"I'm alive because the king never knew I was there," Serath explained.

"Serath," Aoi said cautiously. "What the vraka did you do?"

The young healer leaned close but didn't touch Aoi. "You know, Commander, when you use such profane words it sounds sexy and less menacing."

"Stop playing around and tell me what the v—what you did," Aoi said, the warning clear in his voice.

"What are you going to do if you were to get pregnant, Commander?" Serath asked.

"What am I supposed to do, Serath? He is the king, and I am nothing but a servant. But I do not believe he will ever bed me."

I'm just a tool for him to prance around, Aoi thought bitterly.

"Have you thought about what I said?" Serath asked, causing Aoi to open his eyes.

"You've said a lot of things since I've returned. Tell me which one this time."

"No need to be glib, Commander," Serath huffed. "But about your wings. I think there is a way to heal them, and maybe then you will finally know what your abilities are, because every Nyxian has..."

"Enough, Serath," Aoi snapped.

There were missions where Aoi never needed to lift a finger. Then there were the quieter moments, the ones that snuck up on him. Parker made sure he ate. Encouraged him to try new things. Christmas presents that showed he had been paying attention. And whenever Parker had to go out of town for work, he'd call Aoi to check on him, and when he returned home, he always had gifts just for Aoi. They talked, and Aoi opened up enough to tell Parker what it was like growing up with Laxus, but never told him about Bergstrand.

He closed his eyes, gritting his teeth, not making a sound, no matter how many times the whip hissed in the air before landing and stinging his skin. He had become numb to the pain in the past three months since being back. His flesh should have been raw and torn to pieces, but being who he was made it easy for his body to heal after each encounter.