xistentia | o1 ⚔ i got no secrets i got no friends

Entry tags:

o1 ⚔ i got no secrets i got no friends

Characters: Janus Lefevre & you
Summary: Closed and open threads for Janus, which I'm starting now ALTHOUGH I PRObably can't tag back til next week. An erstwhile murderer goes about their business in a post-apocalyptic world, such as picking people up at the bar and eating cookies. It's fine.
Date(s): August & September 2017
Warnings/Notes: Possibly some sexual stuff, non-graphic references to violence

open { bar;

[in the past few years, janus has learned a thing or two about being a person, doing regular person things, like for example the time-honored tradition of kind of sort of maybe picking someone up at a bar. making friends. contributing through some mystical means to the defense of a refugee city outflung in the reaches beyond the multiversal apocalypse. you know, the usual.

janus is at the citadel tonight. though defense systems and mysterious laboratories may take up much of the building, the lounge still has its cheesy music and dance floor and opulent indoor forest. it's a little weird, but then again, so is janus— a shadw under 6', muscular, dressed all in black, without enough facial expressions, quiet as a shadow until they abruptly appear at one's elbow.]

Allow me to buy you a drink. [a beat. they remember that things in xistentia are in general free-- the booze at this bar, especially.] Or make you one. I'm very exact with measurements. Goldilocks' ideal partner, once she's legal.

[look. a few years ago, they were a lot less smooth than this.]

open { misc! weird stalking;

[it's not that janus is following anyone specifically, they just have a habit of watching people wherever they're at. it's surveillance. it's tactical.

so maybe that ends up being you, going for a cup of coffee in the morning or helping to move produce to a grocery store one afternoon, building a shed for the new crop or teaching or preparing defenses. whatever you're doing, it's the weight of an indiscreet stare that pulls your attention. the young man looks both a million miles away and weirdly intense, like a hawk focusing a teeny tiny field mouse from a mile away.

but if you but look at them, janus stiffens and then looks apologetic, looking away and then back again, unsure if the formality of an apology would make the offense worse or better. murder is a lot easier than this, u no u no]

closed to team oreo (rafa, arthur, era) { teeeeam oreoooo;

Hello, this is Janus

[you remember. the stilted young man from the internet, who boasted a truly incredible ability.]

I have come into possession of Oreo cookies or a reasonable facsimile thereof
Please let me know when you are available and where to meet you, as I would like to share this bounty
:D

[:D]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Oh, this is interesting. He definitely hadn't expected it to come up so soon. ]

so then my friend
you mean to settle our bet???

very well. i can come to you after dark
tonight, if that suits. or if you would like, you can come to my farm?

I'm prepared for my victory
And the weather has turned, so I believe odds are in my favor.

[melty frosting helps no one.]

I would be delighted to come to your farm
I did not know you had one.
You will tell me what you grow there?

if i am to be quite fair, i must admit it is more my husband's farm than mine
he grows vegetables, fruit
things for humans to eat. i am not good at it, but i am learning

come and see us :) kyd will send directions to you

[ Kyd sends that message, then blinks as it realises that's a command. A map point is sent to Janus quickly afterwards. ]

we have a fire i can light
after the experiment. to keep us warm.

[janus loves growing things. more than they love killing things, to be honest. and they don't really love killing things, it's just-- necessary. and require skill, which they rather enjoy having, admittedly. they send rafa a confirmation, and it's not too much time at all before they're at the farm on a lovely evening. looking at the tidy rows of produce as they pass them by, pausing to reach out and touch the low-hanging frond of a tree. it doesn't bear any fruit, and it takes janus just a moment, sniffing, running their fingers over the bark, to determine that it's for the insect-repellant properties.

a few more long steps, and they blend out of the dark. black clothes and a sword strapped over their back, which will probably seem a little unnecessarily aggressive for an oreo date until they explain the nature of said weapon. it's fine.

knock knock. (a little self-consciously, in the interim, they move their head to the left of the door's peephole and ruffle their fingers through their hair. they've had eight years of practicing looking kissable, but it still doesn't feel like the work is done.)]

[ Rafa opens the door to find Janus standing there, all pristine and delicately ruffled. With a sword, which Rafa notes with some interest. Swords are quite uncommon weapons, at least these days. Stepping back, he gestures for Janus to come in. ]

Please. Welcome to our cottage.

[ It's homely inside; rustic and quite natural, filled with neutral colours and soft furnishings and warm fires. There are the scents of the things Shane grows; smells that remind Rafa of vegetables from Earth, but they're not quite the same. He is used to this smell by now. It warms him.

It is also very much reflective of Shane's style, and not Rafa's. Rafa isn't sure how he would decorate a place if he were only pleasing himself. His apartment in Eudio had been fit for himself and Hunter. This is made for Shane. Rafa does his best to fit into both worlds.

He leads Janus into their living room, where indeed a country fire has been lit. There are large, comfortable sofas to sit on. ]

Please, make yourself at home. Shall I find an umbrella stand to hide that sword in, or would you like to keep it? I do promise not to bite. Some things must be saved for the second date, you know.

[when janus enters the place, it's with a smile and a glance around. they don't think it seems quite rafaello either, and it's hard to say why. maybe the vegetation, which is plentiful, and obviously edible; the adjunct knowledge that this whole place operates as a farm. what need have vampires for such things? companionship though&mdahs; of course, few people are immune to the need for that.]

Of course. [their attention switches back to the vampire promptly. ] It's-- my daemon, that's the reason I brought it.

[not paranoia, they mean. but it's not worth mentioning they can manifest a different sword any time they need. they hand the weapon over, and slip the bag off their other shoulder. remove their shoes rather automatically, before navigating over to the couch to seat themself. take the bag down, open it, grinding zip through teeth.] If I'm supposed to ask for the tour, I can switch. You'll learn this about me though; I'm often very eager to show off.

Your daemon is a sword?

[ Rafa says, while handling it with more care. Curious. He's so used to these things seeming so alive that its appearance as an object is disjointing. He sets it against the wall, out of their way, but certainly not trapped in an umbrella stand. There's every chance Kyd will want to nose around it. Speaking of which: ]

Mine is a small foal of a unicorn. It lacks these sharp edges. This is a more useful thing.

[ Still, he wouldn't exchange them. He has enough self-knowledge to be aware of that, and smiles at his own sentiment. While he moves around to follow Janus, a completely different creature scoots in; a black, foxlike shape with red eyes and faintly glowing circles which decorate her fur. She runs up to sniff around Janus' feet, and then sets back to look expectant. Rafa rolls his eyes, and goes to sit cross-legged on the floor in front of his guest. ]

Do not mind Jessie. She smells treats and assumes they are hers. Do not feel obliged.

[ Jessie flashes a most displeased little growl at Rafa, and nudges closer. Of course the treats are for her. She is the only reason anyone ought to be coming to this house. If the unicorn gets them instead of her, there'll be hell to pay.

Meanwhile, Rafa taps Janus' knee. ]

Shall we begin? The tour can come after. You will be staying for food, I hope.

[janus moves a little less when the sable-furred animal suddenly runs at them. they expected the creature is too agile and clever to truly court getting stepped on, but they wanted to be careful anyway, following the little creature with their eyes, fleetingly curious. despite admonishments, they tuck their toe against the creature's belly, briefly. keeping their hands clean, you see.

even if rafaello is quite immune, what with being a— vampire, probably.]

Oreos are food. [and oreos!!!!!! are what janus is extricating now, from their bag, their long hands moving deftly to separate out snacks.] But I'll stay for proper sustenance, if you'll have me. [they give rafaello a crooked smile, and then have the three-part cookie out for the diminutive predatorrrr of the night to see. there's no drumroll, no fanfare. really, the end result is quite anticlimactic.

one cookie half, other cookie half. held up in front of rafaello. and then, with delicate, almost surgical precision, a slight twist, and admittedly some cheating what with the cookies having been refrigerated— janus separates them. immaculately.

...

......]

I should have poured the milk first, [they observe, in retrospect.]

I will have you.

[ Rafa says at once, with a sweet little smile. Yes, he will have you, Janus. What a question to ask!

Jessie, meanwhile, ignores any unintended double entendres in favour of winding her way around Janus' leg and ankle, rubbing against them. She nudges her head against their knee, leading Rafa to roll his eyes. He can never decide if she's more like a dog or a cat, given her tendency to act like both. She dares to put her paws up on the edge of Janus' chair, and Rafa scoots closer. ]

Stop that. [ He says, and then settles to pay attention to the cookie.

Which separates.

Immediately.

And Rafa frowns at a phenomenon that should have been impossible. He reaches up to snatch one of the biscuit layers, and peers closely, searching for fondant that isn't there. ]

How? The cream is not so solid as this. [ He narrows his eyes. ] How did you do it?

Oreos are like other small, sweet things that look like they might be complected a bit with chocolate, [janus says, feeling a bit absurd !! but it's not too difficult. rafa makes it seem easy, amiable and warm, like. he'll play along, even if janus falls short of perfect on things other than parting oreos.] What makes them cooler to touch makes them--

[oh god what are they even saying.]

More intriguing-- to get into.

[what. look, the whole oreo thing was new, janus hadn't really expected for it to take off on the network as such and thus had not practiced any sort of script. they pull a little face that's half-smile, half-grimace, and then tilts the one half of the cookie that has the icing attached toward rafaello.] I mean-- it's not difficult, you could peel that discus off with your nails.

[ Rafa listens to all of that with a growing smile. Leaning forward, he plucks the half-cookie with the icing out of Janus' fingers. ]

Well then, I shall have to try.

[ Try he does, and it turns out that Janus is right. The cookie doesn't particularly feel cold to him, but there's an easy enough reason for that. He peels it neatly away, and then finally lets Jessie eat the remains. She dives on the icing first, and stops bothering Janus.

Just in time for Rafa to start bothering them. He leans forward, elbows against the arm of Janus' chair. ]

Very well, I concede. I think you are tricky, to make them cool, but I have a fondness for trickiness.

I believe I made you a promise in return, did I not?

[rafaello had. janus remembers. they look at him for a half-beat, a half-a-heartbeat, their eyes clear and unblinking. you have to see better than an ordinary man or woman in order to land hits, and janus has been hurting people since their hand was large enough to hold a weapon. it wasn't until later in their life that they learned to channel something of this accuracy, this intuition, into the pleasures of flesh, but they took to it easier than they'd ever thought they would.

it's like learning a second language that's like enough to your first.] Buonasera bellissimo, [they say.] Our prizes were a little similar, I think.

[and then they kiss him. a hand around his little waist, like gentleman holding his date at cotillion around her fine white dress, respectful of the elegant shape of the cascade of her skirts— even while there's nothing particularly reserved about his mouth on her mouth, the initial surge as fierce as a bite, then the hungry brush of their lips after, testing the feel of a body absent breath.]

[ Rafa has just about the time to smile before their lips land together. His head has tilted, and with a sound somewhere between surprise and laughter, he leans into it. His lips are soft and eager, moving against Janus' until they find a steady rhythm together. His hand lifts up to stroke through Janus' hair, brushing it back from both of their faces. The other arm slides around them, idly, holding just tightly enough to tell Janus there's no need to pull back just yet.

No need at all. Rafa's tongue flashes over their lips, stealing a taste that makes his own mouth curve beneath Janus'. He's tilted up just now, with very minimal space left between their bodies.

It feels nice. It tastes sweet. At length his eyelashes flutter shut against Janus' cheek, and he loses himself in that kiss. ]

[nice and sweet. both are adjectives that fit the two of them to some extent, and not at all, but it's never been the way of survivors to be only one thing. there is a time to be a monster.

and there are evenings to kiss a diminutive and lovely man, feel his mouth slant over your own and his hips dish a little when you spread your fingers over the smooth glass cut of their bones. janus smiles a little, palpably against rafa's mouth, but they don't take a breath to come up for air, partly because fitness, and partly because they've spent almost a decade practicing this, you know, how to breathe and kiss at the same time.

it's only a matter of moments before there's a hand sneaking under rafa's shirt, cunning as a thief, but not especially subtle. the pads of janus' fingers are callused, snagging slightly on the smooth slope of his spine, even as their mouth moves over to try his ear.]

[ Rafa feels wandering hands, and knows it's more than what they agreed. He allows it anyway, liking Janus' eagerness, and liking the feeling of their hands beyond that. He presses closer, hands stroking their way into their hair, and trailing down over the back of their neck.

His lips stay soft and pliant, happy to taste Janus and enjoy them. Then as they move, his head tilts, and he lets out a little sound at the lips on his ear. His eyes half-lid, and he trails his own fingers down their back. His mouth finds Janus' neck, and without error he finds their pulse point. His lips kiss at it, and his tongue presses lightly against it. He keeps his teeth away, just about. It's tempting. It's always tempting. ]

I am growing tired of the floor.

[ He says, after a moment, and one fluid movement sees him slide up into Janus' lap instead. It seems appropriate. He cups their cheek, and lifts his eyebrows. ]

Does this suit you?

[in general, people don't weigh a lot to janus. when you can hoist nearly half a ton around, because a harpy's stronger than a human and a hunter will be stronger than their harpy, too, any of your standard assortment of bones and muscles and hair and clothing aren't going to be much. rafa's smaller than most, fits tidy on their lap. they wonder at his secrets. how it came to be he can walk in the sun.

but he's still cool to touch, and it's more marked as janus' skin grows warmer. they wonder, but they don't think too hard about it really— distractions at hand, like the way rafa's little palm conforms to their cheek, how soft his eyes look. it'd be a sight that people would joke might make a good death, if the fangs came next in the dark.] I like it more than I like chocolate, [they tell him truthfully, smiling,] which I never got the infamous effects from, anyway.

[ In the past, many had experienced the exact scene Janus is imagining. This moment would have been their last, and Rafa would have considered it a kinder death than most humans ever got. These days, he is trying to be better than that. It has been a very long time since his teeth have been anyone's cause of death. He is trying to be better for Shane's sake, and for Alec's, and for Dick's, maybe, even though there is no Dick to be better for anymore, and even though Shane claims not to require it. He is trying.

He thinks he is more or less successful. But that doesn't remove the temptation, especially when he's this close to warm, flushing skin, and soft lips, and gentle, willing hands, and smiles that seem to trust him. This would be sweeter if he could bite. He could make Janus enjoy it, even, the way he made all of them enjoy it.

But then the warm hands would grow cold and the smile would disappear, and Rafa would care about that in a way he didn't used to. So he doesn't bite; he only nips, and then kisses, and lets his hands trail down over a warm cheek and warming neck, and beneath them there's a firmer chest than he was expecting, sloping to a taught stomach, and hips he can neatly fit his own against.

And then there's the trail of kisses back up to Janus' lips, the soft tug of blunt teeth against their lower lip, and the way Rafa's smile curves onto theirs before he speaks. ]

You taste better than chocolate. I never liked it much, anyway, but I like you.

[ He nudges his nose against theirs while leaning in to kiss them again. ]

[flattery. this kind had never moved janus the way that good grades and hunter accolades had, because they're a brittle and boring little soul inside the freckles and jawline, but there's an artistry to it, to the way that rafa does it, his voice a molasses-smooth purr housed in the slender barrel of his chest, his hair in his eyes. and it seems sincere, besides. precautions sit in the back of janus' mind like a sword waiting in its sheathe.

they're enjoying themself. running their fingers down the nape of rafa's back, then onto the fabric of his shirt. feeling the subtle hills of vertebrates through the material, how fine his muscles, nearly as smooth as the razortoothed kisses going up janus' neck. when rafa comes up for their mouth again, they kiss him back.] I always liked salty things, [they admit.] With a little bite to them. You're both to me. [another kiss lapped off his mouth, and then they nose his cheek, placing another on the crook of his jaw.] Salted caramel, that kind of thing.

I suppose-- [and then their nose is poking up companionably alongside his. eyelashes lifting so they can look at rafa half-mast, a warm smile to go with the nuzzle.] None of it sounds good to you now. I should compare you to silk and finer things. Do you like silk?

[ Janus is right. Food doesn't really appeal. He knows humans like those things, though. Salted caramel. They tend to pair that with chocolate. It tastes all right in ice cream, even if it lacks a certain kind of tang. And lacks bite, of course.

Amused, Rafa lets his hand spread over the planes of Janus' chest. This one is well put together; flat and lean, but enough definition to tell Rafa they're fit and able. ]

Only in my bedsheets. [ He admits, with a sweet little smile. His hand slides lower, over Janus' stomach. ] Sometimes on my men. But I like the sound of it, anyway. Soft like silk, but salty. With a little bite.

[ He shifts a little, rolling his hips gently against Janus'. and then moving his kisses onto their neck. Those kisses are sharper now, light dustings of Rafa's lips interspersed with occasional nipping teeth. Never enough to break the skin, but certainly enough to tease at it.

He's aware of blood pumping below the skin. His lips gravitate towards blood vessels, an act of instinct and not design. Those are the parts where the skin is warmest, and his cool lips press eager kisses to them. ]

[it's a little strange to know that rafa does not own this home all alone, that there is-- some boyfriend, husband, partner who planted the farm outside and helped to choose the pillows that decorate the couch, who might pop in and call rafa by some fondism and blink gently at the sight of the hunter underneath him.

but also

also that's terribly hard to think of right now. no mission to fear, nothing to press them except for the vampire's brown little hands. maybe it's the absence that janus feels, of your usual social niceties, death waiting a few doors away, and if not the mission today then the mission tomorrow. even if that's true, the edges of the hole seem softer, less stark as rafa's mouth moves down their neck. they hear their own breathing quicken. he's a good kisser, you know, our fine rafaello d'este, and it's not long before they're moving toward him with their hips, a funny climbing of their toes inside their shoes, their fingers drawing hungry lines along his narrow back. breathe in, breathe out.]

[ Somewhere along the road, quick hands have slid beneath folds of material and untwisted buttons. Clothes are being pushed away, leaving hot skin to press against cool, and laying bare Janus' chest for Rafa's lips to play over it. His hands graze over their nipples, and then skirt lower, playing over their stomach, tugging at their belt and opening it.

He knows what he's doing. His hips rock forward against Janus', creating a smooth friction that makes Rafa gasp, and then let out the soft beginnings of a moan.

His hand slides down. A zipper is tugged down, and then his hand moves inside, cupping Janus and stroking along the length of them. His lips move back up, kissing along their jaw and then back to their lips, which he kisses with more urgency this time. His hand does good work, fingers picking out the shape of Janus and gently squeezing around their tip. He wants them harder before he works his way down. ]

[vampire handjobs. they had had an inkling of course, that oreos would lead to this, but it would have been improper to assume. so it's

gratifying, the hand on their trousers, the press of rafa's mouth, the warm heat of the moment, catching, sliding, rhythmic. they find their feet pressing the floor, trying to gain enough traction to arch up against the vampire. not difficult, considering they're strong enough to flip a car. their dick surges to answer rafa's grip. they stop thinking about rafaello's husband. they stop thinking much at all.]

You're a beautiful little miracle of flesh, aren't you?

[it's a mumble, nearly disoriented from lust. janus' pants are out of the way in a moment, shucked down the freckled slope of their hips. they released rafa's mouth only reluctantly, the compliment trapped in a wet whisper between them. their cock aches, red and hard with want already. they slip their fingers down his spine, running them lightly down the fabric of rafa's shirt before they hook and tug.

even if rafa's going to be shifting down to his knees, it'd be a sight to see, the warm color of his shoulders framing his face.]

Am I?

[ Rafa's lips curve into a smile, which disappears when he goes to work on Janus' neck. He sucks one part up into a bruise, which his teeth can graze and tease at. They don't break the surface, but the hint is there that they might, and that it might feel as good as the rest of this.

At the same time, he moves his shoulders to shrug out of his shirt, allowing Janus to get rid of it. Rafa's skin, despite holding a vampire's pallor, still holds the olive hint of his youth. It makes him darker than most other vampires, and perhaps better hides the truth of what he is.

If that's the case, then it's a trick. With his body free of he shirt, he's able to slide gently out of Janus' lap and settle on his knees, between their legs. They're more than hard enough now. Rafa lifts his eyes to theirs and leans forward, eager to taste. ]

You do not mind?

[ He asks, and then presumes, leaning forward to flick his tongue against Janus' slit. Then he moves down, his tongue teasing at their glans, before he runs a trail of light kisses along their shaft. He'll stop if they want him to, of course, and he's going slow with this at any rate. Janus had hardened quickly. Rafa can't help wondering how easy it will be to take them to their edge. ]

[bred in sunny lands. ancestry built for unrelenting summers by the sea. janus knows skin like this, the small frames, the dark eyes and hair. it's nothing like phrenology and phenotyping has painfully little relevance, especially in worlds like theirs, where reincarnation happens often enough and a reasonable facsimile of a soul might be birthed out of a river or a tree or a stone.

but still, it feels like a story. something of heritage, of the raw materials that predated vampirism, of the culture of rafa's home and the privileges of his beauty, wrapped up in the tawny parchment of his skin. scars? they wonder, the instant before their mind takes to stuttering at the slick flicker of rafa's tongue. ever since that disastrous!! encounter with rosie in the citadel, janus has been rather wary of accidentally-- failing to come through for a lover, so if they knew what rafa was thinking, they would have opinions.

instead, they trace their thumb along rafa's jaw. their chest sucks deep.] I don't think my mind could take over even if I wanted, [they say, their voice half a pitch lower than ordinary, rusted over with want. he is so beautiful, rafaello is.]

[ Rafa pauses, looks up and smiles. His fingers spread along Janus' thighs, easing them apart but putting gentle pressure on them too, squeezing a little. ]

That is the best part. No thinking, just feeling. My favourite part.

[ And easy enough to achieve with practice. Rafa dips his head down, wrapping his lips around Janus and taking them into his mouth. His tongue slides along their shaft, tasting and teasing. He doesn't take them deep, not yet; Instead he works his way slowly along, dipping his head low and then coming up again to suck on the tip and let his tongue drag over their glans.

After a few moments of this, he slides his hand up to sneak underneath his chin, and cup Janus' sack. Aware that his hands will be cooling, he moves them gently, stroking and squeezing just a little. ]

o1 ⚔ i got no secrets i got no friends

team oreo-o-o

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nsfwish if it ain't been said already

definitely nsfw

sglhfs that icon

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