Myth!AU - In The Shadows

[sword_breaker]

[Second Part to the Myth AU!~]

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[rocketsout]

There, he's taken the first step and while there's still the dull buzz of anxiety that's flooding through his system just seeing James' smile helps steady him. His reaper looks good like that, engrossed in work and idly worrying at the poor pen; Liam can't help the soft grin that tugs at the corners of his mouth. "Yeah. Yeah, it is. Sorry, am I interrupting?"

Hopefully not, that's not his intention at all, but he doesn't quite know exactly how reapers work.

[sword_breaker]

"No, no you're not. I'd just finished some stuff up and only reading really. Nothing important at the moment," he answers, dropping the abused pen back onto the desk. He shuffles the papers back into a folder before hiding them away into his desk once more. It was only supplemental to what was on his screen anyway.

"So what's up?"

[rocketsout]

Liam finds that his words stick in his throat, any semblance of eloquence abandoning him with each of James' passing words until he's left standing a bit awkwardly, grinning shyly as he tries to recover. "I uh."

That certainly doesn't help, and so instead he exhales slowly and shoots his reaper a slightly apologetic look before slipping into the office and making his way over. The buzzing under his skin alleviates some when he's here, with James, and with a quiet exhale he manages to finally find his voice. "I, yeah. I think- I think I can hold out for a while, if your work will let you come. Could...could that be a thing?"

[sword_breaker]

“Are you sure?” Far be it for him to not worry over the man especially with the admissions early. He wasn’t going to force his dullahan to do something that he wasn’t really built to do: stay in one place and for long extended periods no less. “I could always meet you out on the road. I just...”

He rubs the back of his neck. “I want to go but I can’t gurantee this. So I don’t want you to wait for something that might take ages to approve. That’d be cruel.”

[rocketsout]

"Yeah." The answer comes naturally, and he finds himself nodding, "I am. I- I want this to be a thing that...a thing that I get to show you."

He's certain of that, even with the uncomfortable buzzing beneath his skin; he's never allowed anyone this close into his personal life, and he wants James to be the first. If that means having to wait, then so be it. He'll find a way to deal with all the extra anxious energy, it'll- it'll work out.

[sword_breaker]

James glances over the papers, chewing his bottom lip as he thinks. Glancing back up at the dullahan comes after he decides on his next words carefully. “Can...May I see you without your head here then? So I can show you what I was meaning before. You obviously don’t have to. I know it’s bold of me to ask and I’m sorry for doing so.”

[rocketsout]

The question actually surprises him, but not in a bad way. For a moment he just blinks, trying to process what James is asking but when it finally registers he greets the reaper with a small, shy grin. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, of course. That's always okay to ask, you're never- you never need to apologize for that okay?"

With a quiet exhale he reaches up, feeling the normal glamour and sealing charms give way as he lifts his head from his shoulders. He's still grinning, however, even with it cradled in his arms, even if he can't speak at the moment.

[sword_breaker]

“Figure it’d be best to ask. Not going to ever assume this is a certainty cause you might not feel like it sometimes. I meant it when I had said you weren’t some reaper’s toy back when we first met.”

He waits, watching carefully as the dullahan beheads himself. It’s morbidly fascinating to see how it didn’t affect Liam much at all. Pushing up from his desk, James moves in close before gently pressing a kiss to Liam’s throat. Then he’s taking a knee so to kiss his lips.

“See,” he muses, “you’re not scary ever. Just a dork.”

[rocketsout]

It's a strange feeling when James's lips meet his throat, but certainly not a bad one at all, and Liam's grinning all the while. The smile may be a bit toothier than normal, but he's doing his best to keep his glamour up because it's just...it's just nice. It's nice to be himself like this, and the fact that his reaper is kneeling, kissing him properly, sends a pulse of warmth through his chest.

Shifting a bit, he frees up one hand, so that he can gently stroke the side of James' face as he beams, then winks a little cheekily.

[sword_breaker]

He tilts his head into the touch, humming contently at the gentle warmth. No one would expect a dullahan to be such a affectionate sap capable of being soft yet he had all the proof right in front of him. Too bad he wants to selfishly keep said proof to himself.

“So,” he leans back on his heels, “can you talk like this or is it another round of the guessing game?”

[rocketsout]

It's a good question, and one that he unfortunately can't answer immediately because he's got no way to actually speak proper. Liam has the decency to look a little embarrassed, but he taps two fingers on the side of James' cheek before reluctantly pulling his hand away so that he can make a gesture as if he's writing. Paper and pen, he needs paper and a pen and then he'll be able to explain more.

For right now? It's definitely a guessing game.

[sword_breaker]

“So guess all that talk about dullahans being able to speak headless was crap, hm? Figures as much,” James mulls over while he watches the gesture. He presses a kiss to Liam’s forehead before getting up and scrounging up a pad of paper and pen.

Both are offered over. “Here.”

[rocketsout]

It takes a little bit, but he’s able to shift his head under one arm so that he can take the pen from James.

I mean, we can talk. But it’s not something you really want to hear. :P I only talk to people right before I. Uh. Do my job. That’s one of the things humans got right when they started telling stories about us.

He’s grinning a little shyly, and though there’s no noise his shoulders shake with laughter.

[sword_breaker]

"I thought the talking thing was for the name saying. Is there more than that?" Training only covers the more dangerous stuff that listers are capable of doing. He wants to know everything that there is about dullahans because he wants to understand Liam and what he has to go through. "Also don't laugh at me, dork."

[rocketsout]

Nah, it's just the name things. It

He pauses for a moment, grinning cheekily at his reaper and sticking his tongue out for just a second.

it's really hard to do much more than that, it takes a lot of energy so it's something that we really can only do when we know we're uh gonna get that energy back real quick.

[sword_breaker]

“I feel like you’re getting a massive kick out of this. Just saying. Between the laughter and now that,” he makes a gesture towards the tongue sticking out,” I feel like you’re having fun and maybe relaxing a small bit. Could be wrong though.”

He takes his time reading before hrming softly. “What do you mean get energy back fast? Like how does that work for you and others?”

[rocketsout]

I feel relaxed around you.

It's the truth. He's comfortable enough to show this side of himself to James, enough so that he can even poke a little fun. No one else gets to see this, he wouldn't trust anyone enough.

Back through the. Uh. Through the kill. Kind of like how you guys absorb energy on the job? It's just kinda how we work. And why we're listers.

[sword_breaker]

“Oh. Well I’m glad that you do.” That was the best thing to hear after fussing over paperwork and trying to wrangle time off. If he can do something as simple as helping Liam relax, it was a good day.

“Never thought of it like that. So you get the energy from the act while we get it from breaking the soul’s bond. Huh. Ok makes sense.”

[rocketsout]

Yeah. It's kinda like

He pauses for a moment, pen still in hand, as he gives James an almost embarrassed grin.

Like going out for a meal? Okay, I know that sounds really bad, I know. It's not like vampires or ghouls or all of that, gods no. But we gotta replenish every once in a while, and especially if we go and expend a lot of energy by talking. But uh. If we go out, I can show you how it's done. :)

[sword_breaker]

"Alright yea I always kind of wondered what made you all so dangerous. I mean asides from the obvious naming and then immediate death thing. So does the glamour drain that energy over time or not? I assume yes. Is it bad that I'm asking so many questions? I feel like it is since kind of prying into things and all that."

HOW DID THIS NOT POST BEFORE

[rocketsout]

I mean, it does a little but it's not too bad. Seriously, it's a pretty negligible thing because this form? Not too different. I mean it's different but it's not like I'm turning myself into a giant monster or something. That'd get tiring.

He grins more, moving for a moment before he remembers that he can't really shake his head when it's in his hands.

It's not bad that you're asking questions. I. I like sharing this stuff with you, it's kind of cool to know someone is interested.

[sword_breaker]

“Oh. Well I guess I should come up with some good questions, huh?” James shoots a smile over before mulling over the various thoughts churning in his head. He still didn’t want to pry too much. That’d be careless. He wanted to know more about Liam as a whole than the going ons of a dullahan as a whole.

He runs his fingers along Liam’s neck gently. “So is it weird to use the charm to you know eat and all? Also you said you crossed the ocean and well do you miss over there sometimes?”

[rocketsout]

There's a slight shudder down Liam's spine at the gentle caress that traces across his neck. It's an intimate feeling, one that he reserves only for James, and even if it's a little ridiculous he does try to lean into it even as he works to balance his head while writing.

I mean, I guess I don't think it's weird? I don't really know what it'd be like without it. It's kind of nice, I think. Way back before all this, there really wasn't any sort of way to actually eat mortal food.

He does look a little embarrassed at the admission.

It's different over here, but not bad different. I. Came over for a reason, and I don't regret it at all.

[sword_breaker]

“I’m glad that it works out for you. It gives plenty of an excuse to spoil you with all sorts of stuff that you haven’t tried before. Though kind of nice to see how much of a savory fan you turned out to be,” he muses, nodding.

James glances down at his hands, wondering if he should or not. “I know what reason. I’m glad to be that reason.”

[rocketsout]

By 'savory' do you mean you?</font? He had to, James had left himself open, and Liam wriggles his eyebrows as he grins. He's all mischief now, but his expression softens when his reaper continues on and he leans in, gently setting the pen and pad down on the desk. In turn, he reaches up with his free hand to trail his fingers over James' cheek, as intimate a gesture as he can show like this.