"Draw against Leia? On day two? You're officially insane," Jyn said, bumping his shoulder, her eyes sparkling with admiration and something even more.

"That was… certainly a tactic," Yuna murmured, though a small, amused smile played on her lips.

Morticia stepped closer, her arms crossed, that slow, knowing smirk returning. "Playing dirty already, anomaly?" she asked, her voice laced with teasing challenges. "Didn't think you had it in you."

Zaeryn turned to face her fully, "Oh, I just learned from the best," he shot back smoothly.

"Oh?" Morticia tilted her head, feigning innocence. "And who might that be?"

"No one important," Zaeryn's gaze deliberately sweept over Morticia before returning to meet her eyes. "Just this girl I sparred with earlier. I had her pinned, she couldn't escape with technique." He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice conspiratorially, though loud enough for Jyn and Yuna to hear. "So she decided wrapping her legs around my waist and grinding on me was her best escape plan. Guess breaking my focus is a valid win condition now?"

Morticia's cheeks flushed a faint pink, realizing he was talking about her. Jyn let out a surprised laugh, elbowing Morticia playfully, while Yuna's eyes widened slightly before she quickly looked away, trying to hide her own smile.

"Just testing your focus," Morticia retorted coolly, though the blush betrayed her. "Clearly, it needs work if that almost made you tap out."

Zaeryn just chuckled, letting her have the last word for now.

Not long after, Zaeryn changed back into his uniform and left the training chamber with his three friends, or more like his future lovers. He felt like he already had them, after all they all liked him. The only one he might have thought didn't like him enough was Morticia, because she wasn't as playful as Jyn and didn't smile as much as Yuna, however after that incident where she blatantly ground on him, that sealed it.

When Zaeryn got to the hallway, he bid them farewell and left the building.

Not long after he arrived at home, it was almost mid-afternoon, the chrono-display reading 16:30.

The transition from the Citadel cruiser back into the warm embrace of home was always a welcome shift. The front door hissed open, releasing the familiar, comforting scent of Ysmeine's carefully cultivated indoor garden, night-blooming jasmine and something richer.

Zaeryn stepped inside, the adrenaline from the academy day finally beginning to ebb, leaving a pleasant thrum of accomplishment in its wake. Indeed he felt like he accomplished something today: getting the last laugh against Leia of course.

But it was more than that, he had also made two more friends, Genevieve and most importantly, Ingrid. He had a feeling, Ingrid was his ticket around this academy.

But of course, he didn't look at her as only that, a ticket. That was just a bonus.

"Hey Aeris," he called out, his voice echoing slightly in the entrance hall, seeing Aeris walking to meet him.

"Hey," Aeris's voice responded, carrying from the main living area. She paused as she took him in. Her gaze ran over him, slow and deliberate, lingering on the sleek lines of the dark Lyceum uniform.

It was the first time she'd seen him wearing it. A slow, genuinely impressed smile spread across her lips, transforming her usual playful beauty into something almost radiant. "Wow," she breathed, shaking her head slightly. "Ysmeine wasn't exaggerating this time."

"What do you mean?" Zaeryn asked, though he suspected he knew.

"The uniform," Aeris clarified, stepping closer, her eyes still taking in the details, the silver piping, the way the fabric molded to his shoulders. "It actually looks… formidable on you. Suits you better than those civilian rags you usually wear."

Zaeryn looked down at himself, feigning a thoughtful frown before meeting her gaze with a deadpan expression. "What do you mean? I always look good."

Aeris let out a soft laugh, swatting his arm playfully. "Yes, you do," she conceded, her eyes sparkling with amusement, "but this… this has presence."

She circled him once, her gaze appreciative. "Definitely an upgrade."

"Where is everyone else?" Zaeryn asked, glancing around the quiet space.

"Scattered," Aeris replied with a shrug. "Ysmeine's mediating. Marceline went out.

Ravena's probably locked in her room studying Tribunal law like her life depends on it. And Kayla…" Aeris rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Who knows? Probably brooding somewhere or polishing her Warlady armor for the tenth time today." She stepped back towards the living area. "Hey, when you change out of that impressive uniform, come find me, okay?"

"Why? Is something wrong?" Zaeryn asked, sensing a slight shift in her tone.

Aeris's eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of playful possessiveness in her gaze. "What do you mean why? Do I need a special reason to hang out now, just because you have so much attention?" she asked, tilting her head.

"That's not what I meant. We can hang out," he replied quickly, holding up his hands slightly.

"Okay, good. Hurry up and get changed then," she instructed, her usual lightness returning.

"Sure," Zaeryn replied, watching her disappear back into the living room. A flicker of curiosity replaced his earlier ease. Her tone had definitely shifted for a moment there.

What did she have in mind? He smiled faintly.

Not long after.

Zaeryn returned to the living area in comfortable lounge pants and a loose shirt.

Aeris was curled up on the massive sofa. She looked up as he entered. "Took you long enough," she said, patting the cushion beside her. "Come on. Unless you're planning on running off again?"

He sank into the spot next to her, leaning back near her shoulder. "Why would I run from all this gorgeousness?"

"Mmm," Aeris hummed, dismissing her data-slate with a flick of her wrist. She turned slightly, tucking one leg beneath her to face him. Her knee brushed his thigh. "So," she began, her voice dropping, "tell me about it. Your first real day."

He recounted the highlights Professor Anya's lecture, the Vitae drills with Zelda, Jyn's enthusiasm, Yuna's quiet support, Morticia's unique sparring tactics. He focused on the small victories, the connections he'd made.

When he got to the spar with Leia, Aeris listened intently, her fingers idly tracing patterns on the sofa cushion beside his arm.

"...and Zelda called it a draw," Zaeryn finished, shrugging. "Guess breaking her focus counts."

Aeris laughed. Her hand came to rest lightly on his forearm. "You kissed her neck to break a submission hold?"

"Desperate times. It was either that, or let her rip off my arm. I wasn't going to tap out and let her win."

A slow smile touched her lips, softer than her usual mischievous grins. "Resourceful. And reckless. This Leia sounds like she doesn't like you at all." She leaned back against the cushions. "You really held your own, didn't you?"

"Trying to," he said, warmth spreading through his chest at her acknowledgment.

"That's good." The silence stretched between them. Zaeryn waited, sensing she was building up to something.

Remembering Marceline's blunt advice, 'if you desire him, you have to be the one to show him,' Aeris took a quiet breath. 'This is the perfect opportunity.' she told herself.

She shifted, turning fully toward him, her hand resting on his knee. "So... all this talk about your powers, your bonds..." She traced a slow circle on the fabric of his pants, her gaze dropping briefly to her own hand before meeting his eyes again. "It makes me think."

"Think about what?"

"About us," she whispered. "About how things are changing. We used to hang out all the time, you and me. And now suddenly... it feels like everyone else gets your attention. Like maybe I'm just the sister in the background now."

Her gaze held his, direct, open, stripped of pretense, fear of being left behind.

His hand covered hers where it rested high on his thigh. "Aeris. You're not just 'the sister.' You never were."

Relief softened her features. Her hand turned under his, fingers lacing through his naturally. "Good," she whispered. She leaned closer, her free hand coming up to trace the line of his jaw, her thumb brushing over his lower lip gently.

She stared at his perfectly kissable lips, then looked into his eyes. "Because I don't feel like just your sister anymore."

Zaeryn stared at her lips too. Truth be told, she was the first person he'd felt romantic feelings toward in this world. Her and Ysmeine.

"And I don't think you see me as just your sister either," she continued, shifting closer until her body made contact with his side, warm and present.

"No, I don't." His hand came up to cup her face, fingers tracing the curve of her jaw, lingering at her lips. The space between them seemed to shrink with every heartbeat.

Her eyes fluttered closed for a fraction of a second before reopening, holding him in a gaze that was daring him.

Zaeryn leaned in, the warmth of her body pressing against his side, the soft curve of her hip brushing his. He could feel the pulse in her neck, the rapid flutter of her heartbeat under his palm. "Aeris…" he whispered, his voice hoarse. "I've never seen you as just my sister. Never."

Her lips parted slightly at his words, breath hitching in a delicate gasp. Her fingers tightened around his, as if anchoring herself to the reality of him, and her thumb brushed against his lower lip in teasing, gentle insistence.

Slowly, deliberately, Zaeryn lowered his head until his lips brushed hers. She responded immediately, leaning in, tilting her head, deepening the kiss, her hand moving to cradle the back of his neck as if she'd been waiting her whole life for this.

The heat of their bodies pressed together, the friction of desire and familiarity blending into something both terrifying and inevitable.

When they finally broke apart, breathless and flushed, Aeris smiled teasingly, whispering sensually, "I've wanted this for so long. I think it's time."

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