Lore & DeepSpice

Spicy (and also wholesome) ficlets, headcanons and sometimes maybe art. Mostly Love and Deepspace but I might drop something else on occasion (18+) Asks are welcome | Ao3:LadyWallace | Bluesky: ladywindeepspace

[ladywindeepspace]

About and Masterlist

Hello! I'm LadyW and this is my side blog where I mostly post spicy Love and Deepspace content because I have a problem. Other LaDS fics will be cross posted from my main blog.

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***This is an 18+ blog only, MDNI. If you follow and do not have your age in your bio you will be blocked.***

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~Join Tag List ~

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~ ASKS ~

You are welcome to send asks, share headcanons, thoughts etc! I do take asks related to story requests: those will be filled when I have the time as either ficlets or imagines/headcanons depending on the asks.

I do not take any romance based asks related to Caleb because I personally don't like writing him that way. I also will not answer asks with LIxLI shipping. OCs that are not MC are fine.

(I do also take commissions for longer, more tailored fics, you can find that info on my main blog or Ko-fi) Commissions are currently: OPEN

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~ LaDS Whump Fics ~

If you like whump with your romance, you can find my LaDS Whump Fic Masterpost on my main blog HERE

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~ STORIES ~

(sorted by character)

Xavier

Jealousy/Missions/Semi-public Lumiere- Roleplay/teasing Tasting King Xavier-bathing/wound tending King Xavier-Aphrodisiacs (Gilded Mirage) Uniform Kink/Handcuffs Bunny/Fox Roleplay Throne of Eros- Empress's Favorite

Zayne

Temperature play Nurse Roleplay God of Annihilation Zayne - Medical Play Throne of Eros - Secret Corners (jealousZayne, semi-public)

Rafayel

Sea God Raf- Oral Her Highness's Lover (Gem Affection) Shibari Birthday Fic Ebb Day

Sylus

Biting/Marking Sylus & MC Play Hide and Seek Night of Secrecy Coda (Sylus POV) Anything But a Bed Sunburn Making his Mark Delayed Gratification Archfiend Sylus - Blood Drinking Submit (sub/dom) Tickling Wine Tasting (Birthday Fic) Precious No Defense Redux (sub/dom)

~ Multi Character Posts / Headcanons ~

Sensitive spots/ticklish headcanons Wedding Night Imagines

~ Vampire AU (Vampire Boys)~

King of Darknight: Vampire Xavier Bloodnight Eternity: Vampire Sylus Dawntide Requiem: Vampire Rafayel Dawnbreak Absolution: Vampire Zayne

~Blood Harem (Vampire MC)~

Rafayel (Read Story HERE) Zayne (Read Story HERE) Xavier (Read Story HERE) Sylus (Read Story HERE) Caleb (Read Story HERE)

[ladywindeepspace]

Just a little Valko drabble I wrote. Let's manifest his return <3

Also, thanks to my friend's group chat I am stuck on 'sunshine' as his nickname for MC.

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It was rare these days that sleep came easily. The last few weeks had been more difficult that she had been willing to admit. She had tried to bury herself in work, and only after hours would she turn to her other mission: info gathering, chasing potential leads, contacting anyone she could think of, but all for nothing.

            Valko was still nowhere to be found. It was like he had disappeared off of the face of the earth.

            She had run herself ragged looking for him, only stopping when she was sick from exhaustion, practically collapsing before meeting a few hours of restless sleep, filled with dreams of the few memories she had with the mysterious man who had found his way into her life like a hurricane, and disappeared from it just as quickly.

            That night the dreams blurred into the sound of a crash that pulled her out of sleep.

            She jolted upright, gun already in her hand as she looked around her dark room. For a moment, she thought it was all a dream, until she heard shuffling in her apartment, and the sound of someone fumbling at her bedroom doorknob.

            She was out of bed in an instant, heart pounding and she pressed her back against the wall by the door, watching it open.

            A tall, broad figure stepped through, a dark silhouette in the moonlight from the window. She took a step just as he began to look around, her gun raised in warning.

            “Don’t move—”

            A hand shot out and caught her wrist, pulling her in. Before she could shout, she met golden eyes, auburn hair highlighted in the moonlight and a grin off weary relief, spreading across the curved lips.

            “Hey, Sunshine. Miss me?”

            “Valko?” she breathed as if seeing a ghost. The gun clattered to the floor as she reached out to cup his face with shaky hands, thumbs running gently across the scrapes and bruises, dark circles hollowing his eyes. “It’s really you?”

            “It’s really me,” he replied.

            Tears streamed down her cheeks as she crushed him in a hug, hearing him let out a shuddering breath as his arms wrapped around her waist pulling her onto her toes.

            “Where were you? I’ve been worried sick, looking everywhere—ah!”

            He pushed her back toward the bed and collapsed on top of her, his weight pressing her into the mattress in a way she couldn’t even complain about right now. He buried his face in her neck, breathing deeply.

            “They thought they could keep me from you,” he murmured, “But you don’t have to worry anymore, Sunshine. I’m back.”

            Her hands slid over his broad frame. He was dirty, too thin, she could feel the lumps of bandages under his shirt. Whatever he had been through over the past few weeks had not been easy.

            “You’re hurt, let me—”

            His only reply was to wrap his arms around her, nuzzling closer, his wolf ears and tail popped out, ears tickling her chin.

            “Just leave it for now,” he murmured, eyes sliding shut as he successfully made himself into a weight she couldn’t move. “I just…need to hold you right now. Please.”

            She acquiesced, leaving the questioning for later. She settled one hand against his back, the other she threaded into his hair, scratching soothingly between his ears until both of them finally fell into the first peaceful sleep they’d had in weeks.

[clearly-squishy]

would love to see barely conscious from the bingo card with Xavier from love and deepspace!!

Did you wait long enough?! My god this took me forever to get started on!

Link here: Sleepyhead

Word count: 1,979

When Xavier said he was going to pass out the moment he got back home, you didn't think he meant it so literally.

Prompt fill for @whumperless-whump-event day 19: Magical Exhaustion

Prompt fill for @badthingshappenbingo: Barely Conscious

Bingo card below!

[fantasyartist26]

I HAVE DONE IT! HERE ARE THE STICKER! MY FIRST EVER ART THAT I HAVE DONE THIS WITH XD tried to keep prices lower AWOOOOOOOO!

https://ko-fi.com/fantasyartist/shop

#ValkoIsLoved #ValkoIsValuable #BringValkoBack

[halflingjakab]

[ladywindeepspace]

No Defense Redux - Sylus

Someday I need to let Sylus get his "revenge" on Ari--but it's not this day LOL (don't worry, we know he's right where he wants to be)

Another fic I've had sitting around for a long time that I finally finished.

CW: sub/dom, riding crops, bondage, edging. *MDNI* 🔞

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Ariadne does buy Sylus that riding tack as promised, but when they go to test it out during a weekend at Sylus’s estate, continued tension and frustration cause memories of forgotten dreams to crop up, making for an interesting and intimate push and pull.

Lads Masterpost Tag List

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Buying the tack in Valerio was a mistake.

She should have realized after losing to Sylus continuously when they had gone riding on their vacation, but Ariadne just had to open her big mouth and ask for a rematch at Sylus’s estate once they got back home.

Only to have him beat her consistently over and over again.

The frustration built as each race left her at least half a length behind no matter how hard she tried to use the tips Sylus had taught her, no matter how much she begged and urged her horse forward.

And his smug look as he turned toward her at the designated finishing line, posture perfect on the back of his horse made her want to kick him.

“Bad luck again, sweetie. I think we should call if for today.”

“One more.”

He shook his head in disapproval, leaning forward to pat his steed’s neck. “The horses are tired, kitten. We’ll try again tomorrow morning.”

“Fine.” Ari urged her horse into a quick trot back to the stables, Sylus following at a more leisurely pace.

They got the horses back into their stalls and curried, leaving them with a few treats. Ariadne was still seething, especially whenever she looked over at Sylus, realizing just how natural he looked here. And how hot, her mind supplied unhelpfully. His riding jacket had been tossed over a barrel of feed, leaving him in just his fitted vest and rolled up sleeves. The riding pants also left nothing about his strong form to the imagination. His horse nibbled affectionately at his collar as Sylus rubbed him down.

Ari clenched her hands as she heaved the saddle up once her horse was comfortable. “I’m going to clean the tack.”

She carried it back to the tack room and looked for a cleaning cloth.

Sylus joined her soon with his own saddle slung over his broad shoulder.

“This is indeed a good set,” she complimented her, settling his saddle over a stand. “You have a good eye as usual, sweetie.”

She huffed. “Maybe I shouldn’t have picked something so good. It’s just made it harder to beat you.”

“You’re not bad at riding, you’re just trying too hard to win,” he assured her. “You have to let the horse have its head a little. I told you before that control is only truly reachable if the other party consents fully.”

Ari frowned, reaching for the bridle and realizing a riding crop was tangled up in it. She pulled it free and flicked the leather tip of it, imagining it was Sylus’s nose.

A sudden flash of memory hit her, something she hadn’t thought about in a long time. The last time she had lost multiple races against Sylus has also left her spiraling into so much frustration that she had dreamed of taming him instead of the horse.

Heat flushed through her and she smirked a little to herself, glancing over her shoulder as she tightened her grip on the crop.

“So, you’re saying I need to give up control to earn it?”

“Earn trust, then control will come gladly,” Sylus replied. “Force will only get you so far.”

“What about persuasion?”

He chuckled. “Well, you certainly know a thing or two about that, don’t you, kitten?” He continued polishing his saddle. “Just remember that not everyone is as willing to dote on you as I am.”

His back was still turned and she snuck up on him, pulling the crop back before she swatted him across the backside. The sharp crack echoed through the small tack room and Sylus jumped, exhaling with a scoff as he turned to look at her with amusement and something slightly darker glinting in his eyes.

“You really didn’t pay attention to anything I said, did you, kitten?” he chided.

She smirked, pressing the crop up under his chin. “I did, and I respect your methods. But you also annoyed me.”

“So you thought to, what? Punish me?” He reached for the shaft of the crop, pushing it away from him, daring her to do more.

Ariadne felt her breath quicken, caught suddenly in a decision.

She could concede, try to race Sylus again tomorrow and probably lose. Or, she could go with the more entertaining option:

Showing Sylus just how good she was at being in control. Especially when it came to him.

“What’s going through that devious head of yours?” Sylus asked, eyes narrowed with interest, waiting.

She pulled the crop back, slapping it lightly into her hand. “Surely, the leader of Onychinus would respect a well-executed shift of power?”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Oh?”

She lifted her chin. “If I can prove that I can control you, then that’s better than a horse, right?”

A devilish grin curled Sylus’s lips. “Frustrated, kitten?”

Her hands tightened around the crop. “Maybe a little. Maybe I just need to work off some steam?”

“And how do you plan to do that?” His eyes slid to the crop, his tongue just barely grazing the inside of his lower lip suggestively. “Are you planning to ‘put me in my place’?”

Sylus shifted toward her and she instinctively stepped back until her back hit the wall.

She straightened up, forcing herself to meet his eyes boldly, seeing how his pupils quivered with excitement as her audacity.

“You think you don’t deserve to be put in your place every once in a while? Reminded that the world doesn’t actually revolve around Sylus?”

He laughed, eyes narrowing as he leaned closer. “Am I really that self-centered? Tell me then—where is my place in your mind?”

Heat flushed through her, the man’s natural sensuality never failing to stop her in her tracks even when she tried to get the upper hand. Her face flushed in annoyance as she realized he was still playing with her instead of the other way around.

Sylus’s eye glinted. “What do you want, kitten? Say it.” His eye started to glow.

Her mouth was dry, but the growing tension and her frustration forced her to blurt out. “I want you on your knees.”

He pressed closer, his hand landing against the wall above her head, crowding in until she was almost overwhelmed by his heat and the scent of his musk mixed with horse and leather.

“What else?” he coaxed, voice low and cajoling. “Don’t be shy.”

She was unable to keep from looking in his glowing eye, heartbeat picking up as she found herself saying, “I want you to beg.”

He chuckled, eye glowing fiercely as he leaned in, face a fraction from hers. “Then do it, kitten. Make me beg.”

Her hand clenched around the crop and Sylus’s eyes flicked down, amusement showing on his face. He grabbed her wrist, pulling her arm up until the crop was pressed under his chin again.

“Is this how you’ll tame me?”

She tried to pull away, but he only held on tighter, tilting his head back as he gazed down at her from under half-lidded eyes.

“Don’t deny yourself your desire,” he said, low, his voice reverberating in his chest. “I don’t mind you working your frustrations out on me—in whatever way you see necessary.”

Her breath hitched slightly, but she drew her shoulders straight, and used the crop to push him back. Sylus went willingly, an amused light still shining in his eyes.

“Can I trust you not to use your Evol?”

“On my honor.”

She wet her lips. “Kneel,” she finally said, regaining some of her composure.

Sylus knelt, slow and languid. He was still so smug and that made her frustration and annoyance flare again. She turned to grab a length of reins and wrapped it first around one wrist and then the other before yanking his arms above his head, hooking the leather straps to a protruding hook on the wall.

Sylus chuckled. “What’s the matter, kitten? Don’t think you can handle me without tying me up?”

She refused the take the bait, simply smirking as she tapped his cheek with the crop. “Maybe I just like seeing you like that.”

“Oh, well, if that’s the case, I am curious. Will you be successful in your taming this time?”

The teasing tone stopped her. This time… how did he know…

Heat rose to her cheeks, but she shook it off, determined to make this end differently than that dream so long ago now.

“You think I can’t? I know exactly how to make you beg, Sylus. I know what makes you tick.”

She slid the crop down his throat, watching it bob slightly against his adam’s apple. Sylus tilted his head back and Ari continued, trailing the leather tip down his chest and stomach, hearing his breath hitch as she stopped at his belt buckle.

“What’s your next move, sweetie?” he prompted.

She swatted his belly, watching him flinch, inhaling sharply as his brows knit in defiance.

“I’m just curious to see how much you can take,” she said coyly, reaching out to slide her fingers into his hair, tugging as she tilted his head back. She leaned in, getting close enough that her breath slid across his lips but refused to allow contact. She wouldn’t let him have that yet.

“I want to see you desperate and begging by the time I’m done with you,” she whispered, letting her teeth graze his ear, feeling a faint shudder go through Sylus as his breath hitched. She pulled back and pressed the crop up under his chin again, mesmerized by the stretch of his vulnerable throat. She slid the crop down to his collarbone.

“Ambitious,” Sylus smirked. “Show me what you can do, kitten. If you dare.”

The pointed challenge obviously raised her hackles as Sylus had intended. She pulled the crop back and swatted it against his covered nipple.

Sylus grunted, arching slightly. She teased the spot, rubbing pointedly before sliding the crop across his chest to the other nipple.

A light dusting of pink was now visible on Sylus’s cheeks; his lips parted slightly as his breathing began to get slightly uneven.

“Oh? Folding already?” she teased, swatting the sensitive area a little harder.

His breath hitched. “Did you hear me beg, sweetie? I’m not nearly done yet. Or are you just that impatient?”

“Hmm.” She stepped back slightly, and dragged the crop down his stomach, pressing against his fly where his trousers had grown even tighter. Sylus’s fists clenched, the leather straps around them creaking.

“Seems my methods are affecting you more than you want to admit,” she smirked, pressing a little harder as Sylus let out a choked gasp. “Your body can’t lie to me.”

He released a slightly breathless chuckle, tilting his head back. “Play your little game, sweetie. I can take it.”

“Can you?”

Ari pressed the heel of her boot to his inner thigh and shoved his legs further apart. Sylus grunted, back arching slightly as he adjusted his weight.

She teased the crop over his inner thighs, every once in a while cracking it against his flesh. Sylus’s breathing was completely erratic now, flush high on his cheekbones, eyes completely dilated.

“You’re so easy, Sylus,” she teased, sliding the crop just shy of his bulge, before pulling back. “Look how desperate you are already. You’re not even trying to fight my control.”

He growled, pulling a little at the restraints.

She switched him across the ribs in warning.

“If you break the restraints, I’ll have to use your own Evol on you,” she warned.

Sylus’s eyes dilated even further, lips parting.

Ari smirked a little, reaching out to push her thumb against his lower lip, gripping his chin. “Or would you consider that a reward?”

He chuckled and nipped her thumb. Ari slid her first two fingers into his mouth, feeling the heat of his tongue. Her heartrate shot up instantly. She tightened her grip on his jaw and forced his head back, sliding her fingers deeper. Sylus gagged a little, eyes fluttering before he caught her fingers lightly between his teeth, tongue curling sinfully between them.

“See?” Ari whispered. “I know you, Sylus.”

She pulled her fingers away and swatted his cheek with the crop, leaving a reddened mark. She stepped back again, looking him up and down. He was obviously flustered, but he wasn’t anywhere near the wreck she wanted to make of him.

She toyed with the crop, contemplating.

Sylus licked his lips with a smirk, eyeing her. “You wanted to use that on me, right? So use it. Enough of your pitiful little tickles.”

The dare veiled the underlying consent, highlighting the eager glint in Sylus’s eyes. Heat pooled low in Ariadne’s belly, the thought of this powerful man so willingly asking her to take control like this…it was an insane high.

She raised the crop, meeting his eyes before letting it crack against one of his pecs.

Sylus exhaled with a laugh. “You can go harder, sweetie. I’m not fragile. Didn’t you want to get back at me?”

She gritted her teeth at the taunt, and drew her arm back before she realized it, feeling adrenaline rush through her. Was this what she had wanted all along? It wouldn’t do any real damage through his clothes and it would provide a much-needed source of catharsis.

She swatted him again, against his ribs. His breath hitched. She went in again, harder, the pent-up frustration from earlier coming back.

“That’s more like it,” Sylus gasped, his eye glinting as he smirked.

She stopped, suddenly realizing she had inadvertently walked into another of his traps.

He was stalling, getting her riled up so she would be hasty. Let him get under her skin and take control of the situation.

She stood over him, lowering the crop, glaring as he smirked up at her, breathing heavily.

“What’s the matter sweetie? Tired?”

She stepped in and grabbed his shoulder, pushing him fully back against the wall. Sylus grunted, shifting slightly, his back arching.

Ari pressed the crop against his stomach and slid it down, rubbing it teasingly across his lower belly before delivering a sharp swat. Sylus’s lips parted on a small moan he couldn’t hide, hips bucking.

She stopped before she slid it low enough to truly provide stimulation.

“You’re trying to win your way again,” she said dangerously. “I’m not going to let you.”

He chuckled breathlessly, eyes fluttering as he she swatted his belly again.

“I guess you really do need to be taught a lesson.”

She shifted and brought her foot up, pressing the toe of her boot lightly against the bulge of his cock. Sylus stiffened, breath hitching.

She pressed his chin up with the crop again. “Look at me.”

He met her eyes, alight with desire along with a small scrap of defiance left that she was about to erase. “If you beg, I’ll let you come.”

He groaned, hips twitching upward, but she was quick to move her foot, digging her toe into his belly instead. Sylus growled.

“How many times did you beat me in the race today?”

She slid her foot back down between his legs, pressing insistently. Sylus’s eyes fluttered.

“How many times?” she demanded, rolling her foot slowly.

“Uungg, about eight?”

She smiled and nodded, grinding her foot a little more. Sylus tensed, hips bucking as she quickly pulled her foot away.

“That’s right. Eight.”

She settled her foot back on his cock and Sylus groaned, trying to grind up against her before she swatted his hip with the crop. She provided just enough pressure until she felt his muscles tense, his breathing pick up, then she pulled away, leaving him gasping, looking up at her with desperate disbelief.

“Kitten, what are you—”

She settled her foot again. “Oh, what’s that? You don’t like the feeling of being so close and then having it all torn away at the last moment?”

He gasped as she pulled her foot away.

“The adrenaline rush when you think you’re almost there and then the unsatisfactory finish?”

He swore under his breath as her foot pressed into his groin again, trying not to move, but his body was already overstimulated from the constant teasing. The leather binding his wrists creaked as he strained.

“I told you what I want,” Ariadne told him simply. “You know how to end this.”

He groaned. “Ari…ughh...”

She slid the crop under his chin again, forcing him to look up at her with blown eyes, sweat glistening on his flushed face.

“You can say it,” she coaxed.

He growled, hips jerking again.

“Kitten….hah…”

“What’s the matter? Too much pride to say it?”

She rubbed her foot pointedly against him. Sylus’s head fell back with a groan, abdomen clenching in anticipation before she slid her foot to his thigh again, digging her heel in.

“You’re…diabolical.”

“What was that…three times? And remind me how many times I lost against you?”

Another round of bringing him to the edge and Sylus was a wreck.

“A-Ari…uunhh…”

“Use your words. What’s your bargaining chip?”

His eyes slid shut, throat bobbing.

“Ughh…please...”

Heat shot through her body at the sound of his desperate plea. Satisfaction flooded her.

“See? It wasn’t so hard.”

His hips jerked but she pulled her foot away again, leaving him gasping, looking up at her in betrayal.

She finally lowered the crop and reached out with her other hand, fingers sliding across his clavicle and up the column of his throat before slipping her fingers around it, pressing gently as she felt him still, eyes fixed on hers.

“See? You trust me with my hand around your throat. Am I not in full control of you right now, Sylus?”

She applied just a little more pressure, waiting for him to concede.

A guttural moan ripped from his chest, vibrating against her palm. His eyes rolled back slightly, fluttering shut as his hips spasmed reflexively. She glanced down with awed surprise, seeing a damp spot forming on the front of his trousers.

“You—”

His Evol ripped the leather straps binding his hands and he yanked her close, instantly lifting her over one shoulder as he stood shakily.

“Sylus!” She swatted his back with the crop and he reached behind him to grab it, using it to swat her teasingly against the backside.

“Ahh! Sy—"

“You’ve had your fun,” he growled. “Now you’re going to apologize for the mess you made of me properly.” He kicked open the door to the manner, heading straight for the stairs.

“But you didn’t even admit I won!” she protested as Sylus kicked the bedroom door shut behind them.

“Sweetie,” Sylus said as he unceremoniously tossed her onto the bed, already peeling his soiled clothes off. “You already know that you always win when I’m involved.”

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Tag List @hilliserose @itsmeaudrieee @regalillegal @carpet-worm @nevers109 @jeepangel @lumi-s-garlic @monarchthefirst

[ladywindeepspace]

Whumperless Whump Day 13 (Love and Deepspace) Part 2/2

Part 2 of my Appendi-Sylus fic is up for Day 13 of @whumperless-whump-event For the Waking in a Cold Sweat "Midnight hospital Visit" prompt

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Read Part One

Ariadne doesn’t really worry when Sylus starts to feel unwell, but it might be more serious than either of them think.

Read on Ao3

Lads Masterpost Lads Whump Masterpost Tag List

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Weakness

Part Two

When they finally reached Akso hospital Kieran pulled up at the emergency room loading door. Luke and Ariadne got out and between them, helped Sylus out of the car. He was slightly unsteady, but he only rested his arm across Ari’s shoulders, nodding for them to move.

“I’ll park the car,” Kieran said.

“Masks off,” Ariadne murmured to the twins.

Luke instantly yanked his off, finally revealing the worry on his young face before he tried to school it.

Ari helped Sylus inside and urged him to sit as she crossed to the front desk to check him in.

“Hi,” Ari said awkwardly, suddenly nervous. “Um…we think my boyfriend has appendicitis. He’s in a lot of pain right now.”

The nurse nodded and started to type something into the system. “Alright, I’ll need you to provide details and insurance information.”

Ari instantly felt tongue-tied, but Luke walked over and nudged her arm, pressing several cards into her hand.

“Here,” she said, handing them to the nurse. “His name is Skye.”

She felt like she was sweating more than Sylus as the nurse checked the ID and insurance but she didn’t seem to show any suspicion. Ari still breathed a sigh of relief when she handed the information back with a clipboard to fill out.

“Please fill out the information and bring it back.”

“Okay. When will the doctor see him?”

“There’s a couple patients ahead of him,” was all she said.

Ari looked over to where Sylus was slumped in a chair with Luke and Kieran hovering worriedly, looking ready to catch him if he fell.

“Okay.”

She went to sit next to him, looping her arm through his. Sylus leaned slightly against her shoulder, but his whole body felt stiff. Ari looked at the form, bewildered.

“Um…any medical history?”

He huffed. “Just fill it out at your discretion, sweetie.”

She pursed her lips, but did her best. Sylus stayed hunched over, breathing through his nose. But as she looked at him, his whole body was tense and defensive, eyes darting around, his jaw clenched.

She frowned, handing the finished form to one of the twins before turning her attention fully to Sylus, squeezing his arm. “Hey, look at me.”

He reluctantly turned to her, eyes narrowing slightly.

“It’s going to be okay,” she told him quietly, just for him to hear.

Sylus’s jaw ticked. “I shouldn’t have come here.”

“You’re getting help,” she insisted. “That’s what normal people do.”

He huffed, then his breath hitched as he curled into himself again. Ari squeezed his hand and pulled out her phone, opening her texts to Zayne as she typed one-handed.

I’m at Asko, in the ER waiting room.

It was only a second before she got a reply.

You better not be injured again.

I promise it’s not me! It’s Sylus. we’re pretty sure he has appendicitis.

Are you sure it’s a good idea to bring him here?

Ari glanced at Sylus.

I didn’t have much of a choice. He was threatening to take it out himself. I’ve never seen him in this much pain before, Zayne. And we have no idea how long we’re going to have to wait.

You say he’s in a lot of pain—nausea and fever too?

Ari confirmed and waited for Zayne to reply.

How long has he been feeling sick?

About three days that I know of.

It’s possible the appendix could have ruptured. Give me a moment and I’ll make sure someone sees him quickly.

Relief flooded through Ariadne. Zayne was always able to reassure her.

Thanks, Zayne. Um…are the people working here discreet?

Dr. Madison will be the one performing his surgery. She’s very capable and she will not pry outside of anything involving her patient’s health.

Feeling much better after the conversation with Zayne, she thanked him, and only a few minutes after the last text, they called Sylus back.

“Mr. Skye? They’ll see you now.”

Sylus tensed impossibly further, but Ari coaxed him to stand up, supporting him as they followed the nurse back to one of the exam rooms.

“The doctor will be in to see you shortly.”

They were left alone for the moment and Ari urged him over to the exam bed.

“Lay down.”

“I’ll sit.”

“Sylus…”

He didn’t look at her, brows drawn together. She sat him down on the exam bed and took his hands in hers, feeling the tension running through him.

“I promise it will be okay. I’m gonna stay here with you.”

He didn’t reply, simply focused on breathing through his nose. Ari reached up to take his face between her hands. “I know you have a hard time letting go of control, I get it, but the doctors are just here to help you.”

He huffed. “I’m aware. But I don’t like people touching me.”

“I promise I won’t let them do anything you don’t want them to.”

“Yes, I suppose I have my brave kitten here to protect me.” A small smile quirked his lips before it turned into a grimace.

“Please lay down, Sy.”

He finally acquiesced, laying against the slightly elevated bed as she sat on the side of it, still clutching his hand. She had never seen him this nervous before. Sylus wasn’t good at being vulnerable, at least not around anyone but her. She knew how hard this was for him.

“I don’t want to be put under,” he finally admitted.

Ari’s heart tugged. “I know, but it’s necessary.”

“I’m fine with the pain.”

“Sylus,” she chided gently, taking his face in her hands. “I don’t think they’re legally allowed to cut into you without anesthesia, even if you asked them to.”

He scoffed. “Why do you think I didn’t want to come here?”

“You’re telling me you’d rather go to some back-alley doctor in the N109 zone and risk getting your organs stolen than experience top of the line medical care?”

He snorted and looked away. Ari stroked his hair out of his face.

“You won’t even know it happened. You’ll just feel like you’ve woken up from a really nice sleep.”

His fingers twitched and she slid one hand into his again.

“I’ll be there when you wake up. I promise.”

He stayed silent, a muscle in his jaw ticking, before the door was opened and the doctor came in.

“Mr. Skye,” he said, nodding a greeting to Ariadne as well. “And Miss Celest—Dr. Zayne just told me you were here with your boyfriend.”

Ari gave Sylus a brief smile and leaned over to speak in his ear. “See, I have connections too.” She stood up, but stayed by the bed, still clutching Sylus’s hand.

“Let me take your vitals to start. If you can explain your symptoms?”

Sylus refused to speak up so Ari explained what she knew as Sylus grunted in agreement, eyes pinned to the doctor as he checked his blood pressure and took his temperature.

“You are running a fairly high fever, your blood pressure is also rather high,” the doctor said and picked up his stethoscope to check his heartrate, gaining a warning glower from Sylus.

“He doesn’t really like hospitals,” Ari commented.

The doctor nodded, not taking offense as he took the stethoscope out of his ears. “Understandable. Mr. Skye, if you could please lift your shirt so I can check your abdomen.”

Sylus’s nostrils flared as his brows knit, and Ari squeezed his hand briefly, already reaching for the hem of his shirt. Her eyes met his, less asking permission and more making sure he would behave. Sylus’s pupils wavered in a way they never would for anyone else as he exhaled slowly out his nose.

Ari pulled his shirt up and Sylus shivered slightly as the air hit his fevered skin.

The doctor set to work, but as soon as his hand landed on Sylus’s right side, red mist caught his wrist and squeezed.

“Ah—”

“Sy—Skye!” Ari snapped, catching herself at the last second.

Sylus let out a shaky breath, and Ariadne pushed a little of her Evol against his, trying to ease him with the resonance.

“My apologies, I should have given better warning,” The doctor said, rubbing his wrist as Sylus dispersed his Evol. “Please tell me on a scale of one to ten how bad the pain is.”

“It’s pretty damn near a ten,” Sylus snapped.

The doctor nodded and palpated the area slightly. Ari felt Sylus tense, teeth grinding together and squeezed his hand harder.

“There is some swelling in the area. We’ll do a scan to be sure, but I believe you’re most likely right about the appendix.”

He stepped aside to write something on a tablet before giving a reassuring smile to Ari. “A couple nurses will be in shortly to see him to the exam room. In the meantime, Miss Celest, if you can help him get into a gown?”

He pulled a clean hospital gown from a cupboard and handed it to her. Ari bit her lip as the doctor left, turning to see Sylus giving her a baleful look.

“I’m not putting that on.”

“Sy—”

“No.”

She sighed. “If you refuse they’ll just cut your clothes off while you’re unconscious.”

He scoffed. “I’m not happy to be here to begin with, I’m going to be a hell of a lot less happy to be here with no pants.”

Ari had to fight back the urge to laugh a little. Sylus just looked both petulant and weak at the moment, like a forlorn, sick child. She wasn’t discounting his discomfort—not at all, in fact. She was actually surprised she had gotten him this far. But she was well aware of how stubborn he could be.

“The leader of Onychinus doesn’t have anything to hide under his clothes,” she said with a fond smile. “Nor does Skye the fruit seller. Not even any suspicious scars to show off.”

He continued to glower at her, so she softened, reaching out to stroke his hair. “Please don’t make this difficult, Sy. I just want you to be well again as quickly as possible.”

He huffed and pushed himself up with a wince. “Fine. Help me put the damn thing on.”

Ari helped him undress as quickly as possible, slipping the gown on and tying it for him. She then took his watch and the companion ring to the one she wore on her finger—a gift he’d given her on the first anniversary of the day they met. She slid it onto her thumb to keep it safe.

By the time the nurses came to get Sylus for the scan he was exhausted and wan, a little less fire in him, making it easier for Ari to convince him to get in the wheelchair the nurses offered.

Ariadne still stayed with him during the scan, and then joined him at one of the curtained-off beds in the ER area after.

“The doctor will be back shortly, there’s blankets if he needs them,” the kind nurse said as she bustled away.

Ari took one of the offered blankets and put it over Sylus who was still shivering a little from the fever. She tucked him in and sat on the side of the bed since there were no chairs there.

“I gotta admit, you look pretty bad,” she said teasingly.

He huffed. “I don’t exactly feel fantastic.”

She rubbed his hand soothingly. “Have you ever…been in pain this long before?”

He thought, brow furrowing. “I’ve been sick. The core in my eye bothers me, but that’s more an indescribable pain of my being, my soul, it’s not…strictly physical like this is.”

Ari nodded in sympathy. “You seem to have a pretty low pain tolerance.”

He scoffed. “Try having appendicitis.”

“I’m not judging, I’m saying it makes sense. You’re not used to being hurt for a long time. You can heal yourself from even the worst injuries within minutes for the most part so it doesn’t usually matter.”

He grunted, shutting his eyes. “I guess you have a point.”

She didn’t say what she was really thinking. That she hated seeing him like this. She hated him in pain, and worse, hated seeing him have to be vulnerable in front of anyone but her. She knew how much he hated that. She would be his shield as long as she could.

The doctor from before came in with his tablet and nodded to them.

“Well, with the scan results, we can confirm that you do indeed have appendicitis, and on top of that, it’s ruptured.”

Ari felt her heart skip. “That’s really bad, isn’t it?”

“It’s not as bad as it could have been, considering,” the doctor reassured her. “There’s only a small perforation currently, but that has led to the excessive pain and ensuing infection. It also means we need to take it out immediately, before it can get any worse.”

She felt Sylus’s fingers tighten around her, worrying her palm.

“We’ll start getting you prepped for surgery, Mr. Skye. I promise you’ll feel a lot better after all this is over.”

Sylus gave him a bland look as the doctor left the room. Ari turned to him, reaching out to brush his warm, pale cheek.

“It will be okay, I promise.”

She didn’t have the chance for more words before the nurses came in to prep him, getting him hooked up to various monitors. Ari stood to one side to let them work, but still close enough for support.

As they were finishing up, Ari glanced at a surgical marker that had been left on the tray. She turned to one of the nurses.

“Can I write something on his hand?” she asked.

The nurse smiled. “Sure, it won’t hurt anything.”

Ari took up the marker and drew the smug kitten Sylus always teased her with on the back of his hand. His eyes softened slightly as he saw it.

“Is this my little protector?”

“Yes,” Ari replied. “This kitten will make sure you have someone watching over you.”

One of the nurses stepped forward. “We’ll be taking him into the OR now, miss.”

Ari took a deep breath and turned back to Sylus, catching the very tiny hint of panic in his eyes.

She leaned over and kissed him softly. “I love you. I promise I’ll be there when you wake up.”

He let out a shuddering breath and nodded.

After that all Ari could do was watch him be wheeled away.

She took a deep breath to steady herself before heading back to the waiting room, knowing Luke and Kieran would be looking for news.

She found them pacing the waiting room, making everyone else there nervous. But they instantly ran up to Ariadne as they saw her.

“Boss La—er—Miss Ari!”

“How is the Boss?”

“They just took him in for surgery. It’s his appendix.”

They pressed their lips into a thin line at the same time, an identical look of unease passing between them. Ari realized she was going to have to be the one to reassure them now.

“You both know he’s going to be fine. He’d be pissed if he knew you were worrying over him.”

“Right.”

“Yeah, we know.”

Ari urged them to sit down to stop making the other people nervous, but she ended up being the one bouncing her knee. She knew it was going to be a few hours at least before they heard anything, but she was still nervous. What if Sylus didn’t react well to the anesthesia? What if his Evol activated on its own and he hurt the doctors and himself in the process?

She worried his ring around her thumb, hating the thoughts that were running through her head. Then she heard a familiar voice call her name.

“Ariadne.”

She looked up to see Zayne walking over with a couple take-out boxes and a tray of drinks.

“Zayne!”

She stood up and hugged him as he held his arms out to save the food, giving a soft laugh.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m on break, so I thought I would bring you something to eat from the cafeteria.” He handed off the containers to the twins and set the drinks down on a small side table.

“Hot milk tea. It will do you all good.”

“Thanks, Doc,” Luke said, taking one of the drinks as Kieran inspected the cartons of food.

“Yes, thank you,” Ari repeated gratefully.

“Keep your strength up,” Zayne told her gently as she hesitated when Kieran handed her one of the containers. “He’ll need you when he’s in recovery, but there’s nothing you can do now but get some rest. If you need to sleep, there’s a spare room at the end of the hall that the staff will sometimes use to crash for a couple hours.”

“I’m not that tired yet, but I appreciate it. Thank you, Zayne.”

“Of course,” he said. “I also made sure he’ll get a private room after he comes out of recovery.”

“Zayne, you’re the best.”

He huffed a laugh. “I know he can pay for it. Tell him I expect a large donation to the hospital once this is over.”

Ariadne smirked, feeling a little better as she waved goodbye to Zayne.

She and the twins ate the food and she had to admit that the warm milk tea was indeed soothing. Her nerves felt less jangled after she ate and she wondered how much of it had been from hunger to begin with.

The night stretched on, and pretty soon it was only her and the twins in the waiting room, idly watching the television that sat in the corner until finally a doctor made an appearance.

“Miss Celest?”

Ari instantly shot to her feet, the twins beside her. She faced the middle-aged woman in scrubs who smiled at her.

“I’m Dr. Madison, I was the one who performed Mr. Skye’s surgery. He did very well—no complications with the appendectomy. He’s currently in recovery but we’ll be moving him to his own room sometime later this morning.”

Ari let out a breath of relief. “Can I see him?”

Dr. Madison nodded. “You can come sit with him while he’s coming out of anesthesia. Dr. Zayne told me that would likely be best considering his Evol could be unstable from the medication.”

Ari once again silently thanked Zayne and turned to the twins. “You two should go home and get some sleep. I’ll make sure he’s okay.”

They squirmed a little, hesitant.

“Is it okay if we just see him?”

“Then we’ll go.”

Ariadne’s heart softened and she looked at Dr. Madison.

“Only for a minute. More than one person in the recovery room isn’t allowed, but it will be okay if you just peek in.”

They thanked her and the group hurried toward the recovery area. Dr. Madison pulled back the curtain of Sylus’s space and Ari stepped inside.

He was hooked up to multiple machines and IV drips, the steady beeping telling her that his heartrate was normal. An oxygen canula was in his nose and his chest rose and fell with heavy breaths.

Her stomach flipped a little at seeing him so completely vulnerable and she instantly crossed to the bed, touching his hair.

Luke and Kieran seemed relieved to see Sylus alive, and agreed to head back to the base to sleep. Ari promised to call them when Sylus was in his own room.

She barely heard Dr. Madison tell her she would get her a chair, already reaching for Sylus’s closest hand where it sat on top of the blanket. She smiled as the kitten she’d drawn smirked up at her as if to say ‘I promised he would be fine.’

Dr. Madison brought the chair and Ari sat in it gratefully.

“Thank you. When will he wake up?”

“The anesthesia will wear off within an hour or so. The nurses will be checking in every thirty minutes, but if you need anything, just hit that call button over here.”

Ari nodded in thanks and turned her attention back to Sylus as the surgeon left.

She held his hand, listening to his breathing and the beep of his heartbeat as the minutes stretched on.

Eventually, his breathing seemed to become more shallow and uneven, his brows pinched together and his jaw tightened. She took his hand more firmly and stroked his hair out of his face.

“Sylus?” she called softly as she saw his eyes flutter.

He let out a soft grunt, eyelids flickering open as he stared up at her blearily. “Hm?”

She smiled. “There you are. I promised I would be here when you woke up.”

He looked slightly confused, glancing around at the equipment, brows knitting together. “Hospital…”

“You had your appendix out, remember? You now have one less body part to worry about.”

He grunted, eyes fluttering. He shifted in the bed with a wince. “Mph…ow…”

“Don’t move around,” she chided. “You just barely woke up.”

She got up briefly to press the call button, before trying to calm Sylus down a little.

A nurse came in quickly, smiling as she saw Sylus awake.

“Right on time.”

She checked Sylus’s vitals and wrote something on a chart.

“He seems to be in a bit of pain,” Ari said.

“He’s ready for a dose of morphine.” The nurse prepped the syringe and inserted it into the IV line.

Sylus seemed to relax a little as it entered his system and Ari thanked her as she left.

She stroked Sylus’s forehead, feeling a little residual fever. He nuzzled into her touch with a sigh, eyes closed.

“Stay,” he murmured.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she promised, leaning in to kiss his cheek.

His fingers twitched and she reached for his hand, clasping it in hers, watching as he was unable to keep from falling back into a deep sleep.

Ari had to admit that she was slightly relieved he was taking it so well, but he also still had the heavy drugs and the residual anesthesia in his system. She was bracing for him being more of a problem later once it wore off.

She didn’t realize she had fallen asleep with her head on Sylus’s bedside until she woke up to the morning nurse coming in to check on him.

“Good morning,” the nurse said kindly, inputting Sylus’s vitals on her tablet.

Ari yawned, glancing toward his still sleeping face. “How is he?”

“Everything looks normal,” the nurse said. “We’re going to start him on a regimen of antibiotics today to clear up any residuals from the infection but by tonight we should be able to move him into his own room.”

Ari nodded gratefully, rubbing at her tired eyes as the nurse left. She texted the twins to update them.

Before she could get up, there was a soft knock on the wall beside the curtain and Zayne stepped through with a smile.

“Good morning. How is he?”

“Nurse said he was doing well,” Ariadne replied, gratefully accepting the coffee and the bag with a pastry in it that Zayne handed her. “I’m kind of glad he’s still asleep.”

Zayne smiled in amusement. “I’m sure he’ll find plenty of time to cause trouble later. But right now, it’s good he’s resting. His body is healing.” He briefly checked the reads on the machines Sylus was hooked up to and gave a satisfied nod.

“Thanks for breakfast,” Ari replied, taking a long drink of the coffee.

“Of course. And if you need a place to lie down and rest later, you can always come to my office. But I’m sure you would rather stay with him.”

Ari nodded, smiling gratefully.

Zayne promised to bring her lunch before he left to see to his duties.

Ari waited, texting the twins to let them know that Sylus was still doing okay then reading some magazines until the nurse returned on her rounds.

Sylus woke briefly, still groggy, and they informed him he was cleared to be moved to his own room.

Ari let them get him settled, grabbing a drink from the vending machine, then headed over to his room.

Sylus looked slightly less pale, but his eyes were squinted from the late afternoon sun coming in through the wide-open window, a furrow of discomfort on his brow.

Ari quickly crossed the room to draw the shades, returning to his bedside to smooth her thumb across his forehead.

“Better?”

“Mm, thanks, sweetie.”

“The room is nice,” she commented, looking around. It even had a small couch in one corner. “Zayne said he expects a large donation to the hospital for helping to get you a VIP spot.”

Sylus let out a breathy chuckle. “I’m expected to give them even more money for taking something out of my body?”

Ariadne smiled softly, stroking his hair. “It would be a nice gesture. After all, they didn’t steal any of your good organs.”

Sylus scoffed, but his eyes slitted like a pleased cat’s as Ari’s fingers scraped across his scalp.

“Can I get you anything?”

He reached out to tug her even closer. “Just you. You’re exhausted, kitten.”

“I did sleep a little.”

He gave her a look, and wrapped an insistent arm around her waist. “Come here. You can’t expect me to sleep well in this place without my little tigress to protect me.”

Ari huffed, but slid her shoes off and curled up next to him on the bed, careful not to get tangled in the IV line. She would risk a scolding from the doctors for this. Sylus’s arm folded around her, hugging her close to his side as he fell into an exhausted sleep once more.

He rested all night, sleeping off the residual fever. The antibiotics seemed to be working though, and he already looked better by the next morning, sitting up to eat breakfast.

“You’re getting me out of here tomorrow,” he told Ari in no uncertain terms.

“We’ll see what the doctors say,” she replied.

“Sweetie…”

She smiled and poked his cheek. “Aren’t you glad to have a few days off?”

“I would rather spend them at the base with you where I can actually sleep and heal. I’m not going to get any rest with doctors coming in to poke at me every hour.”

She gave him a sympathetic look. “Just hold on a little longer. Dr. Madison said she would check your wound this morning and if she thinks you’re good to go, then I’ll take you home.”

Sylus scoffed, giving her a baleful look. Ari glared back pointedly.

“You know you scared the hell out of me, right?”

His eyes flickered down as he sighed.

“I’m sorry I scared you, sweetie.”

Ari paused a moment. She hadn’t intended to bring this up until Sylus was more recovered, but she couldn’t wait any longer to vent her grievances. “Why didn’t you tell me how bad it was?”

Sylus looked away, jaw tightening. “I guess…I was in denial myself. I’m not used to showing weakness, vulnerability. You’re the only one I’d ever admit any of that to, but it’s still difficult sometimes.”

“You know I won’t think less of you for showing weakness,” Ari told him gently. “You’ll always be Sylus to me.”

He gave her a fond look. “It’s not even so much pride as it is…proving it to myself. Sometimes it’s easier to lose a fight to someone else, than it is to yourself.”

She took his hand with a sigh, threading their fingers together. “Promise me next time you’ll let me know before it gets this bad?”

He took a deep breath and reached up to cup her face, smoothing his thumb across her cheek. “For you only, Ari, I suppose I have no choice but to promise.”

She smiled and turned her head slightly to kiss his hand before the door opened and Dr. Madison came in.

“Good morning, Mr. Skye—Miss Celest. How are you feeling?”

Sylus sighed. “Better. Ready to leave.”

Dr. Madison gave him a longsuffering smile. “We’ll see once I’ve finished my examination.”

Ari stepped back as Dr. Madison carefully checked Sylus’s vitals herself then peeled back the bandages to check his incision.

“This seems to be healing cleanly, and the fever is gone—both good signs.”

“So can I leave?” Sylus asked bluntly.

The doctor changed the dressings. “If you are still on an upward trajectory by tomorrow morning then you may leave to continue bed rest at home.”

Sylus huffed in annoyance but Ari thanked Dr. Madison and soothed the restless patient.

“There’s no use in stressing over it, Sy. Just rest.”

Despite his annoyance Sylus’s body seemed to have other plans and he fell asleep again shortly after. Ari entertained him that day with old movies and took several naps with him between the rounds.

By the next morning, he was still doing well and Dr. Madison gave him the okay to leave.

“You must rest in bed for at least the next three days though, Mr. Skye,” she instructed firmly. “Your Evol will still be unstable due to the post-surgery medications so it will likely be a few days before you can heal yourself again. I would also like to recommend a check-up appointment one week from now so I can check on your healing progress.”

Sylus nearly rolled his eyes, but Ariadne stepped in. “I’ll make sure he takes care of himself, and he’ll be here next week.”

She listened as Dr. Madison gave her the care instructions for the incision and dressings then finally they signed the discharge papers.

Ari called Luke and Kieran to come pick them up and while they were waiting, she helped Sylus into his clothes. Even the act of dressing seemed to exhaust him and he was less volatile about being given a wheelchair to leave the hospital than Ari had expected.

He slumped tiredly into the back of the car, only grunting in greeting to the Twin’s relived hellos.

Ariadne took him directly to the bedroom once they got back, Mephisto circling happily to see his master returned as Ari let Sylus lean heavily on her shoulder.

“I’ll get you something comfy, then you can get into bed,” she promised.

He grunted, leaning against the wall as she went to find him some pajamas. “I stink of the hospital. I want a shower.”

She turned from his dresser. “You can’t take a shower with the incision, but…I can help you wash instead.”

Sylus’s eyes flicked and his expression softened. “Alright, sweetie, that sounds like a fair compromise.”

A few minutes later she had sat him down in his large shower, turning on the steam feature. Sylus practically melted as she took her time with a soft cloth to wash the grime of fever and hospital off of his body, careful around the incision. She finished by washing his hair, massaging his scalp with her nails, leaving Sylus slack and groaning in contentment.

She gently patted him dry when she was done, changed the dressing and blow-dried his hair until it was soft and fluffy.

He was nodding off by then and Ari quickly helped him change into sweat pants and a loose button-up sweater. He was completely compliant by that point, allowing her to lead him to bed and tuck him in before climbing in beside him.

Sylus sighed in contentment, pulling her close.

“This is much nicer with my little kitten nurse looking after me,” he said, burying his nose in the top of Ari’s head. “I don’t mind being laid up if this is the treatment I have to look forward to.”

She smiled, tucking her face into the crook of his neck. “I might be happy to spoil you once in a while, but don’t make a habit of this, though, okay?”

He chuckled. “Hm, well, I’m guaranteed not to get appendicitis again, at least.”

“No major injuries either.”

He huffed. “I’ll do my best, sweetie. But you’ve always been more than enough to make me want to overcome anything.”

She smiled against his skin and pressed her lips to his shoulder. “As long as you always come back to me, that’s all I ask. Love you, Sy.”

“Love you too, sweetie.”

~~~~~~~

Tag List @hilliserose @itsmeaudrieee @regalillegal @carpet-worm @nevers109 @jeepangel @lumi-s-garlic @monarchthefirst

[signoreratto]

I'm sure they have a lot to talk about

[kaeyonart]

miss bodyguard give your fishie some attention or he'll pout his lips even more 🥺

🔗 twitter ✦ bsky

[ladywindeepspace]

Whumperless Whump Day 11 (Love and Deepspace) Part 1/2

First part of another @whumperless-whump-event fic! I've had this one on the docked for a loooong time and finally had the time to finish it LOL So enjoy Sylus suffering from bodily betrayal. Part 2 will be up on the 13th

For Whumperless Whump Event Day 11 "Bodily Betrayal" (Stomach sick)

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Read Part 2

Ariadne doesn’t really worry when Sylus starts to feel unwell, but it might be more serious than either of them think.

Read on Ao3

Lads Masterpost Lads Whump Masterpost Tag List

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Weakness

Part One

Ariadne woke with a tired stretch and hauled herself out of bed, leaving a sleeping Sylus behind as she went to shower.

The man was oddly still asleep by the time she got back, drying her hair off with a towel. She smiled as she leaned over his side of the bed and poked his cheek.

“Sy? Are you gonna get up today?”

His face twitched and he inhaled deeply before reaching out to snatch her around the waist, pulling her back into bed.

“Sylus! I have to get up,” Ari protested.

“Not yet,” he murmured, drawing her firmly back under the covers.

Ariadne squirmed half-heartedly. “I really need to get to work.”

Sylus sighed and kissed her forehead, finally releasing her. “Alright, sweetie, I suppose I’ll let you go. Your work is important after all.”

She shook her head fondly at his sarcastic tone and went to finish dressing, watching out of the corner of her eye as Sylus sat up against the headboard.

His eyes squinted slightly and he pressed a hand to his stomach.

Ariadne was instantly on alert, striding back toward the bed. “Are you injured?”

He scoffed. “I’m fine, sweetie, no need to—”

She pinned him against the headboard, giving him a look. “You came back late last night after that deal. I didn’t get to properly check if you were all in one piece.”

Sylus huffed but lay back with a dismissive gesture. “Do what you want, kitten.”

She tugged his shirt up, inspecting his abs and chest, but there was nothing but smooth skin. She poked his hip and Sylus huffed.

“Satisfied?”

“Does your stomach hurt?”

He pressed his lips together. “It’s a bit upset this morning,” he finally admitted. “But it’s nothing to worry about. I’m sure it’s because you continuously insist on making me eat bad food.”

Ari scoffed indignantly. “Don’t blame your picky pallet on me! Are you sure you aren’t getting sick? You feel a little warm.” She pressed her hand against his forehead, seeing that it felt slightly warmer than normal.

Sylus took her wrist and nuzzled her palm. “I’m fine, sweetie. Didn’t you need to go to work?”

She sighed, knowing she would have to leave soon to get to the association on time. “Yeah. Just…take care of yourself today, okay, Sylus?”

He chuckled and pulled her in for a kiss. “I’ll miss my little nurse. Come back safe, kitten.”

She gathered her gear and waved to him before leaving.

As soon as Ariadne had shut the bedroom door behind her, Sylus slumped back against the pillows, letting out a long breath.

Truth be told, he didn’t feel great. His stomach was actually hurting a lot more than he wanted to admit. It had started a couple days ago and only seemed to get worse from there, no matter what he did to try and soothe it. He hadn’t even gotten into any fights recently so he had no idea what the cause was. Maybe Ari was right and he had caught something.

He sighed and forced himself up, rubbing his side. Well, if nothing else, he would get his doting Hunter to tend to him if he was sick so it wouldn’t be that bad. Unfortunately, he had an important deal tomorrow night and he really hoped this cleared up before then.

He almost never took pain pills unless he had a migraine, but he did that day just so he could forget about the pain as he went about his business.

His first stop was at Odd Workshop to see Philip about a new Protocore modification he was doing on a gun for Sylus. Luke and Kieran tagged along to check out some of the new equipment Philip was making for them as well, and their added chaos caused a nagging headache behind Sylus’s eyes that made him want to tell them to shut up and sit in the car.

“I reworked the modulator like we talked about,” Philip was telling Sylus, handing him the rifle. “It should have double the fire power now. You want to try it?”

Sylus took it to the shooting range and pressed it against his shoulder. The nagging headache and overall ill feeling roiling inside of him made aiming more difficult than it should have been. He blinked, clearing his throat, before he fired, watching the gun blow the target into oblivion.

The jolt through his body made his stomach ache even more than it had been and he gritted his teeth. Damn, this pain…what the hell was wrong with him?

“Woah! Boss, that’s awesome!”

“Yeah, can you make us some too, old man!”

“But with modified barrels—”

“With flame detailing!”

Phillip huffed in fond annoyance.

Sylus handed the gun back to him. “It’s good. Make a dozen more.”

“Will do,” Phillip said as the twins crowed in excitement.

Sylus pressed a hand to his head, biting back a sigh. Phillip seemed to do a double-take when he saw Sylus and frowned.

“Mr. Sylus, are you… feeling all right? You look a little pale.”

Sylus shook himself, instantly frowning at the man, eyes narrowed. “I’m fine.”

Philip gave him a look, but Sylus knew he wouldn’t pry.

“When will you have them done?”

“Next week.”

“Good. I’ll send the twins to pick them up then.”

Sylus snapped his fingers at the boys who were still cavorting around the shop, messing with Philip’s half-finished inventions.

“Enough—let’s go.”

They followed him out to the car and as Sylus got into the driver’s seat, the pain flared in his stomach again and he exhaled a little sharply, gripping the steering wheel

Luke leaned over the seat. “Where to next, Boss?”

“Do you have any other tasks for us today?” Kieran asked.

Sylus pressed his lips together and started the car. “I want recon done on that gang we’ve been keeping an eye on. I’m meeting with the leader tomorrow to work out some sort of deal, but I want as much info as possible.” The recon was pretty much pointless at this point, but Sylus found that he wanted to get the twins out of his hair that day.

“Will do, Boss!”

“Can you drop us off?”

Sylus grunted in agreement and started the car, pulling out onto the road.

The nausea roiling in his stomach made driving…unpleasant. He had never had motion sickness in his life, but this…

He blinked and slammed on the brakes, just barely realizing there was a car stopped in front of him.

Luke and Kieran yelped from the back, instantly on alert.

“What is it, Boss?”

Sylus gritted his teeth, swallowing down the nausea as he eased his foot off the brake and started driving again when the car in front continued to move.

The twins leaned forward, and he could feel their eyes boring holes into him.

“Boss are you feeling okay? You look a little pale?”

“Yeah, are you sick?”

Sylus grunted and turned down a side road a little too quickly. “I’m fine. You two focus on your job.” He pulled over to the side of the road to let them out.

The twins shot each other a look, but did as he asked.

Sylus drove back to the base and thankfully the nausea faded a little after he got out of the car.

Not entirely, though. He could still feel the roiling upset in his guts, the nagging pain focused on his right side. He began to wonder if maybe he had been the victim of an attempted poisoning.

Or maybe it was just a stomach flu. He rarely got sick, but that didn’t mean he was completely immune.

Mephisto flew to greet him with a head-piercing caw. Sylus winced.

“Hush, you’re too loud.”

The crow cooed a little as he landed on Sylus’s shoulder, accompanying him to the office. Sylus headed to the sideboard and turned his kettle on. The thought of coffee made his stomach flip, so he pulled out the tin of ginger tea he usually kept for Ari when she had cramps.

He slumped at his desk with the fragrant mug steaming softly next to his hand. He rubbed his side again.

“Dammit,” he huffed and reached into his desk drawer, pulling out a bottle of pain pills. Second dose for the day. Unheard of.

Mephisto watched with a judging eye, ruffling his feathers.

“What?” Sylus snapped, swallowing a couple pills before turning back to his computer. “If you have nothing better to do, go out and help the twins with recon.”

The crow cawed with something that sounded close to a warning and flew off.

Sylus rested against his elbows, trying to focus on what he needed to do, but while he had quelled his nausea, his head was starting to pound even more and he felt both hot and slightly chilled. Did he have a fever now too?

He sighed, rubbing his head with his hands and finally locked in, working through the discomfort.

Luke and Kieran came back late that afternoon with Mephisto, bringing him what info they had collected. Sylus thanked them and then told them to take the rest of the night off. He hoped that would keep them occupied.

He went to shower, letting the hot water ease his protesting body a little. By the time he was done, he felt exhausted. More than he should have been considering how little he had done that day. He glanced a bit scornfully at the bed. This was the time he was usually waking up, but maybe it would be best to try to sleep off whatever this was.

His bodily needs won out for once, and he crashed on the bed, already feeling the relief of the cool silk sheets against his skin. He was out almost instantly, dragged down into a deep sleep.

Sylus didn’t wake until a nagging pain and general discomfort drew him out of sleep. He frowned, rolling onto his back as his body protested, slightly sticky with sweat. He groaned, bringing his arm up to settle the crook of his elbow over his eyes, the dull headache from yesterday back yet again.

The sound of his phone ringing brought him back. He fumbled for it on the sheets, and blinked to clear his vision, already seeing a missed goodnight text from Ariadne the night before. Her profile picture showed up on the missed call and he quickly tapped it to call her back.

“Hey,” she greeted. “I wasn’t sure if you would be up yet.”

“Mm, barely,” Sylus murmured, his voice rougher than he would have liked. He checked the time and saw it was already mid-afternoon—the next day. How long had he been asleep?

Ari seemed to pick up on his discomfort just from his voice. “Sylus, you’re actually sick, aren’t you?”

He sighed, rubbing his eyes. “Maybe.”

“Please take care of yourself,” Ari told him. “I can’t make it over there today, I’m gonna be stuck finishing reports tonight after I get back to the office, but please take care of yourself. I’ll come over first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Alright, sweetie, sounds good.”

“Just please rest and take it easy,” Ariadne told him before she ended the call.

Sylus lay there for a long minute knowing he needed to get up. But there was a sickly pit in his stomach that made him feel like any small movement would reawaken the nausea with a vengeance.

Still, he had to get up. He had to prepare before the meeting that night—and it was certainly one hell of a night for that.

He rolled over and pushed himself up, feeling his aching body protest as if he had gotten hit by a truck.

He made his way to the bathroom and splashed cool water over his face, all the while, feeling the nausea creep up his throat, making the muscles in his jaw clench, saliva gathering under his tongue and…

He couldn’t keep it at bay anymore. The nausea dug its claws in with a vengeance and he hurriedly crouched by the toilet, vomiting.

Sylus shakily wiped his mouth. “Shit.”

He flushed the toilet and bent over the sink, rinsing his mouth. The action of throwing up had made his lower belly ache and he cautiously pressed a hand to his side, brows furrowing. He couldn’t deny that it was bad. It wasn’t like he was a stranger to pain. It kind of came with the business. Prolonged pain, however, was not entirely common and he found that it was incredibly draining.

He reached for some pain pills in the medicine cabinet and swallowed them dry before forcing himself to dress.

The collared shirt and suitcoat felt constricting against his heated skin. He decided against the tie and fumbled with the watch around his wrist for a second.

There was a knock on the door and he bit back a curse, calling out. “Come.”

Kieran came in, giving him a nod. “Boss, there’re a couple calls for you.”

“I’ll handle it in a minute.”

“And we were wondering when we would be leaving for the meeting?”

Sylus checked his watch. “Two hours.”

Kieran nodded and headed out.

Sylus took a deep breath and made his way to his office, dealing with the phone calls he had missed while he had been asleep. His brain and body both seemed sluggish that day but he was also the master of faking calm.

He would get through the night, he was sure of it. After that, well, he would figure that out later.

When it was finally time to leave for the deal, he made his way out to the car Luke and Kieran had waiting for him and got in the back. They drove him to Elysium and Sylus pulled himself from the back of the vehicle.

It was more of an effort than he wanted to admit. His stomach clenched and a sudden sharp pain shot through him, forcing him to grab the roof of the car to steady himself.

“Boss?”

The twins were watching him with sharp eyes and he instantly straightened.

“You’re still not feeling well?” Kieran asked cautiously.

“I’m fine,” Sylus grunted, pushing himself away from the car and making his way inside. “Keep an eye out for any trouble.”

He headed toward one of the private back rooms as soon as he got inside. He poured a drink from the sideboard automatically, but didn’t drink it, his stomach turning at the thought.

He found himself subconsciously slumping against the table, sitting upright making everything hurt worse for some reason. He glanced impatiently at his watch, wondering how quickly he could get this done.

Finally, the twins showed the other men in and Sylus straightened, nodding for them to sit.

“Mr. Sylus,” the man said cautiously.

“Gentlemen,” Sylus replied. “Let’s begin, I have better things to do tonight.”

He listened to their offers, the pain only seeming to grow worse, and the nausea was creeping back with a vengeance again. A cold sweat prickled the back of Sylus’s neck and across his ribs. He tried to pretend nonchalance, propping an elbow on the table and pressing his knuckles to his lips. To anyone else he would look bored. They wouldn’t suspect he was trying to fight the urge to vomit.

It took him a moment to realize the men had stopped speaking and were waiting for him to reply with wary looks.

Sylus blinked and cleared his throat, pushing himself upright, fist clenching as his stomach protested.

“You assume I’ll accept the deal,” he said.

The men seemed surprised, glancing at each other warily.

“Under the condition that Onychinus gets 40% of what you make on imports.”

One of the men exhaled slowly. “We thought that was a fair price, sir.”

Sylus gave a dry chuckle. “Did you? Well, in that case, Onychinus will take 60.”

The gang’s boss scoffed, hand tightening around his glass. “Why should Onychinus make majority of the profits when we’re doing all the work?”

“I can ban you from every port and trade route we run if you would rather,” Sylus said, feeling the tell-tale crawl of saliva up the back of his throat as he fought a valiant battle against it. This had to end now.

“Mr. Sylus—!”

Sylus stood up, ignoring the pain in his side. The men shrank back in horror, likely waiting for him to simply crush them and be done with it. But instead, he silently went to the door, yanking it open with a shaking hand.

“Boss?”

He pushed past Luke and Kieran heading to the end of the hall and practically bursting into the bathroom.

He nearly collapsed against the sink, yanking the facet on as he gathered cold water in his hands and splashed it over his face. The shock forced some of the nausea back. He swallowed hard, grabbing some paper towels to wipe the water from his skin. He caught sight of himself in the mirror and grimaced. He looked completely wan and ghost-like. Pained lined drawing his features tight. He shut his eyes and took several deep breaths until his stomach settled again, then slicked his hair back and stepped out of the bathroom.

He returned to the meeting room and the men jumped, panic obvious in their features.

“I’m done for the night,” Sylus told them in no unfamiliar terms. “Come back next week and try again.”

They sat there in shock and Sylus moved toward the table slowly. “Don’t make me say it twice.”

The men nodded and scrambled from their seats, hurrying out of the room.

Sylus breathed a sigh of relief, and slumped instantly into the chair, rubbing a hand over his face. He needed to get out of here, he told himself. He just had to make it back to the base. But his body didn’t seem to want to move.

The twins appeared soon, glancing at him.

“Over already, Boss?” Luke asked cautiously.

Sylus grunted, and pushed his chair back, setting a hand on the desk as he shakily started to push himself up.

The dull pain in his side exploded and he let out a harsh breath, doubling over and gripping the back of the chair as he breathed through his nose, fighting back the threatening nausea yet again.

“Boss?!”

The twins were at his side almost instantly, reaching for him.

He waved them away, and sank back into the chair. “Give me a minute,” he gritted out.

The two seemed genuinely at a loss. Kieran clenched his fists at his sides.

“We’re calling the Boss Lady.”

Sylus didn’t protest, he didn’t really have the energy at the moment. He braced one arm against the table, the other curled around his stomach as he fought the urge to vomit.

It was time to stop denying that something was very wrong.

***

Ariadne yawned as she finished up all the reports she’d had sitting on her computer for the last couple weeks. She stood up and stretched, grabbing her stuff to get ready to head home for the night, already planning on what she would pick up to bring to Sylus tomorrow morning.

She delivered the reports to Captain Jenna’s desk and bid goodnight to her coworkers before heading out to her bike,

Before she could even climb onto it, her phone rang. Ari pulled it from her pocket and glanced at the caller ID, expecting it to be Sylus.

She was surprised to see it was Kieran calling instead.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Um…it’s the Boss Man. He’s…”

Ari frowned, worry instantly nagging at her. “What happened?”

Luke spoke into the phone next. “Something’s wrong. He left the meeting earlier looking really sick and now he just sat down and won’t move.”

Worry instantly took up residence in her stomach as she got on her bike, shopping forgotten. “Where are you? I’ll come to you.”

After they had relayed the fact they were at Elysium, Ari sped toward the N109 Zone and stopped outside the club. The owner gave her a nod as she entered and gestured to the back.

Ari hurried through the club toward the private rooms and found Luke and Kieran milling worriedly outside one of the doors.

“Where is he?”

They pointed inside.

“Never seen him like this,” Luke said.

“Never.” Kieran reiterated.

The worry continued to churn as Ariadne pushed open the door and stepped inside.

“Sylus?”

He was sitting slumped over the table, one arm braced against it as the other curled around his abdomen, head hanging between his shoulders.

He straightened slightly as she came in, jaw tight and expression wan.

Ari instantly hurried to his side, placing a hand on his forehead, feeling how clammy he was.

“You look awful, what’s wrong?” she asked softly, pushing his hair back from his face, watching the beads of cold sweat form as his brows knit together.

“Don’t know,” Sylus grunted. “I feel like…”

He paled impossibly further and Ari instantly saw the signs. She rushed to grab a small waste basket from the corner and got back to him just in time for him to vomit.

She wrapped an arm around his shoulders to brace him as he clutched the trash can, groaning in a way she had never heard from him.

“You’re hurt,” she realized, snatching a napkin from under a forgotten drink and using it to wipe his mouth as Sylus slumped over in the chair, bracing himself against the table. “Did you get injured?”

“Sick,” he said.

“This isn’t normal sick,” she shot back. “You’re in pain, Sylus. I can tell. I’ve never seen you like this before. Even the twins are worried.”

He groaned, lowering his head into one hand as he curled the other around his stomach.

“It’s my damn stomach,” Sylus finally admitted. “Feels like…something’s wrong. Like someone poisoned me.”

“You have a fever, I don’t think you’re poisoned.” Ari frowned as she knelt in front of him, rubbing his arm comfortingly. “Where does it hurt?”

Sylus’s hand slid to his right side. “Here, mostly.”

She coaxed his hand away to lift his shirt, but didn’t see any injuries. Her fingers grazed the area and his breath hitched as he pulled away instinctively.

“It’s really tender?”

“Yeah.”

Something she remembered one of the other hunters talking about flashed through her mind. It had been some silly discussion with the hunters showing off their scars. One of the analysts had boasted that he had one too, only to reveal a scar he’d gotten from a surgery. The others had made fun of him, but he’d insisted that appendicitis had hurt like a son of a bitch.

“Sylus,” she said suddenly, straightening up. “Have you…had your appendix out?”

He frowned and shook his head. “No, sweetie, I…” he trailed off, then swore, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Of course.”

Feeling slightly relieved that they had found the most likely culprit for his condition, Ariadne reached out to cup his face in her hand. “Well, I guess that means hospital then.”

He pulled away. “No. I’ll call a private physician. Or take it out myself. I’ll heal right after—”

“Absolutely not!” Ariadne snapped, putting her foot down.

“Kitten, I’m not going to the hospital.”

“This isn’t some minor injury, Sylus!” she continued. “Part of your body is infected and needs to be removed. Your Evol might be able to heal stabbings and gunshot wounds but not infections. And I’m not going to let you cut yourself open like that! What if you pass out and can’t heal yourself?”

His jaw ticked, looking like he was going to protest, when another wave of pain seemed to rake through him and he curled into himself with a shuddering exhale. Ari’s heart wrenched.

“Sylus, please,” she begged. “Please let me take you to the hospital. I promise no one will talk. They’re good people there. My friend Dr. Zayne will make sure no one asks questions.”

Sylus scoffed. “You really want to make me go to a hospital. With…normal people.”

“Yes,” she replied firmly, reaching down to take his hand. “Please. For me.”

He exhaled slowly and squeezed her hand. “Fine. Do what you want. I can’t fight you right now anyway.”

She felt no satisfaction in his surrender. Simply offered a shoulder to lean on as he forced himself to his feet.

He didn’t make a sound, but his sharp inhale and the weight against her shoulder told her how much he was hurting. Luke and Kieran looked up in shock as she led him out of the room.

“Bring the car around,” she told them and they were already off almost before she had finished speaking.

Sylus tried to straighten up, but Ari rubbed his side soothingly. “We’re going out the back. No one has to see you like this.”

He slumped, breathing a sigh of fond relief before he allowed her to lead him to the deserted back alley where Luke and Kieran had parked the car.

She helped him into the back and urged him to put his head in her lap.

“Here, lay down,” she said softly, stroking his hair once he was settled.

“Where to?” Kieran asked, pointedly addressing her.

“Asko hospital.”

“But that’s in—”

“Just go.”

The Twins shot a look at Sylus’s figure in the back but he made no protest, so Kieran stepped on the gas and headed out of the N109 Zone.

Sylus groaned a little, paling, and Ari tried to soothe him, hoping he wouldn’t get too nauseous on the drive.

“Take the turns a little easier, Kieran,” she said.

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Sylus gripped her knee, fingers digging in. Ari rubbed his shoulder, offering what little support she could.

“If you have to throw up, let me know,” she told him quietly.

He grunted but pressed his face further into her lap as the car made another, slightly less violent, turn.

Ari anxiously watched the miles crawl on their way through Linkon. The central city traffic was bad this time of evening, and Kieran swore, tapping his fingers anxiously against the steering wheel.

“Calm down, I’m not dying,” Sylus grunted, obviously sensing his fretting.

“Boss—”

“He’s right,” Ariadne spoke up, despite the fact that she also wanted to hurry. If she could stay calm then the Twins would follow. “There’s no point in getting pulled over for speeding, that’s not gonna help him.”

“Right.”

The twins shared a look and Luke started to do deep breathing. The act seemed to calm his brother and they crawled through Linkon’s rush hour as Sylus tried to relax. Ari continued to wipe clammy sweat from his brow with her sleeve, wishing she could do more.

A rather sudden stop had Sylus tensing, and she grabbed his hand, biting back a gasp as he squeezed it tighter than he normally would.

“Sorry,” he murmured.

“It’s okay. You’ll be okay,” she assured him.

She would make sure of it.

~~~~~~~

Tag List @hilliserose @itsmeaudrieee @regalillegal @carpet-worm @nevers109 @jeepangel @lumi-s-garlic @monarchthefirst

[clearly-squishy]

Poisoned!MC x Zayne Fic (Complete!)

Part 2 is done! HOORAY! Again, thank you to @sailsflyseaward for the fic request, this idea was killer!

Prompt fill for @whumperless-whump-event day 10: "You scared me so badly..."

Also a prompt fill for the @badthingshappenbingo square: Near-Death Experience

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Poison can be slow. Silent. Tired muscles after an extended mission are normal. A numb pinky is nothing to freak out over. They aren’t indicators that something is going horribly wrong inside your body.

Zayne was suspicious, but you shut him down. After all, all you need is rest.

Total Word Count: 6,869

Bingo card below :)

[leemoonaid]

🐦‍⬛Sylus is s tough guy~ more on Patreon

[ladywindeepspace]

Whumperless Whump Day 2 (Love and Deepspace)

Finally get the time to write again and everything is in chaos. Oh well, hope you all enjoy the whump anway.

This is my slightly late entry for the @whumperless-whump-event Day 2 "Somebody's gotta do it" with the "Unexpected Caretaker" prompt.

~~~~~~~

Unbeknownst to Ariadne, Sylus and Zayne have an unspoken arrangement. A random stop at Zayne’s place leads Ariadne to discovering the reason behind Sylus’s recent white lies.

Read on Ao3

Lads Masterpost Lads Whump Masterpost Tag List

~~~~~~~

An Arrangement

Ariadne hadn’t intended to stop by Zayne’s place after work that evening, but she needed to drop off a book she had borrowed from him and had also gone to get some things from the new seasonal drop at her favorite local bakery. Of course that meant sharing them with a certain sweet-toothed doctor, so she figured she would do both at the same time. Zayne had been so busy at the hospital lately, she thought he deserved a little treat.

However, upon reaching Zayne’s house, no one answered her knock on the door. Zayne’s car was parked on the street, meaning he must be there, right? Maybe he had gone out for a walk or to do some shopping? She knocked again to be sure, but when there was still no answer, she decided to punch in the lock code Zayne had given her. If he was out she would just leave the book and treats with a note. She was sure he wouldn’t mind.

As she stepped inside, she was instantly aware that the place was not empty. The sound of low voices came from further in the house, punctuated every once in a while by a muffled grunt and clink of metal. Was it the television?

“Zayne?” she called, a little cautiously. “Sorry to barge in, but I brought something for you.”

Following the sounds, she stepped into the kitchen and dining area. As soon as she rounded the corner, she froze.

Zayne was sitting in a pulled-out chair, sleeves rolled up, an array of medical supplies laid out neatly on the table, crimson glistening on a metal tray that held several objects looking suspiciously like bullets.

But that wasn’t the most surprising thing because, slumped in a chair in front of him, was Ariadne’s boyfriend.

The leader of Onychinus. In Zayne’s house.

Sylus’s hand was resting in a fist against the table, shoulders tight as Zayne maneuvered something out of his body with a pair of forceps.

“Hah—you have no concept of bedside manner, doctor,” he grunted, shoulders tensing.

“Perhaps you should be more cautious, then. This is the second instance of Evol suppressing bullets you’ve been shot with in two months. Sit up straight.”

Sylus’s spine stiffened. A sharp inhale preceded Zayne finally pulling the bullet out and setting it with the others in the tray before pressing a wad of gauze to Sylus’s side.

“The N109 Zone has become more restless—outside influence,” Sylus grunted.

“Well, I didn’t offer this so you could be more reckless.”

“Apologies for holding your precious time hostage, doctor,” Sylus said as he reached for a glass of what appeared to be brandy on the table before Zayne gave a disapproving look and pushed it further away from him.

Once Ariadne’s initial shock wore off, she found herself stepping into the room, clutching the book and box of pastries tight.

“What the hell,” she demanded, “is going on here?”

Both men froze as if caught in some illicit act. Sylus started to turn around to see her before Zayne hissed at him to stay still. Both had a slightly guilty expression though neither seemed apologetic.

“Ah, well, I was hoping this arrangement would last a little longer without discovery,” Sylus sighed.

Ari dropped the book and pasties onto the table with a definitive thud.

“Why is Zayne digging bullets out of you?” she demanded. “Since when did you both become so buddy-buddy?”

Sylus pursed his lips and his eyes slid over to Zayne. “Doctor, care to explain?”

Zayne cleared his throat, leaning back briefly to exchange his soiled gloves for new ones, pushing his glasses up. “Sylus and I have a certain…agreement.”

Ari folded her arms over her chest. “Okay. An agreement to keep secrets from me? About injuries?” The scent of Sylus’s blood was making her chest tighten, bringing back all-too-fresh and unwanted memories.

Sylus sighed and reached out a hand for her which she declined, staying where she was. He gave her a longsuffering, yet fond look. “After you had a panic attack over my condition three months ago, sweetie, I—”

“Because you showed up at my apartment bleeding out instead of going to a hospital like you should have?!” Ariadne snapped.

Sylus pursed his lips, wincing as Zayne continued cleaning his injury, nudging his chest slightly to force him to straighten. Ari didn’t give him the luxury of walking around to face him. She would stare at the back of his head.

“Exactly, kitten, I made a mistake—I’ll admit it. At the time I didn’t realize how bad it was.”

Ari chewed her lip, remembering all too well the horrific scene. Sylus with a literal hole in his chest, lung filling with blood, just barely standing long enough to wait for her to open her door before collapsing in a puddle of blood across her threshold. The only thing she could do was call an ambulance as she fought to hold the blood in his body. He’d lost so much by the time they got to Akso that Zayne had had to step in to keep his heart beating. Ari had never seen Sylus hurt so badly, hadn’t even know it was possible. But the antimatter weapons were no joke.

She hadn’t realized she had been experiencing a panic attack until Yvonne found her sitting against the wall in the bathroom where she had intended to go wash the blood off her hands. The kind nurse had helped her wash up and calm down, taking her to rest in Zayne’s office until she got news that Sylus was out of surgery and stable.

“So, your complete lack of self-preservation is a ‘mistake’?” she asked blandly. “Okay, Sylus.”

Zayne finally pulled the swatch of gauze away and started to bandage the bullet wound. “He does have a deplorable lack of self-preservation. Hence why I extended a…truce of sorts.”

Sylus huffed. “Yes. An…arrangement.”

Three Months Ago

Zayne ended his rounds at Sylus’s room. His chest tightened slightly as he saw Ariadne curled up on the small couch next to the window, asleep from pure exhaustion. He selfishly went to check on her first, tucking a blanket over her without a single sign of her stirring. He exhaled slowly, remembering the state he’d found her in in his office once the surgery had concluded. He didn’t think he’d ever seen her that distraught and it still made his chest tight.

He selfishly wanted to blame Sylus for it, but the man himself had looked desperate enough as consciousness slipped from him to tell Zayne this was something neither of them were used to.

He exhaled slowly and turned to check on his patient, only to find a pair of crimson eyes staring at him.

Zayne straightened, picking up his tablet to input readings from the machines.

“You’re awake? Good. How are you feeling?”

Sylus’s eyes dragged from him to Ariadne, and over to the multiple IV lines feeding him nutrients, blood, and medication. He let out a labored breath that looked like it pained him.

“Worse than usual,” his voice was rough, raspy.

The honesty surprised Zayne slightly. He adjusted his glasses and typed on his tablet for a moment.

“Considering the antimatter weapons directly combat your Evol, it will take time for you to be able to heal yourself,” he said glancing at the stubborn man over the rim of his glasses. “I would also highly suggest not attempting to do so. You’re currently coming off of Evol suppressors administered during surgery and, frankly, I don’t think your body can take the strain right now.”

Sylus huffed a breath, brow furrowing in pain.

“I’m told I have you to thank for my life.”

“Do your best to keep it then.”

Sylus gave an infuriating smirk. “Nice of you to care, doctor.”

Zayne pointedly glanced toward Ariadne’s sleeping figure. “I won’t bother to spell out my reasoning.”

Sylus’s eyes landed on her as well, and they softened impossibly, a look of genuine regret turning the crimson into something less sharp. More like roses or red wine than blood.

“I didn’t intend to hurt her.”

Zayne sighed, tucking his tablet back into his coat and taking his glasses off. In the moment he was not a doctor. He was simply Ariadne friend.

“I know you lead a dangerous life. We both do—as does she,” Zayne said. “But for her sake, I only ask that you do not take risks unnecessarily.” He pursed his lips. “And if you do…you may come to me directly. As long as you are not actively dying, my door is open for discreet treatment.”

Sylus’s eyes widened in genuine surprise. “You’re offering to be my personal physician?”

Zayne folded his arms over his chest. “I know you don’t want to spend time in a public hospital. If the lesser of two evils is you bleeding on my floor instead of hers then I will accept it.”

Sylus glanced again at Ariadne’s sleeping figure. “She doesn’t have to know?”

Zayne shook his head. “No. I take doctor-patient confidentiality seriously.”

Sylus lifted a weary hand from the bed and Zayne shook it. “Then we have a deal, doctor.”

***

Ariadne stared at them as they finished explaining. Anger at being kept in the dark fighting against the urge to be impressed that they were actually getting along.

Zayne silently started to load all the soiled instruments onto the metal tray and snapped his gloves off, standing up.

“I’m going to go clean up.”

Ari finally moved to face Sylus, taking Zayne’s previous seat as she saw the resigned expression on the Onychinus leader’s face.

“You can take it out on me as much as you want,” Sylus said simply, almost daringly. “But I wasn’t unconscious enough to not hear the way you screamed my name.”

Her heart dropped, swallowing hard as she was instantly back there on that night in the ambulance, monitors screaming as the paramedics pushed her aside, ripping her hand from Sylus’s as his fingers went limp, a sickly gurgle in his throat as blood leaked from between his lips.

He reached out and took hold of her chin gently, lifting her face to look at him. “You know I’m not going anywhere, sweetie. It would take more than antimatter weapons to put me down.”

“I’m not sure I believe that,” Ari replied, settling her hand over his, nuzzling her cheek into his calloused palm.

“Then at least believe that I will always do everything I can to come back to you,” Sylus said softly. “Which is why I allowed the doctor to help instead of doing it myself.”

Ari sighed, leaning forward and reaching out to start buttoning his blood-stained shirt over the bandages wrapped around his abdomen. “You promise to keep going to Zayne?”

“Yes.”

“And you promise that if it’s more than just stitches you’ll let me know?”

“If I’m physically able.”

“Sylus!”

He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her in between his legs, gazing up at her. She couldn’t help but settle her hands in his hair, running her fingers through the slightly disheveled strands.

“You’ll know,” he promised. “Dr. Zayne will enjoy rubbing it in my face. And you are my emergency contact.”

She sighed, then leaned over to kiss him softly. Sylus hummed against her lips, tugging her a little closer.

The sound of a voice being cleared behind them caused Ari to break away, flushing a little.

Zayne stepped over to the table, ignoring them, as he placed a bag down. “Here are some extra strength pain killers if you need them as well as some instructions on caring for your wound. I expect you to follow them.”

“Don’t worry, he will,” Ari said pointedly, grabbing the bag as Sylus grunted.

“I would also suggest putting him under observation for the night to make sure there are no other side-effects related to the Evol suppressing bullets.”

“I’m sure she’ll keep her eye glued to me, doctor,” Sylus muttered as he pushed himself up. Ari slipped an arm around his waist.

“Thanks, Zayne,” she said sincerely. “I should have brought you more pastries.”

He smiled a little, glancing toward the forgotten bakery box. “That will suffice. Sylus has been kind enough to send some extra donations to Akso hospital for my trouble.”

Ari laughed a little at that as Sylus rolled his eyes.

“Thanks doc. See you next time.”

Zayne nodded. “Let’s make it a little bit longer this time, shall we?”

Sylus shrugged with a smirk as he wrapped an arm around Ari’s shoulders and leaned on her as they made their way out of Zayne’s place.

Sylus started toward his car, but Ariadne dove her hand into his pocket and snatched his keys.

“Nope. You’re my prisoner tonight. You’re staying at my place so I can properly look after you.”

“Mm, I suppose I have no choice,” Sylus muttered, not seeming to be upset in the slightest. “Does this mean you’re not mad at me anymore?”

“Oh, I’m still mad,” she replied as she helped him into the passenger seat. “Which is why I’m going to make sure you don’t do anything for the next couple days without asking me first.”

He sighed. “My prison guard is quite cruel.”

She started the car and reached over to thread his fingers into hers. “Yup, but I also promise rewards if you behave.”

Sylus took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Hm, well, then, I suppose I leave myself in your capable hands.”

~~~~~

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[fantasyartist26]

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Let's bring our wolf home!

[crimson--soul]

📜 Bhāvāchākrā: The Foundational Lore

Many folks unfamiliar with Asian mythologies have expressed confusion regarding the addition of another LI. Truth be told, the existence of 6 LIs was part of the narrative’s design from the very beginning. This is because the story’s foundational lore is deeply rooted in Vedic and Buddhist traditions. And numerous elements of it’s worldbuilding, symbolisms, and structure draw inspiration from these scriptural and philosophical sources.

“Love And Deepspace” is a story about the perpetual cycle of संसार (Saṃsāra). As the MC, we are trapped within the cycle of never-ending suffering across countless lifetimes and timelines. Our journey is to break free from this eternal cycle, and transcend the suffering that binds us to it. The LIs are not merely romantic interests, but essential companions in that pursuit.

Each of them carries a unique connection to the MC across time, and each plays a vital role in guiding her towards the resolution of this long-standing Kārmic entanglement. It is precisely for this reason that all of them exist within the current timeline simultaneously. Their presence is neither arbitrary, nor accidental. It is a fundamental part of the narrative’s deeper mythological and philosophical framework.

To understand the purpose of the LIs, one must first understand the cycle of Saṃsāra: भवचक्र (Bhāvāchākrā). This cycle of existence which encompasses birth, suffering, death, and rebirth is divided into 6 Realms where sentient beings reside in. Each of these Realms is intrinsically linked to one of the LIs featured in the game —

🔥 Rafayel: देवलोक (Devālokā)

God Realm of pleasure and pride

🏹 Zayne: असुरलोक (Asurālokā)

Demi-God Realm of jealousy and strife

🗡️ Xavier: मनुष्यलोक (Mānuṣhyalokā)

Human Realm of opportunity and enlightenment

🌕 Valko: पशुलोक (Pāśhulokā)

Animal Realm of instinct, fear, and servitude

🩸 Sylus: निर्ऋतिलोक (Nirṛtilokā)

Underworld Realm of chaos and decay

🪷 Caleb: प्रेतलोक (Pretālokā)

Hungry-Ghost Realm of endless insatiable hunger

As we know, each LI possesses unique abilities and latent potential beyond their Evols, granting them the power to create, shape, preserve, or dismantle whatever they deem necessary. The intricate Strings of Fate connecting the LIs to MC was deliberately woven by CosmicMC Herself.

It’s purpose was to ensure that Her vessel on Earth could draw upon Her true power through all 6 Realms, with the aid of every LI. Only by uniting these connections can She access the fullness of Her divine potential, and ultimately shatter the endless cycle of anguish that has bound Her across countless lifetimes.

Needless to say, it is unlikely that any additional LIs will be introduced to the game. With Valko’s arrival, the narrative now possesses all the pieces it was designed to have from the very beginning, allowing the story to finally move forward.

[⚠️ Please note: There are numerous realms of the Underworld described throughout Vedic scriptures. I chose to highlight the one that appears most relevant to Sylus’s storyline. Pretāloka is another such realm, and it has connections to Caleb’s narrative. If anyone is interested in Vedic mythology and would like to learn more about these realms beyond the context of the game, please feel free to ask. I would be delighted to share and discuss them further. 🤍]

🔖 I would also like to add that primordial cosmic entities, such as Gods, are not beings who concern themselves with the opinions or expectations of mortals. In that regard, CosmicMC is no different. Much of what has transpired throughout the narrative can be viewed as the manifestation of Her own will, unfolding according to a design far beyond mortal comprehension, much like the whims of Deities within the real world. To truly appreciate the lore presented in this game, one must approach it through a non-Abrahamic lens. And remain receptive towards Vedic and Pagan beliefs, philosophies, and cultural traditions.

[miyukiko]

[ladywindeepspace]

Welp I was briefly hoping Valko wouldn’t be my favorite but he looks cute and charming and he’s also literally everything I speculated on for the 6th LI outside of being a werewolf 😅 just put me in my grave now.