Love Bites, a black magician trilogy fanfic

Chav: A derogatory term applied to certain young people in the United Kingdom. The stereotypical "chav" is an aggressive teenager or young adult, who is usually, though not always, of working class background, who often engages in anti-social behaviour, and is often assumed to be unemployed or in a low paid job. It first appeared in English dictionaries in 2005.

The sun had been blazing over Imardin for well over two weeks now, and with the advent of the summer holiday, the magicians were finally able to enjoy it. Even Osen, who was supposed to be the Administrator, was loafing around on the University's front lawn. "The work takes care of itself," he said airily, waving a lazy hand.

Lying on the grass a little way from him, Lorlen raised one eyebrow, but said nothing. Osen may be a bit lax, but he hadn't failed in his duties. Yet. Anyway, the sun was too burning hot for him to care.

He heard a soft sigh to his right. Akkarin was with them, but he seemed far away, too deep in thought to contribute to any conversation. "Are you okay, Akkarin?"

Akkarin jumped, obviously startled. "Yes, yeah, I'm fine," he murmured.

"Well I'm bored," Osen said, jumping up and sitting back on his heels. "I need something to do."

Akkarin's face twitched. Osen had always, for some reason unbeknownst to Lorlen, annoyed the hell out of Akkarin, and now was no different. "Are you really too idiotic to find something to do with yourself?" he sniffed.

Osen glared at him. "What are you doing?" he retorted. "Posing?"

Akkarin gave him a death look. "Shut it," he snapped.

Osen smirked. "How much foundation did you use this morning?" he asked snottily. "One pot, or two? 'Vampire Glow', was it?"

"Perhaps you should lay off on the chav outfit," Akkarin shot back, glaring.

"I do not look like a chav!" Osen protested.

"You're a chav, and you're a vampire," Lorlen smirked from his relaxed position on the grass. "Now how about you both shut up?"

His words were greeted by quiet silence. For about two seconds. "I'm still bored," Osen complained offhandedly.

"Find something to do, then," Lorlen murmured. Having closed his eyes, he missed Osen's mischievous smirk. Moving quietly across the grass, Osen crouched by Lorlen's stretched out form and smirked deviously. With a quick movement, he grabbed Lorlen's hand and pressed his mouth to it.

Lorlen was up like a shot. "What the hell?" he screeched, trying to pull the hand away. "Get off me! Stupid asshole!"

Osen's grip was strong, however, and despite Lorlen's repeated efforts to pull his hand away, Osen held it captive until he decided to let it go. "There," he smirked wickedly.

Lorlen held up the hand to examine it, and choked. "What-you-you fucking-you stupid-" Osen roared with laughter, and even Akkarin had to snigger at the large red mark that had been left on the back of Lorlen's hand. "You put a hickey on my hand?" Lorlen howled.

"Well, technically it's a love bite," Osen said primly.

"Slag tag," Akkarin snorted. Lorlen punched him on the arm, which just made him laugh harder. "You've been claimed now, Lorlen," Akkarin sniggered. "Now everyone will think you slept with him."

Lorlen stood up in a huff. "Fuck off," he snapped, stalking away.

Osen looked after him pensively. "Ever done one of those, vampire?" he asked.

Akkarin snorted. "No. But I could do a much better job than you, chav boy."

Osen grinned in triumph. "Then it's a deal," he declared, jumping to a standing position. "You make a better love bite, then you win." Then he thought for a second. "Wait. Let's make it more interesting. You make a love bite in a better position, and then you can win."

Akkarin smirked and raised one eyebrow. "Better position?"

Osen grinned. "You know what I mean."

Akkarin shook his head, laughing. "You know Lorlen will kick your ass all the way to Vindo if he ever finds out about this, right?"

Osen smirked. "And that makes it all the more interesting."

Akkarin had been considering what to do about Osen's challenge for about a week. A better position? The phrasing was a little puzzling, but it wasn't hard to pick up on its meaning. Of course, with his mind, it meant a more sexual position. Not that Akkarin exactly had a problem with that; he'd had a massive crush on his best friend ever since…forever, although at first he had refused to believe it. No, the problem would be to actually do the indecent act without Lorlen physically wounding him. However, he believed he'd come up with a perfect solution.

Just like before, Akkarin and Lorlen were sitting on the University's front lawn. Lorlen had stretched out in his usual cat-like position, and had been breathing deeply for about fifteen minutes before Akkarin decided to make a move. Carefully, moving as slowly as possible to avoid detection, he moved to Lorlen's side and lifted the hem of his top. His friend didn't stir, so Akkarin leaned down and, smirking, pressed his mouth to the bottom of Lorlen's stomach.

He couldn't exactly say he didn't enjoy it, however distasteful he found the end product to be. Lorlen really did have soft skin, which Akkarin found himself enjoying the delicious taste of before pulling away reluctantly when his friend started to wake. Lorlen looked at him questioningly as he sat up. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Akkarin smiled. Lorlen frowned confusedly at him, but lay back down again with no fuss.

Later, while they were in Lorlen's rooms, Osen dropped by. Lorlen excused himself almost immediately to have a shower, at which point Osen turned questioning eyes on Akkarin. "I haven't seen any evidence yet, vamp," he whispered. "What happened? You chickened out?"

Akkarin grinned. "Don't worry, you're about to."

At that moment, they heard a shout from the bathroom. Lorlen came running in, dressed in only his jeans. "What the hell?" he yelled at them, pointing to his stomach. "Where the hell did this come from?" Osen and Akkarin burst into hysterical laughter at the sight of half naked Lorlen waving agitated hands in front of the large red mark on his torso. "You're useless!" Lorlen yelled, retreating back into the bathroom.

"Okay, I admit it," Osen wheezed, still out of breath, "you bite pretty hard, vampy!"

"And I didn't even draw blood," Akkarin grinned devilishly. "You up for round two?"

Osen's face lit up with glee. "Like hell I am!" he shouted, then in a quieter tone, "I'm going bring it to your fucking ass, vampire boy!"

"You'd better," Akkarin hissed. "You're up against a biting champ, MC Chav."

Osen glared. "That's harsh. I do not look like a chav."

Osen smirked at his unwilling victim. "You asked what I wanted to do."

Lorlen shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, but I meant hanging out or something, not…"

"This is hanging out," Osen declared, placing the bottle on the floor. "But it's fun!"

Lorlen eyed the empty bol bottle warily. "I still remember what happened last time we played this game, Osen…"

"Don't sweat," Osen shot him a challenging look. "Or are you a freaking chicken?"

Lorlen sighed. "Spin the fucking bottle."

"Alright!" Osen sat down opposite Lorlen, and spun without hesitation. It landed on Lorlen. "As always…" he sighed dejectedly. "I guess I don't get to pick…?"

"It's a dare," Osen said. He pretended to think, but he already knew what he would say. This had, of course, been the plan all along. "Close your eyes."

Lorlen frowned at him. "'Close my eyes'? That's my dare?"

"Sure is," Osen grinned.

Lorlen began to close them, then they shot open again. "Wait. You're going to do something to me while I have them shut, aren't you?"

"Either you shut them, or you do the forfeit dare."

"Which is?" Lorlen asked, hope appearing on his face.

"Sleep with Akkarin."

Lorlen gaped at him. "What?" he asked, flushing red. "Akkarin's not even involved!"

Osen shrugged. "But that's the dare. You forfeit, you have to seduce Akkarin until he sleeps with you."

"What the-you are seriously messed up!"

"So shut your eyes." Lorlen huffed, but shut them anyway. Smirking, Osen plonked himself on his lap. "What are you doing, Osen?" Lorlen asked, a note of worry creeping into his voice. Osen didn't answer, only leant down and began to make the customary mark on Lorlen's collarbone. "What the-!" Lorlen screeched, his eyes flying open. He tried to push Osen off, but his small physique was no match and he had to resign himself to struggling helplessly while Osen finished.

"There," Osen grinned as he pulled away. "And you opened your eyes, so you have to do the forfeit dare."

Akkarin had noticed the mark the next day, despite Lorlen's efforts to keep it hidden. So, it was his turn, was it? Well, he'd knock chav boy for six…

He dragged Lorlen down to the Baths with him the next day, insisting that he was smelly and must wash. Lorlen followed meekly, to his surprise. He had seemed a little reserved around him lately, but Akkarin had been too preoccupied with coming up with this latest plan to notice much. Despite everyone having a shower in their rooms, Akkarin still enjoyed the Baths more than anywhere else. The wide range of products and types of baths and showers made him feel rather king-like, and he came out of the bathing room feeling refreshed. He waited for Lorlen, smiling secretly to himself. Collarbone? That was no ambition.

Lorlen appeared a minute later, glowing. "Thank you for forcing me here," he said brightly. "I feel so much better."

You look so much better, too, Akkarin thought, almost forgetting the whole purpose of the trip. But as Lorlen began to walk past him, he came back to his senses. Dropping to one knee, he caught Lorlen's passing leg and held it still, quickly pressing his mouth to the inside of the thigh. "Akkarin!" Lorlen cried, embarrassment making his voice break suddenly in the middle of the word.

Akkarin pulled away and rose, grinning. "New trend," he smirked, resisting the urge to go any further with his vulnerable but unwilling victim. "You've been bitten."

Osen glared at him over the table. "I don't believe you," he sighed. "When Lorlen told me about it…He suspects something, now."

Akkarin shrugged. "I'm sure he does. But that's not stopping me from backing out."

Osen eyed him. "Are you actually sure he'll take this as a joke?"

Akkarin tipped his head to the side. "You don't think he will?"

Osen bit his lip. "I don't know. He seems…I dunno, what's the word? A little…weird I guess."

"Well, he doesn't know anything yet," Akkarin downed the rest of the awful coffee he'd been served, then signalled the waiter to bring the bill. "So you can keep going, or you can chicken out."

Osen frowned. "You think I'd rather lose his friendship than lose the game?"

Akkarin thought. "Hmmm. You're right. We need to make this more interesting." The waiter appeared beside him, and he pressed a tenner into his waiting hand. "Keep the change. Well, let's think. You like dares, right? If I win, you have to do something. You win, I do."

Osen's frown had disappeared. "So a deal. If I win, you have to sleep with him."

If Akkarin had still had coffee, he would have been choking on it. "W-what?"

"You heard me. I know you like him, so if I win, you actually have to do something about it."

Akkarin glared. "Fine. But if I win, you have to go naked. For a whole day. And I'll choose which."

Osen grimaced. "Fine. But only because I'm going to win!"

It was night. Osen looked at the clock he had sneakily moved earlier, and the red display showed two thirty AM. Right, time to make a move. He got up from the sofa where he had been pretending to sleep and snuck into Lorlen's room. I got you caught, vampy, he thought, grinning wickedly to himself. He stole over to the bed and lifted the covers, revealing Lorlen's sleeping form. He was obviously beat, and totally dead to the world. Osen kneeled on the bed, and leant down to Lorlen's half exposed back. After he made the small mark, he smirked. I win, vampy.

The corridor of the Magician's Quarters was quiet and empty when Akkarin decided to take a walk, late at night. He still hadn't heard anything from Osen, so he assumed it was still the other's turn. When footsteps broke into his quiet thoughts, he glanced behind him, then smiled and turned around fully as he saw Lorlen. "Hey."

Lorlen took a quick, sharp breath as he reached him. His face was twisted with some unidentifiable emotion, and he said, "Akkarin, just what exactly have you been doing?" in a voice underlain with barely restrained anger.

Akkarin frowned, worried. "What do you mean?"

"Don't ask me what I fucking well mean!" Lorlen yelled, his careful control cracking. "You already know!" At Akkarin's confused look, he gave a growl of frustration. "This!" he hissed, turning and lifting up the back of his top so Akkarin could see yet another red mark on his pale skin. Turning back, Lorlen fixed him with a look of pure anger. "I know it's you and Osen."

Akkarin's brain worked like crazy. Must find a way to deny it and be convincing! "How do you know it was me?" he asked, "Did you see me do it?"

Lorlen raised an eyebrow. "Yes."

"No you didn't! Ha."

"Akkarin, I saw you do it when you attacked my leg in the Baths."

Oh yeah. Fuck. "Um…well, you know, it's only a sign of affection!" Akkarin grinned sheepishly, then found himself flying backwards after getting hit by a spinning kick to the jaw.

Ah jeez, Akkarin thought as he groaned on the marble, I really shouldn't have suggested those martial arts classes. He's too damn good at that! "It's not what you think, Lorlen!" he moaned desperately.

"Fuck you, asshole," Lorlen fumed, stalking away. "Don't ever talk to me again!"

Damn it. Should have listened to Osen back there. Although, he did agree too… "Wait, Lorlen! Come back!" Akkarin heaved himself off the floor and chased after the retreating figure.

"Go away, Akkarin," Lorlen sighed exasperatedly without turning round.

"Wait, hold up." Akkarin grabbed Lorlen's arm and turned him round. Lorlen looked at him, unimpressed, but didn't pull away. "Listen. It was only a joke. Just a game me and Osen were playing."

"Without telling me." Lorlen kept up the cold, blank façade, but flickers of hurt shone in his eyes. Pain, unexpected and lance-like, twisted Akkarin's heart. Lorlen snorted without humour. "I guess if I were a girl, I'd slap you and tell you you're a cruel, heartless bitch. I suppose you get the sentiment." Akkarin opened his mouth, but nothing would come out. Words caught in his throat, many jagged pieces of rough broken glass, the things he was itching to say but the very things he could never force out. He gaped at Lorlen like a fish, until the other looked away, sorrow finally breaking through the mould of inexpressive features. "I thought we were better friends than this, Akkarin," Lorlen whispered.

We are! It was wrong! I'm wrong! I want to be more than friends! I can't speak when I'm near you, I'm breathless when I touch you, even if my hand should brush yours I still feel my heart bursting through my chest…and yet I can't say anything.

Lorlen moved away, gently tugging his arm from Akkarin's loose grip, and this time Akkarin let him. Who the hell was he to hold onto him like that? Like he was actually worthy of him.

Now, Akkarin understood why Osen's face had always annoyed him. It was too damn chirpy. "Did you do it, vampy, eh? You make another play?"

"Game's off, chav boy," Akkarin snapped, walking away. "It's all off."

Osen bobbed up beside him like an annoying poltergeist. "That means you have to do the forfeit!" he crowed joyously.

Akkarin stopped and breathed deeply. Calm. Calmness is a virtue. Still, no amount of deep breathing managed to stop him from hitting the annoying bastard full in the face. Osen crumpled like a card house, and Akkarin found himself yelling, "It's your fault! It's your fucking stupid fault! I love him, you asshole, and all you do is find the most profound way to insult him! It's all fucking off, so take your stupid carcass and throw it at someone else!" Breathing hard, he turned and stormed away, shaking not only with anger but with shame too. It wasn't all Osen's fault, and he shouldn't have hit him. He really shouldn't have hit him. Lorlen would probably gut him and hang him on a fish hook when he found out. But at that moment, Akkarin would have welcomed his attentions, seeing as they were the only likely sort he was ever again going to get.

Later, after a day of hiding in his rooms, Akkarin started at the knock on the door. It was short and impatient, and likely to be something unpleasant. When he found the one he had been thinking about all day standing there, he opened his arms. "Gut me and fishhook me, please."

Lorlen quirked an eyebrow. "What?"

Akkarin dropped to his knees. "At your mercy."

"Is this some elegant alternative to begging for forgiveness?"

"Isn't everything I do?"

"You're messed up." Lorlen walked in, stepping over Akkarin. "Have you been holed up in here all day?" he asked shortly.

"Yes."

"After your morning walk."

Akkarin sighed. "I know, I shouldn't have hit him. I let anger get the better of me. That's why I've been hiding all day."

"And why you want me to gut and fishhook you?"

"It's one of the reasons."

"And the others?"

"Because I'm a lying, selfish bastard who needs it?"

The edge of Lorlen's mouth quirked. "You are at that."

The silence hung heavily, until something fell into place with a quiet click inside Akkarin's mind. He couldn't stand here and let it all waste away, just because he was too scared of the change it might cause to speak. "Lorlen, there's something…I need to tell you."

Lorlen looked at him curiously. "Oh? What?"

Akkarin took a deep breath. How on earth was he supposed to say this? He opened and closed his mouth, then took a step forward. Lorlen frowned slightly. Akkarin took a breath to speak, then decided talking was too hard. After all, actions spoke louder than words. He crossed the small space between them and did what he had been longing to for so long; just kissed him.

Lorlen was completely still as a statue until Akkarin slowly pulled away from him. His eyes were wide, but he looked…relieved. "Well," he said quietly. "That explains a lot." Then he smirked, and grabbed Akkarin back. It felt like heaven to finally have it said, have it out there; and, of course, even more heavenly to have those feelings returned. Akkarin felt them hit the wall with a soft thud, but he didn't stop. He broke away from Lorlen's mouth and pressed soft kisses down his neck, revelling in his quiet gasps. His hands found the break in fabric between top and waistband, and slid themselves underneath, the soft skin caressing their every motion.

He guessed he should have left it there, been more patient, adhered to the rules. But hell, he'd never been one for following the crowd. And at that point, he couldn't have cared less, and he doubted Lorlen felt differently. Caught up in the aimless wonder of release, the bottled feelings spilling uncontrolled and wild through the fractions of space between them, there had been nothing that felt more right. And when Akkarin woke up the next morning, twined around his best friend, there was nothing he'd ever regretted less.

Epilogue

"You're an asshole."

Akkarin laughed, sitting up in bed. Lorlen was standing in front of the mirror, peering at a spot on the side of his neck. "You've seen it then."

Lorlen scowled. "Yes. I thought I told you not to do that anymore."

Akkarin laughed. "Trust me, when you find out what that's won, you won't look so glum."

They found Osen in his office, a very rare sight to behold. He looked positively ecstatic to see them. "What can I do for you today?" he beamed.

Akkarin pointed. "I've won."

Osen looked confused. Lorlen sighed and pulled off the large scarf he'd put on earlier. Osen's face formed a look of complete horror as it all clicked into place. "You've…and he knows…and now I…"

Akkarin grinned. "Start stripping, chav boy."