Hours later, the two teenagers were resting, naked in each other's arms. Rurik was on his back, while Luna's head was nestled against his shoulder, her arm draped over his chest.
"So… What just happened…?" Rurik panted slightly, a slightly confused look in his eyes.
Luna giggled tiredly, yet with a strange tremble in her voice, "W— Well, when a boy and a girl like each other very much…"
Rurik rolled his eyes and turned his head to look at her, "You know what I mean, you—"
"Luna!" he cried out as his eyes widened when he noticed the tears streaming down her face. He quickly tried to sit up, "I—"
But she interrupted him with a short, slightly sobbing laugh as she pushed him back down, "I'm fine! They're happy tears…"
Rurik looked worried, but he still settled back down. He did, however, use his other hand to start wiping away her tears, causing Luna to giggle. Unfortunately, his gesture only seemed to make her cry harder.
Finally, he gave up and looked at her with a complicated gaze. For a moment they fell into silence, as Rurik appeared lost in thought, while Luna waited patiently.
"We… Do need to talk about what happened…" he finally muttered, a little unwillingly, after of ruining the moment. "I nearly attacked you, and you… I still don't understand why you acted that way."
Luna nodded with a complicated expression. Then she sighed, and settled back into his chest. "I— I'm not sure either…" she began in a worried tone. "It started so subtly that I barely noticed, and by the time I realized what was going on, it was already too late."
She shuddered slightly, as if it hurt to think about. "It was like… watching myself from the outside. I knew somewhere that it was all wrong, that I loved you, and wouldn't leave you for anything, but as soon as those thoughts reached the front of my mind they were shattered by indifference. Any desire to talk about it was crushed in the same way."
Her voice became a little softer, "By the end, the little voice that knew what was going on had become so quiet that I barely heard her anymore. And that was when I decided to leave. The indifferent me couldn't see a good reason to stay, while the tiny part that still loved you had become numb with pain from watching you slip away from me."
Nearing the end of her explanation, she became livelier. Now smiling as she looked up at him, "But then you kissed me, and I could feel the indifference trembling! Finally, I saw an opening, and I grabbed it with both hands!"
She sat up and planted her hands on his chest. Despite her smile, tears once again started to form in her eyes, "I'm so glad you didn't let me leave… A life with no you and only indifference sounds absolutely horrifying, and terribly boring!"
Rurik listened to her explanation with brows furrowed in concern. He didn't doubt her words for a moment, as such was the bond between them. When she was done, he became sombre, "What do you think caused it? Will it happen again?"
She shook her head and lowered herself again. Now she was hugging his wide chest with both arms, while she rubbed her cheek against it contentedly. "I have no idea," she sighed. "All I know is that it's completely gone now. All I feel is love for you, and excitement for our future together."
With a smile, Rurik wrapped his arms around her, "Good. So do I…"
They fell into a comfortable silence, where they simply enjoyed each other's company.
Yet, eventually, Luna raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth again. "But you weren't entirely unaffected by this either, right? I mean, I'm glad that you did, but there's no way you would have been so aggressive towards me otherwise. Others, sure, but not me."
A little wryly, Rurik sighed and nodded. He'd wanted to delay this discussion a little, but he knew it would have to come soon. After what just happened, they were both reminded of the importance of communication.
"You're right… There was something strange going on with me, too," he began sombrely. Slowly, he told her about his inordinate craving for sex and the lust that had begun to rampage inside him for the last few months.
After he was done, they started brainstorming about the cause. "It's got to have something to do with our abilities, right?" Luna mumbled thoughtfully. "But why would it be solved by having sex with each other? And will it return?"
Although they hadn't yet discovered any ability for Rurik, they knew he had to be special in some way as well. So far, they had assumed that either his ability was some kind of immunity, or they simply hadn't discovered what it was yet, and the immunity was just a byproduct.
Strangely, Rurik remained surprisingly quiet after Luna mentioned it was solved now. His lips were pursed wryly.
Noticing his silence, Luna looked up with a raised eyebrow. "Rurik? It 'is' solved, right?"
A little awkwardly, Rurik avoided her gaze, a wry smirk on his lips. "It's… soothed, for now, but I can still feel it in the back of my mind, building up once again."
Finally, he looked back at her curiously, "Isn't it the same for you?"
But Luna shook her head with a worried frown, "It's not. I don't notice anything anymore. I can't be sure it won't return, but I feel no trace of building indifference in my mind."
Once again, a thoughtful silence descended upon them. They looked into each other's eyes with worry. It wasn't just Rurik's situation they were concerned about, but both of them realized this might not be the last negative consequence they encounter as a result of their abilities.
Yet, eventually, Luna sighed, before leaning over and kissing Rurik softly. "Well, whatever. We'll deal with whatever comes together, right?"
"Right," Rurik grinned confidently. So long as Luna was by his side, he felt like he could do anything, and it was the same for her.
"In the meantime," Luna continued with a mischievous grin. "Dealing with your lust shouldn't be too difficult… You already had most of the girls in the orphanage eating out of your hand. I'm sure we could build you a harem to keep you satisfied."
"You—!" Rurik exclaimed, eyes practically bulging out of his head. He looked at her strangely, unsure what to say. On the one hand, he wanted to kiss her and get started on his harem straight away… on the other hand, he didn't wat to hurt Luna, especially not after what just happened.
"Don't look at me like that," Luna smirked playfully as she traced lines on his chest with her finger. "It's you and me against the world, my love. The rest doesn't matter. I'll do whatever it takes to keep you sane and by my side."
"I don't want you to force yourself," Rurik frowned sternly. "Maybe we can manage it with just the two of us, I—"
"Shhh," Luna interrupted him by putting her finger on his lips with a lustful grin. Then she leaned closer to purr enticingly into his ear, "I'm not forcing myself, stud~~ I happen to think it would be hot to see you fuck someone else, hehehe~~"
* * *
"Luna!" a nine-year-old Rurik exclaimed, startling himself awake. His wide eyes stared into the dark. It took him a moment to recognize the cottage he occupied with his mother and little sisters… back at the royal compound of Harald Hardrada, a thousand years in the past.