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 Posted: Sun May 22, 2016 12:50 pm
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2016 6:02 pm
follows this
He knew that he was still staring. He also knew this familiar feeling in his gut, the one he'd only ever felt while looking at Oz. He hadn't had reason to consider it before, but it was definitely not something he should have been feeling while looking at a Nightmare who was not his boyfriend. Howard swallowed, his tail curling in close to his legs to minimize the chances of any accidental brush of skin. There would be no touching this hybrid. Howard was wary of even thinking about touching him, as if his very presence might addle Howard further.
Flirting with this hybrid would be the perfect revenge, payback for all the uncertainty and jealousy he'd felt over the past several months. But he just... couldn't. He wasn't Oz. He wasn't in the habit of digging himself a hole to crawl out of when he was already standing on solid ground.
"I'm terribly sorry," the chimera said, his voice a whisper as he moved to get out of the way.
[ 171 ]
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2016 6:02 pm
Roel wasn't Oz either. Frankly he was worse. A recent graduate of Grendel University, he had no problem bedding Academy seniors with little provocation. Like this one.
The pureblood chimera's wide-eyed gaze continued to elicit an anticipatory excitement for as long as it went on, and Roel found he missed it when it had gone. He wasn't at all accustomed to being the one doing the chasing, but a Nightmare who could look at someone he'd just met with that much undisguised hunger... that was a Nightmare he wanted to know more about.
"There's no need to be."
Roel stepped closer, blocking the other young man's forward progress while leaving him enough room to flee if he really wanted to. Forcing him to stay would just be... demeaning.
"At least tell me your name before you run off."
[ 138 ]
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2016 6:02 pm
Finding himself almost touching the hybrid again, Howard froze in place, unable to back or sidle away without coming across as rude. Moving forward would have been a different story, a proper exit worthy of his kind, but he couldn't do that now, could he? Well, he could, but he didn't want to, worthiness be damned.
At some point he had averted his gaze. The hybrid's sway seemed weaker without eye contact. He swallowed. "Howard. And you're right. I was leaving." He met the hybrid's curious stare once more, with as much defiance as he could muster.
"Dammit," Howard muttered. He shouldn't have done that. He shouldn't have stayed. Running parallel to his frustration he felt a bloom of anxious curiosity, holding him in place when he should have fled.
[ 130 ]
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2016 6:03 pm
Roel's somber neutrality veered toward amusement, downturned lips curling into a smirk.
"So, you're staying then?" He chuckled. "I trust I've done something to offend, and for that I must apologize." He couldn't imagine what that might have been, but he wished he could, if only so that he might anticipate the next turn in the chimera's mood. He definitely wasn't actually sorry. Rather than wait for an answer to whether or not the other Nightmare was staying, he raised his hand into the meager space between them, presenting it to shake or be kissed, whichever it struck the chimera to try.
"I am Roel, since I am certain you were about to ask. I can't imagine your every move isn't dictated by the very definition of etiquette. It is lovely to meet you."
[ 134 ]
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2016 6:03 pm
Yes. Yes. The thoughts this Roel elicited in him offended Howard in the most basic of ways, solely because he couldn't stop himself from thinking them. He glared at the hybrid, searching his face for any indication that he was using some sort of ability to cloud the minds of others. There had to be something he was missing. Howard was sure he wouldn't be reacting this way otherwise. After a hesitant sigh, he took the Nightmare's hand and shook. Roel's palm was cool and dry, his skin soft. Howard lingered for a moment before letting go.
"All right. Now that we've been introduced, I'll be on my way." This time there was little resistance to his retreat and Howard succeeded in nudging past the hybrid without issue. He took another step before he felt the press of the hand on his shoulder.
[ 143 ]
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2016 6:03 pm
"Leaving so soon? You only just got here."
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2016 6:03 pm
Howard's reply rocketed from him before he could think to stop it.
"Yes, I am! The last I checked, I didn't have to clear my plans with some manipulative son of a b***h I just met!"
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2016 6:03 pm
Roel was enjoying this a little more than he should have been. There was something about the clipped, precise way Howard did everything—speaking, moving, cursing—that made him a joy to watch.
"My mother was hardly a b***h. She was a devastatingly lovely nixie, actually."
When Howard continued sulking, Roel rolled his eyes. When the chimera tried to shrug off his hand, he kept it where it was.
"I would also love to know how I've manipulated you just by showing interest. You should be flattered if anything."
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2016 6:04 pm
Interest.
He was interested.
It was all Howard could focus on until Roel lifted his hand away from Howard's shoulder and repositioned it on his own hip, jolting the chimera back to the present.
"You can't..." Howard swallowed. "I'm seeing someone. You can't be interested in me."
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2016 6:04 pm
"I can and I am, despite your phenomenal idiocy, which I find endearing for some reason I can't fathom. If we want to have a conversation about manipulation, maybe we should start with you. You are... striking." And naive and gloriously passionate. "Just because you're seeing someone doesn't mean I can't look. Or touch. If you reciprocate, I certainly didn't force you to, nor is it my fault." He tossed his hair. "I mean, I don't know many Nightmares who can r—"
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2016 6:04 pm
Whatever egotistical blather had been poised to spew from Roel's mouth was halted by Howard's kiss. It was a prudish peck meant to unbalance the hybrid and force him to question his arrogance, but Roel was strong and opportunistic, far more than Howard might have anticipated. He stood tall, curling his fingers into the chimera's bright hair and parting his lips. When he felt Roel's smile, Howard couldn't help melting into the older Nightmare's touch.
His acceptance didn't last, but it did linger. Howard pushed away long after he meant to, palms flat against Roel's chest as he caught his breath.
"You're right. You didn't manipulate me. I chose to kiss you and I chose to stop." Despite his clear and articulate response, Howard's mind was fuzzy with pleasure and the tingle of the forbidden. "Maybe I'll give you one more to remember me by."
Howard smirked at his own brazen words, looking down to where his clawed hands splayed over Roel's tunic. He raised his arms, tugged at the hybrid's collar, and just as Howard was about to kiss him again, he saw a familiar and beloved tuft of ruddy hair in his periphery. Oz. As soon as their eyes met, the baphomet turned tail and disappeared deeper into the celebration.
"Oz!" Howard tore away from Roel and gave chase without saying goodbye, but he was already too late. This was a festival, and weaving through a crowd with any speed was nearly impossible with an adult chimera's wingspan. He lost sight of Oz almost immediately, and his heart sank when he realized what his hasty decision had cost.
[ 270 ]
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2016 6:04 pm
Oz found himself running off in response to some unquantifiable instinct, a deliberate soap opera reaction to being spurned by your lover. Only... he didn't feel very spurned. While it was true he had never been all that fond of sharing historically, watching Howard and that hybrid get handsy in public had been one of the prettiest things he'd ever seen. He hadn't wanted it to end, but once he had been seen, he could hardly stand there and watch.
Knowing he was much quicker on land than his straying boyfriend, Oz pulled ahead and ducked into the small space between several large boxes full of festival prizes. Howard got close, paused to look around, then jogged on toward student housing, all without seeing him. The baphomet stayed in the dark, glancing between the chimera and the faraway hybrid who remained staring stupidly at Howard's retreat. He was gorgeous, better than he or Howard could have gotten single, but together...
A half-formed plan wormed its way into Oz's mind, one that wasn't particularly fair to either party, but would end happily if they all played their parts. First he'd speak to the hybrid, then Howard, and if all went as predicted, he was confident he'd have twice the boyfriends by the fire festival.
[ 213 ]
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