The best way to a man's heart
So I was idly wondering what would have happened if Ine had given the 'chocolates and flowers' talk to Sera instead of Heat.
Then this happened. It's less short than I thought it'd be.
Meet me by the caves at 15:00? I have something for you.
- Sera
It's not that the note made him feel bad. It was Sera's handwriting! He'd know it anywhere. And it smelled kind of like Sera (not that he'd was sniffing it to see if it smelled like her, because that was something creepy winged shitheads do and like hell was he anything like that) and not like other people. But there was something about it that just wasn't like her, and while he was damn happy to get a chance to see her, something about this kept him wary, kept him on his toes. Made him almost think it was some kind of trap.
So when he got there just a bit before three and heard the sounds of a struggle, he wasn't surprised. He was worried and alert and if something was messing with her, it was going to pay.
"Sera!" He shouted her name before he even broke through to the clearing.
And stopped dead in his tracks as Varnani turned at the sound, the blade from her arm shearing fully through the neck of the furred creature she was fighting. Blood sprayed in an arc, falling through the air between them as the beast hit the earth.
"Heat! You're... early..." She sounded heartbreakingly disappointed. The red lines patterning his arm vanished immediately.
"Sera, are you okay? I heard--" He stepped forward. Varnani frantically waved him still.
"No, no, it's okay! I just... I mean, it was going to... just... wait there, please?"
He nodded. She sounded sad. He'd made her sad, again. Dammit.
Varnani, meanwhile, knelt by the fallen creature, neatly disemboweling it with a single cut. Intestines fell to the snow, steaming, as she reached inside, coming back over to him with a large slice of dark organ meat in one delicate, bloodied hand.
He stared.
"Here. I-it's for you."
She held it out.
"For me?"
Fingers strangely numb. he took it. Still warm.
"I wanted to get you something you liked, to tell you everything was okay, and... maybe heart would have had more meaning, but liver's more nutritious.... and you haven't beensleeping well, and I thought...maybe..." She trailed off, head tilted down in the familiar human gesture of staring at the ground.
"No, Sera, it's--" He looked at the blood covering her hand. For him. And she was sad about it, as if something so perfect could have been wrong...
Still holding the liver in one hand, he reached out with the other. hoping, praying that he wasn't about to screw things up more, but he was suddenly so hungry for her and hungry for the meat in his hand and he always ended up doing the wrong thing and maybe, just maybe it was okay to kiss her like this, his hand under hers, lips brushing her knuckles, tongue cleaning the blood from her skin.
"Heat..." She sounded... a little better. Her hand flexed as he moved between her fingers, tongue running over the line of tissue dividing her palm. Shivers ran down his spine as he felt the blade shift under her skin. He couldn't stop, like hell could he stop, caught up in the taste of her, but at least she could say no.
She didn't, though.
By the time he'd cleaned the last of the blood off her fingers, he'd gained enough self-control to lean back again. Downing the strip of liver in a few bites helped even more. You'd think he wouldn't taste it, eating at that speed, but he did, and it was delicious. Her head was tilted at them now; it might have been like that for a while. He turned away when he felt his cheeks heating.
"It was perfect, okay? Got it?"
"You liked it, Heat?" Her voice was quiet. Hopeful.
"Of course! It was--..." He turned back to look at her. The most beautiful, wonderful girl on earth. Even when she was a seven foot tall demon. Maybe especially when she was a seven foot tall demon. "... you're perfect."
And it was then that this poignant, tender moment was interrupted by a growl from his stomach. He looked back at the corpse of the beast, rubbing the back of his head. "So... hey. Are you gonna eat the rest of that, or...?"
She smiled.
Then this happened. It's less short than I thought it'd be.
Meet me by the caves at 15:00? I have something for you.
- Sera
It's not that the note made him feel bad. It was Sera's handwriting! He'd know it anywhere. And it smelled kind of like Sera (not that he'd was sniffing it to see if it smelled like her, because that was something creepy winged shitheads do and like hell was he anything like that) and not like other people. But there was something about it that just wasn't like her, and while he was damn happy to get a chance to see her, something about this kept him wary, kept him on his toes. Made him almost think it was some kind of trap.
So when he got there just a bit before three and heard the sounds of a struggle, he wasn't surprised. He was worried and alert and if something was messing with her, it was going to pay.
"Sera!" He shouted her name before he even broke through to the clearing.
And stopped dead in his tracks as Varnani turned at the sound, the blade from her arm shearing fully through the neck of the furred creature she was fighting. Blood sprayed in an arc, falling through the air between them as the beast hit the earth.
"Heat! You're... early..." She sounded heartbreakingly disappointed. The red lines patterning his arm vanished immediately.
"Sera, are you okay? I heard--" He stepped forward. Varnani frantically waved him still.
"No, no, it's okay! I just... I mean, it was going to... just... wait there, please?"
He nodded. She sounded sad. He'd made her sad, again. Dammit.
Varnani, meanwhile, knelt by the fallen creature, neatly disemboweling it with a single cut. Intestines fell to the snow, steaming, as she reached inside, coming back over to him with a large slice of dark organ meat in one delicate, bloodied hand.
He stared.
"Here. I-it's for you."
She held it out.
"For me?"
Fingers strangely numb. he took it. Still warm.
"I wanted to get you something you liked, to tell you everything was okay, and... maybe heart would have had more meaning, but liver's more nutritious.... and you haven't beensleeping well, and I thought...maybe..." She trailed off, head tilted down in the familiar human gesture of staring at the ground.
"No, Sera, it's--" He looked at the blood covering her hand. For him. And she was sad about it, as if something so perfect could have been wrong...
Still holding the liver in one hand, he reached out with the other. hoping, praying that he wasn't about to screw things up more, but he was suddenly so hungry for her and hungry for the meat in his hand and he always ended up doing the wrong thing and maybe, just maybe it was okay to kiss her like this, his hand under hers, lips brushing her knuckles, tongue cleaning the blood from her skin.
"Heat..." She sounded... a little better. Her hand flexed as he moved between her fingers, tongue running over the line of tissue dividing her palm. Shivers ran down his spine as he felt the blade shift under her skin. He couldn't stop, like hell could he stop, caught up in the taste of her, but at least she could say no.
She didn't, though.
By the time he'd cleaned the last of the blood off her fingers, he'd gained enough self-control to lean back again. Downing the strip of liver in a few bites helped even more. You'd think he wouldn't taste it, eating at that speed, but he did, and it was delicious. Her head was tilted at them now; it might have been like that for a while. He turned away when he felt his cheeks heating.
"It was perfect, okay? Got it?"
"You liked it, Heat?" Her voice was quiet. Hopeful.
"Of course! It was--..." He turned back to look at her. The most beautiful, wonderful girl on earth. Even when she was a seven foot tall demon. Maybe especially when she was a seven foot tall demon. "... you're perfect."
And it was then that this poignant, tender moment was interrupted by a growl from his stomach. He looked back at the corpse of the beast, rubbing the back of his head. "So... hey. Are you gonna eat the rest of that, or...?"
She smiled.