Half Innocent Half Evil
Part Thirty-seven, Batteries Not Included
By Relm
Being ever so mindful of Filia's wishes Xellos teleported back to the outside of the Ul Copt household and went in through the front door. By this time breakfast was done and over with leaving the kitchen vacant which suited Xellos just fine.
He knew once he had entered the house where he would find Filia and her minions but rather than seek them out Xellos opted to enter the empty kitchen. He was in a strange mood and strange moods demanded even stranger behaviors. So into Filia's special stash he went and Xellos started up a kettle of water for tea. If this was one of his normal tea drinking rituals then Xellos would have set the table most elegantly using Filia's finest china while perhaps breaking a cup or two just for fun. He would taunt Filia with his display and perhaps even steal the cups he was using rather than return them. This time Xellos just wasn't up to the taunting.
The tea was going to serve a calming purpose as Xellos was feeling more stress and agitation then he was accustomed to feeling. People often turned to things like tea for comfort and soothing but that wasn't the case for monsters. Monsters didn't need to have aids to help them feel better; they were the ones that often caused these ill feelings not suffered from them. And even if there was ever a case of a monster turning to tea it was doubtful Xellos was going to get the desired effect from the brew. What the tea gave Xellos was a chance for thinking, for reflection.
With the tea brewed and poured into the ugliest of mugs Xellos sat himself down at the table and stared at the darkened steaming liquid. It was ready for him to drink but the tea wasn't for drinking it was just for staring. Perhaps he might take a sip but not for a while.
The mark on his back glowed an angry red and looked like it hurt. However there was no pain to be felt to bother Xellos, just the proverbial imaginary weight it carried. He was marked. Forever chained to another until death claimed one of them. Never had he thought he'd see that day that someone would claim him.
He should have been used to the idea of belonging to someone else, he had been his monster's property since he was spawned. Nor was this the first time he had been schlepped off to another person to be used. Why on at least three occasions Xellos had been borrowed by other monster lords. He had been treated like property his whole life so why was this different?
It was true that Xellos was attached to Filia. He may have not to (or perhaps he had) but she was a big part of his life now. Calling her his master and him her pet was a bit of a reach of Greater Beast Zellas' part. Xellos had been the one to claim her first after all so by that logic he was Filia's master and her mark on him was just a confirmation of that fact. But what other monsters would see it that way? All his creditability as a monster was ruined.
If this were the old days, back when monsters and dragons fought their wars Xellos wouldn't be conflicted by this situation. He would have killed the dragon and be done with it. But killing Filia would be no easy feat. He would just miss her too much. He was... attached to her.
Filia was the mother of his child so naturally Xellos should feel some sort of sentimentally towards her. Or rather an interest in her. He'd never go as far as say he had 'feelings' for her. He was a monster after all not a sappy emotional human. But what should he do with Filia?
Xellos was used to following his master's orders. In all the delicious chaos the world had to offer it was his one constant. His master gave orders and he followed them. That was something that would never change. He actually took comfort in this arrangement. But his most recent orders from his master made him frown. She basically told him to settle into a domestic lifestyle, father lots of babies and do whatever Filia ordered him to do. It was going to be torture. More so than when he was stuck in Sailune for that extended amount of time. What the hell was he going to do?
He wondered if Filia even knew what she had done. If she didn't how was she going to react when he told her? Xellos could just hear it in his head... every single taunt and emotional jab he had shot her way was going to fling right back at him. It was unsettling he was used to being the one with the power.
But... Zellas did order him to have more children, and Filia clearly had an unhealthy attraction to him... Well maybe the tea did its job after all. With one big sip Xellos was smiling again. A ghost of his normal mirth but a smile nevertheless.
...
After Filia's late breakfast and even later lunch she was spending some personal time relaxing with a book while Gravos and Jilas were at the shop. Owen and Val were down for a nap though Filia was dubious that both her sons were actually asleep. She had quite a bit of trouble getting them to go to sleep and the problem wasn't even Owen for once.
Val had gotten it into his head that he was a big boy and big boys didn't need to take naps. The first couple of times Filia had indulged Val and let him stay up but that was an ordeal in itself. Val would get crankier and crankier as the day went on and would refuse to go to sleep. Eventually he would tucker himself out and fall asleep which messed up his sleep patterns for days. Well Filia wasn't going to have that today. She wanted to have a break and wasn't going to deal with a fussy Val. So she put him down for his nap despite gross protest from him.
Filia turned another page in her book though she was only partially registering what she was reading. Her door was open as was her boys' room. Though she got Owen and Val into their beds she was sure that they weren't both asleep. Filia was acutely aware of every little sound as she tried to read. She had wanted a break but she was still spending it keeping tabs on her children.
Another turned paged and Filia just sighed and gave up. She was half way through her book and she had no idea what the story was about. Defeated Filia looked around her room and noticed the pink lacy bra that Xellos had bought her laying haphazardly on the floor. It was a really nice bra but it did make her cringe a little when she saw it. She was really going to have to stop losing control of herself when she was around him.
'Well I'm basically married to the bastard so I guess I've messed up there.' Filia thought to herself with a dark chuckle. 'I could always kill him in his sleep. Then I would never have to worry about that damned mark.' Another laugh escaped Filia's lips.
"It's nice to see you're in good spirits." Xellos stated nonchalantly from the door frame. He was leaning up against it in the sort of a way that put himself on display almost provocatively. One of the corners of his mouth was curled up in a small smirk and his eyes were open and mischievous looking.
Right away Filia's face curled up into a large angry frown as she got up from her bed and stormed over to him. She pulled him into the room and shut the door.
"Really you're up for another round already? My my your appetite is insatiable." Xellos mused.
"Don't flatter yourself you egomaniac. I just got the boys down for their nap and I don't want to accidently wake them up."
Xellos' grin was still present but inwardly he was frowning. A part of him was disappointed that Filia didn't want another sexual romp out of him. "Val isn't asleep."
"Not surprising he seems to think he's too much of a big boy for naps. But as long as he is in his room resting and being quiet then I'm fine. Owen is sleeping right?"
"Yes." Xellos replied feeling a little put out to being reduced to a baby monitor.
"Where were you? You were sleeping here before I had breakfast and when I came back up you were gone. Weren't you ordered to stay here at all times by your master?!" Filia demanded poking Xellos in the chest in an accusing manner.
"You seem annoyed by my absence."
"Yes you're supposed to be here! To protect Owen and the rest of us!" Filia threw her arms up in the air in exasperation.
"So you were scared when I wasn't there? Have I really become so important in your life that you can't live without me?" Xellos mentally poked at her.
"Don't act like you're so irreplaceable." Filia sneered.
"I'm sure you could replace me with a battery operated number but I doubt you won't get the same satisfying results."
Filia blushed a bright crimson and threw her mace at Xellos caught it with ease.
"Now now Filia-dearest we will need to get you out of this nasty habit of yours. It's bad enough that you've let Val and Owen be exposed to your brand of violence but we can't have our future children be spoiled too."
Filia's eyes shot wide open and right away she looked down at her stomach and then right back at him. "What did you do?!"
At first Xellos wasn't sure what the reaction was about but when the realization dawned on him combined with the look of panic on Filia's face Xellos couldn't help but burst out with laughter. "You're not pregnant." He assured her.
"How can you know? I was pregnant before and you had no idea!" Filia sneered at him.
"I can assure you that you're not, I have been careful. What I meant is when we have more children in the future you'll have to be nicer to me so they don't get the wrong ideas about hurting innocent people."
"You are anything but innocent! And I am not having any more children with you! Owen was a happy accident that isn't going to be repeated. I am happy with my two children and even if I wasn't I wouldn't have another child with you!"
"Oh refusal isn't option. We have to have more children." Xellos stated rather plainly.
"Says who?!"
"Why my master of course. That's where I was after all. She had summoned me to have a chat. There was a few additional orders she wanted to tell me and that was one of them. She wants lots and lots of 'grandchildren'."
Filia paled at that thought. It was one thing to refuse Xellos but Zellas? Obviously if Filia got pregnant by mistake again she would be happy with another child but being ordered to have another one? It made her uneasy just thinking about it. "And why does she want this all of a sudden?"
"The only person you have to blame is yourself." Xellos crossed his arms while his smirk grew.
"What do you mean by that?!" Filia snapped angrily. The golden dragon was clearly not in the mood for the trickster priest's usual games.
Rather than answer that question with words Xellos opted for actions. He unclasped his clock and started to remove his shirts.
"Don't take off your clothes! I am not having sex with you!" Filia hissed as she tried to look away. Not easy thing to do when the man was as attractive as Xellos.
With his chest bare Xellos turned around and showed Filia what he meant. "You did this to me."
It was an angry red and it glowed in a pulsing pattern like a heartbeat. If it weren't for the glowing Filia might have mistaken it for a tattoo but she knew better. True it had been years since she had seen a golden dragon mark on another but she knew what they looked like. She also knew what her crest looked like and that exactly what the mark was her crest. Someone had claimed Xellos; marked him. And that someone was her.
In that moment there was no air in the room. Breathing was impossible and Filia just couldn't stand. Her feet wobbled and completely gave out under her and gravity was taking foot. In that one moment Filia was destined to take a hard trip to the floor but a warm bare chest muscular Xellos intercepted that journey and held her close.
"You had no idea you did it do you?" Xellos asked the bewildered golden dragon in his arms almost fondly.
That paralyzing feeling was brief and Filia pushed herself out of Xellos' arms. "I have no memory marking you!"
"Well you did. You had a really crazed animal likeness to your eyes when you did it. Like you had gone berserk or something."
"And you just let me mark you?! Are you crazy?! How you could let me do that?!" Filia's voice just kept getting louder and louder but she didn't care. She was angry.
"I didn't let you, you surprised me." Xellos stated defensively.
"Oh right I believe that!" Filia spat out sarcastically. "The great perceptive Xellos foiled by an out of control golden dragon! Really Xellos do you think I'm that stupid?!"
"You really think I'd want to be marked by you? Do you have any idea what you've done to me?"
"I can never wear anything backless again!" Filia shouted.
"Oh boo hoo you can't show your back in public! You don't have other golden dragons to judge you but there are other monsters. I'm a laughing stock. At best I get ridiculed. Worst I get killed."
That shut Filia up. He was right, his situation was far worse than hers. And she was the one who did it to him. She really have no right to be angry at him. "I'm sorry..."
Xellos blinked. Had really heard her right? "What did you say?"
"I said I'm sorry!" Filia turned away to look out the window leaving her back facing him.
"Well I won't get killed so easily so really it will just be ridicule. My master had a good laugh at my expense."
"Was she serious about the grandchildren?"
"Yes and no. To quote her exact words I am to 'bed you bed you often and bed you well.' She didn't state that I have to get you pregnant she just stated that Owen will not be her only grandchild."
"Good then I don't have to get pregnant." Filia turned around and shot Xellos a defiant look. "If she wonders then I'll just tell her there's something wrong with you and that your sperm doesn't work."
"We will have more children and my sperm works just fine thank you."
"You can't force me to have children with you." Filia challenged him.
"I wouldn't dream of it. You can't control yourself around me. All I need to do is wait until you get yourself into a mood and use me to satisfy yourself. I just won't be so careful." He smiled a daring smile at her. He knew that this was a war Filia wasn't going to win and he wanted her to know that in that smile.
"I can control myself!" Filia huffed.
"Past experiences state otherwise."
"Then I'll get protection!"
"Good." Xellos' smile broadened to an almost inhuman size.
"What do you mean 'good'?!"
"I've got you planning on having more sex with me. Clearly you can't live without me." Xellos laughed.
"You're just a battery operated tool." Filia growled.
"Tools are essentials for life don't you think?" Xellos playfully poked Filia on the tip of her nose before leaving the room to go back to the kitchen. Things didn't go exactly as he had hoped but he was still the victor.