Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Wassup fuckers! Tonight we’re at the old church ruins near the O’Khasis cathedral.” Zenix grinned at the camera he was recording with. “If you didn’t know, Next to the big famous cathedral everyone knows about, there’s some ruins of what used to be a church before the cathedral was built. ‘Why was the cathedral built if a church was already there’ you ask. Why it’s because King Garte, the guy who ordered its constructions had a hard-on for big flashy displays of wealth while half his people starved to death of course!” Zenix couldn’t help throwing at the dead king. If the old fuck tried to curse him from the dead or something then so be it.

It’d make the video interesting and it’s part of the reason he was even here anyway.

“As to why we’re here… well you can read the title of the video. You already know that we’re doing some ghost hunting.” Zenix flipped the camera to show the old church building. It was obviously abandoned. Not crumbling ruins or anything, but it looked old. The metal decorations looked like they were rusting, and some parts of the wooden door looked like they were rotting. “That right there is the building we’re going into. It’s public property, so we’re not trespassing,” as fun as that would be, “but local legends say that there’s a ghost in there that tries keeping people out. And tonight we’re gonna see if that’s true.”

Zenix turned the camera back to his face and began walking closer to the abandoned building with street lamps guiding his path. “Since I’m so nice and considerate, I’m gonna tell you what’s supposed to be up with the ghost here. Nobody really knows what’s up with it, just a shit ton of urban myths. Apparently, a bit after the cathedral was built, the smaller church was still in use. Thing is, that one morning, people walked in and found a body lying on the altar. The dead guy had been repeatedly stabbed in the stomach and had probably been left to bleed out overnight. Freaky right? Anyways, they cleared up the body and shit but weird stuff started happening, messages written with salt, things moving around and even some reports of things just randomly floating and being thrown. All the typical ghost shit.”

Zenix stood in front of the doors to the building and turned around so they were facing his back while he still looked at the camera. “Now, if anyone’s wondering whether or not we know who the killer is… we probably do. I know, surprising, huh?” It was so nice to finally have a supposed 'ghost' whose killer was pretty solidly agreed upon. “So besides the dead guy, who we don’t know why he was in the church at night, there was only one person who was meant to be there. Someone who was in an important position in the religious order. Someone who famously killed a ton of people. That’s right, notorious and infamous piece of shit, Zane Ro’Meave himself! Notable nepo baby and son of King Garte.” Seriously, what was wrong with that family? “Most people agree that he was probably the killer and dear old dad helped him hide it. Really have to wonder what the poor fucker did to be killed by the High Priest of the time. Maybe he just looked at him the wrong way when Ro’Meave Junior was in a bad mood?”

Now it was time. Time for him to go in and probably not find anything other than a ton of dust, cobwebs, and if he’s lucky a lingering bloodstain or something. That’s what ended up happening whenever he went to places like this.

Oh well, whatever. It was fun to walk through creepy places like this even if there weren’t any ghosts. Plus the people who watched delighted in watching him do stuff that he knows would get him killed in a horror movie. Exhibit A; going to an old abandoned and supposedly haunted church in the middle of the night with nothing but the phone he used to record the videos and a flashlight hanging on his belt.

Well! Hadn’t killed him yet and it sure as hell wasn’t going to now.

“Now, let’s go in and see if we can ask this ghost what exactly he did to piss off probably some of the worst people he could’ve pissed off.”

Zenix opened the door and stepped inside, turning on the flashlight as the light from outside was obstructed by the walls. As soon as he fully stepped inside, what must’ve been the wind (despite the fact that there was barely even a light breeze outside) shut the door behind him.

“Ohh, spooky. Well anyway, nothing interesting is gonna be in the doorway. Deeper inside we go!”

He could already imagine the comments screaming at him for not leaving at this point in the video.

He stepped deeper inside and looked around with his flashlight, giving some commentary in case he wanted to add it to the video after editing. As he expected, it was just what one would see in an abandoned church. A bunch of dusty and uncomfortable-looking pews with possibly rotting wood, glass windows of Irene and the Divine Warriors that probably looked good at some point, stairs leading to a second floor that he was definitely going to explore when he was done with the first floor, a book on a podium that was rapidly flipping through its pages…

Wait. What?

Zenix went to stand next to the book and yeah, it was a book on Irene that looked really old but also was quickly shifting through its pages seemingly of its own accord. He made sure that his phone could

“Ok, so as you can see, I’m not making that happen. Which means there’s either a draft in here causing the pages to move,” (Which he conveniently could not even slightly feel), “or our ghost is a giant nerd that likes reading.”

The pages were still moving and it was almost like they were going faster.

“Well, no better time than the present. Hey, ghost guy! Why did Zane kill you?”

He wasn’t expecting anything, but then he noticed that a weird sound was coming from his phone. Then, the screen started flickering alongside his flashlight.

“That… shouldn’t be happening.” Probably just a glitch or his batteries losing power. Annoying but if the recording data wasn’t damaged it’d be really good for the video. Dramatic and all that.

And to top it all off, in the wall behind the podium, something started being written on the wall. The writing was massive, dramatic, and attention-seeking. In red letters, a single word was being written on the wall.

“Holy shit!” Zenix didn’t believe in ghosts but apparently, this experience was determined to change his mind,

Then just as a ghost that apparently did exist finished its writing, a voice from behind him repeated what it said without him needing to read it out loud.

“Leave.”

Then, a few things happened in a moment.

First; his phone and flashlight both turned off completely.

Second; Zenix turned around to see whoever had snuck up on him.

Third; Zenix saw the most beautiful person he had ever seen in his life.

Whoever it was, was a brunette that looked a little bit shorter than he was. He looked like he was glowing, not in a fanciful poetic way, no their body was literally glowing. He had a stern look on his face that Zenix found very attractive and that was not something he felt like examining further.

The neck was covered by a green scarf that went down to the leg and covered the chin ever so slightly. Zenix looked down and noticed that the glowing figure in front of him was… bleeding. Very heavily bleeding from the gut, constantly. Like way more blood than should be physically possible.

Then it hit him. The ghost that Zenix came here to find was right in front of him and also unbelievably pretty.

Zenix stared for a few seconds, failing completely at coming up with something to say.

The ghost frowned, clearly unhappy. His glow became darker and the blood seemed to brighten in contrast. Zenix refused to think about what it said about him that none of that made the ghost less attractive.

“Did you not hear me?”

“Why would I leave when I have the most attractive person ever to stare at instead.” Is what came out of his mouth.

Suddenly, the spooky stuff he was doing calmed down and confusion overtook the ghost's features.

“Excuse me?”

“What? There’s an extremely handsome man–,” the ghost had an uneasy expression at the word ‘man’; ok then, “er, person in front of me, why the hell would I leave when I can just look at you?”

That didn’t clear any of the confusion from their face. “You do realize that I’m dead. and bleeding, correct?”

Fuck it, time to commit. He came this far and there was no way he was going to back down now.

“Well, yeah, but nobody’s perfect. And I’m sure we can work around that somehow.”

The ghost’s weird things had all calmed down. And Zenix distantly noted that the sound of the pages turning, the wind, and his flashlight was back on. Not his phone though.

“That is… certainly a unique reaction.”

“What can I say, I’m a pretty unique guy. Maybe if we keep talking you can find out just how unique?” And then he winked, just for good measure.

Why was he doing this? He never flirted with anyone.

He’d been spending way too much time with Laurance. That was it.

The ghost huffed out a laugh as they(?) took in what he said.

“Okay then. You’re funny. Why not? You can stay a bit if you want.”

“Hell yeah!” he cheered. “I got some questions for you, like how’d you die?”

The ghost raised an eyebrow and gestured to the bleeding wound.

“I feel like it’s obvious.”

It was getting easier to talk to the ghost. Sure they were attractive, but Zenix was growing used to it.

“Not what I meant. Why’d you get stabbed? Was it actually that High Priest guy? What’d you do to get him to kill you and cover it up? Who even are you?”

“You know, most people would consider it rude to ask stuff like that.”

“I said I was unique, didn’t I? Also, you’ve been dead for a while. I’m sure you can handle a question or two about it.”

“Okay then. Why don’t we go to one of the rooms, it’ll be more comfortable and you can sit down while you interrogate me.”

“Sure! Are you sure the seats are gonna be comfortable though? They’re probably too old.”

The ghost smiled slightly at that. “Not even denying it’s an interrogation? How shameless.”

“Nah, I have questions and you’re gonna answer them. Who gives a damn what you call it,” Zenix shrugged.

“Follow me. You can sit and interrogate me all you like.” The ghost turned around and began to float in the direction of some stairs.

Zenix rushed to be able to walk at their side. He noticed that none of the blood dripping from the ghost hit the floor.

“So, what’s your name?”

“Ever heard of patience?”

“Ever heard of being polite? I’m your guest, you should introduce yourself.”

“You’re a trespasser,” they hummed.

“This is public property, so it’s not trespassing.”

“Whatever you say.”

“What, not gonna answer the question?”

The two stopped in front of the stairs. They turned to face him and said, “Vylad. My name is Vylad.”

Vylad, huh? Well, no time to waste focusing on the pretty-sounding name. Zenix had an equally pretty ghost to interrogate for a video and said ghost was currently floating up some stairs. Not one to be left behind, Zenix ran after.

Chapter Text

Vylad stood dutifully behind Aphmau. They were in their full Shadow Knight armor for once, ashen skin and blood-red eyes in full display. In front of the two was another pair in similar positions.

Standing in the front was Laurance, who was discussing with Aphmau the terms of what the alliance between the two groups would actually entail. Specifically making it clear that the rebelling Shadow Knights weren’t joining the Phoenix Alliance in any official capacity, and that the groups were merely working together to defeat a common enemy, nothing more. Beyond that little bit of knowledge, the rest of the meeting had admittedly been… dull. But it was important and necessary, so Vylad would have to remain alert. (Even if they were relying more than they’d care to admit on the feeling on their wrist to keep awake)

The conflict with Shad had grown so severe that if they wanted any hope of victory, the Phoenix Alliance would need as many factions on their side as possible. And luckily for them, the leaders of the rebelling Shadow Knight faction seemed to come to the same conclusion as them.

So despite the fact that Laurance had previously refused to work with them due to what Vylad felt confident in saying were unresolved emotions, the situation had worsened to the point that he had seemingly put those aside in favor of cooperating.

The reason Vylad was the one to come with Aphmau instead of one of her more personal guards was their own status as a Shadow Knight. They were one of two Shadow Knights directly part of the Phoenix Alliance, and of the two Vylad was the one who didn’t directly serve a separate Lord entirely.

It was their suggestion to come with Aphmau. They were more resistant to the uncomfortable and everpresent heat of the Nether, were decently familiar with the Nether, and were able to work well with Aphmau if things went sour.

Logically, they were one of the best potential options for taking the role of bodyguard in this mission.

And the one who looked to be taking the role of Vylad’s counterpart for this meeting was Zenix. A man whom Vylad had never personally talked to or even met, but one they’d heard plentiful stories about. A wild and savage beast in battle who took joy in causing as much harm as possible. Someone that Vylad knew for a fact had betrayed both Aphmau and their brother.

Suffice to say, Vylad did not particularly like Zenix. Even beyond the betrayal, which was reason enough for Vylad (the fact Laurance had done much the same admittedly soured their feelings to a man they one would’ve easily called a friend), the stories they’d heard about him were more than enough to fuel distaste. They’d never understood the concept of someone enjoying battle like that. In a fight where lives are at stake, the conflict should be ended as quickly and methodically as possible.

Something like a chore to be resolved or an equation to solve. Not something to be enjoyed in the way that the stories about Laurance’s second-in-command implied.

Not to mention how he was clearly barely paying attention to the meeting. Really, could he not at least have the decency to at least pretend to pay attention?

The slight tingle on their wrist made their mind wander to someone they would much rather think about. And they were sure that they would agree with the sentiment. After all, they were soulmates, so surely they’d agree on many things.

Vylad was lucky. They were one of the few in the world that had been blessed with a soulmate. Be it a case of cosmic chance as the cynics argued, or a blessing from Irene as her believers preached, they were one of the few who had the first words that would be said to them by their soulmate written on their wrist.

Even if the words were… odd. But they were sure that it was simply taken out of context, and when they finally did meet their soulmate, the words on their wrist would make sense and it’d be something to laugh over.

Really, they could not describe how thankful they were for those words. On lonely and cold nights, it was a reminder that someone out there was waiting for them. It was a greater comfort than they could ever describe. Vylad knew that when they did meet whoever it was, the first thing they’d say after whatever words were written on their wrists would be to thank them for what the mere knowledge of their existence had done.

But it wasn’t time to think about that. They should be focusing on the meeting, thoughts on their soulmate could wait until after they were in a safer situation.

In the time they had been distracted, however, it looked like the meeting had been wrapping up. Another thing to thank their soulmate for.

“Good, in a week I’ll send a messenger along the determined route. Does that sound agreeable to you?” Aphmau asked.

“Yes. That should be more than enough time to set up a watch along the path as protection.” His tone was completely impassive.

Aphmau waited for a few seconds longer, maybe waiting for Laurance to say more. When it was clear that no further conversation was to be had, she sighed.

“Very well. In that case, I’ll be taking my leave.”

Laurance nodded and gestured for them to go out the door of the room they were meeting in.

“So does that mean that the meeting’s over?” Zenix asked. The first thing Vylad had heard the man ask this entire time. Completely useless thing to ask too.

“Yes, Zenix,” Laurance replied.

“Ok.” Then, the dark-haired man turned to face Vylad directly and pointed a finger at them. “You’re the fucker that tried to shoot me!”

And. Something. In. Vylad. Snapped.

They pivoted around to the door, professionalism be damned. “ABSOLUTELY THE FUCK NOT”

They stomped out of the room without heed to the reaction of the three still in it. Other guards would probably admonish him for it; Garroth would throw a fit for leaving Aphmau alone but that could wait.

Because the words Zenix just said were word-for-word identical to the ones written on their wrist. And they were sure those were the first words the man had said to them.

Which meant that Zenix… might be their soulmate.

Irene. Damned. Fucking. Zenix.

They kept stomping through the keep in what they thought was the direction of the exit. They didn’t actually care where they were headed, they just needed to move.

No, absolutely not. They refused. They didn’t care if this was a blessing from Irene herself if it meant that their very soul was tied to Zenix of all people.

They heard harsh footsteps of someone running behind them and turned around. If it was anyone other than Aphmau, they were going to scream and maybe stab something. Treaty and alliance be damned.

They were still a Shadow Knight and that meant somewhat violent tendencies. Tendencies they were normally able to suppress well but they weren’t opposed to giving into at the moment.

And unfortunately, the person that had followed them wasn’t Aphmau, but the cause of their current frustration instead.

Before Vylad could say anything and maybe possibly threaten him, Zenix spoke up, “You’re my soulmate, aren’t you!?” He was grinning and looked excited at the prospect.

Well, that made one of them.

And as much as Vylad wanted to scream and or punch him, they still had a sense of responsibility. Which meant that punching who was effectively the second in command for the rebelling Shadow Knights was entirely out of the question.

They took a deep breath and said, “It would appear so. Though I’m sure the way that we first interacted must sour that–”

“Stop being so fake.” What? “Stop being so damn polite. I can tell it’s fake and I don’t like it.” Zenix was frowning as he said this.

Well if Zenix wanted Vylad to drop pretenses, who were they to deny their ‘soulmate’? “Well excuse me for trying to be polite, asshole.”

And for some reason Vylad calling him an asshole made him go back to grinning. “That’s more like it!”

“You do know that I don’t like you, right? That’s why I’m trying to fake politeness. You know, what most people prefer?”

“I don’t care if you don’t like me,” Zenix shrugged.

“Do you think you’re gonna win me over because we’re soulmates or something? Because if that’s the case you’re sorely mistaken.”

“I don’t give a damn if you hate me for the rest of eternity.”

That surprised Vylad.

“Why were you so excited about us being soulmates then? I’d have thought someone like you would’ve wanted a soulmate that was fine with how bloodthirsty you are.”

“Bloodthirsty?” Zenix asked like he was surprised at the description. Did he really not know the rumors surrounding him?

“What, don’t you know? You’re pretty infamous for how you act in battle. Someone who laughs like a maniac the entire time, who slaughters anyone without remorse and a sick grin on his face.”

Zenix paused for a moment as if taking in the words. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense. But honestly when it comes to my soulmate… The only thing I wanted was for them not to be boring. And that means being strong. You’re both so I don’t care if you don’t like me.”

What? That was it? ‘Not boring’ was his only requirement? It was like he didn’t even care about what a soulmate is meant to represent!

“Not boring? That’s it? You don’t care about anything else?”

“Why should I? I don’t know about you, but the way I see it, a soulmate’s just supposed to be someone that makes you happy. And for me, all that means is that they’re not boring. I know that you’re strong enough to keep up with me in a fight, so there’s no problem.”

What even… Vylad felt less infuriated and more befuddled at the man’s explanation. Sure, happiness was the one thing a soulmate was meant to bring, but it was meant to be through romance. Not just a vague concept of ‘not being boring’. Zenix wasn’t just some bloodthirsty freak who loved fighting like the stories told. He was all that as well as a complete and utter weirdo with a backwards view of soulmates.

Before Vylad could even begin to formulate a response to that, Zenix said, “Crap, I said I was gonna be back soon. Look, we’re gonna talk more, and when we do, we’re gonna spar. Don’t die before then.” And with that declaration, the man turned around and calmly walked back the way he came.

That was who his soul was bound to? Vylad was more sure than ever that it had to be some sort of cosmic joke by Irene.

If nothing else, Zenix was undeniably powerful. And if he insisted on sparring, then at least it was someone that Vylad could probably learn something from fighting against in a non-lethal situation.

Chapter Text

Zenix walked into the random bar that he had come across while wandering around town. It was a bit of a chilly night, so he was wearing a black hoodie alongside his usual combo of jeans and a t-shirt.

He had just finished his shift at his job and just needed somewhere to relax for the night. And maybe if he got lucky it’d end up being a place where the band could play eventually.

The whole band thing he had going on with Sasha and Gene was going well enough. They were a small indie band, but they landed enough gigs at bars and stuff. Not enough to live off of, but they were slowly getting bigger. And new places where they could play were always welcome.

He stepped into the bar, instantly noting that it was a pretty average-looking bar. Nothing classy or fancy-looking, but it also didn’t look like the kind of dirty place where a bar fight would break out. Though that would require more than a few people to be there.

Not that the latter would have deterred him from drinking there, but it meant that trying to see if the bar would let his band play wasn’t out of the question. Sasha and Gene wouldn’t immediately reject the idea at the very least.

He walked to the bar and sat down without a preamble or even looking at the bartender.

“Hey barkeep, what’d you have?”

“Zenix?” A dangerously familiar voice asked.

He turned to look at the bartender and was face-to-face with a very familiar person. They had the same brown hair styled in a way that had a few strands fall just above the eye, the same green eyes that Zenix used to spend a long time staring at, and the same barely visible freckles dusted on their nose.

“Vylad…” he acknowledged.

They were wearing what one would expect from a bartender. A white button up shirt that was covered by a black vest with a bowtie tied around their neck. Beneath their waist was a pair of black dress pants and dark shoes.

Maybe this wasn’t a place for the band to play at then.

“Been a while.”

“Yeah, thanks to you.”

They winced slightly at Zenix’s tone. Did they feel bad about what happened? Good.

Neither of them spoke for a while after that. Zenix had no interest in being the one to start any conversation and Vylad had other customers to serve.

After there were less people for Vylad to serve, they came back and stood in front of Zenix beyond the bar.

“What’d you want to drink?”

“You should remember what I like.”

Vylad nodded and went ahead on making his drink. Zenix began drinking as soon as it was handed over. Yep, exactly the type of drink that Zenix liked. Not bitter or sour, but sweet. Not overly, sugary sweetness, but more natural like the taste of fruit.

This went on for a bit. When Zenix finished his drink, he’d ask for another and Vylad would wordlessly supply in between dealing with other customers.

It was an almost comfortable silence. No talking, no arguing, just existing in the same space while they each did their thing. At least if Zenix ignored the elephant in the room.

There were less customers now, and Zenix was halfway through his fourth drink and pleasantly buzzed. Zenix was just staring at Vylad without saying anything.

“So this is where you ran off to? Being a bartender?”

Shit, he didn’t mean to let that thought slip out. Looked like he was a bit tipsier than he thought.

“It’s not any of your business, is it?”

“You and I both know that ain’t true you jerk.”

“What, is what I choose to do with my life your decision now? I remember you had a bit of an ego but this is a bit much, isn’t it?”

“Oh fuck off! You left without even saying anything.”

“I sent a text–”

“Whoop-De-Doo! The great Vylad Ro’Meave left a five-word message saying they were leaving the band and blocked all of us when we tried to get you to explain! How generous of you,” he spat.

Vylad didn’t have any retort for that one. Ha! He actually managed to leave the brunette speechless for once. Who’d have thought all it took was anger and being a little tipsy?

Vylad began cleaning a glass as he glared holes into them. “You’re… You’re right,” they sighed, “I should’ve at least explained myself a bit better than that.”

“Yeah, you should’ve. Asshole.” Zenix finished off his drink. He’d thought that Vylad had actually cared about the band. Cared about them. Cared about… it doesn’t matter anymore. He needed another drink.

He told as much to Vylad who said, “You sure? You were always the worst at holding his alcohol.

“It’s not any of your business, is it?” He shot back Vylad’s previous words at them.

“I’d rather you don’t end up so drunk you can’t walk back to wherever you're staying.”

“Why not? Figure it’ll be easier for you to run off again without explanation if I’m too drunk to walk.”

Vylad sighed, “Zenix, that’s not fair.”

Zenix glared at Vylad. “Yeah, and we already established that what you did wasn’t fair either, but here we are.”

“Look, I was stressed, and you know how my father could get–”

“So you decided it’d be easier to just leave?”

“We both know I wasn’t exactly in the best place back then.”

“Fine, you needed to leave the band or whatever. But did you really have to run without saying anything? Couldn’t you just have told us you needed a break and stayed?” Stayed their friend. Just hanging out like normal friends.

If Zenix were honest with himself, he would’ve been fine if Vylad had just told them he didn’t want to be part of the band anymore. If he had just been there, Zenix wouldn’t have minded one bit. As long as he had been able to be with Vylad at all, Zenix would’ve been happy.

But no. Vylad decided to ghost them all instead.

“Yeah. You’re, probably right. I shouldn’t have just ghosted all of you. You deserved better than that.”

“At least you acknowledge you were a jerk.”

Vylad put the last glass he was polishing down.

“You’re right and I’m sorry. I know I hurt all of you. But especially you–”

“Vylad, just drop it. The two of us were just friends that kissed when we were drunk once or twice.” He leaned his head against his fist and played with the glass in his other hand. He was making sure not to look at the person standing in front of him.

“There was more to us than that and you know it.”

Zenix let the cup fall flat against the bar table, effectively shutting them up.

“Seriously, drop it. It doesn’t matter anymore, anyways.”

Something in what he did got through to Vylad because they did stop talking about the thing the two had at one point. Or the thing they might’ve had. Whatever, it was in the past now.

“So, is the rest of the band still together?” they asked.

This, he was a lot more ok with answering. “Yeah, we still play. Sometimes we upload stuff on the internet. We’re getting a lot more gigs recently. At small places, but it’s something.”

“You got anything planned soon?”

Zenix let his eyes drift up to Vylad, who looked almost embarrassed with the light dusting of red on their cheeks.

“Nope, still looking for a place to play right now.”

“Then in that case… How about playing here?” Huh? “I know the owner pretty well, and I’m sure I could get her to let you play here in a few days if you want.”

“What? You trying to find a way to see Gene and Sasha without actually trying to reach out?”

“I’m trying to get you three a gig. Be more grateful.” They paused but with a sigh admitted, “But you have a point. I feel like they’d be more willing to hear me out if I do something like this for them first.”

That… sounded about right. Zenix knew he could hold a grudge but that didn't hold a candle to Gene and Sasha.

“I’ll… think about telling them.” Maybe seeing Vylad again wouldn’t be the worst thing.

Chapter Text

Owldust looked around for possible avenues to escape. They had been spying on ShadowClan territory in order to be allowed temporary passage through RiverClan territory. They could try leveraging their connection with Eagledawn in ThunderClan, but they felt more comfortable providing their own information.

Less likely to be in anyone’s debt that way.

They had gotten the information they were planning on trading to RiverClan already. They were confident that the leaders of the clan would be thankful for the information they were providing. In all honesty, getting the information had been the easy part. After all, Owldust had always been gifted at work that required staying hidden and unseen.

Working as a spy for whoever gave a price they were happy with was a life he was happy with. They may not have a clan to stand beside, but they were completely free to do as they pleased.

At the moment, however, Owldust needed to find a fast way out. Because standing in front of them and prepared for battle was Hawkfang. They knew Hawkfang well. The other cat was decently high-ranking in the hierarchy of ShadowClan. While they hadn’t exactly worked together before, they had met on peaceful enough terms to discuss jobs Owldust had taken from them. And sometimes they met on not-so-peaceful terms, like right now.

They were well aware that while they weren’t exactly a slouch in battle, in terms of strength Hawkfang far surpassed them. But the one definite advantage they had was speed and agility. They would just need to find the opportunity to escape and run as fast as they could manage.

No problem then. They’ve been in the exact situation before. Once or twice against Hawkfang himself. They knew they’d be able to do this.

“Hello Owldust, you’re pretty far from home. You get lost trying to find the place for kittypets?” he taunted.

“Sorry to disappoint Hawkfang, but I was just making my way out. Though if you want to be the one to go, I’m sure you’d do great. You’ve always been good at following orders”

Instead of rising to the bait, his posture changed, preparing to pounce. But despite this, he continued with a casual tone. “No, I’m pretty happy here in ShadowClan. You know, there’s space… you could come back if you want. You’d be pretty useful to us.”

Same spiel as always. Owldust wasn’t sure why he kept trying every time they came across each other. “Sorry, not interested. Tried it before and I find that Clan life really isn’t for me.” They prepared to bolt the moment that Hawkfang got too close.

There was a hint of excitement in Hawkfang’s eyes. They saw his claws unsheathe. “Aww, but you’re so deep in our territory already. It’d be a shame for you to leave. We could have so much fun together.” They saw the implicit threat for what it was.

Owldust was too deep in ShadowClan territory, and one way or another, they weren’t leaving.

Too bad for Hawkfang that they didn’t particularly like dying or being trapped as a Clan cat.

“Well, I’ve got plans, so as fun as you are, I’m gonna be on my way.” Owldust slowly began turning their body, making sure that Hawkfang’s dark body was always well within view.

Just a few more seconds… Hawkfang wasn’t the most patient, they doubted that he’d be able to resist himself from jumping at them before they were vulnerable. He’d be too excited at the prospect of a thrilling hunt to wait for a more opportune moment.

And that was what they were banking on.

Just a moment more. It felt as if time slowed as Hawkfang’s body reached the edge of Owldust’s vision. And in a flash, they saw the dark-colored legs leave the floor as he pounced at them.

Now!

At that very same moment, Owldust’s own light fur leaped from the ground as they ran into a sprint away from Hawkfang.

An actual fight wasn’t an option. They weren’t prepared and had no element of surprise on their side. The moment that Hawkfang caught them, they would be as good as dead.

Thankfully, well within their running distance, was the thunderpath. If they just got there, they would be safe in ThunderClan territory. Hawkfang wouldn’t dare follow Owldust there, even for the sake of chasing them.

As they ran, they heard the sounds of laughter follow behind. Looks like they were correct. Hawking was having fun chasing them around.

Better not disappoint then.

They ran through the foliage, the sound of Hawkfang’s loud steps followed behind.

“You’ve always run fast. Fits for a coward!”

Owldust risked a glance back as they ran, there was no malice in Hawkfang’s face, only an excited, but still aggressive baring of teeth. Oddly enough, the knowledge of that made their own face break into an equally excited expression.

“You shouldn’t insult someone just because you’re jealous. Really, it’s beneath you,” they called back without once slowing down.

While getting into a verbal sparring match would admittedly be fun, they knew that wouldn’t happen. It’d have to be saved for the next time they met on somewhat peaceful terms.

They were getting closer to the thunderpath. As soon as they were within its confines, they’d be safe.

“Oh no you don’t! Today’s the day you either join us or die!” The scent of Hawkfang got closer.

This was the final stretch. Just a bit further and they’d be safe. The path was already coming within view! With a final push of energy, they sprinted away from Hawkfang’s grasp and into the tunnel.

As soon as the shadow from the thunderpath covered their body, they let themselves slow down slightly. They turned around and saw Hawkfang stop right at the entrance of the path. They stared at each other as the monsters above them caused the world to rumble around them.

They were safe now. From where they stood, if Hawkfang wished to get any closer, then his scent would be noticed by the ThunderClan patrol, and ShadowClan could not afford that to happen.

“Looks like I escaped,” Owldust dripped as much smugness into their tone. And also hid how exhausted that run had made them. Their heart was racing, both from the exhaustion of the exercise, the thrill of the chase, and something else they didn’t feel like focusing on.

The tom in front of him growled in frustration, “Gah! I’ll get you next time we meet.”

“You’re so sure we’re going to see each other again?”

“I know you’re gonna work for ShadowClan again eventually and you don’t get to get killed before then.”

Owldust yowled out a laugh. “Who let you decide that?”

“You’re my prey. And I decided I get to choose what happens to you.”

“Good luck with that Hawkfang. You need to catch me first.”

He began to turn around. “I will one day.”

“Keep wishing to StarClan for that one.”

“Don’t need to, I’ll get you all by myself.” With a final smirk, he began moving back in the direction of ShadowClan territory.

Owldust smiled to themselves in the privacy of the tunnel. They could deliver the information to RiverClan, and then back off until the conflict was resolved to focus on other things. While that happened… they couldn’t wait for the continuation of the ‘game’ they had with Hawkfang.

Chapter Text

Vylad walked into the saloon with a sigh and a roll of their shoulder. It had been a long day, a fulfilling one, but exhausting nonetheless. There hadn’t been any one big thing that made the day so tiring. It was just that a lot of people in town needed help throughout the day. They’d ended up being pulled in every direction.

It was a lot for a single person. But they were the sheriff. So it was their responsibility to help. They enjoyed the feeling of people being thankful for their help after all.

But still, they’d earned themselves an evening of relaxation after it all.

As they sat down on the barstool, they took their hat off and slumped across the bar table. They just… needed the rest.

“You’re lucky there’s no one else in here right now.”

“I know, I know, please just get me a drink.” They were only doing this because it was empty. They wouldn’t let themself be so clearly exhausted if anyone else was there.

“Long day?”

“You have no idea,” they groaned as they looked up at Zenix’s face.

The man was already mixing their drink and smiling down at them. As soon as he was done and the drink was passed, Vylad began chugging it down.

Vylad slammed the glass down at the bar and finally straightened up to take a proper, face-to-face look at Zenix. He was wearing his regular uniform, a black and red striped shirt with a little bowtied to bring it all together.

“Wow, you don’t just look like shit. You must feel like shit too, huh?”

Did they look that tired? “I’m fine. Also, should you really be talking to customers like that?”

Zenix snorted out some laughter. “Oh please, no one who’s feeling okay finishes their first drink that quickly.”

Touché.

“Still doesn’t excuse the rudeness.”

“Who cares how I act, not like anyone else in this town can make a drink that’s worth a damn.”

Also admittedly true. Zenix really did have a talent for making some great drinks for any situation.

“Still, one day, someone’s gonna get tired of the attitude and give you trouble for it.”

“And I’m sure that our very own sheriff would heroically save me from the problem.” He put his hand up to his head dramatically as if were some actor.

As if Zenix would take anything lying down. “Ha! Oh please, we both know if anyone brought trouble, you’d give ‘em hell for it! I’d have to save ‘em from your wrath!” Most likely, it’d result in Vylad having to stop Zenix from committing a murder.

He shrugged, “Wouldn’t be the first time that I’ve gotten in trouble with the law.”

“Is that really the kind of thing you should be admitting to the chief enforcer of the law around these parts?” Not that he wasn’t already well aware of Zenix’s past… hobbies, but it was the principle of the thing.

“Well if it gets you to pull those handcuffs out…”

Vylad bit out a laugh. “You wish!”

“Well, duh. That’s why I said it.” Zenix was openly grinning at the laugh he managed to get out of them.

Insufferable, really. They didn’t know why they put up with him.

They ignored the smile that was on their own face at Zenix’s antics.

Zenix grabbed his bottles of alcohol and pulled out two glasses.

“What are you doing?”

“What’s it look like? Pouring us two drinks. You haven’t actually told me how your day was. Figure we might as well do it over some good alcohol,” he explained as he focused on making said drinks.

Vylad accepted the explanation with a hum and waited for Zenix to finish. The two sat next to each other in the bar and Vylad began talking about their day. Occasionally laughing along to the commentary Zenix made.

It was nice.

As they talked, they remembered that there was meant to be a circus troupe visiting town in a few weeks. Maybe Zenix would like to go? He’d have a laugh regardless of the quality of the performance.

And Vylad… They'd enjoy just spending an entire day with Zenix. They really didn’t do that enough.

Chapter Text

Zenix glanced at the passing flying cars as he sat in the cafe floating above the ground. He was currently waiting for his partner to arrive, and trying to see if they could spot them come in.

Today was the day of their anniversary, and Vylad insisted that he wait for them here. They’d said that they had something planned out for their anniversary, and Vylad never disappointed.

It was a little boring to have to wait, but Zenix knew it’d be worth it. Anything that Vylad ended up planning was guaranteed to be fun. Even if it didn’t always go as planned, it was always a blast to experience.

And he could just go through social media to read on the holographic screen on his wristband while he waited. So it’s not like he had nothing to do while he waited.

“Hello,” a familiar voice in front of him said. He looked up from the screen and Vylad sat there in front of him. They were wearing a variation of what they always wore. A brown and long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves widening at the hands in a way that showed… nothing. There was nothing visible through the sleeves despite the fact at least some of the arms should be visible yet wasn’t. Nothing out of the ordinary for Vylad.

Their hair was styled the same as always, but it felt… shinier? Knowing Vylad, it probably wasn’t anything physically there, but still a thing they actively did with their hair. And a green scarf covered the bottom of their face, including their mouth, but he had a feeling they were smiling.

They didn’t look different, but it did feel like something was done to make them almost glow.

Good to know that Zenix didn’t make a mistake dressing up himself then.

“Hey, Vylad. Couldn’t bother walking in with your feet?”

“This is faster,” they shrugged.

“Guess so.”

“Did I make you wait long? I don’t think that I got the timing too wrong but…”

But Vylad didn’t exactly experience time the same way he did. Something about being a cosmic entity beyond time or something.

“Only like, 10 minutes. Could’ve been earlier but you’re getting better.”

“Good, are you ready?” they asked.

They were jumping right to it then?

“Not gonna tell me where we’re going? If it’s too far I might have to file for kidnapping,” he joked.

Vylad tilted their head the way they did when they didn’t understand something. “It’s normal for people in relationships to surprise each other for this kind of stuff, right?” Yes, but most relationship surprises were things like an appointment at a fancy restaurant. Last time Vylad surprised him with something he ended up in a separate planet system entirely. It was a great experience. What wasn’t so great was his friends getting worried when they couldn’t contact him for a few days.

“It was a joke.”

“Oh, okay.” They sipped on some tea that definitely wasn’t there before. “No legal authorities would be able to get to you if I took you away anyway.” He had a feeling Vylad was being completely serious.

It was always nice to remember the lengths Vylad would be willing to go to keep the relationship going.

“Well, I’m ready to go whenever you are.”

Vylad nodded, “Good.”

And suddenly, neither of them were in the cafe anymore. Zenix was prepared to fall off his chair, but he didn’t. In fact, it was like he was standing perfectly straight. Standing on floor that wasn’t actually there. Because when he looked down, all he saw was a deep darkness lit with lights of different colors and sizes.

No matter where he looked, all that he saw was the same. Darkness lit up with lights. It was all very beautiful. Reds, yellows, blues whites, all of differing brightness and sizes filled the vast expanse surrounding them.

“Where… are we?”

“Space,” was Vylad’s nonchalant response, as if that wasn’t something absolutely insane to say. “Some small part of it, anyway. As I’m sure you realized, you can breathe without any equipment right now. I don’t want you to suffocate, so I’ll make sure you won't.”

“I appreciate it,” he responded a little dryly.

“You’re welcome!”

“You know, this place is really beautiful.” It truly felt like something almost no one else could experience. Something just for the two of them.

Vylad’s voice was uncharacteristically shy as they said, “So you like it then?”

Zenix was too busy marveling at literally standing in space to look at Vylad as they answered, “Thought that was obvious. It’s great.” His voice sounded so delighted, he’d be mortified if he weren’t so busy looking at it all.

Vylad coughed slightly, or mimicked the sound anyway. “Well, let’s begin.”

Suddenly, out of nowhere, what felt like fancy ballroom music filled the area.

Amidst Zenix’s confusion, Vylad reached out a hand facing upwards. They muttered, “How is it that you people say it… may I have this dance?”

Oh… So this is what Vylad was planning? They had no idea how any of this dating stuff worked. They themselves admitted that. So they must’ve tried researching date ideas.

Zenix chuckled slightly. They really did try so hard.

“Sure. Sounds like fun.”

Vylad’s eyes glowed. Literally started glowing as Zenix took his hand. Zenix knew that Vylad’s ‘body’ didn’t really work like his or anyone else’s. He just assumed that the glowing was a good sign.

And so the two just… danced. Zenix didn’t know for how long they danced. There was little marker of time. But even if Zenix looked only at Vylad the entire time, from the corners of his vision he could see the lights around them.

It was almost as if the lights danced in step with Vylad.

Chapter Text

Zenix looked at Vylad as they began to hook up their electric guitar to the amp. They were rehearsing for their song. They were in an indie band with their brothers and had to practice their newest song.

And despite the fact that Vylad normally preferred to rehearse for this stuff on their own when they weren’t rehearsing with the full band, Zenix was there.

Boyfriend privileges were really great.

He was sitting on the couch, leaning against the side, drink in hand as he waited for Vylad to start.

Zenix always enjoyed seeing Vylad perform. The music they played on the guitar was amazing, and they were objectively the best member of the band (no the fact they were his partner had nothing to do with that shut up Laurance–).

They had finished tuning their guitar and were now looking at him. “This one’s dedicated to you,” they said with a flirty wink.

Another great part of his boyfriend privileges. In these private little rehearsals, Vylad got to openly and directly flirt with him in these moments.

What was it that Zane’s girlfriend had called it? A ‘Wattpad moment’?

Then, Vylad started playing the music.

Yeah, this was definitely the best part of it all. There was something different about Vylad whenever they were playing. It wasn’t confidence, they were always confident, on or off stage. No, the difference was something else.

They looked more comfortable. It was almost as if they were made for the stage. They looked so much more comfortable when they were performing.

And normally, the entire audience got to enjoy Vylad’s performances.

But right now, this performance was for Zenix’s enjoyment alone. And he would enjoy this private performance, and all the other ones that would follow, for as long as he got to see them.

Chapter Text

Vylad looked at the dock of the town’s harbor, vision distorted through the ocean waves. It was night, which didn’t impede their sight meaningfully thanks to the sight in the dark that came with being a siren. And said vision allowed them to clearly see who they were watching without problem.

They edged closer to the surface of the water, wanting to get closer to the person they were looking at.

Zenix, a ship captain who had recently docked at the port town to resupply. And who was also currently standing by himself at the dock beside his ship.

Perfect.

Just a bit longer… Soon, they’d be able to…

Then, Zenix looked directly at them and exclaimed, “No one’s around, Vylad. You’re good to come out of there now.”

Exactly what Vylad had been waiting for.

They fully swam up to the surface and slowly rose their head out of the water. The resulting water droplets softly hitting the water beneath their neck.

“Good job, you saw me immediately this time.”

Zenix sat on the dock and swung their feet off the edge as he looked down at them. “We both know you can hide yourself better than that. You weren’t even trying that time.” He sounded annoyed at the admittedly accurate statement.

“Thought you’d like me making this easier for you. You took a pretty bad hit in that last fight of yours.”

“Oh please, it was just some of The Drowned. I’ve dealt with loads worse.”

“I remember there being a pretty big hole in your stomach,” they replied flatly.

“Only a flesh wound,” they shrugged. “And I can move just fine now anyway. Those potions healed the wound great. Apparently, there won’t be much scarring.”

“That potion-maker really is something else…”

“There’s a reason I tell you Sasha’s the best in the business,” he proudly proclaimed.

“I'm not so sure about that. I’d still say the potions made down here are the best.”

Zenix’s eyes practically shone in excitement the same way they did whenever Vylad even vaguely referred to their home and culture. “You keep mentioning stuff about what it’s like down there? You ever plan on actually showing me what it’s like?”

“As fun as that would be… I’m not sure you could handle it.” It would genuinely be nice to bring him down to their home. They’ve always enjoyed the talks they’ve managed to have like this.

But there would be… issues.

“What, that higher pressure thing you keep mentioning? Don’t you have ways to work around that?” Oh? Looks like Zenix did manage to grasp the concept that the higher Vylad went up the lighter they felt.

“I was referring to the swarms of sirens that’d be willing to kill and eat you actually.”

The man above him shrugged at that. “I could handle them.”

Really, the confidence of this man was something that deserved studying. Maybe if they mentioned it to the scholars beneath the ocean they could use it as a way to keep him safer.

… That had been a joke but the more they thought of it the more plausible it became.

Either they had been spending too much time around Zenix and his hare-brained plans or they were in desperate need of more sleep.

“I severely doubt you could ‘handle’ being surrounded on all sides by sirens interested in devouring you.”

Zenix’s face scrunched up a bit. “You say that ‘all of them’ would want to eat me, but are you sure? You don’t. There’d have to be others that would be against just eating me without question.”

It was flattering that Zenix saw fit to use them as an example compared to the rest of the species. Not that he was completely wrong of course.

“You’re right that there probably would be some willing to keep you alive,” they conceded, “some, not many.” Didn’t want to get Zenix’s hopes up. “The vast majority, however, would not take kindly to a random human in their territory and would kill you as a preemptive defensive measure. Eating you would just be a way to make sure your body doesn't go to waste.”

“...Well fuck.” He looked legitimately upset at the information. His shoulders slumped and he had a frown on his face.

They… didn’t like that look on Zenix. He was meant to be confident, bold, and not quite cheerful or positive… energetic. That was a good word for it.

Vylad didn’t like that Zenix was looking so glum.

They had no idea when exactly it was that they grew so attached that simply seeing him unhappy was enough to upset them.

“It’s not like my home is the only place beneath the waters I can take you. There’s many places I’ve been to that should be no more dangerous than what you’ve already experienced.”

And just like they expected, the bait of more adventure reeled him in perfectly. “Really!?”

“Have I ever tricked you before? Don’t actually answer that.”

Vylad saw Zenix’s eyes practically shining with excitement at the possibility of going somewhere he hasn’t before. There was a wide grin that Vylad privately noted suited him much better than a frown.

And Zenix, always having to surprise Vylad apparently, took the opportunity to do so by jumping down from the dock into the water next to them.

“Wha– Zenix! How are you going to get back up there!?”

“There’s a ladder,” he dismissed Vylad’s question. He swam much closer to Vylad, their tail now being at risk of brushing against his legs as he swam to keep himself afloat.”

And then he… hugged them. Tightly.

“Thank you,” he whispered in their ear.

Vylad was very thankful that they had good vision at night while humans did not. Because it meant that Zenix had less of an opportunity to see their flushing face.