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+---- Thread: all the blood and the dust (/showthread.php?tid=12688)
RE: all the blood and the dust - Astaroth - 04-02-2026
Warmth bleeds from him and soaks into Danta as he blankets him, the bliss and numbness sparking through him until it feels like his tail is vibrating from where it’s still pressed against the small of Danta’s back. It’s pinned there, but the butcher doesn’t find himself caring – not as he indulges in that bloody and desirable kiss, withdrawing and panting heavily for breath. He drops down slowly and more fully, both hands rising to drag his fingertips along his sides and shoulders, before he’s snagged by the Maverick again.
Each trickle of his fingers against his spine spark shivers, the quiet sensation of his tail trying to wag underneath Danta, and held surprisingly obediently in his grasp of his bearded chin as he looks up at his lover with dark eyes laced with exhaustion and an unashamedly large amount of pride. “[say]I know, darling.[/say]” He purrs snarkily, shooting him a bloody shark toothed grin, chest still heaving for breath.
He's content to remain there for a few long moments before he starts to move again, shifting them so that he can roll onto his side and drag Danta in and up against his chest in the process (and also to free his tail), before he's running his fingers through the long golden strands of his hair and down his shoulder and spine. "[say]You're mine.[/say]" The whisper is every ounce possessive and full of love and adoration.
RE: all the blood and the dust - Dantalion - 04-02-2026
[say]"Prick,"[/say] Danta purrs affectionately in return, unable not to grin at the other man's inflated ego, even if in this case (and most others, if you ask him) it's entirely merited. A quiet laugh rumbles up in his chest then - he can feel Asta's tail trying to wag where he's pinned it beneath his body, and as the butcher finally shifts to roll them to one side, he goes without complaint. His own glamour remains drawn up, mostly so he can nuzzle obnoxiously beneath his lover's chin, huffing a hot, content breath against the hollow of his throat.
[say]"I am,"[/say] he mumbles, voice muffled and arms coiling back around Asta as if to hold him just as hostage from here as he had been pinned under him. [say]"Always will be."[/say] Always have been, he might have said if he were feeling more fluffy and sentimental, but both of them would laugh at the lie. So instead Danta leans in to let his lips ghost across the scars on the butcher's chest in feather-soft kisses, as if he might undo every one of them just by virtue of wanting it.
RE: all the blood and the dust - Astaroth - 04-02-2026
It is not nor is it the last time Danta’s called him a prick, and the only response he has to that is to keep that bloodied grin on display even as he jostles them and eventually rolls them onto their sides. His arms wind around him, keeping him just as close as Danta keeps him. He feels the heat of each breath pressed against his throat and Asta tangles his legs with his, his tail sweeping across the furs and twitching with content.
The confirmation of Danta saying it alleviates the quiet intensity of his need to reassure himself that the Maverick wasn’t going anywhere. He knows it, in the dark crevices of his heart and his mind, but the stag in his skin isn’t sated unless it’s said over and over again. “[say]Good.[/say]” He hums, his chin nestling into the crown of blonde, free from the diamond that matches the ring on his finger that sweeps over his lover’s side.
He can feel the numbed sensation of Danta’s kisses against the scars on his chest, some more tender than others, and with such a focus on it the butcher can’t help himself when it’s his turn to grow a bit sappy. “[say]I don’t mind them so much anymore.[/say]” Comes the quiet and thickly accented admission – something surprising, probably, given how much Asta had always tried to hide them, how he’d always wished they were gone, not wanting to relive the memories constantly that had put them on his skin.
RE: all the blood and the dust - Dantalion - 04-02-2026
[say]"No?"[/say] Danta shifts just enough to peer up at Asta as he speaks, blue eyes made darker by the shadows, hazed with the sort of exhaustion that comes from contentment rather than weariness. He glances back to the butcher's scars, drawing gentle fingers up the length of his chest to splay his hand against them, as if to follow the silvered pattern of talons and beaks. [say]"Well then you won't mind if I keep kissing them better either, will you?"[/say]
Smirking and leaning in to do just that, when the Maverick speaks again the words are mumbled into Asta's chest. [say]"Since no one was there to do it when you first got them."[/say] Brushing his thumb gently against a particularly gruesome snarl of scar tissue, he huffs out a deep sigh as if to cast his mind back, to wonder what he must have been doing or how he'd been living when Asta had been chained up there in The Climb.
RE: all the blood and the dust - Astaroth - 04-02-2026
“[say]No.[/say]” Asta confirms, tilting his head slightly to catch those dark blues. His own are nearly black like this, with enough of a contrast to be able to tell where the pupil starts but that’s about it. No honey brightness to be found – though not because he isn’t happy. He is. “[say]I don’t mind.[/say]” He says with a soft huff, giving him a gentle squeeze as he returns his affections along each rough piece of scar tissue.
This close, the mumble is easy to hear and impossible to avoid, and it’s sweet enough that the butcher’s fingers twitch where they curl in against his lover’s back, a soft sigh leaving him before his head is tilting so he can nuzzle his cheek into the crown of blonde, his horns catching a small amount of light in the process and casting an array of fiery rainbows in the process. “[say]Or right after, technically.[/say]” He murmurs before he shakes himself out of that particular rabbit hole.
It’s this other sappiness that Asta leans on like a crutch as he remains nuzzled in, fingers tracing idle designs in his fiance’s side when he speaks. “[say]I wouldn’t have met you if it hadn’t happened, you know.[/say]” He tries to make it lighter, but it’s equally just as sweet and sappy and sad in the right light.
RE: all the blood and the dust - Dantalion - 04-02-2026
[say]"Good,"[/say] Danta mumbles with another few kisses, as if the butcher's permission is all he needed to continue to fuss over him relentlessly. As he continues, though, the Maverick shifts back enough to peer up at him properly, his palm a warm brand that remains against Asta's scarred chest. [say]"Or right after,"[/say] he agrees before he's clutched closer, Danta melting against his lover and nosing in against the side of his neck.
[say]"Getting caught, or the crows?"[/say] he wonders softly. [say]"Because I reckon you'd have been found with or without the crows."[/say] Granted, whether he'd been found in time is another thing; Danta imagines the scent of blood thick in the air would have been easy to follow, and practically a beacon for any Ancients prowling the area. Without it, perhaps Asta would have simply perished in the heat.
Danta surprises himself with how much he despises that thought, and Asta will likely be able to feel his frown as he considers it. [say]"Who knows what I'd be now without you."[/say]
RE: all the blood and the dust - Astaroth - 04-02-2026
Always happy to meet Danta’s gaze whenever it’s offered, it’s the warmth of his hand that has the brief beat of his heart as it settles into an easy rhythm despite the subject matter. “[say]Both, I suppose.[/say]” He says with a slight scrunch of his nose as he thinks about it while Danta nestles back in against the side of his neck. “[say]Getting caught, though. It is what brought the crows.[/say]” He tilts his head slightly and nestles his cheek in more against the glamoured crown of his fiance’s head.
He does feel the frown and the next statement is one that Asta has little doubt that Danta would be that different from how he is now. Because if he hadn’t made it to becoming an Ancient and being the punisher, well, Morax would have chosen someone else. The end result would have been unfortunately the same, abused and starved and used as a weapon. And it’s a thought he can’t keep locked behind his too sharp teeth.
“[say]I don’t think you would have been that different at first. I didn’t exactly go easy on you as I am sure you recall.[/say]” There’s the slight tug of a smile, more exasperated at the politics they had been involved with both unwillingly at that point in the Climb. “[say]I think I'll always be sorry for it.[/say]” He admits as his hand traces over a particularly long scar along his fiance’s back and edges toward his side, courtesy of one of the many canes he’d broken across the Maverick’s back.
RE: all the blood and the dust - Dantalion - 04-02-2026
[say]"Never thought I'd be grateful for somethin' that gave you nightmares,"[/say] Danta says idly, letting his hand drop from Asta's chest at last to curl around him again, fingers just about able to catch the tips of the scars that carve along his back. He's happy to fall into silence as the butcher retreats into himself for however long he needs, and Danta's eyes have slipped shut by the time he speaks again, drawing him from his doze.
Laughing softly, he bullies his way up enough to gently nibble at Asta's lower lip. [say]"I meant what I'd be like now,"[/say] he clarifies. How he'd have continued without waking the other man from his stony slumber, without finding himself darkly and inexorably entangled with him to the point that his heart had learned to beat in rhythm with the butcher's.
[say]"And I already forgave you,"[/say] he reminds him. [say]"So shut up and kiss me."[/say]
RE: all the blood and the dust - Astaroth - 04-02-2026
“[say]Mm, me too.[/say]” For as terrible as the nightmares have been in his past, the butcher’s eternally grateful to be right here right now. The bracelet that wraps around his wrist is given a passing glance as his hand trails up high enough to see it against Danta’s back, the crimson sheen glinting within the feathered exterior.
As silence overtakes them while he picks what he intends to say next, Asta’s brought out of the shell he’d found himself in as Danta nibbles at his lower lip, melting into him in spite of the correction. He huffs a soft laugh before he brushes his nose against Danta’s, about to respond with all the ways he thinks Danta would have been similar to how he’d found him – playful and charismatic, charming and easy-going, fearless and terrifying to those that found his bad side.
But all of those don’t get a chance to leave his lips with the forgiveness that sits there in the shadow of his continued apology. And he gives in with a kiss, letting it linger for a few moments longer before he draws back for a breath. “[say]Perhaps you can reinforce it when we get back – after the parties of course.[/say]” Comes the sly suggestion pressed against his lover’s lips. The thought still at the edge of his mind with the question he intends to ask.
RE: all the blood and the dust - Dantalion - 04-02-2026
[say]"Mmm, I'll do whatever you want when we get back,"[/say] Danta purrs, smiling against the kiss Asta dutifully delivers to his lips and curling his arms higher to loop around the butcher's shoulders. [say]"After the parties, of course,"[/say] he echoes in a wicked whisper, pressing another few kisses to the corner of his mouth and his cheeks before settling again, fingers straying up to fuss over the rainbow spill of colour against Asta's horns.
[say]"I'm glad we came up here to do this,"[/say] he adds after a beat or two of thoughtful quiet. [say]"Maybe we can make a habit of it every Leafchange."[/say] Not necessarily always Hak Etme, but certainly somewhere hot and isolated where Asta can succumb to the possessive chaos in his blood without having to put any of their friends or aquaintances at risk.
RE: all the blood and the dust - Astaroth - 04-02-2026
“[say]Such promises.[/say]” The butcher murmurs with a soft laugh, even when he has a plan in mind that he isn’t sure Danta will want to do – given the last time they’d dabbled in reversing their previous roles. Even still, it’s necessary. A request by their goddess and the butcher would rather Danta do it than anyone else. Before he has a chance to say anything about it, he hears the suggestion of making a habit of getting away from everyone and everything in the future like this to try and make it easier on him and it certainly resonates with the butcher. “[say]We should. I much prefer having you all to myself.[/say]” Even if it doesn’t last forever.
As for his previous request, his lips quirk into a small and amused smile.“[say]So.. I need you to use my cane against me.[/say]” He lets it drop softly, distracted by the kisses to the corner of his mouth, the fuss around the antlers that spill their own diffused light. “[say]I am upgrading it and would prefer you be its handler for that specific requirement.[/say]” He admits a touch sheepishly, his hand lifting from his lover’s back to snag his hand at his horns, tugging it down to his scarlet stained lips where he presses each kiss to the back and palm and fingertips of his hand, his dark gaze scanning the other Ancient’s face to see how he takes it.
RE: all the blood and the dust - Dantalion - 04-03-2026
Danta can only wink at that; the likelihood of him keeping any promise is hit and miss at the best of times given the chaos in his blood, but for Asta he's certainly as honourable as he can be. (You know, when it makes sense for him to be). [say]"Mm, don't I know it. And not only in Leafchange,"[/say] he purrs his agreement, twirling a lock of dark hair around his finger. [say]"Though it does make it more interesting when we go out on our solo adventures,"[/say] he adds. There are always stories to tell, or - more often than he cares to admit - injuries to kiss better.
He doesn't realise how close his train of thought has gotten to Asta's request until the butcher speaks, and when he does Danta's head tilts sharply in a decidedly avian gesture. The laugh that scoffs from his lips is almost under his breath, as if he's certain he must have mishead. Use the deadly, bladed cane on his fiance? Boy, thanks for the offer, but I'm good - he doesn't say it, but it's written all over his expression.
But Asta seems serious about it, and Danta stills in his arms, blue eyes searching his face like he's waiting for the punchline. [say]"...Why me?"[/say] he asks, his voice suddenly quiet, his hand surrendered without a fight to the other man's kisses, though his fingers are perhaps a little colder than they ought to be. [say]"You don't... if this is some way of you punishing yourself for what happened between us, I..."[/say] He shakes his head, unwilling to finish the thought.
RE: all the blood and the dust - Astaroth - 04-03-2026
“[say]I am a bit greedy, I suppose.[/say]” The butcher laments, all an amused air of just how much he preferred Danta’s company over most. It wasn’t unusual for him, though, even back in the Climb. He’d stuck to himself for the majority of the time apart from when he’d been dragged out to events or gatherings by Zac and Rayla. These days, he very rarely needed to stick it out alone, eternally grateful that Danta wanted him around just as much as he wanted to be around him. “[say]That is true.[/say]” He agrees with a soft huff of a laugh to their solo adventures. And perhaps now, without the fear of him dying out in the middle of nowhere with the revivify feather he keeps close that the Maverick might relax somewhat.
So focused on getting his question out when he does, he doesn’t quite realize the implication he’s making – watching as Danta’s head tilts sharply – his lips ghosting across his fiance’s paling fingers. And for all the constant movement, cat-like liquidity Danta often is in his arms, it’s the stillness that has him realizing it even before Danta’s voice leaves him. “[say]No, no, darling. Nothing like that.[/say]” He tries to reassure him, his smile widening a touch as if to prove that it isn’t because of their past that he’d rather Danta use it. It’s trust.
“[say]I trust you. And.. If I am being honest,[/say]” he pauses, letting Danta’s hand lower from his lips so he can brush his thumb across the back of it. “[say]I know how exhausted I will be in Deepfrost and I would rather not wait until Flowerbirth to finish this. Most of the tasks will be easy in Leafchange, but that one I can’t do with anyone else this season.[/say]” It’s an unfair reason, he begins to realize, and his smile drops with it. “[say]You know how I am about my canes.. Least of all this season.[/say]” How it’s an extension of him and how rare it was for him to hand it off to someone else. “[say]If it is too much of an ask I can find another way, if you’d prefer that.[/say]” Tacking it on so that the other Ancient might feel a little less pressure with it, the butcher’s hand lifts to cup Danta’s cheek, thumb stroking along the underside of his sharp cheekbone.
RE: all the blood and the dust - Dantalion - 04-03-2026
Hopefully Asta will forgive him for the sudden drop in amusement, because even as the butcher smiles and starts to explain, Danta's mind has already started to run away with itself. They might be laying content in their temporary den up in Hak Etme, but he can still see the butcher's silhouette in a rented room in Torchline, hands bound behind his back, muzzled and at his mercy. And gods he knows it would have felt good to crack that cane across his body even now, and that had been before it had been sharp and versatile and blessed by Dygra.
[say]"I don't want you to lose that trust in me,"[/say] he admits, gaze a little distant as it drops to their clasped hands. [say]"And I... it all makes sense, what you're saying."[/say] Biting at the inside of his cheek until he tastes blood, Danta lets out a hard sigh and suddenly burrows himself back against Asta, leaning into the butcher's touch. [say]"I'll make sure I hunt something, just before."[/say] The less chance of losing control of himself, the better.
[say]"I'm sure it'll be fine,"[/say] he adds, summoning a smile. [say]"It's not like we haven't fought before, since waking up."[/say]