*I dont know how but this got gross im so sorry lmao, it should be horrifying though so it WAS on purpose.

"Sorry, I'm late," Lathan burst into the doors of the church at exactly 6:13 pm, the sun had yet to set so the sky was a warm yellow and orange, the air was cool and the locusts and crickets did well, whatever it was they did. All in all, another gorgeous Portia summer evening that had to be ruined. The building was loud with speculation and arguments not that anyone would expect it to be quiet. Everyone was shocked, well, shocked wasn't even the word. Nora was sobbing loudly, crumpled against a bench all to herself.

"Do you really think now is the time to be late?" Sam snapped.

"Hm, suspicious," Mars leaned over to Paulie.

"Hmmm, ooh, ahh, suspicious. Shut the fuck up Mars before eat your wife out." She turned to the blonde woman. "As for you, Sam, I have a life and a job and those won't stop just because someone died."

"Someone? He was just someone to you?" She scoffed, completely taken aback at Lathan's attitude.

"I never fucking liked him," she raised up her top to expose a scar that ran from under her right breast to her right hip. "You see what he did to me! Your fucking captain? Your hero?"

"This isn't looking good in your favor, Miss Lathan," Lee finally spoke up.

"My favor?" She scoffed. "You some lawyerman? You do know we're in a church right?"

"The Captain showed up dead in a—in a chest…and you're the only one here who hates him and who can match up to him in strength." Sam spluttered. Nora descended into full-on wails of agony.

"Why the fuck would I make myself an easy target like that? Why would I go through the risk of killing this motherfucker? Use your brain and think for a second, whoever did it had the very easy choice to put the body anywhere. There's a million and one places, a thousand endless pits and dark holes where he could've been placed and we'd be none the wiser. All they needed was a note saying that he ran off to join the Flying Pigs or to chase after the tail of another woman and that's it. We would never know he was dead, whoever did this wanted us to know he was whacked."

"That…makes sense." Paulie relented. "Lathan's a member of our town."

"So, who else then?"

"Tody!" Qiwa slapped his shoulder. "Didn't he put you behind bars?"

"Real funny," he rolled his eyes and smiled. "Didn't he tell you off for catching and releasing the wrong fish in the rivers?"

"Aye!" Qiwa swallowed a grin.

"Is no one talking this seriously?" Sam went red in the face.

"Can't say I was much of a fan of his." Qiwa shrugged. "The crying lass seems to be the only one who really cares."

"Well, I care." Mars stood.

"Sit down!" Lathan barked and he plopped down in his seat.

"Arlo was a good boy," Martha said with a shaky tone. "He kept my Toby in line. He watched over us, no, protected us. And you three don't care?"

"Nope," Qiwa grinned and Tody let out a short, barking laugh. Lathan leaned forward and caught a high-five from them both.

"Hey," Alice suddenly spoke up and everyone turned to the soft-spoken girl. "Where's Remington?"

"He, the Research Center, and the Clinic folk are investigating the body. All we know is he was killed right around sunrise."

"And Mei?" Django inqured.

"Writing the article right now with Erwa."

"Mimi. She's got a damn good reason to kill him." Liuwa tapped his seat. "After what he did to her."

Mimi, who up until this entire point had been watching the group argue silently looked up. "I hate him, I'll never forgive him, but I didn't kill him."

"Easy now, she was with Hayvenhurst in the diner, most of us were." Django stood up. "Last thing we need is to be pointing fingers at the wrong folks."

"And where is Hayvenhurst?" Sam inquired.

"I don't know," Mimi sighed in defeat and slumped back down in her seat.

"Where were you, Lathan?" Sam turned to Lathan once again.

"Ah, she was," Gust suddenly stood up also. "She was with me tending to some business about decorating her shop."

"I had his dick approximately 7.2519 inches down my throat," Lathan shrugged. "Don't lie, last thing I need is to be caught up in a lie."

"Oh," his face flushed a bright pink. "Okay, and then I went to get some seashells for Ginger when we...erm…finished."

"He did it rough too, had my hair in his grip," she leaned forward and smacked Mars on his head. "I couldn't even breathe. We almost had two deaths this morning."

"Oh, would you show some decency?" Mars rubbed the back of his head. "Just because the kids aren't here that doesn't mean-."

"Shut up! Shut up! One more thing from you two and you're both sleeping in the cell tonight." Sam snapped at them.

"I can confirm Mister Gust's whereabouts," Russo spoke with such authority it made Sam back down also. "I met with him while I was out gathering groceries for Miss Ginger's lunch.

"I…I." Nora looked up from her heavy sobs. "He told me he loved me. We were going to get engaged."

"Do yourself a favor, go back to school. Don't get tied down here," Lathan walked up to her and offered a hug which Nora gladly accepted. She sobbed into the arm of the larger woman.

"I will. I will."

The door burst open and everyone turned to see who it was. Remington with a stack of papers and photos. "We got some new information." He turned to the rest of the town. "It was an ax wound. Steel to be specific."

"Lathan and Aadit commissioned me for two steel axes," said Higgins, who was nestled in the seat closest to the door.

Aadit, who Lathan hadn't even noticed, put his hands up in a surrender motion, for a moment she thought it was him. "I work on a tree farm, I should specify. Also, I never once had a problem with him."

Ayla stood over him. "It wasn't him! He was with me all night! Look at someone else."

"And you, Lathan?" Mars said with a shit-eating grin. She was going to fuck his wife so good he was going to be a divorcee the next time they spoke.

"Might I remind you that I occasionally take commissions also? I'm not a Builder but I do need a lot of lumber for my builds."

Sam sighed. "And you couldn't get it from the Tree Farm like everyone else?"

"You pay them prices," she turned to Aadit. "Sorry."

"It was from someone tall. Maybe not taller than him but," he didn't even finish before everyone turned to look at Lathan.

"Okay, I still have an alibi. I was with Gust."

"Before sunrise?" Remington was far less accusatory in his tone than Sam, still, she didn't appreciate it.

"I was getting ready for Gust then."

"If we had street lights like I proposed maybe we could've caught the culprit by now." Higgins crossed his arms.

"Still, Lathan, I don't want to think that it was you." Sam crossed her arms. "But if you-."

"You don't want to think it was me but you clearly do. You knew how I felt about him after he divorced Mimi like that. You knew how I felt about him after he fucking lashed out on me and attacked me."

Gust abruptly stood. "Which he never apologized publicly for!" Lathan ran to him and threw herself in his arms.

"If you think I'd risk my relationship with Gust just to kill that doofus then you're an idiot."

Higgins hummed in agreement. "Yes, but the ax-."

"THE AX WAS OLD!" Petra came running through the doors, panting heavily from running up the steps. "Rust! We found traces of rust where the ax connected!" She stuffed another stack of papers in Remington's hands.

"SEE! Me and Aadit got brand new axes. My old ax was rusted but it was bronze! It wasn't me!"

"Instead of pointing fingers can we work out why someone would want Arlo dead?" Django offered and everyone murmured in agreement.

"I loved Arlo."

The room suddenly went silent.

"He was my everything. He made me feel loved, but even then I think I knew he had problems."

Everyone sat down or sat up and turned to Mimi with bated breaths. The floor was hers.

"He was ambitious but was ruthless. He was passionate but angry. He was strong but careless."

Lathan gently touched the scar on the left side of her body.

"Did he hit you?" Nora gently asked, afraid that she offended her. She never hated Mimi, she never could.

"No. He wouldn't dare. Hayvenhurst or Lathan would've actually killed him on the spot."

"So, Hayvenhurst is another person we should keep our eyes on? I mean, he isn't here right now," said Liuwa.

"I told him to stay back," Mimi admitted. "I didn't want any of you thinking of him in a different way."

"Mimi, he is now a suspect in a murder case," Sam crossed her arms. "You can't just-."

"Shut up and let her talk," Lathan snuggled into Gust. Sam made to tell her off but nodded in defeat instead.

"Arlo didn't mean any harm. He just wanted to be the best and his insecurities got in the way," Nora tried to add.

"His insecurity nearly killed me," Lathan scoffed and Gust held her tighter in his arms. "He had bad fucking issues. He should've gone to therapy."

"He never considered my feelings. I don't even think he was capable of genuine love. He just used me to make himself feel better. He took and he took and only when the guilt was truly bad did he give me an apology after he had gotten with Nora. Honestly, I think she was the one who told him to do it." Mimi stood. "I'm leaving."

"You can't just leave!" Sam made to stop her but Remington held out his arm.

"Let her go."

"I want to go home, too. I have to see my kids." Mars spoke up. Everyone agreed.

"It's getting late. Everyone has families to tend to. Until there's definite proof I don't want to do this again," Remington said to the group. "Good night. Be safe. Don't walk around at night. Dismissed."

Everyone slowly started to wander out and down the stairs, murmuring about what all had been said and found out. Lathan and Gust walked side by side in silence until they got to A&G.

"I can't believe they think it was me. I'm glad he's dead but," she crossed her arms. "I would never kill him. Even if he swung his sword at me. I've got morals you know."

Gust leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "I'd never let them take you. Even if you did do it. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me, you know?"

"Wow, I can't believe you're getting all sentimental on me," her face nearly hurt from smiling so wide.

"Don't get used to it," he kissed her lips that time. "Good night, stay safe."

"I will," she waved over her shoulder and walked down the path to her house.

Gust leaned against the door as he watched her until she was out of sight.

He stepped into the dark office and gently shut the door behind him. He leaned against his desk and let out a heavy sigh. Too much was happening in the quiet little town of Portia lately.

He grabbed a small pouch of seashells and gently tied it around his belt. Then he reached under his desk and pulled out a worn ax, nearly scrubbed completely clean. It hardly looked like it had been used in years.

"A thousand endless pits," he groaned and slammed his head against the desk. "I hope she didn't lie about that."

He hadn't walked along the forest with Ginger in a long time, they had moved to the riverbank a while ago, it was just safer. He hadn't noticed where he was though, his thoughts had been plagued for months. It seemed like he was on autopilot to the average outsider but in his head, he had been concocting a million different ways to confess his love to Lathan.

She had infected his thoughts until nearly everyone he had was about her. Albert had helped nudge them in the right direction but he still just needed one more push and what better than a full confession. He was planning a dinner on the edge of the forest, a picnic, and then he'd confess. It was hard for him, he wasn't going to lie, but she was worth every bit of heartache. She was there every winter morning to stand with him, she was there to help him find the flowers his mother loved, and to help him pick resources for Ginger's crafts. He could only conjure very few warm memories he had in Portia that didn't involve her. He had to act fast, any one of Portia's singles could be braver than him. He saw she and Tody had an unusually good friendship. He couldn't bear the thought. It made bile rise in his chest.

He was snapped out of his stupor when he heard rustling and voices a little ways away from the edge. He cautiously stumbled in to see Arlo on his knees at Lathan's feet. He had been crying, sobbing by the trail of mucus and tears on his face.

"Fuck, god, Lathan, I said I was sorry."

This was the night of the evening he completely lashed out at her in the center of town and swung his sword at her. She hadn't expected it and instead of easily dodging like he knew she could do it stuck her head-on. She was supposed to be bedridden. A lump formed in Gust's throat.

"I don't fucking care, you look pathetic," she spat at him. He let it drip down his face as he smiled. She scrunched her nose in disgust. "Who the fuck do you think you are?"

"The Civil Corps Captain," he quipped. "I just want you to accept my apology."

"I will most certainly fucking not!"

His hands shakily danced around her thighs and hips, though she didn't throw him off and kick at him like Gust thought she would. "Please, please…fuck, god."

"You think coming here and bawling your eyes out is going to work on me. Look what you did!" She lifted her shirt to show the bloody bandage. He sucked in his breath and slumped against her.

"I'm sorry. Please, let me make it up to you," he reached for the bandages and pulled at them.

"The fuck is your damage?" She stared down at him. "Oh."

They had noticed it right that the same time. He was very obviously erect and it was straining against his pants. He hadn't even noticed it but he was rocking in place as he slowly tugged at the bandages until they unraveled. It was clearly wrapped by her, if it had been Xu or Phyllis it wouldn't have come off.

His unsteady fingers danced along with the stitches and staples. His breath was erratic and stilted. It wasn't sanitary or normal, but Lathan just stared on in disgust and intrigue. He leaned forward and kissed each staple gently.

Gust nearly lept out from his hiding place. He wanted to wrap his hands around the redhead's throat and strangle the life out of him, but Lathan wouldn't like that he spied on her. He instead chose to do the same thing Lathan was doing at that moment, watch everything unfold in disgusted amusement. Gust thought he had issues of his own, but Arlo seemed to be a threat to the target of his affection and he seemed to revel in that thought.

The kisses had quickly devolved into sloppy licking and he was audibly moaning like he didn't care who or what found him. Gust didn't even think he realized. One of his hands held onto the plush skin of her left hip and the other fumbled with his buckle. They both couldn't believe their eyes. Lathan stared at him with a blank, hard expression. Gust couldn't pin what she could've felt or thought at that moment. She reached out and gripped his hair though she didn't pull him away.

"Oh, fuck, thank you, fuck," he muttered incomprehensibly as he palmed his cock. He didn't even build up to it, he just spat in his hand and started to jerk. Disgusting. Gust chose to ignore the tightening in his pants. He could imagine himself in the same position, but Lathan would enjoy it, he hoped.

"You're so fucking gross." Lathan finally managed to say.

"I am, I am, I'm the worst person on Earth," he looked up for a moment to stare at her scowl. It made him rub his dick even faster. "Fuck. I love it when you look at me like that. You bitch. I hate you!"

A stitch had unraveled and his face was bloody at that point. When he tasted the warm, coppery taste of her blood he panted in contentment. He was straining so hard a vein had popped out of his neck.

"I'm so fucking horrible. You hate me, don't you?"

"I do. You're disgusting."

"Tell me again."

"You're disgusting."

He pinched her left hip. "Bitch. I fucking hate you. You're worse than Mimi or Nora. I hate you so much, fuck, you're so mean to me. I love you. I want you."

"Pick one." She scowled.

"I, fuck, I'm about to cum." He leaned into her stomach and howled out as his orgasm rushed through him. He came all over the forest ground in hot and heavy spurts. It had looked like he was depriving himself for weeks until that moment. He shuttered with each rope that shot from the tip. . He was shivering and grabbing onto her thighs until his knuckles were white.

Only then did Lathan kick him off of her. He fell to the ground in a heap of limbs. His face was sticky and crusty. She looked at her wound. She'd needed to get it cleaned asap.

"Lathan, I'm sorry." He looked up at her pathetically.

"Apology not accepted." She kicked him once more and stomped away.

"You bitch! You fucking slut! Come back," he groaned and started to sob once more.

Gust confessed to her the next day. She said yes.

That moment, however, was not his breaking point. That would come late one summer night after he and Lathan were in love and happy. He was painting in the brush to get a good view of the moon hitting the foliage. He had used an old ax he found in the attic to chop down some stray branches and had prepared to reach for it again to hack at some weed when Arlo and Ack obstructed his view. He slowly got close enough to hear them.

"Getting with Nora was a mistake," Arlo grabbed at his hair. "I just, I wanted someone new. She didn't argue back like Mimi did, but I realized…I loved it. I couldn't stand hearing Nora just agree and agree and agree! I thought I wanted a submissive girl but I was wrong."

"Are you planning to get with Mimi?" Ack inquired.

"God, no. That time has passed and she's happier with Hayvenhurst. I want Lathan."

"What! I thought you two hated each other?"

"We do...don't we? No one talks to me like she does. No one in this entire town hits like she does. No one's built like she is. Someone who can handle it when I rough her up."

"She'd beat you before she'd ever say yes."

Even from a distance Gust could see his arousal. Gust bit into his tongue, that familiar feeling of fury and bile rising in his chest. He could almost run at him and

"God, I fucking hope she does. I'd slam my fist into her face."

Ack seemed incredibly uncomfortable after that. He blubbered out a series of 'uhms' and 'uhs' before he stopped and took in an artificial breath. "You do know she's with the mayor's son, Gust right?"

Ack added, "I don't think this is wise, Arlo."

"Yeah? I didn't ask for a second opinion." He stood up and jammed an unmarked chip into the side of his head. He froze with arms in an a-pose. "I hate to do this to you buddy, but you'll just go and tell Gust."

"Tell Gust what?" Ack slowly turned his limbs. Arlo pulled the chip out and pocketed it.

"That I want the Civil Corps building redecorated. Don't tell anyone, it's a surprise."

"Okay!" The robot nodded enthusiastically and walked away back toward town.

"She doesn't want you," Gust stepped out from his hiding place, the ax in his grip.

"I'll make her want me. She'll get tired of you, Pretty Boy." He looked down at the weapon in Gust's hand. "What are you going to do with that?"

Arlo straightened up and clapped a hand on Gust's shoulder. "I don't think you can handle her. You could hardly lift that ax up. Go home. Unless you want to see me take her from you." Delirious. He was deranged, demented, anything but coherent.

Arlo made to walk past him and he did not make it far. The night was long and the locusts were loud. Hopefully loud enough to drown out garbled screams. He really didn't want to do this. He was on board with Lathan's therapy idea. He planned on dumping him in the river, but he had a better idea. He scrubbed all the filth from his hands and the ax, threw what he could in a chest and made the long journey of dragging it from the forest to the steps of the Civil Corps building, right in front of the Flying Pigs statue.

When he made it to the A&G the sun was nearly up and he smelled of sweat. He hid the ax under his desk and was pacing the office when he got Lathan's little knock. He pulled her inside and kissed her passionately.

"I love you, so much," he panted.

"I love you, too?" Lathan smiled at him. "What's up?"

"Thinking about you. Dreaming about you. Drawing and sketching about you." He laughed.

"Well, I think about you too," she dropped to her knees. Fuck, she might see the ax.

"You don't have to."

"I want to," she unzipped his pants. "You're hard already?"

He hadn't even realized. The adrenaline was still running through his veins, he could only think about her and that ax. She took her time with him and worshipped him the way he did to her. He wished Arlo could see this. It was like that moment in the woods when the redheaded captain was on his knees. Gust's hands found themselves in her hair. That motherfucker, that degenerate defiled her. His heart raced as though about her blood on his face, the pure enjoyment he was having from being viciously degraded by her. Lathan pinched him.

The wound was only a scar now, but the thought of him tasting her like that, in a far more pure and intimate way than just the juices of her pussy, which he wouldn't object to. Lathan slapped his thigh.

He was gone. He actually killed a man. Didn't even give him a fighting chance. He just picked it up and swung. Though Arlo's last breaths he called him a coward, said he'd never be enough for Lathan. Gust just laughed. He wasn't the one dying at the hands of a pampered pretty boy.

Lathan clawed her nails in his thigh. "Fuck," Gust hissed and let go.

"Are you trying to kill me?" Lathan gasped for air.

"No. God, I'm so sorry," he leaned down and kissed her.

"Well, I like this rougher side of you. Let's just set up some safe words, yeah?"

"Yeah."

She'd ask him about that ax later.