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“Yeah, me too,” Niko said. He hesitated. “Hey, Elliott… I wanted to say thanks for what you did back there. And sorry for all the trouble I caused. Getting them out wasn’t about me, but I made it that way.”

Elliott smiled at him, his thin lips curled upward in a warm grin, his eyes sly crescents.

“You didn’t make it about you. I understood.

I would have done the same in your shoes.

I never would have been alright staying back, if it had been Cleo.

I would have given you ten times the hell you gave me.

” His smile widened a fraction. “I hope you know, Niko, how much your happiness means to me. If I’d had to choose, I’d rather they made it home, instead of me. I’m glad they’re safe now.”

“Hey.” Niko took his wrist, interrupting him as he reached up to open the lounge door. “ You’re my home. I’m going to make sure you make it back to me, every time. I’ll never leave you behind.”

They locked gazes for a moment, something intense and profound in the depths of Elliott’s eyes now. Something Niko couldn’t put words to, but felt intrinsically. The unspoken language, old as time itself, that bound two souls together.

Then Elliott turned, opened the door, and slipped into the lounge, Niko dutifully following. On one of the small, round tables was a bucket of ice, atop which lay a chilled bottle of champagne and two wine glasses. Niko grinned at the sight.

Elliott took the bottle, its glass semi-opaque with a layer of clinging condensation.

He unsheathed his lucky knife and tried his hand at slicing off the top.

It took him a few attempts, with Niko giving gentle pointers on how to angle it.

The neck of the bottle broke cleanly on his fifth try, champagne fizzing out onto the floor.

“I liked your method of opening these. It’s very… dramatic.”

He poured two very full glasses, then handed one to Niko.

Niko unlatched his gloves and tossed them onto one of the nearby chairs, then took the glass. The liquid was bright and shimmering. It matched the light in Elliott’s eyes.

“We did it,” Elliott said. “We got your family out safely.”

“Yeah.” Warmth bubbled up through Niko, matching his own glass of champagne. “We did it.”

Elliott raised his glass for a toast. “To you and me.”

Niko clinked his glass against Elliott’s. “To us.” He tipped his head back and swallowed down the entire glass in one go. Elliott laughed, then followed suit. They looked at each other, smiles on their faces.

“Come here.” Niko said, pulling him over against himself. He leaned in and met Elliott in a sensuous kiss. “You taste like champagne,” he mused, his voice turning into a low murmur.

“So do you,” Elliott murmured back.

Niko was lost in his eyes, in the beautiful, living green of them. He leaned in and kissed him again, fingers wandering the wilds of the other man’s hair. Then he moved back to the table and poured them both another glass. Elliott laughed again, and this time they drank more slowly.

“You know…” Niko started. Something came over him then, a joyous impulse born, perhaps, from being a little bit tipsy now.

“We’ll have to think of a way to celebrate, when this is all finally over.

” He set his glass down, then grabbed Elliott and swept him up off the ground suddenly.

Elliott gasped. “Because I want to have a hell of a celebration with you.”

“Niko…”

“You like that, babe?” Niko grinned down at him.

Elliott was laughing in his arms. It was oddly familiar; Niko remembered carrying him when he’d been bleeding out and unconscious on Neema.

It felt so good to be able to carry him now, like this, instead of during any kind of dire situation where Elliott had been wounded and Niko was running for both of their lives. He held him a little tighter.

“I’d like it more if you kissed me,” Elliott said.

“Yes, sir.” Niko leaned down and met him again in another kiss, Elliott draping his arms around his neck now.

“Mmm. Let’s fuck. Right here in the lounge,” Elliott purred in his ear, breath warm. “I’ll make it good for you.” Niko swallowed, heat flushing through him at the thought.

“Can I take a raincheck?” he said, groaning. “I should probably check in on Loolae first, make sure she’s settling in alright, too, after everything.”

Elliott sighed. “Fair point. But I very much intend to collect on that later.”

“Come with me?”

“Where else would I rather be?”

Loolae wasn’t in the room she’d picked, so they went poking around the facility for a while, eventually finding the Xermotl in the training room, where she was inspecting a set of dumbbells.

“Wanted to get a better look at your setup here,” she explained when they approached. “We didn’t have time earlier to do much more than glance around.”

“Yeah. Look around all you want. This might be your home for a little while. I, um, wanted to introduce you guys more formally. Elliott, this is Loolae. My friend and physical therapist. She’s incredible. She helped me get back to myself after I fell.”

Loolae waved a spade-shaped hand flippantly. “Flatterer. You’re the one who did the work, Niko. You’re the one who showed up for yourself. I just helped you through it all.”

“I admire that,” Elliott said.

“Well, regardless, I’m grateful that you kept kicking my ass until I could get back up again. I really needed that. I don’t know that I could have done it without you. Loolae, this is Elliott. My boyfriend. You probably know him better as ‘the Kestrel.’”

Loolae laughed. She turned her four-eyed, golden gaze toward Elliott.

“I think they dropped the formal ‘ the ’ a long time ago. But yes. Kestrel seems to be the colloquial name everyone’s using.

Anyway, it’s a pleasure to meet you in a more peaceful situation this time, Elliott. Thank you again for helping us.”

“The pleasure is mine,” Elliott said. “If you need anything, just ask.”

“I will, thanks.”

“Loolae…” Niko started, deep guilt flooding through him. “About Destination: Reclamation… Don’t worry about your studio. We’ll get you back to it—and your life out there—soon.” I hope, he didn’t add . “We just need you guys to lay low for a while until it’s not dangerous for you anymore.”

Loolae sighed, her patterns fading to blue, briefly.

“I appreciate that. I’ve put a lot of work into that place.

But don’t worry about it right now. I’d spoken with my brother’s wives before, and they both said they’d take care of it if anything ever happened to me.

I’m honestly just grateful for your help.

In the end, that everyone here is alive is what matters. ”

“Thanks, Loolae. And thanks for keeping an eye out for Dad in there. I think he’d be a lot worse off if you hadn’t been there to talk to him and keep him calm.”

The Xermotl’s patterns briefly flushed green, before fading back to a neutral yellow. Was that a blush…? “Don’t worry about it. The truth is, your dad helped me a lot too. He kept me calm as well. He’s really a very kind and thoughtful man.”

“He is,” Niko agreed.

“It’s too bad I didn’t get to meet him other than once in passing before any of this,” Loolae said. “He’s quite enjoyable for conversation and has a big heart. Especially when it comes to you and your brother.”

Niko had no idea the two of them would have even wanted to chat, let alone hit it off as friends, or he would have tried to introduce them earlier.

His father had been so lonely, stuck in a self-perpetuated isolation driven by his wife and son’s deaths.

Having a regular friend certainly wouldn’t have hurt.

“If you ever want some training while we’re here, Niko, let me know,” she said. “This room is perfect for physical therapy.”

“Thanks. I’d like that.” It would be good to get back to regular therapy sessions, but Niko had a feeling the offer would help Loolae just as much as—if not more than—himself. Especially with the loss of her practice and livelihood.

“Well, I’m going to go bug Zann. It’s been a long time since he ever bothered to come say hello, even before all this happened. It’s been good to meet you, Elliott.” She wandered out of the training room on strong, rubbery legs, leaving just the two of them in there now.

Niko looked at Elliott.

Elliott moved closer to him, head tilted. “I was thinking. I want to hit Enva'ruu next. Tomorrow.”

He blinked. “That’s pretty soon. You ready for that after what we just went through?”

“Of course I am,” Elliott said. “Are you?”

“Yeah. I can handle it.”

Elliott eyed him, then glanced around. “Speaking of training. It might be a good idea to prepare. Since we’re in here and you're still in your suit, do you want to?”

“You mean, like, spar?”

“Why not?”

“Sure,” Niko said.

They sparred together for the better part of an hour, training different hand-to-hand techniques against each other, offensive and defensive both.

Niko couldn’t help but find the whole thing rather mechanical and bloodless.

This sort of play-by-play sparring and training had become routine for them in their down time. It was growing stale.

“Sometimes I actually miss the old days a little,” he admitted once they’d paused for a break. “When it was me against you. There was something electrifying about those moments.”

“You miss hunting me, Niko?” Elliott wiped sweat from his brow.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong. I prefer what we have now, by far. But despite everything, didn’t you have a little bit of fun every time we met?”

Elliott grinned now, something wild and indulgent. “Oh, I did. You pissed me off. And were always getting in my way. But you’re right. There was something about those moments. I just really…”

“Felt alive,” Niko finished for him.

“Yes,” Elliott said. They looked at each other for a moment. “Let’s do it again.”

“Fight? Isn’t that what we’ve been doing?”

“No. More than that. I want you to pretend you’re still hunting me.”