DIS: Even if I do love Rainier/Surreal, I could never love it more than Lucivar/Surreal.

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Title: Insufferable

Rating: T

Genre: General/Romance

Summary: During the time that Surreal recovered from being poisoned and shortly after Winsol when she trained with Lucivar in Ebon Rih, she realized that there was something beyond brotherly affection she held for him. One shot.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Dark Jewels Trilogy

Notes/Warnings: Set after Tangled Webs; spoilers of Tangled Webs; Lucivar/Surreal; one shot

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Insufferable

Surreal's gold-emerald eyes narrowed on the Eyrien that was prowling in her room at SaDiablo Hall. Even after attending Jaenelle and Marian's spooky house, Daemon had insisted – or more like ordered – that she remain at SaDiablo Hall while she completely recovered. It didn't help her mood when Lucivar had informed her that after Winsol she would be transferred to Ebon Rih, where he intended to hone her fighting skills, most especially her defensive tactics. Even though she had told him she was perfectly fine, he continued to come every day to prowl around the room and give her that withering stare of his.

Mother Night... She thought presently. How can he still be pissed after all this time?

The matter in which Lucivar Yaslana, her adopted Eyrien cousin, was so pissed about was hers and Rainier's foolish actions when approaching a strange and unknown building. They had thought that it had been Jaenelle's spooky house, so had not bothered shielding themselves against any possible predators. Their neglect of defense was the basis of Lucivar's being upset. Although she understood such tactics in dangerous situations, she had never understood why she should be so cautious with a building assumed to be presented by her family – and she was once a skilled assassin!

Now, however, her views on the matter had changed dramatically after nearly dying in the spooky house.

She and Rainier had been backed into a room by several demon-dead and cildru dyathe with four young children huddled behind them. She had been severely poisoned by a demon-dead Black Widow, barely able to comprehend any of her surroundings and Rainier had been attacked by a demon-dead Eyrien warrior, his leg hacked into. They later found out by Jaenelle that not only had the war blade cut into muscle and tendon, but bone, as well. If not for Lucivar's arrival and Jaenelle and Daemon's careful preparations, their lives might have surely ended in the wretched house.

In retrospect, Surreal felt resentful towards herself for the mistakes she had made before entering the spooky house. She repeatedly told herself that if she went back to that time, she would have shielded herself and Rainier to an extent that nothing could get through to them; however, she knew that was a lie. She knew it so well because she often ignored well-meaning advice from the Eyrien, especially when she felt that he was being paranoid or too suspicious. The paranoid part of her mind agreed with him most of the time, but the irrational part that loved to start pissing contests with him tended to disagree and win the argument that was drawn out in her mind.

Nonetheless, that did not give Lucivar the right to come to her room every day and stare at her the way he did. As soon as she became what he considered "healthy," he was going to drag her to Ebon Rih and hammer every piece of training he could into her. It wasn't simply his personality that convinced her of this; there was no other reason for his checking on her every day. She was reminded of Kaelas preparing himself to pounce on his prey.

"Why don't you go and pester Marian?" She demanded at last, aggravated with his restless movement. Before he had come to visit her, she had been bored, but relaxed and in a fairly good mood. "Better yet, go complain to Daemon." Since the bastard would rather let me deal with his prick-face brother than help me.

Lucivar flashed her a grin that almost seemed deranged. She couldn't help but widen her eyes a bit at the expression that it gave him. He looked honestly and completely psychotic and that was a comment she used quite lightly. A tiny shiver went through her body and she pulled her covers a bit closer to her, watching him warily in case he felt the need to pounce on her and start something. Instead, his grin settled into a milder smirk as his wings expanded to fill the room. "Let's play some chess," he suggested.

The words stunned her for a moment, washing her in confusion. He hadn't made any retort to her own suggestions and although she had played chess with him, it rarely ended cleanly. Hers and Lucivar's tempers were so closely matched that anything they did generally involved bickering. A good deal of the time, nobody could stand to be in the same room as them when they began to argue over trivial things. Saetan had once remarked that they acted more like siblings or an old married couple than anyone else he knew. To that, both Surreal and Lucivar had turned on him with indignant expressions.

"Chess," she repeated in disbelief. She eyed him and then smoothed the covers of her bed away to get up and sit at the breakfast table, but he shot her a warning glance that had her sinking back in the bed with a surly look. He called the chess board and pieces with Craft and joined her on the bed, folding his wings tight against his back. He settled the board between them and handed her pieces while he took his and began setting them up. Surreal set her pieces up and waited while he made his first move.

When playing chess with Jaenelle, Surreal knew there was more than gamesmanship involved. The younger witch almost always put into mind what she would do in reality with actual Warlord Princes, landens, and such. From playing with her enough times, Surreal learned that Jaenelle would always sacrifice her strongest pieces for the weaker ones. In a way, chess gave an insight to one's personality. With herself and Lucivar, however, it was a strict sense of winning. Lucivar used his sharp, warlike mind to move his pieces and Surreal used her sharp, assassin-like mind to move her pieces. Between them, it was all about winning and showing who was superior.

Of all the people she liked playing with chess with, Lucivar was on the top of the list. Daemon was second and Rainier third. With every time that she played with Rainier, he always played differently. His moves were usually erratic and hard to predict, so it was more difficult for her to counter them. She suspected he purposely played this way to throw people off or only with people he played with most often.

"Tch." She glanced up from the board halfway through game when Lucivar made that slight sound of disapproval. Surreal wasn't quite certain whether it was from her own playing or how the game was going, but couldn't help a smug smirk curling her lips upward. His brows were drawn together in concentration, his arms folded across his chest as he gazed down at the board. His fingers drummed against his arm before he moved one of his Warlord Princes to a weak position. She frowned at the move, her eyes narrowing on the piece suspiciously and then darting around the board to analyze the other pieces' positions.

"Humph," she snorted, snapping one of her pieces forward, deciding not to capture the Warlord Prince he had moved. She had a feeling there was a trap in that maneuver that she wasn't seeing yet. As she was in no mood to lose to Lucivar today after all she had been through with since the incident in the perverse spooky house, she couldn't afford to take any chances with her pieces. If her mind was suggesting there was a trap in one of his moves, she sure as hell wasn't going to walk straight into it.

The game extended to a painfully long time until they came to an end, where Surreal's piece captured his Queen. He stared at the board for a long moment, clearly trying to discern how that had happened. After a moment, he grunted and began collecting his pieces. She followed his actions, satisfied with her victory. It had been dangerously close, as it always happened to be. Excepting Jaenelle or Rainier, she rarely ever spoke while playing chess or else it broke her concentration. She knew this to be true for Lucivar and Daemon unless they played against each other. She had watched one game such as that and had been overwhelmed by the snide comments they threw at each other and the utter intensity of the game.

"I let you win," Lucivar told her flippantly – and lying, too. She glared at him and raised a hand, a warning that she wasn't weak enough that she couldn't throw a punch at him. She had attempted such a thing while she was poisoned and it hadn't landed. She wasn't sure her fist would reach its target now even, what with his Eyrien agility and speed. At times, she truly did admire his fighting abilities.

"I let you win all the time," she retorted, hooking her dark hair behind a delicately pointed ear. He bared his teeth in a feral grin, his own warning of what he could do if she provoked him. She replaced the pieces in the velvet pouch and once she had tied it, she gave a disgusting sweet smile and added, "But I know you never let me win. You just can't play chess." She tossed the covers off and was able to spin off the bed before he lunged across at her.

She had brawled with Lucivar times before and rarely came out on top, but it was always amusing to see him forced to roll around on the floor with a Dea al Mon assassin and actually break a sweat over it. By the time the two of them were growling at each other and twisting each other's limbs, the door had opened and three mild gazes settled on them. Surreal, clutching at one of Lucivar's legs while he twisted her leg painfully, glanced up at hearing a soft clearing of the throat. She and Lucivar stared back at Daemon, Saetan, and Jaenelle.

Saetan's golden eyes drifted from Surreal's head, past Lucivar's wings and up to his head. His mouth twisted in dry amusement. "I was under the impression this was a healing room...Not a place for adults to act like overgrown children." A flash of temper emitted from the two on the floor. They could do nothing particularly graceful or threatening at the moment; they were both aware of how ridiculous they appeared, but when they couldn't do regular sparring, they had to go to the best next thing and that was acting like a mild-mannered Daemonar.

"It was a healing room," Lucivar responded, not releasing Surreal's leg, just as she refused to release his, "but she felt well enough to start a fight and I figured it would do good to relieve our frustration with each other." He gave his naturally arrogant smile and then snarled when Surreal wrenched on his leg. Saetan sighed, looking exasperated with them.

"Oh, yes, what a mature way of relieving frustration."

"I'm waiting for the traditional 'She/He started it' line," Daemon remarked with an amused smile.

X

Hell's fire, Surreal thought, warily watching her approaching cousin. What could he want now? I still have a week until Winsol and he hasn't been too annoying lately... "You are acting like an insufferable ass," she told him as soon as he was in hearing distance. She had been outside in the gardens, enjoying the fresh air that she had missed in the period of time it took to heal. Rainier had come by occasionally to simply sit and chat with her. He still hobbled a bit, but seeing as he would eventually be able to dance again, he was being pleasantly patient in waiting for his leg to completely heal. She couldn't claim that she held the same amount of patience he did.

"Am I?" was his innocent reply.

"Sorry, I didn't mean 'acting.' You are an insufferable ass."

"An improvement. Acting is so juvenile." He flashed a lazy grin that didn't earn a response from her. He remained standing a few feet from her, spreading his leathery wings towards the heavens. When he allowed them to fold behind him again, he never said another word. The two of them simply enjoyed the quiet of the gardens. It was silent, save for the soft sounds of nature and the running water from fountains.

While she and Lucivar tended to show their care for each other by bickering, there were times when they enjoyed the serene feel of each other's company. This was something to which she was unaccustomed, except with Daemon. She had known him far longer and he had helped her make who she was now, hence it was expected. Lucivar was an entirely different person, not to mention she had known him for a shorter time than Sadi. Perhaps it was because his temperament was so close to hers that she instantly connected with him.

She frowned, uncomfortable with the thought of using that word with him. She had once believed that she "connected" with Falonar and that had blown up in her face quite promptly. In her life, Surreal had never been used for a man's ambition, but because she never had someone such as the SaDiablos as her family, there hadn't ever been any incentive. Until Rainier had explained the possibility of Falonar using her for his ambition, the notion had in no way crossed her mind.

Insufferable Eyrien asses, she seethed in her mind. She wasn't only infuriated with Falonar for treating her that way, but confused that Lucivar was completely opposite from him. It caused her to experience conflicting emotions that she wasn't interested in evaluating too closely.

"Ready to go inside?" Lucivar queried after the comfortable silence between them stretched out. She merely rose to her feet and went before him, refusing to be fussed over by the Eyrien simply because he was considered family. She heard him chuckle as he followed her. For once, though, he made no smart remark, following her inside the Hall. This odd change made her glance over her shoulder to see him watching her with an unfathomable expression. He smirked when she looked at him and he appeared to be the same smart-ass Lucivar that she had learned to adore.

X

"I don't need to be trained," Surreal bluntly told Lucivar. She had gone with the few weeks of training after Winsol. However, enough was enough. She barely got enough sleep so that she was able to walk in a straight line, her body was aching, and because she chose to sleep in, she missed breakfast. Marian had given her a pitying look, having had to deal with Lucivar's persistent attitude herself.

"Is that right? I say differently," he answered in a completely dismissive tone.

"Kiss my ass."

"No, but thanks for the offer." She curled her lip in a sneer and then stormed away. She was certain that he wouldn't follow her when she heard no pursuing footsteps. Boosted by this, she hastened her pace and then felt herself being lifted and let out a stream of curses, flailing her arms and legs as she was hanging from Lucivar's arm by her waist. "You should be lucky you're not an Eyrien warrior in training or else I would be busting your ass a lot harder than this." She dug her nails in his arm and considered biting him, but had a feeling that wouldn't have a positive effect on him. "You want a break today?"

"What do you think?" She sarcastically returned. He dropped to the ground and set her on her feet. She gave him a dirty look and then stepped away from him, only to find that he was following her. She stopped and looked at him. "I'm sure I can take care of myself, sugar."

He smiled, more of a baring of teeth. "If that was true, you would have shielded yourself as a precaution. Clearly none of the defense I taught you in the past weeks has completely sunk in your head." Surreal threw up her hands and let the argument drop, well aware that she couldn't win it with him acting like a predictable, stubborn Warlord Prince.

To other women, relaxing in bed and doing nothing might have been considered taking a break. For Surreal, walking around and enjoying the fresh air of the mountains was what she needed most right then. Even though she had been outside while training, she hadn't really gotten to enjoy her surroundings. She frowned slightly as she realized just how much time Lucivar had dedicated to her training. She wasn't certain what he did after she fell into bed each night, but wondered how Marian felt about him wasting so much time on a family member. She knew that family was important to him; surely she did not believe it was so important that he could sacrifice so much time for one part of his family while the other remained neglected?

"You should spend some time with Marian and Daemonar today," she informed him. A part of her wanted him to stay and keep her company, as obnoxious as he was. She knew better than to listen to that part of her, as it had been rather annoying the past weeks when she was in Ebon Rih. It hadn't been as bad when she was at the Hall. Now, however, it continued to wail in her head, demanding something that she couldn't understand or even offer.

"They are going to the Hall today," he said. "Marian and Jaenelle have a...cooking...project of theirs that they are performing." He glanced at her, a subtle hint of how well he thought that was going to go. She stifled a laugh, reminded of when Jaenelle had blown up the kitchen in such a cooking project. "Are you trying to tell me something, Surreal?" His voice was deceptively calm and she flinched, wishing she had kept that suggestion to herself.

"You don't pay enough attention to them with me around."

"Hm." She glanced at him, but he was facing from her and she couldn't read the expression on his face. She turned away, strolling beside him, smiling slightly at the calming scenery. There were times when Surreal want to get away from the active city to relax where there was very little people and only land stretching out as far as the eye could see. "Let me ask you something, Surreal." The tone in Lucivar's voice made a tiny sliver of dread enter her mind at the complete solemnity of it. "Out of all of the family, have you taken note that you are the only one without a spouse?" He tilted his head to peer at her and she stiffened, feeling insulted despite knowing he hadn't meant it as such.

"Yes," Surreal responded curtly, hoping that would throw him off the topic.

"You cannot remain alone forever." She wasn't ready to have this conversation with someone, let alone Lucivar. She could have it with Daemon, maybe even Rainier, but not with Lucivar. She couldn't understand why and it bothered her that she didn't. It was a strange and uncomfortable conversation, she supposed, for someone she was happy with the majority of the time. They had their times of tension, nevertheless it never lasted long and they always had fun fighting with each other contrary to what it might have appeared to strangers.

Mother Night... She thought, her stomach churning uncomfortably. Am I...in love with him? She darted a look to his face and felt her stomach tighten, threatening to release contents that didn't exist. A corner of his mouth tilted upward as she realized why his real reasoning behind being upset for her nearly dying in the spooky house was. The strange look that crossed his face every once awhile hadn't been one of empty thoughtfulness, but of something else that she couldn't possibly have grasped. Hell's fire, Mother Night, and may the Darkness be merciful.

"I can," she quietly said, looking away from him. "I certainly can, sugar." She wasn't sure if he was satisfied with this response or if he had simply been trying to get her to recognize what she hadn't seen before. Either way, they fell silent and continued walking. Even after that, the silence wasn't awkward or uncomfortable in any manner.

They returned to the eyrie some time later without having said anything since Surreal's last words. She paused to lift her face to sky and stared up at the vast azure. It was blank of any clouds. "I love Marian and Daemonar," she told Lucivar.

"So do I," he murmured, "but things can become complex."

"Not enough to cause problems in the family, Lucivar." She sighed and let her head drop back. "I think I'll return to the family town house in Amdarh. I really have gone through enough training." He appeared as if he might have argued with her and then blew out a breath, a reluctant smile curling his lips upward. Just as that, they had admitted their mutual feelings for each other and dismissed them in the same minute. They were back to being argumentative, ornery family; back to being close friends.

"Fine, but I'm going to get at you later."

She smiled. "Yeah. I know."

X

Surreal sat alone on the divan in the drawing room in the family town house in Amdarh, reflecting on her emotions for Lucivar. She had always known they were there under the service, just as they had lingered for Falonar after their relationship ended. Just like with the affection for Falonar, she had ignored it and pretended it didn't exist. The only thing that got her was an incredibly wounded heart.

She rested her head on her folded hands and closed her eyes, wishing she could have loved someone not as beautifully perfect as Lucivar Yaslana. She wished she could have loved someone that didn't have a family that felt like her own family. She wished for so many things that she couldn't have and she knew, simply from that foreign, drawn expression of Lucivar's face when he had looked at her that he liked it no less than she did.

It's not as bad as it could be, she mused. I can still love him... It will just hurt every time I look at him. She smiled and opened her eyes. He's still my friend and still my family.

She laughed softly to herself, mumbling, "I love that insufferable ass..."

Finis

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DIS: Hmm...I hope they remained in character; I really did try. Please leave a review on your way out telling me what you thought of it. I would love some feedback. Ciao!