Chapter 3: Fashion & Accessories

Summary:

3. Adapt to your surroundings in a reasonable way.

Dear Reader, using Senri's absence (and yes, I know he's going to read it later anyway) let me... try to justify what are you going to read... if you will, of course.

This whole guide is, obviously, a result of Senri's somewhat innocent idea of helping any other future humans and shapeshifters that would find themselves in the same predicament as we did, especially when we first got together. Unusual as are our circumstances in itself, as you already know if you got this far, my gorgeous mate at heart is a sweet and sensitive beast - and he can't help but want to help others any way he can.

I do, love him for that dearly, however...

The same cannot be said about Damon, my older brother. You see, since Senri jumped out with this idea during our visit to my brother's home, it was predictable - for me, knowing my devious sibling - that he's going to somehow use it to screw with me... and, I'm still not ashamed that knowing that, I let him talk me into accepting his bet.

My brother, you see, cannot resist both bets and scheming: trying to get everyone around him happy even against their will. Thing is, to say he's brilliant is an understatement, and I'm not exaggerating. But by it, he believes that he knows better than most what is best for me and for anyone else he cares about. And believe me, as hard as it is to admit - growing up next to him - he's almost always right, too.

Doesn't change the fact that sometimes I try to go against him out of spite - I guess, silly as it sounds, perhaps it's typical for siblings.

I love him, don't get me wrong, and I'm thankful that his scheme sent Senri my way when I was being so... stupidly stubborn, but to be frank: he pisses me off to no end, too.

But going back, hearing of Senri's idea, he bet me that I'm too much of a... prude to actually go along with it. That even if I do, I would make it... teen friendly at most, if you get my meaning. And I know he's playing on my pride, the asshole, but... I also see his goal behind it this time, too. And though the prize by itself is tempting (I'll tell you if I do manage to win), this time it's more about Senri.

Because he's, my brother I mean, not wrong with that, especially when we first met with Sen. If you found this guide by connected to it short story... you know how it went so I'll not be going into details (and if you wonder, Senri don't know about that one... yet. He's, predictably, very technically-adverse, so there's that. And yeah... I've been too ashamed to show him that I've wrote it - and what he told me about that - down). But... I want to, you know? Because I know he's going to get a kick out of it and just... be happy.

So, to add to that and to fulfill my promise about this chapter to him, too, I sentence you, Dear Reader, to few... moments from that time when as blown away as I was - and madly in love with my silly cat - my insecurities and stupid... perhaps mix of shame and pride, stopped me from saying out loud the things I should have said.

And, yeah, there will be some smut, or as he likes to call it: naughty bits. So, read at your own risk and all that.

Living with Senri was... strange. Especially, since apparently when living in a shapeshifter lair, Miqo'te tended to not understand the humans' need for clothing.

In general.

Asked once about if they didn't get cold (while REALLY trying not to stare... too much), Senri shrugged, saying that they naturally ran a much higher body temperature than humans do, so unless set against extremes, they're toasty... Which explained why he felt like a pretty much massive electric blanket. Which was... nice.

But it came with it's own set of issues. Mainly, he was absolutely gorgeous male with penance to traverse Raha's small apartment in nothing more but the black, studded collar the redhead bought for him when he still believed that the shapeshifter was his pet.

Which was... distracting.

Fuck, who was he trying to kid...? Ever since Senri 'moved in,' Raha could get barely anything done - far too busy pretending that he wasn't literally constantly fighting himself not to beg to be fucked!

Because, yeah, that was a thing apparently when ealier having hardly a sex drive to speak off, near Senri he turned to a fucking nympho... which was embarrassing. And far, far too needy for his liking.

But to his defense: god-level orgasms were hard to resist... Not to mention, apparently, Senri was literally always eager to fuck and could go on for hours - making him struggle to keep up.

He wasn't complaining or exaggerating either - just stating a fact. Basically, even among Miqo'te Senri and his brothers were unique, a hybrids of both 'types' with higher even from other shapeshifters strength, speed... and stamina to match. Raha didn't WANT to know how that looked in case of his older brother and his boyfriend, Ares, who was Senri's oldest brother, if he was aware that there were distinctive physical variation between each of them.

Senri and Ares at first look could be taken for twins if not for their distinctively different eye color, with Ares's sky-blue and Senri's pale, ice-like irises. They shared Keepers' pale carnation, too, but so far he knew, only his boyfriend had fangs. Hades, the middle brother between them, with his white hair and golden eyes, obviously stood out - and with his penance to scowl, appeared to miss his brothers downright unearthly beauty. If all three of them were fucking massive.

For Raha, that was rather on the shorter side of things, Senri's 6'3 height and matching muscular built were... sometimes a tad intimidating. And, again, his boyfriend was utterly gorgeous.

All over... which, right now, as he was: splayed out on his couch in nothing more that that fucking collar... was far, far too easy to see...

And all the while when he should be focusing on the next chapter he was working on and not... fantasize about walking over and climbing him... but he was just too unsure. Insecure.

Those few days back in his lover' lair was a tad easier. There he could barely get Senri's big, hot hands off him and it was easy to pretend that he was simply... giving in. Who could blame him? His silly cat was insanely hot and literally all over him... But ever since coming back to the city and his apartment, the Miqo'te seemed... uncharacteristically subdued. Back there he was... Well, outside of the amazing sex, easily excitable and downright making him melt constantly with his silly, adorably goofy grins. Eager to... show Raha off between his brethren - like it was him who was the prize! - and at the same time, insanely possessive. Which was... nice.

And embarrassing as it was to admit - and consider - he didn't really mind his lover's then seemingly constant need to touch him and... try to coddle and pamper him like a favorite pet. Which was pretty funny when he thought back to how they met.

...and he did liked it until he noticed that Ares treated Damon the exact same way - spiking Raha's... issues something beyond fierce!

Thing was Damon was his older brother... by an hour. Fifty-four minutes to be exact, according to their mother. And as much as he loved him... he spent most of his life trying to get out of his twin's shadow.

Logically, Raha knew that it wasn't Damon's fault that he was born with an IQ way up there... Or that despite the fact that they looked nearly identical, his brother's features were slightly more delicate - making him rather beautiful than handsome - or that he was spared his creepy red eyes... But yeah, logic was one thing, and life-long complex another...

Their parents did try to treat them equally, but none could help the fact that his twin was developing at a much higher rate than Raha did - as he couldn't help but simply feel inferior to him in every aspect of his life. Add to that the constant bullying over his eyes and comparisons others didn't spare between them... and - nearly ironically now - falling for brothers that looked nearly exactly the same.

After meeting Ares and finding 'Ink,' when his 'dreams' started... he felt like shit, thinking that despite it all, his unconciousness decided to fuck with him, making him crave his twin's boyfriend - with his concience easing it by changing his dreamed-up lover's eye color. Then, seeing how much - and how shamelessy and openly Damon enjoyed himself being the center of Ares's doting... Raha - sort of - balked, snapping at Senri for no reason and too ashamed at the same time to explain. And after the tantrum Senri threw when he wanted to come back home... He was even more embarrassed about enjoying it. The he cared that much, and all.

But now... He was really starting to worry that his issues ruined it. And, again, he was too ashamed to admit that... he wouldn't mind a little of that doting... and such. Or that he, in general, missed the way Senri acted back then...

And all of that worked to make his mind spin in circles of insecurities and self-doubt. Spiced up by his miserable craving for his lover's touch... His sweet Senri that deserved so much better than an asshole that treated him as he did. That literally spent months playing his pet just to be closer to him because Raha was too far up his own arse - while wallowing in his complexes - to even consider giving him a chance. Just because his twin was dating a shapeshifter and a male at that...

"Raha...?" he heard a raspy whisper and flushed up to his hairline, realizing he was caught staring when he spotted a barely sliver of ice-blue irises observing him from between the long, ink-black lashes. "...why are you sad?" Senri asked with a frown on his almost too-beautiful face as he sat up, turning on the couch sideways to look toward him.

"I'm not..." he trailed off with a sigh, himself hearing the snappy note in his voice and seeing the way Senri's dark-furred ears lowered against his hair slightly. There he goes again, being an asshole in return for his boyfriend's such an obvious care. He lifted his hand and rubbed his eyes tiredly, grimacing at the feeling of the lenses - he started wearing again because he was too goddamn self-conscious about his fucking eyes - then sighed again as he stood up from the chair by the PC and moved across separating them space. With a move of his fingers Senri shifted to sit straight, leaning back against the backrest while despite his flaming face, Raha climbed his lap and without looking up, dropped his forehead against his lover's shoulder with a quiet, humorless laugh. "I don't deserve you, you know?"

Senri - because he was how he was - wrapped his arms around Raha's back and pulled him tight against his chest, coiling his long tail about his lower back and even purred downright happily as he nuzzled against his throat. He always did, and he always smelled sweet - like apple - and was warm like a furnace... and the redhead couldn't help but melt into him, instantly feeling strangely soothed.

"My silly mate," he heard whispered against his ear and couldn't help but shiver helplessly as he almost involuntarily wrapped his hands around his lover's lower back, hesitantly petting the base of his tail. He wasn't even anymore surprised when his pants and t-shirt seemed to melt away, leaving him pressing fully against the expanse of almost too-hot, pale skin. A hybrid, commanding both Seeker creation and Keeper destruction magics, Senri was a master of making things disappear and appear, and adding his gift and looks... he could have literally anyone other than boring, snappy redhead that definitely didn't deserve someone so... perfect. "I want you so badly, babe," he rasped in that deep, rumbling voice, smoothing his hands down Raha's sides and he whimpered, pressing against him tighter.

Senri could have anyone, and he would never understand why he wanted him... But, God, he had it so, so bad for him...

"S-Senri..." he choked out, involontirly curling his hand around the base of ink-black tail as he bit down on his lover's shoulder to stifle an embarrassingly too loud moan at the pressure between his buttocks. And froze with surprised gasp when his lover went utterly rigid suddenly with an almost whimpered mewl-purr of his name. Pulling back to look in his face despite how much his burned, he blinked seeing an even darker color on his lover's face and nearly... owlish look in his pale eyes.

"Do... Do that a-again," the brunette stammered and looked away as his cheeks went even darker.

"...huh?" he frowned with confusion and barely noticed as his hand tightened... until his lover's almost too-pretty lips parted with that lovely sound again. "Ah... Sensitive?" he bit his lip not to grin, already loving a new discovery if it made his shapeshifter blush so dark...

"N-No... I mean, yeah, but... B-Bite," it was so barely audible he had to lean in to hear. He understood when he felt Senri's hand wrap around his neck and somewhat shakily he pulled him back toward the brunnette's shoulder. "...p-please, Raha." And at the same time his other hand tightened on his ass. Feeling his almost too-hot dick against his inner thigh when one of his fingers sank into him slowly, he gave in with a choked groan, then whimpered as he bit down on the pale skin almost brutally, panting through his nose. While his blood thrummed like lava in his veins down his body, he tightened his knees around Senri's hips, keeping one hand around his tail as he let the other move up almost against his will, curling in the ink-black, longish hair that felt more like fur, pulling his head slightly harder to the side for better access.

As his lover worked his body into almost embarrassingly swift readiness, his jaw tightened as the pressure grew and he rocked mindlessly in Senri's lap, blindly looking for relief on his increasingly painful erection against the tight muscle on his abdomen. When the second finger pushed into him, he tasted copper on his tongue and almost came to the near-deafening snarl against his ear. He pulled back from his bite with a choked whine, ready to apologize or beg for more, he wasn't sure... and wouldn't know because he arched against his lover's chest with a keening moan when Senri bit him. Feeling like he's going to burst when his boyfriend's fangs broke his skin, he tightened both of his hands, and without a conscious thought bit down again. Barely aware when Senri's hands pulled back and wrapped around his hips, he whimpered a complain until his lover shifted under him and soon he felt something much, much harder and hotter press up into him.

Gasping desperately at the sensation, they pulled back at the same time and before he knew, his mouth was claimed into an almost violent kiss. As he tasted the mix of Senri's addictive flavor with a tang of copper, without thought Raha curled his arms around his neck, using them as leverage to lift against him and sank down with a choked groan.

Again and again, each time feeling that scorching hot heat push into him deeper and harder.

Which time today even was it...? He wondered numbly, closing his eyes and drowning in the flood of sensations. Greedily swallowing down Senri's purrs and whimpers, it was hard to care that he should be working. Feeling his hot hands tighten on his skin and his tail flex around his back with each movement, the press and pull of his tongue against his, and that deep, maddening friction inside him, he couldn't help himself but speed up, moving his hands around Senri's shoulders to claw that the backrest of the couch. He ran out of breath and pulled back, utterly numb with fascination at the sight of pleasure written all over his lover's beautiful face. Freeing one hand from the couch, he fisted his fingers in hair at the back of Senri's head, devouring with his gaze the vision of nearly drugged-like, impossibly dilated pupils swallowing the almost luminescent ice-blue of his irises.

"Your e-eyes..." his lover breathed and his right hand shot up, returning the grip in his loose hair, but Raha was too busy losing his fucking mind as the pressure grew unbearably with every moment, every increasingly desperate push against the almost too hot intrusion into his body. Blood thrummed deafeningly between his ears and his skin felt far, far too tight and hot, while his gaze bore into Senri's eyes, feeling strange, mounting pressure behind his. Like a bubble pulling too tight, ready to snap as his lover's irises grew even brighter, nearly blinding and dazed as his beautiful face went slack. Raha felt his mouth move, slurring something he couldn't discern over the loud staccato of his heartbeat. Saw Senri's lips part and move as well as his massive form shuddered under him and his tail curled around his waist tightly, but he couldn't care as the pressure grew painful and numbing, that bubble in his head pulling tighter and tighter...

Then it snapped, world exploded with colors and Raha lost himself in the blue eyes, shuddering violently and whimpering breathlessly as he sagged against his lover's chest, fighting to breathe as Senri's dick swelled into a knot inside him, the mind-shattering sensation of being too full throwing him over the another edge before he could even catch a full breath. And another one as his heart pounded furiously and he moaned weakly, burning alive as his lover shuddered, wrapping his arms around him securely as his too-hot seed pumped into him in an mind-numbing spasms. Each throb and slightest friction sending Raha's reeling senses over another edge, the insistent pressure inside him far, far too overstimulating.

...all that accompanied by an impossible sensation of unity, and to the sound of almost too loud purrs against his ear. Utterly numb with pleasure, he buried his face against Senri's throat, going completely limp when the relentless pressure finally relaxed and he could catch a full mouthful of air laced with his lover's sweet scent. As his senses slowly, almost reluctantly reassembled themselves, he felt his boyfriend's hand smooth soothingly up and down his back in a slow rhythm, making him feel drunk on the sensation of being cared for. He closed his eyes with a pleased hum, more than enjoying himself in the afterglow...

...his first conscious thought is laced with fear as he chokes. Set of hands deep in his fur presses him down to the floor, as another forces his jaw open. He whimpers as a thin arm presses down his throat, tastes copper as it gets stuck on the inner rows of his fangs, then he hurls as it pulls back. The taste on the way out is as foul as on the way in as that hand presses over his back next, helping him along.

"I'll slaughter that fucker," as familiar voice hisses above him as the first set of hands tightens in his fur and shakes with rage.

"My bad, Hades, I didn't think he would compel him to swallow down poison," another familiar voice whisper above his head while he chokes, coughing up the foul-tasting mass. "Shh, baby brother, it'll be over soon. We have to teach him to Shift."

"He's too young, Ares, you know that. I shouldn't have left him alone."

"You can't watch him constantly, brother."

"Watch me," a hiss, then he goes limp and only shudders weakly as a massive jaw closes around his neck and picks him up. He's carried up over many wooden bridges and finally set down in between a pair of huge, white paws, whimpering as he looks up into golden eyes...

Raha blinked slowly then tilted his head slightly and trailed his gaze over the interior of his apartment, trying to gather his bearings and calm his pounding heart. As the fear and sense of helplessness slowly ebbs away, only when he can't take a deeper breath, he realized how tight were his lover's arms wrapped around his back.

"Senri...?" he barely recognized his voice: it was so hoarse, as he curled his hand over his shoulder, digging his fingers into the pale skin slightly. "Senri, I c-can't breathe," he slurred slowly and the iron grip around his ribs relaxed instantly, but then he felt his lover's hand wrap around his neck and soon he was pulled back until his eyes meet narrowed, slightly wild ice-blue irises that ran over his face before focusing on his eyes again.

"W-What... are you?" his lover breathed, sounding a tad... shell-shocked. "Why... I can feel you?"

"Huh...?" he frowned, then sighed and lifted his hand slowly against his cheek. "Don't be ridiculous... I'm me."

"Your eyes, Raha," Senri scowled uncharacteristically then wrapped his hand over his. "I thought you lost your lenses, because they were crimson... but then they got sooo bright... and now they're cyan again... And I can feel you, in my head... What the fuck...?"

He blinked rapidly, then pulled back from his chest, flushing furiously at how... soiled they were, then frowned feeling something like a strange if soothing hum in the back of his head. He closed his eyes and focused on it, trying to figure it out... and felt Senri flinch slightly. When he peered at him through his lashes, the brunette's beautiful face was flushed darkly and he had that... funny owlish look written all over it, if his ears were laid flat against his head, twitching delicately. Raha tilted his head curiously and still watching him, focused on that sensation... and blinked again when Senri's pupils dilated, getting that dazed/drugged look again as his lips parted with a loud, insistent purrs. Then felt a hot blush spill across his face as his lover's cock grew very swiftly impossibly hard inside him again, tearing a gasp from his mouth.

Before he had a time to blink again, his world spun and suddenly he was pinned down between the surface of the couch and Senri's hot skin, chuckling involuntarily when his lover buried his face against his throat with a quiet, rumbling growls, wrapping his hands under his thighs and pulling them high against his sides. Taking a hint, Raha wrapped his legs about his waist, moaning deeply when Senri shifted and rutted into him slowly. He wrapped his arms around his neck, drowning his fingers in the thick, ink-black hair and massaging his sensitive ear absentmindedly. Focusing on that... feeling again and kind of... poking at it, almost, he maybe... grinned a little when his lover shuddered and with a downright deafening, vibrating purrs bit him.

He wasn't sure how or what was that sensation, but it was definitely... interesting. And perhaps... useful. He closed his eyes and more than enjoyed it as his lover set to once more set his world ablaze.

Almost forgetting that image...

...until a few hours later, he blinked groggily at the ceiling of his living room, yawning widely and feeling downright toasty in covering him heat. Smiling involuntarily and sighing in bliss, he wrapped his arms around his lover and... froze, going completely stiff as he felt a thick coat of fur under his hands instead of skin.

When a massive version of 'Ink' lifted his triangular head and Senri's pale blue eyes peered at him from a definitely different, feline muzzle very reminiscent of the white-furred version of it from that... dream? Vision? ...from before and he... freaked out, squeeling with delight and grinning widely...

...until the beast on top of him funnily enough return the favor, showing him far, far too many teeth. Fangs. Row after row of them... and he froze, utterly unnerved by the sight... to gasp indignantly when those terrifying jaws parted and a long, rough tongue swiped across his face, and at his expression he was granted an absolutely ridiculous, goofy grin on the huge cat's muzzle. All these fangs were still beyond... scary, but seeing that so 'Senri-like' sight and he couldn't help but snort a laugh. Moments later - he wasn't even sure how, it was so quick - his lover was back to his humanoid form, burying into his arms with a somewhat strange, relieved sigh.

"Sorry," he whispered into the skin on his throat. "It happens ever so often when I'm exhausted. Did I... scare you, Raha?"

"Nah, I'm good," he replied, lazily running his fingers through Senri's ink-black hair, striving to keep calm as his mind raced. "So... that's how you really look like...?"

"Mhmm," his lover breathed, sounding utterly subdued. Raha frowned, staring at the ceiling above his shoulder, finally took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, then sighed and closed his eyes.

"Senri...? Were you... ah, were your ever p-poisoned?" he asked hesitantly.

"Huh?" his lover shifted slightly then lifted above him and when he looked, Senri was frowning at him with a confused expression. "Yeah, once... but why do you ask?"

He sighed deeply, then in a stammered slightly whisper repeated what he saw, watching Senri's expression as it went from confusion to the way some kind of... understanding bloomed on his beautiful face and by the time he finished, the brunette pushed off him and sat up a bit awkwardly, pulling him along and seating him in his lap.

"What does it mean?" he asked, leaning against his chest while his lover wrapped his arms around his shoulders and rested his chin on top of his head.

"I'm not sure... but I have to call Ares and ask him something," Senri replied somewhat carefully, tightening his arms around him.

"O-Okay...?" he hummed, then sighed and turned slightly, curling into his embrace. Closing his eyes and enjoying his lover's heat and that pleasant hum in the back of his head, he didn't yet realized how that was about to change... well, everything.

If you got this far, I guess, you'll figure out what had happened, hm? A few very awkward phone calls later, first with Ares then Hades, and a very hasty visit from both - who until then didn't have occasion to see my eyes - and they pretty much blew my mind with their... ah, theory that actually we - me and Damon - can be a tad more than human.

To say I didn't believe that, Dear Reader, would be quite an understatement, you can imagine, yes? And, perhaps, I do still quite struggle with the idea, even now, after watching the changes slowly but surely affecting my physiology.

And, as petty and probably childish it's going to sound... for once, I'm apparently 'developing' faster than my twin, so... in your face, Damon (yeah, I know you're going to read this - shameless and perverted as you are, brother).

As scary as it is to sometimes think about, I do, impatiently, wait to see if they're right and I will be able to Shift. Because if i do, I'll track down that bastard - somehow, I don't yet know how, but I will - and rip his throat out for that memory and every other 'accident' that I witnessed through Senri's mind. Perhaps that will be a fitting 'dowry' for my new family - and tribute of thanks to my mate's brothers for taking care of him.

And - hopefully - then I'll finally feel like I deserve you, Sen, and make up for all the bullshit me and my insecurities put you through back then.

And believe me, Dear Reader, there was a lot of bullshit... but that, I think, Senri was planning to touch upon in the next chapter, about boundaries. When he does, do - please - have this one in mind and trust me, I'm still cringing about that part.

As for now, that's it from me, and now I'll wait until Senri's back from visiting their lair - and try to handle the upcoming teasing with dignity...

...I hope.