Saving the world and all that is easy. Yeah. All Thorne has to do is pilot Emperor Kaito down to his shiny royal palace and everything will be rainbows and sunshine again. Easy right?

Yep.

Well, the palace probably won't be as shiny as it used to be before the recent Lunar attacks. It's likely to be very not shiny. Thorne is choosing to focus on the positive and upbeat details.

Cinder's in the hangar finishing adjustments to the podship. Kai disappeared suspiciously soon after her. He's been gone four minutes. Cress is rummaging around in the storage boxes by the loading dock. Wolf is—

He has no clue where Wolf is or what Wolf does in his spare time.

Thorne sits in the kitchen enjoying a last-minute snack. He scrapes the tin can of peaches clean with his fork, before tipping it back for the dredges of syrup. It's a delightful treat. Anything is delicious after a year of prison food.

Thorne stands up. The metal legs of his chair screech along the metal floor. "Alrighty! Who's ready to join them? I'm always down for a bit of smack talk."

Iko pokes her head out of the control room. She notices him moving toward the hall. "Captain! Wait a minute."

She insists they give the couple a few moments of privacy together and Thorne can't argue with her. He drops back down into his vacated kitchen chair. Waiting annoys him…

Yeah, that's what it is.

He twiddles his thumbs for a bit, before returning to the task of scraping the can clean.

He waits an extra three minutes, tapping out a count on the metal table top with his fork. Once he reaches 180 taps, he walks into the control room and drags Iko out with him. They head through the cargo hold for the hangar bay.

Iko skips along beside him, gushing. Iko gushes A LOT. It's one of the many reasons he and she get along so well. Not that Thorne has ever gushed in his life.

Iko is good company.

She recognizes a man of talent, good humor, and looks when she meets one. The guy he's talking about is himself. Obviously. If that isn't obvious.

They hear muffled talking through the hangar bay doors.

Mushy stuff. Lots of pauses and breathy sighs. The usual.

Iko sighs, dramatically. "Listen to them. It's so dreamy…." She falls against the smooth steel wall, throwing an arm over her face.

He gets the message loud and clear. The dreaminess is too much for her to bear. A dreaminess overload.

He mimes gagging. Thinks better of it. Frowns at Iko in thought. "Wait, don't you like him?" He quirks an eyebrow in her overwhelmed direction.

"Well of course I do. Duh. But he and Cinder are perfect for each other. They were made to be together, like soul mates or something. Since my love for him is perfect, I can give him up for true love—that's what true love is." She clutches a hand in the silk of her blouse and throws her head back exposing the damaged material of her throat.

Braids thwack into the wall.

"Uh huh. I get the sentiment but, soul mates? True love?"

She straightens. Blinking at him. "You don't agree?"

"I didn't say thaaat. It's just those are some strong words."

A rich chuckle slips out into the cargo hold. His majesty has vocal chords straight out of a net drama. Figures.

Cinder's voice, "I didn't want you to know I was a cyborg. It seems so silly now."

And then the sultriest laugh from Kai, "Good. We must've made progress."

"Isn't Emperor Kai absolutely dashing?" Iko gasps.

"No. I don't personally find him to be dashing."

There's silence. Breathy silence.

"Do you think they're kissing?" Iko whispers.

"Kissing! Who?" Cress squeaks from behind them.

Wolf is here too. He raises his eyebrows at Throne and Iko. The two of them are crouching at the door with their ears shoved up against it.

"Not if I can help it." Thorne hisses back.

He shoves through the gliding doors.

Cinder and Kai jump apart.

No kissing but looks like they were close to it.

Time to save the world. With Cinder's boyfriend. Figures.

Obviously, this will be child's play.

A/N:

first time I read this, the image in my head of Thorne's face listening at the door was like: what da fuq?