Kidnapped: Warrior of Winter (Private: ZX-MetalMonster x Wolf) [+18]

[WolfDog12]

"It's nothing..." He finally looked up at the bandit and realized he was kind of like a bear. The warrior finally smiled again and walked even closer to Nikandros. "I think we should take a walk every day." He changed the subject back to the walking. Goustetsu loved being outside and even without the powers, he still could hardly feel cold. It was a little chilly and maybe a scarf or something would have been nice but he didn't need to be bundled up like a normal person would.

[ZX-MetalMonster]

Nikandros wanted to know what had made the warrior seem down but now that he'd cheered up again and it didn't matter as much he didn't want to ask more about it.

-"We can if that's what you'd like." He agreed without bothering to think if going out only to walk every day was even possible. At times like this he could easily do what the younger man liked but he knew that could change at times.

-"I think a group of us might go to the sea side cities soon. I'll be away for a long while because of that so you should come with me."

[WolfDog12]

"To the sea side? You mean the ocean?!" His excitement and curiosity was showing on his face. "I'd love to go with you." To be honest, Goustetsu wasn't thinking about what it would be like to leave the mountains or the difference in temperature alone because he was just too excited about being able to see the ocean. He remembered the conversation they had before about just how big of a body of water an Ocean was and the warrior was curious if you really couldn't see land on the other side from one end.

 

"When are we leaving? Oh, and for how long? I know it's probably about being a bandit and all but if it's not... Please, can I ask why you guys are headed out there?"

[ZX-MetalMonster]

Nikandros was amused by the warriors excitement and for the sake of keeping him so cheerful refrained from mentioning that he might not like everything about the trip. "We'll leave already in a few days, it's only to get things that can't be found easily on the mountain so don't worry, I wont cause mass murder along the way." He replied with a smirk though he could have easily made a serious promise such as this one.

-"I don't know when we'll return though... we can't leave this place for long but we can put together a couple of days just to relax if it turns out to be a good trip."

[WolfDog12]

"I don't mind if it's only for a short while, I only want to be able to see the ocean... What makes it worth it is being able to see it with you." He managed to speak pretty easily about this kind of thing. The warrior walked a little closer and pressed his arm against the bandit's. Goustetsu was happy to be out here with the other and wondered if the temperature was going to be any different. He couldn't feel cold so it would be interesting to see if he could get warmer or something.

[ZX-MetalMonster]

-"The main reason I want you to come along is so we don't have to be apart for days." Nikandros reminded the warrior but was looking forward to seeing the ocean and the cities beside it again and this time with the other man to keep him company.

He wrapped an arm around him, causing them both to stop for a moment while he leaned down and kissed the younger man. "We should head back." He whispered before returning to a distance where he could only brush his arm against the warrior's as they moved.

[WolfDog12]

"Wait, just a few more minutes. The fresh air is too nice to pass up." Goustetsu continued to look off into the distance where it all just seemed so quiet. He took a deep breath and sort of let his mind think about the ocean and what it looked like. The only vast bodies of water he'd seen were somewhat large lakes always completely frozen over with ice thick enough for an army to walk on. "I wonder how different everything will be...."

[ZX-MetalMonster]

-"You make it sound like I'm returning you to a dungeon and won't let you go out again for weeks." Nikandros commented but halted at the warrior's request and waited rather patiently for him to decide they can head back.

-"I'm not going to tell you anything more about it. You'll see it for yourself soon... I don't want you to get the wrong idea and blame my storytelling later." He said and sounded serious but a small smirk on his lips made it apparent he was mostly joking.

[WolfDog12]

"Alright, Alright." Goustetsu took another deep breath and just looked around for a bit, even walking out a bit farther and placing his hand on a tree's trunk. "Everything out here use to seem a lot more alive then it does now... I wonder if it's because I found so much more to life then just surviving." He wasn't expecting anything or any kind of response for this; the words just sort of came out.

 

"I'm ready now." He turned back and walked back to the bandit's side. It really wasn't long for wanting to stay but it was what he wanted and needed. That was it. The warrior took the other's hand for some reason. This was all he could think to do at the moment. It was kind of sappy and his grip wasn't tight so Nikandros could pull away if he wanted to but the warrior kind of wanted this.

[ZX-MetalMonster]

Nikandros didn't mind holding hands, especially when they were in a place where no one could witness them do something silly like that.

-"Do you like it? Being with me?" He asked without much reluctance even though it was a question that had bothered him more than once and was something he thought about seriously. He knew he'd given the warrior things he'd been kept from before, he doubted the other man had even had much human contact before, but he knew there were things he'd lost as well when he'd come to be with him. Nikandros was essentially a criminal on top of everything and occasionally he was concerned that the warrior would feel much differently towards him if he knew other people better.

[WolfDog12]

"That's a bit of an odd question isn't it? Of course I like being with you. My chest gets tight and I find myself always thinking about you when you're not around and it's driving me crazy because I just like being with you too much." Goustetsu was very honest. He wanted nothing more then to stay at Nikandros's side no matter what but it was clearly impossible with just how different they really were. It wasn't as if Goustetsu could just go with a group of bandits and hang out while they stole a bunch of things. That wasn't like him.

 

"What about me? Do you like being around me?" Goustetsu stopped walking and stared seriously at the bandit.

[ZX-MetalMonster]

Besides what he could communicate through a touch or a kiss Nikandros had trouble showing the warrior what he felt. He'd never described any of his emotions in words and even though he now knew that he wanted to stay with the younger man for as long as he could, a part of him was still accustomed to brief attraction and stopped him from being fully honest and straightforward. However it was impossible for the bandit to deny anything at this moment when he'd already asked a question that uncovered some of his concerns and was then touched by the warriors answer.

-"Of course I do..." He said but the words seemed weak and empty compared to all of the reasons the younger man had listen when he'd answered the same question. "...I love you." He added finally after a moment and watched the other man carefully as though concerned what he would think of this explanation.

[WolfDog12]

Goustetsu didn't believe Nikandros at first as he spoke. Did the bandit really like having the warrior around or was he forcing himself to say that just because he liked using the male. The next sentence made the warrior stop in his tracks and he pulled his hand away from the other. The male's face was confused and he was looking down at the snow.

 

"What's 'love'?" he finally asked. It was the word he'd been looking for to replace the word "like" and yet this was his first time hearing it so for all he knew it could have been a stronger word for hate. He quickly looked up and searched the bandit's face for some kind of clue as to what the word meant but nothing was coming to him and Nikandros wasn't letting on anything. Scared of the idea, Goustetsu took a step back.

[ZX-MetalMonster]

Nikandros was confused himself once he understood the warrior had never heard the word 'love' before. There was no point in adding to the younger man's panic though so he made sure to seem calm and not puzzled as well.

 

-"No one had ever told you that before?" He paused for a moment and sighed but moved closer to the other man and caressed his cheek in an attempt to reassure him everything was fine.

 

-"It's a shame I have to be the one to explain it to you, it's not easy to describe and... I'm just not good at this..." The bandit admitted but after another moment of silence tried to clear things up. He hoped the warrior did feel love but only needed a word for it.

-" It means to care for someone very much... in a special way, not like a comrade or a friend... In this case, I love you means that I miss you every moment I'm apart from you, that I felt like my life was going to end when I thought I was going to loose you... and I'm worried you don't feel the same way."

[WolfDog12]

As Nikandros walked over and caressed the smaller male's cheek, he backed away slightly, for the first time actually withdrawing from the bandit. The longer the male stalled, the more uneasy Goustetsu became. He was so close to just running away and never returning but as the explanation went on, his demeanor changed to something a little more gentle. He looked down and his bangs covered his eyes making it even harder to tell what the warrior was going to do.

 

"So that's the word... the one stronger then 'like'..." He finally lifted his head, tears in his eyes but a smile on his face. "I love you too!" The warrior hugged Nikandros tightly, his own bear, the love of his life. "Love" it was such an amazing word.

[ZX-MetalMonster]

Nikandros was concerned his explanation didn't help the warrior understand the word 'love' any better. From how tense the smaller man seemed at one point it was safe to say he'd actually completely misunderstood what the bandit was trying to say. Nikandros was concerned he'd failed badly when he realized he'd made the warrior cry but it puzzled him that the other male was smiling as well. He didn't know how to react to such a mixed expression, until he was hugged that is.

-"You scared me just now..." He said quietly but was apparent from his tone how frustrated he was. "I thought you were angry at me for saying it." He added and wrapped his arms around the warrior tightly, pressing him against himself.

[WolfDog12]

Goustetsu shook his head a little and pulled back slightly. "Of course I'm not mad at you saying it..." He suddenly wound up and punched Nikandros hard in the arm. "That's for not telling me the word sooner." He then resumed the hug as if nothing had happened. The warrior had asked for that word so many times and the bandit never told him what it was or even that there was such a lovely word for his feeling. It was a bit irritating to think about.

 

After a few more minutes of hugging, the two finally separated and the warrior began to walk again, heading in the direction of the hide out. He didn't bother saying anything else and just let the emotions and internal thoughts just set in.

[ZX-MetalMonster]

Nikandros agreed the warrior had a good reason to be a bit annoyed with him but neither that nor the punch that seemed playful to him mattered when he now knew the younger man returned his feelings. It was a shame though that he couldn't convince himself to let it show in his expression how happy he was.

 

As they headed back, he subtly watched the other man, his thoughts so preoccupied with the small male now that he couldn't just let his gaze wander over the environment as he did before.

-"Since when have you wanted to use a word like love?" He asked after some time passed in silence, too curious to stay quiet the entire way to the hideout.

[WolfDog12]

Goustetsu was walking in a lot more peace than the bandit seemed to be. He didn't worry about their relation at this point and he was just running through the new word in his head. It was such a pretty word and he wonder if it did apply to anything but what he had originally wanted it for. When the question came up, the male lifted his head and looked over at his new love.

 

"I'm not exactly sure," He frowned. "Probably around the second time we did it? No... I can't really tell for sure but it has been some time, that much I know." He didn't really want to talk about when the feeling started just that it was there. "So, what's the term used for you and I if we love each other?" He looked up curiously.

[ZX-MetalMonster]

Nikandros took note of the warrior's answer and seemed pleased but he wasn't sure himself what he'd expected and wanted to hear. He smirked though at how curious the other man turned out to be about words.

-"You could say we're lovers, but that isn't quite right... We're a couple I suppose." It sounded as though the bandit was reasoning with himself while he searched for the right term.

-"You should ask someone else, I'm not really... educated..." He added knowing there were others in the hideout who could explain these things much more clearly. He'd grown up in groups like the one he now lead so he'd truly never been taught anything just for the sake of being cultured, still he had picked up many things just from interacting with people.

[WolfDog12]

"Lovers or a couple? Doesn't a couple mean 2? Well then if it is us two then I guess that would make sense but lovers seems to make more sense in the idea of 'love'..." He began to contemplate the words and their meanings. Unsure of which to pick, he decided to take Nikandros's advice and ask someone else. "Ok, I'll ask someone else when we get back... or maybe tomorrow before we leave... no, tonight for sure!"

 

When they did make it back, Goustetsu walked in and immediately began to look around at who might be the best when it came to this kind of information. He wasn't sure who to ask so the warrior just started to ask everyone. Many found it strange and would give sideways looks towards their boss and others seemed to try and avoid it all together just brushing the warrior off and shooing him along.

[ZX-MetalMonster]

Nikandros hadn't meant to encourage the warrior to ask all of his men for a word to describe their relationship but he didn't stop him. By now questions like these shouldn't have seemed too odd to the bandits, he wasn't worried he would loose their respect because of it. He did watch the younger man while he spoke to them though and found himself strangely annoyed with everyone for not sparing a couple of minutes to explain something that was common knowledge for many of them.

 

With a hint of anger in his expression he pushed himself from the wall he'd been leaned against and walked beside the warrior.

-"We can ask someone else tomorrow, or I can think about it more carefully if you're impatient. Let's go now." He said, wanting to be alone with the smaller man, away from the others.

[WolfDog12]

Goustetsu was clearly about to go get his weapon and force one of the men to not walk away so they could talk when Nikandros walked up beside him. The warrior looked up at the other not really wanting to wait but he agreed none the less. "Alright, we can just wait till tomorrow." He understood too well that the bandit leader did not like it when Goustetsu got close to anyone or even so much as talked to the other men so he wasn't going to push his luck over something so trivial.

 

The two returned to the bedroom and the warrior looked around for a moment and began to think about something. The bandit really did hate when Goustetsu was around the other men or went anywhere without him. The only time it seemed ok that the two were apart was if the warrior was alone in this room, waiting patiently like a dog for his master to return. Though, was that normal for people in love... or was it something else?

[ZX-MetalMonster]

Nikandros wasn't aware how close the younger man had come to causing trouble but was glad he followed him so easily. He also appreciated being away from the others, at least for the rest of the day so he could calm down and forget how much they'd just annoyed him.

 

-"They were no help at all..." He muttered as he stepped closer to the warrior and leaned down some to kiss him. It was only a light peck on the lips, a quick show of affection and not something passionate that suggested he wanted more.

 

-" Maybe I should have asked in stead... they would have taken it seriously then..." He added and his fingers moved along the others cheek in what was suppose to be a caress but turned out somehow wrong like every time he tried to be gentle. He was sure there was something in his nature that made him so lousy at it since he sometimes tried very hard to translate his feelings into a touch and it made no difference.

[WolfDog12]

Goustetsu was a little surprised by the kiss but shook his head. "Don't worry about it, I understand that they don't like me but I can handle asking my own questions. If I can't do this much then I'm never going to get use to interacting with others." He looked down for a moment thinking about his own words and reality. It really was true that he wasn't like normal people and even his people skills was rough. The male shook his head a little and just let the bandit show his affection. With nothing to base it on, Goustetsu had come to learn Nikandros's patterns and behaviors. Even this rough and inexperienced touch came off as gentle and kind.

 

"Well, at least tomorrow won't be too bad. Soon we get to go see the ocean!" He acted cheerful despite the negative feelings he seemed to feel. The last thing the warrior wanted to do was ruin the mood or something.