#.. kieran lucero

The number had come up as unknown on Zack’s phone and for a split second after reading the message, he thought it was one of those spammers. Who the hell would actually be summoning him for 10 AM on a Saturday? But then he remembered that he had actually been on the lookout for an unknown number texting him since he had left Kieran’s apartment. (It was an obvious powerplay, taking Zack’s number and not offering his own in return, but just because it was obvious didn’t mean it hadn’t worked.)

Still, once he realized it was Kieran beckoning him off to some obscure location in Gatlin Fields, Zack’s anxiety hadn’t been much quelled. His main question just shifted: Why the hell was he being summoned for 10 AM on a Saturday? The only possibility he had been able to come up with was something coffee-related, given his last interaction with the man. That was a problem of his own making, in not just sticking to his no when Kieran offered him that espresso. Now he was going to get dragged to some kind of awful, early morning coffee tasting or something and he was going to have to put his foot down. Not something that was a strong suit of Zack’s in any situation, but particularly not when very attractive people were involved.

He showed up to find not an espresso-laced outing but rather a daytime rave. Not something Zack had ever heard of, but he wasn’t familiar with the rave scene at all. Maybe daylight raves were all the rage then. Whatever their popularity, he found that he was actually having a pretty good time, a few hours into things. A large portion of that, of course, was likely due to the body that had been plastered to his for more or less the entire time. Kieran was brutally hot, and very good at dancing, and honestly even if he didn’t have the second part, Zack would just refer you back to the first. The steady series of shots Kieran had been feeding him also likely came into play.

While Zack bobbed absently to the music that thrummed through the warehouse, his front locked against Kieran’s back, a majority of his focus was set on the hickey he was carefully tending into Kieran’s throat. He rocked back only to leave a smoky chuckle trailing against the shell of his ear. “This is fun,” he hummed, still nosing close to the sweat-damp skin of the other man. “Glad you invited me.”

—

There hadn’t been a rush to contact Zack again as Kieran was very confident in the lasting impression he’d made on the other man and though he wasn’t expecting a mostly functional adult with a job (presumably, Kieran really hadn’t bothered to ask) to be checking his phone every five minutes, the faun knew his message would definitely be greatly anticipated. He also knew it wouldn’t much matter what sort of activity he summoned Zack for - the thought had even occurred to get Zack to make real his little jokes about grand theft auto but seeing as Kieran would not be visiting anyone in a disgusting prison, he refrained - but still, Kieran did want to test what the other man was made of just a little bit. 

The first test was simply seeing if Zack would diligently show up somewhere at 10AM with barely any explanation, a test that he passed with ease. The second test simply consisted of how fun Zack was without the fairly useful crutch of sex and how satisfactory his performance was in that regard. Kieran had made his approval heard once his companion for the day had accepted a shot with no need for any pushing or hypnosis, downing a few himself before the steady stream of reckless abandon that filled the warehouse became intoxicating enough. 

Zack obviously hadn’t shown up dressed for a rave the way Kieran had come prepared, in a skintight sleeveless shirt with meticulous slashes across the front pairing well with the white pants that demanded attention under the neon lights. An easy problem to fix by way of simply peeling Zack’s shirt off and stuffing a corner of it into his back pocket, something he clearly pulled off. What came as a nice surprise was how easily Zack adjusted to this setting, a follower by nature and never pushing back against the next round of shots or suddenly being pressed against the nearest wall for a brief dance break, but also eager to show initiative. Kieran was used to having to lead, never stopped being in charge, not really, but leaning back against a broad, sticky chest and just letting himself get marked was nice. 

The low voice sent a thrill down his spine and it was truly quite a feat that the current level of PDA hadn’t gone past aggressive making out and wandering hands but Kieran knew it wouldn’t last forever. “Of course it’s fun,” Kieran replied, head tilted back against Zack’s shoulder to make himself heard. “Wanted to see what you were made of in… other areas. Not that the ones I’ve tried already haven’t been enjoyable.” Turning suddenly, Kieran hooked both arms around his dancing partner’s neck, grinning widely. Maybe a bit drunk off a combination of booze and the overabundance of euphoria swirling around. “Speaking of…”

His lips found Zack’s, not for the first time but just as pleasing as the rest, the enjoyment of it easily masking the sudden tug in Kieran’s chest, the odd feeling of something shifting. It also made it easy to ignore the first shrill scream or the way the crowd was slowly going from pleasantly chaotic to uneasy and hectic. 

—-

Sneaking a hand up Kieran’s front and under his shirt, Zack could feel the vibrations as he talked against his palm, and under his tongue. The approval was vague and with a light touch, but that was usual for the other man, he was discovering. He would take what he could get, and smiled into his neck. “Enjoyable, hm?” he hummed back, still grinning. Before Zack could make any further innuendo (or press his hips deeper into Kieran’s backside), he found himself with an armful of the other man. 

Not that he was complaining. No, quite the opposite as he sunk into Kieran’s kiss. One hand worked the back hem of that shirt up again, the other trailing to cup over the near-glowing white pants. So wrapped up in the kiss and the other man was Zack, that he didn’t notice the subtle change in the air. In fact, it took him a heartbeat or two to even pull away once he heard the scream. Maybe that was stupid but, well, you try kissing Kieran and then just breaking away early. 

He did, though, eventually rear back from the kiss, glancing over his shoulder to see what was the matter. It was hard to tell, with the pounding music and the wildly strobing neon lights. Unable to get a handle on it, Zack turned back to Kieran to ask if he had a better sense of whatever was happening. Only to find that the man still in his embrace was…different. 

While Zack knew that Wicked’s Rest was no normal town, and he had an idea of all that could be lurking there, he wasn’t too sharp on the specifics. Vampires, he was unfortunately intimately aware of. And large sea demons, even more intimately so (though not unfortunate at all, in that case). Otherwise, he mostly knew about certain things in theory. Whatever Kieran was, he had never encountered, so his only reference point was from the animated Disney version of Hercules… He didn’t think Kieran would appreciate that comparison, though.

“Uh,” Zack offered intelligently. In his defence, he was more than several shots in and also had just discovered that the man he had slept with (and, let’s be real, would absolutely sleep with again) was not quite human. (He should really start a running tally for that. So far it was only two times that he knew of but that still seemed like a lot, all things considered.) “You’ve got…horns,” he offered, just as intelligent.

—

Not a lot could break the trance (not in a literal faun sense at the moment) of a kiss that enthusiastic so Kieran was, at the very least, surprised when Zack pulled away and not to pay tribute with his lips to some other part of Kieran’s skin but instead to look around. Reluctantly, it forced Kieran to settle into his surroundings too, to expand on just the feeling of warm skin and greedy hands and properly take note of the other bodies bumping into theirs. It wasn’t in the rhythmic sort of swaying or grinding way one might expect on the dance floor which pulled Kieran’s attention even further away from his meal. If the scene was turning ugly, that was simply all the more reason to leave and deal with the anticipation that had been building for the last few hours. Fae or not, Kieran didn’t like any sort of chaos that inconvenienced him and he got the sense that was the case here. Hell, he couldn’t even really sense the gloriously good vibes of the crowd any more. 

His mouth opened to inform Zack that they were leaving but even with the flashing lights, Kieran couldn’t miss the way Zack’s eyes were looking in the wrong direction. It took his antlers being so obviously perceived for the faun to finally register the feeling of his lost glamor, which seemed to have slipped away like smoke without warning. It made absolutely no sense considering it only faltered while he slept or under serious duress. Where was the duress? If his glamor got messed up with every passionate kiss, Kieran would have had a real problem on his hands. He did have a problem on his hands - of course, he wasn’t the only one but getting Kieran to take notice of that would be a challenge and a half. 

Kieran slipped back a step as Zack struggled for words and the faun’s eyes narrowed slightly. Back amongst his trusted group, the one that had adored every part of him, Kieran hadn’t lacked compliments for either form. Even so, it was a clear deal which version elicited a positive response every time and which tended to conjure that wide eyed, slack jawed look Zack was currently wearing. The damage was done but Kieran still pulled at the familiar strings of his magic, finding them dauntingly slack instead of responsive. His feet were still cloven and his antlers still stood a couple of heads’ worth above the crowd. Grimacing, unable to mask his displeasure at the comment now that he was maybe just a little bit freaking out about the loss of his magic, Kieran bit back, “antlers, actually.” 

Before he could fully detangle himself from Zack, who was practically useless at this point, a body much heavier than the ones before barrelled into the pair. Kieran stumbled back closer to Zack, just barely managing to glance over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of red and hungry eyes. Not the sort of devouring Kieran had had in mind for today. The vampire had just locked its sight on Kieran when the crowd surged again, providing a split second chance for escape. Pushing past Zack just seemed more trouble than pulling him along and worst case scenario, he could serve as a distraction. Besides, Kieran needed to make sure Zack kept those nice, plump lips shut about the antlers of it all. Pushing his way forward, head ducked to cover his face and antlers proving mildly useful in keeping the frantic crowd at bay, Kieran set his sights on a steel door close by. If they could slip in there without incident, they could wait this out and Kieran could force this precious, dumbstruck human into a deal. 

—

Kieran didn’t seem pleased with Zack’s reaction which, if he was able to access more of his higher thinking, he would consider unfair. Instead, it just provided a sharp incentive for Zack to wake up a little more. Thankfully, someone knocked into them and Zack instinctively reached for Kieran, keeping him upright and pulling him closer to his chest in one fluid move. Right. He wasn’t the only one dealing with a discovery at the moment. And, it seemed, whatever was affecting Kieran wasn’t as gentle with some of the other citizens. He only needed to get one quick glance at a rampaging vampire before Zack was casing the joint, finding an exit and making for it, quick. He kept Kieran close to his side, but he couldn’t really tell who was dragging whom along. In the end, he let the other take the lead – those antlers were pretty handy for crowd control.

They reached the door that he had spotted, Kieran apparently having the same thought, and Zack threw it open and ushered the other inside first. One final look back at the crowd told him that all hell had indeed broken loose and he didn’t want to explore that any further. He wedged the door shut behind them, hard, and let out a deep breath. It appeared they were in some kind of storage closet and, when he groped along the wall, Zack found a light switch. There was just a single bulb so the small space was cast in a low but warm glow. There was a small clutter of amps to one corner and a shelf with various odds and ends against the far wall – it was a little cramped but the door had a latch to lock it, and that was all they needed, really. 

Once he tested the doorknob to make sure it wouldn’t give, Zack turned back to the issue at hand. That was, antlers. “Wait, okay. So are you some kinda were–” Not wolf, obviously. Wolves didn’t have antlers. “Deer?” No. That was fucking stupid. What else could change shape, though? Levi had always talked about itself as fairly singular so he didn’t think he had another eldritch demon on his hands (A shame.). Suddenly, Zack thought of Arden, and Teagan. He couldn’t remember exactly what the woman was but… “Or some kind of fae?” That was far more likely, all things considered. Fae were all about nature and stuff, right? So even if Kieran wasn’t necessarily a shifter, if he was fae, he could take some kind of animal form, like Teagan. At least, he thought so – all of this was more or less guesswork, really. 

And then, with a sheepish smile, he tacked on, “I mean. You don’t have to tell me, actually. It’s cool if it’s like…private.”

—

The noise of the warehouse-turned-club grew more frantic with every passing second, Kieran’s keen ears picking up details of pleas, skin tearing and bones cracking. Getting as far away as possible from whatever was affecting everyone - or just many of the rave goers, with Zack and others seemingly unaffected aside from panic and confusion - was clearly the best bet. The door slammed shut behind them, providing some semblance of safety but it did little to quell Kieran’s unease about how far away his magic felt. Even with all the chaos, the bad kind, on the other side of the door, reaching for his glamor now proved just as fruitless as before. Now Kieran really wasn’t one to fret over much of anything but this situation was definitely… less than ideal. 

A dingy lightbulb illuminated the room with its yellow tinted glow, revealing a physically unharmed Zack, who only looked mildly disturbed by the happenings of the last minute or so. The generous amount of alcohol was still visible swimming behind the dark eyes, hair slightly plastered to his forehead in a similar way the sweat was causing his clothes to cling in all the right places. Just a few minutes ago, Kieran had been getting impatient to drag Zack somewhere more private but their current cramped position was not what the faun had had in mind. What a waste of close quarters. Shifting his weight as much as was physically possible in the small space, Kieran’s jaw clenched as the top of his antlers caught against one of the shelves and he forced an exhale, arms crossing in a way that was only a tad petulant. And then Zack started talking. 

“Weredeer?” Kieran parroted back, making no attempts to hide the disdain in his voice. It hadn’t been an offer for Zack to keep guessing but he did, proving that he wasn’t just a pretty face, the second guess landing quite a bit better than the first. So, familiar with fae, just not with fauns. Unsurprising really, as a faun’s greatest ability was directly tied to upholding their glamor. With the initial shock gone from Zack’s face now, and the palate cleanser of an actual guess rinsing away the distaste of weredeer, Kieran’s shoulders lowered slightly. Zack wasn’t put off to the point of judgement (not that his judgement would have mattered in the slightest) nor did he seem eager to go and spill Kieran’s secret. A best case scenario, all things considered. Kieran’s head cocked in thought which only made the shelves rattle again, drawing a grumble from the faun as he stepped away from the offending shelves and instead closer to Zack. “You seem to know quite a bit,” he mused, shaking off the discomfort that this sudden lack of control over his magic had brought with it. There were still other things he could get back under his control. 

“Why’d you guess fae?” he pushed, cornering Zack against the door even as something banged ominously against the other side of it, easily ignored by Kieran. 

—--

“I know that’s stupid!” Zack rushed to comment. Of course Kieran wasn’t a weredeer, but given the alcohol in his system and the shock he was dealing with, not to mention the adrenaline of whatever was going on outside this little closet, he thought he could maybe get some leeway. Apparently, his date didn’t agree. But when Zack had a guess that landed closer to the truth –or at least wasn’t as daft as weredeer– he seemed to soften some.

“I don’t really.” He leaned against the shelf, to shift it some so Kieran could more easily extract his antlers. “One of my friends is a slayer, and I had a run-in with some vampires once.” He shrugged as he stalled, trying to find a concise way to describe what Levi was, and what they had been to each other. “And then I had an ex, kind of, who was. Well, he knew quite a bit.” Most of what Zack knew about the supernatural had come from the ancient demon, after all. Everything else had just been from osmosis. Living in Wicked’s Rest, you were bound to pick some things up.

But the fae guess… “My old roommate, she was dating a fae, before.” Zack wasn’t totally sure what the status on that was, actually. He really needed to make time to catch up with Arden. Thoughts about his friend fled, though, as Kieran edged him closer to the door. Normally, he was all about being up close and personal with the other man, but this felt a tad more…ominous than usual. “Um. She wasn’t…like you. Not exactly. But she had another form that kinda looked like. Well, a fish? Or something. So I thought maybe that’s what you have going on.” He couldn’t for the life of him remember the specifics of what Teagan was, but the different shape had been enough to make the connection.

“You have a… Like, normally, you have a glamor, right? To hide what you really look like.” Zack gestured, somewhat unnecessarily, to the antlers.

— 

It proved a decent balm on the metaphorical wound that was barely even a wound because one human’s ignorance didn’t dig that deep, hearing Zack admit that his initial assumption was stupid. If Zack had taken it a step further and admitted that he was stupid, Kieran most likely would have appreciated the sentiment even more but he would make do. At least there seemed to be total honesty as Zack delved into his supernatural knowledge, which also further proved that Kieran had a nice, simple human on his hands. Not entirely naive but no aficionado on the supernatural, either. Something Kieran could theoretically work with, armed with the plan B of forcing the other into a promise-bind of silence. 

At least Zack had the survival instincts to look mildly nervous as Kieran approached, the benefits to his lack of knowledge. How was Zack to know that Kieran’s magic was entirely useless without his glamour or that when it came to physical violence, the faun much preferred other people to throw punches for him rather than risk his own limbs. Despite the inconvenience of this all, watching Zack stumble over his explanation was quite endearing and Kieran couldn’t help the ghost of a smile from appearing on his lips. So Zack’s roommate had shacked up with some sort of nyx? Not the worst sort of fae. 

“I do,” Kieran confirmed, voice leaning towards the low tones Zack had already gotten familiar with but still laced with something unknown, as mysterious as the sudden appearance of animal-like features. “How good are you at keeping secrets?” Kieran pushed, leaving no space between them now, antlers scratching against the door as they bracketed Zack’s head - as unused as the faun was to having them on full display, they really did help with this little intimidation tactic. Well, not just intimidation. A palm splayed against Zack’s hip as Kieran searched the other’s face for any sort of reaction, gauging the need for a bind. Zack had been so amicable and eager to please up until this point but the unintentional reveal of his true self was a wild card Kieran still needed to get a read on. 

—-

Drunk and frazzled as he was, Zack still had a good enough read on the situation to know that he was being threatened. Gently, though, with that subtle pressure and influence that Kieran had proven so very good at. Despite that, he wasn’t too frightened. Maybe that was the wrong sense, but Zack did trust the other man to some degree. After all, what they had gotten up to so far required a certain degree of trust and respecting boundaries. So far, Kieran hadn’t trespassed on any of them (but he also hadn’t had a real reason to do so…)

“I’m great at secrets,” Zack reassured him, nodding as he did. “I won’t tell anyone about…what you are.” It hardly mattered to him that Kieran wasn’t human and he doubted that there would be any need for him to share that information. There were, he remembered, hunters who sought out the supernatural just to kill them. So it made sense that the fae would want to be very careful about his true identity. 

Zack’s eyes were all caught up in Kieran’s eyes, one hand tentatively reaching to curve around his side. “I mean, I…” He swallowed. Reconsidered. There was, after all, a secret about himself, about what he was, that he hadn’t told the other man yet. The glow of the single bulb all soaked up into Kieran’s eyes, though, made the decision for him. “I’m a spellcaster.” He said it in a rush, on the ends of a breath. “Not– I didn’t grow up knowing about it, so I’m not…great at it or anything.”

—

So far, Zack hadn’t seemed inclined to oversell himself. There was a sensible amount of confidence there, which was easily boosted or dampened with the correct choice of wording, but Kieran had come to realize Zack didn’t claim or offer things he couldn’t properly back up. Thus far, those claims had been for harmless things - fun, but harmless. The claim that he was good at keeping secrets was one Kieran wanted to believe, even if he didn’t trust it yet. Zack’s gaze showed how hard he was fighting the shots previously passed to him but the inebriation worked in Kieran’s favor, made the other vulnerable in the way that the faun’s magic would have, were it not currently betraying him for some unknown reason. 

“Yeah?” Kieran breathed, slowly reassured by the eagerness of Zack’s nod, the lack of hesitation in his words. Maybe he was just eager for Kieran to believe him to avoid further confrontation but that, too, was something the faun could work with. Eyebrows raised expectantly as Zack continued and then paused, seemed to search for the rest of his sentence in the depths of Kieran’s eyes. Kieran made an effort to wordlessly convey how much he’d appreciate hearing the end of that sentence, hand sliding up the damp shirt to rest encouragingly on Zack’s chest. 

And then Zack decided to announce a surprise of his own. 

Interest lit up Kieran’s features, head cocking in a way that had the rough bone of antlers dragging against the door but at the moment, he was more interested in this new tidbit of information than annoyed by his extremities. “A spellcaster, huh?” Kieran parroted back curiously, a small thrill offsetting his previous annoyances as this precious, secret thing was revealed. Sure, not having to reveal his own secrets first would have been preferable but Kieran was great at focusing on positives. “I’m a visual learner so normally I’d ask for a little show but…” Kieran trailed off, letting the muffled noises from outside the door filter in. “I don’t think magic’s our friend at the moment.”

Matching this fresh knowledge with the man still cornered, albeit a bit less ominously now, had Kieran tying it in with the taste and feel of Zack’s euphoria. Very interesting indeed. And maybe even useful, underwhelming as the descriptions of Zack’s abilities were. Perhaps that was just another thing Kieran could coax into being a slightly better performance than Zack thought himself capable of. But those were thoughts for later, as much as Kieran hated delayed gratification. “So. No trouble with the fae thing, then? My real form?” 

—-

Kieran in close proximity was always a little disorienting but here in the tight quarters with the adrenaline slowly sapping from him… Well, suffice to say, Zack was distracted. Even after he had revealed his own secret, he found himself rapt in the dark pools that were Kieran’s eyes, the warm pressure of his hand on his chest. He wanted to– He wasn’t even sure. He wanted to do something that would ensure Kieran’s attention would stay locked on him. 

Kieran voiced concern at a demonstration considering all that was going on, but Zack still wanted to try. Lifting one hand between them he focused and snapped his fingers. There was a pathetic spark but it fizzled to smoke as soon as it had appeared. “That’s embarrassing,” he muttered, looking at his hand as if it had betrayed him. “It’s usually more impressive than that.” Zack wasn’t in the habit of casually using his magic after all, only really tapped in when he was practicing. So he had never tried to cast during one of the blackouts. “I can show you another time.”

His head cocked at Kieran’s question. “No, not really.” He wasn’t very familiar with all the different types of fae, though he knew the basic rundown about them, overall. Names and promises and not being able to lie, etc. Kieran seemed to specifically be asking about his appearance though, which– “The hooves might take a little getting used to,” Zack admitted, eyes slipping down. But then they bobbed back up, landing on the antlers, as a smile crossed his face. “The antlers are cool. And you’re still just as hot.”

—

Considering he was a creature that respected few things aside from himself and pure decadence, it was maybe a surprise that Kieran did also respect magic to a certain degree. Mostly his own and the abilities it gave him, the way it helped him garner the right sort of attention instead of the wide eyed gaze Zack had so helpfully demonstrated earlier. The faun thought less of the nymphs and their flowery bullshit or the gloomy death karma of banshees but it was still a thing to give its due respect. Which explained the usually reckless faun talking Zack out of a demonstration, except it had the opposite effect. Kieran knew he could have insisted but just suggesting that maybe showing off should wait had been the extent of his willpower. 

So instead, Kieran watched with intrigue as a hand rose, eyebrows raising in anticipation, all for a bit of smoke. The disappointment in Zack’s face mirrored how Kieran had felt reaching for his glamor and failing but the other man was a much more expressive and emotional creature - in this case, Kieran was endeared by the pouting. “Cute,” he teased, almost fondly as his free hand reached for Zack’s offending one, fingers slipping between ones that could apparently do more than just spark and smoke. “Don’t worry, I’ll give you another chance to try and impress me.”

Even though he’d prompted verbal confirmation, Kieran was only partially interested in Zack’s answer. What Zack said was one thing - how he said it and the way he was partially getting distracted from their conversation as the pad of Kieran’s thumb traveled over knuckles was so much more telling. As Zack voiced his final thoughts, Kieran grinned, the expression devoid of any of the tension from before. His palm pressed against Zack’s chest with a bit more vigour to the point of feeling the trill of the sorcerer’s? (Kieran snickered inwardly at the title, brushing it aside) heart, other hand guiding Zack’s to the door against his back and keeping it there, fingers still interlinked next to Zack’s head. 

“Good,” Kieran responded simply, head ducking in to negate the need for any more talking - if they had to waste time in here while things quieted down, Kieran was much more interested in putting their mouths to better use. Maneuvering around the antlers wasn’t that big of a deal once Kieran had stopped pouting as this was far from the first heated kiss without the glamor - every other time had simply been on purpose and with the unwavering adoration of his group. But the motor skills were there and the negligible factor of no glamor was easily ignored as Kieran pressed even closer to the eager body against his own, palm sliding from the pulse point of Zack’s heart to the one thrumming in his throat. 

—

Kieran’s smooth, dark voice reassuring that he would give him another chance calmed any of his disappointment. He did want to impress Kieran. He always felt like he was falling short of doing so – unless they were in bed. Maybe that was part of why he was so eager too. He knew it was possible. He knew what it felt like to have Kieran’s eyes light up with pleasure that Zack caused. He wanted more of that.

And more of that, of the way Kieran was pressing him further back against the door, his hand caged in the fae’s fingers. Which. Right. Fae. He would have to ask more questions about that, later. Like what type of fae, exactly, Kieran was, and whether he had any specific abilities and powers. He knew Teagan had those. At least he thought. All his thoughts were hazed behind the alcohol and the dehydration of dancing for hours and the adrenaline from the magical mess and now the arousal of Kieran pressed up against him so close.

Fae questions were definitely for later.

Zack sunk deep into the kiss, eyes fanning closed over his cheeks. He brought his freehand up to slip under the back of Kieran’s shirt. A curious part of him wanted to test the feel of those antlers, wrap a hand around them. But he seemed to understand that Kieran would absolutely not tolerate such handling from him. Which was fair. So Zack settled for the other man’s bare skin which was in fact not settling at all.

It hadn’t been her. Of course it hadn’t been her, with all of their domains needing a climate that was practically on the opposite end of the country from Maine but the resemblance had been eerie. Enough so to knock Kieran for a loop, which in and of itself was frustrating. He didn’t get rattled, never had any reason to, being as high up on the food chain as he was. Except now he was and the blame was fully being placed on the stupid, magical blackouts that had unsettled Kieran in the first place. Without that dredging up old memories that had no benefit to his life now, Kieran probably wouldn’t have noticed that stranger’s resemblance to Azalea. Like a Pavlovian response (some members of his old community had enjoyed teaching Kieran about all sorts of human things, especially ones as relevant as this one), the sight had brought with it a flare of… not hunger, Kieran had been exceptionally and purposefully well fed since the last blackout, but something uncomfortably similar. 

The company of strangers and the taste of booze and then something stranger had dulled the feeling for a moment but eventually, Kieran had found himself at home, waiting for company that wouldn’t disappoint in providing a meal as well as the genuine adoration the faun wasn’t quite willing to admit he was craving. Just the eagerness to show up at 2 in the morning with no prior warning was already doing wonders for this pseudo hunger. 

To make sure Zack wouldn’t end up completely spent by way of faun magic (at least not before Kieran decided he was done with him), there hadn’t been a repeat of the last time Kieran had recklessly indulged in feeding on his very willing companion. Enough time had passed now that it seemed apt to allow Zack, and himself, a treat. In retrospect, slightly risky with Kieran’s naturally limited self restraint further dulled by the night’s earlier party, but Zack seemed fine. Had seemed way more than fine as his whole existence had been narrowed down to just pleasure, to doing what Kieran wanted and demanded, all with rapt enjoyment, that smoky euphoria better than any drink, the gaze pleading for validation much better than any touch of a stranger. 

Mingling in with his own satisfaction, the comforting sleepiness of an overindulgent meal and the exertion of a great fuck, was relief. Whatever discomfort had been present earlier was gone, muffled by the boneless relaxation and pleasure filling every cell, by the blissed out expression on Zack’s face confirming that the same was true for the man slumped on the floor with him amidst a mess of pillows and sheets. Distractedly, Kieran’s fingers carded through the mess of Zack’s hair, lapping at the remaining dredges of tired contentment that radiated off the man. “How are you feeling?” Kieran hummed teasingly.

—-

If he was being totally and completely honest with himself, a habit he tried to avoid as much as possible, Zack knew exactly what a 2 AM text meant. He may not be the brightest man in all of Maine, but he wasn’t naive, at least not when it came to these kinds of dealings. So he comforted himself with the fact that they were both knowingly engaging in this dynamic, took a quick shower, and headed off for Kieran’s apartment. A good amount of time, and several other hook-ups, had passed since then, but Zack still held out hope for an encounter like that first time Kieran had let his faun abilities out to play.

As it turned out, that time had finally come (along with Zack, more than once). It was exquisite, in every sense of the word, like nothing he had ever experienced before. He had never been in love, but it felt like maybe this was what sex felt like when you were in love with the person. Transcendent. He knew that was just the fae magic, of course. But…it didn’t change the headrush he got from the euphoria. His blown pupils were absolutely trained on Kieran, gauging his every move and microexpression. The noise that fell over his lips from Kieran’s hand in his hair would have been embarrassing if Zack had any room for embarrassment inside of him at that moment.

The question stirred something in his chest and he had to hold back his instinctual first answer: How do you want me to feel? “Really good.” It came like a sigh out of him, tipping the corners of his mouth into just a hint of a smile as his lashed fluttered closed. “Like…that last time.” Only better, if Zack was being honest, because this time he had an idea of what to expect. He could lean fully into the sensation of Kieran’s magic and turn himself over to ride the waves of bliss that were both his and enhanced by his faun partner. “I–” He caught himself, eyes opening again and searching Kieran’s face for… What exactly? Some sign that it had been as overwhelming for him as it had been for Zack? More reassurance and validation? “It’s not like anything I’ve ever felt before.”

 —

Truthfully, Kieran didn’t need those words to confirm that his current companion felt great. It was written all over his face, his body, shining from the darker than usual eyes - not to mention that Zack had made it known quite a few times, both on his own and every time Kieran had beckoned for feedback just because he could. It was just like he hadn’t needed to feed but both of those things had and were doing wonders for getting rid of anything and everything unwanted. Almost like Kieran was getting a bit of a faun rush for himself. 

Seeing his own contentment mirrored on Zack’s face was good, a reminder of how things should be, should feel, preferably at all times. Maybe not quite to this degree at all times since being quite this spent wasn’t really applicable to going about daily life. Not right now, anyway, but before it might have. Funny how little you needed to do, how little there was to worry about, when you had a whole community catering to your whims. They’d looked at Kieran the way Zack did, too. Even without the lingering effects of hypnosis and a good orgasm or three. Zack was a candidate for that, clearly, with his own bit of magic and enjoyment of being and doing, all solely for someone else. The way he was so easy to melt with a single compliment. 

Not yet though, these things took nuance. Or something, it had really kind of just happened back in the seventies. People were so much more stressed these days. 

Slipping back into the present, to the sensation of Zack’s eyes boring into his face, that unfinished sentence. Was his usually amenable partner censoring himself? Kieran cocked his head to meet the open gaze, lips twitching in a lazy smile as words finally made its way from Zack’s mouth. “I would hope not,” Kieran murmured, tucking in to steal another kiss, reveling in how easily he could make another person respond with just his touch. A thumb brushed over Zack’s slightly swollen bottom lip as Kieran pulled away, humming contently. 

“You really did earn yourself this second go,” Kieran told him, gaze locked on Zack’s, wanting to see and feel every bit of impact his words had on the other. “Did even better now than the first one, I think. And I like seeing you that way.”

—-

There were a lot of benefits to a night like this one with Kieran, and yes, a good majority of them had to do with his own physical pleasure, but there was, also, Kieran’s reaction. The faun seemed as near to rapturous as he ever got in these moments. Like he was so damned pleased with Zack, for indulging and getting off like he did. It became its own feedback loop: Zack felt amazing from what Kieran did, Kieran was pleased that Zack responded as such, Zack was in turn proud that he had made Kieran pleased and on and on again. The both of them roiling in the euphoria that, honestly, Zack didn’t much care whether it was just some fae trick. 

He listed forward as Kieran leaned in, meeting for a kiss that was gentle for him and perhaps just lazy for his partner. There was the slightest catch in his breath when Kieran’s graceful thumb (yes, even his thumb was graceful) tugged on his bottom lip. His lashes fluttered and once more he canted into his bedpartner’s space. Wanting closer, wanting more. And he got it, in something that was even better than physical touch for Zack: words of praise.

“I did?” he asked, tone hitching up in pleasant surprise. Even better than Kieran deciding on a whim what they were going to do with their evening. No, Zack had earned it. “Thanks,” his tone was just dizzy enough that it could be passed off as a teasing response, but he was sincere. And even more sincere when he told Kieran, “I like being that way, for you.” He was honestly just lucky to have been able to get the words out of his mouth, with Kieran’s eyes on him, like that. Intense and dark and fringed by those thick lashes. 

Zack leveraged himself up, seeking another kiss, this one hotter and just shy of enough tongue to call it filthy. “How do I keep earning it?” Just like his thank-you, it could have been a joke. Maybe Zack was just teasing, flirting with Kieran by prompting their next rendezvous. But no – of course he was as painfully earnest as he ever was. Wanting, terribly, to ensure that Kieran would keep coming back to him. Or, more likely, that Zack would be allowed to keep coming back to Kieran.

—

As he’d expected them to, Kieran’s words held impact. They mattered in such a visible way that satiated the faun almost as literally as the feeding off euphoria did. Sure, Zack was just one human, one with an adorable affinity for flames, but a human all the same - yet here, without the active influence of his hypnosis, it was still relevant. Food chain aside, this was something Kieran could do, fae or not. His magic was a part of him, a part he embraced and didn’t mind gloating about but the other part had perhaps always been even hungrier, locked down for all those decades. That part, like every other part of him, was powerful and impactful as well. Kieran knew as much, but the confirmation didn't hurt. That it was for him. 

His grin was hungry as Kieran devoured the appreciation for the compliment, as he sensed the surge within Zack at the simple words, made perhaps even rarer and more of a delicacy because Kieran didn’t just dole out compliments every which way like some people. It made the genuine gratitude even sweeter, the opposite of how Kieran would describe the kiss stolen by Zack, which the faun returned with just as much enthusiasm, fingers pressing into the still damp skin over Zack’s ribs. Really, an impressive display of stamina from a human - which Kieran might have told Zack if he didn’t suspect another compliment might simply break the man at this point. And there was also the issue of keeping them at the level of being a rarity (even if Kieran had an inkling that Zack would swoon at every compliment no matter how common they became). 

The kiss broke and Kieran’s lips followed so the question was practically murmured into his mouth, which was as fitting of a place as any to ask it. His laugh was low and lazy, amused but not in a taunting way. More so a display of how genuinely pleased Kieran was, almost as if he’d been allowed to write the script for every word of pining that left Zack’s lips. Lips that were still close enough for Kieran to catch between his teeth as he pondered on the answer - how did one secure their place with a creature as erratic and spontaneous as Kieran? Since honesty was all Kieran had to offer (no way was he ruining this bliss for something as silly as the sharp pain of a lie), he pushed himself up to roll over and pin the other down. “I don’t know,” Kieran replied honestly, searching that gaze that was almost as hungry as his own. “Not permanently, at least. But I like it when you enjoy me, because you do it so well. Your enjoyment is very enjoyable. And genuine.”  Speaking of genuine, the bliss of the evening (night?) had perhaps inspired a bit too much of genuineity (on Kieran’s end, obviously, he didn’t get enough of that earnest want when it came to Zack). 

“And I like it when you beg,” Kieran added, pressing closer, hand returning to the messy mop of hair but wrapping in a bit tighter now rather than lazily running through the strands, the faun finding himself rather quick to reinvigorate after such an indulgent meal. And he had just been thinking that Zack’s stamina had been impressive but maybe it hadn’t been pushed all the way to its limit. Sure, he was still coated in the afterglow but that could be dragged on to last for a little while longer, couldn’t it? Zack wouldn’t mind needing a little bit longer to recuperate. 

—

The laugh was enough to spike elation through Zack’s chest (he wondered if Kieran could sense that). Smiles and laughter from Kieran weren’t exactly uncommon, but they weren’t usually so sincere. Something warm flickered high in Zack’s chest. Not lust or hunger, no, this was far more dangerous. A sensation that had been making itself known more and more, here and there when he was with Kieran. Not lust or hunger, but infatuation. And while that might be harmless to anyone else, Zack was innately susceptible to infatuation. Catching feelings was only around the corner for him.

And apparently he wasn’t subtle, if Kieran could tell how genuine he was. And Zack was glad it showed through. Though, it would have been impossible for the faun to not know how much Zack enjoyed his company, and how genuine that enjoyment was. Would he keep crawling back if the sex, the whole experience wasn’t more than enjoyable? Well – maybe if it was just the sex. But it wasn’t just that and they both knew it. It was the shine in Kieran’s eyes when Zack did something right, something good. It was the almost lazy praise that the faun was happy to reward him with in the aftermath. Especially when Zack knew that a compliment from him was a rare thing that had to be earned. It was all that had lit that glow of a pilot light in Zack’s chest and was keeping him so close to the edge of the precipice.

Zack’s breathing gave way to something shakier, looser, with Kieran’s hand in his hair. He could feel the tug against his scalp and it burned in the most delicious way. Pain didn’t necessarily do it for Zack, but being moved around, directed where to go and how and when… “I could do more of that,” he offered, bottom lip slipping out from under his teeth. He palmed over Kieran’s side, luxuriating in the feel of his warm, soft skin. “Begging. Could beg for my chance to have my way with you.” And God, did he want that. Not for himself, but to show Kieran that he could, to give the fae pleasure in a different way from their usual configurations. 

“Could beg to have any of you.” And he would, if Kieran made that a condition. Maybe Zack should have found that concerning, or some level of degrading, but it wasn’t. Not when he knew Kieran would look at him like that after. “Would beg just to see you. To be around you.”

—

Satiated as he was, Kieran’s body still responded to every signal, whether it be touch or a sensed flash of unbridled satisfaction. There wasn’t a time he could recall where at least a small part of him had not longed for more, spent or full or tired as he might have been. Just like now, where lingering in the afterglow would have been a perfectly fine option, for a few more moments, maybe even dozing off for a bit now that maintaining his glamor was no longer such a necessity, Kieran still found that the calling for more was loud. It didn’t take more than the way Zack reacted to his touch, or the way the smoky taste ebbed and crested with the slightest reaction from Kieran. 

Another laugh, soft and almost tipsy despite the effects on any real effect of the alcohol previously ingested having long since vanished from Kieran’s body, slipped from his lips at Zack’s claim that he could do more. As if there had been any doubt to the other man’s eagerness to please. But the laugh should have been saved up for the claim that followed. Not to laugh at Zack - Kieran found the other adorable at times, naive maybe, but he found no pleasure in actually mocking him (pointing out how good he was at doing as he was told certainly didn’t count) - but just as a sound of enjoyment. Kieran liked the sentiment, it amused him. 

“You could, could you?” he pushed, pressing closer still even as he pulled his head back slightly, wanting to revel in the earnest emotion in Zack’s eyes. The pure adoration. It really was quite addictive. It shouldn’t be just Zack, there was something to be said about only one person inspiring the rush in Kieran’s chest, which he had felt tenfold back when things had been even simpler, with his people. There needed to be more of them, unhindered access to it at any time, spread fairly among those with the level of taste good enough to beg to have any of Kieran. Never to be mistaken as going both ways. Which it wasn’t here and while they had a mutual understanding, this could still be useful. Kieran could still enjoy this, until things got back to the way he deserved them to be. 

“I might just give you a chance to prove yourself, then. Provided you beg nicely for it, of course.” The hand not keeping Zack’s head tilted exactly the way Kieran wanted it started trailing, moving south as Kieran bared his teeth in a smile. “But later, when I haven’t exhausted you beforehand. If you’re going to try and have your way, I’ll need you at your best. You think you can impress me with your best, darling?” 

—-

Zack was rewarded with another bit of sure and settled eye contact and that earlier warmth spread through his chest. It was hard, usually for him to hold eye contact in a casual conversation, here, in bed and entirely wrapped up in Kieran, it was like a tether, ensuring him that he had the other man’s attention. Ensuring him that they were there, in the moment, together. That combined with a hand wandering to explore more of Zack’s body… He was back to blissed out. His mind was somewhere else entirely, as Kieran toyed with him. The hand in his hair had been a smooth rhythm, like the ebb of the ocean’s tide coming in and out. As Kieran explored further, though, Zack wondered if he might take him up on the offer.

It was always a length of rope, to see what he’d do with it, before it was tugged tight as a leash once more. 

He let out a little whine, mostly playful, when Kieran announced that Zack’s turn at topping would be later. He was only teasing but there was a kind of anxiety high in his chest, an urge, a need, to prove himself to Kieran. To show that he could be useful in this new context, too. To keep the faun interested in him. “Always want to give you my best,” Zack mumbled, his face tipping closer to Kieran’s. He was hoping for another slow, smooth kiss, one that could devolve into another and another… Sex with Kieran, obviously, was amazing but his favorite thing was maybe getting to make-out with him for long, lazy hours in the aftermath. “I know I can, yeah.” If he was given the task to impress Kieran, then he would. It was as simple as that for Zack.

“And I would beg nicely for it. You know I’m good at that.” He had proven his skill in that plenty.

—

It was far from a promise but it wasn’t a hard no, either. They hadn’t really discussed at length just how much Zack knew about fae, if he knew to watch his words, especially his promises. Kieran wasn’t bothered either way, knew he had Zack right where he wanted him, with or without the silly crutch of trying to bind people into promises left and right. If his willing partner did know, then it probably didn’t go unnoticed that Kieran never promised anything at all. Either way, Zack seemed thrilled at just the possibility, at not being turned down right away. Whether or not Kieran actually intended to give Zack the opportunity… well, teasing him with it would be plenty of fun, too, if that thrilling whine was anything to go off. 

Zack started making promises of his own and, although not magically binding, Kieran had no doubt that these eager assurances would be held up. If given the chance, he would deliver. The faun wasn’t one for a whole lot of planning so it was simply a question of seeing just how pretty Zack could beg. “Do I know that?” Kieran hummed curiously, grin teasing as he kept his face just out of Zack’s reach, the hand wrapped in dark locks making it so that Zack would have to tug against the hold if he wanted a kiss before Kieran decided it was time. It was even a bit of a challenge for Kieran, holding off from devouring those puffy lips again. 

“I think I might need a refresher, actually.” 

—--

Fae machinations were the furthest thing from Zack’s mind in that moment. He knew what fae could do, and he knew that Kieran was a fae, but it was never a concern for him. Not because he was naive enough to believe that Kieran would never use those powers against him (he wasn’t that stupid, thanks very much) but because Zack didn’t have room for any concerns when he was in bed with Kieran. At least, not any concern that didn’t have to do with meeting the faun’s every whim.

Zack took the bait, pitching forward and feeling the burn in his scalp as his hair tugged. His lips didn’t meet Kieran’s, but he had other ideas anyway. Ideas on exactly how to offer the other man a refresher on how good Zack was at begging. “I can do that,” he murmured breathily. And with that, his head dipped lower until he was pressing a kiss to that perfect collarbone, another in the middle of his abdomen. Lower, with his eyes tilted up finally, to look at Kieran through his lashes.