#had the sudden and sharp shock that i think part of the reason i'm stressing out atm is an environmental thing

[thegempage]

hmm. having Thoughts™

[imperial-martian]

Protective vs Possesive {Mycroft Holmes x Reader} [Part 2/?]

A/N: Sorry that it has taken me so long to get done, but I’ve finally gotten inspiration with the help of @kye06. I’m not sure how I feel about this. I was a bit iffy with it until the end, which I really love. Let me know what you think and if this should be the end or if more parts should be added!

Mycroft x Ex-Wife! Pregnant! Reader

Angst/Fluff

(Mentions of Divorce, Pregnancy, Fainting, Hospitals, Mentions of Llightly Unhealthy Weight Loss, Soft! Mycroft)

•—•

Sherlock was sat in Bart's hospital sitting room, his hands interlaced and his chin resting upon them as he waited and waited. Each second that past felt like hours, each minute felt like days. The ticking of the clock at the corner of the room was slowly driving the man crazy.

It had only been a month and a half since you've moved into Baker Street with Sherlock and John. Every day seemed to be weighing down on you more and more. There was no more waking up to morning kisses that, Mycroft so loved to greet you with, or the smell of freshly brewed coffee. No more late-night cuddles and silent reading as you laid in his arms, smiling.

With every memory came the ghost of his touch, and with that came the guilt. You should've cherished those moments you had with him, to thank Mycroft for always ensuring your safety. Now, you couldn't even do that. The simple thought of him made you want to cry.

Yet, you were unable to think about anybody at the moment. Not while you lied, unconscious in a hospital bed while doctors and nurses tried to determine what was wrong before finally, they did.

However, Sherlock was still waiting, and he was still slowly going insane with impatience. He let only a second pass him before he cams his older brother, his blue eyes shut as he listened to the ringing of the phone.

On the other side of London, in an office, sat Mycroft Holmes, a government official who was just scribbling down a note on a piece of paper. The moon was shining in through the window, having just crept past a cloud that obscured some of its light. The auburn-haired man let out a little grunt into the glass of scotch he had just raised to his lips. A phone call was the last thing he wanted to deal with at the moment.

Nonetheless, he grabbed the device, seeing if he recognized the number before feeling a sudden sense of shock and worry as he saw his brother's name. In a quick motion, Mycroft had placed down the scotch glass while throwing on his coat as he brought the phone up to his ear.

"Sherlock?" he said through the phone, moving around his desk to gather some things. If it wasn't an emergency then at least he'd be packed and have an excuse to head home.

Sherlock let out a small sigh as he heard his brother's voice, a sound he wasn't sure that relieved him or annoyed him. "Mycroft, come down to Bart's, Y/N's in the hospital," he stated, getting straight to the point and not wanting to waste time.

Mycroft was surprised for a moment, not because Y/N was in hospital but because he was being informed that she was. "Why am I being told this? And why am I being asked to visit her?" Mycroft asked, his tone airy and yet, somehow it sounded almost cold.

"Because this was your wife Mycroft! Because the person you once loved is now lying unconscious in a hospital room, and even I don't know what's wrong! That's why Mycroft, because if Y/N had even cracked a bit of that facade you've created, then you'd care enough to see her. God forbid she took her last breath in an hour and you weren't here to say goodbye or sorry, wouldn't you want to see her one last time?!"

Mycroft was shocked by his brother's outburst. He'd been yelled at plenty of times before by Sherlock, however, never for such a severe reason. A moment passed before he said, "I'll be there in ten minutes," and hung up the phone.

True to his word, Mycroft arrived at the hospital ten minutes later, walking towards the waiting room where Sherlock no longer sat. The government official walked up to the front desk, asking what room you were in.

"294," the nurse said before Mycroft said a quick thank you and made his way down the hall, his umbrella gripped tightly in his hand. He held it at the center, his leather shoes loud against the tiled floor.

He reached the room after a bit of walking, peaking through the window to spot his brother sitting at a chair beside the bed. Mycroft didn't bother looking around to see you, knocking on the door and waiting for someone to answer it. When the door was answered, Mycroft's blue eyes caught the ones of his brother who simply nodded and let him pass.

"Is she alright?" Mycroft asked, taking a step into the room and looking over at you. He placed the umbrella off to the side of the room and took a seat once he was finished.

He hadn't seen you properly since the ordeal that took place months ago. His heart ached at the sight of your s/c skin being much paler than what it usually is. Your body was a bit skinnier than he remembered and for a moment he feared the worst.

"Has she been eating properly?" Mycroft asked his brother who remained by the door.

Sherlock shook his head slightly. "She seems to be skipping breakfast every morning," he starts. "However, thankfully she eats her other meals."

Mycroft nodded, taking you over once more. "Did the doctors tell you what was wrong?" he inquired, his eyes never leaving your body.

Sherlock made a small hum. He knew that this should be something told to his brother, as well as yourself, by a doctor, but he knew it'd eat his brother alive if he didn't tell him. "She's pregnant Mycroft," he paused for a moment, expecting to see a reaction from Mycroft. When he didn't he continued, "they said she had fainted due to stress. They suspect she doesn't know she's with child yet."

All Mycroft could give in response was a weak nod before he asked his brother to leave for a moment. Sherlock obeyed Mycroft's wishes, taking a step out and moving back towards the waiting room before leaving altogether. He knew it was best to leave them both for some time.

Mycroft had leaned back against his seat, his mind seeming to bark questions at him, some that he didn't know the answers to. He looked back at you for a moment, taking in your h/c hair and familiar features. His hand was trembling as he brought it up to brush the strands of hair that cling to your face behind your ear.

Mycroft felt guilty at that moment. Guilty for leaving you when he could have been taking care of you, holding you close and protecting you. He was angry at himself that this entire situation was caused simply because he wanted to keep you safe, and yet, of course, he was the one harming you. It was always like that.

He'd never felt such a strong urge to hold you in his life. To whisper to you softly, letting you know that he couldn't wait to be a father and that you'd make an amazing mother. Yet, you were no longer his. He'd asked for the divorce.

The sudden feeling of warm, soft skin brushing against his arm caused his blue eyes to snap up towards you, his hand moving to clutch at your instinctively. "Y/N," he breathed out softly.

You felt emotional seeing Mycroft beside you, but you did not cry. All you did was smile back before facing the heart rate monitor. "Mycroft, what's wrong? W-why are you here?" you asked, scared and confused.

Mycroft tried his best to give you a reassuring smile. It was clearly forced and strained. He was about to answer you when a doctor entered the room, both heads turning to look at them.

"Ah, Mrs. Holmes-" you'd both tensed at that, but you couldn't blame the doctor. The divorce had yet to be finalized. "I'm glad to see you're awake. We've run some tests and nothing looks to be too worrisome. As a matter of fact, the cause of your fainting, although partially due to stress, is caused by pregnancy symptoms. Congratulations," the doctor explained.

Your eyes widened as you looked at Mycroft, fear written all over your face. How would this work now that you weren't with Mycroft?

Mycroft caught onto the fear quickly and gently ran a thumb over your knuckles, trying to assure you it'd be alright. Once the doctor left the room, Mycroft turned to look into your e/c eyes.

"Mycroft, wh-what are we going to do?" you asked, your hands trembling just as much as his are.

He took in a sharp breath for a moment, looking at you. "Y/N, I-I'd happily call off the divorce if you're willing to do the same. I... I'm not sure if I've truly ever wanted it. Ever since I've said it all I've felt was misery," he stated, his voice shaky. Mycroft's never had to say something like this. He's rarely ever let his emotions be spoken so freely.

You'd brought your hand up to his cheek when a single tear slipped from his eye. It wasn't a tear full of sadness, it was one of anger and guilt... and of the loneliness he tried so hard to get rid of only to welcome it back with open arms. Now, all he wanted to do was take you into his arms.

"I'd want nothing more than that, My," you whispered, and hearing the nickname- the one that used to bring him so much warmth -nearly caused Mycroft to cry more. He didn't, instead, moving to sit on the edge of your bed before taking you into his arms and adjusting himself so that he wouldn't hurt you.

He buried his face into the crook of your neck, the warmth of your body against his cool skin causing him to feel safe and at home. "I've missed you," he whispered, placing a kiss against your shoulder.

"I've missed you too My," you whispered back, carefully running your fingers through his hair. "You'll make a great father," and just the thought of it caused you to smile because you knew it'd be true.

Mycroft lifted his head a bit to look into your eyes, a soft smile on his face. "And you'll be the best mother anyone could ever have, my dear," he replied, leaning down to give you a sweet, but passionate kiss against your lips. He'd only broken apart to murmur a soft, 'I love you,' before kissing you again.

[milasartblog]

Brothers' quarrel (part 3)

Gabriel was flying fast around the entire Heaven in a search for Michael, panicing and feeling stressed.

Gabriel: Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God!! What have I done?? None of this would happen if I took an action. Sneaky demon! When I find you, I will make sure you will pay for-

Lucifer: Pay for what?!

A sudden voice stopped Gabriel as he jumped from surprise, seeing Lucifer flying in front of him, looking not pleasant to see his brother.

Gabriel: Lucifer?? How did you-??

Lucifer: You were looking for me, well, here I am. Now what is it that you wanted to do to me??

Gabriel: What did you do to Michael, bastard?!

Lucifer: Me? Nothing. Didn't your brother tell you the truth? Oh wait, I forgot, you didn't want to listen to him!!

Sharp voice made Gabriel flew back a bit.

Gabriel: B-Because you hypnotized him!! Normal angel would not date with a demon!!

Lucifer: Oh, really?? What if i say that i didn't do anything to him? Not even a single inch of his hair was touched when we confessed to each other. But who I'm kidding, you will still not believe me!

Gabriel: How can you be trusted?? You're demon, creature who guides humans to untrue paths!!

Suddenly Lucifer grabbed Gabriel's shirt as lifted him closer to his face.

Lucifer: Now listen to me, little brat. I don't care how bad you think about me or my demons, it's your opinion. And yet, what I do care is that how you, angels, still see us as bad creatures. I don't deny, we still create mess and we LOVE to do it. But thanks to your God's mistake, times have changed in Hell. Even I accepted such changes.

Gabriel: Wait, what mistake?? God never makes mistakes!! And how is it connected to Michael??

Lucifer: Oh, trust me, it's soooo connected. And if my words don't convince you, then maybe He will.

Gabriel: Wait, what are you-

He couldn't finish the sentence as they both teleported to Hell under loud screams of Gabriel that could be heard almost in every corner of the Hell. As they got to Hell, Lucifer and Gabriel teleported to Gardener's house.

Lucifer: Well, here we are.

Gabriel slowly opened his eyes that were shutted from fear as looked around, not believing what he was seeing. The place looked almost like any casual human or angel house, with nice garden, nothing messy was here, nothing "hellish" was here. It was so hard for Gabriel to believe as he rubbed his eyes, even slapped his face: it didn't help.

Gabriel: What is this place?? Is it another of your illusion??

Lucifer: Well, you will find it out soon~

Gabriel: Find out what?? What are you-

Gardener: Oh, so this is stubborn Archangel you were talking about, Lord Lucifer.

An old man with bright welcoming smile came out of the house, as Gabriel looked at him a bit surprised.

Gabriel: Umm, but he is a common demon.

Lucifer tried to keep his emotions under control as smirked and introduced Gardener to Gabriel.

Lucifer: Gabriel, it's Gardener. The one who was sent by God here by His mistake.

Gardener: It's an honor to meet you, Sir Gabriel.

Gardener bowed which made Gabriel shocked.

Gabriel: Wait, that's him??? No way!!

Gardener: I understand your mistrust, Sir Gabriel. It's naturally for angels and archangels. God also didn't believe me when I died and tried to prove my innocence.

He kept his casual smile as Gabriel was still shocked and speechless. Lucifer just stood and watched.

Gardener: Oh, where are my manners. Why not discuss things at a cup of tea? I have a good tea spot for this.

Gabriel: Wait, tea?? In Hell?? It can't be!!

Gardener: Oh, that's okay, it's not poisoned, Sir Gabriel. Please, be my guests.

Gabriel hesitated to step in, but because of angel's politeness they entered the garden and walked to a place decorated with little carpets for sitting and small table with tea set on it. Seemed like tea was already ready and waited for guests. Good old japanese style. Gardener and Lucifer took their places while for Gabriel it took couple of minutes to take place too.

Gabriel: Umm, excuse me, but i will still not have tea.

Gardener: Oh, that's okay, it's a healing tea for old creatures like me. Helps to keep body healthy and full of stamina.

He smiled as took a sip from his cup while Lucifer kept watching the scene, waiting patiently. Gabriel was fully covered in nervous.

Gardener: Before we get to the main theme, I would like to tell you about myself. What Lord Lucifer said is true. I was judged by your God unfair, as I was an innocent, peaceful man, I didn't wish anything bad to anyone. I was an old soldier who fought for my believes and for my country. I obeyed to every order i thought was right. However, God didn't believe me, he didn't accept my actions and so I got here. If not Lord Lucifer and his fair decision, who knows in which stomach I would end up or in which punish room I would be. Even Lady Lilith, Queen of Succubi, showed mercy to me. They could mess up with my mind and do anything they want as demons. But they didn't. Because they both knew so well: punishment deserve only really bad souls. For them i was another poor soul who was judged unfair, and because of this i had no access to Heaven. And so they accepted me, not because I was just another soul for them, but as a person, who despite such decision can still live in Hell like it would be in human world or Heaven, can still find strength to live under such conditions.

Gabriel couldn't believe his ears and eyes. He was so stunned as couldn't say any word.

Gardener: I don't expect you to believe me, of course, Sir Gabriel. Even some demons still don't believe me. However, I told you this story not only to prove your wrong view on some of the demons. The situation that happened between you and Sir Michael is so similar to mine. Yes, Lord Lucifer told me about your quarrel.

Gabriel was shocked as looked at Lucifer, who was serious and nodded in agreement.

Gardener: Your brother tried to prove you that there was no force between him and Lord Lucifer, no spells, no force. Only honest confession. However, like God, you didn't want to believe him, you couldn't accept what is not right in your point of view. If Lord Lucifer didn't care about Sir Michael's feelings, he would not come here to ask for help, he would not go personally to you to talk and say the truth. I don't ask you to fully disagree with your view on demons as some of them are still bad and can do a lot of mess. I only ask you to look at this situation from your brother's perspective. Are you afraid that after such news, he will become a demon as well? Is this why you want him to reject his honest feelings and live in order to be the same Archangel like you? Was it the same reason you didn't accept the fact that Lucifer, your brother, was sent to Hell, and yet still thought about you and other brothers?

He said all of this with such calm tone that got deep into Gabriel's mind. For couple of minutes he was sitting speechless with wide eyes, looking into emptiness. Lucifer got worried for a moment, but Gardener showed a sign of things being under control.

Gardener: I don't have any intention to humiliate you or other angels.....I just don't want the same story to happen between you and brothers. And only you can fix it, taking the right dicision.

He put his hand on Gabriel's shoulder kindly, which made Gabriel flinch for a moment. Silence covered them all as they all waited for a moment of decision.

--------------

And that's another part if brothers' quarrel story^^ Now the whole new world opened to Gabriel, i wonder how will he react 0.0 What decision will he take? 0.0

Lucifer and Gabriel belong to @wildstarfan and @milasartblog (both me)

Gardener belongs to @captainthane

Okaria et Feria belongs to @wildstarfan and @captainthane

[hotandcoldaf]

My Heart on Your Sleeve, Chapter 2

Rating: PG

Characters/Pairings: Shiro/Ulaz, Adam/Shiro

Summary: For most people, having a soulmate simplifies things. For Shiro, it makes things much, much more complicated. In this chapter, Shiro is introduced to the Blade of Marmora.

Notes: The way soulmarks work in this AU was inspired by this post.

EDIT: I forgot that HTML doesn’t work on tumblr; this has been corrected. MY BAD.

AO3 Link

<- Previous Chapter | Beginning | Next Chapter ->

---

A warm, hearty scent greeted Shiro as he entered the apartment he shared with Adam. He knew that smell. That was the stew Adam always made when he was mad about something. He'd explained it once, the specifics of how it helped calm him down, but Shiro hadn't really gotten it. Cooking was always so stressful for him that it was hard to understand what made it relaxing for Adam. But somehow it was, and it was rare that Adam stayed mad once he'd made his stew. Which was good, because Adam had definitely been very angry with him when they last spoke earlier that day.

With a smile, Shiro made his way into the kitchen, and sure enough, there was Adam, stirring a large pot, with his uniform jacket off and his sleeves pushed up. Shiro used to love seeing Adam's soulmark, seeing the symbols on his arm and being able to immediately place how they related to him and his accomplishments, such a contrast to the inscrutable mysteries that made up his own markings. His diagnosis had changed that. Noticing new additions to Adam's soulmark had always been exciting before then, but finding a ring of what looked like necrotic tissue around Adam's arm that night had been almost as devastating as the diagnosis itself.

Shiro didn't know how Adam could stand to even look at it, even if he knew it was only cosmetic and not actually hurting him in any way. Personally, he hated the sight of it. It and everything it represented. Sudden, life-changing events were often represented in soulmarks by rings like that, cutting off everything that came before from everything that came after, and the ring on Adam's arm was a particularly ugly reminder that his life was over.

Shiro's smile faltered at the sight of it, but he approached Adam anyway, slipping his arms around his waist and placing his chin on Adam's shoulder.

"It smells great," he said.

Adam shrugged him off and Shiro pulled away.

"You're still mad?" he asked. If the stew hadn't worked, then this was worse than he'd realized.

"Yes, I'm still mad," Adam answered with a huff, keeping his gaze fixed on the pot instead of Shiro.

Shiro huffed back. "Why can't you understand how important this is to me?"

"I understand just fine. You're the one who doesn't get it." Adam used his spoon to push some vegetables down into the broth with what Shiro was sure was far more force than necessary. "Not that I expect you to, at this point. You're going to go no matter what I say. Your soulmark is proof of that."

Shiro wasn't sure how to respond to that at first. Was that what this was all about? It was true that the Kerberos mission would be his last, best chance to find his soulmate, and Shiro would be lying if he said that fact hadn't occurred to him, but that wasn't why he was so determined to stay on the mission despite his diagnosis, and he'd thought Adam understood that. Apparently, though, he needed to be reminded.

"Adam. Look at me."

With a sigh, Adam set his spoon down and finally turned to face Shiro. He had such a dour look on his face, Shiro hated it. Adam always used to smile so much and so brightly, but those smiles had gotten rarer and rarer since Shiro's diagnosis. Shiro missed them. He placed his hands firmly on Adam's shoulders and hoped his face made it clear how sincerely he meant what he was about to say.

"When I get back from Kerberos, marry me." Adam's eyes went wide with shock, but Shiro pressed on. "I was going to wait until after the mission to ask, but you need to hear this now. I'm not doing this to find my soulmate. It doesn't matter who I meet out there, I swear, I'm not going to throw away what we have for him."

Adam's shocked expression twisted into something affronted and furious, a face Shiro had never seen him make before, and he felt his stomach drop before Adam even spoke.

"Is that what you think this is about? You think I don't trust you?" He shoved Shiro's hands off of his shoulders and took a step backward.

"You brought it up first!" Shiro insisted, stepping forward to close the gap.

"Because it proves you're going to leave," Adam said, his voice low and strained. "If you weren't going to meet your soulmate out there, he wouldn't be your soulmate. That doesn't mean I'm worried about you falling in love with him."

"Then what's the problem?"

"The problem is you're going to leave, Takashi! You're going to leave and you're not going to come back and I'm not going to wait for you." Adam took another step backwards and turned away from Shiro. "I can't do it."

Seeing Adam turn his back on him made Shiro's chest ache, and he put his hand on Adam's shoulder, gently pulling to try and direct him back towards him. "Adam, it's going to be okay. I'll come back to you. I promise."

Adam didn't budge, and after a moment, he let out a long sigh. "I wish I could believe you."

"Adam--" Shiro started, but Adam interrupted him by pushing his hand off his shoulder.

"Just--go away, okay? I want to be alone for a while. I'll come tell you when dinner's ready."

Defeated, Shiro backed out of the kitchen in silence, and when he turned around, suddenly the apartment was dark, illuminated only faintly by distant purple lights. He quickly turned back towards the kitchen, but it was gone, and Adam was nowhere to be seen.

"Adam!" he called out, desperate for an answer.

"Shiro," answered a calm and even voice right behind him, but it wasn't Adam's.

Shiro awoke with a start and quickly pushed himself up into a seated position, nearly colliding with the alien crouched over him along the way. Ulaz. Right. His soulmate. After all these years, finally, in the flesh. Shiro couldn't say what, exactly, he'd been expecting, but it didn't feel like this was it. This tall, pale alien, all sharp angles and long limbs, with his blank yellow eyes and short fur, he was.... He wasn't unattractive, Shiro supposed, but he couldn't help but feel vaguely disappointed. He'd been expecting some kind of spark, he guessed, some sort of immediate attraction, something comparable to how he felt about Adam, but as grateful as he felt towards Ulaz for freeing him, as excited as he was to finally have some answers about his soulmark, it didn't feel anything like love, and it didn't do anything to stop that vague unfulfilled feeling that had always haunted him.

What he definitely hadn't been expecting was having to explain how soulmates worked to his soulmate. The possibility that it wouldn't be mutual, sure, he knew very well that that could happen, but for his soulmate to not have any soulmark, not even any concept of one, that just seemed absurd, like some kind of cosmic joke at his expense. A deserved one, after everything he'd put Adam through, he supposed. It looked like Adam had been right and he wouldn't be going back to Earth, after all. He could only hope Adam would understand if he knew the reason why.

"How long was I out?" he asked Ulaz.

"Not very long. I would have woken you sooner if I had noticed."

"Are we almost there?"

Ulaz nodded and stood up before moving towards the front of the ship. "We have arrived."

Shiro followed closely in his wake, and when he got close enough to make out the image on the viewscreen, his breath caught in his throat. Pictured there was a massive blue star, flanked by a pair of twin black holes. They pulled on the star in opposing directions, creating a swirling vortex of blue light. It was like nothing he'd ever seen before, a sight beyond his wildest imagination.

"It's beautiful," he whispered in awe. Ulaz glanced at him, and then glanced at the screen as he sat in the pilot's seat.

"I suppose it is," he said absently as he began to type on the keypad. Shiro leaned over his shoulder to take a closer look, but he couldn't make any sense of the alien text, so his interest soon shifted back to the star ahead. He was the first and only human to ever see anything like this in person, it occurred to him, and a thought that would once have brought him great joy now made his chest feel tight. Sam and Matt should be seeing this, too. He didn't know where they were right now. Ulaz had told him that he hadn't seen them. He didn't even know if they were still alive. He hoped they were, as hard as he possibly could, but he had no way of knowing. It was a terrible feeling.

"We are in luck," Ulaz announced. "The way will be open in a few doboshes."

Shiro wasn't sure what a dobosh was, but that wasn't the part of the announcement that most caught his attention. "We're going in there? That's a blue supergiant. It doesn't get much hotter than that. Can this ship stand up to that kind of heat?"

"It should," Ulaz answered.

"Should?"

"That is why we have to wait. It is only safe to approach the base between solar flares."

It was a hell of a security system, he had to admit. "Okay. How long is a dobosh?"

"50 ticks."

"Aaaaand how long is a tick?"

With a few key presses, Ulaz brought up a new window in the view screen. Even though Shiro couldn't read the alien numbers, it was clearly a countdown of some sort. "This is how long we have left until the way opens," Ulaz explained. He pointed at the numbers on the far right. "These are ticks."

Shiro intently watched the steadily changing numbers. It looked like a tick was slightly longer than a second, and, from the pattern of when the numbers changed, it looked like Galra also counted in base-10, which was a relief. He studied the countdown carefully, trying to commit the shape of the digits to memory. 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0. 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0.

"It's time," Ulaz said when the countdown completed, and he pushed the ship forward. Shiro didn't dare speak a word on the trip in, but despite his concerns, their ship endured the heat and they reached their destination without issue. The base was built into an asteroid tucked in close to the star, and Ulaz guided their ship carefully into a hangar that closed swiftly behind them. Shiro followed him out of the ship and took in the view of the base before he climbed down. It seemed architecturally similar to the Galra ships he'd been on before, what little he'd seen of them, but the lighting here was a cooler, bluer shade than the harsh, redder purple that lit the Galra ships.

More interesting than the architecture, though, was the people. At least, Shiro assumed they were people and not like the robots he'd encountered on the Galra ship. They didn't have any obvious joints like the robots, but they were all wearing eerie faceless masks and none of them spoke or moved as he and Ulaz left the ship. Ulaz didn't pay them much mind as he strode confidently through the hangar, and Shiro made sure to stay close on his heels. The last thing he wanted was to get lost alone in an unfamiliar place, and Ulaz clearly knew exactly where he was going. He took them through winding hallways and down an elevator, where they reached an austere, open room. In the air above them hovered a holographic symbol that matched the one on Ulaz's blade, and at the end of the room was a raised dais.

There were two people in the room already. One, standing off to the side, was easily twice as large as any other alien Shiro had seen yet. The other, standing at military ease on the dais, was probably the Blade of Marmora's leader, given his position and the sash that decorated his uniform. Shiro wondered if he should bow or salute or something, but Ulaz made no such movements, so he didn't. He kind of wished he was wearing something more presentable than the tattered slave uniform he'd been forced into, though.

"Kolivan," Ulaz said in greeting.

"Ulaz," the leader replied. "You abandoned your mission and brought a stranger to our headquarters. Explain yourself."

"I had no choice. My cover was irreparably compromised. This is Shiro. His species has a unique trait that causes them to manifest markings that describe a specific person. In his case, they describe me."

"Show me," Kolivan ordered.

"Excuse me?" Shiro blurted out. Ulaz turned to stare at him, and Shiro quickly realized he would have to actually explain his offense. "Soulmarks are usually kept secret. I can't show it to just anyone. It's considered a violation of your privacy." It wasn't unheard of for couples to agree to stop covering their soulmarks once they'd found each order, but that option had never been on the table for Shiro. If he'd been mutual with Adam, maybe, but that wasn't the case, so he'd never really considered it. He'd never had the luxury.

"I am far less concerned about Kolivan seeing it than I am about all the people who have seen it already," Ulaz said flatly.

It was a fair point, honestly. If Ulaz trusted these people, then he didn't really have a reason to refuse to show his soulmark. Even if it did go against his most heavily ingrained habits. "Fine," Shiro grumbled, and reached for his sleeve, but Ulaz interrupted him.

"The back will be a more effective demonstration," he said. Right. The sword. Of course. Well, at least that freed Shiro from the burden of fighting off the impulse to avoid eye contact. He pulled off the ratty shirt he'd be given, if it could even be called that, and turned around so Ulaz could handle however it was that the undersuit fastened.

The time that passed while the Blades looked at his soulmark felt like an eternity to Shiro, as he stared at the wall and willed himself not to shiver under the combined force of having his skin exposed to the cold air and the eerie feeling of unseen gazes on his back. In truth, it couldn't have been more than a few seconds before the suit was closed again and Shiro was free to turn around again and pull his shirt back on.

"His other markings provide enough information to connect him to me even from just the information the Empire possesses. I was already under suspicion when I took Shiro and fled," Ulaz explained. Shiro couldn't see any of Kolivan's face through his mask, but he didn't have to to know the Blade's leader wasn't happy about the situation.

"You have compromised the security of our base by bringing him here," the massive Blade in the corner growled, and Shiro nearly jumped out of his skin. Despite the Galra's considerable size, he'd almost forgotten he was there.

"It would have been no safer to leave him with the Empire," Ulaz retorted.

"Be that as it may, you should not have brought him here," Kolivan said. "He needs to go back where he came from."

"I'm not going home," Shiro interjected without hesitation. All three of the Galra in the room turned to look at him, but he refused to back down. "My crew is still in captivity. I can't go back without them. Even if they weren't, I can't turn my back on the rest of the Empire's victims. Let me help you. I'll do whatever you need me to do."

"Unfortunately for you, we do not need you for anything," Kolivan answered.

"We need him to stay out of the Empire's grasp," Ulaz said. "The most effective way to ensure that is to keep him here where we can monitor him."

The massive Galra suddenly spoke up again. "The most effective way would be to kill him."

"We will not be doing that," Kolivan answered before Shiro could even fully register what was just suggested, though that still only did so much to quell the unease he felt once it sunk in. It wasn't the sort of comment that inspired feelings of safety, to say the least. Kolivan continued without much pause, "Antok, find a room for him to stay in for now. I have more to discuss with Ulaz."

"Hold on, you can't cut me out of this conversation," Shiro protested.

"It does not concern you," Kolivan said, and before Shiro could protest further, the massive Blade--Antok, apparently--grabbed him by the arm and hauled him off. Shiro couldn't say he was thrilled to be placed in the care of someone who had only just suggested murdering him, but he didn't really have a choice but to trust that Antok would follow his leader's orders. At least he let go of his arm once they were in the elevator. Shiro rubbed his shoulder and eyed the Galra up. He didn't feel good about his chances if Antok decided it'd be best to kill him after all. It made him wish he hadn't left that gun on the ship, but he seriously doubted that Antok would make a detour for it if he asked.

Antok didn't seem likely to make any sort of detour at all. After leaving the elevator, he went straight to a terminal, and once he was done with it, he continued walking down the hallway, all without so much as a word or glance in Shiro's direction. He walked quickly, and Shiro had to hustle just to keep pace with him. Which was still preferable to being dragged or carried, but Shiro was getting pretty tired of being even metaphorically dragged around without much explanation. Eventually, Antok stopped at a door and opened it.

"Here," he announced, as he stepped away from the doorway. Cautiously, Shiro entered the room.

The door shut behind him.

Immediately, he spun around and hit the button to reopen it. It slid back open, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Poking his head out into the hallway confirmed that Antok was walking back in the direction they'd come from, and Shiro decided to let him go. He'd paid close attention to the path they were taking on the way here, and he was confident that he could find his way back to where they'd spoken to Kolivan or the hangar on his own. For now, he wanted to take stock of his new quarters.

It was a small room, scarcely large enough for the single bed it contained. At first, Shiro was a little surprised that such a utilitarian room had such a large bed in it, until he realized that while two humans could comfortably fit on it, two Galra definitely wouldn't. A Galra and a human might both fit, but Shiro quickly pushed that thought from his mind. That wasn't going to happen.

There was a closet, as well, but it was empty. Which was a shame, because Shiro could have really used a change of clothes, but he supposed that even if there were any clothes, they probably wouldn't fit him. He didn't see anything else to check, so he sat down on the edge of the bed and began stretching his hand. The Galra had taken his electro-stimulator bracelet when they captured him, and his medicine was still back in the ship on Kerberos. These stretches couldn't do much to offset the progression of his disease, but right now, they were all he had. He needed to hide his disease from the Blade as long as possible. They were already so resistant to the idea of him being useful to them, if they found out he was sick, too.... He couldn't afford that. He couldn't let them keep him out of the fight. He had to prove himself.

He couldn't do that staying here. No one had told him to stay put, so he decided to go do something productive instead. A base like this was sure to have a shooting range he could practice at, he just needed to go recover his gun and then find someone he could ask for directions. He didn't cross paths with anyone on the way to the elevator, but on the way up, the elevator stopped, and Ulaz boarded it. He seemed as surprised to see Shiro as Shiro was to see him.

"What are you doing?" he asked, and when Shiro explained, he nodded. "I will show you the way."

"Thank you," Shiro said. "How was your talk with Kolivan?"

Ulaz considered this question for a moment before answering. "It was interesting. I have much to think about."

Shiro wasn't sure if that was good or bad. Maybe it was neither? But before he could ask, the elevator arrived at the hangar, and Ulaz exited it without hesitation. Once Shiro recovered his gun from the ship, they returned to the elevator and got off on a different floor than the one that held Shiro's new quarters. Ulaz kept a brisk pace, leaving Shiro to work to keep up once again, and he made no attempts at starting a conversation. It made Shiro wonder a bit, if he was being actively shunned or if Galra on the whole simply weren't much for conversation. Either way, it was tiring, and Shiro wanted to talk, especially with Ulaz. There was so much he wanted to ask Ulaz, but he couldn't, not yet, not without freaking him out. But he could at least get him used to the idea of conversations with him.

"How long have you been working for the Blade of Marmora?" he asked.

Ulaz looked back at him with what might have been confusion? His expression was hard to read. But he did give Shiro an answer. "From the beginning. I am one of the Blade's founding members."

"How long have you been operating?"

"We have been working against Zarkon's rule for 7,000 years."

Ulaz had told him that he was around 11,000 years old, so that meant he'd been working for the Blade for most of his life. He'd known from the size of the sword on his soulmark that it represented something of great importance--it took up more space than most people's entire soulmarks, after all--but this new context managed to make it seem undersized. 7,000 years. He couldn't even imagine. That was longer than the whole of known human history, he was pretty sure. It definitely meant that Ulaz had been fighting this war since before Shiro's ancestors had even set foot on Japan's shores, much less on America's. Shiro was confident in his choice to join the cause, but he was suddenly keenly aware of all the context he was missing.

"Can you tell me more about the Empire's history and the rebellion?"

"It is a long story. I would not finish before we reached the shooting range."

Ulaz said more after that, but it didn't fully register with Shiro, who was suddenly distracted by the distinct feeling of his hand cramping up and the loud clatter of his gun hitting the floor. Oh no. Not an attack. Not right now. Not in front of Ulaz. He quickly bent down to scoop the gun back up with his left hand and hoped it was quick enough to avoid suspicion. At best, he knew this would make him seem clumsy, but clumsy was better than sick. Clumsy made him flawed, not a liability. He could deal with clumsy.

"Sorry," he said as he straightened back up. He hoped desperately that any pain that made it through to his face despite his efforts to suppress it would be mistaken for distress over his clumsiness, because Ulaz had stopped to look back at him. "I think I'd benefit more from the history lesson than the shooting range right now. I already know how to fire a gun." And he wouldn't be able to fire a gun until this cleared up, but, of course, he wasn't about to mention that part.

Ulaz was frowning at him, but that alone didn't tell Shiro whether or not he bought it. "Come with me," he instructed as he walked past Shiro, back the way they'd came, and Shiro decided to take the lack of questions as a good sign. At least, until Ulaz led him into what was clearly a sick bay. That--that didn't necessarily mean anything. Ulaz was a doctor, he knew that, so it made sense that he'd pick a sick bay as a comfortable place for an extended conversation. At least, until Ulaz pulled a handheld device from a cabinet and scanned Shiro with it, before Shiro even had a chance to protest.

He could run for it. He knew how to get back to the hangar from here, and he knew how to fly the ship they'd arrived in. But he dismissed those thoughts almost as soon as he had them. Even if he could get all the way to the hangar without Ulaz or anyone else catching him--unlikely--he didn't know if the way out of the base was safe right now. He was stuck.

"What was that?" he asked, trying to keep his nervousness out of his voice.

"A medical scanner," Ulaz answered, keeping his gaze fixed on the device's display. He clearly didn't like what he saw, as his usual frown grew deeper. "This is worse than I'd thought."

"Please don't tell Kolivan," Shiro immediately blurted out. "I can still be useful, I swear. I need to--"

"You need treatment," Ulaz interrupted. "Do you understand what will happen if you don't receive any?"

"Of course I do," Shiro answered. Without any treatment, he'd be dead in just a few years. But he'd rather spend those few years fighting as hard as he could than have an eternity without his freedom. "There's more at stake here than just my life. Kolivan already wants to get rid of me. I can't give him another reason."

"This is not something you could hide for long, and Kolivan would never trust you again once he learned. It is best to tell him now. I do not have everything I need for your treatment here, and we will need his permission to acquire the necessary supplies."

"What if he says no?"

"He won't. There is no denying that allowing this disease to progress unchecked will simply make you a greater liability, even if he doesn't yet see that you can be useful."

Oh.

It had been subtle, but it hadn't escaped Shiro's notice that Ulaz just admitted he believed Shiro could be useful, even knowing about his disease. Shiro couldn't help but feel a slight warmth spread over him at the realization. If nothing else, he had Ulaz in his corner. If nothing else, he had his soulmate's support. That alone made the whole situation feel that much more surmountable. That was enough.

---

<- Previous Chapter | Beginning | Next Chapter ->