Original: Home Again (Slash)
Summary: Luca and Liam are a pair of treasure hunters exploring some desert ruins. But Luca isn't really looking for treasure-in fact, he's been to these ruins before.
Warnings: Angst (with a happy ending, though!)
Luca walked into the ruined town square. The sun was rising behind him, just beginning to peek over the edge of the town's crumbling walls. They had seemed so much taller when he had been a child-and perhaps they had been. Wind and sand took a heavy toll on stone, after all, and with no one here to repair them the walls had surely shrunk in the years since Lesce had been abandoned.
No, not abandoned. Eradicated.
He kicked up dust as he strode forward into the center of the square, the soles of his boots scraping lightly against the worn paving stones. There had once been a fountain here, wide and bright, with water that somehow always seemed cool. When he had been small, he had been able to hear the soft tinkle of water against the marble basin from his house, comforting and musical.
Now the square was empty, save for some white rubble and a scattering of saltbushes.
"Luca!"
The voice was clear and perhaps a bit giddy, cutting through the dead and solemn air. That would be Liam; it sounded as though he was back by the town walls. Luca felt a twinge of guilt.
He had needed help, getting out here. The desert had swallowed the roads, unused as they were, and it was suicide for a lone wanderer to try to make it across the vast, shifting desert.
And Liam-adventurous, treasure-hungry Liam-had been easy enough to convince with even the vaguest of promises.
There's a ruined city in the middle of the desert, Luca had said. It's too far out for most looters, well off the trade routes. We can have our pick of whatever's out there. I know the way. Come with me.
So Liam had come with him.
But there was no treasure, of course. Lesce had never been a rich town, even before the nomads had stormed in looking for chattel. He had lied to Liam, and now Luca was going to have to own up to it.
"Luca!" Liam's voice rang out again, still sounding quite happy, though now it was tinged with annoyance. Perhaps he had caught on already. "Will you get over here?"
Luca huffed. He turned, now facing the sun. "I'm coming!" he said, his words prickling with irritation.
Finding Liam was easy enough; Lesce was a small town, and even now he could recall every path, every corner, every doorstep. The buildings were huddled and ruined before him, gaping open. Liam stood in front of one such hovel, something that had once been a house but was now a pile of rubble and two squat, free-standing walls.
Luca picked his way through the debris and stood next to him, expectant.
"Would you look at that?" Liam said, not bothering to glance at Luca. Instead he simply pointed to the corner where the house's remaining walls met.
There was a spider there, a fat, black cabochon sitting at the center of a delicate web. The threads glinted gold in the faint light.
"A glory spinner," Luca said absently. "I understand their webs are quite valuable." Not as valuable as whatever Liam had dreamed up when Luca had told him there would be treasure here, no doubt, but at least it was something.
Liam laughed. "It's not always about value. You have no appreciation for beauty whatsoever, shorty," he said, tilting his head as though looking at the web from a different angle. Luca let out a disapproving huff of breath at the nickname; he wasn't that short. "That's why you're such a terrible treasure hunter."
Luca shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't a treasure hunter. He was just someone who frequently accompanied treasure hunters-all right, one particular treasure hunter-on their expeditions, especially since that one particular treasure hunter had a habit of getting himself into mortal danger when he was unsupervised.
They stood in silence for a moment, Liam admiring the web, Luca trying to think of a way to explain that there was nothing, nothing worthwhile here, just old memories and suffering and loss. That he had just wanted to see it for himself after years of hunger and slavery and longing, just one more time, just to be sure it was really ruined and gone. That he was sorry he had come, and especially sorry that he had tricked Liam into coming with him.
Before he could say anything, though, Liam spoke. "I know why we're here."
Luca frowned, nervous. He supposed the look of the ruins made it easy enough to tell that there was nothing valuable here. "What do you mean?" The words sounded harsher than he intended, but Liam just laughed.
"I'm not stupid. This is your hometown. There was never any treasure here." He turned to look at Luca, lips curled into a wry grin. "We both knew that from the outset. You're a terrible liar, by the way."
"I-" humiliation bubbled up in Luca's chest, and the words that flew out of his mouth were hot with anger and shame. "Why did you agree to come, then?" he snapped. Two weeks they had been trekking across the desert, and why?
Because Liam had felt sorry for him.
Luca didn't want his pity.
The sun was nearly up in earnest now; the day grew hotter with each passing second. Liam stepped close to Luca, wrapping him in a tight hug-to which Luca responded by struggling and shoving him away.
"I came," Liam said, looking at Luca seriously, "because you're my partner, and because you asked me to." He went in for a hug again, less tight this time, and Luca acquiesced. Dry lips pressed against Luca's forehead, affectionate and apologetic. "Now, will you stop being so prickly? You're like a cat that's just been fished out of a well. There's nothing to be angry or embarrassed about, and I'm glad we're here, so stop fighting me."
Luca snorted. "Fine," he said, his voice still sharp. But his hands curled softly into Liam's leather vest, and he let his cheek rest against Liam's shoulder.
"Great. Do you want to show me your old house?"
Luca's family was gone-all of them dead or enslaved or adrift, like him. The town's walls were too small, the houses were all crumbling and hollow, and the fountain had collapsed into a crush of saltbushes.
But there, wrapped in bright desert sunlight and Liam's arms, he finally felt like he really had come home.
Warnings: Angst (with a happy ending, though!)
Luca walked into the ruined town square. The sun was rising behind him, just beginning to peek over the edge of the town's crumbling walls. They had seemed so much taller when he had been a child-and perhaps they had been. Wind and sand took a heavy toll on stone, after all, and with no one here to repair them the walls had surely shrunk in the years since Lesce had been abandoned.
No, not abandoned. Eradicated.
He kicked up dust as he strode forward into the center of the square, the soles of his boots scraping lightly against the worn paving stones. There had once been a fountain here, wide and bright, with water that somehow always seemed cool. When he had been small, he had been able to hear the soft tinkle of water against the marble basin from his house, comforting and musical.
Now the square was empty, save for some white rubble and a scattering of saltbushes.
"Luca!"
The voice was clear and perhaps a bit giddy, cutting through the dead and solemn air. That would be Liam; it sounded as though he was back by the town walls. Luca felt a twinge of guilt.
He had needed help, getting out here. The desert had swallowed the roads, unused as they were, and it was suicide for a lone wanderer to try to make it across the vast, shifting desert.
And Liam-adventurous, treasure-hungry Liam-had been easy enough to convince with even the vaguest of promises.
There's a ruined city in the middle of the desert, Luca had said. It's too far out for most looters, well off the trade routes. We can have our pick of whatever's out there. I know the way. Come with me.
So Liam had come with him.
But there was no treasure, of course. Lesce had never been a rich town, even before the nomads had stormed in looking for chattel. He had lied to Liam, and now Luca was going to have to own up to it.
"Luca!" Liam's voice rang out again, still sounding quite happy, though now it was tinged with annoyance. Perhaps he had caught on already. "Will you get over here?"
Luca huffed. He turned, now facing the sun. "I'm coming!" he said, his words prickling with irritation.
Finding Liam was easy enough; Lesce was a small town, and even now he could recall every path, every corner, every doorstep. The buildings were huddled and ruined before him, gaping open. Liam stood in front of one such hovel, something that had once been a house but was now a pile of rubble and two squat, free-standing walls.
Luca picked his way through the debris and stood next to him, expectant.
"Would you look at that?" Liam said, not bothering to glance at Luca. Instead he simply pointed to the corner where the house's remaining walls met.
There was a spider there, a fat, black cabochon sitting at the center of a delicate web. The threads glinted gold in the faint light.
"A glory spinner," Luca said absently. "I understand their webs are quite valuable." Not as valuable as whatever Liam had dreamed up when Luca had told him there would be treasure here, no doubt, but at least it was something.
Liam laughed. "It's not always about value. You have no appreciation for beauty whatsoever, shorty," he said, tilting his head as though looking at the web from a different angle. Luca let out a disapproving huff of breath at the nickname; he wasn't that short. "That's why you're such a terrible treasure hunter."
Luca shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't a treasure hunter. He was just someone who frequently accompanied treasure hunters-all right, one particular treasure hunter-on their expeditions, especially since that one particular treasure hunter had a habit of getting himself into mortal danger when he was unsupervised.
They stood in silence for a moment, Liam admiring the web, Luca trying to think of a way to explain that there was nothing, nothing worthwhile here, just old memories and suffering and loss. That he had just wanted to see it for himself after years of hunger and slavery and longing, just one more time, just to be sure it was really ruined and gone. That he was sorry he had come, and especially sorry that he had tricked Liam into coming with him.
Before he could say anything, though, Liam spoke. "I know why we're here."
Luca frowned, nervous. He supposed the look of the ruins made it easy enough to tell that there was nothing valuable here. "What do you mean?" The words sounded harsher than he intended, but Liam just laughed.
"I'm not stupid. This is your hometown. There was never any treasure here." He turned to look at Luca, lips curled into a wry grin. "We both knew that from the outset. You're a terrible liar, by the way."
"I-" humiliation bubbled up in Luca's chest, and the words that flew out of his mouth were hot with anger and shame. "Why did you agree to come, then?" he snapped. Two weeks they had been trekking across the desert, and why?
Because Liam had felt sorry for him.
Luca didn't want his pity.
The sun was nearly up in earnest now; the day grew hotter with each passing second. Liam stepped close to Luca, wrapping him in a tight hug-to which Luca responded by struggling and shoving him away.
"I came," Liam said, looking at Luca seriously, "because you're my partner, and because you asked me to." He went in for a hug again, less tight this time, and Luca acquiesced. Dry lips pressed against Luca's forehead, affectionate and apologetic. "Now, will you stop being so prickly? You're like a cat that's just been fished out of a well. There's nothing to be angry or embarrassed about, and I'm glad we're here, so stop fighting me."
Luca snorted. "Fine," he said, his voice still sharp. But his hands curled softly into Liam's leather vest, and he let his cheek rest against Liam's shoulder.
"Great. Do you want to show me your old house?"
Luca's family was gone-all of them dead or enslaved or adrift, like him. The town's walls were too small, the houses were all crumbling and hollow, and the fountain had collapsed into a crush of saltbushes.
But there, wrapped in bright desert sunlight and Liam's arms, he finally felt like he really had come home.