Some things weren’t meant to go together. Things like oil and water. Orange juice and toothpaste.

Lukas Aguilar and normalcy.

The day had begun so simply: he had spent over fourteen hours by himself while walking through the empty tunnels of the dead Crypt of Fiendish worms, his mind sunk in self-reflection, studying how the Omphalos was changing him. Tanya’s confession had been a surprise, and not an entirely unwelcome one. When she had come to his room and demanded to have sex, he had the good sense to shut up and give in to her ministrations. Between the constant struggles Fate put him through, the impossible surges of lifeforce and his own desires, he had been overcome with a raw and unthinking need for her. Tanya was lovely. More than lovely. Sensuous. Willing. Perfectly unrestrained and passionate. He had all but shut up his rational self and given in to the uncaring part of him that yearned for the simple things in life — hunger, sleep, sex.

And then this happened.

Dear life, Lukas thought sardonically, I’ve a complete grasp on the fact that you’re unfair. Please stop teaching me that lesson.

After all he had endured, he deserved a break, but it never came. If nothing else, one night of good stuff was hardly an unreasonable demand. Was it?

“You think too much, Outsider,” Frost murmured. “Fears of unseen consequences weigh your mind. Give in to your desires. Stop thinking. Enjoy a little.”

Oh, what he wouldn’t do to get that. Frost was baiting him with the two things he wanted most of all. Tanya would be in control of her powers, and he’d get vital information about resurrecting Inanna back. In return, he’d be obligated to do two tasks for her.

No, not two. Three. And knowing what the third obligation was didn’t make it any less traumatizing. Sure, it’d be Tanya’s body, but it would be Frost that he’d be making out with. A power as ancient as the Supreme Queen, a power that was the End of everything. Fimbulwinter was a force of the universe. You couldn’t make out with her any more than you could have sex with a thunderstorm.

No matter what it looked like.

As far as bargains went, it was pretty straightforward. Which meant he’d be stupid not to be doubly paranoid.

He licked his parched lips. “I listened to your offer. In the interests of fairness, would you allow me to present a counteroffer?”

She idly raised her hands up and stretched. “And what would that be?”

Lukas swallowed. That was a positive response. Maybe, just maybe, he had a decent chance of coming out winning something.

“I’ll be candid,” he said. “All of this is based on a crudely done blackmail. You are threatening to possess Tanya’s body and forcing this arrangement. And then you claim to let Tanya be, as a way of canceling one obligation. That’s hardly fair.”

“I do not have to be fair to you, Outsider,” said Frost.

“And I don’t have to bargain with you either,” he countered. “Do not forget, you’re only owed a single obligation. An obligation that does not include me releasing you. And now, your attempt to bargain is a measly attempt to do exactly that.”

Her lips curved. “And I could continue possessing this vessel as I please.”

“I think you’ll find that a little difficult.”

Her brow arched. “And why’s that?”

Lukas smiled. “I’m sure you know this. I’ve been encountering a lot of nasty people recently, so it’s made me do some thinking about what kind of trouble to expect. Paranoid, yes, but given the attention I deal with, I’m sure you understand.”

She narrowed her eyes. “As in?”

“As in, you see all, you hear all, but you don’t learn. Do you, Miss Avatar of Fimbulwinter? I’m not just a soulcrafter. I’m a human, one who’s grown in a world without Potential. I cheat.”

Blob soared from behind Frost’s naked form and engulfed her from behind. Sensing the sudden attack, she tried to push it back with a burst of power, which only sealed her fate. Blob absorbed the energy and laterally expanded, entrapping her upper extremities like a straight-jacket. Before she knew it, Territory Creation and Living Anomaly activated, trapping her right above him.

“You’re right,” he said at last. “You could continue possessing Tanya. Just like I could smack you in the head and drop you unconscious. The next time you wake up, you’ll be in Haviskali. We’ll see exactly how powerful your control over her body really is.”

Maybe he was wrong. Maybe she really had escaped the bindings and could possess Tanya at will. But calling her bluff had put her in a position to defend herself. Either way, he wouldn’t be going in blind.

Her lips firmed into a line. “Do you really want to go down this route, Outsider?”

For the first time, Lukas smiled. “You’ll have to forgive me. After dealing with Solana,, I prefer not to take unwanted chances. Now I’m a great believer in rationality, so I’ll give you two options. You can either throw down, and we’ll see how that turns out, or you can give me a fair bargain. And before you think of backstabbing me, remember what happened with Meynte and Solana. Sealing you had been child’s play for Inanna, and I didn’t back down even against her. So look down on me if you will, but fuck with me, and I’ll bury you so deep that you’ll have to dig yourself out with a fucking shovel.”

He had to talk rough with monsters above his pay grade before, with Inanna topping the list. He just never had done it while sharing an intimate moment. He watched as Frost stared at him with a straight face, but he could see considerable uncertainty behind her eyes. For whatever reason, she had tried to approach him as equals, using blackmail and crude threats to get him to play ball, and he had effectively threatened her back with equal, if not greater, ruthlessness.

“Speak!” he snapped. “Don’t just sit there like a puppet.”

He was furious. He had felt this kind of anger before, back when the Crypt had possessed him and twisted him into becoming its avatar of retaliation. He had seen Tanya and every single creature within the confines of the Anomaly as his prey, one that he would enjoy killing slowly and painfully. Months after that experience, he was feeling a similar fury, a blind wrath that would do more harm than good if he let it.

Emerald eyes stared at the glacial white ones.

“You think you can just walk into my life and fuck with things I consider my own?” he rasped out in an edged tone that didn’t feel like his own, “You think that just because you have the power, it gives you the right to do it?”

He was quickly losing his sage-like patience. He had kept his cool when Inanna had tried to corner him into becoming her henchman. He had kept his cool when Solana had forced him to work under life threats. He had kept his cool when things went sideways, and Inanna had to sacrifice herself. He had kept his cool when Solana had played him for a fool, using Tanya’s heritage as her tool. He had kept his cool when Meynte had unleashed Fimbulwinter to an extent, nearly undoing Inanna’s spell. But even he had his limits. Even the fact that Tanya was that intolerable abomination that the Anomaly within him wanted to annihilate with extreme prejudice did not compare to what he was feeling right then.

Frost’s eyes glittered, anger showing for a moment, cool and far away. They were a cold, noticeable weight on him. After what seemed like an eternity, she exhaled and raised both shoulders. Lukas silently commanded Blob to release her and the aqāru slime shed its elasticity and slid down her body, resting on his.

Finally she asked, “What do you want, Outsider?”

“What I want is for you to vanish for good and never appear again, but we don’t get what we want, do we? Make no mistake, Frost. Empress Meynte was by no means the most dangerous target I’ve had to take out. It was not a fluke that I could deal with her, and I’d have done it, with or without your help.”

This was the pivotal moment. By now, he had given Frost even cues to hopefully direct her to the conclusion he wanted her to make. This was a battle like any other, and the key to winning battles was to control their flow. Much like law, it was all about control. Before, Frost had been expecting to simply blow in like a breeze, throw her weight around, and properly intimidate a man whose lover she was holding in her custody. He had said and done things to show his professionalism, ruthlessness, and experience..

“Say your fill, Outsider,” she whispered.

“That Tanya is worth something to me is the only reason we’re having this conversation. So the first thing I need is for you to leave her in peace. I want your word, that no matter what, you shall not take over. I’ll help Tanya Ascend to the true power of Fimbulwinter, and when that happens, you will bow down and accept her authority over you. If and only if I need your help, I’ll call you, and you will aid me. You will also get me all the information I need to resurrect Inanna back.”

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Slowly, she nodded.

“You wanted me to fulfill two tasks. I’ll do them, but I, not you, shall decide on which requests I fulfill and which I don’t.”

Her glacial eyes remained on his face, unblinking.

“And if I refuse a request, there will be no reprisals from you.”

She tilted her head and blinked her eyes slowly. “Agreed. You, not I, shall choose which tasks to fulfill.”

“And you will not try to hamper Tanya’s attempts to master Fimbulwinter.”

This time, she smiled. “Absolutely.”

Lukas exhaled, inwardly thinking hard. Had he covered all his bases? Could she still get him from something he hadn’t considered? Knowing her kind, she probably would.

“Well, Outsider?” she asked crisply. “Have we a bargain?”

He swallowed again, hoping he wasn’t getting himself into another mess. “Fine,” he said, “We have a bargain.”

She closed her eyes, smiling a feline smile with those lips, and inclined her head. “Good.”

And then she brought her face down at him.

“Wait, what are you—” Lukas began, only for his words to perish as her ice-cold lips met his, her tongue diving into his mouth to take control. She lifted her head back up to let out another throaty laugh, her voice simmering with desire, before she attacked his lips with an animalistic pleasure.

“This— we—” Lukas tried, but she wouldn’t listen. She placed an icy finger over his lips and brought her face right above him, their noses touching.

“Ah-ah-Ah, Outsider! I’m playing by the rules. In your prior obligation, you promised me satisfaction, did you not? Tonight, I crave your body as my entertainment, and entertainment I shall have.”

Lukas frowned. He hadn’t forgotten about that bit. He was just unsure if she really meant it or if she was just fucking him with him. Turns out she was, only in a much more literal way, given the way she ground her hips against him.

And suddenly, the coldness of her lips was the last of Lukas’s concerns.

“You — you're sucking my lifeforce,” he accused.

She smiled predatorily. “Did you forget what I was, Outsider? I devour lifeforce, and you have it in spades. Tonight, I will devour you, and you will let yourself be devoured.”

“That—” he protested, but she grabbed him in place. “Look at it this way, Outsider. The more you keep me satisfied, the fewer urges this frail vessel shall feel. Would you shy away from such a tiny sacrifice for her?”

“... You’re such a bitch.”

She threw her head back and laughed again and then attacked his lips again. Her body was above him, their breaths mingling, bitter sweetness and human imperfection merging into a climax. He could feel the sound of her heartbeat along with the feel of his own lifeforce surging out of his body as she drank to her fill. It burned him in ways he could not explain, and in its own twisted way, pushed him to take it out of her. Not that it mattered, for Frost grew more and more animated with every passing second, as if imbibing a strange satisfaction from the act.

He remembered both of them thrashing in bed, screaming, their voices blending into something utterly inhuman. He remembered meeting her inhuman glacial eyes and seeing a specter of that draconic creature staring back at him. He remembered his body twisting and writhing as she did things to him he could never imagine, as he surrendered himself to a seductive and sweet darkness.

…

…

…

Lukas awoke to a massive, mind-numbing headache. Every time his heart beat, it sent a pulse of pain straight into his brain. Against his better judgment, he blearily opened his eyes. He shut them immediately, but even closed, Lukas could see bright flashes of multi-colored dots dancing around in the darkness.

It took several minutes before he tried opening his eyes again. And to his immense relief, the sunlight wasn’t nearly as harsh this time around. He still had to squint, but it was infinitely better than being painfully blinded. Finally regaining his vision and feeling his headache lessen, he took stock of his surroundings.

And froze.

Feeling an unfamiliar weight on his chest, Lukas grabbed the edges of the sheets and slowly raised them up. From his distorted memories of the previous night and the soft, feminine moan that was just let out, he had a good guess of who was above him. It confirmed his suspicions when he spotted a familiar mop of golden hair. The sight of Tanya Shimizu drooling on his chest while snuggling against him wasn’t something he thought he would ever see in his lifetime. The knowledge of what had happened after Frost took over didn't ruin his blissful feeling..

True to her words, Frost had practically sucked his lifeforce dry during their nightly activities. Had he been an ordinary bremetan, he’d have died of its effects. Luckily for him, the Anomaly system activated its defensive protocols, blocking further lifeforce production and using the stored Anomalous Energy to replenish his body.. That was when he had lost consciousness.

Still, he thought, she’s been true to her word.

The silver-white had receded from her hair, leaving the original golden-blonde in place. Her skin was no longer pasty pale, and instead, had regained the tan she had gotten during their borderland excursion. With their bodies practically smashed together, he could feel her every curve, every inch of soft skin on his own. Both of them were completely naked, just as he remembered. She shifted slightly, grinding against him, stirring a little more, before stopping altogether. Lukas would’ve believed she was still asleep if not for the small grin on her face.

“I know you’re awake.”

Her smile widened, though her eyes remained closed.

“Any plans to get up?” he asked.

Finally, she lifted her head from his chest and stared at him with cute, blue eyes that shone with happiness and mischief. “No, you make a good pillow. I think I’ll keep you.”

Lukas mock-sighed. “I suppose as far as career-choices go, I could do worse.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Are you telling me that being my pillow is a bad choice?”

He gave her a lopsided grin. “Choosing to fight ugly mugs over this?” His fingers crawled down her neck and breasts. “What am I, crazy?”

Tanya smiled. Dragging herself across his chest, she tilted her head up and kissed his jaw. Lukas ran his fingers across her tresses and pulled her into a deep kiss.

“So… this has been wonderful,” he said, pulling back, “but you know we need to—”

She shut him up with a finger, frowning. “No. This isn’t about to happen.” Irritation replaced the angelic expression on her face. “Give me one damned reason we need to stop.”

Lukas lifted his hand and scratched his head, giving himself some time to think. He probably should have thought things through about what he was going to say a bit more before blurting out things like that.

“You know why,” he said, trying to lift himself up, only for her to press him down. It looked like she had stalked her claim upon him and wasn’t willing to give it up without a fight. “With me being an anomaly and you —”

“Being your predator, I know,” Tanya snapped. “But you know as well as I do that’s not the damned reason. The Lukas Aguilar I know has never acted out of fear. If you really considered me a danger, you could have killed me several times. You could have let me die in the borderland, and again, when Meynte possessed me. Instead, you risked yourself to save me again and again and again. And I already told you, I’m not leaving you, whatever happens.”

“But you have your life—”

“My life is with you,” she snapped. “For someone that routinely does the impossible, you, Lukas Aguilar, are an idiot. You talk of my life, but do you even realize what my life was? I was a fugitive. Running away from my grandfather, hiding my identity, my face, my powers, running from a power within myself, running from the Cobalt Army. Even when I slept, I was haunted by the nightmares of my past. That’s what I was. Now? The whispers are gone. I’ve become so much stronger, and you’ve helped me seek my answers while also supporting me to get past my nightmares.”

“I’m also the reason you have them now. If I hadn’t brought you here—”

“For the Goddess’s sake, Lukas, you didn’t force me to sit on the Throne. You tried to keep me away from it. I was a fucking fool not to trust you. And then you saved me all over again. Lukas,” she held his face between her palms, “I like me. Six months ago, I didn’t think I’d ever be able to say that. Whether you did that with your goddess’s power or just sheer dumb luck or whatever, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m grateful either way.”

Lukas considered that for a moment. “Then… where does that leave us?”

“Depends,” said Tanya, her lips twisting. “Are you going to leave me, now that you’ve had me?”

“...what?” He squinted at the ludicrousness of her response. “No! What — Why would you say that?”

Then he noticed her lips twist further in an upward smile. This woman! She knew exactly what she was doing to him with that question, and seeing him flounder was making her more amused.

“You enjoy tormenting me far too much.” He said.

“After everything you’ve put me through, I think you deserve it. Besides,” her smile deepened. “Besides, I think you enjoy being tormented just as much.”

He gave her a mild glare with no bite in it. After all, there was just no way he could look at her in that state and be upset with her. Even without taking into consideration that she said it was a hundred percent true.

As if to make her point, she began rubbing her body against him.

“Okay, now you’re just being blatant.”

Tanya giggled, softly scratching her fingernails against his chest. “I love you.”

“You don’t even know if this thing will even wor—”

He couldn’t even finish that line, for Tanya pressed her lips into his, and the words he was about to say vanished from his mind. Within five seconds of mingling her breath and saliva with his, the lifeforce within him went berserk with naked lust. Within fifteen seconds, his mind had conjured a list of ‘Things To Do With Tanya’. By the twenty-fifth, he was lying down on his back, with her straddling him. He tried to be careful, but Tanya seemed to react even more aggressively than he was. For a moment, he thought the Frost had taken over again.

But her hair remained unchanged.

As did her eyes.

So maybe it wasn’t about Frost at all.

Maybe it was about them.

And wasn’t that an amazing thought?

Finally, she pulled herself away and — was she pouting at him?

"What?"

Her pout grew more pronounced. She glared at him sullenly, with her golden bangs falling all over her face.

“Aguilar…” she enunciated, sounding like a parent reprimanding a child. “Has anybody told you it’s bad to ignore a girl who’s trying to seduce you? Stop overthinking and enjoy the moment.”

She grabbed his hand and guided it to its favorite place.

There wasn’t a lot of talking after that.