Chapter 5 - Wings of love aside (The good ending)

A nice little part 2, for those of you who are bigger fans of happier endings.

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“I-I love you,” Sett blurted out. “You’re beautiful and lovely a-and I want to be with you forever. I want to wake up every morning with you in my arms and to see your face and-”


“Flattery’s already gotten you everything you’re going to get...” she giggled, enjoying every opportunity to tease her lover. “And for everything else you could just ask...”


Sett put his hands around her sides and lowered his face an inch from hers, serious intensity radiating from his neutral expression. “No, I mean it. I really do love you and I want to be with you.”


“Unfortunately, I really don’t feel the same. You’re not really my type, honestly. Which is why I invited you to my house late at night, shoved you into my bed, and had hot sex with you for hours,” she laughed. Upon seeing his confused, and a little hurt expression, she sighed and wrapped her arms around him tightly, pressing her forehead fiercely against his. “I’m sorry, okay? I do love you, Sett. I was just having a little fun at your expense. I won’t tease you like this anymore if you don’t want me to.”


Sett sighed in relief and kissed her softly. “No, it’s fine. I do like it. I-I’m just, well, it’s a bit of a cliche but I really am afraid of commitment. I was so scared to profess my love because I was terrified you’d reject me. Don’t you ever feel something like that?”


Quinn laughed again and ruffled his hair, clearly enjoying his discomfort. “Afraid of you rejecting me? Of course not. No one could love a fuck-up like you except me. And I do love you, so you’re just going to have to put up with me for a long while,” she affirmed. “Count on it.”


Sett smiled. “You have no idea how much that means to me ... love. Can I call you love?”


Quinn kissed him again, soft and warm. “Sure. It’s got a nice ring to it ... darling.”


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Hearing a key jiggling in the doorknob, Sett quickly put his cooking supplies down and rushed from the kitchen to the front door to greet his girlfriend. As Quinn closed the door behind her, he put his hands on her cheeks and pulled her in for a quick kiss before guiding her to the couch. 


“How was work, love?” Sett asked, stepping over and helping her take her leather boots off.


“Don’t say it like that, it sounds like I push papers in an admin office or something,” Quinn replied, sighing as she slipped off her socks and wiggled her bare toes, the calloused digits free from their stifling confines. “But it was fine, nothing major either way. Rumours of a Noxian scouting force in the forests nearby, but nothing to worry about.”


A slight shift in the air and hairs stood up on the back of Sett’s neck. He smiled and outstretched his arm, and with a flurry of blinding feathers, Valour perched himself on his forearm. Sett scratched him gently under the chin and Valour let out a small sound of appreciation. “How could anyone be worried when we’ve got you two as scouts, huh? Isn’t that right?” he said, and Valour visibly acknowledged the praise, if not understanding the words then at least understanding the tone. “I left a slice of raw steak in your perch. Fresh from the butcher,” he whispered. Hearing enough, Valour exploded off of him with enough force to nearly knock him off his feet and shot after his promised treat.


Valour taken care of, Sett turned his attention back to Quinn. He sat on the floor in front of her and took her bare feet in his hands and began massaging them, squeezing and loosening the tension from her stiff joints. Quinn sighed deeply at the loving treatment, putting one hand on his head and playing with his ears, much to his delight as he let out a deep sigh of happiness. 


“So, when are you gonna start paying rent around here? Get a job, maybe?” Quinn teased. “Food doesn’t just appear out of thin air, you know.”


Sett simply gestured to the spotless house, ruined by the trail of loose, dirty clothing leading from the front door to her current location. “Cleaning up after you is a job. Would it kill you to leave stuff where it belongs instead of just wherever you feel like?”


“Are you going to punish me if I keep forgetting?” Quinn mockingly asked with a sultry expression. She had spent most of the day fantasizing about her gorgeous boyfriend waiting for her at home and was practically dripping in anticipation.


“Well, I can think of a few things I could do to you to make sure you remember...” Sett teased right back, starting to press his nose between her legs.


“I’m never using a clothes hanger again if this is my punishment...” she sighed, encouraging him further into her with her hands now firmly pressed against the back of his head. “I guess you’ll just have to keep giving me reminders.”


“This definitely wasn’t in the job description,” he whispered, kissing the inside of her thighs.


“You’ll probably win employee of the week at this rate,” Quinn moaned, pushing him closer to her nethers. “Mmmmmm, the toaster oven could still make a resurgence if you get complacent...”


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“Momma? I’m home,” Sett called, pulling Quinn along and stepping into the house he shared with his mother for the first time in what felt like years, but was really only a few months. A lot had changed, after all. “Still remember your son?”


Convincing Quinn to take a getaway with him to a small village on the outskirts of Noxus proper was a challenge to say the least, but partially the intrigue of seeing where and how Sett grew up was too much to resist. The danger certainly excited the scout as well. Now, as she stepped into the small flat, simple and homely but very much in enemy territory, she felt a strange sort of longing. She’d stayed in barracks and houses her whole adult life, but never a home. There was something about it, something difficult to describe or pinpoint, maybe the way the air felt or the way it smelled, or any number of tiny factors compounding into a place where people didn’t just survive, they lived, and it was just another thing Quinn realized she’d been missing her entire life and it made her appreciate Sett even more. She wanted to live in a home like this, somewhere she belonged, with him.


Out of nowhere, Sett’s mother appeared, as mothers do, and she quickly walked up and embraced her son. “Oh, Sett. You’re back! Let me guess, you need money again?” Quinn, ignored for the moment, shuffled awkwardly, not sure what to do.


Sett rolled his eyes as he hugged her back. “That’s my money, momma. I broke bones for that. Meanwhile, you’ve never made an honest dime in your life,” he teased.


Recoiling in mock shock, she went on a small tirade about his attitude, his posture, and everything in between.


Whelp, he’s her son alright. Quinn thought.


Suddenly, the older woman turned towards Quinn. “And you’re my daughter-in-law, I presume? Are you the reason Sett’s been acting up? You’ve got bad girl written all over you.”


“Momma, please stop. You’re going to scare her away,” Sett bemoaned, burying his head in his hands in embarrassment while Quinn turned bright red and looked away at being so casually called on. “This is Quinn. She’s a member of the military and my ... uh... my...” he choked on his words, having never before introduced his lovers to his mother. 


Quinn turned to look at him with a smirk. “Your what?” she goaded, while sneaking a hand around his waist and squeezing his butt viciously, enjoying his squirming.


Two can play that game. “She’s my wife,” Sett declared, taking her by the hand and gesturing. “And love, this is my momma, my only family. Aside from you and our upcoming baby, of course.” 


Quinn turned even redder, absolutely mortified that Sett would casually say such a thing, but before she could protest, Sett’s mother grabbed her by the hand and pulled her towards her. She turned towards her surprised son. “Go get some tomatoes from the market, dear, I forgot earlier and I need those for dinner,” she ordered, gesturing towards the door. When he hesitated, she tilted her head with the perfect don’t test me, boy stare that all mothers have and gestured towards the door. “Go on now. I’ve got a few things to discuss with the mother of my grandchildren here.”


When Sett finally took the hint and left, the white-haired Vastayan woman sat down at the small dinner table and gestured for Quinn to do the same opposite her. “So,” she started before Quinn cut her off.


“Look, I-I’m not pregnant, okay? We’re not even married yet. He just said that to mess with me, but hold on, I’m not saying I wouldn’t want to... uh, I don’t want, I mean, I still want ...” she paused her rambling, speaking too quickly for her own thoughts to keep up. 


“What do you want?” the older woman asked, composed as she always was. 


“I ... I love him,” she blurted out. “And I want to spend the rest of my life with him. But it just feels a little too fast, thinking about having children and that sort of thing. I mean, I only met him a few months ago and we haven’t even...” she paused for a second, wondering if she could get away with such a blatant lie.


Sett’s mother shut her down quickly. “I might be old, but please don’t insult me by pretending you two haven’t shared a bed yet. I know what my son is like.”


Quinn laughed nervously. “Well you can’t really expect me to just up and say it, can you? Nice to meet you ma’am, oh and by the way, your son might be part animal during the day, but he’s a complete animal with me at night. Just thought you would want to know.”


She merely shrugged in response. “I wouldn’t have minded. There’s no reason to be ashamed or embarrassed. Sex is just a part of life. Plus, any mother would be happy to find out their son is having a good relationship with his better half.”


“Uh, no? Not any mother would. It’s fucking weird that you would are so much about your son’s sex life, honestly.” Quinn wasn’t having any of it. “Unbelievably weird, actually.”


The older woman simply shrugged again. “Vastayan bonds between parent and child are usually stronger than humans after all. Simply a matter of culture.” She suddenly turned towards her and smiled warmly. “I like you. My son is lucky to have a strong-willed woman like you by his side. Just,” he smile suddenly faded, replaced by a dark storm cloud of sorrow. “Just don’t hurt him. Please. He grew up without knowing his father, did he tell you?”


Quinn nodded.


“He’s got a big heart, but it’s fragile. He puts up a hard and tough exterior so no one from the outside can hurt him, but if he lets you in and you betray his trust,” she shook her head. “He’ll be devastated. That’s the main thing you worry about with your son once he’s old enough that falling out of a tree isn’t the most painful thing that could happen to him anymore.” She looked up at Quinn, almost with begging eyes. “Please don’t hurt him.”


Quinn took her hand and squeezed gently. “I’ll never hurt him. I love him with every fibre of my being and that will never change. When he’s happy, I’m happy, so I’ll do anything to make him happy. Don’t worry about a thing ... momma,” she smiled as warmly and reassuringly as she could, and the Vastayan believed her, wiping a small tear from her eye.


“Thank you, Quinn,” she sighed and paused for a moment, before turning jovial again. “But back to the important matters of my grandchildren. I must assume you’re familiar with the concept of a litter just so you understand exactly what I mean here...”


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When a courier from the Crownguard estate contacted Quinn with an invitation to dinner at the castle, Sett wasn’t too hot on the idea, and expressed as much. 


“Come on, babe, Lux knows you’re Vastayan. She just wants to catch up, nothing wrong with that, right?” Quinn periodically hung out with Lux in the castle whenever their paths crossed, and she began having a much better relationship with the royal now that she had matured a bit more.


“I dunno, I’m not too good with this sort of thing...” Sett hesitated. “But if you think this is a good idea, I’ll do my best for you.”


Quinn smiled and carefully hugged him. “Thanks darling. Don’t worry about a thing, I’m sure Lux will have taken care of everything.”


When they arrived, Quinn realized just how wrong she was. Lux may have been her usually bright and accepting self, but the man standing with her was anything but.


“Lux,” he said turning up his nose. “When you said you were bring special guests for dinner, I wasn’t expecting a common guardswoman and her dog.”


“Marcus, be nice,” she replied. “These are very good friends of mine, you know. Treat them with respect. Remember, when you married me, you married into the Crownguard family, so friends of Crownguard should be friends of yours.”


Marcus, huh? Doesn’t really get more generic than that, does it? Sett ignored him, instead pulling up a seat for himself. Just two hours and we can leave. Don’t make a scene, don’t make a scene...


“Look, esteemed military members? Fine. Nothing but respect. But that ...thing ... that’s not-”


“Name’s Sett,” he interrupted with his best neutral expression. Lux begged for me to fuck her an hour after we first met, cuck. “Nice to meet you.”


Marcus only snorted in response.


Sett turned wordlessly towards his food and ate quietly. Most of dinner passed with Lux and Quinn talking and catching up while their husbands mostly sat glaring at each other. Finally, Marcus broke the silence. “So, Sett, what do you do for a living?”


Your nation paid me 20,000 gold to fill your wife, for one. “Nothing stable, mostly odds and ends helping in construction. Doesn’t pay much, but it’s honest work.”


“Ah, so a pack animal then,” Marcus laughed.


“Yeah actually, something like that. Demacians seem to be lacking strength-wise.” No wonder you need to pay for a foreigner to come satisfy your women, Sett smirked, subtly flexing his enormous arms.


Marcus let out a humph of contempt. “In Demacian culture, true strength should be earned from honest work, not cheated with dedicated exercise. Excess muscles are a sign of one’s vanity.”


“Fair enough, I suppose. Certainly no one would ever accuse you of being vain.” If it weren’t for Quinn I’d bend Lux over this table right now and show you how much of a butt-slut your wife is. For me, that is. Not sure if you’d ever experienced it.


The insult flew completely over Marcus’ head and he turned back to his food, satisfied his point had been made. Not wishing to verbally spar further for fear of saying something that would get him and Quinn in trouble, Sett did the same, quickly polishing off his dinner. 


Finally, when all was finished, both parties said their farewells and Quinn and Sett walked into the night. Lux offered them a carriage, but the pair turned her down. Both born of physically demanding lifestyles, they both liked the walk more, they said.


“I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” Quinn hastily apologized as they strolled through the night streets. “I didn’t know about Marcus. I swear. I thought Lux would have kept him in line or something. She’s just so naive.”


“It’s fine, love. I’m used to that sort of thing,” Sett replied, sincere, but not entirely honest. “I thought among the aristocratic class it would be better, but if this was any indication...” 


“We need to find somewhere else to live,” Quinn finished his thought, putting a hand on her slightly swollen belly. Her pregnancy wasn’t obvious yet, still able to be covered up with a few layers of clothing, but she was beginning to feel it’s full effects. “We can’t raise him here. Even if he’s just quarter-Vastayan, he’ll be ostracized among his peers. I won’t let him go through that.”


“We can worry about that later. I’ve got some contacts that’ll be willing to help,” Sett said, squeezing her other hand. “For now, how are you feeling? Any cramps, discomfort?”


“There’s a fucking person growing inside me, so yeah, let’s just say I’m a little uncomfortable,” Quinn snapped suddenly, before quickly softening again. “Sorry, hormones are definitely in full force. Earlier too. It took everything in my willpower not to just clean that asshole’s clock, you know? A few more weeks in, I don’t think I could’ve stopped myself.” She paused for a moment, brow furrowing. “I’m scared, Sett. T-this is just so ... new to me a-and I don’t know what to do, what to think. At all. I’m terrified out of my mind. I feel so... so small,” she stammered, her voice wavering uncharacteristically from the usual tone of confident authority.


Sett put one arm around her hip and pulled her in slightly. “I love you, Quinn. More than anything. I’ll never let anything hurt you.”


Quinn put her head against his shoulder and sighed. “I know, Sett, but this isn’t something you can just punch into submission. There’s nothing you can do if ... if something goes wrong.”


Sett didn’t respond for a while. When he did, they were already home. “Whatever happens, whatever the future holds for us, we’ll at least have each other, if nothing else. I’ll always love you.” He turned and kissed her again, as if to seal his words. “No matter what, we’ll have each other.”


“Yeah,” Quinn sighed, kissing him back. “I love you too.”
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