multifandom clusterfuck

Ludo grabbed a cupcake from the tray beside the cash register before plopping himself down across from you in the other armchair and making himself comfortable. He shrugged, taking a bite of the sweet, and licking frosting off his lips. “Want some?” he offered, extending the cupcake across the table towards you.

You chuckled, shaking your head. “I’ve already had one.”

The concept of limiting oneself to a single cupcake seemed entirely foreign to Ludo. 

“Suit yourself,” he scoffed. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter if you want to know, it’s a surprise. So you’ll both just have to wait and see,” he said with a grin, glancing between you and Evan.

“You know I hate surprises,” Evan said with a sigh. 

Ludo, it seemed, had been prepared for that exact reaction. He tapped his temple, looking far too pleased with himself. “Ah, but you know what you don’t hate? Date night.” 

You typically weren’t one to take sides but you chuckled at that and had to admit… “He’s got a point.”

Evan’s cheeks going pink was confirmation enough that Ludo was right, not that it was ever really a question.

“So…” Ludo began again, turning his attention to you, “I’m thinking we’ll meet at your place once Evan is off the clock.”

It was so like him, coming up with some grand mysterious plan, and expecting you to host without any idea of what he had in store. He was damn lucky you found him charming.

“My place, hm?”

Ludo scoffed, as though his reasoning should have been obvious. “Uh, yeah, your place. There’s 100% fewer dads around.”

“Touché.”

Evan snorted a laugh at that, their arms folded as they leaned back against the counter. “I can hardly wait,” they said with a roll of their eyes. 

“That’s the spirit!” Ludo said, taking Evan’s words at face value. He then sat up, clapping his hands to his knees before standing abruptly. 

“Anyway, I’ll see you two later. I got some uhhh… stuff to do with Yabbis. I’ll bring snacks,” he promised you, leaning in to press a quick kiss to your cheek before stepping up to Evan and doing the same. “You bring a Nokturna deck. And oh! Speaking of dads, throw this on mine’s tab.” 

And then, as suddenly as he’d arrived, he was out the door with his cupcake, you and Evan left staring after him, amused.

Nokturna, huh? So much for a surprise.

~

Despite having worked half the night and having needed to detour home to grab their deck of cards, Evan somehow made it to your place before Ludo managed to. You’d been expecting as much. If anything, it meant they got a bit of time in with your hellkitten before the furry little thing would inevitably hide away for the night once Ludo arrived. Though your relationship was an ongoing thing, that cat was still not a fan of you having a werewolf in the house.

You’d gone ahead and cleared the coffee table in your living room of the various decorations and nicknacks you liked to display, knowing you’d need the space if the idea was to play Nokturna, as Ludo had implied. Both your deck and Evan’s were set neatly on the table.

Until he arrived, though, it was a waiting game.

“Is he seriously late to a date that he planned?” Evan remarked, lounging comfortably on your couch with your hellkitten on their lap.

You shrugged, unsurprised, sitting beside them. “You think Nokturna is actually the surprise?”

“If it is, he didn’t keep it hidden very well.”

You didn’t have time to come up with a response before you heard your front door open from down the hall, Ludo making his way inside with a large tray in tow. 

“I have arrived and I have pizza!” he announced, sending your hellkitten running for the stairs. 

“Did you… make that yourself?” Evan asked, looking the pizza over as Ludo set the tray down on the coffee table.

“Don’t sound so surprised!” he said with a grin, quite proud of his work. “Ok, so my dad might have helped a little, but I did most of it myself! It is date night after all. I wanted to do something special.”

All things considered, for someone who was not known for his cooking abilities, the pizza looked great. 

“So, is this the surprise then? Because I am pleasantly surprised,” you said as you hoisted yourself up from the couch, making your way into the kitchen to grab a few plates. 

When you came back, you found Ludo in your spot, and you sat back down on his other side sandwiching him between you and Evan, no doubt exactly where he wanted to be. 

“What? No, this is dinner!” Ludo said, practically aghast, taking one plate for himself and passing one to Evan.

You hummed, accepting that he had successfully managed to stump you, at least for now.

Between the three of you, the pizza hadn’t lasted long, helped along by the fact that it had tasted as good as it looked. Of course, given that both you and Evan were dying to know what in the world Ludo had in mind when he’d announced that he had a surprise for your date night, you may have rushed through eating, too.

Never one to beat around the bush, the moment Evan had set their empty plate down on the coffee table, they were interrogating Ludo.

“So. What is this mysterious plan of yours?” they asked, folding their arms across their chest and slumping back into the couch cushions.

“Well, I was thinking the other night about how I could make Nokturna more interesting. So, I’ve come up with some new house rules I thought we could play with.”

“What kind of house rules?” you asked, shifting some on the couch so that you could better face your partners.

“It’s really just one little change…” Ludo began, intentionally dragging things out, clearly for his own amusement. It was no secret that he liked getting a rise out of you both.

“And? What is this little change?” Evan urged.

“Two words. Strip Nokturna,” Ludo finally revealed, the wide grin on his face thinning his eyes to narrow slits.

“...Strip… Nokturna?” Evan repeated, almost as though they thought they hadn’t heard correctly.

“Strip Nokturna.” 

Yep. Indeed they had.

“So… when you lose a round…” you began, seeing where this was going.

“You lose a layer.”

You couldn't help the burst of laughter that spilled out of you at that. It sounded ridiculous, but also, somehow genius?

Meanwhile, Evan sat silently, a look of contemplation on their face as they processed that had both yours and Ludo’s full attention.

“We’ve all been together for how long? …And it’s taken you until just now to figure out how to turn our favorite game into foreplay?” Evan deadpanned. 

The howl of laughter that came out of Ludo had almost made you jump, but in the end, it only had you laughing harder yourself. 

Most of the people in town would have no idea, but Evan could actually be surprisingly funny, often spilling their unfiltered thoughts as soon as they came to mind, especially around those they were comfortable with. In this instance, though, the rare smug grin they wore clearly said that they’d sought the reaction they’d gotten, and they were damn pleased with it, too.

“So, you’ll play then, I take it,” Ludo asked once his laughter died down enough to allow for speech.

“Of course I’ll play,” Evan said.

And then both Ludo’s and Evan’s eyes settled onto you, Ludo raising a bushy brow in question. “Are you in?”

“Oh I am absolutely in.”

As though you’d let them have all of the fun without you.

~

This wasn’t the first time the three of you had bent Nokturna’s rules to suit your relationship. After all, you’d made playing together as a group work ages ago. But Ludo’s newest idea somehow seemed much further from what Dragan had in mind when he’d invented the game, despite technically not even altering the gameplay.

With the dinner mess cleared away, the three of you settled in around your coffee table, Ludo sitting at the edge of the couch, and you and Evan on plush pillows on the floor. 

“I built a new deck just for tonight,” Ludo said, practically vibrating with excitement as he played the first card of the night. You and Evan had felt that it was only fair Ludo started things off, since this whole thing had been his idea, after all. “You’re both in for it.”

Evan seemed entirely unfazed by Ludo’s vague threat, more than used to playing against him. Confidently, they laid one of their Nightshade cards face up on the coffee table, letting it be known that they were playing to win.

Both you and Ludo groaned.

“You and fucking Nightshade,” you muttered as you took your turn, nothing currently in your hand that could stop Evan’s signature card before it would get out of control. 

“It is my favorite,” they said with a little grin that almost made you forget how badly you wanted to pull it from their deck and bury it in your yard.

“We know,” you answered with a groan.  “Didn’t realise you were going for the jugular right off the bat,” Ludo said, laying down another card when things had come back around to him. 

“When have I ever not?” 

This was a question neither you nor Ludo could answer.

Both you and Ludo seemed to be playing with the same strategy, laying down low point cards while saving higher value ones for later rounds. 

A few turns later and you’d won, for now, anyway. Not that the first round mattered, much.

Evan lost graciously, as they’d anticipated they would, playing for the game overall rather than the individual round…

But did winning the game really matter if you lost a round to make it so? With normal rules, sure. But now? Perhaps not, when losing meant you had to strip.

Looking at Ludo, though, you’d have thought he’d won with how delighted he looked, but like Evan, his hand this round hadn’t added up. He stood from the couch without prompting, making a show of shrugging off his jacket, spinning it over his head before letting go of it, sending it flying across the room.

It made you giggle and made Evan roll their eyes, but even they couldn’t keep from cracking a smile at Ludo’s display, little fangs pressing into their bottom lip as they grinned.

“Your turn Evan, take something off, now, you know the rules~” Ludo egged them on, sitting back down on your couch and leaning forward in anticipation, as though he’d never seen them undress before.

“Yes, yes, I’m aware of the rules,” Evan said, tugging the laces on one of their shoes before pulling it off and tossing it aside.

“A shoe? That doesn’t even count!” Ludo insisted, gesturing wildly with his arms at the apparent absurdity of it all.

“Why wouldn’t it count? It is something I’m wearing,” Evan argued.

“I’d have started with my shoes, too,” you admitted with a shrug.

Ludo hadn’t looked more disappointed in recent memory, scoffing and looking between you both as though he’d been betrayed. “It doesn’t count because I’m not wearing shoes! That’s cheating!”

“Well, this was your idea, you could have worn shoes,” Evan told him.

“You do own shoes,” you added to Evan’s point. “I’ve seen them on your bedroom floor.”

“But I don’t wear them, they feel weird on my paws!” Ludo said, crossing his arms and slumping back into the couch with an exaggerated pout. “I can’t believe you two are turning on me like this.”

“That’s a bit dramatic, don’t you think?”  Evan asked him.

You nodded in agreement. “Makes me think you just wanted to get us naked, not actually play Nokturna,” you teased.

“I wanted both!! Duh! It’s okay to want both!”

Of course you already knew that, but getting a rise out of Ludo was just so fun.

“Then, I guess you’ll have to start winning, won’t you?” you said with a grin.

“Oh, it is on,” Ludo said, sitting back, getting ready for the next round with more determination than they’d started with. 

As luck would have it, the second round hadn’t gone much better for Ludo, either. You hadn’t done terribly, having had some friends cards in your hand, but those weren’t quite enough to counter the cards in Evan’s, who seemed to have luck on their side every time they drew a card. Nightshade had kept them in the lead, with just enough points to be out of reach of both you and Ludo.

~

By the time the first game had ended, Evan was on their second round won, you were missing both of your shoes, and Ludo had removed his shirt and belt (because if shoes counted, so did belts goddammit. Fucking shoe wearing cheaters.)

“You know, you don’t have to play Nightshade if it ends up in your hand again this time,” Ludo said as he shuffled his deck between games. “It’s not, like, mandatory.”

Evan let out a huff of amusement at that. “Oh, I don't? Huh. How about, I’ll play the cards I like, and you can draw better cards or, you know, build better decks,” they teased.

“This is a perfectly good deck, I just might have forgotten to slip in a few cards that maybe I should have…”

You laughed at that. “You forgot? Ludo, you said you built it specifically for tonight!”

“Were you high when you built it?” Evan asked, though, it came out sounding much more like an accusation than a question.

“Well… Yabbis–”

Nothing more needed said, both you and Evan reacting with understanding. 

“Well at least now we know where the idea for the pizza came from,” Evan remarked.

“Aww, someone had the munchies,” you agreed, giggling to yourself.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t hear any complaints while we were eating, so,” Ludo said, trailing off and giving his deck a final shuffle before drawing his next hand. You and Evan followed suit, and Evan got the next game started, playing a card.

It only took losing one more round before Ludo’s losing streak miraculously, and unintentionally, started working in his favor.

You and Evan went into the second round of the second game matching, shoeless. Ludo, on the other hand, went in muttering about how chilly your living room was as he kicked his pants off, flinging them haphazardly across the room, before taking a seat back on your couch in just his boxers and backwards hat. 

And just like that, there was something a hell of a lot more interesting to pay attention to besides the cards in your hand.

Glancing at Evan, who would typically be pouring over their own hand right about now, you found them similarly distracted, their eyes on Ludo, and their cheeks a distinct pink. As Ludo looked his cards over, you nudged Evan’s foot with yours, giving them a knowing look as you hid your own blush behind your cards, the whole thing only serving to make Evan’s blush deepen. 

Ludo seemed like he hadn’t expected to win the second round at all, not even realising it had happened until you scooted back from the table and started pulling your top off up over your head, and Evan reluctantly began working their hoodie off, pulling their arms in before pushing it off and tossing it.

“Wait, I won that one? Hell yeah! Now we’re talking! Take it off!” he encouraged, all while clapping excitedly, biting his lip as he watched the two of you.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t let it get to your head,” you told him, glancing between him, and Evan, topless beside you. You had no idea what Ludo was talking about, the room being chilly. If anything, you felt incredibly warm, at least, in vampire terms.

Ludo’s luck was set from there, both you and Evan far too distracted–both by him and each other–to pay much attention to the cards.

“Hello? Why would you play that?” Ludo asked, as Evan took their final turn that round.

It was like they hadn’t even heard him. “What?”

“Sangromancer. You played Sangromancer while I have Moon Goddess in play. You just gave up the win,” Ludo said with a laugh, drawing four cards and adding their additional points.

You’d been out of the running for the win, but hadn’t noticed Evan’s play until Ludo pointed it out. The points Ludo’s Moon Goddess card gained from being forced to draw cards put him in the lead, ahead of Evan.

“Fuck. You’re right,” Evan said, their head rolling back as though they couldn't believe they’d made that poor of a play. They were typically so good about the mental math.

“I mean, I’m not complaining, I’ll take the win, thank you very much, but, are you good?”

Evan nodded quickly, trying to convince themself as much as they were Ludo. “I’m fine! You just… outplayed me. It… happens,” the excuse came out as though it was painful.

It was not something that usually happened. But neither was playing in various stages of undress.

“No way!  Why are you all red? Are you sure you’re okay?” Ludo continued to press with earnest concern.

Evan looked far too flustered to speak, getting to their feet to undo their jeans, taking the loss, rather than saying anything else for the moment. You had to do the same, ever the graceful loser.

“They’re fine Ludo… just… a little flustered,” you explained, knowing the feeling quite well in the moment, looking coy yourself.

As you undid your jeans you watched the look on Ludo’s face morph from concern to vested interest, his gaze shifting between you and Evan. He looked like he was being served a second dinner.

It was like a lightbulb had gone off, what you’d said suddenly dawning on him. “Oh my god you two keep making shitty plays because I’m, like, naked!” 

“For fuck sake Ludo, yes, are you happy now?” Evan finally admitted, shaking their head and gesturing with their arms, leaving their jeans low on their hips, beneath their navel.

Ludo’s breath shuddered before he spoke up, and he licked his lips. “Hell yeah I’m happy,” he said, getting to his feet and stepping over to Evan. He gave them a tight squeeze around their middle, pressing a firm kiss to their cheek before looking to you. 

“Get over here, what the hell are you just standing there for,” Ludo said with a grin, opening his other arm for you to come to him and Evan. 

You went happily, though sometimes you did like taking a moment to just admire the two of them. Your partners. Fucking adorable, the both of them.

“Can we be finished with cards and go upstairs?” Ludo asked, a stupid cute little pout on his face that would get him just about anything he asked for.

“I think that is a good idea,” you said with a nod.

Both yours and Ludo’s gaze then turned to Evan. “Sounds perfect.”

Ludo didn’t waste a moment, letting his grip on the two of you go and making a break for the stairs. You and Evan could only laugh, them with a fond shake of their head, before following after Ludo.

What it would not be, is the first time you’d shown up, hoping. Quite the contrary, in fact. You were in the shop daily, knew Evan’s schedule as though it were your own to learn. The only variables were whether or not Evan had decided to sneak off to the back for a quick nap on any given day, and your nerves. 

A few dates under the stars since they’d first made the offer, and you’d told yourself you’d take the opportunity when it next presented itself. Here’s to hoping.

You tried not to rush through seeing to your land. It was something you found joy in–tending your crops and your animals–but you hadn’t slept well the day prior and there hadn’t been a night thus far that you’d been more grateful you could use your magic to make your early evening chores easier. With a flick of your wand, your watering cans were off to quench your plants, while you made your rounds between your barns dragging sacks of fodder.

If you hadn’t been tired already, refilling the troughs in your barns would have seen to it. Luckily, the walk into town wasn’t a long one. You could smell the fresh cupcakes before you even rounded the front of the building, which confirmed what you already knew. Mina would be working front of shop. Evan would be in the back, theoretically working, potentially dozing. You couldn’t get through that door fast enough. 

Having enough sense to know by now that you were not there for her, and that you were only being polite when you stopped at the counter, Mina tipped her head to the side, nodding at the back room with a knowing grin. “Evan’s out like a light back there. Ludo must be rubbing off on them.”

You bit your bottom lip, but you couldn't hide the smile that tugged at it, and you knew you had to look far too pleased with that information. You weren’t typically a proponent of slacking off on the clock, but you could make exceptions on a case by case basis, and this was a special case indeed. 

The sight of you blushing over her sibling never failed to amuse Mina, and she gestured again at the back room. “Go, they’ll want to see you, even if they’re sleepy.”

What do you even say to your partner’s sister when she gives you that kind of go ahead? “Thanks,” sounded pathetic, but it was all you could come up with before passing by the counter and heading through the doorway behind Mina. 

Dating Evan, it was far from your first time in the backroom of the cafe, but this time it felt heavier, those nerves weighing on you. But you knew Evan. They wouldn’t have suggested you join them in their coffin sometime, wouldn't have invited you into their quiet space if they hadn't hoped to share it with you. You couldn’t cheeken out now.

Letting out a deep breath, you knocked twice on the dark wood lid of the lone coffin sitting off to the side, in the corner of the room. It was just a moment later that you heard rustling from within, before Evan pushed the coffin open from inside. 

“Hey you,” they greeted, voice rough from sleep and with the faintest little grin on their face as they looked up at you. Gods they were adorable just waking up, their silky black hair tousled around their face and pretty eyes heavy as they met the light of the room. 

“Hi,” you said with a grin, feeling ridiculous as you noticed the way your cheeks were heating up just at the sight of them. “Thought I’d come see you.”

Evan hummed in approval, shifting to a seated position before you stepped closer, a hand outstretched to keep them put. “Um… I was actually thinking about what you said last week… About your coffin always being open…” 

“Really?” Evan asked, leaving no room for response as they realized that you would not be standing in front of them urging them not to get up if this wasn’t going somewhere. Somewhere very pleasant, Evan thought, if anyone was asking. “I mean, yeah, it is. For you.”

For you. It was pathetic, honestly, how so few words could make your stomach swoop. “Good. Scoot over, then.”

And of course they did. Taking one of your hands to keep you steady as you stepped inside, Evan guided you closer, shifting to one side so that you could lay down beside them. 

“Comfortable?” they asked, quirking a brow at you as they reached for the lid of the coffin, waiting to pull it closed until they knew you were situated. 

You nodded, your breath slowing as little by little the light around you dimmed to nothing and the sounds from the cafe muffled as the lid closed fully. 

You were quite fond of your own coffin, a pretty, hand made one you’d bought from Evan when you’d started redecorating your place. You were used to the tight space, the pleasant smell of wood, and to the quiet. But sharing the close quarters with someone was something entirely new. 

You could hear Evan’s breathing, and noticed the way it seemed controlled, much like your own was, as though you were afraid to somehow do it wrong. And the natural woodsy smell that had grown to comfort you through your sleep was overtaken by something else–something Evan–and surprisingly sweet. As often as they spoke about their nights calling for black coffee, you could tell in this proximity that tonight they’d opted for something vanilla. Maybe a latte, or perhaps it had been a cupcake. 

You could taste them and find out.

But you should probably do something about that stretching silence first. Priorities.

Although… It was hard to find words when you were pressed so close to one another. How were you meant to think of something to say when you were so keenly aware of every little movement beside you? It wasn't as though Evan was one to complain about silence, anyway… 

So maybe it could stretch a little longer.

Carefully, you shifted onto your side to face Evan, and as you moved, you felt them reposition their arm around you, urging you closer with a deft hand on the small of your back, until your head came to rest comfortably against their shoulder. The physical assurance that Evan wanted you in their space like this was doing wonders for any of your pesky, lingering nerves, and you let yourself breathe more easily now, as your confidence grew.

Tipping your head just slightly, your nose trailed along Evan’s skin until your lips met their jaw, pressing a soft, lingering kiss there, then another. 

You heard Evan groan before you felt them move, their other hand catching your face gently and holding it in place while they sought your lips with their own in the dark. It wasn’t perfect, not the alignment of the kiss anyway, and you giggled softly against Evan’s mouth, just offset from your own.

Half expecting them to comment on your amusement, you were caught off guard when instead Evan corrected their aim, pressing their lips against yours firmly, as if to make a point. You hummed softly, returning their kiss eagerly while your fingers gripped at the fabric of their hoodie, gently pulling, as though you could possibly be any closer than you already were.

It was cupcake, you noticed. Tasty.

The kiss had been mostly chaste, something familiar and slow to savor that always left you wanting more. This time was no different. When Evan pulled back slightly, you leaned in to follow, closing that bit of distance, your noses brushing in the dark. You nuzzled against their face as their fingers gently smoothed over your hair.

“I’m glad you’re here,” they whispered, lips brushing your skin as they spoke. 

“I am, too.”

“You could stay for a while… If you wanted to.”

“I want to.” 

Evan’s response came in the form of a little squeeze to your frame, their hand that had been resting on your lower back now slowly travelling the length of your spine. 

“That feels nice,” you whispered, and so they kept it up.

You were still tired, and Evan was only making it worse. Lying with them, you were quite sure that your own coffin would never do again, sharing theirs simply being far more enjoyable. Your eyes closed as you soaked in the comfort they were providing, and you were certain you’d have been able to fall asleep quickly from then, if you hadn’t also been so incredibly turned on.

It didn’t take your own hand long to start wandering, releasing your hold on Evan’s hoodie and slipping south, stopping just at the waistband of their jeans. 

“Is this okay?” you asked them.

Evan nodded readily, their long hair tickling your face in the process. “Y-yes. More than okay,” they stammered.

You found yourself surprised with how thankful you suddenly were for the utter blackness inside of Evan’s coffin, if only for the fact that they wouldn’t be able to see the ridiculous grin that spread on your face at their eagerness. You were every bit as eager, too, of course, but knowing that you weren’t in those feelings alone was nice.

Feeling the way your hand fumbled in the dark, Evan helped you along in getting their jeans unfastened. Tight things, those jeans. But you wouldn’t dare complain when they wore them so damn well, even if they were a bit of a pain to get into.

You managed, though, ever the persistent one. Once beneath their waistband, your fingers met with coarse hair and a relative warmth that told you just how much your proximity had been affecting them. 

Evan’s breath shuddered as your fingers explored their sensitive spots, and you took that to mean that you were touching them properly. You wanted to make them feel good, and so you listened. 

And fuck, did they make pretty sounds as you worked them.

You felt your fingers slicken as your wrist moved, having picked up a steady rhythm that took no time to make Evan moan, but it was the breathy way they murmured your name as their body trembled in pleasure that let you know they were close. Your immortality could have come to an end right then and there, and you’d have died happy, hearing your name on their lips so needily, like they were begging for more.

You’d never deny them.

Keeping pace with your hand, you didn’t let up until you felt the way Evan’s muscles tightened as the pleasure got too much, until you felt their release dampen the fabric around your fingers. 

They swallowed hard, breath heavy, and turned their face back to yours, pressing kisses against any skin of yours they could reach, perhaps knowing that their actions tended to convey more than their words did, anyway. 

Still, they muttered through their ragged breath, “so good. Fuck, so good.” 

You liked the praise.

Situating themself a bit once you’d withdrawn your hand, Evan then shifted to their side, rolling you to your back and cuddling in against you, legs entwined, and a heavy arm across your chest. You felt them breathing against your shoulder, felt their forehead against your cheek. You wrapped an arm around them in return, tipping your head to the side to rest more heavily against theirs.

“Don’t go,” they said simply.

“I hadn’t planned on it. I was actually really tired…” Evan hummed, and you felt them give a single nod in understanding. “Then sleep, and when you wake up, I’ll make you a coffee.”