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Well, it is rather a tradition mortals seem to be in favor of.

[ And obviously, wouldn't John want one to decorate? It's flawless logic, clearly. Caliban doesn't fight it when John pushes away from the doorframe and makes his way to the bed- their bed- and simply follows the others lead as he drops down onto it and tugs John back along with him, his free hand already moving down to grip the others hip with a possessive little squeeze.]

I can only talk to what the witches do- Which is among many things, gathering at dawn the day after the longest night to witness the magical occurrence of the sun. One does require to stay awake for such an event- to see the world when the magical and mundane intertwine.

[ He pointed out with a soft little hum-]

And it would be one chance to talk to the dead. Or at least, the ones who haven't arrived in Hell or the sweethere after. The newly dead.

[ Letting himself be pulled down onto the bed, he looks to the demon rather curiously, that jacket of flame slipping off and spreading onto the bed, only to completely extinguish as per John's desire. ]

You sure that's gonna be a thing here? I mean... the magic and all that shit.

[ Duplicity has its own Thing after all and even Caliban's own magic is limited. ]

Sorta thought you were gonna say I needed to dress skantaly clad or something.

No. I don't think it will.

[ But that's not exactly the point since- ]

But the rituals are important, are they not? We can at the very least take in the sun as it dawns.

[ He pointed out as before he arches his eyebrow at those words because ooo. Would John do that? A hand moves down along the other's chest as he gets that teasing dirty glint in his eyes.]

There is another tradition on a different festival, about the Hare Moon. It requires you to bath in the moonlight- naked- oiled out and...indulge in one another.

[ He pointed out with a little tilt of his head back as he met those eyes.]

If you wish to join me for that next year.

Assuming you and I are still here next year.

[ Watching the way Caliban trails his hand down his chest like he is, John tilts his head a bit, laying there with the other - with his dominant.

It's a very real possibility that neither of them will be here in a year's time - never mind even a month or week from now. It's like that back home in general, sure. But somehow, being here, it feels different to know that. ]

Do you want to stay here? You don't have anything to go back to.

[ There's a grimace at that because wow- wasn't that a depressing thought? The idea of not being here, of the city sending him back without a care for his own desires. His tongue brushes over his lower lip as his hand stops its wandering to simply focus over at the other- at his submissive.]

Then It's not exactly a choice- is it? All that awaits me is the void. And a slow death. Or madness.

[ He pointed out softly as he shifted on the bed. He was, at the very least, trying to be honest with the other- why shy away from that huge truth?.]

[ He knows what awaits Caliban when he leaves here — he'd been told as much before when the demon had first returned from the slumber he had been put under by the city. It's not a thing he wishes for the demon to go back to, but... it's not as if he has a say in the matter. Not as if he has that sort of power.

When Caliban shifts some, he lets him, blue-gray eyes watching him curiously as he still lays there on his side. ]

I like to think you're stronger than death.

[ He says softly then. ]

You're a demon king. Nothing and no one can stand in your way.

[ There's a soft smile at that- it was a lovely bold though, even if he wasn't quite sure John understood the magnitude of something like the Void or any of the eldritch horrors he'd face in the past nor the actual amount of power they'd wielded as they'd taken down his world.

So instead he was just going to cup the others neck and leave forward, to brush his nose against the others and to tease his lips against Johns.]

And you are my prince.

[ He teased softly as he pulled back to meet those eyes.]

And I will punch a hole in this universe to find you again. Always.

[ Moments like these are sometimes difficult for John — difficult for him to accept. That anyone would want to burn down a city for him or to punch a hole in any universe to find him... part of him knows these are just words and nothing more than that. He's a writer. He knows how to string together lovely words that can make a person's heart flutter and feel as if someone understands and sees them. How could these words — words from anyone be anything other than that?

How far he's come with Caliban, when he really thinks about it, is startling, to say the least. When they'd first "met" over text, he'd brushed the demon off — wasn't interested in speaking with him or even considering a contract with him. Then they had come across one another in that worn down house and they had nearly shook the house down with how tangled up in one another they had become due to the aphrodisiacs that had been floating around in the air. Then their paths had crossed again and again and every time, they'd ended up fucking. Hard. Rough. Sweaty filthy sex that was a release the both of them seemed to need — an itch that no one else could seem to scratch. Then somehow it had evolved into something more than that — something more than playful teasing and good hard fucks. It had become a contract that's been renewed a few times now (never broken or changed) and no longer just a quick hard fuck with nothing more than that between them. To Caliban, John is his fire prince, and to this day, he still doesn't know what to make of that.

So he smiles a bit — soft — a playful roll of his eyes given before he comes to roll onto his back and he puffs out a sigh, gaze staring up to the ceiling above him. ]

You're lucky I don't blow your cover with how sappy you can be.

[ The demon chuckles at those next words as he leans over the other as he settles back onto the bed. At this point, it was hard to imagine the other not in his life- or his bed or in the back of his mind. The feeling he got when they were together- when they were fucking so intensely he was sure they'd burn down every single thing in the universe and even in the quieter moments when Caliban reached for him and he was simply...there. it wasn't something he expected at all to ever have with a mortal. Let alone one who could be as bratty and as hard to get a handle on as John.

The blond smiled as he lowered his read to place a kiss against John's chest before he peered up the other.]

I'm not sure anyone would buy it if you did. I think I'm more known for bending you over in the most interesting of places, my little fire demon.

[ He pointed out with a sparkle in his eye as he shifted onto the bed, just gently resting against the other.]

What about you? Do you wish to stay here?

[ When Caliban chooses to lean against him, he lets him, even coming to reach out and gently let the tips of his fingers run along the demon's shoulder and down his arm, only to fall back against the bed again. ]

I mean... it's not like I really have a home to go back to.

[ He's not even being a brat. It's the truth. ]

At least here I'm not hunted down and hated because of not being a human.

[ Granted, he's still been depowered and not considered as good as a dominant, but. He also gets away with a lot more here, too. There's just the whole he and Alec can't really be together in the sense of living together or even spending more than three nights together without causing trouble for their dominants. That wouldn't be an issue back in his world. ]

But it's not like this place is really super better, so. I don't know. I just... go where I go. I've never really stayed in one place for long.

[ He was almost tempted that at least he had somewhere to go that wasn't a white void but..well, he'd seen how John had been at the camps and if that was a taste of the others word- well if he had a choice, he would have overthrown that mortal world for a new circle of Hell. So perhaps he wasn't the best man to consider what he'd do in John's place.

His head does duck a touch as he sucks on the inside of his cheek at the other's words. Caliban had tried to, at the very least, make the life they had together a little more bearable with everything the city threw at them. ]

Understandable- you make the best of a situation when you can. I suppose you have too.

Yeah. That's one way to look at it.

[ To say the least.

Shifting then, he comes to lean himself up on his arms and he looks over to the demon there. He knows he's probably asked this once or twice already before albeit phrased differently, but he can't help himself from wanting to ask — from wanting to know. ]

Why do you keep this up with me?

[ Eyes searching the other's gaze, he continues. ]

I know you said you forgive me for how I treated you. But shouldn't that change how you feel about me? With how unpredictable my moods can be?

[ There's that question again and Caliban's eyebrows were just going to arch up because he felt like he already covered this. Still...he can see that look in John's eyes- that need for the truth.

There's a little intake of breath the demon in no way needs since he doesn't have lungs as he shifts to lean on his elbow slightly, but keeps his eyes locked to the other.]

Mortals are always unpredictable John. Demons...we tend to be very narrow in our desires. A succubus craves sex. A Rusalka wishes to drown souls. Even as I am, the desire to become king and invade your world is something that's...understandable for a demon. Singular. We exist to strive for chaos under the cosmic order. Mortals, on the other hand...never seem to be so..easily understood.

[ He pointed out as he reached out to brush his knuckles against the other jawline.]

The fire in you was the thing that caught my attention with you so very, very early on. And fire isn't exactly always so predictable either. Having that change the way I feel about you because you...pushed me away hardly seems particularly fair.

I put up with you because I wish you to have you here, with me.

[ He pointed out as his hand dropped away.]

My desire for you never wanes- while I admit that I was...stung by your actions, in a way so very few have ever managed, I'd rather try to have you here than banish you for such a thing.

[ Staring to him still, he runs his tongue over his bottom lip and sighs, head dropping for a moment, strands of brown hair falling in front of his face as he does. ]

There's times I'm going to be cruel to you. Try and get you to banish me from your life. I know I've told you that before, but do you really understand that? Part of me will feel terrible for it and wish I didn't, but another part of me won't care. Because that's how I get when I want to burn everything around me down... I just don't care. In that moment, I don't. It's like the only thing that matters is letting go of that feeling inside me. Of lashing out and not caring if I hurt others or myself.

[ He's not sure if Caliban can understand — maybe? That deep-seated desire to just create chaos and not stop until everything is turned upside-down and burned to the ground. An almost need to, in some twisted way. Maybe it's the anger he keeps inside him still — the insecurities that bleed into emotions more dangerous and unpredictable. More raw and wild. ]

I've killed people back where I'm from. I've burned them to death and it felt good to. I don't know if that's really me or not. If that's who I am deep down. I thought it was. [ It was easy to think that when people feared him and what he could do. ] But coming here, it just... I don't know. I feel like I'm in a constant argument with myself. With who I should be. How's that for being a complicated mortal?

[ Caliban listened and just allowed John to say his piece, to let him vent and explain where his mind was. His head tilting as he listens, it certainly seemed like...well, a lot and yet all at the same time nothing he'd hadn't understood before John had said it.]

And there are times I'm going to be possessive or commanding or arrogant or have a thousand dark desires I wish to inflict on someone. I have licked the tears off a submissive face and enjoyed every moment of it. A wish to ruin or destroy isn't unknown to me. You mention murder and I've already confessed my desire to make the mortal world a new circle of hell that could bring untold suffering to such a place. You do not have a monopoly on wondering why we are together but your desires...and your impulses will happen and I'm not unaware of that. But you should know I make the choice to stand with them- and if I do not wish to do such a thing. You will know.

[ Caliban pointed out with a little brush of his fingers over Johns.]

I would suggest magic for your little issue but sundering one's soul into two, no matter how temporary, can lead to...mischief. Who do you wish to be?

Edited 2021-12-14 06:30 (UTC)

[ Who does he wish to be? ]

Someone who can push back against you. Who isn't afraid to tell you to fuck off.

[ The grin he wears is soft but playful as he looks to the demon because... he knows damn well Caliban knows that's how he is and that he refuses to be anything else. That, even when he does choose to be as submissive as he can be when they're together, it's his choice to be so and not because Caliban tells or demands or expects him to be.

But maybe that's part of what draws Caliban to him — is part of that fire within him. How he dares to push back with his own fire and isn't afraid of putting his own foot down — of saying no.

Letting himself fall back down against the bed, he reaches out with his fingers for the front of that open shirt Calian wears and gives it a gentle tug, gaze on him as he does. ]

You scratch an itch inside me no one else can. You know what it's like to be fire inside. To want to consume and be consumed in the most chaotic of ways. It's why I can't entirely quit you. Because for all the people I could burn to death, I can't burn you and you can't burn me and so it feels like you're a kindred spirit to some part of me.

So not much change is needed then?

[ Caliban replied, as dry as he could possibly be even if there was a little twinkle in his eye. Honestly with everything he was- you would expect him to want to be with someone what followed his orders, or at least, demand to be treated like the utter King he was but the fact that John chose to kneel to him, chose to let him rule him or dominant him was the thing that attracted him just as much as the others pretty, filthy ways when they were together. John *chose* to put himself in his hands again and again. To make it clear what he could and couldn't get away with- to play within the limits of John's submissive was a joy that was just as addictive as much as it was a power rush.

Caliban moves with that gentle tug, leaning over the boy proper now. ]

And here I thought it was simply because I matched that dirty, filthy mind of yours, John.

[ He purred as he lowered his head to steal a kiss, a soft but very, very indulgent one before he was pulling away to meet those eyes again.]

You're fire born, and I am made from hellfire. It makes a certain sense that we are like this. You are mine, and I am yours in all the ways that truly matter.

[ The kiss is taken and John just lays there, watching the way Caliban looks to him from above. It's funny to think that an outsider might assume Caliban to force John into things — into what he wants, but it couldn't be any further from the truth. Regardless of his being a demon and a king, John calls his own shots with the dominant, as if he's known all along that, as a submissive, he holds a lot more power than a dominant does in terms of saying what does and doesn't go. That he's only submissive to him because he wants to be, not because Caliban tells him to. In that way, they really do go together pretty well. Shockingly. ]

And just how long do you intend to keep me for?

[ He asks with a slight tilt of his head, fingers softly trailing along the demon's arm as he does. Curious. Wondering. ]

[ There's a pause at that question because Reggie choosing to leave him still stung more than he'd admit but he'd promise himself he'd give John that same choice- It was up to John when they eventually came to an end. Perhaps just a side-effect of his immortality as he tended to look at things in centuries rather than days or weeks- the demon certainly had a different way of looking at time in general. ]

I would never put finality on such a thing. For it's as long as I'm allowed.

[ He pointed out as with warmth and affection flowing through his voice, while less dramatic than the usual way the demon might have proclaimed such a thing. It seemed better to state such as a thing as plain as he could.

Well plain for the demon.]

[ Bringing a hand up, he lets his fingers brush along the demon's cheek and jaw, blue-gray eyes just staring to him in silence. ]

You're softer than you let people see.

[ Words he offers as he lays there, looking to him still. ]

But maybe I feel special to feel like I'm one of the few who get to see it.

[ He tilts his head into that touch, his eyes meeting Johns with a soft smile. He doesn't disagree that this place had softened him more than he'd like considering his darkness and his rage at the witches of his home.

But he couldn't deny that John was one of the few who really got to see him. All of him.]

You're a hard man to hide from John.

[ He pointed out as he trailed his hand down the others side lovingly.]

But you make every moment I don't quite worth it. So...

[ Well that's something he never thought he'd hear from someone, yet here Caliban is offering it to him rather honestly and sincerely. He's quiet as he mulls over that and, after a moment, he leans in to steal a slow and sweet kiss from the demon, settling himself back down against the bed after. ]

So you can't stop loving me. Even when I ask you to.

[ The demon just blinks a little at that kiss but returns it all the same, sinking against it slightly with a soft hum before it breaks and his eyes fall onto the other.

He does give a little nod at those words.]

I tried turning myself back to stone when you...took a step back, which I'll admit wasn't as successful as it use to be.

So.

No, I don't think I can do that for you. Even when you asked.

[ Somehow, he thought that to be the case, even when Caliban hadn't outright said it at the time. He just... knew — tried to deny it. ]

Does that concern you?

[ He asks then, cheek pressed against the mattress as he lays there on his back, looking to the demon there beside him. ]

That you can't rid yourself of feeling what you do?

[ Caliban sucks on the inside of his cheek as he peers down at the other, choosing his words carefully.]

No.

[ Which was really one word, honestly.]

While it wasn't...planned for such a thing to happen. You're not the first mortal to stir such feelings inside me. And the grief that happens in their absence...is almost more unbearable than that the fate of the void.

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