Sebastian ran a hand up and down the old leather seat of the truck. While he wouldn’t admit it, he had really missed driving in this old thing. Since Daisy and Luke would be staying at the house, away from all the action, Edmund suggested that they drive the truck to meet up for the fight.

He and Hayden would be the spell casters, being the only ones who could really use the kind of magic it took to exorcise a leviathan. Normally they’d need more spell casters, but Sebastian’s artefact, they likely had more than enough magical energy. And all the components they needed were supplied graciously from the Emporium.

Edmund, Persephone, Emily, the three elf warriors, and Obsidian, would all be protecting the pair during the ritual. Sora – the one who Sid had thrown into a tree – had argued long and hard to be a part of the action. She hadn’t really hurt anything when she’d gotten thrown, apart from a few scratches thanks to the twigs of the branches. Seb wondered if perhaps elves were more durable than humans, considering a normal person would have at least twisted an ankle or something after a stunt like that.

As his mind wandered, Sebastian looked out the window at the sky. There was a storm gathering, but he could still see the orange light of dusk. It reminded him of the first fight that they’d driven to just a few weeks ago now. It was kind of disorientating to think that this time last month the only ones making plans for supernatural shit were him, Ed, Persephone, Hayden and Lydia.

Now, he and Edmund had just left a group of nearly twenty, who had all sat around the dining table strategizing like a war council. He kind of missed when their ‘council’ was smaller. Their problems from then seem much smaller now too.

Of course, he was glad for a lot of the things that had happened since then. Getting Luke to a safe place, meeting Daisy, and having Eddie as his boyfriend. He looked over to said boyfriend and noted he was thinking about something.

He was focused on the road, of course, but there was a tenseness in his shoulders that gave him away. It could have been chalked up to nerves for the fight ahead, but he looked like he wanted to say something.

Seb decided to help him start. “You’re not going to break the steering wheel with that deathgrip of yours, right? I know I complain about you needing a new ride, but you don’t need to destroy this one while we’re in it.”

Ed cracked a smile, even as he rolled his eyes. “This truck most definitely won’t break from me holding the steering wheel tightly.”

“Hmm, maybe. You could loosen your grip a bit though. Perhaps say what’s on your mind?”

There was a brief pause before Edmund spoke again. “Can you promise me one thing?”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “I guess, what though?”

“Promise I won’t lose you.”

Those words hit Seb harder than he was prepared for. It was one thing to know they were driving into a battle, but it was another to grasp the idea that they could lose each other. One or both of them could die tonight.

It hadn’t felt exactly real for Sebastian just yet. He didn’t think it would until they were face to face with the problem. The threat with the Wiker pack hadn’t felt real until Edmund said they were out of time. Edmund just seemed to be quicker with these things than Seb.

“Of course you won’t lose me, silly.”

“I’m serious, Bas.”

“So am I.”

“Hayden said this is going to be dangerous–”

“Eddie,” Sebastian’s tone was soft but firm, and caused the other boy to glance at him briefly. “We won’t lose. I already made you a promise that we’re going to be together no matter what. Werewolves, magic, dragon-demons; nothing is going to keep me from you.”

There was yet another pause as Edmund absorbed the meaning of Seb’s words. “No matter what.”

“No matter what.” Sebastain took one of Ed’s hands and intertwined their fingers. “I love you.”

The tension in his shoulders faded slightly and he smiled. “I love you too.”

They kept their hands like that for the rest of the ride, and a peaceful silence settled between them. Seb did his best to commit the feeling to memory. A calm before the storm. Perhaps the storm wouldn’t be so bad – not just the literal one outside, but also the fight that they were going into. He doubted that it would be at all easy, but… he was keeping his promise. No matter what.