Ahh I'm back guys! Here is chapter 5! I've had a lot going on with work and life this week so I feel like it's a little all over the place but I absolutely promise there's a lot of action in the future. Uhhh idk what else to say here, Arrow gets some time in the spotlight and and we see what the hell Kurda's up to so yeehaw I guess. Yes, I'm starting to do a Romance Thing for Arrow. He deserves it. Let him have this - it won't be a prominent feature in this story but I may do separate things with it in the future.

Chapter 5: Easy On Yourself

Song: Yo Hello Hooray by Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker

Start panicking, turn into a mannequin
Take a breath now, ahh, begin again
Open your eyes please
Turn your smile on
Realign with now as well
You start freaking out
Wishing you were peaking out
Hold it together now
Instead of leaking out
Turn your smile on
Turn your smile up bright

Today marked eleven months since the night Kurda walked out of Vampire Mountain. It felt like a lifetime ago now. Today also marked one month until Mika was set to depart from the mountain with a strike team of carefully chosen vampires who would fight at his side as the clan began to launch an offence upon the vampaneze legions.

The only problem was, he hadn't chosen his team yet. Obviously he wanted Arrow in his crew; they'd always been better together but Paris gently discouraged it and ultimately they agreed. It made more sense to divide and conquer. It would be a waste of strength to have two Princes travelling in the same company. He asked Larten but wasn't surprised when he said he needed to remain in the mountain with Darren. Arra would've been another easy choice. The pain of losing Kurda was dulling to a quiet ache, but as Mika went down the list of potential candidates the realization that Arra's name wasn't there, and never would be again... that was a whole different pain and it was fresh and ready to take over.

He drank with Larten a lot that year. They'd always gotten along well but they'd never been close the way Mika and Arrow were, or Larten and Vancha. They had enough in common but true friendship had never entirely blossomed between them. Larten had always thought Mika was a compulsive, moody, conceited overachiever. Mika had always thought Larten was an impulsive, persnickety, hotheaded flake. Neither of them were entirely wrong.

They were each very successful in their own right, technically both of them had achieved the highest honour any vampire can hope for. Even though Larten turned his investiture down, he'd still gotten a formal nomination and won the vote by a landslide (as Mika had years before). The stars had lined up for him and then at the last minute Larten said "no thanks". Mika never could figure that one out.

But recent years had humbled them; the overachiever and the flake. There wasn't a single vampire in the mountain who hadn't felt any combination of loss, shock, confusion, and fear in those eleven months. But none more so than Mika Ver Leth or Larten Crepsley.

Oh, except maybe Darren Shan.

Mika had to hand it to the kid. They really hadn't wanted to execute him, so they figured it would be a bonus if he turned out to be a half-decent Vampire Prince. But he blew their expectations out of the water. The first few months were rough. Larten was overbearing, and Darren was understandably cautious after everything he'd been through. Mika had to admit that sometimes he forgot the kid was even there. When he spoke to the other Princes, his eyes travelled down the line from Paris, to Arrow, to Larten. And then back to Darren as an afterthought - if it occurred to him.

The turning point had occurred shortly after Christmas. They'd been in a six hour conference after a rumour of the Vampaneze Lord's whereabouts had reached the mountain. It was just a rumour but it was the most they'd had yet. So there was six hours of discussion between all the Princes and everyone else that was still in the mountain. Six hours of yelling and arguing and anecdotes and tangents and general nonsense. As they approached the seventh hour, things were pretty dire. Paris was looking pale - his stamina just wasn't what it used to be but he ignored Mika's repeated telepathic messages urging him to go take a nap. Arrow's attention span expired after hour five and was playing with his ring while staring at the ceiling with glassy eyes. Darren's eyes darted around the room but he hadn't said much. Not like he could get a word in edgewise when Larten had a strong opinion on everything. Mika was exhausted but doing his best to carry the meeting, to keep everyone semi-on topic.

And then finally out of nowhere came Darren's voice, as clear as a bell:

"Has it occurred to anyone that the vampaneze might've spread the rumour on purpose to lead us on a wild goose chase? Don't you think this was a little too convenient?"

And the whole room went dead silent and everyone just stared at him. No, it hadn't occurred to anyone else. But they sure were thinking about it now.

Mika shot Darren a look, but for the first time in recent memory it wasn't one of polite exasperation. It was a "good on you" look.

To be fair, Mika recalled a comment Gracie had made in passing, shortly before she left the mountain and returned to school.

"Darren's actually got some good ideas. I know he looks like a little kid, but don't forget he's my age. You should take him at least somewhat seriously. Maybe you all need a fresh perspective."

"He's got a throne next to mine, Gracie. How much more seriously could we take him?" Had been Mika's reply. But she'd been right. She often was. She may have been a spectator to the vampire world, but make no mistake. At any given time she knew exactly what was going on.

Darren got more confident after all that. Once he got used to talking over Larten, there was no stopping him. Larten was headstrong and stubborn but he was also beyond fucking proud of that shrimpy little kid, so their relationship didn't suffer. It just felt like they now had five Princes in the mountain.

Mika figured the more Princes the merrier, because he had to focus his mental resources elsewhere for the time being. He needed to assemble his travelling company. He'd spent quite a few hours in the sporting halls lately, quietly evaluating the current batch of trainees. There were a lot of them; many young vampires had chosen to remain in the mountain after Council concluded. They knew this war would be like nothing they'd ever seen before and they were eager to prove themselves.

And hopefully not die trying, Mika thought to himself.

He was perched atop on one of the high wooden bleachers that lined the biggest of the sparring rings. He tried not to make his presence too obvious. He didn't want them to get nervous knowing a Prince was assessing them. Vanez was running sword drills with one of the groups that rotated through the variety of different practice stations. Vanez, of course, had almost entirely gotten back to his old self and he was becoming more confident by the day. Even without eyes he was a fearsome opponent and sent at least one cub up to the medics every day. Mika loved that for him.

Mika was focused so intently on a cub named Arlo Bracken. So far he was the most promising candidate. He was currently duelling Jakob Wiles who was also more than decent. Mika scribbled both their names down on his clipboard along with a few notes. Most of his travelling companions would be younger vampires, rather than Generals. The goal was not to concentrate too much power and skill in one place in order to maximize efficiency. Therefore the toughest vampires in the clan would be kept separate for the most part.

This made total sense to Mika but it was still causing him a bit of trepidation. Whoever he chose, he'd be stuck with for years. He didn't really know many of the younger vampires; when he took the time to train the up-and-comers he tended to focus on the best and brightest. And the best and brightest would be off leading their own troops.

That's what Mika was thinking about when Arrow abruptly plunked down beside him with great purpose.

"Mika..." said Arrow. There was a note of discontent in his voice but Mika was completely focused on the cubs so he merely replied with a soft hum to acknowledge Arrow's presence.

"Mika!" Arrow tried again, more urgently.

"Arrow." Mika sighed, finally tearing his eyes from the sparring ring to face his friend. To his alarm, Arrow's face was full of anxiety and his entire posture was much more tense than usual.

"What's wrong?" Mika added.

Arrow inhaled shakily and Mika's concern heightened. He'd just seen him six hours ago, before going to bed. What could have possibly happened in that timeframe?

"I had sex." Arrow gulped at last.

"Oh... wow. Okay." Said Mika slowly, needing a second or two to process that. He didn't know what he'd been expecting but that wasn't it. "And are we... glad about that?" He ventured cautiously.

Arrow shook his head and looked even more agitated.

"No... I don't think so? I don't know! Oh gods..." He groaned, massaging his temples in clear distress.

"I see. Let's take some deep breaths, shall we?" Mika suggested calmly.

"Every time I've ever told you to do that, you've just about bitten my arm off." Arrow grumbled.

"Yeah, well it's a lot easier when I'm not the one going off the deep end." Mika replied politely. "So, do you have feelings for Kaden?"

Arrow did a double-take.

"How'd you know it was Kaden?"

"She's the only vampiress in the mountain right now, A." Said Mika. "And unless there's something you're not telling me, I recall you preferring women."

"I thought the same about you for a very long time." Arrow replied drily.

"I was just as surprised by that development as you were. I think it might've been a case-specific exception for me." Mika mused in a similar tone. It was true, he'd never taken a second glance at any man before Kurda. He supposed that meant he was bisexual, but truthfully he hadn't given much thought to the label.

"But we're not talking about me here. Gods know we've had enough of that to last a lifetime. This is all about you, so let's hear it." Mika added.

Arrow sighed heavily.

"So, last night... I was hungry and I wanted to go up to the hall of Khledon Lurt to eat. You'd already gone to bed. So I went with Vanez, and we we ate and drank for like an hour or so, then she came up after being in the Hall of Baker Wrent all night. And her hair was all messy and she was carrying a broadsword... you know I've always liked those."

"Of course."

"She'd been practicing with it against Yebba but she thought the balance felt off. She thought maybe the blade was warped. Vanez and I looked at it - well, I looked. Vanez felt. But it ended up just being a little loose. Anyway, I told her I had an extra one in my locker down in the armoury that she could try out if she wanted."

"I swear, Arrow, if you got down and dirty in the sporting halls after you never let me live it down..." Mika snorted.

"No." Arrow grunted. "I'm not as much of a degenerate as you. We just sparred. And drank. And sparred some more."

"Sparring and drinking, what could go wrong?"

"Well, she tripped and her blade caught me across my arm and left a bit of a slice. She was horrified but I just laughed it off because she's been the only General that's been able to draw blood from me in the last ten years. And she wasn't even trying to."

"Ahh." Said Mika with a small smile. Only in Arrow's world would that be considered a turn-on.

"Then she offered to help me get cleaned up since all the medics had gone to bed. And like the total idiot I am, I told her to come back to my cell because I have some first-aid stuff there." Arrow continued, his face falling even more.

"Famous last words." Mika remarked.

"That about sums it up." Said Arrow solemnly. "Gods, it was so bad."

"You were, or she was?"

"No, not that kind of bad... she was great."

"So you were bad, then?"

"I thought I did okay, all things considered."

"So what was so bad about it?" Mika sighed.

"When it was over... we were just lying there in my coffin." Arrow began slowly. "And she kind of leaned in... and kissed me."

"That sounds nice."

"That was when I started crying."

"Oh. Yikes."

"Yeah. She looked mortified and I can't blame her. She asked if I wanted to talk about it." Arrow continued, cringing.

"I'm guessing you didn't want to talk about it." Said Mika.

"I told her I needed some space." Arrow affirmed, looking sadly down at his hands.

Mika quietly thought about all of that for several minutes.

"So you felt bad afterwards, obviously. Did you feel bad during?" He asked.

"No... it seemed like a good idea at the time." Said Arrow woefully. He was rubbing his temples again.

Mika nodded and maintained another few moments of silent contemplation.

"How old would Sarah be now?" He asked gently.

Arrow closed his eyes.

"165... she'd be 165."

Mika sighed.

"She never, ever had any intention of letting you blood her into the clan, did she?" He inquired.

"No. That was one thing she was always certain of. And I respected it completely."

"Arrow, look at me." Said Mika firmly.

Arrow obliged, but with guilt and sadness clouding his face.

"I'm going to say a few words and you're not going to like them. You can yell at me if you want, or storm away. I won't mind. But you need to hear it, and no one else is going to say it. So I will." Said Mika bluntly. "Even if her life hadn't been cut short... even if she'd made it a ripe old age, she wouldn't still be here today."

Mika watched patiently as Arrow's face cycled through about a thousand different emotions, ranging from fury to shock to bewilderment and finally settling on a bizarre mixture of disappointment and guilt.

"I know that..." Arrow exhaled. "I do. I just... fuck, Mika. I loved her so much. She was everything. When I was with her, I never pictured my life after her. I never pictured coming back to the clan, much less taking a throne. And I definitely didn't picture ever being with anyone else. I feel like I'm letting her down."

"She'd want you to be happy. I didn't know her well, but I know that much. The way she looked at you... at that point in my life, I'd never seen anyone look at anything like that." Said Mika decisively. "I know she was the great love of your life. That'll never change. Not even if you participate in recreational sex with someone you enjoy spending time with. I promise. Don't be too hard on yourself."

Arrow bowed his head and pressed his palms into his face for several long minutes and Mika refocused his attention on the sparring cubs.

"For fuck's sake..." Arrow moaned once he'd resurfaced. "How do you handle my issues so easily when you're such a mess yourself?"

"Same reason you scraped me off the floor the night he left." Mika replied flatly. "Someone has to. Because we're both such fucking disasters, no one can handle us but each other. There's way too many people counting on us for the both of us to be dumpster fires at the same time. We have to take turns."

"Yeah..." Arrow sighed resignedly, then he shot Mika a wayward smile. "What am I going to do without you for however many years these missions turn out to be?"

"Make bad choices, probably." Said Mika. "But with that said... I don't think you made a bad choice last night. If it bothers you that much, keep your distance from her. But if it made you even a little bit happy... that's worth something."

"Oh gods, I don't know..."

"I'm not saying go fall in love and get married. But if you enjoyed it... and Kaden enjoyed it... maybe see if she'd want to do it again sometime." Mika suggested gently. "It doesn't have to be complicated or serious. But you deserve a bit of happiness."

Arrow gently squeezed Mika's shoulder.

"If I deserve it, then so do you. A thousand times over."

"Right now I'm content with just existing. One day at a time." Mika replied.

"You've come a long way in eleven months." Said Arrow very seriously.

Mika thought about that. He didn't like to remember the amounts of blood, sweat, tears, and hard liquor it had taken to get back to a place where he could be what the clan needed him to be.

A week after the exile, he conquered the first hurdle: he went back to work, thinking the worst was behind him. The first day was rocky but he made it through and figured it'd be all uphill from there. But as Arrow warned him, grief isn't linear. That level of grief is being strapped blindfolded to a rollercoaster that's on fire. The first three months were the worst. There were good days and bad days. On the good days he worked hard; hard enough so that he could fall asleep without the aid of alcohol or a sedative or both. On the bad days he could barely get out of his coffin. And if he did manage to go interact with others, he was hostile, explosive, and impossible to work with.

December rolled around, marking three months since the exile and Arrow told him out of the blue,

"If you're still planning on letting Gracie come home for Christmas break like always, you need to pull yourself together otherwise she'll be better off sitting alone in her dorm for the holiday. Even if you have to fake it for two weeks, she can't see you like this. I'm only telling you this because I love you: get your shit together."

Those words hit home like a lightning strike and Mika took them to heart. He achieved an entirely new level of 'fake it til you make it' when he finally took all that anger, shock, and heartbreak and turned it into a harsh new strength he could channel into protecting the clan. He didn't know if he'd ever again feel at home on that throne like he used to. He wasn't sure if he deserved to. The "what-ifs" ate him alive. What if he'd put his foot down and demanded more information from Kurda? What if he'd left the mountain and tracked him on one of his "business trips" like he wanted to do so many times, but refused to play the role of the controlling partner because surely Kurda would never do anything nefarious? What if he hadn't ignored the gut feeling that had been overshadowed by love - that in hindsight felt more like denial? What if? What if? What if?

Remember the days when your laughter was meant
Remember the days when you did what you said
You're counting the days til you get high again
Chill out, be easy on yourself

FAR, FAR AWAY FROM VAMPIRE MOUNTAIN:

As far as vampires go, Kurda had never been much of a party animal. He'd been known to get tipsy on wine but most of the time he preferred to keep his wits about him. Save for extra special occasions, of course. Then there were vampires like Arrow, Vanez, and of course Mika who'd take any excuse to chug liquor like it was going out of style.

Admittedly, Kurda used to roll his eyes at Mika and his love of revelry. But at one point it dawned on Kurda that constantly being down to party was sort of Mika's love language with the rest of the clan. On duty, he was aloof and detached. But when he let loose with his fellow vampires, he saw it as an opportunity to connect with them. In turn, they trusted and respected him all the more. And best of all, he had fun doing it.

But that had never worked for Kurda. Maybe it was because every time he got slightly intoxicated he ended up starting an argument with every vampire in earshot, or maybe it was because he couldn't hold his liquor worth a damn and somehow always ended up with a debilitating hangover that rendered him completely useless the following day. Undoubtedly, he was a bit of a lightweight by vampire standards. But among humans? He was a machine.

Kurda was in the right place at the right time that night. A very rich and very drunk businessman was loudly complaining about the fact that he had to fly here just for the weekend to sign some papers and put his recently deceased mother's seaside cottage up for sale. He didn't seem to feel this was going to be worth the effort it required. He was sitting on the bar stool next to Kurda, who was trying not to listen.

"I mean, look at this!" The man ranted, pulling out a cell phone and brandishing it in Kurda's face. "It may be quaint but it's barely worth my quarterly salary! I could've closed three multimillion-dollar deals in the time I've been here. But I practically need to stand on the god damned roof to get a signal! What my mother saw in this frozen wasteland I'll never understand. Bah!"

Kurda rolled his eyes but glanced down at the photo on the phone screen. He immediately recognized the place, he walked past it all the time. It was on the way out of town, on the route he took every time he walked to the women's shelter to volunteer. It was a beautiful little cottage.

Kurda swivelled on the barstool to look at the man directly, quirking an eyebrow as he did so.

"I'll take it off your hands for ya." Said Kurda. He wasn't drunk, not even close. But he purposely put a distinct slur into his words. He had an idea so ridiculous it just might work.

"You don't even look like you can afford that coke and whiskey!" The man hooted. Kurda smiled thinly.

"I never said I'd pay up front in cash." Kurda smirked. "But you seem to think you're wasting your own time simply by being here. And if what you said about closing deals is true, you're losing more money by sitting in this bar than you'll ever make by selling your mother's beautiful cottage, God rest her soul."

He almost slipped and said "gods" in plural. It felt like forever, but he really hadn't been away from the vampire clan all that long. Although he doubted his drunk companion would've noticed.

"So what're you getting at?" Asked the man shrewdly. Kurda smiled unassumingly and blinked a few times to make himself appear much drunker than he was.

"Hmmm... let me think." He mumbled, scratching his head thoughtfully. "Ah! I've got it! You look like a man who can handle your whiskey. Go shot for shot with me. Last man standing... keeps the keys to that cottage."

"You? You look like a right Barbie Doll!" The man guffawed. "Just one shot will have you on the floor!"

"I guess you have nothing to worry about, then. And win or lose, it'll be on my tab." Said Kurda with a mischievous wink. The bartender chuckled quietly. Kurda had become one of his regulars and he knew exactly how well Kurda could handle his liquor. To reiterate once again, Kurda may have been a notorious lightweight where he was from... but he was a long way from home now. The nearest vampire was thousands of miles away.

"You have a deal!" Snorted the businessman raucously. And they shook on it.

"Nathan! Line 'em up!" Kurda hollered with a wave at the still-laughing bartender. Nathan obliged, and away they went.

Kurda had never been a whiskey drinker. That was Mika's thing. Kurda thought it tasted like gasoline which was fine by Mika because he didn't like to share his bottles of the fine rare stuff.

Kurda couldn't explain why he gravitated to the dark, burning liquid these days. It's not that it tasted any better than before. He supposed it just reminded him of Mika. But why he sought out that reminder every time he sat down on those bar stools was a mystery to him.

He took down the first shot of whiskey and for a second he was back in Vampire Mountain...

SIX YEARS AGO:

Kurda's relationship with Mika was still fresh and new. It was just another quiet night after a long day of work. He'd been outside mapping the base of the mountain all day and Mika had been training General prospects. When Kurda finally caught up with his newly-designated other half, Mika was throwing back shots of whiskey with Arrow. The two Princes were sitting at their table in the Hall of Khledon Lurt, and they had three General prospects with them. The Princes hadn't just invited these young vampires out of hospitality. It was a test run to see if they could hang with the big dogs, to put it poetically. It was always interesting to see how the up-and-comers behaved in the presence of their Princes in a more casual atmosphere. Mika felt it said a lot about them, and Arrow was always glad for a reason to drink.

Mika's serious face broke into a fleeting smile the second he saw Kurda across the room, and Kurda felt his heart swell. He made his way over and sat down beside the dark-clad Prince.

"General Smahlt." Mika greeted him. Neither of them were into PDA but Mika paired those two words with a quick grin and a nod which, to be perfectly honest, was just as sexy as if he'd kissed Kurda in front of anyone. Probably sexier, even.

"Sire Ver Leth." Kurda smirked back.

They didn't engage in too much direct conversation with each other. Instead they made upbeat small talk with Arrow and the three would-be-Generals. Mika offered Kurda some whiskey as usual, and Kurda politely declined in favour of a simple glass of water. He sipped his water and smiled and laughed along with the others as they went shot for shot. But then an hour went by and they were still at it. Kurda got bored. So when Mika poured himself another shot, Kurda neatly swiped it out of his hand and took it down himself.

"So that's how it is?" Mika laughed, pouring himself another.

"You all drink this shit like it's the nectar of the gods." Said Kurda. "Surely I must be missing out on something great. It has to be an acquired taste."

"Judging by your face, I'd say not." Mika countered. It was true, Kurda had cringed dramatically as he swallowed the liquid.

"Must've had a bad one. Maybe this one will taste better." Kurda shrugged, grabbing the bottle and refilling the shot glass as Mika watched in amusement.

So that was how Kurda ended up going shot for shot with Mika, Arrow, and three other vampires who all had considerably more body weight than he did. The whiskey absolutely didn't taste any better as he went along, but after a while his taste buds sort of stopped working so that was a bonus. Which was all well and good until he woke up many hours later with a splitting headache and a churning stomach.

"Oh my gods..." he whimpered pitifully as he opened his eyes and realized he was lying on the floor with his head in Mika's lap. "What the hell did I do?"

"What didn't you do, babe?" Came Mika's reply. His voice was soft but undercut with clear exasperation. "Do you remember trying to go shot for shot with us?"

"Sort of..." Kurda groaned. "Shit... is it tomorrow?!"

"Well it's today, but you slept for 8 hours so by Kurda time, yes. It's tomorrow." Said Mika with a quiet chuckle. He was slowly running his fingers through Kurda's hair.

"What smells?" Kurda groaned.

"Probably the pile of my clothes in the corner that you threw up on." Mika replied wryly.

"Oh no..."

"Oh yes."

"Were you... wearing them? When it happened?"

"Mmhm. This is why we're lying on the floor and not in my coffin. Not risking that silk lining for anything."

"Fuck, Mika... I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I've been a hot mess plenty of times. You're just never awake to see it because you always go to bed at least four hours before the parties start winding down."

Kurda smiled up at him weakly.

"You think I'm still hot?"

Mika sighed, and smiled too.

"Yes, Kurda. Even when you're puking all over me, or getting into fights about vampaneze treaties, or falling off the benches... I still think you're the hottest thing I've ever seen in my life."

"I did all that?" Kurda yelped, cringing.

"You were a one-man shit show." Mika smirked ruefully. "Luckily you're light enough that I can pick you up and carry you away when you're getting yourself into trouble. Otherwise you might've wound up with a broken nose. You were getting pretty sassy with Terrance and Edward so I stepped in. They're a lot bigger than you."

"Fuck..." Kurda moaned.

"No judgement. Been there, done that." Said Mika matter-of-factly. "I mean, I usually win my fights... but that's irrelevant."

"Yet you said it anyway." Kurda grunted. "Oh gods.. I'm going to puke again. If you want to leave, you have five seconds at most."

Mika rolled his eyes and reached out for the bucket he'd clearly left conveniently close by, in case of situations like this.

"You know I'm here for the good, the bad, and the ugly. Although I'll admit, this is ugly if I've ever seen it."

"I thought you said I was hot..." Kurda gulped. He lurched upright, leaned over the bucket and heaved miserably until there was nothing left.

"Hot was last night when you were trying to get me in the coffin to do unspeakably dirty things to you." Mika snorted. "I politely declined though. You'd already thrown up on me at that point."

"This gets better and better..." Kurda croaked sarcastically, shoving the bucket away and laying back down in Mika's lap. Mika laughed quietly and resumed stroking his hair.

"I don't know how you drink whiskey. If I ever so much as smell it again, I'm going to shrivel up and die." Kurda whimpered after several minutes.

"Is that not what you're doing right now?" Mika chuckled. "Anyway, don't ever feel like you have to prove something to us. Seriously, Kurda. I don't care if you drink whiskey or water or anything in between. As long as you're sitting at my table, I'll be happy."

PRESENT DAY:

Kurda still hated the taste of whiskey, but he wished Mika could've been there to see him triumphantly slam down that final shot before his human drinking companion projectile-vomited all over the bar. The bartender swore angrily but Kurda whooped in delight and jovially patted the other man on the back.

"I'll take those keys now." Said the blond ex-General lightly. It was all the other man could to to dig them out of his pocket and throw them in Kurda's vague direction before tumbling off the stool.

"Seriously, Kyle?" The bartender groaned as Kurda walked away triumphantly.

"Just put it on my tab!" Kurda called over his shoulder. "You know I'll be back. And now, you know where to find me!" He added, jingling the keys. Time to go check out his new home.

You stop choosing it
Suddenly you're losing it
Give it a kiss now
Instead of bruising it
More than a mean fear
Pieces whole here
Let the past go boys and girl
You start stressing out
Time to learn a lesson, doubts
Not in your jeans, so please stop your guessing bout
Turn your smile on
Turn your smile up bright

BACK AT VAMPIRE MOUNTAIN:

Mika wasn't entirely shocked to hear Arrow and Kaden had a spontaneous thing. But he also hadn't necessarily been expecting it either. He knew Arrow was fiercely devoted to Sarah's memory and Mika wouldn't have been surprised if Arrow never sought out another partner for the rest of his life; whether in a romantic or strictly sexual capacity.

Mika hated himself for ever thinking it, but at one point he thought a life of celibacy would be a rather dramatic stance for Arrow to take. After all, vampires live for such a damn long time. But after Kurda, the thought of waking up and seeing someone else in his coffin made him nauseous. He knew the loss was relatively fresh and that maybe he'd feel differently one day. For now it was unbearable.

But maybe Arrow had brighter days ahead.

Mika decided to make a point of watching him interact with Kaden Hale in the days following their conversation on the bleachers. He liked Kaden. She was one of the better Generals and she got along well with just about everyone.

Her dynamic with Arrow sort of reminded Mika of himself and Arra in their early years. Although Arrow had never been Kaden's official mentor. He'd helped her train for her Trials of Initiation after she'd moved to the mountain full-time a few years back. They'd logged quite a few hours together in the sporting halls but didn't interact much outside of that. Kaden was similar to Arra in that she was driven, clever, and had zero tolerance for any sexist bullshit. But where Arra had been a cool-headed, rigid traditionalist, Kaden was open-minded and kindhearted. She was just as fierce as Arra, but it was a softer kind of strength. Funnily enough, that aspect of her reminded Mika a little of Kurda.

Arrow kept his distance from the sporting halls for several days after his guilt-ridden misadventure. Mika happened to be in the right place at the right time when he crossed paths with her for the first time since it happened. Kaden was training with Jakob and Arlo. She was using a set of two daggers and was so focused on her two opponents she didn't see Arrow approach. Mika had been quietly assessing them, just as he'd been doing the day before.

"Hey Hale. I'd recommend switching to an underhanded swing if your opponent is taller than you. Which most of them are." Said Arrow cautiously. She faltered at the sudden distraction and Jakob disarmed her with a swift uppercut and one of her daggers clattered to the floor.

"That couldn't have waited thirty fucking seconds til I finished this!?" She snarled, spinning around sharply to see who'd interrupted her. Up in the stands, Mika stifled a laugh. In that moment she'd most definitely channeled some classic Arra energy. Kaden's livid face fell as she realized who it was.

"Oh, shit. Arrow... I mean Sire. My apologies, I didn't realize it was you. I didn't mean to yell."

"Don't worry about it." Said Arrow bluntly. "I yell at people all the time."

She smiled wryly.

"Isn't that part of your job, though?" She asked.

"Paris says we shouldn't yell unless we have to. It's bad for morale, or something." Arrow mumbled awkwardly.

"Ah." Said Kaden. "That Sire Skyle is pretty smart, I hear."

"Yeah. He's a lot smarter than me." Arrow replied. Mika facepalmed.

"Regardless, I'm sorry I yelled at you." She said with a rueful smile.

"You should be sorry. Sorry you let yourself get distracted so easily." Said Arrow with a cautious smile.

Smooth, thought Mika.

"So you really think underhand is the way to go with these?" Kaden asked seriously, holding up the pair of daggers. "I feel like my aim is so much better overhanded."

"Of course it is. That's what you're used to." Said Arrow briskly. "Can I see one of those for a second? Thanks."

He took the dagger and demonstrated a quick underhanded swing. Jakob Wiles stepped forward eagerly.

"Sire, can you show me how to do a backhanded switch on the fly? I lose my grip every time I try it." Jakob inquired hopefully. Arrow's gaze shifted from Kaden to Jakob and his face fell so imperceptibly that none of them would have noticed. But Mika noticed.

"Bracken! Wiles!" Mika called sharply from the stands. Arlo and Jakob swung around sharply. Clearly they had no idea he'd been there. "Go get some swords from the armoury and meet me in east sparring ring. I'm bored of taking notes about you. Let's see how you hold up against me."

Jakob and Arlo exchanged glances of apprehensive excitement before nodding to Mika and hurrying off to the armoury, leaving Arrow and Kaden standing alone. Mika slowly descended from the bleachers and raised his eyebrows as he passed them. He shot Arrow a quick message through their telepathic connection.

MVL: Do whatever you want with this opportunity.

Arrow narrowed his eyes.

A: You little shit.

MVL: You're welcome.

Mika then carried on his way, leaving Arrow to figure out his next move. It really was the perfect opportunity. It was completely open-ended. Kaden had asked Arrow a legitimate question about a combat technique. If Arrow didn't want to take it any further, he could show her the maneuver and leave it at that. If he felt like spending any more time with her after that, it would be all too easy to ask her to join him in the Hall of Khledon Lurt for a bite to eat and a mug of ale.

The funniest part to Mika was the fact that Arrow and Kaden had already spent tons of time with each other. Yet they'd never looked as awkward as they both did now. Mika would've left them both to their own devices and stayed out of it - had it not been for the warmth in her eyes as she chuckled gently at Arrow's comment about Paris being smarter. It was a strange sort of mutual curiosity that hung between them. She obviously respected him as a Prince, but Mika got the distinct impression that she wasn't about to fawn over him, nor was she afraid to talk to him like an equal. Sort of like how Kurda had always done with Mika. Maybe that would go better for Arrow than it had for him.

When Mika re-appeared in the Hall of Princes later that night after training with Jakob and Arlo, Arrow was already there and Paris was on his way out. Darren and Larten weren't around but were due to arrive soon.

"Well?" He said to Arrow pointedly as he sat down in his throne.

"We had a nice time." Said Arrow lightly. He seemed fairly relaxed but Mika knew his guard was still very much up.

"And?"

"We went over a bunch of dagger stuff. I showed her all the drills I know. Then I showed her my boomerang. I even let her try it!"

"Sorry, but I have to ask. Your actual boomerang, or is that a euphemism?" Mika inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Gross. My actual boomerang."

"You must really like her. You don't even let me use them." Said Mika.

"Because you're awful with them. Last time you tried you just about decapitated yourself, not to mention nearly took out everyone in the room."

"Because they're stupid, impractical weapons, they make absolutely no sense, and they should be banned. Anyway, how'd she do?" Mika asked. Then Arrow smiled.

"Really good."

"Good."

"I'm going to ask her if she wants to have dinner with me tomorrow." Said Arrow decisively.

"That's great!" Said Mika enthusiastically.

"Yeah. So you can make it, right?" Arrow added seriously. "Darren and Paris will be in the hall at that time. And I didn't see anything else on your schedule for that night."

Mika frowned.

"What the fuck do you need me there for?" He asked bemusedly.

"You know!" Arrow sighed in exasperation.

"I don't do threesomes, A. If I can't be the centre of attention, I'm not interested. Also, you're not my type." Mika snorted.

"Oh, fuck off." Arrow snapped, reddening. "You know that's not what I meant."

"Obviously. Just messing with you. But seriously, please elaborate on why you want me crashing your date."

Arrow sighed again.

"I don't know if I want it to be a date... having you there would take the pressure off."

Mika rolled his eyes.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. You don't think she'll feel awkward dining alone with two Princes?"

"I don't know!" Arrow groaned, throwing his hands up on frustration. "I don't know how to do any of this!"

"Arrow, you were married for several decades. You had a house and kids and everything." Said Mika, quite puzzled now. "How do you not know how to do this?"

"Sarah made the first moves!" Arrow explained, sounding a little agitated. "Then I waited almost four years to propose because I was so nervous! I still don't know what the hell I did right for her to want me!"

"Well, I like hanging out with you, most of the time. I'm guessing she did too." Said Mika gently. He really didn't want Arrow to go down the rabbit hole of Sarah memories, it never ended well. "Don't overthink it. You'll be fine."

"What's your secret?" Arrow asked gruffly.

"What do you mean?"

"You landed Arra, and then Kurda. Easily the most attractive vampires in the clan. Kurda may have turned out to be the literal worst, but even I can admit he was easy on the eyes. You must've done something right. And I know people think you're pretty yourself, but I don't see it." Arrow deadpanned.

"I just have a delightful personality." Said Mika scathingly, with a roll of his steely eyes.

Arrow laughed ruefully.

"Honestly, Mika? I'm sort of just hoping you'll just come straight out and tell me what to do from here. Because I'm so fucking lost." He admitted. He was smiling but there was a sad look in his eyes.

"The fact that you're having this conversation with me tells me everything I need to know." Said Mika after a moment's pause. "Arrow, you're the only person I know who guards their heart more heavily than I do. You wouldn't even be considering it if you didn't feel something real."

Arrow inhaled deeply and closed his eyes for several seconds before exhaling again.

"She's on your strike team, right?" Mika added.

"Yeah." Said Arrow quietly. "I thought about it a lot before I put her name on my list. But I feel like I can trust her to have my back. And since I can't have you on my team... I need someone who gets me."

Mika nodded slowly.

"Ask her to have dinner with you. I'm refuse to third wheel because that would be ridiculous. However, I do promise I'll show up with a diversion if things get awkward. Just send me a message and I'll be there. Deal?"

"Deal. Gods, this is awful timing. Fuck the Vampaneze Lord."

"You can think of it two ways." Said Mika offhandedly. "If things go well, you're in luck because you'll be spending a lot of time together on the mission. And if things don't go well, you'll have plenty of distractions once you're out there in the field. It's a win-win. Just get through your date first."

"It's not a... fuck, it's a date, isn't it?"

"Call it what you want." Mika chuckled tiredly. "Just take a bath, put on something nice, and don't say anything stupid."

Remember the days when your laughter was meant
Remember the days when you did what you said
You're counting the days til you get high again
Chill out, be easy on yourself

Every day, every day
Every day in 50 million ways
I like to play with each cell of your brain
I call and say Yo Hello Hooray
I'd like to wake up a moment from your smile

THE NEXT DAY:

Mika figured he should take it as a good sign when the hours ticked by and he didn't receive a distress signal from Arrow. Eventually, Darren and Paris went to bed, leaving Mika in the Hall of Princes alone so even if Arrow did call for backup, Mika couldn't have gone to his aid.

He busied himself with trying to plot out coordinates on a map and was becoming increasingly frustrated with it. Where the fuck was Kurda when you needed him? Oh, right. We don't talk about that. The doors suddenly sliding open and Arrow walking in was a welcome distraction.

"Hey." Mika greeted him with a very pointed expression.

"Hey." Arrow echoed as he approached. He looked content but his face didn't betray any intense emotions.

"Well?" Said Mika impatiently as Arrow settled down in his throne.

"It was really nice. Casual." Said Arrow quietly. "We mostly just talked about the mission. But that was fine by me. That kind of thing is all I know how to talk about anyway."

"Nothing wrong with that." Mika shrugged.

"I apologized for the other night... the one I was telling you about. She said she had no idea what I was talking about." Arrow added, a smile beginning to play upon his lips.

"That was very nice of her." Said Mika.

"I asked her to be my second-in-command on the mission." Said Arrow.

"Bold choice." Mika remarked lightly. "She's good but she doesn't have any field experience yet. This is kind of a big one."

The smile vanished from Arrow's face.

"Because you're such a great judge of character..." he retorted drily with a sideways glance at Mika.

"You're right. I have no idea what the fuck I'm talking about." Mika laughed derisively. And Arrow chuckled ruefully as well.

"But actually, that's a great idea." Mika added seriously. "You need someone you can trust. And if you think it's her, then it's her."

Arrow nodded slowly, smiling once more.

"Yeah. I do think it's her. Hey, who's your second? Did you pick yet?"

Mika sighed heavily.

"No. Probably Wiles or Bracken. They're the best ones on my team. But they're no Crepsley, or Sails... or you."

"It wouldn't be fair to the vampaneze if we fought together out there." Said Arrow gruffly. "Let's at least make it a challenge for them."

Remember the days when your laughter was meant
Remember the days when you did what you said
You're counting the days til you get high again
Chill out, be easy on yourself

FAR, FAR AWAY FROM VAMPIRE MOUNTAIN:

Kurda didn't have a lot to be happy about. But he felt a rush of euphoria as he explored the cottage he'd finessed with a bit of slick talk and a lot of gross liquor.

It was small, but extremely nice and well-kept. Even covered in snow it had a distinct charm about it. It was one floor, one bedroom, one bathroom. Open-concept kitchen and living room. The best part was the view of the harbour. It was a frozen wasteland at the moment but he could just imagine how beautiful it would be in the summer. The village was located on a migratory route for the humpback whales that swam these waters in warmer months. He felt a pang as he recalled the first mission he ever went on with Mika - a fresh young General at the time. They'd travelled by ship and learned that Mika A) enjoyed being near the ocean, and B) thought whales were neat. Those were the first two "little things" he'd ever learned about Mika. And the little things were what made Kurda fall so desperately in love. Things like how much he loved coffee. How he only knew about half a dozen songs from the 21st century and all of them were gangster rap - which he could rap along to fluently much to Kurda's embarrassment. How he slept in late maybe once a decade - but when he did, he looked so peaceful lying there. How he'd make this cute little sighing noise as he'd stretch before getting up. His dry snark and deadpan wit; his sense of humour was subtle but truly spectacular in Kurda's opinion. How he was tougher than a diamond but could also be soft as a summer rain. And both of those traits were entirely authentic. Okay, that was more of a big thing than a little thing. But it was what had always amazed Kurda the most about him; how those two different sides intertwined to make him who he was.

Kurda would've given anything to go back to the time before everything went to hell. Anything to walk into the Hall of Princes and see Mika sitting up there leaning sideways in his throne, greeting Kurda with that nod and smile. Anything to hear him laugh at one of Arrow's stupid jokes again. Anything to feel Mika's body press up against his, every beautiful inch from lips to hips. And as great as the sex always was, whether it was rough or gentle, nothing was better than the moments after where Kurda would rest his head on Mika's chest, in exactly the right place to listen to his heartbeat as Mika wrapped him up in his powerful, battle-scarred ams, held him tight and whispered how much he loved him.

And gods, Kurda loved him back so fiercely. He never stopped loving him. He had to fight every instinct he had not to reach out to Mika through their telepathic link and excitedly tell him the story.

I lied to him. I plotted against him. I used his weakness against him. I destroyed him. He doesn't want to hear about my fucking cottage.

And then it all hit him all over again, just like it did every time he woke up. The image of Mika sitting on his throne during that trial, fighting so hard to keep up his diamond-tough exterior but all Kurda could see was the look deep in his eyes that screamed out how lost and scared he was.

What Kurda remembered most from that night wasn't the moment he revealed the prophecy, or the moment he learned his fate. When he thought back to it, all he remembered was how badly he wanted to run past the guards, up to the thrones and throw his arms around Mika and tell him how much he loved him and how he deserved so much better than all of this. How the night before, he had to talk himself out of slipping into Mika's cell while the mountain slept, and begging him to run away together. Maybe if he'd done that, they'd both be somewhere far away from here. Gracie too. Maybe in a little cottage like this one. Just the three of them. And they'd be happy and safe. On his weakest days, Kurda would lose himself in that fantasy. He knew it was stupid to torture himself with dreams that would never come true, but in those moments he couldn't find the strength to care.

Every day, every day
Every day in 50 million ways
I like to play with each cell of your brain
I call and say Yo Hello Hooray
I'd like to wake up a moment from your smile

If you're enjoying this, please like leave a comment or something? I'm starting to hit a wall with this, like I know EXACTLY how I'm ending it and I'm very excited to see it through til the end but the middle is giving me some serious writers block so please validate me lmao ily

- Roxy