The end tis aren’t like the golden age. That line’s been drilled into everyone’s heads countless tis.
Back then, lovers could flaunt their affections openly. Now? That won’t fly - especially not for Magnus. As the Ice Regint’s leader, he couldn’t be seen cozying up with Sarah or the Doyle sisters in front of the others. It’d wreck his image. Worse, with more than a few won in the group leaning toward sa-gender relationships, pushing boundaries could stir a storm.
So in the end, intimacy only happened on rare nights - when the others were asleep, when Magnus just happened to have the RV bedroom. Then, and only then, he’d quietly et with Abigail or Emma - or Sarah. Even then, asking all three together? Sarah wasn’t ready for that.
The Doyle sisters ended up sidelined. Emma and Abigail started feeling like they were nothing but tools for his release, not like Emily or Sophia and the others. They felt wronged. And they tried to prove themselves - volunteering for tough assignnts, acting bold. But then Liana had to open her mouth - "tough jobs like yours an serving the captain," she said.
That hit hard. Cut their pride deep.
The two sisters were beautiful in their own right. Maybe not as dazzling as Sarah, Emily, or Sophia, but still top-tier. Magnus didn’t want to let them go, not really, but they’d made up their minds. Ignoring it now would just be cowardice. So he pushed through his hesitation.
"If Abigail and Emma are set on this, I trust them. Emily, assign three squads each. Rotate personnel once a month. After their stint, they get two months’ rest."
He tacked on an extra squad, still uneasy. Then rattled off the essentials - how to dig shelters in the mountains, how to build doors, survival tips... anything to keep them safe. The sisters left with red-rimd eyes, heads held high, but never once looked back at him.
Once they stepped out, the RV’s living room turned awkward quick. Emily and Sophia looked uneasy. Liana exchanged a glance with Charlotte - both were quiet. A glance at Magnus told them he had nothing more to say. So she dismissed the eting.
One by one, the won filed out - all except Lucy and Molly. Lucy kept tugging Molly, whispering nervously. Molly? Stubborn. Head high, eyes hard.
In the end, Lucy couldn’t stop her. As the last two in the RV, Molly snatched the door open and marched straight to the bedroom. Lucy stumbled along behind her. Two knocks, then the door swung in.
Magnus was inside, rubbing his temples, beer in hand from the fridge. He blinked, stunned at their sudden entrance.
"You two... sothing wrong?" he asked, confused.
"Captain - " Molly was fuming, her voice shaky but fierce. Lucy clutched her sleeve; she yanked free.
"You... we won’t call you Captain anymore!"
She was like a firecracker, words clumsy but forceful, not sure what she really ant.
Molly wasn’t usually like this. Timid, mostly. What the hell happened? Magnus set the beer aside, sat on the bed.
"What’s going on with you two? Did soone upset you?"
"Captain - no, Magnus!" Molly’s voice cracked as she blurted, "Back when the crimson rain fell... you saved us. Do you rember?"
"Yeah... yeah," Molly nodded slightly, lips trembling. It hadn’t been long since that incident, and Magnus still rembered every bit of it. Lucy didn’t try to stop her this ti - just hung her head low, her chin nearly touching her chest, silent.
Molly opened her mouth, her neat little teeth clenching and then parting, as if struggling with sothing. Finally, she blurted out, "Magnus, do you... need a woman to take care of you? Look at us. Do you think we could... be enough? We’re both willing!"
Magnus stared at her, dumbfounded. He hadn’t expected this at all.
Seeing his stunned face, Molly’s cheeks flushed bright red. "Are we not good enough? We - " Her voice cracked, and before she could finish, she suddenly yanked up her shirt right in front of him.
Startled, Magnus dropped the beer in his hand; it hit the ground with a dull thud. He quickly turned his head away. "Molly, don’t - just don’t! When I saved you, it wasn’t for anything like this! We’re comrades - I did what I was supposed to. Put your clothes back on! Just pretend this never happened, alright? Go, now!"
"Is it because we disgust you?" Molly burst into tears, her eyes rimd with red. She stepped around to face him and stared straight into his eyes, voice trembling. "Is it because we’re not pretty enough? That we’re not as beautiful as Abigail and Emma? Or - what - is it because we’re not real sisters?"
Her crying grew louder, panicking Magnus. He glanced nervously toward the corridor. If Emily or the others ca back right now, how the hell would he explain this without making it worse? He couldn’t exactly say, "They threw themselves at , and I tried to say no." That was just asking for more trouble. And what about their pride? They were still girls, after all.
"Look, calm down, please," Magnus said, flustered. "Don’t cry. Let’s talk this out, alright? I’m not looking down on you. I didn’t an it like that."
"Then what do you an?" Molly’s voice rose sharp. "Are we not good enough for you?"
"I never said that either!"
But her voice only got louder, and Magnus felt his scalp go numb.
Then, suddenly, Molly threw herself into his arms, clinging to him tightly as if her life depended on it. "Magnus, we like you - really, truly. Don’t push us away. We’re not asking for anything. No na, no promises - we just want to stay by your side, let us take care of you, okay? Please... please..."
Watching Molly cry into his chest, Lucy couldn’t hold back anymore either. She sniffled, then followed and wrapped her arms around him too.
She’d had a boyfriend once - unlike Molly, she didn’t carry that kind of innocence. That alone made her feel unworthy. Everyone in the Ice Regint knew how picky Magnus was. Everyone whispered that he only liked virgins, and even preferred threesos. Stuff like that stuck in Lucy’s mind, made her feel less than.
Now, to be fair, Magnus had never actually said those things himself. He never outright confird it, though he never denied it either. But won gossip just as much as n do - maybe more - and their imaginations are wild.
The rumors about Magnus flew around like birds in a storm. About what he liked in a woman, what he didn’t. People even talked about that ti he supposedly had a wild night with Sophia, Emily, and three others - said it ended in slaps and hair-pulling. All made-up nonsense. Or at least, exaggerated to hell.
But that’s how it went in the team. n joked, won speculated, and sowhere in between, a rumor beca gospel truth.
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