Aster gets the distinct impression that the Showrunner is upset at him.
That, or they just think that making him lose to Theo five times in less than an hour is the height of comedy.
He curses to himself, rubbing his throatâ leave it to Theo to go for his neck so oftenâ as he flops onto a nearby bench.
His best friend seems concerned. Given heâs come over to the training area in Summer Hills instead of working his anxiety out at the training hall, thatâs a fair response.
âYouâre kinda shit today,â Theo notes.
Instead of thinking about how he keeps seeing visions of what theyâll look like at some pointâ candy-sweet domestic bliss, the three of them obviously in love and enjoying every moment of itâ he grumbles, âSo sue me for being distracted.â
Theo shifts, his wings flicking anxiously. â...Trouble in fuckinâ paradise already?â
âWhat? No, weâre going on a date tonight. Everything is fine with us.â
Why the fuck would Theo assume things were bad with Daz?
He reminds his friend, âHe didnât see me cheating on him with you.â âYouâre both being real fuckinâ cagey about it, soâŠI dunno, I feel like youâre both lying.â
Aster winces. âI meanâŠDaz is, uh. NeedingâŠsome time. To admit it. âCause itâsâ kind of a lot.â
âThatâs so fuckinâ sus,â Theo groans, plopping onto the bench next to him. âThe fuck does he have to be concerned about?â
More than Theo can ever fathom. â...Future might have changed,â he says, knowing Daz might get mad at him for admitting even that much.
Theo looks concerned. âDâyou two not getââ âNo, weâ we do. ItâsâŠâ he chews on his lip.
This is such a dangerous path. The fuck can he even do to appease Daz, assuming he missteps?
âWeâreâ we still get married,â he finally settles on.
His friendâs head cocks to the side. âThen why the fuckinâ weirdchamp shit?â
It seems like Theo listens to the Fates, because he frowns. âKid you two have still exists, right? I was kinda interested in being an uncle.â
Aster blinks, and heâs in another vision.
He boggles at the sight of not one, but three kids flinging themselves at future-Theo.
Two girls, one younger boy. The girls both have gorgeous bluejay-like wings, though the boy doesnât.
Future-Theo scoops all three into his arms, beaming at them. âKids!â âDad, dad! Doctor Aryll said my wings are gonna come in soon!â
Visibly thrilled, Future-Theo asks, âYeah? You ready to go flying with your old man, uncles, nâ grandpa?â âYep! Grandpa keeps saying he can teach me if you donât wanna, though.â
âDad can fuck off, youâre my kids. Iâm gonna teach you all myself,â Future-Theo grumbles.
Future-Daz teases, âYou sulk every time he brings it up.â âHe had his fuckinâ turn, nâ againâ my kids,â Future-Theo complains.
The future version of Aster snorts, âAnd here we were, thinking youâd be less overprotective.â âShut. Now, Boreas, did Aryll say about how much longer itâd be?â
And thatâs all that Aster gets.
He stares into space, and then says, âThree?!â
âHuh?â âThree kids, with wings! Who the fuck evenâ I donât even know anyone with bluejay wings, let alone a woman,â Aster groans, raking a hand through his hair.
Theo freezes. âYou two have kids with fuckinâ bluejay wings?â âApparently!â âThatâsâŠâ
His friendâs brow furrows. Itâs like heâs trying to put the pieces together.
â...Aster, if I fuckinâ guess what you saw, youâd tell me if Iâm rightâ right?â
âŠFuck. If he guesses directly, itâd be kind of a dick move to say no.
He grimaces. âUhâŠmaybe. Itâ yeah. If itâsâŠclose enough. Daz justâ needs some time, soââ
Theo grabs his shoulders, making him jolt in surprise.
Hands gripping him tightly, Theo demands, âYou two keep fuckinâ seeing me with you, donât you? Nâ thatâs why youâre both being so fuckinâ weird about it.â
Damnit.
He averts his gaze. âPlease donât say anything to Daz. Heâsâ uh, heâs actually deeply insecure. I had to strongarm him into telling you after a week, soâŠâ
A noise of distress escapes Theo, whose head thunks onto his shoulder.
Aster frowns. âTheo?â
â...Three kids, huh?â â...Yeah. Iâ it looks like youâre really happy to be their dad.â âNever fuckinâ pictured myself in aâŠmarriage? We get married?â
âSeems like it. We all have earcuffs that look like wedding jewelry.â âBet Dadâd love being a grandpa.â
Awkwardly, Aster pats his back. âHe apparently kept offering-slash-threatening to teach them how to flyââ âAbsolutely fuckinâ not, Iâd teach my kids myself,â Theo snaps, sounding affronted.
âWhich you got mad about.â
A grumble escapes Theo, who seems sullen.
After a moment, his best friend asks, âSoâŠwhat if Iâmâ not really fuckinâ...sure about that?â âAs in?â
Theo pulls back, seeming uncharacteristically serious. âI dunno that I really want to get into aâ relationship. FeelsâŠweird. Nâ with both of youâŠâ
Aster resists the pang of hurt he feels. Itâs not even like he seriously considered it before, so it doesnât shock him that Theo is hesitant.
He shrugs. âI meanâ things changed once, right? SoâŠenough time and big enough ripples, theyâll probably change again.â
âNâ if you see something where youâre not with Daz?â
That feels impossible. âThen Iâll fight against that future. Iâm pretty set on being with him now. Even if the details change, I want to be at his side. Heâs complicated and deeply traumatized, butâŠI think I like the futures Iâve seen with him. I think I like seeing him so happy to be with me, too.â
With a snort, he adds, âAnd, uh, Iâm kinda hooked on his cooking? Itâsâ itâs really nice, actually. Iâm not really used to food being soâŠthought about. Or sharing it like that with someone else. He keeps threatening to make clothes for me, too, which is sweet.â
In this new future, Daz has a carved bangle thatâs clearly from Aster. Given the disparity between the two timelines, maybe itâd be better to justâŠmake something similar but different.
Enough to prove heâs not being lazy about it, and whatnot.
Daz would probably cry if he gave him something like that. The insecurity would ease, because heâd be proving that heâs not discarding Daz for Theo.
Assuming it ever happens, Aster would accept nothing less than all three of them being on equal footing in the relationship.
âHeâs a good guy, though. Even if you decide not to be with us like thatâŠheâd still end up basically your brother in law. You might as well get to know him better.â
Theo sighs deeply. âItâsâŠyeah, I fuckinâ guess. Justâ weird. Didnât think any of us would everâŠâ
A flash of annoyance shoots through Aster. âApparently, people keep asking him out.â
â...Daz?â
Aster rolls his eyes. âAccording to him, he turns people down all the time. Something about being the primary support for refugees?â
Theo grimaces. âAhâŠyeah, the hero worship shit. When you put it like thatâŠyeah, I fuckinâ know what that's like. Kinda annoying, actually? Nâ I guess he did mention he has to fuckin'-- turn people down a lotâŠâ
Uhg, right. âTrue, you have a lot of experiences with people asking you out.â âLots've âem in life-or-death situations, too! Weird as shit.â
His friend squints. âWait, didn't you say he's stupid fuckinâ rich?â âI didn't know it was possible for anyone to have as much money as he does.â âNâ he's a good cook.â âBetter than your dad, and I don't say that lightly.â âNâ powerful as fuck in a bunch've ways.â
âŠGoddamnit, he's starting to see Theo's angle. âFuck, he's actually a crazy good catch. I mean, I knew he wasâ really great, but not everyone has seen what I have. So I justâ I guess, subconsciously, I assumed nobody else has thought about itâŠ?â
Theo snorts, but his amusement quickly turns serious. âAsterâŠman, you know you can't walk away, right? If you choose him, I mean. If Daz is so fuckinâ fragile he tried to kill himself over what you were seeingâŠ? I don't wanna fuckinâ know how hard he'd snap if you left.â
Theo sounds genuinely concerned.
As much as Aster knows he's right to make sure the stakes are clearâŠit stings to think that Theo would assume he would abandon Daz.
âWe're both loyal to the death. I've seen a softer side to him latelyâ a side I want to keep seeing. I'm not planning on leaving. Iâ I've seen what abandonment does to admins. To him.â
A cold sweat runs down his spine at the thought of how Daz tore himself in half to be good enough for his own family.
If Aster broke his heart, the best case scenario would be if Daz became his mortal enemy.
Worst case scenarioâŠDaz would seek the ultimate refuge.
Even if that wasn't the case, he would shatter everything about himself to become whoever, whatever, Aster wanted.
Because Daz is lonely. Even in a sea of people, he feels isolated. He doesn't think the real him is worthy of love or kindness.
At the same time, heâs desperate for affection. He's starved himself of touch out of a misplaced fear it would hurt others.
Strangling his soul in exchange for love would be easy. He would pour himself into a mould so lovely that Aster would be smittenâ lie until even Daz himself believed it.
He shudders. Even if he would never want that, Daz might think he needs to do it to earn love.
Theoâs hand grips his shoulder. âAster? You okay, man?â
âDaz could break so easily. It scares me. I want him to be happy. Iâ I want us to be happy. I wantâŠI'm kind of warming up to the idea of eventually being a dad.â
He sees himself, gently swaying and cradling young, fussy kid in his arms. âShh, shh. It's just a nightmare, Hemera.â
âBut, but, woke up, nâ, everyone was, was goneâ!â
A kiss is pressed to a mop of golden curls. âAurora was just in the bathroom, and you know that Mama, Daddy and I are always right down the hall. Plus, all your uncles, your grandpa, Lucid, even SanâŠthereâs a whole server out there. The whole world would end before you'd be alone, sweetheart. And we love you too much to let that happen, hmm? We love you too much to leave you all alone.â
Future-Daz, who was watching from the doorway with the other little girl dozing in his arms, melts at how much he likes seeing future-Aster comforting their daughter.
Aster blinks a few times. âAurora, Hemera, Boreas.â âHuh?â âThe kids. I think Aurora and Hemera might be twinsâŠ? Boreas is younger.â
Theoâs head cocks to the side. âDawn, day, nâ the north wind? Interesting fuckinâ choices for gods.â
âDawn makes sense; gold, stars faintly there, and the sky. It's the three of us combined. Not sure about the othersâŠ?â
Oh, wait. Aster points out, âNorth wind.â âAh, yeah. Nâ it's also the winter wind.â
âWhat a cruel father, to set our poor son up for snowflake jokes for the rest of his like,â Aster teases. âOr maybe you like being called that, huh?â
âShut the fuck up,â Theo grumbles, visibly sulking.
If he really thinks about itâŠAster can see how they'd work together as a trio.
He and Theo are already closeâ best friends, and as many people say, cut from the same cloth.
Aster knows Theo pretty damn well. He knows that Daz, the real Daz, would fascinate him.
If it were just Theo and Aster, very little would change in their dynamic.
But with Daz in the mix, he'd strongarm both of them into shutting up. The ruthless, clever man Aster is increasingly seeing the charms of would coax and threaten them as needed, until they did whatever he wanted.
He sees just a flash of all three of them cuddled up in what looks like Dazâs bed.
Both he and Theo are messing with that fluffy blond hair, Daz completely conked out between themâŠand Theoâs wing draped over top of them.
Huh. Yeah, once Daz gets past the stage of jealousy, he'd probably be very interested in having a second fanatically loyal husband.
God knows Daz melts into physical affection from those he trusts, and Theo is used to giving affection to loved ones pretty freely.
There's a sigh from Theo. âEh. No fuckinâ point stressing about the names. Bigger fish to fryâ I have questions why the fuck I'm the bio dad!â
Aster frowns. âWhy would you think that?â
Theo stares at him. âThe fuck d'you think made me figure it out? My original fuckinâ wings were bluejay ones! I have Dad's wings now, but those aren't genetic!â
That'sâŠnot right.
âThat doesn't make sense.â âThereâs no reason to fuckinâ lie aboutââ âNo, I meanâ that makes sense. I donât think you're lying. But the kids seem like admins. Eyes are all really vibrantâ which I'm pretty sure is a sign of that.â
He's pretty confident they're admins, but it's such a weird thing to pair with the wings.
âŠWait.
âDaz is an admin.â â...Yeah, kinda a big fuckinâ deal.â âAdmins can do impossible shit.â
Theoâs brow furrows, and then his eyes go wide. âWait. Are you fuckinâ assumingââ âHe's exactly stubborn enough to find a way toâ to let you both be the bio parents.â
It actually makes a lot of sense in that context; neither Lucid nor Lee would stop Daz from doingâŠwhatever process that would entail.
Huh. It'sâŠsort of weird, sure, but knowing DazâŠit's shockingly plausible.
It makes the most sense for it to be the two of them, anyway. As far as Aster is aware, he's just a normal human.
Both of his eventual partners would get so much more out of being the biological parents than Aster would; not just because of what they are, but who they are.
He does think he wants kids, sure.Â
But the kids having his genes isâ would it be nice? Probably, sure!
Daz, however, deserves to raise kids who are admins. Theo would be thrilled to raise kids who could eventually fly.
He's stared at. âThat's fuckinâ crazy.â âI'm actually fairly sure he could do it.â âLot've faith in him.â
Aster snorts. âI got a peek in his head when he coded something on the fly. It'sâŠhard to think he's not smart enough for it after that.â
A long, tired sigh comes from Theo. His friend stretches his legs out one way and his wings another.
Weird to think that he may raise kids with wings.
In a good way, obviously. In a way that, despite how unfamiliar it is, he feels a sense of bittersweet yearning for.
âŠHis arms feel a little empty. Like something that's meant to be there isn't.
He's pretty sure he knows what that thing is.
Shaking his head a bit, he says, âI think you'd like Daz, the real Daz, if you gave him a chance. No matter if you end up with us or not, I plan to stay with him. You should get to know him.â
Theo groans, scrubbing a hand over his hair. âFeels fuckinâ weird!â âI'm not saying you have to fall in love. ButâŠâ
Aster shrugs. âHe's going to be an even bigger part of my life. Kinda weird for you to keep my partner at arm's length, y'know?â
He knocks their shoulders together. âYouâre my best friend. I wouldnât tell you to make nice with someone you'd hate.â
âItâsâ it's just real fuckinâ weirdchamp, man! I'm not real used to you two beingâŠtogether.â âNeither am I, honestly. But it'sâŠâ
He smiles to himself, thinking about the candy-sweet life he's gotten glimpses of. He wouldn't have considered being with anyone, especially not DazâŠ
But, gods, heâs already a little charmed by him. Stubborn, clever, mercurial, damaged Daz; someone just as fiercely and fanatically loyal as Aster, someone who has suffered in silence out of a misplaced sense of guilt.
Aster finds himself wanting to shore up the walls of Dazâs heart and mind. Not to close people out, but rather to be stable enough to let people in.
Even now, he sort of wants to go bother Daz at work. Surely there's something he can do to help out, right� Some little task he can do to ease what he's pretty sure is a Sisyphean work load.
He's heard Raine, Aleph, and Khons all complain about how much there is to do, so he's reasonably sure there's more than his wildest estimates.
âŠActually, heâs pretty sure heâs only heard Daz complain about people doing things he doesn't like.
If Daz has complained about his job otherwise, it wasn't to Aster.
However, Daz has admitted that he was overworking himself well past the point of exhaustion to try and sleep, so that doesn't mean much.
He knows Daz, or at least his work ethic. For a long time, that was one of the only things that Aster could bring himself to praise.
Hmm. MaybeâŠhe should plan to go in at some point.
There's a shove against his side. When he looks over, Theo has bumped him with his wing.
Rolling his eyes, his best friend says, âYou look like all fuckinâ lovesick.â âI'm shocked you can put a name to that.â âOi, fuck off! I was just sayin'--â
There's a long sigh, Theo rubbing the back of his neck. âYou have your date later, right? Orph has talked about the fuckinâ Welcome Wagon hours enough that I'm pretty fuckinâ sure he'll be off soon. You should goâŠI dunno, do you even have nice clothesâŠ?â
There's a brief vision of himself trying something on in Dazâs sewing room.
âI think I will be, soon,â he says, feeling a little excited about that fact.
Maybe he should figure out what exactly a claim looks like to Daz.
If Aster is in it for the long haulâ and he isâ then it's only right to declare those intentions in the right way.
He nudges Theo back, grinning widely. âThanks, Theo.â
âForâŠ?â
âBeing my best friend. And, uh, being chill withâŠeverything. I'm going to make sure that he never feels trapped again. Even if you decide not to join us, I hope you'll be proud of my efforts to make him happy.â
There's an unreadable expression on Theoâs face, before it shifts into a smile. Slinging an arm and a wing over his shoulders, Theo tells him, âYou'd better. I'm gonna be real fuckinâ pissed if shit goes south nâ you're both miserable. But forâ joining you twoâŠâ
The warrior makes a face. âI dunno. Maybe, eventuallyâŠ? But you said he's real fuckinâ insecure, nâ it'd beâ real, real fuckinâ weirdchamp to do that right now. Need to sort my own fuckinâ thoughts out, nâ whatnot. Even if I did wanna do that, it's kindaâŠfast. I'd rather give it some fuckinâ time, let you two figure out if you want it.â
Why wouldn't they? If it's the current future, then of course they'd accept him.
Theo sighs. âFuture clearly isn't set in stone. Just âcause you see it doesnât mean it has to fuckinâ pass. We've gotâŠagency nâ shit, yeah? SoâŠmaybe one or more've us isn't okay with that. I dunno, maybe I decide I wanna be monogamous or never be with fuckinâ anyone at all. Maybe Daz isn't comfortable sharing youâ maybe the reality of us being together isn't any good for you, either.â
âŠHuh. Theo has already given it a lot of thought, hasn't he?
Well, he canât really say that any of that is wrong. He knows he wants to be with Daz, but beyond thatâŠhe's willing to keep an open mind, if nothing else.
âYouâre right. I mightâve jumped the gun a little. I'll have to tell Daz I admitted what happened, butâŠmaybe after the date. So, uhâŠif you get a sudden demand to meet, that'd be why.â
Daz is going to be furious, but Aster didn't see a point in lying to Theo when he guessed correctly and would be hearing about it soon anyway.
And Daz feeling insecure doesn't have to be a big problem now, right? Aster is going to do his best at all that sappy, romantic shit.
âŠStarting with his date.









