A MASK OF HUMANITY
Part III (Zadei)
Today has been a good day. Tetei didn't have classes so we decided to take my bike out for a ride and just get away from everything for a change. It was nice to see my angel so carefree, especially after the way he looked when he came home yesterday afternoon. At first I thought he'd had some kind of accident, yet at my not so subtle prodding he finally told me everything. The girl he had helped move – she, too, was part of our old lives. I can't claim to understand him, though. I have little memory of that Sherrill chick and anyway, why is he making such a fuss?! She doesn't even remember for heaven's sake! Well, he did tell me that he feels guilty about the things he has done to her but that is no reason to run around with such pain in his eyes. Doesn't he know that it hurts to see him hurting?!
Right now he seems quite happy though, reclining on the couch and watching some cheesy soap opera. I am lying not far from him, legs dangling over the edge as I watch my angel's serene face. He is as beautiful as ever, white skin and long, silky hair all but translucent in the bluish light of the television. I wish he'd pay attention to me instead of that stupid show yet somehow I can't bring myself to distract him.
Finally commercials set in and Tetei yawns, blinking repeatedly. Something must have been in my eyes for suddenly he smiles, leaning over me until our noses touch.
"You look tired. Maybe we should go to bed?"
"Mmhmmh. Not yet."
Catching that pretty face between my hands, I pull Tetei into a kiss. While commercial slogans echo through the room I suck at my angel's lips and tongue. His taste, his scent, is intoxicating and within seconds my head is spinning. At my groan Tetei chuckles, a mere whiff of breath immediately stolen by my starved lungs. He places his hands onto my chest, languidly rubbing cloth against skin. It feels good and I groan again, wanting him, wanting him so much... We go to the floor in a controlled tumble, my angel trapped beneath my heavier body. He doesn't seem to mind, though. Breathing heavily we stare at each other for endless seconds. Tetei's tongue flicks out to moisten his lips in an unconsciously seductive gesture. Or maybe he is doing it on purpose for in the next moment he wraps his arms around me, gentle fingers massaging the nape of my neck. My head sinks forward, finally coming to rest against his shoulder. When have I become so... submissive?
I will have to do something about that Sherrill business, I suddenly realize. I have to somehow make him understand that he mustn't think of himself this way. For all his cleverness sometimes he, too, can be stupid. Lying here and breathing his scent, I resolve to try and find the words to make it all better. My lips find soft skin and immediate latch upon it, sucking gently. Tetei will kill me for marking him – tomorrow. As I nibble at his earlobe my angel sighs, all tension draining from his body. Unable to hold back at this obvious sign of surrender, I grind my hips against his, long, denim- clad legs spreading readily for me. Do you want it, Tetei? Do you want me? Clumsy as ever my fingers struggle with my angel's clothing, desperate for bare skin. He just chuckles, then, as though indulging a small child, helps me pull his sweater over his head. I swallow hard, staring at the pale perfection before me. For a moment he seems too cold to touch. But already those skillful hands are undressing me and when our bodies are pressed together he isn't cold at all.
Again Tetei takes the initiative, threading his fingers through my hair and urging my mouth down his torso. I kiss his chest and stomach, lapping at the sweat pooling in his navel. After a year of practice I have perfected the art of pleasuring Tetei, blindly finding every sensitive spot, every place aching to be touched. Before soon my angel is writhing, making all the small noises I so love to hear. Once more I am drowning in white flesh and the scent of salt and books, only barely able to regain some measure of control. It feels so good and he is so beautiful and I have wanted him so much, for such a long time...
Suddenly the hairs at the nape of my neck rise. As I look up I have to bite my lips to keep from yelling. Gerumu is gesturing wildly out of our living- room mirror, blushing furiously at the sight we present. Fuck. Thank heavens Tetei hasn't noticed him, too preoccupied with his pleasure to pay attention to anything around him. Only as I scramble back does he open his eyes. At a loss of what to say, I mumble something about not feeling well, before retreating hastily into the bathroom. Once the lock has clicked home I turn to face the mirror. Not daring to shout as would be my first instinct, I address it in a low hiss.
"Come out, bastard, I know you're there!"
The mirror's surface ripples and Gerumu's form swims to the surface. His face is as red as a tomato but his embarrassment doesn't even come close to appeasing me. I force myself to whisper, quickly turning on the shower.
"What. Do. You. Want?!"
"Z-z—zadei-sama. Please calm yourself. I – I j-just wanted to warn you-"
Tetei's voice interrupts us. He sounds worried, asking what is wrong. With another vicious look at Gerumu, I snap a quick reply. I can't deal with this. How am I supposed to deal with this?! After a few minutes my angel gives up, muttering angrily as he walks away. Damn. I turn back to Gerumu, trying to reduce him to rubble by the sheer force of my glare. Sadly it doesn't work. Realizing that I'm not going to say anything, he finally musters the courage to speak. His words are rushed, jumbled and laced with a satisfactory amount of terror.
"I-just-wanted-to-warn-you-that-a-few-lesser-demons-escaped-into-the- ningenkai. If ... if they feel your power they might seek you out. I just wanted to tell you so you'd be prepared..."
Gotta stay calm. Must not kill him. Gotta think of what Laures will tell Tetei if I rip his lapdog's head off. It might almost be worth it. Almost. Gerumu's eyes widen as he senses my silent rage. He starts babbling excuses, talking about how everything is under control and I need not worry. Then, seconds later, he is gone. Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.
Blinking a few times, I realize that I have slammed my fist into the mirror, blood dripping into the water-filled sink. The pain clears some of the haze that has been surrounding me. Lesser demons in the ningenkai. Well, fuck.
I'm gonna have to think of something to tell Tetei. Stomach cramps? Food poisoning? A heart-attack? God, he's going to be pissed. Even worse, what if he has noticed something after all? I can just imagine what would happen were he to find out about me. The only thing that kept him from panicking when he first learned that I am Zadei, was the fact that if worst comes to worst he could always call the police and have me arrested. So if he realizes that I have my powers back and he's completely helpless... No. He mustn't know. He has problems of his own right now, is probably distracted. And those lesser demons – well, I'll just have to kill them before he ever lays eyes on them. No, Tetei will never find out.
Part III (Zadei)
Today has been a good day. Tetei didn't have classes so we decided to take my bike out for a ride and just get away from everything for a change. It was nice to see my angel so carefree, especially after the way he looked when he came home yesterday afternoon. At first I thought he'd had some kind of accident, yet at my not so subtle prodding he finally told me everything. The girl he had helped move – she, too, was part of our old lives. I can't claim to understand him, though. I have little memory of that Sherrill chick and anyway, why is he making such a fuss?! She doesn't even remember for heaven's sake! Well, he did tell me that he feels guilty about the things he has done to her but that is no reason to run around with such pain in his eyes. Doesn't he know that it hurts to see him hurting?!
Right now he seems quite happy though, reclining on the couch and watching some cheesy soap opera. I am lying not far from him, legs dangling over the edge as I watch my angel's serene face. He is as beautiful as ever, white skin and long, silky hair all but translucent in the bluish light of the television. I wish he'd pay attention to me instead of that stupid show yet somehow I can't bring myself to distract him.
Finally commercials set in and Tetei yawns, blinking repeatedly. Something must have been in my eyes for suddenly he smiles, leaning over me until our noses touch.
"You look tired. Maybe we should go to bed?"
"Mmhmmh. Not yet."
Catching that pretty face between my hands, I pull Tetei into a kiss. While commercial slogans echo through the room I suck at my angel's lips and tongue. His taste, his scent, is intoxicating and within seconds my head is spinning. At my groan Tetei chuckles, a mere whiff of breath immediately stolen by my starved lungs. He places his hands onto my chest, languidly rubbing cloth against skin. It feels good and I groan again, wanting him, wanting him so much... We go to the floor in a controlled tumble, my angel trapped beneath my heavier body. He doesn't seem to mind, though. Breathing heavily we stare at each other for endless seconds. Tetei's tongue flicks out to moisten his lips in an unconsciously seductive gesture. Or maybe he is doing it on purpose for in the next moment he wraps his arms around me, gentle fingers massaging the nape of my neck. My head sinks forward, finally coming to rest against his shoulder. When have I become so... submissive?
I will have to do something about that Sherrill business, I suddenly realize. I have to somehow make him understand that he mustn't think of himself this way. For all his cleverness sometimes he, too, can be stupid. Lying here and breathing his scent, I resolve to try and find the words to make it all better. My lips find soft skin and immediate latch upon it, sucking gently. Tetei will kill me for marking him – tomorrow. As I nibble at his earlobe my angel sighs, all tension draining from his body. Unable to hold back at this obvious sign of surrender, I grind my hips against his, long, denim- clad legs spreading readily for me. Do you want it, Tetei? Do you want me? Clumsy as ever my fingers struggle with my angel's clothing, desperate for bare skin. He just chuckles, then, as though indulging a small child, helps me pull his sweater over his head. I swallow hard, staring at the pale perfection before me. For a moment he seems too cold to touch. But already those skillful hands are undressing me and when our bodies are pressed together he isn't cold at all.
Again Tetei takes the initiative, threading his fingers through my hair and urging my mouth down his torso. I kiss his chest and stomach, lapping at the sweat pooling in his navel. After a year of practice I have perfected the art of pleasuring Tetei, blindly finding every sensitive spot, every place aching to be touched. Before soon my angel is writhing, making all the small noises I so love to hear. Once more I am drowning in white flesh and the scent of salt and books, only barely able to regain some measure of control. It feels so good and he is so beautiful and I have wanted him so much, for such a long time...
Suddenly the hairs at the nape of my neck rise. As I look up I have to bite my lips to keep from yelling. Gerumu is gesturing wildly out of our living- room mirror, blushing furiously at the sight we present. Fuck. Thank heavens Tetei hasn't noticed him, too preoccupied with his pleasure to pay attention to anything around him. Only as I scramble back does he open his eyes. At a loss of what to say, I mumble something about not feeling well, before retreating hastily into the bathroom. Once the lock has clicked home I turn to face the mirror. Not daring to shout as would be my first instinct, I address it in a low hiss.
"Come out, bastard, I know you're there!"
The mirror's surface ripples and Gerumu's form swims to the surface. His face is as red as a tomato but his embarrassment doesn't even come close to appeasing me. I force myself to whisper, quickly turning on the shower.
"What. Do. You. Want?!"
"Z-z—zadei-sama. Please calm yourself. I – I j-just wanted to warn you-"
Tetei's voice interrupts us. He sounds worried, asking what is wrong. With another vicious look at Gerumu, I snap a quick reply. I can't deal with this. How am I supposed to deal with this?! After a few minutes my angel gives up, muttering angrily as he walks away. Damn. I turn back to Gerumu, trying to reduce him to rubble by the sheer force of my glare. Sadly it doesn't work. Realizing that I'm not going to say anything, he finally musters the courage to speak. His words are rushed, jumbled and laced with a satisfactory amount of terror.
"I-just-wanted-to-warn-you-that-a-few-lesser-demons-escaped-into-the- ningenkai. If ... if they feel your power they might seek you out. I just wanted to tell you so you'd be prepared..."
Gotta stay calm. Must not kill him. Gotta think of what Laures will tell Tetei if I rip his lapdog's head off. It might almost be worth it. Almost. Gerumu's eyes widen as he senses my silent rage. He starts babbling excuses, talking about how everything is under control and I need not worry. Then, seconds later, he is gone. Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.
Blinking a few times, I realize that I have slammed my fist into the mirror, blood dripping into the water-filled sink. The pain clears some of the haze that has been surrounding me. Lesser demons in the ningenkai. Well, fuck.
I'm gonna have to think of something to tell Tetei. Stomach cramps? Food poisoning? A heart-attack? God, he's going to be pissed. Even worse, what if he has noticed something after all? I can just imagine what would happen were he to find out about me. The only thing that kept him from panicking when he first learned that I am Zadei, was the fact that if worst comes to worst he could always call the police and have me arrested. So if he realizes that I have my powers back and he's completely helpless... No. He mustn't know. He has problems of his own right now, is probably distracted. And those lesser demons – well, I'll just have to kill them before he ever lays eyes on them. No, Tetei will never find out.
