#empathystricken

A quiet pause as surprise flickered over the elder's features, accompanied seconds later by a smile. Ruby gaze drifted briefly, observant, inevitably glancing upwards to silently reassure himself. Eerie numbers hovered where they always had, unchanged, and a small sigh fell from pale lips.

He was terribly tense, but at least the universe seemed to be otherwise in order. Stepping over and slipping beneath the blankets at his counselor's side, he nodded slightly, swallowing down the tightness in his throat.

(  Pathetic, atypical desire for company. Discomfort and stress bubbling up, morphing into unnecessary impulses.  )

He didn't need to be alone right now. That's what Azurine would have said, what Benjamin had repeated on multiple occasions.

     ❝ Thank you. ❞   Scripted words, formality's expectation. Though really, he didn't have a better response to these circumstances anyways.

One of them effectively sums up to “I’m getting you coffee, but it’s mostly because you might shoot me if I don’t & I’m not in the mood to get shot yet today.”

And then other is internal monologue & taking far too long to manage to get out an “I love you too” because hey, gotta love those complexes, and trying to casually mask the pause.

Alucard is bad at dating, 2k19. Why Kerri enjoys shipping with this disaster so much, I’m unsure, but I’m here for it.

[from cody to walter]  "I'm no vampire but I'm fine with getting no sleep and biting your neck all night."

Old Valentine's Meme  |  Capped.

Send my muse the worst pick up lines your muse you can think of!

Alright, so it was factually an awful pick-up line. He knew that. Just as well, he knew that he should have laughed it off, asked if Cody had been drinking already, or otherwise dismissed the conversation. It was ridiculous  —  ( this relationship never should have started in the first place )  —   and he shouldn't have been entertaining the idea.

But it would be a lie  —  ( and really, he didn't need to add anymore of those to the list )  —  to say that he wasn't interested.

Ah, the perils of having very specific interests.

     ❝ You're no vampire. ❞

Faux-thoughtful, the comment was followed by a hum, oxfords tapping softly against the kitchen's flooring as he strolled closer. Stormy eyes flickered across the other's features, a hand lifting to let gloved fingers toy with the front of Cody's shirt.

     ❝ But you certainly know how to get my attention. ❞

Lips curled upward into a small smirk and, with playful words still coloring the air between them, he shifted to close the distance with a kiss.

[ben to alucard]  "They say love bites... wanna find out?"

Old Valentine’s Meme   |  Capped.

Send my muse the worst pick up lines your muse you can think of!

A brief pause followed the comment, head tilting slightly, as an ever turbulent mind flickered between amusement, temptation, and the wicked twist of intrusive thoughts.

It was a cheap pick-up line. It should have been funny, at best.

     (  His throat hurt. This was already practically an offer, and even if it wasn't? Well, Ben never said 'no' to those requests.  )

Playing into the vampirism be damned, surely the human had meant something else. It was Valentine's Day, for God's sake — of course the goal was intimacy. Which wasn't an unpleasant thought, by any means, not with Benjamin, but he really should have been more cautious about his wording...

     (  He was such a fragile, ignorant little rabbit. Perhaps it was only fair to respond according to that —  )

   ❝ Oh, darling. ❞

The coil snapped, neither side of the argument entirely winning out, and within seconds, he'd pressed his human into the nearest wall. Lingering amusement kept the grip from being too tight — cold lips smiling, as they ghosted across his jaw.

   ❝ Shouldn't you know by now that it does? ❞

It was a cliché comment, it probably hadn't even been expected to 'work'. But as the close proximity flared that terrible burn in his throat, and the human's shiver registered as something that had to have been close to approval, he found that he really didn't care.

❄️ Zachariah x Benjamin 

Winter Kisses  /  Selectively Accepting

Send ❄️ for our muses to kiss in the snow!

Snowflakes cascaded slowly around him, coloring the scene with a sense of calm that, ordinarily, couldn't have existed within the parking lot of a hospital. It had been a long day at the office, it always was, but with a date on the line and the welcoming smile of his lover in sight, Zachariah pushed those thoughts to the background of his mind.

A few more steps, oxfords crunching softly against the snowy pavement, before his arm was curling around Benjamin's waist, tugging him close in greeting.

   ❝ You'll catch your death waiting out in the cold like this, love. ❞

Before a reply could be offered, the vampire was shifting to press their mouths together, pulling his favorite human into a kiss. Slow, but drawn out, lingering longer than was necessary. A smile curled across pale lips, wide enough that he was certain Ben could feel the pressure of his fangs in their kiss  —  he didn't bother to correct it. There hadn't been secrets between them in some time now, and besides that, all the blood-exposure from work made glamouring them feel impossible right now.

Eventually, he pulled back, a content purr rumbling in his chest. Shifting to nuzzle at the human's throat, the only excuse offered for the sudden affection was a simple one:

❄️Aubrey x Ben

Winter Kisses  /  Selectively Accepting

Send ❄️ for our muses to kiss in the snow!

The world around them had gotten impossibly cold over the past few weeks. Likely nothing too dreadful for most people, but it was winter, the temperatures had officially dropped enough for the snow to stick to the pavement, and for a snake shifter...

Well, he was fucking freezing  —  constantly, it seemed, apart from the rare moments where he could relax in his nest of blankets, or in the semi-privacy of his new friends' dorm rooms. Or, of course, wrapped up in the arms of a certain lover, forgetting the rest of their lives existed, drowning out their demons with a cocktail of intimacy, comfort, and secrecy.

Standing on the icy campus of their shared college, a harsh shiver wracked Aubrey's form, and he had to bite back a hiss of discomfort at the chill. Seconds later, an arm was wrapping securely around his waist, pulling him closer  —  scent registered before sight, immediately leaning into the rare show of public affection.

   ❝ It's bloody freezing out here. ❞

Words from a tired tongue, fumbling over them slightly, the cold weather having long-since settled into his bones, threatening to pull him under the weight of sleep, flaring up ever-present pains despite the cocktail of Vicodin in his system. Bright eyes flickered, head lulled to peer up at Benjamin, a small smile curling across his features despite it all.

   ❝ Thank you, love. ❞

Quietly murmured adoration, before he shifted up onto the toes of leather boots, pressing their lips together. The kiss was slow, loving, slightly clumsy in his drowsiness, and he poured every bit of appreciation at the gesture into it, pressing into the warmth of Ben's body for a beat.

It was dangerous, for both of them, being so public in their affections. Part of it made him nervous, made his jaw ache where a bruise was still trying to heal. The rest made his heart race, adrenaline spiking, briefly lessening the bite of the cold.

Between the latter, and feeling Ben's smile against his lips, it was beyond worth it.

When the kiss broke, it was with a soft breath, and a nuzzle into the human's throat.

a wild Christy (empathystricken) appears! Wild Christy uses hug!

———————————————

Discussed on Discord  /  Prompted by THIS.

Surprised gasp choked its way from damaged lungs, turquoise eyes widening slightly  —  a breath, two, waiting for who and why to register. Inevitably, scarred arms wrapped loosely around the kid, pulling her close from where he'd been leaned against an old sofa.

                               Christy.

...Yeah, the rest of the world be damned, love existed.

Quiet chuckle, pale fingers ruffling through the girl's hair.

     ❝ Yeah... hey, brat. ❞

His head shook, holding her a touch tighter, smile tugging at surgical staples. Damn, this kid made the mess worth it.

A brief roll of turquoise eyes followed the younger's question, innocently petulant and quick to disagree as ever. He shouldn't have been surprised  —  Christy wasn't known for caring about what time it was, or whether or not children should technically be asleep at such hours. Beyond that, she should have definitely been inside, but Dabi had to assume that her father was already in bed, hadn't noticed the kid's late-night antics.

   ❝ Because it's late. ❞  Pointing out the obvious, as he stepped closer to where she'd settled on the front steps, crouching to level vibrant eyes with childish ones.  ❝ You should be asleep. Or at least inside. ❞

Warm hands shifted, scooping Christy up into scarred arms, distantly hoping that the heavily lingering smell of ash wouldn't bother her.