AN: (stares in utter horror at the evil little fic that just crawled out of her fingers onto the page) I really should learn to lock the cages I keep my plot bunnies in, I think they've been interbreeding... I NEVER meant to write something like this. It started as a cute romance, both sharing the same dreams but not knowing it. Then it evolved into THIS THING! It's as though my fingers took on a life of their own the moment they touched the keyboard… excuse me, got to drag my mind out of the gutter before it gets lost like last time…(mutters) Now where did it go?

Meanwhile, a large titanium reinforced cage door creaks slowly open, ominous chuckles drifting from within as an evil looking plot bunny leers out at the readers.

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Hidden Need

"Oh Gods above, this is too good to be true!" panted Rush, pleasure singing in his veins.

"Seems pretty real to me, and besides, I'm sure you'll enjoy this even more."

David grinned devilishly as he swapped their positions, pinning Rush easily, so clouded was his mind with the strange scent filling the air. David stifled a moan as he caught his partners wandering hands, leaning down to purr in his ear.

"After all, it's my turn now…"

Some time later, Rush shivered and moaned as a very naked Marquise dripped cold whipped cream onto the pale exposed skin of the supine form below him. Rush leaned up to beg another strawberry tasting kiss from the gorgeous form above him, feeling a strong calloused hand caressing his side with smooth strokes.

Rush watched through a haze of contentment as the young Lord leaned down to lick off the cream he'd deliberately spilt on the boy. Making sure he got every single drop off the deliciously pale skin he then returned to lavishing attention to his partner's lips and neck. Ravishing his lips and placing soft butterfly kisses along his jaw, combined with wandering hands caused poor Rush to squirm with impatience, heat surging under his skin.

The scent permeating the air seemed to thicken, leaving a tangible taste on both lovers tongues.

David didn't seem to notice it, but to Rush it was intoxicating, filling his lungs and coating his mouth with it's thick sweet taste.

The pleasure in his body was building to the point of pain, becoming a physical pressure, which left him almost screaming.

The budding scream became a gasp as one of the Marquise' hands teasingly trailed fingertips down an overly sensitive patch of skin on his thigh, tracing little circles that sent shockwaves up his spine. So wrapped up was he in that sweet scent and the sensations his overworked nerves were sending, he actually found himself growling in frustration as the hand then drifted up to grip his waist

Ignoring the soft snicker of amusement from David, he reached up, gripped the back of the older boys neck and pulled him down into a soul scorching kiss, both battling for control. Surrendering only because he was in desperate need of air, Rush lay back, panting for breath, only for David to attack his neck not moments later.

Groaning slightly he tilted his head back to better accommodate the gentle nips and bites being placed along the column of his throat. Wrapping his arms around the Marquise' back, fingers digging into his shoulder blades, the younger boy moaned loudly as David sucked at the sensitive skin below his ear, unaware and unable to feel the deep bloody scratched being carved into his back by desperate hands. Once Rush's neck had apparently been marked to his partner's satisfaction, David proceeded to kiss his way down Rush's chest and stomach, careful to lavish attention to every inch of exposed skin, drawing sighs of pleasure the whole way. The boy began to tense in anticipation as the Marquise slowly inched lower and lower, causing both pleasure and frustration to build to painstakingly high levels.

One hand meanwhile was gripping his waist, lifting his hips slightly while the other slipped underneath and began caressing the small of his back, sending renewed shivers up his spine. Hands finding David's shoulders, the younger gripped hard enough to bruise, spine arching as the older boy explored the edges of forbidden territory, virgin skin aching to be touched. Rush was nearly howling at the sensations boiling under his skin, the scent of fresh blood mixing with the pleasure and the lingering sweetness to create an unbelievable cocktail of feelings.

Just when he thought it could get no better(worse)he felt something stirring in his chest, awakened by that cocktail mixture. Feeling it claw its way to the surface from within him was absolute agony, but perversely, this just added to the sensations screaming through his body.

Completely unaware of any of this, David continued his ministrations, delighting in the sounds drawn from his partner.

Moving to take that last step, the older boy was surprised when his wrists were snatched up in an iron grip. Feeling legs wrap around his waist he locked eyes with Rush, feeling intense shock when the eyes he saw weren't the passion filled grey he was expecting, but luminous green filled with inhuman fire and intelligence.

He wasn't given a chance to respond as the Rush lookalike crushed their lips together in an aggressive smothering kiss, hips grinding against his own. After a moment of panic his own instincts took over, trying to dominate the kiss, pressing the others body against the floor.

This was the wrong thing to do, as the other latched on even tighter, making David feel as though this thing was stealing the very air from his lungs. Fighting for breath he tried to pull away, only to find the more he struggled the tighter the Rush lookalikes grasp became.

Head and chest pounding from lack of oxygen, weakness seeping further through his limbs every second, the tight grip finally eased, allowing the older boy to wrench away.

Feeling a change in the form beneath him, he looked down, only to find a pair of sated but confused grey eyes meeting his.

CRASH!

With a sound like breaking glass the dreamscape shattered, throwing both dreamers back into their respective bodies.

Rush jolted awake as the extremely confusing dream that his body certainly seemed to enjoy (as was evident when he looked down) vanished, replaced by his bedroom in the guest wing of Athlum castle. Panting for breath, unbelievable levels of pleasure still surging under his skin from the incredibly realistic experience, he let out a sigh of puzzled contentment.

He'd been having dreams like this ever since he arrived in Athlum some months ago. While they were undoubtedly enjoyable, the latter half of the dreams always seemed very hazy and indistinct, all the feelings and touches blurring into the sensation of satisfaction he always woke with.

He never could remember what his partner's face looked like when he woke up though. It frustrated him quite a lot, as even though they were just dreams, he always woke after them feeling especially relaxed and rejuvenated.

Scowling at the thought of having to get up, Rush pulled off the sweat soaked nightshirt he had worn to bed, dropping it on the floor as he stalked across to the large bathing chamber attached to his rooms.

After having a nice long soak in the sunken bath he dried off and got dressed, trying not to linger on the memory of a certain dream lovers touch on his skin.

Breakfast was a particularly subdued affair that day, as David was strangely absent. Due to his unusually high energy, Rush was practically bouncing on the spot. Enquiring as to David's whereabouts got him nowhere, so he predictably made a nuisance of himself to everybody he encountered. So aggravating was his hyperactive mood this morning, that Emmy actually took him to task about it, demanding that he get his act together, or so help her, she'd take a page out of her mothers book and force him to start behaving. Shuddering at the thought of an Emma style punishment, Rush headed straight to the Marquise rooms.

Earlier in the Marquise private bedchambers, David had woken in a sweat, gasping for breath, chest still aching from the perceived lack of air. Pleasure still shuddering through his body, he tried to stand, only for his legs to collapse under him, having no strength left to support him. His vision starting to spin alarmingly, he crawled as quickly as he was able into the adjoining bathroom, making it to the lavatory just in time, bile and sickness filling the bowl.

His arms shaking with the effort of having to hold himself up, David pressed his forehead against the cold porcelain, trying to will some energy back into his limbs.

The dreams he had been having on and off for the past few months were the cause of his weakness, and he knew what was causing them.

Kellendros had whispered the truth in his mind, taunting him with that knowledge.

It was an unbound Remnant that had somehow formed a loose attachment to his soul.

Though the aftermath of the dreams was terrible, the Remnant never actually consumed part of his soul, just the living energy produced by his body. He still hadn't been happy in the beginning, wanting Kellendros to destroy the attachment, but that changed when he found out which Remnant that attachment belonged to.

After figuring it out a month before he initially couldn't believe it, until Kellendros took great pleasure in reminding him of every single hint and clue he'd either regarded as unimportant or outright ignored.

Finally convinced, he'd decided to keep it a secret.

The dreams weren't causing any lasting harm after all, and the Remnant causing them didn't even know what they were, much less that it was causing them.

Head hanging, a fresh wave of sickness broke over his body. Retching raggedly, he didn't hear his bedroom door open, nor the muted footsteps crossing the carpeted floor. He did hear the shocked gasp as Rush took in the scene before him.

David was lying on the bathroom floor, retching into the lavatory, skin ghostly white and covered in a sheen of sweat. Hurrying over, Rush supported the Marquise as he finished his latest bout of sickness. Pulling him to his feet, Rush swore when the older boy's legs folded, unable to support him. Wrapping an arm around David's back, Rush hefted him back to his bed, pulling off the sweat, (and was that blood?) soaked nightshirt. Turning away to get a fresh shirt from the Marquise wardrobe Rush stopped and stared.

David looked like he'd been put through the wringer. His skin was sickly pale, with indistinct but vivid purple bruises on his shoulders and wrists. His mouth looked reddened and sore, and was that…? Yes, on his back were ten deep sluggishly bleeding scratches.

Ignoring the vague sense of recognition, Rush fumbled in his pocket for the marble sized Jade Orb. Holding it in one hand, he used restore to heal the scratches and bruises, running his free hand over the wounds and abrasions. For good measure, he also used refresh to try and alleviate the feelings of sickness still obvious on David's face. Putting the orb away, he finally got a response from the older boy, no words, but a small smile none the less.

Knowing from experience that he wouldn't get an answer about how he acquired those wounds, Rush helped the weakened boy into a fresh nightshirt and got him into bed. Fetching a bedpan from under the large bed, he placed it on David's bedside table. Retreating to the door he glanced back at the suddenly smaller, frail looking boy in the king sized bed, stifling the need to wrap him up in cotton and lock him away from the world. Sighing, he turned and left, going to fetch some breakfast for David from the kitchens.

As the door closed, David scowled, doing his best to ignore Kellendros malicious snickering in his mind.

Thinking of his friend, he knew he had made the right decision to keep the dreams a secret, even from the Remnant that unknowingly caused them.

After all, it would devastate Rush to know that he was the one causing such weakness and pain to his best friend.