The waystation loomed like a skeleton against the bleak Russian expanse. Snow fell in languid spirals, coating the crumbling structure in a fragile veneer of white. The remnants of the war still scarred the landscape, twisted metal and broken stone littering the icy ground. They were two weeks’' walk from the outskirts of St. Petersburg, their progress slowed by Zoey’s reckless crash landing that had significantly damaged their Donnerdrache VTOL.
Inside, the air was bitterly cold, seeping through cracks in the walls and gnawing at their fur and synthetic skin. Etrius had managed to wedge the door shut with a chunk of concrete, but it did little to keep out the chill. The building was a husk of Soviet architecture: gray, stark, and hollow, with remnants of old signage hanging crookedly from rusted nails.
Etrius sat against one wall, his plasma sword resting across his lap. The faint glow of the dormant blade cast a dim light on his massive frame. He cleaned the weapon with meticulous care, his titanium fingers scraping gently against the metal.
Voss huddled on the other side of the room, rubbing her hands together for warmth. Her white fur, streaked with faint lines of bioluminescence, made her almost ghostly in the dimness. The scars that traced her body glowed faintly like dying embers, casting faint shadows on the wall behind her.
"We can’t keep going like this," Voss muttered, her breath misting in the cold air. "If we freeze to death before we get to Rallus, I’m going to haunt Zoey’s dumb ass."
Etrius snorted, setting his sword aside. "She’ll probably just laugh."
Voss curled her legs beneath her, pulling her cloak tighter around her body. "We need to sleep. Even a few hours."
Etrius didn’t answer. His green eyes flicked toward her, lingering on the way her body trembled despite her attempts to hide it. She wasn’t as augmented as he was, her body still relied on flesh and blood to survive. The cold was killing her slowly, draining her strength by the minute.
Without a word, he shrugged off his cloak and crossed the room. Voss looked up, startled, as he draped it over her shoulders. The heavy fabric smelled like him, metal, gunpowder, and something faintly sharp, like ozone.
"You need it more than I do," he muttered, settling down beside her. His massive frame pressed against her side, radiating warmth like a living furnace.
Voss blinked up at him, her red eyes reflecting the faint glow of her scars. "I thought you didn’t want to share."
"I changed my mind," he grumbled, leaning back against the wall. His shoulders sagged, the weight of exhaustion finally settling over him. "Besides, you’re not exactly a threat."
Voss chuckled, her voice rough. "I kicked your ass when we met."
Etrius smirked, his fangs glinting in the dim light. "I let you win."
They sat in silence for a while, the only sound the distant howl of the wind outside. Voss eventually shifted, leaning more heavily against Etrius’s side. He stiffened but didn’t move away, letting her use him as support.
"You’re warmer than I expected," she murmured, her eyes half-lidded with fatigue.
Etrius chuckled, the sound low and resonant. "Side effect of the cybernetics. The piezos keep my body running hot."
Voss sighed, her breath ghosting against his chest. "I could get used to this."
Etrius swallowed hard, his jaw tightening. He wanted to say something, anything to break the strange tension that settled between them. But words failed him. The memory of Ravenna lingered like a shadow, a ghost he couldn’t exorcise.
"I..." He started, then stopped, his throat tight. His metal hand twitched where it rested on his knee.
Voss tilted her head, peering up at him. "What is it?"
Etrius clenched his fists, the plates of his cybernetic arms clicking together. "I don’t know how to do this," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "Be close to you. Not without... remembering her."
Voss reached up, her fingers brushing against the side of his face. Etrius flinched but didn’t pull away. Her touch was soft, gentle despite the calluses on her fingers.
"I’m not her," she said, the same words she’d repeated so many times before. But this time, she didn’t sound frustrated. She sounded sad. "And I don’t expect you to pretend I am."
Etrius exhaled slowly, his chest rising and falling beneath her hand. "I know."
They stayed like that for a long while, the weight of their shared history pressing down on them like an unseen force. Etrius eventually moved, wrapping one massive arm around Voss’s shoulders and pulling her closer. She didn’t resist, nestling into his side with a quiet sigh.
Etrius rested his chin atop her head, his eyes slipping shut. "Just... don’t disappear on me," he muttered.
"I won’t," Voss whispered, her fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt. "I promise."
The storm outside intensified, snow pelting the waystation like shards of glass. The wind screamed through the cracks in the walls, an unrelenting force that rattled the building’s bones. But inside, the world felt smaller, quieter. Etrius and Voss sat together, their bodies pressed close as they shared warmth, their breath mingling in the cold air.
Voss’s head rested against Etrius’s chest, her ears twitching occasionally at the distant howling wind. His steady heartbeat thrummed against her cheek, a low, constant rhythm that grounded her. She closed her eyes, letting herself relax for the first time in days.
"You know," she muttered, her voice muffled by his fur, "I used to think you hated me."
Etrius tilted his head slightly, looking down at her. "I didn’t hate you," he said after a long pause. "I hate that you remind me of her."
Voss nodded, her fingers tracing small, idle patterns along the edge of his shirt. "I get that. I look in the mirror sometimes and feel the same way."
Etrius shifted, his arm tightening around her. "It’s not your fault. You didn’t choose to look like her."
"But it still hurts, doesn’t it?" Voss whispered, her voice barely audible over the wind. "Knowing I carry her face."
Etrius exhaled, the sound heavy and tired. "Yeah," he admitted, his hand rubbing slow circles against her back. "It does."
They fell into silence again, the weight of their shared scars filling the space between them. But something about the quiet was different now - less oppressive, more intimate. Voss’s breathing slowed as she relaxed further into Etrius’s hold, and he let her, his grip gentle but unwavering.
"You don’t have to hold onto that pain forever," Voss said eventually, her fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt. "I’m not going anywhere. And I’m not her."
Etrius lowered his head, his nose brushing against the top of hers. "I know," he murmured, the warmth of his breath ghosting across her face. "I just... don’t know what to do with that."
Voss tilted her head up, their faces inches apart. The faint glow of her eyes reflected in his, casting faint crimson sparks across the emerald depths of his gaze. "You let yourself feel something else," she whispered.
Etrius’s gaze dropped to her lips, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. He didn’t move, but he didn’t pull away either. "I don’t know how," he confessed, his voice barely more than a growl.
Voss smiled, a soft, understanding curve of her mouth. "Then let me show you."
She shifted, her body pressing closer to his. Her fingers traced up his chest, her touch light enough to make his synthetic skin twitch beneath it. Etrius remained still, his muscles taut beneath her hands, but he didn’t stop her.
"Just trust me," Voss whispered, her lips so close to his that he could feel their warmth.
Etrius swallowed hard, his hand rising to cup the back of her head. "I do," he said, the words scraping out of him like they physically hurt to say.
"Good," Voss breathed, leaning in until their noses brushed. "Because I’m not letting you push me away this time."
Her fingers slid up to his jaw, tilting his face down until their foreheads pressed together. They stayed like that for a moment, the air between them charged with an unspoken tension that neither of them seemed ready to break.
Etrius’s chest heaved, his grip tightening in her fur. "Voss..."
"I’m right here," she whispered, her voice steady and sure. "I’m not leaving."
He closed his eyes, his breath shuddering as he finally let himself lean into her touch. "Okay," he whispered, the word a surrender.
Voss smiled, her fingers tracing the line of his jaw. "Okay," she echoed, her voice barely a breath.
Under the dim glow of Voss’s bioluminescent scars, the room's cold faded into irrelevance. Their breathing mingled in shallow, uneven bursts as the space between them vanished entirely. Etrius, massive and imposing, shifted his body, pulling Voss fully into his lap. His arms wrapped around her with careful strength, metal fingers trailing against the soft fur along her spine, eliciting an involuntary shiver.
Voss’s claws dug gently into his back, her body pressing closer, heat radiating from every point of contact. She tilted her head, her muzzle brushing against his jawline before she nipped at his ear. Etrius tensed, a guttural growl vibrating in his chest as his grip tightened, his massive frame dwarfing hers as he shifted beneath her.
Their movements became urgent, every shift of their bodies building friction that sent currents of sensation through them both. Etrius’s metal fingers traced patterns along her back, slowly descending, and Voss leaned into him, her breathing uneven. His other hand cradled her head, holding her steady as their mouths met again, more forcefully, more urgently this time.
Without breaking contact, Etrius repositioned, effortlessly lifting Voss and adjusting her body. His strength made the movement fluid, seamless, as he guided her with an assertiveness that left no room for doubt. Voss responded in kind, her body aligning with his as she pressed down against him, their bodies locking together in a way that left little to the imagination.
Their rhythm escalated quickly, Voss’s claws leaving faint scratches along Etrius’s back as he anchored her in place, his grip unwavering. The force of their movements rattled the decaying frame of the couch, the sound of creaking metal and splintering wood echoing through the room. Etrius's breathing grew rough, low snarls escaping his throat with each motion, but his touch never lost its careful precision, balancing restraint and intensity.
Voss's bioluminescent lines pulsed faintly, her body responding to the flood of sensations as she clung to Etrius, her voice catching with each shift of their bodies. Etrius leaned back slightly, adjusting his position to deepen their connection, and Voss gasped, her body shuddering against him.
They lost themselves in each other, the world outside the waystation dissolving into irrelevance as their movements became more frantic, more desperate. Etrius held Voss as if letting go would break him, his body moving with an unwavering, deliberate force that made his strength undeniable. Voss met him with equal fervor, her body arching as their rhythm reached a relentless pace.
Time blurred, the room filled with the sounds of their combined efforts and the occasional growl or gasp. Neither of them spoke, words would have been meaningless against the intensity of their shared experience. Etrius's grip tightened as he felt Voss's body tense, her claws digging deeper as she pressed against him, their connection reaching an apex that shattered whatever remnants of restraint had remained.
They remained locked together as the echoes of their movements faded, their bodies still pressed close, breathless and trembling. Etrius buried his face against Voss’s neck, his chest rising and falling in heavy, uneven gasps. Voss ran her fingers through his hair, her touch gentle despite the lingering tremors in her limbs.
"I'm still here," she whispered, her voice rough and raw, her body still pressed tightly to his.
Etrius’s grip loosened slightly, though he made no effort to move away. "I know," he muttered, his voice low and exhausted, yet filled with something close to relief.
The storm outside howled through the fractured walls of the waystation, snow piling against the door like a barricade. The dim remnants of twilight faded, leaving only the soft glow of Voss’s bioluminescent scars to cast faint streaks of light across the room. Their bodies remained close, tangled in the aftermath of their shared vulnerability, but the silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable - it was heavy with meaning.
Etrius sat against the wall, his massive frame slack with exhaustion, his synthetic skin streaked with faint scratches from Voss’s claws. She lay against his chest, her fingers drawing slow, absent circles over the smooth plating of his cybernetic arm. The heat of their bodies lingered like an echo, though the cold crept back in at the edges of the room.
For a long while, neither of them spoke. Etrius’s breathing had slowed, his chest rising and falling beneath Voss’s weight, but his green eyes remained distant, fixed on the cracked ceiling as if searching for answers that weren’t there.
"You okay?" Voss whispered, her voice hoarse.
Etrius didn’t answer immediately. His metal fingers flexed against her back, the faint whirr of servos barely audible. "I don’t know," he admitted, his voice rough, like the words scraped against his throat on their way out.
Voss lifted her head, resting her chin against his chest as she looked up at him. "Talk to me," she urged, her tone gentle but firm. "Please."
Etrius shut his eyes, his jaw tightening as his arms reflexively drew her closer. "I never thought I could," he confessed, his voice barely above a growl. "With you."
Voss shifted, sitting up just enough to bring their faces closer. "Because of Ravenna?"
Etrius opened his eyes, and for a moment, the pain that flickered through them was almost unbearable to witness. "She broke me," he admitted, the words sharp and bitter. "I thought... seeing you would always bring that back. That I’d never be able to separate you from her."
Voss cupped his face with both hands, her thumbs brushing against the fur along his jawline. "But you did," she whispered, her eyes searching his. "Even if just for a little while."
Etrius swallowed, his throat working visibly. His shoulders, always so rigid, began to shake, and he clenched his teeth as though trying to hold something in. But the dam had already cracked.
"I didn’t think I deserved it," he muttered, his voice breaking. "Not with you."
Voss’s chest tightened, her fingers threading into his long black hair as she guided his head down until their foreheads touched. "You do," she said fiercely, her voice trembling. "You always did."
Etrius exhaled sharply, his entire body convulsing as something inside him finally gave way. His massive frame curled inward, his arms crushing Voss against him as the first, raw sob tore free. It was a sound so alien, so utterly vulnerable, that Voss froze, her heart shattering at the weight of it.
He cried like a man who hadn’t allowed himself to break - great, heaving sobs that wracked his chest and echoed through the empty room. Streaks of black fluid welled up at the corners of his eyes, staining the white fur of his face as he buried himself against Voss, holding onto her as if letting go would mean falling apart completely.
Voss didn’t speak. She didn’t try to quiet him or offer meaningless reassurances. She simply held him, her fingers carding through his hair, her own tears slipping silently down her cheeks as she rocked him gently.
"It’s okay," she whispered, over and over, her voice steady even as her heart broke for him. "I’m here. I’ve got you."
Etrius held onto her for what felt like hours, his cries eventually fading into ragged breathing, though his grip on her never loosened. He pressed his face against her neck, his body trembling with exhaustion, and Voss continued to hold him, her heart aching with the realization of just how much pain he’d been carrying.
"I’m sorry," Etrius rasped, his voice barely audible.
Voss shook her head, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "Don’t," she whispered. "Don’t apologize. Not for this."
They stayed that way, tangled in each other’s presence, as the storm outside raged on.
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