#ninesense

ㅤㅤㅤ𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞   𝐡𝐢𝐬   𝐞𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬   -   𝐚𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐨   𝐢𝐬   not   so   adept   at   opening   up   with   others   -   far   more   reserved   and   reticent   than   he'd   care   to   admit.   indeed,   the   homunculus   remained   distant   from   the   citizens   of   his   homeland   for   the   most   part   -   a   polite   and   graceful   shell   of   calm   platitudes   and   easy   leadership.   it   was   not   the   same   with   xiao   though.   perhaps   it   was   simply   because   their   friendship   had   been   so   long   lasting,   the   conqueror   of   demons   taking   the   alchemist's   strangeness   in   stride   and   albedo   in   turn   caring   for   them   in   a   way   that   he   did   for   few   others.   hundreds   of   healing   vials   swapped   over   the   years,   fireside   stories,   little   trinkets,   and   even   banter:   things   with   xiao   were   easy,   and   albedo   was   not   a   talkative   soul   -   but   with   the   adeptus,   he   often   found   himself   filling   their   silence   at   random,   ever   so   animated   about   his   newest   finding.   

ㅤㅤㅤhe   was   particularly   excited   about   the   relationship   between   the   pyro   and   cryo   regisvine   clippings   he'd   found   back   at   his   lab,   long   since   devolved   into   an   extremely   detailed   depiction   of   their   elemental   properties   and   at   a   molecular   level,   how   pairing   them   together   might   help   rebalance   their   aggravations.   albedo   is   animated   when   he   speaks   about   the   topic,   occasionally   glancing   over   his   shoulder   at   the   conqueror   of   demons,   nary   a   thought   being   paid   to   the   narrow   cliff   wall   and   the   dangers   of   the   perilous   drop   below.   no   -   he   simply   must   explain   to   xiao   how   the   cryo   regisvine   had   actually   started   craving   the   interaction   of   pyro   and-   

ㅤㅤㅤthe   alchemist   blinks,   luminous   eyes   wide   as   one   second   the   path   where   his   foot   was   is   there   -   and   the   next   it   is   gone.   yet   he   has   no   time   to   register   the   echoing   tumble   of   the   rocks   below   -   not   when   xiao   pulls   him   close,   strong   but   lithe   embrace   a   firm   grip   about   his   waist.   on   reflex,   albedo's   hands   raise   -   resting   lightly   at   the   other's   strong   shoulders,   gloves   curling   into   muscle   while   the   clash   of   teal   and   gold   fills   his   head.   the   artistic   part   of   albedo's   brain   once   more   registers   xiao   as   heartbreakingly   beautiful,   and   yet   the   other   part...   the   strangely   human   part,   is   waylaid   by   the   sudden   stuttering   in   his   chest,   the   glow   of   gold   from   his   throat   as   the   homunculus   swallows   thickly   and   simply   stares.   albedo   doesn't   need   previous   life   experience   to   tell   him   what   he   wants   to   do   next.   tilt   head,   lean   forward,   and   -   

ㅤㅤㅤhe   resolves   to   let   xiao   slip   away   -   stepping   back   from   their   embrace   with   his   usual   weightless   grace.   yet   albedo   does   not   actually   let   them,   a   hand   curling   into   their   tunic   to   yank   them   back   to   him,   chest   to   chest   once   more   and   somehow,   even   closer.   behind   them,   there   is   the   sound   of   tumbling   rocks,   but   albedo   pays   that   no   mind,   too   focused   on   the   way   their   noses   are   pressed   together,   the   centimeters   between   their   lips...   oh   how   strange   it   is   to   want   something   aside   from   knowledge,   aside   from   rhine's   approval.   albedo   finds   in   this   moment,   he   desperately   needs   that   kiss   but...   

he got caught.

he got caught.

h e g o t c a u g h t...

vesper's own father would have skinned him. saved him, collected him, and then beaten him extensively, left him outside overnight as the blood dried and flesh pulled with every breath. knowing angel had been snatched up by the very hunters he been warned about since he learned to decipher words, vess had tried to understand, for just a moment, where his father's rage stemmed from. angel hadn't really broken the rules, per se, nor had he deliberately gotten himself captured. he was a child, a boy not yet double digits — this was his first experience with true, frightening consequences. even in a heightened state of fear, the most acute, nerve-shredding fear he'd yet experienced, vess could not imagine harming his child for this fright. wasn't being captured, the dawning realization that this was the danger you'd been learning to avoid, punishment enough for a child?

they hadn't even made it into the bunker before vess' eyes flooded an inky pitch black, and if one's senses were attuned to hear it, his shift in power may have been evident in the new frequency at which the loudest insects hummed. darkened fingers stretched, out and in, a motion kept deliberately slow as vesper grounded himself as best he could under the circumstances. his child was in danger. his child may already be—

he looked sideways at corazon, though there was no definition in his eyes to give him away. he couldn't imagine what she was feeling, despite rational thought telling him it might be much the same as his own emotions, but he watched her in hopes of taking in just a fraction of the deadly control she radiated in the moment. god, what a woman. vesper didn't have time to stand in awe of her, but as they entered the hideout their son was said to be held in, vess slipping in first and offering his hand to his wife in turn, he took the briefest of moments to press a reassuring kiss to her forehead. he had no soothing words, but they both knew hell itself would open tonight should the worst outcome take place.