ashenputtel | IC Inbox

[And sure enough, just like before, Balthus is hanging out on his little balcony watching for Ashe's arrival, this time with a beer bottle dangling from his clawed fingertips and his wings tucked back against his shoulders.

If anything, he seems a little lost in thought, but it's Balthus, so it's not exactly like he has to wander very far into the proverbial mental forest before he's hopelessly lost, after all.]

[There's the click on the pavement as Ashe makes his arrival, hooves instead of boots. Nervously, his tail flicks, and he looks up where Balthus is waiting.

Shyly, he holds up a hand.]

H-hey, Balthus.

Hey, bud.

[He raises his bottle in silent suggestion of a toast, leaning on the railing and peering over at him. Like Ashe, he's also barefoot — albeit with the thick scales that run up his feet and legs to his knees, which are essentially boots to begin with — and he's very definitely only wearing a short pair of cutoffs, because...well. Wings.]

C'mon up. Growlst will get the door for you.

[Right, Growlst. A little more comfortable, Ashe smiles up at Balthus before he gets to the door. Right on time, the vine opens the door for him. Ashe slides his fingers over the consentacle.]

Hi Growlst. Thanks for letting me in.

[Ashe steps inside, letting out a breath. He's glad that Balthus doesn't seem to mind about any of this.]

[The apartment is, as ever, a comfortably cluttered little hole in the wall with a feel of a brick-walled basement to it. It's roughly the same as it was on the night Ashe slept over — the blanket he'd borrowed is still draped haphazard over the back of the couch he'd slept on, even — save for a knotty, sun-bleached old piece of wood that's been propped up like a trophy on a tabletop against one of the far walls.

As Balthus comes in, Growlst squiggles over and forms a little lump with the end of his tendril, which Balthus reflexively bumps his fist against as he goes by. Mollified, the tentacle wriggles back towards its pot, pausing only to brush approvingly against the back of Ashe's hand along the way.]

So.

[Soooooooooooooooo.]

I don't want to be nosy or anything, here, but...like you were saying, I want you to be comfortable. So I hope you weren't hoping I'd just put you against a wall and ravish you, or anything like that. Figure we'll take it a little slower to start with, yeah?

[Well, the board is new. Ashe looks at it, baffled for a moment before he sees Balthus. The psuedo-fistbump is endearing, and he stifles a laugh as he watches it. What the hell, that's cute.

Right. So!]

O-oh. No, I'm... fine with talking it out. Just bear with me, I still kind of have a hard time talking about this stuff.

Slow is good.

All right. C'mon over here.

[He beckons faintly, motioning Ashe over to the couch before taking a seat himself. There's plenty of space next to him to occupy, if Ashe so chooses, but on the other hand...

On the other hand, Balthus is manspreading like he always does, except this time it's in what seems to be an inviting way.]

You can take the chair, if you want it. Or the couch. Or just sit in my lap; it's really up to you.

[Is it too fast to sit on the offered lap? Well, if it was, he supposes that Balthus wouldn't have offered and he does want to be there very badly. Though still bashful, Ashe edges closer until he settles on the offered leg, leaning lightly against Balthus.]

Like this?

[He sure hopes so.]

Hey, you tell me. Is it comfortable for you?

[Even as he says it, he's moving one hand slightly to settle at the small of Ashe's back, while the other curves lightly around his knee. He's not really holding him so much as just giving the suggestion of it, taking it gradually while they figure each other out.]

Don't feel bad if you're a little shy. Nothing wrong with that. I bet once you warm up, though, you're a real firebrand, right?

[The touches don't bother him. If anything, Ashe relaxes a little more, then he lets out a soft laugh at the suggestion, his cheeks pink.]

I wouldn't say that.

Look, I... I'm really grateful you're willing to help me out. I think you're kind and handsome and... and so strong. But I also sort of... hope that maybe you find me a little bit attractive too?

[That's his only bit of reluctance in all of this, truthfully.]

[I don't need you, he remembers Ashe's nightmares saying. Nobody needs you, I'll never be good enough for anyone. And now, like this, he hears it again: he hears it in words like grateful and maybe and hope.

Maybe it would've been better if he'd never heard those things. Any answer he gave would've been more genuine then, less influenced by other things he knows. But like this, he knows exactly what damage a wrong answer could do, and so he takes an extra minute to be sure he's finding one that's honest, but also mindful, in its own way.]

Do you want to know what I'd be telling you, if we didn't already know each other and you wound up in my lap like this?

[He smiles, a kind of lazy crooked grin, and his gaze doesn't leave Ashe's face.]

I'd say something like, "Y'know, I didn't know stars could fall, but you've got two of 'em for eyes." And then I'd try to get you to smile, 'cause it's a little dark in here, and that'd brighten it right up.

You've got a lot to be confident about. If the guy you're with isn't looking at you like you hung the moon in the sky, then he's the one who doesn't deserve you, pal. Not the other way around.

[That kind of pick-up line makes Ashe laugh quietly, ducking his head as he looks at Balthus, more at ease. It's that kind of thing that reminds him a bit of Sylvain, but in a good way; Sylvain would say things to compliment Ashe, calling him handsome and reassuring that after everything they would still be friends. And really, that's the most important thing he could ever ask for.

He takes one of Balthus' hands, pressing his cheek into the palm of it, minding the scales and claws and all.]

You really are very sweet. Anyone would be lucky to be with you. So, I'll count myself that much, too.

Thank you.

Ha — got you to loosen up, didn't I?

[With his hand up against Ashe's face, he's perfectly situated to run the side of his thumb over the curve of Ashe's cheekbone, stroking softly.]

I don't want you to be grateful right now. I want you to be interested in me, too.

[He winks.]

You saying it doesn't bother you, that I've made you wait this long without a kiss?

[A warm smile beams on Ashe's face at the thumb, and his blush returns swiftly. Ah, how can he say that he's been interested for awhile now? Balthus has an impressive body and heart alike -- and all the times Balthus checks his crotch gem does not help. Or it helps. Hard to say.

The wink makes him giggle, and he leans in closer, hesitantly putting his hands against Balthus' impressive chest.]

Then kiss me already.

[He's a little unused to Ashe's gentle brand of shyness, truth be told; most of the people he's surrounded himself with over the years have been strong personalities, spitfire women, boisterous men, and his liaisons with them have been equally raucous as a result. Sharing this with Ashe is something new and different from the norm, he muses as he relaxes beneath the pleasant weight of hands coming to rest on his pecs. It's kind of nice, in its own way. The steps are all pretty much the same, but the tempo is slower, that's all.]

That's better.

[With his hand still on Ashe's cheek, he draws him down and in, fitting their lips together easily. The creature in him approves; from the moment their mouths touch, the now-familiar craving in him starts to simmer, insistent on more of this, more attention, more affection, more.]

[To begin with, Ashe has already been warm. Asking Alucard for help had been a temporary fix, calming his driving need until it's spiked again. Here and now, Balthus is also very warm, like glowing coals. He hums against Balthus' mouth and practically melting into it. His is tail thumping against the couch, pleased as he kisses him.

He tips his head, careful with the horn out of his forehead so it doesn't poke Balthus. An arm reaches up, his hand resting on the back of Balthus' head. He doesn't even think, just embraces this moment, like it's natural as he lets these absurd hormones drive him. The other hand is still resting on a pec, absently squeezing without thinking much about it other than how much he is immensely attracted to his friend.]

[He almost laughs when he manages to place the source of the foreign whap-whap sound that starts up shortly after they start kissing; it's nice to know he's not the only one with a tail with a mind of its own. Kissing's a lot safer, too, with them positioned like this, thanks to the way that Ashe's horn angles upwards where it juts out of his head. If he had to lean down to kiss Ashe, he'd risk driving the thing straight into his forehead, but with him underneath and angled up, he can just kind of slide right in under it.

Speaking of sliding, the hand on Ashe's knee is slowly working its way up his leg, following the inside curve rather than the outside one — just exploring, mostly curious yet a little bit scheming, too.]

If you don't like something, say something. Okay?

[He says it breathy and low, each word pressed against Ashe's lips in its turn.]

[The hand sliding over his leg makes him squirm a little, but not bad; he wants Balthus to touch him, and he's just impatient right now. He steals another kiss, brief but eager. It breaks just long enough so he can respond.]

Okay.

[Though honestly he can't imagine what Balthus could possibly do to make him dislike it, but he tells himself: he will be honest, and he won't just roll over and let someone do what they want. Not anymore.]

[The final destination of his hand isn't the growing bulge in Ashe's shorts, but it does make a slight detour in that direction as it continues to skim up his leg; he rotates his hand so his knuckles face out and rubs them back and forth a few times against it before continuing his palm's path upward.

While he keeps Ashe's mouth occupied with kisses, his fingers find their way under the hem of his shirt, sliding blindly up toward where he thinks he'll find one of Ashe's nipples; once he does, his fingers start to circle the nub, flicking and pinching lightly until he's coaxed it as firm as he can.]

[A bit of teasing doesn't hurt, even if there's that base impatient part of him that wants to just pull Balthus' hand down. But Ashe doesn't; he wants to know what Balthus will end up doing.

Which is his fingers dragging over sensitive skin, working over his nipple. Ashe squeaks and whines into Balthus' mouth, pressing against him eagerly. Sylvain did a little bit of this to him before and he'd really liked it. This is no different, just the texture of Balthus' hands being different on account of his transformation, but that's fine. He arches his back greedily, trying to show with body language how much he likes it.]

Mm — here, hang on. I've got an idea.

[It's a shame to have to break away from the kiss, but hopefully Ashe won't mind too much when he catches the hem of Ashe's shirt and bunches it up, then pulls it up his body and holds the folded mass of it in front of Ashe's mouth.]

Hold this for me, would you?

[A makeshift gag that also gets the shirt out of the way — now there's an inspired idea. Particularly when the nub he'd been toying with is looking enticingly red from his efforts, and desperately in need of a tongue working over it to soothe.]

[It takes Ashe a second to understand what Balthus wants from him, but it does click into place. It makes him feel strange, but mostly very desirable -- which is a nice sensation. So he opens his mouth to takes the bunched up front of his shirt into his teeth, leaving his chest and stomach exposed to Balthus.

The feeling of a hot, slick tongue over his nipple is new and makes him bite down hard onto his shirt, shuddering. He can't help but look down, watching Balthus work. It makes his face bright red, but it-- it feels good, being treated like this. And he wants more of that.

Unsure of what to do with his own hands, he rests them against Balthus' shoulders, gently squeezing and feeling the muscles there.]

[A faint whine escapes him, different in nature to the deliberately noisy way he's laving attention onto Ashe's chest, and despite himself he rolls his shoulders up into Ashe's hands a bit, preoccupied but encouraging. More, more of that, more touch. More boldness. More for him to feed off of, in return.

He tends to one of Ashe's nipples awhile, then kisses his way across his chest to find the other and show it the same attention. This time, instead of tugging with his fingers, he nibbles with just the edges of his teeth, setting them and tugging before releasing and circling the nub with his tongue once more.]

[Oh. He never thought that hearing that kind of noise from someone else would spur Ashe on, but it does, knowing he's drawn that out. He practically chews on his own shirt trying to be patient, and occupies his hands. Fingers drag down, tracing over Balthus' biceps, eagerly squeezing them.

He pauses only when Balthus' teeth tug at him, and Ashe jerks under his mouth, moaning around the bunched up shirt in his mouth. Goddess, he's finding he loves that a lot. As if taking a cue from him, Ashe's hands return to Balthus' chest, cupping his pecs and feeling them. One stays, the other is feeling over his abs, shivering and adoring just how beautifully cut Balthus is.]

Seems to me you're sensitive about these, huh, pal...

[He sounds pleased with himself, and why wouldn't he be? He'd gone on a hunt to try to ferret out some of Ashe's favorite places to be touched, and it certainly seems like he's hit on one. Or, well, bit on one, as the case may be.

It's not like he's immune to it, either. Ashe is growing braver now, really feeling him up instead of just touching him reverently, and it's — it's just, it's awfully nice. He's proud of his body; why wouldn't he like having it admired like that?]

Wish I had a mirror in here. The view's amazing.

[He runs one of his hands down Ashe's side, this time deliberately cupping over the tent in his shorts to reward himself with proof of his handiwork.]

Maybe I don't even need to touch you here at all. What do you think?

IC Inbox | noctiumrp

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