Page 44 of Runaway Magic
Cym opened it up and discovered several smaller packages: hot sauce, jelly, pretzels, a brownie, and peanut butter, amongother things. It even had utensils! He couldn’t believe how much had fit into such a small space and instantly wanted a dozen for his backpack. When he read the instructions claiming they could be eaten cold or thrown in boiling water, he nearly ascended.
Fourteen was a genius.
Cym put a pan of water on the hotplate and found another package labeled Beef and Black Beans. Maybe he and Fourteen could share, and Cym could try both, though he didn’t actually give a shit what the food tasted like at the moment because he was hungry enough to eat the packaging it came in.
Somewhere along the way from being a spoiled prince to a desperate runaway, Cym had stopped being picky about anything.
All he wanted now was enough to survive.
When the water began to bubble, he put the two entrees in the pot and turned down the heat so it wouldn’t boil over.
While he was waiting for the food to heat up, he explored the room. The brick walls were bare, save for the shelves containing essentials. Other than the desk and the bed, the only other furniture was a large chest of weapons he'd seen Fourteen rifle though when packing his bag.
Cym was intelligent enough to know snooping through it was likely to get him a missing hand or a hole in the foot for his trouble, so he left it alone.
He sat down on the bed and noticed a hum of energy singing against his ass. He scooted over and pulled Fourteen’s jacket out from under him and examined it. There was no reason he couldn’t try to figure out the mystery it presented while he waited for the water to boil. His fingers tingled as he explored the leather. In some areas, the tingling grew stronger. Fourteen had said there were plates in his jacket. It was possible the mystery rock was the source of the hum of energy Cym kept sensing from Fourteen, which meant…
The door opened, and Fourteen entered the room in a towel.
“Put these on right now!” Cym shoved the jacket and pants at him, struggling with the weight as his still tender feet protested their current activity.
“I’m not naked. I’m wearing briefs underneath.” Bewildered, Fourteen dropped the towel and accepted the bundle. Cym’s eyes immediately decided they needed to confirm the existence of said briefs. Yep. There they were. Covering stuff. Stuff Cym wanted to see more of… What were they doing?
“From your reaction earlier, I assumed it would make you feel more comfortable?—”
Cym shook himself out of hornyland and forcefully brought his attention back to the urgent matter at hand and shouted, “Just do it!”
A quick survey of the room had him hobbling over to the hot plate and turning off the heat. Being scalded while running wasn’t his idea of fun, so he abandoned the contents of the pot and grabbed all the packets that came with it. Then he grabbed his bag and stuffed the packets and a few other nonperishables inside. “I don’t know how much time we have, so this will have to tide you over until we find somewhere safe.” He shoved a brownie at Fourteen and stuffed the other one into his own mouth, nearly swallowing it whole in his haste.
Fourteen treated his in similar fashion, if more gracefully, and was mostly dressed before Cym was done. His jacket hung open, but it was on his body, and Cym hoped that would be enough. When Cym finished packing, he looked up to see Fourteen hefting a massive gun from the chest.
“What happened?” Fourteen asked as he slung his equipment bag over one shoulder and began the complicated process of fastening his armor. His eyes were colder than they’d been a moment earlier, thus furthering Cym’s suspicions.
Cym threw a pack of crackers at his chest, and Fourteen caught it without pausing in his task or looking up. “I’ll explain once we’re on the road, we have to go, now.” He ran toward the door leading to the stairs when Fourteen’s phone chimed.
Fourteen checked it and reported, “Multiple breaches. We have incoming.”
Cym stopped so quickly he slammed into the doorframe. “Where?”
Fourteen pulled him away from the door. “Every window, every door. They have us surrounded.”
“What do we do?”
Fourteen’s expression was neutral, but for a split-second, his eyes flashed with life. “We hope whatever is shielding us holds out long enough for us to break through their defenses.” Fourteen’s full mouth tipped up at the corners the smallest bit. Was he enjoying this?
Cym needed more to go on than hope. “How did you feel when you were naked?” There were faint shouts coming from downstairs.
“How did I… what? Do you really think this is the right time for this conversation?”
“Just shut up and answer the question.” Cym knew he was triggering Fourteen’s conditioning with the command and hated it, but they didn’t have time for his fluffy-bunny feelings. The sound of feet thundering in the stairs made him feel justified.
Fourteen gave him alookbut complied immediately. “I felt like I needed a shower.”
Cym gave him a glare and impatiently motioned for him to continue.
“I felt normal.” Fourteen paused, looking thoughtful before he continued and said, “I felt completely normal until I got to the stairs. Then I felt cold again. Like now.”
“And when you came back in the room just now?”
