(BL) The Villain wants a Divorce!

Cass was awkward at first. Of course he was.

He’d only really been on two dates thus far, and they hadn’t made it that obvious at first when they had gone out. Edgar had been blushing because of Cass’ teasing last time, but he hadn’t held his hand like this. They had been subtle.

And well, Lucian had been as subtle as he could be for a dragon. He had held himself back for quite a bit of time, and it was only after they had had lunch that he had been very obvious in Cass’ mind.

Gideon was about as stiff as a board next to Cass, his hand sweating in Cass’ own. Their joint sweat mixed and made for a rather awkward combination, but Gideon’s grip was tight. It was clear that the man didn’t want to let his hand go, and from the way that Edgar was leaning on Cass’ shoulder, his body practically pressed against Cass’ from the other side, Edgar wasn’t letting go of him either. His grip was tight on Cass’ hand, his fingers a vice.

Cass wasn’t quite sure what to make of the situation he found himself in.

"I-Is this normal?" Cass asked after a moment. The fairies were so far ahead of them that all he could hear was the distant laughter from the group. His own eyes were darting around, taking in the other couples around them, trying to gauge what was normal, what was standard. He couldn’t really pick out what was the answer.

Edgar’s soft chuckle rubbed against Cass’ discomfort like a cat twining between his legs.

"Bunny, what even is normal?" Edgar asked, tilting his head back to smile at Cass, and at Gideon. Cass felt the other man jerk as he felt the full force of Edgar’s smile. "We can do whatever we want. We aren’t beholden to any family name, any ties. We’re just a couple of guys in love. Is there anything wrong with that?" Edgar asked. Cass swallowed.

A couple of guys in love.

Cass felt his eyes grow hot, those simple words having a great impact on him. There were just...a couple of guys in love.

Cass let out a shaky breath, his chest tight, his throat closing, emotion choking him. Edgar said it so simply, so easily, but Cass knew that it didn’t come easily to him either. Cass tightened his grip on either hand at his side, his heart racing in his chest.

"I don’t know what is normal. I’ve never been in a relationship before, let alone one like this. That’s why I’m asking. What do...c-couples like us do normally? I don’t have a clue. I’ve never had a clue. I come from a culture where dating and marrying one person is the norm. How does this work? How do you date? Do you do a rotation? Does everyone have to like each other?" Cass knew he was rambling, his emotions speaking over any rationality.

Edgar’s body pressed tighter against Cass’.

"We can make it whatever we want it to be." Edgar told him. "Whatever we want. Whatever works for us." Edgar’s eyes, when Cass glanced at them, had a hardness to them that had Cass’ face blushing even more. He was taking Cass seriously. His words not the rambling of a man flustered and embarrassed. "We can figure out what works for us, and once Lucy comes back, we can adjust again. Who says we need to make rules that are inflexible? We’re all new to this." Edgar told him.

"Exactly." Gideon agreed softly, forcing both men to jerk their gazes to the redhead. Gideon’s face was so red he looked like he was going to faint or something, his ears pink, but he cleared his throat and continued speaking. He would not look at either of them as they continued to walk down the path. "I never thought I would be able to walk holding another man’s hand in public in my lifetime, and yet, here I am. While I like to know my limits, I can be flexible enough to know that relationships are dynamic. I’ve seen other happy couples before." Gideon said with conviction. "Not in my family, but I have seen them."

The addendum had Edgar laughing, his eyes losing their sharpness as he did so. Cass swore he heard Gideon gulp.

"Mm, agreed. None in my family either." Edgar said, then his gaze slid to Cass. "You said your sister was pregnant and...married? Was she happy?" Edgar asked and Cass swallowed. He nodded, his expression softening.

"Yeah. Very. I have him hell trying to get close to her. We eventually...came to an understanding. He’s a good, solid man, something that we both needed at the time. He treated me like a little brother." Cass told them and Edgar’s smile was warm as he stared at Cass and his softened expression.

"I’m glad you got to know the man that she ended up with." Edgar said. "And while I am sad that you are no longer at their side, I’m happy to have you here by mine." It was a jarring reminder, a jarring confession. Cass’ emotions spiked, his throat growing tight once more as he processed his words. Edgar left him to it, giving him a moment, which Cass was grateful for.

"Edgar, you are familiar with this place. Is that a shrine of some sort?" Gideon asked, pointing out a small hut tucked away beneath a giant, ancient-looking willow type tree. It was unlike any that Cass had ever seen with vibrant purple leaves covering the tree branches. A gentle breeze rustled them, almost hiding the small building from sight.

Edgar made a soft noise in his throat.

"Hmm. I honestly never really noticed it before. Let’s take a closer look on our second round." Edgar told him, squeezing Cass’ arm he was holding. "Maybe we can even sneak away and steal a few kisses." Edgar whispered conspiratorially. "I want to know what Cass taught you." Edgar said, giving Gideon a pointed look.

Gideon choked, coughing suddenly. They had to pause so that he could catch his breath while Edgar laughed at him.

~

They continued their walk, full of banter and light that took several layers of darkness off of Cass’ shoulders. By the time that they had finished their first round around the lake, Cass felt lighter. Better. His mind felt focused, even as he knew that Gideon and Edgar were both at his side. Gideon had even shifted a little closer, much to Edgar and Cass’ soft grins.

Cass felt like the unease and awkwardness had faded and he wasn’t as bothered by others stealing glances at him as he once had been.

The fairies had also stopped around the small hut, so when they arrived, they all turned to face them, their expressions severe.

Cass didn’t need to ask why.

Gideon and Edgar let Cass go as Cass stepped forward, his eyes glowing red as anger filled him. He could feel it. The mix of demonic and fairy energy. It wasn’t a mix in the way that Cass was, it was a clear disruption of the fairy magic with demonic magic. The door was broken to the hut, practically off its hinges. Cass glanced at his Aunt, and she shook her head. That had not been them.

The moment he stepped into the hut, anger swallowed him.

There was a shrine in here alright, and that shrine had been dedicated to Taniora. It was clear. The dust where the chest had been placed was obvious, as was the neglect for the shrine. Cass didn’t need to say much when he stepped out of the hut.

Edgar came to his side, offering comfort this time, Gideon’s expression hard as he saw how affected Cass was by the discovery.

"Aunt Alysora," Cass began, his voice professional, "send a formal complaint to the King about this. Say you were following fairy heroes, heard about lake Taniora, and were just on a pleasure trip. Tell him about this, and let’s wait and see how he responds. That will dictate how fast we deal with the royal family." Cass’ voice was calm outwardly, but no one would say that he was calm.

His eyes were like glowing red stoplights in the shadow of the purple willow tree.

"It’s not that bad." Taniora tried to say, for their sake, not her own. Cass felt the growl that filled his chest form organically, even if it was a mimic of the sounds that Lucian would make occasionally.

"Do not defend this. Even for us, don’t do it." Cass said. "They have already desecrated a dead body before this. The fact that they continue to do this? It is unforgivable, made even worse if my own Mother was involved in this." Cass told her, furious.

"Who else did they desecrate?" His Aunt asked, but Edgar and Gideon were shaking their heads in response. Cass was choked up, unable to even say the words. All of the fairies looked devastated at how emotional Cass was getting.

He wasn’t able to avoid the way they surrounded him, touching him. They didn’t hug him as a unit, instead offering a hand. Touching him, showing him that they were there for him, offering him comfort. It was almost worse than if they had all hugged him at once. Their individual warmth on his body, their soft gazes all filled with tears in solidarity forced Cass to drop his head.

The tears were painful. Hot. His breath was ragged, pulled out of him through need.

He could not believe it. He didn’t want to. He knew that they were demons, he knew that, but to see this? To feel the cruelty in this act? No wonder this place felt wrong. Taniora was the reason this place was filled with this much life. If they didn’t find something to ’replace’ her here, this place could dry up.

Because Cass was not going to let her rest in the hands of the royal family any longer. That was not up for negotiation.

Not after the neglect he’d seen in the hut. The hut that was supposed to be the resting place of a great hero. The lover of the first King.

Cass knew that he wouldn’t have treated her this way. That he would have done something far more grand for her.

Cass glanced towards a larger building that he had seen nearby. That was attached to this lake and saw how ancient and well taken care of and he didn’t need to be a genius to connect the damn fucking dots.

Nor did he need to see the nobles resting inside of the covered area to know who to blame.

"You’re coming home with us." Cass told Taniora. He was emotional, his voice tight. "After we check out the real resting place your lover left for you." He told her stiffly.

"Cass, I’m-" He wasn’t listening, the same way he didn’t listen to the people who tried to stop him from storming into the building. They were saying something about a wedding, but Cass didn’t give a fuck. Not when it came to nobles. It was so damn obvious as soon as he stepped inside as well. This was the place that she had rested for years. For centuries.

It was filled with the beautiful life that only a fairy could impart on an area. There was a small room tucked away at the back of the building and when Edgar forced the door open, they found it.

She hadn’t been resting in a chest before, she had been in a coffin. A coffin made of marble. Carved, protected. The whole area sung with protective magic. The man had loved his would-be wife.

Cass couldn’t stop the tears from pouring. He was weeping for not only Taniora, but for the man who had loved her enough to make this beautiful place for her but had to continue living out of duty for his people, and for his friend. The one who had been left behind. Lucian.

Cass and the fairies stayed there, Edgar and Gideon doing damage control. Once they had explained even a modicum of the situation, the nobles who turned out to be good people, were completely understanding. The bride and groom even offered their thanks to Taniora, which Cass gave his thanks for, tears still streaming down his face.

It was clear that it was a shocking sight, even for those who knew him. He could feel how Gideon and Edgar were watching him, worried.

Even when they finally decided to leave, Cass personally crawled into Gideon and Edgar’s laps, pressing his face into their shoulders and holding them for comfort as his emotions controlled him. They had spent a full hour there in that room, and the ride home wasn’t as joyful and filled with laughter and love as the ride there.

Cass was glad that the others had Taniora so that he could spend a bit more time with the other two, composing himself. When he was finally ready, he sniffed, thanked them, and crawled out of their laps and back into his Lord Blackburn self. He would be okay. It was just...a lot to take in at the moment. To be able to feel it all? After realising his own truth?

It was a painful realisation, and a reminder that people did die in dungeons. They had been exceptionally lucky up until now. Even Cassian died in a dungeon.