#aurora writes

You don't have to be alone. We've got the Bond. And everyone in town would be willing to swing by if you need a hand. You know Gem would pop over in minutes if you asked if she'd be willing to keep Skye busy for an hour. You know Skizz or Lizzie or Scar or even Martyn would love to take her for a flight if she needed to get some wiggles out and you hadn't finished the Ranch chores yet.

Tango tried not to sigh. I know... but I'm not letting Martyn take her for a flight unsupervised. I don't need him teaching her bad words.

Jimmy bit back a snicker. Fair enough, fair enough... Tango... Don't worry so much. She adores you and you're so good at magic—you'll both be fine. I promise.

Tango tightened his grip on Skye just a little bit. "Okay, princess. Time to let Jimmy go so he and Uncle Grian and Auntie Pearl can go on their trip," he said, keeping his voice quiet but loving and warm. He fully expected Skye to start crying. He wouldn't blame her. Nine months on the Ranch after Jimmy had rescued her from the pillager outpost wasn't very long in terms of processing grief. She was probably still scared—and even losing her stability and primary caretaker for a few days might be frightening for her after losing her biological parents.

Jimmy gave her a squeeze. "I'll be back before you know it, sweet pea. And I'll bring you back something from the city." If that's alright with you, Jimmy added silently. I know it's extra diamonds—

Go for it. We'll be fine, Tango thought back.

A knock echoed off the door to the Ranch house. "Come in!" Jimmy called. "It's unlocked!"

The door creaked open. "Ya comin', mate?" Pearl asked casually, poking her head in. A smile blossomed on her face at the sight of Tango half-heartedly trying to pry Skye from around Jimmy's neck and Jimmy making no particular move to help or hinder.

"Yeah, I'm comin'," Jimmy replied. "Just saying goodbye to my family."

"Well, it appears to be going better than Grian and Scar," Pearl muttered sarcastically. "Grian's been trying to get Scar to release him for, like, an hour. And Scar's just doing it as a bit." She chuckled lightly. Her eyes met Skye's. "And how are you, sweetie?" she asked brightly.

Skye didn't reply immediately. Just finally gave up her clinging to Jimmy and twisted to instead cling to Tango, holding him around the neck and curling up in his arms. He readjusted so he wasn't holding her wings at all and snuggled her close. "I'm okay," she said softly, voice muffled by the fabric of Tango's jumpsuit. Tango kissed the hair on the top of her head and repeated her words louder to Pearl.

Jimmy pressed a kiss to Skye's hair and Tango's forehead. "I'll be back before you know it," he said. "And you get to see Cleo soon for school! Won't that be so fun?"

Skye nodded into Tango's shoulder. "I guess so."

"You'll have so much fun!" Jimmy reassured. He was looking at Tango when he said it. Then added, "Be safe. Both of you. Don't miss me too much—and don't have too much fun without me." He winked and jogged several steps back toward the door before turning to look at Pearl. "Are we ready to do this?" he asked enthusiastically as the door shut behind him.

Skye sniffled. Her feathers were shivering together as her wings shook slightly.

Tango held her closer. "I know, sweetheart. I know. But we'll be okay. He'll be home before you know it. And I'll be right here with you the whole time." He brushed her flyaway hairs back. Jimmy had given her a fresh crown braid last night after her bath while her hair was wet so she could wear it today and tomorrow, and then Tango would do a simple, plain braid the day after that which would last her until Jimmy came back.

Tango could do a normal braid. He could even do pigtails. He had not yet figured out how to do the crown braid. Gem had been kind enough to try to teach him on Pearl's hair while Jimmy did Skye's, not long after the first time Gem had taught Jimmy. And Tango had done great—with Gem there to guide his hands. But when he'd tried to give Skye a crown braid on his own, it had ended messily. Including using magic to dump some water on her hair to make it easier to detangle. He hadn't really tried much since.

"Is... is he gonna be okay?" Skye asked. "He's gonna come home... right?"

"Of course! He's made this trip with Uncle Grian and Auntie Pearl lots of times. You've seen how he flies. He flies really pretty but he flies nice and safe. He'll probably come back happy and healthy and excited to see his little girl."

"What about you? Won't he be excited to see you too?"

"Of course. But he'll be more excited to see you." He kissed her hair. "C'mon, kiddo. Let's get you ready for school with Cleo." He set her down, but still held her hand as he took her upstairs to make sure she had all her things. Her wings were slightly drooped, the white feathers trailing along the floor as she followed him up the stairs.

—

"See you in a bit, Skye," Tango promised, kissing her hair again.

"Bye Tango," Skye said.

Cleo's brows scrunched, but they didn't say anything. Just waved to Tango themself as he backed up. Skye followed Cleo inside the house and Tango took to the air. He flew back to the Ranch and went back to his chores. With Jimmy gone, he had to use more magic to pick up the slack on the chores. Which, on top of being Skye's primary (only?) caretaker for the next few days, was going to leave him exhausted.

As Tango started to tend to the crops, he determined to himself that he'd get some help with Skye. Otherwise he'd never keep up with the ranch and her. And neither of those things could wait for a few days for Jimmy to come back. The animals and the crops needed caring for. So did Skye. So he'd need help if he wanted to have the time and energy to do both. Which meant asking for help. He wasn't terribly looking forward to that, but he knew their friends would step in to help in a heartbeat if he asked. Honestly, Gem would probably help without being asked. She was the type to just show up and inform Tango that she was there to help and not take no for an answer.

He left a spell on the crops and went to go tend the animals with a deep sigh of knowing how tired he was going to be later.

—

"Tangooo!" Skye exclaimed, running forward and throwing her arms out. Tango crouched and caught her as she beat her wings once to leap into the air at him.

"Ohhh! There's my girl!" he said excitedly, holding her close in a hug. He looked up at Cleo and smiled. "Thanks for school today."

Skye twisted to look at Cleo too. "Thanks for school!"

"You're welcome, you two," Cleo said with an amused grin.

"See you tomorrow," Tango said.

Cleo offered a wave as Tango helped Skye take off and head back for the Ranch.

They flew home and Skye ran into her landing as Tango touched down gently, his Blade Rods winking out once his feet were safely on the ground. "How was school today, pumpkin?"

"It was so much fun!" Skye exclaimed.

"Good." He ruffled her slightly messy white hair in her crown braid and followed her inside the ranch house. "I was thinking baked potatoes and some chicken for dinner tonight. How's that sound?"

Skye perked up. "Green onions?"

"I can get some chopped, yeah."

"Yaaay!" Her white wings fluttered in excitement. "Thank you, Tango!"

He kissed the top of her head, bending nearly in half to do so. "Of course, kiddo."

Tango warmed up the SoulBond between him and Jimmy. Skye's home from school. She's doing well.

He didn't really expect Jimmy to respond. He and Grian and Pearl probably just barely made it to the city and were in the middle of starting to get their shopping done.

But the SoulBond flared with heat.

Oh good! Glad to hear she's okay. You're both good?

Yeah. We're good. We're surviving without you so far.

I told you you'd be fine.

Tango rolled his eyes as he shoved some fuel into the furnace to start making dinner. For now.

The SoulBond warmed with Jimmy's amusement, and Tango took a moment to pretend that warmth was Jimmy's arms around him, comforting him. He really wasn't convinced about his parenting skills, especially not alone, but he could feel reassurance in there somewhere too. You never give yourself enough credit for things you're good at.

Nope! Tango chirped back cheerfully.

"—are you even listening, Tango?" Skye asked, having used her wings to boost herself up to sit on the counter island.

Tango shook his head to clear it. "What?"

"You're not listening!"

"I was just telling Jimmy that you're home safe, sweet pea," Tango replied. "Sorry. What were you saying?"

"I was talking about school. Cleo said she doesn't want to teach me magic because she thinks you'd be better at it."

"I mean, I'm definitely better at some kinds of magic than Cleo is. But Cleo has a lot of their own skill in other kinds that I'm too scared to delve too deep into."

"But she said you should teach me more magic. Since you already started."

Tango set his fists on his hips. "Do you want me to teach you more magic?"

"It's magic. Of course I want to learn!" Skye's voice pitched up a little like the question's answer should have been obvious but she was still enthusiastic. Her wings flapped gently as she said it, a single feather dislodging and falling to the counter, then the floor.

Oh dear. Jimmy always helped Skye preen her wings. Tango could count on one hands the amount of times he'd done it, and he'd always done it with Jimmy right there.

Well... he'd figure it out tonight, he supposed.

"Okay," he said to her, trying to get his mind back on track. "I'll keep teaching you magic."

She beamed. "Yaaay!"

Tango smiled and started to make dinner.

—

Jimmy. Help. How do I help Skye preen her wings?

She can mostly do it herself. Just do what you've done in the past in the places she can't reach. Like on the backs of her wings near her spine.

But what if I hurt her? Or rip out a feather?

You'll be fine. You've done it before.

Jimmy, I have no instinct for preening. I don't know how difficult or easy it is to pull out feathers. I can't instinctively tell how much pressure to use—

Tango. You've preened my wings entirely on your own before.

Yeah, but you were guiding me through it the whole time.

Skye's old enough to explain how she's feeling. Just have a little faith in yourself and in her, yeah?

... I'll try.

How can I hear you sigh over a mental connection?

Dunno. Magic?

I miss you, Tango. But I'll be home soon. I promise.

I know. I miss you too, Jimmy.

—

Tango rubbed his forehead with his fingers. Skye squealed and played in the living room with a handful of her toys. The fireplace wasn't even lit but every time her trailing wings got close to it, Tango felt himself tense up like she was going to light her feathers on fire.

"I need help," he muttered under his breath.

He got out his communicator and scrolled to find a familiar contact.

you whisper to Skizzleman: hey. willing to come over and help Skye get some wiggles out before bed? i'm at my wits end

He, thankfully, didn't have to wait long for Skizz's reply.

Skizzleman whispers to you: yeah dude! be right there!

Skye was in the middle of spinning in circles and singing something to herself. Her toys were scattered over the living room floor and Tango was doing his best to keep calm, especially when she stepped on something and muttered, "Ouch!" before going back to whatever it was she was doing.

Within minutes, a knock rapped off the door. "Top! It's me!"

Tango trotted over to the front door and popped it open. "Hey Skizz!" he greeted with a relieved smile. "C'mon in." He opened the door wider and stepped back. Skizz slid through and Tango shut the door behind him. Skizz rolled his shoulders and tucked his Allay wings down to either side of his spine. "Skye, sweetheart?" Tango called toward the living room. "Will you come meet a good friend of mine?"

Skye stopped spinning, tucking her wings back and swaying dizzily to either side. "What?"

Skizz knelt down, sitting on his heels. "Hey there, kiddo," he greeted.

"Skye, would you like to come meet my friend? He's here to play."

Skye toddled dangerously as she crossed the wooden floor over to stand in front of Skizz. "Hi," she greeted.

Skizz held out a hand. "Hi there," he replied. "My name is Skizz."

Skye stared at his extended hand. "Why are you holding your hand out?"

"So you can shake it if you want," Skizz said.

Skye looked up at Tango past Skizz's head. Confused.

Tango wiggled his fingers, making a quick illusion of a red-and-yellow outline of a hand and demonstrated how to shake hands. Skye blinked at him for several long moments, then looked back down at Skizz.

Carefully, she shook his hand.

"Your name is Skye, right?" Skizz asked.

"Uh-huh."

"Top talks about you all the time."

Her white brows scrunched. "Huh?"

"Sorry—Tango talks about you all the time." Skizz smiled. "Can I play with you?"

Skye looked over Skizz's head again at Tango, confused.

Tango nodded encouragingly. "I asked him if he wanted to come over and play with you. Skizz is like a big kid himself. He's a lot of fun to play with."

"Oh... okay," Skye said. From where she was still holding Skizz's hand, she turned and started pulling him toward the living room.

"Skye, I bet Skizz would have fun playing Dragon and Knight with you. Or another pretend game."

Skizz beamed. "You bet I would! I love playing pretend!" His wings snapped back out with a quiet Allay chime, fluttering. Skye tilted her head to one side.

"You have wings."

"I do! So do you."

Hers extended out as far as they could go. They were pretty big. "Mine are bigger than yours," she said.

"Don't," Tango warned Skizz under his breath. "She's six."

"Your wings definitely are. That's because you have really pretty bird wings. My wings come from Allays. Do you know what Allays are?"

Skye fidgeted. "There were a few with the pillagers," she said quietly. "In the other cages."

"Sorry, what?"

"That's how Tango and Jimmy found me. I got out of the cage I was in but I fell down the gorge. Broke my wing," she said, looking back at the now-healed wing over one shoulder. "Never found Mama and Papa. Probably gone. Tango and Jimmy adopted me."

Skizz brushed a few loose hairs off her face. "Well, you couldn't have been found by anyone better. Tango-Top and Jimmy love you so, so much. And you are so, so strong."

Skye furrowed her brows. "Why do you call him that?"

"What?"

"That's the second time you said Top."

"I call him Tango-Top because they both start with T and it sounds fun when you say it," Skizz said.

"Nicknames are Skizz's thing, sweet pea," Tango supplied from nearby, where he'd moved to start getting some dinner for three ready. "He gives everyone silly nicknames. Mine is Tango-Top. Jimmy's is Jimmy-Jiggles."

"Where is Jiggles, anyway?"

"Flew to the big city with G and Pearl for supplies."

"Ohhh right. Annual birds trip, huh?"

"Yeah." The trip wasn't actually annual but it sounded good to say.

"I want a nickname!" Skye exclaimed. She tugged on the hem of Skizz's shirt. "Do I get a nickname?"

Skizz considered her. "Well, kiddo, nicknames gotta come naturally. They have to just appear when the moment is right," he said. Skye's brows furrowed again.

"When will the moment be right?"

"Who knows?" Skizz shrugged.

She thought for a few moments. Then hunched her shoulders up. "Can we play pretend now?" she asked quietly.

"Heck yeah, we can!" Skizz replied.

Tango smiled and slightly tuned them out as they started playing pretend. He carried on getting dinner ready, trusting Skizz to keep her occupied and wearing her out before bedtime. He tried to keep one ear half-listening to them. Just in case. But he did get a little consumed by making dinner.

Only Skye's shrieky squeal was able to pull his attention away. His head whipped up from where he was chopping vegetables at the counter.

Skizz was kneeling on the floor with Skye's torso held in both hands. Her wings and arms were out to either side of her and Skizz was slowly rotating in a circle. Skye was laughing so hard she was wheezing.

"Skizz, be careful!" Tango exclaimed, his chest growing tight with anxiety.

"You worry too much, Top. I got her," Skizz replied.

"Yeah, Tango! It's okay!" Skye added.

Skizz scrunched his brows. He brought Skye down and set her on her feet. "Didn't Jimmy and Tango adopt you, sweet pea?"

"Yep!" Skye chirped with a little flap of her wings and a bounce on the balls of her feet.

"How come you still call them by their names? They're your dads."

"We didn't want to push anything, Skizz," Tango said, putting the chopped vegetables in a pan on the stove. "She lost her parents. If she wants to call us our names, she can."

"Have you ever thought about calling them your dads?" Skizz asked gently, smoothing down her hair. One thing was for sure about Skizz (in Tango's opinion anyway), he had much better Dad Energy than Tango did. Tango was doing his best, but he didn't nurture as naturally as Skizz or Jimmy. It took Tango a lot more effort and conscious thought.

Skizz just had to take care of people. Not just because he was part-Allay (though that was certainly part of it), but because that was who he was as a person. He probably would have been a much better second dad for Skye than Tango was, but Tango was trying. And he loved Skye dearly, so he would keep trying.

"She's called Jimmy 'Dad' a couple times," Tango said quietly. "But we didn't want to push anything."

Skye's wings fluffed and ruffled. She shook them out with her shoulders. "Do you want me to call you something else, Tango?" she asked.

"I want you to call me whatever feels good to you, honey," Tango said, crossing over to the living room and kneeling down in front of her. "I know how bad you still hurt after losing your Mama and Papa. And if it hurts to call me something other than my name, I don't want you to hurt."

"What about Top?" Skye asked with a small smile.

"That's Skizz's name for me," Tango replied, booping the tip of her nose.

"What about Pop? Or Pops? Some kids call their dad that," Skizz suggested.

Skye's dark blue eyes lit up. "Pop! Pop Top!"

Tango couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, alright. If that's what you want to call me, sweetheart, you can. Pop is fine. Pops is fine. I'll even be good with Pop Top. But if that's too close to Papa that it's gonna hurt you..."

Skye's wings drooped. She looked down at the wooden floor of the ranch and thought for a while. Skizz gave Tango an apologetic look, saying sorry for bringing it up.

But Skye shook her head. "No. I like Pop!" She grinned. "Pop Top, Pop Top," she sang cheerfully.

Tango chuckled and Skizz grinned. "Alright, then."

"And Jimmy is Dad!" Skye added.

"Sounds great, sweet pea." Tango kissed the top of her head. "I'm gonna go back to making dinner now."

"Okay, Pop!" She giggled.

Tango got to his feet and went back to the kitchen.

—

One more day, Tango. How are you faring?

We're surviving. Had Skizz over tonight to help her use some of her energy before going to bed. But she did get to sleep pretty quickly after we read a book together while I braided her hair after her bath.

Oh good.

I miss you though.

I miss you too. But I'll be home first thing in the morning the day after tomorrow. Promise.

How are G and Pearl?

Same as always. G and I have spent the last couple days bickering and Pearl just rolls her eyes at us.

Heh—why am I not surprised?

We never change?

Never. But it's charming.

I'll see you soon, Tango. I miss you.

I miss you too.

I should let you go to bed. I can feel how tired you are down the Bond.

Yeah... but we'll talk tomorrow.

Definitely.

—

Tango unwound Skye's braid carefully, brushing out her thick white hair. "How was school today, Skye?"

"It was fun!" she replied. "I love going to school. Cleo is a great teacher."

"Yeah, she is," Tango agreed. "There you go. All brushed."

Skye turned around and wrapped her arms around Tango's hips, not quite tall enough to even reach his waist, her cheek pressed to his belly button. "Pop?"

"Yeah, sweet pea?"

"I miss Jimmy... Daddy. I miss Daddy."

"I know. I miss him too. But he's gonna be home by the time you wake up tomorrow."

Skye sniffled. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"Oh, honey. Of course. We're your dads. We love you. You're our girl now and we're so, so grateful to have you in our lives. As part of our little family." He knelt down so they were nearer to eye level and he gave her a hug, letting her wrap her arms around his neck. "Hey. I've got an idea to cheer you up."

"What is it?"

"Put on your dress and meet me downstairs when you're done, okay?"

"Why?"

Tango kissed the top of her head. "It's a surprise."

He slipped out of her room and went to his and Jimmy's. He locked the door and quickly changed from his everyday outfit—the red jumpsuit and black cargo vest with too many pockets—to his one somewhat-formal outfit. A red collared shirt with a dark gold tie and a black sweater vest, along with black slacks, which he tucked carefully into his boots.

He went downstairs and found a ribbon in one of their chests.

Skye came downstairs hesitantly a few moments later. "Pop?" She had on her dress. One that Scar had made for her with a fluffy skirt. Light blue and pretty.

"Yeah?"

"Why are we dressed up?"

Tango went over to her, took some of the front of her hair back out of her way, and tied it with the ribbon. Most of her hair was still loose and down, but hopefully that would keep her hair mostly out of her face. He kissed the top of her head again and went over to the jukebox. He plucked a disc off the shelf above it and put it in the jukebox.

A soft music box sound wound up and began plunking out its gentle tune. "Because I'm going to teach you how to dance, princess."

Skye lit up. "Really?"

She rushed over to him and he took her hands. "We're gonna at least get you started," he said. "This song is a waltz. So I want you to follow my lead, okay? You can stand on my feet to start with, too, if you want."

Skye climbed up to stand on his feet.

Tango quietly counted to the beat and explained what they were doing. "One, two, three. One, two, three. Back, side, together. Forward, side, together. And we lift up a little on the two. This dance is what they call a rise-and-fall. One, two, three. One, two, three. Back, side, together. Forward, side, together."

Skye giggled, watching their feet. "I didn't know you know how to dance, Pop Top," she said softly.

"Well, don't tell Jimmy I know how," he replied. "Because then he's gonna make me dance all the time. And I'm not as good as he is at it."

Skye giggled. Tango knew better than to assume this little secret would stay secret. Skye would tell Jimmy immediately and Tango would never get out of dancing in the kitchen and the living room with him now.

Worth it.

He closed his eyes. "Close your eyes, Skye," he said softly. "Feel the dance. Don't look at it. I won't let you fall. Just stay on the top of my feet."

He opened his eyes to see hers were closed, and he kept walking her through the dance.

"Do you want to try it on your own, now?" he asked after a few moments. "Step down off my feet and dance with me?"

Her eyes opened, looking up at him with a bit of apprehension. "Um..."

"You don't have to if you're not ready."

"No, I want to!" She slipped off the top of his boots.

Tango smiled. "Okay." The music box version of the song stopped and Tango popped the disc out and put it back into the jukebox to start it again. When she was a little more comfortable with dancing, he'd play the proper music disc—the one that had a faster tempo.

They started dancing. Skye watched their feet. "One, two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three," she muttered under her breath.

"Don't stomp, sweetheart. Try to glide."

Skye extended her wings.

"Not with your wings. With your feet. Step lightly. Back, side, together, forward, side, together. Look up at me. Don't look at your feet. I know it's hard. But I won't step on your toes. I promise."

They waltzed a little more. Tango set the jukebox to just play the song on repeat with a flick of magic.

Slowly, Skye got the hang of it. She met his eyes with all the trust in the world, holding onto his hands tightly.

"There you go. That's it," Tango said encouragingly. "You got it. I got you. You're dancing, princess." He smiled warmly down at her. She blinked her big eyes at him.

A smile spread across her face. "I'm dancing?"

"You're dancing!"

They kept dancing for another couple passes of the rather short song. And as it kept going, Skye got more comfortable. Her smile only grew.

Tango felt warmth and pride blossoming in his chest.

Everything okay? Jimmy's voice asked in his head.

Everything's great, Jimmy. We're having fun.

What are you feeling, Tango? I can't quite name it.

Pride. I'm so proud of our girl.

Aw. How come?

I'll tell you when you get home tomorrow.

Okay. Jimmy sent a pulse of warm affection down the SoulBond. Tango reflected it back, though most of his attention was focused on dancing with their daughter.

Yeah. He was a proud Pop.

—

"Daddy! You're back!" Skye shrieked, bolting out the front door of the Ranch house.

Jimmy dropped his backpack and the bags of supplies he'd been lugging up to the house and rushed forward, dropping to his knees. Skye slammed into him, her arms snapping around his shoulders. His pulse was beating in his wings from the long flight home, but he didn't mind as his nose got buried in Skye's loose hair. She smelled like the Ranch. Like home.

"I'm home," he agreed, holding onto her tight. "Oh, how did you get bigger in the three days I was gone? Stop doing that."

She giggled and held him tighter.

"Did you and Tango have fun while I was gone?"

"Uh-huh! We had lots of fun!"

Jimmy looked at where Tango was strolling out of the Ranch house much slower and more casually than Skye had, hands in the hip pockets of his usual red jumpsuit. "Not too much fun, I hope."

Tango just gave him that devilishly handsome lopsided smirk and shrugged. "Well. Depends on your definition," he said playfully.

"Daddy!" Skye yanked back from the hug to look Jimmy in the eyes urgently. "Pop knows how to dance!" She beamed. "He taught me how!" She twisted and looked at Tango. "Right, Pop?"

Jimmy didn't miss the sudden addition of parental nicknames to her vocabulary, but he resolved to ask Tango about it later. Instead, he chose to focus on the rest of her words. "Dance?" he asked curiously, looking at Tango over Skye's head, cradling it with one hand to hold her close to his own.

Tango shrugged again. "Not well," he said. "Not like you. I taught her the basic step of how to waltz. But everyone knows that much, at least."

Jimmy arched a brow. "No, no they don't." He kissed the side of Skye's hair and scooped her up onto his hip as he stood up. She squealed, her sleek white wings flapping as she clung closer to him, burying her face in his neck and shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me you know how?"

"Because you're much better at it than me and I didn't want to embarrass myself. I'm bad at it."

"That's not true!" Skye protested. "You're a great dancer!"

Tango opened his mouth to protest but just shook his head instead. "I'm not as good as Daddy," he said. "And Daddy gets to rebraid your hair before school this morning because Pop took it out last night." He moved around Jimmy and Skye and scooped up the bags.

Jimmy kissed Skye's hair again. "I missed you, sweet pea."

"I missed you too, Daddy," Skye said softly.

Jimmy carried her inside, slinging his free arm around Tango's shoulders and draping his huge yellow wings over both of them, holding his family close.

—

Jimmy held Tango in his arms as they danced softly in the living room, barely more than a sway to the jukebox turned down as far as it could possibly be and still be audible. The tips of his feathers trailed across the slightly-dusty floor. "So. You two were okay on your own?"

"Mmhmm. We survived. We both missed you."

Jimmy kissed the side of Tango's head, his fire hair unable to burn Jimmy due to their SoulBond. "You're sweet."

"I did get Skizz's help for a bit. He's the one who got her calling us nicknames, now."

"I'm kinda glad for that," Jimmy admitted. "Makes the family thing feel even closer." He took Tango's hand and spun him slowly under one arm. Tango snickered. "Why didn't you ever tell me you know how to dance?"

"Because if I did, you'd make me do this every night. And I'm not that good."

"I don't believe you," Jimmy needled playfully. "You're always much better at everything than you'll ever give yourself credit for." He smiled at Tango's red eyes rolling.

"Nah," Tango said.

"Yes," Jimmy retorted. "You are. And I can prove it." He popped the music box version of Creator out of the jukebox and put the real version in. "C'mere, love. Dance with me." He slid his hand up to rest on Tango's shoulder blade, holding their joined hands on the other side at Tango's eye level.

Jimmy set the waltz in motion and Tango followed along. Tango bit his lower lip in concentration, trying to keep up with Jimmy's longer legs without falling.

Jimmy pretended not to notice Skye creeping down the stairs and sitting on them, setting her chin on her hands and her elbows on her knees, wrapping herself in her wings and watching with a tiny smile on her face.

Tango didn't even notice she was there.

Jimmy grinned down at him. "I love you, Tango. I'm happy to be home."

This Time

Rumi grunted, desperation and frustration bleeding through as she struggled to push against the intense force of Gwi-Ma’s vortex of fuchsia flames. But despite pouring out every iota of power she could draw out from her being, she could feel herself being pushed back ever so infinitesimally.

And it was enough to morph her desperation into fear.

She wasn’t going to make it, and judging from the way Zoey and Mira were calling out to her with worry evident in their voices, she wasn’t the only one who thought so.

Her arms began to lose strength, and falling onto one knee as she slowly approached what she began to believe was her end, he crossed her mind.

His arrogant and flirtatious demeanour that never failed to strike a nerve in her, his adorably goofy moments that she couldn’t help be amused by, his enthralling chocolate brown eyes with a golden gleam that always seemed to draw her very soul in.

“For what it’s worth, I don’t think you’re a mistake.”

And his beautiful voice which uttered the very words that had rocked her world to its core. That gave her a sense of acceptance. That, for the first time in her life, made her feel she was more than enough, knowing what she was.

Feeling the rattle of her sword cracking, she grit her teeth in a wince.

This was it, it’s over—

Suddenly, she was falling forward from the sudden lack of pressure, landing on her hands and knees. Finding herself staring at the ground, she blinked in an attempt to regain herself, to comprehend. When she did, she noticed how the thousands of people in the audience had fallen into a new lull, clearly different from earlier. Curious, she raised her head…

… and came face to face with those enthralling golden eyes that gave her her answer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jinu watched, astonished and dumbfounded, as she emerged from the crowd, baring her heart and soul for not just everyone present in the stadium, but the whole world to see.

Her demonic patterns unshielded from her usual long sleeves, her slow yet confident strut towards the stage, and her crystal clear voice resembling the lilting hum of angelic euphony.

Unafraid and unashamed, ready to face her inner demons, running no longer on her mind.

He could feel the stares of his fellow group mates on him, awaiting his orders as though expecting him to plan their next attack. And admittedly, he should have. But the words lodged stuck in his throat, rendering him speechless as he witnessed her and her girls quickly approaching each other from different ends of the stage, swiftly striking down the demons that rushed at them, obstructing them from reuniting with one another.

He alone remained still as the trio began advancing toward Gwi-Ma, doubts and hesitation plaguing his mind, holding him back.

He had vowed vengeance upon Gwi-Ma, for manipulating and deceiving him, for stealing what he had treasured most. He had abandoned everything — sympathy, sadness, kindness — for the sake of that one goal.

Then he met her, and it changed everything.

At first, it was merely amusement. Like a game of cat and mouse, toying with her till his plan would come to fruition.

Then, he learnt her darkest secret, and that amusement turned into… something more. He did things he did not understand himself, behaved in a manner he normally wouldn’t, spoke with a genuine lightheartedness he had long forgotten.

It brought back to the surface something he had buried a long time ago.

He had dared believe for salvation when Rumi made her offer, which resulted in his devastation when he believed it lost as things took a turn for the worst for her. For them.

He had foolishly opened his heart once more despite knowing the vulnerability it would entail, and that led him to being hurt again.

He thought his resolve had steeled when he ultimately chose to see through this plan, as orchestrated by him from the very start.

It wasn’t till Gwi-Ma finally attacked her, when he felt something deep within him stir once more.

And when he saw her slowly get pushed back, that something snapped.

Suddenly, everything else — his desires, his vengeance, his losses — didn’t matter anymore.

He barely caught the yells of his bandmates as he vanished from his position in a cloud of smoke, before reappearing before her.

The best thing that happened to him for the first time in centuries.

His hope.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the back of her mind, she registered the shocked gasps from her girls, and the disbelieving exclamations from his guys, but all of that reduced to nothing more than a numbing hum at the sight of the unusually weak curl of his lips as he stared back at her.

“Jinu…” His name fell from her lips before she realised what she was doing, as she automatically picked herself up and stumbled forward, a human hand and a pale clawed one trembling around his figure as the pink flames slowly began consuming at his being.

She could practically feel her heart sink at the soul-crushing sight, heavy breaths leaving her in harsh gasps. The trepidation she had felt earlier didn’t even come close to the absolute despair that clawed at her now, much more painfully than any wound ever inflicted on her, and more intensely than any negative emotion that plagued her heart every time Celine rejected her. More gut-wrenching than the fear that once gripped her at the prospect of being revealed.

Plunging her into an unfathomable darkness.

Despite herself, in the instant, she recalled every time she watched a Korean drama revolving around tragic romance with the girls, and every time she saw the heroine’s tearful heartbroken state whenever their beloved sacrificed themselves for her. She (and Mira) scoffed each time then.

Now? Those actors and actresses had not done this unspeakable emotion any justice. Seeing the flames slowly erode him seemed to form a new crack in her, bit by bit, as though slowly losing a part of herself as he did.

“No…” Barely noticing the crack in her voice, her hands slowly trailed upwards to his face, ghosting across his cheeks but never touching, as though dealing with a delicate piece of art. “No. No no no no… this isn’t— this is not what I wanted… I-I didn’t—”

As she struggled to find the right words in the diminishing time he had left, the words stammered forth, barely forming a coherent sentence. Her tumultuous thoughts came to a screeching halt when his clear voice cut through.

“I’m sorry… for… everything.” His usually confident and smooth words were unfamiliarly weak, unsure, even pained. As though something other than the incendiary flames burning into his back was torturing him.

And judging by the sheer remorse in his golden eyes, she knew what it was.

“No.” Her rebuttal gave him a start, anguish rising in him at the conceived idea of her rejecting his apology, till he heard her next words.

“I wanted to set you free.”

The firm assuredness of her words washed away any doubts that had begun to take root and all the pain that lingered, replacing it all with a peaceful closure he never knew he needed.

Years of seething in hatred, wallowing in hopelessness, and a life of solitude in a world of devour or be devoured, among beings that would never consider even trying to empathise with another’s feelings.

Suddenly, those words — her words — seemed to remove all those burdening emotions, like a great blue ocean washing over him in the gentlest of waves, enveloping and drowning him in an abundance of love that would forever fill the gaping hole in his being.

And its name was Rumi.

“You did.” She rose her head to return his gaze with a look of confusion which he couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at. He was more than aware of the irony of his situation and his words, but it made them no less true.

“You gave me my soul back.”

Like a lost child that eventually finds their way back home, he had found his humanity once more, guided by her gentle and loving light.

Rumi’s eyes took on a glassy texture as tears began to well up in her eyes, and they captured the way the ends of his lips curled upwards into the softest and most genuine smile she had ever seen grace those pale luscious lips.

“And now… I give it to you.” Before she could register that declaration, a bright light appeared in the centre of his chest, increasing in size as light blue wisps began to flow out and entwine itself around Rumi.

Finally comprehending what he was doing, Rumi rushed to stop him. “No, Jinu! Stop! If you do this, there’s- there is really no coming back—!”

“If I have to go anyways, I’d rather give myself to you, than to let him take anything more from me… including you.”

Rumi watched on helplessly, as what remained of his physical form rapidly dematerialised, continuously dissipating into luminescent streams of light. Whatever she was going to do, she had to do it now.

There was still so much she wanted- no, needed to tell him. But what should she say?

I’m sorry I couldn’t save you? That would only make him feel worse.

I promise I’ll win? That sounded like an empty promise of consolation that hardly seemed appropriate for the moment.

And then there were the three words hidden deep within her heart that… simply couldn’t be said aloud, no matter what. And they both knew it. It was a line neither of them could cross.

So instead, she took in a deep breath, a step forward, a step closer to him, carefully cradled his cheeks in the palms of her hands — as though terrified by the possibility of him crumbling away at her touch — and leaned forward in a swift motion.

Jinu’s eyes widened at the delicately soft and warm sensation that pressed against the edge of his lips, just barely stopping short of full-on contact. His mind vaguely noted the outburst of varied reactions from their audience and respective allies, but none of that mattered as his eyes met hers once more while she slowly pulled away, her tears now budding into clear beads at the edge of her eyes.

Brows furrowed in a clear sign of contemplation, carefully choosing what to say, what she eventually went with was, “Jinu… thank you. For saving me.”

For a moment, he didn’t react, seemingly freezing at her words. Unexpecting, but not at a loss. As his vitality waned from his soul being split two ways, he gathered the last of his strength and replied.

“I’m glad I did this time.”

Realisation dawning on her at the unspoken implication behind his words, Rumi’s eyes widened, before narrowing into a fond gaze as she bowed her head forwards once more, this time with him mirroring her.

The action brought their foreheads together in a light tap, noses touching and breaths mingling with each other. Wanting to savour the glorious sight of this ethereal woman till the end, without breaking eye contact for even a single moment, Jinu whispered, “Thanks to you…”

Truly, all because of you…

“I’m finally free.”

His words ended with the breathy blow of a light breeze, as the last of his physical form completely disappeared, revolving around her in the form of glowing wisps, leaving behind slightly burnt remnants of the blue and purple knotted strings to fall. She reflexively reached out and caught it before it reached the ground.

Feeling his very soul float around and assimilate into her, she slowly closed her eyes to revel in the feeling of him, prompting the budding droplets to stream down her cheeks.

The sensation of his soul offered to her felt like a pleasant embrace around her, just like how his arms that circled her shoulders and held her close to him back at the bathhouse. His soul became a part of her, filling the aching hole in her heart, making her feel so complete like never before.

And his power that now surged through her veins felt like a tender kiss, serving as a reminder that he would, from now on, always be with her, to protect her and fight alongside her.

To fill her with so much unconditional love she only ever dreamt of.

Channeling her newfound power into her hand, she clenched it into a tight fist, before her sword reappeared, this time with a different edge and glowing brighter than ever before.

As she adjusted the weight of her new blade in her clawed palm, she could almost feel him right behind her, his hand in hers like on that night they floated in the sky surrounded by prismatic lights, the other a reassuring palm on her back, and that sinfully saccharine voice whispering the kindest words.

“Now, save them, just like you did for me.”

She raised her sword up to face-level, turning the flat side of her blade towards her, letting its surface lean against her lips in a firm kiss.

Her eyelids finally fluttered open, as though a heavy burden had finally been lifted off of her, renewed determination positively shining in her chocolate-brown eyes in a sunny golden gleam.

“This time, for sure.”

☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆

Yes, so I think you can tell from this, how much Jinu’s sacrifice and consequently the end of their love story broke me.

I’ve hardly ever written hurt/comfort or angst, or major character death, so… I hope this didn’t suck.

In the center of the dance floor, couples were spinning around. Almost dizzying just to watch. Most everyone was in much looser, flowing clothing compared to Etho's close-cropped formalwear. He also noticed his black color scheme and white hair was quite stark against the lighter, desaturated neutrals. Creams, beiges, tans, a bit of a sage green splash here or there. The colors and the loose clothing were all typical of this country and their solar-powered technology.

Etho lived in the jungle—though he didn't consider himself one with it, the way this princess' people considered themselves. He knew he was separate from it.

And he'd never felt the difference more starkly than being surrounded by hundreds of people in masks all in airy, light clothes while his were exactly opposite.

Eventually—thank the gods—he found his way to a punch table. Though he didn't really know how he was going to drink it without removing his face mask. He saw some people pushing their masks out of the way to drink theirs, but he wondered if that didn't defeat the whole purpose of throwing a masquerade.

"Had a feeling I'd find you lurking in a corner, sir," a playful voice remarked.

Etho twisted to see a familiar figure—almost as tall as himself—emerging from the crowd. Slipping between two people with an easy grace.

The princess wore a light, flowing green dress. Accented with gold jewelry. She wore no tiara. Instead a ring of sunflowers was woven into her long brown hair and a mask of gold vines covered her eyes. Though it couldn't hide how bright blue they were. The dress was shorter at the front—not quite reaching her knees—and longer at the back. Revealing the knee-high strappy sandals.

Etho was pretty sure he was the only one in the room who'd noticed that despite the rather flimsy appearance of the dress, she was armed.

"Well, this isn't really my usual gig, now is it, Your Highness?" he asked.

"Stop with the formality. Pearl is fine. You know that." She waved dismissively. "We don't really bother with such things here." She held a hand out for him. "Walk with me."

He crooked his elbow and offered it to her. She rested her hand on the bend to allow him to escort her properly.

"I wanted to invite you," Pearl began casually as they walked around the edge of the ballroom, where the crowd was thinner, "because I appreciate all the work you put into building the infrastructure around here. Just because I have the idea for putting together a postal system doesn't mean I have the technical knowledge of how to create one."

"I guessed as much," Etho replied casually. "That's why I accepted the invitation."

Pearl grinned. "I do appreciate all the effort it took. I mean, you practically built every mailbox by yourself."

He shrugged. "Happy to help my friends," he said. "And Tango helped. Especially with the most complicated work that I didn't want to do myself."

"Yes, well. He declined my invitation."

"Oh, if you think I don't like fancy balls, he detests them. I don't think you could pay him to wear formalwear." Etho snickered behind his mask. "I don't think he owns anything more dressy than cargo pants, come to think of it."

Pearl chuckled.

They reached the platform where the musicians were playing. "Just a moment," she said to Etho. She released his elbow and started moving the flowing folds of her skirt. "Do you dance, Etho?" She glanced up at him.

He snorted, his mask muting the noise a bit. "Not as much," he replied. "The 'dancing' I learned involves a lot of sharp and pointy things."

Pearl grinned. There was something trickster-ish about the glint in her eyes. "Well, allow me to teach you, then," she said.

She finally located whatever she'd been searching for in the folds of her gown—a music box made of red mangrove wood dangling from a gold chain off the leather belt worn over her corset. She twisted the key beneath it a few times and tapped the conductor of the musicians on the arm. He turned expectantly. She passed the music box over. He accepted it with a nod.

Pearl turned back to Etho. "Shall we?" she asked.

Etho offered his elbow again. "I can try. No guarantees I'll be any good."

Pearl smiled. "I have faith in you," she remarked, taking his arm.

She led him out onto the dance floor and showed him where to place his hands. One on her shoulder blade, the other holding her other hand.

They slowly made their way through the slow, simple, but airy waltz the musicians were playing. Etho was coordinated. He wasn't hopeless. He just wasn't used to such things. He got the basic steps quickly. He could follow the line of dance. He just wasn't going to be pulling off any complex tricks any time soon.

The musicians faded out their song.

"And now," the conductor said, "a special request from Her Highness, Princess Pearl."

The conductor held the music box up to a microphone.

It began plunking out a gentle melody.

Etho tilted his head to turn his ear to hear better. "I know this tune," he said softly.

"Hmm," Pearl hummed mischievously. They began dancing again. Carrying on the waltz as the music box carried on.

Something seemed to click. The tune sped up and the musicians started to play along with the box.

The other dancers slowed to a stop. The whole ballroom went silent apart from the music.

Etho and Pearl were the only ones still moving.

Etho looked around. "What is this? How did you do that?" he asked.

Pearl lifted his arm to twirl herself under it.

As she did, her beautiful dress turned into body armor. Her hair braided back.

A weapon appeared in her hand. "Well," she said with a grin, "I thought we should have an opportunity to dance in a way you're more familiar with as well." Her tone was light. Playful.

Etho couldn't help but smile behind his mask. "Let's dance, then."