felt increasingly confident with himself with each pre-flight check he'd made. Everything was in order, and nothing was going to stop him. It wasn't until he'd seen the mountain in the distance that he realized he'd lost the ability to steer. His stomach dropped, but he remained as calm as he could. He just needed to fix... something. Something. Nothing was working. The mountain was getting closer- the fuel cut out he was crashing, he-
He woke up with a shout of fear, sitting up, and shouted again as he felt his ribs crack painfully under the bandages that held him together. Blitz breathed heavily, and some part of him understood he was still hopped up on adrenaline. It... was a nightmare, right? He hadn't crashed, it was just-... No, he didn't recognize where he was. The walls were an earthy brown, roughly carved out, but clearly made into some sort of room. And there were torches on the walls as well. He was laying in some slightly crudely crafted bed, something made of leather stuffed with something soft but still lumpy (wool?). The only storage the room offered were wooden barrels along the wall near the door, and there was a bucket of water with a rag near his bed. What archaic hell had he found himself in? What happened, and how did he survive?
Sitting around, he'd thought someone would come for him sooner or later. But he'd waited 30 minutes and he was still without a single answer. With a sigh, and a quiet sense that this was not how this happened in stories, he shakily got to his feet... and realized he was naked. Great. Someone had stripped him nude, no doubt to help find and clean his wounds, but it was still embarrassing. He found his belongings in the barrel nearby, clothed himself loosely, and walked out of the room... finding himself in an archetypal dungeon. More torches, a hallway inlaid with several other doors that looked in on many other rooms almost exactly like his own. With a slight sinking feeling in his chest, he began to trudge through. He ascended stairs, and quickly lost count of how many as the spiral wound higher and higher. Logically, if he was in a cave or some underground dungeon, then the higher he went, the closer he should get to the exit. He'd climbed for almost 5 minutes by the time the stairway ended... and he found himself in a chamber whose size beggared belief.
As with all things in this throwback to the dark ages, it was torchlit. However, strangely, there was an absolutely enormous pile of gold in the center, almost 8 ft tall and 60ft wide in all directions. In the center of that was an ornate red cushion at least 30ft wide in diameter. The only reason he could see the cushion at all was the crests and valleys of the pile itself. He could clearly see the cave entrance not too far away from the pile itself. Why keep it there instead of deeper in like he'd been held in? Blitz turned to re-examine the stairway he'd ascended from, and found it to be about 8 ft wide. He looked back at the cushion... and found himself even more confused. There was something (a dragon, probably) that slept up here, but there was also someone small enough who lived here who could descend those steps and carve out the tunnels below. Likely several someones. So why hadn't he seen anyone yet? He pondered this as he wandered around the hoard, keeping well clear of it due to understanding how much dragons liked their gold, and paused...
The tree before him was clearly old. Centuries, at least, based on how gnarled the bark and branches were. But why was there such a vibrant, leafy tree in a CAVE of all places? And- he did a double take. Paper lanterns... Chinese paper lanterns hung from it. The anachronism and contrast stunned him dumb for several moments. Where even was he?
"What the hell are you doing up?" A surprisingly incensed voice called- from above him.
Blitz started, looking up into the boughs of the tree, and noticed that something he'd initially thought was a lantern was actually... a bird? A glowing, orange bird with a black beak, piercing blue eyes, and a crest that ended in purple plumage. His tail was exceptionally fluffy as well, and likewise ended in a purple down of feathers. He was silent, just marvelling at the man for a few seconds. He'd... never met a phoenix before. And he remained stunned even when the other dropped from the tree and landed in front of him. He looked so graceful.
"You're hurt." The phoenix said, plainly, eyes showing a clearly concerned and unamused expression. "I did what I could for you, but you're still recovering. And I don't want to have to listen to your screaming again if I have to heal your ribs a second time." He said, eyes and crest flat. The phoenix seemed... rather haughty. Blitz was about to comment on the phoenix’s attitude when he felt a talon on his arm carefully guiding him down.
"Hey!" Blitz protested, not quite liking how brusque the phoenix was being. He still followed, however, because he did agree with that assessment. But still, he was surprised that the phoenix was carrying him not to the stairs, but to the cushion in the center of the gold pile. "Hold on. Where am I, and what happened?" He asked, and as he realized, he followed with, "And who are you? I’m Blitz, by the way."
The phoenix didn't stop for a second, instead gently pulling the Hawk forward and placing a talon on his chest to ease him onto the cushion. He waited until it was clear Blitz wouldn't move, and Blitz made no movement to make it seem like he would. "...My name is Azen, and you crashed just outside the cave." The phoenix- Azen, said.
Blitz's stomach dropped. The first thing that came to his mind was that he'd almost died. The second was that the crash actually did happen. The third was- "Aw fuck, that was a rental..." he groaned. His insurance was going through the roof for this.
The look on Azen's face said volumes of how stupid he thought that was. "...You nearly died." he said, flatly. "Just... Stay here and try not to move too much. My master isn't going to be home for a few days. You're just lucky he left after I brought you in." He said, seeming to speak simply for the sake of speaking.
The hawk blinked. "...HOW LONG WAS I OUT?!" he shouted, starting to panic at the idea of his family fearing for his life, worrying about his friends, worrying about-
The phoenix seemed unperturbed by Blitz's panic. "Just a day. My master already promised to bring your wreck back to the nearest city and report your survival, since he was on his way out anyway." Azen responded, and gently placed his talons on Blitz's shoulders to push him securely onto the cushion. "Now rest. Try to sleep. Like I said, I'd rather not have to heal you again and cause you pain." He said.
There was a lot to unpack in that sentence, mostly about how healing would cause him pain, but he swallowed and laid back. "... Thank you." He said, after a few moments. "For saving my life." He finished with.
Azen looked at him quizzically. "...Do people normally leave you to die?" he asked, before getting up and seeming to flicker and vanish... and that same glow he'd seen in the tree before returned to it. Blitz watched it for several seconds, mind beginning to come down from the rapid fire revelations of the night. He’d almost died, and that phoenix, Azen, saved his life. Why, though? Sure, Blitz wouldn’t have left himself to die either, but there was still something wrong with it. It was the phoenix’s pride that made him concerned. Someone like that didn’t just save others without reason, or without reward. But he’d been gentle with the hawk, if a bit brusque. Azen had been concerned in a way that just didn’t make sense for someone who seemed so blunt. He kind of wanted to dislike the bird, but it didn’t feel quite right to do so, and if he was being honest… he did kind of admire the selflessness the other had shown.
He tried to mull through these thoughts, but the climb up those steps must have taken more out of him than he'd realized. And his eyes began to drift shut, as sleep swallowed him whole.
...
Azen reclined in his hammock, swaying side to side in the upper boughs of the tree he normally slept in. He looked down at the hawk lounging in his master's bed, and sighed, realizing he should have demanded the clothes. They might cause complications with the bandages, but he'd already left him there to sleep. In fact... it looked like the man was already asleep. He found his eyes staring at the hawk for longer than was strictly necessary, a wash of pity and something he couldn’t quite understand tinging his expression.
"...Why thank me for something that was my fault?" He muttered, remembering staring at the plane before it had started to fall.
The power of a phoenix depended on a single factor; which solstice they'd been hatched on. Azen's egg hatched on the winter solstice, and thus his fire and healing were destructive, instead of the hopeful rebirth his summer cousins were capable of. His aura exacerbated weakness, made things that were formed poorly decay faster. His rebirth was the destruction of weakness, allowing strength to thrive in its absence, but not all things weak were meant to be destroyed. The rust on a steering system, for instance, was not meant to be made worse. He'd examined that plane after it had finished burning. He was unhappy to find the fuel tank had leaked, the steering had rusted, and several electrical components had taken damage from humidity due to a breach in the hull. He'd been watching it as it flew... and he didn't know that simply focusing on something would make his aura target it.
His hammock shifted as his body tossed and turned, guilt slowly eating a path through his mind. Seeing the body, seeing him writhe in agony as Azen's fire purified his wounds and cauterized them closed, seeing him scream... He shuddered. He'd never healed a bird before. He'd rarely healed anyone, ever since his original master's incarnation, but this haunted him in a way very little could. Why did making things right have to feel worse than causing them? On the whole, his healing was meant to make things stronger, and his aura drive away weakness and lies so that the strength and true emotions in a person can thrive. But all he’d felt he’d done was hurt the hawk he’d tried to save.
It wasn't until he felt a pebble hit the underside of his hammock that he even realized he'd fallen asleep. He stopped fidgeting and peered over, looking down at the hawk- at Blitz, who'd apparently had no trouble sleeping through the night at all. "What is it?" He asked, maybe a bit more grumpily than he intended.
The hawk shifted uneasily. He looked to feel guilty about disturbing the bird, but also seemed embarrassed about something or other. "I uh... Well, I kinda woke up and realized..." he said, and trailed off, looking a bit helpless. "You see, I usually take a shower in the morning and-"
Azen flickered, body turning into fire for just a moment as he travelled down his tree and reformed in front of Blitz. "Right, you don't know the layout." He finished for the other, nodding understandingly. He let his eyes pass over the other male's, checking the bandages to see if any of his wounds had reopened. There was no red to be seen, and he sensed no pain or fatigue in Blitz's voice or stance, though he seemed… uncomfortable. He paused a moment, considering, and began walking to the stairs downward, saying "Follow."
It was rather gratifying, hearing the hawk's footfalls immediately after Azen said to follow. But at the same time, it was unnerving being depended on like this. He'd always been the one depending on his master, he did not want or need someone growing attached to him in the same way. Azen led the man down only a single set of steps, and down the hall to a set of wide doors set in the wall. "Why have this place built if you're the only one who uses it?" he heard Blitz ask, seemingly out of nowhere.
There was a slight crackle in the phoenix's feathers as that question was asked, and he paused, talons resting upon the double doors for several seconds. He pushed them open, revealing a rather impressive, wide basin of steaming water set into the floor. It was almost as large as the hoard of treasure upstairs, but not quite as deep. "I've had a long time to live here. Boredom makes an exceptional muse." He said, rather simply. He did not want to tell the story of his master's reincarnation cycle and exactly how many years he'd been waiting here. He'd much rather Blitz enjoy the hotspring.
It took a few moments of goading to get Blitz to actually strip down and ease himself into the water. The topic of soap was broached, but Azen assured him the natural minerals and high temperature would do more for him than anything chemical could. Azen stood there, leaning against the wall, watching Blitz to make sure he didn't get hurt again, or drown, or... Anything, really. And Blitz, in turn, seemed to not really enjoy having someone watch him like this.
"... You know it's creepy, right? Watching a guy take a bath? Do you really like checking me out that much?" He asked, giving a sidelong look at the phoenix. The stare he got for that was an icier one than a phoenix should have been able to give. He sighed. "You could join me, you know. Might calm that attitude you got." He followed with, giving Azen a cheeky smile.
There was a long pause as Azen considered. He didn't move, didn't do much more than stare as his feathers crackled in contemplation. Finally, Blitz merely sighed and resumed bathing.
...
Why was he so hard to talk to? Blitz cupped his talons under the water and brought them up to splash his face, enjoying the sensation of the hot water washing over him. That phoenix just seemed so impossible to talk to. Why was he so reserved, why did he feel so cold, and why did he seem to take such offense to being asked to stop staring? It was a simple offer to join, although he supposed he had been a bit backhanded with that ‘checking out’ comment. He’d meant it in a good way, though. He kinda liked the idea of it though- uh... Blitz paused mid-movement to mull over these thoughts, and decided to put them to the side. He was gently scrubbing his talons through his feathers when he suddenly heard the sizzle of water and whirled to see what it was...
...And found Azen easing into the water, surrounded by a curtain of steam. "...What?" the firebird asked, and even through the steam it was clear he was blushing embarrassedly. "That's why I didn't want to join you. Water doesn't play well with me." He grumbled. Blitz hadn’t even heard the bird move.
Blitz laughed and waded towards the phoenix, who responded by easing down into the water defensively. "Calm down, I just wanted you to get my back is all." He said, still smiling and chuckling lightly. "You need to lighten up a bit." He said, as he turned to show the phoenix his back.
The smaller, if older bird merely sighed. "And you need to stop being presumptuous." He said, though there was no fire or venom in the words. Azen seemed to take a few moments to look him over, before huffing something that sounded approving. "I'm glad your wounds have healed over completely. I don't have a lot of practice with healing magic, so I was worried there might be complications." He mused, before Blitz felt those sharp talons gently dig into his back feathers.
Those claws were clearly honed sharp, but Azen used them with a surprisingly surgical precision as the phoenix scrubbed the hawk's back. It may have been the even hotter water near Azen, or the massive amount of steam, or possibly even the soothing touch of his seemingly unwilling savior, but Blitz had never felt... so relaxed before. "So..." Blitz began, filling the silence a bit. "You said you hurt me before...?" he asked, trailing off expectantly. He'd been thinking about that since last night, and it kinda worried him. He felt safe with the phoenix now, and honestly couldn't expect the guy to get violent. Rude, sure, but not violent. Azen seemed too reserved to consider any form of harm or malice. Though if he was wrong, he figured it might not be a good idea to have Azen so close to his back. In fact... asking that might not have been the wisest decision in the first place, but it was out now.
The scrubbing stopped for one very tense moment... before it resumed, a bit gentler this time. "My healing isn't a gentle kind. You screamed a lot while it happened. I'm kind of glad you don't remember it." He said, seeming to give one sentence where a few dozen may have been necessary for his explanation. "Arm." He said, and Blitz instantly raised his arm. The hawk blinked. Why did he respond so quickly? And for that matter...
"Uh... Why are you cleaning my arm?" he asked, turning his head to see Azen's talons now running along and scrubbing his arm feathers. It felt good, yeah, but it also seemed... rather intimate. With a blink, he realized he kinda liked it.
Azen stopped mid-motion, seeming to realize what he was doing, and quietly pulled away. He was quiet for a few moments, and the water seemed to leech slightly of the heat it had. As Blitz turned, he saw the phoenix looking more than a little embarrassed. "Sorry." Azen said. "I usually help my master bathe. It's become sort of a habit." He said, head swaying as he looked to the side.
Blitz nodded slowly. "Mind if I return the favor?" He asked gently, to which Azen looked at him in mild confusion. It took a second, but Azen did turn his back to the hawk, a bit jerkily, as if he was unused to this. Blitz chuckled a bit, and eased forward to dig his own talons into Azen's back. He knew he didn't have nearly the practice the firebird did, but something about the way the phoenix's feathers crackled and sparked under his touch seemed to make Azen relax. "Your master is so lucky to have someone like you. I mean... You saved me. You gotta be pretty selfless if you'd save some stranger out of nowhere." He said, talons moving up to massage the phoenix's shoulders. He was doing a bit more than he strictly needed to, but at the same time, he wanted to repay the other in some small way for his help. The way Azen's shoulders slumped gave him the idea that the massage at least felt good.
There was a long silence, only filled by the sizzle of water and the ruffle of feathers being scrubbed. Finally, after what seemed like far, far too long, Azen let out a sigh. "...I caused your crash." He said.
There was another long silence. Blitz’s arms stopped their movements for the duration of it, before he continued and said "Bullshit. You wouldn't do that to me." Why the hell would Azen say something like that? He'd had a mechanical failure with the steering system, that couldn’t have been the phoenix’s fault.
"Not intentionally..." Azen responded, voice sounding agonized. "Like my healing, my magic can be destructive. It's not something I can control. I watched your plane before it fell... And my magic is what caused your mechanical failures. The rust, the breaches, the fuel..." He said and followed with. "I'm sorry. Phoenixes purify things. We don't control it, it just... happens. My powers exploit weak aspects of a thing to make it collapse faster. I-..." he trailed off, his tone strained, and Blitz realized the restraint he’d been hearing in Azen’s voice hadn’t been reservation or pride, but guilt.
Blitz considered this. It seemed that Azen’s influence was what caused his crash but… The hawk sighed. “Hey.” He said, and eased the phoenix to look at him directly, which the firebird did with more than a little reluctance. “Yeah, maybe you were the cause of it. But it wasn’t your fault! It’s just who you are, y’know? And if your magic stuff ‘exploits’ weakness, doesn’t that mean there was already something wrong with my plane when I took off? It wasn’t your fault. In fact, it was probably the airport’s fault for not upkeeping their crap properly.” He said, and quietly realized he could probably use this as a basis to not have his insurance affected, but quickly banished that selfish thought in favor of the bird before him. He looked firmly into Azen’s blue eyes, just so the phoenix could see the conviction and understanding in Blitz’s expression. “I forgive you. If it wasn’t for you, I might have died anyway.” He said, and smiled a bit more warmly. He kept smiling too, even as Azen looked at him with growing confusion. He looked weirdly cute that confused… wait, what? He blinked and looked down, realizing for the first time exactly how close he and Azen were in the hot spring. Nude.
There was an awkward pause between the two, with Azen’s expression changing from confused, to pained, to reluctantly accepting, and finally to calm. He looked up at Blitz and seemed to notice his slightly balking expression for the first time. “...I think we’re both clean.” Azen said, turning away and sounding… amused. For the first time since Blitz showed up, the phoenix actually sounded amused. He was still marveling at that when he saw Azen stepping out of the basin of water, feathers ruffling and standing on end, steaming hot for a few seconds before dying down. He found himself staring at the other’s body for a few moments, surprised at how nice the other’s form was. Were phoenixes able to reform themselves, or did he actually make an effort to look like that? He tripped a little, trying to get out of the water the moment he realized he was staring, and chose to stand closer to the phoenix, definitely just to help himself dry off faster, of course.
It wasn’t until he and Azen had reclothed themselves that it occurred to him he hadn’t eaten in a while, the fact becoming clear the moment his stomach let out a gurgling protest at Blitz’s negligence. “... Ah, sorry!” Blitz said, chuckling awkwardly. “I don’t suppose I could ask for some food, could I?” He asked, feeling more than a bit concerned at how much he seemed to be imposing on the other’s kindness.
The phoenix seemed to balk for just a moment. “Oh.” He said. “Right, I… forgot to prepare dinner. I don’t normally eat without my master, so I must not have thought I had to. R-right.” He explained, bringing a talon behind his head to scratch rather embarrassedly, to which Blitz could only laugh. And he kept laughing, much to Azen’s evident chagrin, as he found himself led to the kitchen another floor down. “I normally just roast entire cows, but I think I have some cured meat laying around somewhere.” Azen said, walking over to one of the spicy smelling barrels in the corner.
The ‘kitchen’, as Azen had called it, was little more than a circular room with a firepit in the center and several barrels lining the walls. There was a crude straw mat behind the firepit, clearly meant to sit down on and eat, but it seemed barely big enough for the two of them and was covered in a thin layer of dust and soot. It was apparent Azen did not eat here often, and that thought bothered Blitz. The idea of the phoenix being so alone outside of a single master seemed… tragic. He suppressed his thoughts on the matter and took a seat, watching the bird as Azen worked to set something together. Before long, there was a blazing fire in the center, and a pot of water boiling at its heart, as Azen dumped dried bits of spiced meat and roughly chopped potatoes into it to form a basic sort of stew.
“I don’t normally cook for people around my size. I’m sorry, this is probably going to be fairly mediocre.” He said, sounding genuinely apologetic. He made attempts to modify the meal as best he could, but before long he just sighed and blew out the fire, before going to get some clay bowls and cups.
It smelled amazing, despite the phoenix’s protests, and Blitz’s stomach was already clamoring to be satisfied. He wanted to dig in immediately, but he was a guest, and it would have been rude to take the phoenix’s hospitality for granted. “Still, it means a lot you’d do this for me, man. And for what it’s worth, it looks great.” He said, shortly before Azen returned placing a bowl and a bottle in front of him. Blitz cocked his head in confusion. “Uh…?”
The phoenix was already filling his own bowl directly from the pot, and his talon deftly sliced the seal on the bottle he’d gotten for himself. It smelled sickly sweet, and slightly alcoholic, making Blitz feel more than a little nervous. “Oh, I’m sorry.” Azen said, a bit absently, placing the bowl in front of Blitz and taking the other for himself. “Of course, the host should serve his guests.” He said, and for the first time, Blitz saw a smile grace the other’s expression. It struck him dumb for more than a few seconds, long enough for him to absently take a long sip of the delicious stew he’d been given, and feel a strong warmth bloom in his chest and stomach. It was like a benediction, and he momentarily forgot the drink he’d been given was alcoholic, long enough to take a long swig… before his low tolerance made everything go hazy.
…
His head was hammering as he roused himself. The phoenix groaned, immediately regretting letting the Hawk convince him to spend the meal drinking and revelling. The guy had taken a single sip and it was like his personality had taken a complete 180, encouraging Azen to enjoy the meal more and let loose. And, drawn in by Blitz’s newfound confidence, found himself swept up in the other’s excitement. After the second bottle, Azen had forgotten most of the night before. He almost decided to burst himself into flames to get through the hangover faster, when he realized there was something… alive, under him.
His eyes opened and he braced his arms against the cushion. Apparently he’d managed to find his way back to the treasure chamber, and saw he spent the night resting on Blitz. “...Please tell me nothing happened.” he said, though there was no response from the hawk under him, except for snoring. He reluctantly looked down, and let out a sigh of relief to find they were both still clothed.
He couldn't help but notice the strange sense of regret that also bubbled in him, realizing he and Blitz actually hadn’t done anything. But a strong wash of moral disgust sent that thought far, far out of his mind. He had a dragon. He had a master. He did NOT need this right now. Hangover forgotten for the moment, he got to his knees, preparing to stand, but the shifting of the bed, or perhaps the newfound chill now that Azen’s arms were no longer wrapped around the Hawk’s chest, roused Blitz from his sleep.
“Ugh… what truck hit me?” he groaned, eyes flitting open as he sat up, eyes inexorably locking onto Azen’s form. There was a painful silence as they stared at one another. Blitz’s expression seemed to flatten in confusion at first, before a look of dawning realization filled it. “...Uh, we didn’t-... did we?” He asked, more than a little trepidation in his tone.
“No! God, no!” Azen answered… perhaps a bit too quickly, raising his claws up defensively and in panic.
Blitz seemed taken aback by the violent refusal. “Well, okay then! Jeez, didn’t realize I was that bad.” He said back, seeming weirdly hurt, and also confused at being hurt at the same time. “What even happened? I remember-” he paused, and remembered. “Right, you got me drunk.”
“I got you drunk? I’m not the one who took a sip and apparently couldn’t hold his liquor!” Azen snapped.
“I’m not the one who gave me alcohol!” Blitz shot back.
The ensuing argument lasted only another few minutes, both birds mostly panicking at the prospect of having made a fool of themselves in front of the other. It only died down once they realized they hadn’t quite said or done anything… weird to the other.
Azen was on his back, groaning with a mix of shame and dizziness from the headache the hangover had given him. Blitz wasn’t faring much better, laying next to him in an equally ashamed position, both staring at the ceiling. The silence stretched, but it was Blitz who broke it first.
“... I didn’t realize how long you’d been here. I’m really sorry if I said anything to annoy you.” He said, voice weirdly gentle after the heated argument they’d had.
Azen blinked, slowly struggling to sit up again to look at the hawk. “How long I’d been here?” He asked, to which Blitz nodded back.
“You told me about your past while we were drunk. I’m not really remembering much else about last night, but I think what happened to you really stuck out to me.” He said, voice still gentle.
“... It was centuries ago. Maybe even thousands of years. I don’t know what exactly I told you, but I promise you it’s ancient history.” Azen said, seeming to grow cold again, crossing his arms defensively.
The hawk sighed. “Azen. You live here alone and your only friend is a dragon you feel obligated to love. I’m sorry but, that’s bullshit. You know it’s still affecting you. And…” He hesitated, seeming unsure if this was actually something he needed to say or not. “I don’t think you would have brought me in or helped me if you weren’t lonely.” He said, expression a mixture of pitying and guilty.
The phoenix’s breathing slowed to almost stopping, so shallow that his chest wasn’t even moving. Any other day, any other person, any other scenario, and he would have been offended beyond the capacity of words. A thousand years ago, he might have even attacked just to defend his dragon’s honor. But today, now, sitting in a cave he’d built out a desperate desire for something to keep him sane, surrounded by the treasure he’d carried from countless lives and reincarnations he’d followed his master through… he just couldn’t muster the energy to be angry. He couldn’t deny that Blitz was right. But what Blitz didn’t know, couldn’t know, was how deeply those words shook the foundations of Azen’s trust in his own master. If he was getting lonely, it meant he was unhappy. It meant his master wasn’t enough for him anymore. It meant the bond that tied him was weakening, and there was nothing he feared more than losing the one he loved most. “Assuming you’re right, what do you want me to do about it?” He asked, voice stony, the barest tinge of venom in them, the fear at what Blitz might suggest making him want to lash out.
The expression on Blitz’s face was so sympathetic that Azen almost screamed. The phoenix knew what he was about to suggest, knew that he was going to have to defend his master’s honor, and he didn’t want to do that to someone he’d grown to care about. But before Azen could preemptively strike, Blitz spoke first. “I just think you need more friends.”
“...What.” That had not been what he’d been expecting. He’d expected another person telling him his relationship with his master was unhealthy. He was not expecting this at all.
“Uh… friends? You know, people you hang out with outside of your romantic relationships? People you like spending time with? Have you never had a friend?” He asked, head cocked to the side.
He… hadn’t, actually. At least, no one he felt especially close to. He’d spent his immortal life devoted to the dragon he loved. He hadn’t found much time to do anything else but serve and honor the memory of his master’s original incarnation. The idea of relationships outside of that felt so anathema, well, except in cases where he was waiting for his master’s next form to arise. “I’ve had relationships, yes. But actual friends? I can’t say I have.” He answered, and for some reason felt weirdly shameful of the fact. It felt obvious in retrospect, even if it made him feel conflicted over his loyalties. That was just how things were supposed to be, wasn’t it? A servant is supposed to be devoted, utterly and fully.
“That’s pretty sad.” Blitz said, and gave no hesitation in saying it.
Azen huffed. “I don’t remember asking your opinion. Maybe it’s not that I don’t want friends. Maybe it’s that very few want to ally themselves with a creature who will outlive them.” He growled. It wasn’t the reason he didn’t seek friends, it wasn’t even partly the truth, but it was true enough. He was intimidatingly old, once people found out. Except for Blitz, it seemed. The revelation that Azen was thousands of years old seemed to just roll off him.
There was a pause, where Blitz and Azen shared a long, tense moment of silence. The firebird saw how deeply his jab had hit, and saw how much the hawk seemed to pity him. “They don’t know what they’re missing out on, clearly.” He said, in a surprisingly small voice.
It was like watching the world’s slowest train crash, with Azen trying to understand what Blitz said. “You can’t be serious.” He said. “You can’t seriously consider me a friend after how badly I hurt you. I get that you can forgive me, but all I’ve done is give you food and a place to recover after taking responsibility for my actions. In what way is that a sign of friendship?”
The hawk’s shoulders slumped in frustration, and he let out an extremely irritated sound. “You welcomed me into your home, let me recover in comfort, went out of your way to make sure I was fine! Maybe it’s not enough to you, but you’ve been way better to me than you could have been. If wanting to be friends means giving a person more than the minimum amount of respect then… Fuck, you’ve practically written me a love letter with all this!” He snapped, extending his arms as if to indicate the whole room.
“... I deny that I’ve done more than what I felt was necessary.” Azen said, after a moment to think. He could have cursed himself, he knew his face was glowing with heat already. At the very least, the hawk’s cheeks seemed flushed with equal shame.
“Yeah well, that’s not for you to decide. Like it or not, I consider you a friend. So deal with it.” He huffed.
Azen groaned. “There’s something wrong with offering someone friendship at gunpoint.” He said, voice more than a little weak. He was losing this argument and he knew it.
“Hey, you don’t have to accept it. But that doesn’t change how I feel.” Blitz responded, smiling cockily at the other bird. “And believe me, I intend to be the best friend you’ll ever have.” He followed with, a very self-assured glint in his eyes.
With a sigh at the futility he knew protesting would be, Azen could only extend a claw outward, offering it to the hawk. He could see the confused look on the Hawk’s face at it. “... I come from a time where a handshake usually sealed an oath like this. Maybe I’m just old fashioned, or maybe you young birds don’t have as much conviction as you used to?” He asked, shooting an equally cocky smile at the hawk.
There was a long laugh as Blitz’s claw found the other’s, sealing their friendship with a firm shake. “Nah, you’re definitely just old-fashioned.” He replied, and was graced with another gentle, if rueful smile from the phoenix.
Azen knew it wouldn’t last. Blitz would tire of him before long, and this handshake would mean nothing. He was resigned to it, taking a bitter solace in the fact that words were cheap.
And yet...
…
The hawk found himself in the embrace of his parents and his other loved ones the next day, after Azen had personally escorted him to the nearest town for proper directions so Blitz could fly himself back. The pair had shared words on the hour long walk there, mostly Blitz confessing his fears about being a pilot now that he’d had his first crash, and Azen assuring him that the firebird would stop looking at planes as they flew past. Blitz laughed at that. Azen didn’t.
Letters, actual handwritten letters began finding their way to the young hawk, written in calligraphic style and sealed with actual melted wax. The anachronism itself was enough of a calling card to know who’d sent them to him… and he always took the time to write back. Every day would bring a new letter, and every afternoon he’d compose one in return. It felt odd conversing so slowly, but it felt so right at the same time. The phoenix was a quirky and slightly prickly fellow, but everything about him was sincere to the extreme, and even in his letters his heart always seemed to be on his sleeve. For a month they wrote to each other, and Blitz found himself looking forward to each one like a present from a treasured friend. Something about the sight of that old looking parchment on his porch when he got home always made his heart skip.
His friends had noticed a change in him, a strange serenity that he now exuded after his brush with death and his exposure to that weird phoenix. He was ambitious and driven and confident before, sure, but somehow those feelings had become more stable since. It was like he’d been wearing a mask before, trying to hide some imperfection with them. And now, that sense that he needed to hide his faults was gone. He wanted to be more true to himself. He never really got confirmation one way or another, but he’d always suspected Azen’s aura didn’t just affect physical things like his plane. Something in him felt stronger, felt more assured, and as he thought back to the time he’d spent and the thoughts he’d had of the other… he began to understand how deeply Azen had healed him.
The airport he’d rented from had agreed to cover the insurance cost to avoid blame for their poor upkeep, and so Blitz’s premium stayed mostly the same. Which was a relief to him, two months after his crash, with a new resolve burning in his soul. This time double checking every pre-flight check, and examining every part of the plane for damage before even thinking of donning his favorite pair of aviators and second luckiest bomber jacket… Blitz soared, in heart and in body, with a mountain growing closer on the horizon.
…
He stared at the hawk before him, the one who looked almost more confused by his words than Azen himself did. He had to be joking. He just... couldn't be serious. Even after all they’d been through, even after the words they shared through their letters, Azen could not have heard Blitz correctly. "You... What?" He asked, feeling a faint and only slightly unwelcome stirring in his chest.
Blitz shifted uncomfortably. "I love you." he repeated, his eyes locking more firmly onto the firebird's, conviction seeming to grow as the words were said again. "I don't... I've never said that before. To anyone. I didn't think I'd be able to. But, I love you, Azen." He said, wincing with each sentence, as if he were digging a grave with each one. Azen could tell, by Blitz’s stance alone, he’d been struggling with these thoughts for a while.
The phoenix's eyes closed, words failing him as he stumbled over rejections and condolences in his mind. He had a master. He had a love. He... didn't have room for another in his heart. He couldn’t have room for another in his heart. But even so, those emotions bubbled within him. He remembered those thoughts he'd been sparing the hawk, those allowances, those times when the man just refused to leave his head. He'd tried to deny the thoughts, deny the emotions, deny everything because he didn't feel capable of loving someone other than his dragon. Didn’t feel capable of loving someone out of more than obligation and honor.
... But even so. His eyes opened, a softness in his expression he hadn't had in centuries. He couldn't say no. He didn't want to say no. He wanted to let the hawk into his life, share in his experiences, share everything that the phoenix had to offer. He saw such light in Blitz that even he, the manifestation of fire and rebirth, didn't feel worthy to look at him. The man who'd forgiven him, the man who’d demanded Azen allow him into his life, the man who’d kept in touch despite the distance they’d had. Azen hadn’t expected the hawk to keep to his word, hadn’t expected at all the raw emotion in every letter they’d shared. And Azen… wanted to bear witness to that, wanted to share in the happiness Blitz had.
Something in his expression must have said this, because Blitz had come forward, grabbing the phoenix by his scarf and pulled him towards the taller bird, pressing their beaks together in the avian equivalent of a kiss. And Azen gave himself over to it, finding his desire for the other undeniable.
"And I love you, Blitz..." he whispered, a relief in his soul that he could still love without debt, without obligation. A phoenix only chooses one master... but for a friend, an ally, a treasured and beloved partner, a phoenix may choose them to share himself with too, and show no less loyalty for it. "I love you."
-----------------------------------------
The explosion he'd expected. After all, he'd seen the plane go down. What Azen hadn't expected, travelling down the mountain to the site of the crash, was the body of a hawk laying half-dead a few dozen yards nearby. The ejection apparently hadn't worked until almost too late, and Azen could see he was beginning to bleed out. The parachute was open, trailing behind the hawk like his ghost was almost dead too. The phoenix looked over the scene, grimacing, and moved towards the parachute to do what he could.
...
Blitz was a fairly young red-tailed hawk. Well, he would have said he was in the prime of his life, really. He was eager, confident, and loved pushing himself to do better. He was 6'3', and clearly won some genetic lottery, having been gifted with enormous wings uncommon for his family, and with his family's trademark blue stripe in his plumage. He'd always loved feeling the wind beneath them, always loved the sensation of flight. But his drive to push himself meant that the simple heights he'd been able to reach with his own wings weren't enough for him. And so as soon as he was able, he began learning how to be a pilot.
He'd worn his luckiest bomber jacket and his favorite pair of aviator glasses on his first independant flight. His breathing was giddy with excitement, and he couldn't quite calm the pounding in his chest or suppress the huge grin on his face as the plane began to lift off. He'd practiced for a long time, and felt increasingly confident with himself with each pre-flight check he'd made. Everything was in order, and nothing was going to stop him. It wasn't until he'd seen the mountain in the distance that he realized he'd lost the ability to steer. His stomach dropped, but he remained as calm as he could. He just needed to fix... something. Something. Nothing was working. The mountain was getting closer- the fuel cut out he was crashing, he-
He woke up with a shout of fear, sitting up, and shouted again as he felt his ribs crack painfully under the bandages that held him together. Blitz breathed heavily, and some part of him understood he was still hopped up on adrenaline. It... was a nightmare, right? He hadn't crashed, it was just-... No, he didn't recognize where he was. The walls were an earthy brown, roughly carved out, but clearly made into some sort of room. And there were torches on the walls as well. He was laying in some slightly crudely crafted bed, something made of leather stuffed with something soft but still lumpy (wool?). The only storage the room offered were wooden barrels along the wall near the door, and there was a bucket of water with a rag near his bed. What archaic hell had he found himself in? What happened, and how did he survive?
Sitting around, he'd thought someone would come for him sooner or later. But he'd waited 30 minutes and he was still without a single answer. With a sigh, and a quiet sense that this was not how this happened in stories, he shakily got to his feet... and realized he was naked. Great. Someone had stripped him nude, no doubt to help find and clean his wounds, but it was still embarrassing. He found his belongings in the barrel nearby, clothed himself loosely, and walked out of the room... finding himself in an archetypal dungeon. More torches, a hallway inlaid with several other doors that looked in on many other rooms almost exactly like his own. With a slight sinking feeling in his chest, he began to trudge through. He ascended stairs, and quickly lost count of how many as the spiral wound higher and higher. Logically, if he was in a cave or some underground dungeon, then the higher he went, the closer he should get to the exit. He'd climbed for almost 5 minutes by the time the stairway ended... and he found himself in a chamber whose size beggared belief.
As with all things in this throwback to the dark ages, it was torchlit. However, strangely, there was an absolutely enormous pile of gold in the center, almost 8 ft tall and 60ft wide in all directions. In the center of that was an ornate red cushion at least 30ft wide in diameter. The only reason he could see the cushion at all was the crests and valleys of the pile itself. He could clearly see the cave entrance not too far away from the pile itself. Why keep it there instead of deeper in like he'd been held in? Blitz turned to re-examine the stairway he'd ascended from, and found it to be about 8 ft wide. He looked back at the cushion... and found himself even more confused. There was something (a dragon, probably) that slept up here, but there was also someone small enough who lived here who could descend those steps and carve out the tunnels below. Likely several someones. So why hadn't he seen anyone yet? He pondered this as he wandered around the hoard, keeping well clear of it due to understanding how much dragons liked their gold, and paused...
The tree before him was clearly old. Centuries, at least, based on how gnarled the bark and branches were. But why was there such a vibrant, leafy tree in a CAVE of all places? And- he did a double take. Paper lanterns... Chinese paper lanterns hung from it. The anachronism and contrast stunned him dumb for several moments. Where even was he?
"What the hell are you doing up?" A surprisingly incensed voice called- from above him.
Blitz started, looking up into the boughs of the tree, and noticed that something he'd initially thought was a lantern was actually... a bird? A glowing, orange bird with a black beak, piercing blue eyes, and a crest that ended in purple plumage. His tail was exceptionally fluffy as well, and likewise ended in a purple down of feathers. He was silent, just marvelling at the man for a few seconds. He'd... never met a phoenix before. And he remained stunned even when the other dropped from the tree and landed in front of him. He looked so graceful.
"You're hurt." The phoenix said, plainly, eyes showing a clearly concerned and unamused expression. "I did what I could for you, but you're still recovering. And I don't want to have to listen to your screaming again if I have to heal your ribs a second time." He said, eyes and crest flat. The phoenix seemed... rather haughty. Blitz was about to comment on the phoenix’s attitude when he felt a talon on his arm carefully guiding him down.
"Hey!" Blitz protested, not quite liking how brusque the phoenix was being. He still followed, however, because he did agree with that assessment. But still, he was surprised that the phoenix was carrying him not to the stairs, but to the cushion in the center of the gold pile. "Hold on. Where am I, and what happened?" He asked, and as he realized, he followed with, "And who are you? I’m Blitz, by the way."
The phoenix didn't stop for a second, instead gently pulling the Hawk forward and placing a talon on his chest to ease him onto the cushion. He waited until it was clear Blitz wouldn't move, and Blitz made no movement to make it seem like he would. "...My name is Azen, and you crashed just outside the cave." The phoenix- Azen, said.
Blitz's stomach dropped. The first thing that came to his mind was that he'd almost died. The second was that the crash actually did happen. The third was- "Aw fuck, that was a rental..." he groaned. His insurance was going through the roof for this.
The look on Azen's face said volumes of how stupid he thought that was. "...You nearly died." he said, flatly. "Just... Stay here and try not to move too much. My master isn't going to be home for a few days. You're just lucky he left after I brought you in." He said, seeming to speak simply for the sake of speaking.
The hawk blinked. "...HOW LONG WAS I OUT?!" he shouted, starting to panic at the idea of his family fearing for his life, worrying about his friends, worrying about-
The phoenix seemed unperturbed by Blitz's panic. "Just a day. My master already promised to bring your wreck back to the nearest city and report your survival, since he was on his way out anyway." Azen responded, and gently placed his talons on Blitz's shoulders to push him securely onto the cushion. "Now rest. Try to sleep. Like I said, I'd rather not have to heal you again and cause you pain." He said.
There was a lot to unpack in that sentence, mostly about how healing would cause him pain, but he swallowed and laid back. "... Thank you." He said, after a few moments. "For saving my life." He finished with.
Azen looked at him quizzically. "...Do people normally leave you to die?" he asked, before getting up and seeming to flicker and vanish... and that same glow he'd seen in the tree before returned to it. Blitz watched it for several seconds, mind beginning to come down from the rapid fire revelations of the night. He’d almost died, and that phoenix, Azen, saved his life. Why, though? Sure, Blitz wouldn’t have left himself to die either, but there was still something wrong with it. It was the phoenix’s pride that made him concerned. Someone like that didn’t just save others without reason, or without reward. But he’d been gentle with the hawk, if a bit brusque. Azen had been concerned in a way that just didn’t make sense for someone who seemed so blunt. He kind of wanted to dislike the bird, but it didn’t feel quite right to do so, and if he was being honest… he did kind of admire the selflessness the other had shown.
He tried to mull through these thoughts, but the climb up those steps must have taken more out of him than he'd realized. And his eyes began to drift shut, as sleep swallowed him whole.
...
Azen reclined in his hammock, swaying side to side in the upper boughs of the tree he normally slept in. He looked down at the hawk lounging in his master's bed, and sighed, realizing he should have demanded the clothes. They might cause complications with the bandages, but he'd already left him there to sleep. In fact... it looked like the man was already asleep. He found his eyes staring at the hawk for longer than was strictly necessary, a wash of pity and something he couldn’t quite understand tinging his expression.
"...Why thank me for something that was my fault?" He muttered, remembering staring at the plane before it had started to fall.
The power of a phoenix depended on a single factor; which solstice they'd been hatched on. Azen's egg hatched on the winter solstice, and thus his fire and healing were destructive, instead of the hopeful rebirth his summer cousins were capable of. His aura exacerbated weakness, made things that were formed poorly decay faster. His rebirth was the destruction of weakness, allowing strength to thrive in its absence, but not all things weak were meant to be destroyed. The rust on a steering system, for instance, was not meant to be made worse. He'd examined that plane after it had finished burning. He was unhappy to find the fuel tank had leaked, the steering had rusted, and several electrical components had taken damage from humidity due to a breach in the hull. He'd been watching it as it flew... and he didn't know that simply focusing on something would make his aura target it.
His hammock shifted as his body tossed and turned, guilt slowly eating a path through his mind. Seeing the body, seeing him writhe in agony as Azen's fire purified his wounds and cauterized them closed, seeing him scream... He shuddered. He'd never healed a bird before. He'd rarely healed anyone, ever since his original master's incarnation, but this haunted him in a way very little could. Why did making things right have to feel worse than causing them? On the whole, his healing was meant to make things stronger, and his aura drive away weakness and lies so that the strength and true emotions in a person can thrive. But all he’d felt he’d done was hurt the hawk he’d tried to save.
It wasn't until he felt a pebble hit the underside of his hammock that he even realized he'd fallen asleep. He stopped fidgeting and peered over, looking down at the hawk- at Blitz, who'd apparently had no trouble sleeping through the night at all. "What is it?" He asked, maybe a bit more grumpily than he intended.
The hawk shifted uneasily. He looked to feel guilty about disturbing the bird, but also seemed embarrassed about something or other. "I uh... Well, I kinda woke up and realized..." he said, and trailed off, looking a bit helpless. "You see, I usually take a shower in the morning and-"
Azen flickered, body turning into fire for just a moment as he travelled down his tree and reformed in front of Blitz. "Right, you don't know the layout." He finished for the other, nodding understandingly. He let his eyes pass over the other male's, checking the bandages to see if any of his wounds had reopened. There was no red to be seen, and he sensed no pain or fatigue in Blitz's voice or stance, though he seemed… uncomfortable. He paused a moment, considering, and began walking to the stairs downward, saying "Follow."
It was rather gratifying, hearing the hawk's footfalls immediately after Azen said to follow. But at the same time, it was unnerving being depended on like this. He'd always been the one depending on his master, he did not want or need someone growing attached to him in the same way. Azen led the man down only a single set of steps, and down the hall to a set of wide doors set in the wall. "Why have this place built if you're the only one who uses it?" he heard Blitz ask, seemingly out of nowhere.
There was a slight crackle in the phoenix's feathers as that question was asked, and he paused, talons resting upon the double doors for several seconds. He pushed them open, revealing a rather impressive, wide basin of steaming water set into the floor. It was almost as large as the hoard of treasure upstairs, but not quite as deep. "I've had a long time to live here. Boredom makes an exceptional muse." He said, rather simply. He did not want to tell the story of his master's reincarnation cycle and exactly how many years he'd been waiting here. He'd much rather Blitz enjoy the hotspring.
It took a few moments of goading to get Blitz to actually strip down and ease himself into the water. The topic of soap was broached, but Azen assured him the natural minerals and high temperature would do more for him than anything chemical could. Azen stood there, leaning against the wall, watching Blitz to make sure he didn't get hurt again, or drown, or... Anything, really. And Blitz, in turn, seemed to not really enjoy having someone watch him like this.
"... You know it's creepy, right? Watching a guy take a bath? Do you really like checking me out that much?" He asked, giving a sidelong look at the phoenix. The stare he got for that was an icier one than a phoenix should have been able to give. He sighed. "You could join me, you know. Might calm that attitude you got." He followed with, giving Azen a cheeky smile.
There was a long pause as Azen considered. He didn't move, didn't do much more than stare as his feathers crackled in contemplation. Finally, Blitz merely sighed and resumed bathing.
...
Why was he so hard to talk to? Blitz cupped his talons under the water and brought them up to splash his face, enjoying the sensation of the hot water washing over him. That phoenix just seemed so impossible to talk to. Why was he so reserved, why did he feel so cold, and why did he seem to take such offense to being asked to stop staring? It was a simple offer to join, although he supposed he had been a bit backhanded with that ‘checking out’ comment. He’d meant it in a good way, though. He kinda liked the idea of it though- uh... Blitz paused mid-movement to mull over these thoughts, and decided to put them to the side. He was gently scrubbing his talons through his feathers when he suddenly heard the sizzle of water and whirled to see what it was...
...And found Azen easing into the water, surrounded by a curtain of steam. "...What?" the firebird asked, and even through the steam it was clear he was blushing embarrassedly. "That's why I didn't want to join you. Water doesn't play well with me." He grumbled. Blitz hadn’t even heard the bird move.
Blitz laughed and waded towards the phoenix, who responded by easing down into the water defensively. "Calm down, I just wanted you to get my back is all." He said, still smiling and chuckling lightly. "You need to lighten up a bit." He said, as he turned to show the phoenix his back.
The smaller, if older bird merely sighed. "And you need to stop being presumptuous." He said, though there was no fire or venom in the words. Azen seemed to take a few moments to look him over, before huffing something that sounded approving. "I'm glad your wounds have healed over completely. I don't have a lot of practice with healing magic, so I was worried there might be complications." He mused, before Blitz felt those sharp talons gently dig into his back feathers.
Those claws were clearly honed sharp, but Azen used them with a surprisingly surgical precision as the phoenix scrubbed the hawk's back. It may have been the even hotter water near Azen, or the massive amount of steam, or possibly even the soothing touch of his seemingly unwilling savior, but Blitz had never felt... so relaxed before. "So..." Blitz began, filling the silence a bit. "You said you hurt me before...?" he asked, trailing off expectantly. He'd been thinking about that since last night, and it kinda worried him. He felt safe with the phoenix now, and honestly couldn't expect the guy to get violent. Rude, sure, but not violent. Azen seemed too reserved to consider any form of harm or malice. Though if he was wrong, he figured it might not be a good idea to have Azen so close to his back. In fact... asking that might not have been the wisest decision in the first place, but it was out now.
The scrubbing stopped for one very tense moment... before it resumed, a bit gentler this time. "My healing isn't a gentle kind. You screamed a lot while it happened. I'm kind of glad you don't remember it." He said, seeming to give one sentence where a few dozen may have been necessary for his explanation. "Arm." He said, and Blitz instantly raised his arm. The hawk blinked. Why did he respond so quickly? And for that matter...
"Uh... Why are you cleaning my arm?" he asked, turning his head to see Azen's talons now running along and scrubbing his arm feathers. It felt good, yeah, but it also seemed... rather intimate. With a blink, he realized he kinda liked it.
Azen stopped mid-motion, seeming to realize what he was doing, and quietly pulled away. He was quiet for a few moments, and the water seemed to leech slightly of the heat it had. As Blitz turned, he saw the phoenix looking more than a little embarrassed. "Sorry." Azen said. "I usually help my master bathe. It's become sort of a habit." He said, head swaying as he looked to the side.
Blitz nodded slowly. "Mind if I return the favor?" He asked gently, to which Azen looked at him in mild confusion. It took a second, but Azen did turn his back to the hawk, a bit jerkily, as if he was unused to this. Blitz chuckled a bit, and eased forward to dig his own talons into Azen's back. He knew he didn't have nearly the practice the firebird did, but something about the way the phoenix's feathers crackled and sparked under his touch seemed to make Azen relax. "Your master is so lucky to have someone like you. I mean... You saved me. You gotta be pretty selfless if you'd save some stranger out of nowhere." He said, talons moving up to massage the phoenix's shoulders. He was doing a bit more than he strictly needed to, but at the same time, he wanted to repay the other in some small way for his help. The way Azen's shoulders slumped gave him the idea that the massage at least felt good.
There was a long silence, only filled by the sizzle of water and the ruffle of feathers being scrubbed. Finally, after what seemed like far, far too long, Azen let out a sigh. "...I caused your crash." He said.
There was another long silence. Blitz’s arms stopped their movements for the duration of it, before he continued and said "Bullshit. You wouldn't do that to me." Why the hell would Azen say something like that? He'd had a mechanical failure with the steering system, that couldn’t have been the phoenix’s fault.
"Not intentionally..." Azen responded, voice sounding agonized. "Like my healing, my magic can be destructive. It's not something I can control. I watched your plane before it fell... And my magic is what caused your mechanical failures. The rust, the breaches, the fuel..." He said and followed with. "I'm sorry. Phoenixes purify things. We don't control it, it just... happens. My powers exploit weak aspects of a thing to make it collapse faster. I-..." he trailed off, his tone strained, and Blitz realized the restraint he’d been hearing in Azen’s voice hadn’t been reservation or pride, but guilt.
Blitz considered this. It seemed that Azen’s influence was what caused his crash but… The hawk sighed. “Hey.” He said, and eased the phoenix to look at him directly, which the firebird did with more than a little reluctance. “Yeah, maybe you were the cause of it. But it wasn’t your fault! It’s just who you are, y’know? And if your magic stuff ‘exploits’ weakness, doesn’t that mean there was already something wrong with my plane when I took off? It wasn’t your fault. In fact, it was probably the airport’s fault for not upkeeping their crap properly.” He said, and quietly realized he could probably use this as a basis to not have his insurance affected, but quickly banished that selfish thought in favor of the bird before him. He looked firmly into Azen’s blue eyes, just so the phoenix could see the conviction and understanding in Blitz’s expression. “I forgive you. If it wasn’t for you, I might have died anyway.” He said, and smiled a bit more warmly. He kept smiling too, even as Azen looked at him with growing confusion. He looked weirdly cute that confused… wait, what? He blinked and looked down, realizing for the first time exactly how close he and Azen were in the hot spring. Nude.
There was an awkward pause between the two, with Azen’s expression changing from confused, to pained, to reluctantly accepting, and finally to calm. He looked up at Blitz and seemed to notice his slightly balking expression for the first time. “...I think we’re both clean.” Azen said, turning away and sounding… amused. For the first time since Blitz showed up, the phoenix actually sounded amused. He was still marveling at that when he saw Azen stepping out of the basin of water, feathers ruffling and standing on end, steaming hot for a few seconds before dying down. He found himself staring at the other’s body for a few moments, surprised at how nice the other’s form was. Were phoenixes able to reform themselves, or did he actually make an effort to look like that? He tripped a little, trying to get out of the water the moment he realized he was staring, and chose to stand closer to the phoenix, definitely just to help himself dry off faster, of course.
It wasn’t until he and Azen had reclothed themselves that it occurred to him he hadn’t eaten in a while, the fact becoming clear the moment his stomach let out a gurgling protest at Blitz’s negligence. “... Ah, sorry!” Blitz said, chuckling awkwardly. “I don’t suppose I could ask for some food, could I?” He asked, feeling more than a bit concerned at how much he seemed to be imposing on the other’s kindness.
The phoenix seemed to balk for just a moment. “Oh.” He said. “Right, I… forgot to prepare dinner. I don’t normally eat without my master, so I must not have thought I had to. R-right.” He explained, bringing a talon behind his head to scratch rather embarrassedly, to which Blitz could only laugh. And he kept laughing, much to Azen’s evident chagrin, as he found himself led to the kitchen another floor down. “I normally just roast entire cows, but I think I have some cured meat laying around somewhere.” Azen said, walking over to one of the spicy smelling barrels in the corner.
The ‘kitchen’, as Azen had called it, was little more than a circular room with a firepit in the center and several barrels lining the walls. There was a crude straw mat behind the firepit, clearly meant to sit down on and eat, but it seemed barely big enough for the two of them and was covered in a thin layer of dust and soot. It was apparent Azen did not eat here often, and that thought bothered Blitz. The idea of the phoenix being so alone outside of a single master seemed… tragic. He suppressed his thoughts on the matter and took a seat, watching the bird as Azen worked to set something together. Before long, there was a blazing fire in the center, and a pot of water boiling at its heart, as Azen dumped dried bits of spiced meat and roughly chopped potatoes into it to form a basic sort of stew.
“I don’t normally cook for people around my size. I’m sorry, this is probably going to be fairly mediocre.” He said, sounding genuinely apologetic. He made attempts to modify the meal as best he could, but before long he just sighed and blew out the fire, before going to get some clay bowls and cups.
It smelled amazing, despite the phoenix’s protests, and Blitz’s stomach was already clamoring to be satisfied. He wanted to dig in immediately, but he was a guest, and it would have been rude to take the phoenix’s hospitality for granted. “Still, it means a lot you’d do this for me, man. And for what it’s worth, it looks great.” He said, shortly before Azen returned placing a bowl and a bottle in front of him. Blitz cocked his head in confusion. “Uh…?”
The phoenix was already filling his own bowl directly from the pot, and his talon deftly sliced the seal on the bottle he’d gotten for himself. It smelled sickly sweet, and slightly alcoholic, making Blitz feel more than a little nervous. “Oh, I’m sorry.” Azen said, a bit absently, placing the bowl in front of Blitz and taking the other for himself. “Of course, the host should serve his guests.” He said, and for the first time, Blitz saw a smile grace the other’s expression. It struck him dumb for more than a few seconds, long enough for him to absently take a long sip of the delicious stew he’d been given, and feel a strong warmth bloom in his chest and stomach. It was like a benediction, and he momentarily forgot the drink he’d been given was alcoholic, long enough to take a long swig… before his low tolerance made everything go hazy.
…
His head was hammering as he roused himself. The phoenix groaned, immediately regretting letting the Hawk convince him to spend the meal drinking and revelling. The guy had taken a single sip and it was like his personality had taken a complete 180, encouraging Azen to enjoy the meal more and let loose. And, drawn in by Blitz’s newfound confidence, found himself swept up in the other’s excitement. After the second bottle, Azen had forgotten most of the night before. He almost decided to burst himself into flames to get through the hangover faster, when he realized there was something… alive, under him.
His eyes opened and he braced his arms against the cushion. Apparently he’d managed to find his way back to the treasure chamber, and saw he spent the night resting on Blitz. “...Please tell me nothing happened.” he said, though there was no response from the hawk under him, except for snoring. He reluctantly looked down, and let out a sigh of relief to find they were both still clothed.
He couldn't help but notice the strange sense of regret that also bubbled in him, realizing he and Blitz actually hadn’t done anything. But a strong wash of moral disgust sent that thought far, far out of his mind. He had a dragon. He had a master. He did NOT need this right now. Hangover forgotten for the moment, he got to his knees, preparing to stand, but the shifting of the bed, or perhaps the newfound chill now that Azen’s arms were no longer wrapped around the Hawk’s chest, roused Blitz from his sleep.
“Ugh… what truck hit me?” he groaned, eyes flitting open as he sat up, eyes inexorably locking onto Azen’s form. There was a painful silence as they stared at one another. Blitz’s expression seemed to flatten in confusion at first, before a look of dawning realization filled it. “...Uh, we didn’t-... did we?” He asked, more than a little trepidation in his tone.
“No! God, no!” Azen answered… perhaps a bit too quickly, raising his claws up defensively and in panic.
Blitz seemed taken aback by the violent refusal. “Well, okay then! Jeez, didn’t realize I was that bad.” He said back, seeming weirdly hurt, and also confused at being hurt at the same time. “What even happened? I remember-” he paused, and remembered. “Right, you got me drunk.”
“I got you drunk? I’m not the one who took a sip and apparently couldn’t hold his liquor!” Azen snapped.
“I’m not the one who gave me alcohol!” Blitz shot back.
The ensuing argument lasted only another few minutes, both birds mostly panicking at the prospect of having made a fool of themselves in front of the other. It only died down once they realized they hadn’t quite said or done anything… weird to the other.
Azen was on his back, groaning with a mix of shame and dizziness from the headache the hangover had given him. Blitz wasn’t faring much better, laying next to him in an equally ashamed position, both staring at the ceiling. The silence stretched, but it was Blitz who broke it first.
“... I didn’t realize how long you’d been here. I’m really sorry if I said anything to annoy you.” He said, voice weirdly gentle after the heated argument they’d had.
Azen blinked, slowly struggling to sit up again to look at the hawk. “How long I’d been here?” He asked, to which Blitz nodded back.
“You told me about your past while we were drunk. I’m not really remembering much else about last night, but I think what happened to you really stuck out to me.” He said, voice still gentle.
“... It was centuries ago. Maybe even thousands of years. I don’t know what exactly I told you, but I promise you it’s ancient history.” Azen said, seeming to grow cold again, crossing his arms defensively.
The hawk sighed. “Azen. You live here alone and your only friend is a dragon you feel obligated to love. I’m sorry but, that’s bullshit. You know it’s still affecting you. And…” He hesitated, seeming unsure if this was actually something he needed to say or not. “I don’t think you would have brought me in or helped me if you weren’t lonely.” He said, expression a mixture of pitying and guilty.
The phoenix’s breathing slowed to almost stopping, so shallow that his chest wasn’t even moving. Any other day, any other person, any other scenario, and he would have been offended beyond the capacity of words. A thousand years ago, he might have even attacked just to defend his dragon’s honor. But today, now, sitting in a cave he’d built out a desperate desire for something to keep him sane, surrounded by the treasure he’d carried from countless lives and reincarnations he’d followed his master through… he just couldn’t muster the energy to be angry. He couldn’t deny that Blitz was right. But what Blitz didn’t know, couldn’t know, was how deeply those words shook the foundations of Azen’s trust in his own master. If he was getting lonely, it meant he was unhappy. It meant his master wasn’t enough for him anymore. It meant the bond that tied him was weakening, and there was nothing he feared more than losing the one he loved most. “Assuming you’re right, what do you want me to do about it?” He asked, voice stony, the barest tinge of venom in them, the fear at what Blitz might suggest making him want to lash out.
The expression on Blitz’s face was so sympathetic that Azen almost screamed. The phoenix knew what he was about to suggest, knew that he was going to have to defend his master’s honor, and he didn’t want to do that to someone he’d grown to care about. But before Azen could preemptively strike, Blitz spoke first. “I just think you need more friends.”
“...What.” That had not been what he’d been expecting. He’d expected another person telling him his relationship with his master was unhealthy. He was not expecting this at all.
“Uh… friends? You know, people you hang out with outside of your romantic relationships? People you like spending time with? Have you never had a friend?” He asked, head cocked to the side.
He… hadn’t, actually. At least, no one he felt especially close to. He’d spent his immortal life devoted to the dragon he loved. He hadn’t found much time to do anything else but serve and honor the memory of his master’s original incarnation. The idea of relationships outside of that felt so anathema, well, except in cases where he was waiting for his master’s next form to arise. “I’ve had relationships, yes. But actual friends? I can’t say I have.” He answered, and for some reason felt weirdly shameful of the fact. It felt obvious in retrospect, even if it made him feel conflicted over his loyalties. That was just how things were supposed to be, wasn’t it? A servant is supposed to be devoted, utterly and fully.
“That’s pretty sad.” Blitz said, and gave no hesitation in saying it.
Azen huffed. “I don’t remember asking your opinion. Maybe it’s not that I don’t want friends. Maybe it’s that very few want to ally themselves with a creature who will outlive them.” He growled. It wasn’t the reason he didn’t seek friends, it wasn’t even partly the truth, but it was true enough. He was intimidatingly old, once people found out. Except for Blitz, it seemed. The revelation that Azen was thousands of years old seemed to just roll off him.
There was a pause, where Blitz and Azen shared a long, tense moment of silence. The firebird saw how deeply his jab had hit, and saw how much the hawk seemed to pity him. “They don’t know what they’re missing out on, clearly.” He said, in a surprisingly small voice.
It was like watching the world’s slowest train crash, with Azen trying to understand what Blitz said. “You can’t be serious.” He said. “You can’t seriously consider me a friend after how badly I hurt you. I get that you can forgive me, but all I’ve done is give you food and a place to recover after taking responsibility for my actions. In what way is that a sign of friendship?”
The hawk’s shoulders slumped in frustration, and he let out an extremely irritated sound. “You welcomed me into your home, let me recover in comfort, went out of your way to make sure I was fine! Maybe it’s not enough to you, but you’ve been way better to me than you could have been. If wanting to be friends means giving a person more than the minimum amount of respect then… Fuck, you’ve practically written me a love letter with all this!” He snapped, extending his arms as if to indicate the whole room.
“... I deny that I’ve done more than what I felt was necessary.” Azen said, after a moment to think. He could have cursed himself, he knew his face was glowing with heat already. At the very least, the hawk’s cheeks seemed flushed with equal shame.
“Yeah well, that’s not for you to decide. Like it or not, I consider you a friend. So deal with it.” He huffed.
Azen groaned. “There’s something wrong with offering someone friendship at gunpoint.” He said, voice more than a little weak. He was losing this argument and he knew it.
“Hey, you don’t have to accept it. But that doesn’t change how I feel.” Blitz responded, smiling cockily at the other bird. “And believe me, I intend to be the best friend you’ll ever have.” He followed with, a very self-assured glint in his eyes.
With a sigh at the futility he knew protesting would be, Azen could only extend a claw outward, offering it to the hawk. He could see the confused look on the Hawk’s face at it. “... I come from a time where a handshake usually sealed an oath like this. Maybe I’m just old fashioned, or maybe you young birds don’t have as much conviction as you used to?” He asked, shooting an equally cocky smile at the hawk.
There was a long laugh as Blitz’s claw found the other’s, sealing their friendship with a firm shake. “Nah, you’re definitely just old-fashioned.” He replied, and was graced with another gentle, if rueful smile from the phoenix.
Azen knew it wouldn’t last. Blitz would tire of him before long, and this handshake would mean nothing. He was resigned to it, taking a bitter solace in the fact that words were cheap.
And yet...
…
The hawk found himself in the embrace of his parents and his other loved ones the next day, after Azen had personally escorted him to the nearest town for proper directions so Blitz could fly himself back. The pair had shared words on the hour long walk there, mostly Blitz confessing his fears about being a pilot now that he’d had his first crash, and Azen assuring him that the firebird would stop looking at planes as they flew past. Blitz laughed at that. Azen didn’t.
Letters, actual handwritten letters began finding their way to the young hawk, written in calligraphic style and sealed with actual melted wax. The anachronism itself was enough of a calling card to know who’d sent them to him… and he always took the time to write back. Every day would bring a new letter, and every afternoon he’d compose one in return. It felt odd conversing so slowly, but it felt so right at the same time. The phoenix was a quirky and slightly prickly fellow, but everything about him was sincere to the extreme, and even in his letters his heart always seemed to be on his sleeve. For a month they wrote to each other, and Blitz found himself looking forward to each one like a present from a treasured friend. Something about the sight of that old looking parchment on his porch when he got home always made his heart skip.
His friends had noticed a change in him, a strange serenity that he now exuded after his brush with death and his exposure to that weird phoenix. He was ambitious and driven and confident before, sure, but somehow those feelings had become more stable since. It was like he’d been wearing a mask before, trying to hide some imperfection with them. And now, that sense that he needed to hide his faults was gone. He wanted to be more true to himself. He never really got confirmation one way or another, but he’d always suspected Azen’s aura didn’t just affect physical things like his plane. Something in him felt stronger, felt more assured, and as he thought back to the time he’d spent and the thoughts he’d had of the other… he began to understand how deeply Azen had healed him.
The airport he’d rented from had agreed to cover the insurance cost to avoid blame for their poor upkeep, and so Blitz’s premium stayed mostly the same. Which was a relief to him, two months after his crash, with a new resolve burning in his soul. This time double checking every pre-flight check, and examining every part of the plane for damage before even thinking of donning his favorite pair of aviators and second luckiest bomber jacket… Blitz soared, in heart and in body, with a mountain growing closer on the horizon.
…
He stared at the hawk before him, the one who looked almost more confused by his words than Azen himself did. He had to be joking. He just... couldn't be serious. Even after all they’d been through, even after the words they shared through their letters, Azen could not have heard Blitz correctly. "You... What?" He asked, feeling a faint and only slightly unwelcome stirring in his chest.
Blitz shifted uncomfortably. "I love you." he repeated, his eyes locking more firmly onto the firebird's, conviction seeming to grow as the words were said again. "I don't... I've never said that before. To anyone. I didn't think I'd be able to. But, I love you, Azen." He said, wincing with each sentence, as if he were digging a grave with each one. Azen could tell, by Blitz’s stance alone, he’d been struggling with these thoughts for a while.
The phoenix's eyes closed, words failing him as he stumbled over rejections and condolences in his mind. He had a master. He had a love. He... didn't have room for another in his heart. He couldn’t have room for another in his heart. But even so, those emotions bubbled within him. He remembered those thoughts he'd been sparing the hawk, those allowances, those times when the man just refused to leave his head. He'd tried to deny the thoughts, deny the emotions, deny everything because he didn't feel capable of loving someone other than his dragon. Didn’t feel capable of loving someone out of more than obligation and honor.
... But even so. His eyes opened, a softness in his expression he hadn't had in centuries. He couldn't say no. He didn't want to say no. He wanted to let the hawk into his life, share in his experiences, share everything that the phoenix had to offer. He saw such light in Blitz that even he, the manifestation of fire and rebirth, didn't feel worthy to look at him. The man who'd forgiven him, the man who’d demanded Azen allow him into his life, the man who’d kept in touch despite the distance they’d had. Azen hadn’t expected the hawk to keep to his word, hadn’t expected at all the raw emotion in every letter they’d shared. And Azen… wanted to bear witness to that, wanted to share in the happiness Blitz had.
Something in his expression must have said this, because Blitz had come forward, grabbing the phoenix by his scarf and pulled him towards the taller bird, pressing their beaks together in the avian equivalent of a kiss. And Azen gave himself over to it, finding his desire for the other undeniable.
"And I love you, Blitz..." he whispered, a relief in his soul that he could still love without debt, without obligation. A phoenix only chooses one master... but for a friend, an ally, a treasured and beloved partner, a phoenix may choose them to share himself with too, and show no less loyalty for it. "I love you."
This wonderful story was made by my lovely sardonyxXx, and it's absolutely fantastic. A wonderful story telling how Blitz and Azen meet, before warming up to each other despite what recently happened. Their relation ship grows until it becomes something even more. Yes this story is full of fluff, sue me.
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Category Story / All
Species Unspecified / Any
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