A/N: The last few chapters have been dragging a bit so I'm going to skip ahead a few weeks in the storyline. Since no one wants to read ten chapters of walking through snow.

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Small snowflakes landed in Chris' wine glass, dissolving into the apple juice inside. He'd never dare to touch a drop of alcohol for any reason. While the others toasted with red wine, he avoided it desperately. His arms rested on the rail of the balcony, watching the river below. It's black waters rushed over sharp rocks, flowing into the lake in front of their current residence.

"I'd think after all the time we've spent in the snow, you'd want to be inside." Kuza spoke as he stepped outside the warmth of the home.

"I prefer the cold. My kind has the ability to adapt to warmth, to an extent, but at the end of the day I still feel a Hell of a lot better in the cold." He replied.

Kuza made sure the French doors leading back into the house were closed. He didn't want anyone listening in to their conversation or bothering them. His hands rested on the rail as he leaned beside his mate. "Exactly how cold does it get there?"

"Around negative two hundred... Celsius." He answered.

"Damn. I don't even like how cold this is. I couldn't imagine... Sorry. I'm sure you miss it."

Chris looked down at his glass, watching the snow glisten off the reflection of the glass. "In ways, yes, but I've found things I care about here too. I care about you, quite a lot. I feel like you don't believe me when I say that though."

"What makes you say that?"

"For starters, when someone says "I don't think you believe me" normally the response is "No, I do" not "what tipped you off?". Secondly, you don't trust me."

"You don't trust me either." He snapped back quickly, "I didn't forget what you said to me in Albany. You said you've got secrets too. Don't expect me to tell you mine if you won't tell me yours."

"So, that's it then? That's where our relationship has ended up?" Chris turned towards him, anger tempting his actions, "We're pointing guns at our heads and we won't pull the trigger until the other one does. If I knew we'd end up like this, if I knew back then that Ricky and Ryan were going to die and Josh was going to be such an idiot, I would've just given up. I wouldn't have mated with you and I would've just let myself die because I don't have shit to live for now."

"Oh, you don't love me? You would rather die than be with me?" Kuza mocked, "Big fucking deal. You're not the first. The only difference between you and the others was I was dumb enough to mate with you. So I can't get the fuck rid of you because that means I'd off myself too."

"I've tried my damnedest to make this work. You know, I could be cruel." He scoffed, "I could be just like you."

Kuza was never the talking type. His fist always came for you before his mouth. He'd had about enough and his rage had gotten the best of him. Though he may not be human, he was still a hot blooded being. One that got rather pissed easily and he'd suppressed his anger for too long. It all came out at once in an impulse decision to shove Chris away from him.

He wasn't thinking. That's the more destructive part of hatred; It's blinding. This old house was on it's last leg. Under Chris' weight, the railing broke easily when he fell back into it. Everything slowed down for a minute. Just long enough for Kuza to see his mistake, but not long enough for him to correct it. His mate went off the side of a third story balcony and plumented into the lake below.

A second before the black waters engulfed his body, he changed. Kuza saw it before his own eyes. He'd thought for a moment he'd gone crazy. He may be a lot of things, but he wasn't crazy. His eyes were sharp and he knew what he saw. Quickly, he rushed inside and jumped half the stairs. As mad as he was, he didn't want to lose Chris. Especially if that loss came at his own hands.

The snow didn't slow him down when he rushed to the river's edge. He looked through the water desperately in search of a sign. Chris broke through the surface of the water, gasping for air. He was back to himself now. Whatever Kuza saw a flash of before was gone. The rage, however, remained. Chris grabbed him by the ankle and yanked him into the lake with him.

Kuza went under for a minute, swimming back up to the top. They had no idea if this water was deadly or toxic. So far, it had yet to kill them. It didn't feel deadly but then again, there's plenty of things that can look innocent when they're far from it.

"What the fuck was that?!" He yelled.

"Payback." Chris stated simply, running a hand through his long wet hair.

"Not that. I don't give a fuck about that." His eyes narrowed, "I saw what happened when you fell."

The dominant sighed and looked up at the sky above them. He was cursing himself in his head for being so idiotic. "I was hoping you wouldn't find out yet. I wanted to wait until we got settled in Helheim." He met his eyes with his partner's, "I'm sorry I've kept secrets from you. I was scared of what you'd think. I don't- ...I don't look like this, really. I... I use my cloaking ability to... to look human."

Kuza said nothing initially. He had to let it sink it that the man, the Neptunian, in front of him was not who he said he was. Imagine giving your life to someone and finding out they were wearing a mask the entire time. It took him time to process, but what truly got him was the apology and the honest. He'd never met someone who had the ability to set aside their pride like Chris did.

"I used to be an enforcer for the mob." He suddenly admitted, "I was a gambler too. I've got really sharp eyes, to a point it's not human. I used it to cheap at black jack and poker. I'm sure you could imagine, I made a lot of fucking enemies and I killed a lot of people. I was a bad person. I regret everything I did and I've changed now. I promise, I'm changed, but I was scared if I told you, you wouldn't believe that." 

"I do. I... I trust you, okay? I swear on my fucking grave, I trust you and I care about you. I'd never turn you away for something so petty."

"I... I trust you too. I was just scared to admit it, but you do mean a lot to me now. My life would suck without you." He said, to which Chris laughed a little. Kuza smiled briefly, letting it fall again, "Can I see, please?"

"Are you sure you want to?" He insecurely muttered.

Kuza thought for a moment. His hesitation had nothing to do with Chris because he knew it wouldn't bother him. He was thinking though, thinking about the way his mate feared his own true self so much.

"I do," He replied, taking his coat off his shoulders, "But maybe it would make you feel better if I showed you who I really am first." Kuza threw his jacket over in the snow. He started unbuttoning his shirt, catching Chris' glance. "What? Did you think you were the only lost one with a cloaking ability?"

"No... I just... I thought you were human."

With his chest now bare, he murmured, "I am."

Kuza lowered his head out of shame. He let his cloaking mechanisms drop for the first time in years. The majority of lost ones have the ability to change their skin's color and texture for survival reasons. For those with red or brown eyes like Chris and Kuza, it had become a necessity. They were so rare, making them extremely sought after. That was not the reason they had resorted to this draining power.

It took away some of his energy to be constantly using the ability. He'd probably be a better fighter if he wasn't so worried about showing his scars. Chris was able to see him for who he was now. His entire torso was covered in massive scars. One ran across his face, through his eye. Half of that red eye was now shown to be somewhat grey. The red tones were still there but they were mixed in with the colors of a summer storm. Where the scar met his hairline, a section of his black locks was now silver.

"The problem with being the one to hit people is you're eventually going to find someone that hits back harder. My arrogance got the best of me and I thought... I thought no one could beat me. I was wrong. The only reason I made it out alive was because Dex and Deysa came for me. Even they wanted to leave me for dead, but Devin convinced them otherwise." He explained.

Chris gently set his hand on his scarred face, "You're still just as beautiful to me."

He smiled bashfully, "May I see, now, please?"

It was a bittersweet moment for his dominant. His heart wanted to soar with happiness because Kuza had finally shown him so much trust. Yet, he was utterly terrified to reveal himself. He'd never shown his true form to anyone. Not even his previous love, Angelo, or his best friends that he'd spent years alongside.

He only owed it to his mate to show him the truth. After all, they were planned to spend eternity together now. Chris reluctantly removed his sweater, then let his cloak fall, slowly turning back into who he truly was. While the bottom sections of his hair remained their inkwell black, a handful at the top turned silvery-white. One small piece at the front even became a light blue color.

His skin went from a pale white to a very light blue, which served as a great contrast against his pitch black lips. A much darker shade covered his hands, twirling up around his lower arms. Pieces of diamond formed along his hairline and collarbones. In his true state, he was quite the sight to behold.

"And you call me the beautiful one?" Kuza said softly.

Chris smiled some, still shying away from looking at him. "On my planet, I was considered pretty ugly." He held up his hands, "Having darker skin like this, and black hair and brown eyes, that was considered a birth defect. They treated me like a dog."

"They're fucking idiots, and if any of them were alive, I'd kill every single one that ever said one bad thing about you." He replied. Kuza ghosted his hands over the gems on his chest, "Is it okay, if I touch you?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" He said charmingly. Chris delicately took Kuza's hand in his, guiding him to touch the shards of diamond inlaid into his skin, "On my planet, it was considered the highest level of trust to let someone touch your gemstones, because they are windows into our past. I want you to see mine. I want you to understand."

Kuza wasn't expecting them to be more than just apart of his skin. He was taken back when suddenly images were flashing through his head of Chris' life. They were incredibly, yet painful. He saw the icy pillars he'd lived in, the frosty skinned woman who raised him. Then he saw that woman dead after the ravishers had come, and Chris' healing hands desperately trying to save her.

Every tear shed and pounding heart beat, he could feel. It was overwhelming indefinitely but it wasn't the destruction of his home planet that made Kuza pull away. He suddenly saw memories of a beautiful creature with silky long hair. His blue eyes sparkled like flawless ice as he leaned in to kiss Chris. Kuza had seen enough and pulled his hand back. He wrapped his arms around himself, shivering in the cold waters.

"That was Angelo, wasn't it?" He muttered.

"Yes, it was." Chris sadly admitted, "I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry."

He shook his head, "Baby, don't apologize for that. You were willing to show me memories that I know hurt you to see. That means more than you'll ever know to me. No one's ever trusted me enough to let me know their pain."

Chris wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him in closer, "I want us to work. I want us to learn to love each other, and how could we ever do that if we don't know the other's agony? Love is tolerance and understanding."

"It's also a Hell of a strong word. If words were alcohol, love would be vodka. Nothing fucks you up quicker. Sometimes, being fucked up is good though." He optimistically spoke, laughing a little.

Kuza stopped himself for a moment to admire how absolutely gorgeous Chris' eyes looked when they sparkled off the snow. It was like looking into a pot of honey on a spring day. Though he loved them open, he didn't mind them closing at the cost of a kiss. His arms wrapped around his mate's neck as he closed the space between them.

Chris moaned softly against his lips, "Are we really going to do this here?"

"Oh, so a dirty abandon Costco is good enough for you but not a clean lake?" He replied.

"Fair enough," He snickered. Chris leaned in closer to him, whispering in his ear, "I'm not sure you could handle me like this, though, Baby. If you thought my cock was big before..."