[ P ] Pray To The Pessimist

T

he salty sea air danced on his lips as he smiled, glad to be home at last. His shoulders ached from the bag that hung from his shoulders, the straps chafing in the pits of his front legs until the skin was red raw. He made a note to pick some aloe before the night fell. Crisp snow crunched underfoot, making the man clench his toes, the chill spread right to his bones and he could hardly wait to step inside the shelter of his hut.

He weaved through trees until the snow laden shape of his misshapen hut stood out and he paused to let out a longing sigh. His travels had taken him far, but it was for a good cause. He now knew he needed to be more prepared for the next summer in this land. The heat wave was brutal, and Sage had seen too many dead to last him a life time. He would never wish that fate on his worst enemy. The silver coated male paused at the door to his hut, his nose twitching as he searched for the familiar scents he expected. Valerian, or Diaval, but the place only smelt musty and empty, damp earth permeating the walls. He couldn't help it, his heart sunk into his stomach and he fell backwards onto his hind quarters, letting out a deep sigh. He didn't know what he had been expecting, or at least what true situation he could expect. But it certainly never crossed his mind that they might simply leave him. Warmth welled in his eyes and he let the moisture spill over, falling into the snow below, leaving nothing but small dents. Small dents was apparently all the impact he had made on the handsome dark Prince's mind, all he was worth to his twin brother. Everyone had left him.

Dark had fallen, dropping the temperature even further when Sage finally stood and made his way into the empty hut. his eyes still burning. It took everything he had to banish the image he had formed in his mind in the past months. The image of Diaval running to him as he approached the hut. Of Valerian's lopsided smirk from the doorway. He didn't know which was more of a let down. Sage supposed he had known that Diaval did not return the feelings he had for him, but somewhere in his heart he had hope. Sage gathered the spare mats from Valerian's old room and dragged them back to his own, arranging them into a bed of sorts to keep warm. Leaving his bag in the corner, Sage curled up on the makeshift bed, his hind legs brought up against his chest, his tail wrapped soothingly around them. Laying here, he would cry himself to a restless sleep.

@Diaval

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

The moonlight revealed a dark shape that stared out at the familiar hut from a distance as it came into view. Bright golden orbs glowed and clouds of hot air formed as he paused in his travel to take in his surroundings. His brows furrowed as he observed, noting the unsettling quiet of this place as he had never experienced before. Although Winter brought its own silence with the snowfall, there was still something...off, about the way it felt. He knew that Sage had been gone for a while as he'd tried to come during the hotter months and found on one present...perhaps he hadn't come back.

Diaval did his best to ground himself, closing his eyes and breathing in the chill air of the night allowing it to sting his lungs before he exhaled. His eyelids fluttered open and then he proceeded forward, the hair along his spine beginning to stand slightly as he remained on edge without knowledge of what he might find here. He rounded the outside of the house, his mind lingering on the early days he'd spent here and what life flourished here. It had been home...and perhaps that is why he returned, to seek the warmth and comfort he might benefit from as the frigid conditions only worsened in the latter half of the season.

Closer to the doorway, he made out paw prints in the snow that appeared to be fresh and when he lifted his nose into the air he caught a scent that was both familiar and unfamiliar to him. Hopeful now and with hesitation behind him, he crossed the threshold, allowing his eyes to adjust in the dim light as he peered about the interior. He'd almost looked past the small figure curled in on itself and when his gaze returned to the sleeping form his spirits lifted.

Tail wagging, he took a couple of eager steps forward and then halted, thinking it best not to wake his friend so abruptly. Diaval softly padded over to the makeshift bed and he lowered his head, giving Sage a gentle nudge with his snout. "Welcome home..." He whispered gently against the velvet fur of a dark gray ear, pulling away, to begin to settle himself somewhere nearby.

@Sage

table by Yahtzee-Penguiduck [da]. click for attributions.

D

reams came to him easier these days, as if some heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Tonight, he dreamed of hunting an elk who's antlers glowed brighter than the moon's own smile. His ambition was not quelled by his awe at the creature's beauty, if anything he was encouraged by it. His dreaming mind envisioned what he would do with those glowing beauties, how he might hang them at the threshold of his hut, a beacon lighting the way into his home.

The shadow of a presence passed him as he lined up his take down, his eyes hungrily eyeing the luminescent bone as the elk lowered it's majestic head to graze in the smoky grass. Sage's physical body twitched, his paws flailing as if he were running before they fell still, the sound of a whisper cutting through the dream like butter. His jaws closed around the neck of the elk, the glow of it's antlers blinding him, but before he could deal the last blow, words drifted into his consciousness. They tickled, like a cool wind in his ears, making every hair on his body stand up. "Welcome home" said the elk, it's antlers fading now into an inky blackness. He had lost his prey, but for some reason he felt elated by it, as if it was exactly what he had hoped to happen.

Bleary eyes opened slowly, his consciousness catching up to his physical body as he lay among the pile of blankets. A spicy aroma filled his head, making his world sway slightly before him. How could he have forgotten such a heady scent? He stared into the darkness for a second, confused and disoriented by the sudden change of location and overwhelmed by the scent that had permeated his dreams for the many weeks he had been gone. Without rolling over, Sage parted his lips to whisper. "Dia?" His voice carried into the darkness, and he thought maybe he was silly for hoping so hard, but he strained his ears, searching for the hint of a breath, or a shuffle of paws.

@Diaval

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

The healer must have been in the middle of a dream, moving around the way he did and Diaval hoped he didn't disturb him from whatever he was trying to catch up to. He smirked, as he added mentally with those little legs. As he retreated, he paused mid-step at the sound of a nickname only Sage used. He slowly turned around and peered over at the man's form that remained unmoving in the still night.

"I hope I didn't take you away from your hunt." He teased lightly with a chuckle, padding softly back over into a strand of moonlight so that the other male could easily recognize him in the dark should he choose to turn over and look. "You can go back to sleep, I'll be here in the morning." Diaval added, not wanting to fully rouse the likely weary traveler from a well-deserved slumber.



@Sage

table by Yahtzee-Penguiduck [da]. click for attributions.

S

age's heart pounded in his chest as the sound of large paws on the tamped dirt moved around his head. The chuckled that followed his teasing words had the breath catching in Sage's throat. The silver boy turned slightly, looking at the dark form that blocked the moonlight. Still dazed and sleepy, Sage could not think straight, smiling at Diaval's words.

"Lay with me." He whispered, his voice low, inhibition lost somewhere in the dreamland. "I don't want to be alone." Sage rolled over slowly, his paws reaching toward the figure of his friend. All he could think of in that moment was how the warmth of the other male would feel, how it would warm not just his skin, but his heart deep within his chest. "I missed you." He rasped, closing his eyes. "I missed you too much."

@Diaval

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

"Lay with me."

Diaval blinked, taken by surprise at the request, at least until he remembered the harshness of the winter cold from beyond the walls that enclosed them. He glanced back at the doorway as though he were trying to convince himself that his suspicion was rational. Sage's voice guided his starlit gaze back over to settle upon the smaller male as he murmured something about not wanting to be alone.

"Oh, uhm...alright then." Diaval relented, taking tentative steps towards him, moving about the space to try to find a comfortable spot to lower himself. He peered down at the silvered male, realizing just how bleary-eyed he was and then wondered if he was somewhere between dream and reality. Small gray paws reached for him. A low chuckle emanated as he watched his friend close his eyes again muttering about how much he had missed him.

After turning around a couple times, Diaval moved to lay down just behind Sage, at his back so they could share the warmth of one another during the bitter cold night. A small smile tugged at the Prince's lips and he softly responded to Sage. "I missed you too...thought you'd never return..."

@Sage

table by Yahtzee-Penguiduck [da]. click for attributions.

B

leary eyes watched as the dark prince tamped down the dirt, turning circles to get comfortable before curling in behind the herbalist. A small smile pulled at the edges of Sage's lips as the warmth of the older man covered his back. If he had been any more awake, he may have noticed the warmth was different to usual. He might have realised it was real. His sleepy brain figured that maybe his memory had faded slightly, with all the time spent away. that perhaps the familiar place had brought back the dreams to their original saturation. Sage snuggled backwards, his tail twisting around a part of the warm body behind him, maybe it was a tail or a leg, it didn't matter much to him. He could have sworn he heard words whispered into his ears as the haze of sleep pulled him in deeper. Letting out a sigh, Sage relaxed into Diaval's embrace, allowing their fur to tangle together, silver and black dancing like the waves.

Time passes

Cerulean eyes opened, blinked a few times and focused in on the darkness. A silvery glow filtered in through the roof of the hut, the glow reflecting off the layer of snow outside. Peeking through the entrance of his hut, Sage could just make out the shape of snow falling from the sky, tiny greyish coloured flecks that floated peacefully to the earth. He felt like those snowflakes, free of all worry. He took in a deep breath, relishing the cold air in his nose when he was suddenly pulled from his fuzzy reverie by the strongest scent that he had ever smelled. It was like a bolt of lightning down his spine, the way his very fur stood on end, the buzzing in his ears and in his chest. He became aware of the warmth behind him, of the warm breath, steady on the back of his neck. Sage took a moment, his breath caught in his throat before he slowly rolled over, his eyes squinted as if he didn't want to see what was there, but he had to know. Black fur, illuminated by the silvery moonlight rose and fell slowly as his prince breathed, undisturbed in his sleep. Shivering, but not for the cold, Sage lifted his muzzle, touching his nose to Diaval's, letting the warm breath rush over his face. His nose trailed down, over dark lips and into the soft fur on the underside of the man's chin. Blue eyes closed slightly as he breathed in deep, inhaling the very essence of everything he wished he could have. Sage was far too aware of accidentally waking the man, he had never expressed these feelings before, and he didn't even know if they were real. All he had before now was dreams. Hazy pictures and painful desires that only sparked every time his eyes met those honey yellow orbs, how his gaze pierced his chest like the blistering heat of a midday sun. The silver boy snuggled in closer, pressing his face into Diaval's chest, letting the blanket of night hide the small, content smile that twisted his mouth.

Middle of the Night - Loveless Music Inspiration @Diaval

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

Through the night he'd slept more soundly than he had in...months, years even. It was a deep sleep, one that was not plagued with dreams that so often turned to nightmares. There was simply the peaceful expanse of darkness that surrounded him and held him in its warmth. But the sensation of warmth...that was new. Normally it was a cold envelopment of shadow, yet suddenly he felt it all around him, intertwining with his legs spreading across his face, his lips, beneath his chin. It was this contrast that sparked him into the awareness of his own body and slowly he emerged from sleep.

He kept his eyes shut, relishing the feeling of the companion he'd curled around. Naturally he drew closer into it, a low hum forming in his throat as he drew the source of heat closer into him. Diaval tucked his head downward, burying his muzzle into the soft, flowing fur he found there. Breathing in deeply, he was met with the soothing medley of various herbs and a hint of winter's frost.

"You're so warm..." He exhaled slowly and remained there for a moment longer, until the remnants of slumber began to wear off. His eyelids fluttered open and he blinked, realizing his nose was tucked into the side of Sage's neck. Diaval withdrew quickly, bewildered by the way they were arranged together and peered downward to see if the healer was awake, intent on immediately apologizing if he happened to be.

@Sage

table by Yahtzee-Penguiduck [da]. click for attributions.

T

he rise and fall of Diaval's chest changed slightly, the first sign to the sleep herbalist that the other male was waking up. Diaval tightened his hold on Sage, the low hum reverberating from his chest making Sage's belly buzz, the warm tingle slowly dipping lower on his abdomen. Something about the sound sent a strange fire to his loins, one that he would suppress desperately, he was sure it was not a feeling that Diaval would have in common. Much like his twin brother, Diaval seemed like a ladies' man. Why would he change, even for the feminine features of the herbalist? Cerulean eyes closed as Sage strove to relish the moment he was having with his dark prince.

The dark muzzle buried itself into the thick fur on the back of his neck, the warm breath ruffling the silver strands there. And then the voice, the vibration from his words tickled Sage's ears and he shivered delicately. Before he had the time to enjoy the feeling, Diaval withdrew his head quickly, snapping back and away from Sage. All in a single moment, Sage felt the absence of warmth like a winter ocean's wave over his neck and the prickling heat that emanated from his cheeks and stabbed his eyes until they felt like they might overflow. "I... I'm sorry." The silver boy shuffled away, his tail unwrapping from the other male's ankles. Wavering cerulean eyes looked up to meet the midday suns that hovered above him, the features of Diaval's face barely illuminated by the moon yet Sage could see the look of shock on the other male's face. He withered under the gaze, his eyes falling to the darkness of the fur in front of him. Should he explain? Come up with some reason as to why he was curled up like that? He could say he was asleep and that it was instinctual, normal for him to seek the warmth. But how long had Diaval been awake? Had he felt Sage's nose on his face? The gentle fairy kisses he placed down his neck? Instead, the only words he could find were... "I didn't know you were awake..." Dear lords, what did he just say? What possessed him to say that? Sage braced himself for the rejection he knew was coming, his paws curling into tense balls, his tail tucking between his legs.

@Diaval Music Inspo : Candy Coated Lie$ - Hot Milk

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

Catching the glow of cerulean with the golden embers of his eyes, he was struck by the tidal wave of emotion that seemed to glimmer in them. A dread filled the pit of his stomach and tightened his chest as he realized that the shimmer in those azure orbs were the beginnings of tears. Diaval opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off with an apology from the smaller male as he pulled away from him. He reflexively flinched towards the movement in a reaching motion, but stopped himself short, staring after the healer in utter confusion.

"You're sorry?" Diaval let out a breath of a laugh, though it was more out anxiety than anything else. He took a step towards Sage and paused with a paw lifted, unsure of whether the smaller male needed space or whether he wanted comfort. "I've clearly upset you...I...I, um...you did ask for me to...to lay with you so..." He averted his gaze downward, his ears laying back slightly as he shared something that perhaps Sage hadn't been totally aware of before. "I likely wouldn't have if you had not asked...I've made you uncomfortable and overstepped my bounds...forgive me..." He lowered his head into a deep bow, intent on remaining there until dismissed.

"I didn't know you were awake..."

The Prince's gaze snapped upwards, his intent on placing the pieces of this puzzle together causing his golden sights to be far more intense than usual. "What? What are you..." Diaval trailed off, his muddled mind searching for answers only to recall the pleasant warmth that he'd been drawn into within his slumber, particularly the sensation upon his face...his muzzle...his lips...

His narrowed, thoughtful eyes widened and he felt a searing heat spread across his face and unintentionally into his lower body as he put two and two together. "I-I...uhm..." Diaval cleared his throat, suddenly overwhelmed by the thought of the way the two of them had been entangled moments before and by this...carnal desire to find himself in such a position once more. "I...I'm not sure what to say..."

@Sage

table by Yahtzee-Penguiduck [da]. click for attributions.