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“Could this day get any more exhausting?” Maya sighed to herself as she set up for the first watch of the night. When Chimi and Rico had joined her on this journey to the Golden Mountains Kingdom initially, she felt unstoppable. But with a fortnight of fighting gods, freak Jungle Lands rainstorms, high mountain altitudes, battles, rough terrain and Celestial’s knows what else, morale and stamina was at an all time low, even with the Puma Princess’ palace a day’s hike away at long last. She just had to get through this night’s watch before knocking out for the rest of the night, trying to not let her annoyance show as Chiapa rolled over in his sleep next to the fire. Jealous of a jaguar! Just a few hours to go and she would be rested and fine. Just fine.
That is, until she heard the all too familiar sound of bat wings in her peripheral. Oh, not now. She did not have the energy to deal with him now!
“Buenas tardes, Princess Maya.” The Prince of Bats’ sing-song voice echoed above the trees, as Maya grabbed her macuahuitl and took off in the direction of his voice. For all his recent kindnesses or whatever it was, she didn’t want to risk waking her team while she chased this annoyance away.
Annoyance? Are you sure that’s what you see in him? A voice in her head that sounded a lot like Ah-Puch giggled as she pushed the thought away, stopping in a clearing several yards away from camp. “Show yourself, principito, I don’t have all night to deal with your games!”
“Games? I only wish to congratulate you on your recent victories, my lady.” There he was, smiling at her like always from the trees growing out the mountain's cliffside. He floated gracefully towards her, his smile then breaking into a toothy grin as he approached, “As well as to ask you if you have reconsidered my offer?”
“I really don’t need your praise and I still don’t trust you.” Maya huffed, as she tried to brush off the look of hurt on his face at her continued misgivings. “So no I will not, again, be joining your mission when I have MY own.”
The voice that sounded like Ah-Puch’s voice admonished her. He warned you about the storm gods did he not? What reason now does he have to lie to you?
Her muscles groaned, her adrenaline not quite outweighing her weariness from the day’s journey as she brandished Eagle Claw, gesturing at his own weapon. “Now let’s get this over with.”
“I will not fight you Maya, not when you are clearly fatigued.” He came to a halt, his spurred boots hardly making a sound as he made contact with the earth in front of her. She tightened her grip on her club when he reached for the hilt of his own and to her surprise, he dropped the emerald blade beside him; his palms now open in entreaty. “Please, let me help you.”
Stupid considerate Zatz and his stupid honor. She was getting annoyed now, at his soft spoken worry over her, she didn’t need his concern or his kindness. He had to have an ulterior motive or some trick hidden up his sleeve. She was about to have all three of her prophecy warriors at her side and she was about to end her entire quest for revenge; it was her destiny! She didn’t need a confusing, handsome, serpent tongued demi-god getting in her way!
He gave her a pleading look as he opened his mouth to probably say some lie laced with honey and she wouldn’t give him the chance. She was tired of talking. If he would throw down his weapon, so would she but she just didn’t want to hear any more talking.
Before he could get in any other word edgewise, and without having the wherewithal to think about if it was a bad idea or not, Maya closed the distance between them by launching herself at him in a firm tackle, knocking them both off of their feet. A perfectly normal, rational thing to do to your pseudo-enemy/ally in lieu of conversation. Surely.
Eagle Claw and Crimson Moon thrown to the wayside, he grunted as the air was knocked from his lungs, Maya’s shin guards digging into his side as she pinned him to the ground.
“Cállate, Zatz,” Maya grumbled, suddenly exhausted as she crashed the flat of her hand hard against his mouth, muffling any half-hearted protest on his part. His own hands flew up to grip her forearms, trying in vain to usurp her position on his chest while confusion and something else furrowed his violet painted brow.
Something like excitement.
She preferred him like this, he seemed almost manageable like this. Quiet, pliant, no silver tongue to confuse her and make her question her mission further. He was warm beneath his thick onyx armour; disheveled, as he took her in, the moment growing long with Maya almost enjoying the silence when she felt him press a kiss to the palm of her hand.
She bristled but didn’t move, despite her thighs starting to ache from the straddling position, his chestplate digging uncomfortably against her weight. But she couldn’t think of anything at all then, when he kissed her palm again, and again, and again , his lips warm and wet as they parted against her hand. He tried to peel her own hand away then, tried to wriggle out from under her, to gain the upper hand but she released him for a moment only to grip the front of his tunic and push him further against the dirt.
“A-are we still fighting, querida?” He rasped, grinning but she wouldn’t yield. Him talking again was ruining this, whatever this was. She wouldn’t let him win, fixating her eagle eyed gaze on his toothy smile. Her silence and her determined glare made him take pause, his grin now hesitant when her red painted hands suddenly gripped his face, her body pressing impossibly closer, keeping him pinned beneath her. Their eyes met as she tilted his chin back, pulling one hand away for just a moment, hovering again above his lips while still keeping him in place.
She ignored his questioning look as she took to tracing his lips with her fingertips, eliciting a soft gasp on his part. This spurred her exploration further, pressing upwards against his lips, baring his teeth. His fangs. She ignored, or rather, tried to ignore the way his breath caught, startled, as her fingertips outlined his sharp canines. She absently wondered if it would hurt if he bit someone. How his breath would feel against someone's neck before breaking the skin. She shuddered at the thought and felt both grateful and disappointed as he stayed completely still, watching her. Her other hand cradling his face had moved from his chin and trailed further along the hollow of his throat when she faltered, feeling his pulse hammering beneath her ministrations.
Suddenly, finally, she became hyper aware of their position. Of the look in his eye, now dilated and looking up at her with anticipation. With adoration.
She had to stop this, what was she even doing?? Her hand was half stuck in her enemy’s mouth, a heartbeat away from camp for the Celestial’s sake!
Well, listen to you! Too far now to stop, no? The voice that sounded like Ah-Puch in her mind cackled.
She hated Zatz, she thought, her brow feeling heavy, her eyelids starting to droop. She could never think straight when he was around, she hated the way he made her feel. She loved the way he made her feel. It was his fault her life was turned on its axis. She liked his smile, the way he said her name. She hated his attention. She craved his attention. She HATED him. She WANTED hi-
She was broken from her reverie when he finally stirred, squeezing her forearms, tilting his head as if asking for her permission to move. After another long moment, she sighed.
“Your move, murciélago.”
The wave of exhaustion she felt earlier returned as she relented and shifted her weight, withdrawing slightly. She was so, so tired of fighting.
Fighting? Fighting.
Silently, breathlessly, he pulled back from her wandering hands, Maya feeling her own face flush as he pressed a gentle kiss against her fingertips.
“Stop that.”
“Stop what?” He asked softly, pressing another kiss to her ring finger, then her index finger, before leaning his cheek against her palm.
“Being so…” Maya saw the flit of a monarch’s wings out the corner of her eye but ignored it in favor of watching his eye flutter closed as her thumb brushed over his cheekbone. Sleep was still achingly at the forefront of her mind but she couldn’t help but be suddenly fascinated by counting his long eyelashes as he sighed against her palm. “Nice to me. Why?”
His chuckle at this came out as a warm puff against her hand, not giving an answer as she felt him smile against her skin. “Permit me, princesa.”
That extremely earnest, enamored look on his face returned and Maya swallowed as she nodded. Zatz released his grip on her forearms, no longer trying to get out from under her, his large hands moving slowly over her shoulders, her back. Through her own armour she could feel as one gloved hand trailed slowly down her spine, both hands now fanning across her waist. This felt immediately more intimate than her rough housing and intermittent feeling up of him and Maya felt at a loss for how to proceed. She shivered at the contact, suddenly feeling as if she was struggling to stay awake as her adrenaline drained at last.
Despite this, Maya leaned into his touch, moving her own arms to cage his face as his hands rubbed small circles at her waist, pulling her closer, waiting for her to shy away.
But she didn’t.
She felt good , she felt warm, she felt confused, she felt TIRED. But she stayed as alert as she could, closing her eyes at his fond attention. His crimson eyes softened, his long white hair tickling her cheek as he leaned forward to close the distance between them to finally kiss her.
That is, until she leaned forward too, or rather, fell forward bypassing his lips entirely and collapsing in his arms, her nose burying into the crook of his neck. She hardly registered his exasperated, disbelieving huff of a laugh, and before sleep took her at last, she knew somehow she should be blaming Ah-Puch for this.
--
Being accosted by the girl of his dreams was certainly not how the Prince of Bats had expected this encounter to go. He had hoped to try and persuade the eagle warrior to join him and his father’s crusade once again, or at the very least share more information about Mictlan’s pantheon with her, not to end up cradling the sleeping princess in his arms after being very, very thoroughly manhandled by her, but the little eagle had always left him shaken to his core at every meeting and this one was no different in that regard.
A snake in his head hissed, The girl is unconscious. Finish your mission and be rewarded or die. But he would not. Zatz had never been in love before but he felt the stirrings in his heart and despite their brief encounters, he knew that he would do anything to keep her safe from that monster.
He was brought back from his thoughts as Maya shifted in her sleep, nuzzling closer, her soft sigh hot against his throat. His heart ached. He wished that he could stay here with her like this but he would not sully her honor in that way having not courted her properly. Another soft laugh left his lips, he was beginning to sound just like his father. Zatz pushed the thoughts aside as he moved to sit up, careful not to wake her. He smiled as her arms wound around his neck when he stood, keeping his hold on her firm as he collected their weapons.
He tried to not think too hard about how light she felt in his arms as he carried her towards her camp, about the strong arms wrapped around him who not long ago had him pinned to the ground, about how pretty her eyes were when she looked straight through him. Ay papa, what have I gotten myself into?
Chiapa, Rico, and Chimi did not stir as he laid her on what he assumed to be her bedroll by the fire, further reflecting Maya’s exhaustion from earlier. He decided he would watch over their camp until the next of her party relieved her, he wanted her to rest.
He spent longer than he would admit just watching her, how the dying fire cast shadows on her face, but he needed to find a better vantage point to keep watch and as he turned to leave, a warm hand caught his own, pulling him back.
“Maya?” He said softly, his fingers now laced with her own. But she was still asleep, her grip on his hand as strong as the heat of battle. His heart leapt at the contact, running his thumb over her knuckles before releasing them, whispering a soft goodnight she wouldn’t hear.
“Be well, Princess Maya. I’ll see you soon.”