Chapter Text
They searched everywhere; every hill, every cave, the surroundings of Velder. They searched all night non-stop and yet Mastermind and the knights supporting him couldn’t find a single clue about the white demon’s whereabouts.
It was frustrating; yesterday he was mere seconds to being the demon’s feast and now he had no idea of where it could be hiding. The most logical conclusion he got is that the demon used a gate to escape with the power of the moonstone, after all, that would explain why it stole the moonstone from Feita.
Mastermind knew if there was a gate nearby there would be a change in the atmosphere close to it and demons would be gatekeeping around it to keep it safe. He knew this from his experience in Feita, Velder, and Sander but this time it was different; He couldn’t find any links to demonic power anywhere and the Velder troops couldn’t find any traces of demons in the surroundings.
He changed his strategy a couple of times; he commanded the troops to divide and search further from the outskirts of Velder, used his enhanced senses to look out for any abnormality, sent his drones to scan the areas near the spot where he was ambushed, there was no luck in their search.
They wasted their night running in circles looking for the demon. It wasn’t till sunrise that Mastermind gathered the troops to put a stop to the futile search; the knights were tired, it was for the best to stop for now and leave the following troops to continue looking after Velder while they rest during the day. They could resume the search later that night.
In times like this, the scientist would usually stay to help the next troops in their search. Thanks to his inhuman abilities he could stay awake for days without a rest as long as he took care of his need for blood but this time it was different; Psyker was waiting for him at home and he had to be careful not to overdo it since he hasn’t taken proper care of his bloodthirst.
He did not trust that the little blood he took from the demon would help to keep himself in check for so long.
As soon as the knights who were in charge of patrolling during the day showed up to their duties, the scientist returned back home hoping he had time to rest before the berserker woke up. The way back home felt longer than usual due to his tiredness but deep inside he felt relieved he could see his lost partner again.
It still felt surreal; he ached to see his partner again, to know more about the things he was up to these past years, to spend time with him but there was a problem and it was that he didn’t know how to talk to him.
He wanted to talk to him and learn about all the things his partner experienced on his own but he didn’t want to be pushy and make Psyker uncomfortable with his questions and what if the berserker started to ask the same type of questions to him?
He was worried he wouldn’t be able to lie for so long and he sooner or later found out the truth. There was no way he could lie and trick his partner all his life. He had to deal with this but he was so afraid of screwing things up.
Things would definitely be better if he had Esper by his side to help him out and to have another opinion on the matter but for now, he had to deal with this on his own.
As he got close to home, he made a mental note to send a text to Esper explaining recent events, he was too tired to try to communicate with his partner.
When he opened the front door, he expected to be greeted by silence and Apocalypse chiming to welcome him, after all, it was around six in the morning the last time he checked his drones before returning home but as soon as he stepped in the smell of an appetizing meal coming from the kitchen invaded his nostrils and his attention turned to that room.
He followed the smell and he found out the source of that delicious aroma came from some bacon strips in a pan followed by some scrambled eggs in another. In the coffee machine, there was a fresh pot of hot coffee inviting the scientist to step closer to the kitchen and to find out who was behind all of this.
Right there, the long-haired male saw it was Psyker who was making breakfast so early in the morning.
He saw him flip the bacon strips to their uncooked side and after turning off the heat of the scrambled eggs, the berserker grabbed two cups of the counter before making his way to the coffee machine next to the fridge.
It felt just like all those times he walked to the kitchen after a long night working on his drones and saw Psych making breakfast to eat with him and Esper back then in Feita.
“Please tell me you haven’t changed the way you prepare your coffee; it would be a waste to throw it into the sink.”
Mastermind snapped back to his senses after hearing his partner talk to him. It took him a couple of seconds to process what his partner asked him but the way the berserker smiled and glanced at him by the corner of his eye made it hard for him to respond.
He forgot the way Psych made him feel and how attractive is his smile. Just a glance and a smile were enough to make him unable to process his thoughts and forget how to speak. It was as if those years without him made the scientist yearn for him and the berserker more charming; it was dangerous to his feelings.
“It must have been a hard night if you are speechless. Maybe you need to go to sleep instead of coffee.” The short-haired male placed the two cups on the table and walked to stand in front of him.
It was the proximity that made the scientist finally focus on his partner instead of the mess of his thoughts.
“We just searched for traces of demonic activity at the outskirts. So far we haven't found anything so we will resume the search tonight.” Mastermind explained as he made his way to take a seat at the table.
“Then, shouldn’t you be on your way to sleep?” The brawler tilted his head to a side.
“Trust me, I’m not tired.” He lied as best as he could and changed the subject. “By the way, shouldn’t you be taking care of the bacon over there?”
“Everything is under control, just one more minute and breakfast should be ready.” Psyker stepped back to turn off the bacon and to serve it on two plates along with the eggs. “I’m impressed you knew what I was cooking.”
“Last time I checked the fridge there was only bacon, eggs, chocolate bars, and a cake inside of it. I’m surprised there were enough eggs and bacon for two servings.”
“Yup, there was enough but we definitely need to buy more groceries, I doubt we can survive with just cake and coffee.” The brawler put the dishes on the table and joined his partner to eat.
“You are underestimating me; I have survived with less.” Mastermind stuck his tongue at his partner and took a sip of his coffee. The taste was delicious but it was no match to the way Esper made his coffee in the mornings, something about the way the time traveler mixed the ingredients made it hard to surpass his coffee-making.
“Please let me rephrase that; we are going to buy groceries cuz we are NOT going to just eat cake and coffee.”
The scientist chuckled. “Yeah, if you are so eager to buy groceries, I guess that means you are paying for it.”
“I know I need to pay back for my mistakes but I’m pretty sure we can split up the payment. After all, you said we were going to buy new clothes for me.”
“Sure thing, but if you add anything fancy to the basket then you are paying for it. I’m not going to pay for some deluxe steak, exotic fruit, or armor, that’s on you.”
“Fine by me.”
With that final statement, the two of them dug into their breakfast.
For Mastermind it was nice to enjoy again Psyker’s cooking.
For Psyker, it was nice to wake up in a place to call “home” and be able to enjoy his partner’s company.
After their breakfast, the two of them got ready to go shopping in the capital. It was a sunny day and the streets were crowded with citizens and cheerful voices. They visited tons of shops and Mastermind showed his favorite places to Psyker. The morning turned noon as the time flew by with none of them caring about it.
Just like they agreed to, the two of them split the payments for the groceries, clothes, and snacks they bought.
Mastermind was surprised by the amount of meat, vegetables, and spices the brawler added to the basket but since he told him he was going to pay for it, he paid no mind to that. After all, he was also going to eat from those groceries.
It was nice to shop with Psyker; just like in Feita, he insisted to grab all the heavy bags and carry them all the way home without protest. As long as Mastermind didn’t have to carry those bags or command his drones to carry them, he was fine.
He thought about Esper; he also helped him with the shopping bags and would teleport all the groceries after paying for them but sometimes he had to scold him for being so careless and making his portals mess with their food.
“So tell me, where is that Vanessa you spoke yesterday about? Shouldn’t we go talk with her now that we are in the capital?” The brawler took a bite of the popsicle he had in his free hand. It was a hot day in Velder and what better way to cool down than with a cold treat.
“The headquarters of the Velder Knights is near the central plaza but judging by the hour I’m pretty sure she isn’t in her office. She must be patrolling at the outskirts with the knights of the next turn.” The scientist shrugged his shoulders.
“Did you see her in the morning?”
“Nope but since it’s past noon I'm pretty sure Vanesa went to check on the troops and decided to stay to provide support. She's not one to stay in her office while she knows Velder might be in danger.” Mastermind activated a holographic screen to check the time and just like he expected it was already past one in the afternoon.
“Maybe we should go there to talk with her. I want to be part of the team and help you with the search.” Psyker took the last bite of his popsicle and looked for a trashcan to throw the stick.
“I still think you should rest and take your time to get used to Velder; who knows where or what you have been up to in these couple of years but there’s no need to rush and join us in the search. Leave it to me, I will talk to her when I see her.” The scientist closed the hologram and patted his partner’s back.
“Well, I could tell you what I have been up to but it’s a long story. I would rather talk about it when Esper returns so you can both hear it.” The brawler adjusted the bags on his shoulder and walked in front of the scientist. “We finished today’s shopping, why don’t we go back home so you can rest before you need to resume patrolling?”
The invitation was appealing to Mastermind. He was tired and wanted to take at least a five-minute nap but his pride was on the line and he also wanted to spend as much time as he could with Psyker.
“You’re sure you want to go back home? There’s still shops we can visit if you want to.”
“Just like you said; there’s no need to rush. Now come on, we can still make it back home before the ice cream cups we bought melts.” The short-haired male sprinted as if he were in a running competition with his partner.
The scientist sighed but followed his partner. “Hey, wait for me!”
Back home, the scientist didn’t walk to his room till he finished sorting the groceries in the kitchen with Psyker. He showed him where to find all the items inside the counters and prepared himself a sandwich before going to sleep.
On the other hand, after sorting the groceries the berserker went to his room to put his clothes in the closet and to discard the ones that no longer fit him.
The house stayed in silence for the next four hours till an alarm coming from one of Mastermind’s dynamos interrupted it. The scientist was glad he didn’t trust his own resolve and set the alarm before going to sleep; if it wasn’t for the alarm, he would have stayed asleep till midnight.
With a yawn, he made his way to the bathroom to splash cold water on his face, tie his hair back again in his usual ponytail, and wash his teeth before going downstairs. He found his partner was waiting for him next to the front door.
“I guess you are going now.” The berserker greeted him with his arms crossed.
“Indeed. I’ll be back in the morning.”
“Alright, I will make sure to have breakfast ready for when you come back.”
“There’s no need to wake up so early just to make me breakfast. Isn’t it better to sleep more?” The scientist tilted his head.
“Unlike you, I am a morning person. Usually by six in the morning, I would have finished my morning jog to be back home and drink coffee while I prepare my breakfast.” Psyker chuckled. “The only reason I didn't go out for a run this morning is because I had no idea what time you were going to get back.”
“Oh? Now you run in the mornings? That’s new.
“That’s just a warm-up. During the day I also work out to stay in form.” The berserker folded his sleeve and flexed his arm to show off the results of his training with a wink.
Mastermind did his best to not show the effect that had over him but his face betrayed him by getting redder.
‘Oh, Esper would love to see those biceps up close.’ He thought. That also reminded him once again that he had to message Esper.
With a scoff, the scientist focused again on the task at hand.
“Well, that’s fine and all but could you go running during the day? In the morning is still dangerous to jog especially on the outskirts so please keep that in mind or make sure to bring Apocalypse with you.”
“In that case, I would feel safer if you came with me.”
“Please, I would only slow you down. At least Apocalypse can keep up with your pace, I have no stamina at all.” Just thinking about running made the scientist's muscles feel sore.
“This could be a nice chance to change that.” Psyker teased. He was sure the last thing he could expect from Mastermind was to work out but his partner is so easy to tease and he loves his reactions.
“I would pass out immediately so let’s stop talking about this.” With a sigh, he ran his hands through his hair. “I have to go now. Please stay safe while I’m out.”
“Same goes for you, please make sure to come back in the morning.”
“Of course, I need to eat that breakfast you just said after all.”
“In that case, I will do my best.”
With a smile, the scientist walked to the front door. Psyker patted his hair to say goodbye and after the two of them exchanged a laugh they parted ways.
Once the scientist was out of sight from home, he opened a holographic screen and tapped a few commands to activate the chatroom he and Esper designed to keep in contact and to remind each other of their daily tasks.
‘Hey, are you free right now? Please contact me when you do. I got something to tell you but don’t teleport back home.’
The scientist closed the screen and continued walking to the spot where the Velder troops were waiting for him.
He didn’t take five more steps when his dynamos beeped indicating he got an answer from the chatroom.
‘What’s the matter? Everything alright?’
Mastermind was surprised answered immediately and stopped in how tracks to answer him.
‘Yeah, I’m fine don’t worry. Are you busy?’
‘I’m free right now. We saved the water priestess but guess which duo didn’t agree to teleport us all to Lanox again? We are going to spend the night in Hamel and tomorrow we will start a two-day journey to Lanox, yay, I can’t wait…’
‘How troublesome.’
‘Yeah, anyway. What were you going to tell me?’
‘Please promise me you are not going to teleport back home before telling you.’
‘You are starting to worry me but alright. I promise.’
‘Esper, Psych is back.’
‘… What?’
‘Yes. Yesterday after you teleported back to Hamel and I went to talk to Vanessa I ran into him. At first, I couldn’t believe it was him but after listening to him speak and seeing his dynamos I was sure it was him. Since then, he’s staying at home and I’m doing night patrols to look out for the white demon. Sorry, I didn’t have the time to tell you before…’
‘AND WHY ARE YOU STOPPING ME FROM TELEPORTING BACK HOME?! MASTERMIND, WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT FOR THE LAST PAST TWO YEARS!! FOR EL’S SAKE!!!’
Mastermind sighed. He knew this wasn’t going to be easy but he still had to do this.
‘Esper, please think about it; how are you going to explain to him that you can teleport without telling him that it’s because your soul is incomplete?’
‘Oh come on, I don’t need to teleport in front of him, I can teleport to our backyard and then walk inside.’
‘And what are you going to do when you need to go back to Hamel in the morning? Just say that you are going for a walk? As if he wouldn’t accompany you.’
‘I will just say that it’s thanks to my dynamos. That I discovered a formula to use time and space simultaneously.’
‘And what about your eyes? You still don't have full control over them, so what will happen when you say goodbye to him and he just sees that your scleras are black and that your pupils are shining?’
‘… You have a point there but come on, Masi. It’s not fair that you can be next to him while I’m here surrounded by knights and idiots.’
‘I know it’s not easy. I also have no idea what am I going to do if the situation isn’t solved by next week. What if I can’t hunt any prey by that time and I do something to Psyker like I did to you?’
‘Psyker?’
‘Ah yes. Psych's new title is “Lunatic Psyker”. He said it was from being a berserker on the battlefield or something like that; I wasn’t paying attention when he explained.’
‘And why weren’t you paying attention?’
‘Anyway, we really need to think of something before things get risky. Why don’t we come up with a plan when you finish your business in Lanox? That way you don’t need to worry about dealing with the El search party.’
‘Sounds like you changed the subject back there but okay. It’s true it's better If we deal with this together and after I escort the water priestess to Lanox. I just hope there are no other surprises waiting for us at Lanox…’
‘Let’s hope that’s not the case.’
‘Alright. I will play along with your plan for now but remember that it’s pretty hard for me not to be able to go see Psych right away. Why don’t you send me a photo of him when you can? It doesn't matter if you have to secretly take a photo of him and I don’t care if the photo isn’t great, just seeing him is enough for me.’
‘… I will do what I can.’
‘Thanks.’
‘I would love to keep messaging you but I must go. I need to join the night patrol of today.’
‘Yeah, good luck with that. I would feel bad about you but I bet you can get to eat Psych breakfast in the morning. I envy you.’
‘Goodnight, Esper.’
‘Bye-bye, Masi.’
And with that last message, the scientist closed the holographic screen and ran to meet the Velder troops. He wasn’t lying when he said to Psyker that he had no stamina but he was late to start the night patrol. Vanessa was with the knights waiting for him; she was worried that something may happened to him but her worries disappeared when she saw him approaching them.
The two of them exchanged a few words before Vanessa returned back to the capital. It wasn’t till Mastermind finished giving the instructions to the knights that he remembered he had to talk with her about Psyker but it was too late to try and catch up with her.
He shrugged his shoulders and continued with his duties. After all, there was no rush to make Psyker join the patrols.