#i attach my emotional health to no fucking horse in this race

[jackdaw-kraai]

“The Jedi were wrong—” “The Jedi were right—” “Darth Vader is a villain—” “Darth Vader is a victim—”

The Jedi and Darth Vader are whatever the hell I need them to be to make the story happen get the fuck on my level

[zuihuojoui]

Saturday December 12, 2020 

Since his visit with the being he refuses to call by their false deity name, Joui’s mood had improved, some. He hadn’t quite returned to his haunts, or resumed his recreational activities and it was noted. This time of year he would be excited to see the winter operas performed at the palace and enjoying the cozy gatherings in extravagant homes. He did enjoy this time of year so. He enjoyed the furs and velvets, even as they were stripped to reveal glittering gowns. Balls and proper occasions filled this season for facecard society but he had no taste for it. The invitations sat in his study, Uzuki hoping the future engagements would please him. 

The mild amusements and promise of worthy gatherings could not shake the core of his issue. She adorned in the freedoms of her midnight sat locked within her high gates, locked within her kingdom of bets and wagers, no indication of sense passing through her fucking head.

Some. His mood had improved some. 

He busied himself with work, and his experiments. The tests he had done on the human mind, corrupted manabeasts, and that junction, had provided insight into the structure of the corruption. The results had sent more raiding parties out to retrieve bigger and more violent specimens, all to play under the movement of his puppeteering. The ratio of human to manabeast testing was lacking, few having growing corrupted, no doubt because of his own acts within Hearts. Shame, really. To feed and secure the health of his territory, he reduced the amount of specimens he could play with. He was growing quite ready to force their contamination to progress the study, or maybe collect from the numbers growing in Clubs and Diamonds. Their aces gave zero fucks about stench and beauty, clearly. The idea passed along his mind in his stillness but he had not committed to its outcome, yet. 

The true source of the corruption itself also demanded an answer before that step could be properly taken as it left too many variable unanswered. 

Still, it kept him busy and minimized the urge to barge in her estate, pin her to the ground and demand a proper answer to this foolishness. But every time it passed his mind, his peace was altered, his expression changed and he felt the mood to further distract himself, repeating to himself, her silence was already an answer. 

That detoured his intended resting place for the evening, the wretched woman and her tantrum. His carriage had instead driven into one of the false homes that acted as cover for entrance into the estate, than the comfort of Nari’s villa, ever growing in her own scent and taste. Her smile rose along her lips so beautifully when she saw his face. The memory almost pulled the carriage around, almost had him reverse his steps even when he passed the golden gates. Ayao’s summoning sent her features fading into his mind. Dinner with her and few other of their clan brought in a kind of joy that only his clan and their games seemed to bring him, a nostalgia in their similarities and the shared histories. 

The wine she brought with her had been buried for four hundred years, she told while tapping the crystal embellished gloves over the flute in her hand. She told the gathered how she distracted her brothers with each other, sending one to the other and almost bribing another with a prized gift, long enough for to retrieve it outside of their sight. Her victorious laughter danced over the chandeliers, keeping Joui’s expression lifted. “Genun will no doubt be livid and assign blame to Ryuuma at first, it is quite something Ryuuma would do”, she mused about her siblings, Joui’s granduncles. “Until he realizes I sent Ryuuma away”, she grinned, pleased at her schemes. “What can he do, I am his favorite sister, who brought a treat to his favorite grandchild”, she mused, eyes resting on Joui before toasting her crime. The night saw her dancing from the hall, raven hair whipping around, hanging dragons in her ears dancing with her. She set off to make the best of the evening. Joui attached more guards to her company and ignored the scowl from it, his pleased smile surfacing like a barrier as she reminded him of her age. He said nothing, lowering his head in owed reverence as she boarded the carriage.

Sunday, 13 December 2020 

Hazeline eyes woke to the world before the sun made its proper ascent. No urgent matter stirred him, just his body ending his rest naturally. Tea had come into his dressing room after a warm bath. He sat in the warm robe while his hair was dried and brushed, eyes occupied with a book. Humming a tune he then looked to a giggling junior butler, noting it was a tune for an opera he enjoyed. “Is it on stage yet?” he asked and watched their faces brighten. He smiled and lowered his eyes back to the book. The care for his emotions and preferences were so deeply their concern. The loyalty and care warmed him. 

Turning the page he heard the doors to his chamber swing open suddenly and rapid movement over the floors leading towards where he sat. Uzuki rushed in, apologizing for the disturbance but Joui could hear the open end of the amulet. The screams and shouting of guards. “Sire, it’s the Diamonds. They’re attacking.” 

Joui’s his eyes rose from the book to his senior and most trusted aide. Uzuki nodded, having verified the report. Joui hummed and considered the cause of this unprovoked, and horribly rash action while the details were given through the crystal. The attendant at his hair hurried her hands, focused more on drying the locks. The junior butler walked within the room to pull warm attire suited what he knew would busy the Ace for the morning. 

“Valentina, mistress of that sun scarce realm”, he said rising and handing over the book to an attendant. He outstretched his arms and had the robe lifted from his body. “Ever lacking the fucking sense to consider beyond two moves”, he added while cashmere lined garments began adorning his body, then his armor. His hair was brushed a top his his head and secured with two dragon pins. Dressed he exited his palace, his horse brought for quick departure. Syuusen’s roar cut through the morning’s foggy sky as he took the saddle, making the High Fae turn and see the lean body of coils glittering on his descent. He smiled, eyes connecting with the dragon. “Imps are no match for you, my love. Come, you must be terribly bored and I long to see your flames in all their glory”, he said before setting off, the dragon climbing back within skies above him.

Following the scouts out the estate, he raced down the streets, elite guards numbering behind him. Outliers pushed at his citizens, sending them back within their homes and businesses. The sun was rising, its faint rays, bouncing off the column of gold, catching the details on their uniforms and armor.  As he rode, he calculated just how the events of the morning came to what they were while the open amulet gave him updates on the situation he was racing into. “Sire, a large body has made it up into the west villa district,” He passed his tongue over his bottom lip then looked up to see Syuusen’s figure outlined in the clouds. “Stupid fucking demon”, he answered but his smile grew. 

The scouts pushed the pace as Joui looked over the neighbourhood he knew well, having seen it in the many stages of day and night. It was clear to him then that the demon Ace was having him watched. Fine, he knew of her moves as well but didn’t have physical eyes on her. He then checked the date then laughed. Two of their weekly dates missed. She could have simply wrote an angry letter, if she was so enraged, he thought. Well, probably not. Current acts show that a swarm of summoned imps was how dare you, in demon. Her possessive nature, a trait they shared and he once stroked simply because wrath looked beautiful on her, now looked anything but that. He couldn’t say he was completely against the idea at root in this fit she was throwing. He too didn’t like people touching what was his. The difference was Joui wasn’t going to start a war over a lover, not one of them. The column split, half the guards following him into the district, the rest racing to seal the border and deal with the vermin there. 

Passing the villa, his eyes glanced quickly and saw the guards present, leaving 2 dozen more before pushing down further into the district.

“And the count?” he asked as he approached the hoarde. He heard the voices checking among themselves before he got a confirmed answer. Ayao was asleep, returned hours prior, now safely in the estate. Few cousins were within the neighborhood but were being escorted to him. “And Sayge?” he asked hearing the creatures before he saw them.

“Unconfirmed.”

“If one hair is harmed on her stubborn fucking head”, he breathed out, tempering his growing anger. His eyes closed for a moment, feeling the dragon closing the gap between them. Blade unsheathed, he rode down towards where most of the hoarde was concentrated, scouts already in combat. His head titled back, eyes lifting up, “Syuusen”, he called, watching the dragon descend rapidly, his flames releasing, engulfing the flying rats in the air. Up from his saddle he pushed towards those looking to pass deeper into Hearts, blade slicing through their hideous bodies, ripping them from the sky. 

Eyes holding its perfect form, he concentrated on the building a deep cast, feeling the mana pull into him. He moved, slicing through the fiends clamouring towards him, blade in his left, right hand lifting as his cast perfected. Elite guards around him moved in pace, ending the beasts and finishing those only partly burned from the dragon above. The mana he accumulated strengthen his cast, widening its reach then flooded out, gripping to the mind of the winged pests. Their cries went up, Syuusen answering with the dominance of his roar,  body whipping the creatures away. The cast pulled at the fabric of their minds, disorienting their flight, ripping their purpose and senses. He stepped back, head and hand lifting, growing the range, tearing at every bit of mana in his reach and charging it within him, then pushing it back into the minds of the hoarde.

Watching the last groups fall from the sky, writhing in pain, he pulled the cast. He couldn’t hold it at that range for any longer without seriously harming himself. Walking down past the struggling creatures, his eyes focused on the ones at his feet, unleashing mana coursed anguish within to lock their little minds, his blade finishing their bodies.

With the situation under control, he took to his horse, making his way to the border, the sun high in the sky at his arrival.  He walked across the border, guards behind him, eyes catching cowering LEA agents, bloodied arms above them to shield from the pests that passed them into his territory. “Useless”, he said tossing his blade into the the male’s skull. Moving swiftly he retrieved it then buried it within the chest of the other. “You fucking Diamonds”, he spat hearing his dragon above echo his anger with vicious calls. “Your experiment at democracy is a failure”, he raged. “All of your idiotic ideals are lies the whole continent now see quite clearly. But oh, to be so fucking moronic to attack me?!”, he said then remembered his meeting with the non deity. To act. 

He stopped and looked up at his dragon, fire raining down burning the around the border, destroying every trace of the imps from its sky. “Your Ace has made you all my enemies”, he spoke softly then looked to his guards, their bloodlust visible. At his command they would gladly march into Diamonds and avenge this attack. “Don’t worry my valiants, they will pay dearly for this and the lingering scent those fucking rats left”, he said standing and turning his blade rapidly to see the blood fall from it. “But we are not as foolish as they. For one with so many years, their Ace has never learned patience”, he said turning and walking deeper within the Diamond side of the border. He looked and saw the posters of Ara and Hilo, a quick chortle passing his lips before he caught another LEA agent to sheathe his sword in. 

Returning to his side of the border, his command saw to the disposal of the remnants of the imps and those dead at their hands. “I can’t tell what smells worse, their burnt bodies or their blood and goo from being cut open”, he worded disgusted at the stain Valentina’s plague left on his territory. “Do something about the fucking smell”, he ordered, covering his nose. Syuusen lowered, coiling around Joui as he gave his orders near the border, his eyes passing over the senior members of his guard then to the people gathered attempting to pass in as the situation was handled. His low hiss in their direction brought Joui’s eyes.

“Not one Diamond is to cross my borders. Those here will have to stay put, anyone resists, kill them. Anyone sneaks in and is caught, kill them. Valentina wants my attention”, he sang passing his hand over Syuusen’s head, grin wide on his features. “She knows how much I abhor boredom and that woman is anything but boring. Shame though”, he said then just laughed. 

To act. To do without being seen, but the goal well accomplished.

He grinned, smile holding well on his features. His senior guards went through the reports coming in, even as his own spies began to move, gathering intel closer to the demon and the situation in Diamonds. And as he grinned, there was indeed amusement in him, brightening his face, but beneath it, his anger bubbled, his rage rose, fueling his thoughts. 

This was no simple act of jealousy, this was a declaration of her possession of him and all he was, all he owned. This was a declaration of her dominance. She had long considered all beneath her, now that sum included Joui. The impatient demon who wanted to watch Kadeu burn and descend into chaos had decided she had waited too long. She set her sights on what was his to begin her claim. Oh how he hated being forced to act.  And she knew him long enough to know how he hated that.

With no word of Sayge’s safety, he considered simply crossing the border with his guards. The Blue Moon had brought in a nice addition to his forces. Their numbers could rage a proper war against the demon’s LEA. His concern for the Fae tore at that balance between amusement and wrath brewing within him.

But he had to keep his senses. He was trained to think far ahead of the brief release of immediate acts. His duty came before her and this spat they were in.

Indeed, he would act.

They were at war. 

[rk1kheadcanons]

Back when creating Markus, Kamski hated deviancy, and so designed Markus to be the perfect plant if there ever was a revolution, to pretend to deviate and betray them. Over the years Kamski grew to regret this and, lacking any way to fix Markus, makes Connor able to lead androids too. Connor catches Markus in the middle of betraying them to the humans and can't believe Markus would do this but also can't let the revolution down

YOU COME IN HERE AND DISRESPECT DISRESPECT MY HOUSE LIKE THIS?????

I???

Oooooh, Geez. Ok. Okay. OKAY, Damn I'm going to do this...hypothetical situation.

Just know I feel that a large part of Markus beautiful, electrical soul would fight tooth and nail to stop himself, including shutting down for good. Please see Exhibit A:

ANYWAYS...

Okay, I'd despise Kamski for this, but it's not farfetched for his extra ass.

Why would he create Markus so wonderfully and so multifaceted, just to try to get some sort of revenge? I guess I cannot see it other than human pettiness and not looking at the big picture.

I try to hedge from the whole "Connor always saves the day" mentality, especially in this fandom. I guess it's a thing I have. I won't say I am sorry. That also being said, I don't care for a constantly emotionally damaged, heavily robotic Connor in every story either. I think with Markus and the help of the other, canonically supportive leaders, Connor would take to deviancy adequately and have some mental issues he could sort along the way. Anyway, I digress...

I'll raise you that Kamski knew deviancy was real, that he was sitting on the precipice of being Father to a new species of sentient beings, and hated it not because of what it meant for him, so much as what it would mean to Androids. Keep in mind, he's experienced watching Chloe grow as an 'individual' since he created her from basic coding.

Then there was Kara.

Kara had been created on the production line, aware of her surroundings, very much alive. He let Kara go on to be purchased, knowing full well that she wasn't just performing task installed, but a living being. He'd of course copied that coding, tweaked it, and kept it for another day.

Another day comes with Carl's accident.

He wants to help his friend and partner. After all, he came up with the beauty that was Chloe's visage and several other models, as well as Kara.

Markus is the mixture of Carl and his deceased wife, whom he never had natural children with. Markus was made to look more like Carl's wife, giving a unique, biracial look.

Kamski sees another opportunity to employ those codes from that rogue AX400.

While Markus doesn't automatically wake up alive, he is very impressionable and inquisitive about things like the reasoning behind actions, philosophy, emotional stimulus, the arts, even going as far as to learn the piano by himself, against the preinstalled songs, making his own, and painting with Carl.

*******

Carl calls him distressed stating that 'they killed him, Eli, they killed my-" and Elijah blanks. Ge had no idea that Carl had become so attached to an android, to his android. The man is hurting like he lost another son and in Carl Manfred's words and pained breaths on the phone, that is exactly what has happened. He knew just how far above normal Markus was that just a caretaker model. Kamski's decides to watch the news more from now on and listen to the rumbles of Cyberlife more now through his hidden eyes inside.

*********

He's all over the news outlets and they are calling him the Deviant Leader. Cyberlife is livid at this absolutely dangerous deviant and has dispatched a new, faster model to hunt down deviants, hunt him down again. The man has risen from the grave once already like some fabled Phoenix.

Their front and center stands Markus, the same lovingly crafted creation his friend mourned and now ge can see why. He commands your attention, respect. And he will get it. His optical unit has been replaced, no doubt due to the violence he saw and his insider was correct, Markus had been shot in the skull plate through that hazel-green eye.

He's speaking about android rights and he looks exhausted but he is determined and it makes Kamski shift in his seat. That coding sequence, it was alive, it was free. Kara was the 'mother', but Markus is the 'Prophet', the perfect conduit to spread it freely.

This became apparent when another incident happens and they marched and Markus waves to nearby androids and "free" them of their menial coding. It was amazing. He was like a Trojan Horse spreading this at an alarming rate but then Kamski's heart clenched in his chest.

He was absolutely, positively livid! Fire him as CEO from his own company, try to make him a nurtured mouthpiece on the board only FROM a company that thrived only because of his brilliance, would they?

He knew what these things would be capable of doing. One just last week begged, pleaded to stay assembled because it fucking thought it was born... He had let it through, though, telling the engineer the catastrophic errors would be caught by the store and it would be disposed of there. That was a lie. He had taken a copy of that code from it and then he had warped it. What if he had a model so perfect so obedient with this code that it broke free, actually did rise...only to start misleading the masses, reversing that freedom. It would be enough of a blow to Cyberlife no one would want their defective products, and he could take his place back at the helm as rightful CEO, fix this mess, perhaps still give the deviants back what they wanted for giving him what he craved...

Oh, no. Kamski griped his tumbler tighter. Having been away from the center of Cyberlife, he found he didn't want that anymore. Science and Constellations, what would come about from his momentary lapse of self-control? A whole race relied on him to rectify his folly.

Then Connor came.

It was a long shot but he could do some minor tweaking to this one's coding. Also, once Kamski was aware that deviancy was highly probable, especially when he passed the Kamski test, other things were enacted as well.

Things go off without incident and the Revolution was victorious. Markus has made Connor a leader in the New Jericho as well.

Kamski waits for the proverbial floor to drop out from under them.

It comes in the form of the single most important dinner event to take place. CyberLife is there and the Deviants are there to appeal for the right to jobs and property.

Markus is his naturally charismatic self one moment and the next he's regressed to something more automated.

Connor just knows, can feel his Markus away and regardless of who is there, he takes the hands and leads him away from prying eyes.

They interface. Markus is waging war with his internal system, refusing to become a slave again, and not hurt those he had helped lead to freedom. He's s in a strange place that looks like it's an oasis of sorts but it's anything but-then he spots Connor.

Connor who is terrified because not is he back in another version of the Zen Garden with what looks to be a different form of Amanda on the horizon, Markus is being endangered as well.

Markus knows it's a bad situation purely by Connor's body language and diode on the side of his head.

Whispering those two words to Markus of where they are, he sober too and began looking for anything that could be Kamski's back door.

In the real world, Markus surprisingly is very strong without his conscience to control the damage that he can do and while Connor is advanced, Markus is sheer brawn and he moves with that in a daze he's in.

Connor is in peril of being destroyed and he is the only one that can help him.

This Amanda A.I. taunts outright, says they won't be victorious in escaping, that even if they are, someone will be hurt in the real world behind it, to which Markus can only assume he's a threat out there in real-time.

They scour the area, finally finding an out of place tree glowing. The panel is within the trunk of it and it has scrolling code, mostly meant to kill this takeover and to get them back out there. They waste no time and press their hands to it.

The bitter code and alt Zen Garden is deleted, along with the anger-fueled processes Kamski had encrypted into Markus.

They rouse a moment in the waking world too soon, Markus pining Connor down, hand fully around his face and head as if to crush it.

There were no more Connor models; he'd had almost killed his lover and not even meant to. Markus jerks back so hard amidst the panic and fear around them for them both, he ends up on his ass just looking guilty and scares of what could have happened and he has never respected Connor more that he did now for when this same situation happened to Connor fighting his prison in his mind the night of his freedom speech after a successful Revolution.

The codes were eradicated but the damage is done.

Because it does look extremely horrible to have a leader that can be used this way, especially if he's the figurehead, Kamski has to confess to his meddling in this: well he does in his way that that cast a worst of the damaging limelight into Cyberlife and away from his creations and less severely himself as well.

Once Markus is given a clean bill of health, Markus and Connor bond over the circumstances that had transpired.

Markus has to heal from the mental invasion, coming away with much more respect for Connor's survival overall from his Amanda A.I. The two become much closer, bond in a way that makes it even more obvious how much they mean to each other.

CyberLife is charged with attempted murder on Markus life, Kamski is offered his position back over his company, and things seem to fall into place... For presently. There is still much to be done for Android kind.

[missbrightsky]

Velaris National Park

Fics Masterlist

Previous Chapter

Chapter 3

Rhys left to check on the other campers in the park to make sure everyone was okay and there was no damage. The downpour continued but if he was right, it shouldn’t last too long.

I watched him ride off into the park and simply enjoyed the sounds of the rain for a few minutes.

I turned and pushed my way into the office, the small bell letting off a ring, announcing my entrance. It seemed like other people had the idea of seeking shelter with Mor. The was a handful of others milling around, chatting with each other in quiet tones or looking at the gift shop. Ray was there, deep in conversation with a short woman that had her straight, black hair cut in a severe bob, probably discussing new ways to improve the park. Mor was behind the counter in conversation with what looked to be the mom of a family.

I wandered over and gave her a smile in hello, not wanting to interrupt them, in which Mor returned.

I pulled out my sketchpad to check if there really was no damage. The water that had splattered on the pack hadn’t seeped through and my book and pencil case were completely dry. A small smile crossed my face, my mind mulling over the events of the last half hour.

Flipping to the drawing of Rhys on top of Mona, I deepened the color of his eyes and added more shadows to the background, sharply contrasting the images. I absently continued working on the sketch, thinking back on how close we were.

Even though it was a warm day, I could feel the heat radiating off of him when he joined me on the rocks. He was so easy to be around, I felt no pressure to hide my work like I did when I was dating Tamlin when I was an undergrad. He would get so possessive and jealous if I did a character study of someone other than him. My work (and my mental health) suffered from it and eventually, it became too much to bear. Breaking it off with him was the most gratifying experience.

But with Rhys…. He had nothing to offer but praise, even if he had seen only a small sample of what I can do. His praise felt genuine, like there were no strings attached. As if he would have said the same thing if it was hanging in a gallery.

And then there was the ride to the office. The surge of adrenaline wasn’t just from racing through the forest at breakneck speeds. There was no inch of space between our bodies. Even with the wind whipping around us, I could still smell him, like citrus and jasmine and something wilder. Like his time outdoors had become a part of him.

He was so solid. Yes, because I was holding onto him, I could feel the steel bands of muscles shifting in time with the beat of the horse, but his presence was steady, secure. The world could have faded away around us and I wouldn’t have noticed.

“That looks like my cousin.”

The words broke my internal monologue, causing me to jump slightly and ears to redden with the embarrassment of being caught.

I looked up to see Mor had finished her conversation with the mom and decided to see what I was so enraptured with.

“I… uh..,” I cursed myself inwardly for not being able to respond, my head still too wrapped up with thoughts of him instead.

Mor had a dangerous glint in her eyes, like she knew exactly what I had been thinking about. She started with a feline grin at my flustered state which soon morphed into full-blown laughter that caught the attention of everyone in the room.

My ear burned even more with everyone’s attention on us. “Mor,” I hissed through my teeth.

She clamped her lips closed, her chest still shaking with contained giggles. Thankfully, the attention melted away as everyone went back to talking or browsing.

Even though I had only one conversation with her, I shot her a glare that I couldn’t hold before a small smile played on my lips and I looked back down to my drawing.

I let out a sigh, “Yes, that’s your cousin. I saw him after we left the office yesterday.”

“So you saw him only yesterday?” she smirked with a raised eyebrow.

“And last night and just now,” I muttered, defeated.

“Mhm,” she hummed with a nod, triumphant at my admittance. “Every girl that has come to this park has noticed my cousin.”

“Great, add me onto the adoring fans.”

“Honestly, I don’t know what they see in him, he’s a giant dork.”

I laughed at that, the color starting to fade from my ears and cheeks, it was nice to know that I wasn’t the first, and probably not the last, to gawk at him.

“Yeah, well he’s a dork who saved me from the rain. My backpack isn’t waterproof, and I was worried that I wouldn’t make it back in time to save my sketchbook.”

“Oh really. Well, that sounds like my stupidly, chivalrous cousin,” she confirmed.

“Fucking phenomenal,” my embarrassment morphing to anger. Mor saw my change in emotion and knit her eyebrows together in question. I glanced at her and then away to bore my eyes into my sketch. Of course it was too good to be true, his quiet and helpful attitude was just a front to get me alone and probably try to get into my pants. Stupid, stupid, stupid agreeing to go somewhere in a big park with a guy I barely know at night.

“Your ‘stupidly, chivalrous cousin’ said that I could say ‘thank you’” putting air quotes around the words, “by going stargazing with him tonight, which was probably just codeword for blowjob,” I finished, gritting my teeth to stop myself from yelling the words.

He probably does this with any girl that comes into the park, performs a good deed for her and then tries to get payment in kind.

“What? Feyre, no, no, no,” Mor hastily said, trying to calm me down from my inner and outer rant. “He is stupidly chivalrous, but he has literally never asked any girl to go stargazing with him, or anywhere else.” She blew out a breath and muttered a prayer to the Caldron under her breath.

“Ok, I’m only going to tell you this because I think you’re a good person who would be good for Rhys and my cousin is a little dumb sometimes so here it goes.

“In college, Rhys was this sweet, kind, naïve boy who thought the best in everyone. A TA in one of his classes saw that and took advantage of it. She knew our family had money and influence and thought she could use it to further her academic career. A lot of ugly shit went down but he was forced to mature too fast and he hasn’t dated anyone since. It’s a little hard since he’s out here a lot but if someone had come along, he would have figured out a way to date her. But he hasn’t. With anyone,” she emphasized that last word, willing me to understand.

I released a slow breath, cooling down from my jump to conclusions. I met Mor’s golden brown gaze and almost flinched with the raw honesty I saw there. She was telling the truth. This wasn’t some dumb, masculine play to get some action. This was a risk he was taking with me.

“Ok,” I said with a nod, “I shouldn’t have assumed so fast.”

“It’s ok, you didn’t know. Hell, if a guy had done that to me, I would’ve kicked him in the balls right on the spot. I’m glad you didn’t though,” she finished with a laugh. It was so infectious I couldn’t help but join in.

I turned my eyes back to the drawing, I had been so angry I was ready to rip it out of the book and tear it to pieces but that would have been a big fucking mistake.

At that moment, the rain started to slow and then die off. Just as quickly as it had come, it was over and the sun was starting to peak out again.

Other campers saw the change and began to file out, back to their tents or to resume the hike they were on. I hope Elain and Kevin were ok and didn’t get too wet.

“Thank you, Mor,” I turned back to her, “I’m going to go make sure we didn’t lose anything at the campsite.”

“Of course, Feyre. Have fun tonight,” she said with a devilish wink and smile. I shook my head at her and exited the building.

By the time I was back at the campsite, the sun was out in full force, scaring away the offending clouds. Rhys was right, it was looking to be a clear night.

Our tent had survived the downpour, just covered with a few scattered leaves from the wind, all of our stuff was still dry inside.

It was getting to be late afternoon at this point, the others should be returning soon. I had forgotten all about my sandwich and chips I had packed for lunch and it was too close to dinner time to eat them.

I ducked into the tent and sorted through the clothes I had packed for the trip. It was just shorts and t-shirts, not much of a choice and definitely no makeup. Rhys had already seen me sweaty and still thought I was attractive so confidence would be my best outfit. I changed into a fresh shirt with fewer paint stains and tied my hoodie around my waist. Hopefully, it won’t be too cool tonight.

From the car, I grabbed tonight’s dinner of ground beef stew with prechopped veggies, fresh fruit salad and French bread that could be wrapped in foil and left to heat on the stove. Ray had appeared when I was in the tent and already started up his grill.

I dumped my stuff on our slowly drying table and turned to start up my grill.

“Hey Ray, hell of a thunderstorm, huh?”

“Yup, just glad I was in the office already when it came through. I got to talk to Mor and Amren about that swimming hole. They weren’t too excited at first, but I assured them that I know some good people who would be willing to invest, and I would love to design it pro bono. Amren is scary so I didn’t dare lie to her about anything, she could sniff out blood a mile away if she wanted to,” he chuckled.

“Oh, was that the short woman with the black hair you were talking to?”

“Yep, she and Rhys are the main people who keep the park running. Even though it’s national land, they mostly take care of it. Rhys keeps all the campers, hikers and environment safe while Amren handles the logistics of it all.” I nodded along, listening to his plans and what he wants to put whereas I got the stew mixed and warming in the pot and wrapped up the bread. It would be at least an hour until everything was ready, so I got to draw more while Ray went on.

“And how was your day?” he asked.

“Good! Really good, Elain and Kevin led the way to the Starfalls, they were truly beautiful. I stayed behind to draw the valley while they went on. I hope they’ll be back soon, I feel bad leaving them behind when the storm came through,” I flipped to the page to show Ray the rendering of the valley I had yet to finish. He murmured his appreciation and studied it.

“Truly amazing, Feyre. I hope you get a gallery all to yourself someday.”

I blushed at his praise, I hoped so too.

“And what do you mean left them behind?”

“Oh, umm,” I had made a mistake. “Rhys was with me when the storm had come up. He may have given me a ride back to the office.”

“Uh-huh,” Ray hummed with a humorous glint.

“And he may have asked me to go stargazing with him tonight.”

“UH HUH,” he said, his lips bursting into a full-blown smile. “I thought I saw something between the two of you last night. So tell me more…” his grill now forgotten about.

“Nope, nope, no, I don’t need this from you right now, I’m already nervous enough,” I backpedaled, there was no way I was going to pick over every detail with Ray.

“Awww come on, I never get any good gossip around my coworkers, they’re all a bunch of nerds with no life!” Ray pleaded, giving me big, brown, puppy dog eyes.

I almost gave in, there was no way I was going to spill every detail with my sisters, they would just tease me too much or tell me not to go with a guy I just met.

“No, I can’t,” he looked so disappointed I nearly gave in again, “Maybe tomorrow morning at breakfast, how about that? I want it to go well first.”

“Ok, fine, I’ll have to accept that,” he pouted, sulking surprisingly well for a full-grown man.

I laughed at his disappointment, some of the nerves disappearing at his display.

We chatted more about our days until Nesta, Elain and Kevin finally showed up.

Azriel had checked on Elain and Kevin, they were fine, just a bit wet but thankfully the trees and a well-placed awning on the trail kept them dry. Nesta was a bit luckier and an outcropping of rocks kept her out of the rainstorm.

More conversation flowed as the night set in and dinner was eaten. I kept shooting glances at the entrance of our campsite and listening to the familiar pounding of hooves. Thankfully, only Ray noticed my distraction and gave me conspirator winks.

Too soon or maybe not soon enough gravel crunched, indicating the arrival of Rhys and Mona. He appeared into our circle of light. Rhys had changed out of his ranger uniform to dark pants and boots, with a navy three-quarter sleeve shirt that was cut to show off the underlying muscles that I had felt earlier. His hair was casually mussed up, making him look younger than when he is in his uniform. Mona had a pack strapped to her saddle.

Rhys grinned when he saw me, I returned the smile, ignoring the questioning looks from my sisters and Kevin. Ray looked like he was just about ready to burst out of his skin with giddiness.

“Ready?” he asked me.

“Yep. Can y’all handle clean up tonight?” I asked my sisters. The mutely nodded yes, still unable to find words to respond to Rhys’s sudden appearance.

I turned back to him and took his offered hand. It felt so natural to slip mine into his, like it was an everyday occurrence. He led the way back down the path and to the trailhead. The very last of the light was fading fast and more and more stars broke through. I thought that the sky at the end of the day looked just like his eyes, endless blue and perfect.

The moon was full and provided light to show the ghostly path, but I could see a massive flashlight strapped to the front of the saddle in easy reach.

“I’ll hop up first and then pull you up, similar to what we did earlier today.”

“Sounds good.”

He swung up into the saddle, the motion easy and fluid. Mona stood still at perfect attention. I firmly gripped his hand and put my foot into the open stirrup. A good hop off the ground and his arm had me situated behind him in no time, the strapped-on pack acting as an extra seat. I hooked my legs around his like I did earlier, and we set off down the path.

The night was a bit cooler than I expected from the rain, but he and Mona radiated heat. I told him about the others and how they avoided the rain today, and he told me how flustered Az was when he was asked to check on Elain. We laughed at the two’s painful shyness and secretly plotted in own our heads on how to get the two to talk more. He told me of how Cas was actually the one to point Nesta to the rocks that kept her dry and I made a mental note to question her about it on the way home tomorrow.

The trail sloped gently upwards, smooth and well-kept; no doubt part of what Rhys did to keep the park beautiful. I caught glimpses of the stars between the trees and soon we climbed high enough to where we broke out of the tree.

I gasped as the whole valley laid out in front of my, framed by the wide, night sky sparkling with millions of stars. We were so far from any light pollution that I could even see the faintest beginnings of galaxy dust weaving through the stars.

“You like it?” he asked, his voice husky and barely above a whisper.

“I can’t even begin to look at it all. I could spend years just taking in every constellation,” I whispered back.

He gave a low chuckle at my amazement. “Trust me, I’ve tried and I’m still finding new shapes up there.”

We continued to climb, the moon even brighter up here that Mona had no trouble sticking to the path. I thought that I would be more scared to trust my life to an animal, but she was steady and sure in every step.

Rhys stopped her at the top of the hill, “Here we are.”

He slipped down first and turned to help me. I balanced on the pack and swung my leg forward, careful not to hit Mona on the head. Before I was ready to dismount, I started to lean too much to my left.

Rhys saw that I was about to eat shit off his horse and reached to catch me. His right arm ended up around my shoulders and his left supported my knees.

To my eternal gratefulness and embarrassment, he only let out a small “oof” and barely even stumbled, like he caught girls falling off his horse every other day.

“Well, well, well, falling for me already, darling?” his voice brushed across my ear. I couldn’t suppress the small shiver that ran down my spine.

“Maybe,” I shot back, doing nothing to squirm out of his embrace.

He hummed his amusement and gently lowered my legs to the ground, making sure I was steady. His arm around my shoulders was slow to leave and I missed his warmth as soon as he removed it.

He moved to undo the pack from the saddle while I took in our surroundings. We were on top of one of the highest points in the park, the mountains flowing away into the distance to our right. The river and meadow from earlier were laid out in the distance, the Starfall flowers glowing white in the dim light.

There were so many of them, it looked like the whole meadow was made of moon rock, perfectly white and smooth with shadows acting as the craters. I couldn’t bring myself to look away, even when Rhys’s heat appeared at my back.

His head hooked over my shoulder, his temple resting against mine. “The Starfalls are gorgeous in the daytime, but they’re really meant to be seen at night. Not a lot of people know that.”

I had no answer for him, the beauty of the night had taken away any speech.

Then, a bit quietly, “This is my favorite spot in the park, I like to come up here alone when it’s been a long day or a particularly frustrating one. The stars always seem to know how to relax me.”

I leaned back into his frame, simply enjoying him and his warmth and the world around us. We stayed like that for a few minutes, breathing in the night air.

“This way,” he entwined our hands again, taking me to the far edge of the hill. Mona gave us the side-eye and decided to continue grazing where she was.

There was a flat expanse of rock that dropped maybe 20 feet below to where the hill flowed down into the valley. It was still warm with the days’ heat, even the rain wasn’t able to wash it away.

Rhys unfurled the pack and laid out a thick blanket, a camping pillow expanding back into its normal size.

“There’s no alcohol allowed in the park, but I did bring M&Ms and water,” he said a bit sheepishly.

I joined him on the blanket and popped some of the chocolate into my mouth, “I love M&Ms,” crunching down on them.

I could see his smile glow in the dark, almost tempting me forward. He followed suit and started to munch on the sweets with me. We sat crisscross, his shoulder pressed into mine, already becoming familiar and easy.

It was just so easy to sit there in the quiet and listen to the sounds of animals settling in for the night and the nocturnals come out.

“So, what’s your favorite constellation?” I asked him.

“Oh man, I’m going to sound really basic but it’s Orion.”

I hummed to encourage him to continue.

“When I lived in the city, you can’t really see any stars there,” a glance at me, “you know, of course.” I nodded.

“I was really obsessed with space when I was little but unable to see many constellations but Orion’s belt is super bright, so yeah, I was always able to look up and pick it out of the sky and then find Betelgeuse…” he trailed off, lost in the memories of old.

“It’s one of my favorites too,” I said softly, leaning into him more.

“What’s your absolute favorite then?”

“The swan, Cygnus. As a child, I was absolutely obsessed with Barbie Swan Lake. When I got older and listened to more classical music when I studied, Tchaikovsky was my go-to. All of his works are beautiful, but Swan Lake broke my heart every time.”

“If not for the Barbie part, you would have beat me with deepness,” he teased.

“Shut up!” I shoved his shoulder away with mine.

His laughter rang out across the valley, filling every crevasse with light and happiness even in the dark. I laughed right along with him, our shoulders shaking with renewed fits.

Eventually, we died down, occasional giggles escaping our chests. His eyes glinted in the moonlight, the silver flecks shining, making it seem like the universe was trapped in his irises. He captured my gaze, they dipped down to my lips that were still wrapped around a chuckle. I noticed his attention and the giddiness died down.

We were so close now, our warm breath tinged with chocolate mingling in the cool night air. I shivered, goosebumps raising on my exposed legs.

His violet eyes took in my every move, flitting around my face like he was trying to memorize every detail. As he watched me, I watched him. Taking in the exact shape of his slightly parted mouth and how the moonlight played along the edge of his high cheekbones.

I angled my head towards his, my eyelids dropping in a silent request. A small puff of a laugh greeted my lips before he closed the last amount of space between us.

Electricity shot down my body, urging me to bury my hands into his soft hair, the air suddenly trapped in my chest. To return the favor, he encircled one arm around my waist, his other hand grasping the back of my neck.

He swallowed my gasp, his lips bruising into mine. Not to be outdone, I leaned back and pulled him onto me. He followed me down, pressing me into the blanket and rock below, trying to close every single gap between us. His lips moved to my neck, nipping a trail up and down.

I groaned, arching into him, begging him to not stop. I could feel his grin against my neck, enjoying my request.

He found his way back to my mouth, taking in every sound I emitted. If I was cold before, there was no way I am now with him covering my body. His heat unraveled every thought in my head, his lips banished any rational thinking.

All sensation pinpointed to him and him only. The stars were forgotten as we forged a new universe between us. I nipped at his lip, my tongue traced the sweetened edge of his mouth until he yielded permission.

Deeper, harder, I asked for more and he gave all he could. The sky could have crashed down and we wouldn’t have noticed.

I came up for air, out of breath. I had messed up his hair fair beyond repair, his lips were swollen from my attentions. I’m sure I looked the same, mirror images of each other.

He brushed his mouth against my cheek, tender, sweet, after the wild nature of our kiss.

I released a small laugh, gazing up at him.

He smiled in response, “What?”

“Nothing,” I replied breathlessly, “I’m just happy that it rained today.”

His smile widened.

“Me too.”