It's Called Being Human [Open; Full] lit.-adv

[shadow tempyst]

The restaurant hadn’t been his only instance of revealing his fiery anger. Asa had walked Skylar home that day, to the place Illyria had provided for her. She held onto her little fox as they walked, the dragon’s hands stuffed in his pockets. He kept glancing over at her to ensure she wasn’t mad that he’d ruined the moment. No, she seemed reasonably cheery as usual. He kissed her goodbye and left her, telling her he’d be back in the morning to pick her up for the wedding. He’d walked back to the funeral home, his eyes confidently focused ahead though he did find himself glancing from side to side and casting a glance behind himself on a few occasions where he swore he thought he heard someone or something following him. He’d never had someone cover for him like that. He’d always left his mark, scorches, fires . . . he tried not too but his strength, his power, his fire . . . always got the best of him.

Skylar was one of a kind that was for sure. Asa smirked. He couldn’t believe he’d fallen for a forbidden fruit such as a kitsune.

The next day was something Asa had truly never experienced. A wedding. This was nothing like the bonding of dragons; this was a traditional human wedding. Or at least one filled with a slew of supernatural creatures watching a gay witch and a pregnant merman join hands in marriage. Asa had left in the early hours to go and be fitted for a new suit. The ones he owned where at his apartment which was off limits since the Hunters had decided to watch it. It was fine though, one suit didn’t even dent the amount of money he had. He would have to show Skylar one of his caves one day. Treasures of all sorts just piled up everywhere. It thrilled him just to think about it.

Asa went back to the funeral home to prepare himself, finding that the witch Amber and her wolf there helping Octavius prepare. Well, Amber was but Elias sat on the couch. She must have fixed his hair because and forced him into that suit because he looked extremely uncomfortable. The dark witch was nowhere to be found. Asa was given the run down that the witch and his father had gone ahead to the venue so Octavius could get ready; something about a bride not seeing the groom before the wedding. Asa really didn’t know how that worked. He’d cleaned up and gotten dressed and then left to go get Skylar. He was not disappointed in her attire. Her dress was beautiful. The dragon liked what he saw that was for sure.

The awaiting taxi that had brought him took them both to the site of the wedding. Amber had thankfully given an address. The wedding was delightful and the energy of it all was glowing. If all weddings were like this then Asa approved though he believed it was the wedding couple of this particular one that clearly brought the magic to the event. At the reception Skylar and he had danced. She sure seemed to be enjoying it and he couldn’t help but smile at her cheery attitude. He was a terrible dancer but she didn’t seem to mind.
The day of the wedding came to an end. Desmond surprised Octavius with a small honeymoon. Asa had watched them leave from the window. He didn’t care. Right? His attachment to Octavius and the child within him had become strong even within a short time. He didn’t know what to. Desmond had told him to watch and guard the funeral home. Was he concerned the magic wouldn’t hold? Or was he just trying to keep him occupied. For a week Asa stayed in the house. He didn’t even venture out to see Skylar. He was like an oversized dog left out of his cage when he let his magic slip and he shifted into a smaller form of his true form. His claws raked the hard wood as he paced, jumping and knocking furniture over. Hungry he raked everything in the refrigerator out onto the floor and ate through it until he was satisfied, which wasn’t for long. In the dark of night Asa left. He flew a distance from Boston, growing in size so he could easily pick up a fully matured cow. He flew it back to the funeral home where he dragged it inside. He fed on it until it began to rot then he left it where it lay. Desmond and Octavius returned to find the mess. The dark witch had not been pleased to say the least.

After that things fell into a sort of routine. The baby within Octavius grew at an unnatural pace. Asa would venture out and go see Skylar. They would go to eat, hang out, etc. Their relationship remained innocent though his hunger for her grew each time he soaked in her presence. He would always return to the funeral home though to check on Octavius. He was to guard him after all and the unborn child. He had a few instances of catching things on fire, getting angry and ripping furniture or scoring the floor or wall. That was just at home. It also would happen with Skylar though it would happen in public. Just small things, but small things gained the attention of the Hunters. The Hunters were still there. Their presence never stopped burdening them. They always had to be careful.

The month of October came to an end. Today was the last day. Asa had woken at midnight. His heart thudded in his chest. Something . . . someone. He crawled out of bed. Here he could sleep in a form that wasn’t human without fear someone would come in and see him. He walked across the apartment and pushed up the Desmond and Octavius’ bedroom door with his head. He stood in the doorway for a moment standing back on his haunches. The dragon dropped back down on all fours and walked over to the side of the bed nearest him. Octavius’ side. The mer was facing him his arms wrapped around an ugly long pillow. He remembered when that thing came home from the store. His glowing eyes went from Octavius’ sleeping face to his swollen abdomen.

Nine months equivalent in such a short span of time had surely done a number on the merman considering he was out of his watery element. His stomach looked unnatural, stretching out the shirt he wore. The dragon carefully stood up on his haunches once more and reached out a limb. His clawed hand gently lay over the stomach. It would be today. What time he wasn’t for sure, but she was ready. The dragon pulled away and crawled under the bed, just below Octavius, falling asleep there.

He woke when the bedroom protested loudly. Octavius struggled but got of bed, walking out of the bedroom with a waddle to his walk. The dragon watched the mer take in the details of the apartment, making a conclusion on where Desmond was. Asa sniffed the air. Ugh the witch hadn't bothered to cook one meaty morsel. When Octavius had left the apartment, Asa shifted and went to get changed. He took a piece of toast, needing to go see Skylar. He would need to be back to help with the last minute decorating. Octavius had enlisted him. Skylar was invited to the party as well so they could both return and help. He was going to be a cowboy for Halloween. He had never been a part of the activity but Octavius had said everyone had to dress up. He’d suggested cowboy and had helped him with choosing what to wear to look like a cowboy. Asa remembered cowboys. They had been tastier then their cattle.

Asa walked out of the apartment to see Octavius standing on the stairs and Desmond looking up at him. The dark witch was dressed to impress he had probably had a client. Funny how he was learning up the way this household ran. “I will return.” Asa said. He stopped by Octavius and put a hand to his stomach. ‘Do not come without me.’ He whispered into the child’s mind. He gave Octavius a nod and then left. He walked, eventually making his way to the studio apartment. He knocked on the door, awaiting an answer.

[FearlessLemur]

The moment Octavius woke on his wedding day, a thrill of glee went through him. He'd been waiting for this moment since the second he'd first been kissed by Desmond. He'd known it had only been a matter of playing the waiting game, but Desmond had surprised him with his own eagerness to be attached to the mer. And with Desmond's dark past—and probably darker future—it had been surprising. Desmond always wanted to protect Octavius. Which was why he hadn't been allowed out of the house for the past few days. But the suit he'd be wearing to their wedding hid any evidence of a baby bump. Octavius still felt oddly fat, but Amber and his fiancee had been encouraging him, complimenting him—keeping him from having too-extreme mood swings on this night, and the night before. Des and his father had left early, tradition being that Desmond wouldn't see Octavius until he was walking down the isle and met the witch at the altar.

You'd think that a gay man getting into a suit would be less of an affair than it was. But it was probably just as crazy though not as poofy (since he wasn't wearing a dress or anything). While Octavius scrubbed himself from head to toe, Amber did Elias' hair. She trimmed and styled it, so when Octavius came out of the bathroom in a towel, he was very impressed. Amber shoo'd Elias out of the room and allowed Octavius to put on what he was going to be wearing under the white suit and a bath robe, then dragged him back into the bathroom. She also game Octavius a trim, styled his hair, then began slathering on makeup. By the time she was done, he was radiant—unblemished, beautiful. He was the bride, so of course there had to be some kind of sparkle in his get-up. She used pins to do his hair in certain places, and they had tiny crystals on the ends of them, which looked good and made Octavius happy. She even put mascara on him, then tipped the lashes with a bit of glitter. She put on silver eye-liner, only a little on the top so it wasn't overdone, then stuck three tiny crystals under his eyes on either side.

She gave him lip gloss to put on, with a bit of a silvery sheen. Octavius smiled, his eyes a swirling caribbean blue. She beamed back at him, admiring her work, tucking his hair behind one of his ears and fiddling. She herself looked fantastic. Her hair was swept back one side, left loose and curled on the other, draped over her left shoulder. She was in a very cute dress, one that matched Elias' tie. Finally, it was time for Octavius to be fitted into his suit. It had been custom made, but needed finessing so it fit him and perfectly hid the baby bump. Elias sat on the couch and watched Amber get Octavius into the suit, fiddling with it. Asa came home, getting ready—and managing to avoid Amber's micromanaging by cleaning himself up extra-nice. Octavius was kept going by hors d'oeuvres and sparkling champagne. After all, a pregnant mer was not allowed alcohol. When everything was done, it was time to leave. Octavius wasn't sweating or anything but he was nervous when they stepped out the door. He was leaving Octavius Meridian. He'd be coming home as Octavius Blake.

The ceremony was closed off to prying eyes, supernatural creatures-only, and invitees-only. Everyone they knew was there. Octavius smiled as he walked alone down the isle, having no family to walk him and unwilling to allow Desmond's father to do the job when he so obviously didn't want their wedding to happen at all. Desmond was grinning brilliantly, and Octavius knew his expression was a match. Salem was on Desmond's side, and Amber and Akasha were on Octavius'. Desmond hadn't really had a wing-man to be his best man at the wedding, so Salem had stepped up. Octavius was fairly certain the wolf had even taken Desmond out drinking for a bachelor's night. Octavius hadn't wanted to have one, but he, Amber and Akasha had gotten their nails done for the wedding. His were white with silver sparkling tips, to match the rest of his get-up. His toes had been done the same way. He had, of course, been wearing very baggy clothing to hide his growing stomach.

The ceremony itself didn't last long, but the reception went well into the afternoon and night. Salem made an embarrassing speech about his previously-resident Princess (Octavius) was all grown up and how Salem was going to regret not having his coffee-making skills around, mentioning some instant he'd been hoarding for a situation like this. Octavius had laughed, and cried, and been an all-around mess. Dancing had been wonderful, getting lost in the moment with Desmond even better. When everyone was tired and it was time to go, Amber had surprised him with a suitcase, and Desmond had surprised him with the news that they were going away for a few days on a honeymoon that Octavius hadn't even thought was going to happen until their baby had been born. But it was on a private beach, hidden from the public, so Octavius had been safe. Unlike Barcelona, their honeymoon had been blissfully uneventful. Desmond showed off his culinary skills and other skills as well, and Octavius had gone about legally changing his name and had gotten a new license shipped to Des's—no, their—home.

Unfortunately it came to an end and the month or so that followed after their vacation was hell on Octavius. And apparently the week they'd been gone had been hell on Asa. There had been a dead cow waiting for them, rotting, He'd slept more than he'd been awake, and had had several bouts of recurring morning sickness throughout his pregnancy. Asa was filling his role as bodyguard well, and they'd become close friends over the time that the Dragon had been staying with them. And his near-constant presence, except when he was with his fox, was a comfort. Octavius also experienced pain from his rapidly-growing stomach, nothing that couldn't be fixed with a little unicorn TLC, though. He was managing. And with the end of October drawing near, it was time for the merman to throw a party. A halloween, traditional costume part. And Desmond had no choice. It would be their first get-together thrown as a couple! Octavius couldn't have been more excited. Desmond had insisted the decorations be held off until the day of, but that hadn't really put a damper on the mer's plans. He'd ordered countless things for the day, from decorations to food, all delivered to their door because Octavius couldn't go out.

The mer had even ordered, altered, and dressed up the fairy costume he'd be wearing. He'd been sewing like a mad man and adding glitter to everything on the poofy dress. He'd even gotten a tiara from amazon, and Amber had told him about glitter for his hair, that could be sort of glued in that'd wash out later. She was going to do his makeup. And he'd also gotten Asa a costume, a cowboy costume. He didn't know what Desmond was going to be wearing for sure, nor anyone else. He was so excited. Octavius could barely sleep before the party-day, Halloween, but eventually his little baby inside him decided he needed rest. So Octavius was pretty much the last to wake, Desmond already dealing with a customer downstairs and Asa awake beneath the bed. Octavius got up, got a shower and dressed. He smelled the food, and smiled. No meat, because Desmond didn't always cook meat but lately it had been making Octavius sick anyways. Mers wouldn't really known for their love of red meat anyways. He loved fish, but had a low tolerance level for steak, no matter the tastiness.

"Morning, Asa," he said, then turned around and headed for the stairs when he heard Desmond say goodbye to his final customer—hopefully. Octavius stopped at the top of the stairs, smiling. "Is that the last one?" he asked, as Asa walked past him and out the door. "Pleeeeease let that be the last one~!" Octavius said, already eager to start turning the funeral home into a scary . . . well, scarier place for their Halloween bash. Desmond was in charge of music, so the man needed to put together a playlist and do whatever else. Octavius hadn't exactly learned the tools of the trade, because his pregnancy had limited his ability to help Desmond with his business. Octavius gingerly walked down the stairs, leaning forward to give Desmond a kiss. "Good morning, too, by the way. If you're done I'm going to eat and then we can get started. Amber should be coming over eventually, probably later."



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[shadow tempyst]

Kalen twitched in his sleep, his teeth snapping together, his face a mask of pain. He had once been a sound sleeper. That was just a distant memory now. Since he’d been pinned to the floor of a disgusting bar and had his wings ripped from his body only to have some stitched mess of a creation attached to his stumps his mind had never settled. He relived that night and the following day. His body ached, the original stumps of his wings throbbed in reminder. He couldn’t get away from it.

Elias had arrived with the bag of wing fragments. Amber had arrived later. Kalen was too exhausted to notice that she looked a bit frazzled. He’d carefully instructed on bringing towels and blankets, laying them out on the spotless carpet. Even at a moment like this he didn’t want anything to happen to it. He could sacrifice the towels and blankets. Illyria helped him over to the spot where Amber came over to p***k his finger. His blood became one with hers as she dripped them into a bowl. He had watched her kill on those Fae he didn’t doubt her ability as witch so he stayed silent and watching until it came time for Amber to deal with the wing fragments. Kalen tried to ignore the fact that some had traces of blood on them, instructing Amber on where to cut and slice them. She sewed and welded the pieces making a horrific creation.

When it was time he laid down with his back facing the ceiling. He buried his head into his arms, swallowing the bile that threatened to spill from his mouth. It inside burned in his throat, making him grimace. The process wasn’t any less painful then when his wings had been ripped off. His magic weakened and his skin darkened, swirling with vibrant green patterns. He hissed in pain, tasting blood in his mouth. The whites of his eyes had cloud black, his teeth bared. It wasn’t an easy task, or a short one. His head hit the floor when Amber was finished. He heard her say something weakling to Illyria and Elias about being finished. Illyria thanked them and Elias helped Amber clean up and leave.

Illyria had come to his side but he’d murmured something about just leaving him there. She didn’t go far. He was pretty sure she was right over there on the couch. In the night his magic fell completely apart and his form shrank and changed. He woke up in the middle of the night on his pillow in his bedroom. He was laying in the same manner though he was pint sized and all fae. He looked over at Illyria who was asleep on the other side of the bed. How did he end up with someone like her? He definitely didn’t deserve it.

The next day was Desmond and Octavius’ wedding. Illyria knew he wouldn’t be leaving. Not like this and not when getting up to take a piss was even painful. Not to mention he was sure if he did manage to get himself to look human it wouldn’t be long. So the day had been quiet. He moved only for the needed things. Illyria had set a candy bar on the nightstand and he did nibble on it, though he didn’t finish even a quarter of it.
The days began to bleed together. Illyria had spoken of the wedding. It sounded like quite a sight to behold. He told her she didn’t have to stay at his apartment if she didn’t want to and she told him he couldn’t tell her what to do. Her stays had been frequent. He knew she was worried. He healed physically, his new wings were ugly. He was no longer a beautiful creature of myth. He was truly a creature that deserved being banished from the Faerie realm. He really had failed. Illyria just didn’t understand.

His down in the dumps attitude didn’t go anywhere. He wasn’t the Kalen Illyria nor anyone knew before. He’d become . . . quiet. When his wings had heled enough and most of the pain had subsided he’d willed them to move. His body had rejected them yet he wasn’t going to be flying anywhere anytime soon. One day Illyria had come to his apartment and he’d been sitting there on the couch, dressed and in human form, but the dark circles beneath his eyes remained. He’d requested they go out for breakfast. It was the first time he’d been out in nearly a month. His walk wasn’t the most confident. It looked almost lopsided, off-balanced. Illyria kept pace with him, keeping close. It made him feel slightly less like a roach recovering from being squashed by someone’s shoe.

That was about two weeks ago. In all it had been a moth and a half since his wings had been detached from his body. He woke with a groan and a headache. A bottle of Ibuprofen set on his nightstand. He reached out and took the bottle, taking four. He tossed a look behind him. Illyria was sleeping. Usually she was up early and off to run mundane errands or getting breakfast. He turned back to his pills swallowing them dry before standing up. He stumbled to the bathroom and took a short, quick shower. His sink was being taken over by things that were most definitely wasn’t his. He organized the items at the back of the sink before finishing preparing himself. He then went to go find some clothes just wearing boxers. His body was still thin. He hadn’t regained the strength he’d had, not like he had much to begin with.

He dressed in a dark green Oxford button down with black dress pants and jacket. He left and walked to the little vendor that sold his favorite sweets, buying one for himself and the ones he knew Illyria liked. He walked back, breathing in the October air. It was Halloween. He was pretty sure the Blake’s were hosting something tonight. He didn’t really want to go, but he knew Illyria wanted him too so he might have to make an exception. Kalen put the sweets on a plate, sitting them on a tray along with herbal tea. He entered the bedroom seeing Illyria stir. He set the tray down on the nightstand on the side of the bed she was on. “Good morning my dear.” He said softly.

[shadow tempyst]

The night Kalen’s wings had been attached was eventful he had to admit but Elias’ gaze hadn’t been fixed on Kalen, he’d been looking at Amber. Since she had walked in the door she had seemed a bit off . . . unnerved by something. Had something happened at Desmond’s house? Or had something happened along the way of getting her. It seemed she had taken a bit longer then she had planned but he wasn’t for sure. Weddings were events that required a lot of planning especially with it being a wedding of two gay men. They were beyond fashionable and believed in perfection. Elias just went with whatever he found in his closet or dresser. He had gotten clothing when he’d gotten a body again and had to upgrade in a few sizes when he’d been bitten since his body then decided to bulk up a bit with muscle. Whoever the body had once belonged to, the sad boy he’d received fragments of remaining memory from, he probably had never expected that the body he’d purposefully removed himself from would end up belonging to someone else.

He just needed to come to better terms with himself. Amber was helping, but he just needed to keep Amber planted. He knew what using the dark half of her magic did to her. She loved it, but she hated it. It was a war tearing at her internally. He liked to think it was like having the wolf inside of him. It was like clashing heads with a separate personality. He was hopefully whatever was bothering her didn’t control her when she used her power to help Kalen. It didn’t. The process for the Fae was excruciating and took a number on both the witch and the Faerie. Elias had aided in holding down Kalen. The Fae had tried remaining still, maybe he even believed he was but once the worst of the pain occurred, his body began to convulse and wither. It took Illyria and him both to hold down the Fae’s small, thin frame.

Once finished Elias was up on his feet to catch the wavering witch, she said she’d finished, done the best she could, or something along the lines while Elias helped her to the bathroom. He took her hands gingering washing blood from them and searching through the Fae’s bathroom until he found some gauze. Even though she could heal, she was too weak to be doing anything else tonight. Cleaned up, Elias gave a nod to Illyria before heading out, helping Amber. He was curious about her unease. He had felt it through the imprint before, now it had been masked by other things or she had tucked it away. He refrained from asking for now, getting her back to the house and her bed before he left her to get some rest.

Elias eventually did ask, though it wasn’t the following day, because the following day was the wedding of Octavius and Desmond. Amber had done a grand job planning and helping Octavius. They left the house early, leaving Salem and Akasha to get dressed and ready to arrive at the site of the wedding on their own. The werewolf had gotten dressed at the house before hand, Amber having also gotten ready. He’d tried talking her out of him having to wear a suit. Last minute doubts on suit wearing that was for sure. She had made him wear it anyways. There was no getting passed her and worst of it when they had arrived at the funeral home she had attacked his hair. He had to admit afterward that the celebrity style shag that had come with this body had grown out of hand. It was nearing his shoulder when Amber cut and styled it. He frowned the entire time but the cut and style did seem and appear cleaner and lighter.

After that Amber had shooed him away and he’d taken a seat on the couch. There he stayed until Octavius was finally complete. Elias couldn’t help but smile. The Merman looked stunning in his own way, his white suit slimmed his figure, hiding the evidence of a growing bump. He was glowing with excitement, nerves, happiness . . . he was practically bursting at the seams. Elias truly had never seen Octavius this happy, and Octavius had always been the happiest person in the household besides . . . Elias stood up. He remembered telling his friend that he looked amazing before the three had headed out. Desmond had already left with his father, meeting them of course for the wedding.

The wedding was entirely supernatural, all the people there he knew well or vaguely. The ceremony didn’t last too long, but pictures and the reception afterward did. Octavius was smiling as he walked down the aisle to the equally smiling Desmond standing at the altar. Or at least what you could call an altar. Salem had stepped in as Desmond’s best man and Amber and Akasha were on Octavius side as his bride maids. It really was a wedding. Desmond must have brought the man with the pastoral license because Elias had never seen him. The man didn’t question because he probably all he saw was just a happy couple having a private wedding. Who knew though, Desmond could have paid him off.

The reception lasted well into the afternoon and night. Salem made an uncomfortable speech about Octavius. Octavius enjoyed it though, laughing, crying and smiling. Elias didn’t really have anything to offer. Though he still lived in the home and had been a resident with Octavius he’d been a ghost and the few times Octavius had been over there when he’d been a werewolf hadn’t been . . . good memories. The wedding event had eventually come to an end. Desmond and Octavius left on a little honeymoon of sorts and everyone always fell into a rather mundane routine. With all that had happened it almost made him feel human . . . well besides a week every month he got extremely agitated and then turned into a werewolf. The next full moon they had gone up into the forest like that had before. They would have had that camping trip but the night had been rather cold, too cold for Akasha and Amber.

The October moon had been the strongest pull Elias had ever felt, out of the few moons he’d turned. He’d gotten a job as a table buster at the bar he had once flipped bottles for when he was human the first time. He’d simple shortened his first name just to Eli for the purpose of not getting called out on having a similar name though his looks were completely different and he had a backstory formulated just in case. They had managed to get him an ID and social through some backdoor means aka Desmond.

Elias hadn’t wanted to leave the city for the full moon so he’d kept brushing Salem off, avoiding him which was pretty easy these days considering he was usually with Akasha or at the job he still had as a bartender. He’d liked working, he didn’t like making up lies, or at least ones could avoid. He was doing so well, he hadn’t tried to bite anyone’s head off or attack anyone. He could pass a night in the city. The night of the full moon though had come with consequences. He actually began changing early. He’d had to excuse himself from work and run out. He’d tried to make it home but had failed. Pressing himself up against the wall of an alleyway he’d changed. He woke up the following morning smeared with city grim, his mouth sticky with copper. He’d looked widely around but found himself naked in the middle of a graveyard. The graveyard he was buried in. A pile of clothes were folded neatly near him and he gingerly picked them up, looking around but finding no one.

He didn’t speak of the events, simply heading home and slipping into the shower. He’d made up a story for everyone, not sure if the truth was right to tell. Someone had been there with him, someone knew about him. He’d actually even let the question of the night before the wedding slip his mind. He didn’t need to know.

Today, today was Halloween, almost a week after the full moon. Elias had no intention on dressing up. He was far too old for that but Octavius as pregnant as he was hosting a Halloween party. Elias woke knowing Amber was going to question about taking him out to take him last minute costume shopping or suggesting an idea for him. Bleh. Elias walked downstairs and made burning it to near death. He still was no good at cooking even after Salem had helped him. The wolf slathered an inch worth of butter on the toast and ate it anyways, reading the newspaper he went out and fetched.

[Inuyasha_roxs_08]

< Girl - Boy >
The night of their almost failed date came and went. The next morning started their adventure of going to a wedding. It had been some time since she had attended one. She was looking forward to dressing up and seeing Asa in his finest clothing. She spent hours getting ready in a beautiful strapless sapphire blue dress. Skylar had tried her best not to look too beautiful so she didn't upstage the groom....bride....erm....whatever Octavius was. Asa came to pick her up like he said he would. He looked very handsome. Skylar was sure he was fully aware that it would be near to impossible to get her attention off him now.

They took a taxi to the wedding site where everyone else was. Skylar only recalled a few faces and names of those there. She was sure she was the odd duck out of the group. Then again, Asa didn't seem to know many people there. It made her feel like there were actually there to be wedding crashers. A very tempting idea but she knew Asa would be beyond pissed so she behaved herself. Soon she would need to go on a binge of mischief making before she started to die of boredom.

The wedding between the two happened and everyone seemed happy. Skylar was not one to sit at someone else's wedding and daydream of her walking down the aisle. Did she want marriage? She wasn't sure. It was just a ceremony or party with rings to show a bond. She could care less if it was legal in the eyes of the government. So if she found that person to be with her whole life, she was sure they could find some sort of ceremony or celebration that fit her and her partner. But...she couldn't help but think of spending her life with Asa. Of course it was just daydreams. Of course. Just Daydreams.

At the reception, they danced. Of course she was enjoying herself and Asa was trying his best. She could care less that Asa couldn't dance to save his life. All together it was a great time. She was making memories with Asa and was glad she had found her way here. The wedding ended with the night and the two went their way. Skylar had taken some pictures with her phone and spent the night curled up looking at them until she fell asleep with her 'child'....the stuffed fox Asa won for her.

There was a week after that she didn't see Asa. She assumed he was watching the funeral home with Octavius and Desmond gone. She spent her free time going on a trip to another town to create her havoc. She didn't kill anyone, but she sure did have her fill of mischief. She returned to Boston when the two love birds returned and went back to hanging out with Asa. She started to get greedy. Skylar wanted more. More time, more dates, more kisses. But she was scared to push it and scare him away. But they had time so things were find the way they were for now. They had come a long way from her stalking him and stealing from his shop just to get him to talk to her.

October flew by. She had been invited to the Halloween party and had spent some serious time plotting her costume. Asa was going to be a cowboy. She thought about being a coygirl or Indian but neither was her style. She decided on being a black and white harlequin. There was a knock at the door. She opened it to see Asa. "Hey." She kissed his cheek. "Do I look okay?" She twirled around. Skylar grinned and started to juggle as she waited for his reply. "I can even do tricks!" She stopped juggling and danced with excitement. This was almost as fun as a masquerade! "Are you hungry or anything? I made one too many waffles this morning." She pointed to a plate of four waffles. If he didn't want them she would end up saving them for another day. The only thing 'wrong' with her waffles which was she had added food coloring to it so they were orange and black. Probably not very appetizing looking but she was in the festive mood.

She had to double check her makeup and make sure she looked okay before they went anywhere. "How is the mer? Better yet....how are you? Things still going okay?" She wondered if he minded much keeping watch over Octavius and the baby. She never heard him complain so she assumed things were going okay. But was he happy? They had been kind of a thing for awhile and she was wondering how he felt about their relationship too. "You still sleeping okay? Oh god I sound like your mother..." She laughed with a sigh and shook her head. She grabbed his hand and smiled. "Pay no attention to me!" She twirled around and grabbed the last of what she needed and then danced back to Asa. "Trick or Treat." She grinned and then puckered up her lips and waited for a 'treat'.

[shadow tempyst]

Levi had certainly enjoyed helping plan Octavius’ wedding. He gushed all the way back to his place about how fabulous it was going to be. Tristan couldn’t help but smile at how happy the demon was. He would have been no good at it and here he called himself gay. Then again he wasn’t the girly one in this relationship, it was most definitely Levi. Between Desmond and Octavius it was Octavius, yet Desmond had his own flare, it was just a dark sort of dangerous sexy rather than Octavius’ cheery, glowing gayness. It was amusing to think about how different they all were and some people believed they were all the same, one of the reasons he had never openly come out, especially in the office. He’d even dated women. Tristan glanced over at Levi. He was just letting his mind run wild; he should focus on what he had.

Ok so being a vampire wasn’t exactly one of those things.

Tristan spotted the box sitting in front of the door before Levi did. He sniffed. “It’s another one.” He’d said at the time. Sure enough there were blood bags within the cardboard box. No invitations this time because their invites from the first time still stood. Tristan picked up the box carefully and looked back at Levi. He had stiffened in place, his face a mask of worry but in a blink he’d washed it away. Tristan frowned. Bad news. The vampires were bad news. He sighed and followed Levi inside when the demon had unlocked the door. Though Tristan was happy that more blood had been sent he knew Levi wasn’t happy about it. It meant they were watching them, even from here.

The next day was Octavius and Desmond’s wedding. That had been last minute invited and of course Levi hadn’t refused. Tristan really hadn’t slept. He’d waited until Levi’s breathing had slowed and deepened and then he’d crawled out of bed and went to the kitchen. He drained a blood bag while looking at the invite he’d kept. He would not be that person. He looked at the empty blood bag, his hand tightened around it, crushing it. He would not let this change him. He had finally gotten Levi, the secretary he’d had eyes on for some time. They were actually together, and he didn’t have to pretend anymore. And the supernatural community, though little did he actually know about, it was much livelier then the human world. He . . . liked it. And if Levi had said the vampires in Boston were no good then they were and he didn’t need to seek them out. He would not be that person.

He kept telling himself that.

The wedding was beautiful and though Desmond and Octavius were really the only two he knew, it was the only two he needed to know. Their smiles were genuine and they both looked stunning. There was a small number in attendance but Tristan couldn’t imagine there being a large gathering at a supernatural gay wedding where one of them is pregnant. It really didn’t fit the norm. The reception was fun. They all danced and Levi dragged him around the room, meeting most of the people there. Photos were taken, food was eaten. It was all fun until it was over and Levi and he climbed into bed together.

About a month and a half passed. Only a couple of times did Tristan actually have to go out and feed. He was pretty sure it was meant that way. The blood that had been appearing on their doorstep just sometimes stopped. Levi had always come with him. Tristan knew it was because he was still worried about the vampires though they never spoke about it. They would seek out one of the vampires on the list Desmond had provided them and Tristan would feed until the vampire was dry. It was satisfying. He would be so full, his veins thrumming with energy. He’d look up and meet the gaze of a vampire who was watching the show. Levi usually then took him by the arm and Tristan turned to him, the couple fleeing the scene. A trophy usually always arrived the next morning. Thankfully it had only been twice.

Some of his clothes had migrated over to Levi’s, along with some new purchases. Tristan woke on his stomach; the sheet was drawn back, just covering his bare backside though his pale, muscled back was out in the open. Levi and him had, had a little fun the night before. Levi was curled into him and Tristan shifted so that he was facing the demon. He leaned in and kissed his forehead, Tristan was pretty sure the movement would wake Levi. “Morning.” He said to him before getting out of bed to go fetch his clothes, wherever they had gone. After a quick shower Tristan emerged wearing black slacks. They were part of his Halloween costume. He was going as Dracula. Yes haha, but he didn’t even have to put paste on to pale his skin. He was already there.

Was he too old for Halloween? A little yes. He recalled dressing up for the office parties but it was usually him standing alone in the corner feeling like an idiot. The Blake’s were having a party and well, he had Levi so what could go wrong. Tristan draped the rest of his costume on the back of the couch before getting a mug of blood. Though his reflexes were quicker he didn’t want to test it. He wanted his white shirt, white, not stained with actual blood. He could still be clumsy at times so it was best just to not take the chance. He could hear Levi getting up and so he busied himself with his meal, awaiting the demon to join him.

[shadow tempyst]

Asa was standing outside the studio with his hands in his jacket pockets. It was a little nippy out. It didn’t bother him any. His internal heat could burn through the clothes he wore at the moment . . . not that he wanted that to happen. He was sure Skylar would enjoy it, opening the door to find him butt-naked. Ha. The jacket helped him blend in. Though what Desmond had done had kept the Hunters from finding their trails if they spotted them they spotted them. There was no getting around that. So looking like a human and dressing like a human even when he could walk about in a tank shirt and it is in the negatives was how it had to be. It wasn't in the negatives out, just a little nippy. Being close to the water didn’t help the wind and water made it colder. The little human children would be bundle up beneath their costumes tonight.

The dragon heard the lock click as it unlocked and the door knobbed turned. He turned to find Skylar already dressed in her costume. He hadn’t been about to walk across the city looking like a cowboy. He didn’t celebrate costuming or whatever it was. He’d wanted to do this for Octavius though and his new . . . friends. Asa honestly didn’t know what Skylar was but she looked good in it. "Hey." She said, kissing him on the cheek. “Do I look ok?” She asked, twirling around, giving him a 360 look at her costume. Skylar grinned and started to juggle as she waited for his reply. "I can even do tricks!" She said. She stopped juggling and danced with excitement. "Are you hungry or anything? I made one too many waffles this morning." She pointed to a plate of four waffles. Asa glanced inside, eyeing the plate of four waffles. He wasn’t sure those were waffles.

“You look very nice.” Asa said. Immediately he grimaced. He could have said sexy or hot but he still managed to say the lamest word in his vocabulary. “I . . . I mean . . .” He sighed. He was just going to stop. “You fit the part well.” He said, pointing to her juggling balls. He looked again at the waffles, almost forgetting her last question. “I uh . . . no thank you, I ate before I left.” He said. Already he’d butchered a good half of their conversation way to go great and power dragon.

Asa stepped inside when the Kitsune went to go give her makeup another look at, fixing any last minute details. "How is the mer? Better yet....how are you? Things still going okay?" Skylar asked, catching him off guard. "You still sleeping okay? Oh god I sound like your mother..." She laughed with a sigh and shook her head. She grabbed his hand and smiled. "Pay no attention to me!" She twirled around and grabbed the last of what she needed and then danced back to Asa. "Trick or Treat." She grinned and then puckered up her lips and waited for a 'treat'.

The dragon blinked. Skylar was such a whirlwind he wasn’t sure what she was doing half the time. He pulled her in, wrapping his hands around her waist and leaning in to kiss her. Their lips met and there was an immediate roaring in his eyes; the desperate need of wanting more. He couldn’t. He just . . . His lips moved against hers, kiss and path down her neck. He heard her make a sound and he paused, pulling away. “Sorry.” He said, giving her another quick peck on the lips before pulling away. “We better get going, you have everything?”

Once they had left the studio he offered his arm and she took it. “The Mer is doing alright. Without the support of the water he is feeling the heavy burden of carrying a child. His body is not used to it being his first nor is his nature as a mer used to it when they are usually in the water when they carry a child.” He still thought it was weird for a male to carry young but Octavius had said that’s how it could be where he came from. Weird. Just weird. Asa didn’t mention that the child would arrive today. He didn’t want overall panic and excited to consume Skylar or the rest of the party. “Other than that I see a struggle in the birth. I hope everything goes according though.” The dragon didn’t want to see anything happen to Octavius or the baby.

“The task Desmond Blake gave me has become a binding contract it seems. I cannot seem to leave Octavius and the unborn babe’s side for very long without the need to go back to them.” Asa used his free hand to scrub a hand over his face. “It does not anger or annoy me though. It has given me a purpose. I had been running for so long, but now I have you, and them.” The dragon said. “I sleep in the guest bedroom/the nursery, and beneath Octavius’ side of the bed. In their home I don’t have to worry about remaining in human form, I can roam freely as a dragon, or at least a smaller scaled version of my true form.” Asa said. “Things are going well.” He said. It felt like calm before the storm.

“How are you? Is the place working for you? Am I doing alright?” Asa asked. He stopped and looked at her. She was one of many that were already dressed for Halloween. It was dangerous to trick or treat at night in a city so most were already starting their hunt, or at least the parents with younger children. “Actually, don’t answer that last one.” Asa said, feeling foolish for having asked it. They started walking again.