[Fanfic] Strange Bedfellows
Incubus!Kiku and normal!Arthur AU.
Black lines, thin as butterfly feelers, swirled and twisted. Loops curled and swayed, barely glancing off one another as they came together into a whole. The pattern viewed from above was about a hands’ span large, the dark lines a stark contrast to the skin it was embedded in. The design was one that only a few in this world had seen before, and those few were not to be reckoned with.
The intricacy of the tattoo was lost on its bearer though. Turning away from the mirror, Arthur pulled his shirt over it, dissatisfaction in every action as he buttoned it closed. His companion in the bed beside him turned over, conveniently taking all the covers with him as he did.
Arthur twitched with irritation. As if loath to call the other person by name, he crossed his arms and instead turned the full force of his glare upon him, in the hopes that his annoyance would somehow be transmitted and an awakening would ensure.
The only thing that happened was the dark-haired man wrapping himself around the last available pillow in bed, which happened to belong to Arthur. The sleepy smile of contentment on his face as he did was the straw that providentially broke Arthur’s back.
His eyes burning with rage, Arthur grabbed whatever he could of the blankets and with a mighty pull yanked the entire ensemble of covers, pillows, and sleeping man off the bed and onto the floor. The blankets, previously entangled among the other man’s legs, unspun with great force with Arthur’s eager assistance, unceremoniously dumping the dozing man onto the floorboards with a satisfying thud.
The man now on the floor slowly opened an eye. Stretching languidly as if he’d been woken by a gentle breeze instead of sudden violence, he sat up and beheld the sight of a panting and triumphant Arthur before him.
“Good morning,” he bowed politely. “Thank you for last night. It was-“
Arthur’s garbled shout of embarrassment cut off the rest of what he was about to say. Gritting his teeth, Arthur again folded his arms protectively over his chest and towered over the man seated on the floor.
“Not another word,” he growled, ears pink with emotion. “You’ve gotten what you wanted. Aren’t you supposed to be gone by now?”
Rubbing sleep out of his eyes, the other man gazed up innocently at the fuming Arthur.
“I am afraid you misunderstand,” he said. “The…” He caught the beginnings of another shout forming in Arthur’s face and chose his words carefully. “…events of last night have sealed a contract between us. If you look at your chest-“
“I’ve seen what’s on my chest,” Arthur bellowed, one hand unconsciously held over his heart. “And I don’t remember agreeing to any bloody contract! Get it off me!”
“But you did. I clearly remember telling you that to save your life, you would have to feed me.”
“I-I thought that was a one-time thing!” spluttered Arthur. “I do what you want, you save my life, you go back to wherever you came from!”
“No,” He shook his head with regret. “A contract between one of us and one of you is for eternity. I recall telling you to consider carefully-“
“I was in no position to consider anything!” Arthur howled in anguish. “In case you forgot, I had a bloody big hole in my chest back then! I was dying!”
“Well, that is true,” The other man agreed. “But I did warn you about what would happen.”
“But I-!” Arthur suddenly deflated, his rage disappearing as harsh reality finally broke its way through to him. He slumped on the bed and stared blankly up at the ceiling. Plucking carelessly at his shirt, he gazed down at the partially exposed tattoo. The man on the floor rose and slowly made his way over to him. He waited patiently as Arthur continued to stare in depression at his chest.
“So I’m stuck with you now,” Arthur finally said. “For forever.”
“It is not as bad as you think,” The man perched on the bed next to him said soothingly. “Linked by the contract as we are now, your lifespan is greatly extended, far beyond that of a normal human. I too, will do my part by healing whatever illnesses and wounds you may encounter. You could live forever if you wanted to. Isn’t that what most humans want?”
“But that’s not what I want,” Arthur mumbled, eyes still fixed on the indelible pattern etched on his skin.
The other man had nothing to say to this. He continued to sit quietly as Arthur struggled through the storm of his own thoughts. He finally looked up listlessly.
“What’s your name, demon?”
“My name is not pronounceable in your language,” he replied. “However, a previous human called me Kiku.”
“That’s a strange name.”
The demon shrugged. “He was a strange human.”
“You probably already know mine.”
“Yes. It is a pleasure to meet you, Arthur Kirkland,” Kiku bowed his head slightly, his manner as formal as ever even with the late introduction.
“I honestly can’t say the same of you though.”
“I understand,” Kiku rose from the bed and stepped lightly onto the floor. “I will leave you alone for now. When you have come to terms with our arrangement, perhaps-“
A low rumbling interrupted. Startled out of his depression, Arthur bolted upright and stared with disbelief at Kiku. The other man was covering his stomach with both hands, his face flushed with deep embarrassment.
“Please pardon my rudeness,” Kiku mumbled, his voice colored with shame.
“Tell me that wasn’t what I thought it was.”
“Well, I haven’t had breakfast yet…”
Arthur resisted the urge to hurl a pillow at the blushing demon.
“But I just fed you last night!” he yelled. “And from how it felt you took a lot! Too much, in fact!” He now resisted the urge bury himself in bed as memories of the previous night suddenly returned and assaulted his mind gleefully.
“If I were to tell the truth,” Kiku stated impassively, “I had no choice but to exercise restraint last night, given your condition then.”
“You call that exercising restraint? But you-! You did-! And then-!” The rest of what Arthur had to say spluttered off into deep valleys of sheer embarrassment.
“Besides,” Here Kiku stared bashfully at the floorboards as he confessed, “I am ashamed to admit that I have a slightly larger appetite than is considered normal among those of my kind. I am sorry.”
Another low rumble filled the room. Kiku clutched his stomach apologetically.
“I would feed elsewhere, but as a contract has been established between us it would only fill me temporarily. In the end, I must still return to you.”
Arthur was about to demand how long this ‘temporarily’ would last when he realized that he was about to unleash a hungry incubus on an unsuspecting public. Arthur didn’t really care about the public - he had far more personal problems of his own to worry about, such as first almost dying very terribly and then being bound to a sex-starved demon - but his sense of self-preservation and responsibility felt that it wouldn’t do to cause a general uproar that could be traced back to him.
Besides, a strangely possessive thought from the part of him that had, despite all the protests, enjoyed the events of the previous night whispered, he’s MY demon now. Can’t have him feeding off someone else.
Kiku stood by the door, doing his best to quiet his demanding stomach as Arthur continued to wrestle with his dilemma. Finally, with the resigned air of a reluctant martyr, Arthur threw himself back on to the bed and glared resolutely at the ceiling.
“Well, come on then,” he said impatiently.
Kiku stared at him, puzzled. Arthur waved a grumpy hand at him in beckoning.
“What are you waiting for? Hurry up and do your worse. But make it quick.”
Understanding dawned. Approaching the bed, Kiku carefully straddled Arthur and begun to unbutton his shirt. It was as his hands moved down to his trousers that Kiku noticed that the man beneath him had his eyes clenched and his teeth gritted, as if readying himself for a severe punishment. Long fingers stroked his throat gently, causing Arthur to briefly open his eyes.
“Do not worry. There will be mutual enjoyment.”
“I highly doubt so- Ah!”
Kiku smiled, teeth suddenly sharp and very white in the dim light of the room.
“Now, I gratefully partake.”
Black lines, thin as butterfly feelers, swirled and twisted. Loops curled and swayed, barely glancing off one another as they came together into a whole. The pattern viewed from above was about a hands’ span large, the dark lines a stark contrast to the skin it was embedded in. The design was one that only a few in this world had seen before, and those few were not to be reckoned with.
The intricacy of the tattoo was lost on its bearer though. Turning away from the mirror, Arthur pulled his shirt over it, dissatisfaction in every action as he buttoned it closed. His companion in the bed beside him turned over, conveniently taking all the covers with him as he did.
Arthur twitched with irritation. As if loath to call the other person by name, he crossed his arms and instead turned the full force of his glare upon him, in the hopes that his annoyance would somehow be transmitted and an awakening would ensure.
The only thing that happened was the dark-haired man wrapping himself around the last available pillow in bed, which happened to belong to Arthur. The sleepy smile of contentment on his face as he did was the straw that providentially broke Arthur’s back.
His eyes burning with rage, Arthur grabbed whatever he could of the blankets and with a mighty pull yanked the entire ensemble of covers, pillows, and sleeping man off the bed and onto the floor. The blankets, previously entangled among the other man’s legs, unspun with great force with Arthur’s eager assistance, unceremoniously dumping the dozing man onto the floorboards with a satisfying thud.
The man now on the floor slowly opened an eye. Stretching languidly as if he’d been woken by a gentle breeze instead of sudden violence, he sat up and beheld the sight of a panting and triumphant Arthur before him.
“Good morning,” he bowed politely. “Thank you for last night. It was-“
Arthur’s garbled shout of embarrassment cut off the rest of what he was about to say. Gritting his teeth, Arthur again folded his arms protectively over his chest and towered over the man seated on the floor.
“Not another word,” he growled, ears pink with emotion. “You’ve gotten what you wanted. Aren’t you supposed to be gone by now?”
Rubbing sleep out of his eyes, the other man gazed up innocently at the fuming Arthur.
“I am afraid you misunderstand,” he said. “The…” He caught the beginnings of another shout forming in Arthur’s face and chose his words carefully. “…events of last night have sealed a contract between us. If you look at your chest-“
“I’ve seen what’s on my chest,” Arthur bellowed, one hand unconsciously held over his heart. “And I don’t remember agreeing to any bloody contract! Get it off me!”
“But you did. I clearly remember telling you that to save your life, you would have to feed me.”
“I-I thought that was a one-time thing!” spluttered Arthur. “I do what you want, you save my life, you go back to wherever you came from!”
“No,” He shook his head with regret. “A contract between one of us and one of you is for eternity. I recall telling you to consider carefully-“
“I was in no position to consider anything!” Arthur howled in anguish. “In case you forgot, I had a bloody big hole in my chest back then! I was dying!”
“Well, that is true,” The other man agreed. “But I did warn you about what would happen.”
“But I-!” Arthur suddenly deflated, his rage disappearing as harsh reality finally broke its way through to him. He slumped on the bed and stared blankly up at the ceiling. Plucking carelessly at his shirt, he gazed down at the partially exposed tattoo. The man on the floor rose and slowly made his way over to him. He waited patiently as Arthur continued to stare in depression at his chest.
“So I’m stuck with you now,” Arthur finally said. “For forever.”
“It is not as bad as you think,” The man perched on the bed next to him said soothingly. “Linked by the contract as we are now, your lifespan is greatly extended, far beyond that of a normal human. I too, will do my part by healing whatever illnesses and wounds you may encounter. You could live forever if you wanted to. Isn’t that what most humans want?”
“But that’s not what I want,” Arthur mumbled, eyes still fixed on the indelible pattern etched on his skin.
The other man had nothing to say to this. He continued to sit quietly as Arthur struggled through the storm of his own thoughts. He finally looked up listlessly.
“What’s your name, demon?”
“My name is not pronounceable in your language,” he replied. “However, a previous human called me Kiku.”
“That’s a strange name.”
The demon shrugged. “He was a strange human.”
“You probably already know mine.”
“Yes. It is a pleasure to meet you, Arthur Kirkland,” Kiku bowed his head slightly, his manner as formal as ever even with the late introduction.
“I honestly can’t say the same of you though.”
“I understand,” Kiku rose from the bed and stepped lightly onto the floor. “I will leave you alone for now. When you have come to terms with our arrangement, perhaps-“
A low rumbling interrupted. Startled out of his depression, Arthur bolted upright and stared with disbelief at Kiku. The other man was covering his stomach with both hands, his face flushed with deep embarrassment.
“Please pardon my rudeness,” Kiku mumbled, his voice colored with shame.
“Tell me that wasn’t what I thought it was.”
“Well, I haven’t had breakfast yet…”
Arthur resisted the urge to hurl a pillow at the blushing demon.
“But I just fed you last night!” he yelled. “And from how it felt you took a lot! Too much, in fact!” He now resisted the urge bury himself in bed as memories of the previous night suddenly returned and assaulted his mind gleefully.
“If I were to tell the truth,” Kiku stated impassively, “I had no choice but to exercise restraint last night, given your condition then.”
“You call that exercising restraint? But you-! You did-! And then-!” The rest of what Arthur had to say spluttered off into deep valleys of sheer embarrassment.
“Besides,” Here Kiku stared bashfully at the floorboards as he confessed, “I am ashamed to admit that I have a slightly larger appetite than is considered normal among those of my kind. I am sorry.”
Another low rumble filled the room. Kiku clutched his stomach apologetically.
“I would feed elsewhere, but as a contract has been established between us it would only fill me temporarily. In the end, I must still return to you.”
Arthur was about to demand how long this ‘temporarily’ would last when he realized that he was about to unleash a hungry incubus on an unsuspecting public. Arthur didn’t really care about the public - he had far more personal problems of his own to worry about, such as first almost dying very terribly and then being bound to a sex-starved demon - but his sense of self-preservation and responsibility felt that it wouldn’t do to cause a general uproar that could be traced back to him.
Besides, a strangely possessive thought from the part of him that had, despite all the protests, enjoyed the events of the previous night whispered, he’s MY demon now. Can’t have him feeding off someone else.
Kiku stood by the door, doing his best to quiet his demanding stomach as Arthur continued to wrestle with his dilemma. Finally, with the resigned air of a reluctant martyr, Arthur threw himself back on to the bed and glared resolutely at the ceiling.
“Well, come on then,” he said impatiently.
Kiku stared at him, puzzled. Arthur waved a grumpy hand at him in beckoning.
“What are you waiting for? Hurry up and do your worse. But make it quick.”
Understanding dawned. Approaching the bed, Kiku carefully straddled Arthur and begun to unbutton his shirt. It was as his hands moved down to his trousers that Kiku noticed that the man beneath him had his eyes clenched and his teeth gritted, as if readying himself for a severe punishment. Long fingers stroked his throat gently, causing Arthur to briefly open his eyes.
“Do not worry. There will be mutual enjoyment.”
“I highly doubt so- Ah!”
Kiku smiled, teeth suddenly sharp and very white in the dim light of the room.
“Now, I gratefully partake.”