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This fight had gone on long enough. Veronica was low on power, one hand on her knee, the other on her staff barely holding her up. As Serena stepped forward to attack, she gasped. A familiar blue glow grew in her eyes as the revitalizing power of pep flowed through her from toes to fingertips. At least one thing looked like it was going to go their way. She looked over to El with desperation, both of them briefly glancing over to Erik. After barely a moment of consideration, they nodded in agreement.
They hadn’t actually tried this spell out in battle yet, but they didn’t have much choice. This was their best bet at inflicting the damage they needed. They grabbed Erik and gathered their energy, golden light forming in their hands. They threw the energy at Erik, the light hitting him square in the chest. It swirled around him and slowly began to absorb into his skin.
He hunched forward as the energy flowed through his body, a newfound strength and ferocity surging through him. His nose twitched at the smell of fresh blood. His eyes turned scarlet, and he threw his head back as a feral roar ripped from his throat.
El’s eyes went wide as he watched the transformation from the sideline. His skin broke out in goosebumps and he tried to swallow the lump that had appeared in his throat with no avail. What had they done to their companion?
Erik made quick work of the monster that had been plaguing them with his newly increased strength, jumping forward and sweet Yggdrasil did he use his teeth? Since when did he have fangs?
El stood back in shock, shivers wracking up his spine. Why was this affecting him? He wrenched his eyes shut and shook his head to try and stop the images that began to creep into his mind, but when he opened them, it was worse. Erik stood before them, eyes no longer glowing. He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and gave El a proud grin. El gave him the shakiest smile in return before excusing himself.
He laid awake that night, the image of a wild Erik pinning him to the ground, growling in his ear making sleep an elusive thought. He rolled over and stared at the sleeping man next to him, explicit scenes flashing across his mind. He rolled to the opposite side and stared at the tent wall instead, begging whatever higher power was listening to relieve him of his thoughts.
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He awoke much earlier than normal the next morning, wandering out to what was left of the smoldering fire. Serena sat by the stream, brushing through her still-wet hair, humming a tune to herself. El tentatively approached her and sat down as not to startle her. She welcomed him with a sweet smile.
“Well, you’re certainly up early. Have you been having trouble sleeping?” she asked, concerned. Being the resident healer, she was always on standby to help out in any way that she could. El stared into the stream, unable to meet Serena’s eyes. A flush crept it way across his cheeks.
“I have a favor to ask, but you have to promise not to judge me. And please tell me if you think it’s a terrible idea.” he said, insecurity plain on his face.
“Of course, whatever could it be?” she asked, leaning forward. Whatever it was had him quite worked up. He still couldn’t meet her eyes when he finally spoke.
“The - the new spell we used on Erik yesterday. Would we be able to cast it outside of battle?” He buried his head in his hands after asking, groaning in embarrassment. It took Serena a moment to process the question, why ever would Eleven want to turn Erik into a feral beast outside of -
Oh. Realization hit her like a zap to the face. She lightly rested a hand on El’s shoulder, shocking him enough to finally look her in the eye. She was smiling.
“We can give it a try if you’d like, just please do be careful. You should have a backup plan just in case. We don’t quite know the full effects of that ability yet.” He intended to find out.
The tension melted from his shoulders, and he leaned back on his hands exhaling.
“Thanks, Serena. I really mean it.”
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That night at camp El was suspiciously distant. The small space he usually left between him and Erik on the log was much wider, El seemingly almost leaning away. Erik tried his best to scoot closer unnoticed, but El was on high alert and almost bristled at the proximity. Erik immediately became self conscious. Had he done something to upset El? His mind rewound through the past day or so to see if there was anything he could have done wrong. Erik took a deep breath and tried not to let his mind get ahead of him, he was sure there was a completely logical reason why El wanted some space.
He decided to wait until Veronica and Serena turned in for the night, they usually did a bit earlier. Eleven and Erik liked to stay out later, lie back and look at the stars. Some nights they stayed awake into the early morning hours, talking like they did before they had other companions. They enjoyed the company and the help that two additional party members provided, but sometimes it was nice to stay out and imagine that it was just the two of them again.
Once they were alone El seemed to have relaxed a little, but Erik could tell there was still something on his mind. He reached out and carefully wrapped his arm around his shoulders, jolting El out of whatever thought was gnawing at him.
“Hey, everything alright? You’ve been pretty spacy tonight.” he said tentatively. El met his eyes with an apologetic look.
“I’m sorry to worry you, it’s nothing, really. You’d think it was ridiculous.” he said, brushing his hair behind his ear. That was a telltale sign that it was definitely not nothing. Erik’s gaze didn’t waver, and El broke in moments. He knew him far too well.
“Okay, fine. Do you remember a week or so ago when you cursed out that shopkeep because you thought he was price gouging us?”
Erik smiled, he remembered it well. He had discovered that his assertive side brought something special out of El as his back was pushed into the bedsheets later that afternoon. He had barely been able to keep his hands off Erik until they were safely behind the closed door of their shared room at the local inn.
He motioned for El to continue, a light blush dusting his cheeks at the not so distant memory.
“And then yesterday, when we used pep to turn you kinda...crazy?”
Erik nodded, eyes narrowing. He had a feeling he knew where this was going, and he wasn’t sure if he liked it. He kept his protests to himself for the time being to let El finish his thought.
“So, I couldn’t stop thinking about it last night. What if we tried to use it outside of battle, just the two of us?” He trailed off, looking down at his feet bashfully. Erik’s face flushed. His assumption was correct. He was instantly relieved that it wasn’t something more serious, but new fears began to arise.
“Are you sure?” he said, concern laced into his tone. He couldn’t remember much of what he did while consumed, only the need to tear his enemy limb from limb. He hoped that being in front of El instead of a threat to his life would help keep the ferocity in check. He’d never be able to forgive himself if he hurt El over something trivial.
El could practically see the smoke rising from Erik’s head as he thought of all the potential outcomes. El grabbed his hand and gave it a confident squeeze.
“Can you control it?” He asked. Erik took a shaky breath. He wasn’t religious, but in that moment he prayed that this wouldn’t end in a complete disaster.
“Yeah, as long as you’re not a threat to me, I think I’ll be able to handle it.”
El grinned mischievously and reached to undo Erik’s sash. “We can make sure I’m not a threat.” he said, pulling the fabric away and miming tying a knot.
If Erik’s heart wasn’t racing before, it definitely was now. He sighed, a grin slowly creeping its way across his face. He had a hard time denying El much of anything, and if he could keep his mind in check, it could turn out to be pretty hot.
“Okay, we give it a try. But only if you’re sure.”
El tried not to look too eager as he nodded in response. He silently gestured for Serena, who was pretending to read a book, but was watching from the slightly opened tent flap. Erik backed away, grabbing back his loose sash and hiding it behind his back.
“She knows?” He whispered. His face turned multiple shades of pink.
Serena gave a knowing nod and smile, and El looked away sheepishly.
“I...I need her help to cast the spell. I asked her if it was even possible before I asked you.”
Of all the people to know about what was about to happen, he supposed he could handle Serena. She even seemed like she wanted to help. Erik took a deep breath and stepped into the moonlight, arms outstretched. It was now or never.
“Alright, hit me. El, if you need out, just knock me out with Snooze. Once this starts I don’t think I’ll be able to stop it.”
El gave one last nod of approval to Serena, and they cast the spell. She reminded him one last time that if things went south to yell for her, retreating back to the tent and tying the flaps firmly shut.
El watched in mounting anticipation as the light faded into Erik’s skin. He lurched forward, his breathing becoming rapid and more labored until he threw his head back and snarled. He focused his gaze on El, his eyes hazing over red.
He tilted his head to the side and regarded El for a moment before his lips twisted up into a vicious grin, tongue flicking out to lick his lips.
Prey.
He stalked over slowly, nose following the mixed scent of nerves and arousal. He stopped right in front of El and began sniffing around his neck, the proximity making all of the little hairs stand on edge.
So far so good, he hadn’t begun to tear him to shreds at first sight. Maybe Erik had more control over this form than he thought.
El planted his feet and resisted the urge to flinch back, he had to trust that Erik was still in his right mind. Before he had the chance to think about it any further, sudden pain stabbed from his neck as Erik bit down, his eyelids fluttering shut at the intoxicating smell El’s pheromones were giving off.
His right hand gripped El’s jaw, holding him in place. The other wound its way into the hair at the nape of his neck. He pulled down with a touch of force, hair falling back and exposing more skin to taste.
El gasped and twisted a hand into the back of Erik’s tunic, trying to find leverage. He knew as soon as he ended up with his back in the dirt it was all over.
Erik retreated back a step, and El took it as a chance to make a move of his own. Erik was wearing far too much in El’s opinion. He grabbed each end of the open front of Erik’s top and pulled apart hard enough for the laces to come completely undone.
The fabric easily slid off his shoulders and without the sash and a shake or two of his arms, fell down to his ankles in a heap. He kicked it off to the side, smirk ever present. El took a moment to admire the sight, the strain in his pants now absolutely unignorable.
Sweet Goddess above, he was fucked.
Erik lunged at him, tearing at the buckles on his duster. They came undone one by one, and the garment was quickly thrown to the ground. Erik grabbed the hem of El's black undershirt and yanked it up to his armpits.
El's breath hitched in his throat at the feeling of warm hands and a tongue on his bare skin.
“Too many layers” Erik growled, giving up on the undershirt by tearing it clean in half. El yelped at the sharp nails that grazed his chest, faint red lines appearing.
Erik's eyes dragged across him, eyeing him up like a meal. He wrapped one arm around El’s lower back, his left leg moving between El’s, throwing him off balance. He lifted him up and off of his feet, pressing his back into the closest tree trunk. He restrained one wrist above his head, the other pinned to his side.
El wrestled a bit against Erik’s chest, trying to gain leverage. This earned him a chilling smile.
“Struggling is only going to make it harder on you in the end.”
His voice sent sparks up El’s core. It was rougher than normal, and undeniably sexy. Erik gave one last breathy laugh before capturing El’s mouth with his, pushing his tongue past El’s parted lips.
El relaxed into the familiar taste, but as much as he enjoyed the chase, it was time to go in for the kill. He ground his hips forward, eliciting a moan from his captor.
“Someone's eager,” he purred into El’s ear.
He didn’t know how much more of this he could take before he jumped Erik himself. As if reading his thoughts, Erik’s eyes glowed brighter for a moment, baring his teeth. El hesitated, had he pushed too far? Erik stepped back and looked around for a moment, eyebrows shooting up when he located his discarded tunic. He retrieved the undone sash and deftly tied it around Eleven’s wrists, making sure the ends were long enough to be tugged. He did just that, pulling El down to his knees in front of him. He leaned down to whisper in his ear, fingers grazing his jaw and stopping on his pulse point.
“You’re mine. Don’t forget that,” he growled. El's whole body shook.
Erik grinned and began to unlace his trousers, but El didn’t let him get too much further before he leaned forward and nipped at the waistband with his teeth.
Erik’s eyes widened in surprise, calculating for a moment before using one hand to shove the rest of his pants to the ground, the other gripping the back of El’s head by his hair. They locked eyes for a tense moment, El licking his lips before leaning forward to teasingly lick the tip of Erik’s dick, a sharp inhale at the brief contact.
He snarled, and the hand that had El’s hair pushed in, along with his hips bucking forward causing El to gag. Tears stung at the corners of his eyes, and Erik took a deep breath, trying to maintain control over the insatiable want that clouded his mind. He loosened the grip on El’s hair, and El pulled back far enough to look up mischievously before going down as far as he could without triggering the reflex again.
A low growl escaped Erik’s mouth as he threaded his hands through El’s hair and pulled, urging him on. He gladly obliged, humming lightly as his head bobbed, sending tremors through Erik. His nails dug into El’s scalp, head lolling back. El flicked his tongue along the underside of the tip, teasing. He glanced up and his own dick twitched at the sight of his blissed out partner.
Erik’s next exhale was shaky at best, and he decided it was time to move on before he made a mess of El’s face. He stepped back and pulled El back into a standing position, catching his shoulder as he wobbled a bit, dazed. He placed a hand flat on his back and pushed him toward their tent - an order.
El tried not to look too excited as he shot Erik a glance over his shoulder, wiping his mouth on the sash still tied around his wrists. Erik gathered what was left of their garments and followed into the tent.
Once he was settled El sat back, trying his best to look alluring. He didn’t have to try too hard as Erik slowly crawled on all fours towards him, the look on his face straight up ravenous. El missed the sweet and sometimes mischievous clear blue eyes that were so often focused on him, but something about the intense stare of red made the heat in his abdomen swell.
The combination of the gaze and the dangerous smile was almost too much. El wiped his mouth again, this time just drool. He leaned back as far as he could with core strength alone, watching as Erik stopped at his waistband.
He looked up, annoyed with the garment in the way of what he wanted, and before El could come up with something clever to say the sound of fabric tearing filled the tent. El felt cool air on his legs as what was left of his pants were tossed away with the rest of his ruined clothes.
His pent up arousal finally free, Erik took a moment to appreciate the state he had put El in before grabbing him at the base and squeezing. El bit down on the fabric still binding his hands to stop the moans from escaping. Erik leaned over him fully, using his unoccupied hand to pin El's above his head.
"Now, now. I want to hear you. You'll be screaming soon enough." he sneered. He turned his attention back to sliding his hand slowly up and down, spitting in his hand to ease things along.
El began to writhe, and moans quickly became more and more needy. He didn’t think he’d ever been teased so much in his life. It was annoying, but also increasingly hot. Need got the better of him as he voiced his growing desperation.
"Ahhh, Erik, I need you."
He raised an eyebrow at the confession. "How badly?"
"Really badly."
Erik grinned like a devil before reaching to untie El's hands. Before he tossed the sash aside, he held it in his hands for a second before inspiration struck. He wasn't going to indulge El just yet. He was enjoying the hunt far too much to give in now.
“Close your eyes.”
El did as he was told. Erik wrapped the sash around El’s head and over his eyes like a blindfold. Erik pushed him back down into the blankets and moved up until he was hovering over El. He buried his head into the crook of his neck, leaving love bites in a trail down to his collarbones.
El reflexively wrapped his arms around Erik’s neck and held on for dear life, tossing his head back and completely giving in to the sensations that were amplified from his missing sight.
They could both feel their hard-ons rubbing together, Erik reaching between them to grab them and squeeze hard, earning a breathy moan from El.
His hands drifted down Erik's shoulders, digging his nails in. If he had to suffer, so did Erik. He lifted his head up and pressed his lips to El’s, tugging at his lower lip with his teeth.
The more El’s nails dug into his back, the harder Erik bit down. El tasted blood, and by the sound of heavy breathing he guessed Erik had too. Like that of a beast, the faint taste of El’s blood sent him into a frenzy. His eyes almost rolled back into his head, a sigh escaping.
“You’re so delicious, I just want to…” He trailed over to El’s shoulder and bit down again, earning a cry from the unexpected sting. He slowly drug his teeth down his side, stopping at his hip and sinking his teeth in once again.
El blindly reached over to try and find his pack, patting his hand around until he finally found the strap and pulled it closer. He dug around before he found what he needed, squeezing the small bottle to get a decent amount on his hand.
El reached down and inserted a finger to prepare himself. Erik took the opportunity to try and distract him as much as possible, trailing a line of kisses up from his hip to his mouth, and back down again, taking his time and savoring every sound his partner made.
El brushed his unoccupied hand through Erik’s hair and pulled, a signal he was ready to move. He handed Erik the bottle of lube, spit was not going to cut it this time.
El reached up and ripped his blindfold off, tossing it to the side. He leaned back on his elbows, eyes locked on Erik’s. El nodded in approval, and Erik slowly pushed forward. El squirmed a bit as he adjusted, but soon relaxed and let his head fall back onto the pillow. It took every ounce of focus for Erik not to plow El into oblivion in that moment, but he kept his breathing level, focusing on working up a smooth and steady pace.
He lifted one of El’s legs and bent it over his shoulder for leverage and pushed deeper, El arching his back in response.
He saw stars for a moment as Erik brushed against his spot, breath hitching in his throat, gripping at the bedroll underneath him for grounding. He reached up for his pillow and shoved it under his hips for a better angle. Grabbing Erik by the forearms, he pulled himself up so they were face to face. He nipped at Erik’s lower lip and whispered what he hoped wasn't his final word against his lips.
“Harder.”
Erik pushed him back down and leaned down to place a fresh bite on his inner thigh, teasing his breath over the tip of El’s dick before sitting back up on his knees and placing his hands on El’s hips, nails digging in.
“You asked for it.”
He applied a bit more lube before pushing back in, working back up to a comfortable level before fulfilling El’s request. He gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on El’s hips, each thrust pushing him closer and closer to release.
El let his head fall back onto the pillow and relished in all of the sensations fighting for his last remaining brain cell. The tension inside him continued to build, until all he could do was grip at his bedroll and cry out as the tightly wound coil inside of him sprung loose, as well as the mess that became of his stomach.
After his mind cleared of the blissful cloud his orgasm brought, he lifted his head to look at his partner. Seeing El’s undoing had driven Erik that much closer to his own. At this point El had gotten pretty good at judging when Erik was close, and this time was no different. The line between his brows, the way he bit his lip, spell or no spell he was still his Erik. He threw his head back and El could have sworn he howled.
Erik’s eyes began to slowly fade back to the familiar blue as he collapsed next to El, wrapping his arms around him and snuggling his head into the crook of his neck.
“That was…” he began, but gave up and thumped his head back down onto the pillow.
They lay like that for a while, the combination of El’s steady breathing and his hand idly running through Erik’s hair quickly lulling him to sleep. He gently untangled himself and snuck out to clean up.
El sat in the stream and let his mind run through everything that had just happened. He couldn’t tell if the goosebumps forming on his skin were from that chill of the night air, or the mental images he now had at his disposal. The cool water soothed the fresh scratches and bites on his skin, his fingers brushed over each one. That was certainly an experience, and one he thought he’d definitely want to have again. He hoped Erik had enjoyed himself as well. If his exhausted state was anything to go by, he was certain the feeling was mutual.
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Erik awoke with a familiar sticky feeling between his legs. Dawn had just broken, so he figured he was safe to grab a wash rag and head to the nearby stream. He rinsed off and wet the rag to take back for El. He ducked back inside their tent and took a moment to admire how peaceful he looked in sleep, that was, until he started to notice all of the marks he'd left. He began to gently scrub at a particularly red scratch on El's thigh, stirring him awake. He raised his head to smile at Erik, then flopped back down.
"Good morning, how are you feeling?" He asked tentatively. He hoped he hadn't pushed anything too far last night. Those fears vanished when El grinned up at him.
"Great. A little sore, but it was worth it." He said with a wink. Erik's stomach flipped. "Nothing that can't be patched up".
Erik sat and just stared back for a moment, still trying to figure out where his sweet, quiet boyfriend had gone. All of their intimate encounters up to this point had been pretty typical, and El’s request from last night still had his brain reeling. He’d question if it really did happen, but the evidence was right in front of him. He knew no matter how many times he’d try to apologize El would have none of it. He snapped out of his daze to a hand waving in front of his face.
“Hey, Erdrea to Erik. You in there?”
He blinked a few times before giving him a reassuring smile.
“Yeah, I’m good. Just...sorry about -” he gestured to El sprawled out on the bedroll, a blanket covering his midsection. Some of the marks were hidden, but Erik knew they were there. El gave him a stern look before reaching out and grabbing his arms, pulling him down to lay beside him. He grabbed Erik’s face with both his hands and forced him to look him in the eye.
“Listen. I wanted this. I know this may come as a shock to you, but I liked last night. Every part of it.”
Erik sighed and leaned his forehead against El’s, closing his eyes.
“You know you can’t hide the ones on your neck.”
El laughed, and if sunshine had a sound, Erik swore it would be that.
They spent a while in the tent, snuggled up. When El’s stomach began to grumble, they finally decided it was time to face the music. Veronica wasn’t stupid, it wouldn’t take her long to figure out what had happened.
El emerged from the tent, pulling Erik’s tunic as close to his neck as he could, which wasn’t very. Curse his flirty open neckline.
“Ah, the walk of shame. I was smart to go to bed when I did - Holy fuck, what happened to you? It looks like something went at your throat and...” before she could finish the thought the realization hit her as she watched Erik duck away and try to hide his own marks that littered his neck. She threw her arms in the air and glared at Serena.
“I knew it wouldn’t take you two long to use that for your own sick fantasies. Sweet, merciful Yggdrasil, Serena and you helped? I can’t deal with this right now. I’m going to gather more firewood or something. You helped defile the Luminary!” She went on as she walked through the trees, her voice barely fading until she was very much out of sight. Serena looked over to them and winked. El handed Serena a lump of fabric and looked at her apologetically.
“Could you fix my pants? Last night Erik kind of…”
Before he could finish she started full on laughing, Erik hiding his blush behind his hands.
“Of course. Did you have fun?" she asked, eyes flickering between the two. El smiled sweetly and nodded. Erik refused to move his hands.
"Everyone knows." Erik huffed, as he plopped down beside Serena. He dramatically glared up at El, and was met with a smile so bright it melted any and all guilt and embarrassment he was harboring. He could never feel guilty about sharing love with his partner, no matter how interesting it turned out.
Serena handed El back his mended pants, and he quickly slipped them on, tying the laces tight. He returned Erik’s tunic, and donned his usual black undershirt. Thankfully he always had an extra packed, although rougher than usual sex with his boyfriend wasn’t one of the reasons he thought he’d need it when he left for Heliodor a month ago. He placed a feather-light kiss to Erik’s forehead and leaned in to whisper in his ear.
“So, when do you want to do that again?”
The searing red flush that bloomed across Erik’s cheeks was more than worth it.