Chapter Text
What do the deathless gods have to fear?
The hatred of man, perhaps? The gods left spurned and weakened as their followers dwindled.
The hubris of mighty kings? With the desire of generations weighing on their shoulders.
The gods may follow people today, but years ago found them watching over the common man.
Before the planets, people, and the gods themselves was chaos and from chaos they sprung.
From order came humanity and through order did they control monsters, bringing the mighty creatures to heel; forced to follow their every order.
From the whims of chaos came those monstrous creatures and at the whims of chaos did they stay until the kings of man decided they were sick of looking up.
'What do the deathless gods have to fear?’ you ask? I say 'Dragons.'
The dragons are fantastic beasts: huge scaled creatures with wingspans wide enough to cast shadows over whole towns. They had a breath that lit the air itself on fire, teeth the size of a grown man’s head, so sharp they could cut through steel, and impenetrable scales; All that left in the grasping hands of greedy kings.
"Why should we pray for what is owed to us?" The kings' messengers spoke in the ears of their fellow royals. "Why should we make offerings to gluttonous gods?"
These foolhardy kings claimed the title 'Celestial Dragons' in honor of their conquest. They used their sway over the dragons to declare war on the gods.
“Kneel or face our wrath as we have faced yours.” The kings decreed. “You have given us nothing that we cannot take for ourselves.”
With the help of the dragons, they weakened any other god that dared oppose them. One by one, the dragons fought the gods down, sealing away those that refused to give into the whims of man.
Years of war ravaged the planet while the gods made their choices; fight or kneel.
The sun god was the most rebellious of the gods; shining, charismatic, and strong. "Why should I kneel?" he laughed, "I gave you the light for free. Do you like it so much you want it to always hide the stars?"
The kings were outraged at his carefree laughter. "How dare you mock us?" They cried.
For years longer, the kings waged war on the sun god until the darkest day in history; the day he gave himself up. His friends and dwindling followers wept. His enemies cheered. He would not kneel, but he accepted his fate as he was torn into. He left only his last words to the world.
"The sun is always just past the horizon. You just have to find it first." And with his last breath, he laughed.
As clouds covered the sun, the world grew dim that day.
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Ethereal. That's the word. The entire island was ethereal. Puffy clouds made up the landscape. The clouds underfoot sank in under his weight with every step he took. The leather soles of his boots dipped into white fluff, but they didn't have too much give to impede his path.
Solid clouds. Could you believe that? Sabo certainly couldn't until he stepped on them himself. The fear of falling settled deep into his bones and was followed by swift relief when he didn’t pass through. There was a difference between seeing Ace shrug and step across the clouds and doing it himself. Part of him was still instinctively expecting his foot to slip through the clouds and take the rest of him with it.
Sabo marveled at the white, puffy landscape. Despite the lack of dirt, trees and foliage sprouted up and out, smaller than expected compared to the tropical trees he was used to.
It was bright too– Almost painfully so when they first stepped foot through the gate. The sky was the most beautiful blue Sabo had ever seen. It was clear, nothing as far as the eye could see but a bright spot in the sky that Sabo could only assume was the sun. It hurt to look at, harsh yet shining over the puffy clouds in brilliant rays. It had Sabo squinting, tugging his blue detached hood further forward to cast shade over his eyes. Its light blue looked dull now in comparison to the sky above them. He tugged subconsciously at the burnt, frayed bottom before tugging at the brown hem that framed his face to pull it forward again.
Every color felt more vibrant under the light. Though Sabo would never admit it aloud, Ace’s feathers were some of the most beautiful things he’s ever seen. Under the light, his wing nearly glowed with how vibrant the colors looked. Yellow and orange feathers on his only wing might as well be flame when they shifted– All thanks to the light. It was mesmerizing.
“Look,” Sabo started again, gloved hands parallel as he gestured forward, “I just think that he might not be as open to dropping everything he has here as we thought.”
Ace dropped his head back with a groan, staring at the sky with the slightest frown on his lips. Dark brown hair fell back from his face as his eyes narrowed upward. “If he doesn’t wanna come with us, we can just make him. He’ll probably change his tune when we get back.”
That was a little hard to believe with the beauty of the cloud wonderland, but what did Sabo know? “Just look at this place.” Sabo gestured around them, at the forest sitting atop an island of clouds. It took his breath away. “I don’t know about you, but this is the most interesting place I’ve ever been.”
Dark eyes drifted over the landscape, freckled face a mask of indifference. “It’s okay.” Ace conceded.
Sabo, however, would never let Ace live down the gobsmacked expression that formed on his face the second they passed through the gate an hour ago. “It’s more than okay and you know it, asshole.” A finger wrapped in brown leather poked into Ace’s tanned cheek, though Ace quickly leaned away. “I’ve never even heard of any other place like this." Icy blue eyes were wide with wonder as his fingers twitched for the pencil and notebook in the pouch at his waist, tempted to draw it. He didn't have the skills yet to capture it. He didn't know if he ever would. "And I definitely don’t think that we could make a god do anything. There’s only half a god between the two of us. Plus, we don't exactly have the best luck with getting people to like us.”
That had a glower of epic proportions spreading across Ace’s face, his fingers curling tight around his pipe. He held it across his shoulders, walking with his arms up and wrists curled around opposite ends to keep it on his shoulders. The tough leather of his arm guards scraped rhythmically against the metal in time with his steps. “He’s been stuck here for who knows how long. Who wouldn’t want to leave?”
Sabo could understand that point, at least. As fair as that was, however, Sabo still had something itching at the back of his brain. “Some people like gilded cages.” He couldn’t help but point it out despite how much he wanted to believe Ace's words. He shrugged his shoulders. “We know plenty of people who would rather stay in the same place their entire life. It’s just a feeling.”
Black eyes rolled, annoyed and exasperated all in one. “Look, just think around getting the door for us on the way out and I’ll handle the rest since you’re feeling like a pussy– shit.” Ace’s bare shin caught on Sabo’s boot as the blond stuck his foot out and down he went. His pipe flew from his hands, but not before landing a bump to his head that rang through the clearing. He face planted straight into the cloud and Sabo knew it didn’t hurt too much thanks to its give. But it was satisfying. Still, Ace’s head snapped to the side so he could roast Sabo alive with the glare in his eyes. The feathers of his wing ruffled in his irritation.
"I'm not a pussy for having second thoughts on our backup plan being 'wrangle a god.'" The words hissed between Sabo's teeth. He tried to speak quietly enough to keep their conversation between them as he stepped around Ace. Only for a hand to curl around his ankle and yank. Down Sabo fell, barely catching himself with a hand on the cloud ground. His head tipped down so he could glare at Ace under his arm, barely able to see Ace around the loose, off-white fabric of his cut shirt sleeve.
Ace reached up with his other hand, using Sabo's leg like a rope to pull him back while simultaneously crawling up to him. He curled a hand in the patterned orange bandana around Sabo's waist, keeping a tight grip on him. A knee found its way into Sabo's lower back.
Without a thought, Sabo reeled his elbow back in retaliation at the pain. It landed hard against Ace's shoulder. Ace listed to the side with the force behind it, knee sliding from Sabo's back to the cloud next to him.
Taking the opportunity, Sabo pushed off the floor. He didn't get as much force as he was hoping for thanks to the give, but he pushed as hard as he could to send them both flying.
"Hey–!" Ace landed hard on his back, air wheezing out of him. His wing flapped in his panic, thumping uselessly against the cloud. A harsh sound eked out a half-second later when Sabo's head landed on his ribcage, shoulders digging into his abdomen. Ace went rigid, jaw clenching so tight his teeth clicked together. He slammed a fist into the cloud beneath him a couple times to release some tension.
Sabo's eyes grew wide, eyebrows disappearing beneath blond fringe while he tipped his head to peer up at Ace. The motion dug his head into Ace more. Ace shoved him off a moment later and Sabo rolled over onto his stomach with the force. His lips parted as he realized what happened. Sabo got his hands under his shoulders and pushed himself up so he could look at Ace's stomach, only a peek of white bandages visible through where his maroon shirt was left unbuttoned and tucked in. "Are you–"
SLAM!
Sabo's back landed hard against the cloud, Ace hovering over him victoriously. The way they nearly bounced had Sabo tensing at the alien-ness of it before he was glaring up at the other.
"Hey! I was trying to make sure you weren't hurt. Quit cheating!" Sabo glared indignantly at Ace. His hands snapped up to curl around Ace's wrists to try and wring his hands from the collar of his shirt.
"Sounds like a you problem." Ace spoke with a smirk on his face that set Sabo's blood to boil. None of this was fair. Had Ace's injury been anywhere else, Sabo would've gotten his feet between them and launched him off that way. Sabo glared up at his friend, stewing. But, hey, if Ace wanted to play dirty, Sabo could too.
Sabo grinned wide up at Ace, though it was more baring his teeth – sharp canines included – than any show of joy. His mouth opened wide and his teeth sank into Ace's hand a moment later. His bottom teeth slid uselessly against the leather on the back of his hand, but his fangs found sweet, sweet retribution in the meat of his palm.
Fingers previously in a vice at Sabo's collar twitched then loosened as Ace grunted, straining to keep his face neutral. The hand not being clamped down upon released Sabo's collar to find his forehead instead and try to pry him off. "Hey!" He griped, cut off as Sabo gripped his arm and twisted them around.
Sabo's teeth slid free. Ace landed on his back again. Using the arm still in his grip, Sabo yanked Ace over onto his stomach. He hopped up, settling on the other boy's upper back. Far too practiced with this, Sabo’s knee pressed into Ace’s wing. He’s gotten a faceful of feathers a dozen too many times enough to know to pin it.
"No biting! That's cheating!" Ace couldn't get a good look to properly give Sabo his accusatory glare.
"Sounds like a you problem." Sabo spoke in a whiny, shrill tone.
Ace grit his teeth, trying to get his arms under his shoulders. Sabo cupped both hands under Ace's jaw and pulled, arching the brunet's back with the force behind it. Ace flailed in a way that Sabo couldn't help but laugh at. Ace swatted at Sabo, though stretching too far made him wince. Sabo loosened how far he was pulling… Just a little bit. Not enough to let him escape, though.
"It's in your best interest to tap out." The smugness in Sabo's tone knew no bounds.
"Never." Ace hissed his words between his teeth.
Sabo just held on. "Tap out and I'll let you go."
"I don't let cheaters win."
"You cheated first. That automatically opens the round up to cheating!"
"Wooooow, what happened to all the blabbing on about being the better person?"
"That doesn't apply in this situation and you know it!"
"Does too!"
"Does not!"
"Does too!"
"Does not!"
"Does too—"
"Haha, you guys are funny!" A voice cut through the clearing, the smile laced in it warming his tone and drawing both boys' heads to snap toward it.
They didn't have to look very far. Between them, floating on air and dangling upside down just in front of Sabo's face, was another boy. He was tanned, his hair a billowing white like the island around them, and eyes a bright red framed by long white lashes. He grinned wider than seemed possible as he stared. His nose nearly bumped Sabo's with how close he drifted.
"I get to fight the winner!"