#bitchkrieg

Nyx had been teasing small circles over the slant of Noct’shipbone since linking his arms around the prince. He wandered touches further inwardalong the line, tickling goosebumps from beneath the long plastic claws on hisnails. Of course, Noctis had torespond. The effect his subtle undulations had against Nyx were the glaive’sown fault.

“What a tyrant mysweet prince has become,” Nyx said with a pout, made even more comical by thelong teeth protruding from his mouth. “Does the rest of the galaxy know what acruel overlord you are?”

“Are you drunk?” Noctis laughed.

Nyx buried his head in Noctis’s shoulder and shook his head,the abortive gesture sending the big behemoth horns pinned to his head floppinginto the side of Noct’s face. He giggled, tickled by the cheap appendagesbumping into his cheek, as well as by his favorite sensation of Nyx’s stubblealong his neck.

Beyond the little nook of his apartment Nyx had him trappedin, the rest of the space was thriving with costumed Crownsguard andKingsglaive. Ignis was ruining Libertus’s appetite with the fake gore spatteredover his butcher’s costume, standing right next to the h’orderves table. Crowethe steampunk sorceress had Gladiolus in a head-lock, pinning theknight-in-shining-armor to his knees. Gladio made an exaggerated choking faceand Crowe stuck her tongue out at Prompto’s camera, the photographer fumblingwith it around his chocobo wing hands.

Vintage surf rock bounced from the speakers hidden aroundthe apartment, streamers dangling with cartoon daemons trussed across theceiling. Monster-themed cocktails were spread across the kitchen bar and,despite Nyx’s objections, Noctis was surehe’d swiped more than a few. Although he couldn’t tell if those few were enoughto get him silly-drunk or if his boyfriend was just being silly for the sake ofthe holiday.

“You look really good in silver body-paint,” Nyx mumbledinto the high collar of Noct’s costume.

“You’ve mentioned.”

“Have I?”

“That would be the fifth time tonight.”

“Then I must really mean it.”

Noctis laughed again, but he didn’t know if it was becauseNyx was funny or if everything was funny. He might’ve had too many cocktailshimself.

“You wanna get out of here?” his behemoth king asked,nipping playfully at the corner of his jaw.

“And ditch my own party?”

“Iggy can host for the rest of the night.”

Noctis glanced across the apartment at the butcher inquestion. Ignis stayed purposely sober during any celebratory event. Ignis wassober, period. Noctis thought he hadmaybe seen Ignis drunk a whole of once,and even that might have been an intoxicated hallucination. He never was sure.

“We going to your place?” Noctis asked, moving in time withthe rhythmic swaying Nyx had started up behind him. “Want me to call a car?”

“Nah, we can walk.”

“Nyx, it’s halfway across the city…”

“But it’s Halloween!Wandering the streets in the middle of the night is tradition.”

“And you’re real big on traditions, huh?” Noctis teased.

“Some things are sacred,” Nyx defended, giving him a seriouslook that lost all effect beneath the canine accoutrements decorating his face.

“Fine, fine,” Noctis conceded. “Let’s get you some air,hero.”

Noctis unwound Nyx’s arms from his waist, keeping a hand inhis as he led him out of the apartment. The music and laughter was muted oncethey were out in the hall, weaving towards the elevator. Inside, Nyx slouchedagainst the wall, tugging Noctis to him after he’d punched in the ground floor.He looped his arms loosely around the prince, grinning down at him as theelevator descended.

“You okay?” Noctis asked, smiling back.

“Mm,” Nyx hummed. “Just admiring you. You look great inanything, don’t you?”

Noctis snorted. Anyone could look great with enoughface-paint and a well put-together cosplay. Nyx included – if anyone could “lookgreat in anything” it was him. His costume worked perfectly to give hisbehemoth an anthropomorphic authenticity, rough leather clothes draped in furwith a detailed spine and tail embedded along his back. Excellent craftsmanshipfor a cheap, DIY costume, done in a day. Few things didn’t impress Noctis aboutNyx.

They hit the lobby and wandered outside into the crisp, autumnnight. There had been a parade earlier on in the day. Remnants of it stilllittered the street. Black and orange streamers, bat-shaped confetti, andplastic pumpkin candy carriers listed in the evening breeze.

The alien and behemoth kings strolled down the side-walk,stumbling into each other and laughing at every misstep. Arms tangled throughridiculous costume adornments – the bulk of Noctis’s galactic overlord costumeinvolved an exorbitant amount of belts and sashes and other easily knottedaccessories. They passed a few groups of fellow Halloween revelers. Someteenagers, some sunken-eyed parents with sugar-high kids, and some drunk lonerswith pieces of costumes stuffed under their arms. Noctis was comforted by hisand Nyx’s own state of intoxication by comparison.

When they were halfway down the street, Nyx stoppedabruptly, jerking Noctis’s arm back with the sudden halt. His head tilted tothe side and a slow smile spread across his toothy lips before his knee startedbobbing. He was following the slow, easy rhythm of a show-tune trickling downfrom an open apartment window high above them.

“What are you doing now?”Noctis laughed as Nyx drew him to his chest.

“Love this song,” Nyx sighed against his blue-frosted hair.

His body lilted into a sluggish waltz, spinning in a sloppycircle with his hands on Noctis’s hips. Noctis hugged his arms around Nyx’sneck, resting his face in the cubby beneath his chin and breathing out incontentment. There was no coherency to the steps, and the tune was so far awayand echoed between the concrete that he couldn’t even make out the lyrics. Buthe knew the song, and he knew how Nyx moved even when he made absolutely nosense. He knew that he could follow his steps anywhere, and never regret wherethey ended up.

He knew that he was happier than he had ever been. The yearwas almost over and somehow, he’d managed not to fuck this up before it was.Somehow, throughout all the crying and screaming he’d done in that tumultuousyear, he hadn’t made their life together into a late night horror movie.Somehow, Nyx had forgiven him for every moment of weakness, had stayed with himthrough every hard time, until they made it to this moment. Somehow, Noctis hadbeen strong enough to be there for Nyx in his moments, too. He’d been worthbeing asked to stay. He’d been good enough to love this man that was so muchmore than he could ever aspire to be.

Even in full costume, adopting completely differentidentities, there were no masks between them. Even as a chrome king and a feralfurball, they were Noctis and Nyx. There was no pretending between them. Nofear of ghosts in the shadows. If there were witches casting spells in thealleys of the city tonight, then they were both bewitched. By science fictionthemes and the fit of kisses against painted skin.

Nyx bumped his nose against Noctis’s jaw, grumblingincoherently to himself, before opening his mouth and clutching Noctis’s skinbetween his teeth.

“I can’t kiss you with these stupid things,” he growled. “Youget a love bite instead.”

Noctis drew his face away, cupping Nyx’s cheeks between hisblue-gloved hands. He brushed a careful kiss between the plastic fangs framinghis lips in return.

“Then how ‘bout I call us that cab, we take those off, andyou can kiss me for real?”

Nyx smiled at him, eyes hooded as he replied, “You can takethese off of me if you let me take you out of this.”

Behemoth paws smoothed down his back, tugging on the cape ofhis costume as he went. Noctis considered the lack of lucidity in his gaze fora moment.

“Okay,” he said slowly. “You can help me out of this, but Ihave to remind you about Sober Nyx’s rule.”

“Not that guy again,” Nyx groaned, wrinkling his nose.

“Afraid so. No drunk sex.”

Nyx huffed out a sigh through his nose, narrowing his eyesat Noctis, considering his own state of intoxication as he did so. He blinked afew times, then nodded to himself before smiling a compromise down on him.

“Late night creature feature, then?” he finally said.

Noctis smiled. He didn’t even pretend that it was the alcoholthat made him feel warm. He pressed a fond kiss to Nyx’s cheek.