I'm back!
This one is based heavily around one of the original This Is Us chapters from last year. At the time, it was my favourite thing I'd ever written. Over a year later I no longer think I can pick one single favourite, but this still has a massive place in my heart. Out of all the chapters of rewrite, this one was changed the least, foundation-wise. But I did add loads of new dialogue and some new scenes. This chapter has some of my favourite elements: comic relief, emotional-ish fluff, deep conversations, heated arguments, and Baby G being adorable.
I am fairly proud of the flashback scene - it was one of my two submissions to Kokoroklongly's CDF online fanzine last fall!
I promise I'll eventually update Bloodline again it's just so heavy and complicated and this is so light and easy :/
Chapter 9: Package Deal
OVER A CENTURY AGO:
Mika and Arrow heard a great smattering of rumours about Kurda Smahlt before they ever laid eyes on him. They were both Generals the first time they heard talk of the mysterious pacifist who avoided violence and practiced mapmaking. They thought the idea of a pacifist vampire was amusing but didn't think much more about it. Then the newest gossip reached the mountain and apparently the man was a bit of a "vampaneze sympathizer" and causing quite a controversy. This caused Arrow to take immediate and uncompromising personal offence at Kurda's very existence before he ever met him.
Arrow was a bit of a polarizing figure himself. Most vampires were inspired by his borderline-toxic loathing of the vampaneze clan, but there was a decent handful that thought he was too extreme. Mika understood both sides. He agreed Arrow could take things a little too far, but he'd had been there to bear witness the day the Arrow came limping back to Vampire Mountain after the notorious bender of self-destruction that followed Sarah's murder. Arrow was loyal to a fault and loved the clan with the intensity of a thousand suns so that was good enough for Mika.
The first time Mika, Arrow, and Kurda all stood in the same room was opening night of the Festival of the Undead.
"I think that's him!" Arrow hissed in Mika's ear, pointing at a slender blond man who was sitting on the other side of the aisle from them as they waited for the Vampire Princes to kick the Festival off. "He's tiny!"
"He's a pacifist. Were you expecting a giant?" Mika snorted. Arrow shrugged.
"Are we sure he's a vampire? He's so... pretty." Arrow observed disdainfully, spitting out the last word as though it tasted bad.
"Well, he's here, so probably." Mika replied indifferently. The blond newcomer was the last thing on his mind. What was on his mind was securing a chance to someday sit upon one of the thrones at the front of the room.
"I thought he'd be bigger." Arrow continued. "I was going to fight him. He looks like a strong breeze could knock him over."
"Maybe he's tougher than he looks."
Arrow guffawed at that.
"Yes, maybe." He cackled raucously. "That must be it."
So the Festival began, and several hours later Arrow got his wish. Kurda accepted the challenge graciously and Mika had to laugh at Arrow's clear disappointment. Arrow was certain he'd have to goad Kurda into combat, and he would have relished it.
"I know it's your first Festival, but don't expect me to go easy on you." Arrow informed him haughtily. To his frustration, Kurda laughed.
"Fair enough!" He grinned with a twinkle in his blue eyes. "In that case, I suppose I won't hold back either!"
Arrow harrumphed condescendingly and they circled each other for a few seconds. Then Arrow lunged forward like a heat-seeking missile and the crowd gasped as Kurda swiftly sidestepped the hit as if he'd seen it coming from a mile away. The fight lasted longer than Arrow expected, mainly because Kurda was able to dodge every swing as if he was reading Arrow's mind.
Arrow was an iconic warrior, but he had a fatal flaw. He fought with his heart rather than his brain. He was powerful enough for that to work in his favour, normally. But in this case, Kurda was using the tattooed General's single-mindedness against him. Arrow wasn't fighting to win. He was fighting with the intention to humiliate and Kurda picked up on it immediately. Arrow had size and strength on his side, so even against Kurda's superior speed he should have been able to come out on top. But frustration clouded his mind and his movements became erratic. Kurda leveraged Arrow's strength against him, and had him on the floor in under five minutes.
Mika didn't mean to break down laughing at the absurdity of it. And he definitely didn't mean for anyone to notice. But someone did. And that was the catalyst that set the tone of their relationship from that moment on.
"Hey, you. Yes, the man dressed like a crow. Is something funny?" Kurda inquired quizzically as Arrow slowly gathered himself and looked blearily around the room to see who was laughing at him.
"Mika!" The tattooed General whined reproachfully as he realized who Kurda was talking to.
"I'm sorry, A." Mika gasped as he re-compose himself with some difficulty. "I've just never seen anything like that before."
Arrow's face turned red as he got up and dusted himself off. Kurda cracked another smile as though he was having the time of his life.
"Mika... as in General Ver Leth?" Kurda inquired, arching a pale gold eyebrow.
"Guilty as charged." Said Mika.
"I've heard of you. You've made quite a name for yourself the past few years."
"Is that so? I've never thought of myself as particularly interesting." Mika replied guardedly.
"I'm afraid you're mistaken! Your skill and ambitions are widely acclaimed. They say you're aiming to be the youngest Vampire Prince in history." Kurda remarked, still smiling.
That caught Mika by surprise. Of course he wanted to be a Prince, but he didn't go running around shouting it from the rooftops. Mika worked hard and let his reputation speak for itself, and so far that was working pretty well for him.
"I certainly wouldn't turn down a promotion." He answered carefully. "But my goal has always been to serve the clan to the best of my abilities, regardless of if it leads to a throne or not."
"Ah, spoken like a true politician! The rumours are true." Kurda replied, clapping his hands as though he found Mika terribly amusing. Mika's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Where did this guy come from again?
"You've got a bit of a reputation of your own." Mika countered evenly. "Based on what I've heard about you, I expected a bit of a different outcome from the fight I just watched. As long as we're being honest."
"Ah, hence your amusement at poor Arrow's expense. You thought he was going to snap me in half, didn't you?"
Mika raised an eyebrow, but allowed Kurda a brittle smile.
"Well, I wasn't not expecting that."
"They say I detest violence." Said Kurda conversationally. "And they aren't wrong, but what they don't take into consideration is that I avoid combat out of choice. My physical abilities don't factor in."
"They definitely weren't exaggerating when they said you were unique." Said Mika with very subtle disdain. "So If I challenged you right now, would you choose to sink to my level? Seeing as you're apparently operating several levels above the rest of us?"
"I supposed I could debase myself for a few minutes if it would please his future Highness." Kurda quipped, smiling wider than ever.
"Wow, you're a treat. I can already tell we're going to be friends." Mika rolled his eyes, his voice oozing sarcasm. "Let's go."
He stepped into the ring and squared up to the blond newcomer. They were close in height, but Mika was taller and broader. Kurda looked stronger up close than he had from afar. Although his muscles were less defined than was standard for most vampires, he didn't exactly look frail either.
"Best of luck to you, General Ver Leth." Said Kurda with a courteous nod.
When it came to fighting, Mika was almost as strong as Arrow, definitely quicker, and most importantly he never carried emotional baggage into combat. Whether a playful spar or a legitimate clash with an enemy, Mika always fought with a clear head. That clarity allowed him to learn a few things about Kurda as the duel unfolded:
1) He was very skilled, there was no denying it. Whoever trained him had done a smashing job. Mika got the impression the blond had a lot more power to him than he let on. Mika was able to stay ahead of him, but it wasn't effortless. He couldn't let his mind wander; one slip would've had him on the floor like Arrow.
2) He fought defensively. Most vampires fight offensively - aim to injure, if not kill. Gaining a new scar meant having a new story to tell. But Kurda put his energy into blocking Mika's shots rather than landing his own. He wasn't interested in leaving with a fresh wound to boast about.
3) He made no effort to cause Mika unnecessary harm. He fought exactly as hard as he needed to - no more, no less. There was a moment where Mika's left forearm was unguarded and Kurda could've snapped his wrist in an instant but he chose to aim a jab at his ribs instead.
Eventually, Mika prevailed but it wasn't easy. It ended with Kurda's foot slipping for a fraction of a second, and it pulled his focus enough for Mika to gain the upper hand and pin him on the floor. While the crowd roared in delight and chanted his name, Mika extended a hand to help Kurda back to his feet.
"Good fight." Mika told him as they shook hands. And he meant it - Kurda was different than any challenger he'd ever faced, and Mika always appreciated a learning opportunity.
"You as well." Said Kurda with a sideways smile. "You're a very clever fighter. I enjoyed myself."
Mika nodded curtly and they parted ways. Arrow now looked very glum, so Mika decided he'd better get some ale into him.
"Charna's Guts, Mika. I'm glad you beat him, otherwise I might have hurled myself onto the stakes. He is the worst." Arrow huffed as Mika steered him out of the Hall of Baker Wrent.
"Save your energy for a better day, my friend." Mika sighed. "I'm sure we'll never see him again."
Present Day:
Here's the thing about Arrow: he had Mika first. They were blooded together, travelled the world together, and settled in Vampire Mountain together to train for Generalship. Arrow left, got married. Mika carried on. Arrow came back broken, Mika helped him put his life back together, and they picked up where they left off. Now more often than not, you can find them working side-by-side in the Hall of Princes. They were practically soulmates. Loud-mouthed, ale-slurping, platonic soulmates.
Here's the other thing about Arrow: he's self-identified as Uncle Arrow since day one. Like, within the first five minutes of meeting Gracie. Months before either Mika or Kurda accepted the title of Dad.
So there you have it. Mika and Arrow are a package deal because they're heterosexual husbands or whatever. Mika and Gracie are a package deal because she's one year old and depends on him to meet her basic needs. Kurda and Gracie are package deal for the same reason. Mika and Kurda have inadvertently evolved into a package deal because both experience mild separation anxiety when spending more than a few hours away from Gracie. Most days it's easier to just hang out as a trio rather than pass her back and forth. And Gracie's such good company that half the time Mika and Kurda forget they resent each other's existence.
Except they don't actually resent each other's existence. Not anymore. How could they? Sure, Mika still glares at Kurda every now and then on principle. And Kurda still rolls his eyes half the time Mika opens his mouth. But they don't resent each other. They don't even dislike each other, really.
So we've covered Mika and Kurda inside and out. Moving on to Kurda and Arrow. Because whether Kurda likes it or not (he doesn't), Arrow is also part of the package deal.
It isn't that Kurda and Arrow hate each other. They just sit at opposite ends of the political spectrum. And every other kind of spectrum. But Arrow loves Mika fiercely. So by extension, Arrow loves Gracie. And by further extension, Arrow tolerates Kurda and vice-versa. But their polar opposite opinions do lead to frequent and very spirited discussions. Meetings of the Debate Club (as Mika calls it) usually follow the same formula:
1) Arrow says something Kurda thinks is stupid and/or ignorant. Sometimes unwittingly, sometimes on purpose if he's bored.
2) Kurda politely corrects him, backing himself up with facts and statistics.
3) Arrow rejects the correction and tells Kurda A) that he's wrong and full of shit and B) why he's wrong and full of shit.
4) Kurda sighs in exasperation and defends his case with more facts and statistics.
5) Arrow defends his own case, but louder.
6) Kurda gets impatient and makes a subtle but cruel jab at Arrow's intelligence.
7) Arrow takes a much less subtle jab Kurda's unintimidating physical stature.
8) Kurda gets frustrated and makes several much, much less subtle comments about Arrow's intelligence.
9) There's a lot of yelling from both sides. Sometimes objects get thrown.
10) At this point, Mika says one of two things: a) "Alright, that's probably good for one day." or b) "For the love of the gods, if you two absolute fucking morons don't shut up I'm going to throw you both in the dungeon and let you kill each other." Or some variation of that. (Whether he goes with option A or B is determined by if Gracie is within earshot or not).
On this particular night, they were sitting in the Hall of Khledon Lurt eating breakfast. Mika, Gracie, and Kurda were sitting side by side. Arrow sat across from them. Mika didn't know at what point the shift had occurred, but there'd most definitely been one. Because this time last year there was no way in hell Kurda and Arrow would be sitting at the same table to eat, never mind having a conversation. Although this conversation was escalating more than was probably necessary. Arrow and Kurda were at step 4:
"Arrow, I wouldn't get so frustrated if you made an effort to listen. I'm not saying you have to agree with me! I'm just saying you should try to be a little more open minded. You might be surprised at what you learn"
"I am always listening to you because you never shut up! How they're so noble and wise, and how you think we'd all be better off dyeing our skin purple, changing all our laws like theirs, throwing the Stone of Blood down a toilet-"
Kurda rolled his eyes and Mika could tell he was making a very concerted effort to keep his temper in check. Because that statement was a rather blatant exaggeration on Arrow's part.
"I said ocean, not toilet. And please remind me when I ever said anything about dyeing our skin purple, you absolute cretin. Go on, I'll wait."
"If you love them that much, why waste your precious time here in Vampire Mountain when you could just go live among them?"
"I dream of peace, not expatriation. Now again I ask: at what point did I say any of the things you've accused me of saying?"
Arrow glared and the vein in his forehead popped, mental gears whirring.
"You think them!" The bald Prince finally spat venomously.
"I do not! The opinions I have and the opinions YOU think I have are entirely different! If you ever listened to a word I say, you'd know that!"
"I don't have to listen to someone who thinks we should be holding hands and dancing around a campfire singing Kumbayah with the vampaneze!" Arrow howled, volume increasing with every word.
"What went wrong in your pea-sized brain to make you think that's what I want?!" Kurda fired back just as loudly.
Mika and Gracie shuffled down the table to distance themselves from the cacophony. She wasn't phased in the slightest by the shouting, and much more concerned with whether or not she'd be getting a cookie once she finished her meal.
"At least I don't need a drawing to find my way around!"
"Only because you couldn't read a map if your life depended on it!"
Gracie and Mika watched them with mild interest, both nibbling on juicy pork ribs. Mika was half-tuned into their boisterous conversation, but more focused on the drawing Gracie was showing him.
"I don't know how you even fit into your throne with such an inflated ego!" Kurda was now hollering furiously. Both Kurda and Arrow were standing up on either side of the table, gesturing their arms wildly as they yelled. Normally Kurda was the CEO of taking the high road, but Arrow was uniquely skilled at getting under Kurda's skin.
"My ego is regular sized!" Arrow screamed, red faced and hammering his fists into the table.
"You are SO fucking stupid!" Kurda exploded, equally red and surprisingly louder than Arrow. A clear indicator that Mika needed to monitor this situation, because that was the very antithesis of a standard Kurda comeback.
The blond usually gave off an aura of overall demureness, but everyone who really knew him knew he was more than capable of holding his own in any crowd. But still, for Kurda to resort to childlike cussing and name-calling... Mika had to admit it was a little funny. Kurda knew he could get away with it, too. Uncle Arrow loved Gracie far too much to have one of her dads arrested over some hurt feelings. Also because in some twisted way, they were kind of family now. And when you're family you can bounce back after crossing those lines. Mika and Kurda may not have been together, but they'd still amalgamated their lives for Gracie's benefit. That made Arrow and Kurda like… brothers-in-law.
"You didn't hear that, right Gracie?" Mika asked, glancing at his little Princess as she contentedly munched her food.
"What?" She asked, mouth full.
"Nothing at all." Said Mika, gently wiping a stray morsel of food from her cheek. "But next time your Other Daddy gives me a hard time for saying swears around you, I want you to tell him to remember this moment."
"I tell him!" Said Gracie, grinning obliviously up at him. Mika grinned back.
"This is why you're my favourite."
"My favourite!" She echoed, pointing at Mika. She didn't actually play favourites between Mika and Kurda. She was at the age where small children master the art of spoken word by regurgitating everything they hear. But it still made Mika smile as much as she was.
"I knew it." He told her.
"Cookie?"
"Eat some potatoes, then we'll talk."
"No 'tatoes!"
"Yes, 'tatoes."
"No!"
"Gracie, you're the light of my life but you're the worst negotiator I've ever met. Potatoes first, then cookie. Final offer."
"No 'tatoes!"
"Well, have you prepared a counter-offer?" Mika asked seriously.
Gracie understood the word count, and ran with it. She'd just about learned to count all the way to ten at this point in her life, and she got points for resourcefulness in this case. Mika figured that was worth a cookie.
"One… two… three… uhhh…"
"Four." Mika whispered, nodding encouragingly. But something else caught his attention, the heated argument between Arrow and Kurda seemed to be escalating further yet. They were both standing up now, red-faced.
"If you actually believe the words you're saying, you could at least have the honour and decency to challenge me in the sporting halls like a real vampire!" Arrow snarled.
"Unlike you, senseless violence is not the only language I speak! But clearly you've had too many concussions to comprehend simple English, so if sinking to your level is the only way to get through to you, so be it!" Kurda hollered back, balling his fists up. And there was an unrestrained wildness in his voice that Mika knew was an immediate cause for alarm.
"Four… five…" Gracie continued earnestly.
"Good enough, Princess." Mika interrupted Gracie ruefully. "I have to go deal with that, but I'll be right back. Here's your cookie. If you circle back to those potatoes, I'm willing to discuss a second cookie."
What Mika had to deal with was Kurda, who had officially snapped. As promised, he was finally speaking Arrow's language, i.e. Barbarian 101. By the time Mika intervened, Kurda was climbing over the table with his hands grappling at Arrow's throat.
"Alright, wow! I think we're done here! Good work, team!" Mika declared loudly, picking Kurda up and effectively holding him back from throttling Arrow.
"Get your hands off me!" Kurda demanded, thrashing hopelessly as Mika restrained him with minimal effort.
"Finally we agree on something! Let him go, Mika." Said Arrow. "Smahlt was just about to prove that despite what he claims, he's no better than any of us!"
"Oh, shut up. You're both ruining politics for me, and that's no easy feat." Said Mika bluntly. "Separate yourselves. If you're still seeing red in an hour, settle it in the sporting halls with a formal combat challenge. Otherwise, let me eat my fucking breakfast in peace."
Mika released Kurda, who was still panting in anger. Arrow began to stalk out of the room, red-faced and clearly about to go take his frustration out on a dummy in the sporting halls. Then he stopped halfway to the door, and looked over his shoulder at Mika, a very expectant look on his face.
"You coming?"
"I'll see you later, A." Mika sighed resignedly.
Arrow glared daggers at Kurda, as though Kurda was keeping Mika in this room against his will. He let out one final, heated scoff before carrying on his way.
"Just go with him." Kurda growled. "We both know you want to."
"I'm still on Gracie time." Mika replied placidly. "Arrow can wait."
Mika and Kurda didn't talk to each other for several minutes. Mika chatted with Gracie while neatly slicing her food up into bite-sized cubes. As promised, they earnestly resumed cookie negotiation.
"I know I was out of line, but I'll never be sorry for calling him out on his ignorance." Said Kurda at last. "Not when he deliberately tries to get under my skin for his own amusement."
Mika knew that was coming, and he was ready for it.
"I had no intention of calling you out for calling him out. You're right, he does go out of his way to wind you up. It's not a good look on him." Said Mika.
"Oh. Well, thank you." Said Kurda, eyebrows shooting up in surprise.
"Don't thank me yet. You're no better than he is."
"Pardon you?!"
"Come on, Kurda. We all know how eager you are to steer conversations to places you know will get him heated."
"So you expect me to tiptoe around him and his massive ego just because I'm his inferior?" Kurda began to redden again; clearly he was not prepared to put this behind him yet.
"I expect you to keep political debates contained to meeting rooms and the Hall of Princes, like every other General. Your association with me via Gracie is not a free pass to do whatever you want."
"What are you talking about?! Just because I refuse to be a doormat doesn't mean I'm taking advantage of our fake family dynamic!"
"You and Arrow aren't that different, you know. Opposite extremes, same single-mindedness." Mika remarked.
"I'm nothing like him!" Kurda snapped vehemently.
"You literally climbed onto a table and went for his throat. For a second there I thought your eyes were turning red. So much for taking the high road."
"Fine. I'm sorry for that part only. He just… gets to me."
Mika shrugged.
"I see the grey areas you and Arrow overlook." Said Mika. "You're not wrong that he's contributed to worsening clan relations. But he wasn't invested as a Prince because he hates the vampaneze. He was invested because he's devoted to protecting the clan above all. And your political stances… like I said, they're as extreme as his. And extremes are dangerous, Kurda. His communication can be crude, but he's not totally out of line for seeing some of your ideas as a threat to our security."
Kurda's eyes darkened. Mika did not match his glare - he pointedly kept his expression neutral and continued to nibble away at his breakfast.
"There won't be a clan for Arrow to protect if clan relations deteriorate much further! We won't survive a second war! You're a fool if you believe otherwise." Kurda growled.
Mika rolled his eyes but took it in stride.
"You think I'm that ignorant? A hundred years ago while you were in here learning how to do a push-up to pass your Trials of Initiation, I was helping Vancha secure the peace treaty that still stands today. Arrow is my best friend, but I assure you his politics are not my politics."
"Could've fooled me! I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen you speak or vote in favour of policies and changes that would actually get us closer to peace! But I suppose that would ruffle the feathers of your fan club, and gods forbid your popularity stats take a dip!" said Kurda, scorn radiating from him.
Mika let out a long sigh of exasperation and allowed himself a slow eye-roll as a form of self-care.
"Charna's fucking guts, Kurda. I know you think I'm a centrist because it's the path of least resistance. Trust me, I wish leadership was that simple. But if you ever want to take that route you'll have to figure that out for yourself. Now I'm done with this conversation. Next time you want to go down the political rabbit hole with me, request a meeting like everyone else."
Kurda sighed too, and rubbed his temples wearily.
"I'm sorry. I'm just exhausted of nobody in this damn place taking me seriously."
"That's not true."
"Isn't it?"
"You're a good General. You wouldn't have made it this far if no one took you seriously."
"Oh."
"Mmhm."
Kurda shot him a curious little half-smile.
"Well, thanks."
"Whatever. One more thing: I really need you to never put me in a position where I have to leverage my authority to keep my daughter's second-favourite person in check. Because I really don't want to do that. Understand?" Said Mika. His tone was light but he meant every word he said, and he knew Kurda knew it.
"Understood. I'll tread carefully. And you're her second-favourite, not me."
"Luckily I don't take you seriously enough for that to hurt my feelings."
Arrow was by no means ready to talk about any of it when Mika met up with him in the Hall of Rush Flon'x. But that was fine with Mika. They spent two hours sparring. Mika purposely didn't hold back, keeping Arrow constantly in motion until he finally got tired and signalled for a water break.
A weighted silence hung between them as they rested side-by-side on the bench. Mika picked up on the way Arrow's eyes kept darting sideways at him, almost expectantly. Clearly he was waiting for Mika to break the silence.
"Say what you're thinking, A." Said Mika, raising an eyebrow.
"How can you defend him?!" Arrow blurted out immediately. "You used to hate him as much as I did! What happened?!"
"False. I've never hated him. I found him righteous, irritating, and difficult. I often still do. However, he's partially raising my daughter so you have to understand that requires a certain amount of respect and support between him and I. But I'm absolutely not defending him. He was a fucking idiot earlier. Completely out of line."
Arrow gave a smug smile of satisfaction at that, but Mika carried on:
"But don't pretend you didn't want him to come at you. You know he makes a point of taking the high road in any debate, so intentionally goad him with inflammatory statements just because you can. If you really felt like he was going too far, you could've had him arrested with a snap of your fingers. You're not the victim."
Arrow's face fell, in a way that was almost comical.
"You are defending him!"
Mika sighed for what felt like the thousandth time that night.
"I'm not defending either of you! The only victim here is my breakfast that got cold while I was playing referee. I said it to Kurda and I'll say it to you: the reason you clash so hard is because you're at opposite ends of a dangerous extreme. You're not going to change and neither is he. But you're a respected leader, and he's ascending through the ranks quicker than either of us expected. So… find a way to deal with it, I guess. Because he's not going anywhere."
"Are you done?" Arrow grunted after a heavy silence. "Or would you like to scold me some more?"
"Nah. That just about covers it." Said Mika lightly.
"Good."
Mika shifted a little closer, leaning in to gently bump his shoulder against Arrow's.
"I didn't come here to give you a hard time, A. But you can't blame me for getting a little concerned when I catch a glimpse of the old you. I thought we put him to rest a long time ago."
"And I thought you were done scolding me."
"Your colleague is done scolding you. But your best friend, who fought tooth and nail to pull you out of the dark place, is just getting warmed up."
Arrow sighed, and rolled his eyes.
"I'm not the man I used to be. He's gone. You know that." He replied stiffly.
"You sure? I see that look in your eyes every time Kurda goes off on one of his tangents." Mika pointed out gently. "You don't have to agree, but it's your duty as a Prince to keep the old you in check. Because that version of you isn't the one who was chosen to lead us."
Arrow sighed again, but it was a completely different sigh. Last one had been a quick, impatient huff. This one was slow and strained. Suddenly Arrow looked like he'd aged a decade in the space of ten seconds.
"I'm trying, Mika. I work at it every day. I know I'm not perfect. Sometimes I still can't believe they gave me a fucking throne."
"Well, you can't exactly give it back now. And you've come way too far to let anyone or anything get under your skin and send you back to where you started. If you're smart enough to know when Kurda's baiting the trap, you're smart enough not to take the bait. Stop giving him reasons to call you stupid, because you aren't." Said Mika decisively. And he let those words hang there in the air between them, so Arrow could absorb and internalize him. Arrow nodded thoughtfully but didn't speak for a long time. After several minutes of contemplative silence, he nudged Mika's shoulder with his own.
"I don't know what I'd do without you." Arrow mumbled.
"I don't know what you'd do without me either." Said Mika, cracking a wry smile at his best friend. Then he got up and extended a hand to Arrow. "One more round, then ale break before we get to work?"
Arrow nodded, and managed a smile of his own.
"You have to admit Smahlt's funny when he's mad." Arrow muttered as they ambled back to the ring.
"Oh gods, yeah. Fucking hilarious. I don't know what he thought he was going to do if he actually got his hands on you."
So they sparred, they laughed, they drank some ale, and finally made the long trek up to the Hall of Princes for a long night of doing what they did best. And there was nowhere in the world they'd rather be, nor was there anyone else they'd rather be sitting beside.
Kurda and Gracie drifted in at one point; Kurda and Arrow maintained a perfunctory silence but Mika could tell they were both embarrassed about their earlier behaviour. That was good enough for now. At this point in the night, Mika was done worrying about it. How could he spare them a single thought when Gracie had a freshly painted picture to show him?
Then Arrow cleared his throat loudly and (without making eye contact) informed Kurda he'd been "most pleased" with the blueprints Kurda had drafted up for the armoury expansion down by the sporting halls. To which Kurda nodded stiffly, thanked Arrow, and asked if he had any input on how the new weapon locker room should be laid out once complete. So they chatted earnestly about that for a while, leaving Mika free to hang up Gracie's newest artwork on the back of his throne while she watched him happily.
For better or worse, they were a package deal. All four of them. It wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, it was pure chaotic dysfunction more often than not. But all Mika could think about was how this room had never felt more like home than it did right now.