#which is sometimes a risky play because it's rude to refuse a gift

[stupid-elf]

Growing up with strict, neurodivergent parents while neurodivergent yourself will have you as an adult acting like you've recently escaped the feywild. What are the tricky rules? Is everything accounted for? How do I ensure I don't accidentally step over the line into Impoliteness. You know the consequences aren't death and dismemberment but you might look down one day and find you've lost your shadow and all of your friends if you're not careful

[yeahimaloser]

Oh To Be In Love

Part 6

Summary: You and your best friend, Hawks, learn to be in love.

Reader has no pronouns mentioned (story is gender inclusive)

Hello everyone! sorry if this took a while, I hope enjoy though!!

Also HOLY HELL THANK YOU ALL FOR 400!!It’s kinda funny because I hit 300 a week ago! Anyways, requests are still open and I’ll leave em open longer because of me getting to 400!!Also, I will not get to everyone, please keep that in mind (I linked the info for requesting right here :))

Part 1 -> Part 2 -> Part 3 -> Part 4-> Part 5

Word count: 3.5k

. . .

After you had visited Hawks in the hospital, it felt like things had calmed down between you two.

Maybe things hadn’t gone back to completely normal, but you were getting there. The tension between you and him was less thick, the air felt more breathable now. After what Hawks had said to you in the hospital, you both continued to talk it out, trying to make sure you both were ok with the situation. But things weren’t completely the same.

You felt as though there was a different type of tension between you two now. Like, Hawks knew something you didn’t. You never brought it up, even though maybe you should, you really wanted the thickness of the unspoken, mysterious string of tension to just evaporate. But it still seemed that something about the day you had visited him in the hospital had done something, but you weren’t sure what. 

Hawks had been acting a bit different towards you. Talking to you more, hanging out with you more, and even paying you back for the chicken you had bought him. He told you that he just, “wanted to be a good friend.” 

You weren’t sure what was going on with him.

----

It was a nice Friday evening, you weren’t even up to anything. Just watching some random show sitting on your couch, eating whatever was left in your fridge when your phone started to ring.

You looked at the caller I.D to see it was Hawks. 

Why is he calling so late? And for no reason?

Sure, you and Hawks would call each other pretty often, but this late? It seemed a bit strange for him. He always told you how important his sleep schedule was. He had a habit of working so late and being so exhausted when he had gotten home to his penthouse.  

You picked it up, “Hey, what’s up?”

“Meh, nothing really, not right now,” his voice sounded a bit tired, most likely from him working so hard during the day, “But I was wondering, what are you doin’ tomorrow?”

You were a bit confused by the question but answered nevertheless, “Nothing, I was just gonna hang around my house for a bit. Why,” you asked.

“Well,” Hawks started, “I wanted to ask you on a date.”

“Wha-,” before you could stop yourself, you had already yelled the question into your phone, shooting up from your place on the couch.

But you heard Hawks just bark with laughter, “I meant like a friend date. I heard of this really amazing restaurant, we can get all dolled up to go out. It’ll be fun.”

Your heartbeat still hadn’t calmed down from Hawks’ question, but it left you a bit confused, “Isn’t that what we always do though? That just sounds like a normal evening for the two of us. And besides, what about your wings?”

Hawks just chuckled, “Don’t you worry about that part, dove, my wings are practically nubs, remember?” Hawks had gotten back from a mission a while ago, making his feathers dissipate down to just the base, which was funny considering he was only gone for a few days on his trip (he refused to tell you about missions, saying he didn’t like talking his trips), “So don’t you worry. And also, yeah you are right we do go out a lot, but this place is supposed to be really fancy and nice. So, I’ll drive us over and make us a reservation, we’ll have a lot of fun I promise. Sound good?”

You bit your lip, this all sounded a bit much, even for Hawks. He had a strange habit of spoiling you at times. No matter what you told him, he would insist on it. Taking you to fancy dinners, buying you expensive gifts. You couldn’t understand why he felt the need to, you told him repeatedly that you didn’t want to be his friend for his money. Although, it seemed whenever you two were at a KFC that generosity would disappear.

“I mean, if you think it’s a good idea,” you said in a hesitant tone.

“Great! So tomorrow at five I’ll pick you up. Make sure you look nice, alright?”

“Ok birdbrain.”

You heard him groan, “Now I’m re-thinking asking you, stop calling me that.”

“Na, it’s too fun.”

“Whatever.”

You giggled a bit, “So tomorrow at five?”

“See you tomorrow Chickie.”

-----

You had to admit, you were nervous.

Ok, more than nervous.

Going on any type of date with Hawks (even if he instituted it was just a friend-date) would make anyone nervous. He was Hawks, the second-best pro hero, any normal person would be freaking out. But you’ve been infatuated with him for years, hiding it was nerve-racking, so going on a date made it one-hundred times worse. 

You were terrified of messing something up, of looking terrible, and having Hawks think of you as a slob. Or if you embarrassed him at this nice restaurant, if you were to say something rude or out of hand. You really just didn’t want to mess this up.

Even if you two were as close as you were, sometimes your anxiety couldn’t help but crawl in. Making you feel jittery and nervous, you knew that Hawks honestly wouldn’t care all that much really, he wasn’t that kind of guy. He wasn’t shallow, at least as far as you knew, he was a good person. You knew he was the kind of person to find someone based on character, not on someone's outward appearance. At the end of the day, he just had a chill type of demeanor, not caring all that much for how good a person looked, he was way more perceptive than that.

But still, you wanted to outdo his expectations, at least a bit.

You had picked out one of your nicer outfits, taken a shower, did your hair all nice, and made yourself look presentable for Hawks. But you were still nervous. What if your hair looked hideous? Did this outfit even look good? Hawks would probably look so much better, you didn’t want to look horrid next to him. 

Hawks is an extremely handsome man, someone would have to be blind not to see it, so walking into a nice restaurant with someone like him was extremely daunting. You really did want to look your best, you wanted to actually impress Hawks. He’d seen you in your sweats before, he’d seen you right when you’ve woken up, so you wanted to show him that you could clean up well. 

So here you were, looking at yourself in the mirror to give yourself a quick once over, making sure it looked perfect when you heard a knock at your door.

You rushed over to open it, hoping to God Hawks would think you looked alright.

Opening the door to see Hawks standing there, looking so… well, hot.

He had a nice tan suit, which seemed to match his hero custom. His hair, while still a mess, was done up a bit nicer, gelled back a bit. Of course, his stubble on his face was still unkempt but still gave a nice rougher look to him. A white shirt under his suit jacket had a few buttons undone, adding more to his look of natural handsomeness. 

You noticed the big coat he wore over his suit, seemingly to hide the rest of his wings.

But you didn’t notice him eyeing you, looking you up and down.

“You look,” he started, a light up-take to his voice, “really good.”

You chuckled, “So do you, that tan suit looks really good on you.”

“Oh yeah, I kinda thought so. I figured the black one might  be a bit much, so I opted for the tan.”

“The black one would probably make you stand out too much huh.”

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. But you look good, I like the outfit, makes your figure look really...nice,” the comment made you feel a bit giddy, but you hid it with an eye roll.

“Well, that's good to hear seeing as I spent so much time picking it out. I didn’t want to look like a total bum at this nice restaurant.”

He just chuckled,  “Well, you look amazing. I would say better than me. Anyways,” he extended a hand to you, “shall we?”

You smirked raising a brow, “Wow, so romantic.”

Hawks just laughed, “Romantic, huh? I was just going for a more friendly route, just trying to be polite.”

You wrapped your arm around his, “Alright, birdboy, let’s go.”

“I thought I told you not to call me that!”

-----

To say the restaurant was extravagant would be putting it lightly.

The walls were glistening with some sort of marble, the ceiling was so far up, you were sure Hawks could probably fly all the way to the top and he wouldn’t smack into anything, the lights looming the dining place made the place a well-lit area, the music was even played by a live orchestra. The floors were covered in red carpeting, with some sort of intricate pattern placed on it. The attendance all wore a black tux, the serves carried food that made your mouth water a bit, the smell overpowering. 

The servers and the customers alike didn’t seem to notice Hawks and you entered the building. You didn’t know if it was because most of these people were so rich that they were used to seeing big shot hero's, or if it was because Hawks’ wings were shrunk and couldn’t be easily seen. Either way, it felt nice. There were very few times where you and Hawks could be in public together, you both really didn’t want the public to get information on your friendship, you both liked the fact that you two had your privacy in each other. But it was also due to security reasons. Hawks had told you that, “Hero’s having non-hero friends can be difficult, villains can play dirty with loved ones, it happens a lot more than you’d think.” So, going out into the public was risky, a few restaurants and shops were hero friendly, making sure the paparazzi couldn’t get into their facility, making it easy for heroes to have fun with their family’s. You and Hawks had gone to those a few times, but with his busy schedule, it made more sense to just stay home with each other's company. 

As you two walked down the restaurant, Hawks told you that he really didn’t want to have just a table, he preferred privacy. He told you that at this restaurant you could just easily rent out a room to eat, he really likes his own little space. You were sure it was because he didn’t really like being in the public eye all that much, as much as he loved his fans, you knew it was draining to him. Although Hawks would never admit it, he was a bit paranoid. You figured that, as a hero, he had to be. But it did make it difficult for him to relax, you found yourself having to remind him that you and he were safe, nothing bad was going to happen in the safety and privacy of your home whenever you two hung out there. 

You didn’t expect the rooms to be all that big, expecting maybe both with some nice candles. Yet, you were very mistaken, the rooms were so sizable they were large enough to be some people's houses. 

In the middle, there was a nice table, with a bread basket and candles already lit. The floors were the same red carpeting that you had seen earlier, only they seemed to be cleaner and the pattern more vibrant, the color gave a nice contrast to the gray marble of the walls. You even realized a nice fireplace and a couch was in the corner, yet the area was big enough where the space wasn’t minimized just to accommodate the table and the fireplace, there seemed to be more than enough spacing in the room. Music played from the speakers in the room, still being played by an orchestra, but more relaxing.

“Hawks,” you were at a loss for words, “this is-”

“Yeah, I figured you would like it, it has a kinda homie feel to it don’t ya think,” he asked.

“I mean yeah,” you both sat down at the table, “homie for super-rich people.”

Hawks let out a hearty laugh, “So you like it?”

“Yeah, you could say that.”

You noticed how the staff seemed very familiar with this kind of thing, you wondered to yourself if heroes came here with family and friends as well. Maybe the staff was just used to seeing pro hero’s on their workdays. 

As your appetizers came out, you finally asked, “So why all this? Why’d you feel the need to take me here of all places?”

“You’re acting like I can't do anything nice for you Y/N, come on, cut me some slack here.”

You shook your head, “I know you, Hawks, you're nice, but I can tell you’re doing this for a reason.”

He just sighed, “Alright, you got me. I feel bad, after what happened, after me being rude to you, I kinda wanted to do something nice for the two of us. To remind us of our friendship I guess,” Hawks chuckled, “I guess that’s kinda cheesy though.”

You giggled, “A bit, but still,” you reached for his hand, “I think it’s really nice. But we don’t need to do some fancy outings, I’m totally fine with laying around and eating KFC with you.”

Hawks smiled, “Noted. But still, I felt like going somewhere nice,” he shrugged, “Just wanted to be the nice guy. Show you I wanted to do something cool.”

You smirked, “Alright Mr. Money Bags, we get it, you’re loaded.”

He threw his hands in the air, “Hey! I didn’t mean it like that!”

You and Hawks continued to talk and chat while eating your food. Talking about anything really, hero business, your life, gossip, anything that you two found interesting the other seemed to enjoy listening. Hawks told you about how his hero work would be boring, or how it was exhilarating (you could never tell if he loved his job or loathed it). He told you about some other pros too; Miriko, Endeavor, Edgeshot, you were surprised how many pro heroes he’d gotten to know over the years. You, in turn, told him about your life, about the things stressing you out, about the people you meet, about your own stories. In truth, you knew that your stories probably sound like minuscule problems next to him trying to save Japan and keep everyone safe. But the way he listened made you feel as though you really were as important as a numu ravaging the city. 

That was the thing about Hawks, he was charming sure, but he was also someone whose presence made anyone let their guard down. He was charismatic, but his charisma stretched to his overall being, he really just made it so he’s demeanor put people at ease with him.

As the dinner continued, you felt the lingering tension dissolve, maybe a few stranded stayed, but overall, you felt the comfortable friendliness that you loved. You felt the openness you had grown accustomed to around Hawks, and in turn, you felt Hawks relax more in your company, feeling his smile become more genuine, his words become more like himself.

You two joked and laughed the whole night away, you honestly felt like only a few minutes had passed, you just felt so at ease with Hawks.

You were scraping up the last crumbs of your desert, Hawks already done with his. You listen to him ramble about Endeavor, listen to how his wings were ‘killing him lately.’

When he slowly stoped talking, the room heavy with silence for a moment.

He looked up at you, “Hey Y/N.”

“Hm,” you said, food still in your mouth.

He took a deep inhale, “Are- are you mad at me? For the hospital I mean.”

The question was out of nowhere, you two had barely even talked about what had happened at the hospital. You just kind of assumed he wanted to forget about the whole thing as much as you had. 

You paused for a moment, “...No, no I’m not. You were just worried, like me. We both did something stupid that day because we were concerned about each other. I can’t blame you for that.”

Hawks let out a breath, visibly relaxing. 

He went quiet again. Before you could ask him what was wrong on, he smiled at you.

“Do you wanna dance?”

The question shocked you, a dance? With Hawks? The man you’ve been in love with for years? Someone should pinch you to make sure you weren’t dreaming.

You did notice the shift in music, from the more lively sound to a gentler, more slow songs. You could tell the music was supposed to be romantic, supposed to be a dance for couples. 

“I-,” you could barely get your words out, still stuttering like a foul in front of him.

But Hawks just smirked, “Come on, the nice music, the fancy fireplace, the warm atmosphere,” he stood from his seat, extending a hand to you, “it’s all perfect for a dance. And besides, you look too good not to have a nice dance with. So, what do you say, chickadee? Sound fun,” his mischievous smirk turned into a real, genuine smile.

Some part of you had the sense to nod, taking a hold of his hand. He pulled you up to him, steading you lightly.

You placed your hands on his shoulder while he gripped your waist lightly. His hands gave you a light squeeze, you, in turn, gave his shoulders a small squeeze as well. He rocked you back and forth, setting a nice pace.

The carpeting against your feet felt soft and easy to dance on, the space of the room felt big enough to occupy you and Hawks as you dance together, holding each other as the rhythm of the music played on. 

You rested your head against him, slowly moving your body with his. Both of you were so close now, so together at this moment. 

Maybe the moment was too tender to be just between friends, you knew that. Maybe you should step away, save yourself the pain of heartbreak, but you couldn’t. Whatever spell Hawks had you under, you were in it for the long haul. 

This was one of Hawks’ many charms, his ability to pull you in, even if you knew you should step back. He just kept tugging at you, making you come closer and closer till you didn’t want to pull away.

But a part of you knew how this ends, it ends with you two still friends. Even if this moment felt like something more. 

So you allowed yourself to have it, you allowed your mind to let go and just enjoy it completely. Maybe you couldn’t have Hawks, maybe you were just wounding yourself more as you danced with him. You would deal with it later, right now, all you wanted was to be close to him.

It was a few more moments before Hawks spoke.

“Y/N,” you looked back at Hawks, “does it… does it bother you that you don’t know my real name?”

Man, today was his day for random questions, huh. This one also came out of nowhere as well; His real name? You two never really talked about it all that much, in reality, you never really gave his name much thought. 

You paused for a second, weighing your answer, “Well, first, you seem to have a knack at asking random questions today,” Hawks chuckled a bit, nodding his head, “Secondly, no, not really. You would still be you, a name wouldn’t change that,” you purse your lips, trying to make sure your words came out right, making sure your intent was correct and well-meaning, “at the end of the day, you’re you. A name won’t change that, you’ll still be my best friend at the end of the day, a name won’t change our relationship. I’ll still care about you, all the same, I’ll still value the time we spend together. I know you probably can't tell me your name because you’re...well you’re Hawks. But I don’t mind waiting, and I don’t mind if you never tell me, I like who you are, and I promise a name will never change that, it’ll only change what I call you, not how I view you.”

You didn’t realize Hawks had tensed up till he relaxed after your short speech. His body seemed to be a lot less stiff, his eyes looked relieved, his whole body seemed to melt a bit. 

“Thank you. I know I’ve asked two very random questions today, I’ve just been kinda thinking about em’. The name one has been especially bothersome. It’s just...I know so much about you, but you know so little about me. It seems kinda unfair,” he rocked you gently, giving your waist a light squeeze.

You just shrugged, “Well, I signed up for this. I knew what it meant to be friends with you, but I don’t regret a thing. No matter what, I whole-heartily believe it’s worth it.”

Hawks gave you a smile, and to your surprise, he gently pressed his lips to your forehead, “Thank you. I really appreciate you...so much.”

. . . 

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[aurorapillar]

Title: though we don't share the same blood   Fandom: Trash of the Counts Family Characters: Alberu Crossman

Cale Henituse was a very annoying person, and that was Crown Prince Alberu’s honest opinion; the man in question was disrespectful, rude, a near-constant headache and a troublemaker. But he was also one of the people who Alberu trusted most in the world, and despite his flaws and faults, Cale had never let him down.

He’d not only completed any job that had been set for him, even if it wasn’t always in the manner that Alberu would have preferred, Cale had also managed to accomplish numerous other tasks that had not been requested of him. From making it possible for the Roan Kingdom to obtain the surviving Whipper Kingdom mages, to helping in the creation of the navy, to getting his hands on high-grade magic stones which he’d proceeded to sell to the crown; the list of things he’d done which benefited their country continued to grow. That combined with the blood Cale had bled in defense of the nation and the fact that he’d kept the secret of his heritage, made it impossible for Alberu not to trust him.

When it came down to it he and Cale were similar; both of them were capable of and willing to manipulate and use others without feeling much guilt after the fact. Normally, Alberu would do his best to avoid interactions with a such a person due to the danger that came with it; words and deeds could be a weapon just as much as a spell or sword could, and when going up against someone equally skilled at using them it was all too easy to lose track of whether you were winning or losing. And Prince Alberu was not someone who could afford to lose.

However there was another similarity between the two of them that had convinced Alberu to use Cale as an asset rather than avoid him, and that was the fact that both of them worked towards the greater good. When the situation called for it they both set aside their selfish desires and focused on using their cunning to bring about a solution that benefited the kingdom, putting their skills to work in order to achieve the best outcome.

Of course, that didn’t mean they wouldn't take advantage of any opportunities that came along in the meanwhile, neither of them were saints after all, despite what so many people in both the Roan Kingdom and other lands thought about Cale. It was quite amusing really, the inaccurate impression so many people had of 'young master silver shield'; to them, he was a paragon of virtue, a true hero that wanted nothing more than to protect and help other people.

To be fair they were correct in some ways, no matter how much he grumbled and showed distaste towards such a title, Cale was a hero; his role as such had already been written in history using the blood that he'd bled as ink. That didn't change the fact however, that he was also a greedy and conniving punk.

What would the citizens think, Alberu couldn't help but wonder at times, if they knew some of the things that troublemaker had done? He himself was well aware that he didn't know the full extent of things Cale had gotten up to, the paths that had been taken to reach certain outcomes, but the things he did know and the things he could suppose by reading in between the lines at times astounded him. He'd played the Whipper Kingdom like a fiddle, obtaining their mages and magic devices for the Roan Kingdom while at the same time earning their trust and friendship; he'd convinced the Queen of the Jungle somehow that he was a pure and gentle man; he'd earned the love of the Empire's citizens while stealing it's treasures and then turned around and helped cause a revolution. And then there was whatever he'd been doing on the Eastern Continent that had gotten him entangled with the Mercenary King; quite frankly Alberu wasn’t sure he wanted to know any details about that, he had a feeling it would only cause him more stress. Yet despite all that, hardly anyone knew what he was really like, the majority still saw him as a pure and naive being.

Alberu had heard the whispers among many of the nobles, they had a tendency to think they were a lot more subtle than they truly were and that he had a lot fewer ways to find things out then he really did; so many of them bemoaned the fate of Cale Henituse, the poor hero who was being yanked around and manipulated by the Crown Prince and his glib tongue. The storyline they had created in their heads couldn't have been farther from the truth of course, and there had been many days Alberu had found himself indulging in some rather unprincelike laughter after listening to it.

Such whispers had only increased of course after he and Cale had become sworn brothers, people saw such an action as Alberu’s way of tying Cale to him so as not to lose a valuable tool. They were partially right however, becoming sworn brothers had been a way to tie him and Cale together, but it had not been for the reasons they believed.

Though he had two younger half brothers, the fight for favor and the throne had meant that he'd never gotten the chance to be close to them; doing so was far too risky, even without taking into account the added danger of having to keep his heritage a secret. There was a part of him that had always longed for that missed opportunity though, for the chance to be an older sibling with someone younger to care for and dote on, and with Cale that opportunity had come back around.

It hadn't been something he'd even considered when they'd first started working together, back then Cale had been nothing more than a necessary annoyance needed to reach his goals, but over time that had changed. It had started with Cale discovering his heritage, something that Alberu still wasn’t sure how he’d done, and yet keeping quiet about it despite what he could gain by running off to tattle to one of the other princes. Such information in the wrong hands would have guaranteed that he was knocked from his place as Crown Prince, possibly even gotten him killed as well, and earned Cale plenty of favor from the other princes and their factions; but it had been Alberu himself that he’d come to directly, and he’d even brought a gift of dead dragons mana along.

It had been rather infuriating really, Cale hadn’t even tried to blackmail him; not that he wanted to be blackmailed mind you, but at least with blackmail it was easier to tell where the other person stood. While he’d said he wasn’t keeping his mouth shut for free, there had been no threat accompanying his request, though Alberu wasn’t so naive as to think that necessarily meant he wouldn’t have done something if he’d refused. Still it had felt more like a deal between partners than extortion, and from that point on Alberu had found himself viewing Cale as an ally of equal standing rather than just someone to be used. He wasn’t quite sure when simply viewing him as an ally had turned to also worrying and caring about him, perhaps it been after their time in the Empire when he watched Cale struggle to hold up the tower and then turn around and question about the welfare of others despite his own health issues; it was hard for him to say for sure though. He could clearly remember however the way his heart had been pounding during the attack on the Henituse territory as he watched black blood drip from Cale’s eyes, nose and mouth over the video communication device; there had been more blood coming out of him than any of the previous times he’d seen the man use his shield, and it had taken great willpower to keep his voice calm as he’d reminded both Basen Henituse and himself to not forget their task.

He’d had to use that willpower again later that same day to remain calm while talking to Cale, who while still covered in blood and looking exhausted, had expressed his intent to head to the Ubarr territory that night. At the time he’d been worried that Cale was pushing himself too hard, but had figured that he was smart enough to not go past his limits and neglect his health too much; of course later he’d realized how wrong he was, Cale Henituse was a truly brilliant and talented person, but he was also a stubborn idiot.

It was like all of the man’s intelligence flew out the door when it came to the matter of his own welfare, and the worst part was that Cale didn’t even seem to realize his own recklessness or how much he worried other people, anytime that anyone tried to express their concerns he always seemed to have a confused expression on his face like he didn’t understand what they were making such a fuss about. Honestly, sometimes Alberu found himself wondering if he’d one day cancel the illusion hiding his true appearance only to find his hair had turned gray from the stress that Cale’s recklessness caused him. What a troublesome younger brother.

It had been a surprise when he'd suddenly realized that that was what he considered Cale to be, his little brother. Following the end of the battle at Maple Castle, Alberu had found himself contacted by Rosalyn, who had filled him on the events that had taken place before heading off to the Jungle with Choi Han; their conversation had brought up many concerns, not the least of which was the re-emergence of black magic and Cale’s current unconscious state.

Of course, Cale being Cale with his apparent allergy to properly resting and recovering, had awoken after only three hours; and while he'd looked pale when Alberu had spoken to him over the video communication device, he'd also seemed ready and willing to get back out into the field. Truth be told, Alberu would have likely to forbid him from doing so, but he'd known they needed Cale out there and as the future king of their country he couldn’t sacrifice their chance at victory because of personal sentiment.

Not that he was sure Cale would have listened to him even if he had forbidden it. Despite Cale having proclaimed that his future goal was to be a slacker during their conversation that day, based on past experiences Alberu had a strong feeling that Cale was the type of person who would end up getting involved even when they didn't want to.

He'd known of course that Cale’s friends would do their best to keep an eye on him and keep him safe, but that didn't stop him from worrying, and so he decided to take advantage of something he needed to do anyway and tagged along with his aunt and the other dark elves who were headed to the Jungle. The main reason for going with them was to see the battlefield and the golems for himself, there were quite possibly very dark times coming and as a leader, he'd needed to understand the things his men would have to have to experience. And if it also happened to give him the chance to check on Cale in person, well nobody but himself needed to know that had been part of his plan.

Originally he hadn't actually been planning to tease Cale, but the shocked expression on his face at the sight of him had been too entertaining to resist, and the words 'little brother' had just slipped out. there had been no falsehood in those words though, because that was exactly what Cale Henituse had become to him over the course of the two years they'd known each other.

When the end of the war had finally come around it had only seemed natural to offer up the idea of becoming sworn brothers as a method of keeping get the hounds at bay, and it had been accepted. He didn't really know if Cale actually saw him as an older brother or if he was just playing along, but the title of 'hyung' slipped easily enough from the other man's lips and for the time being that was enough.

Cale Henituse was still an annoying, disrespectful and greedy headache; but he was his annoying, disrespectful, greedy headache of a younger brother.