Disclaimer: Warhammer 40 000 and all the characters belong to Games Workshop.

The Talk

Sometimes Luther has to wonder just why everybody looks up to Lion so much. It doesn't happen very often, but has those moments. He sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose.

"I am not suggesting anything like that," he replies as patiently as he can. He loves Lion like a brother, but right now he feels brotherly exasperation towards him in large quantities. "What I'm telling you, is that you need to…" he pauses awkwardly and looks to the side, "…prove your prowess as a man."

He can tell Lion does not like the idea. Neither does Luther actually.

"Do I need to kill a bigger beast?" Lion snorts.

"Lion…" Luther groans. "Look, I'm not telling you to grab the nearest woman and have your way with her, but could you at least try?"

"Try what?" Lion snaps. "Grabbing the nearest woman and having my way with her?"

"That's not what I meant!" Luther protests, wondering why Lion is being so difficult about this. He's not asking him to do anything particularly abhorrent and usually Lion does listen to his advice. So, why is he suddenly so stubborn?

"Then say what you mean."

He groans. This is not something that is talked about and so he does not know how to talk about it. For a man as skilled with his tongue as Luther it is a disconcerting experience.

"I mean that people think you're… attracted to other men," he forces himself to say.

Lion stiffens and frowns at the suggestion and Luther cannot blame him. He does wish they could have avoided this conversation, but given how important it is for their plans that there is nothing that can threaten Lion's popularity, this talk is necessary.

"I understand it might be… awkward for you," he continues. "But I'm here for you and you can always ask me for advice."

He watches Lions shoulder sag as he speaks, but this is only a passing moment and Luther decides that his friend was just relieved he was not going to be left alone in all of this. It's easy to forget just how little interaction Lion has had with other people.

"I have no idea what to say," Lion finally speaks up. He stares at Luther and the silence slowly becomes awkward. Then he adds: "Thank you for explaining this to me. I've no idea what I'd do without you."

Luther breathes a sigh of relief and slaps Lion's arm in a friendly manner. "You'd be asking 'what did I say?' at the end of every conversation."

"Oh, come now," Lion laughs. "I don't insult that many people and when I do it's almost always intentional."

"Only because I do most of the talking for you," Luther teases.

Lion doesn't reply, merely grins. He nods at Luther, before getting up: they have other things to do then sit and talk after all. For now, Luther doesn't think about their conversation and disagreement. He does not analyze what Lion has said and what he hasn't. He thinks he understands Lion. After all, why would Lion keep secrets from him?

AN:

The idea for this little bit is pretty simple. Some Primarchs, like Lion lived in societies where a real man was not a virgin (and was probably expected to father at least some kids).

I'll be grateful for feedback and any comments or observations you might have.

If I don't get piled up with work, I've already started another one shot, this time focusing on Rogal Dorn and Perturabo.

On a final note, I'm looking for a beta: preferably one with whom I can discuss the plot too, but just helping me with grammar and style will be welcome.