'Vulpes,' Six hissed, trying to sound annoyed, 'not here.'
He ignored her, his hands travelling further up the silky skin underneath her shirt. He hummed appreciatively against her hair, his fingers tracing the bottom of her ribcage before both hands slipped down to her waist again, pulling her back against him.
'Vulpes,' she tried again, her attempt at sounding stern undercut by the smile on her face.
'Hmm?' he mused, nuzzling her ear. She turned in his arms, only to have him start kissing gently down her neck.
'What am I—' Six gasped as he nipped a tender spot, 'supposed to do with you?'
He chuckled against her neck, tightening his grip on her waist.
'Whatever you like,' he murmured, drawing back and smiling down at her. The expression was dazzling. Six felt her heart flutter in her throat as Vulpes bowed his head to press that smile against her lips.
Six woke suddenly, her entire body tense. It was dark, the air icy in the Mojave night, and goose pimples bloomed across her skin as she jolted back to consciousness. She waited for the constriction in her chest to ease, willing away the ghostly warmth of arms that had never held her.
The bed creaked, the body beside her shifting and snorting. Sitting up carefully, Six gazed across at the sleeping form, unable to stop her lip from curling in disgust. She was overcome with revulsion: at herself, at this place, at this monster she was sharing a bed with. A shudder passed through her, leaving in its wake a stifling sense of claustrophobia.
With the exaggerated slowness of those trying desperately not to make a sound, she rose from the pre-war bed, its rusty frame threatening to betray her. Tugging on clothes and shoes, she stepped into the courtyard outside Caesar's tent. The night air was even colder here, her thin cotton vest not enough to keep it at bay. She went back inside, grabbing a shirt that was much too large for her, wrapping herself in it as if it would provide some protection from the consequences of her own decisions.
Emerging from the guarded tent complex, Six acknowledged the sentries with a nod. Neither of them so much as looked at her.
What do they think of me? she wondered, scuffing down the hill as her face twisted into an ugly sneer. That you're Caesar's whore. That's what they think of you.
She sighed, turning her gaze to the stars that pricked the sky above. The Fort was quiet at this time of night, the only movement from sentries guarding the gates. She had never felt so isolated. Even waking up with a bullet in her brain had been better than waking up next to Caesar.
Six resisted the urge to scream, digging her nails painfully into her arms. Caesar's whore, she spat at herself again, the harlot of Mars. Wandering towards the back of the camp, she brooded over her poor choices, wishing that Benny had killed her after all.
'Good evening.'
Six jumped, cursing.
'Dammit, Inculta.' She spun to face him, scowling at his smug expression. 'Are you trying to kill me?'
'Not at present,' he said, his eyes raking up and down as he took in her dishevelled appearance. 'Taking the air, are we?'
She threw him a dirty look. 'Something like that.'
He studied her face, waiting for her to elaborate.
'Does Caesar know you're out here?' he pressed.
Six made a noise of disgust and walked away from him without deigning to answer. He followed her as she stalked around the back of the concrete bunker, where she abruptly spun round to face him.
'You're not going to leave me alone, are you?'
'Afraid not,' he purred, apparently amused at her frustration with him.
'Look,' she rubbed at her eyes, 'can you stop playing the part of Caesar's rabid lapdog for one minute?'
'Watch your tongue, woman,' he growled at her, his eyes flashing in the dark.
'That's a no then.'
A helpless expression flashed across her face, although she smothered it quickly. Six sighed. This wasn't the Vulpes from her dream; that version of him wasn't real. She wasn't sure the man in front of her was capable of normal human feelings like attachment, let alone love.
'I just want to be left alone.'
She knew how pathetic she sounded, but she couldn't bring herself to care. What good was pride to her now?
'I'm afraid that Caesar's consort is much too precious to be left alone,' he told her, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall of the bunker.
Despite herself, Six laughed at the absurdity of it. Precious, indeed. She was little more than a trophy, and a quickly tarnishing one at that. It wouldn't be long until Caesar tired of her. The thought brought her some relief, even though she would likely be killed, possibly in the arena for sport. Not for the first time, she wondered how she'd gotten herself into this mess.
Vulpes was still watching her, his expression as inscrutable as ever. Fuck it, she thought, I've got nothing to lose.
She turned away from him and approached the perimeter fence. It was unguarded; this side of the Fort backed onto the great ravine of the Colorado River, and there was little point in patrolling it. It took her a moment in the moonlit dark, but she eventually found what she was looking for: a loose fence panel, her one escape from the hell of her own making. She had just wrapped her fingers around the edge of it when Vulpes spoke again.
'What are you doing, profligate?'
His voice was right next to her ear, making her jump again. He was standing so close behind her that she bumped into his chest.
'Taking the air,' she hissed over her shoulder, glaring at him out of the corner of her eye. 'There's nothing back here but cliffs, alright?'
To prove her point, she slid the panel to one side. It scraped roughly across the ground but made no other noise as she placed it gingerly against the rest of the fence. It wasn't the first time she'd done this, and she hoped Vulpes wouldn't make it the last.
Six gestured for him to go ahead. He didn't, giving her a pointed look instead.
'You've never trusted anyone in your whole life, have you?' she muttered, pushing past him and through the gap in the ramshackle fence.
There was another loose section in the outer layer of the fence that she opened in much the same way, stepping through and onto a moonlit expanse of clifftop. She turned back to give Vulpes an I told you so look.
'See?'
He followed, ducking his head to get through the gap. She could see him making security assessments as soon as he was through, surveying the area and the fence itself.
'Fuck with this and I'll cut you.' She glared at him as she went to pull the loose panels back into place, hiding the route in and out from any prying eyes.
His only response was to raise an eyebrow at her. There's a human in there somewhere, she thought, but he's buried deep.
Being outside the confines of the Fort was enough to lighten her mood, despite Vulpes, and Six took a deep breath of the cold night air as she looked up at the moon. The little patch of clifftop wasn't much, but it had stunning views of the river and the vistas beyond — and most importantly, it was an escape from the realities of her life, away from Caesar. She came here to cry. As broken down as she often felt, some vestige of stubbornness refused to let him see her weep.
Vulpes was watching her intently. Something about the intense look on his face made her feel very exposed, as if he was witness to all of her internal turmoil. Maybe he was, but she couldn't think of anyone who would be less sympathetic. She resisted the urge to laugh.
Her infatuation with him was ridiculous, desperate even. She despised herself for it but was also unable to quash it. He was the only person in the Legion who really knew her from before. She'd sooner throw herself to the hounds than admit it, but she'd give anything to see him in that stupid suit again.
Six sighed, rubbing her eyes again as some of the familiar despair crept back in. It was all moot anyway. She belonged to Caesar now, and they would both be killed if Vulpes so much as laid a hand on her.
'Come on then,' she said, breaking the silence and gesturing for him to follow, 'let me give you the tour.'
She approached the visible cliff edge. There was a narrow track — little more than a small ridge — that led to a lower ledge of rock. Six had almost made it to the bottom when she stumbled, her feet slipping on loose scree, and Vulpes grabbed her arm.
'Be careful,' he hissed.
He didn't let go until they had both safely reached the lower ledge, where he glared at her.
'Oh lighten up, Inculta,' she said, pulling her shirt back into place where it had slipped off her shoulder. 'Besides, falling into the Colorado wouldn't be such a bad way to go — and what a view.'
Six gazed out at the moonstruck landscape. The river below wound through the rock like an abyss, pitch black among delicate shades of grey and silver; the orange cacophony of dust and heat was transformed by the night. Cool and tranquil, being out here brought her some measure of peace.
'Have mercy on me then, having to inform Caesar of your untimely demise under my supervision.'
She laughed, glancing sideways at him and catching the last moments of an expression that could have been called a smile by a generous observer. God, he's so handsome when—
Six caught herself, shaking her head to rid herself of the thought.
'I think you'd survive,' she told him, 'and so would Caesar.'
Helplessness and anger bubbled up in her gut at just how right she was. She took a step towards the cliff edge. She could dash herself on the rocks below right now and it would be little more than an inconvenience to both of them. The river was a hypnotic chasm; she couldn't drag her eyes away from it.
'Fuck Caesar.'
No sooner were the words out of her mouth than a pair of strong arms were around her shoulders, dragging her backwards. Vulpes didn't stop until his back hit the cliff wall behind them, and even then he kept his arms around her like a vice, holding her against him.
'Don't you dare,' he hissed in her ear.
For a moment, Six was too stunned to speak. With her back against his chest, she could feel his heart beating hard. She swallowed as understanding began to slip into place. He thought I was going to— she bit her lip, unable to finish the thought. Was I?
'Vulpes, I—'
'Do you think I'm blind?' he cut her off. 'Do you think I don't see what he's doing to you?'
She'd instinctively put a hand around his arm when he'd grabbed her, and the pulse in his wrist was pounding against her fingertips. He let his grip relax slightly, his nose brushing her ear before he spoke again.
'You are wasted on him.'
Again, his nose brushed the edge of her ear, clearly not an accident. His voice was thick with emotion, and Six found her heart in her throat.
'Vulpes...'
She didn't know what she meant to say. His first name slipped out of her mouth again instead, itself an act of intimacy. Vulpes was warm, his breath playing across her skin; she could feel him resisting the urge to kiss her neck, and sincerely hoped his willpower failed him.
'If I let go, do I have your word that you won't do anything stupid?'
He was trying to sound like his usual brusque self, but all it did was highlight just how soft his voice had been before. You are wasted on him. The words echoed in Six's mind; a dangerous revelation, treason enough to get him killed.
'Six?'
He squeezed her shoulder. It brought her out of her reverie and she returned the gesture, gently squeezing his wrist where she still held it.
'If Caesar wants to kill me, he'll have to try harder,' she told him, a defiant smile on her face. 'At least Benny had the balls to shoot me.'
She was surprised to find that it was true. As dire as her situation was, some fundamental stubbornness kept her alive; the same stubbornness, she supposed, that had driven her to crawl out of her own grave once already.
Vulpes chuckled quietly, apparently satisfied with her answer, although he didn't let her go immediately. If it had been anyone else, Six might have said he was savouring the moment, committing it to memory — she certainly was. He eventually let her go and she stepped away from him, goose pimples spreading across her skin once more.
She wanted to turn around and see his face, but was afraid of what she might find. Vulpes put an end to her turmoil by reaching out to pull her shirt back into place where it had slipped from her shoulder again. The unexpected touch made her jump, and she turned towards him instinctively.
'You're cold,' he said quietly. 'We should go back.'
He wasn't wearing his usual icy expression, but the look on his face wasn't exactly tender either. Above all, he looked conflicted, and Six wondered if this was the first and last time she would see anything but his Frumentarius mask. The thought was unexpectedly painful, and she looked away abruptly, her gaze falling back into the inky depths of the river below them.
Vulpes reached out, turning her face back towards him with a gentle hand on the side of her jaw. He didn't say anything, but gave her a pointed look. Don't do anything stupid. Despite the cold night, his hand was warm.
'After you,' he said, dropping his hand to gesture at the path upwards. 'Ladies first.'
She couldn't help but laugh, the nicety so comically foreign in Vulpes' mouth.
'What a gentleman,' she murmured, smirking as she passed in front of him and began climbing up the narrow track. She didn't stumble this time, although she was certain that Vulpes would have caught her if she had.
As they approached the perimeter fence again, Six turned to take one last look at the moonlit greyscale, drinking in the last of her small rebellion. When she faced Vulpes again, the walls had gone up around his expression. There wasn't so much as a trace of the feelings he'd let slip earlier.
'I don't need to tell you that this stays between us.'
There it was: an acknowledgement of what had passed between them, that it was significant enough for secrecy. Six found it perversely thrilling. It was an intimacy she could carry with her back to her despot's bed.
'Of course not,' she told him, crossing her arms. 'Besides, who do you think he'd kill first?'
She didn't miss the way he stiffened at the thought. He really doesn't like the idea of me dying, she mused. The very notion made her laugh. She shook her head to herself as she went to move the fence panel, opening up their way back into the Fort.
'After you,' she said, smiling at him. He didn't smile back, but he did go ahead of her, opening the interior panel and emerging back into the camp. Six followed, closing the gaps in the fence behind her. By the time she'd made it back into Caesar's territory, Vulpes was gone.