WARNING: Implied sexual content.
~*~
Mirage stared down at Victor, a painful lump swelling in his throat.
Almost every inch of the wizard's body was wrapped in bandages, the few exposed patches of skin horribly bruised and discolored. Only the steady rise and fall of his chest, and the faint thrum across their contract, hinted he might still be alive.
It didn't matter that Victor had been tucked in the corner of the skycraft's infirmary, hidden behind a curtain as if he was something shameful, diseased. At least Hellebore had allowed him to get treated. As of now, such tiny scraps of hope were the best Mirage could cling to.
He gripped his knees tight, digging trembling fingers into the cloth of his pants. The guilt gnawing at his heart was unbearable; he felt like it might swallow him alive.
He wasn't used to feeling this way. He shouldn't be feeling this way. Victor meant nothing to him….
Even as he told himself this, his gaze landed on the bloodied bandage covering Victor's right eye. The guilt wrenched like a knife, cutting off his breath. Victor would never see from that eye again.
Just how much had he given up for Mirage? Years of his life, now half his vision. And for what? What had Mirage ever done for him?
The rustle as the curtain opened provided a welcome distraction. Hellebore's doctor waddled his way inside, the corpulent folds of his body jiggling. "That's it for visiting time," he declared. "Now if you'd leave me with the patient?"
Mirage reluctantly rose to his feet, though he threw a suspicious glare at the bottle of sludgy potion in the doctor's hand. "What is that? Do you even know how to treat a human?"
The doctor bristled. "Are you questioning my credentials, Lieutenant? Now shoo, please. Your superior is requesting you report to her."
He waved his free hand at Mirage, a clear dismissal. Mirage couldn't resist pulling a nasty face at the doctor before spinning on his heel and stomping out of the infirmary.
The doctor ordering him around should have rankled more than it did. Shortly after he'd tired of beating up on Victor, Hellebore had stripped Mirage of his captain's rank and demoted him all the way down to lieutenant. Everything he'd worked so hard for, ripped away in a flash.
Of course it bothered him, but not nearly as much as seeing Victor unconscious and injured. Because of him.
Still, he wasn't looking forward to reporting to a new commander. He debated with himself whether he should take his time getting there, or if he should try to make a good impression by being punctual.
In the end, he opted for the latter. No need to make things more difficult than they had to be. So it wasn't long before he found himself in one of the skycraft's side bays, facing a tiny demon with skinny purple braids bobbing behind her head like the legs of a spider.
Mirage stared at the fancy epaulets on her shoulders, exactly like the ones that had once adorned his own uniform. And stared.
"Hey, Lieutenant!" Lyura Tepi snapped her fingers in his face. "Salute your captain, will you?"
With great effort, Mirage managed to unstick his jaw. "You – what the hell are you doing here?"
This time, Lyura flicked him on the forehead. It hurt rather more than he'd like to admit. "That's Captain Tepi to you, Lieutenant! Why're you so surprised anyway? I got here the same way you did, through the Liminal. Though it looks like I didn't take the scenic route."
As she unleashed a tide of raucous giggles, Mirage did his best not to groan. Well, this did explain why Hellebore knew so much about what had happened on Earth.
"Okay, but how are you already a captain?"
"The real question's how you only made captain after what, five whole years?" More violent giggling. "And oh, hold on a minute, you're not even a captain anymore. Salute, Lieutenant! That's an order!"
Every inch of Mirage's pride screamed at him not to give in. The day when he of all people had to bow to this ridiculous little imp – but the anger flared out quickly, brief as a shooting star. He only had to remember Victor prone and helpless in bed, tended to by a quack of a doctor and surrounded by demons who would gladly eat him alive.
So Mirage swallowed down his disgust, and the last tattered shreds of his pride, and saluted Lyura with fist to chest. "Lieutenant Mirage reporting fit for duty, Captain Tepi."
~*~
General Hellebore leaned back in his throne, sighing in satisfaction.
Nothing like relaxing in his quarters after a long day's work. Greenery grown from his own Levia carpeted the floor and walls, from fat squirming vines to man-sized pitchers to his signature hellebore flowers, their dark petals glistening with poison. His throne was more like a hammock woven from vines, swaying comfortably beneath his weight.
Best of all was the man suspended from vines in the center of the room, his silver hair a ruffled mess and various fluids still splattering his body. Nothing beat seeing Veratrum like this. Hellebore definitely preferred it over the nag who pestered him the rest of the time.
Not only had he gotten to have some fun with Veratrum, he'd gotten to beat the shit out of a human. Hellebore pressed his knuckles to his cheek, smirking as he remembered the satisfying thud of his fists slamming into black armor.
Still, he kind of wished the human had put up more of a fight. Not even your average demon could wield a dragon scale armor, so he'd figured the human had to be the cream of the crop when it came to his pathetic people.
Oh, well. After climbing his way to the top, Hellebore had long given up on finding a worthy opponent. Except the Infernal Lord himself, if he was feeling suicidal anyway.
And even if the human hadn't given him a good fight, he'd been worth some good laughs. Hellebore's smirk widened as he remembered the pink-haired demon struggling against the soldiers holding him back, hysterically screaming the human's name.
"Fucking pathetic, isn't it?" Hellebore chortled. "Guess the whore really didn't want us ruining his toy."
When the vines creaked in front of Hellebore, he blinked. Veratrum had turned around in his restraints to face him, blinking bleary purple eyes.
Huh, here Hellebore had thought he was still completely out of it. "What's up, Vera?"
"Gen...General." Veratrum's voice came out hoarse and rasping, which made dark delight bubble inside Hellebore. "Is it wise...welcoming him back into the Legion?"
"What harm can he do?" Hellebore shrugged. "Could always use some entertainment around here."
Veratrum scoffed a little. "If you say so, General."
Really, Hellebore ought to punish him for this flagrant insubordination – but the general was still in too good a mood. It was kind of cute, anyway.
"By the way," Veratrum continued. "About the matter which I came to report…."
"Huh?" Hellebore leaned forward, blinking innocently. "You didn't come here just to play?"
He was rewarded with a brilliant blush flooding Veratrum's face. Sputtering indignantly, the aide twisted around in a vain attempt to turn away from Hellebore.
"Of course not, General! I had a report of the utmost importance!"
"Well, let's hear it." Hellebore rolled his eyes. Knowing Vera, it was probably some dull shit involving logistics or whatnot. He delegated all that nonsense for a reason.
"Yes, sir." Veratrum tugged at the vines, as if making a halfhearted attempt to escape. Which Hellebore wouldn't lie, he found absolutely adorable. "You see...I've finished the final adjustments to the Levia extraction machine."
"You have?" Just like that, Hellebore's muscles snapped to taut attention.
A faint smirk flicked up Veratrum's lips. "Yes, General. Just a couple more tests, and it should be ready to go."
Hellebore breathed out, triumph tingling through every nerve. At last. Having himself some fun was fine and all, but nothing beat the thrill of carrying out a mission. Especially one he'd waited for years to see to fruition.
"Well done," he said with relish, reaching out to stroke Veratrum's cheek. "I can always count on you, Vera."
Veratrum's eyes widened, practically sparkling. "Thank you, General," he whispered, and the adoration quivering in his voice made Hellebore laugh out loud.
Yes, he couldn't ask for a better toy.