The gentle glow of the digital clock on Vorden's bedside table was the light illuminating the dark void that was Vorden's subterranian apartment under the Blade building. Jade stirred slightly, her eyelids fluttering open as the comforting weight of Vorden's arm draped loosely around her waist, his rhythmic breathing steady and deep against her back.
Smiling softly, she nestled deeper into his warmth, savoring the sensation of absolute security. Jade glanced up at Vorden, whose face was relaxed in sleep, his features peaceful in a way she rarely saw during their hectic days at the academy.
She traced invisible patterns gently over his chest, watching with amused affection as his brow furrowed slightly at the faint tickle. When his eyes finally flickered open, jade, doe eyed and hazy with sleep, she greeted him with a teasing smirk.
"Good morning, sleepyhead. Did I wake you?"
He chuckled softly, voice roughened by sleep. "Mm, I was having a good dream. You were there, too. We were on a beach...or maybe a spaceship?" His voice trailed off uncertainly, still caught in the cobwebs of dreams.
She laughed softly, the sound melodic and warm. "Sounds like quite an adventure."
"Always is," he murmured, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer, pressing a lazy, affectionate kiss onto her forehead.
They lay quietly for a moment, comfortable in the silence. Jade shifted, rolling within his embrace so that she now faced him completely.
"Vorden, I have a secret," she began gently, a playful twinkle mingling with the sincerity in her expression.
He instantly perked up, eyes sharpening with alertness, his protective instinct piqued. "Is something wrong?"
She shook her head, the braid of her hair sliding gently over her shoulder. "Quite the opposite, actually."
Intrigue softened his concern as a grin curved his lips. "Well, don't leave me hanging."
"You know how we always talk about adventures and futures full of possibilities?"
He nodded, his curiosity now fully ablaze. "Yes..."
"Well," she said slowly, her voice low and tender, "there's going to be a new adventure for us soon—one that'll need a little extra room."
Vorden's confusion was palpable, his brows knitting together before slowly rising in dawning realization. "Wait—Jade, are you..." he trailed off, almost afraid to say it aloud, the corners of his mouth twitching upward tentatively. Jade nodded enthusiastically.
"I found out last week— I have been trying to figure out the right time to tell you, but since we are leaving today, I wanted you to know before we head back. So this was as good a time as any. Honestly I have been on the verge of exploding keeping it a secret!"
For a beat, the silence stretched, thick with unspoken words and swelling emotion, until joy exploded over his features like fireworks in the night sky. He sat up abruptly, then, realizing his sudden movement, paused with comical caution, eyes wide. "Oh no, did I hurt—"
She laughed brightly, reassuring him. "I'm fine, really."
A slow, radiant smile stretched across his face as he cupped her cheeks with gentle hands, resting his forehead against hers. His voice softened to a reverent whisper. "This is incredible. We're really going to be parents?"
She nodded, eyes sparkling with joyful tears. "We're going to be parents."
Vorden let out an exuberant laugh, pulling her into a tender, heartfelt embrace. His lips brushed her temple, his voice a whisper against her skin, warm and sincere. "You're going to be an amazing mother."
She smiled against his chest, contentment settling over them like a morning sun's embrace. "And you'll be an amazing father."
He held her closer, breathing in the scent of her hair, feeling a depth of happiness he'd never imagined possible. Then, with playful earnestness, he said, "Now, let's just hope the kid gets your brains, and none of whatever family genes that managed to sneak through into Raten."
The room filled with gentle laughter, a sweet echo of the future unfolding softly before them.
***
Sil moved quietly through the dimly lit room, fingers already reaching for his shirt as the first golden rays of dawn crept through the open windows. The air felt heavy, still charged with the lingering warmth of the night before—rich, intoxicating, thick. His heart pulsed uneasily in his chest, too aware of Bliss's presence even as he carefully avoided glancing toward her.
Just as his fingertips brushed the door handle, the sheets rustled, accompanied by the soft murmur of Bliss waking.
"Leaving so soon?" Her voice, though gentle, carried the unmistakable edge of playful accusation.
He hesitated, exhaling slowly before turning to face her. Bliss sat up, vibrant hair cascading like liquid silk around her face, her eyes luminous in the low morning light.
"I have to," Sil replied softly, a faint strain threading his words. "Vorden is heading back today. I promised I'd see him off."
Bliss sat up fully, her expression subtly shifting, revealing a flicker of something deeper. "Oh, I am sorry, I didn't realize you had family stuff going on, I wouldn't have kept you so late, you aren't late right?"
He sighed, resisting the urge to retreat into silence. "Well, I mean, you didn't exactly ask, did you?"
She tilted her head slightly, a lock of hair cascading over one shoulder, her gaze piercing. "You know what we agreed to Sil, you know what the arrangement was."
"Yeah, Bliss, I know. I recall, no strings, no feelings, no complications, I remember. It also was supposed to be a one time thing," Sil warned gently, though the undercurrent was firm. "I can't help but wonder, is this our new thing? I mean, after last time, I felt good, it was great, but I didn't exactly get a phone number or something. I sit here going insane, can't stop thinking about you, but I can't ask for round two. Which wouldn't bother me, but then you show up here, unannounced, no warning, you didn't ask if I had plans, you just show up and expect me to play submissive sex toy, hardening my body where you want and duplicating myself when it pleases you. Again, not that I mind, but it seems kind of one sided there."
Bliss pushed the covers aside, rising with an elegance that was both enticing and infuriatingly casual. She approached him, closing the space until there was barely any air left between them. "We both know it's already started. You know why I can't let you contact me, you know that it's complicated!"
Sil looked away, jaw tightening. "We agreed this wouldn't become complicated."
Her eyes, usually composed and knowing, flickered with unexpected vulnerability. "Things change. Even gods can feel, Sil."
He stepped back, finally meeting her gaze. "Oh that's right— is it maybe because you have a man, right now, waiting on you, while you keep running to me?" Bliss looked as if she had been smacked across the face. Sil felt a pang of regret, he knew it was a low blow to bring up Sam. He sighed heavily, put his hands on her shoulders, "Look, I'm not denying anything. I'm just realistic. You see futures and possibilities; you should understand better than anyone, you're never going to leave Sam. I wouldn't want you to. Not for me. He's a good guy. You know why this—why we—can't become anything more than…this."
Bliss's eyes flashed momentarily with hurt before being replaced by determination. "You're lying to yourself. This," she gestured sharply between them, "is already more. And yet it is supposed to be nothing—"
"Look," Sil cut her off, his voice growing tense, frustration leaking into his words, "I don't have time for this. Not now."
She scoffed quietly, her eyes piercing. "When, then? When will you make time? Or are you content always finding something else to focus on, instead of—" she stopped herself, before anything too rash came out. Realizing that this was insanity. She sounded like a school girl, instead of the sacred goddess that had been worshiped by entire civilizations, and lived for thousands of years.
He stepped back, his gaze darkening. "You don't get it, Bliss. We don't even like each other— remember?"
Her voice softened, pleading now. "Sil, I—."her voice trailed off as she looked away, biting her lip as if trying not to say more.
Sil's eyes softened for a split second, then hardened again, walls rising quickly back into place. "Look, I don't have time for this. I'd love to stand here and argue, to debate about possibilities and desires. Hell, I'd rather make you submit, put you in unimaginably disgraceful positions and do unthinkably depraved things to your body until you beg me to stop, beg for mercy, as much as any other guy— but right now, my brother matters more. We can finish— whatever this is— later. Stay as long as you like, I don't really use this cabin."
Bliss's expression hardened briefly, but she sighed, stepping back in reluctant understanding. "Go, then. You're right; I have humans to save, or whatever it is you think I do."
He paused, hand on the door, his voice softer but firm. "Bliss—"
She looked away, her tone cold yet tinged with resignation. "Just go, Sil."
He hesitated, words hanging unsaid, before nodding once and slipping through the door, the echo of their words still vibrating heavily in the air behind him. She could see him walking off through the woods out the front window, when a few feet from the door he vanished, leaving nothing but ripples in the air around where he had just been.