Well I hope you guys are proud of me. If you will notice I have updated, pretty damn quickly this time! And you should expect another update soon as it's the christmas holidays so I have no excuse not to write like crazy ^^
Also I'd just like to give a big thank you to each and every one of you who have read this fic, and have stuck with it despite my terrible upload timing. It's thanks to you that The New War has reached over 5000 views, it means a lot to me. So thank you all for being so fantastic x
I hope you enjoy this next chapter :)
oOo.
Leaving Blizzarus had been fairly easy, only the odd zombie needed a blade pierced through it's brain on the way back. Aerrow had been silent for the duration, a silence that Dark Ace mirrored.
Now the moon stood tall and proud in the twinkling night sky, and the two survivors were in the safety of Gale's hut. As they landed on the tiny Terra they had found a wind blowing with a chilling sting when it touched their skin. So the minute they got in, a fire was lit and the two spent some time crouched in front of it, savouring the warmth's gorgeous glow as they were greatful for finally being off Blizzarus and it's many nightmarish surprises.
Dark Ace stood, bent over a pitiful excuse for a television as he fiddled around with the wiring and crystals at the back of it. Nights together planning destinations and crystals were starting to get bland to say the least, and another night of sporting competition would only lead to disastrous exhaustion again. So the Talon decided he would have a go at fixing another means of entertainment, especially since a few videos had been found.
The man's cursing was not exactly faint, so they served as a silence breaker for Aerrow as he sat filled with melancholy in a steaming bath. He barely even managed to wash the blood out of his hair, the memories that lead to grim emotions brought his very actions to a hault.
His emerald eyes stared off into the water, although they were not focusing on anything in particular. He felt so empty, and he wasn't sure why. She'll be back in your arms in no time, he constantly reminded himself, but the grief of her 'funeral' had stalked him to his small yet safe haven. He wasn't even sure if this sudden depression increase was because he missed her, this seemed somewhat different but he couldn't fathom why.
"Alright, fuck yeah!" Dark Ace exclaimed as the screen actually began to show signs of life. The channels were dead, but with zombies ruling the streets it was to be expected.
Aerrow heard a knock on the door, "Hey I got the T.V working if you're interested?"
The teen sighed at his partner, and gave a "Great," which lacked any enthusiasm. He dragged his feet out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, and to his surprise Dark Ace was sat with a movie on, a movie that he had seen before with the Storm Hawks.
"I've seen this before."
"You have?" Dark Ace turned, lacking any hostility that Aerrow once recognised. The Sky Knight however, did not mirror his expression and merely nodded with a frown to answer his question. "Oh for the love of God cheer up will you?" He sighed slouching his shoulders as he tired of the red head's new glum appearance.
"Why do you care?"
"You're no fun like this, can you imagine me battling you with a face like that? Where is the excitement?"
Aerrow answered back with a bit of a scowl as he sat down opposite the chipped table, "We're not enemies now."
"No shit. But it's the same thing, I've got to live with you till this is all over so crack a fucking smile will you?"
Aerrow didn't even respond, just felt his teenage angst towards this cocky Cyclonian bubbling up inside of him again. The Cyclonian in question noticed his distaste for the conversation, so he sighed with sincerity and turned the volume down. "I know what it's like...to lose people that you care about. But I don't think you deserve to be upset about it, you should be greatful that you have the opportunity to get them back."
Emerald met crimson as Aerrow thought about what he said. "I mean...I've lost someone to the zombies too, and reminding myself that I can bring her back is mainly why I haven't burnt down half of the Atmos by now." Surprisingly Aerrow couldn't help but release a chuckle at the Talon's dark humour. Dark Ace's eyes lit up and he grinned proudly at the fact that he'd managed to make another human being smile, although Aerrow returned to his former state just as quickly.
"If I tell you a secret, will you try and lighten up?" Dark Ace bargained.
Aerrow contemplated for a moment, then realised that if they did infact start swapping things, then no doubt they'd get closer, and seeing Dark Ace as...some what of an actual friend would help put his mind at ease. "OK deal."
He took a deep breath, as if he were about to reveal the secret to Cyclonia's downfall to his greatest enemy. That statement was half true, hence his hesitation. "The person I'm fighting to bring back...isn't Master Cyclonis."
Aerrow's eyes almost popped out of his head, how could that be true? Dark Ace, who is basically known as Cyclonis' lap dog, isn't focusing on her? Didn't the world revolve around that spiteful teenager on Cyclonia? "Huh? Then who?!" He didn't intend to sound so forthright, but he was curious, Aerrow had never considered his crimson eyed foe to hold a large amount of emotions concerning other people, if not any.
Dark Ace looked away well aware that Aerrow was reacting exactly like anyone else would, and if a Cyclonian found out that his loyalty was beginning to lie with the wrong female...well all Talon's knew what awaited the rare fools on the black Terra who actually tried to take a chance at the whole...relationship and love thing. He exhaled heavily as he exercised the heavy strain this burden had been giving him "...Ravess..."
"Ravess?" Dark Ace glanced his way and was surprised to find a big goofy grin had curled onto Aerrow's face. "Wait so were you guys like dating or something?"
The Talon's cheeks tinted a shade of pink much to his dismay, "What?! No! Nothing like that! We just uh...I mean I don't know...I told you the secret let's just end the conversation there OK?!"
Seeing the Dark Ace like this, Aerrow couldn't help but smile, the conversation had indeed been refreshing.
The gusty wind outside was beginning to form into a bit of a storm, and before bedtime the two had to spend an hour forcing the windows closed and eventually binding them shut. Although the wind and rain continued to give the Terra Gale windows quite the battle.
Dark Ace and Aerrow lay in bed together once again, only now they hid under the covers like it were a pitiful fort against the freezing atmosphere that had invaded the room.
"It's so cold," Aerrow shivered through gritted teeth.
Dark Ace who was only in his boxers and a T-shirt answered as he rubbed his arms, "Guess the rebel ducks don't have central heating."
The Storm Hawk scoffed, "Who's fault is that?"
The dark haired man bared a cheeky grin, "True, no wonder they throw the kitchen sink at us."
The bedroom window trembled as a gust of wind roared outside, pelting the thin glass with rain. The two instinctively huddled up closer, with the strongest will to avoid any body parts sliding out from under the blanket. The next thing they knew, they were so close their noses were touching. Crimson and emerald stared at each other in silence, unsure exactly what to make of all this, the teen finally said with a humoured tone, "It's like the longer we spend together, the more uncomfortable things get." Dark Ace began to nod, but had to cease when their noses rubbed together, the tickle was purely engrossing.
But they couldn't move back, it was too cold, and the point of the fact was the shared body heat was just too much of a delightful sanctuary.
"Why do you like Ravess?" A blunt question that would have seemed frightfully random to the Cyclonian, but the topic had been niggling at Aerrow's mind since the moment the archer's name had passed the older man's lips. He only had Dark Ace's eyes staring back at him a little dumbfounded as an answer so he continued, "I mean from what I can see shes a moody, unfun perfectionist."
Dark Ace's brows raised thoughtfully as he reminisced about that stubborn woman...and her shapely curves, "She is that. And I am labelled as the evil, sadistic murderer, and yet here we are working together, and chatting about trivial things, like women. There are two sides to everyone; the side you show on the battlefield, and the side that comes out when you let your guard down."
His words touched the naive young knight, in a way so foreign that he was struck silent for a moment as he fully processed what it was he was saying. In a way it answered a question that had been livid in his mind for so long now, Why hasn't he killed me yet? His mind coursed back to when they collected the time crystal, how hurt he looked when he thought Aerrow was going to replace him, he assumed he was imagining things but it was beginning to make sense. Dark Ace had been enjoying simply being a part of something, and as they continued to work together his guard must of apparently been lowering.
"So what is it about her that you like?" Aerrow asked with genuine curiosity.
Another smile grew on Dark Ace's face, but it wasn't fiendish, nor was it mischievous "...She's human," it was more warm, and it gave Aerrow a sense of reassurance.
He couldn't help but continue with the inquiries, "Can I ask you something else?" A dark brow was raised, but the older man nodded anyway with the consideration that he may regret it. "What do you fear most?" The look on Dark Ace's face urged Aerrow to continue with a staggering "I wouldn't use it against you or anything! I mean what's said in the bed, stays in the bed, deal?"
"Really?"
"Promise."
"Then tell me your's first."
Aerrow gulped, he hadn't thought of that, but given that he was expecting Dark Ace to agree to play this odd game of truth or dare, he felt obligated to answer honestly. "Now...at this present time, I'm constantly in the fear that...I'll see my team, my friends as...as..."
"One of them."
He swallowed hard and released a shaken breath, "Yeah. Not just because it's them, but also because I...don't know how I'd handle it. I honestly don't think I could do anything but freeze up with fear, and it scares me because what if my life depended on it? I just...I just keep hoping that it won't."
The Dark Ace's heart pounded in his chest as he realised he was going to have to share his fear, he knew deep down he didn't have to, but something inside him wished strongly for him not to betray the teen's trust. Their eyes met as they had crossed a new line once again, and the guilt of liking this temporary alliance grew deeper and deeper as each secret or kind word to the other spilled out.
Crimson eyes darted before his lips parted, and he finally said "...Dying alone."
The teen wasn't exactly sure what he was expecting, he had briefly imagined the kind of thing that a supervillain in a comic book possessed as a fear or maybe a weakness, but this answer held something behind it and Aerrow wanted to discover what it was. "Dying alone?" He whispered. "No offense, but I didn't think someone like you would have an issue with that."
Dark Ace scowled at his ignorance, "I'm twenty eight," he growled "I have actually grown up with people around me whom I..."
"What Dark Ace?"
He sighed and continued, answering as quietly as possible, "Love. But I lost them to murder and," he grimaced as he tried to finish with "Disease. And every time I lost someone, the last thing I wanted was for it to happen again, which is why I put that wall up around myself, and I guess over the years it's gotten thicker and thicker. Doesn't mean it's on purpose though...and I guess the idea of dying for whatever reason, with no one there to be by my side until I go..." His head turned from the red head, as it was the best he could do to shut out his emotions again, he couldn't even finish, wasn't sure how to, no one had ever actually been bold enough to ask the cold blooded killer 'Hey what are you afraid of?'
They both lay there in a chilling silence, and it began to dawn on Aerrow No wonder he's so desperate to get Ravess back. Was she the only one he considered to be more than an acquaintance?
"You better keep your promise of silence Storm Hawk or I swear to God-"
"I have honour, and even if I could use that against you, it would be downright cruel which isn't my style."
This was all way too emotional for the Talon, the last time he'd spurted out feelings like this was...probably when he kissed Ravess and even then that was just kissing which he did regularly. He felt it completely necessary to change the subject, otherwise God knows how far Aerrow would take this conversation...Oh my God he might ask me who I lost...
"How far have you gone with a woman?" He blurted out, although he didn't regret his decision.
Aerrow however, turned bug eyed and his head jerked about as he tried to tackle the sudden question, "Wait what?! That's pretty personal I mean I, why the hell do you want to know?! What the hell Dark Ace?!"
The Cyclonian smirked, this was proving to be far more amusing than assumption, he answered in a cool voice, "Well I thought we were just having a casual chat? I'm sorry I didn't realise you'd get so defensive, hm what does that mean I wonder?"
"Shut up! Me and Piper kissed!" He defended quickly.
"Mhm," he nodded and waited for a moment, "Wait a minute is that all?!"
"Isn't that enough?! I'm only fourteen!"
"Oh Aerrow I'm disappointed, one of the best Sky Knights Atmos has and you've just kissed a girl? You didn't even slip your hand down to her chest?" He asked with a teasing grin.
"Of course not! It was our first kiss, it was romantic and nice. Touching her there wasn't on my mind!"
"Pfft you queer bastard. Wait, how long ago was this exactly?"
The teens eyes steered down a little embarrassed, "A couple days before we teamed up." That laugh. That evil laugh. That evil laugh in which Aerrow hadn't heard in a while, erupted from Dark Ace's chest and the Storm Hawk felt truly ridiculed.
"Oh yeah well how old were you when you had your first kiss?"
The laughing died down and he lay there for a minute thoughtfully, "I was about twelve." Aerrow grunted with defeat. A chuckle passed the older man's lips again, "Nice to know I'm beating you at something."
"Oh shut up! So who was it with?" Red eyes widened at the question, then escaped out of the emerald gaze. "OK now you have to tell me, who was she? I can't know her can I?" There was no reaction apart from pursed lips. "Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!" He badgered like a five year old.
"Fine! But you won't like it," he warned, pretty certain it would affect Aerrow more than him if he revealed his secret, the teens face still asked for the gossip so he rolled his crimson eyes and practically whispered, "Starling."
The red head almost leapt out of bed, instead he managed a backwards shuffle of disbelief, "WHAT?!" His mouth unhinged, which made the shuffling away a good thing.
"What do you mean what? When I was a Storm Hawk we were at the same academy, and well, we dated."
"Arrrggggghhhh!" He released with shock. "...You and her? Starling...kissed you!?"
Dark Ace bared teeth as he grinned and giggled with nostalgia, "Well we did a little more than that." An over dramatic filled scream escaped Aerrow as he tried to comprehend the concept that his once greatest foe and one of the most tremendous surviving Sky Knights, not to mention close friend, had kissed...and apparently done more?!
The emotional scars he was momentarily burning into Aerrow's mind was a little too entertaining, and torturing like this was so much more rewarding that trying to stab him with his energy blade. "We-"
"No just stop! Argh I really don't want to know!" He lay on his back smouldering his face in his hands.
The temptation was too strong, therefore Dark Ace had no choice but to break the distance again, creep up to Aerrow's ear and whisper, "We had sex."
"You did what?!" This time he did jump up taking the blanket with him, but the freezing air that abruptly attacked both their skins forced him to recoil back under and by the Talon's side again.
"Yeah she was my first," The Dark Ace reminisced on that wonderful night, when he and the purple haired girl's bodies clashed for the first time ever, but he suddenly began laughing so hard his stomach hurt. As he remembered where they'd done it.
"I'm afraid to ask...what's so funny?"
He tried to contain himself, "Oh man, we did it in my bed, on the Condor." With that the laughter picked up again.
Aerrow pondered for a moment, what was so hilarious about that? Then it hit him, and the horrified look he wore was stronger than any expression that had beheld him after witnessing a zombie. "YOU MEAN YOU DID IT ON MY BED?!"
OoOo.
OK I realise this didn't have much action in it, maybe that's not what you were hoping for. But I've said it before and I'll say it again; you can't expect zombies in every damn chapter! :P Anyway I hope you at least enjoyed their little bonding night ^^ If you did please leave a review just to comment or maybe ask me a question and I will happily reply to it :) Until next time!