It was years before Strannick saw Noah again, the same calling card announcing his presence in an entirely different town hundreds of miles from the last. He’d felt sure he’d hidden himself better, doing his best to make sure Noah couldn’t find him. No luck. He took a drag on his cigarette, taking the flower out of a small crack in the wall of the store.

“What are you doing here, Noah?” he said flatly, not even bothering to look behind him. “Come to fuck with me some more?”

“Please,” Noah snorted. “I’m not interested in being called by someone else’s name again.”

Strannick flinched, clenching his fist around the sprig of wolfsbane. “Then why—”

“I have a job.”

Strannick turned his head slightly, his gaze sliding to the deadly beauty who stood there, his arms folded across his chest, his ruby red eyes cold. “And?”

“And I need your help.”

“Why me?”

“Because it has to do with an old enemy of ours and I can’t risk getting the rest of them involved.”

“So go ask Evie,” Strannick said, tossing the flower down and starting to walk away. 

“Yes, because I’m so much more interested in working with your ex than I am you.”

Strannick stopped but didn’t turn around. 

“You’re the one I want, Kas. The one I need.”

Strannick swallowed. “Don’t call me that.”

Noah stared at the tight muscles of his back.

“It’s Strannick. You want me to work with you, that’s the name you use. I have no other.”

“Fine. Strannick it is. Meet me at the tavern in an hour. And get rid of that fuckboy of yours. I don’t need him bothering us while we’re gone.” He turned and walked away. 

Strannick gritted his teeth. Damn you. 

The job took a week to complete, and the information they gathered was the most invaluable they’d received in years. Noah sent it all to Havik, and Strannick collected the bounty. It wasn’t even two days in when Noah had seduced him again, taking him to a hotel near where the mark was found. This time, Strannick said nothing, his mind completely blank, his focus solely on the lithe body wriggling under him as they fucked. There was no emotion, just sex.

Neither of them could afford to do otherwise. And Noah still refused to let Strannick kiss him.

Once the job was done, Noah was gone, leaving no trace of himself behind. 

This went on for years; Noah would appear randomly, leaving a wolfsbane flower for Strannick to find. They’d either complete a job together, or just hook up, spending nights in heated passion. They only had two rules, the first being: Gone before dawn. Strannick knew why; he’d figured it out years prior, and he wasn’t about to argue it. It wasn’t like they were willing to admit what they had was anything more than a fuck-buddy relationship, one that was inconsistent at best.

Neither did either of them wait for the other. Noah took lovers, all of them for the job, none of them lasting very long. Only one relationship he had went on for five years, and that nearly destroyed Strannick’s psyche. Especially since, even during that time, Strannick would find a lover and Noah would show up, interrupt it, and take him to bed.

Strannick wanted to hate Noah, wanted to forget about him, wanted just to move on. But no matter what he did, no matter where he went, Noah found him, and Strannick fell back into his hands all over again.

It was almost fifteen years or so into their arrangement when things began to change. And it was all because Strannick had to go and break the second rule: No kissing.

It was after a job, the body sent to the Sixth Realm of Heaven for Arla to examine, the information sent to their second contact, Strannick’s part in it once again omitted. If the Helman's knew he was involved, Noah suspected they wouldn’t accept it. It wasn’t like Strannick wanted them to know, anyway. He’d told Noah flat out he wasn’t doing any of it for them.

“You need me,” he said that fateful night while they were drinking in the inn. “I give less of a shit what they think at this point.”

“It’s still helping, regardless, Strannick. We haven’t been this close to rooting out the main faction in years. Havik is convinced it shouldn’t take more than another few years before we learn everything we need to in order to take them all down and get it all to the High Divine.”

Strannick sat back, folding his arms over his broad chest. “You’re still hoping he’ll reopen the barrier, aren’t you?”

Noah frowned, his drink in his hand, arms crossed on the table. “Well, yeah, my sister’s there,” he said. He ticked an eyebrow. “And the High Prince you betrayed, of course.”

“Thanks for that,” Strannick said, draining his glass and refilling it from the second bottle of whiskey he’d procured for them. “We don’t even know how long it’s been down there, or even what’s going on. For all we know, they’ve saved the world and moved on with their lives.”

“You really believe that?”

He paused. “I’d like to,” he said, casting his gaze out the window. He sighed, leaning his head in his hand. “If things are crazy here, I can only imagine what it’s like for them down there. I’m sure it’s not much better; worse even.”

Noah winced. “I’d rather not think that,” he said. “I still love Ava, and Finn and Natsu were my friends. If they’re struggling…” he shook his head. “It just really sucks that we can’t help them.”

Kas sighed, setting his glass down. “Noah, all we can do is what’s possible here. Between the two of us alone we’ve managed to prevent six attacks against the Helman Kingdom and the Veil itself. That’s something to be proud of, right?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Noah mumbled, twisting his glass around on the table. Kas reached over and took his chin in his fingers, Noah’s eyes raising to meet his, wary and unsure. Kas had never touched him like this before.

“I’m still here,” Kas said softly. “For what that’s worth, anyway. I’m not going to stop helping you, I’m not leaving you.”

Noah swallowed. “Strannick—”

Kas leaned over and gently touched his lips to Noah's, a shock of electricity racing through his body, igniting his soul. He inhaled sharply, pulling away once the shock had completed its course through his body to see Noah’s eyes wavering with dismay and horror. He sat back, dropping his hand. “I—I’m sorry, I—”

“I told you not to do that,” Noah said, his voice barely above a whisper. 

“I know.”

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

He knew full well what he’d done, but he hadn’t been thinking when he’d kissed Noah. He just wanted to reassure him, to remind him of what he still had in front of him. That he cared about Noah more than he could ever admit out loud. He didn’t consider the consequences of his actions, even with full knowledge of what that simple action would mean for them.

All of this, Noah could feel. His eyes filled with tears for the first time in decades. “How could you…”

“Noah…” he reached out but Noah stood up from his seat quickly as though Kas’ hand was a snake, knocking the chair to the floor. Kas dropped his hand, his chest tight, his heart sinking. He had honestly never meant for this to happen. They’d been spending too many years denying their connection, and now he’d just made it all that much harder. He dropped his head in his hands as Noah’s waves washed over him stronger than ever, terrified, hurt, the feeling of betrayal strong among them. That was the one he couldn’t deal with. His tears rushed forth and he shook his head.

“I’m so…so sorry,” he cried.

“You’re sorry?!” Noah yelled, tears streaming unchecked down his cheeks. “Stran—” his throat closed, his head starting to hurt. He clenched his teeth and crouched to the floor. “You’ve ruined everything.”

Kas couldn’t say anything. There was no denying Noah’s words or his feelings. Added to that was the full weight of his actions so many years ago. He hadn’t fully understood, hadn’t truly wanted to. He’d been selfish, ignorant of what Natsu really meant to Toji.

“Well, now you know!” Noah yelled. “Now you know what it feels like, Lukas Franks.”

“Don’t call me that!” Strannick bellowed, lifting his head. “I have no name! I threw it away when they threw me away.”

“And I’m glad they did!” Noah got to his feet, the agonized rage in his voice piercing into Strannick’s soul. “You deserved it! You deserved to be cast aside for what you did to Toji and Natsu.” He stood up, grabbing his bag and storming toward the door. Before he opened it, he gave one last parting shot. “I hope this hurts you as badly as how you hurt them.”

With that, he stormed out, just one more slamming door to add to their growing collection. The only difference this time was…

Noah came back.

Kas was standing at the window, had been for hours, lost in his own thoughts, wishing he could just disappear, when he felt the energy shift within him. He pushed off the wall, the door swinging open wide, Noah standing there looking like he had gone four rounds with a heavyweight boxer and lost. His beautiful eyes were swimming in tears, his face pale and twisted in his agony.

“Make me hate you,” he said. 

“I’ll do my best.”

Noah slammed the door again, Kas grabbing him up, kissing him hard, their tongues fighting against one another as they bit and scratched, Noah pulling Kas’ tongue into his mouth and sucking on it, drawing out a moan Kas had never made before.

They didn’t make love, they didn’t fuck. But they did have incredibly mind blowing sex, the likes of which they’d never had before, they’re mouths barely disconnecting, their hands clasped, scratches and bites marring their skin, Noah making more sounds than he ever did. And, for the first time, he said Noah’s name. Whispering it over and over.

When they came together, Noah’s name wasn’t the only one called out.

“Kas!” Noah whimpered. “My Kas…”

It was the first time he ever said it…it was the first time Kas had ever called Noah his as well. 

It was the first time Noah claimed Kas as his own.

When Noah left before dawn, he still didn’t hate Kas, and he still came back, no matter how much time elapsed.

Until that night five years ago, when Kas’ own words nearly destroyed the only good thing he had left in the universe.

-*-