A light snow was falling from the sky, tiny specks of white brightened by the streetlights which adorned the sidewalks. Tatsumaki walked along with her sister, her collar turned up to keep out the freezing cold. She kept her head down as she moved, her sister doing the same while shuffling through the accumulating piles of snow underfoot.

"Too damn cold out here," said Tatsumaki. "I hate the winter."

"I think it's alright," said Fubuki. "I get to wear some of my favorite coats."

"I'm always freezing in winter," said Tatsumaki. "My body just doesn't respond well to it."

"Well, maybe we should get you a nice coat then."

"I already have a coat."

"It's an old one."

"Fine. Maybe later."

Fubuki shifted her arms in her own coat, the shoulders encased with white fur.

"So how have you been doing lately?" she asked.

"I've been alright, not doing much," said Tatsumaki.

"That's ok, I understand," said Fubuki. "But…"

"But?"

"Well, I think it might be good to go out and do some things as opposed to spending all your time at home."

"I don't spend all my time there!"

"You know what I mean, most of your time," said Fubuki. "You don't have to if you don't want, but I think it might be nice to go out a little, you know. Maybe meet some new people, do some fun things…"

"I've got a lot on my mind right now," said Tatsumaki. "But I'll…consider it."

"It's ok, I don't want to force anything," said Fubuki. "Just thought you might like it."

"I'm fine with meeting new people, I just kinda like having a smaller group of friends. It's…more my style, I guess. I'm just not as sociable as you."

"I know. And that's ok. I'm just glad you don't seem as angry or afraid of others as you used to be."

"Yeah. Even still, I just…don't feel like going anywhere."

"Ok sis." Fubuki gave her sister a worried look.

The two of them kept walking until a building loomed in sight, tall and dark against the night sky. Flurries of icy snow dusted off the top of the place as the wind picked up, and Tatsumaki hurried closer, eager to get inside. As the two of them neared the entrance, she spotted two people standing and talking by the front door. One of them was missing her arms, having them replaced by living strands of metal chains which twisted together to form makeshift appendages. Her companion was admiring the the new arms, watching with a mix of intrigue and apprehension as each strand slithered together.

"You like em?" asked the woman.

"Wow…that's…creative," said the man.

"I might even be able to take on dragons with this," said the woman. "Call me…Metal Mass!"

"I mean, it might help," said the man. "But come on, let's get out of the cold."

"Yeah, let's get outta here," said the woman. "Hope everyone turns out ok."

"They seemed alright," said the man. "Except for maybe the lightning guy. He's gonna be there a while."

"Poor guy," said the woman. "Think it was that Commandant asshole who got to him, glad he's gone."

"Yeah, was it Tornado who got him?" asked the man. "I think…"

"No," said Tatsumaki, standing across from the duo. The two heroes turned in shock.

"Oh!" said the woman. "Miss Tornado! We didn't see you there! We're…we're big fans!"

"Secter got the Commandant," said Tatsumaki. "He got him."

"Oh," said the man. "Wow. You know, I had a feeling a guy like him could've beaten that Commandant."

"He did," said Tatsumaki, a weak smile on her face. "I was there, I saw it."

Fubuki had caught up to her sister, confused at the sight of the people Tatsumaki was talking to. A second later, she realized who they were, other victims of the Commandant who she had heard the nurses talking about in the hospital while she was there.

"Are you two…Rikuto and Mei?" asked Fubuki.

"That's us," said Mei. "And we're real sorry about Secter, he didn't deserve what happened to him."

"You have no idea," said Tatsumaki.

"Hope he turns out alright," said Rikuto. "He's a real good guy."

"We're going to see him now," said Tatsumaki. "And yeah, yeah he is."

"Tell him we said hello!" said Mei. "And wish for him to get better."

"Yeah," said Rikuto. "He'll know us. We met before."

"I will," said Tatsumaki.

They said their goodbyes, and the two espers headed up into the hospital, making their way past the reception desk, through quiet hallways with empty stretchers adorning the sides, and to a room hidden behind a wooden door.

"When's the last time you visited him?" asked Fubuki.

"Uh, like a day ago," said Tatsumaki. "I visit him every day."

Fubuki smiled at her sister.

"Cute," she said. "You love him so much."

Tatsumaki could feel a rush of heat pass through her face, but she kept her chin held high.

"Well, yes, I do," said Tatsumaki. "I…take a lot of strength from him, and him from me. And I like how he treats me, always respected and listened to me, never wanted to use or manipulate me for anything."

"I'm so happy for you two," said Fubuki. "I know I've said it before, but seeing you two together…you guys just light up when you're around each other."

Tatsumaki hid a smile as she pushed the door open. There, sitting upright and half covered by a white sheet lay Secter, his arms heavily bandaged and his chest looking more like a mummy's than a man's. His face had healed completely, but there were still faded marks across his cheek, small yet apparent.

He was watching a tv that was bolted onto the corner of a wall, boredom seeping into his expression. As Secter turned to see Tatsumaki and Fubuki enter the room, he smiled the biggest smile Tatsumaki had ever seen, and shifted over to the edge of his bed to be closer to her.

Tatsumaki collapsed into a chair next to Secter, pushing herself over to Secter and hugging him in the process. Fubuki followed behind her, crossing her arms as she witnessed her sister kiss Secter. The two of them held each other for a while, Fubuki awkwardly scratching her neck as she stood at a distance. When they separated, Secter gave a shy little grin to Tatsumaki's sister.

"Hey Fubuki," said Secter.

"Hey," said Fubuki. "You doing alright?"

"Getting better every day," said Secter. "Least that's what the doctors said."

"You're lucky to have survived," said Fubuki. "You looked bad, from what I saw."

"Yeah, nearly died," said Secter. "But Tatsu was quick on her feet, probably saved my life to be honest."

"We should've brought the bandages with us," said Tatsumaki. "And the syringes."

"There was no time," said Secter. "Had we waited longer, more people would've ended up like Max or worse."

"Max…what happened to him?" asked Fubuki.

"Coma," said Secter. "Apparently, he barely escaped death too. But there's no telling how long he'll be out."

"Fucking Commandant," said Tatsumaki. "Hurt so many…"

"Well, he's gone now," said Secter. "Although the things he did…they'll take a while to heal." He shook his head, his brows furrowing. "I wish I could've saved them."

"You did what you could," said Tatsumaki. "Now you should rest."

"I've been sleeping for an entire week," said Secter. "More or less of my own volition. I want to leave this place, I feel fine enough to walk."

"Already?" asked Fubuki. "You…you had a hole blown in you!"

"Eh," said Secter. "I heal quick. Although I will say, I thought it was over then and there. I was…really scared. Didn't want to go."

"I know, you scared the living shit out of me," said Tatsumaki. "Don't ever do anything like that ever again."

"I'll try not to," said Secter. "But no guarantees. Anyone else like the Commandant ever comes in, I'll have to step in again."

"You act like you kinda knew what the Commandant was about," said Fubuki. "Why was he after you anyways?"

Tatsumaki and Secter exchanged uneasy glances.

"I guess…I owe you some explanation," said Secter.

"You don't have to tell her everything if you don't want to," said Tatsumaki.

"I think she deserves to know at least some by this point," said Secter. "Even though I wasn't expecting the Commandant to come after me."

"Know what?" asked Fubuki.

Secter swallowed, and swallowed hard. After Tatsumaki laid a hand on his shoulder, he began to tell his story.

Epilogue

"Smells good in here too," said Secter as he plopped down onto Tatsumaki's couch.

"That's because I'm making something," said Tatsumaki from the kitchen. She turned back to a sizzling pot of rice and meat, hot steam rising from within the ingredients.

Secter shifted in his seat, wincing at the pain which flared up from his chest. Crossing an arm around his bandaged stomach, he let out a slow and mournful sigh while sinking into his seat. His entire torso still felt torn up, his insides burning whenever he moved. Despite this, he could still manage to walk without keeling over, but every day had become a painful experience. In due time, he would heal, in large part due to the efforts of his lover who had come over to sit next to him.

"It's almost ready," said Tatsumaki. She wrapped an arm around Secter, pulling herself close so that she could lay her head on his ribs. Bringing her other arm around his front, she pulled herself into a sideways hug with him.

Secter hugged her back, the two of them glued to one another in a warm embrace. His heart warmed into a fireball, his face beaming as he felt happiness swell from within. Next to him, Tatsumaki felt the same as she gazed up at Secter.

"You know, I'm glad to see how well sis handled what you said," said Tatsumaki. "I mean, there were some difficult parts for her, but she listened, and you got through it too."

"You being there helped a lot," said Secter. "And yeah, I'm not surprised she seemed a little overwhelmed. It was a lot to dump on her all at once."

"I think she understands though," said Tatsumaki. "And if she doesn't, I'll make her understand."

"Let her draw her own conclusions first," said Secter. "She's gotta digest everything, then we can all talk. But for now, I just want to relax, and sleep."

"Yeah, you're right," said Tatsumaki. "Relaxing sounds nice."

"Just for a little bit, then maybe we can have a little party thing for the holidays," said Secter. "Invite your sis over, maybe some other people…"

"Maybe…" said Tatsumaki, her eyes darting to the side.

"Ahhh, it'll be fun," said Secter. "And I promise, I'll stay away from the alcohol. Planning to dump whatever I got left at home once I get back."

"Really?" said Tatsumaki. "Good. That stuff isn't good for you. Not that I don't drink or anything, but you know, it seemed like you relied on it to be happier."

"I definitely wasn't using it right," said Secter. "Should've been for fun, or casual. So down the drain it goes."

"Good," said Tatsumaki. "That's good."

She fidgeted around in her seat, as if she were fighting the cushions for control of her position. Secter gave the Tatsumaki a strange look, unsure of whether he should move so she could be more comfortable.

"So are you…going to live here now?" asked Tatsumaki. "With me?"

"You want me to?" asked Secter.

"Well, I have the room, and your house is kinda shitty," said Tatsumaki. "Plus I'd like it if you were around."

"I don't see why not," said Secter. "I mean…you do have a nice house."

He pressed up against Tatsumaki and leaned in to kiss her on the cheek.

"And I'd love to be around more," he said.

Tatsumaki wrapped a hand around the back of Secter's head and pulled his face into hers. Their lips met, and they began to kiss, Tatsumaki ruffling the hair on the back of Secter's head as they did so. Secter ran a hand down Tatsumaki's back as she pressed herself closer. The passionate making out went on for a while, before the two finally pulled away from one another. They looked into each other's eyes, Tatsumaki giving a wry smile and Secter smirking back.

"You're all to myself now," said Tatsumaki.

"I'm yours huh," said Secter. "Didn't realize I belonged to anybody."

"You belong to me, and no one else," said Tatsumaki. "You're the only one I want, and I'm not losing you again."

"You never did," said Secter. "But we're here for each other. I'm here for you."

"Love you, Secter."

"Love you too, Tatsu."

The two of them went into the kitchen to get their food, with Tatsumaki laughing at Secter as he they each tried to bump each other out of the way to get their helping first. Tatsumaki won the battle, scooping out a heap of stir fry onto her plate before Secter could slide his plate on top of hers to catch it. Shaking his head, he got his own serving and followed Tatsumaki back to the couch. Both of them sat down and watched tv together while eating their meal, content and warm. Though the night was cold, neither Tatsumaki nor Secter could feel it in their embrace. Tomorrow would be a new day, and they would always look forward to it.

. . .

Author's Note: Wow, can't believe we're at the end already. I want to give a big thanks to everyone who has made it this far in the story, and I want to give an even bigger thanks to francisman90 for giving me the detailed reviews (which I hope other people enjoyed as well) and the motivation to actually keep writing and eventually posting this story. Without his responses/beta reading, who knows how long it would've taken me to post this story. In any case, I hope everyone enjoyed the fic, and I welcome all readers to leave their comments/reviews/criticism in the review section, as I love talking about the story with readers (plus I think there's a lot to discuss here too). That's about it for now, but keep an eye out, for perhaps we might see more of Secter and Tatsumaki in the future...

Bye for now, and thanks for reading!