Damn. His partner's back was turned, unable to see the Antler Beak charging right up on him. Alvin could feel his Lilium Orb shine, but he ignored it as he raised his gun, two well placed shots putting the monster down for good. Lazily, he lifted it over his shoulder, taking in the man he had linked with for this mission, watching him saw off the last Buzzard Talon the client had asked for before cleaning his daggers and sheathing them. Good honest mercenary work was harder than he thought, Alvin reflected as he felt the weight of the link between them, a precaution until they returned to Xian Du. He had to research each job carefully, make sure there wasn't anything behind it other than simply a task that they couldn't do themselves. No political gain, no attempt to harm another, just something that had to be done. It was exhausting, and he had turned down more jobs than he wanted to.

The other mercenary eyed him, and Alvin gave him a lazy smile in return. He knew his reputation, and he knew it well. Working with another usually got these kind of looks, the wary kind where he knew they were wondering where Alvin was looking to stick the knife. It had gotten too tiring to explain he had put that behind him, so he tried to prove it with his actions now. Though, he thought ruefully, not like he hadn't given them all the reason in the world not to trust him. Him helping to find a way for Elympios to live again and his role in dissolving the Schism was ignored when the fact he had been part of Exodus, and had tried to kill Milla Maxwell once came out. Funny how that worked.

"I've heard you spend a lot of time in Fennmont," he heard the mercenary say suddenly. "Some say you have a girl there."

A snort worked it way out of Alvin's throat. "You wouldn't be completely wrong," he told him vaguely. Somebody, at least. A spot on his forehead warmed, and a soft smile found itself on his lips. "Why, you want to go back alone and take all the reward?"

He bristled, anger spilling off of him speaking of him ready to punch Alvin any second now. "I'm not-"

"Relax." Alvin waved a lazy hand. "Not like I don't know you're pretty jumpy around me. I'm guaranteed a cut of that anyway. Just be careful; you're pretty careless about watching your
back." Without looking to see what the reaction would be, he turned towards Fennmont, waving a hand. "See ya."

The shift into the night clime of Fennmont never stopped unnerving him. While the clime itself started to become quietly beautiful and less gilded the more he visited, he couldn't adjust to the shift. Thankfully, once he was in, Alvin could quickly navigate into the city proper. Here, some of the students actually greeted him, knowing his name. He absently lifted a hand in return, then smiled as he saw a familiar woman. "Prinn! Haven't see you in forever."

She turned slightly, a small start of remembered panic crossing her eyes before she schooled her features. A bond they share, Alvin thought cynically, one of betraying those who trusted them. And like him, she was trying to atone for what she had done, for the information she had leaked as well as the lack of help that could have saved Agria. "I didn't know you were going to be in Fennmont today. Does Jude know?"

"Nah." Alvin winked at her, trying to put his intentions into the gesture. "Just got done with a job near here and my next one isn't for a while. Thought I'd surprise him. He in today?"

"I just saw him return to his apartment," came her cautious reply. But she had relaxed a bit, seeing why he was there. "He should be there all night. How is... have you heard from Leia recently?"

Once a week, at least. "She's been talking about wanting to visit once she gets a day off." Prinn wasn't the only one keeping in touch with the spunky girl, and he saw the conflicted feelings cross her face. The need to apologize crossed with guilt, familiar and hard. "Hey. It gets easier. Just got to accept responsibility for it and keep moving."

Prinn looked at him, then rolled her eyes. "Shouldn't you be heading to Jude's apartment?"

To that, he laughed, giving her a small salute. "See you later, Prinn."

Jude was in. The words hastened his steps, warmth building in his chest as his legs swung up the steps swiftly. Doors passed by him in a blur until the number he needed stopped him, and he rapped his knuckles against the wood. Last time, Jude had been at a talk with Gaius in Kanbalar, and he had to leave before he returned. Alvin knocked again, wondering if Prinn had told him that just to make him leave her when the door creaked open, and an exhausted Jude clothed in sleeping clothes glared at his chest.

"What do you-" Then he turned his face up, and those golden eyes widened. "Alvin! What are you doing here? You didn't say you were going to be in town."

He shrugged. "Job finished early."

Jude stared at him for a moment, his tired brain clicking to put things together before stepping back to let him in. Alvin nodded to the spyrite on her perch, watching Jude walk over to pet Aska in comfort. Damn, he pushed himself too hard again. Traveling during the day, fighting too many monsters, not sleeping enough... There was only so much Aska could do for him. "I really need to go to bed," Jude started apologetically before he stopped him, hand touching his burning cheek.

"If you're going to go somewhere, you should really do it in a way that doesn't make your body stress like this," Alvin told him seriously. "You're burning up."

Jude sighed, leaning into the touch. "I'm tethered to Aska, and I'm going to get sleep. I don't-"

"Bullshit." Alvin pulled his hand away so he could shrug out of his jacket, loosening his scarf. "Come on, doctor. If I'm right, this is going to knock you out anyway and you'll wake up less cranky."

Golden eyes widened. "I'm not cranky!"

Alvin chuckled, leading him into the bedroom. "Less sexually frustrated, then. Come on, come have dinner."

Jude grumbled at that, but he leaned slightly into Alvin's touch. When he bent down to kiss him, Jude reached up to slide his hands through his hair. The scarf slithered to the floor, joined soon by both their shirts. Alvin toyed with his neck a little, giving it little love bites that echoed those given to him. Except his only gave bruises and didn't break the skin, though Jude found himself trying to hide some of the more conspicuous ones later. Gently, he sat down and pulled the young doctor into his lap, fingers dipping under the band of his pants. Alvin knew the main event was going to have to wait until Jude was fully awake, but as he tilted his head, his hands pulling his hips closer, it didn't really matter right now. Then pain lanced through him as he felt Jude break through skin, his hips rolling against Alvin's almost reflexively as he lapped at his throat. One hand pulled itself away from Jude's ass, coming to push down the front of his pants to grip him firmly, pumping in an urgent rhythm. It never failed to interrupt Jude's concentration, making him breathe heavily against Alvin's neck as his hands gripped his upper arms. Then he licked his throat again, shakily, the temperature of his tongue lowered from scorching to merely burning. His warm cheek pressed against Alvin's as he tried to drink a little more, then gave up, lifting bloody lips to Alvin's. The kiss was scattered, needy, uneven as Jude started to gasp, his limbs trembling, pulling Alvin closer as pleasure spun thinner and thinner until-

It broke, climax spilling over him as he gripped Alvin tightly. He kissed Jude's neck, still moving his hand until he felt his grip loosen. With one gentle arm, he laid a drowsing Jude out on the bed, being careful not to let the hand covered in fluid touch anything. An amused snort tried to work its way out of his throat as he realized he knew exactly where the washcloths were, not to mention the first aid kit when Jude passed out like this after. He made sure his hand and Jude were clean first, adjusting the doctor's pants and pulling the blanket up as he heard the snores fall softly from his lips.

It was almost domestic.

The next morning, Jude woke up to Alvin holding him tightly, an erection pressed firmly against his ass. Alvin woke to Jude kissing him, already straddling him needily. His lips curled in a smile as he stroked a hand across his back, getting a breathy groan in response.

"I was too tired to fully enjoy it last night," Jude informed him, hands going to his pants. Alvin's eyebrow raised as Jude started to pull them down, then grinned wolfishly as he lifted his hips to aid in removing them. The other's pants were stripped just as quickly, and Alvin's hand blindly reached for the nightstand. The bottle of oil had to be- there. He dropped one hand, lightly teasing the tight hole with a dry finger. Jude groaned, pressing back into the touch. "Alvin, just- fuck me already. Stop-"

Alvin continued to rub him lightly, not entering him. Not yet, not like this, not dry. "You want to be on top or hands and knees?"

He shuddered at the question, breath tumbling out shakily as lashes closed over golden eyes. "Hands- hands and knees."

The hand lifted, tangling in that dark hair as he kissed him. "Then get off me and assume the position."

Jude could not comply faster. The sight made Alvin swallow, his eyes watching as Jude pressed his forehead against the bed, trembling slightly with need. "You still tethered with Aska?"

"Y-yeah. Alvin..."

Oil spread easily onto his fingers, and eased the way in. A shaking breath escaped Jude's lips as Alvin's fingers worked in and out, curling slightly as he came close to where he knew that spot was, that little knot where Jude would- His head suddenly came up as his fingers pressed into it, gasping. He pushed back with a whine, fingers knotting in the bed sheet. Yeah, that was enough for Alvin to want it, for him to pull his fingers out and slick oil onto himself, pressing in with a groan. Even after taking care of the burn, Jude was always so hot. So good. He gripped Jude's hip as he started to move, eyes closing slightly. It started slowly, he had to, he didn't want to just fuck him wildly without worrying about Jude-

Who was gasping and pressing his head against the bed. "Deeper," he moaned, his fingers convulsing on the sheets. "Deeper, Alvin. Harder."

Well, who was he to ignore that? Alvin snapped his hips forward sharply, pulling Jude closer to him, getting a pleasured cry in return. Each push of his hips earned him a loud cry, until finally Alvin leaned forward and wrapped his hand around Jude, hand stroking quickly until he cried out loudly, nearly screaming as he came. Finally done, Alvin thrust a few more time then followed, a harsh grunt escaping his throat. Limbs unable to hold himself up anymore, Jude fell onto his side, breaths coming quickly and harshly. Carefully, Alvin brushed his cheek, relaxing as he felt merely warmth instead of a burn. Tethering to Aska during sex was definitely the way to go.

"Good morning. I don't know about you, but I could go for breakfast now," Alvin told him, getting a laugh and a swat from Jude in return.

It was during dinner Jude turned quiet, reflective. The day had been pretty normal, with Jude doing his research and Alvin occasionally distracting him with kisses, groping, and once pressing his mouth against the line of his cock through his pants, turning his chair away from the desk to suck him off. But now-

"You're thinking about her, aren't you." It wasn't even going to be a question, not anymore.

"I miss her," Jude confessed. "I know she's not dead, but it... it's almost like she is. We can't see her anymore, can't visit her."

The warmth on Alvin's forehead returned, burning gently. "I know. I miss her too, kid. You're not the only one that loved her. We all did."

Jude looked at him, golden eyes so sharp, as if he could look right through him. That's always how it was, wasn't it? Jude could always look through the masks. But this time, there were no masks, honesty in every word. Finally, he nodded, going back to his food.

"You're going to leave tomorrow. You have a job lined up somewhere."

He shrugged. "Gotta try to do this thing called an honest living. And anyway, you actually have to get some research done and not get fucked by me all day. Not saying that wouldn't be fun, but I think you actually want to keep your funding."

Jude blushed at that. "That- well-"

Alvin leaned in, lowering his voice as if there was another person that could overhear them. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you blow a day off to spend it in bed with me," he told him, watching the blush crawl further down his neck and across his ears before Jude smacked him again.

Jude had to go out that next day. The materials he needed were in the library, and he would have to run a few experiments with Aska. Even though he had been tethered to Aska as soon as he had figured out it would help control the burn, there was still a lot he didn't know about spyrites, and about Aska. As he watched Jude leave, Alvin leaned against the door frame. The kid had grown up a lot since he first met him. Hell, so had he. Never thought he would have ended up here, working honest work, owning up to everything he had done, and having a steady lover. He pushed off the frame, pulling out the spare key Jude had given him so he could lock up.

Something made him stop. A feeling. He turned, looking out the hallway. The window looking out... the light seemed dimmer. Like something was interfering with the mana. Alvin stepped closer, then stopped. He reached up, hand going right through the comforting sensation of being held. Warmth blossomed on his forehead again, a kiss not remembered this time. He laughed softly, head tilting back.

"I think we both know," he told the new spirit Maxwell. "Don't worry about us."

He felt a soft burn reborn spread through his chest as he turned back, locking the door deftly then moving to leave. But he felt the comforting presence the whole time, knowing Jude would too. Knowing that even now, she would still be watching over them, making sure they would be okay.

It would all be okay.

A/N: Thank you, everyone that's read this, commented, favorited, added to alerts... It means a lot that you've been reading. Thank you so much.