Raizel was frowning at his phone when arms wrapped around him, a warm weight settling on his back. He already knew who it was, but if he hadn't, the long blond strands that appeared in his vision were clue enough. There really wasn't anyone else it could be though. Who else lived with him?

"You're out of bed even earlier than usual. It's still dark out," Ashoka murmured, voice heavy with sleep.

Personally, Raizel would say it was getting to be quite bright already, but he kept that to himself. It would only garner amusement when the only thing warding off the dark in the living room was his phone screen dimly lighting up his face. It was comforting though, the mundanity of having someone else here with him. Living together with him. Loving him.

Tilting his head slightly back so Ashoka was nuzzling into his forehead instead of his hair, Raizel spoke, "You can go back to sleep. It's not work."

"It was enough to wake you up. What happened?"

Even as he opened his mouth, he knew he wouldn't be able to gather anything coherent from all the thoughts whirling around in his head. Instead, he just held up his phone.

Ashoka shifted, peering over his shoulder- "Hmm? Apartment complex will be teared down… forest extended… It's only natural, even if it is a shame. That area's too dangerous to live in nowadays and better to have something useful instead of leaving those suburbs abandoned. But… why get up for this?"

"My sister lived there. I need to get her things."

"They're still there?!"

Raizel flinched at how loud that was and Ashoka let go of him, apologetic as he turned to look at him- "Sorry, I'm-" his eyes were murky with disbelief and… no, annoyance wouldn't make any sense- "just surprised. I thought such a thing would have been dealt with right away, or at least during some point in the decade it's been since."

"My brother was going to but then…"

"Ah-" Ashoka smiled, gentle but reflecting his sadness, and took his free hand into his own- "Then why don't we go together? You can't really hire anyone for an A-rank danger zone so it'd be better for both of us to be there to deal with the furniture quickly."

"What about work?" asked Raizel, frowning.

"Honestly!"

With a dramatic sigh, Ashoka pressed a kiss to his knuckles- "You'll need to get permission for the time off anyway. Do you really think I can't convince them to let us both go?"

Averting his eyes – that gaze was too bright, too eager – Raizel could feel his cheeks flush. Ashoka has always been exceptional at making things go his way regardless of who he was up against. The villains they dealt with would end up acting like frightened puppies, the other heroes followed his every word with shining eyes and heartfelt conviction, and the higher-ups would approve his every request. And that wasn't even getting into how the public viewed him. Of course he wouldn't have any difficulty.

"…It needs to be soon."

Ashoka laughed, pulling him into a hug, "Don't worry about it. With how slow things have been here, they'll be perfectly happy to send us off to a danger zone within a week."

Just like he said, Raizel found himself holding Ashoka's hand in the middle of a very large construction site the very next week. One of the heroes assigned to the safety of the workers, a woman with the same orange jacket and yellow hat on and canines that were sharp enough to be fangs, was giving them her number to call for when they had everything packed up so that they could send over a truck to transport everything. She handed them a map too before returning to her work and he clutched it tight.

"Noisy, isn't it?" Ashoka remarked as he started to walk, pulling him along, "When you said soon, I didn't think they'd already started elsewhere. They've made this place unrecognizable!"

Raizel nodded. There was quite a bit of dust being kicked up too, and they were walking on the road towards a much emptier area. It would have been the sidewalk but most of it had already been pulled out in this section, leaving the ground uneven. Between the mess, the noise, and the dusty air, he only felt relief as they finally got to someplace that didn't have any of that. Ashoka must have too since he had kept quiet the entire time instead of chattering like he usually did, only having gripped his hand tight as he looked around.

"Ah~ There's finally some peace here."

Another nod and Raizel lifted up the map- "We should see where to go now."

Laughter met his words and Ashoka pointed to the sign on the beautiful building in front of them when he looked to him questioningly, "It's a bit hard to see with the dragon plants covering it up but that definitely says 'Mother-die, do not lie'."

It was hard to make out but with a little bit of squinting, Raizel managed to read the words- "You picked the right direction."

"I did, right? Imagine if we went the wrong way!" Ashoka said, smiling, "Now let's go in. The elevator's not working so we have to walk up the stairs to the seventh floor and bring everything down."

Raizel followed him, glancing back at the sign one last time, as he wondered if the strangely archaic manual doors beside the automatic ones had been part of why his sister had chosen to move here specifically for her work. Or rather, why his brother had chosen it for her. She had never had much regard for her safety or her comfort and so their parents had insisted he help pick out a place for her. He had mentioned the sign as one of the reasons, speaking of how it referred to some flower and how it suited Hulda perfectly. And then when she had been found near dead in her workplace, he'd said something about how it really had been the right choice since she would be dead if she'd been attacked at home.

Inside he immediately sneezed, once again making Ashoka laugh. Usually, it was all he could focus on. Now? Despite having been empty for several years, the building was just as beautiful on the inside as it was outside. The tiles on the floor were smooth and the walls were carved into ornate designs. Yes, that was the word. The entire place was ornate. He couldn't tell what was wood and what was stone, and what was something else entirely. Not when he was too afraid to brush off the layer of dust that disguised everything. Ashoka must have noticed his hesitance because-

"You shouldn't be afraid. It is dusty in here but-" Raizel followed Ashoka's movements and the way he carefully wiped off a tiny part of a nearby wall with his handkerchief- "nothing's falling apart."

Plush red and smooth cream were revealed behind the dust and he stepped closer to get a clearer look. The dust hadn't really been wiped away from the red, it probably wouldn't disappear without a thorough wash considering that it was some sort of fabric or fur. The intricate carving of the flowers also trapped dust in crevices that couldn't be reached by human hands. And yet… it was still-

"Stunning work. The fabric's faded from the red it should be and the paint's yellowed, but the craftsman who made these white carnations went beyond expectations," Ashoka murmured, "It's a shame it'll all be gone soon."

"Flowers were always meant to be brief," Raizel said, "You can't keep them forever."

"What an odd thing to say-" Ashoka's smile belied confusion and his brow was furrowed for a moment before he sighed and pat his shoulder- "It's comforting coming from you, though."

Only from him? Well, he wouldn't say this to just anyone either so perhaps that was fine. Always a step behind him, he watched as Ashoka stood in front of the stairs, lightly running his fingertips over the carved wood. He was barely touching it, and seemed to be studying the design. Flowers again, though Raizel didn't know what they were. He could name his sister's beloved sunflowers, the spider lilies that she said fit their brother, and the roses people adored. Some others too, but not these ones.

Ashoka glanced at him, eyes softer than his smile- "Anemones. Strange choice, don't you think?"

"I wouldn't know."

"They're called windflowers too…" he started to climb the stairs and Raizel followed- "and yet here they are by the stairs. They should have saved these for the railings on the balconies."

"Maybe they're a blessing."

"A blessing?"

"So that you can climb faster, or so that a refreshing wind comes through to make it easier."

"…It's cute when you say it," Ashoka chuckled, "Did one of your sisters say things like that?"

Raizel pretended he wasn't blushing as he kept his eyes on the stairs- "Hulda did, but she always added on that it didn't work. Mother was the one who genuinely believed in it all."

"That makes sense. You both got it from her."

"Mm."

They continued to speak about his family. About the little things like they sometimes did whenever Ashoka made his grief easier to live with. It had become constant now, and he had also been the one to make it often before that, and occasional in the beginning. They only stopped when they reached a door embossed with the number 719. It was painted gold, but again, it had been made ornate with flowers forming both the numbers and being carved into the wood.

"These ones are… lilies," Raizel said.

"They are," Ashoka confirmed, opening the door with ease and walking in, "I do hope this place wasn't robbed at any point."

Raizel stood still for a moment. He hadn't expected Ashoka to enter without waiting for him, but it did make it easier. As if the weight of the world wouldn't collapse on him since somebody was already in there. That he wouldn't collapse.

Taking one step, then another, and then a few more, he was welcomed with what was undoubtedly his sister's home. Paintings, posters, pictures, and other various decorations were on the walls with the only cohesion being that they weren't wildly uneven. There was little colour coordination either. Trinkets were arranged neatly on the shelves and below them was her large collection of books, the poppies on one of the covers sticking out. Next to them was her equally large collection of video games and their consoles. Everything was shoved neatly into its own place. Easy to find and fairly tidy even with the sheer amount being capable of overwhelming a person.

It was just like her room back in their childhood home.

Heart-wrenching.

Comforting.

Though he wanted to take in everything, understand how his sister had lived after she left home, he knew he didn't have time for that. She had a lot of things, and it would take a while to get through it all. He'd reminisce later, probably while packing, and wonder why he'd never taken up one of her invitations to come live with her for a few weeks during the school holidays, or even why he'd never visited. For now, he needed help getting started.

Walking further in, he found Ashoka in her bedroom, staring at the photos stuck on the wall her bed was pushed up against. It was right where she'd be able to see them comfortably even when laying down. That meant, however, that it was definitely hurting his neck to look down at them.

"You can sit down to look at them. My sister wouldn't mind. She's always been sentimental ab-" his words died in his throat as he saw the pictures.

"I know. Two years and she didn't change a thing. Twelve and nobody else did either," Ashoka said, sitting down on the edge of the bed and reaching out to trace Hulda's face in one of the photos, "I'm grateful for it."

"You knew her," Raizel said.

"I did."

"You-" unable to take his eyes off of the figure of his partner alongside his sister in the photos, Raizel could feel his heart beat faster- "You were the one she was constantly talking about. The love of her life."

"…I was."

Finally tearing his eyes away from the photos, he whispered, "You left her."

Startled, Ashoka looked at him, expression shifting to resignation- "I did."

Seeing his face made him reel, but not out of what he just learned. Rather, because he still looked like he had in those photos. Photos that were over a decade old. No wrinkles, no scars, not a single minute change. There was only one group capable of such a thing.

"You're not a hero."

"Huh?" for a moment Ashoka was confused, then he smiled with amusement- "Right. I still look the same after all. I'm not."

Then, this entire time, he'd been lying to him. To everyone. Yet, despite the betrayal, despite the trembling of his hands, he needed to know one thing.

"Did you…" Raizel met his gaze, trailing off.

"That's mean," Ashoka murmured, and took Raizel's hands into his, smiling up at him, "You can accuse me of whatever else you want, but I didn't try to kill anyone in your family."

Raizel simply stared.

"Then why…"

"Why what? Why did one of the worst supervillains of the world date your sister? Why did I leave? Why did I come back? Why am I dating you?" Ashoka asked, then sighed, pulling him down gently, "I'll do a nice long villain monologue for you, so sit down, okay?"

He could lie to him. He probably would. And yet Raizel sat quietly, knowing he'd get the truth.

"The start, and why I dated Hulda… There wasn't any reason to it. Depending on which one of my Generals you ask, they'd say it's either fate, destiny, or a coincidence."

Raizel frowned; he was sure everything would be explained but- "You're the Dark Emperor?"

"Just Emperor. Are you shocked?"

Looking at how Ashoka was holding his hands and thinking back on how he acted, Raizel held back the urge to say yes- "…That's why the Generals always got away."

Ashoka smiled sheepishly- "I'm not a good person, you know that by now. Still-" his tone turned serious- "about two or three decades ago I decided to sow some chaos in the world with my own hands. Then, sixteen years ago, I met Hulda. It was at some party held by the higher echelon; she was probably trying to make some connections but between her moral conduct and how she hates talking to people despite how much she does it… she was spending all her time at the buffet table."

…That was definitely his sister. It ran in the family, really. Nobody aside from their mother had been particularly social, and even she hadn't had much luck because people were terrified of her.

"I wasn't going to talk to her but then she finally started talking to people. Except she kept on eating the entire time. And the things she said, well, they definitely were amusing. Basically-" Ashoka shrugged- "she was cute. We met again by coincidence and decided to spend some time together. Then more, and a year later she asked if I was interested in a relationship."

"She asked?" Raizel asked, aghast.

"I was surprised too. Mostly because she started crying while asking."

"She's shy."

"I know."

Wait. His sister had never referred to Ashoka by his name- "Your name, is it-"

"Menodara Gouyen di Ashoka is my real name-" he sighed upon Raizel's look of disbelief- "The people here can't even get the names of my Generals. How would they get mine? Hulda knew me by this name too."

That made sense. Except- "She only called you Mika."

"My initials. M-G-A. Mika. Same as how she only ever called you by your nickname too. It was strange but… part of what made me not refuse her."

"Refuse her?"

Sighing again, Ashoka traced circles on the back of his hand with a thumb, "I wasn't exactly in love with her back then. She was just… someone fun. A nice distraction. Even up until I ended the relationship to leave for my work, that's how I saw her. I considered marrying her if she still wanted me when I came back but…"

Raizel tried to ignore the nonchalant way his sister had been treated by the person she loved. He already knew what she would say about it. 'I don't mind as long as I can be with him'. In fact, the only thing that would make her hate him was the obvious reason. That he was a supervillain that went against her entire system of morals and judgement.

"She was in a coma by then?" he asked.

"Yes," Ashoka nodded, "I saw it in the news so I left again. There wasn't any reason to stay. Then five years ago I was passing by this country again and learnt about the attacks on your family. Hulda, I assumed, was dead like everyone else, and simple curiosity got the better of me. That's why we met."

Was that it? Everything was a simple coincidence? Raizel didn't know if that made things better or worse.

"Then, of course, I learnt Hulda was still alive. It was even stranger finding out that all her close friends were from the Empire, but they had originally been sent to keep an eye on me. They'd just become besotted with her in the same years I spent with her. I can't blame them. Seeing how she spent her time waiting for me… it's enough to drive me crazy too."

…What? Her friends? Did he mean the ones who still visited her? Even if the rest somehow made sense, Amabilis didn't. He had been his sister's most trusted aide. Even now, he worked in her shadow. And what did that last part mean?

Ashoka smiled at his confusion- "Rousare is the heir of one of the Generals but the rest are just assorted family members. It was obvious from their flower choices though. Each one of them brought moonflowers for her at some point. Those only grow in the Empire."

So his sister had spent her life in lies too. She'd dedicated her life to equity and justice, and had ended up in a glass cage she couldn't see through. If she woke up… she wouldn't even have any friends. Just him. That would break her heart more than Ashoka.

Averting his eyes for a moment after speaking, Ashoka sighed again, "And then, because you made me love you, I'm with you now. So, what now?"

All their moments together had been genuine after all. That didn't matter though. Not when Ashoka was, without a doubt, a monster donning human skin.

"I'll kill you," Raizel stated, voice unfaltering like his will, "or you'll end up defeating me and doing whatever you want."

"I'm glad you know I wouldn't want you gone," Ashoka said, "I knew you'd say this though. That's why I thought I'd leave two things for last."

Raizel frowned, "Two things?"

"The first is about why I was interested in your family's murders."

"Because of Hulda."

"No, that's only why I noticed them. Even then, it could have just been because your mother and brother were high profile heroes, except-" Ashoka clasped one hand on top of his as if to trap him- "the manner of death. It was strangely familiar and just last month I finally found out why. It has the same traits a now disappeared line of Generals did. Wings and tears of blood."

Raizel's thoughts halted but his voice was still steady when he spoke, "So it was someone from the Empire."

That only meant he had to find where it was and deal with everyone there. Every country wanted that so it only incentivized him to focus on it specifically from now on. Knowing it didn't change anything.

"Yes, and we could find who it was. Together," Ashoka said eagerly, almost begging.

"What was the second thing?"

Ashoka's expression wilted but he gathered himself- "There's no guarantee Hulda will wake up with the technology here. With what we have back home though… Even if it takes hundreds of years, or thousands, you could talk to her again. Don't you want that?"

Raizel's voice faltered, "That's not possible."

"It is. It's just a matter of waiting."

Looking down at their hands, Raizel said nothing. It wasn't long before he did.

"We should pack.

"What?"

"Hulda will want the things here and everything we grew up with when she wakes up. We should start packing."

A bright smile lit up Ashoka's face, blinding like the sun. Letting go of his hands yet only deepening the pit, he kissed him, and Raizel did nothing. No, that wasn't true. He kissed back.

"Raizel, let's get married," Ashoka said, voice breathy as he parted.

"Okay," he murmured, and let Ashoka kiss him again. He loved him, after all.