Archive of Our Own

— WHAM —

The card castle Wraith was about to complete flies off into pieces, the shockwave from her office door simply too powerful for her poor foundations. A sigh is all she can muster as she focuses her senses towards the source of all the commotion.

Of fucking course it’s Lash. Who else would it be?

Rolling her eyes, she waves her hand, putting his usual brooding armchair into position with her magic. Stomp, stomp, stomp, poof. There he goes, crossing his arm in silence. Well, she’s got time now, a snap and the cards are all back on her desk. Time to make a new castle, using her powers to build it just wouldn’t be the same.

Lash doesn’t seem as… ‘agitated’ as usual. He obviously wants something from her –he wouldn’t be here otherwise– but at least he doesn’t seem so angry anymore. Is it even about Bebop this time, then? Unless Lash has finally started to accept his feelings and calmed the hells down. Hah, that’d be the day!

She’s about halfway through the second row of her castle when Lash finally speaks.

“What do you usually do for a first date?” He asks neutrally, seemingly genuinely curious about her answer.

“...That better not be an invitation.”

“Hah, in your dreams maybe! Come on, tell me.”

She lets out a sigh, careful to blow the air away from the cards. “Aren't you supposed to be the expert?” She asks sarcastically.

He huffs. “Well yes, obviously, but The Lash's tried and true won't work this time. Technicalities.”

Oh, so it's not simple curiosity, Lash is actually asking for advice. Well that does save some spare time to try figuring out what he wants, for once.

“Fine. So you need a date idea for a quick hookup.” She doesn't know why she even bothers clearing it up, it's Lash after all, but he only mumbles something she doesn't quite catch. “What was that?”

More mumbles. “...Long term.”

That makes her lift her head, brows high in surprise. Well, color her impressed, she didn't think she'd ever get to know a Lash wishing to settle down and is surprised the information didn't travel down to her before if that’s the case. She sees why he needs her help now. Should she make him pay for her services with a favor? Hm, maybe not. If his relationship really works out then he'll finally stop coming over to recount his exploits, having someone else to bother. That'd be rewarding enough. Lash sees her gaze and looks in her direction defiantly, standing his ground and daring her to comment on it, but she'd bet anything that he’s blushing right now.

“Hm, alright. What's your usual then?”

“Restaurant, Gugino's.” Oh, fancy. She wonders what kind of technicality could prevent his new partner from going to the expensive Italian restaurant. Surely it’s not money related… Right? He has to know better than to come to her for that.

“What's the problem? If you got banned from the place, there's other nice restaurants to dine at.”

“Nope, won't work.” Be even more cryptic, why don't you? Maybe they're a celebrity of some kind and don't want to be found in public. If so, that's very considerate of Lash to take it into account, but that does severely reduce options for dates. Still, this lack of information is severely restricting her ability to help. Maybe she could just ask?

“Alright. Who is it?” She has to try, she thrives on information after all, but Lash seems to have other ideas.

He tenses all over. “Can't tell you.”

“Can't? Or won't?” she asks, raising a dubious brow. If he really couldn't tell her anything he probably wouldn't have bothered asking for help in the first place.

“...” 

Lash actually frowns and resumes his brooding, seemingly conflicted by her question. She hit right on the nail with that one somehow, but thankfully he doesn't seem upset, just thoughtful. Well, time to return to her castle.

She's on the third layer when Lash works through whatever plagues him.

“I'll tell you if you promise not to tell anyone, and I mean it,” he says, dead serious after straightening himself in his seat and staring at her. Who could possibly be so high profile that even she couldn't know about it? Aren't they supposed to be friends? Okay, she's stretching it, she’s just curious!

“I promise,” Wraith solemnly swears, looking in the direction of his eyes very seriously.

Lash lets out a sigh, turns his head left and right as if to check for any possible eavesdroppers, then leans forward and whispers loudly to her, a hint of a smile breaking out on his face without his permission it seems.

“It’s Bebop.”

The card castle crumbles, not like she even notices it, too flabbergasted by his words. Did she hear correctly? Lash leans back with what she feels is a very self satisfied and smug expression on his face. A million questions fill her head in an instant, fighting against one another, and yet there’s only one of them that manages to make it out of her mouth at the moment.

“So you’re telling me… That Bebop agreed to date you?” She asks in disbelief.

Lash’s smile drops and his brows furrow, mildly offended at the implications behind that question. “Uh, duh? If anything, I’m the one that agreed to date him!” he says with snark, pointing at his own chest. 

What is even happening? “...Bebop is the one that asked you out. Out of nowhere.”

“Well, not out of nowhere. I kissed him a couple times beforehand.”

She leans back in her chair, closing her eyes and taking it all in. When did Lash come to her office last time? A couple weeks ago? What the hell happened since then? She remembers Lash freaking out because he grazed the golem’s cheek for half a second and now he’s asking for long term relationship advice. 

If you had asked her, she would have said with confidence that they’d finally hook up after one of their typical fights if anything, so they'd finally get it out of their system. Not that fast though, and certainly not staying together for the long haul afterwards. She needs more information.

“How ‘long term’ are we talking here?” She’s not sure what that would mean for someone like Lash.

He looks taken aback, searching for his words. “Well, uhm… I guess—”

He's taking too long, she cuts him off. “Marriage?”

Lash’s entire face freezes and probably reddens, very obviously getting flustered by her words. “Just— Help me with the date thing!” he exclaims, losing his patience. She huffs a disbelieving breath, that’s wasn't a no, that’s all the answer she needs.

How does he get himself into those kinds of situations in such a short amount of time? Does he just throw himself into anything without ever thinking about it? What she would give to get Bebop’s perspective on all of this, but as much as she appreciates the golem, he simply politely tolerates her at best and probably would refuse to answer.

“Anyways, I see why the restaurant wouldn't work now,” Wraith says after finally processing what's going on, willing to give Lash some reprieve. He grumbles, leaning back in his seat.

She brings her hand to her chin, thinking about the predicament. Obviously there's tons of solutions, Lash might not be that much of a heartbreaker if a restaurant is his single go-to, or maybe he just relies on his physique too much. Does Bebop even care about that, being a golem and all? Maybe that's why Lash is so out of his depth with this one.

…Or there would be tons of solutions, if it wasn’t Lash and Bebop. The golem is a provider at heart and doesn't need much for himself. Apart from the straight physical –how does kissing a golem even work?– what does Lash truly have to offer that he wouldn't have shown off already? Oh, here's an idea.

“Did you bring him to your place before?”

Lash scoffs. “Uh, no?” he says with sass as if the answer is self-evident. And she supposes it is, Lash seems like the type to live in a typical ‘male living space’, she thinks with a shudder. Either way, his actual apartment isn't why she asked the question.

“Then he hasn't met Bean and Lola yet?”

Lash uncrosses his arms, realising she's genuinely willing to help. “Well I've talked about them, but…” He trails off, as if unsure of something.

“He has to meet them if you want anything long term.”

“I know that! But…” He trails off once more, before adding more quietly. “What if they don’t like him?” He seems dejected at the possibility, as if that’d ever happen. She’s never met them herself, but if the zephyrs are this attached to Lash, there isn’t a single person they wouldn’t like or at least tolerate. She’s heard the stories about Bean and Lola in particular as well, they seem like little puffs of love.

“Lash, they’ll like him. And what’s the alternative, you bringing them back to the sanctuary? Breaking up with Bebop?”

She hears a sharp inhale and then silence, as if she just said the most profane things in the sanctity of her own office. Dang, Lash really is so serious about all of this, lighten up!

“Have them meet somewhere nice, make it an outing. Here's your first date idea, doesn't need to be anything more than that.” She adds, her tone softening despite her better judgement.

The silence turns into a more contemplative one, Lash probably figuring out the logistics. It seems so simple and logical to her, Lash probably got stuck in a loop with ideas of grandeur for a first date if it means this much to him, but there's no need for all that. Especially for Bebop, who's content living his simple lifestyle as long as his loved ones are happy.

Finally, Lash slowly nods to himself, seemingly satisfied with her answer after all.

“...You’re really alright with all of this?” he whispers almost to himself, but Wraith knows those words are meant for her.

She furrows her brows in confusion and laughs disbelievingly. “What do you mean, you being with Bebop?” That can’t possibly be what he’s asking, but Lash only gives an uncertain nod in answer. Is this why he kept who his new partner was a secret in the first place then? Is he worried about how people would perceive him if he was in a relationship with his ‘greatest rival’ or whatever? “Lash, I don’t think anybody –me included– would care about that as long as you keep kicking ass in the fighting pit.” Well… apart from Lash’s persistent scaly stalker maybe, but she’s better off unmentioned. “You’ll still fight, won’t you?”

Lash clears his throat. “Well yeah, and I’ll still win like usual. I hope you’ve been betting on The Lash since Bebop retired.” He seems reassured by her answer, she had no clue Lash valued her opinion of him this much. It's that pesky ‘being friends’ thing, isn't it?

“Hmm, I don't know. I think your buddy Zeke’s got potential.” She smirks as it makes Lash grumble once again. Well, maybe he shouldn’t have introduced his colleague to the Pit now that Bebop’s retired, he has to know she’s a sucker for underdogs. 

Lash only lightly scoffs, as if he expected as much before pondering some more. She barely has time to mourn her card castle before he slaps his hands on his knees and gets up, seemingly done with the whole ordeal. He looks in her direction and pauses, she almost expects him to thank her for the advice but she knows it’s not coming.

“Alright, we're done here. The Lash’s got… work to do.” His tone is jolly as he turns around with a pep in his step, ready to leave her office. However before he reaches the door, she uses her powers to keep the handle in place, prompting Lash to stay a little longer.

“You didn't think the advice would come free, did you?” 

Her smirk is sharp as Lash turns around and lets out an annoyed sigh and rolls his head around, showing her ostensibly that he's likely rolling his eyes as well. “Figures, I'm listening.”

Wraith makes him wait and squirm for a bit, straightening in her chair and folding her fingers atop her desk. With a firm voice, she speaks her demands. “When the time comes, I want a front row seat.”

A confused pause. “Uh, remind The Lash what time we're talking about exactly?”

Her facade cracks a bit as her smile widens, showing her teeth. “The wedding, of course.”

Lash turns back and rattles the handle some more, but there’s no escape. “Alright, fine, fine—” he growls with frustration. The moment he agrees, the pressure lets up and Lash swiftly works his way out, loudly grumbling.

“See you soon~!” Wraith sing-songs as Lash slams the door closed, the sound of her cackle resounding behind him loud enough to be heard all the way until he reaches the basement's exit.

It’s the following day when Lash walks on the beach, the sound of the waves calming his nerves as he holds a small mechanical generator box in his hands. The first thing he did after seeing Wraith was reach out to Bebop and let him know he wanted them to meet at his favorite spot the very next day, one he told the golem about before. Bebop readily agreed, not even needing to ask further questions about it, much to his relief.

And yet he can’t help but still feel very nervous. Both Bean and Lola are having fun in the little generator he’s holding, phasing through the mechanism and letting out their excess energy while also making it a convenient way to transport them to places. He knows all of the stories he’s told about how precious his pets are, and that’s because they are, he loves them so much and the feeling is very much mutual. But the stories he tells people aren’t the full picture. 

This pair has always been notoriously difficult to work with when they were still in service — capricious by nature, very picky about the people they wanted to work with. Out of all of his colleagues, Lash was somehow the only one allowed to work with them without too much difficulty, but that’s only because they willed it so. Why they chose him though, nobody has any clues, himself included. He’d like to think it’s his obvious overabundance of charisma, but realistically it could be anything. 

What would happen if they decided they don’t like Bebop?

Wraith’s words struck a chord inside of him yesterday, thankfully preventing his hesitation to settle in once more. Isolating the beings he loves away from one another can’t work long term. And if they end up not liking each other? Then so be it. They’ll just have to work with it, because there isn’t a single way he’ll get rid of either of them.

Finally, a long abandoned pier appears in his horizon, just a few more minutes and he’ll reach the meeting spot. 

He loves this place. 

It’s run down, completely isolated from the world, it’s the perfect spot to get drunk and scream at the world about how unfair and cruel it is. It’s been a refuge of sorts where he allows himself to lower his many shields, to make himself vulnerable. On a whim, he decided to mention it to Bebop the week before with the pretense that the view was great and the golem hasn’t stopped bringing it back up since then. Mostly though, it was a challenge Lash set for himself, a way to prove to himself how committed he is for this relationship by revealing one of the very few things he considers personal. He succeeded, as he’s known to do, but even now he can’t help feeling sort of… Nervous about all of the implications.

Lash lets out a sigh… No matter, it’ll all work out in the end, he’ll make sure of it. Once he arrives at destination, he delves under the salt encrusted structure, putting the generator on the sand and bringing his other hand to one of the pillars that reads a faded ‘The Lash was here’ in the wood. Ah, the memories. And to think there used to be a time when he wasn’t as handsome as he is now, impossible. He’ll let his zephyrs be for now, not wanting to stress them before showtime.

Sand rustles under his feet as he takes a few more steps, looking towards the sunny horizon and the ocean. A deep breath, the salty air fills his lungs and it feels like home, a smile slowly cracking under his mustache.

“Come here often—?”

Lash makes an undignified sound and almost jumps as the voice comes from directly beside him, startling him. He turns and sees Bebop right there, how did he get so close without Lash noticing him? Clearing his throat, he tries to appear unaffected. “Uhm—”

But before he gets to say anything, Bebop starts guffawing and gets all up in Lash’s business, his purr already going loud. “Hah! Did I startle ya? Ye’re right, the view’s beautiful around here.” He says while looking at Lash instead of the horizon. Bringing his large arm around the smaller man, he pulls him close. “What’s got ye thinkin’ so hard, hm?” He looks so stupidly happy to be here, Lash just wants to kiss him so badly...

Wait he can do that now, he keeps forgetting! Instead of answering the question, he brings one of his hands behind Bebop’s head and makes him lean closer, bringing that hard jaw towards his eager lips. That should be answer enough, shouldn’t it? Bebop is just on his mind all the time… The golem lets out a loud delighted hum, probably understanding the kiss’ meaning, making Lash’s entire body relax in contentment. He’s unsure why he was so worried anymore, it’ll all work out in the end for certain.

“Hey there, handsome…” Lash says once the kiss lets up, a sly look on his face. It makes Bebop lightly scoff, some steam escaping his neck cuff as well, always embarrassed when Lash calls him gorgeous for some reason. So freaking adorable.

“I’ve got some fresh bagels if ye’re hungry,” Bebop says before nodding his head to the side, pointing to a closed wicker basket by one of the pillars. Lash perks up, he is getting a little peckish, and those for sure have been prepared by his golem. Did he also make the buns from scratch? He’d bet his life on it. However, he might want to get the reason for this date over with, so that he stops second guessing himself and they can enjoy the rest of their afternoon together.

“I’ve got something to show you first,” Lash says cryptically, making Bebop take a pause and look at him with half lidded eyes.

“Oh, ‘s that so?” the golem asks with a salacious edge to his tone while leaning a little closer. Lash deeply chuckles, completely enamoured. Bebop has only been getting bolder as the days pass, he would even go as far as saying he's getting close to rivaling The Lash in that department now that he's accepted his feelings, and really there can hardly be a better compliment.

However… “Not what you're thinking. Well, not for now anyways.” Bebop tilts his head questionably, his curiosity piqued. Instead of pulling away, Lash brings his arm around his golem’s waist and gently guides him toward the small generator he set down earlier. Only then does he unfortunately part so he can crouch next to the object, looking up at Bebop.

“... A generator?” he questions, probably wondering what this is all about and if it's truly worth more than a makeout session

“Not just any generator,” Lash says with a grin, keeping it a mystery until the end. Turning towards it, he brings his fingers to his lips and gives a sharp specific whistle. Nothing happens for a while, he must look like a lunatic. But then a glowing blue head with small perked up ears and little beady eyes phases through the metal sheet, a long snake-like body adorned with tiny paws and a flowy tail slowly floating off towards his arms, quickly followed by a second identical creature.

“Meep meep meep mrrrp!” they squeak as they cuddle up to him, only for an artificial gasp to resound from above. Bebop is looking at them intensely, more than likely guessing who those little critters are.

“Bean and Lola, ain't it! I've never seen a zephyr before.” He leans around to give them a better look, a smile heard through his voice. “Much smaller than I thought they'd be, ye're tellin’ me these two little guys can power a whole airship?”

Lash lets out a breath he didn't know he held. At least Bebop seems to like them, which he didn't really doubt would happen but can't help feeling relief. “Well, not enough for a big one by themselves –they tried, believe me– but sure enough for a smaller vessel,” he says with pride, petting their heads in turn which only makes them purr louder in delight.

“They don't work anymore, right?” the golem asks as Lash goes back on his feet with a groan while holding his precious cargo.

“Nope, too old, it'd be pushing them too hard. They still need to expel that energy though as part of their natural cycle, so they've been powering my furniture.” Lash notices he might be rambling. He doesn't have many passions or hobbies outside of himself, but his pets and zephyrs as a whole? He could talk about them for hours. “Ahem. Yeah, The Lash figured you ought to meet them.”

The zephyrs seemingly took notice of their company, now silent and reciprocating Bebop’s curious look. They probably never saw a golem before, and most certainly not one anything like his lover. At least they're somewhat behaving right now, not as rambunctious as usual and simply observing, thankfully. Bebop too looks fascinated, but keeps his distance and hand to himself.

“...Do you want to pet them?” Lash asks nonchalantly after a few more moments, might as well take advantage of their current temper.

Bebop perks up and lifts his head to look at him with surprise. “Can I? They look so fragile, I don't want to hurt them by accident.”

Lash scoffs. “They might look fragile but you've got nothing to worry about, Bee. Come on, do it if you want to, they love it!” He proves his point by rubbing one of their cheeks while cooing, eliciting a small squeak and purr before gently holding both of them forward to his golem. This also reveals the look Bebop has apparently been giving him this entire time. Has anybody ever looked at him with this much love in their eyes before? He can’t recall.

So entranced he is, he almost misses Bebop's hand hesitantly lifting at his side before the golem seems to find his resolve and slowly but confidently brings it closer towards the critters. He can see both Bean and Lola fully turning their attention to it, stretching their long necks to the reaching fingers as if to give them a sniff. It takes a small eternity, but finally they're close enough to touch.

The instant Bebop's fingers make contact, the zephyrs slip their way out of Lash’s hands and promptly phase through the metal digits, disappearing completely inside of Bebop.

…

…What?

You know, The Lash just did not… foresee this happening for some reason. Really, he should have.

Bebop jolts up, straightening in a snap and taking a step back. “Uhm—? That’s not supposed to happen, is it?” His voice has risen up in slight panic, Lash needs to do something now. Realistically, it IS normal, that’s what zephyrs do. He’s never seen any phase through any sentient beings before, and he doesn’t think admitting that little fun fact will reassure Bebop. Is there cause for concern, even? Better be safe than sorry.

Lash lets out the same sharp whistle he did earlier –a call any person working with the little elementals is trained to use when first interacting with them to bring them out in the open–, but to no avail. The stubborn zephyrs aren’t listening to him right now.

“They’re not hurting you, are they?!” Lash asks also in slight panic once he realises that. What if this hurts him? What if it hurts Bean and Lola? Hopefully though, if it did anything to the elementals they’d have phased out already. No, the more likely explanation is that they’re enjoying themselves too much, especially if they refuse to come out.

“Uh, n—no?” Bebop flicks his arm around. “I can feel them workin' their way up? It’s weird as hell.” He sounds in total disbelief but thankfully not in pain, making Lash breath again. Feel them? Bebop isn’t known to physically feel much of anything at all, are they messing with his artificial nervous system? Lash needs to get them out of there ASAP, but has no clue how to proceed. He has no way to lure them out on hand if they keep not responding to his calls, but the docks he works at aren’t that far. There he’d have the necessary tools to deal with this but he…

…

…He’s still bothered by the idea of being seen with the golem in public, ashamedly. Zeke knows about the Bear Pit now –as well as more than a few other colleagues–, so what if they see them together? What if they start spreading rumors, implying his rivalry with Bebop was all for show? He doesn’t think he’d have the guts to lie about his current feelings anymore, but he also doesn’t want his champion image to dissipate or be at risk just because he ended up finding out he was in love all along. Introducing them to the underground wrestling world was such a stupid idea in hindsight, but he wasn't thinking with his head when he did it.

His musings quickly get interrupted when Bebop’s whole body starts rattling and getting very noticeably hotter in the literal sense, even without having to touch him. Lash notices the golem’s dexterous arm seizing and looking like it's dismantling itself. In his panic, he recalls seeing this once before, when Bebop opened up his arm letting out a thin red laser in order to cut large pieces of iron back in the junkyard. This time though, the glow is more purple than red, and rapidly getting brighter.

Bebop lets out a distressed gasp. “Watch out!” he shouts as he brings his larger arm towards Lash and roughly pushes him away, making Lash lose his balance and fall on the ground.

Some sand got in his mouth, he barely has time to sit up while sputtering the particles away. “Are you—?” 

A cacophonous sound resonates under the pier cutting him off, a blinding purple light coming from Bebop’s arm. The golem lifts it and aims it towards the horizon with an exerted grunt, thus creating a path of overheated sand turned into sharp glass as it makes its way there. Bebop looks like he’s struggling to keep it in place, is it the zephyrs’ doing? “Don’t come any closer! I— I can’t stop it!” he says loudly enough to be heard over the sound of the beam. Are they discharging their energy through Bebop and this is the only way his body can get rid of it? Either way, he sees red.

Straightening back up and squinting to protect his eyes from the light, Lash takes a stance and takes a deep inhale. He looks pissed. “HEY!” he shouts authoritatively, followed by a sharp, loud, very angry whistle. “Out, now!”

Just as fast as it came, the light and noise fizzle out, making the golem stumble forward as if only the force of the beam was keeping him upright. “Phew, bloody hell!” he half chuckles after a bit, sounding exhausted. “Are ye alright?” Of course that'd be his main concern… Before he gets to answer, two little zephyrs phase out through Bebop’s back, making the golem slump and breathe a sigh of relief. “Are they okay?”

“Oh, they’re okay alright.” Lash utters quietly as they approach him, flattening themselves to the ground with their small ears pulled back. They’re smart, they fucked up and they know it, looking properly sorry about their disobedience as they should be. They’ve never seen Lash truly mad at them, and honestly he can’t keep it up. Seeing his golem taking concern with anybody but himself –as usual– and the zephyrs good and healthy, he takes a deep breath and calms himself down before taking a knee to gently pick them back up in his arms, where they roll into little balls to make themselves as small as possible. He could never stay mad at them, and his earlier outburst should be enough to teach them a lesson not to enter any sentient beings. They had no malicious intent after all, he should have thought of the eventuality this would happen and taken precautions.

Being careful as he walks over the path of sharp glass, he closes the gap to Bebop and crouches beside him, freeing a hand to look him over with concern but relief at seeing no outward damage to his shell. “I’m fine, dumbass. It’s yourself you should be concerned about.” Lash chastises. The golem’s chassis is hot to the touch, he finds out before gliding his hand up to Bebop’s head to gently hold it. His forearm has reassembled itself, only a faint smoke escaping his wrist joint is proof it just fired a giant death laser.

“Hah, ‘s that so?” Bebop flickers his eye in a way he’s come to interpret as a wink. “I just couldn’t keep it all in, no wonder they can power entire airships! Heh.” Despite all that energy, he sounds exhausted.

How can he be so fucking nonchalant about this? “Shush, it's—” He takes a deep breath, his gaze fleeting away from Bebop’s and removing his hand. “...It's my fault this happened. The Lash is sorry, Bee.” Okay, he managed to get it out in the open at least.

Bebop snorts. “‘S alright, no harm done. Erm well, apart from yer favorite spot in New York…” he adds sheepishly, looking at the wide and sharp line of glass in the sand. Parts of it standing in the sun glitter infinite colors around them like hundreds of tiny jewels. He finds that he kind of likes it, it… belongs here somehow. Huh. He stays quiet for a while, listening to the waves and thinking, gently petting the zephyrs rolled up in his arms to calm them down.

“Could you always do that?” Lash asks quietly while staring at the glass, obviously referring to the giant laser that caused it.

“Hm? Oh, the— uh. Yeah.”

Lash snorts, finally bringing his gaze back to his boyfriend. “And… what? Did you think The Lash couldn’t handle it in the Pit?”

Bebop sputters, facing him more fully while still sitting. “Are ye kiddin’? I’d reduce ya to dust!”

“Hmm, agree to disagree on that.” Lash starts laughing, it must be contagious because Bebop joins him shortly after. All of the adrenaline from earlier leaves him, his shoulders relaxing once more. A pair of little heads peek from his arms, they must feel more at ease, if still a little wary of invoking the wrath of their handler. He gives both of them a scratch on their cheeks, showing them that they have nothing to be scared of. Out of the corner of his eyes, he can see Bebop look at them forlornly, not a hint of resentment after the previous incident. He seems disappointed he didn’t really get to pet them in the more traditional way earlier.

“You want to try petting them again?” Lash asks, grabbing his attention if the way the golem perks up is any indication. “They won’t misbehave this time.” That at least he’s sure of.

The golem hesitates for a moment as he stares at the critters, giving the offer some thought, which is fair considering what happened earlier. He wouldn’t blame Bebop if he preferred to abstain. Godsdamnit, he knew this was a bad idea to have them meet all along. It’s all Wraith’s fault, tempting him away from his own intuition. Bebop doesn’t seem resentful at all, but who knows how long it’ll last? They still made him lose control, what if it happened again in the future in a place where it’s not just the two of them? Would Bebop be as complacent and forgiving then? He tries his best not to show his inner turmoil while he waits.

Instead of voicing an answer, Bebop lifts his dexterous hand and brings it closer to the zephyrs. It’s a little shaky, could be nerves, could be remnants of the overexertion from a moment ago, could be anything. Lash holds his breath, hoping with his entire soul that it’ll be fine this time. Bean and Lola recoil for a second, looking up at him, back at the hand, then back at him. They know he’s watching them and are asking for his permission unlike last time, they were simply too eager but they should behave now. Resolute, he gives them a subtle nod and smile, they should understand.

Bean and Lola stretch their long necks to bridge the gap and boop their little snouts on Bebop’s fingers who gasps at the contact. Instead of phasing through and becoming incorporeal, they rub their cheeks against the digits, closing their eyes while a purr vibrates in their chests.

“...I can actually feel it when I touch them!” Bebop says quietly, voice full of wonder. He gets a little more bold, using his palm now to pet the overjoyed zephyrs. “Feels really nice… soft? It’s what I imagined touchin’ a cloud would be like.” 

That’s right, Bebop could feel the zephyrs when they were phasing through him before it all went haywire. Is it their elemental energy somehow reacting with whatever fuels Bebop’s life? He thinks for a moment, could he somehow find a way to translate this into a device allowing him to make the golem feel his touch? Lash is handy, but not that handy, he’ll ponder on it some more later, maybe mention it to Shelly.

Bebop looks so happy…and so do the little zephyrs, it’s like they’ve adopted him already.

“They like you,” Lash says in a breath of relief he tries to hide by clearing his throat. He can’t show that he was worried all along, what would it make him look like?

Bebop lets out a chuckle. “Believe me, I got that when they tried to turn me into a superweapon.” Lash winces, but his golem pays him no mind, too busy petting the elemental spirits. He can hear a rumble coming from Bebop, his lover’s own purr roaring through loud enough to be heard and the zephyrs mimicking its rhythm with their own. 

It’s so cute, so domestic, it weakens Lash’s armor just long enough for him to quietly say “...I love you.”

Bebop doesn’t even pause his petting as he gets closer to him, lovingly bumping his head against Lash’s forehead. “Hah, I sure hope so. Would be pretty awkward otherwise, don’t ya think?” he snickers at the end, laughing at his own joke.

Lash huffs through his smile. “Shut up.” He then gives Bebop a kiss, making sure not to squeeze Bean and Lola in between them. He feels so happy right this moment, he’s not sure how to deal with it. It’s not like it’s a feeling he’s overly familiar with after all and he’s been bombarded with it lately in between bouts of panic. It’s overwhelming, it’s exhausting, he’s loving it.

They spend the rest of the afternoon together playing with the little critters. The bagels are the best bagels he’s ever eaten.

A month later

Lash takes the shortest path from the bus stop to reach his boyfriend’s home. It’s the start of the weekend and he intends to spend the entirety of it there. He’d like to make it a regular thing and Bebop has been nothing but enthusiastic about the idea. So here he is with his packed duffel bag, eagerly walking with a pep in his step.

He makes his way inside the moment he arrives at the house. Everybody should be expecting The Lash, but he’s also been generous enough to let them know when he’d be there. The cookie smell coming from the kitchen tells him Bebop is more than likely inside instead of working in the junkyard, perfect.

He’s halfway through removing his shoes when the golem pops up around the vestibule’s doorframe. He has his cooking apron on, this one says ‘Kiss the Cook’, a gift from Lash he’s been wearing with pride. Really it’s been a ploy all along to give him an excuse to go kiss his boyfriend every time they come face to face, so he goes in for it as soon as he straightens back up.

“Well, helloooo Sailor—!” Bebop starts saying suavely but gets interrupted as two little blue noodles zip out of the duffel bag and crash right against Bebop’s face. “Wow, well someone sure is eager to see me! Hello, lovelies.” He chuckles, bringing his hand up to pet them as they squeak and purr all over him, overjoyed to see their new favorite person, much to Lash’s dismay. They’ve been excited the whole trip and Lash also heard Shelly has been working on a new mechanical puzzle device for them to play with, he can’t wait to see how that one turns out.

He takes a second to breathe and look at the bigger picture. It’s in these moments, looking at his lover and his precious pets go along so well with each other, that he puts on a genuine smile and tells himself ‘We’ll be okay’.