Of demonic manifestations and snuggles
Scotland. Why did it have to be bloody Scotland. I could have been sent to the South of France, Cornwall, or hell I would have even taken a week with Soma at the Townhouse over this. Instead, at her Majesty's insistence, I was stuck in a sparsely populated village a few miles north of Braemar in Aberdeenshire. In January. And it was freezing.
"Can't you do something about this" I snapped to Sebastian, who was really being no help whatsoever. It was just the two of us sharing a small bedroom in what the village had the nerve to call a 'guesthouse'. More like a barn if you ask me. The floors were wooden and uneven and the only furniture in the room was a coat stand, a small set of drawers with a mirror and basin on top, a rickety wooden chair beside it, and a large bed pushed into the top left corner with a window set into the wall beside it. There weren't even any curtains. I was huddled under the thin covers right now (a distasteful grey colour) and could distinctly feel a cold draft coming from that window.
"Is the Young Master still feeling the chill? Please allow me" He said and whipped his long black overcoat on top of me like an extra blanket. "Ah look, it still covers all of you" He said smugly.
"Oh shut up, I'm not in the mood right now" I told him, my teeth chattering. The coat really hadn't helped much and I'm sure I could see my own breath fogging in front of me with every exhale. The room didn't even have a fireplace. I had a fireplace at home. I had two in some rooms.
"Can you at least set fire to that chair, Sebastian?" I said, mumbling 'that's all it's good for at least'.
"Indeed I can, My Lord, but that might result in the unfortunate arson of this entire bedsit. Wood does tend to catch, you see" He said, tapping the floor with his shoe like I needed to know what noise wood made.
My chest was starting to feel rather tight now, and my breaths were coming a bit more difficult. I could feel a slight wheeze beginning and I brought my palms over my chest, balling myself up in the hope that my own body heat would help. Sadly there wasn't much of that to go around.
"Might I make a suggestion?" He asked pointlessly. He would probably say whatever it was anyway.
"Does this suggestion involve leaving here and finding somewhere more suitable to stay? Or better yet, going home?"
"My Lord, you know as well as I that we must remain here if the villagers are to be convinced of our disguise. Peasants such as ourselves would not reasonably stay anywhere else, am I correct? We need to win their trust if they are to involve us in their plans for the week ahead. It certainly is an interesting case - but you are aware of all the details. For now we must focus on your health. The simplest solution is that I warm your body with mine".
I rolled over a bit to get a good look at his face. He seemed quite serious, I was wondering if it was one of his weird little jokes. Apparently not. And at this point I was shivering so much the idea of a little warmth, no matter where from, was welcome.
"Very well, Sebastian. Do what you must". I told him, and rolled onto my side away from him to face the window again. Just because I had agreed to this didn't mean I felt all that comfortable about it.
I heard him setting his shoes aside and the rustle of fabric. He was taking his clothes off? Alarmed, I shot him a glance and saw he was merely folding his tailcoat and waistcoat over the chair while the rest remained in place. I faced the wall again quickly before he could notice my reddened face.
Next I felt the coat that had been draped over me slide away, and his footsteps as he hung it by the door. I shivered again, maybe that thing had helped a bit. I do wish he'd just hurry up and get this over with.
And then he was back, the bed dipping behind me under his weight. The covers moved about me slightly as he settled himself under them and I felt my breathing worsen further as I struggled to keep it even.
His voice rumbled lowly behind me."Do excuse me My Lord, your temperature has dropped considerably and I believe this is the best method to warm you".
I felt his right arm reach over me to wrap around my middle and pull me closer to him. His body was flush against my back now, his legs tangling with mine, when something dark moved overhead and blocked out the weak moonlight flooding through the window. I was just about to remark on it when the thing settled over me just as something else soft moved underneath. I said nothing, out of sheer surprise, and both of these...things... wrapped themselves around me comfortably.
What was this. I could feel Sebastian breathing evenly behind me, he obviously saw nothing out of place. This was his doing then. I didn't want to sound like a frightened child asking him what was happening so I focussed instead on trying to control my breathing. It worked like it hadn't before, and I realised my shivers were lessening. Whatever this was it was warming me nicely. Growing bolder, I twisted my hand slightly to stroke over the topmost object and felt...
"Feathers?" The word was drawn from me out of surprise and I clamped my mouth shut, feeling stupid.
"Indeed, My Lord. I feel your chill is receding. Do inform me if you get too hot and I shall adjust myself accordingly".
Himself? The feathers were him?
And then I realised far too late what they were. Wings. Sebastian had reverted to his demonic form (just how much I didn't know as I wasn't facing him), and I could tell now that he had cocooned us both in his wings. Very little light was getting through, but now I knew what I was looking for I stroked at the wing again and it looked as if the dim outline of my fingers were disappearing, as pitch black as the feathers were. They really were soft too.
Fascinated as I was with stroking the feathers, I had forgotten that they belonged to a person. Ish. And he could feel exactly what I was doing.
"As much as I enjoy being pet, should you not be trying to sleep?" I froze (not literally, it was quite warm now) and could hear the smirk in that annoying demons voice. His voice, at least, had not changed in any way.
"I would if you would keep silent. How am I supposed to sleep when you keep blathering on like this" I said in as annoyed voice as I could muster when whispering. I felt the vibrations behind me as he chuckled at my expense. I shushed him with a loud 'Ssshhhhhh!' as I brought my hand back to rest away from his wing. In doing so, I accidently bumped against the arm he had wrapped around my middle. It was bare, the fine cotton shirt rolled up to his elbows, and I could see my own pale skin in stark contrast to the ebony of that arm. I hadn't expected it, even with the wings, and I moved to try and see his hand properly. It was tucked under me slightly and too dark to make out. I didn't want to make it too obvious I was looking at him, so I gave up and laid still.
We stayed in silence for some time, and I found that I was still wide awake some time later.
"Are you asleep, Sebastian?" I whispered. His breathing had been steady and even this whole time and he hadn't moved a muscle.
"One such as myself has no need for sleep" he breathed back. "Try to relax, Young Master".
"I am relaxed!" I snapped. Okay so that didn't sound so relaxed but he got on my nerves sometimes. I took a deep breath in and out before I asked him "Can you sleep?"
"I am capable, yes, but it is more of a luxury than a necessity".
"You can sleep now, if you like" I said quietly. I don't know why but the idea of him awake behind me the whole night as I slept was... distasteful? Something like that.
"Would it please the Young Master if I did?" He asked with that annoying smirk.
"Oh shut up. I think I would just prefer you asleep is that so hard to comprehend?"
"Not at all. I am obliged obey your orders, as ever ."
"Then be quiet and go to sleep" I told him.
Silence. He was really going to sleep? I had not ever seen him asleep before. Or really been in a position to. I wondered if he would snore.
I didn't move as I felt the rhythm of his chest deepen. It was only when his head lolled forward a little bit and I felt his breath tickle the hair on top of my head that I realised he really had fallen asleep. I relaxed and, slowly so as not to wake him, I reached forward again to bury my hand in his soft wing. I ran my fingers through the feathers, feeling something firm underneath when I dared to push a bit harder. I'll admit it, I was in awe. It's not every day you get to cuddle up under a set of giant wings. Not that that's what we were doing, it was just cold. Now that he was asleep and not being a judgemental bastard I could appreciate a little just how different his being was. It had not slipped my mind that he was a demon but to actually see it here in front of me like this made me aware in a way I hadn't been. The last time I had seen him in his true form was the day we had signed that contract many years ago. And he had been shrouded in smoke that day, the pain in my eye and everywhere else leeching my focus so that I had no clear memory of his appearance. To think that he had wings this whole time!
A rumble behind me stopped my thoughts in their tracks. I thought perhaps he was growling at me, had I woken him with my petting? I didn't think so, his nose was touching my hair now and his breathing was no different, just this soft rumble with every breath. It sounded almost like... like a cat. Oh.
He was purring? Really? Was I dreaming this? I didn't think so but I reached to pinch my arm just in case. In doing so, I brushed against his wrist and chanced a stroke over his skin just to see how it felt. It was pleasantly warm but much firmer and smoother than my own skin, staying taught under my fingers when I pushed a little harder. Anymore and I might wake him and I'd hate to have to explain what I was doing. I went back to stroking his wing, which seemed somehow more explainable, and listened to him purr into my hair.
As I drifted off to sleep, I felt more relaxed than I could ever remember being, completely safe in our own little space. The world was somewhere outside of these wings but it may as well not have existed right now. I knew my demon would be the death of me some day, but I wouldn't have it any other way.