Updated (07-09-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

Little Nymph IV

Joey frowned in concern and gently touched his lover's shoulder. "Seto?"

Seto grunted and curled his coils tighter, unable to help being grumpy. "What?"

The blond flinched and yanked his hand back quickly. "I-I'm sorry… It's just… ya haven't eaten in days, Seto. I know ya can go without food for a long time, but… but I'm gettin' worried."

"I don't need to eat. I'm fine. Why don't you go get something to eat and leave me alone."

Joey flinched again and hurriedly backed away. "…I-I'm sorry." He glanced around the den anxiously before walking toward the entrance. "I'll just… I'll just go, then. W-when do ya want me back-?"

Seto hissed loudly.

The blond turned and hurried to the entrance of the cave, but a flash of silver was suddenly in front of him, and then he was caught in the naga's tight coils. "Ngh! Set-!"

"Do you feel that?" the brunet hissed, glaring at him as he gave the half-nymph a small squeeze. "Doesn't feel very comfortable, does it?"

Joey whimpered and shook his head. "No-!" He squirmed a little and looked up at him pleadingly. "Seto, lemme go! It hurts-!"

"Well you know what, I hurt!" Seto snarled, giving him another squeeze. "I'm tired and I'm hungry and I'm hurting! You have not even begun to hurt!"

"Ngh-!" The blond let out a shriek as he felt his ribs creaking under the pressure. "Seto you're gonna break me!"

The naga released him with a hiss and began slithering against the wall, rubbing his hip up against it where his skin turned to scale. "Fucking—ssssstupid—damn it—huuuurrrtssss—"

Joey trembled as he stayed prone on the ground, worried that the brunet might grab him again if he tried to move. He didn't understand why Seto was hurting, but he knew that if he did anything to aggravate him while he was angry, he could accidentally kill him. After a few moments, though, he sat up, breathing shakily because his ribs ached like he hadn't felt in a long time. "…S-Seto?"

"What!"

"…Why do you hurt?"

Seto turned toward him sharply, almost looking surprised, before his face twisted back into an angry scowl. "I'm shedding. My skin is too tight and I can't get it off!"

The blond took a few deep breaths, trying to ignore the twinge he felt in his ribs, then got to his feet, legs trembling a little as he stepped toward the serpentine man. "…Seto? Can I try and help ya get it off?"

"What? No. It's disgusting." The naga hissed as the blond slid his arms around his waist and nuzzled his chest. "It's dead skin. Why would you want to touch my dead scales?" He blinked when the half-nymph kissed him in response, then immediately fell limp as the blond scratched at his sensitive hip.

Joey gasped as the brunet flopped bonelessly to the ground and hurried to kneel at his side. "Seto!"

"…That felt nice." The naga blinked again for a moment before turning his eyes back on the blond. "Do it again."

The blond blushed, then reached down to gently rub where his scales met skin. Once certain that it didn't hurt him anymore than he already did, he used his nails to scratch, first gently, then more firmly. "Like this?"

Seto squirmed and hissed quietly. "Just like that. But harder. Don't worry about hurting me; my scales are too thick for your nails alone to hurt."

"Okay." Joey lifted his free hand to scratch his other hip, digging his nails in as hard as he could. A few minutes later, when his fingers were beginning to hurt and he almost felt like his fingernails might just rip off, he felt the skin peel away with a sound akin to ripping paper. He cringed at the noise and looked up at the brunet quickly. "Did that hurt?"

The brunet used his elbows to help him lean upward and examine his tail. "No. That's the sound it makes when you peel it away, because the inside of the dead skin liquefies so it can slide off." He scowled and slapped the blond's hand when he reached to touch the detached piece of skin. "Don't touch it. It's dead and it's gross."

"…But I can help ya get it off faster, so ya won't hurt as long," the half-nymph argued, frowning. "I don't like it when you're hurtin', Seto…"

Seto frowned as well and looked down at the piece of skin that had peeled away, then sighed and lifted his hips. "Alright. Get it loose all the way around, then hold onto the edge so I can slither out of it."

"Okay. Hey, your scales look bigger," Joey pointed out, reaching out to stroke one of the pearly white scales that had been revealed.

"Of course they are. I'm not full grown yet; my tail still grows about an inch or two every year. I'll be finished growing in about ten years." The brunet paused as he saw the younger boy's nervous expression, then deadpanned, "Only my tail is still growing. The human half of my body is pretty much aged as much as it will until I start looking old."

"…" The blond blushed as he began peeling the skin away all the way around his waist. "…Since… since your… p-penises are part of your tail… Does… does that mean your penises grow too?"

Seto blinked at him in confusion. "…I've… never actually measured the growth of my penises."

Joey sighed worriedly, then gripped the dead skin tightly and nodded. "Okay. I think I've got it now."

"Alright. Stay still." The naga wiggled his hips a little before digging his sharp nails into the dirt floor and beginning to drag himself forward, out of the too-tight skin. Once he'd freed several inches of his tail, he glanced back at the blond. "I'm going to slither now. It'll be fast—probably just a quick tug. Brace yourself."

The half-nymph nodded a little and braced himself so he wouldn't fall flat on his face. "I'm ready."

It was just as Seto had said: he'd moved fast, just a flash of silvery white, and a short jerk as the skin was yanked inside out and away from the brunet's new scales.

Despite the warning, Joey still found himself strewn across the old skin, stunned. "Wow!"

Seto turned to face him and cringed a little when he saw the blond actually laid out across his shedding. "I know. It's pretty disgusting."

"I can see where each of your scales was!" the blond exclaimed, sitting up and tracing the skin lightly with his fingers in awe. "Wow… Your scales grew a lot…"

The naga shifted awkwardly. "Listen, let's just throw it out already."

"But it's so amazing! Look at the scale pattern—"

"You know… You could look at my new scales," Seto cut in, slowly slithering around the half-nymph until the tip of his tail gently tickled underneath his chin. "They're a little sensitive right now, so be careful."

Joey couldn't help blushing brightly as the tip of the brunet's tail slid up to cup his cheek. "Oh. O-okay." He looked down at the pearly white scales and shivered as the muscles beneath them flexed, making the light ripple over them in silvers and whites. While he knew that those muscles could crush his bones into powder and throw him like a ragdoll, he also knew that they could give him comforting little squeezes, or firm tugs as he shared his body—

The blond blushed even more. "Ya sure ya don't know if your penises are still the same? Seems like somethin' you'd wanna know."

The naga blinked at him before his lips twisted into a smirk. "Why don't you check for me?"

Joey bit his bottom lip before smiling up at him coyly. "Alright."

Seto squeaked. He hadn't actually expected that to work.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto gently brushed the scratches on the blond's hips and twisted around to gently lick the red lines. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"…Um… Didja mean t' hurt me when ya started crushin' me?" the blond asked softly.

The naga jerked upward, frowning in confusion. "Crushed you?"

Joey sat up and bit down anxiously on his index finger. "…Ya got angry with me and ya wrapped me up in your tail. I think ya were tryin' t' show me how much ya hurt."

"…Oh. Oh." Seto sat up quickly, gently running his hands over the blond's sides and over his chest. "Nothing feels broken. Do you still feel pain? Did you feel anything snap?"

"No, ya stopped when I yelped that you'd break me." The half-nymph bit his bottom lip and reached up to catch the brunet's hand. "Seto, it's okay. I just… wished that you'd given me a warnin'. Explained why ya were actin' that way. I woulda been able t' help ya sooner, Seto."

The older boy frowned as he looked down at the smaller hand wrapped around his own. "…I… didn't want to be weak. I hate shedding. I'm tired. Shedding drains me. Sex drained me more. I feel… drained. Pathetic. I can't protect you. I can barely protect myself."

Joey lifted the brunet's hand to kiss the back of it. "And how would ya protect yourself like this, Seto?"

"Coil up in a corner and hope whatever came across me while I slept didn't have teeth sharp enough to pierce my scales," the naga replied automatically.

The blond giggled quietly at the matter-of-fact tone, then turned to snuggle up against his chest. "Well, I could always curl up with ya, keep an eye out while ya sleep. I could wake ya up if anything came in that I thought was dangerous."

"Hmm. That seems like the most logical choice. Alright." Seto wrapped his arms around the smaller boy and carried him over to a corner of the cave, then began curling around him tightly—not so tight that he'd be uncomfortable, but tight enough that he could cover most of his body with his tail. Settling so the blond was tucked against his chest, he asked, "Is this okay?"

The half-nymph thought idly about asking to go clean himself first, but he was surprisingly comfortable, and his lover had said he was exhausted. He'd just have to deal with the uncomfortable mess later. "Yeah. It's great." He smiled when he felt a gentle kiss brushed across his shoulder and leaned back against him more. "Hmm. Sleep well, Seto."

"I don't think I could sleep badly while I'm holding you like this," Seto whispered, giving him a little squeeze. "I like you more and more each day. I think I'm even falling in love with you."

Joey gasped quietly, then squeezed his eyes shut, forcing himself to calm down. He'd said that maybe he was falling in love with him. It would do no good to get his hopes up. Instead, he settled more firmly against the naga's chest and focused on keeping his heart from beating out of his own.

The brunet frowned when he got no response, but he recognized that the half-nymph had been very badly hurt by his initial callousness. Saying that he might be falling in love would never be enough to heal the hurt he'd originally caused. But he was hopeful. He knew that at some point, the liking would change to loving, and then he'd be able to say the words that the blond so badly needed to hear.