He seemed to materialize from the shadows near the infirmary entrance, his movement silent, but his presence immediately injected a crackling, nervous energy into the room. His amber eyes, still slightly red rimmed from his own earlier tears, darted between Kuro's bandaged arm and Statera's exhausted but pleased expression. A slow, mischievous smirk spread across his face, a familiar defence mechanism snapping back into place.

"So, Kuro," he drawled, his voice dripping with faux innocence as he leaned against the rock wall. "I heard the corruption got to you." He paused for maximum effect, his eyes glinting. "I heard your screams. You really are a child, huh? Screaming like that, the whole world could hear it." The comment was laced with their usual brotherly teasing, but there was an underlying current of very real concern, expertly masked by the humour.

Kuro rolled his eyes with a dramatic sigh, though the corners of his mouth twitched in reluctant amusement. "Please, Shiro. It was a medical necessity. A calculated reaction to a potent alchemical agent." He flexed his bandaged arm again, this time with a show of bravado. "Besides, if anyone is a child here, it's you. Still clinging to Statera like a lost puppy." He leaned forward, his smirk turning sharper. "Aw, did it hurt when mommy left you all alone? Needed your auntie to play surrogate to make it better?"

The remark was sharp but landed in the playful space they had carved out for themselves over years of survival. Yet, it struck a nerve neither had expected it to.

Statera's face flushed a deep, instant crimson. The soft Polaris light beneath her skin flickered erratically, betraying a wave of sheer, flustered embarrassment. "Kuro!" she stammered, her voice jumping an octave. She fumbled with the vial of salve, nearly dropping it. "That's not fair! It was… it was a deeply intimate moment!" She turned to Shiro, her tone suddenly, defensively maternal. "And you, Shiro! I expected better from you! You're just as bad! Both of you are impossible!" Her composed councillor's demeanour was in tatters, replaced by the flustered indignation of a woman whose heartfelt compassion had just been thrown back in her face as a joke.

Shiro's own smirk faltered. A faint pink tint coloured his cheeks. Being called out so directly, especially in front of others, was a new and uncomfortable experience. "Lost puppy? Really?" he scoffed, trying to reclaim his mocking tone but missing the mark. He turned to Queen Nyxara, who had been observing the exchange with a growing look of warm amusement. He threw his hands out in a theatrical plea. "Your Majesty! My Queen! A little help, please? Defend me from this… this slanderer!" His eyes were wide with exaggerated innocence, playing the victim with all the skill of a born performer.

Nyxara stepped forward, her multi hued eyes sparkling with a mischief few had ever seen in their queen. She placed a hand on her hip, looking from Shiro's pleading face to Kuro's triumphant smirk.

"Oh, Shiro," she said, her voice warm and teasing. "If I hadn't seen how you clung to Statera earlier with my own eyes, I might be moved to come to your defence." Her words were playful, but there was a deep fondness in her gaze. "But Kuro does have a point. You were rather… enthusiastic about your newfound surrogate." The teasing was gentle, a loving acknowledgment of the vulnerability he had shown, and it made Shiro's blush deepen.

Kuro leaned back against the table, his expression one of mock triumph. "See? Even the queen agrees. You're like a child who's found his favourite toy and won't let anyone else near it." His tone was light, but the warmth beneath the sarcasm was new, a testament to the bond reforged in the plaza outside.

Shiro threw his hands up in a gesture of mock surrender, though his eyes shone with good natured frustration. "Fine, fine," he conceded, a laugh bubbling up in his throat. "I'll admit it. I enjoy Statera's company. Is that such a crime? She is my aunt, and I was vulnerable. Is that so wrong? and I love her so so much?" The confession, delivered with a playful shrug, broke the last of the tension.

Statera's heart jumped after hearing those words, it felt right and now it was hers no wall or barrier will ever separate them again.

I love you too Shiro dearly.

The room dissolved into shared laughter. Nyxara and Statera exchanged amused, incredulous glances, the immense weight of their mission momentarily forgotten in the face of the boys infectious, playful bickering. It was a release, a moment of pure, unadulterated joy that felt stolen from the jaws of the despair that surrounded them.

Emboldened by the laughter and eager to shift the focus, Statera turned her attention to Nyxara, a new, mischievous glint in her eye.

"And what about you, Your Majesty?" she asked, her voice singsong with playful accusation. She took a step closer, lowering her voice to a loud, theatrical whisper. "I heard Kuro had quite the private moment with you out in the plaza. Something about needing comfort? And 'a little more time'?" She drew out the last three words, then leaned in even closer, her voice dropping to a gleeful, gossiping whisper. "And what was that little name he called you…? 'Aunty Nyx'? so so cute"

The effect was instantaneous. Nyxara's face flushed a deep, spectacular crimson. The Algol red in her multi hued eyes flashed so vividly it almost overpowered the other colours. She sputtered, completely caught off guard. "Statera!" she finally managed, her voice a mix of shock and utter embarrassment. "That was a private moment! You weren't supposed to… I mean… you weren't even there!" Her composure, so recently and hard won, evaporated. She turned to Kuro, her tone defensively sharp. "And you! You're just as bad! Bickering at a time like this!"

Kuro's face also flushed a deep red to match Nyxara's. He straightened up, his own smirk vanishing. "I didn't bring it up! She did!" he retorted, pointing a thumb at Statera, his own embarrassment making him defensive.

Seeing his opportunity for the perfect retaliation, Shiro's eyes lit up. He adopted a high pitched, dramatically swooning tone, clasping his hands to his chest. "Oh, Aunty Nyx," he cried, fluttering his eyelids. "Pleeeease! Just a little more time! Don't go back! Hold meeee!" His mimicry was devastatingly accurate, capturing Kuro's raw vulnerability with cruel, hilarious precision.

The room erupted into a new wave of laughter. Juro let out a rare, booming chuckle. Even Haruto's cold demeanour cracked with a faint smile. Kuro's embarrassment reached its peak, his face burning. "You weren't meant to see that…!" he groaned, burying his face in his good hand. "...never mind hear it!"

Statera, unable to resist, added fuel to the fire, wiping a tear of laughter from her eye. "Oh, Nyxara, the look on your face when he said it! Priceless!" she quipped. "I thought your light was going to gutter out! You were practically glowing red! I've never seen a queen look more like a flustered nursemaid!"

Nyxara, though still profoundly flustered, managed to rally. A playful glint returned to her eyes. She placed her hands on her hips, mirroring Statera's stance. "A nursemaid? Please. At least my son doesn't need to be physically glued to my side at all times." She gestured dramatically at Shiro, who was still grinning. "I mean, really, Statera. I've seen barnacles with a less tenacious grip. Did you have to peel him off you, or did he finally decide to venture out on his own?"

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Statera's jaw dropped in mock outrage. "Well, excuse me for offering a comforting embrace to a grieving nephew! Something you'd know all about, apparently, seeing as you've so quickly adopted the Butcher's heir! Tell me, does 'Aunty Nyx' have a special lullaby for him too? Perhaps a gentle rocking motion to go with the whispered promises?"

"Oh, that's low Statera!" Nyxara shot back, laughing despite herself. "At least my 'adopted son' doesn't weep so loudly he attracts stray animals! I half expected to see a concerned badger offering him a berry back in the grove!"

"He was emotionally expressive! It's a sign of a healthy soul!" Statera retorted, her voice rising in playful indignation. "Unlike your brooding little project over there, who probably repels sunlight! Does he come with a warning label? 'Caution: may emanate poetic gloom and sudden, dramatic declarations'?"

"Poetic gloom is better than incessant, chattering attachment!" Nyxara fired back. "Yours now follows you around like a duckling! I'm surprised he isn't imitating your walk! Does he also need help with his robes, or can he dress himself?"

"He is loyal! A virtue your dark prince seems to have skipped over in favour of 'looking tragically handsome while sharpening a dull blade his sarcasm'!" Statera quipped, her eyes sparkling. "Tell me, will he help you plan royal edicts, or just loiter meaningfully in the background adding ambiance?"

"Ambiance is underrated! And for your information, Kuro has a razor sharp strategic mind!" Nyxara defended, pointing a finger. "Meanwhile, yours seems to specialize in… what would you call it, Shiro? Expert pouting?"

Shiro, who had been watching the exchange with glee, clutched his heart. "I don't pout! I… contemplate with intensity!"

"He contemplates the best way to cry more for attention!" Kuro added, finding his voice again and jumping to Nyxara's defence, a newfound loyalty flaring. "While Statera now undoubtedly contemplates the best way to swaddle him for winter!"

The teasing escalated into a lively, competitive volley, each mother defending her son with increasingly absurd and affectionate insults.

"At least my boy doesn't treat his own arm like a science experiment gone wrong!" "At least mine doesn't use his emotional trauma as a bargaining tool for cuddles!" "Cuddles are a valid currency!" "So is not getting poisoned by your own father!"

They were all laughing now, tears streaming down their faces, the stress and horror of the past days finding release in this absurd, heartfelt roasting. Ryota was chuckling softly, and even Juro's stern face had softened. It was a symphony of shared embarrassment and affection. They all forgot the purpose of the visit entirely.

The mothers mock feud subsided, leaving them breathless and grinning. But the competitive spark they had ignited between their sons refused to die.

"Well, at least I doesn't need to be the centre of attention," Kuro shot across the room at Shiro, his earlier embarrassment now fuelling a fresh, petty attack.

Shiro's eyes narrowed, his own grin turning sharp. "Oh, I'm sorry, was the attention not on you for five seconds? Must be difficult, being so used to everyone in a room hanging on your every brooding, dramatic sigh princeling."

"That's enough, you two," Nyxara said, her voice still light but carrying a warning note.

"Dramatic? Me?" Kuro barrelled on, ignoring her, placing a hand on his chest in feigned outrage. "Says the boy who just performed a one act play about his own emotional distress for an audience. You even included the swooning finale. Bravo."

"It was an accurate reenactment!" Shiro retorted, his voice rising. "You were practically begging! 'Aunty Nyx, don't go!' It was pathetic."

"Shiro, Kuro, stop it," Statera interjected, her tone firmer now, a frown creasing her brow.

"You were sobbing into Aunty Statera's shoulder so hard I thought you were going to be sick!" Kuro fired back, stepping away from the table. "You sounded like a stepped on cat!"

A sudden, profound silence gripped the room.

Kuro froze, his eyes widening. He hadn't meant to say that. 'Aunty' Statera. The title had just… slipped out.

Shiro, seizing on the slip up with vicious glee, missed his own verbal trap. "Ha! See! Even he admits it! You're just as much of a coddled mama's boy as I am, you just hide it behind a scowl! At least I'm honest about needing Aunty Nyx…"

He cut himself off, his jaw snapping shut. His own eyes went wide with horror. He'd done it too.

"ENOUGH!"

This time, the word was a synchronized, final command. In a movement so fluid it seemed choreographed, both women moved.

Nyxara's hand darted out, her fingers finding the cartilage of Kuro's right ear with unerring accuracy. At the exact same moment, Statera's hand snaked out and captured Shiro's left ear in an identical, vicelike pinch.

"OW! Aunty Nyx!" "AGH! Aunty Statera, let go!"

The twin cries of protest were instantaneous. Both boys winced, their heads tilting painfully towards the source of their sudden, sharp discomfort.

"You will stop this childish bickering right now," Nyxara stated, her voice low and firm, giving Kuro's ear a slight, warning tug.

"We were having a moment of levity, not a declaration of war between you two," Statera added, her grip equally unyielding.

"But he started it!" Shiro whined. "I was defending your honour!" Kuro insisted.

"I do not need my honour defended with such petty nonsense," Nyxara said. "And you," she added to Shiro, "will not use a moment of profound vulnerability as a weapon. Understood?"

"Yes, Aunty Nyx," Kuro grumbled, his shoulders slumping. "Crystal," Shiro muttered, staring at the floor.

The two women held the pinch for a moment longer, a silent, painful testament to their united front, before releasing their holds simultaneously.

As the boys rubbed their sore ears, the strange silence returned. Nyxara and Statera looked at each other, the shared action hanging in the air between them. It had felt instinctive, but the reality of it was… new. Uncharted.

Nyxara was the first to speak, her voice quieter now, almost wondering. "Did we just…" she began, gesturing vaguely between herself and the scowling Kuro, and then Statera and the pouting Shiro.

Statera followed her gaze, a slow, awkward realization dawning. "I… believe we did." She looked down at her own hand as if seeing it for the first time. "It appears… we've assembled… something."

"A strange little unit," Nyxara murmured, the words tasting foreign, yet not entirely unpleasant.

The boys had gone completely still, the fight drained out of them, replaced by a bewildered silence. They looked at the women, then at each other. The word 'family' was too vast, too loaded. But 'unit'… that felt accurate. Awkward, and terrifyingly fragile, but accurate.

Nyxara managed a tentative, slightly strained smile. "Well. However strange… it seems you're both stuck with us forever."

The statement hung in the air, not as a warm promise, but as a simple, undeniable, and utterly bewildering fact.

It was in this moment of fragile, uncertain quiet that a new, calm presence appeared at the infirmary entrance.

Lucifera leaned against the doorway, her arms crossed. She had entered with her typical Sirius silence, her brilliant white eyes taking in the scene of chaos and laughter. Her expression was unreadable, but the air around her hummed with a faint, amused energy.

"Must I remind you all that we're supposed to be planning a rebellion?" she asked, her voice dry as bone dust, cutting through the laughter. "Or have you collectively decided to replace the Butcher's court with a travelling comedy troupe? I'm not sure the masses are ready for such… avantgarde theatre."

The group's laughter gradually subsided into chuckles and breathless giggles, though the warm, playful atmosphere remained. They turned to look at her, a mix of amusement and respect in their eyes.

With a sly, almost imperceptible smile, Lucifera added the final nail in the coffin of their dignity. "But do continue. I've half a mind to report this entire performance to the rest of the council. Phthoriel's head might actually explode from the sheer, undignified humanity of it all. It would be a strategic masterstroke."

Her deadpan delivery sent the group into one final, helpless round of laughter. They leaned on each other for support, Kuro gripping his injured arm, Shiro wiping his eyes, Nyxara and Statera clutching their sides, their forgotten in their shared merriment.

In the heart of their enemy's territory, surrounded by despair, they had found a moment of pure, defiant light. It was a reminder that even in the darkest times, connection and laughter were weapons the darkness could never understand, and that made them worth fighting for. Made the struggle, hardship all of it worth it for moments like these.

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