Thegreatkitto is taking commissions on tumblr! They will be doing a cover image for Abjure Thee. I have the policy of writing thank-you fics for anyone who does art of one of my fics, so I'm doing this oneshot for them and also to let people know they're taking commissions for school.
I suggested and they gave in to Raizel/Frankenstein/Urokai, so~
Frankenstein whimpers, and it makes Urokai grip his forearms a little too tightly. It takes him a moment to notice.
This human doesn't show weakness to enemies unless it's part of a plan to kill them, which good. How dare anyone attack someone who might not be able to defend themselves, like poor, sick Raizel? The thought makes protectiveness surge through him, teeth sharpening. 'The better to take the enemy's blood with, my dear,' Frankenstein remarked once, and laughed. It's also a threat display, but normally Frankenstein laughs at threats.
This one draw another little small noise from him, not that Urokai is in any condition to catalogue it.
Because after the moment of who dares make this proud human whimper, is the knowledge that Frankenstein did it because he values Urokai's will to protect. Someone who gave up his body and his soul and even risked his humanity to protect others wants to let Urokai protect him. Even though Frankenstein doesn't need to be protected, he wants to be. And not just by anyone – the only person other than Urokai who has been honored with this is Cadis Etrama di Raizel.
It's arresting, something that sends a shock through him so he needs a moment to even identify it as a good feeling – the first time he heard Frankenstein whimper for Raizel he didn't have a clue why it was doing this to him.
It took an embarrassing number of decades to make the connection that this was what Gejutel was muttering about when he described humans as 'seductive.' Not 'when they want something' but it hits him so hard because of what he's wanted for. No noble would ever want someone else to help or protect them. Urokai had dreamed of getting to do things for Raizel, but he was heartbroken long before Frankenstein came along, because even when he made Ragar look mature he'd still known on some level that Raizel was never going to 'put out' and let Urokai help him. Save him.
No wonder the Lord thought so highly of sex when humans managed to pack so much meaning into it, just like they could pack so much elegance into covering themselves (or not) with different fibers woven in different ways and dipped into different substances.
Frankenstein's nakedness has the same meaning as the whimper – it wasn't as though not wearing clothing made him any less deadly, but it meant vulnerability the same way being noisy in that particular way did. That he was vulnerable… No, that he'd specifically taken his clothing off, chosen to be vulnerable, because he wanted to give Urokai the opportunity to protect him. There was something he needed, and he was even willing to be noisy and inelegant to make sure Urokai knew there was an opportunity to help him, because he wanted the help.
How were nobles supposed to say no to humans, to anyone offering a chance like this? No, not even offering, asking, as though humans were imposing somehow by giving nobles opportunities to fulfill all their fantasies.
"Thank you," Frankenstein murmured, eyes sliding closed again, and Urokai let out an annoyed huff.
And now Frankenstein was feeling grateful, as though he'd imposed on Urokai somehow when Urokai had just done what he wanted to do. Urokai should be the one thanking him, but that quickly became an annoying conversation because Frankenstein liked hearing a noble say that they obviously didn't deserve human thanks or worship and was far too good at making Urokai be talkative.
Better to let the human fall asleep. He was so tired from searching for Cadis Etrama di Raizel – it was only when going without Raizel and Urokai exhausted him that he took the risk of sneaking into Lukedonia. They didn't want their enemies to find out that Frankenstein was still out there, or they'd hunt him the way they hunted Raizel.
Urokai was also watched, but he didn't bother Frankenstein with that. Frankenstein was an expert on sneaking past the Central Order Knights. That, and Frankenstein didn't take insults to him or Raizel very well, and it wasn't as though Raskreia was wrong to suspect him of working with the traitors when he had, in the past. He'd gone to the meetings with Zarga, and then a human seemed to be taking advantage of Cadis Etrama di Raizel, and it was only when Cadis Etrama di Raizel made it clear that he'd be sad if Urokai didn't get to know the human and Urokai wanted to seize that chance to uncover Frankenstein's treachery that he'd learned better.
Learned why Ragar was so drawn to the human, for his shining will to protect. Now that will was focused on finding and saving Cadis Etrama di Raizel, when Urokai once joined in on plotting against them – which of them was more a danger to the Noblesse?
Urokai had gone to the Lord with what he knew, so he didn't have to go to Cadis Etrama di Raizel and let him exhaust himself. The Lord gave him the important charge of spying on them, but Lagus Tradio hadn't revealed what the plan actually was until it was already under way.
He'd gone to the manor first thing, after leaving that meeting, even though he could sense that Raizel was no longer there. He'd needed Frankenstein to help him find Raizel, Frankenstein knew the human world and where Raizel might be, but they found nothing except evidence of far too much power spent.
The traitors had already vanished by the time Urokai returned and made his report to the Lord with Frankenstein, and as much as the loyal clan leaders searched they hadn't been able to find him or Raizel in the human world, until they had to be called back to Lukedonia before they began to interfere in human affairs trying to find the human allies of the traitors.
Urokai had stayed with Frankenstein while they searched – Frankenstein knew better than anyone how to search the human world for noble criminals, and he wanted to be there when Frankenstein found them. Because Lagus wanted the human, so there was a chance those who turned on poor Cadis Etrama di Raizel would come to him if he stayed with Frankenstein. That, and Cadis Etrama di Raizel would be sad if anything happened to his Bonded.
He and Frankenstein were friends before – he'd reported to Frankenstein as well as the Lord, because the traitors were after Cadis Etrama di Raizel and Frankenstein was by his side, protecting him. It was with Raizel gone, when Frankenstein felt that he'd failed Raizel when Urokai was the one who hadn't found out Lagus' plan fast enough, that Frankenstein grew so tired, with Dark Spear never leaving him alone.
It was an honor that he was the one Frankenstein came to when he needed to rest, protected from Dark Spear with a clan leader's power. Ragar would also be willing and honored, but Frankenstein was in Urokai's bed, not Ragar's.
Maybe because Cadis Etrama di Raizel had never needed to make clear that he wanted Frankenstein to grow closer to Urokai, when Ragar and Frankenstein were already friends… Of course Frankenstein wouldn't sleep with anyone else without his Master's approval, when that could be considered a betrayal.
Poor Frankenstein already felt he'd betrayed Raizel, by failing to protect him.
Maybe he came to Urokai because they both felt the same.