The sound of metal against metal rang through the air as Dorado and Turq clashed. The two young titans moved about the courtyard, swinging and slashing at one another with their swords. Ocean's Kiss and Frostburn sent sparks through the air as their wields danced around one another.

Turq rushed forward, swinging at Dorado who stepped back before jabbing at him with his own weapon. Turq blocked each of them, then ducked when Dorado spun around and sliced at him. "Little slow today, aren't you?" Turq asked before swinging back. Dorado blocked it, but went sliding back a few feet. "Something on your mind?"

Dorado let out a breath and then raised his sword again. He was trying not to think about it, but he knew that his cousin was right. He wasn't moving as fluidly as he usually did. "I'm fine," he said before charging back at him. Turq parried the storm of slashes sent his way by his younger cousin.

Something was definitely wrong.

As good as Turq was, he had to admit that when it came to sheer skill and technique, Dorado had him beat. It was like the kid was born to hold a sword. Which, given his cheeks marks, might not have been too far from the truth. This was the first time he had seen him make so many mistakes in his movements.

CLANG!

And the first time he had ever been able to disarm him…

Dorado looked back at his sword as it hit the ground. He sighed and ran a hand over his face. He couldn't believe it. Was he really so unfocused that he would lose his grip on his weapon? He walked over and picked up Frostburn. "Sorry…" he muttered. Turq wasn't sure if he was talking to him or the sword. Neither one was a stretch.

"I mean, it's not a big deal to me. But if something is bugging you, then we can take a break and get back to this later," Turq said sheathing his sword. He wasn't sure that sparring when Dorado was like this would do either of them any good.

Dorado put Frostburn away. "I think maybe I could use a short break," he said, looking exhausted. He just couldn't seem to get it together today.

Turq walked over to get some water from a nearby fountain, and Dorado followed after him. "So be honest, what's with you? You're moving way more stiff than usual. Did you get injured or something?" he asked. He honestly wouldn't have put it beyond him or Lars to hide an injury. The two were just as overworked as he was, only they didn't seem to want to slow down.

Dorado took a seat on the edge of the fountain and crossed his arms. "No, I'm not hurt or anything. But… Turq, is alright if I ask you a question?"

The older teen raised an eyebrow. "Depends on the question."

"It's admittedly an awkward one, but I'd rather not have to go to father about this if I don't have to. It'd be even more awkward for me to talk to him about it," Dorado said. He honestly just couldn't see him approaching his father about this. It was just… weird.

Turq looked hesitant, but then sighed. "I mean I guess…"

Dorado looked forward, seemingly staring at nothing, and then rubbed the back of his head. "Lately I feel like my instincts have been in overdrive. I mean, not the point where I lose control or anything. I can still maintain myself whenever I'm on a mission or in combat. But there's certain… other things, I find myself thinking and having urges about," he said, cheeks lighting up slightly.

Turq blinked, looking confused for a moment, and then his eyes widened. "Oh, damn. I didn't think you were gonna ask me about that. Give me a break dude," he said looking awkward. The moment the word 'urges' left his mouth he had started connecting the dots. It wasn't that long ago he was saying the same thing. "You sure you don't want to ask uncle Astro about that?"

"Do you know how odd it's going to be to go to him about this? How would you feel if you had to have a second sex talk with you father?" Dorado asked.

"Terrible. But that wasn't even an option for me dude. My dad doesn't know shit about how titans work," he explained. This hadn't been a normal teen thing. It was clearly a titan issue, which his dad was totally lost on. He had pretty much been forced to go to Astro for help. "So… what exactly did you expect me to say?"

Dorado shrugged. "I don't know. I suppose I just assumed you dealt with this at some point and could give me some advice. How'd you learn to control them?"

Turq just sat in silence for a moment. Right, with Whirl and Jez exposing him like that had he'd almost forgotten that there were still people besides his family that didn't know about Aurora. "I uh… that's kind of tricky to answer," he said rubbing the back of his neck. "I found a way of working it out I guess."

"How so?"

Turq tried to think of an answer. He was pretty sure if he had told Dorado he would keep it a secret. He wasn't a blabber mouth or a jackass like his brother, and he had helped Sandor and Sagitta keep things under wraps. But he still wasn't sure if he wanted to tell him or not. The less people who knew the better as far as he was concerned.

Still, he needed some kind of answer. Turq had pretty much been driven crazy before he had come across Aurora and started his late night visits. The stress between missions, dealing with his dad, and that had irked him beyond belief.

"Have you tried going to Torrad's place?" he suggested.

Dorado's eyes went wide. "The… you mean the brothel? Is that how you've been-?"

"No, of course not," Turq said quickly.

He didn't need him thinking that he was sneaking off to that place. Or anyone for that matter. If his father got the wrong idea, he would go ballistic. His mother probably wouldn't be too keen on it either, if for no other reason than the fact Torrad's influence was keeping Zafira from moving her business up to the surface.

"I'm just saying it's an option."

Dorado hummed. "I'm not really sure I'm comfortably going there though." He knew his brother went there sometimes, and he didn't exactly keep it a secret. So it wasn't so much his image he was concerned about. It was more… well. "I just can't see my first time with someone being in a brothel."

Turq looked slightly surprised. "Wait, you're… shit, I sort of thought you'd done it already." With all the girls who showed interest, he thought his cousin would have been with at least one of them.

Dorado shook his head. "I mean, I've thought about it. But I just always figured sooner or later the right girl would come along, and then… the rest would just take its course. I didn't think all of a sudden I'd just be dealing with all these urges."

"So the right girl hasn't shown up yet then?" Turq asked curiously. "Because I always figured with how much Wisteria was all over you that she'd end up breaking you down eventually." He honestly thought that maybe they had done the deed already, and he was always acting so weird around her out of embarrassment or something.

Pretty similar to his situation with Scent…

Dorado blushed. "Wisteria is strong. And pretty. And even if she can be reckless, she does have her moments where she can be caring. It isn't like I would be opposed to it. But there's a bit more to the situation. It's complicated."

"There's another girl, isn't there?" Turq asked bluntly.

"How did you-?"

"Because if it just came down to you, Wisteria, and your urges, it wouldn't be complicated. Is it that weird girl with the scythe people have been talking about?"

"Her name is Makaria," Dorado said. "She's a goddess, from Earth. She's pleasant. Very mild mannered and polite. But she's also strong, and determined. She can even be frightening when she wants to be."

Turq sighed. He knew how his cousin thought. He was very simple minded and noble. He probably didn't want to just ask them for… that. Especially knowing that they both probably had feelings for him. He and Aurora had a thing going on, but… well, there was sort of an unspoken agreement between them.

Dorado didn't have that luxury. He likely felt it might be promising them something he might not have been ready for. A relationship. And if he chose one the other wouldn't take too kindly to it. Dorado was probably trying to find a solution that would spare everyone's feelings. Not that Turq could think of one.

"Have you tried asking them both?"

Turq and Dorado both went wide eyed, then stood up and turned to see Scent standing nearby, a smirk on her face. "Oh stump, where the hell did you come from?" Truq asked.

She smiled and waved. "Well, I just so happened to be passing by when I sensed you two clashing. And I thought to myself, 'I should join in on this'. By the time I got here however, you were deep in the middle of a rather interesting conversation. So I choose to sit back and observe," she said.

Turq scowled. Her just randomly happening to be passing by was probably bullshit, but it was hard to tell with her. "What exactly do you mean by that? Asking both?" Dorado asked, confused. "I can't just ask the both of them."

Scent raised an eyebrow. "And why not? Your father has two wives. And your grandfather was known to have quite a long list of lovers, did he not?" she said. "If I recall, titans and monsters in general having their pick of lovers was not such an uncommon thing."

"That over a long time ago, and my parents are not a common case."

"Did your aunt not also take on two lovers? Maybe it's simply a Butterfly family trait," the blond said smugly. "I have to admire the woman. Even in that category she chose not to be outdone by her brother. Impressive indeed."

Turq shook his head. "There's something wrong with you…"

She winked at him. "There certainly is. You know that better than anyone." Turq blushed and looked away with a scowl, while Dorado looked confused. "As for you. It's very simple. You like them both, so pursue them both. What's the use of living in this world if we don't spend the time we have in it pursuing what we want?"

"You talk like doing something like this is normal…"

Scent sighed before pointing at him. "You are not normal. Not in any sense of the word. Neither is Turq. Or Wisteria, or that so called goddess of yours. Almost everyone in our social circle is rather abnormal in one way or another. Trying to handle this like a normal person is a ridiculous concept to begin with," she said before shrugging. "But, that's just my opinion. And I'm apparently touched in the head according to my brother. So take it as you will."

She turned around and began walking off. "Now, I'm going to go find a sparring sword since my mother confiscated my weapons before I left. And when I return, I expect both of you to be ready to fight. I've been dreadfully bored as of late, and I won't be holding back," she warned.

The two watched as she walked off, and Dorado turned towards his cousin. "Don't tell her this but… she might frighten me more than anyone else in mewni. And it's not because of her strength either…"

Turq nodded. "No, I totally get it." There was definitely something off putting about that girl. Something that set off every alarm in his head and, despite this, something that he found just the tiniest bit alluring. He still knew better than to pursue it though. "You're not actually thinking about taking her advice, are you?"

Dorado scratched his head. "I don't really see that working out. Not with how much Wisteria is always heckling her like she is. I'm just going to have to… figure out how I'm going to deal with all of this." He could conquer his instinct until he figured something out. His father had done it for years, and he could do it too if it came to it.

"Yeah well… don't try too hard. Your dad said trying to push back your instincts could be dangerous. If it really starts getting dangerous from you, ask him. I'm sure he'll figure something out for you."

Dorado nodded. "I will. Thanks… by the way, you never answered my question earlier. How do you take care of your own-"

"Whelp, we better get ready before Scent gets back," Truq said, slinging Ocean's Kiss over his shoulder.

A/N: One-shot for Princesscallyie! I feel like Turq and Dorado have a bit of a brotherly relationship. Turq is one of the only people besides his dad who Dorado would go to for this kind of stuff. He's the big brother to all his other siblings, and he's not the type of burden most other people with his problems. And then there's Scent just coming in and throwing her two cents in. She's a big believer in the "Take what I want" method of doing things...

Good luck with that Turq...