#ace monster

Kamoss was a proud shifter, known as the king among his kind, he ruled with what many had considered an iron fist. While he was harsh, he was just as kind in many other ways, often taking the time to visit the markets where many merchants sold their handmade wares. Usually buying little trinkets to hang up around his castle, he would fill his carriage with the wares before heading back to his own home. 

You were new to the town, having set up your own stall to sell your own wares. Each day brought more and more business to your stall until the king himself had made an appearance at your stand. He had taken interest in your wares and had purchased the entire set you had made for the day. Bewildered, you had begun to wrap everything up while he had waited. 

“Excuse me if I am being too forward, but is there a missus?” You asked tentatively, the icy blue gaze of the king falling on you again. 

“There is not, and there is not a single soul in the kingdom who would want to be with me the way I’d need them to be.” He responded sharply, the answer making you shrink back slightly from the tone. 

“My apologies.” You responded back quietly, the rest of the packing was spent in silence until you had finished wrapping everything up and putting it in a brown paper bag. You passed it off silently and there seemed to be a faint look of regret on his features however it had swiftly disappeared and the rigid expression had returned. 

Rumors had been thrown around over the following weeks, whispers of the king not wanting to produce an heir to rule over the kingdom when he was gone. You had listened to the gossip from other merchants in the square, coming to your own conclusion that the king may be exactly like you and in a way you were almost grateful that there was someone else just like you out there. You had seen the king in the marketplace over the next few days visiting different merchants before he had made his way to yours. At the end of the day, you were leaving empty handed which was good for your business but in a way you had felt as though he was trying to make it up to you.

“You know, you don’t have to keep buying all of my stuff when you come here as a way to apologize.” You commented after making some idle chatter with him, he was far kinder than you had expected him to be after the first encounter you had with him. 

“I know, but the truth is I really do like the wares you are sellings here in the marketplace. They are beautiful pieces that I’ve used to decorate almost every corner of the castle.” He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. 

The guards that were accompanying him merely chuckled in response while he sent them a piercing glare. His purple gaze locking onto them and a small growl leaving him, the guards quieted down with knowing smiles as the king flushed with color, refusing to meet your gaze as he asked the next question. 

“Are you going to be attending the festivities this year? The town holds a winter festival which includes a masquerade ball…” He asked softly, almost as if he was half expecting you to say that you had found a date for it already. 

“I didn’t know that there was such a thing, I don’t have anyone to go with.” You responded with a sigh, the king took note and stood up a bit straighter with a smile. 

“Then perhaps you’d like to accompany me to the festivities?” He asked, the guards behind him snickering once more. 

“I think I’d like that very much, however I think it’s best if I decline, least your reputation gets ruined King Kamoss.” You could only imagine what the others would gossip about in the merchants square, considering that you were new among them and having the king ask you to such a thing would only add fuel to the fire. They had already started whispering about how your stall is the last one the king visits every day and how he lingers for far longer than he does at any other stall. 

“Oh…” He seemed to deflate for a moment before grinning down at you. “I don’t care much for reputation, and please, call me Kamoss.” 

You turned it over in your mind for a moment longer before finally giving in with an amused sigh, a smile tugging at the corner of your lips. “Alright, if you insist then I shall.” 

You could see the excitement spread across his features, dragon scales had started to appear around his face as though he could not control himself, and in the blink of an eye, a massive dragon stood in front of your stall. You had stumbled backwards in shock before finding yourself laughing at the whole situation, in a way you had almost expected him to be something other than a human. The scales that covered his entire body flashed from black to silver while his underbelly was pure white. The same purple gaze locked onto you and the creature laid down on the stone pathway with a quiet huff. 

“So, shall I assume you’ll pick me up, or shall I meet you at the castle?” You asked, amusement clear in your tone as the dragon stared at you. 

“We’ll pick you up, no need to worry.” One of the guards answered for the king, you merely nodded in response and grinned at him. 

“I shall see you then my king.” You responded, leaning forward to kiss the dragon’s snout. A loud purr had erupted from him when you did which only made the guards burst out laughing again as the king turned to hiss at them in warning. 

When the winter festival had finally arrived, you were dressed in the best gown you could afford. A victorian style ball gown with black lace accents, you had settled on doing very light makeup just for the fun of it when a knock at your door had you pausing. “Just a moment!” You called out to them, they gave some sort of acknowledgement and you very swiftly finished. 

Slipping on a coat as it was only getting colder the longer the day wore on, you stepped outside of your home to be greeted by your king. A smile was present on his features as he gazed down at you, he tentatively took hold of your hand and lifted it to press a kiss to the back of it. 

“You look wonderful this evening.” He stated as if it was a well known fact, you flushed with color at the compliment. 

“Thank you Kamoss, you do as well.” You responded back, watching as his own features flushed with color as he offered you his arm. You looped yours through his and the two of you set off towards the plaza where the festivities were taking place. The plaza was much more beautiful than you remember it being, it was decorated to the nines with winter stuff and everyone seemed to be in a good mood with high spirits. It didn’t take much longer for your spirits to match theirs, music rang throughout the entire area and you felt Kamoss pause in his steps. 

When everyone had begun to pair off and dance, you glanced up at the king, almost hoping he would ask you to dance and you were not disappointed as he turned to pull you against him in a waltz. No one had noticed that the pair of you were there yet and you liked it that way, it was much more private than having the attention focused on you. 

“You look wonderful this evening.” He stated once more, the music falling away as the two of you danced and had begun to talk. 

“You already said that.” You commented with a smile, the king flushing once more with color. It was as if he was trying to say something more but was too shy and proud to say it. The guards that accompanied him were both with their own partners but had remained close just in case. 

“Would you just kiss her already, my lord? You’re making both of us exhausted by your continuous pining, it's sad really.” One guard commented as he brushed by, the king let out a garbled mess of words before sighing and looking down at you. 

“If it’s alright-” You had cut him off before he got to finish the sentence. 

“Of course!” You chimed, realizing you sounded a little too eager you quieted down. “That is if you want to.” 

“I do, you had captivated me with how delicately you treated everything you handled and then later with your personality, you’re not afraid to be forward with me.” He murmured softly before leaning down and kissing you.

Little did you know, the town folks' gazes had landed on the pair of you. Everyone was watching with amusement as he had kissed you. Various murmurs had begun to ring throughout the crowd as you pulled away from each other. 

It was a whirlwind romance, or at least that’s how you had felt when it came to Kamoss. You were moved into the castle after just a few short months of being together, and had people waiting on you hand and foot. The servants had grown comfortable having you around and oftentimes spoke their minds freely when it came to something that was upsetting them within the castle. You had listened to each and every one of their concerns and brought them up to Kamoss when the opportunity was provided. 

However, as of late, Kamoss had become drawn from you. The long nights of sitting in the same study together while you worked on your wares for the following day. He would retire to his room early, leaving you to work in silence that usually didn’t bother you, but there was something about the way he was avoiding you that made you become worried. 

The night only seemed to drag on, the tension in the air becoming thick as Kamoss slowly shut the book he was reading closed. Stretching and giving a yawn that ended with a quiet roar coming from him, he stood and placed the book back on the shelf. Turning to you, his purple gaze met your own. 

“I’m going to-“ He was cut off as you looked up at him with a slight glare. The look made him shudder in response and a frown crossed his features. 

“Retire for the night? Yeah. I get it. Just go, I’ll have my stuff moved out by tomorrow since you don’t want to be with me anymore it seems.” You snorted, focusing on the piece of work in front of you. 

“I never said I didn’t want to be with you!” He was quick to respond, growing worried at the sudden outburst you had. 

The response made you pause in your steps and you had turned to look at him, your gaze meeting his as you waited for him to explain. He sighed softly, dragging a hand down his face as he struggled to find the correct words to use. 

“Listen, I… I care about you more than anything in the world.” The words caught you off guard, Kamoss wasn’t usually one to express words of affection. He was too prideful to do so and oftentimes struggled with ‘I love you.’ But he had shown it in other ways. Whether it was making sure to stop by your stall while he was in the market or picking up something he’d thought you would like. 

“And I… My mind gets all… I don’t know… It makes me think these things, and it makes me question if this is what you truly want, to be within someone like me.” His voice was a whisper now, his gaze dropping to the floor. “I’m not… I’m not ‘normal’.” He put quotations around the word as he spoke. 

It had hit you like a ton of bricks. He was doubting himself because of what he preferred in a relationship and compared it to others. A small smile broke out across your features as you approached him, you took hold of his hands and gave them a gentle squeeze. 

“Kamoss, I love you just the way you are, pride and everything. Just because you aren’t into some things like others are doesn’t mean that I don’t want to be with you. I am the same way, but if you make me worried like that again…” You gave a warning, teasing him slightly which made him laugh. 

“I promise I won’t darling…” He murmured, pressing a kiss to your forehead. 

“And if you have thoughts like that again, please talk to me. Don’t shut me out.” You leaned into him, wrapping your arms around him in a hug. 

The rain splattered against the concrete creating puddles on the ground that cars sped through while a few of the neighborhood children splashed in the bigger ones on the playground as you passed by. You needed to run to the store to grab food for the next week since you wouldn’t have any other time to do it with how your job was. When you had arrived, you went to push the door open but ended up hitting someone else with it. 

The demon on the ground had ended up dropping all of his groceries on the ground while holding his nose. You stammered out an apology, the demon merely dismissing it with a wave of his hand and a chuckle. His dark gaze meeting yours as he stood to brush his pants off. You were quick to help him gather the stuff that had fallen on the ground while muttering your apologies which he had brushed off with a laugh. He had introduced himself as Alvomal to you, and you had returned it with an introduction of your name as well. 

That was what had started it all, the day you had bumped into him at the grocery store.The pair of you had swapped numbers after it which had eventually led to your first date. Soon after that it was your second, and then so on until you had eventually moved into his house. It was a nice change from the loneliness of your living space, and even Alvomal had agreed. 

Which is where you were now, lounging on the couch with your laptop propped open on your lap while the shower ran in the background. Alvomal had come off of a rather stressful shift at work and the red headed demon had wanted to get a quick shower before spending some time with you. Today was going to be different however, you had gotten a message from Alvomal earlier that day, he had wanted to talk to you about something that had been on his mind lately. While the conversation was 

Once the shower shut off, your demon came strolling out into the living room. With a grin, he had taken his usual spot next to you on the couch, though you could practically feel how nervous he was. He shifted slightly, his long forked tail wrapping around your ankle for comfort as he seemed to think about how to approach the topic. 

“You know I love you right?” He started as he curled up in the corner of the couch, watching your gaze, you smiled at the statement and nodded, encouraging him to continue. 

“I… I just want you to know that I’m with you for you, not for the more intimate things if you’re catching my drift. That stuff doesn’t interest me.” He spoke quietly. 

“That never mattered to me anyway, I really don’t mind if you’re not into that because I’m not into it either.” You responded, watching as relief flooded his features. He sighed in content, leaning over towards you to embrace you in a gentle hug. 

“So we’re good?” He asked softly, you merely nodded in response and returned the hug with a grin.