Chapter Text
"Must you chat about our own sister to us so much?"
The whine came from the deity laying across the soldier's couch, interrupting the monologue Zuka had about Illumina. It had made her fault quiet, as she held a cigarette in a hand. She brought it to her lips, taking a slow drag. The silence was thick for a moment, as the smoke filled the room before finding it's way out through the window. The cold breezes from outside due to Blackrock filtered in, making her tighten her coat just a little more. She leaned her head against the wall for a moment before she spoke up once more, her voice more quieter than before.
"Sorry. I just thought...since you're her sister, you'd be able to provide me some sort of advice to get her to like me more."
She murmured, causing a laughter to come from Darkheart. It was loud, and most definitely annoying. Zuka narrowed her eyes slightly before she sighed.
"Please, we aren't even close with her. Do you assume we are just because we're twins? How stereotypical, Zuka!"
Darkheart purred, sitting up as she finally hummed in thought.
"Though, if you do really wish to pursue her, we'd recommend talking to Ghostwalker about it. It's much closer to Lu than we are. Or, you could just be a normal inphernal and talk to her about her interests, which are probably herself."
She added, laying back down and picking up a glass of wine. Zuka turned away, not exactly enjoying watching the deity drink. It was a discomforting sight to see, not that she had a problem with people drinking around her, it was just the fact it was Darkheart. She let out a small huff, as she nodded her head and put her cigarette out. She headed to the bathroom, mainly to wash his hands and brush his teeth to attempt to get the cigarette smell off his breath. He stared into the mirror for a moment, noting every little flaw in his appearance. He grumbled, and then locked the bathroom door.
"I'm gonna take a shower, don't wreck my apartment!"
He called through the door, not exactly caring to hear the cackling on the other side. Turning the shower on, he undressed himself carefully before sticking his hand in to feel the water, adjusting it to the temperature he preferred. Once it was lukewarm, he stepped in and shut the pivot door to the shower. The steam fogged up the glass and mirror, as he lathered soap onto himself. The scent of spicy cinnamon, citrus and cloves filled the air as he washed himself off, watching as the soap was washed off and slipped down the drain. He sat under the water for longer than usual, lost in his thoughts. Most of it was Illumina. Specifically, the rare moments where she would speak to him. He remembered specifically when she let him buy her some drinks at some lousy bar that she had said smelled disgusting when they left slightly tipsy. She stayed at his house with him, and even let him preen her wings for her. When he had woken up in the morning, she had left with no note. She did leave his couch cleaner than Darkheart did when she showed up and stayed the night. He almost caught himself grinning at the thought of preening her wings again, in which he decided now would be a good time to get out of the shower. He grabbed a towel off the hooks of the wall, wiping himself down. He stretched slightly as he wiped his back down before he dressed himself again.
Zuka slowly unlocked the door and pushed it open, a sigh of relief escaping him when he saw that the apartment was not wrecked. He walked over to Darkheart, who was still on the couch with an empty glass. He plucked it from her hands, refilling it for her and handing it back. A small giggle escaped her as she took a slow sip from it before she sat up.
"Y'know, we wouldn't be surprised if Lu did enjoy your presence more than she let on."
She hummed, swirling the wine in her drink as Zuka sat down next to her.
"Dunno. She only let me touch her when she wasn't really sober."
He responded, leaning his head against his hand. Darkheart simply gave a small chuckle in response, as she shrugged.
"Well, what do we know.."
She murmured, as she leaned against the armrest.
"We're curious, though. How do you know you like her? How do you even like her? She's our worst nightmare, if anything. Always whining about something, and throwing more tantrums than Icedagger."
She added, taking another sip of her wind. Zuka hummed in thought, as he leaned back against the couch.
"I like how her voice sounds. She's nice to listen to talk, even if she only insults me or talks about herself."
Zuka answered, not giving Darkheart room to comment as she continued.
"Her wings feel nice to touch. They're nice to look at, too. She's gorgeous in general. She smells good, which...sounds really weird, but it's true."
She rolled her eyes as she heard Darkheart snicker.
"I really wanna kiss her."
She admitted, making the deity beside her gag.
"Goodness, don't make us think of that. Disgusting."
She complained, taking a long swig of her wine, almost trying to drown out the thought of Zuka kissing her sister. The silence came back, thicker than before. It made Darkheart frown before she stood up, setting the now empty glass on the counter.
"We'll be leaving."
She stated, heading for the door. Zuka nodded simply, a small breath of relief escaping her once the deity was out. She considered inviting someone over to keep Illumina out of her thoughts. Everyone else was probably busy, though. Firebrand probably distracted by her advisor, Icedagger always being hard to converse with, Venomshank disliking the scent of Zuka entirely, Windforce and Ghostwalker were stories she didn't want to indulge in. She grumbled, standing up and heading to the front door. She pushed it open, already noting Darkheart's entire disappearance. She locked the door behind her before she just began to walk.
The snow wasn't that bad today. Usually, there's be a good amount that made Zuka cut her walks short. That wasn't the instance for today. She eventually found herself walking in the forest, shivering just slightly. It didn't bother her too much like it usually would. She'd probably turn back soon and get something to eat, if anything. She jolted when she felt something warm wrap around her. She immediately looked next to her, her eyes widening when she saw Illumina walking beside her. She looked back down at the ground, barely acknowledging the wing wrapped around her shoulders now. Slowly, she began to speak.
"Uh...hey."
Zuka muttered, his voice shaky and unsure. His face was probably red, he hadn't expected her to just appear, let alone wrap her wing around him. He trembled, as he listened to the sound of their footsteps in the snow. After a few moments of silence, Illumina gave a small hum as a greeting. Zuka grinned slightly at the sound.
"How have you been?"
He asked, trying to sound casual. It wasn't exactly every day he saw her, and the last time he did, she had let him preen her wings. Instead of receiving an actual response, though, she tilted her head slightly and spoke.
"Your voice is rather annoying to hear. I didn't come for conversation."
She stated, her tone cold. It stung to hear something so cruel from someone Zuka admired more than he should. He fell silent, his grin faltering as he continued to walk with her, silently. It killed his mood. Did she really think he was annoying? Why had she hung out with him that one time, then? Was it out of pity? Did she really mean to say it so coldly? He bit his tongue to hold back any sharp retort, as he slipped her wing off him. The cold air of Blackrock bit at him, but he'd rather that than have her wing on him if she thought of him as annoying. If he annoyed her so much, he should just head home then. He paused in his steps before turning and beginning to walk in the other direction.
Illumina had paused in her own steps, her head turning to glance over her shoulder and watch Zuka walk away. She flapped her wings slightly to get the snow off of them before she let out a breath. She looked forward, debating whether or not she should continue walking forward at this point. She knew what she said was rude, but was it that cruel if she had only said what she really thought? Not everyone was gonna like Zuka, and that included her. Especially since it was more than obvious Zuka's feelings for her were romantic. She didn't exactly return them. Maybe it was best she had said something so cruel, then. He'd lose those feelings, and then would focus more on what he should. But for some odd reason, Illumina felt guilty. Maybe she just needed something to drink. It was odd. She rejected inphernals all the time, so why did she feel bad for shooting someone down before they even confessed to her? Was it pity? She wasn't exactly interested in romance, or pursuing others for that matter. Or was she? Usually, she was so sure of how she felt most of the time. So why did it feel so wrong to say something that she thought was true to Zuka?
Illumina bit her lip lightly, as she began to continue walking. She did think Zuka was annoying, or at least she thought she did. She had always been confused on why Zuka would call her things that others never really did. Illumina had always thought of herself as someone who liked mortals a bit older than Zuka. She eventually found her way to an abandoned temple of herself. Slipping inside, she huffed in disgust at the dust and cobwebs. She had only come to see if there was anything fermenting, and then she would see herself out immediately. Pushing herself further into the temple, she squinted her eyes through the darkness to find exactly what she was looking for. Taking a bottle, she removed the cap and threw it somewhere lazily. She held it by the neck as she took a swig, the burn of her throat being exactly what she wanted. She would rather die than sit anywhere in this dusty place, so she chose to stand as she finished the bottle.