Anri was here. In his bed. He hadn’t rejected him. Anri wanted him, and wanted him desperately. Anri was his. He could feel Anri’s need and desire crashing like ocean waves against him. Seth wasn’t going to give him a chance to change his mind. He kissed him hard until he ran out of breath.

The Spider-cat mote flitted around in the back of his mind, obviously observing. Seth groaned mentally. Go away! he thought as hard as he could at it.

Anri pulled back. “Something wrong? I’m-”

“NO!” he yelled. Anri tensed. “No, it’s okay,” he said soothingly. He couldn’t spook Anri, not when hei had just confessed.

“Sorry,” he said, forcing himself to relax. He nibbled playfully at Anri’s ear and Anri sighed, melting back against his chest.

Seth carefully shooed the mote to the back of his mind. Stay! he told it mentally. It bristled like an angry cat. If the mote had a tail he was sure that it would have been thrashing. Privacy. Go do something else for a while. Shoo!

Spider-cat mote was not happy, but receded to the back of his brain. It didn’t shut down the connection, though. He didn’t want to worry about it right now. He had more important things to deal with.

Like keeping his other cat, an overly fickle one at that, from escaping. That, and getting inside Anri’s pants. Oh, he wanted inside those pants. He wanted in them so badly. More than he had ever wanted inside anyone else’s pants, by far.

“You have a strange look on your face,” Anri said, his fingers trailing down Seth’s earlobe. “Whatcha thinking?”

“I was thinking,” he said coyly with a wild grin, “about how much I want to get in your pants. Right now.” He shifted back, making space between him and Anri. Before Anri could react, his hands were at Anri’s belt, fumbling with the leather restraint. “This shirt, it needs to go, too,” he added, nodding at Anri’s chest.

Anri’s shy yet sultry look was all the permission that he needed. He unfastened the belt, unbuttoning and unzipping Anri’s black slacks with fluid motions. Anri lifted his butt into the air and Seth rolled him, laying him gently on the bed so that he could slide the pants down Anri’s body. He dragged them slowly so that the pants would caress Anri’s skin as he slid them down his legs, over his knees and off his feet. He grabbed both of Anri’s socks and at the same time pulled them off, too, kneeling on the bed at Anri’s feet.

“Can’t have on your party socks,” Seth muttered.

Seth glanced up at Anri as he playfully nipped at Anri’s toe. Anri’s fingers were on the buttons of his shirt, the black vest somehow already discarded. “Hey!” he exclaimed. “That’s my job!”

Seth began the climb back up Anri’s body on his hands and knees. If anyone was going to take off Anri’s shirt, it was going to be him. As he crawled up his body, he glanced at Anri’s groin and found that Anri’s bulge had sprung to life, firmly silhouetted inside his camouflage green boxers. His own cock swelled, pulsing against his pants, responding to Anri’s arousal.

Distracted by the rise in Anri’s shorts, he found himself pausing in his ascent up Anri’s body, lingering over his enticing sex. He breathed in deep and he could smell Anri’s arousal, hot and musky and sexy. He longed to taste it again, to have that impossibly soft yet rigidly hard flesh in his mouth.

He dipped his head down and nuzzled his nose against Anri through the boxers. Anri’s dick twitched to life under his caress. The twitching, with extra assistance from Seth’s nuzzling, caused Anri’s manhood to shift so that the tip peeked out of the band at the top. A drop of precum crowned it, the wetness shiny on Anri’s flesh in the low light.

Without thinking, Seth’s mouth was over the exposed tip of Anri’s erection. He groaned as Anri’s taste coated his mouth. He gently sucked the exposed flesh in between his lips, enjoying the velvet softness of Anri’s hard cock. He licked up the small drop of precum, then sucked harder on the exposed head. Anri’s hips bucked beneath him in response. Pleased with this reaction, he looked up at Anri with the tip of his manhood between his lips, longing to see the look on his face. Anri’s head was thrown back in pleasure. His shirt was half unbuttoned, his now distracted hands at his sides pressed flat against the bed.

Seth wanted those last buttons. He gave one more gentle suck on Anri’s member, which bobbed happily in response. Anri’s small moans were incredibly arousing. He didn’t want to take his mouth off of Anri but…those buttons. Those buttons were his. Like hell he was going to let Anri undress himself. Seth bit down just a little bit and Anri’s hands were suddenly in his hair.

He placed his hands over Anri’s, gently repositioning them so that they laced together around the back of his neck. Then he pulled his head back while still sucking on the tip of Anri’s engorged rod. There was a small popping sound as the suction broke. Anri whimpered, his hips arching towards Seth.

He laughed and climbed a little further up Anri’s body until he sat firmly on Anri’s crotch. Anri writhed under him.

“Seth…” Anri begged. Anri’s cock was a comfortable pressure between his butt cheeks.

“No, Anri. I told you, this is my job. You see, you bad little vampire,” he said playfully, lightly touching Anri’s nose with his finger, “this is why unions were created. Other people stealing my job. I need fair representation, that’s what I need,” he teased as he slid his hands down over Anri’s chest, pulling his shirt open. He made sure to drag his fingernails lightly over Anri’s chest as he slowly undid each of the remaining buttons on Anri’s crisp, white work shirt. Anri arched his hips against him.

“Oh, Anri, don’t rush me,” he purred. He pulled the shirt open, exposing Anri’s pale chest and peachy nipples. Anri’s body was a marble statue, perfectly toned. He was a little too skinny, though, probably not helped by the fact that he had almost died twice just this month. And yet, Anri was obscenely seductive.

“Mmm…oh, Anri, you are so fucking beautiful,” he murmured as he leaned forward, dipping his head down to one of Anri’s pert nipples.

Anri shivered from Seth’s breath, or in anticipation, or maybe from both. Snaking out his tongue, Seth gave the perky nipple a small, tentative lick. Anri’s hands flew to his head and pulled him forward demandingly. The response made him smile, and he rewarded Anri with a small bite to his nipple. Anri’s hands traveled down to his back, kneading his desire into Seth’s shoulder blades, is fingernails scraping amatively over his t-shirt.

Seth took his time kissing and sucking and biting Anri’s chest, shoulders and neck. Through experimenting he found that Anri seemed to become the most agitated when he paid attention to his neck. Seth moved his focus there, delivering small bites followed by gentle kisses. Anri moaned under him. He moved down to Anri’s collarbone and began nibbling down to his shoulder.

Anri shifted, attempting to move Seth’s head back to his neck. When he resisted, Anri used his hands on Seth’s neck to move his head, pulling him back into his neck. Seth nuzzled against it.

“You like me at your neck, eh?” he teased. Anri squirmed beneath him. “What? Did you want something?” he breathed against Anri’s skin. Anri whined and squirmed, but said nothing. “Tell me, my Anri. Your wish, my command and all that jazz.”

Anri went still beneath him. Seth froze, worried he had gone too far. Then, barely a whisper. “Bite me, Seth, please,” Anri begged breathily.

Seth obliged with a series of gentle nips from his collarbone to his jawline. “No, harder. More,” Anri said only a tiny bit louder, but much more frustratedly. “Break my skin.”

Seth realized that Anri was begging to be bled, for him to drink from Anri in some type of vampire role reversal. He rubbed his face against Anri’s neck and Anri whimpered in frustration. He ran his tongue down Anri’s throat, returning back to his collarbone.

“Seth…” Anri whined. He smiled against Anri’s collarbone then moved his mouth over Anri’s smooth skin to the base of his neck. Anri squirmed, wordlessly begging.

He bit down on his neck gently and Anri thrust himself forward against his mouth. “I can’t bite you like that, Anri. My teeth aren’t right,” he apologized. “I’d just hurt you.”

Anri huffed, vexed. “I don’t care, I just need you…I want you to-to b-b-bleed me.”

Seth leaned back, sitting on top of Anri. Anri growled, his crimson eyes burning embers full of need and desires. Anri looked around, then growled again. He brought his wrist to his mouth and bit down hard with his fangs.

Seth saw them! Anri had fangs. He didn’t always have fangs, but Seth vaguely recalled them from their time at the factory. He was going to have to ask about that later. For now, though, Anri had thrust his wrist, which was pooling with his deep red blood, into Seth’s face. “Please…” Anri implored, his lips covered in blood.

Seth grasped Anri’s arm gently and brought it to his lips. Keeping his eyes on Anri he stuck out his tongue and lightly brushed over Anri’s skin. It was just the faintest brush of his tongue but he felt Anri’s dick grow impossibly harder beneath him. Anri sighed, his eyes rolling back into his head. He waited, watching the blood run in two red rivulets down Anri’s arm.

Anri whimpered, twisting under Seth. Once he knew he had his attention again, he lowered his head down to the lowest point of blood and pressed his tongue firmly to the skin just below it. It had almost trickled down to Anri’s elbow, and Seth leaned forward, slowly licking up Anri’s arm to his wrist.

He could feel Anri’s pleasure through their connection, which made it even better. Anri’s coppery blood filled his mouth and coated his tongue, the taste unexpectedly arousing. He leaned over Anri, folding his arm so that his wrist was close to his neck. He licked Anri’s neck, then bit down hard enough to draw a gasp out of Anri. He moved his attention back to Anri’s wrist, wrapping his mouth over the punctures and sucking deeply. Fingernails raked over Seth’s back as Anri pulled him closer, silently urging him to continue.

He sucked hard but Anri’s puncture wounds were already healed over. Seth licked the blood from Anri’s wrist until he pushed him back. His hair was a mess and his ruby eyes were unfocused.

Anri ran his hands over Seth’s shirt covered chest. “You’re still dressed,” Anri said breathily. “My turn.” The grin on Anri’s face sent a spike of lust straight to Seth’s member.

Anri pulled him up, moving him so that he was sitting on his lap. Clumsily, he attempted to pull off Seth’s t-shirt, but the angle was wrong and the neck got stuck around his head and trapped his arms. Seth finished the job with a tug, eager to return to the main event. He now sat bare chested on top of his lusty vampire.

Anri was pouting. Seth lifted his leg over Anri and pulled Anri’s own borrowed sweatpants off in one swift move. “Those too?!” Anri cried.

“Don’t pout,” he purred, kneeling beside Anri. Anri turned on his side towards him, his face propped up in his hands. His eyes were level with Seth’s groin and were locked there. “Hey, my eyes are up here, Anri,” he quipped.

Anri leaned forward, placing his hands on Seth’s thighs. His heavy manhood sprang energetically under his lover’s attention. It bobbed once and then was inside Anri’s mouth. He moaned, looking down at Anri’s ivory face as he sucked his cock.

Anri made eye contact and Seth growled. His eyes shone like two rubies, glittering in the dark. Seth couldn’t help it, that look almost pushed him over the edge right then. He knew that he wasn’t going to last long like this.

He threaded his hands into Anri’s hair. God, he loved how Anri’s hair felt wrapped around his fingers. “Anri,” he gasped. “Stop. I’m too close.”

In response, Anri sucked even harder, doing something with his tongue that Seth’s mind couldn’t quite comprehend. He took Seth so deep that his nose touched Seth’s belly.

“Anri, please, you’re killing me,” he begged. A wicked look in Anri’s glittering crimson eyes, then a slight grazing of his teeth on Seth’s dick. Seth flashed back to the wet dream he had of Anri for a second, then it was too late.

“Anri, I’m cumming, oh god you’re amazing!” Seth tried to pull back but Anri’s hands were on his hips, forcing Seth to ejaculate in his mouth. Seth’s back arched out as his pleasure drained from him.

Anri continued to suck, deepthroating Seth as his orgasm slowed and endorphins kicked in. Aftershocks of pleasure traveled over his dick with each pull from Anri. His hands knotted and unknotted in Anri’s hair.

Anri pulled back, licking his lips in a very ‘cat who found the cream’ kind of manner. “You taste amazing,” Anri said. “The texture is weird, but your taste…you’ll soon ruin me drinking from anyone else ever again.”

“Good.” Seth said smiling. He couldn’t seem to open his eyes more than halfway. “I’m a jealous and vengeful god.”

Anri chuckled eroticly. Somehow, impossibly, Seth was still half hard, and he still wanted Anri. He could feel Anri’s blood, he realized. He could feel it coursing through his body, amplifying sensations like liquid pleasure.

“Now, I’m completely naked and someone else is overdressed,” he said, the huskiness of his voice surprising himself. He would never get enough of Anri, never tire of him, he was sure of it. His instantly recovering cock was proof enough.

Anri didn’t make any moves to remedy the too-much-clothing situation. Seth scrambled over the bed to the small table where the lamp sat, digging around in a little drawer below the top of the stand. He grabbed the small bottle of clear liquid and crawled over the bed back to Anri. He lay the small bottle down on the bed and turned his focus to Anri.

Trepidation shook Anri’s body. Seth roughly grabbed him by both hips and slipped his fingers down below the elastic band. Anticipation had Anri’s body frozen in place with need. With a tug, his boxers were down by his knees, and then completely off, joining the rest of their clothing on the floor.

Seth sat up, pulling Anri forward, and he moved fluidly to straddle Seth’s lap. Anri surged forward and his mouth was over Seth’s in a single motion. Seth leaned back against the wall, allowing Anri to take the lead. He kissed Seth gently, butterfly kisses brushing softly over his lips. His tongue flicked across Seth’s teeth, lingering just a moment longer on Seth’s lip ring.

Seth could tell how much Anri liked his lip ring. He caught Anri staring at it often when he thought he wasn’t looking. He rolled his lower lip out and Anri took the bait, sucking it in and biting the ring playfully. Seth groaned, the simple action fully revitalizing his manhood. How was that even possible? He had never rebounded this fast, not even on his best nights. Damn, Anri messed him up in all the right ways.

Seth kissed Anri back, their tongues delving into each other’s mouths. His hands traveled from Anri’s hair down his back and eventually down, down, down to his smooth, round ass cheeks.

Anri subconsciously shifted, allowing Seth a better grip on his ass. He reached over with his right hand, fumbling around, looking for the bottle of lubricant he had grabbed out of the night stand.

Anri’s hands were on his neck, in his hair, over his chest. He hoped Anri hadn’t noticed his fumbling as his hand closed over the bottle. He popped the cap off one handed, then leaned forward into Anri. He reached behind him and poured some lube onto the fingers of his other hand, then closed the bottle and placed it against his leg.

His fingers were slick with lubricant and he rubbed them together, coating them evenly. He deepened the kiss between them, distracting Anri while he carefully slipped a finger inside Anri’s most intimate of places.

Anri tensed and moaned at the same time, his muscles clamping down on Seth’s finger. “Relax, Anri. It won’t hurt if you relax. I don’t want this to hurt you.”

Anri’s muscles were a tight band around Seth’s finger. Anri began panting, no longer kissing him. His eyes were closed but his face…the look on his face was pure lust. Seth twisted his finger around inside Anri a little, sending Anri’s head back as his torso arched in pleasure.

Seth’s cock throbbed, aching to replace his fingers deep inside Anri. He pulled his finger out and Anri moaned in disappointment. Seth quickly replaced it, adding a second finger to stretch and relax him. He flicked his fingers once they were buried inside and Anri gasped enticingly. Seth smiled, thoroughly enjoying the play.

He leaned forward, his fingers dancing inside of Anri. “Oh, Anri, you are perfect. Sexy. Can you feel my cock, hard again? Hard again for you. I want to be inside you. Will you let me take you?” he whispered into Anri’s ear, running his nose along the lobe.

Anri growled. Literally growled. His hips bucked on Seth’s fingers. Anri grabbed him by the hair and pulled him forward, taking his mouth by force. He rocked his hips, riding Seth’s fingers greedily. Seth kissed him back and carefully added a third finger, which Anri’s body swallowed greedily.

They kissed passionately while Seth worked his fingers in and out of Anri, stretching and relaxing the tight muscles.

After a few moments Anri broke away from the kiss. “No, no more. You. Please,” Anri begged.

“What do you want?” Seth asked him, feigning ignorance.

Anri whimpered and trembled above Seth. “Please Seth,” Anri begged.

“I want you to say it, Anri. Tell me what you want. I like to hear you say it. Hearing you say it is such a turn-on,” he whispered in Anri’s ear.

Anri whimpered again. He slid himself over Seth’s fingers, up and down, unable to say what he wanted. Seth removed his fingers. He wiped the slippery fluid off onto his cock, which was eager and ready to go.

A moment passed. Anri’s eyes begged, but Seth didn’t move. After a moment Anri pulled his face close to Seth and whispered into his ear, his voice barely a breath. “Fuck me, Seth.” he begged Seth, shame and arousal in his voice.

Seth grabbed the bottle of lube and squeezed more out, slathering the cool fluid onto his burning erection. Anri’s body wriggled in frustration and embarrassment above him.

Condom. Shit. What was wrong with him? He wasn’t thinking straight at all. He didn’t have a condom. Anri was so goddamn sexy and distracting that he almost forgot about the condom. Such a rookie mistake…he kicked himself.

“Anri, wait. I don’t have a condom. I-”

“No! No condom. I want to feel you,” he said, his voice husky with desire. He rubbed his ass over Seth’s erection. All of Seth’s reason flew out the window.

Grabbing Anri’s hips in one hand and his cock in the other, he lined Anri up so that the tip of his hard shaft pressed firmly against Anri’s opening.

Anri moaned and squirmed above him, but Seth held him in place, his hands firmly on Anri’s hips. He slowly, so slowly, pushed his way into Anri’s body. Anri was so tight around his dick. The feeling of pure satisfaction had his eyes rolling back as he slid Anri slowly down until he was planted to the hilt.

His eyes were still closed to pleasure when Anri moved. The bliss of it coursed through his body, starting at his manhood and moving to every nerve ending. His hips bucked in response, burying himself deep within Anri. Anri moaned and writhed, tightening on his thickness.

He put his hands on Anri’s butt cheeks and pulled him forward, thrusting even deeper inside, causing Anri to moan even more. Guiding Anri with his hands, he slid his lover so that only the tip of his shaft remained inside. He held him there for a second, then he pulled Anri down slowly. Anri trembled in anticipation as he slowly, slowly, so slowly slid back down his erection, all the way down to the base. He was deep inside of Anri. It was a good thing he had come already, because he wanted this to last. He longed to make Anri moan, he wanted to enjoy him writhing beneath his steady strokes.

Seth pushed him up again, then down, taking his time on each long, sensual stroke. Anri rode his cock, following his lead while moaning and whimpering, desiring more. Seth knew he was afraid to ask for it. Seth could see Anri’s desire for him burn in his beautiful, deep eyes.

“Seth….” Anri moaned. “Oh, Seth. It’s not enough. More,” Anri begged, gasping.

Anri’s hands on his chest were an amazingly confortable pressure. His fingers dug into Seth’s pectorals. “I want more. I’m sorry,” Anri cried out. He clenched down hard on his cock then released a moment later.

“Anri, Anri tell me. Tell me what you want me to do,” he insisted, his voice thick with desire. He continued to pull Anri slowly up and down his erection, each delicious pass slowly stoking up the burning fire deep within his core. His testicles felt heavy, ready, and again he was glad that he had already come once tonight. It would help him hold out, but with Anri this amazing on top of him, he wouldn’t last long. He had to hold out, though. He had to wait for Anri to tell him his deepest desires so he could fulfill them.

“Say it, Anri. Beg me for what you need and I’ll give it to you.” Seth dug his fingers into Anri’s cheeks, pulling him down as far as he could take him.

Anri tightened even more around Seth’s cock, sending lightning bolts straight to his brain. Seth groaned and held him down around the root even as Anri unconsciously tried to ride him back to the top. “Anri….” Seth moaned. “Anri, oh god, Anri. So good. I can’t last much longer. Say it. Tell me what you want.”

Panic streaked across Anri’s face and he could feel Anri’s insides spasm in response, tightening to an almost uncomfortable ring of tension around his dick. He drew his hands from Anri’s supple ass and carefully leaned up to cup Anri’s face, cheeks in each hand. He pulled him down, laying Anri across his chest, pulling Anri’s face to his own. Seth closed his eyes and kissed Anri, gently at first, playing with Anri’s lips, kissing and then licking the crease where they came together.

At first Anri didn’t respond to the kisses, but then he slowly relaxed. He felt the tightness around his shaft ease up as Anri responded, gradually opening his mouth. Seth, invitation granted, delved into his mouth and kissed him passionately, giving Anri no time to change his mind. Deepening the kiss, he slid his hands from Anri’s face into his soft hair, twisting it around his fingers, enjoying the silkiness. He pulled Anri closer, kissing him hard, their tongues darting around, lips pressed tightly together. He could feel Anri’s erection pulsing and twitching against his stomach, and the thought of his lover’s passion spilling onto his stomach nearly pushed him to the brink.

Anri sucked on his lip, pulling the lip ring into his mouth and playing with it with his tongue. He caught it between his teeth and sucked it hard, making Seth moan and writhe.

Seth broke off the kiss first, gasping for breath. Anri tried to ride him again, whimpering and rocking with desire, but he held him still. “Tell me, Anri, say it. Tell me….please,” he whispered the last word, pulling Anri’s face to his neck. “Say what you want from me. I want you to tell me.”

Anri struggled against him, tightening again almostly painfully round Seth’s aching member. “I….I can’t…” he almost cried out against Seth’s skin. Anri’s was so tight where they were connected.

“You can tell me anything, Anri. Tell me. Let me give you what you need. What we both want,” he encouraged breathily into Anri’s hair. His hair smelled amazing, like strawberry shampoo and sweat and Anri.

A tense moment went by and then Anri breathed in deep, relaxing slowly as he let out the breath. He breathed in deeply again, and Seth was pretty sure Anri was breathing in his scent, too.

Finally, finally, Seth heard him whisper, “I want…I want to be inside you while you are inside me. I want…I want to…I want to drink you while you cum inside me. I want you….please…let me have you…dedicate yourself to me,” Anri begged. His eyes were alight and his voice had taken on a stranger timber. More serious and calm, yet still scared and insecure. “Seth, say you are mine. Please give yourself over to me. Completely,” Anri sounded different, serious and formal.

“Anri, bite me. Do it. I’m so close. I want this, too. I want to come inside you when you bite me. I’m yours, I promise. Always. I want only you.”

“Seth, say it. Say you dedicate yourself to me. Say it,” Anri demanded, looking deep into Seth’s eyes.

Seth’s hands came up to Anr’s face, cupping his cheeks in each hand. “I am yours, Anri, now and for as long as you’ll have me. I dedicate myself to you,” he confirmed. Something shifted inside him like a lock sliding into place, but he didn’t have time to think on it as Anri moved on his manhood again.

Anri needed no further coaxing. He nuzzled Seth’s neck once. “Mine,” he whispered against Seth’s neck, and then he felt those fangs pierce deep, a stab of incredible pain followed by waves of immediately overwhelming pleasure. Anri sucked, his body moving and rocking slightly with each pull at Seth’s neck.

The sensations at his neck and around his cock simultaneously pushed Seth over the edge. He bucked his hips wildly, thrusting deeply inside Anri as Anri sucked and nipped at his neck. Pleasure exploded from his cock and he grunted as filled Anri with his seed, thrusting his release deep inside. Anri at his neck amped up the waves of ecstasy, overwhelming him thoroughly. Head spinning, he lost all other stimulus except for those sensations he shared with Anri. He felt Anri’s orgasm a moment later, Anri’s body tensing up, then throbbing as his orgasm spilled hotly onto his stomach. Anri rode Seth’s still throbbing erection for a few more spasms and then went still, collapsing against Seth, still gently sucking at his throat.

“Oh god…” Anri moaned, lips barely leaving Seth’s neck.

“Anri…oh, that was amazing. Anri, I love you,” he said sweetly, sweat trailing down his face. He could feel Anri’s come, slippery on his stomach as it began to cool where Anri’s body wasn’t directly touching him.

“Me too,” Anri whispered.

“Hmm? What was that? I didn’t quite hear you,” he teased playfully. He felt Anri smile against his neck, then he licked, tickling the tender skin.

“Now I’m definitely not saying it again,” Anri said sheepishly.

Anri’s cum was getting sticky. He looked around for something to clean it up with, but was too lazy and sated to move. It wasn’t a conscious decision as he swiped a finger through it and brought it to his lips. It smelled bleachy and metallic. Absently he stuck it in his mouth. The taste surprisingly mixed well with the remnants of Anri’s blood still in coating his mouth.

Anri smacked his hand playfully. “Don’t do that, you weirdo.”

“Huh? You did it to me twice now. I kinda like how it tastes.”

“What’s it taste like?” Anri asked, frowning.

“You,” Seth answered simply. He took another taste and then half rolled over to reach for his discarded t-shirt.

Anri smirked at him. “Don’t use that!”

“What should I clean it with, then? This will wash and you won’t let me lick it,” Seth responded.

“Do what you want, idiot. I don’t care,” Anri huffed. Seth wiped himself clean and threw the shirt on the floor to join their underwear. Seth rolled back in bed, snuggling in closer to Anri. He responded by wrapping himself in Seth’s arms. It felt like perfection.

They lay in each other’s arms for a while in peaceful silence.

“That….was something.” Seth said playfully, breaking the comfortable silence. He turned his head and looked into Anri’s grey-green eyes. They were the color of the lake back home, he noted.

Anri smiled back at him, laughter in his eyes. “Just something?” he asked teasingly. He rolled out of Seth’s arm and snuggled against his side, resting his head on Seth’s chest. “Cause I thought it was mind shattering. That, sir, was some fucking mind-shattering sex. My mind. Blown. I think I have to hold control-alt-delete.”

Seth ran his hand over Anri’s head, stroking his hair. Spider-cat was fuzzing up in the back of his head, trying hard to get his attention. He ignored it.

Anri went rigid under his hands just a moment before pressure filled his chest, painfully expanding until it was too large to contain within himself. He sucked in a deep breath, his whole body stretched out, racked with pain. Anri shifted next to him, struggling, but he couldn’t help him. His eyes were closed, squinted shut with pain. Even so, he felt his connection to Anri flare open. He could see it in his mind’s eye, a silvery white braided cord that attached to them each in the center of their chests.

Electricity arched through their connect into his chest and his whole body charged painfully. Anri moaned. He twisted under the pain as the lightening crawled back and forth between them. Digging his feet into the bed, he couldn’t stop his back from arching up as the cord they shared pulled taut above him. It was as if something were trying to escape from his chest through his skin, the sensation so tight and painful that it blocked out everything else.

The electricity, or whatever it was, sliced at his chest like a scalpel. He felt the cut like a physical thing although he knew instinctively that it was something deeper, something spiritual. Whatever had been sliced, he felt it peel away in excruciating detail, unraveling from somewhere inside him.

The sliced piece of his soul appeared as a red fleshy rope in his mind’s eye. He watched it unravel, his eyes still closed, spiraling out from his chest. It looped around the silver white cord, the one he imagined attached him to Anri. Seth watched as it hypnotically climbed, wrapping around the cord as it traveled.

There was a weird tugging and pulling as the ropy extension of his soul pulled further away from his body. It was overshadowed by the feeling of being electrocuted, burning heat and pressure in his chest. The red rope climbed faster now, wrapping tighter and tighter around their connection, suffocating him.

Somewhere in all the pain, Anri found his hand. He pried Seth’s hand open and forced his own inside. He relaxed almost instantly at Anri’s touch. The painful electrocution sensation died down to just an uncomfortable tingling. They were both panting. He threaded his fingers through Anri’s and tried to open his eyes.

Squinting, he realized that he could actually see the silvery white cord that connected them. It rose between them in an arch, starting at his chest and ending in Anri’s. He watched as the slice of his soul coiled around the cord. It finally reached the top of the arch, where it met another identical rope, one which started at Anri’s chest. As the two red cables came together they twined into a knot, wrapping around one another, twisting together around the silvery connection.

Once the two cords came together the pain stopped as if a switch were turned off. Seth relaxed back down onto the bed. Breathlessly he watched, completely in awe of the physical manifestation of their connection. They watched as their connection, striped like a red and white candy cane, slowly bled together until the whole braided cord turned a glowing brownish red.

The connection glowed brightly for a moment, then slowly receded back into their chests. Seth felt it fill in the area that had been cut out and he felt like he was more than he had been before. His head spun and then everything was perfect. He felt great,  felt drunk, but in a good way.

“I feel, I don’t know, more or something. That was so cool, after the hurty part,” he said. What he had just said was so dumb that it was hilarious and he laughed.

Anri looked at him, worried, then joined in laughing. “Oh god, Seth, this is crazy. I’m pretty sure that was a vampire wedding. Like, a real deal kind of thing. What have we done? Fuck, I feel good,” Anri said, shaking with laughter against his side, which just caused Seth to laugh even more.

They both giggled hysterically for a moment. “I didn’t even propose yet!” he said between gasps. They laughed even harder.

“Hey, Seth,” Anri said, trying to stop laughing enough to get the words out but failing for a moment.

“Huh?” he gasped out.

“This isn’t funny, you know? But, it’s hilarious. It really shouldn’t be. This shit is serious.” They broke down, laughing even harder. Seth’s sides hurt and his head felt fuzzy and light.

Finally he felt himself calm down. His face hurt from smiling so hard.

“Vampire weddings are a magic thing,” Anri said soberly.

“All weddings are magical, Anri,” he teased, still feeling giddy.

“Seth. Please. Magic. Like, you know, power. Did you see it?” Anri’s frown sobered him a little. He silently wished that Anri didn’t worry quite so much.

“It?” Seth asked. “Our connection? The silvery cord? You saw it, too?”

“I saw it. It’s a metaphysical connection of our souls. I’ve never seen one. And ours…what happened?” he asked, his worry a bucket of cold water over Seth.

“Anri…” he started, his brain finally coming back online. “Good magic or bad magic? You don’t know what that was? You called it a vampire wedding.”

“Just magic. I…this is…it’s a vampire fairy tale. The binding of souls. I think…I think our souls are now permanently entwined, bound by blood.”

Seth looked at Anri, his laughter cold in his chest. “What does that mean, Anri?”

“I don’t know.” Anri said quietly. Seth’s hand went over his chest where the connection had manifested. It still tingled.

Chapter 21, Sincere Apologies

Chapter 23. Ch-ch-changes