TW: None?

Rythian turned his nose up at science. Not in arrogance though. Or at least that's what he like to think. To him science was messy and every type practiced, no matter how careful, always ended the same way. It always seemed to leave its own scars or markings upon the flesh of its 'master' from the occasional burn to the never quite healed scars that littered both land and bodies.

He disliked it in all its oily, unkept, grit-under-your nails 'glory'. The smells, the looks, the messed up jumble of blueprints and schematics. Science. Technology. Mechanics. No matter how he looked at it, the result was always the same. It was an idea and as much as he wanted to hate it, he couldn't. True, the physical manifestations were ugly abominations. But those geometric monstrosities were made by the hands of men in sterile white and rubber gloves. No it was not science he hated. It was the ones who bent it to their will.

Like an unruly mage setting this powers loose upon the worlds without consequence. It was not the magic that destroyed the world but it's wielder. So instead of hating the meaning, the ideal. He settled for hating the man instead. He settled for hated him. The one who lived and breathed for the technology he created. And he created a lot... Destroyed so much more. He settled for hating Lalna.

Because of that he was always the one in the end who met the mage face to face. They clashed with both tongue and words, silver in nature and oh so sharp. Physically and mentally, Lalna never strayed far from Rythian's mind. His bright eyes, fluffed hair and softly dusted flesh. Like an angel trapped in the maze of technology, his wings of metal carrying were he was needed.

Although in all his purity, his smile was one of devious intent and broke the illusion of innocence. His lips just curled in all the right ways, Rythians would find his own eyes following them as they morphed into something between a pout and grin. Innocent and yet so far from it. The display always edged between teasing and hunger. Hunger for what, he had no idea but Rythian could only guess it was what all scientist wanted. Knowledge.

His perfectly straight teeth seen while a tongue darted out to venture along his bottom lips. The look of pure concentration suited the man as he was bent over his newest creation born of madness. Whatever the intentions for its creation were mattered little to him. It was nothing but rubbish and science anyways. Tools to make one more docile and lazy. No thanks. He preferred to keep both his mind and body sharp. He didn't need a machine to carry him up into sky, his magic did that for him.

Rythian chewed over that thought and drew ever closer to the man hunched over the geometric disaster. His steps were light and barely heard over the heavy clunking of pistons. He figured his presence was still unknown and yet, over the hissing of steam he heard his name fall from moistened lips. The mage almost started at that before remember himself. Of course Lalna was not ignorant, far from it. He was one of the most intelligent people he had ever met. Infuriatingly so. But Rythian also knew from past experiences that he certainly wasn't one to turn his back upon someone he didn't trust either.

With this thought in mind Rythian closed the distance between them till they were but inches apart. They stood toes almost touching as Lalna eventually untangled himself from the wired panel he had been working on and turned to face him. Rythian's hand journeyed up of its own accord as it had done countless times before. His body had already memorized this dance and he knew the steps by heart.

Up the pale throat his hand traveled, fingers tangling into blond locks before tightening. The fist barely seemed to bother Lalna, who stood on his tip toes to meet the others eyes. The blues for all their clear intent were unreadable and Rythian gave a short tug, amethysts narrowing as an unidentifiable emotion took root in his heart. Hate hate hate hate... I hate..

"...You." Rythian breathed out. The tone in the room was still heavy but Lalna seemed barely affected by both the tension and the tight grip at the back of his head. Instead he met Rythians tone with laughter. The sound was like bells in Rythian's ears and only seemed to infuriate him further. His eyes were alight with emotion but he stayed his course and kept his gaze locked with the other.

Neither moved from their close proximity though. The dance had only just begun and many other steps had to be followed before they would part once again. Lalna's lips fell into a lopsided grin and a finger curled up to tug playfully at the bottom of the mages mask. There was a heartbeat between them, a fraction of a moment on which they saw it. Innocent. Something they once had. Something they once held together.

Lalna broke it just as quickly as it started and dragged him face first into a kiss. The contact was open and angry, teeth and tongues meeting with unyielding determination on both sides. There was no point in reminiscing in the past. The kiss, the touches, the sounds. That was happening in the present. That was happening in the now. That was what they had left.

Lalna was the first to pull back just like he always was. He was the first to start their little encounters. He was the first to push them away. The same song and dance every time. He laughed again, eyes still twinkling. The mask was replaced once again and a kiss was pressed to the material in finality.

"I know."

Credit to fawkespryde on tumblr