Lane Peyton

The Road

Once, a few years ago, Niko squatted at a house where a couple had committed suicide. Apparently, opting out of the cruel, dark world was easier than trying to survive it. To others, their misfortune was the living’s gain. There was a full pantry of food, tons of stored water, but the house smelled of rotting flesh and Niko was left to dispose of their bodies if he wanted to inhabit the place stench free. Unfortunately, the bed was ruined from the liquified insides of the people. Every layer of the mattress was saturated with human slushie. And since then, he made it a point to change sheets wherever he slept, had there been a need. Because sleeping on liquified remains was as disgusting as it sounded. “Yeah, gotta change the sheets. Wouldn’t wanna’ smell like dust and decay, would you?” He glanced over to the little girl and gave her a soft smile, watched her lay in the clean bed and sprawl out, naked and unafraid. Vulnerable, and yet he knew the weapon she was. It was alluring.

Niko stripped from his clothes and folded them up to put off to the side. “Don’t go anywhere, you look too comfortable,” he said, walking off to peak out of the heavily covered windows. Blankets pinned to the corners to keep out all light or signs of life so that anyone walking by wouldn’t be inclined to check them out or impose. When the coast looked entirely clear, Nikolai joined Lane on the bed. His larger body pressed close to hers, bringing her nearer to him for protection and warmth. Fingers on her face, on her skin, combing through her hair. He smiled at her and kissed her tenderly on the corner of her mouth. “I’m lucky to have you. I’m lucky to have met you, Lane. You don’t have to be nervous, or afraid to ask me anything. Okay?”

Despite her having every reason to be afraid, Lane was afraid of very little. It was a strange thing. It was like she was so afraid of everything, that she had come full circle back to not fearing everything. There were a few things she feared, and they all revolved around losing Niko in some way, shape or form. She wrinkled her nose and shook her head at the question, no she did not want to smell like dust and decay, considering she had just gone from smelling disgusting to clean and lovely again. She smiled at him though when he smiled at her, soft and warm and affectionate and she gazed at him, watching him moving around in the space, just watching him be him carefully. She watched for signs when he went to the window to check that there was no one laying in wait outside for them. She obeyed though when he said not to go anywhere, remaining stretched out on the bed and giving a content, entirely comfortable sounding sigh. She made an excited little sound when he came over, stripped off and bare and just waiting for her body to be close to.

He scooped her up and dragged her close to him, skin to skin, warm and close and comfortable and safe. His fingers fell on her face, through her hair, over her skin and her hands raised to brush over his clean shaved jaw and through his clean hair. She gazed up at him and her lashes fluttered when he tenderly kissed the corner of her mouth. She snuggled closer to him, feeling that tightness in her chest and the heaviness in her belly and tingling between her legs and wondered if that was how she would feel every time he cuddled her from now on, or if they would cuddle like normal sometimes. She blushed a little and craned up, gently and carefully offering him her own kiss, hers a full press of her lips to his plush ones that she could get to fully now. She looked at him and entirely curious, started kissing more of his mouth, over his top lip and over his bottom lip, giving some bits a little suck. "I think we're both very lucky and okay," she expressed between kisses and snuggles and curious kisses and sucks and licks over his mouth. She liked the way he tasted, the way he felt against her mouth and on her tongue. She liked exploring him and watching him. She loved that he let her. "Is it okay for me to be doing this?" she asked him again in between licks and sucks and kisses.

Underworld

Josephine had a tender, gentle nature to her that only the lucky, privileged ones would ever see. To the rest of the world, she was a cruel, heartless monster driven by rage and scorn. Perhaps it was true, but to Nikolai, she was a tender creature who longed for understanding, and that’s all he’d ever give her. It was evident in the way she soothed her breakfast before devouring it. The way she calmed him and spoke to him, even when she was on edge with Niko and his gander of giggling girls. The werewolf gave them all a look when she dismissed them, watching them leave in a hurry. He’d speak to them about their inappropriate behavior when around their queen. It would only get their heads lopped off and his job replaced. Maybe. “My mistake, your highness.”

He watched as Josephine ate. He smiled at the way her lips sealed around his throat. It was the initial puncture of the fang into the flesh that turned him on the most. If you watched close enough, you could see the drop of dark blood surface from the vein beneath the skin. It was very artistic and sensual, the whole thing. Nikolai found feeding quite the aphrodisiac. He felt himself thicken out in his pants again, reminding him that the moon’s next phase was near full and the cycle would start all over again. He’d go into rut and some poor soul would be ripped to shreds by his hands, lusting for a mate and for cubs. He pushed the thought away as she drained the boy on the table and addressed her more recent indiscretion.

"Not everyone, my queen. Most everyone fears and respects you. Some even love you." His eyes drifted onto hers for that bit, subconsciously suggesting to her that it were him. But after another moment, he stood and slowly made his way over to her and the dead boy. "But I’ll speak to them about their despicable displays." Niko traced the boy’s bare chest with his finger and cut deep into his skin with his nail. Normally, only a beating heart was what he craved, but the boy was a virgin and he was freshly killed, so his heart was still full of deep, oxygenated blood and it would taste delicious. And he wasn’t one to waste. "I’m sorry they know not how to carry themselves in your presence, your majesty."

Niko dug the boy’s heart out of his chest and bit into it. Thick, dark blood, deep in reds and browns came spilling from the unused muscle and trickled down his arm, staining his white shirt. It spilled onto the floor, splattering on his shoes. The dogs would lap it up, no question. It wasn’t uncommon for them to share a meal. The girl getting the best of it and him taking whatever scraps she left behind for him. Like any human and their pup. The body would be used for stews for the rest of the castle residents and the bones used for toys for the dogs and cats. Everything was used. “Can you forgive me?”

She gazed lazily down the table at him, full and purring under her breath nearly. "Most," she repeated, her tongue running over her teeth. She gazed at him again when he spoke of love and he paused. There was something in the air, something weighing on him that was more than his usual cycle change (that she could smell, could smell it coming a few days out). The moment theirs eyes met seemed to stretch out forever and she felt her undead heart flutter in her chest, setting her mind whirling and running. Her eyes narowed just a little as he suddenly stood and she fell back into her seat where she had been leaving forward. She hummed as he touched over the body, watching his nails sink into the boys skin, opening him up. "No, it'll only further the problem if you speak to them," and she looked up at him, eyes serious as she rubbed at her mouth with her finger tips. "Send them all to the throne room in a few hours, I'll speak with them," If it was disrepect due to her apparent lack of control over everything and his percieved control in place of her, him speaking to them was only going to further that problem. No, she needed to address it and nip it in the bud. And she had an idea.

She watched patiently as he ate. Watching him pull the heart from the boy and bite into the muscle. The smell of blood hit the air, warm and metallic and she shifted in her seat, elbow on the table and chin in her hand, gazing at him as he bit into the organ, her lashes fluttering as the unused blood came rushing from the piece of meat, staining his shirt and hands and sleeves and mouth, watching it drip down his hands and onto his shoes and the floor and his shirt. She hummed a little, watching him eat and she canted her head to the side, smiling at him. "I can't even stay made to you," she purred softly, standing from her seat and stepping closer to him, her hand cupping his cheek even as he ate, her thumb catching some of the blood on his face, sucking it into her mouth. "Of course I forgive you,"

She waited for him to be finished eating, loitering in his space, the idea and the need to do something singing under her veins. She just had to try something, just to see how he would react, to see how she would react, just to see what would happen. When the heart was devoured she took his bloody hand and wrapped herself up under his arm, her slender back pressed to his chest, her pert ass pressed warm and tight into his crotch. And his hand in hers, she unfurled his fingers and licked a line down his palm, wrist to the tip of his middle finger and she made a little sound that usually ate while feeding. And that was the feeling coursing through her veins, but something else as well. A throb deep inside of her, a wanting, a yearning, something about her wanting him, calling to him.

Her back to him almost meant in her mind that he couldn't say no. That he couldn't object. That he would just have to stand there and let her do this and he was going to have to be happy with it. She licked over his palm more cleaning it of the warm, stale blood, turning his hand over to clean that back and swipe her tongue over his wrist, over his pulse and she sucked on the soft skin, shifting and giving another small little sound of want. She licked between his fingers and licked over the meat of his hand, licking up to his thumb and wrapping her lips around it, sucking it into her mouth.

Underworld

It took every fiber of his being not to kiss her or show his absolute love and affection for her when she was this close. When her arms hooked around his neck, when her chest was pressed close and tight to his. He melted inside at her smile. She was his girl. His ‘human’. Niko was pleased to hear that he wasn’t going back out, even though a part of him was always eager to fight in her name. He wanted to rest, and he wanted to spend a few days waking up to her scent lingering in the air, not blood and death. “In a heart beat, I would. But here with you?” Niko smiled and kissed her forehead, letting her go to travel to her vanity table. “I’m home.” Niko approached her and fussed with her hair, straightening out the few tangles that formed in the back of her head from sleeping so restlessly.

"I’ll spend all day by your side. And I’ll speak to Alistaire. I’ll reassure him that our kingdom is safe so long as you are happy, and marrying some slum-lord for appearances only puts your well being in danger." His eyes met hers through the mirror and he gave her a smile, just in case she felt he wasn’t being sincere. Her happiness was all that mattered to him, and so long as he was around, he’d make sure her lips never frowned. It was the biggest reason the people detested his being home. He made sure nonsense was at bear minimum. "Now, let’s go. Come on. Breakfast time, sleepy girl."

In the kitchen, there was a human boy. He had bright green eyes, soft pink lips and curly blonde hair. Everything about him screamed virgin. He was naked and bruised slightly, but keeping him chained to the table was no easy feat for the staff. He struggled and squirmed, screamed and pleaded for his life, but it would be useless. He was food here. “You shouldn’t have been wandering a forest that was so far away from your borders, son. Now you’ve found yourself staring into the shadows.” Nikolai sat in the big chair at the end of the table where normally the king would sit, but, since there was no king, and his queen had her own seat, he took the head of the table and slumped, waiting eagerly to watch her drain the silly human. “You need your strength, girl.”

A few maidens came in to stand by, ready to wipe Josephine’s lips clean of the warm blood when she was finished. They giggled at Niko and he softly smiled their way, waving to the one he had bedded upon his arrival last night. It was then that he realized his error. He was so personal with their queen, he nearly always forgot to show her the proper respect when around others. “I mean, my queen,” he corrected himself, lowering his head towards her. “Your majesty.” The boy began squirming and whining, staring up at her with fear and hatred. He cried for her to let him go, to find it in her to spare him. Money, power, love, he offered it all.

Her skin was warm where he had kissed it, his sentiments of this being his home making her feel warm and happy. Despite her all over generally evil, power hungry reputation and sinister outlook, she did experience things like happiness, joy and pure, warm love and affection. She sat upright and overjoyed as he straightened out her curls and her knots, making sure that they were glossy and smooth. She gave a relieved sigh as he assured her he would speak to Alistair. For whatever reason, he listened to Nikolai more than he listened to her, but that was a common thing. The next time he tried to argue with her, she decided, she would tell him once that she would put his head on a pike. And the next time she would do it. So while others might despise his being home, she loved having her enforcer around.

She beamed at him and got herself dressed quickly, casual and in loose layers of linen and velvet and fur, wrapped and swathed around her. She followed him down to the kitchen and her eyes fell on the breakfast before her. She let out a happy sigh, eyes running over him. Big green eyes, soft, flushed skin, curling golden hair, smelling only of himself hinting his lack of sexual exploits. He screamed and squirmed and begged and she gave a little pout, looking at him. She would make him feel better. She took her seat at the other end of the table, peeling off a layer of fur and velvet as Niko spoke to the boy. The King's chair was smaller and less ornate than her chair. She was the ruler after all, and she always would be.

She stood and let her fingers drag over the table, pausing with a stone face when he called her girl. It was alright when they were in private, it was one of the many affectionate names they traded between themselves. But in public, around the servants no less, no that would never do. She stayed paused and still, cold like ice as he flirted and waved at one of the girls he had no doubt had in his bed the night before. She could smell the similarity. And still she waited and waited until the penny dropped. She gave a small unimpressed noise at his apology and turned on all the waiting, giggling, blushing women. "Out, now," she snapped. They hesitated for whatever reason, glancing at Niko as if for confirmation and she snarled, slamming her hands on the table top, a crack appearing in the heavy wood. "NOW!"

They disappeared in a quick flurry and she slammed the door shut. "I'm sorry my friend," she cooed at the hysterical boy. Her own form of charming magic folded around him, and he visibly relaxed with each breath he took around her. "Shhhh," she purred, running her hand through his curls, watching him relax and breath and lean towards her. "There, see, it's not so bad is it?" and he shook his head dumbly at her, eyes big and dreamy, smile warm and large. "It wouldn't be so bad to help me would it?" she asked softly and he shook his head. "Good boy," she purred softly. A few more moments of soft speaking and gentle petting and she leaned down and sunk her teeth into his throat, petting his chest and over his heart. She wasn't messy when she ate, unless she was starving and when she came back up and his heart had gone cold and dead and there wasn't a single trace of his spark of life left, she raised her head, blood dribbling down her chin. She scooped it up with her fingers, smearing it over her flushed skin, her lips and fingertips now a bright, brilliant fiery red now that she was full. "Everyone already thinks I'm not fit to rule," she said with a sigh, flopping into her chair, her feet kicking up onto the wood, the dead boy between them. "I wish they wouldn't giggle every time you walked any where near them,"

Underworld

He mused as she gave him her words to carry back to the other kingdoms. Some would fall to their knees in fear, foolish ones would stand their ground and watch as their people are slayed. Nikolai would spare no soul in the name of his Queen. She took his wrist and drank from it, more gentle than she was when she was starving, which meant she at least had eaten some while he was gone. It sent trills down to the tip of his dick, every time. The moment her fangs sank into his flesh, he was hard and aching for release. His little secret, of course. Or so he tried to keep it that way. It was hard hiding the monster that hid in Niko’s pants. Maidens he’d bedded around the castle would giggle and blush in his presence, hinting to all those who were near that they’d seen what he was endowed with. Certain his Queen had caught a glimpse of him at least a few times in all their years together, he prayed it was never while she fed from him. With a growl, he protested her ending their exchange and he watched as she stood, his eyes lingered around her taut ass, watched as the muscle protruded from her shear gown, and as much as he wanted to stare and salivate, he looked away, because he was going to be a gentleman if it killed him.

"My Itinerary?" Niko fussed with his pants and his coat as he stood from her bed and headed over to the window to pull back the drapes and let the faint light of the grey, overcast skies spill into the girl’s dreary room. Red and yellow Autumn leaves fell from the nearly dead trees all around them and with soft, gentle breezes, they blew around, scattering themselves about the castle’s walkways and paths, appearing as if they were dramatically weeping as they were forced from the roots of their trees. It only made the room seem even more dreary. "I have nothing planned, my queen. I have only just returned as of late last night. Why?" He turned to her, eyes following the contours of her body. Up her slender legs, over the curve of her rear and along her beautiful face where his silver eyes met her green ones. "Are you sending me back today? I was hoping I’d get at least a few days rest before having to go back into battle." Nikolai bit his tongue after he spoke, realizing it sounded as if he was complaining or being contrite. "Not to go against your honor, my Queen."

Josephine had heard all the rumours about the monster that lived in Niko's pants (she heard all the gossip in her castle after all, which is why it was never a good idea to mutter descent in her walls, there was a complex web of spies and ears that told her everything). She had heard about his prowess and his ability in the bedchamber and often pondered what that was like. What it was like to be on the receiving end of that attention. Even if the rumours basically sung songs of his ability and whispers of all the specific things he did that made it that much better, Josephine had never laid with a man so she not only had no comparison to anything, as well as not actually knowing what half the things they spoke about were. She had seen him during their years together and harden during their feeding's, once or twice, and figured it was a reaction that was natural to the blood being sucked from his body, the thought of the action and herself maybe being attractive to him never crossing her mind.

She made a soft, soothing, hushing noise at his growl as she stopped sucking the life blood from him and she watched as he fussed over his clothes before standing up. She peered out the window as he threw the curtains open, looking at the bleeding trees and their leaves, scattered like discarded playthings all over the ground. The grey skies were the thing she loved the most; pregnant with promise and rains and storms, she preferred them over wretched blue for so many reasons.

She smiled and watched his turn, watched as his eyes dragged up the length of her body and for a second she wandered, was it out of desire or assessment? When their eyes met, she pushed the question to the side and she smiled at him, closing the gap and wrapping her arms around his neck, craning up on her toes to be as close to tall as him as possible. She smiled at him and giggled at his pause before shaking her head. "I know you would go back if I sent you," she said to him fondly, craning up to press a kiss to his cheek before settling back down onto flat feet and wandering back to the window. "No, I'm not sending you back out, Niko, not yet. The world has had it's fair taste of you for the moment, it's my turn to get my own, equal taste," and she turned and wandered towards her dressing table, sitting on the seat before holding out a comb to him.

She didn't have handmaids, not since that day. No, she didn't trust anyone being that close to her while she was asleep, so she either dressed herself, groomed and decorated herself and sometimes she had Niko help her. Just little things, but he was very good at combing out her hair. "I was hoping I could get you to just spend the day by my side, just for old times sake," and she looked into the mirror at him. "I do miss you when you go, and I need you to help against this advisor. He keeps saying things like 'marriage' and I keep saying things like 'undead army of unlimited power' and I don't think we're understanding each other,"

Underworld

"Early? He’s eighteen and was caught stalking your ship. They were going to hang him and send him down the river, but found out he was human and you know how rare they are to come by around here." He kissed her nose after explaining to her that her breakfast wasn’t something that would just keep, not really. "I figured you’d be starving for a human. Did you eat well while I was away or something, prince’—my queen?" Nikolai blushed as he made the error in title, and he turned even more red than he had moments ago in the hall. It was something he’d still have to get used to, even fifty years later. Josephine was no longer his princess-best friend. She was his queen, his ruler, his sergeant. She was his lord and master. And none fell to their knees for her faster, harder or with more devotion than him. Nikolai kissed her forehead as she cuddled in closer to him. His lips quirked into a smile and he wrapped his arms tight around her, fed into her touches, stilled when she sat up and his eyes lingered over the curls that fell to her breasts. "News.." he cleared his throat and sat up with her, fixing his eyes to hers so that she didn’t catch him perving on her.

"The King of Stockerton has fallen ill and he had retreated. There’s a peace treaty signed. He’ll turn over half of his farm land to you if you promise to spare his people and let them live as they always have, meaning, no slavery, and no feeding on them. I didn’t confirm, I just said we’ll look into it. Your call, after all, your highness." Nikolai respected the King of Stockerton. He’s known the son for years and had tea with him from time to time. They were good people, even if they were naive. "And the Queen of Valri, she said you have until the next solstice to pull the undead out and surrender the livestock. Her Gorgon sisters are starving and are greedy. I sent her the heart of her general. I figured it was a passive aggressive touch you’d have permitted. If you wish, with one word, I can have the troops storm them and devour them whole. They’re of no concern to you, my queen, I promise." Nikolai offered his wrist to her soft, plump lips as a bit of a snack if she wasn’t going to go down and eat. "You look pale, Josephine. Please? Either this or come down."

"Oh, a human," her interest was piqued, it wasn't often they get fresh, living human down this way and she beamed at him. "I'll go and eat in a moment," she gave her own little vampire equivalent of a blush when he asked if she had eaten while he was away. While it was true that the good Queen could look after herself, she sometimes forgot to when he wasn't there to remind her that it was in her best interest to look after herself. "I ate," she replied, ignoring his slip in title. Nikolai and Josephine where cut from the same cloth, they were birds of a feather, family, as proven by their morning cuddles currently taking place, curled and wrapped in each other. She waited for him to sit up next to her, watching him and his reaction curiously. She glanced down at herself to make sure she didn't have a rodent clinging to her (that had happened before) and seeing nothing, wondered what it was he was looking at. She pushed it to the side when he told her the news worth hearing and she canted her head to the side with a little sigh, mulling it over. "King Stockerton, hm," she smoothed the covers over her knees. "Tell him that's fair, sign off on the treaty. Remind him that if I hear a whisper of those lands going back into his hands, I will take the whole lot and sit upon his throne and bleed his people dry without hesitation," She was serious about that one. Sometimes to be take seriously, you had to do more than murder the other side, sometimes, you had to be hard but lenient.

She grinned at his touch with the Valri and nodded her head. "Perfectly done," she crooned to him, cupping his face. "I've had enough of that greedy bitch's demands. Send the troops in, destroy them, make sure there's nothing left. You stay here with me for a bit, but make sure her head and the heads of her sisters are piked on their walls for all to see as a warning," she gave a huff and a shake of her head, curls dancing. She looked at the wrist offered to her mouth and she licked her lips, taking his arm in her hands and licking over the spot she was going to bite into. "You're my favourite," she told him, looking up though her lashes as she sucked a mark onto his skin before sinking her teeth into the flesh. Her lashes fluttered and she made a little sound, one more commonly associated with some sort of sexual activity and laid back a little against the pillows, drinking slowly and evenly from him, knowing how much she could take and how much she couldn't. She sighed and mewled softly as she fed, colour returning to her face and her mouth, tinting her skin a soft, blushing rose shade. She pulled away when she was finished, blood staining her lips, licking over his wound and she looked up at him with heavy lids. "Thank you," she hummed, pressing her lips together, smearing what was left around a little before licking them clean. "Much better," and she smiled and tossed aside the bed sheets before standing and stretching, the sheer linen revealing her shape under the cold moon light. "What's on your itinerary today?" she asked over her shoulder.

Underworld

He dreamed of battle that night, his first night home since living in war for months. It was blood and death he smelled the most as he slept alone in his bed. Her old bed. The bed he’d watch over her in when she was a little girl. Niko groaned as he woke and realized the whole miserable ordeal was a dream. A lingering memory of what was. Two feet on the cold floor, he set about dressing and gathering himself together to start the day. Being Queen Josephine Alina Odette Hammersmith’s commanding officer and war general came with the honor of going into battle at any given moment. The last time he was called to war, he had just laid down with a maiden for the night, and just as he was about to release his frustrations into her, his queen called for him to go to war. Three months he was gone, spilling blood of their enemies. And now he was back. Last night was spent with Katara, the bath maiden plucked from Japan’s dream world, and Nori, the fruit picker stolen from a Netherlands’ magic bi-world. Both had left him in the middle of the night, apparently.

The halls and corridors were mostly bare as he stalked along them, on his way to his Queen’s bedchambers. Katara giggled at him as they crossed paths, sending Niko a brilliant shade of red in the face. It wasn’t often he blushed, but when he did, it was noticeable. “Good morning,” he said to the passing staff, his accent very thick and very Russian. Still, he hadn’t lost it, even after all these years of serving for the Hammersmith’s in London’s Underworld. He arrived at her room, paused while the maidens passed by and he slipped quietly into her room. Niko crawled into her bed, laid beside her and began running his finger down the length of her nose. Josephine was beautiful. Her skin was fare, soft and sweet to the taste, the few times he was given the pleasure to lick her hand or face. Niko loved Josephine. He was madly in love with her the day she turned sixteen and wanted to woo her and marry her, but upon a series of unfortunate events, spent their final years apart, fighting for her honor instead. “Good morning, my queen,” he said softly. “I believe breakfast is waiting for you, da?”

Josephine didn't dream any more. Not of anything. Not of things she had done, things that had been or things that might be. Sleep was a black, endless void that sometimes called to her in such a strong voice, she was afraid she wouldn't wake from it again. Nikolai and her armies had returned at some point in the middle of the night when she was resting. Unaware of his presence in the castle, she had slept through and been unable to welcome him home as was custom. Nikolai had been her only friend and companion for years. They were inseparable, and now she found herself sending him further and further and further away, every time with a twang of something, with a leap of her heart or a turn of her stomach, concern filtering through her veins that he might not come back. But, every time he did, and every time she swore she wouldn't send him any further, but every time she did with anger or wrath clouding her vision and giving way to creeping guilt and regret. Sleep, the dark void it was, had come rushing to greet her the night before. As she roused, she felt movement in her bed and out of instinct she had developed as a little girl, stuck her foot out to find out where Nikolai had put his big, furry body this time.

A warm body next to her own (something she would seek out every time it was near her, for the contact of warmth and the potential snack) and she rolled into it, face buried in the broad chest as he stroked over her nose. She hummed and her lashes fluttered open to look up at him, a small smile turning up the corners of her mouth as she gazed at his face. "Good morning, Nikolai," she said thickly, voice still heavy with sleep. "Breakfast already? So early?" and she pouted and grumbled a little, hunkering down and closer to his body, stilling for a moment before breathing in deep and rolling onto her back, stretching up and arching her spine, bones cracking and popping. "Welcome home," she said fondly, turning her head to look at him, looking over his face. "I'm glad to see you made it back," and she smiled and let her hand rest on his cheek before sitting up a little, bed sheets falling down as she rolled her neck and looked around the room out of paranoid habit. She had been ambushed in her room once, after all. She ran her hand through her dark curls and smiled to him. "Any pressing news?" she asked, pulling herself up to a proper sitting position, the pale linen of her night gown just clinging to her shoulders.

The Road

He nodded and took the next bite of food. His teeth scraped against the tin fork and it sent chills down his spine, making his hair stand on end. Goosebumps littered his arms and shoulders where the girl touched him most. Her heat hit him with more force since his senses were altered and heightened. “I’ll keep that in mind, princess. You remember what I told you.” Niko finished up dinner with her feeding him. He kept a hold of her even after, rubbing her back while they sat and spent time together. Niko loved the girl and needed her to know and understand that what had happened over the last few days was not her fault and that it would never happen again. “I liked it too. I liked the trust that you put into me then. I like that you trust me, Lane.”

After dinner, he did the dishes. It was a chore he never before thought he’d miss. He could remember a time when he and his wife fought over who’s turn it was until he gave in and coughed up the money for an automatic dish washer. It rescued him from a lot of nights of sleeping on the sofa from arguing and fighting with his wife. But this time, it was a privilege. The warm water, the soap and suds, the concentration on making sure every bit of the eatery was clean. It was therapeutic, and for that brief time he spent standing at the sink, he could pretend that life was normal, and that the world was the way it was before. He cold imagine Lane growing up in a normal, nurturing environment. After the dishes were done, he headed up to bed. It was late and he had sheets to change so that they could sleep in a real bed for the first time in a very long time. “Come up when you’re ready,” he said to her.

She nodded her head. She would remember. Since that evening she had become a lot more aware of herself and her body, the things it did and why it did them. Some of it seemed to make more sense, and then some of it didn't. But she was figuring it out and Niko seemed happy to help her out along the way. "I trust you with everything," she said to him softly, giving him a sweet, earnest smile. She enjoyed their time sitting, his big hand rubbing her back and making her feel safe and secure and loved. She felt the love radiating from his touch and leaned into his shoulder as they chatted, smiling just a little as she did. After dinner, she watched him clean up, loitering around the sink to see what was going on. To say she was fascinated by the bubbles was an understatement and she probably got more than in the way than usual. She tried to memorise where all the dishes went too and when he was done and headed upstairs, she collected any of their stuff that was down there and followed him up. It was late, and she was tired and so excited to sleep in an actual bed.

She followed him into the room and before he could do anything, she scampered past him and up onto the bed. The frame felt solid, the floor below it more solid still and the mattress was in good condition. So naturally, she did what anyone would do, she jumped. Just for a minute or two, she jumped around the bed, laughing and giggling to herself before she had tired herself out a little and dropped to her butt in the middle, legs stretched out as she dropped back onto the mattress, flushed and breathless and endlessly amused and not even the slightest bit sorry. "That was fun," she sighed happily, rolling her head to look at him, giggling a little bit still. "We gotta change the sheets, huh?" and she rolled off the bed and set about helping him with that. She checked for bugs in the actual pillows and the mattress and there was nothing again, which was sort of unusual. Sheets changed and she wiggled out of her skirt, and climbed into the bed, spread eagle with a sigh on the clean bottom sheet. Clean body, full belly, comfortable bed, man of her dreams. "I'm lucky," she sighed happily, looking at him again with a grin.

The Road

Niko smiled softly to himself as she began feeding him. The way they took care of one another was more than any typical co-dependent relationship. There was love and concern for one another written in their eyes, plain as day and both could pick and absorb what and when they needed. Between them, there was a puddle of affection that was well beyond the typical affection two people shared, even for Nikolai, even compared to his relationship with his late wife, it was nothing like this. Like them. He and Lane were two halves of a whole, two parts of one machine, coexisting and surviving solely because the other was. Without Niko, Lane would die and without Lane, Niko would have no purpose. He leaned in for the bite, opening his thick lips slowly, taking it off the fork as she presented it and he hummed a soft, sincere thank you. But there was something off about her, and he was too afraid to ask. She would come to him when she was ready. She always did. Except for this last time, but, that was understandable. He had made her feel unwanted.

"That thing we did the other night was called ‘Making love’," he said, addressing her as she decided to open up. He was sick of beating around the bush. Of course, it wasn’t conventional love making, but nothing about them was conventional, so he didn’t see much of a point of glossing over that fact. To him, they made love. "But yes, go on." Another bite, and he frowned as she struggled through with the inquiry. "Lane, look at me," he said. "Whenever, at all, unless we’re running for our lives, and even then, sometimes it might be appropriate—" He shut his eyes as he rambled through, regaining composure, picking up his point that he seemed to have lost along the way. "Whenever you want to, whatever you feel like doing, I’m yours. If I’m sleeping and you suddenly want to, or feel curious to try other things, Lane, you go ahead. I’m yous. Okay? And, maybe… maybe the same goes for me?"

#para: the road #the road to nowhere #verse: doomsday

They were a symbiotic relationship. They needed each other to survive for different reasons. Lane would physically die without Nikolai, that much was obvious. But on the off chance that she did manage to survive, she would wilt and fall apart without him. She loved him in a way that she didn't think was possible and she needed him more than she needed air to breath. He was her first, would be her last and was her everything. There was no else for Lane anywhere in the universe other than right here, and this man right here that she was sitting on. He was her knight, her prince and her king and she would have on one else. She liked watching him eat, watching his pretty lips split apart and take the food in. She liked looking at him, and listening to him and feeling him. "Making love," she echoed and turned it over in her head and tasting it on her tongue and it made sense. It had felt like that, the words seemed to fit perfectly and she nodded her head. It had a name. That made sense. She looked at him from her elusive gaze away when he asked her too and she put the fork down on the plate.

"Oh?" and she canted her head to the side and she gave a small sly smile at the instruction. She nodded her head and blushed a little, swinging her feet backwards and forwards and turning the fork over in her hand before smiling at him. "Okay," And she beamed at him. He was hers to play with. She would have to try him out again at some point. She blushed a little harder and nodded her head hard, looking up at him as he posted the reverse question. "The same goes for you," she assured him, scooping up some more food on the fork and presenting it to him. She cleared her throat and looked down before looking back up, giving a little wiggle and feeling heat under her collar. "I like it when you touch me," she said softly, licking her lips and wiggling a little again as the memory came flooding back. "I like it when you touched me down there, and when you kissed me there as well," and she giggled a little, blushing harder. "So, if you want to do anything like, like where you rubbed against me and it felt so good," and she let out a wistful sigh, her head canting to the side a little as her lashes fluttered and her clean hair danced. "You can do that with me, or anything you like with me whenever you like," and she gazed up at him again, blushing fiercely still.

The Road

Good, she finished her plate. Niko sat as she instructed and nearly pouted as she pulled the wine away. She had a point. It wasn’t good for them to drink, but he wanted it and would wait for her to go to sleep before finishing his glass. He watched as she sat up on the table, watched as she lingered near him. He could hardly believe what she was thinking these last few days, how confused and alone she must have felt. Niko acted terribly. His eyes fell from her to his plate, searching over the food that he no longer craved. Not when she was so close and vulnerable. He pulled her into his lap, choosing to ignore the food even still. His hands wrapped tight around her waist as he situated her. He liked this. The closeness. He liked her on him, her heat, her softness, her comfort. “I teach you things so that you’ll survive long after I die. I teach you things not so you’ll be useful, but so that you’ll be self sufficient. Know that difference now.”

He leaned in and gave her a soft, sweet kiss to her pouty little lips. The lips he fell in love with some time ago. His eyes danced over her body, taking her in, in this form. Clean and fresh and new. He drank her in, intoxicated by all that she was. His wife of sorts. The one person on the planet he could be close to, he could share his mind with. And draw him out of the darkness, she did. Nikolai pressed another kiss to her mouth, hands screwing tighter around her hips as he did. “Feed me,” he said, finally, fed up with smelling the food, disinterested in focusing on it in liu of her. “Please?”

She watched him closely for a second and made a sound of pure delight as he pulled her into his lap, his big hands on her waist and she sighed happily, nuzzling her face into his shoulder. She liked sitting on him, being close to him, snuggling into him, being around him, talking to him. He was the light of her life and being apart from him was a terrible thing. But she wasn't now and that was all that mattered. They were a team again, just the two of them and that meant everything was right with the world. She nodded her head at him eagerly. For the moment anyway, it meant she was useful. In the future, she would live without him (apparently, after he died) even though she didn't see much to live for if she was going to be honest without him. She kept that bit to herself and grinned. "I still like it when you teach me things the best," she reiterated just in case he wasn't sure. She craned up to accept the kiss to her mouth and she sighed happily, fuzzy heat prickling under her skin. She blushed as he drank her in and his hands tightened on her hips.

"Okay," and she giggled a little, nodding her head and picking up the plate and setting in on her knees. One forkful later and she held it up to his mouth, waiting for him to eat, watching him with big eyes. She gave a little and opened her mouth, something new obviously taking a hold of her mind and she was obviously trying to figure out how to bring it up. She hummed and ahh'ed as she fed him until she huffed, obviously annoyed at herself and just spat it out. "You know that thing that we did the other night? The fun thing?" she started, still loading food onto the fork form him to eat as she gave an excited little wiggle at the thought. "If, say I wanted to do it again, how do I do that?" and she huffed annoyed again because she was not getting out words like she thought she would. "Do I ask? Can I ask? What do I do?" Because she had liked it very much. She had liked his hands on her and even more scandalous, his mouth and his dick on her, his beard scratching at her thighs and she just wanted to know for future reference if she could initiate or if it was something just for him to want to do.

The Road

He could tell she was losing it as she spoke. Her voice wavered, her eyes puffed up, welled up, sprung a damn leak and all. He suddenly felt like being the marrow of the world; deep, hidden, out of the way and long forgotten. He hurt his little girl’s heart and it was the only thing he intended on avoiding—in doing so anyway. “Lane,” he said softly, looking down at his plate. He no longer wanted to eat. He only wanted to shrivel up and hide away, get her to a safe haven and let her live a somewhat normal life. “Lane, I never meant to. I never meant to make you feel that way—that I didn’t want you, or that you weren’t enough or anything like that.” In fact, she was all he wanted. He felt guilty about it up until now, but she was all he wanted. Nikolai ran his hands over his face, feeling ever ounce of dirt still caked in his beard, on his face, in his hair. He gave it a tug and stared at her, driving in his point even more. She had to hear him, she had to feel him.

"I didn’t—I don’t want her, or anyone else for that matter, Lane. You’re irreplaceable. I love you. I want you. You’re mine, I’m yours, that’s how I want it." Niko dropped to his knees and moved across the floor so that he was kneeling by her side. He was more or less begging. Had he known she felt like this the entire time, he’d have begged sooner. For forgiveness, for mercy, for his life. He took her hands into his and held them tight. "What we did the other night was very special. It was very special. I just—it scared me. For so many reasons, Lane. I know I’m not much of a conversational partner for you, and I’ll work on that, but I was scared I hurt you, or went too far. And it was the first time, in a very, very, very long time—since my wife—and it felt good. So good." He hung his head on that one, dropping it into her lap.

"Last night, Lane, last night didn’t mean anything. I don’t know how to explain it so you’ll understand, or so you’ll believe me. Last night just—I wanted it to be you, Lane. So bad, I wanted it to be you. I thought of you. I tried picturing you." Niko looked up at her on that part and couldn’t contain himself any longer. He leaned forward and crushed his lips onto hers. It was the sweetest moment he’s had for a while. Since their night together. Niko opened his mouth, and like that night they shared, he slid his tongue into hers, tasting her as he kissed her and pulled away reluctantly. "I love you, Lane." Niko stood and pressed one more kiss to her forehead before walking away. "I’m gonna’ go shower, princess. I want you to eat and try to forgive me. Please." One final touch to her shoulder and he was off, upstairs and naked in minutes, showering with hot water and soap. Shampoo and conditioner for the first time in what felt like forever. Niko shaved completely, took a pair of scissors to his hair and did his best to even it up. By the time he was out, he was white again, save for an epic tan. He looked almost presentable. Like the princes in the story books he read to Lane. The people who owned the house however long ago had clothes in his size that he changed into. And soon enough, he was back downstairs, checking up on his charge. "Did you eat?"

She sniffled and looked at him and looked away, her gaze restless and unable to pick a spot to land on. But like every time he spoke, she listened carefully. It was almost out of habit, but she had to know what he was saying to her, what he had to say about the whole thing. She hadn't meant for the flood gates to open, but perhaps it was better this way, all of it out in the air, honest and hanging and then they could clear it all and make it better. Or hopefully they could. She sniffled again and looked at him when he said her name and she listened to him as he spoke, his hand running through and over his hair, tugging his beard. She sniffled again again and listened to him speak. Words like irreplacable settled in her stomach and set the butterfly's off, fluttering around and smacking against her heart. I love you, I want you, you're mine, I'm yours. She gazed at him, knelt at her level, looking at him closely. She grasped his hands tight and she felt better already. It was special. What they had done was special and good and it had felt good and he had liked it. She took one of her hands back when he dropped his head into her lap and she ran her fingers through his hair gently, soothing him a little. Or trying to anyway. She swallowed hard at his confession and looking at him, she believed him entirely.

She put her belief in his words into the clumsy return of his kiss, sighing and rubbing her tongue against his when he kissed her and she chased him when he pulled away, not at all ready for them to part. Her mouth tingled where his was, she could taste him on her tongue and she felt warm all over. Her lashes fluttered as he kissed her forehead and she looked at him. "I love you, Nikolai," she said softly in reply before he stood and went to shower. The urge to go to him, to follow him tugged at her stomach but she sat and did as was asked of her. First, she forgave him. It wasn't a hard thing to do when she knew how he felt, what he was thinking, that was the easy bit. The next bit was to eat, and she knew she should, so she put her butterflies and her hang over upset stomach to the side and set about clearing her plate in careful and well measured bites until the dish was cleared. She listened to him shower and groom and she smiled a little to herself, feeling her heart give a giddy little flutter. Her feet brushed over the wood as she sat and waited for him to come back, listening for his feet on the stairs. It was unusual that a house with two levels was still in tact, but gee she was happy about it. She looked around the kitchen and took it all in, knowing she would never come across another house like this ever, ever again. And it was a shame, because it was nice.

She turned when she heard him appear and the gasp that shot past her lips was totally involuntary. She had always known him with his beard and his long hair. And she had always thought he was handsome then. But gone was the beard and gone was the hair and she could see his face, and he was so handsome. She blushed brightly, looking him over intensely and she nodded her head when he asked if she had eaten, showing him her empty plate. "Yeah, all done," and she grinned before getting off her chair and taking his hand, gazing up at him. "I love you, Niko," she said to him softly. "And you didn't hurt me the other night. I liked it, it was fun," and she blushed a little harder and looked down. "And it felt really good," and she looked up shyly before tugging him towards the table. "You need to have your food," she told him bossily, back to fine form that was her normal. "Make sure you're big and strong," and she made him sit and climbed up onto the table next to his plate and nudged it forward with her fingers. She peered into the glass and her nose wrinkled and she shook her head. "That stuff is evil," she informed him, nudging it out of the way as she gazed at him, legs swinging. "And you talk to me plenty," and her mind jumped back to what he had said. "I like it best when you teach me things," and she beamed at him, nodding her head. "That's my favourite because then I can be useful," and that was the most important thing, to be useful.

The Road

When he was a kid, supper time was something awkward and dreaded. He’d sit around the table with his mother and father, silent because children were meant to be seen, not heard. He’d be asked about school and his studies, and that was about it. His mother and father were cold and distant, even towards each other. Niko could still hear the clattering of cutlery against porcelain. The steady scrape of his mother’s fork against her plate. The swirl of ice cubes floating in chilled water, secured in by fine crystal goblets. The smell of peas still made his stomach turn. Nikolai didn’t want dinner to be the same sense of abandonment for his family, and he didn’t want it to be that way now. He sat there, still and broken, staring at Lane like she held all the answers. In a way, she sort of did.

He served the dinner, giving her a larger portion than perhaps she could be able to eat on a regular basis, but they were both starved and she could use some meat on her bones. But instead of chowing down like he would have done and wanted to do, Niko sat across from her and watched. Patiently. He had questions. He prayed she had answers. Ever since their shared moment the other night in the grasses, she’s been hostile to him. Ever since the gypsy camp, she’s been distant. Nikolai didn’t like it. Not one bit. He sipped his wine and sighed as he played around in the food on his plate—something else his mother would have disapproved of. He took a bite for a show of good faith, but the flavor was foreign to his pallet now that he didn’t have seasoned meals. It was perhaps too intense.

"What’s been up with you?" he finally asked, fed up with her silence and strange behavior toward him. "I mean, you’ve been quiet, you’ve been sulking. You’ve been avoiding me. We woke up this morning and you basically acted like I wasn’t even alive. I didn’t say anything back at the camp because I didn’t want to cause a scene and expose some weakness. But shit, Lane. I thought we were a team. You and me. Me and you. Us against the world." His for dropped now, falling with a crash to his plate as he addressed the proverbial pink elephant in the room. "Did I hurt you? I mean…the other night? When we—did I hurt you then? I didn’t mean to. I wont do it again if it…if you’re…" His eyes spoke the volumes his voice just wouldn’t. He feared he went too far and damaged her in ways he never meant to.

#para: the road #the road to nowhere #verse: doomsday

She stared at her plate of food, salivating at the smell and the sigh of it, let alone the taste. She picked up her fork and went to take a mouthful before she noticed he was poking around in his. She paused and looked down at the food, and then looked at him and thought that maybe this was a test. She peered at her food and poked around it, trying to find something in it. She looked up when he started talking to her, and she blinked. What had been up with her? Nothing, nothing had been up with her. He had just stopped talking to her. Just, stopped. She couldn't ask him questions because he didn't answer. She couldn't talk to him because he would just grunt, if she was lucky. There was nothing up with her, she had just retreated into herself. There was something up with him. She swallowed and looked down at her food and put her fork down and looked at him with big, confused eyes. Her bottom lip trembled and she rubbed her face with her palms, looking down at her knees. "You just stopped talking to me," she hiccuped, big crocodile tears brimming on her lashes.

"Th-the next morning y-you didn't want to t-talk to me any more," and her voice wavered and she decided she wasn't crying, even if she was . "N-no matter what I did, you just didn't l-like me any more," and she hiccuped again and scrubbed her face that little bit harder, shaking her head at him. "A-and I don't know w-why," she swallowed hard again and put her hands in her lap, looking down at them. "You didn't hurt me," and she shook her head and looked up at him. "Well, here you did," and he put her hand over her heart and swallowed hard. "I-. Did I do it wrong?" and she looked up at him, sniffling and wiping her eyes on the back of her hand. "O-or is it b-because I don't look like-?" and she hiccuped. "I thought it was special," and there she was, she was crying and she was angry about it. She was angry about the fact that he had made her cry. She was angry about the fact she had been so stupid. "I thought what-. I thought it special. Something you and me-"

She pushed back from the table a little and stared at him. "You didn't want to talk to me and y-you found someone else," she swallowed hard, hiccuped again and gave an angry little noise. "I thought you were mine. You and me. I thought you were my knight. I thought it was special. I thought we were special. I don't understand why you don't like me any more, I don't know what I did but I'll do anything to change it. Anything to make it better," she was getting a little hysterical now but she couldn't help it, it was all that had been whirling around in her head for days. "I love you," she said softly, sniffling again and looking at her feet still. "I don't want you to replace me," and she shifted in her seat, fingers curling around the bottom. "I just want you to like me again,"

The Bodyguard

There were people who existed in this world that should not ever complain of anything in their whole lives. Lane was one of them. No matter how many responsibilities, no matter how many death threats or pains they had, they should never complain. There were people in this world starving and homeless, dying of infection and disease, people who’d never know half the luxury, even a fraction of it that Lane got to see every single day. Nikolai’s boyhood home was nowhere near the size of this little brat’s bedroom. He was, to say the least, slightly jealous. Niko gazed around the room, struck with awe as he noticed the details and the attention to aesthetics that America just didn’t bother with. Like mouldings and trims. It was beautiful. “Wow,” he whispered before snapping out of his trance and realizing he had a job to do, not show his amazement at the other’s lifestyle.

Niko smiled politely to the little prince and took a second glance around the room that was big enough to home his family that he grew up with when he was a young boy. “Nikolai.” he said simply. “Pleasure’s mine.” His accent was a mix of Russian in the way that he said his name, but held a very New York City drawl. It was lazy but curt and sort of abrasive and rude. Niko didn’t think that leaving the palace so late was a good idea, nor did he think the king would be savvy to it at all, but the prince wanted to go out and all Nikolai had to do was protect him. Right? Right. “Not that I think it’s a good idea at all, your majesty, but something light and quick would be for the better. Burgers? Hot dogs? I’ve never been to Monaco. I don’t know what your cuisine here has to offer.” Nikolai followed the boy out of his room, taking one final glance around. He did have his own right across the hall, but, was Lane expecting him to sleep closer? Was there that large of a threat for his life to where he’d have to hover as such? “And my flight was fine—for being in the air,” he finally replied.

"Nikolai," he echoed, tasting the name on his tongue and giving a smile to himself. Yes, he liked the way it settled on his tongue. He liked the way his accented littered into his ear and slithered down his spine. It was warm and Russian on some of the harder constants and slower, rougher New York drawl on the rest. Yes, he did like this man very, very much. This one was much better than the last one had been. He waved his hand at the objection, waving away his concerns. "We're not going raging, Nikolai," and he purred his name nearly, grinning at him slowly. "It's just something to eat. No matter what they say, those tiny little courses of very expensive food weren't that tasty or filling. A hot dog," he hummed and turned on his heel before nodding his head. "Yes, I think that will work nicely," He turned back around and canted his head. "Not a fan of flying or just not used to it?" he posed before turning back around. A twist this way, a turn that way, and a few sneaky steps later (not very sneaky at all, but it felt sneaky) and they were on the street, in a very normal spot, somehow not even close to the palace and Lane grinned as they filtered onto the street, surrounded by well dressed and obviously rich people. "Welcome to Monaco," he said with a broad grin at his new bodyguard.

He wandered along the street, obvious purpose in his stride as he bought them to their destination. It was meant to be a dive bar, but really it was a trendy, rich persons pop up sort of restaurant that sold local beer and American inspired food with only the finest and freshest ingredients, the sort of shit rich people ate up. He waved him in and chose a place to sit before wandering to the bar and somehow, with a grin and a flutter of his lashes and a toss of his curls, he managed to worm two beers out of the bartender. Coming back to his seat, he pressed on into Nikolai's hand he touched the necks together, grinning at him as he slid into his seat across from him and took a sip. "To a beautiful relationship and congratulations on starting your new job," he toasted and took another sip. "Tell me somethin' about yourself, Nikolai. In fact, tell me lots of things about you," and he gave a smile, because as always the body guard was given a whole dossier on him and he never knew anything about them, and it was time that changed he thought. Too bad if he didn't like being personal or was one of those that had that rule, if they were going to live in each others space nearly 24 hours a day, he wanted to know about the older man.

#para: the bodyguard

The Road

He heard the water turn on and it made him remember a time long ago when he was in his own house with his wife. She was in the shower while he was downstairs drawing up a design plan for their pool they were building in the back yard. The baby wasn’t born yet and Nikolai wasn’t sure they could make ends meet if they didn’t make some kind of budget. He laughed now, when he thought of things like that. How worried about money he used to be. How trivial things mattered so much to the world. What he would give to receive another bill. Just a reminder that the world before did in fact exist and that this nightmare was just temporary purge of all the horrid shit in this world. Niko sat down at the kitchen table and enjoyed listening to the water run. It felt familiar. He’d figure out why she was mad at him later.

At some point, the marine decided to get up and start making dinner. Canned green beans, canned broccoli, canned tuna. That was some of the best food they could get since the wild boar last night, and even then, they didn’t have veggies. Nothing but grass and root. This would taste much better. He put the veggies in two separate pots and emptied a few cans of tuna out into a casserole dish to be heated in the gas oven. The lines too were still working. For how long, well that was a mystery. Niko had to light the pilots by hand, but that was no big deal. Cooking on the stove was a luxury he was excited to have back. There was wine, there was water and there was a few cans of soda he found in one of the cabinets that he was excited to get her to try.

"Dinner-" Niko cleaned off and set the table. Another something he was excited to get her to try. In her lifetime, tables were obsolete. Sitting down and eating meals were silly traditions of the past. He sat at one end and patiently waited for Lane to come down from her shower. Hopefully soon. He tapped his fingers against the surface and counted down the minutes. "Lane," he called out. "Come on, let’s eat."

She could hear him moving around the kitchen. Heard the sound of cupboards opening and closing, heard the sound of pots and pants being moved around and put on the metal stove top. She smelled something delicious and mouth watering coming from the kitchen and while she wanted to go and investigate and eat whatever it was, but looking at him made her heart hurt and her stomach churn and she gave a heavy sigh. She swallowed and tilted her head back, letting the water pat at her face. She felt so much better already and swore off wine for the rest of her life. Sure, the giddy feeling was fun, but the next day was not worth it. She heard him call and she shifted on her feet, her lips quirking to the side and maybe he wouldn't notice if she didn't appear. He hadn't noticed her much so far, so why would that change now?

The second call meant he was serious and she got out of the shower and found nothing to dry herself off with. She wandered the halls,naked and dripping from her hair until she came to a cupboard. Inside there were towels. The top one was stiff and caked in dirt and dust, but the one two towels in was soft and clean still. She tugged it out and wrapped herself in it, wandering back to the kitchen and the dining room. She looked at her back, considered getting dressed but didn't. It was like wearing a tube dress, she thought as she tucked the corner in under her arm. She looked at the table, confused before anything else, looking at the setting and saw Nikolai sitting in front of his and so she moved and sat in front of her own set.

"Smells good," she commented, looking over the setting and picking up the fork. Sure, she knew what it was, but to use it properly in this sort of setting? She had no idea. Normally she would ask, but he hadn't been keen to answer any of her questions for about two days now and she figured the window for asking things had left. She had no more time to learn and he had no more time to teach. Maybe he really was going to go back to the gypsy? Is that why he had been so eager to leave and get somewhere, so she had a place to be? She swallowed hard and looked up at him, looking at him for a second before looking away and putting her fork down, her hands sitting in her lap and she gave a little sigh. Her stomach gave an angry growl and she shifted, blushing a little. "Smells really good,"

The Road

Oh good, she was up. Niko sat, watching her, noticing her mood hadn’t changed from yesterday, and when he went to say something to capture her attention, the old healer woman rubbed the thick, gritty paste even deeper into one of his more profound wounds. Nikolai hissed and cringed at the way it burned and pounded. Nothing had hurt that bad for quite a while. Not since acquiring said wounds. “Fuck!” He spat. She promptly tutted him and shoved more of the fruit in his mouth, silencing him while she continued to work. The Gypsy from the night, the one he bedded had finally come out and wrapped herself up tight in a shawl, protecting herself against the chilly winds. “Oh good, you found your girl,” she said. She leaned in and kissed his temple, smiled at the girl and left to wash up.

Once Niko was finished being poked and prodded, the healer woman left him to attend another camp member who apparently drank too much last night. It gave Niko just enough time and just enough privacy to hobble over and address her. He sat beside her and spun her around to face him. It didn’t matter what mood she was in, or how irritable she was feeling, she had to get over it and work with him. “Good, you’re up. I’m not going to ask you where you went last night, or what you did, but we gotta pack up, now. We’re out of here.” Nikolai grabbed his shirt from his back pocket and slid it on with wincing and grumbling. “Now.” It took a while to find his things and gather everything back up after he found the tent, giving her questioning looks about the various pillows inside of it, but he wasn’t asking..not now. Not yet.

They were asked to stay another night, but Niko insisted they left now to beat the impending cold season. They weren’t set up for it and had somewhere they had to be. An hour into their journey, they came to a house hidden away behind trees and bushes, well off any major road, away from traveled trails. It was almost too good to be true. After they inspected the house, checked it out and made sure it hadn’t been recently lived in, Niko decided they’d call that home, at least for today. “We got food,” he informed her, opening the cabinets. “Lots of it. And I think—” he turned the faucet on to see water come running out. A little rusty and dirty at first, but after a few minutes, it was clear. “—Yep, water. So, what do you think?”

#para: the road #the road to nowhere #verse: doomsday

She looked up at the sound of his swear and saw the old woman putting some sort of paste into his wounds. She couldn't even look after that right either. Lane stupidly stayed looking as the gypsy from the night before appeared and she felt her heart drop and her throat and chest ache as she kissed his temple and she didn't return the smile, just turned back to the canteen and drank a little more. When everyone left, she heard him shuffle and felt the heavy weight sit next to her. She looked up at him and she wanted to yell at him, scream at him as he was accusing her of being untoward. Her all things considered, she thought it was a bit rich. "Couldn't sleep," she said softly in reply to the immediate words and she nodded her head. She might have been angry and heart broken, but he was all she had and she knew that. And she knew better than to argue with him when he said they had to go. Why he was still travelling with her, she didn't know, but she would take it for as long as she could.

She trailed after him to the tent, which did have a few cushions in as bought over by the other girls but their things were generally in the one place. She pulled the tent down, helped him pack up and put on some shoes. She didn't get dressed, she kept her skirt and her shirt on, feeling free and cool under the fine layers without underwear. It was weird that it made her feel better, and she had noticed that if she stood in the light (on one of the other girls) you could see through the cloth into a silhouette. It was pretty, she thought, and she liked it. She said a sad good bye to her new friends and they made sympathetic noises as she teared up. She waved good bye and set off behind him. She was quiet the entire time, her eyes on the ground, her head bowed as they walked. She didn't ask questions, or try to tell stories. She didn't speak even as her head pounded and her stomach turned. There was no point in complaining, he wouldn't listen to her anyway. The only sound that gave away that she was there was the crunch of her boots and the sound of her coins and things jingling as she walked.

It was a surprise to find the house. It was a beautiful, blessing of a surprise. "Wow," she said softly, because to her, this was a mansion. They checked the house and in they went, and it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It hadn't been in in forever by the looks of it, it was out of the way and it was perfect, even if only just for the night. She put her bag down and watched him go through the cupboards, her stomach giving a growl having not eaten the day previous, and only at the start of the day before that. But the important thing was water. Running water. She gasped and rushed over, worming in between Nikolai and the tap, leaning over the sink and cupping it in her hand, gulping down cool mouthfuls. "Perfect," she answered, gasping as she drank before springing away from him. "Excellent," and she gave him a small short smile and wandered away into the house. She hunted down a bathroom, and found of all things, a shower. Curious, she turned the tap and the water leapt from the head and she made a happy noise. Stripping out of her clothes, she stepped under the cold spray, squeaking at the sudden cold flush against her skin, giving a happy sigh at the pattering on her skull and the coolness coating her skin. And for a second, she turned her brain and everything off and just enjoyed the spray.

The Road

Lane walked off with another girl which caused panic to bubble in Niko’s belly. But the big breasted Gypsy that had a goblet to his mouth and a pinch of boar’s meat to his lips assure him that she was fine, that everyone was fine, and not to worry. So, he breathed. He ate. He drank. And when the lips of a beautiful woman presented themselves, he indulged and kissed. Perhaps it was the nostalgia of the stars and moon, or maybe even the stoic crackle of the fire, but everything felt peaceful and calm. Like the world once upon a time. It felt normal. Something Lane and the other children would never know or even fathom. “Eat,” she said to him, pressing another pinch of boar’s meat into his mouth, smiling at the way his thick lips wrapped around her fingers. Her sister pressed a kiss to his chin and he dined like a king of kings.

Niko hadn’t made out since before the destruction. He hadn’t made out since his wife was alive, so the act in and of itself was new and had his head swimming. Honest with himself, he was scared of it, but the alcohol alleviated much of that worry. The gypsy led him to her hut where she slept. “I can’t,” he said, just before entering. He was worried for Lane, worried she’d get into trouble or something terrible might happen to her. His fears were answered with a tender hand placed on his cheek and a soft, sweet smile calming his nerves. “She’ll be fine, love. She’s with the others. We look out for one another here.” And with that, he was yanked into the hut by his shirt and stripped of it immediately, like the whole garment was offensive. Niko didn’t even get to see Lane dressed up like one of them. He missed the dance and the chant around the fire.

The gypsy had his time. He pressed himself close to her, feeling and kissing her bare breasts, holding them in his hands as she moved and gyrated underneath of him. She moaned and whimpered with his ministrations. Her legs hooked tight around his back and his ass jigged against her heels with every slam of his hips against her thighs. Nikolai fucked her deep and hard, unrelenting as he was sure this would be his last time. There were songs being sang around the fire and he hoped they drowned out the woman’s moans. The last thing he needed was that awkward morning spent around a bunch of strangers who’d heard him fuck the night before. Her fingers dug into his back, tearing him up and he came as if it were his cue, filling her up with his spend. Niko rolled over, determined to get up and find Lane to sleep as they normally had. His tent pitched with her and him inside, but he was coaxed to stay put and sleep with the stranger. “We don’t get a lot of men around here.”

The moment the sun filled the sky, Niko was up and dressing himself, even as the gypsy pleaded with him to stay in bed with her, he dressed. “I can’t. Me and Lane have somewhere we gotta be.” He kept his shirt off for now, inspecting the little marks on him and noting the infection present in his knife wounds. “Go see the healer.” She rolled over, unimpressed with his reluctance to stay. Niko was greeted by white-ashy smoke that filled the air from the night’s fire being restarted. “Lane?” He nodded to a few of the other guys, eyeing them up in case one of them touched his princess, in which case, they’d be castrated and killed on contact. “Lane?” He spun and was shushed by an old woman with grey hair and a medicinal paste in her hands. “She’s sleeping. Don’t wake everyone. She’ll be out for breakfast. You sit, eat this.” She handed him a fruit medley and began rubbing the paste on his wounds and bandaging him up. And all Nikolai could think about then was Lane. And where she was, and what she’d gotten up to that night.

#para: the road #the road to nowhere #verse: doomsday

At some point in the night, Lane realised she hadn't seen Nikolai for a few hours and she broke away from her kissing games and the giggling, swaying on her feet and dizzy. She felt panic raise in her throat and tears brew on her lashes as she wandered along, tripping every now and then on her stupid long skirt. She went to tuck into her panties, found she had none and realised that she had never put them back on. That was surely a problem. It hadn't been. It didn't matter. She stumbled through the camp, looking at people and before she could say anything, she was being pointed in a direction and she realised that they knew who she was looking for, they were the two new guys after all. She staggered along, looking for him, his name whimpering from her lips and she went the final person pointed. She paused almost but not quite right in the door way to the hut and there he was.

She froze as she looked them over. Both of them nude and raw and it was similar but different what he was doing with this woman. And god she was a woman. She was curvaceous and her breasts were big and heavy. She could hear the slap of his skin against hers and she could see him vanish into her. Something he didn't do with her. Was that it? Had she done it wrong the night before and that's why he didn't want to talk? Or was it because she didn't look like the other woman? She was up and down, and not anything like her. Was that it? She shook herself and felt her stomach turn over and her heart ache and she scampered away from the hut and away from the camp, taking their stuff with them. She didn't like the gypsies any more. She didn't like the camp and she didn't want to be here any more. She was half way through trying to set up the tent when the other girls found her and helped her set up and suddenly there were 12 or so girls in their tent, sleeping with her and petting her hair as she cried to them. She was sure she made no sense, but they were sympathetic anyway and she fell asleep wrapped in a throng of bodies.

When the sun came up and Lane for a second thought that she might actually be dying. She groaned and rolled over and found herself alone. Alone. She panicked for a second before the night before came flooding back in shocking and nauseating detail and she swallowed down the bile in her throat. What was the point in getting up? There wasn't one. He wasn't looking for her, that much as obvious, so why should she go looking for him? She felt her stomach roil and she groaned, hauling herself out of the tent to throw up the contents of her stomach. The tent was in easy sight of the fire and she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand and wandered back towards the camp, feeling a little bit better already. Her head still pounded though and her mouth tasted terrible as she found a spot and sat in a sulk on the nearest log. She glanced at Nikolai and felt her face go red with embarrassment and anger and a general sense of being upset and not wanted or needed. She took the water canteen that was offered to her and took a small sip, looking down at her feet. Now what was she going to do? She didn't want to be here. Maybe she would just leave and he would keep living here with the gypsy and that was how it was going to be. She sniffled a little again and took another sip of the water.

The Road

He kept it there, right over her little spot and used her slick and his precum as lubricant to continuously fuck between her folds. Her soft moans and his filled the immediate space around them, making his want for her far more intense, amplifying his growing need and desire to fuck her open and leave her breathless and listless. His head touched her clit and he pushed through her folds again, bubbling out a whole new mess of precum. Another crush of their mouths together as he pushed through, his hands wrapped secure around her thighs, lifting her legs up so that she could feel all of him. One more buck of his hips and he came, hard and heavy, moaning into her mouth as he released on her pussy, spilling his hot cum on her in an undignified manner without so much as a grunt for an apology. That night, Niko slept as sound as the dead. He woke the next morning with ache in his heart but freedom in his loins.

All day, he walked in silence, unwilling to speak about what they did. Her questions went unanswered, her stories all but unheard. He even took to carrying the things again, all stacked up on his back, no matter how painful for him. He did a lot of sighing, a lot of grunting, a lot of swearing as he lost breath. But by noon they had made it through the plains and reached the desert. They needed to stop heading west and focus on south now, but this was as good of a place to be as any. Cooler at night, but still warm enough in the day. By nightfall, Niko was exhausted. So exhausted, in fact, he didn’t hear the voices of others approach, or the sound of music or the smell of fire and cooking meat. And by the time he was aware, it was too late, they’d been spotted. Perhaps if he wasn’t in his mood, or if he had just communicated with Lane about the previous night, this could have been avoided. His heart sank in his chest as the other people approached and greeted them.

Gypsies. Three women lured them into the camp, immediately fed them and started asking questions. Who were they, what was there purpose? How far along are they to their destination, what was their quest? Had they met others? Were they dangerous? One gypsy, a young girl, not too much older than Lane, started playing with her hair, combing her fingers through. Two of the older women began feeling Nikolai’s arms, squeezing his muscles and giggling. There weren’t many men, not by what the marine could see, but they were a village and they were maintaining. The best news was, they weren’t eating another person. It was wild boar. In fact, the gypsies never resorted to cannibalism whatsoever. “Could we sleep here? Just for the night?” he asked one as she filled his cup with more wine and offered a glass to Lane with a smile. “We insist. Not often we see travelers.” The girl about Lane’s age had a glass of wine and offered a ‘cheers’ to her. “It’s a little bitter at first,” she warned, “but then it’s sweet.”