In collaboration with [@SunsetRoses]
[h1][center]"Stop Being a Crazy Bitch" p.1[/center][/h1]

Triss stood outside of Alphonse's door, an old tome from the library in one hand as she bit the nails of the other. She was going to tell him, about her relationship with Sousiel. It was only fair, to him and to everyone. She figured he should get to know before she went off to Tellurian with Sousiel, otherwise she could do something regrettable and make him upset. She also wanted to talk to him in general, maybe scan the book she had and make random guesses as to which witch was her ancestor. [color=89fdc5][i]Yes,[/i][/color] she thought, finally in agreement with herself. [color=89fdc5][I]That would be lovely.[/i][/color] 

Removing her chewed nails from her mouth, she knocked on his door, soft and tentative. [color=89fdc5]”Alphonse, are you in there, dear?”[/color] Was dear too much? She cursed under her breath, resting her forehead against the glossy finish of the wooden door. 

Triss waited at Alphonse's for a long moment. She fidgeted nervously and shifted her weight from one leg to the other. Finally, she gave up and turned down the hall only for her heart to leap at the sight of Alphonse approaching from the opposite direction. Alphonse's face split into a grin as he saw his lover standing near his door. 

[color=ed145b]"Why, hello my dear."[/color] Alphonse said, hoping he wasn't overstepping himself with the pet name. [color=ed145b]"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"[/color] He came close to her and took her hand in his, ready to open the door so that the two could slip inside. He smelled different, like rose water and rich soil. Had he been walking funny?

Triss watched him step towards her, a gait that was slightly different than normal. She didn't question it, but his new scent made her cock an eyebrow. It smelled just like the roses Sousiel had given her, with an earthy undertone. His sweet words cut off any suspicion, and she let him grasp her hand. 

They walked inside of his room, and by then she had framed her answer. [color=89fdc5]”I wanted to talk to you, because I think our relationship should be honest.”[/color] She turned pink, and took a seat at his desk, turning the chair to face him. [color=89fdc5]”I-I may have made Sousiel fall in love with me. Now, I have a...thing with her? I wanted to know how you feel about that.”[/color] She congratulated herself mentally, for getting straight to the point with little hesitation. 

Alphonse blinked at her for a moment,  utterly confused. [color=ed145b]"Um, I definitely agree that we should be honest with each other....when you say [i]make[/i] her love you, do you mean with your power? What kind of thing do you have with her exactly?"[/color] He took her to a chair, so that they could sit and talk.

Triss scratched the back of her head, having to think for a moment about her current predicament with Sousiel. A heartbeat later, she had everything sorted out. [color=89fdc5]”Well, it started with me using my powers. Then, after the effects wore off, she confessed her love to me and said she was mine.”[/color] Triss almost laughed, but she realized how serious the moment was, and how confused Alphonse looked. [color=89fdc5]”She has feelings now, because I brought them out into the open. About an hour ago, she brought me roses and asked about my life.”[/color] 

Roses? Alphonse hadn't gotten her flowers before...he felt a sudden surge of jealousy and guilt. Didn't Sousiel know that he loved Triss? That's right, he had told her he didn't...crap. He hadn't even told Triss yet.... not in so many words. [color=ed145b]"How do you feel about her?"[/color] Was all he could ask as he tried to sort out his own thoughts and emotions.

Triss was in a dangerous position, that question could break both of their hearts if she wasn't careful with it. She took Alphonse's hand, squeezing it and smiling up at him. [color=89fdc5]”I care for her, but not in the same way I care for you.”[/color] She didn't know if he would understand that, but she wasn't quite sure how she could elaborate without hurting him. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her mouth gaped open a few times but no words came out. 

Alphonse returned the squeeze. He could see that she was worried. He took a deep breath. [color=ed145b]"Triss, I love you."[/color] There. He'd said it. [color=ed145b]"That's how I care about you."[/color] He paused.

Triss felt her heart soar, pounding so hard it threatened to leap out of her chest. This is what she had wanted from Alphonse, to be loved by him. She decided right then that she would do everything she could to make him happy. [color=89fdc5]”I love you too, Alphonse.”[/color] She whispered, having to keep her voice low so she wouldn't explode. She got up, leaning in to hug him. [color=89fdc5]”What do you want me to do about Sousiel?”[/color]

Alphonse held Triss tightly in his arms, elated to confirm what he had hoped they could have. About Sousiel though... [color=ed145b]"Well, Sousiel is my friend, one of my best..." [/color]Alphonse paused to consider the bro code. He wasn't entirely sure if Sousiel was moving on his girl, because he had had sex with her first, or if he was moving on hers, because Sousiel had technically confessed love first.... [color=ed145b]"I don't want to hurt her, and if you care about her....I don't know, I guess we can try to work something out." [/color]Alphonse pulled Triss onto his lap and kissed her cheek, then her neck. [color=ed145b]"I don't care who loves you, so long as you love me."[/color] he whispered in her ear. Alphonse wasn't entirely sure what he was doing, but it didn't seem to make sense to hurt a good friend. Besides, it wasn't as if he bought into the outside world's ideas of monogamy, it only seemed to cause trouble when the witches tried it.  

Triss looked up at him with starstruck eyes, she wrapped her hands around his neck, and pressed herself closer to him. [color=89fdc5]”That's great. I want you to know, that I love you first and foremost.”[/color] She paused, looking deep into his eyes and wondering what he hid behind them. [color=89fdc5]”Promise me something. Even if you have sex with Sousiel, or if you try to woo her with gifts, you'll always love me just a little more. Please?”[/color]

She waited for his answer, burying her face into his chest and taking in his new scent. [color=89fdc5]”Why do you smell so different, babe?”[/color] Triss asked, quiet enough that she may not have been heard. 

[color=ed145b]"Of course, I'll always love you most."[/color] Alphonse said immediately, he didn't even need to think about it. Why would he have sex with Sousiel? It wasn't like she was really cute, with her cat ears, and lithe athletic body.... capacity for destruction....ok, it could happen. He chuckled to himself at her other question. [color=ed145b]"Oh, I was just fulfilling a request from one of the Green Witch families. I think they doubt my ability to return from the abyss, so their matriarch arranged a meeting with two of their scions."[/color]

The scions? He must have had fun talking with royals. Triss looked up at him, smiling merrily. [color=89fdc5]”Really? You met with scions? Tell me about it! I've never talked to someone royal!”[/color] Then her face fell as she remembered his awkward gait. [color=89fdc5]”Is that why you were walking funny? Did they do something to you?”[/color] A promise of death flashed in her eyes, her demeanor shifting slightly. 

Alphonse suddenly sensed that he was in grave danger...he couldn't say why, but he suddenly felt as if he were on a mission, after a mark.... or perhaps he was the mark evading death? Either way, his instincts roared of danger. Still, he was with his love. Steve could keep an eye out for them. [color=ed145b]"Yeah, it was pretty fun. A noble house will invite me to their wing of the castle, and treat me well, good food, good drink. Introduce everyone involved. You know, to make the whole thing less weird. Then me and the Scions....I want to say their names were  Belle, and Petunia, we went to the garden, where they did their special rite. Most of the families have one for this kind of thing, and I got filled up with all sorts of aphrodisiacs. So, yeah, we had sex in the garden so that they could have babies that were more likely to be witches. It was pretty fun."[/color] Alphonse finished casually, though he felt a mounting sense of foreboding as he spoke.

Triss’ heart slowly broke apart as Alphonse told her his story, the entire time he looked so casual, and that made it even worse. They had agreed on Sousiel, but he hadn't even thought about telling her that he slept with women on the side. He wouldn't have told her if she hadn't asked. She looked down, her eyes twitching and her body shaking. Her hands readjusted themselves, wrapping around his throat. She gave it a nice long squeeze, looking up at him with a faux smile. Would it feel more satisfying if she did the deed with her own hands? She would need to run a few tests before making a conclusion. 

[color=89fdc5]”Glad you had fun, Alphonse.”[/color] She said, her heart had stitched itself back together, to experience the pleasure of hurting him in full. She wondered how many children were out there, that he didn't even care about. [color=89fdc5]”Look at me Alphonse, it's time for us to have a little fun together.”[/color] She winked, her eyes already glowing with beams of green light. 

Alphonse tried to ask what was wrong, he didn't believe her words when she said she was glad he had fun, her tone was off. Still he gladly looked into her eyes, it seemed that he had hurt her. He wanted to comfort her, but he was caught unawares by the sudden intrusion of her dread power.

Triss was in his mind easily, and the first thing she looked for was grief. She wanted him to feel just as bad as she did, and maybe that would make her feel better. If it didn't, she would have to see about having sex with Sousiel. There was plenty grief there, so much so that she could feel it without even bothering to look for it. She looked to see what he was feeding off of while they were together, and it made her heart swell to see love...and a bit of concern. That wasn't enough to dissuade her though, she still planned on having her fun. 

Alphonse's mind could have been that of a psychopath, every time Triss looked around she had to stop and cringe. A sense of jealousy for someone Triss couldn't pick out, a deep hatred for someone else. A subtle pride in what he did even though it was obvious that he loathed it. All these scars were deep and hideous, but they were covered by a thin veil of true affection. Triss guessed it was for her, and that just made her feel worse about what she had to do. Not wanting to target the things that were covered, she went for an older emotion, something he had long since tried to bury. It stood still in the back of his mind, sadness, anger, simple things that had swelled into monsters. 

Triss gathered a ball of it into her arms and placed it in the front of his mind, next to his love for her instead of in front of it. She pulled out, and pushed herself out of his arms, she felt like she didn't deserve her spot there. She made her way over to his bed, watching him but not daring to say a word. 

Alphonse sat trembling, looking at his own hands. Memories he had long ignored, that he thought were irrelevant to him now were flitting across his mind. Laughing, mocking, children, the grimace of a passing woman, as if she had had the misfortune to see something unpleasant. Stones that would often strike him out of nowhere while he was trying to scrounge for food. Worst were the keening wails. The wails of a drunken mad woman in the dead of night. "Why won't he come back to meeee!" They would wail, "I didn't mean to break my promise." she would blubber in the moldy sheet of their most recent squat. Tears streamed down Alphonse's face as he stood up from the chair. The weight of the memories hung heavy in his chest. Even in this coven, he had been isolated and alone. He preferred it that way, it made things easier. He hadn't felt the pain of it like this in years.  He looked at Triss. He wanted to go to her, to take comfort in her warm embrace, but she had done this to him. [color=ed145b]"Well?"[/color] He asked, the smile, for once gone from his face.[color=ed145b] "Are you happy with what you found in my head? What the hell was that?!"[/color] He almost shouted the last words. He was frustrated. He knew that he should run, but was also certain that he had nowhere to go. Nowhere but back to her.... [color=ed145b]"Why did you do this to me?"[/color]

Triss watched him as he deteriorated, but she couldn't find the words to say to make him feel better. She was atrocious, but every time she confirmed this with herself, she went back to the same old. When he stood and looked at her, red marks from tears streaming down his face, she felt tears of her own gather in her eyes. She didn't allow them to fall, it wasn't fair to him. 

His tone killed her, alongside his words. She found herself with her head in her lap, protecting herself from them. [color=89fdc5]”I suppose I'm satisfied, I looked inside your head and found your scars all covered up by the love you had for me...that was nice.”[/color] She answered, in response to his first question. [color=89fdc5]”I did it because, I was upset. Would you have told me about your meetings with noble women, had I not asked? If I wasn't able to see that you love me, I would have always questioned your feelings for me. I would have thought I was a toy.”[/color]

Alphonse stood for a long moment breathing heavily. Slowly, the images left his head. He realized that he still had others within the castle. Lorelai, Sousiel, Clarisa if he could ever get back in touch with her. Still, the love he felt remained, though it was now accompanied with caution. Should he be guilty? She attacked him, still he understood her feelings. He slumped back into his chair, suddenly very tired. [color=ed145b]"Triss, I'm sorry if my words hurt you, but you have nothing to fear there. The only reason I hadn't brought it up was because they literally meant nothing to me. They'll make a show of false affection, and use me for my seed to make the children they desire. I'm the toy. It's something I do for some of the witches around here. They say my blood is especially pure, they literally call me prime breeding stock, like a horse, or a dog. I'm sorry, I thought you knew, learning under Medusa's wing. She'd always made her opinion of me clear."[/color] He laughed wryly. [color=ed145b]"Please don't ever do that to me again."[/color]

Triss stood up, pushing her chair away and standing in front of him instead. She had messed up, and maybe that would become more clear to her in the future, but for now she knew that a part of him still belonged to her. That was encouraging, but she made no move to touch him. Instead, she raised her hand and crossed it over her heart. [color=89fdc5]”I promise to never manipulate your mind again...unless I want to have sex and you aren't in the mood.”[/color] She laughed, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. She didn't bring up the fact that since the war efforts were over, Medusa had not spoken to her. She also didn't tell him that no one wanted to teach her, mainly because they were afraid and they had every right to be. 

Alphonse snorted a laugh at her promise. He crooked a finger at her, beckoning her closer. [color=ed145b]"Speaking of being in the mood..."[/color] He said, spreading his legs to reveal the outline of his mood against his leg. 
[color=89fdc5]"Oh,"[/color] Triss breathed, before coming to him. They embraced in a kiss before Triss whispered in his ear. [color=89fdc5]"Now how can I make you happy again?"[/color]