AYO! Since this is a relatively short chapter, I'm also posting something in Extras! For you fanfictiondotnet readers, you will need to go to Ao3 to read that. Sorry. But here's the link! Go to ao3 and then put it in after the main url part. /works/40959750/chapters/104470500#workskin

I was originally going to be posting this one in Extras!, but it is rather important, as it introduces a lot of ideas, so it got bumped up to an interlude.

"Auki-chama!"

Aki beamed as Larcade jumped to his feet, face childishly excited. "Hey, Lark. Guess what your present is?" she said without preamble; Larcade didn't mention it; it was hardly out of the ordinary.

He whined, shifting from side to side.

"Hint: what you thought would never happen."

He paused.

"Hint: it is something I said we could never do."

His eyes widened.

"Last hint: the second I say what it is, you will do it!" she chortled.

"H-hah…" Larcade managed tremulously.

She grinned.

He waited eagerly, but, her smile turning into a smirk, begged, "What is it, Auki-chama?! Come on! Pleeeeaaase? Auki-chamaaaa!"

"You can hug m-OOF!"

She was thrown backwards, landing hard on the floor; Larcade had launched himself into her at top speed.

"H-hey-" Aki choked, but Larcade didn't seem to hear her. He was trembling slightly, squeezing her so tightly she could barely breathe, but – her eyes softened – she could deal with that.

After a minute of squeezing her half to death, he mumbled emphatically, "This is the best present ever."

She patted his head, and he chuckled wetly, hugging her, somehow, still tighter. Thinking she could feel the bending of her ribs, she relented, scraping out, "L-Lar', no' s' tigh'."

"Sorry!" he said immediately, pulling back. They got to their feet, each beaming.

Aki tilted her head. "Anything you are curious about?" she asked, as per usual.

Larcade was silent, staring sideways at the ground.

"You can ask about Zeref-nii, now."

He jerked, looking up at her in blatant shock. When she nodded, he flushed happily. "How is… Father?"

"Well," she said, walking out of his room and through the halls, "he has been pretty happy for some time. He has been doing some guild work, but mostly research." She smirked. "He is having a bit of trouble with intercontinental teleportation, so I have been helping him with testing."

She didn't notice him flinch, and he didn't point it out. He knew what 'testing' his Father and Aunt performed on themselves, not bothered whatsoever by pain that made them writhe or momentary death, but that didn't mean it didn't bother him. He forced himself to move on. "Guild work?"

She didn't answer, raising a hand to a lady that had popped up from nowhere. The lady curtseyed before scurrying away, and Aki sighed. "I'm going to have to deal with Invel, now? I don't wanna… Zeref-nii should have already done something…"

Larcade waited patiently as she continued to mutter distractedly.

Half a minute later, she twitched, blinking back from her daze. "Ah. Being here made me… haha…" She trailed off, then shook herself. "Zeref-nii, r-right, um… um…" She frowned, her forehead scrunching, her eyes glazing over.

"Auki-chama," Larcade began in a routine way, tone carefully chirpy, "can we go out and get ice cream?"

She blinked, looking up as though she had only just noticed him. "Yeah…" She nodded vaguely. "Being here… really… yet…" She took his hand, and he felt the familiar sensation of teleportation.

As Aki vanished, having spent the better part of the day with Larcade, Invel burst into his room, out of breath. "Where-!?"

"Sorry, Invel," he grinned, "Auki-heika just left."

Invel slid to the floor, fist pressed to his forehead. "What about Zeref-koutei?" he asked, rubbing his temples as he got back up.

"Auki-heika said that he has been doing research and guild work." He didn't mention the happy part; all of the Spriggan Twelve – Sluagh's Shields – knew to ignore reports of emotions.

"Guild work?!" Invel gawked, hunching over. "Guild work?" he muttered after a minute, straightening. "Guild work?" he hissed, stomping out of the room.

Larcade grinned faintly, looking back down at the little pendant Aki had handed him before leaving. He traced a finger over the engraved letters.

Happy birthday, Larcade.
Z.

He held it to his chest, wiping again at his eyes as he looked out the window. Thank you, Father… Auki-chama…

"Zeref-nii, you're going to have to explain soon," Aki fussed, scowling at him; he cringed.

"I- I know…" he muttered, staring at their table in the guild hall. "Did you…"

"Yep," she answered, sitting down beside him. "I know you're scared, but you can't send me to-"

"It's not like anything needs to change," he grumbled, putting his head on the table.

"You need to-"

"I can't, Aki-ki," he said angrily, covering his head with an arm. "Every time I think of it- I just- how could I even face him, let alone talk to him?"

"That isn't why you aren't going," Aki dismissed, watching as Natsu started fighting Gray again. "You're scared of being there, and of seeing him. Did you even tell Mavis about it yet?" He didn't speak. She shook her head. "You can't hide it forever, Nii-chan."

"Can you blame me?" he ejaculated, straightening. "I mixed our DNA and-" He sucked in a breath, returning his head to the table. "What the dragon was I thinking?" he mumbled weakly; she noticed he was trembling slightly. "I keep trying to remember, but-"

"-it's hazy," she finished for him, nodding. "When I was there, I couldn't help myself from losing my thoughts. He asked about you" —she jabbed him in the side— "and, of course, I used to be unable to think about that because he's yours and Mavis's. I was fine with it, but I just couldn't focus."

"I figured…"

They sighed, the weight of the world resettling on their shoulders. Yet, seeing Natsu teasing Lucy across the guild hall, they smiled slightly.

"Thanks for giving it to him," Zeref muttered a few minutes later.

"It's no problem," she breezed, flipping a page in the book she had pulled out.

He raised an eyebrow. "I know you don't mind using magic, but travelling that far had to have given even you a headache."

"Mn."

"And you don't mind having to do all that just so you could give Larcade a locket from me?"

She looked over her book at him, a little frown on her face. Something seemed to dawn on her; she shut the book. "I wouldn't have had to, if you had finally invented intercontinental teleportation!" she scolded, jumping up and starting towards the bar.

"I'm working on it!" he called irritably after her. She rolled her eyes, shoving her hands in her pockets as she joined Natsu and Lucy.

There's no reason to give him another thing to think about. It doesn't affect him, anyway… He really was ecstatic about that hug… I can't tell him the truth… Nothing needs to change, anyways…

Zeref: It's not like anything needs to change

Aki: *proceeds to rant at him for being an idiot*

Five. Seconds. Later.

Aki, to herself without realizing the irony: it's not like anything needs to change.

Also, for anyone who's wondering, Zeref doesn't know that Aki and Larcade are close…r than he and Larcade are. Which is to say, not close at all.

Don' worry 'bout it. ;)

OH OH OH OH OH I ALMOST FORGOT I AM SO EXCITED NEXT WEEK STARTS THE NEW ARC OMG SO LOOK FORWARD TO THAT AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA