Larviathan

Stiles huffs out a petulant breath, chin curling down to his chest, and refuses to give in just long enough for his face to start feeling like a furnace; Void does love making him speak his mind, always did. But damn the demon for being so persistent while this killer heat wave is going on, it's way too hot for his temperature to be rising from embarrassment, thank you very much.

"Fuck, yea, okay—" Stiles finally abandons Void's hand, sitting up to look to his right; to meet Void's dark eyes and immediately lose all his just-gained confidence. "Could I, uh— I mean, do you think I could touch your tails? Or, just one tail? Like, at all?"

Void's mouth quirks in the corners — not quite a smirk yet, but close enough.

"It's possible," the demon muses, the smug bastard, and as Stiles' eyes bug out in quiet (and incredulous) disbelief, Void refuses to say anything more. Because of course he won't make it easier on Stiles. 

They stay locked in their little stare down for a long minute, Stiles narrowing his eyes in a weak attempt to show his irritation and force Void into giving in, and Void completely relaxed and smirking without a care in the world, perfectly aware he's calling the shots here. 

Stiles purses his lips and scrunches his face and he's ready to get even snarkier, when Void asks:

"What is it, darling? So hard to just ask one little question?" 

Curving up one brow and his voice full of mockery, and there's— There's something in Void's tone, something well hidden but different enough for Stiles to pick up on — like a note out of tune underneath the taunt. It gives Stiles a pause.

 And that's when it hits him. 

How very hard it must be for Void to even consider just showing his tails — as if it's nothing, as if he wasn't hiding for hundreds of years, as if they're not the highest proof and representation of his power and spirit. How intimate of a request it must truly be — and as close and intimate as they are, this— This isn't something Void is in any way used to. And if all of that didn't give Stiles enough of an idea what his petulant behavior must've felt like, the coolness under his shadow's rune would be a dead giveaway; they don't withdraw from their bond unless they have to — or not in this way, at least. 

All the ugly energy goes out of Stiles like air escaping a popped balloon, instantly and with a hiss, leaving behind a strange emptiness that almost seems to ring in his ears. Stiles swallows down the bitter taste in his mouth, lamely fidgeting with Void's hand that's still in his, somehow, as his face burns even hotter. It still doesn't make him miss the moment Void's energy changes flavors, though; that barely noticeable, cold steel melting away. And Void would be ready to offer it to Stiles now, he's sure of it, but fuck that, Stiles was in the wrong here and if the only thing Void's asking of him is for Stiles to, well, ask, then that's the least he can do. 

"Sorry," he mutters first, still a bit curled in on himself, but it's no way to pose his question; so Stiles gathers his wits and faces Void again — this time without expecting anything, "would you let me touch your tails?"

Void doesn't answer immediately, keeping Stiles' gaze steady for a drawn out moment before his lips finally quirk into a slight smile — a half-smirk Stiles already knows is mostly a front, and also just one of Void's versions of showing fondness. He turns his hand in Stiles' grip, fingers grazing against Stiles' in a brief caress, but before Stiles can even pay it any attention, it's wholly derailed to something brushing by his shoulder. Stiles glances back over it— 

And whips around so quickly he almost gets dizzy. 

Sure enough, right there, right before him, is one of Void's tails. Curving up from behind Void's hip, it spreads wide at the base and narrows to a silvery-white tip, so long it almost curls into a spiral over the demon's legs. 

Stiles falls down to sit on his hunches in quiet astonishment, watching how the pure darkness of the tail swirls with colors not dissimilar to those of distant galaxies, a silvery shine to it as if it's really a shadowy kind of fur covering it, as if— 

Stiles barely stops himself before his hands can truly reach and touch it, hesitantly looking back to Void — but this time the smile on Void's face is only, truly affectionate. 

"Go on," he encourages, still very much amused, but that's just so Void it puts Stiles at ease almost entirely. 

When he turns back to the tail, slowly and lazily swaying before him, familiar excitement swirls inside of his lungs, just a touch of uncertainty mixed within it; the sign of approaching something completely new, and it feeling somewhat ground-breaking. 

Holding his eagerness at bay for now, Stiles forces himself to be cautious and lets only his fingertips graze against the shadowy fur. 

"Oh my god," he can't help but gasp, burrowing his fingers in possibly the softest thing he's ever felt in his life. 

All inhibitions thrown to the wind, Stiles all but cuddles Void's tail to his chest, groaning at how impossibly fucking nice it feels. One arm holding it hostage, Stiles runs his other hand through the silky-soft fur, long strands slipping through his fingers like water, fluid and almost ethereal. Which, the tails actually are. It's all a bit weird, a bit mind-boggling, yet mostly, completely astonishing, that they don't quite feel physical, and yet Stiles can touch them. And the tail on itself is decidedly, heavenly cool against his overheated skin, cold even — definitely colder than Void's already cool skin, but not so cold as to start being uncomfortable. 

The tip curves over his shoulder, offering Stiles an opportunity he, just, can't resist — and so Stiles plunks his whole face into the fluffiest puff of silky fur ever and sighs out a breath from so deep within his bones it feels ancient. It's just— so fucking nice.

Void's chuckle draws him out of his small moment of bliss and Stiles peeks at the demon from within the silky, black fur — Void doesn't say anything, though, only turning to lay on his side. It would be enough to prompt Stiles into stuffing his face back into the tail if not for the fact that the rest of them starts forming at Void's back, over his waist and thighs, curving up into the air and brushing by Stiles' skin to elicit the loveliest goosebumps all over his body. 

They're all the deepest black of an abyss, wide and thick and long, the very definition of power and high status any kitsune would be in awe and fear of, very slightly translucent due to their ethereal nature. Some of the tails are like the one Stiles is still cuddling, with full silvery-white tip and the colors of deep space shifting as if under its surface, a piece of galaxy trapped inside — but some are shifting into more purplish-navy shade of darkness, with the soft little flames of foxfire dancing in-between all of them, and the tip pure black with just the very peak a white little flame on its own. The sight on its own is mesmerizing — the way the tails, shockingly colorful in their darkness, sway and swish and seem to change their hide on random, so slowly and gradually the process is almost unperceivable, while still staying almost completely black to an untrained eye. Like the illusions Void's so adept at crafting — so lifelike it's almost impossible to tell their difference from real life, and yet not at all what they seem. 

Stiles is so lost in watching them he almost completely misses Void's next words — it's only the tug through their connection and the tail on his shoulder gently encouraging him to turn his head around to the demon that draws him out of his head. And when he meets Void's dark gaze, his eyes are so warm and his smile so very obviously happy under the half-smirk that Stiles' heart skips a quick beat inside his chest.

"Having fun there, sweetheart?" Void purrs, dragging out his words in a way that makes a small little shiver trail down Stiles' spine. 

And of course the smug bastard is just laying there, not a hair out of place in that constant bed-hair chaos, propped on an elbow and cheek resting on his hand, eyes all half-lidded and the very definition of self-satisfied. Stiles would be appalled — if he wasn't already craving to press himself all up against the demon. 

Void tips his chin, just the slightest bit,  and then crooks one finger at Stiles.

"Com'ere, darling," he beckons, his soft purr very much a siren's call to each and every of Stiles' senses.

Something deep inside Stiles unravels, spilling out in warmth and reassurance seemingly all over his tired soul, and he doesn't even fall down beside Void — no, Stiles all but melts into place right beside his mate, exactly where he belongs. The little, pitiful almost-whine that leaves his lungs is pure need and relief, out on a breath, right before his head rests on Void's shoulder and the demon draws him into the warmest embrace, even despite the coolness of his skin. And throughout it, the tail Stiles has been hugging the whole time stays within his arms, moving right alongside him with the tip still lightly curled around the curve of his shoulder. 

Maybe the most perfect of all is the fact the moment Stiles gets all cozy, cuddled up to Void with the demon's arm around his waist, all the other tails dip down and start curving around Stiles — up from his shoulder, down through his hip and to his knees, creating the softest, silkiest blanket he has ever felt. And when Void nudges his own leg between Stiles another tail wiggles its way there too, preventing Stiles' overheated skin from unpleasantly sticking together.

"Fuuuck, this is so perfect." Stiles' groan is almost obscene as he snuggles into Void's embrace, physical and ethereal both. He shivers at first, the coolness so very contrasting to the overall heat, but it turns into the most impossible bliss almost immediately as the tails close all around him, like he's enclosed in a cocoon of Void's pure affection. It almost takes his breath away — that he's not only allowed to touch Void's tails but to be so fully encompassed by them. Could there be a bigger show of trust than this? Shuddering out a low breath, Stiles rubs his cheek against Void's shoulder and snuggles just a little bit closer. "Thank you."

"Of course," is the only thing Void answers with, nuzzling into Stiles' hair and tails flowing lightly against his skin.