7. 7

7

Kassel

Kassel,

Oren said I should check in as your boss. So…hi…

How are you?

Is all going well?

I heard you’re kissing humans now too.

This is awkward. Who even writes letters anymore?

Don’t cause an apocalypse while I’m not there.

Love, Luc

PS Oren made me write love. Don’t read into it.

PPS Is your summons going to be finished soon? You’re the only person in Hell who seems to do their job on time and your fan club has been causing a ruckus ever since they found out you left. The twins leaked the news. I’m going to put them on hatchling duty again.

PPPS Bring me back some of that cake I like. You know the one.

K assel let the letter burn up with a press of his lips, not wanting to be reminded about his time limit. It made him want to cause an apocalypse. He didn’t know why.

He turned back to the mirror he had been in front of when the letter arrived, staring at his unfamiliar reflection.

Apparently the ‘most attractive human male’ changed every single year, and according to the photos in the magazines at the store and the Mr. USA ones he’d treated to a healthy dose of hellfire, the criteria were extensive and strange.

If he were to try to find and apply an average feature of every year’s winner, he’d get nowhere, so he’d opted for the most recent one, figuring that would be wisest. He didn’t want to copy it exactly, so he just went with adopting the correct features.

A dark head of short, tousled hair peppered with some gray, piercing blue eyes with some lines next to them, full lips, and a nice smile. He shrank his body into something taller than Beau but much, much shorter than his own height, gave himself muscles (which could be oiled if necessary and still look better than the original), and dressed it in a soft-looking dark blue sweater and some denim pants.

Deeming himself ready, he turned around and went in search of his lonely little human, only pausing momentarily as his inner monologue registered.

His?

Beau was his summoner. He had more claim than most on Beau, at least for the time being. His sore mouth certainly bore testament to that fact. And their discussion last night had practically been Beau agreeing, settling the sudden, weird feeling that had risen within him.

So it was perfectly reasonable to declare Beau his and offer to shove the faces of anyone who said otherwise into the eternally burning fires of Hell.

Satisfied, he continued walking.

“Will this be okay?” Kassel asked as he entered the living room and stood in front of Beau, who was already dressed up for their outing but was attempting to put even more clothes on.

His hair was freshly washed and curling around his ears and cheeks, streaks of ink against a pale canvas. He had on a blue sweater with stars knitted into the fabric that brought out the vibrance of his eyes. The cuffs had worn holes with stray strings that Beau had stuck his thumbs through and was fiddling with. His black jeans and boots were nothing of note, plain and ordinary, yet Kassel found himself appreciating them anyway.

Which was ridiculous. When had he ever cared about clothing?

Beau’s eyes widened as they ran up and down Kassel’s body in turn, his mouth going slack. “Um…”

That didn’t really tell Kassel much.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, glancing down at himself. “Is this not properly human looking?”

“No, no!” Beau shook his head. Kassel caught the hint of a frown as he resumed his previous task of layering on as many clothes as he could find on the hook by the front door. “You look… very human.”

Kassel was unsure why that seemed to be a problem. Wasn’t that the point? Maybe Beau was upset about something else. They needed to get to the winter fair quickly so Beau could be happy again.

He conjured some thicker clothes and layers as well to match Beau’s dress code. He figured Beau knew what he was doing.

“You need a hat,” Beau said once he noticed. “And a scarf and some gloves.”

Kassel was about to conjure the items into reality when he felt something attacking his head. It was fuzzy, bright purple, and smelled like cinnamon sugar. It was also covering where one of his eyes would be in his true form, making it highly uncomfortable.

“I could have done it,” Kassel said, but Beau shook his head.

“I made this,” he said, and Kassel realized his pale cheeks had turned pink.

Beau reached out again and adjusted the hat, able to reach over his head with little problem with Kassel in this form. He shifted it back from where Kassel’s eye would have been in the middle of his forehead, as if he knew instinctively that it would bother him. He fussed with it for a moment more, adjusting the fuzzy ball on top before he stepped back.

“There,” Beau said. “That looks good.”

“Thank you.”

Beau smiled that shy smile again, but kept looking at him expectantly.

Kassel cast about for what it could be, cursing this form for its blocking of his natural vision. It was like having sheer gauze held in front of his face and he was still getting used to it.

“Am I supposed to do something now?” he asked.

Beau scuffed the toe of his boot on the floor. “Sometimes, when people really like a gift, they give one in return…”

Kassel patted his empty human pockets. “I don’t have anything.”

“You do.”

“I do?”

Beau nodded, puckering his lips slightly.

Kassel frowned. “You already exceeded the kiss limit we put in place, and it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours.”

“It doesn't count if it’s a gift.” Beau’s voice bordered a whine.

The deception was pathetic at best. Beau was too good to con or cheat. He was also too good to ignore the rules put in place and take a kiss for himself.

Finding himself wanting to smile in this human form, the muscles reacting differently to his thoughts, he bent down to place a kiss to Beau’s mouth… only the distance was different now and his depth perception was all off.

They ended up knocking noses and heads.

“Ow!” Beau complained, cupping his face.

Kassel jumped into action, checking him over with his stupid, clumsy hands. He cupped Beau’s ear with one while he removed Beau’s hand with the other. His red nose didn’t seem to be horribly mangled. He was pouting again though, which was worse.

“We need to get to the fair now,” Kassel declared.

“Wha—”

Beau barely had a chance to grab the rest of his outer attire before Kassel was yanking him from the house and down the darkening street.

“Kassel! Why are we running?” Beau panted, trying to keep up.

“We must hurry to make you happy again.”

“But the fair is that way!”

Kassel skidded to a stop, nearly tripping over his own small, ugly feet. Ugh . Beau fell against his back, taking some gulping breaths that steamed out into the evening air in front of him.

“Maybe we can hold hands and walk instead of run? That would make me happy,” Beau suggested sweetly.

Kassel looked down at his own hand, watching as Beau slid his palm against his and linked their fingers. It was innocent this time, without the added implication of sex.

Beau made a triumphant noise, cuddling into his arm and side. “Just like this.”

Kassel looked at Beau’s squished cheek and radiant smile and settled.

Crisis averted.

They walked slowly down the street together, their destination for the evening just a short walk away from Beau’s house.

They passed many house displays that Beau went starry-eyed over, whispering admiration and envy for this or that. It ended with Kassel ripping out a staked penguin decoration from someone else’s yard and presenting it to Beau like a popsicle on a stick.

Beau took it with both hands and round, sparkling eyes full of the purest joy.

“HEY!” A booming voice sounded from the front porch of the house. They turned to see an old man silhouetted in his front door. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, you little thieves!”

“Oh… uh…” Beau looked down at his penguin as if realizing that Kassel had just stolen it, before a light flickered in his eyes and he gave Kassel a hopeful glance. “If I keep this, will I go to Hell?”

Kassel frowned in confusion at the sudden, abrupt question. “No.”

Beau sighed and grumbled under his breath, “What’s a guy got to do to be sentenced to eternal damnation around here?”

“Put it back or I’ll call the cops! You hear me!”

“You can request compensation when you enter Heaven. They have a compensation program for all worldly possessions,” Kassel said, allowing his green eye to form so he could peer at the man’s lifespan. “It won’t be a long wait.”

“Did you just threaten me?!” the old man gasped, skipping red and instead going purple in the face.

“I see you’re trying to shorten the wait time further by inducing a heart attack.”

“You punk! Get your ass over here! I ain’t too old to give you the whooping you deserve!”

He crammed on his slippers and grabbed his cane to hobble out of the door after them.

Kassel turned to Beau. “If we continue at a leisurely pace, we can outwalk him.”

“Okay.” Beau allowed himself to be led down the street, asking, “Will this get me into Hell? Stealing and running from the elderly has to be up there on the top sins list, surely?”

Kassel didn’t point out that he had been the one to do it. He doubted Beau could ever bring himself to hurt a fly. “Why are you interested in going to Hell?”

“No reason!” Beau flushed.

“GET BACK HERE!” the old man hollered.

“I’m sorry,” Beau called back. “I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!”

“I thought you were trying to get into Hell?” Kassel asked.

“Oh,” Beau said. “I mean, get wrecked, grandpa! I hope your turkey burns!”

He looked to Kassel for evil approval.

“Diabolical.”

Beau grinned, exuding joy, and Kassel could feel something melting in his chest, like sugar caramelizing and dripping everywhere with no hope of ever cleaning it up.

They outpaced and lost their pursuer within five minutes, but the farther they got the dimmer the shine from Beau’s soul became.

“Something is wrong,” Kassel said.

Beau shrugged.

“That didn’t feel very nice,” he said, holding the stolen decoration up to Kassel’s face.

“Oh.”

“He was very old, and I think he really liked his penguin.” His eyes went misty.

Kassel’s insides turned at the sight.

“I can send it back!” he said quickly, racing against the tears. He would consider it a personal failure if they slipped down his cheeks.

“You can?” Beau blinked up and Kassel nodded, focusing on the penguin until it was no longer between them. “Is it back? Is the grandpa happy now?”

“I can’t see that far, but I would imagine he is ecstatic,” Kassel said.

“Oh, yay.” Beau hopped in place, sighing in contentment. “That feels much better.”

He gripped Kassel’s hand again and they followed the cardboard directional signs that had been put up on lampposts until they came to the winter fair’s entrance.

A large wheel was fully lit up, towering over everything, hanging compartments spinning slowly around its base. Music, the same exact songs that had been playing in the grocery store, was being blasted obnoxiously loud.

They walked into the park through a shiny portal of red and gold made to look like one of the baubles Beau had on the tree in his living room. They weaved their way through the crowd, the concentration of living humans here far bigger than anything Kassel had seen before.

Booths lined the pathways ahead. Tiny houses covered in snow and twinkling lights and a few makeshift open-sided tents. It was a lot of holiday spirit to stomach, and Kassel wasn’t really sure where to look—there was just so much of everything everywhere.

“Excuse me!”

A hand gripped Kassel’s sleeve and gave his arm a tug. It had no power behind it, but Kassel still grunted in irritation, like an imp was buzzing around him trying to be annoying on purpose. He turned to find a tall human male with red hair holding on to his jacket.

Beau frowned out of the corner of Kassel’s eye.

“Why are you touching me?” Kassel asked.

“I really like your hat,” the human said with a wide smile.

Kassel glared. “You can’t have it.”

The guy laughed. “Fair. That’s not really what I’m after, anyway.”

Kassel narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously. His soul was in the middle ground between good and evil, like most humans. He placed a surprised Beau behind him and squared up to the human. He lamented his lack of height and looming ability, about ready to drop his glamour. “What are your intentions?”

“Wh-what?”

“Know that I will take pleasure in ripping your limbs off one by one when you enter the fiery afterlife should you intend to steal the hat gifted to me by my human.”

The guy backed up a step nervously. “Listen, I think you’ve gotten the wrong idea. I was just trying to give you a compliment, swear to god…”

“God is busy.” Kassel leaned in. “I know the devil personally, however.”

“I was just trying to get your number, geez!” The guy huffed. “Figured you could do better than the twink.”

Kassel stared. Unmoving. Unblinking.

He didn’t know what a twink was, but the tone and the intent behind the words were clearly meant to be insulting.

The man had dared to insult his human.

Kassel allowed his magic to slip just enough to stretch the still-human body to be taller, looming over the man, who was now clearly questioning his decisions.

He looked up at Kassel, eyes wide and terrified as Kassel got closer, a growl low in his throat and another slip of magic licking at the bottom of the man’s coat, setting it on fire.

“You should take care of that.” Kassel pointed at the flames swallowing the man’s coat. The man screamed like a banshee before bolting out of there.

Kassel made sure he was out of sight before he turned to Beau, who was looking after the man with horror in his eyes.

“Did you set him on fire?” he asked.

“Just a tiny one,” he grumbled.

“Kassel…”

“He called you a name.”

He deserved much worse.

“Thank you,” he said, giving him a small smile. “But no more setting people on fire please. Promise?”

“Fine,” Kassel said. “But it’s standard procedure in Hell.”

“Did you always want to work in Hell?” Beau asked, leading Kassel farther into the fair. He peeked at him. “Isn’t there, like… a liaison position? Maybe one that commutes to Earth now and then?”

“No, there’s nothing like that. There aren’t really a lot of other options for a demon. I was born there, and torturing is the job waiting for you once you get old enough. Unless you decide to rebel and join the horde, which doesn’t have a long life expectancy. We cull it every century or so.”

“So, there are baby demons?” Beau asked.

“Of course. We call them hatchlings.”

“Do they actually hatch from eggs?” Beau bounced a little on the balls of his feet. “Like baby ducks?”

“Sure.” Kassel tried to remember what ducks were exactly. Birds of some sort, he was pretty sure. But the specifics were hazy.

“I love ducks! They’re the cutest. Their little feet and the way they quack, quack, quack. They always look so grumpy too. It’s adorable.” He stopped himself ranting more with a blush, peeking up at Kassel again. “Do you think I’ll ever see a demon hatchling?”

“I doubt you’ll go to Hell, Beau,” Kassel said once and for all, seeing no way someone with as bright a soul as Beau’s could do anything else.

“I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my life,” Beau said, like he was trying to convince Kassel.

“I don’t think they were that grave.”

“I stole that grandpa’s penguin earlier.”

“And then almost cried until I gave it back.”

Beau tried scowling, but it didn’t really work well for him. “Still took it,” he muttered.

“Why are you so concerned with going?” Kassel asked.

Beau looked down for a long moment. “It’d be nice to know that at least in death I’d have someone I know waiting for me on the other side.”

It made something in Kassel’s chest move. It felt seismic. Irreversible.

“You’d go through eternal torture just because you know me?” Kassel asked.

Beau smiled, but it wasn’t as bright and carefree. “You’d go easy on me because we’re friends, right?”

Friends.

Did Kassel have friends? It wasn’t a concept demons thought about. They coexisted. They worked together. They killed each other. They fucked.

It was all very straightforward. Nothing complex.

Oren being added to the mix had given it a flavor not a lot of them were familiar with. Humanity. Kindness. Monogamy.

Kassel looked at Beau and realized for the first time in his life that besides his want to keep Beau protected and safe, he cared too. About something. About anything. Beau had created a soft, warm spot inside him. A spot that would indeed stay his hand from inflicting pain if Beau ever ended up in his circle of Hell.

It was unprecedented.

He’d spent the last eternity simply being. Emotion didn’t factor in, aside from frustration or satisfaction with his job. Beau was also his job, but he had brought on a rainbow of emotions Kassel was battling through by the minute.

It was the most confused he’d ever been in his long life.

“I would,” he answered honestly. “Go easy on you.”

It didn’t seem like Beau knew entirely what he was admitting to him. He simply smiled at him, still with a tinge of sadness before redirecting his gaze elsewhere. “Let’s look around?”

Kassel nodded, allowing Beau to sweep them up into the crowd.

They tried various things. Foods that were disgusting. Drinks that were less so, only because they included wine. Songs continued to play on a loop, and there was endless chattering around them.

At some point Beau had shuffled closer to him, brushing their arms together and twitching his fingers but not daring to take the next step. He reeked of unfulfilled desires, and Kassel took his hand in his, shaking his head in amusement as the cloud dissipated, leaving only a soul glowing with contentment.

They eventually reached the end of the food stalls, turning into a row of brightly lit booths that contained games of all types and sizes. They meandered through, watching kids and adults laugh and holler as they played.

“Oh. My. God. That purple duck is soooo cute,” Beau whispered, jerking to a halt, his pupils practically turning into hearts.

Kassel followed his gaze upward to a stoic-looking stuffed thing that was half Beau’s height, hanging by the tinsel wrapped around its neck. It seemed more like a Christmas effigy being persecuted than ‘cute,’ but Beau was looking at it like he’d seen the gates to paradise, even if that place was highly overrated.

“We’ll buy it,” Kassel said.

“We can’t. You have to win it.” Beau pointed to the sign. “But I’m no good at carnival-type games.”

“Step right up, step right up! Find and hook the golden duck and you get to choose one of our top-shelf items. Ducks included,” the guy behind the booth said, giving a jaunty smack to a fluffy, webbed foot above his head. He didn’t even pretend he wasn’t eavesdropping on their conversation.

Kassel stepped over, Beau following eagerly.

“Do you think you can do it?” Beau asked, so, so hopeful.

Kassel glanced at the juvenile game. It was a pond of plastic ducks with hooks on their heads. All he had to do was hook the right one with the pole and that was it. “Of course.”

“Confident, eh? Well, why don’t you put your money where your mouth is.” The guy laughed, holding out his hand, palm up. “Twenty dollars for five attempts.”

Beau smacked the bill into his hand before he’d even finished, and Kassel was handed a pole.

“Have at it,” the guy said, pocketing the cash with a smirk.

Kassel ticked a brow at him before turning back to the game. He adjusted his grip on the pole, too used to using knives, but certain that he would quickly get the hang of it.

Attempt one had him frowning.

Attempt two had him gritting his teeth.

Attempt three had smoke flying out of his nose.

Attempt four made his vision go red.

By attempt five he was ready to burn the whole stall to the ground.

It was… it was… infuriating !

The hooks were minuscule and the pole was cumbersome. This human body was restrictive and awful. The ducks smiled endlessly and made him want to commit a thousand sins just to wipe the grins from their faces.

Why did humans do this voluntarily? It was torture. He knew it intimately enough to recognize it.

“Ah, too bad, big guy.” The booth owner’s face was entirely too gleeful, his soul full of malice. Kassel knew that as soon as he got him on his rack downstairs, he was going to make him suffer endlessly.

“It’s a sin to cheat,” Kassel told him.

“Who’s cheating, fella?” The guy laughed, grabbing another pole from behind the booth and hooking a duck effortlessly. Beau ‘ooohed’ and the guy smirked again. “You just need skill.”

Kassel ground his teeth and turned to Beau. “There’s still money left from what I gave you?”

“You gave me hundreds of dollars I keep pulling out of the most random places,” Beau said. “Obviously I still have it.”

“Again, then.” Kassel pointed to the game.

“You don’t have to. Really,” Beau said sweetly. “I can live without the duck.”

“Again,” Kassel said.

Beau handed over the money.

This time Kassel locked in, entirely focused. He’d never been competitive, never understood it. There was something about this, however, that wouldn’t let him quit, even through the suffering. He didn’t even want to use demonic energy to help.

He needed to do this alone.

Three attempts in and this human body was sweating. Beau was rubbing his back in support, silently trying to cheer him on.

On his last attempt, the duck caught the end of the hook and Kassel felt a rush of elation so swift it nearly sent him falling over… only for the plastic thing to suddenly bob off in a different direction.

He swore in his mother tongue. Loudly and colorfully.

It was the devil’s work. Kassel was sure of it. He glanced around them to see if he could spot Luc laughing in the background at his expense. He’d been known to play pranks a few centuries ago.

“For another twenty dollars you can try again,” the guy said, leaning against the leg of the booth’s awning, counting through his money one bill at a time.

Kassel felt a rage he had never experienced before descend upon him like a fiery storm. Fierce. Hot. Wrathful. He took the hook and snapped the curved end cleanly, leaving a jagged pointed tip. He used this to spear the smiling duck viciously right through its head.

He dented the bottom of the basin, water beginning to drip from the new hole he’d just pierced, the rest of the ducks experiencing a small tsunami.

Kassel pulled his prize back toward him, duck held aloft on his spear, victorious and triumphant, the stupid duck deflated and pathetic.

Victory!

He looked back at the now slack-jawed man.

“The purple duck,” Kassel demanded.

“You can’t—”

Kassel tilted the pole toward him, jagged, waterfowl-disemboweling end out.

“Okay, okay! Here.”

The guy unhooked the duck and threw it over. Beau caught it with eager arms and a giggle of happiness, snuggling his face into the fur. “Kassel, you did it!”

Kassel took Beau’s hand and led them away, nose held high in the air.

And if he left a tiny spark behind that had the stall owner yelping and panicking as it caught quickly on the highly flammable stall, that was just him doing his rightful duty of punishing the wicked.

He’d only promised Beau not to set other people on fire.

They walked away from the chaos beginning to develop, with Beau actually not noticing for once and instead cooing over his prize. Kassel felt his chest puff out, his makeshift spear slung over his shoulder.

They wandered around until they were under the shadow of the giant metallic wheel spinning in a slow loop over their heads. This close, he could see the seats suspended on it, carrying people who were laughing and screaming.

It looked odd, but not completely unappealing.

He glanced at Beau and found him staring, the lights from the wheels reflecting in his eyes like stars.

“You want to ride that?” Kassel asked.

Beau nodded eagerly, dragging Kassel toward a substantial line of people waiting to get on the ride.

“Looks like it’ll be a while,” Beau said, standing on his toes to try and see over people’s heads. He glanced at the watch on his wrist. “I hope we can make it before they close.”

Kassel allowed a tendril of demonic energy to seep out into the space around them. It slithered toward the people in front, whispering in their ears, convincing them they absolutely didn’t feel like riding the weird thing above them and instead wanted something far more appealing.

Gluttony. Lust. Greed.

One by one they sprinted off in search of their hearts’ sinful desires, some climbing over food stalls and grabbing handfuls of food to cram into their mouths, others falling into each other carnally on top of tables, ultimately clearing the path for Kassel and Beau until just enough people were left for one ride.

“Was that you again?” Beau asked.

“Humans are easy to distract. It’s not hurting them.”

Beau hummed. “They do look like they’re enjoying themselves I guess.”

The line dwindled and the cart attached to the wheel rumbled to a stop in front of them. The man operating the ride ushered them into the last cart, uncaring about the sudden exodus that had happened before his eyes.

It was a tight fit. Beau, Kassel, the duck, and the spear. But they managed to get the bar over their heads and pressed down over their laps.

“It’s for safety,” Beau said in response to Kassel’s confused expression. “So you don’t fall off.”

“Isn’t that the point?”

Beau giggled, shaking his head as they rolled out of the entrance and upward.

Kassel huffed. In his opinion, the ride would have been much more exciting with the prospect of people hurtling to their demise. As it was, he sat there with his arms crossed, feeling like he was on the bus again. Just slightly less comfortable and on a much worse road.

Beau seemed to like it though.

“Do it like this, Kassel!” he called out to him, taking one of Kassel’s hands and lifting it into the air, swinging it above their heads. “Aaaaaaah!!”

He was looking at Kassel expectantly, hands still in the air as they crested the top of the wheel, even though it was moving at the speed of Jek after a hellparty.

“Aaaah!” Kassel repeated dutifully, making sure to keep his voice as level as he could, but still loud enough for Beau to hear.

The human threw his head back, the sound of bells filling the night air with no obstructions. Laughter. Pure and filled with joy, but free. His bright soul shining, completely uninhibited, with only the moon and stars to bear witness.

And him.

Emotion began to fill his body, dousing all the dry and arid places inside of him with a sudden rush from clear and crystalline depths. It flowed in his bloodstream and flooded out like a dam breaking, leaving no part of him untouched. Unaffected.

He felt like he was choking on it. Drowning. He couldn’t stop it, not in this form. It felt magnified by a thousand.

He gasped silently for a breath he didn’t need, panicking. If he’d had a heart, it would have given out. If he’d had lungs, they would have collapsed.

“Kassel?” Beau said, his laughter dissipating but still hovering in the space between them. Kassel couldn’t escape it. It had invaded his skin. It was still ringing in his head. Beau laid a hand on Kassel’s leg. “Are you okay?”

Kassel cupped Beau’s cheek and crashed his mouth into Beau’s in answer, swallowing his gasp of surprise. He opened Beau’s lips with his tongue, trying to feed the emotion into him; someone who knew better how to use it, how to feel it.

Beau moaned, their cart rocking wildly on its axis.

The bar broke, the metallic screech and clang just background noise as Kassel forced it aside. He ignored the screams as it plummeted to the ground, pulling Beau into his lap.

Beau straddled his hips, wrapping his arms around Kassel’s neck. They didn’t stop kissing, Beau gasping in breaths between one kiss and the next. Their hips began to rock in time with the swinging cart, pressing them together in slow undulations that had Beau whining and turning red.

“Change back,” Beau begged, smearing the words against his damp lips, breathing out sin and desire. “Please change back.”

Kassel didn’t think twice, shedding the unnatural human skin for his own, the only thing remaining being the hat on his head, which hadn’t been conjured. The cart whined with the weight change, sending them swinging more violently. Kassel wound his tail around Beau’s back to hold him more securely.

Beau cooed in delight, pulling back to look at him all over. The desire in the air grew tenfold, like seeing Kassel like this only made Beau want him more. “You’re so handsome.”

Kassel shoved a hand under all his layers, seeking bare skin to brand, to transfer this energy that wouldn’t leave. He spread his palm over the small of Beau’s back, hearing him moan at the contact, his eyes rolling back from only a touch.

Kassel yanked him down for another kiss, muffling Beau’s cry and forcing him against the growing hardness of his cock. He wanted to split the seam of Beau’s jeans and take him here and now, pressing him down so gently Beau would be crying from overstimulation before he’d even gotten the tip past.

Kassel could feel the heat and hardness pressing into his stomach in return, Beau barely moving but still so close to release. Kassel could taste it in the air as well as on his tongue. He swept the cavern of Beau’s mouth, moving his hand around to Beau’s chest and finding a nipple. He brushed his thumb over it once and Beau came with a shuddering cry as they rolled back down to earth, taking all those emotions and starbursting them out.

Beau was dazed in the aftermath, soul glowing as bright as the moon, his swollen pink lips parted and wet still.

“Beautiful.”

Kassel hadn’t found release, but he felt like he had, body drained and shaking.

“Are you guys okay up there?” a voice shouted. “Stay calm!”

Annoying humans.