sword_breaker | Myth!AU

[There's a slight wind to give signs that colder weather was going to hit the city at some point but otherwise the chill didn't faze many much with the sun pouring down rays without any resistance from white wisps streaking across blue. Another busy work day for most people as they packed the sidewalks in order to accomplish whatever the day asked of them to do, some of them heading off towards lunch break even as the afternoon brought along ease in traffic after the rushing around or rather dead still in the morning commutes that always came like clockwork. The towering skyscrapers piercing above while scattered about were busy shops and apartment complexes ranging to the higher end of the spectrum, fortunate for several residents of them being close to where they worked usually.

However it didn't matter much to the man lying face first towards the blue in an alley, red bursts staining his shirt in an act of fatal defiance against the fabric. He wasn't caring about anything anymore. Pools of crimson have congealing into a sticky mess at his side to keep company with the broken body though it was a waste honestly. A barrier of yellow and black tape announcing the crime scene as if the body and the blood weren't enough already to do so. Officers scurrying about to comb through every little thing in order to scrounge up evidence ranging from fingerprints to shell casings while a medical examiner started jotting down notes as though it were a race.

To be fair, it was a race that was ticking away for all of them but yet he didn't exactly have to put so much effort into finding out the who, why and whatnot of this particular case. Never really showed interest in the exact details of a person's death as it wasn't under his job description nor would he if paid enough, more so content enough with the tasks that were scheduled for him to do. He sends a confirmation of his arrival with a quick text before stowing away the smart phone into his back pocket and assessing the fussing police. No doubt Matthieu was going to blow his phone up with messages after getting the answer but that could be ignored.

Passing underneath the tape, the man eased through the scene with no problems coming from the uniformed others. Though that was the point of having such a decent illusion in order to essentially make him invisible, allowing a much easier time accomplishing his tasks without the stupid questions that would be raised at his presence much less what he would do here. He had the slight frown that could've been considered appropriate for the situation but the claw marks and irrevocably damaged right eye would certainly cause a more sinister thought process to occur. Maybe even be considered as a hit man that had down the crime but to be fair he didn't hunt unless told otherwise and certainly not boring humans such as this idiot. Besides a man decked in a suit stood out in this mess with much help to his disregard of everything save for the dead man who certainly was still brimming with the confused energy of a trapped soul. Definitely need to rectify that.

James crouched down right next to the examiner and fished out a knife before making an incision right at the heart before reaching down to draw out the reluctant soul. The reaper was only doing his job and besides no one was going to see him do his work, not the police nor the surrounding crowd of onlookers.

He was looking forward to the break after this one, sneak away towards his usual haunt; a coffee shop that boasted fantastic blends that were more so a necessity at this rate rather than a mere commodity and plus the perfect spot he claimed by the window in order to watch the world keep moving. The energy from the illusion would be easily restored during that. Then it would be another one in midtown before being able to return back home for the day and unwind. That or check with the bar to make sure a friend or two didn't snoop around more than they should. The former was going to be the most probable though so he shows the other idea to the back of his mind before focusing.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Gods yes...

[The words trail off into a dragged heady groan. His hips slowing to a crawl as Liam tenses around him. Taking care, he fucks him through his end. A content hum rumbling in the back of his throat while he squeezes his hand.

That buck drags him out of the moment though. He grunts, rocking up into him before picking up the pace. It’s the call of his name that gets him in the end. How the dullahan says it coupled with all the feelings swirling in him makes control falter and there’s no recovering.]

Liam-shit.

[Burying his face into his neck, he buries himself deep and comes. Panting, he tugs him up and simply holds him close.]

[It takes a long while for him to regain his senses, and even then there''s so little care for anything beyond the feeling of James pressed against his back and so deep within him. He offers a ragged noise of encouragement, arching his back to drive his reaper even closer as the man shivers and swears, and the sound of his name dripping from his lips is the sweetest thing he thinks he's ever heard.]

Love you. Love you so much.

[The words tumble from his lips easily, and though there's exhaustion evident in his tone there's another hint of affection and mischief beyond that.]

James...

[He shudders against the dullahan, slowly his pace down until finally reaching a full stop and simply remaining in him. His breath hot against Liam’s shoulder as he pants and slowly catches a couple of moments to get it back to a semblance of steady.

His arms wind themselves around Liam to keep him close. James nuzzling into his neck, pressing gentle kisses along the dark marks of nips and the dullahan’s separation scar. There’s the burn of exhaustion in his muscle but he’s more focused on the tightness and warmth in his chest.

There’s an undying wave of affection for Liam now after everything. Sure the sex was nice but the admission was what stuck with him most.]

Love you, Liam.

Love you-

[The words are quiet, tired, but filled with wonder and affection. In the glow of the aftermath everything seems almost unreal, but the weight and warmth of his reaper pressed close is enough to keep Liam grounded and focused. There are lips at his neck and he groans softly with the feeling, reaching back to gently run his fingers through James' hair.]

Love you so much.

Never going to tire of hearing that. Or saying it either. Hope that’s ok with you.

[A gentle kiss pressed to his dullahan’s shoulder before pulling out and taking care of his mess. He returns soon after to take Liam’s hand and lace their fingers together, tugging him in close again. That warmth sticks with him and it only burns brighter when he’s close to him.]

At some point should put your clothes up here.

[He laughs warmly against his neck as he trails kisses]

Think that’ll be later though. Kind of want to see about what your favorite spot in the apartment will be. Heard the floor possibility...the couch...

[Yes he’s awful but he won’t press the issue if it came down to it. What matters most is Liam and enjoying time however he wants to do so.]

Good, 'cause I'm never gonna stop saying it, I think.

[He grunts slightly as James withdraws and rolls over to the side until he's able to rest on his back. There are aches everywhere, but they're the best thing he thinks that he's felt in a very, very long time. When his reaper returns he all but melts into the embrace, squeezing James' hand gently as he laughs under his breath.]

Yeah, but I think I like 'em where they are right now.

[With an impish grin he shifts and leans down to capture his reaper's lips in a lazy kiss that's filled with teeth and tongue. It gives him time to wind an arm around James' waist and catch his thoughts.]

I mean, I can't say what my favorite is unless we try 'em all, yeah?

I mean they won’t be the only thing on the floor soon with that attitude.

[The kiss draws him in closer until he’s pressed up against his dullahan once more. His free hand trailing down his back before coming to a rest at the man’s lower back. There’s no frantic rush that lights his veins but rather a slow desire.

Humming under his breath, he smirks while tugging him down to the floor. His fingers moving to trace patterns into Liam’s side. A kiss stolen away after a couple of peaceful moments.]

Suppose we can take our time knocking each one out. Make sure you experience all the options available to you.

Is that a promise? It better be a promise.

[He's grinning widely into the kiss, and with gentle motions he lets himself be moved. It's as graceful as he can manage, and he manages to avoid becoming a tangled mess of limbs, but when he's drawn into a kiss again nothing else matters.

With a slight shift of his weight he manuvers himself until he's straddling his reaper, taking care to not break the kiss with each gentle movement. It's a slow thing, and he savors each brush of skin against skin.]

Gotta be thorough.

[His smile fades into something a bit more shy, filled with admiration and affection.]

It’s a promise.

[He kisses along his jawline before trailing them down his neck and along his shoulder. Each one given ample time as though to let the affection sink in. The reaper resting back, looking up at him with a smile.

There was no fussing over having been moved. Simply drinking in the moment. His hands easing to rest on Liam’s hips.]

You know that for an unseelie you sure brighten up my life. Just...you’re the best thing I’ve ever seen.

[There's a teasing retort that dies on the tip of his tongue the moment James continues on, and despite everything that had just previously happened there's a surge of warmth deep in his chest and a flare of affection so intense it threatens to rob him of his senses. This is his reaper, someone he's been blessed to spend his time with, and he's never had anyone like this before: someone so strong, so wonderful, and so amazing. The fact that he's lucky enough to be in James' life is more than he could have ever asked for, and to hear the man say such things...

Such affections are more than he feels he'd ever deserve, but there's a selfish part of him that doesn't care. He wants to be that for James, wants to be such a stable beacon in his life.]

I-

[The words still aren't there, and he ducks his head just a bit, somewhat embarrassed at his sudden tied tongue.]

I wanna be the best I can for you. 'cause you're the best thing to happen to me.

You are. You’re incredible and I’m so lucky to be yours.

[A hand of his trails upwards gently as he sits up underneath Liam. It stops at the back of the dullahan’s neck and his thumb strokes the scar. This was a sign of trust as much as it was the affection and adoration that weaves around them. He leans in, knocking their foreheads together before nosing his cheek.]

I’m yours and I...it’s an honor to call you mine. Gods I’m being a rambling idiot but hard to keep it to myself. Not going to be sorry about it though.

[His fingers give a gentle squeeze to his hip as he nuzzles his shoulder.]

You're never an idiot.

[The words are thick on his tongue as emotion threatens to close his throat. The sincerity of James' statements is overwhelming, and there's a sharp sensation in his chest as he struggles to find a better answer.]

Don't be sorry. Never- never be sorry. Gods, James I-

[He closes his eyes, arching back into the fingers trailing about his neck.]

I can't think of anywhere else I wanna be then with you.

[Closing his eyes, he buries his face into the dullahan’s shoulder with a warm huff of a laugh. Liam’s heartbeat quietly listened to as much as the words that are said. His arm winding around him to idly twist the ring on his hand with his thumb.

It’s a habit but usually a nervous one. Now it was a way to mull over the growing sense of deja vu that sweeps through him. He’s heard those words before. From Liam of course but not recently and not here...

He rests his chin on the man’s shoulder as he furrows his brow, trying to make sense of it. Then there’s finally a piece that clicks. Gods it was so long ago now and he had thought it nothing but a dream caused by the trauma. Waking up and not knowing what he was while the world tore itself apart.

Lifting up his hand, he inspects the ring. It hadn’t been something he had when he was alive nor did his mentor give it.]

You...disappeared on me once but not by choice.

Wh-?

[Anything that he could say dies immediately on his tongue, because the quiet observation that James has made strikes far closer than he'd thought possible. It isn't so much memory as it is a sensation, a knowing, that tugs at the back of his brain incessantly. One that he hasn't entertained in decades.

There's a lump in his throat and he swallows hard to try to clear it away. It's what's left unsaid between the both of them that cuts deep, and he ever so wants to allow the tiny spark of hope within him to be correct.]

Told you I wouldn't leave you.

[The words are quiet, rough with emotion that's been carefully repressed for many a year.]

Made my way across the drink to make sure of that.

[Across the ocean after the great war had ended, with no plan and only a name to chase. Yor had done his job well, and searching had proven fruitless and with every passing year it grew harder and harder to even catch whispers or rumors of reaper activity.]

[A lump builds in his throat and he has to blink away heat pricking at the corner of his eyes. The lone calvary that he had seen before his death hadn’t been a thing of his imagination or worse comes worse one of the riders. No it had been the dullahan and he had seen him after he had awoke.

He had stared up at a headless rider, soaked in blood and mud. The man had taken him in when he didn’t know what was going on. When he hadn’t known what his responsibilities were.]

You did. Gods I shouldn’t have forgotten you.

[His voice cracks with emotion finally as he clings to him. Eyes screwing shut while tears stream down his face.]

I knew you were familiar when I first saw you. You felt more of home than I ever have felt before. Gods I...Liam....

Wasn't your fault.

[The words stick in his throat, and emotion threatens to get the better of him. Everything snaps when he feels wet against his shoulder and the small tremors that run throughout James' body. With a quiet, almost broken noise he pulls the man tight to him and burying his face into his hair.

It's the culmination of decades upon decades of searching, and a final blow to the part of him that had all but given up hope. He has to remind himself that this is real, that this is actually happening, because it feels much to fortunate for him to almost believe.]

've got you, promise. I've got you.

[A fractured small whimper slips out as he tries to fight back a sob but he can’t stop it fully. This was the dullahan...no his dullahan that had saved him from becoming some lost soul wandering about the war torn countryside. The one that had shown him how to manipulate glamours before he could get clean clothes. How to better handle tracking. How to live when no longer simply a mortal and shown a whole other side of reality.

He clings to him, still crying. However the sobs into broken yet joyful laughing that may sound rough but happy all the same. He was back in Liam’s arms regardless of what fate had done to tear them apart.]

You found me. You did it. Liam...I’m so glad you did and gods I am thankful I get to say I love you again.

[Their emotions feed into one another, and soon Liam himself is unabashedly crying, fingers splayed across James' back as he holds him tight. It feels as though if he lets go, even for a moment, he'll lose everything again and James will slip away into nothingness once more.

But it never happens; James is warm and so very real against him. The tears come more and more, but it's almost a cathartic release now; freedom from all the pain and worry that he had been carrying about his shoulders for so long. And then James is laughing and his heart breaks all over again, thrumming with affection and emotions too intense to be put into words.]

I just- fuck, James. James.

[Releasing the fierce hold around the man, James continues holding the back of Liam’s neck while his free hand moves to coax him to look up. A smile breaks out on his face as he studies him before gently pressing their foreheads together. His eyes slipping shut as he breathes in the moment.]

I’ve been yours ever since I awoke, Liam...

No, you don't belong to anyone.

[He shakes his head, working the words out through the emotion that threatens to close his throat. He's smiling though, savoring the closeness between them.]

You're strong and free and perfect and I'm so lucky that I'm able to be in your life. Love you so much, James.

Yea but I want to be yours. If it’s not ok to say then I won’t.

[The reaper pulls back, glancing between him and the floor while he gets his thoughts back into order. His smile growing to a small fond thing that wavers. It’s been decades and he doesn’t want to overstep.]

Not sure if I’m as perfect as you remember. I’ll try to be though for you.

[His hand retreats away from the dullahan’s neck to rest at his hip, thumb stroking briefly. What if he can’t be the version of himself that Liam remembers?]

I'd-I'd be honored to call you mine.

[The words are soft and shy, and he smiles down at the reaper below him. For a moment he ducks his head, savoring the sensation of fingers at the back of his neck before James' hand moves and he has to take in the weight of everything that's been said between them.]

You don't have to be anything for me. You're perfect the way you are.

I want to be yours. ...as much as I want you to be mine. Like we said downstairs.

[That dumb smile helps knock away the remainders of his doubts and he happily kisses it with the first opportunity. His fingers going back to brush along the seam before cupping Liam’s cheek.]

That means a lot to hear.

Then be mine. I'd really want you to be mine.

[His grin is shy but genuine, and he can't help but lean into the kiss. This is more than he could ever have asked for, and more than feels he's ever deserved. But he'll be selfish just this once.]

'cause I'm yours, forever and always.

Consider it done then. Forever and always, yea.

[He presses a kiss to his forehead before leaning back and smiling up at him. This wasn't what he had expected the day to turn into but he couldn't say no to any of it. From taking care of him to the sex to the admission of love...just all of it.]

You already put a ring on me anyway.