-Takes place right after This
-Sirene was too lazy to color code-

And like that it was over. The rage, the pain, the hurt pride all withered and he moved with her hands. Bodies decoupled and he scooted away on the bed then off it, getting on his feet and moving to the bathroom. He closed the door behind him and he punched the tile on the wall.

Once…
Twice…
Thrice…

-CRACK-

The tile bent inward and he hissed, knuckles bleeding as he turned to run them into the sink.

God, what the ******** was wrong with him.

---
Imara did not move off the bed until she heard the crack. She laid there staring at the ceiling for a long while wondering what the hell had just happened. Inhaling, she rolled off the bed and grabbed her underwear. Slipping onto it she walked over to the bathroom door and kicked it.

“We need to talk…”
Imara didn’t wait for a response. Instead she moved back to the bed and sat there giving him the time he needed. The crack was clear that something in there was not whole anymore.
----

He splashed water on his face, and then wrapped his hand up. He’d worry about the tile later. Turning to the door, he opened it and walked back out, watching her on the bed. Why hadn’t she gone? Didn’t she realize she was in danger?

He was an animal - a monster. She needed to leave.

“You should go,” He said quietly. “Before I screw up and hurt you again.”

---

“I let you get one good one on me before. Don’t think I will let that happen again.” Imara stood, coming up to her own height and locking her eyes on him. “One of us will have to die instead and I don’t plan on it being me.”

Walking towards him to close the distance, Imara made a show of drawing her fist back before punching him straight in the gut. “Do not ever try to do that again. No matter how much I piss you off.”

Pulling her hand back, she watched him. Anger in her eyes but her voice all too calm. “I’m not a damsel in distress. I’m the best thing you have to stand between you and you going bat s**t crazy. Because seeing me should remind you that your life could end at a moments notice. And I will not lose a moment of sleep over it.”
----

The punch in the gut was warranted, warranted and deserved.

What happened next surprised even him.

He leaned in and pulling her to him he kissed her. Roughly, hot, painfully needy. He needed physical human contact and closeness and she was there. He needed to be reminded that he was a human being and she told him flat out - that she was it. She was the anchor that was keeping him from becoming just as feral as the youma he controlled.

Tears flowed, hot and heavy and he kissed her. He didn’t know why he just did. Pulling back he wiped his face.

“Thank you…”

---
Imara’s body froze.

Wide eyed and in shock as his lips found hers. This was no lip connect for an orgaism. this was something else and it scared the life out of her. Imara could react to anger, frustration, joking, all of that. A kiss...that was new.

But what surprised her the most was she did not pull back. Her body reacted not to get away but by returning it. Her own lips searched and met his need with her own.

And then it was over. As quickly as it happened and she looked down at a man in tears.

Calmly, quietly, Imara asked “What happened to you this past month? Where is the man that tried to eat me alive?”
----

“You left…” He said quietly. “You already said it… You’re what keeps me anchored to civilization… I… lost that when I lost my ex…. I need… A person… someone to keep me anchored and focused… I was starting to slip when I tore you apart…” He didn’t even try to joke it off, he wiped his face.

“First I was angry, pissed, that you were insubordinate… Then I got… worried. That I hurt you - that I caused you actual legitimate harm… I… I cared about your well being.” More than just a fellow officer. But no, he couldn’t say that.

“So when you were gone for a month i went looking, I called and you never answered, and then i found you and then I realized I hurt you and…”

Now he did laugh, darkly.

“God above… I don’t know, it just, made me sick inside to know that I hurt you. Maybe I’m not the badass captain I thought I was…”

Maybe he was human…

---
“No, I said I was going to be what killed you should you lose it.” Imara corrected as her face formed into an expression of pure confusion. What the hell was he talking about?

“Wait, let me get this straight, all of this is happening because you got dumped?” She finally just came out and asked it locking eyes with him even as he laughed. There was no reason for him to care about her as more than a sex buddy and as a grunt in training. And here he was admitting that he was upset he hurt her? “Well I guess that means I need to get promoted and become your boss then. Make you clean up your act.”

Shrugging, she turned, needing to look away from him. There was a dark desire to kiss him again building up within her. Imara didn’t like it. It was too...personal. “Well, I know better than to let you get your fangs in me again. Seems my blood makes you bat s**t crazy.”

----

“Heh, yeah, seems like…” He rubbed his face slowly, as reference to what she’d said, he didn’t give any sign.

“I don’t have a center for my civilian life, work started to take over…” He said flatly. “It wasn’t so much as I got dumped as…” He huffed. “I had a pattern and it worked and then it got all ******** up.”

It was finding a new one.

“I’m adjusting but… It’s harder than I expected it to be.” Plus with the added stress of being a captain now…

“... we good now? Or am I gonna have to find you a new captain cause you don’t think you can listen to me and take orders anymore?”

---

“Well no s**t it’s harder than you would expect it to be.” Imara turned around. “Anytime your life changes and routine is affected, it’s going to be hard. And you know what you do…” She marched over to him and poked him square in the chest. “You suck it up and get on with life. If you need to break down, do so. If you need to get away, yea, fly away as far as possible. But when you come back to reality, and you will, you get your head on straight because life doesn’t stop just because someone walked out on you.”

Her finger poked him again and again as she spoke, eyes looking into his. “As for the matter of being a captain, well Sir…”

She stepped back and pulled herself up straight. “I do believe that would be your call as senior officer. Can you still handle being around me or should I be reassigned to a man with a bit more of a back bone?”

---

His hand found her hair again and he was kissing her again. UGH, why was she doing this to him. What was it about her that riled him up so damn much. She was right - she was right and he knew it. He needed to get his head in the ******** game and face the tiger before it ate him.

Things were what they were and he needed to focus on the mission. If he failed now then how could they even hope to win? Order was, ironically chaotic as it was - they should be winning this war easily.

Dammit all…

Breaking the kiss he said plainly. “No, I think you’ll be fine working under me… Stibnite.”

---

She smiled a dark, twisted grin back at him. “As you wish, Captain.” And without a second thought, returned her lips to his. Her kiss as hungry as his had been earlier. She did not need him...she wanted him.

Damn whatever chaos threw them together. If they went down, she was landing on him.
----

He was oddly okay with this. The kissing, that is. He leaned into it, his hands moving to pull her closer to his naked body. He was still cooling off but it wouldn’t be long before she’d have him warmed back up again. Still, at this rate… Would they ever get anything done?

Well he supposed they had sorted out out for now, so a little relaxation was warranted right?

---

Slipping up next to him, Imara let her hands follow the lines of his body. He was as fit and tone as she was, if not a touch worse for wear. As she went lower, she cupped his behind, gave it a hard squeeze and then broke the kiss.

“You already ******** up getting lucky again tonight.” She said with a dark smile, meeting his eyes. “But you should stay naked. It suits you better.”

Stepping away from him, she finally walked towards the door. “I need more of that whiskey. To clear my head…”
---

He laughed at that, shaking his head slowly. “Sure, that works…” He didn’t mind being naked in his house anyway, it was his house… If Imara had stuck around she’d of discovered he often cooked breakfast naked if he had… a guest over…

“Just so you know you can crash on the bed or couch if you drink too much of it… You’re not driving if you start getting drunk - that’s an order.” His voice let that be made known immediately.

“But yeah, help yourself… I might hit some up myself…” That actually didn’t sound like a bad plan…

---

“Yea yea. I already planned on it.” Though the reason had been different. The whiskey she had meant to drink after the sex. Oh she had planned on staying over but it was not because of getting drunk.

Now that seemed like a good idea. She needed to stop thinking about him in other ways that clouded her head.

“I still hate you, you know.” Imara had stopped in the doorway and looked back at him. Her eyes were hard as she was trying to keep a dark face before heading for the counter and the glass she left. She would not kiss him again...no...not again.
----

“You’re allowed,” He said, following her out and picking up his own glass from the coffee table to bring to the island for a refill. “I don’t know many people that like me to be fair…” He chuckled dryly. “My mother maybe, saint that she is.”

Ugh… the reminded him. He needed to return the ring to her. That was going to be a ROUGH conversation… He’d do it later. Not tonight obviously. Tomorrow after Imara left. He rubbed the back of his head and he reached for the whiskey, picking it up he… Slowed his pour, eyeing Imara to make sure he was doing it right - refilled their glasses.

“To the mission,” He said, raising his glass.

---

With a nod of approval towards his second attempt at the pour, Imara lifted her own glass and gave a nod. “To the power of the Negaverus.” Throwing back her head, she downed the whiskey in one gulp.

Oh yes. She needed that.
----

Mathias downed his a bit slower, but he also did it one toss, then he poured them another round once the glasses were on the table. He smirked.

“So, think you can out drink me?”

Life was full of little challenges after all…

---
“Is that a challenge?” She smirked, and reached out for her own glass again. “Because Mathias, I don’t think you have enough Whiskey then.”

Really? He was going to challenge her to a drinking contest? Oh that poor baby. Woman or not, she knew she could hold her own. And at least one thing was sure...she wouldn’t have to worry about him trying to have sex with her again tonight. Whiskey d**k had a wonderful meaning at this point.

“A bet again? One without physical ********, sure, why not… and if I have to I’ll ******** teleport to get more, I’ve got the cash…” He’d have to get dressed but ******** it…

“What do you wager?” He was down for whatever she was willing to throw on the table. He was pretty sure he could hold his own against her. His liver might not like him later, but he was willing to give it a shot.

He poured them two more glasses.

---
“I’m not sure that is what they have in mind for us to use that power for…” Imara laughed as she pictured him landing in front of the liquor store demanding more whiskey. “The generals might not be amused.”

“Against you?” Imara smiled reaching for the glass. “Patrol duty, energy quota, another time where you have to call me boss and do whatever I want without question.” The last one was an evil grin as she looked up to meet his eye.

“Loser is the others slave for a day?”
---

“Loser is the other’s slave for a day - deal!” he said, passing her the glass.

He smirked at her statement. “Teambuildling…” He smirked. “We’re teambuilding… Generals can blow me…” He chuckled. “Well okay not… really but…” He licked his lips. “I think we’ll be fine…”

With that he tossed back his drink, and placed the glass on the table.

---
“One day, they are going to question that. Maybe it will be when they are blowing you.” She laughed, grabbed the drink and threw it back. The empty glass hit the table and she smiled.

“I’d pay money to see that. General Benionite on his knees sucking your d**k….yea. That would be worth seeing.”
----

“I would have to be really ******** drunk and you’d have to dress him up like a chick…” He laughed, pouring them another round and downing his again. “Ugh, Yeah no, chicks only here please…” He smirked at her.

“Ugh… That’d be the ******** day tho…”

----
“What? When a General Queen gets on her knees in front of you? Please. They would skin you alive!” She laughed. “You would have better luck with a youma. Make sure they aren’t part black widow.”

Smirking, she took the second drink.

“Or praying mantis. Then you just die afterwards.”
---

Leucite made a face and shook his head. “No ******** youma that’s gross…” He laughed pourint them another round and downing it again. “Naw, if I end up getting sucked off by a GQ, then I’m going to count my blessings and be ready to ascend to heaven cause I’m likely to be dead within hours…”

Yeah he doubted any of the General-Sovereigns were even remotely human anymore… and the thought of putting his d**k in a part youma was ALMOST as bad as a full… Ugh…

“Yeah no, I’ll stick to my pool for now…”

---
“Lucky me.” Imara sighed, rolling her eyes as she took her third glass down. “I guess I jumped into the wrong part of the swimming pool if I got pegged.” Was that the whiskey talking? Nah.

“So is it normally for General and Captains to ******** the new recruits? Should I look forward to doing this more often?” It was a sarcastic, light hearted question. With the whiskey in her system, Imara did not want serious and like hell she wanted heart to heart. But then she slipped. “Because that would make it hard for some relationships...or if you turned family.”
----

“It’s actually a lot more common than I initially thought….” Mathias said dryly. He was being way too honest, definitely the whiskey talking now. Still he continued on, pouring them both another round and downing his… fourth? Yeah fourth… He eyed the now half empty bottle...

s**t he needed to ease up on his pours…

“Yeah no, it does… I mean… I turned down an advance when I was dating Cora… but… Ugh…” He shrugged. “I mean s**t, it’s up to you really but I’ve heard… coercive methods being used, so just… watch your back and report to me if someone gives you trouble…”

---
“I think you will hear about it because they will come out with something broken.” Imara looked down at the drink and shrugged. “Orders and commands are one thing. Rape is another. Not to mention, they better have good taste in drinks if they want me to even consider.”

She threw back the...fourth? Fifth? Did it really matter?

“So Cora huh? Nice name. Sorry it didn’t work out. Better luck next time.” They were still matched pretty well. “I’ve never had a long relationship. Can’t keep up with me.”
---

He poured again and laughed. “Yeah, no, stave their ******** nose in… it’s… stupid…” he grunted, and downed it again. Yeah no he was totally fine. The world wasn’t starting to muffle, nope. He was ********, yeah - I am too but… You can’t live two lives and expect s**t to work when you both come home at two a.m. and just stare at each other at the door… Trust… wasn’t there… we weren’t there…” He laughed. “Her and that ******** newspaper man… she lived in that office…”

“Eh, they can be nice… don’t gotta worry about sex and STDS and s**t… But just you watch the one guy that can is gonna ******** wreck you…” He pointed at her. “You won’t even see him ******** comin…”

---

Fingers on the rim of the glass, Imara stared right at the finger pointing at her. “She ******** the newspaper guy?” Head leaning towards the side, teal hair sliding down into her face, Imara couldn’t help but laugh. It was a slurred, silly sort of laugh that ended in a half snort. “Great headlines.”

Lifting her drink back to her mouth, she slightly missed a few drops before putting away the rest. Nope, not hitting her at all. “No man is going to be able to out shoot me thus no man is going to get me.”

Now where had that idea come from? Oh...thank you Pixar.
---

“Lookin’ te’ change ye’ fate?” Mathias drawled - though it sounded more Irish than Scottish.

He poured them another round, his hand starting to shake, but he managed to get everything in the glass. Yeah nope, totally fine! Glass was just a little slippery! Hah!

“Ugh, if only… Naw I think she just worked too hard… and so did I…” He groaned. “But in the end we just decided it would be best to break it off… Right as I was thinking of proposing too… ugh, cest la vie?”

---
“My fate? Ha! What is fate?” Imara laughed again, this time a hard laugh smacking on the table and almost spilling her drink. “I laugh at fate.”

But not at the whiskey. This time it took two attempted to get the liquid down but she did.

“s**t man. Didn’t realize that serious.” The glass came down empty and shaky. “Sure you should be ******** another woman then?”

----

“Have I stopped yet?” He laughed softly, pouring them another round and ALMOST spilling the whiskey now… s**t… okay it was starting to hit he could feel it buzzing in the back of his head… What were they up to now? Six? Five? ********… he’d lost count…

Ah well…

“Naw, it is… what it is and I had to move on like you said… Pick myself back up and go on with life.”

He downed the whiskey slowly this time, gauging his body. He wasn’t sure how much more he was gonna get in him…

---
She was hitting a wall. Room wasn’t spinning yet but it would be soon. Still he had downed his so, bottoms up!

“Yes you do.” She took three tries this time. Empty glass came down and she had to shake her head clean. “Hell, plenty of fish in the sea. Even non-nega ladies after all. Ones that will be waiting for ya.”

Oh, since when did he have a second right hand?
---

Okay, quarter bottle life? s**t, so much for easy pours s**t… Hand shook, and he managed, barely, to get the glasses filled again and the bottle back on the table. He was going to win this even if it meant he was praying at the porcelain altar later.

Bottoms up!

He placed the empty glass on the table and watched as the world started to fog a bit, his hearing was starting to muffle and he knew he was borderline.

One more and he was probably toast… TWO if he paced himself.

s**t he was probably gonna lose.

“Yeah, no I know… Imakeeplookin…” he started to slur. “Sure something will bite…”

---
Several blinks and Imara was able to clear her vision enough to see the glass. Grabbing it, she threw it back hard. Her own wall was coming but damn it all if she lost to him. This ‘boss’ thing was too amusing to her. Twenty four hours as his slave...no way in hell…

“That’s the spir…”

Her body found it otherwise.

Thank the lord she knew where the trash can was because had she not, her stomach would have been all over his floor. Diving for it, she found it just in time to fall into it.

She was done.
---

Well, that ended that… He placed his glass down and moved over, rubbing her back as she sicked up and helping to keep what hair he could out of her face while she got sick. Then he helped her to the bathroom so she could either A) keep being sick or B) shower and try to clean up a bit.

He left that up to her, he would keep an eye on her even if all he wanted to do right now was sleep.

---

How many more times she was sick, Imara could not have told you. By the time her stomach stopped churning, she was drained. It literally took her climbing on all fours into the tub to turn on the cold water that helped relax her system. The shock nearly brought her stomach up again but a few moments and she was done.

She didn’t try to stand. Just let the water hit her as her vision fogged and cleared. Blacking out wasn’t going to happen. “Mathias….water…” she called out as she reached over the the faucet and turned it off, remaining in the tub.
---

Mathias nodded and went over to the kitchen, filling up a decent sized glass of water he brought it to her and gently, if shakily handed it to her. He was glad she didn’t pass out on him, that would have ******** sucked. He sat down on the toilet, closing the lid and watched her.

“Anything else?”

---
Slowly, if anything shaking from both the liquor still in her system and the cold water hitting the air now, Imara brought the glass to her lips and sipped. It made her stomach turn but she knew better than to refuse it. Her body needed the water now more than ever.

“No…” She managed out between sips. Handing the glass back towards him, she attempted to stand, slipping and ending back up on her butt. “******** tail bone…”
---

Oh seriously come on Imara, you should know better than to try to stand while plastered! Placing the water on the counter, Mathias grunted and got up, moving to the tub he hefted her wet body up in his arms, and carried her to the bed, dumping her on “his side” he went back to his bathroom and grabbed some towels, and draped them over her before pulling the covers up to keep her warm.

“I’ll get your water..” he muttered, moving back to the bathroom and bringing the glass back in and putting it on the nightstand for her.

---
“Put...me...down…” By the time she got the words out, she was already on the mattress. Soaking wet but it didn’t matter. Laying here was all her body needed to take over from her brain.

By the time Mathias had her water on the nightstand, she was asleep.
----

Oh good, she was out… Sighing he got some clothes on and changed the garbage in the kitchen, the put away what was left of the whiskey. Coming back in, he checked on Imara, just making sure she hadn’t gotten sick again in her sleep. Once assured, he climbed into bed with her, and curled up next to her to provide body heat.

He didn’t want her to get too cold in the middle of the night…

---
Her body relaxed at the increase in warmth. It has been shaking slightly as she dried but slowly, something around her began to heat up.

Turning towards the source, her body snuggled into Mathias’, cuddling into his chest and finally relaxing. Everything gave in and she slipped into a peaceful, drunk, sleep.