Apparently many of you didn't like where I stopped last chapter. o.o Hee hee…
Yami Seraphim and Crowkeeper990, I'm glad you like my section breaks. I don't know what they look like to you all, but they're supposed to be falling snowflakes… And Yami Seraphim (btw, I love your name) it's supposed to be fluffy, my dear. Says so in the summary and all the warnings at the beginning of each chapter (except chapter three, in which I forgot to put one).
Warnings: Shounnen-ai, Raeclipse, fluff, self-chastising by Eclipse, and mild cornyness…
Chapter 4
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Eclipse had retreated to his personal Fortress of Solitude (the study, of course) and stood there for a full minute and a half with a single thought in his slowly thawing mind.
What the hell happened?
You were going to kiss him, weren't you? The nagging voice accused, apparently having snapped out of its state of earlier shocked silence. Eclipse grit his teeth and began to pace, ordering it to shut up.
You're a fool, the voice informed him disdainfully. What ever has become of the mighty Eclipse, terror of the Hangma War and fourth ranking demon in existence? Chasing after a child, like dear Cupid has shot your cold heart with his enchanted arrows.
"Silence!" Eclipse raked a clawed hand through his long hair.
What happened to your morals, your dignity, for heaven's sake?! You'll bring ruin to the entire noble lineage of the Raenef demon lords. He's a child! Not to mention a boy! He's too pure for you. You're not worthy of his love. You're a fool. A bloody fool.
"I don't care! Leave me alone."
No, it told him flatly. It was bad enough when you simply harbored these silly little feelings of yours. Now you're trying to act on them! By the gods, he's your master! Trying to kiss him—you're disgusting! Next thing you know you'll be sleeping with him!
Eclipse whirled angrily, glaring at nothing. "So what if I do! I love him, dammit!"
Silence. He was alone.
The voice, satisfied with his admission, had vanished.
Eclipse sank into a chair—Raenef's chair—and closed his eyes.
I love him… that's all that matters. To hell with the world. So long as he is with me…
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Raenef sneezed.
"You okay, Rae?" Erutis asked, plopping down on her stationary sled. The three were taking a brief respite from their runs up and down the hill after too many times than they'd care to count. Chris was lying in a puddle of red snow, the direct result of an affront on Erutis's pride.
"Yeah," Raenef smiled. "Someone must be talking about me." I wonder if it's Eclipse…
Erutis frowned. "You sure?" She felt his cheek with the back of her hand. "You're freezing! Go find a warmer jacket and some mittens or something, we'll wait for you."
"Really?" Raenef bit his lip hesitantly, not wanting to trouble his friends. Erutis nodded readily; the innate Chris gave no response. "Okay then." The blonde stood, focusing on an image of his room.
Shimmering raven hair and soft dark eyes flashed at the back of his mind.
"Go—!"
He sneezed.
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Eclipse was just determining how much time he had left before he had to start dinner when he suddenly found himself with a lapful of Raenef. He blinked.
"Master Raenef?"
The young lord gazed about him dazedly, seemingly disoriented.
"Huh? Eclipse? How'd I get here?" He looked up at his mentor in consternation, as if the answer he sought was written on the demon's face.
"What were you doing?" inquired Eclipse.
Raenef put his index finger to his lower lip, eyes glazing over in thought. Eclipse found he couldn't tear his eyes from the spot. Their present position didn't help matters either, since it put the youth's full pouting lips right at eye level.
"I was trying to teleport to my room to get another jacket, and when I said 'go', I sneezed."
"And you ended up here," Eclipse finished, forcing himself to look Raenef in the eye. The blonde nodded and looked down, and then a soft blush painted his cheeks when he realized just how intimate "here" was.
"But the only way that could happen," Eclipse mused, oblivious to Raenef's brain-paralyzing revelation, "is if another thought took precedence over the one directing you to your room. Meaning you were either thinking of the study, or…" He stopped abruptly, biting down on the last word, fighting to keep a blush from blooming on his own visage.
Raenef was now perching timidly on Eclipse's lap, staring down at his hands, which were fidgeting in his own lap nervously. "I wasn't thinking about the study." He felt his cheeks inflame even before he opened his mouth.
For once Eclipse's eloquent articulation skills deserted him. "Oh."
Suddenly their position seemed way too intimate to be comfortable.
For a long moment the silence was so tangible Raenef found it difficult to breathe. Neither dared to look at the other, but both were reliving the surreal moment in the snow when Time seemed to hold its breath for them…
But now Time was pointing and laughing.
Raenef sneezed.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Eclipse turned to meet sheepish emerald eyes.
"Cold?" Without thinking, he touched Raenef's cheek with his palm.
So soft…
"A bit…"
Eclipse frowned. "'A bit'? You're like ice!"
"I'm alright—"
"Hush." Eclipse pressed a finger to the youth's lips. Raenef pouted cutely, drawing a small smile from his mentor. Swiftly he swept the blonde into his arms and stood in one fluid motion.
"E-Eclipse…?" Raenef gasped, stunned, as his arms slid around Eclipse's neck instinctively.
"Go."
Raenef tightened his hold as the familiar pulling rush that accompanied teleportation seized him, and he found himself suddenly in his room. He caught sight of his bed and an absurd notion entered his mind, but he quickly dismissed it with a glowing blush as Eclipse carried him off into the bathroom adjoining his bedroom.
"Take a hot bath to warm up," Eclipse told him, setting him on his feet gently. "You've had enough of the cold for today."
"O-okay…" Raenef directed his gaze at Eclipse's feet, thinking that he didn't need a bath to warm up his face—he was doing that on his own just fine.
Eclipse smiled fondly at him, and then turned and left, shutting the door behind him.
Raenef was still blushing at his earlier thought as he sank into the steaming water a few minutes later. He sighed, relaxing as the heat enveloped him, and he started getting his mind under control.
It'd be wonderful, but it'll never happen. It's about as likely as Eclipse taking a bath with me.
New and enticing and rather explicit mental imagery flowered in his mind at that splendid thought, and he groaned, sinking deeper into the water.
Stop it, he ordered himself. The heat pooling between his legs could not be written off entirely to the scalding temperature of the water, nor could the fresh inflammation of his cheeks.
I really, really hope Eclipse doesn't try to link with me telepathically when I'm like this…
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TBC
Bleah. I don't like this chapter. Strange how I hate the even ones… the next chapter will be better, I promise. (At least I hope it will be… . ;;)
Sadeyes appears to have deserted me, so ForestGlenny, if you have a fic request please drop a line at my e-mail address which refuses to show up on ff documents. (Curse you, ff!)
(btw, ff stands for fanfiction dot net. They won't even let me write it out properly, it disappears.)
Ja Bai Bai!