Riding the Lightning

[DeusXX]

All of the glorious buttsex between Alec Olsen and Tyr Amadeus. Except not, cuz then we'll get banned again.
WORTH IT.
LET THE ROLEPLAYING RESUME.*



*minus the buttsex.

Actually, no, still buttsex.

[JLWessica]

xxxALEC CARROLL OLSEN xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He knows just how to hold me

and when his edges soften,

his body is my coffin.

I know he drains me s.l.o.w.l.y

{{{He wears me down to bones in bed}}}
Must be the sign on my head, it says:

"Oh, love me dead!"

You suck so passionately

You're a parasitic, psycho, filthy creature

finger-bangin' my <h.e.a.r.t.3

You've got the mark of the beast
.

You're born of a jackal!

You're beautiful!

__________[✖]__________

Taking the wrapped sandwich , Alec went first for the bottled water, senses alert until the pop-click of the breaking seal. Washing away the taste of iron in his mouth, he slid a finger under the wax wrapping and pulled apart the two slices of bread to expose the innards. He wasn't investigating because he was picky, it was because he felt paranoid—ridiculous, but true. Feeling twitchy and on edge but knowing he wouldn't be able to eat without knowing what was in it, he shifted through the mass of meat and vegetables, tentatively licking what seemed to be a spicy Italian dressing off of his fingertips. Still feeling uncomfortable, even as he acknowledged that Tyr wasn't about to cook everyday—sexual favors or not—and he was going to have to get over eating food made out of his sight eventually. Strained and a bit troubled, leaving the paper spread out across his lap, he broke out in a nervous sweat at the first bite. Trying to rationalize, amusing himself with the thought that even if anything untold happened, Isabelle was the only one around to take advantage of him—not such a tragedy. Alec figured it was probably an amazing sandwich, given the witch's reaction to her own, but he had to choke his down as if it tasted of ashes. Inhaling more than consuming, the human was almost through his meal when Isabelle struck up a conversation.

"Two down, actually. And four more depending on the information and whether one of them is dead or not." Four was what he said, but those were just the names of the hunters he could remember clearly. The real answer was more. It was all of them. Everyone who touched him. Everyone involved. It was until he stopped feeling vulnerable and could no longer remember why he didn't like being the first person into a strange room, or the way sense deprivation made you feel like a child, and the taste of despair like s**t and blood in your mouth. The former hunter had never been prone to violence, only indulging to get the occasional high, situational circumstances, and his chosen profession—okay, so maybe it was quite a bit and not such a stretch of the imagination to leap from vampire hunter to human hunter. And that's what he was now—a creature of vengeance seeking closure. Alec wasn't adverse to who he had become, but he did wonder at what the festering, acidic, burning, filthy, bitter anger and hatred would lead to. Hopefully for every person he bled, the rotting tar of his impotence and rage would rinse away; leaving his hollow, but clean. "It was my pleasure. Thank you for the super-healing."

Catching on to Isabelle's roundabout driving, he kept an eye peeled as he finished the last few bites of his meal. He didn't spot anyone following or playing tail-tag, and it was easy to keep track as the streets were emptying out for the most part. Pleasantly recharged and satisfied by the sandwich, even though he could probably eat another regardless of the apprehension he felt, Alec shifted around and slouched in his seat for a new position as the gun handles dug into his kidneys and spine. The pilfered weapon used a different caliber bullet, so he had only one clip worth of ammunition; but it never hurt to have a different weapon on hand. Coming up to the apartment building, Alec hopped out of the car first, taking the bloodied jacket with him and proceeding to throw it in the trash. He was getting by off of looting and having little to minimum personal expenses, but he didn't want or need the giant, filthy, stolen coat. Keeping moving ,not wanting to linger with the dark splatters of blood across the best and shirt he wore, and the dark stain across the leg of his jeans, the brunette only hesitated to glance back when he felt eyes on him. Seeing Isabelle studying him, focused, he kept his motions smooth and controlled—easy with the cheater healing and the lingering adrenaline and endorphins flittering through his body. Taking the stairs, partially to prove a point but mostly because every bit of cardiovascular and strength training he could engage in was a step towards rebuilding what he had lost in the past two months, Alec lingered at the top of the flight of stairs to take a few deep breaths and shake out the lactic acid buildup in his muscles before continuing straight on into the apartment.

Still a bit twitchy from the fighting and the nerves and his increased heart rate from taking the stairs, he was both soothed and further riled by the sight of Tyr padding out from within the depths of the apartment and heading like an arrow straight for him. Already up on his toes, he met his lover with a sigh and eager lips. Rocking back, eyes opening to be met with a fierce expression of narrowed gray orbs and tight, distorted features, he offered a sly look between satisfaction and challenge in return—not a single contrite or remorseful bone existed in his body. Grateful for Isabelle's verbal intervention and defense, since it led to another kiss instead of a potential argument, he wrapped a leg around the vampire's own and pressed against him with a lithe twist. Riding the edges of pain and blood and healing and the excitement and confidence, he was already full of pounding blood that flooded south once hands curled across his back and that sinful tongue swept into his mouth. Giving just the smallest taste of his wild-edged enthusiasm through the ferocity of his response with teeth and lips, he jerked away after a single hint. Sex was still equivocally out of the question, and would be for at least today and tomorrow, but it was still fun to be a tease sometimes. Especially high on the self-assurance leaching into his body from the well-earned victory and crimson coating his clothing and cooling his skin like a morbid confidence boost. Dancing back, he propped up against the wall next to Isabelle and laughed at the elder vampire's half serious comment about dates and photos. Crossing his arms over his chest, kicking his shoes off towards the door before bringing a foot up against the wall, he leaned in against Isabelle so that his arm and hip brushed against her own.

"Going to have to get used to it. You're not invited to the next date either. And I was thinking..." Head craning to meet Isabelle's gaze and cocked to the side, he addressed the next words at her. "Next week good for you? I'll wake early if you want to pick me up and spend the afternoon together. I still owe you a day's hard labor." Pushing away from the wall, unexpectedly still hungry but suspecting it was a returning appetite as his body repaired and grew and rebuilt, he called over his shoulder as he headed into the kitchen with the intent to make something else to eat. "You still hungry? I'm still hungry." Pausing in his bee-line for the cupboards, Alec lifted an eyebrow at Tyr with a wicked smirk and he spoke with a soft purr in his voice. "Same deal we have in reverse—I'll cook something to eat, for a small price."

__________[✖]__________

[DeusXX]

❂XXXXXXXX T Y R X A M A D E U S

You let me VIOLATE you, ┉↘ you let me DESECRATE you
You let me PENETRATE you, ↙┉ you let me COMPLICATE you
◜♔◞ ◜♛◞ ◜♔◞
(help me) I broke apart my insides, ☸ (help me) I ' v e X g o t X n o X s o u l X t o X s e l l !
(help me) the only thing that works for me, HELP ME GET AWAY FROM MYSELF

As much as Tyr knew well and understood better that Alec was just trying to rile him, he still felt a small prickle of irritation when the hunter strode right back over to the pretty witch and started jokingly flirting. It was all obviously a front, but it still made the vampire's skin crawl even as Isabelle laughed, shook her head, and told Alec that he was "just too much." Tyr felt better when Alec was moving again, worried about the blood staining his clothes but trusting that Isabelle had taken care of it or it wasn't his. It felt a bit more normal to have Alec bouncing around boisterously, making food and cracking jokes and being a flirt and a tease and a pain in the a** and Tyr fell more and more in love with him every second. "You seem to be forgetting, sweetheart, I don't eat," Tyr remarked casually, lazily strolling forward another couple of steps to lean against the counter closer to Alec. "I actually went out for a quick bite to eat myself before you came back, so don't worry about me. I'll be good for another three days at least. Five if I eat...well, actual food. Wait, speaking of, didn't you two stop for food anyway? Isabelle still eats."

"That I do," Isabelle remarked casually, mimicking Tyr's languid, rolling gait to enter the kitchen. She, however, remained standing upright with all of her weight on her feet, which were spread to shoulder's width and were perfectly straight. "We grabbed sandwiches from this cute little Italian deli on the way back. Your sweetheart here was kind enough to pay, cash of course, but a healing body has quite an appetite." The smile on her face and in her eyes told Tyr everything he needed to know: she was as proud of Alec as he was for the strides he was making. He seemed more and more like himself every day, and his body and mind were both recovering well. Ever the sweet charmer, full of smooth confidence and effortless poise, Alec was coming right back to himself, much to Tyr's delight. Isabelle could see it, too, and she was happy. "You should keep him," she remarked softly to Tyr, as if she could sense his thoughts. Her voice was quiet and her language had switched to an older dialect of Norwegian that Tyr picked up effortlessly.

"I'd like to," he replied. "I actually already offered. We agreed to think about it."

The only response he got was a soft, contemplative hum. Then Isabelle turned back to Alec and told him, "If you want to stop by sometime and get out in the sun a bit, see the garden, I'd be more than happy to come pick you up. Any time next week works for me, I don't have anything going on. Tuesday at two o'clock?"

"No, no, go ahead, steal him," Tyr teased, holding his hands up in a mocking show of defeat. "Not like I haven't already placed a pretty definitive claim on that a** anyway. It's fine." Despite the words, however, Tyr swept into the middle of what Alec was doing just long enough to seize his lips in a deep kiss. The lack of facial hair was odd, and he felt his own short scruff on his chin slide against bare skin, smooth and soft, as he melted into Alec's mouth. So sweet...still tasted a bit like the sandwich he'd eaten, but not as repulsive as Tyr always imagined such a taste to be. Just strong and pungent. Not even really offensive. "By all means, go see Isabelle's garden," he said, a smile gracing his features as he pulled back to leave a few inches of space between them and a hand in Alec's lower back. "It'll be good for you to see the sun without violence involved. Tuesday's fine; I trust Isabelle to pick you up and drop you off again in one piece." One last quick kiss as a promise and a token of trust; then Tyr couldn't resist adding, "Go cook. Just remember, food doesn't mean nearly as much to me, so you don't get as much fun. I'll still get you off, but it's not going to be exactly a reciprocating deal."

He left it with a scandalous wink.

my whole existence is { f l a w e d } ↙⇅↗ YOU GET ME CLOSER TO GOD ❂

[JLWessica]

xxxALEC CARROLL OLSEN xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He knows just how to hold me

and when his edges soften,

his body is my coffin.

I know he drains me s.l.o.w.l.y

{{{He wears me down to bones in bed}}}
Must be the sign on my head, it says:

"Oh, love me dead!"

You suck so passionately

You're a parasitic, psycho, filthy creature

finger-bangin' my <h.e.a.r.t.3

You've got the mark of the beast
.

You're born of a jackal!

You're beautiful!

__________[✖]__________

Musing to himself that his entire life he had a voracious appetite for vast amounts of food, not that it was just his body's need for a higher caloric intake as he healed, the mortal figured it had something to do with how warm his body tended to run. High metabolism and all. It was actually quite a struggle for him to gain weight and mass. Once he seriously focused on getting back into shape and exercising strenuously and regularly he would need to eat several substantial meals throughout every day. Gaining muscle was always a pain in the a** for the lean male. At Isabelle's lowered voice, Alec first thought that maybe his hearing was off and he honed in on the words, trying to make sense of the exchange. Quickly realizing that they were having some private exchange in a foreign language—rude—he made up the conversation in his head. Something extremely flattering and referencing his world-renowned skills as a lover and a date. Oh, and definitely giving him permission for whatever tomfoolery and shenanigans he could think to commit. Nodding agreeably at both the imaginary dialogue and the time frame for visiting Isabelle's home, Alec began removing his vest. Fingers dancing over the buttons, he had to peel the cloth back from where it was a bit matted and sticking to his shirt underneath. Until right then he hadn't realized how much the female hunter had bled all over him—although it made sense for how he was pressed up against her but for the swift jerks and stabs making red blossom across her chest and belly. His focus had been on his own health and blood once she was twitching and trying to breath with her nicked lungs filling with fluids—how much blood he had lost and how much he stood to lose. Attention snapping back to Tyr halfway through divesting himself of the article of clothing, Alec couldn't contest the definitiveness of ownership. The only way he could be anymore claimed as a lover was if he were tied spread eagle to the posters of the bed, naked and only allowed up to eat and shower off the sweat and sex. God, he was obviously depraved because the thought was way more of a turn-on than it should have been. Even though he couldn't fight the assertion of ownership, if he were anything but a full grown man of maturity, dignity and self-assurance he would have stuck his tongue out at the elder vampire. As it was he settled for a haughty expression and a straight spine—no shame, no repentance, no argument. If Tyr owned his a**, well, he owned that c**k. And that was a fair bargain in his book.

Arms tangled in the vest that was settled on his elbows, he was caught between trying to wriggle the clothing off and reach forward to settle his hands on Tyr's hips as the taller male swooped down to capture his mouth in a swift and short but brilliantly intimate kiss. Those lips pulled back too soon for his liking and Alec had to admit that he was hopelessly, headily in love. Sure, he was needy after so many weeks without sexual contact—longer than he had gone in a full decade—and it made him easy to arouse and even easier to bring to completion if he didn't fight the sensations. But Tyr just drove him mad with desire. And it wasn't just the sex—as incredible and earth-shattering as each joining was—it was the touching. The contact of skin, lips, fingers, hips; breath and hair and pressure; affection and unexpected normalcy and insightful conversation and the way the other male willingly put up with his bullshit. And not just willingly, but appreciatively—Tyr was actually amused and aroused and challenged by it. If he didn't have the vampire in his life he would have been spending every night at the clubs he typically avoided just for the stimulus to bombard his senses after so long without anything pleasurable or positive or good in his daily life. But where he would need a sea of bodies and the bass rocking and compressing his chest and alcohol and ecstasy and rhythm and energy and lights and the smell of sweat and perfume and spilled alcohol in the club; here he just needed Tyr. Practically mesmerized by the cool touch and the smell of his lover—noticeable now that he had been out and about the town and come back to the apartment so permeated with the presence of the other male—it took his mind a few seconds to catch up with his words.

"Well s**t, I'll still take that arrangement."

Throat thick with desire, curiosity piqued, he shrugged his vest off the rest of the way and started searching through the cupboards for something he could actually cook. For all of his years on his own and as a bachelor he'd never learned or utilized more than the basics of cooking needed to get by. Set him out in the middle of a thousand acre park with nothing but a hunting knife and he could scrounge up a meal. But that was survival, not the careful application of technique, experience, spice, and ingredients needed for a tasty meal. Well, it was a bit late to learn now, so Alec settled for what he wanted to make and had the ingredients for—penne noodles, alfredo sauce from a glass jar, and a can of corn kernels. Cheap college kid whatever-is-in-the-pantry-Friday-night-special. Moving around the kitchen, purposefully circling Tyr and going out of his way to move around the space in such a way as to pass by within close distance, Alec made enough for extra eaters and leftovers. Food typically held so little sway or pleasure that he would eat the same meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day for weeks on end and not get annoyed or bored. Food was a necessity, not a pleasure. But then again, he had never been exposed to fine cuisine or many home cooked meals. Once he was finished, the brunette portioned the steamy, cheesy pasta into several bowls for any other takers. And if it was left untouched, he would cover it with some tin foil and throw it in the refrigerator to reheat later.

"So, I have a new deck of cards to break in. And if you want to stick around, Isabelle, we could figure out how the story:' A vampire, a witch, and a human were all playing a game of game of cards' will end." Letting his bowl of pasta cool down, Alec tugged his shirt off over his head, grimacing at how it pulled at his skin—having begun to dry. "Discuss amongst yourselves—and this time I'll be leaving the room so you don't even need to switch languages."

Only marginally still miffed at being talked over, Alec left the room to go start a load of laundry. If he didn't at least get these bloody clothes soaking, they would be ruined. Ducking into the bedroom to grab a pair of basketball shorts he used to wear to workout in, the slim male stripped down in the bathroom and wiped away the flecks and drops and smears of blood he'd missed during his hasty clean-up at the condo—when and how had his elbow gotten bloody?—and pulled on the shorts before dumping all the filthy clothes into what was already in the washer and pouring an indeterminate amount of soap in before selecting a vigorous, heavy cleaning cycle and starting the washer. Domestic duties over, he came back to collect his bowl of food—entering the room with a raised eyebrow and wondering at what the immortals had decided.

__________[✖]__________

[DeusXX]

❂XXXXXXXX T Y R X A M A D E U S

You let me VIOLATE you, ┉↘ you let me DESECRATE you
You let me PENETRATE you, ↙┉ you let me COMPLICATE you
◜♔◞ ◜♛◞ ◜♔◞
(help me) I broke apart my insides, ☸ (help me) I ' v e X g o t X n o X s o u l X t o X s e l l !
(help me) the only thing that works for me, HELP ME GET AWAY FROM MYSELF

Tyr found himself chuckling as Alec enthusiastically accepted his offer. Clearly the ex-hunter didn't place a lot of stock in the pleasures food could bring if he was willing to trade "less than a b*****b" for a meal he cooked himself and a b*****b for a meal Tyr cooked. And it soon became clear why: Alec didn't bother with artistry or attention to the food, he simply cooked it to the point that it was edible and wouldn't kill him and then ate it. Tyr had chalked up the soup-straight-from-the-can on Alec's first night back for him simply being starved, impatient, and paranoid, but he was noticing a pattern now. "Oh, God, darling," Tyr moaned, seeing the meal Alec had compiled, "I'm going to have to teach you how to cook." Tyr was hardly a master in the kitchen himself, and he didn't have any sort of natural talent. But what he did have was a solid seven centuries of life experience, and he knew some good shortcuts to making things look and taste like they'd taken a lot more effort than they had. Like breakfast the other night. Breakfast food, booze, and sex. That had been a good night.

Watching Alec strip, Tyr almost missed entirely what his lover said. There had to be something seriously wrong with him for him to be staring so intently and so valiantly fighting arousal to see Alec peeling off blood-soaked clothing and seeing slicked but intact skin underneath. Something about how Alec could injure and even kill another person and come out alive and in good enough shape to walk away...it was incredibly sexy to Tyr. He could point his finger at his desire for strength in a partner for now, and blame the odd just-discovered kink on his preference for someone strong and capable. It was a good excuse for the time being. "Oh, stop," Isabelle cut in with a grin as Alec made a comment about their discussions of him. he was correct in assuming the topic of their conversations, and normally Isabelle would hold it quite rude to talk about someone in front of them, but she held that it was far better to do so when it was something positive and something that may start something no one had any intention of finishing that moment. "I'll tell you later, when we have more time to discuss it. I just didn't want to start something now, in case the topic was sensitive between you two. I may stay for cards, though, depending on what you decide to play."

As Alec walked by, clothes in hand, slicked with blood, Tyr couldn't help himself: one arm snapped out, quick as lightning, and gave Alec's rear end a firm pinch. Smirking like an accomplished little troll, Tyr settled back against the counter again, arms folded and weight against the granite. If Alec was still a bit ruffled over the incident, that ought to have taken care of it. Tyr was forced to raise his arms again as Isabelle pummeled him with an attack of the magical nature, conjuring the corn kernels from the bag that Alec had left open and pelting Tyr with them, scolding his childishness in front of a lady as she telepathically directed the tiny pellets at him, guided by a sweep of her hand and a flare of her tattoo. Laughing, Tyr deflected what he could, but allowed Isabelle a few hits. She deserved them, he figured, for two reasons. The first one was that he was a bit immature at times, and probably deserved it. The second was that if she could truly come up with a punishment that good, she deserved to see it coming to fruition and hitting him at least a couple times, because, once again, he did deserve it.

"So, staying or going?" Tyr finally asked, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes as Isabelle's assault came to an end.

"I can stay," Isabelle answered lightly, her gaze more focused on the spilled corn kernels than Tyr as she cleaned up the mess. Another sweep of her hand and a whispered word had the kernels rising into mid-air, shaking a bit but held aloft, and then traveling inanely over to the trash can. Isabelle's entire forearm was alight with glowing blue designs, swirling and flowing in nature, and they danced with a silvery sheen all their own as the witch's magic got to work. "I don't have a hot date tonight or anything, so I'll hang around and watch you two boys act like children." The kernels clattered and clanked as they spilled into the garbage can, abruptly released from their magic hold, and Isabelle's arm fell back to her side as the tattoos faded.

Tyr, for a moment, looked like he was going to protest. Then, he seemed to think better of the accusation and simply shrugged and grumbled a little, with a so-be-it look on his face. Isabelle like to imagine, sometimes, that he actually felt the sheepishness he displayed so perfectly. "Well, you are at least guaranteed some very sexy entertainment. And if you'd like to stay for even more sexiness after the game, I'm sure Alec wouldn't mind-joking, joking!!" Tyr hastily added, seeing the threatening glow of tattoos and hearing the high-pitched rattle of corn kernels beginning to rise again. "I don't share, he's too pretty and I'm too selfish."

"That...might be the most romantic thing you've ever said."

Alec chose then to reappear, dressed only in loose gym shorts and looking appropriately wary and slightly intrigued. Tyr's interest was instantly piqued; Isabelle saw the unabashed stare, rolled her eyes, and informed Alec, "You're dating a seven-hundred-year-old child. That said, we love him anyway, and I'll gladly stay for a game of cards with you two." As Alec grabbed his food and wandered back his way, Tyr threw an arm out and snagged Alec around the waist again. Without much ceremony or fuss he dragged his lover back into his embrace, wrapping both arms around his bare stomach and kissing the back of his neck as he pulled him close. Alec had wiped himself down a bit more, ridding himself of the blood, and his skin was slightly chilled and damp in places where he'd given himself a cursory once-over. Tyr had also heard the washer start, and he was pleased to know that Alec was very capable of figuring it out by himself and getting things done without prompting. God, a bit of independence could go so far!

"Eat first," he said, lacing his fingers together in front of Alec. Just standing there holding him was such a comfort; he loved the intimacy. "Then we'll play. And then I'm teaching you how to cook!"

my whole existence is { f l a w e d } ↙⇅↗ YOU GET ME CLOSER TO GOD ❂

[JLWessica]

xxxALEC CARROLL OLSEN xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He knows just how to hold me

and when his edges soften,

his body is my coffin.

I know he drains me s.l.o.w.l.y

{{{He wears me down to bones in bed}}}
Must be the sign on my head, it says:

"Oh, love me dead!"

You suck so passionately

You're a parasitic, psycho, filthy creature

finger-bangin' my <h.e.a.r.t.3

You've got the mark of the beast
.

You're born of a jackal!

You're beautiful!

__________[✖]__________

He would have snorted at Isabelle calling Tyr a child, but he was too caught off guard at first by the idea that they were dating. Is that what this was? It felt like so much more, but also less—not in a negative way, but in a different way than what dating usually meant. Perhaps there just wasn't a word for what they were, and so that was as close to a label as could be found for the way they teased and ******** and loved and battled. Still, the thought of calling the powerful elder vampire his boyfriend was peculiar enough to make him bark in laughter before he could remember that he had nobody to play awkward first introduction with anyway. There wasn't anyone alive or involved enough in his life anymore, which should have been a relief but mostly it just reminded him of how isolated he was, and how few meaningful connections and relationships he had left. Stirring his food and eating absently, he tossed the other containers into the fridge for later as he responded to Isabelle's decisions to stay.

"Excellent. Can't think of anyone else I'd rather break my new deck in with."

As he was heading to set down the empty bowl he had wolfed down, Alec was pulled in against his lover who was definitely part octopus with the way his arms were so long and somehow managed to be everywhere. Like two magnets, they could never seem to get within close proximity of one another without be pulled together. Enjoying the affection but still full of unbridled energy, he practically vibrated beneath Tyr's hands. Later there would be a crash when he burned off all the excess energy, when his body shifted away from the exhilaration of bloodshed to more normal bodily functions; but for now he shifted from foot to foot and reached back to run his hands up and down the outlines of Tyr's hip and thighs. Leaning back fully into the taller male, laying his head back against his shoulder, Alec turned his face up to speak at him, fingernails scratching lightly at the waistband of the Nordic male's pants.

"So quick to give me the knowledge to get around our deal? I'm an impatient student, so take me on at your own hazard." He could learn with a focus and intensity that some people found fanatical or unnerving, but if he wasn't interested they wasn't a chance of someone making him pay attention. He hadn't spent half a dozen years in college and not graduated with a degree because he didn't take enough classes—he just couldn't be bothered with the topics that didn't interest him. Chin tilted up, eyes narrowing to slits, Alec leaned back into Tyr's body as he impatiently demanding another kiss. The human wasn't growing more accustomed to the personal touches they shared and the desire fading to lesser and lesser physical effects; instead he was coming to expect them. Smirking, pleased that he got the kiss he wanted, Alec leaned away, abs flexing against those folded hands as he stretched his upper body to open and rummage in a nearby drawer he had thrown his deck into earlier that day. At first, he had considered keeping all of his purchases and possessions in his bag, but ******** it—if he was going to be staying here then he was going to find a home for his things. And if his lover and landlord didn't like it, he could move objects around as he pleased. Snatching the deck from the drawer, he pulled the cards out of the box and started shuffling them, the cards dancing back and forth with little chuffs of noise and a skilled, well-practiced ease. Rocking back against the elder vampire, motions subtle but taunting against his groin before stepping away and heading for the kitchen table, Alec dealt out three piles of cards as he challenged both immortals to a game of Egyptian Rat Screw. Not surprised when they both gave him blank looks—maybe it was called something else but he only knew the slang name—he took a minute to explain the rules. Alec also made sure to lean forward on his elbows, back purposefully bent in a low bow so similar to the night before and giving the long-haired male a heated, mischievous glance before he pushed out two chairs for them to sit. The human male had too much energy right then to be able to sit still, so instead of squirming around he opted to stand. Having picked that particular game because he thought the vampire would enjoy it—a main component and often a turning point for the game involving the speed and reflexes needed to slap the deck and steal cards—the game still managed to last quite awhile. Each person controlling and handling their own cards offered the tall, sneaky, definite card-cheater little opportunity to turn the tide in his favor through ill-gotten means.

Having dropped out a few rounds back, Alec meandered off for a minute to grab a lighter and his one remaining card from his old deck. Rick's card. Coming back to the table, the face card held lightly between his fingers as he wafted the smell of pine sap and dirt that still lingered, he stole the deck of cards away from the winner and started to search for the one he planned to replace. At the same time, he wanted to find a suitable card to alter for both Tyr and Isabelle. Some cards represented moments, or adventures, or memories, but some were also the people who passed through his life—and they were often his favorite and the easiest to remember. Finding the King of Spades, he tore it in half and slipped the replacement in—still focused on the deck even as he addressed Isabelle. "I'm thinking some sort of diamond card for you—something jewel-like seems appropriate with the witch-glowing-magic and all. Got a favorite number? Or maybe you want to be the Queen?" Whichever one she picked he planned on warping the plastic coating with the lighter—a reminder of the way she had burned down the house and objects of his captivity.

__________[✖]__________

[DeusXX]

❂XXXXXXXX T Y R X A M A D E U S

You let me VIOLATE you, ┉↘ you let me DESECRATE you
You let me PENETRATE you, ↙┉ you let me COMPLICATE you
◜♔◞ ◜♛◞ ◜♔◞
(help me) I broke apart my insides, ☸ (help me) I ' v e X g o t X n o X s o u l X t o X s e l l !
(help me) the only thing that works for me, HELP ME GET AWAY FROM MYSELF

Tyr was more than happy to indulge Alec as the mortal turned his face up to him, traced his hands down his thighs, and wordlessly demanded a kiss. This one was just too cute and too sweet, and there was nothing Tyr enjoyed more than having him close and affectionate. Well, other than close and horny. But the lines were blurry with them anyway. Contorting in his arms, Alec managed to set aside his empty bowl and grab his deck of cards from the nearest drawer, all while infuriatingly grinding himself against Tyr's pelvis. The vampire could rolled his eyes and groaned in frustration, but instead forced himself to remain static and not let on to Alec just how much the motions got to him. God, that a**...it was a good thing Tyr had his hands firmly locked together in front of Alec, otherwise they would be wandering. And then not only would he have to deal with Alec's reaction, he'd have to deal with Isabelle's, and even if he was enough of an a** to not care what she thought, he'd still have to fend off attacks of a magical nature if he pissed her off enough.

Fortunately, Alec seemed more than happy to move on, and he promptly taught both immortals the rules of Egyptian Rat Screw. Tyr and Isabelle happily dove into the game, both of them using their unique powers to cheat as cards flew. Alec, apparently, was just as energetic and boisterous, because Tyr didn't see him sit down once. He finally excused himself to smoke once Tyr and Isabelle were deep enough into a round that they wouldn't be going anywhere, and Tyr only paused long enough to peck Alec's cheek and tell him to head out onto the balcony. Ah, another reason this apartment was his favorite: no fire escape, but a balcony. Classy, and denied access to just anybody who decided to take the stairs. But Alec came back without smoking, and instead simply held a lighter and a battered card in his hand. The card, Tyr could smell already: it smelled like pine sap and a deck of cards long lost. The mood instantly sobered: Tyr because he recalled, Isabelle because she got the feeling she knew what this was all about. Gladly sweeping the cards into a pile, Isabelle handed them to Alec when he started gathering the deck up. She'd been winning, but didn't care enough to complain about the interruption.

"Babe...where'd that one come from?" Tyr asked softly, leaning forward to rest his forearms on the table. Alec didn't answer immediately; he simply pulled the king of spades from the deck, tore it in half, and slid the new-or old-card in. He spoke then, but he addressed Isabelle. Tyr simply let him have the moment.

"I wouldn't go so far as to claim the queen," the witch mused, "But threes and sevens and sometimes sixes have always been associated with my craft. One of those ought to do. I'm inclined to say seven myself. Perhaps then I could charm it to bring you luck."

Lucky seven, Tyr mused with a slight smile. It suited Isabelle; he liked it. "And since I know where this is going, I will be so bold as to claim the king," he said with a growing smile, reaching out to pluck the deck of cards from Alec's hands, leaving him with only the seven of diamonds. The deck was too new in his hands: too stiff, too crisp, too clean. It wasn't Alec. They'd have to spend some time truly breaking this in. Shuffling idly through the cards, watching the pristine surfaces click by as they snapped against each other and then against his palm, Tyr kept an eye on the cards before the one he'd been eyeing popped up. he would have liked the King of Spades, given that it was the most powerful suite, but it had apparently already been claimed. So Tyr withdrew the card he had his eye on and held it aloft, considering it for a moment.

No, it wasn't right, though. The king of hearts was the suicide king, the one who was pictured with a sword through his own head. It was a compelling image, certainly, but not the strength and dominance Tyr exuded. It was the card of irony. And it was exactly what Tyr had pledged to Alec that he would not do. No, that wouldn't do, not at all. The hearts were a lesser suite anyway. Shaking his head, tucking the card back into the deck, Tyr started pawing through it again, pushing cards from one hand to the other with a thumb to slide them sideways. Ah, yes...now this would work. Ornate in design, and yet so simple at the same time. This card was one of the ones that hadn't been claimed, and it was the most special card in the entire deck. It couldn't be beaten, it could serve two purposes, and it always granted the holder a win. That smile returned, but with an extra hint of mischief this time. Tyr withdrew the card and slapped it face-up on the table, declaring, "Changed my mind. I'll take the Ace of Spades."

my whole existence is { f l a w e d } ↙⇅↗ YOU GET ME CLOSER TO GOD ❂

[JLWessica]

xxxALEC CARROLL OLSEN xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He knows just how to hold me

and when his edges soften,

his body is my coffin.

I know he drains me s.l.o.w.l.y

{{{He wears me down to bones in bed}}}
Must be the sign on my head, it says:

"Oh, love me dead!"

You suck so passionately

You're a parasitic, psycho, filthy creature

finger-bangin' my <h.e.a.r.t.3

You've got the mark of the beast
.

You're born of a jackal!

You're beautiful!

__________[✖]__________

There was no presumption in Isabelle's answer, no egotism or conceit to assume the role of the queen of the diamonds. She didn't want a card of royalty, or high handedness, and Alec realized he should have known better than to make the suggestion. Isabelle was a lady, surely, but not in the way the card would represent. Intrigued by her choice, even though he knew little of the occult she reference, Alec was familiar with seven—lucky number seven. Seven notes, seven days, seven sins. What drew him most was the latter half of her words. A charm for luck? Who would turn something down as nifty as that? Besides, with how many scrapes and troubles he got himself into, he could use a little positive cosmic balance on his side to keep him upright and on the winning side. Hands almost quicker than his eyes, Alec flicked the seven out of the deck with a neat flourish of his finger. "Seven it is. And if you want to help me get lucky, I'm not about to turn you down." Flirting without intent would never get old for the energetic male. There wasn't a single malicious, ill-intended bone in his body for the witch, but he still wondered how far he could encroach before she settled on a response besides amusement. A part of him wondered if he could get her flustered or embarrassed, just because she was so level-headed and in control. It was a pretty tall order to try to make an immortal blush or swallow their own tongue, but Alec was always up for a challenge and Tyr was too shameless to tease into a fluster. He'd have to stick with pocking the proverbial bear with the vampire and focus his efforts on leaving Isabelle tongue tied instead.

His grin at Tyr's choice of a symbol—of course he would want to be king—faded into narrow eyes when the vampire stole the cards from his grasp. Just like the first night they had met, but at least this time he left one behind. Trust or not, love or not, he didn't like the feeling of someone taking the deck. So new and already so greedy. The human owned so few possessions that he always felt overly drawn and attach to what he did have. Not a particularly admirable or venerable trait to be so guarded with his things, but having nothing made you really appreciate what little you did own. Watching Tyr from the corner of his eye, half out of selfishness and half inquisitiveness, he singed the edges of the cards as he melted and warped the plastic covering with the small lighter flame. Still readable, and still able to stand up to the weather, as he never burnt through the protective seal, but still distinctly marking the seven of diamonds. Wrinkling his nose at the wisp of smoke and the unpleasant smell, he waved the card rapidly, the thick stock paper making a soft whoosh in the air before rubbing the pads of his fingers across the surface. Tactile senses absorbing and memorizing the feel, categorizing and honing in on the unique ripple and curl of the card. If nothing else, the smell would remind him.

As he worked on transforming the seven of diamonds, his mind flittered over the possibilities for Tyr to choose. Diamonds—well, it was the one king with an axe and not a sword. Definitely a pagan, barbaric feel there that might appeal to the vampire, and the power and wealth associated with the sharp edged gem. More of a feminine suit, but red for blood. Not a bad choice. Clubs wasn't a bad choice, but not striking. They were not a powerful suit, nor a losing suit. More of a symbol and trouble, but also for being star-crossed. Never a four leaf clover—always three inter joined pips. Alec felt drawn to the suit personally, but it didn't seem to fit the elder vampire. The king of hearts seemed an obvious choice, though there was no way he was ever going to say the other male was king of his heart. It would be amusing to tease Tyr if he chose it though, if for no other reason than that the king was either being stabbed or stabbing himself. Not the most inspiring of symbols, but understandable for their connection. Spades was taken, and Alec wanted to skirt that topic for no other reason than that he didn't like not knowing himself where the card had come from and why. It was one hundred percent and without a doubt Rick's card. Had been for years, and it set his nerves tingling even as he was grateful that he had been reunited with it. Still, Alec didn't like the idea of Tyr mistrusting or trying to take it away out of some misguided sense that it was a threat once he learned how the human had found it. When Alec could figure out the message, he would share. Until then, it was for his private consideration. Sliding the partially melted across the table back to the blonde witch, Alec pulled a chair out and knelt on the seat, leaning over the table at the sound of Tyr's choice. Blinking slowly, stretching out but remaining hovering at the edge of the card, the brunette cocked his head as he considered the choice. Powerful. Death card. A symbol of debts paid. War. The most elaborately designed ace in the deck. And the song. It was from a band that wouldn't typically grab Alec's attention, but he had always remembered a few lyrics for no other reason than that they resonated so strongly. You know I'm born to lose, and gambling's for fools; but that's the way I like it baby. I don't want to live forever, pushing up the ante; I know you want to see me. Read 'em and weep, the dead man's hand again; the only card I need is...

"The Ace of Spades," he whispered, goose bumps breaking out across his body and making him rub at his arms quickly to force the hairs down. "Perfect choice." Taking it slowly, almost reverently, Alec brought it up to his mouth and tapped the card stock against his lips in consideration. Brow furrowing, humming softly to himself, a strike of inspiration had him surging up out of the seat and stalking quick-footed into the kitchen to rummage through the knives until he found a small, sharp paring knife. Pleased, the brunette cut a small slit in the top corner of the card, just a nick and more noticeable to the touch than to the eye. In the same quick efficiency of motion, he used the bull back of the blade to rub away the clotting and quick healing on one of his knuckles. Rude to mess with the patch job after Isabelle had put him back together, but it wasn't fully healed and it was deep enough to bleed immediately. Besides, better to agitate an old wound than to cut open a new one. Pressing the knuckle against the edge of the card, he was pleased when the cut edge exposed the paper fibers enough that the blood soaked in beneath the coating. Like tendrils of roots or smoke billowing through the air, the red spread outward from the sliced edge and colored the white a vivid crimson. Absorbing slowly, only bleeding into the area immediately around the slide corner, Alec just hoped the moisture wouldn't ruin the bonding and make the card unravel. Delighted by the results, grin wide, he grabbed a wad of paper towel from the same role Tyr had turned to when Alec tore his piercing out, and pressed the crumpled wad against his finger before coming back over to the table to proudly display the beginnings of his new deck.

"Good start. Just forty nine more to go!" Having a fully altered deck again would be great, but half of the fun was the journey and people that the cards changed for. "I feel like we should have a drink to celebrate, but drinking with a vampire is rough business. Nobody can keep up, and I might have to call defeat for a few nights at least." Besides, with the mood he was in he'd probably be a manic drunk and do something even more our of control that his usual lack of control.

__________[✖]__________

[DeusXX]

❂XXXXXXXX T Y R X A M A D E U S

You let me VIOLATE you, ┉↘ you let me DESECRATE you
You let me PENETRATE you, ↙┉ you let me COMPLICATE you
◜♔◞ ◜♛◞ ◜♔◞
(help me) I broke apart my insides, ☸ (help me) I ' v e X g o t X n o X s o u l X t o X s e l l !
(help me) the only thing that works for me, HELP ME GET AWAY FROM MYSELF

"Babe, you don't need help getting lucky, you've got me."

The words, teasing and cheeky, slipped out before Tyr had any idea they'd even popped into his head. Isabelle, mouth open to respond, gave up as a crippling wave of laughter rolled over her, breaking her down first by way of a strangled snort and then by means of a symphony of peals. Isabelle's laughter sounded like wood and glass wind chimes, very natural and light and floating. It made a person want to smile as well, seeing the radiance that shone from within her. Her attitude was contagious, and her demeanor was inspiring. She was every bit a creature of the light in these moments, especially compared to Tyr. Even when he chuckled with true mirth, Tyr was a creature entirely born from and into the dark. There was always that spark of danger, the unspoken promise of something more. He was simply full of mischief and fire, ready to ignite at the slightest spark. But Isabelle was the polar opposite. She was a calming presence to Tyr's inflammatory one, a healing balm to Tyr's caustic, biting nature. And she was all the more beautiful for it in these moments.

She took the card from Alec with a sympathetic, knowing smile, and held it face-up on one palm while the other traced invisible symbols across the face. Tyr took to watching her as Alec took the Ace of Spades and disappeared into the kitchen. Thinking about what Alec could possibly be doing to it would only make his head spin, and it wasn't worth it for an answer he'd get in seconds anyway. Isabelle kept her voice low and her tone light as she spoke in ancient tongues long lost, murmuring incantations over the card and still making those patterns with her finger. Both of her hands were glowing blue with her tattoos, and they were slowly snaking up her forearms the longer her spell went on. The markings on her flesh continued to glow with phosphorescent light, shining bright with magic as Isabelle wove her spell. It was enrapturing, Tyr thought, watching her spin her magic. At one point, Isabelle lifted her hand, fingers splayed, above the card, and little tiny sparkles and tendrils of blue fell from her hand to the surface of the card. A smile actually broke Tyr's face at this: seeing such gleeful, innocent magic was a treat indeed.

Alec returned just in time to catch it if he was watching. It was only his motions that drew Tyr's eye and in turn his attention, and the scent of blood hit his nose. Tyr was like a Great White Shark with his sense of smell: he could pinpoint a single drop of blood a mile away. And Alec's smelled just as musky and delicious as the rest of him. Resisting the urge to reach out and lick the beading red from Alec's knuckle, Tyr noted the tiny smear of matching crimson at the corner of the card. Of course, he thought with a crooked grin: the one thing that was so shared between them, and at the same time, so restricted. So sacred and yet so pivotal. Alec had chosen well for the markings of the cards. Sliding the deck back to Alec, Tyr pushed it aside just in time for Isabelle to finally finish her spell and tuck the card back in, smiling slightly as she did. "That will bring fortune and god luck upon you so long as you carry it," she told him. "And it will reject anyone else who touches it. If it is taken up with innocent intentions or lack of knowledge, it will bring them no harm. But if it is stolen, from the moment they touch it, even if it is returned, it will bring seven years' bad lack."

Pushing the chair back from the table, still smiling, Isabelle paused briefly to toss her head and knock her golden waves back over her shoulder. "Well, I should get going," she concluded, straightening her shirt as she stood, moved to stand behind the chair, and pushed it back under the table. "I have to go tend to a rather volatile potion sitting in my fridge. You boys have a good night. Thank you for the game, Alec."

"Good night, Isabelle," Tyr replied, standing as well. Every ounce of him, despite the long time sitting, unfurled with the grace of a big cat. "Thank you for all your help this evening."

"You are more than welcome. Alec is a sweetheart, it's my pleasure."

"Believe me...it's mine as well."

Tyr received a swat to his arm for his troubles, even as he opened the door for Isabelle and graciously showed her out. As the witch exited the apartment, Tyr shut and locked the door behind her, and almost immediately returned to Alec. His pretty lover was still standing at the table, playing absently with his cards...and still shirtless, dressed only in loose shorts. The line of his body was depressingly lean, but still somehow pleasant to look at. Tyr liked to think it was only because nothing could make Alec look ugly. "So, sweetheart," he started conversationally, sidling up to Alec and trailing a hand across the small of his lover's back. The heat coming off of Alec was still incredible, even with him mostly clothes-less and Tyr's touch far too chilly. Tyr paused on the opposite side he'd approached from, letting his arm rest in the hollow of Alec's back right before it swelled out into the perfect curve of his rear. His arm curled possessively around Alec's waist, with his hand boldly splayed across Alec's abdomen. "A lucky card, a bloody card, and an original card. I think you've got a good deck. Alcohol won't help, though, we'd end up with you vomiting and me laughing and sex somewhere in between because it's us. So, got any other plans for the night?"

my whole existence is { f l a w e d } ↙⇅↗ YOU GET ME CLOSER TO GOD ❂

[JLWessica]

xxxALEC CARROLL OLSEN xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He knows just how to hold me

and when his edges soften,

his body is my coffin.

I know he drains me s.l.o.w.l.y

{{{He wears me down to bones in bed}}}
Must be the sign on my head, it says:

"Oh, love me dead!"

You suck so passionately

You're a parasitic, psycho, filthy creature

finger-bangin' my <h.e.a.r.t.3

You've got the mark of the beast
.

You're born of a jackal!

You're beautiful!

__________[✖]__________

Light streamed and crawled up Isabelle's hands and arms, growing and creeping and expanding like ivy growing up a brick facade. The witch glowed like gems and stars and the way sunlight streams through the thin skin of your eyelids and illuminates the veins. It was beautiful like fireflies and sea creatures with phosphorescent illumination and Alec was astounded all over again; the slow-release energy absorbing and radiating and re-emitting light. She was radiant, and kind, and understanding and the human was looking forward to spending an afternoon in her garden. Even if he didn't usually pick such normal, calm situations and interactions, he could appreciate the quieter but equally amazing moments in life. Not even Alec could run full tilt on adrenaline all day every day without some peace and respite. Gathering the cards into his palms, pads of his fingers skimming the edges, he considered the potential benefits of having good luck. What was good luck, anyway? Was luck what took him through so many dire situations when skill faltered and failed? Or was luck longer than a single instant, like the way his feet had followed a path that could have split in a million other directions but brought him right here, to this moment where a bare acquaintance healed his wounds and he found a love so tempestuous and deep and darkly thrilling that nothing could ever compare. Regardless, what really had his lips twitching up into a grin was the idea of a punishment for anyone who took the deck from him. Having lost the other after a decade of experiences and people and travels, he was especially pleased by the notion that even if this one was also stolen, the thief would rue the day with seven years of misfortune. Viciously gleeful, he sobered up a bit at the announcement that Isabelle was leaving. Something about her presence made him feel both soothed and simultaneously energetic and in high spirits. Almost like the sun or a steamy shower—invigorating and wonderful, but the heat could melt tension right out of you and make you lethargic and serene. It was nothing to the lust and love and twisting, serpentine desire that made up hi regard for Tyr, but he was sad to see her go.


"Nice win by the end there, Isabelle . Have a good night, and I look forward to spending Tuesday with you."


Lingering by the kitchen table as the two immortals headed for the door, Alec playfully began an elaborate icarus sequence with the cards, enjoying the familiarity and the nimble finger motions and his mind straying a bit as he reminisced. Eyes distant, thoughts idle, he fooled around with the deck of cards to get a familiarity with the tightly packed, clean edges so different from the worn, sap covered cards from before. Sharp and clean and desperately in need of further alterations—although the firm, straight lines made it easier for little flourishes and tricks. Jumping slightly at the cool touch across his back—he hadn't paid enough attention to hear the other male's approach—the distracted male almost screwed up the card flicker he was working on. Tossing the deck onto the table, he let the last one flutter to the surface as he was wrapped in firm, steely arms. "It's a good start. And no plans—I'm done with plans for now. Just going to see where the night takes me." Left to his own devices, he would probably take to investigating every last nook and cranny of the apartment. Maybe clean his gun and get a stronger familiarity with the internal parts, or call that emergency contact sitting in his phone just begging to be dialed. "And I'm glad you liked the picture I sent. It was either that or a picture of Isabelle and I eating sandwiches so you would stop worrying. But now, what about you?" Alec liked the audacious touch, the solid grip and the enraptured feelings that swirled through his chest, but he kept his features clear of his enjoyment and his reaction subdued. Even his voice was smooth. "Anything you want to do tonight?" Keeping still, neither moving into the embrace nor moving away from it, only the slight increase in speed and little palpitations in his heart beat gave away the anticipation and pleasure he always experienced at Tyr's touch. "Still wanting to teach me how to cook instead of reaping the rewards of cooking yourself?"

Leaning heavily on one leg—healed or not he could still feel the twinges of the nerves where the knife had scraped to the bone, flesh newly mended and melded together—Alec wiped his slightly oozing, bloody knuckle off against his exposed hip bone and he tucked both thumbs into the waistband of his loose, comfortable shorts in a cocky, assured stance. God, he loved the feel of Tyr draped over the warmth of his body, hands against his skin and the endless possibilities—how unpredictable and mercurial the other male could be. How even complacent and relaxed there was always that sense of menace and peril just beneath the vampire's surface—like a raging river frozen over. Crossable, but never safe. Alec still couldn't get over how perfect the Ace of Spades was as a choice for his domineering, powerful lover.

__________[✖]__________

[DeusXX]

❂XXXXXXXX T Y R X A M A D E U S

You let me VIOLATE you, ┉↘ you let me DESECRATE you
You let me PENETRATE you, ↙┉ you let me COMPLICATE you
◜♔◞ ◜♛◞ ◜♔◞
(help me) I broke apart my insides, ☸ (help me) I ' v e X g o t X n o X s o u l X t o X s e l l !
(help me) the only thing that works for me, HELP ME GET AWAY FROM MYSELF

No plans? That was disappointing. Tyr had been looking forward to hearing some cheeky remark about Alec's ideas for walking around half-naked for the remainder of the evening, maybe even putting on a more intentional show. What could he say? He was insatiable. Something told Tyr that Alec was, however, and that not only was he sore from their previous activity, he was probably feeling the fight a little as well. Those knuckles looked bad, but Tyr fully trusted that Isabelle had seen to them. She'd patched up his hip, from the looks of it, and the rest was superficial. Tyr knew Isabelle hated having to mend wounds, because then the body grew accustomed to having everything healed for it and lost the ability to do so on its own. The hip must have been very bad for her to actually heal it as opposed to stopping the bleeding and perhaps reinforcing or guiding some tendons, ligaments, and muscles to heal in the correct place. Tyr's hand slowly drifted down, following his train of thought, to rub at the newly-healed skin. It was flawless, like it never even happened. Isabelle had done a nice job.

The feel of Alec leaning into him plus the coy inquiry as to what his own thoughts were on plans for the night had Tyr's head moving in an entirely new direction. No, no, he scolded himself. Not tonight. Come to think of it, had they ever once spent time together without it resulting in intimacy? Even when Alec had first been delivered back into his arms, filthy with his own blood and the grime of his captors, broken and bleeding and skittish and afraid, they'd ended up tangled in each other's bodies breathlessly professing love for each other. They didn't really know how to do the cutesy couple-y sort of stuff, but perhaps an attempt at intimacy without the physicality might be nice. "I'm thinking," Tyr started slowly, resting his cheek against Alec's shoulder. God, the heat! Sinful! "that maybe we try something...simple tonight. Split a bottle of vodka over a movie or something. I'm feeling strangely affectionate tonight, and now that I'm thinking about it, we've yet to do anything like that. It might be nice to just be...innocent for a change, no? Keep things interesting."

Although, teaching Alec to cook could be just the thing they were looking for. Not so fluffy and sweet as to be tooth-rotting, but it held that blissfully-innocent flare that Tyr was looking for that evening. And there could definitely still be booze involved. Tyr cooked with wine plenty often...but after a few glasses he tended to forget why he was in the kitchen. "You know what, I am teaching you to cook tonight, and it's going to be ******** adorable," Tyr declared, trying not to think about how Alec's hands were now pulling at the waistband of his shorts. He really just needed to stop being so sexy, because it was really doing a number on Tyr's self-control. Once again, he found his head spinning at just how low a mere mortal could bring him. When Alec's weight shifted under his hands, settling mostly in his uninjured leg, Tyr moved his hand to once again massage the sore muscle. "Helping or hurting?" he asked, bringing his other hand to rest on the opposite hip. This was what he wanted, really: just...this.

my whole existence is { f l a w e d } ↙⇅↗ YOU GET ME CLOSER TO GOD ❂

[JLWessica]

xxxALEC CARROLL OLSEN xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He knows just how to hold me

and when his edges soften,

his body is my coffin.

I know he drains me s.l.o.w.l.y

{{{He wears me down to bones in bed}}}
Must be the sign on my head, it says:

"Oh, love me dead!"

You suck so passionately

You're a parasitic, psycho, filthy creature

finger-bangin' my <h.e.a.r.t.3

You've got the mark of the beast
.

You're born of a jackal!

You're beautiful!

__________[✖]__________

As Tyr began speaking, head coming to rest against his exposed shoulder, Alec nuzzled against him and sniffed at his hair. Maybe it was strange, but he liked the way people's hair could hold such an assortment of scents; from their last shower to the little nuances of where they had been that day. He loved the feel of the silky hair against his lips and the clean, but smoky scent that had him breathing deeper and fuller to pull more of it into his lungs. The human wasn't so sure about splitting a bottle of booze though—it would need to be more along the lines of the elder vampire drinking all of it and he would kiss those lips to get a taste. Still a part of him craved the unadulterated, painful burn and the comfortable fire it lit in his veins. Paired with the gentle numbness and blurred thoughts, sprawled out across his lover as the sun rose, he might be able to keep avoiding the claws and teeth of the darkness that lurked on the edge where light died and shadows bred in his mind. The slim male was surprised that he managed to sleep so soundly through every night given the unfamiliarity of sharing a bed, the oddity of the location, and the little fractures in his brain that he was still trying to patch. It was a testament to his subconscious level of trust and safety he felt that even in his most vulnerable moments of sleep he was comforted and soothed and calmed by just his lover's presence. Certainly the inebriation and general exhaustion helped, along with his headlong leaps and disregard for danger and reasonable caution—but still, to sleep so blissfully and fully each night since he gained freedom was nothing short of astonishing. Tyr's suggestion for a movie piqued his interest as it has been years since the last time he watched one all the way through. The closest he came was wandering through the apartment while his roommate had something on, and the more he considered it the more he liked the idea—especially if they could find some shitty vampire movie to watch. It could be fun to laugh at the scornful parts, and grow silent at the more intense, relatable moments that rang true. Tyr's sudden flip in decision made him chuckle though; the absolute determination to do something normal, something simple, something [******** adorable' as the elder vampire so eloquently phrased it.

"I give it thirty minutes of being cute before you break."

Voice gruff, Alec turned his face away from view as he felt his cheeks grow hot. Flushed red at his lover's desire to spend time together doing something so simple, so innocent. Sure, Alec liked to think he was a fun guy to hang out with but it always led to sex, or revolved around sex, or had something to do with sex—not just spending time together. Sexual overtures he handled like a pro, never batting an eye at the most forward or presumptuous suggestions. He flushed with passion sometimes, or anger, but this—god, he was actually feeling a bit self-conscious and embarrassed. Brazen responses failed him in this moment, and he felt stupid for being so affected by just the strong resolve to be wholesome together—or at least as pure as the two of them could manage, for as long as they could manage. Glad his face was turned away, his voice was still a deep rumble as he responded to the vampire's question. "It doesn't hurt, it just feels like it should." Phantom pains of a wound no longer there, but his mind and nerves still sent flickering, unsure messages like a warning. Not wanting Tyr to stop, the press of palm and thumb and fingertips a delight and a pleasure, Alec placed his hand over the other male's wrist and held it against his hip with the slightest of pressure. The skin felt new—not raw, but exposed. Thin. Sensitized. The cool touch was comforting, even as the close proximity and the concentration of sensation made pleasure roll temptingly through his veins.

"So what do you want to make, chef master?"

If he actually wanted to keep this interaction from devolving into sweat and heat and tongues and losing clothes, he needed to move away from Tyr now. Getting some distance from that hand he had just been urging on and pressing against himself, Alec moved away and deeper into the kitchen; reaching out to drum his fingers against the countertop as he paused to mentally consider the ingredients they currently had access to. Muffins might not be a bad idea. They kept for a few days, he was rotten at baking, and you could throw anything in the mix, right? Berries or nuts of whatever. Good use of the more random foods in the cupboards and fridge. "What are you going to teach me to make? Or are we just covering techniques here?" This was going to be a s**t show, Alec could already tell. His focus wasn't going to last, because he didn't really care if it tasted great. It was food. You ate it. You survived. Anything more than that was just hedonism. Even if those rich pancakes, and the fluffy eggs, and that crackling, hot, greasy bacon had been divine, it would have been just as filling without whatever Tyr did to made it so delicious. Just like sweets—they didn't help you build muscle, the energy they provided was stunted and double-edged, and they usually left him just as hungry. Besides, cooking was so time consuming—not to mention the dishes. Better to make a single meal with plenty of extra servings for the next few days worth of meals and go from there. The only potential he saw here was maybe crafting a delicious meal that would tempt the vampire so he could reap the rewards of their agreement—one meal, one ********. "You should show me how to make what you like, because I'm more likely to cook something good for you than I am for myself."

__________[✖]__________

[DeusXX]

❂XXXXXXXX T Y R X A M A D E U S

You let me VIOLATE you, ┉↘ you let me DESECRATE you
You let me PENETRATE you, ↙┉ you let me COMPLICATE you
◜♔◞ ◜♛◞ ◜♔◞
(help me) I broke apart my insides, ☸ (help me) I ' v e X g o t X n o X s o u l X t o X s e l l !
(help me) the only thing that works for me, HELP ME GET AWAY FROM MYSELF

Tyr leaned into Alec as his lover shamelessly nuzzled into his hair. From the sound of his breathing, it was the smell that had Alec enraptured, the smoky, ashy scent that was Tyr at the moment. In times of anger or passion, he would smell more like a live fire rather than the embers of the coals, but for now, he was mellow, quiet, and content, smelling like a dormant flame rather than a raging one. Alec's scent didn't change much with his emotions, Tyr noted: his natural odor and the aroma of his emotions simply mixed rather than blended. One could smell the passion within his own scent, or could pick out the lust from his essence, or note the anger coloring his aroma. Whereas with Tyr, one could only sense the change in scent itself. Right now, there was nothing but a wave of calm wafting through the air. This was a strangely-tender moment between these two beings, both highly combustible and highly explosive. As passionate people, they tended to run hot and react even hotter. To have a moment so innocent as this was a rarity, and was cherished.

Alec's comment about the time limit he gave it earned a snicker from Tyr. It probably wouldn't last as long as he wanted it to, but he was hellbent on the effort. They were trying, and that was final! Alec said he was game, but his body suddenly throbbed with heat and emitted a pulse of embarrassment-and Tyr almost laughed. This man, stronger than any mortal Tyr had ever encountered, had no idea how to handle himself in a more affectionate scenario. Wickedly kinky sex wasn't a problem, but apparently cooking lessons were. At least his hip wasn't bothering him-if Alec's word was to be trusted. "'Like it should?'" Tyr repeated skeptically, pressing firmly on a smooth cord of muscle to push the tension out of it. "Does that mean you've reverted from 'excruciating pain' back to 'the normal aches and pains' or just 'it's healing so it's sore but it'll be fine tomorrow?'" And he really did have to be that specific. He didn't trust the vague wording, especially given Alec's phobia of medical care. Maybe he'd see if he couldn't get a bit of the leftover healing potion Isabelle had made so long ago back into Alec's body. Chances were he'd be kicking and screaming, but it was worth a shot, wasn't it?

"Babe, you act like I'm highly skilled in the kitchen," Tyr snickered as Alec finally broke away and began meandering around the kitchen, opening cabinets and browsing the ingredients available. "I've just been alive long enough that I know the cheats and I know how to get the most nutrition with the best taste. Trust me, when you get booted out into the real world without takeout food at your disposal, you learn very quickly how to make things taste good." It was simple, at least to Tyr. He didn't have as much to worry about, but all Alec had to do was do this three times a day instead of three times a week. it shouldn't be too hard, or so Tyr figured. He still wasn't quite sure of the depths of Alec's laziness and/or apathy towards food. Alec even said it himself as he wandered around, poking into things and generally being nosy: he would probably care if he was cooking for himself and Tyr, but if he was cooking for himself, he'd do something quick and easy for convenience's sake.

Snagging Alec's wrist as he ambled past again, Tyr sighed and shook his head, wondering how Alec managed to keep himself alive for so long. "Start with what's most important right now," he said, tugging Alec after him as he went to the freezer. He already knew what he going to make-or persuade Alec into making-and it was straightforward and simple. And hopefully good enough that even Alec could be convinced to spend a few extra minutes cooking it. "So, right now, you want to rebuild muscle mass. Protein comes first, and then you're going to want essential vitamins and minerals that you'll likely find in plants. So, this...and this." Withdrawing two plastic bags from the freezer, Tyr handed the bag that covered the styrofoam tray of steak to Alec and took the bag of frozen broccoli himself. "Normally I'd throw some sort of carbohydrate in there so you've got energy tomorrow because I know you're going to do something that requires it, whether it be as beneficial as working out or as hare-brained as another murder and interrogation, but you covered that well enough that I'm going to skip it for now."

Moving to the counter, Tyr set the food down and immediately bent to start the oven. "Start with what cooks the longest. So, the meat. I prefer my meat as rare as I can safely make it, because even if it'll be gone in a week or two, I still don't like tapeworms. Beef of any kind usually needs to be at least one-eighty Fahrenheit in the middle to be acceptable. Seriously, just put it in a pan with some sort of marinade and let it cook like that. It takes five minutes, and you'll be more inclined to eat it because it tastes like food and not like blood." Demonstrating, Tyr pulled a bottle of salad dressing out of the fridge as well as a few spices from the cabinets. After covering the bottom of the pan with the dressing and spices, Tyr simply dropped a few slices of the steak into the pan and stuck the whole thing in the oven. "Vegetables just go in the microwave with a tiny bit of water at the bottom. And that's dinner. It's not hard, I promise."

After washing his hands to get the raw steak juice off, Tyr put half the bag of frozen vegetables in the container and stuck that in the microwave, handing things off to Alec and directing him to where they went. There needed to be a tiny bit of participation involved, even if Alec had no clue how to cook. It still blew Tyr's mind how someone could be nearly thirty, living on their own for likely ten years or more, and still not have the most basic idea of how to prepare food. It had taken him about ten minutes to put everything together, and while granted it would take a few more than that to cook, Alec could always keep himself busy in the future with whatever else he decided to add to the meal. But for the moment, they could amuse themselves with each other. That was all the fun of living with someone-taking advantage of their company to make mundane things interesting. As a finishing touch, Tyr withdrew a bottle of wine from the back of the refrigerator as well as two glasses from the top shelf of another cabinet. He poured out two full glasses, handed one to Alec, and then set the bottle down in favor of his own glass.

"Just because I can."

my whole existence is { f l a w e d } ↙⇅↗ YOU GET ME CLOSER TO GOD ❂

[JLWessica]

xxxALEC CARROLL OLSEN xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He knows just how to hold me

and when his edges soften,

his body is my coffin.

I know he drains me s.l.o.w.l.y

{{{He wears me down to bones in bed}}}
Must be the sign on my head, it says:

"Oh, love me dead!"

You suck so passionately

You're a parasitic, psycho, filthy creature

finger-bangin' my <h.e.a.r.t.3

You've got the mark of the beast
.

You're born of a jackal!

You're beautiful!

__________[✖]__________

"More like, I expect it to hurt because I'm not used to having a glowing woman touch me and then I'm all better. It doesn't hurt, it's just...fresh." Excruciating pain was a bit much. Besides, he was all healed—not even a scar—and still Tyr was worrying. Hopefully he was reassured now. At least the vampire dropped it for now, grabbing a hold of him and leading him across the kitchen as the lesson began. Alec had a good understanding of the nutrition his body needed, but he didn't interrupt the explanation. In his whole life nobody had taken the time to want to teach him something of this nature, and he was more than willing to keep his mouth shut and pick up what information was being provided. Alec's parents had left the picture at a young age and his aunt and uncle had been distant as parental figures. He'd left home barely a teenager and never turned back. Even as a college kid he had floated from house to house, often crashing on couches between disappearing for months on one adventure or another. Living as a vampire hunter had been the most stable and longest lasting era of his life. The brunette was a survivor, comfortable with living hand to mouth and getting by on little more than the basics. He occasionally enjoyed the luxuries in life, but he didn't seek them out, and he didn't put any extra effort in for them. Really, he was more likely to spend time and effort on clothing rather than dinner.

Leaving home too early to learn how to cook, never settling long enough to improve, the human had focused on other parts of life and always would. It was interesting to watch though, and making this sort of meal on his own would be a great deal more cost effective when this type of food craving struck. He was particularly interested to note the use of dressing, which he'd only ever used on salad. He liked italian dressing, and it would be easy enough to throw it on some chicken and into the oven. Already he was trying to work in how this could fit into his normal food preparation. A small smile was on his face as he moved under Tyr's direction, responding diligently and with sincere little 'yes sirs' and moving about the kitchen with a growing comfort. Eating fruits and vegetables raw with pasta or bread and the occasional boiled egg, prepackaged protein bards and nuts had taken him this far in life, but a hot meal might be nice on the nights he had extra time and the inclination. Especially on chilly, wintery nights there weren't many simply pleasures more enjoyable than a filling, hot meal when you had a bone-deep chill and a cramping stomach.

Running out of direction with all the pieces of the meal in its respective locations, he hesitated in the middle of the room and watched as Tyr easily pulled some glasses from a top shelf that Alec would have been hard pressed to reach without a chair or leveraging up onto the counter. Damn tall a** elder vampire. Coming closer, taking the stem of the wineglass with a bit of enthusiasm—he'd never tried wine before—Alec sniffed discreetly before taking a healthy mouthful. It was sweet, but not a candy-sugary flavor; instead thick and rather fruity. Rolling his tongue around his mouth and against his cheeks, chasing the slight aftertaste of alcohol, he took another smaller sip. Stifling his laugh against the glass rim, licking away a stray drop as Tyr claimed his own glass, Alec reached out to twirl the wine bottle around and skim the label curiously. "It's too bad it won't get you drunk. Would be fun to take advantage of your inebriated state." Raising an eyebrow suggestively, he broke out in a grin after a second, feeling light in his chest and playful. "So this isn't a necessary component of the cooking process then?" He teased, taking another drink—it was practically juice—and setting the bottle back down level. Stepping in close, he tapped his wineglass against Tyr's lightly but firmly enough for a solid tink before raising it in a small salute to his lover. "To being ******** adorable." And he downed the rest of what Tyr had poured for him. It really was delicious, and an entirely different experience from beer or liquor. Beer was good to get buzzed, liquor was good to get drum, but this was plain delicious and not just a means to mental fuzziness.

"So then, tell me...." Alec mused, wondering what sort of question he should ask. After all, this was supposed to be innocent fun, couple stuff, something beyond their usual. He had considered truth or dare but it seemed a bit juvenile and might turn sexual pretty quick, so he would stick to the what if game and questions. "When was the last time you were drunk? Legless. In the wind." In the back of his mind, Alec was wondering with an intense curiosity what Try would be like drugged or intoxicated. Particularly with some of the more sensory intense drugs like ecstasy. He couldn't quite wrap his mind around the thought though, with how in control the other male typically was.

__________[✖]__________

[DeusXX]

❂XXXXXXXX T Y R X A M A D E U S

You let me VIOLATE you, ┉↘ you let me DESECRATE you
You let me PENETRATE you, ↙┉ you let me COMPLICATE you
◜♔◞ ◜♛◞ ◜♔◞
(help me) I broke apart my insides, ☸ (help me) I ' v e X g o t X n o X s o u l X t o X s e l l !
(help me) the only thing that works for me, HELP ME GET AWAY FROM MYSELF

With the food all in its respective places and well on its way to cooking, they had a few minutes to relax. The wine was top-shelf, sweet and red, and went down smoothly enough that the bite of alcohol didn't even register. Tyr was picky about his wines, typically preferring liquor of stronger qualities such as whiskey, scotch, rum, or even gin on occasion. What could he say, he was an old soul. When he got a taste for wine, which didn't happen often, he wanted something velvety-smooth and just sweet enough to satisfy a craving but not sweet enough to be sickening. Alec seemed to like it; clearly he'd never had it before, judging from the over-long tasting and the working of his mouth, but given the second swallow he enthusiastically took and the glance at the label on the bottle, he liked it. Returning the toast with a simple gesture, merely a raised glass, a spark in his eye, the hint of a smirk, and a shallow nod, Tyr mimicked Alec's actions and downed the rest of the glass in one shot. "To being ******** adorable." Really, though, this sounded like the setup to a bad joke: a hunter an a vampire walk into a kitchen...

Tyr felt another smile creeping up on him at the thought. Instead of indulging it, he let the faint beginnings of it linger as he poured himself another glass and then topped off Alec's and moved on to the questions he'd been posed with. "Don't be fooled, I do cook with wine," he started, "I'm not nearly as good at it as my friend is, she's Italian, and let me tell you, they know wine, but I do cook with wine. As for the last time I was drunk, I'm going to break your pretty little heart and tell you that it was several centuries ago. My mother decided I needed to be knocked down a few pegs and she drank me so far under the table..." He shook his head at the memory. But despite the apparently-rueful gesture, that playful spark was back in Tyr's eyes and the smirk was returning to his lips. "It took several gallons of alcohol but we did it. We got me drunk. Didn't even faze her and she matched me drink-for-drink. She just wanted to toss it in my face that even at three hundred odd years I was still kind of a punk. She succeeded. That woman is a sadist and she is good at holding her booze."

It wasn't enough, though, and he knew just by looking at Alec, with his own s**t-eating grin, that he was going to be getting requests for stories and demands for details. And since he couldn't say no to Alec, he might as well get ahead of it. "I'm pretty sure the United States didn't exist yet. We were in Mexico together for some God-awful unknown reason, and I was just dying to get my hands on real, authentic tequila." Pausing, Tyr set his glass on the counter to his right. With both hands free, he easily popped up onto the counter to sit on the smooth granite surface, bottom sliding back across it with the barest scrape of jeans on polished stone. Just then, the microwave beeped; Tyr reached over, pulled the door open, and then shut it just as promptly. That could sit for a minute or two; the meat still had a little while to go. "Anyway, we found this liquor store, real sketchy even at that time, and we bought a ton of tequila. Just a ton. I don't remember too much, except being surprised that my dear old mother spoke fluent Spanish.

"So we found this old, abandoned stone...cabin, hut, whatever in the woods. Or, Mexico's version of the woods. Again, the details are a little hazy. So my dumb a** tells her that I can out-drink her. I'd kind of hit the vampire equivalent of puberty, where you know everything and you're invincible and you're just the s**t. So she laughs and takes me up on it. Let me tell you, we just took shots one after another matching, no chasers, no mixers, nothing. It took all damn night, close to six hours of drinking, and I finally started to get a little fuzzy. So she breaks out the big guns to finish it off and I do not remember anything besides looking at that s**t and thinking I'd rather drink piss, and then smelling it and deciding I hated how I was always right. I got very pink and fuzzy after that. I get happy when I'm drunk, everything's hilarious." Finally shrugging and picking up his wine glass again, Tyr reclined his shoulders and head against the cabinetry behind him and took a sip of the blood-red liquid. "Now it probably wouldn't take anything less than an entire silo of moonshine to get me even tipsy, so unfortunately there will be no taking advantage of my inebriated state for you. Which is a pity, until you realize that drinking certain types of blood is basically getting high for me."

my whole existence is { f l a w e d } ↙⇅↗ YOU GET ME CLOSER TO GOD ❂