#tuhoa

     IT WAS hard to believe these were the same creatures who stained bed sheets in crimson night after night, who pulled everyone and them themselves in an endless vicious cycle of destruction and temptation. And yet, even beasts had their fair share of peaceful moments, temporary truces where lovers put claws and sharp fangs aside and basked in a calmer kind of intimacy, theirs and theirs alone. It was a side others has rarely seen. Their siblings had caught glimpses of it during family reunions, and some had been surprised to see that violent couple being so gentle to each other. Etienne’s hand looking for Eryk’s, holding it and tracing circles on its back with his fingers. Genuine, not poisonous smiles. Delicate kisses that made Sin chuckle under his breath in the softest tone possible. So precious. As desired as their night wars.

     Etienne closed his eyes and leaned back against Eryk’s body. A content smile curved his lips. One of his hands reached for Eryk’s neck and lied there, silently telling him not to stop. All was silent around them. The streets seemed to be deserted. Was it the dead of the night, or burning midday? Had the apocalypse occurred - were they the last creatures alive on the planet, on top of a pile of rubble and burning flesh? Or were they still in their bedroom, resting on their bed comfortably, stealing this moment from eternity and making it theirs - only theirs - forever theirs?

30 multipurpose prompts, open to interpretation || not accepting anymore || 10: the photograph

     “photographs?” Chris looked at the object on the table right in front of her. Of rectangular shape, metallic, black and silver, with some buttons on its surface whose role was unknown to her. A big lens stared at her like a glass eye without iris nor pupil. She had never seen a camera before. She had indeed heard about them, both from Eryk and people in the streets or in books, and was aware of what they did, but never had she imagined she would have one a few inches away from her. Eventually, she stretched a hand out to touch it. Her finger tapped on one of the buttons, paying attention not to apply too much pressure on it. 

     Eryk nodded. “That’s right.” He stood behind her chair, one hand resting on the seatback while the other was hidden behind his back. He looked at Chris and the camera with a small teasing smile. Sometimes he forgot his wife was not any different from a child. Her knowledge of the outer world was not as vast as anyone else’s, and it amused him more than he showed. She was beautiful even when she was like this, though. So confused and so ready to know more, see more, explore till her greed and curiosity were satisfied. Beauty forever trapped with the beast. “I thought it would be nice to take some photos of you to have fun. And to keep one or two with me wherever I go.” Just like a caring husband. A normal husband. A description far away from the truth.

     “Oh!” Chris’s eyes widened in awe and curiosity and she became more daring, taking the camera in her hands. It was compact, but this would not be a good moment to find out whether it would survive crashing on the floor or not. She set it on her lap and moved it slowly, pushing it back and forth. She observed it from every angulation, making sure no detail would escape her. “How do you use it?”

     “It’s simple.” Eryk leaned forward from behind the chair. He was so close to Chris now, his head at the same height as hers, that her smell of hyacinths became more piercing. It enveloped him. He allowed himself to get lost in it before stretching his arm out and tap on one of the buttons of the camera. “First you have to focus what you want to take a photo of with this wheel.” He pinched the wheel around the lens between his thumb and forefinger and turned it to show its functioning to Chris. “Once you’re done, you push this button,” he tapped on one of the many scattered on the camera surface, “and you’re done.”

     “But how can I see the photo?”

     “You can’t see it now. You have to develop the roll inside the camera first, then you’ll have your photo.”

     Chris did not ask further. The information she had just received were enough for the time being, and to be honest at the moment she was more interested in watching the camera’s functioning. While Eryk had claimed he had bought it to take pictures himself, he might not mind if she took some of him. Before she could ask, though, he took the item from her hands. He held it so confidently that Chris could not help but inquire: “Have you already used one?”

     "Some time ago,” he answered vaguely. He walked in direction of the door to Chris’s right and turned over after a few steps, gesturing at her to move the chair so that she would face him. She obliged without a word. The hem of her dress twirled in the sunlight as she stood up to turn the chair. For a moment, it seemed her hair was golden too. A brief apparition, an illusion which did not last long; when she sat down again, it was all gone. Not the light on her face, though. It was fated to stay for good. It was another reason why Eryk liked ( loved? Only in the way a dragon loves his treasure ) her: that never-ending light, that fire in her soul and eyes which could never be put out. Perhaps one day he would be able to smother it, even if only for a day. He could wait for that moment. He was a patient Entity - like any creature with centuries behind their back and in front of them would be. “Stay still, or the photo will be blurry. It’ll be a matter of seconds.”

     Chris was tempted to ask him if she could at least breathe, but the question sounded stupid in her own head. A movement as little as her chest imperceptibly rising and falling would not be enough to ruin the photo. She grabbed the sides of the chair and straightened her back. A few locks fell on her chest, chestnut swirls decorating her white dress. Eryk’s face disappeared behind the camera, then reappeared a second later. “Would you smile for me, love?”

Oh my, wouldn’t that be interesting

trifyres replied to your post: @tuhoa, @trifyres threesome with a dragon? why...

OH MY GOD