the system only dreams in total darkness

if through some miracle, you are granted the chance to see him again

whether in this life or the next

All it had taken was a few days, some schedule, some normalcy to get her gears working again, to get her mind back in order when it came to life in Halo and everything that happened while she was gone. It had taken her days to process it, as well as the realization that she shouldn’t be running out into the daylight, under the heavy cover of the sun. Luckily, this time of year in Halo provided a good amount of cloud cover.

A routine was made, though Kiada doesn’t sleep anymore. She spends the time running through the scans of her system, mulling over the thousands of things she could’ve done differently. She finds that she can’t wait for the times where Chulane is awake, to give her something else to do, something else to focus on. For now, however, she’s buried under the blankets, beside his warm body that she absorbs and sends back, curled up just enough to be comfortable (is such a thing even possible anymore?) with her head on the pillow, watching him sleep, watching his breathing.

She can’t help but to lean forward, draping a cool arm over him, nestling herself in close so her head is resting by his shoulder, tucked against his neck. If she tries hard enough, she thinks she can feel how warm he is. Her cheek is pressed against his skin, smooshed against him as she nestles her way in, doing her best to try not to wake him but craving the closeness in the only way she knows how.

you are, and always shall be, his

KIADA

the moon is on my side - i have no reason to run

The first night had been… rough. His mind, still scarred and traumatised, hadn’t quite subconsciously accepted that she was back, and she wasn’t going away. He was used to the nightmares, the panic attacks that would wake him up, used to having Auni’s gentle bleats wake him before they got too bad. And that happened again too – only this time, he had woken clutching her, tears in his eyes, heart racing as he tried again and again to convince himself that she was back, she wasn’t going anywhere – at least, not without him.

Routine had indeed helped. A new routine of togetherness, of falling asleep with her near him and awaking the same, of spending their days together no matter what that entailed – largely tending to the farm, delivering foodstuffs and negotiating with residents on how much they could take from the storage unit. It was dull busy-work, something Chulane could do without really applying himself – something that had just occupied his mind enough in her absence.

But with her here again he found himself living again, laughing again, and most of all, loving openly again.

“Mmm,” the sound was an echo of the deep, resonant grumble his moose shift was capable of, as the clutches of sleep released him to the bliss that was waking up to her, so near to him – and stirring certain reactions from his sleepy body. Deepfrost had well and truly come, nights were long and days were short – he wasn’t surprised when he did blink away the sleep from his eyes to see that outside was still dark, though he had little idea of what time it actually was.

Then he was awake, and he stretched, idle leopard spots appearing across his skin as a certain feline aspect overtook him for a few moments. “Mornin’,” he mumbled around a yawn, not really caring whether it was actually time to get up or not – he wasn’t going to sleep any more tonight, not when he had her beside him. He ran a hand down the length of her back and up again, knowing she might not feel it but needing to do It anyway. As the hand came back up, he let it continue up and over her shoulder and nape, to moving her hair from her cheek, where he would hope to tilt her into a kiss.

“I’ve missed this,” he commented softly, a smirk on his lips, as he draped his arms around her in an embrace again, happily twining his legs with hers while he was at it beneath the sheets.

so will someone come and carry me home tonight?

CHULANE

if through some miracle, you are granted the chance to see him again

whether in this life or the next

Dull, busy work was easy for her to help with – the farm especially, seeing as she didn’t fatigue like she might have once. Now, she could charge on ahead, the only thing stopping her being the sun as it appeared. Perhaps once they settle into the realization that she isn’t going anywhere and the schedule continues to work out between them, she might find her nights spent there too. As it was, however, she curls up beside him, nestling herself in closer, hoping she hadn’t woken him.

Of course, that doesn’t work. And it’s with a bashful lift of her lips in a smile that she ducks her head into him a bit more, closing her eyes. “Shit.” She murmurs when he hums his awakeness. She only moves slightly when he’s stretching, watching the spots that appear and then disappear along his skin, settling in quickly again when he evens out. “I’m pretty sure it’s midnight.” She teases lightly, her voice humming a playful tone as he runs his hand along her skin and she quietly tries to focus on pretending she can feel it.

She can feel the kiss, however, gladly moving into it as he embraces her and tangles his legs with hers, wrapped up in a content tangle of limbs. “I missed this too.” She murmurs in agreement, lifting her head up so her nose brushes by his, stealing another soft kiss. “How did you sleep?” Kiada asks after a moment, pulling away and letting her iceberg gaze focus on him with a stillness that still took some getting used to – namely being able to shut off her breathing, to still completely.

you are, and always shall be, his

KIADA

the moon is on my side - i have no reason to run

Midnight? It didn’t matter – ‘regular’ sleep wasn’t something he’d known since arriving in Caido anyway. “Poorly, or not at all, mostly,” he admitted to her enquiry of his sleeping patterns. He shrugged, unable to imitate her stillness, her newfound ability to simply stop and hone in her focus.

“What was left of Flowerbirth went by in a blur after you were gone. And Longheat, well, the sun was up all the time, making sleep just a suggestion anyway. And everything else..” The ningo farm was the least of what he’d done in that time – Deimos went missing, an illness spread throughout the land, all hell seemingly broke loose again and again until he just cocooned himself in work, in what clutches of normalcy he could.

“Then Leafchange came, and Ludo’s tricks..” It had been nothing short of torture, as his nightmares had become visions during his waking hours – he’d not had much reprieve at all. He refocussed his own glacier hued sights upon her, trying to soften his words, to ease her worry. “I didn’t do much to help myself. I just… did the minimum to survive. To keep the farm going. To keep Auni going.” it wasn't a happy recollection, nor was it softened by white lies to make it easier to swallow. It just was. The truth, open and bare for her to receive, as he always would be with her.

so will someone come and carry me home tonight?

CHULANE

if through some miracle, you are granted the chance to see him again

whether in this life or the next

She has always appreciated his honesty with her, and it’s no different here – even if she doesn’t like the answer it brings. So she frowns lightly, nodding and giving him all of her attention, listening intently as he recollects what’s occurred the past seasons, understanding so deeply what it was like. To become a ghost of someone you used to be. Internally, it hurts so much to know that she’d caused it, she’d brought it on him, but… She’s back now, and that soothes those fears quickly.

His gaze meets hers again and she offers him a soft, gentle smile, a small nod as she leans in and lifts her hand to run along a bearded cheek, to let her cool fingers rest along his neck so her thumb can idly run along his jaw. “I’m glad he had you.” It’s softer, but she leans in now to press a soft kiss to his nose, then to the corner of his lips.

“I don’t think anyone would complain if you wanted to try and catch up on your sleep…?” She hums thoughtfully, moving to rest her head on his shoulder, her thumb still stroking his face gently. “I’m not going anywhere Chuy.” A quiet promise, a quiet vow as she tangles herself up in him a bit more, pressing her body against him wherever she can reach.

you are, and always shall be, his

KIADA

the moon is on my side - i have no reason to run

He was light on the details, but trusted that she would ask if she wanted to know more. He wasn’t proud of how he had handled the last few months – it was a period of time he was honestly keen to forget about. But with a mind that was trained to retain information at an academic level, and a habit of bottling up emotions that he wasn’t ready to face… it was a recipe for a very traumatic, broken mind at the end of the day. Nightmares, visions, whether delivered by godly means or his own broken mental state, had been a constant torture, a lingering theme to the once-chipper Australian lad who was ready to take on this strange new world.

But did he blame her? Maybe, in some way, when it first happened. But he had forgiven her, he had focussed on the love he felt for her, on the loss he felt in her absence. He had done what he could to keep surviving, to contribute what he could, though at a vastly reduced capacity. He had held onto what friends he had left, though he felt he didn’t deserve them.

He leant into her touches, though they were different, colder than before, they were her, and they elicited the same response within him. Love, and everything that comes along with it: affection, attraction, desire.

“When he bonded to me, it was like I had a part of you with me… with my soul.” he mused, wondering if he made any sense at all. The luxere in question let out a soft huff in his sleep, as if he subconsciously knew he was the subject of this quiet conversation.

“I’d complain,” sure tones said in retort, with a smirk on his lips. As she shifted and moved, he couldn’t stand not to respond a bit more physically, and moved to roll himself more over her. Framing her gorgeous porcelain face with his hands, he beheld her anew again, and leaned down to give a deep kiss upon her lips – deep enough so that when they did break apart, he was rather breathless. A light laugh chuckled its way through him as he simply revelled in her intimate presence once more – the simple euphoria her existence brought him was uncontainable.

And then a stillness similar (but not nearly as perfectly still as she was capable of) came over him, as a thought seemed to flicker on in his mind. “Do you miss shifting?” He asked suddenly, his face a mask of concern that slowly but surely softened into something a little more mischievous as the seconds ticked on.

so will someone come and carry me home tonight?

CHULANE

if through some miracle, you are granted the chance to see him again

whether in this life or the next

His musings inspire a soft gratitude to glimmer in her gaze, a crinkling of a smile that’s hidden away by blankets as she peers over at him. “Then I’m even more glad.” She murmurs, a soft huff of a laugh leaving her at Auni’s own soft huff. “He… Isn’t the first companion I’ve lost.” For a second her dark brows pinch together. “I had a bearded vulture in my first two worlds. I think that’s why I had that shift.” A pale shoulder lifts in a small shrug as she passes over the conversation in favor for trying to convince Chulane that he should sleep some more.

It backfires, of course, as she tangles in with him and he shifts, pinning her with his body hovering over her, his hands on her cool face. She peers up at him, briefly, however long it takes before he leans in and presses a kiss against her lips – one that grows deeper. And she soon realizes that she could go forever, without needing to breathe or break. It’s something she has to remind herself when he pulls away breathlessly and she’s beneath him with a playful smirk on her lips.

His question stills her even more, her iceberg gaze focusing on his face, half tempted to tilt it curiously. “I do.” She offers, thoughtfully, before she’s spying that mischievous smirk and she can’t help the bright laugh that leaves her, her head tilting back. “You’re a scoundrel, you know that, right?” She teases lightly in her laughter, before she leans forward to press a kiss against his lips, something playful and more her, letting the sharp points of her newfound fangs scrape along his bottom lip but never quite diving in.

She’s never done it, after all, doesn’t know what it’s like or how to prepare herself for it.

you are, and always shall be, his

KIADA

the moon is on my side - i have no reason to run

Absently he nodded, remembering some long-ago, initial conversation he’d had with her about her original companion, her vulture, her shifts. And his heart ached for her – both companions she’d bonded to were now not, and the shifts she once held gone too.

While the method of giving her shifts again meant some fun for him in the meantime, he also genuinely wanted to feel her again, the way they always had through their attuned ability. The Voice might not have brought her back completely as she was originally made, but the deity at least gave her the ability to borrow, which for Chuy, was enough.

He hoped it’d be enough for Kia, too.

Deep chuckles were drowned out by the kiss that threatens to drown him, as his whole body pressed down on her rather more suggestively than before – he certainly didn’t need her bite to get things in action down there, not when it came to her. The gentle tickle of her fangs has goosebumps rising all along his arms, the hairs on the back of his nape rising as well – he had been bitten before, and the idea of her being the one to bite was enough to make him groan lowly in anticipation.

“Scoundrel?” he echoed, rather breathless after his mortal endurance could hardly keep up with her not-needing-to-breathe-kissing. His eyes were soft and laughing as he questioned the accusation however, before a slightly more sober expression settled. “Whatever shifts I have, think them yours.” He meant it genuinely, his tone a bit more serious than the previous moments might’ve suggested.

Then he was leaning down to kiss her again, before rising slightly and shifting his weight so that he was propped up on his side, alongside her again, legs entwined. His free hand trailed carefully along her cheek, before roaming down her neck and shoulder. Then he tilted his head and rolled his thick, muscly shoulder, exposing his neck for her. “I love you, Kia. And I trust you.”

so will someone come and carry me home tonight?

CHULANE

if through some miracle, you are granted the chance to see him again

whether in this life or the next

Her cheeks flush in an iridescent sheen as he presses down more suggestively against her, Kiada breaking the kiss to hear him speak, wanting to nuzzle his bearded cheek with her own smooth cool one. But she pauses, close enough to peer back at his face and his own iceberg eyes, a playful smile curling the corners of her lips up. “Yes, scoundrel.” She repeats in a tone that suggests she’s not willing to remove said nickname.

But he tells her that whatever shifts he wears, are hers, and it’s a warmth that blossoms in her chest, that has her wrapping more around him even as he readjusts, unsure where to go with it as she tucks herself in. And then she decides, last moment, pulling her head away to look back at his face as he stretches out his neck, offering himself for her. Her gaze darts between his neck and his eyes, before she leans in to his neck. “I want the moose.” She murmurs against his skin, amusement clear in her voice.

She presses a soft kiss against the column of his neck, worry slipping into her mind of whether or not she could handle it, whether or not she trusted herself. But she decides that if Neron could do it, why can’t she? So her arms tighten around him, finding her mark and slipping her fangs into his neck.

you are, and always shall be, his

KIADA

the moon is on my side - i have no reason to run

He’s glad to bring her such joy, glad she so readily accepts, glad that he could give back to her even a snippet of the joy she had brought back to him just by existing again. Low rumbling chuckles emanated from him at her words, both at the scoundrel comment (he’d consent to being called just about anything from her lips) and her declaration of which shift she wanted. He was excited, not just for the bite (though needless to say, he was very excited by that) but also for the fun it would bring later – the opportunity to shift with her again, to feel her and be with her in that way again. Gods, how he missed it.

It was different to before, when he was helping Neron, for so many reasons. It was far more intimate, done out of love and affection, not a sense of duty or necessity for her survival. It was them, together, celebrating that togetherness in a new way, a way blessed upon them by the Voice, who he still wasn’t comfortable calling a God - much like he wasn’t comfortable calling anything a God.

But his mind wasn’t on the Voice right now, or Neron, or anyone, but her, and the feel of her lips on his neck, parting to press the sharp points of teeth into his skin.

A pleasant moan rumbled within him, as his heart rate pounded away in his ears, as his cock stiffened further and pressed rather urgently against the loose shorts he wore. His free arm curled itself up and around her waist, pulling her closer to him, welcoming her and the bite – and it shifted slightly too, the claws of a leopard coming through as he hoped not to hurt her, but to help her feel him too. It had been quite a dry spell for him – he knew he wasn’t going to last long, but then, when ascended bites were involved, that was hardly an option anyway. He pulled her close to him, leg wrapping tightly around her too, holding her near that she might never think she need to part from him again.

so will someone come and carry me home tonight?

CHULANE

if through some miracle, you are granted the chance to see him again

whether in this life or the next

It is different, though she can remember that time too. How strange it had been to witness, how glad she was that she did. It gives her an idea, now, a plan that makes it easier to follow and indulge in this, to steal the moose shift from him because she can’t find it in herself to fly again, not for a while, not without thinking her wings are on fire and that she may plummet to her death. No, for now, the moose will do. Spending time with him will do.

And she gives into him, her teeth sink in and the sound that leaves him is minute in comparison to the rush of feelings that hit her, the sensation that has her humming her own moan against his skin, relishing in the sensation and hoping it would last. It’s like nothing else she’s felt before, an electric tap that rushes through her system. But she has to be cognizant of it, lest she take too much from him. So she drinks just enough that she thinks she has enough, curled and wrapped around him as he presses his hard length against her, before she withdraws and gives a soft kiss to the spot where two red marks remain.

The sensation ends there for her, but that doesn’t mean she can’t try and help relieve him as well, her hand snaking through the blankets to run her fingers along his length, her head tilting against his to try and capture his lips with her own.

you are, and always shall be, his

KIADA

the moon is on my side - i have no reason to run

It runs up and down his spine, from his fingertips to his toes, an electric current carrying nothing but pure pleasure with it. He holds her close, relishing the feel of her against him, almost purring with it as she too expressed her bliss in return. He was mostly ignorant to the internal struggle she felt, to the fear of flying, but perhaps when the moment was less urgent, he’d have time and senses enough to understand, to appreciate and support her through it.

Right now through, he was almost whimpering as the bite was broken and her soft lips left cool kisses against the area instead. But the pleasure certainly didn’t stop for him, his erection full and asking for attention between them. Then her hand was making its way down, her lips seeking his, and all he could do was let himself be consumed by it all, by her.

A low growl rumbled from somewhere deep within him, as the carnal urges roiled and toiled, as his hips rolled to press his length more into her hand. His climax would not take much to be reached (he’d had quite a dry spell), and another rumbling growl rolled through him as he felt it coming…

Needless to say, he was quite breathless when the kiss finally broke, when his climax was reached and he was holding her, breaths coming in rushed waves. “ That was-“ he began between breaths, before being unable to resist leaning in for another kiss. “Fucking amazing,” he finished in a low hum, a chuckle on his lips after the most recent kiss left him equally breathless.

Then he just held her, content to just be for a while. But he wasn’t sleepy, not even after such fun. Rather, he was quite awake. “How are you?” he asked, seemingly out of the blue, as his hand idly traced the contours of her face.

so will someone come and carry me home tonight?

CHULANE

if through some miracle, you are granted the chance to see him again

whether in this life or the next

How soon she forgets that he needs to breathe – her own mental state driving her to kiss and pull all emotion and feelings she can out of the kiss from the end of the bite since she couldn’t feel anything else. The hand not occupied moves to his neck, to press her fingers against the bite wound to keep them from bleeding more and hopefully clotting and stopping as soon as possible while she focused on taking care of him. And it doesn’t take long – not like she would have minded – but the kiss is broken and she’s shifting in the bed and out from under him enough to clean her hand before peppering a kiss to his jaw and the corner of his lips as he comments on it.

There’s a soft smile on her lips as she nods, her head brushing against him as she does while he holds her tight and she moves to wrap her arms around him tight as well. She leans back just enough that she can feel his fingers numbly tracing along her face, her eyes fluttering shut as she takes a deep breath she doesn’t need, letting that smile blossom into something warmer and gentler – just for him. “I’m good.” She decides, her voice a soft lullaby of a hum.

“I didn’t take too much, did I?” She asks suddenly, unsure, letting her eyes open and her iceberg gaze search his face for a reaction. Still, she can't help but to think of how wonderful it was to simply be here with him, to indulge in it at all, the bliss of having him in her life again and she in his to be the light he needed just as he was the light she needed.

you are, and always shall be, his

KIADA

the moon is on my side - i have no reason to run

It was so similar and yet so different to before – still plenty of pleasure between them but delivered very differently. And he felt guilty – his lasted longer than when the bite was in play, his arousal having started before her lips made contact with his neck and lasting well enough afterwards too. But the experience for her – what must it be like? To give pleasure and only have it for herself as long as she was draining him?

But she’s peppering him with kisses and affection, and holding him tight, returning his love and adoration just as much as he bestows on her. “I’m glad,” warm tones respond softly, a bit of the guilt subsiding as he traces the contours of her cheek and jawline with his free hand, lost in the strange softness that is the smile reserved just for him, in moments like this. Gods, how he had missed it.

“Not at all,” he assured her quickly and easily, the small twin wounds having already easily clotted – he was a healthy young man after all, and despite everything, had indeed grown fitter and stronger since their last rumble in the bedsheets. “I’m here for you, always. You take what you need, whenever you need it.” He leaned forward to press his lips gently upon her nose. “Though perhaps we keep the taking private when possible…” he said with a sly smirk, his tones playful.

“What’s it like?” A few moments of comfortable silence had passed before he voiced the question that cascaded suddenly into the forefront of his mind. He was aware it was quite a broad question, and he really meant it to be – what was being an Ascended like? What was the bite like, for her? What was it like to be back, after having been dead for so long?

so will someone come and carry me home tonight?

CHULANE