Chapter two here! BTW, I'll update regularly about every three to four days.
Thank you to all the reviewers, they're much appreciated!
Kudos to sadeyes, ForrestGlenny, and Ari-chan! The line was from the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, spoken by Scout to Atticus. I honestly didn't think anyone would guess correctly; have you three read the novel recently or did the line just stick? Sadeyes, you answered correctly first, so if you have a fic request drop me a line at or leave one in a review.
Warnings: Shounnen-ai, Raeclipse, mild angst and fluff. I think this chapter is kind of corny. I dislike it.
Chapter 2
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It wasn't until Raenef burst through the massive castle doors to taste the frost of the air and bask in the sweet sharp nip of the icy stillness upon his face that he realized with the shock of the sudden freezing of bone marrow what he had done.
By the gods, I kissed him…
He stood, frozen as the snow beneath his feet, staring out at the bright whiteness of the grounds and seeing only Eclipse, Eclipse as he threw his arms around the older demon and thoughtlessly pecked his cheek in his jubilance. His eyes closed and he leaned back against the doors as the coldness of dread seized him, deeper and stronger than the winter chill. Eclipse would know, he'd figure out the feelings he concealed within the secret chambers of his heart, he'd be disgusted and leave him alone in his pain of unrequited love until the dark grip of loneliness smothered him like a wavering candle flame—
He shook himself, slapping himself mentally. Don't be stupid, he told himself firmly. Eclipse would pass it off for a friendly gesture and never give it a second thought. The world was not ending, Eclipse would not leave, and nothing had changed.
Nothing had changed… that was, perhaps, the worst part. Though he could not bear the thought of rejection, the prospect of remaining here forever, pining away eternally in silence, bearing his love and loneliness in secret, was equally unbearable. He had not the courage to go forward, and he was in too deep to go back. So was he therefore fated to remain here forever, unwilling to act, simply waiting timidly for love to fall into his lap? If this was the case he would likely be waiting a very long time. In the improbable case that Eclipse did love him, Raenef was certain that he would never act on his feelings. He was far too noble, far too adhesive to the rigid code of proper conduct.
Which left him back at square one.
"Rae! What're you doing out here?"
Raenef opened his eyes to see Erutis and Chris coming towards him. Smiling, he pushed away from the door and trotted up to meet them.
"Eclipse let me out for the day," he told them cheerfully. "What have you been up to?" He eyed them curiously, noting their flushed faces and hard breathing. Twin blotches of red colored each cheek, standing out starkly on the white flesh of their chilled faces.
"Snowball fight!" Erutis grinned. "I was just pounding monk-boy here into the ground with my superior snowball flinging skills when we spotted you." Chris scowled.
"Don't flatter yourself. As I recall, it was you who were—"
"Oh look, it's snowing again," the knight interrupted, ignoring him. The other two followed her gaze heavenward, watching the little pieces of icy fluff drift down to earth. Raenef caught one on his tongue and yelped.
"It's hot!"
"No, it's just so cold it burns," 1 Chris corrected. "Didn't Eclipse tell you what it was?"
"Um…" Raenef put a finger to his chin thoughtfully. "Well, he said something about constipation and perspiration…" His companions stared at him with dotted eyes.
"Er… I think you mean condensation and precipitation…" Erutis offered.
Raenef snapped his fingers. "That's it!" he beamed. The others sweatdropped.
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Eclipse had remained in the study for the purpose of getting some work done, but his efforts were for naught, as he soon found himself staring out the window; specifically at his young lord as he and his mortal friends built sculptures in the snow. When he first caught himself in this act, the productive force within him chastised him for wasting his time, but that voice had been effectively tuned out until it was little more than an annoying buzz at the back of his mind. His mind wandered as he watched the blonde, who laughed as the other two dumped snow on his head.
Well, this was totally unacceptable. He, Eclipse, fourth ranking demon in existence, was daydreaming about his master like a lovesick teenager. As he and Raenef weren't already the laughing stock of the entire demon world, let's add this to the equation.
Eclipse, fancying his lord! And the lord himself, a dimwitted klutz! Don't know what they're smoking, but keep it away from me!
If word of this got out, they'd be the most scandalous bit of gossip over tea since Lord Valgon agreed to cede a portion of his domain to Lord Phalus in exchange for a night in his room.
But suddenly Eclipse realized that he didn't give a damn. Let them talk; so long as Raenef was safe in his arms, they could blow up the rest of the world for all he cared.
This feeling that had flowered deep in his soul was unlike anything he had ever felt before; it was more than lust, deeper than mere affection, stronger than friendship. It made him ache with longing, and the very thought of his pretty little lord evoked a bittersweet yearning like a deep hole in his heart that needed to be filled.
Whatever it was, he was fairly positive it broke every rule in the book.
He glanced at the magical sundial in the corner of the study. (It was enchanted to cast a shadow with or without the assistance of the sun.) Lunchtime.
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A storm of flying snowballs rendered the area a war zone where knight, cleric, and demon lord were locked in an unrestricted three-way snow battle, relentless and seemingly unending. They had been at it for some time, but were showing no signs of exhaustion, despite gasping for precious air between fits of laughter as they pelted each other with the frosty bombs.
Eclipse, of course, was completely unaware of this when he teleported outside to call them into luncheon.
He materialized behind his lord just as the blond ducked a hard-pitched snowball thrown by the cleric, and the icy projectile hit Eclipse full-on in the face and exploded on contact.
Chris stared in transfixed horror as the snow fell away from a very pissed-looking Eclipse. Flame flared in the demon's palm as he fixed the cleric with a blood-chilling glare… and then a light but insistent tugging at his sleeve caused him to look down. Chris, seeing Eclipse momentarily distracted, turned to flee just in time to get his own face-full of snow, courtesy of Erutis. His minute attention span snapped and he forgot all about his impending fiery doom, and became solely focused on an all-out war with the knight.
Eclipse blinked at Raenef, who was looking up at him earnestly.
"No fire… that's cheating."
Eclipse frowned. "I am not cheating, as I am not a participant in—"
"If you really want to get him back," Raenef interrupted, a suspiciously sly grin tugging at his lips, "you have to beat him at his own game."
Erutis and Chris were so engrossed in their snow battle that it took a moment for their brains to register the wall of white approaching in their peripheral vision. Simultaneously they turned to gawk at it, a massive inescapable wave of snow rolling straight at them. Its shadow fell over them as it arched, cresting, and came crashing down…
Raenef stared in the wake of the wave in stunned amazement.
"Wow… That was… cool." He looked up at Eclipse with pricked puppy ears and a wagging tail. "Can I try?"
A hand burst from the snow, followed by two bodies as knight and cleric excavated themselves from beneath the icy blanket. Then they lay there gasping like fish out of water while the adrenaline rushing through their veins did a victory lap.
It took a moment for their brains to register the wall of white approaching in their peripheral vision. Simultaneously they turned to gawk at it. Again.
If the first one was a wave, then this one was a tsunami.
Its shadow fell over them as it arched, cresting, and came crashing down…
Eclipse stared in the wake of the wave in stunned amazement.
Not only had Raenef executed the spell correctly, but his wave was easily three times the size of his own. The young lord looked rather astonished at his own strength.
"Impressive," Eclipse managed finally.
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"Why did you have to bury me?" Erutis grumped, spearing a potato with her fork. "I didn't do anything!"
Raenef grinned sheepishly, putting a hand behind his head. "I didn't mean to make it that big…"
The knight scowled. "If Eclipse wasn't involved, I'd find a way to get you back."
"I said I was sorry…" Raenef pouted, tears welling in his huge shimmering eyes.
Then a very scary, very wicked, very foreboding grin crept over Erutis's face.
Chris decided he didn't like that look.
Raenef was just glad she was 'smiling' again.
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TBC
1 These lines were also taken from To Kill a Mockingbird, first line by Scout, the second by Jem, although the speech pattern was slightly altered to suit the characters. (I have never heard/read Chris say "Naw", although it might be amusing.)
Sadeyes, don't forget to let me know about the fic request!
Ja Bai Bai!