#mr. backup

Abysskeeper. The keeper of Abyss. That was all that he had been known as for as long as he had called Abyss his home. He had no memories of his parents or any other family, and spent his childhood fighting and thieving in order to keep himself alive. Only when he was found, starving and sickly, and brought to Abyss did his life start looking up.

When asked if he had a name, he could only shrug and shake his head. The occupants of Abyss then started calling him Abysskeeper, after being granted his new occupation as the gatekeeper of the underground. He did not mind the name, even if it was more of a title than an actual name. Thus, from that day forward, he spent his days guarding Abyss, and it was a position that he was immensely proud of.

This year, things were more interesting than normal in Abyss, when the new Professor at the Officer’s Academy above paid a visit. Abysskeeper begrudgingly let them pass, after offering a warning about the rough-and-tumble characters that frequented Abyss, but they didn’t seem phased by that information in the slightest. Soon after, the Professor had somehow convinced Yuri and the rest of the Ashen Wolves to join their class. Abysskeeper thought that the Professor would be the only surface dweller than he would ever have to deal with, and he was okay with that. Oh, but how wrong he had been about that.

Abysskeeper was a bit of a lone wolf. His job did not give him much time to converse with his fellow Abyssians outside of work, as his down time was usually spent eating or sleeping. That was okay with him, even if he did get a bit lonely at times. He was also confident in his ability to do his job, and do it well. He did not need - and he certainly did not ask for - help, especially from one of the Knights of Seiros.

So he did not understand exactly why there was a Knight of Seiros standing before him at this very moment.

“I don’t need help. Especially from the church of all places.” Abysskeeper muttered, his brown eyes narrowing suspiciously at the intruder in his domain. He was the alpha of the Abyss! The reaper and the keeper! It didn’t matter what was happening on the surface, as Abysskeeper was confident that he could repel any threats with ease all by himself. This backup idea was completely ludicrous and unnecessary.

“I must insist,” the knight said, his voice muffled slightly by his helmet, which only irritated Abysskeeper even more, “Lord Seteth has requested my presence here, as there is an important ceremony happening this month-”

“Could you take that damn helmet off?” Abysskeeper finally snapped, interrupting the knight as he crossed his arms over his chest. The fact that the knight was clad in armor from head to toe, with his face obscured by his helmet, made Abysskeeper incredibly defensive and wary. “It’s kinda rude to talk to someone with your face covered.”

“Oh!” the knight said, gasping as his hands moved to his helmet and quickly lifted it from his head. He tucked it under his arm, and Abysskeeper finally got a good look at him.

The knight looked to be in his late 20s or early 30s in age, much like Abysskeeper himself, although the full, blond beard that he wore may be adding a few years. The knight’s free hand went to fuss with his hair, which had been flattened by his helmet. Most of his hair was tied into a messy braid, and it was much longer than Abysskeeper had initially realized, for the knight’s hand went to his neck and he pushed the braid until what had been tucked into the back of his armor was freed, the end falling all the way to the knight’s lower back.

“Ah, sorry about that.” the knight said, letting out a sheepish laugh as he tugged at his beard, “It is rather rude to hide my face when I haven’t even introduced myself to you properly, isn’t it?” A hardier laugh escaped him this time, and the knight held out his hand, his bright blue eyes locking onto Abysskeeper’s brown. Those eyes...Abysskeeper couldn’t help but wonder if they were the same shade of blue as the sky that he saw so little of these days. His own eyes moved to the knight’s hand, and Abysskeeper hesitated briefly before slowly taking hold of it, allowing the knight to shake it firmly.

“The name’s Lucien.” the knight said as he let go of Abysskeeper’s hand. “What’s yours?”

“Abysskeeper.” His eyes narrowed as Lucien laughed, slapping a hand to Abysskeeper’s shoulder. That only caused his eyes to narrow further into a glare and he pursed his lips.

“You’re a funny guy! But really, what’s your real name?” Lucien asked, and Abysskeeper huffed with annoyance and shrugged Lucien’s hand from his shoulder.

“Abysskeeper.” he said again. Lucien chuckled again, but when he saw the absolutely sour look on Abysskeeper’s face, he went silent and raised a confused eyebrow.

“Wait...are you serious?”

“...Yes.” Lucien just stared at Abysskeeper, who scowled as he crossed his arms back over his chest. “I don’t understand what all the fuss is about.”

“C’mon! Your title can’t be your name too! If we’re gonna be working together, we should be-”

“We are not working together. I don’t need your help.” Abysskeeper snapped, and it was Lucien’s turn to glare at him. Abysskeeper straightened his posture as he glared right back, and he cursed the fact that Lucien was just a smidge taller than him.

“Well, I have my orders, and I always respect the wishes of Lord Seteth.” Lucien said, a suddenly hostile tone rising in his lowered voice that sent a chill down Abysskeeper’s spine. “If you refuse my help, I suppose I’ll have to bring Lord Seteth down here to-”

“Ugh, fine,” Abysskeeper grumbled, rolling his eyes. The last thing he wanted down here were more church goons, especially ones ranking as high as Seteth. “You can stay, but don’t get in my way. Got it?”

“Of course.” Lucien said, a bright smile crossing his face and all traces of hostility vanishing as suddenly as it had appeared, which Abysskeeper found incredibly unsettling. “I look forward to working with you.”

“...Right.”

“Now, about your name-”

“What about it? It’s Abysskeeper. Just drop it already.”

“But-”

“Excuse me, Abysskeeper? I’m here to cover for your lunch break.”

Abysskeeper turned to the young man who had approached him, and sighed with relief at the interruption. He nodded and quickly turned around to head to the dinky tavern nearby, and the clanging of armor that filled his ears told him that Lucien was following him. Abysskeeper usually took his meals alone, with a mug of ale as his only company, so this certainly was going to take some getting used to.

“Do you always eat here?” Lucien asked, after they had sat down at the bar and ordered some food and drinks.

“Yep, for lunch anyway. Here’s closer to my post than my place.” Abysskeeper said, and thankfully the conversation died for the time being when their food and drinks arrived. When Lucien had finished his food, he sighed contently and rubbed his hands over the armor that covered his stomach.

“Whew! That was pretty good, for underground food!” Lucien said, smiling as he turned to Abysskeeper, who rolled his eyes and took a swig of ale.

“Watch what you say. Don’t come crying to me if someone hears you talking shit and kicks your ass.” Abysskeeper said, and Lucien just laughed and waved his hand nonchalantly.

“I can take care of myself, I assure you.” Lucien said, that low, unnervingly hostile tone making a brief comeback. Abysskeeper nervously averted his gaze and instead focused on the suddenly interesting bubbles that were rising to the surface of his ale.

“So, anyway, about your name…”

“Gods above, how many times do I have to tell you to drop it?” Abysskeeper said, letting out an irritated huff as he snapped his head back up to glare at Lucien.

“I will not drop it until you have a proper name,” Lucien said, and the frown that crossed his face confused Abysskeeper. “You don’t think that it’s kinda sad that you’re just known as the title of your occupation, and not as an individual of your own merit?”

Abysskeeper stared down at his mug of ale again, brow knitting as he contemplated Lucien’s words. He never had parents to give him a name like pretty much everyone else around him, and he’d been on his own until he was brought to Abyss. He just went with the flow when people started calling him Abysskeeper and assumed that was a good enough name. However, Lucien’s words struck a chord within him for some reason. Maybe having an actual name wouldn’t be so bad? It would at least keep Lucien from pestering him about it anyway, and that was enough to make Abysskeeper consider the idea.

“You...might have a point.” Abysskeeper muttered, and the delighted smile that crossed Lucien’s face seemed to light up the entire room, which was incredibly annoying.

“Great! Hmm, now what would be a good name…” Lucien said, humming as he tugged on his beard. Abysskeeper opened his mouth to protest, thinking that he should pick his own name, but Lucien’s eyes widened as he clapped his hands together excitedly.

“I’ve got it! You’d probably like something kinda similar to Abysskeeper, right?” Lucien asked, and Abysskeeper just shrugged.

“I guess so. Be easier to remember that way.”

“Then, how about Abe?”

“Abe…” Abysskeeper echoed. He did like how it rolled off of his tongue, and it was nice and short too. It would be easier to write than Abysskeeper, anyway.

“Or you could use Abraham, if Abe is too short, or-” Lucien started to ramble, but Abysskeeper snorted and rolled his eyes.

“Abe is fine. I...like it...Thanks, I guess.” Abysskeeper - no, Abe - said, his lips curling upwards into a smile. Lucien’s eyes widened as he stared at him, and Abe blinked as he shifted uncomfortably under his intense gaze.

“What?” Abe finally asked, his face heating up when Lucien chuckled. Abe quickly lifted his mug to his lips to hopefully hide his reddening cheeks.

“Oh, well, that’s the first time I’ve seen you smile. It’s a good look for you.” Lucien said, “And you’re welcome. I’ll give you a name any day if it brings that beaming smile to your face more often.” Lucien barked out a laugh when Abe choked on his drink, and he slapped a hand to Abe’s back to help clear out his airway. Abe wiped the ale from his mouth and glared at Lucien, convinced that he was just messing with him. Abe was sure that his smile really wasn’t anything special, as no one else had ever commented on it before.

“You...shouldn’t say things like that…” Abe mumbled, averting his gaze as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“What? You don’t like a good compliment? I bet if I was a beautiful woman you wouldn’t mind me saying so. Hell, I bet you’d even be happy to work with me if that was the case.” Lucien said with a wink.

“...I think I’d still find you annoying and insufferable...Mr. Backup.” Abe grumbled as he rolled his eyes.

“...Mr...Backup?” Lucien said, cocking his head to one side.

“Well...you gave me a name, so it’s only fair that I give you one too.” Abe said, a small smirk crossing his face when Lucien blushed and sheepishly rubbed at the back of his neck.

“Hah, I guess that makes sense.” Lucien said with a laugh. “I think you got the better name, if I do say so myself.”

Abe just snorted, rolling his eyes again, and at this rate they were going to pop right out of his eye sockets sooner or later. Downing the rest of his ale, he stood up, tossing the money to cover the tab onto the counter before leaving the tavern to return to his post. Abe heard Lucien loudly scrambling to follow him in that heavy armor of his, and he sighed, irritated by the racket. But still, Abe was glad that his face was hidden, for he didn’t know how he would explain the blush that he felt had risen high upon his cheeks. He had started this day as a partner-less Abysskeeper, but he would surprisingly end it as Abe, partnered up with an annoying Knight of Seiros totally against his will. Abe and Mr. Backup...what a weird pair they made.

Abe didn’t know the exact details of what was happening on the surface, but what he did know was that it sure as hell was making his life more annoying. Groups of knights had been coming and going from Abyss for the past few weeks, mostly just being damned nuisances and accusing innocent Abyssians of a crime they sure as shit did not commit.

Lucien had been a big help dealing with the more aggressive knights, and things had calmed down considerably when Byleth paid a visit. They really didn’t seem like much, but the odd, stoic professor was peculiarly skilled at getting people to do what they wanted; they only had to ask the knights to leave the investigating to them, and they would obey.

Today, however, it appeared that some of them didn’t quite get the memo.

“Hey, Abysskeeper.”

Abe glanced up from cleaning his axe, his eyes narrowing as he sized up the three unfamiliar Knights of Seiros standing before him. Setting his jaw, Abe straightened up and let out a snort.

“Beat it. I already told you lot that your kidnapee isn’t here.”

One of the knights barked out a laugh and shook his head, and his hand moving to rest on the hilt of his sword did not go unnoticed by Abe.

“Well, we think you lot are lying whoresons. We’ll need to take another look around.”

Abe snarled and spit at their feet. “The hell you will-”

“Abe! I checked in with the tavernkeep, and it looks like he’s all out of stew for the day-Oh!”

Lucien stopped next to Abe and turned to his fellow knights. “Ah, I didn’t know you were having such good company today.” Abe rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted when the intruding knights jeered at Lucien and their ire upon him instead.

“Heh, you’re still hanging out down in this shithole, Lucien?” the first knight sneered, and one of the others jabbed his elbow into the side of the first.

“Of course he is. How else would he get to see his basement-dwelling boyfriend?”

Abe clenched his jaw so hard that it popped, and red clouded his vision as a fiery anger welled up within him. He didn’t give a shit if they made fun of him, but Lucien sure as hell didn’t deserve that kind of treatment. As Abe slowly cracked his knuckles, he silently dared this bastard knight to choose his next words poorly…

“Yeah, that must be it! After all, no one in their right mind on the surface would give him the time of day-” the first knight started, but his shit-talking was effectively cut off when Abe punched him square in the nose. As the knight stumbled backwards from the sheer force of the blow, a seething Abe took a threatening step towards him, while a stunned Lucien and the other two knights looked on with wide eyes and slack jaws.

“Say that again, I dare you,” Abe hissed, and he grunted when the knight recovered and delivered a punch to his chest.

“You’ll pay for that!”

Abe managed to block his next punch and land a kick to the knight’s side, but he couldn’t react in time to avoid being headbutted in the chin, and the taste of blood reached his tongue as it leaked from his split lip.

“Stop!”

Abe was suddenly yanked backwards by Lucien, and the other knight was held back by his two goons. Growling and spitting blood onto the ground in between them, Abe kicked his legs out as he struggled in vain against Lucien’s vice-grip.

“I’m not done with these motherfuckers yet-”

“Yes, you are.”

Lucien’s tone was firm, and after struggling a bit longer, Abe relented and stood back up straight. His gaze locked with the first knight’s, and both of their seething glares could have burned right through even the toughest of armors.

“Leave, now. Or shall I inform Seteth that you all have blatantly ignored his decree that Professor Byleth is to be the only one investigating Abyss?” Lucien said coolly, and the three knights shared an uncomfortable look before turning tail and retreating to the surface without another word.

“Assholes…” Abe growled as he leaned back against the wall, spitting out more blood and wincing as his adrenaline wore off; fuck, his lip hurt like hell.

“Allow me.”

Lucien placed his hands on Abe’s shoulders and gently nudged him until he slid to the floor. Kneeling in front of him, Lucien plucked a handkerchief from its place tucked up his sleeve and gently started to wipe the blood from Abe’s cut lip.

“You don’t have to do that…” Abe muttered, but he didn’t put up a fight; he knew by now that Lucien was just as stubborn as he was, and he didn’t want to jump right into another fight.

“Oh, but I do,” Lucien said, and when his eyes met Abe’s, the latter was given pause at the beautiful smile that graced the former’s lips. “You were fighting for me, after all.”

“No I wasn’t.” Abe blurted out, giving his head a shake that he immediately regretted when his lip throbbed in protest.

Lucien chuckled and continued to gently tend to his wound, and Abe tried to ignore the warmth that had suddenly blossomed within his chest. “Oh, please. You only lost your cool when he insulted me, and I do appreciate you standing up for me.”

Abe averted his gaze, ignoring the rising heat in his cheeks. “Believe whatever you want. I don’t give a shit.”

“Oho, but I think you do. You are my boyfriend, apparently.”

Abe’s face scrunched up and he stuck out his tongue. “Ugh, don’t even joke about that.”

Lucien laughed softly at that, and a comfortable silence fell between them as he continued to treat Abe’s lip. When he had finished, Lucien helped Abe to his feet and gave him a few pats on the arm.

“There you go, almost good as new!” he said with a wink, “I’m glad I was here. You would have beaten that cretin to a bloody pulp and gotten yourself thrown in the gaol.”

Rolling his eyes, Abe waved him off. “Yeah, yeah. Thanks, I guess.”

Lucien beamed at him, and Abe couldn’t stop a smile from crossing his lips. When they had first met, he had been all-too-eager to get rid of this piss-annoying Knight of Seiros that had intruded upon his domain. Over time, however, Abe had come to realize that Lucien was pretty tough, and had a good head on his shoulders to boot. Abe found it hard not to admire him at least a tiny bit, and that was a difficult pill for him to swallow.

“You know…you’re not so bad, Lucien,” Abe mumbled; he really, really hated to admit that. “I guess I wouldn’t mind if you…stuck around a bit longer.”

To Abe’s surprise, Lucien’s cheeks darkened slightly as he shyly tugged at his beard. “O-Oh, you are too kind, Abe.”

“Why do you stick around here, anyway?” Abe blurted out quickly in order to keep his mind off of how…annoyingly endearing Lucien looked right now. “Those guys can’t be the only ones that question it. Won’t your reputation within the knights suffer or something?”

“Honestly? I’d rather let it suffer, because…” Lucien leaned in close, and Abe’s heart skipped a beat when he lifted his hand to Abe’s face and brushed the back of his fingers against his rapidly-overheating cheek.

“I rather enjoy the company here.”

Abe’s tongue darted around in his mouth to try and alleviate the sudden dryness, and he swallowed thickly passed the lump that was currently lodged in his throat. Why…When did this annoying, obnoxious, insufferable…kind-hearted, strong, and incredibly handsome Knight of Seiros start having this effect on him?

“Q-Quit teasing me.”

“Oh, but you look so handsome with your face all flushed like that.” Lucien laughed as he gave Abe’s beet-red cheek a few pats. “I only want to tease you even more now, Abe.”

“...I changed my mind, get out.”

It had only been two weeks, and Abe was already sick of his unwanted ‘partner.’

“So then Lord Seteth gave us orders to check up on a village that was having a bandit problem, and I was-”

“Goddess help me, do you ever shut up?”

Abe glowered at Lucien, who chuckled, unfazed as he leaned against the wall behind them. Of all the knights that the church had to offer, why did Abe have to get stuck with the most obnoxious, insufferable one?

“Well,” Lucien said, smirking as he raised an eyebrow, “If you’re so sick of hearing about me, why don’t you tell me something about you?”

“No.”

Lucien chuckled and folded his hands behind his head. “Okay then! As I was saying, it turns out that the villagers were-”

“Ugh, fine!” Abe threw up his hands in defeat, and he averted his gaze as he crossed his arms over his chest. “If I tell you something about myself, will you finally shut up?”

“Oh, of course!” Lucien’s sweet smile didn’t fool Abe in the slightest; annoying bastard of a man. Sighing as he crossed his hands over his chest, he looked back at Lucien.

“So, out with it, Mr. Backup: What do you want to know?”

“Hmm...” Lucien hummed, placing a hand on his hip as he tapped his chin. Abe rolled his eyes hard, tapping his foot while impatiently waiting for the object of his annoyance to hurry the hell up and ask his damn question already.

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, Lucien let out a ‘ah-ha!’ and snapped his fingers. “Got it! I’d like to know where you were born, Abe.”

Abe’s face scrunched up and he scoffed. “Why does that matter? I’ve spent most of my life here.”

“But not all of it?”

“...No.” Abe narrowed his eyes at Lucien, who was watching him expectantly, and he sighed and dragged a hand down his face. “I was born in Derdriu.”

Lucien raised an eyebrow. “Ah, so you’re from the Alliance.”

“Barely,” Abe said with a shrug, “I don’t remember my parents, and my early childhood is a blur. Had to fight and steal to keep myself alive, until a merchant took pity on me and brought me here.”

Lucien frowned and tugged at his beard. “I see...Sounds like you had a rough time.”

“Better than most. At least I’m alive to talk about it.”

“Indeed...”

Silence fell between them, and Abe sighed with relief when Lucien did not press him for more details. He didn’t enjoy talking about the past, especially what little he remembered from his time before coming to Abyss. Thinking that Lucien’s curiosity had been sated, Abe crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall, letting his eyes slip shut.

“What’s your favorite meal?”

Abe’s eyes snapped back open and he whipped his head around to glare at Lucien. “One question wasn’t enough?”

“Oh gods no!” Lucien laughed and shook his head, slapping a hand to Abe’s shoulder only to have it shrugged off immediately. “We’re partners now! We should know each other inside and out by now!”

Abe grimaced at the thought of getting that close to him, but he knew by now that Lucien wouldn’t drop it until he answered, so he let out a tired sigh and rubbed at his neck.

“Fine…Well, I guess I enjoy a nice, hot bowl of stew to go with my ale after a long day,” he said, and his eyes narrowed when Lucien’s lit up.

“Oooh, stew, eh? Good choice. I’ll have to remember that.” Lucien winked at him, and Abe’s brow furrowed.

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Mmmm, it’s a surprise~”

Abe groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. This man was the most obnoxious person that he had ever had the displeasure of knowing. Deciding that he preferred when Lucien was blabbering on about himself, Abe ask his own question:

“What about you?”

“Oh?” Lucien blinked at him, his eyes going wide. “Suddenly curious about me, Abe? I thought you were sick of hearing me talk?”

“Fuck off, then.”

“Ooh, temper, temper!” Lucien wagged a finger at him, causing Abe to snort and turn up his nose. “But, since you asked so nicely, I will sate your curiosity.”

“I am from a small village in Galatea territory in the Kingdom,” Lucien said, smiling as he stroked his beard, “Both my mother and father were well-respected knights, so it’s no surprise that I became one as well. They trained me from a young age, and I managed to impress the Knights of Seiros when they passed through the village while recruiting, and the rest is history.”

Abe sniffed as he gave Lucien a once-over. He really didn’t seem all that impressive at first glance; he just looked like another run-of-the-mill knight to him. Either the Knights of Seiros had low standards, or Lucien was more than meets the eye.

“As for my favorite food...” Lucien continued, and Abe raised an eyebrow; he hadn’t expected him to answer that question as well, “As an avid fisherman in my free time, nothing beats a nice grilled fish caught fresh the same day.”

Abe pulled a face, his nose scrunching up and his tongue sticking out with his disgust. “Ugh, fish, really? Gross, slimy things...”

Lucien chuckled and leaned close to Abe, causing the latter to lean back until he was trapped against the wall behind him. His heartbeat quickened when Lucien got close enough that their noses almost brushed, and Abe felt his face heat up as their eyes locked.

“My, my,” Lucien said, his voice dropping to a whisper as he reached up to brush his fingers over Abe’s cheek, “You look so cute with your face all scrunched up like that.”

Abe’s instincts were telling him to shove Lucien away, but something was keeping him frozen in place. His heart had leapt into his throat, preventing him from speaking, and his face felt like it was on fire. What the hells was this bastard man doing to him...?

“A-Abysskeeper, we’ve got trouble!”

Abe was knocked from his stupor when a panicked voice hit his ears, and he turned to see a man running up to him. Lucien’s demeanor had changed in a split second, from being an annoying tease to serious and alert. Abe tensed up when the man reached them, out of breath and soaked with sweat.

“Abysskeeper,” the man gasped, “Bandits have broken in from one of the abandoned tunnels! We need your help!”

“Shit,” Abe cursed. What a lousy time for Yuri and the other Ashen Wolves to be out on a mission above ground. “Where are the bastards?”

After the man had told him the location, Abe grabbed his axe and rushed off as fast as his legs could carry him. He wouldn’t let anyone harm the people of Abyss, not while he drew breath. The clanging behind him told him that Lucien was hot on his heels, and Abe hoped that his bulky armor and sword and shield weren’t just for show.

Abe’s eyes narrowed and he set his jaw when he finally spotted the bandits, who had cornered a group of children and an elderly woman. Wasting no time, he placed himself between them, resting his axe over his shoulders as he straightened up fully and spit at the ground before the bandits.

“Buncha cowards, targeting children and an old woman,” Abe snarled, swinging his axe in front of him, “Try taking on someone your own size.”

The bandits laughed at Abe’s taunting, and he saw the children and elderly man flee out of the corner of his eye. Good, now he could focus on making these intruders pay. However, there were ten of them and only one of him...

“Might I join you, Abe?” Lucien had finally caught up, and Abe couldn’t see his face through his helmet, but the cold tone of his voice told him that his anger rivaled his own at the moment. “These lowlifes could use a good thrashing, don’t you think?”

“For once, I agree with you.”

One of the bandits, who Abe assumed was their leader, took a step forward and grinned. “You two whelps talk big, considerin’ how outnumbered ya are.” Abe snorted as he watched the bandits circle him and Lucien until they were surrounded. Numbers meant nothing to Abe, and he would make these scumbags pay for underestimating him.

“Get ‘im!” At their leader’s command, two bandits charged at Abe, and he grinned, letting them get close. One took a swing with his sword and Abe easily ducked to dodge, while he swung his axe at the other, slicing his exposed flank open. Abe whipped around to block the first bandit’s second attack, and he took advantage of their close proximity to headbutt him hard in the nose. As the bandit doubled over, Abe easily cut him down as well.

Abe glanced behind him at Lucien, who had taken down two bandits himself and had blocked a third one’s attack with his shield. In his momentary distraction, Abe almost didn’t bring his axe up in time to block an attack from two bandits at once. Gritting his teeth, Abe struggled to push back against their combined strength, but he was relieved of one of his assailants when Lucien bashed one of them over the head with his shield, sending him to the ground hard. That allowed Abe to easily overpower the remaining bandit, and one more that tried to sneak up on him.

As Lucien engaged with yet another bandit, Abe saw the leader trying to sneak up behind him, and he let out a yell and threw his axe in his direction. It whipped right over Lucien’s shoulder just as he struck down his quarry with his sword, and the blade embedded itself right in the bandit leader’s unprotected forehead.

Breathing heavily, Abe stepped around the bandit corpses to retrieve his axe, grimacing at the amount of blood that coated the blade; he’d have to clean that quickly if he didn’t want it to rust.

“You alright, Abe?” He looked up as Lucien approached him, removing his helmet and letting out a whistle as he gazed around at the carnage.

“Yeah, you?”

“I’m right as rain!”

Abe smirked as Lucien gave his swords a few shakes to clear some of the blood from it. He really, really hated to admit it, but Lucien was a damn fine warrior. They had been outnumbered two-to-one, but managed to make quick work of the bandits nonetheless.

“You saved us! Thanks, Abysskeeper!”

Abe looked over to see the children that they had saved running up to them, with the old woman slowly following them. Lucien blinked in surprise when he was surrounded by some of the children.

“Wow, Mr. Backup, you and Abysskeeper were so cool!” one boy said, and a girl nodded vigorously in agreement.

“Yeah! Are you two battle buddies now?”

“Yes!”

“No.”

Lucien and Abe answered in unison, and Abe glowered when Lucien laughed. The old woman chuckled as the children talked excitedly among themselves.

“Thank you both for saving us,” she said, smiling as she looked between the two men, “We would be dead if not for your timely arrival.”

“Don’t mention it. Just doing my job,” Abe said, his cheeks flushing pink as he averted his gaze.

“So bashful,” Lucien said, snickering as he jabbed his elbow into Abe’s side, earning a heated glare from him. The old woman raised an eyebrow at them, and she brought a hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle.

“Oh my...You two seem to be getting along now, how very nice.”

“No we’re not,” Abe grumbled, glowering when Lucien threw an arm over his shoulder.

“Oh come on, you know we’re like two peas in a pod!”

Abe swatted the laughing Lucien away, and the old woman smiled knowingly and nodded.

“You really are. Anyway, I would be happy to cook a nice meal for you two as thanks for saving us.”

“Really? Thanks a lot!” Lucien beamed at the woman, and Abe was given pause at how handsome he looked in this moment.

Wait...What???

This insufferable, obnoxious, annoying, unnecessary backup of his, handsome? Abe had no idea where that thought had come from, but it certainly hadn’t come from any rational part of his brain. His mind felt jumbled as he tried to make sense of his train of thought, and he barely heard Lucien’s voice as he said farewell to the woman and the children. Abe decided to push his…weird thoughts about Lucien to the back of his mind, and they soon found themselves back at his post.

“Well, that was rather exciting, don’t you think?” Lucien said, and Abe rolled his eyes as he scrubbed the blade of his axe with a cleaning rag.

“I guess, if you’re not used to it,” he said, giving his axe one more good rub before he was satisfied with its cleanliness, “Bandits and thugs aren’t really a rarity down here.”

“That doesn’t mean it wasn’t exciting. And you were pretty amazing back there,” Lucien gushed, and Abe huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“I didn’t do anything special. Just fought like I always do.”

“Well, you always fight quite well then.”

“Hmp.”

“And,” Lucien said, stroking his beard as he turned to Abe, “If I may be so bold, I think we work very well as a team.”

Abe raised an eyebrow at him. He really couldn’t deny that fact, as much as he wanted to. Lucien had really kicked some ass, and he really, really hated to admit that they meshed pretty well together…on the battlefield at least.

“I guess you’re...not so bad either, for a Mr. Backup kinda guy, anyway…”

Lucien let out a dramatic gasp and pressed a hand to his chest. “Wow, that’s practically a compliment coming from you! I must be the luckiest man in the world!” Lucien beamed and suddenly wrapped his arms around Abe, lifting him into his arms.

Stunned and red-faced, Abe growled and tried to wriggle free. “Let me go, you obnoxious bastard!”

“As you wish.” Lucien laughed and unceremoniously dropped Abe back to his feet, causing the latter to stumble, forcing him to brace himself against Lucien’s chest.

Abe flushed as he quickly jerked his hands away, hiding them behind his back as he cleared his throat. This man was really pushing his luck, and Abe tried desperately to ignore the warm feeling that had blossomed inexplicably within his chest.

“You know, this whole ordeal reminds me of a time when bandits attacked my hometown...” Lucien started, and Abe sighed as he rubbed at his temples.