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Chapter Text

While others in their friend group were occupied in their typical discourse, alongside general avoidance of Horuss for one reason or another, Kurloz had his eye on him. Since the group typically avoids both of them in particular, it was easy for Kurloz to grow something of an obsession with that outcast, especially from Meulin's continued involvement with him. Despite his planning, there was still the issue of Horuss's unwavering devotion to Rufioh, which was nothing Kurloz couldn't work around.

Ensuring there wouldn't be complications, he briefly glanced over at Meulin. It was clear she was too distracted by others within the group, with no need for her to be reassured of anything. Kurloz made his way to Horuss, naturally avoiding the attention of the crowd as he walked behind them. As if everything lined up in his favor, Horuss was on the outskirt of the group, making this all the more easier.

When a hand connected with his, Horuss looked down, seeing the familiar gloved hand before looking over his shoulder at Kurloz. In the moment they locked eyes, Horuss suddenly lost track of what he was going to say, keeping silent as his thoughts became distant. All he knew was that he could trust Kurloz and that he should follow him. There's nothing to worry about. This felt clearest to him.

With a smile, Kurloz led Horuss away from the others, bringing him down a secluded path. Upon leading Horuss to the end of it, he turned to face him. Despite already feeling a rush, Kurloz's calm exterior remained, though Horuss probably wouldn't recognize anything was off. It was almost a shame how oblivious a high achiever of their group was.

For the sake of awareness, Kurloz dropped his temporary influence on Horuss. Horuss easily regained himself without much problem, yet became visibly anxious and sheepishly pulled his hand out of Kurloz's grasp. Before he could say anything, a dark passageway opened up in front of them.

From what light managed to seep into the opening, a quick observation could be made; this passageway seemed to be that of a Byzantium and violet crypt, which was largely obscured in shadows. As he grew more and more nervous, Horuss's jaw clenched and his mouth twitched as he tried to prevent himself from distinctly frowning, not even realizing he started backing away from it.

Too preoccupied with the sinister aura of the passageway, Horuss forgot he wasn't alone, shrieking when Kurloz placed a hand on his shoulder. When Kurloz's initially surprised expression changed into an annoyed one, Horuss stammered out apologetically, not noticing Kurloz's eyes darted over to the pathway they just came from. Aware the others would've heard the shriek, alongside the likelihood at least one of them would head over to investigate, Kurloz considered his options.

Taking a step back, Kurloz delivered a firm kick to the side of Horuss's knee before shoving him, managing to make him fall in the opening of the crypt. Knowing time was short, Kurloz didn't bother checking to make sure nobody was about to spot him. Entering the crypt himself, the opening vanished, as well as the light from the previous area.

His eyes adjusting to the dark easily, Kurloz grinned as Horuss was clearly panicking. After all, he had just been hurt by a friend and was now trapped in a potentially hostile environment he's never seen before. Of course he'd be panicked. The whole existence of this complex memory labyrinth ensured Kurloz was the sole bearer of the key, leaving Horuss at his mercy. It was all too perfect.

Horuss sat up and scooted back, gasping when he met with the stone wall behind him. Closing in, Kurloz could see Horuss was trying to keep his breathing under control. Poor thing also looked around a bit frantically. His signature goggles must've made adjusting to the absence of light nearly impossible for his eyes.

Getting down to Horuss's level and leaning in, Kurloz gently rubbed the knee he kicked with one hand and caressed Horuss's cheek with the other. This didn't ease Horuss much at all, as the breathing he was trying to keep under control only quickened and became sharp shaky gasps. Setting his focus to the headgear, Kurloz unfastened the straps and slid it off, only for Horuss to tightly shut his eyes and turn away. When bringing his hands to Horuss's face to make him face him again, Kurloz noticed the buildup of tears that started to trail down.

Horuss sniffled, letting out a shaken whimper before gasping, close to hyperventilating from trying to choke back tears. Kurloz must've taken the intimidation tactics too far, but he couldn't help but stare in amusement. A smile creeped up on his stitched lips, seeing what he had quickly reduced such a strong man to. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, letting out a sigh as a shiver overcame him before setting his gaze back to the lower caste that trembled beneath his gentle touch. When Kurloz pulled his hands away and made a quick motion, the candles set on the crypt's walls lit up, with the small flames appearing to writhe unnaturally upon the wicks.

With this, Horuss finally wiped the tears away, trying to mutter something, only for it to get butchered by sharp gasps and sniveling. He felt Kurloz place his hand on his shoulder and set his focus back to him, being met with a kind smile. Kurloz then showed him the "breathe in... breathe out..." motion to help him get his breathing back under control. After a few minutes of following the guided breathing exercise, Horuss made an attempt to speak again.

"Why-" He started with a soft voice, but then flashed a glare at Kurloz, his voice changing to a booming one as the anger settled in. "Why would you do something like that?" He yelled, getting more frustrated as Kurloz only shrugged in reply. Knowing he couldn't do much of anything with his anger, he huffed out and crossed his arms, his glare not letting up.

Kurloz's usual smile returned as he made a suggestion, signing "gloves" and pointing to Horuss, being met with a confused look.

"You, um.... You want me to use my destrengthening gloves? You mean.... against you?" Horuss asked, rubbing the back of his neck. When Kurloz nodded, he sighed. "I mean, I am angry at you, but I don't want to resnort to hostility. It's a bit ridiculous, might I say. Well, simply put: the gloves aren't meant for combat."

His anticipation wavering, Kurloz himself grew frustrated, his pusher pounding as hellacious thoughts flooded his mind. Familiar with these being less of a problem, Kurloz couldn't stand to look at Horuss as it got too much, grimacing and jerking his head to the side before turning away. In silence, the two remained at a standstill of disconnect, at least until Horuss spoke up again.

"I don't mean to sound commanding to someone of your placement on the hemospectrum.... But could you please consider letting me leave, so we could set this behind us?" Horuss asked calmly, taken aback when Kurloz shook his head before taking off his skeletal gloves for better access to his claws.

He wasn't even sure on how to approach conflict after all these eons of nothing happening. Resolve was practically an abstract concept to their friend group now, and Kurloz clearly had underlying intentions. Still, he couldn't just beat up his moirail's friend. Maybe he just needs to rough Kurloz up, at least enough to entertain whatever game he's playing. Thinking about how to explain any of this, Horuss hesitated, but eventually caved. Finally, he opened up his sylladex and equipped his destrengthening gloves.

Noticing the light from Horuss's inventory, Kurloz tossed his skeletal gloves aside and turned to face Horuss again. Already glaring, Kurloz smirked when seeing the uncertainty and worry clouding Horuss's mind. Seeming to laugh to himself at first, Kurloz then lazily motioned for him to approach, not bothering to even change position to steady himself for the upcoming altercation.

Still wishing to deescalate, Horuss held his hands out cautiously as he approached. "Look, I really don't want to do this. Can't we just-" He started, yet got cut off by Kurloz jabbing his claws into his side, wanting to spark fury in him. Instantly, Horuss growled and shoved Kurloz against the wall before seeming horrified by his own anger and withdrawing as Kurloz smiled, pleased. Beads of sweat formed and trailed down as he strained his own breathing without realizing it, deep in thought of how badly this could go.

While Horuss was lost in thought, Kurloz closed the gap between them and brushed his thumb over Horuss's lips. Before Horuss could fully react, about to question what he was doing, Kurloz stuck several fingers through the parted lips. He was exhilarated from feeling Horuss's jaw nervously clench up, yet stopping before clamping on him. The pressure the sharp teeth had against Kurloz's fingers fluctuated, yet never punctured the skin.

Kurloz's smile turned perverse as Horuss became frightened and repulsed by this, sweating profusely and appearing more disgusted when Kurloz rubbed his fingers along his tongue and the floor of his mouth. While he hadn't wanted to, Horuss couldn't take it anymore and delivered a firm slap across Kurloz's face.

Seeing Kurloz recoil and turn away, shielding his face with his hands, Horuss fret the worst and frantically apologized to Kurloz, albeit while still keeping his distance. A low chuckle escaped Kurloz's lips before his posture returned. Removing his hands from his face when turning to look at Horuss again, giving a playful flip of his hair as he did, Kurloz displayed a wide smile that showed off his sharp teeth. His stitches were suddenly gone, having willed them away. While Horuss was puzzled by this, Kurloz decided to make things more conflicting for him when approaching again.

Horuss brought his hands up defensively when Kurloz returned to him. "I'm sorry, I didn't- I didn't mean to, I swear!" Feeling Kurloz squeeze his wrists hard, as if wanting to snap them, Horuss quickly shut both his eyes and his mouth tightly when Kurloz got up close again.

Face to face, Horuss held his breath, expecting something horrible to happen. The pressure on his wrists went away from Kurloz letting go to brush Horuss's bangs, now partially slick with sweat, out of his face. His other hand cupped Horuss's face as he leaned in, ignoring the anxiety-riddled expression of the blue blood, pressing his lips against Horuss's own.

After a few quick kisses, Kurloz felt Horuss's soft lips as he allowed himself to relax a bit, alongside feeling him slowly let out the breath he was holding. Though Horuss didn't return the kisses, he allowed for things to continue. Kurloz gave him a few quick pecks on his cheeks before trailing his lips down to the neck, opening the jacket and pulling at it as he got closer to the shoulder. Unable to resist his visceral thoughts any longer, Kurloz immediately sank his teeth in. Tensing up from the pain and shock, Horuss's eyes shot open, but he couldn't even muster a scream, only managing to gulp and let out a trembling breath.

Wanting Horuss's blood on him, Kurloz removed his lower jaw from the flesh before sinking his teeth back in, just below the former wound, earning a cry from Horuss. Feeling the blood from the previous bite slowly traveling down to his lip, Kurloz was satisfied, easing his grip on Horuss before smearing more blood on himself. Once he pulled away, Horuss grabbed at the collar of his bodysuit and yanked him further back, growing uneasy when seeing his own indigo blood decorating Kurloz's mouth and dripping down. The freak probably would have licked it up too if he hadn't bitten his tongue off eons ago.

Understanding Horuss was in too much shock to know what to do, Kurloz used this opportunity to tackle him. Ending up losing his balance once again, Horuss collided with the ground, this time with Kurloz on top of him. Panicked over getting bitten again, Horuss grabbed Kurloz by the throat, applying pressure when he pushed against the initial grip while digging his claws in the jacket. Despite Horuss's determination, his grip let up and he started to sweat again when Kurloz adjusted on top of him, feeling the bulge in-between their clothing. His face flushed blue when Kurloz realized he noticed and started to rub his concealed bulge against him.

Reaching down to Horuss's upper arms, Kurloz proceeded to trace his hands up all the way to Horuss's wrists before signing "continue", urging him to proceed choking him. Hesitantly, Horuss listened to Kurloz, re-applying the previous pressure, surprised from Kurloz switching out of his outfit. In an instant, his clothing disappeared, exposing his scarred body alongside revealing his bulge.

His slick nook now directly pressed against Horuss's clothing, with its cooler temperature and moisture seeping through, he continued to rub against him. Horuss let out a moan as he felt himself unsheathing, his hands trembling and grip weakening. Grabbing the trembling hands, Kurloz leaned forward and pinned them above Horuss's head. Making direct eye contact, Kurloz stared at him longingly, now grinding his nook against the restricted bulge.

"Please" Horuss murmured, trying to keep his breathing controlled. "My bulge-.... could you, um...." From Kurloz not letting up, Horuss begged and confessed, despite the situation being obvious. "Please, please.... I want to pail with you!"

Stopping, Kurloz smiled and gave Horuss a quick kiss on the cheek, stamping him from the blood still on his lips. Taking what's his, Kurloz put his focus to Horuss's pants, undoing the belt and zipper, now admiring the bulge he released. It would need to regain some of the lubrication that got wiped off by clothing, which was nothing too difficult for their species, but still fun to engage in.

All too casually, Kurloz slowly stroked the bulge and eventually toyed with the tip, continuing despite the frantic movement of it in his hand alongside Horuss's mumbled curses. Seeing Horuss sit up, as if about to take charge, Kurloz made sure to show who's leading this. He turned around and wrapped an arm around Horuss's neck and positioned himself over the bulge, pausing when Horuss gently placed a hand on him, though urgently.

"Wait, what about preparation? It's important to-" Horuss was interrupted by Kurloz pressing a finger against his lips.

Cutting to the chase, Kurloz quickly signed "all done" without going into depth, as he had singled out Horuss for this purpose alone. Without any more interruptions, Kurloz guided the bulge he hungered for to his nook as Horuss silently grew more nervous. The bulge slipped in with little resistance and he let out a faint groan as he lowered himself onto the indigo's inches.

How the bulge felt in Kurloz was ecstasy, causing him to moan and roll his hips when taking more in. Horuss on the other hand, couldn't help but start up sweating again, feeling conflicted and trying to hold back his moans from the stress. Despite his attempt, he ended up whimpering soon after Kurloz took all of it in while doing a quick wiggle of his hips to make sure to take as much of it in as he possibly could.

Lightly pushing against Horuss until he laid down, Kurloz then leaned forward and placed his hands on Horuss's legs. Instantly, he rocked his hips at a faster pace with occasional pauses before slowly letting most of the bulge exit before descending back down and repeating. Hearing the fluctuation of Horuss's anxious and desperate moans was intoxicating. What a gorgeous sound that came from an otherwise annoying mouth. All the things he could do to that mouth as well, Kurloz nearly drooled at that thought. Brushing a thumb over his lip, he saw some residue from the blood that remained there, smiling as he got an idea.

Kurloz switched his position to face Horuss, and got a kick out of the sudden alertness he had, as if he knew. Playing up innocence, he swayed his hips side to side, guiding Horuss to place his hands there. As Horuss reluctantly went along with it, Kurloz moved his hips in a circular motion while sensually running his hands up his own body. When letting his hands travel back down, he then had them go up Horuss's torso.

With Kurloz having a sudden crazed grip on the jacket, just like he had before, Horuss grew even more distressed. From it practically getting torn open, Horuss let out a yelp, and Kurloz was already grabbing at the shirt beneath it, forcing it up. Though frantic, Horuss soon grabbed him by the wrists, huffing from the panic before whimpering from Kurloz's slow teasing motion. The light motion of his hips, with the tip nearly exiting, teased Horuss further.

Wanting to finish pailing, Horuss released his grip and allowed Kurloz to lay on top of him, getting rewarded with Kurloz taking all of him in again. Lovingly, Kurloz moaned as he swayed his hips and shifted his body weight on top of him. Nuzzled so close to the wound he gave Horuss, Kurloz felt his mouth salivate as he smelled the blood. It was so tempting to just turn his head and sink his teeth in again.

Stopping, Kurloz sat up and smiled knowingly at Horuss, who got more jittery. He signed the command for Horuss to choke him, glaring when seeing Horuss couldn't bring himself to do it. In response, he dragged his fingers against his still-bloodied mouth, not caring he was smearing his face paint in the process. He then placed that hand on Horuss's exposed torso and trailed the blue blood down before deciding to sink his claws in and drag further, adding fresh blood to the trail. Hissing from the stinging pain, Horuss decided to give in and applied pressure to Kurloz's throat. He was immediately given another command, to pound Kurloz, and he complied.

Unsure on if he could trust his strength, Horuss slowly thrusted up into Kurloz, gradually picking up the pace while keeping his grip on his neck. Though cautiously eyeing how he was performing to ensure he wasn't undermining his strength, Horuss's attention went back up to Kurloz's face when his arm got rubbed. Kurloz smiled at him before placing his freshly bloodied claws in his mouth, sucking the blood off them, and adoring Horuss's discomfort.

Soon after, to encourage Horuss to pick up the pace, Kurloz raised and lowered his hips faster than he was. From the stimulation, Horuss let out a huff. His climax was nearing, and not wanting to disappoint, he went ahead and thrusted into Kurloz faster. Still, he made sure to not be too rough as he obeyed the command.

Kurloz let out strained moans as Horuss thrusted into him, the natural roughness of his strong thrusts was a good addition to the mix. Some of the thrusts stung, making him tense up and groan, but the pain made it even better. If only Horuss was more willing to play the role. He wanted this strong man to really mark him up and spare him no mercy when holding him down and fucking him senseless. Despite getting lost in thought, Kurloz noticed Horuss's moans getting more breathy as his thrusts gradually slowed.

Hitting his climax, Horuss let out a few huffs alongside his moans, feeling exhausted and letting his body relax against the floor. The stress from earlier likely added to his current fatigue. Kurloz smiled sweetly at him, satisfied over having the indigo's genetic fluid deep in his nook. However, Kurloz wasn't done with him yet, taking over the motion again. Rocking his hips at the same pace as before, he heard Horuss let out whimpered moans and felt his body tense up beneath him. The grip Horuss had on his neck had already decreased greatly, but he finally gave up, placing his hands on Kurloz's thighs instead.

"P-Please...." Horuss gasped, letting out shaky moans from Kurloz switching to bounce on the bulge and pulling at Horuss's jacket to keep the pace up. "Please cum." He whimpered, displaying a desperate expression on his tired face.

Though it was fun watching Horuss squirm and tremble from overstimulation, Kurloz's climax was already close. Letting go of the jacket, Kurloz jerked himself off, with quiet huffs escaping his lips as he tried to keep up the motion despite his bodily twitches slowing him down.

Remembering the scratches on his stomach, Horuss worriedly went to pull his shirt down, only to tense up when seeing Kurloz immediately set his focus to Horuss's hands from his touch leaving. As the color drained from Horuss's face, a wave of excitement got to Kurloz, making him jolt and quickly look away. Soon after, his purple genetic fluid shot out, thankfully only getting part of the jacket, as most got on the floor.

From Horuss groaning and shivering in pleasure as the nook pulsed against his bulge, Kurloz couldn't help but let out a light laugh despite still recovering his breath himself. Not much time was needed before he stood up. The genetic fluid of his pailing partner made a very distinct mess from traveling down while continuing to ride him. Kurloz then opened up his sylladex, not minding the absurd nature of its rapidly shifting display as he grabbed the bucket he planned to empty into.

Meanwhile, Horuss himself recovered from the whole situation altogether. He sat up with a mildly unsettled expression on his face before taking a towel out of his inventory to wipe the sweat from the exposed parts of his body, as well as the post-pailing mess on himself. With his clothing stained, and his bulge already being in the process of re-sheathing, Horuss willed himself into a clean version of the same outfit.

Though conflicted, it was clear Horuss would still need Kurloz to open up the entrance. Nervously, he approached as Kurloz captchalogued the partially filled pail. Despite the stress, he tried to mask it with a very distinctly forced smile, as if to appease from this.

"Well, that sure was a-...." Getting caught on his words, Horuss immediately dropped the smile. "Um, I'm actually perhaps-.... perhaps lacking the words. Er, um...."

Kurloz grinned and signed "violate" with a low chuckle. Horuss seemed aghast by the joke, trying to explain it better. During this, Kurloz wiped off his mouth before cleaning up his legs with one of Horuss's towels he stole a while back.

"Goodness no! I mean.... I'm not too sure, actually. It's a complicated matter, I suppose." Horuss paused to think about it more as Kurloz switched back into his usual outfit. "It has been a while since fooling off higher in the-.... in the hemospectrum...." He said the last part slowly as he realized.

Horuss's matesprit, Rufioh. His soulmate and one true love, who filled the void within him, making him whole. How could he have forgotten him? Within this horrible place- alone with this horrible purple blood... Though most of this didn't make sense, it was clear that Kurloz did something.

Suddenly, Horuss exploded with anger. "You- You did something! I couldn't remember Rufioh when we-.... What did you do?!" Noticing that Kurloz was unbothered and currently fixing his makeup made Horuss more infuriated. He then let out a yell and unequipped his destrengthening gloves to punch a nearby pillar.

Seeing the sudden outburst and destruction made Kurloz shiver in excitement. However, he knew it wouldn't be worth the trouble and resorted to the use of his chucklevoodoo. The second his eyes flickered magenta and purple, Horuss instantly stopped and relaxed.

'That's enough of that, page.' Kurloz's voice echoed. 'Too much arousal, such short time.'

'Rufioh doesn't love me anymore. He hasn't had interest in a long time.' Horuss thought, through Kurloz's influence, convincing him of this mindset.

'A roguish motherfucker ain't worthy of a noble hero.' Kurloz added as he put the finishing touches on the re-applied makeup and willed his stitches back in. There was an additional pause between their exchange as Kurloz opened up Horuss's jacket and pulled the shirt all the way up, eyeing the fresh bitemarks. A pity it needed to be covered.

Once Kurloz applied an adhesive bandage to the worst of it, he fixed the shirt and closed the jacket back up. With that, the conversation proceeded. 'I gave all my worth to him, but he doesn't want me.' Horuss thought.

As he grabbed Horuss's hand and led him to the entrance, Kurloz replied. 'True that. Such a shame too. What shall become of the page of void?'

'I was never whole, and I will stay that way up until the undeniable and most righteous end of all things.'

Kurloz turned away from the crypt's entrance and guided Horuss to walk through with him. 'Just another motherfuckin chess piece on the board. As unaware and as ludicrous as all the other heretics.'

'Constantly searching for something to make my cruel fruitless existence worthwhile.'

'You'll remain empty and starvin.' Kurloz concluded maliciously, letting go of Horuss's hand before heading back to the crypt on his own. He kept his influence on the poor soul a while longer before re-entering the crypt and having the entrance vanish behind him.

Him bringing Horuss back would arouse too much suspicion, especially after this intimate encounter. Kurloz currently reeked of the sweat and pheromones of the indigo blood, but at least from all the adrenaline triggered in Horuss, Kurloz's own pheromones would be obscured on him. Horuss would just be his usual sweaty self, if not smelling a bit more than usual for a while.

Chapter Text

Though Kurloz had sent Horuss back to the rest of the group without answers, it seemed Horuss had convinced himself he must have lost his balance and tumbled while venturing out. At least that's what it felt like to him, from having a sudden shooting pain in his shoulder paired with his amnesia and lightheadedness. While the group didn't think much of it or question the sudden absence of Kurloz, Horuss couldn't help but feel an odd discomfort about his gap in memory and Kurloz not being accounted for until much later. You could never really tell what would work for a void player. What a mysterious and frustrating aspect to deal with.

Kurloz thought over the encounter for a while as the pseudo passage of time continued, where their night and day cycles were just memories, reflecting all sorts of skies. None of that mattered to him. With his stitches out, he took another hit from his hand pipe as he stared at the cracks that formed over the sky. Fury surged through him as he blew smoke out. Having to quell his everlasting rage could only do so much, as the complex nature of his hue filled his thinkpan to the brim with psychological issues. His hellacious thoughts alone were relentless, and all he knew to do was enact the less detrimental ones.

Obviously, Horuss was his current object of attraction, as his secret kismesissitude with Damara had already came and went a long time ago. It was an on and off relationship that eventually came to a complete end as their eternity dragged on. That past relationship doesn't matter either. This current situation did, and it needed additional manipulation to eventually break Horuss and Rufioh apart. Apart from that, he didn't mind the idea of contributing to infidelity in a relationship he had no business being in. Especially one that lost its spark so long ago that it was sickening to see now.

"Yo," Hearing Rufioh's voice break the silence of the solo smoking session made Kurloz's blood boil instantly. He already had enough to ruminate, now this. Now him. "Kurloz my gangsta, mind if I hang here a while?"

As soon as the word "hang" left his mouth, different imagery flashed through Kurloz's mind of wrapping a rope around the throat of that brown blood. He didn't bother to look up at first, only jerking his head to the side due to the imagery, but Rufioh was irritatingly persistent.

"We don't need to have a conversation or anything. Don't get me wrong, I admire your vow, it's pretty dope. It's just, uh..." Rufioh glanced over his shoulder. "y'know."

Hearing this, Kurloz looked over, seeing Horuss patiently standing several paces away. From Horuss smiling and waving at him, Kurloz chuckled to himself. He wondered if Horuss would even be able to look him in the eye if he knew what transpired just a couple of nights ago. If only he knew.

"Oh man, he's waving... Try not to invite him over or anything." Rufioh whispered urgently.

Annoyed, Kurloz flashed a look Rufioh's way, as if telling him with a stare that he fucked his boyfriend. When Rufioh looked at Kurloz again, Kurloz switched to a somewhat relaxed smile with a menacing undertone before patting the ground beside him.

Rufioh instantly took the offered spot, yet sat a bit closer, with the casual flutter of his wings irritating Kurloz further. He clearly had difficulty with the idea of not having a conversation, despite foolishly choosing to socialize with the most reserved teammate. To Kurloz's displeasure, Rufioh started talking as he took another hit.

"Y'know, it's kinda weird... I mean, we didn't really talk that much even before uh, your incident... How's that going?"

Kurloz locked eyes with him before blowing smoke in his face. The awkward charm really wasn't doing it for him, yet he still considered his options, knowing Rufioh was getting more desperate.

The smoke stung Rufioh's eyes, making him turn away, though he still ended up giving a light cough as he fanned at the smoke. "Damn, man, don't do that shit." While he quickly collected himself, the two sat in silence for a bit, with Rufioh watching Kurloz eye the cherry of the bowl before taking a long hit. Kurloz soon held his mouth open, letting the smoke faintly snake out, appearing like he was about to do a trick before deciding to just huff the smoke out when seeing Rufioh's anticipation.

"Call me crazy for this, and I don't know how much sense this is gonna make, but uh... Don't get offended or anything, but sometimes you kinda remind me of Damara."

Being compared to his ex out of the blue made Kurloz try to hold back laughter, resorting to muffling it behind his hand. As Rufioh tried to explain himself, Kurloz gave a wave of his hand to dismiss the statement altogether.

"You gotta admit it's a bit uncanny and-" Rufioh paused. "Oh, looks like Horuss wandered off. Hopefully he doesn't get hurt again. I do worry about him sometimes."

Kurloz smirked and looked away before nodding. With the intention of trying to seek out Horuss or at least to leave Rufioh, Kurloz stored the hand pipe in his sylladex before standing up.

"Yo, hey, dude! Uh, I was meaning to ask..." Rufioh started, getting up with him. "Would you like to go somewhere and-" His sentence was cut off by Kurloz grabbing him by the vest and growling at him. "Woah, woah, woah! Hey, dog, don't go crazy on me!"

Kurloz stared him down, considering the physique of this pixie bitch. Definitely slimmer than his usual type despite having some muscle. Likely incapable of handling much aggression by someone much higher in the hemospectrum as well. At least the naturally violent female trolls of a similar slim frame would be able to handle him. He most certainly would break the lowblood's bones or damage his organs. Dismissively, Kurloz gave Rufioh a shove, unintentionally knocking him over in the process. Without looking back, he headed off, willing his stitches back into place.

All too familiar with the look given, Rufioh hurriedly got back up and ran up to Kurloz to block his path. "Hold on, this doesn't have to go... there." He suggested, though immediately caved. "Okay, so... I am wanting to test the waters, but-"

Despite showing a disapproving expression, Kurloz considered another option when focusing on the fact most of Rufioh's teeth appeared dull, and his lips looked soft too. There had been some rumors spread a long time ago suggesting that Rufioh filed them down himself, enough to safely suck bulge. Kurloz placed his hands on Rufioh's shoulders and shoved down to make the lowblood get on his knees. Lacking any shame, Kurloz instantly willed into a glossy crotchless bodysuit, displaying his nook to Rufioh.

Rufioh blushed furiously as all words escaped him and he quickly looked around to make sure they were alone. Seeing Kurloz stare down at him, tilting his head to the side while his expression remained uncaring, Rufioh timidly pressed his mouth to his cool crotch. He gave a few kisses to ease into servicing Kurloz, though he seemed unamused over this.

Grabbing Rufioh's hair, Kurloz forced him to look up before signing "tongue" with his other hand. Once Rufioh stuck out his tongue, Kurloz grinded his nook against it, instantly getting jittery from the intense warmth of the lowblood's temperature. He nearly forgot about how such warmth overwhelmed him down there, sparking conflicting feelings of aggression alongside the pleasure, yet he resisted retaliation.

He let go of Rufioh's hair with a light shove before laying down, spreading his legs to invite Rufioh to take charge instead. Seeing Rufioh misinterpret him and go to pull down his pants made Kurloz glare and growl in disapproval. When shown more hesitation, Kurloz sat up and grabbed Rufioh by the horns and shoved his face against his crotch. Getting the blatant hint this time, Rufioh ran his tongue over the slit of Kurloz's nook, proceeding to slide his tongue between the folds, being met with a few light groans as he continued. It was sloppy work, but it didn't take long for Kurloz's anatomy to open up from the stimulation and warmth, with his bulge already unsheathing.

Letting go of his grip on Rufioh's horns, Kurloz nudged his bulge against Rufioh's forehead, urging him to suck it despite it not being at its full length yet. Rufioh set his attention to the bulge after quickly rubbing its pre-material off his forehead, appearing worried that it might've gotten in his hair. Without a word, he proceeded to get to work, wrapping his lips around the bulge and sucking.

For additional stimulation, Rufioh would let his tongue massage the underside of the bulge every now and then, making Kurloz sink his claws into the ground. Soon, he gradually took more of the bulge in, gagging when it reached full length and tried to push further in on its own. Seeing how much bulge he had to work with, Rufioh resorted to jerking Kurloz off at the base of the bulge and sucking the tip while teasing potentially deepthroating it. Kurloz tried to keep quiet, yet couldn't help but moan and huff from the sensations, especially with his primary focus set to keep himself from spasming as he got closer to his orgasm.

Before Kurloz knew it, his breathing quickened, and he dragged his claws against the ground as his thighs occasionally twitched. Rufioh didn't pay much mind to this, just barely letting the bulge leave his mouth before getting a face full of purple genetic fluid. Some of it got on his forehead and cheeks while he managed to get a significant amount on his tongue, letting most of it slide off onto the ground. With what remained on his tongue, Rufioh decided to swallow it, only getting bashful when Kurloz gave him a smug look after sitting up.

Rufioh let out a small laugh. "That was pretty good huh?"

Kurloz dismissively adverted his gaze, simply standing up instead of entertaining an actual response. He then opened up his sylladex and took out a familiar towel, rubbing it against himself a bit too sensually when wiping the pre-material off himself. When Rufioh was in the middle of saying something, Kurloz threw it at his face.

With the towel rudely offered, Rufioh quickly took it off his face, getting a better look at it. Immediately, he recognized it as one of Horuss's, and his momentary anger turned to unease. "Yo, uh... Were you looting our stuff? Why do you have one of Horuss's towels? Kinda weird... Actually really weird, uh... What the hell, man?"

Kurloz just smiled with an eerie glare before looking away. While Rufioh sighed and proceeded to clean his face, Kurloz switched back into his usual clothes. This encounter was done purely out of boredom rather than passion. The idea of Horuss still being nearby made the intimacy worthwhile, purely on the off-chance of being caught. It was clearly not to push Rufioh to others, as the mud blood had no problem with doing that on his own, but Horuss... The possibility of him seeing that upsetting of scene excited Kurloz. The unpredictability with that blue blood, alongside him being a powerful hero with a soft delicate heart that Kurloz would love to stab at, it was practically unbearable.

Knowing he had to resist going after Horuss in fruitless endeavors got to him. The ritualism of it all was tasteful. However, having to spare Horuss of realizing he was being used and unknowingly engaging in infidelity made it a waste. There was a simple solution to all this, but the couple had a certain disdain to it in one way or another, staying together despite Rufioh wanting to leave the relationship. Soon enough, all of Rufioh's desperation and venting, while incapable of ending things himself, will make the rest of their group tire of him. He might as well be considered the pixie counterpart of Cronus, and Meulin would definitely have a ball with that joke, enough to make material preemptively in excitement.

"Ay, there's not any in my hair, right?" Rufioh asked, to Kurloz's annoyance.

Kurloz gave a brief glance before waving him off, letting Rufioh know he didn't care at all, earning an offended gasp in response. Despite Rufioh calling to him, Kurloz stuck to ignoring him, heading back to where he was once smoking before any of this. Finally getting the message, Rufioh left, and Kurloz made sure to not acknowledge him at all. Not even by entertaining the urge to flip him off. Rufioh needed to realize this wasn't to potentially fill his soon to be empty quadrant, and that the disinterest wasn't just a tease to spark a potential kismesissitude.

Feeling embarrassed from getting rejected by Kurloz, Rufioh adjusted his pants before wandering a bit. He sought out reassurance from Damara, who had a bit of an uncanny knack for practically being right around the corner when he needed it. The ground gradually formed the teal grass he's most familiar with, and he barely make it past the first few trees before hearing Damara call out to him. As he looked at her, she had a sudden disgusted expression on her face.

"Oh man, there's still gunk on my face, isn't there?" Rufioh asked, more humiliated than before.

Damara's disgust softened slightly to be more of a discomforted one. She considered how to put it delicately to her close friend/enemy. "スモークと血の匂いがするわ."

"Blood?!" Rufioh questioned in shock. "Oh, wait, you're joking with that second part, huh? Unless you mean-... What do you mean?"

"フェロモン." Damara clarified, eyeing him a bit before pointing to a purple spot on his shirt, signifying it's of the purple blood variety.

Seeing the spot, Rufioh was embarrassed and immediately switched out his shirt with a different clean top before proceeding to freak out. "It's not too obvious of a scent is it? Does the smell of smoke cover it at least? Please tell me it does!" Before Damara could answer, Rufioh then got offended. "Hold on, uh... How did you recognize that pheromone smell? Don't tell me you and him-"

"だいぶ前のことね."

"Right, probably a mutual rebound thing, huh? Uh... Sorry, that was probably too personal to ask."

"どうだった？"

"Hey, woah! That wasn't an invitation to ask something personal back, doll."

Damara rolled her eyes before taking out a joint and lighting it. As she took a drag, she glanced down, noticing Rufioh's bulge was distinct in his pants. At least the black pants did a somewhat good job at hiding it. He must not have gone all the way then. But still, seeing the repeat of infidelity in a troll she once admired and loved pissed her off. Naturally, she blew smoke in his face as a small act of retaliation. When he tried to complain, she claimed it was to cover the scent of pheromones better, though that's clearly not why she did it.

"Anyway, I'll be up in the trees where there's no smoke... Jeez." Rufioh nearly choked on his words before coughing out as he continued to wave the smoke away before heading further in the forest.

Heading up to the tree fort, he saw Horuss sitting on the stairs of one of the higher levels. The idea that he probably watched him walking up for a while unsettled Rufioh, despite that itself not being unusual. Him enacting past betrayals was probably making him a bit on-edge and overthink things. He rubbed the back of his neck as he considered his options.

Seeing Rufioh approach allowed Horuss to perk up a bit. "Forgive my absence earlier, I figured you wanted some space. It's nice to establish close bonds with peers, though I admittedly have difficulty with that. I find most conversations end quickly, but I won't let it crush my spirits!" Horuss exclaimed with a forced grin, especially at the end.

Guilt overwhelmed him from just hearing his, especially with his personal displeasure in Horuss's interests. "I don't mind it, heh... Uh, actually..." Once Horuss looked up at him expectantly, Rufioh lost what little confidence he had. Instead, he decided to try and cancel out his guilt, getting on top of Horuss. Wrapping his arms around him, Rufioh then gave him a kiss.

Horuss was taken aback from the sudden display of affection, but thought nothing of it and kissed back, with it quickly getting passionate. The warmth of Rufioh felt intoxicating, nearly forbidden. He found himself pulling from the kiss to gasp from Rufioh suddenly pressing a hand against his crotch, and moaning pleas as the lowblood's warm touch rubbed at such a sensitive area. The trance of ecstasy broke when Rufioh went to undo the belt of Horuss's pants.

Remembering they were in an open area sent Horuss into a mild panic. "Oh! Wait, we're still out in the open!"

"It's chill. Damara's having a smoke at the edge of the forest." With this, Rufioh undid Horuss's belt, causing Horuss to let out a small excited huff.

Horuss tried to stifle his anxious noises before blurting, as he was starting to sweat. "It feels so naughty!" Instantly, he covered his mouth with a hand as his face flushed blue, staring nervously at his bulge that Rufioh released.

"Yo, you good, Horuss?" Rufioh asked, patting Horuss on the shoulder.

"Just- um.... I'm just a little spooked of such an endeavor being so conspicuous.... And I tend to get a certain way, as you know." Horuss stammered, appearing to sweat more, shifting a bit uncomfortably. "You do so much to me, it's exhilarating."

"It's alright, uh... just set your focus to me. Okay?" Rufioh said, allowing some distance between them.

"Yes, yes, I'll do that." Horuss nodded, trying to keep himself calm as he listened to his partner.

In a flash, the stylish pants Rufioh wore disappeared to expose himself for pailing. Seeing Horuss's sexual anticipation grow while seeming overwhelmed from it, Rufioh hushed him, gently instructing him to keep watching. Slicking up his fingers with his own self-lubrication, Rufioh started to finger himself.

"You like the view?" After Rufioh asked this, Horuss gulped and nodded. "Mind if I get closer?"

"Do as you'd like!" Horuss exclaimed, and Rufioh closed in, sitting on Horuss's lap before kissing him again.

While making sure to keep their bulges from wrapping around each other, Rufioh continued to prep himself as he passionately kissed Horuss, nearly making him breathless almost too soon. Determining he was ready, Rufioh partially stood up to readjust and guide the tip of Horuss's bulge to his nook. Setting himself on the bulge, Rufioh shivered for a moment, gasping from the coolness of Horuss's inches. Meanwhile, Horuss let out a whimpered moan.

Rufioh lightly rolled his hips as he rode Horuss, letting Horuss know from some slow rolls having more motion to them that he loved the feel of his bulge inside him. As he occasionally hit a sweet spot, his wings would flutter rapidly for a moment before calming down. He switched up to doing circular motions, hearing Horuss let out a fairly loud moan in response.

Rufioh let out a small laugh. "That feel good?"

"Yes! Please continue, sweet rogue!" Horuss huffed enthusiastically.

After Rufioh kept up the favorable motions of his hips, he started to bounce on Horuss's bulge upon noticing Horuss was putting more effort in his moan-filled huffs to keep control of his breathing. He also started to jerk himself off, knowing Horuss was more sensitive to the stimulation from his nook being so warm around his cooler bulge.

Feeling close to his climax, Rufioh's wings spread out, yet gradually fluttered towards each other the closer he got. While Horuss suppressed his urges to thrust up, he groaned, digging his blunt claws into the wooden stairs, making part of it snap off and fall below. With a shaken moan, he reached his climax, emptying into his matesprit.

Not long after being filled with Horuss's genetic fluid, Rufioh reached his orgasm, his genetic mess getting all over Horuss's torso. His stunning wings finally relaxed, flapping back to their idle position as he and Horuss recovered from their orgasm, having a moment to mutually regain their breaths.

"Heheh, sorry, dude. I forgot to get a pail... Guess I was too in the moment to think about that." Rufioh shrugged as Horuss looked down at his dirtied jacket while having also recognized his partner's hesitation to stand. Seeing Horuss suddenly look mortified, Rufioh tried to calm him. "Hey, it's okay, buddy, cleaning up isn't too bad. Nobody's going to see you like this."

Hearing the familiar sound of a metal bucket clattering when dropped made Rufioh understand the sudden expression on Horuss's face, even more-so when he looked over his shoulder. It was Kurloz. Somehow he figured Rufioh would have guilt-sex with his partner and decided to intrude just to disturb them. What the hell was this guy's problem?

Seeing Horuss's humiliation paired with Rufioh's look of shock made Kurloz laugh lowly. He then signed a simple reply with a taunting smile, "gift."

As the two remained quiet and still from the disruption, Kurloz turned around and made his slow unbothered descent back down. This intrusion and delivery would definitely be etched into their minds for eons. While Kurloz knew to at least have some shame, he just couldn't help himself after that thought came to him. It was worth it, and it was an entertaining way to openly stir the pot.

Chapter Text

Trying to distract himself from his recent shame of being seen having sex in an open environment, Horuss had locked himself in his workshop, in a memory of his hive back on Beforus. The past few nights have been isolating and filled with humiliation as he was left alone with his thoughts. Of course, that itself wasn't the only thing on his mind, as his uncertainty with his once secure relationship with Rufioh started to eat at him. It never bothered him much before, making this all the more upsetting for him. Thinking about how often Rufioh was getting distant with him in favor of interacting with peers got under his skin when it never used to before.

Remembering Rufioh went over to Kurloz just a short while before their intimate encounter made the sides of his mouth twitch into a frown. Did he tell Kurloz of his plans, with him deciding to play into some kind of sick joke, ending up following Rufioh to supply a bucket? Maybe something else was going on between the two? No, no, Rufioh couldn't possibly do that, not to him. It's out of the question. They're afterlife partners, the best pairing in their team, strong and faithful. However...

Horuss's hands shook as he was in the middle of welding two sheets of metal together, and trying to keep going despite the thoughts being unforgiving as they kept playing on loop. These thoughts tormented Horuss enough that when he finally set his focus back to his project, he saw that he made a fairly distinct defect in the metal. This sort of imperfection sparked an old rage within him, making him let out a yell and slam his fists on the table a few times, practically demolishing it.

Without much thought, Horuss then threw the welded scrap behind him, wincing when hearing it collide with other metal in the shop. At this point, Horuss didn't want to bother to look at what he might've destroyed, immediately setting his focus to the warped table instead. Though, he growled as things continued to topple over behind him, as if it was mocking him further. As Horuss rested his head in his hands as he tried to calm his temper, the sound of glass breaking made him alert, finally turning around.

There wasn't much of anything made of glass in this part of his hive that he could think of. However, his alertness then turned to sadness from seeing what the metal sheet struck. While he did in fact have many robot hoofbeasts, it was the destruction of his perfected craft dedicated to these noble creatures that upset him. Poor sweet stallion.

With his deepest condolences, Horuss gave a few gentle rubs to the head of the metal horse he accidentally put out of commission in a fit of rage. He whispered several apologies to it as well before giving it a little smooch. Afterwards, he huffed out a sad sigh before picking up the smaller projects that got knocked off the storage shelves. When setting them back, he made sure to take the extra time to try and remember their placements.

Remembering about the shattered glass, he took a moment to do a brief walk-around, confirming his recollection of no glass objects being stored in this block. Even with the eyes of his robots, the glass was compact to lessen shattering with machinery intended for aggrieves. Either way, it must've been something outside or upstairs. Despite not being in a hurry, he didn't waste any time in ascending up the stairs. He found the door leading to his workshop was left slightly ajar, but thought nothing of it as he continued forward.

Already, he saw his lusus- or maybe just the memory of his lusus, going and cleaning up glass from a broken window. Strangely, Horuss didn't know of any memories of anything like this happening in the past. Sometimes the bubbles were a bit odd in how they operated from relying on all sorts of recollections. Maybe a friend was being overly rude in getting his attention. He mentally prepped a few stern words while he waited for his custodian to finish vacuuming up the mess. When finally having the chance to peek out the window, Horuss saw no one was out there waiting for him.

Though Horuss dismissed it, his custodian went off somewhere else, having already made sure the mess was cleaned up and his ward was unharmed. Concluding nothing of interest upstairs, Horuss headed back to the door leading to his workshop. As he took his first step down, his knee suddenly buckled from a firm kick being delivered to it from behind, sending Horuss tumbling down the flight of stairs.

Despite his own groans of pain, Horuss heard the door close, instantly making an attempt to hold his weight to potentially stand. He was tough, but not accustomed to these instances of pain, finding himself confused and disoriented. In the moment Horuss looked behind himself towards the stairs, he saw a glimpse of Kurloz, seeing him holding juggling clubs tightly in his grasp.

The ache in his neck made him look back down at the ground, yet fear stung at his heart, making him gasp suddenly. From Kurloz staying still and granting Horuss to regain his breath, Horuss finally managed to speak. "Kurloz? What.... What are you doing here?"

Hearing the strain in Horuss's voice, Kurloz smiled, yet grimaced and shook his head as his thoughts got excessively violent. He wasn't too sure how to carry things out at this point, as he didn't want to break the indigo blood's bones if he was too fragile from eons of no combat. However, seeing Horuss get the confidence to try and stand again quickly changed this uncertainty.

Swinging one of the clubs, Kurloz struck Horuss across the back, causing him to let out a pained cry as he fell to his hands and knees. A sudden excitement coursed through Kurloz before kicking Horuss in the side, knocking him to the floor before continuing to strike him with the clubs. Due to Horuss's helplessness, he could only cry to no avail while curled up to protect his vital organs from the relentless blows.

Strike after strike, Horuss feared this was about to be his end. He couldn't just take this and die, but he couldn't just retaliate without thinking and cause his friend to die instead. His cries became sharp gasps and whimpers, granting him a pause in his bludgeoning. The pain burned through his body, making it difficult to concentrate, yet he still considered his options with this opening.

As Horuss struggled to sit up as he let out pained groans and tried to hold back his sobs, he noticed Kurloz giving him a sickeningly fascinated smile. He couldn't help but sniffle and tremble from having been hurt in such a violent way, making Kurloz chuckle. Though Horuss still hesitated, seeing Kurloz raise a club to strike Horuss on the head, through his teary-eyed gaze, made him fully understand this was in fact an afterlife or double-death situation. Ignoring the pain, Horuss suddenly stood, hissing as he gave Kurloz a decent shove before falling to his hands and knees himself.

From such astounding strength, Kurloz was sent across the block, slamming against the wall and letting out a wheeze. If the impact to his chest didn't get the wind knocked out of him, then colliding with the wall definitely would've done it. His clubs easily got knocked out of his hands as well, one still gradually slowing down as it rolled away from him. Kurloz himself was lightly dazed, but willed his stitches out to try to breathe better as his body naturally made an urgent attempt to intake air.

It didn't take long for Kurloz to recover enough to attempt standing, finding himself stumbling briefly before regaining some of his composure. Despite every breath being painful from the bruising, and perhaps something deeper, Kurloz couldn't wait to check out the damage in a mirror later. The idea of handprint bruises on his chest was a hilarity worthy of a laugh he couldn't provide at the moment. He eyed Horuss as he went and picked up both of his juggling clubs, yet unceremoniously placed them back in his strife specibus.

Clearly the beating Horuss went through would make him unwilling to receive any comfort from Kurloz, even if genuine rather than a sick fascination with the pain. This current scenario didn't need any mulling over, as Kurloz already put his chucklevoodoo to use, making Horuss void of potential aggression. Getting down to Horuss's level, Kurloz assisted him up, being generous enough to not touch the side he just bruised the shit out of.

There was no need for an exchange in dialogue through chucklevoodoo as Kurloz took him up the stairs. He knew exactly what he was doing, and all he needed was for the memory of this incident to get erased from Horuss's mind. Entering the respiteblock, Kurloz took Horuss's jacket off and guided him to lay on his less-injured side, placing the jacket under his head for comfort after folding it.

Regaining awareness, Horuss was alarmed by the sudden agony he was in, and confused on what had happened to him. Feeling a hand lightly touch his side engulfed in pain, Horuss strained himself to look over his shoulder at who it was. The moment he saw Kurloz, a confusing wave of emotions stung at him, and he immediately turned away. So many questions raced through his mind all at once, getting interrupted from a notification on Trollian popping up on his goggle lenses. Already at the height of stress, he unintentionally let out a light shout from the notification, gritting his teeth when seeing the purple handle.

Putting his phone in his inventory, Kurloz frowned, annoyed at the fact he forgot about the interface on those stupid goggles of Horuss's. Without waiting to make sure he read his taunting message about the stairs, Kurloz unbuckled the straps of the headgear, ignoring Horuss's protesting. Once Kurloz tried to slide the headgear off, Horuss tugged at the bottom part to keep it on. Not having the patience, Kurloz jabbed Horuss's injured side and slid off the headgear when he let out a loud cry and curled up in a ball, trembling in pain.

Kurloz couldn't risk Horuss telling someone about what was happening, deciding to captchalogue the goggles. He then took his own gloves off for his cooler body temperature to soothe the wounds on Horuss. Gently pressing both hands along Horuss's side, Kurloz caressed him, lightly humming during this. Horuss remained disoriented, but seemed to gradually relax, still distrustful of the situation.

The door to the respiteblock opened with a concerned custodian entering from the cry heard earlier. Obviously the respiteblock didn't muffle noise as much as the workshop downstairs did. Seeing Horuss sobbing like a wiggler with an unexpected hiveguest by his side, appearing to comfort him, confused the centaur butler.

Horuss himself was confused, unsure on the situation to even try and explain it. He gulped before managing to utter something out, starting to sweat nervously. "I would like some milk, please."

Once the custodian exited the respiteblock to get some ice cold milk for his ward, Kurloz smiled wide, adding to Horuss's discomfort. Even with Horuss's cautious attempt at resisting, it ultimately did nothing as he was guided to lay on his back. The cool touch of Kurloz's then pressed against his neck, tracing up and down his currently feverish skin. From this, Horuss let out a fearful sob, which only excited Kurloz further. Such a strong man, so easily reduced to this pathetic state. He could barely contain himself. Getting on top of Horuss, he pulled at the neckline of his long sleeved shirt. Exposing more of the shoulder revealed that the bitemark he gave last time was now uncovered and healed.

As if something snapped in him, Kurloz closed in, opening his mouth and letting his sharp teeth press against Horuss's jugular. Despite it mostly being a bluff, shock erupted through Horuss, making him a mess of stress and sweat. His mind was overwhelmed to the point he couldn't feel the waves of cool breaths on his throat, which displayed Kurloz's current breathing problems. To both Horuss's relief and dismay, Kurloz pulled away without causing him harm, yet only withdrew because his lusus had entered the block.

With a sly smile, Kurloz took the milk that the lusus had offered, staring down at Horuss afterwards. He considered drinking the terrible liquid or even pouring it out on him, just so he couldn't have it. However, seeing how miserable Horuss looked made him void those thoughts. With a casual wave of his hand, Kurloz instructed Horuss to sit up. Once he did, Kurloz pressed the glass to his lips.

In discomfort, Horuss quickly equipped his destrengthening gloves to grab the glass from Kurloz and give him a light "knock it off" shove before chugging the milk. He casted a shameful glance to his custodian before placing the cup on the tray and thanking him. Kurloz didn't seem to care about the company still there as he caressed Horuss's cheek with a look that said he had plans for the moment they were alone. Horuss had his mouth agape, unable to make a sound, indecisive on how to feel or if he should call for help.

Seeing his ward was having an issue with sweating, as well as still having tears on his face, the centaur butler handed Horuss a clean towel. Taking it, Horuss wiped the tears away before he dabbed the sweat off his face. During this, he got briefly antagonized by Kurloz rocking his hips to try and make him sweat more from embarrassment. Trying to keep it together, Horuss handed the used towel to his lusus before pushing Kurloz off of him, though Kurloz didn't seem to take any offense to it. The custodian didn't really understand troll courtship, and so he assumed the scenario was normal, deciding to leave after no other reply was given.

Once the door closed, Horuss seethed. "I can't believe you would do something so unbelievable, so- ugh!" The moment Horuss's anger carried into his body language, he doubled over in pain, deciding to lay on his side again. He went quiet as he processed all he could remember, but something about his agony alongside Kurloz's sudden presence bothered him to an unimaginable degree.

Ignoring the clear signs indicating he's been too careless on his endeavors towards Horuss, Kurloz closed the distance between them again, setting his hands on Horuss's injured side like before. Feeling Horuss gradually relax from the cool gentle touch made Kurloz smile.

"How bad is it?" Horuss mumbled, looking away as he lifted his shirt for Kurloz to see, as well as to give the highblood easier access to relieve the pain.

Kurloz's eyes lit up as he saw his work, from the bruising alone he could tell he really beat Horuss bad. It would be a miracle if none of his ribs were broken, but thankfully trolls heal fairly quick, and ribs can heal on their own. In fact, Kurloz likely had a few broken ribs himself from the direct impact on his chest. This definitely halted Kurloz's more intimate plans, especially knowing about how often Horuss would instinctively hold his breath from a build up of anticipation. Seeing Horuss look over at him, Kurloz quickly dropped his expression before giving an exaggerated frown as he glided a hand down the side and back of Horuss.

Understanding this means it was fairly bad without looking fatal, Horuss rested his head back down. His lower lip quivered, soon developing into a silent sob with his body jerking from his gasps. Kurloz allowed him to wallow, yet did so by laying beside him, pressing his body up against Horuss's. Also making sure to cover the injured side rather than just his back, Kurloz placed a leg over him while letting his hand travel to Horuss's chest.

As Horuss's sobbing subsided, he gradually lost consciousness, drifting off to sleep. This allowed for Kurloz himself to relax and fall asleep beside him, having no worry of Horuss trying to escape or get help at this point. The rest of the familiar Beforan night turned to day in no time, not bothering the two much, apart from occasional tossing and turning. It was around sunset when Horuss woke up from the aching pain getting to him after rolling onto his injured side. When sitting up, he couldn't help but let out a few pained groans.

Looking over at Kurloz, Horuss saw he was still asleep with his arm over his eyes to block out the former light of the sun. Seeing this, Horuss mulled over what he should do, setting his focus to his computer. Unsure if his computer got sabotaged by his unpredictable clown friend, Horuss checked the wiring before turning it on, almost surprised that it booted up like normal with no problem. Immediately, he noticed he had new messages on Trollian. Looks like Rufioh was trying to contact him for a while. The text was a lot compared to the typical briefness riddled with social awkwardness.

Already awake, Kurloz stood up, having made previous brief glances to check what Horuss was doing. He made his way over to Horuss without detection, and looked over his shoulder at the screen. To his annoyance, he saw the long thread of bronze text, deciding to lazily skim-read it. Looked like a bunch of mushy romantically apologetic shit he didn't care for. Suddenly, Horuss slammed his fists down on the desk, shaking with anger for a while before emotionally collapsing, and starting to cry. Kurloz set more focus to the text for better context. The last lines gave it all away: it was a break-up message. How pathetic.

From Horuss getting up from his chair, Kurloz stumbled back, finally getting noticed. He immediately tried to put up a facade, smiling forcefully. "My apologies, I didn't mean to wake you.... You didn't happen to read anything there, right?" Horuss asked, looking on the verge of another outburst.

Instead of answering, Kurloz held Horuss's hands and guided him back to where they were laying down. Though the first part was fairly easy, Horuss grew stubborn, resisting the instruction to at least sit down. After a few insistent shoves, Horuss sat down, but soon protested the suggestion.

As Kurloz sat on his lap, Horuss spoke up. "I don't really feel like resting again. That won't help anyth- ugh!" Kurloz's nails dug into the most tender part of Horuss's shoulders before slamming him onto the floor. For a moment, Horuss hissed from the pain that rang through his upper body. The intention of his typically distant highblood friend became more clear from the provocative hip movements made on top of him, causing Horuss to sweat and turn his head away to avoid eye contact. He was particularly sensitive down there, having to keep his focus on holding back his involuntary noises as he fidgeted a bit.

Annoyed with Horuss looking away, Kurloz leaned in close and grabbed a hold of his face before trying to make him return his gaze. Seeing him tightly shut his eyes in response, Kurloz growled and stopped his motion. Before there was any retaliation, Horuss pressed up against him and let out a desperate moan. From that response, Kurloz laughed, deciding to tease with an irritatingly slow grind against him.

"Please-" Horuss whimpered, his body tensing up when Kurloz picked up the pace. What was meant to be typical withdrawn breaths quickly became sharp gasps, making Kurloz let go of Horuss's face before getting off of him. "Pardon my malfunctioning respiration." He murmured, glancing over at Kurloz for a moment before looking away again. As if ashamed, he kept his gaze averted as he undid the belt and fly of his pants before grabbing Kurloz's wrist and guiding his hand to it.

Understanding Horuss was testing his own comfort to this sexual encounter, Kurloz easily complied, slipping his hand under the band of Horuss's briefs. More than happy to find Horuss already started to unsheathe, Kurloz gave a tender rub to the tip as Horuss trembled in pleasure and excitement. From more coming out, Kurloz pulled Horuss's pants and briefs down, allowing for easier access to stroke the length.

Remembering how much Rufioh and Horuss locked lips during their last sexual encounter as a couple, Kurloz leaned in and delivered a kiss to Horuss, with him returning it. Understandably, the kisses were somewhat brief to ensure they didn't overwhelm their injured bodies. Despite this, Kurloz was frustrated over how much he hungered for another pailing with Horuss, knowing he couldn't have it yet. His own bulge was unsheathed beneath his skintight outfit, practically driving him mad. Being so turned on with a desperate lower hue submitting to him and begging for his touch, yet not able to handle the respiratory demand to go all the way, due to the shit he pulled the previous night.

As Horuss let out many moans and whimpers that he tried to hide behind his hand, Kurloz picked up the speed, noticing Horuss tensing up and his exhales becoming heavier. Almost there, perfect. He will now only ever cum for Kurloz, as he's meant to. Horuss's body belonged to Kurloz now, whether he realized it or not. This strong indigo blood making all these pathetic noises for him and him alone. He nearly felt sorry for causing what damage he's done to the poor thing before heartbreak, if it hadn't worked so well in his favor. With a final passionate kiss for the early rise of the Beforan moon, Kurloz took a lot out of Horuss, making him gasp intensely for air after hitting his orgasm. Such a mess, a gorgeous blue mess.

Chapter Text

The night following their intimate encounter, Horuss regained himself, thinking over things and feeling conflicted. His unease grew from Kurloz staying close to his side, appearing to monitor him over the smallest of things. He couldn't even get reassurance on this strange behavior from his moirail Meulin, as Kurloz was keeping too close of an eye on him. It seemed the purple blood also wanted to keep him trapped in the memory of his own hive, making in-person encounters with others out of the question. This was getting far too unbearable, but he wasn't sure how to confront this sort of situation.

In the middle of trying to figure out getting away from Kurloz without causing a surge of antagonism, Horuss sighed. Giving into the sexual desire granted by someone of a higher hue was a mistake if this was the result. Maybe there was something else to it? He thought more on it, considering the strings of missing information centering current events and how Kurloz was either suddenly absent or right beside him. None of it felt conclusive enough to claim anything, but it was enough for fear and suspicion of Kurloz. Damn this amnesia, and damn this void aspect.

Making sure to show tenderness and affection, Kurloz was combing through Horuss's well-kept hair that he let down for him. In the meantime, Kurloz slipped the hair tie on his own wrist. He knew fully well that Horuss was distrustful of him, yet kept his smile, knowing that Horuss wanted his touch. Or at least that's what he convinced himself, as Horuss was more unsettled and wanting to get away than anything.

Despite Kurloz's content, the fierce thoughts clouded his mind again, making him shiver and jolt. His stare on the back of Horuss's head then intensified, and he lightly grabbed a fistful of Horuss's hair. He entertained the idea of what he could do to beat his pretty bitch bloody, feeling a rush from it and tightening his grip.

In the moment Horuss figured Kurloz was contemplating something sinister, his Trollian went off. He felt the grip release in an instant without having to request it. Though hesitant, Horuss made sure to thank the highblood before heading to the computer as he got more messages. Hopefully one of their friends has gotten worried on his prolonged absence in their group.

Maximizing the Trollian window, what little hope Horuss had vanished once he saw the violet text. Already word got out about the breakup, with some of the more desperate wanting to get in on some rebound action. At least Porrim wasn't trying to get at him, but that's more on her being disturbed by Horuss than on her being respectful and modest.

Knowing Kurloz was certainly glaring over his shoulder at the chatlog, Horuss quickly blocked Cronus's messages. This action was rewarded with Kurloz giving a light rub on his shoulders to let him know he did the right thing. Though, something else didn't feel right, keeping Horuss tense. If word got around regarding the breakup, then why hasn't he gotten any messages from his moirail? She always made sure to promote her magic centering romance within their friend group, no matter their status with her.

Horuss held his breath as he slowly moved the cursor to hover over Meulin's troll handle. With a click, he knew Kurloz looked at the screen, feeling the massage come to a sudden halt. Horuss's heart sank as he saw that Meulin's messages were blocked, knowing fully well that he wouldn't have blocked his own moirail. Especially not during a devastating time like this.

Despite rage burning within Kurloz from this action already being found out, he simply pulled the computer chair back with Horuss staying sat down, not daring to move. As Kurloz turned the chair to make Horuss face him, he was met with Horuss suddenly breaking down crying. It's easy to expect nothing else from a page that felt cornered, even if the void's contradictions made it more of a gamble. However, Horuss still pissed Kurloz off.

Horuss quickly realized his sobs gained him no sympathy as he was yanked from the chair and thrown to the floor. With Kurloz standing above him, Horuss instinctively shielded himself, immediately noticing how eerily familiar it felt. Unfortunately for Horuss, his void aspect denied him understanding, only giving him realizations that left him as quickly as he had received them. This only made him panic more. His breathing quickened, and he resorted to scrambling back before he could make an attempt to plea for forgiveness.

Shortly after, Horuss then noticed the obvious: the room around them had changed. Recognizing a few items strewn about as belonging to Kurloz, it became clear they were now in the memory of his hive. Instantly, his eyes darted to the door that moonlight shone in from, but Kurloz knew how to alter his memories. Before Horuss could think to run, the door vanished, keeping him trapped and hopeless from the fear overwhelming his mind.

The typical pathetic and fearful look on Horuss's face never failed to captivate Kurloz, and the tears were always a nice addition. He got on his knees and leaned closer, watching Horuss fail to retaliate, seemingly only capable of sniffling and trembling. The hesitance allowed Kurloz to press his ear against Horuss's chest, hearing the fast pounding of his pusher accompanied by the gasping from his sobs. No distinct cracking of broken ribs as far as he could tell. Likely some damage remaining, but not as bad as the previous night. Bless the advanced healing process of their species.

With a pleased sigh, Kurloz then shoved Horuss against the horn pile he unknowingly scooted towards. Admittedly, Kurloz was inspired to make the pile after hearing of his beta counterpart's own, believing it was hilarious. It was even more hilarious in use. He couldn't help but laugh lowly at the small yelp Horuss made that instantly got drowned out by multiple stressed honks. Observing Horuss was still fearful, now tightly shutting his eyes and quivering, Kurloz decided to open up his jacket. No resistance whatsoever. Upon yanking the shirt up, he then traced his hands down that sweaty muscular body of Horuss's.

Horuss let out a sudden gasp from Kurloz's hands traveling down lower, yet stopping at the belt before simply tracing back up his torso. This time, Kurloz let his hands travel to Horuss's face to wipe the tears from his eyes with the back of them before leaning in and giving him a few small kisses. Gradually turning the few kisses into a deeper and more passionate kiss, Kurloz adjusted himself to straddle Horuss, lightly grinding against him.

Despite the fear from earlier, Horuss soon eased into the pleasure. As he did, he recalled past relationships with highbloods both before and during their session. How he submitted to them despite the danger, yet it was much more tame and less sexual than this. It doesn't matter the difference, he was meant to submit to those above him. It's all he's good for. To be used for whatever they wanted, as he was beneath them and unworthy.

Horuss's increasingly perverse thoughts suddenly got interrupted by Kurloz exiting the kiss to undo the belt of his pants before slipping his hand beneath the beltline. He blushed furiously from realizing his bulge was unsheathed the moment Kurloz grabbed it in such a possessive matter.

"Are we, um-" His sentence got interrupted by a shiver and moan as Kurloz toyed with his tip. "Are we going to pail?" Horuss sheepishly asked. In reply, Kurloz gave him a look that said "of course we are", willing his outfit away in that moment to make it more clear. Seeing the scars that decorated most of Kurloz's body was enough to shut him up. It seems there was a lot more to this purple blood than he could ever know or understand.

Noticing his sweaty sweetheart start to tense up again, Kurloz grabbed him by the jacket and yanked, making him sit back up. He kept one hand on his shoulder, teasing sinking his claws into him before his focus drifted. With Horuss's nails being more blunt for his crafts, Kurloz went ahead and stood on his knees before guiding Horuss's hand up close to his crotch.

Without Kurloz needing to instruct, Horuss understood and timidly rubbed his fingers against the slick of Kurloz's nook. After determining his fingers were lubricated enough from Kurloz's pre-material, Horuss slid one in. He very gently kept up a steady motion, worried about injuring such a delicate place. It didn't take long for Kurloz to seemingly urge for more, making Horuss insert another finger, now sliding both in and out. The concentrated look on Horuss's face soon faltered. He knew to focus to ensure he wasn't going to bruise from his strength, but the way Kurloz was staring at him was making it difficult.

Though Horuss's gaze constantly drifted as he continued to prep Kurloz's nook, he finally looked away. It was easy to tell he was embarrassed from the purple bulge rubbing against his wrist before making an attempt to wrap around it. Trying to keep his mind off of that, he instead set his focus on the hand that was on his shoulder. There were a few less distinct scars that grew in severity the further up the limb it went. What looked like a few healed cuts, burns, and... bitemarks?

From Horuss eyeing the scars, Kurloz slowly ran a hand over them before tracing up to his own face, giving the "zipped lips" gesture. Their secret, as only Horuss could see his body to its full extent now. Only him. Placing that hand on Horuss's other shoulder, Kurloz glided it inward to his neck. They made eye contact for a moment before he grabbed the neckline of the shirt and pulled at it.

With his shoulder more exposed, Horuss gulped, well-aware of the scar he had there. The sudden wide smile on Kurloz's face didn't ease him, and Kurloz tracing over the scar made his fear worse. Despite the terrified expression of Horuss's returning as he slowly withdrew his hand, Kurloz decided to creep closer, opening up his mouth.

It was clear Horuss didn't want to test if it was another bluff or not, immediately pulling away from Kurloz's grasp and colliding with the horn pile. From the pile honking again, Kurloz grit his teeth, trying to stifle a laugh, only to end up letting out a hissed one. A faint feeling of something familiar drifted by Horuss as he laid there stunned. His gaze went to Kurloz, as if to ask what the feeling was, only to see Kurloz staring blankly back at him suddenly.

Looking down at Horuss, Kurloz considered how easy it would be to keep him trapped in his passageway memory, much like before, and to let the others assume he ran away after the breakup. That thought sent a shiver of excitement through him. However, he figured that Meulin losing her moirail would send her into another fit of depression, which he didn't want to cause again. Enough playing around and getting lost in thought. It's time to pail with this pathetic indigo blood.

Noticing Kurloz's focus drift down to the occasionally shifting bulge in his pants, Horuss knew it was time. Though he will always be conflicted on how to feel about Kurloz, Horuss already anticipated pailing with him. Before he could undo his pants himself, Kurloz practically tore the fly open before forcing the pants and briefs down to expose the blue bulge. Horuss felt his pusher beating furiously. His first pailing since his breakup, and with an intense highblood. Before he knew it, he was sweating again.

Kurloz held Horuss's bulge in his hand before signing "you okay?" with the other, seeming to surprise Horuss for a moment.

In the middle of reassuring Kurloz he was alright, Horuss gasped and shivered as the cooler temperature of Kurloz's nook came in contact with his bulge suddenly. With Kurloz lustfully working down the inches after initial penetration, Horuss already felt overwhelmed and couldn't help but let out a whimper.

Despite there not being an active stressor, Horuss's anxiety grew the more this progressed. Something about this, about Kurloz, was wrong, yet familiar somehow. The stress on Horuss's face was easy to see, he couldn't hide it, even if he wanted to. His body gave it away as well, the rising of his chest as he took in quick breaths, and the way he trembled beneath Kurloz every now and then. So pathetic, so gorgeous.

Once taking in all of Horuss's inches, Kurloz took a moment to tenderly stroke Horuss's cheek, giving him a knowing look as he did. The idea of frightening Horuss to the point of him hyperventilating was tempting, but Kurloz knew he shouldn't add more stressors with how much he's messed with Horuss already. To distract from that idea however, Kurloz guided Horuss's trembling hands to his hips, holding them there as he swayed side to side. The feel of Horuss's bulge was just as satisfying as he remembered it, but now it was his and his alone.

A few shaken moans exited Horuss from the stimulation, being met with Kurloz rolling his hips slow and steady while humming out his own moans. Kurloz set his hands on Horuss's chest to keep steady, though it was also an excuse to directly monitor Horuss's breathing and heartbeat. If only Horuss knew how intoxicating he was when left speechless from Kurloz's vehement nature.

Changing it up, Kurloz started to bounce on the bulge, picking up the pace when Horuss's moans got louder. While still deriving pleasure, having to inhibit his own impulses and desires agitated Kurloz. His thoughts were less forgiving, making him wince and shake his head enough for it to be obvious. Thankfully, Horuss had shut his eyes again and didn't notice.

However, Horuss was starting to hold his breath, huffing out brief mumbled curses while his heartrate was building. He was approaching climax. With a sly grin, Kurloz slowed his momentum, now letting most of the bulge exit before descending back down and repeating.

"Kurloz, please." Horuss huffed, whimpering when Kurloz paused to slow down more when swaying his hips with it deep in him, irritating him further. "Please, let me-" Realizing what he was about to say, Horuss stopped, getting flustered. "um...."

In reply, Kurloz kept up his slow speed, now moving his hips in a circular motion. He simply chose to ignore Horuss until he had the nerve to spit it out. Even with that, he did love the sound of Horuss's desperate moans as he kept his motions up in the meantime. Feeling Horuss's pulse settle a bit, Kurloz chuckled, fully halting his motion.

Without much care, Kurloz then grabbed and yanked on Horuss's jacket to force him to sit up once again. Being face to face only confused Horuss on what was going to happen. Before he could question it, Kurloz hushed him and stood up, letting the bulge exit as he did.

"I command you." Kurloz signed, and Horuss made sure to keep his excitement reserved as he anticipated more. Unceremoniously, it was just followed by "stand", with Horuss complying immediately. Despite Horuss following it, Kurloz set his hands on his shoulders and pushed down until he got on his knees.

"Did I not follow the command correctly?" Horuss asked as Kurloz got down to his level, only for him to turn around and reinsert the bulge as he pressed up against Horuss's body. "Oh!"

As Kurloz rocked his hips, he grabbed Horuss's hands and placed them there, now with him being more willing. To congratulate this, Kurloz hummed out moans as he kept his motion up, letting his partner know how good he felt.

Before Horuss could think much on this change, Kurloz then leaned forward, now on his hands and knees, looking up over his shoulder expectantly at him. This shift made it more obvious. He wanted Horuss to take charge. Despite his worries regarding his own strength, Horuss knew to obey the command, even if it was just implied.

Still, Horuss took caution as he slid in and out of him, unsure and slow at first. Using the earlier speed as reference, he gradually picked up the pace, earning a few moans from Kurloz. With the highblood's back currently displayed to him in full view, he couldn't help but feel uneasy, recognizing some of the scars there as being from Meulin's claw gloves. Kurloz must have really liked pain. While still uncomfortable with the concept, Horuss considered his strength for a moment.

Feeling the thrusts getting more rough, Kurloz couldn't help but tense up and groan at first. His light hissing from the occasional stings gradually turned into louder moans. Exactly what he wanted. Such powerful indigo anatomy pounding into him. He let his upper body rest against the floor as Horuss continued, arching his back as he did.

The display of a highblood being submissive in this matter was absurdly dirty to Horuss. It being part of an implied command added to it. Alongside this, he couldn't help but think of how good it felt to pound Kurloz's nook as his climax was nearing once more, though it was an incredibly naughty thought for him.

Meanwhile, Kurloz retrieved a pail from his faithful flashy sylladex, intending to not make a mess this time as he positioned it beneath himself. Already, Kurloz was stroking himself, knowing Horuss would soon cum too. He kept his breathing steady enough to listen to Horuss's moans and huffs better. The climax grew closer and closer, making him start to twitch. Before he knew it, his purple genetic fluid shot out into the bucket. With Horuss still going, Kurloz huffed out desperately, loving every moment.

From Kurloz reaching his orgasm, the sensation of his nook pulsing made Horuss shiver, the stimulation making his speed falter. He was almost there as well, letting out breathy moans and huffing the more it approached. After a few more deep thrusts, his genetic fluid shot into Kurloz, and he slumped back against the horn pile, exhausted.

With Horuss recovering from his orgasm, Kurloz went ahead and emptied into the bucket, creating an indigo and purple slurry. Preferring to prevent Horuss from freaking out about the bruising starting to form on his hips, he decided to will his outfit back on after wiping the mess off his legs. While he was at it, he chose to reveal the doorway of his hive.

Not much time passed while Horuss rested on the horn pile with his eyes closed. He soon felt a towel pat his face and neck a few times. As expected, he opened his eyes to see Kurloz holding one of his towels. The look in those eerie eyes was softer this time, though they still remained fixated while observing Horuss. That usual smile of Kurloz's remained, yet appeared more genuine somehow. Nonetheless, it was difficult for Horuss to figure out what to say to him.

"What exactly.... is your intention with me?" Horuss asked slowly, not knowing if this was the right question for the situation overall.

"guess" Kurloz signed.

"Oh, um...." Horuss looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. "Were you wishing for a.... kismesissitude? With me?" Kurloz shook his head. "This couldn't possibly be a matespritship. Meulin's rather ardent teachings always went over the romantic capabilities of each quadrant type." Saying this, Horuss then mulled it over. "Is this outside of filling quadrants? Don't tell me this is a pitch dalliance!"

Kurloz shook his head again before replying, simply stating "you're mine, beyond quadrants. mine."

Horuss went quiet, recalling how Kurloz had been acting. Nervously, he fixed his clothes so he'd feel less indecent. At least there wasn't any distinct mess on his outfit this time around, and his drifting gaze went back to Kurloz. "M-May I.... May I request something?" Asking this, Horuss could feel himself forcing a smile, as if his stuttering and staring wasn't enough of a dead giveaway. He clearly wanted to leave.

Kurloz's expression going blank made Horuss's steadily rising anxiety quickly become dread. Rather than a reply, Kurloz's hand glided up Horuss's torso before his fingertips traced his clavicle, drifting slightly downwards to the artery he pressed a claw against. As Horuss began to tremble, the hellacious thoughts practically stabbed at Kurloz. He jerked his head to the side, grimacing for a moment before looking back at Horuss.

Opening up his sylladex, Kurloz watched the several items flicker about within it. Though Horuss was mentally preparing to sprint out the door, he settled down when seeing Kurloz was returning the goggles to him. He didn't seem too happy about it, yet kept his expression blank. Leaning in again, he took the hair tie off his wrist and put Horuss's hair back in a ponytail for him.

"Thank y-" Horuss started, getting interrupted with a quick kiss. "Thank you.... Are you granting me permission to leave? Of course, if you request it, then I will stay. By your command."

After a dismissive wave of the hand, Kurloz signed "you will come back to me." When Horuss stood, he was stopped for a moment. "secret", Kurloz signed, as his goodbye to Horuss.

Without a word, Horuss nodded, eyeing Kurloz when leaving his reach. Once determining he was fully in the clear, he then turned around and ran, like Kurloz knew he would. Watching Horuss leave so urgently sparked discontent within Kurloz, slowly boiling over into a fury.

Despite this, Kurloz made use of keeping his stitches out, equipping his hand pipe. Might as well smoke some nip to ease himself if not just to pass the time. He booted up his computer before looking through the drawers for some catnip he knew he had stashed around. Opening up Trollian, Kurloz instantly noticed Meulin was trying to get a hold of him. He had notified her a few nights ago of running an errand, but clearly his absence was much longer than usual. Thankfully, from the entirety of his existence, nobody expected him to be anything other than secretive.

Taking note of their friend group list, Kurloz chuckled to himself. There was no way Horuss would want to face his ex. The others in the group either couldn't stand his behavior, or he couldn't stand theirs, leaving him a complete outcast. The ones that could tolerate him had deep interpersonal relationships involving Kurloz, including those from the past. Even if Horuss desperately wanted to, he could never escape Kurloz.

Chapter Text

Now free to to meet up with his moirail Meulin, Horuss made sure to scope the area first. While he remained unbothered by Kurloz for a while, the mere thought of him being nearby was enough to keep him on-edge. It seemed clear of any sign of that purple blood so far, but Horuss still wasn't able to ease himself. He tried his best to block any potential thoughts past fear as well, since knowing of his own fluctuations made those interactions all the more... He couldn't even find the words for it.

"I'm so glad you finally met up with me!" Meulin called out to him, immediately going into her passions as a form of advice. "With my romantic sorcery I'll get you back with Rufioh in no time, all you need to do is ask! Absolutely no cost!"

From his mind being preoccupied with his conflicting feelings for Kurloz, remembering Rufioh broke up with him was a solid punch in the gut. His lip trembled as his mouth formed a frown.

"Hey, no need to be a downer! I'm the mage of heart, remember? The ultimate matchmaker!"

His agitation on the subject rising, Horuss growled. "Is romance just something fleeting and meaningless to play around with for lower hues? Empty promises and all." Seeing Meulin just absentmindedly blink at him, Horuss sighed. "My apologies. Lately my behavior has been.... I'm not sure. A tad more blue than I'd like, I suppose. I feel you could help purge me of it."

"No worries! I couldn't read your lips for a bit there actually. We can work on your enunciation later. But if you don't want my magical help, I suppose I could lend you some of my older material of your pairing. I even dabbled in the idea of you and Rufioh being more of a kismesis pair instead of matesprits back then! Y'know, when you were more furrocious." She said with a giggle. "It's a bit dated, but still a good read!"

Seeing Horuss's lack of enthusiasm, Meulin stopped, but remained oblivious. Though she and Kurloz drifted apart in their romance, they remained close. Closer in some areas more than others. Horuss, on the other hand, was more bitter and heartbroken. It's only expected that someone like him would fill with more hate and ignorance.

"Can I ask about your past relationship with Kurloz?" Horuss managed to ask.

Meulin perked up, giving a little "mrrp" as she did. "What's with the sudden interest? Nostalgia?"

"Um, no, not exactly." Horuss considered how he could steer clear of what he actually wanted to ask. "I was wondering how it was having such a gap between you two, regarding your hues. Since you have.... Well, you have the other perspective."

Meulin gave a light-hearted laugh. "Oh Horuss, you know our team doesn't care much about that. Well, hmmmm. Purrhaps we did just a nip, because Meenah was our leader. But that's different! She's the empress, and she meant well!"

"Right...."

"Well," Meulin blushed. "with stuff like physical differences... I still have a lot of material. Very saucy from purrsonal experience heehee."

Embarrassed by the idea of explicit material directly detailing his moirail, Horuss immediately denied being shown it. "No, no! That's quite fine, really."

"We still pass the time like we used to, especially after the involvement of our dancestors and the humans! Kurloz always had an eerie talent with picking blackrom pairs! Makes me a little jealous sometimes."

"Black romance?" Mulling it over, Horuss ended up asking something that gave himself away. "Has he recently been making more odd choices regarding black leanings?"

"Ohhhhh I see what's going on here!" Meulin said, though she was more playing around than anything. Even then, she'll consider the potential content regardless.

"You do?"

"Both of you "too busy" at the same time, hmmmm?"

"That's completely different! You knew I was in my workshop, I distinctly recall telling you a few nights ago!" Shouting this, he quickly scanned the area to make sure Kurloz wasn't around.

"It's so purrfect! Both being outcasts to connect over while your oppawsing views cause a clash, setting it into blackrom! Reminds me of the content I made between Kurloz and Cronus back when they used to talk to each other."

With that last line, Horuss instantly set his focus back to her. "Cronus? I never herd they were close."

Meulin let out a quick squeal from this despite Horuss's seemingly neutral expression. Clearly, she was too fixated on the idea of friendfics right now. "Is that jealousy I see?! I can't! That's so adorable!" Once Horuss frowned again, she changed her reply. "Don't worry, I'll be sworn to sneakrecy! Anything for my dear moirail."

"Um, yes. If that's alright with you, I mean.... You won't tell Kurloz either, right?"

"No promises!" Meulin cheered, yet paused, thinking over how else she was going to meddle.

"It would be nice if you didn't tell h-" Horuss started, but got interrupted.

"I think I saw Cronus roaming around nearby if you wanted to ask him about Kurloz."

Getting interrupted, Horuss let out an annoyed huff before rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm not so sure about that." He scanned the area again. "Actually, has Kurloz ever.... Well, it's difficult to say, but has he ever been "intimidating" apart from his usual eerie um.... presentation?"

"Oh no, he's an absolute sweetheart! Even when we drifted apart as matesprits, he had always been so helpful and reassuring. I know Meenah felt like he was exceptionally creepy, but she was gone for so long, you know? Seems like an outlier to me!"

"Hm, I see. Well.... I would suggest some caution, just in case."

"Okey-dokey!" Meulin concluded, watching Horuss hurry off. Having brand new material within their group to write about, Meulin wasted no time taking out her tablet computer. As she sat down, she took some time to think about if they would work best under a red or black romance. Maybe they were more of a fluctuation case, entering pitch.

Thinking it over more, she started to chew on the tablet pen. Since it involved her moirail and a close friend, there's the possibility of her being the auspice, if it ended up being a kismesissitude. Too bad Horuss couldn't quite place it yet, but that just meant more friend fics for her to make. A while passed with her fics keeping her occupied, at least until Kurloz sat beside her.

Immediately smelling the smoke residue, Meulin got upset, setting her tablet down. "Did you do a smoking sesh without me?" She asked, signing alongside her speech.

Despite Kurloz giving a shrug to dismiss it, Meulin sniffed him a bit more, getting up close. The stitched grin on his face instantly dropped, aware Horuss must have already tipped her off on something. Her cheeky smile and response made it more clear.

"Trying to hide a certain smell, huh?"

With a groan, Kurloz signed "what did horse-boy say?"

"Oh, nothing..." She giggled.

"nothing?" Kurloz asked, raising his eyebrows as he exaggerated the sign before crossing his arms briefly, only to sign "bullshit" at the end. Once crossing his arms again, Meulin laughed.

"I always loved the way you mime, it's so precious."

"where did horse-boy go?" Kurloz signed, disregarding Meulin's compliment.

"You don't want to stay and chat? But you just got here, and I want to know about your sudden purrsonal interest in concupiscent romance. You left that dating scene eons ago!"

Kurloz shook his head. "not yet. I must go... do something."

Meulin snickered. "Oh you're gonna go "do something" alright!"

After rolling his eyes at her, Kurloz stood up, looking around briefly before heading off. While he originally intended to give Horuss some space, the idea of something unplanned happening and changing the course irritated him beyond belief. This small talk with Meulin confirmed the suspicion, even if he wasn't aware of the extent of "confirmation".

"There's a chance he's talking to Cronus! Sorry about that!" Meulin called out.

Immediately turning around, Kurloz glared. "fish-loser? why?" He signed before tossing his hands in the air to further show his frustration.

"My bad! He didn't leave too long ago, so it should be easy to catch up. You're heading the right way, don't worry!"

-

Having found Cronus, Horuss tried bringing up Kurloz, only for him to side-step the topic to go on a hemospectrum-based tangent. Likely as an attempt to ease Horuss into romantic advances, as his immediate flirting only ended with his messages getting blocked. The conversation progressed enough for the two of them to sit down beside a tree in the field they wandered into. While Cronus was more relaxed and open, Horuss remained more closed-off, as usual.

"Y'knowv, a noble land dvweller like yourself could really only fit in vwith other highbloods. No lowvbloods or midbloods could truly connect vwith trolls of our class."

With the opening, Horuss finally responded. "I suppose in a way you're right. The dissonance between us appeared so minimal and insignificant at the time.... Perhaps it was just my ignorance."

"Really, you're lucky I happen to be a really sensitivwe guy that's emotionally receptivwe to the vwoes of a close friend."

"Hm, I don't recall us being close. Aside from conceptually, regarding where we land on the hemospectrum, and in terms of class compatibility."

Clearly ignoring Horuss, Cronus continued. "Yep, people tend to be real terrible to us higher hues. So vwe end up being loners vwhether vwe like it or not, but vwe need to stick vwith each other. Especially after such devwastating rejections of a man of my class. I mean- vwell, you get wvhat I mean."

Considering his encounter with Meulin, Horuss seemed more upset. "Perhaps you're right. At least in some way."

"This is vworking?" Cronus whispered to himself in shock, changing up when Horuss looked at him. "Of course I'm right!" He exclaimed, wrapping an arm around Horuss. "Go ahead and tell me vwhat's troubling you, buddy."

Looking off into the distance, Horuss considered his hurt and went along with it. "Meulin tried to offer mending my relationship with Rufioh, or I suppose recreating the spark we once had. I'm not too sure on her practice. But had she insisted on it, I probably would have accepted, against my better judgement. It's ridiculous. I feel so, so-...." He growled. "I feel so ashamed and foolish. Trying to do everything I could just to stay by their side. All while trying to keep the respect of fellow highbloods, especially her highness."

Barely listening, Cronus nodded. "I hear you, man."

"Being an indigo blood already makes connecting with others difficult, but what I experience on a deeper level-" Horuss stopped himself, feeling unsettled all the sudden, as if sensing something.

"Vwhat's up, chief? Need a massage?" Cronus asked with a laugh.

With the fear gradually rising, Horuss quickly looked around before replying. "It- It um, wouldn't be right...."

"Easy, it's not like I'm servwicing you. You'd probably like that a lot, huh?"

Horuss turned to face Cronus, noticeably starting to sweat. "Pardon?"

"Vwell dang, Zahhak, it's pretty easy to tell. You'd probably get off if I told you to listen to me as your superior. But hey, if you vwant things slowv, I'll let your pervwersion slide just this once." The two went quiet before Cronus casually looked away. "I'm not doing anything later."

Despite his headgear covering most of it, Horuss blushed, but he instantly frowned and turned away. "I'm actually spoken for."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Cronus yelled, instantly jumping to conclusions. "Don't tell me you're dating LOVWER in the caste system, vwith Damara! This is humiliating!"

"Sorry, I just-" Horuss tried to explain, but got cut off by Cronus scoffing.

"No, it's fine. I almost made a mistake out of pity for you. This rejection only helped me remember I still havwe my dignity, and also to not stoop so lowv." Cronus hissed out the last part before storming off.

Though confused on the outburst, Horuss felt guilty and went to follow Cronus, only to halt when something flew past him; some sort of thin projectile. Spotting where it landed, fear stung at him. It was an arrow, one of his. He instinctively covered his mouth with his hands before managing to glanced up to see if Cronus noticed, but he was already gone.

His adrenaline went haywire, causing him to tremble before setting his gaze to the hillside. As he feared, there Kurloz stood, wielding a bow he looted from Horuss's hive. He already had another arrow at the ready, pulling at the bowstring. Absolutely petrified, Horuss couldn't bring himself to do anything. Already with the disadvantage of Kurloz having the high ground, Horuss was also out in the open. He was as good as double-dead.

Noticing Horuss wasn't going to budge, Kurloz tightened his grip on the bow, glaring down at Horuss. A simple bluff wouldn't be enough if Horuss's body made him incapable of participation. Taking aim again, Kurloz then released the bowstring, watching the arrow zip between Horuss's horns.

From the arrow brushing over his hair before stabbing into the ground behind him, Horuss felt lightheaded, fainting right then and there. The stress building up until that moment being the main contributor for the sudden fainting spell. Unable to tell if the arrow nicked him or not, Kurloz set the bow back in his strife specibus before heading down to check on him.

As Kurloz closed the distance between them, Horuss groaned, already making a attempt to get up as he laid face-down. After all, he only fainted, yet still felt weak. Lightheaded and gradually becoming nauseous, he ceased his attempt to get up for now. Once something touched his head, Horuss remembered the sensation of the arrow, trembling at the touch. He remained unsettled when recognizing the sensation of fingers parting his hair at the same time the person sat on his back.

Despite confirming Horuss was uninjured, Kurloz was annoyed over not being able to literally hunt his object of obsession. It's probably for the best, as it would draw too much attention if Horuss did so much as scream. The initial rush was at least worthwhile, and once again, he had a shaken indigo beneath him.

"Kurloz?" Horuss mumbled, recalling seeing him before fainting. A familiar gloved hand reaching for his own, interlocking their fingers together, confirmed it was Kurloz. "I told Cronus I was spoken for. I hadn't mentioned you." With Kurloz pulling his hand away, alongside his weight leaving from standing on his knees, Horuss rolled onto his back to look up at him.

The sight of Horuss being weak beneath him spurred a graphic thought involving bludgeoning him to death with his clubs right there. A sight both irresistible and appalling, causing Kurloz to suddenly retract from Horuss before completely turning away from him. It was difficult processing if this sudden infatuation was something other than fate guiding harm, as it does for those of his religion.

Assuming Kurloz moved away from feeling bad for misunderstanding the interaction with Cronus, Horuss got up and scooted towards him. Saying nothing, he rested his head on Kurloz's shoulder. When Kurloz nudged him off, he intended to give him some space, only to find himself getting caught in a playful headlock instead.

Shocked for a moment, Horuss tried to consider his wording while the restraint was still loose. "I'm still recovering from earlier." To his surprise, Kurloz instantly released his grip, simply delivering a light pat to Horuss's back as he regained his posture. He sat in silence again for a short while before saying something. "Actually, can I see that bow?"

Though Kurloz briefly side-eyed Horuss, he opened up his strife specibus and equipped the bow he used and handed it over. From the specibus opening, Horuss determined it was just that one within the bowkind strife portfolio. It took only a moment to identify the bow Kurloz used was one of his beginner recurve bows, completely unmodified and insignificant.

In an instant, Horuss snapped the bow like a twig before throwing it, launching it far into the void of a sky. Afterwards, he heaved out a sigh as he settled back down. "Please, just inform me on what I must do in order to appease you, without going through exorbitant lengths. It's impossible to understand your actions and need for hostility. Some parts are jokes, I understand that, but you make it so it's-...." Horuss paused, trying to keep his rising temper down. "It's as frustrating as circuitry refusing to work even after troubleshooting everything over and over again!"

Seeing Kurloz remained unbothered, Horuss thought it over before speaking again. "Is it possible you were governed by your aspect in a way that provoked such irrational-" Once Kurloz put a hand on his knee, he paused. "Would you rather not talk about it?"

Without answering, Kurloz cupped Horuss's face with both hands. Unable to see those eyes of Horuss's from the headgear, he instead focused on his lips, rubbing a thumb over them. Despite having already pailed with him not long ago, Kurloz wanted more. He craved Horuss. In due time, he will feel those sharp teeth pierce his skin, even if for now Horuss tightly shut his mouth. It's funny almost, as if deep down, he could remember.

Moving one hand down, Kurloz rubbed alongside Horuss's inner-thigh. He then teased by hovering his hand over his crotch soon after, as if to urge his sweetheart to say he wanted it. While Horuss resisted, the blush and sweat always gave him away. Easily swayed by coquettish advances, making it more necessary to have an aggressive approach, to show who's rightfully meant to fuel his lust.

Seemingly stubborn, Horuss remained quiet, yet gently grabbed Kurloz's wrist the moment he withdrew his hand. Remembering how he brought Kurloz's hand to his crotch last time, he got more flustered. While it was easier to avoid Kurloz's gaze with his headgear, Horuss could tell that the stare got intense, as if demanding him to say it. To say he wanted it. At the very least, he could bring his hand to his crotch, to let Kurloz get him off.

Horuss struggled, his fluctuating feelings getting his words stuck in his throat. "N-N-nnnot here." He managed to stutter out, looking at Kurloz to see if this response was good enough.

Kurloz's expression appeared blank as he pulled his hand away, simply returning it to cup Horuss's face. Having both hands holding Horuss's face again, Kurloz focused on his mouth. It would be so easy to reach in and let his fingers explore, just to disturb him. However, Horuss pressed a hand against Kurloz's, successfully regaining his attention. Horuss must be having some sort of moment. Best not to ruin it.

Though still skittish, Horuss leaned in and gave Kurloz a quick kiss on his stitched lips. As he backed out, Kurloz wrapped an arm around his neck, pulling him in for more. With Kurloz's stitches now gone, he delivered more passionate kisses back. Still, Kurloz caught him off-guard, as he ended up tenderly biting at Horuss's lower lip.

Horuss immediately withdrew, disturbed and covering his mouth. Despite how gentle it was, just knowing about what Kurloz did to his own tongue made the interaction all the more alarming. While he expected Kurloz to get agitated, he instead just chuckled.

"you afraid?" Kurloz signed, as if to taunt Horuss.

"Wh-Why of horse- course! Of course, I meant.... Um. Respectfully, you um.... You have a sort of reputation, as I'm sure you're well-aware of."

In reply, Kurloz shrugged, exaggerating a brief frown before simply signing "I don't care."

"Right, well..." Horuss went to scoot away, to have some space between them, only for Kurloz to grab the back of his neck as he leaned against him. While Kurloz was being affectionate and nuzzling Horuss, he had also pressed his claws into his neck.

Without intending to threaten making Horuss gush blood like previous bluffs, the grip itself was intense. It took little time for Horuss to sniffle after no change in the force. What a coward. Curious, Kurloz glanced down. It seemed this fear-arousing approach hadn't made Horuss unsheathe like the other times. Maybe it had to do with his fainting episode. Dammit.

Releasing his grip, Kurloz traced down Horuss's back, laughing at him shivering and letting out a whine. He considered his options, aware he's done too much to Horuss in such a short time. Dismissing his own aggression, Kurloz delivered a light pat on Horuss's back like before.

"you can go. for now." Kurloz signed when Horuss looked his way.

It took a moment for Horuss to recollect himself. "Are you truthfully permitting this?"

"don't question. obey me."

"I hadn't exactly returned to you myself. As you said before."

Great, now he's getting to specifics. Being sexually frustrated by Horuss wasn't enough, he just had to personally annoy Kurloz as well. Kurloz grabbed him by the jacket, flashing a glowering expression his way, growling lowly. Seeing Horuss's lip quiver, as if he was about to cry, was met with an eye-roll. Those indigo tears weren't worthwhile with those stupid goggles hiding it all.

With a shove, Kurloz let Horuss go. Rather than watching him leave like last time, Kurloz turned his back on him, heading to the more forested part of the field. He hadn't bothered turning around to see if Horuss stayed to watch him go. Either way, it definitely wouldn't quell his anxiety centering Kurloz. This recent encounter would definitely be etched into that poor blue blood's thinkpan.

Chapter Text

Several days had passed by since Horuss's last meet-up with Kurloz. Despite constantly checking his surroundings, Horuss never really saw any signs of Kurloz. The longer this continued, the more unease he felt overall. His suspicion had caused him to stay up, losing many hours of sleep, which is ridiculous to think about as a ghost. He was tired and under a lot of stress from fearing Kurloz was right around the corner; watching and waiting to strike. If Kurloz planned for most if not all of Horuss's thoughts to center him, then he was frighteningly efficient.

A familiar voice broke the void Horuss found himself lost in. "Horuss? Horuss! Heyyyy!"

Horuss snapped awake, getting shaken by his moirail. "Huh- what's happening?!" He quickly looked around, finding they were on the mixed memory of both Derse and Prospit, alongside their other friends.

"You fell asleep standing up. Like a horse!" Meulin exclaimed.

"Shoot! I intended to stay awake at all cost."

"Have you not been sleeping well lately? We can snuggle up on a pile somewhere later if you'd like. Kurloz mentioned making a horn pile too. Isn't that right, Kurloz?" Meulin turned around, finding no one behind her. "Huh, I guess he had something else to do."

The color drained from Horuss's face at the mere mention of Kurloz, especially with him suddenly disappearing once Horuss woke up. Come to think of it, his mind did feel a bit fuzzy, but that could simply be from the lack of sleep overall. He didn't even remember walking over here, but maybe his sudden nap disoriented him.

Having maneuvered through the rest of the group, Kankri interjected himself into the duo's brief conversation. "Excuse me. I heard Meulin shouting, y'know, louder than usual, and felt the need to check in on things. Such a shame on the hearing loss, really." Noting Horuss was beside Meulin, he rambled on. "Well, Meulin, I see your moirail is here. Assuming you both are still pale for each other. My apologies if that assumption is outdated. What I mean to say is if there were issues, then at least it seems Horuss fulfilled his duty as your moirail to pacify despite being a higher echelon on the hemospectrum. So good job there." From this, it was clear Kankri didn't have much to do at the get-together. This was such a minimal "issue" for even someone like him to focus on.

After Kankri's lips stopped moving, Meulin laughed before reassuring. "You were always so silly, Kankri. I was just worried for Horuss because he dozed off on me."

"Well, "dozing off" on your moirail definitely doesn't seem very respectful or healthy. Not that I'm assuming it is ongoing or will be ongoing. Perhaps that's just my own ignorance from me personally not needing to be pacified or receive consolation. Now if a friend were to fall asleep during my lecturing, I know I certainly wouldn't be too please. I mean, during my "advice". Ignore what I called it earlier."

Completely disregarding Kankri, Horuss set his attention back to the rest of their friend group. When scanning the small crowd, he saw the familiar bronze wings and red mohawk tips and immediately adverted his gaze. In doing so, he failed to notice Kurloz standing beside Rufioh.

While talking to Damara, Rufioh felt a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, uh... I'm kinda in the middle of a conversation right now." Rufioh started, but got quiet when seeing the gloved hand on his shoulder belonged to Kurloz. Instinctively, Rufioh's wings clenched together, ensuring to not touch him. Last time he accidentally smacked Kurloz with them, he had threatened to tear them off right at the lobe they formed. "Er, hey... uh... It's you..."

Damara didn't seem to take much liking to this interruption either, glaring at the two of them. Getting snarky, Damara spoke, as if continuing the previous conversation. "しかし　先ほど言ったように　全員を満足させるのは無理です"

"Really?" Rufioh sighed before turning to face Kurloz, lowering his voice to a whisper. "What are you doing?"

Answering with a demand, Kurloz signed. "I need you. go to horse-boy." He then pointed over Rufioh's shoulder to Horuss, as if "horse-boy" wasn't obvious enough.

"What?! Oh man... I can't do that... Are you serious? Honestly, tell me you're joking... Look, I still don't know how to explain to him why I dumped him over text! And-... damn, in front of all our friends? I'll look like a total ass."

"you have to." Kurloz insisted, giving an annoyed frown.

As the two kept up with their back and forth, Damara decided to head over instead of Rufioh. It didn't take long, and it was clear they were being bothered by Kankri, who she promptly shoved away. "どいてくれ！"

Before Kankri could retaliate with any sort of nonsense, Damara snapped her fingers repeatedly before pointing over to a different situation for him to deal with. Unable to properly communicate with her due to the coarse accent of hers, Damara was only met with a "hmph" by Kankri before he went off to bother a different part of their group. Clearly that one "poor Damara, having a language barrier, so oppressed" taunt that was getting old, even for him.

Being accosted by multiple lowbloods already during this group meet-up was starting to get on Horuss's nerves. "Oh, hello, Damara. I'm not sure why you're wanting to speak with me. Or Meulin. Surely there's other people to talk to."

Only being there to casually cause worry, Damara looked over her shoulder at Rufioh and Kurloz. "そのことで　あなた自身が悩んだりするの？"

Kurloz let out an annoyed huff, clearly impatient with Rufioh's constant wimpy excuses while the other conversation was happening. He simply forced Rufioh to turn back around, finally bringing his attention to Damara interacting with Horuss.

"What? Sorry, I still have difficulty understanding you." Horuss replied, trying to keep insults to himself, despite the discomfort.

Damara rolled her eyes, but then shifted her weight to one side before twirling a strand of hair, trying to seem more involved in the conversation than she was. "悪いね　僕は考えたことを言葉にしただけだ　悪気は無いよ"

"Oh, well.... Alright? At least it seems you're behaving yourself for once."

Hearing this, Damara got visibly agitated. "一体何を話してんだ？"

Trying to deescalate while also not wanting to be there, Rufioh timidly side-stepped into the conversation. "Hey, doll, uh..." Seeing Horuss distinctly upset with him there, Rufioh made an attempt to just retreat. "Yeah, uh... We were in the middle of talking uh... all the way across the courtyard... Wayyy over there..."

Finally, Rufioh's here. It took him long enough, but now he's just running his mouth like an idiot again. Damara grabbed Rufioh's wrist and yanked him closer. "彼に話を聞いたら？"

"But-" Rufioh tried to argue, but Damara pushed him, making him smack against Horuss's muscular stature. "Shit! Uh... Sorry, man, you saw she pushed me. She's crazy, I swear!" Rufioh babbled out as he stood back up. Staring nervously as Horuss just dusted himself off.

With the two preoccupied in a tense standstill, Meulin nudged Damara before showing the universal gesture to smoke. Damara looked over at where Kurloz was once standing, seeing he left, likely to set something up. What the hell. There's nothing else worthwhile here anyway. Damara nodded, deciding to lead Meulin to a nearby spot she normally smoked at by herself.

Noticing his moirail running off with Damara, Horuss growled, breaking Rufioh's confidence more. Despite his hurt turning to rage, Horuss simply looked away from Rufioh. "It's been a while." He seethed, lightly stamping his foot down.

Not accustomed to hearing Horuss mad, a shiver went through Rufioh. While he had hoped it wasn't obvious, his wings fluttered more distinctly. "Er- yeah... Sorry about that..." He managed to mumble out, thankful Horuss wasn't actually looking at him. "Uh, yeah... I was hoping the messages leading up uh... lessened the blow..."

Gritting his teeth and crossing his arms, Horuss simply went "mhm" in reply. Though he didn't really want to be angry at Rufioh, Horuss knew he'd break down the moment he didn't uphold a strong front.

"We did have good times, and it really meant a lot to me... It's just-"

"Best not to repeat yourself."

"Haha... Yeah..." Still uncomfortable with the atmosphere, Rufioh fixed his vest and huffed out, finally asking what's been bothering him. "Are we uh... cool?"

Unprepared on how to answer this question, and generally overwhelmed as it is, Horuss sighed. "Excuse me a moment." He said, ending the conversation by heading off to the nearby staircase. It went further into the more violet side of the structure, even with it blending together.

From the first hallway still feeling too open, Horuss decided to go deeper. Wandering further down without bothering to look back, tears started to fill his eyes. His stride slowed as the hurt really set in. Everyone keeps leaving, no matter how committed they were, no matter their promises, no matter the relationship. Nobody here to calm him down. His sadness boiled over into anger again, and he let out a yell before punching the wall.

As his anger gradually subsided from the brief outburst releasing some energy, Horuss noticed the empty void that he opened up as a result of his aggrieve. That definitely wasn't right. The structure of Derse simply would've opened up into another room, or at least outside; something of a violet hue, not empty darkness. The structure of memories in the bubbles were always as solid as the real thing, though mixed together. Horuss tried to blink the remaining tears from his eyes as he took another look.

This structure was notably different than he remembered and... a distinct dark purple? Derse was commonly known as the city of darkness, but that was more in-regards to the sky, not the kingdom. Turning around, he saw the hallway was also lacking the usual decor seen on Derse. Rather than the natural luminance going throughout the entirety of either moon, the only light present here was a few lit candles on the walls. It seemed more like some sort of crypt instead.

Something about this place was much more sinister and dark than a simple glance could tell; and while this definitely distracted him from his emotional turmoil, the honk of a horn in the distance only brought forward fear. Not Kurloz. Please, anyone else but Kurloz. The idea of that purple blood being here, entrapping him, only disturbed Horuss further.

Beckoning Horuss, the horn was honked again, yet he kept still. Kurloz remaining in the unlit part further into the crypt probably didn't help. As long as it was unsettling to Horuss, he didn't care much about the approach. From his time away, Kurloz already had a plan set up to disturb him more than just intimidation.

All this time without his beloved was driving Kurloz mad. It was clear Horuss was avoiding him as best he can, not even messaging him on Trollian. However, it was worth seeing Horuss paranoid, enough to lose days of sleep at the mere thought of him. It worked in Kurloz's favor in the end, allowing for him to drag Horuss to their idiotic social function without any suspicion.

Deciding Horuss was taking too long, Kurloz flicked his wrist, making all the lit candles extinguish. Seeing Horuss looking around to no avail as he crept closer was exhilarating. Poor thing once again forgot his goggles made him blind in the dark, all while Kurloz had no problem with his own eyes adjusting easily. Silently approaching Horuss by the side, Kurloz tossed the horn towards where he came from.

Horuss turned toward the sound, but in the moment he figured it was just to divert his attention, Kurloz was already behind him. Feeling the cool of Kurloz's arms wrapping around him, Horuss let out a shriek. While he wanted to retaliate, he was instead frozen in fear, feeling Kurloz caress him up and down before reaching for his belt.

Expecting Kurloz's hands to reach down his briefs after the buckle was undone, Horuss got confused when the belt was instead yanked to slide out of his pants before getting tossed a few meters ahead. For a moment, it seemed as though Kurloz retreated. Before Horuss could mentally prepare for his return, he found himself getting tackled shortly after.

With Horuss immediately trying to get back up, Kurloz grabbed the belt he tossed before wrapping it around Horuss's throat. Tightening the belt, he used his weight to push down on the knee he pressed into the back of Horuss's shoulder, making Horuss let out a strained cry. Horuss's beta counterpart being killed from asphyxiation by Kurloz's added to his enjoyment, purely by the hilarity of it. However, double-death was not the intention here.

The nearly breathless sounds Horuss made, with that in mind, granted him a looser grip to recover for a moment. From the tightness on his throat letting up, Horuss gasped and immediately attempted to stand. As Kurloz pulled on the belt and tried to reposition himself lower to not fall off, Horuss managed to stand enough to intentionally fall back, pinning most of Kurloz's body beneath his.

Despite having thrown Horuss around easily before, feeling most of that indigo's body weight smack right into him nearly felt like being crushed. Still, Kurloz wasn't going to back down from this disadvantage. While the two of them continued to struggle, Kurloz decided to wrap his legs around Horuss's torso, resulting in Horuss growling.

It was getting increasingly tempting for Horuss to just disregard his own code to not intentionally harm his friends with his frightening strength. The way Kurloz was acting was beyond anything that would reasonably be resolved with pacifism. Feeling the heel of Kurloz's shoes jab into his stomach, Horuss managed to hiss out for him to stop.

Kurloz must've felt this was an invitation to be more aggressive, as he quickly moved a leg up before slamming the heel right back down. Right after Horuss jolted and let out a pained groan, Kurloz let go of the belt completely. It was best not to take the aggression too far, even if already out of turn. As a way to conclude this conflict, Kurloz had the crypt's candles light back up again.

From the aggrieve appearing to be over, Horuss sat up. Undoing the belt around his neck, he then captchalogued it as a strict method of keep-away. Taking his time to recover from the choking, he slowly breathed in and out, trying to ignore Kurloz. Despite Kurloz not being an active threat, the way he crept back into Horuss's vision was aggravating. He was clearly checking on Horuss out of some sort of sick fascination.

Placing his hand on Horuss's thigh, Kurloz fixated on what he could see of his face. Flushed blue with sweat dripping down, as expected. Apart from that, Horuss was clearly bitter over his actions, not even wanting to acknowledge his presence. Unphased by this, Kurloz's gaze then went to the shifting bulge in Horuss's pants. Whether it was from the choking itself or their aggrieve wasn't important to him. What was important was that it was his to enjoy.

Kurloz got in-between Horuss's legs, leaning in close while caressing his thighs, slowly leading up to his hips. With his thumbs, he massaged down towards Horuss's groin. Despite Kurloz's enthusiasm when seeing the bulge squirm in anticipation, Horuss heaved out an annoyed sigh. He seemed to mutter some sort of insult beneath his breath. An otherwise insignificant response, for black leanings.

Willing his suit away, Kurloz glared up at Horuss. He wasn't going to play any games, so Horuss should just submit to him, fully devoted. Continuing the pitch tone in his body language, Horuss begrudgingly undid his pants and freed his bulge for Kurloz. The way Horuss looked back at him afterwards was definitely a glare, though hidden behind the goggles. While Kurloz didn't want this to become a full kismesissitude, he selfishly accepted the offer.

Kurloz positioned himself over the bulge after Horuss leaned back, letting out a faint groan as it slid in. Once again, he had purposely sought out his sweetheart for this alone, having already prepped himself. While adjusting to the indigo inches, he rocked his hips, eagerly watching Horuss's reaction. Normally he'd make a few precious noises already. Maybe his current rage was keeping him more strong-willed than usual, and there's one of two options to take in that case.

The way Kurloz was staring at him was becoming unsettling, but Horuss knew he shouldn't look away. It felt like that purple blood was attempting to unravel his mind, to find a way to break him down. Trying to remain calm, Horuss let out a huff, finding himself letting out a gasp soon after, thanks to the rising stress. Hearing this, Kurloz let out a muffled laugh, gradually slowing his motion to a halt.

"I command you. bite me." Kurloz signed before moving his hair to the side, exposing his neck more. Using his other hand, he lightly patted an area he knew would be safe, as if to say "here". It was exactly where he had bit Horuss before. From the hesitation, Kurloz slowly swayed his hips side to side, humming patiently.

Horuss gulped, yet shivered from both the stimulation and thinking about it being a direct command. It was best to follow through without thinking too much on the action itself. As he adjusted to sit taller, Kurloz paused his motion. Trying to ignore the intense stare, Horuss leaned in, hesitantly opening his mouth.

The warm breath on Kurloz's skin made him shiver with excitement, and he wrapped an arm around Horuss to encourage him. Just the feeling of sharp teeth brushing against his skin was arousing. All he needed to do now was bite down. After a few failed attempts, with his jaw refusing to apply any pressure to even break the skin, Horuss finally managed to sink his teeth in.

Kurloz tensed up for a moment, gripping Horuss's jacket as he hissed through his stitches. Quickly settling from the pain, he then let out a pleased groan, with his nook briefly pulsing against Horuss. With this, Horuss carefully lessened his bite before pulling away, visibly disturbed by the fact he had done such a thing.

In the moment purple blood slowly dripped from the wound, Kurloz signed "lick" before pointing at the bite mark. Knowing he must comply, Horuss reluctantly cleaned up the trails of blood with his tongue, trying not to gag. Troll blood, even high up in the caste system, had an awful taste. Finding himself too disgusted by this, Horuss withdrew and turned away to spit.

Already aware of Horuss's intention, Kurloz instantly grabbed him by the throat. Keeping his hand there as Horuss looked at him, appalled, Kurloz signed with the other "swallow". Kurloz's personal history of having his own blood flooding his mouth, when biting off his tongue, made it comedic watching another troll struggling over a brief exposure to the taste.

After Horuss managed to force it down, Kurloz gave a sweet smile, as if to play up the idea of alleviating him. While Horuss knew better, he couldn't bring himself to do anything as Kurloz reached for his headgear and undid the straps. Carelessly, Kurloz discarded it by just tossing it over his shoulder. He then pressed a hand to Horuss's face, brushing his thumb over his cheek. Such a sad and pathetic page, filled with shame. A gorgeous sight to behold.

A more disturbing scene suddenly disrupted Kurloz's thoughts, making him tightly shut his eyes, grimacing as he shook his head. Feeling Horuss gently set a hand on him out of concern, about to ask if he was okay, something snapped within him. Growling, Kurloz flashed a glare towards Horuss unlike anything he's ever seen before.

Sudden overwhelming fear shot through Horuss, and as he took in a shaky gasp, Kurloz slammed him to the ground. Without granting Horuss time to recollect himself, Kurloz started to ride his bulge again, making Horuss whimper alongside his gasps from the mixture of fear and pleasure. The fear made it impossible to self-soothe, as Horuss couldn't focus on his breathing, even when closing his eyes to try and shut everything else out.

Horuss only found himself capable of making desperate noises while proceeding to get lightheaded from hyperventilating. As his whimpers sounded more like begging cries, Kurloz gradually slowed down before laying against him. Feeling that strong pusher of his going wild once again, Kurloz smiled, but knew he should allow for it to settle down. Hushing Horuss, he shifted his weight on top of him, swaying his hips side to side while occasionally humming out moans.

Equipping a towel, Kurloz gently patted it against his partner's sweaty face to soothe him more. Though it wasn't Horuss's primary focus, the constant thievery of his towels was starting to annoy him, even if this one was "handed" back. Afterwards, he received a quick kiss from Kurloz's stitched lips. Not wanting to put up with him any further than pailing at this point, Horuss turned his face away, getting a light playful slap on his cheek in return. This only made him shield his face with his arms.

Clearly Horuss wasn't too happy about the panic attack inflicted on him. Though he didn't quite understand what it was, Horuss didn't find Kurloz's current demeanor very charming. Not like it was ever charming to him. Sitting back up, Kurloz started bouncing on the bulge. Every now and then he'd slow his speed to roll his hips, letting out pleased moans from how it rubbed up against his walls.

Despite trying to hold back his moans, feeling himself getting close to orgasm made Horuss put more effort in his breaths. He couldn't stop his body from giving himself away either, with it shakily tensing up. Uncovering his face, Horuss looked up at Kurloz. His expression must've been desperate enough to be interpreted as begging, as Kurloz started to stroke his own bulge.

Knowing Horuss was more sensitive to orgasm, Kurloz made sure to slow his speed, now moving his hips in a circle to focus on a sweet spot. As he did, he kept up the speed of his stroking, and Horuss let out a few whiney moans. Though Horuss was Kurloz's beloved/beloathed, he could at least be more patient.

Feeling close, Kurloz took in all of Horuss's inches, rocking his hips. Horuss trembled, now huffing out his moans. The stimulation made him unintentionally buck his hips as well, to Kurloz's annoyance. With a low growl, he considered punching Horuss in the gut, but refrained. Though he himself was still working up to his orgasm, Horuss reached his, filling the Kurloz's nook with his genetic fluid.

Seeing Horuss fatigued, but still tensing up from the stimulation, Kurloz smiled. From his earlier annoyance, he decided to let most of the bulge slide out before taking it all in again, earning a few exhausted whimpers from Horuss. He continued this motion a few times before his speed finally slowed as his body started to jolt.

As if to further Horuss's shame, Kurloz let his purple genetic fluid get all over him, letting out a muffled snicker when seeing some get on his face. Rather than Horuss getting disgusted, he just sluggishly grabbed the towel from earlier and wiped the mess off his face and neck. With a brief glance at his outfit, Horuss sighed before laying back down. From all the stress he endured, he couldn't even get a kick out of the fact he was dirtied in this way by a highblood.

Kurloz was busy dealing with emptying into a bucket before then reapplying the makeup that got smeared during their earlier physical conflict. Meanwhile, Horuss remained laying there, currently trying to process what Kurloz did to him mentally to trigger the sudden panic attack. Surely a simple look wouldn't have been all it took, right? He closed his eyes to think it over.

There wasn't much known about purple bloods regarding the abilities granted by their hue, and most of the focus went to that absurd and frowned upon religion anyway. Not to mention Kurloz specifically... Why is this behavior unrecognized by everyone else? He was intimidating, sure, but this was far beyond anything a Beforan would've experienced. Aranea did have her power-hungry chapter a while back, after being introduced to Alternian culture, but Kurloz showed no signs of any such nature.

Returning to Horuss's side after finishing up, Kurloz nudged him with his foot, a bit annoyed he hadn't already switched out of his dirtied clothes. Before Kurloz could get angry at Horuss not even acknowledging him, he crouched down to his level. Looks like Horuss was taking a post-pailing nap.

Grabbing the towel, Kurloz wiped a bit of the mess off of Horuss's jacket before captchaloguing it again. Having consideration of Horuss sleeping, he gently undid the jacket, opening it up. With the mess now out of the way, Kurloz laid beside him, wrapping a leg around him while tracing his hand up and down his torso. Hearing Horuss let out a tired groan, Kurloz decided to rest his hand on his chest, feeling the now calm and steady beat. The ability to easily influence his mind and body to make him so weak and put him on edge this way, fearfully or through rage, it was thrilling.

Chapter Text

Gradually waking up, Horuss opened his eyes, finding himself to be in the same crypt as before. It's a bit colder than he remembered, and it was near impossible to know how long he was out for. He might have a few messages that would give an estimated timeframe at least. As Horuss tried to get up, he finally became aware of Kurloz nuzzled up against him, with some of his limbs resting on top of him. No wonder it was cold. Equipping his destrengthening gloves, Horuss grabbed Kurloz by the shoulder and steadily moved him to lay on his back.

Despite Horuss's caution, Kurloz snapped awake once not in direct contact with his warmer body temperature. Not acknowledging Horuss at first, Kurloz stood and willed his bodysuit back on. Finally looking at his partner, he then signed "your jacket's dirty."

Inspecting his jacket, Horuss frowned when seeing the mess on the outer lapel. Right... That happened. After Horuss decided to just captchalogue his jacket to deal with later, Kurloz eyed the exposed muscular arms that the black T-shirt of his didn't cover. It was a bit ridiculous to have different shirts that basically no one else would see, but that wasn't the focus here.

While Kurloz already knew the obvious fact that Horuss was muscular, seeing his biceps uncovered was a new sort of eye candy to him. Ignoring Horuss's personal space, Kurloz ran a hand over his arm, immediately getting it smacked away. Before Kurloz could flash a glare his way, Horuss already adverted his gaze.

Horuss then cleared his throat before crossing his arms. "What sort of place is this exactly?" He asked, looking back at Kurloz. Rather than an answer, Kurloz just smiled at him. "Your behavior's really-" With a pause, Horuss considered his temper as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Your behavior's really bothering me." He sighed out, re-crossing his arms. Remembering more of what happened, Horuss had a more distinct frown displayed on his face.

Eyeing the gloves Horuss still had equipped, Kurloz fondly thought back to when those gloved hands were wrapped around his throat. How that grip of Horuss's faltered alongside his sweet whimpered pleas. However, it's best not to get too distracted.

Preparing to send Horuss off again, Kurloz grabbed the headgear he tossed aside and handed it back to Horuss. Not even receiving the usual "thank you" from a troll that would bend over backwards for his superiors, Kurloz dropped his smile, yet tried to keep an outward calmness. He couldn't care less about his placement on the hemospectrum, but Horuss damn well should know better.

After getting his headgear back on and fixing his hair, Horuss took a look at his Trollian messages. While he was in the middle of checking the chatlogs from Meulin, who was asking where he went and going on to tease over Kurloz, he got a rude elbow jab to his arm. From still ignoring Kurloz, he got a light shove, the type that simply insisted for him to look Kurloz's way.

Finally minimizing the Trollian window, Horuss let out an annoyed huff. "What?"

Though he wanted Horuss to properly thank him like he should, Kurloz settled down and decided Horuss needed some time away. Without playing it up, Kurloz unceremoniously revealed the exit of the crypt. Just the idea of Horuss being gone and avoidant again stabbed at Kurloz. Despite his anger simmering beneath the surface, feeling Horuss tenderly hold his hand quelled him, though temporarily.

"I don't trust you." Horuss flatly responded, ruining the moment.

Kurloz considered his options as he led Horuss to the exit, entering through first. It was too late already to keep Horuss trapped. The fear and rage of his was currently a coinflip, alongside him being a void player. Too unpredictable now, compared to when he was just a sweaty unsure mess; in pain and entrapped in his own hive memory by Kurloz. Actually, that gives him another idea. Another curve ball, yet one that he was well-aware will piss himself off more than anything else. He'll deal with that when the time comes either way.

Once outside, Horuss went to pull his hand away, only for Kurloz to put a terrifying grip on his wrist. With a yank, Kurloz forced Horuss to face him. Gradually easing up his grip, he made sure Horuss kept his focus on him as he finally let go to sign "I allow you to date another. anything goes."

Horuss was wary, as he rightfully should be, backing up. "Very well.... I'll consider that." The lack of any expression on his face seemed to get under Kurloz's skin.

"I'm not teasing." Kurloz signed, giving a quick flick of his hands alongside a frown afterwards to outwardly express his irritation. Horuss just nodded in reply before heading off.

Seeing Horuss walk off, Kurloz was already filled with rage. From Horuss being such a reject, Kurloz knew exactly who he'd go to. Then again, he knew better than to make things obvious. To both ease and distract himself, Kurloz considered having a smoking session with his moirail. It should offer some assuage, at least for the time being.

After a long while of texting Mituna with no reply back, Kurloz thought about breaking his device in half. Despite resisting, he shook with anger. Though naturally accustomed to waiting, this scenario stung him in an insane and intolerable way. He thought over what Horuss could be doing about now. The amount of self-respect Horuss had wasn't very high, and he was easily swayed in one way or another by the sexual advances of others. Damn him. Damn him!

Rolling up his sleeve, Kurloz willed his stitches out and sank his front-most teeth into his arm. While he was unbelievably pissed, he knew better than to stab his forearm with his longer fangs. He had mutilated himself enough as it is, and it's not like he had the intention to tear his own arm off, though the imagery of that flashed in his mind regardless. Recollecting himself just a bit, Kurloz let go of his arm, watching it twitch in pain as blood seeped to the surface and instantly started to drip down.

With his stitches already out, Kurloz decided to just do a solo smoking session, at least in the meantime. It was considerably early, with the moon still rising. Mituna was probably snuggled up with Latula in a mixed memory of both their hives, or some random place he managed to pass out at again.

-

Horuss really just wanted some time to himself, but there was already a pattern instilled in him. Every handful of days he ignored Kurloz or avoided him only amplified that purple blood's rage. It was obvious the suggestion Kurloz gave him was a trick, but he couldn't decipher how. The main probability might be him treating it like infidelity despite giving permission, or maybe he'll get mad if Horuss didn't play along with it. Maybe it was even some sort of sick mixture of both.

While he focused on checking Meulin's messages earlier, he didn't get the time to check the messages Cronus had also sent him. Might as well, considering the recent proposition. It was clear that Horuss's brief conversation with Rufioh the previous night didn't go unnoticed by others in their group. Of course. It wasn't that surprising with all of them there, alongside the easily-spread gossip, but still.

Horuss sighed out at the mention of Rufioh. Right, his long-lasting matespritship that went up in flames. All the recent and reoccurring stress from Kurloz would occupy his mind so intensely that he would constantly forget all about Rufioh. Their most recent encounter was the most severe shift of this, as Horuss had talked to Rufioh just a few minutes before Kurloz entrapped him to do as he pleased.

Considering this, Horuss read through the messages. Cronus brushed off his own outburst several nights ago with "shit happens, vwe say things vwe don't mean". From Cronus figuring out Horuss obviously wasn't with Damara, he started to get flirty. It was as if he believed that since his brash assumption was wrong, he still had a chance. He probably just decided to assume Horuss was lying about seeing anyone altogether.

Horuss cringed at the idea of a hasty rebound like this, ending up frowning when remembering how Kurloz had claimed him as his. Just moments after reading that breakup message and Kurloz instantly made such a bold move on him, while he was emotional putty in his hands. Constantly ashamed and fearful seems to be Horuss's new "thing" as of lately... With this in mind, Horuss decided to just accept Cronus's advances.

Cronus's more recent messages were hyping up some of the human movies he's been obsessing over for quite a while now, inviting Horuss to at least watch one with him. Trying to sweeten Horuss up to it, he mentioned auto-mechanic scenes in a few of them. Horuss was still set on steam-power engineering, but the more standard mechanical engineering was still up his alley at least. He also wasn't sure if Cronus actually meant "auto-mechanic" or automechanism, but he'll probably figure it out from the movie. Human culture was still fairly abstract to him, after all.

-

Several hours had passed, and Kurloz was finally able to meet up with Mituna. With the intention to smoke already expressed, he didn't bother signing as they both got to it, sitting in the field as they did. With Mituna occupied, Latula decided to hangout with some of her friends, or at least the people less-bothered by her peppy facade. Maybe it was one of the arranged stupid socials again. It wasn't really too important to Kurloz.

Disrupting the usual calm atmosphere, Mituna started wheeze-coughing, earning a few sympathetic pats on his back from Kurloz. Using what bits of air he recovered, Mituna managed to hiss out somewhat incomprehensible profanities. Despite getting a rub on his back to ease him, the dryness in Mituna's throat made him start to retch. That last hit was probably too much for him. Hopefully he doesn't actually end up vomiting.

Eyeing Mituna to make sure he was still okay, Kurloz took another hit himself. It was difficult trying not to think about how he neglected to count the amount of times the pipe was passed, or making sure Mituna wasn't holding the smoke in, causing his moirail's current issues. He would have at least offered some Faygo to Mituna if it wasn't so fizzy and sugary. It probably would just make the poor guy hurl the moment he tried to slam one down.

Gradually getting better, Mituna heaved out, still coughing a bit. "That fucking sucked."

Kurloz nodded before captchaloguing the hand pipe. While he watched the Sylladex flash several colors, Mituna gave a hiss as he shielded his eyes from it, making Kurloz look at him again. Noticing the drool and tears on Mituna's face, Kurloz wiped the tears away with the back of his gloves before wiping the drool off with his thumb. "you okay?" He signed.

"Yeah. Kinda woozy though! Ugh... Hold on." With this, Mituna let himself fall back to the ground before suddenly reeling in pain. "Augh, fuck! Shit! Fuck!" He yelled, realizing he wasn't wearing his helmet and basically just smacked his head against the somewhat rough terrain, probably hitting a rock or something.

While Kurloz normally would've had good reaction time to prevent something like this, he was too out of it to notice until Mituna started to yell. Waiting for Mituna to stop smacking his hands away in disoriented panic, Kurloz finally got an opening to pat Mituna to see if he was okay with being embraced to soothe.

Recognizing the pat, Mituna held his arms out, getting picked up and held in a hug by his moirail. The comfort of the hug alongside Kurloz practically being an ice pack helped alleviate him in most cases. Kurloz's fingers combed through Mituna's hair as he made sure there weren't any bumps on his scalp. He probably didn't hit anything too hard, but Kurloz wasn't too sure from Mituna being a much lower hue than him. Plus, he'd never hear the end of it from Latula if there were any.

Finding nothing concerning, Kurloz simply let his hand rest on Mituna's head. Being really high alongside having the soothing warmth of his moirail against him, Kurloz let out light purrs. Slowly, he held Mituna in a tighter grasp, not even aware he was doing it.

"Buddy! Hey, buddy! You're squeezing me!" Mituna wheezed.

Barely processing what was being said, Kurloz unsurely eased up. Once he did, he got a light pat that let him know he was okay. Settling down again, Kurloz moved Mituna's arm away from his side before laying down. Remembering the light fall, Kurloz made sure to keep a tender grasp on Mituna's head before proceeding to hold him close again, getting nuzzled in response.

-

With Horuss in Cronus's respiteblock, Cronus was starting to set things up while whispering to himself in astonishment that Horuss actually showed up. Thankfully for Cronus, him personally feeling others are obligated to him came in handy regarding Horuss not taking the hemospectrum lightly. While Horuss was a bit uncomfortable over the flirtatious messages, he was fairly "open" currently, whether he liked it or not.

After putting the movie into the DVD drive of his computer, Cronus noticed the distinct lack of room for two people to sit. "Hey, you vwanna come here and sit on my lap, cool cat?" He asked, swiveling his desk chair around.

"I'm not sure that would be very comfortable." Horuss responded, completely blank-faced.

"I vwas just joking, heh." Cronus said before mumbling something out as he got out a separate device and connected it to the computer.

Pushing his desk chair out of the way, Cronus set the small device on the ground. After it booted up, a hologram screen projected over it. Seeing Horuss still awkwardly standing there as he went to sit down on the floor, Cronus gestured towards the spot next to him. "Sit dowvn, friend."

"Right." Though still fairly skittish, Horuss sat down next to Cronus, getting an arm wrapped around him in response. "Forgive me, but-"

"You're gonna lovwe this movwie." Cronus blurted, excited.

As the movie played, Cronus would point out different traits of the greaser characters and how he related to them. Though Horuss didn't quite get it, he timidly acknowledged Cronus while also trying to follow the plot. During some of the group scenes, Cronus would go on a mini rant about what characters were like others in their friend group, "but in a gang". When asked about a few of the alien cultural practices presented, he would just act like it was an easy concept already depicted well in the film. In actuality, Cronus didn't much get it himself.

"Hey, so this is the part I vwas telling you about." Cronus announced, pointing to the screen as if Horuss wasn't already watching this whole time. As he tried to casually check on Horuss's reaction, he started to get nervous when there wasn't any change to his expression.

Once the scene was over, Horuss expressed his disappointment. "They mentioned a few traits of the machine's engine, but it only showed them altering the machine's decorative exterior."

"Vwhat? It vwasn't just decoration. I mean, the tires are part of howv the machine wworks. It's an automobile. Vwhat more do you vwant from it, huh?"

"Respectfully, I was hoping to see the innerworkings rather than-"

"Listen, man, it's just-"

Interrupting Cronus's interruption, Horuss more clearly expressed his displeasure. "I'm not very fond of this movie."

"Shut up! Just fucking shut up! That's an order!" Cronus shouted, shocked when Horuss instantly shut up while sweating and blushing a bit. Oh, wow.

Uh oh. Though it was obvious Cronus had other intentions than "hanging out", Horuss honestly spaced it from Cronus letting the movie play for this long. Well, it was still playing in the background, but neither of them were eager to see the rest of it now. Without enough time to process Cronus leaning in for a kiss, their lips connected. Before things progressed, Horuss felt Cronus try and give him a light shove.

"Lay dowvn." Cronus urged, getting on top of Horuss when he did. Going back into the kiss, it quickly deepened. Despite light hesitation from Horuss, their tongues rolled over each other. During their kiss, Cronus grinded against him, causing the both of them to let out several moans. More distinctly, Horuss started to tremble from the stimulation. While Cronus was mainly using his favorite movies for reference, once he went to deliver kisses to Horuss's neck or to give hickeys, he remembered it was Horuss.

Repulsed by the sweat, Cronus decided to just skip forward, sitting back up. Eyeing Horuss's thighs in this position, he let out a chuckle. "Um, you're not going to clench up and crush me are you?"

Still sticking to Cronus's order to shut up, Horuss grew nervous, trying not to appear too uncomfortable. Not to mention his own uncertainty on what Cronus meant.

Seeing Horuss was reluctant on answering, Cronus sighed. "Either way, you should get naked nowv."

Hoping he wasn't sweating too much, Horuss willed his bottoms off, still not too comfortable with removing his top entirely. Assuming Cronus also wanted his headgear off, Horuss removed that too, yet had difficulty looking Cronus in the eyes.

All too familiar with the look of shame, Cronus clicked his tongue and rubbed the back of his neck. "Vwhat's up? Something eating at you or vwhat?" When remembering the command he said in anger earlier, Cronus rolled his eyes. "You can talk, man."

"Thank you." Horuss murmured as he took a clean towel from his sylladex and dabbed at his forehead as he processed everything happening. "I'm just not used to such a-.... a um.... dilemma." Looking down at his exposed anatomy before looking back at Cronus, Horuss was choking back his words. He had the urge to confess he was seeing Kurloz, but couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Yeah..." Cronus trailed off, not knowing what the fresh hell Horuss meant. "Anywvay, you ready?"

Currently exposed below the waist to royalty, Horuss swallowed what little pride he had and nodded. From the anticipation, Horuss could feel himself holding his breath already. It seemed Cronus didn't notice that as he figured out his own solution to Horuss's thighs, guiding Horuss to lay on his side with his knees partially tucked in. Shortly after, Horuss felt Cronus's cold tongue glide over his nook, making him tense up and gasp.

"Easy there." Cronus said, giving a light shove to Horuss's legs after nearly getting kicked by them. When believing Horuss wasn't as jittery anymore, he went back to work. From Horuss squirming and letting out faint moans the more Cronus continued, rubbing his tongue more intimately against the nook's slit, he figured he must've been doing pretty good. At the same time, Horuss was starting to get more sweaty. The salty taste of his nook was expected, but there was a point where the stink of indigo pheromones was too much.

Withdrawing, Cronus went ahead and slid a finger into Horuss's dripping nook, with Horuss shivering from initial insertion. After a short while of letting Horuss adjust to that finger massaging his walls, he slid another in. Knowing what felt good from practicing on himself plenty of times, he proceeded to rub in an oval motion against the frontmost wall, occasionally pushing in deeper to hit a sweet spot.

"Attaboy." Cronus quietly exclaimed when Horuss whimpered as his nook pulsated against his fingers. "Nowv get on your hands and knees." From Horuss immediately complying, Cronus willed his clothes off. Damn, his first time. This was exhilarating. Remembering where he stashed his pail at, he eagerly retrieved it, setting it down beside Horuss.

He guided his violet bulge to Horuss's nook, inserting it with brief resistance. "Dang, you're kind of tight. Try and not crush my bulge, okay?" Cronus said with a laugh as he worked his inches in.

"I'll try my best." Horuss timidly reassured, unsure if the remark was another joke or not. Once Cronus pressed up against him, getting all of the bulge in, Horuss couldn't help but think about how much different actual bulge felt compared to his thick long blue um-... never mind. The bulge occasionally squirming in excitement within him was admittedly a bit unsettling to feel.

Cronus grabbed at Horuss's shirt as he started off giving long strokes, letting most of his length exit before sliding it all back in. The sensation of the bulge rubbing against Horuss's walls caused a few involuntary moans, earning more powerful thrusts for louder moans, which he delivered.

Easing up on his thrusts after a while, Cronus gave an offer in the form of a tease. "I heard proper boys like yourself secretly enjoy getting spanked. That true?"

Immediately, Horuss got flustered. "What? Um.... Where did you-.... Where did you hear such a naughty thing?"

"Eh, doesn't matter. Vwant to try it?"

Horuss hesitated answering, yet knew his sweat was already giving him away. After saying yes, Cronus delivered a firm smack to his rear, making him let out a gasp. From no repeats, Horuss murmured. "I promise I'll try to be more quiet."

"You vwant to beg for it?"

"I-.... Yes. Please, spank me. Put me in my place for disrespecting your favorite films, your highness."

Though a bit taken aback by a lower hue actually submitting to him like this from being royalty, Cronus couldn't complain. Starting up his thrusting again, Cronus would deliver a hard slap to Horuss's rear whenever he felt like it. Either way, it didn't seem Horuss had a preference in the repetition, just enjoying it happening to begin with.

"It's truly a shame you don't wear your rings anymore." Horuss said between a few huffs, letting out a pleased groan when getting spanked again, harsher.

"You sure are a freak." Cronus muttered, deciding to take in the view. Horuss's nicely shaped cheeks were flushed a light blue from the smacks while his more distinctly indigo nook took Cronus's violet bulge like a champ. "Hey, arch your back for me. Get your head dovwn to the floor vwhile you're at it."

Horuss complied, hoping he was presenting himself good enough to Cronus. The thrusts came to a halt, and a wave of humiliation washed over him upon hearing the distinct camera shutter sound emitting from Cronus's phone.

"Oops. Eh, it's not like you of all people vwould mind." Cronus shrugged, taking a few more pictures to get a better show of how much Horuss was dripping while getting fucked by him. Captchaloguing his phone, Cronus promptly continued their pailing like nothing happened. Ready to get his first pailing experience under his belt, he started doing shorter thrusts, picking up the pace.

Despite usually getting off to the idea of being used solely for the pleasure of a highblood, this managed to make Horuss conflicted. In the moment he brushed off the feeling of humiliation, Cronus got more rough with his thrusts, gradually making Horuss tense up as he moaned. From this, his nook tightened against the bulge.

"Oh, fuck-" Cronus cussed, letting out a groan as he emptied into Horuss. He took a moment to regain his breath before letting out a pride-filled huff as he exited. After delivering a light smack to Horuss's rear, Cronus set the bucket closer to him. "There you go. Once you're done, I'd like to take more pictures. Then vwe can shovwer together. Sound good?"

"Um, yes.... I suppose...." Horuss spoke lowly, keeping his head down as he positioned himself over the bucket, feeling himself nervously shake. The movie still playing in the background got on his nerves, and he didn't like that Cronus was watching him either. "Could you turn that off? Please." He asked, only to get a taunting "hmmm?" in return. "Please, your highness."

"Sure thing." With this, Cronus went and turned off the hologram projector before unplugging it and setting it aside. Not bothering to go and pause the movie, he ejected the disc from the computer and placed it back in its case. After setting the case in his collection, he saw Horuss was done with the bucket.

Noticing the lack of indigo anywhere apart from the less opaque pre-material from Horuss's still very prominent bulge getting smeared on his shirt and thighs, Cronus addressed it. "Vwhat's up, you didn't cum?"

Getting a timid "no, sir" in response, Cronus looked like he was personally insulted. "Ugh, vwell you can deal vwith that later since you'vwe been so ungrateful. In fact, you should consider it additional punishment for insulting my greaser films." He said, berating Horuss, getting only a nod in return.

Chapter Text

Several hours had passed, and Cronus had already sent Horuss on his way, shrugging off their encounter. Right, it wasn't meant to be serious or long-term in the first place. It still didn't sit well with Horuss by any means, especially with Cronus laughing at him questioning the extent of this. With the vague recollection of some of the greaser characters in the movie, it seemed he was mostly just playing it up like a scene. Considering that, Horuss really hoped this would be the last of this whole unpleasant ordeal. With the "permission" given to him by Kurloz, he had no idea if he was supposed to report to him on the encounter or not. This sure was an awful predicament.

Meanwhile, Mituna was wearing his trusted helmet again, ready to get back into his usual routine of failing his landings and getting covered in scrapes and bruises. He wasn't too bad of a skater, considering what tricks he can manage and how fast he can get with his board. Definitely worse than Latula and the "badgirl to her radgirl" Meenah. Ever since his incident, there's been more trouble with him getting dizzy alongside expected balance issues, but that never stopped him from attempting and failing his more unique "signature moves".

Despite being instructed by Kurloz to not overdo it, Mituna was currently skating on a halfpipe, looking forward to do exactly that. Having nothing else to do, Kurloz was in another one of his usual waiting phases. He stood against the structure, occasionally peeking out to check on Mituna when hearing him crash and rage out. So far Kurloz had only needed comfort him once during this.

After enough of his tricks ended in crashes, Mituna decided to see how fast he could go before crashing purely out of the thrill of it. Hearing Mituna change up to doing pump transitions on the ramp to pick up speed, Kurloz settled a bit. It usually takes him a while to fall from trying to go as fast as possible, typically from the turns at the transition point making him dizzy.

A bit too quickly, it sounded like Mituna already crashed, probably from the other tricks disorienting him too much. Alright, it's time to distract him with something else. However, before Kurloz even peeked out, he heard Cronus.

"Looks like you really ate shit on that one." Cronus jeered.

"You fucking- fucking fuck!" Mituna shrieked, trying to accurately accuse Cronus of kicking the board, but not being able to find the words in his anger.

"Here, let me help you up, buddy." Cronus said with a fake sincere tone, assisting Mituna up despite his protesting, and proceeding to shove him down again. "Man, you sure are clumsy today." Once Mituna had another outburst, kicking and yelling on the half-pipe's floor, Cronus seemed disturbed. "Jeepers. Okay, I probably took that too far. Can you like calm dowvn a bit?"

Keeping up his rage, Mituna kept yelling. "No no no no no! I fucking hate you! Kill yourself!"

"Listen, hey! Listen, pal, I had some resentment tovwards you. All this time vwondering howv a dvweeb like you could fill not only one quadrant, but tvwo. All vwhile still maintaining them for eons! It just didn't feel fair to a man of my class." Cronus stated, as he combed through his slicked-back hair.

"What?"

"Hey, shut up. I'm not done."

"Sorry."

"Anywvay, I havwe a nevwfound confidence separate from my greaser identity. You see, I recently got in the "dravwers" of a hot one, as the humans would say. I bet you vwould lovwe to hear all about it. Yeah, my special troll really put out."

Deciding he's heard enough, Kurloz finally entered the scene, heading towards Cronus. The two of them were so engaged in the appalling conversation that they wouldn't immediately notice him, and all too perfectly, Cronus specifically had his back turned to Kurloz.

"Was it... you?!" Mituna said with a cackle. "Yeah! Go fuck yourself!"

"No, it vwasn't me, but I'm not going to say vwho it vwas. Vwhat matters is howv different things are going to be for me because of this. I can already see myself vwinning over Meenah in the near-future. She'll dig my nevwfound confidence and I'll get her in a concupiscent quadrant no problem. Maybe she vwon't make jabs at my tracks next time I shovw her! I got some newv inspiration, after all."

Creeping up, Kurloz eyed Mituna, instantly doing a repeated "shush" gesture when Mituna perked up, about to make it obvious he noticed his moirail. Understanding the importance to not "notice" Kurloz from the gesture paired with his expression, Mituna just set his focus back to Cronus like nothing was going on. With his own phone, Kurloz sent a message to Cronus before captchaloguing it once more. It was nothing more than his emoticon smile, but it was a message no less.

Once his Trollian went off, Cronus paused his loser-romance rambling. "Hold on."

Seeing the phone, Kurloz didn't hesitate to snatch it. As Cronus turned around, offended, Kurloz gripped that ugly alien-inspired white shirt of his with his free hand. In that moment, he smacked his forehead against Cronus's, hard enough to disorient and make him stagger back while he himself briefly cringed at the pain before just shaking it off.

Excited with witnessing this aggrieve, Mituna cheered. "Yeah! Kick his ass! Fuck him up!"

Before Cronus could recover from the headbutt, Kurloz kicked him hard in the side, successfully knocking him over. Now with that violet blood curled up in pain on the floor, Kurloz got down to his level. He wasted no time wrapping his arm around the back of Cronus's neck before setting the weight of his torso against the throat. This was a bit of a relaxed and improper side hold, as Kurloz felt like Cronus couldn't get out of it if he tried. Though Cronus noticeably built up some muscle after remaking himself from those human movies, it was doubtful he actually knew how to utilize them.

"Haha! That'll show you, douchebag." Mituna said with glee before spotting the phone Kurloz held in his hand. "Oh hey, is that phone? I mean-" Knowing what Mituna meant to ask, Kurloz nodded, simply nodding again after Mituna still made a second go at saying the same sentence.

Uncaring for Cronus's attempts to get up or trying to pull at his suit to yank him off, Kurloz looked at the phone. Instantly, he got caught off-guard from Cronus grabbing a fistful of his hair and yanking, ending up hissing and closing the phone to smack it hard against Cronus's forehead. Once Cronus let go and groaned, Kurloz simply flipped the phone open again.

Since Kurloz was giving Horuss some space, it made sense to check Cronus's own messages to Horuss instead. In the middle of the evening, Horuss was convinced to join Cronus to watch a film with him. A movie night... Great. Everyone knows what happens when two desperate people have a movie night. What a joke. Side-eyeing Cronus, Kurloz then opened the photo gallery. Repulsed, he pressed harder against Cronus's neck, making him flail as his face gradually got purple.

Seeing the pictures individually, Kurloz growled, completely ignoring Mituna asking what he was looking at. He couldn't believe that Cronus made Horuss bottom, fucking that indigo's nook like he owned it. The blue on Horuss's cheeks made it clear he was being spanked, irritating Kurloz further. Seeing pictures of Horuss laying down shamefully spreading his legs wide, displaying the violet that dripped out while attempting to hide his bulge behind his hands, made Kurloz's blood boil. The next few images showing Cronus rubbing his bulge against Horuss's face and making him kiss it sent Kurloz over the edge.

It didn't matter if there were more photos or not, he's seen enough. Letting go of Cronus, Kurloz stood and threw the phone to the ground before stomping on it until the screen was covered in cracks and went black.

Regaining his breath as he gradually stood, Cronus managed to shout. "Vwhat the fuck is vwrong vwith you?" Seeing Kurloz turn around and toss aside his skeletal gloves, ready to fight, Cronus gulped. "Look, man, if this is about your moirail, I'll apologize. Alright?"

The unease on Cronus's face was clear to see. The damn idiot probably realized he doesn't know anything about fighting without his stupid rifle. Kurloz settled down and chuckled to himself. What a motherfucking joke. With a pseudo-calmness, he waved for Cronus to come to him, gesturing a taunt before beckoning him again.

"Do it, chumpy fuck-face! You won't!" Mituna hollered.

Though now would be the opportune time to make a reference to one of his favorite greaser movies before fighting, Cronus had absolutely no hope in actually winning a fight against Kurloz. Either way, he tried to play it off as cool, scoffing. "I got better things to do than playfight vwith vwigglers."

Wrong answer. No intention to fight was an immense and idiotic disadvantage to have against a pissed off purple blood. From Cronus turning around, about to walk off, Kurloz ran up and tackled him. After they collided with the ground, Kurloz grabbed a hold of Cronus's slicked-back hair and started to slam his face against the floor. Once deciding he was done with that, he then yanked Cronus up by the hair before tossing him back.

As Kurloz returned to Cronus, the greaser wannabe trembled and held his hands up in surrender, sniffling with blood dripping from his nose. He received no sympathy, immediately getting punched in the face for even thinking such a pathetic display would help him.

Suddenly, Mituna got a text from his matesprit checking in on him. While wanting to watch every moment of his bully-friend getting pummeled, he checked the message and happily reported back about the fight.

-

In the middle of hanging out with a couple of friends in the memory of a serene lake, Latula paused to do her routine check-in on Mituna. Usually, whenever he doesn't respond, it's because he got knocked out somewhere and she had to go find him. Other times, he either got distracted or he managed to lose his phone or maybe even break it.

"Woah shit!" Latula exclaimed, loud enough to cause her peers to look over, with Aranea gradually making her way back to them.

"Is everything alright? Mituna's not in trouble, is he?" Porrim asked, leaning over to see what prompted the shouting.

"He's good, but there's a whole fight happening. Isn't that sick as hell? That almost never happens!"

Aranea tried to hide her smile when hearing this. Even then, everyone knew she loved to document these sort of things. "Now that is certainly peculiar. Who disrupted our group's pacifism?"

"Don't leave us in the dark now." Porrim added.

"MT says loz is totally beating the shit out of greaser." Latula said before shrugging. "But it's whatevs. Boys amiright? Ugh."

"Normally I wouldn't encourage your gender-based statements, but the boys have definitely been more involved in drama as of lately. By which I mean it's not just Kankri being insufferable and needing me to keep him out of trouble." Shifting her weight to the side, she continued. "The worst drama us girls had somewhat recently was Peixes and... Sorry, Aranea, but you went on more of a frenzy yourself. Turned into miss not-so-kindfang. A bit of an intense retaliation if you asked me." Porrim said the last part with a light laugh at the end, teasing Aranea.

Hearing about that embarrassing point of their recent history once again, Aranea let out a disappointed groan. "That chapter of our group was definitely difficult to- Hey wait, do not distract me! So, Pyrope.... Do you happen to have any more details to offer? Such as what started it. Also.... Can you clarify with the nicknames, please?"

"Eh, I don't have much info about the whole fight junk, and it's just Kurloz and Cronus. I could only guess Cronus was picking on Mituna again, but Idk."

"Gosh.... I always thought of Kurloz to be a harmless fellow that mostly kept to himself." As Aranea pondered over things, Porrim butted in.

"Honestly, I'm not too surprised. He can be rough when needed." Porrim said with a smirk, scoffing when the two looked at her suspiciously. "Are you two really shocked?"

Flustered, Latula looked back at her phone to distract herself while Aranea excused herself, distinctly blushing over her past relationship with Porrim. Right... It would've been less awkward if Meenah was here. Actually, scratch that, Meenah would probably love to pry about Aranea's past relationship with Porrim and make things worse.

Sheepishly, Aranea started to leave the scene. "Considering Cronus is the one losing the fight, I know Meenah would love to hear about it. Sorry again for her bailing on hanging out.... I'm going to let myself wander a bit if that's alright." With that, she took out her clam-shaped phone and dialed Meenah's number, quickly hurrying off as she did.

-

While Cronus tried to fight back, he was already disadvantaged, not even able to stand from Kurloz quite literally beating him down whenever he tried. The best he could do was shield his head and curl up. Eventually though, the hits came to a stop.

"Kurloz! Don't!" Mituna yelled from the sidelines, letting out anxious noises as he was unsure on how to handle the situation.

Wondering what the sudden fuss was about, Cronus decided to take a look. Once he did, he scrambled back, seeing Kurloz had equipped his juggling clubs. "Vwoah, vwoah, man!"

Closing in, Kurloz raised a club, ready to strike down. As he did, he suddenly stopped before actually hitting Cronus, letting out a muffled laugh from Cronus shrieking and cowering.

Mituna loudly let out a "whew!" when realizing Kurloz was just doing a bluff. Kurloz even turned to face him and waved to give more reassurance. Man, for a moment it seemed almost too similar to the death brawl that happened last time a real full-on fight within their group broke out.

Insulted, Cronus muttered. "Yeah, okay, laugh it up." Grabbing Kurloz's wrist for stability, Cronus pulled himself up. After standing, he got freaked out by the expression on Kurloz's face.

From Cronus's grip irritating the fresh but hidden wound, pain shot through that arm, and Kurloz shook with rage. He faced Cronus, flashing a wide-eyed glare with a prominent frown his way. As Cronus finally let go, disturbed over the expression, Kurloz snapped.

Willing his stitches away, Kurloz bit into the meat of Cronus's upper arm, earning a pained yell from Cronus accompanied by a panicked scream from Mituna. With Cronus yanking Kurloz's hair, he clenched his jaw harder. He set his dual clubs back in his strife specibus before jabbing Cronus in the gut with his claws and dragging upwards. That last retaliation was far too impulsive, resulting in his injured wrist getting grabbed again. He growled lowly, but before he could do anything else, Mituna finally intervened.

Rather than trying to calm his moirail, Mituna figured nothing typical would work for right now. Holding his skateboard, Mituna smacked it down on Kurloz's head. After the strike was delivered, the growling stopped. Unsure on if he just put a target on himself, Mituna trembled before dropping his board and spewing out practically incoherent apologies.

Removing his teeth from the flesh, Kurloz then delivered another headbutt to Cronus, successfully making him let go of his wrist when he fell back. Grabbing him by the hair again, Kurloz dragged him over to the remains of the destroyed phone. With Cronus having difficulty retaliating from getting disoriented again, alongside the shock from the bite, it was hardly tasking.

After letting Cronus fall back to the floor, Kurloz promptly slammed his heel against Cronus's back to prevent him from getting up. Seeing the blood seeping through the white shirt made Kurloz smile, pleased. Taking out his own phone again, Kurloz decided to get back at Cronus regarding the pictures, taking several of his own. A beaten and bloody greaser wannabe on the verge of passing out from the trauma inflicted upon him. It was exactly what he needed.

Utterly confused and scared, Mituna could only watch this play out, giving plenty of space to Kurloz. Before he knew it, his moirail wandered off, all without acknowledging him. Remembering the text messages from Latula, Mituna tried to explain what happened, finding himself typing worse than usual from the adrenaline surge keeping him shaken. In response, he received a call.

"MT? Honeybee? You ok?" Latula asked on the other end, concerned.

"I dunno- yes?" He managed to utter out, his voice cracking. On the verge of tears, Mituna tried explaining what happened, barely getting anything out.

"Woah- hold on, I'm heading over there right now. You and Kurloz didn't go somewhere else, right?"

"No." Mituna sniffled, trying to ease himself by setting his attention to the natural ground, crouching down and pulling at the bits of grass there. After Latula told Mituna she was on her way, he wiped his nose on his sleeve and settled down a bit more. Sitting down, Mituna put his head in his hands, occasionally looking over his shoulder at Cronus still lying on the halfpipe's floor.

-

In the memory of his hive once again, Horuss was a wreck despite having taken a shower and now in a clean change of clothes. Everything that's been happening has been far too much to handle. Heartbreak, fear, and shame... alongside the sick pleasure that would overtake him despite that. Even then, it all leads back to regret. Unfortunately, nowhere was safe for him. His current shelter in his hive was less of a shelter and more of just another place for Kurloz to invade.

In the middle of wondering what kind of game Kurloz was playing with the suggestion from the evening, his Trollian went off. Already at his computer, he decided to check that interface instead of viewing it with his goggles. Seeing it was from Kurloz, he knew it couldn't be anything good. Especially because Kurloz was the one keeping reserved while anticipating Horuss to message him first.

Opening the chatlogs, Horuss saw that Kurloz sent a link to an image before sending his smile emoticon with no additional context. When asking what the image was, he only received a winking smile in reply. Already unnerved, Horuss decided to just get it over with and clicked on the link.

Seeing the image of Cronus on the ground, beaten and with his violet blood leaking from a possible bitemark, left Horuss petrified. Though this alone was a lot to process, him realizing the fragments on the ground were the remains of Cronus's phone made a bad situation worse. Oh no. Kurloz didn't just figure out Horuss went to see Cronus, he knew the extent of the encounter, and this was the result.

Hearing a knock on his respiteblock door, Horuss became alert, quickly standing from his chair. Though he knew all too well who it was, he couldn't think of any sort of plan to actually face him. The door opened, and there Kurloz stood. Despite what he's done, he presented himself all innocent and coy, resting against the door frame and smiling sweetly at Horuss as he twirled a strand of hair. His stitches were out, signifying that he did in fact bite Cronus.

As if knowing that Horuss was wondering how he got in, Kurloz gestured over his shoulder, suggesting Horuss's own guardian was more than happy to let him in. From Horuss shuddering and looking over to his lusus, who was preoccupied with a separate task, Kurloz stepped inside and shut the door. His coy mannerism dropped and he stared Horuss down. Knowing Horuss was considering calling his guardian for help, Kurloz widened his eyes, as if to tell him that he would just end up with a battered lusus if he tried that. With Horuss keeping quiet, Kurloz got closer, effectively backing him into a corner.

Shaking and starting to sweat, Horuss stammered "Y-You- You said it was okay t-t-t-" Before he could finish his sentence, he got interrupted with Kurloz pressing a finger against his trembling lips.

Giving some space between them, Kurloz then signed "for you," before briefly looking agitated, shaking his head "not him."

Finding out that was the trick to the "open" suggestion, Horuss was at a loss for words once again, too stunned to speak. Getting yanked by the collar of his jacket, Horuss found himself getting a quick kiss on the lips. There was a pause before Kurloz slammed him against the wall suddenly. Despite the aggression, Kurloz had a playful look on his face.

Letting go of the jacket, Kurloz withdrew a hand to lightly jab Horuss in the chest with one of his claws. He glanced down to where he was pointing before looking back up at Horuss again, as if urging him to look down as well. Once he did, Kurloz flicked him on the nose and let out a snicker. With Horuss covering his face in retaliation, he kept up his smile, gently pulling at one of Horuss's wrists until he allowed him to hold that hand.

Similar to last time, Kurloz guided Horuss by the hand, taking him to the center of the respiteblock before instructing him to get down on the floor. Not wanting to be roughed up or worse, Horuss obeyed, laying down. From Kurloz getting on top of him, Horuss was clearly struggling trying to keep his breathing under control.

With Horuss greatly disturbed, Kurloz granted him alleviating intimacy. To ease him, Kurloz cupped his face, admiring his trembling sweetheart and giving a soothing rub to his cheeks. Despite this, Horuss remained apprehensive, though he then gasped sharply and turned his face away.

Too many things lined up in a way that horrified him, all centering Kurloz. The bitemarks he doesn't remember getting, Kurloz biting Cronus, the injuries on his upper body that came from nowhere, Kurloz beating Cronus unconscious. It made sense with Kurloz's obsession with him alongside the amnesia. Equipping his destrengthening gloves, Horuss tried to push Kurloz away, letting out shaken pleas for Kurloz to get off of him. Of course, Kurloz just applied a strong grip to Horuss's jacket for him to stay on.

Distressed and in a whirl of panic, Horuss rolled over to his side with Kurloz still clinging to him. Without the floor restricting him now, Horuss then pulled his arm back before delivering a punch directly to Kurloz's stomach. Immediately, Kurloz let out a hissed wheeze and his grip left Horuss as he curled up in pain. Aware he had limited time, Horuss rushed out the respiteblock, slamming the door behind him.

Running past his guardian with no explanation, Horuss decided to go down to his workshop, as it would at least grant him more time outside of Kurloz's line of sight. Unfortunately, once down there, it was very clear there wasn't anywhere to hide. Even the considerably large storage cabinets didn't offer the right amount of space for him.

The neighboring block may be more promising, but Kurloz would just go there once making the same observations. Eyeing the storage cabinet close to the door, Horuss determined it was just about the right height to hide the door frame, at least enough to grant him more time. The cabinet having somewhat tall legs should make this relatively easy to move without accidentally warping the metal from hastily lifting it.

Opening the door and unequipping his gloves, Horuss crouched down and grabbed under the cabinet before making the quick haul to the door. Knowing he needed to keep quiet, Horuss cringed at the sounds of metal clunking around within it. It should be fine, since it's only for a few moments. Squeezing into the next block, Horuss then made some quick adjustments so the cabinet aligned with the door better, deciding to allow the legs to scrape against the floor just a bit. Thankfully the scuffs weren't obvious enough to give him away as far as he could tell.

While he was also grateful this door swung out into the next block when actively closing it, the door leading to the workshop from upstairs both opened and closed. Feeling his body seize up in panic for a moment, Horuss grew nervous, yet kept his focus on the action of very gently and quietly closing the door. Hearing the light yet unmistakable bump of metal hitting each other, Horuss winced. He forgot to account for the doorknob when moving the cabinet. Hopefully this just means the cabinet is hiding the doorframe well. That's alright, this could still work.

Understanding he has to especially keep quiet, Horuss cautiously turned around to see what he had to work with now. It seems that in his panic, he forgot this was a storage of busted machines he intended to repair or fix the wiring of. A mechanical graveyard. At least this storage connected to one of the towers of his hive. There were a few slab steps leading to the tower's spiral staircase he could see from there.

If he remembered correctly, the staircase connected to an exterior walkway leading to the third story. To his relief, the storage was a relatively clean mess, with nothing too precarious and the walkway itself staying clear. Once working his way through, making sure to not accidentally bump into anything, he heard the cacophony of metal getting bashed in.

Though Horuss paused, saddened by his defenseless machinery being at the brunt of Kurloz's rage and clubs, hearing him dumping out the contents of a toolbox before chucking it at a wall made Horuss snap out of it. Wasting no more time, Horuss hurried up the staircase. At least Kurloz being thorough and trivial with his destruction granted Horuss plenty more time to find a place to hide.

Chapter Text

Finally answering her clam phone, Meenah stood up from her spot in the small circle, turning away from the others there. "Shello?"

"Why shello, dear. I suppose you haven't heard about the fight that has occurred recently?" Aranea ask on the other end.

Meenah blinked before turning around to look back at Meulin and Damara, who were actively engaged with her in a somewhat nightmare-ish "blunt rotation". She hated Damara, and Meulin was okay, just a bit too much. Actually, considering the other smokers in the group, it would be a real nightmare to smoke with either Mituna or Kurloz involved. "Since when have you ever given a scrod damn 'bout any of that junk? Ain't you the main pacifish or somefin?"

"Well, this is different, and I think you would like the gossip as well." Aranea said before yelling upon hearing Meenah take a drag. "Did you seriously ditch me to smoke?!"

Meenah cleared her throat before trying to speak, only ending up coughing a bit before passing the joint to Damara. After her coughing settled, she decided to just sit back down. "Nahhh."

As Damara was handed the joint, Meulin got eager to see a few tricks. "Can you blow rings again?" Meulin asked before leaning towards Meenah, not taking her eyes off Damara. "Damara knows so many tricks, just watch."

"Damara?!" Aranea practically shrieked on the other end.

"Ay, you wanted us to be chill with each other or whateva." Meenah replied, unamused with the many times Aranea had talked her fins off about that situation. It is admittedly surreal to just be casually sitting beside her like none of that happened at all though. They still very greatly hated each other with not an ounce of appreciation, but that's usual of their group.

"Ugh! You never listen to me when I-" Aranea started, but got interrupted by Meenah getting annoyed with Meulin.

"Meumix, I don't care. No. Ugh, girl look at me so you can read my lips!" Meenah shouted, placing a hand on Meulin's shoulder, causing her to actually look her way. "Aight, cool... I don't care!" Saying this, Meenah gave extra emphasis on the words of the last sentence, to ensure she really got the point across.

"Okey-Dokey!" Meulin chimed, unbothered as she simply set her focus back to Damara. From Damara blowing rings, she squealed in excitement. "Yes! Now do the more complex tricks!"

"Ahem!" Aranea loudly interjected.

"Yeah?" Meenah responded.

"I initially made this call to tell you some gossip." Aranea spoke flatly. Though she wasn't physically there, it was clear she was crossing one arm over the other and making that one angry pout she always does.

"Oh yeah. C'mon girl, don't keep me hangin."

"I wasn't intending to. Now where was I? Oh right, I didn't start now did I?"

Knowing that tone all too well, Meenah groaned. "C'mon, Serks. I dunno why you're even mad in the first place. You don't even smoke or nofin."

"I could."

"Suuuure." Meenah rolled her eyes, but then noticed Damara stubbed the joint off on the ashtray she had beside her. "Hey! Did you seriously just waste all that on your stupid smoke tricks?"

"おちつけ！" Damara hissed at Meenah before showing off there was more joints to use, passing a new one to Meulin for her to start up.

"Anyway!" Aranea shouted. "I thought you would enjoy hearing two of the group's "freaks" have engaged in a fight."

Immediately, Meenah casted a suspicious look towards Damara, acknowledging her as one of the primary freaks. It wasn't difficult to draw that conclusion, considering her history in the group lasting for sweeps, even before sweeps became eons. Damara was already looking at her and scowled for a moment before looking away.

From no reply, Aranea went silent for a moment as well. "... Meenah?"

"Which freaks? There's like a glubbin few of 'em."

"Right, I nearly forgot."

"It's like a cod damn circus." With that last line, Meenah heard Damara let out a laugh. "Shut it."

"Admittedly, I don't have all the details, but our formerly sweet harmless clown friend started a fight."

"Dang, the clown freak? I always poked fun at him turnin batshit crazy. Clown hijinks and all." Meenah stated carelessly, glaring at Damara after she gave a brief but easily noticeable side-eye.

"It gets better." Aranea said, getting an eager "ooo" in response. "The fight involved our mutually despised acquaintance Cronus, and Kurloz is winning. Or perhaps he has won, I'm not too sure. I hurried out of my own small get-together. This happened to be a good excuse to leave."

With Meulin offering Meenah the joint, she snatched it and took a long drag before passing it over to Damara. After a pause, she blew out, and side-tracked their conversation again. "Holup, why'd you leave your meet-up? I thought you wanted us to be more social or some bullshit."

"We all need occasional time alone. You of all people should know that.... It's exhausting, alright?"

"Aight. Respect."

"I'm not exactly fond of Latula's "girl power" or Porrim's.... intimidating.... aura." Aranea said the last part slowly, getting a cheeky "mhm" from Meenah. "Anyway, you have quite the strange grouping yourself. Are you not exhausted from that? Especially considering your history of trying to kill both of them."

"Eh, I don't actually care 'bout that junk right now. Never much liked most of our whole group to begin with. Only reely you, but you keep tryna complicate shit all the fuckin time. Lil miss center of attention web links or whateva spider analogy works there." After a pause, she added. "Remind me to thank Makara for beatin up that douche though. Long-overdue, not gonna lie."

Hearing this, Damara shot a look over to Meenah. Surprisingly, it wasn't a glare. It seemed like she was shocked, actually.

As Meenah stuck her tongue out to tell her to mind her business, Aranea got on her case. "Sure, go up to the crazy clown and encourage that behavior. That sounds like a really smart idea. You know, I encountered his dancestor, Gamzee. His behavior was beyond anything you could possibly imagine, and-"

"It was a joke, Serks." Meenah said, interrupting the soon-to-be ranting.

"それぞれの道化師にはトリックがあります。" Damara remarked.

Barely understanding Damara's words, Meenah ignored Aranea nearly fuming at her on the other end. "Gotta go, this bitch is startin to get cryptic." Meenah stated, closing the clam to end the call. "The fuck you sayin 'bout clown shit? Leijon," She nudged Meulin to get her attention. "You can read lips, what'd she say?"

"Sorry, Meenah, I can't help you there. I can't really read lips when there's a thick accent. Different vowel pronunciation and all." She said before giving a sweet smile.

Meenah nodded. "I sea..." After delivering a final suspicious glance to Damara, Meenah decided she was officially done with this poorly organized get-together. "Aight, Imma head out. Later, losers."

-

Getting no reply from Meulin as he repeatedly attempted to reach her, urging her to come to his hive to help deal with Kurloz, Horuss grew more distressed. Despite the situation, Horuss knew not to go into detail about Kurloz. This current issue directly tied to him being claimed by Kurloz, so if he didn't keep the details vague, then who knows what that crazy purple blood would do in retaliation?

The third story of his hive wasn't promising in the "hiding place" category. Admittedly, it was a bit too ambitious to think he could possibly hide in the first place. Hives tend to be a bit scarce in that regard, but with what was in the block he chose, he made an attempt to barricade the door. Looking at the barricade, he sighed.

He had set a bookshelf against the door before setting a table on its side against it. The rest of the furniture in the room wouldn't work for a barricade, as they were either stationary or too small. Not much of his hive's blocks were very useful in that case. They were mostly used for hobbies he potentially abandons from getting inspiration on something "greater", but it was mostly from the anguish of constantly never being fulfilled.

The silence was broken with the distant sound of a door opening. Though Horuss kept silent, he got a message from Kurloz. His eyes widened and he started to perspire when reading what was sent. Kurloz had threatened to give him 10 lashes for every 5 minutes he kept hiding. Trying to keep calm, Horuss considered it must've been a bluff to scare him into coming out. Even then, he'd be found soon enough. Hearing another door open confirmed Kurloz was still actively searching.

Looking back at his one-sided messages to Meulin, it was difficult to be optimistic. The door down the hall closed, before another door opened. While he never considered it before, it was difficult not taking note of the eerily quiet footsteps. Hopefully though, this meant Kurloz had calmed down and the punishment was actually an empty threat. As Horuss thought this, he got another message from Kurloz. "10 lashes".

With Kurloz checking another room, someone opened up the old group chat to make an announcement. Aranea preemptively blocked Kurloz from responding as she informed others that Kurloz might be unstable, describing the full details of what was reported to her, with Latula confirming it. Cronus was also said to be alright, and just couldn't respond to the chat because his phone got smashed. Reading through and finding out Kurloz's moirail was present at the scene, and couldn't pacify him, disturbed Horuss greatly. With Kurloz incapable of being pacified, that just meant his messages towards Meulin were useless from the start. Though the group chat distracted him, Horuss got another message from Kurloz. "20 lashes".

The doorknob to the door he barricaded then turned and gently hit against the bookshelf at first. As if finding Horuss sparked excitement, Kurloz immediately tried to push through the barricade, knocking what books remained in the top part of the bookshelf to the floor, some smacking against Horuss as they fell. Not only that, but Horuss quickly figured out his sitting position against the desk made him disadvantaged as he slid when trying to push against Kurloz's force.

Making sure to push against the desk with his shoulder as he changed his position, Horuss turned to face it. Planting his feet more firmly on the ground, Horuss then gave a decent shove. The door easily slammed shut, and he heard Kurloz get knocked over on the other side from it.

"Why are you doing all of this?" Horuss shouted, intending to add more to it, yet instead stopped to cringe over the sound of his quavering voice.

He got another message from Kurloz. Expecting an answer, Horuss groaned when seeing the message. "30 lashes". Soon after, Kurloz clawed at the door with some sort of pattern, switching through motions and amount of claws he was using to trace against it. While it was a bit strange, it was the least of Horuss's worries.

"Kurloz," Horuss called out more steadily, with the clawing coming to a halt. "I'll let you in if you don't hurt me."

Expecting a different sort of reply, Kurloz growled lowly, unamused. He ran a knuckle over the door, gliding it over several times and giving a knock here and there.

Briefly confused on the switch-up, Horuss quickly recognized Kurloz was using morse code. BLOOD. Afterwards, a fist was slammed against the door, further showing his anger was unrelenting despite the false presentation of keeping it together. Such a combination definitely kept Horuss on-edge. He thought over what else would appease Kurloz for a while. Realizing what might actually work, Horuss felt disgusted.

"I didn't.... I didn't "finish" during my encounter with Cronus." Horuss confessed, sucking in his next breath before adding to his humiliation. "I wasn't much fond of the pictures either." Despite not exactly hating that he pailed with Cronus, he knew not to speak of that to Kurloz, especially not when trying to save his own skin. Before he could add anything else he thought would work, he got a message. Meulin finally got the memo and is heading over. Kurloz messaged as well, requesting to be let in, rather than adding to the counter.

Still uneasy over Kurloz, Horuss tried to get even more in the clear with him. "I'm sorry I punched you earlier. It was but a moment of panic. I didn't actually mean for that." He lied.

Kurloz was already aware that Horuss connected the dots between the aggrieve with Cronus and the aggrieves towards him that Kurloz made him forget. No need to downplay what the response was. Horuss had been scared plenty of times before without much retaliation, even with Kurloz provoking him for that type of response. Showing Horuss that he doesn't care for the additional commentary, he opened the door, letting it hit the bookshelf again.

While Horuss was contemplating what to do next, Kurloz got messaged by Meulin. Finding out Meulin was coming over, because Horuss had enough time away from him to get her attention, infuriated him. Though unsure on the situation, she felt it necessary to at least come by to make sure everything's okay. She's probably hightailing it over here currently, from wherever she was. Nothing Kurloz couldn't handle, but that doesn't mean it's not annoying as hell.

On his way to head out and persuade his past sweetheart into believing that nothing was wrong, through the use of his chucklevoodoos, Kurloz paused when Damara messaged him. She was ridiculing him for his recent carelessness, at least in the parts he could decipher. Not wanting her to meddle with his mirthful endeavors, he simply suggested for her to fuck off.

With Horuss unaware Kurloz had left, he settled a bit from the prolonged silence. It's best not to worry with Meulin heading over. Any minute now. From him staying out of Kurloz's grasp, maybe Meulin would actually be able to prevent something bad from happening. He slowly maneuvered back to his previous sitting position to prevent making too much noise. Not hearing anything else or getting a message, he twiddled his thumbs, considering what else he should say.

"It's been rather difficult facing you lately. I'm aware that's the intention, but.... Would it be too much to request you-.... Well, I mean- I don't mean to request, um.... I would like if you were to communicate more efficiently with me." He paused, awaiting some sort of response.

After the continued stillness, Horuss figured Kurloz was giving him some sort of silent treatment beyond his disability. Still not picking up that Kurloz left, Horuss considered the likelihood that he was waiting for Horuss to let him in as he had commanded earlier. He decided to sit in the continued silence to work up the courage to even move away from the barricade. His fear of Kurloz was greater than his perversion of the caste system, at least until finding himself caught in the pleasure of pailing.

Hearing a feminine voice muffled and somewhat distant alerted Horuss. Was Meulin finally here? Unfortunately, the block he chose to hide in didn't have a window facing the front of his hive. He might be able to see her if she happened to be closer to this side of it. Trying to listen in for Kurloz, there was nothing, but he decided to still keep quiet as he inched towards the window.

Peering out, he saw no sign of anyone. She was probably at the door calling out to announce her arrival and to be let in. Hopefully Horuss's centaur butler will allow her inside, he was quite the good fellow. The calm wait for anything distinct got disrupted by hurried steps approaching. In uncertainty, Horuss only managed to turn away from the window to face the door.

Without Horuss being part of the barricade, Kurloz easily broke past it from a forceful kick of the slightly ajar door. The door still managed to halt from the bookshelf getting knocked over against the desk laid on its side, acting almost like a wedge. However, there was enough of a gap present for him to swiftly squeeze through, pushing against the door and the nearby wall as he did.

Already terrified, Horuss was unsure what to do, yet blurted out. "Where's Meulin?"

Shutting the door, Kurloz then signed "goggles. off. now." From Horuss reluctantly taking off his headgear, Kurloz smiled. Fingerspelling a nickname for Meulin, he signed "KITTY took off."

"She wouldn't have-" Horuss started, cutting himself off from Kurloz repeatedly snapping his fingers before gesturing for Horuss to hand the goggles over to him.

With Horuss offering his goggles, Kurloz went up to him and took it, storing it in his sylladex. From the current obedience, Kurloz set aside his urge to deck Horuss for all this trouble. He then paused, and decided against no punishment, ending up slapping Horuss for the insolence. As Horuss was in shock from the slap, Kurloz took out his phone and texted Meulin. After a notification sound went off, he held the phone out for Horuss to see.

Reading the messages, Horuss felt completely hopeless, on the verge of tears as he let himself sink to the floor. Even with everything else making it clear Kurloz is dangerous and couldn't be trusted, she somehow got convinced by him that everything was fine. Not to mention, once again, his moirail abandoned him in a time of need.

Kurloz got down to Horuss's level, making sure he didn't forget the threats, signing "beg for mercy."

Wiping his tears away, Horuss muttered out. "I know what you actually want."

Kurloz playfully ruffled Horuss's bangs. There was no way he could understand half of what plagued his mind, but clearly Horuss was referring to pailing. "remove your clothes." He ordered. From no change, Kurloz delivered another slap to Horuss's face.

With the slap being right on top of the handprint already made, it really stung, making Horuss hiss and grit his teeth. Despite trying to resist Kurloz, being punished over ignoring a highblood's order made him shiver, adding to his shame as Kurloz clearly saw it. Timidly, he looked at Kurloz, hoping he wasn't blushing.

"bad boy" Kurloz signed, laughing as he gave a wag of his finger afterwards.

Though unsettled, Horuss didn't want another slap to his face, willing out of most of his clothing. Keeping his shirt on, he hoped it was okay, yet got met with a look from Kurloz that said "am I a joke to you?". Before he could try and explain, Horuss found himself getting yanked up by the shirt. When dragged away from the window, he practically got thrashed around until a final adjustment of hand placement paired with a hard tug made Horuss slide out of it and fall to the floor.

From Horuss making an attempt to hide it, Kurloz immediately noticed the light bite marks and hickeys decorating his neck and shoulders. Though feeling the need to lash out from this alone, Kurloz took note of the scar he gave him being covered. Tossing the shirt aside, he waited for Horuss to explain himself.

During the shower at Cronus's hive, Cronus wanted to be more affectionate from Horuss's skin being clean of sweat under the showerhead. The feeling of Cronus's sharp teeth lightly grazing against his skin alongside the kisses that followed made him shudder, wanting more. However, seeing Kurloz's expression right now, Horuss wished none of it had happened. Feeling himself tremble, Horuss barely let a sound out, unable to find the words.

Despite his difficulty, once Kurloz placed a hand on the bandage, Horuss tried to reassure. "I um.... I covered it before showering with Cronus. He didn't see it." After saying this, Horuss tensed up, realizing he shouldn't have mentioned they showered together. The hand on his shoulder then wrapped around the back of his neck. With a sudden intense grip, Horuss was forced to press his head against the floor.

When Horuss adjusted to be in a prostration position, to show submission, Kurloz released his grip before trailing a claw down his trembling back. Getting behind him, Kurloz gave a light rub up and down Horuss. Letting one hand drift to rub the side he injured last time, he leaned in and planted a kiss on his back. Opening his mouth, he then gently raked his lower teeth against it, stopping to deliver a few kisses. After repeating this process a few times with a surprise light bite every now and then, just to make Horuss jolt, Kurloz gave a gentle pat to convey he was done for now.

Unsurely, Horuss kept his position, growing nervous when Kurloz got in front of him and crouched down. Keeping up his aggressive nature, Kurloz wrapped his hands around Horuss's horns and pulled up until he was now on his hands and knees. Seeing Kurloz's face again, Horuss felt sickened, especially when Kurloz tilted his head to the side while looking down at him. It was like he was judging what to do to him next.

When letting go of Horuss's horns, Kurloz cupped his face to keep him looking up before brushing his thumbs over his lips. Seeing the discomfort and wavering fear on that face was such a pleasant change compared to the agitated and uncaring expression from earlier this night. Thinking this, Kurloz pushed his thumbs past Horuss's lips and rubbed against the lining of his cheeks. Horuss fidgeted during this, and both shut his eyes and clenched his teeth. It was clear he absolutely detested this, but Kurloz didn't care.

He brought his thumbs together and pulled at Horuss's lower lip, getting a decent look at his sharp teeth. Despite liking such a sight, Kurloz got irritated at the thought of Cronus being able to do more for him than he could. Kissing with tongue was a pretty big craze, not to mention nook eating. Apart from that, Kurloz had to be careful with his bite from his longer fangs. It was difficult to not be envious of trolls with less potentially fatal bites. Different instances of intentionally biting Horuss to tear open a major artery and make him bleed out to double-death suddenly played over and over in his mind, and he jerked his head to the side.

Horuss held his head low the moment Kurloz's touch left him, and he allowed himself to open his eyes again. Soon after Kurloz left his sight, Horuss blushed, feeling him caressing his backside. Though expecting a spank soon after, he got surprised with a belt thwacking against there instead. He let out an loud gasp, clenching his fists and clamping his legs together as the stinging sensation lingered. These must be the lashes Kurloz threatened to punish Horuss with.

Making sure to keep the pain up, Kurloz only allowed a brief pause before smacking Horuss with the belt more. The pauses given also showed off that Horuss greatly anticipated more, with him arching his back and giving a light sway of his hips. After the first 10 hits, Kurloz could see Horuss's nook was dripping wet. His bulge was probably writhing around and smearing his thighs and belly with its natural lubrication as well.

"Please continue." Horuss practically whined, impatient over the longer pause.

Getting more rough, Kurloz smacked the belt against Horuss's ass harder. He didn't allow any rest time between swings until halfway done, giving a moment for Horuss to settle, before repeating. With this, Horuss let out a mixture of huffs and groans while he twitched from the constant stinging pain. After these 10 hits, Kurloz sympathetically pressed a hand against Horuss's back, knowing he must truthfully punish him now.

As Horuss was regaining his breath, he equipped a towel and patted his face off with it. He considered how he wouldn't be able to comfortably sit for a while, and the thought of sitting on Kurloz's lap to soothe the pain from his cooler body temperature, made him flustered. Noticing the pause was fairly longer than last time, Horuss looked over his shoulder, yet froze up as the loud unmistakable crack of a whip rang out beside him. A warning.

From Horuss rigidly repositioning to sit on his knees, he seemed to wait to see if it was a bluff. Kurloz cruelly played along with this, doing nothing as Horuss slowly convinced himself it was safe. However, once Horuss went to stand, Kurloz struck his back. Instantly, Horuss let out a scream before collapsing to the ground. His breathing quickly became shaken as he started to sob.

Despite not striking full-force, it was no doubt that shit hurt. Might as well strike multiple times in one go, since Horuss was on the verge of hyperventilating. Though Horuss didn't scream from the quick succession of 4 lashes, he sharply gasped, his breathing choppy, before letting out a loud wail once getting enough air in his lungs. The next few hits had brief pauses between them, with an additional pause as Horuss tried to recover air again. With the final strikes, Kurloz applied more force, distinctly breaking the skin right away.

Not granting Horuss normal rest, Kurloz influenced his mind. Everything is alright, he should calm his breathing and let him soothe him. After all, he belonged to Kurloz, it only made sense to trust him. Once ensuring his own safety, Kurloz dropped the influence as he got down to Horuss's level. Assisting him to stand, Kurloz stared longingly at those gorgeous eyes that welled up with indigo tears. Horuss was undeniably shaken from this experience, still trembling and sniffling from the trauma inflicted upon him. Pailing with his sweetheart could wait. Though he so desperately wanted it, Kurloz knew he just gave himself another waiting period to allow Horuss to recover.

Chapter Text

A few nights had passed since the punishment. Kurloz made sure to tend to the injuries to ensure the worst of it formed a nice clean scar when it healed, both out of fascination and to show he will always soothe the pain inflicted. Obviously, Horuss didn't appreciate Kurloz taking care of him. The fact that he's been trapped in the memory of his own hive by Kurloz once again didn't help.

The wounds had already healed, the worst forming lightly raised scars flushed blue across his back. Horuss would be lying if he said he hadn't cried himself to sleep a few times over the whole situation. From all the repeated stress and trauma, he wanted time alone, which wasn't granted. At the very least, Kurloz allowed him to occupy his own recuperacoon unbothered. However, it was mostly allowed for Kurloz himself to set up a thing or two without making Horuss aware.

Horuss's waking was immediately met with the stare of his captor, as usual. With his slime-induced stupor, he sluggishly exited his recuperacoon, trying to pay no mind to Kurloz as he hovered him during this. At least getting into a new change of clothes after proper rest was much easier and more preferrable in the bubbles. As usual, Kurloz followed him close as he did a few routine tasks to both get ready for the night and to wake himself up.

Eventually, Horuss exited his respiteblock, just to quickly check on something. From the absence of his lusus in this part of the hive once again, Horuss frowned. It's not like his lusus would be of much help in this current predicament, but his own guardian being around would at least bring some comfort and relief his way. He really needed it. Holding his head low, Horuss went ahead and entered his respiteblock again. With the instant return, Kurloz seemingly mocked Horuss by offering him to sit at the desk.

From a former attempt at checking, Horuss already knew that Kurloz had changed his sign-in, making the machine useless to him. The login reminder message being the clown's emoticon smile made it all the more frustrating. With Kurloz distinctly getting irritated by the hesitance, widening his eyes and frowning at him, Horuss went ahead and sat down before any possible retaliation. In return, Kurloz happily sat on his lap, wrapping an arm around him as he used the other to turn on the monitor. He clearly had something already set up.

With the desktop displayed, Horuss instantly saw there was now an imported folder titled "can't help it" sitting there. Kurloz opened the folder and maximized the file window. A folder stack sat within it, titled "scarred and bloody". Fretting what he was about to see, Horuss nervously shifted in the chair, making Kurloz glance over at him. It was easy to tell Kurloz was excited, probably more-so with the preemptive response.

Trying to settle himself, Kurloz crossed one leg over the other and set his focus back to the monitor. Opening up that folder displayed several more that further implied the content within them: "claw it out", "devotion", "hush now", "scorched", "suture". While he left enough time for Horuss to read each folder name, Kurloz went ahead and clicked on "devotion". It was filled with imagery of his own wounds leaking blood, scabbing over, and forming scars; a self-harm folder separate from his incident.

Seeing the array of wounds immediately made Horuss sick to his stomach, and Kurloz opening up an image for a closer look only worsened his shock. With Horuss not wearing his jacket, his sweating was gradually getting more obvious. Though he tried to keep his breathing steady, Kurloz went through several different images that varied in type and how severe it was, overwhelming Horuss further.

Feeling the arm he had wrapped around Horuss get wet from sweat, Kurloz looked back at him. It was always so clear what Kurloz desired, even without all the strange aspects that made everything else about him so confusing. He briefly stood to turn around and straddle Horuss. Having been too hungry for that indigo bulge, he couldn't resist grinding against him immediately.

Such a disturbing approach had Horuss shaken, yet he eventually gave in once Kurloz planted a kiss on his lips, allowing it to progress into a more passionate one. The feeling of Kurloz's concealed bulge rubbing against him made him eager in a way he felt dirty over, causing him to quickly dismiss it. Snapping back to his senses, Horuss pulled out of the kiss and glanced at the monitor. From this, Kurloz stopped his motion, now staring intently at him.

Still unsure on what would set Kurloz off, Horuss lightly pressed a hand against the small of his back to reassure. However, he remained unsettled over the content that was shown him still being displayed. Taking the chance, Horuss reached over with his other hand and shut the computer down. Even with the clicks of the mouse, Kurloz didn't let up that strangely unnerving stare of his.

With the programs closing and the hum of the computer eventually coming to a halt as it turned off, Horuss let out a sigh of relief and settled back in the chair, only for cold metal to press against his throat. A shiver went through him, and his eyes darted back to Kurloz. Whatever fear-filled look Horuss gave Kurloz just made him push the blade harder against his throat.

The desperate plea those wide eyes showed only made Kurloz more thrilled on pushing forward. It would be so easy to jab the knife into a main artery and make blue blood spray everywhere to bring an unworthy heretic's afterlife to an end. He grit his teeth at the thought, knowing he must atone for thinking such a thing in the first place. Lately his rage and atonement were one in the same. Damn this pathetic indigo blood. Trying to ignore the swirl of graphic imagery in his head, Kurloz let his focus drift back down to remind himself what he truly wanted.

Figuring the aggression was Kurloz's way of communicating his desire, Horuss undid his pants and pulled his briefs down. To show Horuss he appeased from the submission, Kurloz stored the knife back in his strife specibus without causing any harm. Despite Kurloz letting up on the threat, all the sweat paired with Horuss's dread-filled expression made it look as if he was close to vomiting from the nearly constant stress.

Getting off of Horuss's lap, Kurloz got on his knees and pulled both the pants and briefs further down for better access. The bulge was still in the process of unsheathing, but Kurloz didn't mind the wait. Leaning in close, he glided his lips against the underside, causing Horuss to tremble in fear. As a way to tell Horuss to stop being a pansy, Kurloz decided to be gentle and give a few kisses to it. If he wasn't trying to exercise self-control, he would've given a light bite instead, just to make Horuss freak out.

Once determining enough of the bulge was out, Kurloz positioned himself over it. To his displeasure, Horuss had a difficult time looking him in the eyes. Bringing the knife out once more, Kurloz slid it against Horuss's throat up to the underside of his chin, forcing Horuss to look up at him. In anticipation and fear, Horuss took in a shaky breath before letting it out, sounding on the verge of crying.

Using his free hand, Kurloz brushed Horuss's bangs, somewhat slick with sweat, out of his face. Trying to sooth Horuss further, he then rubbed his thumb over his cheek while shushing him. Apart from that, hormones were running through him like crazy. At this point Horuss's bulge, full length and desperate for pailing, tried to prod at Kurloz's clothed nook. Horuss was embarrassed by this, but before he could react, Kurloz jolted. As if it was Horuss's intention, Kurloz set the knife back in the specibus a second time before delivering a smack to his face.

While Horuss was in shock once more, Kurloz willed his bodysuit off before guiding the bulge to his nook again. After initial penetration, more of its inches eagerly slid in. With him steadily raising and lowering himself on it, he earned some of Horuss's stress-induce whimpers already. Apart from Horuss's anticipation, Kurloz's own lust was clear as he barely let himself adjust before taking all of the bulge in him, getting jittery and letting out a groan from the brief stinging sensation.

Due to the chair not having arm rests to use for stability, Kurloz placed a hand at the top of it, sinking his claws in. As he rolled his hips, Horuss huffed out a faint moan before placing his hands on Kurloz's hips all on his own. Continuing the motion, Kurloz would pick up the pace for a while before twitching from the stimulation and slowing down to sway his hips, humming out moans from the bulge rubbing against a sweet spot.

Wanting to change it up, Kurloz settled for a moment to remove Horuss's hands from his hips. He then pressed himself up against him, not caring about the sweat, and wrapped his arms around the back of the chair. As Kurloz raised and lowered his hips faster, Horuss let out more whimpered moans.

Though Horuss felt shame out of getting off to much of anything, such a feeling was more humiliating with Kurloz. As Kurloz kept going at it, Horuss rolled his shirt up and pressed up against him, letting the purple bulge rub against his abs. Kurloz caught on and grinded up against them as he kept riding him, having to slow his speed and adjust his grip on the chair. Though he continued to hum at first, he then decided to let out a sudden hiss into Horuss's ear.

Unsure on what that reaction was, Horuss became tense again despite Kurloz continuing his motion. "Kurloz-" He said, getting interrupted from Kurloz grabbing at his face and pressing his cheek against his, proceeding to rub after Horuss tried to turn away. Once the pressure left his face, he looked back at Kurloz, finding out that he didn't seal his face paint.

Kurloz couldn't help but snicker from seeing the paint he smeared on Horuss's face, alongside the disgruntled expression of his that paired with it. Rather than continuing as expected, Kurloz stood, letting the bulge slide out. The expression on Horuss's face instantly dropped, as if fretting Kurloz was about to punish him over that alone. Instead, Kurloz turned away to mess with the computer.

Confused on what Kurloz was doing, Horuss swiveled the chair to get a better view, seeing Kurloz was unplugging the cables from the monitor. Before he could figure out why Kurloz was doing this, Kurloz captchalogued the monitor before scooting the keyboard out of the way.

Turning to face Horuss again, Kurloz sat on the desk, displaying his nook proud. He signed "tongue" and pointed to his nook, ordering Horuss to eat him out.

Horuss got flustered, even more-so when remembering part of his torso was coated with Kurloz's natural lubrication. Figuring he'd need a towel anyway, Horuss equipped one before patting the sweat off his face and wiping off his torso. Once Horuss left his chair and got on his knees, Kurloz loosely wrapped his legs around him, pulling him in closer.

Not wanting to dirty Horuss's face with purple just yet, Kurloz held his bulge in his hand, preventing it from touching as he got close. Though a bit stubborn as usual, Horuss got to work on the nook as he was commanded to, licking at the slit. Kurloz let out a light satisfied huff as Horuss continued, now slowly stroking himself.

As Horuss eased more into giving oral, Kurloz started to tense up and quicken his stroking pace. The way Horuss's tongue was rubbing against his folds felt good, with Kurloz encouraging for him to keep his current pattern up by moaning and leaning back. Though Kurloz seemed to relax from being serviced, his climax was getting close. With this in mind, Kurloz sat back up, before grabbing at Horuss's bangs and forcing him to look up at him.

Almost there, Kurloz was pissed over seeing Horuss had closed his mouth. From his other hand being far too busy, Kurloz got lazy with signing, and released his grip on his bangs to mouth "open" and sign "mouth". Horuss understood what was about to happen, shutting his eyes and opening his mouth, like the good slurry slut he was.

Soon enough, Horuss got a face full of Kurloz's genetic material. Some easily dripped down onto his shirt and the floor, making even more of a mess. With how much ended up in his mouth, Horuss wanted to spit it out, but considered the fact his sexual partner wasn't very forgiving. Not wanting to take the risk, he managed to swallow it all, getting a reassuring pat on his head that said "good boy", despite his clear disgust.

Blindly, Horuss searched for the towel he just had. Once finding it, he wasted no time to clean off his face, mumbling about how much probably ended up in his hair. However, after cleaning off his face, Horuss paused. This taste... A feeling of grief and humiliation overcame him, and he could tell it was Kurloz's intention.

Horuss knew damn well something was off about the taste of Rufioh's mouth when they kissed on that shame-filled night, but didn't think much of it in the heat of the moment. He casted a defeated look to Kurloz, who just returned a smile to mock him. It was clear Kurloz wanted him to address it. With a sigh, Horuss attempted to ask. "How long have you and Rufioh...."

Rather than directly stating anything, Kurloz chuckled and gave a wave to dismiss it, as Rufioh meant nothing to him. Messing with him further on the sidelines when Horuss was avoiding both of them was just as meaningless, but it was his own way to get back at Horuss. Stringing along a rogue before tossing him aside like he was nothing, on more than one occasion, was a comedic thrill in and of itself.

The vague open-ended gesture didn't settle well with Horuss, who couldn't pinpoint the exact meaning. Kurloz hopping off of the desk before insisting for Horuss to stand didn't relieve him either. He could never truly catch a break with him around, especially because Kurloz knew something else was eating at him.

With Horuss hesitating, Kurloz offered his hand. Whether this was done mockingly or genuinely was unclear. Either way, the help wasn't needed. Horuss stood on his own, and as Kurloz pressed his hand to Horuss's chest, he became overly skittish and instantly backed up. Humming out a tune, Kurloz walked up to him as he continued to back away, unsure and uncomfortable over the atmosphere. When close enough to the upcoming wall, Kurloz grabbed Horuss by the throat and slammed him against it.

Despite Kurloz's own bulge having retracted from achieving orgasm, Horuss's own was still well-pronounced and begging to be stroked. That wasn't Kurloz's focus right now, and Horuss was trying his best to ignore it, though he knew Kurloz would do something about it. Especially with the current aggression aligning with his sexual urges.

With Kurloz removing his grip on his throat without doing anything else, Horuss processed what to ask next before finally speaking up. "You haven't done to him what you did to me, right? Please tell me you haven't hurt him."

Kurloz already knew he hadn't, yet thought back to the last encounter, long enough to make Horuss worry. It was exciting, but all too risky. Tracing a blade over Rufioh's stomach while keeping him tied down and panty-gagged, with that pixie bitch full of panic despite asking for it, god was it exhilarating. He couldn't help but laugh upon recalling how Rufioh's wings fluttered frantically beneath him. Looking back at Horuss and seeing his dread, Kurloz finally signed "no".

Before Horuss could consider saying anything else, Kurloz addressed the bulge, tenderly grabbing it and allowing it to make an attempt to wrap around his wrist. Feeling his bulge pulse in anticipation around Kurloz, Horuss started to sweat again, unsure how he felt about it. So easily, Kurloz had brought his attention back to their sexual favors to each other, effectively making him forget about everything else.

Though the idea of the indigo bulge constricting to the point of bruising or breaking his wrist was hilarious, Kurloz withdrew his hand, and the bulge easily slid off from its own lubrication. Now grabbing at the collar of Horuss's shirt, Kurloz yanked it, proceeding to guide him to the center of the room. Obedient and familiar with the implied instruction, Horuss went ahead and laid down. After Kurloz snapped his fingers and pointed to Horuss's pants, signing "down" to instruct him to pull them down, he obeyed.

Standing over Horuss, Kurloz couldn't help but feel like it was such a disappointment he couldn't restrict Horuss, due to his freakish strength. There are certain ways to limit his strength however, but that could be tested another time. Rather than re-inserting the bulge into his nook when getting down to Horuss's level, Kurloz pressed the bulge to lay down before sitting on it. Once adjusting how he was sitting, he proceeded to grind against the bulge, eagerly monitoring Horuss's response.

While Horuss at first appeared to take this stimulation the same as he would normally, this specific form was gradually making him antsy. It didn't take long for him to occasionally buck his hips and whimper over being teased. Kurloz stopping whenever he did that made it worse. Horuss personally didn't want to seem desperate, but his bulge squirmed, as if frustrated that it wasn't penetrating the nook pressed against it.

To further the teasing, Kurloz did a quick wiggle of his hips before stopping again, making Horuss raise his hips up and whine. Without Kurloz continuing after he settled down again, Horuss timidly pressed up to attempt to grind against him. He figured this was Kurloz's intention, as he was getting flustered over being treated lowly by a highblood. That feeling didn't last, as he found himself growing uncomfortable from Kurloz smiling down at him. Now feeling ridiculed over his sexual shame, Horuss looked away and muttered out an insult.

With a hand getting placed on his chest, Horuss set his focus back to Kurloz, getting met with him cupping his ear, as if to say "what was that?". Suddenly remembering Kurloz's knife from earlier, Horuss halted his motion, aware he must have made a grave mistake. With sweat dripping down, he stammered out a lie. "I- um, I didn't um.... I didn't say anything."

Kurloz glared down at him before sighing "do you wanna fuck my NEDEN or not?", fingerspelling the slang. It was obvious even he was getting impatient despite how much he played around.

Hating such vulgar language, Horuss hissed out. "Don't call it that." Once saying this, he immediately regretted it and covered his mouth, assuming he'd get punished. Instead, Kurloz ignored such a response and stood just enough for the bulge to be free to penetrate him once more.

From his own bulge being in the process of unsheathing again, Kurloz wasted no time to guide Horuss's bulge to penetrate, not wanting the two to wrap against each other. If he was being honest, rubbing against that bulge without actually doing anything with it was starting to drive him mad. It seemed Horuss was also glad to have his bulge deep within his nook once more. Staring expectantly at Horuss, Kurloz then signed "pound", commanding him to do just that.

Though anxious about his strength as usual, Horuss recalled last time he was dominant as he placed his hands on Kurloz's hips. Kurloz himself had a different idea, simply guiding Horuss's hands up to his neck before signing "gloves". Unsurely, Horuss equipped his destrengthening gloves before applying pressure to Kurloz's throat.

As usual, Horuss figured Kurloz knew what he was setting up and tried to play into it, despite the stress and worry. With Horuss starting on his thrusts, Kurloz pushed against the grip on his throat to restrict his breathing more. From the sudden hesitation, Kurloz raised and lowered his hips impatiently, urging for Horuss to get on with it and fuck him.

The thrusts gradually picking up and getting more rough, Kurloz let out a few strained groans, finding it more difficult once Horuss's grip on his throat increased. Though he loved the stinging pain from Horuss's strength, his body still tensed up from it. The idea of his nook getting bruised made him let out a completely inaudible laugh.

Previously lost in the pleasure, Horuss then realized how much of Kurloz's breathing he was actually restricting and let up his grip, worried. Kurloz didn't really mind this, simply resuming his moans while he continued. Eventually, Horuss's pace slowed as he grew closer to his orgasm. His moans becoming shaken as he ended up withholding his breath when nearing climax.

With Horuss emptying into him and now attempting to regain his breath, Kurloz smirked and took over the motion. Huffing out a moan, Horuss let his hands fall from Kurloz's throat down to the floor. Knowing Horuss was particularly sensitive down there, especially right now, Kurloz gave long strokes to his bulge to antagonize him, not caring that the blue genetic material was dripping down the more he rode it. That probably irritated Horuss more.

Twitching and letting out a groan, Horuss delivered a smack to Kurloz's thigh to tell him to ease up on the motion. Kurloz instantly got face to face with him in response, giving a taunting expression while still riding the bulge. Feeling more dripping down, Horuss felt disgusted, even more-so when it trailed down onto him. Once Horuss looked away, Kurloz gave him some space before taking all of the bulge in and swaying his hips, making more of a mess. From him squirming and whimpering, Kurloz let out a chuckle.

"Please-" Horuss panted, gasping sharply as Kurloz bounced on his inches. The stimulation was getting unbearable as Kurloz kept it up playfully rather than with the intent to reach another orgasm himself. Shakily, he planted his gloved hands on Kurloz's thighs and managed to whine. "Stop."

Kurloz instantly dropped his smile and stared at Horuss upon stopping, as if he wasn't sure he heard correctly. Once Horuss nervously stared up at him, it became clear that he was fearful Kurloz was deciding some sort of punishment for this. As Kurloz leaned forward, Horuss tensed up, shutting his eyes as usual.

From this, Kurloz equipped a horn and honked it in Horuss's ear to make him jolt and open his eyes in alert. Though snickering at the response, Kurloz got up, allowing the bulge to exit so it could have a chance to re-sheath. Going into the usual routine, he gave Horuss space to recollect himself. As Horuss was recovering, Kurloz got to work on collecting what he could in a pail before cleaning up the mess between his thighs afterwards.

With Horuss adjusting to sit up, still clearly uncomfortable, Kurloz considered what to do with him. His last physical retaliation not only left several scars, but the memory itself remained untouched in Horuss's mind. The perfect message to keep in line. Besides, this time he's been a good and obedient partner. Kurloz got out another towel and went ahead and wiped the mess off Horuss for him, being sure to not aggravate the sheath as he did.

Once done, Kurloz stared up at Horuss, giving a kind smile as he studied the discomforted expression on his face. Rather than the usual admiration, Kurloz strangely felt insulted. Ungrateful motherfucking pony bitch. Kurloz winced and shook his head, as if to preemptively stop the thoughts he knew were coming, slamming his fist against his head for good measure. Agitated, Kurloz flashed a glare to Horuss, knowing he was more uneasy with him now.

As if to confirm the suspicion, Kurloz yanked Horuss by the shirt, to go in for a kiss. Instantly, Horuss turned away, reasonably scared and anticipating to get hit. Now shaking with anger, he considered bashing his bitch's skull in with his clubs. Attempting to set the urge aside, he then focused on the fact that he had his religious atonement to look forward to later- once alone. This also meant more to add to his "devotion" folder.

Seeming calm all the sudden, Kurloz sighed out and placed both hands gently against Horuss's face, guiding his disturbed sweetheart to look at him again. Ignoring the trembling of his, Kurloz reclosed the gap between them, delivering a kiss. He observed the expression once again, yet grew frustrated from the indigo circles under Horuss's eyes, as if the hue alone taunted him.

With Kurloz's hands on his face, the image of him jabbing his claws deep into Horuss's eyes disrupted the moment. Even when shutting his own eyes and shoving Horuss away, he could hear the screams ringing out in his mind as blood from a variety of scenes spilled over and over again. It's at that point again. Keeping his eyes closed as he saw the flickering of lights that weren't actually there, Kurloz equipped his usual glass pipe.

The miracle modus appeared to react to the gradual worsening of its user by launching the computer monitor against a wall, destroying it upon impact. Even more unsettled from the continued destruction of his property, Horuss sat in shock on the ground. Kurloz's gradually erratic behavior itself made Horuss even more unsure of what to do. Unfortunately for him, it didn't seem like he was going to be let go anytime soon.

Chapter Text

"I'm surprised you wanted to meet with me all the sudden!" Meulin exclaimed as she poured some tea for herself and her guest. Once she turned around, it became clear Rufioh was trying to say something, but most of it didn't reach her. After her pause of trying and failing to read Rufioh's mumbled words, Meulin continued. "Aranea suggested we should cool off on social gatherings because of the recent drama and aggrieves."

"Er, yeah..." Rufioh said, fidgeting a bit at the table he was suggested to sit at. "At least it's just a small conversation, right? No harm there, heh. Uh... so like... the thing I messaged you about..."

After setting down a cup for Rufioh, Meulin set her own cup down before joining him at the table. It was still a bit difficult understanding some of the mumbling, but at least the concluding parts were more clear. "Yeah?"

"Has Horuss been sending you strange messages too? And like... I mean uh... real strange messages. A bit delusional? I mean, well... Apart from his... "hobbies" and um... Yeah..."

Meulin pondered a bit and took a sip of her tea. "I know last week he was panicked over Kurloz after the fight with Cronus. Because of the concern of furrocious intention, I checked in on the two of them, and everything was alright!" Seeing Rufioh wasn't reassured, she slid the cup of tea she made Rufioh closer to him.

Rufioh let out a nervous laugh. "Um... They're together?"

Catching the wording, Meulin smirked. "You jealous?"

"What? No! Just-... Look, um... Let's not do the ship talk, even as a joke... Okay?" Rufioh said, rubbing the back of his neck before looking away, and finally taking a sip of some tea.

"No promises!" Meulin said with a giggle.

"So um... you said things were good, right? With Kurloz and all?"

"I would think so. Kurloz reassured everything was alright! Horuss was just frightened over the situation at first, but everything turned out to be okay in the end. I didn't need to intervene at all, so I went to my hive, since it was getting pretty late anyway."

Hearing this, Rufioh grew more concerned. "Woah, woah... Wait. You didn't see or hear from Horuss? Like... Not at all?"

Meulin stopped smiling, realizing the topic was getting into a deeper territory. "What do you mean?"

"I mean... Well, you're his moirail. When was the last time you saw him?"

With this, Meulin thought back for a moment. "I last saw him at the social." The two went quiet for a moment before she added. "I haven't gotten any messages from either of them recently." Despite her holding her head low, now looking at her own reflection in the tea, Rufioh tried asking several follow-up questions.

Once noticing Meulin seemed to be in her own world, Rufioh went quiet again. Unsure how to go about this, he chose to drink some more tea while waiting for Meulin to be responsive again. Regarding the topic at hand, he thought about his last intimate encounter with Kurloz, cringing over it. If Kurloz really was losing it, then he was probably considering killing him right then and there. The idea of dying in that situation, Rufioh shuddered, disgusted with himself for being so careless for sexual thrill.

"Can you show me the messages?" Meulin finally spoke, her voice a bit soft.

"Er, uh... Yeah..." Rufioh took out his phone, opened up the chatlog, and handed it to Meulin.

Meulin stared at the phone for a while, scrolling up to older messages before scrolling back down. Though it was primarily to see a pattern, she was really hoping her initial observation was wrong. Seeing the newer messages have short replies suggesting something bad in somewhat vague context, solely to spark a worried response with no answer, she sighed out sadly. She knew in her heart that it was Kurloz.

"Kurloz sent these." Meulin concluded.

Recognizing the situation at hand was bad, Rufioh had a difficult time figuring the best response. "I guess we both haven't seen him since the social, heheh..." With Meulin already sad, he didn't dare mention his fear that Kurloz probably double-killed Horuss. Thinking back to the way Kurloz was urging him to talk to Horuss at the social, Rufioh got worried that it was actually Kurloz's way of telling him to give a final goodbye.

-

While tidying up Meenah's "depression block", Aranea tried to make conversation, though in her own bothersome way. "You know, this was my primary concern with you. Skipping out on most if not all of our socials, to waste away in your own memories, isn't going to solve anything. It just instills your past bad habit of running away when being faced with an issue."

Laying down on the bay window's cushion seat with an old Beforus magazine covering her face, Meenah griped. "You don't needa bicker with me over everyfin."

"Bicker?" Aranea scoffed, setting a few papers she gathered onto the nearby vanity to then cross her arms. "Well, maybe if you didn't view every little thing as a conflict, then you would be more optimistic."

"Whateva, Serks..." Meenah sighed before taking the magazine off her face and sitting up. "You just don't see things the way I do. I need purpose, and the only opportunity for that already wasted away. Everyone else seems to be gleeful 'bout that for some reason."

Aranea nodded thoughtfully before cheekily correcting Meenah. "You mean "porpoise", right?"

Meenah tried her hardest not to smile over the pun. "Ay, shut it, Serket. You want me to open up to you or nah?"

"From what I understand, you keep shutting everyone else out over and over again. That clearly is not doing you any good." From getting caught in conversation, Aranea decided to sit down next to Meenah. "On a more positive note, despite your attitude, you had fun with your- hm, what was it called? The activity of a group participating in smoking. A smoking circle? You had fun with that, right?"

"Eh, both of 'em are annoyin. I was mostly there for the freebies."

Catching on, Aranea nodded. "Well, we are in the bubbles, sweetheart. Everything is, as you call it, "freebies". I distinctly recall you scoring a plentiful amount of loot soon after your awakening."

Meenah let out a loud groan before admitting it. "Well shore, maybe some part of me wants to get better, aight? Just not the way you're pushin- like a control freak."

"You keep saying that as if we do not need each other. Even if you feel like I am constantly pestering you over past mistakes, it's mostly because you ignored my advice to begin with, and things got bad for everyone involved."

"Mhm... Yeah, that's probs why you felt your own plan was the best thing ever, even though older me totally destroyed you." Meenah jeered.

Aranea let out a light-hearted laugh, trying not to feel embarrassed over her own past mistakes. "See, and that's what I get for not listening to you." Looking away, Aranea let out a sigh, pulling at her necklace. The memory of her neck getting snapped before falling into a pit of fire to burn to death still haunted her every now and then as a ghost.

"And like, girl, I dunno if you tryna help out our group or whateva is workin. Like I just wanted a smoke, and whateva social junk you organized like... I dunno, guess it drove people crazy or some shit."

"The socials were not that bad! And my smaller organized get-togethers were not harmful either!"

"I'm mostly just fuckin with you, Serks. Now act like my pillow and read some borin carp for me. A girl's gotta get her z's in." With this, Meenah adjusted to lay down, now resting her head on Aranea's lap, concluding their conversation.

Familiar with Meenah getting easily exhausted during these dips in mood, Aranea went along with it. Thankfully, she had a few lengthy literature books she enjoyed stashed in her sylladex at the ready, selecting the one she hasn't read in a while.

-

Though Horuss's scars have healed well, Kurloz still insisted on applying lotion to his back after their showers together. He seemed to really enjoy massaging the muscles, when not fondly caressing the scars, of course. Clearly, he was happy over the deeper scars having distinct texture to them without getting warped.

Despite Kurloz's focus being to soothe Horuss while displaying his abnormal longing for him, Horuss's thoughts were gradually getting more upsetting. In despair, he was considering going against his code and breaking some of Kurloz's bones to both be free from immediate punishment and to run away. As far off into the bubbles as he could; isolated, but free of Kurloz. But Horuss couldn't do that, not to any of his friends, even if they did such awful things to him.

As if aware of these thoughts, Kurloz leaned forward and hissed into Horuss's ear, just like he did last time. He then firmly planted a hand on Horuss's shoulder before maneuvering to sit in front of him. The look he gave as he tilted his head to the side was like he was asking Horuss if he would actually hurt him, the light rub to his shoulder added to it.

Staring at that clown's face was starting to make Horuss sick, and he wasn't sure if it was from the gradual rise in fear, or if it was something else that he couldn't put into words. Rigidly, he pressed his hand against Kurloz's cheek, watching as he instantly leaned into his touch. Before Horuss could take his hand back, Kurloz grabbed a hold of his wrist, taking in the tender moment for a little longer.

Now guiding Horuss's hand, Kurloz placed it to his chest, letting Horuss feel his excited pulse. In return, Horuss made a weak attempt to smile, still distinctly unsettled over him. Hearing something topple over in the distance, Kurloz's eyes darted towards the door. After giving Horuss a quick glance that suggested for him to not move, Kurloz then got up and left the room to investigate.

Once the door closed, Horuss figured he could use this as a window of opportunity. There was a chest stashed away in his room with a complicated lock on it. Kurloz had already been aware of it, but he could only guess the contents. When prompted, Horuss had been too uncooperative with opening it, though he insisted that nothing "interesting" was in it.

Despite what else was in the chest, one of the more alien items could be useful for his survival. Opening it, he immediately adverted his gaze from the large blue horse phallus in there and moved a few inappropriate machines out of the way. Some of the machines were ones he made, but one of them was of alien origin. Ignoring those as well, Horuss picked up some cuffs and regarded the locking mechanism of them. It was definitely more convenient with its slim frame compared to the more bulky shackles their society had.

Stashing the cuffs away in his sylladex alongside their keys, Horuss then hurriedly locked the chest and tried to make it less conspicuous that he opened it to begin with. As he was going back to his original position, the door opened, making him jolt. Him being so skittish must have been amusing to Kurloz with how he stared at him as he leaned against the door frame.

From Horuss continuing to be quiet, Kurloz signed "some books fell" before giving a shrug.

"Alright." Horuss murmured, feeling himself start to perspire as Kurloz looked over to where the chest was. With Kurloz looking back at Horuss with no change in his expression, it was impossible to tell if he suspected anything. Holding his head low, Horuss spoke up a little louder. "I was actually wondering if I could use my workshop again. Please."

Not amused with the adverted gaze paired with his muteness, Kurloz knocked on the door, smiling when Horuss looked up at him again. Signing, Kurloz then commanded Horuss to stand, and to follow him. As he headed back out, he kept his pace slow at first, listening in for Horuss's steps.

With Horuss following him, Kurloz went and opened the door leading to the workshop and descended down the stairs. Horuss had a faint recollection of seeing the horrible mess his shop was reduced to when Kurloz assisted him back to his respiteblock. Stepping into his trusty workshop again, he felt a bit unnerved seeing everything was in its right place. Granted, they were in the bubbles, so it could've just reverted to the clearest memory of his workshop. Kurloz didn't appear surprised at all, making Horuss a bit suspicious on if he was changing the memory around them. Maybe he was just overthinking it.

Seeing Kurloz was granting him space to work, Horuss willed himself into some proper clothing, and went to one of the benches. He figured Kurloz would just assume he was thinking over what to work on, when in actuality, he was considering how to use the cuffs. The bench he stood at was stationary, with exposed metal legs connecting to the floor.

Not wanting Kurloz to suspect anything was off, Horuss opened the drawer and sifted through some of the tools there. Now he had to consider how he was going to get the cuffs on Kurloz or how to get him low enough to cuff him to the bench's leg.

Kurloz must have noticed Horuss was lost in thought, as he went up and hugged him from behind, now peering over his shoulder to see what exactly he was rummaging through. From this, Horuss instantly got tense, with his hands noticeably trembling. Already, he felt guilt, but tried to reassure himself that he needed to do this. The other option was to break Kurloz's bones or stay trapped by him.

"I um.... I need to get something. From back there." Horuss said lowly, turning his head to further gesture "back there". Feeling Kurloz's touch leave him, Horuss turned around and spotted his toolbox. Going to it, he eyed the somewhat reflective surface beside him. He could tell that Kurloz was facing him, and he knew it was now or never if he actually wanted to do anything.

Equipping his destrengthening gloves, Horuss readied himself for a moment before facing Kurloz again. Once Kurloz noticed the gloves, it was already too late. Horuss delivered a punch to Kurloz's gut, making him hiss out and double-over. From Kurloz grabbing onto the bench to stabilize himself, Horuss seized the opportunity and closed one of the cuffs around that wrist.

Terrified over getting within biting range of Kurloz, Horuss hesitated carrying out the rest of the plan. Because of this, Kurloz effectively yanked at the cuff hard enough for it to escape Horuss's grasp. As Kurloz took a moment to see what exactly was placed onto his wrist, Horuss took the chance and punched him in the face, making him collide with the ground. He then gasped, worried he knocked Kurloz out or worse, but was reassured from Kurloz instantly trying to get up, albeit with him groaning and clearly disoriented.

Cautiously, Horuss guided Kurloz to sit up, setting him against a leg of the bench as he frantically apologized. With little resistance, Horuss continued his efforts, guiding Kurloz's cuffed wrist behind the bar and fastening the open cuff around the other wrist. Before Horuss could back up, Kurloz suddenly lunged at him, making him stumble back in surprise instead.

Making Horuss jump with the fake-out, Kurloz let out a chuckle. From how close he was, he could have easily bit into Horuss if he really wanted. Seeing Horuss look offended by this, Kurloz felt a sudden rage surge within him. Pony bitch had a lot of motherfucking nerve to stare at him like that as if he didn't just beat and restrain him.

Still on the ground, Horuss let out an annoyed huff. "I would like my goggles back."

With his rage settling from this request, Kurloz raised his brows before shaking his head. That specific exchange signified letting him go. Horuss certainly should know that leaving the memory of his hive can and will deconstruct when someone else's memories came into play. Unless of course, he was fine with staying in his hive, solely to keep Kurloz imprisoned.

Seeing that one smile of Kurloz's that suggested he was delighted, Horuss stood and crossed his arms. "Considering the circumstance, it would be in your best interest to listen to me. Despite your superiority, I mean. You managed to push me towards such anger and hostility I would otherwise avoid."

Hearing this, Kurloz turned away, side-eyeing Horuss for a moment. Horuss didn't have the guts to do much of anything, having already failed to rough Kurloz up further than necessary to show he truly means it. The frantic apologies given soon after the aggrieve further proved this. Besides, Kurloz knew damn well that once he's free, Horuss would stare at him like a defenseless beast fearful of slaughter.

As Horuss continued, he started to fumble his words. "If you canter 'dhere to- I mean...." His demeanor weakened. "I mean "can't adhere".... to um, my command or- fiddlesticks! Not command, um.... my request."

Recalling Horuss's perversion on where they stand on the hemospectrum, Kurloz snapped his focus back to him. Sure enough, it was clear that entrapping and ordering around a highblood was getting him flustered. He was probably taking extra time to consider what phrases wouldn't give him away. It was a shame Kurloz currently couldn't sign to tease him about it.

Though Horuss was getting caught up on trying to not outright order Kurloz around, he got distracted from seeing adjusting his formerly laid-back position. Kurloz got on his knees, staring up at Horuss before holding his head low, mimicking a kneeled praying pose as best he could manage with his hands restrained behind him. Horuss stared in disbelief over this show of worship seemingly towards him for a moment before adverting his gaze, blushing and quickly wiping sweat from his forehead.

Kurloz glanced up to confirm that he was getting to Horuss, admittedly agitated over the dense leather apron he was wearing. If Horuss was really hot and bothered, with his bulge unsheathing, then Kurloz couldn't tell. He wouldn't mind staying handcuffed if Horuss wanted to slam him down on top of this bench and hate-fuck him with no care for bruising him up more.

Before Kurloz could push further, the sound of Meulin calling loudly for Horuss broke their strange sexual tension. Though it was incredibly muffled in the workshop, it was definitely her. "Oh thank goodness." Horuss heaved out before excusing himself. "Um.... Pardon me.... I should check that out."

Unable to express much discontent as Horuss hurried upstairs, Kurloz could only watch him leave. While Horuss was unlikely to even tell others out of guilt of harming a friend, Kurloz was well-aware Meulin was too curious for her own good. With this in mind, he made an attempt to get a better look at the cuffs he was restrained with, eyeing the metal strands in annoyance.

Getting into the main block of his hive, Horuss steadied himself. It's been a while since he's seen Meulin. His hope of seeing her last time was, unfortunately, cut short. Opening the front door, Horuss was about to greet Meulin, but froze up once he saw Rufioh next to her. Meulin didn't mind the lack of a greeting, instantly hugging Horuss, and giving him a tight squeeze. Unsure if he was noticeably pronounced below the waist, at least enough to feel up close like this despite the apron, Horuss's discomfort worsened.

"Thank goodness you're alright! We got so worried something clawful happened!" She cheered, but once she remembered the actual worry, she exited the hug and gasped. "MOG! you're not injured are you? Is Kurloz still around, or is he being sneaky again?"

Unsure how to give an answer, and completely thrown off from Rufioh also being there, Horuss only returned a dumbfounded look. However, Meulin was oblivious to the discomfort, taking a moment to consider Horuss's current outfit instead.

"Did we distract you from your work?" Not getting a reply again, Meulin looked over her shoulder at Rufioh and gave a small frown.

Assuming Meulin was urging him to talk to Horuss, Rufioh cringed, but managed to work up the courage to say something. "Yo, Horuss, my gangsta... uh, you doing alright? I mean, well... the last we saw you uh, you kinda..." Seeing Horuss couldn't even look him in the eye, Rufioh trailed off, feeling rejected and failing to finish his sentence.

Aware of Kurloz and Rufioh... fooling off with each other, at least once while they were still matesprits, increased Horuss's heartbreak. With Rufioh awkwardly deciding to offer a fist bump, Horuss had a distinct frown on his face and clenched his fists, getting more frustrated with him. In return, Rufioh let out a small laugh before looking away and anxiously adjusting his vest. Hearing a door open made Horuss jumpy, only for him to turn and see Meulin innocently peek into his respiteblock before looking over at him.

"What happened to your computer?" Meulin asked.

Hearing this, Rufioh blurted out to Horuss. "Oh right, have you been messaging me lately? Meulin said Kurloz sent the messages through your account, but who knows? haha..."

With Meulin currently looking through his hive in concern, Horuss remembered how she just left last time, when he needed her the most. This paired alongside the growing bitter resentment towards Rufioh was making him greatly displeased, enraged almost. With Rufioh calling out to him again, Horuss stamped his foot down before replying. "No. I haven't."

From the limited reply, Rufioh was unsure on what follow-up question to ask at first. He then eyed the general area before whispering. "Is it not safe to say what's going on?"

Unsure at this point of what he was allowed to speak on, especially from being so reserved overall due to being around Kurloz for an extended period of time, Horuss let out a sigh. "I don't know." Hearing the door to his workshop open, Horuss's attention went back to Meulin, seeing her peering down the staircase.

Despite Meulin not looking his way, Horuss shouted urgently for her to not go down there. Of course, Meulin didn't even hesitate, eagerly heading down to the workshop. Even if she was aware of Horuss's shouting, it's likely she would have just went on ahead anyways.

Though he didn't understand the urgency, Rufioh followed Horuss after he made a dash to the stairs. Both Meulin and Horuss easily outpaced Rufioh, and while he expected some sort of yelling after they reached the bottom, there was silence. Finally downstairs himself, Rufioh looked over to the other two.

Upon noticing Horuss's goggles sitting on one of the benches, Meulin happily grabbed them and handed them to Horuss. Though Horuss seemed shocked for a moment, he slowly went and grabbed the offered goggles. Still not knowing what was going on, Rufioh made his way over to the two, looking around for a moment, as if wondering that he missed something.

So quickly, Horuss's rising anger was snuffed out by fear. There was absolutely no sign of Kurloz. Stiffly, he eyed the bench, confirming nothing was there. His disbelief kept him there for a few moments, incapable of hearing what the other two were saying to either each other or to him. It didn't matter. All he knew was Kurloz was going to get back at him over this, and given last time Horuss went out of line, it wasn't going to be pretty.

Chapter Text

Though Meulin and Rufioh wanted to monitor Horuss to ensure he was alright, from how strange he's been acting, he was too on-edge to allow it. Paranoia coursed through him, making it difficult to even think straight, all he knew was he needed to get out of there as soon as possible. Without providing anything else to either of his worried companions, Horuss made a run for it, not daring to look back.

It's been about a week since anyone had seen him last, and given the fact he was a void player, it's unlikely that he would be found. Not without the help of a certain someone, at least. Despite her constant yammering, there was a particular detail Aranea let out regarding her escapade from stealing the ring of life. As a sylph of light, gifted with powerful psychic abilities, Aranea had allegedly identified a completely cloaked void player.

Aranea's aspect paired with her mind powers naturally tried to pry at everything. Kurloz was smart enough to put up plenty of barriers to cease her intrusions and only provide puzzling misdirection, if not absolute stubbornness, when having to deal with her directly. However, his current issues were making his long withstanding mysterious secrecy and "harmless" facade falter.

With her constant visits to Meenah's hive, Aranea was always preoccupied cleaning up the depression mess and clutter around the place, primarily in the respiteblock. Meenah didn't really leave that block much at all, actually. Thankfully that just meant most of the mess was contained to just one area. They always had their little talks during it, which Aranea used to try and encourage Meenah to carry on as she had once before.

When the conversation went to mocking her boring blabbermouth books, Aranea noticed the ones she brought over weren't on the side table she could've sworn she left them at. Naturally, she accused Meenah. "Peixes, if I am not mistaken, it appears you might have relocated my literature. You know, the books that are so dreadfully "boring" to you?"

Meenah rolled over to face Aranea, re-adjusting her laying position to get comfortable in her depression pit again. "Girl, I don't give a carp if you think I stacked 'em up to rest my legs on or some shit."

Aranea raised a brow and placed her hands on her hips. "That's an oddly specific example."

"C'mon, I ain't ever touched the shit you brought here. Why bring 'em over if you're gonna be so glubbin uptight bout it?" Seeing Aranea's little angry pout, Meenah groaned louder. "I didn't do shit! You probs just forgot you brought 'em back last time."

Seeing how agitated Meenah got over this, Aranea sighed. "I believe you, dear, it's just...."

"What?"

"It's going to bother me. I um, well, I did not bring any other books." She explained.

Hearing this, Meenah scoffed before waving Aranea off. "It ain't gonna bother me if you leave and get 'em. I know you'll be back."

"Right. Well, just know it is going to take a while."

"Yeah, yeah." Meenah said with a yawn, dismissing Aranea a second time.

Exiting the respiteblock, Aranea let out a frustrated huff as she remembered about the ridiculously long staircase she just ascended not too long ago. Not only does she have to go all the way down, but she knew she was going to walk up all those steps a second time. Heading down one of the shorter staircases that lead to another fairly large block, she thought over what books to bring over. Maybe she'll just bring over multiple smaller books so she could have more of a selection just in case a few got misplaced again.

While considering this further, she saw something in the corner of her eye, and paused to turn around. It's not like she wasn't familiar with the eerie emptiness of a castle layout. Something somehow just felt off suddenly. Before she could proceed with her stroll to the main staircase, the unmistakable sound of a knock grabbed her attention.

Somehow Kurloz avoided her detection, now standing in the doorway that's hallway led to the staircase. Though untrusting, she stood tall. "What exactly are you-" She went to ask, yet cut herself off when Kurloz held out one of her books, offering it to her. Clearly, this only brought forward more confusion, but Aranea shook it off.

Though keeping composed, the fact Aranea had no idea what made Kurloz snap in the first place kept her on-edge. With clowns nowadays, it really seems like they could just go on a frenzy at even the slightest inconvenience. As she got closer to take back her book, Kurloz captchalogued it. Great. It's probably going to shoot out or some bullshit.

"What do you want, Makara? I suppose you are not going to come forward with a confession regarding your recent aggressions." With Kurloz shrugging in response, she sighed. "Of course. If you are just going to throw riddles my way for hours on end, you could forget it."

Kurloz smiled fondly, it was nice trolling her a while back and seeing her seethe and wrack her thinkpan trying to make sense of whatever nonsense he tossed her way. However, that's not his intention this time. He shook his head before signing "request."

With Kurloz being reserved in his signing enough to make her guess the meaning, Aranea was already irritated, crossing her arms. "Well, "request" in what way? Are you requesting something from me?" Seeing him just nod, she didn't let up her glare. "Just get on with it."

Pointing to her, he then signed "find void. HORUSS.", ordering her to do just that.

"I have been a bit too preoccupied with Meenah to-" The moment Kurloz glared over Aranea's shoulder, towards the steps leading up to Meenah, Aranea growled. "Don't." Once he looked away in disinterest, and Aranea sensed no potential malice, she changed what she was initially saying. "I did hear that Horuss ran off somewhere, probably to hide away from his emotional problems. However, regarding our group's history, that often means nothing."

From Aranea's expression, it was clear she wanted to address more, but hesitated from how Kurloz's mental state was strange trying to read. Kurloz's current reputation, as well as their group's general caution over him, wasn't making him too trustworthy either. "MEULIN's worried." He signed, mimicking a sympathetic frown to better clarify Meulin's upset.

"Well alright.... Would it be correct to assume Zahhak's not answering his messages?" Despite Kurloz nodding, Aranea didn't let up her suspicion. "What was that expression just now?"

Displeased over Aranea seeing his momentary grimace and potentially sensing his actual feelings, he signed "return HORUSS", glaring back at Aranea as he did. He knew whatever she was going to reply with was going to make him consider bashing her own book against her head until her cobalt blood soaked the pages. Preemptively, he looked away, crossing his arms.

"You know," Aranea started, shifting her weight to one side as she considered her options. "I still have not the slightest clue on why you suddenly have been so hostile and overtly threatening lately. Maybe if I got some answers, I would be more inclined to take the time and effort to search for a void player that may be invisible or intangible."

Kurloz forced a smile in a way that made it clear he was pissed off as he looked back at Aranea. At least he wasn't too on-edge, having already figured out a reply that worked in his favor. "HORUSS can say." He signed, easing his expression. All Horuss would do is fearfully side-step the conversation, but it's not like Aranea would be aware of this. To further show he himself wouldn't explain, Kurloz did his usual "zipped lips" gesture.

"I thought Horuss wasn't there. Neither Cronus nor Mituna even mentioned him being around. Besides, if he truly did know, then why has he not said anything yet?"

Aware her curiosity and pursuit of proper documentation of information would outweigh her skepticism, Kurloz shrugged, as if to taunt with vagueness further. Before she could retort with anything, Kurloz opened his sylladex and grabbed at the card with the book he showed off earlier and took it out, handing her book over once again.

"Thank you, but-" As Aranea reached for it, Kurloz pulled it away before tilting his head, as if to urge her to accept before re-obtaining her stolen book. "Ugh, fine! I will consider it, alright? Now give me that back!" She yelled in a hushed tone, snatching her book from Kurloz after it was actually handed to her this time.

Once securing her book, Aranea then shooed Kurloz off, about to head back to Meenah's respiteblock before turning back to face Kurloz, still highly suspicious of him. Seeing he hadn't moved an inch, she instantly grew frustrated, assuming he was up to something. Maybe waiting for some opportunistic moment to lash out.

"Unless you want me to make you take a tumble down the stairs, I suggest you see yourself out now." She hissed out angrily.

Without any joke remarks being given, Kurloz couldn't help but assume Aranea was genuinely fearful of him. It seemed Aranea felt disadvantaged with the uncertainty, perhaps even knocked down a peg. Her being so on-edge with his presence alone would make any needling attempts unnecessarily escalate the already tense situation. Listening to the suggestion, he exited the room, getting the door slammed shut behind him.

Knowing that Aranea was silently waiting near the door, sensing his presence with her ability, to make sure he actually left, Kurloz simply went ahead and made his way to the staircase. Heading down, he tried to keep his mind clear, but from familiarity, he recalled descending the stairs in Horuss's hive. Sighing out, Kurloz reached his hand over and let his finger tips and claws glide against the wall. His gait slowed as he closed his eyes, trying to visualize as clearly as possible.

The trajectory of their relationship changed that fateful day. Letting Horuss keep that memory caused more issues than anything prior, but Kurloz couldn't help it. From all of Horuss's crying making him blue in the face with many indigo tears trailing down, it was all too perfect. Even without that, Horuss had already connected the dots, so he might as well have kept that memory. Especially to remind him of his place.

Expecting another step, Kurloz stumbled momentarily before opening his eyes again. Seeing he was in his familiar crypt, he groaned. Someone else must have opened it up for him to enter. Despite being the same person, his other variations made his blood boil easily, and he figured theirs must have as well. His other self being so bold as to open up the crypt in the heiress's tower, for clown hijinks alone, infuriated him.

His other self stood there, as if expecting a response that he wasn't going to get. After a few seconds, the other held out a familiar paper, the one multiple different selves were given. It was a map that circled the cracks in the sky closest to this Kurloz's location. The other tapped at the pattern beside it that had "deliver" written above it. All done in the indigo's blood. The pattern depicted being the wounds across Horuss's back so they could identify the correct one to return.

Already believing his other self was wasting his time, Kurloz stared daggers at him. Rather than saying anything, he threw his hands up before crossing his arms to show his annoyance with the other.

The other gave a snarky smile, using the non-influential form of their chucklevoodoo to speak to Kurloz. 'Ain't a brother gonna communicate properly with his own motherfuckin self?' From no reply, he held up the map again. 'The page of void is irrelevant. Just another motherfuckin heretic. Another soul to be double-slain.'

It was clear his other self was trying to get an answer on the sudden fixation without outwardly asking. Kurloz wasn't going to entertain that shit. All his other self could do is remain skeptic and try to analyze what's not directly said.

'A motherfucker ain't capable on his own either?' Flipping the paper to view it again, he let out a chuckle. 'Maybe too capable.'

Knowing the implication, Kurloz clenched his fists and finally looked away. Despite wanting to search on his own, or to trail behind Aranea himself when she sought Horuss out, he knew his fury went beyond his affection now rather than being one in the same. He was uncertain on if he would be able to see any version of Horuss and keep it together.

Already, he had something special planned for his Horuss, primarily from him running away from their group and not returning texts. Despite that, he pictured double-killing the next Horuss he saw. It was difficult suppressing a smile as he imagined Horuss's body bloodied and broken, with the light leaving his eyes as a final kiss was planted on his lips.

Realizing it was defying his religion, Kurloz shook his head of the idea before looking back at his other self, who now had a wide grin. The other self put the map in his sylladex, before exaggeratingly clasping his hands together. 'Suppose you get your lost page. What shall transpire? I doubt our invertebrother will be pleased to hear of this disruption of our mirthful motherfuckin work.'

'Fuck that noise.' Kurloz retorted.

Though taken aback for a moment and dropping his smile, the other seemingly brushed it off before humming out as he got closer to Kurloz. Placing his hand on Kurloz's shoulder, the two glared at each other for a few long seconds. The other smiled again and widened his eyes. 'I'll ensure your page will be double-slain in the name of our Lord.'

Knowing his own tactics, Kurloz was well-aware his other self was referring to the action of their Lord rather than himself. To carry out such a thing themselves, rather than their angel of double-death, would be sacrilegious. It was obvious the other wouldn't dare do such a thing, but still, the idea of another version of himself killing off his Horuss got under his skin.

With Kurloz's eye twitching as he growled lowly, the other laughed, relaxing his own expression. 'Settle yourself, my ninja. It was a motherfuckin joke. Our beautiful miracle rests in all of us within these bubbles.' His last sentence was a sarcastic jab at Kurloz for his recent reckless behavior as he gestured to the dark passageway they stood in, indicating Kurloz had been anything but secretive.

Agitated, Kurloz gave his other self a shove. 'Help a motherfucker out then.'

'Tell a motherfucker 'bout your machinations then.' With Kurloz not giving in, the other pressed further. 'All this noise for what, homie?'

It was clear to Kurloz that this prying was more to figure out what way Kurloz was inferior to his other versions rather than genuine curiosity over Horuss. Annoyed, he rolled his eyes and responded. 'To bathe in some of pony bitch's blood.'

From this, the other tried to stifle a laugh. 'Pony bitch?' He repeated before pretending to wipe a non-existent tear from his eye as a hissed laugh escaped his stitched lips. 'Seems as though all forms of taste went with the tongue then.'

'We done, homie?' Kurloz asked, irritated beyond belief over the interaction taking place to begin with.

'For sure. Just don't go actin fool.'

'Church. Now fuck off.' Kurloz concluded, with the both of them having the same idea of flipping the other off. Seeing as they did so at the exact same moment, Kurloz groaned before turning around and exiting the dark passageway, glad to finally have that encounter over with.

-

With the other exiting the dark passageway, Kurloz allowed it to close back up. How despicable. Another version of him getting it on with that joke of a team mate. Motherfucking horse freak of all people. At the very least it wasn't one of the sea dwellers. The mere thought of that happening, even in pitch, was enough to make him gag.

Ignoring that, he set off to the part of the bubbles where he primarily resided. Despite the maze-like structure of the crypt, the fact it can open up practically wherever he wanted made it the most convenient means of travel for any version of himself. It leaving no trail of any sort was a secretive plus, particularly for all he needed to put into fruition.

After a while of walking, Kurloz opened the entrance up. He was now in the familiar scenery of Meulin's memories, primarily that of her neighborhood that gradually shifted to her planet. The large cracks in the sky above showcased the event that wiped out many souls nearby not too long ago. Though he was itching for the eradication of all souls, he knew it wasn't their time yet. They just so happened to be spared, meaning he still had work to do.

With how sociable Meulin was, she was usually occupied with other versions of their original friend group, if not their beta counterparts or the aliens. It was a shame only Kurloz and his Meulin remained in this region. Apart from that, such an event immediately disqualified him of being the one graced with the status of direct servitude. The least he could do was keep the more qualified versions of himself in-check and wait out the fateful day the Dark Carnival takes him.

Heading up to the memory of Meulin's hive, he opened the door, only for it to shift into the memory of his own hive. While he had plenty of memories within her hive, he was specifically checking to see how stable it was, in order to confirm whether or not she was present. She must have been out socializing, just as he had thought. Usually she happily tells him about her day and what charts she configured depending on what groups she mingled with. At least she didn't travel far, with how her memories kept up in this plain. The memory of other ghosts probably blended into this one, showing who she was with.

Not caring for any of that, he laid down in the grass, basking in the moonlight as he waited for Meulin's return. As he rested there, he thought over his interaction with the other Kurloz. Clearly that one must have had something seriously messed in his thinkpan for diverting so much. Especially with so many of their prophecies coming true as of lately.

-

Recently, Meulin managed to find a wandering Horuss that was hiding away in a cave that was on the memory of her planet. Overjoyed, she considered they could be each other's surrogate for their other half in their moirallegiance, at least for the time being. Horuss was a bit reluctant, considering his actual moirallegiance was fairly dysfunctional, and likely to fall apart any day now.

Currently, Horuss was modifying a pair of his destrengthening gloves while Meulin happily observed, sitting across from him. He knew she wanted to get to know him and figure out what happened to make him stray from his group and want to stay hidden, but he genuinely had no idea how to explain his situation.

"Are you repairing those?" Meulin asked.

"Not really, I'm actually um...." Horuss considered what way to explain without giving much away, deciding to just fess up instead. "I'm making them more durable for combat."

Thinking it over, Meulin couldn't make sense of the answer, letting out a long audible "hmm" as she did. "Isn't that counter-productive?"

"I wouldn't want to accidentally harm someone on the off-chance the more exposed mechanism gets damaged and causes a malfunction."

Expecting more of an answer than that, Meulin rocked side to side for a bit. "I never met a Horuss as withdrawn as you before." This was just met with a nod. "How long are you going to be out here?"

Horuss frowned, pausing his work for a moment. "I'm not sure."

"Did you also lose your friend group?"

Horuss let out a sigh. "No, not really."

As she considered what to say next, Meulin did a little kneading motion on her lap, humming out as she did. The tune she hummed greatly irked Horuss, as he recalled Kurloz humming it to him when holding him hostage. Acknowledging his temperament, Horuss withdrew his hands from his work, giving them a soothing rub, as if to prevent any potential trembling.

"Do you miss your Meulin?" She finally asked.

"You already asked that earlier today." Horuss mumbled.

Meulin shook her head. "Nuh-uh! I asked you about your moirallegiance, and you were all like "I don't want to talk about it". Remember?"

"Yes, I suppose that's true." He said, getting a "soooo" from Meulin, before replying. "In a way, I miss them all." Looking down at the gloves, he added. "All except one."

With this, Meulin squealed. "I love gossip! Is it romantic gossip? It is, isn't it? C'mon, don't hide the juicy details from the mage of heart!" However, she noticed Horuss remained gloomy, and toned herself down. "Did something happen with Rufioh?"

The way Horuss jolted and looked away made it clear Rufioh had something to do with his behavior. "It's part of my current predicament, yes." He admitted, before sighing. "I do miss him though."

"Ohhh, heartache, I gotcha!" Meulin said proudly, likely to ramble on about what ships she's seen in different versions of their group as an attempt to "help" a sad lonely Horuss.

With a pout, Horuss help his head low, massaging every digit on his hand before switching to do the same with his other hand. As expected, Meulin started pulling up different charts she had on her tablet and showing them off. Not bothering to even look at them, he occasionally lifted his head up to reply with "interesting" or more-so often giving a nod with "mhm" as she went through most of it.

What pulled him out of this was a message from Kurloz. Already, he was aware of how Kurloz escaped the cuffs, as Kurloz had previously sent images showing his hands were slim enough that he managed to squeeze them out of the metal strands with minimal effort. The answer on how he escaped didn't ease Horuss, but despite that, it seemed that running away was his best bet in that situation.

Seeing the new text from Kurloz, exclaiming how giving his all to Horuss and breaking him down bit by bit would be "the greatest miracle", made his stomach turn. The messages practically poured in after that, enough that Horuss only skimmed what it was detailing. Spotting phrases like "cry out for help", "bleed out affection and lust", "choke on it", "unholy carnal desires", and "slit your throat" shook Horuss to his core.

At this point Horuss couldn't tell if Kurloz was just messing with him or if he was going over what he was going to do to him when finding him. No matter what it was, there was no way he was going to read those messages in full. Despite so desperately wanting to block Kurloz, he knew all too well that doing so would just make a bad situation worse.

Once Horuss put his head in his hands, Meulin stopped her ship talk, unsure if he got bothered by her suggestions. Before she could try and give some sort of uplifting "this could be helpful" response, she noticed the jittery motion of Horuss's body from his choppy breathing. He was crying really hard by the looks of it.

Frowning, Meulin put her tablet in her sylladex before scooting closer to Horuss. He definitely was going through something she couldn't fix with her usual solutions. Trying to console, she gave him a few sympathetic pats and rubs on the back. Inching even closer, she leaned against him. From him allowing her contact, she gave him a hug, sighing out sadly over the situation she didn't really understand.

Chapter Text

Another week went by, and so far, there was still nothing turning up about Horuss. At this point, Kurloz was really starting to lose it. With him closing himself off within the memory of his hive, the others didn't realize anything was off, regarding his usual reserved behavior. He just about destroyed everything in his memory in one of his many fits of rage. It's not like it had any consequences, as it could just revert to the original memory if he so wanted it to.

Besides, the only support system Kurloz had was Meulin and Mituna. He already didn't want to see Meulin during a time like this. Though he convinced himself that it was from her being depressed over the same situation sparking his own upset, he actually didn't want to acknowledge that he was too unpredictable right now. Mituna, on the other hand, wasn't allowed to be near him. Kurloz certainly did let his rage get the best of him, causing Mituna to be scared and confused, enough for Latula to become more strict and protective.

Currently cross-faded and naked on the floor, he sat up and opened his inventory to enjoy another Faygo, ending up seeing someone was trying to contact him. Taking both the Faygo and phone out of his sylladex, Kurloz drank some of the elixir before flipping open the phone. It seems Aranea wanted to get a hold of him.

Squinting at the screen, Kurloz skimmed a thread of what just looked like a bitch complaining about having to do such a fruitless task. Not wanting to put up with her, he told her to shut the fuck up if there wasn't some real shit happening. Ignoring the influx of messages from that, he decided to look at the primarily one-sided messages he sent Horuss.

He downed most of the Faygo he had before chucking it at the wall, watching the brightly colored drink splatter against a few of his posters and run down. Laying on the floor again, Kurloz lazily reached for one of his glass instruments. Realizing he grabbed his pipe for smoking, he decided to captchalogue it before reaching over a second time.

Grabbing his glass toy of a slightly curled design, as he originally intended to, he rubbed it against his slick nook, trying to lubricate it a bit before insertion. He tensed up from initial penetration, letting out a groan, but soon eased into it as he slowly adjusted and slid it in and out. Working the inches in, he tried to massage a sweet spot near the front wall to help his bulge unsheathe.

Desperate to hear Horuss, Kurloz texted him that he better pick up the phone and beg for mercy. Once his bulge began to unsheathe, he pulled the glass instrument out of his nook, setting it aside for now. As he started to stroke his bulge, he dialed up Horuss's number. The longer it rang, the more frustrated he got.

Seeing the new messages from Kurloz, Horuss scoped out the area around him, trying to find some place away from the others. He was currently at some sort of social, of multiple different timeline groups, that his temporary Meulin dragged him to. His phone starting to ring made him more frantic, but once he got to a secure-enough location, he hovered over the option to decline the call. Still, he hesitated. This was a new behavior, and there was no way of knowing what it was for.

Eventually, he answered the call. "Kurloz?" He said, holding his breath right after, expecting to hear some sort of horrible thing in response. Instead, he heard a pleased hum. Though Kurloz sounded laid-back, Horuss was still on-edge about the call. "You're not.... You're not here, are you?"

To answer this, Kurloz enabled speakerphone before holding the phone near his crotch. After a while of putting focus on the incredibly lewd wet sound of pleasuring himself, he heard Horuss on the other end let out a flustered "Oh- Oh my...."

Trying to ignore his sweating, Horuss continued. "I suppose you are a bit too indecent to-" Hearing Kurloz let out a moan, he cut himself off, finding himself eager to hear more. Kurloz gave into this perversion, stroking himself faster and letting out more frequent moans.

After a while, Kurloz focused on his tip and let out a few sweet hums, slowing his motion to keep going longer. Mostly, he wanted to turn Horuss on. To remind him of their sexual attraction to each other. That even despite his rage, he just wanted Horuss, only him. Even with that, his beloathed didn't need to know that he was a complete mess with him gone.

Noticing himself unsheathing, Horuss made sure he was still alone, blushing furiously as he looked around. Relieving himself of this was out of the question in this sort of environment, even if he wasn't at a great unease over such indecency. With this in mind, Horuss decided to just sit down with his knees tucked in to at least hide it if someone happened to walk by.

Not hearing anything on Horuss's end, Kurloz paused, bringing the phone up to his face again and letting out a quick hiss. Hearing a "Right, um...." on the other end, he took off speakerphone and held the device to his ear again.

Awkwardly shifting, and trying to ignore the lubrication of his bulge starting to make an uncomfortable mess in his briefs, Horuss continued. "My apologies, it's difficult to put into words. I'm not sure if you want me to "beg", as you said, or if you're expecting something else. I'm not sure if trying to appease is even worth it. The last time I tried to get on your good side, you lured me into a false sense of security and...."

Only wanting to hear his voice, Kurloz ignored what was being said, stroking his length and humming out moans. He wanted nothing more than to have that indigo bulge deep in his nook again and to hear Horuss's nearly breathless moans and whimpered pleas. The two of them together felt so right, so long as Horuss played along with it.

Hesitating over the moaning on the other end, Horuss tried to continue. "I don't know what you're going to do to me when you find me, so I want to stay away for as long as possible. Even when away, I still have nightmares about you, and everything you've done to me."

Nearing his climax, Kurloz huffed out his moans, earning Horuss's full attention. Soon enough, he hit orgasm, causing another mess on the floor of his hive. As he was regaining his breath, he listened for any sort of reply from Horuss.

Though turned on over being allowed to listen to this masturbation session, Horuss still felt uneasy over the situation he was in because of his fear of Kurloz. Unsure on what to say, and with Kurloz already having satisfied himself, Horuss held his breath and hit the "end call" button.

The sound of the call ending broke Kurloz out of his ecstasy trance. Sitting up, he checked his phone in disbelief. Seeing the call did in fact end, he let out a growl and chucked his phone across the block. Trying to distract from his seething rage, he set his focus to his own genetic mess he got on himself. Might as well take a shower before calling it a night.

Meanwhile, Horuss tried to convince himself he was still out of harms way regarding Kurloz. He figured the safest course of action was to find the Meulin that brought him here and head back to the cave. All he had to do was attempt to find her in the crowd. Making use of his leather apron, he willed his workshop outfit on, hoping to conceal his "issue".

However, heading back to the group, he saw one of the versions of Kurloz there instantly look over at him. Not considering any other possibility, such as Kurloz's naturally observant behavior, Horuss froze in place. A shiver ran through him as fear stabbed at his heart. Too focused on that Kurloz that soon looked away, having no interest in him, it seemed he managed to irritate someone crossing his path.

"Sheesh, don't stand in the middle of the vwalkwvay." a Cronus muttered.

Instantly, Horuss turned around to watch that Cronus walking past. Against his better judgement, he called out to him. "Excuse me, your highness."

Hearing this, Cronus paused to look over his shoulder. "That better not be sarcasm, pal. Come on, havwe some respect for royalty."

"No, no, it was genuine!" Horuss declared, yet grew nervous, regarding what his Kurloz did to their Cronus. "I um-.... I was wanting to tell you something." Regarding no timeline correlation, he figured that there wouldn't be any way for his Kurloz to retaliate. After all, this just happened to be a random Cronus.

"Yeah? It better be vworth my time."

Ignoring his more logical thoughts telling him this was unnecessarily risky, Horuss tried to figure out a way to suggest having a sort of affair with him. "My Rufioh broke up with me a while ago, so I was wondering, um.... Shoot. This is more difficult than I had thought it to be.... Would you like to go somewhere more exclusive with me?"

Cronus smirked at the offer. "Like some kind of date?" With Horuss nodding, Cronus was taken aback. "Oh, vwowv! Really? Uh sure, followv me."

Even with Cronus casually saying it, Horuss interpreted "follow me" as a direct command, instantly getting reminded of his bulge. Still, he tried to keep it from being obvious, covering his crotch with his hands on the off-chance it was still noticeable even with the thickness of the apron. Seeing Cronus brought him to another fairly open area, he grew uncertain of his plans.

It was a field that overlooked a shoreline on Beforus, and Cronus already sat down, gazing at the vast sea before him. Trying to keep his composure, Horuss timidly sat beside him. Once he did, he got surprised over Cronus wrapping an arm around his back and resting his hand on his hip.

"Say, vwhat's vwith this get-up anywvay?" He asked, playfully tugging at the waist tie. With Horuss stammering out a response, Cronus shushed him. "Change into something more date-vworthy, vwill you?" He said, gesturing to his own outfit with his leather jacket to show it was a good example of date-worthy.

In an instant, Horuss willed into his usual outfit, anxiously eyeing his indecency. Before Cronus could make any comment on the outfit change, he blurted. "Please touch me below the belt." The shocked expression on Cronus's face was met with Horuss shamefully moving his hands away from his groin and looking away.

Cronus laughed it off. "Dang, you're really forvward. Vwe haven't evwen kissed yet." Once Horuss let out a murmured apology, Cronus placed his fake cigarette behind his ear fin. "You got to face me for a kiss, y'knowv."

Looking at Cronus again, he leaned in for a kiss, letting him take over the lead when their lips connected. With Cronus placing a hand on Horuss's inner thigh, he timidly spread his legs to allow him access and encourage him to touch there. Still, he ended up jolting when the cool hand came in contact with his crotch.

Feeling Horuss's bulge was already so pronounced, Cronus felt flattered, exiting the kiss. "I turned you on that much, huh?"

Unsure what to say, and not wanting to lie to royalty, Horuss just let out a nervous laugh. As Cronus withdrew, he took out a towel to pat his face dry and spoke up. "Um, I don't have a pail to empty into. Do you happen to-"

Not thinking he was going to get lucky anytime soon, Cronus cringed, knowing he didn't have one stored in his inventory. Before he could assume this encounter wasn't going anywhere, Horuss quickly reassured him.

"It's alright. I would just prefer it if you weren't to finish in me is all. Regardless, I could clean up with my towels."

"Yeah, sure, sure!" Cronus agreed immediately, doing a poor job at playing it cool and hiding his enthusiasm over the opportunity to pail in the first place. When their lips connected a second time, Horuss submitted to Cronus's touch and laid down before Cronus had to command him.

With Cronus grinding against his bulge, Horuss trembled, the both of them moaning in the kiss. He really wanted to cum, but it was fairly too early for that. Pulling away, Horuss breathed out. "Pause."

Listening, Cronus sat up, allowing Horuss some room so he could sit up as well. "Vwhat's up? Position change?"

Not wanting his back scars to be seen, Horuss shook his head, but went ahead and started unbuttoning his jacket. Once it was off, he set it on the ground behind him before laying back down. The instant Horuss's bottoms were off, he remembered about how his Cronus took pictures of him. "No pictures." He stated with a glare, though his goggles hid it.

Though Cronus hated that rule, it was clear Horuss was serious about it. He didn't want to argue and lose out on pailing, so he just muttered a bit before shrugging. "Alright." Staring down at Horuss, he couldn't help but feel irritated his shirt was still on. "Come on, shovw some more." Before Horuss could say anything, Cronus pulled the shirt up to his armpits. What a view. With how big those pecs were, they might as well be considered rumble spheres. Probably bounced a bit like them too.

"Cronus." Horuss said, getting annoyed and spreading his legs, urging Cronus to focus on pailing with him. Effectively grabbing Cronus's attention, he then felt the cool fingers rub against his dripping folds to lubricate. After one was inserted in his nook, it took very little time of it sliding in and out before Cronus was able to add another finger, now focusing on rubbing and massaging his walls. Wanting to cum, Horuss got impatient, even though the current sensation felt good. "Please, pail with me now."

"Dang, you really got it bad for me." Cronus teased before willing his clothes off. He eyed Horuss's muscular thighs, but since Horuss hadn't tensed up much, he figured this position should still work. It was finally time to fuck this hormonal blue blood desperate for him.

Feeling Cronus's bulge penetrate him, Horuss winced over the cooler temperature, looking away in embarrassment when Cronus made a remark about him being tense and tight. Ending up looking over to where they came from, he tried not to think about the fact they were pailing in public as Cronus was rocking his hips, gradually sliding more of his inches in. Once Cronus pressed up against him when getting all his bulge in, Horuss let out a whimper, his nook lightly pulsing against it.

Cronus let most of his length slide out before thrusting back in, earning a few involuntary noises from Horuss as he did. Once changing up to shorter thrusts, he leaned in and kissed Horuss. As their tongues rolled over each other, Cronus gave one of the pecs a squeeze, causing Horuss to whine in the kiss.

Usually, Horuss was ashamed over the idea of touching himself, but wanted to get lost in the pleasure. He really needed this escapism. With the walls of his nook being rubbed against as he stroked his own bulge, Horuss let out enough moans for Cronus to exit the kiss to hear them clearer. "Harder." Horuss panted.

Poking fun, Cronus responded "So demanding", getting a polite hushed "please" from Horuss. Still, he adjusted their position to folded missionary, grabbing the back of Horuss's legs and pressing his knees to his chest. Horuss seemed surprised by this change and decided to move his hands out of the way for now. Once he appeared ready, Cronus started slamming deep into his nook, earning loud moans from him.

Trying his best to not tense up from the roughness he wanted, Horuss tried to keep his focus on Cronus's face. Not only a highblood, but royalty. Cronus could do whatever he wanted to him, it's his right, for Horuss was lower than him. Realizing his moans were now sounding more like him being a whiney horny bitch, Horuss covered his mouth and looked over to make sure nobody was in proximity to see or hear them. Still no one. That's good.

Feeling himself start to tense up and withhold breaths, Horuss started to stroke himself again, letting out faint whimpers with every thrust. Cronus began slowing his speed, but still kept up the power, breathing heavy as he continued. It didn't take long for Horuss to reach orgasm, getting his indigo genetic fluid on the both of them, mostly himself.

Horuss's nook pulsed tightly against Cronus's bulge, with him letting out a cuss before deliberately thrusting hard and deep one last time. He let out a proud groan as he emptied into Horuss. After all, his primary goal was to pail with someone, it had to feel "complete" to him.

From the unmistakable feeling of genetic material filling him, Horuss looked mortified, watching as Cronus just pulled out and sat back casually like it was nothing. The last time Horuss had to empty genetic fluid from his nook, it was an embarrassingly disgusting sensation. Now he had to deal with that, both without a bucket, and in a fairly public area.

Taking the towel from earlier, Cronus used it to wipe the indigo off his torso. After regaining his breath, he spoke up. "Vwowv, Zahhak, that sure vwas an experience."

Rather than giving an actual response, Horuss frowned, closing his legs tightly before sitting up. The way Cronus looked at him made Horuss worried about him misreading the situation and having some sort of outburst. Trying to say something, Horuss only ended up stammering before letting out a defeated huff.

Though he put Horuss in this situation to begin with, Cronus let out a light chuckle before giving advice. "Y'knowv, you got to let gravity help the flowv. Tensing up vwon't help a bit, chief." With Horuss worryingly looking over to where they came from, Cronus rolled his eyes. From him being cleaned off and his bulge now sheathed, he willed his outfit back on, and moved over to block Horuss's view.

With Cronus blocking the view for him, Horuss felt only slightly reassured. Cautiously maneuvering away from his jacket, he turned to face Cronus before hesitantly getting on his knees, cringing at the feeling of it starting to drip down. Being handed the towel, he wiped most of the indigo mess off himself first, feeling disgusted with himself as he did.

Noticing Horuss shuddering and letting out sickened groans, Cronus got on a knee, gaining Horuss's attention again. "I heard a tip that massaging can help out." He said, demonstrating with the motion of his fingers, giving an "eh, eh?" from the initial lack of a response.

Blushing from the suggestion, but really not wanting to risk unsheathing again, Horuss shyly declined. Using another towel, he cleaned the rest of the indigo off before working on in-between his legs, trying his best to not think about how humiliating this was. Sweating would just make this situation even more uncomfortable and gross.

After looking behind himself to make sure the coast was still clear, Cronus moved to Horuss's side. Soon after, he gave a reassuring pat to his back, letting his hand trail down. Though Cronus didn't notice Horuss freeze up, he certainly noticed him jump and let out of small yelp once he playfully pinched his rear.

"Don't touch me." Horuss hissed out.

"Easy, it's not like-" Cronus started, but paused when running his hand up Horuss's back. When he leaned to get a look, Horuss finally fixed his shirt, hiding what he felt. Before Cronus could make another attempt at a look or feel, Horuss nudged his hand away, growling at him. "Come on, man. I think scars are cool!"

As Cronus sat down and started bragging about the scars on his forehead, Horuss tried to hurry up on wiping off the violet from his legs and nook folds, just to get this over with. Saying nothing, he stashed the used towels in his sylladex to deal with later. Once he willed most of his outfit back on, he grabbed his jacket off the ground and put it back on as well.

When Horuss stood up, Cronus stood with him and wiped off some of the grass that got on Horuss's jacket for him before placing a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, vwhere are you going, buddy?"

"I need to find someone."

"Right, right..." Cronus trailed off as he took the cigarette he put behind his ear fin and placed it back in his mouth. He seemed like he wanted to say something meaningful, but brushed it off with a shrug before saying something more offensive. "Try not to vwhore yourself out in the dating scene, alright?" Seeing Horuss's appalled expression, Cronus looked away. "Alright." He concluded, giving a pat on Horuss's shoulder before returning to gaze at the shoreline, glancing over to see if Horuss was still there.

Feeling embarrassed and offended over that last comment, Horuss headed back towards the group, sulking and not looking back. Once getting close enough, he heard the unmistakable shouting of Meulin. She was calling out his name, and unsure on how long she was trying to find him, Horuss felt bad. Apart from feeling bad, he really did not want the attention this was clearly causing. Pausing to let out a sigh, he went to where the shouting was coming from.

Due to trying to find the Horuss she came here with, plenty of people moved away from Meulin. She had originally went around pestering several versions of Horuss to try and see if it was the right one, which easily turned into a frustrating task. In the middle of shouting his name again, she turned around, instantly perking up when seeing him. "Finally, a sad frowny Horuss! Are you the Horuss I'm looking for?"

"I want to go back to the cave." Horuss said, confirming her guess. Aware she was going to want to get all the details on his socialization, Horuss was definitely not going to mention anything that transpired while they were separated.

"Yaaaay! I'm so glad I finally found you!" Meulin cheered, jumping in celebration. "You were starting to make me worried, y'know. I could never really pin you down. It's like I could turn around and you could disappear on me." She giggled. "Sure we can go back to the cave! Did you have fun mingling with the others at least? Anything interesting? Hmmm?" She said, seeming to pick up on something. Trying to sniff at him to figure it out, Horuss backed up and held his hand out to tell her to give him some space.

"It was alright. Let's go." With this, Horuss headed off, and Meulin following beside him.

Several stares went their way, from both the former noise and from their little moment of reuniting, but only a few were of note. After seeing the two start to walk off, a few versions of Kurloz knowingly looked over to each other. Though not many iterations were originally informed, such a thing spread around more from interest if not ridicule. That Horuss was definitely different than the ones they were familiar with, but once others in the group looked away, only one ended up following the pair.

As he trailed behind them, this Kurloz influenced their minds to ease them into a false sense of security. There was no need for them to turn around, they were alone and just needed to continue as usual. The two of them shared a few words between each other about the event, with Horuss staying uncharacteristically reserved. Not exactly sure on where to look for a scar, Kurloz knew he had to separate the two.

Suddenly, Horuss felt a sense of dread creep up on him, enough for him to slow his gait down to a complete stop. Something just felt so wrong, making him unsure of what to do. Unable to continue himself, Horuss could only watch as Meulin did so in his absence, unaware of his troubles. In this state, what little bit of him hoped for her to turn around and see him, to return and comfort him, was easily snuffed out once Kurloz's eyes flashed magenta and purple.

While having Horuss under his control, Kurloz opened up the dark passageway, grabbing him by the collar to guide him to enter. The opening closed behind them, and Kurloz glared at this sweaty bastard. He currently didn't smell very pleasant, so clearly Kurloz wasn't enthusiastic about having to search him. With that in mind, he really didn't want to find out these scars were somewhere below the belt. Anywhere but there.

After taking Horuss's jacket off and captchaloguing it, Kurloz lifted up the shirt beneath it. Nothing really unusual or of-note there. Going up behind Horuss, he lifted the shirt again. Seeing the scars, he took out the map he was given, wanting to be absolutely certain of this being the correct one. Sure enough, it was the same pattern.

Allowing Horuss to regain his consciousness again, Kurloz still pulled at the strings. Despite being in such a terrifyingly familiar place, Horuss felt the need to continue forward. Once again, Kurloz trailed behind. Taking this long trip was already annoying, so having to guide Horuss through the labyrinth was beyond irritating. He couldn't help but think about how much he despised Horuss and how glad he was that his version got obliterated alongside most of his group.

One could say this Kurloz was also extra territorial over his Meulin from this. With her mentioning meeting "a new friend" without telling him anything, it was easy to grow suspicious. Her trying to sneak around when otherwise open about where she was going, with some of her memory mixing with Horuss's planet, made it obvious. She found Horuss, and that bastard had to go.

Even with all his hatred, Kurloz was curious on what the outcome of bringing this Horuss back to the unstable version of himself would be. Scarring up another in their group was already such a bold move, alongside the other overt actions the other did. With this in mind, he considered potentially fueling the flames of that other self, on the off-chance it could potentially be entertaining.

Chapter Text

Regaining his senses when walking up to a specific endpoint of the crypt, Horuss felt a pit in his stomach. Hearing a honk behind him, he instantly turned around. Though his dark lenses once again made it difficult to see well in such an area, he already figured Kurloz was standing there in the dark. Recalling how long he walked for, he got more confused about what was going on.

"Kurloz?" Horuss murmured, sounding more unsure than he intended.

Having signed for Horuss to hand over his phone, Kurloz let out an annoyed huff, finally realizing the goggles impaired his vision in the dark. Already being so patient, he allowed for Horuss to take off his headgear on his own. Once Horuss actually looked at him this time, he signed again. "hand over your phone."

Having to offer up his phone instead of his goggles, Horuss grew confused, but gave it to him. He watched as this Kurloz went through his phone briefly, getting it handed back once it started to ring. Before Horuss could check to see who he was calling, Kurloz signed again.

"say what I tell you." Kurloz instructed, keeping his expression neutral and otherwise uncaring.

Not sure what would happen if he refused, Horuss nodded. Right after, someone on the other end picked up, and he raised the phone to his ear. Watching Kurloz sign to him, he grew fearful. After hesitating, Kurloz gave him a look, and Horuss stuttered a bit before speaking. "I'm at the drop-off point." Hearing the familiar laugh on the other end, Horuss felt a chill throughout his body. He took the phone away from his ear and looked at the screen, reading Kurloz's name in disbelief.

Setting his focus back to the other Kurloz standing in front of him, he closed the phone. With the reality of the situation being more clear, Horuss was already scared out of his mind. However, knowing that avoiding his Kurloz would keep him out of harms-way, he figured he only had one option. Making his choice, Horuss set both his devices in his sylladex before equipping his modified destrengthening gloves.

The Kurloz before him seemed aware of his intentions and easily dodged when the first punch was thrown. Before Horuss could try swinging at Kurloz again, sudden overwhelming fear stung at him, making him freeze up. Taking advantage of this, Kurloz delivered a firm kick to his side, effectively knocking him over. Now on the floor, Horuss was on the verge of hyperventilating while struggling to get up. Unlike his Kurloz, this one just looked away, getting not an ounce of amusement from it.

Trying to recover, Horuss focused on taking deep breaths in and out to steady himself. It was an uncomfortably long time before he officially calmed down and managed to sit up. Unsurely, he looked over at the Kurloz across from him. From his extended time away, he managed to piece together that Kurloz must have had some sort of ability that paired similar to Aranea's manipulation of the mind. Thinking over when he last felt that specific fear, Horuss remembered when Kurloz triggered it during sex. Feeling himself getting flustered over that, he quickly adverted his gaze.

Apart from that, even without manipulation, Aranea would be able to sense someone's intentions or feelings with her ability. Horuss wondered if that meant Kurloz experienced something similar too. Then again, while this Kurloz was ready to counter aggression, his Kurloz didn't seem to anticipate it much from what he recalled. Noticing his gloves were still on, he unequipped them, anxiously staring back at the Kurloz there.

Without anything happening at all for a prolonged period of time, Horuss set his focus to the floor, resting his head against the wall. Knowing his thoughts were just going to make his anxiety worse, he forcefully shut out the thoughts altogether. Eventually, this led to him entering a dissociative state, with a sinking feeling settling in. Empty, constantly having a flow of everything to fill his void, all for it to remain a contradiction. He was everything and even more, as well as being nothing and even less.

From no movement in his peripheral for a while, Kurloz looked over. What he remembered the most of his Horuss was that he couldn't figure out when to shut up, constantly blabbering out some stupid shit no one cared about. The moirallegiance he was inspired into just made him all the more annoying and unpleasant, but at least it kept Meulin occupied. Kurloz could only guess what this one went through at the hands of his Kurloz to make him so silent and so easily discouraged. It was already obvious the scars were from that other self's doing, as Horuss was otherwise untouched during their game's session.

-

Finally, the entrance to the drop-off point opened. The Kurloz that anticipated being handed over his Horuss entered, closing up the crypt behind him. From this Kurloz being in view of others with his face paint a mess, the other self seethed, being ignored as Kurloz fixated on Horuss. He was still somewhat intoxicated, but it primarily helped to settle his rage. However, noticing the lack of a reaction from Horuss, Kurloz narrowed his eyes and looked at the other out of suspicion that he did something.

Because of that look, the other Kurloz yanked Horuss up by the shirt, causing him to stumble a bit before finding his balance. Horuss became aware of everything again before looking at what he could only assume was his Kurloz standing at the end of the hallway. Despite feeling conflicted overall, Horuss knew he was terrified more than anything. Aware that nothing he could say would help him in this situation, he kept his mouth shut.

Having originally planned to fuel the flames of this Kurloz, the lack of care over face paint bothered him greatly, as it was another sign of this version rejecting their faith. Maybe he was purely trying to get a rise out of him if not actually being so delusional to turn from their religion. The other released his grip on Horuss before gesturing in a way that said "all yours" with a fake and exaggerated smile as he backed away. While the other stared daggers, Kurloz ignored, going up to his Horuss. Kurloz's approach was met with Horuss holding his head low, avoiding eye contact completely.

Keeping his focus set on Horuss, Kurloz smiled, noticing his tense body language and nervous fidgeting. Getting behind him, he lifted up the shirt with one hand, seeing the familiar pattern of scars. In fondness, he stroked the marks. It's been long enough that it was no longer flushed blue. A shame, really. Confirming completely that it was his Horuss, Kurloz let out a relieved sigh, pressing his head against Horuss's back for a moment. However, the floodgates of his rage then erupted.

Before Kurloz could lash out, his other self noticed, yanking him away by the collar of his bodysuit and projecting his voice in his mind. 'Learn yourself some motherfuckin self-restraint.' He scolded, as if viewing Kurloz as a young reckless version of himself. Despite this Kurloz pissing him off greatly, the other didn't want to risk an iteration of himself being so foolish as to double-kill another. 'What wicked plan have you got for your pony bitch?'

Hearing another version of him using the term "pony bitch" probably snapped Kurloz out of his rage more than anything. If it was the other he met before, fine, but there's gonna be a problem if that one spread that shit around. In response, Kurloz settled down a bit, though visibly displeased. He looked over at Horuss, seeing he was still keeping his head low, fearful and submissive.

Aware he got through to Kurloz, the other self slowly eased the grip on his collar to see if he could actually control himself this time. From the trouble of it all, as well as general annoyance of him, the other chose to smack Kurloz upside the head. 'Spill your ruse.' He demanded.

Kurloz hesitated in his mild irritation of his other self, but showed off what he held in his inventory. The other seemed amused as he looked over what he could before Kurloz selected an item. Figuring out what Kurloz did when seeing the glass, the other grew even more infuriated with him. Tainting their wicked elixir ought to be blasphemous. From the other's expression, Kurloz gave him a momentary enraged frown before heading back over to Horuss to put his plan into motion.

From his Kurloz returning to him, Horuss's throat was harshly grabbed, making him let out a strained noise as he was forced to look Kurloz in the face. Such a forceful grasp was released before the hand traveled over to give a tender caress to his cheek. In his other hand was a glass of brightly colored liquid, appearing to be Faygo.

Taking his hand back, Kurloz signed "don't spit" before bringing the glass to Horuss's lips. As he tilted the glass, Horuss knew he must comply, and reluctantly opened up. From the expression, it was clear he hated the taste, ending up gagging from it. Kurloz pulled the glass back to let him attempt to force down what was in his mouth. While Horuss had hoped what he drank was good enough, Kurloz set the glass to his lips again, making him take the rest of it in.

Finishing the rest of the horrible-tasting soda, Horuss was met with a sweet smile from Kurloz. The false show of non-hostility unsettled him as always. Being unaware of what was actually going on, Horuss just knew he had to play along and submit without question. Once Kurloz offered his hand, he took it, getting guided to the other Kurloz.

The two versions of Kurloz looked at each other knowingly, yet had an unspoken conflict between each other, giving the vaguest gestures in both body language and expression that didn't seem to say anything. A smile crept on the others face for just a moment, his stare drifting to Horuss. Suddenly, he acted like he heard something appalling, giving a distinct disgusted expression before bringing up his hand and shaking his head as Kurloz let out a faint laugh. That appeared to be the end of their "conversation" before Kurloz continued to guide Horuss, following behind his iteration.

After a while of continuing down the path with the two, Horuss started to stumble, and Kurloz paused to look at him, smiling wide. "I'm um- I don't...." He muttered, suddenly getting confused with a dizzying feeling rising. "What is-.... Kurloz.... Help." Feeling weaker, he wobbled a bit.

Close to the destination, Kurloz offered support to help Horuss continue, taking more slow and cautious steps. The other didn't wait for them, deciding to enter the chamber first, with the candles in the room lighting up as he did. While the pair took their sweet time following, the other manipulated the memory of the furthest wall, altering a pillar to resemble the historical flogging jut mentioned in Alternian history. With Kurloz having the irons he looted from a chest a while ago, the other knew he would have to assist with the chains.

Getting close enough, Kurloz pressed Horuss against the structure, trying to keep him standing. The other helped in taking Horuss's shirt off, tossing it aside. Switching, the other then kept Horuss standing as Kurloz took out the irons from his sylladex. They resembled the cuffs historically used to shackle those executed, particularly noted as the ones that bound the Sufferer. Perverting religious memorabilia to punish his sweetheart, the Beforan pre-scratch version of the Executioner, was worthy of a laugh most sinister and wicked.

Being drugged, Horuss couldn't do much of anything to resist being cuffed and chained to the jut. Though somewhat still standing on his own, his energy was leaving him enough that the chains will soon be the only thing keeping him up. He probably wasn't aware enough to be grateful that the irons will remain cool during the entirety of this.

Taking off Horuss's pants, Kurloz paused. Well aware of what Horuss's sex pheromones smelled like, he could tell something about the indigo's scent was off down there. Not caring for the other's disgust, Kurloz pulled down Horuss's briefs as well. With little resistance, he then spread Horuss's legs apart. Seeing a leftover tinge of violet on his nook folds and between his thighs, seemingly from a rushed sexual encounter with some Cronus, made his blood boil.

Horuss slurred out either some sort of plea or an attempt at an apology, but was met with a rage-filled punch to the face instantly shutting him up. From that, Horuss gasped sharply, starting to sob. Though currently pissed off, Kurloz carried on as they intended. Opening his sylladex, he took out one of Horuss's less-hidden secretive items he was too ashamed to use during their encounters.

With his vision clouded from tears, Horuss only realized what Kurloz had when getting the bit gag put in his mouth. Having his pants and briefs down to his ankles, and now getting his bit gag harness put on him, Horuss was humiliated. Once Kurloz fastened the straps in the back, Horuss's cries became frantic as his fear rose. The idea of dying in such a shameful display was interrupted by Kurloz sensually tracing up and down his body. Almost instantly, Horuss seemed to have calmed down from this, though still sniffling a bit.

The drug in Horuss made the gentle touches more arousing, easily causing sexual excitement when Kurloz trailed down near his groin. Finding himself wanting Kurloz to actually touch him there, he whined from Kurloz teasingly avoiding it, sweating the more it continued. At the highblood's mercy sexually, Horuss could only hope he'd be granted the pleasure to pair with his current strange drugged ecstasy he didn't understand. That however, wasn't what he was going to get.

Disturbed over this seeming pornographic, and frankly not wanting to see that horse freak's bulge, the other took out a blade from his strife specibus and set a lighter torch to it. Seeing Horuss nude was repulsive enough, anything further was beyond disgusting. As Kurloz got on his knees, rubbing Horuss's thighs lovingly, the other pressed the heated blade against Horuss's ribs, earning a scream from him.

With his own plan to give his beloathed some pain, Kurloz waited for Horuss to regain his breath. Right afterwards, he willed his stitches out before sinking his teeth into the meat of his thigh. Horuss's tear-filled eyes shot open from such betrayal shocking his senses. While he didn't scream this time, his breathing became mostly gasps and pain-filled wails. Removing his teeth from Horuss's flesh, Kurloz watched in fascination as blood rose from the bitemarks, happily rubbing his face against it.

Standing back up, Kurloz wiped the tears from Horuss's eyes before forcing them open, making him look at the crazed expression on his face with indigo blood decorating his mouth. The way Horuss's eyes drifted before jolting to re-focus made Kurloz frustrated. It seemed the drowsiness effect of the drug was already getting to him. Letting go of Horuss's face and seeing him start to nod off, Kurloz tapped an area on his torso, instructing his other self to burn their victim again.

Complying, the other pressed the heated blade against Horuss, making him jolt back into what consciousness he still had. He let out a yelled whine, shaking from the pain. With the blade getting heated again, Kurloz equipped a belt, smacking it hard against Horuss's outer thigh, making him let out a gasp. Getting swatted multiple times, Horuss let out groans, closing his legs together as he tensed up from the stinging sensation. Rather than fully switching to pleasurable pain, Kurloz grinned as he pointed to another spot. Aware that touch was for him to be burned, Horuss made an attempt to evade the blade, failing to move much from his body gradually feeling heavy with stupor. Being burned again, all he could do was cry out in pain before starting to sob.

Trying to ease Horuss, Kurloz shushed him as he brought a hand to his cheek, guiding his sweetheart to look at him. From his eyes drifting and his eyelids fluttering shortly after, Kurloz was displeased once more. Grabbing Horuss's outer thigh, he made sure to sink his claws in and drag up, earning whimpered cries from him. The other pressing the heated blade against him once more amplified his alertness and made him shriek. However, his breathing becoming labored afterwards granted him a break.

Giving a kiss to Horuss's cheek, Kurloz then captchalogued the belt. To help him calm down this time, Kurloz hugged him, tracing his hands up and down his back in the "breathe in... breathe out..." motion. Feeling him regulate his breathing to match the soothing motion, Kurloz then cruelly pointed to Horuss's uninjured thigh for the other to burn. Noticing this, the other heated up a larger portion of the blade, pressing it against the flesh once hot enough. With Horuss yelling out, Kurloz dug his claws into his back and trailed down, causing him to cry and tremble from the pain.

Taking his claws out again, Kurloz exited the hug and eyed the damage his other self did to the leg. Seeing the long pale wound with blue flushed around it, Kurloz chuckled. That alongside his bite was going to serve as a nice reminder of who pony bitch belonged to. He took a step back to view their work. It was as if it was incomplete. Not letting Horuss fully slip into unconsciousness, Kurloz instructed the other to burn the opposite side of his body, pointing just below the ribs.

The searing hot blade pressing against Horuss made his eyes only partially open this time, accompanied by a pained groan before he began to drift off. Not wanting the fun to be done, Kurloz pointed to another spot. With Horuss being burned again, he made a weak noise, barely capable of raising his head on his own anymore. Seeing him nodding off instantly once again, Kurloz grabbed the top portion of the harness and rattled his head around, causing Horuss to sluggishly attempt to raise his head with a confused groan. When his eyes fluttered closed, Kurloz looked at his other self, irritated.

In response, the other shrugged and set the blade back in his specibus, as a way of saying they were done. Kurloz didn't like that one bit, glaring at the other as he equipped his juggling clubs. The other glared back before giving a quick motion of his hand, as if to say "whatever, I don't care". Eyeing Horuss's slack body chained to the jut, Kurloz considered where to strike.

His vital organs were left vulnerable and unprotected. It would be easy to strike him until he died, or to cause enough damage for him to bleed out internally over a longer period of time. Seeing mental imagery of the potential aftermath, broken bones with blood pooling and all, Kurloz grimaced and jerked his head to the side. From such a distinct instance that his other self definitely saw, he spun his clubs right after, as if to dismiss it.

Deciding where to hit, Kurloz then went to swing a club, only for his wrist to get grabbed by his other self. Before he could retaliate, the other pulled him aside before tripping him and giving a shove to further ensure he fell. Ending up on his knees, he looked over at the other self with rage, growling lowly.

'A motherfucker was hilarious at first.' The other self said before shaking his head. 'My noxious iteration, there was no requisite to feed into the hellacious desires one was meant to smother. You stray from the truth, goin into heresy, all for carnal vice.'

Not wanting to hear a religious-based tangent, Kurloz stored his clubs back in his strife specibus before getting back up. 'Pipe your bitchass down.'

'Must you find bliss with the scars that adorn your bod from atonement more than our servitude?' The other asked, familiar with having to atone himself. To further mock this Kurloz specifically, the other signed "pain slut".

Kurloz dismissed him with a middle finger, growing more frustrated when the other just held up a hand to block it from view before actually seeing it, as if calling him predictable. Fuck that guy. Untrusting, Kurloz kept an eye on the other as he neared Horuss again, this time to bandage him up. His other self clearly drew a line for the both of them while trying to insist he didn't care. What a jackass. At the very least, from this session of torture, Horuss wouldn't be able to hide the scars if he even thought about spreading his legs for another after this. That should suffice.

Bandaging up the injuries on Horuss's torso went uninterrupted, but upon getting down to deal with the bigger injuries on his thighs, the other closed in. Apparently seeing that gag still in Horuss's mouth, with drool dripping down, bothered the other, who was now working on undoing the straps. As Kurloz was wrapping up the burn mark, his other self made his irritation known, smacking the wet gag against Kurloz's head.

'Keep that shit in the respiteblock.' The other said, getting no reply as Kurloz simply grabbed it to captchalogue it. 'Glad a motherfucker wasn't humpin his drugged bitch though.'

From that last remark, Kurloz grew livid, punching his other self in the leg over it. The other backed up with a light hiss from the pain, but Kurloz kept his focus to Horuss. With him moving to where the other was originally standing, to treat the bite wound, his other self begrudgingly excused the aggression.

When finished, Kurloz pulled Horuss's briefs and pants back up. The moment he set his focus to the cuffs, he got shoved by the other, who he promptly shoved back harder. Knowing Kurloz was going to get at his throat, the other looked away and held his hands up dismissively to suggest he was just playing. Still, he wasn't in the mood for this shit, eyeing the other in annoyance before continuing.

Aware Horuss was going to be heavy, Kurloz had the other undo the cuffs as he pressed the unconscious body against the jut's wall. From Horuss being released, Kurloz made sure to slowly lower him against the structure. The other rolled his eyes over Kurloz being delicate to the person they just tortured together, especially since Kurloz himself was contemplating killing that freak not that long ago.

Seeing Kurloz gently reposition Horuss to lay down, the other decided to be courteous and took out the jacket he stored in his sylladex, handing it to Kurloz. With that exchange over, the other figured he was done here and started to head off without a word. However, he stopped. Still bothered over how this version of Kurloz has been overall, he peered back in the chamber, observing.

Kurloz stared down at Horuss, smiling as he trailed from one bandaged wound to another with his finger. He knew he hated Horuss more than anything, but loved him all in the same. Teasing him and hurting him while drugged, it just felt right. With his hands, he wiped the tears and drool from Horuss's face, planting a kiss on his forehead afterwards. As usual, Kurloz laid down beside Horuss. From his cooler body temperature, he pressed up against the more-injured side to relieve the pain, alongside placing a leg over him.

Once setting the jacket over the two of them like a small blanket, Kurloz put his free hand over the burns on the other side of Horuss's torso. Before he fully settled down, he felt like he was being watched, quickly looking towards the hallway to confirm his suspicion. Getting a glimpse of his other self before he officially dipped out, Kurloz let out a hiss. If that motherfucker was going to be an actual problem, then he would have already done something with how long his back was turned to him. Unbothered, he simply settled down again.

Chapter Text

Slowly waking up, Horuss let out several groans. His torso and thighs were inflamed with pain, and he had a headache to top it off. Upon shifting a bit, the ache became more localized, causing him to let out more pained noises. Hearing a faint endearing laugh as the cool feeling on him shifted, brushing over his ribs, Horuss jolted awake. Before he could try and get up, he felt pressure on his chest before most of the cooler temperature shifted over, watching as Kurloz got on top of him.

Getting a good view of Kurloz's smeared face paint with his unstitched mouth stained indigo, Horuss was unnerved. The messy face paint felt familiar, but the indigo suggested Kurloz bit him again, and he couldn't remember anything like that happening. Apart from that, the Byzantium walls helped to jog some of his currently fuzzy memory. He remembered walking for a while in this crypt, and generally feeling weak, but couldn't remember much of anything else.

With Kurloz lessening the pressure on his chest, giving a gentle pat there afterwards, Horuss figured it was safe to move again. As he sat up, he groaned from the pain, letting out a light hiss from his back stinging as well. Noticing multiple large bandage patches on his bare torso as he looked down, he instantly felt sick to his stomach.

In turn, Kurloz eyed him lovingly. He will treasure the cries and screams from the punishment just a few hours ago; such sweet noises Horuss made. This ongoing obsession alongside the pursuit of pain and fear-arousing love corrupted his already fucked up thinkpan. It was enough that his iterations detested and looked down on him, thinking they confirmed his inferiority. But no matter what they thought, Kurloz was going to get what he wanted. What he deserved. Even with fate guiding harm.

Horuss's attention returned to Kurloz when feeling him trace over where his thigh had shooting pains. The way his stare drifted towards him, as if up to something, made him tense. Hoping Kurloz wasn't going to jab his injuries, he made a timid attempt to speak up, only for Kurloz to press a finger to his lips.

"clothes. off." Kurloz signed, with Horuss obeying, at least for the most part. Noticing Horuss kept his briefs on, he just went with it. Making up for their time apart, Kurloz wasn't going to wait any longer. He began grinding up against Horuss, eager to make him unsheathe. Wrapping his arms around his beloved, he nuzzled him, humming sweetly as he continued.

Shocked on Kurloz's immediate need for pailing, when this was usually when he was allowed rest, Horuss froze. He was familiar with Kurloz still inflicting pain on him even when injured, so his best bet was to just give in to him. Telling himself he needed the release too, Horuss tried to keep his focus on the pleasure.

Feeling Horuss's bulge start to unsheathe as he let out shaken whimpers, Kurloz rewarded this by giving him a kiss, yet grew irritated from Horuss not returning it. Backing away, only to see Horuss's miserable expression, Kurloz couldn't help but feel conflicted. He once loved seeing those expressions from Horuss, but it's difficult to not interpret it as him being ungrateful now. After all, his bitch ran from him and pailed with a Cronus while away.

Grabbing Horuss by the shoulders, sinking his claws in, Kurloz slammed him down to the floor. From the scratches on his back alongside the additional injuries, Horuss quivered and let out a strained groan. Ignoring the trembling, Kurloz willed his outfit off and proceeded to yank Horuss's briefs down. It seems that inflicting unnecessary pain on him made his bulge hesitant to unsheathe further. This was not a problem for Kurloz, as he could just stimulate it while prepping himself.

Equipping his glass toy, Kurloz lubricated it with his saliva, sliding it over what he had left of a tongue. He laid beside Horuss, lazily spreading his legs soon after, inserting the instrument into his nook. With his other hand, he reached over and grabbed the indigo bulge, rubbing at it while simultaneously massaging his own walls. Noticing Horuss perspiring and taking in shaken breaths, Kurloz cast a look his way.

Once Kurloz stared at him, Horuss fearfully blurted. "What did you do to me?" Though he wanted the pleasure, the distress was too overwhelming. The crypt itself kept him fearful from its sinister aura, and with Kurloz out of the way, he finally saw the flogging jut. From having a clear view of the irons open and dangling from it, a horrible feeling of dread stabbed at him. All this pain and amnesia as well, it was all too horribly familiar.

With both his hands busy, Kurloz scoffed. He let up his motion on Horuss's bulge to sign "scorch", finger-spelling it right after, due to their position making reading sign a bit difficult.

This answer pushed Horuss closer to full-blown panic. "Did you brand me?" Hearing Kurloz let out a laugh, his fear of this rose, and he was on the verge of tears. His chest expanding from his panicked gasps aggravated the burn wounds over his ribs, making him start to cry.

Kurloz rolled his eyes at this, deciding to just influence Horuss's mind to soothe him. Everything was alright, he was strong and capable, he just needed to calm his breathing. With that, Kurloz dropped the influence and stashed his glass toy back in his inventory. He then placed a hand on Horuss's chest, monitoring his pusher as his breathing settled down. Glancing over, he could tell the bulge still struggled from Horuss's emotional turmoil.

Once Horuss steadied his breathing, Kurloz took this opportunity to position himself over him again. He stared at Horuss longingly, pressing his nook against the bulge and grinding against the current length. Eventually, the stimulation caused Horuss to let out a whine as his bulge grew and squirmed, attempting to penetrate the nook pressed against it. Just that reaction wasn't enough. From Kurloz slowing his motion, Horuss bucked his hips and hissed from it aggravating the injuries on his torso and thighs.

"Please." Horuss begged, tensing up again. "Kurloz, please." With this, the motion stopped.

Noticing Horuss's eyes were shut, Kurloz snapped his fingers to grab his attention again. Horuss slowly opened his eyes, flinching as Kurloz guided him to look his way, worried he was going to get hit at first. Keeping Horuss's focus on him, Kurloz smiled and slowly rocked back and forth against the bulge. It became more obvious on what he wanted Horuss to say.

From the stimulation, Horuss cursed beneath his breath before begging again, more directly. "Please, I want to pail with you." Kurloz seemed to like this response, now standing on his knees and guiding the tip to his nook.

With the bulge pushing in several inches on its own, Kurloz tensed up and groaned, but soon lowered himself onto more of it. At the current point, he rocked his hips slowly, adjusting more to what was in him. Once ready, he lustfully worked the rest of the inches in, loving the feeling of the bulge penetrating deep. He missed this more than anything. Humming out, Kurloz leaned back, trailing his hands down Horuss's arms before grabbing at the wrists to guide his hands to his hips. He tilted his head back as he let out a moan, swaying his hips side to side.

Despite his own pleasure, Kurloz was eager to hear more of Horuss's noises. He settled a bit as he put his focus back to his sweetheart. The instant nervous expression on Horuss's face, from not knowing the intention, was amusing. For this, Kurloz slowly let most of the bulge exit before taking it all back in again. Giving occasional pauses, with some repeats being slower than others, he playfully kept it up.

Horuss couldn't help but let out desperate moans, raising his hips every now and then from getting antsy. Again, he let out pained hisses from the injuries on his body. As if he was being punished for his sexual urges, Horuss started to sweat again. In response, Kurloz smiled sweetly at him, deciding to stop playing around. He took the bulge in deep again, now rolling his hips to stimulate them both more.

From their time apart, it was easy to feel like something was missing from the absence of their intimacy. Such a sexual reunion just felt so right despite the lead-up paired with the current agony. The sensation of Kurloz riding him, teasing him, all while eager to stuff his nook with his bulge. It was something Horuss didn't know he missed while Kurloz was going crazy without it.

Kurloz reached over and placed his hands on the floor before starting to bounce on the bulge. From the sudden faster motion, Horuss moaned out, huffing a bit from the stimulation. Though Kurloz could go on for a while with his stamina, he noticed Horuss starting to withhold breaths and whimper the more he continued, and suddenly halted his motion.

His climax fading, Horuss looked at Kurloz in such a pathetic way that made him smile tauntingly in return. He could get him off easily, but clearly had other plans. With Horuss being in so much pain already, he grew anxious over what his unforgiving partner was wanting to do.

"caress my body." Kurloz signed, with Horuss obediently trailing his hands down his thighs before tracing back up. The determination on his face was entertaining. He was clearly making sure to be very gentle, especially when it came to the torso. So many vital organs that could easily get damaged if he wasn't cautious. From the hesitation when it came to his chest, Kurloz guided Horuss's hands there and pressed up against them. He wasn't too defined there for it to be viewed as lewd, but Horuss still found the action indecent.

When Horuss blushed and looked away, he ended up getting his hands returned to him momentarily. After Kurloz maneuvered to face away from Horuss, he grabbed at his hands again, making him cop a feel of his ass. Kurloz was definitely more pronounced there compared to his chest, instantly embarrassing Horuss. The second he got a chance, Horuss moved his hands to Kurloz's hips instead, distinctly flustered over it.

From that, Kurloz let out a laugh as he rolled his hips to proceed with their pailing. Though he wanted Horuss to thrust up into him, that was clearly out of the question, regarding the fresh wounds on his body. It would also be too cruel to tease Horuss further at this point. With this in mind, he made sure to keep his motion up.

Having Kurloz ride his bulge again, Horuss settled down from the wave of embarrassment earlier. Since Kurloz wasn't currently looking at him either, he couldn't help but stare at the cuffs hanging from the jut. It didn't make sense to him. Even if Kurloz erased the punishment from his mind, those cuffs suggested something else was going on. Before he could theorize anything, his attention got pulled away from it.

Grabbing at Horuss's legs for stability, Kurloz started bouncing on his bulge once again, faster than last time. He clearly caught Horuss off-guard with how he fidgeted beneath him and moaned louder than he anticipated. Though Horuss withdrew his hands to cover his mouth, making it tempting to toy with him, Kurloz maintained his speed. Having the intention to cum without causing a mess as well, he took out a bucket from his sylladex. Setting it to the side for now, he then started to stroke himself.

Seeing the bucket, Horuss felt relief, knowing he'll get the sweet release he was hoping for. In response, he timidly uncovered his mouth, letting himself freely moan again. His climax was also nearing once more. Shamelessly, he called out Kurloz's name, quivering and whimpering the closer he got.

The sound of Horuss moaning his name filled Kurloz with bliss, but the trembling made it clear he was close to orgasm. Being close himself, Kurloz stroked his length faster, with his riding speed slowing and him twitching the closer he got. Grabbing the bucket, he got ready to spill into it. Upon hitting his orgasm and emptying into the bucket, Horuss huffed out as the nook pulsed against him, with his genetic fluid filling Kurloz shortly after.

As the two recollected themselves, Horuss ended up letting out faint sobs, having the same pains from earlier when trying to recover his breath. Kurloz looked over his shoulder at him, but knew he had to deal with the indigo's genetic fluid in him first. Letting the bulge slide out, he brought the bucket beneath himself.

Gradually, Horuss managed to settle down on his own, slowing his breathing while being cautious to not irritate his wounds again. It was easier from not being in panic this time. However, he got alarmed when feeling the cool hands on him again. With a gasp, Horuss sat up, wincing a bit from the pain. He could never fully tell when Kurloz was going to turn hostile. The way Kurloz stared at him and smiled suggested fondness, but that could just be a facade.

"you remember what I told you?" Kurloz signed before clasping his hands together as he exaggerated his smile, showing potential hostility.

Horuss gulped, trying to recall what horrible things the purple blood had been messaging him recently. The way Kurloz widened his eyes from the hesitation made him more on-edge. It was clearly something important, something Kurloz said that stuck out from the rest. "That y-you um.... That you believe breaking me down bit by bit would be the greatest miracle?" He asked slowly, unsure on the reply.

As if reacting to an unpleasant sound, Kurloz scrunched up his face for a moment before shaking his head, but soon ended up chuckling over the reply. After his laughter resided, he signed "no". The two stared at each other in silence before Kurloz signed again, reminding him. "you're mine, beyond quadrants. mine."

Horuss went quiet, much like last time. His lip quivered as Kurloz narrowed his eyes at him. "I'm yours." He agreed, though his partner was still skeptical. Trying to prove it, he gently place his hand to Kurloz's cheek, getting uncomfortable from him ultimately being unmoved by the gesture. Reluctantly, Horuss leaned in to give him a kiss, ending up getting a hand wrapped around his throat.

Giving Horuss a shove, Kurloz then signed "I know" before fingerspelling "VIOLET".

Visibly distressed and unsure on how to reply, Horuss kept quiet, yet thought back on the suggestion given to him a while ago. Finally capable of saying something, he reminded Kurloz of a crucial detail. "You allowed for it."

Kurloz growled lowly in frustration upon hearing this. While Horuss was correct about him allowing it, the fact he went after a random Cronus, aware Kurloz wouldn't be able to figure out which one it was, pissed him off. Even more-so that the timeframe suggested Horuss was returned not long after pailing. There was also no way of telling if he was the bulge slut of a Cronus the entire time they were apart.

While he wanted to beat Horuss further for this, Kurloz mulled it over, ending up considering his other self. No matter how much Kurloz despised that motherfucker, the approach of that one was tame, even with violence mixed in. Though Kurloz was infuriated with the other stopping him, that disruption likely spared Horuss of some potentially fatal injuries. The annoying playful aggression wasn't much either, reminding him of some instances of his own, outside of craving harm.

Worried from Kurloz going blank for a while, Horuss spoke again. "Please pardon my imprudence. I'll be good." Without a reply, he added, "I'll be good for you."

That's right. Horuss should know better than to disobey or displease Kurloz, especially with him being hurt and trapped again. With a smile, he pressed his forehead against Horuss's, sighing out calmly. Deciding to be gentle from the fearful submission, Kurloz altered the room around them to resemble his own hive before assisting Horuss with standing.

-

In the middle of a casual get-together, Latula spotted Aranea heading up to them. While Aranea appeared to be less than happy over this as she neared them, Latula remained unbothered. "Ay girl, it's been a while, wazzup?" Latula shouted, waving at her. That overly enthusiastic facade of hers didn't seem to falter, even when Aranea let out a huff and crossed her arms.

"I was informed of the whole "grouping up" ordeal happening again, despite it being put on hold, as I could have sworn it was agreed upon." Aranea explained, mildly irritated.

"Aw, but I'm so psyched about it! How else are people gonna see my rad moves?" Before Aranea could object, Latula gave a demonstration, skating off for a bit before doing a dragon flip and landing it like a champ. Several of the on-lookers clapped while Aranea had her angry pout displayed.

"It just does not seem to be-" Aranea started, but got interrupted.

"My turn!" Mituna announced with a yell, following Latula, but doing a heel flip instead. Managing to stick the landing with just a wobble afterwards, he threw his hands in the air and hollered, with Latula joining in with cheers before he exclaimed something profane. "Yeah! Suck my willies, bitches!"

With this, Aranea facepalmed. Rather than being left alone in her agitation, Meulin came up to her. She was clearly eager to chat despite Aranea not being very open to it.

"Aranea! It's been too long since I've talked to you, come sit with me!" Meulin said before grabbing at Aranea's hand and jumping up and down. "You can tell me more about the Alternian versions of ourselves again for my ships! I've been thinking a bit more on potential pairings with them and wanted a refresher."

Aranea observed the crowd a bit, figuring out which people there were most-likely to cause conflict. At least it appeared the only potential problem there was Damara, who seemed to be too preoccupied with her own thing for anything drastic to happen. At least for now. With this, Aranea sighed out. "Fine."

Filled with glee, Meulin led Aranea to where she and Rufioh were sitting. They've been socializing a bit since Horuss ran off, both out of a shared concern and from missing him in their own ways. Happily, Meulin pat the empty space beside her after sitting next to Rufioh.

Rufioh greeted Aranea with a wave, a bit worried they were about to get lectured. "Oh hey, doll. I hope we're not in trouble, heh..."

"No, not quite." Aranea clarified, letting her expression soften, though she re-crossed her arms. At least she can ramble on about one of the many things she studied, as she liked to. However, recalling a detail, she got a bit unsure regarding Meulin wanting to do ship talk. "Um, actually, I'm not too sure it would be wise to "ship talk" about Alternian history."

Not catching what Aranea did, Meulin got confused. "Aw, why not?"

Aranea glanced over at Rufioh. While their Alternian selves had a relationship, it never really bothered her before. They weren't the exact same people, after all. However, Rufioh was currently single, and it's not like Aranea's quadrants were filled either. Not wanting to address that, Aranea stated something believable. "It's more brutal than our standards."

"But that never stopped our interests before! Plus Kankri isn't even here." Meulin argued, looking over at Rufioh just in case he wanted to have a say in this.

From this, Rufioh caught on, cringing. "uh, yeah... I'm actually uh... gonna go over to Damara for a bit. Cool? Okay..."

Waving as Rufioh headed off, Meulin called out. "We can catch up later!"

Watching Rufioh wait for the skater couple to rush on by before heading to Damara, Aranea sighed out and regained her posture. Well, at least now it doesn't have to be so awkward for Meulin to go over dynamics for shipping their Alternian selves. "Sorry, excuse that prior hesitation. So do you want the full run-down or a general summary alongside what relationships are explicitly confirmed?"

"Yes! I'm so glad! Um, I think the full could help with picturing dynamics between them, especially the "what-ifs". Many of them never got to meet each other, but thankfully that's irrelevant for shipping!"

-

After having a shower with Kurloz, Horuss requested some privacy in the ablution block. He wasn't sure why Kurloz decided to allow it, but he wasn't going to question this window of opportunity he was granted. Opening up his inventory, Horuss was pleasantly surprised that his goggles were still there like he remembered. Wasting no time, he put them on, not bothering to fully secure the straps as he checked his Trollian messages.

While Horuss constantly felt let-down by Meulin, he figured she had to have some knowledge of the crypt. She was close to Kurloz this whole time, so she was bound to know something nobody else did. Messaging her, he briefly explained that he was currently trapped in Kurloz's labyrinth and needed her help. During the wait for her reply, he dwelled on the current predicament.

Whenever Kurloz set him free, there wasn't much of a clear reason. The only pattern was that Horuss was trapped for several nights whenever injured, with that fiend having a sick fascination over it. He was going to have to wait this out. But if Kurloz was losing it, then it's likely that he will harm him more, just to keep him longer. Being stuck in this cycle was the last thing he wanted.

What snapped Horuss out of these thoughts was Meulin messaging him back. She denied knowing much of anything about the crypt, but said she could message Kurloz about it. Panicked, he immediately urged her not to talk to Kurloz. Preemptively, he backed further away from the door, anticipating Kurloz entering any second now. Once Meulin messaged him saying "oh, okey-dokey!", Horuss heaved out a sigh of relief before returning to the counter.

With Meulin's infuriatingly unwavering trust in Kurloz, as well as her fixation on shipping, Horuss made sure to state that Kurloz was a genuine danger to him. She seemed to understand a bit better now, but reassured him that they could talk out feelings next time they saw each other. Not being too fond of this, Horuss let out a frustrated huff, but begrudgingly accepted.

Since Rufioh was there last time to check up on him alongside Meulin, Horuss considered messaging him something as well. Opening their chat logs, he tried figuring out what to say to him, ultimately incapable of finding the right words. However, skimming over the messages again, Horuss spotted something specific and re-read one that Kurloz sent: "the sigil of suffering burned into the flesh". Realizing the implication that Kurloz planned on doing something like this, even before he ran off, he felt sick.

His worries overriding everything else, Horuss minimized the Trollian window before looking at himself in the mirror. Kurloz never actually confirmed if he branded him or not. Trembling, he picked at the corner of a bandage before looking away and tearing it off. On the verge of a breakdown, he slowly returned his gaze to the mirror, finally seeing the damage. The burn wound didn't hold the shape of a symbol thankfully, but it was still a burn wound nonetheless. A conflicting wave of relief and horror washed over him.

The more Horuss looked at it, the more upset he got. Eventually, he started to sob, enough for the door to open. Seeing Kurloz, he scrambled back up to the furthest wall, trying to keep his breathing under control. Too terrified, his breathing soon became choppy and he let himself sink to the floor as Kurloz made his approach. Before he could try and fight him over it, Horuss held his head low, giving access for him to remove the headgear. Taking the offering, finding out that the back straps weren't fastened, Kurloz easily slid it off.

Curious on what messages Horuss sent out, and making use of not wearing face paint, Kurloz put the goggles on. Maximizing the Trollian window, he checked through each user to see all who has been contacted. The other lower hues hadn't been messaged recently, but he took time to read the new conversation between Horuss and Meulin. Just the usual "Kurloz is dangerous" shit that's been echoed through their group for the past month. However, mentioning the crypt while Meulin was completely out of Kurloz's range was going to be a problem. It gave Horuss an opening for freedom, even if he didn't realize it. Still, he took a moment to check if Horuss messaged anyone else.

Confirming Horuss stuck to what vague rules he was given, Kurloz placed the headgear in his sylladex. He then got down to Horuss's level, sitting in front of him, giving a rub to his knee. His sweetheart was still panicking, but it was less intense now from him taking the time to look at his messages. Inching beside him, Kurloz gave a rub to his thigh, ignoring Horuss leaning away from his touch. Getting a view of the un-bandaged wound again, Kurloz pointed to it and let out a hum and frowned. He gave a gentle rub near the area, as if to imply the expression was to go "poor baby".

Not allowing Horuss to calm down, Kurloz grabbed at another bandage and instantly tore it off. As usual, Horuss was jittery, but he just let out a small yelp. However, once Kurloz moved on to the next bandage, he realized that he was just removing them. Nothing else. In response, when that one was ripped off, he just flinched and tightly shut his eyes, letting the remaining tears trail down. His breathing stayed shaken as Kurloz continued, tearing off another one.

Two bandages remained on Horuss's torso now. Not changing the pattern, Kurloz leaned over and ripped one bandage off before the other. Expecting him to mess with the bandaging on his legs, Horuss got alarmed when feeling Kurloz give kisses to the open wounds. Disgusted, he immediately equipped his modified destrengthening gloves and grabbed Kurloz by the horns, pulling up enough for them to be face to face. "Stop it."

With the retaliation, Kurloz was surprised, finding it amusing to see Horuss finally glaring at him despite crying so much recently. Horuss should be glad Kurloz didn't have a tongue to lick the wounds with. If only he didn't bite it off. He was curious though on what Horuss planned on doing now, staring intently in anticipation. It's not like he was healed enough for an aggrieve.

Chapter Text

As expected, Horuss didn't have it in him to do anything. For that, he got a punch to his ribs. Expecting Horuss to cry out in pain again, Kurloz got surprised from him slamming him against the floor instead and getting on top of him. With this, a shiver of excitement ran through Kurloz. The current position prevented him from wrapping his legs around Horuss, but he was always handsy.

Feeling the invasive touch going to his crotch, Horuss got jumpy, but effectively grabbed Kurloz's wrists and pinned them down. From his neck not being restricted by the previous grip on his horns, Kurloz looked at what he could see of the gloves. It didn't take much of a glance to tell they were modified, and his stare towards Horuss afterwards suggested he wanted to know what for. "I don't want to hurt you." He said, albeit bitterly.

With that response, Kurloz tried to get a better look at the modified gloves. They appeared a bit more bulky, and Horuss had initially mentioned his gloves weren't meant for combat. Despite him not wanting to resort to violence, he still modified them to allow for it. How charming. However, Kurloz found himself craving being beaten by Horuss, as if to pay for what he's done to him. From his signing being limited, he fingerspelled "HURT ME".

Without needing to think it over, Horuss replied. "I won't."

The two glared at each other for a while before Kurloz had a sudden fit of rage, now thrashing around, without being successful in doing much beneath Horuss or against his grip. While his legs weren't restricted, his attempts at kneeing Horuss didn't do much either. He could keep this up for a while if he really wanted to, but he wasn't intending for that. From his other attempts not working, he started smacking his own head against the tiled floor.

Not wanting Kurloz to cause any serious damage to himself, Horuss instantly let go of one of the pinned wrists to place a hand beneath his head to cushion and prevent any further damage. After a few continued attempts ended up being futile, Kurloz huffed out, annoyed. Once he looked at Horuss's wounds that were in the process of scabbing over, it was clear he considered slashing at them, yet did nothing.

Making use of his free hand, Kurloz instead signed "I must smoke." To get this further across, he equipped his pipe.

Though Horuss flinched in anticipation of the miracle modus malfunctioning, just like the last time Kurloz had an episode, nothing happened. He noticed Kurloz now had a strange sudden calmness to him, and looked tired. It was difficult to tell if Kurloz was experiencing a form of fatigue from giving himself a concussion or if he managed to calm down after his outburst. It was always difficult to understand what was going on with him. Still wary of Kurloz, Horuss hesitantly withdrew, allowing for him to stand while keeping his distance as he got up himself.

Kurloz eyed him before turning away and repeatedly opening and closing his hand to urge Horuss to grab it. Once Horuss's gloved hand met his, Kurloz walked him from one block to another. Heading to the meal block, he lazily gestured for Horuss to help himself to what's in the hunger trunk. His sweetheart was going to need to eat well to assist his recovery, after all.

Keeping his back turned to Horuss, Kurloz went to his respiteblock and rummaged through his dressers for some catnip. Aware he likely had several messages to read, he sat at his desk and booted up the computer, packing the bowl of his pipe as he waited. Despite not looking at Horuss, he still listened in a bit, observing him in a less obvious way. Before checking anything, Kurloz held his lighter to the nip in the bowl, starting off with a deep hit. Coughing out a bit, he momentarily set the pipe aside before grabbing one of the Faygo bottles strewn about and downing some of it.

Opening the Trollian application, he noticed a handful of people were trying to chat with him. Dealing with the most obvious issue, Kurloz looked at what Aranea sent. Finding out that she was right beside Meulin when Horuss sent those messages pissed him off. Of course, she had to instantly make it about herself as well, bitching that it interrupted her rambling bullshit. She then went on about how irresponsible Kurloz was for not letting her know that she no longer needed to "waste her precious time" trying to find a void player, with her openly wondering if Kurloz was just going to keep up the charade that Horuss was gone.

She was going on an awful lot about the situation, but the only thing she really knew for a fact was Kurloz found Horuss first, and Horuss wasn't very fond of that. Taking another hit while reading, Kurloz didn't need to think over a reply, as he already had something to work with. He simply reminded her that Horuss had the information she wanted, but since she failed in retrieving him, now she can't have it. That should be enough to arouse concern on why he entrapped Horuss without giving anything away.

A few others gave their own meaningless comments about the situation, only to show they didn't trust him, rather than suggesting any potential confrontation. They were probably too scared to be as upfront as Aranea was. The power she possessed would no doubt be a problem if she decided to use it to control or sedate him. At the same time, if she was planning on that, she was probably fretting the moment he would eventually be free of her manipulation too.

Meulin, on the other hand, messaged about to ask a question before almost instantly dismissing it. She obviously sent that when Horuss contacted her. While Meulin did genuinely have concern over their courtship at this point, she wasn't able to mediate. Mostly, this was due to her not having much context over such a clandestine relationship. Even with that, it was clear Horuss didn't have much hope in her anymore from how Kurloz stringed things along.

-

In the middle of another depression nap, Meenah was woken up by her phone ringing. She let out a groan and groggily sat up. Still out of it, she just let the phone keep on ringing. Clearly she didn't have the energy to answer it, but knew all too well that Aranea was going to continue calling until she answered. That was the only person that really called her anyway. She didn't want anyone else to call either, having already blocked the most irritating ones in their group.

Eventually, the ringtone and vibrating hums of the phone bothered Meenah enough for her to finally get up. Her phone was on her vanity, that she then sat at, before picking up. "What is it?"

"Finally, you answer. I was over here wondering how long I was going to have to wait." Aranea said on the other end.

"Yeah, whateva. What's so glubbin important?" Meenah asked, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"I do hope you remember when I explained how Kurloz was requesting that I searched nearby bubbles for Horuss. Allegedly because Meulin "was sad", as he claimed. As a matter of fact, you should remember this. He was lurking around your palace, after all."

"Everyone lurks in the bubbles though." With that response, Aranea was already losing her temper with Meenah.

"Oh honestly-" Aranea started, but got cut off.

"Ay! Just say what borin shit is goin on." At first, Meenah got a frustrated growl on the other end, but Aranea settled a bit before continuing.

"So. It seems that Kurloz found Horuss, but is holding him in a sort of.... I'm not too sure, but I suppose it's some sort of "crypt", or a memory of a crypt, to be more accurate. It was also explained to me as a "labyrinth" of sorts." Without Meenah giving a reply, Aranea sighed. "Is there something I need to explain?"

"Girl, I literally just woke up. Gimme a minute." After a while of thinking it through, Meenah couldn't find it in herself to give a shit. "Yeah, I don't get whateva you're goin on 'bout. Why do you care?"

"Oh, I am most certainly sorry if your stupor made you forget, but: Kurloz! Is! Dangerous!" Aranea shouted. "It was a bit amusing that he fought Cronus, yes, but something's not right with him at all! When he convinced me to go out to search for Horuss, he had claimed Horuss could explain the recent aggrieve. Not to mention, the thoughts of his that were most-distinct during our exchange were all volatile. To top it all off, now that he managed to find Horuss, he has him trapped where we cannot access. Do you not find that even just a tad bit concerning?"

"Ohhhh. Dang, that might be like an actual problem then. Uh... Do you want me to like stab him with my fork next we sea him or what?" With a laugh, Meenah then added. "I can test how far away I could fork him from. Bet I can throw reel far!"

"It honestly depends. Though you caused probably most of the aggrieves in our session alongside Kankri's remarks infuriating others, it could be useful. However, I would suggest to hold off on starting anything with Kurloz, since he's unstable.... But it would be nice to have you alongside the rest of us for once."

"Oh come on! I can handle aggrieves just fine. If my trident's the problem, I could just clobber him. You know all that mushy bullshit Horuss was talkin about, bein all pacifish now or whateva. That's probs what got him in that mess to begin with."

"Hmmm.... It is likely, but I still think it would be beneficial to at least have you with the rest of our group for now."

"Holup... This isn't like some dumb as hell trick to make me socialize or nofin, right?"

"I would never consider doing such a thing at a time like this! Do you honestly think I'm playing into tricks right now?"

"I dunno, maybe." Meenah shrugged before thinking about something crucial. "Uh... Hm. Serks, do you even like gotta plan?"

After a pause, Aranea replied. "I admit, there is not much of a plan, unlike what you might have hoped for. Regardless of that, the main objective is to ensure nobody else gets hurt by Kurloz. We can discuss this further once you are with us. For right now, the focus is that a friend of ours could be in danger and we have to do something once an opportunity arises."

In disbelief, Meenah exclaimed. "For reel? No legit rescue mission at all?"

"Meenah. Have you tried messing with the memories that are inaccessible to anyone that's not the owner of them? Everyone has tried that at one point, either out of curiosity, or from making an attempt to snoop around. Simply put: we cannot access Kurloz's memories."

"Ohhh... Wait, you mean it ain't even somefin Leijon can access?"

Aranea let out a groan. "Ugh, no. It's not. Just get down here, already!"

"Damn girl, aight. Gimme a sec." Closing her phone, Meenah set it in her sylladex and looked over what she had. Eh, not much of anything useful there, but that was expected. In her strife specibus more specifically, she had her trusted royal heirloom, the double-trident.

While some other modifications were fun to play around with in their session, nothing beat the original version. Solid gold and all. She was likely going to be forced to socialize when she joins the others, but she was mostly itching to jab someone with her trident, and with a potential fight involving Kurloz, she now had an excuse.

-

With Kurloz being a bit loopy as he returned to his side, Horuss grew uncomfortable. He wasn't too unfamiliar with intoxicated trolls from Damara and Meulin's own smoking habits, but they were less of a concern or threat to him than Kurloz was. After Kurloz set his Faygo on the counter, he smiled sweetly at Horuss, giving him a pat when seeing he finished eating.

In response, Horuss nervously thanked him for the food, ending up receiving a shoulder massage once Kurloz got behind him. "Um.... Aren't you going to eat as well?" He asked, letting out a gasp when Kurloz playfully bit at him. From this continuing, he stammered out. "It's- It's um.... It's important to-" Feeling Kurloz start sucking on his neck, in the process of giving him hickeys, he cut himself off and shivered, starting to perspire.

Kurloz ignored the sweat, making sure to decorate his beloved with hickeys while giving light bites. However, it didn't feel like it was enough. Kurloz made Horuss turn around before shoving him against the countertop. The way he let out a pained noise from the impact excited Kurloz, and he brought his lips to his jugular, letting his teeth lightly press against the skin. It was so perfect that Horuss experienced arousal from fear. After sexual expectation following fear got conditioned into him, it was fairly easy to trigger now.

Despite freezing up, Horuss realized his bulge was unsheathing when Kurloz reached a hand down his briefs and began toying with the tip. From the sensations, he barely uttered out Kurloz's name, letting out a shaken breath from the sharp teeth lightly grazing against him. As Horuss fidgeted more from his touch, Kurloz gave a final kiss to his neck before pulling away, setting his full focus to the bulge. Once Kurloz got on his knees, bringing Horuss's briefs down with him, it became more obvious on what he was intending.

Realizing what Kurloz was doing as he was getting stroked, Horuss barely let out. "I don't have much to give." But Kurloz didn't care about that, continuing to enthusiastically stroke that indigo's length.

Whether Horuss knew it or not, he was going to provide all he possibly could. He knew fully well that he belonged to Kurloz, and that his devotion and obedience to him will grant him ecstasy. The only thing he had to worry about was staying in line to not be punished. Even when teased and tormented over his pain, it was done out of love. Outside of that, Kurloz was craving mutual destruction between the two of them more and more.

Those sweet moans from Horuss granted him faster strokes overall, with Kurloz occasionally changing up to focus on the tip to really make him squirm. Him letting out pleads soon before tensing up and putting more effort in exhaling made it clear he was almost there. Kurloz would have slid his fingers into Horuss's nook, to stimulate him more overall, if it weren't for his claws.

Upon seeing Horuss getting even more jittery, Kurloz opened his mouth, awaiting the facial he was about to receive. There wasn't much of a mess that got on his face regarding the genetic fluid, with not much being left from the two pailings earlier. Either way, Kurloz was satisfied over the amount that got in his mouth. After swallowing, he heard Horuss mutter something. Assuming it was an insult, Kurloz stood up, staring at Horuss in a way that urged him to say it again.

Though still catching his breath, Horuss repeated himself. "That's not an adequate meal."

This caused Kurloz to let out a chuckle. His pony bitch sure was funny from time to time. When taking a towel from his sylladex and wiping the mess off his face, Kurloz took note of Horuss seemingly not having much pain when regaining his breaths this time around. Depending on how fast those wounds healed, he will have several massages to look forward to soon. From Kurloz eyeing him, Horuss felt awkward over being so exposed and willed into his usual outfit.

"Are you not going to eat?" Horuss asked, getting a dismissive wave in response. Further preventing him from bringing up any concern, Kurloz handed his Faygo to him before heading over to the hunger trunk to browse the selection.

Confused on being handed the Faygo, Horuss looked at it, wondering if Kurloz was suggesting for him to try it. Such a strange carbonated beverage would probably be the last thing he would ever consider drinking. However, something was off about this gesture. The familiar bright red color bothered him, but he couldn't place how. Candy red was such a nauseating color, but only in terms of blood, regarding its mutation diverting from the hemospectrum.

Occasionally glancing over at Horuss, Kurloz was interested over his reaction. Horuss didn't seem to pay any mind to the Faygo in the first place, suggesting he didn't yet recall. Not wanting to be too occupied with eating regarding that, Kurloz just grabbed something to snack on. His gaze went back to Horuss as he closed the door and chewed on some slices of meat. Once Horuss set the Faygo down, Kurloz was intrigued.

Seeing portions of recent memories, Horuss turned away and held his head low, trying to keep it together. That's right, Kurloz made him drink some Faygo, but something else was involved. It was in its own glass, and not long after that, he couldn't remember anything else. Was he actually drugged? Given something that weakened him enough to chain him and abuse his body, as well as ensuring he wouldn't remember what happened... With all that Kurloz has done to him, it's not far-fetched enough to try and deny it.

From this, Horuss wasn't sure what to do. He felt infuriated more than anything, but with Kurloz's strange behavior, he didn't want to risk another outburst. Especially since that purple blood's episodes were becoming more of a wildcard when it came to harm. After mulling it over, Horuss decided to not address it at all. Kurloz didn't enjoy that.

As Horuss kept his head low, Kurloz finished the snack, returning to his side. His body language matched the tense and submissive nature he had when being returned before the punishment. Grabbing the Faygo, Kurloz then hopped onto the counter, eyeing Horuss. The pathetic blue blood didn't seem to want to acknowledge his existence. Horuss being distant just meant he was trying to hide his fear or his fury. To antagonize him further, Kurloz took out the same cup from his sylladex and poured some Faygo in it. Smiling ear to ear, he slid it over to him.

From the sounds, Horuss didn't need to open his eyes to know that Kurloz had just poured and offered him a glass of Faygo. Even if there was a sliver of denial he could work with, Kurloz made sure to confirm what he just remembered. With his focus set on keeping his breathing under control, Horuss was shocked by Kurloz suddenly aggressively sliding the glassware off the counter, causing them to shatter when colliding with the floor. That clown seemed to find the Faygo splatter hilarious, deciding to pour the rest of that awful liquid from the bottle out on the floor along with it.

In response, Horuss put his head in his hands, sighing out. Once he looked over at Kurloz, he was met with that eerie stare, as if he was suggesting something to him. Horuss wasn't too unfamiliar with how to clean up these sorts of messes, from his centaur butler making sure to keep the hive tidy, but he didn't like this behavior. Kurloz was too unforgiving. He was more likely to use the glass shards as an opportunity to cause further injury rather than just harmlessly observe.

While Kurloz expected Horuss to clean up the mess from either being bothered by it or by considering it servitude to a highblood, he instead watched as Horuss side-stepped it to enter the respiteblock. The way he sat down to sulk in a corner afterwards made Kurloz roll his eyes. Seems like Horuss was too moody to play maid for him. Regarding mood, It would be a surprise if Horuss didn't end up crying again, like he did when recovering from his last punishment.

Ignoring the mess himself, Kurloz maneuvered to the other side of the counter. Letting himself slide off the edge, he then made his way over to Horuss. As usual, Horuss didn't appreciate him hovering him or not allowing him any personal space. With Kurloz wrapping his arms around him, he let out a frustrated huff. After a while of continued silence, he then spoke up.

"Were you even going to do anything to me if I didn't leave?" Horuss asked, sounding like he was choking back tears. Turning to see Kurloz just staring at him longingly, Horuss quickly figured he didn't know what answer would be more upsetting. It was either going to happen anyway and he simply postponed it, or he made the situation worse for himself.

Trying to soothe his sweetheart, Kurloz let out a sympathetic hum and gave him a tender squeeze. Most of his plan was simply thought through over a period of time. The best way to describe it was that it was festering. Being assisted by his other self was decided in the moment. That motherfucker was pissed at him while also interested by the same infliction of pain and suffering. It was something to at least offer entertainment after the inconvenience of him bringing Horuss to him.

"My original plan involved injuring you enough so I could flee as far as the bubbles could permit. Completely isolated." Horuss admitted, letting out a defeated sigh as he said the next part. "I couldn't bring myself to do either." Before Kurloz could respond to this, he hissed out. "You ruined me."

With that last part, Kurloz let out a little laugh and gave Horuss a smooch on the cheek. He's only "ruined" on his own accord. While Kurloz was mildly frustrated from Horuss not playing along as he should, stepping out of line, he still wanted him. Such instances sparked excitement nonetheless. Obviously, this recovery process was less ideal in terms of soothing, but Kurloz couldn't help himself. He hungered for Horuss, and was starved of affection for so long. No matter what, Kurloz was going to make up for their lost time together.

Chapter Text

Several nights had passed, and Kurloz was in the middle of checking Horuss's messages through the interface of his goggles. He noticed a few people trying to get a hold of Horuss when clearing out some items in his inventory before restocking the usual necessities. Of course, the main one messaging was Aranea. She was really pissing him off. Regardless, he had to keep to himself as he read through. The temptation to respond to her, as he did with Rufioh, had to be stifled. It would only work against him at this point, especially after the torture session.

Aranea was very inquisitive this time around, and it was clear that she was going to interrogate Horuss once he's freed. Even with Horuss's several missteps here and there, he ultimately knew better. The shame of that indigo blood had led him to keep many things secret as well. Nobody even knew about his strange identity issues until Meulin inadvertently caused him to almost never shut up about it. It's remarkable how much has changed since then. With nothing else of note, Kurloz placed the goggles back in his sylladex before setting his focus to Horuss.

His sweetheart was still asleep in the recuperacoon he was allowed to occupy by himself. Though Kurloz anticipated it, Horuss hadn't cried himself to sleep at all this time around, but that was probably a good thing. Less stress meant more pailing, after all. Even with that, it was clear Horuss still had nightmares troubling him in his sleep. Peering into the pod, Kurloz could see Horuss was more relaxed and calm compared to the last time he checked up on him.

Smiling, Kurloz reached in and twirled a strand of Horuss's hair. Even with his strange instances of rage and longing, he still cherished these little moments. However, the moment was easily ruined from imagery of him stabbing Horuss in the face multiple times invading his mind. Withdrawing several paces and turning away, Kurloz opened his strife specibus. Taking out the weapons stored under knife kind, he chucked them into the other block, with it interrupting the silence of the place. Infuriated over such thoughts ruining everything, he then started slamming his fists against his head.

The sudden noise managed to alert Horuss, disrupting his sleep. Still in the process of actually waking up, he sluggishly peeked out to try and see what happened. Kurloz appeared to be having some sort of mental breakdown from what he could tell, but suddenly stopped. As if unsure that he heard something, Kurloz tilted his head before looking over his shoulder to see him awake. The way he smiled and approached made Horuss hesitant on exiting the safety of the recuperacoon. After all, he was healed to the point he should be set free, and it wasn't likely that Kurloz was ready for that.

Noticing the hesitation, Kurloz playfully ruffled Horuss's hair. From him still not budging, he gave a light pat to his head before granting him some space again, yet the wary expression didn't let up. While Kurloz didn't actually feel irritated over Horuss being difficult over getting up, he glared at him. Usually, Horuss's fear over an outburst directed at him was greater than whatever was making him remain stubborn. Still nothing. Maybe offering him a good rub down will help to ease whatever was troubling his currently drowsy mind. There were a few different lotions in the ablution block, which Kurloz then headed to.

Browsing the selection on the counter, Kurloz couldn't help but think about how It was a bit of a shame Horuss never wanted to talk about his preferences during their shared time together. Even something as minimal as this. He'd gladly ensure to use what Horuss liked the most if he did so much as express it. Usually, whenever he does say something during these instances, it was a response from Kurloz intentionally trying to get on his nerves.

Returning with some lotion, Kurloz was pleased to see Horuss had decided to get out of the recuperacoon. From the lotion being presented to him, Horuss then let out a sigh, knowing to follow along. When he was down to his briefs and now sitting on the floor, Kurloz got on his knees beside him. Putting some lotion on his hands, he started humming as he began applying it to Horuss's thigh.

As he rubbed the lotion on the thigh with the burn mark, he could tell Horuss was upset over how big of a mark was there compared to the others. Kurloz himself fondly going over that scar didn't really help the upset either. What he didn't know was that Horuss was sad over the idea of no one ever wanting him after being scarred to this extent. Horuss's frown was very prominent as he watched Kurloz work on that section, but soon, he finished and set his focus to the torso.

With Kurloz inching closer, Horuss closed his eyes. This didn't disrupt anything, as Kurloz just continued caressing the fresh scar tissue as usual. He was always a bit too enthused about the injuries there, using this as an opportunity to massage the muscles more intimately.

Gradually working his way up, Kurloz knew exactly what he was heading towards. Purely as an excuse to touch him there while massaging the areas near it, Kurloz massaged up to Horuss's pecs. He eagerly smiled up at Horuss when seeing that he was getting irritated, just like the last few times. Giving Horuss's pecs a quick squeeze, Kurloz let out two high-pitched hums together that mimicked the sound of a horn. Damn clown.

"Are you done?" Horuss asked, unamused as he opened his eyes to stare at Kurloz. In return, Kurloz made Horuss's pecs jiggle, letting out a snicker as he did. With an annoyed huff, Horuss looked away, yet soon brought his attention to the burn mark on his thigh again.

Kurloz watched as Horuss traced his fingers over the scar. While he didn't say anything, he was clearly dwelling on whatever was making him so upset about it in the first place. Trying to find a quick solution, Kurloz went over and rummaged through the drawers a bit for something. Returning to his side, he showed off some thigh high stockings. Obviously, they wouldn't be Horuss's size, but it seemed worth it to try anyway. Horuss didn't seem to oppose it either as they got slid up his muscular legs.

Once he was done, Kurloz took in the view. The stockings suited Horuss well enough that he took a mental note to request for Meulin to make a custom pair for him. They were an opaque black, but some of Horuss's skin color showed through in places where it got stretched the most. Another downside to these ones was that they still fell short of fully covering the scar. Despite that, Horuss stared at the hosiery, looking a bit flustered over it. With a smirk, Kurloz decided to take the bit gag out of his sylladex, dangling it in front of Horuss.

Having one of his sexual items displayed to him, especially so suddenly, Horuss was ashamed. If he were to deny it was his, it would instantly give him away. Before he knew it, Kurloz was bringing it up to his face. When he turned away to reject it, Kurloz paused before going back to his drawers. This time, he returned with a blindfold.

"I command you." Kurloz signed, with Horuss nodding, though his expression didn't change. With this, Kurloz placed the blindfold on Horuss before putting the bit gag up to his face again. Blushing, Horuss timidly opened his mouth, accepting the gag for Kurloz to then fasten the straps of.

Such things were reserved in instances of trust, as it involved having one reliant on the other, making Horuss more anxious. Once Kurloz got behind him, Horuss felt him caressing his thighs. His touch then traveled up to his rear, before pulling the briefs down. Obediently, Horuss slightly raised one knee off the floor before the other, to let him slide the briefs off completely. Afterwards, Kurloz gave a fair warning, introducing him to the instrument he was going to be spanked with, getting gentle pats against his skin with the familiar belt. Before Horuss's uncertainty could instill even more distrust, Kurloz smacked the belt against his ass.

The noise Horuss let out as he tensed up must have been appealing to Kurloz, as it earned him more hits instantly. Soon enough, Horuss was granted a pause, shuddering momentarily from the stinging sensations. Still, he anticipated more, giving a sway of his hips to show he was ready. After several more hits, there was another pause, longer than last time. When he let out a whine, Kurloz delivered harsher smacks. These ones were given at a slower rate, to let the sting linger a bit before another hit was delivered.

After another pause, Horuss's sweat trailed down as his despair sank in. Despite deriving pleasure from the impact play, Horuss counted the strikes. 20. Just like for his punishment, before the whip came into play. Kurloz intended this as well, using it as an opportunity to antagonize Horuss.

Noticing the sweat and the trembling, Kurloz equipped a towel. Cruelly, he eyed the scars on him as he prepared the towel, ending up whipping Horuss across the back with it. The sensation must have been familiar enough at first with how Horuss jolted and let out a shriek. After the initial response, Horuss started breathing heavily, on the verge of tears. Being more sympathetic compared to the torture session, Kurloz considered the gag making it more difficult to intake air.

Though Horuss realized he wasn't actually harmed, that didn't stop him from being stuck reliving that memory. From the sudden grip on the harness, he worried his face was going to get slammed against the floor. Instead, the straps were being undone for him, with the gag getting taken out. Once Kurloz got in front of him and removed the blindfold, Horuss knew he was staring intensely at him. Holding to his stubbornness, he kept his eyes tightly shut, even when Kurloz grabbed his chin and forced him to look up.

Seeing the frustration in Horuss's face as he was trying to calm down, Kurloz chuckled to himself. It was getting more and more tempting to mistreat him; to rough him up and beat him. That can be reserved for another time. Or maybe, he can spark that indigo blood's rage. Determining Horuss's breathing was more steady, Kurloz let go of his face.

Horuss held his head low when Kurloz's touch left him, yet was suddenly forced up onto his knees when Kurloz wrapped the belt around his neck and yanked up harshly. His shock was interrupted from Kurloz jabbing him in the gut with his claws, now aggravating him. When Horuss stood up, Kurloz got up from his kneeling position as well, trying to anticipate his next move. However, he was disadvantaged. Intending to smack Kurloz against the wall, Horuss didn't account for the furniture, with Kurloz jolting and letting out a pained wheeze from colliding with his dressers.

The grip eased up, and Horuss undid the belt, placing it in his inventory as he distanced himself from Kurloz. Seeing Kurloz rubbing his back while using the furniture to stabilize himself, Horuss took the opportunity. Equipping his modified gloves, he grabbed Kurloz by the collar and pulled up to make him stand to be face to face with him.

Seeing that glare of Horuss's made Kurloz smile, and he anticipated getting roughed up more directly. While he didn't like the surprises from the last two times Horuss punched him, he specifically wanted it now. Rather than getting harmed, Kurloz was just left with seeing Horuss's stern expression as he got scolded.

"I can't believe you. Everything you've done to gratify your utter depravity. Even earlier, it was still clearly counterintuitive, yet I tried to love you. Red or black, or at all. But no matter what I do, the only thing I am left with in return is suffering."

Kurloz let out a frustrated groan over both his bulge being unsheathed beneath his tight suit and the fact the indigo bulge in front of him, that he so desperately wanted, wasn't in him. Even more irritating was Horuss yammering on, as if too focused on his emotional problems to care about getting off right now. At least his bulge was still well-pronounced, but it just made Kurloz more hungry for it.

"I still know what you want." After Horuss said this, Kurloz's eyes lit up. "I want something as well, or at least to request it. I want out of this horrible place." In response, Kurloz mouthed something, and Horuss allowed some distance between them for Kurloz to sign. "Sorry, what did you say?"

"fuck me. destroy me." Kurloz signed, willing out of his suit. With Horuss typically not wanting to resort to aggression, Kurloz didn't anticipate getting thrown to the floor by him. Expectantly, Kurloz stared at Horuss, only to see him appear shocked over his own aggression and have difficulty making eye contact with him afterwards. What a pansy. It wasn't like it hurt much at all.

Trying to keep to the aggression Kurloz wanted, Horuss couldn't help but worry about how badly this could go, unsettled over how familiar that felt. However, this was something he must do. He tried to focus on his hatred for Kurloz, or maybe something more perverse that could help assist him. Perhaps all Kurloz was good for was to empty into. No, no- that's too naughty! Hoping he wasn't blushing or sweating much, Horuss finally returned his gaze to Kurloz.

When Kurloz spread his legs to accept him, Horuss's usual concern overcame him. "Have you prepared yourself?" He was given a look that seemed to insult him, as if it was obvious. Kurloz was looking forward to pailing with him multiple times nightly, and getting exactly that, after all. Horuss's hesitation was met with an eyeroll before a final definite answer, with Kurloz signing "yes".

Horuss remained nervous over taking the lead, especially with his strength. Some of his sweat dripping onto Kurloz made him pull back and reconsider the position. Kurloz sat up and offered the towel from earlier. In the middle of patting himself dry, Horuss was shoved to the floor before getting pounced on by Kurloz. Feeling the coolness of Kurloz's nook wrap around his bulge shortly afterwards made Horuss let out a gasp.

Kurloz looked at him with contempt as he worked down the inches. It was mostly just to mess with him, as he already figured that Horuss wouldn't be able to take charge in that way. He allowed for Horuss to self-soothe, watching him continue to dry himself off while keeping his own motion nice and slow. Eventually, Kurloz grabbed at Horuss's wrists and pinned them above his head, rolling his hips as he kept eye contact and hummed out moans. He knew to not instantly overwhelm him, but was still wanting to be pounded into. At least Horuss managed to be somewhat more strong-willed this time around even with his stress.

It was hard to not smile wide at Horuss, as Kurloz had a new plan for him, regarding keeping him near. He'll make sure to let Horuss know of the plan soon enough. It was a warning, after all. Though Horuss managed to ruin the original plan to keep him trapped in the crypt, the new plan will combat the probability of him running away again. He pictured it many times, and was curious what Horuss would do once he knows. Such a drastic change for a proud bodybuilder, it was intoxicating knowing how much suffering it would bring. A few additional things might need to be adjusted as well.

The unnerving smile directed at Horuss was really getting to him, especially with him seemingly going blank despite his motion. When Kurloz came back out of his thoughts, he then slapped Horuss across the face. With Horuss surprised by such a sudden retaliation, Kurloz signed to him, reminding him on what he was supposed to do.

"your turn. pound me." Kurloz said, standing on his knees to encourage Horuss to begin. He intended on Horuss being rougher in this pailing session compared to previous ones. What he was going to do to accomplish this was going to have to depend on Horuss. Seeing Horuss reach for his hips, Kurloz signed "gloves off", with Horuss complying, unequipping them.

Placing his hands on Kurloz's hips, Horuss did a slow start with his thrusts. Though seeming impatient, Kurloz allowed for him to go at his own pace. It didn't take long before he started thrusting up in the favorable way Kurloz wanted either way. Still, Horuss was worried over feeling his pailing partner tense up against him while groaning, even if he wanted it. At least so far there hadn't been any issues, but it was still concerning. His focus on that was broken from a pat being delivered to his hand.

"harder" Kurloz commanded, frowning and widening his eyes when Horuss hesitated, his thrusts slowing. For that, Kurloz delivered another slap to Horuss's face, right over the previous handprint. Horuss then halted, with his expression making it seem like he was considering backing out of pailing entirely. He must have instead been judging his strength, as he delivered what Kurloz wanted, thrusting harder into him.

From the harsher thrusts, Horuss began to huff out his moans while Kurloz got more jittery, hissing through his teeth from the stinging pain. Adjusting to it, he stared lovingly at Horuss, still wincing a bit as he started to stroke himself. Already feeling close from his insides getting roughed up, he tilted his head back. Horuss must have been closer than he realized as well, with him emptying into him after several more thrusts. Even with that, Kurloz didn't need much help to finish, hardly raising and lowering himself on the bulge before reaching his own orgasm.

Right after, Kurloz's upper body started jolting as his hand started clenching, seemingly trying to grab at Horuss until he ended up on the ground. Before Horuss could clean the mess off himself, he sat up, wondering what happened. Seeing Kurloz convulsing on the floor, he moved to get by his side, yet was too unsure on what was happening to do anything. The jolting looked like it would be uncomfortable, but Kurloz let out what sounded like a faint laugh after a while of it continuing. Eventually, his hand brushed over Horuss's thigh, his knuckles dragging along a bit shakenly before managing to turn his hand over to firmly set his grasp on him.

Gradually coming out of it, his own mind feeling hazy, Kurloz slowly sat up. Able to look at Horuss again, he let out a soft "hm?". With Horuss not saying anything while looking deeply concerned, Kurloz instead set his focus to the genetic fluid he got on his partner. It seemed he reminded Horuss of the mess, watching as he reached over for the towel before using it to wipe it off himself.

Horuss thought things over. That looked like a seizure, but Kurloz appeared completely unbothered by it. Maybe he just didn't know what happened. "Are you aware of what that was?"

Kurloz looked confused over the concern before signing "it's nothing much." to let him know it's not of importance to worry about.

Despite what he was told, Horuss asked. "I wasn't too excessive, was I? I'm more accustomed to being as gentle as possible. Um, your hips, and...." He murmured the last part, staring at the handprint bruises with a heavy guilt. The additional bruising between Kurloz's thighs must have been from his hips brushing against them when thrusting. While Kurloz had been bruised from some of their pailings before, he managed to hide them before Horuss saw. These ones were darker than the previous ones too, which was no doubt a horrible sight for Horuss to see.

From this, Kurloz smiled and looked away, giving Horuss a playful shove. Unfortunately, the motion only reminded Kurloz of the genetic fluid in him. Some of it had spilled out during his convulsing, making more of a mess on him and the floor. He let out a disgusted hiss before looking back at Horuss. If he was already upset from the bruising alone, then him seeing Kurloz more distinctly in pain was going to break his heart. Not wanting Horuss to see, Kurloz gave a twirl of his finger to tell him to turn around, and he listened.

With Horuss facing away, Kurloz took the bucket from his sylladex, setting it down in front of himself. The mess between his thighs was uncomfortable, but it was even more uncomfortable positioning over the pail as his legs trembled beneath him. It was difficult trying to not let out a few noises from the sensation of the fluid in him trailing down his injured walls. He was definitely going to have to give his nook a break from pailing for a bit. The faint trails of purple blood in the mix of indigo made that more apparent.

Done with the bucket, Kurloz equipped a fresh clean towel to wipe the mess off himself as best he could. He was definitely going to need to take a shower, but he was going to wait until his body settled a bit more from the pain. As for the mess on the floor, he got lazy, ending up leaving the dirtied towel there before grabbing the bucket and storing it in his sylladex.

To return to Horuss's side, he simply scooted over to him. As he wrapped an arm around him and leaned against him, he gave a comforting rub with his other hand to Horuss's chest. From Horuss's expression, he knew to not give him a playful squeeze, no matter how tempting it was. However, with what Horuss said earlier, Kurloz lightly traced a heart on his chest before tracing a question mark right beside it. He glanced up at Horuss, waiting a few moments before tracing a spade, following it with a question mark as well.

Horuss finally looked at Kurloz, seeing his expectant stare in return. For a while, he considered everything, before finally turning towards Kurloz. He will forever feel conflicted about him, even if the exact emotions involved changed. In a way, he cared about this terrifying purple blood that longed for him, even alongside his fear. Despite everything Kurloz had done to him, he was incredibly self-destructive, with something obviously wrong in his mind. Something that's been wrong enough for him to have scarred his own body up that much. Apart from that worry, there was also the guilt that came with supplying the pain Kurloz urged for him to give.

It was clear in this moment that Kurloz wanted some affection, and Horuss figured he might as well give that to him. Though a bit tense, he leaned in and gave him a kiss. Unlike last time, Kurloz accepted it, wrapping his arms around him as it progressed. Soon enough, Horuss pulled away for some air, with Kurloz delivering a few quick kisses alongside his cheek as he did. It was a bit of a relief that he managed to get on his good side again. But still, he didn't trust that Kurloz wouldn't do something to him.

As if knowing of the mistrust, Kurloz started to rub up and down Horuss's thigh, eventually stopping at a point just above the knee. Ready to tell Horuss his next possible punishment, Kurloz smiled enthusiastically, adjusting his position to make his signing easy to read as Horuss looked at him. "next time you run away, I will sever this leg." Kurloz threatened, pleased to see Horuss's shock. "if you want, you can create a replacement."

At a loss of words, Horuss sat there with his mouth agape. With Kurloz continuing to caress the spot, he appeared to be overly fond about the punishment, as if he wanted to do it regardless. The idea of his body being ruined more severely, he couldn't handle it, already on the verge of tears. Hoping it was just something said to upset him, Horuss turned away and made an attempt to calm himself, yet the idea wouldn't leave. Before he knew it, he started crying. Everything he once made himself out to be was now constantly being broken down, all at the hands of a troll that loved him in such a sick and twisted way.

Chapter Text

After allowing Horuss to cry it out, Kurloz took the time to prepare for sending him off. It was only right. Horuss did fulfill Kurloz's desire for rough sex after requesting to be let go, and Kurloz needed a break as a result anyway. Another main reason was that the rest of the team was making a huge fuss over Kurloz keeping him trapped. It was clear they were getting more aggravated over the prolonged wait to have him returned. Best not to draw things out in that case.

They both were back in their usual attire after taking a well-needed shower. The stress from earlier, alongside his other worries, must have led Horuss to forget about his request. Unless he flat-out assumed Kurloz just didn't care about it. Stopping Horuss from moping around as usual, Kurloz instead guided him to where the original structure's opening was.

In an instant, the area around them returned to the former chamber. To make it clear to Horuss that he was being granted his freedom, Kurloz took out the headgear and handed it over to him. Horuss struggled to thank Kurloz over this gesture, but was ignored, with Kurloz starting to head down one of the halls of the labyrinth.

Horuss easily caught up after his initial hesitation, ending up having to slow his walk from Kurloz's gait being slower than usual. While Horuss remained unknowing, Kurloz was still experiencing soreness from their pailing. He was likely wondering if Kurloz was having a difficult time letting him go, trying to make their time together last just a while longer. A much more wholesome thought compared to the reality of his nook's walls being bruised and torn. Even then, Kurloz still didn't want to let his sweetheart go.

Because of how he could alter his secret domain with minimal effort, it would be easy to create a new path, diverging from the usual drop-off point. From all the commotion, it's likely the others set up groups to try and catch him. It was also likely that Aranea finally convinced Meenah to exit her ongoing rut of being useless during all this. That damn sea dweller. She was relentless when she had a target in mind, ending up trying to kill people close to him during their session, like Meulin. He must not have realized he was letting out a low growl until Horuss's nervousness became more obvious.

"I still intend to be good for you. I won't gallop off again." Horuss tried to reassure, as if believing Kurloz was either going to lash out or change his mind on freeing him.

Seeing that overly anxious blue blood fidgeting while trying to put his mind to rest over an assumed worry, Kurloz made a decision, grabbing a hold of his hand. Opening up a new path, he proceeded to guide Horuss down it. With everything recently, it was likely that just an interrogation alone would overwhelm Horuss. Trying to evade giving much information, in fear of Kurloz's retaliation, all while Aranea will try and pry at him for answers. Such a thing would definitely be difficult to handle. It was almost funny how emotionally weak an otherwise strong man was. Thinking this, he smiled and rubbed his thumb over the back of Horuss's hand.

Walking down the hall for an eerily long period of time, Horuss couldn't figure out if he should say something or not. The only thing he's heard for a while was just the sound of his own boots on the crypt's floor. Being taken down this new hallway as well was strange. Though opening a hidden path wasn't unusual with the memory plain of the bubbles, this path simply didn't follow the rest of the maze-like structure. It just continued in one straight-forward line.

Reaching the endpoint of the new hallway, Kurloz finally turned towards Horuss. With those goggles already on, it was pointless trying to sign to him in the dark. As his goodbye, Kurloz embraced him, clinging to him tightly, and digging his claws in enough for him to flinch and let out a faint noise from the discomfort. Upon letting go, he opened up the entrance, promptly giving Horuss a shove to force him to leave. Having to set him free in the first place was hard enough, so a prolonged goodbye would be too much for Kurloz to handle.

Once outside, Horuss turned around, seeing nothing behind him. Finally out of the crypt and away from Kurloz, relief washed over him and he heaved out a sigh, falling to his knees. That horrible place kept him unsettled and troubled even when in an otherwise "calm" state. Being in there for an extended period of time was really starting to get to him. While he was glad to be in a memory that wasn't Kurloz's, it appeared to be the outskirts of a bubble with how vast and empty this field looked.

Wait... Kurloz just left him stranded somewhere, didn't he? Looking up at the sky, he could tell the pattern in the cracks was familiar. That's good at least. Still, he wasn't going to risk leaving the spot Kurloz just left him at. Not unattended, at least. With this in mind, he tried to figure out who he should contact. Some fellow highbloods might be able to help keep him safe. Meenah was adamant about not wanting to be bothered, and he wouldn't want to upset their heiress. Cronus... Horuss wasn't ready to see him yet, even if he really wanted to. Plus, it wouldn't look good to Kurloz. Aranea might actually be helpful to him, and she was good company too, even if she did get weirded out by his lecture requests, but that's irrelevant.

Opening their chatlogs, he got surprised by a wall of text from Aranea being concerned about what was going on while trying to piece together the incidents. She mentioned Kurloz suggested he would know about what caused him to attack Cronus. It was obvious that Kurloz set that up to test him. He knew better than to let anything about their secret encounters be known. Aware Aranea was just going to question him in-person anyway, Horuss only messaged about his current vague location, away from everyone else, that Kurloz dropped him off at.

-

Over an hour had passed before they met up, with Meenah walking alongside Aranea. Finally spotting other trolls, Horuss rushed over to them, more than thrilled to see Meenah out of her palace again. While Aranea appeared calm, not sensing anyone else nearby, Meenah was scoping out the area, eager to put her trident to use.

"Hello again, Horuss." Aranea greeted, not wanting to ambush him with questions right off the bat, from sensing his whirl of emotions. "If you follow me, I can lead you back to the others. Does that sound good?"

Before Horuss could answer, Meenah got frustrated over not seeing her target. "Where the fuck is that psycho clown at, huh?"

"Meenah! We came all the way out here to help a friend. Would it be so hard to keep your focus on that?"

Before the two could start with their typical back and forth bickering, Horuss spoke up, yet not without being skittish from his excitement. "I'm just glad to be in the presence of others, especially her hayness. Oh, shoot! Um, I mean her highness."

Aranea paused before agreeing. "Yes, I am also glad she's out and about as well, but there's much we need to discuss. We can chat while we head back. Follow me!" With this, she began to walk off.

Watching Aranea start heading back, Meenah leaned over to Horuss. "Yo, if you sea Makara, just shout out, and I'll get him with my fork." After Horuss unsurely nodded, she smiled and enthusiastically hurried back over to Aranea.

Thinking on it more as he trailed behind the two, Horuss couldn't help but feel upset. While he wouldn't question the authority of the most noble of their race, he also didn't want her to harm Kurloz. Witnessing some of Kurloz's most vulnerable moments, from whatever he's struggling with, made it more clear he's just as much of a danger to himself as he is to anyone else. There was no way to escape yourself. Horuss had tried it many times. Even his void aspect didn't allow for it.

From the odd changes in his mood, Aranea spoke in a hushed tone to Meenah. "Do you think it's possible Horuss is going to double-cross us?"

"Girl, I dunno. Just use your psychic abilities more invasive and junk to figure that out." Meenah whispered back, adding onto it before Aranea could oppose it. "Remember what Vriska said? High stakes and whatnot. If we gotta know somefin's gonna harm our group, we gotta know, right?"

With this in mind, Aranea mulled it over a bit. "I suppose.... Maybe I will resort to that after some questioning." Seeing Meenah shrug in response, Aranea then looked over to Horuss. "If you don't mind, I would like to get a few answers out of you."

"Oh, um.... Yes, that's fine." Horuss responded, nervously rubbing at the palm of his hand with the other.

"Excellent! Can you walk beside us, please?" Once Horuss caught up, now walking alongside them, she mentioned the main piece of information Kurloz gave her. "I was told you were aware of Kurloz attacking Cronus, enough to explain what caused it. Is that right?"

Once Horuss looked away and denied knowing anything as he changed up the motion with his hands, Aranea cast a look over to Meenah. That stare alone suggested that she was aware Horuss was lying. His body language and emotional impression of dread over supplying an answer gave it away.

Trying to get some sort of detail from him, Aranea mentioned something else. "A lot of people have reported very little centering you for a while lately."

Knowing he had something to work with there, Horuss sadly stated. "I didn't want to see anyone after Rufioh broke up with me." His upset over remembering how Kurloz took advantage of him in that state, however, made Aranea more suspicious.

Sensing upset feelings centering Rufioh change to upset over Kurloz instead, alongside his response, Aranea narrowed her eyes. Regarding the timeframe, she considered the information Kurloz gave her once again. "Did you see Cronus at all? Outside of Kurloz's aggrieve with him, I mean."

Horuss stalled on answering. His guilt and shame over the situation alongside his fear of Kurloz obscured everything else. "Yes, I saw him a while before the aggrieve."

The wave of emotions presented this time was interesting to Aranea, who thought it over for a moment before giving a reply. "Cronus had not said anything about seeing you at all."

"I'm aware."

Butting in, Meenah mentioned an important piece of information. "Ain't Rufioh say somefin 'bout Kurloz bein at Horuss's hive?"

Annoyed over Meenah interrupting her flow, Aranea exclaimed. "Yes! I was getting to that!" After Meenah just rolled her eyes in response, Aranea continued. "For a while, many people withheld information. You can imagine how frustrating that would be for someone like me." Horuss nodded. "Anyway, like Meenah said: Rufioh mentioned that Meulin knew Kurloz was at your hive soon after the aggrieve. She suggested that everything was fine, yet when she and Rufioh checked in on you nights later, you ran off. They originally refrained from saying anything about Kurloz when telling people you ran away. The two also never mentioned why they checked in on you."

Listening carefully to Aranea's words, Horuss answered. "Kurloz took over my chatlogs. He sent messages to Rufioh solely to spark concern. Rufioh asked me about it when he and Meulin checked in on me."

"Oh, that is very interesting."

Before Aranea could pry further, Horuss added. "Kurloz would take away my goggles so I couldn't respond to people. He also messed with my computer and login."

Exactly like Horuss had feared, Aranea then asked the question. "What happened during your time alone together?"

"I can't say." He quickly responded.

With this, Meenah gave Aranea a nudge before raising her eyebrows, as if to suggest for her to use her abilities to seek the truth. Horuss was being stubborn, sure, but so were the other people Aranea questioned. Then again, everyone seemed to become reserved when it came to information about either Kurloz or Horuss. Compared to Kurloz's capricious behavior, Horuss was definitely the safer option for answers.

Feeling something invading his mind, trying to pry information out of him, Horuss stopped walking, growing infuriated. "What are you doing? Are you trying to read my mind?"

Aranea turned to him and tried to excuse it. "I was just-"

"Stop it!" He shouted out, surprising both Aranea and Meenah with his sudden temper.

"Yeesh." Meenah muttered.

Frowning, Horuss fidgeted a bit before trying to get on Meenah's good side again. "Please pardon my outburst, your excellency. I'm... Well, I'm a bit ashamed of displaying such behavior in front of royalty such as yourself. I didn't mean to disconcert you."

"Um, okay? Yeah sure, just be chill or whateva."

"Very well. I'll do that." Horuss concluded, continuing to walk alongside them after they started heading off again. Soon, his aggravation about his mind being invaded or manipulated got to him again. Attempting to speak to the two again after the uncomfortable atmosphere, Horuss crossed his arms and stated. "Kurloz seems to have a similar ability."

"What? You mean like his chucklevoodoos?" Meenah questioned. "Damn those freak-ass chucklevoodoo doll nightmares."

"Nightmares?" Horuss repeated, thinking about the reoccurring themes in his most frightening dreams as of lately.

"Most literature about purple bloods is vague while some just center that horrible clown cult. Apart from that, a few have openly discussed their abilities. Kurloz specifically has been really reserved on it compared to his dancestor Gamzee." Aranea added.

Hearing this, Horuss was more unsure on what he could speak on, refraining from adding to the conversation that carried without him for a short while. Soon enough, exactly as he dreaded, Aranea's attention returned to him.

"Zahhak, you mentioned it seeming similar to my ability?" She asked, wondering what the similar trait was.

"Um.... Well, you see, it's- it's um...." Out of habit, he checked around to make sure Kurloz wasn't nearby. Knowing they were expecting an answer, he grew uneasy. Uncrossing his arms, he massaged each digit on one hand before switching to the other, keeping his gaze low. "There's a way he's able to.... Well, um, he's able to incapacitate others with fear." He mumbled out.

"Sorry, can you repeat that?"

Worried on what would happen if they actually knew, Horuss quickly dismissed it, finally looking back up and forcing a smile. "You're going to have to forgive me. I can't think quite clearly right now in this state of mind." Though Aranea nodded, she side-eyed him before finally looking away, suggesting he must have done a poor job at excusing his lack of an answer. From that, his fake smiled dropped.

"I hope you are aware that people have been making rumors from the lack of answers." Aranea spoke up again, nudging Meenah for her to add to this.

"Oh yeah- rumors involvin quadrant drama and all that." Meenah said before blowing a raspberry and giving a thumbs down. "They're lame as shell."

Intentionally trying to make Horuss give more answers, Aranea indulged in the gossip. "I heard that maybe something was going on between Rufioh and Cronus. Perhaps a certain somebody found out and became vengeful enough to seek out the purple blood to help get back, all without directly breaking his own vow. Rufioh did seem a bit unsettled over being asked about Kurloz compared to the others. Minus Cronus himself, of course."

Despising the accusation, Horuss retorted. "I wouldn't!"

"But what would you have done?"

"Nothing! I don't want anyone hurt. I was horrified when Kurloz-" Catching himself a bit too late, Horuss slapped his hands over his mouth.

Aranea stopped in her tracks and turned around, putting her hands on her hips. "Go on. Out with it."

From Horuss not budging, Meenah sighed and looked over her shoulder at him. "As royalty: out with it, Zahhak."

Oh no. A conflicting wave of emotions hit him over the topic alongside Meenah using her status as a way to get him to talk. Holding his head low, Horuss moved his hands away from his mouth. "Kurloz sent me a picture of Cronus beaten on the ground."

"Why would Kurloz send you of all people something like that?" Aranea asked.

"I can't s-"

"Ugh! Horuss, you're reely pissin me off here." Meenah groaned.

Trying to supply as little as possible, Horuss responded. "He wanted to upset me."

"Why?" Aranea shouted, clearly not appreciating the meaningless reply. "That is such an insufficient answer that gives us absolutely nothing!"

"Kurloz was, um...." Horuss thought it over, trying to recall what way Kurloz was playing around with him at that time, but then figured the vagueness could still work. Maybe a bit of an analogy to fit in-place of actuality. "He was playing a sort of game with me, and I foolishly went along with it." The way the two reacted in frustration after he said this made Horuss more tense.

"Of course it's some more clown bullshit." Meenah said before adjusting her position to do a practice jab with her trident. "He is so gonna get it!"

Formerly turning away and pinching the bridge of her nose, Aranea then calmed down and sighed out. Adjusting her glasses, she looked back at Horuss. "So.... You're playing a game with Kurloz, and you did not know what that actually entailed until it was too late?"

"Yes. It's mostly guess-work alongside his tricks." Horuss confirmed.

"How did someone like you get wrapped up in that?"

"Yeah, why the fuck would you trust someone like him?" Meenah added.

"He caught me um.... off-guard, I should say. I'm still not sure why he singled me out specifically. I um.... Well, as you know, I tried to flee..." He said, trailing off instead of finishing what he was saying, distraught over what happened to him. His demeanor made it clear he wasn't going to handle being questioned any further.

"We're almost there." Aranea reassured, continuing their return to the rest of the group.

Even with the reassurance, Horuss couldn't help but feel hopeless with this just being another waiting phase before Kurloz was going to trap him if not full-on attack him. Meenah does seem like a potential option to stay near, in order to keep Kurloz away, but he knew that would only make Kurloz even more enraged and lash out the second there was an opening. That horrible passageway of Kurloz's was easily a huge disadvantage for everyone else, with the opening disappearing in an instant to others while the rest of it still existed in its own pocket of Kurloz's memories within the bubbles.

Horuss must have been really deep in thought on all the possibilities he had to anticipate, ending up bumping into Aranea after she stopped walking. She only momentarily lost her balance before turning to him, seeming offended at first, causing him to mumble out an apology. Thankfully, she wasn't too bothered by it, only resorting to gesturing over to the rest of their group when originally about to announce the obvious fact they arrived.

Before Horuss could even try to scan the area for her, Meulin ran up and hugged him, squealing. "MOG! It's good to finally see you again!" From Horuss's expected lack of energy, she looked towards Aranea and Meenah, requesting permission with a pleading expression.

Forgetting their discussion from earlier, Meenah was mildly annoyed with the stare. "What?"

However, Aranea recalled it well. "You may console your moirail. I still recommend having someone else to monitor, if he allows for it. Otherwise, I would advise against it, for safety reasons."

"Okie-Dokie!" Meulin cheered before happily returning her attention to her moirail. "Horuss, what do you think?"

"I want Rufioh to monitor." Horuss said flatly. He fully expected the others to be confused, only fidgeting when seeing some people leaning over to whisper something to another. While it made sense in the fact that Rufioh's seen him emotionally vulnerable before, that wasn't exactly why he chose Rufioh specifically. His hurt and heartbreak had to be addressed sooner or later.

The way Rufioh approached while glancing over at their staring peers before speaking quietly made it clear he was uncomfortable. "Er- you sure? I mean... Does this mean we're cool?"

Ignoring Rufioh, Horuss addressed Meulin. "I assume we're going to your hive."

"Yep! I preemptively made a pile of pillows when anticipating your return!"

Watching the trio walk off after that, Aranea was a bit unsure of the impression of emotions she gathered from them. Meulin's was expected, with her being overly happy despite the worry, but the other two were a swirl of anxiety and sadness, with Horuss holding to some anger. While that would be expected of them, she couldn't help but wonder.

Once hearing Meenah muttering something out as she kicked at the ground, Aranea figured she could ensure Meenah wasn't going to call it quits anytime soon. "If Kurloz is lurking, you may have to watch over the surrounding area of wherever Horuss currently is. Just as an additional safety precaution."

Meenah stopped her griping and set her focus over to the small group as well. While she wasn't too vigilant when she got bored, she was absolutely set on her target. The moment she sees Kurloz, her instincts will take over. "Eh, sounds borin... You're gonna call me and junk at least, right?"

"Sure thing."

"Cool. Guess I'll scope the area a bit then."

Meanwhile, the atmosphere was tense as the trio entered the hive memory, though Meulin herself seemed unbothered. Even with Meulin enthusiastically displaying the pile she made in her respiteblock, Horuss seemed unmoved. At least right now, he didn't have it in him to engage in something as ridiculous as a feelings jam. Meulin seemed to not know what to do from Horuss not budging, only looking uncertain until he finally spoke up.

"Meulin, I'd prefer it if I could speak to Rufioh first. If that's alright with you, of course." Horuss said to his moirail, not bothering to use a sincere tone for her, due to her deafness.

Though a bit confused, Meulin went along with it. "Yeah that's okay! I could work on one of my projects in the meantime!"

In Meulin's absence, Horuss crossed his arms and finally faced Rufioh. There was no lighter way to bring up such a subject, especially with how much it's been eating at him personally. "I know about you and Kurloz." As Rufioh was too shocked at first to reply, Horuss added. "How long has that been going on?"

"Shit, man... I, uh-... Not long, but... Listen, it was just a fling."

From that reply downplaying the situation, Horuss growled, lightly stamping his foot down. "You pailed with him while we were still matesprits."

With this, Rufioh cringed, rubbing at the back of his neck. He really wasn't practicing much caution out of his desperation to leave Horuss. Kurloz following afterwards, offering them a bucket for their last pailing as a couple, didn't help his case either. "Er-... Yeah..." Rufioh mumbled, knowing there wasn't much he could say that would make him look good. Trying to change the focus instead, he brought up when he last saw Horuss. "I was worried about you though, when finding out Kurloz got all crazy... and uh, he was at your place.... You seemed all spooked too! Y'know, before you ran."

Despite his bitterness, Horuss managed to admit as he looked away. "I was worried about you too."

"I'm alright, dude... All good."

"Yes, I was hoping you would be."

"Enough about me though, heh, uh... You okay?"

From everything he's experienced at the hands of Kurloz, Horuss was far from okay. He put a hand to his cheek as he kept his gaze adverted and thought it over. What could he even do to signify such a thing? An outburst of any kind was far from what he wanted. However, he recalled that Rufioh saw part of the bite Kurloz gave him. The scars must have been some sort of allowance to Kurloz's rules in a way, as long as he himself didn't mention Kurloz. With this, he looked at Rufioh again. "Do you remember the injury I had? The one on my shoulder."

"Oh yeah... You kept most of it bandaged up, but I remember." With Horuss frowning and looking at the floor, Rufioh realized why he brought it up. "Kurloz did that?! Shit, man, you should've told me!"

"I couldn't."

"Did it heal alright?" Rufioh asked, getting closer, with the intention to potentially get a look.

"Don't come near me!" Horuss yelled, yet regretted doing so from seeing Rufioh's expression. After an an exchange in nervous body language between the two, Horuss went ahead and left the respiteblock. Thankfully, Meulin was just in a neighboring block where she stored an array of different supplies for her hobby of sewing.

She was in the middle of getting some material together before noticing Horuss approach. Instantly, she leaned over the desk in front of her, covering up a few papers with her arms. "Oops, don't look!" Meulin said with a giggle. From his continued blank expression, she tried to pique his interest. "It's a gift for you!"

Though a gift from his moirail sounded appealing, especially with the horse onesie she made him last time, Horuss couldn't bring himself to show any appreciation or excitement. He wasn't sure how strong he was going to be emotionally when vulnerable around two people he... sort of cared about, in the sense of poor relationships he wanted to cling to, even with one being over and the other being unreliable. "I'm ready to talk about feelings." He announced to her, despite his uncertainty of how he will describe much of anything.

"Oh goodie!" Meulin exclaimed, bringing Horuss back into her respiteblock and hopping onto the pile. With her moirail more calmly joining in by sitting beside her, seeming potentially stubborn once again, she tried to encourage him. "I know a lot has happened, but it's okay to start wherever you'd like."

Chapter Text

Exactly like he didn't want, losing what little pride he had left, Horuss turned into a sobbing mess when talking about Kurloz with Meulin. Rufioh being around to witness this added to his embarrassment as well. Regardless, the comfort she provided was warm and nice. He really needed her embrace and consolation. In a strange way, such a genuine display of affection, with no ill intent behind it, made him cry harder. Eventually, he managed to exhaust himself to the point of falling asleep not long after the conclusion of their feelings jam.

Intending to nap with her moirail, Meulin nestled up next to him, but was disrupted from Rufioh tapping her on the shoulder. She let out a "mrrp" as she looked up at her friend, seeing him point behind himself, to suggest they talk outside of the respiteblock. Though a bit confused, she went along with it, getting off the pile after he headed to the main block. They left the door open to keep an eye on Horuss during their conversation.

When Meulin caught up with Rufioh, he showed her the goggles Horuss ended up removing from all his crying. Before Meulin could question it, he explained himself. "I couldn't stop thinking about what Kurloz sent me through Horuss's account. You have to see what Kurloz has been sending him, especially when he ran away. Sick freaky shit. Just... awful..."

"That's a huge invasion of purrivacy!" Meulin exclaimed, getting shushed by Rufioh, who then glanced over to make sure she didn't just wake Horuss.

"I know, but... Kurloz is... wow, he's absolutely crazy! He completely fucking lost it!" Not allowing for Meulin to deny it, Rufioh offered her the goggles, to suggest she look for herself.

Despite her not liking the idea, Meulin knew there was no way to avoid it, especially with such an intense issue centering two people she cared very deeply about. She accepted the offered goggles, noticing all the straps were undone, due to Rufioh's horns getting in the way. Because of this, Meulin took a moment to fasten the top straps before sliding the headgear on. Upon looking through the messages, she grew upset over finding out what Kurloz was sending. Taking off the headgear, she sighed out sadly. "There's so much I didn't take seriously."

Seeing her sorrowful expression, Rufioh tried to reassure her. "Hey, doll, it's okay. It's not like you knew."

"I should have! I'm close to both of them, and..." Meulin paused for a moment, handing the headgear back over to Rufioh before taking out her phone. She let out a sniffle as she opened up the chatlogs between her and Horuss and scrolled up. "Horuss tried to beg me for help as best he could, but I listened to Kurloz instead."

When Meulin turned the phone over to Rufioh, he took a moment to read the messages. Realizing that was when Kurloz was messaging for Horuss to come out of hiding before adding to a counter to punish him, Rufioh understood her hurt. "Oh..." Still, he didn't want Meulin to cry. It was already rough seeing Horuss cry the way he did. Because of this, Rufioh attempted to relate to her. "Well, I mean, uh... I saw Horuss was injured before and didn't think much on it... Turned out it was from Kurloz, heh... But hey, neither of us could have known with how much was hidden!"

With this, Meulin wiped a tear from her eye. "Purrhaps you're right." Turning to see Horuss still sleeping, she thought over her attempts at giving advice when trying to console him and how it paired with this new information. She knew Horuss was scared and evaded talking about much, but it originally seemed like he was just intimidated by Kurloz's advances while uncertain over his own feelings. Kurloz turning things into a sort of "game" with punishments that left injuries on Horuss was definitely much more of a concern.

There was also the issue of Kurloz's mental instability overall, which she was already somewhat familiar with. Ever since the incident, something's been deeply wrong with him. From all their shared time together, and from Meulin's worry over him, she tried his suggestions on easing him during episodes. Usually it was something simple like having a smoking session together if not restraining him when he was actively freaking out, as he requested, but... After a while, he asked for her to engage in marking up his body, adding to the many scars he already put there, "atonement" he told her.

Because of Meulin seeming a bit distant as she stared down at her phone, Rufioh looked over her shoulder, trying to see what she was taking a while to type up. Noticing this, she turned to face him again, explaining it. "I figured I should try and get a hold of Kurloz."

"Huh? Why?"

"I think I could reason with him. I do know him best." With this, Meulin sent a text, asking if Kurloz would like to toke and discuss a few things. Before either of them could say something, to add to it or speak against it, her phone vibrated. She looked at the text, and all it said was "no need". Kurloz had been doing all he could to avoid her lately it seems, making her frown. Even more distressing was the thought that he was potentially trying to keep himself worse to take it out on Horuss.

Upon seeing her typing again while looking a bit irritated for once, Rufioh grabbed the phone from her. "Woah, hey! Yo... Let's think about this, alright? I uh... I'm worried about things escalating further... Horuss and Cronus are highbloods, built out of tough stuff, but I mean... people lower down, like me and you..."

Understanding what he was implying, Meulin was more hurt, but nodded. Getting her phone handed back, she captchalogued it before rubbing her arm. Things really were crumbling down around them, without her being able to do anything about it, even in the goodness of her heart.

As if she owned the place, Meenah suddenly barged in the hive and announced her presence when the two looked her way. "Yo, Lejayjay, mind if I chill here? It's startin to get light out. Plus I'm like makin sure Kurloz ain't gettin to Horuss."

Meenah seemed to have disrupted the gloomy mood from her unexpected entrance alone, and Meulin instantly seemed gleeful with the presence of another friend. "Oh wow, it's that late already? You can stay here if you'd like! I'm sure Horuss would be glad to see you joined us as well."

Rufioh himself had a different idea rather than having another get-together. "Uh, yeah, actually... I might need to be going now... But hey, it was nice to catch up and... heh, yeah..." Rufioh said to Meulin, getting a disappointed "awww" in response, before discretely handing Horuss's goggles back to her. After tonight, he really wasn't looking forward to what could potentially be more tense moments or even more uncomfortable topics the next evening.

When Rufioh walked up to Meenah, he held up his hand for a fist bump, and she delivered one. "Catch ya later, Ruf. Catch as in net. Subtle fish pun." Once he let out a nervous laugh and left, Meenah went over to Meulin and brought up the lack of her moirail. "Ayo, so... Where even is Zahhak anyhow?"

"He's just napping on the plush pile over there." Meulin gestured over to her respiteblock, and Meenah peered over to confirm this before nodding.

"Reel talk though. Did he reveal anyfin noteworthy? You should probs message Aranea all 'bout it. 'Cus like I'm on the hunt for Kurloz while Aranea's tryna make sense of whateva's happenin in the background." After saying this, she set her focus to the goggles. "You snoopin too?"

Not wanting others to know, Meulin only told part of the truth. "Oh! I'm actually holding onto them because Horuss took them off during our feelings jam."

With the whole situation, Meenah gave a suggestion. "Maybe you should snoop while there's still the opportunity. We could use more info and junk."

"I can't do that to my moirail..." Meulin responded, yet was specifically referring to Meenah's earlier suggestion of messaging Aranea any details, as she already snooped. She then added more enthusiastically. "But outside of that, I'm making Horuss a gift!"

Meenah clearly didn't care about the topic of any romantic pale junk, instantly getting bored of the conversation. "Eh, lame. Anyway, you can work on that while I watch over Horuss. 'Til I doze off, at least. Probs gonna dip whenever I feel like it, so don't get sad if I ain't say goodbye or nofin."

"I'm fine with that!" Meulin exclaimed, returning to her little project once Meenah went to the respiteblock.

-

Waking up in the pile alone the following night, Horuss sat up and scanned the area cautiously, making sure to especially look behind himself. When getting up off the pile of plush, he noticed that Meulin seemed to have rolled off of it herself. Despite that, she looked completely unbothered as she remained asleep and curled up against it. Currently it appeared like it was just him and Meulin in the hive at this point. Unknown to him, Meenah was temporarily in the block as well, but soon headed out around dusk to return to surveilling the outside area.

It didn't take long for Horuss to notice his goggles were nowhere to be seen, rather than being right beside the pile where he knew he placed it. Instantly, he cast a suspicious glance to Meulin. However, another thought crossed his mind. It wouldn't be too surprising if Kurloz somehow snuck in and was already holding onto them again, ready to ambush him if he went to another part of the hive. To get to him with another person around was bold, but it wouldn't be difficult with Meulin's deafness. Fearing that outcome, he gently nudged Meulin awake.

With a yawn and a stretch, Meulin woke up, and it didn't take long for her usual energy to show. "Heyyyy, Horuss!" After getting up, Horuss asked her about the goggles, making her realize her mistake. "Oh um... It's on the table close by the meal block."

The look Horuss gave her was a tired one as he let out a sigh. At least it didn't have to do with Kurloz, but with Meulin's troubling curiosity... If she wasn't going to address any of the messages, then neither was he. Not saying a word, he went over to the mentioned table, finding his goggles there. Putting them on, he noticed he was getting an influx of messages.

Reading the violet text, Horuss felt conflicted. It seemed that Cronus was not only angry over the fact that he had not been returning texts, from when he ran away, but was also jealous that he chose Rufioh to monitor the feelings jam instead of him. The following messages started out guilt-tripping Horuss, saying things like he thought they had something. This eventually turned into Cronus suggesting he'd forgive Horuss if he "hung out" with him at his hive. From the last time they "hung out", Horuss couldn't help but think about their pailing together, alongside comparing it to his pailing experience with the random Cronus.

Disrupting Horuss's recollections, Meulin spoke up. "I stayed up a nip to finish your gift."

Horuss cleared his mind for a moment to set his focus to her, only to become more uneasy when she presented thigh high stockings to him. She had already got his measurements from her previous works, yes, but this was clearly something Kurloz requested for her to make. A gift that's primary intention was to hide the scars he was self-conscious about was no doubt a bittersweet one. However, ones that fit him better might look really appealing on him.

Noticing the withdrawn behavior, Meulin tried to joke it off. "You don't have to try them on in front of me." In response, Horuss timidly thanked her and stored them in his inventory. "So about my advice earlier," She started, with Horuss staring at her, his unease still distinct. "I still think that messaging Kurloz would be best. He may be acting out from feeling ignored."

"Right...." Horuss said before opening his chatlogs with Kurloz. It was difficult trying to find the words, especially from seeing all the messages Kurloz has sent before, but at least Meulin wasn't pestering him as he took his time with this. Maybe just a standard casual greeting to start things off. Already by the table, he took a seat as he messaged Kurloz.

During Horuss's wait for a reply, Meulin went over to the stove to prepare some tea. Just a quick something to calm both of their nerves. As Meulin was waiting beside the tea kettle, to watch for steam to know it was ready, Horuss received a message. Kurloz clearly wanted to cut to the chase, asking Horuss if he liked when he "stroked it", going on about the sensations and the thrill of his claws being added in the mix as he touched "all the right places". The next message asking if he wanted his claws in him made Horuss immediately suggest that they should put a stop to the messages for now, ending up getting Kurloz's winking smile emoticon in return.

Though Kurloz stopped, just like he wanted, Horuss still felt a bit overwhelmed from such an approach to begin with. It was still difficult to tell if Kurloz was trying to get under his skin or if he got that excited over being texted by his object of obsession. As he was reassuring himself that at least that was out of the way, Meulin took the kettle off the burner and poured the hot water into two cups for the both of them. With her in the process of steeping the tea, Horuss looked at what Cronus sent again.

Even with the odd way they clicked, Cronus originally seemed to push Horuss away and reject him, treating their encounter like it wasn't anything. Now Cronus wanted him again, and with what happened last time, Horuss would need to make sure Kurloz wouldn't find out. Because of the real intention of allowing Horuss to be with another was to beat the other involved senseless, that offer was still up. The idea of sneaking off behind Kurloz's back was terrifying, but this was Cronus... Going against all his logical thoughts to potentially pursue sexual advances made him feel unbelievably dirty, especially with him having entertained the idea to begin with. There was no doubt about it, he was a sexual deviant, lower than any of the degenerates among the lowest of hues.

When Meulin offered Horuss tea, he seemed to have snapped back from whatever was bothering him to the point of perspiring so much. Silently, Horuss equipped his unmodified destrengthening gloves to bring the cup to his lips. Being generous, Meulin also went to the hunger trunk, grabbing pre-made sandwiches for the both of them, setting his in front of him. Though Horuss typically needed larger meals, this should help him out for now. She looked at him as she sat down at the table, hoping he'd say something to her. Instead, he just looked troubled as usual.

Sitting across from Meulin silently, occasionally taking a bite of the sandwich or a sip of tea, he considered what he could do. With what he eventually figured he could manage, he would need to react fairly quick to avoid too much upset. Messaging Cronus, he refused the offer, well-aware of the complaints alongside additional suggestions he was going to receive soon. Letting out a sigh, he minimized the Trollian window and unequipped his gloves before setting his focus back to Meulin. "I should be going now, but I did find the feelings jam to be a bit of a um... I suppose a bit of a relief, even if I still couldn't explain much."

"Oh, I'm very glad about that! I've been so worried and really wanted to help in any way I can!" Meulin said, yet continued to mask her further worries from what she and Rufioh found out. After that, Horuss left her hive, and she dropped her smile. She had no idea how she could actually help her dear moirail during a time like this. Even her relationship with Kurloz seemed to not assist her with deescalating things between him and Horuss. Staring down at the remaining tea in her cup, she couldn't help but feel like she was a failure. A mage of heart that couldn't even enter the ashen quadrant to mediate between two of the people closest to her.

Just as Horuss anticipated, Cronus started messaging him nearly frantically, gradually losing his cool the more he tried to convince Horuss to come over. He remembered just about where Cronus's hive typically was, ending up messaging simple rejections like "I shouldn't" as he proceeded to head over. At least until something stopped him in his tracks.

To Horuss's surprise, some sort of projectile soared past him and stabbed into the dirt. Even before seeing it was Meenah's trident, with her approaching to retrieve it after shouting a joke about target practice, Horuss was reduced to panicked trembling. It was far too similar to that incident where Kurloz was firing at him, using his own bow and arrows, keeping him disturbed.

Once Meenah got close enough to pull her trident from the ground, she noticed his shaking, and casually adverted her gaze to scope the area instead of addressing it. "So anyway, I'm gonna be makin shore you're all safe and junk from clown hijinks."

Regarding the messages he received from Cronus, Horuss grew more uneasy. If the empress was here alongside him...

Seeing him still trembling while looking like he was choking back words, Meenah grew impatient. "Dude. Do some breathin exercises to calm down or whateva." After a short while of allowing him to slowly breathe in and out to gradually get a hold of himself, she got to it. "Aight, so where you headin off to tonight?"

Still feeling a bit lightheaded from being spooked like that, Horuss managed to reply a bit slowly. "Um, well.... Cronus wanted to-"

Instantly, Meenah was displeased. "Man, not that guy... Hold on, is that even a good idea with the sketch as fuck shit goin on?"

"He's very insistent." Horuss let out, growing nervous over the expression Meenah displayed.

"Ugh. Bet he figured I was keepin an eye on you and thought he could use this as some grand opportunity to try and hit on me. I can already hear the stupid shit he's gonna say to flirt."

"That does sound troubling."

"Do you actually wanna sea him? I say we full-on ditch that douche. There's gotta be someone else to hang with. Anemonebuoy at all."

Trying to play it off innocently, Horuss replied. "I haven't seen a lot of our friends in a while, but I was worried about him the most because of the fight."

"Eh, he healed alright. Big whoop."

"I suppose so.... Though, I was actually wanting to hear from him myself." Out of habit, he added. "Only if that's alright with you, your excellency." Realizing what he said, Horuss grew anxious on the reply, all while feeling like he was making even more of an idiot out of himself.

Meenah mulled it over. "Shore... So long as I don't gotta interact with him. If he asks if I'm around, you have to tell him you haven't seen me at all, got it?"

"Yes, understood, my lady!" Horuss concluded, continuing to head in the direction of Cronus's hive, with Meenah unenthusiastically trailing behind him. Though Meenah distracted him, he didn't forget about the messages, checking the last few ones. With Cronus's hive in view, Horuss messaged that it wasn't a good idea and they probably shouldn't talk to one another. That last message could potentially prove to be too much for Cronus to handle rejection-wise, making him pick up the pace to quickly reassure in-person.

At the door, Horuss looked over to make sure Meenah wasn't nearby for Cronus to spot. Not seeing her at all himself, he ended up looking around a bit, surprised that she seemed to have already absconded. Setting his focus back to the door, he gently knocked. It didn't take long for an agitated Cronus to open it, seeming shocked over Horuss being there for a moment before his attitude returned.

Cronus scoffed and gestured at Horuss in disbelief before resting against the door frame. "Vwhat's your deal, huh? I thought you vwere playing hard to get. Nowv you're givwing me complete mixed signals here."

"Oh, no! That wasn't my intention! I'm worried that Kurloz still has access to my chatlogs. What I sent was simply to prevent him from knowing. My sincerest apologies for causing any upset over it."

Though listening to this explanation, Cronus didn't hide the fact that he was looking to see if Meenah was around. It wasn't difficult to tell that she was sent to monitor Horuss, likely to discourage Kurloz from getting to him. Irritatingly enough, she wasn't there. Dammit. "Yeah? Vwell that doesn't explain the vwhole not returning my messages thing."

"I ignored everyone when I ran away. I hadn't intended on doing that to you specifically."

"Sure, let's just pretend that's a vwalid excuse."

"Um.... I'm glad to see you again, I was worried ever since the aggrieve."

"Gee. That means so much when it took you so long."

From Cronus remaining difficult, even with his genuine explanations and sincere comments, Horuss's demeanor weakened. "If you would like for me to leave, then I will go."

"I didn't say I vwas done wvith you, ponyboy." From the way Horuss looked at him over the nickname, Cronus smirked. "That's a name reference from one of the greaser films I vwatch. You like that?"

"Well, I um.... I...." Horuss struggled to speak, flustered over what was said alongside the nickname.

At this point, with the chance to pail gradually getting closer, Cronus wanted to move things along as soon as possible. Still, he tried to play it cool. "Let's can talk more inside." he suggested, moving to hold the door to invite him in. "Are you going to come in, or do I havwe to command you to?" Though he was joking with that last part, Horuss not budging made it clear he wasn't going to come in on his own. "Get in here already! Sheesh."

With that, Horuss entered, getting the door quickly shut behind him. Having Horuss in his hive again, Cronus then took a moment to comb through his hair to freshen up, yet got irritated when finding out his guardian was somewhere nearby from the neigh. Sure enough, Horuss was peering over to try and see the lusus. That was definitely going to lead to an annoying encounter.

Not wanting to deal with that possibility, Cronus wrapped an arm around Horuss to then quickly lead him to the staircase. "Come on, let's go somewvhere more privwate."

-

Already annoyed with having to be so close to Cronus's hive, Meenah decided to make use of the nearby hillside to monitor the area. It was a fairly decent vantage point too. Only issue was the opposite side of the hive, but at least nothing obscured the area leading up to it from there. Yep, a fair enough spot she got here.

Once the front door slammed shut, Meenah took out her clam shell phone and dialed Aranea. As it rang, she hoped that, even if there was an issue, that she wouldn't have to actually do anything. It didn't take long for Aranea to answer the call.

"Shello." Aranea chimed on the other end. "Have things been alright over there?"

Cutting to the point, Meenah skipped the greeting and didn't bother answering the question. "So uhhh, the whole rumors or whateva thing... We don't actually care 'bout that carp, right?"

Aranea sighed out over Meenah disregarding her opening, but maybe it was important. "Well... Why do you ask?"

"It's not an issue if Horuss is around Cronus, right?" Meenah questioned, really not looking forward to the potential answer.

"I would assume not. At the very least I would suggest for another person to be present as a safety precaution." Aranea replied, hearing Meenah groan on the other end. "You know, you're technically already a safety precaution." She stated to ease Meenah before getting suspicious of her after saying that. "Hold on- you left Horuss just because you don't want to be near Cronus, didn't you?"

"What? No. I'm still monitorin junk. I just reely didn't wanna deal with Ampora at all. Might just head over to Meu's hive or somefin once it starts to get light out. But that's only if Horuss somehow doesn't get bored or irritated enough to leave."

"That sounds fine, I suppose.... Just remember this is about ensuring our team's safety over anything else. We have no idea when we'll see Kurloz next, but the least we can do is stall the game he is playing by preventing him from getting to Horuss. That is ultimately the reason why someone else needed to directly monitor Meulin's interactions with him, and why you're specifically keeping an eye out for Kurloz."

Chapter Text

Entering the block Cronus led him to, knowing he was going to "make up" for his actions to him, Horuss was aflutter. This specific block had several full bookshelves lining against the walls with two couches facing each other in the center. It must have been a studyblock by the looks of it. Horuss could only theorize that the literature there was primarily centering the magic Cronus was once fixated on. He doubted he would be allowed to browse the selection, given the circumstances. At least the lack of windows in this block allowed for him to feel more secure over his sexual endeavors. No one could potentially see what was going on.

Having already sat down at one of the couches, Cronus noticed Horuss was still near the block's door and gestured for him to come over. He watched expectantly as Horuss headed over, only for him to sit at the couch opposite of him. From this, Cronus facepalmed. "Horuss, vwe're not havwing a meeting. Get your ass ovwer here."

"Right...." Horuss said, timidly moving over with the intention of sitting next to Cronus, only to get stopped by him.

"Get on your knees, and take that stupid headgear off vwhile you're at it." Cronus commanded, with Horuss obeying without hesitation. It was clear to see that the anticipation of that indigo blood was growing once they locked eyes, even more with Cronus brushing a hand over his cheek. "So, are you ready to make things up to me?"

Even with his anticipation, Horuss found himself growing uncertain. He wanted to satisfy Cronus, but dreaded the possibility of Kurloz finding out. "I'm um... I'm admittedly quite anxious."

"Vwell maybe you should consider the fact you're servwicing royalty. Does that sound good?"

"Yes, I suppose if I keep my focus on that, then it could help." Horuss agreed.

"Great." With this, Cronus put his cigarette behind his ear fin before equipping his rings, showing he didn't forget about Horuss's comment from last time. "You ready for a spanking?"

"Yes, put me in my place, your horseness- I mean highness!" Horuss exclaimed.

From Horuss not hiding his enthusiasm, Cronus laughed to himself. "Later, alright? First you should get naked."

With this, Horuss's eagerness faded a bit, and he tried to suggest something else. "There's an outfit I'd like to show you, if that's alright."

"Er-... depends on the outfit, chief."

"I actually haven't worn it before, so...." Horuss murmured, hoping to have some privacy to get changed. Hearing Cronus make a joke comment about this being a strip show, he grew self-conscious, knowing he wouldn't be granted privacy. "Please, no pictures." He added, with Cronus sounding disappointed at first before just going along with it.

Getting up, Horuss turned away and undid his pants, getting down as he took them off. Now sitting, he remove his socks and boots along with it. He then slid the thigh highs Meulin made him up his legs, thankful when seeing they covered both scars no problem. Once taking his jacket off, he stood back up and sheepishly faced Cronus again.

"Nice thigh highs, ponyboy. But uh, lose the shirt, vwill you?" From no change, Cronus grew irritated. "Man, vwe shovwered together. I already sawv you completely naked!" With Horuss remaining stubborn, he groaned. "Your disobedience isn't going to earn you more "punishment", you're just pissing me off here."

Trying to appease in the way he's more comfortable with, Horuss responded. "I can take my briefs off for you." The way Cronus looked at him said "get on with it", so he slid them off and nervously awaited the response.

"That vwill do, I guess." Cronus shrugged before moving to the middle of the couch and beckoning Horuss again. Once Horuss unsurely got closer, not wanting to have his bare bottom on the cushions, Cronus grabbed him by the shirt and attempted to guide him. With Horuss seeming confused and ending up on his hands and knees on the couch, Cronus made his intention more clear. "Lay dowvn and raise your ass up already."

Realizing he was going to be spanked, Horuss blushed and laid over Cronus's thighs, raising his back end as he was told. The first slap delivered made him jolt and let out a yelp. It was harder than Cronus had ever hit him before, with the metal of the rings adding to the pain.

Before Horuss could say anything, he got another smack, less harsh this time. "Is that better?" Cronus asked, playing it off like he didn't intentionally hit Horuss hard from still holding a grudge. Horuss was confused, but nodded, just getting "good" in response before things continued.

Despite the initial shock unsettling Horuss for a moment, he quickly dismissed it from Cronus continuing the spanking normally. The fact Cronus remembered what he said about the rings had already excited him, but it being put to use was really turning him on. How he wished he was being penetrated during this, much like the last time they pailed.

It didn't take long for his nook to get wet with his bulge fully unsheathed, and soon enough, his pre-material will start to drip nearly as much as his sweat. After a while, the spanking came to a sudden stop. Before Horuss could realize his shirt rode up a bit, showing some of his scarring, Cronus got curious on the extent of it and pulled the shirt up more. Though distressed and wanting to yell at Cronus over such a thing, it was already too late. He already saw the scars.

Finding these scars on Horuss made Cronus regret how hard he hit him at the start. While he had no idea what happened, this didn't seem good. It definitely wasn't there last time, and Horuss insisting on keeping his shirt on, to hide it, must have meant something. Once Horuss hastily fixed the shirt and slumped down against him, seeming to fret the conversation soon to come, Cronus instead took the chance to see if they were still going to pail.

Feeling Cronus's fingers rub against the folds of his nook, Horuss was surprised for a moment. He originally assumed things were about to come to an end over the tense atmosphere. In response, he adjusted his position to encourage Cronus to go further and prep him. As Cronus inserted a finger, sliding it in and out of Horuss's nook, he used his other hand to give a reassuring pat to his back.

Being hit with a conflicting wave of emotions, primarily overwhelmed with guilt and fear, Horuss held his head in his hands. He couldn't speak about his relationship with Kurloz, but he was actively putting a target on Cronus's back, due to his own shameful lust making him seek him out again. The smartest thing would have been to stay away and let Cronus remain angry and bitter, but now he was trying to sneak behind Kurloz's back.

Cronus inserted another finger, now massaging Horuss's walls with the two. It was easy to notice Horuss not making much noise this time around, probably still hung up over the scars. Trying to excite him again, Cronus leaned in close and whispered. "Are you going to be a good boy and beg for my bulge?"

Hearing this, Horuss raised his head. "Um, yes.... Please put your bulge in me."

Unamused from Horuss whispering back, Cronus responded. "Beg louder, like a needy bitch."

Horuss spoke up as he was told. "I want your bulge in me, please." He said, without changing his tone or even sounding as enthusiastic as he did earlier. This only got on Cronus's nerves further.

"Y'knowv vwhat? Get back on the floor." Cronus commanded, letting his fingers exit Horuss's nook before delivering a light smack to his blue-flushed rear. With Horuss getting off of him, letting out an apology when seeing how his sweat and lubrication practically soaked his jeans, Cronus just let out an annoyed huff. He waited for Horuss to get to the floor on his knees before willing out of his clothes for him.

Horuss eyed the violet bulge, knowing he wanted it in him. Despite wanting it, he knew he couldn't have it yet from constantly irritating Cronus without intending to do so. He was then grabbed by one of his horns, getting his face pulled up close to Cronus's crotch. Similar to last time, the bulge got pressed against Horuss's face. It ended up sliding over his features as he tried to not make an unappealing expression over the lubrication getting smeared on him.

"You should be more grateful ovwer this opportunity." Cronus muttered, with Horuss giving a few kisses to his bulge. "You lovwe being beneath me, don't you?" That question was met with an affirming hum from Horuss.

Already in this situation, Horuss tried to impress by replicating how he remembered Kurloz glided his lips against the underside of his bulge. During this, he made use of his tongue by licking at it as well. Trying to ease himself of his worries, he focused on how he was submitting to and serving royalty, especially from Cronus letting out a few moans from the stimulation. He was meant to appease those higher up in the spectrum, especially those with the most noble blood.

"If only you could see howv you look right nowv." Such a remark from Cronus made Horuss stop and shoot a look at him. "Easy, I'm not going to take pictures." Letting go of the horn, Cronus allowed for him to take a moment to back up and clean the mess off his face with one of his towels.

After Horuss was done with that, Cronus invited him back on the couch. Though still a bit squeamish about having his bare body on such a fancy piece of furniture, or dirtying it with his fluids, Horuss unsurely positioned himself to lay on his back and spread his legs apart. With this, Cronus got a kick out of the view of his nook.

"Dang, you're dripping so much! You probably vwould hawve ruined your stockings if you had to vwait any longer." It seems that saying such a thing alerted Horuss, with him taking the towel and frantically wiping the trails of indigo off of his inner thighs, looking incredibly embarrassed over it. Ignoring that, Cronus simply waited for Horuss to settle down before guiding his bulge to his nook. Pushing further in after a bit of resistance, he noticed Horuss's expression. Before he could check in on him, he got a hand gently pressed to his arm.

That bitemark Kurloz gave Cronus, and the punishment of his own that soon followed... Realizing Cronus was staring at him, and had paused their pailing, Horuss couldn't figure out what to say to him.

Though confused at first, Cronus then remembered about the bitemark where Horuss's touch was. "Oh, yeah, the newv scar. I guess not many people hawve seen it. Does it look cool?"

"Yeah...." Even with the hurt Horuss felt, reminding him that he was risking Cronus's safety, he tried to ignore that feeling. After all, this pailing session was to serve as a way to make things up to Cronus. It's best to focus on pleasing him. "Can we kiss?" He weakly asked.

The answer must have been "yes", with how Cronus let out a soft laugh and leaned in, planting a kiss on Horuss's lips. It quickly progressed, with their tongues rolling over each other, and Cronus rocking his hips. Soon enough, he pressed up against Horuss, getting all his inches in and causing Horuss to shiver for a moment. The two moaned in the kiss, with Cronus keeping the motion nice and slow with most of his length rubbing deep against Horuss's walls.

Eventually, Cronus exited the kiss to focus more on his thrusts, now doing long strokes. It didn't take long before he thrusted harder, purely to make Horuss moan louder, getting just that. Such a nice sound. At this point, he was wondering if he should make Horuss his official pailing partner, maybe even something more. Being away from him for so long just made him realize he grew attached to him, even though he hadn't intended to. The main hitch to this was him still trying to chase after Meenah, as if genuinely thinking he would someday win her over. Apart from that, the fact that Kurloz would definitely not let that go unpunished was another issue, though Cronus specifically was unaware of this.

Watching Cronus thrusting into him and hearing his moans alongside his own, Horuss's mind was free of Kurloz. Royalty, having put him in his place, now pailing with him. Though the pailing itself was part of making it up to him, it felt like a reward. How Horuss was looking at Cronus must have been appealing with the way he smiled and leaned in to deliver a quick kiss. Horuss wanted him, and he knew Cronus was aware of this. Maybe he even felt the same.

Horuss placing his hand to Cronus's face made him realize he wanted a more passionate kiss. Can't get enough of him, it seems. As they made out again, Cronus went ahead and slid his hand beneath Horuss's shirt, intending to grab a handful of pec. Not wanting Cronus to know about any more scars, Horuss quickly but gently grabbed his wrist. He pulled away slightly to whisper "don't", before entering the kiss again. From this, Cronus complied before testing boundaries again. With the touch over his shirt this time, Horuss allowed for Cronus to do what he wanted. Getting his pec squeezed as a result, Horuss let out a whine in the kiss.

This time, Cronus pulled away before getting back to things. They were pailing, after all. Readying himself to go faster, Cronus took a moment to adjust his position. Once he did, he started pounding Horuss's nook, earning louder moans from him that drown out his own. Horuss tried his best to keep from tensing up during this, yet couldn't help it from the roughness and how pleasing the sensation was. His orgasm was building, and he started to stroke himself. "Please degrade me." He begged, starting to withhold his breaths.

Having looked into plenty of material prior to this, Cronus was enthused, and knew exactly what to say. "You're just a bucket to empty into." He huffed out, with Horuss letting out a faint "more" in response alongside his whimpers. "You're vworthless. A disgraceful blue blood." From Horuss tensing up against him more, Cronus's thrusts slowed. "Fucking pail-slut." He managed to let out before emptying into him.

Horuss ejaculated right after, ending up getting a decent amount of his genetic material on the both of them, letting out a breathy moan as he did. Feeling Horuss's walls pulsing tightly against him, Cronus winced, but waited until it stopped before exiting. Afterwards, he sat back on the couch, looking up at the ceiling while they took a moment to regain themselves.

Finally, Cronus exclaimed. "Dang! I knovw I said you vwere tight before, but you really squeezed me at the end there, heh. Guess I shouldn't be surprised."

Without getting a response, Cronus looked back at Horuss, noticing he was clamping his legs together. Oh shit, he almost forgot. Opening his sylladex, Cronus took out the bucket and handed it to Horuss. Good thing he stored that in his inventory too, though it was done a while ago, in hopes he could get lucky with Horuss when he saw him again. His advances towards Meenah and others seemed to fail more ever since he got his ass beat by Kurloz.

Being supplied a bucket this time, Horuss let out a sigh of relief. Though the sensation was still sickening to him, at least the mess won't be as horrible. Setting the bucket down on the floor, he got down as well, positioning himself over it while trying not to think much about the disgusting process.

Since Horuss was currently busy, Cronus reached over and grabbed his towel. Using it, he wiped the mess off of himself, looking back at Horuss as he waited for him to be done. Keeping his head low, Horuss stood back up and turned towards Cronus, looking just as anxious as he did when he first entered the room. Cronus figured he wanted the towel back to clean up what he could, handing it over to him.

Once Horuss finished and captchalogued the dirtied towel, Cronus got confident, suggesting something potentially risky. "Since you havwe novwhere better to be, do you vwant to try and see howv long vwe can go for? Multiple rounds? Bet vwe can make the bucket ovwerflowv." The way Horuss looked at him in disgust made Cronus advert his gaze and mutter to himself, thinking that he just fucked up a potentially good thing.

"I didn't like that comment about the bucket." Horuss finally responded.

"Oh- heh, yeah uh, that vwas mostly a joke." Cronus mumbled a bit as he rubbed the back of his neck before clearing his throat. "Anywvay, you vwant to..."

From his unease over the comment settling, Horuss blushed a bit as he took in the other offers, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. How long they could go for- multiple rounds... It's all so titillating. But at the same time, Kurloz was making him cum multiple times a night when trapped in the crypt to make up for their lost time. He wasn't sure if he was comfortable with that. Even then, this is Cronus, and he was supposed to appease him. Unlike Kurloz, Horuss wasn't threatened or fearful over Cronus either.

From Horuss not responding, Cronus gave a different option. "If that's too much, vwe can vwatch a movwie and I can showv you some of my music." He offered, yet was already thinking about what moves he could make on Horuss when he lowers his guard, easing him into more pailing. Maybe he could "punish" Horuss if he spoke too much during the movie by commanding him to do sexual favors for him. "Sound good?"

"I'm, well, I- um...." Embarrassed over his stammering, Horuss paused to find his words a bit better. "I'm alright with what you decide, your highness."

Pleased to hear this, Cronus smiled. "Yeah?"

-

Sitting at one of her usual smoking spaces, Damara stared up at the cracks that formed over the black sky, taking a drag as she did. It was easy to get lost in these moments with time dragging on and on. Everything was so pointless when they were all just leisurely waiting around. No real conflict that easily swung into chaos. At least, not until a particular purple psycho started losing it on the sidelines.

With someone sitting beside her without making much of any noise at all, she didn't need to look over to tell who it was. As usual, she offered him a hit, holding the joint out to him. He denied it, lightly pressing against her hand to turn down the offer.

Breaking the silence, Damara spoke. "危険を冒す人であるか。"

Kurloz side-eyed her, believing she was about to berate him as she did a while back over his actions. Their shared time together wasn't much compared to the ones they stuck around the most, so he still had issues with understanding her thick accent. Most of the time they were together alone, it was typical of them to smoke or pail with each other, maybe both. At least that was the case in the past.

Instead of berating Kurloz, she just smirked as he continued to keep to himself. Being so hush-hush while making so many things overt lately. What was up with him? She wasn't sure if it had something to do with their shared religion either. While Kurloz couldn't pick up much on her matter of speaking, similar to the others, it was much easier for her to learn their version of sign language. She stubbed the remainder of the joint on the ash tray beside her.

Once she moved to look over at Kurloz, he stared back, uncaring. Making for more clear communication, she signed to him "what is your deal?", getting no response. She then fingerspelled "HORUSS", gesturing further with her hands and expression to show her confusion. It seems Kurloz was going to remain reserved until she hit something specific. "playing a game. why?"

Finding out that Horuss managed to evade mentioning their relationship, by saying they were playing a game instead, amused Kurloz. "playing a game." He repeated the sign. "it could be called "playing a game"." He responded, laughing a bit.

"can you explain?"

"strip off his clothes for the answer."

Absolutely hating that, she yelled. "だまれ!" It would be nice if he stopped looping it back to her permanently ruined reputation, even if she didn't play into it much anymore. With him continuing to find it funny like the clown he was, she gave him a shove.

His laughter resided, and he dusted off where she touched him, before looking up at the cracks in the sky. Damara stared at him for a while before eventually following, staring up at the sky with him. The same usual cracks, as seen many times before. It was almost taunting.

After a while of continued silence, Damara reflected on their more intimate time together. She couldn't help but smile over how her temperature would sexually overwhelm him, making it easy to dominate him. While he hated never having dominance with her in that way, he still loved it. They used to take their frustrations out on each other many times. Such a hidden relationship was thrilling enough to be a reoccurring on and off one, but still it ended a while back in the bubbles.

Once Damara set her hand on top of his, disrupting his religious woes, Kurloz pulled his hand away. So easily, he ended up growling as he shook with anger. Trying to not lash out at her, he clenched his fists and slammed them down on the ground. Not bothering to look at Damara, he then gestured that he needed to smoke. Being handed a rolled joint, he then willed his stitches out, setting it to his lips as Damara lit it for him.

Unsettled at first from such an outburst, Damara kept her gaze set on him until determining he calmed down enough. Adjusting her position to be more laid-back, she looked away and whispered. "あんたは気が狂ってるのか？"

Catching some of that, Kurloz just let out a hum before taking another hit. Whether it was an affirming hum or not was unclear. They kept silent as he continued to smoke, up until he flicked the remainder off the ledge. Hearing Damara say his name, Kurloz kept his gaze averted. Her getting closer made him look over enough for her to see his glare. However, seeing her ready her hands to sign again made him actually turn towards her.

Signing to him, she said "I know important information." In response, Kurloz tilted his head, as if to say "what is it?", still seeming annoyed with her. "MEENAH is accompanying HORUSS."

Being given such displeasing information, Kurloz groaned and looked away. So that's what the others were doing to keep him away, having Meenah guarding Horuss everywhere he went. He already made sure to avoid Meulin out of suspicion the others were going to use her as bait to lure him out. While that idea pissed him off, this was far more irritating. Of course, it shouldn't be much of a surprise at all either. They were bound to stay close to Horuss after everything they've heard, especially now with this talk of involving him in a "game".

Though Kurloz seemed troubled by this information, Damara grabbed his attention again. "しかし、それだけではありません。"

With a huff, Kurloz looked back at her, giving a quick gesture with his hand to go "out with it".

"I overheard LATULA and MITUNA will hangout with HORUSS next." She signed.

Even though both pieces of information were useful, this one was especially important. Putting aside his frustration, Kurloz made sure to thank Damara for the heads-up. It was clear she was only telling him to see some sort of outcome. That bitch loved chaos, but she won't get anything obvious like she was hoping for. Not unless she followed his suggestion and found out what was done to Horuss to punish him. He wondered what her response would be if that ever does happen.

Chapter Text

Realizing he was getting messaged by Latula shortly after getting dressed, Horuss went ahead and read what was sent. When seeing she mentioned that Meenah said he was over at Cronus's hive, he had a moment of panic. Despite what he was fearing, the app did in fact show him that he was being messaged. Even if Kurloz still had access to his Trollian, if he saw the contents, then the notification wouldn't have gone off for Horuss. Heaving out a sigh, he then reassured her that he was about to head out before making sure to delete that conversation from their chatlogs.

When Horuss was outside, he unsurely headed over to the suggested direction of Latula's hive. Allegedly, there was a structure not far from it where they planned to skateboard at. She already planned on the group hanging out at her hive once they were done with skateboarding for the night. Once passing by the hillside, he saw Meenah waving for him to follow, with the other two being a short distance away.

Meenah explained that she didn't mind this outing, wanting to blow off some steam anyway, but gave a suggestion alongside this. From her barely hidden dislike over Mituna, she recommended he act as company for Horuss, who was obviously not interested in skateboarding anyway. Horuss was less than pleased over this. How dreadful, being stuck with the lowblood while the empress had fun with a different blue blood. It was probably for the best. Even if he wanted, he just wouldn't be able to match their enthusiastic energy. Especially not now.

With that in mind, the two were currently sitting in the field next to the structure, and Mituna was more than happy to show Horuss his other main hobby: Gaming. Video games weren't really Horuss's thing either, but he pretended to listen, though none of the partially gibberish blabbering stuck with him. It didn't take much of Mituna going "look look look!" to show off a strategy he used, or raging out when he lost a level, for the interaction to become more of a nuisance.

After a while of tuning him out, Horuss then realized the opportunity. This was Kurloz's moirail he was sitting next to. "Pardon me, Mituna. I was wondering if I could ask you about something regarding Kurloz."

"Huh? Wha?" Mituna said, not daring to pry his eyes from the screen at the current point, ending up mashing the buttons ferociously. He must have managed to reach the final boss of the level once again.

Recognizing the concentration and button mashing that happened right before Mituna eventually lost and raged out, Horuss became quiet. As he waited, Mituna let out a few noises as he reacted to what happened on the screen, ending up shouting a few unique profanities. Quite the load gapper on this lowblood.

Suddenly, Mituna let out an excited shout before it was taken over by his giddy laughter. "Fuck yeah! I did it! Did'ya see, Hor?" He asked, tilting the handheld console so Horuss could see the screen, just barely containing his glee.

Bothered by the nickname, Horuss cleared his throat. "Don't abbreviate my name like that." Getting a lisped "sorry" in return, Horuss looked away. "So.... About Kurloz...."

"Yeah, what's up?"

"I was wondering, um.... Overall, is there something that can help to soothe him?"

"Oh we toke practically all the time!" Mituna exclaimed, giving a bright smile.

That answer, though obvious, wouldn't do. "No, not that. I mean something perhaps more on a romantically intimate level, since you're each other's moirail."

From that, Mituna thought a bit, letting out a long "hmmm" as he was trying to remember before shrugging. "I dunno."

Horuss was taken aback from this. "You.... You don't know?"

"Uhhhh, well... There's toking, cuddling, er... playing games and... roughhiving." Mituna spoke a bit slowly as he was listing them out on his fingers, noticeably miscounting. He paused as he tried to figure out if there was more. "Our feelings jam seshes are more for... uh, for me!"

None of this information really jumped out at Horuss. It seemed fairly standard for the most part, though lacking in some areas. Maybe Kurloz was beyond anything typical, even in terms of pacification, and that's why he's... like that. "Thank you." He said, appearing more gloomy about his overall situation with Kurloz while Mituna just went back to his game unbothered.

-

Enough time had passed, to the point that the group headed over to Latula's hive, like they discussed. When there, the couple had Meenah join them in a multiplayer game in the main block. They tried to be friendly and offer Horuss a controller as well, but he refused it, ending up just observing the game. The lively outbursts and laughter from them was strangely unsettling to Horuss in a way he didn't want to think about. At least her highness was having fun.

As it gradually got lighter out, everyone went ahead and settled down, eventually drifting off to sleep. The couple went into the respiteblock, holding each other close as they laid in the recuperacoon together. Since they had hiveguests, they didn't want to be an inconvenience to the two by staying up as late as they usually did. There wasn't many options left for the guests there, with Meenah calling dibs on the couch without protest, leaving Horuss on the floor.

From the continued stillness of the day, Kurloz silently emerged from the block that he occupied a while before the others had arrived. Being a distance from where everyone else was, he was only able to make out the loudest voices there. Mituna, Latula, and Meenah. Not his Horuss. The thought that his beloved wasn't here was eating at him, as he waited all this time just for the chance to see him.

Near the end of the hallway, where it opened into the main block, Kurloz paused. He listened in, making sure nobody happened to be up and about before he peeked into the block. His gaze went to the couch, where Meenah was fast asleep. Right after, his eyes darted to the floor, seeing Horuss resting there. Delighted to see Horuss so open and vulnerable, Kurloz smiled for a moment, yet turned his attention away.

Knowing better, he went to make sure the assumed stillness wouldn't be disrupted by anyone other than himself. Heading over to the respiteblock, he got up close to the door, listening in. Usually, if they were still up, they'd be making comments to each other or laughing, even if they were trying to be quiet. Complete silence. Perfect.

Rather than getting to Horuss right away, when confirming everyone was peacefully sleeping, Kurloz scanned the area for Meenah's trident. She usually kept her original one out of her specibus, carrying that weapon around like an accessory. Spotting it beneath the couch, Kurloz crouched down and equipped it in his strife specibus, adding to his deck. Though Meenah had different variations, likely already stored under her own 2x3dentkind abstratus, taking her royal heirloom was sure to piss her off.

Making his way back to Horuss, Kurloz stared down at him. It was always nice watching him sleep. So blissfully unaware, even though he didn't have anything cruel and wicked planned this time around. While he missed the tender moments where they slept together, the current situation wouldn't allow for that. Plus, he came here to mutually fulfill their sexual needs. Straddling him, Kurloz couldn't help but think how gorgeous Horuss looked laying there, and how frightening him was becoming more and more irresistible.

With a hard slap being delivered to his face, Horuss jolted awake, finding his mouth suddenly covered with a harsh grip. Seeing Kurloz on top of him, Horuss immediately casted his fearful gaze to Meenah sleeping on the couch. She seemed to not have been bothered by the noise at all. His breathing quickened, seeming to amuse Kurloz, who felt every breath against his hand. Once Horuss looked at Kurloz again, he saw him bring a finger to his stitched lips, to tell him to remain quiet.

Knowing Horuss's fear would make him more willing to follow along, Kurloz removed his hand from his mouth, pleased that he didn't try to call for help. Getting off of him, he then grabbed his wrists, giving a gentle tug as he stood, suggesting for Horuss to follow him. Reluctantly, Horuss did just that. Being guided further away from his sleeping companions, he hoped for them to somehow sense something was off and wake up and do something. Anything to stop this without getting himself in trouble with Kurloz.

The block Kurloz brought Horuss to looked like a space Latula used to display her different boards on the wall. There were some posters hung up and gadgets strewn about as well. Some kind of additional chill space maybe, though it was somewhat small. No matter what this place was, it was currently reserved for the two of them to pail in.

Standing in the block where Kurloz was going to have his way with him, Horuss was trembling, yet managed to turn and face him. "I messaged you like you wanted." He whispered, as if reminding Kurloz to stay on his good side.

"I know." Kurloz signed before getting up close, giving a quick kiss to his cheek while undoing the belt of his pants, pulling them down alongside his briefs. This only made Horuss more tense. There was no way Kurloz was sticking his claws in his nook.

When Kurloz got on his knees, rubbing up and down Horuss's thighs, he tried to speak in a hushed tone. "Um, I really-" With the cool feeling of Kurloz's hands heading up again, going more inward, Horuss grew more panicked. "Don't put your claws in me!" He said more urgently, covering his mouth when realizing he didn't whisper that.

Kurloz stood back up, staring Horuss in the eyes for a while. He then leaned in and willed his stitches out, just to let out a hiss in his ear. Afterwards, he rested his head against Horuss's shoulder, wrapping his arms around him and running his hands up and down his back. Pausing to look at him again, Kurloz gave a little tug to the jacket's collar, staring at him expectantly. Once giving him more space, Horuss unsurely took his jacket off.

"lay down." Kurloz signed, with Horuss doing as he was told. Smiling, he got on top of him, with his bodysuit vanishing in an instant as he gave him several more kisses, now grinding against his sheath.

Despite Kurloz being affectionate this time around, Horuss was nervous past having been woken up in such a way. Cronus had taken a lot out of him the other night, and had insisted on "fooling off" a bit more before sending him on his way. He wasn't sure how much he had left in him after all of that. At least he didn't currently smell like Cronus, with Kurloz not being tipped off by anything so far.

Even with Horuss's expected noises and trembling, he seemed like he was fearing being punished. Sitting up, Kurloz looked down at him in pity. "no punishment." He signed, trying to convince him he was safe. Horuss nodded in response, yet looked away, still seeming to dread this.

Though he already planned on going easy with him, to show him he was being rewarded, Kurloz was annoyed over the idea of having to turn it down more. Not even teasing like he planned. Either way, his effort got that indigo bulge to unsheathe. To ease Horuss further, he leaned in and kissed him, pleased over the kiss being returned. As they made out, the bulge rubbed up against him, and he guided the tip to his nook, with it slipping in shortly after.

Kurloz tensed up, moaning in the kiss as the bulge worked its way in on its own. Wanting more, he pulled away to sit up and press against the bulge, making more enter. Though he wasn't as warm as his past partners, Horuss always felt so good in him. Deep within him. From Kurloz giving a quick wiggle of his hips, making sure to get every last bit inside, Horuss let out a whimper.

Now rolling his hips, letting the bulge slide out slightly before taking it in again, Kurloz hummed out. It was almost a shame how terrified he's made his partner. Even when guiding and placing those clammy hands to his hips as usual, it still seemed like Horuss was anticipating something awful to happen. Maybe he believed he was going to get trapped in the crypt again.

Once Kurloz pulled up Horuss's shirt, he found how he fidgeted beneath him amusing. It shouldn't be too surprising. Horuss was likely fretting that Kurloz will take out a knife, either to drag it along his body or to threaten to slice and stab at him with it. No need for any of that. Though, now it was getting tempting messing with him in some way.

While rocking his hips, Kurloz traced his hands up Horuss's musculature. He then flicked the sweat that got on him onto Horuss's face, letting out a laugh from the expression Horuss made when he flinched. Even with his playfulness, Kurloz wanted to display his gentle affection more, now laying against him and wrapping his arms around him as best he could. With this, he shifted his weight on top of him, humming out sweetly with his hips swaying side to side.

His sweet pony bitch- how Kurloz loved riding him. He loved it even more when his nook was being pounded by him. The last orgasm was its own special little death, a high he's never felt before, though he ended up needing to recover from it. The lingering pain and healing period was also interesting, albeit somewhat annoying. Sadly, it may be a while before he could feel that high again. He doubted Horuss wanted to rough him up much at all, judging by how he reacted over just seeing the bruises.

Sitting back up, Kurloz gave a few tugs on Horuss's shirt until he sat up with him. When holding Horuss close once more, he raised and lowered himself on the bulge, making sure to grind his own against Horuss's abs as he did. Despite this, his sweetheart still twitched beneath him, as if the closeness was unbearable. Kurloz grew irritated over that, yet ultimately decided to ignore it.

Ceasing his grinding, Kurloz took the pail from his inventory and set it down beside them. Intending to bring the both of them to orgasm, Kurloz started bouncing on the bulge, enjoying the sounds Horuss made. It didn't take long for Horuss's breaths to be withdrawn, with him letting out shaken moans alongside it. Because of this, Kurloz started to jerk himself off, making sure to get most of the bulge in him as he started to tense up.

Shortly after, he grabbed the bucket, making sure to avoid dirtying either of them when his purple genetic fluid shot out. Setting the bucket down when he was done, Kurloz then realized something was off. Observing Horuss, Kurloz determined that he was recovering his breath as usual after he emptied into him, or should have. If any of his fluid was in his nook, then it was hardly anything. Not enough to feel it. With a frustrated growl, Kurloz captchalogued the pail again and stood up.

What Horuss was dreading was now here. His shirt was grabbed, with Kurloz about to thrash him around like last time, yet Horuss managed to pull himself out of it after the first couple of tugs. Once the shirt was off, Kurloz tossed it aside before checking Horuss's upper torso, sinking his claws into him when he tried to get away at first. Ignoring Horuss's pathetic sniffling, he searched for the same evidence Cronus left last time. Nothing.

Irritated, Kurloz then went and yanked Horuss's boots off before aggressively removing his pants to spread his legs apart, getting a better look between his thighs. No leftover tinge of violet anywhere. That could just mean he had time to shower. Looking back up at Horuss only pissed him off further. He should be begging for mercy, instead he was keeping his silence while flinching over everything.

Getting behind Horuss, and harshly grabbing the back of his neck, Kurloz slammed his head to the floor. How he wished he was shoving Horuss's head underwater instead- the bitch deserved to drown for fucking a wader. Kurloz knew damn well nobody else wanted his freak ass. Letting go of Horuss, he then noticed the bruising on his rear. It was the type that would form from rings being involved in a spanking, though somewhat faded. Only one of their teammates had history of wearing rings. This stupid fucking whore.

Grabbing Horuss by the ponytail, Kurloz yanked hard enough for Horuss to sit up, though not without him letting out a yelp. The glare of Kurloz's turned into more of an intense stare as he waited for an explanation. Horuss gulped, yet couldn't get the words out when he tried.

Remembering a recent detail, Kurloz let go of him. In the other block, he hadn't seen the headgear anywhere. Horuss must have captchalogued it himself. "goggles. now." Kurloz signed the moment Horuss looked back at him fearfully. Upon holding out his hand, he was instantly given the goggles. As if the immediate obedience was going to help him.

Watching Kurloz put them on, looking through his messages, Horuss's more desperate and upsetting thoughts arose. This was the perfect opening to break some of Kurloz's bones and run and warn the others about Kurloz being here. No, he shouldn't be thinking about going against his code. Besides, he didn't know if Meenah was going to double-kill Kurloz or not. His attention returned to Kurloz after the goggles were thrown at him, ending up hitting the wall.

Seeing that stupid shocked expression on this motherfucker pissed Kurloz off more. Of course Horuss would try to misdirect in this way. He was smart enough for that even if he was too much of a slut to actually get away with it. All he needed to do was block the advances completely, and that's clearly not what happened here. He fucking wanted Cronus- he wanted him enough to pull shit like this. All this trouble to protect that lowlife. How Kurloz could kill him right now.

The usual imagery flooded his mind after that, causing him to jerk his head to the side, but he shut them out. What Kurloz really needed was for his bitch to know who he belonged to. With this, he equipped one of his knives. Horuss became more alert and stood, holding his hands up to deescalate. He couldn't supply any words, ending up stammering as he backed himself against the wall. Getting closer, Kurloz threateningly held the blade to Horuss's neck, just to pull it away to order him to sit down. As Horuss did, Kurloz went and inspected his legs again, with a different intention this time.

He eyed the thigh that didn't have his bitemark, visualizing where he was going to carve his name. Compared to where he planned on severing that same leg, there shouldn't be a problem, as there was plenty of space offered. With a grin, he pressed his claw against his skin first, lightly marking a "K" on him. Not enough to draw blood, but enough to leave a guideline. When Kurloz went to press the blade against him, Horuss spoke up.

"Don't...." He managed to utter out weakly. Because of this, Kurloz stopped, yet was now giving him an eerie look in response. Despite that unnerving him, Horuss noticed Kurloz's hands appeared unsteady. Maybe he didn't actually want this either and was playing it up to intimidate. It made sense, since the blade hardly touched him earlier. Testing his luck, he gently grabbed at the hand holding the weapon, guiding it upwards, away from his thigh.

Unlike what Horuss expected, Kurloz suddenly pushed against his light grip and closed the gap between them. The pain from the impact confused him for a moment, as the sensation didn't make sense at first. Upon remembering the knife Kurloz had, his gaze went downwards. Seeing the blade in his skin sent a chill through him, and the throbbing pain kicked in shortly after.

Hearing Horuss shriek, Kurloz snapped out of it to slap a hand over his mouth. Afterwards, he looked down as well. Though it was unintentional, as his momentary rage got the better of him, Kurloz couldn't help but feel elated over the injury. With Horuss attempting to stifle his sobs on his own, Kurloz eyed things a bit more. The blade was jabbed in the side at an angle, missing his peritoneum, so his organs should be fine. Still, his beloathed was giving him blood. He pulled the blade out, enthused over the amount leaking from the open wound.

Horuss couldn't stop trembling and letting out panicked noises as Kurloz's touch went to the wound, though it was repeats of gentle motions. His eyes were tightly shut during this, but hearing Kurloz laughing lowly made him swallow in a breath and finally open them. Shock erupted through him when he saw Kurloz sensually smearing the indigo blood on himself, with his purple bulge unsheathed again. Though he felt like screaming from such a sight, a more urgent sensation arose. He turned away, ending up vomiting on the floor.

From how weak Horuss currently was, especially after that, Kurloz easily moved him away from the mess before laying him down on his uninjured side. Seeing Horuss curl up and press his hands against the wound, having difficulty with his breathing, Kurloz sighed out lovingly. His bitch was definitely not going to like this next part. It's been a while since he had the privilege to sew up an injury.

Once Kurloz got up, he went over to the door and listened in at first. Not hearing anything out there, he made the space around them shift to a secret block of his and made his way back. Horuss was far too occupied in his agony to look at much of anything there anyway. The walls were decorated with his own purple blood he smeared on it during his private instances of atonement. In this block, he took a moment to kneel for a prayer, continuing to ignore Horuss's gasping sobs. Transferring some of the blood still wet on his torso to his palms, he pressed them against the wall in front of him, stamping the purple with indigo. Perfect.

He then set his focus to the box sitting there, opening it up. Even with the other tools stored within it, he currently only had use for the needle and thread there. The seam ripper could prove to be useful later, so he stored it in his sylladex. Nearing Horuss again, Kurloz got things ready. He wasn't going to do anything special regarding the stitches. Their species healed fairly quick regardless, so all that was needed was for the wound to be closed.

Seeing sudden imagery of him sticking his bulge into the open wound not only made his bulge writhe in excitement, but also made him grimace and shake his head. No, he must concentrate. Getting up close, Kurloz decided it was best to ease Horuss with his chucklevoodoo. Once Horuss's mind was taken over, his breathing slowed to a calm steady pace as his body relaxed.

Moving Horuss's hands out of the way, Kurloz then used a towel to wipe the blood from his own hands, dabbing at the surrounding area of the wound. Pinching part of the wound closed with one hand, he used the other to sink the needle into the skin and pull the thread through. During the process, he still had to pat away more blood. Despite his focus, he couldn't help but rub his bulge against Horuss's thigh. The trauma inflicted upon Horuss made him feverishly warm for his hue, driving Kurloz mad. As tempting as it may be, he tried to settle himself and work on the stitches.

Making use of this process, Kurloz spoke to Horuss. 'I produce tragedy upon your lips, sewin devotion into your skin. My love is the needle that penetrates your ruined vessel. I can’t help myself, watchin what I reduce you to.' He missed how intimate such a process was. Not only was he familiar with the pain of penetrating the skin with such an instrument, but also how the thread burned when pulled through. Though Horuss wasn't much conscious at the moment, just being aware of such sensations he was personally delivering to him was ecstasy.

'As foolish as I may be, I belong only to you. Ruin me as you see fit.' Horuss thought under Kurloz's influence.

Kurloz excited himself with that, pausing his work as a shiver overcame him, and cringing when reminded of his bulge. Once the moment passed, he continued, pushing the needle through again. He couldn't help but smile wide, he truly wanted nothing more than to harm and soothe his bitch, even if he didn't intend for this outcome specifically. 'My warmth is freezin to you, and my passion is terror. How fascinating, the differences. A motherfucker can't help but explore them.'

'Your touch and your kiss are blessings bestowed upon me.'

'You shall be burdened with fear each time you see me, yet melt into me the more you figure it out: I can’t help myself.' With this, Kurloz secured the final stitch in place, tying it off before patting away the remaining blood. Since he was done, he maneuvered Horuss to lay on his back before dropping his influence on him.

His mind hazy, Horuss let out a groan, and his attempt to get up was quickly stopped. Seeing it was Kurloz, naked with blue blood decorating his torso, who pinned him down, he grew fearful. It was easy to see the pain in his face over the wound he couldn't remember he had. Before he could ask anything about it, Kurloz pressed a finger to his lips.

Poor sweet Horuss, he looked as weak and pathetic as ever. Such an event left him practically drenched in sweat. Kurloz eyed the bloodied towel, giving a smug smile before proceeding to pat it against Horuss's face, adding to his discomfort. How Kurloz loved this. Leaning in, he planted a kiss on his trembling lips. Though he will have to leave once it started to get dark out, he will stay by Horuss's side for now to soothe, as always.

Chapter Text

Due to the trauma recently inflicted upon him, Horuss was easily withdrawn from the others. He already had to furiously scrub off the blood that stained his hands to hide the evidence in fear of what would happen if anyone saw it. Alongside this, the fact Kurloz both snuck in and out of the hive completely undetected, especially with what he did when there... It felt like everything was taunting him at this point.

The two soon departed from the rest of the small group, with Meenah taking Horuss to a meadow with her. It was a nice place, or memory of a place, but Horuss was too burdened by his misery to bother with taking in the scenery. He instead went over to the nearby forested area to sit down and reflect on everything with a deep sadness.

Meenah had already informed him about Aranea planning on seeing them later. Though he didn't turn it down, he knew he couldn't attend. Before Kurloz left, he made sure to instruct Horuss, letting him know that he must return to him a few hours after moonrise. It didn't need to be said that there would be dire consequences if he didn't follow along.

Given this, Horuss was uneasy on top of his distress, feeling like he should leave as soon as possible. The leadup of everything to this moment felt painfully long, like every passing second was testing Kurloz's patience. He peeked behind the tree he sat against, squinting over to where Meenah was. She was still out in the meadow, conveniently facing away from him while occupied with her phone. Now was the time to head over to where Kurloz told him to go.

With his departure, he kept telling himself that whatever Kurloz had planned was far less worse than what could happen if he didn't follow along. That thought had to be repeated as he headed off, with the distance between himself and Meenah, the one who intended to protect him, growing. Dreading any sort of additional punishment, he made sure to make frequent checks behind himself to confirm he wasn't being followed. At the very least, it wasn't too long of a journey.

Now staring at his own hive, Horuss filled with despair. It took a while before he gathered the courage to actually go forward and open the door. Once he did, he was immediately met with his hive invader displaying that same innocent and coy mannerism from the last time he did something horrible. Right then, realization struck Horuss. Kurloz got to Cronus. There was no doubt about it.

While pleased to see him, Kurloz quickly grew annoyed over Horuss still standing in the doorway. Going up to him and grabbing his wrist with a fierce grip, Kurloz yanked him inside. It was clear that he was impatient from how he didn't stop to let Horuss follow on his own, ending up dragging him down to the workshop.

Upon entering, Kurloz let go to continue with is plan as Horuss stopped in his tracks. There Cronus was, roughed up and bloody, looking up at him both helpless and confused. He was in a chair, with his arms tied behind the metal bar of a bench, and Kurloz was now sitting on his lap.

He waited to see what Horuss was going to do over this alone. Nothing. Before Horuss knew it, he was watching Kurloz forcefully kiss Cronus, with Cronus letting out muffled protests and trying to turn away to break out of it. From this, Kurloz bit at his lower lip, hard enough to draw blood, before sucking at the wound.

Finally, Horuss managed to at least say something. "Stop!"

With this, Kurloz stopped, letting go to look at Horuss. He stared blankly while Cronus was letting out curses, waiting for what Horuss actually had to say about this. Getting nothing once more, Kurloz faced Cronus again, spitting the mixture of blood and saliva onto his face before punching him. Noticing Horuss getting closer, he only partially looked at him this time.

Recalling the last time they were here, Horuss considered how easily Kurloz went down when he punched him. No matter how strong Kurloz was, Horuss was still stronger, even with his gloves. With this in mind, he equipped his modified destrengthening gloves. When nearing them, Kurloz stood and started to slowly back away, smiling as he did.

Though Horuss was already disturbed over Kurloz's current vibe alongside his actions, he wanted to make sure Cronus was okay. He wasn't able to last time. Strangely, Kurloz made it all too easy for him to get in front of Cronus to shield him. "Are you alright?" He whispered to Cronus, getting no response from him.

That must have upset Kurloz, who then equipped the knife that was still dirtied with indigo blood. So easily, Horuss grew uncertain on what he should do. One of Kurloz's usual freakouts was on the rise as well from that one expression he made before shaking his head. Him stabbing the knife into the wooden table beside him made Horuss jump, startled by the sudden motion and noise.

Humming out, Kurloz reached behind himself, unzipping his bodysuit. He undid it enough to slide his arms out of the sleeves and let the top portion hang down. Revealing his torso was still primarily stained blue from the incident hours ago unnerved Horuss further.

Kurloz went silent upon gripping the knife's handle before yanking the blade free from the wood. Wasting no time, he held an arm out and sliced across it, his purple blood quickly dripping from the cut. Horuss winced upon seeing this, but decided to do something after Kurloz cut again. He cut lower on his arm, suggesting he was going to go all the way down.

After the third cut, Horuss got close enough to grab the wrist with the knife and forced him to raise it. Before Kurloz could make an attempt to reach it with his other hand, Horuss grabbed that one as well to ensure he couldn't. Even with Kurloz fighting against the grip, he was unsuccessful.

Damn him. With this, Kurloz had to suppress the burning urge to hit Horuss's fresh injury. From what he had planned, he wanted that bulge to unsheathe without any slow-downs. Knowing what Horuss wanted, he decided to drop the weapon, letting it clatter against the floor. He then kicked it away himself, with it sliding out of range. Frustratingly, the grip on his wrists didn't let up, as Horuss was too hesitant to do anything else.

Relying on his chucklevoodoo, Kurloz made sure to heighten Horuss's fear, just enough to continue things. Feeling the grip weaken as Horuss tried to steady his now panicked breathing, Kurloz broke from the grasp to then hold Horuss close. He opened up his mouth and scraped his teeth against Horuss's cheek, threatening to bite down and scar up his face. Instead of pushing him away, Horuss just cowered and turned his head away. With this, Kurloz set his focus to his neck instead, making Horuss gasp sharply.

Cronus watched, confused on what was happening, and wondering why the hell Horuss wasn't doing anything to combat it compared to his earlier actions. All he knew was that he should keep quiet. Kurloz made sure to beat that into him when finally signing to him after all this time, just to say "shut up", when he originally tried to scream for help. That fucking clown even taunted him when he was left groaning in pain, cupping his ear while anticipating some sort of response, before giving a thumbs up when nothing was said.

Gripping Horuss's ponytail, Kurloz yanked to swing him around, with him stumbling before getting slammed against the wall. As Horuss's eyes darted over to Cronus, having forgotten he was there, he felt Kurloz grab his concealed bulge. Mortified, Horuss quietly pleaded. "Please, not in front of him." His repeats of "please", which grew more and more desperate, only fueled him.

Kurloz pulled his sweetheart away from the wall, ending up grabbing at his ass while resting his head on his shoulder, humming sweetly for him. With this, Horuss was frozen, dreading every passing moment. Kurloz's hands went up a bit, and he felt him loosely grab at the belt, letting his hands travel towards the front, to the buckle. Undoing the belt, Kurloz then pulled both the pants and briefs down, exposing that bulge with its gorgeous blue hue.

What ruined this perfect moment was Cronus yelling out "vwhat the fuck", and from Kurloz's expression, Horuss knew what was going to happen. Even then, he couldn't bring himself to move as Kurloz got up and went over to Cronus, punching him hard in the face to shut him up. Once returning, Kurloz happily got on his knees, now caressing Horuss's thighs. Smiling wide, he then wrapped a hand around the bulge, stroking it for a bit before his true intentions became known.

Suddenly, Kurloz firmly gripped the base of the bulge, ensuring it wouldn't resheathe from Horuss's fear on what's about to happen. Already shocked over the grip, Horuss felt weak when seeing Kurloz open up his mouth, ending up covering his own and adverting his gaze.

He couldn't possibly be doing this, right? Sure enough, Horuss felt the coolness of Kurloz's mouth, with his bulge coming in contact with teeth, even more-so as Kurloz wrapped his lips around it. His bulge already attempted to retract from this alone, with Horuss fidgeting, but Kurloz was determined to keep it at its current length.

Feeling his bulge getting sucked made Horuss timidly return his gaze, seeing Kurloz staring up at him longingly during this. As he took in more, deepthroating it, the thicker part of the bulge pressed more against his teeth, resulting in Horuss shaking. The additional stimulation from the mutilated tongue rubbing against the underside made Horuss more sick.

Monitoring Horuss's responses, Kurloz decided to tease biting into him, tensing his jaw against it enough to make Horuss uncover his mouth to let out a panicked yelp. His bulge made a more urgent attempt at re-sheathing, even just an inch, resulting in Horuss whining from the sensation of another failed attempt.

How amusing. With his free hand, Kurloz delivered a hard smack to Horuss's ass, making him gasp before covering his mouth again, casting a shameful look to Cronus as he was on the verge of tears. In response, Kurloz focused on sucking the tip, using the same hand to stroke the rest of his length. From how long Horuss was looking over at Cronus, Kurloz grew irritated, but only retaliated small, with him nibbling at the tip. Sure enough, Horuss tensed up and looked down at him.

The bulge easily slid out of his mouth this time compared to prior wriggling, with Kurloz ending up smiling at Horuss and playing innocent as he rubbed at the tip with his hand instead. There's those gorgeous indigo tears of his as well. What a nice sight, seeing those eyelashes flutter in attempt to blink the tears out.

Before proceeding with the blowjob itself, Kurloz went on to rub his lips against the underside, much like last time. From Kurloz doing the exact thing Horuss replicated for Cronus, Horuss shot a look over, hoping he couldn't see it from this angle. However, Kurloz delivering another teased bite to it brought Horuss's attention back once again, with him jolting alongside letting out a muffled shout. This time, his bulge throbbed from another failed attempt to re-sheathe, with Horuss's whining sounding more like a sob.

Kurloz chose to ignore him, taking the bulge in his mouth once more, doing as he did earlier. It didn't take long before he decided to mess with Horuss again, with him lightly applying pressure when dragging his teeth against the bulge as he went down to the tip. Such a sensation made Horuss tremble, letting out several muffled noises. The length being taken in again, with the same thing being repeated, proved to be too much for Horuss.

Uncovering his mouth, Horuss let out a soft cry. "Kurloz...." He said, sniffling. Kurloz must have decided he was done before Horuss could attempt to say "stop", allowing the bulge to slip out of his mouth before letting go of it.

Despite that, Horuss quickly found out that he wasn't going to be granted rest, getting yanked by the collar of his jacket. From his pants being down to his ankles, he tripped a bit as he was being pulled away from the wall, with Kurloz bringing him closer to Cronus.

His struggle came to an end from Kurloz throwing him to the floor, which only aggravated the stab wound, enough for him to let out a pained cry. Ignoring that, Kurloz proceeded to drag Horuss to position him right where he wanted. Realizing they were about to pail right in front of Cronus, Horuss finally broke down, starting to cry. His breathing got choppy as he unequipped his gloves to wipe away the tears.

This made Kurloz pause, yet his focus drifted to the bulge. It still appeared to be mostly pronounced despite the pain and distress. Kurloz seemed to have easily made his decision, with his clothes vanishing in an instant as he got on top of Horuss. The thought of Horuss's sorrowful cries turning into whiney moans was far more appealing compared to just soothing him. This is punishment, after all.

Selfishly, Kurloz guided the bulge to his nook, letting out a groan from it entering him. As he adjusted to the inches, he looked over his shoulder, back at Cronus. That violet blooded loser was repulsed over this and currently looking away, but Kurloz knew he was going to shamelessly watch once it progressed. With how much Horuss had looked over during it, Kurloz was already aware Cronus was watching a significant amount of the blowjob. It's no doubt that he will watch this.

Upon taking all of it in, a moan escaped Kurloz's lips, with him moving his hips in a nice slow and steady motion. So far, Horuss was just continuing his sobs. Ignoring that, Kurloz sensually ran his hands up his own body as he raised and lowered himself on the bulge. He was going to enjoy every second of this.

Wanting to monitor closer, Kurloz then opened up Horuss's jacket and pulled his shirt up. Stopping for a moment when seeing the stitched up wound, he fondly traced over it. The scar that will soon form there will definitely remain blue for a good while from how deep the damage was.

Continuing to pull the shirt up, he made sure to expose Horuss's juicy pecs. Gliding a hand between them before setting it against Horuss's pusher. Such a strong and frantic pulse. How Kurloz wished he could tear Horuss apart just for the opportunity to watch it go wild with every beat until finally hitting its last.

Still, Kurloz had a goal in mind, with him now picking up the pace. Ever so often, he would slow down to roll his hips before continuing the former motion. At this point, Horuss was choking back his tears, trying to stifle his noises behind his hand. This must have influenced Kurloz to take the bulge in deep before letting most of it exit to then take it all in again.

Though Horuss was making more pleasing sounds, once he bucked his hips from this stimulation, he let out a pained hiss from irritating his wound. This must have gained him some sympathy, with Kurloz taking most of the bulge in him again before rocking his hips. Sure enough, Horuss began to show the signs that he was getting closer and closer to climax, resulting in Kurloz stopping his motion.

The hand resting over Horuss's pusher trailed downwards, stopping at his waistline before dragging a claw across, hard enough for indigo blood to rise from it. Kurloz looked down at Horuss coldly during this, proceeding to move his hand back in position to monitor his pusher. He waited just a bit longer before re-starting the process, riding Horuss's bulge again.

-

Ensuring she had located a decent variety of literature that could help interest Horuss and uplift his currently troubled mood, Aranea finally made it over to Meenah. As usual, she announced her arrival, seeing her companion wave in response. Immediately, she made a comment about the different trident. "Have you gotten bored of your usual one already? It has been a while since I last saw you brandishing this version."

"Eh, I guess I misplaced my precious solid gold one. No biggie." Meenah said, speaking the last part through her teeth. She was still enraged over the loss of her royal heirloom, even though she had already vented her frustrations to the group she was with earlier. What's more puzzling is that it's just not like her to misplace something so precious and important to her.

"This is why we must store things as intended with the convenient features the game presented to us. On the plus side, we are in the bubbles, so it shouldn't be too difficult to come across another memory of it." After saying this, she started humming, both as she looked around, and as Meenah was griping about the unneeded commentary.

From Aranea looking around, Meenah scoffed. "Girl, you ignorin me or somefin? Ugh. Swear you'd be throwin a whale of a fit if I did the same to you."

"Not at all! I was actually wondering where Horuss is. You mentioned on the phone that he was sulking around somewhere nearby?" With this, there was an long instance of silence. From no reply, Aranea figured out what must have happened, her cheery mood instantly dropping. "Unbelievable!" She shouted. "How could you lose him? You were supposed to watch over things!"

"He's a damn void player." Meenah reminded her. "Maybe if you were by my side, we wouldn't have lost him."

"Do not try to pin this on me!" Aranea yelled, stomping her foot down.

"I'm not! I'm just saying."

"When did you last see him?" Without an immediate reply, Aranea got more infuriated. "When?"

"Er-... I'm actually not reely sure. He just kinda vanished I guess, or probs just wondered off."

"And you didn't bother to tell me?! Even when I was on the phone with you as I was heading over? Is that how long he has been gone, or has it been even longer than that?" Seeing Meenah just shrug in response, Aranea pinched the bridge of her nose. "Ugh.... You cannot be fucking serious."

Meenah looked away for a moment before trying to explain herself. "I thought 'bout lookin for him, but like-"

"Well if you didn't look for him, then did you at least call him and make sure he's okay?"

"Huh? He's got a phone? Since when?"

Disappointed in how little effort her dear friend is putting into something serious, Aranea sighed out. "Meenah, of course he has a phone! We all do."

"Well I ain't ever seen him with it."

"That's because he only uses it for calls. The buttons are small, so he was always worried about breaking it. Rufioh had to input our group's contact information for him, but that doesn't matter. Did you message him on Trollian then? He has access to that with his goggle's interface."

Meenah nodded along before dropping some more information. "Before you get more mad over the answer bein no: he wasn't wearin 'em last I saw him. Thought it was kinda weird, but idk."

Even with that information being presented, Aranea let out a groan, still upset over Meenah's carelessness. Keeping up her angry expression directed at Meenah, she then took out her phone and called Horuss.

Meenah shifted a bit during the wait. "What do we-" She paused for a moment when Aranea held a finger up, signifying "wait a moment", but decided to continue asking anyway. "-do if he doesn't pick up?" This only made Aranea hiss out a "shhhh" in response.

-

With Horuss squirming and whining beneath him as another climax faded, Kurloz laughed. Bringing his hand back to Horuss's midsection, stopping at the other two claw marks he left, he added a third one. Before he could continue their pailing, Horuss's phone started ringing.

A growl escaped Kurloz before he let the bulge exit to go and search the pants for that annoying device. Damn thing ruining the mood. He stood up and flipped open the phone, getting more irritated when seeing Aranea was trying to contact Horuss. Of course it's that bitch. She was likely to head over here soon enough from wherever she was. Not like it was difficult for her to figure out where they were.

Despising that greatly, Kurloz grabbed both ends of the phone and bent it against the hinge until the display snapped off. As if mocking him, the awful scrap still rang. Because of this, he threw it hard against the ground, with it breaking apart further, and rewarding him with silence. Turning back to Horuss, it was clear he was upset over this, with him now sitting up and staring at the remains. That shit was easily replaceable, so he better get over it and lay the fuck back down.

The wide-eyed frown casted Horuss's way made him nervously get back into position. Once Kurloz looked over at his tied captive, Cronus looked away, acting like he wasn't just glaring at him. At least that motherfucker ain't made a peep during this. Taking the pail from his inventory, Kurloz went back to Horuss, setting it to the side as he got back to it unbothered.

Shortly after re-inserting the bulge, Kurloz grabbed at Horuss's jacket as he started to bounce on it. His bitch was probably relieved to see the bucket after the prior denied orgasms, though he was foolishly unaware of what was planned after his sweet release. Apart from what was planned, the last time Horuss was presented with a bucket after being teased, he freely moaned and called out Kurloz's name. Now he covered his mouth in shame, no doubt because of Cronus being present.

Letting go of the jacket, Kurloz leaned in and wrapped his arms around Horuss, making sure to still have the bulge's inches sliding in and out while he moaned for him. Despite being nuzzled against Horuss, Kurloz couldn't help but peek over his shoulder at Cronus. It was easy to tell his attention was set to where all the action was, not even noticing Kurloz's stare. Motherfucker was probably wiggly between the legs from watching them, like the sick fuck he was.

Having enough of that, Kurloz sat back up. He began to stroke his length, now moving his hips just enough for the bulge to rub up against a sweet spot. From the former stimulation, it didn't take long before he needed the bucket. As he started to jolt, he brough the pail up to himself, emptying his purple genetic material into it. Despite letting Horuss's bulge exit again, he wasn't going to neglect it, ending up stroking it as well.

With this, Horuss kept up his attempt at quieting his noise, though his muffled moans had gotten noticeably louder. Soon enough, he tensed up and held his breath as his climax neared. Guiding the bulge was a bit difficult with how it attempted to wrap around his wrist near the end, but Kurloz managed, allowing Horuss to cum. The amount that he expelled this time was still not much, but that was expected. Concluding their pailing session, Kurloz set the bucket aside.

Horuss was still huffing out a bit as Kurloz had him get completely naked before positioning him to be on his hands and knees. Though unbothered for a short while with Kurloz leaving his side, he didn't forget the situation he was in. He turned his head to the side, seeing Cronus, and noticing he was looking over to the corner of the workshop Kurloz went to. Wait, why did Kurloz have him face away like this? That thought of his was easily cast aside when Cronus's eyes shot over to him before he struggled against the restraints.

"Horuss, behind you!" Cronus shouted.

From the urgency in his voice, Horuss instantly dropped the pose to turn and look at Kurloz. He lost his breath for a moment when he saw Kurloz setting the gas torch of his against a branding iron, moving the torch's flame along the entirety of the symbol there. Internally, his mind was screaming for him to do something, but externally, he froze in place. As if to mock this, Kurloz took his sweet time ensuring things were nice and ready as he got closer.

Though the contact will only last a few seconds, there was the possibility of Horuss freaking out and ruining the process. He already wasn't in the preferred pose from his panic. Not wanting to risk that, Kurloz took over his mind to keep him still and calm. With Horuss ready, he captchalogued the gas torch and kneeled down. Time to brand his bitch like a horse.

After grabbing Horuss's thigh to keep things steady, Kurloz pressed the iron to his skin. It was thrilling hearing the sound of his flesh sizzling with smoke rising from it. The influence was then dropped, disorienting Horuss for a moment before the burning pain drew his attention to his new injury.

It was easy to tell that Horuss was filled with horror as he saw the pale mark on his skin surrounded by a flush of blue. Kurloz's insignia, now permanently on his body. Once he looked at Kurloz, he was met with "pony bitch. mine." Kurloz mouthed these words alongside his signing to really get it across. Even with Horuss's alarm, the way Kurloz stared at him, showing his longing for him, let him know he should reply with "I'm yours". Before he could manage, Cronus fighting against the restraints again pulled Kurloz's attention away. That motherfucker's been too much of a nuisance.

Expecting what he witnessed last time, Horuss got confused when Kurloz dropped the branding iron to grab the pail. In shock, he watched as the contents of the bucket got dumped onto Cronus, dirtying him with their slurry. Afterwards, he began bashing the bucket against Cronus's head multiple times, with the metal denting from colliding with his horns. During this, Cronus blindly kicked at Kurloz, but it hardly did anything.

"Kurloz, stop!" Horuss finally shouted, his voice quavering. Though Kurloz stopped and stepped aside to look over at him, it didn't seem like he actually cared for what he had to say. Trying to appease, Horuss held his head low, showing submission as he spoke again. "I'm yours.... Please, stop. I'm yours."

Chapter Text

Hearing "I'm yours" from his freshly branded sweetheart, Kurloz was pleased, deciding to toss the warped bucket aside. Now smiling, he went over to Horuss. He kneeled down beside him, and gave a comforting rub down his trembling back before sighing out calmly. Taking in the events that transpired, he felt blessed by the messiahs themselves over such an opportunity. Knowing he must now conclude this ordeal, he left Horuss's side.

Intending to avoid any hassle for this next part, Kurloz took over Cronus's mind to then untie the ropes that bound him. It was ideal as well, since all of this must be erased from his mind. Not to spare him of what he witnessed, but to cover up his tracks. Besides, such intimate encounters were meant to be kept between him and Horuss only. No one else. To mess with Horuss further, Kurloz removed Cronus's ruined shirt before dropping it down in front of him.

This made Horuss lift up his head, just enough to see the shirt at first, before looking up at the two. He wasn't even acknowledged, with Kurloz already heading upstairs, bringing Cronus with him. Worried on what Kurloz was doing, Horuss tried to call out to him, only to get ignored. All that he was met with was the sound of the workshop door opening before slamming shut as they left.

Alone, Horuss stared down at the dirtied shirt, and his guilt overwhelmed him. He knew he was putting a target on Cronus's back, but still engaged in pailing with him, thinking he could evade the outcome. As a result, not only was Cronus beaten again, but he was forced to watch... Horuss couldn't hold it back anymore and started bawling loudly. Everything played over in his mind as his tears trailed down his face, dripping onto the shirt. What even was the intention of giving him the shirt? Was it meant to be some sort of awful keepsake of this night?

The continued stillness didn't ease him, even when he managed to calm down. Wiping the remaining tears from his face, he thought over what to do. This fresh injury made him unsure on if he could even stand, let alone go upstairs to check on things. He unfortunately wasn't close enough to any furniture to assist him either.

Before making an attempt to stand, Horuss chose to captchalogue the shirt, telling himself he'll wash it for Cronus. He got on his knees, instantly noticing the strange feeling in his burned side. It was almost like sore muscle beneath the hot throbbing pain that surrounded his damaged layers of skin. This sort of sensation made him reconsider his attempt. Sitting back down, he decided there wasn't much use in trying anyway. If anything, Kurloz wanted to see him struggle, and he wasn't going to supply such a scene for him.

What disrupted the silence of the workshop was the door opening again. Shortly after, Cronus was shoved, ended up tumbling down the stairs and landing in Horuss's view. Cronus was now clean, yet was still dripping wet from the rushed shower given to him. He was noticeably disoriented from the pain of both getting beaten and falling down the stairs. Though it didn't take long before he tried to get up, his body was shaking over just attempting to hold up its own weight.

Kurloz then made his way downstairs, now wearing his usual attire with his stitches in once again. He hardly paid any mind to Cronus struggling, and instead turned his attention to his beloved. Horuss was all that mattered to him, yet seeing Horuss could only focus on Cronus made his smile drop. How he hated being reminded of Horuss having eyes for someone else.

Once Cronus noticed Horuss, he was concerned, though still a bit confused. The one he's had the pleasure to pail with, completely naked on the floor with dried tears on his face, looking absolutely miserable. "Horuss?" When realizing there was a symbol burned into him, he grew more disturbed. "Oh my god- vwhat the fuck happened?!"

That question made Horuss shoot a suspicious glance Kurloz's way, rightfully suspecting he erased Cronus's memories. Before he could process how he felt over Cronus not remembering, Kurloz made his way over. Believing he was under threat of punishment over a simple look, he instantly lowered his head to show submission, as he did before. Despite what he feared, Kurloz just walked right past him.

Putting the final part of his plan into motion, Kurloz opened up his dark passageway. When the two looked at him, he gestured towards the darkness and gave a bow, a way to insist for them to enter. The candles within it lit up right after, as if to make it more inviting for its unwilling guests.

From the last time he was in there, Horuss was anxious over what Kurloz was plotting, even more with him going over to Cronus. Still, he knew he couldn't intervene. There was a momentary struggle from Cronus resisting and arguing before getting kneed in the gut. From this, Kurloz ended up dragging him across the floor. After dropping Cronus inside the crypt, Kurloz gave him a kick afterwards for the trouble.

That eerie stare going to Horuss next made him even more on edge. "It hurts." He blurted when Kurloz got near. Kurloz must have found that amusing with how he chuckled before simply getting down to his level to help him with standing. Being led to that horrible place, Horuss dreaded being trapped like last time. Things were probably going to get much worse for him now than ever before. He wasn't looking forward to future pailings either with this in mind. There was no way to say "no" to his terrifying and unforgiving partner.

Walking into the crypt with Horuss, Kurloz let the entrance disappear behind them. He intended on dumping Cronus off at a random point while keeping Horuss within this place as he recovered. This latest injury was one he especially wanted to heal up real nice. Didn't want Horuss to move around too much right now with that in mind. Because of this, Kurloz gave his sweetheart a quick kiss on the cheek before allowing him to sit down.

"I will return. stay here." Kurloz signed, with Horuss nodding.

-

Seeing Horuss's hive in view, Aranea was anxious. It wasn't difficult for her to seek out Horuss's consciousness, as it was lightwork considering her abilities. She originally figured that he wanted some solitude, and that's why he went to his hive without telling anyone. Even then, she didn't simplify the issue. Kurloz was still a danger to their team and especially to Horuss.

To Aranea's displeasure, despite their group's efforts to keep them apart, seeking out Kurloz's consciousness only proved that the two were together. She couldn't gather a direct impression from this distance, but controlling either of them would only worsen the situation. Both of their currently unpredictable and potentially explosive behaviors- yeesh. No thank you!

Having already gotten the okay, Meenah sprinted ahead. No matter what trident she had, she was going to put it to use. She didn't hide her excitement either, ending up showing off along the way, doing some flips on her way there. Picking up speed, she ended up striking the door open with a powerful kick. No better way to announce one's heroic arrival. Despite her energy and eagerness, it quickly dissipated, with her smile fading as she lowered her trident. She then exited the hive to let Aranea know what was up.

"Is something wrong?" Aranea called out. From how far away she was, she didn't quite hear Meenah's response. She just watched her point inside before dropping her hand down to her side, disappointed, as she spoke. While Aranea wasn't much of a runner, she managed to catch up to find out what the issue was.

"Nobody's here. It all just dream switched on me all the sudden." Meenah explained a second time.

Using her ability, Aranea tried to search for them, finding neither of them nearby. Her bitter expression made it obvious before she even said anything. "It seems as though Kurloz has taken Horuss into that crypt again."

"You mean we're in another dumb waitin game again? Where I can't do shit at all?"

"Unfortunately so."

"Dammit." Meenah mumbled, kicking at the ground and resting her trident on her shoulder. "Well, what are we gonna do now?"

"I suppose I have to inform the others that Horuss got taken again." Aranea responded, thinking things over for a moment. "You are still going to stay and help, even if neither of them are here."

With this, Meenah scoffed. She already didn't really like the idea of being stuck in these bubbles, feeling a lack of purpose within them. Their team just made the idea of an eternity of this dream-like existence even more insufferable. "Only if you don't force me to socialize with our group. None of that "let's have lil random barely organized get-togethers" bullshit. At all."

"That is perfectly fine! Honestly anything that keeps you present and out of your depression pit is preferred." Seeing the look in Meenah's eyes as she smiled from this, Aranea further clarified, annoyed. "So long as you remain in this bubble. Did you really think I would let you run off during something as serious as this? Perhaps I should I over-clarify everything. You know, so you don't have a chance to insert your own "interpretation" about what gets said."

"Chill out girl, I ain't even said anyfin."

"I can tell when you're thinking up something counter-intuitive." Aranea remarked. "Please, just consider the gravity of the situation. You always had something to say about Kurloz being capricious and whatnot, so you must at least understand the worry. Remember: Horuss ran away trying to escape Kurloz, or I suppose more specifically to escape the game Kurloz is forcing him to play. He couldn't even bring himself to say what happened as a result. Do you really want something happening to him on your conscious from bailing out instead of staying by our side to help him?"

Meenah let out a groan from having to hear all this. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. You done beratin me or what?"

"It depends. Are you going to stay by our side, or are you going to run off like you normally do?"

"Girl, I swear to god." Meenah said, only to see Aranea's angry pout in return, making her actually supply an answer. "I'm only gonna stay by your side, aight?"

"That's perfectly fine. Now," Aranea took out her phone, opening up the group chat. "time to deal with the difficult start of a bad situation once again."

-

In Kurloz's absence, Horuss stared down at where the symbol was. Though it was hard to make out now from the somewhat dim light offered by the candles, he didn't need to see it to know he absolutely hated it. The nickname Kurloz gave him wasn't... that bad, but he didn't like it either. Not with this. While he was still processing things from earlier, he at least had some quiet time to realize something he initially hadn't noticed.

With a sudden sense of unease growing in him, Horuss cast his gaze towards the dark, seeing the piercing eyes of his captor staring back at him. As Kurloz crept closer, entering the light again, Horuss remained sitting. There was nothing else he could do. It seemed as though Kurloz wasn't going to explain anything either, like the sudden absence of Cronus was self-explanatory. Bringing attention to it will just make Kurloz lash out, he figured.

"I assume you're going to keep me here again?" Horuss asked, his displeasure over the whole ordeal being apparent.

Rather than answering, Kurloz equipped a blanket with a strange design on it, spreading it out on the floor before them. He then sat on it, cross-legged. Leaning over, he patted a space in front of him, where he expected Horuss to join him.

Horuss was suspicious at first over if this was some sort of ritual being set up. This was a cultist he was saddled with, after all. At least Kurloz seemed patient this time around, calmly yet expectantly staring at him. With a sigh, Horuss decided to just get whatever it was over with, and maneuvered over to sit on the blanket. Changing from sitting with his legs to the side, he chose to sit on his knees. In response, Kurloz smiled before equipping a tray he prepared earlier, setting down a meal in front of him. Being presented with this, as if to apologize for the prior actions, Horuss was unimpressed.

From this resembling a picnic, Horuss made a comment about it. "Usually, such a presentation is meant for the outdoors."

"you're naked." Kurloz reminded him, plain and simple.

Horuss crossed his arms and let out an annoyed huff. Of course he was naked. Kurloz himself was the one that made him strip down in the first place in order to deliver this wound to him. Besides, if he wasn't so exposed, then the injury would be constantly irritated from his own clothing. The most he could wear regarding that was his shirt, but putting it on right now would feel too ridiculous. It probably would prompt a cheeky "still naked" response as well.

Picking up the fork, Kurloz decided to start Horuss off with some fruit, stabbing at some of the sweetest-looking ones on the plate. Raising it up, he brought it to Horuss's lips, only for him to turn his head away to refuse the offer.

"I'm not hungry." Horuss hissed out.

Aware Horuss was just being difficult, Kurloz tried to reassure him, setting the fork down to sign. "I allow you rest. eat now." With the glare not letting up, he considered that maybe Horuss thought something was done to the food. Picking the fork up again, Kurloz decided to will his stitches out to eat the fruit on it before setting it down again. This time, he had it positioned for Horuss to serve himself. "safe to eat."

This seemed to ease Horuss just a bit before he looked over at the glass of milk. There was no way he was going to trust any drink Kurloz offered to him after getting drugged. "I'm not drinking that." Kurloz just shrugged in response before storing it back in his sylladex on its own.

Settling down some more, Horuss went ahead and started to eat. Most of the plate had protein and vitamin rich foods to aid in the healing process. Such a meal was necessary after the back to back damage to his body. Kurloz simply observed during this, making sure he was eating well.

After a while, Horuss set the fork back down. Several things were bothering him, to the point of bringing something up. "I'm well aware of the fact that you can erase memories. There's some manipulation involved with your abilities, apart from arousing fear, isn't there?" Once Horuss asked this, Kurloz raised a brow. "Cronus had stopped trying to fight or resist despite being freed. He was still moving around, but I know you did something to him. You gave me his shirt to try and distract from that, didn't you?"

With this, Kurloz only let out a small laugh. The shirt was most certainly a gift, though it was one solely to upset him. He wasn't hiding his actions either, as Horuss was just too preoccupied with his own dismay to notice the obvious, at least at first.

Getting no real answer, Horuss decided to ask another question, adding onto it. "Can you tell me the extent of the manipulation you can do?"

Deciding to play along, Kurloz supplied a brief answer, signing "trance". Seeing that Horuss was confused, he figured it must have been a new sign to him, fingerspelling it afterwards.

"Interesting...." Horuss said, considering what this meant.

Rather than taking over the functionality of one's mind and body to control them, like Aranea could, Kurloz appeared to only alter their consciousness. The possibilities of this could still prove to be troubling. Manipulating how awake, alert, and aware a person was... Involving a trance state that seemed to override the memory of the former "awake" state. Kurloz must have wanted him to know how it worked for a reason.

From the topic at hand, the scene from hours ago invaded Horuss's mind once more, troubling him again. How he woke up in that strange bloodstained block, with his stitched up wound and Kurloz over him with his... indecency rubbing against him. That horrible memory was going to haunt him, he could feel it.

"What could have possibly caused you to stab me?" Horuss asked, his voice soft. Hardly able to maintain eye contact, he instead focused on Kurloz's hands, awaiting the answer.

"I stabbed you because I love you." Kurloz simplified, eager to disturb him.

As expected, the answer stunned Horuss for a moment, with him interpreting it the same as "just because". His hurt was accompanied with anger over this. While he felt the need to say something in hatred of Kurloz, he refrained. Instead, he just frowned. He wasn't sure if this freak could handle any sort of response that rejected his sick affection. The way Kurloz stared at him seemed crazed as well, as if itching for an excuse to beat him... None of this could possibly be love.

From Horuss keeping his silence, Kurloz glanced down at the plate. Though Horuss was almost finished eating what's there, it hasn't been touched at all since the conversation started. "all done?"

Horuss quietly replied with "yes, sir", so the tray, with what remained on it, got captchalogued. Kurloz then leaned over, ending up inching even closer after a pause. A finger was brought beneath Horuss's chin to make him look at him again before withdrawing to sign.

"was it delicious?" Kurloz asked.

"Yes...." Horuss trailed off, uncertain over his words from how Kurloz was staring at him. "I liked it. Did you um.... Did you happen to make the food yourself?"

Rather than answering, Kurloz signed. "tongue out. now."

Though confused, Horuss unsurely stuck his tongue out. He grew more untrusting with Kurloz telling him to close his eyes, but he did as he was told. Good boy.

Eager to shock Horuss, Kurloz got up close again and wrapped his lips around the tongue. He was barely able to suck on it from Horuss instantly realizing what was happening and pulling away. It's been a long time since having someone else's tongue actually in his mouth. Horuss always avoided it when they kissed no matter how passionate things got, understandably fretting his bite. Poor thing probably believed Kurloz was about to mutilate him the same as he did himself.

Horuss was currently looking at him like he was crazy, but Kurloz decided to brush it off before moving things along. A path opened up beside them, and Kurloz went ahead and helped Horuss once more, though it was more obvious now that Horuss detested it. He clearly didn't want to be trapped again, but this wasn't up to him.

At the very least, the journey was significantly shorter compared to the last time Horuss was guided in this crypt. It was just a small hallway that opened into what resembled Horuss's hive. Within this memory, Kurloz brought Horuss to his respiteblock before going up to the recuperacoon. Time won't matter to them much within this place, but Horuss would still need plenty of rest to recover. Sopor slime should work its magic despite what ails him.

Before Kurloz could make an attempt to assist here, Horuss spoke up, irritated. "I can manage by myself just fine, thank you." Kurloz gave a nod, yet remained close as Horuss climbed in.

Familiar with Kurloz actually leaving him alone during this, Horuss let himself relax and be taken over by the soothing properties of the slime. What disrupted his soon to be rest was the sound of Kurloz climbing in. His mild annoyance turned into disgust when seeing Kurloz was nude alongside him.

With this, Horuss sat up, disapproving of Kurloz's presence in his recuperacoon with a glare. The last thing he wanted was to be snuggled up against this menace, especially with the both of them naked. Despite his wishes, Kurloz instantly wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close. Horuss was tense, but Kurloz knew he would relax soon enough, ending up guiding him to lay with him.

Originally greatly bothered by this, Horuss was surprised from hearing Kurloz purring lightly. He was given a squeeze alongside this, further being shown affection. Such an instance must have been rare for Kurloz of all people to display. Though Horuss knew to be on-guard when it came to Kurloz, he figured he might as well take in this moment of peace after everything else. Apart from that, the sopor slime did its job well, helping the both of them drift off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Having woken up before Horuss, Kurloz cherished holding him in his arms so tenderly. The sopor slime helped to keep his malicious thoughts at bay, as intended. Staring at his beloved, he couldn't help but smile. Horuss was his and his alone. It was easy to feel content like this, but all good things had to come to an end.

Gradually waking up himself, Horuss noticed he was still held close by Kurloz. "Are you awake?" He whispered, with Kurloz letting out an affirmative hum. "I would like to get up." There was a pause before Kurloz let go of him, allowing for him to leave the recuperacoon. His leg didn't hurt too bad now, but still, he knew to not overdo anything.

Horuss had his little evening routines he did to help himself wake up, and Kurloz liked to observe this. Sluggishly, Kurloz peeked out of the opening to watch as Horuss took a towel and cleaned the slime off himself, grinning from the view of his bare body. Motherfucker was fine, sculpted like a warrior.

The scars that adorned his body were a lovely addition. Though Horuss wailed and screamed with each mark laid upon him, Kurloz was curious on how much Horuss could take before his body gave out. Such curiosity sparked excitement, but it's far too soon to bring a thing like that upon him.

When it came to the stretches, Horuss was a bit more hesitant, ending up focusing on his arms before cautiously testing out the rest. It must have still hurt, with him stopping from brief attempts. Kurloz noticing Horuss's limp when he tried to leave pushed him to exit the recuperacoon himself. The noise instantly grabbed Horuss's attention, and he nervously offered his towel to Kurloz.

Ignoring the offer, Kurloz instead got down on his knees to inspect the brand mark. He couldn't wait to see how it looked once it was fully healed. The damaged tissue was currently soft from the sopor slime. A thing like this would need to be covered.

Taking some bandages out of his inventory, Kurloz eyed things a bit more. Definitely an inconvenient size and area to bandage compared to past injuries, but that wasn't too big of an issue. The first thing he did was make Horuss step forward with the injured leg to make things easier.

He started off at the bottom of it, wrapping it up the leg close to the hip. Horuss was confused once Kurloz reached across the front to the opposite hip, bringing it behind the back to wrap around the closer hip. When he brought it down near the groin, with it going behind the thigh, he did another wrap-around the hips.

Stopping at the front of the thigh, Kurloz pressed two fingers there. He looked up at Horuss before pressing his fingers harder against it. Understanding Kurloz was trying to tell him to hold it there, Horuss did as he was suggested. Kurloz then brought tape up to it, securing things in place. Once finished, he delivered a kiss to where the now-covered injury was before staring back up at Horuss in a more loving matter.

"Thank you." Horuss murmured.

This made Kurloz smile. It's been a long time since Horuss last thanked him. Even with this, Kurloz ended up ruining the moment by reaching over to the other leg and stroking the familiar point. Horuss knew right away what it meant and pulled away, offended. He seemed like he was about ready to say something about it before Kurloz stood up.

Unsure on what Kurloz intended to do from this, Horuss froze up and shut his mouth. Unlike what he expected, Kurloz just grabbed the towel from his hand before using it to get the slime off himself. He carelessly tossed it over his shoulder afterwards, letting it fall to the floor. This alone bothered Horuss, but Kurloz addressing him took his attention away from it.

"get dressed. you have work to do."

"Work?" Horuss questioned, watching Kurloz equip his goggles, which appeared to have been destroyed. "Oh...." Once he was handed them, he briefly checked the condition of it. The metal was dented and the lenses were shattered, likely having been smashed in with Kurloz's juggling clubs in a fit of rage.

Though Horuss was saddened, he didn't forget about the implication of freedom with this exchange. The way he looked back at Kurloz must have made it obvious what he was about to ask. He was just instructed to fix it, with nothing else being said. With a huff, he stored it in his sylladex. Afterwards, he willed his usual outfit on and did a quick check to make sure the bandage job was still fine beneath it.

"Respectfully, I would need to see what I'm doing more clearly in order to-" Before he could finish his sentence, Kurloz handed him one of his original pairs of shades. Not having hope he was actually allowed to have them, Horuss explained they were modified. "Are you sure I'm allowed to have these? They have an interface in them, much like my goggles."

Kurloz just insisted, re-offering them to him. Though it was frustrating having to deal with the lack of his corrective lenses every other time they were alone, this time must have been a special case. Upon asking if he was allowed to contact others, Kurloz gave a dismissive wave of his hand before shooing him off. Right, he had a job to do.

-

In shared silence, Meulin and Damara smoked on the outskirts of the forest harboring the tree fort. It wasn't difficult to understand that Meulin was deeply hurt from everything that happened with Kurloz and Horuss. Even with trying to take the edge off, the thoughts centering the "game" couldn't leave her mind. How Horuss cried over the whole ordeal stung even more. She couldn't help but feel like a bad moirail from not taking things too seriously, primarily from dismissing Kurloz's behavior.

Seeing such a sad expression on Meulin for so long was really getting to Damara. Intending to spark conversation, she gave her a nudge. When Meulin looked up at her, Damara tried to ease her mind, aware of what was troubling her. "あなたのせいじゃないわ "

Meulin sighed out. "They both needed me, but I was focused on all the wrong things and gave the wrong advice. I should have mediated between the two when I was able to. I don't know what to do now. Kurloz won't talk to me and Horuss... I don't think he's able to talk to me."

With this, Damara scooted closer to Meulin and gave a pat to her back, ending up getting hugged by her right after. It didn't take long before Meulin was sobbing into her bosom. This display was strange to Damara, but she allowed it. Still with her joint, she took a drag.

"Please don't tell the others, but..." Meulin started with a sniffle, instantly grabbing Damara's attention again. Rather than her continuing, she started up crying again. Whatever it was must have been really upsetting. It might be a while before she could explain what was troubling her.

"彼は危険だ" Damara mumbled as she stubbed her joint, familiar with the fact Meulin wouldn't know what she said in a state like this. Poor girl stuck by Kurloz this entire time, seemingly doing whatever he suggested, judging by the scars from her claw gloves across his back. It's not like Damara wasn't familiar with a thing like that. She alone had carved religious symbols into his skin before, as he did for her.

In the midst of reminiscing on past sexual encounters, Damara then recalled how Kurloz told her to strip Horuss to find out what this "game" he was playing entailed. Maybe he was scarring up Horuss the same way with this "game", but it would be juvenile to think of it as a game with that in mind. Kurloz had a strange fascination with their religion, especially when it came to receiving and giving pain. Horuss would definitely be unwilling to participate, being as anxious and stubborn as he was. Still, the likelihood bothered her.

When Damara pulled away, Meulin got the hint and exited the hug, now wiping the tears from her eyes. The moment she looked back at Damara, she decided to just ask her. "あの2人付き合ってる？ "

"Sorry, I don't understand." Meulin said weakly.

Damara let out a groan before deciding to sign. "are KURLOZ and HORUSS lovers?"

While this would otherwise cause Meulin to let out a squeal and indulge in shipping and gossipy topics, she was too heartbroken for it. Besides, this was something the couple clearly wanted to be kept secret "... Why do you ask?"

This response was met with an eye roll, as if it was obvious, though Damara still didn't know for sure. The only thing she knew was that Kurloz was messing with Rufioh not long before the breakup. It was entirely plausible that Kurloz was meddling to take Horuss for himself after stringing Rufioh along. Rufioh likely couldn't take the relationship anymore either, with the guilt being the final push to end things.

From the eye roll turning into a prolonged stare, Meulin got anxious and tried to excuse whatever Damara caught on. "Kurloz was set on playing a game with Horuss and I couldn't figure out the right way to help either of them, so it got too intense."

Maybe indulging in some gossip will get an answer from her. "KURLOZ and RUFIOH fucked." Damara signed.

This made Meulin's eyes widen, and she tried to hide her giggle right after. "MOG. They did?!" However, once her giddiness turned into concern, she let it slip. "Wait, oh no! Did Rufioh cheat or did Kurloz?"

With this, Damara let out a laugh. "あの夫婦は相性が悪い。" She jeered.

"Which couple? Oh-" Realizing she had implied Kurloz and Horuss were together, and that prompted Damara's response, Meulin got quiet. She thought over what she should admit before speaking in a hushed tone. "They were set on their relationship being clawdestine. I didn't know the extent of it, or even what quadrant they officially fell under... It made for some unfurtunate misunderstandings."

Damara just nodded, but couldn't help but feel bitter. All that commotion for something as meaningless as this? Not to mention, going after Horuss. It still didn't make sense, and she absolutely hated the idea of the two together. Especially because it wasn't some meaningless fling like he had with Rufioh. Trying to get more information from Meulin, Damara brought up what she almost said earlier. "don't tell them what?" She signed.

From already making a significant slip-up, Meulin was reluctant on supplying what deeply upset her. Though she worried deeply for Horuss and what Kurloz could be doing to him, she figured that revealing anything could make for a more troubling situation. "Um, it's nothing!" She said, deciding to make up something believable on the spot because of the look Damara gave her. "I just try so hard to remain pawsitive despite what happens, and all of this has been making it really difficult!"

"そうなの？" Damara muttered, clearly not buying that this was what Meulin was about to reveal to her. Everyone could tell that Meulin was upset. She only tried to play up that everything was alright when near the rest of the team. Alone, and within the company of someone close, she crumbled.

-

Hearing the door to the workshop opening, Horuss heaved out a sigh and paused his work. Being away from Kurloz made him greatly on edge, fretting what he could possibly be planning or doing when out of sight. He already believed he was being tested with the shades, deciding to ignore all messages he received. Upon catching a glimpse of Kurloz, he quickly adverted his gaze, embarrassed. Kurloz was wearing such thin undergarments, no doubt to try and entice him.

Realizing this meant Kurloz was likely barefoot, Horuss looked up to double-check, about to bring up the safety concern. Seeing Kurloz was now turned around and eyeing the tools on the wall mount, he hesitated, especially when Kurloz stored the hack saw from it in his sylladex.

Horuss cleared his throat and finally addressed him. "Is there something specific you're looking for?"

From messing around in the workshop, prior to the events that left Horuss branded, Kurloz already had the tools and material he needed. He wanted to do something special in a way that Horuss was more likely to participate in compared to other methods. Once he turned around, Horuss then spotted the stencil on the left side of his chest.

"I have a new job for you." Kurloz signed, getting up close to Horuss.

"And that job would be?" Horuss asked, suspicious of Kurloz's plans.

Rather than answering, Kurloz eyed the goggles on the bench for a moment before grabbing them and throwing them aside. The tools that were beside to it were the next to go, with him swiping them off the work bench.

Though tense at first, Horuss let out a frustrated huff. "I was almost done with those." He muttered, watching as Kurloz got onto the table with that one smile of his. It seemed as though the clown was in one of his strange playful moods, which were still troubling, but less detrimental. Kurloz beckoned for him to come close, with him going along with it.

The miracle modus flashed about, with Kurloz equipping a pair of locking pliers and two small strips of metal. He demonstrated that one fit the length of part of the stencil before stating the smaller one was to be used for the rest of the details. Not fully understanding this, Horuss gave Kurloz a nervous look.

Kurloz just carried on, sliding the longer piece of metal between the jaws of the pliers, locking it in place with a click when squeezing the handles together. It was already adjusted for smaller objects prior to this, making this process relatively quick. He handed it to Horuss, who remained unsure on what was wanted from him.

Once the sylladex opened again, Kurloz took out the gas torch from last time. Since it was no longer frozen in time within his inventory, it hissed out, with the flame still lit. Horuss's hands began to tremble, enough for Kurloz to grab his wrist to hold things steady as he brought the flame up to the metal.

After a while of working the flame along the strip, Kurloz eyed Horuss. From him appearing fearful, it was doubtful he would be too willing. Kurloz set the gas torch back in his inventory for now, aware Horuss will need more time. Keeping his grip on Horuss's wrist, Kurloz pressed the side of his own wrist against the heated metal, with his flesh sizzling and his hand twitching a bit from the burning sensation. He pulled his wrist away for a moment before adding another burn beneath the fresh one.

Trying to ease Horuss, Kurloz signed "all good", yet made sure to show off his fresh injuries surrounded by a flush of purple. This only made Horuss more unsettled.

"I-I can't- I can't just-" Horuss stuttered out, ultimately incapable of finishing his sentence. Because of this, he just repeated. "I can't."

"I command you." Kurloz signed. As he figured, Horuss showed disobedience, refusing to carry this out. For that, Horuss was slapped across the face, hard enough that his shades got knocked off.

Looking defeated, Horuss went over and picked up his shades, putting them on before facing Kurloz again. Hearing his growling, Horuss knew he had no choice. He let out a sigh before saying "okay", agreeing to go through with it. Kurloz made sure to guide him through the process, explaining how long he should heat up the metal and how long to press the metal to the skin.

The gas torch was equipped again, now with it being set aside as to not be in the way. With the pliers still in his hand, Horuss went ahead and ran the metal across the flame, telling himself to just think of this as working on a project rather than what it actually was. Kurloz seemed pleased with Horuss looking more steady and focused, ending up being more laid-back himself.

This first strip was only needed for two points before needing to be switched out for the rest of it. The stencil had twin serpents climbing their respective poles, with some additional details on the sides, though it was all in a simplistic style. It must have had something to do with Kurloz's religion, making this more important to him.

Setting it against Kurloz's pec, Horuss couldn't help but feel queasy over his flesh sizzling and the fact that he was the one causing it. Despite this, he made sure to follow the instructions well, and burned the other point the same. Kurloz didn't seem to react much to the pain, which made this process strangely more bearable to carry out.

When switching out the metal strips, Horuss could tell Kurloz was staring intensely at him, but tried his best at avoiding eye contact. With the rest of the design, he was going to need to run the metal over the flame more frequently. He also needed to focus more now, as he had to go along the curves of the serpents, that were thankfully only made up of a single line each.

Carefully, Horuss went over the design, operating as though he wasn't scorching the flesh of a fellow troll. At a certain point, Kurloz disrupted his flow, letting out what might have been a groan. It sounded similar to that, at least. Maybe the pain was finally getting to him. Horuss paused for a moment, with Kurloz still making the same noise.

"Are you alright?" He asked, with Kurloz nodding. "I'm almost done."

Horuss tried his best to ignore it so he could focus on finishing. The details on the sides were few and also very simple, so he didn't have much to do once he finished the second snake. Despite being reassured that Horuss was getting close to finishing, Kurloz seemed irritated. It didn't take long before he suddenly moved, getting on Horuss's nerves.

"Don't move around when I'm-" Horuss began to shout, stopping himself when seeing that Kurloz had pulled down his thong just enough to free his fully erect bulge. "Oh...." Flustered, he instantly looked away, deciding to go ahead and heat up the metal again to finish the task at hand. He must have been too laser-focused to notice a thing like that before Kurloz made it obvious.

Exactly like he didn't want, Horuss could feel himself getting more sweaty as he continued. Kurloz, of course, had to make things more difficult for him. In his peripheral, he could tell Kurloz was touching himself, even before he was actively jerking himself off. The noise of that alongside Kurloz moaning especially got to Horuss, easily making him feel hot and bothered. He must have been blue in the face during the remainder of the process.

Trying to contain himself after going over the last portion, Horuss decided to turn off the gas torch before captchaloguing it himself. Best to keep a thing like this out of Kurloz's hands anyway. Seeing that he grabbed Kurloz's attention with that, Horuss then set the tool down next to him. "I'm done."

Kurloz looked down at the damaged skin, fondly tracing over the majority of it. With this, he signed "good job" before bringing a hand up to Horuss's face. Though Horuss looked conflicted, he knew what was expected of him, and leaned in and kissed him. As Kurloz returned the kiss, he brought Horuss's hand to his nook.

Exactly like Kurloz wanted, Horuss followed the suggestion and began to finger him. Even with following through, he was noticeably being overly cautious, as well as hesitating further from the purple bulge wrapping against his wrist. It didn't take long after he inserted the second finger for Kurloz to get antsy. He knew damn well Horuss's bulge was nice and pronounced, and he so desperately needed it in him.

Kurloz bit Horuss's lip, not being as tender as last time, causing him to pull away. As Horuss stared, a bit shocked, Kurloz mouthed "fuck me" alongside signing it. This caused Horuss to nervously withdraw from Kurloz completely to then undo his belt. From that big blue bulge being displayed to him, Kurloz hopped off the bench. He then turned around, sliding the thong off, before spreading his legs apart as he rested his upper body against the work bench.

Figuring Horuss would grow more uncertain from this position suggesting that he takes charge, Kurloz looked over his shoulder at him. He swayed his hips as well, gently urging for Horuss to get on with it. Because of this, Horuss gave in and guided his bulge to Kurloz's nook. Once it was in, with it pushing further on its own, Horuss lightly rocked his hips to allow for Kurloz to adjust before letting more enter.

It was always so euphoric getting fucked after making his partners mark him up. To be branded by Horuss's hand after branding him as well- what a lovely intimate exchange. Speaking of intimate, Horuss pressed up against Kurloz, putting his hands on his hips. As usual, Horuss started off slow and cautious with his thrusts.

He must have kept that gentleness up for too long, judging by how Kurloz glared over his shoulder at him. It's not like he would be able to sign to him in this position to get what he wanted across. Guessing that Kurloz wanted him to pick up the pace, he thrusted faster, with Kurloz settling down before moaning again. Admittedly, it was a bit difficult to keep this up, with the soreness in his leg getting to him. He couldn't help but feel embarrassed over the pained noises he let out alongside his own moans.

With his speed faltering, Horuss just decided to focus on power instead, thrusting harder into Kurloz. Thankfully, Kurloz seemed to have liked this change, moaning louder from it. Still worried over hurting his partner with his strength, Horuss monitored things. The fact he left such dark bruises on Kurloz last time still bothered him greatly, even though Kurloz seemed to enjoy it... How he wished he wasn't at the mercy of this mentally disturbed troll.

Though the thrusts weren't as fast now, the indigo's strength did its job well. It felt so damn good. If only Horuss was more willing to really make it sting. Perhaps the current pain of strike-branding will suffice for now. The recovery of that will be interesting, especially when healing alongside his sweetheart.

Now jerking himself off, Kurloz gradually tensed up, nearing his climax already. It didn't take long before he hit his orgasm either, with his body jolting as he ejaculated onto the floor. Horuss was likely close himself, judging by how he huffed out while thrusting into Kurloz. Regardless, Kurloz loved the sensation of Horuss continuing as his nook pulsed against his bulge.

After a few more thrusts, Horuss emptied into him. As they both recollected themselves, Horuss quietly spoke. "Kurloz...." He breathed out, with Kurloz looking back at him, awaiting for what he wanted to say.

Despite this, Horuss ended up choking back his words, ultimately choosing to not say anything. Having anticipated for something sweet to be said to him, Kurloz was disappointed. Instead, Horuss just exited and turned away from him. It was no doubt there was a lot on his mind. Being commanded to cause harm, and carrying it out, was probably eating at him on top of that.

Going up to Horuss, Kurloz hugged him and let out a sympathetic hum. They stood there for a good few seconds, still and quiet. Kurloz must have remembered about the other injury on Horuss, as he let his hands travel up beneath his jacket and shirt. He ran his fingers over the stitches as he considered what to do. They could probably be taken out now, depending on how quickly he healed.

Once his touch left, Horuss nervously turned towards him, ending up getting guided to and pressed up against the desk. Shortly after, Kurloz undid his jacket and opened it up. Pulling up the shirt, he had Horuss hold it up for him as he examined the stitched up wound.

Setting his hands beside the injury, he tested to see if the skin will pull apart and re-open the wound. Thankfully, it stayed together. With a smile, Kurloz equipped the seam ripper, bringing it to the stitches. Horuss trembled beneath him, far too skittish to even watch as the threads got cut with the tool so close to his skin. The strings being pulled out from the penetrated skin must have been a painful or sickening feeling for Horuss, judging by how he clenched his hand resting against the bench hard enough to dent the metal.

Finished, Kurloz first gave a kiss to the fresh scar tissue before brushing his thumb against it, showing he was all done. With this, Horuss let out the breath he was holding, relieved. He glanced down at the area himself before fixing his shirt. About to button up his jacket, Horuss stopped to look at Kurloz. It was difficult to not think about how Kurloz said he stabbed him out of his love for him.

"Could you, um...." Horuss started, with Kurloz perking up. "I would like to know- Sorry, um, I'm not sure how to say this. I suppose I want to appease you in order to ward off your worse tendencies. Does that make sense? I'm not sure if it d-" He said, with Kurloz ending up pressing a finger against his lips, smiling wide. Already, he felt like he was going to regret this.

It's funny that he thinks that's how this works. Might as well play into it to see what all he will do. "you sure?" Kurloz asked, his smile not letting up.

"Yes...." Horuss trailed off, unsure on how to add to it in a favorable way for Kurloz. "We are partners, after all."

That made Kurloz chuckle before then signing "rub your bulge against my wounds."

While giving the wounds to him was already something Horuss would otherwise never do, a thing like this being added on top of it was unthinkable. Horuss gulped and nodded, letting out a gasp from Kurloz instantly rubbing against his sheath, eager to get that bulge ready again for him to carry this out.

Chapter Text

Enough time had passed that the symbols burned into the two of them were now healed, with Kurloz being far more enthusiastic about it than Horuss. Their bodies bare, Kurloz caressed Horuss's thigh and ass while nuzzled up against him. Feeling the change in texture between regular skin and scar tissue on Horuss filled him with bliss. With a finger, he then traced alongside the symbol itself before giving a kiss to Horuss's cheek.

It wasn't difficult to notice Horuss had a harder time looking at him now more than ever. The main contributor being all the things he was making Horuss do. He constantly looked like he was in trouble or had done something deeply wrong despite his obedience. Maybe it was the guilt of causing multiple instances of harm, even with it being requested and never resulted in anything too serious. Regardless, he seemed to look at Kurloz's hands more than his face now, as if anticipating commands from him.

Exiting the embrace, Kurloz sat up, staring down at Horuss. His partner would otherwise at least look his way, but just remained laying there, detached from the world around him. That behavior would need to change. Kurloz was in the mood for some fun.

Getting shoved, Horuss easily snapped out of it, now sitting up and setting his focus to Kurloz. Watching the word "stockings" get signed to him, Horuss let out a sigh and got into them. Kurloz seemed to like the way they looked on him, trailing his hands up his legs. Pausing, he checked to see if it covered the brand mark, smiling over it remaining fully exposed. Perfect.

With those nervous glances up, Kurloz could tell Horuss was wondering what was next without asking. He often needed some private time alone to recover emotionally, regardless on if there were remaining marks left on Kurloz or not. Before anything actually started between them, the space around them switched to Kurloz's respiteblock. The reason why was revealed from Kurloz going through his drawers, pulling out some rope alongside the blindfold this time. He stored the blindfold in his sylladex for now before going back up to Horuss.

After instructing Horuss to stand, Kurloz brought the rope beneath his chest. The material of it was soft against Horuss's skin, making him wonder what exactly it was. Kurloz wasn't being rough either, with whatever he was doing. The rope was then knotted before getting brought across the chest again, higher this time, and knotted once more in the back. With it going over the shoulder to the front, it went to the lower rope with a twist before being brought over to the other shoulder.

Once Kurloz tightened it in the back this time, giving it a bit more of a tug, the part that accentuated Horuss's pecs ended up making them appear to bulge out. This alone made Horuss start to sweat, even though Kurloz currently couldn't see it right now. It didn't seem to be done either, with his arms being brought behind his back and the rope getting wrapped around his wrists. This remained somewhat loose before Kurloz went through it more before giving a few finishing tugs to secure it more in place.

It's been a while since Kurloz did shibari on someone, but he remembered it well. Damara taught him most of what he currently knows, and they practiced on each other plenty of times. Going up to face Horuss again, he couldn't help but chuckle at the view of his pecs, even more at how much he seemed embarrassed by it. Kurloz took this as an opportunity to give them a squeeze, with Horuss letting out what seemed to be a disapproving whine.

Carrying on, Kurloz signed "suck", pressing his middle and ring finger to Horuss's lips. The claws on those fingers were recently clipped with the intention to finger Horuss, who was now gently sucking on them. The sensation of his tongue brushing against the tips of his fingers felt nice, and he ended up deciding to rub them against the tongue more intimately. Doing this grossed Horuss out, just like it always did.

With the fingers leaving his mouth, Horuss tried his best to not tense up from what was coming up next. One finger entered his nook, with him shivering from initial penetration. It seems he was already wet down there at least, but fairly tight. Stimulation could help him relax a bit. Using that finger, Kurloz rubbed against the front wall, aiming to hit a sweet spot as Horuss was letting out faint moans. Kurloz inserted the other finger along with it, keeping the motion up. No doubt that bulge will unsheathe soon.

"Kurloz," Horuss whispered, looking like he was dreading what was coming up next, or at least what the reaction to it will be. Last time they tried something like this, his muscles worked against him, making penetration out of the question. His body just wouldn't allow it from how fearful he was of his partner, and he really didn't want Kurloz to get angry. "I love you."

This made Kurloz stop and shoot a look at him, as if he was suspicious on what made him say that. He withdrew to sign "repeat", with Horuss saying "I love you" a second time, albeit with some hesitation. Despite his initial response, Kurloz then smiled happily. How he ached for Horuss to tell him this. He knew that Horuss denying feeling any love for him earlier was just denial.

"you will ride my bulge." Kurloz explained. With that, he set his hands on Horuss's shoulders to push down until he got on his knees. Afterwards, he took both the blindfold and gag from his inventory. "understand?" He added, with Horuss nodding.

First, his shades got taken away, with his eyes then getting covered. Next, the bit gag was brought to his mouth, but Horuss turned away to speak before he wouldn't be able to. "Be good to me." He said, fearful enough that Kurloz brushed his hand over his cheek to ease him. From this, Horuss faced him again, allowing for the bit gag to be put in his mouth and for the straps to be fastened.

Still fearing what this will lead to, especially with this purple blood's aggression, Horuss considered what he could do to keep his mind off of his fear. Kurloz was now beneath him, grabbing at his hips and adjusting his position just a bit. He was sweating a lot now, growing more tense. There was something he could try though, if he really wanted to.

From the ability granted with his void aspect, he could channel his focus to vividly see whoever and whatever he wanted. It felt wrong and dishonest, but... In place of Kurloz, Horuss managed to picture Cronus. Feeling the cooler bulge brush up against his nook, Horuss jolted, remaining overly anxious about this. However, he considered what Cronus would say to him as his thigh was getting rubbed in a soothing way. Something like "easy there, ponyboy." A shiver overcame him for a moment.

Settling down a bit, Horuss could tell he was granted a pause before another go. When he seemed ready, the bulge was pressed to his entrance, with it managing to slide its way in right afterwards. During his last intimate encounter with Cronus, Horuss ended up in this position with him during one of their rounds. It shouldn't be too difficult to recreate for him.

Starting off, Horuss was a bit stiff as he tried to do what Kurloz typically did when adjusting to the length. He was still somewhat tight despite accepting the bulge this time around. At least he was actually rocking his hips while taking in most of it. Kurloz enjoyed the sight of Horuss riding his bulge for once as well, even if the motion was slow. He couldn't wait to pound that nook and fill it with his genetic fluid.

Lacking confidence with how he was performing, Horuss tried to motivate himself to do better, for "Cronus". He was serving royalty, so he should be doing better to satisfy. It's all he's good for. Thinking such a thing made him a bit flustered, with him starting to sweat again. As if to encourage Horuss, a spank was delivered to him right after. This caused him to let out a muffled moan, which earned him several more spanks.

Trying his best to please, Horuss raised and lowered himself on the bulge at a faster pace, yet not without his moans sounding more whiny. Kurloz smirked at this, deciding to let Horuss continue for a bit longer before he officially took over. He seemed to take some inspiration from Kurloz with his hip movements, rolling them a bit before going back to his standard motion.

Despite the bit gag in his mouth, Horuss soon tried to say something. Perhaps he was trying to make a request. He must have realized he wasn't very coherent, with him deciding to just resume his motion for a while longer. Eventually, he stopped and tried to speak again. It was needy enough this time around that Kurloz got the gist of it. As a result, there was an abrupt change in position, with Kurloz shoving Horuss down to the floor. This caused Horuss to let out a confused groan, not sounding very happy with the action. Ignoring that, Kurloz re-inserted his bulge.

Without holding back, Kurloz pounded Horuss's nook exactly like he wanted to. His moans were easily drowned out from Horuss's own. Bitch sure was loud when he wasn't constantly covering his mouth himself. He was gradually tensing up from the roughness as well, soon impacting Kurloz's speed. From this stimulation, Horuss tried to beg for something. While Kurloz couldn't quite make it out from the bit gag, it was familiar enough. His bitch wanted to cum, but he's not allowed to yet.

With his own goal in mind, Kurloz was slamming into Horuss. It felt so good, so right, and he had wanted to do this for so long. Knowing that Cronus made Horuss bottom not only pissed him off, but also made him envious. Only he could satisfy his beloved. Horuss was his- all of him. Kurloz was going to leave his mark all over this motherfucker just to prove it. His mind, body, and soul.

After a few more thrusts, Kurloz hit his orgasm, emptying his genetic fluid into Horuss's nook. As he was regaining his breath, he was content over this round. His bitch's insides were now coated with the right shade of purple. None of that repulsive violet will ever come close to this indigo's anatomy ever again. He'll do anything to make sure of it.

Concluding this portion of pailing, Kurloz assisted Horuss with sitting up before undoing the rope for him and storing it in his sylladex. He got to work on undoing the straps of the bit gag and removing it, with the blindfold coming off next. From Horuss looking shocked the moment they made eye contact before quickly adverting his gaze, Kurloz was confused at first. Poor thing probably just got spooked over accidentally looking him directly in the eyes for once.

Dismissing that, Kurloz stood and took the pail from his inventory, letting it clatter to the ground in front of Horuss. Though Kurloz shrugged off that response, Horuss was still tense. The vision in his head being so realistic and clear had managed to convince him that he was actually pailing with Cronus... How he wished that was his actual reality. He's been so scared here and with Kurloz that he never even checked his Trollian to make sure Cronus was okay. Trying to ignore that, Horuss just positioned himself over the bucket like he needed to, wanting things to just be done with.

During this process, Kurloz got up behind him and wrapped his arms around him, monitoring. Looks like Horuss was having some trouble releasing. Familiar with a specific solution, Kurloz trailed his hand downwards. He inserted his fingers into Horuss's nook once more, now massaging his walls to help the flow. This must have gotten to Horuss, judging by the noises he made, repulsed from the sensation of genetic material dripping out of his nook. The addition of fingers probably didn't help.

Once things were done there, Kurloz withdrew from him, now getting in front of him. He then snapped his fingers, with Horuss anxiously looking up at him, or more up at his hands. "cum for me."

With this, Horuss eyed the bucket as Kurloz went behind him again. It seems as though Kurloz wanted their combined slurry in the pail together. Maybe that's why he didn't help him achieve his orgasm earlier. He hasn't exactly pleased himself in front of Kurloz before though, making him all the more uneasy about such an act, but he had to provide. It might help if he focused on Cronus again.

Before Horuss could bring forth anything, Kurloz disrupted him by holding him in a headlock, proceeding to choke him from behind. To remind Horuss on what he should be doing, Kurloz hissed in his ear. Complying, Horuss started to stroke his length. The pressure against his throat didn't restrict his breathing too much at first, but as things progressed, the pressure increased, to the point his moans were strained.

Hearing Horuss putting more effort into exhaling, Kurloz eased up just a bit, figuring he was getting close. Though pushing the limits was an entertaining idea, he wanted Horuss to have his sweet release. Sure enough, Horuss got more and more jittery, ending up ejaculating shortly after.

As Horuss was huffing out, Kurloz let go of him and glanced down at the pail. While a good amount of indigo made it in, some of it left a mess on the floor. To let Horuss know he did a good job, Kurloz gave a pat to his back before going ahead and storing the bucket in his inventory. Before Horuss could think he was done, Kurloz wanted to test something.

"focus. change this block back to yours." He signed. Though it was Kurloz's domain, it was still perfectly malleable memory within the bubbles. His void aspect could help him as well to bring forth his memories stronger. If Horuss was able to shift the memory back to his hive, that chest that he refused to unlock could prove useful. Since it was originally Kurloz's own recollection of Horuss's hive, the chest would be empty, from him not being familiar of its contents. It was something Horuss tried to keep hidden, but with all he was doing for him currently, there was no doubt he'll unlock it this time.

Not knowing what this will lead up to, Horuss nodded, ready to try what Kurloz told him to do.

-

"Damara told you?" Rufioh shouted, looking around them despite the two of them being alone in Meulin's hive. He felt overly exposed from this alone alongside fretting things will circulate around. All the potential rumors that would spread from that especially made him queasy. Is this seriously why Meulin insisted on hanging out with him for the past few nights?

Appearing overly cheery this time around, Meulin inquired more about the relationship. "I was very curious on what could have sparked something between you two! Is it red or black? Oh! Or did it not really lead anywhere? Mog! Was it purely a love affair? There's just so much different content to consider!" She said before letting out an excited squeal.

"Does anyone else know?" He asked, looking as anxious as ever.

"I'm pretty sure it's just me and Damara. Soooo?"

"Alright. Listen- I mean... uh, doll, I get that being a matchmaker is your main deal, but..." Rufioh started, yet had difficulty finding his words. Seeing Meulin dropped her smile, he managed to get on with it, rubbing the back of his neck as continued. "Aren't you worried about... y'know?"

Meulin sighed out. It's been getting harder and harder trying to distract from it. "I can't stop thinking about them. Neither of them have been responding to my messages."

"Yeah... I haven't gotten anything back from Horuss either, heh..."

The two were silent for a while, with both taking a few sips of the tea Meulin prepared. The lack of conversation caused Meulin to bring up shipping again. "I know I've asked a few times after your breakup, but are you sure you're not interested in filling any of your quadrants? I can help figure out the most compatible partners. We're friends! I want to help you out!"

Rufioh cringed over Meulin starting up with this again. "Uh, yeah... I'm still not really ready to get out there like that..." She didn't seem to really understand that this isn't how to deal with something as serious as this. Besides, keeping the secret they shared was eating at him. "I think we should tell the others about the messages."

Meulin blinked, yet decided to play dumb to evade actually addressing it. "I'm sure the others also haven't been receiving any messages from the two either."

This conversation was becoming more and more unbearable, even though it barely started. Meulin clearly didn't want to bring up the real issue and Rufioh didn't really want to either. It's not like he wasn't worried over Horuss, but he felt like he was making a huge mistake not doing anything. Rufioh put his head in his hands, thinking things over more. He should be doing more to help his former matesprit, yet all he managed to do was withhold what he knew. Maybe he only insisted for Meulin to see the messages in hopes that she would tell the others instead. She must be dealing with a similar struggle internally, yet one that made her even more stubborn than him for whatever reason.

Remembering that he's seen an injury on Horuss, later finding out Kurloz caused it, Rufioh felt even more sick with guilt. Horuss never really let him see the full injury, and got all the more defensive about it after being trapped the first time. The messages were proof that Kurloz was punishing Horuss while he couldn't even bring himself to say Kurloz did anything to him. Would telling the others only get him in trouble with Kurloz? There has to be something to it, something they could do.

If Rufioh kept quiet about it, then that would only allow for Kurloz to continue to harm Horuss, wouldn't it? Shit, this was awful. He couldn't begin to imagine what was happening between them during their extended time alone together. Not to mention how violent Kurloz was becoming without even hiding it, from how he attacked Cronus. That had to do with the game, but it didn't make sense. Aranea likely had the same suspicion on that being oddly targeted despite Cronus denying knowing why it happened or how it's connected to the game. He probably knew something too.

Looking at Meulin, Rufioh waited for her to be done taking another sip of tea before speaking again. "So uh... you know how Cronus said he didn't know anything about the game? Maybe he does know something... Like us."

A soft sigh escaped Meulin's lips, and she appeared gloomy again. "I have a bad feeling about telling the others anything."

With this, Rufioh's composure weakened even more. "Oh, right... It's probably too dangerous to involve ourselves... Hey, maybe if we go straight to Aranea with this, we wouldn't have to worry about any of that!"

Meulin shook her head. "That's not what I'm worried about. I'm not sure if I could tell anyone."

"I don't think I could keep quiet anymore... But I don't know what to do, or uh... Where to start, I guess." Rufioh said, hoping Meulin would at least say something to push him to do what he otherwise couldn't.

Meulin thought things over before replying, encouraging Rufioh. "Maybe it's pawsible Cronus does know something."

Still, Rufioh was hesitant, but took a deep breath in before letting it out. "I'll call him."

-

What a good bitch Horuss was. Nice and compliant. Not only did he manage to alter the memory around them to his hive, but he unlocked the chest. There were a few machines within it, no doubt sexual, but Kurloz was more interesting in one thing in particular. Apparently Horuss wasn't very secretive about it, as people caught enough glances of it for word to go around. Of course, Kurloz had to exploit Horuss's obedience, ordering him to put it to use.

Their species had a rather flexible nook, regarding the significant size differences within the stages of adulthood. It seems Horuss liked to abuse that fact with this particular toy of his. He must have thought it would be undignified to take it up the ass, despite taking it to begin with. Watching as he twitched and gasped from the wide tip sliding in was entertaining, even more with him slowly working it deep in him while making such sweet noises. It must have been a while since he last stretched his insides like this, judging by his groans and shaken breaths.

While the length of it wasn't too intense, the toy was fairly girthy. The details of the shaft added additional stimulation with it rubbing against his walls, especially the ring. Managing to take it all in, he let out a cuss as his legs twitched beneath him. Though it was just a glimpse, Horuss looked up at him. It was as if that tired and pathetic expression was begging for it to be over.

Kurloz was sitting in the computer chair, resting his legs on the desk as he stared over at Horuss. Seeing him stop to give such a pitiful look made him drop his legs to turn the chair more towards him. His purple bulge was unsheathed, and he signed for Horuss to continue before wrapping a hand around it, proceeding to jerk himself off.

Carrying out what Kurloz wanted, Horuss leaned back and placed his hands on the floor as he raised and lowered himself on the silicon shaft. This change allowed for a clearer view of the action for Kurloz. He was well-aware of the noises he was letting out, yet did his best to refrain from stifling them. It was to Kurloz's liking, after all. None of this was for himself. Only Kurloz. So long as that purple blood was satisfied, everything was going to be okay for him.

With Kurloz now getting up from the chair, Horuss slowed his pace and closed his eyes, anticipating getting dirtied by him. Like he expected, his face and torso got decorated with Kurloz's purple genetic fluid. Glad this was over with, Horuss let out a sigh of relief. He then had the length of the phallus slide out of him, ending up flinching and gasping over the wide tip exiting. A moment was reserved to recover, but when he heard the familiar hum of a particular hand-held machine, he shuddered.

Horuss turned to see Kurloz inspecting the alien vibrator, flipping through the speed settings as if trying to pick a favorite to put to use. The was no doubt that he was going to use that on him, which he couldn't handle. Not now. "I would like to have a break." Horuss sheepishly spoke up before Kurloz could suggest anything.

The vibrator got turned off, with Kurloz staring at him for an uncomfortably long time before signing "sure" and storing it in his sylladex. Nothing seemed to be too much this time around at least. Usually, Horuss would be on the brink of tears before requesting a break, ending up crying when granted some time alone. Or at least how "alone" he could be here, with Kurloz always monitoring, even through the door. For now, they should take a shower.

Chapter Text

Not really confident on what he intended to do, getting more and more anxious, Rufioh paced around Meulin's hive as he waited for Cronus to pick up. He kept telling himself that he just needed to figure out if Cronus knew anything. That shouldn't be too bad. After that, maybe figure out how to tell Aranea. Keeping something like this a secret, when it contextualized things better, would no doubt make her infuriated. He wasn't really sure on actually going through with anything, but tried to pull through despite that. When hearing the call got answered, he stopped in his tracks.

"Vwhat are you calling me about?" Cronus grumbled on the other end.

The tone in Cronus's voice made Rufioh lose a bit of his composure. He figured Cronus probably didn't want anything to do with this at all. "Hey, uh... It's been a while since I saw you around... You're probably busy doing your own thing, huh?"

"Eh, I havwen't really been doing much of anything. Apart from vworking on some slam poetry. I'vwe been digging into my hurt feelings on a certain somebody lately. Do you get hovw much rejection absolutely stings? You vwould think you got something good going on, and then all the sudden, you end up alone. Typical."

From Cronus going on like this, going on some sort of tangent, Rufioh ended up talking over him at first to get a word out. "That's cool, uh... So, I was actually wondering something... Do you... Uh, do you know anything about the game?"

Though Cronus stopped to listen to Rufioh's question, he was greatly displeased upon hearing it. "Ugh, not this again. Fess up, Aranea told you to interrogate me for her, didn't she? For some reason, she said I vwas a great displeasure to talk to last time. Can you believwe that?"

"It's nothing like that, nah... I'm just-... Man, I'm really worried about Horuss."

"Vwhy are you vworried, chief?" Cronus asked, confusing Rufioh.

"Uh... Did you not read the group's recent chat log?"

Getting defensive, Cronus retorted. "Hey, pal. I vwas all sorts of messed up vwhen I got the notifications, alright?"

"Right, sorry... Hold on, what do you mean "messed up"?" Rufioh asked, getting a sigh on the other end.

"Nevwer mind, I'll go read it nowv."

Trying not to waste time, Rufioh explained the situation right away. "Kurloz took Horuss again."

This caused Cronus to let out a groan. "Great. So I got my ass beat and Horuss is gone."

"What?! Did you and Kurloz fight again?" Rufioh exclaimed.

"I don't remember anything, so don't bother trying to bombard me vwith a million questions about it."

"I'm not trying to... Honest."

"Shut up for a minute." Cronus muttered.

While he didn't understand what was going on with Cronus, Rufioh stopped talking. He ended up pacing around some more to try and pass the time. Despite that, the continued silence only caused him to blurt out what was troubling his mind. "Kurloz is hurting Horuss with this game- punishments and all... Do you know anything about that?" Just getting a "huh?" in response, Rufioh continued. "I saw an injury on him that Kurloz caused a while back... I'm worried sick about him. Uh... If you don't know anything, that's fine, but-"

"I sawv the scars on Horuss's back." Cronus said, mumbling something else out right after.

"On his back?" Rufioh asked. Though it hurt to think about it, he needed to know the specifics. "... What did they look like?"

"Kind of like long lines ovwerlapping each other. He tried to hide it too. I figured he didn't vwant to talk about it either, so..."

It must have been the lashes. "Kurloz did that to him. I saw the messages he sent Horuss... That was one of the punishments."

"Oh, vwowv..."

"I haven't really told anyone yet..." Rufioh confessed. "I don't know what to do. Horuss seemed scared and angry, and... Shit, the way he cried about it too." From Cronus getting quiet, he wasn't sure if he was still there or if he heard what was said. "Hello?"

Cronus sighed out, deciding to end the conversation. "You should tell Aranea. Thanks for the call, man." With that, he hung up.

"Wait, but-... Damn." Being done with the call, Rufioh looked over at Meulin. From his pacing and generally facing away from her, he doubted she picked up on much of anything. She looked up at him once he returned to the table and sat down.

"Are you hungry? I can fix something up to eat." Meulin offered. From Rufioh staring down at his phone and mumbling, she knocked on the table.

Realizing she couldn't read his lips, Rufioh looked up at her. "Oh, sorry. Uh, yeah... That sounds nice."

"Okey-Dokie! I'll go and make us some sweets." She cheered, heading to the meal block.

As she was busy, Rufioh opened up Trollian on his phone, trying to figure out the best way to tell Aranea all the information he knew. It was easy to type something up before deleting it all and being stuck at the start again. He wasn't sure if this was something he should tell her in-person or not. Either way, she wasn't going to be happy over him not telling her... Text should be fine.

-

Not long after their shower together, Kurloz brought Horuss to one of the main blocks of the hive memory. Once again, Kurloz sat upon furniture while completely nude. That careless behavior was starting to get on Horuss's nerves. First the computer chair, now the couch. There, Kurloz pointed to the ground in front of him, instructing Horuss to sit there. When he did, Kurloz leaned forward and took something out of his sylladex, bringing it around his neck to fasten it in the back. Afterwards, something connected to the front with a click, with Horuss realizing what it was when a light tug was given to it. He just got collared and leashed, like a pet.

Seeing that flustered look on Horuss's face made Kurloz chuckle. It suited the motherfucker well, and he knew it. Even then, Kurloz had to turn away, making a face as he did. He was so pleased, yet his thoughts were relentless, as if it was his calling. Fate guiding harm. He couldn't escape it. Trying to snuff out these thoughts, Kurloz equipped a bag with a few rolled joints within it, setting the rest of them down on the couch as he lit one up.

Watching Kurloz smoke, Horuss sighed out. There was a pattern of Kurloz either smoking or drinking nearly constantly now, sometimes both. He couldn't help but wonder if going along with whatever Kurloz wanted only fueled the flames, with this being his way of trying to calm himself.

Kurloz ended having a coughing fit and took out a faygo. Once he downed some of it to alleviate his throat, he just continued smoking, drinking more casually alongside it. Upon finishing the joint, he stubbed it out on the armrest of the couch. With a smirk, he watched as Horuss struggled to keep reserved over the fancy furniture getting ruined. It was just a meaningless memory, but Horuss didn't see it that way.

Messing with him further, Kurloz signed "don't spit" and set the bottle of faygo to his lips before tilting it up. Knowing he couldn't reject it, Horuss opened up. He managed to handle the sickeningly sweet taste better without it being spiked, though he still detested it. Because of this, Kurloz tried to make him finish the rest of the malt liquor, despite him clearly not wanting it and gagging.

Horuss ended up turning away, with soda dripping down his face and neck. Kurloz stopped for a moment before just deliberately pouring the remainder onto the floor beside him. This intentional mess no doubt irritated Horuss further. When done, Kurloz playfully bonked the empty bottle against Horuss's head. Him carelessly tossing it in a random direction afterwards to discard it got on his nerves further.

"This is my hive memory, not yours." Horuss muttered angrily, wanting to add "don't treat it as such", but Kurloz already cupped his ear in that stupid mocking matter, insisting he speak up. Not wanting to play into that, Horuss just turned his head away and let out a huff.

Of course, Kurloz didn't leave him be, giving a few tugs to the leash to make him look his way again. When he did, he was handed a joint, with Kurloz gesturing for him to put it up to his lips. Whether this was a suggested command or a joke "chillax, motherfucker" response was unclear. Despite his scowl, Horuss went along with it at first.

Kurloz flicked the lighter on, about to bring it up to the joint to light it up. Having an attitude, and generally not wanting to smoke, Horuss decided to remove it from his lips to drop it into the puddle of soda. The joint getting ruined instantly pissed Kurloz off. In retaliation, he jabbed the heated metal of the lighter against the exposed part of Horuss's neck, causing him to let out a yelp and pull away.

From the escalation, Horuss unsurely held his head low afterwards, hoping to be forgiven. Kurloz clearly wasn't having it with this display. There was a harsh tug upwards on the leash, ending up making the collar scrape against the burn he just got. He let out a hiss as he was forced to look up, which resulted in him getting slapped across the face. It was difficult to figure out what to do in this situation, with his feelings teetering black and Kurloz losing his temper over such a small thing.

Not quite done, Kurloz let go of the leash to deliver a kick to Horuss's chest, making him smack against the floor. Even though Horuss was being handled this way, he went back to Kurloz once he got up. The leash was then grabbed again, with him receiving a pat on the head, signifying "good boy".

Despite Horuss being a "good boy", however, Kurloz had something unreasonable he wanted him to do. A self-inflicted punishment. He motioned for him to back up, signing to him when he did. "you know what I want now?" Kurloz asked, with Horuss shaking his head. With this, he equipped the usual knife before dropping it down in front of him. "I want you to cut yourself."

Horuss felt a pit in his stomach over this. "What if- What if I can't?"

Kurloz just tightened his grip on the leash. He was itching to beat Horuss, but him harming himself would be far more amusing. If he could carry it out. Besides, his bitch was supposed to be doing whatever he wanted. Just like they agreed.

Wanting to evade Kurloz's wrath, Horuss picked up the knife and eyed his wrist, only to get squeamish over the sight of his veins. If he was overly cautious of his strength, then he wouldn't be capable of doing "enough", but if he happened to under-estimate his strength... From his hesitation, Kurloz got up from the couch.

Though Horuss grew even more fearful, Kurloz simply kneeled down and delivered a kiss to his forehead as he guided Horuss to move the knife to his thigh. Alongside this, he pulled the stocking down to make sure he got the suggestion across to Horuss. After that, he went back to the couch, observing again.

Looking at the exposed portion of his thigh, Horuss figured this would be "safer" to cut, feeling strangely grateful for Kurloz showing him this as an option. Even with this, Horuss was reluctant. Never in his life or afterlife had he ever considered harming himself. Most of his worst episodes he's had resulted in him giving into his past addiction to violence, but that was when he was younger with more explosive anger.

Trying to get things over with, Horuss held the knife more firmly, setting the blade against his thigh. It's better to accidentally cut too light, if anything. He held his breath as he applied a small amount of pressure and dragged it across. As expected, it was only enough to sting just a bit, without very visible damage. His first few attempts at pressing harder failed, only recreating the same result. Before continuing, he granted himself a pause to steady his breathing.

Pushing forward, he managed to apply enough pressure this time. He winced from the temporary pain and watched as beads of his blue blood formed from the cut he made. Without looking up, he could tell that Kurloz was staring intently, and he knew he had to make more. At least the level of pain was pretty low, and in a way it felt like a release. He did have a lot of stress burdening him, after all.

Carrying out what he had to, Horuss tried his best to not think much about it. His partner wanted this, so he had to provide. It will prevent Kurloz's more violent tendencies. At least that's what he was trying to convince himself, even though things were noticeably getting more intense. Kurloz's love was dangerous, and it was easy to feed into what was making him worse off.

After a few more cuts, he glanced up at Kurloz, who seemed to anticipate more. Unsure on what the stopping point was, he figured the stocking had to do with it. Maybe he had to cut down the length of the exposed thigh. That was unfortunately a fairly large canvas, considering how small the cuts were in comparison.

Kurloz watched as he continued cutting himself, thrilled from the sight alone. Some of the cuts leaked that gorgeous blood, to the point that he ended up having to cut over it, reviving the small flow and making it travel further down. Such a thing was exciting him, and he thought over what he could do to those fresh cuts of his. He pictured dripping hot wax onto them as Horuss flinched and whined from the pain. Being wet from this alone, he rubbed at his sheath to encourage his bulge to come out. The warm bliss of intoxication added to it.

This didn't go unnoticed, with Horuss stopping to see the motion more clearly, ending up perspiring from the sight. It shouldn't be surprising that something like this would make Kurloz aroused, but Horuss felt strange about it. Such a thing spurred a mix of emotions in him that he didn't like.

What interrupted his confusing emotions was him remembering how Kurloz made him rub his bulge against fresh wounds. How Kurloz groaned and hissed out during that process while having Horuss continue made him even more sick over the idea that Kurloz was going to do the same to him. He wasn't sure if he could handle something like that.

From the prolonged pause, Kurloz signed "you all done?"

Unable to tell if Kurloz was satisfied or disappointed, Horuss couldn't come up with a reply. Kurloz didn't seem to mind this, assuming he did all he was able to. This was something Horuss would otherwise never do, so might as well take what he could manage. Besides, he was doing for Kurloz what he had done for no other troll before, which was such a beautiful act of love. His blood flowed for him. It was his to have.

A shiver went through Kurloz, and he decided he wanted his bitch to know what he truly craved. These measly lines across the skin hardly produced the result he truly wanted. Going up to Horuss, he completely removed the stocking he initially pulled down. After that, he just tossed it aside. Taking the knife from Horuss, he set the blade against his thigh, intending to go down rather than across. Grabbing lower on that thigh to keep him steady, Kurloz then pressed the blade hard against his flesh, proceeding to drag down.

The pain was far more intense than his own cuts, making Horuss let out a sharp gasp and instinctively try to pull away. Kurloz just sank his claws into Horuss's thigh as he continued, with Horuss whimpering. Feeling multiple thick trails of blood dripping down his leg in an instant, he then saw the gash Kurloz just gave him halfway down his thigh. He let out a shriek and managed to pull away despite Kurloz's grip, getting scratched up in the process, but that was the least of his worries. Blood flowed from the fairly large wound, creating a small puddle beneath him.

Different from when he got stabbed, Horuss cried out. Kurloz didn't try to shut him up either. There's nobody around to hear his cries. Only Kurloz and any other iteration of him that happened to be nearby. Not like they'd give a fuck. What did concern him though was the gorgeous blue blood on the floor. His to have. Of course, he didn't hesitate to smear it on himself. From his painted face down his torso and thighs, he decorated himself with indigo.

Upon Kurloz placing his bloodied hands on him, Horuss tried to escape his grasp again, with his attempt being unsuccessful. Now on top of him, Kurloz watched as he struggled to quiet his sobs, finding this all the more endearing. With this, he let out a loving sigh before delivering kisses to his cheek, trailing down to his neck. Aware of how much his beloathed was sickened by it, he ended up delivering kisses to the fresh burn mark there before sucking on it.

Horuss's breathing was still choppy, and he let out a whine from the sensations. He felt completely helpless as Kurloz was doing whatever he wanted to him, eventually feeling his bulge press up against him. In his disgust, he considered causing harm just to make it stop. Kurloz was constantly bringing suffering his way and pushing him to do what he didn't want. Even as he hurt himself for him, Kurloz decided it wasn't enough. When was it ever going to be enough?

Like Horuss expected, Kurloz then rubbed up against him, requesting for another round despite his current predicament. To reject this, he managed to let out a growl. This caused Kurloz to stop, only to glare down at him before pressing the knife up to his throat. It was likely the usual bluff to scare him, so he could allow it, but Horuss was done with him. Kurloz was only going to push further until his double-death if things continued like this.

As if to confirm this, Kurloz slowly dragged the blade along his neck. While the pain of this wasn't as intense as on his leg, this was new dangerous behavior, causing Horuss to panic. Nervously, but with intention, he brought a hand to Kurloz's shoulder. Once his thumb met the collarbone, he pressed against it hard enough to break it.

With a snap, Kurloz's eyes shot wide open and he withdrew, dropping the knife. He was completely shocked over the pain that erupted in his shoulder alongside the sudden weakness and stiffness in that arm. Damn this motherfucker. While he was ambidextrous, that was his dominant hand Horuss just fucked up. Dumbass. How was he supposed to stitch the wound on his leg closed like this? Not to mention, he can't do two-handed signs now. Not until things healed.

Getting his frustration across, Kurloz hissed out and signed "stupid bitch". Afterwards, he slashed at Horuss's chest with his claws, making him jolt. Horuss must have expected a full-on aggrieve from this, as he equipped his modified destrenghtening gloves. Kurloz was at an obvious disadvantage, but that's not why he didn't engage in a fight.

He needed to sew up his bitch, even if he currently loathed him, and even with the limitations. Horuss only gave himself more pain and trauma with this bullshit stunt he pulled. He would need to assist in sewing up the injury himself, meaning chucklevoodoo can't be used to spare him this time around.

Seeing Kurloz get up and grab the blade with his other hand, Horuss sat up with his fists ready, still believing Kurloz was about to strike. He was instead met with a pitying look before Kurloz left his side to go into one of the other blocks. Once he closed the door behind him, Horuss settled down and unequipped his gloves. From feeling somewhat dizzy, he was thankful that he didn't need to fight.

With some time to himself, Horuss inspected his condition. His neck was fine, thankfully. Unsure over his leg injury, he took a look at it. Horrified over the sight, he instantly adverted his gaze. The bleeding seemed to have stopped on its own. Still, it was a gash in his leg. A sick act of "love" from his horrible partner. The fact he had to go against his code to break one of his bones too... This agreement they have set up needs to come to a stop. It didn't prevent anything at all.

The door opened back up, and Horuss turned his attention towards it. Kurloz returned to him, appearing more calm now. His frustration over the whole ordeal must have overwhelmed his hormones as well, judging by his bulge being sheathed again. As if Horuss shouldn't be warry of him, Kurloz instantly got to it, kneeling beside him and grabbing his thigh. Getting met with no resistance, he pulled it closer to himself to inspect it.

From Kurloz's appearing set on helping him with the injury now, Horuss wasn't too concerned on him lashing out. Breaking one of his bones with his freakish strength must have reminded him to not push an indigo too far. Despite Horuss being squeamish, his hand then got guided beside the wound. Kurloz then gave a closing motion of his own hand and pointed to the leg to show that he wanted Horuss to hold the skin together.

With Horuss complying, Kurloz then equipped the needle he prepared, thread and all. Horuss was uneasy, and ultimately couldn't bear to watch any of the process. He covered his mouth and tried his best to not make noise during it. The needle managed to slide through with just a sharp pinch, but the thread burned as it was pulled through right after. His leg couldn't help but tremble and twitch as this went on. He also couldn't tell if he was nauseous over this alone, or if the faygo from earlier had anything to do with it.

Respecting Horuss not wanting to see any of it happening, Kurloz stopped what he was doing to allow him to do a quick glance to re-adjust his hand placement as things progressed. He couldn't help but wonder what Horuss thought during this. Did he too find this to be a beautiful act of intimacy despite the pain- where they had to rely on each other for the same goal? How he loved him. He loved him enough that he wanted to mix their blood like they did their slurry. Thinking about this, his sewing came to a halt. He couldn't help but slip a finger into the remaining gap of the slit, eyeing Horuss as he did.

Feeling a sudden sharp sting, Horuss tensed up and gritted his teeth. He looked over at Kurloz just as he started rubbing his finger against the damaged tissue, alarmed. "Stop that!" He yelled in disgust, yet instantly looked away after Kurloz narrowed his eyes at him, fearing retaliation. Rather than lashing out at him, Kurloz just went back to sewing up the injury.

It wasn't long before Horuss felt the end of it getting secured and tied off. Because it was officially over, he nervously peeked at the injury. Though it was still somewhat grotesque to him, the stitches were a much better sight than an opened wound. His wrist was then grabbed, with Kurloz bringing that hand up to his injured shoulder. Oh, right.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to do that." Horuss said, ending up getting Kurloz affectionately rubbing his hand against his cheek. He must have been bothered from Horuss still refusing to look at him, with him bringing a finger beneath his chin to have him look up. Making eye contact now, Horuss felt on-edge. Kurloz had rubbed his indigo blood onto his face this time, as if to show he was losing himself more and more. What was more strange was how Kurloz stared at him, lovingly.

Wrapping his arm around Horuss, Kurloz then kissed him. It was passionate, as if to celebrate the traumatic romance hurting both of them so deeply. Such a bold move to break one of his bones. It reminded him of before they became an official item. Though, that was when they broke each others bones... Maybe another time.

"I want out of this." Horuss breathed out after exiting the kiss, yet realized he should clarify by the way Kurloz looked at him. "What I suggested is only making things worse. I don't want this for either of us."

Kurloz didn't have to think about it, immediately signing "no".

Right... It was foolish to believe Kurloz would just allow a "good thing" to come to an end. Once he managed to mutter out "okay", he got nuzzled. But that wasn't the only thing on his mind. "I would like to leave this place."

Kurloz was starting to get annoyed with him, rolling his eyes as he withdrew. "you. LAME horse." He signed, needing to add fingerspelling for the two-handed word, before pointing to the stitched up wound on his outer thigh.

Even if Kurloz was trying to say Horuss was too injured to leave, the implication of this sickened him. A horse with a bad leg would often be put to death- such a horrible fate for such noble creatures. He couldn't help but notice this was the same leg Kurloz so desperately wanted to sever. With this, Horuss let out a frustrated huff. "Is that your goal in this relationship? You want to kill me?" Kurloz just smiled. "Once I heal, I want to leave." Feeling a hand press against that leg, implying the usual, Horuss got more irritated. "That won't be necessary." He said through gritted teeth.

Concluding that, Kurloz stood, only to realize that he couldn't lend Horuss his shoulder as usual with their injuries this time around. Of course. The injuries just had to mirror each other this way. Horuss was going to have to painfully limp over to his recuperacoon if he wanted to be well-rested. Or he could sleep on the couch if he wants something moderately comfortable compared to the floor. In the meantime, Kurloz needed to get some sort of sling for his arm. At least the collarbone should be able to heal on its own, a bit similar to last time.

Chapter Text

Slowly waking up, Horuss looked around, finding himself in the same place as before. He didn't remember much after Kurloz left his side last night. The continued stillness following all the stress and trauma inflicted upon him must have caused him to pass out right here on the floor. Even then, the current absence of Kurloz kept him in a state of unease once again. What he did to Kurloz must have greatly angered him, enough for him to become withdrawn like this.

Apart from that, the shooting pain in his leg made him miss Kurloz. Even though Kurloz caused him this pain to begin with, he would normally use his cooler body temperature to help alleviate it. When he had to leave some time after he stabbed him, he still made sure to soothe it with the time he had before then.

As he stared down at his wounded leg stained with indigo, and the handprints on him, he couldn't help but remember how much of his blood Kurloz had decorated himself with. He then brought his attention to the blood on the floor. It still didn't make sense why Kurloz did something like that to him. First he stabbed him, then he cut him open a few nights later... Was this really Kurloz's declaration of love for him?

He couldn't help but dread the possibility that Kurloz actually wanted to double-kill him. There's the chance that he was just messing with him, but even with that, it seems to be the likely outcome. It just depends on how long this sick game will go on for. How much he'll be hurt this way. The idea of Kurloz marking him up as severely as he did himself sent a chill down his spine.

As his thoughts got darker and darker, Horuss grew more disturbed, fearful of what his end will be and how soon it will come. His upsetting thoughts were so clear and real to him, making it all the more intense. To combat this, he decided to lay down and forcefully shut out all his thoughts, triggering another dissociative state. Once again, he has used his void aspect as a shield to protect him from his reality. It was better to be nothing for now to distance himself from the constant nightmare he was in.

He remained like this for a while. Long enough that Kurloz finally returned to his side, now staring down at him, unamused. It was noticeable that Horuss wasn't actively sleeping and was instead just suppressing his own conscious state. How vexing. Though it was tempting to just give Horuss a kick to snap him out of it, he considered the opportunity. It was easy to disrupt this process physically, so his options were limited.

All that could offer Kurloz some assuage had worn off once again, bringing forth the usual thoughts and imagery. Many of these related to the recent injury he had given Horuss, showing him how he should use the knife. The clearest being stabbing him awake and to continue until he stops moving completely, but that won't do. Something else should suffice.

Though he was still considering what would work best, he took that fateful knife from his strife specibus. How he treasured this sharp and wicked blade of his. It was almost a shame he used it more than his juggling clubs now. Almost.

With his craving for mutual destruction, Kurloz decided he wanted to show his devotion. Having covered himself in so much indigo blood the previous night, he felt the need to return the favor. Soon enough, he will get back at Horuss over the broken bone as well. His clubs will come in handy for that once he's healed enough.

While he couldn't move his left arm that well from the clavicle fracture still impacting him, he slid that arm out of the sling. Ready, Kurloz sat down in front of Horuss. He knew he wouldn't be able to raise his arm that well from his injury, so he let it rest in his lap instead. Having done this before, aware of where he could cut deep, he set the knife to his forearm. He didn't hesitate to slice it open like he did with Horuss's thigh. Watching as the skin opened up, with blood flowing right after, always excited him.

Smiling wide, he gripped the wrist of that arm and guided it over Horuss, allowing the blood to drip onto him. While the blood felt warm against his own skin, it probably felt as cool as rain for Horuss, judging by how he shuddered. Following that, he jolted awake.

Shock coursed through Horuss as he saw Kurloz was letting his blood pour onto him. His breathing quickened upon seeing the open wound. Most of the purple blood that got on his body ended up on the floor, but that won't stop it from staining his skin. Panicked over this scene, he tried to escape. That only made matters worse for him. Rather than getting clawed up, sudden fear shot through and overwhelmed him.

With him now paralyzed with fear and taking in shaken gasps, Kurloz managed to make him lay down on his back. From this being triggered in him, he couldn't possibly do anything to resist anything. He wouldn't even be able to think to do such a thing, even if he wanted. Because of this, Kurloz can now really cover him in blood.

Holding his arms up, same as before, Kurloz let the wound drip all over his torso. Before he could get any on his face, the bleeding had stopped. From that, Kurloz let his injured arm rest at his side before using his other hand to spread the blood around. Making sure to get that hand nice and wet, he proceeded to smear his blood on Horuss's face. Afterwards, he let that hand rest on his pusher. He absolutely loved how frantic that strong pulse was. Only he was capable of impacting Horuss in a way like this. It felt so special to him.

Once Horuss began to sob, having even more of a problem with regulating his breathing, Kurloz leaned in and hushed him. He then glided his hand against his torso in a soothing motion that suggested "breathe in... breathe out...", instructing for him to steady his breathing. It took a while of Horuss following along before he managed to recover. In response, Kurloz stared down at him in adoration as he let his hand travel further down.

Feeling Kurloz rubbing at his sheath, getting him bloody down there in the process, Horuss trembled. The panic attack that was inflicted upon him paired with him being bloodied made him dread having a pailing session with Kurloz. With his mind in a clearer state, he understood that Kurloz just used his chucklevoodoo on him, though the effect of it seems to have subsided.

Regardless, it didn't take long before the stimulation got Horuss's bulge to unsheathe, with a whimper escaping him as it did. Instantly, Horuss looked away. At the very least, with this, the only thing he had to do was allow Kurloz to continue.

As Kurloz toyed with the indigo bulge, an idea crossed his mind, and he couldn't help but smirk. Instantly, he went along with it. Even with the limited and painful range of motion his other arm currently had, he managed to raise it and place it on Horuss's torso. Afterwards, he let it travel over to the bulge and brushed his thumb over it as he pulled his other hand away.

With the stimulation greatly decreasing from this, the bulge naturally tried to seek out more. When it came in contact with the arm, it proceeded to rub against and wrap around it. Horuss was used to this, thinking nothing of it at first. Kurloz took advantage of this, watching eagerly as it got closer to the gash. When it ended up prodding at the injury, it stung enough to make Kurloz suck in a breath through his teeth, alerting Horuss.

His worry made the bulge retract a bit, and he sat up, backing up a bit as he did. Once realizing what he had done, Horuss was offended and disgusted with him. Kurloz didn't seem to mind this, only reacting by grabbing his injured arm and bringing it up to his face. He began to kiss at where the pre-material came in contact with the wound. While he didn't have a tongue to stick into the gash, he let his lower lip drag across it, delivering more kisses afterwards.

Such a sickening display made Horuss shudder. Kurloz was completely insane. This seemed to just hold truer as it looked like he was now starting to bite at the wound. "Um!" Horuss let out, easily grabbing Kurloz's attention. "Wouldn't you prefer it if, um.... if we.... pailed?" He anxiously suggested, saying the last part in a hushed tone.

With this, Kurloz took a moment to get his arm back in the sling before inching closer to Horuss. He leaned in and grabbed at the leash before pulling at it as he sat up. With his partner up close to him now, Kurloz kissed him. Horuss seemed a bit surprised at first before returning the kiss, with it progressing deeper. Ending up getting his lower lip bitten a few times, Horuss became more hesitant, fretting the likelihood of Kurloz becoming aggressive.

Instead of harm coming his way, the leash was tugged before an arm got wrapped around the back of his neck. Kurloz leaned back alongside this, gently guiding Horuss to the floor with him. Exiting the kiss, he laid down and spread his legs, letting Horuss know that he's meant to be dominant this round.

Being given the dominant lead, Horuss's usual worry arose. "Have you-" Before he could finish asking, Kurloz pressed a finger to his lips, with his own forming a smile before he shook his head. He seemed a bit playful with this, but that didn't ease Horuss. Nervously, he moved his hand to Kurloz's crotch, so he could prep him, only for it to get slapped away. "not necessary" Kurloz signed, and Horuss sighed out sadly. Not this again.

One of the ways Kurloz had Horuss hurt him was by having him penetrate without preparation involved. The pained noises Kurloz made as he twitched and gripped him tightly, alongside ordering him to thrust hard into him after he adjusted... Even though Kurloz enjoyed it, such a scene was horrible in his mind, as it felt like he was violating him- forcing himself on him. It was the main reason he had trouble looking Kurloz in the eyes now.

It was obvious that Horuss didn't want to carry this out, seeming more against it now than the first time. Despite growing hesitant, Horuss guided his tip to Kurloz's nook like he knew he had to. Naturally, there was resistance, even with the bulge's lubrication. Soon, it managed to slide in, with Kurloz tensing up for a moment and letting out a gasp. It felt like his insides got jabbed, but it was exactly the sensation he wanted. He craved more of it.

Rather than pushing further or allowing his bulge to go deeper in on it's own, Horuss already couldn't handle it and pulled out. "I can't-" He started, only to get slapped in the face.

"FUCK my NEDEN. I command you." Kurloz signed, absolutely infuriated over the immediate stop. Horuss can't back out of this, he knew what he had agreed to. He had carried this out before, making it seem like he just wanted to piss him off now.

Though he didn't want to, Horuss obeyed the command. Once he re-inserted his bulge, he reluctantly pushed it in further, just like Kurloz wanted. From this, Kurloz grabbed at his arm as his legs clamped up against him, letting out several groans. Some of the noises he let out alongside this made him sound especially vulnerable. Apart from that, Kurloz had explained before that he didn't want to adjust until it was all inside him, making this all the more difficult for Horuss.

As this progressed, Kurloz managed to ease up, the last portion entering him without an issue. Once it was all inside, he let out a satisfied moan, with his nook pulsing against the bulge. It felt so good to have something nice and big shoved inside him like this. Letting up his grip on Horuss, he then gave a pat to that arm to let him know that it was okay to begin the next phase.

Horuss took a deep breath in and let it out. At least the more difficult part was over with. Wanting to be gentle and cautious to make up for it, he slowly rocked his hips. Kurloz didn't seem too impressed, but just allowed him to go at his own pace for now. It was only fair, as he's already stressed Horuss out several times just getting things started.

It wasn't difficult to see Horuss was doing his best to avoid looking at him even more now. Feeling guilt, perhaps. Because of this, Kurloz snapped his fingers, and Horuss looked down at him. His motion stopped and his upset grew even more, like he couldn't handle seeing Kurloz at all. He seemed on the verge of having a break down, with his eyebrows furrowed and his lip quivering as it formed a more distinct frown. That won't do.

"I'm ready. DESTROY me." Kurloz signed.

"Okay." Horuss barely let out, making it clear he was choking back tears.

Deciding to make things easier for Horuss, Kurloz changed their position. He had Horuss exit to then make him lay down on his back again. After that, he turned around and got on top of him, letting the bulge enter again. Timidly, Horuss grabbed at Kurloz's hips. He turned his head away before slowly thrusting up into him, gradually picking up the pace. As he did, he began to let out more breathy moans.

The natural roughness from that indigo strength always did it for Kurloz, making him tense up and groan. As if Horuss knew he wanted more, he thrusted harder, making Kurloz get jittery even before jerking himself off. He clenched his teeth and hissed out from the stinging pain, with his legs trembling beneath him the more it continued.

Despite Horuss's emotional distress, the stimulation soon caused him to empty into Kurloz. While he beathed out heavily, exhausted after everything, he also wiped away the tears that developed in his eyes. What interrupted this was Kurloz reaching his own orgasm, resulting in him falling back onto him, with his body convulsing right after. It was strange feeling a thing like this so intimately, but at least they both just had to wait it out. Unsurely, he loosely wrapped his arms around him. Trying to be hopeful, he thought that maybe Kurloz will be more calm now after a round like this.

Slowly coming out of it, Kurloz chuckled a bit over the fact the bulge stayed in him during that. He couldn't help but wonder what that felt like for Horuss. From being held like this, he also played with the idea that Horuss made sure it didn't slip out yet because he liked the sensation. Despite that, the fun part was over. For now, he's going to have to deal with the genetic material inside him.

As Kurloz sat up, Horuss let go of him, allowing him to leave his side. Once again those darker bruises were on Kurloz, upsetting Horuss further. Trying to shut the image out, he laid back down and covered his face with his hands. There wasn't much he could focus on that wasn't overwhelmingly negative.

Nothing good has come from any of this. Not to mention the disgusting mess of blood and soda on the floor. Hopefully there wasn't any slurry adding to the mess. Kurloz was getting more lazy over cleaning that up. He was so frustrating and terrifying and often repulsive, but at the same time, Horuss still cared for him enough to not want to hurt him. Even then, he felt dirty and traumatized in every aspect from their extended time alone together.

When returning to Horuss, Kurloz could tell he was once again greatly troubled and trying not to let it show. He nudged him, causing him to uncover his face and wipe more tears from his eyes as he sat up. Kurloz was aware he was about ready to request a break so he could have some "alone" time to fully cry it out. To prevent that for a while longer, Kurloz made sure Horuss knew he needed him.

He took his arm out of the sling and brought it up to Horuss. His arm was given out for him to hold, which he did, though he was noticeably squeamish over it. Now able to rest his injured arm, Kurloz equipped the thread and needle from before. Without being instructed, Horuss used his free hand to hold the skin together for him to sew up. To reward him over this, Kurloz gave a pat to his head before getting started.

Horuss had to look away before Kurloz pierced his own flesh. He probably shouldn't be too surprised over everything Kurloz had done to his own body, considering the heavy amount of scars covering him. It was more-so everything that surrounded his current state of self that bothered Horuss greatly. All of this seemed normal and fine in Kurloz's mind, making Horuss hope his leg heals up quickly so he could finally be away from him. Even if his freedom may seem short-lived, it will better than remaining alone with him like this.

When Kurloz finished up and set the tools in his sylladex, he brought a finger beneath Horuss's chin to make him look his way again. Horuss could barely maintain eye contact, but that didn't matter. He signed "kiss" to Horuss before pointing at the freshly stitched up wound. Watching as Horuss pressed his lips to it, Kurloz felt content. His sweet pony bitch. All his, forever.

Unfortunately, Horuss had to ruin the mood by finally speaking up. "I would like to have a break."

"I LOVE you." Kurloz signed immediately, as if to deny the break. With recent events, alongside the growing obsession of mutual suffering, there was a new idea that came to his mind. An idea so fitting, so perfect, that he nearly wanted it this very moment. "you INSPIRED me."

"I did?" Horuss asked, confused.

Smiling, Kurloz gestured to his collar bone and arm before explaining. "WHEN I SEVER your leg, I WANT you to RIP my arm off."

"Oh. Well...." Horuss fidgeted a bit over this. He could tell Kurloz was set on this idea, maybe to the point that he'll ignore his own rule that caused for the threat of harm in the first place. "Shall I suggest we discuss this more after a break?"

"AFTER we shower TOGETHER?" Kurloz suggested, not wanting to leave his side.

Knowing this was the best option he had, Horuss sighed out and accepted the offer. "Yes, a shower sounds good right about now."

-

Entering the library of Aranea's hive, Meenah eyed the place a bit. It wasn't much to look at, since she didn't really care about any of the boring books Aranea held onto. "Yo, Serks. You down here?" She called out, getting no reply. While knowing Aranea came and went every now and then, she had said that she was mostly occupied within her library. Probably down here making some kind of in-depth pinboard like crazies do.

Going further in, Meenah openly griped. "C'mon, Aranea, you know I wandered the usual parameter junk. I put effort in scopin those places out and you know it!"

"Meenah." Aranea greeted flatly, looking down at her from the second story of the library.

From the tone, Meenah put a hand on her hip and stabbed her trident down. "Hey, out of everyfin going on, you know all too well I'm wantin to put my fork to good use." She said, reminding Aranea that she's just as driven over this as she was, just in a different way. Sure, she easily got bored, but she'll spring into action when the time comes.

"I know. It's just-.... Ugh, I am really irritated right now." Aranea stated as she rubbed at her temple and leaned against the railing.

"Better not be at me." Meenah mumbled.

"I heard that. Not everything is about you, you know."

Meenah gave a shrug. "I was mostly jokin. So what's goin on? Somefin big?"

"Well, I just recently got confirmation on one of the main concerns. From two sources."

"Wait a sec. I hate havin to look up for this convo." Meenah said before backing up and readying herself. With a running start, she leapt up, deciding to do a front flip before firmly planting her feet on the floor of the library's second story. She then grinned, happy with herself despite Aranea's irritation not letting up. "So what's up?"

"Both Rufioh and Cronus have confirmed that Kurloz is harming Horuss. It was said to have been bad enough to leave some rather obvious scars upon him."

Meenah nodded over hearing this before making her lack of interest known. "No offense, but... What does this change, exactly? Still sounds like we're in a dumb waitin game."

"Truthfully, it only managed to piss me off." Aranea said, causing Meenah to let out a long groan. "However, it's also pushing me further to what I was wanting to avoid."

Hearing this made Meenah perk up in an instant. "You mean you have a plan this time?"

"Yes. In fact, more specifically, it is a rescue plan." Aranea stated.

"... But?"

"But I was avoiding it because I do not want any repercussions." She said, with Meenah raising a brow at her, waiting for her to continue. "I would need to manipulate another Kurloz and make him open up his memory of the crypt. From there-"

"Hold up. You could do that?" Meenah interrupted. "Why didn't you tell me?"

That question was met with a huff. "While I had originally wanted to avoid this, I have also been practicing to ensure my abilities. This specific type of manipulation is new to me. It involves seeking out the information in their mind to then manipulate the environment via their memory. It's why I have been so busy lately. Now, will you actually allow me to finish this time?"

"Sure thang, miss Serket." Meenah replied, getting an eye roll from Aranea before she continued.

"From there, I would be able to sense Horuss's consciousness within it. That should be relatively easy for getting to him. Obviously, I would need you there to go up against Kurloz so we can put a stop to this. We at least need to put space between them in order to rescue Horuss. I would also prefer to only have to worry about one iteration of him and be able to send him off unscathed. Primarily in hopes that he does not become violent or seek out revenge when I release his mind."

"And that last part means...?"

"I won't put our Kurloz under my control and I would rather not resort to using his other self to attack him either. You're well aware as to why. I have voiced my concerns about crazy clowns."

"Ohhhh, yeah, makes sense."

"Now. Do you have any questions or concerns?"

"Are we heading out now?" Meenah asked, excited, only to get disappointed when Aranea shook her head. "Well why the fuck not?"

"Currently, there's not a bubble close enough to ours for an iteration of Kurloz to cross over quite yet. There's not another Kurloz in our current bubble either. I have checked that plenty of times. It makes me wonder if there is a reason for that, since we do often get others here from time to time."

"Scrod dammit. So... Are you gonna be checkin that regularly then or what?"

"Yes. But don't worry, we can still look at this in some positive light. For example: this gives me some additional time to figure out the best option for putting a stop to Kurloz."

"Huh? Am I not supposed to jab him with my trident? Serks, I've been lookin forward to that!" Meenah expressed, sounding let down.

"See, that's another problem. I won't tell you no, but at the same time.... I would at least advise against anything fatal." Aranea said, getting offended by Meenah doing that bit where she pretends to think on it while humming loudly about it when she clearly doesn't care. "Peixes!"

"I dunno, girl. I got mad killer instincts. Untamable."

After taking a moment to scoff at that joke reply, Aranea concluded what they're going to do for now. "Anyway, the main objective is to separate those two as soon as possible and figure out what to do about Kurloz when that happens."

Chapter Text

Yet again another night trapped with this lunatic. Horuss wasn't sure how much he could take of this anymore; all while Kurloz seemed to be more and more fixated on what would worsen the two of them. Unfortunately, this was a difficult situation where Horuss really shouldn't go through with what Kurloz says, all while he couldn't deny him. Trying to block it all out only made things worse for him. At least they were clean of each other's blood now.

Even with things currently being calm, Horuss was troubled over the fact that he inadvertently caused Kurloz to fantasize about him ripping off his arm. That was now part of an agreement he had to follow through with no matter how much he was against it. For now it seems like Kurloz is sane enough to not randomly enact his part of it without reason. Horuss didn't want to think about any of this, but he's currently not able to shut anything out right now.

Kurloz no longer needed the sling, currently moving his arm around in a slow and steady motion. He was testing the current mobility of that limb despite there still being some pain impacting him. Done with that, he let that arm rest again before setting his focus back to the plate on his lap. He used the fork in his other hand to stab at the meat there. Rather than feeding himself, he moved the fork over to Horuss, offering him the food instead.

Once again, Horuss was on his hands and knees on the floor with Kurloz sitting upon furniture. While he could stand without much of an issue with his healing injury, this was simply what Kurloz wanted from him. He opened his mouth and ate the meat offered to him. It was difficult to not feel flustered over this being somewhat humiliating. As if he was incapable of feeding himself while having to eat the food from someone else's plate. Not even allowed to sit beside him. Being treated lowly by a high blood, with this being a significantly calmer instance, he had almost forgotten how titillating it was.

Feeding Horuss this way, Kurloz mostly focused on those lips of his and the sharp teeth hidden behind them that got revealed as he opened up to accept the food. It's a shame that, as lovers, they're not covered in each other's blood anymore. Then again, it deeply upset Horuss, enough that he broke down crying when seeing himself in the mirror. Apart from that, he did have something else planned regarding their blood.

When the last bit of food was eaten, Kurloz set the plate with the fork on it down on the armchair of the couch. Annoyed over that, Horuss spoke up. "Could you at least set that down on a more stable surface?" The way Kurloz gestured over to the plate like "this thing?" made Horuss tense, aware he was about to do something unreasonable.

Sure enough, Kurloz grabbed a hold of the plate and threw it at the nearby wall, causing it to shatter upon impact. As if to get on Horuss's nerves more, Kurloz looked back over at him with an exaggerated shocked expression like it was completely unexpected. From how uncomfortable Horuss looked from this, Kurloz let out a laugh before signing to him. "was it delicious?"

"Yes...." Horuss said, looking at Kurloz suspiciously, unsure on what he's about to do. Another gross attempt at making out perhaps. As he wondered what it could be, Kurloz had taken something out of his sylladex. One of those "potion" bottles filled with... indigo blood? The color seemed off, leaning more purple than it should for someone of his caste.

Kurloz swirled the blood around within it, finding the color to be a nice hue. With his arm no longer greatly impaired, he was able to collect a nice amount of their blood individually while Horuss slept before combining them into this bottle. He then popped it open and took most of the liquid into his mouth before getting down to Horuss's level.

Once Horuss's face was harshly grabbed, he was forced to look up. Kurloz's lips then met his, and the blood held in his mouth traveled down. Some dripped down the side of his face from him initially resisting. It was awfully bitter, with him struggling before managing to gag from the awful taste. That reaction made Kurloz pull away, only to smile as Horuss tried to force it down as he figured he had to. It was far too strong of a taste to handle.

With this, Horuss felt like he was going to hurl, especially if he tried to consume the amount of it in his mouth. He knew he absolutely couldn't go through with this. Unable to stand it anymore, he spat it out, trying hard to get the repulsive taste out of his mouth. As a result, he ended up dry-heaving. Kurloz delivered a soothing rub to his back as he himself downed the remainder of blood from the bottle.

Recovering from that, Horuss anxiously set his focus back to Kurloz. "My apologies, I couldn't-" He started, only for Kurloz to be all nonchalant and pull a faygo from his sylladex to then hand it to him. Great. Something with a different type of awful taste to get rid of the current one in his mouth. "Actually, um.... My leg is fine now, so I would like to leave."

Hearing this sparked discontent within Kurloz. It was enough that he jerked his head to the side before shaking his head, as if to dismiss it. His thoughts were reminding him of what he should do once more. From this, Kurloz forced a smile as he looked over at Horuss and set the faygo down. "demonstrate." He insisted, pointing towards the furthest wall to tell him to walk there.

It was clear Kurloz was angry, so Horuss just nodded before standing up. Best to just follow through with no gripes. Though he was timid, he wanted to prove himself. More importantly, he wanted out of here. Thankfully, the pain in his leg wasn't enough to cause him to limp. Without much of an issue, he continued forward, knowing Kurloz was watching intently.

Wielding his signature clubs, Kurloz crept up behind him. Horuss nearly made it to the wall before one of the clubs smacked against the side of his head, causing him to stumble before another blow was delivered across his back. Horuss fell to his knees, unable to take in what just happened before another blow was delivered to the top of his head. Because he didn't defensively curl up when he collapsed to the floor, Kurloz paused, eyeing him.

As usual, Horuss let out pained groans, but tried to sit up this time. He brought a hand to his head, before pulling it away to look at it. There was blood. This caused Kurloz to put both clubs in one hand before going up to him. Getting down on one knee, Kurloz saw the indigo dripping down his face. To check the damage, he used his free hand to comb through Horuss's hair and inspected his scalp. Just a bump- that's fine.

Then again, he couldn't help but wonder why Horuss didn't cry out when hit. He looked at him more closely, checking his nose and ears for any blood. All good there. With this, Kurloz then guided Horuss to stand, though he was a bit unsteady. He tried to say something, only for Kurloz to hush him. Despite his shaken nature, he was still able to stand on his own when Kurloz backed away from him.

After taking a mental note of his strength with the other swings, especially with his problem arm, Kurloz took his clubs in both hands again. Horuss processed this no problem, getting scared as he should, cowering and holding his hands up either in surrender or to try and protect his head. Aiming for a familiar place, the club collided with Horuss's ribs. This time, Horuss let out a yell, beginning to cry shortly after. The sharp gasps and short breaths made their return as well, letting him know his intended damage was efficient.

As Horuss fell to his knees, struggling to breathe, Kurloz stored his dual clubs back in his strife specibus. While he loved the idea of beating Horuss black and blue, the head injury made him reconsider. That was something his body temperature wasn't cool enough to soothe. Because of this, he headed to the meal block in search for something ice cold to relieve it.

While Horuss was currently disoriented with a splitting headache, the pain in his ribs reminded him of similar suffering caused by Kurloz. The night Kurloz was in his hive with no explanation, paired with a gap in his memory that obscured what was done to him. Had he tricked him that night too? Dwelling on this, Horuss thought about how horribly alone he was this time around, in this place, seemingly forever.

Kurloz returned to him with a bag of frozen produce that he then pressed against his head. The sudden coolness against it stung a bit, but it's best to take the mild discomfort for it to reduce the swelling. The pseudo-concern paired with comfort given by Kurloz was starting to get even more on his nerves now. After a few minutes, Horuss held the bag steady himself before speaking up. "Are you going to erase this from my mind?"

This made Kurloz raise a brow. There was no need for that anyway, but maybe he was just confused. With Horuss holding the bag to his head now, Kurloz was able to sign to him. "do you want me to?"

"Was that an option you gave me the last few times?" Horuss questioned, appearing to have annoyed Kurloz, though he said nothing. Without getting a reply, he then hissed out. "What I want is to be out of this horrible place."

Kurloz rolled his eyes at this. Horuss won't be set free anytime soon. These past few nights have been so thrilling and sexually pleasing. At least when he played along. Besides, Kurloz already had his mind set when bringing him here this second and final time: he's never going to let him go. Permanently parting from his dear kitty bitch and his moirail was a small price to pay just to keep his sweetheart trapped.

Seeing he's being disregarded once again, Horuss was infuriated. He couldn't take this treatment anymore- he wanted his freedom. Disregarding his health, he set the cold bag aside before standing up. In an act of protest, he grabbed at the collar around his neck before tearing it apart and throwing it to the floor. A direct way to show he was sick and tired of this arrangement they had. When he willed into his regular outfit, he also equipped his modified gloves, ready to fight.

What a bold act of defiance. Just the perfect amount to piss Kurloz off. And now Horuss wants to fight. In this condition? His last sentence alone was enough to make him reserve a moment to regain his breath. Not to mention, a quick jab to the ribs will easily reduce him to a trembling mess on the floor. It would be oh so wrong to take advantage of this just to teach Horuss a lesson. Thankfully, Kurloz didn't care about that. It seemed right more than anything. His bitch needed to learn his place. With this in mind, he equipped his dual clubs once more.

-

Watching the others in the group socializing as usual, Meulin couldn't help but feel sick. It didn't feel right for them to carry on like nothing was happening. Word about Horuss's injuries spread quickly, even outside of text. Not to mention, she's down one very close friend and her moirail from this whole situation. She was only here because Damara suggested it would be good for her. While Meulin did love to socialize, she currently felt guilty about it.

"Are you sure about this?" Meulin asked Damara, only to get a shrug in return. She scanned the crowd, easily spotting Rufioh. While it was tempting to go over to him, Damara had already advised against it. He had unintentionally upset her over this whole ordeal, and Damara was trying to help her avoid more hurt.

She watched as Damara left her side, heading over to Porrim and Latula. Still unsure, and trying not to hover her, Meulin decided to drift over to the ones nearest that group. Kankri was currently lecturing Cronus about something. That should be fine for now. She also wanted to know a bit more about what Cronus knew.

"And another thing I found quite problematic about that is-" Upon noticing Meulin walk up to them, Kankri stopped. For a moment, he looked conflicted before setting his focus back to Cronus. "So sorry, Cronus, but I seem to have lost my train of thought. Tragic, I know. Perhaps we could catch up on this more once I remember where I was going with that."

Cronus laughed at this. "Finally. I vwas starting to suspect you vwere told to unreasonably target me for vwhatevwer reason."

Kankri scoffed over his reply. "That's such an insulting way of viewing my critical advice reserved for a friend desperately in need of my teaching. Not to mention how absolutely rude that is. I'm hurt, honestly."

"Yeah, yeah, always vwith creating a scene to announce your departure."

"Yes, I suppose you especially would be familiar with that." Kankri said, making a subtle jab towards the fact Cronus commonly creates a scene whenever he felt rejected. "I'll be going on a brief walk now, if you don't mind. Maybe I'll have a talk with Mituna if he becomes particularly bothersome and triggering tonight. You know how he is."

As Kankri walked by, he appeared to have ignored Meulin completely. Cronus, on the other hand, was almost surprised to see her. "Oh, hey. Didn't see you there. Vwhat's up, cool cat?"

"Nothing much, really." Meulin said with a frown.

That frown made Cronus uncomfortable, but he wasn't too sure why. Even then, everyone was recently told about the scars. That's probably why she came up to him. "Because of Horuss, huh?" He asked in a hushed tone. Getting a nod in response, he figured he should talk to her about him. Not here though. "Can vwe do a sort of vwalk and talk? Avway from here, I mean."

"Oh, I can't really read lips that way. People usually would walk too fast or look away too much for me to understand them."

"Right... Uh, just followv me for a bit then, alright?"

"Okay." Meulin concluded, watching Cronus head off before following along.

This didn't go unnoticed, with Damara looking over in their direction, irritated. What the hell was Meulin thinking? Telling her to avoid Rufioh did not mean she should go to Cronus. Now he's taking her somewhere, making for the perfect recipe of disaster. She's absolutely not going to let that happen. Excusing herself from the two other women there, Damara let them know she had to leave. "失礼いたします。"

Cronus hadn't taken Meulin out too far, with them still being in the same forested area the rest of their friends were at. He sat down, with her sitting in front of him. Not knowing where to start, Cronus rubbed the back of his neck. There was a lot on his mind centering Horuss, way more than he would have ever thought before. He couldn't really figure out what to talk about. Something simple maybe.

"So, um... He's not really talking to anyone right nowv, is he?"

"Neither of them are." Meulin sighed out, rubbing one hand over the other. She was troubled over what Rufioh ended up telling her. He had finally voiced his concern that Kurloz might have killed Horuss. That alone has made her deeply hurt, making it hard to see this in any positive light. "Do you think something really bad happened to Horuss?"

"I vwasn't really thinking about that..." Cronus said with a laugh before immediately looking away, seeming to not want to discuss this.

"There's something I was wanting to ask you." Meulin said, somewhat sheepishly, causing Cronus to look her way again. "Horuss has been increasingly stubborn, making it hard for Rufioh to see an injury on him when they were still together. How did you see the marks on his back?"

Oh shit. "It vwas just a glimpse! Honestly, it could havwe been anything." He let out, trying to make up something believable on the spot. Dammit, Horuss's moirail just had to be the weird "matchmaker" girl. At least she wasn't squealing about "ship potential" or any of that crud.

In the distance, Damara observed the two. Cronus appeared to be freaking out over some sort of accusation, judging by how defensive he got. They weren't too within earshot, with her remaining far enough away to deny eavesdropping. Meulin still appeared to be sad, making her wonder what they were talking about. Whatever was going on: he better not try to touch her.

"I also wanted to know if there was a reason for Kurloz attacking you again. If he did." Meulin explained, awaiting Cronus's response. When getting nothing back, she continued. "The others said Horuss was at your hive a couple of nights before he was taken. Aranea mentioned that Kurloz said Horuss would know what caused him to attack you the first time at least."

This made Cronus cringe. He really didn't expect Meulin to be so aware of a thing like this without it being relationship rumors. Those always excited her and kept her attention. Still, it felt like she was backing him into a corner, trying to make him confess. "Pfft. Vwho cares if a crazy clowvn attacks someone he already hates? I'vwe tried ovwer and ovwer again to get him to vwarm up to me and he just vwouldn't let up. Nevwer evwen talks to me at all. I knowv mimes too!"

Meulin nodded over this, acknowledging his frustration. "I was mostly worried if I caused him to target you. I told Horuss he should talk to you about him, and Kurloz didn't like hearing about it, but nothing seemed off back then."

Though he didn't want to address his private encounters with Horuss, Cronus replied. "So he's jealous, huh?" Seeing the look on Meulin's face, he played it off as nothing. "I'm joking."

"Oh, okay..." Meulin eyed him, wondering if that really was a joke or if it meant something. He must have instead taken that as an invitation to get closer. With him getting beside her, he then wrapped an arm around her.

"Y'knowv, vwith this situation vwe're in, vwe might as vwell take our minds off of-"

"彼女から離れろ！" Damara shouted as she got closer to the two. Clearly Cronus didn't want to get his ass beat another time, with him immediately pulling away from Meulin and raising his hands defensively as he stood. Meulin seemed shocked, yet didn't move from her spot.

"I didn't do anything vwrong!" Cronus complained, only for Damara to flash a glare at him as a way to tell him to shut up and to stay back.

Damara got down and locked arms with Meulin before standing with her. "行きましょう" She whispered, with them heading off, avoiding the rest of the group. Maybe something aside from socialization would help to distract her mind from this.

-

Once Kurloz decided he was satisfied, the brutality came to an end. As he expected, Horuss didn't know what he was getting himself into when trying to fight him, and it was easy to take him down. Now he was reduced to this pathetic state where he was barely conscious and struggling to breathe. Kurloz was aware he might have been too rough, getting down to inspect Horuss's battered body.

Carefully, he repositioned Horuss to lay on his back to then check the damage done. It would be a problem if he broke something that would require a cast for it to heal properly. With his hands, Kurloz applied pressure to different parts of his body. Horuss fidgeted and let out mumbled complaints and groans for most of it. Double-checking what to look for, with a bit of spite, he applied pressure to the broken ribs. As a result, Horuss jolted and let out a weak shout.

Though Horuss was on the brink of passing out from the trauma inflicted on him, that made him become somewhat alert again. Kurloz just continued his inspection unbothered. He undid the jacket before opening it up. Following that, he pulled the shirt up as far as it could go. Unable to tell if he was just being inspected further or if this will soon enter pailing territory, Horuss's distress grew. It wasn't like he was able to resist.

A shiver of delight overcame Kurloz from viewing the familiar sight of Horuss's bruised body. This was all so euphoric to him. He couldn't help but smile as he ran a hand down his torso, admiring his work. How he loved to have the privilege to do such things to his body. To ruin him again and again despite his freakish strength and impressive muscular physique.

Going further down, he then undid Horuss's pants and pulled them off along with his boots. As expected, a lot more bruising was uncovered from this. With him down to his underwear, Kurloz cast a look his way. This entire time, Horuss was seemingly zoning out without trying to resist. The only response from him so far were a few pained noises that he made when his injuries were irritated.

Playfully tugging at the briefs, Kurloz could tell Horuss was trying hard not to react, though he started to perspire. With a smirk, he removed them as well before getting on top of him. Once again, Horuss was feverishly warm for his hue. Kurloz wanted to take advantage of this and stick his bulge in him. He grinded against him, mostly to stimulate himself.

Being burdened with this agony from his partner, and now having to deal with his constant need for pailing, Horuss's thoughts went dark. It would be better if Kurloz just killed him, even if he violated his lifeless phantom body. Just so long as he wasn't here and experiencing this. While his own bulge hadn't unsheathed, Kurloz's was in the process of it, with the current length rubbing against his stomach. "Please." Horuss whispered, quiet enough that Kurloz had to pause his motion and lean in to hear him better. "Please let me rest."

Kurloz stared down at him for a few seconds, as if deciding what to do, before trying to reassure him. "you will rest well."

Believing Kurloz was just saying he could rest after they pailed, Horuss sniffled a bit. It really wasn't worth trying to speak up at all. He should have figured he would just be ignored again. What he didn't expect was Kurloz using his chucklevoodoo on him as a way to make him "rest". In an instant, his mind was taken over, with his body relaxing along with it. Now it was as if nothing had ailed him, as intended. There was no need for an exchange in dialogue, as there was no threat from the outside world taking him away.

With Horuss in this state, Kurloz grinned. Though he will miss the sweeter sounds Horuss made when conscious as he fidgeted beneath him, this was more to soothe him while still selfishly using his body. Kurloz had initially resisted the temptation when having stabbed him, but he wanted his bulge in this motherfucker bad. It was a shame how easily his lover's body rejected him, being too tense down there to allow penetration if not reducing his senses in some way. It felt tragic, in a way, to need to resort to such lengths.

Even after beating him, Kurloz wanted to be gentle where it counts. He got between Horuss's legs and lubricated his fingers with his saliva, taking some time to prep his nook first. Taking in what he had been missing, Kurloz then pressed his tip to Horuss's nook, allowing it to slide in further on its own. Horuss lightly shuddered, but it wasn't anything concerning. After a pause, he steadily let the rest enter.

Now with all of his bulge inside Horuss, Kurloz took a moment to cup his face, staring longingly at his tired blank expression. Horuss would probably love that he's being used as a bulge sleeve by a highblood manipulating his mind, keeping him in the perfect state to fuck him. The warmth of him wrapped around his bulge- it was like ecstasy.

Wanting to savor this, Kurloz slowly rocked his hips at first. Minding the worst of the bruising, he rested his body against Horuss's, wrapping his arms around him. His bitch, all his. Horuss was never leaving him, no matter how much he pleaded and cried or fought and screamed to be let go.

As Kurloz continued, he must have irritated some of the more sensitive areas of Horuss's torso, with a whimper escaping him. Out of habit, Kurloz delivered a light pat to his chest to let him know it's okay. Unlike what he expected, Horuss's bulge managed to unsheathe, getting sandwiched between their bodies. What a pleasant surprise.

Kurloz decided to stop and allowed some space to take in the view, watching Horuss's bulge sluggishly move around. He'll be sure to help him get off when the time comes. It was such a pity though that Horuss couldn't openly moan out during this. People hardly made much sound in this state. Ignoring that for now, he started up his thrusts again, picking up the pace. He would need to finish outside of him this time, but that was fine by him. Coating him with their slurry would be amusing as well.

Getting close, Kurloz thrusted into Horuss a few more times before pulling out. Pleased with over this opportunity, he jerked himself off to finish. As intended, his genetic material got all over Horuss. Such a satisfying sight. In the middle of recovering his breath, he went ahead and got to work on the indigo bulge before him, stroking it.

As he figured, it took a little more than usual to get the job done. While Horuss's body was otherwise limp, him getting closer to his climax made his body tense up as he let out barely audible moans. Soon enough, he reached his orgasm, with his indigo adding to the purple. What a gorgeous mess they made.

Chapter Text

Several nights passed before a nearby bubble drifted into theirs. Finally, their plan could be set in motion. With Aranea and Meenah near the desert plain, they awaited for the Kurloz who Aranea took control over to arrive. Despite how peaceful it currently was, Aranea was beyond infuriated. All of this has gone on for far too long, and with everything being so hush-hush as well. To think that people would keep so much from a light player such as herself- what an insult!

"Yo, you good? You don't usually get all like this." Meenah spoke up, gesturing at Aranea when saying "this", suggesting her whole mannerism was off. She seemed far too tense for a mission that just dealt with a couple of teammates. It shouldn't be that big of a deal. At least it wasn't for Meenah.

Aranea relaxed a little bit and uncrossed her arms to adjust her glasses. "This whole situation has dragged on for far too long with me being kept in the dark about important details. I will be fine once this is dealt with."

"Yeah, I wouldn't doubt there's more secret bullshit goin on either."

"I have been wondering about that as well.... Do you think that perhaps some of our friends have some sort of allegiance to him over whatever game this is? Horuss himself was very reluctant to supply answers, as well as trying to lie about it, much like a few others."

"I vote Damara. Never trust no witch." She said before awkwardly clarifying right after. "Fef's chill though. I ain't dissin her."

Aranea considered making some sort of remark about this, but ended up shrugging instead. "I doubt anyone would be surprised if she turned out to have a role in this conflict."

From Aranea not shooting down her jab at Damara or trying to lecture her, Meenah smiled wide. "Yes, girl! Finally you're on my side!"

"One can acknowledge another person's dangerous history and consider the possibility of them playing into past bad behaviors. I still find your actions that managed to set her off to have been unnecessary and wrong. Don't you ever forget that." Aranea stated before going into it more just to mess with her. "As a matter of fact, I think we have just enough time to discuss this in further detail. Enough time to go into multiple perspectives that point to you being the one in the wrong over that incident that led to multiple casualties."

Catching on, Meenah jokingly shouted out "Nooooo!" as she shook her fist up at the sky for the dramatism of it all. "Damn this cruel afterlife existence!"

"So dramatic." Aranea teased, now smiling, ending up getting nudged by her companion.

"Sea, that's more like it." Meenah said before looking off into the distance. "Oh hey, there he is."

"Try not to launch your fork at this one." Aranea laughed, with Meenah joining in.

"No promises!"

-

Every night was a waking nightmare with Kurloz. Even if not accounting for the fact he's been beaten by him, now recovered, Kurloz was acting more out of control. Lately he's been cutting himself and rubbing his blood on different walls of the hive memory, threatening worse harm towards himself when Horuss tried to approach to confiscate the blade. The injuries he gave himself often varied in severity. Sometimes he would leave his side completely, which was followed by an outburst of some sort. Usually it involved breaking several things, with some silence afterwards before then returning to him like nothing happened.

One of the times Kurloz took longer to return, he was limping, with self-inflicted stab wounds on one of his thighs. Sure enough, he got a significant amount of blood on the floor that time. From the blood, he created several patterns before him. It must have been religious, since he prayed afterwards. Once he was done, he got a second burst of energy, attacking Horuss to get what he wanted. Though Horuss was allowed to wear his clothes again, it was likely just to add to Kurloz's excitement as he practically tore them off to pail with him.

Now in his respiteblock, Horuss tried to keep himself busy to not dwell on his predicament or any of the past few nights. He managed to finish up his goggles, deciding to put them on. If he was trapped here indefinitely, then using them to contact people shouldn't be a concern. He regretted being so fearful of Kurloz monitoring his conversations, with it taking him so long to even look at any of the messages to begin with. Then again, he didn't know what to tell them. What could he even tell them?

Kurloz entered the block, looking a bit surprised at first to see Horuss wearing his goggles again, but dismissed it. Having no worry about any messages, he went up to him and grabbed him by the wrist, giving a tug to insist he followed. There was something special he wanted to show his sweetheart, after all. With Horuss complying, Kurloz smiled at him sweetly, guiding him to the main block once again. While the floor was already dirtied with blood, mostly from the past incidents, Kurloz added a mess to the walls. One of which was a message.

It was some sort of poem declaring their love in Kurloz's own violent perspective. Though Horuss couldn't figure out why, the wording seemed eerily familiar. There was a deep-seated feeling of something being horribly wrong as he read through it. Somehow it was worse than the messages Kurloz had sent him when he ran away. At a loss for words, Horuss just stood there as Kurloz then felt up his body in a calm and content way. Rather than continuing, Kurloz stepped back, all smiles while appearing as if he was about to reveal something else.

However, Kurloz's smile dropped and he turned away suddenly, confusing Horuss until he heard it too. There were muffled noises just outside. Two feminine voices within this hellish place. His confusion turned to hope, though he tried to hide it from Kurloz becoming panicked. Within an instant, Kurloz was in his outfit with his stitches in once again. The memory around them then shifted to one of the chambers within the crypt, hiding the evidence of their encounters.

His wrist was grabbed again, with him being guided to back up to the furthest wall. As an entrance opened up, Kurloz got in front of him, defending what's his. The answer on how the intruders could have possibly been here entered along with them. Another Kurloz, though that one was under Aranea's control.

"You seem surprised to see us here. Perhaps a little bit distraught. Knocked down a peg, even." Aranea proudly announced while Meenah rolled her eyes. It wasn't difficult for her to see that this clown's face paint was a mess and his hair looked even more unkempt. "Hm. You certainly have seen better days." She remarked.

Rather than allowing her to blabber on, Kurloz decided to just get things started by aggravating Meenah. To do this, he equipped the trident he stole. Not only was it precious gold he took from her, but it was also her most prized heirloom in both life and death.

Meenah instantly made the connection of thievery and shouted. "Oh fuck you!" Not wasting any time, she then launched herself at him with her current trident. The gold bars collided, with the two pushing against each other. To one-up Kurloz, Meenah smacked her forehead against his, causing him to stumble back before she set the bar against his throat and shoved him and Horuss against the wall.

Being choked while pressed up against Horuss, Kurloz couldn't help but smile. He would have laughed if the pressure wasn't so intense. Still, he wasn't going to allow himself to pass out and lose Horuss. Before he could even set anything in motion, Aranea managed to put a stop to it with her own concern.

"You're hurting Horuss!" She urgently exclaimed, causing Meenah to back up.

With this, Kurloz lunged forward, with Meenah backing up further before readying her weapon. Leaving Horuss, Kurloz went after her, having to dodge her attempts to stab him. Eventually, the bars collided once more. This time, Kurloz wasn't going to let her catch him off guard again. He subtly adjusted his footing before managing to knock her to the ground with a leg sweep and shove.

Even then, Meenah had quick reflexes, stopping Kurloz from stabbing her by intercepting his trident with hers. The middle prong was getting dangerously close to her, with Kurloz trying to push down harder. His attempt at this proved difficult from this weapon being inconveniently long compared to what he usually worked with.

Aranea anxiously watched on the sidelines. Meenah was strong, but she seemed to be struggling. Still, she had faith in her. Meenah can handle herself, and this was an opening. With Kurloz being occupied in combat, Aranea silently headed over to Horuss, only to pause when hearing more of a scuffle followed by the metal clanging together once again. Looking back at them, she sighed out in relief. Meenah seems to have gotten up unharmed, with them continuing the aggrieve like normal.

Horuss himself seemed incredibly focused on the fight, looking exceptionally nervous as he seemed to have flinched over each slash and attempted stab from both parties. Aranea didn't think much of it, as he was already somewhat jumpy even before this. When she tried to keep quiet by whispering Horuss's name as she reached out and grabbed his arm, intending to lead him further away without drawing attention, she had made an error.

Being too on-edge, Horuss didn't hear her, and the sudden contact caused him to let out a shriek. He looked at Aranea in shock for a moment before turning his attention to Kurloz, aware he just alerted him. Sure enough, Kurloz switched from the trident to his dual clubs before making a mad dash over to them. To evade Kurloz's wrath, Aranea quickly distanced herself from Horuss.

From Kurloz running off, Meenah was quick to take aim. Unfortunately, Kurloz was already too close to Horuss for her to try and launch it. Dammit. And now she had to separate the two again. At least Kurloz saw her as more of a threat than Aranea, with his focus set solely on her. Then again, he's probably going to be even less willing to leave Horuss now. Still, she headed back over to them.

With her getting close, Kurloz didn't hesitate to swing at her to make her keep her distance. When she tried to slash at him, somehow he used those stupid clubs to block the attack. In a way, his clown bullshit pissed her off more. She let out a frustrated huff, knowing she couldn't just jab at him from Horuss being right behind him. There's also the chance of Kurloz dodging, with her accidentally stabbing Horuss instead. She'd never hear the end of it in that case. Might as well try and provoke him to fight again.

"You know, with this whole game bullshit you got goin on... It makes me wonder if a certain tuna suffered from it. The rest of our group always wondered what was goin on there." Meenah said, while Kurloz looked unamused. Because of this, she then called out to Horuss. "Yo, Hozak, you're not crippled in some way now, are you? Not stupid or nofin, right?"

"Um, no?" Horuss replied, ending up getting elbowed in the ribs to tell him to shut up.

Aranea was a bit puzzled over Meenah's tactic. While the events centering Mituna's psychic burnout remained a mystery to them, with Kurloz being horribly vague about it, this was different. Mituna's relationship with Kurloz was never strained, and Latula would have become protective if Kurloz was injuring him. Even them roughhiving was far less injurious compared to Mituna skateboarding.

Seeing Meenah try to strike him again, with it being just as pointless, Aranea set her focus to Horuss. If only he could move out of the way. If she controlled him, she feared Kurloz would know in an instant what was going on and lash out at her. Their extended time alone together likely has made Horuss incapable of doing anything against Kurloz in fear of punishment. Besides, direct confrontation was not her strong suit by any means.

Maybe she could avoid an unwanted altercation that involved her. Unsurely, Aranea looked over to the Kurloz under her control. Even though it was also another unwanted altercation, one she didn't want to resort to, maybe it's the best bet they had. Horuss needed to be taken away from this unrelenting psychopath somehow.

Still somewhat indecisive, Aranea nervously tested the waters. She made the other Kurloz get somewhat closer while still remaining far away enough to not arouse much suspicion. Kurloz seemed to only see Meenah as a threat at least, with his primary focus on her. Once she decided to resort to her fist and decked Kurloz in the face, Aranea halted, only to watch as Meenah wasn't able to effectively block the next attack. Kurloz swung his club, hitting her in the face and knocking her goggles off.

Meenah turned away, following the momentum of the blow, stumbling a bit and ending up dropping her trident. A chuckle escaped Kurloz’s stitched lips. This left her wide open, the perfect chance to ensure she wouldn't be a problem for him anymore. He was prepared to beat her to a bloody fuchsia pulp if that's what it takes.

However, his plan for this was interrupted, with him ending up getting tackled. As Kurloz was struggling on the floor with his other self restraining him, Aranea hurried over to her two companions. Meenah managed to grab at her goggles and trident, noticeably with some trouble, with Aranea then wrapping an arm around her. Going up to Horuss, she then extended her hand, but he seemed scared almost.

"It's alright. We can talk things out once he exhausts himself." Aranea reassured. In response, Horuss stalled, but ultimately accepted. Hurriedly, she took the two them a safer distance away. Though Horuss was their main concern, Aranea couldn't help but set her focus to Meenah. "Are you alright, dear?"

"Yeah, shit just hurts like hell right now." Meenah muttered.

Though Kurloz had stored his clubs in his sylladex, it was more to help him escape the clutches of his other self rather than to surrender. He quickly managed to free both of his arms before equipping his knife. Once he did, he yanked the other's hair, exposing the neck, before plunging the blade into it repeatedly. Blood sprayed from the wounds, with it not taking long before the other's body finally gave out and he collapsed. Motherfucker was double-dead now.

It was easy to push his limp body off at that point. Now standing, he glared at the remaining people there, and they stared at his bloodied face in horror. A natural state of shock, no doubt. None of them dared to move. Enough fucking around. He looked over at Horuss before pointing down at the space in front of himself, grinning as Horuss took a step forward.

"What are you doing?!" Aranea asked him like he lost his mind before getting in front of him. She wasn't just going to let him toss his life away when they were trying to save him.

Horuss didn't know what to say to her, but he knew he should go to Kurloz. Aranea just got in his way again when he tried to walk past her.

"He's going to kill you!" She shouted.

From Aranea's upset, Meenah spoke with authority as she put her goggles back on. "Zahhak, I order you to not go over there."

Horuss stopped in his tracks, anxiously looking over at Kurloz. Before their relationship, he would have never thought he would be capable of not following a high blood's orders, though it was out of fear. He understood that his respect and admiration of the empress was less to him than his fear of what would happen if he disobeyed Kurloz. Once Aranea moved away, believing he wouldn't go, he knew he had an opening.

Like he knew he should, Horuss tried to hurry over to Kurloz, only to be stopped by a sudden pain in his arm as something soared by him. His arm got cut, but that was the least of his worries. The weapon that caused it was the trident, which ended up in Kurloz's torso. He could only watch as Kurloz fell, with a small pool of blood developing beneath his motionless body.

"No!" Horuss went over to him before falling to his knees. This wasn't what he wanted. Even at the worst of it, he never wanted Kurloz to die. "How could you do this?" He yelled out in anger.

Meenah grumbled to herself as she walked up to them before setting a foot on Kurloz to yank her trident out of him. "Can't even let me have my victory, huh?"

"Revive him." Horuss demanded, growing irritated when getting no response at first. "You're a life player. Revive him!"

"Are you fuckin nuts? No way am I revivin that freak."

Aranea went up to them, giving Meenah a nudge to grab her attention. She then pointed over to the other Kurloz. "We need that one." She whispered, smiling as Meenah went over to deal with that. Sensing the chaotic whirl of emotions in Horuss's mind, Aranea sat down beside him, yet while being more cautious of the blood than he was. "I understand this is difficult for you to process. However, I couldn't help but notice you disregarding Meenah's placement in the hemospectrum. Even ordering her around. That's quite peculiar for someone like you."

That didn't matter to him right now. What mattered was trying to figure out a way to convince her to not let Kurloz die. Something believable enough to give him a chance. "He's my kismesis. I lied about there being a game to keep our relationship a secret like he wanted."

Aranea was taken aback from hearing this, but then addressed the concern. "Rufioh and Cronus have reported marks on your body."

"They did?" He asked, with Aranea nodding. He didn't want to talk about that either. "Kurloz is more of a danger to himself than to anyone else."

"And you're disregarding the damage done to you because...?"

"Oh, um.... My apologies if it seems that way. They're- um, They're merely a result from me trying to calm him down in the middle of his worst episodes." He lied, knowing he could add to it. "He's mentally unwell. Roll up his sleeve and you'll see."

Aranea didn't seem to buy it, but decided to at least go along with it anyway. Sure enough, when she rolled up the sleeve, there were many scars along Kurloz's wrist alone. There were plenty that appeared deep while others were noticeably fresh. "Well that certainly is.... something."

"He needs help. There's medications he could take to ease his troubled mind, right? Something like what Latula has."

Aranea was unconvinced on what Horuss was trying to suggest. She was certain of Kurloz's desire to kill Horuss, as she sensed it so clearly. Meenah made the right choice to fatally wound Kurloz, killing him instead of letting him kill Horuss. Well, she probably would have done that regardless, given her record.

Besides, these clowns are unpredictable, especially with Kurloz suddenly going off the rails. Enough that he killed an iteration of himself so violently. Whatever they had as an alleged couple was probably a messy and violent way of Horuss coping with his long-standing relationship with Rufioh breaking apart. That or he was completely being taken advantage of in his fragile state of mind, making Aranea even less sympathetic towards Kurloz.

The continued silence made Horuss nervous, trying to add more to it. "Mituna alone isn't enough to keep him steady, but without him, his mental state progressively got worse."

"Were you not being held against your will?"

"I was."

"Mhm. Both times. You also ran away before the first time, with something seemingly unspeakable happening as a result."

"Yes...."

"Is it possible you do not know what to do with yourself without him causing harm to you?"

"Are Meulin and Mituna not troubled in his absence?"

Feeling like this was going nowhere, Aranea let out a huff. "If you want, I can make a detailed group message that requires for the rest of our team to help reach a verdict. Whether to let him stay double-dead or to revive him."

"Yes, that would be nice."

Concluding this, Aranea looked over to Meenah, who didn't seem very happy about their conversation. "We are going to have the rest of our team help decide on if we revive Kurloz or not." She stated. Meenah looked annoyed over this, but Aranea knew she was mostly bored from having to wait. "Now. Let's leave this place."

With this, Horuss wanted to at least carry Kurloz's lifeless body outside, only to get shooed away by Aranea when he tried. Instead, she had the Kurloz under her control carry his own dead self. At the very least, she allowed him to exit the crypt first when they created an opening to leave from. Though a feeling of relief washed over him upon exiting the crypt, Horuss remained gloomy.

Aranea took a look around before talking again. "This place looks rather familiar, but it's missing something.... Is this where your hive was? If so, it seems to have faded away from your prolonged absence. A bit like how Meenah's tower had disappeared when she was off in different bubbles."

"I suppose so." He replied before looking over at the dead Kurloz. His Kurloz... Who did such horrible things to him... Now he was starting to feel more conflicted. He didn't like this.

"Regardless, I think it would be best if you spent some time away from Kurloz. Your moirail has been worried sick about you. Perhaps you should pay her a visit." She suggested.

Horuss thought over it for a bit before getting unsettled from how Aranea was staring at him. Right, she can sense some of what was going on in his mind without actually having to pry into it. His feelings about any of this could give everything away. "Um, yes, I should head off then."

"Meulin has gotten closer to Rufioh and Damara in your absence. She's likely over at the tree fort you used to occupy."

Horuss felt a twinge of heartbreak over the mention of Rufioh, but couldn't help but wonder if Meulin got close to him as a result of the disorderly feelings jam. That might make it harder to convince them to vote towards reviving Kurloz. He should head over while he still had time.

Watching Horuss run off, Aranea then set her focus over to Meenah. She explained herself, as if aware her companion was wondering why she would agree to such a stupid thing. "I doubt many people would want Kurloz alive."

With this, Meenah got snarky. "Yeah, like what are we even gonna do after revivin him? Put him in a memory of a looneyblock? Ha!"

That joke suggestion made Aranea think about it a bit more in a serious context. "Hm. I suppose we should do a back and forth just in case. It should help us pass the time, at least."

"What? Can't we just keep him double-dead either way?"

"No. We are using the group chatlog for this, after all. I doubt they would find it very fair if we go against it. But! I believe the odds are on our side. Meulin and Mituna are the most likely to be sympathetic regarding Kurloz, but not many people liked him to begin with. Even then, there is a chance that Meulin will choose to let Kurloz go. She's been an emotional wreck over all of this, and now her moirail is free and has a chance to remain out of harm's way for good."

"If you know that, then why are you overthinkin this? You said it yourself, ain't no way enough people are gonna want him alive."

"Well, you could think of this like a mental exercise to help with problem solving."

"Serks, you're makin this the most borin victory ever. I hope you know that. I should be grinnin ear to ear and doing some sick flips to celebrate pokin someone with my fork, but look at this." Meenah said before letting out an exaggerated sigh and slouching along with it. "You sucked the life outta me. Bleh."

"Oh hush! It's not that bad. We could even speculate a few things to make it interesting."

"It ain't gossip or nofin, right?"

"It might be viewed as such, but it's more out of piecing together what went wrong."

"Meh, don't care."

"Drama is more interesting than that particular gossip you seem to hate so much."

"Ugh. Fine. As long as you let me remain sleepin if I doze off on you."

"Sounds good to me."

Chapter Text

The longer Horuss was outside of the crypt, the more clarity he had. His run slowed to a stroll, eventually coming to a complete halt. What was he doing? He's finally outside, finally free like he wanted. Yet here he was, on his way to convince others to allow every horrible thing he faced to happen again. What was wrong with him? It didn't feel right to have Kurloz double-die, but he was so... It's hard to find the words. Maybe his absence would do him some good.

Horuss sat down, allowing himself to just breathe for a while, though he couldn't exactly relax. He thought over things a bit more, with uncertainty growing within him. It was difficult to not feel foolish over his recent actions. Immediately, he had given Kurloz another chance, having demanded for it so intensely. Now he wasn't sure on what outcome he truly wanted. Even with Kurloz currently gone, he dreaded every passing moment away from him. It felt wrong. Maybe some consolation from his moirail would do him some good after all.

As he came to this conclusion, he got a notification from the group chatlog. Aranea started explaining what had happened, getting down to specifics as well. Ignoring the following notifications, he headed off to the forest to find the tree fort. As he did, he made sure to message Meulin that he's nearby and that they should have a feelings jam.

Upon finding the tree fort, Horuss reserved a moment to take in the view, though he's seen it countless times before. It didn't feel real this time around. He thought back on his recent memory of Kurloz's death. It didn't feel real either. Everything felt distant and wrong. Maybe he shouldn’t be here.

"Horuss!" Meulin called out to him, making him snap out of it and look up at her. "MOG! I can't believe it!" She squealed before hurrying across the platform and descending down the wooden stairs. All so she could pounce on him. "I was getting so worried and thinking I would never see you again, but-" She stopped when seeing the torn part of his jacket, freshly stained with indigo blood. That alone caused her to get off of him.

As if this made her realize the intensity of the situation she was trying to not think about, she turned away to briefly comb through her hair with her fingers. After regaining herself, she grabbed him by the wrist of his uninjured arm and took him up to one of the huts. It was Damara's. Horuss hardly took a step in before freezing up, not daring to move even when Meulin tried to give a light tug to suggest for him to actually enter.

In the middle of reading the group messages, Damara was smoking a joint as she awaited the next lines of information. She stared up at Horuss coldly, noticing his discomfort right away. He looked a bit rough, but was distinctly frightened by her presence alone. Perhaps she was too similar to a certain somebody in his eyes now. Meulin probably wanted them to bond in some way, but this won't do. She pointed to where Rufioh's hut was before shooing them off, blowing out some smoke afterwards.

Meulin seemed a bit confused from this, looking up at Horuss at first before heading up higher to Rufioh's hut with him. This time around, Horuss managed to enter without an issue, but he became a bit more anxious from seeing Rufioh again. While Meulin went ahead and started gathering a few things for a pile, Rufioh was as awkward as ever.

"Yo, Horuss... What's up?" He greeted before raising his fist for Horuss to lightly bump it, only to lower it when Horuss looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. That definitely had to be one of his worst greetings yet- completely inappropriate with everything going on. When Horuss crossed his arms, Rufioh then noticed the same cut that Meulin did. "Oh dang, what happened to your arm?"

"Meenah's trident."

"Oh shit... I'm sorry to hear about that..." From Horuss still not looking at him, Rufioh mentioned something from the group messages. "Were you and Kurloz really each other's kismesis? I thought you were terrified of him, and-"

Interrupting him, Horuss spoke lowly. "I think it would be best if you left us alone for now." Compared to their last feelings jam, where it was deemed necessary for someone to monitor, it didn't make sense here. Rufioh looked dejected, and Horuss turned away. Shortly after, Rufioh went ahead and left. Meulin didn't seem to notice this going on, being too preoccupied with gathering and stacking material.

"Finished!" She announced before hopping onto the pile she made, consisting mostly of host plushies from Rufioh's fiduspawn game. She stared up at Horuss, patting the spot next to her. It wasn't much compared to the last one she made, but it should suffice for now.

Horuss kept his gaze low as he headed over to her. When laying down in the plush pile, he looked uncomfortable, even before Meulin brought anything up. Just anticipating it was awful. Her continued bubbly approach was especially setting him off.

Meulin believed the chatlogs were something gossipy, since Rufioh got confused when reading through the first parts and asked her if she knew that Horuss and Kurloz were in a kismesissitude together. He didn't have the heart to tell her what the messages actually were, but before she could check it herself, she noticed she got messages from Horuss. What better way to get all the information about Horuss's black feelings for Kurloz than from the source?

"Soooo are you finally going to open up to me about your feelings towards Kurloz? Or I should say your kismesis. I'm so excited!" She said with a giggle, making Horuss look at her confused, offended even, though his goggles hid it.

"Have you not read the group chatlog?" He asked, sitting up, with Meulin doing so as well.

"Oh, um. No, not really." She replied, resulting in Horuss holding his head in his hands. "It's okay. I can read it right now, and then we can continue our feelings jam!" Before she could take her phone out of her sylladex, Horuss appeared to have grown impatient.

Though Meulin couldn't read his lips from him holding his head low, he muttered. "I should leave." With this, he headed out without even acknowledging her. He didn't bother to look back as she called out to him, soon followed by Rufioh, as he made his way down. But neither of them tried to stop him.

Rufioh could only watch as Horuss ran off, with the trees soon obscuring him, sighing out. Afterwards, he headed back up to Meulin. "What happened?"

"He left after I said I didn't read the chatlogs yet."

"Oh, right, um... I guess you didn't actually see any of that, heh..." He said, cringing as Meulin began to read the messages, gradually looking more and more upset as she did. Oh boy.

-

Already, Meenah got bored and took a nap on the grass. With the aggrieve from earlier, she earned it this time. Aranea was currently watching as people questioned and discussed a few things within the chat, derailing it a bit. She simply reminded them that Kurloz's fate rested in their collective hand, so they had to make the choice sooner rather than later. If they took too long, they'll just default to letting him remain double-dead.

She looked up at the two iterations of Kurloz before her, tired of that display. Now that she thought about it, this probably resembled some sort of symbolic or religious bullshit she didn't care about. Due to her own suspicion of this, she then had that Kurloz carelessly drop the corpse before sitting down. Though the body holds up past typical limits when under control, his arms were probably tired anyway. Best to not trouble him too much with everything that happened.

"It would be best to hold my control over you until your bubble officially passes by." She spoke, mostly to herself. "With you being in your correct bubble, I mean."

She let out a huff as she looked back at her phone, seeing the messages from the rest of the team. More questions and uncertainty. At least some people have voted, but they clearly have a bias. Though she was certain Latula would sway Mituna away from such danger, he voted to revive Kurloz. Of course, Cronus immediately voted to keep him double-dead, spurring discourse between the two. The others are going to need to vote sometime soon.

As for a solution on if Kurloz did get revived: she couldn't figure something reasonable out. The suggestion of medications is too vague with all that was out there, and there was no telling if Kurloz would actually follow along with it. Even with the joke suggestion of a looneyblock, Kurloz has proven that he could just escape with the bubbles allowing him to have a pocket dimension. A straitjacket would be funny to see him in, but Kankri would be infuriated on his behalf about taking away his last form of communication. They would never hear the end of it.

Surely just Kurloz's moirail alone wouldn't solve his issues. Mituna couldn't even pacify him when things went too far, and had even encouraged the fight to begin with. While she hasn't smoked herself, she's aware of how it can ease quite a few troubling symptoms, but that's probably not really the case for Kurloz. It might not exactly soothe him as well as they needed it to.

If she was going to figure out a good enough solution, she likely needs to know the main reason why things got to this point in the first place. Much to her frustration, nobody was really telling her key information she actually needed. While Horuss had supplied the fact that Kurloz was harming himself, there's nothing really pointing to why. Maybe she needed to question Horuss further. It would definitely be a better use of her time compared to just sitting around and waiting for a verdict.

-

Horuss had sat down and taken off his goggles, now hugging his knees. It was getting too much seeing the constant notifications going off for the group messages. He didn't want to be alone, but he didn't want to go back to the forest either. Not after that. Besides, Cronus was messaging him again, in that matter where he's heavy on the insults. It shouldn't be too surprising, as everyone had just been told he and Kurloz were kismeses. Cronus wasn't having it either when being reminded that he was told that he was spoken for before they got together.

He didn't really want direct confrontation, but ended up caving and let Cronus know where he was. It was a familiar memory, one they both knew in different ways. That specific field that overlooked a shoreline on Beforus. Thankfully, it was away from where everyone else was. It would just be him and Cronus here.

When spotting Horuss, Cronus grumbled as he went over to him. He's spewed plenty of insults over text, but was still fuming over this. All this feeling of rejection over Horuss- it was actually because of him fucking around with someone else. All of the drama about Kurloz was probably just to make excuses to evade him. How could he be so stupid? "Kurloz of all people?!" He yelled. From Horuss patting the ground beside him, offering the spot, Cronus rolled his eyes. While he still had an attitude, he decided to follow along, sitting next to him.

"I didn't understand anything that was happening at first. I was scared of him and let him do what he wanted to me while I was at my lowest. Even with the suspicions of him hurting me and entrapping me, I did want him, in a way. It only got worse from there." Horuss explained, but Cronus didn't seem to take it well.

"And vwhere do I come into this? Vwhat, you just vwanted to sleep around vwithout him knowving and Porrim turned you dowvn?"

"He allowed me to see you."

"Huh?"

"You were a choice I was allowed to make.... Admittedly, I wasn't too sure about how to feel at first, but I've come to realize that I do want you. Unfortunately, it was a trick. Kurloz just wanted an excuse to harm you."

Cronus seemed flattered for a moment before raging over that last part. "You put a fucking target on my back, you selfish prick! Is that vwhy I vwas attacked another time? Just because you vwanted more?" Horuss went silent from this, but it seemed like he was about ready to cry. Trying to ignore that, Cronus looked away and sighed. "At least he's double-dead nowv. Hopefully he'll stay that vway. You could probably guess vwhat I vwoted for if you didn't see it already."

"I don't have it in me to look at the messages." Horuss said, his voice breaking.

"Vwell sorry you're irrational and vwant the crazy clowvn back. Aranea made it clear vwhat your stance vwas."

"I- I don't want-" He barely let out before his tears overwhelmed him.

Though Cronus was still angry at him, he delivered a pat to his back. He's never really seen Horuss cry, but knowing it was because of Kurloz made him more annoyed than sympathetic. If he could stop his little sob session soon that would be great.

"I don't want him back." Horuss managed to confess, causing Cronus to look at him, confused. "He's beaten, whipped, branded, and stabbed me.... I don't- I don't want any of that again." He let out before his crying started up again.

"Hey, hey, look at me." Cronus said, pulling Horuss closer as he made him face him. "Do you really think he's going to be rewviwved? I mean, come on, nobody liked him."

"I don't want him to be dead either!" Horuss hissed out, only to regret his temper from seeing Cronus's agitation, ending up pulling away from him. "It's not fair.... He's sick. He needed help, not a death sentence."

Cronus didn't really know what to say about this. Though he was on the fence about his feelings about Horuss, he knew he wanted to make use of this little reunion. He got a dirty idea on how to get somewhere with Horuss, looping back to what Kurloz had done to him for it. "Can I see your scars?" This made Horuss advert his gaze before getting up. Believing he was about to leave, Cronus stood as well. "Come on, you'wve been hiding too much from me. Besides, ponyboy... You knowv I think scars are cool."

Horuss said nothing as he wiped away his tears and faced him again. He allowed Cronus to get up close, getting his jacket unbuttoned by him. Once the jacket was opened, Horuss slid his arms out of the sleeves before captchaloguing it. Cronus pulled the shirt up right after, appearing shocked over the burn wounds. Dang, Kurloz really messed him up.

Horuss shivered from the cooler touch that felt along the marks, getting surprised by Cronus wrapping his arms around his waist, closing the gap between them. So suddenly, he was kissed, causing him to freeze up. From him not returning the kiss, Cronus pulled away, annoyed. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Cronus grabbed at Horuss's belt.

"Wait- What are you doing?" Horuss asked, panicked and pulling away.

"Calm dowvn. You had scars you vwere hiding dowvn there, right?"

"Oh, um, yes...." With this, he then let Cronus undo his belt, holding his breath as his pants were pulled down. He was trembling as Cronus felt up his thighs, going over the scars. This felt wrong in some way, but he wasn't too sure with the whirl of emotions clouding his mind. Maybe he shouldn't be showing off his injuries, not even to Cronus.

"So he branded you, huh? Vwhere is it- your back?" Cronus asked, seeming like he was about to inspect the area.

Horuss stammered a bit, trying to say he would rather him not see, before Cronus decided to pull his briefs down. This made Horuss let out a yelp before attempting to pull them back up, only to get shoved to the ground. While he was recovering from the fall, getting on his hands and knees, Cronus spotted the sigil burned into him. Such a thing caused him to feel a surge of scorn for Kurloz over it.

Despite this approach, Horuss felt excited, even before his rear got slapped hard enough to make him jolt. Without any repeats, he sheepishly looked over his shoulder at Cronus, getting sweatier by the second. He couldn't help but think that they shouldn't be doing this. It was awfully unbecoming. Then again, not much of his romantic encounters have ever really been proper or appropriate.

Seeing Horuss expected more, Cronus smirked. "Are you going to be a good boy and beg for it?"

Hearing this, Horuss nervously looked around, making sure they were still alone. They really shouldn't, but... "Yes. Please pail with me, your highness."

"You don't vwant anymore spanks?"

"I do, just um.... While I'm being penetrated, if that's alright."

"Sounds good." Cronus confirmed before getting to work on prepping Horuss, starting off by lubricating his fingers with his saliva. Horuss gasped from the coolness of his touch down there. His finger entered his nook, with him sliding it in and out. The next finger followed shortly after, with the two rubbing more intimately against his walls. This time, especially with the now known threat out of the way, Cronus was eager to make things official. To claim Horuss as his, even if not publicly.

He willed out of his clothes, freeing his bulge that he then pressed up to Horuss's nook. With it sliding in without much resistance, he rocked his hips, gradually letting more in. When it was all inside, Horuss let out a quiet moan and shuddered. Right after, Cronus delivered a hard smack to his ass, causing him to let out a pleased groan.

Horuss clearly wanted more, displaying submissive behavior for it, and getting exactly what he wanted. Every now and then, as Cronus was thrusting into him, he would deliver a slap to his ass. His cheeks were definitely flushed blue by the end of it. Once the spanking let up, Cronus began to pound Horuss's nook.

Though Horuss still worried about the extent of their relationship, or if he could ever truly have him, he missed this. Pailing that didn't make him terrified for either of their safety alongside dreading more of it. No, he shouldn't be thinking about that. As he tried to tell himself to calm down, he caught a glimpse of something in the distance. A figure, or movement- whatever it was, he was sure he saw it. However, when he looked over to where it was, there was nothing there.

His ponytail was then forcefully grabbed, in a painfully familiar way. Horuss let out a fearful shout, resulting in the grip instantly disappearing. The thrusts also came to a stop.

"No hair pulling, got it." Cronus said, realizing he messed up. He then cleared his throat. "Position change?" Horuss was tense, but he nodded. With that, Cronus pulled out to then try and guide Horuss to lay on his back. Annoyingly, he seemed stubborn about it. Rather than Horuss laying down, he took his jacket out of his sylladex, laying it out on the grass. In order to save some time, Horuss then willed out of the rest of his clothes instead of manually removing them.

To make up for the sudden stop and to try to distract his worried mind, Horuss leaned in and kissed Cronus. In response, he was embraced, with the kiss progressing into a desperate yet passionate makeout session. Moving things along, Cronus managed to guide him to lay down, re-inserting his bulge right after. He rocked his hips for a while, taking in the moment, before exiting the kiss. With the intention of getting back to where they were earlier, Cronus had Horuss spread his legs more before starting up his thrusts at a fast pace.

Once Cronus was slamming into him, Horuss tried to not tense up too much. Even with that, he couldn't stop himself from moaning louder from the stimulation. Wanting a release, he began to stroke his bulge. It didn't take long before he started to withhold his breaths as he tensed up. Even as Cronus's speed slowed from this, the power in his thrusts didn't let up, with Horuss whimpering with every one. Almost there.

"You like that, you vwhore?" Cronus huffed.

"Yes." Horuss breathed out in reply. Shortly after, he ejaculated, dirtying himself with his own genetic fluid. From the pulsing of his nook's walls, Cronus followed right after, emptying inside of him. While regaining his breath, Horuss stared up at him. Though Cronus seemed to have enjoyed this, Horuss felt uneasy, like something bad was going to happen. He couldn't help but feel like they shouldn't have done this.

Horuss quietly sat up and took a towel from his sylladex to quickly clean off his torso. As he did, he felt disgusted with himself and the display of his ruined body. These mismatched scars from various kinds of trauma sickened him. He doubted Cronus genuinely liked them either. After all, the most distinct one was Kurloz's symbol.

"Howv many rounds are you thinking this time, ponyboy? Nowv that vwe're official, I mean."

That made Horuss shoot a look at him. "We're official?"

"At this point, vwhy vwouldn't vwe be?" Cronus asked, wrapping an arm around him. "I think vwe make a good pair. Besides, you said you vwanted me, right?" Getting a timid "right" in return, he whispered. "Let's keep it betwveen us though."

After that, Cronus stood, appearing content as he opened his sylladex and took the pail from it. Getting offered the bucket, Horuss sighed out. For once, he would like to not be burdened with this task. Before getting up, he felt a sense of dread creeping up on him, as his back was turned towards the field for too long. He quickly looked behind himself, trying to spot what he suspected was out there. Just like before, there was nothing.

Still anxious, he decided to face the field as he positioned himself over the bucket. Though he wanted some quiet as he dealt with this disgusting ordeal, Cronus disrupted the silence. He must have noticed someone was trying to contact him when he opened up his sylladex, as he was now talking on the phone.

"Hey, so vwhat's up vwith all the calls? Did you vwant something or- Huh? Horuss?" Cronus looked over at Horuss, he was clearly busy, but... "Yeah, sure." He then held the phone out for Horuss to grab. "She wants to talk to you."

Horuss looked appalled. There was no way he was comfortable talking to anyone during a time like this. Then again, Cronus insistently held it out in a "just take it" matter, seeming annoyed over it. Trying to ignore that genetic material was dripping out of him, he answered the phone. "Yes, who is this?"

"Hello, Horuss. This is Aranea. I have been trying to get a hold of you. Because you weren't answering at all, I decided to cycle through to see if one of our friends was near you. Turns out you're with Cronus, and now here we are, having this conversation. So, I have a few questions about Kurloz's mental instability. Since that was your primary push for reviving him."

"You didn't revive him, did you?"

"We haven't reached a verdict yet. I simply want to figure out more about his mind. He was always difficult for me to read before suddenly turning violent. Surely there were a few signs before things got out of hand?"

Irritated with this conversation continuing, Horuss ended up gripping the bucket's rim too hard, warping the metal. He stalled on answering. "It's hard to describe."

"How so?"

He took in a deep breath and let it out, trying to avoid making any sickened noises. "Kurloz already had many scars on him and was constantly injuring himself up until his death- or his double-death, I should say.... With our last remaining time together, I um.... I had to follow along with instances of harm towards him. At least before he started to harm himself even more on his own."

"You harmed him?"

"It was something I had to carry out."

"Hm. Sounds to me like you were fanning the flames believing it would put them out."

Before Horuss could think of something to say to that, someone else was talking to Aranea. Meenah? He couldn't tell what she was saying, but what he heard next made fear stab through his heart.

On the other end, Aranea spoke in disbelief. "What? No, his body can't be gone."

Meenah was close enough to the phone to be audible this time. "Maybe someone took it?"

"I would have sensed someone approaching!" Aranea argued before remembering about the call. "Sorry, I need to settle something real quick. Bye for now."

With the call ending, Horuss was trembling, yet managed to give the phone back to Cronus. Beginning to freak out, he stood up to frantically clean between his legs with the towel before willing into his clothes again. As he was putting on his jacket, Cronus stopped him.

"Hey, vwhat do you think you're doing? You think you could just leave like nothing happened?"

Horuss just fearfully blurted. "He's out there and he's going to kill me. I know I saw something. It's him, Kurloz is here."

Cronus was unamused by this, gesturing to the field. "All you sawv vwas grass movwing in the vwind. Besides, he's dead, remember?"

"His body is gone."

"He could havwe just faded from existence because they took too long. Vwe don't knowv this crud."

Horuss remained unconvinced, now growing irritated with Cronus. He pulled away from him before buttoning up the jacket, not even wanting to look at him anymore. "He could very much kill you instead, I hope you know." With this, he began to head off, though he was unsure on where to go. Anywhere but here.

"So vwhat- you're going to leavwe me ovwer nothing? Ovwer a guy that doesn't exist anymore? How delusional could you be?!" He shouted at Horuss, only to be ignored. Pissed off, he stormed over to where they sat before, stopping when noticing Horuss's headgear. Dammit. "Zahhak, you forgot your goggles!" He turned around to yell out, only to see Horuss was already gone.