In Flames - 11. Chapter 11

“Tobias!” Zai hissed at his mate as he followed him down the long corridor, “Jeez! Do you not think we should just leave them alone?”

Tobias shrugged him off, gathering the bundle of clothes more firmly into his arms.

“Toby!”

“What?” Tobias snapped at his lover, “You know I don’t like being called that.”

“You would have hated it if the guys had barged in on us when you first got here.” Zai already knew that he wasn’t going to win this fight. He pushed at Tobias with his mind. I’ll take it out of your hide later…

Tobias flashed him a smile that was part evil and part seductive.

Oh, you know I’ll make you fight for it. The image that Tobias sent along with those words made Zai stop dead in his tracks.

“If you live up to that,” Zai panted momentarily, “Sheesh.”

“I win.” Tobias stopped outside the scorched door and rapped deliberately with his knuckles. “I see it took them no time at all to mark their territory.” There were the noises of sleepy groans and the shuffling of someone coming towards the door. The dark wood door cracked open with a squeal to reveal the pale stripe of Atoki’s bare chest. Tobias arched an eyebrow; the boy was marked all over with bruises, old and new, and the tell-tale star shaped white marks of cigarette burns. “Can we come in?”

“Sure.” Atoki rubbed his knuckles over his eyes and stepped back, allowing Tobias and Zai to come in. Tobias stopped and turned to his mate.

“Babe? You wanna go get the furniture?”

“Fine.” Zai rolled his acid yellow eyes, “I’ll be back.”

“Yeah,” Tobias grinned at the other boy, “He’s usually that snarky. I’ll make it up to him.”

“Tobias, right?” Atoki looked visibly uncomfortable. His last run in with the young man hadn’t gone so well.

“Sorry,” Tobias’s gaze slid to the massive shape of the beast on the bed. The big ash coloured demon was asleep, curled up on the bed, and it was obvious from the dent in the blankets that Atoki had been sleeping between his paws. The beast shuffled, huge black paw pads sticking up the air like a sleeping dog, and his horns scraped a white mark on the wall when he turned his head. The noise made both Atoki and Tobias cover their ears, but Vruuaska slept on regardless, “You and him, hey?”

“Uh huh.”

“Oh, right.” Tobias remembered why he’d come, “Firstly, dinner is in like, an hour, but I wanted to ask you what you wanted to eat. Shindae is prepped to go upstairs and get whatever you two need.”

“Really?”

“Sure. I missed human food when I got down here. But I’m a chef, I coped. What d’you need?”

“Chicken satay?” Atoki thought he sounded stupid, but he hadn’t been allowed a Chinese takeaway in over six months, “And beef with mango?”

“Sure thing.” Tobias smiled, “Here.” He offered the bundle in his arms, “It’s just some of my stuff that I don’t wear anymore, might be a bit big for you. Jahke’s old stuff will be a better fit,” Tobias dragged out of the bundle a pair of slim cut jeans and a fitted blue shirt, “I figured that unlike the other guys you weren’t going to want loin-cloths. This,” he held up a pleated black kilt, “Is for your man there. Not that he’ll need it looking like that.”

“Thanks.” Atoki smiled softly, and placed all the clothes on the edge of the dish shaped bed. He began folding the clothes automatically. Either he was a neat freak or…

“You used to live with a complete bastard didn’t you?”

Atoki was taken aback at Tobias’s bold question.

“Well either that or Vruuaska there is beating you senseless,” Tobias felt around the pair with his mind in the way that Nassau had taught him, “And neither of you feel like the violent type.”

“How…?” Atoki let the sentence hang between them, unfinished.

“I recognise the signs.” He gestured to Atoki’s marked chest. There was also the quick subservience, the way he stood, making himself seem smaller, the sudden bursts of confidence when he remembered not to be scared, “’Course, I mated a sadistic bastard, but he heals me up afterwards.” Tobias pulled up his own shirt briefly, exposing the long striped scars which Zai sometimes left him with.

“Y-y-you…” Atoki gulped, horrified as Zai came back through the door with a short chest of drawers, “H-h-he…”

“Oh shit. No, Atoki, he’d never hurt you. It’s just our thing.” Tobias tried to calm the boy, but when he reached for the newcomer’s shoulder, Atoki screamed. The noise woke Vruuaska and the massive demon pounced across the room, guarding Atoki with his mighty presence, “Shit, Zai! Fuck, I think I broke him.”

Atoki was hiding his face in Vruuaska’s thick fur, obviously crying, totally petrified, the whole of his slim body shaking.

“What did you do?” Vruuaska roared like an avalanche of boulders and lava streaming down a hillside.

“Nothing!” Tobias shot back, “I think he’s scared of Zai. He thinks Zai is similar to… I dunno, some person from his past?”

Vruuaska vibrated with angry energy, but Atoki was peering at them from around the beast’s shoulder.

“He doesn’t abuse you?”

“No.” Tobias sighed, “It’s just our thing. Zai is an empath too.”

“Hey!” Zai frowned at his mate. The fact was not common knowledge, even within the house.

“Oh shut up darling. His empathy is sort of different, pain and pleasure circuits. Atoki, whatever happened to you, that’s not what’s happening here. I was sort of kidding when I said he was a sadistic bastard, making light. I’m sorry.”

“O-OK.” The boy still didn’t look sure, but he’d stopped crying, “Thanks for the clothes.”

“And somewhere to put them,” Zai smiled in his least threatening manner, “C’mon babe, leave them to it. See you both for dinner?”

“Sure.” Atoki managed a small smile, and Tobias returned it and he bowed himself and his lover out, shutting the door behind them.

*

Vruuaska turned to the boy pressed tight to his side and shifted forms as Atoki sagged. He gathered the human in his arms and carried him back to the bed. Atoki’s conversation seemed to have drained him mentally, and he didn’t utter a single word to the big demon, simply lay on the bed and reached out an arm in his direction, welcoming and beckoning. Vruuaska folded himself onto the bed as best he could and Atoki wrapped his arms around the big shoulders. Keeping his horns out of the way was tricky, but eventually he nuzzled the tip of his muzzle into Atoki’s clavicle. The boy moaned softly.

“Nami? Are you alright?”

“Mmm hmm,” Atoki’s fingers moved gently in his thick head fur, “’m fine.”

“You wanna talk about it?”

“Not really,” The boy kissed the top of his head, “Can we just to this instead?”

“Sure.” Vruuaska wrapped his arms around the boy’s waist. He intended to settle, and maybe sleep, but his nose twitched and he nudged at Atoki’s smooth skin with his cold, damp nose.

The scent of the boy, the texture of his skin, everything about him, intrigued the demon. He lapped at Atoki’s collar bone, the hollow of his throat, shifted his grip and then headed south. Atoki moaned low, but his hands in Vruuaska’s fur, scratching and rubbing, let him know that he was doing well. Vruuaska huffed softly when he reached the rose pink circles of Atoki’s nipples. With a curious whine he leant forwards and pressed his damp nose against the bud. Atoki hissed and gasped his stomach muscles jumped in an interesting manner. Vruuaska smiled, huffed again, flame-warm breath after his cold nose, and then licked at the tight nub of flesh with his tongue.

Atoki moaned, deeper this time, his narrow chest vibrating with the noise and Vruuaska found that he loved the sensation. He could smell the boy’s arousal, feel his cock hardening against his own furred chest, and that alone was enough to make him want more. This exploring thing was good, and Vruuaska continued to lick and nuzzle at Atoki’s nipples until the boy was squirming and panting in his arms.

“Vru! Please…”

Vruuaska let out a rumbling sort of purr and looked up at the boy he adored with eyes of fire.

“What should I do?”

“Unngh…” Atoki was barely able to form words, “More. Anything. Oh god Vru…”

Vruuaska sighed contentedly and went back to nuzzling and licking the boy’s chest. His hands kneaded the muscles of his chest softly, and then he wriggled himself further down Atoki’s body. The boy hissed and groaned, but Vruuaska kept him close, his big arms locked about his hips, and he nuzzled the scent of Atoki’s crotch, rich and musky, loving the heat and hardness of the boy’s cock against his face. Atoki’s hands were in his fur, rubbing behind his ears, gripping the thick bases of his horns, and Vruuaska knew what he wanted to do now.

Carefully, mindful of his teeth, of the heat of his mouth, Vruuaska open his muzzle and wrapped his warmth around Atoki’s erection. The fingers fisted in his fur and Atoki’s uncharacteristically deep groan assured him that he was on the right track. He sucked, flattened his tongue along the underside of Atoki’s perfectly formed cock, and teased the slit at the end just as the boy had shown him. Atoki groaned and sighed, the soft noise mixed with urgent gasps, directing him, showing him what he liked, what he wanted. The boy’s grip on him was firm despite his small frame and Vruuaska found himself adoring that strength in his lover. It was arousing to have the boy’s hands wrapped around his horns, showing him the way he wanted to be touched, as Vruuaska focused all his energy on bringing Atoki right up to the brink of pleasure.

“Vru!” The one ragged syllable was low and frantic, “Vru!” Atoki’s grip vanished, every muscle taut, his fingers scraping over the furs and blankets on the bed, clutching at anything, everything, “God! Vru…”

Vruuaska purred, a low rumble in his chest, and played his tongue one last time over the head of Atoki’s cock. Body-warm cum spurted over his tongue, and Vruuaska surprised himself by lapping eagerly at the salty essence. Eventually he let the member slip from his mouth and found Atoki pulling him up by his horns for a rough kiss. Atoki vibrated and squirmed against him. They broke apart, panting.

“Oh good god… That was amazing.” Atoki stroked his muzzle softly, “Thank you.”

The hard nudge at his belly let him know that Atoki was still hard. The demon’s own member ached with desire. Atoki smiled.

“You wanna try something else?”

Vruuaska took a deep breath.

“Yeah.”