Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Xeno didn't know how we even survived the last year. Fighting the Gods, Wasteland Warriors, and even Doctor Doom. At least his girlfriend was by his side.

Hope Kanemi. Known as the hero of their home island. She stopped all of the foes they fought. But now they were on a boat with Jones, sailing to this new island.
His wings twitched nervously as he lay on his back, staring at the setting sun. "Hey." He heard his lover call out to him. "What're you doing up here?" She smiled as Xeno suddenly became full of energy, his eyes lighting up as he practically tackled her. "Watch it!" She teased as he snuggled close to her, placing a quick kiss on her lips.
Hope wrapped her arms around him, gently tracing patterns on his back as she held the shorter boy. His gray wings wrapped around her, enveloping both of them in a warm embrace they didn't wanna end.

"Your wings are fluffier." Hope observed, placing her chin on top of his head lovingly. "They are. Started washing them better, and going on flights to dry them." He said, nuzzling closer to her, listening to the sound of the ocean around them. "I love you." Hope whispered, her hold on him growing slightly tighter. "I'll never let anyone hurt you, Xeno." She looked at the bandages around his left wing, remembering how he had fallen out of the sky.
"Hope. Going Berzerk takes a chunk of my stamina. Me falling couldn't be prevented. Stop going to the place in your head where you blame yourself." Xeno looked up at her with those big green and brown eyes of his.

"I couldn't save them." Her blue eyes flashed with guilt. "Oryx died because of me." She sniffled, holding onto her lover tighter. Xeno sighed. "It wasn't your fault. They chose to be the distraction for Zeus. They wanted to be the sacrifice. He reassured her, snuggling close to Hope, letting out a soft chirp of content.
He usually let out soft chirps that sounded like a little gleep when he was content, and it made Hope's heart melt.

"Hey, lovebirds! I made sandwiches!" Jones shouted at them, before going back below deck. "I'll get them." Xeno offered, pulling away from her embrace before going below deck. "Hey, Jones." Xeno greeted, grabbing 2 sandwiches, one for himself, and one for Hope. "Xeno. Keep her safe, alright? She knows the truth now.. It would be like her to look into it." Jones said as Xeno nodded. "You have my word." The Demigod said, patting Jones on the back with a wing before leaving.

He sat down, passing Hope a sandwich. Xeno began to nibble on his own sandwich as he looked at the sapphire-blue sea around them. He felt his lover lightly caress his wing. "You're worried about something, huh?" She asked as he gazed up at her, his head resting in her lap. "...What if this... New beginning... Goes wrong?" He took a bite of the sandwich, setting it down. "Hey, Xeno... It's gonna be fine. This is gonna be good for both of us." Hope reassured, patting his head. They finished eating and swapped places with Jones for the night, letting him on steering rotation. Xeno got a quick shower and curled up on the bottom bunk of the bed, with Hope sliding next to him, holding her boyfriend close as the moon set and the sun rose.

-/★\-The next morning-/★\-

Xeno quietly woke up, going above deck to take over. Jones went below deck and climbed to the top of the bunkbed, falling asleep. Xeno steered the boat, making sure the waves weren't gonna make them sink.

As he did so, he spread his wings as the ocean breeze parted around him. Xeno smiled as he gazed out at the ocean in front of him, before seeing the far away, faint outline of a beach in front of the boat. He rushed downstairs and saw Hope and Jones, with Hope drawing, and Jones cooking something for everyone.

"Land!" Xeno exclaimed, as they followed him above deck. "Oh my gosh.." Hope whispered to herself. "We're close. We'll make it there tomorrow morning." Jones said. "Pack up, you 2." Hope went below deck with Xeno. Xeno finished whatever Jones was cooking and divided it between them, taking a plate to everyone.
"Whatever this is, it's good. I'll have to thank Jones for this too." Hope said. "Thank you, too, chefboy." She smiled at him. "We both know that the only thing I can actually cook is the ramen you like." He said. "No ramen in 2 weeks.." Hope sighed, pretending to be sad. "I'm not cooking it for you because it might spill and burn you!" Xeno told her. "As soon as we make it ashore you have to." Hope said. Xeno nodded. "Deal."

They finished eating and went above deck to draw together, watching Jones steer the boat.

Almost to the new island. Great..

Chapter Text

They arrived on the southeastern coast of the new island, around 5 in the morning. Now they were wandering, looking for a temporary home. Traveling as the sun began to rise, Hope got map data downloaded, and looked at the island name.

"Oninoshima.. Island of Demons.." She whispered to herself.

"Hope. The island is called Hermes."

"It can have two names, Xeno."

"Nuh uh."

" Last island was Helios and Kamigamishima, Island of Gods."
She countered as he crossed his arms. "Okay, okay.. You're right.." He agreed. Hope looked at her map as they neared a town. "Hopeful Heights." Hope told the boys walking behind her. "We're gonna live here."

-/★\-

Jones walked towards a neighboring house while Xeno and Hope walked into a small, 3-floor building.

"We can work here, Xeno. There's a house for us next-door. C'mon." She said, smiling. The duo walked next-door and went in the house. It was small, one bedroom, two bathroom. It had a large kitchen though, and to be fair, the bed and bathroom were large too.

Xeno's problem was that the bed was too close to the floor.

Hope's problem was that there wasn't a free room.

Xeno set down their bags and unpacked his two. He unpacked his favorite blanket and set it aside as he got the sheets out for the king-size bed. He changed the sheets and pillowcases before setting his blanket and fox plushie on the bed.
Hope glanced over at her boyfriend, amused. "What a little malewife you are." She teased, grinning as she watched his face grow a bright teal color. "I am not a malewife." He responded. "I'm just sensitive.. and I like being the little spoon, but that's unrelated!" Xeno told her, sitting on the bed.
Hope sat next to him and unpacked her bag, putting a much bigger, dark blue blanket on the bed. the fluffy one Xeno liked to curl up in. He pounced on the blanket and curled up in it, letting out the soft gleep sound he made when he 'chirped.'

Hope set her black cat plushie on his head as he looked up at her with a face that made her heart twist with love and affection for the boy. Because seriously, he was the cutest little thing ever.

Xeno got out the posters he rolled up and pinned them on the wall. Some were artists that he and Hope enjoyed, like Twenty One Pilots and The Offspring, and the others were just game or movie posters, like the game NieR: Automata, or the 3rd Sonic the Hedgehog movie. Other things on the wall were just drawings they had made, or the wanted posters that the Society had put up.

-/★\-

After they got everything unpacked, the couple lyed on the bed for a second, all cuddled up together. Xeno was yapping the fuck out of Hope while she lyed there and listened. Jones walked in the door and called for them, before coming upstairs. "Jonesy!!" Xeno exclaimed, standing up and hugging Jones briefly, before returning to his spot. Hope laughed for a moment, ruffling Xeno's hair. "Yes, Jones?" She asked. "Looks like you guys are all comfy." He raised an eyebrow, looking around the room. "Anyways, theres this cat-" "Theres a cat!?" Hope looked at Jones. "Yes, Hope. Theres a cat. He's.. Well, he's a cat-ninja." Jones told them, taking a seat in the chair next to their desk. "I'm gonna go meet them! Come with me, Xeno!" Hope said, going outside.

It was a white and orange cat in a big blue jacket. His right hand was robotic, and his tail converged into 2 tails, right in the middle. The ninja came to meet Hope and Xeno. "Hey there! I'm Nyanja! Never seen you guys around here. Y'all new to the island?" He asked. "Nice to meet you, Nyanja. I'm Hope, and this is my boyfriend, Xeno." Hope told the cat. "Welcome to Oninoshima, then!" Xeno smiled and shook his paw. "What happened to your paw, if you dont mind me asking..?" Xeno asked. "I was trying to fight the Night Rose, and the Mask shot a fireball at my paw. Had to get it amputated." Nyanja explained. "Yeesh. Did it hurt?" Hope questioned, inviting him inside their house.

"It did. Bled a lot. But, y'know what they say, 'Sometimes you gotta bleed, to know that you're alive and have a soul.'" Nyanja let out a meow that sounded like a chuckle. "Wait- Nyanja, that was a song lyric! From Tear in my Heart! By Twenty One Pilots!" Xeno smiled as Nyanja turned to Hope, saying, "Your boyfriend's a Clikkie, huh?" "Yeah, we usually just listen to Twenty One Pilots, hyperpop, or alt rock." Hope explained. "Sorry if he's too hyper, Nyanja. He hasn't taken his meds today." She glanced at her lover, who was yapping again.

"It's alright, Hope." The twintailed cat checked his phone, seeing the time. "I gotta be going, but let me give you both my number. Nyanja put his number in their phones, and with a flick of his tail as he shut the door, he was gone.

Chapter Text

"I'm telling you, if I catch a glimpse of Mae Borowski, I am saying hi."

Hope sighed. "Xeno. We are not in Possum Springs. This is not Night In The Woods. Respectfully, shut the fuck up." She looked at him, his gray wings slightly drooping. "Shit, was that too much..? Was I too mean?" She asked, worried. "No, it's fine. I can tell what you mean." Hope ruffled his hair, hearing him gleep.

"Dammit, you're so adorable that it's hard for me to be pissed at you."

"I know."

They walked for another few minutes before seeing the trees around them slowly shift to have purple leaves. "Hope, why are we here in the first place?" The boy with half-green hair asked. "I'm not too sure..? I think there was some 'I fight demons' person here." She explained. "Well, I'm tired as hell." "You can sleep whenever we get home." He groaned, "We could've, and should've, driven here..!" Hope raised an eyebrow at him, amused. "You can't drive, and I don't have a car." She stated the obvious.
"Steal a car," Xeno suggested, "I know how to successfully lockpick a car door and get away with it." He looked at his lover, his gray wing gently patting her on the back. "I swear on the sun and the stars, you were an escaped convict with 17 felonies in a past life." Hope sighed, her blue gaze flickering to the cut beneath his left eye, before returning bact to eye contact. "Who knows, maybe or maybe not..!" He said, smiling at her. "You worry me, Xeno."

Hope pulled up the map, checking where they were at. "I think we're here." She whispered as she went down a zipline, to get off the cliff. As Xeno landed beside her, he saw a demon come out of a portal nearby. "So.. Wannabe demon slayer wonderboy is here?" "Yeah. He's chill.. I think. Nyanja knows him.. So I assumed.." Hope looked at the demon, and the person fighting it. "Yeah, that's him." As they got closer, Hope readied her katana, and Xeno took the safety off of his Fury Assault Rifle.

-/★\-

"Well shit," The Oni hunter said to Hope and Xeno, "You guys are the pair that Mr Capri-Sun told me about. I'm Kendo." He held a hand out for them to shake. "Good to meet you. I'm Hope, and this is Xeno." Kendo's gaze averted to Xeno. "You sound like you would be a fucking alien." Xeno rolled his eyes. "Okay, Tanjiro Knockoff." The Demigod taunted. "Try me, you fuckboy dupe." Xeno lunged at Kendo, being held back by Hope. "He's not the enemy, Xeno! He's an ally.. One that can help us!" The blue-haired girl moved her boyfriend aside, turning to the Oni hunter.

"I'm sorry about him. Where were we?" "The part where I lead you both to the home of some friends. Trust me, you need to meet them." Kendo said, pulling up his map and marking the location.

"So.. Demon slayer man? Who are these 'friends' of yours?" Xeno asked.

"Ohh, right. One is super famous. Like, ridiculously famous. She's a singer." Kendo explained. "Tyler Josep- Oh wait, you said 'she.' Uhh.. Is it.. Billie Eilish?" Xeno guessed. "Not even close. Anyways, there's this other one.. A demon.. I think? Small, quiet.. Has scars on either side of her mouth.. Poor kid.. She showed up like that.." Hope's expression softened. "Kid? How old is she..?" Hope asked, gently moving to hold Xeno's hand. "Not sure. She looks.. Like, 16? 17?" Kendo explained. "Damn.." Xeno sighed. "I.. Can try to talk to her..? May-Maybe she'll trust me..?"

"Then there are these other two. Never met them, honestly, but one is a criminal, and the other is.. freaky, to say the least, so maybe you'll both like them." Kendo said with a shrug, getting a low growl from Xeno. "Ah, we're here!" He unlocked the door.

"Kendo..? Is that you?" A voice said, moving to the main hall. A girl with 2 teal pigtails looked at them. "Holy fucking hell.." Xeno said, "Are you Miku? Please, please please tell me you're her..!" He said, excited. "Yep, I am!" She replied. "I'm such a huge fan! I really love your mus-" "Okay, fanboy, calm down." Hope placed a hand on his shoulder, rolling her eyes and smiling. "I'm Xeno.. This is my partner, Hope.." He said to the celebrity. "Good to meet you."

"Miku. May we speak to scarface?" Kendo asked.

"Don't call her that-" Xeno put a hand on Kendo's shoulder, a warning. "You don't even know her!" He retorted. Xeno stepped away, looking at Miku. "I.. Would like to talk to her.. Whoever she is." He said to her. "Xeno, what are your intentions..?" "I want to understand what happened to her. I- I have a feeling.. I just want to know if I'm right." He sighed. "Let me go tell her you're coming." Miku got up and left.

-/★\-

"Hey.. Kid?" The Demigod opened the sliding door slowly, folding his wings inward to fit in the door. He kept the door open, sitting across the room from the girl. "I'm Xeno. What's your name..?" She moved to look at him, The lower half of her face covered. She spoke, the sound getting muffled by the pillow. "Hm?" Xeno hummed in question, not quite hearing her. "..Miki." She said, moving the face covering away for a moment, but still concealing her lower face.

"Miki.. That's a nice name. It means 'beautiful' in Japanese, right?" He asked, smiling as she nodded.
"I heard what happened. With the scars and everything, I mean." He told Miki. "Believe it or not, but, I understand you, kiddo. I had scars that I thought would make me less.. everything, at least to the eyes of my girlfriend. But, under circumstances, she found out, and said that "It doesn't matter what scars you have, What matters is that you're a good person." He told the kuchisake-onna.

"And you," He looked at her, "I believe that you're a good person. No matter what wounds you may have. Miki.. Don't let anyone give you shit over how you look. I believe your name fits you. And, if someone can't see past your appearance? Tell me, I'll beat the hate outta them." He joked, seeing her move the pillow away from her face, letting him see the cuts on either side of her mouth.

Xeno's gaze softened. "..How recent.. are those?" He got a shrug from her. "Maybe.. 3.. or 4 days?" "It hurts to speak, huh?" He slowly stood up and grabbed a med-kit, seeing Miki nod. "Right, shoulda guessed." The Demigod took some stuff out of the med-kit and set it next to her on the bed, before going back to his spot across the room from her.
He showed her what to do, and told her to ask Miku if she needed more help. "I really should be going. It was good meeting you, kid. May the gods watch over you." He said, shutting the sliding door to her room.

-/★\-

"Dammit, Kendo!" Hope yelled. "Shut. The. Hell. Up!" Xeno walked in, seeing Kendo and Hope arguing. "Hey! Back away from her!" The boy shouted at the oni hunter. "I was just trying to-" "Fuck you." Xeno said, grabbing Hope's hand and leaving the small house. "Did he hurt you at all?" He asked, when they were pretty far from the house. "No, I'm fine.." Hope said, to which Xeno asked, "What happened, darling?"

"It's nothing. He was just taunting me, that's all." She tugged on the sleeves of the jacket she decided to wear. "I'm surprised the kid didn't hear you two arguing." "Yeah.."

They arrived back home at Hopeful Heights, and by now it was around 2am. Xeno got inside and changed, before snuggling up to Hope and falling asleep.

Hope stayed up for a bit, one hand mindlessly caressing Xeno's back, and the other scrolling through pictures on her phone. She smiled at the one where Xeno and her were at the Nitrodrome. She scrolled a bit more, finding an old picture of her and her sister when they were younger.

"Shit.." Hope mumbled, feeling tears well up in her eyes the more she looked at the picture. She shut off her phone, quietly cuddling up to Xeno, quickly falling asleep.

Chapter Text

He couldn't sleep.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't sleep.

'Is this a curse? Or some kind of punishment?' He thinks, looking for the body he's used to being snuggled against, but finding nothing.

He had barely rested throughout the night.
She had probably held him for a while, and pulled away at some point.

Or had he pissed her off too much that day?

Sure, he had the urge to kill Kendo at some point, but had it been that bad?

He sighed, going to the window of their bedroom. It was one of those fantasy windows, where you can dangle your legs outside and sit comfortably. It was the spot where they stayed up on their first night, gazing at the stars above and talking about the future.

'What if we're drifting apart?' He thinks. 'What if we aren't the perfect couple?'

What if.

What if.

He holds a pillow close to himself, sniffling as he buries his face in it. Is 'What if' all he can think?

'You're not good enough for her.' He thinks.

Does he though?

Does Xeno really think that?

It's more like he's being convinced.

Damn it. Damn it all to Tartarus. Why now, of all times, is he unsure of everything? Why does he feel like everything is going wrong? He turns to look at his lover, sleeping peacefully, unaware of her boyfriend's inner turmoil.
'She looks.. happier without you next to her.'
'She didn't wake up when you moved away, like she usually would.'

'She doesn't care about you.'

'She doesn't care about you.'

"Shut up!" Xeno yells, accidentally waking up his.. nevermind.

"Shut up, shut up, Shut up!" He yells, holding the pillow closer as his wings curl around himself, a meaningless act of comfort. He could feel heat. He felt his arm ache as his nails dug into his flesh, his flames heating up the skin.

And that was all he remembered.

-/★\- The next morning. -/★\-

He was laying down on the bed. His eyes slowly opened, seeing his arm wrapped in bandages as he sat up, seeing a blonde man and a blue-haired woman in the corner of the room, talking. His head throbbed, as if he was getting a lobotomy. "What in the everloving hell happened..?" He groaned, bringing an arm over his eyes as he fell back, letting his head hit the pillow underneath him.

"Good morning to you too, love." "Don't-"

"Jones stayed the whole night. We were worried about you." Hope explained. "I'm sorry. I'm fine now." Xeno lied. "After that.. Fucking crisis you just had 4 hours ago? How about you tell me the whole truth! Tell me, Xeno!" Hope said, crossing the room and sitting in front of him.

"I don't know, okay! I- I'm fucked up! I can't help but think about us." He said, tears beginning to form in his eyes. "Like what?" Hope asked, watching as Jones began to leave.
"Us, as in 'there's a voice in my head trying to convince me that you don't love me.' Us as in, 'what if we arent meant to be?' Us as in 'I don't know what's happening to us.'"

Hope wrapped her arms around Xeno, feeling him slowly relax in her embrace, feeling him break down. He cried into her shoulder, hearing her say words of reassurance. She rubbed his back and cradled his head against her, placing soft kisses to his forehead.
"I don't deserve you.. I'm a shitty person.." He managed to string together through his sobs. "Hey.. Baby, no.. I love you so much.. You're such a good person, and a better boyfriend.. You deserve me, Xeno. You deserve a chance to be happy.. You deserve the sun and the stars." Gently moving his head from her shoulder, Hope held his face tenderly, brushing the tears from his eyes. She gazed at him with a look that told him what he needed to hear, even without anyone saying it.

"I'll never leave you. Not ever."

Chapter Text

It's been 2 weeks since the incident where Xeno was overthinking too much. He talked to Hope about everything, how he was scared for their future together, and how he couldn't keep his mind off of everything that's happened recently. But Hope understood him. She wasn't going anywhere.

-/★\-

Xeno was asleep, curled up in the blankets. Hope was awake, staring at the ceiling. She could feel the warmth of her lover's body next to her, glancing at the demigod as he slept. He had a wing and an arm draped around her, his head resting on a pillow. Hope smiled at the sight of the boy, hearing him sigh softly as her arms wrapped around him. She wished sleep could be easy. ’I deserve not being able to sleep.’ She thought, remembering how she hurt her sister. “That’s why she’s not answering my calls. Gods above, I’m such a bad sister..” Hope said, sitting up and going to the bathroom. She stared into the mirror, looking at her reflection. To believe she’s changed so much in the years since she split from the Society.

7 Years before. Hope is 16 years old.

“Guards,” Valeria said with a rather annoyed tone, “Bring me my little brother.” The pink-haired woman looked up from her research and glared at the guards in her study room. The guards left her room and came back a moment later, dragging Valeria’s younger sibling in. “Hello, dear brother. Can you help me with this before the meeting that’s being held this evening?” She asked, looking at them. The blue-haired teenager shifted on their feet. “Well, Valy, I was going to go stargazing on the roof later-“ “No, Helix, you have to come to this meeting. It’s important.” Valeria said as her younger sibling pulled up a chair and sighed. “Why doesn’t Cecropia have to come?” Helix shot their older sister a look. “They’re out with a friend.” Valeria picked up the pen and tapped it against the page. “But whenever I try to go hang out with my friends, you say ‘Oh no, Helix, there’s a meeting!’” Helix protested, sighing and sitting next to their older sister reluctantly.

“It’s gonna take forever to get this damn code right!” “Language, Helix.” “I’m 16, Valy! I can say what I want!” Valeria sighed. “Whatever.” “See, Valy? This is how you’re supposed to write down these letters.” Hope looked at her. Gesturing to the page they were writing on. “Right. I think I got it now. Thank you, Helix. Go get ready for the meeting.” Valeria waved off her younger sibling as they went downstairs into their bedroom. “Damn Society meetings…” Helix muttered, rummaging through drawers for something to wear. They settled on a biker jacket and blue turtleneck, putting on some baggy jeans as well. They passed well enough, but the thing they’re working on is getting the funds to transition. “Just a bit more money. Then I can do it.”

“Helix!” Valeria called out, “We’re leaving!” So they went along, eventually arriving to Nisha’s estate in Fencing Fields. “Oh, hey, Nisha!” They said happily as they saw the fencer. “Hello, Hope. Nice to see you.” Helix let out a soft smile at the use of their preferred name. Helix went in the meeting room and took their spot next to Valeria. “So. Let’s discuss the rebels on the island.” Montague began. “They’ve been such a pain in the ass. There are few of them, but still a pain to deal with.” Oscar looked at the French thief. “Find them and kill them. That easy.” “Drive them out of hiding and then kill them.” Helix looked at the Society members in shock. “You’re gonna kill innocent people!?” They fidgeted with one of the bracelets around their wrist. “They’re trying to take us down!” Valeria said to her sibling, rolling her eyes as her younger sibling stood up. “Maybe think that you guys are the bad ones!” They slammed their hands on the meeting table, glaring at Montague and Oscar. “Instead of killing the innocent, stop and look at the island! Look at the damage that the Society is doing!” Oscar stood up as well, beginning to shout. “We’re the bad ones? They can’t accept change to the island!” “You rich, pompous shitheads! Fuck you, then! Fuck all of you!” Helix stormed out of the meeting room. “Wait, Helix-“ Valeria started, but they were already out the door.

“Gotta fucking leave..” They muttered, getting in their sister’s car and going back to their house. They pulled into the driveway of their mansion in the northwestern corner of Helios, putting essentials into a small bag shaped like a cat. Before leaving, Helix snuck upstairs, taking all the money in Valeria’s vault. They’ll never go back to the Society again. But… What about Cecropia? They’re the only one that cared about Helix, the only one that bothered to talk to them and spend time together. Fuck it, they’ll deal with that later.

-/★\-

Back to present day.

Hope layed back down on the bed, gently lifting Xeno’s wing and curling up under it. Sure, she missed Cecropia, and Valeria too, but would Val even want to see her after everything? Probably not. If only there was a universe where they were still on good terms.

The next morning, she was woken up by the scent of food coming from downstairs. She quickly threw on some new clothes and headed downstairs to see Xeno cooking. “Good morning, dearest!” He said as Hope rested her chin on the top of his head.

“What’re you making?”

“Your favorite.”

Hope smiled, gently ruffling his hair as she stepped away to sit at the table. “Damn, those blueberry pancakes smell good.” She ran a hand through her hair, trying to fix it up a bit. Xeno set two plates down on the table, sitting across from Hope. “How’d you sleep?” He asked, trying to form conversation. “Slept good. You?” Hope lied, beginning to nibble on a pancake. “Slept pretty well. Had a weird dream, but it’s probably fine.” Xeno admits, seeing how Hope sat up straighter. “Was it a vision? Vision-like?” She asked, knowing that the prophetic dreams he occasionally had completely stopped after Pandora’s Box was summoned. “Well… No? But it was really weird. There was a shade-“ “Like one of the ones that are at the Night Rose’s Dojo?” Hope asked. “I think so. It was a figure, formed out of maroon smoke? And the eyes I could just barely make out.. They were purple. Maybe we need to go ask Kendo or one of his acquaintances about it.”

His wing twitched nervously as he began to tap his fork against the plate.

The shade looked like Hollow.

“Hey, Xeno?” Hope snapped her fingers in front of his face. “You okay? Helloooo?” Xeno shook his head, returning back to reality. “Hm? Yeah, I’m fine. Are we doing anything today?” He asked. “Well,” Hope began, “I was thinking, we could go investigate Demon’s Dojo. Talk to Kendo, maybe. We need to figure out why that specific shade was different.”

’Right. All of the shades at the Dojo looked like the Night Rose. Maybe it was just a dream. Just Hollow… Coming back to haunt me in my dreams.’ The demigod thought. ‘He’s supposed to be dead! No, not dead, what was it? Hollow was memorywiped after everything that happened. No more demigod status too. So why am I seeing him in my dreams after 8 fucking years?’ His wing trembled at the thought of it. “Xeno.” Hope mumbled in his ear as she hugged him from behind. “Tell me what’s wrong. Please.” Hope pleaded, knowing something was off with him.

”Hope… You know how I told you about the camp I went to?” Xeno began.

“Yeah. You’ve told me.”

”Well, I think I’ve told you this, but when I was there, someone in my cabin who shared the same father as me… Well, they assaulted me.” His eyes slightly darkened. Hope nodded. “Yeah. You also told me that. I’m so sorry that happened, baby.” She gently rubbed his back, hoping to provide some comfort.

“His name was Hollow. He had maroon hair and purple eyes.” Xeno said, gaze narrowing as if he couldn’t remember what Hollow looked like. “You said that one of the shades in your dream looked like that.” Hope acknowledged. “Yeah.” Xeno’s voice broke. “It’s gotta be him.” His wing flexed nervously as he picked at his fingernail. Hope gently moved his hand away. “The shades all resemble the Night Rose. There’s a low chance that I the shade you saw is real.”

”I know, but-“

”No ‘buts.’ We need to ask around. If that shade is real, and it actually is the person that hurt you.. I don’t want you getting hurt again.” Hope pulled him into a hug, her arms tightening around him. “I don’t want it to be him.” *Xeno mumbled into her shoulder, pushing back the tears that threatened to spill over. “I don’t either. We’ll get Jones and go to the cabin in Nightshift. Maybe someone there can help, alright?” He nodded, holding onto his partner as if she would disappear if he let go.

“Can we stay like this…?”

“Of course, dear. Would you like to go upstairs for a while?”

“I’d like that. Let me get the dishes done.” He moved to get up before he was paused by his lover. “You go upstairs. I’ll clean up.”

He went upstairs, deciding to change his clothes for the day. He pulled some gray baggy jeans out of the closet, also grabbing a dark green t-shirt. He took off his pajamas and threw them in a corner of the room, slipping on his day clothes before wrapping himself in a blanket and sitting on the bed, waiting for Hope to return.

‘Hollow isn’t here.

He wouldn’t remember me.

He doesn’t know what he did.’

Xeno took a deep breath, trying to calm down the raging thoughts in his head. “I’m back!” Hope said, sitting on the bed next to him. He snuggled up to her, curling up in her lap like a puppy. “Hiya.” He gazed up at her. “Hello, idiot.” She smiled at him, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. “I called Jones over. He should be here soon. When he arrives, we can head over to Nightshift. Sound good?” Hope asked, gently running her fingers through his hair. “Sounds good…” He agreed to the plan, deciding to go over to the CD player they had. “Wanna listen to something?” He asked, looking over his shoulder at her. “Hmm… Put on some Scaled and Icy. That’s one of the only albums I can listen to without skipping any songs.” Hope said as he took the disc out of the case and placed it in the CD player. “Really? The albums I can listen to without skipping any songs are probably Clancy and that one TV Girl album.”

“Solid choice.” Hope says as Good Day starts playing. He sits on the bed again, cuddling up to her. A sharp knock on their bedroom door makes Xeno yelp. “Guys? You in here?” Came Jones’ voice. “Come in!” Hope called out.

The door opened and Jones walked in, sitting in a chair near the bed the duo was on. “You said something about Kendo’s friends who know the Night Rose?” He asked. “More like ‘there’s a shade that doesn’t look like Rose and might be a threat,’ but close enough.” Hope explained. “…I had a dream where I was at the Dojo and I saw a shade that looked like someone really bad…” Xeno said to Jones, holding a pillow close to himself.

“Who, exactly?”

“…It’s personal.”

“Anyways. Are you guys ready to go?” Jones stood up, taking his keys out of his pocket. “Let me load my assault rifle, then I should be.” Xeno said.

-/★\-

Hope knocked on the door to the cabin. “Hello?” Someone asked as the door opened. “Oh. Hey, Hope, what do you need?” Kendo said, shooting a glare at Xeno.
“We need information on the Shades.” Hope said as they stepped into the house. “What about the Shades?” Kendo said, sitting on the couch across from where Hope and Xeno sat. “Well,” Xeno began. “I had this dream where one of the shades was different than the others. I was wondering if you knew anything about it.” Xeno’s wings flexed as he watched Kendo. “Hm. I, personally haven’t been to the Dojo, so I wouldn’t know. Only person I can think of who would, is Miki, and I’m not sure if she’s ready to talk about everything.” The Oni hunter explained. “We’ll go check out the Dojo. Thanks, Kendo.” Hope said, motioning for Xeno and Jones to follow. “Well, that was no fucking help at all.” Jones mumbled, getting in the car and putting the key in the ignition. “It’s fine, Jones. We’ll just investigate ourselves.” Xeno sat in the backseat, studying Hope from where she sat in the front. “What if it is him?” The demigod said, his tone fearful. “It’ll be okay. I promise. If what you saw is real, we’ll take care of it.”

The trio arrive at Demon’s Dojo, stepping out of the car with their weapons ready. “Be careful,” Jones said. “We don’t know if we’ll be attacked.” Xeno walked hesitantly up the stairs leading to the small town the Dojo was, with Hope and Jones following close behind. “I don’t see anything yet.” Hope muttered.

“What the fuck?” Xeno whispered to himself, seeing something from the corner of his eye. He whipped around to se what it was, his gun held in a tight grip as he shakily aimed it around. “What is it? What did you see?”

“I could’ve sworn-“ The boy walked, leaving Hope and Jones in the village as he went after the shade. “Wait, Xeno-“

Xeno walked into the building closest to where the shade was. He silently moved around the house, watching for what he saw. Glancing around, he saw a glimmer of purple in the corner.

Eyes.

Looking at him.

“I can fucking see you!” He yelled, shooting at the glowing eyes he saw, but they whizzed through, hitting the wall behind. “You’ve gotta be shitting me!” He grabbed a typhoon blade off of a nearby stand.

“You don’t have to kill me.”

It can speak?

“Who are you?” Xeno said, staring at the shade, whose body seemed to ripple and move. “You really don’t remember?” It said, taking on a more physical form. “No. No!”

“Hello, Xeno.” It said, the shade’s features becoming more detailed.

“Hollow, I’ll fucking kill you!” Tears filled the boys eyes, moving closer to the shade and trying to stab it. “I fucking hate you! You ruined my life, my body, my everything!”

The corners of Hollow’s mouth moved up in a wicked smile. “What did I do? Don’t leave me hanging, child.” Xeno let out a soft laugh, eyes widening. “You want to know what you did? You sexually assaulted me when I was 13! You made me stare down the barrel of a gun and ask myself ‘am I man enough’! You made me want to kill myself at the age of 15!” “Were you man enough?”

“Was I-“ Xeno’s grip on the sword loosened, the metal blade clattering to the ground. He stood there, frozen in place. “Xeno!” Came Hope’s voice as she came in the room. “Shit! Xeno, are you alright!?” The blue-haired girl looked up at the shade who stood in front of the demigod. “You. I’ll kill you!” Hope picked up the blade and drove it through the shade’s chest. “How could you hurt him! He was a kid!” She continued to stab at the creature. Once she was sure it was dead she stepped away, hugging Xeno tightly. “He’s dead. You don’t have to worry anymore.”

“Can we go home…?”

“Of course, dearest.”

Chapter Text

"Xeno! Are you alright!?" Hope let the Typhoon Blade drop to the floor, kneeling down beside her lover. His eyes were wide, his body shaking as he clung to her like a child. "Xeno..." Hope held him close, gently rubbing his back. "We're going home now, alright..?" The blue-haired girl said, to which the boy gave a weak nod.

-/★\-

At home.
"There we go, my love." Hope wrapped him in a warm blanket, Sitting patiently in front of him. Xeno might not want to talk right now, and he might not even want touch, either. The girl looked around the room for a moment before grabbing a black cat plushie and putting it in front of him. He grabbed the plushie, holding it tight against his body.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked quietly, seeing him hesitate for a moment before shaking his head. "Hm... Do you want me to hold you, then?" The boy nodded, getting pulled into a gentle embrace. Hope rubbed his back soothingly with one hand, using the other to cradle his head and caress his hair.

"Shhh... It's okay, baby... He can't hurt you..." Hope soothed, her voice quiet. "I love you, Xeno. So much. I hate seeing you like this..." The demigod clung to his lover tightly, biting his tongue to suppress a sob. The girl felt his body tense up and she held him tighter, just enough to not hurt him. "It's okay to cry, y'know." She whispered softly, feeling his tears begin to soak her shoulder. "There you go, love... Just let it out..."

The boy sniffled, letting out a muffled sob. "I-I'm sorry..." He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "Stop it. Don't apologize for crying." She said firmly, using her thumbs to brush away tears from his face. "I'm not usually this emotional... I'm sorry." The boy's voice was quiet. "Xeno... It's fine. Don't apologize for this, okay? I don't mind."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure, you idiot."

-/★\-

Tuesday.

That day was the same as the last for the pair. Monday night, Xeno had a really bad nightmare, and Tuesday morning, he was less talkative and had a decreased appetite, which Hope knew usually happens after something this major happens. He did lay down and draw with her for a while though. That night, he couldn't sleep too well, and kept waking up randomly.

Wednesday.

Xeno was still a bit shaken from recent events, but went on a walk with Hope, which proved to be relaxing. The boy's appetite slowly returned, and he started to speak a bit more. He ended up falling asleep earlier than normal, having to be carried upstairs by his lover.

Thursday.

For the most part, the demigod was okay. That's what mattered the most to Hope. Sure, his nightmares were causing him to lose sleep, and she knew that was bad, but hey! He's eating and talking more! By next Wednesday, he should be fine... Hopefully.

Friday.

Xeno seemed to be back to his usual self after the encounter with Hollow. The nightmares might keep happening for a while though. Hope's just relieved that her boy is safe and happy. They went on a walk, drew together, watched a movie, just some stuff they enjoy. That night, he tried to sleep, and once he did, he had a nightmare.

Most of his nightmares are usually just him remembering stuff he thought he had suppressed, or something he's afraid of. This time it was a mix of both.

"Xeno!" Someone called his name. "Come here!" He turned around and saw his friend waving at him. "Oh, hey, Vradhi!" He smiled and hugged them. "Are you enjoying the celebration?" They asked, their soft gray eyes gazing into his green and brown. "Yeah, I am! Say, have you seen Lethe or Asher anywhere?" Xeno wrapped a wing around his companion. "Asher told me he was gonna sleep, and I think I saw Lethe go into the woods with Caliste. I'm not too sure about where she is, sorry." Vradhi took a sip of whatever was in their cup. "No, it's all good, dude. Which direction did you see them go?" Xeno ran a hand through his hair, watching Vradhi point in-between the Hades cabin and Aphrodite cabin.

"Ohhh. Alright, I'll go look for them. Thanks, dude, have a good night!" The boy said cheerily and went in that direction. He walked to that area, the leaves crunching beneath him. A pair of large hands grabbed him suddenly and yanked him aside, his back getting slammed into the wood of the cabin.

"Hello, Cora..." His voice was low. "H-Hollow...! Hi! Wh-What are you doing here...?" Xeno winced, his brother's nails digging into his arm and drawing blood, teal streaks trickling down his arm. "Oh, darling... I'm giving you what you've been wanting for a while. This is what you want, isn't it? Oh well, doesn't matter now." His tail wrapped around the smaller boy's leg. "Nonono, Hollow, please, let- let me go!" He struggled against his hold, crying out as sharp claw-like nails dug into his legs. "Don't bother calling for help, dear. They can't hear you." Hollow's length dug into him, blood beginning to trickle down his legs from 3 different spots. "Please, please, let me go...!" "No."

His eyes blew wide, adjusting to the darkness of the room. "It's just a nightmare." He thought. "But it felt so real..." Tears ran down his face, dripping onto the sheets. He looked down, eyes trailing to the exact scars that Hollow had left on his flesh. "He's not here." His wings twitched uncomfortably. "But he might be out there still, as another shade... Shades can take up physical forms. He's gonna keep trying until I'm dead." He got up carefully, as to not wake Hope. Xeno softly padded to the bathroom, rummaging quietly through drawers in their room before he found what he was looking for, A blade that was taken straight out of a boxcutter. He sat on the bathroom counter, holding the blade up with trembling hands. "This is what Hollow would want."

The demigod shut his eyes tightly and dug the blade across his arm in a single fluid motion. "Just like the night you escaped. Again. Like how you slit their throats." He moved it again. "Styx, Asher, Onyx... Hollow..." Were these even his own thoughts right now? More teal lines formed on his arm. "All of them dead. Because we were scared of it happening again. Should've killed Valeria too!" One more cut, deeper than the others. He threw the blade across the bathroom with a soft clatter, the metal falling into the trash. Tears fell more freely from his eyes, his hands balling in his hair and gently tugging as he slowly rocked himself. After a moment, he got up, dabbing at his fucked up arm with some tissues. He glanced back at the bed, seeing Hope still asleep.

Xeno quietly got a roll of bandages and wrapped his entire left arm, being careful not to puut too much or too little. "I guess I need to change. At least it's winter, so I have an excuse." He slipped on a long-sleeved shirt and went back to bed, making sure everything was clean.

-/★\-

Saturday.

"Good morning, babe!" Xeno says cheerily, going downstairs. "Someone's in a good mood, huh?" Hope hugged him, giving him a soft kiss. "Pretty much!" He prayed that he was being convincing. "Well, I'm just glad you're happy, Xeno. I love you so much." "I love you too, Hope." She smiled at him, ruffling his hair. "So, I was thinking for today, we could go have lunch at that new place near Daigo's shop, and then I could make dinner, and then we could go to the flower field when it gets dark?" Hope said, sitting on the couch. "Oh? What's the occasion?" He snuggled up to her on the couch. "Nothing. I just wanna do something nice for us, what with all the shit that's been happening lately."

"Yeah, we need to do something to unwind. It's been pretty heavy recently." Xeno sighed, head resting on her lap. "We've been so stressed out recently..." Hope mused, softly petting his hair.

"Did someone say 'Stressed Out!?'" A voice said, startling the couple. "What the fuck?" Xeno yelped, seeing a slim white cat on their kitchen floor. "What the fuck!? Nyanja??"

"You know it!"

Hope glared at the ninja while Xeno laughed. "Do you just appear when someone slightly mentions something?" The demigod asked, seeing his friend nod. "Oh! Where were you before you showed up here, then?" "Across the street! Cats have really good hearing!"

"What're you doing in our town, anyways? I thought you loved in Nightshift Forest near Kendo and all of them?"

"I dunno. I was bored? And I live near that big canyon."

"Oh, okay. Well, me and Hope were about to go get ready to hit up that sushi place near Daigo's shop." The boy glanced at his partner. "Ah, I wont keep you guys waiting then! See ya!" Nyanja opened the door and left.

"Holy shit."

-/★\-

After lunch, Xeno and Hope went home, with the demigod going upstairs for a bath, and Hope downstairs, relaxing for a while before she made dinner.

As she heard water running and soft music beginning to play, Hope took a small black box from her pocket. "This needs to be perfect." She thought, picturing what she was gonna say to him.

Upstairs, Xeno relaxed under the water, everywhere up to his shoulders submerged and cloaked under bubbles. He had one of his playlists open on his phone, which rested on the counter. He shut his eyes, momentarily forgetting about the night prior.

"Xeno?" Hope called out, opening the door. "Gods, Hope! Knock first!" The boy yelped. "Shut up, you. We've seen eachother naked before." She set 2 wine glasses on the counter, before filling them. The girl passed him a glass, seeing him grab it and take a drink. "How's the water?"

"Warm. Why're you asking? Gonna get in with me or something?" He teased, watching her giggle behind her glass and turn his music up by a little bit, "Do you want me to, baby?" Hope downed the rest of her wine, seeing him shrug. "I don't mind."

"Then it's settled." She begin to slip off the sweater and jeans she was wearing, stepping into the large bathtub once she was fully nude. "Damn, the water really is warm."

"Yep. Do... Do you mind turning around for a moment, Hope?" He asked, a soft blush on his face. "Sure." She adjusted herself so she faced away from him. the demigod gently poured water in her hair until she looked like a wet dog. Xeno squirted soap into his hands, lathering them up before grabbing her sapphire-blue hair and washing it. His hand movements were gentle on the ends, being careful not to pull on the strands. His fingers found her scalp, softly massaging and scrubbing. The boy kept up those motions, only pulling away after hearing a quiet groan come from his lover's mouth.

Xeno swallowed, his throat dry and face flushed teal. Hope's face was a darker shade of pink, looking at him out of the corner of her eyes. "H-Hope...?"

"Dammit, you heard nothing."