💎A Collision of Fates💎 (Straight to Gay) (MxM) (18+)

32 - Landel

Amazingly, everything went back to normal. Well, maybe not completely normal but, at least, normal adjacent.

They could finally enjoy the long break together, all four of them. The tension that had spiked between Adam and Landel was receding with every passing hour, dulling with every conversation that was filled with laughs and jokes. Things had even cooled down between Landel and his dad. At least Landel wasn't fuming about their little confrontation in Headmaster Hiff's office anymore. Time and distance had made the blazing anger of that day seem a little overdramatic.

They still didn't know who the Shadow Knight was, but they weren't going to win everything.

Adam, Vinton, Chris, and Landel met up that afternoon for a swim in Hullit's Lake, the place where the outsiders had appeared. They stuck to the edge near the waterfall and Vinton and Chris jumped in right away, wasting no time. They splashed each other and grappled together and laughed like they hadn't been fighting only hours before.

There was a renewed closeness between them, a thing that hadn't been there before the fight. Landel could feel it. Vinton always looked at Chris, smiling wide, and Chris couldn't stop himself from looking back. They walked side-by-side, stealing little glances at each other. They hardly diverged.

Landel was glad to see them happy again, but the extent of their happiness left him a little confused.

He didn't waste too much time dwelling on it, though. He lounged on the beach and watched the two of them. They circled like vicious fish about to attack, but with smiles on their faces. Then, as if on cue, they rushed together and dunked each other beneath the surface. They were very touchy with, not suspiciously but moreso than they had been. Chris kept shooting glances at Adam, almost as if to see if he was watching, which he wasn't.

Ads sat down next to Landel on the beach, the purple water kissing their feet. He peeled off his shirt, revealing that toned chest, and leaned back, looking up at the sky. The sun bathed his face in glowing golden light.

"Beautiful day," he said.

"Yeah," Landel agreed.

"Reminds me of the day we came."

"It was nice?"

"Just as nice as today," Adam said, sighing. "Looking into the sky, thinking, I can almost imagine I am back there. I can almost imagine that I am sitting on Alton Beach about to head home to see my mom, see Evelyn, see my friends." He shut his eyes. "I can almost picture it."

Landel didn't really know what to say. He let Adam have his moment, staring up at the sun, and didn't speak. The joyous laughter of Chris and Vinton in the background and the gentle waves against the shore were the only sounds. Eventually, Adam spoke again.

"But, you know, i've also come to appreciate the life i've built in Sesstria. As far as getting transported to another world and getting ripped away from your family go, this hasn't been so bad." He shook his head. "I can't believe I just said that."

Landel smiled. "It's been pretty good, hasn't it?"

"I have Chris and my dad with me. I'm getting an education at the Academy. My dad's learning to swordfight, Mark is becoming an accountant. We're saving the Goddess from certain destruction, saving Sesstria from destruction." He turned to Landel, eyes bright. "And I have you."

"I have you, too," Landel said, grinning. "I can't even imagine my life without you........... guys." He cleared his throat, heat blooming in his cheeks. "You guys."

"I think I would be sad to leave."

The thought of that made him want to cry. "We don't really even need to worry about that until we fix the Goddess and find the Shadow Knight, though."