Recently Zerro had less and less to do around the summer’s. He used to visit other countries at the side of his friends. Luckily with his siblings being older now too his parents were enjoying having empty homes again and it was easier to visit them back in Greece. Still he could only stand so much of his mother comparing him to his sibling and how they all seemed to find partners and were having children and planning families why not him?

Ze didn’t have the heart to tell them that technically they did have a grandchild from him. But that grandchild was not his legally. He would never say that was a mistake but not having his child call him daddy did pull at his heart in a way he wasn’t comfortable with. He did just visit that little one. His mother’s always loved having him around their home, they loved giving Zerro the time to spend with the child. He would just be Uncle Ze though and nothing more. He was doing his best with respecting the choices he made and their home and how they wanted to raise their child. It was theirs. They were lovely woman and he loved them with all his heart he couldn’t turn into that dick that went back on his word.

Zerro slipped out of their little home when they put the child down for a nap. He said his goodbyes kissing them each on the cheek and was gone with a smile and a wave. Now he was roaming around Merlin Court, lazily looking over the shop fronts.

He wanted to do more than just babysit this summer but what else was he going to do? Zerro didn’t like the idea of traveling by himself. The man let out a sigh and looked about. Across the way he spotted a familure centaur. He knew Youngblood well and actually enjoyed the older man’s company. Zerro jogged across the street and stopped at the other’s side. His eyes glanced over the books on a rack and then up to Youngblood. “You looking to add to your library?” He asked with a gentle smile spreading across his lips.


[notes: I feel like this is bad and I am sorry for that D:]

There were times when Zerro thought about moving back to Athens, if only to go and give himself a chance to start something on his own. It would get him away from the crutch that was Kalliope and her wife. They always welcomed him into their home but more and more he felt like he was intruding. Zerro also knew that they were pushing for him to find someone.

More than once either of the girl would push him to this or that person. He had been set up on more blind dates than he could count. None of them worked out, obviously. The people were all nice but he just didn’t ever find that spark. The fire in his gut that he needed to really go for it.

When his coworker noticed that he was standing next to him Ze couldn’t help but let his smile grow to match Youngblood’s. The Centaur was someone Zerro wanted to spend more time with. He was someone who he could see being around often. Sure Ancient Rune’s was always something that went over his head but he would gladly sit through a lecture from Youngblood.

Zerro could only imagine the library that the older man had. Zerro always meant to read more than he did. Libraries were nice, all that knowledge in one room, but it was stuffy inside. Ze didn’t tend to stay indoors for too long unless there was a reason he had to. He was a flying professor for a reason. The open sky would always be calling his name.

He chuckled when Youngblood called him professor. He shook his head. “You can just call me Zerro, no need to be so formal.” If only he wasn’t sure that there would be something said if he told students to just call him by his name, he would. Most students had taken to calling him Professor Kat.

Zerro reached out his hand and ran his fingers over the spine of a book of fables. “I was just visiting my friends little one,” Never did it get easier just being Uncle Zerro, he figured it never would be. “Decided to let them have some family time so now just wondering around the town.” His smile was back and he rocked back onto his heels. “How about yourself?”

What Zerro always felt he needed was someone who could contain him. It wasn’t a wild man, it was more that he was a free man. Ze liked to be out and up in the sky, floating about on a broom marveling in the way the sun felt on his face and drinking in the color of the sky. He wanted to know what it would be like to feel all of that in a person. So far he hadn’t and that was okay. There was still a million souls floating about just like he was waiting for the right moment.

It nice watching other people writing their love stories out in front of him, His friend being one those classic tails: one not liking the other and then slowly realizing that they were in fact perfect for each other. As much as sometimes he felt a lonely pit in his heart Zerro never let it get him down. The children around the school, he would overhear about how they felt like they had found their soal mates at the tender age of thirteen. A week later it was all about someone new. To be young and so alive. Sometime’s Zerro missed it, running around the hall of the school passing notes to this or that person. Figuring out how to make a simple little charm that would make puffy little hearts shoot out the end of his wand thinking it would be the perfect way to ask someone to a dance.

It was nice to hear his name float form the older professor’s lips. There was a distinction to it that excited him when Youngblood said it. Zerro like to listen to people talk. He always felt like he could hear their life in their voice. If there was a lilt of an accent in their vowels. The musk of tragedy that held up the sharper sounds. Dreamy tones of love when the right name was spoken. Even yearning when something simple was said but was so loaded with a memory because that was her favorite type of coffee. It was just that much better when someone was well spoken, their voice taking to the sky like he did with his broom.

He nodded in agreement. “Yes, one of them I’ve been friend’s with sense I was little. The other I met when I was a student. They actually met through me.” He laughed a little remembering how Kalliope didn’t not make a good impression at all on her future wife. The girl had a quick mouth and sometimes spoke her mind a bit too much.

Zerro tilted his head and crooked a brow in interest. “You and me both then,” He reached out a hand and rested it on the other’s shoulder. Hopefully he wasn’t crossing some sort of line there. Sure Zerro might have liked to think of them as friends more than collogues but he had no idea if it went the same way. “If you had a choice what would you want to be doing right now instead of looking over books?” He then asked retracting his hand and placing it casually in his pocket. A playful little smile dancing about his lips again.

Zerro would have been lieing if he had never felt something that was a little more than just friendship for the other. It was this little spark there that tickled his chest. Like a hiccup but more intense. Normally he had no issues with going for things. Little held Zerro back because regrets seemed silly. That flash, the little tickle that he felt again when he ahd spotted the centaur from across the street earlier, seemed like something to be more delicate with.

Youngblood was his college. That was the biggest obstacle. It didn’t matter that he was not exactly human. Age was simply a number and as far as Zerro was concerned someone with more worldly experience would be good for him. If anything went wrong there was no real hiding from someone he worked with. The only thing that Ze could see going wrong would be Youngblood having an issue with Zerro’s age, or perhaps he wasn’t attracted to humans, or men for that matter.

Love was something that had no bounds for Zerro. Why constrain something that had and deserved so many possibilities? “Yeah those girls are great,” His smile was soft and he glanced down at the ground before matching the other’s gaze again. He would always love that little family. Ze was just a having a hard time grasping at the fact that he wasn’t as much of a part of it as he used to be.

The music festival. It had been a couple years sense he had been there. It used to be a tradition that he and his friends would attend. As they all got older and went there separate ways not as many would attend. The last time it was just him wondering around and enjoying the music by himself. “That sounds like a wonderful place to be.”

The question was then turned around on him and he thought for a second. “Honestly anywhere with a friend. But that music festival .. I haven’t been in ages. Why don’t we go?” He offered. There were plenty of ways he could think to get them there, and there ha to be a way to charm the horse half of the other so that muggles wouldn’t be alarmed. “It would be a lot of funnnn,” He sang a little a playful grin growing on his lips.

To see the smile on the other’s face made Zerro incredibly happy. He wasn’t sure what had his comrade in such high spirits but it was always a pleaser to see. Though he loved to see smiles on all of the faces of those that were in his social circle. He often felt that smiles were taken for granted. They were wonderful, and worth so much more than the scowls and snarls.

More so he knew how much he could learn from the Centaur. Zerro might not have been the smartest man but he did have a respect for life and learning. There was so much he knew that Youngblood knew about the land and it’s magics. Often he felt that the kids that went to the Parisian school didn’t understand how lucky they were to have someone like Youngblood around to teach them.

Zerro looked over the other. He wanted to take Youngblood to all the places that he wanted to go. Travel with someone who hadn’t been able to openly go anywhere. Of anything that was what he hated about the separation of the magical world and the muggle one All this tip toeing about and that meant that the Centaurs and trolls and giants had to stay in their zones. It wasn’t fair.

“Are you trying to tell me in all your time that there isn’t one way you have found that makes it possible for you to be around muggles? Even for a little?” A teasing crook of his brow and smile. “I’m sure if we put our heads together we can find some way to do it.” There had to be. Magic made it possible to change a person into an arm chair. Somewhere there had to be a spell to conceal the horse half of a man. Not that Zerro ever felt that Youngblood should have to do such a thing. “Or if there is something else we can do with our day we can leave being adventurous for another time.” Regardless Ze was pleased with committing the rest of his day to spending it with Youngblood.

The last thing he wanted to be was pushy. Zerro just wanted to be able to accompany Youngblood to the festival. He wanted to be able to see the man look about as couples and children and families scuttled about. Youngblood deserved to have the lovely expeariance as much as anyone. And Zerro was only a little selfish with wanting to be the one who took him to such a place. The joy that was going to, hopefully rush, though the centaur as they stepped into the square Ze wanted to see it.

“If only for a little bit, we will fit as much fun as we can with that time, promise,” Zerro winked and stepped back so that the other could do what was required to pull of such a thing.

He watched carefully and hoped to Merlin that nothing went wrong. That would be tragic if e had talked Youngblood into doing something that ended up ruining the centaur permanently. He would dedicate the rest of his life to being a the other’s side and taking care of him if it did go wrong.

Watching a centaur do magic was a thing of beauty. It was so fluid and natural, not a like a wizard or witch with their wand. Yes there were people who made wand work look like a dance, smooth and fluid. Natural magic, the way that it was meant to be done by the magical creatures, it was other worldly and breath taking.

As the horse half of the other changed to leg Zerro sucked in a breath. Youngblood had done it. And Ze got to watch and it was amazing. Youngblood took a step forward and stumbled. The poor man probably didn’t understand balance on two legs. A grin spread on his lips and he gently wrapped his arms around the other man catching him so he would fall.

“No no no,” Zerro gingerly placed a hand on Youngblood’s head, trying to sooth whatever discomfort he was sure was going through the other. Such a magic didn’t come lightly. His fingers tangled carefully in the curly grey hair. “You did splendidly Youngblood, everything looks as it should, though I will say I still prefer you as a centaur.” He was trying to make light of everything, so that the other would get comfortable with his temporary legs. Zerro did prefer the older man as a centaur, though. “Take your time and we can get you walking properly when you feel ready.”

Zerro was not looking to take advantage of the older man. He only wanted his happiness. If being kind happened to grant him more time around Youngblood then Zerro would gladly take it. He was a man who had tended to cling to other’s easily.

Natural magic had always been so fascinating. It seemed a lot like flying, freeing. Without a wand to worry about, not having to rely on bits and pieces of magical creatures, magic would be so much better. Zerro loved the world he lived in where all the impossible was possible. This moment right here made all of that clear. Zerro was watching a centaur transfigure his horse half into human legs. It was scary, and fantastic at the same time. Zerro was in awe.

It felt right having his arms around the other. A dreamy sort of smile was on his lips as he held Youngblood. It had been a long time sense anything quite so warm had settled around his heart. He couldn’t pin point what it was about the older man that made him so fuzzy. It could be the way Youngblood’s voice sounded, or his careful nature. It didn’t much matter he loved it either way.

Zerro returned a laugh. “Oh well then I hope it makes it better that I do mean it.” The smile on the other man’s face just made that warm feeling spread in his chest. Youngblood wasn’t scared, he was such a strong person. Somewhere Zerro wanted to believe it was because he specifically was there helping the other man through it all.

“If you’re sure,” He let his arms unwrap from around Youngblood’s waist, but his arms hovered close making sure that the man was in fact steady. Zerro nodded. “Too the festival.” He linked arms with Youngblood not exactly trusting the man’s new legs to travel steady the whole time. He led them in the right direction off to were the festival was located not too far from the magical community they were currently in.