She had no more fight left in her, and instead allowed him to do as he pleased. She wouldn’t argue or fight it, she was just too fucking tired. It wasn’t even 3 o’clock yet and already Alice was ready to be done with the day.
In the back of her mind, she was thankful for having such a kind and caring partner like Duncan, any other partner would of probably sat her down in the nearest chair and grilled her on things that were none of their business….But not him, he understood just how tired she was, how done she was….It….It was nice. And it was even nicer that he was being careful with her and doing all in his power to not rile her up further.
The hug was a surprise, but she didn’t make any sort of noise and instead returned it, her arms slowly—carefully—wrapping around him in return. Just as soon as it started, she ended it by pulling away and allowing a slow, shaky sigh to leave her lips.
She'd pulled away as fast as the hug had started, but he didn't mind - he wasn't quite sure if it had been the right thing to do, all he'd known was that he wanted to show her that he was here for her, no matter what.
He shoots her a soft smile and lets his arms drop, his raven-topped head nodding knowingly. "Of course. Take as much time as you need, okay? I'll be here if you need anything."
And with that, he leaves the room, quietly closing the door behind him and sauntering over into the open space of the apartment. He checks himself for anything - injuries he doesn't know he has, but there's nothing - there hadn't been any physical fighting but from the violent shaking he'd experienced, he was worried something might've happened.
He lets a soft sigh escape his lips before heading toward the couch, plopping down into the soft cushions and allowing himself to relax finally, the dragon curling up against the fabric before falling into a light sleep.
A gentle light shines in through the open windows of the bedroom, the beams glossing over white satin and golden furniture. It's a warm, comforting atmosphere, and the two sleeping within the confines of their bed begin to stir as the morning rises.
At the start of his affections, Alice begins to stir awake as well, a small, squeaking yawn leaving her lips as she turns to her dragon companion. He manages to leave a light kiss on her lips which causes her to smile softly, gladly returning the affections given by pressing closer and giving him a gentle, loving kiss that leaves her dragon almost breathless. Her ocean blue eyes finally open once she's pulled away, and she smiles wider at the sight of Duncan.
“Good morning,” he muses, fingers dancing over her hip and causing his love to giggle softly, her hands against his chest. “Good morning,” she mumbles back, kissing his hairy chin with a small, 'mwah'.
They say nothing else for a while, just small laughs and kisses and touches and thoughts of last night – Duncan had finally returned from the war, after almost a year apart, with minimal injuries and many scars but Alice was still so happy to see him again, and he was so glad she hadn't given up on him. He hadn't been able to contact her in over a month and he'd been worried she'd presumed him dead. Last night had been a testament, though – the soft happy tears they shared, the countless 'I missed you's and 'I love you's mumbled from their lips as they stumbled into their bedroom, clothing strewn over the room in a desperate attempt to become one with each other, to resonate at such a high degree that the emotion was endless and everything was passionate and full of love.
The dragon mage can still remember every touch, every caress of her small fingertips over his war scars – over his back, his arms, his legs, his face – the way her fingers wrapped around his needy, throbbing cock... Just the thought of it makes him hard again, a soft groan leaving his lips as his head bends down to meet her thin neck. He mumbles incoherent words into her skin, his hips rutting against her thigh that she'd so graciously positioned right between his legs, small purrs and growls sounding from his throat.
He hears her giggle and feels her gentle fingers sift through her hair, her breath against his ear, “I missed you so much,” she mumbles, and he holds her closer and tighter and nods silently. He's lucky they're already naked, he doesn't want to deal with the barrier of clothing again like last night but all he knows is that he wants her so badly it almost hurts. She seems to understand and grabs a hold of his hardened erection, her fingerplay causing him to let out a loud moan and to thrust his hips up into her hand.
She lets go after a few moments and there's the rustling of sheets, kissing being placed all over and small mumbles exchanged, mostly 'yes' and 'please' and 'oh' and 'I love you'. Soon enough he's on top of her, his forehead against her own as he's gently thrusting into her, his ears twitching with the sound of her quiet, subtle moans. He continues his slow pace, savouring the moment as if it was their last together, as if he was going to be forced to leave for war again and miss her terribly all over again.
He starts to caress her face with his lips, planting kisses over her chin, ears, nose, cheeks, mouth, forehead and eyes, tasting her skin with his gentle, hot tongue. She's begging him to move faster, to make her feel the way she did last night, and she claws at his chest and moans needingly, wrapping her legs around his waist in an attempt to get that much closer. He responds with a growl and thrusts harder, deeper, faster, and in between their moans he can hear the gentle squeak of the bed as they move together.
All too soon it's over, small moans turning into shaky orgasms and sweaty bodies, and Duncan collapses over his love, warm kisses tracing her shoulder. Alice smiles, heaving a tired sigh from their activities and running her fingers through his hair once more, pausing for a few seconds to scratch at his horns and ears. She hears a delighted purr, and they both know that this is what pure bliss feels like.
At this point, she wasn’t too sure what she really wanted anymore. She wanted Shadow to come back so she could explain herself. She wanted to throw herself at Duncan and apologize for putting him through all that. Most importantly, she wanted to lock herself in her room and cry— Let out everything and be left alone.
Deep pools of blue stared straight ahead into his chest, and she shook her head as if to assert she didn’t want anything.
….I want to go to bed. I just want to crawl under zhe covers and stay zhere.
“I-I’ll be fine, just……I am surprised. Very surprised.”
"...Let me lead you to your room, okay?" He lets his hands slide down her arms to take her hands with a gentle grip, a soft smile forming over his lips - he's trying his best to be strong, for her - he kept his life, but it's obvious she's lost something more than he could give back to her.
Slowly, he starts to lead her through the apartment, thanking his mind-reading abilities that he was at least able to help her in some way. Eventually, they end up in front of her door, and he opens it for her before again leading her inside. Before he lets her into bed, he pulls her into a gentle hug, being as careful with her as though she was made of glass, and he hopes that this form of comfort won't startle her at all.
He mumbles a quiet, 'I'm sorry', into her hair, closing his eyes and letting out a soft sigh.
It was incredibly silent in the apartment once the King had left, in fact it was so quiet Alice questioned if Duncan could hear her heart hammering away in her thoracic cavity, almost as though it were attempting to burst out through her ribs and sternum.
Her breathing was quiet yet erratic, the breaths coming in little shuddering gasps of hair. She….She was sure Shadow would of killed him, or maybe at least stayed so that she had to explain.
Is zhere somezhing I don’t understand?….I am so….So lost….
The weapon focused on her shoes, the toe area desperately needing cleaned….She herself shuddered, imaging what else would of needed cleaning had Shadow killed her partner.
And then Duncan was speaking to her, and approaching her, and touching her.
She wants to shy away a bit, but her feet are practically glued to the ground. Instead, Alice managed a quick little glance up at him, a soft little "Yes?" leaving her.
He would've asked if she was okay, but the answer to that was quite obvious to him. He wanted to hold her, oh he did... To help her relax, calm her down, to kiss her and make sure she'd be alright, but he couldn't. Hell, he wasn't even sure if he had much of a chance anymore, but what Shadow had told him...
"Take care of her."
The soft quality of his voice was what surprised him - for so long, he thought the Shadows incapable of love, of caring for others, especially humans. Perhaps he was wrong, but what made Alice love him so was what he was curious about.
He didn't think any less of her, of course - this was his partner, her love life wasn't any of his business. But the king of the Shadows... It didn't add up, to him.
So he shifted to her front, gentle palms holding her forearms and his gaze on her filled with something that no one else had ever seen from him. "Do- Do you need anything?"
I know people make promises all the time,
Then they turn right around and break them.
When someone cuts your heart open with a knife, and you're bleeding.
But I could be that guy to heal it over time,
And I won’t stop until you believe it,
Cause baby, you’re worth it.
Her lips parted some when he put his hands on her, and when he was lifting her up, Alice was sure he was going to just tuck her under his shoulder and make a break for it like a football player with the ball. When she was instead placed just a few feet away, the little female searched his expression wildly, attempting to understand what he was doing.
And then he was moving towards her precious partner once again, the action more than enough to make her raise her hands up to cover her eyes. Whatever happens, she can’t bear to watch—
Where is zhe tearing noises? The snarling?…
Her fingers part just enough to give her a small window to what is going on, and all she sees is her former lover whispering something into her meister’s ear—….And then he’s turning and leaving, her blue orbs meeting his own red ones for what she knows will be the last time.
Pale eyelids slide shut, and a weak little sigh manages to leave her lips.
As the Shadow king steps closer to him his fear grows, and he's ready, oh he's ready for the pain to come. This was it, right? The end of his life, his blood line, his fight against the Shadows in the war to come. This was how it all ends, by the king's hand, blood painting the walls of his companion's apartment-
But it never comes. He's still shivering, still cowering like a cornered dog, but there's no pain. No red. No blackness. He opens his eyes to see the king looming over him, his head bowing to his own as he hears a faint whisper into his ear. Then the Shadow leaves as fast as he's come, his footsteps echoing through Duncan's head like a pounding headache.
And then he's gone, just like that, the threatening presence of the king vanishing with him. It takes him a long time to relax down again after almost losing his life, but he's used to the fear by now. He takes in a few deep breaths, slowing his shivering as his eyes fixate on his stunned partner.
"Alice.."
His eyes go from shocked to concerned in the matter of seconds and he stands up to the best of his ability, his knees still weak but strong enough to hold him up. He steps toward his partner, his hand laying gently on her shoulder and his fingers squeezing in a hopefully comforting gesture. There was no time for interrogating her, not now - it wouldn't be right to start asking questions.
His voice is more than enough to make her cringe and even cover her head with his hands, as the little female is expecting him to explode like some sort of super-powered dynamite. He wouldn’t hurt her, or so she thought, but at the moment even she was doubting that now.
“Umbră, please—”
——————————And then those words are leaving his lips———————————-
“NO!”
Her hand pushed herself off the nearby wall, her little form easily sliding between the two males. It was a dangerous move, but it was the first thing to pop into her mind.
He's sobbing, oh god he's sobbing and shaking and all these ugly noises are leaving his lips, he feels so pathetic but he can't help it. He can't win against the king, he can't defend himself, he's too weak. Too fragile. Too powerless against the immortal ruler of his enemy.
So he sits and sobs and waits for the pain to come, but his already distorted view of his attacker becomes unclear when Alice steps in front of him.
"Alice- Alice no- Alice please-" He's begging and pleading and hoping that the giant before them won't attack her oh please don't attack her please--
Smoothly, she fishes her keys out of her pocket and flicks through them to find the correct one. Once it was found, she stuck it into the lock on the door and turned it, the click signaling that the door was now unlocked.
“Please, don’t do anyzhing rash…..I….I am sorry for being angry wizh you earlier…..” Alice pauses, eyes focusing on a rock she decides to nudge away. ”Can you forgive me?”
There's someone here. Duncan's ears twitch with the sound of a key sliding into a lock and opening the door to the apartment, Alice must be home, but something isn't right.
His nostrils twitch with the smell of a Vokun - a Shadow - and his gaze turns cold as he gets up from his seat on the couch to face whatever was there. He spies Alice, but before he can make a move towards her he sees her guest.
It's Vokunvulal. The Shadow King.
He's petrified, like a lost dog trapped in a corner with no way out. He shivers and backs away from the huge man, his eyes widening and his body is shaking so violently it hurts. He tries to stumble out a word or two but he can't, his terrified gaze fixated on the monster before him.
