Title: Dispelling The Cold
Rating: 18
Band: Vaniru
Pairing: Leoneil X Yuto
Summary: His kind was dangerous, everyone knew that, and yet Yuto can'ouldn't help but be entranced by the beautiful stranger. He didn't seem evil, quite the opposite in fact. Could it be that his kind had been misunderstood all this time?
Author's Note: This fic was written for
Color_me_blue3 as her Christmas gift. Of course anyone can enjoy the story.
As he wandered through the forest, he cursed the god of luck for his misfortune. It was just typical that he would get lost, searching for someone else. Pulling his coat closed against the ever increasing wind he wondered what he should do. To stay in the forest all night would be his death, the temperature was already rapidly dropping, even though it wasn't due to be dark for another few hours. At this rate it was going to snow. Sure enough, just as he thought about it, a wet snowflake landed right at the tip of his nose. Great, just perfect. He couldn't have hoped for anything more. Certainly not his nice warm house, a warm blanket and a mug of something warm in hand.
A movement caught his eye, a dark shadow that for a moment he had thought was a person. Only a fool would be out here in this weather, he thought, just as the shadow moved again. It was a person! He could make out the details now, long slightly wavy dark hair, a crown of dark thorns and a long black coat. No wonder he had almost missed him, the person had almost blended in with the hedgerow perfectly.
“Hi,” Yuto called out, deducing from the person's frame he must be a man. Though that beautiful mane of hair was more than he had ever seen on any woman. It was magnificent, he was magnificent. As the man turned Yuto got to see his handsome face, strong and yet somehow delicate all at the same time. He was beautiful, in a sharp inhuman way. This was one of the elves that hid in the darkest parts of the forest, he didn't even need to see his ears beneath the dark hair to know that they would be pointed. “I'm sorry, I got lost. I was looking for a little girl, I don't suppose you would have seen her?”
“You're the first human I've seen in months,” the elf replied, rising to his full height and giving Yuto a wary once over. “You're kind aren't welcome in the forest. Another elf might conclude that your trespassing should end with stark consequences.”
“She was a child,” Yuto protested, “She didn't know any better.”
“Perhaps,” the elf replied, hesitating slightly, “I will show you back to your home.”
“Thank you,” Yuto replied, relieved that this hostile elf was showing at least a little mercy. Ignoring him the elf picked up a basket filled with holly branches and began to walk through the forest without a word. He wondered what the holly was for, but knew better than to question an elf. They were dangerous, demonic creatures. Not all demons were ugly, some were beautiful and used their looks and charms to lure you into trouble. Demons of temptation, that was what elves were. At least that was what Yuto had always been told. This elf didn't seem like a demon. Sure he was anything but friendly, but he was going out of his way to make sure Yuto got safely home.
The snow, that had been falling lightly, began to fall harder until his vision was filled with white and the black shadow of a man. The elf stopped and frowned as he glanced up at the sky that was clearly not going to show any signs of relenting.
“We're not going to make it,” the elf declared, “It's too far. I know where we can take shelter.”
“Are we going back to your village?” Yuto asked as he followed the elf once more.
“No,” the elf replied, “The shelter is closer and you won't be welcome in the village.”
“What a surprise,” Yuto muttered. The elf said nothing, but he quickened his pace making Yuto hurry to keep up.
They were soon at what the elf considered to be shelter. A broken down cottage in the middle of the woods, forgotten and abandoned with only three outside walls still in place. He wondered if it was safe, but the snow encouraged him to hurry inside. The shell of the room had once been a kitchen, the units still attached to one wall and some rusted pots left on one side. The elf barely looked at the room as he headed towards the door, entering a much more serviceable living room.
In contradiction this room was in perfect working order, clearly cared for and ready for guests. It took less than a minute for the elf to light a fire in the fireplace and retrieve some food for the both of them.
“This is the only liveable room,” the elf explained as he handed Yuto what appeared to be some sort of cake, made with dried fruit and grains. “I come here to think. I've never shown anybody here before, I never would have thought it would be a human who I invited first.”
“You say human like it's a dirty word,” Yuto remarked, taking a nervous bite of the food, only to be surprised by it's sweet taste. He hadn't realised how hungry he was until he had become to eat, or how cold he had been until he felt the warmth. The elf had saved his life, he realised, by taking him to his private safe space. This was no demon, of that he was now sure.
“You can't help what you are,” the elf replied, taking a seat on the sofa and staring into the flames. Yuto wondered if that was all the elf was going to say, but then the elf looked up. “My people believe that your kind steal our children and replace them with monsters, or kill them outright in the forest. You are demons, not to be trusted. Fight or flight are our only options, there is no chance of friendship with a human. I wonder though, I sense no evil in you. Just a man wanting to return home.”
“My people say the same things, about elves,” Yuto confessed. “That you are the demons, unable to leave the dark parts of the forest. This morning when the girl went missing, many were ready to tear the forest down, they were so sure that she had been taken by your kin.”
“The wolves kill the children,” the elf replied, “Or they fall, or get lost. Human or elf, the forest is a dangerous place.”
“You seem to know your way around,” Yuto prompted, nervously sitting down beside the elf. He half expected the elf to scold him, but his own reaction was a wary look.
“I like the forest,” the elf replied, “I'm kind of a loner, I guess.
“That makes two of us,” Yuto replied, “I guess I just don't fit in. I don't like being told how I should think, how I should act, what I should believe.”
“Just because something is traditional, that doesn't make it right,” the elf added, surprising Yuto with just how much they were on the same wave length. He hadn't felt this sense of kinship with anyone he knew, yet this man who wasn't even the same species understood him perfectly. “Why can't people just think?”
“I guess it's too hard, to go against the norm,” Yuto replied. There was a connection now, it was enough to give him confidence once more. The elf was just a man, their similarities so far out weighing their differences. “Can I ask your name? You never did tell me.”
“Leoneil,” the elf answered without hesitation, though Yuto was sure that earlier Leoneil wouldn't have shared this information. “And yours?”
“Yuto,” he answered, pausing for a moment before deciding he could risk another question, “Can I ask what the plants are for? Isn't holly poisonous?” He's gone to far he realised, as the elf's features hardened once more.
“What exactly are you implying?” Leoneil asked, his tone speaking of the danger a wrong answer would bring.
“Only that I can see no reason for you to collect it,” Yuto replied, quickly realising what Leoneil had thought he was implying, “Not that you were going to use it as poison.”
“Belladonna is far better for that anyway,” Leoneil replied, alarming Yuto before he realised it had been meant as a joke. They were both so edgy that one wrong word could break the fragile friendship they had begun to form. “We use holly as decoration, as part of the Eternal Festival. Every winter we celebrate the year before, and await the one to come.”
“We celebrate at this time too,” Yuto explained, “Only we celebrate family and friends. I've never heard of decorating with holly before, but we do string lights up on the trees.”
“I bet they look beautiful,” Leoneil answered, a dreamy look on his face as he pictured what Yuto was describing.
“They are,” Yuto agreed, “But your holly would be nice as well. Perhaps we could decorate in here, as we have nothing else to do but wait?”
“Perhaps we could,” Leoneil agreed, with an honest smile. “Here, I'll show you how it's done.”
By the time the place was decorated the tense atmosphere was all but forgotten. Yuto couldn't remember the last time he had so much fun just talking to someone, and Leoneil was now all smiles. He'd brought out some kind of drink made from fermented blackberries, which was alcoholic enough to make them both a bit giddy.
“I really shouldn't have another glass,” Yuto protested, accepting the drink all the same. The drink was just too nice to resist.
“You shouldn't be here either,” Leoneil reminded him, “Should and shouldn't don't seem to matter any more.”
“No,” Yuto replied, or gender he thought silently. He was entirely straight, had never been attracted to a man in his life, but Leoneil was different. He was so stunning he could barely keep his eyes off him. “You're very pretty.”
“I know,” Leoneil replied, “All elves are beautiful, irresistibly so, even to each other.”
“Does that cause problems?” Yuto asked, “If everyone is always attracted to each other...”
“Not at all,” Leoneil replied, “We find one mate, the one person we connect to on an emotional level, and they're the only person we would consider having romantic involvement with. Until an elf finds that person he, or she, won't even be interested in love or romance. I wonder how you humans cope, wanting sex all the time but never making an emotional connection. It seems rather cold.”
“Another misconception,” Yuto scolded, the two of them had been correcting each other's ingrained prejudices and believes for hours now, “Humans tend to be attracted to one gender, though both is possible, and whilst we do have a sexual drive, for the most part we develop some form of connection with a person before making them our partner.”
“I was always told humans were incapable of loyalty,” Leoneil admitted, “I've heard stories.”
“Probably true,” Yuto admitted, “We do have some jerks among us.”
“As do elves,” Leoneil confessed, “But back to what you said before, there's no need to be questioning your sexuality or anything. You're attached to me because I'm an elf, it's nothing but physical attraction. When you're back home, you'll still want women.”
“I never said I was attracted to you!” Yuto protested, blushing at the thought he had been so obvious.
“Elves used to be raped by humans all the time, it's why we started to hide,” Leoneil commented. Not an accusation, merely a statement of fact.
“I would never!” Yuto exclaimed.
“I know,” Leoneil reassured him, “Only some humans are jerks, we already established that.”
“We did,” Yuto replied, glancing nervously over at the elf. He silently hoped that what Leoneil had told him was right, but he knew it went deeper than that. The emotional connection Leoneil had mentioned, had already begun to form.
Yuto found himself staring into the forest yet again, longing to go back in to search for the elf. After the snow had cleared Leoneil had took him home, said his goodbyes and vanished. A passing dream from a cold night. Everything had returned to normal around him, the missing child had been found by another villager, whilst he himself had been missing. Everything should be good, only he missed Leoneil, more than he could ever say. He'd kept his existence secret, but people were beginning to suspect. Any bad word against the elves, or people of the forest, and he wouldn't even hesitate to defend them.
Usually he saw nothing when he looked into the forest, except for trees and birds. This time though he was sure he was hallucinating. Leoneil couldn't be approaching him, it was impossible. Yet there he was. He was in the forest in an instance, the elf waiting for him before walking deeper into the trees.
“There's something I want to show you,” Leoneil explained, “That is, if you would like to come back to the old cottage with me?”
“Of course I want to come!” Yuto said, blushing bright red at how eager he had sounded. Leoneil hadn't missed his excitement either, but instead of saying something the elf offered him his hand.
“You felt the connection too,” Leoneil remarked as Yuto took his hand. There was no answer that Yuto could give to such an obvious statement. He understood what Leoneil had been trying to tell him, how a connection overrode all usual sexual preferences. He wasn't gay, but he was madly in love with Leoneil. Nobody else would ever do, the elf really had stolen his heart.
“Do you really have to ask?” Yuto asked, “If there's doubt...”
“There's no doubt,” Leoneil reassured him, “You've been all I could think about for days.”
“Every waking minute I stared into the depths of the forest,”
“Looking for you,” Leoneil finished. “Three times I came to the edge of the forest, but this is the first time I had the courage to come closer.”
“I would have been lost in here for sure,” Yuto apologised. “Or I swear I would have come looking for you.”
“I believe you,” Leoneil reassured him. “You're my Destined One.”
The walk to the cabin was quicker this time, making Yuto suspect Leoneil had done his best to hide the location on the way back before. He didn't blame the elf, he was simply glad that Leoneil trusted him now. That was the only gift he could ever want, but seeing the lights in the trees blew him away.
“It's beautiful,” Yuto exclaimed, “You must have spent all day doing all this.”
“Two days,” Leoneil corrected, “It was worth it for your smile.”
“Two whole days?” Yuto repeated, touched by just how much effort Leoneil had made. Every tree around the old cottage was covered in tiny lights, far more beautiful than the lights the people in town used. Leoneil's imagining of what he had described was better than his own reality. In that moment he knew that he wanted to remain in Leoneil's world.
Nervously he went in for a kiss, relieved when the elf didn't protest. He knew Leoneil had believed all humans were sex mad rapists, and he didn't want to do anything to reinforce this prejudice. He didn't have to worry though, the second their lips touched Leoneil took control. His hands holding Yuto firmly against him in a protective embrace. Nerves gave way to passion and Yuto finally got to reach up and touch the hair he had coveted from the moment he had first laid eyes on Leoneil. It was as soft as it looked, long and luxurious giving Leoneil a regal appearance that was only enhanced by the crown of thorns he seemed to always wear. He'd question it, but his mind was elsewhere.
“Do you want to go inside?” Leoneil suggested, “It's cold out here.”
“Your lights are out here though,” Yuto protested, though neither of them had been looking at them. “But I suppose we can look at them later.”
“Some things are more beautiful than lights in trees, or holly over the fire place,” Leoneil complimented him. It came as a surprise to Yuto, that this beautiful elf could think that he was beautiful too. It seemed almost impossible, and yet Leoneil wasn't lying. His tone was too honest, his words straight from the heart. It made him uneasy in his presence, for entirely different reasons that when they had first met. Even so he followed Leoneil inside, passing the lounge and entering a smaller room where a mattress had been placed on the floor. As beds went it wasn't much, but it was clearly new and placed there recently by Leoneil himself.
He needed no reassurance as he sat down beside Leoneil, for he had enough confidence in his own ability to stop anything going further than he was prepared for. This bed was for him to stay the night, anything else was entirely optional. Options that he would have laughed at once, but now he longed to explore this relationship further. They kissed again, clothes falling away as they both longed to lay eyes on what was hidden underneath.
Looking wasn't enough for Leoneil, he had to touch and Yuto let him, enjoying the soft caress of the other man's fingers. He felt loved, worshipped and most of all wanted by the other. He felt simply enchanted, not by magic but by the emotional connection that had formed between them in such a short time.
He found himself laid back, watching nervously as Leoneil coated his fingers with some kind of lube. Did he want this? He didn't not want it, so he spread his legs and let the elf bury his fingers deep inside him. Bliss came to him quickly and he let out a moan of pure pleasure. He had no idea it would feel this good and Leoneil was as surprised as he was. With a little experimenting he found the spot again, teasing him lightly as he stretched him for more.
Yuto couldn't help but cry out, begging Leoneil to take him, and being delighted when the elf obliged. He gladly gave everything he had to the other, lost in the elves silent song. Spirited away as the legends claimed, but not in the way that people believed. Elves didn't steal the unwilling, they took your heart through kindness and your body through pleasure until every part of you was theirs.
He came three times that night, before the new couple fell asleep in each other's arms. Yuto had finally found the place where he belonged. The greatest of gifts, just in time for the winter festival. Everything had finally fallen into place.