Very, very mildly dubious consent by way of persuasion. Because hey, it's the Master.
The dorm room area was huge, with large and reasonably comfortable separate rooms for each student. There were three levels of the huge space, each with balconies –with specially carved railings- leading all the way around the levels on all four equal sides, leaving a large square hole in the middle that could be used to look up or down at the other levels.
Aliya and Koschei walked side by side on the way back to the dorms. Theta and Ushas were somewhere behind, bickering away as usual – Theta playfully, Ushas irritably – so the two blondes (even if Koschei's hair was actually dyed) had purposely strode ahead to get away from the pointless and unceasing argument. Eventually, the two of them reached Aliya's door.
"Goodnight, Koschei," the girl said, smiling.
His hand lifted to touch a stray curl that had fallen from the confines of her headpiece. He briefly looked over his shoulder in the direction of Theta and Ushas, who were only just coming into their line of sight. When he turned back to her, there was a look in his eyes that she couldn't decipher. All she knew was that it made her skin tingle at the same time it made her want to run and hide. "Have you considered your options, Ali?"
"Options?" She asked, almost distractedly. "What options?"
"Options like this." He leaned in and kissed her, not particularly gently but not roughly either. He pulled away to give her a smug sort of smile. "You might want to start thinking about it."
"I...I will," she said, blinking with surprise.
"Goodnight, Ali," he replied, bowing his head a little and walking off without another word, leaving her standing in front of her door with wide eyes.
After a moment to process it all, she smiled to herself with a new excitement stirring in her chest, and turned to enter her room.
Theta Sigma watched his two blonde friends from a distance. When he saw how close they were standing, all of Ushas's grumblings stopped registering in his brain. The suspense was unbearable, but nothing compared to the dull thud in his heart as Koschei bent his head and kissed Aliya.
And just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, Aliya kissed him back. Their lips were locked, and after what seemed like an eternity to Theta, they finally broke apart. Koschei whispered something to her before walking off, and Theta saw her smile before going through her door.
He had kissed her. She had liked it. Even worse, she had returned the kiss.
The injustice of it all was what made it so hard for him to process. Koschei had expressed no interest in the girl of this sort, though Theta had, in one of their many private conversations. His best friend had not taken the news well, and Theta knew that it was out of jealousy. Before they had met Aliya, their friendship had been powerful. So powerful that it had been on the way to something more - until the Arpexia girl had come into the picture. Theta still cared for Koschei deeply, in a way he would likely never care for Aliya, but these days it was the girl who made his chest tingle like it was full of flutterwings, not his moody best friend.
Apparently, Koschei had decided that if he couldn't have Theta, neither could Aliya. Theta could almost understand that, but not his course of action. Why lead the girl on? There was nothing Theta could do about it, at least not right now. Koschei had just laid a claim, which he had no right to argue against because he couldn't prove that Koschei didn't see Aliya like that, and he doubted Aliya would be happy or likely to believe him if he tried to breach the subject with her.
All he could do was hope that if this dalliance continued, Aliya didn't get hurt in Koschei's game. If the other boy did care for her in that way, he could perhaps stomach the whole thing, though the thought of Aliya being with someone else didn't sit well with him no matter the circumstances.
Romance was weird. Or rather, feeling romantic feelings was weird. It wasn't exactly common on Gallifrey, but then it wasn't uncommon either. By Aliya's understanding, about half of Gallifrey's population at any given time weren't interested in romance and/or sex, at least in their current regeneration, and those remaining were capable of feeling those kinds of attraction to varying, but often to low levels or very specific people.
Apparently, many places in the universe just tended to have most people interested in both, all the time, but frankly Aliya thought that sounded exhausting, being attracted to lots of people in lots of different ways, constantly.
It was strange and distracting enough, being attracted to Koschei on both levels.
Aliya and Koschei were sat at one end of the table in the Deca room. It was not in session, but merely being used by four of its members and the girl who had become almost an honourary member. At the other end of the table, Theta and Drax were playing an incredibly intense game of Sepulchasm, while Ushas sat some way in between with her homework and constantly sent a glare in reply to anything resembling a smile Theta sent her way, something that was becoming rarer as the game progressed and Theta needed to concentrate.
"Koschei, why does Ushas hate Theta so much?" She asked quietly, fiddling idly with his fingers. Their hands were joined under the table. (Public displays of affection were completely against all unofficial societal codes, but they were away from most prying eyes, so it wasn't massively inappropriate of them.)
Koschei's mouth turned upwards in a smirk. "They had a potential thing a couple of decades ago. After several instances of him standing her up, he ended it badly, and she's hated him since." His thumb was slowly massaged her palm.
"So does she wish they were still together?" Aliya asked in confusion. It didn't seem like Ushas at all. Quite the opposite.
Koschei looked rightfully amused. "Rassilon, no! She's just mad at him for being so shit at handling it, and loves any excuse to hate him. She'll hate him until one of them dies, I'm afraid." He chuckled. "She likes to hold a grudge."
"Even after regeneration?"
"Probably. Ushas will never change that much. Neither will Theta, for that matter. You and I, on the other hand, have a lot of growing room."
"You think so?"
"Of course."
He kissed her then, with a quiet dominance that she always accepted because it simply seemed to make sense. He was older, more intelligent, more experienced in almost every area...why shouldn't he lead her? Except -
"Not here, Koschei," she murmured, feeling herself flush at the idea of being seen kissing each other, even if it was just in front of a few of their friends. It seemed so wrong, so forbidden. Like she should be ashamed of their relationship and for feeling these things. She knew it was probably just the attitude of people like her father and their teacher Borusa, who acted like experiencing any kind of attraction was something to be repressed and kept hidden.
"Why not? No one else here cares, Luna."
Her brow furrowed at the unfamiliar name. "Luna?"
"So Theta is allowed to give you nicknames, but I'm not?" He demanded half playfully, and she was quick to shake her head.
"No, I didn't mean-" She bit her lip and paused. "It just surprised me, is all."
"Do you like it, Luna?" He asked, leaning in closer to her.
She liked it a lot. The way the name sounded as it rolled off his lips, the way he said it like it was the name of some coveted treasure. She answered by kissing him, ignoring the protests of the other occupants of the room.
When their lips finally detached, Aliya ducked her head in embarrassment, her sensibilities coming back to her
After a while she glanced up to look at Theta. He smiled at her but it didn't reach his eyes. She frowned, wondering what was wrong. He was regarding her almost wistfully before it vanished from his eyes and he was back to playing his game.
She hadn't done anything wrong as far as she could remember, so why did she feel guilty and uncertain when he looked at her like that?
The two young Time Lords approached Aliya's door, and Koschei took a swift look around for any witnesses before following the young woman inside. He grinned at her and she blushed. He closed the gap between them in one stride, kissing her briefly before breaking the contact, though kept his mouth lingering by her ear.
"So what now?" He whispered. She pushed him away gently.
"I get changed into my nightgown, that's what. After all that running and sneaking around we've been doing in the last couple of hours – and I'm blaming you and Theta for that – I'm tired." She opened her elaborate set of drawers and pulled out a long white nightgown, before turning away from him and walking into the ensuite bathroom to get ready for bed.
By the time Aliya came out of the bathroom, wearing the nightgown that went all the way to the floor and covered her arms, Koschei had taken off his shoes and was reclining on her bed.
Her hair was loose, free of the headpiece she wore during the day. Koschei had never seen it like this, something she wasn't really aware of until his eyes lingered on it and darkened a fraction, making her blush a little.
She went over to the drawers which were opposite the bed and delicately picked up her hairbrush from the top, getting ready to begin the lengthy task of brushing her hair. After sitting down on the end of the bed she began to run the brush through the golden mass. She could feel Koschei's eyes on her.
"Why are you here, Koschei?" Her tone was teasing and casual, but both of them could hear the curiosity that lay underneath.
"Because I want to be," he said just as casually. Something underneath his words made something inside her stir. Something that she had only felt flashes of before, that kind of heat and longing that the more scientific part of her knew was sexual attraction, something she was still very new to. "Now give me the brush."
His words confused her. "But-"
"Just give it to me."
His voice had a ringing note of authority that caused her chest to warm again. Aliya felt him shift closer to her on the bed and she wordlessly passed the brush back to him. She could feel his proximity, and knew they were only a foot or so apart. He immediately threw the brush on the floor, but before she could protest he had begun pressing kisses to her neck, and his arms had such a tight hold on her that she couldn't move. His fingers were pushing her hair to the side, exposing her left shoulder and the side of her neck. They traced gently down the line, and his lips soon followed the path once more. She closed her eyes subconsciously, and inhaled deeply, causing him to smirk against the soft skin of her shoulder.
"Luna," he said softly. He pulled her closer to him, her body brushing ever so slightly against his. His hands moved over her hips, caressing her stomach through the thin material before travelling upwards. Her own hands grabbed his and pushed them away, ignoring her body's protests.
"No, Koschei," she breathed, her eyes still shut.
"Why not?" He asked, his mouth at her ear, his hands not ceasing in giving her tiny touches of enticement.
"As you know perfectly well, I'm to be married to the Defender of Heartshaven when I graduate. My father made it clear that I was not to share anyone else's bed." Aliya hoped she sounded more assertive than she felt.
It was a little terrifying, actually, her body seeming to have such a mind of its own, here. Was that why so many Time Lords scorned sexual attraction and relations? Because it was such a distraction? Because it made the mind so irrational?
"That's rubbish and you know it! As if the Defender is going to care. Are you going to listen to your father, do everything he says?" Koschei asked her. He sounded almost angry.
"I must!" She argued, trying to make him see something she knew he would not. His mouth returned to her ear, making her back arch slightly.
"So that's it, then? You're going to do everything he says? You're going to let him tell you how to live your life, who you can't talk to, who you can't be with? Your father's little girl." His words were mocking and bitter and cruel, and made Aliya feel stupid, young and small. Aliya knew in that moment he was right, that she would defy her father again and again.
Of course, that didn't necessarily mean that she was sure that she wanted to be doing this with Koschei right in this moment.
He began kissing her neck again, this time more urgently, his kisses hot on her skin while his hands ran up her arms. She cursed how good it felt, and how the things he murmured against her skin made her want to please him and show him how much she cared for him. The very idea of saying no to him seemed absurd. Koschei always had been far too persuasive. Hypnotic, really. It was one of the qualities she found most interesting about him.
She twisted her neck around and tilted her head up. When he saw the acceptance he had probably known she would give him, he captured her mouth in a hungry kiss, one far more passionate than he had yet to give her before then. Aliya felt her body slowly turning to face his and his turning with hers before pushing her down against the mattress, her head hitting the pillows with a thump that she didn't hear.
"Say you want me," he whispered in between kisses down her neck and collarbone.
"I want you," she breathed, and with that his mouth came crashing back down on hers, and he pulled the nightgown over her head before attending to his own clothing. Their bare skin pressed together as their lips met once again, and she thought of little but him for quite a while.
"I don't know how I'm going to explain this on my wedding night," Aliya said thoughtfully quite a while later, leaning against Koschei's chest.
"You won't need to," he assured her while stroking the long hair that trailed down her back. "Regardless of what your father says, there isn't a need for that sort of thing. Do you honestly think some stuffy Lord from Heartshaven would ever have the nerve to ask about your sexual history? He wouldn't be able to get the words out without regenerating from embarrassment."
She didn't like how he referred to her father in such a derogatory way but she lacked the conviction to argue. Instead, she just sighed.
"I hope so…"
"Don't know why you're so worried about it, myself," he said casually, and she sat up to scowl at him.
"Just because you and Theta, and Ushas, and practically the whole Deca, plan to run off to the stars, doesn't mean all of them will, and it doesn't mean that I will," she said fiercely, getting up from the bed and rummaging through her drawers in search of clothing. "Some of us have to stay, and face society. I can't take risks like you can!"
He rather liked it in the very rare moments when she got feisty, and was eyeing the bare curves of her back with approval.
He too rose from the bed, but with different intentions. He ran his finger lightly down the length of her spine and felt her shiver under his touch. He spun her around and pulled her back to the bed, kissing her roughly. When he pulled back for breath, she scowled at him but did the opposite of push him away.
"Damn you, Koschei," she muttered before kissing him back.
"So go through it without me."
"Activate the door lock. Enter in the co-ordinates... twist the atom accelerator, pull the dematerialisation lever, activate the inertial damper, pull the space/time throttle."
"And to land?"
"Throttle back the space-time throttle, pull back the dematerialisation lever and pull both of the handbrakes."
"Very good."
Theta and Aliya circled the console of the training TT capsule. Theta had volunteered to tutor her in capsule flying, claiming he knew exactly what he was doing. To Aliya, his methods half made sense, but she could not help but feel there was more to it.
However, he was her best friend, so she trusted him. Most of the time anyway. As Koschei never hesitated to point out, Theta Sigma certainly had a way of thinking he was the absolute best at everything while really he was pretty mediocre.
"So you think I've got it?" Her voice was hopeful.
"You're as good as me now," he assured her, only to pause. "Almost."
She giggled and hit him in the arm lightly. "You're so full of it." She accused.
"Yeah, because Koschei is so much better," he said with a laugh. Aliya smiled at the truth in his words, but the thought of Koschei quietened her amusement, reminded her of all the times Theta had seemed unhappy around them.
"We're okay, aren't we?" She asked, and he smiled softly at her.
"Of course. Why would you think otherwise?"
"I don't know," she blurted out, "Koschei and me, you're okay with it, aren't you?" His expression dropped a little.
"I don't see what it has to do with me," he said. His green eyes were slightly colder.
"But it has everything to do with you. We're friends, the three of us, the two of you especially, and you should be okay with it!" Aliya argued, stepping closer to him. His face warmed to her again.
"Ali…" He whispered, reaching his fingers out to brush a wisp of hair behind her ear. "Are you happy?" The question hung in the air between them like a dense cloud.
"Yes," She answered truthfully after a few seconds, "More than I have ever been."
"And he treats you well?"
"Of course."
"Then how could I not be okay with it?" Theta said kindly. Relief washed over Aliya and it showed through the smile creeping onto her face. "Now come here." He pulled her into a tight hug, and she smiled into his shoulder.
"Thank you, Theta."
They exited the training capsule, and wandered the Academy in search of Koschei. Finally they found him moping around the music suite, touching the percussion instruments with an undecided expression on his handsome face.
"What are you doing in here, Koschei?" Aliya laughed.
"I was just looking…at drums," he said almost absently, and she noticed his fingers tapping a four beat rhythm on the sides of one of the drum barrels. It was not an entirely new concept to her, as he often tapped the drum beat on her skin, whether it be her hand or back or shoulder. Still, she couldn't say she didn't find it a little worrying.
"You and your drums, Koschei," Theta shook his head, though good-naturedly. "You need to except that you're crazy and they're in your head."
Aliya disagreed with Theta, but did not say so. She knew the beat was real. In those intimate moments, when their very minds just barely brushed each other's, she could hear them, the drums calling Koschei to something, something she could not help but fear was sinister.
Koschei stared at Theta with an amount of hurt that surprised Aliya, and something she didn't understand passed between them. "Well, you've never cared much for what was in my head, have you, Theta?" Her lover sneered at their best friend, who frowned deeply.
"I could have, if you hadn't been so petty. Your idea of revenge is selfish and I don't approve."
"What are you two talking about?" Aliya asked, utterly bemused.
"Do you doubt my interest in Luna?" Koschei scoffed at the idea. "How could you? She's so good to me. So...satisfying."
Theta's eyes flashed and he left the room without another word, leaving a quiet Koschei and a confused Aliya in his wake. Before she could ask any questions, however, Koschei pulled her in for a hot and passionate kiss that had all rational thought vacating her mind.
In the end, it was a passing Professor that brought them to their senses. They fled the room laughing silently, feeling every bit like the misbehaving school children they were.
