Chapter Text
A week passed before Temperance’s eyes and it seemed she valued her own company for some reason. The solitude, no longer filled with monsters and uncertainty, brought her comfort. Days and late nights were spent scouring the stacks of books at the store where she had learned to artfully avoid Brandon the chatty Kathy. She’s begun to understand Simon’s silence as he checked her books out and let her on her way with a gentle, respectful nod.
Perhaps the need for quiet had something to do with her teeth throbbing all the time. She found she was snappier than usual at people and thus staying quiet and alone was just for the best. The young woman’s mind recalled how Galvatron told her of the second pair of teeth. “They’re just for your first few weeks of feeding. Once you get a hang of proper eating the smaller ones will fall out. Not gonna be fun, but you’re a strong one,” the massive man had smirked.
White hair piled on her head in a bun Temperance stared at her face in the mirror for a long time. She opened her mouth and saw the gums around the second teeth were red and sore. She licked them with a sigh and played with her bangs. Never in her life could she have imagined such an end to things. Blood, sacrifice, and endless time seemed all too fictional for an ex-coma patient. And yet there she stood, her crystal clear blue eyes staring at her ghostly complexion in the mirror with scrutiny. It seemed she’d gone completely white with the change, not just soft peach tones like the paler of the Caucasian world. And yet when she parted her soft pink lips her mouth seemed so strikingly red and pink, vibrant against her snowy expression.
Even more complex was her heart, a seemingly fragile muscle that played confused melodies on her heartstrings. She hadn’t heard of loving more than one person. Though, to be fair, she hadn’t heard of sirens or harpies being other than fictional tales gone with the days of mythology either. And yet there she stood, devotion to Cyclonus and dearly affectionate with Galvatron. She must have looked like a ghost on the shoulders of giants next to them, slender and small compared to their tested muscles and countenances. The glass ballerina at the paws of dogs. Loyal… loyal dogs, she corrected herself. No, she’d already wronged them by thinking something so low. She felt her cheeks warm as she brushed her grey sweater off and grabbed the black leggings, sliding them over her pallor skin and slipping her feet into blue flats. She glanced at herself in the full length mirror in Galvatron’s bathroom and smiled. She looked nice. Now if only her mouth would stop throbbing.
Brandon was opening shop when he saw Temperance sneak in, the young woman dressed in a casual sort of chic look. He noted her intentional fashion and smirked as he fired up the espresso machine. He said nothing, Simon’s agreement being that he would keep his chattering to a bare minimum until more than ten customers had come through the shop. Temperance was the first.
“Good morning, Tempy,” he smiled, already working on the lavender London fog.
“Morning,” she smiled, taking her blue clutch purse and grabbing the usual amount of money that covered a lavender London fog and a croissant and jam. “Awfully quiet. Are you ill?”
Chuckling the barista frothed the milk expertly and steeped the tea at the same time. He whispered, “No, but Simon and I are in agreement that his mornings are quiet at the very least. Every hour after the silence limit I get an extra dollar an hour.”
“Oh,” the girl laughed, sliding the money across the counter.
“Luckily for me I can hold out for that extra cash. I can talk as much as I want so long as I keep it under volume. I get extra cash and he gets quiet.”
“Seems fair,” she nodded, bouncing on her heels.
“So what’s been up with you? You’re here practically every day reading and not even in the company of tall, dark, or menacing,” Brandon chuckled as he slid the pastry into the microwave and grabbed the blackberry and lemon preserves.
Temperance explained that she’s been very curious about the world because she knew so little. She skipped the part of aching teeth and dreamless sleep. This alienated feeling was best kept to herself. She didn’t know just how closely Brandon was associated with the Underground. “Hmm. Well, has anything caught your eye?”
“Oh, yes, yes. I really seem to like the mythology section,” she smiled, sipping the hot beverage as she watched the man spread the butter and jam on the inside of the sliced treat. “The story of… um, how do you say it… Persephone?” Brandon tried hiding his laugh. So many people pronounced the lady of the underworld’s name as Perse-Phone that if she were listening her name would bring furies forth.
“Persephone,” Brandon smiled as he put the money in the cash box. “The language is very different from English, but why the story of the kidnapped young woman?” He inquired, having spent hours organizing the old and new books himself.
“I’m not sure… I mean, the story is very sad, don’t get me wrong, but… Hades… he was very lonely, wasn’t he? His brothers hated him and he hated them in turn, but… I don’t know, I don’t think I could hate him for what he did. After all, he does let Persephone return to her mother once each year,” Temperance sighed, feeling the echo of the story in her own. “He loves her even if it may have seemed problematic at the time.”
“Oh, it was very problematic. Demeter, her mother, almost let the human race die from starvation and plagues in her grief, unable to attend to the earth. But you are right… the story is very complicated. Are you sure you’re enjoying something so morbid?”
“Yes,” the woman smiled, taking her food and leaving Brandon graciously at the counter.
Back in the stacks she settled down in a chair that was so wide and deep that she could curl up on her side. She had grabbed two books on the great myths of ancient Greece and begun reading by a low crackling fire, the mantle adorned with candles and herbs that filled the air with seasonal sweetness. The smell of the fire was heavy and comforting in the clearing of the shop, beautiful carpets layered on the floor below her like a quilt of colors. It was a small haven that gave her peace and distraction from the dull ache in her teeth.
Cyclonus grumbled as he walked out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel around his waist. Galvatron rolled over on the bed and gave a seductive purr at the sight of his partner’s strengthened body. If there was one thing Cyclonus never let go to waste it was his strength. Years upon years and the look of the pilot’s fading scars against his strong back and chest still filled Galvatron with desire.
“Stop staring,” the pilot snapped, smoothly changing from the towel to briefs and soon to follow black jeans that pulled tight against his lanky body.
“Can’t help myself. You’re amazing.”
“Where’s Temperance?”
Galvatron frowned at his dashed attempts at flirting and sighed. He cocked a brow and glanced over at the nightstand where a note written in beautiful handwriting sat by the lamp. He leaned over with a groan and picked it up.
“Seems she’s at the book shop again. You think she’s avoiding us?”
At this thought Cyclonus narrowed his crimson eyes as he pulled a sweater over his head and down over the very body that was attracting so much of the war lord’s attention. The man grabbed his shoes and pulled them on after socks, silent as he did so. “It was just a thought. She could just be hanging out with the harpy and the siren, you know. She likes them.”
“The last time I trusted her to go out with her friends she was nearly raped in an alley,” Cyclonus snapped, grabbing a jacket and throwing it on his shoulders.
“But she wasn’t.”
“Galvatron,” Cyclonus snapped, turning back. However, it was the pilot who was caught off guard. The war lord pulled him down on the bed and into a kiss that was deep and knowing. Cyclonus shuddered as his hair was woven between Galvatron’s fingers, his own hand reaching behind and grabbing a fistful of the war lord’s short, wavy hair. When the two parted Galvatron pressed their forehead’s together in a loving gesture, hissing in a long breath of air as he waited for his love to catch up. “I love her… and I’m scared…” The man whispered, almost too quiet for even the world to hear the confession.
“I know… as do I, but you must trust her. You must stand beside her, not in front of her.”
Cyclonus nodded, giving a return kiss and sighing. The two stayed forehead to forehead for a long moment before Galvatron whispered a soft loving word in Russian into the pilot’s ear as he turned to leave. “If anything she’s probably teething. Her secondaries are close to falling out soon. Not even a rogue messes with a teether.”
Sure enough Temperance was left undisturbed and was rereading the story of Persephone and Hades for the fourth time. She’d long finished her tea latte and breakfast. Now she was gnawing at the tip of her thumb, hoping to draw some blood. She decided it was best to leave and go home now that the words on the page were beginning to fog up. She was hungry and more coffee shop baked goods couldn’t sate her needs.
Just as she was standing to stretch Cyclonus walked from the path between the stacks to find the young woman tugging her sweater down and gathering her trash and the books she’d decided on. Her face flashed with shock as she dropped her cup and plate into the dish tray was.
“Morning?”
Cyclonus, however, said nothing. He simply knelt and held the girl close in a hug. She jolted, face working through what was going on. At first it was shock, confusion, then worry and finally acceptance to the gesture. She smiled and held him close, rubbing his broad shoulders. “Have a bad dream?”
“No,” he whispered, standing back to his full height. “Are you done here?”
“Yes,” she nodded, his thumb pulling up her lip as he inspected her teeth. “The hurt.”
“You’re losing two. Is that why you’ve been distant?”
“I… imagine, yeah… yeah that’s probably it,” she shrugged and nodded.
Books bought and wrapped in tissue paper, packed in a paper bag and sent off with the quiet nod of Simon and the wave of Brandon the two departed. Outside the chill of the season was strong and Temperance shivered, legs shaking as she regretted wearing something so thin. Seeing her soft shaking Cyclonus took his coat off and draped it gently around her shoulders. The young woman gave him a soft, appreciative smile with the crane of her neck as the two walked back towards the main street.
“Cyclonus?” She asked, seeing that their conversation would not be overheard in the chaos of the mid-morning crowd.
“Yes?”
“I’m hungry.”
“Did you want to stop by the bakery?”
“No,” she said firmly, tugging on his sleeve. “I’m hungry.”
The two barely made it back to the club before Temperance had pulled Cyclonus close. The young woman slammed the back door to the building hastily, the two collapsing in the hallway towards the office. The pilot was surprised how she pulled him close to her, her strength far beyond what seemed possible. He let his knees hit the floor as she took control. He remembered his own sense of urgency when he lost his second teeth. All social customs were thrown to the wind when you were filled with this insatiable hunger for blood. Luckily you still had your senses, knowing who and who you could not feed from.
Cyclonus let his eyes flutter closed as he felt Temperance pull him into a deep, passionate kiss. Their tongue were caught between teeth as they kissed, the young woman’s energy alive with a fire that seemed almost impossible for her nature. It betrayed everything she seemed to stand for. And yet she daringly nipped and sucked along Cyclonus’ jawline until she found the crook of his neck. The man hissed as she sucked hard, the skin bruising and blood vessels tender. A groan of pain escaped the man as he felt a mouthful of sharp canines dig into his skin and his blood filling her mouth.
The young woman moaned as she grabbed a fistful of Cyclonus’ hair and licked eagerly at the bite, sinking her teeth in for second taste. All reason seemed to dissolve when the smoky taste of Cyclonus’ blood filled her mouth. Temperance knew the meaning of losing your grip on reality but this took the phrase to a whole new level. The taste felt like an instant high, the scent like no other perfume. All of it was a rush of adrenaline shaken with the dizzying sensation that she was close to passing out.
When she was done, lips and chin dripping with ribbons of deep red, a familiar and almost distant voice of Galvatron whistled slowly. The large man was standing in the hallway and raising his brows in a gesture of being impressed. Cyclonus, however, held the wound on his neck and slid up the wall jerkily.
“Sated now, I imagine?” Galvatron asked the young woman who was wiping the blood from her face. Her bright blue eyes looked down at her hands that were stained with dark blood. For a moment she couldn’t process what was all over her. She looked down and saw the blood that stained her neck and the collar of her sweater. She looked up at the two men in front of her with an expression of pure horror before the world seemed to slip out from under her like a silk cloth. She felt like she hit the ground and also that she’d fallen through a sea of soft darkness.
Back in the land of the living Galvatron had caught the girl and looked over to Cyclonus with another rare expression of shock. He lifted her into his arms and sighed. “She always do this?”
“She’s not fond of the sight of blood.”
“Real kicker that she’s what she is, huh?” The war lord snickered, jerking his head towards the other end of the hall where the door to his office was open. “Come on. Fledgling bites don’t seal like others do.”
Inside the parlor area Galvatron sat Temperance on the chaise lounge and then turned to Cyclonus. Sure, the young woman was covered in blood, but she wasn’t injured. The war lord carefully pulled the pilot’s hand from his neck, giving him a hard look when Cyclonus resisted. “Stop resisting help. It’s no longer cute and coy.” Sighing the pilot let his hand drop. Galvatron stared at the bite and smirked. She was young and fresh, but her teeth were strong. The bite had gone deep.
“You’re not double biting,” Cyclonus said before the man could even move.
“If I don’t this won’t clot right.”
“It will heal fine.”
“Cyc,” the man growled, holding him in place. “Trust me?”
The pilot giving a low, guttural growl of defeat and a roll of his eyes he turned his neck, exposing the wound. Galvatron smiled to himself as he leaned close and inspected the bite. Sure enough the edges were swelling, but the blood was still sticky and it didn’t seem that it would close on its own. The pilot had been snagged by a stupid youngling decades ago and the double bite that the war lord had to administer was rushed and sloppy. It was no wonder that he didn’t want to suffer the punishment of a second one. When done right the double bite can be something of a erogenous gesture, but done by a novice it’s more pain than even turning. Luckily, Galvatron was no novice.
Slowly pulling Cyclonus’ purple hair away from the wound Galvatron exposed the pilot’s neck, careful not to touch the skin. He slid his hand up the other side of the man’s neck slowly and gave a soft bite to the skin above the injury. He smiled when he was rewarded with a soft hiss of sweetness from Cyclonus. Another just above the collar bone, exposed as Galvatron pulled some of the pilot’s shirt away, keeping up with the soft pulses of stimulation to numb the bite.
Then, unexpectedly Galvatron slowly slid his sharp teeth into the bite, his own large teeth stretching the flesh that throbbed with sensitivity. He hid his chuckle as Cyclonus gripped his shoulder tightly with a smothered gasp. The war lord led the man’s head back as he bit his lip, legs spreading almost out of instinct. Cyclonus ground his teeth as he felt his stoicism dissolve, the bite far from the pain he’d felt a long time ago.
Once his teeth were rooted into Temperance’s bite Galvatron let some of his saliva run over the wound. He took his own taste of Cyclonus’ blood, a rare treat, and pulled away, the bite clotting and beginning to heal the moment he’d parted from the crook of the pilot’s neck. Galvatron smirked, licking his lips as his partner came shamefully back to his senses. He lowered his head and turned away, face red beneath his dusty complexion as he grumbled a thanks.
“No need. I know using manners literally rots a part of your soul,” Galvatron chuckled as he pulled some wet wipes from a drawer in his desk and began cleaning the young woman who had rolled on her side on the lounge.
The pilot, bitterly slighted by such an insinuation, stood off the desk with a grunt to check on Temperance. Sure enough the girl was fast asleep and now cleaned of the blood. Galvatron tugged the sweater off over her head and lifted the girl into her arms. “Just taking her back to a real bed. She sees more of this parlor than she does of a real bed,” he smirked, jerking his head to beckon Cyclonus along after him.
In the bedroom the lights were dim in such a way that gave an ethereal feel to the room. Galvatron set the young woman down gently in the center of the huge bed and sighed with a smile on his face. Cyclonus stared at the man for a long while before he checked his watch. “Eh, we have a few hours of daylight to kill.”
And so the pilot and the war lord climbed into bed and laid at either of the young woman’s sides. Cyclonus sighed and laid an arm across her torso as Galvatron did the same. He ignored the frown that the pilot was boring into his shoulder with silence alone.
“Do you know why they killed the pig?” Cyclonus asked, voice low and gruff.
“No.”
“He had too much cheek,” the pilot snapped under his breath.
“Oh, look who grew a sense of humor,” Galvatron chuckled. “Relax, I’m not grabbing either of your asses. Try to find peace in the moment for once, huh?”
Sighing in resolve Cyclonus curled close and let the three of them lie in peace. The warmth was nice and he, although too proud to admit it, missed nights like that. When they were younger, before the bites and blood and carnage that traced the lands they once called home, these sort of nights under the stars were nice. Looking up Cyclonus smothered a smile as he saw a skylight with a map of the stars painted on the sectioned panes. Seeing this hidden happiness Galvatron pulled the two closer.
“You used to stay up all night looking at the stars… Kinda disappointed it took you so long to notice,” he sighed, Cyclonus giving him a deadpan look of irritation. “What, too mushy?” The war lord smirked.
“Be quiet before you wake her.”
“Too late,” a soft peep of a voice came, Temperance’s eyes opening and her crystal clear blue eyes sparkling between them. Cyclonus ground his teeth and ducked his head to hide his blush, moving away from the young woman. Despite his attempts, however, Temperance held him in place and gave a warm smile to each of the men. “Stay. Both of you,” she whispered.
Galvatron smirked at Cyclonus and pulled his face over for a gentle kiss between lips. Temperance smiled and pulled her legs up to keep herself warm. Just as she was about to fall back into a real slumber she felt two lips press soft, gentle kisses to her cheeks. Her face warmed with red as she giggled, hiding her face with her hands. Galvatron, seeing her embarrassment, pulled her hands away and gently kissed the knuckles of each. Almost as if it was a competition, Cyclonus then pulled her head over and pressed his own lips to hers.
“Okay, okay,” she laughed, shaking her head as the men let her free. “God, you two.”
“Cyclonus thinks I’m being selfish when I say I adore you. I think he’s being stingy,” Galvatron chuckled, pulling her close. The pilot didn’t like this and leaned in closer, wrapping his arms around the young woman protectively. “See what I mean?”
“I love the both of you… love isn’t selfish… it’s endearing,” she whispered, lacing her fingers with Cyclonus’ and laying her body so that she was on her back between them, sighing in comfort.
“Now if you tell me that what Tempy said wasn’t mushier than the constellation map I give up,” the war lord chuckled.
“Shut up,” Cyclonus hissed, resting his head on Temperance’s shoulder. “Just shut up.”
The war lord pretended not to notice the pilot’s hand lacing their own fingers together as the world dimmed above them, sunset’s light gleaming through the spaces where the stars would be. The penthouse of the club, although brooding and intense, was soft and gently romantic for the first time since its construction. It was as if Temperance’s very presence was a catalyst for true love. She played the perfect part of cohesion between the three of them. It was wonderful.
Temperance sighed peacefully and opened her eyes once she knew the men were asleep. She smiled wide and bit her bottom lip to hide her laugh, hoping to pull her lips back together. The time where her life was as a living doll in a hospital, chased their by darkness incarnate, seemed so far away it felt like a dream. Shadows were no longer filled with fear and the night was not something to avoid. And no longer did she second guess love. She would never be forgotten here. Not anymore…