G'raha was about to change and dress – determined to find the ashen-haired Hyur and prob him for answers to the questions that were burning holes in his mind – when out of nowhere… he found himself atop of half-dressed T'senri… As if that wasn't shocking enough, then he spotted the man who accosted him earlier in the showers – standing across the massive, black-walled room – and his mysterious words toward the Warrior… who, after the man disappeared, scrambled away from him, and curled into a seemingly miserable ball against one of the smooth, black walls, protectively wrapping his arms and tail around his knees and refused to look up.
Baffled by the circumstances, G'raha shifted on his knees with uncertainty and looked around the room again, trying to collect his scattered wits and figure out what exactly this was all about… And his mismatched eyes got stuck on the only other thing outside the blankets he rested on: what seemed to be a pile of… supplies? Some snacks, drinks, and… bowl of oily substance…?
There was no light source in the room – its walls devoid of door or windows – and he was more than thankful for his feline eyes in these conditions, looking toward the Warrior again and frowning with confusion.
Whatever that… man?... wanted of the male, he seemed more than upset about it – and why would it include G'raha of all people…? Was he to be some sort of… hostage? Would that white-haired man torture him to force T'senri's compliance…? Why him, however? He barely met the Warrior and could easily imagine that one of his friends would be…
He blinked slowly, and his gaze drifted toward the pile of blankets under him, then up toward the supplies… and he blinked again, getting a funny feeling about what this suggested…
"…T'senri…?" he whispered, looking toward the Warrior again. He could see his ears twitch delicately, but the male refused to look up at him, only visibly tightening his arms around his knees and burying his face in them. And despite his muscular body, somehow he looked… vulnerable and upset like that, making his heart ache. Making his hands itch with the need to pet his dark hair and comfort him… which was beyond absurd!
He was the Warrior of Light, the hero, and who was G'raha to think… he would need or want his comfort...?
Then his thoughts ran back to the shower, and his eyes drifted toward the blankets again… and his thoughts to the stranger's words… and he felt his face heat up unbearably as he shifted slightly, carefully rolling his hands into fists atop his thighs and feeling his tail swivel nervously behind him.
Because if he wasn't… insane… all of this suggested that this man wanted them to… mate?
And his words and T'senri's reaction… suggested that the Warrior knew of that and perhaps was upset… with him?
In the shower, he did seem to… want him. He said that he never wanted anything more… but then told him to stay away from him, too… And now… His gaze darted toward the man again, and his ears lowered against his head. He curled into himself and dropped his eyes again. Obviously… the bout of insanity passed, and he… didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore.
And could he blame him…? He was a nobody, a miserable jinx, as they called him. That he had even the slightest notion of T'senri wanting him when nobody else ever did… it was beyond naïve and absurd! The Warrior was a man famous and beautiful beyond compare, and he… How pathetic could he be…?
"What's wrong…?" he heard and blinked, then his eyes darted toward the man, and his throat tightened painfully when his eyes met narrowed, unreadable shards of ice. Palest, most beautiful ice-blue surrounded by thick vail of jet-black lashes, peering at him with an expression… he had no idea how to read.
"H-Huh…?" he cleared his throat self-consciously, hearing how hoarse his voice sounded. Then he dropped his gaze again, nervously swiveling his tail in his lap and wrapping his hands around its fluffed-out end.
"You… whimpered?" the Warrior said, and he heard him move, but he didn't dare to, keeping his eyes on his hands as he shakily smoothed his fur down.
"I… d-didn't," he stammered slightly, hoping he didn't, as his face heated up unbearably again. Really, how pathetic…?
"G'raha… I'm so sorry about all of this," T'senri sighed – the sound much closer – and he flinched, curling his shoulders in slightly. Of course, he was too polite to say the truth: he had time to rethink his words and… He froze, and his heart jumped in his throat when a pair of muscular arms coiled around him, pulling him into a world of heated skin and sweet apple-like scent… Now he did hear himself whimper, and his face blazed even hotter, so he hid it against the other male's throat, trying to calm his insanely pounding heart. "So sorry," the Warrior cooed soothingly, smoothing his big, hot hand over his back, and G'raha couldn't help but shakily wrap his arms around him in turn, despite circumstances… drowning in his heat.
When was the last time that someone held him like that…? Did anyone ever…? A few lovers that he had… before his reputation went to hell would never be this… warm. Wouldn't touch him like he was… precious and deserving of their affection. And he used to tell himself that it was okay… that anything was better than nothing… but now… in his arms, it felt… warm and safe.
And as much as he didn't want to embarrass himself even more than he already did since meeting this man, he couldn't help but melt into him, helplessly purring his bliss at the heat and feeling of safety he seemed to exhume so effortlessly…
"Azeyma…" he heard in a raspy note against his ear. "…but you're so unbearably sweet… so cute…" and he knew he should have minded… but too drugged on the mix of his heat and scent, he just buried against him deeper, content as long as he didn't pull back, remember that he wasn't worthy of his touch. Just a moment longer… "…so mine…" that raspy note in T'senri's deep voice grew more pronounced, and he gasped as his world shifted. He found himself under the muscular body, with the Warrior nuzzling against his shoulder insistently as braced most of his weight on an elbow next to him. At the same time, his other hand curled with undeniable claim around his buttock, kneading the flesh as he settled between his legs with a quiet, raspy groan. "Gods… how I'm supposed to resist…?" T'senri muttered against his skin with a tone of complaint, and G'raha flushed darkly, feeling the evidence of his arousal and growing… even more confused.
"…r-resist…?" he choked out, shyly letting his hands rest on his back while closing his eyes and trying not to breathe….as every breath filled his head with static, accompanied by the sweet, tantalizing scent – even more alluring for the musky tang that seemed to… hook in his brain, setting his whole body on fire.
"He… wants us to mate," T'senri whispered into his skin and thought… he should care more about the confirmation of his guess… but the other male shifted slightly and all his focus ran to stop an utterly embarrassing mewl from slipping his throat at the unbearably… pleasant friction on his all-too-interested flesh. He was almost sure he succeeded… until Warrior's quiet, raspy groan and another shift, joined in by the feeling of a small, sharp bite on his throat, and he couldn't stop another sound, leaving him on a rumbling purr. His face burning, he tried to stifle it… and another, harder bite had him whine helplessly, digging his fingers into heated skin at T'senri's back and squirming under his weight, dying as it caused more of that maddening friction and other Seeker's scent swelled impossibly, filling his head and lungs up to brim. "And my… self-control is crap… in normal conditions, G'raha… but g-gods…" his deep voice dropped to a growl, sending a near-violent shudder down redhead's spine. "…your scent… sounds… Need more," the Warrior cooed, nipping on his skin hungrily as his hand tightened over his ass, pulling his hips tight against him as he rolled his hips, rutting into him slowly.
And at that… G'raha whimpered needily, his senses reeling in the onslaught of sensations as his hands scrambled down T'senri's spine and trembling, wrapped around his hips as his back arched almost against his will. Another thrust, harder, tore a groan from his throat, rubbing against his painful erection just in a perfect way, and another one had him whine, almost embarrassed – if he could think – how his body shook, already sooo close…
Thaliak, but it never with anyone else before it felt this… intense, this hot… and he was losing himself in the heat, in T'senri's scent and touch, as his ears rang with the other male's deep, raspy groans and quiet gasps.
When the black-haired Seeker shifted, bracing his other arm around him, lifting above him, he barely noticed, too focused on the mind-shattering sensation over his aching dick.
"G-gods, sooo pretty…" the Warrior rasped. He peered through his lashes with confusion, then flushed darkly, realizing that ice-blue irises, darkened considerably with desire, were insanely focused on his face. "Look at me... G'raha," the Warrior cooed, pairing it with an especially hard roll of his hips, and he gasped breathlessly, complying as his eyes shot wide open. Instantly blushing even darker, he was caught in the snare of insanely dilated pupils swallowing the pale irises, so intent and… predatory that his heart went crazy, pounding unevenly. And though he shouldn't…
"R-Raha…" he gasped, and his hand shot up, curling in the ink-black strands at the back of T'senri's head. Holding on for dear life as the pressure to come grew unbearable… excruciatingly painful torture as the Warrior's beautiful face lit up with a grin.
"Raha," he purred teasingly, shifting his left arm to press his thumb over his lower lip, smoothing it to the corner of his mouth as he leaned in until their panting breaths mixed. "Sweet, adorable Raha… I want you so, so bad… I'm in pain," he rasped, placing a small, sharp bite on his lip, then turned away when he instinctively chased those too-pretty lips.
"T'senri…" he whined petulantly, trying to pull him back, but he could as well try to move a mountain.
"Senri, my cute mate," he corrected almost playfully, trailing a line of small, though scorching hot bites down his throat. He arched with a breathless whine when he bit him harder, right like back in the shower, pinning him down and enforcing his submission. Mewling incoherently, he wrapped his arms around his head, losing what was left of his mind as the other male rutted into him harder, harsher, tearing helpless whimpers and profanities from his mouth as he couldn't take it anymore, spilling with a choked, relieved groan. As his senses reeled in bliss, his teeth simply… itched maddeningly, but when his hand tightened in the ink-black strands, tilting his Warrior's head for access, and deep, instinctive growl rumbled in the back of his throat, the male shifted suddenly, breaking his bite to claim his mouth with his. Tasting copper on his tongue, he whimpered a complaint, mad with the need to bite him… "No," the black-haired Seeker hissed through his teeth, pulling back for G'raha to feel his hand at the back of his head, holding him back as he bared his teeth in a snarl, infuriated at the denial. "…so feisty," Senri chuckled breathlessly, brushing the tip of his nose against his. Which only worked to piss him off, and he snapped his teeth at him with a nearly animalistic hiss. "Oh, Azeyma… I adore you, Raha… but you can't… can't bite me until you understand… the consequences," he purred soothingly, stilling atop of him completely, and as if to rob him of all reason, rested his chin on G'raha's shoulder, putting his mouth in the perfect alignment to this insanely tempting spot on his pale skin that had that maddening itch get even more intense. His hands scrambled over his back desperately, then one shot to the back of his own head, trying to pry the Warrior's grip in his hair… all for naught, as he was just… waaay too strong.
"Con… consequences?" he finally found his voice, but he barely recognized it because of how hoarse it sounded.
"Y-Yeah, consequences, because as impossible as it may sound, if you do… bite me, we would be mated, Raha," Senri whispered, slowly nuzzling against his throat… so sweet and affectionate… he melted, wrapping his arms around his waist tightly. For his size, the way so far the Warrior was with him… he couldn't help how hard it lured his lonely heart, dying for more and more of his heat, delicate and fierce touches… And to think he could be his, just with one bite… drove him mad. "But… that's not the only thing, my cute mate," Senri sighed deeply, then lifted and smiled somewhat sadly. The sheer volume of longing and vulnerability in his pale irises had G'raha's throat close up, and he blinked rapidly, chasing away the haze of lust.
"What… what, then?" he whispered, with uncertainty pressing his hand against the black-haired Seeker's cheek… and melted again when he closed his eyes and nuzzled into his touch with a quiet, uncertain purr.
Gods… for him, no price seemed too high…
"I am… wrong," Senri chuckled sadly, breaking his heart instantly. "The stories they tell about me… I'm not that. Not the hero… or whatever. I play the part… because my friends repeat that people… need the symbol of the Warrior to look up to, to feel safe… So I act, and smile and help… but I'm… I'm broken inside, Raha. Twisted and broken… and some days I can't even look into the mirror. And there is this part of me… that want to tear everything apart. Even… you," he took a deep breath, then his eyes opened slowly, turning into shards of ice… and yet, he thought he could almost see the excruciating pain behind them. "And… I can't control it. Back in the shower, when I went after Thancred… that was a light version, believe me. He's my friend… one of the best, yet, when I lose control… and I never know what can make me snap… but when I do… it's ugly and dangerous. I don't remember… but my friends have to carry a special weapon with them at all times because… apparently, the more I care about someone, the more that part of me wants to tear them to pieces. And the thought of… hurting you…" he choked, closing his eyes again and dropping his head against his shoulder. And even as he frowned, trying to figure it out and fight against the way his throat tightened painfully, he shakily petted Senri's dark hair, narrowing his eyes at the ceiling above them.
Remembering how his Warrior snapped… the pure aggression with which he went after the Hyur… still didn't seem like a detriment. If anything… as confused and baffled as he was by it, he would lie if he didn't admit it was also… hot. Earlier, before the Hyur… Thancred, he guessed, barged in on them… there was a very similar, beyond arousing, aggression in Senri's kisses and touch, turning him into a writhing, whimpering mess dying to submit. What the Warrior told him of his upbringing… well, it did make sense that he would tend to be more dominant and aggressive if he was groomed toward the role of the Nunh.
But… if he was forced for years to stifle this part of his nature to play the part of the Warrior, as he said… Was it then… what caused the aggression to be so… harsh when he snapped…? It made sense…
"And… there's also Hades and all that," the Warrior chuckled a bit sheepishly, nuzzling against his shoulder delicately.
"…Hades?" he repeated with confusion.
"The man who locked us up in here," Senri sighed, going almost limp in his embrace and making his heart melt again when he tilted his head slightly toward his hand, silently asking for more… And his heart stuttered furiously, but he gladly complied, delicately rubbing the back of his ear. And, gods, the rumbling purrs that elected from the black-haired Seeker… He swallowed thickly, closing his eyes and trying to listen as the Warrior continued. "You see… not that long ago, he saved my life. My friend's, too. He's an Ascian… and an extremely powerful one at that. Do you know what the Ascians are, Raha?" he asked carefully in a somewhat softer tone.
"Ummm… I thought they're the bad guys?" he flushed at how naïve that sounded, berating himself in thought. "I mean… Aren't they responsible for Calamities and… worship Zodiark…?"
"They are… well, some of them, at least," the Warrior sighed softly and slowly shifted, sitting up. G'raha blinked at him, then flushed darkly, scrambling to sit up and trying not to think how… soiled his pants felt. Or that he instantly missed his heat… While Senri looked around the room, running his fingers through his messy hair, he carefully settled on his knees, resting his folded hands in his lap and just… waiting while trying not to seem impatient. Finally, the Warrior looked at him, though his expression was unreadable again and his eyes somewhat distant and cold. He was hiding… he understood, and his heart stuttered nervously.
There seemed to be so many fascinating facets to the Warrior that he never expected… Yet, apparently, he was so used to playing the role others expected of him… he could only look at and bemoan the results.
"This is… a very long and complicated story, Raha," Senri's deep voice sounded a tad… hollow now, and without thinking, he grabbed his hand in both of his, squeezing it in reassurance, even as he dropped his eyes with another embarrassing blush. It seemed… silly, but he didn't know how to convey that he wanted him to… feel free to be himself.
The loneliness he thought he could almost see in his ice-blue eyes whenever he wasn't… hiding resonated with his heart something beyond fierce. He could scarcely imagine facing the monsters and crisis he only heard that Senri had to stand against… but the feeling of being alone and unwanted… he knew.
And while their world needed the Warrior… What did Senri need…?
"Senri, I…" he dared to look up, cursing his flaming face… and froze, caught off guard by the look in ice-blue irises. His pupils dilated impossibly, turning the pale blue into the tiniest ring around them; he had the most… insane thought that there was… something else looking at him through the Warrior's eyes, insanely focused and, in it, almost… feral. Mesmerized by it instantly, he didn't dare to blink but, holding that intent stare, slowly lifted his hand and, shifting it, nuzzled his cheek into Senri's palm with a quiet, delicate purr.
If possible, that gaze grew even more intent and predatory, trailing over his face.
"Sweet, gentle…" somehow, Senri's deep voice rang with a raspy, growly undertone that sent a shiver down his spine. "…Rrraha. You look… too soft forrr us… We will hurrrt you."
There was something else, he realized, still not daring to blink.
"Who… what are you?" he whispered, still holding his hand against his cheek.
"I'm… the beast," sharp, humorless grin split Senri's beautiful face as his eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly at him. "Oh… not scarrred?"
"You are Senri," he replied smoothly, refusing to be intimidated, even as his heart pounded unevenly.
"Brrrave… orrr stupid," the… presence behind his Warrior's eyes bared his teeth at him in another chilling grin. "Orrr both. He hates me, you know. Senrrri. Can't see that I'm prrrotecting him. They use him, push him, but when he needs someone… therrre is none who underrrstands… but me. I sharrre his pain and loneliness. His hearrrtbrrreak. With me, he's not alone… but you would rrruin it, Rrraha. You would wake up that… thing in him. That's what the Ascian wants, to be rrrid of me. You arrre a thrrreat," he hissed in a near animalistic snarl, and his other hand curled around G'raha's throat, squeezing in a warning, but he didn't flinch, holding the feral gaze. "You will hurrrt him, worrrse than all else. He's alrrready half in love with you… but you'll leave him, like everrryone else. You'll brrreak him, worrrse than anyone else everrr can. I should snap yourrr neck beforrre you can…"
"I want him," he said honestly, nuzzling into his palm again. "And I want you, too. All of him."
"…me?" the slow blink accompanied by another feral grin should be unnerving… but instead, despite how he tightened his hand around his throat, he didn't feel threatened or scared. He shifted, dropping his hand to rose slowly, and wrapping his arms around Senri's shoulders. Despite the promise of a world of pain in his eyes, he released his grip, dropping his arms to his sides and stilling almost unnaturally – seemingly not even breathing – when G'raha flushed darkly but moved closer until their noses almost touched.
"All of you, Senri," he breathed, taking a breath and delighting in his sweet scent as he ran his fingers through ink-black hair. "If you'll have me… I'm yours."
"You'll hurrrt us," the very real terror in those feral eyes almost broke his heart, and he wasn't sure what exactly this… beast was, but he cooed soothingly, brushing the tip of his nose against his. "But perrrhaps… you arrre worrrth the pain…"
"I don't want to hurt you," he whispered, almost nervously, as Senri's pupils slowly turned back into a more natural, vertical version and his Warrior blinked with pure confusion on his beautiful face.
"….Raha?" he cleared his throat self-consciously, then leaned away and looked him over as panic sparked in the ice-blue irises. "Gods, did I hurt you…?"
"No, Senri," he chuckled wetly, petting his ear delicately with a shaky hand. "I just had a little chat with your… inner beast, I guess."
"You… what?" the Warrior's jaw visibly dropped.
"Mhmm… and I l-like him, too," he almost snickered at Senri's shocked expression. He was still so beautiful, though… in and out. "And I did tell him… that if you would have me, Senri, I'm… I'm yours. But only… if you're mine, too," he added softly, dropping his gaze and licking his lips nervously, and his face blazed with another blush. "All… All of you, so you don't… have to hide your feelings. You don't have to… play the part. You're… I l-like Senri more than the Warrior," he closed his eyes, swallowing thickly as his insides tightened in eerie terror.
"Raha… you're just… too cute for words," at that he pouted, looking toward the ice-blue irises with a deadpan stare… and gawked as his heart … stopped when Senri grinned at him, a silly, lovesick, and goofy thing that made him so achingly beautiful… it blinded him. With his heart in his throat, he could only stare as the black-haired Seeker, still with that grin, wrapped his big, hot hands around his cheeks, smoothing his thumbs over the heated skin as his pale eyes trailed over his face. "If I would have you, my silly mate? You're perfect. If I can have you, I don't need anything else… but there is still…"
"Then… kiss me?" he breathed, too caught up in the heat of his touch and the shine of the… something in the ice-blue irises that had his heart tremble.
And he did, stealing his breath with a delicate, tender brush of his too-pretty lips. He whimpered a complaint quietly, needing more… Wrapping his arms around Senri's neck and pulling him closer, he was rewarded with a much deeper, rougher kiss. When he mewled mindlessly for more, Senri fed him an aggressive growl and shifted, pressing him down into the blankets under them as he set to eat him alive. Swallowing his whimpers and moans, he turned his world into a blaze, setting his whole body on fire. And when they broke apart for air and Senri growled softly, nuzzling against his throat affectionately while he fought to catch his breath and his teeth itched… the temptation was just too much.
Without a sound or a warning, he bit down on the junction of his neck and shoulder, purring deafeningly when he tasted copper, and his Warrior snarled, then… G'raha's mind crashed, and all went black.
"Well… this is awkward," Damon hummed without opening his eyes, busy sorting at a rapid speed through his host's memories. Yet, he smiled and wrapped his arms around his husband when Ares grumbled with annoyance, then sighed, rubbing his chin against his shoulder.
"We're waaaay behind schedule," Azem scoffed, making him snicker quietly.
"Thought you would appreciate the challenge, Ares," he chuckled, then cleared his throat and sighed. "No, seriously… Can you? It's… kind of stifling in here."
"Ah, sorry…" his husband muttered, then cleared his throat and whispered a spell against his skin. Instantly growing sleepy, he exhaled slowly, running his hands over his lover's back and more than enjoying his new, sweeter scent. "Sleep, love… I'll deal with that annoyance, then we will plan accordingly. The only… thing is, even my host didn't know about you, Damon."
"Oh, joy…." He snickered involuntarily, then drifted off with a grin.
He did enjoy the challenge!