Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The family lineage should be honored, it should be rightfully followed. Honor the ancestors and the skills they have inherited. Throughout their entire upbringing, Alune and Aphelios were only taught to be grateful, for better or for worse, to their Lunari ancestry. To follow the steps of the training and lifestyle that had been decided for them before they were even born, whether they liked it or not.

Everything we have is thanks to our work, it is our responsibility, there is no other way. Those were the words that their parents used when one of the twins asked beyond their innocent childish perception. 

As they were growing up, more and more questions were generated in the high-pitched voices of both little ones, they did not take long to realize the difference they seemed to have with other people of the place, they realized how isolated their parents were and how these attitudes were imposed on them, demanding that they keep any closeness to other people to a minimum. It didn't take long for others to look at them differently.

Aphelios and Alune paid attention, kept their distance, and their parents insisted, repeating each year with more details. There are people who don't like us out there, there are those who think that we are following a wrong path. They do not understand that they are wrong to follow the guidelines of the sun in the art of assassination. Were they the ones who were making a mistake with the teachings of the Lunari lineage themselves? Why should they bear this responsibility only because of the hope of their parents to retake the territory and power that they previously had? The little twin could not help but agonize about it with his own uncertainties. 

He soon understood the history of the hitman families descended from Targon, losing the territory to the Solari lineage, they had to continue their profession far away and under the shadows, knowing that the Solari family believed that the situation was a settled debt. They think there are none of us left, we have to use this time to our advantage. Her parents' voices were a rule to follow.

All this knowledge was imposed on both of them, hitting them at an early age with the harsh reality of their presence hidden in plain sight in this remote city. Since they had been born under the blessing of the moon, as their parents liked to emphasize, both shared and dedicated every minute of their lives to the training of the family lineage, at no time had they been given any other choice. Being only nine years old, the twins were separated in different rooms, suddenly they had to separate, they had always shared a room, they were used to talking until they fell asleep, it was lonely.

“I don't like this.” the voice of the little twin Aphelios echoed in the high and long cold corridors of the house.

“Our parents say it's for the better…” the other twin was trying to sound positive but the insecure tone of her voice gave her away.

Aphelios sighed watching his sister across the hallway from his own room. They were both with their pajamas on, looking at each other from the door frame of each room. Even their mother thought that allowing their rooms to be opposite each other was consenting but luckily for the twins their Father managed to convince her.

The dark hallway was illuminated only by the lights that came from the rooms, both children were attentive to their surroundings, they knew that they should not be awake at this hour, much less outside their rooms, although technically they were not, it would not give much result to argue with their parents. Both of them had difficulty falling asleep, the silence of the lonely rooms was too dense and cold to get used to so soon. Alune played with her long silver hair trying to control the anxiety that escaped her between nervous gestures.

“But we can't sleep well... It's not fair, what a birthday present.” Aphelios protested with an annoyed sigh talking in whispers as he crossed his arms and leaned his body against the door frame in a pout.

“Aphelios.” Alune looked at him seriously to which the twin sighed regretfully. 

“I'm grateful for the way of the Moon, I always am, Alune but…” 

“But it's not fair to be separated…” the twin finished the sentence sadly trying to smile, watching her brother sigh again. “Mom and Dad insist that it's part of the training... I'm sure everything will turn out fine, we'll be able to get used to it.”

The twin watched his sister trying to improve the gesture with a forced smile but deep down it hurt, the days of both twins were already lonely in themselves, now they had not only been forced to split up in different rooms but also to take different classes. At least they were still at the same school and under the same roof, they reminded each other of that to make each other happy. Alune extended her hand towards the hallway looking for her brother's hand who tenderly reciprocated the gesture by reaching out to shake the little fingers of both with strength and affection stretching as far as possible from the door frames.

“In the dark.” the dark haired twin recited first.

“The moon will rise again.” the silver haired twin completed the sentence.

Both smiled with more determination at the promise that they reminded each other to maintain their strength in this cruel fate, always trying to give each other support and trust as the pillar in the life of the other. Since the night of their ninth birthday, the reality that they would have to face had been revealed to them, the Lunari twins had to start training, intense and extremely ruthless, which would only become more and more constant and demanding with the passage of time.

Aphelios was the body and Alune the mind of the next team that would inherit their legacy. All we have is thanks to our work and thanks to the blessing of our Mother Moon. The twins belonged to a family lineage chained to the abilities of the Lunari ancestry, ‘blessed’ with ‘superhuman’ abilities, the word does not fit correctly in the mind of the dark haired twin, no one was born special within this family, it was the secret, brutal training, putting their own lives at risk with the consumption of a family drug during the process to which they were subjected from the first years of their life. That created what others believed to be ‘superhuman abilities’. The Moon Mother was nothing more than a symbolism to represent the honor of his ancestors in the field of murder and unfortunately, when the years passed by, Aphelios was less and less capable to appreciate the symbolism of his life beliefs, it is assumed that they would only murder bad people, that was Alune's constant consolation, his parents insisted on the purification of the Mother Moon as the art of murder, purification. 

When the twins heard a noise coming from their parents' room, both instantly separated to return to their own rooms leaving the door half-open by centimeters like a muscular reflex. After a long silence, they both looked at each other in the remaining space and smiled at each other before closing the doors and trying to go back to sleep.

As he settled between the blankets, Aphelios was looking out the bedroom window, fixing his gaze on the beautiful waning moon that was taking over the night sky. His parents' words echoed like a cursed mantra inside his mind.

All we have is thanks to our work and thanks to the blessing of our Mother Moon. We are the only ones who can take the poor souls in sorrow who have sinned. Taking them to Mother Moon so that they may obtain redemption, is an honor that we must carry out in secret from such profane banishment. It's an art, Aphelios, Alune. A job, a responsibility that we have inherited. You two are special, you must do better than any team that has witnessed the Lunari lineage so that the family can resume its ancient corresponding place in Targon.

Aphelios clutched the blankets between his hands in frustration, curling up to hug his legs against his body, nested between the sheets squeezing his eyes, trying to fall asleep in this dark and silent room, with his noisy thoughts echoing in the mind like a broken record that he could not stop. 

They must murder, they must be trained for that. There was no other choice. There was no other way. The destiny imposed by their parents had been planted in the depths of their minds forming their whole way of growing up, thinking and acting.

The boy was trying to convince himself that it was the right thing to do. It was his inheritance and responsibility after all. Besides, he was not going to murder innocents. But that didn't take away the fact that other people's lives were going to be taken. Alune always tried to comfort him, she felt guilty after all, she would be the mind of the operation, although she would be trained to murder in other ways, it was unlikely that she would be forced to do so, she should only guide her brother to complete his goal.

She was the light illuminating her brother's dark path but he would be the dagger in the darkness to take the life out of their targets. Despite their young age, the twins repeated those words as a mantra in their minds, day and night to assimilate the fate imposed on both of them.

After reaching the age of ten the training intensified, Alune was instructed by their father, training in the art of espionage, investigation and monitoring. Aphelios was instructed by their mother, trained in the art of murder. Firearms, melee weapons, how other objects could be used as weapons, melee fighting, all possible ways to be able to assassinate one or more targets. 

But the most painful part was to comply with the Nocturm ritual or as Aphelios nicknamed it, the family poison. The unique quality of the Lunar lineage, being able to withstand one of the most poisonous substances, a substance that potentiated all the senses of the human being in exchange for a strong pain, no other poison or weapon would be able to kill him if Aphelios was able to adapt his body to that substance. When he was suffering from pain in silence from the internal burn, the twins only had each other, communicating in sign language without ever losing contact and during the murder training, the only voice in his ears would be of his twin, guiding him through a communicator, following instructions.

However, over time Aphelios began to adopt a bad habit, he preferred to keep silent, feeling alien to his own voice by not using it for so long in training, starting to use sign language more and more. Their parents feared that he might develop reluctant attitudes to speak out because of the traumatic experience of the pain caused by the ritual. That fear was reinforced by noticing that, over time, after a year, their son limited himself to only using gestures and short words, unless he was alone with his twin, other than that, not even a sound, not even a laugh for his parents.

This was one of those days, the effect of the poison had dissipated two days ago but Aphelios did not say a single word, the eleven-year-old twin, was standing on the door frame at the entrance of the big house with his eyes glued on the sky, watching the snow fall, feeling his nose freeze slightly, Aphelios accommodate the big scarf that was around his neck and covered more his face, trying to warm up.

“Wow, there's a lot of snow today.” Alune commented, coming to the door smiling at her brother who only nodded with a tender smile. “Look, look, you can see our breath and everything.”

In playful gestures the girl took a few energetic steps to the front yard of the house, feeling the backpack bounce on her back creating plastic sounds between the fabric of the backpack and the thick fluffy jacket. Alune raised her face exhaling hard seeing the big cloud of smoke forming in the air, she got even more excited hearing her brother's soft laughter behind her back.

 “Come on, the bus will be here soon.” Alune extended her hand covered with a thick glove, extending her arm to the side waiting for her brother so that they could start walking.

The boots of both of them clattered in the snow accumulated on the sidewalk as they calmly walked to the school bus stop. Even with all the snow that was falling, the school had no problems opening the first days of this new semester despite the strong winter that was hitting the area. In each classroom there was a stove that tempered the atmosphere of the place. Aphelios sighed sadly when entering the classroom on his own, attending classes separately thanks to an arrangement with the institution at the request of his parents was still annoying even though they had already spent a year in different classes, he was sure that his sister would adapt quickly with her sweet social attitude in this new semester, she already had several friendships inside and outside the classroom, compared to Aphelios, who had not yet created a single friendship in his class, nothing beyond a cordial relationship between classmates and some not so good encounters with annoying people.

As was his habit, he walked in silence to one of the last seats in the central column, reaching all the way to the last row, raising a curious eyebrow at the sight of the new seat installed next to him. Aphelios had been the last student to join the classroom, that’s why his desk had been added at the end of the seating column. But then, was there anyone new?

“Have a seat, please.” the teacher's voice woke him from his thoughts.

Aphelios put the backpack aside to sit at his seat, he took off his jacket keeping the big white scarf that stood out over his thin build that was noticeable under that black sweater. What stood out the most about the boy were his dark eyes, the pupil was barely distinguishable under the light, a detail that stood out more on his face thanks to his pale skin.

“Someone new will be joining the class, starting today.” the teacher announced once all the students had taken their seats, after some anxious murmurs, the woman looked at the door of the classroom with an affirmative gesture. “Give a warm welcome to your new classmate.”

When the door opened all the whispers were suddenly silenced, curious, Aphelios directed his gaze to the front, understanding the reason for the sudden silence. A tall boy with messy short red hair was walking calmly to the front of the classroom. He was wearing a thick sweatshirt next to some somewhat worn gloves. The red haired boy's nose was red from exposure to the cold as he did not have any scarf, earmuffs or a bigger coat. However, what really caused the resounding silence was the collective surprise at seeing the notorious vastaya ears that stand out on the child's head, which react by instinct. The curious movements of the animal ears caught the attention of Aphelios, he stood up a little more on the seat trying to get a better look at the new child who seemed not to feel very safe in front of so many people despite his large size compared to other children of his age, the boy's ears arched timidly back.

“Hm..” the red haired boy looked uncomfortable, he was muttering in search of courage squeezing a little the folds of his coat with both hands.

“Did the cat eat your tongue?” a child among the class blurted out the question in an offensive way to the more animal characteristics of the redhead. 

Aphelios looked annoyed at the boy who made the comment, now the new one seemed even more self conscious than before, noticing how vastaya's ears were bent a little further back showing sadness and discomfort. The teacher was about to scold the boy but the red haired boy stepped forward taking courage by raising both ears in a more determined gesture.

“Of course not.” the redhead clenched his fists determined not to be affected by discriminatory comments. “My name is Settrigh.” he stated without taking a step back.

The teacher looked at the tension of the environment with regret, she had a feeling that this was not going to be so simple. Nowadays there was still discrimination towards the Vastaya, especially in remote cities like this one that did not have such a diverse population, much less miscegenation, there was a lot of ignorance regarding that type of people, people could be quite aggressive with the unknown generating a segregation to any type of vastaya or related hybrid. The class leader worried that Sett, despite being just a boy, would pay the price for the bad attitude of other malicious children who spoke in ignorance.

Before another awkward situation unfolded, the teacher motioned Settrigh to sit in the free stall at the bottom of the center column. The red haired looked up, crossing their gaze for the first time with the black haired child who only watched him in silence until he came to his side.

“How are you doing?” the half vastaya boy sat down leaving the backpack on the desk while turning to be his classmate, willing not to let a bad comment affect his perception about all people in his class.

Aphelios looked at him curiously, he had never seen a vastaya in his life. He was fascinated to see the movement of those adorable furry ears. Sett raised an eyebrow regretfully and covered his ears with both hands frowning, he did not wish to judge but the silence of the opposite was beginning to disturb him. The black haired boy blinked confused, now fixing his gaze on the amber eyes of the red haired, feeling sorry for having rudely observed the boy's ears without thinking.

“I know you find them ugly but staring is rude.” Sett commented defensively, looking annoyed at the child in front of him. “At least that's what my mom says…” he added shyly, seeing that the opposite only shook his head calmly, he looked at him confused. “What do you mean, no?”

The black haired boy pressed his lips together sorrowfully, he had no desire to speak but he also did not want to be rude to his new classmate, he did not want to be misunderstood like that, it seemed unpleasant enough to him that other children seemed to look at him badly or exclude him. With a little shyness he opened the notebook to be able to write, after a moment of waiting, Aphelios spread the sheet along the desk so that the redhead could read it. Lovely handwriting, Sett thought, noticing the way of writing on the boy, silent and delicate.

‘I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I think your ears are tender, curious, I've never seen a vastaya in person, I didn't want to be rude.’

Sett was surprised to read the honest answer of the child, besides a little surprised by the formal way he wrote for a child of his age, he looked at him a little embarrassed leaving his hairy ears free noticing how the opposite looked back at him with the same curiosity.

“I'm only half vastaya, everyone calls me beast or bastard although mom insists that I don't use those words.” the red haired boy frowned a little, noticing some unpleasant looks from other companions, when Aphelios noticed this he proceeded to write another line further down on the same sheet.

‘So you're half human, half vastaya then? That's interesting.’

Aphelios tried not to let the interesting word be received as an insult, with one more idea in mind he continued to write another sentence further down before the child finished reading to answer him.

‘Don't pay attention to the bad looks. They just don't like what they don't know, I get those looks sometimes too.’

Sett smiled slightly at the attempt of support he was receiving from the boy he did not know, he appreciated the gesture, he was used to the derogatory looks of others and even discriminatory comments, receiving insults from ignorant people was daily bread, it was the first time someone looked at him with genuine and innocent curiosity.

“Thank you. Uh.., I think I don't know your name.” Sett calmed down, relaxing more in the seat, noticing the slight smile that the boy dedicated to him.

The Lunari was happy to have provided relief to the half vastaya boy, he himself was also used to derogatory comments from other classmates, he knew that it was not pleasant at all to receive such unpleasant phrases but one should not allow that to affect in a negative way. With courage, the lunar twin took a short breath to respond using his voice.

“My name is Aphelios.”

The hybrid child was surprised by raising both ears at once when suddenly hearing the other's soft voice, he had simply assumed that the other could not speak but apparently he simply did not want to speak. Hearing that name gave him greater security, he smiled excitedly, feeling how the confidence of his more extroverted nature could finally start to come out afloat

When the class started, both had to stay silent, however, during the class, secretly, they continued writing notes to each other to keep talking. Aphelios was happy, during his first year alone in a different class it was too difficult for him to engage in a conversation that went beyond a cordial greeting with his classmates, not to mention the problems he sometimes had with some who liked to annoy him for his appearance or absence of voice from time to time. 

But with Sett it seemed to have started on the right foot, surprisingly the outgoing personality of the redhead did not bother him, at all, quite the opposite, it was new and welcoming, at the same time, the calm and introverted personality of the dark haired boy seemed much more entertaining and cozy than Sett would think.

Chapter Text

The world was a beautiful place full of diversity and new places to get to know, at least that was the vision that Sett's mother was trying to inherit to him. After all, the woman had fallen in love with a man of a completely different race from hers, a vastaya with a human, a taboo relationship for which they received quite a few negative reactions, but the woman always insisted that the love they had for each other was the only thing that mattered to face of any adversity. Even when her son was born, the vastaya woman never gave in to the negative and even aggressive comments, which were dedicated to her, after all her husband had always been there to defend them.

At least that's how it was, until Sett turned nine and his father abandoned them to their fate, disappearing overnight leaving behind only a demeaning note. It was at that moment that the redhead realized the discrimination that awaited them, now that his father was not there to protect them, the situations began to escalate quickly with insults and derogatory comments that continued to physical assaults, hate attacks that began to make their stay difficult. 

At school, both the vastaya and human children rejected the redhead, starting to exclude him and group up to pick a fight with him. On the other hand, her mother was not taking it easy either, getting a job was quite difficult for her, receiving workplace harassment and discriminatory comments wherever she arrived, people who had a grudge against her ex-husband were now taking it out on her and her son equally.

The following year was one of the hardest they had in their life, money was starting to get scarce as well as the possible job offers that Settrigh's mother could find in that city, not to mention her son's injuries that worried her more and more every day, at first they were just pushes or hurtful words but lately the bullying that Sett was receiving was too much, the boy ended up fighting almost every day, returning home with different wounds and bruises. Although he emerged victorious from most of the matches, that wasn't what mattered to his mother, she didn't want to see him fight like that.

With a new year ahead of her, due to the lack of opportunities, the woman made the drastic decision to accept a job in a distant city, an isolated region, reaching almost to the other end of the country. The vastaya was deeply worried about her son but they had nothing left to cling to here, Sett noticing that his mother needed support decided not to look back. Since they had been left alone, despite being an eleven-year-old boy, he did everything possible to resist and help his mother. He wished to grow up soon so he could work, for now he only concentrated on resisting and studying, worrying his mother as little as possible. Without a second thought, Sett agreed to leave with his mother, without putting up any problems or resistance, just supporting his mother's determination.

The whole place was quite different, the half vastaya had never seen snow before from where they came from, this area was much more icy. Sett was slightly hypnotized by the snowflakes falling out of the car window, the little one was amused noticing how these melted when they came into contact with the vehicle. Noticing how the school institution was beginning to be visible on the way, the boy turned to see his mother, finding a look of maternal concern that grieved him. 

“Are you sure you'll be okay?” the vastaya woman was talking to her son who was in the passenger seat, without ceasing to see the way.

“Don't worry Ma, everything will be fine, just go to work.” Sett was smiling energetically at his mother trying to lighten the anguish on her face. 

“Okay... I'll try to get here early, just wait for me, don't go anywhere, I'll come for you, got it?” she replied, sighing a little trying not to falter before her own son who at only eleven years old was trying to be strong for both of them.

Once they arrived with the car to the front of the school, the woman parked carefully, looking at her son, watching as he took off his belt taking the backpack in hand to open the car door. 

“Roger that. I'm not moving from here.” Sett smiled playfully at his mother before getting out of the car and turned to see her for a moment with the door ajar. “I love you Ma, everything will be fine today, good luck on your first day.”

“Hey, I should say that myself.” the woman let out a few laughs, touched by the determined smile of her son. “I love you very much Settrigh, you will do great. Take care, I'll buy you a scarf soon, I promise.”

The woman raised her voice in sorrow watching as the child closed the door to enter the school, she sighed rubbing her hands that still rested on the steering wheel, thinking about her son's red nose and flushed cheeks from the cold, the heavy snow had taken them by surprise before arriving in the new region. It didn't matter if she should buy or knit a scarf but she would get him one today.

On the other hand, Sett had prepared himself to receive some negative attitudes from the children in his class, after all, it didn't matter where he went, both humans and vastayas had rejection reactions towards him for being an unwanted mixture, he decided long ago that it wasn't going to bring out the worst in himself. Although, at first he had to restrain himself from bad taste comments, he was surprised when he met Aphelios, his new classmate and fellow student, who was very kind.

For someone who doesn't talk, he does write a lot, the red haired boy thought amused while passing notes during the class, he was very surprised how the dark haired boy was able to answer the conversation and not miss any notes from the class, almost no child at this age was so applied. Even the words he used sometimes seemed a little complicated to him. At some point between the exchange of phrases, Sett asked if he could call him only by the nickname Phel, since it was easier for him. At first the opposite seemed reluctant but ended up agreeing.

At the end of the school day he learned four things, the first, Aphelios had a twin sister who ironically seemed to be the complete opposite of the boy, although they had almost the same face, Alune's long silver hair and outgoing personality created a contrasting image between the twins.

The second thing he learned, the girl twin used the same nickname with the black haired boy, Sett understood then why it was difficult for him to access the nickname, apparently he had chosen a closer name than he thought, he felt a little flattered that the boy allowed him to call him that anyway. The third, the twins seemed to live a rather demanding life, they had to have extra classes almost every day, sometimes at home and sometimes, like today, at school.

Finally, the last thing he learned was that the cold of the place in this new region worsened quite a lot by the afternoon. The snow did not seem to want to decrease, the whole landscape was covered by a thick cold layer of snow while the wind ended up making the redhead sneeze while he was at the entrance of the school waiting. Almost everyone had gone to their homes and even though the grand entrance of the institution had large doors, these had to be kept open. The strong blizzards were coming in, freezing the place while Sett was trying to hug himself sitting at the foot of the entrance watching the front street, hoping that at any moment his mother's car will arrive to pick him up.

“Sett?” Alune's voice took the half vastaya by surprise who turned to find the twins looking at him worried and confused. “What are you doing here? Classes ended more than two hours ago.”

The red haired boy got up a little shy, the twins' extra classes seemed to have already ended, he was probably the last one to leave school at this point in the afternoon. 

“I'm just waiting for my Ma, she's new working here, she’s just a little late but I’m sure she’s on her way.” he replied smiling timidly, he didn't want to worry his mother by going home alone possibly getting lost on the way, he had no other option but to wait. 

The twins shared a look at synchronicity, a little worried, it was easy for them to notice that Sett was trying to hide the cold he had but it was getting harder, he was escaping certain cold tremors as the icy blizzard did nothing but lower the temperatures. Before the Alune could say another word, a black car arrived with great punctuality to the front street parking a few steps from the school, both twins sighed in unison in the background cursing the punctuality of their family.

Sett turned to see the car, whistled for a moment appreciating somewhat surprised the good quality car of dark matte black color that had parked, more surprised to know that it was coming to pick up the twins, however, he was somewhat confused to notice that the one driving the car was only a young man in a semi-formal suit. Is that one of their parents? It doesn't seem like it, the boy thought, confused by the formality of the situation.

“Is that your Dad or something?” Sett asked curiously, unable to resist letting out two sneezes later.

 “Not exactly.” Alune laughed a little nervously, she didn't like it when her parents sent their servants from work to look for them but they understood that they were almost always very busy. Unfortunately, these events created an erroneous image in the minds of others making them think that they were some kind of family of politicians or other weirder ideas that children invent.

“Not exactly?” Sett laughed confused at the strange response but the car horn interrupted them, clearly rushing the twins.

“It's hm... A friend of the family. Anyway- We have to go, I hope your mom arrives soon, Sett.” the girl twin smiled at him shyly, returning to the path, saying goodbye to the child as she passed by.

Aphelios walked behind his sister and looked at him trying to say goodbye in silence but he stared at him for a moment, Sett raised an eyebrow confused by the sudden look. He was a little surprised when he saw the boy approaching him with quick steps, stopping in front of him just to take off the thick scarf, Aphelios stood on tiptoe reaching the height of the redhead and carefully rolled up the warm fabric covering up to his nose.

“Phel? It's not necessary.” Sett commented somewhat shyly without wanting to admit how good the warmth of the scarf felt.

Aphelios looked at him for a moment taking a step back dedicating a quiet smile to the half vastaya who managed to feel how both hairy ears crouched before the tender gesture while smiling back.

“It's cold and it looks good on you.” replied the dark haired boy in a low voice, somewhat embarrassed by the gesture, he couldn't help but worry seeing how the redhead hadn't stopped sneezing all day. “See you tomorrow.”

Alune smiled sweetly at her twin observing the situation, she found the gesture too tender although she was a little worried that one of their parents would be upset if they realized that her brother might have lost the scarf for being irresponsible. But at that moment, dealing with their parents' attitude did not seem like a problem to Aphelios who felt more guilty leaving the half vastaya shivering with cold.

Sett stayed in the place holding on to the scarf watching as the twins got into the car waving goodbye before closing the door disappearing after turning the corner. The red haired boy adjusted the fabric covering his entire neck and half of his face, closing his eyes for a moment enjoying the relief of the warmth of the scarf.

Luckily for him, a short time after his mother arrived apologizing for the delay, she was still learning about this new job and it was more difficult for her to finish the working day than she had expected. To the great relief of the vastaya woman, her heart was warmed to hear that her son had made two friends and that in fact, one of them had lent him that scarf.

The years began to pass, Sett and his mother got used to the new city better than they had thought, the woman vastaya had managed to solve the work environment problems over the years by making friends managing to balance work and life at home with her son who, on the other hand, had not managed to completely solve the bullying he received but learned to defend himself to not worry his mother, besides, he was not alone, Sett became very close to the Lunari twins going everywhere together.

Being the fifth year of half vastaya in this school, several things had changed for the sixteen-year-old half vastaya, thanks to the twins he had managed to improve his grades, not to mention that they also defended him when people said things in bad taste. In some way they took care of each other inside the school, Alune was the least one of them to get in trouble, Sett always thought that she was quite charismatic and sharp for her age but she always insisted that she just knew how to be persuasive and charming in her own way, unlike her brother who was more sort of cold and distant with other people, sure, he was polite, quiet in general but he was a little  high tempered when others didn’t left him alone. Any other except Sett and Alune.

The hybrid only enjoyed the thought about they getting along, together since the first day, but never asked Aphelios the reason of his approach back then, always so calm and sweet to him, since the first time they talked, Sett didn’t know but that day Aphelios found himself lost in concern, seeing the way other saw Sett, the way he felt like the two of them were alone together in a room full of distant judgmental glances, like, in some way, Sett could understand what Aphelios felt, keeping a barrier between him and other people, somehow, he found comfort at the redhead's words and cozy aura. Before he realizes, Aphelios grew attached to him, feeling he wasn’t lonely anymore, neither his sister nor Sett, none of them had to feel alone anymore while they could be each other's friends. 

The twins created a whole world outside their exhausting training, finding a beautiful rest place far away from their fears and tension. Both twins realized they loved spending time in Sett’s home, finding caring motherly love embraced them freely with tenderness thanks to Sett's mother, especially Alune. At least, until last year. With less and less free time in the twins lives due to their intense training, sleepovers and long afternoons with hot chocolate that were covered up for their parents as school projects, sweet treats and kind conversations, as if they four were a family, were left behind, almost only seeing each other in class and actual school projects.

Like many previous winters, Sett could feel his hairy ears freeze at the cold touch of the snowflakes, slightly freezing even with winter clothes, he waited at the same hour every morning, every school day and short after, around the same hour, he heard the same voices and saw the same faces, the routine that he could never get tired of.

“Sett!” Alune raised her voice walking next to her brother who also raised his hand waving to the distance as they approached.

“Luni! Phel!” Sett was smiling showing both fangs, one of the vastaya characteristics that had recently begun to develop thanks to adolescence. “Just in time.”

“As always.” the twin answered proudly as she reached his side. Aphelios laughed slightly at his sister's arrogance but stopped for a moment tensing his body at the sudden discomfort in his abdomen.

“Phel, are you okay?” the red haired man approached confused and worried, noticing how the boy was holding his abdomen with one hand for a moment, raising the other hand indicating to wait. 

“He just has a little stomach ache, that's all.” Alune was quick to generate a response to Sett's noticeable concern. The twin came up to her brother gently rubbing his back looking at him with the same concern.

She didn't like lying but she couldn't tell the truth either, the twins had never had a friendship as precious to both of them as Sett's is, they didn't want him to find out about the reality of the Lunari's life. Over the years, Alune tried to convince Aphelios to confide the truth to his most precious friend, that maybe he could keep the secret hidden, insisting that in that way, perhaps, they would not have to keep hiding things from him or worse, increasing the lies to cover up everything related to their training together with their lurid family lineage that sealed the bloody fate of the twins.

“Are you sure you're okay?” Sett insisted, looking sidelong at Alune but focusing his gaze more on Aphelios, waiting for a more direct answer from him.

The redhead did not like to be insistent, he knew it was Alune who spoke more for the two of them but lately she was covering a lot of the boy's aches. Aphelios looked at the half vastaya, slowly recovering his breath, getting himself together as fast as possible to straighten his back again and observe both of them. He raised both hands and the redhead understood that he would surely answer in sign language. Sett had learned a long time ago to communicate in sign language thanks to days when Aphelios did not want to use his voice, with his teaching and Alune’s, he learned without problem but no matter how many times he asked him why he use his voice only on certain occasions, Phel never wanted to answer, Sett resigned and only ended up getting used to treasuring the few moments when the black haired boy used his voice, in time, Sett had become fluent in sign language.

‘I'm fine, it's just a little stomach ache, I'll feel better soon.’ Aphelios affirmed with a firm movement gesticulating the phrase quickly enough to be understood well.

Sett sighed, not knowing whether to be relieved by his friend's words, the taller one thought for a moment assuming that it could be a harmless stomach ache that would pass soon. The boy's hairy ears stood up causing him to direct his gaze towards the street, noticing in the distance the school bus that was approaching.

“The bus's coming.” Sett reacted by settling the backpack on his shoulder, breathing a little more of the fresh winter air before getting on the bus.

The twins nodded at the same time arranging their backpacks, at the same time, the half vastaya never got bored of the synchronicity between the two, he wondered if they ever realized that they respond or make gestures at the same time and yet, with completely opposite bodily expressions and essences. 

Alune settled the backpack in both arms, well adjusted, with a smile and an energy that shines in the slightest movement, always with an elegance that she had maintained since he met her. On the other hand, Aphelios was so subtle and silent for his movements, even when arranging the backpack he caused the minimum noise, there were even times that Sett was not able to hear him, which took him by surprise at first because he thought that nothing and no one escaped from his heightened hybrid senses but now he knew, Aphelios was the only exception. 

Despite having opposite personalities, both had the same delicacy and beauty equally, a factor that they realized quickly when they reached adolescence, the Lunari twins received several unwanted compliments so Sett had developed a certain protective feeling due to this type of situations since sometimes the kind declines of Alune or the indifferent rejection of Aphelios were not enough to drive away those undesirable people, when that happened, Sett intervened with physical violence, it was not something that happened very often but the protective instinct of the half vastaya was inevitable, after all, they three grew up as good friends, it was a phrase that lately the redhead repeated himself quite a lot in the mind, already with sixteen years he was more and more aware of the different and deeper little feelings that he was beginning to develop towards the black haired twin, having more intense reactions when they tried to approach Aphelios in that way, shameful feeling that he tried to keep calm, buried within his mind even though it grew without limit in his heart.

Chapter Text

As usual, the three settled into the seats at the back of the school bus, the twins sat sharing a seat, Alune always claiming the place next to the window, Sett sat in the back seat immediately rising on the back of the seat in front to see the twins who turned to smile at him.

“Phel, if you still feel bad later we can buy herbal tea, Ma says it helps.” Sett settled with both arms crossed on the back of the twins seat and smiled at the boy who nodded calmly.

Alune watched her brother for a moment and pressed her lips slightly trying to hide her uneasiness, the reality of that discomfort was far from being a simple stomach ache. The twins' training had become increasingly violent and intense with the passage of time, she felt bad to take the softer part of the training, after all what she tended to sacrifice were hours of sleep and strict demands of high academic knowledge. Aphelios was being subjected to too much excessive training, being haunted by the approaching bloody reality, he already had enough knowledge to murder a human being in more ways than she could imagine. 

In the last training, rehearsing clean-handed fight, their mother went too far in hand-to-hand combat, ending up hitting a strong blow on the side of her own son, knocking him down in seconds, disapproving of his vulnerable reaction, she sent him to rest but Aphelios knew that for their parents, prolonged rest as an obligation was just a sign of disapproval, far from a calm recovery, it felt like a constant look of disappointment was above him.

Aphelios controlled his breathing trying not to let out certain groans of pain at the sudden movements of the bus, no matter how much healing his sister had given him with those concoctions and bandages, the pain was not going to disappear overnight, now what worried him most were the acute senses of the half vastaya, a simple stomach ache should not cause him that much pain, he had to maintain composure and not worry him.

Once they arrived at school, the twins said goodbye heading to their own classrooms, again Aphelios and Sett shared a class as in previous years, the only difference, for a year they had been sharing a class with the same girl who was an acquaintance of the twins' family and who insisted on making friends with Aphelios even if the boy didn't like the idea, Sett insisted that they should be nice to her, as his mother had taught him but Aphelios never gave in completely.

“Phel, Sett, how are you?” the girl with long reddish hair greeted them both smiling.

They returned the greeting somewhat surrendered, they also did not want to ignore her, Aphelios had tried but Sett convinced him that that was bad manners, again, teachings of his mother that half vastaya could not ignore.

“Everything's fine. You Zoe?” Sett smiled back at her sitting down behind her just like Aphelios.

“Veeery sleepy.” Zoe complained, settled into the chair turning around to look at the back seats noticing how the two boys left their backpacks and sat down, just like last year, together, the girl stuck out her tongue to both of them in a pouting gesture. “You two always sit together, again, leaving me alone, surely another silly kid will sit next to me and call me a witch.” the girl sighed dramatically letting her face fall on the back of the chair.

Sett laughed feeling sorry for the negative comments that the girl also received because of her differently colored eyes, heterochromia was not something very usual so many children insisted on annoying her by telling her that she was some kind of witch or demon. A small tug on his jacket caught his attention, the red haired man turned around noticing that Aphelios was asking for help to translate, to which the half vastaya nodded at ease.

“ ‘Why are you paying attention to them? Besides, that was last year, they haven't done it as much this year, maybe they won't keep doing the same.’ That's what Phel says and that’s kinda true actually.” Sett finished translating adding a comment, now watching the girl who curled her lips uncertainty looking at the lunar twin.

“I don't know, Phel…” the girl was pouting, playing with her long hair putting together a messy braid, choosing to annoy him before continuing to feel down. “Why don't you come here and stop some fool from sitting next to me, huh? Or do you have to ask your boyfriend for permission to change seats?”

The girl smiled at him funny receiving an indifferent reaction to the question, almost being ignored, Zoe puffed her cheeks into a pout somewhat annoyed by the absence of reaction, however, when she saw that the half vastaya averted his gaze a little annoyed blushing slightly, she smiled in a playful way, it always amused her to play with the obvious feelings hidden by the innocent boys, to continue playing she continued moving things from the seat of Aphelios receiving a sharp look of annoyance from him. 

“Ow, don't kill me with that look Phel.” Zoe laughed a little playfully using those words on purpose to annoy Aphelios who frowned at her more, annoyed by that tasteless pun, the redhead was only limited to laughing awkwardly, she laughed one last time before turning forward, taking advantage of the fact that the class was about to start.

Aphelios sighed a little frustrated noticing the annoyance in the red haired man's gesture but he just shook his head trying to tell him that it didn't matter, he couldn't detail why he was so irritated by the girl's company anyway, so he preferred to stay silent.

After all, Zoe belongs to another family related to Targon, the place of origin of the Lunari. The only and most important difference? The offspring of the Twilight, they were inactive due to the disconnection of their leader, Zoe's grandfather had broken the link paying the price of the life most of their relatives, even the lives of the redhead girl, leaving Zoe herself almost exclusively alive with her grandfather within the exiled family that they sent to this distant city to hide, the little red haired threat had so much knowledge in her hands and was free to do whatever she wanted with her destiny as long as she kept quiet and away from the sight and territory of the Solari. Aphelios didn't want to admit it but deep down he was a little envious of the freedom the girl had. At least she had much more power over her own destiny than he did.

She was almost a stone in his shoe or at least that's how the Aphelios saw her, the little redhead had complete knowledge about the Lunari and always made fun of the ignorance in which they kept Sett, after all very few people outside the families knew of their existence, that was the reason why the life of many of them was significantly lonely but the twins were doing their best to maintain their precious friendship and keep him safe. Blissful ignorance if you may say. Of course Zoe found every situation to make fun of them, knowing the dark truth about the twins she loved to tempt luck using puns.

During the class, a small piece of paper slipped to Aphelios’ arm, the boy looked down noticing that it was coming from the redhead next to him, he smiled sideways and turned the paper over reading the message cautiously.

‘Do you feel any better?’

Aphelios let out a sigh mixed with a soft laugh, the constant worry gave him tenderness, he quickly wrote a little lower, then slid the paper back to Sett's seat noticing that he was reading it between the leaves of the textbook to go unnoticed.

‘Yes, it hardly hurts anymore.’

Sett smiled for a moment, then thought about taking advantage of the moment to write something else and slid the paper back to the opposite seat. Aphelios read it quickly but looked at the question regretfully.

‘Do you have some time today? It's been a long time since you stopped by my house to play some video games :(‘

The lunar twin sighed for a moment to himself, he really wanted to continue spending more time with the Sett but lately it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to find a free day to be able to enjoy it with him. Aphelios wrote again, sliding the paper back, resorting to one of his usual lies to cover up his training.

‘I can't, I’m sorry. I have math reinforcement classes at home today.’

Sett read the message lowering both ears sighing for a moment looking sideways at the boy next to him who was shrugging his shoulders moving his hands in a quick gesture of apology. It had already been weeks since the boys were able to share more time other than studying in the school, barely and they were able to spend the last holidays together, they usually spent plenty of time playing together, walking together, enjoying full afternoons at Sett's home, even spending a lot of time with his mother, especially when Sett set out to learn sign language, their conversations were getting longer, of course they also spent time with Alune but as the years passed, the boys began to get more and more friendly, with a stronger bond.

The half vastaya was lost for a moment in his thoughts, he found himself missing Aphelios much more than Alune even though they were friends equally, the redhead grieved by burying his face a little in the textbook, feeling how his cheeks blushed slightly at the embarrassing and fleeting thoughts about his friend.

We're just friends, I just get along a little better with Aphelios than with Alune, that doesn't mean anything else, that's just why I'm missing Phel a lot, nothing else. Sett thought to himself trying to clear his mind of the incoherent thoughts he was having in the last few months, both twins had been quite busy recently but the redhead found himself with the surprise of missing especially the boy more than anyone, realizing memories that now seemed to start interpreting differently, remembering Aphelios's smile or voice, longing to hear that voice that he so rarely got to hear. But he had to avoid those thoughts, he didn't want to give himself misconceptions just because he was very fond of him or worse, ruin a long friendship or at least that's what he tried to convince himself on a day-to-day, captive of his own fears and insecurities.

Aphelios raised an eyebrow smiling slightly confused to see how the Sett hid his face in the textbook, he really would have liked to go to Sett's house to play video games, there is nothing he would like more right now but he knew well that he did not have that choice, not ever, not today… Right?

For a moment Phel wished he could disobey their parents, there was nothing more he wanted right now than to spend the day in his friend's cozy home, Sett's house was one of his favorite places, where he could just forget about everything, spend time with someone he liked a lot, have small talk with him and his mother was his smile treasure. Aphelios pressed his lips together for a moment feeling a small lump in his throat.

He brought his hand up to the side of his abdomen feeling the slight pain that still persisted in his body due to the violent training, he sighed again to relieve the grief that was almost making him sob. After thinking for a moment he frowned in a determined way. Maybe what he would do could be impulsive, maybe he could have a strong argument with his parents, but how long ago was the last time he could spend the day at Sett's house? It had already been weeks without being able to enjoy the boy's company outside of school or even relax in the slightest, even if rest was a disapproval, wasn't he supposed to rest to recover?

While the determined thoughts grew in his mind, a slight blush also took over his cheeks, realizing how certain was about his strong desire to spend time again with his friend. A friend that made his heartbeat go crazy. Aphelios shook away that thought. He never intended to create something bigger in his heart more than a longing friendship but lately his heart was being very disobedient, connecting with butterflies in his stomach, creating weird thoughts in his mind.

As the class progressed, a piece of paper slipped back to the red haired place. When he heard the sound of the paper against the table, he felt both his ears arching upwards. Curious, he raised his face from the textbook, looking sidelong at Aphelios, receiving a small smile. Sett carefully opened the message smiling as he read.

‘Maybe I can skip the reinforcement classes just for today, I can talk to my parents later, I'd like to come to your house.’

The half vastaya smiled widely showing his small fangs, cheerfully began to write further down the message to return the paper to the boy, noticing how he read it quickly without the teacher noticing.

‘That's so cool! But, are you sure you won't get in trouble?’

Aphelios turned to see Sett's embarrassed smile for a moment, clearly he also wanted to spend time by his side but he felt nervous that the boy would get in trouble for going to his house. Aphelios shook his head smiling at him confidently writing a short reply.

‘Don't worry, I'll be fine, let's go to your house together today.’

Sett returned the smile nodding, trying to suppress the playful movements of his ears due to happiness, he was sure that his mother would also be happy to have the boy visiting, for a moment he also thought about inviting Alune, however he paused for a moment in that thought. He never mentioned to Aphelios if he could go with his sister, he just agreed to go by himself, this wasn't the first time they spent time together, just the two of them, why was his heart pounding? Sett shook his head a little again trying to push away those thoughts that were stalking him from his own heart.

It's not like it's the first time we've been together in my room, we've always been together like this, sometimes the three of us and sometimes just the two of us, is nothing new. Sett got a little lost in his thoughts, he watched the dark haired boy out of the corner of his eye, the redhead didn't understand but lately, noticing how Aphelios was growing too, I couldn't help but think one thing when he saw the delicate profile of the boy, with those long dark eyelashes that stood out on that pale skin, Aphelios was more beautiful everyday. 

Even after the boy had to make that small thin line under the lip along the chin due to, in the words of the twin himself, family inheritance. Even after that detail that now adorned his lower lip and chin, Sett still found that the moon boy looked beautiful, he captured his gaze more and more everyday.

Aphelios could no longer ignore the fixed gaze on him, he had noticed it several minutes ago but he was waiting for the half vastaya to desist to return to concentrating on the class or tell him something that was on his mind but nothing was happening. Sett didn't seem to notice that he had been staring at the boy's profile for a bit too long. Phel looked at him out of the corner, his eye blushing a little at the intense amber gaze, embarrassed he began to gesticulate a phrase in sign language.

‘Do I have something on my face?’ he asked embarrassed without turning completely to face Sett who arched his ears averting his gaze while smiling nervously.

“No, it's nothing, I'm still not getting used to the little tattoo, I mean, it's not because it looks bad on you, it looks good on you, just that it still looks a little strange, not ugly strange, good strange, I mean different, nice actually, looks cute on you.” Sett stumbled over his own words between whispers trying not to be heard by the others in the class, responding nervously, he blushed a little more as he realized the words he was using to describe the boy.

Aphelios looked at him for a moment listening as each nervous word came out from between his lips, then he took a hand up to his face covering the smile, trying not to laugh with tenderness at the redhead attitude. Both looked towards the front noticing the sight of Zoe who pointed them towards the front nervously making both notice the unfriendly sight of the teacher who caught their attention when listening to the whispers of the half vastaya and the low laughter of the Lunari. Sett apologized loudly by lowering his ears a little for the interruption of the class, not to mention that he thought he had made a fool of himself in front of Aphelios. 

The redhead had always found that the twins were beautiful in an objective way, each in his own way, however, he did not know if it was recently or if he had recently realized, at some point in their friendship he seemed to have begun to develop emotions beyond just feelings of friendship towards Aphelios and that thought was torturing his mind, he tried to tell himself over and over that he liked them both as good friends but he was already having a hard time denying that his protective feeling towards Aphelios was greater than with Alune, even knowing that they both could stand up for themselves.

The day passed between classes, during lunch time, Aphelios talked to his sister for a moment while Sett was of looking for something to drink, the boy felt a little uneasy to ask his twin to cover him like that but it was the only selfish thing he wanted to ask and he never asked for anything, he never had the luxury of being able to wish for something for himself, the only exception they both have done was to create little lies to cover up the fact they visited Sett’s house for fun as they parent did knew they spent time with him and stayed at his house but they thought they were only known classmates with no far friendly relationship, only spending time together because of school grades necessities, nothing else. Of course Alune was not so convinced at first, there’s a reason they’ve stopped trying to sneak themselves with white lies to spend time in Sett’s home, after all, every month it passes, their parent pushed harder and harder on their expectations of their training, nevertheless after a moment of prayers from her brother and considered his painful bruise, she finally agreed. 

After quickly explaining himself, Aphelios had managed to somewhat offhand come up with a plan to earn his afternoon time. He is aware that he asked his sister to lie for him but he was willing to take full responsibility in case they got caught. Phel did not know if their parents would believe a little lie but her twin promised that she would communicate any important event if she noticed suspicious attitudes.

At the end of the school day, the three of them took the school bus as usual to return to the same point where they had met in the morning, although their houses were several blocks apart they did not take much time to find a middle point to get together. The twins had visited Sett's home but had only allowed the redhead in their house two times before when the twins knew their parents weren’t at home, tho they didn’t tried it again, scared of what could happened, never invited him again and luckily, Sett never insisted after that, it hadn't taken long for him to realize that the lunar twins' family seemed to be upper class and too reserved, joining the only points he knew, the half vastaya never suspected beyond the situation of both, assuming that they were very conservative people, after all, he didn't like to think bad things or suspect his best friends. 

Once the three of them got off the bus, Sett let out a loud sneeze for coming back exposed to the cold winter, even though it didn't get to snow, the strong winter breezes remained completely frozen.

“I'll write to you if they ask anything.” Alune turned to her brother and walked a few steps closer to give him a tender hug.

Aphelios reciprocated by slightly hiding his face in the long hair of his twin, he knew that between the two, it was the girl who always obeyed every order without the slightest flicker of insecurity, he understood that lying to their parents was a slightly selfish request but deep in his heart he loved his sister for appreciating him more over the strict life and order of their parents. She loved him more than she feared them.

“Thank you.” Aphelios whispered with a smile.

Alune smiled, touched by hearing her brother's low and serious voice, laughed for a moment when cutting off the hug, she felt grateful that, even though her twin was reluctant to talk even more lately, he gave her a little of his voice as part of the gratitude. 

“See ya tomorrow, Luni.” Sett said goodbye to the girl with a quick hug squeezing her tightly as usual, laughing at the giggles of the thin white girl.

“See ya, don't have too much fun without me.” Alune commented gladly as she said goodbye waving her hand at the same time that she started walking away from the boys and then turned around and continued on her way.

The way to the half vastaya house was quiet and short, after walking a few blocks in a comfortable silence accompanied by the occasional sound of winter breezes, both arrived at the home of the redhead, a medium-sized two-storey house next to a small backyard, despite having two floors the place was quite narrow but it was enough to live quite well between the two of them alone. Sett first approached the large dark wooden door taking the keys out of one of the small pockets on the side of the backpack. After opening, the loud sound of wood creaking spread through the dark and icy atmosphere of the home. As usual, his mother had not yet arrived from work, so Sett started turning on the lights.

“Go ahead, I'll turn on the stove, Ma will be a little late today and probably very cold.” Sett smiled at the boy watching as he nodded to him.

Sett made his way to the living room reaching the large stove, the large grayish pipes of this were connected throughout the house providing a heating system that helped them get through the winter. The boy knelt down, taking out a couple of pieces of wood and then opened the grate of the stove, filling the space with the material next to a couple of dry leaves that would help him quickly light the flame while using a lit match and he watched it, waiting for the fire to spread.

On the other hand, Aphelios remembered easily the way to Sett's room, he smiled slightly, feeling the homely atmosphere of the place. He turned on the lights as he climbed the stairs, he surprised himself. How was it possible that even though the place was frozen and empty, it still transmitted to him that cozy essence compared to his own house that, even fully illuminated with his family, never managed to feel this homely?

Well, I guess that's easy. This feels more like a home than my own house, he thought to himself in a sarcastic tone, he already had more than clear the answer to his own questions. On reaching the second floor he observed for a moment the door of Sett's room, however, he decided to divert to the bathroom. Once inside, he closed the door and turned on the light. He clicked his tongue with a slight annoying grunt at the sight of her naked abdomen when he lifted the thick fabrics, observing that annoying and big bruise that spread from his highest rib to his hip, almost covering his entire right side, he breathed for a moment feeling the soft pangs that ran through his body.

How am I supposed to explain this to Sett if he even notices it? Aphelios shook his head, taking a determined look at himself in the mirror while adjusting his clothes ignoring the discomfort of the hematoma. He just, won’t, he can't.

“Phel?” Sett's voice from the other side of the door took him by surprise, even taking a small leap.

Aphelios turned to look at the door, checking his clothes to make sure everything was on correctly, he quickly stretched out his hand to pull the chain, giving the idea that he had gone to the bathroom, hearing a small sound from the other side of the door, indicating that Sett had understood the sound and was taking a step back, assuming that the boy would come out soon and just as it was. The dark haired boy opened the door looking up to meet the eyes of the half vastaya who shyly smiled at him.

‘Sorry, I wanted to use the bathroom’ Aphelios signed with his hands somewhat timidly to which the opposite only laughed for a moment.

“You don't have to apologize Phel, I was just surprised when I went to my room and I didn't find you. I thought you really forgot how to get there.” the redhead replied with a mocking tone raising an eyebrow while smiling at the boy showing one of his fangs.

Aphelios couldn't help but laugh at the comment, there was no way to get lost between three doors on the second floor, having only the two rooms next to the bathroom of the house, still, Phel always liked the redhead's jokes, no matter how simple or even bad they were, Sett had noticed it a long time ago, even Alune sometimes told him how bad some jokes were but Aphelios always seemed to play along. Remembering that fleeting detail made the redhead's heart tremble, trying to clear his mind he stepped aside so that the boy could get out of the bathroom, returning to speak, adding to the previous comment.

“Nah, just, I was a little worried, you weren't feeling good today and when I saw you got to the bathroom I thought you were still feeling a little bad.” Sett scratched the back of his neck a little nervously at the thoughts that he had assumed by a certain protective instinct that was born unconsciously.

‘Relax, I'm fine.’ Aphelios replied, signing quickly, trying not to look too cold, he added. ‘Sorry for making you worry about me.’

“Don't apologize Phel, is my bad, I'm worrying too much, maybe.” Sett shrugged his shoulders, responding with a more relaxed tone downplaying the matter. “Should we go to my room? I recently bought a game that I know you are going to love.” he added at the end smiling as he started walking to his room.

Aphelios nodded with a quiet smile and after closing the bathroom door behind him, he followed Sett to his room, the place had not changed much in recent weeks, the dark haired boy smiled warmly in a nostalgic way, feeling as if he had finally returned to one of his most beloved places, he had missed the time with Sett much more than he had thought.

Sett entered first, going to a small armchair that lay at the foot of the half square bed that was half made with a couple of turned up blankets, Aphelios laughed a little when he saw a couple of clothes on the floor, he took the time to observe the paintings and ornaments placed on the walls smiling when he found those photographs, several of the twins together with the hybrid and even some with them three and Sett's mother.

Aphelios's gaze ended up concentrating on a semi-open chest of drawers in the closet at the side of the room, surprised he approached to see the worn scarf that was lying out tangled between the first drawers, he took it in his hands noticing how Sett turned surprised from the small armchair stopping immediately after having turned on the console placing the game.

“Hey, you found it before I showed it to ya.” Sett commented excitedly after approaching to the boy's side who arched an eyebrow with an amused smile.

‘You could see it from the open drawer, it wasn't exactly discreet.’ Aphelios finished gesturing letting out a soft laugh at the end.

“Still, let's just say I forgot I left it there heh, I was gonna to show it to ya.” Sett approached smiling tenderly until he was in front of the boy noticing how he was also gently observing the fabric between his hands. “I found it a few days ago, I was sorting some things when I found it… Hm… I don't know if you remember…”

“Of course I remember.”

Sett's ears arched the instant they received Aphelios's soft voice coming to his senses, he focused his gaze on the boy noticing how he pressed his lips averting his gaze a little embarrassed, Sett thought that surely his face of astonishment did not go unnoticed and perhaps, blushing. He had not heard the boy's voice in days and hearing him speak so suddenly, sweet and determined, caught him off guard. Aphelios, unsure, raised both hands again to continue the conversation somewhat nervously.

‘Although I'm surprised that you still have it, that was like five or six years ago.’ he commented with a surprised and even incredulous gesture on his face, after all it was a long time, it was normal for people to give away, throw away clothes or even the same clothes get worn out or lost.

“Uh, well, I'm surprised too, I guess I was lucky that it never got lost.” Sett replied somewhat shy, averting his gaze for a moment, the answer was not one hundred percent true but he was even more embarrassed to admit that when he found it, he did remember that he kept it in a safe place because he considered it a precious memory, he was very happy to have found it recently, he almost felt bad for forgetting it.

Taking advantage of a moment of silence, Sett noticed the uncertainty Aphelios seemed to have when thinking about what to gesture to respond.

“Sorry If I got too surprised earlier, with your voice, I haven't heard you speak for days but that doesn't mean I don't like hearing your voice Phel, I love listening to you.” Sett quickly commented, taking the shorter one by surprise who looked at him opening his eyes blinking a moment slower, as if he was reformulating his thoughts.

Aphelios felt his cheeks warm gently. Sett liked to listen to his voice, no, he loved to hear him. That phrase echoed in his mind as he pressed his lips together, slightly nervous. Avoiding using the sound of his voice had become a habit. He found himself more and more comfortable using sign language, avoiding the sound of his own voice. But why was he avoiding using his voice with Sett if he liked to hear him so much? For a moment, that thought made him feel a small weight on his heart. Aphelios was silent for a minute, trying to find the words while focusing his gaze on the fabric that lay between his fingers, caressing it tenderly.

“I still remember this scarf, I gave it to you the day we met, your nose was so red from the cold, I thought your lips were starting to break.” Phel spoke sorrowfully and nostalgically.

Again, Sett had the pleasure of listening to that soft, calm and sweet voice, his hairy ears reacting unconsciously, receiving every sound coming from the boy, slightly arching each ear in search of a better appreciation. He could even swear that his pupils dilated slightly, betraying his taste for Aphelio's voice.

“Ha, yeah... You really saved me from a cold that day.” Seet smiled nostalgically, remembering with tenderness how those small gestures between the two began to form an unexpected friendship. 

“Yes... You saved me that day too.” Aphelios muttered in response, he blushed slightly realizing his own words, swallowed regretfully, he had not thought before speaking. “I mean- I was feeling a little lonely, I guess, since then I'm surprised by our conversations, I've never talked so much to anyone else besides my sister you know…” he added trying to elaborate his answer so that it would not be misinterpreted, deep down, he knew that the first sentence had come out with pure honesty.

Even if the dark haired boy had tried to complete the sentence with that explanation, Sett couldn't help but feel touched, the idea that he could mean as much to him, as much as Aphelios meant to Sett, was a very sweet thought.

“Is it bad that I feel very happy about it?” Sett replied in a superb smile laughing tenderly at the idea of being the one who was lucky enough to listen to Aphelios's voice, being one of the few people who won his affection enough to have that level of trust.

The question had escaped him impulsively, he had not been embarrassed about it, at least not until he saw Aphelios smile letting out a soft and slow laugh accompanied by a small blush on his cheeks. That reaction, managed to turn the half vastaya's heart around, feeling a small pinch of nervousness sneaking into his body. The sudden silence did not help him, he wanted to say something but his lips did not move, he was only able to appreciate the boy in front of him, his beautiful movements, those dark eyes that invited him to a night under the stars. The music of the console managed to bring him back to earth, the game that he had placed to load before coming to the conversation for the scarf, now echoed in the room breaking the silence.

“Oh, right, come on, player number two is waiting for ya.” Sett spoke returning to his energetic countenance walking back to the small armchair in the room.

Aphelios nodded quietly, secretly grateful that the game had reminded them why they had come in the first place, Aphelios didn't want to admit how much he had loved silently admiring Sett during that moment they had just shared face to face. Without making him wait any longer, he sat down next to him on the small sofa, receiving the controller in his hands. 

Secretly, they both enjoy the contact that was created by sitting so close to each other in the narrow space on the padded armchair, their arms touch each other and share laughs when playing, both enjoying each other's company, the hours pass between conversations and progress in the new game they shared within the game, improving their characters and unlocking everything possible within the map, Sett asking Aphelios for help every time there were puzzles that gave him too many problems while Phel almost always ended up asking Sett for help to understand new moves when he couldn't beat different bosses with secret combos or weapons.

Falling the afternoon, there comes a moment when the game character of the moon boy is killed, the redhead suggests that they start again but Phel insists that they have advanced too much, that he keep advancing as much as he can achieve, supporting him, the boy settles on the shoulder of the half vastaya, giving him words of emotional support, laughing at the reactions of the taller one who felt the pressure of being the last one alive in the game.

Before he knew it, Aphelio’s eyelids began to weigh on him, between blinks, he focused the screen less and less, clinging to Sett’s side, secretly enjoying the warm touch of his body. Aphelios did his best on a daily basis to be able to satisfy the insane demands of the training forced on him, however, the tiredness did not disappear with a short night's sleep, not even when many days passed, he could not help but feel how the fatigue was released by resting his head on the warm body of the tallest.

Sett was surprised when he didn't get a response to one of his comments throughout the game, he paused for a moment and turned to see the boy confirming his suspicions, he couldn't help but smile tenderly, noticing how Aphelios had fallen fast asleep with his cheek resting on his shoulder, slightly hugging his arm, gently squeezing him as if it were his pillow.

Sett didn't want to wake him up, Aphelios looked so calm resting, besides, he wasn't going to admit it but deep down he enjoyed being able to see him so closely, he admired his pale skin, his long dark eyelashes, his red lips, he settled a few hairs that fell over his face behind his ear, smiling when he noticed how the boy wrinkled his nose. How sweet, Sett thought to himself, blushing a little. Finally he sighed, surrendered, trying to keep away those crazy thoughts, trying to distract himself, took back the controller in his hands and changed the game for a more chill game.

After the minutes passed, the last thing Sett remembers before falling asleep, was observing the menu of his character, the relaxing sound of the video game setting ended up relaxing him, slightly snuggling his face against Aphelios, supporting their bodies mutually, Sett fell fast asleep without feeling how the controller slipped between his hands. 

How long has it been? The next thing both boys heard were heels clattering against the floor of the room, soon after the background noise provided by the television with the music of the video game stopped. Aphelios frowns, starting to wake up to the sounds, opening his eyes suddenly as he came to his senses, Sett's mother was surprised to see that gesture straightening the posture after having bent to turn off the TV.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up.” the woman spoke to him sweetly, approaching the boy who relaxed his face by remembering where he was and what he was doing before falling asleep.

Aphelios yawned for a moment and gave the vastaya woman a sweet smile, allowing her to caress his cheek in a motherly way. The boy,grateful, received the affection of feeling that warm touch that he had long ago stopped expecting from his own mother. A big yawn made both of them laugh, noticing how Sett showed his fangs, stretching his ears back drowsily as soon as he opened his eyes trying to wake up, his mother gave him another equally tender smile, using the other hand to caress her son's cheek.

“Hm… Morning…” Sett murmured sleepily, caressing his mother's hand letting out another yawn to which the woman laughed louder.

“Good morning? It's almost nine o'clock, at night Settrigh.” she replied between laughs pinching her son's cheek before releasing him, she arranged Aphelios’s hair behind his ear sweetly and took a step back.”Have you two been sleeping for a long time? If you sleep so much now you won't sleep at night honey.”

“Hm.. Right? I'm not sure, sorry but Phel fell asleep first.” Sett replied with some pause between the words due to his lethargic state trying to fully open his eyes, laughing a little at the last part in his defense.

Sett's mother gave one last laugh and walked around the room until she reached the switch and turned on the light before leaving the place to go to her own room, both boys growled slightly drowsy slouching by inertia at the sudden light in the room, bumping their heads with little force, both laughed a little at the awkwardness, Sett took advantage of rubbing the messy boy's hair tenderly.

Although Aphelios blushed momentarily at the gesture, the words of the vastaya managed to make sense to him now that he was more awake, somewhat restless for the time that had elapsed, he remembered that he had not spoken to his sister. He took the cell phone out of his pocket, looking for the chat with the twin, he was surprised to realize that he had not received any message. Of course, he was calmer when he remembered that Alune had told him that she would only write to him if they asked about him but, so many hours have passed by and they still hadn't noticed anything? Maybe she was also quite busy with school studies or maybe with training.

“Is everything all right?” Sett appeared next to him asking in a worried tone after noticing that the boy was watching his sister's chat somewhat uneasily.

“Yes, but I have to go, it's already late.” Aphelios replied in a low tone, although feeling sorry, narrowing his eyes a little, disappointed that he could not stay longer.

“Yes it's kinda late…” Sett emphasized bending his ears a little, noticing the same look in Aphelios, trying to cheer him up, Sett let out a loud dramatic sigh attracting his attention. “That happens because you fall asleep in the game, I told you that we had to start a new game to continue playing together.”

Sett crossed his arms in an obstinate way pretending to be offended to which the shorter one could not help but laugh hitting his arm with his fist, Aphelios sighed a more relaxed moment, appreciating the clear trying of Sett to lighten the atmosphere, Aphelios got up from the armchair stretching his arms and legs a little.

Taking advantage of the light of the lanterns in the streets still illuminating the way in the dawning night, the boy opted to hurry, taking his things, went down to the front door with the half vastaya who insisted over and over again that it would not be a problem for him to accompany him home, however, the Lunari desisted, he was afraid that one of his parents would manage to see Sett and suspect the reality of the situation. Once they were both in the frame of the open entrance door, Sett would duck his ears a little, frustrated that he had to say goodbye there.

“Are you sure you don't want me to walk you home? It's already a little dark Phel.” the half vastaya insisted, emphasizing the fact when the boy was settling his backpack before saying goodbye.

“I'll be fine, you don't have to worry so much, it's not that far, I'll get there before it gets completely dark.” Aphelios spoke to him in a soft tone of voice, keeping a little pause between the words while adjusting the backpack. “Unless someone keeps holding me back.” he added with an amused smile.

“Okay, okay, I get it.” Sett raised both hands in surrender accompanied by light laughter. “But you have to come tomorrow, it's Saturday, surely you can convince your parents to come for a while, we are just getting started in the game and I assure you that later on it does get really good.”

“I promise I'll ask my parents. Ok? Don't you dare advance our saved game without me.” Aphelios replied smiling defiantly and playfully to which the redhead nodded emphasizing that it would be the most obvious thing to do. “Oh... And tell your Mom I'm sorry I can't stay for dinner. I love the mooncakes she makes for dessert.” he added regretfully with a sigh, resigned to not being able to enjoy one of his favorite desserts.

After some sweet laughs shared between the two, Aphelios checked the time for the last time, ready to leave, put the cell phone away and watched Sett, giving him a smile and then he came close to give him a second gift, a gentle kiss on the cheek to say goodbye. Although sometimes they greeted and said goodbye like this, Sett was more aware every day of how his body reacted to the casual gesture, he tried to suppress the blush that threatened to appear on his cheeks when he felt the kiss too close to the corner of his lips.

“See you tomorrow Sett, I'll write to you later.” Aphelios smiled calmly, enjoying the small blush that took over the cheeks of the half vastaya and his own.

Sett inevitably smiled when he heard his name being pronounced by the voice he treasured so much, a little mesmerized by the gesture.

“See ya tomorrow, Phel.” Sett raised the palm of his hand gesturing a goodbye to the boy, noticing how he turned around to start his way, walking away down the sidewalk.

Chapter Text

The winter blizzard was quite heavy during the night, the horizon showered him with artificial light during his walk, Aphelios repressed a sigh when he saw the hybrid's home disappear in the distance, already leaving him behind among snow-covered streets, feeling a thin nod in his throat, after all this time they could finally spend time together, even tho he slept for some time, just remember the lovely hours he spent with Sett, made his heart flutter, unconsciously blushing his cheeks. Even though he wondered if that last kiss was actually close to the hybrid’s lips on purpose or not, it was so impulsive of him but he didn’t regret it. Sett seemed actually happy to receive it. How could he not feel his heart go crazy with that?

Once he passed the bus stop he tried to focus his concentration on maintaining a convincing temper, after all he had to be attentive to maintain the support of the facade he had used, it was slightly risky but with the support of his twin, they never got into trouble and this time would be the same, he trusted that and if he wanted to keep his side of the plan, Aphelios had to control his pounding heart so he took a deep breath and focused.

Aphelios walked confidently with a thought in his mind, he put his hand into the thick inner pocket of the fabric jacket, being careful with the gloves when taking the cell phone between his fingers, gripping it tightly, he covered the top of the screen with the other hand, while continuing to walk along the sidewalk. He frowned when he realized that his last message sent in his twin’s chat had only one ticket. She never received the message he sent her more than three hours ago, previously he was so relaxed that he had not noticed that small but important detail.

It was completely strange that Alune didn’t write to him first during the afternoon even though she must have arrived home at the same time or maybe a little later, still, he was not alarmed yet because she had not sent him a message, he thought she might be busy. But now? The messages hadn't even reached her. How could he let that go?

Maybe it was the signal, maybe the battery had run out, a person's cell phone could be turned off. Her sister wasn't that kind of person. Maybe she was just busy? Alune's priority always was to communicate with Aphelios, even if today she said she would only communicate with him if their parents mentioned something about him, he had assumed that his sister would ask him for the time after the night arrived. Had their parents really not questioned his absence all this time?

The possible and wrong options traveled at light speed between the fleeting thoughts that screamed inside his mind. His anxiety grew fiercely. Each thought seemed to him more terrifying than the last. Before he knew it, his walk was hurried, practically jogging on the way, he clenched his teeth at the sense of his painful bruise but he didn’t care, his jog quickly turning into running. His accelerated pace made the backpack shake as the speed increased, he did not want to be distressed by something he did not know yet but the thought of their parents taking it out on his sister for something he had caused, terrified him. He tried to regulate his pace a few blocks away, trying to breathe and look for new reasons why his sister still hadn't contacted him but nothing came to his mind.

The calm did not last too long. When he managed to get to his house, his heart raced at an alarming rate. The lights were off. Why? Everyone should be at the place by this time. Everything was dark outside. Why wouldn't anyone turn on the lights outside or even inside the house? Something was just not right. Unconsciously he quickened his pace, his feet moving by themselves while he swallowed his anguish.

Alune. Alune can be in her room, was the first thought that crossed his mind. He found himself running to a side of the house, running fast to the back entrance, crossing the fence without wasting any more time. He took the keys out of his backpack still hanging on one shoulder, he pressed his lips regularizing his breathing, hardly inhaling and exhaling, trying to stay calm denying his terrifying thoughts, carefully he opened the door, minimizing as much creaking of the wood noise as possible. However, his heart stopped the second he managed to see inside.

A single drop of sweat slid down his face, even with the frozen air around him. 

A trail of blood can be seen from the hallway that connects to the kitchen. Aphelios swallowed tense, entering in complete silence as he slid down to the bottom of the small table in the living room, walking in a squat as he approached the open doors, leaning his back against the wall. He could feel his heartbeat getting upset in a disobedient way, he couldn't help but get distressed but he had to keep his composure. Without giving in to his fears, he took out a small dagger that he was used to hide in the bottom of his backpack, he observed the weapon for a moment, a thin dagger smaller than his hand but sharper than a sword, protected by a black leather sheath with lunar symbols printed in white tone, he pressed the weapon against his chest leaving the backpack on the ground without a sound.

Once he was ready, he took a deep breath to give himself courage. He carefully peeked through the open door, following the path of blood with his gaze, quickly understanding that it was heading to the main hall. anxiety and fear fill his lungs. In his sixteen years of life, he had only been trained behind closed doors, they were not yet of an age to go on missions like their parents. The assault on their home was a real possibility but he never believed that it would actually happen. Did someone really pass through their parents? 

He narrowed his eyes for a moment, focused his hearing, he needed to know if anyone was still in the place, doing some reckless act wasn’t at the table. But, he didn't hear any sound, absolutely nothing, deadly quiet. That didn't give him confidence either. He couldn't even make out any sounds that could be from their parents or his sister, nothing, not even a breath. Aphelios held the dagger in his right hand.

He made his way down the hallway, walking at an inaudible pace, continued to follow the blood trail, frowned as he understood two things. The blood was fresh, only the edge and superficial splashes were dry, it wasn’t too long ago. On the other hand, as he walked, recognized that there was more blood than he expected, there was definitely more than one person bleeding here and they had bled a lot.

He pressed his back against the wall once he reached the connection to the main room, keeping the holster of the weapon in his back pocket, he leaned out wielding the dagger ready to attack at the first move. But he froze.

Every fiber of his being stopped in its tracks. There was no movement at all in the room, just two bodies piled on top of each other covered in blood. Aphelios choked a heavy breath trying not to tear up, his shaky legs betrayed him as he stumbled against the wall, repressing the nausea that invaded him when the aroma of both bodies reached his nose. He couldn’t stop staring at the morbid image in front of him, with his free hand he covered his face trying not to vomit despite the fact that his insides threatened to crumble among pure anguish.

The bodies were full of cuts, bullet holes and bruises added to other deep marks on the body with traces of violet tones, both faces lifeless, frozen in silence with eyes narrowed in a false state of serenity, their hair sticky to the dense blood that could still denote sliding slowly into the remains of the massacre. Aphelios couldn't help but feel his breathing quicken, taking a step forward without a defensive posture, stunned, the corpses of their parents were unmistakable.

Overwhelmed with confusion, grief and fear, Aphelios forced his own legs to work, allowing him to take two steps forward, slowly, trembling. And again, he stops breathing, stunned. On his father's leg, a golden dagger with refinements of solar decorations was still stuck.

Thousands of thoughts stumbled over each other inside Aphelios’s mind, he clutched his forehead frowning in dismay, he remembered his mother talking about the Solari during his childhood, the strongest hitman main family of Targon, he understood that as Lunari descendants they had been exterminated before their eyes, the Solari weren’t supposed to have knowledge of their existence. Then why? Why were they being hunted now after so many years? Did they know about their parents' plan? Why is this happening? I don’t understand, Aphelios shouted in his mind.

All the questions were gone in a second. A single thought resonated like a predominant echo in his entire mind. Alune, where's she? Nothing else mattered at that moment, he repressed the chaotic mixed feelings that seeing the corpses of his parents caused him and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, swallowing the small nausea that threatened to emanate from his body. He covered the lower half of his face to try to breathe better trying to appease the scent of blood and powder.

He took up the dagger again, no longer caring about a higher defense position, he just ran up the stairs, now completely unconscious of his own pain from the bruise, looking in every corner, he went into every room opening the door with a single blow, ready to attack at every entrance but nothing. There was no sign of his sister. Distraught, he cursed loudly, starting to feel panic take over him, there was not even a sign of his sister's body, a trail of blood, something. In an accelerated way, he began to check every place where she could be, every space where she could hide.

Then, he abruptly stops in his tracks. A very slight noise, a barely audible whine reaches his ears, quickly he goes to where he thinks he heard it, walks briskly down the hallway, the hand holding the dagger trembles slightly but focuses more force looking for determination. Aphelios ends up in one of the guest rooms, accelerated, looks around, frowning frustrated not to find anything in plain sight. 

Again, a small and almost inaudible sound appears again, a heavy, choppy breathing. Aphelios manages to determine that it is coming from the old two-door wardrobe, decides not to question it too much and slowly approaches the object, feeling as if he could hear his own heartbeat and breath echoing in his ears. Being cautious, he hid the dagger behind his back and with his free hand he squeezed the handle pulling hard, opening both doors.

The cold sound of the falling dagger hitting the floor was the only echo in the room. 

Her sister's body lay hidden among the clothes, her eyes closed, breathing barely audible. Her chest was moving slowly and erratically, struggling to hold on for dear life. Aphelios was frozen, he felt his own hands shaking as well as his lower lip, horrified to see the state of his twin. The girl had a cut on the side of her head up to her cheek, blood falling down her forehead mixing with her sticky hair, her body was bruised in different areas, her lower lip bleeding mixing with the red staining her teeth, her hands were still clinging to her own abdomen with little shaky force, bunch of clothes pressed over a bullet wound on the side of the abdomen that barely bled outside the cloth, already completely stained with the reddish blood. 

The boy's astonished gaze focused on the girl's legs, one was with several cuts spread along the skin, almost like a sign of torture but the other leg, had the ankle destroyed as well as the knee, with raw cuts and pieces of bone exposed, a part of the leg also affected and the foot dyed with deep dark purple shade.

Processing all the information in seconds, he reacts anxiously to help his twin, trembling, he approaches moving both hands in the air undecided how to move the girl without causing too much pain, it was inevitable but he had to get her out of here, she was still alive and if there was the slightest possibility of saving her life, Aphelios would not hesitate to do it. Their parents were no longer in this world, he could live with that but he could not live in a world without Alune. Aphelios took a deep breath giving himself courage, he could not have shaky hands now, he had to take care of his sister well enough so she could survive before having proper medical attention.

“Alune. Keep breathing. Can you do that for me? Can you hear me?” Aphelios whispered getting closer as he knelt next to his sister looking for her to open her eyes.

Clinging to life, the girl begins to open her eyes with difficulty feeling the heavy eyelids, focuses her eyes at blurry image of her brother feeling her lips trembling, she wants to cry but everything hurts, down to the slightest movement, even the tears burn her cheeks as they fall. Her brother can't hold back the lump in his throat as he watches her break down into a silent sob, Aphelios has to take a deep breath to not give in to the anguish and maintain the composure to handle the situation.

“Ph....Phel…” Alune’s brittle voice destroys his soul, Aphelios takes a deep breath again, not giving in to the tears he longs to cry out.

“Don’t overpush yourself, concentrate on breathing and keep your eyes open.” Aphelios quickly answered, analyzing the twin's wounds, trying to think of the best method to get her out of there. “You'll be fine, everything's going to be alright, you'll be fine, you’ll be fine, you’ll be fine.” he kept repeating himself like a mantra.

Alune swallowed hard trying to regulate her breathing, feeling the taste of rust mixing between her lips, every movement of breathing was torture but she will not allow the pain to prevent her from doing her best to stay alive, not allowing her own consciousness to give in. She wanted so badly to tell everything that happened to his brother but every sound coming from her throat threatened to get stuck in blood making her cough with an awful reddish tone. The girl watched him sadly, listening as the boy continued to repeat the mantra while thinking of a plan as quickly as possible while concentrating on tending to her wounds.

The girl's eyes were opening and closing at every minute, barely being aware of the movements of her brother who had torn clothes from the closet and quickly began to use the fabric, tying knots around the wounds and keeping the most affected area on the abdomen tight. Alune reacted abruptly, she screamed in pain when Aphelios treated her leg in an improvised way, trying to create a support for her foot by knotting fabric trying as much as possible to keep the almost completely destroyed limb straight, Alune half-opened her eyes when she felt the warm touch of a long jacket on her head and back, with difficulty, she focused the vision watching her brother squatting on his back in front of her.

Aphelios was taking a deep breath, swallowing his feelings as if his mouth was dry from anxiety, not caring to leave the backpack behind, he had the few things he needed in his pockets, with cell phone and wallet at hand, he could not take the time to look for more things to take with him, he placed the jacket on his sister and turned around raising his head to observe over his shoulder, ignoring the dagger case that had fallen from his back pocket to the ground before the movement.

“Alune, can you move a little? I need you to get on my back.” Aphelios was pleading in a choppy tone trying not to give up the composure he had left before the threatening lump in his throat, he bent his body as far back as he could without losing his balance. “Alune?” he insisted, noticing the slow motor response of his sister.

“I can-” Alune swallowed hard, taking a deep breath to prepare for the impending pain she would feel at the action. “I can do this…” she got another breath before focusing all her strength on managing to move her own body forward, with difficulty she pushed herself with both arms leaning on the inner walls of the closet, with force she ended up falling against her brother's back being grabbed quickly, screaming loudly in pain before taking a firm breath suppressing a shriek of pain to finally raised both arms in a last effort to cling to her twin, burying her fingers in his shoulders with blood stains. 

Aphelios took advantage of the movement to correctly grab the girl's legs and hold her on his back, being careful with the most affected leg, he squeezed his eyes tensing his body when he heard the high-pitched screams of his sister’s pain while the boy got up from the floor settling well so that Alune did not fall, once he stabilized, Alune was breathing short, tired and sore pressing her face against her brother's back, feeling how a lump forms in her throat, the vision becomes blurred between sobs that she tries to avoid letting out in vain, tears of relief, of sadness, of pain, of loss, it was too much in Alune's mind to be able to process yet.

“For now. Don't fall asleep, I'll find where we can go... Somehow..” Aphelios spoke trying to sound firm, he should keep his head up for his sister, she was the priority right now.

Anxious and nervous, the boy directs his steps through the long corridors of the house, walking with stealth even if he thought that no one was left in the place, he needed to know what had happened here, he was sure that Alune witnessed everything, somehow she had managed to save herself by hiding in that place, resisting at her limit despite her injuries no matter how much time passed, Aphelios was not going to let the opportunity to save his sister slip through his fingers. He made his way to the door where he had entered before, narrowing his eyes, averting his gaze when he had to pass through the vicinity of the corpses of their parents again, he didn’t want see that again, he could not, he didn’t have the strength, he had to focus his mind on saving Alune, he could afford to cry later. 

Once he made his way out of the house, his thoughts started tripping over each other, he had Alune resisting in his arms. Now what? Aphelios's feet remained static for a minute on the snow, feeling the icy breeze collide against his face before the imminent icy night that was pronounced with the distant full moon and snowflakes that threatened to start an early snowfall in the winter sky. He couldn't take her to a hospital, they will attract the attention of the police or worse, of the Solari themselves.

Think, think, think. The word was repeated in Aphelios's mind, accelerating his heartbeat contradicting the petrification of his body, at each fleeting thought the boy's legs trembled with indecisive steps without advancing from the area. Not knowing who to turn to, some old memories gave him some ideas so Aphelios took the cell phone out of his pocket, thinking of one person who he hadn't heard about in years, a desperate contact. 

Then his breathing stopped, the tears were too difficult to hold back and the drops began to fall indiscriminately, violently against his cheeks, with blurry vision, he saw how a single message lights the screen.

Message from Sett; 

Let me know when you get home, I would’ve like to walk ya, get safely okay?

Also, remember to ask your parents. See you tomorrow! 

Aphelios's hand trembles while he bites his lip trying to suppress the tears that threaten to continue falling, he just takes a deep breath in a trembling voice, he knows well that right now he can't answer, much less ask for his help. Aphelios was sobbing silently. To approach Sett and his mother now would condemn them. He never wanted to put them in danger but asking for help wasn’t at the table, if someone did that to their parents, they could easily end Sett and his mother’s life. He also doesn't know if he's going to be able to answer him later or talk to him. How could he explain this to him? Could he even see them again? This wasn’t the time to think about it, not even if he felt his heart shrank in pain.

“Shit…” Aphelios cursed between his teeth trying not to continue crying, tears of anger, sadness, frustration, helplessness. 

There was nothing he wanted more than to run into Sett's arms, to find comfort next to his mother but it was not possible. Going with Zoe would be bringing trouble back to his family, he was sure that even with the loudest cry the redhead would not convince her grandfather to help them, not after everything they sacrificed to stay away. He squeezed the cell phone tightly trying to breathe, he had to keep a clear mind, focus on finding a solution, every second counted to save his twin's life. 

Frowning sadly at one last silent scream, he decides to avoid Sett's message and goes straight to the contacts. The only person left. The last person he would think of turning to, the only member of their family who should still be alive besides their parents. He knows that his mother's sister never had a good relationship with her own family, maintaining a rather distant relationship between them, Aphelios haven't seen her for too many years, he understood that the woman was not exactly the best person to turn to, especially knowing the arguments that his mother used to tell them about her, they were never really on good terms but his mother never bothered to explain the reasons behind that.

But there was no one else, no other option, in a desperate time like this there was no other person who he could think of. Aphelios walks through the snow, moving away from the place for safety while focusing as much force as possible on one of his arms to support the body of his twin and in that way, holding the cell phone to his ear with his free hand, he makes the call and waits, listening to the waiting beep sound from the other side of the line, each one generating more anxiety than the previous one. Finally, an unfriendly but familiar voice answers, asking the reason for the strange and sudden call from his nephew. All Aphelios can do is plead with a weak voice, a cry escapes from his lips as he tries not to succumb to despair.

“We need your help Diana. Please.”

Chapter Text

The sun's rays easily crept into Sett's room, the whole place being enveloped in a morning warmth marking the end of the freezing winter night. The red haired boy squeezed his eyes when he felt how one warm flash reached his face, he began to wake up slowly somewhat lethargic, without having been aware at what moment he had fallen asleep on the bed, he had barely covered himself with one of his blankets, still keeping the clothes of the previous day. He frowned drowsily moving his body, in the subtle stretching, the cell phone slipped between his fingers taking him by surprise. He had forgotten, he had stayed up late waiting for Aphelios’s message

Frustrated and slightly blushed, he watched the screen, unlocking the cell phone to notice that the last message of the chat showed the clear blue color of having been checked, the half vastaya pressed his lips, feeling bad for having been left in read.

“Too busy to answer me? I don’t think you forgot about me. Did ya?” Sett asked himself with a bitter laugh before letting out a big yawn.

Sett sighed, regretful for getting carried away by the annoyance when he made that comment, he simply missed his friend too much, after all they used to spend much more time together before, it had been a long time since they had moments like the previous day. He really missed spending time with him like yesterday and deep down he knew that he was missing more than just his best friend, he missed his smile, his voice, his tenderness, his shyness, the excitement when he played, everything. Sett stopped himself at that thought, cursing inside his mind, never wanting to admit a childhood crush that he had convinced himself that it would go away with time but was only the opposite, growing wildly inside his heart without permission. 

Again, Sett sighed, clearing his mind. It was not the first time Aphelios did not respond to a message and later apologized for not having read his chat but Sett was content with that, although he longed for more time with the boy, he desisted and tried to understand that the boy had many academic responsibilities, thanks to his family, he must have a lot of demands for the future. His mother was glad that at least he was getting good grades and staying out of trouble, they tried hard together and supported each other and that was fine, it was more than enough for his family, however, it grieved him to see that the concept of family always seemed to have a completely negative reaction from Aphelios, very different from him. Just when his thoughts were spinning on the gratitude he had towards the person who gave him life, her voice spoke out.

“Settrigh, I've been calling you for a while.” the woman entered the room by calmly opening the door, however, seeing her son still in the clothes of the previous day just waking up made her frown, resting both hands on her hips. “Did you even settle down properly last night? I've been calling you for half an hour now, breakfast is ready.” the woman continued to cross her arms sighing sorrowfully, a little worried to perceive some restlessness and tiredness in him.

The red haired boy was a little surprised, even with his heightened senses he had not heard the slightest sound of his mother's voice or footsteps, his hairy ears did not react, he still felt lethargic from the abrupt fall into Morpheus' arms, even he was not aware of the time he had fallen asleep last night. Sett rubbed his face with one hand trying to wake up to answer in a more decent way, he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment to clarify the view, at the lethargic gesture, the vastaya woman was not convinced.

“Is everything all right honey?” his mother came up to the side of the bed stroking his hair between the hairy ears.

Regardless of his age, Sett never rejected that maternal touch, he closed his eyes for a moment leaning towards his mother's hand and sighed slightly, averting his gaze fleetingly, then raised his face and looked into her eyes.

“Yes Ma, everything’s fine, just a little sleepy that’s all.” he replied with some insecurity in his voice, after all it wasn't a hundred percent a lie but he omitted the origin.

Although his mother did not feel completely convinced by the tone of voice on her son's countenance, she decided not to press further, she just gave him a loving smile and a warm gesture along with a kiss on the forehead. She managed to reinforce a calmer smile on the face of half vastaya.

“Go ahead for breakfast, I'll wash my face first.” Sett commented now keeping the smile firmer.

After receiving the affirmation from his mother, Sett watched her leave the room and he continued to fall on the bed stretching hard, yawning lazily as he rolled on the bed staying upside down. He looked at the cell phone screen again, thoughtful and frustrated. 

The hour was starting to pass, breakfast, video games. No new message. Once the lunch hour had passed more than two hours ago, Sett frowned with the cell phone in his hands. The red haired boy was lying on his back on the bed, both arms raised, his ears arched back in a mixture of annoyance and pity.

Hey, what happened? Have you forgotten about me already?

He wrote adding some emojis of eyes next to funny cat stickers that they used to share, hoping that he understood the mockering tone of the message, after all he didn't want to get mad at the guy either, he just felt a little blue, waiting for a message from someone all day Why did he feel like he had been jilted? Sett shook his head pushing those thoughts away. Planted in his own house? Only the idea sounded funny, causing him a sour laugh. Why couldn’t he just let go? Always chasing after him. Sett cursed his faithful heart.

He was about to lock the phone screen when he realized that the message didn't get the two grayish tickets. Curious, he arched an eyebrow and sent another message again. Nothing. Perhaps with anyone else it could be something normal, however, in all their years of friendship, Aphelios had never been someone who let the cell phone battery run out, always mentioning something about checking in with his family, Sett respected that, it made it easier for him to talk to him every day, even if he took too many hours to respond, messages always came to him. And now it was turned off? How could he have no signal if everything was fine with the signal in the neighborhood?

He thought for a moment about writing to the twin, not really knowing whether to ask for the girl's brother, he limited himself to sending her a simple greeting. Nothing. The messages didn't reach her either. That none of them have the cell phone on, is kinda weird, Sett thought, squeezing his lips still uneasy, starting to take steps in circles inside his room after none of the messages reached any of them even if the minutes turned into hours.

What if something had happened to Aphelios on the way home? Maybe some accident? Or did he get sick from being out so late? Did Alune get out searching for her brother? What if they actually got in serious trouble with their parents? They couldn’t have lost the cellphones at the same time, that didn’t make sense. The options were not too many but Sett was trying to find an explanation for the absence of the answer, after all Aphelios had promised him that he would come today or at least ask his parents about it. So why didn't he know anything about him yet? 

Uneasy, Sett decides to put on his sneakers and a long winter coat with a doormat hat that keeps his ears warm in the winter. He was aware that the twins were not very complacent about the idea of surprise visits, he had been there only a few times himself. He hoped that taking that into account, added to his concern, would cause his presence to be the least unwelcome possible.

“Settrigh, where are you going?” his mother managed to see her son walking quickly towards the door and stopping when he grabbed the knob because of the vastaya's interrogation.

“I'm just going for a walk, I won't be late, promise.” he answered quickly, going out without giving her mother time to ask further.

The vastaya watched him go out like a lightning bolt and sighed in surrender, it was not the first time that her son went out there hyperactive to run or spend energy on the park’s sports machines, she also suspected that it would not be the last, many times it was difficult for her to keep up with her energetic son. Without any other remedy, she sat down in the living room armchair to continue watching television.

Sett walked outside, each step resonated louder than the previous one, crushing the snow, walking at a fast pace squeezing his eyes a little at moments due to the icy afternoon breezes. Although he did not go often to the twins' home, he remembered the way. Once he passed by the usual bus stop, Sett began to pick up the pace, convinced to remember every curve at every corner. Every step faster, until the last corner.

Then, his body stops abruptly, his first instinct is to hide behind the nearest wall, he peeked out slowly making sure that it's not a mistake, that his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. Was this some kind of trick from his protective instincts? Why are the cops at the twins's house? Distressed, confusion takes possession of Sett's mind for a moment, he did not understand what had happened. Sett deviates a little from the path, carefully observing the houses on the sides, avoiding the police car, he slides between the streets and small passages to head to the back area of the place, noticing how the area was covered in police tape, anxiety accumulating, he needed to know what was happening. He managed to make it to the back entrance. He tries the door first but it's locked, clicks his tongue irritably but looks for a new possibility, the window.

Abruptly, Sett manages to dig his claws into the edge, forcing the window which ends up giving way. He stops in his tracks and sighs with relief after almost causing a loud sound. He managed to stop the movement before the screeching of the window betrayed his position. He peeked through the window frame for a moment, both ears arching back in reflection, looking for any officer. He moves his ears sharpening his senses, there are two people having a conversation inside the house but he can't be quite sure where, only that they are at least a few steps away from him.

Seeing his opportunity, he makes an accurate jump, sliding inside, grabbing the edge with his hands to go down in silence. His first instinct was to cover his mouth and nose. A strong, metallic and heavy aroma, a deadly scent. Sett swallowed, feeling a chill rise on his skin. That smell was definitely blood, fresh mixed with dried, the red haired thought repressing the gestures of anguish and displeasure.

With a last breath of air near the window, Sett prepares to venture into the house and investigate the origin of that scent, his pressure lowering at every step, scared, terrified of finding who he had come to look for. He sneaks into the place, making memories of the path that led to Aphelios's room. However, it's not long before he comes across a scene of horror. He clenches his hand over his face tightly, repressing short retches.

He quickly stabilized himself, hiding behind the wall near the main room where he observed the bodies covered with police tapes around them, as well as different numbers positioned around the place. Denoting the size, Sett recognized the wedding ring that still maintained some brightness. It was not difficult for him to deduce that they must be the parents of the twins. Her concern was greater than the shudder of the moment.Where were the twins?

He knew that the conversation between the two policemen was coming from the second floor, keeping that in mind he walked silently hunched over, climbing the stairs watching every millimeter. Luckily, the two of them seemed to be at the end of the corridor in what he remembers is Alune's room. Thinking of heading to Aphelios' room he quietly directs his steps, however, again, he stops in his tracks. This time, he slightly recognizes the scent of blood and his body freezes. He remembers the essence. Sett swallowed hard trying to get his legs to react. That was definitely the scent of Alune's blood, he remembered the smell of once or twice the girl had fallen at school, the scent was almost extinct thanks to the dryness of it but it could still be perceived thanks to the hybrid’s heightened senses.

Once his feet managed to move, Sett quickly went to the origin of the aroma, entering a room that he did not recognize, his eyes wavered looking to the sides, in one step he reached the large closet that was still open, marked as evidence. Sett could feel the cold sweat pouring down his forehead. Why was there so much blood, is it all Alune's? The red haired boy recoiled with a shudder of terror, his ears reacted to hearing how he accidentally pushed an object with his foot.

Sett almost let out a small sound of surprise, still disoriented with the scene, he bent down a little, reaching up to take the object A case, for what? Sett asked himself as he analyzed the object, turning it carefully between both hands, he frowned when he realized that it was a knife sheath or other similar knife weapon. His heart races as he recognizes moon patterns in the design, he clenches the object tightly in hand clenching his teeth in frustration. What's happening? What happened to Alune? There's no clue about Aphelios either. Was the holster on the knife from one of them? The subtle lunar symbols were always a subtle trademark of their family. Each question hit Sett's mind with more force than the previous one, distressed, he did not understand what was happening, much less find any clues.

A few steps wake him up from his thoughts, luckily his hairy ears manage to catch them before they are too close. He takes a few quick steps and runs to hide behind the door, agitated he presses his lips trying to regulate breathing through his nose in silence.

“Did you hear something?” a male voice came forward through the hallway near the room, shuddering the half vastaya.

“Not really. Maybe it was the old boards, this creepy house sounds a lot when you walk.” the companion replied, downplaying the importance of the man's question.

Sett kept silent, arching his ears a little, he could deduce that the man was only three steps away from the room while his partner kept pace, he did not seem to be so convinced with the answer and he was still hesitating to go down the stairs to get out of the house.

“Hey, come on, it's a real headache to fill out the missing persons papers besides contacting the morgue.” the second voice insisted again, this time a few more steps away.

The first policeman seemed not to be completely convinced, a sigh of surrender later, Sett listens as the footsteps of both men move away down the corridor, probably in the direction of the staircase. There are only the bodies of the parents, so the missing person's information is about the twins? Or just one of them? Sett was speculating in his thoughts, there was no trace of Alune's body and not even a trace of Aphelios scent or blood.

Now, how am I supposed to get out of there? Sett thought to himself trying to think fast. carried by his deep fear and concern he just stepped inside the house but he didn’t think of the afterwards. Both policemen were taking their time walking towards the exit, they were parked in front, if they saw him through the window as he passed he was sure he would end up arrested. Sett cursed inside his mind. He put the dagger holster inside the inside pocket of his thick jacket to re-zip it. He takes a deep breath and looks at the window. Silently he pulled out the safety and slid the edge, peeking out his face for a moment to calculate the fall. Well, it's not as much as I thought, it'll just be a bruise, I hope. He thought to himself as he grabbed the windows’ sides to start pulling the body out carefully, once each limb was out, he tried to lean on the edge of the external partition between both floors.

“Just... A little more…” Sett whispered to himself as he stretched out one foot trying to support his weight more to continue going down.

Error, his foot slips, Sett reacts quickly protecting his head and preparing his feet for the fall, when he hits the ground he manages to roll awkwardly through the snow bouncing to fall on one of the bushes in the backyard.

“Shit…” Sett curses under his breath, rubbing his arm, however, the adrenaline in his system still runs strong, decreasing the impact of the pain.

Fearing to be seen by policemen or possible car media listening nearby, Sett quickly got up, shaking off the leaves that had got stuck in his jacket and hair. Without wasting any more time, his feet move quickly again, sneaking between the small streets, running without looking back. Chased by his own fearful thoughts, chased by a confusing reality that threatens to crush his heart into pieces.

The cold winter breeze does not manage to cool him down, he feels completely insensitive to any external stimulus, his mind feels foggy, he can hardly order his thoughts, every step he takes before the crunchy snow under his feet seems like a nightmare but Sett knew well that none of this was a dream, that nothing would change if he got to lie down fleetingly as if he were really waiting for something surreal to happen to try to convince himself that it was a dream, a horrible dream. But no, nothing would change.

The door of his home is slammed after his entrance, Sett breathes agitated pressing his back against the wood, with his exorbitant gaze for a second, swallows hard and takes off his hat shaking the few remnants of snow on the front of his hair due to the speed he took to return, with both ears reacting to the icy water.

“Settrigh, are you back?” his mother peeked out from the living room to observe him.

She arched a confused eyebrow at the boy's agitated attitude, however, Sett's countenance changed from one second to the next, aware that he was creating concern in his mother's gaze.

“Yeah, it's me Ma, suuuper tired, it was good to burn some energy, as always.” he replied quickly trying to force a small smile. Before the woman managed to create more questions, he stepped forward starting to walk towards the staircase. “But you know, that whole jog thing left me completely sweaty, I'll go get a shower.”

Without giving her a chance to retort, Sett made his way up to the second floor, sliding into the bathroom in a blink, closing the door behind him. It wasn't a lie, he wanted a shower more than anything right now, he needed to organize his mind. At least that was the idea. Every drop that fell on his body invited him to close his eyes but every time he did, the images of Aphelios are reproduced in the mind, the twins, their time together, again Aphelios, unconsciously repeated his image over and over again in the mind. He was repeating the last time he saw him, like a slow motion movie.

Tears began to overflow, mixing with hot water, Sett clenched both fists against the bathroom wall, tormented by confusion, sadness and anxiety. Sett was convinced that the missing people mentioned by the policemen were referring to the twins. Would yesterday really be the last time he would see Aphelios in his life? He wasn't dead, was he? No, he’s not. He couldn’t be, at least that's what he wanted to think, there was no trace of the scent of his blood in the place but Alune? The doubt about his condition also left him uneasy, there was so much blood but there was no body. Nothing made sense. How was it possible for something like that to happen overnight? 

The rest of the night passed in a blurry, a feeling of static, everything seemed to be on pause, Sett could barely sleep, watching the ceiling while insomnia ate away his mind, tossing and turning in bed, watching the holster of the dagger that he picked up in his hands, stroking the lunar designs frowning, the object had cracked a little due to the fall.

His mind was still absent, unconscious of the moment when he managed to fall asleep, reaching the climax of tiredness due to the constant sobbing, the next  morning he gets up by inertia, continuing automatically throughout the day, reacting clearly to her mother's voice, acting on a calmer facade, not knowing whether to talk to her about it, he preferred to elaborate half-lies to divert attention from the vastaya while thinking about what to do.

At least, until the news became public knowledge.

Sett was barely capable of focusing his mind on dinner, trying to keep this relaxing day-to-day facade, pretending that questions, confusion and horrible fear weren’t eating his mind and heart alive was hard. However, a loud crash woke him up from his thoughts. Her mother's glass had fallen on the plate, breaking in many pieces. Sett looked up, his mother was stunned. He turned to the screen in the living room, watching the news channel that Sett was completely unaware of, the sound reached his ears.

“Oh my Gods. It can't be.” the woman brings both trembling hands to her face, distressed by the horrendous news. “Settrigh…” she barely manages to pronounce her son's name, turning to look at him in anguish.

Sett just watches the news, both eyes wide open, frozen, taking in the reality now that it was at the news. They showed the family's house, reporting the mysterious murder of the four members, displaying the parents and twins’ images, mentioning some possible violent robbery that went wrong. At that, confusion increased in the red haired boy's frown. 

He was sure that he had heard the policemen mention a missing person, at least referencing to one, there were only two dead bodies in the place, Sett was convinced that at least Aphelios was missing then why were they lying on the news? Why is there no more information about it? Was the investigation of the robbery even real? Every piece of information delivered was slightly manipulated. New questions were adding to his already ton of unresolved confusions. Sett looks up when he feels his mother embracing him in both arms after bending down to be at his height. He can feel the woman's tears fall on his shoulders, wetting his clothes with her inconsolable sobs.

The boy tightens his lips, holding her in his arms, closing his eyes tightly while they’re both shocked, trying to support each other in a silent sob. Sett opens his eyes for a moment, listening to the news and a new emotion grows at small instances, anger. Someone had murdered the twins' parents and made the two of them disappear. Whoever it was, had enough power to make the national news lie. Maybe now he didn't know how or where to start but Sett wouldn't be left with doubt eating away at his mind, he needed to find answers of the twins’ lives and he was determined to find them, someday, somehow. 

Chapter Text

The loss of hope is a really heavy burden, one that, more sooner than later, managed to become a nocturnal weight that disturbed Sett’s sleep. The endless night time has not been generous with Sett's mind. Many nights he was attacked by nightmares that haunt him with the same memory over and over again, shown in different ways, the scenes of those days eight years ago, the same images are played like a stuck movie, not allowing him to move further, always reminding him of what he lost a long time ago. Feelings can be quite a burden when everything is abruptly shattered from his reality.

The movie is almost always the same, some details change but the most tortuous part stills replays with ease, showing him how he lost him, how he lost his friends, how he was left alone, how everything changed and he could do nothing about it. In the dream he searches for any clue to find the twins, anything but everytime he opens a book, he sees a screen or he hears about it, the dream only shows darkness, emptiness, a horrible and hunting fear of the void swelling him. He runs, he tries to escape but nothing works. He feels tired, anxious, chased by fears, his breathing heaves hard one last time until his eyes burst open, freeing him from the nightmare. Sett blinked a couple of times, assimilating his surroundings, concentrating on the soft silk blanket that covers his half-naked body, feeling the gentle breeze from the open window accompanied by the distant urban noises, car horns and music momentarily interrupting the silence of the early morning. He brings both hands to his face rubbing hard and releasing a heavy sigh in a mixture of relief and frustration.

“Fucking hell... What time is it?” Sett muttered, annoyed, looking for his cell phone under the pillow, frowning from the strong screen light.

He sighs again, followed by a yawn. It was barely half past four in the morning, he hunched over the bed for a moment and then stretched to the ends, as he turned on his side, a small piece of treasure slipped between his pecs hanging from the golden chain that adorned his neck. Sett couldn't help but laugh heavily at himself, taking the little moon ornament between his fingers.

“Ha, physical and emotional weight, two for one, yay me.” Sett made fun of himself by observing the small piece of moon symbol on an ancient slightly worn material.

The dates close to the disappearance of the twins, every year were conflicting days for the half vastaya, increasing the nightmares by every night. These days were a bitter feeling, a constant reminder of what Sett had given up. He gave up his hope of finding them quite a long time ago, even if the anxiety disturbed him in his dreams, with no clues to follow, no one to turn to, life went on and there was nothing more he could do. 

The first year in which Sett was alone, Zoe did not take long to move from town, they weren’t exactly close friends but she was the last person who reminded him of the twins even if she refused to speak about them after their deaths, as she only kept repeating what the news said. The whole life of the hybrid changed in what seemed a blink of an eye, with a more lonely and conflictual life, leaving him lost in his thoughts, all his last school year he had to defend himself against aggressive situations with other people. Even after his graduation Sett searched everywhere he could for information. Something useful. Anything. But the more he looked, the less he found. It was like that family barely even existed. 

Then everything got complicated. 

Even with his hopeless research of twins disappearance, Sett's priority always was his mother, so everything changed after she suffered an accident at work, she needed time to recover so the eighteen-year-old just graduated boy prioritized working before studying, his mother was not very happy about it, however, in the absence of more money income, the woman had to allow him to only work for the moment, hoping that in the near future her son could study something for the better, even if in his last year the grades had not been the best, she just knew Settrigh had possibilities of something more. 

The boy quickly realized how part-time jobs barely managed to cover their basic needs but he kept going, focused, then one day not long after Sett turned nineteen, he received an offer that he didn’t think one day he’d have to accept. It was not strange at this point of his life that Sett became involved in street fights more often every time, more fickle to continue or even start a fight, feeling proud every time he got the victory which was ninety percent of the time. It was in one of those violent encounters that he was visualized by a curious businessman, he approached Sett mentioning something about twisted boxing matches, underground fights covered up by an apparently legal bar-restaurant called The OwleyCat. At first, Sett thought that was a weird joke to play on him, even though he paid attention to him, at the end he refused but he would lie if he didn’t admit that he did get stuck with that idea on his mind for quite a long time.

Shortly after Sett turned twenty, he and his mother had a ugly debt after a rough year with not so many jobs, there were still old hospital bills and the current house bills that needed to be taken care of, Sett’s heart ached when he saw his mother so concerned. Without any more ideas, he contacted that weird  businessman he’d met a year ago, thinking if he could ask if the job offer was still standing and if he could make enough money to pay the debt and more so his mother wouldn’t have to worry about it. With that on the table he was more than willing to discuss the situation. 

He knew his mother didn’t approve of violence but one of the few aspects that his mother always did promote was the culinary skills of the hybrid that he himself learned from her throughout life, perfecting many recipes, learning different abilities, sharpening his senses. Having that  knowledge quickly made things easier, the job offer was presented with a legal facade, a work internship in the popular restaurant, The OwlyCat had quite a beautiful facade, giving the possibility to learn, earn money and a future secured job position, that way his mother would give in to the idea easily, almost thinking it was a lucky strike, having zero knowledge about the illicit fighter contract that laid underneath the facade, Set just let her believe that, it was for the better.

Since then, the capital of Ionia became his new home, technically, an improvised home in a simple-single apartment. While his mother thought he worked cooking at the restaurant, which was technically only half true, Sett actually got most of the money from the illegal fights underneath. No wonder that man wanted to give him such an offer, he knew the half vastaya would be a huge attraction and could win for him a lot of money from the fight’s bets and from the good cooking and polite customer service.

Now, at twenty-four years old, every year has meant an increase in money, earnings in fights added to his small job at the front restaurant, flexibility for his free days, the more he won the more profits he had. Sooner than later, he ended up getting used to urban life by living alone. Having those two jobs with many material and work benefits, his friends by courtesy, his relaxing walks back home, long nights trapped in a deadly silence. A horribly quiet life, letting out rage at the night fights whenever he needed to. Taking it out on the fools who were trying to pick a fight with him outside the ring too, although the last one was no longer as frequent as it used to be, after all, his winning fight rate did mean something for his local reputation. 

Sett brought with him only the necessary things when he moved to this apartment, completing the rest of the objects with the purchase on the spot, with each year setting more to his liking, trying to generate a more comfortable space, some of the presents his mother gave him in his last visit, although his mother did visit him some times, Sett always preferred be the one who travel, for his own secret his mother tranquility. 

The apartment had a large room, a bathroom, a main room, a connected kitchen with a small dining table, all connected to the entrance door next to a small terrace. It was not too spacious but it was not small either, after all with his size and height, he did not want to feel uncomfortable because of the size of his apartment but also didn’t wanted something to luxury to spend on, he preferred give his mother most of the money, the tall half vastaya had that in mind when looking for a place in the city’s center, closed to everything he needed.

He didn't want to drag too much of his past with him when he arrived in the city, beyond what it reminded him of his mother. Still, some things from his childhood and adolescence were hidden in plain sight, little things, memories of the Lunari twins who haunted him in fleeting nightmares. Sett wanted to keep the holster of the dagger he found that day, however, he ended up breaking it, polishing it carefully to make it smaller, leaving it as a pendant, carrying it with him in the necklace, at first, treasuring it as a memory that gave him strength and hope, however, after years of dead ends, it felt like a small constant weight on his heart, always present, always haunting him.

He left his bed after a sigh. After a shower, Sett got dressed in semi-formal black pants accompanied by a soft red shirt, always remembering to leave the first four buttons unadjusted. Leaving room for imagination, after all, his boss was too satisfied with the exploitation he could get out of the half vastaya. With his good looks, culinary skills and fighting skills, he gave him quite a lot of profit in the legal and illicit business. While finishing grooming, he looked at the ornate pendant in his golden chain, seeing it stand out in the reflection of the mirror, the hybrid pressed his lips a little.

“At least I'll give myself a break for today.” Sett tried to force a smile for a second as he took the pendant off the chain and put it inside his pants pocket.

Keeping his hand inside the fabric, he stayed for a few seconds feeling the object in his hands, not allowing fleeting memories to invade his mind, Sett released the object taking a deep breath to decorate his face again with a calm determined smile. Even when he wished to give himself a break from his broken hope, he could never get away from the small object, always carrying it with him, no matter what. Deep down he knew it was unhealthy, not knowing when to let go but he just couldn’t. Not at the twins' strange disappearance. 

Without waiting any longer, he took the sports bag in which he was carrying the change for tonight's fight and for the end of the work day, he kept the cell phone next to the house keys and the wallet, checking the lights off one last time before locking the door. 

Accustomed to the daily route, the redhead goes down to the first floor using the stairs, arriving in a few minutes at the whereabouts of public transport. It was always inevitable for him to get lost in his thoughts when he stared at the sky while the music played on his headphones, balancing inside the vehicle with both hands in his pockets, occasionally watching other guys and girls on the spot.

His one-night stands were not too recurrent, but he did not deny that his flirtatious and confident attitude added a plus to his appearance in general, made it easier for him to generate such encounters, especially in some pubs and clubs in the area, leaving aside certain undesirable encounters of discrimination by vastayas and humans, such situations were becoming less recurrent, not non-existent but rather more manageable than a decade ago, added to the urban context, Sett had to quickly get used to meeting all kinds of people.

Once he got off at his stop, Sett walked a few blocks to reach the restaurant, the place was quite recognized for its good food, bar area and live show that included the kitchen in front of some customers. Sett constantly oscillated between the internal kitchen and the external kitchen, covering his ears in the presence of customers, his boss preferred to minimize possible conflicts with problematic customers.

“Good morning Sett, you're early today.” a raspy voice took him by surprise, making him turn tense and lazy from facing his boss at such early hours.

“Shit, Neeko, don’t scare me that.” Sett cursed out loud, taking a hand to his chest as he met his co-worker and one of the few people closest to a polite friendship he had.

“I never get bored of your reactions, you even pull out the claws in surprise.” the vastaya laughed, clutching her stomach in an energetic way.

Sett smiled gently pushing the girl who stuck out her tongue back, both walked to enter the restaurant, first they went to the dressing rooms of each gender to change, even though Sett had taken advantage of arriving ready, he left his sports bag in the corresponding space. Taking out two aprons, he returned to the main hall seeing Neeko arranging the chairs in each place while the half vastaya turned on the lights as he passed by.

 “Think fast.” Sett raised his voice, throwing the other apron up to the girl who received it with the long chameleon tail before turning around. “Hey, that's cheating.”

“It's never unfair with little tail.” Neeko replied smiling, receiving the apron to accommodate this one on her clothes.

At first, the redhead was reluctant to create a friendship with a vastaya, the woman had arrived a year and a half ago, always energetic, she took advantage of her imitation and transformation abilities in the restaurant show as well as being one of the waitresses of the place, always full of energy, Sett never actually talked to her before, even if the tried very hard to have a simple conversation with him. It was not until a few months passed that Sett realized that several companions left the girl aside, even within other vastayas she was considered strange due to her ability to transform and camouflage, ancient skills from her rare vastaya lineage, that's when Sett agreed to hold conversations with her, thinking that maybe they weren’t so different after all, unconsciously feeling a distant nostalgic flashback of his beautiful black haired boy. Slowly Sett created a cordial friendship with her, she was the only person at work with whom he shared more time after that.

The day passed quickly between work hours, Sett watched through the large front windows of the restaurant as the sun began to fall lower and lower, giving way to sunset, the half vastaya was finishing cleaning his kitchen area, ready to head to the dressing rooms when he was intercepted by the vastaya who was now accompanied by her girlfriend, the tall brunette woman always wearing a ponytail in her long brown hair.

“Hi. How are ya? I haven't seen you in a while.” Nidalee greeted him with a calm smile while her girlfriend clung to her arm. “Neeko and I wanted to know if you wanted to go out with us, there’s a great horror movie at the cinema today.”

“Hi. Thank ya for the offer but I'll have to pass, I have double shift today.” Sett shrugged his shoulders smiling a little sadly at the two girls, laughing a little at the dramatic gesture of the chameleon vastaya.

“Ow again? You should get some rest, you got that ugly bruise on your eye last time. Remember? Took you like three days to get rid of it.” Neeko replied somehow concerned, pointing dramatically at her own face and right eye with her tail.

“Don't ya worry, I'm on a winning streak, there’s a reason they changed my nickname from the bastard to, The Boss.” Sett laughed while smiling superbly pointing at himself, proudly emphasizing his new nickname in the ring.

Neeko sighed with a funny smile, trusting in the determination of the half vastaya, she was aware of the other businesses that were carried out in the restaurant but in the absence of other jobs, she preferred to ignore that side of her work environment, devoting herself to her own employment, however, she could never help worrying about her friend, who between days earned more money and a great reputation in illicit fights, not always coming out unscathed even if he won them.

“I guess that's okay, we can leave it for another time then.” Neeko sighed in a pout surrendering to continue insisting with her idea.

Sett smiled sorrowfully at the chameleon's dramatic reaction while her girlfriend caressed her head laughing, touched by his girl's sad attitude.

“As you wish.” Nidalee approached in a movement pointing at the shirt of the redhead who lowered the view, falling for the trap as she raised her index finger hitting his nose in a mocking way. “Stop making my girlfriend sad and take a break man, a day off won’t kill ya.” she laughed as she rested her hand on her girlfriend's hip again.

The hybrid scratched his nose lazily looking at the girl's annoyance, surrendering to let out a few soft laughs when listening to the short giggles of the chameleon who covered her timid laughter for her girlfriend's joke.

“Anyway, have it your way. Come on Neeko or we're gonna be late.” Nidalee turned to look at her girl with a tender smile watching as she nodded energetically. “See ya later, Sett.”

“Bye bye Sett, see you at work!” Neeko raised her voice saying goodbye as she walked away with her girlfriend leaving the restaurant.

The redhead smiled, saying goodbye by raising the palm of his hand. Once he watched as the girls were making their way on the street outside the restaurant, he returned to the dressing rooms to change into sportswear. With comfortable black trousers and a thin white muscular fabric, he almost always ended up getting rid of it halfway through the encounter anyway. Finally, he sat down on a bench to wrap his hands and knuckles with the necessary bandages, getting ready for the fight.

Once night fell, the restaurant closed for the general public and the rooms of the underground business opened the back doors only for those who were allowed. Bets made and audience prepared, Sett came out to be greeted by loud shouts and ovations, enjoying giving the show before the fight, analyzing his opponent in the ring before placing himself in guard with both fists covering his face.

Being the first one to start the fight, a strong right hand ends up impacting against the opponent's face, fist after fist, Sett takes advantage of the open areas to shoot most hits in a single minute, the opponent did not take long to resort to a key, trying to immobilize him. Serious mistake, taking advantage of that movement, Sett used the weight of the opponent in his favor, lifting him up into the air to impact him against the ring, cornering him, a flurry of punches were delivered first-hand only to be interrupted by a strong hit to his rib removing him from on top.

Receiving the counterattack, the hybrid smiled more showing both fangs, feeling the fury build up in a strong golden flash, feeling his vastaya blood fire up inside his body, unleashing his favorite technique. With one single glowing blow he manages to destabilize his opponent, leaving him without air after hitting his abdomen, a strong punch was enough to knock the man out, letting him fall to the ground, Sett straightened up breathing agitated while he felt the golden energy give away slowly, essence disappearing into the air as he heard the loud screams of the audience, some excited, others furious. They should know well who to bet on, the red haired man thought superbly as he was declared the winner of the first match.

Once the night shift was over, Sett came away victorious against three opponents as the venue's schedule ended. Tired, he changed to his previous clothes, adding a red T-shirt with a black hoodie, feeling his hairy ears react to the fabric falling on them and how the sports bag hanging over his shoulder tightening the grip of his hoodie.

What was the point of spending the evenings in his quiet apartment when he could enjoy the pay of his fights with a good drink? It was the first thought that crossed his mind when he left the bag in the dark, deadly silent apartment. Without wasting any more time he kept the necessary things in his pockets and headed to a bar a few blocks away from his apartment. The White Cat bar was a peaceful place to get some good quality liquor as a reward after some good victories at the fights, so, this bar became recurring place during the last weeks, where the echo of the background noise and the taste of alcohol ease his loud thoughts before calling a cab to get to his so-called home.

“What do I offer you, sir?” the bartender greeted him as soon as the redhead sat down on one of the black stalls in front of the bar.

“A Manhattan, please.” Sett replied, indicating with a head gesture while sighing as he settled on the seat, leaving the money on the counter.

The man nodded at the request and began to prepare the cocktail on the spot, leaving it in front of the redhead a few minutes later. Sett thanked him and proceeded to take the first drink of the night, feeling the strong heat descend down his throat. He enjoyed watching the reddish color of the cocktail while playing with the glass, turning it between his fingers. He turned around in the seat to lean his back against the bar, looking out at the large windows of the bar, resting his gaze beyond the crowd, noticing the big full moon peeking out between the buildings and trees of the urban landscape, enjoying the contrast between the pale space satellite and the reddish liquid dancing in his glass.

At least, until one minute ago.

“Fuck, come on dude, you're blocking the view.” Sett cursed when a tall, burly-bodied man with a black hood and a disgusting gold tooth blocked his way.

Annoyed from the silence and very unfriendly faces, Sett finished his drink, leaving the empty glass on the bar to concentrate his gaze on the unwelcoming presence, slightly frowning at the stranger's irritated gesture, Sett quickly realized that the man was being accompanied by two other people of similar build, stealthily placed at his sides. Reading the environment, the hybrid tense his jaw and claws maintaining his poker face.

“We want to discuss something with you. In private. Unless you want to talk about your little fights in front of others.” the man threatened in a low voice, clearly getting to the point.

“What an invitation.” Sett replied with arrogance, giving away a threatening smile.

The red haired man sighed tired of this kind of trouble he didn’t even ask for. Determined to quickly resolve the matter so that he could calmly continue with his miserable night. So, he obliged and went with them. He hated having to deal with such pests but always preferred to set the record straight to not prolong unnecessary enmities. Like many other people, these men were looking for revenge after losing bets against the hybrid, pointing out his vastaya powers as a kind of trap, looking for the slightest excuse to look for problems with the fighter after their complaints are completely ignored by the business owner. 

Once the four had retreated to a dead end arranged in the back passages of the bar, Sett sighed one last time as the three men stood around him, clearly trying to surround and outnumber him, an action that did nothing but generate a superb laughter in the half vastaya, a dry chuckle that only increases the hostile attitude towards him.

“You cheated in the last fight you fucking halfbreed bastard, I saw you. Do you have any idea how much money you made us lose tonight? You prick.” the same man from before was taking off his hood, raising his voice with rage, spitting insults while the redhead listened to him indifferently.

“Here we go again.” Sett stuck out his tongue in annoyance, adjusting the hood over his ears and then cracked his knuckles between both hands. “Look dude, I'm in no mood for this bullshit, we can do this the easy way or-”

Without managing to finish, thanks to his acute senses, Sett ducked, dodging a fast hit coming from one of the men from behind him. The half vastaya growled annoyed, kicking the man a few steps away, giving a threatening smile with sharp fangs to his improvised opponents who were clearly surprised and scared of Sett’s agility and strength.

“The hard way it is then.” Sett sentenced without giving more time to wait.

Not caring about the difference in numbers against him, the hybrid began to fight, dodging every hit and kick aimed at him, taking advantage of the uncoordinated movements of the group to bump them into each other, however, immersed in the fight, with his auditory senses concentrated on two of the men who tried to immobilize him unsuccessfully, he was not able to hear as the third man began to pull out a knife hidden in his coat, Sett had trusted too much on himself, thinking this was just another asshole who couldn't actually fight against him, they were just drove by idiotic rage and were scared easily after a beat up. He didn’t think that someone would hide a weapon like that.

Chapter Text

Just like the winter blizzard froze the tears of his face that bloody night, Aphelios woke up many nights and early mornings with damp cheeks, dry tears leaving an icy path down his face with the first breeze that came through the window. He woke up before his alarm started going off. In a motion of exact memory, his hand stood in place, frozen awake, many years had passed since he last had to actually use the phone’s alarm but sometimes he liked to set the alarm just for the settling of the night insomnia's anxiety. So, he raised his hand just a few seconds before the sound made his cellphone vibrate, turning off instantly. 

Locking his gaze in the ceiling for a few seconds, feeling the strange numbness slowly leave his mind as he tried to fully wake up. Aphelios sighed in frustration, wiping his face roughly with the palm of his hand as semi-dry tears wet his eyelashes, frowning, Aphelios sighed tired, sick of those unconscious fears and losses that weighed so heavily on his heart during heartful nightmares, with so much guilt and anxiety. 

His use as a murder tool required an emotionless mind, cold heart, no other thoughts aside from getting to his target. That was the hardest part for him. Even though he tried to be that way, his deep feeling only came back haunting him as awful dreams, nightmares that were only increasing with the years. Eight years after the death of his parents. Eight years since Alune suffered as a tortured witness, almost losing her life. Eight years since he had to leave his most precious friendship behind without even being able to say goodbye. 

Eight years after being betrayed and consolidated as a weapon without any choice.

The memory still makes Aphelios sick. 

When their parents were murdered, he didn't take the time to understand the situation, to question further, he was so desperate to save Alune that he didn't question Diana’s easy acceptance of their situation and presence in her house. Aphelios should’ve read the mix signals sooner, he knew something just wasn’t right, everything working so easily with their aunt, her insistence in continuing their training, her bitter and vague replies. 

It didn't take long before he understood the ambush that had been prepared for their family, a morbid, organized trap, trying to corner the twins' vital options, Aphelios' choices. Alune had been the last one left barely alive on purpose just to attract Aphelios, making him focus on his sister's survival rather than suspect the Solari symbols left accidentally on their parents corpses or even his own safety. Diana knew. She knew that, given those circumstances, she knew what Aphelios choices would be and she used it against him.

Being left with the only remaining choice that would guide them directly to their aunt. They managed to route them directly to Diana thanks to her participation. 

Aphelios curses himself every day for having turned to that woman, thinking that she could have helped them. He felt like a fool, blind with rage every time he remembered her.

Pretending innocence during their first weeks of stay, Diana earned the twins’ trust after helping Alune and continuing Aphelios's training so easily, pretending to be kind to them as if she hadn’t been part of their parents murder plan. What was the catch? Diana had long ago sold the twins’ life in exchange for her own freedom from persecution by the Solari or any other of its associates. The woman was the mistress of one of the highest pillars of the Solari family so she helped organize the plan, being a strategic part to sell them the last and most deadliest Lunari weapon. The twins. 

The day the truth was revealed to them, Aphelios cursed out loud, he shouted, Alune heard screams never heard before by her twin, he cried frustrated, boiling over in anger upon learning the reality. Being the mice inside the trap, long ago strangled by it. 

The Solari soldiers had massacred only the twins' parents with the aim of leaving Alune badly injured so that Aphelios would turn to the only person who could save them without getting caught by other organizations. The person who was supposed to protect them. Aphelios remembers that day in blurry rage, feeling the reminiscence of that sickening vertigo as he heard that women trade them as if they were mere objects. Just weapons.

They had waited for years to steal the best weapons that the last members of the Lunari lineage were creating. Aphelios never believed that he could feel so much hatred towards human beings. He hated their parents for bringing them into this world just for the selfish reasons of the revenge of their lost cause. He hated his aunt for selling them like they weren’t people. He hated the leader of the Solari for creating stronger chains around his neck. He hated how they both used his own sister as a human bait, leaving her with permanent problems in one leg as a threat of constant remembrance, a horrific reminder of who could they hurt if Aphelios didn’t play nice. 

They wanted them as a team, of course but Leona made it very clear that day, Alune was part of his team, his sister was a valuable part of the missions but the weapon itself for the Solari here was Aphelios. She insisted that he didn’t dare to forget that. Never. He knew very well what kind of threat that was. So, with no other options, completely cornered, the twins agreed to work for the Solari family.

For many years they just kept following orders, they were always moving from one place to another due to the requirements in different missions and the surveillance of the Solaris family members. Surviving together through the insane requirements of their performance.

It was not until they both turned twenty-two that their locations stopped fluctuating. Leona had allowed them to move to a fixed place, in the center of the capital city of Ionia. After gaining their “trust”, meaning, the twins were no longer creating any trouble and followed the instructions without questioning, Diana asked for a special treatment to her lover, so, the woman gave the twins more freedom by not keeping them completely under surveillance, as long as they continued to perform the missions and the promised reports about it were delivered in time. 

It was the closest to a taste of freedom that the twins would receive. According to the words of the Solari herself; A merciful reward in exchange for the good years of clean performance. You two can thank Diana for that. 

Thank her? Aphelios could barely stand next to her without thinking of murder her. What a joke. Did she do this just because she seemed to develop some remorse towards the past? A fucking joke. Freedom? What a funny thought. Even in his dreams he wasn’t free, every time his bullets or his knives were stained with the blood of his targets he was haunted by guilt, a long and raw nightmare always creeping in the back of his head. Fresh sour sensations of guilt always bring back old heartaches. Every time some old memory of Sett crept into his mind, another cruel nightmare would give him another sleepless night. 

Aphelios squinted his eyes looking at the bluish background screen of the cell phone while the brightness partially blinded him, he remained silent inside the icy room.

Even if Diana had sold her own family, Aphelios felt some more resentment towards his parents, knowing that they were trained to also attack the Solari family back when they grew up, they were obsessed with the desire to recover the ancient power of the Lunari offspring. That obsession caused the events that led to their deaths, that factor did not diminish the hatred he felt towards his mother's sister. Diana had only been the last piece to start the domino effect that ended up taking his parents' lives and redirecting new chains to a new owner who would use him as the weapon he was trained to be.

Aphelios blinks, feeling the discomfort of his long dark bangs colliding against his eyes, he frowns, settling the hair behind his ear, starting to sit on the bed and stretch. His room had only his bed, a medium closet with clothes, a piece of furniture with books and a small desk with a laptop, that he rarely used, and a chair by its side. 

Aphelios got up, walking barefoot wearing shorts and a long shirt, he walked drowsily out of the room to the bathroom after crossing the hallway, noticing the light in his sister's room was still off. He often got up earlier to make a good use of the time for training, to keep his mind occupied as long as possible. 

The house was simple on the outside but quite spacious on the inside, on the second floor there were the twins' bedrooms next to the bathroom and a small kitchen connected to the living room. On the first floor was the store that functioned as a facade and income of lawful money to stay away from legal problems, the flower shop and herbal pharmacy was attended by his twin during the day. Alune may not dare to say it out loud but she really grew fond of the shop, even if it wasn’t her real job, she enjoyed taking the facade work quite seriously and constantly.

But Aphelios needed to train. Yesterday, today, tomorrow. Aphelios would train and perform his missions and repeat again, and again and again. Only having some free days to rest, even when he didn’t have missions to attend, he preferred to engage his mind in training. 

After getting dressed and having breakfast, he continued walking down the stairs past the store and continued to the basement where the training room was located towards a short hall that connected the room with the one Alune used during the missions and the room she used to manufacture the small and different types of  Nocturm capsules. Thanks to her crucial investigation, Aphelios could use more or less levels of that venom in his blood depending on the mission’s risk level, not completely losing himself and his voice in every mission all the time like before, Alune always thought that was the least she could do to ease the overexploitation on himself.

Taking into account the mission that he had to perform at nightfall, Aphelios took his time practicing in the shooting space, with a semi-automatic silenced loaded pistol, the closest thing he could use here to assimilate a rifle in this area, with the protection on his ears and eyes, Aphelios began to train. And so he did, at least, until the figure of his twin began to be seen at his side when entering the room, the girl supported herself with a silver crutch on the right side, accustomed to walking smoothly along the house after getting used to moving in the absence of greater support in the right leg, she can barely use as her ankle never completely recovered. Aphelios stopped shooting, leaning the gun to the side and lowered the headphones to receive her.

“Good morning, shouldn't you be sleeping?” Alune smiled while greeting her twin, the girl seemed to have got ready a few minutes ago as her hair was still damp from the shower.

‘Good morning.’ even though Aphelios did not answer his with his voice, his mocking face made the twin laugh slightly. ‘I wanted to get up early to train for today’s mission.’ 

“Oh right.”  Alune replied more seriously while sighing slightly as she seemed to move her eyes to remember the information. “Target 22B, at the The White Cat Bar, the guy with the disgusting gold tooth, right?”

Aphelios laughed in a soft tone of voice, amused at the rather dramatic expressions of disgust in his sister's face after telling the information with a more serious tone, after catching his breath, Aphelios spoke softly a short sentence using his infrequent voice.

“Yes, as accurate as ever.” Aphelios replied smiling to his twin who gave him a wide smile.

“Thanks Phel. Did you eat anything or did you come straight to training?” Alune asked, concerned creeping into her sweet tone.

‘Don't worry, I had a proper breakfast before training.’ Aphelios signed quickly with both hands, after a pause he spoke with his hands again. ‘I imagine you had breakfast too. Do you have to open the store soon?’

“Yes, don't remind me, there is an order that I haven't made yet, the customer is going to be pissed if I don't have it ready by the afternoon.” Alune sighed heavily in a dramatic way and then laughed, since she herself had neglected the time with that order. “But don't worry, at night I will be guiding you from the headset as always, trust me.”

“I always trust you.” Aphelios replied in a soft voice smiling at her.

After all, they themselves were the only and last treasure they had in the world.

Despite the fact that the girl was left with that leg problem, Aphelios was glad that she was alive, the fact that he managed to save her that day is one of his few consolations, even if she was a bait, the Solari never cared that she managed to survive or not beyond when Aphelios found her, not even Diana care that much, she really pretended very smoothly her surprise when she saw how Alune was getting better after barely surviving through the night. He managed to save her and, just like when they were trained by their parents, they were still a team.

While Aphelios was training, his twin was tending the store, letting the hours pass, meeting for lunch, it was only until night came and the store closed its doors when their real job began. When the whole place seemed to sleep, with the lights off on the first and second floor. It was time for their mission. In the noise-proof basement, the only place away from the sight of any other living thing. The last step Aphelios followed before heading to take a life. Sometimes, when there were missions where no innocent souls saw him, only the doomed ones. He allowed himself to put on just some dark makeup on his chin creating a company for the thin tattoo under his bottom lip, a habit that their parents managed to get into his brain although it was never completed, the silhouettes of the moon’s phases weren’t taught soon enough before their parents lives were taken, no paint would create the moon’s form in any of the twin’s faces. Even after everything that happened, admire mother moon, comforted Aphelios in some ways, murder in her name through the shadows of the night, erasing people who shouldn’t see the light of day, those thoughts gave him a certain illusion to know that the moon was there to protect and support him next to his twin’s voice.

Following the steps, Aphelios lift up his face to reach correctly under his lower lip. No one saw him as he slipped through the shadows, so he never worried that anyone could see him or this detail. The tattoo line under his chin was so thin it could barely be seen without makeup and the only people who came dangerously close to seeing his face with those marks, were murdered that very same night. However, he wasn’t taking any chances. This mission allowed him to use his makeup thanks to the distance with his target, but in other scenarios he knew that he couldn't take his paint with him.

After his departure, Alune was in her chair behind the desk in the organized home office in the basement. It had six screens with different information on each one, next to the technological equipment, the desk had four drawers full of papers with valuable information. Throughout the room there were more blackboards, images, drawers and a box with snacks, after all, there were missions in which she had to stay awake and connected as long as the mission took for Aphelios to complete, sometimes the entire night or more.

“It's better if you take the second route, it's more discreet and shorter.” Alune spoke through the microphone that extended from her headphones while concentrating her eyes on the third screen, this being Aphelios’s surroundings.

“Understood.” Aphelios short answer was heard on the headphones as Alune typed on the keyboard, opening more tabs, making sure her brother was not seen by any security cameras in the area.

Aphelios walked in stealth, wearing the black suit he used during missions, his steps didn’t even alert the stray cats in the area, he moved between the shadows of the alleys, blindly trusting his sister's guidance with every indication. Finally, after slightly less than twenty minutes sneaking through the shadows of the buildings at high speed, Alune had calculated the right place to manage a perfect shot in the distance in the most discreet way possible, having an escape route arranged in the vicinity to improve her brother's performance.

“Brother, the target is still inside the bar. We’ll have to wait.” 

Alune's voice echoed through the device while Aphelios finished climbing the emergency stairs of the building until he reached the indicated floor, at least in this case he didn’t need to reach the highest floor, to minimize the vision of the bullet, Aphelios had opted for a mid-range shot and Alune agreed so, he only needed to reach the middle floor of the building. When he reached the eighth floor, sneaking through the emergency ladders and balconies, he walked to the point of view Alune arranged. Hiding on the edge of the metal balcony, Aphelios dropped a tiny bag he was carrying with him and began to assemble a small sniper rifle with a silencer while pressing his back against the cold wall.

Aphelios cursed that due to the nature of the mission, it was not necessary to consume any level of nocturm that clouded his senses of guilt, not even a small intake, at least for the moment a situation of that gravity was not generated, so, he was grateful not to have to use melee weapons this time and he won’t be able to hear or feel the flesh tear apart by his doing. But, he will still hear the shot tearing his victim’s skull and brain apart for that second, even if he actually couldn’t hear it, his own mind would trick him to do it. 

Breathing deeply through the slightly fresh breeze, he finally felt ready, with the weapon ready and loaded, with the body hidden in the darkness of the balcony at the front view of the building, Aphelios regularizes his breathing keeping his gaze fixed on the sniper's crosshairs, waiting while the minutes pass turning into an hour, he waited for his sister’s signal.

“He seems to be going out but he is not alone, he is surrounded by three people who are not our targets, you must be careful brother.” Alune spoke through the communicator with a certain restless tone at the end of the sentence, it was a difficulty that his target was not alone. “The target is the man with the black hood, big black ripped pants and thick-soled white sneakers. He seems to have a hidden weapon as well, I think so.”

“You think so?” Aphelios couldn’t help but question her uncertain tone of voice at the end.

“There aren’t too many cameras outside the bar. I can’t get a clearer image.” Alune explained while cursing between her lips, trying to find a better view on her monitor.

Alune was detailing the information while she managed to capture up to that moment, trying to differentiate the target from the other people who also wore a hood, not paying too much attention to the other men's characteristics. Aphelios frowned when he saw how the group of people were heading to a dead end alley in the passages at the back of the bar, hidden enough for it to be a dangerous occurrence.

“Can you hear what they're saying?” Aphelios whispered into the microphone of the device in his ear, fleetingly listening as his twin typed rapidly.

“I don't have audio Phel.” Alune admitted with slight regret while denying.

Aphelios kept his serious gaze focusing the vision through the gun, he quickly understood some of the situation, three people were cornering one and the one leading the group of attackers, was the target. Willing to wait for the right moment to make an accurate shot in the head, he just kept watching, trying not to care too much about a problem that didn’t concern him, after all it wasn’t the first time the target was involved in some personal issue when their time came to an end.  As the interaction between the four subjects continued, Aphelios pressed his lips together as he noticed two starting to fight one with clean fist 

Three against one? That's playing dirty, Aphelios thought ironically to himself while he hid in the distant shadows to end the life of someone when that man didn't even know he was there to take his life, probably didn't even have knowledge that someone was sent to assassinate him.

“There seems to be a conflict and it's escalating.” Aphelios whispered to his twin, still resting his index finger on the trigger, waiting for the right moment when the target moved far away enough to reach his head without harming the others. 

“I can't see, the security cameras at the place are not exactly of good quality, I can’t see well half of the people there.” Alune was complaining by tapping the keyboard again, frustrated by losing information. “Shity street instalations…” she whispered, cursing for herself away from the microphone.

Despite the difficulty of seeing or even hearing what was happening in the target’s close radio, Aphelios could tell that the conflict was escalating, with the two previous subjects almost completely knocked down only by the tall man in the red hoodie, those movements and strength momentarily surprised Aphelios, however, it was easy to notice that the target in sight, in addition to playing dirty with the number of people, also carried a knife that he kept hidden until the last moment just like his sister thought she noticed before.

One of the men almost knocked down on the floor rushes to hit the abdomen of the tired reddish hooded, after another punch in the same place, he manages to leave the man without air, knocking him down to the ground, leaving him on his knees in front of the target, There is an opening. Aphelios concentrates on his index finger almost caressing the trigger, the opening is almost perfect, he just needs a few millimeters more.

Suddenly. Everything freezes. 

The hooded man with red tones, doesn’t admit defeat, reacts supernaturally fast to the knife that attempts on his life by placing his forearm to stop the weapon with his own body. However, that is not what leaves Aphelios completely cold. A huge sensation of vertigo drowns him like a lightning when he sees the hood falling back, those large and reddish vastaya ears are exposed to view, both of that strong reddish fur that Aphelios recognized very well, the reflection in those strong amber eyes made him blink, disoriented. Aphelios can’t even breath as he supposed to.

“Phel, the opening is perfect. Shoot.” Alune's voice echoed on the earpiece but her twin wouldn't pull the trigger, Aphelios was lying frozen. “Brother, shoot.” she insisted, confused.

The girl began to worry, the perfect opening was starting to disappear, they needed to complete the mission quickly before generating any alert but her brother didn’t respond, he didn’t fire the gun despite having his finger on the trigger, Alune couldn’t see how his hands were trembling. Aphelios only observes the red haired man through the sight of the weapon, regularizing his breathing with difficulty trying to keep his gaze at a fixed pulse even though his finger is shaking on the trigger.

Aphelios's heart trembles with distress and confusion, those red furred ears, those strong golden eyes, those features... Could it be? Was it actually real? 

“Brother!” Alune screams. 

Then, she hears the shot and everything goes silent.

It was not his sister's voice that made him react, his body reacted on its own when he saw how the target pulled out the knife again, stabbing the redhead in the abdomen. Without a split second of waiting, Aphelios felt his heart racing with fury. In a blink of an eye, he gives two accurate shots through the men’s brain, finishing the target, which fell dead next to the half vastaya who reacted shockingly confused and arched his ears looking at the building easily tracing the gunshot’s origin, trying to get up, failing, instantly falling on his knees over the pavement, bleeding from the torso and forearm, even wounded, the redhead half vastaya raised his head completely stunned, looking for the silhouette, then he mutters something desperately thought the distance.

Aphelios's breathing quickens and he watches through the gun's sight, he puts down the weapon and feels every second going slower as he swears they cross glances. Those ears, those eyes, that face, it had been eight years but he could never forget him nor even if he tried. Aphelios tightens his lips in anguish, trying to keep calm futilely as he watches Sett bleeding, resisting his fall on the pavement. 

“Aphelios?” Alune can't help but ask through the headset, clueless, she can't spot the hybrid due to the poor quality of the security cameras and it's usual for them to not interfere with their target's personal surroundings so she doesn’t pay much attention. 

Alune waits restlessly for a response, noticing through a screen how her brother's vital signs were accelerating abruptly, her eyes focused on another satellite location screen that showed how he was moving in an unplanned direction, Aphelios was running but not on the planned escape route, he was running towards the dead target.

“Aphelios, what are you doing?” Alune asks again, insisting this time with a higher tone in her voice, not understanding her brother's actions. “Brother. What are you doing?” she repeats, feeling more alarmed by every second. 

Aphelios is not turning a deaf ear at her, his words simply don’t come out, he can barely keep his mind clear at the moment, he feels that his legs move completely on their own, he moves by instinct in those blind spaces, he is aware of his surroundings thanks to training but his mind is completely blurred, focusing only on one thing, moving faster than ever. Realizing that the two men were chased away by the fatal shot that his companion received, Aphelios takes advantage to quickly resorting to the half vastaya, noticing how the consciousness of this one faded letting him fall with his face to the ground, in a reflex, Aphelios rushes to kneel beside him protecting his head. 

Aphelios lies by his side for infinite seconds, he just stares at him, with trembling hands he clings to the reddish hair, breathing with difficulty, Aphelios lowers his face recognizing the unconscious body of an adult Settrigh.

“Aphelios. Please. Talk to me.” Alune's pleading voice finally reached him on the other end of the line, bringing Aphelios back to reality.

“Alune, wait for me.” 

It was the only thing that Aphelios communicated before completely concentrating on getting Sett out of that place, using a piece of fabric from his suit, he tightened the stab wound on the abdomen being this the deepest, a shaky breath escaped his lips as he saw the blood stains spilled all over the ground. Aphelios took a deep breath and then he grabbed with difficulty the arms of the half vastaya to support him on his back, barely being able to carry him, Aphelios had to admit Sett had grown quite a lot since he last saw him and maybe the weight slowed him down a lot but the adrenaline kept him on foot, grateful with his sister's instructions to avoid the security cameras along the way, hardly running through the shadows until he managed to return to his home, once he crossed the door frame, the girl was waiting for him, completely anotish and confused when she saw Aphelios carrying someone, carrying him through the street cameras, she thought she was hallucinating.

Alune was speechless, stupefied, moving awkwardly around the house with his brother, taking steps by instinct in search of a medicine cabinet to take care of Settrigh’ wounds. However, once the redhead had been taken care of, bandaged and placed on Aphelios's bed, both twins looked at him from each side, frozen wide-eyed, blinking slowly not knowing which words to choose, doubting at moments if it was really him, the twins didn’t know which doubt was more implausible. Was this man just exactly like him? They weren’t in some hallucination together? Was this a cruel dream? Was life playing a bad joke on them? 

Putting all doubts aside, Aphelios was the first to approach, following the instincts of his own beating heart, he got close to him, taking Sett’s hand between both of his own as he sat on the side of the bed, watching him with tenderness, confusion, disbelief. Aphelios’ eyes crystallized without managing to process the swirl of emotions in his mind. In silence, he placed a delicate kiss on his hand, caressing his fingers with a warm touch. Just waiting. No. Wishing for him to open his eyes soon.

Chapter Text

One of the few characteristics that Sett hadn’t fixed over the years, was his impulsiveness, although on most occasions his improvised fights turned out well for him, sometimes it was more dangerous that he realized. This is exactly that case. It was too late when Sett realized that the problem in the fight wasn’t the difference between the number of people against him, if not the knife the men had hidden under his jacket, the leftover people were nothing more than a distraction for the main opponent to take out the knife and stab him.

A stab wound to the forearm? That was manageable. A stab wound to the side of the abdomen? That was more difficult. The hybrid's superb countenance wavered as he felt the knife’s metal pass through him just below the rib, a sharp pain like none before seized his body making him cough blood from his broken lip. For a minute, Sett really believed he would’ve taken his last breath as his breathing slowed and his legs stopped responding at the speed he wanted. He had underestimated his own stamina in the fight, he had fought for several hours in the ring, he was already fatigued before meeting the three guys. Fighting them in the alley was really going to be his last impulsive decision? This wasn’t fair. He has to stand up, he has to.

Sett can’t help but think about his mother, he can’t leave her, not yet, not like this. Sett screams inside his mind frustrated, furrowing his frown witch rage, trying to lift his gaze, to do something against the man that was ready to stab him again to finish him and Sett doesn't look away. Confused, Sett’s sharp eyesight noticed a small light flicker in the distance. Then. As if by a stroke of luck, in the blink of an eye, the whole situation changes completely. A gunshot. No. Two gunshots, barely audible to the half vastaya, travels all the way from that light, directly to its target’s head and the man who had stabbed him falls dead next to him. However, the inert body is not of Sett's interest. In the distance, hidden in the shadows, only being shown for a split second under the moonlight, his sharpened eyesight manages to see that unforgettable figure, the beautiful silhouette of the boy he has been thinking about since that cursed bloody day, looking for him in every dream that ended becoming a nightmare. Was he hallucinating? 

- What..? … Phel..? - Sett whispered to himself in disbelief, barely keeping his eyes open. Thinking that, maybe, his brain was just making him hallucinate to comfort him

The loss of blood, pain and fatigue, quickly begin to take their toll on him, against all his willpower, Sett’s body stops responding, closing his eyes for the impact, all that Sett manages to feel before falling unconscious is a firm and cold grip that protects him from the fall just in time before the hit. Instead of feeling the cold pavement, Sett just closes his eyes, letting himself be carried away by the warm arms that try to squeeze him, without being able to hear the distant whisper that tries to reach his furry ears.

During his unconsciousness, a dream is carried in his mind and, as sometimes happens, those dreams progress to become a nightmare. The snow accumulates around him without him being able to do anything about it, the three of them, the twins and him, take the school bus but when the twins get off, he watches as the twins disappear into the distance and the school bus disappears into the endless night. Zoe's laughter seems to mock him before she leaves crying deep in the shadows of the street that is slowly is devoured by the darkness, sooner or later, Sett is left alone, not even his mother can get to him, even if he can hear he at the distant he can’t see her anywhere, even if he shouts for her, even if he screams or runs, nothing works, his own cries are swallowed up by the annoying void that follows him.

When dreams begin to disturb him in the depths of his consciousness, it was inevitable that his ears would not show it, they would get upset twitching back and forth while he squeezed his eyes frowning, distressed, frustrated, tired of nightmares. The red haired man begins to get restless, moving his big body under soft blankets. Sett's slowly dawning consciousness begins to realize he didn’t recognize his surroundings at first sniff or touch. How had he come to this place? Where was this place even? What happened? 

More questions merged with his thoughts as consciousness invited him to try to open his eyes. Sett pressed his lips together feeling how a soft damp cloth gave him soft touches along the face, leaving him more comfortable before the sudden sensation of numbness in the body and discomfort in the muscles along the torso. Slowly, he manages to focus the force on his eyelids to open his eyes, frowning at the light of the place. Then, a blurry silhouette divided into two begins to merge, even without seeing the image correctly, Sett feels confused, he finds familiarity in the female figure accompanied by a long silver hair.

- Ma? - Sett muttered blinking incredulously at the first guess.

The silhouette stopped in its tracks, looking to the side, the woman seems to raise her voice, apparently calling someone’s name multiple times but Sett can not distinguish the words, his senses are still lethargic, everything’s still blurry, the small beeping in his ears still doesn’t fade completely so he can’t distinguish more than the tone of surprise and anguish in the woman’s voice. Sett blinks again, starting to focus the vision, feeling the soft touch on his cheek, he manages to see a girl with long hair and silver eyelashes, unlike his mother, she doesn’t have a vastaya look. As the redhead begins to assimilate the female figure, his ears stand up sharply, pulling back the confused face feeling his heart beating slower in anxiety and insecurity, not knowing whether to trust the image in front of him or not.

- ... Alune? - Sett asks in disbelief after a slow pause, incredulous at the girl's gentle touch.

Sett's gaze quickly searches his surroundings, realizing that he is lying on a bed inside an unfamiliar room with the girl sitting next to him on the edge of the bed. Alune froze, not quite knowing how to get the words out, she pulled back her hand in sorrow, she didn't expect the hybrid to wake up so suddenly, she didn't feel ready to face him yet.

The red haired man stopped for a moment to analyze the girl, however, it was thanks to his keen sense of smell provided by his heightened senses that he was able to be sure of his assumption. The girl looked like the twin and had the same essence, there was no doubt about it. Alune had decided to speak but her words were quickly cut off by the arms of the half vastaya. Sett bent down ignoring the pain in his abdomen, holding the girl tight and tenderly in his arms, the last memory he had of her was the essence of her blood, it always terrified him to think that her life had been taken away.

- I’m so glad you’re alive. It's you, I can tell It’s really you Alune.- Sett murmured smiling feeling his eyes crystallize, suppressing a soft sob of relief. - Is it really you, right? In life, right? Shit, I'm not dead, right? - he added laughing somewhat nervously as he parted from the girl without understanding the sudden presence of the twin.

- It's me, Sett.- Alune replied smiling broadly, then sighed a little, pressing her lips together before trying to maintain her smile to continue.- And yes you're alive dumbass, a few inches higher or one more stab wound and it would’ve been a different story.- she added with a certain pain in her voice and the end.

The hybrid lowered his gaze gritting his teeth at the sight of the thick bandage that surrounded his abdomen still covered with the semi-open shirt. He analyzed the fabric, surprised that it had no blood, the soft fragrance of fresh lavender gave him to understand that they had been washed recently, he also distinguished several patches and bandages on his arms and shoulders, the one on his forearm being the biggest one. He couldn't help but smile at the treatment. Then, the sudden realization in his thinking focused all his concentration on one single short question.

- And Aphelios? - Sett's ears quickly moved to the sides unconsciously looking for signs of another sound in the place.

- He brought you here.- Alune explained with a gentle smile.- He didn't leave your side all night until recently. I just called him.., as soon as you opened your eyes.- she slurred her words as she turned her gaze towards the door.

Sett instinctively turned towards the entrance of the room, not hearing or feeling any presence approaching, for a split second, he thought that this actually could be a bad dream, a nightmare ready to wake him up the moment that door opened, filling his heart with anxiety. Alune's hand woke him up from his fears, the girl had noticed his worries and seeking to provide him comfort she placed her hand on his shoulder, reminding him that she was there, she was real and Aphelios was real too, they were both waiting for him and that was no dream. 

With the stealth worthy of the assassin that Aphelios was, even when he came at a rapid pace, he opened the door without producing the slightest sound. Then, strong amber eyes crossed paths with dark obsidian eyes and Sett couldn’t do more than watch him, speechless, Sett watched as Alune gave a little more space at the side of the bed, he looks at her confused for a second but before he realizes it, long warm arms surround him tightly.

- It’s really you.., and you’re okay... I'm so glad... - Aphelios whispers, embracing him relieved, almost shaking.

Sett reacts tardily to the sudden gesture, hearing Aphelios's voice ends up making him tear up, the lump he felt in his throat when he saw Alune ends up succumbing to the nostalgic and warm sob he releases when he tightly embraces Aphelios tightly his arms.

- Phel... You're really here… - Sett finally reacts, letting his ears rest on his head, snuggling him closer in his grip, hiding his face in Aphelios's neck as he feels his tears wet his chest.

For long minutes they let themselves melt in eachothers arms, feeling as if every bad dream could be chased away in their embrace. After a moment, Sett feels how Aphelios is trying to free himself from his grip so he slowly gives in, Sett watches the twins now with Aphelios standing in front of him and Alune sitting next to him, the redhead takes a deep breath, smiling incredulous for a moment, sitting better on the bed, being careful with his own movements feeling the soft stitches of pain in his abdomen.

- You got stabbed pretty badly... How are you feeling? - Alune asked as her twin finished wiping away the tears that were almost ceasing. - Luckily, It didn't go through any vital organs, so I was able to treat you but you don't have to move much, it's much more likely to open up compared to a hospital suture.- she explained, a little shy, she really wished to take him to a real hospital but they couldn’t show their faces and bring attention to them.

- I'm feeling... Overwhelmed. I guess? - Sett answered honestly, with a short sigh. - I think I have to thank ya first for saving my ass eh.- Sett breath a sad laugh and then sighed more muted, he stroked the bandage still feeling the sensitivity of the area.- If it wasn't for you, I could’ve died in that dark alley.- he stood thoughtfully for a moment now watching the twins.- But I still can't believe it's really you guys... You arrived just in time. How? How did you know I was there? -

The twins looked at each other in a fleeting moment of synchronicity that made Sett's heart tremble with nostalgia, however, the looks they both shared made him raise an eyebrow confused for the shy sadness they shared, Alune cleared her throat first, preferring to be the one who continued with the baton of the conversation. 

- Sett we didn't really know you were there. - Alune admitted somehow embarrassed, after all saving the half vastaya or even finding him was not remotely in their plans.- We had information that our.., target, we had a plan and, well, he happened to be the man that stabbed you.. so., hm, we knew he was going to show up at that bar during the night, that’s why Aphelios was standing by as a sniper when he saw him coming out into the alley, he was just supposed to eliminate him and that was it but well.., you know the rest..- she calmly explained studying the reactions of Sett’s stilty disappointed expression.

- Oh... Then it was just coinci- 

- It was good luck.- Aphelios interrupted him, completing the sentence surprising the other two present, he averted his gaze for a second, hiding his eyes a little embarrassed behind long dark bangs.

Sett couldn't help but feel a small smile slip from his lips, he was about to admit out loud that he thought the meeting had been a mere coincidence but he liked the word Aphelios used better. After all, maybe it was a coincidence but it was a lucky one with no doubt. Sett’s smile stayed in place when he saw Aphelios raise both hands to communicate more with him. Of course Sett remembered every word he learned just to talk to him when they both practically grew up together.

- "Even if I didn't shoot him before he stabbed you, that wasn't such good luck, sorry about that." - Aphelios gestured thoughtfully at his words, frowning a little frustrated at remembering the scene, however, a small serious laugh made him look towards Sett.

- Are we really questioning luck right now? - Sett interrupted him now, trying to sound fondly though his lip quickly trembled as he tried to make his smiling gesture not give up completely.- I can't believe you're really here... I-I thought I'd never see you again. Fuck, I actualIy thought more than once that you were really dead. Somehow I still feel like I'm hallucinating or I'm dreaming because it's kinda surreal. You get me? -

The twins were surprised to see how Sett gave in to a crestfallen frown while smiling sadly, unable to prevent the tears from quickly overflowing through his eyes again. Frustrated, Sett brings his forearm to his face trying to stop the sobs. Aphelios felt the lump in his throat distressing him, watching his sister sobbing at the same time as she wiped her tears quickly trying to keep her composure, it wasn’t very helpful for him not to lose his composure equally but feeling the tears accumulate in his eyes made it really hard, he took a deep breath settling his hair behind his ear.

- I mean. I knew you two weren't dead, I wanted to believe that but I didn’t even have a trace of you, neither of you.- Sett raised his tone, letting out his frustration through tears by clenching his fangs when speaking.- I knew you guys didn't die but the news said you did. I was so fucking angry and confused and sad, I felt so hopeless.- Sett tightened his grip on his forearm more, feeling the tears running down his face as he squeezed the sheets with his free hand. - You were gone and there was nothing I could do about it...-

Sett had no intention of exploding in that way but he could barely process the information, he didn't quite understand that the twins were in front of his eyes, it really was them but at the same time, they were involved in a cold murder that seems to be handled like it was nothing, that information process even worse. He focuses on his breathing and slowly the sob begins to fade into a soft echo in the room. Alune finishes wiping both of her own cheeks in a blink, thinking to herself that the hybrid already had too many emotions on him, she didn't want to add more in a negative way. Aphelios kept his gaze fixed on the floor, lost in his own memories, reliving the last moments he had as a teenager next to the redhead, remembering the pain he felt when he saw his last message, he understood the feeling of helplessness very well.

In a moment of thought, Alune remembered to have kept a small cloth handkerchief in her pants so she carefully leaned closer to the redhead slightly touching his forearm to get his attention, once Sett lower the arm showing his wet eyelashes and cheeks, he gave a small smile to the twin receiving the handkerchief, this one looking smaller in his big hands.

Aphelios was lost for a moment in the details of Sett’s face, he still hadn't finished seeing the hybrid well, he was surprised at how much he had grown in all this time, when they were teenagers he was only a little taller, now he was much taller and bigger than him. Aphelios only reacts when Sett turns to look at him crossing glances again catching him off guard.

- Thank ya, sorry for uh... Start crying out of nowhere… - Sett laughed a little embarrassed as he wiped his face slightly rough.- But ya can't blame me, it's surreal, I insist.- he added with a lighter tone, trying to stop the last few tears that were still sliding down his cheeks.

The twins couldn't help but smile at the hybrid's comments, missing his sense of humor, however, before one of them could continue the conversation, the big roar of Sett's stomach became present, taking everyone by surprise in a momentary silence, Alune couldn't help but laugh tenderly at the men's embarrassment.

- It makes sense that you're hungry.- Alune commented, ceasing the laughter.- With the hours you've been unconscious, I'm surprised your stomach doesn't hurt. I'll go cook something so you can regain energy.- she added, giving him a tender smile.

Sett smiled sideways still keeping his ears tucked over his head, somehow he couldn't help but feel a certain maternal essence in the attitude of the twin, now that her hair was so long, the small resemblance to her mother invaded his heart with warmth when listening to that soft tone of voice in words of concern and care.

- You stay, take care of Sett, I'll come back when I'm ready.- Alune spoke quickly to her brother, noticing that he was moving ready to go out with her.

The girl didn’t accept any rejection to her request, before the affirmative gesture of the twin, Alune settled on the bed getting up carefully, looking for the crutch that she had left on the side of the bed, accommodating this under her right arm she went to the door of the room. Sett was silent for a moment, he hadn’t noticed until now that the girl had something wrong with her leg, when he saw the scene he was speechless, restless, distressed, questioning accounts things that had happened in these years, wondering if that injury had any relation to the amount of blood he saw from her that day in the past. 

Once the door was closed leaving the two of them alone, a long silence took the place, Aphelios was also not yet able to fully process the reality even if the presence in front of him was the real Sett, unable to look him in the eyes all the time, Aphelios lowered his gaze hiding his eyes behind his bangs, anxiously, playing a little with his hands.

- Phel. - Sett's voice made him look up, meeting those sweet amber eyes.- Can you get a little closer? - he asked tenderly.

Surprised by his words, Aphelios felt his cheeks burn a little with shyness, he approaches in silence, staying at the side of the bed, he notices how the redhead palms the space that is next to him on the bed, a little hesitant at first, Aphelios accepts, slowly sitting on the bed listening to the creaking of the mattress because of his weight. Before, when he reacted quickly by fleetingly embracing Sett in his arms, Aphelios had felt overwhelmed to see him awake, to hear his voice, it gave him a unique adrenaline rush for his impulsive act but now that he was calmer, he felt too aware of the situation, overwhelmed by his mixed emotions, afraid to look at him and at the same time not wanting to look away from him for a second.

- Is this okay? - Aphelios murmured, keeping the hands on his lap, he slowly moved them to the arm of the half vastaya with a tender caress, shy to feel his warmth.

Aphelios looked up when he noticed that the redhead was moving his arms, afraid that his touch would be rejected, for a moment Aphelios thought about moving away, however, Sett's strong arms slowly surrounded his body taking him by surprise, the redhead was embracing him tenderly, sliding one hand down his back to his waist while the other held his head warmly, hiding his face in his chest, Aphelios blinked for a moment, taking time to react to such a longed-for touch, slowly melting in his warmth.

- This is more than okay.- Sett whispered, closing his eyes, smiling broadly as he began to feel Aphelios' arms slowly climbing up his back.

With emotions overflowing, Aphelios felt the tears fall down his cheeks again, staining the bare shoulder of the half vastaya with salt water, he hugged him tightly, reaching as far as he could from his back with both hands, he just closed his eyes enjoying the warm presence of the red haired man, listening to his heartbeat, feeling his breathing.

- I’ve missed you so fucking much... -  Sett muttered almost to himself, hiding his face in Aphelio’s shoulder, clinging to that subtle aroma that he had not felt in eight years.

- Me too... I’ve missed you for so long… - Aphelios whispered, enjoying the warmth in silence.

The only thing that resonated in that room were the sobs of the lunar twin, Aphelios haven't cried that way for years, accustomed to suppressing his emotions, escaping from his own touching memories, feeling too weak to keep the good ones in his heart without feeling afflicted by them, he tried to inhibit any warm glimpses of the past, especially those related to the Sett, he tried so hard but he was never able to. Aphelios still used to waver between nightmares every time the longing to see him again hit so badly just to be quickly frustrated by the harsh reality. It hurted so much every time that happened.

Realizing that those emotions were a risk for his missions, Aphelios tried hard to block his own feelings, without reliving the past in the slightest, staying as neutral as possible to stay focused on his role as an assassin, he tried to convince himself that he didn't need anything or anyone but his twin, as long as he could continue to keep her safe, life would take its course while keeping functioning as the weapon he was trained to be. He was supposed to leave those feelings behind, he had to but he never could. 

Now? There was nothing else in Aphelios' mind but Sett, only Sett. 

The heat emanating from Sett’s body was warmer than any sensation he had felt in his entire life, embarrassed to stain the bandage with his tears, Aphelios slowly begins to remain calm breathing deeply, after a few seconds he releases him, sliding his hands down the torso of the red haired man, placing both hands over his chest and on his shoulders. Sett couldn't help but squeeze him tighter, coiling him up completely with both arms. He only released his grip as he heard a very low sounding laughter coming from him.

- Sorry, too much? - Sett asked slightly embarrassed, releasing his grip enough to lower his chin and cross glances with him.

Aphelios shook his head looking away for a thoughtful moment, surely because of the tears his face must look strange even though that was the least he cared about right now. Sett watched noticing how Aphelios curled up in his grip, cradling himself between his arms and his chest, being more aware of the size difference that had been created after so many years, Sett cleared his throat, trying not to blush when he notice how only with both hands he was able to surround the entire back and waist of the moon boy, luckily the sound Sett made was perceived as a pain and not shame.

- Does anything hurt? - Aphelios asked, voice in such a soft tone asking in genuine concern, catches Sett off guard making his cheeks burn slightly.

Sett was waiting to interpret more sign language but he felt blessed, to be able to hear Aphelios’ voice again and again, in different tones, silly, sweet, worried, each word creating a warm flash in Sett’s heart.

- Uh, a little bit I think, nothing too serious… - Sett answered honestly, nervously aware of the beautiful obsidian eyes watching him so closely.

Faced with the answer, Aphelios blinks a little regretfully, thinking that it could cause him discomfort by pressing himself against his body in that way so he ends up deciding to slide out his arms, breaking the hug with some space between the two of them. Sett bites his tongue squeezing his lips without letting out his selfish prayer, wishing to hold Aphelios longer in his arms, not caring about the pain from the wound, he wishes to ask him to stay longer but desists, hushes that desire. He just watches as Aphelios settles down sitting next to him, still maintaining the proximity so that his side touched Sett’s legs that were lying under the blankets, before that small gesture Sett couldn’t do more than smile tenderly, it seems that he was not the only one who longed for that constant touch. 

In the short moment of silence, Sett was lost in his thoughts, he wanted answers more than anything, he felt that he had exhausted the luck of his life with this event, it still felt surreal that the twins he had lost hope of seeing again, were now with him, with Aphelios sitting next to him. It wasn't a dream that ended in a nightmare, he was really there. Sett still wanted to know what had happened. How was it possible that everything had changed in that horrific way eight years ago? How he had never suspected of the twins' family. Why did none of them ever tell him anything about it?

However, despite the storm of questioning thoughts in Sett's mind, there is only one thing he wants to do right now, longing for Aphelios’s tender touch, he slides the hand over the sheets to find his hand, slowly stroking with his thumb on over his knuckles enjoying the touch, Sett leans slightly resting his face on Aphelios’s shoulder making him blink in surprise.

Now unaccustomed to Sett's displays of affection, Aphelios looked away uneasily for a moment, he didn’t understand if the jump in his heart was caused by nostalgia or by something else, he didn’t remember that the warm of Sett’s touch made him shudder in that way or at least he didn’t wanted to admit he remembered it that way. Despite being overwhelmed by the emotions that were unleashed in his mind, he remained motionless, silent and shy, almost managing to hear his own heartbeat resonate loudly inside him. Now crossing glances again, he ends up finding Sett's golden eyes looking for his own.

- I still can't believe you're really here... - Sett whispers, sweetly stroking his hand, slowly leaning his hand more against his to intertwine their fingers together.

Aphelios gives him a soft smile, narrowing his eyes due to the closeness, secretly enjoying the details he could make out in Sett's features. For a moment, Aphelios thinks about raising his hands to communicate, until he realizes he must release the hybrid's hand to do so, he pressed his lips with a little blushing, continuing to use his voice, not wanting to let go of his hand anytime soon.

- Me neither… - Aphelios replied with a soft, short laugh, extinguishing his smile as he continued.- I was really scared when I saw how that man stabbed you… - he added in a low whisper feeling the hair of his bangs cover his eyes.

- I was really scared when you disappeared.- Sett replied lowering his gaze saddened by the cruel silence that broke out in the room.

For a moment Sett had regretted letting that sentence out but he couldn't help it, he understood the fear Aphelios must have felt seeing him bleed like that but Sett couldn't let go of the fact that the twins had disappeared, they were dead to the public eye, even to his mother, only he knew the truth and he didn't even really understand what truth was that at all, beyond intuiting that the twins were still alive and somewhat involved in a shadiest world than him, Sett didn’t actually understand anything.

- You... When you came to my house that day... Did you know it was going to be the last day we would see each other? Did you tell me that… we would meet tomorrow... Even knowing that it wasn’t going to happen? - the questions escaped from Sett's lips, letting himself be carried away by the wounds of his heart, keeping his gaze in both hands.

- I didn't know.- Aphelios replied quickly, turning the palm of his hand to have a better hold of Sett’s hand, seeing him raise his eyes as well as his ears. - I... I really wanted to see you but back then when my parents were.., murdered, I thought they would follow me if I got anywhere near you, I didn't want to put you or your mother in danger so I just hopelessly lost track of you… - he confessed with a low tone trying to avoid the fleeting grotesque images that crossed his mind.

- Phel... - Sett whispered, squeezing his eyes, distressed, with more questions stalking his mind. Who was following them? What happened that night?

He wanted so many answers but it hurt his heart to see the face that Aphelios placed when they seemed to be heading towards that context, despite not knowing what happened, Sett could feel that he was still hurting the spirit of the twin, he saw his eyes darken even more, tightening his lips, sorrowfully finding his gaze, Aphelios seems to get lost in a place further away than Sett knows when he remembers that memory, despite being by his side, he feels that his presence is far away when he got lost in his thoughts like that. 

- I'm sorry.- Aphelios didn't know exactly why he was apologizing. For leaving him behind. For trying to block his memory away because he was weak for it. For denying himself the longing he has for him. For avoiding telling him everything that happened that night and before that. For lying to him when growing up. Aphelios could feel the guilt piling up. 

- Phel, no, you don't have to apologize. - Sett denied sorrowfully, it wasn’t what he wanted to hear from him, he didn’t want to create more burden in his heart. 

Aphelios felt strange, sobbing like that, it had been too many years since he felt the imminent desire to cry, inevitably, hearing Sett tell him those words made his lower lip tremble, embarrassed to feel vulnerable at plain sight, Aphelios raised both hands covering his face, frustrated with himself for not being able to stop the silent tears once more. But this time, Sett wants to help him calm down, he affectionately caresses one of the hands that covers his cheek, inviting him to let his face be seen, he gently slides his fingers down the men's cheek, wiping away traces of tears, staining his thumb in the process, he locks his gaze into the men's dark eyes.

- We don't have to talk about this now, Phel... Now, I just care that you're here, you're alive.- Sett whispered with a melancholy tone mixed with a sweetness of longing, without breaking the gaze between the two. - And you're by my side, which is even better… - he added with a shy and warm smile.

Aphelios intersperses his gaze between Sett’s golden eyes, feeling the wet eyelashes brush against his fingers, unsure of what words to pronounce, he limits himself to nod slowly with his head giving him a shy smile barely curving the corner of his lips and allows himself to rest, closing his eyes to let the last tears accumulated in his eyes fall, tenderly resting his forehead with Sett’s, enjoying the warm touch, slowly starting to cease his tears and breath more calmly.

Sett watches him, squinting his eyes, secretly enjoying his beautiful features, remembering how he also used to admire those in the past, his dark eyelashes, his sharp profile, his pale skin, his reddish lips. The hybrid swallows hard, grieved at the last thought, during these years he had been so immersed in the conflicts of his loss that he had forgotten the little tingles that he had been beginning to feel in his heart when he shared his everyday life with him during his childhood and adolescence. Only then Sett was aware of his closeness, he realized that it only took a few more inches and he could join his lips together... But was it really right? Sett was getting carried away by the strong feeling he still felt for Aphelios, deep within his heart. Would it be a mistake if he did it then? The thoughts tortured Sett's mind as he lost himself in those thoughts. Blushing, Sett squeezed his eyes shut, frustrated at his own feelings.

Not knowing if it was good luck or bad luck, his sharpened auditory senses received the echo of Alune's footsteps approaching down the corridor. Embarrassed, Sett ends up slowly granting space between the two, breaking the small bond, Aphelios opens his eyes a little bewildered to feel how the redhead slides his hand away from him, not wanting to admit out loud that he wanted to keep him there longer.

The soft knocks on the door make Aphelios turn around, only then being surprised at how low his defenses were, used to keeping his senses on alert, it was a strange feeling, relaxing in such a tender hug, vulnerable. He wiped the remains of his cheeks by fleetingly frowning. The feeling of vulnerability was quite bittersweet.

- The food is almost done but...- Alune entered the room staying silent for a moment when she noticed that her brother had cried more but didn’t want to mention something about it.- Hm... I wanted to ask, Sett, do you think you can walk? - she asked a little shyly as she placed the crutch on her right side.

With a certain irony to the question, Sett momentarily smiled in a nostalgic way when remembering the humor of the twin, after a short laugh, the half vastaya took a deep breath and first tried to sit up straighter on the bed, letting out soft breaths between low grunts, looking at the worried face on both twins, Sett dedicated both a timid smile showing a fang.

- More or less, I'm not sure.- Sett replied carefully, holding his abdomen, clenching his teeth at the sudden movement.

- You heal faster than a normal human but you also don't heal stupidly fast either. At least, you woke up earlier than I thought, that’s for sure.- Alune commented, squeezing her lips as she made a soft sound of thought, almost examining him with her gaze.

- Well, Lunie, there's a reason I'm only half vastaya.- Sett remarked unconsciously lowering only one ear against his head while the other ear was held high, noticing the smiles of the twins he arched an eyebrow confused. - What? -

- It's nothing, I forgot that your ears could do that.- Alune commented while her brother nodded in the same way with soft nostalgic laughters.

Even though it was a good memory, mentioning something about the past immediately left the atmosphere tense, Sett tried to smile a little but he couldn't help but avert his gaze scratching the back of his head uneasy at the comment, it gave him too much awareness of the time that had passed, eight years was quite some time. Even though he had told Aphelios it was not necessary to talk about it at this very moment, the questions kept piling up in Sett's mind, not only why the twins' disappearance had happened in the first place, more than anything, what things had changed in these eight years? What has happened since then? He can admit that has also changed, so many years can change anyone. That fleeting thought created a certain hint of fear in Sett’s heart.

Sett knew he was fond of the twins, but a lot of things have happened over several years. Sett knew that he had developed a certain deeper feeling towards Aphelios during his adolescence, even maybe in his childhood but that Aphelios was the boy from eight years ago. Is he exactly like the person who is sitting in front of him? Or had he changed much more than Sett could have imagined? He was worried about knowing the answers, uncertain if he really wanted to know them.

- Well, seeing that you still can't walk, I'd better bring trays for you to eat here, plus I'll bring you a crutch so you can try to get up later.- Alune explained with a softer tone trying to lighten the mood. - Would you help me, Phel? - she added, looking at his brother who got up nodding silently. - Wait here, we won't be long.-

Understanding the situation, Sett just nodded trying to show a smile, concentrating his gaze on the twin's back watching them leave the room, the redhead stared at the door for a few seconds, unsure of what to do, then sighed settling his back on the bed, now focusing his eyes on the ceiling, he ended up frowning uneasily, the room was quite cold, it felt empty and at the same time saturated, it was a strange feeling. 

Was it Alune's room, Aphelios' room, or was it a spare room? Was he at the twins' house then? That's what he assumed. Or was this some kind of hiding spot for them? The room was quite neutral, it was hard to tell. New questions came to Sett’s mind as he realized that, technically, he didn't know where he actually was, he knew who he was with and he saw that he was in a room at a certain height, but where was "here"? At least he felt that kind of questions could be a good start.

Sett diverted his gaze to his own body, seeing in detail the parts of the abdomen covered with bandage, feeling the affected area, as he rested his hand on the skin with reminiscent pain and a short memory revived in the hybrid's mind. The man who had stabbed him had died of a gunshot to the head just before he tried to murdered him. Sett remembers the silhouette of Aphelios. From that direction, he was sure it was him, the owner of the flicker light he saw on that building. He believed that he probably still owed the rescue to Aphelios even if they didn’t want to admit it, after all, he did save his life.

Time flows without Sett noticing, lost in his thoughts, his ears react before his mind, listening to Alune arrive at the door, again to his surprise, he doesn’t hear Aphelios's footsteps, even though he arrives in the room with his twin, the redhead is not able to hear even the slightest sound of breathing from him, Sett didn’t know whether to be surprised, terrified or worried, it was a strange mixture of the three.

Chapter Text

Maybe he managed to get lost in his thoughts before because of his empty stomach but now, Sett’s mind worked slightly better thanks to the food so the questions began to accumulate more fiercely than before. Impatient for answers, Sett kept his gaze fixed on the empty plate that laid on the tray in front of him, with Alune sitting on one side of the bed and Aphelios on the other, each one had already finished the small bowl that they brought with them, sharing a strange, tense but comforting meal together. Sett felt a bittersweet feeling in his heart at the mixture of emotions. Before speaking, Sett clears his throat getting the twins' attention, feeling the courage falter for a moment, the redhead keeps both ears up talking as confidently as possible.

“Uh... Can I ask where exactly are we? Is this your house or something like that?” the question ended up coming out with an insecure tone, noticing how the twins shared a look. Sett hoped for that to be a gentle question to start.

There was a moment of brief silence, for a second Sett thought maybe he rushed the questions too soon, but he couldn't help it. After so many years of endless nightmares of his useless research for the twins, Sett longed for answers more than anything or anyone at this moment. He really hoped he could get honest answers without hurting the twins along the way, after all, even if Sett didn't know the origins of everything that had happened, nothing good could’ve come out of that red-tinged day. After the slightly short wait the girl spoke.

“Yes, it's our house, It’s just the two of us here so you don't have to worry about other people, not many others know that we live here either.” Alune replied calmly trying to ensure the tranquility of the redhead.

The honest answer and the comfort information gives Sett a moment to think further, more calmly, he thinks of his new possible questions. He takes a look around, feeling a strange sentiment of familiarity mixing with curiosity towards the room’s scent and ambience even if he has never been here before.

“Cool. Great... Uh and this is…” Sett hesitated thoughtfully watching the room while  somehow uncertainly pointed to his surroundings.

“Oh, you're in Phel's bedroom.”Alune replied with a small smile, suppressing a small funny laugh when she saw how a fleeting emotion of nervousness was reflected on both Aphelios’s and Sett’s faces, the last one trying not to get struck by the sudden realization.

“That's cool, nice- I mean, It’s kinda cozy. It's comfortable, you know, thanks Phel.” Sett cleared his throat and commented with a little nervous smile, somewhat embarrassed watching as Aphelios nodded in silence with a thin blushing over his cheeks. 

Deep down, Sett regrets not having enjoyed the scent of the sheets more before waking up disoriented, he really remembered having a thought about the nice scent of the place before waking up but he was too many hours unconscious to enjoy that much. He spent more time out that he would’ve wanted. That thought brings him a quick idea that creates some concern in his gaze.

“Shit Phel, I was knocked out after I was stabbed. Did you bring me here all by yourself?” Sett asked, suddenly realizing his last memories before losing consciousness, seeing as he nodded indifferently, Sett blinked surprised, laughing incredulously. “How did you do it? No offense but I’m kinda heavy.” he added, still stunned. 

“You'd be surprised how strong Aphelios can be.” Alune commented laughing a little while her brother looked at her frowning embarrassed with the blushing still painting his cheeks. “What? You are! You managed to carry him all the way here. I was a little surprised myself, we were lucky It wasn’t that far.”

Wait, what? Sett paused for a moment. The response is innocent and honest, though It carries some information that Sett didn’t know, he couldn't help but change the course of his thoughts and ask a different question. 

“Wait. How far are we from the bar where everything happened?” Sett frowned, slightly puzzled by that statement.

“It wasn't that close either. I guess it was about ten minutes away by car.” Alune replied, uncertain of her own calculation, she was going to elaborate more until she noticed the impact on the hybrid's face “Sett?”

Sett would really like to mask his reactions better, but at the moment he was like an open book of emotions and that's because, within all the storm of feelings that Sett was experiencing, he forgot to realize that the twins were in the same city as him. They were in the same city and he didn't know this whole time? Since when? How did he not hear about them before? Did they never cross paths or did the twins avoid meeting other people? How did he never see any of them on the streets? How many times could they have crossed paths by chance? New fears and confused questions haunted his mind once again. Sett pressed his lips in a thin line, uneasy, surrendering to let out his worries.

“I know I said earlier we didn't have to talk much about this right now but-” Sett started talking looking at Aphelios’s curious glance. “But I need you to explain something to me, even if it's a part of it. I can't just, dance in blissful ignorance and accept you're back as if nothing had happened, as if I hadn't missed you for eight fucking years.” he breathed a sorrowful laugh. “I'm very grateful that you saved me, really. You know I’m crazy happy to see you two, knowing that you're alive and all but I need you to tell me something, anything, because in any way I could’ve imagine I would find you, being saved by Phel by shooting dead the guy who played dirty on me in a creepy alley, was the last idea that crossed my mind, in all this time, to say the least.”

The hybrid spoke quickly, trying not to laugh bitterly at himself for the way the words were coming out of his mouth but he could no longer stand the questions and crazy theories he had been thinking about since the second his stomach was satisfied and all of his energy was restored. Each thought crazier than the last, Sett longed for an answer to clear his mind. The demand for information didn’t take the twins by surprise, beyond that, in the gestures of both Sett could read more sorrow and shame than anything, even sadness, Sett swallowed hard, slightly sad to notice how Aphelios hid his gaze under this dark bangs, hiding from the amber eyes that pierced his soul.

“I- I went to your house the day after the uh…” Sett muttered remembering that cursed day that plagued his nightmares, thinking that maybe that would help guide the answers.

“Your what?” Alune interrupted him before Sett could find the exact word to address the murder of the twins' parents.

Alune opened her eyes surprised at the same time as Aphelios, both turned to look directly at the half vastaya, in a mixture of sadness and shock, Aphelios still had the distant memory of those last messages that he could never respond to a promise he broke with him

“Phel never answered my messages, he told me that we would meet the next day but he never answered. I texted you but nothing happened. I was worried none of you answered the messages so I went to your house that afternoon and sneaked inside…” Sett spoke in sorrow, he still felt affected by what he saw but the twin's face caught his attention, they seemed to be still stunned, even a little upset. “What?”

“Why did you do that? Sett, that was incredibly dangerous. No one saw you, right? They didn’t see you, right?” Alune was trying to control the altered sound in her tone but Sett's ears were pricked up listening to every emotion in her voice.

“I told you I was worried.” Sett insisted, offended. “I didn't know anything about you, couldn't communicate with you. What did you want me to do?” he added in his defense, raising his tone causing the twin to waver in her annoyance showing more sadness by averting her gaze. Sett sighed, regaining his composure. “But no, none of the cops saw me.” 

“I'm not talking about the cops.” Alune clarified sorrowfully hugging herself, Sett just looked at her confused, not understanding the sudden darkness in the twin's tone.

‘Did you happen to see people in white or black suits around the house?’ Aphelios caught the attention of the half vastaya gesticulating that question to which Sett denied even more confused. ‘Tall people, with golden details and solar symbols on their clothes.’ he elaborated more but again the opposite shook his head. ‘There was no one like that, only policemen. Are you sure there was no one else?’ 

“No. Just two cops... Two days after that, your case was on the news, they said it was a terrible family murdered from an assault gone wrong or something like that. They showed a supposed culprit soon after but I knew it was all bullshit.” Sett continued to speak more determinedly, remembering frustrated the days when he would watch the news blatantly lie. “That day… I only saw the dead bodies of your parents, I didn’t know what happened with you two, for a while I even thought that Alune was…” Sett cut off his words in a sorrowful silence, swallowing the lump in his throat before he continued. “I felt the scent and saw so much blood but I didn't see your bodies. Even the cops mentioned something about missing people, there was no trace of Aphelios's scent either so I just focused myself on wanting to believe that you were alive... At least I'm happy that I was right on that.” 

Both twins listened in silence to the detail that the hybrid spoke while he remembered about those sad memories, the three tried to maintain a calmer countenance trying to avoid tears to continue the conversation.

“Besides our parents... I'm sure most of the blood was mine, Phel saved me that day.” Alune began to detail, catching Sett’s attention. “The man in suits, the solar symbols... The Solari have been watching us for a long time, they've been waiting for an opportunity... They wanted to corner Aphelios and they needed me to function as bait.”

Despite the years, those words still carried a strong emotional weight that slightly broke the twin's tone when mentioning the topic, Alune breathed for a moment averting her gaze to her own lap, carefully stroking her right leg. Sett swallowed tensely, beginning to understand where the story was going. Aphelios kept his head down, guilt manifesting as his own emotional weight, always reminding himself of his sister's words to comfort him. You didn't know that would happen that night. None of this is your fault. Remember that you saved my life. It's not your fault.

“They hurt me very badly, they shot me and destroyed my ankle, I-I managed to hide thinking that I had saved myself but it was just a sadistic cat and mouse game. It was part of their plan so that Aphelios could find me to take him to Diana, our... Aunt... Leaving me on the verge of death was just part of their plan, they didn’t care if it was Aphelios or both of us as a team... They didn't expect me to survive, I guess they expected him to arrive later.” Alune concluded, the girl finished narrating that part of the story, pressing her lips in a sorrowful smile to the hybrid who was listening in shock.

“Why the fuck would they do that? Who are the Solari?” Sett blinked, frowning with range raising in his chest, listening to the story only gave him a clue but he wanted to push harder, to understand everything.

Alune looked at her brother for a moment, as if she were pleading with her gaze, Sett focused his attention on the men who pressed his lips hugging himself frustrated, thinking a few short seconds, he ended agreeing with a slow nod, giving her permission so that Alune could continue with the other part of the story.

“Phel always... he insisted that we wouldn't tell you the truth.” Alune started with uncertainty.

“Phel?” the sudden confession surprised the half vastaya looking for his gaze while he just avoided his golden eyes.

“And I think he was right. It was for your own good.” Alune continued sorrowfully focusing the attention of the redhead back on her, uncertain where to start, she pressed her lips for a moment. “The Solari family is a hitman organization... As well as the family of the... Lunari.” she admitted in a bitter tone. “We are all that is left of their offspring, trained as a team for the... Missions, assassination missions.” she added with restriction in her voice at the last word as if she had mentally corrected herself before saying it out loud.

“Hitman organization?” Sett repeats the word out loud, swallowing a little hard, frowns for a moment and understands why their paths crossed due to the murder of the man who stabbed him. “So, the man who was murdered when Aphelios saved me…”

“It was one of our targets.” Alune replied, smiling at him regretfully with a heavy sigh. “Sett, we shouldn't be telling you these things. It's dangerous.” the twin regrets her previous determination, worried at the red haired man's tense gesture, finding traces of worry, confusion and fear in his eyes.

“Alune, with all due respect, I don't give a fuck that this is dangerous.” Sett breathes an incredulous laugh. “I want to understand, I want the truth... Is that why you didn't approach the others when we were kids?” Sett makes a short pause, he is eager for answers but he wants to get the story on track, he notices the indecisive gesture of Alune but she proceeds.

“It wasn't exactly that we weren't allowed to get close to others, as long as they didn't know anything about our personal life but It was just easier to just not create any bonds, our parents were very clear about that.” Alune begins to explain while resting both hands playing with each side on her own lap. “We knew our training wasn’t going to allow us to have a very normal life. It was difficult to be close to other people lying to them all the time, we tried to keep a line so we wouldn’t get too attached, well, at least, that was the idea.” Alune smiles nostalgically looking sideways at her brother who averted his gaze trying to hide the slight blush on his face. “Before we knew it, you were our friend.”

Sett couldn't help but look in the same way at Aphelios who was more embarrassed to feel the half vastaya's gaze on him. It was true, they didn't want to cling to someone in that way but it was Aphelios who approached him first, letting himself be carried away by his warm presence, looking for his friendship, clinging longingly to the only person besides his sister with whom he liked to be, with time even realizing certain different emotions, beginning to fear that he liked his company in a different longing that made his heart beat loudly.

“Then why didn't you tell me anything back then? You know I would never tell anyone else.” Sett questioned breathing for a moment, digesting all the information that filled in the blanks.

‘I was afraid that our parents would notice and consider you a danger or that you would be too worried or worse... That you were afraid of us…’ Aphelios took the word by gesturing with both hands, sighing a little after faltering with the last part of the sentence.

“So you didn't trust me to tell me the truth. All the times you were busy, you two were actually training? You just lied to me about everything?” Sett’s questions didn’t come out with a tone of annoyance or any trace of anger, just concern and genuine intrigue, longing for information.

‘No Sett, you don't understand, we didn't want to lie to you but…’ Aphelios tried to explain himself quickly, feeling guilty about it, trying to keep those questions from digging into his heart.

“But we lied to him.” Alune interrupted him sorrowfully, keeping the seriousness. “And it was for your own good Sett, we were being trained to murder human beings, we knew our family could have enemies and believe me, some nights you wouldn’t even have slept knowing how we were training. It wasn’t a nice life and we weren’t going to impose that on you, we couldn’t bear it if we had put you or your Mother in danger.” she sentenced at the end looking at the half vastaya noticing how he lowered his gaze in frustration, pressing his lips, not knowing what to say.

Sett clenched both hands uneasily, trying not to form fists, trying to understand the twins' point of view despite how hurt he felt, he didn't want to speak impulsively and end up in an argument, still, the whole explanation seemed like fiction to him, if it wasn't because Aphelios had already shot someone in front of him, it would be harder for him to believe that they were really telling him the truth but the story was plausible. He himself has witnessed all kinds of illegal interactions in the space of fights under the restaurant. The OwlyCat had many shady things going on besides the fight’s bets but contract killers were much more implausible today, at least on the illegal level in which Sett had been involved until now. He doubted that they were lying to him at this point, it wasn't necessary.

The information continued to overwhelm him even though Sett tried to focus on the happiness he felt in his heart for the sudden reunion but there were too many revelations that began to answer questions that he had for years, that didn’t take away the fact that it was overwhelming. A little tired, Sett rested his elbows on the blankets so he could rest his forehead on the bridge he created between the fingers of both hands, keeping his gaze fixed on his own lap.

“I’m truly sorry Sett, it was very dangerous for you to approach us from the very beginning.” Alune took up the word again, pressing a sorrowful look on her face. “It was very selfish of us to approach you from the very beginning…” she added lower, rephrasing, uncertain of her own words.

“Don't say that.” Sett raised his head and hurried to speak before the twin elaborated her comment. “You two were my best friends growing up. What's wrong with that? You were the reason my childhood was no more difficult or shity than it already was outside my Ma’s home... So would it’ve been better to stay away and that we’d never crossed a word then?” Sett asked, offended and sad at the same time, feeling bad with himself for the way he had burst out because of Alune’s small murmur that easily reached his vastayan ears.

Silence took over the room again, this time with a greater density in the air, none of the twins knew what to answer and the waiting caused a small twinge that grew in the hybrid's heart. Alune would half-open her lips, waiting for the words to come from her but she was uncertain, torn between responsibility and personal feelings, not only with her friendship for the redhead but also for the meaning she always knew he had for her brother, even if he did not realize, she always saw beyond the simple friendly relationship that Sett and Aphelios shared. Yes, the three of them were always friends but she realized quite quickly growing up that her twin was developing dangerous feelings that ended up causing him great pain when they both disappeared for the murder of their parents. 

Not knowing him would have saved him from a certain level of pain, does it make a difference? And if it does, is it for the better or for the worse? Alune pressed her lips together in a thin line, uneasily, feeling unable to answer.

The wait was torturing Sett, starting to wonder if he really wanted to hear an answer, he ended up averting his gaze once the girl didn’t dare to speak. It wasn’t if not until both heard a click resonate calling their attention, Alune and Sett turned to see Aphelios who was snapping his fingers for the third time to attract attention to him and raise both hands to be able to communicate, deep down he wanted to talk but the lump in his throat threatened to make him sob again if he dare to talk it out loud.

‘I'm sorry.’ he began slowly at first, almost causing the red haired man's heart to stop. ‘I’m sorry but I don't regret being selfish in this, with his friendship. I don’t regret the time we spent together.’ Aphelios paused for a moment watching the sorrowful gesture of his twin who still felt bad for not being able to respond. ‘We have never been able to be selfish Alune, we could never long for anything... Approaching Sett that day and becoming close friends with him have been practically the only decision we’ve made on our own.’

Aphelios’s hands seem to hesitate for a few seconds while he tried to organize his own thoughts, regretfully remembering the selfish decision to go that day to the house of half vastaya, nostalgia that gave him certain chills through horrible memories, watching the expectant faces in front, Alune seemed to have the words caught biting his tongue, she knew that she wasn’t completely okay with this, even though in the past it was she who wanted to be honest with half vastaya, after the attack, her determination was completely focused on his brother and Aphelios also understood how dangerous it was to stay close to Sett, who by the way, seemed not to be able to disguise very well the taste he felt for interpreting those words, with slightly dilated pupils, the hybrid was watching him slightly blushing with both attentive ears, catching Aphelios off guard with the tender look.

Aphelios cleared his throat for a moment trying not to give in to the blush that affected his own face after seeing such a sweet gesture. Taking advantage of the silence of the place, Aphelios tried to use his voice before his sister continued talking so he could manage to talk out loud the crazy idea that was taking form in his mind.

“I know technically I didn't turn out well in the past when I was kind of selfish but now it's different.” Aphelios established determined by speaking as loudly as he could, noticing how the hybrid's ears swayed before his voice, making him suppress a small tender heartbeat. “I-I was thinking.., that maybe, this time, we can keep this little secret about your knowledge about our family… In exchange for your silence about our secret too.” Aphelios explained focusing all his hopes on the redhead sparkle in his life he so much longed for, trying to figure out a way so they don’t have to be separated again, at least, not if they could manage to keep the secret between the three of them.

Although Aphelios' words were not exactly what Sett was expecting, he easily accepted. Deep down he began to feel a certain naivety for thinking that the situation could have been easier, after all the twins were involved in a much more serious and dangerous context than he could’ve even have thought of. He himself was involved in illegal encounters, the clandestine fights and violent encounters had meant staining his knuckles with blood many times but he understood the difference of his life with the complicated context that chained the twins to that path full of blood. 

He could not be a hypocrite here, after all there’s been situations where he went too far in his past during his fights. Ending someone's life with his bare hands, had happened before inside and outside the ring, unfortunately it wasn't a one time thing so he wasn’t anyone to judge the life of any of the twins. 

Sett wanted to get closer to them again. He wanted to get closer to Aphelios again and if the only way was keeping each other's acknowledgment as a secret in this verbal contract, then he was going to accept it. They can be in each other’s lives but Sett must not say a single word to anyone about the twin’s truth and the twins must not let the higher commands know about Sett’s knowledge and true involvement in their lives.

There was only one small fact that Sett had not yet fully understood with the previous conversation though. He now understood the secret trainings and why the twins' family were involved in a hitman system, It wasn’t the first time he had met people close to that field since he became involved in the dark side of the city, illegal fights weren’t the only black market work that took place under the shadows of the bar-restaurant, even though hitmen were less frequent to encounter, Sett understood the very plausible reality of it. 

However, when Alune got to the point of explaining that they were currently under the command of the Solari, Sett's brain became a mess.

“Wait, What? But they murdered your parents. Why the fuck would you work for them?” Sett responded, profoundly confused, raising both hands trying to ask for time out while still processing Alune’s information while she was trying not to be too explicit with certain topics.

Sett didn’t feel good about using such direct words to ask about it but It was necessary to be clear about It, seeing the twins press their lips together in the same gesture at the same time gave him a certain hunch that it wasn’t exactly because of the words he used, but rather, the question itself, he left them both in silence. 

After a short minute, Sett connected the data inside his own mind, connecting the story and then, Sett felt his jaw tighten with rage at the realization.

“That's what you meant by the sadistic cat and mouse game, in the end... You were a bait to catch Aphelios… Those motherfuckers.” Sett deduced with simple words, clenching his fists, furious, sad. He breathed for a moment keeping calm watching the twins sorrowfully.

“Phel... He was meant to be the weapon of the Lunari and… They wanted that weapon so that it would never be used against them.” Alune finished with a certain darkness in her voice at the distant memory of those words being said to them.

The twins were aware of their parents' selfishness and obsession with revenge. They were being trained to follow their family’s hitman legacy, it even began to become clear to them over time that the possible confrontation with the Solari in the crazy vengeful plan of their parents was imminent, at least that was the plan that was imposed during all of their childhood. After everything that happened, losing their parents in a morbid murder, being torn from their family lineage, despite being chained to the rival family, the fate of the twins didn’t change, they were going to be used as the hitman team for which they were trained for anyway, Aphelios even thought that tragically, the only change was a different master but they kept the same chains around their necks fused with an illusion of adulthood freedom.

“They let us live here, without bothering us much. We achieved that deal after earning their trust over the years, of course we must continue fulfilling the missions, as long as there are no problems... We can maintain this facade of a normal life.” Alune added to her previous comment with some sad positivity in her voice, after all it was the best they could do within the conditions they were in and she always tried to keep the spirits up.

It wasn’t easy to negotiate with the Solari, the twins took quite a long time to gain Leona's trust through Diana and there were even several failed attempts previously that generated quite a lot of problems for them, especially when Aphelios couldn’t keep up with the brutal demands they had on them, their training was imposed on them with double or even triple difficulty, accelerating the process at a pace never seen before for the Solari, only this way, after much sacrifice and drowning out the reminiscent anger, they were able to get a small taste of freedom after their perfect mission’s performances, year after year of blind dedication, hushing every complaint, every wound they had was hidden far away of Aphelios’ target execution performance files. So, the efficiency was more than satisfied and trust was, sort of, rightfully earned. 

“We didn't know you lived here now Sett, that was quite a surprise.” Alune finally spoke with a small smile trying to bring to earth the hybrid who seemed a bit lost in his own thoughts when listening to her.

“Surprise, feels a little short.”  Sett replied, waking up from the mental trance, letting out a small smile showing a fang. “I'm happy, I truly am but I’m also... Overwhelmed but if they don't bother you that's why you can have me here now, right?” he asked uneasily. “Then, they mustn’t know that I’m here or could spend time here.” Sett added, thoughtful for a moment.

After thinking about all the information that was being handed to him, there was a little new doubt that was being created in Sett's heart. He didn't want to let the twins go after finding them like this. He knew they were alive, that they were here. But how could he pretend ignorance for the greater good for everyone? The very idea created a new anguish in his heart. As if Aphelios could read the concern on his face, he raised both hands to get his attention and continue with his previous idea.

‘It's not exactly the best option to have you inside the house, They don’t come to check on us very often so it's technically fine that you’re here as long as no one knows you're here or follow you here…’  Aphelios hands desisted for a moment, thoughtful at his own words, he took a second before resuming. ‘And also... We don't need to pretend we don't know each other after this... We can meet again, with caution.’ 

Aphelios looked at him quietly reflective in his own thoughts, after all it wasn’t as if he had no acquaintances outside the field that governed his life, he had certain acquaintances, even his twin could claim to have one or two friends, only that they kept everyone at a certain distance to minimize possible suspicions or problems, they weren’t exactly allowed inside the house, at least, not in the basement and, clearly, they have zero knowledge of the twins’ reality. Aphelios communicated those words naturally but when he saw how the Sett's face lit up with tenderness and gratitude, raising both ears showing his excitement about the idea that he could keep seeing him in the future. Aphelios avoided his gaze, feeling the blush creeping into his cheeks, feeling his heart beating when noticing that tender gesture that seemed like a cheerful puppy.

‘Not very often, though.’ Aphelios added moving his hands quickly feeling embarrassed with nervousness trying to hide the blush of his face.

“Oh what?” Sett pouted a little, surrendering with a sigh. “I guess I get it.” Sett murmured, calming the feelings of sudden happiness that was suddenly piling up with hope.

“Sorry Sett, we can admit that we know each other but no one should find out that we know too much about each other's life, it would be worrying if that information got to the ears of some Solari or put Phel in danger during the missions.” Alune explained sorrowfully adding to her brother's information. “We can get together here tho, you're welcome in this house anytime there isn’t a Solari in the area which, luckily, is most of the time since the last years thanks to our good behavior.” she added hopeful with a bittersweet tone at the end.

“Don’t be sorry, I think I understand, really.” Sett hurried to answer smiling regretfully raising both hands. “But at least that means we can see each other from time to time, right? Even more if it’s not in public places, right?” the last questions escaped him with a small tone of prayer, sorrowfully he cleared his throat, he had no intentions of sounding like that but his heart gave him away.

“Well, yes, that’s what I meant.” Alune instinctively replied in a warmer tone, no matter how worried she was, she was quite happy to see him again. “Besides, you're still hurt and actually we were thinking you could stay here for the night.”

A hand on her shoulder interrupts her and Alune turns to her back to see her brother who, as always so silent, seeks her attention for a moment making her arch a curious eyebrow, quickly thinking about what he would like to say, the twin sighed a little heavy.

“Phel, we've already talked about this.” Alune spoke quickly trying to make his brother desist but he frowned continuing to use his own words.

‘But he's hurt and it won't take just one night for him to fully recover.’ Aphelios insisted, gesticulating quickly with both hands.

Sett blinked a little surprised to be left out of the conversation that turned out looking like a light argument that seemed to be taking place between the twins, he could swear that if Aphelios used his voice, he would have raised the tone, he seemed a slightly annoyed while the girl pressed her lips restless and obstinate.

“It's still a little dangerous, It could be…” Alune replied keeping her gaze fixed on her brother who gave her a gesture of indifference before moving both hands again making her sigh. “I know Phel. I know It’s a Solari free area around here lately like I said before but we could be tempting our luck too much with a long stay.” she added explaining the origin of her uncertainty that eclipse her shiny positivism. 

‘It’s more dangerous to send him home alone and injured.’ Aphelios insisted again without giving in to his sister's concerns, trusting in finally using their false freedom for something.

They both looked at each other stubbornly for a few seconds, Sett quickly understood that they seemed to be discussing the time of his stay, for a moment he couldn't help but feel afflicted and frustrated, he didn't like worrying others like that, much less being a burden or a problem. Did he want to leave soon? No, of course not, if it were up to him from now on he wouldn't let Aphelios out of his sight. At least that's what he wished in the depths of his heart with those shameful reminiscent feelings that seemed to have revived the second he saw him again. Did he want to feel like a burden? Hell no. But he really couldn't get up, couldn’t even walk yet, he could barely move right to get settled in bed, it was clear that just one night wouldn't be enough for him to be able to walk around, he would be vulnerable if by any chance the allies of the man who tried to kill him appeared at some point. 

And internally, Aphelios blames himself to some extent for Sett feeling that weight by being vulnerable due to the wound, getting upset with himself for having frozen at the moment the redhead was stabbed, thinking about what would’ve happened if he had acted on the necessary instinct to block emotions, perhaps if he had shot in time Sett wouldn’t be injured, he couldn’t help but tortured himself with those questions.

Alune seemed to read his thoughts with every glance. It wasn’t necessary for Aphelios to communicate with words, she could denote guilt in his gaze and those deep eyes that always looked for her for support, sometimes she got frustrated with the guilt that Aphelios let himself be held on his shoulders, ruminating in his thoughts every night, no matter how many times she repeated; It's not your fault. Rarely seemed to provide greater relief.

Without any further solution, giving in to the look that begged for her understanding, Alune sighed in surrender finally turning to the half vastaya who raised both ears waking up from his own thoughts to listen carefully.

“How long do you think it would take you to get better?” Alune asked in a mixture of sweet and serious tone, somehow demanding more accurate information.

The question took the redhead by surprise, after all he would think that they would give him a deadline at that very moment, it gave him a certain warmth that the girl stirred up the situation in the most empathetic way possible.

“Uh... I think that…” Sett began to mumble as he checked himself thoughtfully, touching his sides carefully. “Maybe six, five days I guess, I should be as good as new before a week.” Sett replied more confidently, turning his gaze back to the twins.

Aphelios nodded and then looked at his twin, waiting for the girl's approval, after all they had previously discussed the matter when they went to get the food but without concrete information about the amount of time and Alune’s light anxiety, the girl was reluctant to accept the hybrid in an indefinite time but now with a more concrete idea, she couldn’t refuse the idea and allowed herself to be more positive and certain about their safety.

“Okay, five days.” Alune determined without further comments, in the face of the silent response, she decided to add. “You can stay here with Phel, I guess you two can share his room, I think we have an air mattress somewhere…” she mumbled the last thing thoughtfully trying to remember since the last time it was used.

‘I think it's at the top of your closet.’ Aphelios replied watching as his sister smiled gratefully for the reminder.

“Thanks, Phel.” Alune smiled sweetly before resuming the conversation with Sett. “We’ll try to take care of you between the two of us but during the day I will be a little busy with the shop and Phel with the training, so maybe you’ll be left alone for several hours. Is that okay? You think you can manage?”

“You have a shop?” it was the first question that escaped Sett's lips, unintentionally ignoring the questions he had been told. 

“Well, yes, it's just a facade and kinda works like a cash income sometimes but mostly it helps to distract me a lot.” Alune admitted laughing a little shyly as she played with her long hair between her fingers. “It’s just a small natural pharmacy with a side flower shop, I needed the input of some ingredients and this way I can do the shopping legally without problems but I must admit that it is quite nice to also keep the store well attended and all.” she added in a tender way trying not to be too enthusiastic about it, clearing her throat a moment later to keep her composure calm.

Aphelios smiled, moved by his twin's reactions. There was a small detail that neither of them had calculated when they were allowed to have this small illusion of freedom. Both had resigned themselves since childhood to doing their job for which they were trained but neither had questioned beyond because they didn’t know anything else but now, Alune had found more happiness than she could ever think of in a relaxing job that should only function as a facade, she often tended to daydream during her working hours, that this was here whole life, a quiet and monotonous lovely life, away from any harm and murder obligations.

Then she always wakes up from that daydream once the store closes and she comes to reality, devoting herself to the hitman missions, studying and manufacturing Nocturm pills in addition to other healing concoctions for her brother.

“Huh, that's great actually.” Sett replied calmly, surprised at the sudden situation but quite glad to hear the girl was so happy about it.

It would be a lie if Aphelios denied that he wanted to know more about Sett's life, he was too curious about what had happened all these years, he was felt sorry to know that there was not much he could tell the half vastaya about himself but he would do what he could to be able to answer his questions, after all he would feel much worse being the only one who heard about the whole life of the other person, without contributing anything about himself.

But for now? Aphelios wanted to let him rest, he didn't want to overwhelm him even more after everything they’d talked about, with the night almost catching up to them, the twins decided to start getting the air mattress ready on the floor of Aphelios' room, on the side of the bed, Sett watched as they both prepared everything, however, he couldn't help but feel slightly nervous when Alune specified that it was time for everyone to rest by leaving the room. Sett was prepared to change beds thinking the mattress arranged on the floor was for him but it was Aphelios who sat on the inflatable bed settling on the blankets.

“Phel? You should use your bed, you're not going to sleep on the floor of your own room.” Sett commented embarrassedly, leaning slightly to see the man who shook his head.

‘You're hurt. I don't mind you occupying my bed in the meantime.’ Aphelios replied quickly without leaving more space for Sett to continue arguing.

Sett had to bite his tongue not to continue insisting, he didn't have too many arguments considering that he could barely settle into the same bed he was lying on. So, once he handed Aphelios the pajamas that were under the pillow, he stayed silent to wait for the man to come back from changing at the bathroom and when he saw him come back, Sett wondered, had he always looked this adorable in comfortable clothes? 

Aphelios returned to the room with a black pajama pants that covered him up to the feet by the length, while the short-sleeved shirt managed to slip down one of his shoulders showing that pale skin that generated certain unruly feelings in the heart of the redhead, Sett didn’t notice but kept his gaze fixed on the man, Aphelios confused by the silent observation, arched a curious eyebrow while sitting on the floor mattress.

‘Do I have something on my face?’ Aphelios asked, amused to notice how the hybrid was blinking regretfully finally coming to himself.

“No, no. Nothing.” Sett replied quickly laughing a little nervously realizing how he had lost himself in his thoughts. “Hm, are you sure you'll be fine sleeping there?” he asked the first thing that crossed his mind, noticing the inquisitive look in response, he laughed again somewhat shyly. “Sorry for insisting.” he added without retracting his previous question.

Aphelios sighed for a moment giving him a small smile which instantly spread to the redhead's face, Sett loved to see how he seemed to be more relaxed, after all the moment of tension and reunion, he knew he should rest but deep down, that little longing to stay by his side clung to his heart and screams to be heard since they crossed their fingers a few hours earlier, he longed to feel his warm touch against him. In some way It was a constant reminder for Sett, that he was real, that he was here, by his side.

Taking in some courage, Sett pressed his lips together, doubting if what he was going to say would sound strange but he didn't lose anything by trying, maybe changing beds wasn't exactly what he was looking for. After swallowing nervously, he dared to speak, before Aphelios finished settling between the blankets.

 “How about .., we share the bed? I'm sure there's room here for you too.” Sett asked, slowly raising his tone with tenderness, unsure if the question was correct.

Aphelios stopped halfway to lying down, turning around in the same place as he looked at Sett blinking surprised, again arching an eyebrow in confusion and even, perhaps, the hybrid managed to see a small blush trying to subtly adorn the man's cheeks. At the confused and slightly embarrassed look, Sett felt his heart go crazy for a second.

“Don't ya remember all those times we shared a bed together? I even shared my bed with ya and Alune the times she stayed at my house, all those sleepovers and stuff.” Sett tried to explain himself quickly trying to keep subtle the tone of the high nervousness that insisted on being transparent in his voice and crouched ears.

‘Yes, when we were like twelve years old.’ Aphelios replied quickly, to his bad luck moving his hands too fast so he had to repeat it slower, averting his gaze a little embarrassed at the subtle memories in his mind.

At the answer Sett breathed a proud and obstinate laugh, resting the elbow of his right arm on the edge of the bed to lean more to his side, resting the head on his palm with a cocky smile of half pride on his face.

“Hey, don't lie to me, ya stayed at my house and we share a bed like until we were like fifteen or so.” Sett protested pointing at himself without wasting time on the answer making Aphelios turn around in a second, this time making his blush much more visible as the blush also took a little space in his ears. 

Cute, Sett thought fleetingly in silence.

Realizing what Sett had said out loud, like very loud, almost proud of himself, made the faces of both men reddened strongly in a second, Aphelios blinked surprised, pressing his lips without being able to deny the reality, even if it was the truth. Why was he so embarrassed to admit it or hear it from him? 

Sett wanted to be swallowed up by the earth, sink into the blankets and disappear. Even if what he had said was true then why did it seem to denote some involvement in the situation? They only shared his bed to sleep, nothing unusual for two friends, yes of course, sometimes Aphelios could have used an air mattress at Sett's house back then but they were so used to it by then that they didn't take it into account. Right? Thinking back, the hybrid thought that perhaps he had also insisted on the fact that they were used to it back then, as if he didn’t want to let go of the precious moment of resting next to him. Did they wake up sometimes hugging? Yes, sometimes.

Normal things between friends, they both were trying to think at the same time. Innocent moments that were treasured in the mind of a nascent denial of feelings that both kept hidden in their hearts even when so many years had passed by. Sett cursed a little between his teeth scratching the back of his neck embarrassed and frustrated by the sudden nervousness in his body, messing up his hair abruptly as he watched Aphelios breath a short laugh from what he saw.

“Don't think about weird things. Ok? Just come here, you'll sleep better than on the floor.” Sett commented obstinately averting his gaze in a small frustrated pout while carefully settling more to the side of the bed to make room for him.

The absence of sound no longer gave clues to the hybrid, he was already more than aware that he seemed to be unable to perceive the man's movements, he looked at him for a moment without turning around, blushing again when he noticed that Aphelios haven't made any movement, static in the same position as before, Aphelios was blinking incredulously, a gesture that only increased the embarrassment in Sett’s voice and face.

“Look, if ya don't want to, it's fine.” Sett spoke again regretfully, trying to lighten the pressure if he had created any with what was said above. “But I feel bad for taking the bed away from ya so suddenly, okay? Especially since after your mission and... saving me and all, ya must be tired too.” he added explaining himself, trying to speak calmer due to the honesty of his words, putting aside his own longing, he didn't want Aphelios to have a bad rest because of him.

Sett kept his gaze fixed at the foot of the bed, trying not to regret too much the embarrassment that had just happened due to the crazy question that escaped from between his lips. Just when Sett turns around thinking that Aphelios had resigned himself to lying on the mattress, his vastaya's ears perk up in surprise at seeing him climb on the bed next to him. 

For a brief moment, neither of them says anything, they remain silent and Sett listens to the subtle sounds that resonate in the room, the light creaking of the wood in the house, his own breathing, his slightly accelerated heartbeat, the sheets sliding over Aphelios' pajamas. Sett watches him support his body carefully, once his legs are covered, he keeps his torso elevated for a moment, leaning with his forearm on the bed, Aphelios pressed his lips for a second. Sett's arms were bigger than he had considered. Would it be okay if he settled by his arms under the pillows with one beneath him? Aphelios was wondering about the redhead's comfort due to his injuries. Yes, surely that, because it's definitely not Phel's brain trying to come up with a credible excuse to stop the hybrid's arm before he lifts it up to give him more space.

“It's okay like this… If it’s okay with you I mean.” Aphelios murmurs in a shy tone keeping his gaze down on his figure, waiting for him to understand the shy plea.

Sett's ears arch slightly, surprised by the sudden use of his voice, always well received, one of his secret longings, well, the truth wasn’t secret but Aphelios let him think that it was so, after all Aphelios always registers the slightest movement in the ears of the redhead demonstrating happiness, they easily betray him before his eyes.

“It's okay.” Sett repeats, trying to keep his voice at ease, failing miserably as the eagerness is noticed in his tone of voice.

Luckily for him, Aphelios doesn't comment on it. Sett stays silent, listening to the softness of the sheets as he slides deeper into the bed, still maintaining some distance, Aphelios lies on his side facing him while he places his hands between them, with his head resting between the pillow, the half vastaya's outstretched arm under his head and the warm blankets. That's more than okay, Sett thought in the back of his mind, enjoying the occasional brush of dark hair against his skin in the light movements.

Sett must lower his head a little to observe Aphelios’ dark eyes trying that this one doesn’t have to look up too much, he noticed that he was a little restless, just as he thought, it did not take long for Aphelios to mumble, speaking out his uneasy thoughts.

“Why aren't you afraid?” Aphelios asked without the courage to meet Sett’s eyes at the moment of speaking.

The question took him by surprise, Sett blinked for a few seconds in a silence that caused him to look away, squeezing his gaze. Was that the wrong question? Aphelios didn’t know very well how to communicate his concerns, despite not having narrated in detail the bloody life in which he was involved, the reaction of the redhead was much further away than he expected, far more calmed and understanding, he seemed to accept reality much better than he could’ve imagined, just thinking that Sett appreciated seeing him again above all the painful context, made his cheeks blush up to his ears.

“Why should I?” Sett replies, confused and stubborn.

“Sett.”

Sett achieves his goal and Aphelios raises his chin, crossing their gazes, Aphelios stays silent for a moment, shy to notice the determined eyes of the redhead, observing him with that strong golden glow so warm and so intense, before realizing, he cannot look away.

“You saw how I murdered that man…” Aphelios mutters trying to get a better answer. “Why aren't you afraid of..?” he dragged the words in a quiet murmur.

“Afraid of you?” Sett finished the question for him, Aphelios looked away for a second but came back to meet his eyes right away. “I could never be afraid of you... Even though it's a dangerous situation, I'm worried actually, I'm afraid for you... Not of you.” he clarified the last part softening his gaze. “The man who died in front of me, he's not the only person I've seen bleeding Phel... I've seen enough for myself too, that’s not a scenario that can scare the shit out of me ya know.”

At the clarification Aphelios opened his eyes slightly surprised, tried to suppress the soft blush he felt coming from the first words and concentrated on the second part of the sentence, he had assumed that the life of the hybrid had been relatively quiet since they disappeared from his life, perhaps it had been a very naive idea, not everyone witnessed or was involved in this kind of violence but not so many people could live an easy life either.

“How?” Aphelios asked impulsively, frowning for a moment as he reformulated the thoughts in his mind. “How has your life been since... For these eight years, so that.., have you also seen such things?”

The question slips from his lips before thinking, he didn’t wish to further overwhelm the man who was injured and surely very tired, however, contrary to his own concern, Sett smiles warmly, pleased to know that Aphelios wants to know more about him.

“It's hard to sum it all up but... My Ma had a little accident, she’s okay now but she lost her job back then, things were more difficult, we needed money so I focused on that.” Sett began to narrate calmly noticing how Aphelios arranged both clasped hands together to place them under his own cheek, attaching his arms closer to his body. “Also, after you guys disappeared, I got a little harsh with the poor devils who were looking for a fight with me.”

“I thought your mom didn't like you fighting.” Aphelios interrupted him confused.

“As I was saying.” Sett resumed smiling amused by the man's embarrassed gesture. “Ma was worried so I continued fighting but I hide it from her, training between the free time within those garbage jobs that gave me some cash, before I realized I gained some renown in street fights, part time jobs kinda worked but I couldn't deny that some bets gave me good extra coins, I wasn't good at managing my emotions with frustration but I was very good with these.” he explained clenching his fists with a proud smile.

Aphelios watched him in silence, sketching a curious look while denoting the muscles and large size of the redhead, now lying next to him, Aphelios couldn’t help but to notice even more the space he occupied on his bed compared to himself and Aphelios didn’t consider himself a short guy, he had a good muscularity for his training but Sett was on another level physically, he secretly wondered how much he had grown in all this time. When they were kids Aphelios barely had to lift his face, now, Sett seemed at least a head taller than him.

“That's how I got my ticket to the city.” Sett continued taking up the story. “A couple of years ago a guy found out about my fights, he wanted to hire me, it took me a while to accept since the job wasn't exactly legal.” he cough a sorrowful moment, smiling amused to see the slight smile on Aphelios’ face, after all, who was he to judge him for something illegal at this point.

“So, I started working in that bar-restaurant, the name is kinda funny if you ask me, thinking of all that happens under there. I do some work in the kitchen but my real business is in the fights’ bettings, there was good money there, enough to build my life here thanks to all my victories, gaining more and more over the years.” Sett continued the last in an air of arrogance, accustomed to naturalize his encounters, without major rules, no matter how violent they were, he was always the winner and that was what mattered to him, that and the large sum of money that entailed. “‘Course at the end of the day I send half or more to my Ma, that's always the most important part.”

In a way, the answer didn’t surprise him as much as Aphelios would’ve thought, he remembered the way Sett fought with the men back in the alley, it was impressive the way he seemed to almost dominate the situation despite being three against one, surely calculating that strength was why one of the men thought that carrying a knife would be the only possible advantage against him. Still, Sett had no intentions of murdering them. One could tell by the way he was punching to knock them unconscious. That very thought escaped from between Aphelios lips with curiosity.

“Even so, when I saw you fighting, you weren't fighting to kill.” Aphelios spoke slowly, tightening his lips a little as he realized that he had spoken out loud.

Sett looked at him surprised for a second, after all that wasn't a question, it was a statement, the half vastaya couldn't help but smile, nothing escaped him, he was beginning to understand why he was always so insightful with details in his teens years. 

“No, I don't usually fight to kill.” Sett replied calmly, smiling in an honest way. “But... There are times when things don't go exactly the way I want, as you saw in the alley…” he added, exhaling slowly. “There’s been some fights that could only end if it was just with me surviving even if that meant taking out a life with my own hands.”

The red haired man's gaze reflected a certain momentary pity and concern, if he appreciated him enough, Aphelios could even sense that there was some essence of anger or annoyance, some other emotion that made him fleetingly frown. Aphelios continued to observe him, wishing that he wanted to continue detailing more about the narrative he was giving him about his life but he didn’t feel sure to ask again, although the first question was well received, he was afraid to press too hard but for his luck, Sett spoke again.

“Luckily there haven’t been too many of those times, not more than one hand can count at least but I have felt someone else's life vanish in my hands.” Sett continued speaking in a raspy tone, observing one of his own hands between them, squinting his eyes while observing the slow movement he caused by rubbing his thumb with the other fingers. “Blood is quite difficult to remove from  boxing bandages but it was always the scent that disturbed me for longer, more than the image actually.” he added with a short and bitter laugh wrinkling his nose at the reminiscence of the essence.

Aphelios' gaze now took turns between appreciating the deep amber gaze and also noticing the small traces of scars along the sturdy hand of the half vastaya, he couldn't help but stay thinking about those last words, the blood and pain were always the part he disliked the most about his missions.

“It's very unpleasant, yes... That's why I prefer ranged weapons…” Aphelios muttered, again letting out the thoughts that were crossing his mind.

You can't distinguish the cries of pain from the distance either, Aphelios thought to himself, sometimes he is so fast that they don't even manage to scream due to the surprise shot, he was even efficient trying to minimize the path to death with other firearms in previous missions. However, there were times when he was cornered to use melee weapons. 

Aphelios was perfectly trained, he was able to win those encounters with greater or lesser difficulty of survival but he always tried to be with his senses numb with Nocturm when those moments came, he never liked to remember the sensations of going through the body of a human being, tearing it in the vital areas at the mercy of imminent bleeding, feeling the flesh tear apart. The last time he remembered to had no choice but to slit the target's throat, the sudden emergency without Nocturm, allowed him to feel every drop of spilled blood, every fiber tear apart. The nightmares were a complication for almost two weeks.

Was he weak then? Although they were mentalized to accept the circumstances from a young age, Aphelios never managed to get used to taking a person's life, no matter how routine it has become over the years, no matter how conflictual or corrupt the people designated as targets were, the knowledge that he was supposedly getting rid of people who weren’t exactly innocent, long ago stopped serving as consolation. 

For him, that was weakness, that frustrating upbringing managed to internalize itself in him, to his liking or dislike, he couldn’t stop interpreting those feelings as a weakness, an obstacle in his missions' survival.

Knowing it objectively, even so, he wasn’t able to rationalize it when the time came to use melee weapons, he always ending up avoiding those situations or giving in to the use of the Nocturm, whether it was necessary or not for the mission, he preferred to numb his emotions rather than continue facing scenarios that generated nightmares on long and stormy nights.

“Phel?” Sett's voice wakes him up from his thoughts.

Aphelios blinks, focusing his gaze realizing that, lost among his fleeting memories and silent reflections, he had cautiously slid both hands until he caught the red-haired man's hand, studying the scars while following the trail with his fingertips. Aphelios calms the abrupt jump that he feels resounding in his heart and tries to disguise his own surprise, observing him for a moment without turning away.

“Are these scars from those fights?" Aphelios whispered, slightly hiding his face in the pillow, secretly trying to stay calm despite keeping his warm touch between his fingers.

“Maybe, I honestly lost count, I forgot the origin of most of them.” Sett watches him squinting his eyes tenderly, the answer comes out of his lips in a hoarse whisper feeling the man's dark hair brush his arm that lies over the pillow.

Not knowing both hearts beat with the same force, they stay in the same position, Sett stays in his place, only slowly moving his fingers as Aphelios enjoys caressing the traces of each mark with his fingertips, the gentle tingling of his warm touch made it more difficult for the redhead to stay calm, a flash is created in his mind, a vivid longing to take Aphelios’ hands with his, shake him gently and attract him to his arms, close his eyes and just enjoy his warm touch clinging to him to rest. But Sett shuts up those longings, tightens his lips resignedly when Aphelios satisfies his momentary curiosity and withdraws both hands, returning to his previous position, resting these between the pillow and his cheek, squeezing gently.

“We can keep talking tomorrow, you should rest.” Aphelios looks away for a moment, as if he also didn’t want to accept that it was better to sleep at this hour of the night.

Nostalgic, Sett smiles sideways showing one of his fangs, he was still able to distinguish those subtle and fleeting gestures in him. As he adored those subtle reactions, each one made his heart beat in ways that he didn’t feel since the day of his loss, the hybrid never thought that he would feel that pleasant tingling again. Now he is taken by surprise by that warm emotion and having Aphelios so close, only increased the strength with which those feelings and longings began to pile up. 

“You're right.” Sett whispered back, using the hand that had been left free to take the blankets and cover both more, smiling as he noticed Aphelios’ dark hair ruffled by the gentle breeze. “Get some sleep.”

Sett smiles once more and Aphelios nods, closing his eyes drowsily due to the bed’s warmth, without waiting any longer and to Sett’s surprise, Aphelios is the first to fall asleep deeply, listening as his breathing deepened into a quiet echo, amber eyes watched him sweetly between the darkness of the night, enjoying his face immersed in tranquility. 

It doesn't take long for Sett to feel the dream to take him too, falling asleep next to him. As the night progresses, Sett’s fluffy ears shake gently while he sleeps between light dreams trying to rest, between fleeting moments of lucidity, he can't help but smile amused at the small snores that escaped from Aphelios who is sleeping soundly, slightly hunched cradling between the blankets and the warm body of the redhead.

After that sweet moment, Sett gives up the fleeting desire to hug him, to cradle him in his arms, even if it was over the blankets but again he shuts up that longing and takes a deep breath to try to continue sleeping. Apparently his subconscious wasn’t in agreement with his mind, repressing those short fanciful scenarios for the slightest chance of happening even though his mind continued to give him ideas.

While the hours continue in deep sleep, the sun rises enough as the hours pass to reach through the curtains. Slowly, the sun's rays reach to move around the room and Aphelios wrinkles his nose to feel the invasive yet very pleasing warmth on his body and face, he blinks trying to open his eyes, somewhat disoriented by the deep sleep, lethargic by the sudden awakening. When was the last time his eyelids came to weigh? As if they were begging for more time in the bed embrace. 

The sudden thought crosses Aphelios’ mind in sleepy confusion, he slightly frowns, half-opening his eyes, taking a deep breath while ducking his head managing to focus his gaze, getting more confused at the unknown weight over his hip. He can't help but blink a couple of times, embarrassed, surprised and static, not knowing how to react. 

It wasn't exactly the wrapping of the blankets that gave him warmth. 

It wasn’t so strange that he settled down to sleep so deeply being close to Sett’s embrace like he was but he didn’t think that it would happen like this, at some point during the night Aphelios thinks he may have turned his body to the side, turning his back on Sett and now he found himself waking up in Sett’s arms, wrapping him affectionately under the blankets, sliding his hand from his waist to rest on his abdomen, embracing him very slightly in his sleep like a soft plushie. 

For a few seconds, Aphelios remained silent with his eyes narrowed with a light blush over his cheeks, observing the arm around him, Aphelios gave in to a small wish, caressing him very gently, brushing Sett’s forearm with his fingers. A strong heartbeat echoed in his chest, opening his eyes wider as he noticed that half vastaya's hand seemed to react briefly, starting to give him shy caresses with his fingertips looking for his hand.

Had he been awake this whole time or did he just wake up? Aphelios asked himself, uncertain if they had woken up at the same time or if they had both been awake for a certain amount of time staying in place, not moving away from each other, allowing each other the warmth of touch that they both secretly longed for. 

Aphelios watches Sett’s hand, tempted to see his face out of the corner of his eye, timidly slips his own hand but he stopped on the way, pressing his lips together uneasily, blushing very slightly thinking about the idea of guiding the red-haired man's hand over his skin so that he could hug him completely, afraid of turning a fortuitous contact into something provoked. Giving up, Aphelios leaves his hands still in place, leaning on his side on the bed creating only a slight movement when settling in, however, such a brief action was enough to awaken sleepy sounds of protest in Sett, who already dozing in a lighter sleep moved unconsciously squeezing Aphelios like a stuffed animal, completely enveloping him with his arm reaching to catch Aphelios’ both arms attaching his back to his chest with a full embrace, almost hiding his sleepy face behind Aphelios’ neck.

“I don't wanna go to work…” Sett mumbled barely audibly in a hoarse half-asleep voice.

Aphelios opened his eyes in surprise, completely waking up as his cheeks lit up in a strong reddish that extended to his ears. With his heart beating strongly, he swallowed hard. Not knowing what to do, Aphelios stayed still trying not to flinch from the sleepy red haired man's strong grip, hoping that after hearing him speak it would mean that he would be soon to wake up.

But would Sett miss this opportunity? The hybrid began to open his eyes shortly after having muttered, a little disoriented, slightly frowned drowsy when noticing the dark hair in front of him. In a split second the memories were organized again in his mind, infecting him with a big smile, keeping his eyes ajar, he was overjoyed with the silhouette of the man who lay attached to him, without questioning the sudden luck, noticing that he wrapped an arm around him, a flash of longing crossed his gaze. 

Prisoner of the overflowing happiness and the innocent thought that Aphelios was still asleep, Sett hugged him tightly, slowly attaching him more to his body, even slightly attaching his lips to his hair. Sett closed his eyes enjoying the essence, perhaps breathing a little more than he had thought, after a relieved and relaxed sigh by the sweet aroma, he opened his eyes and the small smile on his face freezes, he feels his face burst into a violent blush when he noticed how Aphelios was looking at him out of the corner of his eye with his eyes wide open, frozen, with the same or worse level of blush as him.

“ ...What are you doing?” Aphelios murmured.

“Nothing.” Sett replied like lightning, raising his arm nervously to quickly let go of him, completely embarrassed.

Was Sett used to sleeping with big pillows in his apartment on some nights? Yes, it was more comfortable than he could admit. Is Aphelios better than any pillow in the whole universe? Yes, far better, Sett admitted to himself. Now that Sett knew the feeling, it was going to be quite difficult to be satisfied with the comfort of a pillow without Aphelios warmth and sweet scent. Completely nervous, Sett tries to move away by sitting up abruptly on the bed after releasing Aphelios from his arm, however, the rough movement gives him a strong sting of pain in the abdomen, replacing his shy giggle with a sudden whine of pain.

“Shit.” Sett curses between his teeth clenching one eye at the pain taking his hand to his abdomen trying to regulate breathing.

“Are you okay?” Aphelios asks now with genuine concern, turning over on the bed to sit with folded legs leaving the blankets behind.

The embarrassment and crazy thoughts in Aphelios’ head are quickly replaced with restlessness, he sorrowfully observes Sett’s pain gestures and sighs, he shouldn’t be making sudden movements in that way but apparently his heart jumped faster than the coherence of his mind before the great wound that even though it was bandaged, he had to keep the care.

“Yeah, just a nasty stitch.” Sett replied steadying his breathing, exhaling carefully once the pain was starting to dissipate.

Faced with the recent interaction, Aphelios pressed his lips together a little regretfully, he was embarrassed to approach him again after having felt his breathing so close to his ear messing up his hair, messing up his heartbeat on the way, he still remembered a certain tingling sensation he was trying to leave behind. Still, a movement this abrupt could’ve opened the wound. Determined to keep his composure, Aphelios sighs for a moment leaving all that sweetie dizziness aside and ends up approaching Sett with a serious gaze.

Chapter Text

Sett was already starting to believe his own mind was playing bad tricks on him. What was he waiting for? Sett cursed to himself silently for having inappropriate thoughts about him when he saw how Aphelios was approaching him in bed, somehow his stupid brain, which seemed to malfunction, Sett had created imaginary scenarios out of place in a split second, dreaming fleetingly, thinking slightly more lewd things about the man who just wanted to get closer to help him in genuine concern to check on his wound. What a shity feeling, he is just worried. What am I thinking? Sett thought with guilt.

The hybrid was silent with his ears pressed against his head while he ducked his chin, unable to take his eyes off him, both of them sitting on the bed, with Aphelios' hands carefully tracing his abdomen, seriously checking every inch of the bandage for any bloodstains or sore reactions. Was Sett supposed to concentrate on his own body's reactions or any pain? All he could feel was his own heartbeat going crazy with each caress at every touch, even with the bandage cloth between them, he could feel slight warmth through it.

“Sett.” the named one wakes up at Aphelios’ voice who doesn’t raise his head to look at him when speaking. “You'll pierce my forehead if you keep looking at me like that.” Aphelios speaks with a certain tone of mockery, amused, even though deep down he couldn't take it anymore, with the strong amber eyes fixed on him, he was afraid his breath would be cut off at some point if his heartbeat increased even more.

“Ah, ha ha.” Sett freezes, mocking a laugh a little nervously, looking away feeling bad for making him uncomfortable. “Sorry, uh... I uh... How's my wound, everything's fine, right? I don't feel much pain now.” he rushes to ask a different question, changing the subject after desisting from answering honestly to his own weird apology, embarrassed to accept not being able to take his eyes away from him.

For Sett’s luck, Aphelios decides not to bother or tease him about it and allows him to change the subject completely, smiling slightly nostalgic at his messy words before keeping his composure and moving slightly away from him to sit at his side and observe him from the front raising both hands now that he had them free.

‘At least, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong.’ Aphelios replies, signing calmly. ‘I knew it wasn't a good idea to share a bed tho, I thought about it last night and now you almost fell and opened your wound…’ he adds frowning, scolding himself with concern.

“But it wasn't like that, relax Phel.” Sett rushes to assure him trying to smile at him.

‘Did you even have a good rest? You're hurt and you probably couldn't even stretch well.’ Aphelios continued, squeezing his lips in frustration, thinking that it had been a selfish desire to have slept next to him.

“Are ya kidding me?” Sett asks sarcastically. “The bed was really comfortable and I rested very well. I'm recovering, right? I regained energy.” he insists with a slightly higher tone, stubborn, he didn’t like that Aphelios was so hard on himself when he was the one who asked to share the bed in the first place.

‘You can barely get out of bed, if you had slept alone you would’ve been able to settle in better to rest.’ Aphelios insisted, frowning, moving his hands a little faster making the gestures more firmly.

Sett can't help but snort amused, obstinate at Aphelios’ defensive reaction, remembering in the past how such attitudes were an equivalent to raising his tone when he dared to speak out loud, scolding him or getting upset with him, it wasn’t necessary for Phel to use his voice for the redhead to understand his emotions in most situations then and certainly it wasn’t necessary now.

“Phel, you're exaggerating, I was able to sleep really, really well. Thank you very much.” Sett replied mocking him while crossing his arms, arching his ears back obstinately.

“Huh?” Aphelios makes a skeptical sound raising an eyebrow, then frowns again raising his hands, gesturing annoyed. ‘I don't believe you.’ sentenced before crossing his arms.

“Phel, for fuck’s sake.” Sett smiles annoyingly clenching his teeth before sighing in frustration at his stubbornness. “I slept great next to you, stupidly well, I recovered a lot of energy, if it were up to me I would sleep every night by your side.”

Again, the words escape from between Sett’s lips honestly, making him curse his insides, blushing violently, he sighs frustrated remembering the recent events upon awakening. How could he explain to him that he had no intention of feeling his scent while holding him in his arms? What a big lie, he didn't even believe it himself. And now this? Ashamed of his own thoughts, Sett frowns blushing and stubbornly messes up his own hair roughly.

“Stop complaining about sharing the bed. You're making me say weird things!” Sett exclaimed embarrassed, pointing with his index finger at him in an accusing way.

“Me?! You're the one wh-!” Aphelios exclaims out loud, embarrassed, pulling back his face but is quickly interrupted. 

“I slept great and I bet you slept great too and that's a fact.” Sett reaffirms, stubborn and determined pointing to himself and then to Aphelios.

“That’s.., not true.” Aphelios tried to answer quickly, frowning, using his voice again to his own surprise, the accusations quickly dyed his cheeks red.

“Don't lie, you started snoring, I heard ya.” Sett smiled mockingly, pressing his luck, widening his smile to notice the gesture of surprise, embarrassment and denial on Aphelios’ face. “Tell me, did you sleep well? Don't lie.” he added repeating his first words for emphasis while wearing a mischievous smile.

Aphelios remains watching him, obstinate and completely blushing, he opens his mouth to answer but desists, pressing his lips together in frustration, after remarking that he wanted an honest answer, it frustrated him how it made him feel about it but he wasn't going to lie. When was the last time he could actually put his guard down and give himself the luxury of being able to sleep soundly? Much longer ago than he could remember. Resigned, after a silence, Aphelios looked away quietly admitting.

“I haven't slept this well in years…” Aphelios whispered embarrassedly, crossing his arms, relaxing his frown as he finished the answer. 

Sett feels the warm fluttering of the butterflies in his stomach, smiling broadly showing both fangs, touched with Aphelios’ expressions that accompanied his honest reaction, however, after a moment he watches as he raises both hands to add in sign language.

‘Still, I don't think it's a good idea to share the bed again.’ Aphelios commented trying to be serious, in a failed attempt because his cheeks were still burning red.

“Huh?! But you just admitted you slept great. Why?” Sett exclaims confused, extinguishing the smile on his face while frowning lost at the conclusion.

‘That doesn’t mean it’s a good idea, this has nothing to do with me’ Aphelios insists, shrugging his arms in a gesture of indifference trying to dismiss the fact of his own rest.

“Are you fuckin serious right now?” Sett let out a breathless laugh in disbelief. “What do ya mean it’s nothing to do with ya? It has a lot to do with you! It’s your bed.” without resisting Sett raises his tone as he feels his cheeks burn, half exasperated, half hopeful.

For the hybrid, the moon twin should also have a good rest, after all he saved him and now considering what had been confessed to him, Sett couldn’t stop thinking. Could Aphelios never actually sleep well? How was it possible he could never let his guard down to properly rest? Worry flooded Sett's heart. He didn't know if he was more frustrated at feeling the man reject his closeness or if he was more upset at the way he didn't seem to care about himself. 

‘You are the one who needs to recover, not me.’ Aphelios continued to insist with a frown trying to point out the obvious but the argument reached deaf ears.

“And you also need to rest well to regain energy. Don’t you have missions to do? You're being incoherent Phel.” Sett shrugs his shoulders, mocking and obstinate still keeping his arms crossed and shaking his head.

‘I’m being  incoherent? Sett, you have a stab wound just over your stomach. How can you not have priority?’ Aphelios replies signing quickly with both hands, getting more irritated with the small concern Sett seemed to show for his own wound.

“I don't understand what one thing has to do with the other.” Sett continues in the same pose shaking his hand a little contemptuously.

‘Are you fucking with-’ Aphelios uses the gestures forcefully but is interrupted by the hybrid's hands grabbing his, preventing him from using sign language “Sett.” he claims loudly in a pout without being able to help blushing when feeling the firm grip of those warm hands on his.

The verbal argument dies down but the conflict seems to remain in the stubborn eyes of both men who desist from looking away even if they are technically holding hands, Sett shows a serious countenance, trying to maintain his composure within his argument without getting carried away by the madness in his heart caused by the impulsive act. Sett had caught both of his hands trying to interrupt him but now he was almost taking a hold of them, embracing them tightly, just a gentle movement would be enough to try to intertwine their fingers. 

However, when Sett looks up from the contact between their hands, Sett swallows thick, saddened to see the frown over dark eyes, Aphelios seems upset and embarrassed with the blush up to his ears without being able to free himself from the grip of the frozen half vastaya who seemed not want to let him go in after sudden silence. 

Embarrassed, Sett drops Aphelios’ hands suddenly leaving both hands in the frozen air not knowing whether to apologize or not. To his surprise, it is not to him that the most annoying look ends up coming. Aphelios turns his gaze towards the door for a moment, frowning in a pout, sighing a little before slightly raising his voice.

“Alune, it's rude to listen behind the door.”

The sudden exclamation makes a small noise of surprise resound from the other side of the door accompanied by the banging of the metal against the wood, shortly after, his twin opens the door smiling regretfully, accommodating one arm on the crutch that seemed to have hit the door before. 

“For the record, I did knock at the door, you guys just didn’t seem to listen.” Alune commented, nervously laughing at the embarrassed and bothered look of her twin. 

The redhead's face exploded in reddish colors making similarity to his own hair, he took both of his hands covering his own face, sighing frustrated. Since when was she there? How come he didn't hear her arrive? How much had she heard? Did his hearing also fail after he was stabbed? Surely somehow the wound in the abdomen affected his brain or the auditory senses, yes, it was easier to convince himself of that. 

“I'm sorry to interrupt but Phel, your training hours started like about half an hour ago and I wanted to change Sett's bandage before opening the store... So…” Alune rambles, delaying to explain the reasons for her presence, lengthening her tone surprised and a little amused at the expression of her brother who was looking for his phone in a daze, after all it was the first time in his life he seemed to have genuinely forgotten the routine.

Aphelios blinked, feeling his cheeks burn embarrassed while watching the time on the screen, hearing a short laugh from the redhead make him turn to see him suddenly squeezing his eyes into a sharp look while Sett closed his mouth smiling looking away pretending innocence. Sett couldn't help but smile amused, the fact that even Aphelios himself was surprised to forget the passage of time by his side only further proved his point of how well he had rested in his arms and he was right within the discussion. But you know, who's counting anyway.

The whole interaction didn’t go unnoticed by the girl who put a hand to her face covering the smile trying not to join the fun of the redhead, Aphelios gave the same look to his sister before sighing in surrender and getting out of bed to walk to the door and sign to the girl.

‘I'll go take a shower before training, thanks for taking care of Sett.’ Aphelios signed, turning his back to the half vastaya whom he noticed from the corner of his eye trying to bend down to read his words.

Alune gave him a warm smile and nodded calmly watching her brother pass through the door frame to disappear into the hallway, with one last giggle, the girl settled down with the crutch by the side holding it steady to walk to the bed in the room watching the redhead settle into the bed sitting more towards the center while she sat on the side leaving the crutch carefully aside.

“How are you feeling?” Alune spoke first, receiving a small sigh in response as well as a soft positive head shake earning another short laugh from the twin. “A little better? At least from what I see you have more mobility than yesterday.” she added smiling after having noticed that he accommodated more easily in bed than the previous day.

“I think so, I feel stitches at times but nothing deadly.” Sett replied developing the answer further as he lowered his gaze to observe himself breathing deeper clenching his teeth at a certain point due to stretching the skin.

“Don't pressure yourself, it's only been a day.” the twin was quick to clarify, saddened by the look of pain that crossed the red-haired man's face. “I need you to sit more upright for a moment. I want to change your bandage, yesterday I made a little improvised one so I want to see how the wound evolved.”

Alune continued talking while giving him the simple instructions to check him, she carefully went to the chest of drawers at the side of the bed to open the drawer of this one and take out a medicine cabinet that she had left there when attending him the first time. In the silence waiting for her to take the things out, Sett took off his shirt and sat with limited movements until he was well upright with the blankets stretched out on his lap. Once the girl removed the bandages, Sett clenched his fangs, sore, the mark of the stab was not too extensive but it looked quite deep, he’d been lucky that didn’t cross a vital organ, between those thoughts, Aphelios's obstinate worried face came back to his mind making him lower his ears sorrowfully.

“Do you think he's really mad at me?” Sett murmured, Alune was taken by surprise while she was cleaning the wound a little, she looked up arching an eyebrow slightly confused at the sudden question. “I-I'm talking about Phel.., about our little chat-discussion from before..Uh…” he added, feeling sorry but she interrupted him with a soft laugh.

“I know you're talking about Phel.” Alune smiled as she finished checking the affected area which had been saturated in the emergency in which he was received. “And no, I don't think he's really upset, he's just a little bothered.” she explained, wrinkling her nose a little at the end with mockery.

“Bothered? Why?” Sett asked, amused as he raised both arms so that the girl could start to put the new bandage on him once she clarified that there were no longer any threats of infection, wrapping the bandage carefully around his torso.

“To tell you the truth, I didn't actually manage to listen to the whole conversation but when I heard Phel's voice I couldn't help but feel curious, he doesn't usually talk much, not with his voice at least.” Alune replied with a certain melancholy tone in the last words without looking up yet, she took a deep breath returning to place a smile on her lips before continuing. “It's been a long time since I saw him so expressive and lively you know, raising his voice, showing funny gestures and cute ones too, It’s kind of nice… Seeing him, how he lets himself react to his own emotions when you’re around…”

Sett blinked surprised, remembering, Aphelios had been quite inherent to emotions since they met again but he was so immersed in the happiness he felt for seeing him again that he had not stopped to think about it. Only the time when Aphelios let his guard down he could finally see his real attitude towards him but he was much more serious now than in his adolescence, especially compared to his childhood. Before the redhead could comment about the things she spoke, the girl broke off finishing the bandage.

“Ready.” Alune smiled observing her neat work before crossing glances with Sett with a quite tender smile. “How do you feel? Is the bandage tight enough? You have to tell me if it’s uncomfortable or anything like that.” she asked calmly as she started to gather the medical artifacts to put them back into storage.

“Everything is great, thanks, really.” Sett smiled moving his shoulders and back a little noticing the flexibility of the bandages breathing more relieved. “Sorry if it's not a good question but doesn't Phel use his voice a lot with you? I thought ya were the one he talked to the most.” he asked sorrowfully trying to make the question not sound too direct.

“Hm…” Alune pressed her lips into a thoughtful sound smiling piteously at the red haired man. “He talks to me a lot in sign language, so we chat a lot in general... Yes, but he doesn't use his voice much with me, less and less as the years go by, just some short phrases, he doesn't talk to me as he used to.” she explained herself, dedicating a sad smile to him.

Jealousy was not exactly the feeling that crossed the twin's heart, she was happy to hear her brother use his voice and even see so many expressions on his face when interacting with the half vastaya but she couldn't help but wonder if the reason for those reactions were the feelings she suspected, since they were children she’d had that assumption, however, she always doubted since she knew the high emotional walls her brother raised with everyone around him but with Sett it was always different, Aphelios seemed to have a vulnerable point for the hybrid, Alune didn't know whether to feel cheerful or worried about it. She was troubled by her brother's cold and vulnerable heart.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…” Sett muttered lowering one of his ears raising both hands not knowing whether or not to approach the girl who laughed amused by his reaction.

“You don't have to apologize, I appreciate when Phel talks to me and he's fine as he is. I don't want to pressure him either.” Alune reassured him with gentle giggles while shaking her hand slightly trying to calm the hybrid down. “I'm just happy that he relaxes a little more with you, at least that way he maybe rests when he's at home now. With all the training and missions, Aphelios is not exactly someone who knows how to relax.” she added, tensing the gesture on her lips a little, ending up with a sorrowful sigh.

“Tell that to him, let's see if he listens to you, he doesn't want to admit that I helped him rest better.” Sett replied crossing his arms obstinately frowning a little as he remembered the exchange of words a few minutes ago after waking up.

At the same time he purposely avoided the details that caused the nice break, after all, Sett didn't know if he wanted to share those little details. Alune laughed, shrugging her shoulders. She had tried several times to help her brother with his sleeping problems but her words almost always reached deaf ears. As she had finished tending to the wound of the half vastaya, the girl supported the crutch in hand and got out of bed, arranging the skirt that had wrinkled after the previous movements.

“Wish me luck with that, he doesn't listen to me either.” Alune commented after getting up and walking to the desk to open the drawer of this one and rummage through some things. “It makes me happy though, that maybe he’ll rest better when he is with you. We are both very happy to have found you even if we aren’t the most expressive persons to show it.”

At the last words Sett's ears stood up making him laugh a little, maybe the girl had forgotten but Sett remembered quite well many of their expressions, he still managed to interpret every gesture, even though they were now considerably more neutral than years ago, they kept that little flash characteristic of each one.

“Don't worry about those things. I feel like ya two still have the same expressions that I can get just fine.” Sett replied watching the girl's back taking advantage of the moment to smile a little haughty about his own knowledge about twins.

“Yeah…” Alune muttered the answer with some trepidation but after closing the desk drawer in a silent movement, she turned around with a smile that left the redhead a little confused by the difference between the tone of her voice and her face.

However, before Sett could mention anything about it, the girl came up to him holding out his cell phone charger next to his own device, the redhead smiled broadly extending both hands, relieved to know that he had not lost at least some of his belongings that he was bringing that night when he was stabbed.

“Your wallet is also stored on my brother's desk. I thought you'd like your phone back.” she brought the objects closer to his hands, stopping inches away before handing them over. “I hope it is not necessary to remind you that you cannot tell anyone where, or who you are with right now, or even the whole context of what happened. You can admit that you know us though.” she added in a serious tone. 

Alune clarifies by reminding him what they had talked about previously just for the sake of it, she couldn't help but be insistent with those little details, after all the twins really wanted the hybrid to become part of their lives again and honestly this time but they both knew it was a bit of a risky decision, they had to stay attentive to all possible details to minimize possible problems, within that category was any likely interaction of the redhead that involved information about them. They had identities, some people knew about them but nothing could be known further within the details of their lives.

“Yeah. Who do you take me for?” Sett jokes, keeping his hand in the air to receive the cell phone, raising his fingers amused at the laughter of the twin who nods, handing him the device.

“Well, we still have to get to know each other more. I know we spent a lot of time together growing up but it's been eight years Sett.” Alune continues talking without completely releasing the other end of the cell phone, causing the hybrid to arch an eyebrow in confusion. “I'm really trusting that you are the same kind-hearted person we met back then.” she adds looking at him seriously for a few seconds, keeping the smile.

The gesture makes a small chill run down the back of half vastaya's neck, the girl's smile could be very sweet but her gaze was direct, Alune was really hoping that the impulsive decision her brother made to bring Sett back into their lives was a good idea, she was afraid for her twin's safety and the feeling of protection was clearly delivered in a threatening way in a subtle and sweet gesture, no matter how much affection she had for the redhead, the unconditional love for her brother always came first.

“Don't worry, there's time to catch up.” Sett just smiles at her trying to hide the nervousness in his voice.

“Exactly.” Alune smiles more cheerfully, letting go of the most intense aura from a moment ago allowing the redhead to let out a breath he didn't know he had saved. “We have time to talk. I'll come in a while with breakfast before opening the store, so you just wait here, I'll be back in a few minutes.” she added completely releasing the other end of the device so as to take the crutch to get out of bed.

Sett breathed calmer already with the cell phone in hand, nodding silently while watching the girl leave the room, somehow he couldn't help but smile uneasy, Alune hadn't changed almost nothing, she still maintained that sweet and protective attitude towards Aphelios. Even if the girl now had a more subtle and silent countenance, she kept that strong determined character deep down. Sett settled down to connect the charger to the side of the bed, he had some anxiety about turning on his cell phone, after all the time he had spent in his absence, a couple of ideas came to mind, he really didn't want to worry anyone but he doubted that his phone wouldn't get a little out of control in notifications once he turned it on after disappearing almost two days.

Just as he thought, not many seconds passed until he had to rush to put the device on silent so that he would not go crazy with the loud sound of each notification. His heart managed to calm down a little when he only saw many messages from Neeko, Nidalee, his boss and some coworkers, asking for him in confusion and some more in concern for his sudden absence at work, especially Neeko who was confused at first, then upset and finally dead with worry after writing to him that she had heard the rumors of the fight.

For Sett’s luck, his Mother didn’t seem to hear anything from anywhere and because Neeko nor anyone else would have the woman's number, he prevented anyone from warning her anything about it, his mother's messages were just a couple of everyday messages, assuming and apologizing for the brief absence of her son's answers assuring that he must surely be busy working, of course Sett would never forget to talk to his own mother but it was true that there were days when work and especially fights, drained all his energy to be able to use even the cell phone in bed, which on this occasion came in handy to fake a response to his sudden absence.

Chapter Text

Three days passed, awfully quick, Sett began to improve at a superhuman rate, just as he had described to the twins, it would take less than a week to heal, even less than Sett had thought at the start, partially thanks to Alune, Sett was highly surprised by the effects of the natural medicinal substances that the girl used in the bandages, sooner than expected, Sett was able to get out of bed with greater strength and more flexibility of the abdomen as well as the other muscles in the area, still all patched up, Sett was grateful for being able to walk and move around, now barely feeling any pain.

Sett had conflicting feelings about the improvement of his own health. On one hand, he was pleased to finally be able to move because he was too bored of lying down, he wasn’t used to being still in the same place for that long, his body tingled in search of physical activity, restless, he missed training so he felt happy to be able to perform stretches together with push-ups in the same room, he had to get his body used to exercise again after, what he considers, too much time in bed. 

On the other hand? Deep down, he wished his recovery could take longer, being aware of his limited time of stay, Sett longed to extend his stay at the twins' house as much as possible but also understood that in the next few days he technically had agreed he had to return to his own apartment.

And for better or for worse, his wound wasn't the only thing that was healing. 

Sett could feel his heart beating harder every day, grateful for every second he could be with the twins, Alune couldn't help but laugh a little about the half vastaya, after all, something that haven’t changed, Sett always expected to see Aphelios more but he spent most of the day in the training room, the girl played and teased funny every time she noticed how Sett's ears fell on his head in a distressed expression whenever she explained to him why they couldn't share dinner or lunch with Aphelios or why he couldn't avoid training even if it was a couple of hours even if it was just for an instant. 

His training was necessary to maintain the insane expectations Aphelios had to suffice, so he insisted on even using his schedule free time between missions to train during these years. And for more free time, well, the only reason Aphelios would skip his training or be detached from a mission would be because he is inaccessible which meant he was sick or hurt in a way that made it impossible for him to engage in a mission. And for obvious reasons Sett didn't want that to happen. 

Alune explained to him her brother just didn't want free time before so she just got used to not being by his side too much, especially when there were high-danger classification missions and the training hours were far longer. It took Sett a little to get used to that, he didn't understand well why Aphelios was so faithful to his schedule even though no one was monitoring him. Even so, Sett began to understand by comparing it with his own routine, after all, losing the rhythm could equate to an imminent defeat in a bad situation if your body and mind aren't prepared enough for it.

He understood. Sett waited in Aphelios’ bedroom during the afternoons, no matter if he had to wait until it got dark, he wouldn’t go to sleep before make the most of every moment he had next to him, except, Aphelios didn’t agree to share a bed with him again, to the hybrid’s sadness, he had to settle for watching him from the bed always peeking a little on the edge of it to observe him during the long talks they had before bedtime. 

Sometimes Sett missed how he felt when he hugged him after sleeping next to him but this was more than okay. Sett was glad to share pleasant conversations, tease him and make small talk until they both fell asleep.

Since Aphelios’ emotions seemed to have calmed down since the first day, he used sign language much more again, in a way, communicating with him in confidence just like before, Sett didn't mind it, sometimes they had to review some things he learned in the past and he didn't remember quite well to translate the gestures since he didn’t use it very often after the twins disappearance and Aphelios had patience, sometimes he moved his hands slowly and even smiled funny when he got carried away while communicating faster and the obvious confusion on the redhead's face added to his restless ears, made him laugh. 

Sett didn’t think he could miss someone’s laugh this much.

Sett could admit to himself that he longed to hear Aphelios’ voice but he kept that desire in his heart, silenced, just like the other whims that did nothing but grow with every moment they shared. Before going to sleep, they both remembered different moments of their past, sweetly laughing in nostalgia and asked each other small doubts about the present, learning little details about their lives like Sett’s job and the previous experiences he had when he arrived in the city, at the same time most of Aphelios’ answers were related to the past. Yes I still like that. No, I still don’t like those. I don’t know those ones yet.

Except for one small detail, Aphelios knows that Sett could technically ask about the missions but they both always try to avoid the topic. Aphelios didn’t doubt that Sett could keep the information secret, he trusted him but he was afraid to worry him too much, many of his targets were not exactly easy to eliminate and in many situations the mission got quite complicated, sometimes even putting his own life at risk. Going into details would only generate unnecessary worry and frustration, at least, those were Aphelios’ thoughts. 

On this new morning at the fourth day, Sett gets dressed with the clothes that Alune left him on the dresser, the same clothes with which he arrived the first day now completely clean and fixed as if nothing had happened, it was surprising how they managed to remove even the most opaque and impregnated blood stain, he himself remembers many clothes that he had to discard due to such complications, dirt covered in blood was far more difficult to remove that Sett thought. When he finishes dressing, Sett smiles a little when he notices the subtle marks of arrangement to sew thread in some parts of his clothes.

He stands at the door for a moment, thinking before opening it, moving his ears restlessly. Alune was aware of his quick recovery, the night before when she left his clothes on the dresser, she spoke to him and told him she hoped that the next morning they could share breakfast at the table, the three of them. Taking one last deep breath, Sett regains his self-confidence, he opens the door and leaves Aphelios' room to walk down the short hallway. It didn't take him long to realize the only presence on the second floor was Alune’s, with a glance it was easy to notice the light was on in the living room and the kitchen. 

Luckily for the hybrid, despite the fact the apartment was a little narrow, the ceiling was quite high, which prevented him from crashing into various surfaces in general. In silence, he walked to the place peeking through the frame of the open door catching the attention of the silver haired girl who was calmly cutting some apples next to a bowl with yogurt. She left the knife on the counter as she turned to see him and greet him with a tender welcome.

“Hi, I see you had a good morning.” Alune smiles at him shaking her hands in her jeans before welcoming him to her side. “How are you feeling?” she asks as she walks on her way to the refrigerator to take out a couple of pears and chop them to add them to the mixture she was making.

“Mornin’ to ya too.” Sett greeted her with a smile. “Well. I feel better, thanks to your treatments too. I must admit, I didn’t think I would regain this much mobility this soon, is crazy impressive if ya ask me.” Sett commented in response by moving his arm to stretch his shoulder while giving the girl space to pass as he heard her laugh happily with his appreciation and gratitude after she helped with their secret recovery medicines, family knowledge as she liked to put it, so to speak.

In the movement, Sett observes the bowls distributed on the counter with the mixture of cut fruits resting in the yogurt, he couldn’t help but smile to notice there were three dishes, one having a slightly larger amount than the others, these days Alune had remembered the difference they ate in quantity and how over the years that factor had been exponential in the half vastaya of large size. Another detail Sett’s heart appreciated. 

“Is Phel going to have breakfast with us?” Sett smiled betraying his small emotion, he didn't want to assume the obvious after seeing three dishes prepared but the question escaped him in seconds.

Alune turned to look at him smiling, leaving the fruits on the cutting board to start peeling one first, suppressing a fleeting laugh that tried to escape upon hearing the red haired man's very animated question. If he had a tail, his excitement would be even more obvious, Alune thought to herself amused.

“Yep. He's been very focused on training since the announcement of the new mission, if I don't catch his attention he'll skip meals so it's better to eat all together.” Alune replied smiling a little in a conflicted way.

It was nothing new but it frustrated her every time it happened since they were children and insane expectations were forced upon him. The new mission wasn’t even that dangerous, he only seems to dislike these types of missions, they weren’t exactly his specialty, so he tried to focus in training to avoid the nervousness of his own mind.

“It seems that someone keeps forgetting to eat whenever he concentrates a lot.” Sett replied smiling nostalgically, surprising Alune who let out a short chuckle tenderly nodding.

“Some things don't change much.” Alune laughed as she finished removing the peel from a couple of the fruits and started cutting them, she quickly smiled after a false sound of thought. “You know, I'm almost ready. Why don't you go get him? That would give me time to order the dishes on the table.” 

“Oh, yes, sure.” the suggestion took Sett by surprise, he blinked, laughing a little nervously scratching the back of his neck. “Uh, where is the-?”

“Keep going down the stairs to the basement, the training room has reinforced windows, you will be able to see it when you enter.” Alune interrupted him, explaining the directions to find her twin, she couldn't help but smile to herself for the hybrid’s obvious excitement.

Besides, Aphelios couldn't fool her, even if he tried to keep calm and composure, she noticed the effect the redhead had on him too, now more than ever, she has noticed many little details in her brother's attitudes during these days.

She was quite restless though, touched but scared. Her brother wasn’t used to handling strong emotions, he actually tried to bury the feelings towards Sett many years ago because of how vulnerable those feelings left him, Alune tried to convince him that those emotions weren’t a weakness, not because they made him vulnerable meant they were something negative but the constant loss and use of his loved ones against him had created a weight in his heart. Now that Sett has returned to their lives. Could Aphelios open his heart again? Was that even the right answer or was it too risky? Was it too naive of her? Alune wasn't sure but she deeply wanted to bet on the strength and honesty of those two hearts, as she watched the hybrid leave the kitchen with excitement, she just smiled trying to calm her thoughts to finish preparing breakfast.

Sett looked at the stairs, if it were up to him, he would go down the stairs in higher movements, two by two steps, but he didn’t want to tempt luck by pressing the movements of his body as soon as he had recovered some of his strength and have a stupid accident for being reckless. Despite his obvious excitement, he went down the stairs carefully, observing his surroundings as he walked, seeing out of the corner of his eye the closed shop as he passed by the first floor before continuing down.

As Alune mentioned, it wasn’t difficult for him to find the training area, as soon as he entered the basement he encounter an open door that appeared to be wood outside but inside seemed to be heavy steel, after crossing the door frame, the short hallway divides the place into two closed rooms and a long area was visible through large armored windows, Sett goes through the door entering the training room. The place had both a physical training space arranged with melee weapons as well as a target practice space. 

The attention of the red haired man was quickly mesmerized by the movements of a beautiful silhouette, wielding a curved dagger, he was defending himself against the brief attacks from a machine at a certain distance while seeming to practice his agility. 

Every jump, every attack, every one of the movements Aphelios danced left Sett expectant on the other side of the room, the hybrid swallowed static, without being able to look away, coming to notice the movements of his hair, the light drops of sweat that barely escaped from his skin, the movements of his legs, his hips, the subtle blush on his cheeks, his agitated breathing…

A strong sound surprised Aphelios. Startled and confused, Aphelios reacted quickly, jumping back to get away from the origins of the sound, pressing a wall button to end the training. Agitated, he swallowed saliva trying to regularize breathing. Aphelios turned towards the entrance of the room blinking, highly confused and surprised to see Sett with both hands glued to his cheeks, red from the blow he had given himself in a sudden accurate slap to snap to reality. Aphelios laughs, still confused arching an eyebrow letting out another short laugh at the lack of air, he stripped off the weapons he had at hand, keeping these in place before heading to the door and greet the hybrid who put his hands at his sides trying to go as unnoticed as possible, as if Aphelios hadn't seen him, but, luckily as many times, Phel decides to give him a break and follows the game without mentioning anything about it.

‘I didn't expect to see you around here.’ Aphelios signs with an amused smile, Sett could swear he understood a certain tone of mockery between his gestures. ‘How are you feeling? Can you walk without any problems?’ Aphelios puts the jokes aside with a more calm and sweet smile, also traces of genuine concern.

“What’s better than a surprise visit to celebrate my first successful step of recovery?” Sett asks amused smiling to see his silent giggle. “Nah, well, I'm not recovered one hundred percent, I can't run or jump much to be honest but I can walk more than fine.” he explained himself in a more serious tone, keeping the lightness in the atmosphere with his classic smile while stretching his arms a little over his head in demonstration of his improvement.

‘I'm glad.’ Aphelios signed, smiling broadly with a most regular breathing after rest. ‘So you only came to watch me train?’ he added with a certain mocking tone implied in the movements of his hands accompanied by his subtle funny gestures on the face.

“Sadly, no.” Sett responds following the game of the situation while leaning the side of the body against the door frame. “Alune sent me for you, someone was forgetting breakfast.” he explained increasing the mocking tone while laughing as he pointed at him.

Aphelios opened his eyes surprised and smiled at the half vastaya while slowly laughing pretending innocence, laughter that Sett quickly imitated in a mocking tone.

“No ha ha here. Alune is right, you shouldn't skip meals if you are going to train like this.” Sett smiled at him mixing a worried tone with a mocking authoritarian tone that was quickly replaced by an amused smile showing both fangs. “Come with me, she had everything almost ready when I talked to her before.” he added pointing with his thumb behind his back.

 ‘I get it. I get it. I will go with you.’ Aphelios quickly agreed with a soft laugh.

After receiving a smile as an answer, both walked towards the stairs, Aphelios looked up as he walked a few steps behind the redhead, observing his silhouette, he pressed his lips shyly averting his gaze instinctively, unable to help smiling. He never thought that he could have such a calm exchange of words with the hybrid, talk honestly about his training, not be so afraid or cautious when starting a conversation, above all, Sett's so natural way to have him on the subject made his cheeks burn, maybe he didn’t know but situations like the previous conversation, were small details that touched Aphelios’ heart more every day.

Once they both reached the second floor, Aphelios didn’t take long to notice the table already prepared with the dishes served, Sett without waiting approached Alune to help her serve the juice allowing Alune to sit down first, Aphelios observed the scene appreciating every detail of the place. 

Had so much light always entered their house? It was usual for her sister to let some melody play on the radio that was lying in the background of the room. Did it always sound so pleasant for the environment? The conversation was pleasant, light, and now breathing out of the rhythm of his training, it didn't seem so bad to him or generated guilt compared to other times. He was just enjoying breakfast. Every little influence of the golden shining Sett brought into his life, Aphelios had completely forgotten that slight tingling in his heart, that warm feeling of belonging. 

Without extending his stay at the door frame, Aphelios walks to his seat, taking the chair between his sister and the redhead who didn’t take long to start enjoying breakfast, Aphelios outlines a short nostalgic smile to see how Sett continued to eat as fast and messy as years ago, devouring everything on his plate. Going unnoticed, Phel begins to eat calmly, enjoying every bite. Perhaps those sweet exchanges of looks went unnoticed for Aphelios or Sett, but Alune is insightful, between fleeting glances at her side, she smiles satisfied enjoying breakfast. Usually when she used to interrupt her brother's training, he would come to eat with very little interest, sometimes leaving part of the meal or not even taking the time to really enjoy eating. 

She didn't know if he realized it or if he was just pretending not to, but Alune is sure that she hasn't seen him enjoy a pleasant breakfast with such patience and enjoyment by her side for years, eating slowly, enjoying the occasional light conversation that took place between them. Was Sett more important to her brother than she really wanted to realize? She was afraid of becoming more and more convinced of those thoughts. But she doesn't let those worries slip through her gestures or her words either, she goes unnoticed in the conversation and continues with her breakfast.

“You can serve yourself more if you want to.” Alune comments amused to notice the hands of the half vastaya around the empty bowl. “There was some chopped fruit left on the counter or you can take some more out of the refrigerator if you want.” Alune smilingly invites him pointing to the kitchen behind his back to which Sett smiles somewhat shy.

“Thanks, it's fine with the fruit.” Sett decides to accept the food offering and gets up from his seat with the plate so he can look for more. “Uh... Phel will you be uh.., training all day today?” the question escapes him a little indecisively looking at him out of the corner of his eye while the chopped fruit is being served.

The question took them by surprise, Aphelios and Alune share a fleeting glance with a certain level of complicity, Aphelios finishes chewing the fruit he had in his mouth with a nervous gesture, squeezing his lips when swallowing, making a long sound of uncertain thought of how to respond, constantly remembering the hybrid's words about honesty. While waiting, Sett observes him confused by the complication before the answer, looking more at his face once he returns to sit at the table with the full plate in hand.

“Yeah..? No...?” Sett hesitates some possible answers with a question tone, arching an eyebrow still confused by the long wait.

“Technically, yes.” Alune rushed to answer but the insecurity in her voice almost implied a question, it only created more confusion on the red-haired man's face. “Why do you ask?” she added quickly.

“Technically?” Sett repeats the phrase of the twin without being convinced with the answer, he eats some and after swallowing continues with the answer to her question. “Uh, I just wanted to know ‘cause I was thinking about buying some things, going out, stretching my legs.” he begins to explain himself with a little shyness when explaining his reasons, slightly averting his gaze from Aphelios as he continues to scratch the back of his neck. “I thought… I don’t know, going out with Phel, going for some shopping I don’t know.” he stumbles over his own words feeling a little nervous with the looks on top of him. “But what do you mean by ‘technically’ he's going to train all day?”

The twins share the same complicit look as before, Sett frowned a little in a slight pout, he almost felt that both seemed to share secret conversations by telepathy without him noticing, however, this time they seemed to have had a division between their opinions because Alune decides to talk again without caring about the gesture of helplessness and annoyance of her twin’s face.

“Technically, he is busy because today's mission is not the usual target elimination stuff, it is more like a tracking mission. I have information about the target but I need to check if it is correct.” Alune ends up explaining the mission in as little detail as possible within the answer, observing Sett and ignoring the frustrated little growl of her brother who was covering his face with one hand.

“Do you have to go out and follow someone then?” Sett replies with a neutral naturalness as he continues the breakfast, Aphelios tightens his lips, still not getting used to his fluency with the context of the situation.

Aphelios stops to think for a few seconds but this time he raises his hands to answer before his twin continues talking, he thinks a little about the information he can tell him about the mission and tries to be as detailed as possible. Aphelios had this gut feeling, he thinks that he understood where the questions of the redhead would go if he knew more and almost could think ahead of the soon to appear, impulsive thoughts in Sett’s mind.

‘Yes, I must spy on his whereabouts during the day to confirm some data, then, from his first location I must follow him until the night, most likely.’ Aphelios explained by moving his hands calmly and for his bad luck, his feeling was right, without wasting time, the redhead smiles connecting his ideas.

“So, if you're going to spy you need to go unnoticed among people, right?” Sett hints at the idea by starting with a follow-up of the information he had given him.

Aphelios looks at him for a moment uneasily inside with a look of stubborn disbelief quickly understanding where the idea was headed, however, he nodded slowly with a bittersweet gesture, allowing the hybrid to continue.

“How about I come with ya? We can pretend we're shopping around the area or something, that’s a good facade to go unnoticed.” Sett tries to sound more confident about his own proposal, scratching his chin slightly nervously, ending up by directing a smile at the unconvinced twins.

Aphelios stares at him for a few long, painfully long seconds, tightening his lips. Why isn’t he surprised Sett would try to do this if he knew about this mission? Aphelios frowns uneasily at the idea, growls a little pouting during his thought, uncertain about what to answer. 

Actually in the capital of Ionia, Sett didn’t attract so much attention among the crowd due to the great diversity of vastayas, humans and hybrids, especially in the center of the city and its surroundings, it was easier to disguise next to a companion than to pretend innocence by following the footsteps of another person like a shadow, at least in missions that were in broad daylight and with such a crowd of people as this. And that was exactly the reason Aphelios disliked so much these kind of missions.

“Actually, it's not such a bad idea.” Alune takes the word again, surprising the two men while she looks at them with the same emotion. “What?”

‘Do you really support the idea?’ Aphelios observes her gesturing a little incredulously and still restless unlike the clear excitement that was forming on the hybrid's face.

“Kinda.” 

‘We’re not involving Sett in a mission. That’s dangerous.’

“You know Sett is not going to interfere. He’s not going to get hurt or get involved in any part of the mission. He is just going to be like your personal camouflage within the crowd and it’s not like we can ask someone else that favor. I don’t think is such a bad idea brother.”

“It 's…not.” Aphelios whispers after a short sigh, not nearly convinced. 

“You usually do follow-up missions at night because it makes it easier for you to slip through the shadows but we are talking about an area with high traffic, with all kinds of people, broad daylight most of the mission, I try not to worry too much but…” Alune makes a short pause squeezing her lips while stroking the glass between her fingers. “The last few times you had to do this it didn't go very well, I don't think it's a bad idea to try to go unnoticed with Sett by your side this time.”

Being honest with herself, Alune had been restless since they had received the information for this mission, after all, they had only done daytime tracking three times previously, each one went wrong at some point forcing the twin to act in emergency, improvising the end of the target’s life, rushing the assassination of his target, many times to his own annoyance, using melee weapons to end their lives, Alune always ended up dismayed, she knew all about her brother's nightmares, she understood the impact that each mission meant for his emotional health and tried to minimize such situations. She was afraid the same thing would happen again if something went wrong just like those times or even worse. 

Just as Aphelios predicted, the explanation triggered certain worry alerts in the redhead, however, he tried to keep his composure, trying to hold on to that comment in his favor.

“Sounds like a good argument to me.” Sett commented smiling towards Aphelios who kept the same gesture, without being convinced about it he tried to raise his hands but Sett stopped him. “No buts, she's right, besides, I was determined to see how could I manage to spend the day with ya.” he adds smiling broadly as he gets up from the seat leaving the man with the words in his mouth, slightly blushing at the redhead's honesty.

Before Aphelios can continue protesting, Sett leaves the table shaking his black hair a little hearing his pout as he walks away to leave his plate indicating that he would wait for his signal to go out later as, thanks to Alune’s support, the escort of his moonboy. Resigned, Aphelios tidies his dark hair regretfully sticking out his tongue annoyed to his sister who covered her face a little just trying to cover her mocking giggles by the blushing man's obvious reaction to those always so improvised sweet gestures of the redhead.

Chapter Text

Crowds weren't Aphelios' specialty at all, even knowing nowadays they were technically free enough to roam around the city as much as they wanted as long as it didn't put them in danger, expose them or compromise a mission. His twin didn’t take long to generate a slight feeling of freedom, Alune wasn’t afraid to go out but he was different, his own nightmares added to the amount of time spent in training, had made it quite difficult for Aphelios to enjoy or even feel comfortable among other strangers, especially when certain faces seemed to bring a ghostly feeling of guilt when they reminded him of previous targets and his heart was racing fleetingly, blocking the feeling in a blink while he tries to keep his composure.

On the outside he was dressed in a casual outfit, Aphelios kept hidden a small pistol with tranquilizers as well as a short dagger, both weapons subtly placed in the inner pockets of the black jacket, he really hoped not to have to occupy the real weapon, everything depended on the level of threat that was presented to them.

In the same way there was a tiny bottle with a smaller and temporary version of the poison in tablets similar to the larger capsules but with weaker effects, Aphelios didn’t think he should have brought it but his own insecurity ended up convincing him. Taking into account his not so favorable history with daytime follow-up missions, he really hoped he wouldn’t have to use the weapon or the low dose nocturm but he never left home without a weapon and now with Sett by his side, he would go out twice as armed if he could, however, he just hoped that if he used the poison, Sett wouldn’t see him. Alune had talked to Sett a bit about it and just using concepts like "poison" left the hybrid quite dismayed but they just diverted the topic. He would be completely against him bringing it with him today if he knew about it. It was better not to mention something about it.

While Aphelios' mind worked on several tasks at the same time as he tried to deal with his own emotions, Sett walked beside him watching him quite attentively, he admits that, perhaps, he was a little impulsive when insisting on this idea, it really wasn't that they could walk freely, much less fulfill one of the hybrid's secret desires, such as holding his hand or surrounding his shoulders, waist, being closer to him when walking.

A little frustrated but still excited, Sett was content to walk a short distance, enjoying seeing him in a more casual style, without the suit or the workout clothes, one could only see the thin black tattoo line that went from the lower lip to his chin, almost unnoticed by many people, Sett could admit to his subconscious that he adored the boy's decision to wear a pointed open-neck shirt under the jacket that highlighted his figure combined with those dark jeans and the fleeting samples of his shoulders and collarbone, Sett could only silently thank the short black hair that highlighted more the pale skin he showed.

The hybrid watches curiously as Phel stops the pace suddenly, taking out a black mask to cover his face, sighing relieved once he had it on, Sett came to his side with a little concern.

“Is everything all right?” Sett asks, keeping a light tone trying not to show his constant concern, Aphelios looks at him for a moment but finally nods.

‘It's a bit overwhelming, being among so many people.’ Aphelios replied signing with both hands in tranquility, without losing attention with his gaze to his surroundings as he addressed the red-haired man.

“You were never very good with crowds anyway.” Sett tries to make him feel understood by smiling at him in confidence, however, he smiles nervously when noticing Aphelios’ surprised gesture. “Uh- Well, I don't know if you still... Are we okay with the time or do we have to keep walking?” he adds hurriedly, clearing his throat before trying to change the subject, feeling a little sorry for having assumed something that maybe had changed in this time even if he couldn't help but remember it that way seeing him like this.

Aphelios blinked, thankful for the mask which covered most of the blush that covered his face, he looked away for a moment before answering. Honestly it wasn't that the comment was wrong or unpleasant, it took him by surprise he remembered that kind of details too, they didn't go out many times to busy places during his childhood and adolescence but Sett still remembered the difficulty Aphelios had to integrate into large crowds, even before completing the training, he recognized that restlessness in him so quickly, Aphelios couldn't help but feel his heart take an unexpected disobedient leap.

‘Yes. It’s still difficult for me to walk through crowds, maybe even more than before.’ Aphelios chooses to answer honestly, now surprising the redhead. ‘And we're fine with the hour, we still have time.’ he added, answering the question without letting go of the previous topic but maintaining the seriousness of the follow-up mission.

Aphelios is grateful the hybrid generalizes quite a lot when referring to certain details of the mission so they can sound as neutral as possible around other people. It was noticeable that it wasn’t the first time Sett took advantage of the good use of speech to mask serious situations as if they were everyday things and Aphelios was right, after all, he was able to talk calmly with his mother or other people about work issues related to illegal fights in the restaurant and pretend to be talking about normal stuff.

At the same time he noticed, even when Sett was talking to him, the man occasionally concentrated his gaze on his surroundings and kept almost one hundred percent of his attention on his sharpened vastaya senses, fleetingly arching his fluffy ears at every moment to catch some signal, after all Alune had provided him with limited information about the target, enough to know how it looked, how it sounded and what identifiable aroma it might have, she had also thought about making the most of the hybrid's sharp senses.

“Well, at least we're okay with that.” Sett replied calmly lowering his gaze with a smile feeling an inner relief at having been right before. “I’d tell ya to relax a little so ya could take a break but ya can't, right?” he adds with regret, looking around for a bench or a place to sit beside the public road.

Aphelios snorts a soft giggle attracting the attention of the hybrid but for obvious reasons he denies the proposal, after all he had planned strategic points to move around the target. Before continuing to develop another answer, Sett watches as Aphelios reaches into the inner pockets of his black jacket and pulls out some semi-rectangular lenses made of fake glass, as well as a small earphone device that is placed stealthily in his ear.

Was it a bad time to fully notice how attractive Aphelios looked, the glasses accompanying the outfit that highlighted his strong and slender figure? Of course it is you dumbass. Bad timing here, Sett scolded himself looking away exhaling a breath trying to hide his restlessness but a distant and sharp sound arched his reddish vastaya ear to Aphelios, the two looking at each other in surprise.

“That sounds like Alune. Is it her?” Sett asked, smiling curiously as he raised his hand to point with his index finger at the Aphelios' earbud.

Aphelios blinked for a moment frowning in a pout embarrassed by Alune's words in his ears, perhaps the hybrid could hear and recognize the twin's tone through the device but seemed not to understand one hundred percent the words she communicated to him. Aphelios can't help but get frustrated, blushing at his sister's comments, after all the lenses also had a small camera that she checked at moments and had just seen the first impression of the redhead. 

"Someone was all slobbery looking at you for a few seconds." Alune teased him through the voice channel.

A fleeting smile escapes Aphelios' lips as he nostalgically recalls the same teasing from the past when they were teenagers, especially for the few times she let him go alone to Sett’s home, Alune always teased him but not too much, she always knew when to stop, she recognized when he wasn’t in the mood. Phel put the thoughts aside returning to his calm countenance or at least he was trying, he has to concentrate on the mission.

“It's her, isn't it? What is she saying?” Sett asks again with a smile, insisting with curiosity about the fleeting blushed gestures on the man's face.

“Yes it's Alune but she's just talking nonsense.” Aphelios answers with a soft tone of voice in tranquility while pressing the small button on the device to communicate.

Sett is caught a little off guard when he hears the man use his voice but he smiles as always appreciating every moment he has to listen to him, his slight emotion doesn’t go so unnoticed in his big vatayan ears but trying to put that aside, he clears his throat trying to continue the conversation.

“Nonsense about the... Walk?” Sett hesitates inside the question, looking for some other word so as not to use the concept of mission or quote out loud.

Before leaving the house, the twins made it quite clear to him that the information he would receive would be limited and that his level of involvement in the mission would also be limited, of course they also made it clear to him that no strange words can come out of both when being outside, nothing that sounded strange or related to the mission, that included conversation in sign language in some places, every detail had to be done carefully, seeming like a trivial everyday conversation on an outing between two people.

“Something like that.” Aphelios muttered, not wanting to betray the taunts of his twin, suppressing a fleeting laugh at the red-haired man's choice of words. “Besides, I'm going to use my voice for this, that's more... Comfortable.” he added trying to explain himself by looking away at moments, thinking about using the word "convenient" before changing it to something that sounded less cold.

Again Phel ignores the distant giggles of his sister. In reality, the need for the use of the man's voice was fifty percent true, it was true that he had to communicate certain things to his sister and it was more convenient to do it that way. Maybe he could use the excuse that using sign language too much among other people might make him stand out a little but if Aphelios was honest with himself, he just wanted to talk more with Sett. Just as the redhead, Aphelios secretly adored the tender reactions Sett had when hearing his voice.

“Even better.” Sett replied with a wide smile showing both fangs. “So what do we do while we're waiting?” he asked with curiosity as he placed both hands in the pockets of his jeans leaving the thumb out to play with the fabric.

Before getting an answer, the redhead slightly listens to the sounds inside the device so he waits for his turn before continuing talking to Aphelios. It was curious the feeling for him to be with Alune here but not at the same time.

“Target 12B should arrive in thirty-seven minutes. He's coming to pick up a suit from the dry cleaner but he'll most likely make other stops before heading home. He doesn't have a ride, he’s just walking. We can discard using a vehicle for now.” Alune starts reciting the mission information verbatim through the earbud.

In the background, Aphelios managed to distinguish certain sounds in the room, the sound of the keyboard accompanied by echoes from the computer between different interactions, Alune handles a vast amount of information at the same time she communicates with her brother and keeps track of the target at the possible limit area that allows her to access the cameras and audios of the public way and infiltrating other private devices. Aphelios responds once his twin finishes communicating.

“We still have a little more than half an hour, last time I walked a few laps around the shops in the area. I didn't really do much.” Aphelios finishes talking and tightens his lips, getting a little lost in his thoughts.

Aphelios remembers the last follow-up mission. Unfortunately, the last time it seemed that his target easily differentiated him from other pedestrians around him, it didn't take long for him to suspect someone was following him and as everything ended badly, the situation forced Aphelios to end his life without nocturm. Aphelios couldn't help but feel frustration, failures were not something acceptable to him, it was an unpleasant feeling of guilty mixture with anxiety that embittered his thoughts even in dreams. 

“And how did that go?” Sett asked without bad intentions but when he noticed the heavy annoying gesture on Aphelios' face it served him as an answer. “I guess it didn’t turn out well. Yeah. Right, sorry. I remember what Alune commented about that. Uh…” he replies to himself smiling nervously as he scratches the hair on the back of his neck, thoughtfully looking around for an idea. “We could also buy something to disguise among the people. How about an ice cream? I don't think it will take long and we can walk around while eating.” Sett smiles more relaxed, explaining his idea with some argument to convince the man while pointing to the store in his vicinity.

Aphelios is thoughtful for a moment but listening to his sister's giggles again through the earbud device made him frown blushing in a pout, in revenge, he subtly pressed a small button hidden in the glasses.

“Hey! I need vision during the mission.” Alune complained between laughs without being able to help but annoy her brother even though the mission really hadn't started yet since the target hadn't arrived.

“I will do it when necessary, I will not remove the audio.” Aphelios whispered a little low implying that he was speaking more directly to his twin, then turned to look at Sett. “We can go for ice cream, there are not many people in the store at this time.”

Aphelios is grateful to have turned off the camera, now he can quietly enjoy Sett’s fond smile and tender gestures. Walking by his side made him feel more at ease, he could take advantage of enjoying this little facade after all. After choosing their preferred flavors, Aphelios tried to pay but Sett insisted telling him that it was part of his gratitude but even if he said it that way, Aphelios' cheeks lit up slightly, it overwhelmed his heart a little. Enjoying pretending to be on an everyday outing was one thing but more than an outing those gestures made it seem like a date, the very idea makes both guys' hearts race secretly.

Sett smiles again when he hears the taste of ice cream Aphelios order, more details that had not changed over time, Aphelios dislikes crowds of people and likes blueberry ice cream quite a lot, Sett thinks tenderly. He fully understands there are things that have completely changed in the life of both, they themselves have changed but the essence of the two remains the same and the feeling so warm, sweet and comfortable they share in mutual company remains the same, perhaps it has even increased. Neither of them thought that they could enjoy each other's company in that way again, despite everything that has happened in their lives, they cannot help but feel a certain curious feeling of gratitude with the movements of fate.

With the time well calculated, the two were able to enjoy the ice cream quietly before the target arrived, still sharing a pleasant conversation, the two kept in mind that this exchange of words was also useful to go unnoticed. As Alune pointed out to him, a tall, thin man with short brown hair appeared, the clothes were quite similar to the other passers-by, Aphelios pointed at the hybrid to make him understand, the most remarkable element of his clothes was an abstract diamond design on the side of his gray jacket.

Sett and Aphelios share a look understanding the situation and Aphelios covers his face with the mask while they hide their presence among the people in the area, as it was calculated, the target had entered the designated dry cleaner, Aphelios turned on the camera of the glasses waiting for the man to finish collecting his orders.

The hybrid swallows saliva trying to keep his heartbeat as low as possible but being in the real situation now inevitably gave him a certain level of adrenaline that he concentrated on keeping stable to go unnoticed.

“Alune, the cell phone.” Aphelios mutters under the mask after observing the target using the device shortly after leaving the place keeping to the side of the location.

“Give me a second.” the twin girl on the other side of the line answers while the sound of the keys resounds in the background. “Connecting.” she confirmed after temporarily joining the audio lines with the target's call.

To maintain an everyday situation Aphelios takes Sett by the arm to guide him to a nearby bench, he needed to concentrate on the call but he couldn't observe the man so directly or he might notice, many people observe their surroundings when talking on the phone after all. The red-haired man followed him watching his hand take him with confidence, watching the look of Aphelios after sitting down with both of them turning their backs to the man, he could deduce that he was focused, he heard another type of voice resounding in his earbud.

With a rest of ice cream in hand, Aphelios ignores how it melts making its way through the cone to his hand, Sett blinks for a moment looking at him out of the corner of his eye not knowing very well if to interrupt him for something trivial, what he was listening to seemed to be important so in silence he just wraps an arm around the boy's side.

Aphelios is fleetingly distracted but looks away slightly blushing returning to concentrate on the call, noticing out of the corner of his eye how the red-haired man's goal was to reach the ice cream so Aphelios gave in a little embarrassed, handing over the ice cream feeling sorry to have imagined other reasons why Sett would surround him in that way.

“Hm…” Aphelios murmurs a sound, waiting a little longer until he could speak once the call had ended. “From what I understand we need to make more time, it seems that he’ll take his time with the shopping route.” he finally commented arranging a few hairs behind his ear before turning off the lens camera again without paying attention to the short protests of his twin.

It wasn’t only Sett's close company that had Aphelios with a slightly clueless head, the target's call had been with a close person, some loved one with whom he shared a warm tone, happily commenting on an event for a celebration, that's why the man was making stops to complete the outfit and the gift he would take with him on the date. Aphelios didn’t feel good listening to the personal life of his targets, it makes it difficult for him to keep the alien feeling about them so he can forget they are people like him, like his sister, like Sett.

Aphelios squeezed his eyes for a moment clearing his mind, remembering himself hopefully. If everything goes well this time then I won’t have to resort to eliminating the target, only collect and confirm necessary information. I won’t have to kill in front of him. Everything will be fine, Aphelios kept repeating in his mind, watching Sett out of the corner of his eye, smiling to himself. At least by your side I feel everything will be fine, Aphelios repeated between his thoughts. 

“We can make a few stops at nearby stores like ya know, clothing, jewelry, those things.” Aphelios suggests a shy smile, slightly uncertain at the end.

This time the smile could be delivered to the redhead's eyes, once he had finished speaking, Aphelios removed the mask breathing for a moment, he had used it to calm down when he arrived but he couldn’t stand out when using it now, besides, even if he didn’t want to accept it for himself, Sett's presence made him feel much more relieved among the crowd of people to not feel so vulnerable without the mask.

“I like the idea.” Sett smiled quickly agreeing still sitting next to him. After returning the rest of the ice cream to Aphelios, he leaned both hands back to settle, keeping his ears attentive to the target. “I wanted to buy a jacket anyway, it's even simpler that way.” he jokes about it smiling showing a fang among the short and serious giggles.

Appreciating the effort, Aphelios returns the warm gesture by smiling at him tenderly before finishing his ice cream and both were attentive to get up and follow the man at a prudent distance. Should this really feel like a date? It wasn’t supposed to, it was still a follow-up mission but Aphelios was beginning to suspect what his sister was planning by supporting the idea of Sett as a partner of this mission, definitely his reactions and emotions didn’t seem to be going unnoticed but deep down he understood Alune really wanted to take advantage of the distraction and vast abilities.

In that way, with a prudent distance and time, both followed the steps of 12B, heading along the path through the shopping district, they were careful not to use stores so close or so far away, doing their best to generate conversation to disguise a daily outing.

Yes, it was just Sett's effort to create a credible exit in the eyes of others, that was what Aphelios had to repeat in his mind throughout the afternoon to minimize the sudden thoughts that made his heart beat every time the hybrid approached him, offered to buy him food or other presents, even pointing out how good he would look. For a moment, Aphelios thought that going to a shoe store wouldn't be so bad but apparently he was wrong.

“Sett, I don't really need shoes.” Aphelios found himself protesting while sitting talking a little low looking embarrassed as the redhead knelt in front of him insisting on helping him try on a pair of shoes that Sett said looked good on him.

“I know, I know, indulge me in this. We can come back another day for these.” Sett answered smiling without looking up while he arranged the laces to tie the shoe, he tried to hide the small blush on his face by laughing a little.

After all, maintaining secrecy also meant not buying anything that they actually carried with them, food was no problem as it could be consumed but they had already explained to Sett they really couldn't buy any clothes or presents, the hybrid was fine with that but deep down he loved pretending he could indulge Aphelios with these material tastes.

“I guess so..” Aphelios replies looking away, feeling the hairs fall on his blushed face.

The target would take his time at the jewelry store a few places down the street, Alune kept him informed and preferred they take a little more distance, with little time left for the man to finish his activities, the opening of the opportunity would come very soon. They cannot be caught at this point of the mission.

Clearly they couldn't just be standing doing nothing in any of the shops they entered, thinking about the quieter one, Aphelios thought that entering a shoe store could buy them enough time without wandering around too much in the same place but what he hadn't calculated was the physical contact and Sett kneeling in front of him.

Only the conscious breathing kept Aphelios focused on the situation but it was quite difficult for him to feel Sett’s big and warm hands handle his feet carefully and not show his reactions, he barely felt him rubbing his skin but the fleeting grips on his ankle and leg made Aphelios press his lips, trying not to get carried away by other thoughts that were not the mission or thoughts that were not of friendship.

“Ready. See? I told ya they'd look great on ya, classy.” Sett smiled satisfied once he saw both shoes of dark material in a tone that shimmered with every reflection of light. 

Sett rested both hands on his legs to give herself the necessary boost when getting up and calmly sat down next to Aphelios giving him a smile. Aphelios felt the smile spread on his own lips, letting out an amused snort, the gesture turned into a nostalgic look as he slightly shrank his body in the seat lowering his face to see the shoes when putting his feet together.

The memories flow in Aphelios’ mind with a warm aura of the past even though the city was almost always frozen, the memories eliminate the cold breeze that surround them thanks to the smile a teenager Sett, that warm smile is enough to lessen the painful memories that were mixed within that time, Aphelios remembers how sometimes when the three of them walked after school and they still had a little more free time, they enjoyed walk by the stores.

“Look at those jackets, they're super cute.” Alune was the first one to approach the windows that exposed the garments in the local shops, walking around the area, they observed objects that they couldn’t really afford but they were amused to comment on it. 

“Wow, those ones over there look super cool. I bet you no one would go cold with one of these.” Sett joined quickly, approaching to observe the thick snow jackets, they were the most expensive in the area.

Aphelios remembers being always more reserved, almost always silent, around that time the training with the family poison had been creating dissociation with his own voice for some time but he always made his best effort to keep up with the conversation especially because he appreciated the effort of the hybrid and his twin to include him regardless of whether he spoke with his voice or with sign language.

Commenting with fleeting appreciation about the clothes, Aphelios remembers with tenderness how Sett was always able to read his subtle gestures, over time, even faster than his own twin, the redhead noticed how Aphelios’ gaze concentrated on a beautiful scarf of long and soft dark fabric. 

“Do ya like it? It's a very nice scarf.” the teenage redhead smiled at the boy earning a shy smile from him. “I could buy it for ya if ya like it that much.” Sett suggested with an air of arrogance trying to look good in front of Aphelios, only earning a mocking laughter from his twin. 

“Oh, yes? How? With imaginary money?” Alune covered her face while laughing mockingly.

“Don't make fun of me! My savings are pretty good.” Sett immediately defended himself while Alune was playing along. 

“Aw wouldn’t that be a cute birthday present then. Why don’t you buy two of those?” the girl continued with her teasing, making the redhead blush after she noticed the clear intentions he had.

Aphelios remembers fondly how the girl took advantage of mocking him during the afternoon on the way home, even he joined in to laugh a little while the half vastaya complained embarrassed that the twins were uniting against him.

“Phel?” Sett's funny and curious voice brings him back to the present. “Ya lost me a little there. Did ya remember a really good joke ya don't want to tell me or what?” he asks between laughs pointing out the obvious smile Aphelios had on his face during his silent moment of thought.

Before the bad joke of comment, Sett expects a subtle laugh of consolation of the usual ones that Aphelios always gave him even if his jokes didn’t actually make him laugh but, to Sett’s surprise, he is blessed with an unexpected, beautiful honest laugh, the confidence of the hybrid deflated, blushing at the image of the man laughing apologetically before trying to compose himself after the laugh.

“Sorry. I just remembered something and you come with that.” Aphelios put his hand to his face trying to diminish the few laughs that escaped him between the words.

Undoubtedly there were certain things that were maintained despite the many changes they faced in life. Alune might not have vision of the situation at this specific moment but the laughter of her brother was enough, the girl sighs with a smile letting her back fall against the padded chair turning off the microphone for a few minutes, she stays on the spot playing with her fingers, pressing her lips smiling uneasily.

“What am I going to do with you?” Alune muttered to herself in the room, looking at the security cameras of the place, still keeping her eye on the movements of the target.

Unable to prevent a certain part of her mind from wandering between thoughts about her twin, she always thought that, despite everything, they had lost and had to give up so much, she could be enough to keep him alive, as long as they were together everything would be fine, it was enough... But it really was? Alune knows Aphelios has only been in a surviving mode since that crimson day, she believed that, by staying together, he would regain that will to live eventually, just like she did with time but it wasn't enough and now those fearful feelings are only getting stronger. She wasn't the one who gave that flame of life back to her twin, it was Sett who seemed to return that sparkle of life in his gaze, in his voice. Could she really trust Sett? Would he be able to accept Aphelios with his current life, the poison, the nightmares, all the danger that could entail? Would Sett even bring them some kind of danger? None of them had a peaceful life in the slightest. Was it too stubborn to try to think positively?

Alune frowns in frustration among her contradictory thoughts, she only wanted the best for her brother as much as possible. But what is the best possible option in this dangerous and complicated scenario where pursuing happiness seems like an illusion?

Once the twin manages to calm her thoughts, for now at least, she activates the microphone again, tells them to get ready so they both finish returning the shoes to leave the store calmly, soon after the target begins with his movements and Alune has vision again.

The laughter and background conversations are put aside, the target would start on his way back to the final destination. Alune repeated the procedure in her head, she couldn't help but feel nervous, it was always within this point where the previous follow-up missions had failed, even though the man took his time during the day, the hours weren’t enough to give the night cloak to his twin.

Sett doesn’t regret having accompanied him, he didn’t care the outing between them was supposedly fake company, just to disguise an everyday situation during the follow-up mission, he is convinced the emotions they shared today were quite real, even if they don’t mention it out loud, he allows himself to have enjoyed every simple moment they shared during the day.

Sett trusts Aphelios' abilities. He understands, even though these kinds of missions went wrong in the past, Aphelios was able to manage, still, he didn't like the way he had to do it at all. Was the bloody part? Not exactly, he himself has experienced a fair amount of confrontations to be critical about it. Using other substances, like, fucking poison? Yes. Sett couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat as he remembered that conversation. Even if it was the truth, the redhead was conflicted, he understood that Aphelios didn’t like that feeling but the substance was already instilled in his training to be able to live up to his demands, Sett wanted to understand it completely but he didn’t understand why it had to work that way, he didn’t want to understand rather, why Aphelios had to be damaged in that way.

Without losing the north in those thoughts, Sett focused on giving Aphelios a good time, taking advantage of every minute at his side in the mundane and quiet false outing during the entire mission. Now? Every sense of his body is attentive around him, it's the moment of truth. Just a few steps between the proximity of a nearby house and both men, the target is arranged in the ideal position to start the final phase of the follow-up mission.

Deep down, Sett also felt the restlessness of the slight musty aroma that spread through the environment very slightly, making him doubt if it was possible for rain to fall at some time in the afternoon or evening, the hybrid's nose wrinkled at the sensation trying to concentrate on the scene.

“Remember, you have the tranquilizer darts loaded, they will take effect in a matter of seconds.” Alune reminds him of the information and he only generates a confirmation sound.

Aphelios thinks carefully about his movements, hiding next to Sett, both lean their backs against the wall of the neighboring house and Aphelios proceeds to take out the small gun that has the tranquilizer designed by the twin, he takes a deep breath looking sideways at the hybrid and then at the target, although he had the exact location at this distance, he needed an opening, the man could look up, look away, make a movement to create a space of bare skin that would have an accurate effect but the jacket continued to create an annoying obstacle.

Restless, Aphelios couldn't help but feel that every second was an eternity, waiting for the indicated movement that seemed not to come. It feels like running out of time, pressed by an invisible clock that self-imposes. A quick movement on the side makes Aphelios turn abruptly confused, seeing as Sett walks quickly with silent steps to the other end of the house, at first Aphelios feels the disturbance about to make him exclaim in confusion, however, feeling the unexpected coherence, they both looked at each other nodding at the same time. Would he really do what Phel thought? Aphelios feels nervous when trusting his instinct, believing he understands the intentions of the half vastaya with the fleeting gestures he made to him, Aphelios returns to the same previous position pointing the weapon in his hiding place, having the target in the crosshairs.

He feels his heart racing, just as he had thought, Sett imitates the whistle of a bird attracting the target's attention so that he looks in that direction, leaving his neck clear so the perfect and silent shot of the tranquilizer takes place. In a few seconds, the man falls asleep on the side of the wall of the silent place.

“The cameras are disabled. Hurry time is precious brother.” Alune comments quickly through the device, watching with the lens camera to her advantage.

Sett returns to the twin's previous hiding place only to peek out of the side and wait anxiously, pressing his fingers against the concrete of the wall. Aphelios registers the target and takes photos of the contents of two envelopes that he carries inside the jacket, after leaving them in place, he connects a small device to the charging port of the man’s cell phone, without taking more than half a minute, Aphelios leaves everything in its place and ends by injecting a small syringe on the target’s neck before quickly leaving the place.

The red-haired man looks at him confused at the last action, receiving the man before both were redirected to the previous sector trying to blend back in among the people on the main street, the reassuring was only a momentary measure but Aphelios couldn’t leave that person unconscious against the side of that house, time that would be solved by the subsequent injection, once they had taken distance after almost fifteen minutes walking covertly among the pedestrians, the voice of his twin became present again, relieved, with the reactivation of the cameras in the place and the confirmation of the integration of the confused man resuming his way without further suspicion thanks to Alune’s serum.

The big smile on Aphelios' face quickly spread to his companion, Sett walked making room for both of them among the people moving between the center of the shops mixed with those who were getting off work because of the late time.

“Alune says everything went well.” Aphelios speaks out loud to confirm the growing excitement of the hybrid who couldn't help but hug him with one arm as they walked, squeezing him to his side with tenderness and awkwardness.

“That's great! I knew everything would turn out just fine.” Sett tries not to exclaim too loudly as he smiles showing both fangs, blushing a little as he observes the man he had attached on impulse but didn't think to let go.

And to the delight of his heart, Aphelios shows him a big smile, blushing without moving away from him, on the contrary, a few seconds pass before Aphelios encouraged himself to reciprocate his embrace, crossing his arm between both to direct him to the back of the half vastaya, tenderly grabbing his shirt.

“It's the first time everything goes so well in these.., outings... Thank you.” Aphelios smiles tenderly as they settle into a calmer rhythm, mingled among the other passers-by.

“Pfft thank me for what? Ya did all the work.” Sett replied with a laugh pointing to himself with his free hand in confusion, more curious to create new giggles in the guy.

“You could say it like that but these kinds of outings never went well. Everything seemed so easy with you today.., so simple…” Aphelios looks away a little, squeezing his lips in a fleeting moment of restlessness but then he smiles at him again with encouragement and tenderness, turning the red-haired man's heart upside down. “Besides, in the end, you were very helpful.” he added looking away again, this time with a blush on his cheeks.

“In the end?” Aphelios genuine smiles cause the hybrid's brain to short-circuit, messing up his hair in confusion at first. “Oh right! I understand, in the end! That was the first thing that really occurred to me.” Sett replied finally reconnecting the conversation after getting lost in the moment.

It was hard not to get lost in the idea of the illusion of a date, Sett watched around noticing some couples alike walking to their own destinations, hugging, holding hands. Sett couldn’t help but swallow the knot in his stomach by looking out of the corner of his eye at the still slightly blushing man, attached to him, without moving his arm away even though he was no longer squeezing him in the celebratory hug, they just continued walking that way, without commenting on it, hugging each other, Sett wondered if Aphelios also was enjoying being by his side. Maybe that's why he didn't stay away, the very hope made Sett’s heart tremble.

“I’d forgotten you could imitate the sound of some birds.” Aphelios comments keeping his eyes on the road with a small nostalgic smile.

As if the tone created a strange mixture of conflict and comfort in his heart, Sett observes him first being surprised but then yields a warm smile loaded with the same nostalgia as he walks by his side, daring to give him gentle caresses with the hand that rests on his arm.

“Yeah? I was actually surprised when ya understood what I wanted to do.” Sett replied lowering his head to be able to look into his eyes with a pleased smile generating more blush in his companion.

Aphelios takes his time to reply, hiding his face a little by letting his hair fall over his eyes trying in vain to hide his embarrassed gesture. How could someone look so damn cute being shy? Sett cursed inside himself, he had always secretly enjoyed each and every one of his gestures but since he returned to his life, it was twice as much. No. Three times the effect that each of Aphelios’ gestures had on him.

“I was surprised too, I don't know... I had an idea of what you tried to point out, I thought I was crazy for thinking something so random but I'm happy I was right. I’m happy I just chose to trust you.” Aphelios looked at him out of the corner of his eye, unable to keep his gaze fixed for his own burning cheeks, focusing more on the road in front of them, he unintentionally squeezed the hybrid's shirt a little when saying the last words.

For someone like Aphelios, saying those words was quite strong, as a hitman, as someone who is chained to an organization he profoundly hates, as someone who has been deceived, used and manipulated, as someone who has lost so much, trusting other people wasn’t an option, it wasn’t supposed to be, even in the past he was afraid to trust telling the truth to the hybrid but now, those words escaped his lips with honesty.

Sett was silent for a moment in the middle of the blush, it was as if everything bad in the world was cleared up just by seeing that shy and beautiful smile, every word of the subtle and light tone he adored so much, gave him such exciting sensations. Sett swallowed trying to laugh to keep the mood light but some nervousness escaped him.

“Thank you for your trust Phel… It seems we make a very good team.” Sett commented gratefully, playfully shaking the man a little on his arm.

Aphelios smiled tenderly and let out a soft giggle, giving him an almost inadvertent playful jab with his hip as he walked.

“You know my team is Alune.” Aphelios replied in the same playful tone teasing him as he laughed amused to see Sett faking a dramatic pain gesture with the other hand on his chest. “But yes, we make a good team too…” he added with a sincere smile walking beside him.

Alune was barely paying attention to their conversation, after all, the mission was technically over, she just wanted to make sure they got home safely, however, with the audio available thanks to the device, the words they began to exchange and the tone with which they spoke made her stop, ashamed of listening to them, the girl pressed her lips blushing apologetically turning off the audio of the hearing device.

In the silence of the room, Alune takes a deep breath to concentrate on her work, she really shouldn't be too surprised, even if her brother didn't realize, he had already trusted Sett for a long time despite not telling him the truth before, she knew that if there was only one other being in this world she trusted with her eyes closed besides herself, it was Sett but the context of the conversation they were having now seemed to have a less friendly and more romantic air.

“And I have no desire to hear that, thank you very much.” Alune spoke to herself out loud laughing piteously watching the guys following them through security cameras available along the way.

The mission had gone perfectly, they had collected the information and the serum to leave the target clueless had done its effect correctly leaving him walking as if nothing had happened soon after without any memory or notion of the previous situation, they had left no traces. She understood her twin's excitement, after all it is the first time a day tracking mission has been executed successfully, she was just as smiling, satisfied with her brother's work equally. In a moment of rest, Alune stretched both arms over her head letting herself fall on the back of the padded chair with a sigh of relief.

She observes out of the corner of her eye some sweets scattered on the desk, reaching out to reach one of these, she unwraps it with one hand while typing slowly with the other. The candy being a gum, Alune chews the strawberry flavor, shaking her fingers off the sugar before continuing a more fluid typing with both hands, diverting her left hand at moments to another keyboard and mouse on that side, updating the security cameras, showing four different angles of the surroundings in which Sett and Aphelios were walking.

“12B was pretty messy with his files…” Alune murmurs, used to talking to herself during work while she uses the time to advance her part of the mission before resting after the arrival of her twin.

The girl checks her phone feeling the hunger resurface in her stomach, after all she had spent several hours sitting in that place. At least Phel got to eat ice cream and other little things on his “fake” date, Alune thought, sighing with a soft laugh.

However, the laughter slowly cuts off as Alune checks the security cameras, frowning, curious, confused, starting to get restless, she puts the target information aside for a moment to focus on her brother and Sett. Curiosity turned into concern, following the route, the sun began to hide at the same time the street lights turned on.

At the same time, two figures had a strange pattern of movement, Alune noticed it quickly, at first she thought it had been a misconception but as she noticed the movements of both hooded people, the girl recognized signs of tracking, she was sure, they were following Sett and Aphelios. Had they noticed? 

“Aphelios.” Alune opens the audio channel, wasting no time in attracting the attention of her brother who, following the current pretends not to be fazed while maintaining tranquility when walking. “You're being followed.”

Aphelios gives a short and disturbing answer “We know.” 

But that didn't bring any comfort, Alune settled in the chair, focusing completely on the situation, however, the confusion didn't leave her face. Who were they and why were they following them? The information she had collected didn’t show any threat, allies or enemies, there was no one linked to the target like that. It was one of the reasons why this mission was classified for a daytime tracking, a low-danger one.

“I can't identify them.” Alune exhales anxiously looking for the possible way to find a viewing angle.

The frustration reached the ear of his twin who pressed his lips together uneasily, frustrated but above all, annoyed. Everything had gone well, the mission had been completed correctly, he even felt relieved that everything went well in every conversation with Sett, even, within seconds he pretended so well that he forgot that he was pretending to be on a shopping outing. Now? Aphelios was uncertain, only worry managed to concentrate him on the situation and not let himself be carried away by anger, the frustration of thinking, of having the illusion that everything would turn out well, almost made him feel like a fool for having that hope in his heart.

It wasn’t necessary for Alune to ask him, if she couldn’t identify them because of how covered they were between clothes and hoods, maybe she could do it with time and Aphelios would buy that time, there is no other option, he couldn’t guide people, who were a clear threat, to their own house. Maybe he could use the tranquilizers with them? 

For minutes now the two guys were just walking around without being attached, trying to look innocent about it but also not to relax too much, Sett was also quite aware that he was being followed, maybe Aphelios had training but Sett had learned his own way, maybe sometimes the bad way but since he had arrived in the city, especially after gaining a reputation in fights, he had learned to deal with many kinds of dangerous people. 

The only difference? It's the first time Sett has felt this kind of adrenaline rush. It was usually easier for him to follow his fighting instincts, unless they hit his sensible spot. The last person who insulted his Mother, Sett barely remembers how he ended up beating him on the ground until he knocked him unconscious, blinded by anger. What if someone dared to hurt Aphelios in front of him? It was better the gods had mercy on them because Sett wouldn't have it.

That's the difference. Now, his vulnerable point was walking beside him, Sett was more than aware Aphelios was perfectly capable of defending himself, still, Sett felt that anxiety, that desire to prevent something bad from happening to him, to protect him in one way or another. It was the very owner of his thoughts that woke him up, taking his hand as they walked, with such a well-acted gesture of reassurance that the hybrid was surprised, he really could fool anyone else.

“Will you come with me? I want to smoke.” Aphelios asks in suggestion while very subtly pulling him by the hand.

“Uh. Yeah. Sure.” Sett replies, taken a little by surprise and nods following his steps without letting go of his hand.

Sett may not have been listening to Alune but it was clear what they were thinking, for obvious reasons they couldn’t guide these strangers to the twins' house, however, the idea caught him off guard. That's new, Sett thought curiously, wondering if the suggestion was real or if it was some way to disguise other words or even just a superficial lie to buy time, while he diverted his walking to head to the long paths of a nearby square emptier due to the arrival of night.

The little hopes of the redhead that it was a made-up excuse, vanished the moment they found a further way, without much appeasing the step, Aphelios searched inside a pocket in his jacket, opening the cigarette box inside this, he just takes out the cigar next to a lighter, fleetingly illuminating his pale face. The look of surprise didn’t go unnoticed by Aphelios who squeezed the cigar between his lips averting his eyes in sorrow.

“I'm sorry. Does the smoke bother you?” Aphelios apologized, subtly asking with insecurity, but it sounded more like, does it bother you that I smoke? 

“No, no, it's uh, it just irritates my nose a little, that's all. No big deal.” Sett replied, trying to show nonchalant about it, just like Aphelios, his tone sounded more like, It just makes me curious, is all. No big deal

Both share a moment of understanding within the hidden tones of voice between the interaction. In a short moment of immersion in his thoughts, Sett wonders what other things he doesn't know about him. He wants to know more. He wants to know everything about him, about his current self. Everything. However, the current situation comes first. Sooner or later they would have to face those hooded men if they insisted on following their trail. It was the first time in his life, Sett wished he could avoid the possible confrontation, he just wanted to go back to the twins' house and rest. Why was this happening?

Sett wasn't the only one tormented with that question. Aphelios doesn't usually smoke much, sometimes he can smoke to take a break, other times to get ready but there were times, like this one, where he needed to calm down. The anger, all the frustration of the situation, his fear to protect Sett, he cannot generate failures in his movements, he needs to have a clear mind to keep a cold heart at the necessary moment. Aphelios exhales the smoke in the opposite direction of the hybrid, sidelong watching behind his back with a sharp gaze.

At this rate, the confrontation seems inevitable, they just get closer and closer to them, almost unconcerned, thinking the close street situation in the middle of the roads of a square at the beginning of the night, would be something that would play in their favor. Serious mistake. Such fools.

Aphelios exhales the last puff of the cigarette before dropping it to the floor, watching the flashes disappear as it goes out under his shoe. Once he looks up, he blinks for a few moments, focusing the view under the public lights just turned on under the absolute night, showing how the silhouettes take firm steps to reach them, Aphelios turns around but before he can do anything, Sett’s tall figure takes a step in front of him, covering half of his body in a calm but firm stop, while continuing to stare defiantly at the men who were now taking a step forward face to face. 

Chapter Text

Sett's eyes express much more and soon Aphelios understands why, perhaps from the cameras Alune couldn’t see well but from the front, with the artificial light in his favor, it was the hybrid who reacted first, recognizing the two unpleasant faces a few seconds before the light completely showed their figures.

“What a pleasant surprise.” Sett greeted with sarcasm and bitterness in the voice  as he moved by inertia to cover Aphelios behind his back. “I didn't think I'd see you around.”

Once the men were close enough, Aphelios blinked fleetingly, recognizing the faces in a vague memory, he only saw them once. The night he saved Sett. There’s no doubt they were the men accompanying the target that night. So the problem was with Sett? Aphelios knows they couldn’t know he murdered his ally, they were there when Aphelios eliminated the target but he used a weapon at a distance, it was impossible they had seen him. Right? 

“Greetings to you too, animal, but those should be our words.” the man on the left spoke first with the same sarcastic tone. “We didn't see you anywhere in the betting, we knew you hadn't died. You couldn't fool anyone with that shit.”

“Don’t know what the fuck are you talking about. I didn't try to pretend anything.” Sett replies quickly, showing his fangs almost spitting out the words with disdain.

Aphelios notices Sett's body tense up, in an attempt to calm him down Aphelios rests his palm on his back, still a little shy of being protected that way, it wasn't a feeling he was used to. Sett turns his head at his side, watching him in sorrow, he feels so guilty. Sett didn't want to involve him in any conflict of his anymore, Aphelios had enough problems in his own life already.

He wasn’t the only one thinking like that, Alune was upset, frustrated to see her twin in a dangerous situation outside the missions, she was sure Sett would do nothing but protect Aphelios if the conflict got worse but it wasn’t enough to reassure her. Sett also commented with her the events that had happened during these years, the illegal fights, the same context in which Aphelios saved him that night, she didn’t doubt he was strong and respected he had emerged victorious from the encounters in which he was cornered but Alune didn’t think something like this would happen.

And it was strange for Sett himself. In previous encounters, he finished destroying the courage of his opponents outside the ring when they threatened his life, even if they remained alive, the memory of the half vastaya and his golden fists, were a nightmare for others but these two were different. Sett didn’t beat his leader, even if he was eliminated it wasn’t by him, that was Aphelios doing. They saw him weak. They saw him being stabbed and beaten. They may even know that Sett hasn’t fully healed yet. These bastards love dirty tricks, Sett thought between bitter thoughts.

“Yeah sure. Ya think I believe you? You're fucking with me, you disgusting animal.” the man continues to lead the conversation with a sour annoying tone taking a step forward with a disgusting smug smile. “Playing dead ya bastard?”

“Be careful with your words.” Sett warns him, turning his gaze to the front, showing his fangs trying to calm his fury at the constant discriminatory taunts.

“The big boss coming back from the dead! Please. It wouldn't be the first time.” the second man joins the conversation mocking in sarcasm. “You fucking cheater.” he adds with disgust crossing his arms.

Sett lets out a dry laugh, arching his ears in fury while maintaining a frown with a smug smile. “How funny. It was you fuckers who brought a knife to a fist fight and I'm the cheater? Hilarious.” he comments almost growling at the end.

“At least we didn't hide someone to save our ass.”

The sudden comment weakens the hybrid's fury, Sett and Aphelios show a fleeting moment of surprise. Did they believe that whoever killed the guy was an ally of Sett? Aphelios feels his heart racing despite showing composure on his face, his mind loses the north between dark thoughts, restless, he swallows saliva taking a step back, hiding more behind the back of the hybrid without greater success.

“Aphelios. I can turn off the lights and cameras at any time.” Alune nervously speaks through the earbud device.

Aphelios doesn't respond. He just breathes. He understands what the twin is referring to but he doesn't want to understand at the same time. He can feel his chest trembling slightly between restless breaths that seem calm, Aphelios can't help but put a hand under his collarbone, feeling the tiny bottle of small doses of nocturm under his jacket.

Sett is distracted for a moment listening to the distant sound of Alune's voice, arching his ear for insistence, he looks at the man out of the corner of his eye, the image of Aphelios trying to pretend composure hurts his heart. The last thing he wanted was to bring him problems, he wanted to help him, to give him a quiet day. He wasn't going to let him get caught up in this mess.

“I don't know. What the actual fuck. You two bastards are talking about.” Sett replies with the same aggressive tone, defensive of constant accusations. “We can talk about this another day, get out or-”

The redhead tried to cut the situation as soon as possible but his threats reached deaf ears, neither of the two men was willing to give in, they only increased the aggressiveness of his words leaving them stunned.

“Or what? You don’t know what the fuck are we talking about? You can't get enough of lying, disgusting bastard. Why the fuck do you even deny it if you bring your little fucker from that day with you?” the man spits violently again, vaguely pointing at Aphelios, raising his hand in his direction with disgust.

Their blood froze. Even Alune became petrified with her eyes wide open, coming to hear her twin's shortness of breath, the girl swallowed saliva restless, frustrated, she was trying to understand Aphelios didn’t want to eliminate anyone today, much less in front of Sett, she even savored the feeling of having achieved the goal without staining his hands but the situation completely changed, there was no other way out. They didn't know who the Solari or the Lunari were but they recognized Aphelios, they recognized his face even if they didn't know his name or anything else about him, they knew he killed that man. There was no other way out, the twins knew very well what the protocol was for witnesses, potential threats.

Aphelios frowns still shocked, taking a step back staying back to back behind Sett, he can even hear the slow but clattering breathing of the half vastaya between strong beats. They feel cornered. They are cornered.

 “I don't know. What the fuck. You're talking. To me.” Sett repeats with aggression slowly highlighting the words repeating each one.

But it's already too late, even if the hybrid managed to convince them to leave them alone, the fate would be the same and neither of the twins can take any more risks. Before the two men react to the redhead's provocation, the nearby lights flicker, every lantern next to them on the road begins to fail, making it difficult to see, distracting even the hybrid himself but it doesn't take long for him to understand.

“What the fuck?!” one of the men exalts himself in confusion, stunned.  

“Phel.” Sett turns around looking for the agitated man but his fear is confirmed when he only manages to see his silhouette from the corner of his eye.

Everything happens in a matter of seconds. Sett loses sight of the dark silhouette at the moment when each light cuts out, falling into complete darkness, the two men alter confused, not understanding what is happening but Sett does. His strong amber eyes glow in the dark, feeling his pupils dilate to fit the night abruptly in just a few blinks.

The hybrid turns over agitated, frozen in place. He manages to spot Aphelios leaving a small dark pill between his lips before getting lost in the darkness, surrounding the two new targets in a blink, managing to disorientate the two men as he cornered them on each other. Only one impulse is enough to decide the moment of his attack.

As if he were a feather, Aphelios dances as it moves in the middle of the targets, drawing the daggers out of his jacket at a superhuman speed, barely making the minimum noise when fully supporting his weight. By the time Aphelios stabilizes his body, Sett feels a lump in his throat denoting the speed in which he had taken care of the two men. In a split second, they fall lifeless with the small daggers through their necks, each in a perfect, clean grip.

No sound, no trace, no blood spatter or even a trace of his footprints, all in complete darkness, Sett remains static, feeling a drop of sweat slide down his cheek, a slight chill runs down his back as he crosses glances with those dark obsidian eyes but it's not the same, they don't shine the same.

Everything falls silent for painful seconds. Not even the coming storm alerts their scenes.

Missions can have problems, Alune has always been aware of that, there may be conflicts, improvisations, sudden major changes, they were always able to react quickly to carry out the mission. The witnesses were a more delicate matter, important enough to report it, Diana will be pleased by the removal of possible obstacles but at this moment when Alune types relentlessly coordinating the acquisition of the bodies and elimination of the evidence, she is not thinking with complete clarity, she frowns when writing trying to keep her restless breathing stable while she has to wait for the arrival of her brother next to Sett.

The tension of the situation between the two men begins in the same silence as the grayish sky starts to cover the night veil, the clouds are accumulating with dense rain threatening to fall, all light is already cloudy. Alune just informs Aphelios that she has already taken care of the coordination, waiting for assistance, not many minutes pass for Aphelios to move away from the bodies, walking in a controlled silence, Sett can't help but feel chills running down the back of his neck, bristling the fur of his ears. Even the steps Aphelios took when walking in that state didn’t resonate, even with his vastaya senses Sett wasn’t able to hear him.

“Aphelios.” finally the air returns to Sett's lungs, calling to man’s name when he sees that he is just walking past him.

Aphelios stops in his tracks, staying in complete silence, for lack of a sound, the light rain drops begin to create noise around them, slowly falling in drizzle around them. The hybrid's ears arch in annoyance but Sett watches uneasily, confused when Aphelios doesn't turn around nor even looks at him. What expression does he have on his face? Did he just ignore him as he passed by him or did he really not see him? Sett looks down noticing how Aphelios hands are shaking and shrinks a little, bringing both hands to his chest, taking a while to breathe. Almost like he didn’t recognize Sett for long disturbing minutes.

“We have to go.” Aphelios speaks in a choppy voice, forcing a cold tone.

Sett bites the inside of his lip in annoyance, confused and frustrated. He was aware of the poison even though Aphelios didn't mention anything about it. Is that why he was behaving that way? He still couldn't quite understand why he had to use that, he's seen him train, he knows how strong he is but he always seems to have a pressure to perform superhuman abilities. Sett is feeling even more frustrated with himself. How did trying to protect him by not involving him went so wrong? In the end he couldn't do anything.

“Sett.” Aphelios looks at him out of the corner of his eye insisting due to the absence of response and the aforementioned tightens his lips at the small sign of nascent brightness in those crystalline eyes.

“I'm coming.” Sett swallows the questions and apologies that haunt him, he just speeds up the pace to catch up with him, resuming the way back to the house.

The hybrid walks in silence, still tense, worried, looking out of the corner of his eye at the black haired man but barely manages to see his face, Aphelios keeps his head down as he walks, with long dark hair hiding the sad gesture of his eyes, on impulse, he bites his lip with annoyance, feeling the awful taste of the small temporal nocturm pill still impregnated in some parts of his tongue and lips. Sett looks at him sorrowfully without him noticing, increasing his concern when noticing how Ahpelios was starting to hurt his lower lip, Sett reached his limit when Aphelios managed to bite out a small blood stain out.

“Phel.” Sett calls his name again, making him shudder, slowing down. “Stop doing that, you're hurting yourself.” he speaks sweetly by bringing a worried hand up to him.

But his concern is not well received, Aphelios is surprised by the comment, raising his face in sorrow but frowns, pushing away the redhead's touch impulsively with the side of his hand. Rejecting his touch. Sett blinks for a moment frowning, confused by  his reaction. Despite having used his voice all day and the effect of the temporary poison has left his body, Aphelios doesn’t want the trembling tone to escape him between the words. He doesn't have the courage to speak out loud.

‘Don't worry about those things. I'm fine.’ Aphelios signs using both hands averting his gaze before returning to the slightly faster pace, without checking if Sett had understood him.

For better or for worse, the redhead understood every word, frowning before speed up the pace again, managing to catch up with Aphelios who seemed to be trying to walk faster, remarking a distance that the hybrid didn’t like at all.

“Excuse me. Clearly, you are more than fine.” Sett replies with sarcasm reaching the pace to walk next to Aphelios who frowns at him but looks away indifferently.

‘Yes. I am fine.’ Aphelios insists with both hands, again not being able to look at him for more than two seconds.

“Okay. No. Are you fucking kidding me right now? Phel, you're shaking.” Sett can't let go of the topic noticing the trembling in Aphelios’ fingers but he doesn't receive any response, almost being ignored. “Aphelios.” he insists, using his full name, serious and hurt by the distance he tries to create between them.

The light drops of water turn into heavier rain, Aphelios refuses to answer pulling the skin on his lower lip harder, pressing both hands together against his chest, trying to force them to calm down, trying to force himself to regain his composure but it was so difficult. The last thing he wanted was for Sett to see him murder someone, not again, not like that. Would death follow them like a curse if they went out again? Why did he agree to this? To make everything worse, the effect of the small poison pill had not completely overshadowed the unpleasant feeling of the stab attack, Aphelios could not only feel their flesh torn apart but also could see the horrified look in Sett’s eyes, every sensation terrified Aphelios. For the first time, Aphelios wishes he had used a larger capsule of nocturm, he can’t help but wish to be numb right now, not having to face these overwhelming feelings. 

“Phel!” Sett screams confused when Aphelios speeds up the pace until he runs out.

“Aphelios. Be careful, it's starting to rain heavily.” Alune dares to speak to the twin through the earbud, worried sick as she tries to follow her brother's fast pace through the cameras on the empty streets.

She really didn't want to meddle in the guys' conversation, she had stayed out of the way during the whole previous interaction but now she's can’t help it, she is worried about her brother, sad about Sett and it's just that Aphelios didn't want to listen to him, no matter how much time passed or how many times Aphelios had to eliminate targets, even knowing that they weren't exactly innocent people, guilt stalked him. What was the difference between him and his targets? What makes him, a person trained to pull the trigger without blinking, more deserving of compassion compared to the other people he was instructed to eliminate? Aphelios didn’t feel worthy of empathy, of comfort or concern, burdened by the nightmares he relieved every time he was aware of his grip on weapons.

Alune understands Sett is only worried and profoundly confused as he runs after his brother insistently but. Will he be able to reach his heart? She has tried to support Aphelios through the years, she has tried so hard to reach him with an infinite number of conversations but, no matter what she does, no matter what she says, her twin creates a barrier between them, without allowing himself to receive that support completely. Aphelios doesn't feel worthy of that support. Now, Alune can do nothing but clench her hands uneasily and sorrowfully, waiting, without receiving any response from her brother, only the anguished painful moans he mutters as he runs with the lump in his throat threatening to make him cry, without wanting to stop or look back, aware of the hybrid's presence chasing him.

“Brother. I'm serious, at least try to run carefully.” Alune raises her tone in frustration, scared for the safety of her brother who seems not to think coherently while running in the rain. “Aphelios.” she warns again but her worry reaches deaf ears.

Alune watches through the security cameras of the area as Aphelios seems to slow down the steps once he has managed to get far enough away from the biggest streets, catching his breath agitated but nothing in his gesture seems light, on the contrary, Aphelios frowned more, tensing his body as he stops for a second, just a few minutes before get home, Alune frowns squinting to see his movements well.

“I'm just trying to help you, I'm worried.” Alune raises her tone in a mixture of concern and annoyance, watching as the man raises his hand and removes the hearing device. “What do you think you’re doing?! Aphelios!”

Alune exclaims upset and completely distressed but her scolding goes nowhere, Alune gets impatient when she notices Aphelios takes up the steps agitated, running again, determined to keep the distance with the redhead, trying to get home first but Aphelios is more tired than he would think, the rain hinders his steps as it is difficult for him to breathe due to the effort and the knot that haunts his throat in threat to burst tears that may mix with the raindrops that fall down his face.

“Phel! Aphelios!” he hears his name again but now the loud voice is closer to his back than he had noticed, Sett quickened his pace, clenching his jaw feeling the pain in his abdomen but the small annoyance of his sore muscles is nothing to him now.

Even if Sett isn’t concentrating on the pain, a slight whine escapes him at the end of his voice, still calling the name of black haired man, without slowing down the pace of his legs, Sett gets frustrated he is not in full condition, wondering if he could have reached him sooner but he doubts those thoughts, Aphelios’ training is denoted even in moments like these, where he gains distance and speed in a matter of seconds but Sett wasn’t going to give up so easily, much less recognizing the path they were coming to. He won’t let him get inside the house to escape his confrontation. The hybrid opens wide his eyes for a second, slowing down abruptly when he notices Aphelios is doing the same already a few steps from reaching the back entrance of the house, at the hidden back entrance of the first floor store, he quickly takes cover under the protruding roof, almost completely pinning his hands against the wall after having braked sharply.

Sett manages to get to his side, a few centimeters away, taking cover under the same roof right behind him but Aphelios doesn’t turn around, not in the slightest, he keeps moving his shoulders slowly, catching his breath just like the redhead who stays silent watching the back of the man's neck who keeps his head down, with wet hair clinging to his forehead and neck. Aphelios doesn't want to use his voice but he also doesn't want to turn around to use sign language. He is trembling. His hand, his whole body is slightly shaking, his anxiety reaching the highest levels in his nervous heartbeat.

“Phel…” Sett tries to call his name again, with more concern and sweetness this time.

Aphelios tightens his lips after hear him clearer, even among the heavy rain that turns into a storm behind his back, a trembling breath escapes him as he opens his lips a little in search of words, failing in the attempt, frustrated, he clenches his fists against the wall of the house, shrugging his head more between his shoulders. Almost as if he could hide from Sett's gaze.

“Phel. Look at me.” Sett asks him again in a sweet tone, looking for patience, sad to see him shaking like that, keeping that cold distance that Sett tries to break by approaching slowly, with cautious steps.

But the simple warm and sturdy touch of Sett’s hand on Aphelios’ shoulder made him freeze in place, stunned and conflicted with his caress, Aphelios watched the ground between his feet for a few seconds, feeling the drops fall from his wet hair, soaked bangs swims beside his tears wet eyelashes, perhaps there are even some tears that had slipped over his cheeks, feeling the salty drops sliding between his lips. Aphelios squeezes his eyes before starting to raise his head slowly. Very, very slowly. So deeply insecure. 

He wants to see Sett's face, he really wants to turn around and hug him, melt in his embrace and at the same time he deeply wants to run away. Where has selfishness led him?  Aphelios feels that every time he pursues that beautiful longing feeling. He feels so guilty for even wanting this, he doesn't deserve this, he shouldn't allow himself to have these feelings, he shouldn't have the luxury of being this selfish with his own life. He had no right, he doesn't feel his heart deserves this or him. 

Aphelios lets out a curse between his teeth Sett can't understand, the red haired man waits without insisting more on his touch or with his words, trying to break down Aphelios’ high defensive walls slowly but Sett didn't know how much that simple touch, no, the simple fact of his presence next to him was overwhelming by it self. Aphelios’ thoughts get confused between contradictions within his mind and heart.

“You… You shouldn't be.., running in the rain, I heard you whine earlier while you ran.” Aphelios speaks without turning around but bites his tongue in frustration at the end.

That wasn't really what he wanted to say, not in that way but words aren’t easy to organize inside his mind right now. Aphelios was worried about him too but he felt disoriented, he had become unaccustomed to dealing with intense emotions, even handling the strong and confusing feelings that were caused by Sett return to their lives, the exposure of the truth, he could barely keep his mind functioning sane, his heart was making too much noise.

Sett is slow to understand that he is referring to the wound on his abdomen still healing under bandages that, at this point, were already quite wet from the rain, however, the way of communicating and continuing to reject him at the same time without even looking at him, doesn’t help Sett's short patience.

“Oh yeah? Well. Maybe I wouldn't have had to run if someone hadn't run out like that. I understand we had to leave but ran away. Really?” Sett replies defensively, removing the hand that was lying on Aphelios’ shoulder and raises both hands in disbelief, slightly irritated but mostly sad, confused and concerned on the inside.

To Sett’s surprise, it is the exact absence of his touch that causes Aphelios to turn around, both being surprised by the man's impulsive reaction seeking for his touch impulsively, a gesture that cannot help but soften the redhead's heart. Sett sighed regretfully, relaxing his frown, giving a deep sigh, Sett ran slowly his hand through his wet hair clearing his face.

“Why won’t ya just talk to me?” Sett asks after a few seconds in silence that seem like an eternity after Aphelios’ lack of answers.

Again the silence is asphyxiating, the atmosphere is heavy, only clouded by the strong fall of the torrential rain that resonates with some distant lightning among the clouds. The redhead longs to hear something, to read his sign language, Sett longs to have an answer. He doesn’t understand why it seems that all the work they spent these days trying to get closer after so many years, was suddenly blocked. Aphelios tightens his lips again, fleetingly tasting copper, preparing his voice but the words he lets out are not at all to Sett's taste, who frowns almost instantly.

“I never wanted to involve you in any of this, it was a mistake to let you into my life like that.”

Silence falls between the two after Aphelios’ confused and cold words whispered between trembling lips. Sett swallows the lump in his throat, upset with the man's stubbornness, trying to push him away even when his voice came to tremble, wavering in sad nervousness.

But again, silence is chained along them. Until.

“Aphelios, Sett!” Alune's exalted voice sounds as loud as the metal back door that opens abruptly, surprising the two aforementioned who lie in a tense silence. “What the hell are you two still doing outside?” the girl asks, confused, worried to see both of them completely soaked.

The situation freezes during the next second, Alune breathes in dismay at the tension that is felt in the environment absorbed in the thunderous storm. Without saying a word, Aphelios averts his gaze trying to escape from the conversation, quickly sneaking around the girl's side to enter the house, catching the hybrid off guard, who frowns indignantly, following his footsteps inside the home at a steady pace, being careful when passing by the girl's side who quickly closes the door behind her confused following them with her gaze, observing a little dismayed the defensive attitude of her brother.

“We haven't finished talking yet.” Sett slightly raises his voice as he enters looking in a blink for the silhouette of the man who fails in his attempt to go up the stairs in silence.

Aphelios looks at him out of the corner of his eye, he flinches, pressing his lips together uneasily, catching his breath during a moment when they cross glances at steps of stairs in distance but for Sett poor luck. Aphelios is in denial, he feels overwhelmed by emotions.

“Yes. The discussion is over.” Aphelios hurries to speak as loudly as possible before resuming his quick steps to get to his bedroom.

Sett blinks for a second in surprise, choking out a frustrated grunt between his teeth before holding on to the handrail firmly and starting to go up the stairs, two steps per step, not allowing himself to be surprised or appreciate the man's voice at the moment, in fact, quite the opposite, it bothered him more that Aphelios preferred to use his voice from afar rather than stop to talk face to face. He had barely seen him in the eyes since that happened.

“You can't end a conversation like that, Phel.” Sett raised his voice in a mixture of frustration and concern, following his trail.

“Look at me.” Aphelios replied stubbornly, without time to reply further, he picked up the pace, surprised by Sett’s speed with each step.

Sett smiled angrily, surprised with the stubbornness of the man who kept escaping from the conversation, determined not to face the situation, to lock himself in his own mind unintentionally whether he wants to look at him or listen to him but Sett could see through those high invisible walls and if Aphelios was determined to be this stubborn, Sett was determined to be twice as stubborn because he can't stand that sad obsidian essence in his eyes that he craves so much, lying to him with pain, trying to push him away even though his gaze seeks his affection How could he be okay with that? 

Without giving him more distance, the red-haired man pursues Aphelios, reaching the top floor of the house in seconds, reading the man's movements, Sett accelerates his pace in the last moments of the chase, finally crossing glances with surprised obsidian orbs that observe him in confusion and denial when he manages to catch the door before Aphelios is able to leave him outside.

“I can look at you now.” Sett speaks in a firm, serious tone, holding the door without much effort, noticing how his hands were trembling again. “So now, we can finish the conversation.” Sett was fully determined to continue what they were talking about.

Sett needed to know an answer, an explanation to that sudden and horribly cold phrase form before or those words would hunt him sooner or later. Aphelios seems disoriented for a few seconds, lowering his gaze, looking away in different directions in a storm of thoughts that resounds almost as loud as the violent raindrops crashing against the windows. Then, Aphelios stops exerting pressure on the door, taking a step back to let the hybrid in, not yet daring to see him directly beyond fleeting glances. Still keeping some distance.

“Come on. Continue what you said to me before.” Sett provokes him, insisting with the words that he knew very well had escaped from inside Aphelios’ insecure thoughts of himself. “What was a mistake, hm? Tell me.” he adds the question, generating more pressure on the words.

The insistence makes Aphelios’ stubborn gesture falter, he clenches his red stained lips uneasily, hugging himself in search of protection from his own fears, he takes another step to the side to try to distance himself from the hybrid, who observes the subtle gesture with the same seriousness. Afraid Sett would be capable of denoting the sadness in his voice, thanks to the lump in his throat, Aphelios chooses to raise both hands to use sign language with his semi-trembling fingers.

‘I don't regret saving you, but I shouldn't have let you back into my life…’ Aphelios tightens his lips, correcting the gestures uneasily. ‘I shouldn't have invited you into my life like this.’

“Why? Give me a good reason and don't give me that shit about danger, not that bullshit. I thought we had already made it clear that my life is not rainbows and flowers either. So why the hell do you think something like that could scare me.” Sett bursts out showing his fangs, hurt from those words, taking a step forward to close the door behind him.

‘Yes, but this is completely different.’ Aphelios defends himself, finally crossing frowning glances, moving his hands faster in a stubborn gesture.

“Why?!” Sett exclaims, exasperated by the course of conversation. “Why do you insist on creating this fucking barrier?! You're trying to push me away.” he adds in a more pained tone, lowering his ears demonstrating the sadness that the actions of Aphelios caused him.

‘It's dangerous to let you get so close to my life.’ Aphelios continues to point out, without denying the red-haired man's words, frowning more in anguish, condemning himself away from the company he craves the most.

“Aw, are you worried about my safety? How thoughtful.” Sett growls with sarcasm, taking a deep breath so as not to lose his remaining patience. “Why the hell are you the one who decides to worry about me but ya won't let me worry about you?” he asks the obvious, trying to leave the man without other escapes but it's not enough.

‘It's not the same, I don't… I don’t deserv-’ Aphelios opens his eyes, caught off guard by warm hands that catch his, bad habit of the redhead, in his way of trying to cut his words, Aphelios is forced to raise his head, crossing glances, unable to frown at the sight of such a sweet and sad golden gaze.

“Don't say things like that... You deserve the world, you…” the hands of the vastaya half tremble slightly when holding the pale hands of the lunari.

“Sett.” Aphelios' gesture softens for a second but he looks away, raising the wall between them again. “You don't understand.”

“I think I can get an idea.” Sett quickly replies. “Everything went well today, didn't it? Yeah that happened in the end but I don't understand why you don't want-”

“Stop insisting. It's too dangerous for you.” Aphelios interrupted him frowning the second Sett comes back to talk about the topic again, he tries to move his hands away from his grip but the redhead shook him firmly without letting him go.

“Why are you the one who decides what’s too dangerous for me?!” Sett exclaims sadly, taking a step closer to Aphelios once more, not wanting to let go. “You said you trusted me, then why don't you let me stay..?” let me stay by your side. 

Those words were like a blow to Aphelios’ heart, distressed, he feels his lower lip trembling but he looks away, trying to cling to what he believes, it's the only thing of reason that remains in his mind, taking advantage of the redhead loosening his grip on his hands to move away from him, Aphelios takes another step back, unconscious of getting closer to the wall. Almost cornered.

‘You should go back to your life, just forget about us and-’

“Wow. And you keep saying nonsense. No matter what I tell you.” Sett interrupted him, raising a hand to grab his own short wet hair in frustration, sighing heavily. “That's not even in discussion, and you know it very well, I'm not going to play dumb and leave forever as if nothing happened.”

‘It's the best for you Sett, even if your life isn't simple either, it's completely different.’ Aphelios moves both hands quickly, generating light grunts between his lips, feeling his voice wanting to leave in frustration and anguish.

“The best thing for me? Phel you have no idea what-”

“Yes, it's the best for both of us.” now it is Aphelios who cuts him off, making him suddenly quiet with the use of his voice, trying not to waver in tone.

“Why the fuck do you think that's the solution?!” Sett exclaims in despair over his continuous failed attempts to lower Aphelios’ defenses, feeling the conversation turn into a discussion in circles.

“Why can't you just go back to your previous life?!” Aphelios breaks up raising his shaky voice, getting to scream, he speaks with agitated breathing, destabilizing himself for a moment leaning against the wall behind his back.

“Because you're not in that life!” Sett shouted, raising both arms in despair, dropping each hand to Aphelios’ sides with a resounding breathing sound, cornering the man against the wall a few short steps away.

Silence takes over the room, with the agitated breaths of both, Aphelios clings to the wall with his eyes wide open, obsidian searching for gold, now with Sett averting his gaze by dropping his head between his shoulders, swallowing the lump in his throat.

“You want me that badly out of your life, Phel?” Sett mutters painfully, giving away a shaky breath before lifting his head, looking at him face to face. “Tell me Phel. Talk to me looking into my eyes and tell me. Do you really want me to leave? To forget you? To never see each other again for the rest of our lives?” he asks directly, with the cruel choice of words that leaves Aphelios mute, biting his tongue stunned.

Aphelios can't organize his thoughts or create the words, he half-opens his lips, trying to say something, trying to lie to his face but no sound comes out, Sett stares at him but this time Aphelios can't look away, he's imprisoned in those golden orbs, raising his head a little due to the height difference. The seconds pass by and Aphelios can't give an answer out loud, not even with his hands. He is static, without getting closer or further away from the red-haired man.

“Is that what you really want?” Sett insists, pushing his luck, asking again while taking a step forward, waiting for the man to try to escape but he doesn't, Aphelios keeps his gaze on him, unable to answer him.

Sett can only get lost in those beautiful and deep obsidian eyes, overflowing with sadness, before he realizes it, the redhead is tenderly stroking his cheek, the initial touch exalts Aphelios fleetingly but he doesn’t reject his contact this time, on the contrary, he lets himself go and slowly feel his caress, Sett slides his hand over his face, stroking his cheekbone with his thumb, giving away warmth on remnants of dry tears.

Sett feels his heart beating faster as he feels Aphelios raise his hand to caress his own, without taking it away from his cheek, he clings to the touch, averting his gaze a little, still trying to look for the words while is unable to lie to him anymore. Aphelios tries to formulate the words but the sentence stays in the air, closing his eyes in frustration in a slight sigh.

Aphelios opens his eyes to feel the warm touch now also caressing his other cheek, cradling his face with such tender embrace, feeling the tears accumulate, Aphelios blinks a little letting these fall over the edge of the hybrid's thumbs, almost melting into his warm touch.

“…I don't want you to leave.” Aphelios confesses in a thread of voice, looking at him face to face as the tears increase, he bites his lip in frustration of giving in to his vulnerability. “I don't want to leave you ever again…” he adds in a brittle tone, comforted by Sett’s smile who attaches their foreheads in a tender gesture, feeling more of his tears fall.

Sett holds him between both hands, closing his eyes, listening to Aphelios’ sobs whispering his name so desperately, Sett keeps caressing his face, they are so close he can feel Aphelios’ trembling and agitated breathing, trying to control his tears.

“Then let me stay by your side… Please…” Sett whispers between sweet and painful prayers, caressing his face with both thumbs before they both open their eyes only to realize the closeness between them.

A different silence takes over the room this time, they both stare at each other from such a short distance, to the hybrid's surprise, is from Aphelios who escapes a fleeting glance at his lips, blushing when he realizes his own action but Sett is not going to let him go so easy, not when he also starts to get lost in those red lips surrounded by tears and rain, they could blame the blush on their cheeks on that earlier run they had, practically jumping the stairs after chasing each other at high speed on the empty street under the storm but they both knew very well those things had nothing to do with it at this moment.

With racing heartbeats, Aphelios raises his other hand, now cradling both hands at each side that support him, giving shy caresses with his thumbs, unconsciously, Aphelios posture falters, with the tips of his feet exerting more pressure, Sett feels almost choking with  air when Aphelios brings his face closer, slowly, hypnotized by his words, reaching to brush his nose with Sett’s, the invitation is born so natural that Aphelios barely notices his insinuation that leaves the hybrid's mind blank for short seconds.

Is he aware of how he looks right now? How beautiful? How vulnerable, just for me? Sett’s thoughts slowly melts into his own mind. Starting to close his eyes, Sett doesn’t want to stop his longings this time, he doesn't have to hush his desires this time.

Maintaining the same position, Sett shortens the distance between them, enjoying the image of the man completely closing his eyes, waiting between his hands, wet hair tangling between his fingers, Sett manages to feel how the warmth of his cheeks increases, in contrast to the touch between his icy noses, he finally finishes cutting the distance, joining his lips in such warm touch, so longed for by both, so slow and sweet.

Sett is able to feel the reminiscence of a slight bitter taste but it doesn’t prevent him from continuing, guiding their kiss, squeezing his eyes as he felt Aphelios’ lips moving slowly, following his steps, enjoying it as if nothing or no one else existed in the world, reciprocating Sett’s kiss which only deepened as they both kept close, with one of Sett's hands sliding through the wet black hair, moving those hairs away from his face, placing his fingers between his neck and ear, still caressing his cheek with the thumb and he is not the only one who clings in desperate longing. 

Not knowing where to put his hand, slightly overwhelmed by Sett’s carrases, Aphelios places his free hand on his shoulder, insecure for a second, Aphelios ends up giving soft touches, slowly sliding down his fingers to his neck to intertwine them timidly between his reddish hair, raising his body more to reach him, to be closer to him, breathing through his nose, both of them refusing to cut the kiss.

Chapter Text

Just a few minutes ago, Aphelios wished to be insensitive to any emotion, he wanted to run away so blady from those thoughts, those deep desires that made his heart lose composure. Now. It’s the first time in his life he is grateful the light poison has dissolved in short minutes before this. He could feel warm hands clasping him tenderly. He could flavor lips that caressed and tasted him in a sweet dance next to warm breath that brushed his nose at the beginning of each kiss. Even if the storm worsened outside, Aphelios didn’t feel cold, he barely heard the raindrops hitting the windows sharply as lightning echoed in the distance.

Both needed oxygen at this point but neither wanted to pull away. Hungry for the touch of the other, thoughts are put aside while the two only cut the kiss by mere inches to look for air fleetingly before returning to look for each other's lips. Aphelios starts to feel overwhelmed as they’re kissing with more intensity than before, the first touch was sweet, with tenderness and anxiety but each kiss hypnotized them more and more, both melting into each other's arms. If only they knew how much the two of them wished secretly to be like this, they kept those desires locked deep in their hearts by different fears, but it was undeniable now.

Even if they don't say something, they don’t need to, the way their lips are desperately searching for each other, interlacing their tongues in a shy dance, expresses more than words, the way Aphelios' hands cling to the reddish hair while he shudders with every kiss and firm caress on his waist, the way Sett feels the electricity travel through his body when he clasps the man in his arms, embracing him with such deep longing, tangling his dark wet hair between his fingers, his warmth, every overwhelming feeling, every sound and touch Aphelios gives him has his mind spinning, oblivious to the world around them.

At least until the door’s slow but loud creaking opening resonates in the room, freezing the two men on the spot, cutting the kiss inches away from the other's face, both turning their gaze slowly towards that direction, crossing glances with a stunned and confused silver haired girl who was lying frozen in the door frame with the medicine cabinet almost falling out of her hands leaning against the crutch.

Petrified in the same position, the men's faces began to burn strongly, slowly starting to pull away from each other’s embrace, staying face to face but away from each other's lips and arms, Aphelios averted his gaze completely blushed and embarrassed, bringing both hands to his own cheeks in a failed attempt to calm the blush with his cold hands while Sett averted his gaze towards the ceiling scratching the back of his neck, algo wanting to die from embarrassment, with his ears crouched against his head, still dazed with the reminiscence of those sweet lips’ taste, still not processing well everything that had just happened.

At these moments Aphelios had a complete storm in his mind and heart, perhaps even louder than the one outside the house, however, Alune’s sudden teasing giggle caught him off guard, making him look up seeing her confused by her laugh. Alune covered her face with one hand when another giggle escaped her, calling the hybrid's attention as well.

“I'm sorry, it's just, I heard that awful hit earlier and the way you were arguing when you two came in. Well. I really thought you were fighting.., or something like that. Buuut.” Alune represses the laughter that tries to escape between her giggles slowing her words, she ends up clearing her throat with a soft cough returning to calm down, still keeping the smile on her face. “Looks like I was very wrong.” she added, squeezing her lips without being able to suppress the last mocking giggles.

The laughter does nothing but increase the blush on the two men’ cheeks, Sett reaching the shade of his own hair, lowered his gaze embarrassed bending his ears by instinct without understanding the reason for Alune’s funny reaction, much less being Aphelios’ twin sister, Sett was more worried he had made her angry. But it seemed she was only laughing and annoying his brother?

Sett turned to see a flustered Aphelios who was crossed arms, completely blushed up to his ears frowning in a pout, which made him look very cute from the point of view of the hybrid, Aphelios, embarrassed by his sister’s laughter, watched her with a frustrated grimace but when he noticed the look of the redhead out of the corner of his eye, Aphelios completely changed the gesture, opening his eyes in fleeting surprise and averting his gaze shyly, returning to show a slight increase of blush on his cheeks on which they were still stuck some wet hair, as soon as the red-haired man's attention was diverted to the man's lips, Aphelios looked away embarrassed with a nervous frown.

“Well. We were, technically, arguing but uh.., we were trying to.., to speak about uh, things.” Sett tries to reply in some self defense, clearing his throat between the words of the sentence, feeling nervous, judged by the inquisitive look of the twin.

Alune arched an eyebrow smiling amused by the attempt of explanations before something that didn’t supposed to need further explanation, clearly she would have to talk some important things with her brother but there was no way to dissuade her from the fact that she had witnessed by herself, Alune couldn’t do more than try to suppress the laughter while playing with the medicine cabinet in her hands.

“What an interesting way to talk about things.” Alune couldn't resist teasing with a mocking tone between smiles while a few giggles escaped her when she saw how Sett almost choked, embarrassed and hesitating, he looked for some answer without finding anything.

As much fun as it was to watch her brother die of shame for fulfilling a wish he had clearly longed for a long time, even if he didn't allow himself to believe it or denied it or even tell he about it, she always knew, Alune since the first time Aphelios fell for that golden puppy eyes when they were kids. Even if Aphelios' embarrassed face screamed for the earth to swallow him up, part of the reasons for Alune's smile was that, deep down, she certainly knew Aphelios must be screaming and smiling even if he doesn't know how to express those beautiful emotions and feels overwhelmed. This time, she decides to have mercy on him.

“You can keep talking later. Phel. You should take a bath and rest so your defenses don't get down by the small dose of poison.” Alune replies staring at her brother who understands her perfect signal to be able to escape the situation. “And in the meantime, I’ll check your wound Sett. Running like that was not good at all for your healing.” he added now looking at the half vastaya with a gesture closer to scolding as he lifted the medicine cabinet in hand to grab the crutch again. Although that was very reckless from both of you, Alune spares her last thoughts trying to cut some slack for her brother at least. 

Sett smiled regretfully scratching the back of his neck without much to say in his defense, however, connecting the dots a little slower, he reacted too late to see Aphelios already quickly sneaking out of the door frame, practically fleeing from the situation, the hybrid stayed with the words in his mouth, cursing between thoughts, almost pouting when he saw the girl approaching letting her twin escape by her side. Without further protest, he couldn’t go back out chasing the man as before, so he surrendered, Sett followed Alune’s indications so that she could treat him, Alune proceeded to sit on the edge of the bed, inviting him to sit next to her, not worrying too much about the slightly wet clothes of his

“You better be lucky the bandage hasn't been ruined by the rain.” Alune commented with a scolding voice as she put the medicine cabinet on the bed and watched him sit down next to her, giving him space, she supported the crutch on the far side.

While the hybrid was finishing removing the wet shirt, he took advantage of drying his hair a little with the clothes, pressing his lips obstinately because of the girl's scolding, relieving himself that at first glance the bandage was only a slightly wet and didn’t seem to have blood stains or any fabric damage.

“I'm sorry but I couldn't let him go like that, he was the one who ran out first.” Sett replied defensively, cringing his ears in regret.

Alune looked at him out of the corner of her eye, sighing a little. Without answering right away, she took her time to open the medicine cabinet on her lap, looking for what was needed to clean the wound and prepare the new bandage as she could see this bandage wasn’t in perfect state although she didn’t want to keep scolding him. In silence, she approached the red-haired man and helped him to remove the cloth.

“Yes that… That wasn't right either.” Alune murmured, finishing removing the semi-damp cloth, leaving it at the other end of the bed, she sighs a little before settling her hair behind her ears with both hands. “I was really upset with him actually.” she added with a sorrowful smile before putting on her gloves to check the wound.

“Really?” Sett's ears perked up in surprise, making the shirt fabric jump on his head, the girl laughed for a moment as he approached.

“Yep, you have no idea.” Alune snorted a laugh as she focused her gaze more, checking carefully, listening for a slight grunt when she squeezed close to the damage area. “He turned off his ear device when he was running over. So he wouldn't hear my angry voice. I could barely keep up with him between the security cameras. I was so worried and so pissed off.” she explained while concentrating on the wound.

“So he wasn't listening to ya either, huh.” Sett sighed, taking the shirt off his head, with the messy damp hair between his fluffy ears. “I don't understand why he ran off like that. I feel like shit for unintentionally getting him involved with those guys but he didn't have to run off after that.” he continued explaining frustrated and sad while watching as the girl returned the same look before taking space after finishing the cleaning and review.

“Don't feel so bad Sett, technically you helped us find dangerous witnesses. Aphelios would’ve… They would’ve ended up that way sooner or later.” Alune replies with disturbing calmness while cutting some bandages to size.

However, as much composure as she showed, the concern for her brother was overflowing and it wasn’t her position to talk to Sett about it. Assassination matters were always delicate topics for Aphelios, even to talk with her. She thinks she has an idea why he had run away that way  but she shouldn’t talk about her brother's feelings without permission, it was his decision how he wanted to talk about it with Sett. 

“Your wound looks pretty good but the area was resented by the overexertion.” Alune began to explain to him, finishing cutting the bandages that he would use on him. “Maybe… It would be nice if you could stay here a little longer.., to recover, you know, for a day or two…” she suggested hesitating a little between the words before turning to see the hybrid who was surprised with her sudden offer, after all she was the most reluctant to allow his stay at first.

“Really?” Sett asked excitedly without questioning further.

“Well, maybe that'll give you more time to clear things up and keep talking to Phel.” Alune proceeded to look at him with a mocking gesture referencing the scene she witnessed earlier, unable to help but laugh at the complaints of the blushing half vastaya.

While in Aphelios’ bedroom, Alune continued to annoy Sett with teasing laughter during the end of the medical checkup. Aphelios was taking his time inside the silent bathtub full of warm water that embraced his cold body. Is not the same as his warmth though. 

It hadn't taken him even ten seconds to lock himself in the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror, strong blush up to his ears, completely flustered, with his breath slightly agitated by the sudden escape. Aphelios touched his lips and then pressed them, shaking his head in shame. His mind was a mess and seeing his reflection only reminded him of the kiss, that sweet but so dooming kiss. Hoping to clear himself and his mind. It didn't take long for him to take off his wet clothes, throwing them on the floor before opening the shower faucet.

Aphelios takes a deep breath, exhaling with relaxation after feeling the hot water slide down his skin. After a slight chill due to the temperature difference, he stayed completely still under the water, easily keeping his breath in, removing every trace of rain from his hair and body. After a few seconds, Aphelios sat within the water and he ran his hands over his face stretching the dark hair back clearing his face, he kept his hands on his face for a few moments, slowly reaching his own lips, gently stroking his lower lip with his fingertips.

Was it wrong that he felt so good? Aphelios was already feeling guilty for how selfish he was being, wishing he had the hybrid by his side. Now how was he supposed to create that barrier between the two? And worse. Why did he feel happy he could no longer develop that space between the two? Aphelios shook his head, frustrated by the unconscious smile that was born on his face every time he remembered the warm touch of those kisses and hugs.

The cheerful and dumbfounded gestures were quickly interrupted by insecurity and guilt. Aphelios stretched under the warm water, wondering an infinity of ideas. How was Sett able to kiss him with such tenderness and desire even after having seen how he took the lives of two people? Didn’t he care that he just murdered two men in cold blood? Aphelios himself knew there was no other option for high-danger witnesses like these men but no argument lightened the feeling of the weight of blood on his hands. Aphelios knew those persons’ destiny were sealed the very moment they dare to speak the truth but Aphelios couldn’t help but wonder. Why there? Why did it have to happen when Sett was by his side? Why doesn't Sett care about any of that? How can he just throw all of that away and care only about his safety? His feelings? His kisses.

The shower wasn’t helping at all. Aphelios cursed under his breath frustrated in his failed attempt to clear his mind of such a tornado of thoughts, however, a slight noise opens its way and silenced Aphelios’ mental noises. He peeks through the shower curtain, noticing someone was knocking on the door.

“Phel?” Alune’s voice makes him breathe again after a brief moment of tension, ashamed to think that it could have been the hybrid. “Can I come in?” Alune asked from the other side of the door, the sound of the knob echoing slightly.

After a short sigh, Aphelios sat keeping his knees close to his chest within the water, leaning his elbow against the edge of the bathtub, with the hot water still steaming around him and the shower curtain covering him to only show his face to the side next to his arm. Aphelios pressed his lips slightly uncertain, he knew Alune sooner rather than later would come to check on him and she even used her twin privileges to talk right away. When either of the two entered the bathroom, most of the time one outside the bathroom and the other inside, if they continued talking, it was because it was quite necessary and they had this level of confidence for it.

“Come on in.” Aphelios chooses not to resist the girl's concern.

Still being careful with his privacy as much as possible, Alune entered through a small opening in the door, not allowing the heat of the steam encapsulated in the warm bathroom to escape much. She tightens her lips in a shy smile before settling her clothes to sit on the closed toilet, turning her back to her brother, focusing her gaze on the other things in the bathroom before starting to talk.

“How are you feeling? Did the small nocturm pills not work well?” Alune tried to introduce the subject carefully but directly, playing a little with her own fingers with her hands between each other somewhat uneasily.

Of course there was a long moment of silence but Alune only waited, she didn’t pressure him, she knew he was probably still feeling overwhelmed and, even if she’s his twin sister, she has no idea what he may be storming within his thoughts right now. But she gives him time and patience. Aphelios pondered for a moment to generate a response only honest enough, afraid to delve into the words about his turbulent feelings. Aphelios watches by inertia both of his hands, opening and closing these in a slow movement, moving away the reminiscence of the vague sensations that overflowed under the warm shower.

“Yes and no…” Aphelios replies, uncertain of his words, receiving a fleeting look of confusion from his sister, inviting him to continue. “They worked well, technically, it was short-lived as it should be. I don't fully remember the feeling of the dagger grip or the execution as well…” he tried to explain himself, starting to hesitate, squeezing his eyes in frustration for the unpleasant memory.

“Hm… I see it didn't hurt your vocal cords much either. It's a good prototype…” Alune replied, lengthening the sentence while focusing her gaze on the bathroom floor. “But it's not the effect of the poison that‘s affecting you. What is it brother?” she asks, trying to get her brother to talk more about it, giving him the necessary silence to think about the answer.

The sound of the water slowly waving around him with light drops dances down his bare skin until it melts within the hot water, each of those sounds helping him to stay calm.

The thunderstorm echoed in and out of the house, in and out of Aphelios' mind. The black-haired man squeezes his lips, lowering his gaze to see his own hands, with the drops sliding down his skin like reminiscence of dense reddish drops that have slipped in the same way, by the same hands, still looking for the words to respond, he sighs, thinking, tangling the dark wet hair between his fingers to clear his face.

On the one hand, he understood his sister's concern, on the other hand, he thinks the question was also in some demand, not only as brother and sister but also as co-workers, part of the concern was a questioning of his performance, even though everything managed to be resolved towards the end of the situation, he was just lucky this time his erratic behavior didn’t endanger as he ran away like that.

“You know I won't write it in the mission report… I can cover for you but I'm worried, like your sister Phel…” Alune spoke softly after the silence became unbearable.

Aphelios blinked for a moment, sketching a slight smile, the voice of his twin woke him up from those dark thoughts and memories, with a last heavier breath, he placed a forearm on the edge of the bathtub to rest his cheek against the palm of his hand.

“I know… Thank you.” Aphelios muttered, narrowing his eyes uneasily. “I… I didn't want Sett to see that… I don't want him to see me take other people's lives. I hate it. He already saw me the first time but at least it was with a sniper. He didn’t technically see me then but tonight…” Aphelios begins to speak faster, a little accelerated, unaccustomed to feeling emotions such as nervousness. “I had no choice. I knew I had to kill them when they revealed their witness status. I couldn’t use the tranquilizers. I needed to eliminate them. And he saw me, Alune. Sett saw me take two lives in seconds, with a single stab to their necks, like they were nothing.” he slightly raised his voice as much as he could at the end of the sentence before catching his breath.

Aphelios swallowed sorrowfully, breathing through his nose restlessly, he rubbed his face with his wet hand, blinking as he regained his composure, watching his twin's back as he now was the one waiting for an answer. Alune took her time to think her own words through before speaking out loud but that’s the thing, she didn’t know what to answer, there was no easy answer here.

“You said it yourself, Phel. You had to. It was the right thing to do.” Alune responds uncertainly from her own words.

Was that really what I should answer? Alune pressed her lips together uneasily, still not turning to see her brother's face, she supposed he must be frowning a little in frustration after that vague answer, the response was born more as a training reaction, fear of failing. The silver haired girl shook her head, annoyed with herself, feeling weak by letting herself be carried away by the fear that the chains of the past instill in her, she didn’t want that trained fear to push her to treat her own brother as the weapon the Solari insisted on keeping under their power, the weapon their own parents wanted to create when they had them.

“Are you worried about Sett?” she paused before continuing. “Are…You worried he may want to get away from you?” Alune takes the turn to speak again, asking with genuine concern and a hint of disbelief.

After all, those worries and kisses weren’t from someone who wanted to get away from him or neither of them. Fearing she had asked the wrong question, the girl is disturbed by the dense silence, looking out of the corner of her eye, embarrassed to notice Aphelios is hiding his face in his forearm, letting out a heavy and almost shaky sigh.

“I don't want him to be afraid of me. I don’t want…” Aphelios hesitates as he whispers in a brittle tone and tries to keep his calm. “He has every right to leave.., after what he saw. I-I don’t understand why instead he would do… that.” he whispered flustered  and confused with a new blush over his cheeks, prisoner of his own fears.

It had been years since Alune had seen so many emotions cross her brother's face and voice within seconds. It had been a long time since she had even heard him talk so much without any filter on his thoughts or use of sign language. It was undeniable the effect the hybrid had on her brother, she knows it very well, even if she tried to hide the truth from herself, trying to convince herself that, maybe, Aphelios would be able to leave behind every single thing of their previous life before the fateful reddish night which sealed their chains. She also tried to and sadly, she mostly succeeded, she doesn't feel guilty for forgetting Sett although she didn’t want to let him know about it either. Alune thought Aphelios had left the past behind but the second Sett returned to their lives, she knew how wrong she was, those feelings she had suspected since their childhood, those feeling never left her brother's heart and even if it hurt, she knows that the right thing to do is to stay by his side and support him.

“Maybe he knows he has that choice… But that's not what Sett did. Didn't he do the exact opposite? Chasing you non-stop all the way here, chasing you even upstairs.” Alune replied with a slight smile, remembering some of what she had seen of their chase on the security cameras and back home. “Did he leave your side at any time?”

“No… He followed me all the way. Not many questions asked about the mission…” Aphelios murmurs against his arms, raising his head a little to breathe better, keeping his gaze lost on the edge of the bathtub.

“Exactly. Did he tell you something bad like you were a murderer or someone horrible when you took care of the two targets?” Alune asks with a small mocking tone, knowing what she saw earlier with those two kissing like that, she doubts Sett would be ever capable of saying those things, to either of them. 

“No.. He hm. He tried to avoid confrontation all the time and after that… He was just worried about me.” Aphelios murmurs again, knowing his twin was waiting for that obvious answer after having participated in the mission from her own point of view.

“Did he come with you to tell you he's going away from you?” Alune continued speaking with a soft and tender voice. 

“No. He…” Aphelios cuts himself off, blushing a little at the memory of the warm touch of their lips coming together, sorrowfully, he hides more behind the bathroom curtain. “…He said he wants to stay by my side.” he finally confessed with a slightly shaky sigh, overwhelmed by the amount of mixed emotions his heart raced all over his mind and body.

“Then. Correct me if I'm wrong.” Alune replies suppressing a tender giggle, without the need to turn around to notice her brother's nervousness. “Do you really think the man, who protected you all day, followed you here, refuses to leave your side and kisses you like that. Would want to leave you or might be afraid of you in any possible way?” she asked finally, knowing very well the answer.

Aphelios was silent for a second, still ashamed that his sister had found them that way, however, to the surprise of both, Aphelios can’t help but snort a giggle, blushing instantly, still unable to believe that the answer was so simple to recognize.

“I know he wants to stay by my side and I… I also want to be with him but Alune, it's not that easy… What if I’m dangerous to him? I wouldn't forgive myself if something happened to him because of me…” the smile faded from Aphelios' face as his insecurities took shape again.

“He is not weak, Phel. He has become a very strong person, he was one even before we parted ways, he told me about the fights, he is not someone helpless.” Alune tried to appeal to the most rational arguments smiling regretfully as she heard her brother's tone falter with guilt again. “He's tough. He won't get hurt like I did.”

Alune commented the last with a sad smile that is reflected in her worried tone, patting her own leg with a little frustration, watching the crutch she was carrying with her out of the corner of her eye, she herself felt that over the years she had managed to get used to it but she knew there were times when Aphelios' eyes were flooded with guilt when seeing her walking like this, even if she never complained about it. 

“You know me very well. I am your best confidante. I can keep another secret if you want to keep Sett close to you.” Alune continued with a shrug of the shoulders.

“Alune, you know it's dangerous.” Aphelios hastened to reply, uneasy with his sister's determination.

“I know, but I don't want to push away the only person who keeps your heart alive brother.” Alune raised her voice, determined, taking a short breath before continuing. “I'd really like to think that I'm enough to keep your humanity alive and not treat you like an emotionless weapon but let's be honest… I haven't seen you this happy, this human, since we were kids. I-I had not seen you being yourself as much as this, since years ago. Sett really keeps your soul alive, Phel.”

Not knowing how to respond, Aphelios stays silent, pressing his lips together in a thin line, not being able to deny those words, he really loved his twin very much, she kept him with the desire for survival on a day-to-day basis but with the arrival of the hybrid, he felt that slight tingle of attachment to life, really wishing to live beyond functioning automatically. Even though he wanted to be innocently happy with those feelings, real life was more complicated than just that, the twins understood the danger of getting too close to other people, the risk in which they were already involving Sett was enough, however. Can he really indulge himself? Did he deserve this little taste of happiness in his life? Alune was more than willing to support him, always trying to think of the best for him.

After a long silence, Aphelios manages to get to his own conclusion, opening and shutting his mouth a couple of times before have enough confidence to speak out loud.

“Alune... If it becomes too dangerous. If you or Sett get involved in some dangerous situation or anything gets out of hand…” Aphelios begins to give in, clinging to that deep hope of being next to the one who makes his heart beats heavenly. “Please. Promise me you will take him away from me, you will keep him safe, you will think about your safety and his, no matter how much it hurts to separate us.” he sentenced at the end, almost like creating a safety lock for his guilty emotions and, what he considered, a selfish desire.

This wasn't the way Alune thought this would happen. When they were kids, Alune remembers enjoying teasing them, wondering when her brother would want to tell her the truth about his feelings for the hybrid, but those were times when that thought was so innocent and blindly lovely, Alune thought they would talk about it all happily and cheerfully. How naive of her. Now. She knew Aphelios was happy on the inside but also knew he felt too apprehensive to let himself be happy over his reciprocated feelings.

“ ... I promise.” Alune whispered without a glance.

Accepting his feelings for Sett was definitely a double-edged sword, the same heart that was madly happy when feeling his kisses was capable of breaking into pieces if something happened to him but with the support of his sister and the clear disposition of the redhead who extends his feelings openly, Aphelios was more than willing to take that risk.

Chapter Text

It was strange to feel comfort and restlessness at the same time. The last few hours had created a complete roller coaster in Sett’s mind, heart and stomach. Somehow, Sett still felt with a tingle of vertigo, excited but nervous, light in the bubble of his hypnotized thoughts about the precious black-haired man and, at the same time, Sett is completely, physically, uncomfortable, with wet clothes and ears soaked, just waiting in Aphelios’ room, waiting for his turn to take a bath and also, most importantly, to be able to talk to Aphelios. After what happened, he had lost the opportunity to talk to him.

And without a doubt, Sett missed the opportunity to continue the conversation tonight. Later, Alune had left his clothes ready, those she had washed and dried while Sett was in the shower but as the minutes passed, Sett heard very little movement in the house, despite being lying on the bed with his arms crossed behind his head, he wasn’t completely calm, he looked down at the improvised bed on the floor and ended up observing the inert door. Just waiting. His hope was put on hold when it was only the girl who knocked on the door, asking for her brother's change of clothes, clearly sorry to be the intermediary in the situation since Aphelios had decided to sleep in his twin's room for the night.

And what else could Sett say but ‘ok’? Sett didn't want to insist on it and he noticed Alune’s awkwardness that practically sent the message. Overwhelming her with questions was only going to leave him worse in front of her and maybe in front of him too. Alune saw them, she knows and she knows that Sett knows. Did he have any other choice? Not really. The half vastaya settled into bed, watching the ceiling in an incessant river of thoughts that prevented him from falling asleep. One question after another, he tried, and sometimes failed, to have an answer for himself. Did Phel like the kiss? Of course he did. He kissed me back. He held on to me the same way. Did I go too far? I just wanted to understand what was happening, Sett cursed inside his mind and tried to remember, he blushed sorrowfully without remembering at what point in the conversation things had turned on in such an intimate way.

He didn’t regret any of it. Gods no. He enjoyed every part of it, every part of him, of those sweet lips. Sett got lost in the reminiscence taste of Aphelios’ soft lips against his. He sighed in frustration returning to his failed attempt to seek sleep, tossing and turning in bed without much success. If he had liked the kiss that much, then why didn't he want to see him tonight? Sett shook his head, remembering and treasuring the moment they shared. 

I'm sure he just needs some space, it was the last thought that crossed the redhead's mind before finally finding a comfortable position and sleeping between gentle snoring.

Even if he was lost in his own thoughts, the tiredness was quite real. As Alune told him, the wound area was still sored and the slight discomfort in his abdomen soon subsided to let him rest. The night passed faster than Sett would anticipate, he ended up sleeping soundly with the hours passing in a blink. As the morning comes and his mind reaches a more superficial state in sleep, his ears arch instinctively at a nearby sound, fluttering fleetingly, awkwardly.

Sett wrinkles his nose, frowning in an attempt to reach consciousness in order to wake up when he senses something, someone, that sound so difficult to detect, compared to Alune’s, the very realization awakens Sett, blinking several times, still wandering between dreams and reality, it takes him a few seconds to focus his gaze on the room, the bed and finally the lap next to pale hands that freeze halfway before finding his face. Sett blinks once more, raising his head, finding beautiful obsidian eyes watching with surprise and tenderness, Aphelios recoils his hands to his own lap shyly, in apparent regret for failing to give him caresses in his sleep.

Just my fucking luck. Why couldn't I wake up a few minutes later? Sett curses with amusement to himself, convinced that waking up thanks to shy caresses on his hair or face would have been too pleasant. Still, every doubt that haunted him before he fell asleep, vanishes the moment Aphelios is the first thing his eyes see when he wakes up.

“‘Morning.” Sett is the first to break the silence, speaking in a hoarse morning voice, sighing a little, settling his elbow on the pillow to rest his chin on the palm of his hand, watching the other with heavy eyelids.

“ ...Good morning.” Aphelios chooses to use his voice after a short pause, unable to keep his gaze with the redhead for more than three seconds.

Aphelios roots his hands on his lap, breathing a little restlessly while fixing his gaze on his own hands. It wasn't that he didn't want to look at Sett, it made him happy to see him, to hear him but it was way more intense and mesmerizing than before. It was a strange and overwhelming feeling. Aphelios was beginning to recognize how important and influential in his life the comforting presence of the hybrid was. 

“So... Twins’ sleepover?” Sett speaks the first idea that crosses his mind, using a certain teasing tone, he wanted to know but he wasn't going to get all serious with him.

The raspy and relaxed voice with which he asks in itself creates certain tingles in Aphelios’ body and makes him blush when feeling that soft vertigo in the stomach, and, for Sett’s luck, Aphelios laughs a little, with a soft smile, looking at him for a moment, playing somewhat restless with his fingers between his hands, clearly shy, longing for his dark hair to cover the slight blush that tried to peek out of his ears and cheekbones.

“Something like that.” Phel replies with the same light tone, smiling sheepishly as he focuses his gaze back on his own hands. “I just wanted to think about something and.., talk about other matters with her as well.” he explained himself slightly more seriously at the end, without making the atmosphere tense, keeping a smile on his face.

It was really strange to deal with new emotions. Aphelios knew new emotions always were with Sett but these ones were completely different. All previous feelings, of admiration, curiosity, friendly affection and  innocence attraction, remained small compared to the tornado of emotions inside Aphelios’ heart and mind. Nervousness, desire, confusion, longing, embarrassment and shyness were certainly strange expressions to demonstrate, it was curious to enjoy a state of vulnerability and not even want to start thinking about the other strange and intense sensations, the physical ones, the desire and longing for the touch of the redhead, it was an emotion even more difficult to understand and handle for Aphelios.

With such an internal storm of thoughts, Aphelios was making the most effort to maintain his composure or at least appear to be maintaining it. Was he giving his best effort? Actually, yes, he could go unnoticed by other people, with that slightly stiff but neat posture at the same time, keeping his hands in his lap, it was subtle. Was it enough for Sett not to notice? Not even remotely close. From the first words Phel spoke, the hybrid quickly noticed his nervousness, the slight blush on his cheeks, the mood when speaking, even if he had the tone so low, he heard that essence of sweetness and shame in his voice.

Cute, really adorable, Sett's thoughts were constantly distracted by the appreciation towards the black-haired man, enjoying every one of his gestures, his movements, his sounds, he hadn’t seen or heard him so nervous since they were much younger, even in those warm moments they shared during their adolescence, those sweet moments that just a few days ago, were a torture of his lost hope but now, those memories make his heart beat strongly while watching the man in front of him.

Within the curious silence they shared, Sett's eyes ended up making their way to Aphelios’ hands, noticing how he was trying to calm himself by releasing his own hands, settling one on each side. Slowly, the red-haired man slides a hand over the sheets, reaching to caress Aphelios' fingers and knuckles, slightly feeling his hand. Sett waits a few seconds, overjoyed that Aphelios doesn’t depart from his touch. Tenderly, the hybrid rests the palm of his hand on his, interlacing their fingers to give gentle caresses.

“Alune told me you could stay a few more days.., to heal well…” Aphelios speaks with a thread of voice, keeping his gaze down focused on the warm contact between the hands of both, blushing while blinking as if he really tried to focus on his words.

Sett smiles, touched by Aphelios’ voice, without ceasing to give him caresses while he thinks of an answer, tempting his luck, Sett approaches a little closer, coming to rest his forehead on Aphelios’ shoulder, suppressing a giggle when he perceives the distant echo of a crazy heartbeat after his touch but Aphelios keeps his body still, trying to show composure despite the fact that the blush of his cheeks was making its way to his ears and neck, highlighted by his pale skin and highly detailed by Sett’s sharpened eyesight. 

“Yeah… I was more than happy to accept her invitation for the longer stay…” Sett replies with a hoarse voice in a low tone because of the proximity to his ear, he stays for a moment watching Aphelios out of the corner of his eye, tilting his head, settling his chin more on his shoulder, looking for his dark eyes, he stares at him until they cross glances. “When I asked you to let me stay by your side, I… After all that happened, I guess ya understand what was what I was tryna say. Right, Phel?”

Aphelios blinks, this time unable to look away, frowning a little in a flustered pout, wondering why he thought the hybrid could be a little more subtle with words, always so direct, looking for his gaze and his answers. Aphelios pressed his lips in a thin line, hesitating between murmurs.

“What was that? What's your answer?” Sett insists with a playful smile showing a fang, a little amused with the constant blushing of the embarrassed black-haired man that stares back at him, raising an eyebrow confused. “What’s your answer about letting me stay by your side? I asked you but technically you didn't answer me, not with words at least.” he explained himself with a slight chuckle at the end.

Aphelios frowned more embarrassed, making Sett laugh as he moved slightly away from the blushing man's murderous gaze. Aphelios watched him for a moment, remembering the kiss and cleared his throat flustered, there was nothing more to hide about his own feelings anymore, Sett was being quite direct and Aphelios didn't want to be left behind, so, Aphelios was willing to understand and grow his feelings in his own time but he had to start now.

“I like that you're with me and I liked what happened last night… More than I'd like to admit.” Aphelios confessed with a certain nervousness in his voice, embarrassed to say such things out loud.

“Hm. What happened last night, exactly?” Sett plays with his luck, slightly amused Aphelios didn't want to talk explicitly about the kiss he liked so much.

Aphelios turns to look at him frowning, blushing in a pout that makes the redhead smile with a soft laugh. Sett apologizes raising both hands surrendered to Aphelios’ cute embarrassed gesture. Aphelios snorts a smile, settling more into bed, staying with the body facing more towards him when sitting on his side, resting one leg on the mattress.

“I feel like it's selfish of me… to like you this way.” Aphelios continues, resuming a more insecure tone in his words, creating a tender and understanding gesture in the hybrid, who approaches him, taking one of his hands again.

“Why are ya saying that?” Sett asks in a whisper, tenderly stroking his slender fingers between his sturdy hands, with both of them staring at the sweet touch between their hands.

“You know I’m not- I don't… I don’t live a normal life, Sett. I-I don’t think we could ever be a normal, you know… Like, a normal couple.” Aphelios struggles with his words but confesses one of his fears, squeezing his eyes a little without looking at him.

“I don't care if you're normal or not Phel.” Sett answers quickly, easily, smiling tenderly as he hears the word couple coming from Aphelios’ lips with such ease, which is the only thing he cares about after that sentence. “If ya are selfish for wanting this then that makes me three times a greater selfish.” he adds laughing a little before raising his head, crossing glances with curious obsidian eyes.

“What do you mean?” the innocence with which Aphelios asks only makes the smile grow on the hybrid's face.

A nervous smile at best, the redhead scratches the back of his neck messing up his hair, pressing his lips together in a thoughtful sound, embarrassed to admit the reality out loud but encouraged by the memory of Aphelios’ lips against his own, corresponding to his kisses.

“I like ya Phel, a lot. I guess I realized I was attracted to ya when I was like fourteen or fifteen maybe, I was ashamed to think about it too much and refused to admit it to myself or even do anything about it. I was afraid to screw everything up and ruin our friendship.” Sett confessed smiling regretfully, for the first time looking away, ashamed to continue looking at those bright obsidian eyes that were watching him in surprise. “I used to think that, with time.., I’d see if I did something with those feelings or not but everything changed when… Well, you know what happened next.” the red-haired man's smile faded, biting his tongue to himself, returning to pose a sorrowful smile between his lips without being carried away by sad memories.

Every word reached Aphelios' heart, pounding loudly inside his chest. Frozen in place, barely being able to blink, he felt the sentences getting stuck in his throat. No matter how much he tried to block him from his mind in the past, every memory he shared with Sett in the past still held a strong place in Aphelios’ mind and heart. Unable to root out the strong feeling, Aphelios always wondered why he wasn't able to do it. Aphelios was never capable of moving on from those feelings. He was able to push away and block memories about so many people but he could never let go of that deep feeling that caused the hybrid on him since they were teenagers.

How could he not hold on to the affection he had for him? When just a few weeks ago was impossible and now was within reach of his hands?

Aphelios always knew he wanted to be by his side, clinging even more tightly to that feeling since he returned to their life, getting into danger, being aware of the many complications that may occur but his mind cancels out the importance of each of those thoughts. 

None of that mattered if he could stay by Sett's side. 

Since when did he feel this way? Aphelios had not taken into account the amount of time he felt attraction to the redhead, going to the furthest feeling of curiosity in his childhood that over the years turned into affection. Friendship that secretly turned into romantic attraction. Secret emotions the two had kept deep in their hearts, fearing to affect their friendship. Being reached and separated by the tragic event in the twins' lives.

Still searching for words, Aphelios felt his face burning due to the strong blush, noticing the shy attitude of the half vastaya who smiled at him piteously, not knowing whether to wait for an answer or not. Not wanting to make him wait any longer, Aphelios decided to raise his hands to communicate in sign language. Without being able to get his voice out, he lowered his head a little, covering his eyes with dark bangs that slid over his long eyelashes.

‘I think I liked you back then too... I just didn't want to admit it. I was terrified of wanting something I couldn't have.’ Aphelios confesses, completely flustered, afraid to use his trembling voice, fearing his voice would break at any second.

Sett smiles, letting out some soft laughs without believing that the two had liked each other for longer than he expected but thinking about the fact that had happened, doesn't actually solve anything as a response, the redhead tightens his lips with a fang peeking into the smile, getting a little closer to take Aphelios’ two hands between his own, taking advantage of the man's surprise to cross glances.

“But ya have me here now. With you.” Sett stares at him with determination.

“Yes…” Aphelios shyly whispers, reaching to draw out a low voice, lowering his gaze to observe how those big and warm hands held him tenderly, still blushing, Aphelios holds their hands closer to them as he brings his face closer, resting his cheek on the red-haired man's hand, closing his eyes fully. “You're here and I'm with you…” he repeated between murmurs, embarrassed of longing so much for Sett’s touch.

Sett stays silent for a few seconds, mesmerized with the scene, enjoying every each gesture of Aphelios’ calm face, the only thing Sett manages to hear echoing in the room are his distant heartbeats accompanied by soft breaths. 

There was one small detail that always left Sett with his head in the clouds, even since they were teenagers, the only people Aphelios was physically close to, were him and Alune, no one else, however, sweet moments they shared slowly made the hybrid's heart beat harder, every time Aphelios reached for his hand, every time he gave him caresses in his hair, every time he hugged him or fell asleep next to him.

But unlike his adolescence, now Sett could really act on those tastes and desires that had only intensified in his heart over time.

“Then... Can I stay with ya? Be together like this?” Sett whispered after stealthily approaching Aphelios' face.

At the same time Aphelios opens his eyes to answer, he blinks flustered, feeling the smooth hands of the redhead now cradling his cheeks tenderly, breathing calmly before the gentle caresses. It doesn't take long to think about the answer. Aphelios nods, stroking one of the hands that keeps the blush up to his ears.

“I would like that. Even when you return to your apartment. We can still see each other and… be together like this.” Aphelios manages to respond in a whisper before being silenced by the red-haired man's lips, this time with more tranquility, slowly corresponding to the kiss. Aphelios takes a deep breath through his nose, enjoying every movement of his lips as his fingers make their way to reddish hair, caressing his cheek.

It was still difficult for Aphelios to deal with the intense feelings that the redhead provoked in him, the tingling on his skin, the warmth of his touch, the vertigo in his stomach, every element towards his heart beating stronger but he doesn’t dislike the feeling, on the contrary, every kiss makes Aphelios want more. He wants to venture more into this exciting sensation. However, he returns to earth when Sett cuts the kiss, slowly moving his face away, the redhead lets out a sweet giggle when noticing the hypnotized look on Aphelios’ face.

“I’d really like to stay longer though.” Sett comments in a slight pout, smiling as he caresses Aphelios’ cheek to take some distance, settling one hand on the bed to support his weight.

Aphelios snorted a soft laugh, stroking the hand that lay on his own cheek before separating from the contact of the redhead to sit better on the bed, arranging his hair behind his ear.

“We'll see. You have stayed longer than we expected.” Aphelios suggests in a mysterious tone, uncertain even for himself, curious about how their situations are developing, longing for time at his side more than ever before.

The hybrid arcs an eyebrow smiling, intrigued by the possibility of staying longer by his side. Or maybe he could take him to his apartment? Sett denied that fleeting thought, Alune would never leave him, he wasn't even sure if Aphelios would want to leave with him or even if he could do it. Sett still didn't know all the rules and demands Aphelios had, he didn't want to push his luck and touch on a sensitive topic, except for one small detail.

“Ironically, speaking of staying by your side. I won't be able to be here all day starting tomorrow.” Sett replies with a clarification that creates sudden curiosity on Aphelios’ face. “A friend was able to cover for me these last days at work. I can convince them not to let me fight yet but I don't think I can skip work.” he explained himself smiling regretfully.

“Oh.., that makes sense.” Aphelios blinked for a moment, quickly processing the information. “I'll be busy with training anyway.” he added thoughtfully, trying to hide the strange feeling that was invading him.

Noticing the distant thoughtful gesture, Sett looked at him with excitement, realizing the strangeness that the man showed before one of the new feelings that came with falling in love, the constant longing for the other person and frustration that came with it when outside factors were an obstacle to share time together. 

“Hey, don't get all grumpy. I'll come early after the shift ends, I promise.” Sett spoke softly with a tender and playful smile, giving him a gentle pat on his leg.

“I know.” Aphelios replied in a slightly blushing pout, averting his gaze slightly embarrassed from his visible emotions.

Sett could get used to this, he couldn't help but smile, touched and mesmerized with every gesture of the man that finally shared his feelings by his side with pure honesty. Enjoying seeing him for how stubborn and blushing he was, the red-haired man's eyes followed the path of his skin, noticing his exposed neck when Aphelios tilted his head after averting his gaze in shame, Sett got lost in his pale skin, Sett even managed to distinguish the slight blush that adorned him in every trace of his porcelain skin.

A mischievous smile settled on his lips, acting before he thought twice, Sett leaned in, taking advantage of the embarrassed man's distraction to give him a short kiss on the side of the neck. Aphelios widened his eyes in surprise, blushing suddenly up to his ears, pressing his hand against his neck, turning to see the hybrid who managed to turn his face away just before being pushed away, smiling at him funny with a slight blush for himself.

Aphelios looked at him for a few seconds, half-opening his lips, not knowing what to say, or imagining what shade of red his face must be in order for Sett to resist the tender laughter in that way, Aphleios pressed his lips in shame, confused with the fleeting electric sensation that ran through his skin with just a light brush of his lips.

“Phel! Did you wake Sett up?” Alune's loud voice echoed from the hallway, catching the attention of both men.

“Oh, right.” Aphelios comes to his senses, scratching the back of his neck and tangling his hair between his fingers a little nervously before crossing glances with the hybrid. “I was supposed to wake you up for breakfast, we had almost everything ready.” he explained himself regretfully after having completely forgotten what he had come to do.

Being honest with himself, perhaps Aphelios had forgotten about it since he entered the room finding Sett soundly sleeping and after the conversation took the direction of their feelings, it was clear that Aphelios had also forgotten hunger and schedule, having an estimated time to start training. That fact alone made the hybrid smile. Being an overly organized person, strict with his way of life, Aphelios' mind had interferences from his heart thanks to Sett. 

And how could he not feel crazy about that? If it was for Sett, he would hug him and kiss him like there was no tomorrow, trapping him between the sheets all morning to just enjoy themselves but he knows that Aphelios would feel too overwhelmed. If that was his reaction with just a playful kiss on the neck, Sett longed to see his other reactions if he kissed him further but also knew he needed to go step by step.

“He did!” Sett raises his voice to make himself present and answer for the man who looks away a little at the sweet smile of the hybrid.

“Then what are you two waiting for?” Alune speaks from the hallway raising the tone with a light laugh at the end of the question that makes a soft laughter resonate in the redhead.

“We're coming!” Sett raised his voice again after calming his laughter.

Sett stretched out his arms before starting to take the blankets off him, as many times only sleeping in his underwear, it didn't take a second for Aphelios to realize that, quickly sneaking out of the room with the excuse of giving him privacy so he could change. Sett only managed to hear him as he watched his back disappear behind the closed door, laughing again at the sudden and constant nervous blushes Aphelios’ showed in his reactions. 

Beautiful reactions, they just make me want to see more, Sett thought to himself as he proceeded to change before getting to the table with the twins.

Considering that the last time the three of them were seen together was when the Alune found the two men practically devouring each other, Sett couldn't help but have a certain nervous smile, he wondered what Alune's position was in the whole situation, so far she hadn't told him anything that could give him clues that she was against the interest he has for her brother, on the contrary, she seems happy about the affection Sett shows towards Aphelios, at least the things she had told him so far seem to give him an idea that at least, she wants him there, she allows him to be with Aphelios. If not; Why would there be another reason to invite him to stay longer? The warm smile of the silver haired girl made him feel welcome in this house, next to them, even if it is temporarily.

Once breakfast is over, the hybrid gets ready to go directly to his apartment to look for things in a bag calmly, not wanting to take out too many things. At first he noticed that Aphelios intended to go with him and help him but was immediately scolded by his twin, she reminded him of the scheduled training, more insistent than usual due to an important mission scheduled for a few days from now. So, after finishing breakfast, Alune approaches Sett before he leaves through the door, offering him a gray bag with a warm smile, commenting words of good luck. Bring everything you need, come back soon.

Now the hybrid walks along the sidewalk calmly, with one hand in his pocket while the other held the bag over his shoulder, unable to avoid a constant smile on his face, after all, the girl is supposed to have only extended his stay for two or three days at most but she just handed him a bag to bring as much as possible with more comfort, he was really getting used to seeing them every day.

That feeling only strengthened in his heart when he crossed the threshold of the entrance to his apartment, slightly dark despite being early, cold, silence hidden behind the closed curtains. Sett sighs a little, turning on the lights as he passes through the hallway to his room, observing his own bedroom with a certain strange feeling of nostalgia, as if it had been months since he was last here, he really was so immersed in his coexistence with the twins that without realizing it, it had only been a few days but it felt so long ago when Sett lived this way, sometimes waking up in a daydream, some days moving automatically just by the determination to continue for his own life and that of his beloved mother, trying to rebuild his life carrying the frustration of not having been able to do anything about the disappearance of the twins, with everyone believing that they had died. With whom could he talk about such a thing? He was not even able to try to talk about it with his mother. He buried so much inside his heart for so long.

“Okay… Let’s do this.” Sett spoke to himself out loud with a slight sigh in the middle.

Without wasting any more time he went to the closet, looking at the clothes for a few seconds. How much time should he consider? It will only be a few days, just a few days, he kept repeating to himself between thoughts. If it were up to me, I would stay much longer, he added with a smile to himself, shaking his head to try to concentrate and continue.

Sett shrugged, finally choosing some everyday outfits, sleepwear, change for work next to some golden mittens and other accessories. As he searched through the box of his neck chains, the sudden memory of the necklace with the moon ornament left him frozen. Remembering the last day he left his apartment with the precious object in his jeans, he reached into the pockets of his jeans in frustration.

Alune would have told him if she had found it when she took care of his clothes that day, Sett cursed under his breath, the most likely answer was the inevitable fall of the necklace, perhaps during the fight, perhaps when he was stabbed and fell to the ground, the memory of the situation had completely absent the presence of moon’s precious necklace.

Sett growled annoyed with himself, frustrated he rubbed his hands over his face, ending up messing up the hair between his ears. He was thoughtful for a moment. 

Did he really have to feel bad for losing it? It was a memory, surer, a precious one but cursed at the same time. Sometimes he felt that it tied him to the past but he always ended up admitting that he himself didn’t want to let go of the past and at this point, he doesn’t regret not having forgotten them.

He smiled funny at himself, the thought made him a certain funny feeling, it almost seemed as if the moon pendant had been an exchange with fate to meet Aphelios again, maybe he had lost a memory of the past but in return he managed to have Aphelios back in the present, by his side. What a curious feeling.

Chapter Text

Daydreaming was a bad habit. One bad habit Aphelios was sure to have discarded a couple of years ago, especially after those illusions, those dreams about something he’d lost, something he couldn’t have, always distracting him with meaningless emotions that ended up frustrating him with reality, illusions were pointless back then. Even so, Aphelios now finds himself looking at the closet, planted in front of the open doors, his gaze hesitating among his own clothes and those Sett had ordered in the space he organized for him. Slowly, he started to notice the difference in sizes between both clothes and ended up staring at the huge jacket that hung on the coat rack.

It wasn’t difficult to make some space for the hybrid's belongings but seeing those clothes among his, the sunglasses on his dresser, the thin boxing gloves, all the elements together create a certain tingling in his heart. 

He really is here. He really is staying here with me.

It still felt like a play of his subconscious to plunge him into a nice dream but no, it was real and he was by his side, seeing his belongings reaffirmed that feeling of security Aphelios hadn’t felt since such a long time ago. If he took a moment to close his eyes, he almost could feel the reminiscence of shared memories, those afternoons the three of them shared, enjoying hot chocolate at Sett's house, Alune enjoying teasing him when Sett’s mother scolded him, the four of them sharing a pleasant conversation. It really was their safe place, their own comfy little bubble.

Aphelios was so immersed in his memories, he doesn’t realize his twin stares at him surprised from the door frame, accustomed to her presence being foreseen several seconds before her arrival, Alune was tempted to wait and look at him, blinking, she estimated the time but was almost stunned when seconds turned into more than one minute. Finally, Aphelios woke up from his thoughts turning to look at her, both staring for a short second before he abruptly closed the two closet doors, clearing his throat awkwardly.

“Wow, I'm sure that was almost three minutes. Did you really not hear me coming in or did you ignore me on purpose?” Alune asks in a mixture of tease and real concern, smiling as she walks further into the room until she is in front of him.

Aphelios’ eyes widened in surprise, blinking incredulous at the question. Had he really lost himself so much in his own thoughts? Aphelios looked away and sighed in frustration from daydreaming, tucking his hair behind his ear.

“I was ignoring you.” Aphelios pretends seriousness, snorting a laugh at the gentle punch of his sister who denies smiling at the joke.

“Ha ha.” Alune sticks her tongue out at him but continues slightly more serious. “I was on my way to the lab when I realized someone wasn’t in the training room.” she smiled smugly in her pun, staring at her twin who pressed his lips, scratching the back of his neck in silence among his thoughts.

“I'm sorry, I had the mind.. elsewhere. It’s nothing.” Aphelios replied sorrowfully, unconsciously averting his gaze towards the closet.

“He's just at work Phel, everything will be fine, he'll be back before you know it, especially if you use the time well.” Alune replies with a certain funny tone, trying to play a little by teasing her brother with his new-not really new romance.

Until now due to the recovery and the constant help of the hybrid since that daytime mission, they had been constantly together, under the same roof, it was the first time since their reunion they had to spend so many hours apart without seeing each other, however, Aphelios didn’t react with an embarrassed pout as she expected.

“I know, I was going to go now.” Aphelios replied with a slight sigh that didn’t go unnoticed by his twin, who looked at him worried.

“Phel.” Alune thinks for a moment after getting his attention. In previous missions she offered him to rest instead of demanding too much but he never listened, she understood her brother's mind might be a little distracted, however, this time she can't tell him to rest.

“I know.” Aphelios repeats but his twin denies grieved, insisting on speaking.

“I’d really like to tell you to go rest and don't overexert yourself in training but.., the mission is in two days, the two objectives are S-rated. I know I can trust you, you know what to do and I'll be there to guide you but.” Alune begins to explain her uneasiness rather quickly, swallowing regretfully before continuing. “Still, I need you to train and concentrate, maybe it's not too many high targets to eliminate but there are a lot of guards, every minute counts, maybe you’ll need the whole night.” she finishes explaining herself seriously.

Aphelios looks at her quiet, breathing for a moment while he thought to himself, he was sure everything would turn out fine, it's not the first time he had to do this kind of missions, although danger rating was higher, he didn't feel intimidated, he would eliminate those objectives as he did with the previous ones. Unfortunately, it was that same feeling of cold arrogance that distressed Aphelios’ own heart. 

“I know.” Aphelios repeats for the third time in a firmer tone, letting out a certain part of his frustration, regaining calmness, he exhales through his nose pressing his lips. “I know.., you’ll always be there to guide me and everything will turn out fine, trust me.” 

Aphelios ends the conversation with a smile, calmer, waiting for the same smile from his sister who after thinking for a few seconds smiles slightly uneasy, nodding to his words, finally the man gives her a few gentle pats on the arm as he walks next to her and without wasting any more time decided to head towards the hallway.

“Hey.” Alune's voice stopped him at the door frame, turning to see her as she smiled. “If you miss him so much. Why don't you just text him? There’s functioning wifi, you know.”

This time she did get the reaction she was hoping for, with Aphelios pursing his lips into a little blushing pout as he played with the door a bit within his fleeting nervousness.

“I did, he must be too busy to respond, he told me that could happen.” Aphelios replies between pauses, raising his tone a little within the almost whispers he emits, ashamed to think about insisting too much with his text messages.

“Ah.” Alune freezes with the smile on her face, laughing a little nervously, feeling sorry for having mentioned the subject teasingly, noticing the embarrassed gesture of her brother, she tightens her lips regretfully, sighing for a moment while leaning more thoughtful on the crutch. “Then... Uh.. By any chance. Do you know where he works?”

Alune gives up to ask, seeing the slight look of confusion and curiosity on the man's face before nodding slowly, as if remembering if the information he had about it was correct or not. After receiving the affirmation, Alune looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, before giving up with a soft smile on her face.

“If you finish training early you could go and get him.” Alune suggests in an attempt at incentive, a positive encouragement that tries to support her brother to think and demonstrate other human emotions while maintaining his responsibilities.

“Hm…” instead of showing happiness, Aphelios frowns confused, giving himself a moment to think, answering uncertainly. “I'm not sure. I’d have to text him to ask, I’m not sure if he wants me to go get him after work.” 

The answer muttered in such an anxious and insecure way makes Alune raise both eyebrows in sarcastic disbelief, sighing heavily while ignoring the confused eyes of her twin. Complicating his mind with romantic thoughts seems to be making him nervous, Alune thought for a moment. 

Aphelios could do the most complex training sequence perfectly, without any doubt but this was another completely different story, managing emotions he hasn’t felt in a long time was more complicated with his current state of mind, suffering emotional numbness exacerbated by the use of poison, it was difficult. It is natural to feel nervous about such strong and intuitive human emotions.

“Don't be stubborn and don't ask him, you dummy, just let him know when you are waiting for him outside. Surprise him.” Alune smiles with more emotion at the shy smile on her brother’s features. “I'm sure he’ll like the surprise, at least he used to like surprises.” she added with a nostalgic tone at the end somewhat uncertain for the present while giving him one last smile.

Gaining some determination, Aphelios nods, hoping they are both right and the surprise of Aphelios’ presence will be well received. So, Aphelios goes to the training room, without any more complaints or distractions, he concentrates completely on his own movements, as sharp as a dagger, as silent and light as the fall of a feather, he makes his best effort to concentrate, once he builds confidence in his warm-up.

Aphelios raises the level of training, aware of the difficulty level that was approaching in the mission, the practice mannequins are activated with sharp weapons among traps and attacks with real daggers are activated, Aphelios remembers the distant bad experiences he had the first times he used this level of training but he keeps the pace nowadays.

Sett may left his mind over the clouds but the survival instincts trained since childhood, they turn on at the necessary second, complete concentration on agile jumps and punches, stabs, strategies and precise shots, he is unconscious the second he stops blinking, controlled breathing, focused gaze on a single target, nothing else exists at the moment.

Luckily for him, the hours pass by just as his twin predicted, Aphelios hears the ticking sound marking the end of the high-risk training simulation and stops in the middle of the room, breathing hard, muscle fibers contracting, light sweat drops sliding down the side of his face. He swallows saliva trying to catch his breath while leaving the dagger wielded to one side, making his knuckles sound while sighing relieved, making his neck sound equally, stretching the rest of the body. While relaxing, he leaves the training room, taking the phone while walking upstairs to the bathroom, longing for a shower. He smiles fondly as he sees the time on the screen accompanied by a couple of text messages on the notification side.

I’m so so sorryy! I’ve been enslaved in the kitchen and now at the bar.

Compensation for not attending the fights in a few days I guess.

How's your day going? Sure is better than mine.

Aphelios smiles watching the screen swiping the messages in the chat with his thumb at the same time he arrives in front of the bathroom door, he can't help but chuckle with the amount of emoticons the redhead uses even if Aphelios writes completely simple and direct, the contrast between their ways of writing makes him sweetly laugh for himself.

Without wanting to ruin the surprise, Aphelios texts back with some tenderness to the first messages, giving him words of encouragement, reminding him he had little time left to finish the day, taking refuge in talking about training to answer his question without mentioning he had already finished. Aphelios took a shower and dressed in black jeans, gray sneakers and after fleetingly looking out the window thinking about the weather, he chose a dark blue short-sleeved shirt under an open sweater also in black tones, the sleeves were a little longer, only leaving his thin fingers visible. Aphelios looked at himself in the mirror for a moment, playing with the longer hair that was trying to go over his face and somewhat arranged it behind his ear.

Finally, after a few thoughtful seconds in front of the mirror, giving himself emotional strength, Aphelios took the keys next to the phone to put both in his jeans’ pockets before leaving his room, listening to a fleeting, good luck! tenderly exclaimed by his twin before he left the house. When was the last time Aphelios went out with such a mood and tranquility?

Yes, one could say sometimes he went out to do some shopping for the house but in general, It was Alune who took care of those things within the deliveries among the materials for the store and the laboratory. Aphelios went out almost exclusively for missions. It was a curiously pleasant sensation, walking without haste, nor stealth. Aphelios maintained a level of sharp attention out of habit but nothing created an essence of restlessness. It was just him, his breathing and the echo of his footsteps as he walked, such a warm feeling of longing to see the hybrid, waiting patiently to see him.

He could have taken the public transport but to be honest, Aphelios had left with plenty of time, he didn't want to wait too long outside the restaurant to ruin the surprise and, actually, he was quite enjoying the walk, so immersed in the tranquility of such a mundane action, before he realized, he was only a few blocks from the destination. Anxious, he checks his phone to read the redhead’s last messages. It doesn't take much more time for the bar-restaurant to be visible, Aphelios pressed his lips, slowing down his steps as he approached, observing the entrance open to the public illuminated by the big lights and ornaments and he kept his distance, he stayed some feet away from the entrance, writing in the chat with a slight smile, nervously tapping on the screen.

Just for curiosity. Which door do you leave work by?

From the other side of the conversation, the message is waiting to be seen, Sett sees the screen of his phone light up over his shirt among the things inside the locker at the open door, he finishes changing before putting the work clothes in the locker and taking out the phone after closing the door with a padlock. He walks outside the dressing rooms with the phone in hand,  side smiling, curious to read the man’s question, intrigued, he texts back and explains the location of the employees’ side door and sends the message before Neeko teasingly tries to take the phone out of his hand. Sett reacts just in time, backing away by instinct, colliding with the other girl behind him.

“Hey, watch it.” Nidalee complains with a certain mocking tone.

“Sorry, didn't see ya.” Sett apologizes smiling regretfully, putting the phone in his jeans’ back pocket, almost hiding it from the girls' view.

“I've been talking to you since you left the dressing room. Are you ignoring me?” Neeko asks curiously in a playful pout, clearly teasing. “You just got back. Are you sure you're okay? You've been distracted all day.” she adds now with a slight increased concern.

“Did ya have brain damage or something?” Nidalee jokes as she approaches to wrap her girl's shoulders in a gentle hug while the three calmly continue on their way to the exit door.

“Ha ha, very funny.” Sett replies with sarcasm, giving in to the laughter that the girls share with him, then he looks for the right words, scratching the back of his neck slightly flustered. “I'm fine, it's just- I just recently got to see a friend that I hadn't seen for a really long time and uh I don’t know, he’s awesome, well… ya know.” he hesitates trying to give as simple an explanation as possible.

However, the blush that begins to take over his cheeks, accompanied by a slight nervous tone within his words that increases as he tries to explain the return of Aphelios in his life, or well, Sett into his actually. Those gestures don’t go unnoticed by the chameleon girl who smiles widely, eyes shining at the idea already settled in her mind.

“Aww. You like your friend!” Neeko jumps to conclusions, stopping the embarrassed redhead’s babbling.

“What?” Sett abruptly stops mumbling and looks at her, feeling his own cheeks light up, it’s obvious for both of them so he deflates clearly flustered. “Well, Y-Yeah. I like him.”

“Aww!” Neeko repeats with a high pitch sound, melted with tenderness with the hybrid's reaction.

“Look at you. And he likes you back?” Nidalee asks directly with intrigue, smiling excitedly to hear more.

“Nida! Such things are not asked so quickly.” the brunette's partner gently scolds her talking in a lower tone as if Sett couldn't hear her next to him.

“Why not? I wanna know.” Nidalee held her tenderly pretending innocence, now seeing the red haired man again. “Soo?” she teased with an excited smile ignoring her girl’s pout who was afraid to ask something sensitive.

 “It's okay Neeko, let's just say I'm lucky ‘cause he likes me too.” Sett answers more calmly with a wide smile on his face, enjoying how those words sound on his lips.

The girls, eager to ask more, extinguish the insistence of their words as soon as they all cross the exit door, the gaze of the three falling on the slender figure of the shy man who was standing a few steps from the place, watching his own phone illuminating his slightly blushed pale face. The warm, tender smile of the hybrid is instantaneous, curious, he even notices how Aphelios is playing with the longest strand of his hair, twirling it between his index finger and thumb, shortly unaware of their presence, a very old habit the man had, betraying his nervousness, Sett remembers how Aphelios made an effort to get rid of that habit during their adolescence. Was he so nervous about having come to look for him by surprise? Sett loves that the feeling of longing is mutual, trying to shorten the time they spend apart.

No more seconds pass before Aphelios acknowledge the presence of the three, uncertain whether to approach or not due to the company of the redhead, Aphelios decides to wait in place, observing how the girls seem to say goodbye to him, commenting something among jokes that makes Sett react funny and embarrassed, scratching the back of his head before smiling again to go to his unexpected reception.

“What a nice surprise. Did you miss me that much?” Sett arrives smiling teasingly while asking with a certain tone of arrogance trying to play a little with the man.

Aphelios is surprised by the playful words and breaths out a laugh, a little amused by the question, however, he didn’t want to deny it, slightly blushing, he looks into his eyes to nod slowly, feeling his own cheeks burn, the honest answer stuns Sett making him blush suddenly, bending the determined presence by a more timid one.

“Oh, really? And I thought I was the only one ha…” Sett laughs nervously, messing up his reddish hair between his vastayan ears, blushing more with the man’s soft laughter, trying not to let his own voice waver, he clears his throat with a short cough before continuing. “Hm, I was thinking we could uh…buy something on the way.” 

The suggestion of the nervous redhead makes Aphelios smile, arranging his hair more behind his ears at the same time he arranges the sweater over his shoulders, feeling the gentle breezes which lowered the temperature as the sunset approached.

“A coffee would be nice.” Aphelios comments on a subtle suggestion receiving a smile back.

“Coffee, perfect.” Sett replies confidently before starting to lead the way to make the stop at an express cafe before returning. “What bus did you use to get there? I could’ve suggested ya a shortcut.” he asks as he walks beside him.

“It’d have ruined the surprise, besides, I walked here, so it's okay.” Aphelios responds calmly, shrugging his shoulders observing him out of the corner of his eye after a few steps.

“What? Did ya walk all the way here?” Sett asks surprised with a slight laugh that spreads a smile on the face of the other one who looks back at him confused, arching an eyebrow. “I mean, it's not that far if I think about it but it's way longer.” he explains himself, raising his palm pointing the way in front of them to which he is delighted again by the gentle laughter of the man.

“I wanted to walk a little anyway, it's been a long time since I went out for something other than a.., hm, obligation, you know." Aphelios replies with an initial relaxed smile but tenses the gesture a little at the end of the sentence, trying to allude to the missions without using the word directly in public, luckily already accustomed, Sett understands him quickly, giving him a sorry smile.

“Well, if we have some free time, don’t know when but if we have time heh, going out with ya like this sounds really nice.” re-enlivening the atmosphere, Sett smiles at him, trying to be positive about the future.

Sett’s tender concern words return the tranquility to Aphelios’ features, the man nods his head and Sett can't help but smile wider showing one fang, mesmerized with the presence of the man next to him, walking relaxed next to him, with his nose, cheeks and lips slightly reddish due to the low temperature wind. 

It doesn't take too long to get to the coffee shop the hybrid had in mind, there are a couple of people in line but he advances quite quickly, Sett asks him to wait outside for a moment, taking the man's order before going to buy, the curious and warm everyday nature of the situation makes his heart beat tenderly. Sett can't help but smile when he already has the two coffees in hand, watching the man before he notices his presence, enjoying the simple way Aphelios exhales warm breath against his hands in search of warmth.

Keeping that thought in mind, once they get back on the sidewalk and take the long way back home enjoying each other's company, Sett watches as Aphelios attaches both hands to the cup enjoying the warmth emanating from the coffee.

“Do ya need both hands for your coffee?” Sett asks curiously in a slight mocking tone, taking Aphelios by surprise who smiles confused.

“Do I?” Aphelios answers amused among soft giggles, without understanding the question but without questioning it much, he holds the coffee with only one hand leaving the other free at his side.

“Great.” Sett smiles with a slight blush before approaching a little closer to him, taking his hand gently, without intentions of surprising him too much, notice how the man blinks for a moment observing the gesture, clearly flustered but doesn’t move away. “Is that okay?” he asks with curiosity and sweetness, outlining a warm smile without affirming the grip between their hands before his answer.

By inertia, Aphelios raises the glass a little more when drinking coffee, swallowing his nerves, looking away for a moment to shake his head, pressing his lips still a little self-conscious, Aphelios gathers the initiative and interlaces the fingers of both hands tenderly before crossing glances with the redhead again.

“... It’s more than okay.., I like it.” Aphelios murmurs blushing, ducking his head a little, unable to help but look at how well his fingers look intertwined with each other, highlighting the contrast of their size. “Besides.., it's cold and your hand is warm.” he adds a little stubborn, swallowing his words with coffee.

“Yeah, sure it’s cold, whatever ya say.” Sett doesn't take long to tease with the man's words, laughing at the short frustrated pout reflected on Aphelios’ face.

The words Aphelios said before makes less sense after they both finish their coffee on the way back, Sett was sure his body would have reached a warmer temperature by know, still, he didn’t let go of his hand, on the contrary, once they found a garbage dump and were left with both hands free, Aphelios slowly began to cling more to the redhead who wondered if he was aware or not that at this point, the man was attached to his side, keeping their fingers intertwined as well as a part of his forearms.

Sett has never enjoyed the way out of his job so much, every simple everyday action seems to get better just by being by his side, just knowing that his presence is there makes his heart beat faster. Aphelios is with him, enjoying his company, feeling the same feelings as him. Without realizing it, Sett gets lost in that thought, hypnotized by the man’s calm presence next to him, he runs his gaze over his profile, his long dark eyelashes, down his cheekbones, the delicate and sharp features of his jaw, down to his neck, Sett remembers the warm touch of the kiss he stole from his skin the day before and finds himself longing for more, lost in curiosity to feel that soft skin under his lips once more, wondering if he could bite the edge of his collarbone.

“Sett?” Aphelios gets his attention, returning him to earth.

“Hm, what's the matter?” Sett pretends innocence, looking up again hoping that he won't mention how Sett had his eyes glued anywhere but in his eyes.

And maybe he doesn't say something about it out loud but Aphelios' sudden funny laugh takes him by surprise, betraying his absence, watching as he points in front of them, leaving the hybrid with a silly question between his lips, after all Aphelios stopped as they had arrived at their destination, just a few steps from the entrance behind the store, Sett laughed nervously, letting go of the man's hand so he could take out the keys and open the door.

“Daydreaming?” Aphelios tempts his luck with the obvious question, taking the keys out of the lock after they enter the house to lock the door behind them.

“You have no idea.” Sett replies with the same playful tone, making fun of himself a little too. How long was he lost in those lewd thoughts? It was better not to betray himself by trying to give further explanations.

“Guys?” Alune's voice comes from the basement, probably from the laboratory, deduces the twin.

“Could you let her know we're here? I'll go to the bathroom.” Aphelios speaks calmly as he takes off his sweater to the warmer feeling inside the house, resting it on his arms before climbing the stairs.

Sett nodded without much problem, still energetic with the walk back, in a few steps he manages to reach downstairs, holding himself with the palm of his hand on the wall to look out into the basement, focusing his gaze on the laboratory’s door, semi-open. Approaching to it out of mere curiosity, Sett saw a white light mixing with another artificial bluish almost purple light, the hybrid wrinkled his nose, ducking his ears a little by instinct at the strange dense aroma emitted from inside the room.

“Ugh.” inevitably, Sett emitted a sound of disgust clicking his tongue and covering his nose, surprising the girl who stood up in the laboratory seat turning to look at him confused and amused by the reaction.

Alune, accustomed to this environment and protected with gloves, laboratory glasses and a mask, found it much easier to bear. After a long moment of laughter, she took off her gloves, securing the table, covering it with a translucent lid of special material, slowly, the aroma began to dissipate, venting through the door until Sett felt confident to exhale exhausted, relieved to breathe better.

“Sorry, you must feel the smell much stronger.” Alune apologizes as she takes off her glasses and mask alike, sighing more relaxed, she calms down the laughs to speak more seriously. “In any case you shouldn't be here, it's already a lot that you can come and go in the basement.” she adds with a light laugh, half joking and half seriously, exhaling a little at the end of the sentence.

“Aha... Uh, I only came because Phel wanted to go up first so he asked me to let you know we arrived.” Sett answers in the same tone as the girl, resting his hands on his hips in a more defensive posture, listening to more giggles from the twin, he crouches one ear confused at her laughter.

“I can tell.” Alune responds in a lighter tone. “Maybe just raising your voice from the stairs would’ve suffice but it's okay if you wanted to come all the way here.” she adds with a shrug, smiling funnier with the smile of the redhead.

Sett opens his mouth to protest but shuts up right away, he couldn't deny in a way that was also the reason why he didn't think twice before taking advantage of going down to this part of the basement, after all, all his curiosity and uncertainty was slowly satiated by the gradual answers he received about the complex life of the twins. Noticing how he couldn’t respond, Alune shook her hand, taking the matter lightly.

“Don't worry, I'll send a message anyway.” Alune adds in a mocking tone, not wanting to annoy further the hybrid who kept his ears down. “I'll be here working a couple more hours, till late so have dinner without me, make sure my stubborn brother eats well, he tends to forget meals when training is this demanding.”

“Got it. I'll make sure of that.” Sett replies with a gentle smile at the girl's usual protective attitude but then frowns a little curious by the explanation. “Is it normally that demanding or is he doing any other type of training?” he asks, a little intrigued with her choice of words.

The question took Alune by surprise, she widened her eyes for a moment, pressing her lips a little restless, somehow she felt she had just said something she shouldn't, it wasn't really a secret, considering how much they talk to Sett about their life and assassination missions, but she also didn't want to overdo it if Aphelios decided to tell him or not some information, trying not to get too complicated the mind, she resorted to a simpler answer.

“Uh.., something like that, it's just for the next mission, it's better for him to explain it to you.” Alune replied a little hasty with the words, shaking her hand again indicating as to not to worry about it.

“Okay?” Sett laughs slightly confused with the answer but decides not to press further, he was sure he could talk it over with Aphelios later. “Ok then, I'll send the message. Good luck with all this horrible smelling stuff.” he added pointing behind the girl who gave him a sorry smile before he left the lab leaving the door closed behind him, staying in the hallway silent for a moment.

That sour aroma was definitely the substance Sett had felt on the man's lips the night of the storm. It didn't take him long to connect the essence of the air with the reminiscence of the taste. He understood this was part of their work as a team but Sett still felt uneasy about the use of poison. How could Alune be calm making those pills for her own brother? He shook his head in frustration, annoyed with himself for having those thoughts. Trying to direct the trail of resentment somewhere. But he shouldn't do it with her. It wasn't either twins’ fault.

Without giving himself more space for those annoying thoughts, Sett resumed his way up stairs, climbing two steps at a time with energized steps until he reached the second floor, stopping at the last step looking for Aphelios, moving his ears in search of some sound, frustrated, he always ends up looking for him with his eyes, the man who barely manages to perceive even with his sharp senses.

“Phel?” Sett asks, quickly seeing the edge of light coming from the half-open kitchen door.

“Over here.” Aphelios responds with a low tone, grateful to be able to use his voice more in soft tones, without pressing to raise his voice, he is always sure Sett would listen to him.

Sett opens the door pushing it carefully, finding the man closing the refrigerator after taking out a couple of eggs leaving them on the counter, it was a strange feeling of nostalgia and fleeting deja vu, feeling how the idea was escaping him quickly, he felt he had the memory on the tip of his tongue but it disappears every time he tries to remember.

“Alune will be busy tonight in the lab, she said we have dinner without her.” Sett doesn’t delay in explaining the previous conversation pointing with his thumb back at the stairs.

“That's what I thought, all the lights were off when I came up.” Aphelios replied calmly as he bent down a little to take two plates out of a cabinet, unable to help but let out a yawn after leaving them on the counter.

Sett tightens his lips a little uneasily, getting closer to him he can notice the man's more tired gestures, heavy eyes, slower movements and the occasional repression of yawns that threatened to escape from between his lips with light traces of sleepy tears coming out of the corner of his eyes, Sett reaches his back, taking the pan before him, making him turn around surprised, raising his head at the proximity, a little flushed by the sudden action. 

“I can make dinner.” Sett rushes to speak laughing slightly blushed by the tender gesture of the man who frowns a little.

“But you've been working in the kitchen all day.” Aphelios immediately refutes trying to reach the handle of the frying pan but the hybrid quickly moves away from his grasp. “Sett.”

“I don't mind cooking, really.” Sett insists smiling a little amused by Aphelios’ obstinate attitude who remains thoughtful for a restless moment pressing his lips moving his hand away from the frying pan.

“At least let me help you.” now the he insists, frustrated to feel how another yawn escapes him even making his eyelashes get slightly wet.

“Mm, nope.” Sett laughs at the man's stubborn pout as he takes over more of the cooking space. “Just go sit down, I'll do something simple, trust me.” he adds with a sweeter tone, gaining a fleeting shy blush in return.

However, apparently the idea of resting while letting Sett do all the work didn’t please him much, even if the signs of tiredness were already more noticeable, Aphelios stayed next to the hybrid, helping him a little at first but after receiving a few scolding looks, he desisted, without leaving his side, without more to do, Aphelios looks at him for a moment, staying by his side, lowering his gaze down the muscular arm of the hybrid, after thinking about it for a moment, Aphelios bends down a little to slightly support the body at his side, squishing his cheek against his arm, resting his hand lightly on his forearm.

“Well, that's fine too.” Sett comments smiling at him out of the corner of his eye, a few soft laughs resounding when noticing how the man shyly nods, smiling a little despite looking away blushing, without loosening his grip, Aphelios keeps clinging to him tenderly.

It‘s during those shared moments the distant memory that was slipping out of the corner of Sett’s mind finally begins to form better in his mind, as he gets slightly lost in thoughts when moving automatically, used to the kitchen. How old were they? Sett asks himself, trying to visualize the memory among different remembrances. Fourteen years, maybe? The aroma of fresh onion in hot oil, the heat of the kitchen, the sound of the light rain echoing against the house’s window and the light weight by his side of the shy boy that embraces him with curiosity and tenderness.

As Sett continues daydreaming, the distant memory takes shape recovering the context of the situation, he manages to remember better, they were closer to fourteen years old, his birthday had been recently and the hybrid enjoyed this lapse of time between the three of them to play the leader, saying that he was the oldest. Sett remembers that time with some sadness and nostalgia, the time when it was slowly becoming more difficult for the twins to sneak home, starting to insist on the supposedly more demanding private lessons their parents paid for at home, thinking back, it was also the time when Aphelios began to look physically more tired on certain days.

That day the twins had made sure to convince their parents they had do a team work for school, in a way it was not completely a lie but in reality it was much simpler and required less time than they had commented so they could enjoy a whole day at Sett’s home, playing video games, sharing a meal, watching TV and enjoying the conversation between the three.

“Are you sure we shouldn't wait for your mother?” Aphelios' voice echoes in the memory, attracting the attention of the self-confident smiling hybrid.

“Are you sure you won't burn the whole house down?” Alune's mocking voice is present in the memory along with the echo of laughter.

“I know how to cook more than you think, Lunie.” Sett answers the taunt with a smug tone continuing the teasing.

The three of them share the kitchen, with Aphelios clinging to his arm, accompanying the red haired man while he cooks and then enjoying homemade food, sharing pleasant conversations until the arrival of his mother. She always greets them happily by the presence of the twins, always welcoming them with open arms, she hugged the three of them like her own children and Sett noticed how both Aphelios and Alune were completely attached to the vastayan woman, enjoying the maternal concern. 

Sett remembers the afternoon continuing with the four of them enjoying the hot chocolate and homemade mooncakes prepared by his mother, oblivious to any external worries, Alune would settle into the woman’s lap enjoying how she combed his long silver hair, smiling at the gentle caresses while Sett continued to enjoy cookies, listening to the fanciful narratives of his mother as well as the others while the sweet weight of Aphelios is always by his side, Sett hears his soft laughter while he remained comfortably attached to his side, without moving away, Aphelios enjoys the occasional cookies the redhead offered him.

With a slight return to the present, Alune's words resonate in his mind, mentioning the most demanding training, the same kind of tiredness, then and now, noticing how Aphelios stays by his side, as if it was the only place where he allowed himself to lower his guard when feeling tired from training, afraid to show weakness even in front of his own twin, Aphelios’ defenses crumbles the second he felt the warm comfort of his touch.

Sett can't help but wonder, looking back and remembering those moments of strange tiredness, sudden pains. Was it ever real or were they always lies to cover the truth of the negative effects of training? Since when? How many times had he overextended himself in that way? Sett remembers how Aphelios fell asleep so many times next to him that it had ended up becoming a slight habit. Did he consider him as his safe place? Sett can't help but feel a lump in his throat.

With the arm he had free, Sett reacted impulsively hugging him tightly from the side, tenderly squeezing the man against his chest taking him by surprise, Aphelios opened his eyes blinking flushed and confused by the sudden gesture, looking up nervously, changing the frown for one of concern, noticing traces of melancholy in the shy smile of the redhead.

“Sett?”

“You're going to fall asleep like this. Go sit down. I don't have much left.” Sett replies quickly without giving way to the man's concern, discarding the sad smile for a more happy one, leaving those thoughts behind.

“I'm not falling asleep.” Aphelios protests but the hoarse tone of his voice betrays him, such stubbornness always made the red haired man smile.

“Yeah sure, just go. I won't be long.” Sett ignores his complaints, using the closeness to his favor and gives him a kiss on the forehead tenderly before releasing him from his grip.

Aphelios is caught off guard over and over again by his now constant demonstrations of affection, oblivious to this kind of romantic affection, every touch creates new sensations for him. Still a little stubborn, Aphelios covers his forehead blushing, looking away for a moment due to the smug gesture of the hybrid, clearly he couldn’t hide that maybe he was falling asleep, he was usually able to just rest his eyes closed but with Sett it was so difficult for him not to be carried away by vulnerability, to rest, to stop being attentive to the outside world.

Chapter Text

Before sitting down at the table, Aphelios makes a few precise stops to take out some utensils next to the glasses to place them on the two table stalls before taking a seat, resting his elbow on the edge and resting his cheek on the palm of his hand, without realizing it, his eyes fall back on the redhead once more, denoting the movement of his back muscles as he moved his arms. Slightly embarrassed, Aphelios begins to understand a little the feeling that prompted the man to kiss his neck by surprise yesterday.

As Sett mentioned before, it only took him a few more minutes to finish preparing dinner and Aphelios can't help but smile a sweetly amused while the hybrid must make more than one trip to the kitchen and back with the dishes to bring everything to the table, insisting to him to just wait for him without moving one finger before eating.

“You said you'd do something simple.” Aphelios ends up speaking with a smile while he takes the fork, observing the plate of rice with omelette, accompanied by some tomato salad and a small bowl of soup on the side. How long was he almost falling asleep by his side before? Aphelios barely remembered seeing the slices of the vegetable.

“There was rice already prepared and the soup doesn't count, it's quite simple.” Sett replies with pride crossing his arms maintaining the feigned offended posture until he hears the man's soft laughs that are quickly silenced by a surprised face when he tries the first bite. “I know, it's very good.” he adds smiling proudly.

“I didn't say otherwise.” Aphelios comments in false modesty. “Of course it's good, you've always been good at cooking.” the words escape his lips with a nostalgic smile before continuing his meal calmly.

Even though Sett also eats his own portion, he tries to remove that slight melancholy essence when he hears those words, without wanting to talk to the him about it, the memories end up invading his mind fleetingly, remembering those distant moments of happiness, feeling conflicted with the feeling of blissful ignorance that he couldn’t help but relate to those same memories. 

Aphelios' comment also makes him think about his mother, after all he had learned, everything he knew about cooking when he was young was thanks to her, he was able to cook at that time for the twins thanks to her and their mother loved them so much, she loved the twins too much and he knew they loved her back, Sett wondered if his mother would still remember the Lunari children as much as he wondered if Aphelios or Alune would want to ask about her, after all, neither have asked beyond knowing if she was okay. They seemed to be keeping their distance.

His attention is diverted by the objects on the table until he gets stuck into the Aphelios’ plate, while Sett was already practically finishing his own, he noticed how Aphelios seemed to be stopping eating despite not having completely finished the plate, earning an inquisitive look from the hybrid who was about to open his mouth in protest.

“Alune asked you to keep an eye on me eating well. Didn't she?” Aphelios assumes aloud, again resting his cheek on the hand of the arm resting with his elbow on the edge of the table.

Sett tightens his lips, slightly ducking his ears, frustrated by having fallen directly into the trap of the man who stopped his movements just to wait for Sett’s reaction, it was obvious that Aphelios would think that there was some conversation and for his correct guess, if his sister wasn’t there to watch him it was clear that she would ask Sett as soon as she could.

“Well, yes, but I'm not doing it one hundred percent for her, okay? I worry too.” Sett replies first with a frustrated snort but then he seriously points at himself, blushing a little at the slight blush on Aphelios’ cheeks. “She mentioned a uh... A different workout or something? If ya get more tired, ya have to recover more energy, it sounds logical to me.” he clarified, raising both hands to point to the unfinished plate of food in front of the man.

“A different kind of training? Yes, you could say that.” Aphelios smiles a little, trying to pretend innocence while playing with the fork in the food.

“... How is it different?” Sett pauses before asking, uncertain if he actually could ask further but he wanted to know.

It seems the same doubt crosses Aphelios’ mind as he presses his lips together for a moment, keeping his gaze fixed on the plate before thinking of an answer, with the right amount of truth. After the silence, he slightly raised his face before shily crossing glances.

“It's just harder training. There's more pressure on performance, it's just for the next mission, it's not permanent. Once I finish I'll go back to the usual training.” Aphelios tries to respond as naturally as possible without going into details of the changes in his training for fear of worrying the redhead. In a failed attempt of course.

“Why do ya need another training? It’s a more difficult mission then.” Sett can't help but ask with a certain tension in his voice, he never wanted to overstep his limits regarding the twins' information but his constant concern got his mind rumbling with questions.

Usually Aphelios gave in, just a little bit, he had been quite patient while revealing some part of the truth to answer Sett’s worrying curiosity. But not this time, Aphelios tightens his lips at the question again, holding the fork on the plate, carefully thinking the words, then he puts the cutlery aside to reach the hand of the hybrid in a soft touch. Timid.

“Sett.” Aphelios looks up, caressing his hand. “I'll be fine. You don't have to worry. I've done it before. I've done it right, I'll do it right this time too.” he answers without really answering the question that had been asked on purpose, instead, he simply tries to appeal to trust.

The hybrid curved his lips in a restless grimace, feeling the warm touch on his hand didn’t help to lighten the matter, despite the fact that normally Aphelios gave him a straight answer with a certain level of truthful explanation, now he was clearly avoiding answering him with something more concrete. Should he press more? Would it be pushing too much his limits or should he just give in for now?

“I don't doubt your abilities, Phel.” Sett gives a small sigh, trying to choose the middle point between his thoughts, turning his hand to intertwine their fingers, giving him gentle caresses with his thumb. “I just worry, just a tiny bit, that's all.” he adds while trying to smile at him.

Sett hopes to get closer to a complete explanation, however, he gets the opposite, insecurity is denoted trough Aphelios’ heartbeat, averting his gaze, not fully corresponding to the hook among their fingers, Aphelios' mind hesitates a little, opening his lips pensively, leaning to respond more defensively.

“It's just another mission, you don't have to worry about me.” Aphelios frowns suspiciously, blinking when he feels the firm grip on his hand.

“I always worry about you.” Sett replies quickly, looking at him serious, with warmth in his eyes, prayerful, tender.

“But. You shouldn't…” Aphelios cuts his own words among murmurs, feeling a faint blushing paint his face, looking at him confused at hearing a light laugh.

“Then what? You let me kiss ya, stay here and all but ya won't let me worry about ya?” Sett smiles with slight sarcasm, impulsively raising Aphelios’ hand to his lips interrupting his embarrassed pout at those words with a bigger blush. “That doesn't make sense, Phel.” he whispered against his knuckles, giving away soft kisses.

Aphelios exhales a small sigh, conflicted with his own feelings, observing the hybrid with warmth, slowly letting go of his grip to accommodate the hand on his cheek, giving gentle caresses with his thumb, blushing a little more as Sett leaned into his touch, closing his eyes and slightly ducking his ears while breathing calmly, slowly tilting his face to continue kissing the palm of his hand tenderly. Feeling bribed with his affection, Aphelios sighs again blushing and slowly surrenders.

“It's just..training, more types of weapons.., more demanding.., usually there are only a few or none obstacles that make it difficult for me to reach the target but this time I must be prepared for more resistance…” Aphelios begins to explain the specification of his training added to vague details of the mission, however, his concentration blurs, easily embarrassed as his concentration wavers on the kisses over his fingers.

Even though he wanted to continue, Sett smiles from the side, secret pride spread over his chest as he realized he is the origin of the distraction, but he ends up lowering his hand from his face to continue holding it on the table, willing to continue listening to him, Aphelios hesitates for a moment but continues explaining, giving shy caresses with his thumb over their hands that they held together.

“Like the night I saw you again. I don't usually get involved much in the context of possible witnesses. I take a distance, hoping to find a vulnerable moment of the target, as isolated as possible and I do my.. job. But there are missions like this, which don’t allow me to be very far away. I must infiltrate and there will be more than one person who will try to stop me before reaching the two final targets. I have to be prepared.” Aphelios explains himself more fluently, keeping his gaze fixed on the smooth grip they share among intertwined fingers. He pauses for a long time holding a thoughtful gesture before continuing. “I’ll have to force my way through any obstacles. I've done it before and it's never just the blood of the targets that stains my hands. Sett, I have to be prepared to minimize that possibility.” Aphelios ends looking up with shy sadness in dark obsidian eyes.

Sett understood the twins' life, he had learned quite a lot these days at his side, even accompanying him on that simple follow-up mission, he knows what is the ultimate reason for Aphelios' participation in these missions, even if he had only witnessed a small portion of his abilities. So then. Why does he freeze with those words? Is it the sad gesture hidden within Aphelios’ gaze that creates a lump in his throat? Or was it the deluded thought that Aphelios would have no greater opponents who could actually hurt him and now all that worry creates a tornado in his mind? The place falls silent for a few seconds that seem like long minutes for Aphelios who seeks an answer with his gaze, without letting go of Sett’s warm touch, distressed, he tightens his grip, feeling the tension in the hybrid's body.

“Sett, it's just another mission. A kind of mission I've done before. More than once.” Aphelios' words seem to manage to wake up the redhead, returning him to reality.

“I know.” Sett sighs slightly with a smile, still a little lost among his own thoughts. “But I bet ya wouldn't make that promise to me, would ya? That everything will be alright?” he asks in a mixture of playfulness and a sad earnestness staring into his eyes.

The question didn’t take him as unprepared as the hybrid would think. Aphelios can't look away even if he wants to, he slightly squeezes his eyes, parting his lips a little but then squeezes them uncertain of his words. He didn’t want to specify the poison and weapons that the guards of his targets would try to use against him, much less the possible high murder count that he would add during that night, he wanted to comfort Sett, not distress him. Appearing thoughtful in a few short seconds, Aphelios crosses glances again once he clears his mind.

“I always carry out the mission, one way or another. I always succeed.” Aphelios looks for the only way he knows how to respond, trying to smile at the redhead. “I never give up and I always come back. I need you to trust me on that.” he adds with a softer tone, seeking tranquility in his gaze by reinforcing the idea that he will return to him, just as he has returned home with his twin in all previous missions.

Sett feels indecisive, the ambiguous answer isn’t what he was hoping for but he understood Aphelios was starting to be completely evasive with the answers, even if he tried to give him comfort with those words, inviting him to trust him, at the same time he was hiding the most important part of the mission from him, does not give him complete reliance to ease his worries. Is Sett being too greedy? Feeling the inevitable anxiety that spreads through his heart in a silent prayer. Sett wants to know more.

“I…” Sett mutters barely audibly.

“Yes?” Aphelios asks, confused as he sees Sett rise from his seat, in a blink he’s embraced among warm arms and chest, with the blush growing up to his ears, Aphelios swallows, trying to maintain his composure.

Aphelios tries to raise his face but stays still when he feels the hybrid's fingers venture into his hair and shoulders, squeezing him closer, Aphelios spined in his seat and hide his face in the red haired man's neck, closing his eyes for a moment to allow himself to reciprocate the signs of affection, sliding his arms tenderly by his sides, attaching his hands to his back. Feeling so small, being lulled by his body.

“I'll try to keep it in mind.” Sett whispers, attaching his cheek a little to the man's head, closing his eyes to get lost in the light herbal essence perceived within silky dark hair and soft skin.

Aphelios nods in silence, humming a short sound before closing his eyes to breathe calmly close to the hybrid's neck, letting himself be carried away by the warmth of his skin, he clings his cheek and hides his face, giving gentle tingles with his nose, breathing in the aroma of his skin, he can feel the fleeting shudder on his skin, just for this longed for closeness. 

Before Sett cut the contact in a fearful remorse of having been too impulsive, he is surprised by warm hands cradling his face, preventing him from moving further away, sharing an affectionate look before leaving him with the words in his mouth, catching his lips in a slow dance that seeks his warmth with shyness at the beginning, slowly following the rhythm of the hybrid, gently stroking his cheeks.

Sett can't help but get carried away, half-opening his eyes for a moment, enraptured with every detail in Aphelios’ blushing face, enjoying every reaction as he devours his lips, increasing the rhythm, slowly looking for each other's tongues, guiding Aphelios at every step as he placed his hands around his neck, Sett's heart races to feel how Aphelios insists on keeping the rhythm of the kisses, without giving in despite being slightly overwhelmed by the intensity of the them, as if they were competing for who devours the other first and Sett was clearly winning.

In a brief moment of consciousness, Sett tries to collect enough composure to stop the movement of his own lips at least, slowly separating the touch between them to cut the kiss, enjoying the touch of their warm lips before moving his face away, just a little, swallowing hard at the light heavier breathing, both catching their breath.

“Ya have to.. uh, finish eating.” Sett cleared his throat in the middle of the sentence trying to keep his tone steady despite his clouded senses. “You're supposed to recover energy and rest. Right? For your training.” he adds, exhaling a laugh, disguising the slight nerves that still kept his body static.

It takes a moment to return to earth but Aphelios smiles, still blushing, licking his lips when pressed, sliding his hands to the redhead's chest, resting the palm of his hands on each side, still enjoying the closeness of his body, always falling in seconds before his kisses, before realizing it, Aphelios found himself laughing softly, the sweet sound catching Sett’s attention as he stared at him confused

“I know.” Aphelios comments almost in a whisper, giving him gentle caresses with thumbs in each hand on the edge of his shirt.

Usually, the redhead arrogance self loved to be right but at this moment, how he would have liked to hear Aphelios deny his words in order to continue kissing him but he silenced that desire. Sett sighed slightly, nodding his head before giving the man his personal space again, sitting next to him, waiting for him to finish eating and even once he finished, the hybrid's mind continued to wander between different thoughts.

Sett was slightly distracted from the situation until he found himself in Aphelios’ bedroom, smiling funny when waiting alone in the place after changing since Aphelios continued to take his pajamas to change in the bathroom, Sett couldn't help but laugh a little when he remembered him saying things like; Leaving him personal space, privacy and stuff, Sett thought, he really didn't want to have that personal space between them now but observing the improvised bed on the floor next to him, it didn't give him too much hope.

The sound of the door arched one of his ears and Sett turned to look in that direction, still lying on his side on the bed, with the phone in his hands while he activated the alarms for the next morning. Not knowing if it was born out of nervousness or anxiety but Sett impulsively asked,

“Hey, do you need an alarm? While I'm at it.” Sett smiled as he watched Aphelios enter the bedroom, hair still slightly damp.

Although before Sett used to sleep only with pajama pants or even just his underwear, since he was sleeping here, Aphelios' room, that thought is highlighted in the hybrid's mind constantly. Since then he got used to adding a slim top to his pajamas, it was curious to feel shy at this age and Aphelios' light funny laughs only increased his nervousness.

“I always wake up on time, years of training, but set the alarms you need. I don't want you to be late for your work.” Aphelios answers with a hint of playfulness in his voice as he approaches the bed, smiling wider when noticing the embarrassed face of the red haired man who slightly bent his ears.

“Yeah sure. I actually never saw you using alarms now that I think about it.” Sett replies laughing while scratching the back of his neck, messing up his hair trying to raise his ears.

Inside his mind, he scolds himself for asking something he has never asked before, only because of the need to speak in the face of the silence that kept increasing his nervousness. However, both ears flattened against his hair again, blushing in surprise when he saw Aphelios coming up to the side of the bed at a slow pace, being thoughtful until he got to him, desisting a little before sitting on the bed crossing glances with the hybrid, feeling a sudden shyness for his actions, he gives a tiny smile, raising his hands to sign calmly, remembering the words that he himself had asked Sett the first night.

‘How about we share the bed? I'm sure there's room for me too.’

Aphelios could have a calm face by handling the demonstration of emotions better but inside he was deadly nervous, ashamed to accept that he misses him, embarrassed to acknowledge how much he craves for him, how he longs for his physical affection, the warmth, the way he held him in his arms, gives him such a nostalgic and new feeling at the same time, so relaxing and exciting. Maybe Aphelios is good at masking his emotions, even in a situation like this, in which he had no experience but Sett's face reflected a long list of thoughts in a confused and strong blush. 

Sett's brain malfunctioned in a short circuit for a few seconds. Was he using the same phrase with which he invited him the first night to sleep together? Sett had innocently commented on it back then. Why did it feel like there was an insinuation now? It was just sharing the bed to rest, just that, maybe just tonight, Sett refuses to let his imagination run wild with misconceptions but his mind was stunned with invasive desires and thoughts in the blink of an eye.

‘Is that a no?’ Aphelios signs again with a small nervous smile trying to show a more teasing gesture to camouflage his unease at the silence.

“No, no, no. It's not a no, not at all a no. It’d never be a no.” Sett quickly answers, unaware of his nervousness, the words slipping out of his mouth the second Aphelios tries to get out of bed.

Aphelios stops, both mesmerized by the other’s eyes in silence. Aphelios snorts a funny laugh and the hybrid’s fluffy ears perked confusedly, although after Aphelios’ laugh falls silent, he tries to maintain the apparent composure, failing at the moment the sharp ears of the redhead manage to catch those agitated heartbeats that accompanied his sweet laughter, resonating fiercely in Aphelios’ chest, betraying his calm image along the dark blush that tinged his cheekbones, still shy to use his voice, he raised his hands again.

‘So, it's a yes?’ Aphelios signed with both hands, this time a little slower, with a certain hint of insecurity escaping in his gesture.

Uncertainty caused by how conflicted Sett seemed to be with himself, until now he had not been shy with his demonstrations of affection. Why is it different now? Aphelios observes the blushing hybrid blinking in confusion as he sees him mess up the hair on the back of his neck as he gets lost in his thoughts. Sett constantly maintained that strong and prideful presence, always confident, but now he couldn't help but slightly curse himself inside his mind, wondering if it was just him who was overthinking things for a simple question.

“Yes.” Sett smiles and ends up answering in a slight sigh of surrender.

Aphelios gave him another smile in silence while waiting for the redhead to make room for him on the bed, even taking the blankets in hand to pick them up waiting for him to settle next to him, Aphelios secretly enjoys how warm the bed is, the warmth that emanated from Sett's body never ceased to amaze him and ease him every time.

Contrary to the first night they slept on the same bed, Aphelios finds a deep calm in Sett’s arms, in a more impulsive act, a raw sentiment, Aphelios seeks to settle close to Sett's body, hiding between his arms and the blankets, cooing the hands hidden in between them, completely embraced, Aphelios closes his eyes for a moment, calmly breathing the scent of his skin while he slowly hides his face in the space between his shoulder and neck, feeling the slight shudder on the skin of the opposite as soft breaths slip through his skin.

“I really missed you a lot today.” Aphelios whispers under his breath, unaware of the strong blush he causes on the man with such sweet words as he stroked the edge of his neck with his fingertips.

Sett feels he has fallen into a trap, a delicious and beautiful trap. He swallows hard trying to keep his thoughts coherent, embracing Aphelios with his arms, Sett’s left hand melts among his dark hair sliding his fingers while he slides his right arm over the man's side, slowly losing track of his own fingers that venture to directly graze the warm of Aphelios’ skin which escapes through his clothing, stroking his hip with his thumb, containing the desire to climb to his waist bare skin.

From that angle, Sett also settled close to the higher space between Aphelios’ neck and silky raven hair, enjoying the soft touch of his hair against his cheek, the scent of his skin hiding half of his face on the side of his neck, his essence fascinated him, Sett half-opened his eyes while he held him, observing the man's back, enjoying how easily he surrounds him with his arms, embracing his slender figure, how he was able to wrap almost his entire waist with both hands, running his gaze over the space between his shoulders, his shoulder blades shape under his clothes, up to his waist. Wondering. How it would feel to squeeze that part of his skin with his fingers, to taste it with his lips. 

Sett takes a deep breath, in an effort to calm and ward off impulsive thoughts, unconsciously creating the opposite effect for Aphelios who feels his breath resonate heavily against his skin, surprising him with a fleeting and unknown electric sensation.

It's just a slight sound, a warm, short but agitated sigh, accompanied by a subtle body response but Sett listens, he feels him fleetingly shudder in his arms and can't help but be tempted by the feeling. He repeats the action, keeping his hands clasped over his clothes, hiding his face more in his neck, slowly rubbing his nose against his skin under his ear, feeling how his breath tickles his skin and the same sound escapes through Aphelios’ lips, a little louder, speeding up both hearts.

“Sett?” Aphelios whispers his name with curiosity, clear nervousness, still hidden in the neck of the hybrid, he hides his face more, resting his forehead against his skin.

Hearing his name whispered in that way makes the red-haired man's ears crouch against his hair by instinct, tempted but embarrassed. Sett waits a moment, with a certain fear of having gone too far, he fears the man's body tense up due to discomfort or rejection but it's not like that, on the contrary, Aphelios melts more into his touch, relaxing against warm and strong chest and arms, getting closer to his skin, the touch of his fingertips looking for direct contact by stroking the way from the collarbone to his neck and shoulders, Sett squeezes his eyes at the boiling vertigo that rises from his abdomen to warm his face. Slowly, Sett gives a few inches of space between them after sliding his hands to his sides, resting his hands on his waist, finally crossing glances. Sett was about to apologize until a question took him by surprise, Aphelios still feeling overwhelmed by the new and warm sensations, managed to whisper, shyly.

“…Can I kiss you?”

There is a moment of sweet torturing silence, Sett tries to keep his mind focused on remembering his limits, but it seems to be a vain attempt, no more than one instant passes when the hybrid answers his question, without words that can come out of a mind almost completely clouded by longing. Before he realizes it, the answer Aphelios is waiting for comes in the form of lips that devour him with hunger and tenderness. Overwhelmed, Aphelios closes his eyes trying to stabilize his breathing through his nose in light gasps, awkwardly following the movements, slowly managing to reach the rhythm of his lips.

If Sett had felt that he had fallen into an innocent trap, now it was Aphelios who was falling more and more into the redhead's trap, slowly bringing their bodies closer to each other while the kisses increase to the rhythm of their lips, every thought about respecting boundaries begins to fade from the hybrid's mind when he moves his hand instinctively, seeking the warmth of his skin, sliding the palm of his hand down his hip, climbing up his back under his shirt, feeling his own heartbeat go crazy when listening to the soft pleasant sounds that escape through Aphelios’ half-open lips as he searches for oxygen before the sudden electric sensation that makes his back arch.

That pleasant shudder is taken advantage of by the red-haired man to deepen the kiss, looking for his tongue in a long-awaited dance in which Aphelios tries to keep the rhythm, beginning to get overwhelmed with a growing unknown emotion, accumulating in a warm knot in his stomach, feeling his lower back as restless as his legs, with an excessive sensitivity that he had never felt on his skin. Aphelios' hands squeeze the fabric on the edge of Sett's clothes, freeing himself to seek the touch of his skin, Aphelios’ fingertips cling to his skin climbing up until entangled in reddish hair, then coming back down clinging to his chest, still melted within wet kisses, however, a new and overwhelming sensation made him open his eyes agitatedly, feeling the vertigo embracing his senses.

Aphelios tightened the grip of his hands, drowning out new embarrassing sounds that were devoured by each kiss they shared until Sett finally begins to slow down the rhythm of his lips and tongue, allowing both to seek oxygen, he observes as Aphelios keeps his eyes ajar, panting, showing his red lips highlighting as well as the strong blush on his cheeks. Sett took a moment to enjoy the image in front of his eyes, amber eyes glowing in the dark hungry for more, however, the very image of the agitated and embarrassed man not only aroused him but also made him feel nervous, he felt that he had practically assaulted the man's lips as if they were the last meal on earth, without letting him escape from his arms.

Just when Sett was about to mumble an apology he was interrupted as Aphelios cradled his face in his neck, squeezing his clothes tightly, flustered, he could see the blush reaching up to his ears that slightly stand out among dark hair. Aphelios doesn’t turn away, nor does he scold the ambition with which Sett devoured his lips or attached their bodies, on the contrary, he desperately tries to stay by his side despite feeling overwhelmed with all the new pleasant sensations. Sett stood still for a few seconds, he was really trying to keep his sanity enough to stop himself but Aphelios’ heavy breathing against his neck was not being very helpful, Sett was becoming more and more aware of his own arousal growing under the fabric and every time Aphelios let out a slight sigh against his skin, he could feel it getting harder. The hybrid pressed his lips together internally cursing his own hardening cock and in a gesture of shameful contempt he looked at his own body out of the corner of his eye towards under the blankets, however his face changed to one of blushing surprise as he noticed that he wasn’t the only one in that state.

Is that why he hid his face? Is he just embarrassed? Sett thought for a moment, swallowing the tight knot in his throat as he continued to devour the details of his sight, Aphelios had a clear erection imprisoned in the pajama pants, with his legs slightly tangled with his, knees interposed with each other, his hands shamefully catching the fabric of his clothes between his fingers, Sett's hand still frozen, almost holding his waist firmly. Only a slight pressure is enough to receive another soft and short sound from the embarrassed man, almost a moan. Tempted, Sett pressed harder with his grip on Aphelios' waist, holding him gently but firm, feeling his body shudder as he gave a firm caress with his thumb over his hip.

Once more, Aphelios doesn’t move away from his caresses but neither does he cling  more to him, he shudders in the arms of the red-haired man, hiding his face embarrassed due to the inevitable physical reactions, swallowing with some nervousness before the curious anxiety that screamed from his heart from how much he wanted to continue feeling Sett's hands venture into his body. Aphelios closed his eyes, feeling as Sett slides the arm that was previously under him, still maintaining the firm grip on his hip with the other, slowly, the warm hand of the redhead settles between them, tenderly stroking Aphelios’ cheek, giving slow caresses with his thumb. Holding his chin to raise his face, only there, Aphelios realized he was squeezing his eyes shut evidently nervous, he slowly opened his eyes and Aphelios felt his heart go crazy with the amber gaze hypnotizing him, not being able to take his eyes away now.

“Phel.” Sett's hoarse voice gives him shivers down his spine but tenderness and concern are also settled in his words.

All of Aphelios’ concentration is focused on him, staring as the hybrid seems to be lost in his own thoughts for a moment, with the golden gaze being attracted again by Aphelios’ lips, he remained immersed and Aphelios’ blush grew darker and wider up to his ears as he felt Sett pressed his thumb against his lower lip, making the vertigo of his abdomen rise up to his throat, slightly shortening his breaths while Sett caresses his lower lip, squeezing his own lips before speaking again.

“I… won't do anything you don't want me to.” Sett tried soothing his voice, fixing his gaze back on those beautiful obsidian eyes, without stopping the gentle caresses on his lower lip.

Sett was trying to remember two thoughts in the depths of his remaining sanity. Aphelios had to train for his mission, he couldn't demand too much from his body, he didn't want to hurt him for any reason, which led him to the next thought, rather, questioning. Sett watched the man's nervous and shy reactions and couldn't help but wonder if Aphelios had done any of these things before. Sett didn't really want to imagine someone else holding his man. No, not at all. But how much did Aphelios really know about this? How far could they go? Had he even done anything with his own body? For obvious reasons, Sett kept in mind the demanding life with which Aphelios kept pace, all the focus on his training, his missions and chains to the Solari commands, Sett doubted that he had any sexual experience with another person, even in the past during their adolescence at school, when Aphelios rejected any form of confession and other people’s flirting during his last years before separating, Aphelios never commented further on his romantic interests.

In the absence of answers, Sett expected Aphelios to say something to him, be it with his voice or in sign language. Anything.

For the first time in his life, Aphelios was beginning to feel his mind clouded by sensations very different from any he had felt before. Somehow, Sett's words added to his caresses and constant rubbing awakened new desires, longing more than ever before, every detail of their interaction was mesmerizing, the closeness of their bodies, the red-haired man's hand affirming his hip. For the first time Aphelios felt a different kind of electrifying sensation, making a slight short circuit due to his noisy heart, beating strongly, with a different heat coursing through his body.

‘... I don't know what… I don't know what I want you to do to me, I-’ Aphelios is embarrassed to use his own voice and signs with certain nervous shivers, feeling slightly guilty for the absence of more coherent words. Sett's hand that was caressing his lower lip settles on his cheek and Aphelios leans over his touch, cradling his cheek, squinting his eyes blushing. “I’d like to feel you.. I’d like to feel you more but I don't know how and the feeling drives me crazy…” he confessed, barely in a whisper, all flustered.

Sett couldn't help but smile fleetingly, that was the same feeling that stalked the hybrid every time he silenced those desires to keep kissing the jet more, every time he resisted to continue holding him in his arms. At the same time, a new feeling of anxiety made him feel a small lump in his throat, deep down he wanted to go further, show him as many ways in which they could enjoy each other's touch but Sett did not want to do anything that Aphelios did not want although with those words it was difficult for him to understand where he could start or how far he could go.

“Well… We can go slow. You know, together.” Sett whispers with a soft nervous smile on his face, giving gentle caresses with his thumb on his cheek, looking at his lips before crossing glances again. “The feeling is mutual, Phel. I can guide you and you can tell me what you like and what you don't. We can start there if that’s what you want.”

The silence is not dense at that moment, obsidian looks for amber, looking for warmth. Feeling confidence with his words. Confidence to feel vulnerable, to allow himself to enjoy new sensations. Aphelios doesn't feel afraid, somehow, he feels that, whatever Sett wanted to do to him, he would like it, his heart beats hard, longing for his touch so differently. Still nervous from the overwhelming feeling, Aphelios nods his head slowly, not moving away from the warm hand that is kept on his cheek.

“It's okay… I trust you.” Aphelios whispered without looking away, trying not to let the nervousness make his voice tremble.

Those words made the hybrid's heart go crazy again, his ears twitching at his voice and then bent a little over his head, enjoying every word that came out of his voice, noticing how both of them feel that restless longing to look for more from the other. Even if Sett had had a couple of previous experiences, this was completely different, somehow he felt as if this was his first time too and Aphelios completely trusted the way he decided to continue, melting his brain with that shy smile in complete confidence and expectation. 

Again, the answer came through the slow back and forth of his lips. Sett kisses him, slowly, enjoying every inch of his lips as they merge, interlacing their tongues in a gentle dance that keeps the breaths pleasant, with Aphelios relaxing both hands, stroking his neck on the way, Sett holds him with more confidence, with still the hand on his hip, slides under the top clothes, stroking his naked back and exerting a little pressure on his waist to bring their bodies closer, enough to make their abs rub just like their trapped hardening arousals.

Sett shuts his eyes for a moment, letting the pleasure-flued kisses guide their traces over their bodies and drown Aphelios’ gasps that are slowly turned into soft moans, arching his back, slightly moving his body to the slow rhythm of the redhead, allowing embarrassing sounds to begin to resonate among the blankets. 

Sett wants- No. Sett needs to hear more. 

Enjoying the taste of his lips and tongue a little more, Sett waits a few seconds before cutting the kiss, enjoying the sight of a fleeting thread of saliva connecting their lips before kissing him again, this time at the corner of the lips, then on his cheek, smoothing the way to reach under his ear, licking until he catches the lobe, biting the side slightly, letting out a pleasant sigh at the sharpest moan Aphelios tries to hold in, biting his lower lip.

“Does this feel good?” Sett whispers in his ear and Aphelios shudders under his touch, feeling the warm breath brush his skin.

“...Yes.” 

Feeling that he is on the right track, Sett closes his eyes going down the man’s neck, licking, kissing, tempting to bite with his fangs, brushing his skin with his lips down to his collarbone, pushing aside the edge of the clothes to kiss the way back up to his neck, enjoying every gasp of pleasure that escapes from Aphelios' half-open lips, shuddering, by inertia, Aphelios tilted his head, giving more access to his skin. Being slowly devoured, Sett was using his only remaining coherence to avoid leaving marks on his skin, hoping, secretly longing, he could mark his beautiful and soft skin another time. Now, he was more than pleased to continue like this, increasing the movement of his lips, going down again, this time also kissing the shoulder before kissing down his neck once more. Taking advantage of the hand that was stroking direct skin, Sett swallowed saliva while grabbing the edge of the upper clothes, moving them away slowly, asking permission with his gaze.

Aphelios' eyes were already slightly cloudy, however, it didn't take long for him to understand the request, when he felt the grip on his clothes, without protest, he raised his arms a little to make the task easier, closing his eyes as the sleep shirt messed up his hair as it slid down his arms until only bare skin was left, Aphelios is about to protest about Sett’s clothes but Sett gets ahead of his thoughts, getting rid of his loose top in a simple movement. Aphelios feels his breath catch as he clings to their bodies, feeling the skin brush closer.

Now it is Aphelios who ventures more into Sett’s skin, stroking his abs slowly, sliding his fingertips from his pecs to his waist and back, clasping the palm of his hand, feeling his warmth, his heartbeat. Aphelios manages to see how the blush grows on the face of the hybrid who stares at him almost hypnotized by his slow gestures of pleasant curiosity.

Once again, Sett catches his lips in a slow dance, melting their intertwined tongues gently, sliding the kisses along his skin again, Sett lowers the kisses beyond the neck, unable to help but breathe agitated to feel the man's body shudder slightly when the redhead begins to lower the kisses down his collarbone, sliding his warm tongue, creating a path of wet kisses until reaching one of his nipples. Aphelios looks at him embarrassed, fleetingly confused by the direction the redhead was taking, however, when he felt the gentle licks, Aphelios was surprised, suppressing a confused moan. Until now he had never felt more sensitivity in those areas, he couldn't help but shudder, feeling lips devouring him while Sett held him in his hands, sliding his fingers to catch the other nipple, giving away caresses with his thumb while keeping the grip firm.

Aphelios’ agitated breathing slightly resonates in the room, Aphelios hides a little of his face with his forearm, keeping the other hand on the shoulder and back of the redhead, clinging with eager desire, each desperate caress ruins Sett's mind who delights in tasting his skin, licking, kissing and sucking, attaching their bodies under the blankets. Leaving only one hand holding him by the waist as Sett lets his other hand find the way to Aphelios’ erection on its own and the choppy moan Aphelios lets out when Sett strokes his cock over the cloth, is enough to make the hairs on the back of the redhead's neck stand up.

For a moment, Sett stops tasting his skin to raise his body a little and get closer to his face, grabbing his forearm carefully to reveal his face, Sett smiles as he finds dilated pupils in dark obsidian eyes, soft pale skin with the blush highlighting his cheeks and ears, without letting go, he approaches his lips.

“Does this feel good too?” Sett whispers close to his lips, devouring him with his gaze while stroking the length of his imprisoned arousal.

“I-I..!” Aphelios shudders, biting his lip embarrassed.

It was as if he was slowly losing control of his entire body, Aphelios feels his own mind clouding over in ambition. Sett continued to stroke his length slowly, without looking away, waiting for confirmation from him, still knowing from the reactions of his voice and body that he was enjoying it but Sett wanted to hear it from him. Sett can feel his own hardening cock trying to make space inside the pants, getting turned on by Aphelios’ agitated breathing, feeling as a small wet spot started to be created on the man's fabric.

“I-It does feel good but-” Aphelios manages to answer among whispers and shortness of breath, however at his last word, Sett arches a curious eyebrow.

“But?” Sett asks inches from his lips, giving a fleeting kiss before crossing glances again, getting drunk with Aphelios’ flushed face.

Aphelios seemed indecisive for a few seconds, without taking his eyes off the golden orbs that devoured him at every gesture. Aphelios felt ambitious, it wasn’t enough to feel the red-haired man's hands, he wanted more but he also didn’t want to demand himself too much before a mission, however, it wasn’t only that that was spinning in his mind. Aphelios soon realized that every pleasant caress was only being received by him and, although he was quite enjoying every tender touch, he also wanted to feel him, give him pleasure.

How could he tell him that? Despite finding himself in the middle of the situation, Aphelios still felt a high level of embarrassment, Sett seemed to understand that he seemed to have trouble communicating something to him so he released his wrist, allowing the blushing man to use sign language, raising his hands in the small space between them.

‘But I feel that I am the only one being pleased here... I want to make you feel good too’ Aphelios moved his hands with a pause in between, pressing his lips, wondering if he was able to blush even more at this point.

Sett blinked blushing, caught off guard, he couldn't help but snort a sweet laugh, he was afraid that Aphelios would complain or want to stop, which he would clearly respect, but he would be lying to himself if he didn't admit how much he wants to continue enjoying this moment with him. Tenderly, Sett takes one of his hands, reaching over to give kisses along the side.

“Okay. Look. First of all, pleasing ya turns me on a lot more than ya could imagine.” Sett laughs with a soft and hoarse voice at the embarrassed blink of the man that swallows shy enraptured with the smile of the redhead. “And.., about the other thing.” the hybrid's confident countenance falters a little with his own shyness, smiling sideways. “There are so many things I’d like to do with ya Phel, but I don't think this is the time.., although, I think there is something we can do today, if ya want to give it a try…”

Sett's low agitated voice trembles for a second after hinting at the idea, feeling a mixture of nervousness and excitement. Aphelios smears his lips thoughtfully, feeling his heart resonate fiercely against his chest. After a few short seconds, Aphelios nods slowly once, then fixes his gaze on the red-haired man and nods again, more surely. Sett gives him a short kiss on the lips, then on the hands to finally nod once more. Gently, Sett took one of Aphelios’ hands, letting Sett guide him, going down his abs until his fingers reached to brush his hard cock over the fabric. Aphelios can't help but breathe heavier as he feels it, with eager curiosity, he accommodates his hand, stroking his imprisoned arousal with the palm of his hand, feeling his heart racing as he hears the light gasps of the redhead.

“Do the same as I do…” Sett whispers close to his face and once again Aphelios nods embarrassed, trying to keep his composure.

He was really trying but the second Sett's hand venture past the last piece of his clothing, Aphelios felt his face burst, he squeezed his eyes unable to suppress a soft moan that escaped from between his lips as he felt warm fingers wrapping his cock. Dizzy, Aphelios hunched over a bit, unconsciously inclining to the hybrid's touch, before hiding his face in his neck, making him shudder with every warm breath. For a second Sett thinks Aphelios might be overwhelmed by the sensations but is contradicted the moment Aphelios imitates his movement, sliding his hand without much difficulty into his clothes, slender fingers slowly reaching out shyly, squeezing his hard cock until he mimics the redhead's motions. Sett lets out a pleasant sound, both ears falling flat against his hair. 

Hearing him gasp like that sent shivers down Aphelios’ spine, he clings to his neck for a few more seconds before raise his head, searching for shining ambar, feeling as the eager gaze of the red-haired man sought his own. Falling into his trap, Aphelios is face to face, his gesture shows embarrassing surprise before giving in to a louder groan reaching to arch his back at the sudden pleasant sensation that invaded him. Feeling Sett's hand embracing his cock firmly with gentle movements, going up and down, slowly increasing the pace, sending light electric currents through his body.

“Sett…” Aphelios whispers his name in short breaths, panting, feeling his body feverish with pleasure, starting to grow more and more.

Without completely losing his mind, Aphelios tried to imitate the back and forth, giving gentle movements. With both of them already with the clothes on their knees under the blankets, Sett brought their bodies closer and a new current of pleasure shook Aphelios as he felt how he brought their wet cocks together, interlacing his fingers with his, attached to each other.

“S-Sett..!” Aphelios calls his name again through soft moans and Sett can feel his mind completely clouding over.

He liked every sound more, mesmerized, Sett closed his eyes and increased the movement of his hand, wrapping both of them next to Ahpelios’ fingers, beginning to masturbate them continuously, letting out heavy breaths and soft moans mixed between grunts of pleasure. Enjoying each other, Sett represses a louder moan when Aphelios finds the rhythm in his guide, both hands following an ambitious trace. When Sett opens his eyes and gets drunk with the vision of the cloudy obsidian eyes that shine crystalline accompanied by a strong blush, Aphelios tries to keep the moans under control, with his gaze lost in the body of the redhead, Aphelios looked up to cross glances when he realized that golden eyes are looking for him with desire and the way Aphelios stares back at him, he’s just begging for a kiss. 

And who is Sett to refuse him? With desire, he cuts the little distance between their faces and devours him passionately, interlacing their tongues before joining their lips, drowning out his moans with fever kisses, pleasing each other, increasing the rhythm of their hands with interconnected fingers, wet in the fluids of both. Sett lets out a higher-pitched groan as he feels Aphelios’ nails dig deeper into his shoulder, Sett takes advantage of his free hand to hold Aphelios' waist tightly against his body.

The silence in the room is accompanied by light moans and heavy breathings, moving their hips against each other, their rhythm becoming frantic as the two begin to reach their limit. Parting his lips to moan pleasant moans, Aphelios opens his eyes, lost and blurry, arching his back agitated, reaching orgasm, trembling with pleasure at feeling the hybrid reach the limit at the same time, mixing their essences, sweat and cum among warm skins, catching his breath, Sett's upper lip rests on Aphelios' lower lip, slowly spreading kisses along his chin, following to his cheek, down his neck until resting his face on his shoulder, Sett closes his eyes and listens how Aphelios also tries to regularize his breathing.

Slowly, Aphelios relaxes the grip on the redhead's skin, stopping marking the nails on his shoulder, sliding his fingers down his neck, slowly caressing until he reaches his hair, welcoming the hybrid between his neck and shoulder. Aphelios never thought he would feel that his body would radiate this sweet warmth, feel his breathing so relaxed, his body melting among warm touch and the soft sheets. Everything feels light and so loving, Aphelios lets himself melt in those sweet feelings for a few minutes. Sett continues to breathe deeply, not moving an inch, blinking, feeling his own body melt at the touch. Sett could admit that he’d had his encounters in the past but nothing and no one could compare to his beloved.

Sett smiled to himself as he realized he could never feel this way about someone else, never felt this way about someone else. Now that he's had a little bit of him, Sett wants everything from Aphelios, not just his body, he means it when he says everything. As those thoughts swirled through his mind, Sett realized something very important. I haven't told him how I feel directly, I haven't told him everything. 

They kissed and now had a level of intimacy, and they both seemed to denote those deep feelings they had since long ago, there was so much to be discussed. But now is not the best time, is it? Sett hesitates, feeling a slight weight on his heart. Slowly, he starts to move his body but when he manage to be face to face, Sett smiles as Aphelios looks so relaxed and exhausted, unfairly sexy with that delicious gesture on his face but clearly, he wasn’t in a position to have a chat at the moment, as Sett mutters some sweet nothings to his ear, Aphelios barely replies with murmurs, half lid eyes, visibly sleepy and lulled on the redhead’s arms. Before Aphelios realized it, Sett had cleaned them up with the shirt he had left near the bed, muttering something about taking care of the next day, just insisting that the latter rest. All Aphelios can hear is blurry far sweet whispers.

With only the lower parts of the clothes, Aphelios melts into the arms of the hybrid when he settles back into bed again and Sett delights in lulling him while covering both under the blankets, feeling his calm breathing caress his neck, Aphelios’ hands gives him slow caresses on the collarbone a few seconds before falling into a deep sleep being quickly accompanied by the redhead.

The night passes by as the hours create the dawn, the sound of birds echoes among the urban noise from outside that slowly reaches Sett’s fluffy ears, the left ear reacts with short movements. Sett frowns a little, aware of the external sensations. His alarm hadn't gone off yet. Resigning himself to waking up before listening to his phone, the redhead stretches out on the bed slowly, surprised with his own relaxation, he felt that he had never slept so soundly, resting his mind and body more than he would expect. The thought made him smile, however, the gesture transformed into confused curiosity the moment Sett extended his arms, failing to find the warm half-naked body next to him.

Sleepy, he started to fully open his eyes stroking the sheets in the empty space. It was still warm. Maybe he had gotten up recently? Where had he gone? Sett thinks, still lethargic, Sett rubbed his face, sighing a little against his hand as he sat on the bed, feeling the sheets slide down to his lap still covering his legs. He was about to get out of bed when his sensitive hearing managed to catch the shower sounds from the bathroom. Sett stared at the bedroom door for a few minutes, thinking to himself how he could also use a shower right now. When the sound of the water echoing in the shower stopped, Sett scratched the back of his neck, messing up his hair, his ears twitching instinctively at the absence of the sound of footsteps in the hallway. Before he knew it, Sett was waiting expectantly, with his gaze fixed on the door, grateful not to have a tail that hit the bed with the rhythm of his heartbeat because the second he heard the doorknob resonate Sett couldn't wait any longer, planted to the bed in sleepy excitement.

The door soon opened giving way to a freshly showered Aphelios, he had on simple sweatpants folded at the ankles with a loose gray training shirt that had darker shades on the shoulders due to the drops of his wet hair. Aphelios entered holding a towel in hand, turning on the light before realizing the awakened presence of the redhead who, at the sudden light, grunted slightly squeezing his eyes as he was dazzled.

Sett pressed his eyelids with his fingers, blinking to try to get used to the light, listening to a slight giggle approaching him next to his characteristic non-existent echo of his footsteps. Sett managed to open his eyes, clearing the blurred image of the beautiful man in front of his eyes, Sett smiles with slight blush on his cheeks. Aphelios stops at the side of the bed, giving a warm smile as he raises his hand to caress his cheek and Sett melts at the touch, cradling his face in his palm, Sett can feel his own ears fall flat on his hair, relaxing in his caress.

“Good morning.” Aphelios whispers tenderly, still with a worn voice. Sett kisses the palm of his hand before they cross glances again.

“ ‘Morning.” Sett muttered in a hoarse voice

The sleepy gesture softened Aphelios presence, giving one last caress with his thumb along the red-haired man's cheek before bending down slightly, enough to cut the space between his lips and give a sweet chaste kiss on the other man’s lips. Sett closed his eyes again, fleetingly surprised by his cute initiative, with a smile he reciprocated the kiss, enjoying his lips slowly, feeling many memories of the night dance among cloudy thoughts. 

So sweet. I could kiss him all day. Sett got lost in that idea, smiling as the kiss continued, only to be cut when the redhead's cell phone started ringing over the bedside table, showing the alarm on the screen. Sett sighed in surrender, still smiling drowsily as he watched the man bend over to turn off the alarm, noticing a slight mark on the side of Aphelios’ neck as he stretched, Sett bit his lower lip, wondering which of all his kisses left that almost translucent reddish imprint on his beautiful pale skin.

“Looks like it's about time, you should go take a shower before Alune wakes up.” Aphelios speaks softly, continuing to delight the redhead with his gentle tone of voice.

Aphelios spoke to him with such tenderness, his tone of voice so sweet and calm, transmitting so much affection, perhaps Aphelios didn’t mention more about the night but showed the evolution of his affection in all the little details he expressed to him, his caresses, his kisses, his voice. Sett already felt that the man's dark obsidian eyes were admiring him with affection and attraction, however, today they had a curious emotional mixture barely perceptible in his gaze. On the one hand, Sett was sure that he was watching him with deep affection, on the other, Sett thought he felt there was a slight essence of another emotion, something more conflicting.

“You don't want to be late for work.” Aphelios summed up the comment, pulling Sett out of his thoughts.

“I guess you're right.” Sett reacted to answer in a slightly slow, thoughtful voice.

Sett rubbed his face one last time. Maybe it was his imagination? Sett couldn't discard that thought that fast. Sliding his body out of the blankets to sit on the edge of the bed, feeling a slight chill run down his back as the soles of his feet touched the cold floor, stretching once more with his arms over his head. Sett noticed how Aphelios continued in the place, with the lost look in the dawn that was present through the window, once more, Sett can see that slight conflicting essence in those dark eyes that he adored so much and concern squeezed his throat tightly.

“Phel?” 

Aphelios woke up from his thoughts as he felt soft fingers seek his touch, wrapping his hand tenderly, interlacing their fingers when calling his name, Aphelios turned his gaze to find worried amber eyes and he couldn't help but sigh with a smile. Aphelios reciprocates the gesture, finishing interlacing the fingers of both, giving caresses with his thumb.

“Is everything all right?” Sett whispers, slightly insecure, bending his ears a little.

There were many things that they still had to talk about, especially after what they enjoyed during the night, Sett didn’t want to doubt if Aphelios had spent a pleasant moment by his side, with each of his words and moans, Sett was sure that everything had gone well. Wasn't it? Could he be in pain? Did he make him feel bad in any way? The anxiety of waiting for the answer created dismayed questions that stumbled among doubts inside the red-haired man's mind. Then, Aphelios nods his head slowly, raising his interlocked hands to give a kiss on the red-haired man's knuckles, sighing a little, his conflicting gesture only increasing the intrigue and confusion in Sett's mind.

“Everything is just.. perfect.” Aphelios finishes whispering the answer with a small smile, caressing his lips against his hand. 

Sett loves every one of his smiles but this time he can't help but feel a lump in his throat, he can perceive happiness in his eyes and voice but also sadness, conflict. It's almost like a slight hint of guilt. Why? It's almost the same look he showed the day of our first kiss after that storm. Sett feels his heart beating slow and heavy, anxious.

“Phel.” Sett calls his name again but this time, Aphelios evades the topic.

“You should get up soon, maybe we'll catch up for breakfast together before you go to work and I'll continue my training.” Aphelios remarks a little quickly, fleetingly evading the hybrid's gaze.

“Uh... yes, I’ll be right there.” Sett replied slightly lethargic, almost swallowing the words he really wanted to say.

Aphelios gave him one last kiss on the hand before releasing him and giving him one last look before leaving the room, probably to head to the kitchen. Once the sound of the door closing echoed through the room, Sett fell silent, trying to decipher the mixed emotions Aphelios seemed to be deliberating in a discussion inside his heart. Why? If everything was too good. Perfect even. Then why was he saying it as if everything was wrong? Sett knew there were many things he needed to learn and understand about the world the twins lived in. At this point he was convinced nothing would change his feelings for Aphelios but most importantly; Are these feelings being well received? 

Sett can't help but think about it, even during breakfast with Alune by their side, Aphelios devotes calm smiles to him, gives him gentle caresses on the arm when he passes by, when his twin is not watching him, Aphelios tries to show Sett his own kind of affection in his own way, just details but there are those fleeting seconds, there are still those glimpses and touches where Sett can notice the distant thoughtful cloud diving within obsidian orbs.

The conflict spins in his head again and again, without reaching a clear answer, confused by the mixed signals Aphelios shows to him, even if he tries to dissemble in front of him, Sett notices it but time is not ticking in his favor. 

As Aphelios had told him, the afternoon he went to pick him up at the restaurant would be his last free moment until the mission was over. Sett had to wait. During the two days that remained for the mission, Aphelios came to bed quite late, exhausted, limiting himself to seeking the comfort of rest in the arms of the red-haired man and in the morning, by the time Sett's alarm woke him up, he found the bed empty again. Frustrated, Sett saved his every thought to talk at the right time when Aphelios would have more time.

After two days of endless waiting, a mixture of anxiety stalked Sett's heart, trying to blindly trust Aphelios’ words about his own abilities. Can't wait until he's done and come back, Sett thought uneasily after saying goodbye to him in the training room before heading to his work, knowing it was just a matter of hours until his mission started.

Chapter Text

Maybe it was quite naive of him, to follow emotions so truthfully. Aphelios has always been able to control his heart, focus his mind and give into the insensitivity of poison when necessary but there was one small detail, so tiny and yet, so important detail he had forgotten in these eight years or, perhaps, he wanted to forget about it on purpose. 

Perhaps it was, indeed, very naive not to think about the vulnerability Sett provoked in his soul and heart. Aphelios never thought the affection towards the hybrid meant weakness, after all, he didn’t consider the affection for his twin sister as a weakness either, however, his own feelings for Sett affect him in a different way now than when they were younger, from his childhood to his adolescence. It was much more intense, almost like an instinct, this kind of longing was far more stirring that anything he felt before.

Sadly. Aphelios is no longer fifteen years old, he can no longer take refuge in that warm house that he felt like his true home, he can no longer avoid facing reality by only training behind closed doors. He can no longer lie to Sett or to himself about his feelings.

Now. Aphelios needs to keep a clear mind. Waking up after such a sweet and intimate encounter certainly dazed his heart and soul in one of the sweetest moments imprinted in his memories shared with Sett. He can't help but want him once more, desiring nothing more than to just melt into Sett’s warm embrace for who knows how many hours. To disappear within his every kiss among his lips. 

Apphelios does nothing but crave silently, as he knows he must train hard and leave the shared bed early. He can't deny morning kisses with Sett made it much more difficult for him to leave his warm bedside. But he does it.

So far Aphelios has missed a few things during his life, years ago he resigned himself to following instructions as the weapon they expect him to be. But when he closes his eyes and kisses Sett… There’s nothing he wishes more than to be able to put aside the mission, the training, to put everything aside just to wrap himself in his arms, breathe the scent of his skin and close his eyes to rest next to him, listen to his voice, his heartbeat, feel his warmth.

It's a wish that will have to wait. Trying to cling his heart to hope, Aphelios just tries to concentrate and treasure those beautiful illusions of normal life that he enjoyed together with Sett. Aphelios keeps that feeling deeply in his heart and focuses on his training. No matter how much he wants to spend time with Sett during these two days. It has to wait.

The training, the mission and the return home were a fundamental part of Aphelios' vicious life cycle during the last years. He appreciated the presence and support of his twin sister but slowly he had lost himself in dark nightmares caused by the guilt of his actions, submerged in the poison, hoping that at some point, time would finish burying the sweet memories associated with the warmth he knew in the past, every feeling, every longing, every emotion that made his heart crazy when he saw his beloved red-haired hybrid. Only to function mechanically, numb to the pain. 

Maybe if a few more years had passed, his heart would have gone numb from the poison, lulling him into an infinite static sensation but Sett unexpectedly came into his life again, making his heart beat strongly, alive once more.

For the time being, Sett’s warm memories must be kept in a corner of his mind, things are different now and that is a feeling which at the moment brings him more concern than comfort.

His heart, which normally acts controlled, beats strongly, with adrenaline, with a certain fear and anxiety but not due to fear itself. There is a reason why Aphelios wasn’t more specific with the answers arranged for Sett, despite promising to be honest, he never mentioned the state in which he sometimes returned from missions or on some occasions, how close he had been to death, a false step would’ve cost him his life in past situations but Aphelios has never taken a false step and didn’t plan to start now. 

Even so. It’s the first time, after a long time, that Aphelios feels the internal pressure to seek perfection in the mission execution and come back as good as possible.

With a deep breath he set out to regulate his heartbeat, lowering his mask to breathe better for a few seconds, feeling the cold air freeze his nose and lips in the process. Aphelios swallowed, exhaling before putting the mask back in place, hiding more than half of his face over the bridge of his nose, enjoying the sunset on the horizon for a while before checking his necessary belongings for the mission.

Aphelios stayed hidden for the past hour, sitting at the bottom of the stairs in the back basement of a house near the facility while waiting for the fall of the impending night. Aphelios checks every pocket in his clothes, disposing of limited tranquilizers, the pistol for the tranquilizers, two daggers, the pistol with silencer, the ammunition supplies and the small vial with the poison pills. 

Aphelios pressed his lips together, narrowing his eyes at the small dark spheres glowing under the glass that hangs from the chain around his neck. Without allowing more irrelevant thoughts to continue occupying space in his mind, Aphelios keeps glass under the collar of his black jacket, accompanying the rest of his outfit in a flexible and silent black suit, this time with the small bags attached to the pants to dispose of his daggers and ammunition as well as the strap of both weapon carriers. Everything is ready, only the confirmation remains.

“Alune?” Aphelios whispered, pressing the small button device in his ear, quickly listening to the static of the open communication channel.

“All set, brother. Are you ready?” Alune replies confidently from the other end of the line.

“Yes.”

Alune tightens her lips, tightly holding her hands together, interlocking her fingers during a heavy sigh. She knows those will be the last words she will hear until the effect is over and the pills initial effect was always intense in Aphelios' body. 

Alune couldn’t help but frown, slightly distressed at hearing light coughs and short pain growls for a few seconds until the effect consolidated in her brother's body. If the situation turns in his favor, Aphelios won’t have to consume a second dose, Alune prays for it but she is restless and unsure, thinking statistically and based on the information she had gathered, the  mission difficulty level would surely lead him to use two doses.

Calm down. It's not the first time he's emerged victorious from missions of this category, he's done well, he'll do well. Alune prayed in her thoughts during the eternal seconds of waiting in which Aphelios managed to stabilize. Only once she hears a deep breath on the other end of the line does Alune know that her brother is ready.

“Use the rear side entrance.” Alune starts the directions. Observing through the cameras linked to the screens around her, accustomed to following with her vision her brother’s silhouette that seems to dissolve in the darkness.

Silent obedience always leaves a feeling of bitter tranquility in Alune's heart, as she continues with the infiltration of the mansion's internal chambers, the two targets belonged to the dangerous Blasse family. It was clear that with the power the family possessed they would focus on a high number of guards and extensive security to protect the high-ranking guests. A perfect family reunion. 

Alune frowned, taking a deep breath and holding the bridge between her eyebrows tightly. Just the target information, factual information, Alune repeated like a mantra inside her mind to calm her anxiety. If there was one sour feeling she sometimes encountered it was the unpleasant empathy for their targets. 

They are not good people, they are not good people, this is our job. Phel needs me. Concentrate. I can’t fail him. Alune pleaded within her thoughts to clear her mind.

With a heavy sigh, Alune placed her hands on the keyboard again, muttering a few words to herself, taking a second before dancing her fingers over the keys again while her eyes followed the silhouette of her brother on the side screen while in seconds, she turns to the front monitor and continues to successfully infiltrate the mansion's security system. 

A fleeting smile crosses her face as she confirms her research has been correct, the surveillance systems, the location of the vulnerable points, the tracking of the objectives and the approximate number of opponents. They can never rule out that there are reinforcements but at the moment everything was in position for the start of the mission.

Aphelios' body acts on instinct, following his training steps to perfection, all his thoughts are concentrated on his survival, the absolute elimination of his targets and his twin’s voice. There is nothing and no one else in his cloudy mind right now. Following the silence of the night, his footsteps don’t make any sound as he slips away.

“Two guards outside, one on each side of the door. Cameras off... Now.” Alune explained, observing the perfect distance to initiate the first attack.

The last word ignited the first shot, silently the tranquilizer was fired into the neck of the first guard and then into the neck of the second, both falling to the ground abruptly. Wasting no time, Aphelios dragged the unconscious bodies, each one behind the nearby bushes.

“Clear hallway.”

Opening the nearest window with the same silence, Aphelios managed to enter the first corridor, walking stealthily, pressing his back against the wall while quickly reloading the tranquilizers. The plan was going well in his mind so in the face of his twin silence, he continued through the corridors cautiously, towards the first objective. 

“Three guards. Wait before crossing the hall.” the girl's keyboard clicking can be heard from the other side of the line.

Obeying, Aphelios holds the prepared weapon in his hands, with his finger on the trigger, he focuses his hearing to predict the perfect moment to intercept the three. Without a hint of increase in his heart rate, Aphelios takes the necessary step to cross paths and in a split second, three tranquilizers are fired with precision. The guards fall to the ground fast asleep but this time Aphelios doesn't have time to hide the bodies, he just goes on his way. Hiding their bodies is only going to delay him and it is imminent they’ll become aware of his presence sooner or later.

Please finish this quickly, brother. Alune thought slightly anxious.

“Target 13S is in the fifth private room. He has two escorts and a guard by his side. There are four guards in the hallway of those rooms. Be careful brother.” Alune repeats the information, used to caring about her twin even if he can't empathize with her right now.

Alune follows his way through the hallway, attentive to the movements of other rooms, stairs and corridors alike, feeling some calm before other guards find the bodies of their unconscious companions. Returning to focus on her twin, the corridors are traversed in a short time until Aphelios reaches the staircase at the end of the corridor, climbing up to the third floor of the mansion, pausing on the second floor to check the corridors before continuing up the stairs.

Trusting his sister's directions, Aphelios keeps the tranquilizer gun loaded before leaning his back against the end of the wall on the staircase. Taking advantage of the knife’s reflection, Aphelios cocked the weapon attached to his body to recognize the positions of each guard without having been detected yet. He must fire consecutively before any of them have a chance to respond, he cannot cause noise in the hallway that could alert his target. 

So, Aphelios waits for the right moment, keeping his breathing to a minimum while observing the position of the four men in turn in the reflection of the weapon. The second the two farthest guards look down, Aphelios takes advantage of the short gap and comes out of hiding. In a quick sequence the tranquilizers are fired with precision at the first two guards at closer steps, in a blink, Aphelios advances through the corridor and fires two more tranquilizers, the first shot achieves its objective but the second guard manages to dodge the dart.

“Phel.” Alune raises her voice tense as the guard searches for his own gun but Aphelios is faster and manages to shoot another tranquilizer successfully. Alune sighs with relief. “There are no changes inside the private room.”

Alune confirms the interior of the room where their target is, who is still in blessed ignorance in the midst of a state of light drunkenness and lust, laughing while holding one of the escorts by the waist while the other woman poured him more wine in the glass he was holding in the air. The only obstacle inside the room is the private guard, with a more corpulent body than the others, he must always be a few centimeters away from the man he must protect. However, this time something slightly different happens.

“Brother. Wait.” Alune indicates through the communicator and Aphelios stops in his tracks just two steps from the door, squinting his eyes to concentrate on her voice “The guard is moving.”

Aphelios keeps his finger frozen on the trigger, thanks to the poison in his system, he doesn’t feel fear or confusion from the small movement out of his calculations. Alune watches through a monitor, spying from a corner. Her vision isn't the best due to the low lights in the room but the silhouette of the guard is more than noticeable. Unlike other times, the man seems to be slightly tired of the constant and brazen flirtation of his boss with the two companions, almost disgusted, the burly guard moves away from the armchairs at the back of the room and prefers to stay closer to the door.

“The distance is not ideal, Phel.” Alune comments conflicted, raising her left leg to the chair, attaching it to her chest with trepidation. The mission must continue, they can't waste time waiting in the hallway.

The clarification is enough to organize the ideas in the assassin's mechanical mind. Cautiously, he changes the tranquilizer gun to the other hand to wield the knife, unaware of the restless gaze of his twin from the monitoring room, unlike Aphelios who is under the strong effect of the nocturm, Alune knows he won’t be able to feel pain or the horrible feeling of taking the lives of others involved around the target but his memory does not fail. Alune knows well the bitter feeling this mission will leave in her brother's heart once it's over. 

Once the guard is fleetingly distracted by massaging his neck. It beings.

“Now.” 

The signal works like a switch and Aphelios takes a step forward, opening the door, taking the guard by surprise, without giving him time to react to the imminent attack. 

“What the fuck-?!” the guard's scream is interrupted as he’s stabbed in the neck, in a blink, he chokes on his own blood, falling against the wall while Aphelios digs up the knife, splattering blood on the armchair and one of the girls, both trembling in terror and confusion at the sight of the man's body falling dead to the floor.

“Who are you?! What the hell do you want?!” the target screams in despair, trembling in a mixture of rage and fear that falls to unfeeling eyes, without a trace of empathy for the man's fear or the womens confusion.

Aphelios raises his gun, narrowing his eyes at the hearing discomfort caused by booths women high pitched screams, both crying in panic at being pointed with the gun, the screams stop the second each tranquilizer is stuck in the neck of each woman. The target manages to get his hand inside his suit but stops, frozen as he is pointed at the distance and not with the tranquilizer one.

“D-Do you want money? I can give it to you! Just tell me how much you want!” the man with light gray hair and greenish eyes exclaims in fear, shouting prayers that fall on deaf ears. Observing how Aphelios puts the gun away, he thinks he has gained time and he shows a weak smile. “Who the fuck send-.”

A single shot silences him.

In the blink of an eye, Aphelios withdraws the silenced weapon and fires a single bullet that passes through the man’s forehead. The dead man's head falls back on the back of the sofa as blood paints his lifeless face up to his chin and chest. Alune watches the situation from the screen and lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding. 

Who is sending us? That is a question that even we cannot ask. Did they came into conflict with the Solari or is from an external clientele as is more usual? It's not our problem now. Alune thinks ironically to herself as she deduces the man's last words.

“Wait. What’s happening?” Alune interrupts her thoughts and frowns, feeling a slight vertigo as she watches confused the reaction of different guards in the mansion through the cameras on other screens. “Brother, check the target's body.” 

Alune exclaims over the communicator, longing that it's not what she thinks. Aphelios obeys and makes his way through the unconscious woman’s body to check the man's suit. He quickly checks his corpse, moving his hand hidden in the suit jacket, revealing a small device with the button pressed under his thumb.

“Son of a bitch.” Alune cursed loudly, pressing her lips together as she rubbed her hand against her face to clear herself for a moment after taking a deep breath through her nose.

It was clear they wouldn’t be too trusting either but Alune believed that with the security system added to the large supply they had given in guards throughout the mansion, they would be satisfied but high ranks always have an ace up their sleeve. 

But it's usually a weapon. When did they implement this? Alune thinks as she bites her lip anxiously. It doesn't matter, Aphelios can handle this. We can handle this. I know that.

“Brother. Plan B. They are aware of us.” Alune communicates resolutely while watching through the other screens as some cameras are entering static, clearly being intervened to regain control. “Shit.”

They both know what this means. Alune squeezes her eyes sorrowfully as she watches Aphelios take another poison obsidian pill in hand, swallowing it with less difficulty than the previous one, only showing a slight shudder at the strong effect on his body. Once ready, he leans the wall against the door, sharpening his hearing to calculate the time available to reload both weapons, noticing in a fleeting thought, logical at this moment, about tranquilizers, doubting if they are the most effective option for the imminent confrontation. 

“Target 15S is on the move. Walking away on the second floor.” Alune talks while concentrating on typing and maintaining digital control in the security system.

Aphelios knows he must fight his way through the guards, deep down he knows he wants to minimize the number of murders tonight but at the same time his survival instinct trained for all these years manages his mind right now and he knows that his priority is to survive. 

With both weapons loaded with real bullets, Aphelios waits for the right moment.

“Five guards approaching. Four more on their way up the stairs.” Alune warns trying to keep calm in the tone of voice. “Now.” 

Aphelios takes advantage of the proximity of the first guard and hits the door with his foot, whipping the head of this, destabilizing to shoot him. Without waiting to see him fall dead, Aphelios continues shooting. One. Two. Three bullets fired in two seconds, ending with the echo of the group of men falling to the floor.

Taking a step in the corridor, maintaining the posture to wait for the arrival of the next guards but the first two do not fall easily, dodging the shots, two guards raise their weapons firing four bullets that Aphelios dodges at supernatural speed, suddenly approaching, he shoots two more bullets but again one guard manages to dodge him, turning the fight into a head-to-head combat.

The man shoots three more times almost point blank but Aphelios moves his body and head at perfect distance to dodge each shot. Drawing the knife in a blink as it comes dangerously close to the throat of the guard who runs back, holding his weapon tighter, afraid.

“Just fucking die!” the guard shouted again pulling the trigger with both hands on the gun, firing all the bullets at the man’s unchanging presence.

Aphelios backs away without showing any tired gesture, dodging five, ten more bullets, until the man empties the cartridge and the trigger echoes repeatedly without success. Frightened, the guard recoils as he observes Aphelios approaching, wielding the knife prepared to tear his throat out.

“Three more guards, coming up right now!” Alune is present but her voice is more tense, annoyed with the guard who makes it difficult to execute.

Aphelios approaches but fails to cut the man's throat, he only leaves a small cut. In a millisecond of distraction before the group of guards who are arriving by the stairs, the man raises the weapon without ammunition and hits Aphelios on the side of the head, disoriented, Aphelios blinks without flinching from the pain before the cut bleeds dirtying his forehead and cheek. 

“Execute him.” Alune instructs, pressing her hands against the desk.

Aphelios bends down and turns his foot against the man's feet, catching him off guard, once his body falls to the ground Aphelios grabs him from the tie to pull hard towards him and cut through his neck, protruding the tip of the knife through the back of the man's neck. The blood splashes on Aphelios' shirt and face but he just squints his eyes out of inertia, without any major reaction.

Taking advantage of the guard's inert body, Aphelios holds the torso from the tie, still squatting on the ground and uses the man's body as a human shield against the impending shots when the three guards open fire on him. Horrified by the act, Aphelios hears one of them screaming and trying to stop the other two, vulnerable to the grotesque image. A weakness that Aphelios will use against him the second he manages to distract his team's concentration.

Three bullets are fired almost in unison and two guards fall down. The last guard is tough, tall and burly, opening fire again, Aphelios uses the dead body as a human shield again but a bullet manages to tear his clothes, opening a cut over his upper arm, wetting his torn suit with blood.

He's taking no chances this time. The second Aphelios hears his opponent reload the bullet cartridge, he pushes the dead body against the guard, destabilizing him, making him fall against the wall after losing his weapon in the fall. Without waiting, Aphelios fires two more shots at the resilient man's neck and head, watching him for a few seconds until he dies.

“Aphelios. You must hurry. There are four other guards going up to the second floor.” Alune insists from the other end of the line. She doesn’t want to put pressure on his brother but she doesn’t want to tempt his fate with the timing or remaining bullets of his mission.

Aphelios complies and goes down the big stairs quickly, keeping in mind the words of his twin. When he reaches the connection with the second floor, Aphelios only manages to look out his face before suddenly backing away, dodging a bullet that buries itself in the wall. More gunshots are heard, destroying edges of the wall connecting the stairs between the floors, some small wreckage flies close to his face. Aphelios holds both pistols in hand.

“You have to go through them. The target is trying to escape. You need to get to the last room in the hallway.” Alune raises her tone, inevitably more tense when observing through the cameras how two guards were talking on their cell phones while the target seems to scream in anguish hinting at the idea of escaping through the window.

Three guards at the entrance of the staircase, four more at the end of the corridor and two accompanying the final target. Aphelios knows it is tough, maybe almost foolish, for a normal person that is. But he must continue. 

Faced with gunfire silence, Aphelios peeks out, shooting three bullets at sharp eye, the three guards fall to the ground, however, without the gap of their bodies, one of the guards manages to react with ferocity, firing two bullets as he managed to only be hit on his leg and foot. Aphelios dodges but his accuracy isn’t so perfect and a bullet grazes his cheek, before the opening, Aphelios retreats again hiding behind the wall.

There’s not the slightest trace of pain in his face but Aphelios needs to be faster, more precise. Every shot counts. He can’t afford to use more than one bullet on each guard. He still has bullets but time is clicking and there’s only a limited amount of people Aphelios can kill at the same time.

“Aphelios?” Alune asks, suddenly confused to see her twin is looking for the bottle, taking another pill between his fingers. “Wait. Why the fu- What do you think you're doing!?” she exclaims enraged seeing Aphelios swallowing the pill without paying attention to her.

The intense dose hits Aphelios' body like lightning for short seconds, squeezing his chest as he buries his fingers in his clothes. Aphelios catches his breath and an inert calm possesses his dark eyes, without reflection at this point. 

Alune stares at the camera stunned. She just doesn't understand. In past missions, it was strange her twin consumed more doses than intended, he actually tried to avoid it them. Except for those times where it was too much pain or... 

Fear? Is he afraid? Alune thoughts stormed, confused and scared for his safety.

This is not to cloud the pain. It’s completely focused on enhancing his senses to the maximum. Is he afraid he’s going to lose? Alune sighs with a tremor in her voice dropping her back on the chair, hugging her leg in anxiety.

In a way, it was the most optimal way for Aphelios not to get hurt anymore, the guards proved to be quite skilled and the three wounds, although small, demonstrate minuscule errors in their defense calculations. Alune knew that. She silenced her anxieties and concentrated on the mission. I must lead his way. Alune takes a deep breath.

“Wait for the signal.” Alune speaks through the communicator, waiting for the right moment, noticing how Aphelios loads more bullets into both weapons, waiting for the order.

The seven nearest guards must be eliminated quickly, however, Alune doubts the remaining two guards protecting the target will easily open the door to that room. Much less after having heard the previous shots, they were surely waiting for Aphelios’ arrival.

The guards’ shooting doesn't stop at the same time. They are doing it on purpose to avoid a vulnerable breach, there is no perfect entry.  Aphelios will have to create an opening.

“Now!” 

Dodging three bullets with superhuman movements, Aphelios manages to create the first vulnerable gap between the nearest guards, shooting at sudden movements, the first bullet incapacitates a guard from shooting, going through his hand, the second bullet silences his screams with a hole in the head. He continues to the second, with two continuous bullets finishes off the man with both shots to the head.

The third guard tries to approach him but Aphelios is faster, he ducks and after a kick to the stomach, knocks the man down with another kick to his side, shooting him in the forehead once he falls to the ground. Repeating his previous technique, Aphelios wields the corpse's tie to use his body as a human shield, leaning out to shoot the other four guards. But he needs to get closer.

Lacking precision with insufficient closeness for a more accurate shot, Aphelios opts to destabilize them, shooting at their hands and knees. Slowly, amid the echo of the hail of gunfire, curses begin to be heard mixed in cries of pain. One by one, Aphelios manages to get them to fall to their knees, unable to shoot properly. When the fourth guard has fallen on one knee, the gap is created.

“Now brother.” 

With his finger on the trigger, Aphelios drops the empty cartridge and reloads in a split second, releasing the guard's tie to stand up, firing the first bullet before standing up, the next three bullets are consecutive and three guards fall to the ground violently, missing the second shot, the remaining man holds his injured ear while blood gushes between his fingers, desperate, he turns away trying to get to the target's door to warn but falls abruptly face to the ground with two shots to his back and skull.

“Be careful.” Alune insists uneasily as she observes the target’s safe room who was also armed with a small firearm.

However, as Aphelios approaches down the hallway, one of the guards in the room comes over to check under a nearby piece of furniture, pulling out a sawed-off shotgun to wait at the door. Alune feels the vertigo attack her stomach, there was the probability of the use of such weapons but the percentage was so low when she researched the mission and the family background. 

Alune doesn't know whether to be furious with herself or distressed by the inaccuracy of the information. Didn't the Solari give her the full investigation? It doesn’t usually happen that another family organization managed to use surprise factors against them.

“Get away brother!” Alune raises her tone trying to stay calm.

Clearly Aphelios' heightened senses had already sensed the danger. He stops a few steps from the door, stealthily puts away one of the weapons, replacing this one with the knife, now having the pistol in one hand and the knife in the other. In position, one can feel the tension in the air before the dead silence that drowns the corridor.

“Be careful Aphelios, he'll get out first.” Alune warns, watching through the cameras inside the room, noticing the instructions the guards give the target to stay behind.

Aphelios takes a step back as he hears the shotgun charge. Without waiting, the guard slams open the door aiming hard before pulling the trigger. The loud rumble makes a hole in the ground but Aphelios jumps back dodging with ease, waiting until the third missed shot that destroys around him. Aphelios takes advantage of the opening and wields the gun, shooting three times at the man's chest at close range without being able to aim at his head since he covered himself with the shotgun, advancing quickly as soon as he falls to the ground, Aphelios crosses the threshold of the open door to instantly shoot the last guard, with hole in his chest, the man falls dead towards the ground behind him.

“Get away from me! You monster! I'm gonna shoot! Don’t take another step!” the target's hand trembles sharply on the trigger, terrified at the assassin's emotionless eyes.

The man screams as he shoots awkwardly, bullets are easily dodged by subtle movements. The same look of despair he observed a few seconds ago, family without a doubt. Pupils dilated in terror are enveloped by the same greenish hue while his hair sticks to his forehead with every drop of sweat. Once he empties the cartridge, he continues to pull the trigger unsuccessfully. 

Aphelios holds the gun ready to fire but a fleeting sound caught his attention. Frowning, Aphelios stands still with his arm in the air, unsure whether or not to look away from his target. An almost vulnerable second.

“Aphelios!” Alune exclaims as she watches the body of the guard on the floor move around the bed behind her twin. “Behind y-” 

Alune interrupts herself covering her mouth with both hands, distressed and upset to see how the guard without being able to get up from the ground completely manages to pull a blade out of his suit, he fails to stab Aphelios' leg but manages to make a cut near the knee that destabilizes him for a second. 

However, Aphelios' senses are at the complete mercy of the nocturm, despite the fact that the cut shows clear affection in his knee that leans more on the other leg automatically, Aphelios doesn’t show any reaction. He just takes advantage of the guard's moment of imbalance and this time he makes sure to finish the job well, shooting twice in his head and this time the man's body falls to the ground correctly.

But it wasn’t only the sudden action of the man that upset Alune. Confused, Alune takes off a hearing aid, believing she heard something on the first floor of the house. Without losing her concentration on the screen to ensure the completion of her twin's mission.

Alune gets up taking the crutch in hand to take out a dagger that she hides under the table. Her heart beats with anguish but every feeling becomes alert as quick footsteps descend to the basement, clearly knowing the way. Could it be? 

“Sett?!” Alune exclaimed, confused, leaving the dagger on the table when she saw the hybrid open the door of the room with a bang, breathing agitated. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Sett still has the bandages on his hands from his last fight, he seems to have changed quickly before reaching the house, with the red sweatshirt open and the backpack hanging from his shoulder almost falling to his elbow while his hand still holds the doorknob and his chest moves violently trying to calm his breathing.

“You shouted Phel's name. What happened to him? Is he allright?” Sett answers his question with another question trying to see the screens in the background but Alune raises an arm getting his annoying attention.

“You cannot be here. Not now. Get out.” Alune angrily scolds him, pushing him with one hand on his chest trying unsuccessfully to push him back.

“But- Aphelios. Is he-?”

“I Don't Know! Can you please get- !” Alune exclaims but cuts off the scream when she hears the gunshot from the headset she still had on, turning sharply to the screen.

Inevitably, Alune approaches the desk, leaving aside the problem of the hybrid. She needs to guide Aphelios. Turning on the communicator, the twin hesitates for a few seconds but decides to ignore the undue presence of the redhead in the room.

“Target eliminated. Come back brother.” Alune finishes the statement closing the channel before sighing heavily.

Sett remains standing on the spot, staring at the screen, seeing his precious man with that empty gaze, insensitive to his own wounds, putting away a weapon while around him three lifeless bodies soak in their blood. The words Aphelios shared with him the first time he slept next to him suddenly come back to his mind.

Why aren't you afraid? 

Sett responded with another question. So sure of himself when observing those beautiful obsidian eyes that sheltered a deep galaxy of feelings.

Why should I? 

Where did that deep feeling he saw that night go? The emptiness in Aphelios' gaze reflected even less life than the last time he saw him acting in the follow-up mission, at that moment it was just a fleeting act. This was an execution mission.

Why? If Sett felt that he understood the concept and reality of twins so well Why can't he help but feel a strong knot in his stomach when watching that scene?

Sett remains mute, frozen as he watches the silhouette of Aphelios move with superhuman speed and strength, without the slightest pain for his wounds. Only when the man’s figure disappears from the range of the mansion's security cameras, Sett reacts, observing Alune out of the corner of his eye, surprising her by crossing glances.

“I’m- ..Sorry I was…” Sett mutters uneasily, noticing the girl's frown as she typed and followed her brother’s trail through certain street cameras.

“You were worried. I know.” Alune replies firmly, harsh with her words and even some anguish in her tone. “But you can't just walk in, much less when we're on a mission. Do we understand each other?"

“I know. I get it but I- I just-”

“I know.” Alune interrupts him, bordering with her words, clearly wanting to close the topic.

Silence floods the room and Sett only observes the girl's long silver hair behind her back, limiting himself to watching Aphelios through the screen. Alune knows Sett was just worried, distressed when he arrived, probably after running out of his job after the fights, hearing the girl exclaim like that only made his mind spiral with horrible scenarios.

Alune understood his concern but deep inside she also tried to be rational, reminding herself that there must be certain limits that she cannot allow him to cross. Besides, she is sure Aphelios wouldn't like for him to see him like this. Alune narrows her eyes, feeling sorry for her twin, for the conflict of his heart.

“... Aphelios will be here soon but-” Alune starts talking after a few eternal minutes, however the hybrid reacts fast and by the time she turns around, the redhead is gone. “Sett?”   

Alune grabbed the crutch tightly to walk at a fast pace to the open door, managing to see the tall figure of the half vastaya hurrying up the stairs.

“Sett, wait!” Alune screams from the basement, sighing with relief as she sees the redhead suddenly stop.

With effort, Alune climbed the stairs as fast as possible, aware of the imminent arrival of her twin in a deep insensitive state, oblivious to everything and everyone but her own twin. Once Alune stood next to Setton on the first floor near the back entrance, she looked at him sorrowfully, he was clearly distressed to receive Aphelios but she doubted very much his heart would receive Aphelios' reaction well. As much as she wanted to comfort him, Alune didn't know what to say.

“Keep your distance. Okay?” it's the only thing Alune asks him in a soft voice at the same time she strokes his arm in sorrow.

Sett's ears fall against his hair, restless, Sett nods uncertainly, staying in the place, waiting for short minutes that seem like an eternity until finally the doorknob moves and slowly, the door opens. Aphelios comes in silence, a tense and disturbing stealth that creates shivers down the back of Sett's neck and he comes to wonder how it is possible he can barely hear his steps or even sense his breathing.

The first moment Sett sees him, all the warnings vanish from his mind, longing to take care of him. Sett takes a step forward, feeling a lump in his throat as he watches him, indifferent to his own wounds, insensitive to his presence.

“Phel.”

“Sett. No.” Alune warns him, cutting off him mid step with her arm. “He won’t fully recognize you right now. I told you. Keep your distance.”

Sett frowns, almost upset to the point of exclaiming; How is he not going to recognize me? But the second he refocuses on the man, he notices how it was about to reach for the knife of his suit. Blinded by the poison, Aphelios will only consider him one more enemy.

“He's only trained to recognize my voice in this state... Please. Just let him have some rest.” Alune clarifies with some anguish in her voice without losing sight of her brother.

Sett swallows anxiously, unable to find the slightest trace of recognition or affection in those empty eyes, without any other choice, he agrees and takes a step back, leaving the way clear in the corridor so Aphelios can resume his way. The aroma of blood mixed with gunpowder and dirt, floods Sett's nose as he passes by, causing him to wrinkle his nose, averting his gaze, feeling his distressed heart being completely unknowledged by the beautiful eyes of his beloved at this moment.