writer (multi!)

Renei had demanded a break around midday our first day on the road. She’d been complaining about the rickety path for about two hours, and it got to the point that the coachman couldn’t stand her whining anymore. He stopped in the middle of nowhere, far from any village or lodging. Still, Renei hopped out the carriage and stretched her pale arms above her head. I stayed back, propping my legs up onto the bench opposite me. Relief spread through me when I didn’t hear her call me to accompany her.

She had been gone for a good twenty minutes when the rain came. I waited for her to return, but after ten minutes, I jumped out of the carriage, my ears twitching with worry. I couldn’t care less what happened to her personally, but I knew what would happen if something did. I would be the first to blame.

“Renei?” I called out, raindrops pounding against my skin. I could barely see through the rain, let alone hear any answer back. I began to run towards the forest, hoping she was seeking shelter under a tree.

It didn’t take me long to find her. There she was, shivering in her pale blue dress under a pine tree. Her brows pinched together as soon as she saw me. “Are you serious? It took you this long to come find me?” she snapped at me, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. Despite myself, I jogged over to her.

“Why didn’t you just come back to the carriage?” I replied, to which her frown contorted into a look of disgust.

“This dress cost a fortune, you can’t possibly expect me to drag myself through all that mud back to the carriage! Why didn’t you just tell him to drive over here?”

Yes. Drive a carriage through the mud instead of going over to it yourself. Great idea, Renei. I took a deep breath and held my tongue. “The carriage would sink into the mud. It would be much easier if you just–”

“I’m not going anywhere. Look, I’m already soaked!” She whined. She was indeed soaked, from the blonde hair on her head to the tips of her shiny white shoes. I tried to argue with her, but she wouldn’t budge an inch. Finally, I gave up and ran back to the coachman to tell him Renei’s brilliant plan. He had as much power against her as I did, so he steered the poor horse into the muddy meadow towards the forest.

I had been right of course. About halfway across the wheels got stuck in the mud like a coin to a table. Renei waved her arms around frantically from the forest edge, trying to relay some sort of message, but even she seemed to understand we weren’t leaving like this.

The walk back home was miserable and humiliating. Renei wouldn’t speak to me, as if it was my fault she’d come up with such a stupid idea. The coachman had stayed back with the carriage in hopes of a kind soul bumping into him on the road. I’d suggested staying as well, but Renei insisted on going back. “I can’t arrive like this in front of the prince and the whole royal family. I’d rather die of shame!”

True, her dress would soon be more brown than blue. I wouldn’t exactly want to meet my future husband like that either. Well, potential future husband. Renei would be lucky to get chosen.

On the day of prince Ajax’s twentieth birthday, Renei had received a cordial invite to the castle. I hadn’t had the chance to read the letter, but from what I understood, prince Ajax was now in search of a wife, and our dear Renei, bless her, was one of the girls he was supposed to choose from. I had been the only one in the house to think she was just being pranked; my mistress hadn’t appreciated that comment.

So, here I was, back home, frantically trying to clean Renei’s dress while she soaked her sore feet in the bath. I scrubbed it as hard as I could, the soap sticking to my own clothes. Renei climbed out of the bath and wrapped herself in a towel before leaning over my form on the floor.

“I better not see a single speck on it, Kitty. It’s my prettiest dress.” She gave my tail a tug, and left me to my job.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

I wasn’t even sure why I was going with Renei. The royal family was bound to have a myriad of maids at their disposal, so it seemed absurd to me for Renei to have to bring her own. Maybe she liked me more than she let on. Maybe she just wanted someone familiar with her in Arweyrn, the capital. It wasn’t like she got to go there very often—even as someone of her status.

The Doran family lived on their estate in the town of Marshe’s Rest. In terms of Marshe’s Rest, they were treated like royalty. In terms of the Crescentmist Court, they were… Well, important enough for their daughter to catch the attention of the King.

They’d taken me in four years ago after their cook had spotted me begging for a job on the town square. I had been desperate for anything, but everyone seemed to connect me to my father as soon as they noticed my ears and tail.

“Father was a piece of scum. Why should you be any different?” I’d heard those words in different forms a million times, and each time they hurt just the same. For some reason, the Dorans didn’t seem to care. Maybe they thought hiring me as their servant and humiliating me any chance they got was punishment enough for a murderer’s daughter.

“Kitty” was what they called me, making sure to point out my mixed blood. I wasn’t like their deer or dragon friends. They were dignified, sophisticated—I was a pet. Something to give orders to and to play with when you’re bored. I was lucky not to have dog blood in me, or they might have made me bark and fetch sticks.

Thankfully, the second attempt at our journey went much smoother. I kept to myself, spending most of the time staring out the small carriage window. Renei flipped through her book and sighed every so often, but otherwise she didn’t stir up much trouble. By some miracle, I’d managed to scrub every single stain out of her dress, and she wore it proudly once more. I’d even received a smile for my hard work, which was rare in Renei’s case. My mistress was more generous with her show of praise, though she treated me like an animal more than anyone else did.

Once we reached the city gates, I couldn’t keep my eyes off the scene around us. My whole life had been Marshe’s Rest and the forests around it, so I’d only heard stories about the capital. Spread across the Crescent Lake peninsula, it housed more people than I could even imagine. The cobbled streets were packed, the crowds swarming us from all sides. Elves, orcs, dwarves, fae of all shapes, colours and sizes. In a city like this, even a cat girl like me would blend in.

Renei’s voice snapped me out of my daydreams. “What are you smiling at?”

I jumped, tearing my gaze away from the window. “Nothing,” I mumbled. She squinted at me, but eventually dropped her suspicions. For some reason, the Dorans always thought I was up to something, whether that was stealing their jewellery or planning to run away with the stable boy whenever they saw me talking to him. I had to admit, the only thing I’d stolen was some food from the kitchen, and a dab of Renei’s blush when she had been sleeping. But that was it. There was no reason for them not to trust me, though the trust wouldn’t exactly be mutual.

The main road only grew wider as we drew closer to the castle. I tried to peer at it through the window at an odd angle, which earned me a smack on the shoulder and a reminder to “behave like a person”. I’d seen castles in the picture books my father had made for me, but never in real life. The Doran estate was the closest to a castle I’d ever been in, but I knew it wouldn’t be able to compare once I saw the real thing.

“Once we arrive, keep your mouth shut,” said Renei, fixing up her lip tint in a small handheld mirror. I met her purple eyes in the reflection. “I don’t want your presence to scare His Highness away.”

“I doubt it’s my presence that would do that,” I mumbled under my breath. Renei snapped her mirror shut and huffed.

“Keep your jealousy to yourself, Kitty. No one cares.”

It was strange, being a maid to a girl my age. I couldn’t seem to find an ounce of respect for her, and funnily enough, she didn’t seem to mind my comments as much as she pretended to. If she had, she would have had me beaten to dust. Maybe I made up for the lack of siblings in her life.

With my attention diverted from the window, I hadn’t even noticed we’d arrived until the carriage came to a halt. I climbed out first, turning on the spot, ready to hold the door open for Renei. Except a man had already taken my place. Blue skin, white gloved hands, black horns curling out of his head. It took me a second to realise he had even held the door for me. I blinked at him, too stunned to move, before Renei gave me a slight shove. I stumbled away from the door to get out of her way, finally remembering my place. I walked around to the back of the carriage to pick up her trunk, but I found myself replaced once again.

I didn’t know what to do with myself. What was I doing here if I wasn’t even allowed to do my job? With Renei already striding towards the castle doors, I caught up with her.

It was only then that I noticed the castle.

I began to understand the double meaning of “keeping my mouth shut”, but I simply couldn’t get my jaw off the ground. The building was monumental. Carved of pale grey brick and grown over with ivy, the castle’s towers loomed over us like mountain peaks. There were more windows than I could count, each decorated with a flower basket.

A pair of guards led us through the enormous double doors. The stark change from light to dark temporarily blinded me, but before I knew it, we exited through another door and stepped into the courtyard. We were surrounded by flower bushes and marble statues, each depicting a hero of our past. In the middle stood a fountain along with the statue of our Goddess, taking the form of a beautiful woman. Water rushed out of her extended palm, while her other hand clutched the handle of a spear. A white bird hopped around on her head.

I had trouble keeping up with the rest of the group. Renei followed the guards without so much as a glance at the scenery around her. As someone so vain, I would have expected her to appreciate the beauty of the castle. To be fair, this might not be her first time here. Considering she had even been invited, she must have met the royal family at least once before. Or maybe not. What did I know?

After about ten minutes of twisting and turning through the castle’s hallways, we finally stopped in front of a door. One guard opened it, revealing a drawing room, and a tall, important looking man inside it. His mouth twitched into a stiff, albeit polite smile at the sight of Renei. He pushed his spectacles up his hooked nose.

“Miss Doran, how courteous of you to join us,” he said, bending into a bow. “I am Filas, the royal coordinator. You are the last to arrive, but fret not, we wouldn’t dare to begin the festivities without you. This,” he motioned to the room, “will be your personal drawing room, and through that door right there is your bedchamber.” He pointed to a closed door connecting the drawing room to a bedroom. “Feel free to rest for a while after your journey. Someone will bring your lunch to you, and you will join the rest of the ladies for dinner.”

Renei clenched and unclenched her fists at her sides. “Alright,” she said after a moment of silence. “Thank you, Filas.”

Filas gave her a nod, and began to make his way to the door. “If that is all, I shall take your servant to–”

“She stays,” said Renei. My eyes darted between her and Filas, who had stopped in his tracks, a puzzled look painting his face.

“I just wanted to show her where she’d be–”

“She stays,” Renei repeated tensely. “She’s my servant, I decide what she does.”

Any resistance in Filas seemed to vanish, and he simply nodded. “As you wish, miss.” As soon as the door shut behind him and the guards, Renei turned to me, her expression unreadable. She eyed me for a second before her brows knitted together.

“Well, I’m not going to unpack myself, am I? Chop chop.”

Her trunk had been brought straight into her bedroom, somehow having arrived earlier than us. Almost everything in the bedroom was blue—the drapes, the bedding, the rug. All in all, the style didn’t differ that much from home, though the intricate flower painting hanging above the bed probably cost more than my weight in gold.

I helped Renei fill her wardrobe with her dozens of dresses—well, help was a generous word; I unpacked while she stared out the window at the courtyard below. She seemed lost in thought, with an almost melancholic air about her. Now that I thought of it, I had no idea how she actually felt about this whole situation. I’d assumed someone like her would be thrilled to get the chance to marry the prince, but maybe she was only following her parents’ orders. Who knew what the prince was actually like. He could be a massive knobhead, and all she could do was hope he wouldn’t pick her.

“Have you met the prince before?” I asked, unable to suppress my curiosity. Renei didn’t even glance at me, but replied nonetheless.

“Once, apparently, though I don’t remember it. I was about five. I doubt he remembers either.”

“Ah. So the first impression will be important.”

“Yes, no need to rub it in my face,” she snapped. “Finish unpacking. I think I need a nap.”

Kicking off her heels, she lay down on the bed. She made sure to place her head carefully on the pillow before settling down properly, as her hair was done up in a braided bun. I resumed my task, hanging up the final pieces of clothing.

Seeing as Renei had already dozed off, I quietly closed the wardrobe door and crept out and into the drawing room. There wasn’t much else for me to do, and since Renei had insisted on keeping me here, I had nowhere else to go without any other orders. Exploring the castle on my own would cause me more harm than good, so I just had to wait for Renei to wake up again.

A servant came in about ten minutes later, carrying a tray of food. A small feast, more like. An entire roast pheasant, along with a fresh salad and some poppy seed bread. My stomach growled at the sight. The servant set the tray down on the low table by the sofa and scurried off again without another word.

The food was definitely not meant for me, but how would Renei notice a missing slice of bread? She wouldn’t.

I picked a particularly large slice and stepped over to the window. To my astonishment, we were so high up that I could see as far as the Crescent Lake. It surrounded the capital from all sides but one, forming a crescent moon shape in the middle of our land. The Crescentmist Court carried it as a proud symbol. Not many courts could claim to have such a magnificent natural wonder.

My father had once told me the legend of how it had formed. Eons ago, the people on our land had been at constant conflict. Every race, every clan fought for themselves with no regard for anyone else. The Goddess grew tired of their quarrels, and in her fury, she threw the moon down to the earth. It left a gigantic crater in the shape of a crescent in the middle of a ruined piece of land. The impact had set fire to everything nearby, and the people were left with nothing but charred ground and an empty crater.

Their only option was to band together to survive. Each clan lent a helpful hand, but it wasn’t enough. All rivers had dried out, and with no water came much, much death. Seeing the people’s collective efforts, the Goddess decided to show them mercy, and let all the rivers flow heavily, filling up the crescent crater with fresh water. The unified people had then formed what we now knew as the Crescentmist Court.

My father had always had a knack for storytelling. He’d known so much about the world, despite having lived in Marshe’s Rest his whole life.

He’d known too much. Enough to get himself framed.

“Excuse me, miss?”

I whipped around. By the door stood a young man clad in a silk white shirt and dark green trousers. A gold-leaf crown glistened in his ginger hair. I held his gaze for a full five seconds before connecting the dots. My eyes widened and I bent into a bow, my cheeks heating up.

“Your Highness.”

“I’m sorry for the unannounced visit, I just wanted to meet everyone personally—you know, one-on-one, before anything official begins.” He took a step forward, charming a smile onto his face. I straightened up and turned to the bedroom.

“Then I should go get–”

“Oh, no need to get changed on my account. I understand you decided to wear commoner clothes for safety reasons. Smart choice.”

I paused. “What?”

“I do it as well,” he said. “It’s awful how much of a target a person can become if they show a speck of wealth.”

Hang on, did he think I was–

“Please, have a seat. I’m sure you must be tired,” he continued, gesturing to the sofa. Too confused to argue, I took a seat. He joined me on the opposite sofa. His gaze flitted between my ears and tail before landing on my face. “How was the journey? I heard the storm was the reason for your delay.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Well, you’re here now, so all is well.”

His blue eyes were unsettling. I couldn’t tell if he was scrutinising me or just observing. Hell, I couldn’t tell if he thought I was Renei or just really polite. I shifted, focusing on my hands folded in my lap. He couldn’t possibly think I was Renei, right? Shouldn’t he have gotten at least a vague description of her or something? And even if he didn’t know her, he definitely should know her parents didn’t have any feline features.

I had to say something. Leading him on would just get me into trouble.

“Your Highness, are you sure you don’t want me to wake Re–”

“Kitty, who are you talking to out there?” Renei called out from her bedroom, her voice slightly drowsy. My head shot up. Prince Ajax turned his attention to the bedroom door, his brows furrowed.

“Who’s in there?” he asked me. Before I got the chance to reply, however, Renei poked her head out the door. Her eyes were a bit sleepy, but other than that, she looked presentable. Thank our Goddess. I wouldn’t have heard the end of it otherwise.

Her expression morphed into momentary horror when she registered her guest’s identity. She shot out of the bedroom, patting down her dress. “Your Highness!” She dropped into a curtsy. “I had no idea I would be meeting you so early.”

Prince Ajax looked at me, then at her, then back at me, the smile melting off his face. “You’re…”

“I’m terribly sorry, was my maid bothering you? She has problems behaving, and often speaks out of line.” She rushed over to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. Her nails dug into my skin. “Go, Kitty, I’m sure you have other things to do.”

The prince averted his gaze, though I could feel it burning into my back as I left the room. I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, letting out a puff of air.

What the hell had that been? He’d have to be blind to think I was a noble. I didn’t think I was hideous or anything, but I had a long way from being princess material. I took a look down at my mustard coloured dress and the coarse linen shirt underneath. Commoner clothes. Don’t make me laugh. This wasn’t a costume; I was a peasant through and through.

With nowhere to go, I made my way down the corridor in hopes of bumping into a fellow servant. The hallways were eerily quiet, so quiet every step I took echoed like a clap of thunder.

The place was a maze. No matter how many turns I took, I still couldn’t find the stairs we’d taken up. How could anyone navigate around here? It wouldn’t surprise me if they’d had the castle enchanted to confuse intruders. I’d heard a story of a girl who’d got lost in the forest by Marshe’s Rest, lured in and disoriented by a group of fairies. She hadn’t been found since.

I didn’t want to end up like her.

As I turned another corner, I slammed headfirst into an oncoming servant. She stumbled backwards, clutching a clay jug tightly against her chest. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” I said, grabbing hold of her arm to stabilise her. She shook her head in dismissal and was about to run off, but I held her tighter. “I was just wondering where the servants’ quarters were? I came here with one of the guests, Renei Doran, and I was told to go find my place.”

The girl twitched strangely. “It’s downstairs. Take the stairwell down and then left. There’s a door,” she mumbled, her voice barely audible. Knowing myself, I wanted to ask her to lead me there, but she slipped out of my grasp and scurried away.

“Okay… Thank you!” I called after her, watching her retreating figure. Were all the servants here so skittish?

I tried to follow her directions the best I could, and to my surprise, I found the door she’d mentioned. It was tucked into a dead end corridor, unassuming and the perfect place for servants. I pushed the door open and was welcomed by the familiar sight of servants’ quarters.

Two men sat by a long table at the back of the room. Cards were splayed across the table and stacked in their hands, their shirts undone at the collar. Their heads snapped towards me as soon as I stepped inside. A flicker of recognition passed across one’s face.

“Filas mentioned a new maid,” he said, putting his cards down. “Pick a free bed and wait for your orders.”

That led my attention to two adjacent rooms, one labeled “Men”, the other one “Women”. As I made my way towards the women’s sleeping quarters, the men returned to their card game.

“Bringing your own maid from home—what next, building your own castle to sleep in?” one of them muttered. Whether he’d meant to say it loud enough for me to hear, I didn’t know, but I wasn’t going to let their comment get to me. If Renei needed me here, then here I was going to be.

The women’s sleeping chambers were empty, save for a girl having a nap in the bed right by the door. I crept past her, hoping not to wake her, and walked the length of the room to find an unoccupied bed. I didn’t have any belongings to mark my territory with, so I ruffled up the thin blanket to make the bed look used. I took a seat on the edge and let my body relax slightly.

Though I hadn’t had a proper place to call home in four years, it felt unnerving to be so far from Marshe’s Rest. Weirdly enough, I was comforted by the fact Renei was here with me—or, to be exact, that I was here with her. Maybe she felt the same.

I swirled the straw in my drink as Martin, my date, went on to talk about how intelligent he was. Best chess player in Linkon City, apparently. More like best worst date in Linkon.

I hadn’t even planned on agreeing to this date, but Martin had been incredibly flirty and forward in the dating app DMs, and frankly, I hadn’t been with anyone in a while. My last two dates hadn’t led anywhere further, so I had hoped it would be different with Martin. I had picked out a slutty black dress, and the date had fallen exactly on the day of my ovulation, so I had even been ready to look past a few red flags just to finally get laid.

But this man was unbearable.

“–he’s the one who gifted me the Rafayel painting. I think I’ve sent you a picture of it already, haven’t I? It’s my most prized possession. You can come over and see it for yourself if you’d like.”

I couldn’t take it anymore. Lifting my gaze up, I gave him a polite smile. “So sorry to interrupt, but I just need to go to the bathroom real quick.”

Thankfully, Martin simply nodded. But when he saw me take my purse, he raised an eyebrow. “You need your purse with you?” he asked, letting out a small chuckle.

“Um.” Fuck. “I’m on my period.”

His amusement faded, and he cleared his throat. “Oh, right…”

Good, he was one of those men.

I scurried off in the direction of the bathroom, passing the restaurant exit. An evil force made me back up and stopped me right in front of the exit, and even had the audacity to push me through it. The chilly air hit my face and filled my lungs. Oh no! How did I end up outside? Whatever was I going to do?

A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. I ran a hand across my face and covered my mouth with it. God, that man was awful. I couldn’t believe I had actually considered fucking him. Nothing screams small dick energy more than a big ego.

I turned right and began heading down the main street, no proper destination in mind. I was starting to regret leaving my coat back at the restaurant, but I had no other choice. I wouldn’t have been able to use the period excuse on that.

Whatever. I was young and hot, and ditching bad dates was just part of the experience. Who knew, maybe I would bump into some mysterious stranger who would turn my world upside down.

It was already 9 pm, but Linkon was buzzing with life. I passed a convenience store, just as the owner was kicking out a group of teenagers for trying to buy alcohol with fake IDs. On the other side of the street people were already queueing for entry to Club Alchemy. I’d gone there once with Tara—not worth the hype. The drinks were way too overpriced, and the place was full of creeps.

The main street led to Azure Square. I watched as all the stores around me closed for the night, lights flickering off one by one. The square was bright as ever, though, lit up with preparations for the holiday season. Chains of little lights were wrapped around the trees and hung above the walkways, creating a magical atmosphere I always looked forward to.

I took a few steps back and pulled out my phone to take a picture. In my focus on the lights I took one step too far and backed into someone standing behind me. “Oh! Sorry,” I said, turning around to see who I’d bumped into.

The lights sparkled in Zayne’s eyes as he took in my face. He dragged his gaze down my body, his expression shifting into a mix of surprise and something else. “Hello,” he said, shoving the phone he’d been scrolling through into the pocket of his black coat. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Zayne! Yeah, same,” I replied. “It’s been a while.”

“Yes. Your last check-up was almost a month ago, I believe.”

I nodded. For a gentleman like Zayne, he couldn’t seem to hold my gaze. I couldn’t blame him—I did look hot tonight—but the rise of my heartbeat brought back feelings I often repressed around him.

“Yeah. Next one next Thursday, I remember.” I tapped my temple with my index finger before wrapping my arms around myself. Zayne took note of this immediately.

“Quite a brave outfit to wear in the middle of November,” he said. “What’s the occasion?”

“Oh, nothing, just this date.”

Zayne’s expression twitched ever so slightly. “Date?”

“Mhm.”

“Is your date picking you up here?”

“Not exactly.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “He’s, um… I ditched him. At the restaurant.”

His eyebrows shot up. “You ditched him?” he said, more curious than outraged.

“Yeah. He was just–” I didn’t know how much I could tell him. Sure, he was good for a chat, but he probably didn’t want to hear about my disastrous love life. He was my doctor, not my therapist.

Whatever.

“He was awful.” I continued. “I thought I was going to die of boredom, or stab myself with a fork. All he did was talk about his job and his stupid three degrees, and boast about how amazing and smart and handsome he is. Like, have some self-awareness, please.”

The corners of Zayne’s mouth twitched upwards. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Trust me, I’m not heartbroken or anything. It’s just like– I mean, are there any decent men left in Linkon at this point? I’ve been on three dates this month alone, and all of them were shit. I was honestly half tempted to tough it out with this guy just because it’s been so long since I’ve–”

I shut my mouth. Fuck, I shouldn’t have said that. Zayne tried to catch my eye to get me to continue, but I glued my gaze to the ground.

“Since you’ve… What, had sex?”

My head shot up, my face hot. “I didn’t say that.”

A ghost of a smirk passed across his lips. “But you meant it.”

“Well, whatever, it’s not like it’s a big deal or anything,” I huffed.

“You seem frustrated by it, though,” he said. God, why was his voice so calm and level all the time?

“I’m not frustrated by it.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

“It’s alright. Sexual frustration is a completely natural thing. If you haven’t had that release of hormones in a while, then–”

“Trust me, I can release hormones by myself just fine,” I replied. It took me a full few seconds to realise what I’d just admitted, but it was too late to take back now. Zayne blinked, his lips parting.

He’s your doctor! He doesn’t have to know about you getting yourself off! Ugh.

“Well,” said Zayne, clearing his throat, “that’s, uh, a good thing, of course. I’m glad.”

“You’re… glad?”

Zayne pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Are you cold? I’m assuming you left your coat somewhere.”

Changing the topic now, are we, Dr. Zayne? “Just a bit chilly, but it’s fine.” I shrugged. Zayne didn’t seem convinced, though. Without a word, he slipped off his coat and put it around my shoulders. “Zayne, really, it’s–”

He cut me off. “As your doctor and your friend, I can’t let you freeze out here.”

He wouldn’t take no for an answer. To be fair, he had a sweater on as well, so now he’d just leveled the scales. As I buttoned up the coat, Zayne pulled out his phone.

“Do you need to be somewhere?” I asked. I didn’t want to mess up whatever plans he had for the evening, especially by stealing his coat. Zayne shook his head.

“No. I was just checking if the message I’d written before you bumped into me had been sent.”

“Oh. Sorry about that, by the way.”

“No worries.”

Silence fell over us like a blanket. I wasn’t sure if it was time for us to part ways, but Zayne wasn’t showing any signs of leaving, or expecting me to leave first.

“Do you–” I caught myself at the last moment. Should I? Would it be too forward? He’d said he was my friend, but honestly, I didn’t know how to describe our relationship. It was so formal sometimes, like I was just his patient and nothing more.

Fuck it. He’d called me his friend, so I was going to take advantage of that. “Do you wanna go for a walk or something? I mean, if you don’t have any other plans. It’s just– It’s so nice out here, and we haven’t talked in a while, so… Y’know you don’t have to, you’re probably gonna feel forced and agree even if you don’t want to, but–”

“You’re doing it again,” he said. I paused, confused.

“Doing what?”

“You start babbling and put words in my mouth before I even get the chance to respond.”

“Oh. Go on, then.”

“I would enjoy a walk with you. Thank you for asking.”

My chest swelled up in giddy delight, but I couldn’t let it show on my face. “Alright, then.”

Zayne let me lead the way. We headed off in the direction of the river promenade, which was lit up just as beautifully as Azure Square. The lights twinkled in the water’s reflection, creating a sea of stars on the surface. I loved Linkon City during the nighttime, especially when I was off duty. There was nothing that could ruin the scenery more than a bunch of Wanderers.

As if reading my mind, Zayne spoke. “How’s work?” His arm brushed against mine every so often, sending tingles down my spine.

“Same old.” I shoved my hands into the pockets of his coat. “I was on a mission over the whole weekend, and then I was stuck in the office for the past two days doing nothing but paperwork for the previous missions I’d forgotten to log. My fault, really, but it was such a bore. Tara was on a mission, so I had no one to talk to. What about you? How’s your work?”

“Nothing new, just like you. Funnily enough, I’m also drowning in never-ending paperwork. I also published an article for a medical magazine this week.”

“Really? You should send it to me, I wanna read it.”

Zayne let out an amused huff. “You do? It’s mainly about cardiology research.”

“Hey, it’s never too late to learn something new. Maybe it’ll unlock my hidden passion for cardiology.”

“I think you would have unlocked that during our check-ups already. But I will send it to you if you want it that badly.”

“Thank you for considering my education, Dr. Zayne,” I said, flashing him a grin. Zayne smiled back. His eyes traced my face before he looked forward again. Thankfully, it was dark enough for him to miss the heat in my cheeks.

There were times when I wondered if he noticed how he made me feel. I wasn’t obviously drooling over him, but he seemed too smart to be completely oblivious. The way my heart rate fluttered whenever he measured it, the way I avoided his gaze whenever he threw a nonchalant compliment my way. I’d grown used to ignoring it by now, knowing it wouldn’t lead anywhere. We’d known each other for a long time—if something was meant to happen, it would have already happened. Zayne didn’t seem like the type of man to wait for the girl of his dreams to confess first.

But maybe we were both just idiots waiting for the other to speak up.

It truly had been a while since I’d spoken to Zayne like this. Hell, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen him out of the hospital. This was definitely not how I’d expected tonight to go, but I wasn’t complaining. Zayne was a million times better than whatever that guy’s name was.

After he’d inquired about it, I’d decided to share all my dating app horror stories with him. Most of them were just extremely boring guys with big egos and zero personality, but Zayne had been particularly intrigued by the man who had taken me to a circus and insisted on having a juggle battle against the head juggler.

“Oh God. How can you still be on those apps?” he asked. We’d stopped by a small lookout, leaning against the railing and staring out at the expanse of the river.

“I honestly don’t know. There’s plenty of fish in the sea, yet I still keep naively looking for a pearl.”

“Maybe the internet is not the sea you should be fishing in.”

“I suppose. But with work and all, it’s hard to meet someone naturally.”

“Have you scheduled that vacation like I told you to?”

I caught my lip between my teeth. Fuck. I’d forgotten about that. “…I will.”

Zayne shot me a sideways glare. “What’s the point of going to the doctor if you don’t even listen to him? Constant work is not good for you.”

“Fine, fine! As soon as I get home, I’ll message Jenna about the nearest vacation slot, and then I’ll book a flight to some tropical island. Happy?”

“It doesn’t have to be a tropical island,” Zayne replied. “Just somewhere out of Linkon, with your work wiped from your mind for at least a few days.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll do it,” I said. When he’d told me to go on holiday at my last check-up, I’d practically laughed in his face. But he was right. I mean, Dr. Zayne was always right. A vacation would do me good.

Zayne stepped away from the railing and turned to me. “My house isn’t too far from here.” My heart almost fell out of my ass, but he continued. “I would drive you home, but my car is getting fixed, so I can only offer to call you a cab. However, you’re free to stay over for a little bit while you wait. I wouldn’t want you standing out here in the cold.”

I tried to ignore the internal screaming and focused on what he was actually saying. “Oh! Alright, that would be nice. Thank you.”

Zayne nodded. “You’re welcome. Follow me.”

I hadn’t expected how not too far his place was, because ten minutes later he was opening his front door for me.

Stop the thoughts, stop the thoughts, stop the thoughts–

His house reflected his character perfectly—dim lights, clutter organised in neat piles, grey and white pillows fluffed up as if they’d never been touched. Despite all this and the cool hues of the place, it felt homely, lived in.

The scent—his scent—made my knees weak. A mix of jasmine, lavender, and something I couldn’t put my finger on.

I took off the coat and handed it back to Zayne. He hung it up on a hook by the door and slipped off his shoes. I followed suit, trailing behind him as he led me to the living room. “Would you like some water or tea?” he asked.

Cabs barely took ten minutes to arrive after ordering them. I wouldn’t even have time to have tea.

“Tea would be nice, please,” I replied.

Zayne nodded, pushing up the sleeves of his sweater. I had to bite back a moan at the sight of the veins on his forearms. As he shuffled around in the kitchen, I sank into the plush material of the sofa. I picked at my nails, crossing and uncrossing my legs.

He wasn’t ordering me a cab. He hadn’t even mentioned it since we’d arrived. Did he want me to stay longer, or was he just too polite to kick me out?

What if he– No, that was impossible– But, he had been eyeing me all night. Or was I just delusional?

Zayne joined me in the living room with two steaming cups of tea. He set them down on the coffee table and sat down next to me. I shifted slightly, trying my best to ignore the growing feeling between my legs. God, he hadn’t even said anything, let alone touched me, and I was barely holding myself back from pouncing on him.

“I’ve never been here,” I said. Zayne hummed.

“You haven’t,” he replied. He had turned his body to face me, but I couldn’t bear to look him in the eye right now.

“I like it. It’s very… you.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

His voice had dropped slightly, in both volume and tone. I gulped, squeezing my thighs together. At this point I was going to leave a stain on his sofa.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “You’re squirming.”

Oh God.

I hummed, but to my dismay, it came out more as a whimper. “I’m fine.”

Zayne shifted an inch closer. My heart beat painfully against my ribcage. “You know,” he said, “as your doctor, I can’t help but feel this… responsibility for your health and making sure you’re… fulfilled in every aspect of your life.”

I turned my head to him. I could swear there were beads of sweat running down my face from how hard I was clenching my thighs. “What do you mean?” I croaked. I ran my tongue across my bottom lip nervously, which only drew his attention to it.

Oh God, oh God, oh God–

“I just hate seeing you stressed, so… if you need to relieve some tension, I can help.”

I almost choked on my saliva. Was he serious? “Zayne–”

His eyes were glued to my lips. “I apologise if I’m being too forward, but it’s all just so hard to ignore when you bump into me looking like that.”

He was serious. Oh my God, he was serious. “Zayne…”

His expression changed at the sound of my pathetic tone. “Look at you,” he whispered. “You could’ve just said something.”

“How was I supposed to know?”

He cupped my cheek, his touch feather-light, as if he was scared of shattering me. “I would do anything for you. I want you to know that. So tell me what you want.”

“You,” I said without hesitation. “Please, Zayne, I want you.”

His lips crashed into mine, warm and hungry. It was a hunger I wasn’t used to—not a clawing desperation, but a slow, tactful desire to savour every bite. And savour, he did. His mouth moved with his usual patience, kissing me like he’d planned every last motion. He forced me to slow down, stroking my cheek with his thumb as if it could do anything to calm me down.

It didn’t.

Every inch of my skin was on fire. I needed him to touch me everywhere all at once, and knowing that was impossible made me want to cry out in agony. I tugged at his sweater, desperate to get closer to him, but it only caused him to pull away, a smile spreading across his face.

“And to think you said you weren’t frustrated earlier,” he teased.

God, this was embarrassing. “I’m not frustrated, I’m just–”

“Pent up? Touch-starved? Desperate?”

“Zayne–” I whined.

“Don’t whine. That’s not going to work on me.” His hand slid down to the side of my neck.

“But you said you’d do anything for me.”

“Yes, but I think you need to be taught some discipline as well. No point being in a rush.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever, Doctor Zayne. Can you just–”

Zayne shut me up with another kiss. He really took his sweet time, as if he knew that was the exact opposite of what I wanted, and found great joy in my torment.

“Let’s move this to my bed. This sofa would be too uncomfortable,” said Zayne, pulling away from my desperate lips. The thought of him pushing me down onto the mattress, being on top of me, being inside me… It sent a shudder through my whole body. Zayne’s hand dropped from my neck to my shoulder, taking my shudder as a sign of hesitation. “Is that okay? I want you to be one hundred percent sure.”

“No– I mean, yes. I’m one hundred percent sure. One thousand.”

Zayne’s expression softened. “Let’s go, then.” He gave me his hand, and I took it without a second thought. He pulled me along through the house, up to the second floor, and into his bedroom.

The sleek modern style of the bedroom matched the rest of the house, but I didn’t really have time to look around, because Zayne pulled me back into his arms. His attention now landed on my neck, while his hands explored up and down my sides. My knees practically gave out under me, and Zayne, observant as ever, guided me towards the edge of the bed.

“I wanted to say your date was a fool to scare you off, but now I can’t be more grateful he did,” said Zayne. He put a finger under my chin and tilted it upwards, making me meet his gaze. He looked just as starved as I felt. I probably looked pathetic, but I couldn’t care less at this point. I was in Zayne’s bedroom, and that was all that mattered.

“How long have you wanted this?” I asked, unable to keep my curiosity at bay. Zayne only laughed softly, which sent the butterflies in my stomach into a frenzy. Oh my God, this man...

“I want you on my lap,” he said. The calm yet authoritative tone in his voice sent me up on my feet. He sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled me down onto his lap, my back pressed against his chest. Only now did I notice the mirror opposite us. Zayne’s hands slid down to my thighs, gently pulling them apart, making my tight dress ride up and bunch up at my hips.

Zayne planted soft kisses on the back of my neck and my bare shoulders. I shivered with every kiss, biting back moans. I could feel how hard he was under me, which only made matters worse. If he kept up this torturous pace, I was going to cum before he even did anything proper.

“Zayne…” I whimpered.

“Shh.” He nipped at the skin on my neck, making me squeak. “Keep whining and you won’t get anything.”

How could he be so cruel? Hadn’t he said he cared about my health and wellbeing? Keeping me on the edge like this was surely the opposite of that. If anything, he was making sure my sexual frustration was at an all time high.

Then, as if deciding he’d finally had enough, he reached between my legs and ripped my tights open. I gasped, meeting his gaze in the mirror.

“Zayne!”

Zayne seemed unfazed. “Were they expensive? I’ll buy you new ones.”

“No, but they were my favourite. They never ripped…”

“They did now.” I didn’t have to look into the mirror to know how amusing he found this. The hole in the tights grew bigger as he squeezed and rubbed my inner thighs. “Now, I want you to promise me something before we start. You keep your eyes on yourself in the mirror, alright? No looking away, no closing your eyes. I want you to watch.”

With a gulp, I nodded. Zayne shook his head.

“Use your words, sweetheart.”

“I promise.”

“Good girl.”

Slowly, his fingers made their way to my black panties. One gentle brush was enough to draw an unmistakably smug look on his face. “You’re soaked,” he said, his breath hot against my ear. I squirmed in his arms, but he used his other hand to keep me pressed tightly against him, my thighs spread apart. One finger hooked onto my panties and pushed them to the side. I kept my eyes on his every move in the mirror, my mouth hanging open.

“I can’t believe you got so dressed up for some loser on a dating app,” he said. He tapped my clit, enjoying the way my body reacted to such light stimulation. “A tight little dress, lace underwear… You really thought he deserves this?”

His fingertip began to trace painfully slow circles around my clit. I leaned my head back on his shoulder, letting out a moan. “He would cum and leave you unsatisfied like all the other losers before. Tell me, did you want me even while someone else was fucking you?”

I nibbled on my bottom lip. “Yeah…”

Zayne sighed. “All this time, it could have been me. Making you feel good, worshipping you, treating you how you deserve. But you were too busy with your silly little apps to notice how badly I wanted you.”

His torturous pace continued. It was like he was punishing me for every other man I’d been with, for every single time I’d wanted to say something to him but kept my mouth shut. Occasionally, he dipped his finger into my entrance, teasing the potential pleasure that could bring me. I had a hard time keeping my hips in place, stopping myself from grinding against his hand.

“I’m going to put one finger in, okay? Keep your eyes on the mirror, sweetheart.”

I expected more teasing, but his finger plunged straight into my dripping cunt. If it was only that, I wouldn’t have been so surprised, but what truly shocked me was how cold the finger was. “You’re using your evol?” I gasped.

His finger paused in me. “Is that okay?”

I nodded frantically, not wanting him to stop. “Yes, yes, continue.”

“Alright.” He kissed the skin behind my ear, and curled his finger inside me. The cold was unusual, but not unpleasant. He stroked the spongy wall like it was the most precious thing in the world. I writhed in his arms, not knowing what to hold on to.

It wasn’t enough, though. I needed so much more, but I wasn’t sure how much Zayne was willing to give. Or, to be exact, how fast he intended on going. Knowing him, he could take his sweet time and might edge me until dawn.

“Zayne, please…” I said. I lifted my gaze from his finger in my pussy to his face, and I gave him the most pathetic puppy eyes I could muster.

“Hmm? What do you need?” he purred.

I wasn’t used to asking for anything during sex. Most of the guys I’d been with had either completely disregarded my needs, or had given me everything I wanted without me even having to ask. I knew Zayne would take care of me, but I also knew he took pleasure in seeing me work for it, at least a bit.

“Could you add another finger?” I finally asked. Zayne hummed, and obeyed immediately. The sweet stretch of the second finger drew a moan out of me.

“See how easy it is to get what you want when you just ask?”

Every stroke of his icy fingers sent a wave of pleasure through me, and seeing it all in the mirror only intensified the feeling. At one point I accidentally bucked my hips against his hand, and his fingers stilled inside me.

“Don’t grind,” he said.

I decided to test the waters a bit, and I wiggled in his lap, making sure to put pressure against his cock. To my dismay, he pulled his fingers out completely, but he still held my legs wide open. I stopped my wiggling. “Why’d you stop?” I asked.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve for someone who’s soaking my pants right now.”

“Zayne…” I laughed. “I was just teasing you.”

I could tell he was only pretending to be mad—the softness in his eyes gave it away—but he didn’t resume his previous motions. Instead, he stared me down in the mirror.

“Zayne? I’m sorry, I do really want you to continue.”

“You do?”

“Yeah.”

“You’ve got a funny way of showing that.”

“Zayne… Please.”

“Hmm?”

“Please?”

“Please what?”

“Please continue.”

“Continue doing what?”

He was going to be the death of me.

“Please finger me.”

I did a mental victory dance when I saw his fingers inching closer to my entrance once more. “Please, please, please…” I continued. Every time he got near enough, my pussy clenched around the imaginary fingers. Zayne stifled a snort.

“God, you’re leaking just at the thought.”

Finally, his fingers slipped inside of me again. Not only were they cold, they were nowhere near as patient as before. I threw my head back and moaned, my eyes squeezed shut.

“Look away one more time and you’re done.”

I thought he’d finally decided to treat me to a quickly approaching orgasm, but the sudden increase of speed turned out to be just another punishment for me. Keeping my eyes on the mirror became both a physically and mentally taxing task, but I knew I couldn’t look away. He might have let my last act of defiance slide, but I didn’t want to risk finding out whether he was serious this time.

“Zayne, please, oh my God…”

“You want to cum?” His fingers sped up, making me cry out.

“Please, yes, please.”

“And will you be a good girl and keep your eyes on the mirror?”

“Yes, God. Don’t stop–”

He didn’t stop. The pressure built inside me, rising up and up and up until it came spilling all out. My whole body tensed as I came, squirting all over Zayne's pants and the floor. Zayne shushed my whimpers, his fingers stroking me through the aftershocks. “God, that was beautiful, sweetheart,” he whispered. He brushed against my swollen clit, which only made me whimper more. He peppered kisses against my temple and my cheek. “You’re so perfect…”

My legs trembled as Zayne picked me up and laid me down on the bed. I was so blissed out I only faintly registered him pulling my dress over my head and discarding his own clothes. He brought his lips to mine and kissed me deeply, pressing his chest against my bare breasts.

“Will you let me have you?” he asked in between kisses.

“Yes, please…”

“One word and I’ll stop, okay? Don’t be afraid to tell me.”

“Okay.”

I watched him, resting on my elbows as he reached over to his bedside table and pulled out a condom. He rolled it over his leaking tip, and it was only then that I took in the sheer size of him. He aligned himself with my entrance and grabbed my legs, wrapping them around his waist. I let him position me in any way he wanted. Honestly, if he told me to do a handstand, I would. I wouldn’t last long in it, but I’d try my best either way.

The stretch of his cock was on another level compared to his fingers. He took his time like before, and for the first time, I was actually grateful. If he would have plunged straight in, I think I would have split in half.

“God, you’re so…” Zayne groaned, inching deeper into me. I covered my mouth with my hand to stifle my moans, but he pulled it away, pinning my wrist against the mattress. “Don’t. I wanna hear you.”

He slowly increased the pace. His hips ground against mine, my wetness sticking to his skin with every thrust. I couldn’t tell if I had died and gone to heaven, but if my last moments were anything like this, I would die happy.

“Zayne, fuck...”

“I can’t believe I can do this with you, sweetheart,” he said, pressing his forehead against mine. “You’re an angel.”

“It feels so good…”

“Yeah? How good?”

I mewled as he drove his cock against my g-spot. “So good. Beyond good. Fuck!”

“Flip over, baby…”

I followed his orders in a cock-drunk daze, getting onto my hands and knees, except my hands gave out almost immediately and I planted my face into the pillows. He grabbed my ass, kneading it before he pushed himself inside me once more.

Every thrust had me crying into the pillows. I didn’t know how he did it, but I had genuinely never been fucked like this before. It was like he knew my body inside and out despite this being our first time together. Almost as if he could guess exactly what made me feel good.

“You’re doing so good for me, sweetheart. Such a good fucking girl…”

He planted wet kisses along my spine, whispering praises along the way. To add fuel to the fire growing in the pit of my stomach, he reached down and found my clit. I arched my back, backing into him even more.

“Zayne, I’m gonna–”

“Me too, baby. Hold on, just a little longer.”

He kept up the perfect pace—not too slow, but not too hard to be overwhelming. The slap of skin against skin filled the air, along with my whimpers and his heavy breathing. I could feel the orgasm growing closer, and I didn’t know if I was going to be able to hold it back.

“I’m so close, please–”

“Let’s cum together, okay?” he said, panting. I could only reply with another moan.

The pleasure crashed over me, just as strong, if not more than before. Zayne had to hold my hips up before I collapsed onto the mattress, shaking and breathless. I was covered in sweat and my own sticky mess leaking down my thighs. Zayne laid down next to me, pulling me close to his chest. He pressed a kiss into my hair, running his fingers up and down my back.

My eyes fluttered shut, though I was far from sleepy. “Wow…” I breathed out. Zayne chuckled.

“Is that the review I get? A ‘wow’?” he asked. I laughed as well, and snuggled even closer to him.

“I loved it.”

“Good. So did I.”

“Good. I should probably cancel that date I have next week.”

The Fatui headquarters get a taste of both worlds, though. Just yesterday I thought I might soak through my armour in sweat. Now I stand in front of the main gates, clutching my spear so I don’t topple over in the strong winds. It’s hard not to envy the guards who get to stay inside, all warm and toasty. I somehow always end up in the worst possible conditions. I won’t even mention the time I had to escort La Signora to Inazuma. I thought our ship would fall prey to the monstrous waves created by the storm on the way there. Signora was furious, shouting orders as if the sailors were in charge of the sea.

At least the journey back was quieter.

I spot a carriage inching closer through the swaying trees. It parks in front of the main gates, and out climbs a Fatui official, carrying a briefcase. I wait for someone else to emerge, but the official walks straight past me and enters through the gate my colleague is holding open.

I frown. He’s supposed to be returning today. At least that’s what he promised. I’ve known him long enough to be aware that his adventures don’t always go as planned, but as far as I know, this trip was supposed to be strictly business. No fighting involved.

My heart slows in relief when a familiar voice calls out from the carriage. “Yep, don’t worry about me, I can get out just fine.”

I rush to the carriage door, peeking inside to see Ajax sitting with his right leg stretched out on the opposite bench. His face lights up when he sees me, but his grin slowly fades as he takes in my stern expression.

“Need any help, Master Childe?” I say, putting stress on his title to keep myself from snapping at him. Archons, how did this man get injured on a business trip? Does he seriously have to fight everything that moves?

Ajax flashes me a sheepish look. “I’m assuming you won’t take no for an answer.”

It’s obvious the only thing keeping him from getting out himself is my presence. If I weren’t here, he’d jump out of the carriage like nothing’s wrong. Whatever it takes to keep his pride intact.

I throw his arm over my shoulder and help him stand. It takes some effort not to faceplant straight onto the gravelly ground, but we make it work. As we make our way through the gates and towards the headquarters, Ajax rests his weight on me more than I expect. Seems like he’s more hurt than I thought.

“Wait, let me take him–” A guard by the front door speaks up, but I dismiss him with a shake of my head. I’m not going to let some random guy take my boyfriend to the infirmary. He’s my idiot, no one else’s.

We push through the door and down the corridor to the left. The headquarters are stupidly huge, and only now I realise how far away the infirmary actually is. Whoever designed the place clearly didn’t stop to think about the logistics of carrying an injured man.

Or maybe Ajax isn’t the only one who wants to keep their pride here.

“When I told you to ‘break a leg’ before you left, I didn’t mean literally,” I mutter so that only Ajax can hear. Ajax stifles a laugh, stumbling a bit as he almost sends us into a wall.

“You know me. I can’t resist a little action. Besides, it’s not broken. Just… fractured.”

I shoot him a sharp glare. “That’s the same thing, if not worse. How did you even manage it?”

“I bumped into some treasure hoarders attacking a young girl, and I guess I got a bit carried away trying to get rid of them. But I did get rid of them in the end, so all’s well.”

“What do you mean ‘a bit carried away’?” I hiss. A couple of guards march past us, so I stick on a neutral expression and give them a curt nod in greeting. The last thing I want is for someone to hear me scolding a Harbinger. Once they pass us, Ajax replies.

“Let’s say I jumped, and… took a small tumble down a cliff.”

Archons, I want to bite his head off. Leave it to Ajax to turn every battle into a theatrical performance, even when no one is watching.

“You should have joined a circus.”

Ajax chuckles. “Maybe I could join Lyney and Lynette’s act. I’m sure they’d swing me around somewhere.”

“I’ll swing you around,” I murmur under my breath.

“Hey, no threats on my birthday. Be happy I’m still alive and kicking.”

I’m well aware it’s his birthday. I was just hoping he wouldn’t be incapacitated for the evening we could spend together. Seems like I planned that moonlit stroll for nothing.

With staggering steps we finally reach the infirmary. I push Ajax into the hands of the nurses, who hurriedly arrange him the nearest hospital bed.

“I’m fine, it’s just a scratch,” Ajax laughs, though no one in the room finds it amusing. The nurses have a field day with him every time he comes in, battered and maimed from doing Archons know what.

I’m tempted to hang around, but I know my duty lies elsewhere. I can’t be seen with him more than necessary so as not to raise suspicion. We almost got caught once by a maid while making out in his room. I never stood up so fast in my life.

It would all be much easier if I was just assigned to him as his personal guard, but he doesn’t exactly need one. Sure, he’s a Harbinger, but being the Tsaritsa’s weapon and all, he’s expected to handle himself just fine. I’d probably just get in the way, since I’m nowhere near his level when it comes to combat. Plus, I’m sure he’d worry about me as much as I worry about him.

But he’s also the only one who understands my thirst for action.

I return to my post by the main gates. The other guard is still there, leaning against the stone column behind him as he picks at his nails. Being a guard doesn’t come with much to do other than escorting important people around. It’s not like we get ambushed every week or something.

“For all the success stories I’ve heard about Master Childe, he can’t seem to keep himself out of trouble,” the guard says. I hum, unable to refute his words. Trust me, I like it even less, and mainly because I actually care about his wellbeing, not just for the sake of our country. Snezhnaya can go to hell if it means keeping Ajax out of harm’s way.

The worst thing is, he always gets into this headspace before a mission that’s impossible to pull him out of. He knows he’s not invincible or immortal, yet he seems to forget it in the heat of the moment. It’s like his mind disconnects from his body and controls it remotely, until he comes back to his senses and realises that “Oh, I got shot by fifty arrows!”

I’ve only been close to him for a few months, but the amount of scary situations he’s found himself in isn’t ideal, especially not for a human man.

This whole broken leg thing really threw a wrench in the works. I was planning on talking to him for a bit about tonight, but with him in the infirmary, I can’t exactly go there without a legitimate excuse. I’d probably need to hurt myself to even get in.

Huh… That could work.

I stand up straighter, as if I heard something in the distance. Dusk has already settled around the grounds, the forest in front of us turning into a wall of darkness. “Do you hear that?” I say. The guard focuses on the direction I’m looking at.

“Hear what?”

“I don’t know, it sounds like heavy rustling. I’m gonna go check it out.”

I make my way towards the forest, my spear in hand. The only rustling I hear are the leaves above me, but I keep up the appearances of my investigation. Once I’m so far I can’t see the main gates, I stop in my tracks.

I could get attacked by a bear. No, that’s stupid, I don’t think I’d be able to give myself claw gashes. Besides, I don’t want to actually torture myself. Just a minor injury to justify my visit to the infirmary.

So, I stab the tip of my spear into my hand. Not all the way through, but deep enough to cause damage. I bite my lip at the pain before remembering that I should probably act it out realistically.

“Ow, fuck!” I yell. I shuffle around in the fallen pine needles to create ambience and wipe my spear on my armour to remove any evidence. I return to the main gates in a run, clutching my bleeding hand.

Ow, that actually really hurts.

The guard is wide eyed as I run up to him. “What happened? What was it?”

“A deer ran into me! It was grazing on a patch of grass, and when I spotted it, it just jammed its antlers straight into my hand!”

“What? Did you kill it?” He looks over my shoulder in the direction of the forest. Good, at least he believes me. Because what kind of lunatic would pretend to be attacked by a deer, right?

I shake my head. “No, it ran away before I could get my bearings. But it was huge, I doubt I would have done much damage anyway.”

“Do you need me to take you to the infirmary?” the guard asks, genuine concern etched onto his face. I shake my head again.

“I can make it on my own. Make sure it doesn’t come back and attack you or something.”

The guard nods. “Yeah… yeah.”

I must have really thrown him off, poor guy. I give the forest one last fearful look before going straight to the infirmary.

Ajax is lying on his hospital bed with a book when I arrive. The sight is bizarre — I don’t think I’ve ever seen him read. He looks up at the sound of my footsteps. He takes in the state of my bloody hand, and his eyebrows fly up in surprise.

“What–”

“What in Teyvat happened to you?” An old nurse pops her head out of the storage room.

“I got impaled by a deer,” I reply. Ajax tries to get back to his book as if it’s none of his business, but I can feel his gaze following my every move. The nurse mutters something under her breath before ushering me towards the bed next to Ajax.

“You guards have nothing better to do with your time, don’t you?” she says, rinsing off the blood with cold water. I grimace, my toes clenching in my boots. “At least if you were training, or doing something useful, but no, you have to go and get yourself impaled by a deer.”

“What has the world come to, huh?” Ajax comments, earning himself a nasty look from the nurse.

“You’re no better,” she snaps. Ajax raises the book over his face.

“Sorry, ma’am,” he mumbles. The only thing keeping me from laughing is the searing pain. This nurse has most likely worked here longer than Ajax has been alive.

The nurse begins to wrap my hand up in gauze, her expert hands working to secure it tightly. I suppress my wincing, not wanting to get scolded for being a crybaby. “There, done.”

“Actually, I’m feeling slightly lightheaded. Could I have a lie down here for a bit?” I ask, praying she’d say yes. She might be strict, but she can’t just send me out with the risk of me fainting, right? Besides, I have lost quite a bit of blood, so it’s not like I’m making it up.

The nurse gives me a once-over. I sway slightly for dramatical effect. The nurse sighs. “Alright, lie here for a bit, I’ll check up on you in a few minutes.”

Me and Ajax watch as the nurse returns to whatever she was doing in the storage room. As soon as the door closes behind her, Ajax rounds on me.

“Impaled by a deer? Really?” He sneers.

“Fine, I might have done the damage myself, but it’s not my fault you snapped your leg in half and got yourself stuck here for the night,” I shoot back. “I just wanted to talk to you.”

“So you stabbed yourself in the hand?”

“Yes,” I say, lifting my chin up in defiance.

“You’re insane.”

“I don’t care.”

Ajax tries to keep his composure, but I can see him slowly cracking up. The whole thing is so absurd that it’s hard not to find it funny.

“I’m not here for the night, by the way. The nurse just wants to give me my night medicine before I’m free to go to my own room,” says Ajax. My face falls.

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope. You impaled yourself for nothing.”

I huff. “Well, it’s not for nothing. Without it, I wouldn’t know where you’d be sleeping tonight. So there.”

Ajax’s smirk grows. “I can’t believe you’re so obsessed with me that you’d go to such lengths just to talk to me.”

“It’s your birthday. You deserve to have an enjoyable night.”

He raises an eyebrow. “An enjoyable night, huh? What did you have in mind?”

Oh, how badly I want to slap that smirk off his face. “Nothing now. It involved walking, so too bad.”

Ajax’s expression falters. “Wait, you actually had something planned?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ruin whatever you had prepared,” he replies softly. “I can try to walk. Or hobble, at least. Maybe jump on one leg–”

“No, you’re on bedrest. That’ll have to do. I’ll figure something out.”

“But–”

“No buts. Even if I have to strap you down, you’re staying put.”

“You’re starting to sound like the nurse,” Ajax grumbles. Just then, the nurse emerges from the storage room, drying her wet hands on her apron. Thankfully, though, she doesn’t seem to have overheard our conversation.

“Feeling better?” she asks me. I nod, lifting myself up from the bed. She turns to Ajax and hands him a cup of mysterious liquid. “Drink this. Once you do, you’re free to go for the night. Come back tomorrow if you feel like you need more medicine, but you seem like a strong young man, so I’m sure you can handle the pain.”

“Thank you,” says Ajax. He downs the cup in one go, coughing as it goes down his throat.

“May I ask you to escort him to his room?” The nurse turns to me again, and I nod.

“It would be my pleasure,” I reply. Ajax grins at me behind her back.

I take Ajax out of the infirmary, up a winding staircase and into the living quarters. The Harbingers’ living quarters, to be exact. We, lowly guards, don’t get the luxury of a private bedroom and bathroom.

The journey is much easier than it was in the afternoon when Ajax arrived. The nurse gave him crutches, so he doesn’t have to rely on my feeble support. His leg is now secured in a sort of metal contraption to keep his bone from moving. They had to cut his pant leg off to get to it, though.

We reach his bedroom. Both of us glance each way before sneaking inside.

“Lock the door,” says Ajax as he limps towards his bed. I blink.

“What?”

He turns to me with a smile. “Lock the door. We don’t want any unwanted visitors, do we?”

Slightly flustered, I follow his orders. It’s not like I’ve never been alone in a room with him, but it has always been at random times of the day, and only for a few fleeting moments. We’ve never actually had time to do… stuff.

Well, it’s not like we’d be doing stuff now, anyway. He’ll be lucky to get into bed and fall asleep.

His eyes follow me as I light the room up, my hands clumsy with the lamp covers. “Hey,” he says softly, catching my attention. I turn to him.

“Yeah?”

“My leg is so sore, I don’t think I’ll be able to get undressed all by myself,” he says. My face heats up. Of course he’d say something like that.

“Really? I thought you were Mr. ‘I can handle everything myself’,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Why should I when I could have my girl do it for me?”

My blush deepens. “Your girl, huh?” I step closer, now standing between his outstretched legs. He takes my hands, pressing a kiss onto each knuckle.

“Yeah. Is that not you?”

“It is me. I hope. Unless you have someone else you haven’t told me about.”

“Nope, you’re my one and only,” he says, squeezing the uninjured hand.

“Good.”

He tugs on my hand, motioning for me to lean down. “Will I get a kiss for my birthday?”

“Later. We need to get you to bed first,” I reply. I can’t keep falling for his manipulative tactics.

“Oh, c’mon, please? Just one. A little one. A peck. I’m on my deathbed and you’re refusing me the pleasure of your lips on mine?”

“You’re being dramatic. Sit back.”

Ajax listens, letting me undo his shirt. I ignore the stirring in my chest and focus on the job, as if I were undressing a stranger purely for medical reasons.

“Do you sleep in a shirt?” I ask.

“Nope. Butt naked.”

“Ajax.”

“Fine, I sleep in pants, but no shirt.”

I go over to his dresser to pull out a more comfortable pair of pants. I chuck some linen ones over my shoulder at him, reveling in his surprised yelp.

“You’re trying to kill me!”

“Can you put them on yourself?” I ask. Ajax glances down at his legs, then up at me, and shakes his head. I sigh.

“Are you nervous?” he asks.

“What? No,” I say quickly. But he’s unconvinced.

“Yeah, you are. You’re all red and trembling. Have you never seen a naked man before?”

“I have, but it’s different with you.”

“Oh, right, because you have a big, fat crush on me.”

“Ajax…” I whine, burying my face in my hands. I expect this to amuse him even more, but he softens.

“Hey, if this is too much for you, I can figure out a way to do it myself. It’s not like I’ll ask a maid to dress me every day for the next month. I was just teasing you.”

“No, I wanna do it,” I reply.

Ajax’s eyes widen. “You do?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright…”

I kneel in front of him, my hands going up to the waistband of his pants. I try not to look up at him, because I know that if I did, I’d be done for. I’d probably faint and die.

“I can take them off a bit, I just need help getting them off the right leg–”

“No, I’ll do it,” I say.

This seems to shut him up. The air is filled with nothing but the sound of our breaths and the rustling of clothes as I begin to pry the trousers down his hips. I keep my focus on his knees, anywhere but the area that’s practically begging for my attention.

Once his pants are off, I have no choice but to look at his underwear. “You wanna keep that on?”

It takes him a moment to respond. “No.”

Oh, Archons… “Okay. Lift your hips a bit.”

Soon, his underwear is off as well. My eyes fly up to meet his, not wanting to make him uncomfortable by ogling him. He lets out a soft chuckle. “You can look, you know. I was hoping we’d get to this point eventually.”

“I don’t want to be rude or anything.”

Ajax laughs. “Rude? Oh, baby, you’re adorable.”

Without my permission, my eyes flick down to his hips, and–

Holy fuck.

“It’s– Wow.”

Ajax grins. “Wow?”

“Well, it’s–” I’m no expert, but that doesn’t seem… average-sized to me. And from what I know, I can tell Ajax is very turned on right now, judging by the state of it. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything,” he replies. “You wanna put my pants on or you wanna keep looking?”

I tear my gaze away from him and scramble for the trousers. They’re looser than his normal ones, so I have no problem sliding them up his legs. Show’s over now, and I get to my feet.

“So, you’re all ready for bed, so I’m gonna head–”

Ajax frowns. “You’re not seriously thinking of leaving me all alone here, are you? It’s my birthday.”

I stiffen. “What, you want me to sleep here?”

“Yeah. You can sneak out early in the morning.”

“But–”

“No one will catch us, I promise. Plus, you already know your way to the barracks from my balcony, so it’ll be easy peasy. Please?”

I can’t say no to him. Look at his face. It would be like kicking a puppy. I let out a sigh, and begin to disassemble my own armour. Ajax happily scoots himself up to the head of the bed, patting the mattress beside him for me to join him. Once I’m in nothing but my undershirt and shorts, I climb onto the bed next to him.

Ajax pulls me to his side, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. “There we go.”

I snuggle closer to him, throwing my leg over him. “Look at us. Both crippled.”

“Hey, your hand is your own doing. I was in battle.”

“Yeah, a battle of your own making. No one forced you to jump off a cliff.”

“Whatever. This just proves that we’re a perfect match.”

He lifts his fingers to my chin and tilts my head towards him. I meet his deep blue gaze, mesmerised by the freckles on his cheeks, the thin white scar on his temple. And his chin. And his nose. Archons, why is he so scratched up?

“Do I get my birthday kiss now?” he asks, his eyes locked on my mouth.

“What, a birthday undressing wasn’t enough for you?”

“You know it wasn’t.”

Before I can respond, he grabs the side of my face and pulls me into a kiss. I take a moment to savour it before kissing back, my lips matching his in a sweet rhythm. His hand goes from my cheek to the back of my head, sliding his fingers into my hair. I place my hand on his chest for stability, because with how much he’s pulling me in I fear I might land on top of him.

He deepens the kiss, his tongue brushing against mine. I feel the heat rising within me, curling like smoke into every part of my body. Every touch sets my skin aflame. His fingertips glide over my body, down my chest, lower and lower.

I pull away. “We can’t do that. You’re hurt.”

Ajax shakes his head, his gaze drunk with desire. “I don’t care. I need you.”

“But your leg–”

“I don’t need my leg for what I’m about to do to you.”

My worries gradually melt away as his hand slips into my shorts, finding that sweet spot immediately. I bite my lip and bury my face in his shoulder. His other hand, still on the back of my head, strokes my hair.

“Fuck, Ajax…” I moan. His fingers glide easily through the wetness. I feel embarrassed for being so turned on in the first place.

“Does it feel good?” he asks. I nod against his shoulder. “Good, just enjoy it.”

“It’s your birthday,” I pant out. “Shouldn’t– Ah– I be the one making you feel good?”

He slips a finger inside me, curls it, and I’m seeing stars. “I’ve wanted to touch you like this for so long. It’s the best birthday present I could get.”

“But–”

He tugs my head back gently so I’m looking up at him. “Shh, baby. Just let me do my work. Can I add another one?”

My mind is flying through clouds. “Another what?”

Ajax smiles. “Finger.”

“Y-yeah.”

I didn’t know how it could feel any better than it already does, but when he adds the second finger, I swear I almost black out. My heart is hammering against my chest, the overwhelming pleasure between my thighs growing stronger and stronger. To make matters worse, Ajax runs his thumb over my clit. I’m gripping onto him for dear life, squirming under his touch. The sounds coming out of my mouth are ones I never would have dreamed of hearing.

“Careful,” he teases, “these walls might be thinner than you think.”

I punch his chest lightly in retaliation, but I regret it instantly as pain shoots through my bandaged palm. “Fuck you.”

He keeps curling his fingers inside me in slow motion, each stroke blissful torture. A wave of pleasure begins to rise within me. I clamp my legs shut, but that doesn’t stop Ajax. “Open them up again, we haven’t even finished,” he says.

“I can’t, it’s– It’s too good–”

“Too good? You haven’t reached the best part yet.”

“Ajax–”

He silences me by pressing his lips onto mine. He captures my moans as I cum on his hand, my thighs trembling. He doesn’t even pull his fingers out. No, he keeps going, moving them inside until I physically can’t take it anymore. I grab his wrist to stop him, my skin so oversensitive that I feel like I’ll explode.

He takes the hint and pulls his hand out, taking it straight to his mouth. I watch, stunned, as he licks his hand clean, his eyes fluttering close. He meets my gaze, deliberately sucking the last digit in the most obscene way possible. I feel faint.

“I wanna return the favour,” I say once I catch my breath. Ajax looks surprised, but not displeased.

“You don’t have to.”

“But I want to. I just… don’t know what you’d like.”

Ajax stays silent for a moment. “I’d go all in, but with my leg… We could only do it if you take the lead.”

“What do you mean?”

“Would you like to ride me?”

I blink. “Ride you?”

“Yeah. You sit on top, do all the work. Only if you want to, though. I’m sure you’re tired, with your hand and all–”

I give him a determined nod. It’s his birthday, the least I can do is take the lead while he rests a bit.

I pull my shorts off and climb on top of him. He pulls his pants down his hips, freeing himself from their constraints. I can feel how hard he is underneath me. My head spins, my heart pounding in anticipation.

“I can guide you down onto it,” he says, taking hold of my hips. I steady myself with my hands on his chest, and I’m comforted by the hammering of his own heart. “Just take a deep breath.”

I inhale deeply, and with his help I slide down onto him carefully. We both let out a moan simultaneously. His fingers were something, but this is on a whole other level. He throws his head back, his lips parted slightly. “Fuck…”

I grind my hips against his, taking him further into me. He’s so big that I honestly don’t know how I’m still alive right now. I can’t be alive right now. This is what heaven must feel like.

“You’re so beautiful…” he breathes out, his gaze running up and down my body. “So fucking gorgeous…”

“Am I doing it right?” I ask. Ajax nods hazily.

“Yes, Gods, yes. So right.”

I get into a rhythm that sends both me and him to another dimension. He takes my hand, pressing kisses against every inch of my skin. It doesn’t take long before I feel the familiar wave build up again, rushing closer and closer towards us.

“I’m gonna cum,” says Ajax. I bite my lip to stifle another moan from spilling out.

“Then cum,” I say, but Ajax shakes his head, a smile spreading across his face.

“I have to pull out for that, sweetheart.”

“But– Oh…” It takes me a second to realise what he means, but once I do, I stop moving against him. He slips out of me, and I watch as he takes himself into his hand. My mouth falls open, my eyes fixed on the movement of his hand.

“I want us to cum together,” he says.

“What?”

“Go on, baby. Touch yourself.”

My whole body is on fire. I barely touch myself when I’m alone, but in front of someone? He’s genuinely trying to kill me.

I keep watching him, my hand slowly making its way between my legs. I find my clit, matching his speed. His eyes are locked on my hand, his face twisted in pleasure as he moans my name.

“Keep going, I’m so close…”

I never thought watching me touch myself would get him off, but now as I watch him, I’m in the exact same boat. I settle down on his thighs, my hand working against my clit. His breathing grows more ragged as he brings himself to the edge.

“Ajax, I’m so–”

I don’t even get to finish my sentence. The orgasm hits me like a meteorite, knocking me off my balance. I collapse onto him as I feel him cum against my stomach. I’m too blissed out to care about how sticky and sweaty we both are.

“Wow…” Ajax exhales heavily. I can’t even bring myself to speak. “That was definitely better than just a kiss.”

My eyelids flutter shut as I rest my head on his chest. His hand finds its way into my hair again, gently scratching my scalp in a way that sends a shiver down my spine. A sense of absolute peace washes over me.

“Happy birthday, Ajax…” I murmur. Ajax lets out a pleased hum, and presses a kiss against the top of my head.

AU: no curses, high school, office setting

Tags: office romance, CEO Gojo Satoru, betrayal, denial of feelings, requited unrequited love, angst, marriage of convenience, miscommunication, slowburn, (internalised) homophobia, happy ending!!

I don’t care what anyone thinks of me. They call me a thief? Can’t deny it one bit. Street rat? Where else am I supposed to go. Murderer? Guilty as charged. I’m far past the point of worrying about the opinions of the people who used to know me, let alone strangers. They can’t pretend to care now, not when they left me in the dust when I needed their help the most.

I crouch a little lower behind the thick bush, not that anyone could really see me in this downpour anyway. I usually target the merchant carts heading towards Inazuma City. Not food, not necessities, but things like luxury silk or jewelry. I only take a bit each time, enough for me to get the money I need without getting too greedy with it. I don’t claim to be fair when it comes to stealing, as I’m sure I’ve taken things from good people as well as the bad ones. But I can’t afford to starve to death when there are still people roaming this planet that haven’t paid for their crimes. Crimes infinitely worse than I could ever commit.

Rain is the perfect weapon to use alongside my cryo Vision. How I’ve managed to avoid the clutches of the Vision Hunt Decree, I have no idea, but I have. After all, if I did get caught, I’d be in trouble for a lot more than just owning a Vision. But so far I’ve been lucky, and ever since I moved my territory out of Inazuma City directly, I’ve had far fewer run-ins with any guards.

But even then, I've been struggling lately. Merchants have been travelling with guards in tow, and I have a feeling it might be because of me. A cart and a single merchant is fine, but it gets trickier when there are people trained to fight in the equation. I'd only be asking for trouble if I tried to attack a whole squad like that.

I catch some movement in the corner of my eye, and a person comes into view. Despite their short stature, I realise it's a man, and not a child either. By the looks of his attire, I doubt he's a simple farmer or a fisherman, especially with a hat like that.

I'd like a hat like that. Once it stops raining, I could sell it for a hefty price. It looks fancy enough.

I scope the area, but when I see there's no one else in sight, I make my move. I'm quick on my feet, the rain muffling my steps as I jump over the bush and sneak up on the man from behind. The blade of my knife presses against his neck, and I can feel him tense against me.

“Give me everything you have,” I murmur into his ear. “The hat too.”

The man doesn't argue, doesn't say a word, but he doesn't move either. My face twitches in frustration. I'm used to seeing people tremble, beg for mercy, but now it's as if I've stopped him just to ask for the time.

“Now,” I say, my tone harsher. “I’m not gonna repeat myself.”

“You're joking, right?” he finally says, not a hint of fear in his voice. He sounds more bored than anything. My frown deepens, and I shift my grip on the knife's handle.

“I'm not joking,” I snap. To my surprise, the man lets out a dry laugh.

“Then you're more pathetic than I thought.” Before I can react, he grabs my wrist, twists it, and slams me against a nearby tree trunk. He pins my hands above my head, practically crushing my bones to make me drop the knife. I stifle a painful groan. He presses my own blade against my throat.

He looked so harmless…

“I'd call you brave if you weren't so incredibly stupid,” he says, his lips curling into a mocking snarl. “Ambushing me like this, you’ve really got some nerve.”

I scoff. Why is he acting like his importance rivals the Shogun or something? He’s probably nothing but a spoiled rich boy who likes to think his existence has great meaning in this world.

His eyes narrow at my scoff, and I feel the blade scrape the surface of my skin. He pulls my scarf off my face, his gaze running over my features. He’s surprisingly strong for his size, though I guess people could say the same about me.

“You’ve been following me, haven’t you?” he says. “I saw you in that little village this morning.”

This makes me pause. “Wait, what? No, I haven’t–”

“Don’t waste your breath.”

“I genuinely have no idea–”

“You think I wouldn’t notice, huh? I’m honestly offended. What kind of idiot do you take me for?”

I begin to realise that I would really be wasting my breath arguing with him. For some reason, this weirdo is convinced I’m stalking him, and since I was in that village this morning, I don’t exactly have an excuse that could change his mind.

“No counterargument? I was wondering how long you’d last,” he says in mock disappointment.

“There’s nothing I can say. You caught me,” I reply, managing a small shrug as my wrists are still pinned above me. If he’s so paranoid as to think he has people following him, I might as well mess with him a bit.

Either he’ll kill me now, or later. It makes no difference to me.

He frowns, confused by my sudden acceptance of defeat. My lips twitch into a smile. “You know, you’re not exactly hard to follow. You stand out like a snowman on a hot summer’s day with that big ass hat–”

My jeering is short-lived when he lets out a scoff, raises his arm, and with one swift movement, my whole world goes black.

* * *

I come to my senses, only to find myself restrained by heavy chains wrapped around my whole body. My head is pounding in a way that reminds me of the last time someone had knocked me out like this, and I try to swallow the dry feeling in my mouth.

It takes me a moment to realise that, despite trying to open my eyes, I can’t see a thing. It seems as if I’ve been blindfolded by my own scarf, and I begin to wonder what could that angry little man possibly want with me. I’m as valuable as an old shoe, if even that.

“Good, you’re awake,” a voice calls out, one that I can vaguely match to the guy’s face. His footsteps approach my helpless body on the cold stone floor, and I feel him nudge me with the tip of his boot. “Sit up,” he commands, leaving no room for argument.

Since he notices my inability to push myself up into an upright position, he grabs the chain and yanks me upwards. I grunt, shifting into a not so comfortable and completely vulnerable position. “A blindfold? Really?” I say, which makes him huff. He pulls it off my head, letting the room around us come into view.

It looks nothing better than a prison cell, only much more spacious. More like a storage room of sorts, now meant to store me. There’s no natural light, no windows, no way to escape other than the door behind him.

What kind of nutcase did I run into?

My gaze meets his, the torchlight making him appear much more menacing than before. His arms are crossed over his chest, and he left his silly hat in the corner of the room. Maybe my taunting had gotten to him.

“Who do you work for?” he asks, his tone firm. I was planning on chit-chatting a bit, but clearly he wants to get straight into it.

“None of your business,” I respond. I have no idea where my courage is coming from, but all I know is that if I don’t keep up this brave front, I’ll lose my fucking mind.

“You can’t work alone, that wouldn’t make any sense, so I can only assume you were sent by the Resistance. Or perhaps your loyalties don’t lie with Inazuma at all.”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I say, which earns me a sharp slap across my left cheek. My head flies to the side, and I let out a short breath. My head isn’t exactly in perfect condition after being knocked out so violently, so I have a feeling I might start seeing stars soon.

“I don’t have time for your remarks. If you want me to kill you, just say so. It’ll save me a lot of trouble,” he replies. “If you don’t answer me honestly, I won’t hesitate to rid the world of excessive scum like you.”

“Ask away, then,” I say, tilting my head at him. He hums, and after a short pause, he begins to circle around me in a slow, almost predatory manner.

“What’s your mission?”

“I was told to find out more about you.”

“I’m surprised they even know I’m here.”

“They know a lot more than you think,” I reply. I have no clue who they are, but they’re clearly a threat to him. Maybe he really thinks I’m with the Resistance.

“What else do they know about me?” he asks, stopping right in front of me. He crouches down to meet at eye level.

“Sorry, confidential information.”

“It can’t be confidential if it’s about me. Go on, spit it out. You’ve been doing so good so far.”

“Then tell me something about yourself and I’ll tell you if I know it or not,” I say.

He lets out a snort, shaking his head. “I’m not sure that would work. It would benefit you a lot more than me.”

“Well, I have short term memory loss, so it’s not like I’d even remember anything to bring back,” I reply. He raises an eyebrow, amused by my comment.

“Really? So, if I, I don’t know, broke your finger right now, you wouldn’t even remember it in a few minutes?”

“What?”

His smirk widens. My smile drops. A disturbing crack fills the air as he grabs my index finger and twists it at an ungodly angle. Something between a yelp and a whimper escapes my lips and I bite my tongue to suppress the urge to scream. The pain is instant, spreading through my whole hand like a disease.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I snap, my breathing heavy. “You just broke my finger!”

“What an astute observation. Good thing they made you a spy and not someone else, right?” he sneers, pushing himself up to his feet. “I’m sure they’re mourning your loss greatly.”

The door behind him slams open, revealing a masked man dressed in all red, bearing some sort of fire gun. I have a feeling I’ve seen soldiers dorning that attire before, and it doesn’t take me long to add two and two together. The revelation sends an uneasy shiver down my spine.

This man works for the Fatui. And judging by the way the soldier addresses him, I doubt he’s just some lowly recruit.

“Sorry to interrupt, sir, but they want your approval on the newest batch for delivery,” the soldier says, giving him a salute. The man stands up, sparing me one last glance before turning to the door.

“Send someone to watch her for now,” he says. “We’ll talk later.”

“Wait, so you’re…?” I trail off, hoping he’d fill in the blank without me looking like I have no clue who he is. He eyes me once again, but responds without much hesitation.

“The Balladeer, yes.”

“Like, as in one of the Harbingers?” I ask. I’m praying that my deduction is correct, otherwise I have no idea how the Fatui works and why they would give everyone random mysterious nicknames.

“Are you stupid?” he replies. His responses shouldn’t surprise me at this point, but they still do. I blink.

“What?”

“I don’t have time for this right now. Shut up or I’ll have to gag you.”

I watch, perplexed, as he picks up his hat and storms out of the room. The soldier and I exchange a glance, though I can’t read his expression through his mask. He’s probably used to that lunatic, but even then I can feel the fear seeping out of him. He calls for two more soldiers, ordering them to never let me out of their sight, and he departs as well.

* * *

Feeding the Balladeer lies is, as it turns out, way easier than I expected. It doesn’t take me long to construct a fake identity thanks to his constant questioning. Living on the streets has taught me a thing or two about good acting, and he seems completely oblivious to the fact that not a single word that has come out of my mouth has been the truth. If I tried hard enough, I could probably convince him I’m the Raiden Shogun’s long lost sibling. Not that it would benefit me in any way.

For some reason, I’ve agreed to help him. His interrogation has led me to the information that the Fatui have plans to distribute these things called Delusions amongst the masses, and all I could hear from his words was business and money.

He calls me from my cell to his makeshift office in the Delusion factory one day. I can’t really complain about being held hostage like this – I’m warm, energised, and not exactly starving either. At least him keeping me here gives me the chance to get some scoop on the Fatui, something that might come in handy once I escape.

I knock on the door and he swings it open in an instant, a scowl on his face. “I called for you five minutes ago, what took you so long?” he snaps, letting me inside. I shrug.

“Your soldiers are quite chatty.”

“Which one?”

“Why? So you know who to kill?”

“I see you’re learning fast.”

He beckons me over to his desk and sits down, dipping his pen into a nearby inkpot. Not much of a time waster, I see. I settle myself on top of the desk by his right hand, amused by how he doesn’t even bother to hide the twitch of his eye. I take great pleasure in pissing him off, and he hasn’t even hurt me after the first time. Not only that, he even ordered one of his men to tend to my injury. My finger is now being held together by a sturdy stick, wrapped around in gauze.

“So, tell me everything you know again so I can write it down,” he says, spreading out a sheet of paper in front of him. I cross my legs and give him a puzzled look.

“Why can’t I just write it?”

“Because you’d have shit handwriting.”

“You don’t even know what my handwriting looks like.”

“You have a broken finger, dumbass.”

“I’m left-handed, dumbass.”

He shoots up and drops the pen onto the paper, splattering ink all over it. He runs me over with his gaze, taking a step closer until my knees are pressed against his stomach. To my astonishment, he pulls my legs apart and stands between them, just to get up in my face even more. “You really think you’re invincible, don’t you? Just because I haven’t killed you yet doesn’t mean I won’t,” he seethes.

I push down the fluttering feeling in my stomach as his hands don’t leave their place on my knees. “Why haven’t you, though?” I reply, my voice lower than usual. His eyes look like they’re trying to pierce a hole through my head.

“Why haven’t I?”

“Yeah, why haven’t you?” I repeat.

He lets out a small scoff. “Not to inflate your ego, but you’re too interesting to kill… at least now.”

“Oh? So you’ll get bored of me someday?” I say, cocking my head to the side. He follows the movement, his eyes tracing my face, landing on my lips before he meets my gaze again.

“Definitely. Unless you prove to be useful.”

I hum. His proximity makes my skin tingle with a heat I’m not familiar with. “How? By telling you all my secrets?”

“Or other ways. I’m sure I can figure something out for you,” he replies, his face growing dangerously closer to mine.

“So that means you’ll keep me here forever, then? Won’t I get on your nerves too much?”

“You won’t as long as you shut up once in a while,” he says, his eyes narrowed. My smile widens.

“I’m not sure I can promise that.”

“Just give it a try.”

“What?”

“Shut up.”

I bite back a laugh. “Make me.”

His lips slam against mine with such force I nearly lose my balance on the edge of the desk, but he catches me, tangling one hand in the back of my hair, the other gripping my knee. I take in a sharp breath and my eyelids flutter shut, returning the kiss with just as much force. My heart pounds against my ribcage, so much so I fear it might burst out of my chest and jump into his.

He doesn’t let me go up for air, doesn’t even let me form a coherent thought as his tongue slips past my lips. His hand slides down from my hair to my hip, pulling me closer to him, letting me wrap one of my legs around his waist. He might be small, but I’m no giant either, and right now his presence towers over me in a way that makes me want him exponentially more.

He nips at my bottom lip, making me produce a small, pathetic whimper, crumbling my cocky attitude in an instant. He grips my clothes like the mere thought of them insults him. My hands slide up his chest to wrap around his neck, the last drop of sanity within me making sure I don’t hurt my finger even more.

He pulls away. His hand goes back up to my hair, pulling my head to the side to give him access to my neck. “You make me sick,” is the only thing he says before he dives in, his lips finding the sensitive skin on my neck. It’s like he’s fighting himself, his deepest desires against his better judgement.

I let out a small chuckle. “You must really love your enemies if this is how you show your hatred.”

“I thought I told you to shut up.” He bites my neck, making me gasp.

“Don’t act like you don’t love the sound of my voice.”

“I wasn’t kidding about that gag.”

“I bet you’d get off on seeing me tied up and gagged,” I reply. He raises his head from my neck, a small smirk on his lips.

As far as I could see, he seemed to be taking the whole recent ordeal quite well. If I were in his shoes… Well, it’s ridiculous to even try to compare myself to the Iudex. If I were in his shoes, I’d have had a stroke or a heart attack by now. Or both.

But now, with all the pacing and muttering and late nights spent at his office, I can’t help but worry a bit. I try to help him as much as I can, but there’s only so much an assistant like me can do. I can’t exactly do all the work for him. Imagine how the country would end up if I did.

It’s nearly 10 pm. I know I should have headed home by now, even the melusines have gone already. Something is stopping me, though. Maybe it’s my workaholic tendencies, maybe I’m just worried about Neuvillette. I’m in no place to carry such a burden, but maybe I just want to give him the support he’s given me. After all, he’s given me more than I could ever give back in my lifetime.

I straighten the stack of papers on my desk and rise from my seat. I eye the clockwork meka standing threateningly by the exit. They’ve always freaked me out a bit, their height and mechanical strength leaving no room for mercy. I’ve rarely actually seen them in action, though I’m certainly not complaining.

The small kitchen light flickers as I enter. I pour a fresh glass of water and tip some mints into a little bowl, shivering slightly as a light breeze blows through the kitchen window.

Neuvillette’s footsteps still when I knock on his office door. “Come in,” his calm voice calls out. I make an effort not to spill the water everywhere as I push the handle down with my elbow.

His office is by no means a reflection of his busy mind — meticulously organised bookshelves, spotless desk, not a single ruffle in the couch cushions. Sometimes I wonder whether he’s able to sort through all his thoughts and emotions as neatly as he sorts everything else, keeping them stored in labeled corners of his brain.

Despite everything I thought I knew about him, soon after getting this job I found out he isn’t as uptight and strict as I had imagined. It might be because I see him interact more with melusines than anyone else, but there’s something about his nature that makes me feel safe as long as I know he’s in the same building as I am. Just like he protected me back then, the thought of his presence now keeps my sanity safe.

Neuvillette’s gaze lands on the items in my hands and I swear his expression softens a bit. “I still have the last water you brought me,” he says, nodding over to the half empty glass on his desk.

“That was three hours ago, sir. You must be thirsty,” I say, walking over to his desk and placing the new water next to the old glass. “Besides, I’m sure you prefer a fresh glass.”

Neuvillette lets out a soft hum. “Yes, I suppose I do.”

“I also brought you some sweets,” I say, the bowl joining the fresh glass on the desk. I don't mention the fact that I had been tipped off by a melusine about Neuvillette’s preference for mints.

The gesture seems to charm a smile on his face. “Thank you,” he says, picking up a mint between his fingers, as if to simply examine it. “Why haven't you gone home yet? It's far past your working hours.”

I shrug. “I wanted to make myself useful… And you're still here, so it felt wrong to just leave when there's work to be done.”

“I'm always here, though,” Neuvillette replies.

I let out a sheepish laugh. “Right, yes… Still–”

“I don't want you to tire yourself out just because I'm still working. There's a lot of work to do, a lot to rebuild, but that won't change anytime soon. There's no need for you to be passing out from fatigue tomorrow.”

I never liked lying to Neuvillette. Not only do I feel like I could get thrown into the Fortress of Meropide for something as little as a white lie, but I also can’t help but feel like he can see right through me, as if my skull can provide no barrier to someone as powerful as him. It’s scary, really, the way he can read me. But what scares me more is how he genuinely seems to care. I’m not used to it.

“I’d rather stay here a bit longer,” I say, fiddling with the button on my sleeve. “I’m in no rush to get home. It’s not like there’s anyone waiting up for me.”

Neuvillette doesn’t seem to be a fan of my self-deprecating humour, as he lets out a sigh. He takes a sip of his water and sets it back down. The dim lamplight dances across his features, softening the Iudex’s intimidating demeanour. “It’s been a year, right?”

My eyes widen at his sudden comment. I didn’t expect him to remember the exact date, despite me having it tattooed in my brain, an ever-present reminder of my misery. I nod slowly. “Yes, I believe so.”

We’ve never talked about it. Not after he rescued me from the ruins of my own home, not after he took me in and gave me food, a job and a place to stay. It’s as if he knows that speaking of it would only bring me more pain, that it would counteract all the effort I’ve put into keeping the nightmares at bay. But it seems like tonight is different. Maybe it really is time for me to get it out of my system.

Neuvillette takes a seat on one of the sofas in his office and beckons me to do the same. I follow suit without much hesitation, though my heart is pumping faster than usual. He crosses one leg over the other and shifts his position to face me better, a soft smile making its way onto his face.

“I don’t think I have ever told you how much I admire your strength,” he says, taking me by surprise. I blink at him, those words being the last thing I’d ever expect to come out of his mouth.

“Strength, sir? I’d hardly consider myself strong–”

“Ah, well that’s where you’re wrong. I understand that it might be hard for you to judge it from your inner perspective, but trust me when I say that your strength is one of your most admirable qualities. Not many people would be able to handle what you have.”

“You would…” I mumble, and Neuvillette laughs.

“You put me on too high of a pedestal, dear,” he replies. “I can’t say I would be able to handle your situation as gracefully as you did. And still do.”

The truth is, I never handled it gracefully at all, and I have a feeling he knows this, but he’s merely trying to cheer me up. I appreciate the gesture. After all, if he told me about all the times he’s caught me crying when I thought no one was looking, his whole “wow you’re so strong” speech would go down the drain.

As if sensing my thoughts, Neuvillette continues. “I know what you’re thinking. ‘How can I be strong if I feel like my whole life is falling apart?’ But that’s exactly the thing. It hasn’t fallen apart. You’re still here, you still wake up every day with a purpose, with a reason to continue living.”

I feel a hot blush creeping up my cheeks. “Yeah, well… It’s only because of you that I am still here. Who knows where I’d be if you hadn’t walked by.”

“You focus on the ‘what if’s too much. What’s important is that you’re here right now, no matter what it took to get you here.” He cups my cheek, wiping away a stray tear that I didn’t even notice.

“I could have saved them, you know,” I murmur, subconsciously leaning into the palm of his hand. “If I had moved faster–”

Neuvillette interrupts me with a shake of his head. “If you had moved faster, the house would have crushed you. You were lucky as is,” he says, his arm snaking around my shoulders as he pulls me against him. I lean my head against him, trying to suppress the urge to ugly-sob into his lap.

He has never comforted me like this. Maybe if I had stopped pretending I was fine, I could have gotten it out of my system long ago. Sure, my strength might be admirable, but I’ve turned it into a weakness, an inability to express my feelings without shutting down.

His hand slides into my hair, his fingers rubbing comforting circles into my scalp. He lets me cry my heart out without a single word, as if he knows his mere presence is enough to calm me down. I begin to wonder whether he knows about the effect he has on me, whether he can sense it along with all my other emotions. I never let myself dwell on it too much, knowing it would only result in heartbreak and more unnecessary tears. After all, I’m sure I’m not the first nor the last person to fall in love with the Iudex.

“I’m sorry, I’m getting tears all over your coat,” I say with a sniffle, raising my head to check if his shoulder has any tear stains on it. Neuvillette chuckles softly.

“It’s not made of sugar, it won’t melt,” he replies, his hand still in my hair. He coaxes me to lay my head back down, and I do so, though now I’m much more aware of our proximity. “If you don’t want to go home tonight, I can keep you company.”

My eyes widen. “You mean you’d stay here with me? I can’t ask that of you, that’s–”

“You don’t have to ask, I’m offering. It wouldn’t be right to have you go home this late at night anyway.”

“Alright, sir, if you say so…” I sniffle again. I can’t help but wonder if he’s doing this all out of politeness, but then again, even his good manners have their limits. No one would let their assistant lie on their shoulder out of politeness. At least I hope not. “Perhaps you could, I don’t know, tell me a story or something.”

“Are you going to fall asleep on me?” he replies, and although his tone remains soft, I could swear it had a teasing edge to it. I lift my head again, blushing furiously.

“What? No, I didn’t mean it like that–”

Neuvillette laughs. “I know you didn’t. You can lie back down, I don’t mind.”

I meet his gaze, and once I see he’s completely sincere, I rest my head on his shoulder again, feeling more and more self-conscious every time I do it.

“So, you request a story? Any particular reason?” he asks. I shrug, picking at my nails.

“I don’t know, you seem like you have a lot to talk about, a lot that you’ve lived through.”

“A lot that I’ve lived through?”

“Mhm.”

“I suppose you could say that. Well, if you want a story, I could tell you about this one. I can’t exactly recall how long ago it was, but it started something like this…”

Despite my previous promise of not falling asleep, I do just that. I try to fight it, but the combination of his soothing voice and my crippling fatigue sends me into a state somewhere between lucidity and the realm of dreams. His words go in and out of focus, his hand in my hair lulling me even deeper into rest.

After a while, he seems to notice my slow, steady breaths and his story comes to a halt. I don’t even notice when he shifts me so that I’m laying against him more comfortably, now more on his chest than his shoulder. I also don’t notice when he presses a kiss against the top of my head. Maybe it’s a good thing I’m not awake for this, because I would probably get so flustered I wouldn’t know what to do with myself for the next 50 years.

His nose ran along the side of your neck, stopping at the base to press a gentle kiss against your skin. “You get needy when you’re drunk,” you said, though your tone was far from scolding. Nanami chuckled, peppering kisses down your shoulder.

“Can you blame me? It’s enough work to hold back when I’m sober,” he replied. You turned around in his embrace to face him. Your gaze ran over his rosy cheeks, and you wondered how you hadn’t eaten him already. You were both the right amount of tipsy, just like you had been when you had first met. Just enough for the butterflies in your stomach to fly around and cause chaos in your head as well.

Your hands slid down to the buttons on his coat to distract yourself from his blush-inducing eyes. “I’m making us tea,” you said as you undid the buttons one by one.

“Sweetheart, you can’t even reach the tea shelf,” he replied, shrugging his coat off and hanging it on a hook beside the door. He returned the favour, and once you were both coatless, he took your hand and led you towards his kitchen.

“Yeah, but that’s because you refuse to switch the tea and spice shelf,” you replied. He leaned against the counter as you began to pour water into the kettle and set it up to boil. “Besides, you have high shelves in general. I don’t know what kind of giant built this apartment, but it’s ridiculous. The shelves in the bathroom are even worse. I mean, what if there were kids here? Would they have to haul a ladder with them everywhere they go?”

Nanami smiled at your incessant grumbling. “I can get a new apartment if you want.”

“With low shelves?”

“With low shelves. And a balcony. You’re always talking about a balcony.”

You met his gaze, the small smile on his face infecting your own. “You’re making it sound like this new apartment of yours will be mine as well.”

“Only if you want it to be,” he replied, taking a few steps closer to you until you were trapped against the counter. He reached up and pulled down a box of teas from the shelf above you. Your eyes landed on the couple undone buttons on his shirt, on the sliver of exposed skin that made your pulse quicken.

He placed the box down next to you, but didn’t make an effort to give you space. You didn’t mind, though. If it were up to you, you would have merged together with him by now. Atom on atom, no space in sight.

You had talked about living together a few times before, but you had never actually had a serious conversation about it. The topic wasn’t much of a surprise, though. You slept over at each other’s places more often than you slept alone. At first you had been convinced it had just been the honeymoon phase, but it had been over a year at this point, and you were still acting like a pair of lovesick puppies. Even your friends Josie and Eric, thanks to whom you had met in the first place, often mentioned how you were practically attached at the hip.

“We can put that cat shaped rug of yours in the living room, and I’m sure we can find a place for all your plants as well,” he said. He picked out two incredibly tacky matching mugs that you had received from Josie on your first year anniversary. They had “Mr” and “Mrs” in a disgusting pink font printed on them, and while marriage was something you definitely hadn’t discussed yet, Nanami had decided to keep them in his apartment, and they’d become your go-to mugs whenever you were together.

“And can I pick out the shower curtain as well?” you asked, wrapping your arms around his waist as he poured the boiling water into the mugs. He raised an eyebrow.

“You have something against my taste in shower curtains?”

“No, I’m just saying we could get a prettier one than just a plain white.”

“Then I get to choose the wall decorations.”

“Ooh, yeah! I really like the ones you have in here already.”

Nanami’s smile widened. “Who knew living with you would be so easy?”

“Well, I’m an angel, I’d be offended if you thought otherwise.”

Nanami put the kettle down and his hands settled on your hips. “I can’t argue with you on that one. You’re the picture of perfection.”

“Do I get a reward for being so perfect?” you asked, a sly smile spreading across your face. Nanami returned your smile. His thumbs rubbed gentle circles against your hips before they hooked onto the belt loops on your jeans. He chuckled at the look of surprise on your face.

“You’re right, I guess I don’t reward you enough every day. How despicable of me. How would you like it, my love? Multiple short sessions throughout the day, or perhaps one long one? I’m sure 12 hours would be enough to sate your need—“

“12 hours?” Your eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Nanami’s smile only widened.

“Too little? Fine, we can try 24, but I do have some limits.”

A familiar heat spread through your body at his words. “When I said reward, I meant chocolate or something… Though I like the sound of your idea,” you replied. Nanami tilted your chin up, running his fingers along your jawline.

“Yeah? You like the sound of 24 hours of pure bliss?” he practically purred, making your face all red.

“Well, I don’t wanna wear you out…”

“Wear me out? Sweetheart, as long as I see you’re enjoying yourself, I could go for days.” He leaned in, pressing a kiss on your forehead. Then on the tip of your nose. Then on the corner of your mouth. Then, he captured your lips with a gentleness that made your knees weak.

He pulled you even closer by your belt loops, one hand cupping your cheek before sliding to the back of your neck. Your fingers found the buttons on his shirt, and just like his coat, you undid them with practiced ease. You could probably undress him blind with your hands tied behind your back.

Maybe some other time.

Nanami hoisted you up into his arms and walked with you into the bedroom. His mouth was still attached to yours, kissing you like a man starved. His hands were everywhere, yet it still wasn’t enough. You needed one in your hair, one under your shirt, one unzipping your jeans, one intertwined with your own.

You could never get enough of him.

He lay you down on the mattress, taking a step back to catch his breath. The sight of him standing between your legs, looking all tall and handsome and absolutely mouthwatering, drove you mad with need. “You’re too far away,” you said, your voice coming out like a pathetic little whine. His expression softened and he reached out to stroke your cheek.

“You know it’s hard to undress you when I’m lying on top of you.”

He threw his shirt onto the floor, and yours followed suit. He gently pushed you down onto the bed and climbed on top of you, his knees on each side of you. His lips met yours in a searing kiss once more, and your fingers slid into his hair, pulling him infinitely closer.

Every breath, every touch, every kiss made you more high than any drug ever would. He knew your body better than you did yourself, he knew which buttons to press, which spots to focus on. He would take note of every new reaction you had, and he’d use it against you next time. Over the months you’d been together, he was aware of every single weakness you had, and he used it to his advantage in the best way possible.

He whispered sweet nothings into your ear as he unravelled the very fabric of your existence with his hand between your legs. He took great pleasure in hearing your moans, and they only seemed to motivate him to make you feel even better. He’d always been more of a giver than a receiver, and while it sometimes made you feel guilty, he would always reassure you and tell you that giving you pleasure made him the happiest man alive.

“Kento…” You threw your head back, your legs beginning to shake around his hand. He buried his face in your neck, letting out a soft hum of approval.

“Go on, baby, let go for me.”

“I’m so–”

“I know, you’re doing so well. If you cum now you can ride me right after.”

Those words were enough to send you flying over the edge. Your back arched and he captured your moans with his mouth. He pulled his fingers out, leaving you unbearably empty. You knew what was coming, though, so you didn’t let yourself be disappointed for too long.

He didn’t give you much time to catch your breath, as he flipped you over so that you were straddling his lap. His hands went to your waist and yours held onto his shoulders. He gave you the sweetest smile on earth, one that spread through your body like you were being dipped into honey. With one encouraging nod, you began to move.

“Oh, fuck…” he groaned, his eyes rolling back. His grip on your waist tightened and he leaned in to your shoulder, pulling one of your bra straps down with his teeth. You had a hard time keeping your composure with what he was doing and the way he felt inside you, but you knew you needed to move in order to reach that delicious high once more.

Nanami was a strong man, but your ability to reduce him to a moaning mess was something that still shocked you to this day. He loved seeing you on top of him, riding him, taking what you wanted from him.

“God, yes, just like that…” His hands slid up your back to unclasp your bra, and he threw it over his shoulder without a care in the world. You rolled your hips against him, just how he liked it, and he looked up at you as if the slow pace was both a blessing and torture at the same time. “Speed up, sweetheart, you’re killing me here.”

You gave him a devilish grin, slowing down even more on purpose. Nanami nipped at the skin above your chest, making you gasp. “Biting me won’t get you what you want,” you said with a small, playful pout.

“You love me, don’t you?” he asked.

“Of course I do.”

“Then be a good girl and speed up.”

You practically shattered at his request, but you needed to hear one more thing before you gave in to your desires. “Say please.”

“Pretty please, sweetheart. You’ll make us both so happy.”

Happy was an understatement for what you felt when you both came at the exact same time, panting and sticky and beaming like idiots. He held you close, rubbing soothing circles onto your bare back as you breathed heavily against his ear. Your whole body buzzed with energy, yet you felt like you wouldn’t be able to move for another century.

“I think 24 hours would kill us,” you said, still trying to catch your breath. Nanami let out a soft chuckle, pressing a kiss on your cheek.

At first you’d just thought it was another delusion her hopeless romantic heart had cooked up, but the more she talked about their interactions, the more you started to think they might not be so hopeless after all. You’d never met Eric, but c’mon, he had given her a whole bouquet of roses and kissed her on the cheek on her birthday. She had many friends in the office, some of them closer than Eric, and no one had done that for her.

Nevertheless, being the nervous wreck that she was, you somehow ended up getting dragged to a wine festival with Josie, Eric, and another friend from their work.

“Nanami Kento,” said Josie as you crossed the street towards the bus stop. “He’s a really sweet guy, I’m sure you’ll love him.”

You flattened out your dress as you took a seat on the bench, raising a quizzical eyebrow at Josie. “You’re trying to set me up with him or something?”

Josie rolled her eyes as she took the seat next to you, giving you a look of mock exasperation. “No, I just- I told you the plan. I need someone to tag along so it wouldn’t seem like a date with me and Eric, y’know, in case he doesn’t like me back. And only inviting you would seem awfully third-wheelish, so that’s why I invited Nanami as well. You guys can, I don’t know, hang out and drink wine while I try to… y’know.” That classic bashful smile appeared on her face, and you had to suppress a groan. God, she was so lovesick. If she weren’t your friend, you would’ve strangled her by now.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. I’ll hang out with this Nanami guy while you try to seduce Eric, got it,” you said, earning a slap on the shoulder from Josie. “I don’t get why you can’t invite him on a normal date like a normal person, though. We’re not in high school anymore for this double date slash hangout crap.”

“I need to be one hundred percent sure. I could end up marrying him one day, and if I fuck this up, it’s over. I’ll die alone surrounded by nothing but a thousand cats and my romance book collection,” said Josie.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be there when you die too.”

“Haha, very funny.”

The bus took you both to the outskirts of town. The festival was spread around a large vineyard, for obvious reasons, and you had to admit the place looked great for a date. The sun setting over the rows and rows of grape vines definitely added to the romantic aura. You just hoped this Nanami guy wouldn’t get any funny ideas about this whole thing. You were only there to accompany your friend, nothing more.

The two men were already there, waiting by the entrance. You recognised Eric from the pictures Josie had shown you – tall, dark hair, almost like prince Eric from The Little Mermaid, as Josie liked to say. You hadn’t really asked about Nanami, so you hadn’t known what to expect.

The sight before you was a pleasant one, to say the least. He was tall, taller even than Eric. His short blond hair stood out in the sea of black and brown, and despite his sharp features, he emitted a surprisingly soft demeanour. His white button up hugged his body in all the right places, and you internally berated yourself for letting your gaze linger.

“Hey, guys!” said Josie as Eric pulled her into a brief hug, his hand sliding down to the small of her back. God, they were so blind. She introduced you to them, and they both gave you a smile and a nod. Nanami gave you a quick up and down glance before extending his hand to you.

“Nanami Kento, nice to meet you,” he said. The words dripped like honey off his tongue, and you had to tell yourself to shake his hand instead of staring at him like an idiot.

“And you know Eric,” said Josie. Eric raised an eyebrow, his hand still placed on the small of her back. Interesting.

“I’m well known, am I? What embarrassing stories about me have you shared?” he asked, a grin plastered across his face.

“If you’re worried about that karaoke night, my lips are sealed,” you said, earning a chuckle from the group.

“If that karaoke night is the worst you’ve heard, then I think I’m fine,” Eric replied.

You all entered the vineyard, Josie and Eric leading the way while you and Nanami tagged along behind them. You glanced at their hands, wondering if either of them would be brave enough to take the other. You were probably overestimating them, though.

Despite the event being focused on wine, drinking it as well as making it, there were many activities catered to children. Bouncy castles, carousels, fun fair stalls for winning grape shaped plushies. Though you knew it would soon be time for the kids to leave. Hey, maybe Nanami was a bouncy castle guy when he got drunk. That would definitely provide some entertainment.

Before you knew it, Josie ran off with Eric into the vine maze, yelling something over her shoulder at you that you didn’t catch. Nanami stopped in his tracks, sliding his hands into his pockets.

“We’re not following them?” you asked, halting beside him as well. Nanami glanced down at you, giving you a knowing look.

“And ruin their date? No, I’d rather not.”

Your eyebrows shot up. “So he does like her?” you asked. Nanami’s smile widened.

“Like her? He won’t shut up about her. It was about time one of them got the courage to do something about it. I don’t know how long I would’ve been able to last in that office with them.”

“I’m not sure if setting up an outing along with two other friends counts as courage.”

“Still, it’s a step forward. Better than watching them giggle and blush by the coffee machine every day. At least here they can giggle and blush in the sunset while drinking wine.”

“True, the coffee machine probably isn’t the most ideal place to confess your love.”

Nanami hummed, and your gaze followed his fingers as they glided through his hair. Now that you two were alone, you didn’t really know what to do. It wasn’t a date, unlike whatever Josie and Eric had going on, and you weren’t exactly used to hanging out with someone you didn’t know. You weren’t even sure you’d ever meet him again, so…

“Is there anything you would like to see here?” he asked. You had a feeling he could tell you were a bit awkward, but the calmness of his tone eased your nerves. You shrugged, fiddling with one of the rings on your fingers. His eyes flicked down to your hands.

“I’m easy, honestly. I like wine, so we can go do some tasting, but if you want to do anything else, we can do whatever,” you said, hoping you weren’t coming off as indifferent.

Nanami smiled. “Wine tasting it is, then.”

The place was a bit crowded, so you tried to stick as close to him as possible without actually touching him. He led you through the vineyard, narrowly avoiding a huddle of kids as they ran past you.

“You have a lovely dress, by the way,” he said, his tone so unchanging that you had almost missed the compliment. You glanced down at your dress — floral with pink undertones — and felt a warmth spreading across your cheeks.

“Thank you. You have a very nice… shirt.” You knew it would sound stupid before it had even come out of your mouth. Sure, his shirt was nice, but it was a simple shirt. The only reason it looked so nice was because… well, because he looked nice.

If your compliment had amused him, he didn’t show it. He simply hummed. “Thank you. I wasn’t sure if wearing white to a wine festival would be the right choice, but I trust my ability not to spill anything on myself.”

“You never know who might knock into you,” you said.

“Is that a threat?” he asked with a soft chuckle, and your cheeks only reddened.

“Hey, I’m just saying. There’s still a lot of rowdy kids running around.”

“Well, let’s hope they’ll leave soon. It’s not exactly responsible to keep your kids at an alcohol festival late into the night.”

You reached the wine stalls together, where the sellers were promoting their respective wines at the top of their lungs. You took a look around, not really knowing where to start. You reminded yourself not to take it too far. The last thing you needed was for Nanami to have to drag you home.

“Red or white?” he asked, looking around as well.

“I’m more of a red person. You?”

“Sure, we can do red,” he replied. You weren’t sure if he actually liked red or if he’d just said it to avoid conflict, but you didn’t question it any further. You approached one of the red wine stalls, ordering two glasses of something you’d never heard of. Their newest specialty, the lady behind the counter had said.

You were about to pull out your card, but Nanami put a gentle hand on your shoulder, taking out his own wallet. “Let me,” he said.

“No, Nanami, I can pay for my own-“

“It would be rude of me not to.”

You huffed, knowing he wouldn’t give up so easily. “Fine, but I’ll buy you a… I don’t know. A round of that can shooting game over there so you can win a plushie or something.”

Nanami laughed at your insistence, but nodded. “A plushie for a glass of wine, huh? I like that deal.” He paid the lady for the wine and handed you one of the glasses. You brought them together with a gentle clink before taking the first sip. It was surprisingly sweet, with an almost honey-like aftertaste.

“I might have to get a bottle of this on the way home,” you said, licking your lips. Nanami’s gaze followed the movement.

“It’s very nice, isn’t it? Sweet,” he said.

“Yes, sweet. I’m quite picky when it comes to wine, so I like it when I find something that suits my taste buds.”

“Not that I’m a connoisseur or anything, but I have a feeling I’ve had a similar one before, but white instead of red. We can try to see if they have it here.”

You drank your wine bit by bit, as if you had all the time in the world. The silence between you was far from awkward, something you had been afraid of after agreeing to this whole thing.

“So,” said Nanami, “how long have you known Josie?”

You looked away from the bouncy castle to meet his gaze. “We've known each other since high school. Went to different universities, but we stayed in touch and both came back home after getting our degrees. You've worked together for three years, right?”

He nodded. “Yeah, about three years now. I've been at the company two years longer than her, but since we're in the same department, Eric as well, we kind of all bonded together. I feel like a third wheel sometimes, honestly, so I'm glad you came along as well. I don't know what I'd do here alone,” he said, taking another sip. You didn't know if you had imagined it or not, but you could've sworn you'd seen his gaze trail down your dress again.

“Well, I’m glad to end your suffering, then,” you said, and he let out a chuckle. A warm breeze blew through your dress, sending a small shiver down your spine.

You had honestly expected this evening to be painful to endure, what with Josie off somewhere shooting her shot with Eric and you having to spend time with a man you’d never even met. But the more you talked to Nanami, the more you forgot about the reason you were here in the first place. You didn’t want to admit it, but you were actually starting to like him, and you couldn’t shake off the feeling that he didn’t exactly mind you either.

After two glasses of wine you were beginning to loosen up even more, and you could see his shoulders relaxing as well. The sun slowly disappeared below the horizon, and once it was dark enough, the whole vineyard lit up in a sea of stars.

“Look, the kids are gone, I can go get you that grape plushie now,” you said, putting your glass down on a used dish table. You pointed towards one of the fun fair stalls, the one where you had to shoot down the empty cans to win a prize.

Nanami smiled, following you towards the stall. “You’re going to win the plushie for me, are you?” he asked, his eyebrows raised in amusement.

“What, you think I can’t?”

“No, of course not. I don’t doubt your shooting abilities, I just admire your determination to get me a stuffed toy.”

“Well, you bought me not one, but two glasses of wine.”

Nanami hummed. “So you owe me two plushies, then?”

“I can get you all the plushies you want.” You grinned, stepping towards the counter. “Hello, could I try one round, please?”

The man behind the counter gave you a smile and a nod. You paid the fee and took the gun from the man. It wasn’t powerful enough to actually hurt anyone, but it did a good enough job to shoot down a few cans. You raised the gun, ready to show Nanami your nonexistent shooting skills, and watched as the bullet whizzed out, bounced off the wall behind the cans, and fell into the grass.

You met Nanami’s gaze beside you, and you could tell he was trying to suppress a smile. “How many shots do you have?” he asked, taking a step closer to you.

“Two more,” you said with a small huff. It had only been the first shot, you could do better. You lifted the gun again, squinting to measure out your aim better, and you pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the topmost can of the pyramid, but it still wasn’t enough.

“Try lifting your arm a bit,” said Nanami, placing a hand on your elbow. He pushed it up gently, his touch on your bare skin making your heart flutter. He stepped even closer to you, his warm breath tickling your neck. He guided the gun to its correct position. “Take a deep breath and try to stop your arm from shaking.”

Well, that was easier said than done when you had a man like him breathing down your neck and practically whispering into your ear. You didn’t know how much longer you could blame your reactions on the alcohol. You had expected him to pull away once he had set you up, but he stood right behind you, gently supporting your arm. Maybe he thought it would help you stop shaking, but it only seemed to distract you more.

“You got the aim right?” he asked, and you nodded, your heart pounding in your chest. “That plushie isn’t gonna win itself, then.”

His words were enough to kick your brain into action, and you pulled the trigger. You watched as the bullet hit the bottom row, causing the whole pyramid to tumble down. You let out a small squeal of joy and turned to Nanami, his soft smile sending a wave of warmth over you. “You saw that, right?” you asked, grinning.

He crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. “I did see that. I didn’t know you wanted to win that plushie for me so badly.” God, his voice will make me melt, you thought to yourself.

“Of course I do. You deserve it,” you said as the man behind the counter handed you the silly stuffed grape. It even had a face, arms and legs. You passed it to Nanami, who examined it with a fond look on his face.

“Well, thank you. It’ll join the collection of other fruit shaped plushies I have at home,” he said, looking up from it to meet your gaze. You snorted, joining him as you walked away from the stall.

“You have a stuffed fruit collection at home?” you asked.

“No, not yet, at least. You could start one for me, though. I’m sure they have other fruits at other fairs like this, and since you’re so good at shooting, it would be a piece of cake for you,” he said. Although you knew he was only joking, the idea of going to other fairs with him sparked something in you. If he really wanted, you’d win as many plushies as his heart desired.

You felt an arm snake around your shoulders, and you looked over to see Josie and Eric beside you. One look was enough to figure out they’d had their fair share of wine as well, but you couldn’t really decipher whether or not there was something else hidden underneath their content expressions. You’d just have to wait and ask Josie about it later.

Eric clapped Nanami on the back and pulled him away to go to the bathroom with him, which left you and Josie alone. “So?” you asked her. “How’s your date been so far?”

Josie grinned, her grip around your shoulder tightening. “I’ll tell you all the details tomorrow. What I’m more curious about is how your date’s been going.”

You let out a small huff, raising an eyebrow. “I’m not on a date, you know. We just left you alone so you could spend the evening alone together.”

“Okay, fine, it’s not a date. But what do you think so far?”

“About what?”

“Nanami, of course. What do you think about him?” she asked, her voice laced with anticipation. You had to think for a second, not knowing how much you could tell her, especially since you didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of being right.

“He’s nice,” you finally answered, biting back a smile.

“Just nice? C’mon, give me more. You like him, don’t you? That’s why you’re getting all huffy and don’t wanna talk about it.”

You scoffed. “I’m not getting huffy, I just- Yes, fine, I’ve been enjoying myself. More than I expected to. And he’s more than nice. I haven’t talked to a guy as sweet as him in a while.”

Josie shrieked in excitement, shaking you around like a ragdoll. “I knew it! I knew you’d like him. Eric’s gathering info right now as well, so we’ll see.”

You stopped dead in your tracks, fixing her with a look of disbelief. “So you are trying to set me up!” Josie sighed and looked back at you, taking your hand in hers and patting it gently.

“Look, I just felt like you’ve been single for a while now, and- I don’t know, Nanami just feels like the perfect guy for you. You always wanted a man who can cook, so-”

“He can cook?” you blurted out, mentally slapping yourself for sounding so eager. Josie laughed, squeezing your hand.

“See? Just give it a chance instead of pushing it away like you always do. Promise me you’ll give it a chance,” she said, her tone turning a bit more serious.

Ever since that horrendous disaster of a relationship you’d had back in college, you’d always been a bit wary of getting into anything new, always pushing away anyone who came near you. You enjoyed being single, but recently, especially with Josie being so in love with Eric, you couldn’t help but crave that sort of love as well.

“Well… if he can cook, then who am I to refuse?” you said, a small defeated smile creeping upon your face. You knew this whole thing was way more exciting for her than it was for you, but you couldn’t help but find her joy a bit contagious. She flung her arms around you, and your smile widened. You shook your head in mock exasperation. “You’re acting like I agreed to marry him or something.”

Josie pulled away, giving you a sly smile. “Who knows? You’re both young, hot and single. You know what happens when two young, hot and single people get together.”

“We’re not even together yet. Go worry about your own future husband,” you said, rolling your eyes. Speaking of her future husband, you saw Eric and Nanami returning from their bathroom break. Nanami was still holding the grape plushie as if it was the most precious thing in the world. Eric took Josie by the hand and pulled her away before you could even say goodbye. Nanami chuckled, turning his attention back to you.

“I’m assuming you know now?” he asked, making your heart stop for a second.

“Know what?”

“That they confessed. And kissed.”

“Oh… Oh! No, she didn’t say. She told me she’d tell me the details tomorrow,” you said, your eyes wide. Not that it was unexpected news, but you couldn’t believe that hadn’t been the first information to come out of Josie’s mouth.

Nanami chuckled. “Finally, though. Honestly, if they didn’t get together today, I’d lock them up in a room at work and not let them out until they sorted things out.”

You nodded. “Yeah. I wonder why she didn’t tell me, though. Maybe she’s expecting something more to happen, so then she can deliver the whole package. Not that I’m assuming they’d-”

“Please, with all the pent up love they have, I wouldn’t rely on going home with Josie tonight if I were you.”

“Yeah, I guess not.”

You walked around the venue together with no real goal in mind. Your mind kept replaying your previous conversation with Josie. If she was trying to set you up with him, that meant he at least partly wanted something too, right? You couldn’t help but wonder what he might have told Eric. He didn’t seem like the type of person to put up with someone for a whole night just to be polite, so he must like you to some extent, right?

“One last glass of that wine you liked?” he asked as you passed the wine stalls again.

“Okay, but I’m paying this time,” you said, giving him a dramatically stern look so he knew you were serious. He simply chuckled, letting you pass as you walked over to the lady in the stall.

Nanami tucked the plushie under his arm and took the glass from you, taking a sip. For some reason, the wine tasted even better than the first time you had had it. You were about to say something when he suddenly pulled you closer to him by your waist, out of the way of a stumbling drunk couple.

“Oh- Thanks,” you said, your face burning when his hand lingered on our waist for a few moments before he pulled it away.

“No problem,” he said with a small smile. “Wouldn’t want that dress to get ruined.”

You met his gaze, and you could’ve sworn his expression softened even more. His hazel eyes danced across your face, as if studying your features. Having anyone else stare at you like this would normally make you feel uneasy, but with him… you couldn’t bring yourself to care.

Before you knew it, it was already well past midnight. Being so far from the centre of town, you knew you’d have to catch the next bus unless you wanted to wait until sunrise to get home. You pulled out your phone to ask if Josie would come with you, but sure enough, you’d already received a text from her about half an hour ago.

Josie: going home with eric, pls dont be mad Josie: have fun with nanamiiii

The last text, along with the winky face and the kissy emoji made you shove your phone back into your pocket before Nanami could see it. “You were right, Josie’s going home with Eric,” you said. Nanami nodded, not surprised in the slightest.

“I can take you home if you want,” he said, downing the last bit of his wine. Your eyebrows flew up. You knew he was a gentleman, and he’d probably offer to accompany anyone just to make sure they were safe, but something about it seemed more… personal.

“Are you sure? I don’t wanna be a burden,” you replied. Nanami shook his head.

“Trust me, you’re not a burden. It would be wrong to abandon you at a bus stop, especially at night and when you’re not completely sober.”

Sure, you weren’t sober, but you weren’t so drunk that you wouldn’t be able to get yourself home. But you appreciated his kind gesture, and nodded. “Alright. The bus leaves in 10 minutes, so we better hurry if we don’t wanna miss it.”

The bus ride home was filled with pleasant silence. It felt almost special, with you two being the only ones on the bus, like it was a private ride just for you. He walked you all the way towards your apartment building, stopping as you turned to him in front of your door. The dim wall light illuminated his face. You glanced up at him, not really knowing how to end the night, but thankfully he saved you the trouble of speaking up first.

“I had a lovely time with you tonight,” he said, taking a small step closer to you, the plushie still tucked under his arm. You smiled, your stomach doing a backflip at his sudden proximity.

“Me too. It was very nice to meet you and also help those two idiots to finally get together.”

Nanami chuckled. “Yes, I couldn’t agree more.” He looked down at you, letting a moment of silence pass before speaking again. “I was wondering if I could get your number.”

Your heart nearly burst through your chest. “My number?” you said, your voice oddly high-pitched.

“Yeah. I was also wondering if I could take you out on a date sometime. Like, a real one, not whatever this double date slash hangout thing was.”

You couldn’t believe your ears. Sure, you had the feeling he’d enjoyed himself tonight as much as you had, but the fact he wanted to go on a date with you? An actual, real date? You had to stop yourself from grinning like an idiot.

“Yeah, I’d love to,” you said with a nod. He let out a small exhale, almost from relief, and handed you his phone so that you could put your number in it. You had to tell yourself to calm down as you typed it in, not wanting to seem too thrown off by this whole thing. Once you were done, he put his phone back into his pocket and gave you a smile. You were expecting him to say goodbye and leave, but he took another step closer to you.

“Right, so… I’ll call you and we can set up a time and place?” he asked. You nodded, wondering if your eyes were playing tricks on you, or if he was genuinely glancing down at your lips. The thought only caused you to glance at his lips as well, and your breaths got shallower with every passing second.

He raised his hand tentatively, as if any sudden movement would make you disappear. His fingers brushed against your cheek, and you couldn’t help but let out a small laugh, averting your gaze. He chuckled at your reaction, but it didn’t deter him.

“You’re a mind reader now, are you?” he asked, gently tilting your chin up to force you to look at him.

“Well, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what you want to do,” you replied, meeting his gaze. He chuckled again.

“And what do you say?”

“I say go for it.” You couldn’t believe your own boldness. It was probably just the leftover wine in your system talking. He hummed, his smile softening.

“Go for it? Just like that?”

“Yeah. Go for it.”

He wasted no time, cupping your face in his hands and leaning down to press his lips onto yours. You let out a small gasp, and he smiled against your lips, the feeling only making you melt more. After the initial second of surprise you responded immediately, kissing him back with the same gentleness as he did. You could taste the sweet wine on his mouth, the flavour almost intoxicating.

One of his hands fell from your face to rest on your waist, pulling you closer. His lips moved with yours in a slow, yet heartracing rhythm, and you couldn’t seem to get enough. You placed a hand onto his chest, your fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt. The way he kissed you made your head spin, and you felt like you were going to faint if you didn’t go up for air soon.

He was the first to pull away, letting out a shaky exhale, his eyes scanning over your flushed face. He gave your waist a gentle squeeze before taking a step back, and despite your body screaming at you to pull him back, you knew your time together was over for the night.

“I’ll call you, okay?” he said, slightly breathless. You nodded, and he leaned down to press a gentle kiss onto your forehead before stepping away for the final time. “Goodnight.”

“Make sure the grape gets a good night’s sleep as well,” you called out after him as he walked away from you. His laugh rang through the night, and he turned to look at you with a smile on his face.

Childe didn’t say another word. Instead, he turned his back to me, picked up his lantern and headed further up the hill. I didn’t dare speak to him, not even apologise. He surely must be mad, even if he didn’t let it show on his face. I had disobeyed direct orders, and if it had been any other harbinger leading the mission, I probably would have still been stuck under that avalanche. But I’d be naive to think I’d be coming back home without suffering any consequences.

The freezing wind stung my bare face, and I buried my chin into the furry collar of my coat, creating a warm bubble with my breath. I could barely see a few metres in front of me, so I simply followed behind the tall snow covered figure, hoping he wouldn’t disappear right before my eyes.

We tore through the deep snow, ascending the hill at a steady pace. I was getting increasingly breathless, but I knew if I slowed down, it might be the last thing I do. I kept my squinting eyes fixed on Childe’s back, ignoring the growing fatigue in my legs.

Childe came to a sudden stop. In front of us stood a small wooden shack, its boarded up windows not exactly giving off a welcoming atmosphere. Childe pulled on the door handle, then kicked the door open when it didn’t budge.

Oh god, I thought, sweating profusely despite the chatter of my teeth. Is he gonna kill me here? No one would ever come looking for me here. I’m done for.

He turned to me, raising an eyebrow. “You’re gonna stand outside?”

I gulped. If I had to choose between freezing to death and getting murdered by my boss, the latter was beginning to sound more appealing. Maybe he could even make it quick and painless. He didn’t seem like the type to torture people with a slow death. At least I hoped.

I stepped inside, and he shut the door behind me, making the whole shack shake. My eyes had a hard time adjusting to the dark compared to the blinding whiteness of outside. With the collection of various antlers and horns hanging on the walls, it was safe to assume that this place was a hunter’s cabin. Whether abandoned or not, it didn’t seem like anyone had been here in a while.

Childe set his lantern down on the table and slid his hood off, shaking the snow out of his hair. I stood by the door, my muscles tense with anticipation. Would he just get right to it, or did he plan on having a little chat before he slit my throat?

“So,” he said, facing me. Little chat it is, then.

“Before you kill me, I just wanted to say I’m sorry,” I blurted out. Childe blinked.

“Kill you? I’m not gonna kill you.”

My heart dropped. “You’re not?” Was he going to torture me, then?

Childe shook his head. “Of course not. Look, I’m not gonna pat you on the back and tell you that what you did wasn’t incredibly stupid, and reckless, and dangerous. It was. You’re lucky to be alive. But you did something that none of your comrades would ever have the guts to do. And, if I’m being honest, it’s something I would do.”

My brows furrowed. “So… you think what I did was right?”

“Well, I’m sure there were other ways to do it, but it was certainly the fastest route to success. Maybe blowing up the whole hideout was a bit unnecessary, but thanks to you the threat has been eliminated, and none of our people got hurt.”

The relief must’ve shown on my face, because he smiled. “Relax. Normally you’d be punished for insubordination, but I’m considering recommending you for a promotion. We need more people like you higher up.”

“Oh, well, thank you,” I said, folding my hands behind my back. Childe leaned against the table, crossing his arms over his chest.

“We should stay here for the night, it would be too dangerous to go back to camp, especially in this weather.” There was a small fireplace that could provide some comforting warmth throughout the night, and a single bed in the corner.

Wait.

I glanced at Childe, who seemed to have noticed the same thing. “I’ll sleep on the floor,” I said. Childe shook his head.

“I can’t let you sleep on the floor, you were under a ton of snow for hours. You take the bed.”

“Please, I’m the reason you have to be here in the first place. You could catch a cold on the floor.”

Childe scoffed, almost amazed. “Catch a cold?”

“I didn’t mean-“

“I’m flattered that you care about my wellbeing, but I could say the exact same thing.”

I huffed, mirroring his stance. “Imagine if someone found out I let my superior sleep on the floor.”

“Well, no one’s here to see, and I won’t tell on you,” he said, a grin spreading across his face.

“Please, just let me sleep on the floor. I already feel like shit for all the trouble I put you through,” I said, growing desperate. I tensed. Either he didn’t notice that I’d sworn, or he just didn’t care. He sighed, eyeing me from head to toe.

“Fine, if that’s what you truly want. Do you still have some food and water?”

I swung my bag off my back and checked my remaining supplies. “Yeah. Enough to get us through tomorrow.”

“Good. I’ll make a fire.”

I pulled out my food and water and set it all down on the table. Meanwhile, Childe prepared a fire with some wood the cabin owner had stored beside the fireplace, and soon enough the soft glow of the flames lit up the room.

It was clear that we both knew the fire wouldn’t be enough to keep me warm — the wood would definitely run out in a few hours — but I was too proud to admit it and Childe knew there was no point arguing with me. We ate a portion of the food and drank some water, sitting as close to the fire as we could.

Noticing how I hadn’t stopped shivering, Childe took off his heavy coat and put it on me, slipping the hood over my head. Taken aback, I wanted to protest, but he cut in. “Don’t argue with me on this. I can see you’re freezing.”

I pulled my knees up to my chest. “Thanks.”

The silence that ensued was strangely pleasant. I had never been alone with him in the same room, let alone for such a long time. Maybe it was due to our small age gap, or maybe because of his naturally friendly personality, but I didn’t even feel like I was in the presence of someone as important as a harbinger.

“Well,” he said, getting to his feet, “we should probably get some rest. Enjoy the floor.”

“And you enjoy the bed,” I said. He sat down on the firm mattress and kicked his boots off. It didn’t look particularly comfortable, but anything would beat laying on the cold hard floor.

“Last chance to switch,” he said and swung his feet up onto the bed, resting his hands behind his head. I shook my head, and he simply shrugged. “Your loss.”

I laid out my coat down in front of the fire and used his coat as a sort of blanket. Even though it was too big for me as a coat, it wasn’t enough to cover me. I wrapped myself up in it as tightly as I could and curled up onto my side, staring at the dying embers in the fireplace.

Time passed. I didn’t know how much – minutes felt like hours as I lay there under Childe’s coat, too frozen to get myself to sleep. I wanted to, I really did, but my painful awareness of the cold seeping into my bones made me incapable of focusing on anything else. The fire was long gone, and there was no wood left I could use to replenish it. Strong winds whistled through the cracks of the shack, and I swore it might actually be snowing inside.

As much as I hated it, I was glad Childe wasn’t the one on the floor right now. For strictly professional reasons, though. I didn’t know what I’d do if I would’ve caused a harbinger to freeze to death by making him sleep on the floor. If this was the sacrifice I had to make, then so be it.

One thing I couldn’t help coming back to was the fact that he had actually come back to look for me in that avalanche. He could’ve assumed that I had died in the explosion and given up like everyone else, but he had kept looking, and he had found me. I wasn’t sure, but “saving the meaningless life of a new recruit” didn’t seem to fit his job description. A part of me wanted to ask him, but I knew I’d only sound stupid, maybe even delusional. Not that I thought he had gone to save me because he cared about me or anything. Definitely not. He barely knew me. I was surprised he had even noticed my disappearance in the first place.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I hadn’t even heard the creaking bed as Childe got up and crouched down beside me. “Get up,” he said, his voice soft. I sat up, confused.

“What?”

“I know you’re stubborn, but you can’t be stubborn enough to let yourself freeze to death. Get up.” He grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me up to my feet.

“So what, you’re gonna freeze to death instead?” I said. I couldn’t believe he was bringing this up again.

“No. No one’s gonna be sleeping on the floor.”

I stared at him. “What?” Surely he didn’t mean-

“I know the bed’s small, but we’ll fit,” he said.

My eyes darted between the bed and him. “Are you sure?”

He smiled. “Yes,” he said, sounding a bit impatient.

I took a few tentative steps towards the bed. Pleased that he’d finally won the endless argument, he got onto the bed and held the blanket for me to slip under it beside him. The close proximity made my whole body heat up, and at this point I wasn’t even complaining.

I lay on my side, our faces so close I could feel his breath warming my cheeks. “Are your hands cold?” he asked with a gentle look in his eyes. I nodded and watched, slightly bewildered, as he took my hands in his. He began rubbing them gently, bringing the heat back into my skin. I averted my gaze, the warmth from my hands spreading to my face. I began to wonder whether I had a better chance of surviving on that damn floor, because if he kept this up, I was going to melt into a puddle.

“Try to sleep,” he said, his hands still holding onto mine.

“That’s easier said than done,” I replied.

“Why? Are you uncomfortable?” he asked, genuinely concerned.

“No, I’m very comfortable! It’s just-”

“Yes?”

I sighed. “Nothing.” My answer made him chuckle.

“You know, you don’t have to be hanging on the edge of the bed like that. You can move closer.”

“That sounds very unprofessional,” I said.

“I think we’ve already crossed that line.”

I glanced at him, biting the inside of my cheek hesitantly. Finally, I moved in closer to him, slightly leaning my head against him. To my surprise, he let go of my hands and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me even closer. I ended up with my head on his chest, my ear pressed right above his heart. The gentle steady thump of his heartbeat helped my muscles relax. I unclenched my jaw and shifted in his arms to find the most comfortable position.

“If we froze to death like this, it would be almost poetic,” he said. His hand began to play with my hair. I hoped he couldn’t hear my heart hammering in my chest.

“Yeah,” I said with a small smile. “It would.”

“Is there something I could do to help you sleep?” he asked.

“You could tell me something.”

“What, like a story?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm.” He paused for a second. “There’s this one that I used to tell my younger siblings. They got tired of hearing it, so I might not remember all the details, but I think it starts like this...”

I closed my eyes and let myself get lost in the sound of his voice. He continued stroking my hair, and before I knew it I had stopped shivering. I melted in his arms, the closeness of his body warming me up more than any fire in the world could.

When I awoke, I felt his absence almost immediately. I rolled over to my side, and I was comforted by the sight of him sitting by the table, tying his boots. He lifted his gaze to me, and when he realised I was awake, he smiled.

“Sleep well?” he asked. I sat up with a groan, flexing my feet.

“Yeah. You?”

“Me too.” He stood up and slipped on his coat. “We should get going. We wouldn’t want them to think we’re dead, right?”

“Right.”

There was a momentary pause before the door swung open. Childe’s gaze scanned over Lumine’s dripping figure, and he grinned. “Oh, is it raining?”

Lumine rolled her eyes. “Don’t start.” She pushed past him, purposefully brushing against his perfectly dry shirt. Childe shook his head, noticing the trail of water along the whole length of the corridor. He shut the door and turned to Lumine, who was leaned against his desk with her hands crossed over her chest. The room was dimly lit with the pleasant glow of a tall lamp standing by the desk and a crackling fireplace.

Without a word, Childe took the blanket he had thrown over an armchair by the fireplace and threw it to Lumine. She caught it with one hand and draped it over her shoulders, wrapping herself in it tightly.

“So, did you bump into some hydro slimes, or did you fall onto a lake on your way back?” Childe asked, that stupid grin still plastered on his face. His jacket was off and the top two buttons of his dark red shirt were undone, causing Lumine’s mind to be clouded with unwelcome thoughts. “I wouldn’t blame you, you know. It’s already dark outside, and that bridge there is quite narrow.”

Lumine ignored his little joke. “Ten of them. I got away unscathed, but… well, you know how they explode all over the place.”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out an artifact — a faded golden brooch in the shape of a flower, adorned with crimson details. Childe’s face lit up. “Oh, you actually found it!”

“What, you think I’d come back here empty handed?” She gave it to him. He clutched it in his hand, running his thumb over the petals.

“I don’t know,” he shrugged, “the slimes might’ve left you too shaken to continue.”

“I can’t believe you’re underestimating someone who defeated you in a duel. Or did I leave you so shaken that you don’t even remember how I wiped the floor with you?”

Childe scoffed, but his smile didn’t leave his face for a second. “Fair enough.” He walked over to the other side of his desk and opened his desk drawer, pulling out a bag of mora. He handed it to her. Lumine furrowed her brows as she undid the strings of the bag to peek inside.

“Something wrong?” asked Childe.

Lumine glanced up at him. “This is more than we agreed on.”

Childe simply shrugged. “I’m feeling generous. Buy yourself something nice. Paimon too. Where is she, anyway?”

“Resting. The slime explosion hit her as well, so I suppose she’ll be sleeping till midday.”

“Poor thing. I’m surprised she still puts up with you and all your shenanigans.”

“She might seem like she’d rather spend her whole life in our teapot doing nothing but napping and stuffing her face with food, but she’s an adventurer at heart.”

Childe had been examining the artifact as Lumine spoke, and when he looked back up to meet her gaze, his eyes narrowed. “You have a cut on your cheek.”

Lumine’s hand flew to the right side of her face, and sure enough, when she pulled her hand away, her fingers were covered in semi-dry blood. “Hmm, I don’t even recall how it happened.”

Childe took out a large wooden box from a cabinet and slammed it down on the desk next to Lumine. Opening it revealed its function — a first aid kit.

“Why go to Baizhu when you can have his whole stock in your office, right?” Lumine remarked, watching Childe as he pulled out a clean white cloth and some antiseptic.

“Baizhu would be a millionaire if I went to him every time I got hurt. My office is the only one without a rug because they got sick of having to clean off the bloodstains all the time.”

Childe stood right in front of Lumine, close enough to make her heart skip a beat. He tucked a few stray strands of her platinum blonde hair behind her ear, the tips of his fingers brushing lightly against her cheek. Lumine shivered and wrapped the blanket around herself even tighter.

Childe’s expression settled into focus as he wetted the cloth with the antiseptic and began dabbing it on the cut, wiping off the dried blood with great care. She was grateful to be leaning against the desk, because her knees felt like they were going to give out under her any second. Her gaze flicked across his illuminated face, taking in every tiny detail — his lashes, his brows knitted together, the shape of his lips, his barely visible freckles.

The corners of his mouth turned upwards. “Something on your mind?”

Her gaze snapped away from his face to the door behind him. “Nothing. Why do you ask?”

“Dunno. Seems like you’re finally warming up, though. Your face is a bit red.”

Lumine’s eyes widened slightly. “You’re imagining things.”

Their gazes met, and Childe’s hand froze above the cut. “Am I?”

Lumine bit into the inside of her lip, her face getting hotter with every second he kept his eyes on her. She never expected a simple touch and some eye contact could make her heart nearly burst, and all she could do was pray the overwhelming feeling would go away.

Once Childe was done, he lay the cloth down on the table, but he didn’t move a single inch away from her.

“Thanks. I should probably get going now,” she said, glancing down at her feet.

Childe let out a small breath. “You might catch a cold, going outside like this. Maybe you could wait here until you dry off fully.”

Her grip on the blanket tightened. “Sounds like you don’t want me to leave,” she said with a weak chuckle.

He hummed, tilting his head slightly. “Maybe I don’t.”

Archons… “You don’t?”

“Well, it’s my fault you got soaked like this in the first place, so it’s only right for me to make sure you’re warm and comfortable.”

She wasn’t sure if she knew what was on his mind, but if it was anything like what had flashed through her own mind, she wondered if “drying off” would truly be the desired outcome. No matter his intentions, her hair and clothes weren’t the only things soaking wet right now.

Pathetic, she thought. One touch and you’d drop to your knees for him. Have some fucking dignity, Lumine.

A sly grin appeared on his face. “You should work on not letting your true emotions show on your face.”

Lumine gulped. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

“I think you know exactly what I mean.” Her eyelids fluttered as he brushed his hand against her cheek.

“Is this how you plan on warming me up?” she asked.

“Well, I had other things in mind as well. Only if you want to, of course.” He cupped her cheek in his hand, rubbing his thumb over it. Lumine dropped her gaze, feeling almost lightheaded.

“And what kinds of things do you have in mind?” she asked, her voice soft and low. Childe smiled.

“Oh, well, you know…” he trailed off, dropping his hand from her cheek to play with her hair.

“Don’t tell me you’re getting shy all of a sudden.”

Childe snorted, shaking his head. He leaned in closer, close enough that she could feel his hot breath on her lips. The way his eyes softened as he looked at her gave her goosebumps, and all she could do was stand there and wait for him to say something. Or do something. Oh, how badly she wanted him to do something right now.

“I wanna know how you taste.”

Her breath hitched in her throat. “You mean-”

“Yes.” His lips were so close to hers she could practically feel them already.

“Guess there’s only one way for you to find out, right?” she said.

Childe grinned and closed the distance between them. She took a sharp breath as he kissed her gently, pulling her in by her waist. She melted into his touch, hooking her fingers around his harness. He pulled away for a second to say, “Get on the desk,” before diving back in again, this time with a hunger that drove Lumine absolutely mad.

With his help she perched herself on top of the desk, spreading her legs to pull him even closer. The blanket had fallen off her shoulders, leaving her shivering. One hand gripped her waist while the other tangled itself in her hair. He pulled her head back slightly, earning a small gasp from her. His lips left her mouth and trailed down to her neck.

Lumine bit her bottom lip, trying her best to regulate her breathing. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and her fingers tightened around the straps of his harness, tugging him even closer. She could feel him smirk against the skin of her neck.

Her mind was racing with thoughts of where his hands would go next, where his lips would go next. She craved his touch like a starved peasant who hadn’t eaten in weeks, but no matter where he touched her, it wasn’t enough. The need for him consumed her, burning through her body like a roaring fire.

He pulled his lips away from her neck to check out his handiwork. Seemingly pleased with the amount of marks he’d left on her, he moved in closer again, sliding his hands along her thighs. “How about you take this off so it can dry properly, hmm?” he said, teasingly pulling at the hem of her dress.

Lumine nodded, maybe a bit too eagerly, and lifted her arms so he could pull the dress over her head. His eyes widened slightly as he took in the sight of her semi-naked body sitting prettily on his desk. He laid out the dress close to the fire to dry before returning back to Lumine.

He brought a hand to her chin and raised it, meeting her lips once more. Lumine hummed into his mouth as his tongue slipped inside. His hands gripped her hips, squeezing them slightly. Lumine’s fingers busied themselves with the buttons on his shirt, undoing each and every one.

Lumine began to wonder if she was in a dream when Childe sank to his knees in between her legs. He dragged his nails from her hips down her thighs, sending shivers down her spine. She subconsciously clamped her legs shut, but he pried them open and glanced up at her, raising an eyebrow.

“May I?” he said. Lumine nodded.

“No, I want to hear you say it,” he said.

Lumine sucked in a breath. “Yes. Please.”

Childe’s soft lips littered small kisses up her inner thighs, edging closer and closer to her aching core. The sight of her soaked underwear made him smile. For a moment he looked like he was going to comment on it but decided against it. Instead, he hooked his fingers onto the waistband of her underwear and pulled it down, letting it drop by his knees.

Childe lifted both of her legs and rested them on his shoulders, his eyes trailing up her naked figure as he moved in closer. “Look at me, Lumine. I’ll stop if you look away,” he said. His breath felt like a chilly breeze against her bare skin. Lumine’s gaze met his, and she nodded.

She let out a soft moan when he swiped his tongue between her folds slowly. She gripped the edge of the table and let her head fall back, but his tightening grip on her thighs served as a reminder to bring her attention back to him.

“Holy fuck,” she whispered, watching in awe as he wrapped his lips around her clit, his mouth already covered in her arousal. He sucked on it gently, his occasional tongue flicks sending her into heaven. She leaned back onto her elbows, unaware of the fact she was crumpling some very important looking documents that he still had on his desk.

“God, Lumine, you taste divine,” he mused, not letting a single drop go to waste. His eyes didn’t leave hers for a single second, and it seemed like he found pleasure in simply seeing the look of pure bliss on her face. Every flick of his tongue elicited the most unholy sounds from her mouth, and Childe couldn’t get enough of them. He wanted to hear her screaming his name. He wanted the whole world to know that only he could make the famous Traveller completely unravel with just a simple touch.

“How does it feel?” he asked.

“So good,” Lumine moaned, breathing heavily.

“Just good?” he said, tilting his head. “I can’t leave you with just ‘good’.” He smirked, and slid two fingers inside her. Lumine let out a cry, her hand reaching down to grip his hair. With his fingers pumping into her as well as his lips sucking on her clit, her legs began to shake in a matter of minutes. Her moans grew in intensity and volume, which only led him to increase the speed.

“Fuck, right there,” Lumine breathed out. She was practically drooling at the sight of him between her legs like this. His uninterrupted eye contact made the whole experience much more intimate and pleasurable. “I’m so close.”

He curled his fingers inside her in exactly the right spot and used his other hand to rub circles over her sensitive clit. “Like this?”

She let out another moan in response and nodded, tears stinging in her eyes. “Don’t stop.”

“I wouldn’t dare. I wanna see how pretty you are when you cum for me.”

Those words were enough to send her over the edge. A wave of pleasure crashed over her, making her toes curl and her back arch. She clenched around his fingers as he slowed down the pace but kept them inside her. She tried to catch her breath and finally let her head fall back, closing her eyes. He pulled his fingers out and got to his feet, towering over her exhausted body.

“Open your mouth,” he said. She did, and he pushed his two fingers into her mouth, letting her taste herself. He wasn’t lying, she did taste good. She sucked his fingers clean and let them go with a satisfying pop.

“My dress might be dry now, but I sure as hell am not,” she said, a small grin spreading across her face. Childe let out a chuckle.

“I’m guessing that’s my fault again, isn’t it?”

Lumine sat up, reaching with one hand to tug on his belt. “It is, so it’s your job to do something about it.”