aires | oh n

[ he snorts, at first - a little dryly. suffered much. he guesses. he's not really the type of person to call it suffering, it just is. and for as shitty as parts of his life were when he was growing up, he's carved out a name and a place for himself that he's happy with. content with being nothing and no one, therion despite everything, rarely holds grudges.

in moments like these, jiaoqiu feels like a kid's balloon, just one grubby hand away from floating off into the heavens. he's not stupid - his gaze flicks back to jiaoqiu's for a moment, more intense than before, and he nudges him with his shoulder. ]

Hey. Don't get stuck on it. [ not the nicest things to say, but maybe it's better to be harsh - therion's certainly never been one to sugarcoat anything, and he doesn't mean it necessarily cruelly. but he can watch jiaoqiu starting to drift back into the long years of his past and pull him back. if anyone knows how to leave the past behind, as far as he thinks, anyway, it's therion.

anyway. ]

Good thing it got better, fluff. All that and it still can't cure your old bones.

[ no, it definitely helps - the harshness is almost better than something sweet. pain, or spice, or sharp words... whatever it is, it keeps him here. it's why he eats food so hot it burns his insides, and it's why he dug his claw into the wound on his palm, months ago. deep breath. right, yeah. don't get stuck on it. don't think about the answer to that question, and how his plan didn't even amount to anything in the end. he's still here. for better or for worse.

slowly, jiaoqiu slides down and rests his head on therion's uninjured shoulder, exhausted by the effort of keeping himself from fading. therion's words get him to let out a little huff of a sound, something approaching a laugh. ]

What a shame. [ he jokes, lazily. ] Old bones or no, I keep up with you fine.

[ mostly. like listen if therion told him to jog for his life he'd just keel over and die, but that does not extend to sex. he can do that just fine!!

as he speaks, he slides his hand down therion's arm, tracing his claws along the inside of therion's wrist, and then up the inside of his arm, just very lightly. touching to touch, really. ]

The offer stands, should you want something even to ease the scarring.

Edited 2024-10-10 02:01 (UTC)

Yeah, you're pretty good at being sedentary.

[ rude??? but he's just saying this to get a reaction of some kind, because he can't ever resist it, and also because it's easier to lean into that after what has been an incredibly eventful evening. he doesn't stop jiaoqiu from resting on his shoulder - it's a little bony, but the muscles are strong, and though it's maybe not the best pillow, the tactility might be nice.

he doesn't care much about not wearing a shirt around, despite being usually relatively covered up, considering by now how many times jiaoqiu has seen him without one, but there's something awfully intimate about that little touch, the hint of a claw at his wrist. his arms are scratched up from the fight earlier here and there, but beyond that, jiaoqiu's touch strokes over a variety of old wounds. scars, from similar fights - old cuts that never quite healed right. a perfectly circular cigarette burn. an ancient, faded stick and poke tattoo of a little knife, marked through with another old injury. on his wrist, an old mark from a shackle that he only recently managed to shake off. his battered body is evidence enough for that life that he's lived, and he watches jiaoqiu do this instead of staring off into the void, the monster that tells him to wreck it for the moment silent and still. ]

I'll think about it. [ that's the best he's got. ]

Edited (me voice its a modern au i do what i want ) 2024-10-10 02:15 (UTC)

[ it's all he expects!

the rudeness gets him to laugh - he digs his nails in briefly, a little pinch. but just once, and then he's touching again. over the marks, the old scars, the scratches, and particularly that cigarette burn. he's gentle, but that one gets him. it's so intentional, is the thing. his battered body, run ragged by the world. jiaoqiu doesn't have many physical scars, from a life behind the frontlines. sometimes he wishes he did, maybe.

but that's an idle thought. he's more interested in thinking about the way that therion froze up and bluescreened at the gentleness, that he didn't know what to do with jiaoqiu kissing the scar over his eye, and it makes a little pilot light go on in his chest. click-click-click. ]

Are you finished eating?

[ if you asked him, he couldn't tell you what it was from, but the reality is he could conjure the memory. it's just one of many - it could've been from fucking around, being a stupid teenager with darius, or it could have been from any number of scraps and fights he got into as a kid, surrounded by people who would beat him into the ground until he learned how to bite back.

but it doesn't matter. he glances up from where he was watching those idle patterns, then over to the plate. it's pretty much empty and he eats like a bird, anyway, so he just makes an affirmative noise. his mouth's still tingling from all the capsaicin, anyway. ] Mn.

[ amazing how he feels less like he's going to spiral away deep down the fear hole TM now that he's had a full meal. it's still there but like sometimes that helps. crazy. ]

[ wow, it's almost like eating helps your brain be less stupid!! jiaoqiu seems pleased that he's a little calmer, because he still does insist that food is medicine. it does wonders. ]

Then it's time for bed. [ he hums, moving to sit up. he will take that plate. ]

Do you want a shirt?

's fine. Don't really care either way.

[ even if it's cold outside!! he shrugs his good shoulder, and if jiaoqiu does get up, stands up and silently coming to pad after him - though he doesn't follow him all the way in, therion leans on the doorway, folding his arms, and just kind of watches. like a cat following you from room to room. a presence in a home. ]

[ up they get! the plate goes in the sink, and then he wanders into his bedroom, fussing with the covers. a pause, as he glances over his shoulder to see therion just... leaning there... his tail swishes, expression amused. it is kind of like having a cat, and it's intensely amusing to him. ]

... Shall I invite you in? Or will you sleep standing up?

[look, you slept in his bed last night, you can do it again. ]

Do I look like a bat to you?

[ bats sleep hanging upside down. but the shitty remark remains. he stays there for a second, looking at jiaoqiu’s swishy tail and feeling the urge to say no just to make it stop, and then feels weird, and then rolls his eyes, pushes that intrusive thought away, and treats this like nothing happened. he just stalks across the room and reaches to push jiaoqiu over instead.

not in a sexy way but in an annoying way. Cuteness aggression.]

That is not the animal I associate with you --

[ he says, before immediately getting knocked over. he has no strength whatsoever he just topples like a poorly constructed block tower. the noise he makes is like WAH, embarrassingly.

a beat. smiles like :3 up at therion from where he's flopped out on the bed. ]

[ hmm yeah that made him feel better. he's got a shitty little smile on his face for a second - honestly, this part of this situation isn't that unfamiliar. it would not be the first or the tenth time that they've fallen into bed together somehow, and therion considers it from where he's currently on high, a rarity.

and then just crawls over him. whatever, he's hurt, who cares. he's been hurt a thousand times, and he's already forgotten about it. ]

You can keep your furry opinions to yourself. [ only in a modern au ] Has anyone ever told you you talk too much?

You have, several times.

[ he hums, tail wriggling underneath him, pleased, as therion crawls over him. his hands are warm and careful as he slides them up over therion's sides and chest, testing to see how gentle he needs to be. therion is hurt, and jiaoqiu is still, in his heart of hearts, a doctor who refuses to let therion ache any further than he needs to. he pays close attention, trying to see if there's any winces. ]

You're welcome to silence me.

[ he saw that shitty little smile, and he liked it. ]

[ no winces! not really very surprising: he has a high pain tolerance. jiaoqiu in doing this, however, does get to feel the faint outline of his ribs when he brings his hands up, from years and years of malnutrition - though he gets to eat a little better nowadays, some things are not erased so easily. he presses into it though, unbothered, setting either of his hands down on either side of jiaoqiu's head. pinned in.

the comment gets him to snort, rolling his eyes in a gesture that's less rude than it could be. ]

God, I wish. [ therion mutters, but the little smirk remains. for a long moment, he regards jiaoqiu underneath him, and it occurs to him that - well. for all the times that they've fallen into bed together, it's always been hands on and mouths on, half undressed or a quick roll around in the sheets, wild and then finished, but he's realizing that they've never actually kissed. it's protective, really - therion's only ever kissed the one person, and since getting burned, it's something he's tactically avoided. it feels like acknowledging something that these kind of flings are not.

he opens his mouth to say something else. unwittingly, he's gotten kind of close to jiaoqiu's face - he shuts his mouth. and after a long moment, tilts his head to the side, nose nudging against his, and -

doesn't. go for it. it's a second of hesitance, a moment that feels too big for him to bridge, where he should just rethink it. ]

[ the ribs make him a little grouchy, actually, as he feels over them. therion might see his nose scrunch up, disgruntled by the fact that therion is skin and bones. it's just further resolve to make sure he's well fed, to make sure he shows up more often. there are plenty of foods that are easy to eat, easy to take with, and jiaoqiu can make sure that therion fills out a bit. he'll chase him down.

but - jiaoqiu has the same realization at about the same time therion does. for all the times they've been in this position, it's been safer to just roll over on his stomach, to not be face to face. it's what he defaults to a lot of the time, putting that little bit of impersonal distance between them. it's just a fling, just using each other for pleasure and nothing else, but - jiaoqiu knows it isn't. he's a lot of things, but he doesn't often lie to himself. he asked therion to stay, he wants to make sure he's fed and clothed and warm, it's... it's a little more than just sex.

so when therion leans close, nose nudging his, and doesn't kiss him, jiaoqiu makes an impatient noise. he leans up, and presses their lips together, his hands dragging down to rest on therion's hips.

it does feel like a bridge to cross, but jiaoqiu is willing to drag him across the first couple of steps. the flint to fuel the fire. ]

[ it doesn't even occur to him that's what bothers jiaoqiu - he just assumes it's a cut or something he didn't even notice he had and ignores it. whatever it is, it's not a big deal? he's mostly just focused on the feeling of his hands on his skin, warm after the ice cold of the outdoors, after the less than pleasant evening he's had. it's the wee hours of the morning, by now, and he should probably be resting, but after all the adrenaline, he's feeling wide awake.

the crash hasn't come yet. the crash with jiaoqiu hasn't come yet at all. he knows it's on the horizon - it always is - but there are still a few more minutes on the ride, and so he foolishly holds onto them. in this moment, maybe when he gets burned, he'll deserve it. (or...maybe the burn will never come at all.)

the impatient noise comes a little bit of a surprise? it's not one he's never heard before - jiaoqiu gets fussy in many manners of life, and though he's also usually not patient enough to draw things out too often, every now and then the mood strikes to bully him a little, but the fact that he just surges up and takes the kiss surprises him, too. therion's visible eye widens as he's kissed, and there's a sharp intake of breath, a brief moment of hanging in hiatus, and then...

well, and then therion bears down and kisses him back. it's like a dam breaking as he turns his head, one kiss, and then a second, a third - open mouthed by the third, quickly picking up pace and heat. he'd never call it desperation, even if it smacks of it. he'd never call it wanting, either, and that just might be the better word. ]

[ there we go, jiaoqiu thinks, satisfied, as therion bears down on him.

with a sigh, he matches what therion gives him. it's not quite desperation, and it is wanting, in a sense, but more than anything it's coaxing. inviting. maybe a little needy, but that's the one he won't be admitting to himself. his fingers curl and dig into therion's hips, and he presses his tongue into therion's mouth and kisses him deep, a little clumsy and unpracticed, but solid. and then - he slows them down. just a bit. he bites at therion's bottom lip, and hums low, arching.

it's no less passionate or intense, it's just a more languid pace. a little reassurance. he's here. he's not going anywhere, therion doesn't have to take it and run, he doesn't have to get the most out of something that won't last. jiaoqiu will kiss him for as long as he wants to, and he can keep coming back for more.

one hand drags up therion's side and settles in his hair, stroking it back. gentle, gentle. but not reluctant, not anything but all-in, dragging therion close and holding him there. ]

[ a caretaker and someone who needs to be cared for, or at least, someone who has forgotten what care is like. coaxing a thief is a bad idea, inviting a thief even worse - he will always take, and take, and take. this is no exception, and thus the pace starts out immediately deep, his mouth opening against jiaoqiu's, pulling a flush to his cheeks and a sigh from jiaoqiu's mouth, chasing reactions, chasing pleasure. when jiaoqiu slows him down, though, therion exhales harshly, this time, and after a beat, he follows where he's leading.

slower. more. each brush of his tongue in his mouth a savored sensation as opposed to an inhaled meal. he makes no noise or anything like it, but his fingers curl and clutch at the bedsheets near jiaoqiu's head, twine in the longer locks of his hair and tug, but it's not as hard as usual, more like touching just to touch. he lets him mess with his hair if he wants to, feeling the flutter of anticipation and nerves and everything else when it gets near his fringe, but he's already seen it, it's - safe. it's safety.

he shifts where he's settled - hips upwards and then rolling down, slower to match the gesture of their mouths together, lingering a second longer in his life, between the cradle of his legs. maybe they don't even have to sleep together. maybe they will. maybe not. it doesn't even matter. and that's wild, too. nothing transactional about it, even if he'll cling onto that feeling a little longer to make an attempt at pretending there's distance where there's absolutely none.

there's danger in safety and complacency, and he knows that better than anyone, but he wants safety like any person would. ]

[ nothing transactional, just - care. closeness, intimacy, the things that can ground both of them. there's something intoxicating about the idea. they've slept together so many times, but nothing keys him up like the idea of it meaning something. scary, but wildly arousing, which is kind of funny to him, distantly.

maybe they'll make it something more, and maybe he won't. maybe he'll roll therion over on his back and settle in his lap, make sure his shoulder doesn't get strained. when therion rocks against him as is, he lets out a heated sigh into therion's mouth, the hand still on his hip gliding up to rest on the small of his back, like he's encouraging it. still clothed, jiaoqiu can't feel the warmth of therion's skin against his own, but he's already thinking about it absently, about how good it might feel to be pressed together face to face for once. his fingers dip under the waistband of therion's pants, just sneaking touches, dragging his fingers absently over where a tail would be, if therion had one. a little like he's thinking about it.

there's no hiding his interest, but the thing is - again, realizing it like therion - they don't have to. it doesn't have to be a whole production, it doesn't have to be anything but this. it's safe. it's easy, to know that if they got tired they could just stop. jiaoqiu is content to kiss therion like this, to even get off this way, to rock his hips up slow and lazy and grinding, wind them both up and wind them down. he kind of likes the thought of that, even if it'd be a mess.

and after a moment, even though he's reluctant to break the kiss, he murmurs: ]

More?

[ because he'd be okay to stop, too. he likes to ask. he likes therion to know that he has the choice, that either way jiaoqiu's bed is still open to him. ]

[ the less that he thinks about this, the easier it is. in fact, the longer he melds into the kisses, the more his anxieties and paranoia start to melt away. that's part of the reason of chasing the pleasure in the first place, but this time, it's less about the thrill and more about the comfort. a warmth that curls like smoke instead of a burning flame.

from this angle, he can really feel all of jiaoqiu in a way they don't usually get up to. the closest might be draping over his back when things get really intense, but even then, it doesn't really compare. this feels a thousand times more intimate than that. keenly aware as always, it feels like his senses are heightened even further - the way his fingertips dip against his skin leaves heat behind, the half anticipation of a claw. he's considering doing the same, and starts to push his weight to his injured arm so he can free up his left, about to push up jiaoqiu's shirt and get it out of the way.

he catches jiaoqiu's lip between his teeth when he breaks the kiss, so the word's caught between their mouths. it's enough that his eye flutters open and he pulls back a little, pausing hip to hip, one sneaky, clever hand already halfway up jiaoqiu's shirt without disturbing a thing, without even touching him yet. ]

Mn. [ an agreeing noise. he always wants more, that's sort of how this goes. there's a beat of silence - he regards jiaoqiu from under his fringe, eyes just a little dark. ] Any ideas?

[ drawled low and a little rumbly against his mouth this time - he flattens his hand across jiaoqiu's stomach, a touch of skin to skin out of nowhere, and skates it up his chest. sure, he can take some suggestions. the whole thing feels a little raw, still, and if he runs his palm over his chest and tweaks while jiaoqiu is running his mouth (as if therion was not the one who asked him to run his mouth), well, it helps him have a little control over the situation. ]

[ a little protesty sound, when he feels therion shift his weight to his injured arm. no!!

but he's quickly diverted, thankfully. the warmth of therion's hand sliding up under his shirt gets him to sigh, and almost growl, the way he does when he's really starting to get into it. a rumble of a noise, the animalistic part of him crawling up. his ear flicks, and he meets that heady gaze with a look that's just on the edge of belligerent. just a little. it's something therion has probably learned over time - in the thick of it, jiaoqiu is bossy. until it gets knocked out of him, anyway. ]

Let me out of my clothes. Like this.

[ he says, as he grinds his hips up against therion's, as he arches up into therion's grabby hands. granted, like, if therion feels like going through the effort of fingering him to get him ready, jiaoqiu will not say no, he just knows that it's a lot of work. as long as he gets to be skin to skin, face to face, he does not care how it pans out. he repays that tweak with another little bite to therion's bottom lip, gold eyes warm, pupils large. a beat. ]

On your back. I will not have you opening your wounds.

[ huffy, a touch imperious, like he's not half hard and squirming under therion. ]

[ that earns him a not so gentle pinch to the nipple but he probably deserves it ]

God, you're bossy.

[ he sounds more amused than anything else after he says it, and takes the second to take in the look on his face. he likes it when jiaoqiu gets belligerent, mostly because therion is no better, and that belligerence is what got him here in the first place. so stubborn to heal him that therion really couldn't say no, and now, here they are, months and months later.

removing his hand, he pushes himself up on his injured arm easily and leans back a little, though it's just enough to rest his arms on jiaoqiu's legs and regard him, like he's on a fine perch. therion has an easy sort of swagger around him when he's not dealing with the concept of human gentleness, and its on full display here. he knows he's at least decently good looking, he knows that jiaoqiu is into him, and this is easy to lean into. from this view, his mouth is kissed red, cheeks lightly flushed, white hair even more of a mess than usual. ]

On my back, huh. [ sarcastically, almost a fake pout: ] Don't tell me you're not going to say please?

[ really just evidence of him being shitty even if this is admittedly full of feelings. even if he is kind of into it, and even if he's also half hard in his too tight jeans and still pressed close together with jiaoqiu, enough that twitching his hips gets a little burn of friction between them. ]

[ therion absolutely gets a heated once-over from jiaoqiu. it's the mussed hair and the kissed-red lips, he just... very much likes that. it's a good look on him, kissed a little stupid.

underneath him, jiaoqiu's tail wriggles, swishing against the bedspread in a vaguely disgruntled way. not seriously, but in that cat with its stomach exposed, waiting to bite sort of way. he's unfortunately very attracted to the swagger, watching therion be a brat. ]

Would a please even do anything? [ he asks, with a huff. a beat. and then he does not give therion time to answer. instead, he uses his legs to sweep therion over onto his back - carefully, avoiding throwing him down on his bad shoulder. and then he rolls over to sit in therion's lap, which is probably funny considering he's much taller. he looks very pleased with himself, easing back to make sure his ass is pressed right up against therion's groin. congratulations. ]

As I said. [ jiaoqiu hums, curling his fingers under his shirt and pulling it up, off, throwing it to the side. ] I will not have you undo my hard work.

[ i love this icon eats him

it serves therion right because hubris might as well be his last name - while he's being a little shit, he gets his legs swept out from underneath him. his facial expression is almost comically startled when they get rolled over, and truly if he were the one who was a furry, he'd be puffed up at every angle like a startled cat.

the expression fades after a second, replaced with a flat, unamused look, even if he is clearly just posturing and not actually upset about this at all. jiaoqiu does have a nice ass. he has looked at it plenty of times. he is not complaining about the way he fits in his lap even a little, and he bumps his hips up when he's taking off his shirt to continue to be a brat and jostle him, and in the meantime grind a little against him while he's at it. ]

Done worse with less. [ he mutters, but again, it's just perfunctory. he looks up at jiaoqiu - not unusual, and he settles back a little in the pillows to actually look him over and take in the sight. he really is pretty. not that that's the kind of thing therion thinks about often, but it's hard to miss. ]

[ sometimes he is cute

jiaoqiu laughs a little when he catches the puffy cat reaction, ear flicking. he's so, so pleased with himself, it's obnoxious. when therion bumps him a bit, he startles - but the second he's got his shirt off and on the floor, he rests his hands on therion's chest, bracing himself up. ]

Wrong answer. [ he informs him, wrinkling his nose. a beat, as he meets that grind lazily, his tail whapping back and forth and hitting the inside of therion's legs. his head tilts back a bit, eyes closing briefly as he takes in the sensation, and then, with a sigh: ]

Mm... I should have taken your pants off before sitting.

[ because now he doesn't want to get off therion... ]

[ help. the tail swishing is kind of a funny sensation even through his jeans, and he watches jiaoqiu for a moment when he closes his eyes, observing the curves and angles of his body, and then, he makes an "ohhh" noise, drawn out. rude. ]

Best laid plans of foxes and men, huh?

[ lol lmao. however, that joke aside. ] Hold still.

[ and then fairly unceremoniously, he adjusts his weight on his better arm and then almost effortlessly arches his back and hips up and off the bed, foxian included, steps on the edge of his jeans with one foot, and with some frankly impressive flexibility and maneuvering, wiggles free of them without dislodging jiaoqiu much at all.

thief skills!! ]

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