A Friendly Spar

Cassius couldn't look at Rexton. Mica—whatever he was going to go by now. It was going to take more than a couple of days for him to get used to the new name. The name wasn't the problem. It was the implications of the name. Calling someone who was supposed to be basically his owner by their first name was a mindfuck. It blurred the boundaries that not only society had set, but also the ones Cassius was trying to keep up.

They were in the training yard again. They meaning him and the rest of his new SWARM. Kera was beating the shit out of Levi and Mattias was drawing lines in the dirt. 

Cassius was facing the gray brick wall that surrounded the yard. It was the only thing standing between him and the vast land that stretched on to the border. They were essentially in the middle of nowhere. Unlike what he thought back in Parlera, Keshtin wasn't that big. It was bigger, but it wasn't the intimidating place he'd imagined. There were far more people living inside of the capital, five times as much as Parlera, and there were far more shops than he could keep track of. 

The tall buildings were what made Keshtin special. Also the large purple dome that encased the entire thing. It was hard to see to the naked eye, but if he concentrated hard enough, he could see it glimmering in the sun.

He wasn't looking at it right now. Instead, he was looking at the almost identical dome that encased the training yard. The training yard back in Parlera had just been enclosed in metal fencing all around. It had just been a large cage.

It was all tricks to the mind. He felt like he was freer, but nothing had changed.

He could feel Mica. He was surprised how easily it seemed to get used to the strange connection they had. It comparable to how it was in the Third Eye. He knew things that he shouldn't and he couldn't say how he came to learn them. They were just in his head. It was like that with Mica. He just knew where he was at all times. 

Like right now he was watching Kera and Levi fight. Cassius couldn't feel anything else. He could wonder though. He was wondering what Mica was thinking right now. Was he thinking about killing Maxem? Was he planning his next move? 

Or was he thinking about Cassius? Was he sensing Cassius like Cassius was sensing him?

Cassius didn't try to answer any of those questions. He went back to doing mindless exercises. He did countless pushups and countless crunches. None of it helped ward off the seemingly endless stream of thoughts that involved Mica in one way or another. 

Mica. That name was going to be a hard one to get used to. 

He stopped mid crunch.

Now that he was thinking about it, the name meant something along the line of a good friend. He snorted. He didn't remember the exact meaning, but it was ironic nonetheless. He went back to doing crunches. He got into a steady rhythm. He got so into it that he didn't notice that it had become dark. The training yard had also become quiet. 

He wiped the sweat that was running down his face away with his shirt. When he turned around, everyone had sort of moved to the center of the yard. Furrowing his brows, he looked around as if he expected something to jump out at him. His old habits weren't dying. They were getting harder to contain in fact. It wasn't like he was trying to become more accustomed to this place. It was just that he didn't like how it made him feel unsure of himself. He liked it better when he knew who were the bad guys.

He didn't like the looks the others were giving him when he walked up to their very out of shape circle. Kera wasn't glaring at him, that was good, but by the grim expression on Mattias's face, he didn't know if he should be glad about it or not. Everyone looked like they were on edge. Something must have happened and he didn't have a clue what it was.

Rexton—Mica didn't give anything away. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest while he spoke to Kera. 

"It's not a choice. We don't get to back out."

The conversation was very heavy. Cassius should have expected that considering the things that were going on. He thought that a demon on the loose, an escaped Mekiah seemingly working with it, and worrying about his own escape was enough to make the situation bad. When politics and a hovering assassination when thrown into the mix, it was bound to become a stirring pot of shit that was about to hit the fan. He wasn't a fan of this at all. Yet, he didn't quite know how to get out of it. 

He was going to go along with this until he found a way out. As much as he wished he could trust Mica, he had his own hide to worry about. His goal had always been to escape this fucking shit hole. Was he going to roll over and give in because one guy said that he believed Cassius should be a free man? Did it matter that one person saw the wrong being committed?

Was it enough to win him over to fight with Mica?

He didn't have the answers at the moment. He had to focus on surviving today and tomorrow. When the time came to make a choice, he would worry about it then. 

Cassius was brought back to the current conversation when Levi spoke up. He didn't look anything like the timid young man Cassius had grown to know. There was a blaze in his eyes that teetered on being manic. 

"What about Silvia? Have you heard word from her?"

Mica's eyes darkened. "She's MIA. She doesn't know anything and I want to keep it that way."

He glanced to one of the corners of the yard. "Be careful about what you say."

Cassius didn't need to look to know what he was talking about. Surveillance. It was now even clearer why Mica always met up with his SWARM in unmilitary places. Though, if President Maxem wanted to keep tabs on everything, nothing could stop him from putting a camera in every single home in Xtavia. The man was a voyeur. The disgusting kind that didn't know any boundaries and couldn't get enough of watching the misery of the people he tormented.

The idea of killing Maxem didn't seem all that shocking. Cassius wanted to do it himself.

Mica lead the way back inside. The entire way, Cassius tried to make it not obvious that he was looking at all of them, gauging their reactions. There was nothing. Not a clue as to what the fuck was going on. It was a hunch, but he felt that it had something to do with the girl and the demon. They were separate entities—that was clearly the case—but they were linked in some way.

He didn't know how to feel about all of it. On one hand, he just wanted it all to be over. He was tired about all this running back and forth, trying to figure out everyone's schemes. He just wanted to focus on getting out of this fucking place. On the other hand, that girl needed him. He couldn't describe the feeling he got when he'd seen her inside the Veil. She'd been calling for him. She knew him. Even now, when they were rooms apart, he worried on some level about her safety. 

That was strange. It was also something he needed to deal with. If he needed to focus, he needed to stop worrying about someone—or something—he didn't know. 

As if wanting to make him feel like an absolute fool, his chest ached for a reason he couldn't quite fully understand. He'd never cared for anyone. His family wasn't really a family—blood relation meant absolutely shit when you were a slave being tossed around. Somewhere out there, he had brothers and sisters, each living in a world better or worse than his.

The connection didn't spark anything within him. He'd grown to push all those heavy feelings down. Wishing they were all together with their mother wasn't going to make anything better. It was just going to make him feel like a failure. 

Mica jerked his head to the building. "Get inside. We leave in an hour."

Cassius couldn't ask what was going on. Even if his mouth wasn't dry and acting out against him, he thought it was best to keep quiet. There was something—not sacred in the least—between the four of them he didn't want to break into. Kera, Levi, and Mattias left. Mica didn't move. Neither did Cassius.

When the door closed and they were the only two left, Mica finally met his eyes. He was still playing the role of General Rexton, but there was a new layer, or one that Cassius only just now noticed, that had a softness to it. It wasn't an invitation to get closer. It wasn't anything that changed their relationship. It was just something that made Cassius want to believe once again that Mica wasn't lying to him.

And maybe Cassius was fucked up in the head. He'd been caged his whole life, made to believe he was worth less than dirt, and made to serve an agenda that oppressed his own people. But maybe there was just some ounce of hope left inside him. Surely it couldn't be the first time that a Mekiah had made a stupid choice in the promise of freedom. 

It was an escape. Mica was holding it out to him with open palms and all Cassius had to do was take it. And that was the hard part. 

They stood there for a held moment. Cassius would swear up and down that he wasn't holding his breath. He was a liar. He lied about a lot of things, especially deep rooted emotions he'd buried since he was a small child. It was reflex of course. He didn't have to think to lie because he'd memorized a lie for every situation. They were always on the tip of his tongue, waiting and hoping to be released.

Mica tilted his head. A flurry of thoughts flashed in his eyes. Cassius caught contemplation and hesitation. He held his breath. He was waiting too. Ever since Mica had told him what he planned, he'd been waiting for something more. The more aspect was considerably frightening only because he didn't know what it entailed. He didn't know what he expected and not knowing was the same as being defenseless. For obvious reason, he didn't like feeling that way. 

Mica's eyes trailed over Cassius's face. They left a flushing heat all the way to where they stopped on his neck. Mica flitted his eyes back up to meet Cassius's own before they thought about wandering too.

"We're meeting." He swallowed. His adam's apple bobbed. "The Girl was asking about you."

Cassius licked his lips. "What does Maxem have to say about it?"

Mica frowned. Cassius was tempted to touch the deep lines with his thumbs. He imagined Mica's skin was smooth with a touch of roughness from his almost close shave.

"He's gone at the moment. He hadn't said anything to me." He crosses his arms as he looked around. "But we can talk about that later. What do you say about a bit of sparring?"

Both of Cassius's brows went up. "Right now?"

When Mica grinned widely, Cassius regretted that he'd said anything. These new boundaries were confusing. He spoke his mind, but he was unsure of what reactions he would get in return.

Mica dropped his arms. Cassius furrowed his brows.

"Wha—"

The meaningless question was cut off as Mica grabbed Cassius's arm and twisted it behind him. His back was pressed up against Mica's torso. The position was familiar. The only missing piece was Maxem.

Mica's mouth grazed Cassius's ear. "I would think with the help of the Third Eye you would be better at this."

Cassius seethed. "I don't like the idea of trading my secrets for petty skills."

He yanked against Mica's hold, but it wasn't enough to break free.

"Hm. You say petty skills. Yet, I've still got your arm behind your back."

Cassius growled, clenching his teeth. "Is this how you're earning my trust? Being nice and then irritating?"

Mica dropped Cassius's arm and pushed him back. Cassius stumbles until he caught his balance. He raised his hands, glaring back at Mica.

"If you'd like to take your anger out on me, you can. I never pretended I was anything other than a cold bastard."

Cassius hated him. He hated him because he was right. Mica hadn't tried to make Cassius believe he was a good person. He was just trying to get the upper hand in an upcoming war.

Cassius curled his lip. "That's not going to become your excuse then? Am I not allowed to hate you now because you've admitted you're a terrible person?"

Mica frowned. This time, Cassius took relish in Mica's puzzlement and disturbed look. As much as it was hard to know what he was thinking, Cassius was grasping for anything to latch onto. He needed something to store away for later.

Thinking that made him think about Mica's comment. Cassius wasn't an intelligence whore. Giving anything up to the Third Eye in exchange for things he could acquire on his own was the same as bending over for guards and generals alike.

But wasn't he doing that now? It wasn't exactly the same. He was riling Mica up and storing what he could because he could. His stomach did a weird flip. He almost thought it was because he was ashamed of what he was doing. That couldn't be it. He wasn't ashamed of anything.

"That's not what I mea—"

Cassius slashed a wave of magic across Mica's chest. Caught off guard, Mica took the brunt of the attack, falling back on the ground. He covered the place where he'd been hit on his chest and looked up at Cassius with wide eyes. There was a fleeting moment where Cassius felt like he was on top of the world. Adrenaline rushed through him, so strongly that he had to force his feet to keep steady. The only fear he had in that moment was that he was above his head.

Or that he would become too used to actually winning.

He crouched in front of Mica. His heart was pounding in his chest, but he hoped it didn't show on his face. 

"We're not friends. And I'm not going to forgive you." He placed his hand out, an offering.

Mica glanced at the open palm and then quickly back at Cassius's face. A long silent moment stretched until it was at the point of snapping.

And then, Mica surprised Cassius once more.

He flung his head back and laughed. It was a large, bubbling, and rattling laugh that rumbled in Cassius's chest. He swallowed thickly as Mica's dark silky hair fell to the side of his neck and shoulder. 

The full and heavy laugh slowly died off. Mica's eyes were lidded as he met Cassius's. He didn't seem to be thinking of anything at that moment. Cassius took steady breaths in and out, willing himself to keep calm as Mica seemed to lose his mind. But Cassius knew that the man was nothing other than in control. The laughing was off-putting, but it felt just as calculated as anything else the man did. 

Mica met his eyes. "Good. I would be worried otherwise."

Mica took Cassius's outstretched hand. His skin was smooth and rough at the same time. When Cassius helped him up, he was ready for another sneak attack. Mica saw him looking at him and offered a small smile. 

"So what about that match?"

Cassius stepped back and gave a firm nod. "As long as you can fight fair this time."

The grin that stretched over Mica's face was downright filthy.

"I'll try my best," he said as he took a stance.

And if that grin made Cassius's stomach tumble, it was nobody's business but his.