Chapter Text
Randal seemed to have become immune to each and every kind of anger lately, and although Luther felt a subtle drop of suspicion in his heart, he was generally satisfied with his calmness. His little brother had once again lost his “Higurashi” files, and not even that unfortunate event managed to shift his strangely quiet, serene, nearly zen-like presence. Imagine! The master of the Ivory household couldn't ignore how vaguely unsettling that was, but rather decided to see it as the long awaited fruition of his philanthropic, loving efforts. Perhaps, just perhaps, an era of genuine happiness rose upon the Ivory Household. Oh, how wonderful that would be — to live a happy, peaceful, practical, human life!
The other residents, on the other hand, were absolutely not having any of Randal's seemingly born-again-Christian bullshit, and while the others were just suspicious, Sebastian had much more to say in his favor. He couldn't really tell what was wrong with Randal, but the atmosphere seemed to have drastically changed over the last couple weeks. For starters, the boy had stopped with his usual murderous games, which now resumed to him ogling Sebastian from across the room instead, silently checking on him at random times, following him around the house, watching him as he slept and whatnot. Hell, he even barged into the bathroom without knocking once. And while life seemed strangely peaceful to the other pets, Sebastian felt himself grow exponentially more vigilant, expecting the time when his master would crawl out of the crevices of the drain and spook him while he took a bath — which seemed dangerously possible, if he was being honest. There was a different side to that, too, albeit much more pleasant in its own unsettling way: Randal began expressing an apparent kindness Sebastian didn't even think was possible. Randal would let him win at Diddy Kong Racing, give up on his computer time just so Sebastian could use it for longer (although Sebastian only really used the internet to listen to MF DOOM, but whatever), and one bright day he even prepared him some Kraft dinner! Which, alright, is a solid 4.5/10 but Luther's cooking generally gets negative points, so!
The combination of these circumstances made Sebastian feel deeply conflicted. It felt good to be treated well, but he just couldn't understand what went through the cryptid’s little head — besides maggots, of course. He knew for sure he had at least a dozen of those wriggling in there.
One of these nights, while Sebastian slowly drifted off to sleep, Randal woke him up suddenly, much to the pet's dismay.
Voice flowing carelessly in the darkness, Randal whispered with a nearly melancholic tone:
— I had a strange dream. — he said, watching his pet in search for the slightest reaction. The boy’s body didn't budge though, but Randal could perfectly tell he was faking being asleep. Silly, silly Sebby! Of course his master knew him better than anyone! — Wake up, dummy.
Sebastian had heard him perfectly welll, but he just forced his eyes shut instead and, as a matter of fact, he might've even stopped breathing as if to avoid a bear attack.
— Hey. — Randal called out again, more impatient and boyish than before. He'd have to be drastic; it's not like he wanted to do what he was about to, but his pet wasn't giving him another option... — I know you're awake, your heart doesn't beat in that cadence when you're asleep.
Oh-my-god, can't he just fucking go to bed? Thought Sebastian, resisting the urge to entirely cover himself with the blankets just like a snail retracting inside its shell. Strange dreams this, strange dreams that. Why is that my problem?!
Suddenly Sebastian had a yelp forced out of him. Something wet and slimy slid around his earlobe, and he quickly recognized it was Randal's tongue licking him in a way that made his skin crawl. Sebastian tried to stand up from the coffin, but of course the bespectacled boy held him tight in place, giving Sebastian's ear a light bite before letting go of him. The older boy sat up instinctively, covering both his ears with his hands, face hot with shame and some other feeling he couldn't quite describe. It was dark, but the younger Ivory could tell he was embarrassed and flushed. How sweet…
— Oh? I didn't know you were into that sort of stuff. — Randal teased.
Sebastian scoffed, shy and angry and just plain exhausted.
— I’m not! — he turned around, throwing the blanket over his head and laying face down on the coffin. He pleaded, voice muffled against the pillows — Just let me be…
— Aw! — Randal threw himself on top of Sebastian, muttering dramatically — Won't you come to my coffin? I can't sleep. Plus, you were the one who made my dream all weird. Take responsibility!
— Why do I have to come to your coffin?
— Becaaaaause…! — he pleaded — I don't wanna move my dolls all the way here. They'll get lonely without me.
— Ugh, fine! — Sebastian sat up once again, nearly knocking his master over.
He rose to his feet and carefully walked towards Randal's coffin, trying as hard as he could not to stumble across a bear trap, a cockroach, or one of his master's Touhou figurines. That carpeted floor alone was an entire cosmos on its own.
As he reached the coffin, Sebastian set the dolls aside and lied down hesitantly. Taking responsibility? What was that about? The cushions were absurdly uncomfortable, and it felt like his body was being enveloped by nothing but wood. No wonder Randal couldn't sleep — was that a bed or a torture device? He tried his best to find a comfortable position, but his efforts amounted to nothing as the Dark Prince crawled to sleep beside him, the two of them pressed tightly against each other. The boy let out an amused sight as he interlaced their legs together, hugging Sebastian lovingly and without saying a word. Randal was so skinny it was easy to feel his ribcage over the light satin of his pajamas, along with — Sebastian didn't really wanna think about it, but — the slight swell of his chest. He was quiet now, sighing softly as he felt Sebastian's body heat seep through him. Such a good boy, his pet; so willing to keep his master happy. The Dark Prince chuckled, sleepy, before nuzzling against Sebastian's chest and breathing softly against his touch. Randal found something irresistible about that sort of intimacy. He had fantasized about it before, the feeling of having his heart go all doki-doki because of someone, eyes full of sparkles and face warm… At that moment, however, he didn't really feel that way: Randal was so excited he was afraid of throwing up Jack Nicholson — he could feel his spirit animal trying to crawl out of his void and reach for his throat. All that came to an end when he swallowed dryly in order to get Jack back in his place.
Sebastian was a prime human, that much he could tell. Soft, tall, freckled, a little bit of a coward but oh well! It was the Dark Prince's duty to take care of his lackeys, so that's okay. Randal really enjoyed being protective over his pet, and nothing amused him more than seeing him act so helpless and cute.
They were facing each other in the coffin, so tightly wound Randal could feel Sebastian's rapid heartbeat. Poor, poor little thing. Feeling compassionate, he got close to the pet’s face, pressing a few delicate kisses against his freckled cheeks.
— There's nothing to worry about… — Randal cooed, petting his curly hair carefully. He then continued, his voice complacent and loving just like someone who's talking to a little dog. — You're such a good boy. The best boy.
It didn't take long before Randal let himself fall asleep, joyful and comforted by his beloved pet's presence.
Noticing his master's serenity, Sebastian forced himself to finally breathe. He didn't know why, but being around Randal he always felt like holding his breath would successfully make the boy forget his presence — just a sad little game of prey and predator. Although the past few minutes had been filled with tension and discomfort, the pet slowly started to feel a little bit calm, maybe Randal's pores produced some sort of anxiolytic sweat or something…? He didn't know, but it all felt strangely reassuring. Sebastian wasn't really scared anymore — he just to change positions as soon as possible since that one was just way too intimate and, quite frankly, pretty gay too, and… Oh. Oh.
One of his thighs was firmly pressed right in between Randal’s legs. Just perfectly stuck on there.
Blushing harder than ever, Sebastian tried his best to shift his position without alarming the redhead too much, but it was all useless — Randal had some sort of supernatural grip on him, not letting him go even though Sebastian could swear he heard some soft snoring sounds coming from the redhead. After one last effort, his master just locked him in place, pressing their bodies together even tighter than before. He was like a leech, Sebastian thought, or some kind of unidentified parasite; just a barnacle stuck to a rock, really. Still, the boy nearly admired the power of his master's subconscious mind. They had almost come close to wrestling inside that coffin while Randal slept through it all and still won. Cryptids sure were something…
Accepting his defeat, Sebastian let out a deeply resigned sigh, letting himself fall pathetically against the cushions. Oh, there's nothing quite like the martyrdom of getting yourself entangled in a compromising position when you're lonely, young, zero bitches to be found, last time you had a girlfriend was in middle school and the VHS porn stash you once had is hidden in the garage of your past, painfully distant home. Plus, you're not sure you even remember how to jerk off because that's how much privacy one gets in the Ivory household! Nice! And now there is this particular boy whom you hate and he's literally glued to you and even though you're tired and pissed off it's still impossible to ignore the fact that he feels kind of warm in between his legs and your thigh is pressed right there and he keeps having small spasms while he sleeps just like little kittens sometimes do and it's kinda cute and all but everytime he does that he grinds down on your leg a bit and sighs weirdly and — Sebastian didn't really want to think about it anymore. God knows what would happen if he got a boner: for all he knows, Randal would probably rip it off with his teeth and make Sebastian play fetch with it. But, maybe, just maybe, it would still be worth it… It's not like Randal was that bad either. He's a little sweet if you squint — hard. It wasn't like Sebastian hadn't seen him naked before, too… Well, a little bit more than just naked. Was Randal still wearing those frilly panties from the other day? God. His master was eager and touch starved, what else could Sebastian ask for? Maybe he should make an effort. Good pussy is good pussy either way…
No. No, no, no, no. Nope.
He forced himself to forget all that, choosing instead to consider every (very possible) negative outcome as he succesfully strayed away from the dirty thoughts polluting his mind. Exhausted from all the borderline wrestling and his own overthinking, Sebastian slept as if being held hostage by his own ridiculous circumstances.
Morning felt like it came earlier than expected, although Sebastian couldn't really tell whether time had actually passed or not. He felt unbearably tired, body aching from the awkward position he and Randal slept in and especially because of the awful cushions in that coffin. Pillows, right, those were more like a sack of nails if anything.
Sebastian wished that pain could be the only discomfort in his body, but of course, things always found a way to get a little bit worse than before. There was a strange kind of ache on his belly, something he hadn't felt in a while but that wasn't at all unfamiliar. That feeling spread through warm, tingling waves all the way to his groin, and he hesitantly looked down to confirm his own suspicions: he had fallen victim to a pretty glorious, yet a bit sad, erection.
Blushing, he looked around the bedroom and noted that Randal was nowhere to be seen, and thank fucking God for that. He didn't know for how long he had been in that state, but Sebastian prayed the redhead hadn't seen it — for all he knows, a picture of his dick tenting through his pants alongside a timestamp could be floating through 4chan right at that moment, and just thinking about that was enough to give him the chills. That's what you get when you let yourself have lewd thoughts about your hikikomori captor.
He pawed himself briefly before cursing his lack of privacy in that house. Again, it's not like he wanted to win the National Contest For Premature Ejaculators™ award just in order to have a quick wank; after all, how quick was even quick enough? Randal could be staring through the keyhole right about now, just waiting for the right moment to catch him red-handed.
A cold shower would probably help for now, but he knew very well that reaching the bathroom without getting spotted on his way there would surely be one hell of a quest.
Scavenging around the carpet, he suddenly found a random magazine amidst all the yuri mangas sprawled across the floor. Kurt Cobain and Axl Rose were posing together on the cover in a very suggestive way. It all seemed weirdly unnatural, exactly as if somebody had simply photoshopped them together in the laziest way possible. It read: “Secret Affair? No more Love left for Courtney!”... Whatever that meant. Randal didn't seem like much of a Nirvana fan, but that magazine was good enough for him to cover his boner with.
And so he started to go down his own personal via crucis, trying his best to walk past the maze-like hallways and colorful doors without getting spotted by anyone. He could hear Randal and Luther's voice downstairs, but the catmen were nowhere to be seen. Nyon was probably smoking weed somewhere, but that's alright, he's a good fella. The one he should actually be worried about was…
— Where do you think you're going with that? — a way, way too familiar voice furiously called to him.
Sebastian turned with the magazine still over his groin. He wouldn't even be mad if Etheral Q kidnapped him right at that moment. Anything's better than dealing with Nyen.
— Um. Just… To the bathroom...? — he answered in the most unnaturally cordial tone possible, cold sweat accumulating on his forehead — It looks pretty interesting, see? Very enriching in the uh, pop culture domain, I guess… I can lend it to you later, if you want…?
The murderous gaze Nyen directed him was enough to mitigate any remaining amount of sexual tension that still resided in his body. As a matter of fact, his dick probably could've shriveled up and died for all eternity after that. The least invasive vasectomy in the market.
— Well. That magazine is mine, you fuck. — replied the catman, clicking his tongue furiously. Sebastian could swear he was about to pop a vein. — And it's a special edition, too...
Oh, well, no wonder it looked so out of place in Randal's bedroom. Instead of arguing, Sebastian slowly placed it on the floor before putting his hands up and carefully stepping back, almost how a small-time drug dealer would after giving his sketchy boss a briefcase filled with some fat cash.
Nyen, however, didn't seem to have been appeased in the slightest. Sensing his murderous intent, the other pet swallowed dryly. Perhaps I should run...
The catman’s eyes drilled holes through him, his feline pupils dilating dangerously. Nyen muttered, a low hiss reverberating through his words:
— I'd run if I were you.
Well, how kind of him to mail back the RSVP!
Sebastian instantly turned on his heel, forcing his brain to ignore all the aches in his body in order to successfully flee from his nemesis as soon as he pounced on his direction.
From the first floor, Randal and Luther could perfectly hear the sounds of loud stomping as Sebastian was most clearly getting terrorized all the way to the spiritual border of Saskatchewan.
— Oh, those boys. Always so full of energy, and so early in the morning, too! ♥ — Luther commented in his gleeful, yet monotone voice. His silver rings clinked softly against the porcelain of the teapot as he poured it to a very peaceful and agreeable Nyon.
Randal, however, wasn't gleeful at all. Sebastian had no business talking to Nyen first thing in the morning instead of him!
— That bastard sure has a lot of energy when it comes to Sebastian, doesn't he? — the redhead commented venomously, clicking his tongue.
— Language, young man. — he censored, ignoring the fact that Randal instantly rolled his eyes at him. — Humans need stimuli. Nyen's being very kind.
Randal stared at his own reflection bubbling on the tea’s suspiciously murky surface, a string of jealousy rising inside him and spilling over his words. Stimuli? He could give his pet enough of that, alright.
— Yeah, right. Could I take Sebastian out on a walk instead? I think the fresh air would do him good.
Luther thought about it with care. Although Randal seemed a bit more foul-mouthed right now, he still had been a good boy for the past few days. The master of the Ivory household wanted to believe his little brother had succesfully redeemed himself from his Everything Catalogue fiasco: he had taken naps at the right time without even being asked, brushed his hair everyday for over a week (an all time record, really), and was being generally hospitable, although a bit robotically so, towards everyone in the family. Perhaps a reward would help him see how being good and loving was actually worth the effort.
— Well. I suppose you could. — Luther promptly agreed, newspaper in hand. He reflected for a bit before proceeding. — I know these woods are stupendous, but do your best not to come home too late. Humans get scared in the dark, they… We have frail eyes that do not see very well at night. Who knows what could be roaming out there, too…
Randal forced himself not to give his brother a suspicious look. How could he not see well when he had not one, but two sets of eyes? Whatever. It would probably still be a while before it got dark, he and Sebastian would have plenty of time to play together.
Speaking of, his pet suddenly appeared by the kitchen. His cute, cute pet. Freshly bathed, but not looking even slightly relaxed. Smiling slyly, Randal called out to him:
— Let's go on a walk, Sebastian.