Nessun Dormaย | 01 - f!ver.
he says i am sorry i am not an easy person to want i look at him surprised who said i wanted easy i donโt crave easy i crave goddamn difficult
โฅ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: harem x f!reader.ย |ย male version here.
โฅ ๐๐๐๐๐: cyoa + smut.
โถย indexย |ย prologue.
__
You canโt say no to him.
You don't think you'd ever be able to deny Mira anything, really. Not when he looks at you like a kicked puppyโฆ a tall, imposing kicked puppy with weird horns on his head who could probably cremate you alive without breaking a sweat.
"Of course I would stay with you! Do you even have to ask?" You reach out to touch his face. His skin always feels so cold under your fingers, but the fire in his eyes burns brighter than ever, as if the intensity of his flames depends solely on the intensity of your affection for him.
"I love you, Mira."
Your heart flutters at your own words and for a second you don't even know if you mean that as a friend or as a lover. But, well, you're only sixteen years old. You have a lifetime to figure it out.
You think Mira stops breathing, but it's hard to tell because the rise and fall of his chest is usually pretty much imperceptible anyway.
โIโฆ I love you too.โ
He sounds like heโs about to cry. One of his hands rests against your chest. Itโs an innocent touch. Heโs just feeling your heartbeat under his palm, tiny and steady like that of a little bird, โI will always, always love you. Even if one day you grow to hate me. Even if you forget about me. Even should you fall in love with somebody elseโฆโ
You suddenly feel very tired.
His gentle voice is like a lullaby in this field of roses. His words leave you dazed, like heโs casting a spell on you.
โI love you, (y/n).โ
The last thing you hear is Mira wishing you a happy birthday before you fall into a warm, comfortable sleep without dreams.
___
A sharp pain in your chest jerks you awake.
It fucking hurts, like your heart is being pierced by a shard of glass. Like the fissures of your very existence are being pulled apart at the seams.
You clutch the spot above your heart, almost elbowing Epel in the face with all your trashing, trying to catch your breath.
"(y/n)! What the hell...?" Your friend rolls away from you, finally letting go of the octopus hold he had on you all night. He's all disheveled as he gives you a weak glare, falling back into the makeshift bed you two share with a groan.
It's not even a bed, really. Just a pile of cotton blankets messily thrown under the skylight of an unused barn. This is your little hiding place, and despite you two having perfectly comfortable beds in the main house with Grandma and Grandpa, you prefer to spend your summer nights sleeping in this very loft, where it's cool and open and comfortable.ย
"Sorry! Iโฆ had a nightmareโฆ I think.โย
Your friend is used to it by now, โDo you remember what it was about?โ
"Noโฆ not really."
"Nothing at all?
"No, justโฆ"
"Green eyes." Epel finishes the sentence for you. You've been having the same nightmare for a while, and your friend knows all about it, considering he sleeps right next to you most of the time.
Green eyes. Burning emerald. It's all you remember, alongside a gut wrenching, heart shattering feeling of longing that stays with you long after you've woken up.
"... Hey, you okay?" You must have looked as miserable as you feel, because Epel leans closer to you, peering into your face with worry in his eyes.
"Yeahโฆ it's just a stupid dream." You shrug, leaning your head against his shoulder, "But you know what would make me feel better?"ย
Epel shrugs, but the way his brow crinkles tells you he's already prepared himself for whatever dumb thing you're about to say.
He knows you too well.
"I'd feel sooo much better if I had an additional piece of toast for breakfast todayโฆ" you sigh dreamily and Epel sighs.
"Fine." He shrugs you off and stands up. When he stretches, a peek of white skin flashes under his light blue shirt.
"What, really?" Your eyebrows shoot up. It's not usually this easy to get him to hand over his morning toast.
"Yeah," Epel walks the length of the loft and starts going down the ladder to the ground level of the barn. Before his head completely disappears under the edge of the loft, he throws you an arrogant smirk, "I wouldn't want the deafenin' roars of your stomach wakinโ up every wolf 'n boar in the area."
You're rushing after him immediately.
He canโt claim the bread if heโs dead.
___
You live a simple, happy life here in the Village of Harvest.
Your journey might not have had the best startโyour parents left you on a doorstep in a basket when you were a small baby, but Epel's grandparents took you in and cared for you like you were theirs, and you grew up surrounded by love in a small farming community.
Sure, your days might not be terribly exciting. You don't have things like a mall, or a cinema orโฆ anything built after the seventeenth century, really, but you have Epel and your grandparents and that's enough.
Oh, and you have Beau.
The little lamb trots towards you as soon as you're out of the house, your belly full with toast and Grandma's delicious apple jam, and starts nibbling at your socks immediately.ย
Beau is minuscule. The tiniest lamb you've ever seen, always struggling to follow behind you on unsteady legs like you're his mother. Epel says it's because he feels a kinship with a fellow pipsqueak. You're always quick to point out that Epel is not that much taller than you anyway.
"Good morning, sweetie." You pick up Beau in a swift movement and hold him to your chest with one arm, carrying a wicker basket in the other, "Ready to pick some apples?"
Beau starts nibbling on your hair in response. This little guyโฆ he's always munching.
"Just make sure he doesn't actually eat the apples." Epel starts walking in front of you, throwing Beau an unimpressed look.
You can't be sure but you feel like Beau is glaring back at him.
Sigh. Children.
___
You're always dead tired when you finally reach your bed. Farm life is fun and rewarding, but itโs also incredibly exhausting. That coupled with the fact that you havenโt been getting much sleep lately means that youโre out like a light as soon as your head hits the pillow, barely having the strength to say goodnight to Epel before youโre spiraling into a deep sleep.
โฆ
โฆ
You know you should be surprised to see him, but you never are. You can always feel him creeping around the outer edges of your dreamscape, but it doesnโt bother you. You invite him in every time, even if you forget all about it when you wake up, almost like you know instinctively that he wonโt hurt you. Almost like you know him.
The man in your dreams is gorgeous, the kind of beauty that makes you want to learn sculpting so you can attempt to immortalize it. His skin is paler than marble, free of scars or blemishes. His ebony hair looks silky, a stream of ink that frames his handsome face and falls past his shoulders. He is tall, the tallest person youโve ever seen, and the evil-looking horns on his head make him look ever more imposing.ย
But what you find most striking about him are his eyes. Emerald gems with flames inside them. Itโs the only detail of his that you remember when you wake up, the rest of him a cloud of black smoke when you attempt to picture him outside of your dreams.ย
โGood evening, Deerlet.โ His voice has the texture of silk and when he speaks, it feels like the ground shakes beneath your feet. โDid you miss me as much as I missed you, I wonder?โ He closes in on you with slow, purposeful steps, elegant as a cat even as he leans forward slightly, like he wants to keep you in place by towering over you. His expression is curious and serene. You have a feeling he always looks at you like this.
โWhy are you here?โ You take a few steps back, not because youโre scared of him, but because you're scared of how badly you suddenly want to reach out and touch him. Your bare feet step on something soft, like flowers, and suddenly the dull landscape around you shifts into a view that feels strangely familiar to you. An open meadow and a purple sky above you. An endless sea of black roses around you.
โYour eighteenth birthday is tomorrow.โ He closes the distance again, as attracted to you as you are to him. Youโre like two ends of a magnet, when one pulls back the other follows. โI really felt quite distressed at not receiving an invitation.โ The small, arrogant smile on his face sends a flurry of tingles down your spine.
โIn any case, I wonโt be able to celebrate with you tomorrow.โย
You feel like you already know where this is going.
โSo Iโve brought you your gift today,โ He reaches out to touch your elbows, languidly pulling you closer to him in a half-embrace that makes your heart skip a beat. Thereโs too much empty space between the two of you. His fingers linger over your skin, barely touching you.ย
โDo you want to know what it is?โ He whispers against your ear. One of his hands gently cradles your face. His lips brush against your temple and you shiver, completely paralyzed on the spot, โItโs my love, of course.โ
Not granting you the chance to run away, the man picks you up like you weigh nothing, then gently lowers you over the roses.
"I don'tโฆ I don't even know you." You meekly push at his chest, turning your head away. It's like trying to move a mountain, and the hardness under your hands makes you blush something fierce.
He chuckles above you, but he's not amused. It's a pained, bitter sound, like you just reached inside his ribcage and crushed his heart in your hand. His ebony hair tickles your skin when he leans down to press kisses against your jaw, "Oh, you do know me, beloved. You are the other end of my soul, as I am yours."
His adoring voice, barely a whisper against your skin, leaves you dazed and gasping for air. Your legs open almost instinctively for him, your thighs wet with excitement. A clawed hand makes his way from your shoulder to your side, slowing down when it passes over your breast as if he's indulging in the forbidden fruit. His fingers reach your inner thigh and he runs a slow circle against the wet, trembling flesh, eager to soak in your juices.ย
You watch with half-lidded eyes as he brings his hand to his mouth. A forked tongue peaks between his lips, slowly running over one of his lucid fingers. It brings back a memory of that time you dropped jam on your forearm, and that same forked tongue cheekily swept it away. The vision is so clear it leaves the hint of a name in your dry mouth.
"Miโฆ ra?"ย
His eyes dart to yours and you think they're actually burning. Emerald flickers to life. His snake pupils shrink. He makes a show of slowly running his thumb down his tongue, leaving a trail of milky fluid behind. Your stomach clenches with need, your entire body lighting up like he just poured gasoline on you and burned it with a match.
"Isโฆ is that your name?" You manage to gasp the words out, suppressing a shiver when he hums low in his throat. Every nerve in your body is screaming at you to just give in already. To stop asking questions and wrap your arms around him instead, letting him use your body until he's satisfied. The urge to make him happy is almost primal in you, cauterizing your synapses. The need for him almost tears you apart.
"It's what you call me." It's a habit of his to sound both sad and adoring, you realize. You open your mouth to scold him for being so cryptic, but snap it shut when his hands rest on your chest. He palms the soft flesh gently, a small smirk on his arrogant face, "My precious Deerlet. Always so insatiably curious."
His thumbs slowly circle your hard nipples. Little jolts of electricity run down your spine, your chest growing sensitive under his ministrations. It's agonizingly slow. The sweet way he rubs you through the cloth of your dress makes you quiver with need, your voice coming out in short little gasps that make his eyes darken to a dangerous jade.
You lay your hand on top of his. You can feel his hard veins move under your palm as he gropes you, and the sensation sends another wave of slick down your thighs. Shaking like a frightened animal, you slowly move his hand to the side and slide it under your dress. A gasp leaves you when his fingers touch your bare skin. Mira exhales a long, pained sigh through his nose, then allows his digits to explore the expanse of your flesh. His fingertips tingle and his muscles tighten almost violently as the impulse to fuck you threatens to overtake him.
"Patience, daelin." He teases you, his deep voice a heated, playful murmur. Your pussy clenches in response. A small, frustrated whine leaves your lips.ย
"I'm going to savor every moment of this." He takes his hand away and your heart almost breaks, but the pain is soon replaced by scalding embarrassment when he rips the front of your dress apart, easily, like it's tissue paper.
Nothing could have prepared you for the thunder that rattles the landscape of your psyche when his forked tongue makes contact with your perky nipple. Your hands find his broad shoulders and you hang on for dear life as he licks, nibbles and sucks like youโre the most delicious thing heโs ever tasted. His mouth is devastatingly gentle and you weakly beg for more. Mira smirks and ignores you, dragging out his tender torture for as long as he can, even as you desperately grind your drenched core against him.
"Mira!" You're sobbing at this point. Your body is on fire and your core hurts from clenching without something to hold your walls apart, "Pleaseโ" He moves to your other nipple and you arch for him, making a pretty line with your back. Mira takes this chance to slip a hand under you, keeping your chest raised to his mouth so that your head falls back, away from the dangerous tips of his horns. But he still doesn't touch you where you want him.
Suddenly, another memory comes to mind, as if summoned by your sexual frustration. You remember something that makes him shiver without fail, and suddenly you feel like you've regained some sort of power over this arrogant man. You bring a hand to his horn and tug and the loud, startled moan that leaves him is enough to satisfy the hunger in your stomach, slick pooling under you like dew against the roses.ย
"... You little brat." Mira pulls away, struggling to catch his breath. His eyes are full of mischief as he looks down at you, the smirk ever present on his handsome face, "Is this how you treat your King?"
You try not to look too offended that he stopped touching you, giving him a defiant look that makes his smirk grow wider, "It is when the King is mean to his Queen."
His expression falls and he suddenly looks flustered. It seems like he enjoys hearing that you belong to him quite a bit. Mira quickly composes himself, the fire in his eyes now dim and subtle like a dangerous warning.ย
You yelp when he grabs the back of your knees and pushes your legs against your body in a quick, rough movement, leaving you spread open and helpless under his watchful gaze.
"This is far from me being mean." He growls at you, allowing his instincts to take over for just a second, "So I advise you don't do that again." The stern look on his face makes his presence feel even more oppressing than usual.
It's like he's speaking the words directly into your ears. His voice bounces off the walls in your head, heated and demanding as a spark of his magic runs over your sensitive skin. It's a tingly feeling that makes your heart stutter, more intimate than anything you've ever felt. He shares just a fraction of his arousal with you through the link between your touching powers and suddenly you're crying and convulsing on top of the flowers, the heat between your legs akin to flowing magma.
The world around you loses focus. There's no more questions, no more doubts, you don't need to know anything about him, you just want him to touch you while you moan and gasp and whimper his name. It feels like you're on the verge of shattering and when Mira caresses you with his magic one more time, your stomach squeezes and releases, the dam in your abdomen breaks and blinding white flashes in front of your vision. You're left boneless and dazed and shivering, the shock from climaxing so hard and so abruptly leaving you speechless as you gasp and try to catch your breath.
...Holy shit. You catch his eyes and notice the subtle way heโs panting, sweat coating his forehead as he stares at every twitch of your body with intense rapture. Mira looks almost famished, desperation written all over his face. He looks like heโs in pain.
"I'm trying to be gentle, daelin." He closes his eyes for a moment, trying to keep the pieces of his disintegrating self-control together. Your scent is everywhere. The light spice in the air threatens to render Malleus insane and he has to momentarily block you out to keep himself from turning into his half-draconic form.
No no no, he can't do that to you. Not now. Not during your first time. He wants to cherish and protect you. He won't let his feral instincts get in the way of this precious momentโฆ
"...I know."
Malleus opens his eyes. A small, tired smile greets him. Your face is sweaty and flushed, like that one time he took you deep into the woods.
"I trust you, Mira."
Love washes over him like high tide across a deserted shore, filling every crack on his eroded heart, replacing the pitch-black ink that constantly threatens to swallow him.
You trust him. Of course you do. You love him. You are his and he is yours. Forever, like you promised him.
"... I'll make you feel good." He sounds oddly resolute as he looks at you, his pupils large on a background of gentle flames. He kind of looks like a happy cat and you can't help but giggle. He's still as awkwardly sweet as the scrawny boy in your memories.
"You already did."
He snorts, "I'll make you feel better."
You let out a surprised gasp when he lowers his face right between your legs. You hear him take a deep breath and then he's exhaling right against your wet pussy. Your legs tremble in response and Mira chuckles. You don't need to look at him to know he's smiling that closed-eye smile you like so much.
Your excitement flares back to life as his tongue traces the line of your entrance. The split in his tongue feelsโฆ weird, but it's also strangely erotic, and you can't help but moan shamelessly as he teases your slit. Then he runs his tongue up until it finds your clit and suddenly you can't bear to look at him anymore. Your eyes squeeze shut as little earthquakes shake you from head to toe, your hips going numb as he draws slow semi-circles around the sensitive nub.
"Which one feels better?" He has the nerve to ask you even as you convulse under him.
"The tipโฆ" his tongue flicks your clitoris and your head falls back, slick dripping out of you like a fucking river and coating his face in a lucid sheen of arousal, "Or the base?" He drags his tongue under the hard nub and slooowly licks up and you nearly lose your mind, your hands tangling in his raven hair and gripping his horns for comfort. Mira gasps loudly against you, claws digging into your legs from the shock of the sudden stimulation, but you don't even notice it, lost as you are on the edge of your release.
Your core pulses desperately with the need to cum all over Mira's face. Everything feels wet and hot and stars, his tongue is lapping up everything you have to give him. It's like he's desperate not to let even a single drop go to wasteโฆ
"Mira!" You cry out in a broken voice, trying to grind your core against his eager mouth, "MiraโI'm going toโ"
He suddenly lets go of one of your legs. The boneless limb falls over his shoulder, your soft thigh caressing the side of his soaked face. He doesn't grace you with a warning before one of his fingers plunges into you, finally granting your clenching walls some sort of relief.
Your moans increase in volume. You trash under him as if you want to get away. This is almost too much. It's scary. He adds another finger in and rubs that sensitive bundle of nerves inside you and suddenly the bliss is debilitating. Your back arches as another orgasm crashes over you, scalding hot and earth-shattering and too fucking vivid for this to be just a dream.
You completely miss the dazed expression on Mira's face, the dark jade of his eyes fading into a glassy mint.ย
You're so out of it as you slump back against the roses that you almost don't hear him when he speaks again.
"This scent isโaddictingโ" his chest heaves and he looks almost intoxicated, "I feel like I'm getting drunk on you..." his cheeks and chin are all shiny and sticky but he clearly doesn't mind. Not when he starts wiping the cum off with a hand before bringing it to his mouth, swallowing as much of it as he can. It's strange how he looks like an animal and a prince at the same time. An otherworldly creature of indescribable beauty, even as he eagerly eats your essence off his face.
โ(y/n), I canโt take it anymoreโฆโ He breathes frantically, finally allowing himself some sort of relief as he takes his erection out of his pants. His dick is so hard it fucking hurts. He really wanted to take things slow for your sake, but he only ended up edging himself to the point of almost going into a rut.
He lets his hot member fall against your stomach. Heโs fucking huge, you stare with wide eyes at the point where his length ends across your abdomen.ย
"Itโฆ it won't fitโฆ" You mumble, even as your pussy clenches with traitorous want.
"Not this time, probably not." Mira cradles your little body in his arms, "I'd have to train you for it to fit. Stretch you out until your insides have my imprint." He runs a hand down his face in a quick, agitated movement. Every single cell in his body is fighting against the urge to ravish you. His muscles hurt from tightening so violently and Malleus has to force himself to count to ten to keep from showing his cock inside you at once.ย
โItโsโฆ fine. I wonโt hurt you.โ He promises, searching your face for your approval as he lines himself against your entrance. Heโs been alive for centuries and yet his heart has never beaten so fast. His hawk-like eyes are focused on you and you alone, burning the image of you laying helpless under him inside his corneas.ย
Then you nod up at him, looking so cute as you try to put on a brave face that Malleus almost cums right then and there. The head of his dick slowly pushes inside you. Your head lulls back and Mira's hands shake violently.
It's so big. Your vision goes out of focus as your hole clenches around him greedily. Stars, it's stretching you so well. You're soaking wet and yet he still has to push to enter you because you're so fucking tight. Your legs shake uncontrollably, the feeling of being filled completely wiping out every thought in your head.
He finally touches the deepest place inside you, his large cock still not completely inside, and you both go completely still. The only sounds that break the humid silence are your loud gasps and his feeble ones, mixing together in a cacophony of absolute amazement as you two take in the surreal feeling of finally being connected.
Mira is inside you. You completely forget that this is a dream, that sentence repeating inside your head over and over again.
"...Small." He mutters. You look at him and your heart almost collapses at the tender expression on his face. You think his pupils might have turned into little hearts, rouge dusting his pale cheeks as sweat drips off his hair and chin.
"So small." He makes a show of hovering over you completely and suddenly the sky disappears. There's only him. Above you and around you and inside you. You're face to face with his chest, and as you lean your head back, trying to catch his eyes, you see that he has to tuck his chin against his neck to look back at you.ย
โฆ
...
Fuck. Your heart lodges in your throat and your hole clenches around him, coaxing a surprised moan from both your lips.
"(y/n)..." your name sounds heavenly when he says it like that. On a quiet, vulnerable gasp.
"Iโฆ I'm going to start moving now, okay?"ย
You can't speak, so you give him another frantic nod, squeezing your eyes shut. You're not prepared for how good it feels when he pulls back. His veins scrape against you, the stretching becomes almost unbearable and you're left moaning long and loud in a way that makes Malleus sweat. If you could see him now, you'd notice he looks almost shy, like the first time you kissed his cheek.ย
He's almost out of you when he decides to thrust back in, scattering stars across your stomach with a single, gentle motion. Every nerve ending tingles with pleasure. Sweet nonsense falls from your lips and Malleus has to grit his teeth and dig his clawed fingers into the ground in order to cling to the last remains of his thinning patience. His fangs hurt with the primal urge to mark you.
"My (y/n)โ" He eases into a steady rhythm, pushing what he can of his shaft inside you. Sweat pours down his face, his hair sticks to his chin and his tongue swipes the salt off his lips, "My sweet girlโmy cute little Deerletโ" His hips snap back against your smaller ones in short strokes, his movements growing more and more frenzied as tight, magma hot pleasure builds inside him. The obscene sounds that fill the air turn him on so much he's now full-blown moaning. His beautiful voice calls your name shamelessly, desperately, like you could disappear from under him at any given moment.
"I love youโyou're mineโ" He growls placing a large hand under your ass as he pounds into you, keeping your hips locked to his, โSay that youโre mine."
The order resonates inside your head. You're not even offended that he's using his magic to intimidate you. You can barely cling to your consciousness at this point.
"I amโI'mโyours, Mira!" You don't even know which way is up anymore, but you know that what you're saying is true. You belong to him. Your best friend. The love of your life.
"Malleus." He corrects you through gritted teeth, then he stops moving entirely, ignoring your disappointed cries as he desperately tries to resist the pull your body has on him, "Say I'm yours, Malleus."ย
"I'm yours, Malleus." His real name becomes a moan in your mouth and Malleus finally snaps. There's no more gentle, just a carnal urgency and a need that has waited centuries to be satisfied. He pulls his hips back and then slams into you and fuck, you should be screaming by now but you can't, there's not enough air as you bounce over the flowers and sob, clinging to him like he's your lifeline.
The loud "Fuck!" that leaves his mouth pushes you over the edge, the word so unexpected but so fucking sexy coming from his graceful mouth. You clench down around him, delirious as stars explode behind your vision, and drag him right over the edge with you.ย
Malleus holds you so close to him you feel like you might melt into each other as he releases pulse after shuddering pulse of his essence into you.
He cums so much. You can feel his hot semen fill you up and then spill out like it's a waterfall. He's not letting go of you, his face hidden in your hair as he recovers from the star-shattering pleasure of finally, finally being one with you.
"I love you." He mutters, voice breaking.
...
He's crying. That lone thought destroys something inside you and you start feverishly kissing his jaw, his cheek, his neck, anything you can reach as you try to soothe him.
Don't cry don't cry don't cryโ
You feel him starting to fade in your arms. You can feel yourself starting to fade.
Nononononoโ Maker, pleaseโ
He pulls away from you and you finally see his face.ย
He looks lost. His dark lashes are wet with tears, his mouth is curved in a confused frown and that's when you realize that he loves you so much, but he doesn't know how to process the feeling. He's like a panicked child and you are fading. And heโs always going to remember this moment, but you wonโt.
You scream out his name, his real name.
โฆ
And then you wake up, sobbing all over yourself, unable to remember.ย
Epel tries his best to comfort you, but you don't stop crying for a long time.
___
Life goes on.
You have a part-time job at a beach bar, on the coastline that extends about 60 miles away from the village.
Epel hates that you have to travel so far when you could just help him out at the farm like you usually do, but youโll be attending NRC coming September, and you want to save some pocket money for you and Epel to spend on all the cool city stuff you canโt find in your hole of a town.
Beau likes to walk you to the bus stop. Epel would too, but you wonโt let him waste his time on you when he has his own work to take care of. Your lamb companion stops following you when the dirt road opens to the fields, getting distracted by the dandelions sprinkled at the edges of the village.ย
"See you later, Beau." You chuckle, knowing he will go back to the farm as soon as he gets bored. Beau ignores you and munches away.
The bus stop isn't far, a lone plastic port on a background of sunflowers. As per usual you're the only one here, but the occasional horse and buggy passes by, and the farmers who live in the nearby granges all greet you with cheerful smiles on their faces. They all know where you're headed and wish you a good day at work. You really can't keep anything to yourself in such a small community.
The commute to the beach takes almost an hour. The road zig-zags and then straightens towards the coastline. You're almost tempted to doze off, but finding your way to the beach if you miss your stop is going to be a pain in the ass, so you force yourself to stay awake, keeping your eyes on the picturesque horizon and daydreaming about your mysterious man with the emerald eyes.
You always think about him when youโre riding this bus.
โฆ
You should probably stop being so obsessed with him.
___
The sun is almost in the middle of the sky when you get to the beach bar, and as per usual, it's a crowded mess. This is the infernal hour, and not only because it's hot as sin.
There's people everywhere, craving drinks and food before they go lay down on their beach towels for the rest of the day, their flip-flops leaving sand in every corner of the bar that you'll be sweeping for an eternity. Screaming children run this and that way like they're high on vitamin gummies. Their melting popsicles leave a sticky trail on the ground. They step on it and spread liquid sugar everywhere.
โฆ
Why do you work here again?ย
โฆ
Because the pay is good, and your coworker is cute.
Said coworker perks up when he sees you. His ears give an excited wiggle (Maker, he's adorable) and he shoots you a smirk that shows his little fangs, "Ah, kitten! Always a sight for sore eyes." He hisses a 'kishishishi' that you've learned to recognize as his laughter, his closed eyes looking like little half-moons.
"Now move your bum and go change. I need my slaโcoworker to serve some tables outside.โ
Figures. His lazy ass hates leaving the coolness of the bar to handle the customers sitting outside.
โIs that how you ask for favors, Ruggie?~" You tease him as you step behind the counter and head for the changing rooms in the back.
"I'd smooch ya as a treat but snoggin's not allowed in front of the children." He gives you a cheeky smile. One of the moms around the bar throws him a glare, but he shamelessly ignores it.ย
You shake your head and grin to yourself. At least you have him around to make this job a little more bearable.
___
โI am dying.โ You groan and rest your head on the counter, the coolness of the wood soothing your flushed face, โWhy did I take this job anyway? I don't need the money! I can just live off the land with my lamb companion and eat apple jam for the rest of my days."
Ruggie snorts next to you. He finishes cleaning a beer glass and places it back on the decorative shelf behind you, โSays the one who only works half a shift.โ
You turn your head to look at him, cheek smushed against the counter. Rush hour is finally over, but god, you're in pieces. Waiting tables is not as easy as it sounds, and dealing with entitled moms on vacation is a torture worse than stepping on two Legos at the same time.
The sun is starting to set. The blue sky fades into a gentle orange above the deep indigo of the calm sea. Your shift is almost over, but Ruggie will have to stay here for a while longer.
"I'm not a masochist like you." Your eyes follow him as he wipes, cleans, moves, washes and dries plates and glasses at half the speed it takes you to do it. He's like a super cleaning pro.
"Ye gotta work if you want ta eat." He pops open a can of peach tea, then pours it in a glass filled with ice.
"It's not masochism, it's the law of the Savannah." He places the glass right in front of your face. You lift your head off the counter and wrap your hands around the cold beverage as he shoots you a mischievous look. He waits for you to take a sip before adding: "But it's nice ta know you're so interested in my sexual preferences."
You choke.
He laughs that kishishishi sound.
As you wipe your mouth with your wrist and send him a half-assed glare, a familiar sparkle sizzles the air between you.
You bask in the sudden heat for a second, watching as Ruggie's blue-gray eyes trace a slow path down your body.
This kind of flirting isโฆ not uncommon between the two of you, but it never really leads to anything, if only because you're both stuck manning the bar and you can't really leave the place unattended.
But something you can't help but wonderโฆ would he act on it if you two were alone and away from trying eyes? Would you act on it? Ruggie is very cuteโฆ and witty and funny and reliable...
Regardless of your feelings on the matter, his casual teasing makes you feel like the hottest person on this beach, so you don't discourage it. You take another sip of tea, sighing through your nose at how pleasant the cold beverage feels when it runs down your throat.
...
"Uhโฆ" Ruggie suddenly looks away, his cheek tinged the lightest shade of pink, "You may uhโฆ want to take that shirt off, kitten."
...
What?
You look at him like he's grown another head.
"Excuse me?" You must have sounded more outraged than you feel, because your voice sends Ruggie into an embarrassed panic.
"N-not like that! It's justโฆ! You've been sweating a lot and your shirt's gone transparent! I can see everythin' from hereโ I mean, what if a perverted old man walks in and sees you like that?"
You look down at your white shirt. It wasn't visible while you were wearing your green apron, but you can indeed see the outline of your swimsuit peek out from under the wet fabric, and you figure your wet back looks the same. Oops.
"Ah shit, sorry I didn't notice." You stand up and Ruggie turns his head away at the speed of light.
"No noโฆ s'fine I haveโ a jacket you can wear while you walk home if ya need it."
Your lips quirk in a grateful smile as you head for the changing room, "Thank you! You're the best, Ruggie!"
"Yeah, yeahโฆ" he breathes, quietly rubbing his temples as soon as you're out of the room.
___
Left alone in an empty beach bar, Ruggie barely resists the urge to slam his head against the counter. His shoulders are burning like he's been marked like cattle, and all he wants to do is to walk into the ocean until the waves swallow him completely. Maybe the abhorrent heat that singes his skin would fucking disappear then. And if not, at least the cold water would kill his boner.
This happens every fucking time. Every fucking time. He should be smarter than this, and yet he always falls for the same tricks, and the worst part is that he's tricking himself. Ruggie knows that flirting with you is akin to showing burning coals in his abdomen. He gets so fucking excited his entire body starts tingling with electricity, which is not the ideal state to be when you're at work.
And yet he still does it anyway.
Maybe he really is a masochist.
And maybe he should actually bend you over this counter and finally get rid of the frustration that's been building up inside him for the past two months.
And oh God, you're going to the same school as him in September. You're going to be prancing around in your little uniform, calling him 'senpai' and shit and he's going to have to go through his heat while being tortured like that.
Ruggie pours himself a glass of ice-cold water and downs it in one gulp.
Yeah, he's fucked.ย
___
"Epel! Carry me!~" You cling to your friend, Grandma and Grandpa chuckling at your antics from the sofa and the armchair respectively.
Having finished washing the dishes, Epel wipes his hands on a dishcloth and pushes you away with his elbow, "No thanks. I'm tired too ya know."
This is not the first time you've done this song and dance. With how little you've been sleeping lately, you're always looking for excuses to be carried around by Epel. Your legs feel like jello, you are not walking all the way to the barn tonight. Just changing into your pajamas has been hard enough.
"Yeah, but you slept like a rock all night!" You hug him from behind and rest your lips against his shoulder, giving him an unimpressed look from over his shoulder, "I woke up to you drooling all over my shirt multiple times."
Epel flushes the color of the fruit he's named after and mumbles something unintelligible. He waves goodnight to his grandparents and so do you, then he struggles towards the front door, pretty much having to drag you across the hallway.
"If you're this tired then why don't ya just quit the beach job already?"
The two of you step outside, greeted by the loud crying of the cicadas. There's not a cloud above you, the stars clearly visible in the inky blue of the night.
"I can't do that. Ruggie needs me."
Epel scoffs. It's the exact same sound he made when he saw you come home wearing your coworker's jacket.ย
"Why don't ya go ask yer darlin' Ruggie to carry ya then?" His accent gets more jumbled as his irritation grows. Still, for all his fussing, Epel bends down and waits for you to climb on his shoulders.ย
You do so happily, nuzzling into him like a spoiled cat.
A pair of emerald eyes flashes behind your eyelids, but you shrug it off.
"Sorry but I'm too drunk to go back to the beach to ask him."
"Only you can get drunk after two glasses of apple cider." Epel smirks, ignoring you when you hit his arm and start whining again.
__
You lay down onto Epel's checkered blanket like a starfish.
"Where am I supposed ta sleep? On the ground?" Epel turns the lantern off, then lights the incense to keep away mosquitoes and other bugs and places it on the windowsill.
He turns towards you with his hands on his hips, watching as you lay in your shared nest without a care in the world, and sighs. So spoiled.
"You can sleep on top of me, I don't care."
Epel almost chokes on his saliva.
You laugh at his flustered face. It almost looks like he's angry, eyes wide and an outraged blush on his cheeks.
You open your arms for him, "Come on! It's not like we won't end up in this position in the morning anyway."
Itโs true. Epel often rolls on top of you in his sleep, and nothing you do ever seems to shake him off or wake him up. You figure you can just get right to it, since he apparently loves resting his head on your chest while he snores.
Your friend closes the distance between you with three hesitant steps. "... You're such a moron, seriously." He mumbles, kneeling between your legs and then draping himself over you, careful not to crush you with his weight. He smells like apples, as always. His cotton pajamas and his fluffy hair make him the perfect cuddle buddy. You sigh contently into his hair and wrap your arms tighter around his back.
Itโs quiet for a bit. Epelโs weight is strangely comforting over you. The sound of his steady breaths is a familiar lullaby, and you quickly find yourself floating in that comfy, tingly space between sleep and wake.
โฆ
โDo you do this with Ruggie too?โย
Epel mutters so quietly you almost donโt hear him. He doesnโt say it accusingly justโฆ like heโs sulking.
โ... What?โ Any semblance of sleep disappears from your mind as you catch his dejected tone of voice, โYou mean like hugging?โ Of course not.โ You bring a hand to his hair and start scratching his skull like you know he likes it, and you feel him relax in your arms.
โฆ
โฆ
โHave you ever kissed him?โ
Okay, now youโre definitely wide awake.
You look down at him, trying to catch his expression, โEpel, what are you talking about?โ
He raises his head and pins you down with a demanding, silvery gaze. You sigh and lay your head back down, closing your eyes as you think of the best way to answer him.
โI havenโt kissed him.โ You open your eyes and catch Epelโs expression shift just a little. He tries to keep an impassive front, but you can tell heโs relieved, โBut I havenโt kissed you either.โ You could maybe understand the cuddle comparison, since Epel is your designated snuggle friend, but who you kiss or donโt kiss shouldnโt matter to him.
Right?
โ... Do you want to?โย
Your breath catches in your throat. Everything seems to still around you. Your heartbeat speeds up as you look into Epel's eyes. You know he's pretty manly despite his soft features, but he's never been soโฆ forward before. You two have always been like siblings, so you really didn't think Epel felt that way about you. Maybe he's just joking?
โฆ He's not. His eyes dart to your lips and darken, like there's a thunderstorm inside his gaze. Soft blue turns to rainy gray.
Do you want to?
โฆ
"Yes." You think Epel stops breathing, but you don't have time to think about it because he's suddenly leaning towards you, stopping only when his lips are a few centimetres away from yours.
His labored breaths fan your lips and send a flurry of tingles down your abdomenโฆ
___
โฅ How do you handle this situation with Epel?
โถ Lay back and let Epel take the lead. You deserve this after being teased in your dreams by your mystery man and teased in real life by your hyena coworker. Besides, you kind of want to see what your stubborn Epel is capable of in bed... (sub!deerlet content)
โถ Touch him, claim him, make him beg for the next kiss. With the way heโs always clinging to you, you suspect this is what Epel has always wanted anyway. (dom!deerlet content)
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