Discord woke up with a brief sensation of cluelessness, what was different about this morning?

A muffled, sleepy sound drew his attention to the beds other occupant.

Discord rolled onto his side, propping his chin up on one hand and studying the one sharing his bed. The morning light filtered through the curtains, highlighting messy black hair, and a peaceful expression...

Somber.

Discord flashed back to the previous night and couldn't resist a contented grin. Oh, it’d been exquisite. Somber's fiery passion, the fireworks between the two of them.

--That's the real you...-- Discord thought, watching the snoozing Somber --that restricted, quiet you was a lie. This determined, stubborn man who wont let go once he's made his mind up, that's the guy that Cinch tried to destroy. You have the equestrian Sombra's determination and strength, but a kind heart.--

He was distracted from his musing by Somber stirring at last, uttering a restful sigh, as his eyes opened and slowly adjusted.

"Morning handsome." Discord said with an amused grin as he gently pinned Somber in place, nuzzling his collarbone.

"Mmh, h-hey.." Somber half spoke, half groaned as Discord caressed the scars on his chest with one hand.

"You look gorgeous in the morning." Discord teased as he at last relented, and moved in to kiss him softly. He tangled his fingers in the messy black hair as he did, tongue brushing Somber's lips.

They didn’t say a single word for a little while, content to just reaffirm the previous nights fireworks.

At last they pulled apart, both pretty out of breath.

"How are you feeling?" Discord asked, seeing how the early morning light made his lovers eyes sparkle. Somber smiled, shifting how he was lying so a familiar jolt ran up his spine.

"Ah, whoa-!" he blurted, face reddening at how idiotic he sounded, as the unfamiliar sensations jolted up his back. But it felt pretty good.

"I’m afraid you may feel a little sore for the rest of today," Discord chuckled, watching him "it feels a little strange at first."

Somber nodded, snuggling closer so as to kiss Discord "I’ve been known to adapt quickly." he responded, then went red again. Could he say anything without sounding like a moron?

Discord smirked knowingly, "oh I don’t doubt that of you Somber. And I intend to test that theory QUITE vigorously." he smirked, letting one hand come to rest on Somber's hip, toying with the edge of the bed covers draped over his lovers lower body. "And I might add, you were very energetic last night, I’m impressed."

Somber found out he could get even redder in the face at all the hidden subtexts in Discord's speech.

"I’m sorry, I cannot resist teasing you a little," Discord said, not looking or sounding remotely apologetic "But I’m not kidding when I say I want to keep you." He did look serious, Somber realised.

"I’m not planning on going anywhere." Somber told him honestly, and was rewarded with another kiss, and Discord’s hand sliding UNDER the blanket-

Sombra gave a contented sigh. This was the happiest he'd felt in so long. He could almost pretend that the whole fire hadn’t happened, and for now he was happy to do just that!

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP. They duo hesitated just as they were about to kiss again, thrown off by the noise...

Discord groaned, glaring at the phone by the bedside.

"Really? Already?" He sighed.

"Already what?" Somber asked, then realised "Oh, you-"

"Yup, time to get up for work." Discord sighed, sitting up and pulling Somber into his arms "I hate to leave you my dear Somber, but I’m scheduled today. Unless, if you don’t want to be alone?"

"I'll be alright, I don’t want you getting in trouble." Somber shifted so he could kiss him.

"Damnit, I just want to ravish you until you can barely move." Discord groaned, one hand moving from Somber's hip to slide over that nice, firm behind.

But he knew a second round would be asking a bit much.

"Best not to push you too far just yet my dear Somber." Discord kissed him once more, before reluctantly setting him down on the bed.

"Fancy a shower?" he asked. Somber smiled languidly saying he could wait, Discord had work to go to, after all.

With a parting kiss, Discord headed for the en-suite bathroom.

Somber tucked his legs under him, watching the sunlight gradually lightening the room. The bed covers were wrapped around his body, and he listened to Discord singing some off-beat song about....big butts?

He face-palmed and felt a laugh trying to escape from him. It was just so funny for some reason. Of all the bizarre things Discord had picked up on entering this world, it had be a ridiculous song-!

Then something occurred to him.

"Uh...Discord?" he called.

"Hmm?" came the others voice, muffled by the running water.

"What...what happened to my car?"

"Oh! Juuust a minute-!" Discord had completely forgotten to tell him. But to be honest, this was as much interest Somber had shown in his belongings since the fire, so he hadn’t brought it up, not wanting to push him.

He finished his shower, grabbing his towel and darting into the bedroom and over to a drawer in the desk that occupied the far corner.

"I had to move it so the police could get access, but I had the driver I hired bring it to the school. Under your permit, it can stay there as long as needed. Saved you having to pay for storage."

Somber sighed in relief.

"So you can pick it up any time you need to." Discord pulled out some paperwork and set it atop the desk, then started on getting dressed. "All your stuffs stored in the spare room here, so if you want to take a look, feel free.”

"Thanks.." Somber sighed in relief, staring at the crumpled bedsheets underneath him, drawing idle patterns with one hand as he spoke "Feels like I’ve been living in a fog the last few days...."

Discord finished getting dressed and sat down beside Somber, gently cradling his lover's face with his hands. He pressed his forehead to Somber's.

"You’ve nothing to apologise for, you’ve been through a lot, its understandable you felt like you didn’t want to face it, OK?"

Somber nodded, some of the worry disappearing from his face.

"Thank you.." He said sincerely, managing a smile.

"Good man.." Discord smiled "get dressed and I’ll make breakfast. How do you feel about waffles?"

Somber ambled around the kitchen, getting the dishes from whichever cupboard Discord had randomly opted to put them in after washing them. Discord watched him as stealthily as he could, noting the subtle change to the way he walked. It made him remember the previous night and he couldn’t help from smiling.

"Why don’t you learn to drive?" Somber asked, as they stood in the hallway by the front door.

"I wouldn’t know how. Plus, I’m half afraid of the damage I’d cause if I tried to steer one of those two-ton metal boxes!"

Somber rolled his eyes "well its got to be costing you a fortune paying these cab companies," he sighed "alright, I’ll teach you."

"Seriously? Isn’t that car of yours valuable?"

“It's a vintage model, yes" Somber said "but it'll be easier if you have some experience with cars and their inner workings before going to the test centres. There’s some fields near here, we can go there."

"You are a genius Somber!" Discord grinned widely, looking absurdly happy over such a small thing.

"Yes, well. It seems pointless to waste so much money." Somber grumbled, shrugging.

He was seized and kissed quickly. When Discord released him, he was slightly flushed.

Discord grinned, and Somber again admired his blunt manner of speaking, how easy it seemed to be for the most part, for him to say what was on his mind.

"If that thing shows up at the school again-" Somber began.

Discord nodded, letting him go "I have the proxy phone, I’ll call you if it picks anything up."

This seemed to reassure Somber somewhat, and he seemed almost back to his usual self when Discord's cab arrived and he left for the school.

Alone in Discord's house, Somber wandered aimlessly, before settling for taking a long bath, then curling up on the couch until mid afternoon.

He blushed as he recalled the prior night. Arguing with Discord, then Discord declaring he literally WANTED him. He'd never had anyone be that direct with him before. He'd been nervous as it was possible to be, sex was quite a big step forward after all. But it'd felt great...

He shifted his position on the couch, again feeling the obvious difference in his body. Discord hadn’t been kidding, he WAS still a bit sore after their passionate night. His last memory had been of him drifting asleep resting against Discord's chest, feeling worn out, but happy.

He looked up, catching his reflection in the TV screen. He was smiling subtly, in a way he hadn’t seen on his face in years.

--Discord, what did you do to me, hmm?-- he chuckled dryly.

But one thing was gnawing at the back of his mind. He walked upstairs and sat on the bed again, reading the paperwork Discord had left out.

The personal artefacts had been recovered by the police. The fire had done the most damage to the lower floor, guttering most of the library/main room, and significant damage to the kitchen and storage closet.

Upstairs, the damage was mostly smoke-related, with some of the stairs badly burnt.

Somber set down the police report and sighed. He'd have to deal with the insurance at some point, seemed it'd been deemed arson, he could easily claim it, but the idea felt too depressing, so he set it aside.

As he set the paperwork down, he noticed the bedsheets were stained with something-

He realised what it was and coughed, deciding to locate Discord's washing machine and clean things up.

Sadly, that activity only distracted him for so long. He needed to get his car back.

So he called a cab to take him to the school near the end of the afternoon. Final classes were in session so the car park was empty. he got to his car and got into it.

He smiled as he ran his hands over the vintage vehicle. He drove away from the school, and on auto pilot, headed for home.

He realised what he'd done as he was met with reflections of police tape, that this maybe was a bad idea. He sighed, made to drive away, then changed his mind.

He got out of the car, walking over to the tape. It'd fallen down in a few spots, the site declared a caution. But the reports basically said the police had done their job, now the house was considered unfit for habitation.

He stood there for what felt like an eternity, hesitating.

"How LONG is he gonna just stand there?" Rainbow Dash whispered.

"Ah dunno, but it aint polite ta stare." Applejack rolled her eyes.

"Its a mysteryyy~" Pinkie Pie sang softly. they were hiding behind a car, observing the history professor standing staring at this fire-damaged house.

"He’s going inside!" Rainbow Dash grabbed her friends arms. Sure enough, Somber ducked under the tape, and out of sight of the trio, got the door open.

Rainbow Dash darted across the road, followed by a curious Pinkie. And a despairing Applejack. She continued trying to convince her friends to stop invading the house, but it fell on deaf ears, so she resigned herself to following after them. Inside, the house was silent and reeked of smoke.

"Where'd he go?" Rainbow Dash whispered, not seeing anybody. Pinkie Pie pointed to the stairs. The crept up, stealthy as they could.

"He's gone?" Pinkie Pie whispered "I knew it, he's a ninja!"

"Don’t be silly Pinkie!" Rainbow Dash grumbled.

To their left was an open door. They stuck their head sin, but it was empty.

"Weird..." Applejack murmured. they stood in the empty room, a little uneasy.

"What are you doing here?" The voice scared the daylights out of the trio of girls, and they shrieked collectively, bumbling into each other before eventually righting themselves and backing up a few steps.

Somber stood in the doorway, arms folded, frowning.

"Uhh....there's a perfectly good reason..." Rainbow Dash began. Then stopped. Somber raised an eyebrow.

"You want it NOW?" Rainbow Dash joked after she failed to think up anything convincing.

"You shouldn't be here." Somber said, walking past them and over to the smoke and soot coated closet. Applejack notice he carried a messenger bag slung over one shoulder, which appeared to be holding a few oddly shaped objects.

"Whuh? Well...why're you here?" Rainbow Dash said, proud of her retort. Somber sighed, his back to the girls as he spoke.

"I live here...well, used to."

Three jaws hit the floor.

"Oh dear.." Applejack said softly.

"What in the world happened?" Pinkie Pie asked sadly.

"An intruder broke in, attacked me and at some point while I was unconscious, started a fire."

"OH. Shiiieett. Uh, sorry." Rainbow Dash felt like an idiot, she'd pretty much put her foot in it there.

"That's why you haven't been at school." Pinkie Pie realised. Somber nodded, looking at them out of the corner of his eye.

Setting his bag down he stood on tiptoes, feeling along the top of the closet for something he'd stashed up there a long time ago.

The girls watched as he grunted in annoyance, before finally succeeding in taking down a shoebox.

"What's that?" Rainbow asked, curiosity winning out.

Somber set it down on the bed, opening the sodden box. With a visible look of relief he lifted what looked at first glance to be a blanket. Then it unfolded, fanning out to reveal it was a flag bearing the Crystal Prep emblem.

"Wait- why have you got a Crystal Prep flag?" Rainbow Dash objected, frowning.

"I worked there, once upon a time. This is one of the few reminders I have."

"Oh." Pinkie Pie stared at the flag, noting how distant Somber's expression was "isn’t Canterlot so much nicer though?" she said brightly, smiling.

Somber smiled very weakly before folding the flag back up and placing it in the messenger bag.

"I’m glad it survived at least.." he said heavily, slinging the bag back over his shoulder "not much DID."

"Ahm sorry ta hear 'bout this.." Applejack indicated the room "did the police catch tha guy?"

Somber shook his head. He couldn’t tell them it'd been a monster from a parallel world.

The three could see how depressed their teacher seemed. He looked tired too, like he hadn’t slept in days.

Somber shook himself out of his daze, thinking he shouldn’t be encouraging them to hang around a potentially dangerous house.

"Lets get out of here, it's not safe. I shouldn’t even be here, I just wanted to see if anything survived the blaze. Go on, shoo.." he ushered them towards the stairs.

Once they were safely outside, he locked the door again. He let one hand rest heavily on the door, feeling another jab to his heart. He'd miss his house, he'd grown up in it, after all. Passed down to him by his parents when they moved overseas, he'd made a comfortable home here...

He walked over to the car, which caught Rainbow's attention.

"Hey, is that a classic v-series?" she asked, eyebrows raised. Somber blinked, then realised what she was saying. he nodded,.

"I've had it for as long as I’ve been teaching," he mused.

"Pretty sweet.." Rainbow Dash nodded "I've seen these on TV, they're pretty expensive!"

"I got it cheap back then," Somber said, then "if you three need lifts, I can drive you."

“Really?" Rainbow eyed the car "awesome!"

So he ended up dropping all three off at Applejack's, where Pinkie said they were having a party.

"Thanks Prof, see ya back in school!" Rainbow Dash said as she hopped out.

They watched him drive away, ruminating on what he had told them.

"He's pretty bummed out," Pinkie Pie said, sighing "its so mean, someone burnt the house down!"

"Ah was wondering why he suddenly vanished, but ah figured he was sick or somethin'!" Applejack added as they trekked inside.

"I thought he was a grouch, but he's not al bad. Hope they catch the jerk that did it." Rainbow muttered.

Discord was at home when Somber arrived back.

"Where you get to?" he asked, curious "did you get your car?"

“Yes, it's in the driveway," Somber nodded "and I ended up at the house."

"Are you OK?" Discord asked, hearing the weight in Somber's voice.

Somber nodded.

"It was a bit of a shock, seeing it all blackened and damaged," he sighed, setting his bag down "but I did find a few more things, including my old Crystal Prep flag."

Discord nodded, and wrapped his arms around him, staring at the objects Somber was taking out of the bag. Then he sneezed subtly, making Somber jump.

"What are you doing?" he wheezed, eye-balling Discord.

"Sorry, your hair smells like soot, and extinguisher." Discord sneezed again. Somber laughed, shaking his head as Discord went in search of a tissue.

"I'm going to get a shower.." Somber sniffed his hair and realised it did smell like soot.

He returned a half hour later, hair freshly washed. He and Discord opted to lounge on the couch in the main room, watching TV before dinnertime.

At one point Discord gave a theatrical sigh and flopped over so his head was in Somber's lap, then shifted onto his back to peer up at the man’s bewildered face.

Somber blinked down at him. This was new. But, he found he didn’t mind the contact, the warmth.

"Alright, what’s eating YOU?" he asked after several seconds of silence.

Discord gave a childish sigh "I wasn’t able to find a single sign of that thing today. It's bothering me!"

"It found Elpis and I, somehow." Somber sighed. They fell silent, with Somber absently toying with strands of Discord's hair, as he tried to puzzle out the attack.

"Maybe it traced your magic?" Was Discord's theory.

"If that's the case, why hasn't it come here? You have magic out the proverbial wazoo!"

"That I do," Discord chuckled at Somber's choice of words "but I also set some spells around this house, stuff I used back in the equestrian world. Seems adequate enough here. Chances are it's not picking up any signals here, at least not at present. If its able to gain any further power we may be stuck."

On screen, the movie they were watching was currently showing a raging fire, with fire crews trying to put it out. Discord had offered to change the channel, but Somber had shaken his head, saying avoiding anything that reminded him of what’d happened wouldn’t help him.

Somber's mind wandered back to the hydra, and the myth surrounding it.

"Fire!" He blurted. Discord looked up at him, a little concerned.

"Is something the matter?" he asked. "It IS alright to say so, if you want to watch something else? Goodness me, your laps so comfy..."

"No, I mean..what?" Somber shook his head, tilting his head to peer at the one lying their head in his lap. He studied Discord's blissed out expression and sighed "that thing looked like a hydra, remember?"

"Yes, I recall you mentioning it in the hospital, what about it?"

"Well..in the original legend, every time the hero chopped a hydra's head off, it grew back, and grew MORE! So-" as he spoke, his voice became more like it was before, animated, excited. He really knew his stuff. Somber continued to toy with Discord's hair as he rambled, tangling it around his fingers. It actually felt rather nice...

Discord snapped at his attention span to buck up and tuned back into Somber's voice.

"-And in the end, he cauterized the heads, stopping them from growing back!"

"Soo...you need to kill it with fire?" Discord summed it up. Somber gave him a sarcastic sigh.

"Yes, kill it with fire." he dead-panned. Discord chuckled, reaching up to poke Somber's nose.

"Forgive me, my precocious Somber, I fear your knowledge is far beyond mine, I cant keep up!"

"Flattery will get you nowhere." Somber snorted, but he did lean in close enough so they could share a brief kiss.

Discord once more marvelled at the pleasure just a kiss from this specific person could do. No human he'd dated in the early days had made him go this crazy over them. Most the time, he'd gotten bored rather rapidly. A shag or two, then they inevitably drifted apart. But Somber, there was something else about him. Something he needed, and that he wanted, BADLY.

He at last let Somber go so the man could sit back up, leaning forward like that had to be awkward on his back.

He then sat up so he could also give his lovers lap a rest, and asked was he OK? Somber was staring at the screen, seeing the scene had switched away from the fire fighting, some of the unease faded from his eyes.

Discord sighed, and decided his Somber needed an intervention. He hadn’t shown any strong emotion since the fire, save for their blissful night together, when he'd seemed almost lost in the happiness their sensual dance brought him. He could see the tension still populating Somber's thoughts, could see him diving into everything he could in order to drown it out.

Somber was surprised when Discord pulled him onto his lap. He shifted so he was straddling Discord's lap, otherwise he'd fall. Discord's hands cinched at his waist, keeping him close. Somber blushed, recalling the last night.

"As tempting as you are to me Somber, sex isn't what's on my mind right now." Discord said softly.

"Really? I must say I’m shocked! From what I've been able to glean, you’re made up of 90% Innuendoium!" Somber snickered, expecting Discord to drop the façade. But although a faint smile did cross his face, Discord didn't rise to the bait. Somber's own smile faltered, replaced by a worrying fear.

"What?" he asked.

"How are you feeling?" Seeing Somber open his mouth "-and I’m not talking about the outer or inner-physical state of that gorgeous body, I mean up here." He tapped Somber's forehead lightly with one hand, seeing the professors expression shift to one of bewilderment.

"I'm fine, I told you." Somber shook his head, confused.

"Somber, don't hide." Discord's voice pierced Somber's core, made him flinch guiltily. He broke his gaze, staring at the pattern on the arm of the couch just a foot away. Discord's hand came to rest on his cheek, titling Somber's gaze back to meet his.

"I'm worried about you, Somber. Your little outburst on the couch showed me just how much you're still suppressing. So c'mon." he locked his hands around Somber's waist again, feeling the heat of him even through the clothing he wore.

"I'm fine Discord." Somber smiled weakly. His heart felt like it was being tied in chains inside his chest, he hated lying to him, but he couldn't talk about what'd happened. He just wasn't ready. The last 24 hours had been a haven from the darkness created by the arson and nightmares, and he wasn't willing to relinquish that safety just yet.

So he closed the distance between them, putting everything he so badly wished he could say into a single kiss. It was a bittersweet feeling, and he felt the guilt take further root, but it was alleviated by Discord returning the kiss, one hand moving to gently rub Somber's back. At last he let the kiss end, and looked at Discord.

"There’s nothing to worry about. Yes, visiting the house was a bad idea, but I had to go back eventually. I guess I just wanted it out of the way was all." Somber explained.

Discord studied him a moment, then nodded. He could see something was still bothering Somber, but he didn't want to drive him away by pushing too hard. So, even though it concerned him to do it, he let the issue drop.

"Alright my dear Somber," Discord kissed him softly, seeing Somber relax a little. "Just making sure you're OK, its been a tough week for you."

"I'll survive." Somber assured him.

"I don’t doubt that, you’re stronger then I first guessed, so much stronger..." Discord had to admit he'd misjudged Somber. He'd turned out to have a hidden strength that had saved their asses well, so far.

His stomach gurgled, and he chuckled, poking Somber in the stomach as well.

"Dinner?" asked, and the other nodded.

Somber reluctantly slithered off Discord’s lap, he'd really gotten rather comfortable, and drifted into the kitchen. Discord had offered to try teaching him to cook, and he was curious to see what random dish Discord would whip up tonight.

"I really admire the variety of food here!" Discord mentioned as they worked "such variety, compared to back home!"

"Got a favourite fast food?" Somber asked "cant live around Canterlot without latching onto one!"

"I would say the Pizza. Even plain they’re simply delicious, although I am partial to the vegetable ones!" he looked over at Somber, who was following his instructions and stirring the pot on the stove "what of you? Given you're skinny as a bean pole, I’d be surprised if you eat fast food!"

"Oh I do, just not as often as I’d like!" Somber chuckled "Fried chicken as far as I’m concerned. Dreadfully unhealthy, but when I cant be arsed to cook..." he shrugged guiltily.

Discord nodded, imagining Somber must metabolize like a furnace if this was true!

Dinner over with, Somber headed towards the stairs to go to bed, expecting Discord would follow. So he was surprised when the other just flopped down on the couch and yawned.

"You’re sleeping on the couch?" Somber asked, puzzled.

"Well, yes?" Discord looked confused "It would be somewhat presumptuous of me to kick you outta bed, and after everything you’ve endured, sticking you on the couch seems unfair-"

"Really?" Somber leaned over the couch, elbows resting on the back.

"What?" Discord asked, seeing Somber's amused expression.

"You carry me up to that same bed, make me feel like I'm going the best kind of crazy. Then run off the next night?" He flushed a little as he said this.

"I'd give your body time to adjust my precious Somber-" Discord reached a hand up and tapped his lovers nose lightly.

Somber rolled his eyes as Discord's arm flopped back onto his stomach "I'm adjusting just FINE, you ass. Just because its a bed, doesn’t mean its only for sleeping together...well, it could just be for sleeping...."

"Together?" Discord finished.

"Exactly. But in the other sense of the term, you know?"

"I only know the one!" Discord shot back, grinning at the innuendo. Somber rolled his eyes in despair.

"You’re hopeless. Do I have to teach you about semantics too?"

"If it means getting to stay in bed with you, teach away!" Discord said, eyebrows raised. Somber shook his head, turned and walked towards the door. Discord thought he'd annoyed him into leaving, then he heard Somber's almost haughty tone asking:

"Well? Are you coming?"

"I will be if you keep THAT up.." Discord murmured under his breath.

"Hm?" Somber turned to look at him as the grinning Discord vaulted the couch and strode confidently over.

"Nothing my silly Somber." Discord kissed his cheek gently, smiling innocently. Somber raised an eyebrow as if he wasn’t buying it, but didn't say anything.

Discord stealthily admired his bed partners body as Somber changed, studying the scars Somber had gained since this had all started.

"Didn't you get a good look at everything last night?" Somber asked, turning and seeing Discord studying him.

"Oh I did, just indulging myself~" Discord grinned. Somber shook his head, but that increasingly irrepressible smile was back.

And thus they fell asleep as close as the previous night, after idly talking about what little plans they had for dealing with the second demonic ghost.

Author's Notes: