“Mm’ello?” 

“Colin.”

“What?” Colin’s muffled voice over the speaker brought an amused grin to Coby’s face as Ash drove through town.

“Get up, you bum, it’s late.”

A pause and the sounds of shuffling as Colin pulled the phone from his ear then slapped it right back. “It’s seven in the fucking morning, dude,” he moaned. “On a Sunday. During vacation.”

“Oh, boo-hoo,” Ash quipped, unfazed. “I need to talk to Alisa, she there?”

Another, almost imperceptible pause. “She’s in the shower, man.”

“Really? Thought you said it was too early?”

“She’s a psycho like you,” Colin replied tersely. “She works out before the sun comes up.”

“She’s an elf, her clock runs differently from yours.”

“Whatever, dude,” Colin said, sighing heavily. “What do you want with her, anyway?”

“We need her help with something,” Coby replied. “Our main trainer is out of town and she’s our next best option.”

“She’s not a fighter, Coby, she’s a healer.”

“We’re aware,” the couple said in unison. 

“Look, can you have her give us a call when she’s out of the shower?” Ash asked. 

The speaker rattled under another heavy exhale. “Fine,” he muttered. “But you owe me for going dark for two days when we were supposed to hang out, fucker.”

Ash grinned. “We had a good reason for it.”

“I’m sure you did.” A rustle as Colin shifted, his voice coming in clearer. “This afternoon, Stanley’s Pier.”

“Pie?”

“Pie, bitch.”

Ash laughed. “Alright, we’ll see you then.”

“Mm-hm.” Colin hung up, bringing the music back through the speakers. 

Ash glanced over at Coby, a dubious look on the merman’s face. “What’s wrong?”

Coby shook his head slightly, his braids swinging gently. “Nothing,” he said. He looked over at Ash. “He didn’t sound off to you, did he?”

Ash’s eyebrow ticked. “Not really,” he said. “He always sounds like that this early in the morning.”

The frown line between Coby’s brows deepened. “Hm,” he hummed softly. “I guess he’s just not a morning person.”

“That he is not,” Ash agreed, turning on to the street that would take them to the warehouse where they trained. They pulled into the wide, overgrown and neglected lot a few minutes later, parked and locked up, and headed into the large warehouse through a side entrance.

Ash closed it behind them just as his phone started to ring. 

“Hey, Alise,” he said, recognizing the number that he hadn’t saved in his phone but had seen more than a hundred times over the last few years.

“Hey, Ash,” Alise said in her usual chipper, Hispanic voice. “Colin said you wanted to speak to me?”

“Yeah, I was wondering if you could do me and Coby a favor.”

“Of course! Whatever my hermanitos need.”

Coby, able to overhear the conversation through the link, gave Ash a questioning look. 

Little brothers.

“Ah,” Coby nodded, heading further into the large space. He glanced once at the black stain on the far wall before heading over to where some old pipes and bars lay amongst wires and other forgotten equipment.

Ash explained the situation and, to his relief, she readily agreed. He gave her the address, getting an ETA of ten minutes.

Perfect.

Ash hung up and pocketed the phone. “Alright, baby, we got ten minutes.”

“Good deal,” Coby said, choosing a cylindrical metal bar about three feet long and two inches wide. He flipped it back and forth a few times before spinning it in his hand. Satisfied, he made his way back to the center of the room, stopping about ten feet from his mate.

Ash’s eyebrow ticked. “Are you sure that’s what you want to go with?”

Coby held the bar up before tilting his head, his braids sliding over his shoulder. “What’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing,” Ash said with a shrug, already pulling on his energy and sending it into his limbs and hands. “It’s just that you almost broke my arm the last time you used it.”

Coby grinned, a twinkle in his eye. “Move faster.”

“Helpful, thank you.”

“Anytime.” Coby swung the bar up, setting it on his shoulders, his other hand propped on his hip. “Same as before. I will call out an object of defense, attack, or a form of element you have to create from thin air.”

Ash narrowed his eyes. “I’m still not too great with that last one.”

“I know.”

“You don’t love me at all, do you?”

“I love you plenty, iyshta,” Coby smirked. He spun the bar around again, dropping one end heavily on the concrete floor, his hand holding it upside down at the other. “Three seconds from the call.”

“What?!” Ash exclaimed, taking a small step back, eyes wide with alarm. “Gema gives me five!”

“I’m not Gema.” Coby’s right foot slid back, his free hand moving with it, already glowing a brilliant silvery blue and white. 

“You little sh—”

“Shield!”

Coby lunged, swinging the bar high overhead. 

“FUCK!” Ash got his arm up, the shield barely forming in time before Coby brought the bar down hard upon it. His arm vibrated from the impact and he staggered back slightly, the shield itself rippling with multicolored energy waves. He pushed back, Coby using the shield as a step to fling himself in a backward twist, landing gently on the ground before bursting forth with so much speed, Ash almost didn’t see him.

Coby swung up from the left, aiming for Ash’s side, but Ash blocked it quickly, sending more energy into it to reinforce it against the second swing Coby landed.

“Sword!”

Keeping his shield up, Ash extended his left hand, manifesting a broadsword and swinging it up and over. Coby flipped the bar into both hands, blocking the strike and flinging it away, nearly dislocating Ash’s shoulder. Ash grunted, gritting his teeth, but recovered quickly, alternating between the shield and sword in his attacks and defense against his husband.

“Spear!”

“What the fuck…” Ash panted, tossing aside the sword, a large spear taking its place. Coby flew backward into the wall, bending his knees before pushing off just as Ash flung the spear at him, the tip loaded with energy. Coby smacked it aside with his bar, but winched when the shock radiated down his arm. He gripped the bar tighter before it slipped free, imbuing it with enough energy that when he brought it down against the shield, it created a small BOOM that blew them both apart, the warehouse and its contents rattling around them.

Ash landed awkwardly, skidding to a halt, flailing his arms, noticing with no small amount of envy how Coby landed easily, the bar at his side, his knees bent, ready to take off once more. He shot a smirk across the building at Ash and swung the bar out, a flash of energy flying forward, splitting into more than a dozen arrows. Ash barely got his shield up in time, but a few arrows did still manage to graze him.

Dammit, he’s too fast! 

“Earthen wall!”

What the hell?! Ash dropped his shield, the item turning to mist at his feet as he focused as hard as he could on the ground under his feet. There was no way in hell he was going to get something like that up in three seconds. 

Except, he couldn’t use the element itself, he had to create it. 

Fuck shit fuck dammit cockass FUCK! 

The image of a curved earthen wall took form in his mind and he held his hands up, his palms tingling as the energy spilled forth, and the wall appeared, stretching ten feet long and just over six feet high, just tall enough to protect him. Several sharp spike tips speared their way through the earth a half second later, mere inches from Ash’s nose. He gulped, eyes wide as he realized just how close he’d come to getting skewered.

“Uh, baby, can you not try and kill me today?” he asked, taking a few steps back. “I would appreciate it.”

“Like I said,” Coby said, bounding up to the top of the wall, squatting down with one hand between his feet. “Move faster.”

“Godammit, Co-Bieasah, I swear,” Ash muttered, surrounding himself with a thick energy barrier similar to the energy skin he wore, preparing for whatever surprise Coby had up his sleeve this time.

“Water whip,” Coby commanded, leaping off the top of the wall, flipping over Ash and landing a few feet away, the bar lit up like a glow stick and buzzing with electricity.

At least that one’s not too difficult.

Being bonded to a merman definitely had its perks; being able to effectively manipulate water was one of them. The whip soured from Ash’s hand directly at Coby who skirted out of the way at the last second. Ash grabbed the end of the whip, swinging it in the direction Coby had gone, the other end wrapping around his ankle. Ash gave a tiny, victorious grin, and pulled, bringing Coby to the ground with a thud, the bar evacuating his hand and skittering across the floor out of reach, all the energy draining out of it in an instant.

Instinctively, Ash winced at the grunt of pain his husband made when he hit the ground. The whip unwound from around the merman’s ankle as Ash approached.

“Are you okay?” he asked, worried that he really had hurt Coby. “I didn’t mean to—”

Coby’s legs spun around, taking Ash out at the shins, dropping him with a yelp. He jumped on the bigger man, one knee on his chest, the other foot planted firmly on the ground, and manifested a dagger that he held at Ash’s throat. It wasn’t the weapon that caused Ash concern, however, it was the look in Coby’s eye.

Disappointment.

“Never let your guard down,” Coby said coldly. “Checking to see if your enemy is still alive is a good way to get yourself killed.”

“How am I going to know for sure if I don’t check?”

Coby leaned down, nose to nose with Ash. “If you aim to kill, you won’t need to check.”

“Got it.”

Coby looked him up and down, a wry grin on his lips. “You dropped your barrier.” 

“Well, yeah, I wanted to make sure you—”

“Armor.”

“What?” Ash’s eyes went wide a split second before Coby electrified his entire body, shocking Ash hard enough to make his back arch off the floor. Growling, he grit his teeth and wrapped himself around Coby, pinning his arms to the side.

Coby’s eyes went wide, brows furrowing with astonishment. “What—”

“You cheated,” Ash said, his voice low and dangerous.

Coby gulped. Oops.

“You didn’t give me three seconds.” In retaliation, Ash pulled the same trick on Coby, only his shock was less intense. It was still enough for Coby to grimace and make an attempt to escape Ash’s hold, failing miserably. Ash rolled, pinning Coby under him, his arms straight out to the side, his legs spread eagle. Coby’s eyes became saucers as he felt shackles of energy imprison him on the ground.

Ash, still looming over him, grinned devilishly. 

“What the hell is this?” Coby asked, suddenly nervous as to what Ash had in mind. “I thought we agreed on no tie-downs.”

“We did,” Ash nodded, his eyes gleaming. “And then you cheated.” His hands moved down Coby’s sides, his fingers curling under his shirt, lifting it slightly to expose his stomach.

Coby began to jerk against his bonds, suddenly aware of what Ash was about to do to him. 

“No…Ashley, don’t do this. I’m sorry, okay, I take it back. I’ll never do it again, I—ahhhh-ha-he!”

Ash tickled him, the torture unrelenting as Coby struggled to break free, alternately laughing, crying, and screaming to be let go. Ash laughed, refusing to be swayed by the merman’s pleas and promises. The boy broke the rules and he must pay the price.

Tears rained down the side of Coby’s face as he continued to fight against his tormentor, unable to manifest anything or use magic to defend himself. 

“P-please!” he panted between groaning laughs. “Iyshta, please, I’m gonna piss myself, stooooop!”

“What do you say, Co-Bieasah?” Ash demanded, his fingers continuing their brutal dance over Coby’s sides and stomach.

“You SUCK!”

“Later, if you’re good.” 

Coby wouldn’t give in, he wouldn’t let Ash win. Loss by Tickle would be embarrassing and not one he was willing to take. He pulled, kicked, twisted, and bucked, trying to get Ash off him, trying to make the torture end, all to no avail. However, if he didn’t do something soon, Ash would just keep going until Coby passed out from lack of oxygen.

Probably.

Gritting his teeth against another muscle spasm, he relented. “FINE!” he yelled. “I yield! I yield, godammit!”

Laughing, Ash finally stopped, sitting up on his knees, straddling a breathless, red-faced, and highly indignant Co-Bieasah Turner.

“Ancient Chinese torture technique,” he said, wiping his brow. “Works every time.”

Coby glared at him, grumbling in Sarathian under his breath. The shackles around his ankles and wrists faded into mist, but he still didn’t move, his wounded pride not allowing him to. 

Ash leaned down, taking his face in his hands and kissing between his brows. “You’re cute when you’re mad, you know that?”

“You’re an ass.”

Ash chuckled, rubbing the tip of his nose against Coby’s. “I love you, too.” Tilting his face, he took Coby’s mouth with his own, smiling when, after a couple seconds, Coby sighed heavily and kissed him back, his hands moving to Ash’s shoulders, one knee bending against Ash’s backside. Ash deepened the kiss, claiming it as his reward. Through the link, he promised Coby even more for later that night, drawing a longing moan from the merman’s throat, his shadow scales rippling over his skin.

“Am I interrupting something?”