[SE] it's a hell of a feeling though

Mateo

Yes, Mateo thinks, no part of him wondering how Vesper might have known the meaning of the compliments that had spilled from his lips in his mother tongue. Gods, yes. Pleasure thrums forcefully up the length of his spine, choking the words that might otherwise paint the air with his mounting bliss, and gods it really is everything the botanist might want in the moment. Rough to the point of violence, hungry and feral and with no part of him feeling unclaimed, he's obeying Vesper's order before he even properly comprehends it, cumming hard as his mind catches fire with ecstasy.

Every thought detonates, drenching him with crimson tendrils of hot and searing pulses of pleasure, and whether Mateo says the other man's name again is immaterial, at least to the botanist. He thinks it loud enough to blot out every other conscious idea in his mind, taken and possessed as he is by the demigod, arguably fucked better than he ever has been before. A ragged moan breaks from his throat when he finally has the sense again to draw breath, the world seeming far away and too close all at the same time, and gods but he already wants to do this all over again.

if anything could fall at all, it's the world that falls away from me

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

I need you like god needs the devil, honey

The cry that tears out of Mateo is everything Vesper has been coaxing from him—feral, wordless, utterly undone. He doesn’t need the sound, though gods does he savour it. What really wrecks him is the scream of it in Mateo’s mind: Vesper’s name, scorched across every thought, red-hot and clawing like fire behind his eyes. It slams into Vesper like a wave of heat, shuddering through him as he thrusts in deep, one final time, riding the aftershocks of Mateo’s orgasm with his breath catching ragged in his throat.

"Fuck, that’s it," he growls, low and rough, his fingers bruising against Mateo’s hips as he drags him back one last time. His orgasm slams through him, sharp and overwhelming, spurred on by the electric rush of Mateo’s release still echoing in his mind. For a breathless, burning moment, all Vesper can do is hold on—his grip hard on the botanist’s hips, his shadows curling possessively around him like they might anchor him through the onslaught.

When it finally ebbs, leaving him shaking and breathless in its wake, Vesper slumps forward, his forehead resting between Mateo’s shoulders. For a moment, the only sound is their breathing—uneven, gasping, too full of static to pass for calm. Slowly, his grip eases, fingers stroking now instead of holding tight.

"...Definitely not just good," he murmurs at last, voice husky with satisfaction, lips brushing the sweat-slick curve of Mateo’s spine.

someday soon this dust's gonna settle

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3

Mateo

Panting hard and feeling every part of him want to do little more than melt forward and into the blankets, Mateo hums a note of weary satisfaction as Vesper's grip grows into something less claiming against his hips. He'll be relishing the bruises and the ache in his muscles for the next day or so, but he can't deny that the weight of the other man against him feels just as good as the past few moments did, the botanist finally letting his head hang between his shoulders and his arms buckle gently into the bed.

"Much more than good," he agrees, his laughter a dark and hoarse thing, the botanist inhaling a long, deep breath and letting it out again. "Fuck," he whispers, glancing fleetingly back at Vesper and offering him a dimpled smirk. "What do you think of your first night in Stormbreak?" He chuckles. "Because if it is still lacking, I can always fetch that third to spice things back up." Just give Mateo a few minutes and another bump of snapdragon and he'll be Vesper's all over again.

if anything could fall at all, it's the world that falls away from me

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

I need you like god needs the devil, honey

Vesper exhales a low groan as he finally lets himself fall forward, the sweat-slick press of Mateo’s back warm against his chest for a moment before he rolls lazily off to the side. The bed shifts beneath him, silks rustling and catching the lamplight as he sprawls out on his back, long limbs loose and languid, breath still slightly uneven.

The constellations on his skin move lazily, bright against the sheen of sweat, curling across his chest and arms like smoke that hadn’t made up its mind whether to burn or fade. He lets one arm rest behind his head, the other still slung loose across the sheets between them, not quite touching Mateo, but close.

At the question, he huffs a soft laugh—more breath than sound—and tips his head slightly toward the botanist. "I certainly wasn't expectin' to be left bored by her," he mutters, voice dry and low. "But I’d say she’s showin’ off tonight." By which of course he means Mateo is.

His gaze drifts toward the ceiling, pale lashes low over sharp blue eyes. "Nothin's lacking," he murmurs, half to Mateo, half to himself. "But the night’s not over yet." He doesn’t say yes to the third. Doesn’t say no either. Just lets the words hang there, loose and lazy like the aftermath curling in the air around them because fuck if he isn't still a touch dazed. "So is this more or less a normal night for you?"

someday soon this dust's gonna settle

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3

Mateo

Grumbling a note of tired contentment as Vesper rolls away, while the other man sprawls on his back in the rich comfort of Mateo's bed, the botanist is content to stretch out on his front, burying his head against his folded arms and turning just enough to be able to peek at the demigod in the dim light. "I did not realise that the stars moved across your whole body," he remarks with soft approval, tracking the constellations and the lazy path they carve across Vesper's skin, resisting the urge to reach out for them.

"She certainly is showing off tonight," he agrees of Stormbreak, AKA Mateo, and it's with a crooked smile that he rolls slowly onto his side to face Vesper properly. "Can you blame her for wanting to make a good impression?" He raises his eyebrows.

Pleased to hear that his own performance hadn't been lacking, so to speak, they are of the same mind when it comes to the addition of another person to their extracurricular activities. Because as Vesper rightly says, the night certainly isn't over yet. "Mm, the drugs change, the people change, the locations change, but... yes, I would say so. Granted, you have made the night stand out as one to remember."

if anything could fall at all, it's the world that falls away from me

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

I need you like god needs the devil, honey

Vesper lets his head loll to the side, eyes half-lidded as he watches Mateo roll toward him in the aftermath, all sex-flushed skin and that crooked smile that still hasn’t quite burned out. The constellations trail slow and lazy across his collarbone and shoulder like ink in water, stars dimming and flickering as his body unwinds. "Mmm," he agrees of his freckles, half glancing down at them with a lazy shrug.

"You say that like I don’t already know I’m unforgettable." It’s a teasing and cocky thing to say, but the way his voice curls around it suggests the demigod is enjoying the compliment—filing it away somewhere behind that cool expression and the shadows curled lazy at his feet.

Still stretched out on his back, one hand lifts to rest behind his head, the other sliding across the sheets until his knuckles brush Mateo’s forearm. "Can't say that I can. I appreciate the effort all the same, though," he allows, gaze drifting over Mateo’s face before flicking lower with a catlike smile.

His grin curves sharp and slow, shadows twitching faintly like they’re still restless, still hungry. "Y'got anymore of those jewels left?" Looking at Mateo, it occurs to Vesper that he'd quite like to touch the other man—and all the other textiles in his room—while under the influence of some snapdragon.

someday soon this dust's gonna settle

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3

Mateo

"It is nice to be told by somebody other than your reflection sometimes though, no?" Mateo grins, sighing deeply and sinking further into the bed. More sober now than he has been for most of the night, especially in the haze of post-sex bliss, he'd be content to watch the constellations drift across Vesper's skin for as long as the other man wants to lounge in his bed, and the gentle brush of fingers across his forearm is met with a softer smile.

"You made putting in the extra effort very easy, if it helps." He winks, before Vesper is asking about more snapdragon and the botanist levers himself up onto his elbow and gives him the indulgent sort of nod reserved for merchants who know exactly what their clients are after. "I do, and then some," he says, stretching one last time before rolling to his feet from the bed.

Digging in his shirt pockets, he tosses Vesper the little packet of snapdragon jewels, where the demigod will find three left. But Mateo has other tricks and treats available in this room, and he moves to a small drawer to pull out a small baggie of white power - dreamdust - and a few tiny, vibrant crystals intended to be dissolved on the tongue - thirdeye. "These I made myself. I can vouch for the quality." And now it's Mateo's turn to sound boastful.

if anything could fall at all, it's the world that falls away from me

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

I need you like god needs the devil, honey

Vesper catches the packet midair with a lazy flick of his wrist, the jewel-toned snapdragon glittering in his palm like stained glass in a storm. He doesn’t move to take one just yet—just lies there a moment longer, naked and stretched out across the sheets, the faint shifting of constellations tracking the rhythm of his breath. "Mm," he muses, eyes drifting to where Mateo unveils his next little collection. "A smile like that and a whole pharmacy in your drawers. You’re a dangerous man, Mateo," He purrs, tracking the botanist's movements with clear appreciation.

Vesper rolls the snapdragon bead between his fingers, lifting it halfway to his mouth before pausing. His head tilts slightly, a lazy flicker of curiosity catching in his eyes as he watches Mateo sort through his stash. The little crystal held between the botanist’s fingers catches the light, and Vesper’s gaze sharpens. 

"That’s yours?" he asks, nodding toward the thirdeye. He doesn’t sound surprised, but there’s a shift in his tone, something warmer beneath the usual dry drawl. "Fuck. That’s pretty." It is, and he means it—not just the drug, but the man holding it. With the soft lamplight washing across Mateo’s bare chest, the silver glint of glitter still caught in the hollows of his throat, and those clever hands presenting their own inventions like offerings, he’s a painting of temptation.

someday soon this dust's gonna settle

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3

Mateo

Mateo laughs at that, unable to help himself, the sound musical and velvety as he regards the man lounging in his sheets like some star-spangled Adonis. "If that is your baseline for danger, this room is full of dangerous men," he says, his gaze drifting appreciatively over Vesper before he slinks back to the bed with his other finds in hand. The dreamdust is set down no less reverently, of course, but given that the small crystals of thirdeye are what have drawn Vesper's attention, he leaves those sitting in the palm of his hand, offering them out for the other man to inspect more closely.

"If you like the look of these, remind me to show you the back of my flower shop." He grins. "And yes, that both is and is not a euphemism." Plucking up one of the thirdeye crystals, he turns it in the light this way and that. "I make this from the spines of a dream cactus," he explains. "It can be quite the unpredictable psychadelic, but I like to think I have crafted a more gentle version. Snapdragon is exactly that - just a quick thrill on the tongue. But you can settle in for an evening with one of these." 

Pride threads his words and his thoughts, and where fire had once roared and burned through his mind, now it blooms with possibility and vigour, ideas stretching like blossoms reaching for the light of the sun.

if anything could fall at all, it's the world that falls away from me

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

I need you like god needs the devil, honey

Vesper watches the thirdeye crystals catch the light in Mateo’s palm, his gaze tracking the subtle play of colour and shine like he’s watching something alive. He doesn’t reach for one immediately—just lets the space between them stretch a little longer, long enough for that grin of his to tug slow at the corner of his mouth, curling like smoke. "You ever get tired of being so fucking impressive?" he murmurs. It’s not the lust-heavy purr from before, but something a touch more genuine, even if it’s dressed in the usual shadows of his tone. Vesper shifts forward as he sits up properly, before leaning against the botanist.

"Back of your flower shop?" he repeats, tasting the words, then flashes him a look that’s all wicked approval. Vesper picks up one of the thirdeye crystals with deliberate care, holding it between thumb and forefinger as he lifts it to inspect—though it’s Mateo he watches through the prism of it, his expression intense if unreadable. "What happens if you take 'em together?"

someday soon this dust's gonna settle

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3

Mateo

"No," Mateo says with sly amusement, though the dimpled grin that flashes across his face is quietly appreciative of the compliment, his mind preening further with a more professional sense of pride than the prior, more immediate flush of attraction. "Back of my flower shop, yes," he repeats with a dirty smile. "I am quite the florist, you know."

Leaning comfortably against Vesper in turn, he surrenders one of the thirdeye crystals willingly, his loose curls (long having escaped from the tie he'd put them up in) tumbling around his face as he tilts his head to spy the other man back through it. "Snapdragon and thirdeye?" he asks, letting out a low whistle and a laugh that suggests that what he says next comes from experience - because it does.

"It is like running into a stained glass window at high speed," he tells him. "Luckily that only lasts for an hour or so before the snapdragon wears off, but you will be exhausted for days afterwards. And your dreams will be strange." Shaking his head at the memory, he nonetheless shrugs his shoulders. "But if you are of a mind to try it for yourself, I will be the last person to stop you." Mateo can be quite the spotter for someone on that sort of trip for the first time, in fact.

if anything could fall at all, it's the world that falls away from me

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

I need you like god needs the devil, honey

Vesper lets the crystal roll between his fingers, holding it up to catch the ambient light, the little shard catching fire in its facets like it’s storing starlight for later. "Might be worth it just to see what kind of dreams it drags outta me," he muses, voice low, half-curious and half-laced with that same shadowy hunger that’s followed him all night. He doesn’t look away from the crystal, but the grin curving his lips deepens when Mateo mentions that he's a florist.

"Mm. That right?" he murmurs, finally tipping his head to glance at the other man through the tangle of his curls. "Well, I got two sisters who like pretty and dangerous things. Is that the sort of thing I might expect to find at the back of your shop?" His tone is fondly dry, laced with a kind of teasing warmth that feels like cigarette smoke curling slow through a sunbeam.

"Thing is..." Vesper opens the baggie of snapdragon, pouring the three jewels out onto his palm. "I ain't quite ready to fall asleep just yet." So saying, he tips his head back, letting all three sparkle onto his tongue. Before the rush can hit him all at once, he leans back into the sheets with lazy confidence and reaches out, curling his fingers around Mateo’s hip, then dragging him astride in one smooth, deliberate motion.

One hand buries itself in the mess of Mateo’s dark curls, gripping gently at the roots to guide him closer, while the other splays low across his back, anchoring him in place. Leaning up for a kiss, it's slow but rich, with Vesper's tongue flicking past Mateo’s lips to share the last of the jewels.

someday soon this dust's gonna settle

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3

Mateo

"Well, then I know what to get you as a souvenir from Stormbreak," Mateo says with a low chuckle, watching the light catch on the crystal of his manufactured drug with something very much like fondness. "That is, some snapdragon, thirdeye, and a dream journal," he adds, grinning. Putting away the other crystals that have been warming in his palm, he evidently intends for Vesper to keep that one as a gift, regardless of what else the night holds.

Remembering the sisters he'd mentioned during their first meeting, Mateo raises his eyebrows and inclines his head yes. "Very much so," he assures Vesper. "If you would just like pretty without the danger, I suggest staying towards the main shop floor. But your family does not strike me as the type to be quite so boring." Cheeks dimpling with his smile, he leans back on one hand to see Vesper announce without preamble that he doesn't intend to sleep any time soon - complete with a trio of snapdragon crystrals.

About to point out that thirdeye would still keep him very much awake, Mateo's words die in his throat as he's drawn promptly astride the other man, heat curling through his mind afresh, like embers being stoked back into life from smouldering. Leaning in with a hungry smile curling across his lips, the botanist meets Vesper's kiss without complaint, one hand braced over his shoulder in the plush cushions, the other trickling down across his throat to starburst against his chest.

The scarlet drug crackles through his veins in a rush of sudden euphoria that has him grinding his hips down automatically against Vesper's, a rough moan spilling from his lips. Already hazy with the bliss of the snapdragon, his kisses migrate to the sharp curve of the demigod's jaw, greedy for more of him in every way he's willing to provide.

if anything could fall at all, it's the world that falls away from me

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

I need you like god needs the devil, honey

Vesper’s low laugh hums between them, caught somewhere between pleasure and provocation as Mateo's body slots against his. The rush of snapdragon’s warmth lights his blood like a fuse, and the taste of it—bitter, electric, laced with Mateo’s own moan—makes him want more in the way that only bad decisions ever do.

Vesper’s breath hitches the moment Mateo grinds down, the friction jolting through him with white-hot precision. His hips arch instinctively in response, slow but deliberate, pressing up into the cradle of the botanist’s thighs. The warmth of Mateo’s skin against his own feels like striking flint—sharp, sparking, and far too easy to ignite. "Gods I like how you feel," he breathes. His fingers tighten in Mateo’s hair as Vesper tilts his head back enough to look down at him through half-lidded eyes, his pupils blown wide, the constellations across his skin pulsing faintly with each throb of want.

One hand slides down the smooth line of Mateo’s spine, trailing heat in its wake, until it settles low against the small of his back—an unspoken encouragement to keep grinding, keep moving, keep stoking the fire Vesper has no intention of extinguishing. The snapdragon swirls behind his eyes in violent red fractals, and already, the room seems sharper, colours blurring in the corners, sensation crawling deliciously beneath his skin.

someday soon this dust's gonna settle

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3