hh_mirror

((---OOC: Part 2. Still slightly heated. Same cut tag source.---))

It didn't take Terry long to find his clothes and change. What did take a little while was sitting on the bench and repeating 'Fuck' as many times as possible, as quietly as possible. Something sour was washing away the heat from his spine and across his abs. He licked his lips and shivered, but he could still almost feel Ryuuji.

"Fuck!"

Terry exhaled. Chocolate. There would be chocolate and fruit and he could make sure to make the conversation light. And he wouldn't flirt...he'd stop himself from flirting. If the thought occured to him he'd squash it.

Feeling as if that was a plan, Terry only paused again long enough to begin to switch boots. But he soon realized staying for that would make things longer than was really necessary. In the weathered, feathered and worn black jeans he'd been wearing in his room, and a purple shirt, his boots in his hand, Terry made his way back towards the brighter part of the cavern.

Ryuuji hadn't bothered changing - the tunic and the tight boots that laced up to his knees were the only real changes he'd made. Apart from the crown and the jewelry, which he'd taken off and placed amongst the rest of the gold that was heaped up so highly. He didn't have a tie on him to fix his hair, but twisted it into a loose bun as best as he could, curling it in on itself, and then went back to resting in the throne and waiting for Terry to return.

The heat inside him had mostly dissipated by now, Ryuuji's main concern on making sure that he and Terry would somehow stay friends which overrode any other thoughts. Or possibly more importantly, any other wants.

He didn't touch the plate of foodstuff either, waiting like a good little dracling for Terry to return. As the other came back, Ryuuji offered him a quick smile, then tilted his head at the platter. "Help yourself?"

A pause, and then he asked in all innocence, "And what do you have against strawberries?"

It didn't occur to him that the fact that his own mouth had tasted of strawberries and chocolates might have something to do with Terry's unwillingness to try that particular combination again.

He dropped, no threw his boots in a corner and sat down on the far end of the throne, near the chocolate. I'm the tease. Yeah, right. Terry stared at Ryuuji, gaze on his lips and he reached for something, anything to dip into the chocolate. "I wouldn't have regretted it." He said out of the blue, needing to say it before they moved on.

Something, not yet covered in chocolate made it's way to his mouth. A crunch and the taste of salt had Terry thinking - pretzel. "How long have you been hiding this lair of yours in the castle? And where did you put the bodies of the other knights?"

"..." Okay. Well, that had been out of the blue. And not entirely true either, was it? Becase Terry had changed everything. The hot, intense kisses? Those, Ryuuji could deal with. Easily. The way that Terry had tried to give himself, searching for an answer from Ryuuji - that was different. Ryuuji was pretty sure he didn't have what Terry was looking for, and if they'd continued, Terry would have had to deal with that afterwards. That he'd given without getting anything in return.

And that made Ryuuji the next best thing to a thief, and that wasn't fair. Ryuuji liked things to be fair. His gaze dipped downwards for a moment, lighting on his interlaced fingers, and Ryuuji stared at his own hands as if they were new to him, trying to think about how he had mapped out Terry's body with them. How he could probably draw a fair sketch of the other's body, chest, back, legs, arms - everything, or nearly everything.

The easy smile on his lips flickered for a moment, then steadied again at the question about the lair. With a laugh, Ryuuji made himself look up, and tilted his head at Terry, "It's not a real lair - this is the Room of Requirement. It'll change to whatever you need it to be."

He reached past Terry, careful not to touch him, and snagged a strawberry, taking only the tiniest of bites out of it as he arched an eyebrow at the other boy curiously, "And 'bodies'? You make it sound as if I'm planning on killing you."

Well. Maybe a little death.

"Didn't die. Just got burned." He replied, reaching over and picking up another pretzel. He stiffened for a moment, mentally shaking himself out of acting like some sort of...he didn't know what. Girl ? A sudden chuckle hit him. Maybe the real reason most people weren't bi, was because most men couldn't figure other men out and didn't want to go through the trouble. They at least knew how they were supposed to behave toward women. It was all laid out there in history.

Metaphors? Fine. Ryuuji could work with that. It made it easier to talk about something after all, when you hid it behind words that made it look prettier/less painful/less real. And if something went wrong, you could blame the metaphor for being an imperfect translation of what you meant, instead of having to think about if you'd actually meant what you'd said or not.

Arching an eyebrow at the chuckle, still nibbling at the strawberry thoughtfully as if he wanted to make it last, Ryuuji asked Terry, "Isn't that better than dying?"

He shook his head and stood up. "I'm sorry. This is a bad idea. How about I head back to my room and see you at breakfast maybe ? You were right, I'd never done that before and as kind as that rejection was, no one really deals with it well, and I liked you."

Terry smiled again, the same shadow thing that existed away from his eyes. "Tomorrow we can sort out the Hogsmeade trip and you can talk more about wands or magic or...anything you'd like. Potions maybe ? Pre-tutoring ?"

'liked', past tense? That made it sound as if Terry no longer liked Ryuuji. And wait, rejection? ...Ryuuji hadn't meant it as rejection. Not in the least. It was just that the sudden switch in atmosphere had clued him in to everything not being the way it was meant to be; made it clear that Terry was going to take this too seriously, try to search for more than just passion. And how was it rejection to warn someone that you didn't have what they were looking for?

"Sure. That works for me - I hope you feel better by morning." Furious with himself for having gotten Terry into this spot in the first place, Ryuuji bit down on his lower lip harshly, then nodded. He should let it go from there. Just let Terry leave, agree to tutor him for Potions, before Potions, whatever. Like Terry had said, this had been a bad idea, good as it had felt, and since it had been Ryuuji that had invited him here, it had been Ryuuji's bad idea. And since Ryuuji was trying to be responsible, that meant he ought to just let Terry go, right?

But he liked Terry. Terry was fun.

So, he canted his head to a side, bun coming a little undone and loose tendrils of hair tickling at his bared back, and asked half-hesitantly, "One question - you said 'liked'. Does that mean you don't like me any longer, and don't want to stay friends?"

The look on Terry's face said clear as words 'Are you Batshit ?'. "Hogsmeade. Wand shopping. Leashes and blood lollipops. Breakfast tomorrow. Does that sound like I want to avoid you ?" He lifted up his shirt and pointed.

"Ryuuji's Chocolate Slytherin Treasure. " Terry shrugged. "Ok, maybe not chocolate or treasure anymore. But still your friend. Just give a guy a chance to brood properly first, ok ? It's a Bat-thing. I need a nice tower, and some rain and then I'll get over myself."

That was very reassuring, and Ryuuji's sudden smile was bright and thankful, the worry fading away from his eyes as he swung his legs over the side of the chair and stood up. Without thinking, he reached out to hug Terry for just a second, wanting to express how relieved he was to know that everything would be okay.

Softly, smile softening a little, Ryuuji told the other, "You're still my chocolate treasure, idiot. And..."

He paused for a second, then looked at the ground, before looking back at Terry, meeting his eyes steadily even as his words faltered, "I probably should have told you this earlier, but I'm kinda on the rebound now. I just got out of a... kinda messy... relationship. I'm not- you musn't -"

Fuck. Such a thing as easy speech did exist, right? "Not your fault, basically. Mine. Sorry. I've been trying not to think about that side of things."

He'd been about to push Ryuuji away, despite the smile. The smile was fucking confusing. But the 'idiot' was also perversely reassuring.

And then Ryuuji started talking. Terry frowned. "So I'm not tasty and delicious ? I'm just available and look good in no pants ?" His lower lip pouted a bit. Ryuuji, rebound, wanting to be responsible. It all made sense. Except...

He thumbed Ryuuji's chin a little. "Guess I'm back to where I started again, but for a different reason this time."

"Again, idiot." Ryuuji was sure of that much at least; he didn't want Terry just because he could have him. A half-smirk touched his lips, and Ryuuji nuzzled lightly against the thumb that stroked over his chin lightly, trying to figure out how to best explain why Terry, out of Ryuuji's eight or nine admirers, had been the one to end up getting kissed so very thoroughly.

"If it was just a question of who was available and had the legs to pull off the trouser-free look, I'd have tagged Kira or Mai. Both of them manage the friends-with-benefits thing fine, but I was trying to stay away from them in case I ended up emotionally latching on to them as well." His smile was a little lopsided now, like he was trying to smile but couldn't quite manage it, "And then you were turning this emotional, and if I responded, I wouldn't know if I did it because I like you and like hanging out with you, or because I'm being needy. And it would be kinda sucky if I attached on to you for the wrong reasons."

Head tilted a little to a side, Ryuuji widened his eyes curiously and asked, "Back to where you started with a different reason?" Huh?

"No molesting the Dragon. But this time it has nothing to do with Dick." He dropped his hand to Ryuuji's shoulder and squeezed gently before pushing him, more of a nudge really, back toward the chocolate.

With a smirk, Ryuuji responded, "It's not molestation if I want it." And since Terry had been the one in the kilt, Ryuuji was of the opinion that he'd given as well as he'd received anyway.

He took the hint though, taking a step back away from Terry so that he could leave if needed, feeling more reassured now that he knew they'd stay friends. He didn't like the fact that he'd had to explain about Tom to Terry, mostly because that had been meant to be a secret but well, Tom was popcorn now and even before that, Tom had changed his mind once it had become clear that Voldemort didn't actually have a problem with it.

His brow furrowed and he mouthed 'Idiot', softly. He shook his head, heat flashing in his eyes for just a moment.

Terry moved towards the cauldron with every intention of staying a while and eating. He kind of wished the room would stop looking the way it did, however. He didn't want to think about Ryuuji on the throne, in those clothes, the way he'd been minutes before , not now that he knew where his head was at.

Attraction was attraction, he could handle physical attraction with friends. And he wanted Ryuuji. But it didn't feel like just physical attraction, not Ryuuji's responses or Terry's responses to him. Ryuuji thought instinct was the easy way out and Terry could respect that. He just knew that after years breaking the law and running with the wrong crowd and two years being Batman that the instinct to let his guard down wasn't easy at all.

There was potential in Ryuuji and now he knew what was going on, the best thing to do would be to keep that potential nipped tight before it led him anywhere Ryuuji couldn't follow.

The quick flash of heat in Terry's eyes kindled a mirroring spark in Ryuuji's eyes, and for a second, Ryuuji felt his mouth dry with how badly he wanted to just reach out, pull Terry to him and then kiss him again. And this time, he wouldn't bother stopping, because Terry had said he wouldn't regret it, and it would be so easy to press him down against the steps of the dais, sprawl him out and this time, map Terry out using his mouth instead of his fingers, learning how the muscle-skin-bone felt under his lips instead of his fingertips.

No. No. Not going to. Really. He wasn't.

Figuring that it was a good idea to warn Terry of that, Ryuuji swallowed deliberately, trying to wet his mouth and make speech possible again. With a laugh that sounded only a little breathless, Ryuuji glanced away deliberately and picked up a strawberry without thinking, biting down and relishing the sweet juice that dampened his tongue and made it possible for him to talk again. As casually as he could, Ryuuji mentioned to the other as if it had no more import than the weather, "You know, you really shouldn't look at me like that. It makes me want to kiss you."

A dribble of strawberry juice trickled down his wrist, and Ryuuji raised it to his mouth and licked it away without thinking, tongue darting out to clean himself up, and a smudge of chocolate just showing at the edge of his lips.

Tongue. Lapping. Little pink tongue, trailing over strawberry juices. Lips, red, sweet, chocolate. Terry pinched his own thigh. The little flirt. Fine, if that was the way it was going to be, it'd be all latte foam, and chocolate teeth and he'd learn how to give head sucking down six inch long, white chococolate lollipops.

He dipped a banana into the pooling, velvet brown and raised it to his lips, lapping with innocent eyes. "You can practice self-control."

"But I don't believe in self-control. Or rather, I have to use it so much that I'm sick of it." Ryuuji pointed out, eyes fixed on Terry and the show he was putting on, biting idly at his own knuckles without thinking about it as he watched Terry clean the chocolate off the fruit so very innocently. Though Ryuuji was sure that was just a pretense because there was simply no way Terry was doing that accidently. No way at all.

Without looking away, Ryuuji reached for the platter of fruits and snagged a cherry, coating it with the chocolate and holding it above the pot for a few seconds to make sure it wouldn't drip. Bringing it to his mouth, he bit down on the chocolate shell so that it cracked under his teeth, then nibbled it away, teeth white against the dark, kiss-swollen red of his lips. The cherry and stem both went into his mouth, then Ryuuji tilted his head to a side for a second and concentrated, twisting the stem around and then sticking it out once he'd triple-knotted it, giving Terry a look that had his eyes practically dancing with laughter.

He wasn't suprised. He'd had that tongue in his mouth after all. And on his neck. And his shoulder. Terry grinned suddenly and locked his gaze on Ryuuji's lips. He licked his own, slowly, then bit down on the bottom lip, sucking it in and letting it out in memory-mockery of when Ryuuji had been nipping at him. His lip turned pink.

Terry caught his jaw and chin in his hand, in a somewhat philosophical pose, except his index finger curled just under his lower lip. It stretched out, nudging the lip up. It rubbed back and forth idley. It nudged it back into his mouth to be bitten again and again.

Okay. Ryuuji? Do NOT swallow the cherry stem.

He was pretty sure that breathing was essential for life but he didn't think that he was breathing right now. Maybe he was an undead? Like a vampire. He wouldn't mind being a vampire. Then he'd have an excuse to bite Terry again. Because right now? He really, really wanted to do that. Really wanted to.

Leaning back deliberately in an attempt to stop himself from pouncing Terry, Ryuuji plucked the cherry stem from his tongue, catching it between two fingers, and then let those fingers rest on his lower lip, pushing just inwards enough to let his teeth scrape over the cuticles. He bit down hard on them, stifling a small sound that from anyone else would be called a whimper, and watched Terry intently, green eyes intense and dark once more.

Don'tjumphimdon'tjumphimdon'tjumphim...

Slightly strangled, words a little muffled by the fingers that rested on his lower lip and against his teeth, Ryuuji just had to point out, "Potions is going to be hell."

Terry smiled, bottom lip swollen, wet and red. "We knew that already." He took a step forward and then another, keeping a respectable distance between them, but close enough to pitch his voice. "You're fun. Intelligent. Fascinating." His smile turned sultry. "And sexy, Ryuuji. But you guessed right. I have no intention of being the rebound guy. That guy wouldn't get to keep you long enough to really know you. I want to know you."

He tilted his head, eyes intense in a way that meant he was thinking something over. A different kind of fire. "But how about a deal...." He arched a brow. "Interested ?"

Voice low and smooth, dark liquid chocolate, Ryuuji answered truthfully, "If it's got something to do with you, always."

The response was instantaneous, Ryuuji just saying exactly what he thought without bothering to doublethink it as he usually did. His eyes stayed on Terry's, despite the temptation to flicker downwards and focus on those kissable-looking lips, and the green of them reflected both curiosity and want. Two forms of desire: the desire to have, and the desire to know, and neither was stronger than the other.

Stance relaxed, but attuned to Terry's, Ryuuji tilted his head at the other and waited for Terry to go on. Strands of black hair spilt over his shoulders as he did so, bun coming even further undone, and Ryuuji took his fingers away from his mouth to bat at them impatiently, pushing them away to fall over his back instead, away from his eyes.

He smiled again, pleased, but trying not to react to the tone of Ryuuji's voice. He hadn't heard Ryuuji speak when they'd been...in the middle of things. But his voice did match his body. "You have a choice to make. We can go to Hogsmeade and buy each other some token, for whenever this." His eyes took in the whole room. "Becomes a good idea." His voice slipped to something a bit serious. "Just and only a good idea, something that has no chance of tripping up this friendship. Or."

His voice changed again. "We can agree to a kiss limit per day. No other touching, no extended body contact. Just those kisses. That's it." His eyes went to Ryuuji's hair and his fingers twitched remembering being tangled in it. "To touch or not to touch." Terry chuckled. "That is your question."

Head tilted to a side, still, Ryuuji considered those options. Hm...

With that thoughtful hum of mock-agony, Ryuuji drummed his fingers against his own collarbone, fingers tapping out a quick-paced, three-quarter measure pattern as he thought it over. Biting down on his lower lip again, he glanced at Terry from under dark, tangled eyelashes and asked with a low, knowing laugh, rich and wicked and as challenging as it was teasing, "What makes you think that we could stick to a kiss limit? One of us would break it. And once it's broken, we'd either have to stop that deal completely or..."

And he let his voice trail off, and shot Terry a look, laughing and tempting at once. "Or something. First choice is the only real option by default, but only under the condition that it's not a collar. Dragons don't wear those."

He grinned., he didn't think that Ryuuji would have fallen into the trap of thinking limits set in air, limits that didn't really exist, would control them. "The collar wouldn't be for you."

"In that case," And his voice was a low, smooth purr, like an expensive car engine that held just a hint of a rumble under the superficial beauty, "I think that it sounds like the better deal."

Cue a pause, and Ryuuji licked over his lips, reaching out with one hand to Terry, palm upwards, "Seal it with a kiss?"

He laughed. "And put us right back where we started. I don't think so. A solid handshake." He started to hold out his hand and then paused. "One last thing. An addendum. We can never be alone together with chocolate past tonight." The heat in his eyes turned challenging. " Sure you're up for it ?"

"Like I said before, always." A smirk curved at Ryuuji's lips, dangerous and knowing as he took a step forwards. It was only one step, but it had a predatory feel to it, booted feet clacking against the floor as he walked forwards, reaching out to grab Terry's hand. He'd extended his left hand without thinking (hand sinister), forgetting for the moment that most people used their right one.

It didn't matter. He'd observed Terry during the cookie-making session, and Terry seemed capable of using both equally well.

Part of him wanted to consider that always. Ryuuji kept saying that they were clicking too quickly, feeling comfortable too fast. But then he went and played to that very situation with certain words and phrases. He said he was on the rebound, but then he accepted something set in the future, something potentially serious. Terry extended his hand, his left hand just as easily, watching Ryuuji's eyes.

Ryuuji's fingers slid into Terry's palm, a subtle caress, and pushed down to rub over the inside of Terry's wrist for a moment before retreating back and curving over the other's hand. It wasn't a handshake, not quite, because Ryuuji used it to take hold of Terry's hand and pull up, bringing Terry's hand to his mouth so that he could drop the gentlest of kisses on it, vivid green eyes locked on the other's blue gaze as he did so.

He wanted to kiss Terry, badly. Wanted to just drag Terry to him and own his mouth, tongue-teeth-lips-everything. But Terry had said no, and Ryuuji had to respect that. That didn't stop him from wanting though, and the intensity of his need showed in the dark heat that made his eyes a vicious, vivid green.

He turned his hand, cupped Ryuuji cheek and brushed his thumb over Ryuuj's lips. "I think I have something in mind for my collar. I hope you won't mind I if have something in mind for you too." He saw the intensity, but he wouldn't stop reminding Ryuuji that they actually wanted this friendship to last and not burn out all intense fire, white blaze, heat and crumpled ash.

"Thought you weren't into jewelry..." The protest was half-hearted, Ryuuji opening his mouth to breathe out softly over Terry's thumb, tilting his head just enough forwards to catch it between his teeth for a second and suck softly. This was unfair. So unfair. He wanted, and Terry was so close and it would be so easy to just reach out and grab him and kiss him and-

Ryuuji's pupils dilated slightly, the normally tiny specks of black that were nearly invisible against the green of his eyes enlargening just a little, and he had to hold his breath for a second to make sure his voice wouldn't sound shaky when he continued. Fuck. Damnit. HOW were they meant to get through Potions class?

He let go of Terry's thumb to ask in an admirably steady voice, "What did you have in mind for me?"

"Something discreet of course. It's suppose to be something only you and I know about." Terry thumbed Ryuuji's lips again and then let his hand slide down along the bare golden arm and over his palm, down his middle finger and then they weren't touching anymore.

"I like the pony tail, it's the only tail you have. And I did say I wanted to pet it. So something for your hair. Something you have to touch every day." He smiled, mostly sweetly, except for the dark humor in his eyes. Ruuji didn't want him hurt and he didn't want to be either. But he could ensure they got to know each other, very, very, well.

"That works." Ryuuji had to hold his breath at the loss of warmth, feeling berefit once Terry's touch was gone. Damnit. Since when did he become such a physically affectionate person? He knew that touch was an easy way to commnuicate, that just hugging and holding someone tight often said more than talking to them (because words could lie but warmth was real, and even if the emotion behind it wasn't real, it was still warmth and better for a person than words could be), but he didn't think that he had craved to be touched like this.

Not so badly that he was seriously thinking of just stepping forwards a little, grabbing Terry and pulling him into a kiss because hell, it wasn't as if Terry didn't want him back.

Okay. Stop it. This is ridiculous. You're nineteen years old. You're an international celebrity. You're a bloody heartthrob. GET A FUCKING GRIP.

Pause.

Not on that. And while you're at it, get your mind out of the gutter as well.

Cheeks flushing slightly, Ryuuji closed his eyes and bit down on his lower lip, a soft whimper leaving him as
he did his best to fight against his own instincts and just stay still.

Hyperactivity had nothing on this.

Terry watched desire and want and if he squinted and maybe fooled himself, something like need, chase over Ryuuji's face. But that was just physical. Or at least it looked just physical. He hooked his thumbs into his jean pockets and glanced down, quietly giving Ryuuji a chance to compose himself.

And giving himself a moment to catch his breath. The last time he'd seen those cheeks that flushed, heard that half hidden whimper... Terry exhaled, slowly. "We don't have to eat the chocolate together tonight. We can divy it up some how, go back to our rooms. Stay there."

He couldn't help wondering, though, if Ryuuji had finally realized that some people said more with their actions than their words and tonight he'd done both. Though that only made him wonder if he'd somehow slipped into the rebound slot despite everything. Because did Ryuuji want him, or anyone who offered to just deal; the good, the bad, the cantankerous. Evens to evens.

"That..." And Ryuuji's voice was roughened now, the smooth edges sliding away to have something closer to a growl-purr revealed underneath, Ryuuji having to clench his hands into fists to stop himself from reaching out, "Might be best. For both of us."

He inhaled, a short, sharp gasp of breath, and flinched in place, jerking forwards and stilling himself suddenly. "Ki'yala!" The oath was loud and filled with frustration, Ryuuji reaching up to rake one hand through his hair and being deliberately rough about it, hurting himself enough to yank his mind into some semblance of order. Embarrassed by his own lack of control, he shot Terry an apologetic look. "Sorry. I- I'm not used to denying myself anything I want. I usually balance out having to do things I don't want by indulging myself with whatever I do want.".

And he should have stopped there but the words slipped out from his mouth without him really wanting them to, "You're very shiny."

The concern he'd been feeling flowed into empathy and then a wicked if comforting smile. "I'm the best present waiting under the tree ? I'm flattered."

He cocked his hip a little, one knee bending as he shifted his weight, fingers still against his thighs. "But look at it this way. You don't want to wait, but if you do, you get what you want. There's balance." Terry laughed. "I am the sound of one hand clapping. Schway."

His eyes sobered. "Dragon. You have things you need to work out. It's only been a couple of days and..." He moved his hand skimming off his chest as if pushing heat towards Ryuuji. "Balance is rare. Friendship, partners against crime, whatever. Do you want what you can't have, or ...?" He shrugged. " We've got time to figure out."

"I'm not objectifying you." Ryuuji defended himself instinctively, then stuck out his tongue at the other male. There. Banter. Banter was good. Banter was light-hearted, and casual, and easy. And it was instinctive, and instinctive was good because as long as Ryuuji was obeying those set of instincts, he couldn't listen to any others. Or at least, the others were drowned out for the moment and fuck, Ryuuji really should know better than to let the dragon-possessive side of him surface because it hated stopping halfway. It hated not being able to claim Terry, even though common sense told it to shut up and back down.

Except backing down was hard, because Ryuuji wasn't used to that. Ryuuji was used to wanting something, then doing everything in his power to get it, and succeeding. And it was difficult to remind himself that this counted as a success, because he'd get what he wanted, just not now and he only needed to be patient and-

The gold heaped around them glittered darkly, their shine reflected in Ryuuji's eyes when he looked at the other male again, trying to focus on Terry and the conversation instead of everything else. Without thinking, he licked over his lips, then shot Terry a rueful smirk, "You know what? You're right, we have time. But I think that I'd be thinking clearer if I was away from here. No more gold, no more heat-" And no more air that smells like raw desire, "And a more human mindset."

He'd waved aside the 'objectification. He didn't see it that way. "I like your less than human mindset." Terry blinked. He'd been doing pretty well distracting himself, thinking of what he stood to gain. Of how unique their friendship, even if nothing else happened, would and could be. But it was the odd quirks, the unusual ways of seeing things he responded to. And there was something incredibly sexy in knowing that Ryuuji had said stop first. That he was the one fighting with himself, still fighting himself.

But Terry nodded. It'd be easier without the smell of chocolate, and that was going to make him embarassingly hard for a long, long, time. It'd be easier out of the cavern, and the set up, and the bats he could hear rustling quietly up above in a way that made things feel like home. And he hadn't realized just how much he missed the cave.

His hand went up to his neck, fingers stroking the hollow there, where he could almost feel the phantom weight of what he had in mind. They flicked back and forth, the touch soothing him, even if it was his own touch. And his eyes found Ryuuji's though the gaze was unfocused.

"More than human, not less." Ryuuji corrected, almost automatically. Dragons weren't lesser than humans, just very different. Definitely not lesser. And one of the ways in which they were very different was not being in good at backing down, backing away or giving up on anything they wanted. Or even waiting for anything they wanted, because they were powerful, they were intelligent and they could mesmerize and with those abilities on your side, you really didn't need to deny yourself. At all.

Human. Human. Ryuuji was thinking like a human, and fuck, Terry, why did he have to look at Ryuuji like that? Because when he did that, he looked like prey, all dazed and disfocused and so fucking easy to just snare and-

With an low, frustrated growl, Ryuuji reached out to grab Terry's hand, the one stroking the slight dip at the boy's neck, and curved his fingers around the other's wrist. "Out. Now."

The shine of reflected gold glossed his eyes over, and the glitter in them danced darkly as Ryuuji practically dragged Terry down the bridge and out into the hallway again, ignoring the chocolate and boots that they'd left behind. Those were of secondary importance. He just had to get out of there, had to, because otherwise, all his senses were working on overload and-

He calmed visibly as the comparitively cold air of the hallway hit him, and sighed with relief, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. One breath, two, and then a breathing kata, so when Ryuuji opened his eyes again, they were bright and clear, lacking the dangerous wildness that they had held before.

And then he realized that he'd practically manhandled Terry out of there.

"..." Damn. A faint flush touched his cheeks, the stone wall cold against his back as he leaned against it casually, still stripped from the waist up. "Sorry."

The minute Ryuuji touched his skin it was like a completed circuit. Terry remembered all the reasons they'd decided not to touch. And all the reasons they should know exactly what this was between them. Because a moment ago he'd been the rational one and now he was half hard and he wanted to fight. And that was disturbing, but he wasn't going to think about it because they were moving. And his feet were bare on the floor.

They were moving. Out of temptation. That was good. And the cool air in the hallway made him shiver. But as his head fell forward, drinking it in, he caught a glimpse of the peirced nipple. And Ryuuji had no idea he was posinig. And they had to get to that village soon and get the tokens and find a way to sublimate these... urges, was the best word he could think of. And maybe it wouldn't be something for Ryuuji's hair. Terry had a sudden thought of an armband holding some of his hair.

And the sound in his ears was Ryuuji talking. He looked down at their hands. "Still touching." Terry licked his lips and started pulling away a bit. Because it was the touch. And without it, he could just go back to his room, and possibly enjoy the fact that he didn't have a roommate for the second time. His arm turned in Ryuuji's hand, though, and slipped up, until their fingers could touch and interlace together.

"Yeah. But I don't feel like tripping you to the floor and claiming you, so that's something." The smile on Ryuuji's face was self-mocking, but his eyes were amused as he let his fingers lace through Terry's, giving the other boy's hand a light squeeze before letting go. He hadn't meant to pose, but Ryuuji was used to the cameras following him; by now, it was hard for him to not move with deliberate grace, to not position himself in the best light and tip his head to the side to make the most of the shadows. Something human, something not, something logical, something hot.

He ran one hand through his hair, fingercombing it so that the soft, half-wavy locks of hair looked something close to normal, and then pushed himself away from the wall, lacing his own fingers together above his head and pulling up into a tight stretch, defined muscles sharpening until the etched lines of them deepened drastically. Releasing the stretch, vertebrae by vertrebrae, having gone up on the tiptoes of the archaic boots to manage it, Ryuuji let his arms fall down to his sides again, and gave Terry a brilliant, confident grin. "Right. You go to your room, I'll go to mine, and on Sunday, we'll rock the village. Sleep well, Terry. Dream sweet."

The ordering of the words was odd because it wasn't just any goodnight wish; it was one that had a little power behind it, an ancient blessing given usually by mothers to their children. Sweet, protective, and out of the ordinary.

He smiled then blinked. For a moment there, he'd started to slip a bit. But now that Ryuujii was no longer touching him he felt comfortable with the decision they'd made. Even though his fingers were stroking the hollow of his neck again.

"Goodnight, sweet prince ?" The smile became a grin as Terry turned to find his own way back to his room. "May angels sing you to your rest. And all that good stuff." He shoved his hands in his pocket and headed down the corridor, shoulders stretching into the cool air of the night. And within four steps, he'd blended into the shadows.

"That would be so much more pleasant if the guy wasn't DYING when he got told that!" Ryuuji called after Terry with a laugh, turning to make his own way back to the Slytherin section of the castle. His hands slipped into his pockets, and his long mass of dark hair swayed with every step he took, Ryuuji was still suffused with energy from their encounter but thankfully, no longer feeling like he was going to be immolated if he didn't find any outlet.

Instead, he felt happy. He'd had a fun makeout session, he and Terry were still friends, and he was definitely going to have good dreams tonight, even if they were probably going to be the kind that had him twisting away from Seto to face the wall. Humming quietly, Ryuuji jumped into the air for a second, and spun around, then danced the rest of the way to his room, with a hop-skip-spin and occasional happy laugh.