Chapter Text
Shiori saw it first, of course, she did; barely anything was out of her view, especially when it came to her wives. It started with her smile… radiant, soft, beautiful… it most often reached her eyes, creasing at the corners. One time, the creases simply stayed. Barely noticeable at first, only in certain lighting, but they were there. Mocking her, reminding the immortal of what is to come.
The Archiver didn’t know what to make of it. No matter how much begging she could do to death and time themselves, no matter what dark magic she could dig up, she knew that Elizabeth wouldn’t have any of it.
Shiori gently traces the smile lines on a somber morning… stirring the Queen awake, a smile stretching out her face. “Morning, my dear… you’re up early.”
“You’re getting wrinkly,” The Archiver states, firmly pressing her finger against the sight of it. Liz lets out a soft snort and tenderly takes Shiori’s hand into hers, kissing her knuckles, “And you aren’t.”
“Still as beautiful as the day I first saw you.” The Queen mutters, tender red eyes catching golden ones.
“In the cell?” Shiori quips, making her lover grimace. Her time as her lovers’ wardens was a time she’ll gladly keep in the past. “You’re never going to let me live it down?”
The Archiver grins, “I’ve got way too good a memory for that, oh, Warden.”
“Alright, Mrs. Archiver, calm down, lest I lock you back up,” Liz teases, pulling her in closer. Shiori bats her eyes, “Lil ol’ me?”
Elizabeth bursts out laughing at that, smile lines appearing more prominent, catching a golden gaze. As her laugh tapers off, she notices the intense look, “Penny for your thoughts, dear?”
“Hm? Oh, sorry, it’s just… the wrinkles,” Shiori blurts out.
“The wrinkles?” Liz pauses, “Ah.”
“They remind me that I have finite time,” The Queen looks off wistfully, though it only draws a frown from her lover. Gently, Liz takes the Archiver’s chin and lifts up so their eyes meet.
“Having finite time is something I appreciate, reminds me of my purpose,” Elizabeth smiles, and the smile lines stay, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
So the Archiver plots, finding books to lengthen a life of a mortal without her noticing, none achieving results. So she took longer on archiving jobs, all-nighters with stacks of books sky high.
“I’ve been missing you, I think,” The Queen starts slowly, voice uncharacteristically sullen. Shioiri’s finger hesitated at the edge of a page, looking up with a slight frown, Sadness does not suit her lover’s face, that’s for sure. “I haven’t seen you around much… are you angry with me?”
Was that what she was giving off? Angry at her? Never, not with her, never with her.
“Of course not,” The snarky response came softer than intended, “I’ve just been busy.”
“I see...” Elizabeth nods thoughtfully, flame growing small on her chest, as her eyebrows crease slightly, then the crease stays.
Had she always had that wrinkle? Was it new? Did the Archiver miss it?
Then it clicks.
She’s been gone for too long. Her search for the longevity of her lover’s life ironically cuts off the time they could’ve been having together. Shiori’s lips push into a straight line as she looks at the towers of books around her.
“But I guess I should rest,” Shiori swiftly closes her book, “Now come on, I know you’re just begging to do some cardio or something.”
“Cardio?” Elizabeth snorts out a laugh, crossing her arms. The Archiver shrugs, “Or something, I don’t know what you jocks like!”
The Queen paused for a moment, fingers fidgeting at her hair before she took a deep breath, “Then… would you like to go out to dinner with me?”
Just like the first time. No, like every time. Elizabeth was fidgeting, unable to meet Shiori’s golden gaze, flame flickering in its reduced state. She couldn’t help but crack a grin. “Asking me out on a date? How forward of you! Not like we’ve been married for how many years? 10? 15?”
“Hmmm... I think our sweet demon has a better count of that.” The Queen shrugs, taking her lover’s hand into hers, flame flickering back to life. Shiori glances down at it and lets out a relieved breath.
Shiori’s quiet revelation shifts the atmosphere… just a tad, but just enough for Nerissa to notice it. Despite that, time passes.
But then it was Nerissa’s turn; she heard it first, feeling her heart stutter to a stop when she heard the first crack when Liz got up from the couch. Audible, soft, yet undeniable. The Queen was mortal… as magical as she may be, she is human. Every crack of her joints, every beautiful line that etches into her face…
It was enough to keep her up at night, watching her lover’s chest rise and fall steadily, her blue flame gently wafting and crackling noiselessly. Her love, beautiful, radiant, hers. How dare time, that thief, slowly unravel her. Was 9,000 years imprisoned like a bird in a cage not enough for the gods? That they’ll take away her masterpiece?
It was too cruel of the world to let such a vision decay right in front of her when she could easily take the mortality Elizabeth holds oh so near and dear to her heart for some ungodly reason. Oh… to keep her Queen as she was now… unchanging, unrotting, forever hers.
The selfish thought threatens to boil over in her mind. It was a simple procedure. Her lover didn’t even have to know about it before it was too late. Nerissa’s eyes glow a dangerous magenta at the thought. She slowly pushes herself up, a hand edging closer to Liz’s face.
Then, the Queen shifts, stirring awake beside her, looking up at her half-lidded eyes, “Ello, love… you’re… awake.”
“Sorry- I didn’t mean to wake you,” Nerissa stammered, heart clenching as she heard Liz’s sleepy croak. Her Queen only smiled, warm and blinding, as if the sun had already risen. Her laugh wafted from her frame softly as she gently smoothed her hand over the demon’s shoulder, “It’s alright, it’s alright.”
“C’mere,” Elizabeth offers with open arms, a cuddle, which the demon accepts gratefully, feeling the strong arms of her knightly lover, muscles from long hours of training… scars from countless missions, all telling her tale, a tale that would one day ask for an ending. She clings on a little tighter that night.
Then came the first real injury. Not just a bruise or broken bones, those were painfully common, especially for Liz’s line of work. A blow to the lungs, enough to make lasting scarring that will never fade. It was enough to make the Queen retire from missions, to no longer fight in wars.
A wound that can’t be mended with time. A mistake caused by Liz’s deteriorating health. Her lovers saw it coming. The curse was getting worse; not even the new medicine that Shiori managed to scrounge up could fully chase away the constant ache it gave the queen.
A flare-up in the midst of battle, unable to move in the blinding pain that shot up her arm, her flame going out of control for the first time since she was a child. The defense mechanism not strong enough to block the blow that came right after.
It was terrifying to watch, Liz unconscious on a bed, being sustained by a magical device that wrapped around her head like a transparent facehugger, and hummed like a slumbering beast.
She was so still… There was no rise and fall of her chest; her flame was but a dim ember flickering painfully on her chest. Shiori stares at it, threatening it to even think about extinguishing.
Even so, she’s alive. Breathing, though with the help of a device, blood pumping because it was forced to, not because it would. The deep gashes were wrapped in layers of gauze, pristine, clean, not a spotting of blood on them.
Never. Again.
That was a promise by both of the Queen’s lovers. Nerissa takes to it like a bird first flying out of its nest. She’s there from the moment she wakes up to when sleep takes her. A little suffocating, but Elizabeth let it be.
“I can stand on my own, love,” Liz sighs softly as she is half lifted by Rissa up to her feet from the bed. “I know—“
The raven grunts a little, helping her lover up to her feet.
“—But, I just want to pamper you, let me be greedy,” The Queen’s flame flickers as she balances herself to the best of her ability, taking some of the weight off of Nerissa.
Elizabeth’s lips purse into a thin line, staring at her weakened legs, willing them to move, “Right.”
Nerissa frowns a little as she feels Liz pull away from her, gaining some semblance of balance for herself. The demon gulps thickly, watching her uneasily before plastering a smile, “Shiori made breakfast.”
“Sh-shiori made breakfast???” Liz stuttered out, brows raising, the flame on her chest curling. The demon giggles and smooths a hand over her lover’s shoulder, “She used a ready-to-eat thing, it won't kill you.”
The Queen crosses her arms, “I thought the same thing last time.”
“You survived!” Nerissa remarked, gently tugging at Elizabeth’s hand as she led her to the living room, Shiori peaking out her head from the kitchen.
“Bold thing to say for someone who didn’t try it,” The Archiver deadpans, giving her demon a look. Rissa huffs and quickly retorts, “It looked alive!”
Elizabeth added, “I swear I could still hear the cow moo.”
“Oh, you babies.” Shiori teases, “What’s a little blood and disease? It’s good for the immune system!”
Nerissa gives Shiori a look, and she puts her hands up defensively, “Got it, got it, I’ll overcook it just so you can get off my back.”
The raven moves to lead Liz to the dining table, but the Queen pulls away, walking slowly to her chair. Nerissa lets her hand fall to her side, willing herself to school her face as she strides to sit beside Liz.
“Don’t push yourself,” Nerissa softly reminds her. Elizabeth takes a moment to catch her breath, a lingering ache when she breathes in too deeply, a sick reminder of what she’s lost and what she has to live with.
“I know,” came out quicker than intended, she immediately changed course, “Thank you, love…”
The moment was saved as the Archiver came in, plopping some sausages, burnt eggs, and rice on the table, “Alright, let’s dig in!”
“See, this is why I told you to help Elizabeth up,” Nerissa’s nose scrunches up, poking at the blackened eggs. Shiori shrugs, “And I told you that she’ll be fine on her own.”
“She isn-“
“I am.”
Elizabeth grips her chopsticks hard, hand trembling a little from the exertion. The demon’s eyes widen.
“Liz… I didn’t mea-“
“I know.” Liz seethes and takes a deep breath, “Sorry…”
The atmosphere was thick. The Archiver tries to busy herself with giving Liz her portion.
“I’m just trying to help,” The demon stresses, wings bunched up close to herself.
“…it doesn’t feel…” Liz’s face scrunches up a little, flame flickering in unease, “good.”
Shiori shifts in her stance, sitting down at her usual seat, “You want independence.”
“I don’t want to feel useless,” Elizabeth corrects, taking a stab at the slightly overcooked sausage. Shiori silently offers a sauce to which the queen denies.
The demon’s brows furrow, hands clenching her utensils tightly, “I’m not calling you useless.”
“I know- that’s not the point,” Elizabeth sighs and rubs the bridge of her nose, “Please… I can stand on my own, walk on my own, if I fall… IF, I am fine with you catching me, but you need to let me fall.”
“You could get hurt,” Nerissa defends.
The Queen asserts, “I already am hurt.”
“…”
“Nerissa, please.” Elizabeth pleads, taking her lover’s hand into her own shaky ones. Nerissa stares at her lover’s weakened body, feeling as her gut coils painfully. The demon bites her lip, “I can’t.”
Shiori purses her lips and looks between her two lovers. She lets out a deep sigh, “How about this then, a compromise, Nerissa won't help you immediately.”
The demon’s mouth quickly opens, but a hand shuts it. “But the moment you even wobble, she gets to do whatever she wants to make sure you’re okay.”
The archiver then looks to Rissa, hand reaching out for reassurance, “There, there, you can still go all helicopter mom on her, I don’t think anyone can stop you from hovering.”
Her lover pouts, “I’m not that bad… am I?”
Elizabeth grimaces, making Nerissa’s eyes widen, “Am I???”
“You 100 percent are,” Shiori deadpans with a grin, the raven’s wings wrapping around her own body.
Nerissa pouts, “I’ll ease off…”
“Thank you,” The Queen intertwines her free hand with her lover’s, squeezing firmly. The raven’s brows unfurrow, and she takes a plate for herself, “Holy shit, this looks burnt.”
Shiori giggles in response, “Hey, you’re the one complaining they might be raw! I just overcorrected.”
“I didn’t want to say anything…” Liz starts sheepishly, “But it’s like eating a piece of char.”
Nerissa bursts out laughing. Elizabeth follows suit, her laugh was booming, genuine, making the creases on the corner of her eyes take precedence it was…
“Beautiful.” Shiori softly comments, voice barely above a whisper.
“Every last bit of her,” The raven bites her lip, placing a hand on her lover’s and tracing the scars that were carved into her body. Sculpted by the gods and time itself.
The Queen presses her forehead against Nerissa, “And every bit is yours till my final breath.”
The raven lets out a shuddered breath, and she nods, melting into her touch.
The Archiver chews on her charred breakfast mindlessly, watching as her affectionate lovers nuzzle into one another. A faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Finite time. She can deal with that… probably. Fleeting… Swift… yet weighty, clings onto your very being. That’s probably what Liz meant. Her time may be short comparatively to her lovers… but it sure will cling on stubbornly through memories, some more traumatizing than others, but all of it, every second. Worth it.