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[clottedcream]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, CremeConsul. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 536.05.022.03 *** CremeConsul has joined 536.05.022.03 <CremeConsul> Greetings! You have reached Clotted Cream Cookie. I'm afraid that I am away at the moment, but if you are in need of private counsel, please leave a message for me and I will respond as quickly as I am able.

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[clottedcream]

[... nothing. Absolutely nothing. While that's good in one sense - no humans or other monsters to contend with - it's demoralizing in another. So far, they've got nothing to show for the time they've spent tonight. Nothing but once perfectly good cans, spilled across the floor.

His hand squeezes tightly around the rebar, but the rest of him remains just as lax as ever in Sparkling's touch.]

... if you need a break, please, let me keep watch.

[Sparkling is injured, after all. Maybe there's a bit of displaced and undeserved anger at the Naphil that guards the hut during the day for not healing Sparkling's injury, even though he knows realistically that such a thing doesn't come without consequences, but there's so much for him to be angry about right now, and that's just a convenient target. It's innocent if it isn't acted upon, right?]

[charmpagne]

[Oh. He...wasn't expecting him to offer that. Not to say it isn't appreciated, but...Sparkling lets his eyes scan the the rest of the store, ransacked and disheveled as it is. Clotted Cream being on edge has not gone under Sparkling's radar, but he seems to be especially touchy today compared to what he's been used to. It's a touch worrying...and also, he has to admit to himself that he really doesn't want to be alone right now. He had Clotted Cream come with him for a reason, after all, and half that reason was privacy.]

Clotted Cream...

[It's the first time he's said his full name in a while instead of truncating it with a nickname, his thumb brushing over the scales along the back of his hand.]

Actually, I...I was hoping you would sit with me. It's alright if you'd rather not, I just...

[clottedcream]

[... oh.

The use of his full name draws his attention, snapping him out of the slowly simmering frustration that he'd been stewing in for what feels like days now. It's like it drains away, slowly, but as it does his face feels oddly cool, and the brush of Sparkling's thumb over his scales makes him shiver.

Ah. He's letting everything get to him too much. He lets out a shaky sigh, lifting the back of the hand holding the rebar to press against his forehead.]

No, I-- My apologies. I'm... not taking this all as well as I'd like to have you believe.

[That's the easy way to say it. He turns, leaning in enough to let his forehead press gently against Sparkling's temple.]

I would be glad to sit with you. Please, do not think that I didn't want to before. I'm simply... restless, and frustrated for reasons that are no one's fault.

[charmpagne]

[The way Clotted Cream turns to him like that is encouraging, if nothing else. He hates to put him on the spot weirdly, especially since he knows none of them are doing well currently, it's just...he feels like communicating that is important right now, more than any other time. And as such, he returns the gesture in kind, bringing Clotted Cream's hand to his chest as he starts to look for a suitable place for the two of them to sit together. There's unfortunately not much, and it's likely they'll be having to sit on the floor somewhere...but as long as they remain someplace they can still see out of the windows, Sparkling thinks they'll be alright. It's secluded enough that no one should be able to sneak up on them, at any rate.]

You have nothing to apologize for. I would be shocked if you weren't feeling restless and frustrated right now.

[His voice is quiet as he leads them towards the back of the store, seeking out a spot on the ground that's clear of glass and other debris. In the end, he finds a happy medium in the form of the space behind what used to be an employee counter, giving them privacy while also a vantage point to the outside.

It...does not help the feeling that they're going through an apocalypse though, he thinks as he sinks to his knees with a barely constrained wince.]

I'm just worried about you, CC.

[clottedcream]

[It's Sparkling's wish to take a break, and so Clotted Cream is content to let the Vampire lead the way to where he'd like to sit down. Honestly, behind the counter is a safe bet. Easily hidden, but still a decent vantage point. He couldn't have chosen better.

As Sparkling sinks down to the floor, he follows suit. There's no sense in trying to keep his clothes clean at this point. He sits to Sparkling's uninjured side, tipping his head back against the counter shelves.

It's only here in the relative safety of their hiding spot that he feels comfortable enough to set down the rebar.]

I know. But I'll be alright. I've just been worried about you.

[Silence, just for a beat.]

I understand why your Naphil friend won't heal your broken arm, but if it were me, I wouldn't even hesitate.

[charmpagne]

Oh...

[CLOTTED CREAM...Sparkling almost laughs, but what comes out of him instead is a sort of good-natured huff once they're sitting on the floor together, Sparkling taking the initiative to lean as close into Clotted Cream's space as he dares.]

You're sweet, CC...but if it were you, I wouldn't have allowed it.

[Nor would he allow Josh to, either. He understands wanting to help to an extend, but taking his broken arm in a crisis like this isn't something he'll allow lightly. Still though, the sentiment is understood and appreciated, if the way Sparkling turns to kiss Clotted Cream on the cheek is any indication.]

I'll be okay. This isn't the worst I've been hurt.

[clottedcream]

[It isn't? --ah, but the scars. Clotted Cream frowns thoughtfully, lifting one hand up to push Sparkling's hair from his face. Clearly it isn't his first time in recovery, if these marks are any indication, but even so... he doesn't like that Sparkling has been injured at all, let alone this particular incident.]

I know. You're very strong. I'm sure that you've been through things that I cannot even imagine, considering the nature of this place. Even so, I... wish that it wouldn't happen to you at all.

[And that's what it is, really. Having the ability to remove the removable parts of the hurt. If he could, he would, even if Sparkling didn't want him to.

He feels his chest ache, and he leans in to close the distance, pressing a chaste but desperately firm kiss to Sparkling's lips. It only lasts a second, but when he pulls away, he remains close enough that his breath can ghost across the Vampire's skin.]

I... I love you. I just want you to be safe.

[charmpagne]

[In that moment, Sparkling felt compelled to say something reassuring to assure Clotted Cream that no matter what happens to him, he will be alright. Not because he's especially strong physically, or even strong willed...but because he has something to live for, and that is a motivator like no other.

Before he can think to, however, he's being kissed. It's chaste, yes, but the firmness suggests something far more beneath the surface. It is desperate like Clotted Cream feels it might be the last time they ever get to, and because of that Sparkling is ready to reciprocate in kind. It only lasts for a brief moment, but it's enough.

He swallows past the lump in his throat, lifting his good arm so that he can gently rest his two claws against Clotted Cream's cheek. He never knew if Clotted Cream heard his declaration of love to him when he was delirious from blood loss, and now it looks like it doesn't matter. The sentiment was always shared.]

I love you too. And as long as we stick together, I will be. I promise you, on my life.

[He curls closer to the Mer behind the counter, using the edge of his wing to pull him in against his chest, a sort of half-embrace with Sparkling's cheek resting against Clotted Cream's temple.]

It's...unfair. For the first time in such a long time, I get to feel this happy again...and it has to...to...

[clottedcream]

[Clotted Cream heard it, no doubt about that. But he'd been too out of it to respond in kind, and it had felt like a dream by the time he'd awakened from his drugged sleep. He could remember Sparkling's voice saying the words, but not if it had been real or not... so he'd bit his lip against saying as much then.

But not now. No more. Not when the world is crumbling all around them.

He allows Sparkling to pull him closer, settling in comfortably against the Vampire. If they were anywhere other than huddling behind the checkout counter of a general store, it would be bordering on romantic. Here, though, it's a necessary comfort. Reassurance. Security.]

We will be alright. What we have lost are material things. So long as we have each other, I won't let anything deny you that happiness.

[He turns his head, just a little, enough to press a soft, delicate kiss to Sparkling's throat.]

We've fought too hard to let this get the better of us now.

[charmpagne]

[There are times when Sparkling's instinct to breathe rears its head even though the need to do so is no longer a thing for him. This is undoubtedly one of those times, with the way he feels Clotted Cream's lips brush gently against his neck in a way that makes his skin prickle, a shiver rushing its way down his spine. His ears swivel forward with interest, though he feels a momentary coil of guilt in the pit of his stomach at his reaction.

This...this isn't the time, nor the place. He shouldn't be thinking that way, especially not when it's obvious that Clotted Cream's experience- compared to his own, anyway- is little to none. Sparkling has had these thoughts of making sure to take things nice and slow with the other, for each tender moment shared to be carefully planned so that he can show Clotted Cream just how fulfilling a relationship can be, not just emotionally.

...but thinking this way makes him realize that. They may not have the time, not anymore. There is a very real possibility that they are going to die, permanently given how terrible things are and how weak the fog seems to be currently, and if that were to happen...

There's...no time.]

...Clotted Cream?

[clottedcream]

[Admittedly, the kiss to Sparkling's throat had simply been because, in turning his head just a little, that had been where his lips had landed. Clotted Cream had meant nothing by it, nothing more than a kiss to the back of the hand or to the temple. Soft, reassuring affection.

It isn't until Sparkling says his name that he realizes it may be taken in another way. Abruptly, his cheeks flare with warmth and he pulls back enough to look Sparkling in the eye, clearing his throat.]

Yes?

[He's fine. Everything is fine.]

[charmpagne]

[Well. He'll wait until Clotted Cream is looking up at him, if nothing else. Instead of...asking, he decides he's going to- for once- let his heart tell him what to do. Or, at the very least, the feeling he's getting from this situation. The "vibes" will guide his actions, as it were.

And these vibes are telling him to not let this opportunity slip him by, even if he isn't sure what exactly that might entail. He just knows that he wants Clotted Cream to know, without a doubt, how much he's cared for and loved before the end.

Which is why he's leaning in to kiss him, but this is a kiss that is anything but chaste. It's firm, desperate, but it doesn't last long enough for Clotted Cream to reciprocate for more than a second, because he's being kissed elsewhere. The corner of his mouth, along his jaw...and finally his neck, just below the juncture of where his jaw meets his throat.]

[clottedcream]

[This is a desperation that Clotted Cream recognizes from the backrooms, for the couple of seconds that it lasts. In fact, it's such a strong and vivid memory that it knocks his breath away for a second, leaving him very little time to reciprocate at all before Sparkling is on the move. Little movements, but movements all the same.

And oh, that last one is edging on biting territory. His body remembers, too, as a brief shiver rolls through him, and he lets out a soft breath, lifting one hand to rest on the Vampire's shoulder.]

Sparkling...

[But it isn't a question, or a request to stop. Simply a reverent murmur of his boyfriend's name, with maybe the faintest hint of curiosity in the lilt. This is new territory, depending on what direction Sparkling chooses to take.

They shouldn't be doing something reckless, not here where they might be found. But, at the same time, the world is ending all around them. If they're going to end up dying of starvation or worse anyway...]

[charmpagne]

[It isn't ideal. If Sparkling could have his way, he'd be in the privacy of his home, with Clotted Cream nestled with him in his bedroom, enjoying an evening together...but that isn't what they have right now. The Grapevine is gone, their friends and family scattered, and hope dwindling by the day. Food is becoming scarce, and they now look at a very grim reality, that if the human population dies out...they, too, will die with it.

Or, perhaps they won't even be that lucky. He thinks an eternal hell of reviving only to devour each other is a fate far worse than death.

That's why he refuses to entertain those thoughts right now. Right now his attention is reserved only for Clotted Cream, who he's currently cradling in a way that can only be described as reverent. His lips gently march their way down the side of his neck, hovering over his pulse because he 100% is having to hold himself back from biting. It's hard, and his stomach aches at the way he refuses himself, but he manages to power through it.

Gently, Sparkling tugs the Mer a bit closer to him, mostly so he can more easily reach him where he wants. Namely, his two fingers searching until they manage to find Clotted Cream's hip, carefully curving around the edge of it. And when Sparkling speaks again, it's rough and hot against Clotted Cream's neck as he presses open-mouthed kisses there.]

Please...stop me if this is too much, okay?

[clottedcream]

[Honestly, if Sparkling was to bite him right now? Clotted Cream wouldn't mind at all. It would help him out with his daily need to feed, if only partially. But that isn't what either of them are out here to do, so he won't ask. It isn't quite as desperate a situation as those endless rooms.

Yet.

For right now, all that matters is that Sparkling wants to, ah. Do more than they've done before, which is a simultaneously terrifying and thrilling possibility. Terrifying, because there's also the risk of being caught in a compromising position by other monsters or possibly even scavenging humans. Thrilling, because it seems like so little was needed to set this off, and he finds himself wondering what would have happened if he'd gone in with intent.

The open-mouthed kisses make him shudder out a breath, eyes closing and something hot lancing through his stomach at even that barest touch to his still-clothed hip. Good lord, he's touch-starved.]

...th-this is fine.

[It's more than fine, actually. But he has to show a little restraint. He brings his hand up, resting his fingers in the back of Sparkling's hair, twining the bubbling strands around his claws.]

[charmpagne]

[Clotted Cream may feel the need to show restraint, but Sparkling...does not. If anything, his claws in his hair only spur him on more. He can feel the way the other tenses against him, shuddering at just the most barely-there touch, and really that ends up telling him everything he needs to know.

He wishes he could do even more. He wants to. But with the way they're limited as they are now, he has to be a bit more selective...but. He thinks he knows of a way to show Clotted Cream a good time before the end.

He just has to try not to think about it that way.

His kisses continue to dip lower, from his neck down to his collarbone, as low as he dares without opening up his shirt too much. They aren't going to be disrobing back here, not when anyone could come barging into the store unannounced, so instead Sparkling has to rely on what he can do largely through clothing, and fortunately that's nothing to sneeze at. As he lays kisses to his exposed skin and scales combined, he moves his claws up from his hip to rest against his chest, wingtip dragging until he finds the swell of his chest, brushing the pads of his two fingers over where he can feel a nipple through the thin clothing.

He found them strange, initially. Some things cookies...do not have, obviously, but it doesn't exactly take you long of experimenting to discover just how sensitive they can be. That's what he's going for now as he gently kisses his way back up to Clotted Cream's lips, mostly so he can look at him while he's touching him.]

You're beautiful, you know.

[clottedcream]

[Dipping lower has Sparkling's lips occasionally brushing against the jellyfish mantle at Clotted Cream's collarbones, which is an interesting textural difference for Sparkling, and an interesting contrast in sensation versus none for Clotted Cream. He's quick to tip his head, giving the Vampire as much access as he can, eyes drifting closed as he drinks in the affection and the touch.

Touch that takes him briefly by surprise, as those claws rake over a part of his humanized body that he'd largely ignored. The Mer pulls in a soft gasp, fingers tensing in Sparkling's hair. He hadn't expected them to be sensitive like this. What's the purpose, he wonders?]

I could... say the same about you.

[It's breathed out between kisses, as his free hand slips around Sparkling's back to trace his fingertips along the edges of his wing, finding where it meets his back.]

[charmpagne]

[It's such a strange yet unique sensation against his lips that Sparkling can't help but want more of it. Of course, there's an ever-present threat of being stung if he isn't careful, depending on what parts of the jellyfish he chooses to get close to...but right now he isn't worrying about that. It's all about the thrill as it is, after all; a little numbing between friends hurt nobody.

Besides, he has much more important things to be thinking about as his touch elicits a soft gasp from Clotted Cream, just as he was hoping. Bingo. And since he's already getting handsy...he decides to use his claws to pop open just the first button of his sweater, not enough to be off, but...just enough that he can be touching bare skin. If he wasn't feeling how sensitive it was before...

He opens his mouth to reply cheekily, only to find that his words get garbled in the back of his throat because, oh, Clotted Cream touching the edge of his wing like that...it's sensitive too, just as much if not moreso due to how thin the membranes connecting to his body are. He can't help the way he moans softly when it happens, his wing shivering underneath the Mer's touch.]

...well, I certainly am not going to stop you.

[clottedcream]

[Luckily, Sparkling is in no danger of getting stung by the mantle. In this form, the only risks are the tentacles at his hips, so staying above the belt in that respect is as safe as can be. Well, aside from Clotted Cream's claws, but those are retractable.

With one button undone and more of his chest exposed, the closer touch makes the Mer muffle a short noise against his lower lip. Goodness, what a sensitive area. But it isn't just that - hearing Sparkling moan, however softly, in combination with the touch throws him for a loop. His head feels suddenly light, the breath gone from his chest. That noise...]

... if your face was the last thing that I saw, I would crumble happily knowing that I couldn't have seen anything more lovely.

[And he will punctuate his point with a kiss, passionate and desperate and breathless. His fingers don't leave Sparkling's wing, in fact going so far as to repeat his previous movement to swallow more of that sound.]

[charmpagne]

[In that case, Sparkling will not hold back. Not that it likely could have stopped him all that much, but it's less pushing past the discomfort and more not wanting to make Clotted Cream uncomfortable in any way. But, judging by the sounds he's making, it sounds like Sparkling has got the right idea for how to proceed here. He only wishes that he had more of his hands available...he wants to feel every expanse of the other's body underneath his fingertips, which is difficult to do with 1) wings for arms and 2) only one arm actually usable.

But for the time being, at least for their purposes, this is suitable. He could wish for more all he likes, but...he'll simply take what he can get for now.

If he had more time to react, he's fairly certain those words would have made him swoon similarly to the way he had when Clotted Cream asked him out for the first time. It's easy to assume that he's completely unshakeable, having been told everything during his lovelife, but somehow Clotted Cream manages to sweep him off his feet consistently time and again. It means that instead of answering that verbally, he gives the Mer what he's seeking instead: another deep-chested, shaky moan that gets caught up between them as they kiss, with Sparkling starting to move a bit less slowly now that he can feel the already tight fabric of his pants growing that much more uncomfortable. Especially if Clotted Cream is going to keep brushing his fingertips over his wing like that.]

A-ah...CC... [He manages just barely between kisses, though it's kindof his fault this time that he's cut off, seeing as how he goes in for another kiss since he's unable to help but want more.] Please...let me touch you. Please.

[He's been touching him, but he means like...touch.]

[clottedcream]

[If asked, Clotted Cream would say that Sparkling is doing a wonderful job. For all that the air around them is chilled, he feels abruptly warm, and the tightness coiling in his stomach with each of Sparkling's moans only serves to make his pants feel, well. Tighter, but not uncomfortably so. Not yet, at any rate. Lucky for Clotted Cream, he's already had some minor experience with the sensation since his arrival here, so it doesn't take him nearly as by surprise as it did that very first time many months before.

But oh, Light, that moan. Clotted Cream greedily swallow it into his own mouth, hand moving away from the Vampire's wing to instead rest on his hip. The tightness in those pants is evident by the pull in the fabric, and. Well. This isn't the ideal place for this, but he's already made his peace with that fact.]

Please.

[It's a soft murmur against Sparkling's lips as he devours any further response in a kiss for the moment.]

But I would also like to touch you.

[charmpagne]

[Damn. Clotted Cream...he's not sure if insatiable is too strong of a word here, but there's definitely something going on between them right now. Maybe desperation is closer, but whatever it is, Sparkling is feeling it in spades. It's making his chest pleasantly tight every time Clotted Cream refuses to even let him think to speak with how voraciously he's being kissed, which is why- before doing anything else- he decides to just pause for a moment and kiss him.

Like. Really kiss him. Not so much that he'll be left struggling to breathe, but he will at the very least be breathless by the end of it. It's easier for Sparkling, since he doesn't have to breathe...but that doesn't mean he isn't still vaugely panting against Clotted Cream's lips all the same, his claws reaching up briefly to brush a lock of hair out of the other's eyes.]

By all means, love.

[Then, with the edge of his wing, he carefully tucks Clotted Cream closer to him, like he might if they were instead two bats cuddling together. It means that their legs will end up tangling just slightly, yet it does afford them a touch more privacy in the event someone did suddenly come into the store. Because now...now that he has permission, Sparkling is going to start exploring a bit lower. Slowly, mostly to amp up to it for Clotted Cream's sake, the side of his two fingers skimming over his clothing down his side, gently rubbing at those gills for a moment before he passes over his hip.

Though Sparkling could just immediately go for it, he decides to take things just a touch slower. Meaning, he brings the tip of his wing down and ever-so-slightly edges it along the outside of Clotted Cream's pants, sort of halfway palming his crotch through his clothing. It's not quite as direct as he'd like, but he'll get there.]

[clottedcream]

[Desperation, certainly. Hunger, undoubtedly. Their situation is a dire one, and maybe the despair of finding nothing of use had tipped things over into a territory they can control. Whatever it was, Clotted Cream is now waist-deep in it, embracing it as he'd embrace the waves on the shore, letting it wash over him and overtake him.

He's beyond thrilled when Sparkling really kisses him back. It hits on that hunger and desire for closeness, and he melts into it, greedily taking what's given to him. By the end of it all he's left breathless, and the soft laugh that escapes his lips at those four words isn't much more than an exhale.

Love. Love.]

Since you are so eager, you may explore first.

[Because even though Sparkling only has one currently usable arm, wandering hands are likely to tangle, and Sparkling had been so enthusiastic.

Those wandering fingers make Clotted Cream inhale deeply, which is probably an interesting sensation while they're gliding over his gills. It's as the wing reaches between his legs that he gets the biggest reaction - there's definitely an interested lump there beneath the fabric, though it seems... damp, just a bit. More than it should be. It isn't much sensation with his pants in the way, but he inhales a sharp hiccup of a breath all the same, his fingers tensing at Sparkling's hip.]

[charmpagne]

[Now that has Sparkling curious. He's not had reason to think too deeply about what other monsters might be working with, not unless he comes up on a situation where he needs to know for one reason or another, and there are only a few cases of this for him in recent memory. Granted, given his limited understanding of how organic bodies work in general, it's not hard to imagine that a Mer might be different than what he himself is used to...he wonders if that has to do at all with the fact they're water-faring creatures 99% of the time. And that leads him to wondering what it might be like, doing this with Clotted Cream underneath the water proper...

Well. That's something for him to think about- hopefully- in a future where things aren't as bad as they are right now.

He won't leave the both of them wondering for long. They're short on time, in theory, which means Sparkling doesn't spend too much more time rubbing through fabric and will, instead, use the hooked ends of his claws to gently tug Clotted Cream's waistband open. He can't see much in the limited light, so he's mostly going to be relying on touch here...which he happily does so as he slips his claws past the edge, his ears perking with intrigue when he's immediately met with two things right away.

The first is the smoothness of what he has to imagine are scales, patchwork and scattered where they're raised on some parts of his body before it gives way to softer skin. Those scales...he can't quite tell if they're encircling or actually covering what he's seeing, though he can tell by just an errant touch that Clotted Cream is getting hard. He can feel the tip of his length just barely edging out of him, and that...makes Sparkling chuckle, fondly.]

You're hiding from me, CC. [He purrs, shifting so that he can rub a slow path around the tip with just one finger, dipping down low to gather come of that wetness along the rest of his finger.] Come on out, now. Don't be shy.

[clottedcream]

[The scales down here are slightly different in texture compared to the scales on the rest of his body. Normally, Clotted Cream's scales are firm things, pliant only enough to enable ease of movement, meant to be a protection of sorts. These, however? They're soft, flexible things, clearly built for more... delicate work. Allowing for protective coverage, but also allowing for movement of what's hidden inside.

Sparkling's claw brushes the slightly tapered tip of his length in exploration, and Clotted Cream pulls in a soft breath, closing his eyes. Oh, that's far more sensitive than he remembers it being. Not that it's a bad thing, with the way his stomach tightens in response. Close as they are, he tips his head forward, letting it rest in some way against the Vampire's, simply because the contact is wanted. But he doesn't want to impede Sparkling's ability to see what he's doing, either.

It only takes a moment for Sparkling's efforts to bear fruit. The pressure of his finger circling the opening is enough to encourage his length to emerge further, and it's... well. It doesn't leap out, but it certainly isn't slow about it, either. In only a couple of seconds, the entirety of Clotted Cream stands proudly beside Sparkling's fingers, a glistening dark pink, and he muffles a soft whimper behind tightly-pressed lips.]