sword_breaker | Myth!AU - In The Shadows

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.

“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.”

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.

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?”

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.

“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.”

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.

Edited 2019-02-26 14:23 (UTC)

"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."

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.

“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?”

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.

“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.”

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. :)

"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."

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.

“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?”

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.

“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.”

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.

“Yea, yea sure I guess that counts,” he laughs while shaking his head. The reaper trails off the noise before leaning into the gentle touch. “Liam, since you’ve done this I ugh. Huh words are hard but just...”

Gently he reaches up and holds Liam’s hand in his own before pulling it down. Slowly he strips pieces of his own glamour off until his hands become nothing more than bone. “You’re not the only monster so to speak.”

He can't speak, but there's a surprised raise of his brows and a soundless 'oh' as James' skin fades away, but immediately after the expression is replaced by a wide, sincere smile as Liam runs the pad of his thumb over each and every bump along the bones of his reaper's hand. Forgetting, for a moment, that nothing is going to make sense, he tries to talk, fails, and reaches to reconnect his head so that he can properly show his appreciation.

"That's so cool," he murmurs, gently bringing up James' hand until he's able to press a light kiss to his knuckles.

It’s a weird sensation to strip away the flesh and leave himself so bare even if it’s only a minor part of him. Even weirder is the pressure of Liam’s thumb, gentle brushes getting slight shivers at the care and warmth. James takes in a steadying breath before letting the shadow hood slip into place and reaper fire dance in his eyes. He trusts Liam.

The words take him by surprise. Cool? Huh. “It’s nothing like taking off your own head.”

He shakes his head, eyes bright with enthusiasm and wonder, "no no, that's really really cool! Look at you!"

As if to prove his point he motions to all of James, his grin wide, "that's amazing. You're amazing!"

His enthusiasm gets reigned back in just a little bit, however, and something almost shy comes over his features, "hey uh. Can I kiss you? Like if you're not okay with that I get it, it's totally cool."

“Usually only ever have this out if I get knocked around too much,” he quietly murmurs, taken aback by the enthusiasm given so freely. No one has reacted to him like this outside of his family of fellow reapers. Val has said before how improper it was to show one’s true face when they take in so much death.

He sputters for a second at the request. That requires him to double check that he didn’t let all of his glamour get stripped away and he’s not sure that he still has lips.

“I ugh yea sure. It might be a little weird...”

"Well, glad that you're not getting knocked around right now," he jokes lightly, squeezing his reaper's boney hand. He doesn't like to think about James being so hurt, but it's amazing to be able to see him so bare like this.

But he's been given the go-ahead, so with one last peck to James' hand he's leaning in, very carefully brushing his lips over the bare mouth of his reaper's skull. It's a strange feeling, but not a bad one, it could never be bad when he's kissing the love of his life. But he doesn't want to make James uncomfortable, and so it's a short, sweet kiss before he's pulling back and positively beaming. "You're gorgeous."

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HOW DID THIS NOT POST BEFORE

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