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Judelow
The wind was a wild song in Jude’s ears, a frantic symphony that matched the tempo of his own heart. Each beat was a frantic drum against his ribs, a delicious, fluttering pulse of pure, unadulterated life.
He grinned, a feral, ecstatic stretch of his lips, as the sound of heavy panting and the crunch of boots on gravel grew closer behind him. This was it. This was the feeling he craved, the reason for all the planning, all the meticulous, obsessive preparation. The thrill of the chase, the electric anticipation of the trap about to spring. He had placed the bounty on his own head, a gilded invitation, and Sharpness had accepted, just as Jude had known he would.
He had him exactly where he wanted him.
Jude could feel the ghost of Sharpness’s fingers just barely brushing the top of his enchanted armor, a tantalizing promise of capture. The idea of being grabbed, of being pulled backward into that deadly, powerful grasp, sent a violent shiver of excitement up his spine. He shook it off, forcing his mind to focus.
He counted Sharpness’s steps in his head, a silent, rhythmic mantra. One, two, three… visualizing Sharpness’s long strides, the lean, predatory coil of his body. He could feel the other man’s presence like a heat at his back. Four, five, six… the pressure plate was just ahead.
Now.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Jude placed the stone pressure plate beneath his feet, landing squarely on the trigger point. There was a deep, grinding rumble of redstone, a series of clicks that echoed like the chamber of a gun being locked into place.
The ground beneath Sharpness’s feet vanished.
A giggle, high and unhinged, burst from Jude’s lips, his giddiness forcing its way out. He skidded to a halt at the edge of the newly formed chasm, peering down into the darkness.
There was no better feeling in the world than this. No better sight than the wide, disbelieving shock in those piercing green eyes as Sharpness plummeted down, down, down. And no better noise than the string of curses that echoed up from below, Sharpness’s voice a raw, furious promise of vengeance.
“Judelow! I’m going to fucking kill you! I’m going to hunt you down and I’m going to take my sweet, sweet time doing it!”
Another rush of elation seared through Jude’s blood, hot and intoxicating. He could picture it perfectly: Sharpness on his tail, fueled by white-hot anger, chasing after him until his little rabbit legs gave out, until Jude was cornered, with no other option but to turn and face the much stronger swordsman, to stare down his own violent, brutal death.
Jude shook his head, forcing the image out of his mind and focusing back on the present.
With no time to waste, he scrambled over to the ladder he’d placed earlier, his movements quick and efficient. He slid down into the cool, dark water below, his bunny ears twitching, on high alert as he listened for the sound of Sharpness’s struggling.
Only… the cave was suspiciously silent.
Jude’s ears strained upward, swiveling, trying to pick up any sign of the blonde. The only sound was the gentle lapping of water against stone and the faint, ominous hum of the redstone torches.
“Sharpness…” he called out, his voice hesitant, feeling more and more put off with each passing second of silence. “What’s happenin’?” he tried again, his tone deceptively light as he crept through the low-lit stone corridors.
In the back of his mind, Jude couldn’t help but regret relying on the dim, crimson glow of the redstone to light the area. The blood-red lighting did nothing to soothe his fraying nerves. Instead, it transformed every shadow into a lurking monster, every flicker a potential threat.
Finally, he turned the last corner and laid eyes on the very trap Sharpness had fallen into.
But the trap was empty.
Fuck.
It was the last coherent thought that flickered through Jude’s mind before all rationality was wiped from his brain, replaced by fear. He’d heard a noise from behind him. The soft, deliberate shuffling of gravel.
Jude spun around, his sword clearing its scabbard quickly as he faced the direction of the sound. There was no one there. He held his weapon out in front of him with trembling hands, his breaths coming in short, uneven puffs. His heart was beating practically out of his chest, so loud and so strong that he could hear the blood pounding in his ears, an uneven, frantic rhythm.
Sharpness had escaped. How had Sharpness escaped?
Unfortunately, there was no time for contemplation, because now he was out, and he was surely hunting Jude.
Jude spun in a circle, his eyes straining in the low, red light as he tried to identify the broad, hulking form of his enemy. There! His ears straining as much as they could, he could hear it again, just barely. Footsteps. Slow and measured.
He quickly took a step backward, away from the threat, his sword held aloft. A dark shadow stretched in front of him, bathing the dim stone floor in an even deeper shade of black. Jude quivered as his sensitive ears picked up on the light shing of metal on metal—a sword being drawn from its holster.
Despite himself, Jude’s nose twitched in fear.
Finally, one netherite-toed boot rounded the corner, and then another. The footsteps grew louder, closer.
Sharpness.
He was grinning, his sword dangling lazily from one hand. Bathed in the crimson light of the redstone, he was a terrifying sight to behold. The red trims of his armor looked less like rubies and more like wet blood, dripping down the dark metal. His hair, usually a bright, sunny blonde, was cast in deep, bloody shadows.
He was hauntingly beautiful, a terrifying angel of death, and the sight sent an unwanted, terrifying jolt of attraction straight to Jude’s core.
“Juuuuude,” he called, the sing-song tone to his voice doing little to calm the bunny’s nerves.
If anything, it just set him more on edge. A pleased Sharpness was a dangerous Sharpness.
“How?” Jude managed, cursing the slight quiver in his voice.
Sharpness’s grin widened, a flash of white in the gloom. “Your traps don’t work on me anymore, Jude. You’re all out of tricks.”
Jude swallowed, trying to find his voice. “Yeah?” he asked, stalling for time.
Think, think, think, he commanded himself, his mind a frantic, useless scramble. What do I do? What can I do?
Sharpness said nothing, just watching him panic, his sword still gripped loosely in his hand. He took a single step forward.
Jude watched with bated breath, frozen in place. Think, think, think. It was a pointless mantra. In the end, there was only one option for the bunny. Only one way out.
Jude turned tail… and ran.
—
Sharpness
Sharpness had never felt so high in his life. The swirling warmth of satisfaction pooled in his gut as he rounded the corner of Jude’s little bunker. He had done it. He had actually escaped one of Jude’s horrible, humiliating traps. All it had taken was a quick attribute swap, a burst of speed, and a desperate lunge for the ladder he’d spotted mid-fall.
He felt the grin as it stretched, unbidden, across his lips, a predator's smile born of pure, unadulterated triumph. Slowly, he unsheathed his sword, the scrape of metal on leather a symphony to his ears, basking in the sound of Jude’s breath hitching from the other side of the stone wall. That little gasp, that tiny, involuntary betrayal of fear—it was more intoxicating than any potion, more potent than any enchantment.
He must be terrified, knowing what was coming for him. Knowing who was coming for him.
"Juuuuude," he heard himself calling in a low purr as he finally stepped out from behind the wall and in front of the bunny.
And what a sight he was. Sharpness’s breath caught, pleasure roaring to life like a furnace in his chest.
The Judelow before him was picture-perfect, a breathtaking work of art carved from pure terror. His long, velveteen ears, usually so expressive and playful, were pinned flat against his dark hair, a gesture of utter submission that sent a jolt straight through Sharpness’s gut. His face, usually a canvas for smug, knowing smirks and infuriatingly cocky grins, was now pale and slack with shock.
But it was his eyes—oh, his eyes. Those wide, luminous magenta pools, usually sparkling with mischief and clever defiance, were now blown wide with a primal, animalistic fear. They darted around the stone cavern, scanning the space between them, desperately searching for an exit that didn’t exist.
And in their panicked depths, Sharpness saw his own reflection, a dark, looming threat.
As he continued to taunt him, Sharpness did his best to memorize every detail of the Jude in front of him. It was a rare, precious sight to see the Judelow so afraid, so unprepared, and Sharpness relished in it. He lived for it. For their endless back and forth, the game of cat and mouse that he loved so much.
He thought of that usual haughty smile, the one that made Sharpness’s blood boil with a desire to wipe it right off his face, to put him in his place, to force him to his knees where he belonged. This was so much better. This was the truth of him. This was perfect.
As close as he was, Sharpness could see the fine tremor that ran through Jude’s entire body, a vibration of panic that he could feel even from a few feet away. The other’s grip trembled around the hilt of his sword, his knuckles white, stripped of any and all confidence.
The knowledge that he was the cause of this, that Sharpness was the architect of this beautiful fear, brought with it a rush of pure ecstasy so potent it made him dizzy. He took a deep, steadying breath, inhaling the scent of damp stone, redstone dust, and the faint, sweet aroma of Jude’s terror.
He watched, silent, as Jude’s big magenta eyes bounced around the stone cavern, growing more and more panicked by the moment, the sheen of fear deepening to true terror.
Sharpness licked his lips. The hunt was about to begin.
As if reading Sharp’s thoughts, suddenly, Jude froze. All of his muscles tightened in preparation for a run. The shift was instantaneous, a prey animal realizing it had one last chance. Sharpness lifted his sword in response, the tip gleaming in the gloom.
There was no world where Jude escaped him now. Judelow couldn’t run from him forever, and they both knew it.
Even still, Jude bolted. There was nothing else for him to do.
Sharpness sprinted after him not a millisecond later, cutting through the dark, blood-lit corridors. Hunter and hunted. Predator and prey. Cat and mouse.
Jude squeaked as the two of them rounded a corner and were met with a dead end. He spun in an instant, using the powerful strength in his rabbit legs to spring off the stone wall and shoot past Sharpness, forcing Sharpness to turn on his heel and give chase again. It was a repeat of their earlier chase on the surface, only this time, the odds were undeniably in Sharpness’s favor. Little by little, he was gaining on him. There were only so many places to run in this small, man-made system of tunnels.
"Sharpness, Sharpness, let's talk about this–" Jude managed between gasps, his voice holding that deceptively light, teasing tone that Sharpness both hated and craved.
"I don't want to talk," Sharpness snarled, gritting his teeth in irritation as he swapped his sword for his pickaxe. Jude was frantically trying to dig his way to the surface, his netherite axe a blur of motion against the stone. "You can't run forever, little bunny," he reminded him, his own pickaxe carving through the rock above him with practiced ease. "I'll find you. You know I'll find you."
Jude let out a near-manic giggle that echoed through the tight space. Sharpness could picture the expression on his face perfectly: half-crazed, his eyes colored with that pretty, pretty desperation that made Sharpness’s blood sing.
He swallowed the wave of desire and dug quicker. He needed to see Jude's face for himself. He needed to memorize the fear, the panic. He needed to see the look on his face as Sharpness slid his sword through the gaps in Jude's netherite armor, how his mouth would fall open with a small gasp of surprise, how Sharpness's name would fall from Jude's lips, a soft whimper that would quickly transform into a muffled gurgle as he choked on his own blood…
Dead. By Sharpness’s hand.
Fuck, Sharpness thought roughly as he burst out onto the surface, the sudden brightness of the sun a stark contrast to the crimson gloom below.
Jude was only a few yards in front of him, his fluffy bunny tail twitching in fear as he sprinted across the grassy plain. Sharpness was quick to follow, barely a few feet behind as he ran after him.
With Jude’s back turned, Sharpness still couldn't see his face, couldn't memorize the molten fear in his magenta eyes... that wouldn't do at all.
Corralling Jude as best he could, herding him with his sheer presence and speed, Sharpness suddenly found himself heading downward again, into another cave of Jude's choosing. Sharp grit his teeth. This was dangerous territory. A new cave could mean another potential trap. He needed to end this, now.
With a final, powerful burst of speed, Sharpness lunged forward, swinging his axe sideways in a wide, brutal arc. The blow caught Jude squarely in the torso and sent him flying toward the left, tumbling into a small cavern carved into the gaping opening of the greater cave.
Cornered.
Sharpness's grin returned tenfold and, quicker than the blink of an eye, he had webs placed at either side of Jude, pinning his legs and arms to the stone walls. The bunny was well and truly trapped.
Judelow panted in fear, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath, to recover from their desperate chase. "Sharpness–" he tried again, his voice breathless, a broken sound.
The name was music to Sharpness's ears.
"Caught you," Sharpness said in response, merciless, the sound a low purr of victory.
"Sharpness," Jude repeated, his voice closer to a plea than a name. "Please, I– I–"
Sharpness ignored his begging, requipping his sword as he took a step forward. There was less than a foot of space between them now. The air crackled with tension, with fear, with something else. Something electric.
He reached forward, capturing Jude's jaw in a bruising grip. He tilted the other's chin upward, forcing his gaze upward, forcing him to lock eyes with Sharpness.
Sharpness stared into the deep, terrified pools of magenta, searching, searching... and there. Beneath the fear, beneath the panic, Sharpness found what he'd been looking for. What he knew he was sure to find. Desire.
It always sparked in moments like these, right before Judelow met his death. There was a reason he sought Sharpness out, after all. Why he’d placed a bounty on his head, why he whittled endlessly at Sharpness's patience, begging him for his attention.
Judelow loved being hunted just as much as Sharpness loved hunting him.
As if sensing what Sharpness had found, the corner of Jude's soft, plush lips twitched upward, the beginning of a small, crazed smile forming. "Are you going to kill me now?" he whispered into the minuscule space between them, his voice a breathy, willing sacrifice.
Sharpness slid his grip downward, the pads of his fingers brushing against the soft skin of Jude’s jaw before coming to settle around the smooth, pale column of his throat.
Sharpness began to squeeze.
Jude gasped in shock, his lips parting beautifully as he tried to drag in an impossible breath. Slowly, his eyes started to glaze over as his body was deprived of oxygen.
Sharpness leaned down, studying the beautiful image of submission in front of him, the evidence of his strength, of his victory. He stopped mere millimeters from Jude's face, his own lips just barely brushing against Jude's. They were just as soft as they looked.
"What do you think?" he asked, his voice a low growl. “Do you think I should kill you?”
There was no response from Jude as his body began to jerk uncontrollably, trying again to suck in a breath that wouldn't come.
Sharpness smiled as he felt the muscles of Jude's throat spasm beneath his palm, at the image of tears welling in Jude's impossibly pretty eyes, making them shine like jewels. He just couldn't resist anymore.
Sharpness released the grip on Jude's neck, but instead of letting him catch his breath, he surged forward, capturing Jude's mouth with his own. The kiss was a reward in itself, a better prize than seeing the life drain from Jude's eyes, than feeling his body go limp beneath his grip. Jude tasted sweet, like the honey blocks he loved so much, and Sharpness moaned at the flavor.
Jude made a similar noise, caught halfway between pleasure and distress—after all, his body was still begging for breath.
Sharpness kissed him for a few moments more, a brutal, claiming press of his mouth on the other’s, before finally pulling away.
Jude gasped, sagging forward as much as the webs would let him as he dragged in ragged breaths. His lips were red and kiss-swollen, a string of saliva connecting them to Sharpness's own as the bunny stared up at him, his eyes shiny with unshed tears and a dizzying cocktail of emotions.
Sharpness licked his lips, breaking the string as he savored the taste of Judelow, a small smirk of satisfaction gracing his lips.
"I hope you've learned your lesson this time, bunny," Sharpness warned, abruptly sheathing his sword with a definitive click. "Maybe next time I won't let you go with just a kiss."
Maybe, Sharpness thought as he turned, running his tongue over his lips one last time, tasting the lingering sweetness. Maybe next time I won't let you go at all.
"Sharpness–" Jude breathed in a ragged, desperate plea, but Sharp paid him no mind. Instead, he spun on his heel and left the cave, leaving Judelow dangling there helplessly, caught in a web of his own design, the echo of his own desire ringing in his ears.