Belkar arose from his bed, still as restless as he was last night. Sitting up in his bed, his thoughts wandered to the night prior. He had found the elf crying on the deck, and had comforted them. They had remained in his arms for what seemed to be hours until the wizard wordlessly broke apart and retreated to their room.

His throat tightened slightly at the memory of being in such contact with the elf, and he shook his head in a desperate attempt to quell these thoughts. Last night was a fluke; nothing of the sort would ever happen again so he might as well get used to it.

Yet he kept feeling a nagging need to return to the deck. He scowled at his thoughts -it was getting cold outside and there was no reason to go onto the deck other than to remember Vaarsuvius's company.

Half a minute later he was silently cursing himself as he arrived at the deck. Vaarsuvius wasn't there, but why would they be? Any sane creature was asleep at this time, yet here he was pining for an androgynous jackass who wasn't even interested. He sat where he had last night and looked into the distance. The ship was still docked but it gave a damn good view of the clockwork town. The gears and machinery had all died down for the night, and everything looked dead.

Belkar grimaced to himself in frustration. Just what in the hell was wrong with him –how did this happen? The pompous elf was turning him soft, but how? Looking back, he couldn't tell when the change really began. It was just little stuff at first –things that didn't matter. Maybe he'd complimented V's spells a few times and maybe he'd obsessed over the elf's gender more than he should have, but that didn't mean anything.

It wasn't fair that this androgynous jackass made him feel like this –whatever this was. The wizard was so stuck up and self-centered, used big words just to confuse him, and seemed to make a conscious effort to piss him off.

But… then again, didn't that same elf make the point that opposites attract? Something about bringing out hidden qualities in each other? Of course that made him gag in and of itself, but what if Vaarsuvius had a point? He had been acting different lately, and it was pissing him off; since when did he genuinely thank people? Or come to them willingly for advice? He even trusted the elf to take care of Mr. Scruffy –something he couldn't imagine trusting anyone else with.

He was physically attracted to the elf –there was no denying that-, but simply lusting after the androgynous wizard shouldn't be having this kind of effect on him.

The wooden planks creaked behind him, and he felt himself freeze. Slowly he turned his head to the source of the noise to discover an androgynous elf looking at him tentatively. His mouth slightly agape, he tried to process the elf's presence -he was here because he wanted to remember last night, would it be a stretch to say that the wizard was here for the same reason?

As he thought about this he simply continued to stare at Vaarsuvius. The elf quietly approached the halfling and sat down next to him -though not too close, Belkar noticed, the elf sat about 12 plank widths away from him- Vaarsuvius smoothed their robes and gazed out over the city. Their expression revealed nothing as always, though something was different. Belkar's lips curved into a tiny smile, and he looked out into the town. He was engulfed in the elf's scent -a clearly defined smell of soap and hibiscus. His eyelids drooped slightly as he bathed in the scent, and he felt the twinge in his stomach slowly ease into a serene calm.

Vaarsuvius's ear twitched. Despite the elf's desperate attempts to think of something -anything- else, they found themself subconsciously concentrating on the halfling's breathing. Usually his breath was fast and shallow; however at the present his breathing was slower, more deliberate. Vaarsuvius often found themself listening to his breathing and heartbeat, though now they clung to every hearty breath and savored it. The elf looked up at the sky and listened, absolutely captivated by the respiration of their companion.

The silence was a comfortable one, the elf and halfling sat in this calm quiet and simply enjoyed each other's company.

Vaarsuvius swallowed the lump in their throat. The elf was once again astounded at the lack of observation on their companions' parts. Despite the repeated failures by Vaarsuvius to conceal their emotions, the assorted members of the Order have failed to recognize it. Vaarsuvius knew their emotions were well disguised, but should they slip up one too many times the others might notice.

It started out small -very little and subtle things that Vaarsuvius themself didn't notice; the way they gravitated towards him without their knowledge and was almost always near his side, how they display concern for him, the butterflies that –despite their attempts to quell them- swell up in their stomach, and the way they clung to his every word. But over time things began to change, and the elf began to slip. All too quickly they dramatically saved his life and explicitly stated that they value him over a Lawful Good individual -a rather rash course of action.

The Event was the most telling sign; though they were not the one who initiated the kiss, they also did nothing to cease the action. They did not push him away, resist, or even emit a single muffled protest. The elf would later tell themself that this was merely due to the surprise at the sudden turn of events, but the fluttering in their gut at remembering their lips together would contradict those dismissive thoughts.

Oddly enough, not a single member of the elf's party seemed to take notice to these actions. Though this seemed to be for the better; the elf was already having enough trouble trying to comprehend their emotions without the interventions of the others.

Slowly, the wizard began to notice the changes in themself; the names the elf voiced detest for were inconsequential when he used them, they now took part in actions with him that they once condemned, and they slowly began to see a change in Belkar as well.

Deciding that the risk was well worth it, the elf swiftly focused their gaze on the halfling sitting not too far from their position. He was restlessly looking at the city, his glittery eyes aimlessly wandering about. Vaarsuvius kept a careless expression as always, and resumed to gazing out into the night. Beneath their baggy sleeves, Vaarsuvius joined their hands together.

Hours passed in this calm silence. Every now and again the two would steal glances at each other, but no words were exchanged between them. After hours passed it became apparent that they should return to their beds. Vaarsuvius was the first to stand up. Belkar looked at the wizard quizzically and seemed to understand. They returned to their respective beds and slept/tranced soundly.