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How to Care for Your Human [Gambuiness x Degu]

"I don't know what your definition of a soulmate is, but I can tell you right now that I'm not yours." Nearly snarling out the words, Serenity clenched her hand to extinguish the flames and slowly lowered it. "Talk to me like an object again and see what happens. I'm in no mood for it, and I won't tolerate it ever again. Understand that, because I won't repeat it." Still scowling as she went and retrieved the clothes and shoes, she bundled them back up in her arms and returned to Matthew's side.

"Horns. People with horns. This is going to take some getting used to." She shrugged. "'Fine. Bring whoever you would like, but I won't apologize for burning things if they touch me." Perhaps she was being a bit rude, or overly violent, but her defensive nature had kicked in and she now had an advantage to properly protect herself. "I'd like to get properly dressed soon," She glared at Lu. "Alone, so let's get going so I can do that, and we can speak."
 
Matthew turned to Ragnar, ''You and that gnome can come with us if you want, I think we need to talk. But the rest of you have to remain here.'' Looking towards Lu he continued, ''You have no idea of how powerful she is, don't test her.'' Lu looked towards Serenity, still fascinated by her. In a hushed tone, that wasn't as quiet as he had planned he said to Ragnar. ''Hey buddy, I have heard that humans only get so loud to someone, who they really like. I think she really likes me.''

The other Santfei looked towards Ragnar who just nod with his head.

When Matthew wanted to reach out to Serenitys hand and create the portal, Ragnar interrupted him. ''Before I send the others away, what does this Charles guy, that you mentioned look like? They could spread the word about him across our network in the city and we keep an eye open for him.''
He struggled to give them the informations after their failure regarding Charles but Matthew although knew, that if he had given them a description of Charles earlier, a lot of trouble never would have happened. It was as much his failure as theirs.

He turned to Ragnar and gave him a detailed description of what Charles looks like. After he was done, Ragnar send the other Santfei out with the task to report to him as soon as someone sees that man, that Matthew just described. A moment later Serenity and Matt were alone with Lu and Ragnar inside the shop.

He grabbed his clothes and went to Serenity. Leaning in to her, he whispered into her ear, ''Thank you for letting me do this, I know that this is not easy for you.'' he paused for a moment before he continued. ''Are you ready?'' Holding his hand out to her again he didn't notice, that Ragnar looked curiously at the two.
 
Rolling her eyes at the small creature, Serenity clenched her jaw and restrained herself from snapping. He was obnoxious enough that she wanted to slap him, or follow through on her threat of burning him. That wouldn't do, though, not while they still needed to figure out where Charles was, and if he was alive to get back. She partially listened as Matthew gave them the correct information, more focused on making sure that Lu stayed far away from her.

"We don't exactly have another choice." Technically they did, but it wouldn't serve to help their situation. They had to take a risk and hope that it helped them in the end. "Yeah, let's do this." Keeping her new things balanced carefully, she gave him one hand even as she spotted Ragnar's eyes directed their way. Raising an eyebrow as if to question him, she said nothing out loud and turned her attention back to Matthew. Whatever, he could stare all he wanted.
 
As the four went through the portal and they landed in front of the woodhouse, Ragnar looked around, trying to find out where they are. He turned to Matthew before he started to talk. ''No wonder we couldn't find you during the last day, where are we?''
''A few miles away from the city, around us is the Flarewood forest and except from this house, here is nothing except the wildlife.'' Together with Serenity, Matthew turned to the house and they went inside the house, Ragnar had to take care, to cross the doorstep without of breaking the wooden frame of the door with his horns. ''And you can make a portal about such distance? Your Santfei side must be stronger then expected.'' said Ragnar.
''Whaterver you mean by that.'' said Matthew, trying not to think about it too much. They would have enough time for that later.

Matthew pointed towards the couch, ''You can sit there while we bring our clothes away. Do you need something to drink?''
''No thanks, we are good.'' replied Ragnar as he and Lu sat down on the couch. Though Lu first had to get on the couch, since he is so small, he struggled to get onto it. With a small run up he jumped on the couch and turned around to sit next to Ragnar. For Ragnar on the other hand was the couch way too small and it looked like he was rather in a squatting position than sitting comfortable.

When they reached the bedroom, Matt put his clothes next to the bed. ''I will return to them but will wait before we start to talk about everything until you are there too. Take your time, you probably want to take a shower and change your clothes. You can use the towels in the bathroom.'' He stopped when he was at the door, ''I wil keep an eye out for the gnome.'' he said with a smirk on his face before he returned to their guests.

When Serenity and Matthew went towards the bedroom, Lu stretched his head as far as he could. ''Don't even think about it.'' said Ragnar to him, ''We don't want to get on their bad side but it seems, that you forget everything as soon as you see a woman that you like.''

Lu looked to Ragnar, ''Easy for you to say, you have already found your soulmate and even started a family with her. I just found my soulmate and she doesn't want me near her, she is breaking my heart Ragnar. I wish I could look at her when she changes her clothes. And she smells so good.''
Ragnar rolled with his eyes when Lu started to explain his love for the next soulmate he had found. Was it his fourth in this month? He didn't remember. ''Well Lu, if I would have told Sascha on the day we met, that I want to look at her while she changes her clothes, then I wouldn't be a married man today. Soulmate or not.'' Lu said nothing more since Matthew had returned and sat down on a chair, opposite from the Santfei, that he took from the kitchen. He had placed another chair next to his for Serenity who hasn't returned yet. ''You know that we could hear your conversation over there do you?''
 
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"His what now?" Serenity mumbled the words a bit tiredly now that she adjusted to the sudden travel, trying and failing to understand the comment. Some of the tension ebbed away as she watched Lu struggle to get onto the couch, laughter spilling forth that she didn't even try to contain. He deserved a bit of fun at his expense, with the comments he continued to make. Ragnar, on the other hand, looked like someone trying to use kid's furniture.

"Please do. I would hate to burn anything on accident." Huffing irritably in regards to Lu, she set down the clothes on the bed and sifted through for a fresh set to wear. A shower sounded absolutely wonderful after everything, and she gathered up the necessary soaps she had picked before disappearing into the bathroom. It was already later in the day, she would just take a quick one. Just enough to get clean, without leaving too much time for the filthy little man's imagination to run wild.

The shower started the moment the bathroom door closed, her clothes hitting the floor before she stepped under the water. It was an instant relief, soaking through her hair and cascading down her skin. She took enough time to enjoy the water, cleaning both her body and hair before getting out and patting herself dry. The abrupt change in temperature was enough to make her shiver, the towel rubbing at her hair as she stood there and sighed.

"What the.. Hell?" Catching sight of herself in the mirror, she paused with the towel and slowly turned. Between her shoulder blades she caught sight of a mark, and upon closer inspection she saw that it was an actual shape, a design. Branches, leaves, and the small animal flying around it; a bird. "What--" The towel hit the floor as her arm wound around her body, fingers running over it to feel for something--Anything that would prove its existence. It wasn't raised up like a tattoo, there were no deep grooves in her skin to indicate something had been done to her. It was simply.. There.

"Matthew!" Wiggling into underwear and shorts, she snatched the towel back up and held it to the front of her chest. "I need you to come here, now." Keeping herself firmly covered and waiting anxiously for him, she waved a hand wildly in the air once she could finally see him. "What the fuck is this?" Pointing with the hand not holding the towel, she gestured to the design as she took a shaky breath. "This wasn't here before."
 
Matthew stood straight up from his chair as he heard Serenity calling him. Lu too wanted to move. ''Don't you dare even think about it.'' said Ragnar in a stern voice.

As he arrived in the bathroom, the sight of Serenity, standing there with just a bra and holding the towel in front of her chest took his breath away for a moment. There was no denying, he liked what he saw, at least until he saw the concern in her face. ''What is the matter?''
He took another step into the small room and was standing right in front of her as he reached behind him, closed the door and took a step back again.

When she turned around and showed him her back with the tattoo that was between her shoulder blades, he couldn't believe his eyes. This should not be possible. ''I can't believe what I am seeing right now. It is a magicians tattoo, if it wasn't there before and I guarantee you, that I haven't put it there, then it would be your sign, that shows you are truly a magician. But the motive ... it can't be.'' He wanted to strip his shirt of his body when he realised, that she could get the wrong idea, of what he intended to do.
''Trust me, this is not what it looks like, I need to show you something.''

He pulled his shirt over his head and saw the puzzled look on her face. ''Don't freak out now, I don't know how this is possible but we should probably keep this to ourselfes, at least for now.'' Slowly he turned around and showed her his tattoo, that although was placed between his shoulder blades. Just like hers, it was a tree, with branches, which moved slowly, as if an invisible stream of air was moving them. And just like with her tattoo, a bird was flying around the tree, but in the exact opposite direction like hers.

''I have this tattoo since the day, I was found. It grew with me. But how you got yours, I have no clue.''
 
"It's a what now?!" Barely containing the hiss that left her mouth, she whirled around and clutched the towel tighter to herself. "I'm too old to suddenly become a magician!" Right? Then again, she didn't exactly know how any of that worked. "I'm not a--" Swiping at her back again, she stood there awkwardly as he started to remove his shirt. "What are you doing?" Narrowing her eyes in suspicion, they suddenly went wide as he turned around.

"What the hell?" Breathing out the words in disbelief, she dropped the towel and stared. "That's--" Reaching out towards it, her fingers coasted over his skin, exploring it before she yanked her hand back. "I don't know either." Hastily pulling a short sleeve shirt on over it, she picked the towel back up and hung it on the rack before beginning to brush her wet hair. "I guess we'll deal with it after we talk with our new.. Guests." She made a face, finishing her hair before setting the brush down. "Apparently it's just one surprise after another."
 
Feeling her touch on his skin came unexpected and he felt a soothing shiver running down his spine. But her touch was gone as quick as it came. When he turned around, she was reaching for her short sleeve shirt and he saw her, only wearing her bra, the towel lying next to her feet. He couldn't help but to blush and quickly look away. ''Sorry, I didn't mean to ... you know.'' Before this whole situation became even more awkward, he grabbed his shirt and quickly left the bathroom. As he stood in the small hallway between the bathroom and the bedroom, he saw the two Santfei looking at him and he quickly put his shirt back on again. He hated to admit it but Lu had said what he already knew, she really is beautiful. But he could never tell her that, could he?

His thoughts were going crazy, he should think about a reason for this new development, think about why she had all of a sudden the sign of a magician and on top the same, that he has. But all he could think about right now was the image he had in his mind of her, standing there and reaching for her shirt. He needed to get his thoughts together.

Slowly he walked first into the kitchen and filled two glasses up with water which he then placed in front of his and Serenitys chairs. Ragnar and Lu still looked at him but he had no desire to talk with these strangers about his situation.

''She is nearly done.'' was all he said to them. A few moments later Serenity returned from the bathroom and sat down next to Matthew.

''Okay, where should we start? You seem to know who I am already so why don't we start with you. Who are you or what are you?'' asked Matthew after Serenity sat down next to him.
Ragnar leaned a little forward before he started to talk. ''I think it is best when I start at the very beginning. We are Santfei and divide into four species. Lu here is a Fley, the guy you saw at the shop using the portals is a Barn. I am one of the Kol. Then there also were the Towan but we thought they went extinct, I will tell you more about that later.''

Ragnar leaned back, closed his eyes and seemed to try to remember something. ''It wasn't always the way it is today. According to our history books, in a time thousands of years ago, before anyone was able to use magic, we lived peacefully side by side with the humans. At some point, a Towan discovered the existence of magic and created a spell, that connected us all with the magic. Humans as well as Santfei. Our ancestors learned how to use this magic and kept this secret hidden from the humans. As time passed by, human grew way more in numbers than us Santfei and they started to occupy more space. It happened often that a Santfei village had to be moved so that humans could build their cities there.'' He opened his eyes and looked towards Matthew, ''Could I have some water? My throat is getting dry from all the talking.''
Matthew stood up and went to the kitchen to get something to drink for Ragnar when Lu started to talk.

''Man Ragnar, if you keep telling everything in such details, then you won't finish until next year.'' He turned towards Serenity before he continued. ''In short, the Santfei started a war with the humans and lost it. During the war, we thought that all of the Towan got killed. Since the spell, that connected the magic with us all was made by the Towans, it should have vanished when the last Towan died. But somehow we still were able to use magic. Something we couldn't explain to ourselfes until a few years ago. Though to be honest, until today no one really understands everything about it.'' As Ragnar finished drinking his water, he started to talk again.

''Well, when the war ended, not too many Santfei survived. To save those who were still living, our leader at the time, a Barn called Satan, offered the humans to show them how to use magic, if the humans in exchange would let us live. So the war ended and the Santfei started to hide themselves from the humans. Some just wanted to keep on living in peace and some, were looking for ways to get revenge. That is in short our history.''

Matthew was lost in thought and tried to process all the informations. ''Okay, lets say I believe what you just said, what I can't believe is, that you never were dicovered by humans again. How is that possible?''
Lu smirked before he started to answer. ''Because you humans are thinking so one dimensional. This spell that you like to use, to change a part of someones body into something incredibly stupid, have you never thought about, that it could be used more effectively?'' Lu jumped down from the couch, got rid of his clothes and started to concentrate. ''The lady should look away if she doesn't want to get blinded by such beauty.'' Ragnar opened his mouth and tried to stop Lu but Lu was faster. In front of their eyes Lu's body started to grow into the body of a male human. ''Tada, put some clothes on it and no one even looks at me.'' said Lu proudly.

''You are naked.'' said Ragnar as he put his face in his hands. ''Please excuse him, he doesn't know how to behave. Lu, could you please stop making a fool yourself and turn back into your normal form?''
 
Waving away his apology as if it would erase the very awkwardness the situation had created, Serenity rubbed at her shoulders again before composing herself. They had more important things to deal with at the moment, she needed to gather her remaining courage and work through it. After several deep breaths and some mental preparation, she finally joined the men in the other room and took her seat. She gave Matthew a small nod of thanks for the water, sipping at it and trying to settle down. She could do this.

The details Ragnar started to tell them made her head spin, so much information she could hardly absorb it all at once. Different races of creatures hidden among humanity, she could understand that much. That being where the stories of Satan had come from though, that was something she hadn't quite expected, although it made sense in its own twisted way.

"What are you doing?!" Still trying to catch up on everything she'd just been told, Serenity's eyes went wide as she shrieked. "You're naked--Stop that!" The glass was set on the table as her hands shot to her eyes, blocking out the form of the naked man quickly. At least when she'd seen Matthew half naked it wasn't a bad sight, it was--She cut the thought off abruptly as her cheeks heated up behind her hands, a groan audibly sounding. "Tell me when there's not a naked man in front of me, please."
 
''Damn, have you never heard something about the word warning?'' said Matthew towards Lu.
''Too much too handle right?'' answered Lu proudly, turned back into his normal form and put his clothes back on. ''Happy now? I am back to the way I used to be. Hey Ragnar, could you help me up on the couch, this thing is freaking huge.'' said Lu, standing right in front of it.
''After that stunt you pulled? See for youself how you get up here.'' Ragnar turned his face back to Serenity and Matthew as Lu once again jumped belly first on the couch. ''At least it is soft.''

''I hate to say it, but in the end he is right. The most of us are living in secret locations and the few, who go outside, get their body transformed to look like humans. That is the reason you never saw one of us. In fact, you were the first human since the end of the war, that we approached directly.'' continued Ragner their earlier topic.

It all made sense but Matthew still had trouble believing it. Looking over to Serenity, she seemed to understand just as much as he did.
''Alright, so you wanted to mention something about this last species, what was their name again?''

''Right, the Towans. Like Lu already explained, no one should be able to use magic since the first spell was connected to the Towans. If they cease to exist, the connection would be gone too. But even though the Towans were all killed during the war, everyone was still able to use magic. We were searching the whole world to find the last Towans but after a thousand years of searching, we gave up, we accepted that there are no more Towans and that we would never find out, why the connection to the magic was still active. That was until the organisation found you and your brother. We still have drawings of the Towans and know what they ...''

Ragnar stopped talking when he looked to Matthew who beacme completely pale and had his eyes wide open. ''I ... a brother?''
 
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"Too much weirdness to handle, more like it." Muttering the words quietly, Serenity peeked between her fingers once she had deemed it safe. Upon seeing Lu was back to his normal appearance, she relaxed in the seat even as she rolled her eyes. What an odd little creature. It was impossible not to chuckle when Ragnar refused to aid him, instead forcing him to fight his own way onto the couch to get comfortable.

"Towan." Repeating the word and trying to commit it to memory, Serenity picked her water back up and sipped more. Towans, and magic. They were the reason Matthew and her could use magic? But then that would mean Matthew was--She nearly dropped her glass, face paling just as Matthew's had. While his shock seemed to be more over having a brother, hers was focused on what sounded like the Santfei saying that Matthew was.. One of them? If he was, how did she fit into all of that? "He has a brother?" She finally managed the question, finishing her water and setting the glass back down.
 
Ragnar slowly continued after the color had returned to Serenitys and Matthews faces. ''Yes, a brother, his name is Max. This organisation, that we mentioned during our visit at the hospital, we received an information a little more than thirty years ago, that they found two kids. One, of the kids, already had a tattoo on his back and his eyes looked like they have been transformed right after his birth, the other had the look of a Towan, with blue skin and wings on his back. His eyes though were those of a human. His look and your eyes fit perfectly the old descriptions we still have about the Towans and we think, that either you or your brother are the ones, who are responsible that we all still can use magic. Maybe even both of you are responsible for it.''

Matthew exhaled loudly. ''Where is he?''

Ragnar bowed his head down and looked to the floor. ''As far as we know, after the organisation found you two, they seperated you from each other. Since your human side is more distinct, they gave you to foster parents and wanted to see, how you would develop. They kept your brother and made experiments on him. It seems, as if they also knew about the Towans and wanted to test his abilities. After ten years of being captivated, our top spy was able to infiltrate their hideout, saw Max and helped him to escape. He lived with us for a few years but his hate towards the humans already was so strong, that he left our hideout and started to live with other Santfei who still were looking for ways to get revenge against the humans.'' Ragnar took another sip of water before he continued.
''We never knew, where exactly you were though. It was, when you finished the academy, became a mage and were known as the young mage, that you caught our attention again. When we saw you, especially your eyes, we knew, who you are.'' Ragnar emptied his glass.
''We found that out, some years after he left us, so we are not even sure if he knows, who you are. We suspect that you and your brother, somehow are half Towan, though we got no clue how. There never was a romantic bond between a Santfei and a human as far as we are aware of. But who knows. In the end, you and your brother seem to be the one, who are keeping the connection to the magic still active. Since most of our life depends on magic, we of course have a great interest in keeping this connection alive. We started to observe you, so we could act in case that something happens to you.''

If the first revelations about the Santfei and the discovery of Serenitys tattoo wasn't already enough, the new informations about his brother took care, that Matthew no longer was able to concentrate on what Ragnar said. He had a brother somewhere. And he hated humans. Would his own brother hate him too, if they ever met? ''I think that is enough news for one day, I'm done, there is a lot I have to think about. You can sleep on the couch if you want.''
Exhausted he looked over to Serenity, longing too see something familiar. Seeing her right next to him calmed his thoughts down a bit. ''We should continue this conversation later, this is all a bit much at once.''

Ragnar stood up and Lu jumped from the couch. ''Thanks for the offer, but I don't think that I will fit on the couch. We will spend the night outside, we are used to be living outside and it is a clear night.''
''Do whatever you want.'' answered Matthew, too exhausted to really care.
Even Lu realised, that the atmosphere had changed and didn't made any new attempts to get closer to Serenity. ''Goodnight, until tomorrow.''
 
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Max.

She locked the name away in her mind for future, should they run into this brother of his. Knowing Matthew had taken a fair amount of adjusting as it was, but imagining someone with non human features, and likely the same powers as him.. That was just frightening. It was all so much. Bought by... One of the two men responsible for magic still existing? Was that what she was understanding? Her hands shook as she listened more, frowning at the mention of Max's treatments. She couldn't fault the man for hating humans, just like she hated almost every creature with animal features. Granted, that opinion seemed to be changing drastically lately, even if part of it was from fear to confusion. Lu and his perverted attitude certainly wasn't helping much, but Ragnar's logic and restraint of the littler man soothed her temper enough to keep the literal fires away.

Her hands were trembling by the time she noticed Matthew looking at her, her head tilting slightly even as she remained silent. Was he alright? Part of her mind had wandered during the conversation, trying to make sense of something, anything at all to clear the haze that had started to form. A startled look crossed her face as the two Santfei stood, her eyes moving between them and Matthew before she finally relaxed. Good, at least there would be some time to try and absorb everything without the two men right there watching them.

"Good night." She managed to gather her manners as the two men went outside, sighing deeply before getting up and slowly moving around the room. "Today has been.." She was at a loss for words for several seconds, turning to give him a somewhat helpless look. "Exhausting? Confusing? Terrifying? I don't even know what to describe it as, at this point. I feel like we could both sleep for a week, and still be confused." Still, they did need to sleep just to keep up strength. "Are you alright? I know that was a lot to take in."
 
Grabbing his empty glass, Matthew went to the kitchen and filled it up. He emptied it at once and filled it up once again. Was he alright? Definetly not. Two days ago he was living his life as he always did. His family was around him and everything was normal. But now ...

''I don't know how to feel to be honest.'' he answered to Serenity while he leaned with his arms against the counter and looked into the sink. ''It is a bit much right now. Do you believe what they told us?''

He emptied the second glass and placed it next to the sink before he turned back to Serenity and looked at her. ''I don't know what to do right now except, that I need a shower too.'' he said with a little smirk, trying to remove a bit of tension in this situation. Or maybe just from himself. ''I probably smell really bad right now.''
 
Hovering between rooms and leaning back against the wall, Serenity's hands clenched the bottom of her shirt as she nodded in understanding. It was overwhelming on its own, to learn these things, especially after what had happened in the last day. It was enough to drive anyone nearly mad, yet there they were, standing around trying to comprehend everything and go about life the best that they could.

"I mean.." She hesitated and then shrugged. "It makes sense, in a really, really weird way, but I don't know a lot about these things. I still can hardly believe that I can use magic, even if it seems to somehow be connected to you. None of that makes sense, but here we are, so who knows what else is true?" A soft snort of laughter escaped her, and she made a show of sniffing at the air before laughing again. "You're fine, but a shower would probably still be a good idea, if only to try and relax." She paused, looking around before sighing. "Why don't you do that, and I'm going to lay down for a bit. Not to sleep, just to think while you clean up."
 
He laughed a bit at her remark. ''You are too kind but you don't need to lie to me.'' he said smiling to her. She was right, nothing made sense right now and if he looks at all that happened since yesterday, he too didn't had too much trouble to believe the words of the Santfei. Slowly he started to walk towards the bathroom and stopped halfway. On all that happened since yesterday came the thing, that he liked Serenitys company. But isn't it weird that especially in this time, where nothing made sense, he felt the desire to be closer to her?

''I am really happy that you are here.'' Before he allowed his thoughts to travel further into this direction or would say something he would regret, he quickly went into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.
As soon as the water washed over his head and his shoulders, he felt himself relaxing. Trying to make sense out of this all at the same time wouldn't work. They needed to do one thing after another. So what could he do? Serenitys tattoo wasn't something, that worried him too much. He realised, that she of course would get one when she can use magic. That it is the same as his and that she can use magic so extraordinary well is nothing bad, quite the opposit. But he had to make sure, that she can control it. So the first thing would be, to train her.

But his top priority was Leta and Charles. Where could they be? Why wasn't Charles at the place where the accident happened? Who took him away? The only ones who could have done that, if it wasn't the Santfei, would be the ones who caused the crash. But who? This mysterious organisation?
And where would Leta go to, to look for Charles? He realised that he was lost in thought and didn't even put one bit of soap on his body. Quickly he washed himself with soap and finished the shower. The goosebumps he felt, as he stepped out of the shower was feeling good. At least something that still was normal.
 
"Oh." She gave him a surprised look, opening her mouth to respond, but the bathroom door had already closed. Well, there went that opportunity to express what was at least contentment over being together, if not even.. Happiness of her own. She wasn't happy about the situation itself, but being with Matthew over anyone else made it much easier to bear. When, if, things settled down, she could finally enjoy his company just for the sake of having it, and hopefully their lives would return to some semblance of normality.

With a shake of her head as she sprawled out on the bed, she combed her fingers absently through her damp hair and sighed. There had been so much sighing the last week, and especially the last day. Would it ever end? She laid there for some time just staring at the ceiling, arms draped over her stomach until she finally heard the shower shut off. She'd nearly fallen asleep, eyelids heavy as she shifted onto her side and curled up. A part of her was afraid to sleep, to be without her senses while the Santfei remained outside. The other half waited impatiently for Matthew to dress and come out so that she could soak up his warmth in the comfort of the bed. That wasn't too strange, right?
 
Shit!
Rushing into the bathroom, he had forgotten to grab his change clothes. Wrapping one of the towels around his waist, he went to the door and waited a moment. She already had seen him without of wearing a top, that wouldn't be weird. Would it? He would just have to go out, grab some of the clothes he placed next to the bed and return to the bathroom. It would be over before he could count to five.

Pushing down the handle of the door, he left the bathroom and went to the bedroom. She was lying on the bed and seemed to relax. Or was she asleep? He looked over to her until he saw her looking back to him. ''Sorry, I forgot the clothes. I just grab them real quick and return to the bathroom.'' He knew that he should hurry up but somehow he couldn't get his eyes away from her. When he finally snapped out of his daydream, he quickly grabbed a few clothes and returned to the bathroom, where he put the clothes back on.

Finally dressed he returned to her and laid down next to Serenity on the bed. ''How do you feel with this whole situation?''
 
Eyebrows went up in surprise as Matthew appeared in just a towel, eyes widening as they moved over his form without meaning to. From the bright, feline eyes that made his face so unique, down the bare, damp skin that was covered only partially by a towel. It seemed like they stared at each other for an eternity before Matthew finally moved again, and she groaned under her breath as he retreated. What the hell was wrong with them? With her, staring in what had probably been a very obvious way? By the time he came back out dressed, she had already discarded her bra and gotten more comfortable in the bed.

"I don't know." She shrugged, tucking her hands against her chest. "Confused. Scared. But I'm glad you're here with me, and it's not someone else." Granted, the situation would be completely different if she was with someone else, but despite the last twenty four hours, she was still likely safer than she would have been anywhere else. "I just want things to go back to normal. Or, at least, as normal as they were before that asshole showed up at the house for me and Leta, and I burned him." Oh, she had burned him good.
 
''Me too, I am happy that you are here. I don't know how to describe it, but I feel better, having you around. All of this would probably be too much normally, but when you are close, I somehow have hope, that we can make it. Somehow.'' She was so close to him, they shared a bed. One week ago, this would have been nothing he would even have thought about. But here they were. Not everything became worse. This at least is something. Something good.

Relaxing in the bed, he felt his eyes and his body getting heavy. ''I'll close my eyes for just a moment. Say ... would you ...'' he felt stupid, trying to ask her but he wanted her closer to himself. It happened more than once, that they were closer but they never really talked about it. It just happened. Asking her felt like a huge step for Matthew. ''... ehm ... could I maybe lay my arm around you? I like having you close.''
 
"I understand," She didn't try to deny it, or even look away despite the shy look on her face. "I don't understand why it feels like that, just that things seem less terrifying when you're here. When we're together." She could see the exhaustion he felt, almost feel it herself, and it was mirrored in herself. "It's late, I'm not going to blame you if you want to just sleep." They both needed it, and badly. "Would I...?" She gave him a curious look, watching the way he hesitated with a mixture of curiosity and a small amount of anxiety.

"Oh." Despite how they'd been so close the last day, she hadn't expected that as a request. "I can do that." There was barely a second of hesitation before she nodded firmly, inwardly cursing herself for how eager she had appeared in her agreement. Could anyone blame her for craving the comfort, though? Scooting closer to him, Serenity kept herself facing him out of habit. Needing to see who was around her was still an instinct, and she paused a couple of inches away before closing the distance the rest of the way.

"We can deal with everything in the morning. If the men outside are really our allies, then we should be safe, especially since we're in the middle of nowhere." That definitely helped to keep them away from any enemies who would come after them with intent to injure or kill. Waiting patiently for Matthew to situate himself, she settled in comfortably, almost embarrassed by how much she was savoring the contact. The warmth of his skin where it touched hers, the faint feel of magic between them. The smell of him, quickly becoming familiar and soothing. Even when he had fallen asleep wrapped around her, she laid awake listening to the sound of his heart beating where her head rested on his chest.

Why was it so soothing? Her mind warred with itself for some time, trying to understand how she had become so easily comforted by someone after such a short time. A man, no less. Yes, he had quickly shown that he wouldn't treat her poorly, even when she did poorly on tasks and struggled to learn new things. Yes, he had gone out of his way to buy her clothing, and to ensure that she had everything she needed, and even more than that, things she wanted. Without those things though, how would she feel? While the part of her that had fought so long, and so hard, to survive screamed she shouldn't trust him, the instinct to do just that overwhelmed it every time. For whatever reason, she could trust Matthew. He was safety, he was comfort. He was.. Something she couldn't describe, but something that she desperately clung to, yearned for.

The time passed mindlessly before Serenity finally disentangled herself from Matthew's arms, almost reluctantly, making her way to the kitchen for some water. She knew full well the two Santfei were outside, but there was almost something in the air, like she could sense them, rather than just knowing they were there. That thought was pushed to the back of her mind for the moment as she stood in the kitchen, sipping the water and running through the different thoughts in her head. They were muddled, each one screaming and clawing to be at the forefront over the others.

It was only after some time of struggling through them that she gave up, setting the glass aside before padding quietly back to the bedroom. It was quiet save for the sounds of nature outside and Matthew's even breathing, and she managed to slide back into the bed without waking him. Wedging herself back against his body was a bit more difficult, but she managed to get under his arm and lay her head back on his chest without more than a couple of sleepy noises from him. Only then, at last, was she able to sleep before the sun came up.
 
Next day

Leta
Slowly but surely Leta became impatient. She already lost a full day and didn't even got one step closer to finding Charles. At least the tattoo was still visible, so Matthew was still alive. When she reached Sophies apartment, she was looking forward to the distraction, the breakfast would offer. She knocked harder on the door than she wanted to, patience never was a virtue of Leta and this whole situation didn't made it easier.

It was Rick who opened the door and when he stepped aside, Leta saw Trevor sitting at the table. Sophie was in the kitchen and made no attempt to greet Leta, she didn't even looked at her. What is going on here?

Trevor was still as ugly as she remembered him, maybe even more but Leta tried to put a smile on her face, in the end it is a good thing that he already is back. But that although meant, that she had to try and be nice to him, she still needed his help. When she stepped into the apartment and Rick closed the door behind her, Trevor stood up and went towards her. ''My jackal, it is so good to see you. I heard that you are here, so I came back as quickly as I could.'' When he was in front of her, he hugged her and Leta tried desperately to stay calm and not push him away but she didn't returned the hug, hearing him calling her jackal again send a shiver down her spine.
''You look as beautiful as I remember you Leta, even more. Life was good to you I assume?''
''Hello Trevor, you look ... also just as I remember you.'' said Leta when they both went to the table and sat down. Sophie came over and placed a mug with coffee in front of both, still avoiding to look into Letas face. But Leta was too excited as that she thought further about it. Maybe she just didn't liked her future father in law and having him around made her uncomfortable. Something she could understand.

''Sophie already told me that you found a new home at one of these magicians, impressive Leta. Is he treating you right?'' asked Trevor.
Leta didn't came here for smalltalk, and she had no interest in telling Trevor anything about her life. ''Listen Trevor, I need your help. A dear friend of mine was involved in a car crash, two days ago and went missing since. I was hoping that you could help me finding him. I know that you always know what is going on in the city. Please Trevor, I wouldn't ask for your help if it wouldn't be necessary. He may be hurt or worse. Time is essential right now.''

Trevor looked towards Leta and went silent for a moment. ''You mean that big guy right? This friend of yours, what was his name again? Charles ... Charles Wanston?'' Letas eyes became wide, he knew about Charles? Has he observed her all this time? Before she could reply something, Trevor continued, ''You know, when this man showed up here and asked for my help to get rid of someone, I already wanted to send him away but when he mentioned who the person is, he wants me to get rid of ... I saw a possibility coming up that I couldn't refuse. In the end the man only mentioned this magician, what happens to his driver ... well'' Trevor started to grin and slowly shook his head. ''oh Leta, you really should take more care with what persons you are living.''

Leta couldn't believe what she was hearing, Trevor was responsible for the car crash? It were his guys who crashed into Charles car? Her hands became fists but once again Trevor continued before she could do something. ''Of course I help you Leta, in fact, I already did.''

Rick, who was still standing at the front door opened it again and another guy came in, pushing a wheel chair in front of him. Charles, who was sweating and nearly unconcious was sitting in the wheelchair. Leta jumped up and to Charles. ''Oh Charles, can you hear me? Charles?'' As she touched his face, he felt like he was burning, he wasn't even able to keep his eyes open for longer than a second. His body was wrapped up in bandages which already were dirty or started to get red from his blood.

She turned around to Trevor. ''You monster, that was all you? You will regret this, I will make you regret this.'' She stepped towards him but Rick stood himself in her way. From behind Rick she heard Trevors voice. ''Leta, Leta, Leta. Especially you should know, that I ALWAYS get what I want! So calm down and sit your ass on that chair before I tell my guys to bring your big toy back into his cell and forget about him.'' Leta became pale, realising that she had no other choice but to sit down. From the corner of her eyes she saw Sophie, silent tears were running down her face while she looked towards Leta. She grabbed a knife from the drawer in the kitchen and held it in front of her but Leta shook her head and Sophie laid it back down on the counter.

She looked at Trevor who smiled happily to her, satisfied about the stunt he pulled. ''What do you want from me?'' asked Leta, putting all the disgust she felt for Trevor into her voice.
Trevors smile became even brighter, ''Finally you understand Leta. It is simple, really simple. I want ... you. Thats all, I let your toy go and in exchange, you remain here. It is up to you but you should hurry with your decision, for some reason your toy looks like, he won't make it much longer.''

Even if she would have tried, there was no way for Leta to describe how she felt in this moment. Angry? Hurt? Alone? Sad? A tear ran down her face as she looked to Charles, who was more gone than here. ''I will kill you, as soon as I get the chance Trevor. You are not even a human being you piece of shit. Let him go, I stay.'' she let her head sink down as the last words left her mouth.

Suddenly she heard a metalic sound and felt a tight grip around her throat. She tried to push it away but the man behind her was too much for her. As he stepped back, she still felt the tight grip around her neck but at least she was able to breath. Then she heard a *click*. They put a god damn collar around her neck. The man behind her went to Trevor and gave him a small key as well as a chain. She saw that the chain led to her collar.

''You would run away as soon as you could, so I have to be on the safe side.'' said Trevor with a victorious smile on his face. ''And now bring her toy outside, I don't want to hear, that I am not a man of my word. Drop him somewhere at a street.''
Letas eyes became wide again, ''He needs a hospital Trevor.''
Trevor pulled with all of his strength at the chain which led to Leta falling from the chair and onto the floor. ''You have no saying here. I said I let him go and now I even bring him outside since he can not even go. I think that is very generous of me.'' He stood up and looked down to Leta lying on the floor. ''This is gonna be so good, Jackal.'' Rick stood next to him and Trevor put his hand on his sons shoulder. ''You did a good job son, I am proud of you. One day you will become a great leader of this place.''
Rick smiled at the words of his dad.
 
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Matthew

The sun was already flooding the bedroom with its warm light when Matthew opened his eyes. Serenity was lying next to him, her head snuggled up against his chest, still asleep. He closed his eyes again and thought about the events from yesterday. The Santfei were a thing and there was nothing he could do about that. So they went to the bottom of his list. As long as they don't become a threat, they would just be there.

Serenitys newly discovered abilties on the other hand, needed attention. He felt that she was unsure about, what that all means. If she would be able to control them, it could maybe ease her mind a bit. Normally that would require some time but the way she used her spells yesterday impressed him a lot. She seemed to be controling them instinctively, which was a good thing. But he had to make sure, that she wouldn't do something, that she would regret later on. He started to smirk when he thought back to the day, he met her and the shoes she had thrown at him. It felt like so long ago but in fact, it happened just a week ago. He would probably be nothing more than a crisp, if she then would already have ben able to cast lightning bolts. Lucky for him, she only seemed to be able to do that, when they touched each other. Matthew didn't knew why it was this way but there always was something happening, when they were so close to each other.

Not only did his heart start to beat faster and he felt a longing to stay by her side. It felt intense in the best way. Could there even be an reasonable explanation for that all? He had no clue.

But even with her being so close, he felt that something was missing. His family, Leta and Charles. Where should he start with his search for them? Serenity snuggled herself closer to him and he laid his arm back around her, letting his hand rest on her back. He looked to her but she still seemed to be asleep. It all was so surreal but at the same time, he knew that he was exactly where he should be.

He had a brother and he wanted to meet him, if it was true. But this would have to wait, there were things he had to do first. Lifting his head up, he gave Serenity a kiss on her head. It was no conscious decision to do it, he just did it. As soon as it was over, he wondered about himself. It felt just right but why did he do it? Lucky for him, Serenity really seemed to be a sleep. She would surely kick him out the bed if she knew what he just did. Before he could do anything else, he carefully removed himself from Serenity and placed a pillow in her arms. Her eyes were still closed, that was good.

Relived, he first went into the bathroom were he washed himself before he went to the kitchen and prepared everything for coffee. Ragnar and Lu came to his mind but he decided that they could wait a bit longer before he goes out and looks for them.
 
"Hurry up, get in here before they see you!" Hushed giggles filled his ears, a thrill rushing through his body as he slipped through the door and shut it with a quiet click. Standing there for several seconds with his ear pressed to the door, it was only when he was satisfied with the silence that he turned on the source of the giggling. A grin was spread over the woman's face as she pulled him from the door, barely containing her joy as hands worked at his shirt. Slender fingers worked as frantically as his large ones did, intent on removing every piece of clothing between them until there was nothing but bare skin to gaze at.

Hushed words of affection, sweat glistening on skin as the bed rocked beneath the two bodies. Even as the sun threatened to come up and their breathing was no longer frenzied, he made no effort to leave her bed. Their time together, as limited as it was, brought him such joy that he could hardly bear to leave even with the risk of being caught growing stronger with each hour.

"My woman." He gave a grunt of satisfaction, rolling onto his side and tugging her close. "My pride, my joy. One day I will have you at my side all of the time, with no fear of anyone, or anything harming you." Tucking back her damp hair, he gazed into those bright eyes with complete adoration. "I love you, my woman."


"Dammit." Cursing profusely as he stared at his outstretched hand, the man flexed his fingers before slowly dropping it. She was, as always, long gone from his reach, lost to the world where he couldn't find her. "Elena. My Laney." Throwing the sheets off the bed with an aggravated growl, he stared down at his very long, very human legs. "Every bloody time." Every time he had the dreams, his body reverted to the form he had taken for some time. Granted, he spent more time in that form than not some years, but it was always out of his control when he had the dreams.

Where was she, the only woman he had ever truly loved? Nearly three decades spent searching, and he had yet to find her. Somewhere, someday, he would meet her again. Swinging his legs off the bed, the large man stood and moved in search of clothing, pulling on a pair of jeans and a loose shirt before leaving his home. The gentle breeze of the morning greeted him, a sigh carried through the air as he cracked his neck.

"Dreamin' about that damn human again, aye?"

"Watch your tongue, or lose it."
 
SERENITY:

The smell of coffee woke her slowly, and she groaned unhappily upon realizing she was wrapped around a pillow instead of a body. Instead of Matthew's body. The absence left her feeling cold despite the warmth of the bed, and as she released the pillow and rolled over, she huffed irritably. Morning had come around before she knew it, and the few hours of sleep she had gotten weren't nearly enough to leave her as rested as she needed. The smell of the coffee wafting through the air finally forced her from the bed, finding her bra and putting it on before wandering from the room.

"Mornin'." Her voice was rough as she cleared her throat, rubbing at her eyes as she spotted Matthew. Still sleepy as she went into the room, she inhaled when she got close to the coffee and sighed. "Thank god, I feel like I haven't slept in a week." Making sure it was fully done before taking her cup, she sipped it slowly and nodded her head in thanks. "You talked to the two outside yet today?"
 
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