6

Beau

Bruised. Swollen. Sore.

His lips had never been under such an onslaught. They felt twice their normal size, like someone had blown them up like pool floats to the point where if any pressure got put on them, they’d burst.

But he didn’t care. He couldn’t stop.

As soon as those lavender lips had taken his virgin mouth he’d been magnetized, clinging to Kassel with his whole being.

His very first kiss.

He was dizzy with it, intoxicated. The overload of skin-to-skin contact was almost painful after so long without a single tender touch. He found his lash line wet from the excess of emotion, not knowing what to do with it. Yet he still sucked and devoured the affection straight from Kassel’s mouth into himself; greedy, greedy, greedy.

It didn’t feel like enough. He only wanted more.

He fumbled, working out what to do with pressure and lips twice the size of his and a hint of tongue that was searing hot against his own. It would only flick out occasionally, the tip pointed sharply and teasing Beau, making him shudder.

He moaned, feeling himself get hard against Kassel’s thigh just from the kiss. He was overheating. He never wanted to cool down. He was melted honey all over Kassel’s hands, something building in him that had never built before.

Time passed. He didn’t know how long. He floated in the nebulous space, wrapped up in strong arms, large hands cupping his hips and pressing him into the counter, a warm mouth feeding affection into him.

He never wanted the moment to end.

Sentences mumbled through kisses hardly broke the heady barrier that had been erected around Beau’s head, his brain swimming in a soup of endorphins.

Didn’t he need to breathe?

Didn’t he need to eat?

Didn’t he need to drink?

Didn’t he need to do anything else besides kiss?

The answer was no.

Beau had decided in that finite, astonishing moment when their lips had connected that there was nothing else in the world but this for him.

Kassel seemed to have other ideas.

“Beau…” Kiss. “Beau…” Kiss. “Two…” Kiss. “Hours…” Kiss. “Have passed…” Kiss. Kiss.

Beau made a noncommittal sound, tightening his stranglehold around Kassel’s neck, fingers tangled in his long hair. It was surprisingly silky. He wondered if his tail was that soft also. It was a pity Kassel was the size of the house, otherwise he’d reach down and find out.

The thought immediately made his blush deeper.

He would never actually dare do it.

The brief hesitation over his rediscovered inhibitions was all Kassel needed to finally break their lip-lock, coming up for air.

Beau felt bereft. Forlorn. Ready to fall on the floor with his hand to his forehead in dramatic fashion until Kassel scooped him back up and whisked him into another make-out session. But he got distracted by the lovely plum color Kassel’s lips suddenly were. Like he was wearing a lipstick five shades darker than when they started.

I did that.

The visceral, visual mark of Beau on Kassel made him hot and tingling all over. About ready to light up like a star and shoot across the sky.

I was here. I exist. I have meaning to someone.

“You seem overwhelmed,” Kassel said, his voice a little lower than his usual growl.

It sent sparks over Beau’s skin, the rough edges catching on every nerve. He didn’t even know whether he was holding himself up or just hanging on for dear life at this point. His brain had become a desire-scrambled mess, his body overstimulated beyond what seemed bearable.

“I’m fine,” he said.

“You’re shaking.”

Was he? He felt like he had a lifetime’s worth of adrenaline and endorphins having a pool party in his bloodstream.

“Maybe we should put a kissing limit in place for now,” Kassel suggested. “For your health.”

“What?” Beau could barely comprehend the words coming out of his mouth.

“You should rest early,” Kassel continued. “We can speak about it tomorrow when you have a clearer mind.”

Everything moved in a daze from there, like they’d set the life player on slow motion. He was picked up and taken to his bedroom, Kassel gently sitting him on the edge of his mattress.

He lingered for a moment, looking deeply into Beau’s eyes like he was searching for something. He adjusted a stray piece of hair that had fallen in front of Beau’s eye before he straightened and left the room, closing the door behind him and leaving Beau reeling in his wake.

He tried desperately to get his mind to unbreak. To force a comprehensive thought. Kassel was right. It was too much touch all at once. He was overloaded. Unable to cope with so much stimulus.

He pressed his trembling fingers to his tender mouth, tasting cookie dough when his tongue darted out. A jolt of heat spread down between his thighs, a thousand dirty thoughts flying through his head.

He moaned, unable to help himself, too wound up, skin too tight. He needed someone to release the valve. He needed relief.

He fell onto his back, hips undulating and finding a frustrating lack of friction as he pictured Kassel on top of him, his heavy weight, his hands still touching him all over, their hands moving together.

He snuck a hand underneath his shirt and laid it over the imprint of Kassel’s hand on his stomach, scratching his skin to recreate claws and whimpering, “Kassel.”

His chest heaved, his cock ached. He felt out of his mind.

He flipped onto his front and bore down, mouth open against the coverlet as he finally met resistance. He thrust, working his hips in tiny circles, shirt riding up and allowing his nipples to scratch against the raised stitching.

Beau whined, phantom hands on his hips, imagined pressure against his ass, a voice whispering into his ear. “ Beau .”

“Oh, Kassel…”

Beau barely managed to get his waistband and underwear down before he came with a muffled scream.

He lay there boneless for a moment, panting and damp as his limbs twitched helplessly, the hunger slowly ebbing and letting him get his head above water.

That was when embarrassment slid back in.

Oh goodness. Had Kassel just heard him moaning his name? It was too mortifying to contemplate.

He sat up, hair a bird’s nest and body a mess. He had scratches on his cum-stained stomach and he didn’t know whether they were from his own hands or Kassel’s. He was covered in sticky cookie dough like he’d just recreated the edible version of Ghost .

He gathered up the sheets with burning cheeks, shoving them into the laundry basket, then being forced to sit on the mattress again before his wobbly legs dropped him to the floor.

He’d never felt so lustful—he blushed—so insatiable. Needing to come so bad just from a few hand undulations and some kisses. Or a lot of kisses. How many kisses were a lot of kisses? If he felt like he needed more then surely it wasn’t a lot.

He felt more worn out than he ever had from an orgasm, his imagination unable to provide him with any accurate gauge of what it would actually feel like. To have someone finally touch him in any kind of desirous way. Kiss him. Want him?

It was hard to know where the summoning started and ended between them, the line blurry. Beau had a quiet hope in his chest, like a seed just sprouting up from the dirt, that Kassel had kissed him because he wanted to. That he had enjoyed it too.

It seemed like he had.

He had said he was happy.

He’d looked at Beau like he mattered.

Life had never been a friend to him. It had never offered a lot of windows of happiness. So he had learned early on to grab whatever he could and stick to it while it lasted. Kassel’s time with him was limited, he knew, but he would make the best out of every single second he had with him. He wanted to make memories that would last him a lifetime.

Which was why, even though he was risking ultimate humiliation, he cleaned up in the bathroom with the intention of seeking Kassel out again.

He didn’t want to spend a minute apart. He’d naively pictured them sleeping in his bed together when the day ended, Beau sneaking a finger or a toe over to ‘Kassel’s side.’

He wanted it still. If Kassel didn’t mind.

Beau picked up his pillow, hugging it tight to his chest as he crept out of his room and down the dark hallway to his living room.

He located Kassel squished onto his tiny sofa under the twinkling lights of the tree, Beau’s knitted blanket draped over half of his wide torso. All of his eyes were closed and he looked relaxed, even in the uncomfortable position he was in. His neck was bent awkwardly on the high armrest, shoulders wedged against the seat cushions so as not to fall off, knees hanging over the end armrest and feet touching the floor.

Maybe he hadn’t heard him then.

It would be a small mercy.

He should probably go back to his own bed if Kassel was already sleeping. But Kassel could wake with a crick in his neck.

Beau tiptoed over, giving himself only a second before he made a decision.

Reaching out, he gripped the base of Kassel’s horn and tugged up, lifting his head off the armrest and trying to stuff the pillow under Kassel’s neck as best as he could. Kassel’s horn felt both hard and shiny under his hand, the texture entirely unique.

“What are you doing?”

Beau jumped and dropped the horn, making Kassel’s head flop down—onto the soft pillow, thankfully.

“Isn’t that better?” Beau asked, hopeful.

Kassel shifted his head around. His eyes shone in the darkness like jewels, reflecting the lights of the tree. Beau wanted to bask in how pretty they were.

“It’s not worse,” Kassel said, and Beau smiled, feeling happiness stream through him like bubbles being blown inside his chest, popping everywhere. “Are you feeling better now?”

“Yes,” he squeaked, too quickly to be normal. “Never better. Completely brand new.”

Kassel’s many eyes continued to regard him, moving up and down his body.

Beau shivered, not wanting him to read the post-orgasm haze on him. “Can I…”

“What?” Kassel asked quietly.

Beau bit his lip before deciding to just screw up all his confidence and go for it. He threw the blanket off Kassel and scrambled up and over the demon until he was wedged in the nonexistent space between him and the back of the sofa.

Which was basically just on top of the left side of Kassel’s chest.

His cheeks burned, but he didn’t move, already feeling contentment radiating through his limbs as he pulled the blanket back over both of them. Which ended up mostly just being the middle where they were touching, because the blanket was too small.

“You have a bed,” Kassel said.

“Yes,” Beau mumbled, tucking his arms in close to his chest and curling his toes up.

“I placed you in it.”

“Mm…” Beau said noncommittally. They weren’t ever going to discuss what had happened when he left him in it. “But you decided to sleep here and I…”

Missed you.

He trailed off, letting the words he didn’t say fill the air between them. Instead, he reached out and tugged on Kassel’s thumb entreatingly. The demon seemed to get the unspoken request, wrapping his arm around Beau’s back.

Beau wiggled in happiness. Kassel was so warm and comfy to be draped over. He snuggled closer, turning his nose into Kassel’s chest and inhaling.

“You smell nice,” he whispered shyly.

Kassel rumbled deep in his chest. “I smell like ash and fire.”

“It’s nice. Like a campfire.”

Kassel remained silent after that, but Beau felt the clawed fingers running up and down his side. He shivered, placing his open palm on Kassel’s pecs. His lavender skin was right next to the corner of his lips, temptation in all its forms.

Beau’s face warmed self-consciously. “I didn’t know kissing was so nice.”

“You didn’t?”

Beau shook his head, buttery leather moving under him. “Never tried it before.”

Kassel gave no indication of whether he had guessed that or not. Beau didn’t know if he wanted to hear the answer anyway. If it was noticeable that he had no experience. That he was awkward. That he was bad at it.

The memory was too precious to taint. He wanted to hold it close to his heart and put it inside an unbreakable glass case.

“I’m glad you were my first kiss,” Beau whispered.

“I am too.”

Joy exploded in him and Beau lifted his head off his chest to look at him. “You are?”

Kassel shrugged and blinked many of his eyes, his face showing a hint of confusion. “I am not really sure why. I just feel like it’s a good thing that I was.”

Beau smiled in the dark and put his head back on Kassel’s skin. It was enough.

“It felt less lonely today,” Beau said, and he felt Kassel’s muscles twitch under his body.

“Yes?”

“Mmm,” he hummed, before rushing to add as a spike of panic crawled up his throat, “Not completely gone yet, though. So don’t think you’re leaving!”

“I wasn’t,” Kassel said.

“Good.” Beau’s relief was palpable, and he told his racing heart to calm down. Kassel wasn’t leaving yet. He was still here. “Because we have a lot to do together.”

“You have a list?”

“Of course I do! Wanna hear it?”

“Go ahead,” Kassel said, those clawed fingers returning to stroke Beau’s side as if on instinct. Like he was a lover.

“We already did shopping and baking.” Beau tapped a finger against Kassel’s chest for each activity. He tried not to linger too much.

“We did.”

“Well, there’s a winter fair not far from here. I want to do that. There’s so many lights and decorations and rides and food. And cakes! And cookies!”

“You seem to like baked goods.”

“Sweets are the best!” he said, thinking back to the little boy who never got to have any. Sometimes because there was nobody to buy them for him, sometimes because there was somebody, but they didn’t want to buy it for him. And then when he had his own money it was because it had to be spent on things more pressing. Like actual food. And shelter.

“Fair. Cookies. Cake,” Kassel listed under his breath.

Beau perked up internally when he realized Kassel was paying such close attention to what he was saying.

“A concert,” Beau rushed out. “I have two tickets to my favorite band who always have a show on Christmas Eve. I… always buy a second, hoping that one year I’ll have someone to give it to.”

It was a pathetic thing to admit.

“This year will be different,” Kassel said. It was more factual than sentimental, but Beau’s heart still lit up like a neon sign. “It’s fortunate we won’t have to steal someone else’s.”

Beau hit his chest lightly in reprimand. “We wouldn’t have. I’ll make it fun though. I think you might like it.”

“As long as you are happy,” Kassel said, and Beau couldn’t take it, burying his head against Kassel’s chest again.

Beau wasn’t sure if he was aware of it or not, but Kassel lowered his head and nuzzled Beau’s hair. He also inhaled slightly deeper, like he was…

“You smell like your baked goods,” he said. Okay, he was aware he was doing it.

“Cinnamon lingers in the air sometimes from the cookies, even if we didn’t get to bake them in the oven,” Beau said, feeling his skin flush from the comment, his mind immediately taking him back to… that.

He would never look at cookies the same way again.

Kassel shook his head, then lowered it again until his nose brushed the back of Beau’s neck.

Beau full-body shivered, already feeling himself react again.

“Not cinnamon,” Kassel said. “Sweeter.”

Beau’s skin broke out in goose bumps from his exhale. He squirmed, gasping when Kassel’s fingers left his hip and climbed up to touch the spot where his breath had hit just moments ago.

“You like it when I touch you,” he said, running his finger up and down Beau’s neck, making the situation worse.

“Yes,” Beau whimpered, knowing there was no denying it. The way he was practically begging at Kassel’s feet and melting for a single stroke of his hand was evidence enough, let alone what had happened after the hand porn. “I like it when you touch me.”

“Why do you like it so much?” Kassel asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Beau wasn’t sure how to answer. It was embarrassing. But also… everything about his requests and actions toward Kassel was, so he guessed he had very little face left to lose.

“Because you’re the first person who ever has.”

Kassel was quiet for a moment as those words settled into the space between them. Beau wanted to hide. To disappear. To…

“Good.”

Beau snapped his head up, his nose brushing Kassel’s because he hadn’t pulled back. He caught his breath, staring into those beautiful eyes so close, heart in his throat. “G-good?”

Kassel’s expression was steely. “You shouldn’t do this with anyone else.”

“I shouldn’t?”

“No.”

“Why?”

There was a banked fire in Kassel’s eyes that made them glow a little brighter and made Beau shiver. “I just don’t like it.”

“I don’t think I would like it either,” Beau admitted.

He couldn’t picture any other hands on him. Any other lips pressed to his. Any other voice in his head. Would anyone be able to make him feel the same way? To elicit such visceral reactions? He doubted it.

“I don’t want anyone else to touch me like this.”

“Good,” Kassel said again, urging his head back down to his chest, like his admission had settled his discomfort completely. Trusting Beau’s words.

Beau soaked in his trust like a sponge, basking in the hope that Kassel cared about him. Just a little. Just enough.

He curled his hand into Kassel’s leather jacket, lulled to sleep by care and comfort.