Free and Unfettered 130 Nine's Return To Cosmos City

So, yes, he was fine. Perfectly fine. There was no way that he was meeting Nine out at the city gates, because Nocturne knew himself, and he knew that there was absolutely no way that he was going to see Nine and *not* pounce. Even if he wanted to show

Sure, they had been chatting as regularly as they could through the necklace Nine prepared for the both of them, but it was in no way the same. He missed Nine's warmth, Nine's smile, Nine's eyes. He missed cuddling with Nine in bed in a way that he never realized he missed before Nine was gone.

There were so many of the little things that he had missed and hadn't noticed before. He never realized how it was Nine who switched out his coffee cup whenever it went cold. It was only when he was deep within his research one day that he took a sip of his coffee and nearly spat it back out. It had been cold and utterly disgusting.

In hindsight, Nine had been the one who changed it, and he never once realized until Nine went off by herself. Well, you know what they said. Hindsight was 20/20.

He never once realized that as he kicked off the covers in the middle of the night, Nine was the one who drew him in and covered them under the blankets together so he didn't get cold in the morning.

He never once realized as he revolved around Nine, Nine similarly revolved around him. It made him feel both gratified and terrified. How far had they gravitated to one another that it made him feel he would never be the same should Nine ever leave him. He would never be 'okay' again.

So, when the door clicked open, lost as he was in his thoughts, Nocturne's head immediately snapped up, eyes instinctually searching for his husband.

Blue eyes met violet, and before Nocturne was aware of it, he was already across the room, sweeping Nine into a hug. He buried his head on Nine's chest, something pricking his eyes for an unknown reason.

The scent of Nine's rain and clearwater that so defined her made him feel like his world was back to rotating on a proper axis. And when Nine's hand came up in his hair, ever so softly, as if afraid he would break at the lightest touch, he knew Nine felt the same way.

"Nine," he murmured, muffled.

Nine's laugh, gentle, but a bit rough at the edges, made him feel warm in a way he adored down to his very bones. He wanted to just squeeze Nine and never let go. He wanted to demand that she take him everywhere, to never leave him again, but he didn't.

Because he knew what happened when someone was too possessive in a relationship. He had seen it first-hand with his parents. His father, the Emperor, had clung so tightly to his mother.

There was never a day he saw his mother that he never saw his father at her side. Nocturne realized that as the years passed, his mother's gaze dimmed by the day, whilst his father remained as fervent as ever.

While he knew that wasn't how his and Nine's relationship worked, he couldn't help but fear for the worst. He had his father's blood running through his body. He felt it with every flash of possessiveness, with every excess jealousy that he felt stab his heart.

He saw what it did to his mother, and what it did to his father in turn. He didn't want them to turn out like that.

Before he knew it, he was already spilling his every fear onto Nine when she just returned, but he knew that it was better to get it out sooner than later as far as things like this were concerned. Otherwise, they just festered if left in the dark, until you drowned yourself in it.

Nine spirited both of them away to their bedroom, where there was no one to disturb them. So lost in his thoughts, he hadn't even noticed the Elf that had been standing behind Nine.

Nine sat her wife down and looked him in the eye. "What's wrong?" she asked, and listened patiently, addressing Nocturne's concerns. This had obviously been building up for a while.

X

Left behind, Misha's eyes were widened in shock at the sudden events that occurred without her knowing how to deal with it. Lost, she hovered in the… workshop (?) that she was left behind in. The Elf had no idea what to do without her Master.

Lost, she just drifted around the workshop, making sure not to touch anything. The plans and blueprints made her eyes swim in amazement. Everything felt new and wonderous for her in this environment.

Seyton came by the workshop looking for his Master, only to find an unknown Elf loitering around the workshop. He paused as he considered the ramifications of her presence. Clearly, the blonde Elf was not a hostile, or she wouldn't be standing alive, so his Master must have brought her here.

When she turned slightly, he caught sight of the golden-hued tattoo on her face that was so similar to his and realized that was what had charged the air. The way his magic hummed slightly as he drew near to another person carrying their Master's mark.

Each person's tattoo resonated differently with each other, helping make a distinct recognition that no one else would be able to fake.

Seyton cleared his throat gently, causing the Elf to jump. She whirled around, looking at him warily. Seyton hid his smirk at her reaction. The glare on her face did not recede at all, reminding him of a startled cat.

"Seyton Mort, nice to meet you. You are Master's newest subordinate?" Seyton said, taking care of the greetings. Without waiting for her reaction, he nodded at her politely, waiting for her introduce herself.

"…Misha."

"Nice to make your acquaintance, Misha. We'll get your living quarters sorted, so come with me."

Misha hesitated before reluctantly following after the man. Her Master had gone off somewhere with his… lover? Anyhow, she had no idea what she should do with herself now since Master had not left any instructions for her. But, somehow, she felt like she wouldn't go wrong following this man. He felt like her Master, so they were probably following the same Master.

Maybe it was because of the way that her magic sang in his presence, but she felt slightly happy that there were others who knew how wonderful that Master was as well. Maybe she wouldn't be too lonely like this.

Misha didn't know why, but there was something deep within her urging her to spread her connections so that she could be of more help to Master. It felt like something natural that came to her. Especially in times like this, where any sort of unrest in Master's city could possibly prove fatal.

Chapter end