Chapter Text
“Honestly, what kind of mission warrants the IPC needing the aid of both the Intelligentsia Guild and the Nameless?” Sunday asked as he approached the group gathered around in the Parlor Car.
Pom-Pom had earlier informed the Halovian about Aventurine and Ratio’s arrival on the Express, which wasn’t an unusual occurrence. Usually the purpose of their visits was to spend time with their shared lover, Sunday himself. And while Sunday was always happy to see his boyfriends, it appears merely checking up on him was not the sole purpose of their current visit to the Astral Express.
“Well, I’m glad you asked, Angel.” Aventurine grinned widely at Sunday’s appearance. He couldn’t help but greet Sunday with a quick peck on the lips, the sight of which earned an exaggerated gag from Caelus.
Sunday eventually settled by Ratio’s side, casually clinging to his muscular arm like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Anyway back to our current business…” Aventurine pulls up a holo-screen for the entire Express crew to see, “We’ve been noticing some of our very important cargo going missing, particularly around here一” He points his finger on one of the star maps,”一near Xianzhou Alliance territory.”
“And some of that cargo contains some very rare research materials for the Intelligentsia Guild, hence our involvement in this debacle as well.” Ratio added in with an exasperated sigh, as if this situation alone was a huge headache for him. Sunday couldn’t help but pity him a little. Must be difficult being an individual that’s caught up in their own head most of the time.
“I see…have you got any leads as to who might be responsible for the disappearing cargo, Mr. Aventurine?” Welt asked.
“That, I was hoping you could get that information for me. I heard the Nameless is quite cozy with the various commissions on the Xianzhou Luofu, hell, even with the Arbiter-General himself. I’m sure someone will spill the beans to you if it means getting help out of you.”
Caelus shrugged nonchalantly, “Shouldn’t be too hard. I’ll see what I can find out.”
“Dan Heng, March, I suggest you two go with him.” Himeko said, “Just to make sure he doesn’t cause any trouble while gathering information on the Luofu.”
“Ugh, you say that like we’re Caelus’ babysitters!” March complains in protest. She let out a sigh of defeat, knowing she can’t exactly refuse a request from Himeko herself, “Oh well, I’ve been looking for an excuse to stop by and say hi to Yanqing and Yunli.”
“You mean Master Yanqing and Master Yunli.” Caelus said with a teasing grin. “You know, speaking of that, why is it I never see you use any of the sword training they taught you?”
“Argh, shut up, Caelus! I’m just…out of practice, that's all!”
Sunday couldn’t help but find himself amused by March and Caelus’ banter. Reminds him of when he and Robin were younger, before they had to constantly play nice with each other under the public eye. He misses the time when they would bicker like all siblings do.
It was at this moment Dan Heng finally decided to step in before things got out of hand, “Let’s just go. We’ll be here all day if you two keep going back and forth like this.”
“Yes, Dan Heng.” The other two Trailblazers said in eerie unison as they exited the Express. Welt ultimately decided to tag along with them, just so Dan Heng wasn’t alone dealing with the collective energy of Caelus and March 7th.
“Why don’t you make yourselves comfortable while we wait?” Himeko suggested with a teasing wink, “I’m sure you three lovebirds are very happy to see each other after being apart for so long. I’ll go make you some coffee” With that, she left the Parlor Car as well.
Sunday felt his face heat up in embarrassment, fighting the urge to hide his face with his ear wings. Ever since he has made it known to the rest of the Express crew that he was in a relationship, he never seemed to hear the end of their constant teasing about his love life, especially from the younger three Trailblazers.
Actually, it was just Caelus and March. Dan Heng usually minds his own business and Sunday appreciates him for it.
“Now while we wait for them to come with good news…” Aventurine slings an arm around Sunday’s shoulders, “Why don’t you, me, and our dearest doctor here do some catching up, hmm?”
“Aventurine, this is hardly the time right now.” Ratio chided his lover sternly.
“Come on, Doc. We’ve all been so busy lately, it hardly affords us time to see each other, right?” The Stoneheart’s hand leaves Sunday’s shoulder, teasing fingers lightly trailing along the back of his neck, along his spine and down to his lower back一
Sunday flinched as if he had been touched by ice, stepping out of Aventurine’s grasp.
“Oh, sorry. I totally forgot you don’t like being touched there.” Aventurine apologizes profusely, “I was really caught up in the moment, I swear, I didn’t mean to一”
Sunday shook his head, “No, it’s just you startled me a little, that’s all. Just…feel free to touch me anywhere else…not there.”
“Yeah yeah, of course.” Aventurine immediately settled his hand onto Sunday’s hip, using it to pull him closer, “Would a kiss make it better?”
Sunday couldn’t help but blush. It was baffling how quickly Aventurine could switch from extremely apologetic to flirtatious in a heartbeat. He supposes it comes with a territory when he’s constantly playing the role of a suave playboy gambler.
“I…I would welcome it.”
Without further hesitation, Aventurine learned forward to capture Sunday’s lips in a kiss. The Halovian was glad that Aventurine had him in a tight grip, otherwise he probably would’ve just melted right then and there. Sunday’s fingers tangled themselves into flaxen hair, trying to pull Aventurine deeper into the kiss. He really wished he wasn’t wearing gloves right now, then he would be able to feel the silky locks slip between his fingers. Aventurine pulled away after what seemed like an eternity, leaving Sunday breathless and wanting.
Neon eyes glanced up at the doctor, “Ratio, you’ve been standing here watching this entire time. Come on, don’t act like you don’t miss him too.”
“I have missed him. I just didn’t want to impose any affectionate gestures he may not welcome.”
And for that, Sunday was grateful. While the doctor took a bit of a clinical approach to their relationship, he always emphasized the importance of communication and boundaries. Sunday supposes Ratio has to take that into account when he’s dating two broken people with a lot of baggage, like him and Aventurine.
“You can.” Sunday murmured quietly, finding himself wanting to feel the doctor’s warmth on him as well. Suddenly, Aventurine grabbed Sunday by the chin, forcing him to turn toward him so that they could kiss again. Needy little thing.
Having Sunday’s explicit consent, Ratio shed all pretenses of professionalism in an instant. He came up behind Sunday, gently brushing his hair out of the way so that he could plant a soft kiss on the nape of his neck. His other hand made it up to one of Sunday’s ear wings, his fingernails gently scritching at the base of it in a way he knew the Halovian liked. Sunday shivered in response, moaning into Aventurine’s lips. Aeons, he truly missed this…
“No PDA in the Parlor Car!” Pom-Pom’s voice rang out throughout the room, startling all three of them.
They all immediately pulled away from each other, awkwardly trying to fix themselves as if they weren’t just all over each other in plain sight of the Express’ conductor.
“It’s pirates.”
“Well, hello to you too, Caelus.” Sunday replied bluntly, “Is it too much to ask for a proper greeting before you start spouting nonsense without any context?”
Caelus simply rolled his eyes, “At least I was out here actually doing something useful while you were just sitting in here making out with your boyfriends.”
Sunday's ear feathers puffed up incredulously, his cheeks tinted bright red, “You…!”
“Anyway, we talked to Madame Yukong from the Sky-Faring Commission, she told us that shipments meant for both the Luofu and the Yaoqing are being targeted by a band of space pirates and unfortunately the Ten-Lords Commission is stretched thin at the moment, so they’re not exactly in the position to deal with it since it’s happening outside of the Xianzhou’s atmosphere.”
“Fantastic, that’s actually ideal for us. The less people involved, the better.” Aventurine muses, idly fiddling with his favorite poker chip, “Now that we’ve pinpointed the culprits, we’ll need to set up the trap. Unfortunately, I can’t be directly involved since they probably already recognize me as an IPC executive and that’ll put them on edge. However, I will have my security personnel surrounding them out of sight.”
“Okay, and where does the Express factor in all this, exactly?” Caelus asked.
Aventurine winks playfully at the Trailblazer, “You, Mr. Stellaron, are going to set up a meeting with them. I imagine these pirates are eager to part with these stolen goods for some quick Credits, so I need you to make them believe you are an interested buyer.”
“Awesome, since you’re so confident that I can pull this off, how about you tell me how I’m supposed to contact these guys? Or better yet, what goods should I be looking for?”
“Getting into contact with these bandits, I’m afraid I’ll have to leave it up to your own investigation.” The gambler replied, “And as for your other question, I’ll have my darling Veritas go with you to identify the goods. Those pirates will be so focused on watching their backs for the IPC, they’re unlikely to notice one of the Intelligentsia Guild right under their noses.“
“Oh right, I nearly forgot! You’re also gonna need some bait to lure them in.” Aventurine took out his phone, “Here you go, some pocket change for the transaction.”
Caelus pulled out his own phone when he felt it buzzing in his pocket. His eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets when he saw the amount Aventurine had just sent him, “Two million Credits is pocket change to you?”
“Whoops, hit send too early again, hang on…there we go!”
“Holy fuc一 five million!? ” Caelus took a deep breath for a moment, as if trying to keep himself from freaking out, “I swear to Akivili, when the revolution decides to overthrow the IPC, we’re eating you first.”
Aventurine merely chuckled in response, “I’ll hold you to it, Mr. Stellaron.”
“But still…this is quite a risky plan. We’ll have to be prepared for a fight should things go awry.” Dan Heng suggested. Ever so cautious, that one. “In all honesty, the only reason we’re agreeing to this at all is because Mr. Aventurine is the one asking.”
“But remember, he’s the one with all the luck, not us.” March pointed out, “As far as he’s concerned, we’re unpredictable variables in his plan. It’s a wonder he even trusts us to pull it off at all.”
“Call it a gambler’s intuition, Miss March.” Aventurine said, “I wouldn’t have banked on your involvement in this plan if I didn’t think you could pull it off, now would I?”
Just as Aventurine predicted, Caelus had managed to figure out how to get in touch with the bandits, as it turns out they had contacts scattered all over the Luofu in plain sight. And what a stellar performance he put on, convincing the dimwits that he was a prospective client just by flaunting the credits Aventurine loaned him. Ratio was right, these criminals truly have little in their heads beyond their obsession with money.
As usual, the gambler was more than glad that his wager was paying off. Putting all his chips into the Astral Express was the right call after all.
“You the Galactic Baseballer?” a gruff, heavyset man towered over Caelus.
“Yep, that’s me.”
The bandit leader (presumably captain?) suspiciously eyed the group accompanying Caelus, consisting of Dan Heng, Sunday, and Ratio, “Thought we agreed you’d come alone.”
“Come now, there’s nothing wrong with me having my entourage with me for this transaction, is there?” Caelus laughs, trying to keep the mood lighthearted, “I mean, surely you don’t expect me to haul my purchases all by myself, right?”
“Hmph, whatever…” The captain grumbled, “You’ll have to forgive us for being too careful. We’ve been trying to fly under the Cloud Knights and IPC’s radars lately.”
The group was led to an isolated, abandoned corner of Cloudford, filled nearly to the brim with cargo crates and likely stolen starskiffs docked nearby.
“So what are ya lookin for, anyway? We got weapons, mechs, all kinds of tech taken right off IPC ships.” the leader grinned, “So we can guarantee it’s good shit you’re coming by here.”
“Alright, a spoken confession. ” Aventurine’s smooth voice spoke from the temporary psychic link Sunday created with the Harmony, “Once Ratio confirms the goods are ours, we’ll make our move. Just a little more, Mr. Stellaron. ”
“We’ll be the judge of that. Luckily for us, we have our own appraiser right here to confirm the quality of the goods.” Caelus gestured to Ratio, “Isn’t that right, Mr…”
“Aletheia.” The doctor quickly cut in, his voice slightly muffled by the marble head he usually wears, “Pleasure to meet your acquaintance.”
“Surely, you don’t mind us taking a look at the goods before we finalize the transaction, right?” Caelus asked, “Not that I’m saying you’re not trustworthy, but anyone would want to check the quality of goods they’re purchasing.”
“You’re really testing my patience here, kid…But, I’ll allow it for a high roller client like you.”
The leader gestures to his crewmates, who immediately scramble to open up one of the large transport containers. Inside were various mechs and machines that Caelus has never seen before, nor knew the purpose of. Not that he particularly cared to know, anyway. He’ll leave that up to Ratio.
“Well, Mr. Aletheia, if you would.” Caelus steps to the side to allow Ratio to inspect the stolen cargo.
While Ratio immediately knew at a glance this was indeed what they were looking for, he decided to play up the act as much as he could. He carefully inspected every nook and cranny of the machines, muttering to himself occasionally as if noting observations.
“Now that I’ve taken a closer look, it is irrefutable that these are authentic IPC technology.”
“Got it! Let’s move out. ” Aventurine said, “Try to buy some time until I get there. ”
“Great…time to put my haggling skills to good use.” Caelus muttered to himself. He turns his attention back to the captain, “So, how much is it for you to part with…all of this? Say…Five-hundred thousand?”
“Are you shittin’ me? I wasn’t born yesterday, kiddo. Three million, take it or leave it.”
Caelus chuckled nervously, “Whoo, you’re really high-balling it there, huh? Fine, how about one million?”
“Keep pissin’ me off like this and I’ll bump it up to four million.”
“Caelus, he’s getting irate. If you keep this up, I fear he may become hostile before Aventurine gets here.” Sunday’s voice rang through Caelus’ mind.
“Hold up, Bird-brain, I’m doing my best! ”
“Alright, alright fine. Two million and five-hundred thousand, final offer.”
The captain glowers down at Caelus with contempt, “Fine. I’ll take it.” He holds out a calloused hand for the Trailblazer to shake, “Do we have a deal?”
Caelus hesitantly reached for the offered hand, but before he could shake on the deal, another voice called out, “Stop right there!”
Before anyone could comprehend what was going on, armored IPC personnel surrounded them, brandishing their weapons towards the band of pirates who were caught completely off guard.
“Now, I don’t know if you lot are incredibly bold…or just simply stupid.”
Everyone turned towards the source of the familiar voice as Aventurine stepped out of the throngs of security guards.
The leader’s eyes widened in horror, “Oh shit, you’re with the Strategic Investment Department.”
“Nice to know my reputation precedes me.” Aventurine replied, that pleasant smile not once faltering, “Now, what do you have to say for yourselves? You clearly have a lot of nerve to be stealing from the IPC so blatantly, yet you were so sloppy in covering up your tracks that you made it laughably easy for my friends here to lead me straight to you.”
“What…?” The captain turned towards Caelus and the others, his bloodshot eyes flared with rage, “You sons of bitches! You set us up!”
“And what a splendid job they did! Now, you have a choice. You can come with us quietly or we can do this the hard way. So, what’s it gonna be, hmm?”
The leader didn’t even hesitate for a second to ponder his choices, “Men, kill them all! Don’t let them take back the goods.”
The pirates brandished their weapons at their leader’s command, closing in on them. Dan Heng sighed as he summoned Cloudpiercer to his side, as if this were a mere inconvenience to him, “I knew it would come to this.”
“Oh dear, and I was hoping we would resolve this without a fight. Oh well.” Aventurine said nonchalantly as the scene erupted into chaos.
The Trailblazers, along with the support of the IPC guards, did their best to hold off the hordes of pirates, but as it turns out, the group was much larger than they had originally thought. Sunday stayed on the outskirts of the fight, using the power of the Harmony to help his companions gain the upper hand. Despite now being a follower of the Trailblaze, he discovered he still was able to use the power Xipe blessed upon the Halovians. It was reassuring to know that Xipe still protected THEIR own children, even if they had strayed off to another Path. Twice, at that.
From the corner of his eye, he sees the captain taking cover behind some freight containers, loading ammo into what looks to be a gun. Sunday’s eyes widened in horror as he watched the captain aim it towards Aventurine一
“Aventurine, watch out!” Sunday shouted.
Aventurine barely had time to react before the gun aimed at him went off. Running on pure adrenaline and fear, Sunday bolted to Aventurine’s side, tackling him to the ground and shielding him with own body.
“Are you hurt?” Sunday asked.
Aventurine pulled himself up, gently shoving Sunday off of him, “Yeah, I’m good. Even if you didn’t intervene, Gaiathra might’ve found a way to make that bullet miss me anyway.”
“This is no time for jokes! I know that blessing of yours has kept you alive all this time, but you can’t rely on it to work for you forever.” The Halovian scolded his boyfriend like he was talking down to a misbehaving child.
“What about you? Recklessly running into the fray like that just to save my life?” Aventurine laughs, “You might be even crazier than I am.”
Sunday incredulously shoves Aventurine away, “Don’t lump me with the likes of you!”
They hear a gun cocking and suddenly Aventurine feels cold metal pressed against the back of his head.
“Ah shit, I forgot about you.” The Stoneheart grumbled in annoyance, “Good Sir, I wouldn’t do this if I were you, you know.”
The captain barked out a laugh, “I’m not scared of you, Pretty Boy. None of this would’ve happened if you had just minded your own fuckin’ business!”
Aventurine simply responded with his usual easygoing smile, “Oh no, it’s not me you should be worrying about.”
“What the fuck are you going on abou一” The captain chokes back his words as an array of colors danced in his vision and a dull pain shot through his head.
“Get away from him, you despicable scum!”
The captain dropped his gun and fell to his knees, screaming as an endless cacophony of voices rang deafeningly in his mind: violent, grating, screeching, piercing. Like something was invading his mind and drowning out his own thoughts until he wasn’t even sure what his own thoughts were anymore. He vaguely sensed someone towering over his crumpled form and in the flashing array of colors, he could barely make out Sunday’s form standing before him, glaring down at him with detached sense of contempt.
A part of Sunday wanted to take this further. He could shut down this criminal’s mind if he was so inclined or erase everything that made him an individual, making him a clean slate for the Harmony to assimilate.
For all its talk about peace and unity, it’s utterly terrifying what the power of the Harmony can do.
Before he could entertain any of those ideas, Sunday felt a large hand grip his shoulder, breaking his concentration and severing the tie of the Harmony from the captain.
“Sunday, that’s enough! He’s subdued now.” Ratio chided him, “They all are.”
Sunday scans his surroundings to see IPC personnel apprehending the pirates, Caelus fussing over a little scratch on Dan Heng’s face before cheekily kissing it better. And Caelus gives him grief over displays of affection?
He looks back to the leader, who was still trembling on the ground, still shaken by the psychological torture Sunday briefly put him under.
“Oh no…I did it again, didn’t I?” Sunday’s hands began to tremble as the gravity of what he had done started to settle in, “I wasn’t supposed to use this power again, not after what I did to Aventurine, I一!”
He was pulled out of his spiraling thoughts when he felt Aventurine’s arms wrap around him, grounding him almost immediately, “Sunday, it’s okay. It was a dire situation.”
“But still一”
“Shh, you saved my life with that power this time. Don’t dwell on it much, Love.” Aventurine held Sunday close, running his gloved fingers through dove grey hair.
Sunday just let out a sigh, “I suppose you’re righ一Augh!”
The sudden cry of pain made Aventurine pull away, “Sunday!? What’s wrong?”
The Halovian suddenly collapsed to his knees, clutching at his side. Aventurine’s eyes widened in horror at the growing splotch of red starting to stain the white of his coat, “Oh shit..! Veritas! Veritas, I think Sunday got shot!”
Aventurine kneeled by Sunday’s side, clutching his face in a desperate attempt to keep him conscious. “Come on, Love, stay with me now. Don’t you dare pass out on me.”
Sunday tries his best to stay awake, but frail as he is, losing this much blood this quickly made him lightheaded very fast. He suddenly felt himself being lifted by a pair of strong arms. He was about to protest, but he was hardly in any state to do so. Besides, once he smelled the familiar scent of soap and chalk, he felt himself relax a little once his mind recognized he was safe.
“Get him back on the Express, quickly!” Ratio called out to the others, “I can treat him there.”
Sunday thankfully did not pass out at any point while they made their way back to the Astral Express. He thinks he should at least be commended for all the effort that took, at least.
Everyone had crowded around him in worry before Pom-Pom shooed them all away so that Ratio could take him to the Med Car. Still, it warmed his heart to know the other Nameless were concerned for him. It was a recent revelation, but after spending so much time with them, he realized they felt more like a family than The Family on Penacony ever did and just now proved the others seemed to share the same sentiment towards him.
“Here…are you able to sit up?” Ratio asked as he set Sunday down on one of the beds.
Sunday tries to pull himself up into a sitting position. He manages it eventually, albeit not without struggle, “A little? It hurts to do so, though.”
“I understand.” The doctor turns to Aventurine, “Kakavasha, be a dear and go find me some bandages and some disinfectant.”
Aventurine nodded and began rummaging through the drawers and cabinets for the requested materials. Meanwhile Ratio assists Sunday in getting out of his coat. Sunday looks mildly displeased when he catches a glimpse of the huge bloody stain that had seeped into the white side of the coat, “A shame, I quite liked that coat.”
“I’m sure our dear Gambler can pay to get it repaired and dry cleaned…or knowing him, buy you a new one entirely.” Ratio slipped on a pair of latex gloves, snapping them loudly to make sure they’re secure, “Now, your shirt, Sunday.”
Sunday's breath hitched as his hands clutched at the bottom hem of his shirt. He felt a sense of dread settle uncomfortably in his stomach. He’s never taken it off around anyone before, and he planned to keep it that way. Even if it meant March occasionally poked fun at him for being a prude when he declined invitations to go swimming or enjoying the baths in Amphoreus.
“Well?” Ratio’s expectant tone snapped Sunday out of his own spiraling thoughts.
“D—do I have to take it off?”
“Yes, I need to have it off so I can properly assess the extent of the injury. Plus it’ll make it much easier for me to treat it without the shirt in the way.”
With that logic, Sunday can’t bring himself to argue, especially with the doctor, of all people. Besides, he realized it would be quite foolish of him for him to choose bleeding out due to his stubbornness over a simple task. Hesitantly, he pulled his ruined shirt over his head and folded it neatly before placing it with his stained coat. He sincerely hopes they don’t notice the anxious quiver in his breaths as Ratio inspected his wound. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him to push the doctor away, cover himself up again, and hide away. That’d he’d rather die than let them see…
“So, the good news is, the bullet merely grazed you, so the injury isn’t quite life threatening.” Ratio informed him. Sunday puts all of his focus onto the doctor’s voice, hoping it would be enough to stop himself from spiraling.
“The bad news, however, it’s still severe enough to require at least a week of bed rest and minimal activity, so unfortunately no Trailblazing for you until then.”
“You know, I can’t help but feel this is my fault.” Aventurine lamented sadly as he returned with the bandages and disinfectant, “I mean…I’m the one who put you up to this mission despite the risks.”
“Aven—no, Kakavasha, I do not blame you in the slightest. You asked for our help and I willingly lent it to you knowing the risks.” Sunday gently assured his lover, “Besides I’ve been stabbed through the chest by a Memory Zone Meme and I’ve fallen off the Penacony Grand Theater. You would think I’m at least resilient enough to survive a mere gunshot wound, don’t you think?”
Aventurine huffed out a faint chuckle at that. After handing Ratio the bandages, he sat on the edge of the bed to plant a small kiss on Sunday’s forehead. Meanwhile, Ratio immediately got to work treating Sunday’s wound with meticulous efficiency, yet he still took care to be as gentle as possible as to not agitate Sunday further. Aventurine had started talking to Sunday about the annoyances at his work or updates on the catcakes he kept at home (with lots of pictures on his phone), probably just to keep him distracted from the pain as the doctor worked.
“Ack! Cold!” Sunday jumped at the sudden icy feeling on his skin, right on his wound. He turned his attention towards Ratio, who was holding a small spray can of…something Sunday couldn’t identify. “What is that?”
“I’m just spraying on an ointment that accelerates the regeneration of your skin tissue. Basically, it helps the wound reknit itself, eliminating the need for stitches and the need for a longer recovery time.” Ratio explained as he taped the wound shut, “Now all that’s left is to dress the wound. Kakavasha, I’ll need your assistance on this.”
“On it.”
Sunday swears he felt his heart shoot up to his throat as that ugly sense of dread came back to settle in his gut.
‘No no no! They’re going to see…! ’
Just as he feared, when Aventurine moved to his back to secure the bandages, he heard a faint gasp coming from him. Suddenly, he felt like his nerves had been shot with ice.
“Hey…Sunday?” Aventurine spoke up, his tone edging on unease, “Could I ask you a possibly delicate question….?”
Sunday was so sure he knew what the question was going to be. He didn’t want to have this conversation, he can’t have this conversation. Yet, he still found himself nodding slowly. Perhaps there was a small part of him…a very small, bothersome , part of him that wanted to reach out to them. That wanted to seek their comfort.
“If I recall correctly, Halovians have flight wings, yes?” The gambler eyed the two long gashes on Sunday’s lower back, which stood out among the gnarled pinkish flesh that surrounded it, “…Where are yours?”
Sunday felt his face burn in shame, folding his ear wings inward to hide behind them, “It was…a necessary sacrifice.” He replied simply, trying his best to keep his tone neutral, but he failed to conceal the quivering of his voice, “If I was to become head of the Oak Family, I needed to repent and prove my devotion to Xi—I mean, Ena…”
“Who did this? Was it the Dreammaster?” Aventurine waited a moment for an answer from Sunday, but the silence from the Halovian gave him all the information he needed, “That son of a bitch…I thought he just clipped your wings! You mean to tell me he actually…ripped them off of you!?”
“And these burn scars…surely a poor attempt at cauterizing the wounds after amputation. And judging from how old they look, Sunday couldn’t have been more than twelve or thirteen years old when this occurred.” Ratio’s fingertips reached to touch the scars, but he quickly paused when he remembered Sunday’s boundary about being touched there. Despite this, Sunday couldn’t stop himself from flinching and curling into himself more, causing the doctor to immediately retract his hand.
“I一it’s fine. You two needn’t concern yourselves with this. This…this was something I deserved.” Sunday tried to assure them…but it seemed more like he was trying to assure himself.
“Sunday, what are you saying?” Aventurine asked. ‘Horrified’ wouldn’t even begin to describe how he felt about this situation. It was bad enough that Gopher Wood seemed to have no qualms performing such a cruel act on Sunday, who was probably only a child when he did it, but his indoctrination had seeped so deep into Sunday’s bones to the point he sincerely believes losing an essential part of himself was something he deserved ?
Sunday couldn’t find it in himself to come up with a response. All he could focus on was how his heart was beating loudly in his chest, blood pounding in his ears, his chest tightening like an invisible weight had been put on it. Suddenly, he found himself tied face down to an altar, offered up before an ornate stained glass window depicting…Xipe? Or was it Ena? He didn’t know, but it was a beautiful backdrop unfit for what was nothing more than a butchering. He could feel Gopher Wood’s rough hands clutching the base of his wings, easily snapping hollow bones apart like twigs before the cold edge of a knife tore at feathers and flesh. He sees Gopher Wood’s cold detached gaze, a stark contrast to the brutality he was inflicting on Sunday. He hears his own screams, switching between crying out for help and begging his adoptive father for mercy. He remembers how the smell of his own blood flooded his senses, seeping into every fiber of his being until it choked him. He can’t breathe… he can’t breathe!!
“Sunday? Sunday!” Aventurine called out to him, but Sunday was barely in any state to register it.
His entire body was curled up and trembling in fear. His breaths came out in short rapid bursts, barely comprehensible words scattered in between them, “No no no! Please…I’m sorry…I’ll be good, I’ll repent…Please forgive me…!”
“He’s having a panic attack!” Ratio slowly and gently grasped Sunday by the shoulders, “Sunday, look at me, please.”
The Halovian slowly raised his head to meet Ratio’s gaze. The look on his face was enough to pull at the doctor’s heartstrings, seeing his lover so utterly terrified and haunted, tears trailing down his cheeks.
Ratio turned to Aventurine, “Here, hold one of his hands. Your presence may help ground him.”
Without hesitation, Aventurine reached for one of Sunday’s hands, intertwining their fingers together and giving it a gentle, comforting squeeze. “You’re alright, Birdie. I know it’s scary, but we won’t let anything hurt you.” He whispered, pressing his lips against the back of Sunday’s hand. “You did nothing wrong. No one is here to punish you.”
“It’s okay, Sunday. We’re here. You’re safe here.” Ratio gently spoke to Sunday. He took Sunday’s free hand, placing it over his own chest, “Here, try to match your breaths with mine. Can you do that?”
Sunday managed a nod despite the haze of fear that overtook him. That was a good sign, the doctor noted, at least he’s somewhat responsive. Ratio takes slow and steady breaths, letting Sunday feel the rise and fall of his chest. Sunday’s hyperventilating slowed gradually as he tried his best to recalibrate his breaths and time them with Ratio’s.
Breathe in…one…two…three…four…five…exhale.
Breathe in…one…two…three…four…five…exhale.
Breathe in…one…two…three…four…five…exhale.
It felt like ages, but eventually, his own screams quiet and the stench of blood fades away, replaced by the familiar scents of soap and chalk and expensive designer cologne, all intermingling with the sterile scent of the Med Car. He sits in the silence for a moment, focusing on the rhythm of Ratio’s breathing, the reassuring warmth of Aventurine’s hand, and the praises they both give him as he starts to wind down.
“Are you okay?” Aventurine asked gently, his multicolored eyes soft and full of genuine tenderness. He reached over the side table to grab a cup of ice water, placing it in Sunday’s hands.
Sunday nodded carefully before taking a sip at his boyfriend’s urging. “I apologize…that was such an unbecoming display.”
“No, you needn’t apologize for a normal fear response. If anything, we should be apologizing for triggering it.” Ratio said, “It was wrong of us to pry in the first place.”
“You two couldn’t have known and well…I suppose you would’ve found out eventually. I probably should’ve trusted you more to tell you about this sooner.” Sunday nervously grasped the cup of water in his hands, “I was just afraid…you would think the absence of my wings was proof of a failing on my part. I just…didn’t want you to think less of me.”
“Oh, Sunday…” Aventurine reached over to gently cup Sunday’s cheek in his hand, “We would never think that of you.”
“We won’t dwell on this subject for any longer, but I will tell you this…” Ratio’s strong hands grasped Sunday’s thin and delicate ones with such tender gentleness, “Sunday, what the Dreammaster did to you was pure cruelty, plain and simple. He needed you to believe you were deserving of it so he could justify the pain he inflicted on you.”
When he saw the earnest look in those dawn-colored eyes, those words felt like a breath of fresh air, a ray of sunshine after a rainstorm. Perhaps all this time, Sunday needed someone to spell it out for him: his wings being taken away wasn’t his fault. It never was.
For the first time Sunday was seeing it for what it truly was: Gopher Wood needed to keep him tethered to the ground, so that he could mold Sunday into a perfect little pawn for The Order.
Aventurine’s fingers gently brushed Sunday’s hair out of his face, pulling the Halovian out of his own thoughts. “How are you feeling right now? You can be honest.”
“Right now. I feel absolutely drained.” Sunday replied, “Do you think I’m in any condition to return to my room?”
“Of course. I imagine you’d be much more comfortable there than here.” Ratio said, “Would you like us to stay with you?”
“Well…I would like that. But I don’t want to impose, either. I’m sure you both have business to attend to back at Pier Point, yes?”
The gambler smiled softly, “After all that? Of course we want to stay. I’m sure it wouldn’t kill Jade if I take a few days to report back.”
“Besides, I can better monitor your recovery if we stay here over the next few days.” Ratio added.
With that, he picked up Sunday off the bed, chuckling at the endearing sight of Sunday’s ear feathers puffing up in embarrassment.
“V一Veritas! I think I’m capable of walking back to my room.”
“I did say in order to speed up your recovery, you need to keep physical activity at a minimum. You wouldn’t ignore a doctor’s orders now, would you?”
Aventurine couldn’t help but laugh at the display before him, “Okay, now you’re just showing off, Doc.”
“Let’s just get Sunday back to his room already…” Ratio glanced towards the door, “I’m sure the peanut gallery waiting outside would be relieved to see him doing alright.”
Right on cue, Aventurine opened the door, startling Caelus, March, and Dan Heng who were crouching just outside. Once their cover was blown, they made a huge spectacle of falling on top of each other. Huh, Sunday supposed cartoon physics wasn’t just limited to Clockie…
“Oh heeey you guys, we were just…passing by. Totally not trying to listen through the door or anything, no!” March laughs nervously.
The doctor shook his head, “It’s alright. You were worried about Sunday, weren’t you?”
“How long were you…eavesdropping?” Sunday asked. Oh Aeons, if they had overheard him when he was at his most vulnerable, he didn’t know how he was ever going to face them without feeling some kind of shame.
“I don’t know…like three, four minutes tops? I swear, we were just trying to check up on you.” Caelus answered.
Sunday found himself sighing in relief. Good, they weren’t there to listen to his meltdown, after all.
It was at this moment Sunday realized he was very much without his shirt. And judging from the shocked turned sad, pitying glances…
Oh, they noticed. They definitely noticed.
Sunday found himself racking his brain for what he was going to answer when they inevitably started asking questions…
“Well, we’re relieved to see you’re alright, Sunday.” Dan Heng’s voice cut through the awkward silence. “Come on you two, we should probably give him some space.”
Thank Xipe, someone on this train actually knows how to read the room.
“Oh hey, can you tell your conductor that Ratio and I will be extending our stay on the Express?” Aventurine asked, “We just want to stay with our little birdie while he recovers.”
Caelus nodded, “Will do. I’m sure Pom-Pom wouldn’t mind.”
The three of them made it to Sunday’s room without incident. While Ratio gets Sunday settled into his bed, Aventurine makes a beeline for Sunday’s closet.
“You still keep our pajamas in here, right?” He asks, rummaging through Sunday’s belongings. He’s not in there long as he eventually emerges with two matching sets of silk pajamas. He then tossed the larger, navy blue ones in Ratio’s direction.
“Here, you can wear this.” The doctor offered Sunday the nightshirt.
Sunday, while confused, hesitantly takes the nightshirt anyway. “May I ask why?”
“It’s best to let the wound breathe while it heals, and loose clothing allows for that.” Ratio explained, “and I imagine you wouldn’t want to leave yourself exposed for any longer…so go ahead and take it.”
“But won’t you catch a cold like that?”
“I will be sleeping in the same bed as you and Kakavasha, will I not? Your combined body temperature will be more than adequate.” Ratio plucks a towel from Sunday’s closet, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be borrowing your bathtub again.” With that, he disappears into the bathroom.
By the time Ratio emerges from his bath, Sunday and Aventurine have already changed and settled into bed. He joins them, taking up the empty space opposite Aventurine so that the Halovian was sandwiched between them. It was a tight fit, but the three of them preferred to stay close while sleeping together anyway. Sunday immediately shifted so that he could rest his head on the doctor’s chest, the warmth of his skin and the sound of his steadily beating heart lulling him into a cozy sense of comfort. Aventurine pressed up behind him, wrapping his arms snugly around his waist while still taking care to not touch anywhere near the wound. One of Ratio’s hands found its way to Sunday’s ear wing and as he started to gently stroke the feathers and scratch at the base, the Halovian couldn’t stop the contented, happy trills and chirps from bubbling out of his throat.
“Have a good rest, Sunday.” the doctor murmured softly before placing a small kiss on Sunday’s forehead.
“Sweet dreams, Little Birdie.” Aventurine kissed the nape of Sunday’s neck before tucking his face into his hair, “We love you…”
Despite the tumultuous events that occurred today, for the first time, Sunday supposes he’s truly at peace now. Even after remembering and reliving one of the worst days of his life, his lovers still treated him with the kindness and patience he wished he had been shown earlier. Like the scars that marred his back, the lingering trauma will never stop haunting him. But he’s far away from Gopher Wood and the Order’s clutches now. One day, he can finally allow himself to heal on his own terms.
For now, he allows himself to doze off into a peaceful slumber, surrounded by love.
‘Ah, it’s so warm… ’