Metphies/Haruo. M(?)/M, Yaoi. PWP. Set during Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle. "Having not seen Metphies since the awakening of Godzilla Earth, Haruo begins to wonder if the time has come to mourn him. But when Metphies returns with the other survivors to rescue them from the Servums, the two are reunited once more."

Fire. Destruction. Loss. The last two Vultures spiraled to Earth with a one final dying scream.

"Haruo."

Metphies' voice. His words. Disjointed. Floating in a strange, ethereal space.

"Those without intelligence will become lost…angry…."

"Metphies. Was your world destroyed by monsters too?"

The memory of their meeting in the Bilusaludo workshop returned.

"Yes. The being which brought about the end of our civilization, we hesitate to carelessly name it, it is our belief that words can have tremendous power."

"So, it's like a bad omen."

"But Haruo, given that you are about to come face to face with Godzilla, perhaps I should tell you after all. The powerful and destructive name we Exif keep secret."

"Why tell me?"

"Remember it when you are in battle and about to be swallowed by fear. There is a far greater destructive power lurking somewhere in space. Compared to that Godzilla wouldn't even be worth the fear."

Metphies was advancing on him again.

Hey! Hey!" …

The Exif leaned in, close to his ear.

… "Ghidorah." …

The world fragmented. Wisps of smoke and a callous green light submerged Haruo into chaos, somewhere in the distance a geometric shape began to appear out of the gloom, but he couldn't decipher it.

"Haruo."

It was Metphies. Metphies was calling to him. As though from a great distance. Haruo cried out to him but the sound couldn't seem to escape his mouth. He was drowning. Adrift in a maelstrom with no sense of up or down.

"Metphies!"

The darkness rose up to swallow him whole.

Raucous screams and laughter echoed throughout the opulent house. A gathering of nobles lounged around a low table set with a decadent feast. Servants meandered to and fro to pour more wine, offer a few delectable bites of fruit, or to flirt with the guests. Haruo blinked and tried to steady himself. His vision was hazy and the din from the party made his head swim. Who were these people? Where was he? A troupe of dancers swooped past him and he nearly fainted.

The festivities continued unabated as Haruo stumbled forward, still trying to focus on something, anything, that might orient him to time or place. "Careful there, my friend!" One of the nobles called out, "The wine is heady! And if you're not careful, someone might come along and see you to a more private celebration!" More laughter.

Haruo squinted, trying to get a better look at the one speaking. The figure was tall and slender; draped in rich fabrics the likes of which he had only ever seen in pictures. The long, tailored coat was deep blue with gold embroidery over a pleated white shirt that extended nearly to the man's knees. Across his shoulders was an equally exquisite shawl of sky-blue silk and a grey mantua cinched with yards of pearled thread. As Haruo's eyes drifted upwards he then began to discern other features. Long, white-blond, hair flowing loose and windswept. Thin, aquiline, features and pale skin with barely visible points of ears.

Exif. They were all Exif.

Haruo made a pained noise and staggered backwards before hitting the wall behind him. The guests continued their revelry without so much as a passing glance his way. One of them, dressed in a white-gold frock and satin wraps shooed a servant away from the table and motioned for Haruo to join them with a coy smile. The one next to him made to encourage the young Captain further by throwing his arms around the other Exif's neck and hugging him nonchalantly all the while casting a seductive look back his way.

Haruo scowled. What was going on? Where was Yuko? Hadn't they just crashed on a cliff side? Was he dead?

"Why such a sour face, sweet boy?" An older Exif laughed as he floated down a short flight of stairs and alighted onto a large lounge pillow next to the others. "You look positively ill."

"I…I think I'm lost…"

"Nonsense!" Uproarious cries erupted from the party. "You're right at home!"

"Metphies said you'd be along." Another yelled through a mouthful of sugared bread.

Haruo stared at him with a confused frown. "Metphies? Metphies is here?"

"Well, of course he is." The first Exif replied. "He's been waiting for you for ages now."

Haruo looked around the room, frantically searching out his lover's familiar face. Moments later, he found him. Or, at least, he thought he had.

Metphies, not particularly given to wild carousing even in these circumstances, was reclined, supine, alongside a reflecting pool, idly playing with…with…what *was* that? A large, amphibious eel wandered towards the serene surface to disturb the flower petals as they bobbed along. It was a garishly red and orange looking monstrosity, with spherical eyes and a grimacing, globular, mouth attached to a gleaming, polished, body some seven feet in length. Long whisker-like extensions splayed out from its head as it came up to meet Metphies' fingers at the waters' edge where he seemed to delight in teasing at the creature's upturned nose. Seconds later, not finding any food to be had this way, it submerged again and slid off with an indignant splash.

As for Metphies himself, Haruo had to take a moment to overcome his stunned gaping before approaching. Like the other Exif in attendance, his hair was left loose and long, flowing down over his shoulders and nearly midway down his back. The sides were gathered up into a loose plait over the tips of his ears and his characteristic bangs were trimmed to points but swept away from his face. He wore a tunic of rich, crimson, damask beneath a matelassé kaftan in chocolate brown, gold, and white. He was barefoot, at the moment, but a pair of oilcloth shoes sat behind him, only a few feet away.

"Metphies?"

"I think our friend is rather taken with you, lovely!" The older Exif loudly mused. "I must also congratulate you. He is as handsome as you described."

Metphies looked up from the pool and smiled. It was devastating, radiant, unabashed. It lit up his entire countenance and made his eyes sparkle with lighthearted merriment. Haruo had simply never known the Exif, any Exif really, to look so open or to smile so easily or brightly.

"Haruo!" He exclaimed. "There you are! I'm so happy to see you."

Haruo walked towards him cautiously as Metphies gathered the many folds of his garment from the floor and stood up. "I was hoping you'd find your way here."

"Here?!" Haruo hissed. "Metphies, where the hell are we? What is going on? Who are those people?!"

"Hush, it's alright." Metphies admonished quietly. "You're safe."

Haruo looked around the room again with a fair degree of agitation. Metphies reached out to rest a calming hand onto the younger man's shoulder before interjecting.

"Come with me. Let me show you something."

They stepped from the hall and away from the chatter of the boisterous gathering and out onto a balcony overlooking grand gardens below. As they went, Haruo began to feel something of himself again. Or, at least, he felt that he was becoming more present in the current moment, strange as it was.

Three suns mingled in the sky above them, bathing the world in blues, lavenders, and gold. The terraces beneath the balcony swayed in the warm, afternoon, breeze: red flowers atop tall grey bushes, stalks of dusty foxglove and goldenrod, and a smattering of bioluminescent berries like lanterns along the walkways. A fortnight to wander the cobblestone paths would reveal less than a tenth of the natural wonders growing around them and Haruo couldn't help but lean out over the view with a wide-eyed look of amazement.

"Metphies….is….is this…. Exifcalus?!"

Metphies chuckled and casually brushed a lock of stray hair from his face. "Not exactly." He replied. "Exifcalus was the name of our star system. This…" He breathed deeply in the summer air. "This is our home. Eremenayya. Sixth planet of the second star."

"But…how can it be? Your homeworld was destroyed. Metphies, how can we be here?"

"We're not, Haruo." He turned to look at him. "Not really. This… is the Gammatron space. The ethereal thought-field of meditation and transcendence. This is the place where my people stored their memories in the time of the great cataclysm that ultimately split my world in two. All these people…" He motioned back towards the party still carrying on in the far room. "They all died long before you were born, consumed in the fires of the apocalypse. But a part of them remains here, recorded forever in the crystal calculations that guide what is left of us now from place to place. Just as a part of me remains here. The part I hid here, to keep safe and secret, until I might have need of it. I'd like to think it is the best part of me, but whether it is or not, I treasure it because it is the part of me that… loves you the fiercest."

Haruo looked askance at Metphies. "What happened here then?"

Metphies sighed and rested his hands on the marble banister.

"It's a story you already know, I'm afraid. We built a great civilization with the most advanced technology in the Virgo Stellar Stream. We had the finest of everything. We were…a shining example, for all of those around us. But were also arrogant. Cruel. My people created beautiful things and were stewards of a beautiful world, Haruo, but they gave what was beautiful in themselves over to greed and selfishness. We became divisive. Quarreling over pointless things and caring more about our own power and dominance than anything else. We killed those who were different than us, including members of our own species. We exterminated everything that threated our sense of superiority. We destroyed our world. Just as much as the monsters that came to finally put an end to us."

Haruo chewed his lip before tentatively reaching out and gently placing his hand at the small of the Exif's back.

"Is…is this what you…used to look like?"

Metphies canted his head inquisitively. "For a time, I suppose I did. Before the path was opened to me and I joined the Order…"

"…and cut your hair."

The Exif regarded his lover with a level of mirth and then consternation. "Yes. I turned away from gaudy, tasteless, things. I shed my rich clothes and burned them in the ashes of my home. I cut my hair and let it be consumed on the pyre of my people."

"I'm sorry. Metphies…. I…"

Without a word, Metphies turned from the balcony and into Haruo's arms, effectively silencing him with his mouth. The kiss they shared then was easy. Familiar.

When they parted, Haruo felt his arousal stir and mentally chastised himself. The fires that burned within him never burned hotter than they did for Metphies and they never truly quenched. His heart was an eternal ember, always ready to blaze into new life the moment it was offered the slightest kindling, despite the horrors the other had just barely hinted at. Metphies shivered in his embrace. It was like a match to jet fuel.

"You're beautiful." he murmured into one finely pointed ear, brushing aside the wealth of white-blond hair his lover was now forever taming into ties and knots.

"Hm. Thank you." Metphies quietly rejoined.

Haruo captured his hand and drew the Exif closer. He understood that what he was seeing now, what he was feeling and experiencing, was, in almost every sense, a vision. That he wasn't really here nor was Metphies. At least, not in the way that they had been together every time before this. But this *was* Metphies. It was a part of Metphies that he would never see in any other way but this one. Another side of him was still bereft, however. Had Metphies escaped the destruction of MechaGodzilla City? Was he safe somewhere in the ruins with the others? Could this be all that was left of him? Would this be the last time he would see him?

Entrancing green eyes blinked up at him thoughtfully before Metphies breathed out deeply. "Will you stay with me, Haruo? Just for a time?"

Even if Haruo could have denied his own desire, he certainly couldn't deny his lover's. He kissed the other deeply, exulting when the lips beneath his obediently parted to his tongue's entreaty. Metphies still tasted of honey and sweet fruit, his own unique flavor lingering even after Haruo pulled away.

Haruo wondered then if he could mark Metphies in some way; if he could brand the heat of their union into his skin and, by that token, into his soul. Seeing the Gammatron space as, not just a recording of past events, but as a way to relive them and to keep one's psyche preserved, could he leave something of himself here as well? Something for Metphies to come back to, if he didn't survive this. All of these thoughts he contemplated as his lover beckoned him forward and began leading him to a small, secluded, alcove.

The entire complex was dotted with nooks and alcoves designed for private liaisons. This one was far to the side but still overlooked the gardens with an attached balcony. The walls were layered with latticed woodwork and gossamer curtains drifting back and forth with the wind. Where the floor wasn't piled high with rugs, a large cushion easily fitting three or four people was situated against the back wall and lavishly furnished with pillows, blankets, and a nearby basin of water.

With a sly smile, Metphies maneuvered around Haruo and pressed him backwards until he stumbled into the cushion and sat down. It took Haruo a moment to regain his bearings but as he did, he looked up at the Exif and realized that Metphies intended to strip for him. He started by slowly shrugging off the brown and gold mantle, letting it drop to the floor and kicking it away. He then began to pull at the ties to his tunic, watching Haruo intently as he unwrapped it from his torso and discarded it along with everything else. Haruo licked his lips teasingly. The sight of his lover's skin, his slim muscular form, always had the desired effect on him and watching Metphies slowly revealed in the golden sunlight was a delicacy to rival any in the feast from earlier. In other ways, the whole thing felt a bit abrupt but he didn't care. If this was a dream, let it be the best dream it could be.

Haruo leaned forward and growled as the Exif's tunic fell to the floor and reached up needy fingers to run them up and down his bared sides and entice the other to step further into him. "Your taste," Haruo murmured as he laid tender kisses down Metphies stomach and thighs, "Is intoxicating." Metphies offered a kind smile as he ruffled Haruo's hair playfully. In anticipation, Haruo finally turned to his own clothes, shedding them with haste into the pile on the far rug. Metphies laughed lightly but as soon as his lover was nude beneath him, he steadied himself against Haruo's shoulders before gracefully kneeling onto his lap.

Haruo held him there, wrapping his arms around Metphies and pulling him close. "I love the feel of you tight around me." He mumbled into his lips as more kisses were exchanged. "Being inside of you. Feeling you against me. It's like nothing in the universe."

"Do you want me, Haruo?"

"God, yes. Metphies…please…"

"Tell me what you need."

"You."

The Exif chuffed in amusement and began to bite at Haruo's ear.

"Tell me how you want me." He whispered hotly.

Haruo groaned and threw his weight into the other, rolling him off of his lap and onto his back on the cushion below them. With a few short adjustments he pulled Metphies beneath him and pressed his hips between the other's thighs, settling comfortably on top of him as the Exif wrapped his legs around his backside and hooked his calves over the backs of Haruo's knees.

"Like this." The younger man finally replied.

Metphies nodded and relaxed under him, submitting readily as Haruo touched his lips to the other's collarbone.

"I want to lose myself in you, Metphies." Haruo flexed his hips, testing his erection against his lover's untried entrance. "I want to forget everything else and know only you."

Metphies arched upwards, teasing at the head of Haruo's arousal with the wetness already seeping from him. "Then know me…. Haruo…"

He drove in to the root with one violent thrust, his hand yanking Metphies' head back and his mouth stealing the other's cry of penetration. The Exif briefly struggled against him, his entrance spasming at the sudden violation, his muscles tight and straining. His instincts battled with the pain and the pleasure of being taken completely, at war with himself as to whether he should fight to regain control of their coupling or yield entirely. He struggled but Haruo held him, dominating his lover with firm but impassioned insistence, gently kissing the gasping mouth and refusing to move.

Finally, Metphies went limp in his arms; his entire body relaxing in humble defeat to Haruo's demands. Haruo took mercy on him them, however, and pulled nearly all the way out of his lover before slowly sliding back in. Metphies dropped his head back onto the cushion with a low moan and only Haruo's enveloping grasp to keep him from collapsing completely as the younger man started into a deep, almost languid, rhythm. It was just the way Metphies found that he liked to be taken and he rolled into every one of Haruo's thrusts with a soft plea for more. Haruo moaned then, despite himself, relishing the sublime glide of their bodies into one another. Metphies remained unimaginably tight but unresisting and Haruo buried himself inside of him over and over again without hesitation. The cadence was perfect; allowing the both of them to ride the edge of ecstasy for a long time without the danger of losing themselves to climax too quickly. For quite a while, Haruo simply set about to enjoy the ways in which Metphies curled against him, resting his forehead into the juncture between Haruo's neck and shoulder as they made love beneath the fading suns.

"You…are…perfect." Haruo breathed into the other's ear. "I can't get enough of you. I…. I…. won't be satisfied." Each breath accompanied a sharp plunge into the Exif's body, aimed to tease out further pleasures by tantalizing him with his words. "I will have you. Completely."

"You talk about me like a prize." Metphies gasped, digging his fingers into Haruo's hips following a particularly hard thrust.

"You are sacred to me." Haruo whispered. "Call to your God all you like, but you belong to me. I will cut my covenant into your very being if I have to."

"You would wound me then?" the Exif challenged.

Haruo withdrew completely and then drove back in, forcing a guttural cry from the one beneath him. "Everything you are is mine. You were waiting here for me, not for salvation. It is me you turned to, not a shrine. The promises you make are to me. …Say it!"

"I am yours…. Haruo!" Metphies cried, sobbing as his lover set a harder pace. Haruo did not relent and began to work himself against the Exif urgently. Metphies growled and thrashed beneath him; not to unseat him, the grip he still had on his hips prevented that, but in unrestrained delirium.

Haruo forgot the crash on the cliff side entirely, forgot MechaGodzilla City, forgot the party and the Gammatron space, forgot everything but the one beneath him. He felt as if he were dying and being reborn through heat and light and flesh. The ache in his loins threatened to overtake him and tear him apart from the inside. He took several desperate breaths, determined for air, but unwilling to slow the pounding rhythm into his lover's body. The kiss he plied the Exif with then was rough and sloppy. He couldn't suppress the animal-like sounds that rumbled through his chest, thrusting harder as he neared his end, but he delighted in that Metphies responded in kind.

Haruo rose up onto his forearms so that he could watch Metphies take his final pleasure. He loved these moments, seeing the Exif lost to the rapture of their joining. Free of his frock and his duties, abandoned to desire, and completely accepting of every implication behind the unmitigated social and military offenses they were undoubtedly committing. With a devious grin, Haruo leaned up and over Metphies, tracing his lips across the other's neck purposefully. Then, without warning, he bit down, hard, into the flesh of his shoulder until he felt the pale skin give way and tasted the slight tang of blood. He wanted the mark to last, perhaps even long enough for him to see it on the other's skin when he saw him again.

"Haruo!" Metphies arched violently and cried out, spilling the essence of himself between them. The contractions of his passage quickly set off his lover's release, and he sobbed brokenly as Haruo's heat filled him. The younger man took full measure of his orgasm and thrust into him several more times before moaning something incoherent through the last few pulses of his completion. A moment later, Haruo finally collapsed and fell onto the Exif in sheer exhaustion, but he was not met with irritation. Rather, Metphies simply embraced him and allowed his lover to come back to himself safely protected in his arms.

After a minute to regain his breath Haruo withdrew, murmuring words of comfort and affection as he fell back onto the cushion at Metphies' side. But he was not parted from him for long and trailed the back of his hand up along the Exif's side to lay against his chest. Metphies shuddered beneath his radiant flush and it stirred Haruo's arousal anew. The Exif was fairly purring under the cool caress and Haruo could not help himself but to lean up and retake his mouth for a few more moments.

"I told you that I will never get enough of you," he whispered against Metphies' lips.

"Whenever you want me, Haruo. I am here." He replied, leaning down to kiss his cheek and forehead.

"I love it when you're like this," Haruo admitted. "You're so warm, open. Somewhere between dreaming and awake. I feel like you might even snuggle up next to me and fall asleep."

Metphies smiled at that and turned to nuzzle at Haruo's neck affectionately. "Yes. But I am afraid you will have to enjoy it as we are now. I will always be here, Haruo. I will always be waiting for you here. And one day, you will seek me out in this place again. But until then, you must return to your world and you must go to me there. In the caverns hidden in the cliffs near the city."

Haruo grumbled anxiously. "Will…. will I…remember this? Metphies?"

The Exif carefully sat up until he could lean over Haruo's prone form and meet him face to face.

"No, I'm afraid not. Sadly, the human mind is not well adapted to nor disciplined for the Gammatron space and it will be nearly impossible for you to retain the memory of this moment. But, it will not be lost. A part of you will remember this. A part of you will always attempt to return here, even if you are not aware of it. In time, you will be drawn back to me."

Haruo scowled. "But I don't want to leave…. I…. I want to…" He blinked. The world shifted beneath him and he felt as though the ground had dropped away suddenly.

"I know, my love. But the world outside is still very much with us…and you need to wake up now."

"What?" Haruo felt dizzy and disoriented. He tried, but he couldn't seem to shake it.

"Listen to me, beloved. You must come and find me. When you wake up, come and find me. I need you."

"Wake up, Haruo."

"Wake up."