Complex
Title: Complex
Chapter: 3
Length:1890
Summary: Steele has a very bad day.
Master list: lj DW
Steele walked into the weight room just as Lope was wiping down the shoulder press machine. "Starting or finishing?"
Lope made a face. "Starting. You never know who used these before you. Spot me?"
"Sure." Steele took the cleaning supplies back to the station then went to count Lope's reps.
She was not giving him the eager glances he'd become used to since the term started. They'd known each other on and off since they were tots. He still thought of her as almost a sister. After what she'd said at that party, she didn't agree.
"Meet someone new?"
Her reps stopped and her eyes brightened. "I've got to tell you."
"You're at 47. Out of fifty?"
She finished her reps and let him take the chair. "He's gorgeous. Not your kind…" Her eyes went dreamy. "It was love at first sight for him, being a demon and all. He spent all night seducing me." She laughed. "Not that I put out or anything. But he wanted me to."
She went on and on about her new guy and the more she said, the worse Steele felt.
Lope frowned. "You stopping at fifty-three?"
"Seventy-five. Your new guy. He wouldn't happen to be Hezekiel?"
"Yeah." She bit her lip. "He has an ex."
That was an understatement. Steele finished his reps as Lope made lots of assumption about Dal.
"Seventy-four, seventy-five. Why are you so sure Dal should have expected it?"
"I mean." She pushed up her glasses. "He had to know Hezekiel would leave him for his Mate."
"Hezekiel told Dal, he was his Mate." He tapped the new ring on Lope's finger. "The ring he gave Dal had 'P+G' engraved in it. Hezekiel said it had belonged to his great grandparents."
Lope yanked the ring off and paled. "P plus G. He said that his great grandmother had it made for his great grandfather because she wanted everyone to know who he belonged to."
Steele nodded. "I'm sorry."
She got up. "I just need… I need…"
"To run? Want company? I'd understand if you'd rather not have me."
She pulled up her sweatshirt collar and wiped her eyes. "You? Why would I have a problem with you?"
"Dal is living with me."
And she laughed and laughed until she had to clutch Steele to stand up. "The two of us." She shook her head. "Let's run."
So they ran.
~~~~~
Steele slowed at the bottom of the hill. "I have to go."
He and Lope had run ten miles and she didn't seem ready to quit. She gasped for breath while jogging in place. "You go. I've got this."
He hurried back to campus. He had a class that started in less than ten minutes. He could make it if he didn't stop for a shower. He'd just have to sit in the back.
The class wasn't too crowded, but the professor eyed him. After class, Steele walked down to Professor Onesimus. "Sorry about the smell."
The professor laughed. "Not actually a bad smell. You do have several people on you."
"Worked out in the weight room."
Professor Onesimus wrinkled his nose. "Not my favorite place."
Steele grinned his agreement. "On another topic, demon's Mates."
Professor Onesimus grinned. "Someone claimed you?"
"Not me." How to word this? "How sure is a demon about who their Mate is? Could they get it wrong?"
The professor pursed his lips. "Not that I've ever heard of. We feel it in our bones. You take your first real breath. Your heart beats true for the first time. You are finally alive."
"But could someone mistake that feeling?"
The professor put his fingers over his lips and stared at the ceiling. "Can a demon mistake something for Mating? What would the thing he mistake Mating for be?"
"Are you Mated?"
The professor grinned. "I take it this isn't a proposition."
Professor Onesimus was handsome and all, but Steele preferred lovers closer to his own age. "I'm in a relationship. Before you were Mated, were you ever worried that you might mistake the feeling for something else? Let the One get away? Tie yourself to the wrong person?"
"I am not Mated and, between you and me, I worry about that all the time. I know it is coming, and soon. I had my fates read-very expensive but possible for certain beings. I have been assured that I won't tie myself, as you put it, to the wrong person. I will be compelled to seek them out once I finally meet them. And that person will want me too, protests to the contrary notwithstanding."
Both Dal and Lope had been drawn to Hezekiel. Or at least thought they had.
"But could someone make a mistake?" How much to tell? Would a grown demon knowing put Dal in any danger? "A student, who had been claimed, was recently told it was all a mistake."
The professor stood up straighter. "Tell me everything."
Steele fought the urge to do just that.
Professor Onesimus shook his head. "Sorry. This is a tender spot for all demons. If someone is going around lying about our most sacred beliefs… I can't even imagine."
Steele swallowed hard. "I'm not sure he was lying. He might have been genuinely mistaken."
"And that," said the professor, "would be even worse."
~~~~~~
Steele hurried back to the dorm. Dal had to be starving. Steele was starving. He juggled three dinners-two for him, one for Dal-his backpack, and the art supplies his professor insisted all the students get tonight so they could try them out before the next class.
And he still hadn't taken that shower.
He itched.
And he was pretty sure he was being stalked. The footsteps had stopped when his did.
He didn't have time for this.
He needed to order a pizza and cinnamon rolls. He'd need more food after a day like this.
He got everything organized then hurried to his dorm. The steps hurried too. When he was halfway up the steps, a voice yelled. "You!"
He sighed and carefully set the food down. This wasn't worth losing his dinner over. He turned around. "What is it now?"
Hezekiel stalked up the stairs. Steele met him partway down. He wasn't risking dinner.
"I don't like you."
Steele sighed. "The feeling is mutual."
"Give me Dal."
"He goes where he wants."
"He wants me!"
"He wanted you, you idiot, but you broke up with him. Now he's with me."
Hezekiel got into Steele's personal space and sniffed. "You've had sex with him! I thought that's what I smelled this morning."
"And?" Steele was too tired for this and it was only Monday.
"He's mine!"
"He was yours and now he's his own." Why couldn't this fleabag understand this? "He can go where he likes, talk to who he likes, eat what he likes. Even garlic. I don't care what his spunk tastes like."
The mongrel sneered. "He chooses to be with you?"
"He does." And Steele should get back to him.
"You!"
Steele couldn't deal with this on an empty stomach. He turned and climbed the stairs. A hand yanked him around.
"You smell like Penelope too!" Hezekiel looked practically in tears. His hand had to be burning, but he didn't seem to notice. "You're taking everything I love. You monster."
Steele breathed out slowly. Why couldn't today just be over? "Lope and I were in the weight room. I used machines after she did. She probably smells like other people's sweat too." Unless of course she'd had the shower Steele had missed. "Why don't you talk to her?"
"She isn't on campus."
She couldn't still be running. Steele had left her over four hours ago.
Hezekiel frowned. "And why did you call her Lope?"
Something witty and cruel, mysterious, or the simple truth? "Her brothers called her that because she didn't walk when she could run and she had a funny gait at two. Her oldest brother was learning to read. He thought it was funny and got the rest of us to call her that too."
"The rest of us?" Hezekiel crossed his arms and only then seemed to feel the new burn on his hand. His scowl deepened. "Who?"
Tonight was over. Just let the day end. "Her grandmother watched her and her brothers, her cousins, and me and my siblings while our parents were working." Not all Wizarding families could afford to have a parent at home. "I met her when she was still crawling, but I don't remember it."
Hezekiel blew on his hand. "I hate you."
Steel turned around and headed back up to his meal. The dinners had to be cold by now. Eat them and shower while he waited for the pizza to be delivered? Cookies. He needed cookies. And Milk. Maybe he could bribe a freshman to make a store run for him. How much did he have to last him until Saturday?
A bolt of power hit him square in the back. Good thing he hadn't put his backpack on; it would have been toast. His body wanted to let go of all he held, but he hadn't got all the way to his front steps just to drop the dinner he needed so badly. He took a shaky step toward the door. "Nice try, Mutt."
"What?" said the cur. "Are you questioning my parentage?"
Steele turned at the door and looked back. "I have to with the way you're acting."
Then he went inside and closed the door.
~~~~~~~
The door to his dorm room opened before he could get to it. Dal took the art supplies from Steele's arms. "I saw everything. You're so brave."
Dal led him to the chair, opened the top dinner box on the pile and handed Steele a fork. "Gabe is bringing over a pizza and someone named Ash has peanut butter chocolate chip cookies."
Despite being cold, the food smelled good. "This box was supposed to be yours."
Dal slid onto his lap. "Thank you."
He took a bite and fed the next bite to Steele. "Now eat."
Steele ate. He felt better after a box and a half. "I ran ten miles today."
"I didn't leave the dorm. Everyone I met is nice here, even if they're a little shy. I'll go to class tomorrow, but I'm to have escorts." Dal grinned. "Ash, whoever that is. Their boyfriend doesn't have any classes this term, so he'll take me about in the morning, and Bene, Gabe's boyfriend, will take me about after noon, then I'll be yours all evening."
His kiss was so very nice. But Steele smelled awful. He slid Dal from his lap and stood up. "I need a shower."
Dal licked his lips. "I'll be waiting for you."
When Steele came out, clean at last, it was to Dal shirtless, a giant pizza with all his favorite topping, and three different kinds of cookies. "They didn't stay."
"Gabe and Bene brought Ash and Akakios over so I could meet them, but they said food would do most of the work and they're leaving the rest to me. They even brought you ginger beer. Ash says you like it with your pizza."
Steele wrapped his arms around Dal. He really had the best friends in the world.
Chapter: 3
Length:1890
Summary: Steele has a very bad day.
Master list: lj DW
Steele walked into the weight room just as Lope was wiping down the shoulder press machine. "Starting or finishing?"
Lope made a face. "Starting. You never know who used these before you. Spot me?"
"Sure." Steele took the cleaning supplies back to the station then went to count Lope's reps.
She was not giving him the eager glances he'd become used to since the term started. They'd known each other on and off since they were tots. He still thought of her as almost a sister. After what she'd said at that party, she didn't agree.
"Meet someone new?"
Her reps stopped and her eyes brightened. "I've got to tell you."
"You're at 47. Out of fifty?"
She finished her reps and let him take the chair. "He's gorgeous. Not your kind…" Her eyes went dreamy. "It was love at first sight for him, being a demon and all. He spent all night seducing me." She laughed. "Not that I put out or anything. But he wanted me to."
She went on and on about her new guy and the more she said, the worse Steele felt.
Lope frowned. "You stopping at fifty-three?"
"Seventy-five. Your new guy. He wouldn't happen to be Hezekiel?"
"Yeah." She bit her lip. "He has an ex."
That was an understatement. Steele finished his reps as Lope made lots of assumption about Dal.
"Seventy-four, seventy-five. Why are you so sure Dal should have expected it?"
"I mean." She pushed up her glasses. "He had to know Hezekiel would leave him for his Mate."
"Hezekiel told Dal, he was his Mate." He tapped the new ring on Lope's finger. "The ring he gave Dal had 'P+G' engraved in it. Hezekiel said it had belonged to his great grandparents."
Lope yanked the ring off and paled. "P plus G. He said that his great grandmother had it made for his great grandfather because she wanted everyone to know who he belonged to."
Steele nodded. "I'm sorry."
She got up. "I just need… I need…"
"To run? Want company? I'd understand if you'd rather not have me."
She pulled up her sweatshirt collar and wiped her eyes. "You? Why would I have a problem with you?"
"Dal is living with me."
And she laughed and laughed until she had to clutch Steele to stand up. "The two of us." She shook her head. "Let's run."
So they ran.
~~~~~
Steele slowed at the bottom of the hill. "I have to go."
He and Lope had run ten miles and she didn't seem ready to quit. She gasped for breath while jogging in place. "You go. I've got this."
He hurried back to campus. He had a class that started in less than ten minutes. He could make it if he didn't stop for a shower. He'd just have to sit in the back.
The class wasn't too crowded, but the professor eyed him. After class, Steele walked down to Professor Onesimus. "Sorry about the smell."
The professor laughed. "Not actually a bad smell. You do have several people on you."
"Worked out in the weight room."
Professor Onesimus wrinkled his nose. "Not my favorite place."
Steele grinned his agreement. "On another topic, demon's Mates."
Professor Onesimus grinned. "Someone claimed you?"
"Not me." How to word this? "How sure is a demon about who their Mate is? Could they get it wrong?"
The professor pursed his lips. "Not that I've ever heard of. We feel it in our bones. You take your first real breath. Your heart beats true for the first time. You are finally alive."
"But could someone mistake that feeling?"
The professor put his fingers over his lips and stared at the ceiling. "Can a demon mistake something for Mating? What would the thing he mistake Mating for be?"
"Are you Mated?"
The professor grinned. "I take it this isn't a proposition."
Professor Onesimus was handsome and all, but Steele preferred lovers closer to his own age. "I'm in a relationship. Before you were Mated, were you ever worried that you might mistake the feeling for something else? Let the One get away? Tie yourself to the wrong person?"
"I am not Mated and, between you and me, I worry about that all the time. I know it is coming, and soon. I had my fates read-very expensive but possible for certain beings. I have been assured that I won't tie myself, as you put it, to the wrong person. I will be compelled to seek them out once I finally meet them. And that person will want me too, protests to the contrary notwithstanding."
Both Dal and Lope had been drawn to Hezekiel. Or at least thought they had.
"But could someone make a mistake?" How much to tell? Would a grown demon knowing put Dal in any danger? "A student, who had been claimed, was recently told it was all a mistake."
The professor stood up straighter. "Tell me everything."
Steele fought the urge to do just that.
Professor Onesimus shook his head. "Sorry. This is a tender spot for all demons. If someone is going around lying about our most sacred beliefs… I can't even imagine."
Steele swallowed hard. "I'm not sure he was lying. He might have been genuinely mistaken."
"And that," said the professor, "would be even worse."
~~~~~~
Steele hurried back to the dorm. Dal had to be starving. Steele was starving. He juggled three dinners-two for him, one for Dal-his backpack, and the art supplies his professor insisted all the students get tonight so they could try them out before the next class.
And he still hadn't taken that shower.
He itched.
And he was pretty sure he was being stalked. The footsteps had stopped when his did.
He didn't have time for this.
He needed to order a pizza and cinnamon rolls. He'd need more food after a day like this.
He got everything organized then hurried to his dorm. The steps hurried too. When he was halfway up the steps, a voice yelled. "You!"
He sighed and carefully set the food down. This wasn't worth losing his dinner over. He turned around. "What is it now?"
Hezekiel stalked up the stairs. Steele met him partway down. He wasn't risking dinner.
"I don't like you."
Steele sighed. "The feeling is mutual."
"Give me Dal."
"He goes where he wants."
"He wants me!"
"He wanted you, you idiot, but you broke up with him. Now he's with me."
Hezekiel got into Steele's personal space and sniffed. "You've had sex with him! I thought that's what I smelled this morning."
"And?" Steele was too tired for this and it was only Monday.
"He's mine!"
"He was yours and now he's his own." Why couldn't this fleabag understand this? "He can go where he likes, talk to who he likes, eat what he likes. Even garlic. I don't care what his spunk tastes like."
The mongrel sneered. "He chooses to be with you?"
"He does." And Steele should get back to him.
"You!"
Steele couldn't deal with this on an empty stomach. He turned and climbed the stairs. A hand yanked him around.
"You smell like Penelope too!" Hezekiel looked practically in tears. His hand had to be burning, but he didn't seem to notice. "You're taking everything I love. You monster."
Steele breathed out slowly. Why couldn't today just be over? "Lope and I were in the weight room. I used machines after she did. She probably smells like other people's sweat too." Unless of course she'd had the shower Steele had missed. "Why don't you talk to her?"
"She isn't on campus."
She couldn't still be running. Steele had left her over four hours ago.
Hezekiel frowned. "And why did you call her Lope?"
Something witty and cruel, mysterious, or the simple truth? "Her brothers called her that because she didn't walk when she could run and she had a funny gait at two. Her oldest brother was learning to read. He thought it was funny and got the rest of us to call her that too."
"The rest of us?" Hezekiel crossed his arms and only then seemed to feel the new burn on his hand. His scowl deepened. "Who?"
Tonight was over. Just let the day end. "Her grandmother watched her and her brothers, her cousins, and me and my siblings while our parents were working." Not all Wizarding families could afford to have a parent at home. "I met her when she was still crawling, but I don't remember it."
Hezekiel blew on his hand. "I hate you."
Steel turned around and headed back up to his meal. The dinners had to be cold by now. Eat them and shower while he waited for the pizza to be delivered? Cookies. He needed cookies. And Milk. Maybe he could bribe a freshman to make a store run for him. How much did he have to last him until Saturday?
A bolt of power hit him square in the back. Good thing he hadn't put his backpack on; it would have been toast. His body wanted to let go of all he held, but he hadn't got all the way to his front steps just to drop the dinner he needed so badly. He took a shaky step toward the door. "Nice try, Mutt."
"What?" said the cur. "Are you questioning my parentage?"
Steele turned at the door and looked back. "I have to with the way you're acting."
Then he went inside and closed the door.
~~~~~~~
The door to his dorm room opened before he could get to it. Dal took the art supplies from Steele's arms. "I saw everything. You're so brave."
Dal led him to the chair, opened the top dinner box on the pile and handed Steele a fork. "Gabe is bringing over a pizza and someone named Ash has peanut butter chocolate chip cookies."
Despite being cold, the food smelled good. "This box was supposed to be yours."
Dal slid onto his lap. "Thank you."
He took a bite and fed the next bite to Steele. "Now eat."
Steele ate. He felt better after a box and a half. "I ran ten miles today."
"I didn't leave the dorm. Everyone I met is nice here, even if they're a little shy. I'll go to class tomorrow, but I'm to have escorts." Dal grinned. "Ash, whoever that is. Their boyfriend doesn't have any classes this term, so he'll take me about in the morning, and Bene, Gabe's boyfriend, will take me about after noon, then I'll be yours all evening."
His kiss was so very nice. But Steele smelled awful. He slid Dal from his lap and stood up. "I need a shower."
Dal licked his lips. "I'll be waiting for you."
When Steele came out, clean at last, it was to Dal shirtless, a giant pizza with all his favorite topping, and three different kinds of cookies. "They didn't stay."
"Gabe and Bene brought Ash and Akakios over so I could meet them, but they said food would do most of the work and they're leaving the rest to me. They even brought you ginger beer. Ash says you like it with your pizza."
Steele wrapped his arms around Dal. He really had the best friends in the world.