Chapter 40 Leman

Leman: a lover, sweetheart or paramour

In which sometimes you wonder why Bam and Eve aren't lovers just yet when they act like that. But more importantly, FLUFF!!! This chapter finally marks the start of F L U F F– I'm sorry, I'm high on writing fluff :) My hands have been itching to write this so much–

"YOU–!" The bluenette only stared blankly at the businessman. No trace of her usual gentleness, her blue-violet eyes cold and her expression threatening. It was a look Gustang and her allies in FUG would be used to. A side of her that Bam didn't know as she took care of everything behind his back, intent on not getting him involved with FUG's affairs.

Rather than Bam, the remaining team members were probably more used to seeing her like this. After all, they've witnessed her snap a few times when someone insulted Bam rather badly. This side of her was just as true as the tenderness she reserved for those she cherished deeply. Gustang himself stood beside her, silent as he let the bluenette deal with the aftermath. He's done his part per their nonexistent agreement after all.

"As if dealing with FUG and the Workshop wasn't enough… Now we have yet again another one. It's nice to finally meet you, Madoraco-san. It's a pity we had to meet under these circumstances, but I couldn't exactly stay while you were targeting him."

Though as you would expect from a top level businessman who knew how to pick his fights, his expression was schooled calmly. And he still had the nerves to subtly provoke her. "It was unfortunate to stop halfway on a good business transaction, not that I can continue when you pull that kind of move."

"In the Tower, power is everything in whatever form it may be and depending on how you use it. Physical prowess, abilities, skills, talent, politics, sponsors, money, connections. I simply used the cards up my sleeves to get what I want, the same as you did. And it looks like I won this time." Evolet said it emotionlessly, retorting calmly as if merely stating a fact. But her tone swiftly turned slightly hostile, bloodlust lurking behind her gleaming blue-violet orbs.

"No matter who it may be, if they want to hurt him then I won't hold back either. I'll do everything in my power to protect him. Even if I have to go against the whole Tower to do so. That's why, I'd appreciate it if you back off and never do this in the future again. It'd be a waste to lose a potential business partner, but if you do that again then I'll have no choice other than to completely erase you out of the picture."

"And how will a mere E-rank Regular do that?"

Evolet smirked at that question, one that no doubt Khun would deem just as dangerous as his. The bluenette tilted her head slightly in a mocking way, a finger on her lips and her gaze dark like a beast ready to strike. "Madoraco-san, I believe the question you should be asking is how did a mere E-rank Regular do this?"

That was in fact a fair point. After all, what kind of normal E-rank Regular could call on a favor from the head of the Po Bidau family. Or any head of the Ten Great Family for that matter. Even if one was from their family members, they'd have to be a Ranker first before thinking of doing so. Good thing Evolet wasn't normal in any way or your typical Regular either. She wasn't a Regular either for that matter. But Madoraco didn't need to know that, she'd prefer to keep as much information under wraps unless necessary.

Despite how he momentarily narrowed his eyes at her words, it seems like the High Ranker was willing to back off. It was the right decision to get Gustang's help. With this, in the future at least Madoraco would think twice first before scheming anything. Though she did need another way to keep things in check. It wasn't as if she could rely on Gustang each time this happens.

Who knows what the brunette had in mind when he helped her. The Gustang that she knew would only do deals that benefited him. This time things might be in favor for her, but it didn't guarantee a next time. FUG would no doubt be silent for a while after this, she'll have to pull some strings during that chance.

Currently Evolet was walking down the halls after Gustang handed her the other winning prizes for the Workshop Battle. There was no way she would leave without taking what the team won with their hard work. The brunette offered to walk her out, and she accepted regardless of the skeptical stare she gave him. He's been acting weird since the beginning of the Workshop Battle.

Gustang was walking a step behind Evolet. Not quite looking at her and instead somewhat lost in thoughts, in the memories of the past. The 25th Bam has an unimaginable amount of luck to have earned Evolet's loyalty. But how long would that luck last? With that kind of reason entering the Tower and his attachment to… what he would call a vermin, Gustang doubted he'd be able to keep her by his side for long.

The path that she was on right now is a path of demise. And she knew it fully well. She was moving forward while holding a single thread of hope, but never expecting anything back in return. His eyebrow twitched slightly, a memory flashing in his mind of a purplette who was smiling sadly as she walked away. 'If I expect anything, then it'll only hurt more', she said. The son of Arlene will only watch from the sidelines as she trudged to her end. And he will regret it for all the worth in the Tower. Gustang wasn't guessing blindly or predicting anything, he knows it will happen.

Truth to be told, Gustang had a few suspicions based on how Evolet was acting. Yet here he was, about to send off a fake bluenette who still hasn't washed off her hair dye and overly eager to leave so that she could see Bam again. And his questions left unasked.

"Then, I'll be on my way now, Gustang-san. I left an opera cake on your table as a thanks." Gustang restrained the urge to scoff at that. Her habit of giving people sweets as a sign of gratitude never changed. Light lavender wings unfolded behind her, hovering with the help of Shinsu as she walked to the door.

There was a sigh as he exhaled the smoke from his cigarette."...be careful."

Evolet didn't act surprised this time, turning around to face him properly. The look on her eyes softened as an earnest smile spread on her lips. "Of course. You too, be careful, Gustang-san."

And she stepped forward, free falling from the Archimedes before her wings spread wide and caught the drift of wind. The sound of flapping wings was loud and clear as she took off on full speed. Gustang sighed at her answer, one thought going through his mind. There was no way she'll heed his advice.

Both Bam and Khun have been antsy ever since they arrived at the Wolhaiksong resort, that much was obvious to everyone. Khun would suddenly pause mid-sentence and blink confusedly, looking around as he did like he was searching for something. Bam didn't look as confused but he would abruptly stop whatever he was doing and stare at an empty space before resuming his activities like nothing happened.

The others did find it somewhat worrisome, asking them if something was wrong to which they answered nothing. Though unlike Khun, Bam would have a hint of a smile every time they asked. Since they acted normal otherwise, the others thought it was fine and they were only overthinking since the Workshop Battle was just over. That's why when the two suddenly stopped again in the middle of a conversation, they thought it'd go back to normal in a jiffy. Except it didn't, for one of them, that is.

Khun did freeze on his spot momentarily, but quickly resumed the conversation after shaking his head as if to clear his mind. Bam, on the other hand, shot up from his chair with golden eyes wide open and surprising everyone in the room. Before they could even ask him what's wrong, Bam was already running out the door and they barely had enough time to avoid getting in his way before following suit in curiosity.

With how big the resort was and how they just finished fighting FUG not long ago, you'd think Bam would take a little longer to arrive at the entrance. But the brunette ran at full speed, leaving the others panting while trying to catch up with him and see what the fuss was all about.

Bam couldn't hear the other's shouts, asking him what happened as he dashed at full speed. He didn't know what he was feeling, but something was beckoning him to go out. And he did it without a second thought despite having no idea what it was. He felt as if he was running purely on adrenaline, heart pounding hard in his chest that he could clearly hear it.

The first thing that registered in his mind was the mesmerizing depths of the night sky in her eyes as his breath was taken away. Her wings were still softly flapping, keeping her hovering above the ground slightly. A tender smile curled on her lips as she caressed Bam's cheek, the sunset illuminating the background and giving her an ethereal look. Bam thinks if there was such a thing called an angel, Evolet must be one.

Her feet haven't even touched the ground properly when Bam instinctively moved. Jumping lightly to reach her and a hand snaking around her back to her shoulder while the other wrapped around her waist. At the sudden increase of weight, Evolet stumbled and her wings flapped harder as she settled them to sit on the ground slowly.

"Eve–" Her name had come out more of a gasp, his voice raspy despite having used it just a few minutes ago. Bam nuzzled to her shoulder, hugging her even tighter but still gentle as if his life depended on it. There was almost a sense of desperation and a tension inside of him.

If it was possible, the look in her eyes softened even more. Evolet pressed a tender kiss to the crown of his head, rubbing circles on his back to calm him down. "Shh… It's okay Bam, I'm here."

Just like that, Bam practically melted in her hold. Taking to her presence like oxygen and relaxing as the tension seeped away, replaced with a sense of exhaustion and belonging. He felt as if the adrenaline in him was gone, feeling burnt out and vulnerable but safe to lower his guard at the same time. He released a breath he didn't know he was holding, voice coming out in a small mumble. "I missed you, Eve..."

"...I missed you too." Evolet closed her eyes, hugging him back with her usual gentleness. She tilted her head slightly to the side so that she could lean on him. Whispering sweet nothings and running her fingers through his hair to further calm him down. Bam slumped in her hold as he sighed in relief, feeling whole again now that Evolet was back by his side. There was no other place he'd rather be at right now.

Caution: The 25th Bam is now in recharging mode and is moody. Do not disturb unless you're Evolet. Otherwise...

That was the scene the others came to when they got to the entrance. Khun barely managed to silence them all before they could make any loud noise, pointing to the two who were having their own moment. Some of them were just plain confused, a few rather outraged, and the ones who seemed to have understood it. The most rambunctious of the bunch were quickly restrained by him, which was quite a lot mind you. Those who were more calm about it were silently observing the situation, some of them feeling as if they were intruding on something special.

It was honestly a miracle that the two didn't hear anything with how some of the team members struggled wildly trying to get out of their restraints. Namely a few Sweet and Sour members who were outraged that Bam was being like that since they thought she wasn't Evolet, poor ignorant souls. Then there was Endorsi who was just plainly annoyed that Bam was hugging another girl.

Khun was particularly irked with Dan who was squirming like a worm, his mouth taped to prevent all the profanities he was shouting out. He borderline wondered how big of a fan Dan was for the bluenette in disguise. The Scout's eyes were almost bloodshot, wriggling around his best to no avail. Khun was seriously concerned over the dedication of Evolet's fans.

Then finally, Evolet lifted her head up slightly. Her gaze instantly met Khun's cobalt blue orbs. Lips curling up into a gentle smile, blue-violet eyes filled with tender affection. The Lightbearer's eyes widened momentarily before the look in his eyes softened as a rare fond smile formed on his expression, an eyebrow raised at her playfully. Evolet chuckled softly at that before she looked down at Bam who seemed all too comfortable in her hug.

"Bam… can you let go of me now?" The brunette only whined and tightened his hug even more, having absolutely no intention of letting go even as Evolet tried to stand him on the floor. Know that he was pouting hard as he buried himself in the crook of her neck.

Khun actually looked rather amused as he watched Evolet coaxing Bam to let go of the hug without any progress. Hatz and Shibisu looked at him incredulously when he chuckled at Evolet's troubled look when Bam kept refusing. After a bit more persuasion, she was able to get Bam to hug her from behind instead. At least it gave her more space to move, even if Bam was still slightly pouting that he had to move positions. Happy that she was able to move now, Evolet grinned widely as she waved at them.

"Khun-san! I'm ba–"

"Little One!" Before Evolet could even finish her sentence, she was abruptly cut off by Yunuen who jumped at her. The taller bluenette was practically smothering her to his chest, hugging her tight as he rested his chin on top of her head. Bam let out a disgruntled noise, firmly supporting Evolet so that she didn't fall over and trying to keep his position hugging her from behind. He was just asking for a whole day hugging Evolet without any interruption, how hard was that? The answer is very hard.

The Defender awkwardly patted Yunuen's back in a silent plea to loosen his hug a little, which did absolutely nothing at all. Then the next thing she knew, there was already someone else calling her.

"Purple turtle!" Rak sauntered over to them once he broke free of Khun's restraint, tackling the bluenette into a hug from the side. Evolet couldn't protest against that, one hand already patting the rocky head of the Spearbearer even though she was still somewhat confused with the sudden hugs. Yunuen wasn't letting up on her either.

Shibisu blinked confusedly at that, turning to Khun to confirm he didn't hear wrong. "Purple turtle… means that's Eve right?"

"Yeah, that's Eve." Khun smirked, mirth glinting in his eyes as he nodded. He must admit that he enjoyed the look of shock on their faces as they gaped like a fish, clearly not expecting the big-shot idol to be one of their old friends. Which included the ones who suddenly froze up and stopped struggling once Khun said that. Now that they were much more quiet than before, Khun sighed exasperatedly as he freed them one by one.

At the new information, Miseng's eyes lit up with a cheer. She didn't waste any time to join the hug, followed suit by Prince who wasn't far behind as they hugged Evolet from the other side that wasn't occupied. Once Khun was done letting them go, they settled for staring somewhat confusedly and some irritatedly at… whatever was happening. Team Sweet and Sour collectively sighed, completely used to these kinds of situations.

One known fact in the team is that Evolet is a hug magnet whenever Bam isn't around to glare at you. And said brunette was recharging his monthly reserves of Evolet, so he's not quite aware of what's happening either. Yihwa would bet a million Points that Bam didn't even realize Evolet's hair was blue instead of the usual light lavender.

But one thing was for sure, and that was the members of Sweet and Sour now fully recognized the Defender despite the blue hair. How, you ask? Because they were sure no one else could move with that many people hugging them at once. And yet here she was, walking towards them as if there weren't five people latching onto her like koalas. They've tried that before and all of them tripped on their feet, no one knows how Evolet managed to do the feat.

Bam was hugging Evolet from behind, resting his head on her shoulder and hands loosely draped around her neck. Miseng and Prince's arms were wrapped around Evolet's waist, while Evolet patted their head occasionally like she would a child. Rak was hugging the other side of her leg, demanding banana cakes and chocolate bars to be served later.

Then at the front Yunuen was still happily keeping her close with his arms, careful to not disturb Bam any further since the brunette did not seem happy at all that he had to share his hug time. To be fair, they could barely see Evolet as her figure was swallowed up in the group hug. The only thing they could see was really a bit of her sky blue hair.

"Yunuen-san, you're suffocating me–" The bluenette gasped for air greedily once Yunuen loosened his hug, cheeks flushed red as she panted slightly.

Dan and Shibisu held up their thumbs, a red tint to their face as they shamelessly stared at the girl. Yunuen clicked his tongue when he saw their reactions. He immediately pulled Evolet back into the hug to cover her up from the peering eyes, ignoring the surprised yelp she let out. Granted, a certain bluenette– Khun's eyes also widened when he saw her like that and his mind short-circuited for a moment. But his eyes immediately darkened when Dan and Shibisu gave their reactions.

"Hoo… Bold of you to do that eh, Edin Dan, Shibisu." The two froze up, awkwardly looking away as their mind screamed danger when Khun started to take out a knife from his Lighthouse. They didn't waste any time running. Shibisu shrieked when a knife embedded itself just where his head was a few seconds ago, his legs urging him to run faster which he did. Khun glared at the knife that missed, huffing annoyedly as he put a hand on his hips. He might need to stock up on more knives for occasions like this. And he needed more practice with knife throwing.

"Now, now, calm down Khun-san. A frown doesn't suit you." Seeing how it was Evolet who said that, Khun only sighed once more before he relaxed.

In the span of Khun trying to murder Shibisu and Dan, Bam decided he's had enough of the others trying to hog Evolet's attention. The other four who were hugging her stumbled when Bam suddenly pulled Evolet out of the group hug. The bluenette only blinked confusedly as Bam shifted her into a protective hold, burying her face in his shoulder.

Miseng and Prince were used to the show of possessiveness but still somewhat exasperated by it, whining to hug Evolet just a little longer. Rak's protests were ignored at the side as they backed off. Bam's burning golden eyes bored sharply at Yunuen's teal ones that refused to stand down, crackles of imaginary lightning in the background as they stared down at each other. Which admittedly Bam usually never does, but he's in an extremely needy mood today and can't really afford Evolet away from him. When she tried to lift up her head, Bam gently pushed her back down and held her even closer by her waist.

He shot a chilling glare that got most of his teammates freezing up. The look in his eyes was a clear warning to back off, every bit of it possessive and threatening that his old team wasn't used to. Though team Sweet and Sour have been through their fair share of it. Hatz and Endorsi seemed to be particularly surprised by his expression, but they couldn't say much about it.

Then there was a hand patting the brunette's head soothingly, and Bam's menacing expression was reduced to a soft relaxed one. Yunuen smirked smugly at Bam who was completely ignorant to the world again, snuggling to the crook of Evolet's neck. Another one tamed by Evolet, he thought. Not the first one and certainly not the last one either.

The Defender exhaled lightly, shifting Bam so that he was hugging her from the back again before she walked over to Khun and calmed him down after the "murder attempt". It was relieving that he immediately put the knife back in his Lighthouse, still a somewhat sour expression on his face that Evolet found herself smiling at.

"I'm back, Khun-san." The others' eyes bulged as they witnessed what happened next.

The infamous cold Lightbearer had a soft grin in place of his usual indifference, which honestly terrified Ran as always. There was a mischievous gleam in his eyes as Khun stepped closer to Evolet, brushing away her bangs carefully. Khun smirked as his cobalt-blue eyes stared at Evolet carefully, finding playful curiosity in her blue-violet orbs as she gazed back at him.

"This is payback for last time." Before she could process what he said, Khun leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, making sure to stay just a few seconds longer before he pulled back. He found himself smugly satisfied when she erupted in a blush, going rigid momentarily then stuttering as she covered her forehead in embarrassment.

Evolet's cheeks and neck were steaming red, down to the tip of her ears. She stayed silent in the end, eyes swirling confusedly as she stared at the ground and avoided Khun's gaze. In return the smirk on Khun's lips only curled further, but he decided it was enough for today. Exhaling lightly, he proceeded to wrap his arms around her and pull her into a hug. Mindful of Bam that was still clinging behind her like a koala, though he must admit it was a little bit awkward.

"Welcome home, Eve." She reluctantly hugged him back, gripping the back of his shirt and made a small noise of agreement as she relaxed in his hold. Khun took his time appreciating how Evolet fitted perfectly in his arms, the warmth she radiated and the ever present scent of lavender. He could understand why Bam would want to hug her all day long, it almost felt… addicting.

Not so out of the blue, Bam pulled Evolet back again, grumbling and pouting like a child as he whined lightly. Khun silently lamented the loss of warmth, but his eyes met Evolet's and they both laughed at the brunette's attitude.

Well, at least it was worth it to see Evolet flustered again even if the members of team Sweet and Sour plus Yunuen practically plotting his murder.

A/N:

...so– I may or may not have calculated something wrong–

( ) Essentially Eve is younger than Bam, not older. My brain wasn't working well when I posted the special bday chapter cus I just finished Physics and Math tests that day :"D

As an apology– here's a teeny tiny bit of info:

1. Euterpe died the very same moment Eve was created.

2. Eve is younger by 10 years than Bam.

Next chapter :)... Maybe I'll have a certain someone finally realize their feelings