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Chapter Text

Laurence lie in his bed, staring at the ceiling. They had finally come home. His friends were finally back. Garroth was back. But he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Something had changed them all. Just thinking about it kept him awake. But he just couldn't stop thinking about it. Garroth and Zane were acting so weird. They hadn't fought at all since they came back. Garroth and Zane always fight with eachother. When Laurence asked what happened to them all they just said they got lost on a hike during their trip. But that couldn't be it. They were gone for months. And, if he dared to ask about Aaron, Aphmau or Travis they just would just look at each other and he could tell they were trying not to cry.

He layed their thinking about it all over and over and over again. The more he thought about it all the less it all made sense. He needed to know what happened to them all. He needed to know what happened to Garroth. He sat up, "I need to know," he said, walking out of his basement room.

He walked up the two flights of stares and down the corridor to Garroth's second floor bedroom. Right before he knocked he heard a noise coming from inside the room, "Is he crying?" Laurence whispered to himself. He gently knocked and opened the door slowly, "Hey, garroth are you-"

Laurence stood in the doorway with his mouth agape. This was not the sight he was expecting to see. Garroth was sat on his bed, he looked up at the boy who entered his room, a look of pure shock on his face. His eyes were red and puffy from crying. The collar of his shirt was soaked from wiping his eyes and nose. But what shocked Laurence the most were the blond wolf ears poking out of his scruffy hair, and the mathcing tail which lay on his lap. "Garroth are those- are those real?" Laurence asked, his voice quivering, "How did I not know about this?"

The two boys stared blankly at each other. Laurence had never felt so confused, and so betrayed. How was he supposed to react to finding out that his best friend is a werewolf? And more than that, he didn't even tell him.

Garroth's mind was running at a million miles a second, frantically flashing through the memories of Starlight and the lodge. How was he suppose to explain this to Laurence? How could you explain all of that to anyone? "Laurence, I- I couldn't tell you about this."

Laurence stared at him flabbergasted. His blood boiled. Another secret. Another excuse. Another cover-up. This is all he had recieved since Garroth came home. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and spoke calmly to the werewolf on the bed, "Garroth, I need you to tell me what happened to you all. Why were you all gone for so long? Why do you and Zane start to cry at the slightest mention of Aphmau, Aaron or even Travis? And about that, Katelyn and Travis left together, but only Katelyn has come home. What is up with that? Because you clearly know. And then there's this situation," he gestured to Garroth, his voice starting to rises with emotion, "Why didn't you tell me that you're a werewolf?" By this point he had started to cry, "Why are you keeping so many secrets from me? Yu know you can trust me Garroth. I'm your besst friend, and I lo- I care about you."

Garroth stood up and walked towards his friend, grabbing hold of his hands, "Laurence I'm so sorry. Ever since the lodge so many things have happened to us. I wanted to tell you everything, I truly did, but we were all sworn to secrecy. It has killed me not being able to tell you. But you deserve an explanaition and I think I need to tell you."

They stood there for a moment in another akward silence. Garroth realised he was still holding Laurence's hands, "I- uh, I think you might want to sit down for this." Garroth let go of Laurence's hands and walked over to sit on the bed, Laurence following close behind. "Ok," he let out a sigh, "this is going to be a lot to take in, so I'm just going to go from the start. It all started at the lodge."

"The lodge! Garroth that was over a year ago. You,ve been keeping this all secret for over a year!" Laurence's voice rose to a shout.

"Laurence please. Just let me get this all out," Laurence nodded slowly, "As you know last winter I went to the lodge to clean it up for mine and Aaron's parents. And well, things started to go downhill very fast." He paused for a moment and continued to tell Laurence about all the events that occured at the lodge. He told him about the strenge wolf pack and the girl who walked with them. He axplained the situation with Kim, the ghost, and Zane. Then, the forever potions. He told Laurence about how Zane was under the control of a potion which altered his memory to forget about Garroth and replace him with Ein, and that Lucinda was under the same control potion. He told him about the story of the ultima and how Aaron is the successor of the curse. When he finally got to the night at Ein's cabin he started to tear up, "she was forced to kill him. She cut him with a knife. She cornered him at the edge of a cliff. And all I could do was watch him fall."

Laurence, looked at him concerned, "garroth you don't have to."

"No, I want to. I need to tell you." Garroth took a deep breath and continued, "I walked back to the cabin alone. I felt so distraught, so defeated. I couldn't save him. I couldn't save Zane. I couldn't save any of them."

"Garroth, it wasn't your fault." Laurence comforted him.

"I know, I know. Anyway, I had been back at the lodge for a while, just trying to work out what I could do. Then suddenly Aaron of all people walked through the front doors. He was covered in cuts, bleeding gashs. He should've been dead. But somehow he miraculously survived it." Garroth told Laurence about how they worked with Kim and the ghost to bring back Lucinda. Then how they had to choose two out of three potions to bring back Zane and Aphmau. "I told him he could use the emeralds on the potions for Aph but he used his on Zane's instead. He chose to give her up so I could have Zane back." He was actually crying at this point, but he kept going. "I got Zane back. The potion worked perfectly fine. Aaron had gone to find Aphmau but when he did, he saw that Ein had hit her. He was furious Laurence," He explained what he knew about the fight. Of Aaron turning Ein into a human, and then the wolves attcking him, "After that he came back to us and we used the potion on Aph, but it didn't work. He told us to let her go and she sliced him up, verbally and physically. Then he hugged her and reminded her who she truly is. She came back. But Aaron-" Garroth paused to collect himself, "we weren't sure if he would come back. He was out of it for months afterwards. That's why Aphmau and Aaron were apart for the year. It wasn't safe for him to be around normal people."

"Garroth that is horrifying. You just had to witness all of that. Aphmau doing that to Aaron, Lucinda and Zane being controlled, not to mentioned Kim literally being possesed." Laurence pulled Garroth into a hug, "is that when you got turned too?"

"No, that happened on our trip to Starlight."

"Wait... Starlight! The Starlight Wonderland! You said you were on a camping trip! You went to Starlight! and you didn't take me." Laurence looked at Garroth making a pouty face.

Garroth chuckled, "well once I tell you what happened there I think you'll be glad that you weren't invited."

"It was that bad?"

Garroth nodded, "well it started out ok. Those of us who were at the lodge got invited to support Aphmau and Aaron, and to heal from the trauma we experienced. Kawaii-chan ended up there as well, she stowed away in Zane's bag. Then of course Katelyn and Travis were there together. Anyway it was really fun for a while. We had a massive beach house to stay in, went to the adventure park, and then Aaron and Aphmau got engaged."

"Aaron and Aphmau got engaged!" Laurence practically sqeauled.

"Yeah, that's why he wanted to go to the lodge in the first place. Well, as I was saying, they got engaged and we were getting ready to go out for dinner so Aaron could tell his parents and that's when everything started going south." He explained how they walking to the restaurant and Aaron saw Ein, "I was just trying to get his attention. I was just trying to help. But I forgot about his eyes and then he turned around. The pain was instant, I didn't think that much pain was even possible. I should've died Laurence. I should be dead."

"How did you survive?"

"That comes in later." Garroth told Laurence about the Guardian forces, "it wasn't long after I transformed that the Guardian forces came to Starlight looking for Aaron. They raided teh beach house, we barely made it out,"

He explained about the hotel they hid away in and how he had to be careful because they were hunting werewolves. Then he told him about when they got found again, "they stormed into the hotel. We were all seperated. I had no idea if everyone else had gotten away. Luckily I found Zane."

Next he told him about the demon warlock, "Zane and I were trting to hide when we found Katelyn and Travis. While we were there Lucinda expelled the demon warlock from Terry, but then he possed Travis."

He explained the experiments on him and Katelyn, "Because of the potions on us Travis, the demon warlock I mean, was able to tke control of us. That's likely also how I survided seeing Aaron's eyes. But that demon used me, made me hurt my friends."

Then he told him about Ein killing Aphmau, "I was told that she died, her heart had stopped." Then Aaron's rampage, "when Aph died Aaron went beserk. So many people died and I just had to watch while I helped it all play out. It was all part of his plan."

Laurance realised he was also crying at this, "Garroth, I-I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that. I'm sorry all of you did."

"Believe it or not it gets even worse," He tried his best to explain the celestial canon and the relics. Then the fight between Aphmau and the Demon Warlock, "I don't think any of us should've survived, if Aph hadn't been able to wield the relics the demon warlock woud've killed us all." His voice quivered, "But, Aaron gave too much. He forgot everything. He forgot us, his family, even Aphmau."

Laurence didn't say anything. It was all too much. He couldn't believe that Garroth had even been functioning up until this point. He thought that if it were him he might have just given up.

"I just keeping thinking about how if Zane hadn't broken his controll over me I would've killed him. I almost killed him and Kawaii-chan. I couldn't do anything to stop it and I was fully aware of what I was doing. I kept begging for it to stop but it never did. Every night it haunts my dreams. I just want to sleep." He starts crying again. Laurence pulls him into another embrace.

"Hey, it's ok now. You're safe, you're all safe now."

Garroth pulled away from him, "No, not all of us. Aphmau and Travis are still there. They're being monitored and tested after what happened to them. And Aaron, he's all alone again." He looked down at the ground, "I just want everyone to be back to normal."

"Garroth I honestly don't know what to say. You've been through so much. More than what most people could handle. None of you deserved this, no one deserves that to happen to them."

The two hugged and cried together for a few minutes. When they finally broke apart laurence smiled and sheepishly asked, "can I touch your ears?"

"I mean I guess. Be carful though. They're very sensitive."

Laurence reached up and gently stroked garroth's wolf ear, "Oh. My. Irene. They're so soft!" Laurence continued to stroke his friends new ears, Garroth looked at him and smiled. It was nice to finally have a moment together that felt normal. Everything was so different but this moment felt the same as it did before.

Then Garroth did something that he never expected. He wasn't sure why but it felt like the perfect moment. In that moment, looking at Laurences goofy smile as he stroked his ears. Just having him sitting there next to him. He didn't know why he did it but he couldn't stop it. He just leant forward and places his lips on Laurence's.

Laurence stared at him in absolute shock.

"I-I'm sorry. I don't know why I did that. Forget I did that." Garroth stood up, embarrassed by his rash actions. Before he could walk away Laurence grabbed his hand.

"Garroth wait!" He stood eye to eye with his friend and reached up to touch his face, "It's ok," he smirked, "Can you-can you do it again?"

"Y-yes." Garroth pressed his lips on Laurence's again, and held onto him tight. The two of them stood there together savouring every part of the moment. Laurence had been waiting for this moment for way too long. He had spent month's praying that Garroth would come home with him. He had come up with every possible reason why they hadn't come home and why he hadn't heard from them. But it turned out that the reality was so much worse than anything he had theorised.

When they finally broke apart Garroth leaned his forehead against Laurence and quietly asked, "Hey Laurence, can you stay with me tonight? I just don't want to ever be away from you again."

"I don't want you to leave me again either," he chuckled, "It seems like bad things come for you when I'm not around."

That made Garroth laugh, "Sure, whatever you need to tell yourself Laurence," he Joked.

The two boys laid there together, Garroth holding on tightly to Laurence's hand. It was the first time he was slept soundly in so long. Laurence lie there awake for a long while, thinking about everything that had happened to Garroth. He realised that none of his freinds would ever be the same as they were. He looked at Garroth's ears, a permanent reminder of everything that happened to him. But then he thought of the future and all of the possibilities. He felt hope. Hope that everything would only get better from here. They could all finally heal, and he could finally help Garroth to heal. As he thought about the possibilities of the future he felt calm. He felt content. He knew Garroth would be ok. They will all be ok. With that thought he drifted off to sleep, soothed by Garroth's rhythmic snores.

Chapter Text

Melissa rolled over for the hundredth time that night. Her heart pounding with anxiety as she thought about everything that was happening to them. What if someone had recognised them at the ball earlier that night? What if someone saw them go back up to the hotel room? What if they all got caught? Her mind was running wild with all these thoughts, scaring off any sleep that might taunt her. She spent every night hoping and praying that everything could go back to normal, and for one night that wish had become reality. But was it too good to be true?

Maybe it was also the excitement of the night's events that kept her awake. None of them had felt that kind of joy, freedom and normality for so many weeks. She felt so anxious about going out, and the possibilities of getting caught. But then the whole night was so exhilarating. she spent most of the night at the bar with Lucinda, just anxiously watching everyone. But Lucinda was so calm, so sure that everything would be ok. She kept telling Melissa, but the anxieties just wouldn't leave her.

As a last resort to calm her, Lucinda proposed that they leave. Melissa took a deep breath and smiled, 'a few more minutes' she had thought. A few more minutes to enjoy the night, to enjoy their temporary freedom. She thought about it for a short moment, her anxieties easing. Then she announced to Lucinda, "well, if we're leaving soon there's one more thing I gotta do." She jumped up from her seat and made a beeline for the dance floor.

She had asked Lucinda to dance with her, as she knew this would be her only opportunity. Then, that dance, that small moment became the best part of her dazzling night. Her and Lucinda were so in sync with each other, gracefully moving to the beat of the song. There in the stunning witch's arms she felt at ease for the first time in weeks, if only they could've stayed there forever, dancing in perfect synchronisation. But, like all good things this was only temporary, for now she lay in her bed anxious and alone.

She sat up, admitting defeat in the battle between her anxieties and slumber, 'maybe,' she thought, 'maybe she's awake too.'

She snuck out of her room quietly and wandered down the hall to Lucinda and Kim's shared room. Carefully, she knocked on the door and slowly pushed it open, "Hey, Lucinda. Are you awake?" She spoke in a loud whisper.

"Melissa is that you?" She responded, from her side of the room.

"Yeah, I wanted to see if you were awake," she looked down at the floor, "and I was wandering if you maybe wanna come hang out in my room?"

"Oh my Irene! Yes!" she responded excitedly, " Honestly, I couldn't get to sleep either."

Lucinda jumped out from under her blanket and rushed out the door, grabbing Melissa's hand and dragging her down the hallway to the other girl's room.

The second Melissa's bedroom door shut behind them they burst into hysterical laughter. Melissa let out a long sigh and a few final giggles, "What was that? You could've woken everyone up."

"Seriously? The only people I might have woken up are you werewolves. And let's be honest, if you guys can sleep through Garroth snoring you can sleep through anything."

Melissa chuckled, "You are absolutely right on that one Cindy."

Lucinda looked taken aback for a second, sending Melissa into a flustered panic, "Oh My Irene, I have no idea where that came from. It completely slipped out. I'm so sorry."

She looked away from the beautiful witch, embarrassed by the nickname she had just blurted out. Lucinda reached for her friend's hand, "Hey, hey, it's ok. I like it. It was just unexpected," she smirked, "But if you're going to call me 'Cindy', then I'm gonna call you Missy. I don't know why but it just fits."

Melissa grabbed Lucinda's other hand and smiled coyly at her, "yeah, I think I'm ok with that, Cindy."

They stood there like that for a second. Both girls were grateful that there was little lighting in the room as their faces had both turned a bright scarlet. Neither wanted to let go of the other's hands, or at least, neither of them wanted to let go first.

After a few too many seconds of their apparent game of chicken, Lucinda let go and flopped down on the bed. "What a night," she sighed, "I desperately needed to get out of here and do something fun," she propped herself up onto her forearms and looked at Melissa, "and you girlfriend are no slouch on the dance floor."

Melissa sat down on the bed next to her, "well you weren't half bad yourse-"

She didn't even get the chance to finish her sentence when she was wacked over the head with a pillow, "Excuse me, but you and I both know that I am the epitome of grace on the dance floor!"

"Yeah, you are," she giggled placing her head on Lucinda's shoulder, the assault pillow resting in her lap, "it was really nice to just feel normal for a moment."

Lucinda clutched Melissa's hand once again, "It really was. I hope it can be like that all the time soon. I'm so sick of running and hiding. I just want every night to be like tonight. I want to laugh and drink and dance, and just feel safe like we used to."

Melissa looked up at Lucinda, "Well, I can't make any promises for the future," she paused, her thumb stroking the back of Lucinda's hand, "But, if you want to, I think we can steal another moment right now," she stood up and held her hand out to Lucinda, smiling goofily, "May I have another dance m'lady?"

Lucinda giggled, "Why of course madam."

For a number of minutes, the pair danced around the room to an invisible beat. They moved in synchronised harmony, flowing gracefully between each step. They took turns leading, spinning each other around and changing styles, from a gracious waltz to a somewhat clumsy tango. Eventually they settled into an intimate slow dance, holding each other close whilst they kept moving to their imaginary beat.

Suddenly, Mellissa broke away, "Sorry, just give me one second." She did a strange little shimmy movement, revealing her concealed wolf ears and tail. She returned to her place in Lucinda's arms, "We're safe here," she said softly, "I feel safe here."

Lucinda wrapped the wolf girl tightly in her arms and kissed her softly on the forehead, "I feel safe here too."

Melissa looked up at Lucinda and smiled shyly, "You know," she hesitated for a moment, "you know, if you want to, I might accept a real kiss."

Lucinda chuckled, "Oh will you now."

"I mean you don't have to, I just kind of assumed that's where it was going. But I didn't just want to pounce because you should ask before you do these kinds of things."

Lucinda shushed her, gazing deep into her hazel eyes. Looking at Melissa like this transported her back to their dance at the casino. They had held each other just like this, spinning around in their gorgeous ballgowns, looking at each other with this exact same gaze. Lucinda had wanted to kiss her there too, right in front of all their friends. This moment felt exactly the same, but she knew this time she wouldn't miss her opportunity.

Lucinda leaned in placing her forehead against her dance partner's, "you did indeed guess right. I was just waiting for you to ask," she smiled coyly before gently lips her lips on Melissa's, "do you accept?"

Melissa placed a hand on Lucinda's face," I absolutely accept."

She pulled Lucinda back into a tight embrace, initiating an intense second kiss. Lucinda leaned in, in response, moving her hands to the back of Melissa's head, tangling her fingers with the werewolf's hair. Her hand grazed the back of one of Melissa's ears, causing her to giggle, "Hey! that tickles."

"Sorry, I forgot about them."

"It's fine," Melissa smirked, moving back into the kiss. A small moment later she broke away, moving slightly to kiss Lucinda's jawline, and then gradually trail kisses down her neck, "Is this, ok?"

"I-,"she paused, "I don't know-"

Melissa pulled away, breaking their embrace. She looked Lucinda in the eye, she looked so worried, so different to the confident woman she usually was. Melissa's concern for her friend rose, "Cindy, are you ok?"

Lucinda walked over to the bed and sat down, she let out an exasperated sigh, resting her head in her hands, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I really like you, and I've been waiting for this for so long. But I'm scared. I'm scared that this will end badly. I don't want to be hurt again like I was with Ivan."

Melissa walked over and sat on the bed next to Lucinda, "Lucinda, this isn't like that. I don't know everything about Ivan. But from what you have told me, he never really cared about you. You weren't his girlfriend because he actually liked you, but because he liked having someone to control."

She placed her hand on the witch's shoulder, "But, you don't have to worry about that with me. I think you are one the most beautiful girls I have ever seen. You're so smart, and funny, and insanely talented. You exude so much confidence. It's hard not to notice whenever you enter a room. You care for all of your friends and work hard to help whoever you can. You have such a big heart. Also, did I mention that you are absolutely stunning."

Lucinda looked up at her, tears welling in her eyes. She looked at the warm smile on Melissa's face. Her words were filled with genuinity, yet Lucinda couldn't comprehend how someone could feel that way about her. She remembered the day she found out Ivan was cheating on her. She had entered their bedroom, in their house to find him locking lips with another girl. For so long she had sat in that pain, drowning in her thoughts and anxieties. How could she have been so stupid, so naive? Was she not good enough for him, not pretty enough? Ever since his betrayal she had never been able to let anyone else in. At least not in that way.

But something felt different about Melissa. Melissa was fun to be around. She tried her hardest to bring joy to the people around her, even in the darkest of moments. She always held her family close to her. They were the most important people in her life, and she would do anything to keep them safe. She was also stunningly gorgeous.

She knew that Melissa meant every word she had just said. Her eyes were filled with so much love, and her smile was warm and comforting. Lucinda managed to smile back, "Thank you. I- I really needed to hear that. I do want to do this. I want to be with you. I'm ready to be with you," she grabbed both of Melissa's hands, "that is if you're ready to be with me, Missy."

"Uh, of course I am! How many more hints do you need?"

They both burst out into a fit of laughter, over their obliviousness to each other's feelings. After a moment Lucinda flopped down on the bed, letting out a high-pitched sigh as she gained her composure. Melissa followed suit, "What do you think you would've been doing if you at home right now?"

Lucinda turned onto her side to look at Melissa, "I would probably be back running my potions shop, hanging out with everyone in the neighbourhood, and staying up all night. Hopefully, still getting to hang out with you."

"Do you think this would've happened between us if we weren't stuck here?"

"Girl, I sure as hell hope so. But if I had to choose, I would choose being with you like this right now rather than going back home alone."

Melissa moved in closer and placed her hand on the side of Lucinda's face, "I would choose the same thing."

Melissa pulled Lucinda in for another kissed. The passion in their kiss grew quickly, reaching a heightened intensity. Melissa rolled over, onto to her hands and knees, leaning over the beautiful witch. Lucinda moved her hands down, holding onto the werewolf girl's waist. Once again Melissa broke from their kiss and trailed kisses down Lucinda's neck, tracing a line from her jaw to her collar bone, "Is this ok, now?"

"Yes, it really is ok."

The werewolf girl moved her face to look directly at Lucinda, "Can you stay here, with me tonight?"

Lucinda chuckled, "Of course! There's no way I'm leaving you now."

Melissa smiled slyly and then rolled over pulling Lucinda on top of her, "Well that's good, I wasn't gonna let you anyway, Cin-"

Lucinda silenced her with a kiss. The two girls continued to kiss each other passionately, interrupting each other with giggles and witty remarks.

Eventually everything calmed down. Melissa lay in Lucinda's arms her head resting on the witch's chest. The sound of Lucinda's heart becoming a steady beat, softly easing her into slumber. Lucinda lay there, her arm around the werewolf, her hand on the centre of her back. She watched fondly as Melissa slept, listening to her soft snores, a small smile glued to her face. For the first time in weeks both of them felt at peace. There in each other's arms they had created their own oasis where nothing and nobody could ever harm them. That type of tranquillity was near impossible to achieve in their nightmare reality. It was a moment they needed to treasure. For it was a moment that would be temporary.

Chapter Text

As evening fell over the Pheonix Settlement, Katelyn found herself pacing the small plaza, lost in thought. She had told the boys that she would take the first patrol for the evening as she had spent the day off with Aphmau, Lucinda and Leona. But really, she couldn't sleep. And even though she paced down the paths, she was only there physically.

In her head she just kept thinking about her day at the hot spring. Recounting everything they had talked about, and overthinking every word she had said. Oddly enough the things Lucinda had spoken about kept popping into her head. The questions she had asked, about the boys, about love, about her.

Of course it was all such inappropriate gossip, how would that be any of Lucinda's business. Besides the only man Katelyn had ever thought of like that was Jeffory, and that had scarred her beyond any comprehension. She had tried her best to play it off cool, joking about Aphmau, which may not have been entirely a ruse. Then she brought up Vylad. She knew she didn't care for him, she hardly even knew him, but something about him reminded of Jeffory. Every time she looked at him, she relived the pain of losing him, but also received the same comfort. She hoped that the others couldn't see her pain or her weakness, especially Lucinda.

That cocky bitch. Katelyn couldn't help but smile, thinking about the overly sassy red head. Even though she acted so prissy, she was really such a strong woman. She thought about what Lucinda had said about Travis, how could she like somebody like Travis? Even if she did, he didn't deserve someone as talented and beautiful as Lucinda. No, she deserves someone who truly understood how incredible, smart and powerful she is. But also, someone to keep her humbled. Irene did she need to be humbled sometimes.

She stopped pacing and just stared up at the moon for a moment. Maybe there were things about Lucinda that she didn't know. Things she might be able to understand. If Katelyn had lied and joked her way out of Lucinda's probing, then maybe she had done the same.

I need to know, Katelyn thought.

Katelyn did one last sweep of the settlement, looking for anything dangerous lurking in the nearby forest. After making sure everything was safe and clear she headed down the path towards the portal connecting them to Pheonix Drop. She knew Garroth would start his patrol shortly, she assumed nothing bad could happen in that time. Once through the portal, she wandered over to Lucinda's front door and knocked loudly.

"Lucinda! are you home," she whispered loudly towards the upstairs window, "I need to ask you about some things."

Within seconds the door swung open, a gorgeous red head stood in the foyer, wearing a rather flattering nightgown.

"Katelyn," her eyes widened with shock and confusion, "What are you doing here?" her face quickly morphed into panic, "Did something happen at the settlement?"

Katelyn stared blankly for a second and quickly realises how her impromptu visit may have caused some panic, "Oh! No, everything is fine. There's just something I wanted to ask you."

Lucinda's stance relaxed but her face still had a confused expression upon it, "Ok? Do you wanna come in?"

Katelyn followed Lucinda through her front door and looked around the room in awe. She had been inside Lucinda's house before, but every time she visited, she was remined how beautiful her home was. The whole house had a rustic cottage appearance, yet it was unimaginably huge. From the ceilings grew all types of vines and herbs, that were used in Lucinda's potions. Almost every wall was lined with various spell books and other magical clutter. Every room was busy and crowded with decor, but that's what made her house so whimsical.

The two headed upstairs and ended up in the house's quaint kitchen. Lucinda motioned for Katelyn to take a seat at the small round table in the corner of the room, "I'll make up some chamomile tea for us, and then we can have a chat."

Katelyn nodded and gingerly sat on one of the ornately crafted chairs. Her eyes wandered around the room; she had never been in here before. This was perhaps one of the cosiest rooms in the whole house. The kitchen cabinets were all cream coloured, with floral designs carefully painted on them, and the counter tops were a deep dark wood. In the corner under the table there was a large rug, woven together with all sorts of bright colours. On the opposite side of the room there was a gorgeous shelf, which matched the table and countertops, it had intricate carvings in it and was overflowing with an assortment of books. Her eyes drew their attention back to Lucinda as she prepared their tea. The witch herself was quite a stunning sight. Her orange hair flowed gracefully down her back forming perfect gentle waves. Her nightgown was fitted perfectly to accentuate all the right parts, but also was flowy and soft. She always moved with grace, and very rarely did she appear unkept.

"So, what exactly caused you come here in the middle of the night like this?" She probed at Katelyn, noticing her staring, "or did you just come to gawk at me?"

Katelyn answered abruptly, "Be honest with me. Why did you say you liked Travis?"

Lucinda looked up abruptly, almost spilling hot water all over the counter, and she just blinked at Katelyn, "I'm sorry, are you serious? You came all the way here to ask me about Travis?"

Katelyn stared at her wide eyed, an embarrassed pink appearing across her cheeks, "Yes?" She said an awkward grin on her face, "I know it sounds stupid. But come on! You can't actually be into Travis! You're so... WOW!" She made a thumbs up way up in the air, "and he's so..." she brought her hand down into a thumbs down and made fart noises with her mouth.

The gorgeous witch burst out laughing folding over herself in hysterics, "Oh my Irene Katelyn!" She stood up, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes, "You are just too much my sweet."

She quickly finished up their cups of tea and walked over to the small table in the corner, with an additional plate of cookies. She sat for a moment, drinking her tea, before addressing the flustered woman beside her, "Ok, you are very right, I am quite a catch. But I don't know, I think Travis does have a sort of charm in his own way. Whilst I do feel this way, I would never pursue him. He's just a little young for me I think."

Katelyn, took a second to process the information before forming a response, "So what? You got a problem with young people. You do know Travis is the same age as the rest of us, right?"

"I know. I guess it doesn't feel like you guys are that young. I mean you and I were roughly the same age before. Travis would've been just a kid," she took another sip of tea, "besides, now it sounds like you want me to be with him."

Lucinda smirked at Katelyn as she lifted her cup to her lips once more. In frustration Katelyn thrust her teacup onto the table, causing some of it to splash around the cup. She let out a low grown, "No, that's not what I'm saying at all. I just..."

She was interrupted by one of Lucinda's snarky remarks, "You know, it's almost starting to sound as if you're into Travis," she giggled as she witnessed Katelyn's face turn beetroot red, "Oh, sweetie it's more than ok to be jealous. I completely understand. You should just go for it. He's clearly interested."

With great force Katelyn stood up and slammed her hands onto the table, "NO!" she shouted, and then through gritted teeth, "I am not, nor will I ever be attracted to that creep."

"Ok? So then what the hell is your problem?" She started to raise her voice, "Why do you care if I'm into Travis or not?" She paused for a small minute, "Unless..."

She looked up at the blue haired woman in front of her, realisation sinking in. Looking into her pale blue eyes she could finally see it, she finally understood why Katelyn had come here.

"You are jealous though aren't you, Katelyn," the blue haired girl sat back down at the table and looked at the floor, avoiding Lucinda's eye contact, "You're jealous, because Travis isn't you."

By this point Lucinda had reached forwards and grabbed Katelyn's hands in hers. Katelyn looked back up, her eyes glassy with tears, her face flushed and red. She yanked her hands out of Lucinda's grasp and fled to the doorway.

"I don't need your pity Lucinda," still facing away, her voice starting to shake, "I'm sorry, this was a mistake. I need to get back to the settlement now."

She walked out the door, swiftly heading towards the exit of the witch's home, but Lucinda was hot on her tail. As she reached the foyer, Lucinda finally caught her, clutching her hand, "Katelyn, please wait."

Katelyn slowly turned around, but still avoided looking at the beautiful witch's face. Lucinda took a deep breath and then placed a hand on Katelyn's face, forcing her to look up at her. She moved in closer, placing her forehead on Katelyn's, "you know, you've got a sort of charm to you as well."

Then, she closed the space between them, locking her lips onto Katelyn's. She could feel the other girl's heart beating, it was rapid and strong. She could smell her scent, she still smelt of the hot spring water from before. She could taste the chamomile tea still on her lips.

It was Katelyn who broke away first, taking Lucinda's hand away from her face, "No, please don't mess with my feelings like this."

Lucinda took both of Katelyn's hands in hers, "Katelyn," she pulled her hands away, withdrawing form the witch, "Listen to me. You are one of the most beautiful people I have I ever met. Since you guys found me in Pikoro I have had the time of my life getting to know you. You're such a strong woman, and you try so hard to act tough all the time. But really you love being pampered. You love soft fabrics, and feather pillows. You can't stand being out at sea because it makes you so sick. You would and have sacrificed everything to save the ones you love. I'd be crazy not to love you."

Katelyn felt herself start to smile. The kind of smile that makes your cheeks hurt, but at the same time made you feel warm and giddy inside. Never in her life had someone said those words to her. No one had ever noticed all these things about her, looked past the walls she built up so high. But Lucinda had. The woman who had seen her at her lowest point and helped her through it. The woman who had forced her out of her comfort zone and broken her facade.

Looking at the witch's face, her soft smile and kind ruby eyes, she felt her heart skip a beat. In one smooth motion she placed her hand on that face and pulled Lucinda into a kiss.

The witch reciprocated her advance, placing her arm around Katelyn's waist, pulling her even closer. This time there was real emotion in their embrace, true synchronisation. Being the this close they could feel one another's heartbeats, as their hearts thumped with anxiety and exhilaration.

Lucinda broke for a quick breath, resting her forehead on Katelyn's, "Thank you for coming tonight," Katelyn kissed her again, "Please, can you stay for the night?"

"I think I can," she broke away slightly, still caressing Lucinda's cheek, "but do you mind if we slow down?" she took Lucinda's hands, smiling sweetly at her, "I've never done this before, and I want this to last. I want to savour this, because I really like you."

Lucinda wrapped her arms around Katelyn, cradling her head in her shoulder, "Of course sugar pea. Whatever you need, "she kissed the top of her head, "We will do whatever you need."

They headed back upstairs, hand in hand, walking in the direction of Lucinda's bedroom. Finally, the voices in Katelyn's head had silenced for the night. She lay there in Lucinda's arms, almost forgetting the anxieties that had brought her in the first place. Everything was perfect. She felt warm, comfortable and at ease. Once again, she had been soothed by Lucinda, and she knew it wouldn't be the last time. Everything had changed, again, but this time it might just be for the better.

Chapter Text

Katelyn sat at her desk, alone in her room, pondering over the script for her upcoming play. She read the all too familiar lines of the Shakespearian play over and over, making notes about staging and possible casting. Deep within the play, she found herself reminiscing about her last encounter with this scripture, back in her high school theatre class. That day, to Katelyn's joy, Aphmau had just joined the class. She had used the opportunity to force Aphmau into a scene from 'Romeo and Julliet' where the two portrayed the lovers. This time though, she would not put herself in that position again, For the sake of the show she thought to herself. Afterall, this wasn't a silly high school task, this was a real show, it needed real lovers.

She continued filtering through the script, moving characters upstage and downstage, choreographing fight scenes, and adding notes for the actors. The show was slowly coming together, all the pieces forming a clear vision in her mind. Aphmau was to play the darling Julliet, and with her it would be easy to find her Romeo. There was no doubt in Katelyn's mind that the boys across the street would be lining up to play her lover, and the losers would simply fill the other roles. Her plan, whilst exceedingly malicious, would work brilliantly.

As she chuckled to herself quietly, thinking about her genius casting plan, she heard a soft knock on her bedroom door. The sound awakened her from her deep state of concentration, and she peered at the clock on the bedside table. She hadn't even realised how late it had gotten. There was another knock at the door, followed by her roommate's voice, "Katelyn, are you awake?" Aphmau's voice sounded weak and a little shaky, "Katelyn, I really need to talk to you about something."

Slightly confused about the late-night intrusion, Katelyn slowly made her way across the room. Quietly she opened the bedroom door, and the small raven-haired girl burst into the room, flopping onto the bed. Flat on her stomach she turned her head to face Katelyn before making her announcement, "I can't play Julliet."

Whilst she was still recovering from Aphmau barging into her room, Katelyn stood there stuttering in her bewilderment. What does she mean she can't play Julliet? Aphmau has to play Julliet, the entire casting process relied on it. Why is she only saying something now? It's not like she was ever forced into this. She had time to back out before they got too deep into the process, and Katelyn was far too deep at this point. But if it were about the boys, again, they had already discussed her concerns about that.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, organising all the thoughts rushing through her mind. She looked over at Aphmau, who now lay on her back, her face covered by one of Katelyn’s pillows, “Aph, I don’t understand,” Katelyn wandered over, sitting at the end of the bed, “Why can’t you play Julliet?”

“Because I can’t,” she exclaimed, taking the pillow off her face and sitting up next to Katelyn, “I thought it would be ok,” she paused, taking in a deep breath, “but I just can’t do it.”

Katelyn’s brow furrowed slightly in confusion as she phrased her question once more, “Ok, but why can’t you play Julliet?” She watched Aphmau as she looked down, fiddling with her pyjama shirt, “if it’s about the boys, I thought we had already sorted that out.”

Aphmau looked up at Katelyn, her face contorting slightly as she thought about her response, “Well...” She diverted her gaze, looking up towards the ceiling, “it’s not, not about the boys.”

Taking another deep breath, Katelyn pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head slightly, “What in Irene’s sake does that even mean Aphmau?” She looked back to her friend, meeting her warm brown eyes, “If it’s about the kiss, there are ways to fake it. I’m not going to force you to kiss any of those boys,” she smirked, a cruel thought crossing her mind, “besides, Aaron’s auditioning, I thought you would definitely wanna kiss him.”

Aphmau’s face fell as she looked back down at her hands in her lap, “I don’t think I really wanna kiss any of them, not even Aaron,” her gaze travelled back to the ceiling, and it looked as if she were blinking back tears, “There’s someone else I think I’d rather kiss.”

For a moment, Katelyn felt her heart flutter and her mind began racing again. What did she mean by that? It seemed like a strange thing to be revealing right now. Plus, it seemed to be causing her a lot of stress to talk about. Then, that thought popped into her head. The thought that her years of pining had come to an end. She could feel her heart pounding by her ears, her minding clouded with delusions as she processed their conversation. Could Aphmau really be about to say what she had longed to hear since high school? No, she thought, that’s not possible.

Pushing all her delusions aside, she looked at Aphmau, plastering a teasing grin across her face as she nudged her friend in the side, “So then, who do you want to kiss?”

She watched as Aphmau’s face turned a violent shade of red and she started nervously fiddling, “Well, I’ve known this person for a very long time. They’ve stood by me throughout all of the chaos I get into,” she continued to bumble on about her mystery crush before looking up to peer into Katelyn’s bright blue eyes, “and she…”

She? Katelyn thought. It was a girl. Maybe, she let herself think, all her delusions rushing back into head.

Aphmau had abruptly clamped her hand over her mouth, and had slowly risen from the bed, “I’m sorry, I can’t” her brown eyes glistened slightly as she turned away to flee the room.

Katelyn quickly lunged forwards, grasping Aphmau’s hand, spinning her back around. Her hand still clasping the girl’s wrist she spoke in a frantic, hushed tone, “Aphmau, who is she?”

“I can’t, it’ll ruin everything,” her bottom lip quivered as she held back tears, but she didn’t break Katelyn’s gaze, “I’m sorry.”

Katelyn could feel her chest pounding, her mouth becoming dry as she uttered her next words, “Aphmau, is it me?” She noticed Aphmau hesitate before opening her mouth, “Do not lie to me.”

Turning her gaze to the ground, Aphmau spoke in barely a whisper, but even over the sound of her heartbeat Katelyn heard the indisputable answer, “Yes, it’s you.”

A long sigh escaped Katelyn’s lips, as she released her grip around her from friend’s wrist, “I can’t believe it,” she tilted Aphmau’s chin up, placing a gentle hand on the side of her face. Then she chuckled, “I think I’d like to kiss you too.”

Leaning down slightly, she cupped Aphmau’s face in both her hands, before gently placing her lips on Aphmau’s. Their kiss was long and soft, she could taste toothpaste and smell a hint of Aphmau’s shampoo. As they parted, Katelyn rested her forehead on Aphmau’s, sighing deeply, “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this.”

“But aren’t you worried about ruining our friendship.” Aphmau moved slightly away, her brows furrowing, “I don’t want to lose you.”

Katelyn smiled, shaking her head, “Well I think it’s a little late for that,” she laughed, “besides, I don’t see anything wrong with having at least one night of fun.”

She pulled Aphmau in, leaving a kiss on her forehead. Aphmau looked at her with wide eyes and lifted her hand towards Katelyn’s face. Starting at her brow, Aphmau traced her fingers past those bright blue eyes, along her sharp cheek bones and her defined jaw line. Then she traced over Katelyn’s lips, outlining the shape of them carefully until Katelyn smiled, letting out a small chuckle, “Aph, that tickles.”

Smiling back, Aphmau grabbed Katelyn by her shirt and pulled her forwards into another kiss, startling the bllue haired girl. Katelyn reciprocated, wrapping her arms around Aphmau’s waist. She leant into Katelyn fully, her hands at the nape of her neck, her finders tnagling in the loose blue strands. Momentarily, Katelyn broke free, leading her kisses down the side of Aphmau neck, “You’re right Katelyn, I think we can handle a night of fun.”

Katelyn giggled slightly against Aphmau skin, “Oh Aph, my dear, the fun is only just beginning.”

Quickly and without warning Katelyn hoisted Aphmau into the air, before steadily cradling her in her arms, “Damn Katelyn, I forgot how strong you are,” she reached up to touch Katelyn’s face, “Honestly, I’m kind of into it.”

Katelyn walked across the room, back to the bed, where she placed Aphmau down carefully, before climbing in next to her. They lay there facing each other, hands intertwined, “You know Kawaii-Chan is going to freak out over this,” Aphmau joked, “This will ruin her entire shipping shrine.”

Katelyn shrugged, “I think she’ll get over that. She’ll just have to start shipping us instead.” She leant forward, planting a kiss on the end of Aphmau’s nose. In response, Aphmau closed the little space between them with a lingering kiss. There was no more space for overthinking. No space for thinking about plays or casting choices, no space for thinking about ruined friendships, and most definitely no space for second guessing feelings.

That night they would hold each, making up for any lost time, any stolen moments. If tonight were the only night they would spend together, it would magical and fun. Each tender touch was laced with so much passion. Every kiss was had as if they were finite and stolen. Every moment, as if they would never experience this again. As if it weren't as simple as wondering down the hall each night. But this one was diffent. For on this night walls had come down and dreams had come true. Katelyn had found the Romeo to her Julliet. 

Chapter Text

Late one night by the docks just outside the town of Pheonix Drop stood a man dressed in shining bronze armour. The armoured man stood alone on the sand, the light of the moon reflecting off his scruffy blond hair. He looked up, taking in the celestial body, the stars around it, and the vast deep blue that engulfed him. As he gazed onward his mind pondered on everything that had happened to him, every decision, every mistake and every person he had let down which had led him to this point.

It had been six months since Garroth had been rescued from the Irene dimension and a great deal of tremendous events had already taken place. Catastrophes such as Aaron’s sacrifice to bombshell revelation like Aphmau having Aaron’s child, or even the fact that Aphmau was a reincarnation of the Lady Irene. It was all too much for Garroth to bear. On top of all that, he hot seen his best friend in months.

Not long after finding out Aphmau’s true identity Vylad had come to them with harsh. He told them that Laurance had given into the calling and had recently made his way to the Shadow Realm. Just the thought of his best friend abandoning them had been enough to make Garroth’s heart ache over the recent months. Laurance had vowed to be there for the village, to be there for Aphmau, and for him. But the darkness had consumed Laurance, much like the night sky often consumed Garroth.

Garroth found a place to sit on the beach, where the tide threatened to kiss his leather boots. Sitting there allowed him to think, to feel his sadness whilst grounding himself with sound of the water and the sensation of the sands between his fingers. These calm moments juxtaposed his racing mind, allowing him to process it all.

Tonight, his mind stagnated on his lost friend. Every thought kept coming back to Laurance alone in the Shadow Realm with nothing but his own fury to keep him going. A man who had been deceived and heartbroken by the very same woman who had hurt him. A man who loved so hard and wanted nothing more than to be loved in return. Something Garroth may have been able to give him if he had only been able to stay a little while longer.

While his brain thought in circles, Garroth noticed his heart beating ferociously in his chest, his stomach queasy at the thought of Laurance’s suffering. He gazed up at the moon, “What have you done to me?” He cried out sending his message out into the night, “This wasn’t how this was supposed to go,” his eyes stung as water filled them, “You left me before I even got the chance…”

Choking on his tears, Garroth’s mind was thrust back to right before the incident in the Irene dimension. All the way back to that damned illusion in the forest, “You know, Laurance, I had always felt the cold sting of jealousy every time you and Aphmau were together. It drove me mad watching the two of you grow closer,” a single tear rolled gently down his face as he continued the story, “and then there was the illusion of the two of you kissing. It broke me. I always thought it was because I was in love with Aphmau.”

Garroth wiped the tear stream with the back of his hand, turning his attention to the sand beneath his feet. He sifted it through his hand, the particles flowing like time. The oceans lapping at his toes whisked the sand away, transporting it to a new place at a new time. But with or without the sand the tides kept turning, the swell causing chaos across the world. Garroth felt like the sand, thrust forward into a time and place he didn’t quite understand, whilst the tides kept flowing in his absence. It was fair how much time he had lost. How much all of them had lost because of his mistakes. He deserved to feel like this, lost and afraid and small, like a grain of sand.

He didn’t deserve to love or be loved. Just like the tide his mistakes had caused do much strife across the world. So much pain and suffering to his friends. He wasn’t worthy of the sacrifices made for him; Aaron didn’t deserve to die. Aphmau shouldn’t have to suffer for his stupidity. And Laurance.

Laurance had been the one to pull Garroth out of his head during the Irene dimension incident. Laurance had brought him clarity helped to see everything how it really was. Noble man such as him didn’t deserve the cruel fate bestowed upon him. And so, Garroth would suffer with him.

The moon loomed over Garroth, it’s bright light and clarity provided a focal point for him. Garroth rose to his feet, taking in the full moon and all its majesty. Gazing at the sky he took a deep breath before sending out his message into the night air, “For the first time in months I think I can finally see it all so clear,” pesky tears threatened his eyes as his voice shook, “All along I’ve been chasing after the wrong thing, the wrong person, but it all makes sense now.”

Though salt stream clouded his vision, he kept his focus on the moon’s glow, “I’ve made so many mistakes, and I’ve hurt you over and over again,” he looked at his shaky hands. The hands that had committed so much treachery, “You shouldn’t have to suffer like you are. You shouldn’t have to feel so much pain and I wish I could save you from it…”

He fell to his knees in anguish, cool saltwater splashing against his thighs. Tears flowed down his face and fell like small droplets into the water, rushed away by the tides. He watched the water flowing as his voice escaped him, shakily and meek, “But I can’t.”

Sitting back, he let the water lap around him as he stared aimlessly out into the horizon. His chest burned from his pounding heart, and his mouth felt dry, his tongue sticky as he uttered his next words, “I love you, Laurance,” his eyes glistened as he met the moonlight, “For all my days I will continue to love you, but it will never be enough for me to deserve you. Not enough for you to come back.”

There sitting in the ocean, Garroth allowed himself to expel his emotions, wailing them out into the breeze, swaying and shaking in his grief in time with the ocean’s waves. He felt deep anguish as he forced himself to relive past memories, of all the events he hadn’t misinterpreted. All along it had been his closest friend, Laurance had held his heart for so long. But he was far too late.

Deep within the Shadow Realm, where there was no moon, no stars and no sky, a man with light brown hair sat alone in his chamber. Though there was no day nor night in this dark realm, every so often Laurance would come here to rest. Although, sleep often eluded him. Tonight, like every other, he sat on his rock-hard bed, hunched over he stared at the crimson floors. His blood boiled and his eyes burned like the ever-lasting fire blazing outside. He would sit there for hours, his mind reeling and fixating on his last few months in the overworld. She had deceived him, betrayed him. All he had wanted was her trust, to be her confidant, but she had lied through her teeth, hiding everything from him. Each night he thought about it until his chest ached and the burning in his eyes became unbearable.

But tonight, as he became deeply consumed in his mind, he suddenly felt a strange warmth. It was different to the heat of his underworld home; this wasn’t sinister like that. No, it was a comforting warmth like a hug from a loved one or sharing a home cooked meal. This warmth soothed him, easing the growing fire within his chest and calming the rage ruching through his veins. Laurance allowed the warm feeling to wash over him; it felt like love. And, for the first time in months, his eyes had stopped burning.

Chapter Text

“And the prince rode away on his wyvern, living happily ever after with his best friend,” Zoey closed the book two boys tucked into their beds, their wide eyes curiously taking in every word, “Alright boys, you’ve gotten two stories not. It’s time for bed.”

She began walking around the room, blowing out the candle lights. She knelt down by the bed of the blonde-haired boy, “Good night little Levin,” she said sweetly, kissing him gently on the forehead.

“Good night, Zoey!” He exclaimed excitedly, wrapping himself up in the blankets.

Then she turned to the brunette boy in the other bed, “You are so strong Malachi,” she placed a hand on his face, which for the first time in over 900 years was warm to touch, “Good night my sweet child.”

For the first time she was able to kiss the young boy good night and tuck him into his bed. Truly she felt guilty for what she had done to him. He never should have been able to access the Yggdrasil Saplings. She should have been paying attention. If it had been Levin, he may have been seriously hurt, or worse. But for now, Malachi had been granted with this miracle, for now he had a second chance at life. As Zoey left the room, she saw a slight smile on Malachi’s face, he was happy and that’s all that should matter.

Heading down the stairs, Zoey noticed candlelight was still glowing in the kitchen. As she rounded the corner, she saw Aphmau hunched over the kitchen table, papers filled with war plans scattered around her. She must’ve her the elf enter the room because she turned around abruptly. Her face was a frazzled state, purple rings consumed her eyes, and her hair knotted. Still in her armour, it looked as if she hadn’t bathed in days.

“Aphmau, are you ok?” The tired eyes looking back were stiff and unmoving, “What is all of this?”

“They’re war plans, strategies and precautionary diplomacy.” She sifted through the papers, each one marked up with scribbles of ink, “Garroth asked Azura to send them over. But there’s so much we don’t know about Zane’s plan so it’s not really that helpful.”

Aphmau’s eyes suddenly darted around the room, where they landed on the clocked above the room. Her face morphed into a deep frown, “Oh shit Zoey, I’m so sorry. I didn’t even realise what time it is.”

Usually, Aphmau would spend her evenings with the boys, playing with them and helping them wind down before bed. But, over the last couple days she would arrive home late, often with Garroth or Laurance in tow. Each night Zoey could hear them talking, from her room late into the night. Ever since Zane had stormed the gates of Pheonix Drop with the Lord of Scaleswind, she hadn’t quite herself.

“Aphmau, it’s ok,” she smiled sweetly, pulling out a chair to sit beside her friend, “You’ve got more than enough on your mind right now.”

Aphmau leant over the table, her forehead in her hands, as she shook her head slightly, “But it’s not ok,” She looked back up at Zoey, her bloodshot eyes glistening in the candlelight, “I’ve barely seen the boys since Zane came to the village. I couldn’t even manage to kiss my son goodnight for the first time,” her voice started to shake as tears started to fall down her face, “I don’t deserve them, I don’t deserve you Zoey.”

Zoey pulled in her distraught friend, encapsulating her in her arms. Aphmau’s body shook as she sobbed violently, each cry forcing a sudden jolt. Zoey stroked her back sympathetically, “Whether you deserve us or not, we will always be here. Your boys love you and they will always need you,” her voice stagnated, “I will always need you.”

She held onto her friend for a long moment, letting the words she spoke sink in, and the words she couldn’t say. It was almost too.

It had almost been too long when Aphmau broke away, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She looked up at Zoey, her puffy brown eyes were lifeless and numb, but she had mustered up a small smile. Without warning, she placed her hand upon Zoey’s face, “Zoey,” hearing her name like that made her pulse quicken and her stomach churn. She smiled back, placing her hand Aphmau’s, “I don’t know how to say this,” She removed her hand from Zoey’s face and clutched the elf’s hand. Zoey tried to listen to Aphmau’s words as her heart pounded loudly in her ears, “Every time I leave the village, it hurts to be away. I miss my people, my friends, my boys, you. Every moment after I leave these walls, I long to come back to them. Every moment makes me feel like I’ve wronged you, like I’m a burden to you. It kills me to think I’m making your life difficult by being away,” she paused taking a long breathe.

“But then I come home, and there you are standing on the dock as my boat comes in. Amongst all those people waiting for me to come home, you are the first one I see, your smile the first one I notice,” Zoey felt as if her heart might pound right out of her chest, knowing the words she couldn’t say were right on the tip of Aphmau’s tongue, “Zoey, I think I want this to be our family. You love those boys just as much as they love you. And…”

She trailed off, the words too hard to get out, “Oh my Irene, how does Laurance do this so easily?” She chuckled.

“Aphmau,” Zoey interjected, “I love you too.”

Staring blankly, Aphmau stuttered, “How- wha-, since when?”

Zoey took Aphmau’s other hand, “I think I realised after you got back the last time you went out west. You were gone for so long during that trip, I didn’t realise how much I had missed you until I saw you come back. But honestly, I probably felt like for a long time before then,” She let go of Aphmau’s hands, her face sinking turning solemn as she spoke, “I remember wanting to dance with you so badly at Donna’s wedding. I wanted to hold you, heal your pain, when Laurance came back. I wanted to destroy myself after what I did to Malachi, because you deserve better than the screw up I am.”

Aphmau cupped Zoey’s face with both her hands, looking into her bright turquoise eyes, “Zoey, for all the times you’ve screwed up, I guarantee I’ve done worse. Maybe that’s why this makes so much sense,” she chuckled. For a moment, Aphmau gazed at Zoey’s face taking in every feature, her bright right eyes twinkle slightly, for usually bejewelled pointed ears were stripped bare for the night, and a slight red hue shone on her high cheekbones. She lifted her hand, pushing a stray piece of blonde hair out of the elf’s face, “You’re so beautiful,” she whispers.

Aphmau’s hand lingered near Zoey’s ear, and she realised their faces were mere inches apart. Zoey’s breath caught as butterflies roared in her stomach as she stared into those golden, brown eyes, “Is this ok?” she asked leaning forward, touching their foreheads together, “Can I kiss you?”

“Yes.”

As the gap closed between them, Zoey felt her mind go quiet. There was no impending war, there was no guilt and no disasters. All that remained was the girl in front of, all that mattered was the family they shared, and the love that had grown between them. She clasped her hand of the side of Aphmau’s face, she could feel her pulse thrumming beneath her fingers and the warmth of her flushed cheeks. The house was silent, but her feelings raged like a symphony in her mind. There was nothing but longing and passion during their kiss.

Still holding each other’s faces, they broke free, both taking a moment to catch their breath. Aphmau chuckled quietly, “Wow, so that’s what all the fuss is about then.”

Zoey giggled, “Look, I know you’re exhausted. But is that really what you’ve gotta say right now,” Aphmau backed away bashfully as Zoey finished laughing, “Aph, it’s ok,” she gently stroked the side of her face, “why don’t we get you cleaned up, and then we can head to bed early?” She stood up, offering her hand to Aphmau, “I can stay with you tonight, if you want?”

Smiling weakly, Aphmau reached out for Zoey’s hand, “Yes please,” she said looking up at the tall elven girl, “I think I need you tonight,” rising onto the tips of her toes, she placed a hand onto the back of Zoey’s neck, meeting their lips together, “I may need a few more kisses from you.”

That night was the first time in weeks that both girls had felt at peace, had felt pure joy. Although they barely slept, their night filled with laughter and passion, it was the most refreshed Aphmau had felt in days. Zoey had finally put aside her guilt, everything she had been carrying over the last few centuries suddenly didn’t matter. All of their screw ups, all the times they felt as if they had hurt each other were gone, forgiven.

Finally, alone together in the silence of their house, it felt as if the entire world had disappeared. Their home was a safe haven, a magical place where they could exist as a happy family. But no matter how hard they wished, no matter how many barrier spells Zoey could cast. This feeling was temporary and this one night together would likely be their last.

Chapter Text

Late into the night, Aaron lay on his couch in his living room, alone. The sound of the tv playing drowning out his loneliness. For the first time that day he could remove the mask he wore over his eyes. Some days it did annoy him quite a bit to where it, but he had to if he wanted to have some semblance of a social life. Looking in the reflection of his phone screen, he could see the dangerous red hue and tried his best on concentrating to turn them back to a deep brown.

Just as he managed to calm the raging eyes, he heard a strange noise in his front yard, startling him back to raging red. Sighing, he got up and placed the red bandana around his eyes, even if it was someone dangerous, they didn’t deserve that. Walking over to the front door he picked up the baseball bat that leant against the wall. Reaching for the door handle, he could feel his breath shallow in his chest.

Throwing the door open he scanned the yard for any sign of movement, hoping that the sound he heard was some kind of animal. Unfortunately for him, he spotted what looked to be the top of someone’s head poking over the top of his hedges. Their dark hair standing out against the crisp white snow. He took a step forward, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the bandana and the dim lighting from street, “Who’s out there?” He announced to the garden, “You should know that I am armed.”

A man almost entirely dressed in black appeared from behind the bushes, his hands raised in the air, “Whoa!” The man yelled out, “It’s just me Aaron.”

“Zane!” He yelled out across the garden, the red in his eyes weakened for a moment and his grip on the bat loosened, “For Irene’s sake, what are you going here?”

The masked man walked towards him, stuttering out some sort of excuse, “You because I was just- It’s um - you know, neighbourhood watch stuff.”

Aaron raised an eyebrow beneath his mask, “Zane, that’s bullshit,” he crossed his arms, leaning a post on his patio, “Why are you really here?”

Zane walked towards him, fiddling with the sleeves of his oversized jacket, “Well, you’re always alone, and everyone hates me. I thought that maybe two lonely dudes could hangout for a bit.”

Aaron cursed under his breath, turning back inside with an exasperated huff. Quickly lunging forward, Zane grabbed Aaron by the sleeve of his red jacket, “Aaron, wait!”

He turned to face the strange little man, holding onto him with such desperation, “Don’t fuck with me, Zane,” even through the blindfold, Zane could feel the sharp glare he was receiving, “We all know you don’t have a heart.”

He pulled his arm free, walking towards the door again as Zane yelled out sarcastically, “Yeah, because you’re so open and loving,” Zane turned around, slowly wandering out of the yard, “Forget I even tried.”

Hearing the sadness in his voice, Aaron paused, his hand hovering over the door handle. Maybe Zane was right, he hadn’t really tried that hard to connect with anybody. He was still too scared to let anyone, too much of a coward to even try. He needed to try.

Looking over his shoulder, he saw the black silhouette slowly walking away, his head hanging low as he dragged his feet along the path. Zane had tried. Despite what everyone thought of him, what I might think of him, he at least made an attempt. Maybe the least he could do was return the favour. Afterall, Zane had a point, neither of them had any real friends. They both knew what it felt like to be judged and misunderstood by everyone around them. He sighed loudly, causing the other boy to stop, aa he made a reluctant offer, “Zane, would you like to come in, and I don’t know, talk.”

Aaron noticed Zane’s one visible eye crease upwards as he smiled, “Thanks Aaron,” he said, following the red hooded man inside his house.

Together they entered the house. Zane took a moment to take in his surroundings wandering slightly into the living room. The space was rather warm considering the only heating was the wood fire. There were little decorations around the entryway and living room. A large couch took up the majority of the living space, the tv above it playing some sort of reality show. On the mantlepiece there was a sombre looking family photo. The Lycans posing stiffly for the camera. Zane looked closer at the photo, noticing how sad the young Aaron looked and how proudly his father stood there.

“A Christmas gift from my family,” Aaron chimed in, noticing Zane’s nosiness, “They’re not too happy that I moved away. So, they’re trying to remind me of the ‘good old days’,” he rolled his eyes, “When I was even more isolated than I am now.”

 Zane simply stared back at him in response, stammering something before Aaron interrupted, “So did Aph put you up to this,” Zane’s eyebrow flew up in astonishment, “I’m not an idiot Zane. I know what happened between you and Aph on Christmas and I know that she worries about us both being lonely,” he moved to stand in front of Zane, slightly looking down to meet his gaze, “I find it hard to believe you wanted to talk to me all on your own.”

Fiddling with the hair covering his eye, Zane stuttered, “Well, uh- yeah,” he slumped over defeated, “She gets worried about you, and I think she got sick of me being so clingy,” he looked back at Aaron through his eyebrow, “but she said not to tell you that.”

Aaron leant against the wall letting out an exasperated sigh, “Aph,” he chuckled shaking his head, “She means well, but I’m not sure what she’s expecting,” he looked at Zane, staring him up and down, “I mean look at us, what would we even have in common to talk about?”

After pondering the question for a moment, Zane bluntly pointed out the obvious, “We both where masks,” Aaron’s brow creased and his mouth contorted into disgust at the suggestion, “Ok then, how about we both have black hair,” this time Aaron scoffed, crossing his arms as he leant against the wall. Almost out of possible ideas, Zane paused for a moment, before coming up with one last suggestion, “ We both blame our loneliness on other people,” Aaron turned away, his hands clenching in tight fists, Zane spoke calmly, trying not to aggravate the larger man any further, “What you said before about your family. You blame them for you being alone now. Don’t you Aaron?”

He let out a deep grunt, and Zane swore he saw a red glow beneath his bandana, “And what would you know about that?”

Zane took a deep breath as he leant against the sofa, slightly taken aback by Aaron’s outburst, “Well for starters, my father hates me. All he cares about is Garroth. Garroth is so smart, Garroth is such a good leader, Garroth knows how to do things properly. But Zane,” he paused choking on the words as he forced back tears, “Zane needs to try harder, Zane’s too shy and passive for a Ro’meave,  Zane is useless, pathetic, weak,” he looked up at Aaron, who had finally released his tight grip, “So I stay away from everyone, I rebel and I attack. It’s better to disappoint everyone from the start.”

Aaron relaxed completely; he felt his eyes cool as he took in the sad mess of a man before him. He was shocked to find that perhaps Zane’s pain mirrored his own, that maybe the wannabe hardcore loser he had met in school wasn’t such a dick. At least, he had some sort of reason to behave like that. With out thinking, his own pain started falling out his mouth, “My father struggled with me being…” He trailed off. Despite how safe he felt in this moment; the truth was still too dangerous. Too big of a secret to share with anyone. It would scare them all away, he could be hurt or hurt those around him. He spoke his next words, deliberately and carefully, way of what hid beneath a single sheet of fabric, “He didn’t like me being myself. He made me hate myself. I was so stuck in my head for years, so anxious of letting people in because I thought they would hate me too. I withdrew from everything and everyone. But apathy doesn’t fill the void of loneliness.”

Tears stung in his eyes, and he knew the red hue consumed them again. Zane stepped forwards, carefully placing a hand on his shoulder. Aaron stiffened, breathing rigidly through his nose, “Aaron,” Zane committed to his grip on Aaron’s shoulder, offering support through his sad eye, “I know we don’t know each other very well,” he paused. Testing the waters, he reached for Aaron’s hands. When he didn’t flinch, Zane clutched them, holding his comforting gaze, “but I think your father was wrong to treat you like that. From what I’ve seen you are a loyal friend, and such a strong person, physically and emotionally,” he chuckled lightly, “You should live your life the way you choose, you are more than what your father says you are.”

Without noticing, Aaron had leant forwards slightly, taking in all of Zane’s words. At the end he sighed, letting out a small laugh, “Feels like you should be taking your own advice.”

“Well yeah,” he said, slightly flustered, as he became acutely aware that Aaron had still not moved away from him. He looked down at their hands, still awkwardly intertwined, “You know, I’ve been getting better recently, thanks to Aph,” his words shook nervously as he spoke to the ground, “I’m getting better at trying to let people in. It’s still hard of course, but it’s feels better than being angry all the time. I’m sure you understand that,” Aaron scoffed, a shy smile twitching at his lips. Still avoiding Aaron’s face, Zane could feel his heart pulsing in his ears, his mouth dried out as he kept talking, “But, Aph isn’t the only reason I’m here,” tentatively he moved his hands down Aaron’s arms, stopping at his elbows. He stiffened, at Zane’s movement, but still did not move away, “I’d be lying if I said I had never taken notice of you before. At school I saw you as this cool tough guy who didn’t need friends. I always wanted people like that to notice me, to see me as one of them. For that very reason I was obsessed with the Shadow Knights and pathetically followed them around. But you were above it all in my eyes, reaching levels of anger and apathy that I could only admire. But now,” he looked up at Aaron finally, and he had leant closer to him, listening intently to Zane’s rambling, “Now I know, we’re both too soft for all of that.”

Sighing, Aaron placed his forehead against Zane’s and pulled the bandana down from his eyes, whispering, “Thank you, Zane.”

Returning the gesture, Zane removed the mask over his face, “You have nice eyes.”

“And you have a nice face.”

They both laughed lightly, suddenly comfortable with their close proximity. Aaron took Zane’s arms, resuming their hold on each other, “Zane, do you want to stay here tonight?”

Zane shifted back slightly to take in Aaron’s face, his dark eyes glimmering with affection as he asked the simple question. Sceptical of Aaron’s warmth towards him, he responded carefully, “May I”

Leaning forward slightly, Aaron lightly brushed Zane’s forehead with his lips, “Yes, you may.”

For months Aaron’s mind had been filled with raging thoughts, which were only amplified by his loneliness. Now, in the arms of someone who truly understood what it meant to be so lonely, he felt safe, his mind quiet. So as Zane closed the space between them, Aaron felt his anxieties evaporate. For now, his family didn’t exist, his anger was never there, and his curse had been lifted. It was just them, two people who were well acquainted with the echoes of loneliness. Who have been misunderstood, judged and mistreated by all those around them. That night, as they held each other close, their world was silent, and their hearts weren’t hollow.

Chapter Text

Laurance stormed out of the house screaming angrily as he slammed the door behind him, “Fuck you, Hayden!” The words echoing into the night, “You’re not even my real dad!”

 He marched down their garden path, almost running down the street to escape the fight. As he turned around a corner, he glanced behind him, half expecting to see his fiery haired sister tracking him down like she always did after he thought with their father. But tonight, she had not followed him. So, he wandered aimlessly down the streets of his sleepy neighbourhood. The cool night air was calming, the silence allowing his thoughts to roam freely.

The fight had been over an incident at school. That day Laurance had had a fight with one of the werewolf kids, over what, he couldn’t even say. After beating the shit out of this poor kid, he ran away fleeing campus like a scared little boy. Of course, after his father heard about the incident, it all went down hill from there. Hayden was a stubborn man and had pride in his good reputation within the community. Having a ‘delinquent’ son is not exactly desirable. The fights in the Zvhal home had gotten worse over the last few months. The first being over Laurance’s hair, when he refused to cut it to an ‘appropriate’ length. Which Laurance responded to by dying it bright orange. From their things kept escalating. The fights got bigger, and Laurance’s retaliations got more dramatic, even dangerous.

He thought about the kid he beat up today. There was no actual reason for it. He couldn’t even remember who initiated it. All he knew was that he had found himself on top of another boy, sending punches down in every direction. His bottled-up rage finally bursting to the surface. Thinking about the senseless act made his insides twist with disgust, because there was part of him that felt good afterwards, relieved.

As he turned another corner, he realised he had wandered into a more built-up area, buildings containing blocks of units and stores started to line the streets. The inner suburbs of Pheonix Drop were so different compared to his quiet street, where almost half a mile of land separated everyone. Here, everyone was packed so closely together that they were quite literally sharing walls. Along the sidewalk was a never-ending line of parked cars, and the entire area was illuminated by streetlights. Even the air smelt different, the smell of gasoline potent as cars drove by. As he passed an alley way, the pungent scent of cigarette smoke tickled his nose. Calling his attention.

He turned to see a boy dressed in a Pheonix Drop High uniform, kind of. His blue blazer was tied around his waist, his tie hung loosely from his collared shirt and his ears adorned with a multitude of earrings. Of course, the schools must elusive bad boy, Gene the leader of the Shadow Knights. Him and his gang roamed the school daily, breaking every petty rule they could think of and skipping almost every class. Now, they were really delinquents.

Noticing someone watching him, Gene pivoted his attention to the red head standing at the entryway to the alley, “Hey, you’re Laurance aren’t you?” He nodded cautiously in response, but didn’t move any closer to the older boy, “You’re the one who beat up Fenrir today, right? That was pretty damn brutal.” Gene paused to take a puff of his cigarette. As he blew out the smoke he extended it towards Laurance, “You want some?”

Laurance stared at stick in the other boy’s hand, watching as it slowly burned away. He looked back up at Gene who gave him a sort of half smile. Time slowed around him as his mind reeled, considering every consequence of his next decision. If he walked off, he would only go home to his sappy sister and disgruntled father. But if he took the cigarette. If he befriended Gene, there would be no turning back. He would simply become the delinquent they already thought he was. So be it then. Without saying a word, he walked over to Gene, took the burning cigarette and placed it in his mouth, sucking in the smoke.

Never in his life had he experienced quite the sensation, he could feel his mouth burn, the taste of tobacco searing his tastebuds. He tried to stay calm as he blew out the smoke, instead he choked on it, bursting into a coughing fit. Gene’s responsive laughter, made his face glow red, “First time, eh?” Laurance looked up at him, his eyes watery from the experience, “You get used to after a couple. But if you’re not careful you end up like me.” He snatched the cigarette back from Laurance, “I’m addicted to these bad boys.”

Laurance watched him take a long drag, blowing the smoke up into the night air, “You’re Dante’s brother, aren’t you?”

Gene smirked, “Yep, the one and only disappointment of my family.”

“So then, what are you doing out here?” Laurance questioned. Gene looked at him bewildered before he continued on, “It’s just, I’m kinda friends with Dante and he said you guys live on the side of town.”

Gene crossed his arms, tapping his ashes onto the grimy ground, “Yeah, well had a screaming match with mum over my earrings again. Got my fourth uniform infraction this semester and she’s a little over my shit,” he threw the cigarette butt on the ground, “So, I walked off and kept walking until I didn’t know where I was,” he had retrieved another cigarette from his pocket and proceeded to light it in his mouth, “Plus she still doesn’t know that I smoke so I gotta get far enough away that no one she knows will see me.” He gestured to Laurance, who was staring at him, listening to intently to every word, “What about you? You’re awfully close to the city, farm boy?”

Pausing to ponder for a moment, Laurance carefully constructed his answer, cautious that Gene seemed to know an awful lot about him, “Same as you,” he leant against the wall, attempting to emulate Gene’s energy, “Surprisingly, enough you get a pretty firm roasting after you beat up a kid and then wag the rest of your classes.”

Nodding his head in approval, Gene piped up, “Wow, did not know you ditched afterwards. That’s pretty hardcore kid.” He put his arm around Laurance, patting him on the shoulder. Laurance felt himself relax slightly; the casualness of this interaction put his mind at ease. He felt comfortable and understood. He turned to face Gene, only to nearly collide with the other boy’s face, their noses nearly touching. When Gene spoke again, his voice deepened, “You know, you’d make a pretty good shadow night.”

Laurance felt his face flush Gene lightly blew cigarette smoke into his face. The smell suddenly sweetened after their unusual encounter. He stared at Gene, whose eyes were pointed downwards, waiting for the dark-haired boy to move away. But he didn’t and neither did Laurance, “What are you doing?”

Gene chuckled, the sound scented with tobacco, he looked back up at Laurance, his bright blue eyes were intense, “You’re a bit cute, Red,” his hands fiddled with the long red strands of Laurance’s hair, causing the poor boy’s heart to pound in his ears, “Oh, you’d fit right in with us for sure.”

No words could come out of Laurance, his tongue becoming a weight in his drying mouth. His stomach fluttering as Gene twisted his hair around his fingers. Yet, he dared not move, he was completely entranced in this exhilarating, but comfortable, state. His eyes travelled across Gene’s face, his black hair was well kept with neat black waves framing his face. His cheekbones stuck out slightly, his jaw line was smooth as was the straight bridge of his nose, surprising given his track record of getting into fights. When he arrived back at Gene’s eyes he realised they were pointed done again. Pointed at his lips, “So, Red you wanna seal the deal?” he looked back up through his eyebrows, “Or do you just wanna keep checking me out.”

Laurance’s face flushed bright, as Gene began to close the gap between them, “Only if you stop checking me out.”

Gene chuckled, “No promises there, cutie.”

And contact. As their lips met, Laurance felt every frustration leave his body. This was the true turning point. He was no longer little Laurance Zvhal, he was a Shadow Knight. There were no more consequences in his mind, just the taste of tobacco on Gene’s lips burning every part of his mouth. His heart pounding in his ear drowned out any thoughts as Gene turned him against the wall, his hands tangled with the red strands of hair. Laurance returned the favour, clutching onto black waves as his stomach flipped in excitement. Afterall, he was just a boy having his first kiss in a dingy alleyway with the most notorious bad boy in school, covered in the stench of cigarette smoke.

When they broke apart, catching their breaths, Gene laughed lightly, “Well that was fun Zvhal,” he rested his head on Laurance’s forehead, “Welcome to the club, Shadow Knight.”

Laurance leant against the wall, frozen, as Gene slowly backed away, “If you ever need to let some frustrations out again, come find me,” Gene spoke softly, his smirk spiking Laurance’s heart rate, “I’ll gladly take them away anytime, cutie.”

He planted a quick kiss on Laurance’s cheek before steadily leaving the alley way. Laurance let his head up against the wall, sighing deeply. A smile forming on his face as he stared up into the night sky. Tonight, he walked home in silence for the first time in months, the voices in his head ceasing. He didn’t care what they thought of him. It was his life, his choices, his mistakes to make and if Hayden doesn’t like it well, he can shut the fuck up.

He enjoyed the peaceful walk until he reached the path to there house, realising that he smelt strongly of cigarettes. Which was a fight he’d much rather avoid. Maybe he cared a little about what people thought of him. Or maybe another fight was worth it. He’d get to meet with Gene again.