Tag Along

Nova and Elesch were in Freya's quarters, seated on the bed. The room was dim, quiet, laced with tension. Nova's eyes locked onto Freya's, blunt and unflinching. Their gaze said everything: dark thoughts, forbidden desires, the sins they would have already committed had Elesch not been present.

Elesch shifted uncomfortably. The intensity of their stare was creeping her out. It wasn't subtle. It wasn't innocent. It was charged, thick with things unsaid.

Freya noticed. Her expression softened, and she broke the eye contact, pulling herself back from the edge of whatever that moment had almost become. She didn't want Elesch feeling out of place, not like that.

Nova, on the other hand, didn't care. He leaned in closer to Freya, his presence bold, his smirk unapologetic. Her cheeks flushed, color rising fast.

Elesch blinked once. Then, like a child annoyed by her older siblings' drama, she physically wedged herself between them. With exaggerated effort, she pushed them apart and turned to Nova, fixing him with a narrowed stare. Her eyes didn't blink this time.

Nova paused. A bead of sweat formed at his temple. He knew better than to provoke her when she was like this. And despite his usual bravado, he backed off, just slightly. Enough to appease her. For now. 

Freya finally broke the tension, her voice soft but steady, lifting the weight between Elesch and Nova: "So, are you going to go back?"

"Of course," Nova said, exhaling as he straightened his posture. "I haven't dominated the mortal realm yet. So, I have to go finish the job. It might take a couple of years, depending on how the pillar system functions. But still... I was actually enjoying myself. Putting myself through all that pain just to save my comrade... it was something new. So, yeah, I'm going back."

"You don't have to," Elesch interjected. Her voice was calm, but concern edged her words. "You shouldn't. Not after the look on Apollo's face when you both turned your backs on him. He's going to make sure your life down there is miserable. And I mean it."

Nova chuckled, brushing her head like one would pet a cat. She didn't react. It was routine, expected, maybe even comforting in its familiarity.

He leaned back, eyes closing as he sank into the moment. Freya and Elesch watched him, waiting. The room settled into silence, the kind that listened in on its occupants. Nova wore a faint smile, radiating the careless ease of a man too powerful to be fazed. He looked like a celebrity basking in the quiet after a headline.

Then he spoke.

"But that's what I'm looking for. The thrill. The pain. The adventure. I can't get any of that here. That's why I went to that planet in the first place. I might have gone to the other one, but that's beside the point. What I'm trying to say is this: I want to feel that thrill to the max. I want to feel the pain to the max. I want to learn what it means to be human. It'll be good for me."

Freya smiled, a slow, knowing curve of her lips. She had expected this. The short time Nova had spent on Earth, stripped of his divinity, forced to live among mortals, had ignited something in him. For the first time, he had been alive.

Elesch, however, remained quiet. Her eyes dropped slightly, not with disapproval, but with the weight of unspoken emotion. She didn't want to be separated from her brother again. The idea of staying behind in High Heaven left a bitter taste. Not because she disliked Freya or the idea of watching her nephew or niece grow up, but because something in her heart pulled toward Nova. Wherever he was, she felt she should be. 

Nova looked at her with rare softness, his voice low and sincere: "Why don't you tag along with me? That way, you can be with me and help if I need it. And you'll still be able to see Freya whenever you want." Then, under his breath, just loud enough to mock her but quiet enough to pretend he wasn't serious, he muttered: "Not like you couldn't have just seen me while being in High Heaven, but okay."

"Hey!" Elesch snapped, her tone sharp with irritation. She crossed her arms, glaring at him, but the faint flush in her cheeks betrayed her flustered affection.

"Now, now," Freya interjected gently, her voice soft as silk, divine in tone. Every syllable carried warmth and serenity.

"I think it's a good idea for Elesch to go with you, if that's what she wants. She'll get to experience what it's like to be human... and she'll be with you the entire time."

Elesch looked between them, her annoyance already melting. The offer hung in the air like a gift wrapped in promise. The thought of being at Nova's side, through pain, through chaos, through the unpredictable beauty of the mortal world, was more tempting than she cared to admit.

"I will come with you then. I'll tag along," Elesch said, her voice quiet and unsure, like a child trying to sound brave.

Nova gave a satisfied nod. "Well, it's settled then. We'll both leave for Earth soon. And Elesch—before we go, remind me to give you a power. Just in case I'm not around, I want you protected."

Elesch tilted her head slightly, puzzled. "Why can't we leave now?"

Nova grinned, a slow, teasing expression spreading across his face. "Freya and I," he said, pulling Freya in by the waist, her cheeks blooming red, "have some business to attend to."

Gears clicked in Elesch's mind, and the realization struck. Her expression turned grim. "Ew."

Without waiting another second, she turned and exited Freya's chambers, stomping toward Nova's quarters and grabbing a pillow along the way. She slammed the door behind her and buried her head beneath the pillow, determined to drown out whatever sin-soaked sounds might follow.

Back in the room, Nova chuckled, and Freya let out a small laugh, still flushed. Their eyes met, words unnecessary now. He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, and she leaned in.

Their lips met softly at first, a lingering warmth that deepened with each breath. His hand traced her jaw, hers rested on his chest. The room dimmed around them as their bodies drew closer, their connection sharpening in silence.

Soon, the laughter faded into something slower, more tender, more intimate. The world outside blurred, time slowing in the hush between each kiss.

And then, nothing more needed to be said.