7. Ra

Chapter 7

Ra

Ra flirted with everyone. It was just what he did. He liked to make people feel good about themselves. He liked to find out what made them tick, what turned them on, what made their breath catch in their throat and the heat rise in their cheeks. What he was doing with Mica wasn't that, but fuck if he knew what it was or why he couldn't leave the elemental alone when he wanted nothing to do with him.

All this ran through his head when he found himself wearing the smallest towel available around his waist as he made his way back from the shower to his room the next morning. Something that was definitely not disappointment settled over him as he realised the wing of the stronghold was too quiet for there to be anyone else there. Of course Mica would be a boy scout and get an early start to his day.

Glancing out the window to the balcony, he saw the sun was already well risen. Okay. Maybe not so early. Between the all-nighters he'd pulled to prepare the Soul Court for his departure, and the time difference and minor catastrophe making it a very long day yesterday, he must've been more tired than he'd realised.

Pulling out his phone, he sent a text to Kaia— Morning K-bear. You sleep okay?

He made himself a coffee as he waited for her reply, groaning as he took his first indulgent sip. Coffee had been a rare luxury in the Soul Court where distance and the ocean's predators made shipping international goods a dangerous business. He'd grown used to the magically infused kawakawa tea they drank for an energy boost back home instead, but he'd never lost the taste for the coffee he'd mainlined in his twenties before the first Melding combined their Earth with one of winged elementals and magic.

It's almost afternoon, Uncle Missing-all-the-Sunshine , Kaia replied as he settled down to pick at the fresh fruit in the bowl at the dining table.

What are you up to? Everyone treating you okay? he asked

Serena's been taking me through some basics. Breathing exercises and stuff. It's okay. We're just having a break and then she's going to show me around a bit.

He could use a tour himself, but with Mica nowhere to be found and Wren so hostile, he was pretty sure he'd do better poking around by himself. Serena would probably welcome him along with them, but she was hardly going to be showing Kaia the parts of the stronghold that were broken and that was what he needed to see to be able to do what he'd promised Mica.

Have fun, sweetheart , he texted.

Don't get into any trouble , Kaia replied.

Putting in his earpiece, he decided to call home while he worked through the inventory of tech he'd brought with him and figured out where to start. He rang Ana first, knowing the woman would be desperate for any news.

"Kia ora, Ra. How is she? Wait. I'm putting you on speaker. Everyone's here," Ana said as he opened the case of the specialist drone he'd brought with him and carefully took it out.

A rush of homesickness hit him as Bast, Hel, and Zee all said hello.

"She's doing okay. It's a lot to get used to but her teacher seems great," Ra said once the obligatory greetings were through.

"Is she going to be safe there?" Ana asked.

That was the question, wasn't it? None of them had realised quite how dire the stronghold situation was before he came, but he'd sworn not to betray Mica's secrets once he was here. On the other hand, if anything, the stronghold seemed to like both him and Kaia. He doubted it was a threat to them specifically.

"I will make sure of it," he said.

"Have you and Mica killed each other yet?" Hel asked.

"Have you and Mica boned yet?" Zee chimed in.

Ra burst out laughing, hoping Mica hadn't chosen that moment to eavesdrop on him again through the damned collar around his neck. "Shut up," he said, but their teasing had brought the smile back to his face.

His family kept the rest of their discussion light, catching him up on various community projects back home. Bast stole the phone to talk to him in private before they said goodbye.

"Are you okay? You sound different. If it gets too much, just say the word and we'll portal you out of there," Bast said.

Was he okay? He didn't really know. He'd been so certain of his feelings before he left. So certain he understood the kind of person Mica was to act the way he had. But now he was here, he could see the pressure the Earth Lord had been under. It was the same pressure Bast and Hel had shouldered for so long—when your actions affected the lives of millions. And he was doing it all with a psychically damaged stronghold hanging in the back of his mind.

He could also see that while Mica's court might be different from back home, he had that same sense of duty and fairness that had drawn Ra to befriend Bast. When they'd been speaking about the damaged road, Mica had said his scouts didn't always understand the importance of human infrastructure, which meant the Earth Lord did . He might've insulted Ra's humanity when he'd lashed out at the summit, but it didn't seem like that was how he lived his life. That hurt more than it should because it confirmed his cutting words had been specifically about Ra, not his views on humanity more generally.

Bast and Hel had made their peace with the Earth Lord's actions, telling Ra many times they'd probably have made the same decision if they were flying his path. Ra's anger at the Earth Lord seemed increasingly misplaced and he didn't like where that left him, especially given what he'd done in response to Mica's actions. Guilt was becoming a constant leaden feeling in his stomach he couldn't shake. He also didn't like how he couldn't seem to control the impulse to be close to the elemental—the constant fight not to press against him skin to skin and ease all that stress for a moment.

"I'll be fine, bro. I just miss you," he said, knowing he'd taken too long to answer while lost in his thoughts.

Bast scoffed quietly. "That was stunningly unconvincing."

"Love you," Ra said, not ready to explain himself, especially where Mica might overhear.

Bast sighed. "Love you, too. Behave yourself."

Why did everyone keep telling him that?

The next week settled into a rhythm of a sort. No matter how early Ra arose, Mica was already gone for the day. Ra spent his days exploring the cave system, flying the drone ahead of him through the tunnels to use the camera and mapping software to create a 3D rendering in his magically upgraded computer. It was sweaty, laborious work as he made his way to the most rundown isolated sections of the caves he could find, working his way deeper and deeper into the stronghold and often relying on his rock-climbing skills to make his way through chambers not designed for humans. He was covered in scrapes and his fingers stung. It had been a long time since he'd climbed so regularly.

Each evening, he showered in the still-empty wing of the stronghold and then met up with Kaia and the trainers for dinner, making sure his niece was happy and cared for. He was half convinced Mica wasn't even sleeping in his room, but if he'd left to go travelling, he hadn't said a word to Ra about it. Perhaps he might've caught sight of him if he'd sat in the living area and controlled the drone from there, but he wasn't certain how the elementals or the stronghold itself would respond to a robot flying through their space without him alongside it.

The stronghold continued to endear itself to him. Benches would lever themselves from the wall so he could rest when he grew weary. The limestone would warm beneath his fingers as he climbed. When he came to chambers inset with veins of mica and quartz, the stronghold would dim the glow of its walls and create magical sparkling light shows just for him.

"So clever, Earthshine," he murmured as he stood taking in the visual spectacle.

The stronghold's welcome was in sharp contrast to Mica's damn whiny seneschal, who seemed to take pleasure in making Ra's life more difficult than it needed to be. He was just lucky the caves weren't minded to follow Wren's instructions because otherwise the magical blockades that sprung up ‘for his safety' whenever he tried to go somewhere that looked promising would've been insurmountable without involving Mica.

Instead, he would smile blandly until Wren moved on and then stroke the nearest wall and whisper his desire to the sentience. Wren's small magics were no match against the vast being that encompassed the rock around them.

On the seventh day since they arrived, a suit bag had appeared in his closet when he returned to his room from dinner. Unzipping it, he raised an eyebrow at the brown-on-brown ensemble. He wasn't against a good tan suit, but this was not that. There was nothing to explain its presence in his room, but he was guessing someone expected him to wear this monstrosity somewhere and that would not be happening.

His fingers hovered over his phone as he opened the thread of text messages to Mica. Did he really want to deal with the tension between them when he was exhausted and his cheek was stinging from a run-in with a rock wall when he was climbing? Ah, fuck it. There was no way he was wearing this thing. Resisting the urge to scroll back and reread texts from a happier time, he started typing.

Is there a reason for this garment? Its colour is an insult to dirt everywhere. I know you're the Earth Court, but this looks more like a mud court thing , he texted.

The message flicked to read, but there was no indication Mica was intending to reply and after ten minutes Ra swore under his breath and went to change for bed. Fuck him. He'd deal with it in the morning. Wearing just some low-slung grey sweatpants, he yanked his door open to go brush his teeth—because why on the Earths would a powerful Lord have an ensuite for his guests?—and barrelled naked-chest first into Mica.

Swearing, he overcorrected and almost fell before the elemental's strong hands wrapped around his arms, steadying him.

"Don't you knock?" he snapped.

Mica raised an eyebrow. "Not when the door is already opening."

"And where have you been all week?"

"Is that what has you so worked up? I don't owe you an explanation of my whereabouts. I had matters to attend to."

Now that he was paying more attention, he could see the dark circles under Mica's eyes had grown even larger and the energy in him, for lack of a better word, had dimmed. His brow furrowed in concern, despite himself. The ever-present guilt at how he'd added to Mica's stress surged forward.

"You need to take better care of yourself," he said, reaching out to brush a thumb across the darkened skin as if he could rub away the fatigue he saw there.

"As do you," Mica said, returning the gesture by running a finger softly down the scrape on his cheek.

They both froze as they realised what they'd done. Mica still didn't let him go. If anything, he'd pulled him closer.

Clearing his throat, Mica finally released him and stepped back. "What was your message about?"

"The hideous suit that inexplicably appeared in my closet," Ra said, waving his arm at the fabric he'd discarded on the ground like the trash it was.

Mica glanced at the offending garment and sighed. "Elysia, are you still there?" he called behind him.

"Yes, my lord," someone said from the kitchen.

"Of course you are," Mica muttered, too low for the other person to hear, but Ra could hear the affection in the words.

Peering around Mica, Ra watched as a smiling elemental drew nearer. Their wings were bright copper ribboned with a rich green reminiscent of the jungle surrounding the stronghold and their smile was open and calming as they approached.

"Ra, this is Elysia—a friend and the mage leading our agricultural recovery. They're also closely associated with the weavers guild."

"Nice to meet you," Ra said, holding out a hand and hoping he hadn't just insulted the weavers guild with his comment about the suit.

"Likewise. I've been desperate to meet the man who challenges Mica so well," Elysia said.

"Elysia," Mica warned, but the mage just smiled wider.

"What can I do for you, my lord?" they asked.

"Could you have someone come up with something more fitting for Ra, please? I had asked Wren to do so, but he seems to have misplaced both his fashion sense and his ability to follow instructions," Mica said.

Ah. So, that was what had happened. He could totally see Wren being behind the offensive fabric.

"Wren's been a pain in my ass, and not in a good way," he said, sparking a possessive growl from Mica that had Elysia giggling at them in a distinctly non-mage-like way.

"It's like watching a nature documentary," Elysia said, eyes flicking back and forth between them.

Ra smiled wryly and shook his head. At least someone was getting some amusement from the situation.

"I like you," he told the endearing elemental.

"I like you, too," Elysia said brightly.

"That will be all thank you, Elysia," Mica cut in. "I'll see you in the morning."

Elysia smiled and patted Mica on the shoulder. "I assume you need the replacement within the week?"

Mica inclined his head in acknowledgement and Elysia waved goodbye.

"Why am I wearing a suit in a week's time?" Ra asked. The only thing he knew of happening in a week was?—

"To accompany me to Daria's ascension," Mica said.

Ra blinked. And then blinked again. "Uh … what?"

"You will be accompanying me to the Air Court when I go," Mica said, eyes determinedly focused on his face despite all the skin he had on display.

Ra leaned on the wall and hooked his thumb in his already low-riding sweatpants, pulling them down a little further just to fuck with him. "Okay. Why? And were you going to ask me whether I wanted to go at any point?"

Mica shifted and looked away, a flush rising in his cheeks. "I assumed you would appreciate the chance to catch up with Bastion and Helaine."

"That doesn't explain why you'd take me. What am I going as? Your assistant? I'm not an official member of your court."

"No. Not an assistant," Mica said, looking uncomfortable.

"Wait. Am I going as your date ?"

"My plus-one. It's different," Mica grumbled.

"Right. No one is going to take one look at us attending a function, think back to the very public revelations about our ‘history' with each other, and jump to any conclusions," Ra said, voice dripping sarcasm.

"I don't care what anyone decides to think about me."

"Regardless, if you want me to attend a function with you, you need to ask me first," Ra said.

Mica pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ra, would you like to attend Daria's ascension with me?"

"Oh, come on. You can do better than that. It sounds like you're doing me a favour. Why do you want me as your plus-one?"

"I don't fucking know alright?! I just … I can't take anyone else," Mica snapped.

Ra blinked in surprise at the uncharacteristic outburst and then snorted. "I'm not going to be your backup because no one else can go."

"That's not what I said. Do you think I'm short on potential partners? I'm not. They would queue the lengths of the tunnels if they thought it would get them into my bed."

Ra bit back the growl that thought engendered. "So, why not take one of them?" Ra asked, even though everything in him rebelled at the thought.

"Because I don't want one of them," Mica snapped.

Which meant…

Ra swallowed hard and stared at the elemental mere steps away from him. He had no come-back to that. "What are you doing? What are we doing?" he asked softly.

"Just come with me. Please," Mica said.

"Okay."

Mica nodded and turned away, striding towards his rooms and shutting the door firmly behind him as Ra watched from his doorway. What the fuck had just happened?