2. The Jacket

The following day, while Arcade maneuvered his way through the forest, he had the revealing thought that it had been years since his shoes experienced so much mud.

The path that led to Fern's cave was a path that Arcade had taken many times before, but now it had become a barely recognizable route covered in puddles. The ground had almost entirely turned into a heap of mud that stretched everywhere he looked. Worst of all: it seemed that every patch of mud was pretending to be shallow or dry enough to trick Arcade into thinking it was safe to take a step there, but he couldn't make that mistake unless he wanted to say goodbye to his dry socks.

The whole situation was making it really difficult to walk freely. But at least it was easier now that the sun was up in the sky and he could actually see where he was. The previous night, when he went back to his bike after the storm stopped, he only had his phone's flashlight to guide him (he didn't ask Fern to accompany him because he didn't want to bother them), and combining that with his complete lack of orientation skills caused him to get his feet stuck in the mud constantly. He almost ruined his pair of shoes, which would've sucked because he didn't have many of those.

So Arcade wasn't very fond of his walk through the forest. It was sticky and annoying and it was taking too damn long because he had to be extra careful with his steps. Besides, he wasn't feeling particularly patient either. Every second he spent there was another second he lost from the afternoon, and he wanted to reach Fern's cave as soon as possible so he could be there for as much time as he could before nightfall caught him. He wanted to see his friend's face again and sit down next to them and talk to them and listen to their voice and just be... together already.

But, uh, Arcade mostly wanted to leave behind the forest. Find a safe place not surrounded by mud.

Finally, and despite his rush, he managed to get to Fern's cave with his shoes almost intact (give or take a few stumbles). He got inside and looked around for the prince, but they didn't seem to be anywhere in sight. "Hey, Fern! You here?" he called, then, announcing his presence in case they were at the far end of the cave.

There was no answer. However, he felt something shift in the air; something similar to nervousness that wasn't there before, and then Fern appeared from behind the rock wall that kept their hammock hidden from view. Their cheeks were tinted with a warmer tone than usual, so faint it could've been an effect of the light, and their aura was different from anything Arcade had ever seen on them before: it wasn't relaxed or defensive or reserved, but more... shy. If he didn't know better, he would've thought Fern was embarrassed.

He didn't have time to focus on that, though, because he suddenly noticed another crucial detail: Fern had his jacket on. The sun was out, there was no rain or storm or raging water threatening to attack them; it wasn't even cold that afternoon, and yet... Fern was wearing his jacket. Full-on wearing his jacket, with his arms through their sleeves as it's supposed to be instead of just having it over their shoulders cape-style. It was wrinkled, too, as if Fern had had it on for a while, and it was zipped all the way up like their own personal cocoon.

"You're late today," Fern pointed out with his usual tone, his usual posture, trying his best to act like nothing was different despite everything being different. Arcade blinked in response, his brain still processing the view in front of him, still looking for a reason that explained the warmth blooming inside his chest, the overwhelming need to smile just because his friend looked so warm and cozy and safe while wearing his clothes.

"You have the jacket on," he muttered, pointing out the obvious like an idiot. Fern's response was to get so evidently flustered that Arcade's breath caught in his throat: their face flushed immediately, a faint blush reaching even the tips of their ears, and their wings perked up in a somewhat defensive stance, as if they weren't expecting the comment and were taken aback by it. Arcade never thought his words could make them react like that.

"So what?" they snapped, frowning at him just to keep up their annoyed facade. A pout started to form on their lips, though, which caused Arcade's heart to beat a little more frantically with a pleasant surprise. He hadn't seen Fern blushing so clearly before. He wasn't expecting it to look so cute even while they were trying to convey irritation with their tone. He never thought he'd be lucky enough to see it.

"My jacket," Arcade added, not fully aware he'd let it escape his lips. He'd said it out loud just to make sure his words wouldn't make reality disappear. But something in their tone should've come out terribly wrong because Fern's expression changed from feigned annoyance to fear, and a flash of alarm crossed their dark eyes before he managed to keep it at bay.

Fern hid their hands in the jacket pockets defensively, like a cat hoarding their possessions, and took a small step back. "Are you gonna take it?" they asked, their tone an octave lower than before. Suddenly, they looked all reserved and wary again, as if they were about to run away any minute now, and the sight reminded Arcade of the first days after they met: when Fern acted cautiously around him because they... didn't trust him.

Thinking that Fern was feeling like that again made Arcade's heart halt to a stop, so abruptly that it almost hurt. "No, no!" he exclaimed, his voice betraying his nervousness, his mind scrambling around to find the words. How could he explain that he didn't want to accuse them of anything? How could he tell them that he wasn't reclaiming his jacket, that he was just surprised, that he didn't really think his words through because he was too distracted with how cute Fern was? It sounded impossible. "I didn't... I just..."

"I still need it." Fern's voice managed to sound firm and determined, like their sentence was just a universal truth that nobody could question, and the conviction of their words melted the walls around Arcade's chest. It gave him space to breathe again. "You said I could keep it if I still needed it."

Arcade stayed in silence for half a second, his brain repeating what his friend had said over and over and over again. 'I still need it'. Fern still needed it. Fern needed his jacket. Of course, he didn't know why exactly; maybe the cave, made of rock, was colder than it seemed and the jacket was perfect to keep them warm; or maybe the jacket's fabric was soft and comfortable enough to remind Fern of the time they had clothes of their own. Maybe they just felt safe having it on.

Regardless of the reason, Fern wanted to keep his jacket, and that was already enough for Arcade to let them. It wasn't as if he minded, anyway. The idea of it made Arcade himself unbelievably happy; it caused the something on his chest to grow warm and cozy, urging him to embrace the feeling and never let it go. It was like a spark of joy that lightened up his entire body, or an electrifying satisfaction that flowed through his veins. It was fantastic. Right there and then, he discovered that he would give his entire wardrobe to Fern if they asked him to.

Finally, just out of pure happiness, Arcade laughed, catching the prince off guard. He blinked at him once, twice, almost as if trying to understand what was so funny, but Arcade's laughter was genuine and simple and light enough to ease their posture immediately. "Yeah, of course," Arcade said, remnants of his joy making his tone bright and twinkling. He smiled at them like never before. "You can keep it for as long as you want, Fern."

Fern's ears perked up upon hearing that, his eyes sparkling with something similar to relief. He stared at Arcade for a couple of seconds almost as if he were about to say something, but he seemed to ultimately decide against it and chose to smile back instead: small, but genuine, honest, real. Fern had started to give Arcade that smile more constantly, which made him feel like touching the clouds every time. He wanted to protect their smile. He wanted to see it for eternity.

And just like that, Arcade lost a jacket to a good cause.

Fern didn't take it off during the entire visit. Arcade never stopped smiling. At the end of the day, he left the cave feeling the remnants of the hundreds of fireworks that had exploded within his chest, and he could barely focus to finish his math homework because his mind was still among the stars, and he went to bed that night feeling all fuzzy and happy and it... it was ridiculous. But he didn't think much of it. He just wanted to revel in the sensations, let the warmth envelop him a little bit more every time until cold itself was just the farthest of memories.

When he visited Fern the day after that, the prince was wearing his jacket again, and it looked wrinkled all over as if he'd slept with it the whole night. Fern kept it on all afternoon. And when Arcade got to the cave the following day, and the day after, and the day after that, he saw that Fern was still wearing it. Every time. Always. Arcade wondered if the prince ever took it off, because he hadn't seen them without it since the day of the storm, but he quickly decided that he didn't care.

He began looking forward to admiring Fern with his jacket on. He liked to see their body engulfed in the fabric, how the hem bundled up because it was a little too big on them, how their eyes sparkled when they played with the slightly too long sleeves, how they buried their face in the hood and closed their eyes whenever they thought Arcade wasn't paying attention. There were times, too, when Fern's wings fluttered so fast and with such happiness that the movement was visible even under the jacket. Whenever Arcade noticed, his heart matched the same speed.

It was as if a part of him was with Fern constantly, and the idea was incredibly addicting; so natural and comforting and simple that he didn't need to think it over. Besides, Fern seemed happier, too, when they were wearing his stuff. That was everything Arcade could ever ask for.

In summary, everyone was just better when the prince had his jacket on. It was nice for both of them, it made both of them happy, and Arcade liked it. There wasn't anything complicated about it.

Until there was.