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You and Nikolai were a member of the Decay of Angels- a name whispered with fear, disgust, or fascination depending on who was speaking. Membership came with all the usual hazards: enemies in every shadow, the constant risk of betrayal, the heavy weight of knowing that most of the world considered you little more than a criminal. If one wanted to be blunt about it, yes—you were technically part of a terrorist organization. But you had long since learned to live with the danger. It was a background hum in your life, constant but ignorable, like the ticking of a clock you no longer noticed.

At least… until you messed up.

It was supposed to be simple: cause a distraction, draw attention away from the main objective, and disappear without a trace. Instead, one wrong step, one miscalculated move, and the carefully laid plan unraveled. The chaos you created wasn’t the kind your team could use—it was sloppy, attention-grabbing in all the wrong ways. And that was when Teruko found you.

Her ability was infamous within your circles—an almost mocking sort of power. She could manipulate the age of anyone she touched, twisting the years forward or backward like turning the pages of a book. You had seen her use it before, aging enemies into frail, trembling elders or reducing them to wailing infants. You had always thought you would be careful enough to avoid that fate. You were wrong.

The moment her gloved fingers brushed your arm, the world tilted. There was a strange, disorienting pull, as if gravity itself had changed. Your clothes suddenly hung loose on your shrunken frame, the sleeves of your coat swallowing your hands. The ground felt farther away, your balance unsteady, and when you caught sight of your reflection in a broken window, a pair of wide, startled eyes in a small, unfamiliar face stared back at you.

Teruko didn’t even bother with a taunt. She simply glanced at you—now child-sized and utterly unthreatening—and walked away, boots clicking against the pavement. You stumbled after her, determined to keep up, but your legs were pathetically short, and each step felt like a sprint. She was gone within moments, vanishing into the distance without a backward glance. The worst part was knowing this wasn’t temporary. Her ability’s effects lingered, sometimes for hours, and there was no quick fix.

You were still catching your breath and trying to figure out your next move when you felt hands slip under your arms, lifting you off the ground as though you weighed nothing. The sudden motion startled a small yelp out of you, but before you could even twist around, a laugh—bright, unrestrained, and all too familiar—echoed in your ears.

Nikolai.

Of course it would be him.

He held you aloft for a moment, his mismatched eyes gleaming with something between amusement and delight. “Well, well… what have we here?” he murmured, before spinning you in a dizzying circle. The world became a blur of motion, and you felt your stomach lurch, but he didn’t slow down—if anything, your disoriented protests seemed to encourage him.

“Aww… you’ve become such a sweet little baby, haven’t you?” he cooed, drawing you close in an exaggerated embrace. “My little bird~”

You felt your cheeks being squished between his gloved hands, his grin widening as if your predicament was the best entertainment he’d had all week. And judging by the way he kept holding you like an oversized doll, you had the sinking feeling he wasn’t going to put you down any time soon.