"We're leaving then," said Aladdin to Yunan. "Take good care of Miss Hakuei, please."
Hakuryuu was seeing his older sister's body, she was going to be alright. He patted the older one's shoulder as they made their way to Oasis City, and then to the Kou Empire. If he could only….

"I can hear you thinking, Aladdin," exclaimed Morgiana. They had just, somewhat, defeated Arba. She tried and failed to possess Hakuryuu's body; thanks to Kouen. Ren Kouen.
"Seriously, I cannot understand your tastes in people." It was Hakuryuu's turn to speak; they've had this conversation before, even so, Aladdin blushed.

When he first 'met' Kouen, he gave him an aura of uneasiness. He even compared him to Sinbad. And boy, was he wrong! Yeah! Kouen had been scary, his pursuit for knowledge was borderline insane. When he told everybody about Alma Torran, the redhead seemed satisfied, in a way. He still wanted to run a research, he wanted to know more … that was all, he wanted to know, he wanted to comprehend.
His ideals as a King Vessels were good-natured; but he knew he wasn't qualified to fight for the title of King without understanding, without knowing how to do things in the right way. That was the difference between him and Sinbad. That was what had picked Aladdin's interest, even if the man scared him.
He couldn't stop looking at him, there was just something about Ren Kouen that….

"I think it is better if you pay Samon Island a visit before we meet with Alibaba." Spoke Hakuryuu one more time. Aladdin was taken aback.
"W-what are you talking about? Ha ha ha, let's get going." Morgiana stopped him, hand on his shoulder.
The look both of his friends gave him was of pure concern.
"Go visit him, you'll feel better."
"You have to let it out of your chest somehow. I swear if I have to listen to you sighing because of him one more time. I'm going to order Zagan to cut me in halves."

The magi was left speechless, his friends were giving him their backs as they walked out of the riff. Aladdin smiled, maybe they were right.
"We'll see you in Qishan."
"I'll meet you there."

The magi changed his destination, he could do that. Samon Island was not so far from the Kou Empire, it was farther away from their first meeting point, but he could manage. It was going to be fast, maybe just a glimpse of the former First Prince and he could be satisfied.
He could only peek a little, to make sure he was truly doing well, and then he'd leave. His plan sounded perfect.

The weather of the island was borderline hot and humid. He could feel himself sweating as he had never before—it could also be because of his nerves, but he preferred to blame the weather for that.
His first encounter was with no other than Kouha. He was way too pretty for a boy, especially with his hair being that long now. Aladdin didn't expect the former prince to see him.
"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" But Aladdin was wrong, he had been spotted. He smiled sheepishly.
"You've grown, Kouha." The man cocked a brow not understanding. No, not recognizing him. "It is me, Aladdin."
The former Third Prince's jaw dropped.
"It can't be—How…? What are you doing here?!" It must've been the expression on his face, or the way his blue eyes drifted to the house where Kouen was, it could also have been the hot sun painting his cheeks pink. Kouha grinned. "I see~"

"N-no! You got it wrong?" The smile on the man grew bigger.

"Did I? I wonder what did I get wrong, to begin with?" Aladdin sighed resigned, there was no winning when everything was so crystal clear. "I bet you were going to peek through one of the windows or something, how creepy!" When he said it like that, it did sound creepy. The heat was traveling all over the magi's face.
"Can I?" Kouha nodded, the grin never leaving his face. And he guided him to the door. Several guards greeted them, Aladdin didn't pay attention to any of them. He was trembling, sweating and regretting his decision to come to Samon.
"A geezer and 15-year-old magi, who'd have thought?" laughed the former prince as he opened the door to let Aladdin inside. "I'll leave you to it~"

The door closed behind him, he was startled. Aladdin wondered if it was too late to change his mind. The sight in front of him told him otherwise; suddenly he felt at ease, he was breathing, his heart was pounding so hard in his chest, but he was breathing. Kouen hadn't aged an iota since he last saw him; yes, there were wrinkles here and there, but he was still handsome. His hair was longer—not like Kouha, but it clearly reached his waist now. He could be wrong. His eyes remained the same, mahogany, sharp and with a special gleam he could not decipher at all.
When Kouen looked at him, the world stopped. Brows furrowed trying to place a name to the face; the grip he had on his cane tightened.
"A—"
"Aladdin," interrupted the man before he could finish. "I'd know those eyes anywhere." If his heart skipped a beat, he ignored it.
"How are you doing, Mister Kouen?" He shrugged.
"It's been a little bit quieter since Koumei left; if they had only taken Kouha instead it'd be paradise, but I'm not complaining. How about you? I haven't seen you since you were spying on us two years ago."

He had noticed. Was just him or the heat was stronger inside of the house?

They chatted for what felt like hours, Aladdin approached the man at one moment. The desire to touch him was there, stronger than ever before.
"How is my little brother?" Right, Kouen referred to Hakuryuu as his brother. A spark of bravery rushed through Aladdin; he took Kouen's left hand and placed a gentle kiss against the palm.
"He is fine, thanks to you." His voice was lower than he intended it to be. But he couldn't deny the affection overflowing in his chest.
"Is it?" the redhead cocked a brow, eyes sharpened in a way that said 'I want answers, and I want them now!'
The magi laughed and explained how giving Hakuryuu his arm and leg had saved him from being possessed by Gyokuen—explaining the whole thing about Arba being the mother and possessing her children's bodies was long. He wanted to tell him everything, but time was against him.
Kouen knew that wasn't a full answer, he understood that their time together wasn't much, though.

Aladdin told the man how he had run away with Hakuryuu and Morgiana, the motives of such weren't needed. He knew that Kouen knew. There was a moment when Aladdin found his way on the older man's lap, dotting him with small displays of affections. This was easier than what he had thought it would be.
Unfortunately, it couldn't last. The Sun was going to set soon, he had to go.

Reluctantly, he stood and readjusted his robes. The former prince didn't say a word, he was only looking at Aladdin intently. The magi was having a mental quarrel with himself.
"I have to go now," tried him. The silence was uncomfortable for the magi.
"I know. You better get going if you want to visit your friends."

Mahogany clashed with blue; Kouen's eyes were slightly different, he'd noticed but couldn't place it before now. They had become the eyes of a man who had sacrificed all in order to save the ones he loved. Not a single hint of regret.
Aladdin's breath was stolen, he felt like he loved him more than before. The bravery he had felt before returned at full-speed.

The magi leaned down and kissed Kouen, it was a small peck on the lips that felt like a daydream. Kouen stared at him surprised; in the end, he smiled. The feeling of belonging, of being with someone grew inside of Aladdin, his chest felt tight and ready to burst at any second, and yet, it was a feeling of freedom.

Aladdin made his way to the door, trying hard to contain his smile.
"You better come back soon," spoke the redhead. "I still have a lot of question, and you are the only one with answers."
"I already told you everything about Alma Torran," responded Aladdin without turning back to face the redhead. The world wanted to crumb at his feet. There went his hope, running away from him. A what-if he wanted to cling so desperately onto that he didn't stop himself to consider rejection.
"I have questions about certain magi named Aladdin. I want all the answers you can provide."

This time, he turned. Kouen was smiling, Aladdin smiled too.
"Yes! I'll see you soon."
"Soon."

They didn't say goodbye. Aladdin left wanting that soon would come as fast as possible.

You know what they say, if you can't find fics of your OTP's you write your own(?)
Or maybe not, lol The thing is, I really, really love this couple. I actually decided to start writing about them last year, it was a hard thing to do because ... I wans't entirely sure about doing it and now I'm like: "Fuck it! I can't keep it in my chest anymore!"