18.Hand in Hand

18. Hand in Hand

Leaning against the wall of this gas station convenience store, I scroll through emails on my phone while I wait.

Even though your methodology was, let's say, unique, your results are still important.

Dr. Blossom wants me to write up the findings from my work with Az's electric ‘curse.' I'm not sure how academic anything I publish could be, given that we broke some professional rules and our relationship became much more personal.

I should write something up eventually, if only to let other wizards know about the dangers of preconceived notions and the importance of questioning everything.

Researchers listened to Azure too much. He was convinced it was a curse, that his actions deserved it. And it does look that way. But the people he worked with before started to build from there, not challenging the curse idea when they should have. They wanted to study the invasive electric curse. They already bought into the idea of it being a curse from the get-go.

But this became more than just a research opportunity for me. Az wasn't the cursed subject and I wasn't a researcher. He's Azure Serrano and I'm the guy who fell for him. It's our story, so the rest of the wizarding community can wait until we're damn good and ready to share anything.

Research is the last thing on my mind. My priorities are a little different now.

I hear the chime of the store door and look up to see Az emerging with snacks.

"We should hit New Mexico by tomorrow night," he says as he approaches, tossing me a bag of chips.

"And the dragons?"

"They are gonna stay around this continent. We'll be able to catch up with them easily when we're done moving our stuff."

His family and horde congregate in the southwest whenever they stay in one place. They have storage facilities and some property in New Mexico, so all we have to do is drop our stuff there and then catch up .

Az has been without his family for too long. It's time to start repairing all that distance now. That's what I want to take care of first.

"I wanna learn what it means to be part of a horde," I say. Wait, can I even be part of the horde? "If I can be, that is. Or am I just a dragon's lover? A dragon's consort?"

"No, uh, you could be. Being with me would get you in the door, it's just…"

"I'd have to earn a place? I figured." If the human half of dragon shifters have to prove themselves to their dragons, it only stands to reason that anyone interested in being part of a horde needs to prove themselves worthy too.

"Though you might get time served," he says.

"Huh?"

"Returning me to the horde, lifting what held me back, that might be all you need to do."

Cool. Looks like I've already got a head start when it comes to getting on his horde's good side.

I grab his hand, pulling him back to the car. "Let's go, Azure."

It's my turn to drive. I start walking, pulling him along behind me by our joined hands. We don't get far before Az gently tugs on my hand, stopping me in my tracks. I turn and then he's pulling me closer. He drops the bag carrying our road-trip snacks, and I find myself wrapped up in his strong embrace .

We do need to get back on the road, but it's hard to resist a break like this. I reach up and wrap my arms around his shoulders, pulling him close.

"You really like calling me that, don't you?" he asks, watching me with a soft expression. "Calling me Azure."

I hadn't noticed I did it, but he isn't wrong. "You're going to need to make an exception for me."

"Huh?"

"You said only your tias and abuelas can call you Azure," I remind him.

He mulls it over thoughtfully. "They can switch to calling me Azure Alejandro."

Sounds like his middle name. I'll have to ask about that later. "And what about me?"

"Guess you should be the only one who can call me Azure," he decides, his lips curling into a small smile.

"Perfect." I smile back and press my lips against his, kissing him tenderly.

When we pull apart, we make it back to our car with our snacks. There's still a ways to go before we hit New Mexico. He looks at me from over the hood of the car. "You really okay with this?"

"With reuniting you with your horde? I insist."

"No, not that."

"With calling you Azure? I insist on that too. "

"Why do I get the feeling you're going to insist on lots of things?" He rolls his eyes, but I've seen him upset enough times to know he isn't bothered at all.

I smile sweetly. "And I get the feeling you might grumble but wouldn't dare dream of denying me."

"Whatever," he grumbles, which isn't a denial. "Are you sure about this, McFly? About traveling with my horde? Drifter life doesn't really seem suited for you," he points out.

"You're not totally wrong," I admit.

"And now you're unemployed again."

"This is the best situation, to be out of a job because I solved the problem I was hired for… sort of." Well, I was hired for mitigation but ended up solving the whole curse fiasco. Look at me, going above and beyond. "I'm thinking it might not be so bad to go where the wind takes me." No, that's not quite right. "Takes us," I correct.

There is one thing I know. We will have to return eventually. After attacking me, and proving he's the one who used his magic against Azure, Ric will finally face consequences for his actions. Maybe his family will too, for covering up his involvement. They can't make it go away this time.

Legal charges are pending, along with a magical review where a council of witches and wizards will decide if Ric can be trusted with magic. Deemed a potential flight risk, Ric hasn't been able to get bail yet, so he's currently in jail. I may be a bad person, but the thought makes me smile. No doubt the transition isn't easy for him, going from having power and importance to being a common criminal.

When he's officially sentenced, Azure and I will be right there in the front row making sure Ric faces the justice he so dearly deserves.

I slide into the driver's seat as he settles in next to me. "You aren't going to get bored without a purpose?" he asks as I slot the key into the ignition.

I leave the keys dangling and turn to him. Guess the road will have to wait.

"That's the thing," I begin. "When I found the opportunity to mitigate your curse, I really did want to find more than a job. I wanted to find a purpose. I thought this would be my ticket to solving magical puzzles and helping people." I reach out and cup his jaw in my hands, my thumbs tracing the sharp lines of his cheekbones. "Helping you, it kinda feels like that was my purpose for so many reasons. I don't need a new one anytime soon."

"Really?"

"Yeah. There's no need to make any decisions now, is there? Because whatever we choose next doesn't need to be right just for me, it needs to be right for us. So why not keep our options open until we decide what we both want for our future? "

Az smiles, a warmth spreading through his eyes, pulling me in. "Our future, huh? I like the sound of that."

"Me too," I whisper, leaning in to kiss him again.

Sky's the limit. Not even. We get to soar. As long as we're soaring together.

When I first took this opportunity, I needed to feel grounded and know where I was headed. But I love flying. Maybe I'm finally understanding the beauty of things being up in the air.

There's no reason to know where we're going yet. We're gonna take the journey together and find out. It feels like I've already figured out the most important part. That I need Azure by my side. There's no need to decide the rest, I'd rather see where life leads us.

As long as we're together, I know we're headed in the right direction.

We'll go forward into the future, hand in hand.