'He will always choose me?' Such simple words rang in his eyes, his voice laced with warmth and endearment, Alexis could feel his heart pounding excitedly in his chest. This feeling was something more than just friends but he didn't dare to step over the line. Pleased with his development, Darcel looked over Alexis's shoulder, seeing Lucius stare at them with a dark aura, "Seems like someone's here already."

He gave another kiss on Alexis's cheek, his eyes melting with affection before walking over to Lucius with a triumphant smile, "Hope you don't mind me going first. I won't just stop because you said so. I'm not going to hide anymore but what about you?"

He walked off to wash up, leaving Lucius to stare at his back. He dejectedly turned back to see Alexis wondering about something, calling out to him, "Are you feeling better than before?" He smiled to cover up his displeasure, taking a seat next to him, habitually patting his head.

Alexis nodded at his words, helplessly turning to him, his mouth opened wanting to ask something before ultimately deciding not to. 'I want to ask Lu about this but what is stopping me from doing that?'

Lucius smiled patiently, "Take your time, I'm here to listen to you."

He stared into those gentle blue eyes, quietly admiring how the way that they looked at him had never changed since they were small. "Your eyes..." They hold the same light as Darcel's eyes when he looks at me.

"Is there something in my eyes? Can you get it out for me?" He leaned down, his eyelash fluttering softly as he blinked.

Alexis turned away, he could feel his ears slowly becoming flushed, deciding to change the topic, "Does your heart flutter when you're with Darc?"

"No, it doesn't. Darc is my friend."

"Then," He shyly peered at him, feeling a little flustered before continuing, "What about me? Does your heart beat so quickly and so loudly that you feel like everyone would hear it when you're with me?" Alexis decided to ask him about it, probing just ever so lightly, his curiosity left him wanting to know more.

Lucius gave a knowing smile, pretending to think about it before replying, "What do you think?" He decided to tease him ever so slightly about his lack of awareness, "Do you want me to feel that way when I am around you?"

Alexis opened his mouth to answer, before freezing in his spot, blushing shyly as he remembered that if Lucius felt that way, they would do the same thing that Darcel did to him, a kiss. He struggled to put his words together, making soft, incoherent mumbles.

Lucius deepened his smile, reaching over to caress his cheek, causing him to stop in his tracks and stare back.

"Lex, what do you want me to do?" Lucius continued to softly touch him, arousing a comfortable feeling within Alexis, causing him to lean into his hand. "Lex, do you want to know if I have the same feelings as Darcel?"

Alexis twitched at his words, guiltily looking over at Lucius, "No... I just wanted to know if you felt anything that you shouldn't feel between friends..." He pouted, moping about how easily he was found out. "Am I that easy to read?"

Lucius broke out into laughter, "Is that what you're worried about? Why does it matter if you're easy to read? At least to me, I notice every detail and expression of yours regardless." He fiddled gently with the ends of his bangs, "And to answer your question, I do."

"..."

"I want to let you know that this won't change anything between us unless you want it to change." Lucius gave a reassuring smile, although Alexis can perceive there was another emotion below that. "There's no rush to how you feel, perhaps it wasn't best for me to tell you now, especially after all Darc has done to you." Lucius gently tucked his hair behind his ear, letting the loose ends flutter down, framing his face.

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Lucius retracted his hand when another hand stopped him. Alexis peered upwards, hesitantly bringing it back to cup his cheek, his own hand placed on top, "Lex?"

'They're doing two different things and yet, my heart can't seem to die down. Why am I okay with this even though we're crossing the boundaries of friends?'

He turned to face him, innocently brushing his lips across his palm, "I like it when you spoil me." Whenever they would treat him gently, he couldn't help but want more.

"..."

There was a pause in his movement, he lifted his head to see those blue orbs softening at the sight of him, carrying a tender emotion in them. Lucius gently brushed his eyelashes, "Do you feel anything else? Do you feel restless when I do this?"

He cautiously lined up his palm with his, "A little. It's sort of like butterflies in my stomach." Deciding to take advantage of the situation, Lucius gently intertwined their fingers, not missing the opportunity to place a kiss on his fingertips. "Then, what about now?"

Alexis could feel his heart beating quicker, giving his honest thoughts, "I like it."

He paused before adding on, "I like holding hands with you guys and since your hands are large enough, my hand can fit within yours. It's as if I will always know that you'll be there for me and to protect me." He laughed endearingly, his expression full of joy. He felt shy having told Lucius about his silly feelings but when he looked up, Alexis thought that maybe he could continue to talk about it.

On second thought, maybe he won't. "I feel so embarrassed now, this isn't something that you can just tell your friend," Alexis mumbled, dropping his head, unable to remove himself from his grip.

"Is the label of 'friends' that is making you cute?" Lucius used his other hand to tenderly brush his reddening cheek.

"What?! Who are you calling cute?"

"Who else am I supposed to describe? Me?"

Alexis narrowed his eyes, "Why is it me who gets all flustered while you're just sitting there, having fun teasing me?" He puffed up his cheeks, eliciting Lucius's desire to poke it.

"So you do know I was teasing you?"

Alexis playfully glared at him, "Don't look at me like that. I wasn't planning to tease you much longer." Lucius tried to defend himself, feeling a little flustered on how to both defend and pacify Alexis. He watched with delight, a haughty smile plastered on his face, "Lex, will you forgive me?"

Alexis softened his expression, "It's fine. Don't worry about it." He gave a smile to back up his words, squeezing their hands, "Instead, why don't you tell me what you were talking to Father about? It was long enough for me to talk to Vio and still come back before you." He mumbled the last part, what could be so important for them to come back later than him?

"Curious?" He teasingly rubbed his head, "It wasn't much, don't worry. All he said was that we won't be engaged to anyone until we graduate from the academy and that if we find a suitable partner of our own, they could be our fiancee." It wasn't exactly the truth but it wasn't a lie either. He knew it was wrong to not tell the whole truth but he would eventually tell Alexis the whole story.

"That's weird. Wouldn't people our age already have partners? I'm sure there's a reason why our parents haven't done anything. After all, the three of us are in a special position." He nervously laughed, "It seems abnormal for us not to be engaged with anyone." Alexis stated his confusion, still unable to wrap his head around Lucius's words.

"Maybe they just want us to find our own partners." Darcel walked out of the bathroom, "I don't mind the freedom but like you said, it is weird especially for us, to not be engaged to anyone." He sat next to Alexis, his hair was still slightly damp. The water was slowly dripping off the ends of his hair, landing on his bathrobe. "Are you ready to turn in for the night?"

Alexis hummed in response, getting up to kick them out of his room, "You two should go too. Father wants to test us tomorrow on our magic and theory. Make sure you rest up properly." They both nodded, starting to head out when Darcel turned back, walking towards him. "Goodnight Lex." He leaned down giving a light kiss on his forehead before walking back.

Lucius narrowed his eyes slightly in displeasure, opting to pat his head instead, "Have a good rest Lex." He shot a glance towards Darcel who was looking back at him with a pleased expression.

It was only when they were gone that he finally registered what they were doing, blinking in disbelief. "Why am I only realizing it now? This goes beyond what friends do." He covered his face in shame, "How am I supposed to calm my heart down and not think about it at the same time?"

Alexis furiously shook his head, jumping straight into bed, forcibly blocking out any disturbances, "I have to go to sleep now. Otherwise, tomorrow I won't be able to hold up in our mock battle." He tried to suppress his fast heartbeat, only resulting in him tossing and turning for the majority of the night.