fateandfortune | Just two vampires, traveling the galaxy... [For Todd the Wraith]

Rogue nodded but didn't say anything further, already deciding on her design as she carefully undid the old braids and knots that he'd worn for years. She combed through his hair with her fingertips after that, careful not to brush his scalp with her skin but enjoying the feeling nonetheless.

It was slow going with her sore arm, but things were made quite a bit easier with him sitting in the chair. She worked in several thin braids through his hair, and a knot here and there as she went, and finally one slightly thicker braid toward the front of his right side, to signify that he had been her first. Her first true lover, her first wraith, her first meeting in Pegasus. She'd likely never tell him any of that, but it would mean something to her at least. When she was finished, she stepped back to admire her work with a small, satisfied smile. "All done," she announced quietly. It wasn't anything garish or overdone, but the changes were noticeable - she hoped he liked it.

Todd closed his eyes and enjoyed the quiet as she marked him thus, opening them only when she said she was finished. Lifting his hands, he ran them through his hair, finding the new braids and knots. Satisfied none were too over-the-top, he dropped his hands and nodded. "Good work" he smiled, getting to his feet.

Queens changed their hair as they pleased, as everyone knew her commander was her mate so there was no need to advertise it, though she might change it up a bit should a new commander take the current's place. Worshipers and pets didn't change their hair with a new mate either, but Todd decided to offer the option to Rogue as she was neither queen nor worshiper.

"Would you like me to return the gesture?"

It was a relief that he'd deemed her choices acceptable. She would have changed the decorations without hesitation if he'd found something not to his liking, of course, but it was nice to know she'd done well.

He surprised her with his question, as it was something she hadn't even known was an option. Perhaps it wasn't normally, and he was making the offer just for her - their arrangement certainly didn't seem to be the norm for wraith and humans, so why should this be any different? She tilted her head slightly to the side, a hand lifting to touch the tips of her hair as she considered the offer.

After a few long moments, she nodded and gave Todd a small smile. "I would. Thank you."

The commander returned the nod, let her sit down and stroked her hair, calming her to try and help her switch her ability off and make it safe for him to work.

When she seemed relaxed, he moved her hair to work on a braid that curled down behind her ear, about a quarter of an inch thick. It was loose enough to allow her to pull it back into a pony tail with the rest of her hair, but not so that it would come undone. Easy to show or hide, it was the only decor he put into her hair.

Rogue had always loved having her hair played with - brushed, braided, anything at all really. It was comforting, and after her mutation something only Remy had ever dared to do. Todd's plan worked in that she relaxed enough to finally be able to focus enough to shut off her power, which only helped her relax even further. By the time he was finished, she felt like a completely different person, a far cry from the nervous creature she'd been just minutes before.

She ran her fingers over that single braid, noticing its placement and construction, how easy it would be for her to replicate it and pull it back when they sparred. "I love it," she announced with a bright smile, reaching out to catch Todd's hand and give it a gentle squeeze - a way to show her gratitude and let him know that she had switched off her ability.

A chuff in reply and a return of the hand squeeze before they finally left to start dinner.

Despite the hold-ups, they were the first to arrive, though as they started pulling out ingredients, the group of crew who would be cooking tonight soon turned up too.

Most expressed interest in their commander's new hair-do, but overall, even after seeing Rogue's as well, the excitement was minimal.

Rogue stuck to her plan of giving the wraith most of the tasks that required a good deal of effort, from chopping to mixing, and just lifting the pans. Her arm had lost all numbness by the end of the meal and it was much easier to move her shoulder, but she could still feel the bruise forming from where she'd hit the floor. It was nothing compared to cracked ribs, at least.

It was almost disappointing that the reaction to their new status was so minimal, but she supposed that was the wraith way. She was grateful that it also seemed to be the wraith way to not be disgusted by a human and wraith being intimate, as she was sure that would have been the case with the Atlantis bunch, let alone other humans in Pegasus.

When the cleanup was over and things had been returned to their proper places, the crew leaving to wherever they went each night, she turned to Todd and asked, "Would you mind helping me a little longer? I'd like to do pies tomorrow, but it's best if the dough sits overnight."

Now that the relative boring basics of cooking had been taught, the Wraith seemed to really be enjoying themselves, even coming up with recipes in their spare time. Some, like the sage and cheese sauce covered poultry were good. Others, like apples on top of pizza, not so much, but then again, their experiences with food were still relatively new so everything was tested, unless Rogue assured that it might not go well and why.

They went over the plan of making a database of recipes to have at the ready and to share among the other hives. And, after one of the underlings retrieved a tablet, they entered in that night's meal, and talked during dinner over previous meals and entered more dishes they'd made in the past. Already it was coming together.

Todd was okay with the minimal response from his crew of their partnership, in fact it meant things were good, that they were concentrating less on their commander's sex life and more on their work. Also meant they were fine with the partnership. Sometimes when a wraith and human partnered up, it was frowned upon. Not because of the species difference but because they knew the human was no good for their fellow kin. This was because a lot of human lovers were worshipers, and worshipers were cutthroats who'd turned on their own kin just to stay alive. Wraith liked having them around because they were useful in spying among villages or plopping them in among newly culled humans to get to know them and earn their trust, even forge fake escapes. In the end, partnering with a worshiper was accepted but not liked.

Rogue was both accepted and very much well liked among them, and perhaps some even felt proud that she'd chosen their commander. Silently, but nonetheless less there.

When things had been cleared up, he was about to leave with her when she asked to stay and make pie crusts. He was sort of worn from the long and wonderful day, but he agreed, returning to her side. "How can I help?"

It was nice to see the progress made on the recipe database, especially with the entries that had been devised by the wraith. Rogue had experienced many a proud teacher moment watching them try their hands at developing new dishes, and she only stepped in when it was clear that their idea would produce something utterly inedible. Questionable things she let slip by, because it was good for them to learn and experiment, and some of their creations were actually quite tasty.

"If you could just measure out the ingredients for a couple batches, that would be great," she said, opening the old cookbook to the page with the classic pie crust recipe. "I can do the mixing. It'll only take a few minutes and then we can go." She was tired herself from the lovely day they'd had, but she had a sort of promise to keep.

Retrieving the few ingredients they would need from the pantry, she set them on the island and explained, "I told tomorrow's group that I was thinking of doing savory pies and they had a few ideas they wanted to try. To be honest, I'm halfway to exhausted, but I don't want to let them down."

The wraith nodded and quickly measured out what she needed as she spoke.

"It won't take long." he said, and indeed, once everything was blended together it was only a matter of rolling out the crust and setting it inside the pans. He did the harder rolling as her shoulder was still busted and after she cut and pinched down the last of the pie crusts, he put them each into the fridge to keep fresh until tomorrow.

"All done?" he asked, washing his hands off under the sink faucet.

"All done," she confirmed with a smile, putting away the last of the things they'd used that she'd just washed up and closing the cupboards. "Thank you for the help. I really appreciate it."

It was nice working with him like this, doing things together. She enjoyed having the group to help and improvise with, but there was nothing quite like sharing these moments with her commander. He was the one she was closest to on the ship, after all, in more ways than one now.

They headed back to her room first so that she could pick up her things. They then returned to his quarters at last.

Unlike Rogue, he didn't always completely dress down, usually he kept his coat and boots on as he slept in the event he needed to be out of bed in a hurry. But they were still in hyperspace so for tonight he undressed down to some loose black pants before settling into bed. Both were too worn by the day to read tonight.

He climbed in under the covers, looking up at the blue haze of sky as he waited on Rogue.

She wasn't the least bit sad about leaving behind her own personal space. There had been moments it had been pleasant to have such a thing, but there was nothing that was her about the room. It had been big and cold and designed to hold a number of people who could at least draw a measure of comfort from having others around. But she'd been alone in there, and sometimes it had felt more like a cell than a living space.

Changing into the blue pajamas that had been gifted to her in Atlantis, she brushed her hair before joining him in the bed, being careful of the braid he'd given her. She nestled under the covers, enjoying the comfortable weight of them and the slight shifting of the bed more than she ever had before, and turned on her side to face Todd, a contented smile in place.

Todd stared up at the haze a long while, thinking over something that had just come to mind, before he acknowledged she was looking at him. He drew his eyes away and turned his head to speak to her.

"Do you think you'd settle on Atlantis in the event we should acquire a queen?"

Last time he asked, she'd been determined to settle on a lonely planet to avoid hurting anyone. But since she could now control her ability, would she be more comfortable in the ancient city, even with all the marines, or would she remain adamant about living elsewhere? He'd do his best to persuade his queen about keeping her on, but there was the real chance of her getting booted.

At this rate however, the chances were remote that any queen would claim this hive within the next few months let alone years, still, he wanted to hear her answer.

Her smile faded slowly and she opened her mouth to reply but no words would come out. She looked away from him then and shifted onto her back, watching the blue as she thought over her answer.

It was an extremely complicated matter, with a number of variables to consider, but still she came to the same decision as before. "No," she said simply, though her expression made it clear that she was conflicted. "I don't feel safe there. In time that might change, but it would take years and I don't know that I would last that long. I think that being so afraid all the time would wear me down, and that eventually... I'd lose control of everything." Her powers, the psyches in her mind, even her own sanity.

She rubbed a hand over her eyes and sighed. "If you get a queen and she won't let me stay, which I personally think is more likely than not, then finding somewhere remote is still my best option. My only option, really." And she was okay with it, because that was how it had to be. The idea might completely terrify her, but what was she supposed to do? She didn't see any other way.

A chuff. "Very well."

It was her choice, and he was quite sure Sheppard and the others would try to convince her otherwise should they find out. But he wouldn't say anything.

After thinking of something, he grinned and chuckled, looking at her. "Now you can give Doctor McKay the full story on how a mutant with your ability has sex, and with a Wraith as well. Oh the intimate details that would make him writhe in disgust!"

Rogue looked over as he chuckled and her expression turned incredulous as he explained. When she really thought about it thought, it would be pretty hilarious to see Rodney's reaction.

Giggling quietly herself, she shook her head. "It would almost be worth it to see the look on his face," she acknowledged with amusement. Except he was the only one she would ever want to see wearing that expression, and there would be no keeping something like that from the rest of the city. But it was still fun to consider.

Edited 2016-01-07 00:24 (UTC)

Todd smiled and then closed his eyes, relaxing, and soon falling asleep.

The next couple days flew by as the hive traveled along its route to the worshiper world. After making his morning rounds, he'd return to Rogue and they'd head down to the sparring chamber. Sometimes they'd have the place to themselves, sometimes they had a small audience.

One morning, Cody was there and he asked Rogue if he could spar with her

Todd was hesitant to let her. He knew how to limit himself and avoid contact in the fight when possible in the event her ability switched on in the heat of it. But Cody was swift and had yet to learn how to hold back, in fact he was becoming more aggressive in his sparring.

Also he didn't want Rogue suffering through cracked ribs again.

She'd only ever sparred with him so this would be quite a shift. It was Rogue's choice however.

Rogue was flattered that Cody had asked, there was no denying that, but she'd seen him fight on multiple occasions. He was young and didn't have anywhere near the sort of control that Todd did, but she'd been used to that sort of thing once. The kids she'd taught had been headstrong and superpowered, sometimes to a deadly degree, though few had possessed the brute strength of a wraith.

Still, she had been hoping for a chance to spar with one of the others eventually, and she didn't want to offend Cody - she liked him a great deal, and he one of her favorites among the crew. So she agreed, on the condition that if she called for a stop, he would listen - not only for her own safety, but for his as well. She intended to wear her gloves during the fight, just in case, but there was still a risk of his touching her the way Todd had in the past. Hurting him was the very last thing she wanted to have happen.

She made her decision, and Todd stepped aside to let them spar.

Cody favored weapons, but as Rogue couldn't heal from nicks and cuts right away, he leveled the field and did without them.

The wraith's aggressive nature came through and he began on the offense, giving Rogue little room for a breath.

Todd watched on with a few others, sort of torn between who to root for.

She at least had the benefit of having been able to watch Cody in some of his previous matches with the other wraith, so she could predict about half his attacks from the little tells he still made before moving. But the other half were brutal in their strength and speed, and it was only her own agility that kept her from incurring serious damage in those first minutes. He wasn't pulling any punches.

As the fight progressed, it was a struggle for Rogue to even stay on the defensive, let alone try to gain the upper ground. She was holding her own, but only just. And then suddenly his hand was inches from her face and she had to flail backwards to avoid him touching her and hurting them both. She stumbled and rolled to the side, barely managing to scramble to her feet in time to avoid the next strike as Cody didn't pause - he didn't seem to have even realized how close a call that had been. She could feel her power flickering, that easy control slipping from her as her adrenaline surged. She was certainly caught up in the moment, not even thinking of the possibility of calling an end to the match as things got dangerous.

Todd was watching intently, but so far things, while fast and hard, were manageable for Rogue. Only when Cody got too close to her that time did he consider telling him to cease with a mental queue. But she dodged it and kept on fighting.

He wasn't sure how long Rogue could endure this. Their spars were long but fairly slow, breaks in between each round to talk over what the other did right or wrong or a teasing taunt. Cody liked things short, fast, and simple, and was hardly giving the mutant a breath in between each strike or parry.

The commander didn't intervene just yet. Only should Rogue begin to slip would he step in and stop the young wraith from going too far.

If he had been at a human's strength, Rogue would have had little trouble in taking Cody down. She knew how to pace herself, how to draw out a fight and let her opponent tire themselves out. That wasn't going to happen this time though, and she was the one getting tired. She could feel her movements slowing as the seconds passed, he was just too quick for her to keep up.

It was when she saw his arm flying toward her again that she turned, trying to avoid the strike, and started to make the call. "Sto-" She hadn't been fast enough, and they'd both changed directory at the same time and were unable to see the other's move until it was too late.

Cody's arm hit the back of her head with enough force to send her crashing to the slightly squishy floor, but it wasn't his full strength that she'd felt behind those other blows - he'd been trying to pull back. He hadn't intended to hurt, but her human body made that impossible to avoid.

Todd had seen the move too late to give his underling the queue to cease and his new mate crashed to the floor with a loud whump.

Cody stared down at her a moment before looking to the commander, who immediately came over and knelt beside Rogue to access the damage. The younger stepped back, inclining his head in shame for his poor performance. Todd would chastise him later about going for the face, right now, he wanted to make sure Rogue was okay. Head blows were serious, especially in humans.

Everything hurt, absolutely everything. Or perhaps it just seemed that way because her head was screaming. The people inside were too, which was in no way good.

It was instinct that made her try to get up, her arms shaking as she tried to get them under her, but it was like they were made of jelly. "I think I lost this round," she said quietly, trying to make a joke and failing miserably. She couldn't even manage to focus her gaze on him, her vision was so blurred.

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