'Mine' was still a fairly new word, still foreign on their tongues. It had only been 'Ours' for so long. Our mother, Our father, Our twin, only Ours. But as the years slipped by, it shifted and evolved, a living thing they were nurturing. The knives were not Ours, but not Yours. They were more Vax's than Vex's, but they were still shared if necessary, the weapons longer lasting than the flimsy arrows that were Vex's first attempts at making her own. Then there was Trinket. The first use of Yours. The first major division in what had been a cohesive joined unit.

"Trinket is just yours."
Vex looked at Vax. Vax looked at Vex.
They had been apart for too long, Vax now standing an inch taller than his twin, a purpling bruise marring his jaw. He looked tired, but determined, eyes never wavering from hers. Vex supposed she was different too, fingers hardened and calloused now, more tired than she had been. But stronger too. They were no longer the angry and frightened children they had been and yet the scars from events long past still lingered.

"Mine?" Vex said, the word strange. It applied to other people, not Them, never Them and yet…
"Yours," Vax confirmed, voice flat but his hand shook almost imperceptibly as he looped his fingers through hers. Trinket bumped his head against the back of her legs, causing her to stumble and Vax caught her. Trinket may be just Hers, but the twins were still Them. They could stay like this for a little while longer.

The line got blurred the older they got: Trinket is YoursMine, this necklace is MineYours, that explosive is YoursMineOurs. Vax grew some more, now two inches above Vex and their days of seamlessly swapping was lost as they hardened and softened in different ways. Now it took planning, a cunning mind and a detailed knowledge of the other. It was doable, just more complicated.

»»-►

Hours slipped by like treacle, the summer heat beating everyone into submission. Vox Machina, terror of those with evil intentions in their hearts, hid in the relative coolness of their stone keep, seeking company but unable to speak. The twins lounged in one of the recesses of the dining hall, skin sticky where they brushed together but desiring each other's company never the less. It was strange to see how far they had come from the unwanted bastard children they had been, less Ours, more Mine, but they had a larger group, more Ours between Them and Others. Vax shifted to lightly rest his head on Vex's shoulder, the touch feather light as their eyes roamed over their companions.

Grog was bare chested as usual, trousers slung low on his hips as he lay spread eagled the cool stone floor. His chest barely moved as he breathed, eyes closed and lids fluttering as he dreamed. Sweat caused his skin to glisten invitingly and the twins shifted, weighing up the reward with the cost of heat and found it wanting. Their gazes dropped them to Pike lying curled up at Grog's side, her small form almost hidden in the slight shadow the Goliath cast. She had slowly rotated around him over the course of the last few hours, trying to avoid the harsh glare of the sun. She looked strangely delicate without her armour and their fingers ached with the desire to touch and push, to mark up her sweat covered skin.

Scanlan was also watching Pike, they noticed, the gnome shifting the longer the twins stared, drawing their eyes to him. His dark hair was plastered to his head, an empty jug lying next to him as he rested next to a bench, rivulets of water running down his neck to pool in his collarbones. He was only in his white undershirt, exposed and inviting without his doublet. Vax let out a long sigh, his breath soft and almost unpleasantly warm against Vex's neck. She let out a quiet grumble, barely more than a vibration in her throat and twitched her shoulders, successfully dislodging her twin from his resting place and he joined her, head resting against the cool stone.

Tiberius seemed to be the only one enjoying this break from the normal tumultuous skies and stormy weather. His scales seemed to shine brighter than ever, scored clean from all dirt and scrapes he had accumulated over their previous adventure, bathing the walls in a ruddy scarlet light, reminiscent of faded blood. The dragonborn lounged atop one of the tables, scales faintly rasping against the wood as he shifted slowly, soaking in the heat, eyes half lidded and primal. It was the sound of rain that drew their attention to Keyleth, the half elf curled up in a small alcove opposite them, face flushed and red, hair sticking to her face as she twirled one finger, a small rainstorm erupting over her head. She raised her face into the downpour, a soft gasp spilling from her lips and the twins' hearts thudded in their chest, lungs crying out for the breath she stole from their lungs.

Movement at the doors caught their eyes and they turned to see Percy, half stagger into the room, bare to the waist save a leather apron. His eyes were concealed behind a set of heavy googles, soot and dirt smearing his forearms. He moved cautiously, a livid burn standing out in sharp contrast on his shoulder. A soft noise escaped the twins, the urge to wrap around and protect burning fiercely in their chests, but Pike moved first. Sarenrae's divine light spilled from her fingers as she moved towards him, Grog cracking open an eye to watch her go, relaxing back into the floor when he saw Percy, hand uncurling from the handle of his axe.

"The forge was a bad idea huh?" she asked, nudging him onto a nearby bench, the twins tilting their heads in unison to admire the hard lines of his form, to monitor the pain creasing his brow.
"Feels as hot down there as it does in here," Percy said, biting back a groan as Pike wrapped her hands around his arm, head falling back against the table with a thud.
"You missed us," Grog laughed, slowly rising to a sitting position, a mountain shifting positions. Scanlan whistled once, a quick sly thing he normally directed at tavern maids, tired laughter erupting from his chest as Grog flexed, muscles rippling. Keyleth hid her grin behind her hand, nose crinkling as she fought down the peals of laughter lurking just below the surface.

They weren't what the twins had expected, hadn't expected to fall in love with a single person outside of Us, let alone a group. The itch was still present, and would likely never to go away, the artifact of a childhood invisible to the naked eye. And the group, Vox Machina, their family, didn't mind. They didn't mind the days were Vax dressed like Vex or Vex like Vax or both like the other so they couldn't be told apart. They didn't mind the kisses the twins pressed to jawbones, to cheeks, to the palms of hands in the heat of battle or in the calm of safety.

Percy may be engaged to Vex, and Vax to Keyleth to the eyes of the outside world but how could they not share? What was Vax's belonged equally to Vex, and what Vex had Vax also had. They were Ours before they were YoursMine. Vax learnt how to kiss Percy, how to bite at his neck until his skin purpled and his voice cracked and broke. Vex learnt how to bite Keyleth and soothe the skin, draw the druid out of her own head until the woman was like putty in her hands, loose and pliable. The twins loved fiercely and with every fibre of their being. Vex tried her hardest to keep the group out of the gutter she was so familiar with, lounging against the furnace that was Grog in the dark winter nights, feet jammed into Trinket's thick fur as she poured over the ledgers, hunting and searching for more coin to keep their heads far above the water. Vax moved faster than he thought possible, taking blows meant for Pike, meant for Scanlan on his own skin and flesh, seeing the blood splatter onto the ground and feeling rejoice. He could take it, would take it, so they didn't have to have one more moment of pain.

Vox Machina was Ours, always and forever and that was never going to change.

((This took a complete U turn from my original idea but I'm happy with it :) please leave a review and let me know what you think!))