Neil watched as mud slid off his shield and fell to the ground with a wet splat.

  His teammates hadn’t fared as well.

  Dustin’s full-body shield had protected him some, but he’d not gotten it up in time for the first few attacks. Thad just looked like he’d been dragged through a puddle, then dunked a few times for good measure.

  “Why do they explode like that after you killed them!? It’s an insult to injury!” Thad lamented wiping his face with his hands, with very little gained from the maneuver.

  “At least the mud's not part of its body, or looting it would be very bad for you,” Neil said, activating his ability, which made both men grimace as rainbow smoke surrounded them.

  “How much crystal wash do we have left?” Dustin asked as he sat down on a large stone near the shoreline where the Mucktopuss had emerged.

  “Totally out,” Thad sighed, shaking the empty bottle that had appeared in his hand.

  “Who knew the hottest commodity on the market would be crystal wash? What’s the deal with that?” Dustin said, wishing he’d stocked up on the stuff, not that it was very cost-effective.

  “Blame Asano,” Thad said, as the empty bottle disappeared back into his inventory.

  “You know Asano’s short enough, I could just pick him up by the ankles and shake him… think any crystal wash would come out?’

  “I think you’d get either stabbed or bitten, Dustin, not sure which one would give you more afflictions?” Thad laughed, then looked between the defender and healer. “It’s lucky you managed to stay clean, Neil.”

  “It is odd to be better at shielding than a person purpose-built around the concept.” Neil quipped only to see Dustin’s eyes lock onto him.

  “You know, as a team, it’s good to know we’re all in this together,” Dustin said, leaning down and scooping up a handful of mud.

  “Dustin… what are you? Don’t you dare!” Neil shouted as Dustin rushed him.

  “What can’t shield this?”

  “That’s not how that works! Dusty, stop! Thad, stop him!” Neil looked at the nobleman, who was spaced out, singing to himself.

  “We're all in this together, and it shows, when we stand, hand in hand, make our dreams come true—”

  “Thad why are you singing, gods damn it help me!”

  “Hmmm?” Neil watched Thad catch sight of them as Dustin dumped a handful of mud straight onto Neil’s head. Then the bastard started laughing.

  “The next time either of you gets hurt, I’m making you take your own potion.” Neil scowled as Dustin wiped his hands on his pants with a satisfied smirk.

  “Don’t worry, I’m sure you can shield us,” Dustin said, earning a face full of mud from Neil, which then resulted in Dustin tackling him into the delta.

  Thad stopped laughing when he saw both men go under the water, rushing over to check on them, only to see them both emerge still trying to pin the other.

  “Guys? Maybe we should… No, don’t, I’m already—” but before Thad could teleport away, he’d been pulled into the water with a splash.

  The water of the Delta was pleasantly cool in comparison to the heat of the day as Thad floated in the water and watched the clouds slowly drift overhead.

  By the end of the mud war, all of them had ended up laughing… but it had not changed the fact that no self-respecting Innkeeper would let them into any establishment caked in mud.

  Luckily, Thad and Neil had soap in their inventories, and the team had set about rinsing off the mud in the Delta that had produced it in the first place, laying out their shirts to dry on the warm stones of the banks.

  It had been a while since Thad had gone swimming, and despite the instigating factor that had gotten them into the Delta, it had turned into a nice break, almost like going to the river when he was young.

  -That was bold of them, thinking they could drag you in with them. -

  I’m just happy to be included. I think it’s a good sign. Besides, the water’s nice.

  -Well, I guess that’s another contract down regardless. –

  Oh yeah, how many contracts does this one make?

  -Five, with the ones you’ve completed with Asano. -

  Oh, halfway there…. whoa oh, livin’ on—

  -I swear, if you get any more music stuck in my head today, I’ll find the most miserable task for you and assign it. -

  Message received.

  Thad stood as he heard a splash and saw Neil wading up to him. Man, the guy was buff.

  Like Thad had known what to expect from the books, but damn, reading about something and seeing it were two very different experiences.

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  -Can you please not thirst over Davone for five seconds? -

  I’m not thirsting over a fictional character; I’m just admiring the scenery a bit. Also, good use of that phrase, I’m proud of you.

  -Thanks, I’ve been working on it. Additionally, this yearning is pathetic; he's not even in the right social standing for you. -

  I am not yearning for him, I’m not some prince locked in a tower… Seriously, who even uses that language, Clippy! Fuck he’s here.

  “Hey, Neil, what's up?”

  “The sky, I guess,” Neil said, glancing up with a look of confusion, before his eyes went back to Thad.

  “You are… right, Yep, that’s what I meant.”

  “So what? Do I win a prize or something?”

  “Haha, well, there’s nothing out here, but me… so not sure you want that,” Thad said, looking away as soon as the words left his mouth. Why the hell did he say that?

  -What the Redacted was that User?-

  I don’t fucking know!

  The silence was deafening as Thad just wanted to swim far into the Delta and drown himself.

  “I mean, if that’s my only option.”

  Oh, thank god he thought it was a joke. Which of course it was, Jesus, what was he doing with his life right now?

  Thad looked back at Neil, noticing that the taller man was a little red.

  I guess sunscreen wasn’t really a thing here, not with healing magic so available.

  Without thinking, Thad reached his hand up and lightly trailed a finger across the top of Neil’s ear.

  “Too much sun?”

  Neil sucked in a breath, his hand coming up and catching Thad’s, lightly pulling it away.

  “Sorry, didn’t realize they would be tender,” Thad said, wondering if healing magic worked on sunburns.

  “Of course you didn’t,” Neil said with a small laugh, looking away, somehow redder than before, his hand still holding onto Thad’s.

  -Why are you Redacted flirting with Davone? -

  I’m not flirting with Davone!

  -You just touched his ears! -

  That’s not flirting.

  -User, you’re such an idiot, that’s insanely intimate for an elf! –

  What?! That’s a thing?!

  “Oh, shit, Neil, I’m so… I wasn’t thinking, I just thought you were sunburned,” Thad said, snatching his hand from the elf. Yep, he was going to drown himself now. Nothing would stop him. “I have ointment, let me just.”

  “Thad, I’m fine. I know you’ve never had a coherent thought grace your head. It would be worrying if you started now.”

  “Oh, is that how it is?” Thad asked with a laugh as he splashed water at Neil, who looked shocked for a second, water dripping from his hair, before splashing water back, a grin appearing on his face.

  “Don’t start something you can’t finish, Mercer,” Neil warned as he dodged another of the young noble’s splashes, surprisingly nimble for his size.

  “I’ll start whatever I want, Davone!” Thad said with a smirk, only to have his eyes go wide as Neil quickly closed the distance between them.

  “Oh yeah?” Neil asked as he dodged another splash and sent one towards Thad, who went to escape but tripped on a stone, falling into the water with a gasp.

  Before he could surface, Thad felt a strong hand grab his forearm and pull him up out of the water. The momentum drawing him into Neil’s toned chest, damn, he was so fit.

  Thad looked up into greenstone-colored eyes.

  “I think you won.” Thad laughed, extricating himself from the healer's hold, firmly locking down on his aura that he knew would betray him if given the opportunity.

  This was not the time to develop a crush on Neil Davone of all people. Nope, he would deal with those feelings later, after he survived the Astral Space… if he survived the astral space.

  The delta sparkled like gold in the afternoon sun. It glittered like Thad’s eyes.

  Neil felt his cheeks warm as he caught himself thinking about his teammate again. This wasn’t fair. How stupid could he be to have developed a crush on Thadwick Mercer of all people?

  Neil glanced over at the young man who’d snagged his affection, lightly trailing a finger along his ear, just like Thad had.

  The young noble was standing on the water's edge, pants rolled up to his knees, as the water gently lapped against his skin. Neil watched as tan olive arms went up and brushed wet hair back into place, shoulder and back muscles flexing in full view without a shirt covering them up, a few water droplets still clinging to him.

  Neil could still feel the way he had felt pressed against his chest.

  Damnit.

  “If you want to get back in the water that badly, you should just go down there.”

  “Huhh?”

  Neil snapped his gaze over to Dustin, who was sunbathing on a large rock, his arms behind his head.

  “You keep looking out at the water.”

  “Yeah, yep. That’s it, I should…”

  Dustin sat up and looked over at Neil, his eyebrow raised.

  “Neil?”

  “What?”

  Dustin glanced from Neil back towards the water and then to Thad, then back to Neil.

  “Noooo…”

  “What?!”

  “Really, Neil?”

  “Dustin, I don’t know what you’re implying.”

  “You know what I’m implying, by knowing I’m implying. But really, him?”

  “Shut-up Dusty.”

  “You’re so fucked.”

  “I KNOW!”

  Neil covered his face with his hands as he heard Dustin start cackling to himself, before he stopped and cursed.

  “Shit, I can’t believe you did this to me.”

  “What?! How is this disaster affecting you at all, Dustin?” Neil asked, looking over at the defender with a scowl.

  “Well, you see, Phoebe and I had a bet.”

  “A bet?”

  “On you… and Thad.”

  “What about us?!”

  “Well, Phoebe bet me that you had a crush on Thad, and I was like I think I know my man better than that… and now I owe her a silver spirit coin. I don’t have that kind of capital. I need you to get over this.”

  “You think I haven’t tried that already!”

  “Yeah… you do hold onto crushes, don’t you? So, are you done, done with Cassandra then?”

  “Like that was ever going to happen.”

  “And you think it’s going to happen with Thad? I mean, I get it, he’s easier… well, actually… not anymore, but there’s no way the Mercers would support it.”

  “I’m acutely aware, Dustin? It’s just another crush that’s going nowhere, I’ve accepted that.”

  They both sat quietly for a while until Dustin broke the silence.

  “Is it just a Mercer thing? Or are you a masochist?”

  “It has to be the latter.” Neil groaned to himself as Dustin started laughing.

  “Does that mean every time we hang out with Phoebe, I can consider it a double date?”

  “Dustin, you're on thin ice.”

  “Ice is my specialty.”

  “Healer, forgive me for I’m about to kill a man.”

  “This is why you’ve never been offered a position at the church!”

  “Like I would accept a position in that corrupt institution.”

  “Huhh, you know it’s weird to think Thad’s less corrupt than the priest at your church now.”

  “Please, I never thought he got to that level.”

  “…was it before or after the head trauma?”

  “What?”

  “You developing a crush, before or after?”

  “Of course it was after!”

  “Just checking, would’ve been worried about you otherwise.”

  “You’re not worried now?”

  “Nah, you’ll sort something out. I’m kind of rooting for you.”

  “You just said it was never gonna happen.”

  “Yeah, but that’s more cause the Mercers wouldn’t like it, but Thad’s never been one to do what the family wants, so who knows. I say go for it.”

  “You’re not helping me get over this. Tell me it’s hopeless, tell me I’m an idiot.”

  “Why do I have to tell you that? Isn’t that already a known fact?”

  “You’re such an arse.”

  “You mean such a good friend, your best friend,” Dustin said with an infectious grin.

  “I know what I said,” Neil initially scowled, but he couldn’t help the smile playing on his face. It was nice to finally not have the secret eating him alive.

  “Shit, you know what this means, right?”

  “What?”

  “We have to keep the Mercers from sending him to the storm kingdom.”

  beach episode! I've had the delta scene of Dustin and Neil talking about Thad written for so long now, i'm just happy to be sharing it.

  We're All In This Together (From "High School Musical")

  Bon Jovi - Livin' On A Prayer