[PRP] A Little Closer (Calder & Barth)

[MoonKitsune]

The night progressed and with it, Calder's fever was spiking. The medicine in the tea was taking full effect, and after a good intake of water, Calder was back to being as slimey and as hot as ever. Sleeping was impossible as the kelpie opened his eyes every hour or so, turning about at times with blurring vision and then turning back again. After a few hours into the night, it seemed to have been slowly going down as the keplie was waking more and more often with clearer vision and speaking more in full sentences, reaching out for the pitcher of water beside the bedside table and taking deep drinks before returning to the comfort of Barth's bed. The sheets and covers would need a proper wash afterwards, but Calder appreciated that Barth seemed not to be bothered about it in the least.

Huffing, the boil woke late into the night, feeling his mind swimming and thought hard to hold onto longer than a moment before they swam away like frightened fish. The lights were out, and he turned to reach out for his water, only to find the place was darker than normal. Not even the window was cracked to get a glimpse of the autumn moon. No. The place was actually encased. Moving near, he reached out and could sense the rustle of the thorns adjusting around the bed, creating a sharp cocoon around them.

Trapped inside a shell, and despite feeling trapped, he felt secure in a little world that comprised just him, the bed, and Barth. Smiling, he turned and crawled back wearily, his damp hands moving through the sheets before they touched the slick silk of Barth's pajamas. Crawling over, he laid his head down and wrapped his arms about his neck, pressing his face into his shoulder.  

[Toshihiko Two]

Barth awoke, long-expecting a panicked alarm that the thorns were closing in. All the terrors of the first night resurfaced, that the comfortable and familiar slime would be blood, that Calder might have reached him with his last strength.

"Calder," he whispered, "Are you hurt? Did the thorns...?"  

[MoonKitsune]

The sound of fabric rustled as Calder shook his head, face still pressed into the demon's shoulder, but still able to whisper. "No."


"I just wanted to say thank you." He squeezed a little more tightly. "You've been so kind to me."  

[Toshihiko Two]

There was no urgency in the touch. Calder was fine. Barth relaxed again.

He was, however, accutely aware of just how close Calder was pressed, and how thin the fabric...what time was it? Thank you, Calder had said thank you. For being kind? Barth tried to focus on the statement. He had, admittedly, mostly been selfish.

"You're the one that helped me. Have been helping me. Even though you're not feeling well, and in spite of the danger."  

[MoonKitsune]

He smiled wearily, knowing full well that Bath couldn't see it, but still feeling the need to tuck his chin in more to hide it. "You've always been kind to me. You let me stay here. Use your bed. Your bath. You got Malodore." He took a moment to just breath, and listen to the silence between them. "You always let me come over and never call me stupid. You don't hate me or look down at me or ignore me. I'd help you with anything."

"..cause you help me too." The sheets adjusted at Barth would feel a hot slickness as Calder nuzzled his neck.

"I wish you gave me a anklet instead. Then I could be engaged to you."  

[Toshihiko Two]

Calder was...? Barth felt his heart go to his throat. Anklet. He remembered the anklet. He hadn't thought much of it, but now that he knew... It was an engagement token, which meant there was a...ghoul, boil? Who had held Calder in a way very similar this way, whose bed was now empty, because Calder was here.

Or maybe not, maybe kelpies were the sort to wait.

It was all so sinful the speculation made Barth aware and dizzy at the same time. Not only that, Calder wasn't even rightfully working for him under his Contract. West's mark was on Calder's shoulder. It was almost a double infidelity. It was hard to think straight with Calder so close.

...And Calder wished...

Barth moved lower, so that instead of Calder nuzzling his neck, they were face to face.

"Engaged?" he repeated, barely breathing the word.  

[MoonKitsune]

He tucked his cheek in, moving his head back just slightly to allow just an inch or so of space between their faces. In the dark, he could just faintly make the yellows of Barth's eyes.

When he was asked again, Calder only nodded. "I don't like him." He closed that short distance, letting his cheek rest against one of the demon's. "I want someone nice...."


".... like you."  

[Toshihiko Two]

Had it all been intentional? Did Calder really like him like him? Romantically? If that was the case, it wouldn't really be taking advantage of a sick friend, would it? That had to be- Calder was being very plain, he was engaged, had been marked by someone else, but he liked him, wanted him, was clinging to him sweating ooze and radiating heat...

Barth tilted his chin, which was still bristly, so that their lips were nearly touching.

"I like you," he said, and then he kissed him, and there wasn't any space between their lips at all.  

[MoonKitsune]

It all felt like some sort of dream. The whispering. The dark enclosed fortress of thorns surrounding them. The private darkness that left guilt and embarrassment to hide. Mind boiling with a fever that was just breaking, the cool lips were noticeable and welcomed, and was received with no shy jerk back or quick parting. Calder simply stayed in place for the duration and for as long or, what it felt, as short as it was.

It was nice, and his eyes closed and his brain swam and he felt his grip on the demon's neck loosen. His heavy head started to slip down, and Calder pressed into the kiss and then slid past the boil's cheek and laid against his chest, head alongside his.

It seemed it was a little too much to handle in his current state, and the poor kelpie had passed out. His racing heart and rush of blood to his head to blush had tipped the scales to send him fainting against his not-quiet-just-friends friend.

However, if any light was given to see, Calder rested with a simple smile on his face and with that last dose of heat given to him, Calder's fever broke at last.  

[Toshihiko Two]

Barth hadn't really had a plan, but if he had to guess, it wouldn't have involved...whatever was happening now. Was Calder asleep? Now? Why now? Or pretending? To avoid- Barth felt a rush of insecurity. Had Calder been awake in the first place?

He started to ask, and thought better of it.

There was nothing left to do except stave off the embarrassment, and sleep too.  

[MoonKitsune]

It was late the next morning when Calder woke up and yawning, pried his cheek from where it was sticking to Barth's shirt. Confused a moment, he pushed himself up to look at the boil he was resting on. It wasn't unusual considering he usually snuggled up close when he visited for a nap, and groggy, Calder turned to sit up and rub the slime from his eyes.

Despite the aches in his body from being bedridden for so long and with a high fever, he felt better than he had the previous night. His head didn't feel as if it was kept under a steam furnace and he could actually think full thoughts. Not only that, but he felt more awake and certainly less hot. Checking himself, he noticed he was still slimy, but the color was already changing from the thick, dark green to a lighter yellow-green as his body started to produce it's own natural oils and clean it's pores. The medicine was taking hold and he reached up to pluck one of the mushrooms from his head. He'd need a bath today, that was for sure.

Not knowing what hour it really was, Calder looked about to try and see a clock glance at the window only to see that everywhere he looked was a wall of thorns. His eyes scanned all around him and he found himself smiling. "Wow! Just like I wanted." He turned to reach out to the demon before jerking his hand back. Foggy memories traveling into his mind, and he paused to replay them.

He ran his hand through his hair before gripping his head. It was such a small memory. A flash really, a sensation and a quickening of heartbeat, but it wasn't anything really clear and solid. In fact, it felt like a dream. That sort of escaping image that you managed to cling to before the rest of hte dream and how it had gone to that point dissolved in those few seconds when you were just waking. Out of all of that dream, he managed to cling to that single part, and he felt himself grow warmer because of it. He must have been sick.

He looked at the boil beside him before looking back to the thorns all about him. Was it rude to wake him up now? Then again, Calder couldn't do anything when he was enclosed like this. He really needed a bath and to heat up the tea that was prepared for him. If he didn't, then he'd get sick again.

Reaching out, he shook the boil's shoulder. "Barth?"  

[Toshihiko Two]

"Mm," Barth mumbled, "They're in the kitchen, but the pantry's closed. Try refgaffenmr-" whatever Calder was supposed to try was garbled.

"Except the wiring isn't done," he sighed.  

[MoonKitsune]

Barth seemed blissful in his own dreamland, and Calder felt that after all the boil went through, that he deserved to sleep in. Sighing, he looked around at his enclosure and then back at Barth, watching him a moment as he rested, chest rising and falling slowly. The recollection of the dream prickled in his mind, and he turned his head away, looking instead at the interesting but not AS interesting sight of the thorns surrounding them.

Crawling over, Calder sat before the wall and then examined a spot that looked thornless. With that, he slowly moved to poke the spot to see how it would react. At least if he got pricked, it would be a distraction to the recent dream that was being processed and would later be recalled from the archives to be examined, questioned, and fussed over for countless days after.  

[Toshihiko Two]

The spot stayed thornless. The thorns did move occasionally, and there was faint rustling deeper in the room, but overall it was quiet.

"but it'll have to be before dad sees it," Barth continued.  

[MoonKitsune]

Well, if he was going to be hear for a while...

Calder's ears twitched at hearing Barth talking in his sleep, and turning, Calder started to crawl back to his the spot next to the boil. Laying down, he wiggled a little as he watched the boil mutter something about his dad. He wondered just how talkative Barth actually was. He had heard gossip that if you talked to someone in their sleep, they would talk back.

Calder's eyes lingered on Barth's lips a moment before he scooted closer. It was just a dream.....but don't dreams mean something?

Licking his own lips, Calder wiggled a little closer to be able to speak into the demon's ear. "Barth...." He tried not to giggle and forced himself to keep a straight face. This was serious. "....your friend came by. Calder. You know Calder?" Would this even work or else would he get more gibberish? Calder sometimes talked in his sleep, but it was usually in his own tongue and just mumbling nonsense that didn't form anything solid.