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Planacardia, the planet of sweet lies painted over festering wounds. Each coat of paint layered to hide the truth deeper and deeper down.
The streets of the Dovegrove district was a place where some of the edges remained sharp.
The detective walked in hushed steps down the alleyway, as he patrolled as he does every night. A lone wolf.
The cool air rushed in from the river, but yet the scent of danger still struck through the fading rays of the sun.
Two figures creeped in the shadows, one tall with long black hair and Xianzhou clothing, one short with silver hair and a punk rock aesthetic.
“Who’re you calling short?!”
“The girl yelled with a perturbed expression. Now, a lasergun pointed directly at his companion, the shocked look bloomed in the detective’s eyes, it was clear that the duo was part of the intergalactic wanted, dangerous, and deadly crew known as the Stellaron Hunters!”
“Mister N…” The detective tapped his cane on the ground, “Can you lay off the narration for a little bit?”
The four of them stood in silence. Two hunters, a detective, and a person stuck as a monkey.
“Ah,” his afflicted comrade blinked. “Whatever you wish, Detective Ashveil.”
The detective stood at his full height, his coattails caught in the wind. He hadn’t expected to come across more trouble tonight, but his nose told him something was happening; and it had never led him astray. He knew down to his bones that he'd be sore tomorrow pulling double time, but such was the life of a detective.
Silver Wolf kept her guard up. “You again? What do you want now?”
What did he want? He wanted a lot of things. But right now he had heard the rumours about one of their identities, done some digging, and had to confirm with his own eyes. His right arm was twitching, and he made a fist with his hand.
The long haired man who had remained silent, and leaning against the wall met his stare, eyes ruby red, and not the soft colour he remembered.
Ashveil tipped his hat, and called out to him. “Yingxing.”
To his surprise he got a response, in that long faintly familiar gravelly voice. “Mr. La Mancha.”
Only a few people could recognize him by his old name.
With a grin starting to dawn on his face he said “I haven’t heard that name in a while.” He was one of the few who knew his identity and didn't immediately try to kill him. He paused before continuing. “I go by Ashveil, at the moment, a simple detective.”
Blade scoffed. “Tch. A wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
A broken legged wolf now. With the pain he dealt with everyday.
He supposed that was true, he did feel like it was trying to deceive people. Even though his appearance was slightly different, Yingxing still had that cute grumpy look of a cat.
“Uh, Hello?” She lazily waved her hand.
Realizing he had ignored the girl he was apologetic.
“Oh sorry young lady. I was wondering if I might borrow your guardian.” Looking him up and down. He hadn’t seen the man in hundreds of years, and he had regained his black locks. “We have quite a bit to catch up on.”
“Guardian?” She puffed her cheeks. “I can look after myself, thank you.”
Blade interjected. “I don’t know why you’d wish to talk to a corpse like me.”
Silver Wolf crossed her arms and said dryly. “Are you really going to trust this guy after he tried to sell us out?”
“Well that reward is still quite tempting,” Ashveil coughed. “but now circumstances have changed. And now that I know who you are I won’t pull that stunt again.”
Blade didn’t respond this time, but he didn’t say no either.
Silver Wolf must have reached the same conclusion.
“Hmph. I’m not hanging out with two old fogeys and their monkey, you’ll be talking about the ‘good ol days’ all night. I’m going to find something fun to do.”
She put both hands behind her head and walked around the corner.
“Stay safe.”
“Yeah yeah,” was the trailing response heard.
Left in the awkward silence Ashveil suggested. “Let’s go get some drinks.”
He didn’t have much credits on hand, but that one bar kept a tab open for him. And he recalled how Yingxing loved his alcohol.
A grumbled noise of what he assumed was approval was his only response.
“Ah and Mister N,” he looked down at his friend, “ I trust you can make it back to the office okay?”
Mr. Narrator took a moment to say, “Don’t drink yourself into debt again.”
“I won’t! That was one time.”
As the monkey watched the two left he narrated. “Detective Ashveil, and the Stellaron Hunter Blade headed out from the lightened alley into the shadows.” before slowly making his way back to the office.
The bar they went to was a hole-in-the-wall, unlike the fool’s tavern or a chic spot with a dance floor. Wisps of smoke went by as other patrons smoked inside the building, voices keeping low and to themselves, sharing secrets.
They had settled into a tucked in corner in a booth. Ashveil tipped back his drink, under his hat brim he could see Yingxing playing with his cup.
Since he didn't respond to Yingxing.
Ashveil had read the file the IPC had on him, and half the reason he had not recognized him before meeting him again was he had a different title.
But he did want to hear it from the horse's mouth.
He casually asked, “What is your name nowadays?”
“I don't have a name.”
“Well that's mighty inconvenient.”
Ashveil waited for him to say anything, but it became quite clear he wasn’t going to.
“Would you prefer kitty then?”
The glare he got could have killed a weaker man.
“You can call me whatever you wish.”
“Hmm,” he took a sip, “what do your companions call you then?”
“Blade.”
Blade. The edge of a weapon.
That’s troubling…
The words flowed a bit more freely with the alcohol. Even with the acrid smell of smoke permeating the air, he was able to slowly discern the scent from Blade. When he had met him again after starting his forging, the smell of ash and metal eclipsed his natural scent. Not to mention the way that the dragon's scent clung to him then as well.
He brushed away the jealous thought.
The shadow in his arm stirred.
“If I had known what a troublemaker you'd have become I would have scooped you up when I first saw you begging for a sword on the Zhuming.”
If he had known what a cute omega Yingxing would have grown up to be… he would have taken him under his wing then and there. Maybe saved him from his current fate, although he may have ended up worse with the rangers. He couldn’t deny that possibility either.
Yingxing rolled his shoulders. “You just saw me as a brat then.”
“True, but a young man who had just lost everything.” Ashveil closed his eyes. “I've met countless people like that, good people who used revenge before reason. If I had met you before them, I would have been the one to put a sword in your hand just like how I put a gun in theirs.” He opened his eyes to stare back at Yingxing. “And look where they ended up, dead before their time.”
The loss of each one of his stars was like a dagger in his heart. They haunted his dreams when he slept, but he deserved all of their hatred. One day he would be dragged to hell by his shadow to account for all his mistakes. But not while he still had things to do.
“When I saw you again, laughing and happy with your companions I knew I made the right choice.”
He had seen him a few times throughout the years, giving everything to forge up a storm with his master. The swords he produced were sublime. The last time they had met though…
Yingxing’s hair had started going white by then, the foxian bade him to dance with them in their drunken revelry with the sword maiden. How he'd regale more tales of the rangers with the now Luofu general. The high elder had cooly looked at him from his seat.
An indeterminate look crawled upon Blade’s visage.
Ashveil started to ask, “And how’re they-”
Yingxing crossly stated. “Let’s not talk about the past.”
“Okay, okay,” he held up his hands, “no need to bite.”
They talked about more mundane things as Ashveil studied him more. Yingxing was tightlipped about the specifics of being in the Stellaron hunters, but his face softened when he spoke of his current companions. Finding out what exactly happened to him besides what the notes said, using Shuhu’s flesh on himself, would not easily be pried from his lips.
His very luscious lips…
Ashveil chided himself. It had been so long since he had seen the man, yet his mind kept wandering. He couldn’t even remember the last time he felt his alpha urges. Even Blade’s neck was covered, unclear if he was claimed or not. He decided it best not to ask that question since he didn’t want to lose any more body parts.
Ashveil didn’t hesitate to answer any inquiry he had about his current lifestyle, but he didn’t ask many.
Yingxing finished his drink and looked at him.
“Is that all?”
“Huh?” The mood noticeably shifted.
“You didn’t just invite me here for a drink did you?”
“Can’t a man catch up with an old friend?”
“I’m not your friend. I am just a weapon.”
“Mmm, you seem like a breathing person to me, Yingxing.”
The red eyed glare met him.
“I’m looking for death, even though it refuses me.”
Ashveil somberly stated. “Those who seek death rarely find a peaceful end.”
“Someone like me doesn’t deserve to die peacefully in bed, as long as I am finally allowed to die.”
Ashveil could only laugh. The two of them made quite a pair.
“I would say I could grant your request, except,” he touched his prosthetic arm, “you’d probably still be alive, being tortured for eternity. Devoured endlessly.”
“That thing in your arm wants that, doesn’t it?”
The nails rattled in his wrist.
“Yes, my shadows hungers. It rarely forgets a scent, and the unmistakable stench of Shuhu’s flesh is entwined with your own.”
The smell was pleasant enough, flowers blossoming in spring, the scent of new life tainted by the emanator of abundance.
“But a gentleman such as myself would never allow a friend to be taken by it.”
“You’re a hypocrite.” Blade’s cup rang against the surface of the table with a harsh clack. “You spout of justice, then do nothing about it. You could easily remove the last remnants of them from this world, but you refuse to do so. If I was anyone else you would have already done it.”
Oh Skybow.
Ashveil sighed. “You’re quite right. I am a hypocrite.” He took a swig of his drink, the burn felt like a proper punishment for his throat. “And I promised my employer to deliver the Stellaron hunters to them and that’s not happening either...” The Rangers were followers of Lan, and he had once again compromised that promise.
“Hmph.”
“What, were you still expecting that?”
“I determined there was a fifty fifty chance of either being dragged before the Xianzhou general or getting a damn drink.”
Ashveil unabashedly faked a gasp. “You wound me dear friend, but was it not foretold as a part of the script you’ve been given?”
“Not this time, it’s blank.”
A bit troubling if even their mysterious prophet couldn’t discern the future.
“So you’ve been set upon this planet without a purpose.”
“One could say that.”
A purposeless weapon is what he thought of himself. That made him more dangerous than usual. No wonder the IPC wanted them swept under the rug for the games.
“Talking with you was a mistake, the past needs to stay in the past.” Blade winced as he held his head. “You don't want to be around me when I become a demon.”
“Ying-,” he stopped himself. He was still treating him like they were sharing a drink from hundreds of years ago, “Blade. I haven’t given you the respect you deserve. I'm well aware how events change a person.” Just like how Mister Narrator didn’t wish to be called by his old name after being shaped by trauma, and now he had just thrown his old name around casually. He was not seeing Blade for how he is at this point and time.
“Your point?”
“I also know a thing or two about quieting demons.”
Blade gave a poignant look to Ashveil’s arm.
“It's not the same.”
So something wasn't trying to take over his body.
What to do…
“That woman helps you when you’re,” he paused to think of a way to say it, “starting to go down the tubes, no?”
“Kafka…” Blade said to himself out loud. “Her whispers help me focus on things not related to the past. Or else direct one as a weapon does on a path of destruction. Otherwise she…” Blade trails off, his breaths getting heavier.
Ashveil ruminated about the things Blade told him and what he had admittedly briefly researched before seeing him. Officially he was deemed as marastruck, although not quite the same way as the long lived species. Afflicted with terrible and innumerous memories, he never seemed to permanently turn. So maybe what he needed was something to occupy his own mind before it could overtake his thoughts.
Perhaps it was that easy with the wonders of technology. “Could we phone her?”
“It doesn’t work well enough on me that way, and besides, she’s busy. Elio gave her a task on a different planet.”
So it was a foregone conclusion, he and the bar would probably be torn apart, unless he figured out the third thing. A pity, he quite liked this place, scuffed around the edges a bit like himself.
Blade’s deep breaths caught his attention.
Seeing him panting vaguely reminded him of something else, he tapped his finger on his temple repeatedly. A slight blush had risen over his cheeks. A curiosity popped into his head. Ashveil stepped up and around, looking down at Blade. He took his one good hand, pulled up his glove at the wrist and scented Blade against the nape of his neck.
The reaction was instant even as he glared back at him, Blade leaned into his arm. His breathing slowed, just a bit. His biology could hack his mind.
Ashveil couldn’t keep his voice from lowering as his alpha nature bubbled to the surface.“You just need a good distraction, yeah?”
“Tch. As if you weren’t looking for an excuse already.”
This is gonna bankrupt my coffers
Not that he had much in savings anyway. Every credit that wasn’t accounted for keeping his office went to keeping those ones safe and happy.
Mister N is just going to have to forgive me this time.
Ashveil thought as he agreed to the frankly absurd price the concierge said a room would cost for the night. They had probably jacked the price thinking they were desperate and pocketed the rest. Not that they weren’t exactly. He couldn’t bring Blade to the office where he only had a refrigerator, and those Furbos were always stuck underfoot. He had scented Blade every so often, but doing so made it less and less effective.
He lent a shoulder to Blade as they shuffled to the elevator and through the hall. The hotel room's air was cool as it greeted them.
Ashveil slammed him into a wall as he thrust his thigh between Blade’s. The needy thing was already grinding on the proffered limb.
“Damn.” He breathed through his teeth, “I could keep you pinned here, I don't even need to do anything.”
“Asshole.”
He would dip in for a kiss, but he might get snapped at the moment.
They were both way overdressed. Ashveil delicately unfastened the collar of Blade’s shirt, exposing his bare neck to the air.
Oh.
His skin was well toned seen through the bandages, yet full of scars, but there was no sign of any mating mark on his neck.
Ashveil had expected him to still have the old one he suspected from before or perhaps a more recent one.
He wasn't as spry as he once was, yet his instincts kicked in like they never left. The desire to claim the omega before him grew out of the pit of his stomach. He pushed the thought aside.
Ashveil plucked off his watch, rings, and glove, and unhooked Blade's belts. Sliding a hand down his pants he brushed past the loose curls to grasp his omegan cocklet.
That earned a wondrous gasp for his ears.
Seeing his eyes glazing over with pleasure, Ashveil claimed his lips with a kiss, Blade nipped back.
He removed his leg to give himself more room as he squished Blade further against the wall.
Fingers slid further down into his omega’s slick folds. So wet. Blade shuddered and made another inescapable noise bordering on a whine. He was hot, literally and figuratively. Ashveil felt like a vampire sometimes, or maybe a popsicle with how much he has to shut himself in his fridge. The warmth was addicting.
With a few more twists Blade stifled his cry by biting his own hand while his walls pulsed against Ashveil’s fingers.
Slumped against the wall, Blade fought to catch his breath. His natural scent of peonies was blooming, even the taste of his slick was heady as he brought it up for an experimental lick.
Seeing the somewhat sated omega gave him some clarity, he did need to confirm one thing, maybe he should give him an escape now that he could think things through. He cleared his throat in an attempt to sound more serious. “You know Blade.” He felt up his supple chest to earn more soft noises escaping his prey. “If you want, I can just touch you, if you don’t want me to do anything else besides this.”
As he met his eyes, Blade seized his arms. “You’re going to lead me on and then not fuck me?”
Gah. “I mean these old bones…” That was not what he meant to say. He stumbled over his words. “Well as a gentleman, I wanted to make sure that-”
“I don't need to be coddled.”
“Ah.” Well then, he is right where he wants to be. “Then I’ll take care of you, darling.”
I am going to be sore for a long time.
Somehow they had made it to the bed. Shedding layers of clothes, and kicking off their boots. While his hat had fallen somewhere on the floor.
Blade laid there, slick glistening down his thighs, spend on his stomach, hair making a halo over the sheets. Ashveil swallowed at the sight. How could he coax the stoic omega to squirm and make more sounds for his ears tonight, he wondered.
His lithe body was well defined, from his clavicles to his thighs, the band had made a red circle around the one.
Ashveil freed his growing excitement from his straining pants and struggled them off like he had his boots. He had a worry beforehand that he wouldn't be able to get it up, since it had been such a long time. He shook his head of idle thoughts.
Blade made an involuntary gasp as he grabbed his legs to drag his torso closer, then spread them further apart. He rubbed his cock in his folds, collecting the slick and his precum and frotting against the omega’s small cock.
“So wet already.”
“Stop teasing me.” Was the gruff response.
He was always such a brat. Ashveil sighed. “Such a demanding tone.”
Making room for himself he sunk his cock into omega’s waiting entrance. The heat was suffocating, Ashveil grabbed his waist to steady himself to bury his way further in.
“Such a good omega.” His other hand walked up his skin to knead Blade's tit. “You're taking me so well.”
Some experimental thrusts, little movements made Blade moan and pant.
Finally he made it to the hilt, Blade was clutching the sheets with both hands, and he almost came at the sight of his cock poking Blade's stomach.
Ashveil pulled back agonizingly slow, almost leaving the tight heat, before he slammed his entire length back inside in one motion.
Blade an unintelligible mutter.
“Hmm?” he asked.
He watched as Blade swallowed. “Harder.”
That caused him to stop completely.
Of course he would be a bit of a masochist.
He had wanted to take it slow, and had tried to suppress his alpha urges, but he would do anything for the other man.
“So you want me to fuck you senseless?”
The way he was met by a clench almost caused him to lose it.
With that confirmation Ashveil doubled his efforts, the undulating walls met his every thrust; the slap of skin punctuating.
Blade whined and that went straight to his dick.
The knot at the base of his cock started forming. The push and pull made each time he sunk inside made an audible plop.
Drool was collecting at the side of his mouth, he was starting to be overcome by his instincts.
Ashveil called out darkly. “Beg me for it.”
“Please.” Blade swallowed. “Alpha.”
The knot grew, and his cunt squeezed in a feeble attempt to keep it inside.
The desperation in his voice grew. “Knot, knot me.”
How could he refuse?
With great effort he buried himself as deep as he could. Spilling inside of Blade’s wanting womb, the knot not letting any slick or cum escape. Blade came between their stomachs as he felt the twitching walls around his cock. Ashveil collapsed into his chest, Blade clawed up his back. Unable to move much except a few rutting movements.
Blade allowed him to kiss him again, a small meeting of mouths before they separated to catch deep breaths.
After a few minutes, Ashveil tried to roll him to his side so that they could lay more comfortably, except Blade kept the momentum and rolled so he was on top.
“Once wasn’t enough,” the omega declared.
Blade lifted himself up, the still too-big knot keeping him from leaving. Ashveil winced with each effort until he popped out. A mix of slick and cum dripped down Blade’s legs, their scents intermingling.
Blade lifted himself up to drop back down on his cock.
They locked eyes. “Breed me again, alpha.”
With that his sole desire was to fill him up again.
The morning rays of the sun filtered through the curtains.
Ashveil felt like he had been driven over several times, akin to his nightmares while he was a delivery driver, having nearly been flattened several times.
Sticky and hot. Burning scratches were clawed all over his skin, and a few bites on his shoulders. He was sore all over, but his arm was especially painful. Thankfully it hadn’t acted out.
His throat was dry, from the alcohol and the activities from last night. He stared at his beautiful companion, watching his small breaths while still in sleep. He looked peaceful instead of the frown that seemed to perpetually occupy his face.
Blade seemed to stir as he could feel his eyes on him.
Ashveil was surprised he hadn’t escaped in the dark of the morning. So he asked, “You didn’t leave?”
Blade replied sleepily, “Why would I have left?”
“I thought maybe you’d have some shady hunterly business to get up to.”
“I think your detective work is more shady sometimes.” He muttered to himself, “I hope she didn’t stay up all night at the arcades…”
“Oh Silver Wolf.” His curiosity got the better of him. “Is she yours?”
Blade scrunched his face as he thought.
“This body may have regenerated yet it doesn’t hold onto life.”
“Ah.” That explains a bit why he wasn’t worried. “You seemed quite happy when I promised to put a pup in your-”
“I’ll kill you,” he said with a bit of venom.
“Hahaha.”
He never really thought about it, but his alpha was quite incensed after that last night begging. He wasn’t disappointed. He had a few lovers, relationships and trysts, but he didn’t really know if he had any progeny wandering around. And besides, his rangers were his legacy.
Ashveil used his one good arm to wrap around Blade's shoulders. He didn’t resist.
The skin to skin contact felt good and right.
Blade noticed how he was favouring his arm. “Your arm?”
“It’s fine.” I’ll have to tame it again soon.
“You never did tell me about how that happened.”
Ashveil made a snort. Someone was nosey, yet wouldn’t share. “Well you never asked.”
On a distant planet we were scouted by a village to get rid of a beast that rose every few years to stalk the people.
They spoke of it in fear, and unknowingly, reverence.
They didn’t have the credits to pay the IPC for an extermination.
One person had already been lost by the time we got there. I went with Owl and Bear to find the animal.
The trail led us down deep into the woods. We ended up split up in an unusual fog.
I found the entrance to a cave. Inside was the thing we were looking for.
The beast bared its fangs, it was huge and wolflike, yet sprouting tendrils to whip by my head. It was not like any animal in any known database.
We fought into the night, trading blow for blow, and in the light of morning when I had struck down the beast…there was only a man’s corpse on the ground.
“What was it then?”
“Hold on.”
Owl and Bear came upon me with some of the villagers and asked where I had been and what I had done.
The man was the missing person.
The villagers were up in arms, the place where we had fought was the burial place of a great monster that was found dead an era ago.
As you know, even though things can die, they aren’t always dead.
I knew that whatever it was, the shadow of it would rise again like it had done before. Whether it had killed the man, or simply took over his dead body as an opportunity was unknown.
I called out to its presence, and tried to appease it. It wanted to eat my hand in exchange for power. Owl and Bear tried to stop me. It had been broken in our fight, and it would probably recovered, but even so I accepted with a handshake.
“So instead of leaving the village to their own devices when they were accusing you, you took away their torment.”
“Yes, because it was the right thing to do.”
“Hmph. And were they grateful?”
“Not in the least, they chased us out of there.” Ashveil laughed at himself.
Blade made a frown.
“I don’t regret my decision. I can only believe in my own justice. Otherwise I’d have done everything for no reason.”
He lifted his pained hand and tucked Blade’s hair behind his ear.
“I know you think you’re just looking for a way to die, yet I know you still have something left to do. I won’t let the Xianzhou take you and let you rot away in prison.” They’d probably torture and experiment on him too for killing their kin.
“Thanks for that, I guess.”
He’ll take that gratitude anyday. “You’re welcome.”
Blade yawned. “I’m going to take a shower.”
“Is that an invitation?”
“One night and you turn into a dirty old man,” he accused.
He squawked. “It’s not like that! I was hoping you’d help me wash since it’s hard for me to reach my back where you scratched the living hell out of-”
“Don’t say another word.” A deep red crept on his cheeks, as he crawled out of his grasp. “Come if you want.”
Ashveil watched as he walked away, long haired sweeping over his back, his body marred by deep scars.
Hopefully things would work out. But under the crazed moon of the Phantasmoon Games, anything could happen. He resolved to help his friend with anything that he could.
A hot shower would wipe out some of his ills.