Archive of Our Own ^beta

The Winter in the forest is cold… too cold. 

It is always covered by a deep layer of white snow, freezing the souls that once lived there. Gelid winds run through the trees, taking their last breath. The sun never finds the floor, never warms the deceased grass, never shows his beauty for days.

The ancients said that not even the bravest of souls, corrupted or not, will survive in such a hostile environment. - the winter in the forest is a lifeless peace. 

These people never knew Mitch, his power and his knowledge.

The cabin in the woods is surrounded by shadows, creating a strong layer of protection. Outside, the snow falls slowly, the thin layer of ice covers the house and freezes the windows. 

Inside, soft music echoes through the room, the scent of fresh cinnamon rolls filling the air and the fireplace warms the environment and the bodies dancing in the room.

Mitch holds Antonio in his arms, moving slowly in the rhythm of the dance, and covering his skin with kisses. Antonio hugs his neck and bites his lip, hiding the moans in the back of his throat. The white sweater is soft against Mitch's fingers, but his lover's body radiates a sweet warmth that comforts him. Mitch pulls him even closer and kisses him sweetly, amused with the soft moan Antonio produced.

"Are you enjoying it?" - Mitch whispers, leaving another kiss on Antonio's cheek.

"The dance?" - Antonio smiles - "or the spoiling?"

"Both." - Mitch turns Antonio around and leans him against his chest, his lips finding the skin near his ear. 

"I'm loving it." - Antonio closes his eyes - "and you too."

Mitch’s hands find their way into lover's shirt - "Yes. We can do better than dancing, you know?"

Mitch brings the sweater to Antonio's head and takes it away. His hands are caressing the soft skin, lips finding a sweet spot on his neck. They dance again. Antonio sighs relaxedly, making Mitch smile against his neck. 

Antonio smells like sea salt – a calming scent for Mitch. It's also an indicator that Antonio is heading to sea, which makes Mitch happy. - "You went to the beach." 

"Yes. I keep trying." - Antonio touches Mitch's hair, stroking it slowly - "I want peace with my element and after the lake moment… I think I can do it." 

"I'm so proud of you, love." 

Antonio smiles and turns to his lover. - "All thanks to you." 

“I just give a little push. You did all the work.”

Antonio closed space between them again, a passionate kiss borning between them.

Mitch's lips always taste like mint - refreshing like the sea. Antonio loses it every time Mitch kisses him, not in a bad way of course. - his mind only creates scenarios where Mitch make him lose his mind for pleasure. Mitch also feels more relaxed, letting his guard down for just him and him only. Antonio takes Mitch's turtleneck out, finally touching his skin. A sweet moan leaves those lips when Antonio returns the favor and kisses his neck, his hand slowly pulling his dark hair. 

"Fuck..." 

"Shhh... I will take care of you."

Mitch shivers and closes his eyes, such sweet words making him melt. - "I love you."

"I love you too." 

The magic tickles his fingers again. The shadows born next to them, pulling Mitch out of his pleasure. Something is wrong.  - "Dress up and hide, love." 

"What?" 

Mitch puts his shirt back on and some shadows follow him. - "We have company." 

Antonio dresses quickly but doesn't hide. He goes to the bathroom near the door and turns on the water in the sink: Mitch is powerful, but he will help if necessary and if his element allows it. 

Mitch waits a little longer. The fingertips become darker, as his eyes. The shadows are whispering all kinds of profanities to eliminate the danger from their territory. Mitch can feel the soul arriving at his door. 

Knock 

Knock 

Knock  

He waits another minute. 

Nothing happens.

Silence fill the air and Mitch approaches. He can hear the soul... sobbing. 

He opens the door. Shadows disappear into thin air, his normal state appearing again. 

"Arthur?" 

"Help… Me…" 

Antonio appears behind him and gasps. Mitch can't believe in what his eyes are witnessing. 

None of them thought they could see a fire soul freezing .

Mitch brings the fire soul inside and places him near the fireplace. Antonio runs away to the bathroom again, closing the door behind him. 

Mitch takes the blankets and covers Arthur, quickly. The corrupted soul tries to speak but his voice is just a whisper rambling unknown words. His hair is frozen, his features have ice crystals, hands white as the snow on his clothes. 

"Are you stupid, an asshole, or both?" - Mitch puts more wood in the fireplace - “Not even a fire soul can survive outside during Winter, corrupted or not.”

Arthur keeps shaking and murmuring words, maybe igniting his powers to warm him up.

“My love?” - Mitch shouts to Tonio but has no answer. One of the shadows shows up and rounds Arthur - “Stay in front of the fire and don’t you dare move.” 

“The s… sh…” 

“The shadow is harmless!”

Mitch goes to the bathroom and opens the door. He sees Antonio preparing a warm bath. Mitch frowns confused - "My love?" 

"Bring him here." - Antonio looks at Mitch with a serious expression - “Now.”

Mitch turns around and goes to Arthur. He picks the fire soul in his arms and runs to the bathroom. Antonio turns off the water and kneels in front of the bathtub. 

"Put him in." 

Mitch nods and places Arthur in the bathtub. The warmth of the water makes Arthur whine but he doesn’t do anything to stop them from continuing whatever they were doing. 

While Mitch takes Arthur’s shoes off, Antonio holds his head to not fall in the water. 

"Bring me some of my clothes." - Antonio says softly.

“I will not let you alo…”

“Mitch. Trust me.” - Antonio looks at him, still holding Arthur's head - “Please.”

"As you wish" - Mitch leaves the bathroom and finally, a fire soul and a water soul are alone. 

Since the beginning of time, Fire and Water have been practically mortal enemies. 

When Fire souls and Water souls lived close to each other, fights and riots were almost daily.

All they wanted was land, power and the destruction of the opponent, hurting the innocents around them, including souls of the Earth and Air who had lived in peace for centuries. 

Antonio grew up being bullied by them. The beach and the forest were always a battlefield for the teenagers of those tribes. Antonio always were shorter and weaker than his opponents and the bruises only grew more and more. When he started to fight back, the things didn’t stop but he was ready to make them far away from him. 

He has all the reasons to hate them - Yet, he is holding Arthur's head and wiping his face: a kindness Arthur did not expect from his enemy. 

"You... aren't like them." - Arthur whispers, his eyes finally showing some color and his body starting to release his powers. 

"I see goodness in the darkness." - Antonio wipes his face - "Even if I can't forget what your people did to me."

"We just…" - Arthur closes his eyes - “... defend ourselves.”

“I am not talking about the war.” - Antonio says softly - "I can recognize a Leclerc from miles away."  - Mitch comes back and places the things near him. He keeps quiet while Antonio washes the fire soul hair - "Try to use your powers now, please."

Arthur closes his eyes and the water starts to get warm again, almost in the boiling state. The fire soul sighs happily, making Antonio smile too. 

"Good." - Antonio leaves him slowly and gets up. - "I will prepare a coffee and some dinner. Take a good bath now."

Mitch sees Arthur finally relaxing and follows Antonio to the kitchen. Antonio is already preparing the kettle and taking the coffee beans from the shelf. 

"Antonio, my love." - Mitch runs to him and turns him slowly - "What is going on?"

"I am helping him."

"He is corrupted."

"I know."

"He could be faking and..."

"How can someone fake that? Like you said, not even a corrupted fire soul can survive this Winter.” 

"You weren't scared of him."

"Why would I be?” - Antonio sighs - “I couldn't let him die. I made what was right… even if the things turns against me, in the end.”

Mitch sighs and hugs Antonio. The idea of Antonio getting hurt is something that makes his blood boil. If something happens to the man he loves, nothing can stop him from destroying the entire nation.

"Amor, it’s okay. I am okay." - Antonio kisses his cheek and snuggles on his neck. - "I will prepare something warm for him. See if he doesn't do something... not good."

"Of course, love." - Mitch kisses his hair and leaves him to do his work. 

Arthur is now naked enjoying the warmth of the water. He cleans his hair with some soap and plays with the duck that floats next to him. He stops when Mitch locks the door and sits near the bathtub.

"Why did you come up here?" - Mitch's voice is raspy, a warning tone. Arthur stills an enemy inside those walls, after all.

"Norman didn't show up at the cabin." - Arthur cleans his face and looks at Mitch - "He left me food, water and some medicine and then disappeared. He told me to not leave the cabin until he comes back."

"He didn't show up, right?”

"Yes." - There's a worried look in the fire soul's eyes - "So I got out to find him. I searched for a long time but I got lost and the snow was too heavy and the wind was so cold. It was a nightmare."

"This forest is not for weak souls."

"I am NOT WEAK!" - Arthur shoots, his eyes red as fire - "I just wanted to see Norman. He is missing"

"He didn't tell you about the winter curfew?” 

“The what?”

“Of course not.” - Mitch sighs and curses Norman inside his head - “Earth souls hibernate inside the walls of their tribe. Only trained souls can leave to find resources and wood, during the day. Norman is part of that resources team."

"Why didn't he tell me that?"

"It would be risky to him and you. Imagine if they find out that Norman is hiding a corrupted soul in a forbidden cabin made for a pure Earth soul. He would not be corrupted but he would be exiled and you would suffer with the consequences of it."

Arthur looks at the water, his thoughts creating scenarios and organizing information. Mitch gets up and picks the wet clothes, burying them in the clothes bin.

"Finish your bath and join us. We need to talk about other business."

“What other business?”

Mitch closes the door and Arthur is alone, one more time, with his thoughts. 

The smell of warm food delights Mitch's scents. Coffee is already ready for all of them, some cookies are there as well. The smell of fresh carbonara is getting stronger and Mitch is sure that Antonio is finishing a desert.

"Did you make a feast for our guest?"

"It was supposed to be our dinner but I don't mind sharing." - Antonio smiles and gives a peck on Mitch's lips.

"There is something that is bothering me." - Mitch takes his hand - "Why are you so kind to your enemy? Fire and Water souls are separated for one reason."

Antonio's soft expression doesn't calm Mitch. Something is happening under Mitch's nose and his magic is feeling it. 

"You know he is a Leclerc, right?"

"I do."

"You know his older brother."

"Oh yes, I do."

"There's something about him that you need to know." 

The door behind them opens and Arthur shows up with the shortest clothes he has ever seen. The white shirt and the sweatpants are comfy, at least.

His eyes scan the house and stop when he sees the food. - "I am hungry." 

"Come here. I will serve you. Have a seat too, amor.”

Antonio serves the carbonara first. The fire soul doesn’t waste time and eats fiercely. The coffee mug quickly gets empty and Antonio fills it with water. Mitch and Antonio sit next to each other at the other side of the table.

"When did you eat for the last time?" - Antonio serves some coffee to Mitch.

"Two days ago… when I decided to go out."

"You could have died." 

"Who cares?" - Arthur drinks his water and continues to eat.

"Norman." - Arthur stops and looks at Antonio. The water soul gives him a little smile - "Norman would never be the same if he lost you. He is a sweetheart."

"He is." - Arthur drinks again and looks at Antonio - "I hope he is okay."

"He is. I will send Orpheus to give him a message." - Mitch says softly.

“You will send your crow outside?”

“I will send him in the morning, you idiot.”

Arthur sighs and rolls his eyes. - "Well… Thank you, then." 

A moment of silence falls on the room.

Antonio keeps touching Mitch's hand, calming his magic using his. Mitch still doesn't know how he does that but the effect calms him instantly. The little smile on his lover’s face makes him smile too.

"Let's take the elephant out of the room" - Arthur seems to be better and is starting to act like himself. - "What do you want to talk about, Mitchell?"

"Right." - Mitch starts - "You know that I care a lot about Norman. He is like a brother to me and I swore to protect him at all costs. I also care about my boyfriend and if something happens to him, I will delightly deliver your torn body to your younger brother."

Arthur swallows hard - “You know my family, I see.”

"I know your family and it makes me angry to know that Antonio does as well."

"Amor." - Antonio touches his arm - "He suffered enough. Don't be too mean."

Mitch closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He can't believe that Antonio is so kind and understanding to everyone.

"I really want to know what is happening because you are freaking me out and pissing me off at the same time." - Arthur says with a bothered tone. 

"That's what I want to know." - Mitch looks at Antonio, soft eyes falling on those rosy cheeks - "My love, what's going on?" 

Antonio gets up and goes to the kitchen. He opens the drink cabinet and takes a glass and the whiskey Mitch loves. 

"Water and Fire are enemies because our elements can't have a balance. Water kills Fire and Fire envies water for that. I hear my dad say this over and over again while he taught my brothers how to fight."

"Are you talking about the riots before The Deal?" - Arthur speaks again. Mitch keeps quiet.

"Yes. It was the biggest war between elements and the time where most corrupted souls were born." - Antonio comes back with the glass and places it in front of Mitch. - "The Deal saved us all from our own destruction but our families never accepted that faith."

"Can you please get to the fucking point?" - Arthur crosses his arms. He tries not to break his posture when a shadow rounds him, their mouth near his face, growling at him.

"Careful." - Mitch warns.

Antonio leaves his side and sits near Arthur. The shadow vanishes instantly - "The Leclercs and the Da Costas are enemies. They never accepted The Deal. The Leclercs attacked our beaches and my family attacked your properties near the volcano." - Antonio shows a little burn scar on his chest - "Your older brother did this to me."

"Impossible. He… if he hurts someone with bad intentions he would be corrupted. And…" - Arthur stops, thinking about what happened after his corruption. Of course his brother was not as good as he seemed.

"I was on a date and he arrived with his group. They started to yell at us, warming the sand beneath our feet. We tried to leave but your brother and his group didn't stop, so I used my powers and stopped them. They ran away but your brother stayed."

"He would never hurt someone..."

"But he hurted me.” -  Antonio cleans one of his tears. Mitch’s glass breaks on his hand, blood starting to fall on the table. - “In no time, I was the one on fire and he was escaping while my date used the water to save me. I don’t know if he made it with bad intentions but he did… and this scar is proof of the cruelty of your kind.” 

"I..." - Arthur is speechless. He doesn't want to feel that feeling of hatred against Lorenzo but his heart was aching because of Charles. If his brother is that evil, his brother is in danger. - "He… I didn't know about this! I am sorry, I…"

"Arthur, I am not blaming you for what happened."

"He left me behind okay? He just left me and…”

"He left you when you became corrupted?" - Mitch speaks in a soft tone, this time. He can see the pain in Arthur's eyes: something Mitch never felt for his tribe.

"Yes. He looked at me like I was an aberration. I just defended myself... I had no choice."

"We know." - Antonio touches his arm - "I was in the same situation but I couldn't do anything. The Silver Forces killed my family, dragged me out of my tribe, tortured me, took my powers away from me. I am the last one of the Da Costa family. I know that our legacies are made of blood and war, we are sons of mortal enemies but I don’t want to be your enemy."

"Are you asking for... mercy?"

Arthur looks at Mitch. There's a soft look in his eyes, watching his lover asking for mercy. There's something in Arthur that wakes up, something he never thought he would ever feel again: compasion.

"You had all the power to kill me today and you didn't. You showed me kindness. Why would I kill you?" - Arthur looks at Antonio.

"You are a Leclerc..."

"And yet my brother left me to parish in a field, he took my brother from me and now this... I don't want their legacy, as well. You have my mercy and I hope I have yours."

Antonio smiles and squeezes Arthur's shoulder. - "You have it. I will make sure you are protected too. If you want to stay in the cabin, we will bring supplies and tell Norman to try to show up there more often."

"This forest is made of miracles, uh?" - Mitch chuckles - "First corrupted souls and pure souls fall in love and now enemies become allies." 

"Just like I always say..." - Antonio comes back to Mitch and kisses his cheek - "Corrupted souls still have pure hearts. Now, let’s take care of that wound Mr. Evans… and Arthur, do you want some cake?”

Orpheus flies away from the room and goes to his nest, at the other side of the cabin. Mitch closes the window and sighs -  "Norman will receive the message as soon as Orpheus can.” 

Antonio comes out of the shower, wearing only a towel. Mitch delights himself with the view. - "And Arthur?"

"Sleeping downstairs."

Antonio sighs happily - "We can finally get some rest."

Mitch pulls Antonio closer and kisses him slowly. His skin is very warm against his fingers, the towel ready to fall at any moment and Antonio makes sure to let Mitch know how amused he is. He smiles between the kiss and his hands are again under Mitch's shirt.

"Before we do anything…" - Mitch helps Antonio with the shirt. - "I need to say that I am proud of you. You really are a wonderful person."

Antonio kisses him again - "I am proud of you too. You didn't rip his throat and you let me do the talk."

"I trust you to do the talk. I do the killing next.” 

Antonio lets out a sigh - "You better not go after Lorenzo."

"Why? He hurted you! He needs to pay."

"Mitch, we need to find the general who drained my powers. Lorenzo is past and I am very happy to have Arthur at our side now."

"I want to respect your wishes but my blood is boiling for revenge." - Mitch takes his chin, looking at his burned scar - "He made you suffer and those who made you suffer, will get their place in hell. And about Arthur? I still don’t trust him."

"Let's not think about that now." - Antonio gives a peck on his lips and picks the shirt, dressing it. - “Let’s get some sleep.”

They both get on bed, Antonio cuddling against Mitch's chest, Mitch caressing his hair.

"Who was the date?"

"An old friend... maybe I had a crush on him when I was younger."

"Maybe I am a bit jealous now." - Mitch chuckles and kisses his forehead.

"Stop the murdering plans against the poor guy. He has no chances against you." - Mitch laughs and Antonio hides his face on his neck also laughing. 

"Is that man so weak that he can’t handle a fight?"

"No. He has no chance because I am completely in love with you. Nobody can make me change my mind. I am all yours… for the rest of my existence."

Mitch's heart is racing fast and his cheeks blushed with the words. Antonio’s soft breathing and relaxed body shows that he is falling asleep. 

Mitch kisses his forehead again - "I will love you for the rest of my existence too… and if the afterlife exists, I will love you there as well."