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mayqueen517Title: Honest Way Out
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
starflowers
Fandom: Disney RPF, Bandom, Skippy
Characters: Mike Carden, Kevin Jonas, Bill Beckett, Tom Conrad, Michael Guy Chislett, Adam Siska, Andy 'The Butcher' Mrotek, various others.
Rating: R, for Mike's bad mouth.
Disclaimer/Warnings: I own nothing, obviously. The only warning I can think of is that it features Mike and Tom being friendly. So if that's not your thing, uh...Sorry?
Summary: Mike is one of two Northern vampires at his school. Sometimes, he's pretty sure life hates him. And then he meets Kevin and becomes really sure.
Word Count: 2872 (!!!!!)
Prompt:My Dream Fic includes: Space pirates! Angst! Happy endings! Fairy tales... Fairy tales set in space? I'm pretty easy. Let me try to be more specific. I would like an AU or something crossed over with the Vampire Diaries, or set in space, or a Twilight AU, that could be hilarious and fun. Bonus for Frank/Mikey!! And Spencer/Brandon.
Author Note: I tried a few different things before my brain started laughing over Mike being Edward. And this developed? In this AU, basically everyone has something different and that's why they're at this school. It's a hodge-podge Hogwarts, and now I kinda wanna live there. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this,starflowers!
"Staring is way creepy, dude. And I should know," Tom says as Mike stares across the courtyard at the group of sprites that are gathered under a tree. Their laughter rings across the courtyard to where Mike and Tom are sitting under an awning. The sun is brighter than Mike would like, but the warmth is welcome.
Hunger nags at the back of his mind, but he pushes it away as he watches the one wood sprite scale the tree above his friends. He's got curly hair, gorgeous lips, and the prettiest throat that Mike has ever seen. Ever.
Sometimes it's hard being one of two vampires at school.
Tom clears his throat, laughter hovering in his eyes as Mike looks at him. Mike can hear his amusement in the forefront of his mind. Mike doesn't mind reading minds, but it's always interesting to see what he hears from his fellow vampires.
"You're just interested 'cause you have no fucking clue what he's thinking," Tom says as Bill walks up.
Bill, the fucking ice queen (well, okay, dryad), folds himself gracefully to sit beside Mike.
"Are we talking about Mike's crush?"
"If, by 'crush', you mean 'Mike being fucking creepy', then yes," Tom says. Mike scowls. He never liked Tom anyways.
"It's not my fault he smells good and I can't hear what he thinks," Mike says, frustrated. Bill laughs and Mike scowls even more as he gets up, stalking off.
He hears their protests behind him as he strides across the grass. What skin is exposed sparkles (and it's a fucking bitch, seriously. Mike sometimes hates his entire life) as he steps into the shade of the tree. Kevin, the wood sprite with that mouth and the mind that is strangely inaccessible, looks up and practically beams at him.
"Hi!" he says brightly, "I'm Kevin."
"Yeah, I uh. I know," Mike says, clearing his throat and looking up at the leaves. There's a girl sitting on one of the branches, looking as tiny and fragile as the branch she's sitting on. She smiles at him, a deep and secretive smile that inexplicably makes Mike want to fucking blush.
He realizes, abruptly, that they're all waiting for his name. He coughs, once, and shoves his hands into his pockets.
"I'm Mike. Mike Carden," he says, watching Kevin's eyes widen just a little, because of course everyone knows every little fucking thing in this school. It's not enough to be one of the northern vampires - who are rare enough as it is - but to be one of only two at the school?
Yeah.
"Nice to meet you," he says cordially, offering his hand palm-down. It's a concentrated move, one that means he's actually been paying attention in class. It makes Mike desperately want to know what he's thinking.
He smells so fucking good, Mike thinks as he sits in the grass. He knows a few of the other sprites sitting around. Brendon, Ryan, and Jon are in a careful knot of limbs as they talk in quiet tones. The girl above them, Mike doesn't know. And there's Kevin, smiling politely at him, like strange vampires approach him every single day.
There's a part of Mike that growls at that, and it's only when everyone stops talking and stares at him that he realizes that he was actually growling.
Shit.
"Uh, sorry?" he tries, as Kevin's lips twitch with repressed laughter, eyes sparkling with humor. There are subtle patterns of green and brown laid over his pale skin.
"So, um. Are you having trouble with how bright it is?" Kevin asks, awkward, but easy as he holds onto a leaf. The veins on it seem to glow, curling in on itself before Mike watches it slowly change.
"I. Uh, no?" Mike hazards before shaking his head once. "I mean, sometimes, but I'm pretty covered up today. I don't get cold or hot like you, so I don't have to, you know, worry too much now," he says, feeling like his tongue is entirely too huge for his mouth. Or something.
"Cool," Kevin says, smiling. Mike smiles back before he can even think about helping it as they settle into easy conversation.
===
Kevin likes to leave carefully worked pieces of driftwood in Mike's room. Elegent shapes and Mike wonders, idly, if it hurts Kevin to give these up. But when he asks, Kevin merely smiles and says he's only taking them where they want to be.
Mike tries not to read too much into it as he finds a place on his shelves for something new.
===
"So when are you gonna do something about the whole pining-over-Kevin thing?" Chiz asks as Mike splutters in shock. Across from them, Tom snorts, scrawling something on some paper.
"I - what. Pining?" Mike asks incredulously. Chiz shrugs and nods.
"Pining."
"I'm not pining for Kevin," Mike manages finally as Tom looks up, eyeing him carefully. Across the room, Bill (who is practicing his transformation) watches them.
"You barely eat, you're constantly around him, and when you two aren't hanging out, you mope," Chiz says.
"It's not your fault that your mate's a wood sprite," Tom says as Mike goggles at him.
"My what?"
"Mate," Tom says, shrugging. He looks out the window and Mike knows he's watching Sean and his friends run across the grounds, "I mean, mine's a werewolf. At least vampires and wood sprites don't have a centuries long feud or whatever."
"I hate you," Mike says, gathering his things and walking out of the room. He can hear them protesting, but he ignores them. He walks through the halls until he comes to where Kevin and his friends normally relax. He can hear Kevin laughing and even though he says he hates his friends, he knows they're right.
It's the only reason why his stomach rolls and why he wants to claim Kevin all the time.
It's not exactly a comfort, but he ignores it in favor of meeting Kevin's bright smile with one of his own.
===
Mike resolutely does not act on his feelings. From what he can tell, Kevin's not into him, but it's hard to think about.
He goes days without eating; would go longer if it weren't for Tom.
Mike lets his guard down with Kevin. He curls up with him while they watch movies; he lets Kevin see his teeth. He thinks about making something up to mark Kevin so that everyone knows Kevin is his.
Instead, he combs through Kevin's hair and bites his own lip in an effort to not mark Kevin.
===
"You need to do something about this," Bill says softly. They're in the hospital wing, which shouldn't make sense, except that Mike had actually collapsed and Bill's hand is still partly a branch.
"I'm fine."
"Not eating is not fine. I don't know if you noticed, but you look like shit."
"Aw, thanks, honey," Mike says, rolling his eyes. He doesn't tell Bill about the slow curling want that's been growing. He also doesn't mention the fear that one day he's simply going to snap and take Kevin down with him.
He doesn't mention the lines of green that have begun to appear across his chest.
"Just admit you love him," Bill says plainly.
"Shut up, Bill," Mike says softly, closing his eyes and trying not to think about the inexorable pull to Kevin.
===
After that, it's as if Mike can't stop running into Kevin. Suddenly, he's everywhere. They walk to class together, Kevin knows the password to get into his rooms (and vice versa), and he finds himself sitting in the library at least once a week.
Kevin doesn't realize just how hard Mike tries to not be creepy or weird. It's just that he's got the most gorgeous throat and the soft patterns of green that spread across his skin only make Mike want to taste him.
Kevin doesn't seem to realize, Mike thinks.
He's leaning over Mike's shoulder, pointing out some error in Mike's essay and Mike absolutely cannot fucking help it. He presses his nose against the line of Kevin's neck. He keeps his lips closed, teeth aching even as he takes a few long slow breaths of Kevin's scent. He can hear his heart-beat fluttering away and it's only then that he thinks that maybe he shouldn't actually be sniffing his friend like this.
"Mike?" he says in this tiny, quiet voice that makes Mike feel like shit.
"Fuck," he swears, pushing away from the table and Kevin, "I am so fucking sorry, Kevin. I didn't - I really didn't mean to," he forces out, horrified.
Kevin's staring at him as he shoves all of his things into his bag, darting out of the library. If his heart could beat, he knows that it would be hammering against his ribcage.
He goes to his room, changes the password to everything, and decides that he can definitely just surface long enough to get his assignments. It's a completely valid decision, he thinks.
At least, until Sisky and the Butcher hear about it. Sisky's a gangly nymph that seems to have totally attached himself to some shape-shifter who spends half of his time mostly naked. They work, though, Mike thinks.
They barge into his room, not caring that he's spending a long while wallowing, thank-you-very-much.
"Dude, what happened with you and your sprite?" Sisky asks, flopping down onto Mike's bed with unparalleled gusto. It bounces Mike, making him frown.
"Nothing," he says, grumpy.
"Liar," Butcher says, grinning toothily. Mike's not entirely sure what he shifts into, but he's always put his money on something with way too many teeth.
"Seriously."
"He's been moping around for two weeks," Sisky says, and Mike boggles for a moment, stunned at the passage of time. He grimaces as Sisky continues, "I asked Bill where you were and he didn't know. And it took Chiz two hours to figure out your password. So, you should probably tell us."
"I sniffed him."
"You...sniffed him," Sisky repeats, staring at Mike.
"Yes," Mike says through clenched teeth. Butcher and Sisky share a look, loaded and heavy with everything unsaid as Mike sighs harshly. He grabs his bag, unwilling to listen to either of them say anything more.
"Mike -" Butcher starts.
"Fuck off, both of you," he says, annoyed and moody as anything as he walks out of the room. His bag bumps against his back with every step and not even the rain stops him from walking across the grounds.
The rain soaks him through, but he manages to get to the other side of the courtyard. His wet clothes stick to him as he sits down in the darkest corner of the library.
Tendrils of hair sticks to his face and he shoves it away, listening idly to the thoughts of the girl at the circulation desk. She's humming something and the way she thinks (all colors and sounds, nothing harsh) is soothing in a way.
"What happened to you?" he hears. His stomach drops at the strange blank spot that he can feel, but can't feel at the same time. It's like trying to guess what something is through a layer of cotton.
He looks up and sees Kevin, eyes wide and concerned. He looks like shit, Mike thinks.
He doesn't realize he's said it out loud until Kevin's face changes into a wry smile.
"You look like a drowned rat," he says, and Mike can see that the soft tendrils of green that line his skin have grown darker.
"Yeah, well. Raining," he says, trying to hunch in on himself casually. Kevin sighs, annoyed.
"Don't be an idiot," Kevin says, reaching down to gather Mike's wet bag to him. It makes a wet mark on his clothes, and Mike goes to protest. Hunger rumbles vaguely through his stomach as they pass the kitchens, but he pushes it away. He follows Kevin, wondering how long it's going to take Kevin to push him away or something.
"Where are we going?"
"My rooms," Kevin responds, walking through the kitchen and swiping his student pass and grabbing a bag of blood, passing it off to Mike.
"What-"
"Just come on," Kevin says, sighing as they walk up the stairs and into his room.
"You're hungry. You should eat," he says, motioning to the bag. Mike grimaces, shaking his head as Kevin reaches over, tearing the corner and handing it back. He knows exactly how Mike eats and it should be stranger than strange.
But it feels normal.
"I'm fine."
"Mike. You're hungry. And you're not listening," Kevin says, frustrated. He sits down and there are whorls of wood on the table, a project that Mike remembers Kevin struggling with. It's shaped into gentle waves, each one cradling a plate or cup.
"What am I not listening to?" he asks, finally starting in on the bag of blood. He takes long pulls of it, aware of the shine on his skin, indicating he's freshly fed. It's calming, in a way that makes him uncomfortable.
"I know when you're hungry. I know when you're upset," Kevin pauses, puts a hand onto Mike's, "I know when you're lying," he finishes gently.
"What?" Mike asks, freezing. There's a single current of fear running through him; it lines his spine and every nerve ending in his body as Kevin clears his throat.
"I dunno why. I just...I do. And I miss being around you. I miss feeling when you were happy," he says quietly.
"What the fuck," Mike says flatly, staring. His mind is whirling with everything that he shouldn't think. That maybe this is a sign. That this could work. That whatever it is that he wants could happen.
And then Kevin kisses him.
He kisses him with a smear of blood still on Mike's lips and Mike is dimly aware of dropping the bag. Kevin kisses him like he's never dared think about. He always imagined that he would need to coax Kevin into it.
Instead, Kevin's practically climbing into his lap, like he wants to crawl inside Mike. He kisses intently and Mike can't smell anything but clean air, wet soil, and fall leaves, the scent that is distinctly Kevin.
His tongue curls around Kevin's, hands slipping under his shirt to rest against bare skin. His skin is soft, softer than Mike thought about.
He pulls back, staring into Kevin's eyes. They've shaded to a deep brown, the color of old forests and soil and it reminds him of his first home, strangely. It reminds him of feeling alone and realizing that other clans wouldn't accept him.
It's bittersweet, in a way, when Kevin slides a hand across Mike's cheekbone.
"You're sad," he states.
"You smell like home," Mike responds, feeling his heart seize for a moment as Kevin's eyes light up.
Kevin kisses him harder, pushing against him and when Mike pushes back, holding them steady, he feels Kevin shiver. He feels it in the muscles of his back, in every single way he holds himself.
"Can..Can we go to the bed?" Mike asks, bringing his mouth away from Kevin's. His lips are swollen and Mike can't take his eyes away. Kevin nods, easing off of Mike's lap and Mike is abruptly grateful that the school never once tried to turn him away.
They make quick work of each others shirts and Mike finds himself pinning Kevin down, taking in every facet of this moment. He kisses along Kevin's neck, never once allowing his teeth to graze any of that pale skin. The green lines have darkened, Mike notices.
There are gentle shifts in the color, some fading into the brown and vice versa. He looks ethereal, Mike thinks, sitting up as Kevin swallows hard.
"You okay?" Mike asks, spreading a hand across Kevin's chest, touching the sparse hair as Kevin nods slowly. The blank spot that means Kevin is less blank and more shielded, which comforts his brain. He can smell the scent of the spilled blood in the other room and that shouldn't be so great, but it is.
"Yes?" Kevin says, voice lilting in a question. Mike laughs softly, settling down on the bed and pulling Kevin close. He presses his lips to Kevin's shoulder, chasing the line of freckles and some of the lines. He traces one spiral of green with his tongue, just to feel Kevin shudder.
"Need a break?"
"Yeah."
Mike watches Kevin and feels everything in his body relax as Kevin carefully drapes across him. Kevin's cooler than the average human; something to do with wood sprite physiology, Mike thinks.
"I've missed you," Kevin says, swatting Mike's arm. Mike huffs out a laugh.
"I was scared," he admits, ignoring Kevin's snort and eyeroll, "I thought that I'd hurt you. That I'd lose control or something," Mike says. His voice is softer than he'd like, but Kevin simply rolls them.
Mike is pressed along Kevin's side now, face buried into Kevin's neck and it is so fucking intoxicating. It is like being surrounded by everything great in the world and Mike is dimly aware that he's breathing like a fucking warhorse into Kevin's neck.
Kevin makes a soft, sleepy sound, laughing.
"Stay?" he asks, voice sounding impossibly young (even though Mike knows wood sprites reach maturity long into their life-span). Mike thinks about leaving Kevin. About walking out of the room and not looking back.
Instead, he sighs to himself, leaning up to press his lips against Kevin's brow.
"Of course," he responds, settling down with Kevin, feeling contentment spread through his limbs. He doesn't think about the complications, he just thinks about how everything feels right for once.
Author:
starflowersFandom: Disney RPF, Bandom, Skippy
Characters: Mike Carden, Kevin Jonas, Bill Beckett, Tom Conrad, Michael Guy Chislett, Adam Siska, Andy 'The Butcher' Mrotek, various others.
Rating: R, for Mike's bad mouth.
Disclaimer/Warnings: I own nothing, obviously. The only warning I can think of is that it features Mike and Tom being friendly. So if that's not your thing, uh...Sorry?
Summary: Mike is one of two Northern vampires at his school. Sometimes, he's pretty sure life hates him. And then he meets Kevin and becomes really sure.
Word Count: 2872 (!!!!!)
Prompt:My Dream Fic includes: Space pirates! Angst! Happy endings! Fairy tales... Fairy tales set in space? I'm pretty easy. Let me try to be more specific. I would like an AU or something crossed over with the Vampire Diaries, or set in space, or a Twilight AU, that could be hilarious and fun. Bonus for Frank/Mikey!! And Spencer/Brandon.
Author Note: I tried a few different things before my brain started laughing over Mike being Edward. And this developed? In this AU, basically everyone has something different and that's why they're at this school. It's a hodge-podge Hogwarts, and now I kinda wanna live there. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this,
starflowers!"Staring is way creepy, dude. And I should know," Tom says as Mike stares across the courtyard at the group of sprites that are gathered under a tree. Their laughter rings across the courtyard to where Mike and Tom are sitting under an awning. The sun is brighter than Mike would like, but the warmth is welcome.
Hunger nags at the back of his mind, but he pushes it away as he watches the one wood sprite scale the tree above his friends. He's got curly hair, gorgeous lips, and the prettiest throat that Mike has ever seen. Ever.
Sometimes it's hard being one of two vampires at school.
Tom clears his throat, laughter hovering in his eyes as Mike looks at him. Mike can hear his amusement in the forefront of his mind. Mike doesn't mind reading minds, but it's always interesting to see what he hears from his fellow vampires.
"You're just interested 'cause you have no fucking clue what he's thinking," Tom says as Bill walks up.
Bill, the fucking ice queen (well, okay, dryad), folds himself gracefully to sit beside Mike.
"Are we talking about Mike's crush?"
"If, by 'crush', you mean 'Mike being fucking creepy', then yes," Tom says. Mike scowls. He never liked Tom anyways.
"It's not my fault he smells good and I can't hear what he thinks," Mike says, frustrated. Bill laughs and Mike scowls even more as he gets up, stalking off.
He hears their protests behind him as he strides across the grass. What skin is exposed sparkles (and it's a fucking bitch, seriously. Mike sometimes hates his entire life) as he steps into the shade of the tree. Kevin, the wood sprite with that mouth and the mind that is strangely inaccessible, looks up and practically beams at him.
"Hi!" he says brightly, "I'm Kevin."
"Yeah, I uh. I know," Mike says, clearing his throat and looking up at the leaves. There's a girl sitting on one of the branches, looking as tiny and fragile as the branch she's sitting on. She smiles at him, a deep and secretive smile that inexplicably makes Mike want to fucking blush.
He realizes, abruptly, that they're all waiting for his name. He coughs, once, and shoves his hands into his pockets.
"I'm Mike. Mike Carden," he says, watching Kevin's eyes widen just a little, because of course everyone knows every little fucking thing in this school. It's not enough to be one of the northern vampires - who are rare enough as it is - but to be one of only two at the school?
Yeah.
"Nice to meet you," he says cordially, offering his hand palm-down. It's a concentrated move, one that means he's actually been paying attention in class. It makes Mike desperately want to know what he's thinking.
He smells so fucking good, Mike thinks as he sits in the grass. He knows a few of the other sprites sitting around. Brendon, Ryan, and Jon are in a careful knot of limbs as they talk in quiet tones. The girl above them, Mike doesn't know. And there's Kevin, smiling politely at him, like strange vampires approach him every single day.
There's a part of Mike that growls at that, and it's only when everyone stops talking and stares at him that he realizes that he was actually growling.
Shit.
"Uh, sorry?" he tries, as Kevin's lips twitch with repressed laughter, eyes sparkling with humor. There are subtle patterns of green and brown laid over his pale skin.
"So, um. Are you having trouble with how bright it is?" Kevin asks, awkward, but easy as he holds onto a leaf. The veins on it seem to glow, curling in on itself before Mike watches it slowly change.
"I. Uh, no?" Mike hazards before shaking his head once. "I mean, sometimes, but I'm pretty covered up today. I don't get cold or hot like you, so I don't have to, you know, worry too much now," he says, feeling like his tongue is entirely too huge for his mouth. Or something.
"Cool," Kevin says, smiling. Mike smiles back before he can even think about helping it as they settle into easy conversation.
===
Kevin likes to leave carefully worked pieces of driftwood in Mike's room. Elegent shapes and Mike wonders, idly, if it hurts Kevin to give these up. But when he asks, Kevin merely smiles and says he's only taking them where they want to be.
Mike tries not to read too much into it as he finds a place on his shelves for something new.
===
"So when are you gonna do something about the whole pining-over-Kevin thing?" Chiz asks as Mike splutters in shock. Across from them, Tom snorts, scrawling something on some paper.
"I - what. Pining?" Mike asks incredulously. Chiz shrugs and nods.
"Pining."
"I'm not pining for Kevin," Mike manages finally as Tom looks up, eyeing him carefully. Across the room, Bill (who is practicing his transformation) watches them.
"You barely eat, you're constantly around him, and when you two aren't hanging out, you mope," Chiz says.
"It's not your fault that your mate's a wood sprite," Tom says as Mike goggles at him.
"My what?"
"Mate," Tom says, shrugging. He looks out the window and Mike knows he's watching Sean and his friends run across the grounds, "I mean, mine's a werewolf. At least vampires and wood sprites don't have a centuries long feud or whatever."
"I hate you," Mike says, gathering his things and walking out of the room. He can hear them protesting, but he ignores them. He walks through the halls until he comes to where Kevin and his friends normally relax. He can hear Kevin laughing and even though he says he hates his friends, he knows they're right.
It's the only reason why his stomach rolls and why he wants to claim Kevin all the time.
It's not exactly a comfort, but he ignores it in favor of meeting Kevin's bright smile with one of his own.
===
Mike resolutely does not act on his feelings. From what he can tell, Kevin's not into him, but it's hard to think about.
He goes days without eating; would go longer if it weren't for Tom.
Mike lets his guard down with Kevin. He curls up with him while they watch movies; he lets Kevin see his teeth. He thinks about making something up to mark Kevin so that everyone knows Kevin is his.
Instead, he combs through Kevin's hair and bites his own lip in an effort to not mark Kevin.
===
"You need to do something about this," Bill says softly. They're in the hospital wing, which shouldn't make sense, except that Mike had actually collapsed and Bill's hand is still partly a branch.
"I'm fine."
"Not eating is not fine. I don't know if you noticed, but you look like shit."
"Aw, thanks, honey," Mike says, rolling his eyes. He doesn't tell Bill about the slow curling want that's been growing. He also doesn't mention the fear that one day he's simply going to snap and take Kevin down with him.
He doesn't mention the lines of green that have begun to appear across his chest.
"Just admit you love him," Bill says plainly.
"Shut up, Bill," Mike says softly, closing his eyes and trying not to think about the inexorable pull to Kevin.
===
After that, it's as if Mike can't stop running into Kevin. Suddenly, he's everywhere. They walk to class together, Kevin knows the password to get into his rooms (and vice versa), and he finds himself sitting in the library at least once a week.
Kevin doesn't realize just how hard Mike tries to not be creepy or weird. It's just that he's got the most gorgeous throat and the soft patterns of green that spread across his skin only make Mike want to taste him.
Kevin doesn't seem to realize, Mike thinks.
He's leaning over Mike's shoulder, pointing out some error in Mike's essay and Mike absolutely cannot fucking help it. He presses his nose against the line of Kevin's neck. He keeps his lips closed, teeth aching even as he takes a few long slow breaths of Kevin's scent. He can hear his heart-beat fluttering away and it's only then that he thinks that maybe he shouldn't actually be sniffing his friend like this.
"Mike?" he says in this tiny, quiet voice that makes Mike feel like shit.
"Fuck," he swears, pushing away from the table and Kevin, "I am so fucking sorry, Kevin. I didn't - I really didn't mean to," he forces out, horrified.
Kevin's staring at him as he shoves all of his things into his bag, darting out of the library. If his heart could beat, he knows that it would be hammering against his ribcage.
He goes to his room, changes the password to everything, and decides that he can definitely just surface long enough to get his assignments. It's a completely valid decision, he thinks.
At least, until Sisky and the Butcher hear about it. Sisky's a gangly nymph that seems to have totally attached himself to some shape-shifter who spends half of his time mostly naked. They work, though, Mike thinks.
They barge into his room, not caring that he's spending a long while wallowing, thank-you-very-much.
"Dude, what happened with you and your sprite?" Sisky asks, flopping down onto Mike's bed with unparalleled gusto. It bounces Mike, making him frown.
"Nothing," he says, grumpy.
"Liar," Butcher says, grinning toothily. Mike's not entirely sure what he shifts into, but he's always put his money on something with way too many teeth.
"Seriously."
"He's been moping around for two weeks," Sisky says, and Mike boggles for a moment, stunned at the passage of time. He grimaces as Sisky continues, "I asked Bill where you were and he didn't know. And it took Chiz two hours to figure out your password. So, you should probably tell us."
"I sniffed him."
"You...sniffed him," Sisky repeats, staring at Mike.
"Yes," Mike says through clenched teeth. Butcher and Sisky share a look, loaded and heavy with everything unsaid as Mike sighs harshly. He grabs his bag, unwilling to listen to either of them say anything more.
"Mike -" Butcher starts.
"Fuck off, both of you," he says, annoyed and moody as anything as he walks out of the room. His bag bumps against his back with every step and not even the rain stops him from walking across the grounds.
The rain soaks him through, but he manages to get to the other side of the courtyard. His wet clothes stick to him as he sits down in the darkest corner of the library.
Tendrils of hair sticks to his face and he shoves it away, listening idly to the thoughts of the girl at the circulation desk. She's humming something and the way she thinks (all colors and sounds, nothing harsh) is soothing in a way.
"What happened to you?" he hears. His stomach drops at the strange blank spot that he can feel, but can't feel at the same time. It's like trying to guess what something is through a layer of cotton.
He looks up and sees Kevin, eyes wide and concerned. He looks like shit, Mike thinks.
He doesn't realize he's said it out loud until Kevin's face changes into a wry smile.
"You look like a drowned rat," he says, and Mike can see that the soft tendrils of green that line his skin have grown darker.
"Yeah, well. Raining," he says, trying to hunch in on himself casually. Kevin sighs, annoyed.
"Don't be an idiot," Kevin says, reaching down to gather Mike's wet bag to him. It makes a wet mark on his clothes, and Mike goes to protest. Hunger rumbles vaguely through his stomach as they pass the kitchens, but he pushes it away. He follows Kevin, wondering how long it's going to take Kevin to push him away or something.
"Where are we going?"
"My rooms," Kevin responds, walking through the kitchen and swiping his student pass and grabbing a bag of blood, passing it off to Mike.
"What-"
"Just come on," Kevin says, sighing as they walk up the stairs and into his room.
"You're hungry. You should eat," he says, motioning to the bag. Mike grimaces, shaking his head as Kevin reaches over, tearing the corner and handing it back. He knows exactly how Mike eats and it should be stranger than strange.
But it feels normal.
"I'm fine."
"Mike. You're hungry. And you're not listening," Kevin says, frustrated. He sits down and there are whorls of wood on the table, a project that Mike remembers Kevin struggling with. It's shaped into gentle waves, each one cradling a plate or cup.
"What am I not listening to?" he asks, finally starting in on the bag of blood. He takes long pulls of it, aware of the shine on his skin, indicating he's freshly fed. It's calming, in a way that makes him uncomfortable.
"I know when you're hungry. I know when you're upset," Kevin pauses, puts a hand onto Mike's, "I know when you're lying," he finishes gently.
"What?" Mike asks, freezing. There's a single current of fear running through him; it lines his spine and every nerve ending in his body as Kevin clears his throat.
"I dunno why. I just...I do. And I miss being around you. I miss feeling when you were happy," he says quietly.
"What the fuck," Mike says flatly, staring. His mind is whirling with everything that he shouldn't think. That maybe this is a sign. That this could work. That whatever it is that he wants could happen.
And then Kevin kisses him.
He kisses him with a smear of blood still on Mike's lips and Mike is dimly aware of dropping the bag. Kevin kisses him like he's never dared think about. He always imagined that he would need to coax Kevin into it.
Instead, Kevin's practically climbing into his lap, like he wants to crawl inside Mike. He kisses intently and Mike can't smell anything but clean air, wet soil, and fall leaves, the scent that is distinctly Kevin.
His tongue curls around Kevin's, hands slipping under his shirt to rest against bare skin. His skin is soft, softer than Mike thought about.
He pulls back, staring into Kevin's eyes. They've shaded to a deep brown, the color of old forests and soil and it reminds him of his first home, strangely. It reminds him of feeling alone and realizing that other clans wouldn't accept him.
It's bittersweet, in a way, when Kevin slides a hand across Mike's cheekbone.
"You're sad," he states.
"You smell like home," Mike responds, feeling his heart seize for a moment as Kevin's eyes light up.
Kevin kisses him harder, pushing against him and when Mike pushes back, holding them steady, he feels Kevin shiver. He feels it in the muscles of his back, in every single way he holds himself.
"Can..Can we go to the bed?" Mike asks, bringing his mouth away from Kevin's. His lips are swollen and Mike can't take his eyes away. Kevin nods, easing off of Mike's lap and Mike is abruptly grateful that the school never once tried to turn him away.
They make quick work of each others shirts and Mike finds himself pinning Kevin down, taking in every facet of this moment. He kisses along Kevin's neck, never once allowing his teeth to graze any of that pale skin. The green lines have darkened, Mike notices.
There are gentle shifts in the color, some fading into the brown and vice versa. He looks ethereal, Mike thinks, sitting up as Kevin swallows hard.
"You okay?" Mike asks, spreading a hand across Kevin's chest, touching the sparse hair as Kevin nods slowly. The blank spot that means Kevin is less blank and more shielded, which comforts his brain. He can smell the scent of the spilled blood in the other room and that shouldn't be so great, but it is.
"Yes?" Kevin says, voice lilting in a question. Mike laughs softly, settling down on the bed and pulling Kevin close. He presses his lips to Kevin's shoulder, chasing the line of freckles and some of the lines. He traces one spiral of green with his tongue, just to feel Kevin shudder.
"Need a break?"
"Yeah."
Mike watches Kevin and feels everything in his body relax as Kevin carefully drapes across him. Kevin's cooler than the average human; something to do with wood sprite physiology, Mike thinks.
"I've missed you," Kevin says, swatting Mike's arm. Mike huffs out a laugh.
"I was scared," he admits, ignoring Kevin's snort and eyeroll, "I thought that I'd hurt you. That I'd lose control or something," Mike says. His voice is softer than he'd like, but Kevin simply rolls them.
Mike is pressed along Kevin's side now, face buried into Kevin's neck and it is so fucking intoxicating. It is like being surrounded by everything great in the world and Mike is dimly aware that he's breathing like a fucking warhorse into Kevin's neck.
Kevin makes a soft, sleepy sound, laughing.
"Stay?" he asks, voice sounding impossibly young (even though Mike knows wood sprites reach maturity long into their life-span). Mike thinks about leaving Kevin. About walking out of the room and not looking back.
Instead, he sighs to himself, leaning up to press his lips against Kevin's brow.
"Of course," he responds, settling down with Kevin, feeling contentment spread through his limbs. He doesn't think about the complications, he just thinks about how everything feels right for once.
