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tarralin · 5 years

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Whirlwind

SFW ((Word count: 3496))

A/N: This is almost a month late but here we go! A few of us were greatly inspired by this glorious creation by the amazing @pastel-hideout (thank you for doing the Lord's work👏👏) when fangirling led to brainstorming which led to this smut-off challenge issued by @darkmindsthinktwistedthoughts and @xathia-89 with a few others of us joining in. Part 2 will be hosted over on @spicytarralin at a later time

Sir by @darkmindsthinktwistedthoughts

Yes, Professor by @jennacat84

A Towel is Optional by @xathia-89

~☆~

She should have been home hours ago yet here she was burning the midnight oil on a Tuesday after both of her teammates packed up their desks with no prior notice, leaving her to thread together the monthly financial reports alone. Truthfully, it really could have waited until tomorrow-- or even Thursday-- but working so close to the wire always filled her with dread and stole her sleep anyway.

A few too many power surges during video game marathons as a kid had drilled home a habit of frequent saves and a need to hoard duplicate reports like a dragon collecting its treasure. Habits she was eternally grateful for in times like this as they enabled her transform the seemingly mountain-sized workload into a manageable molehill.

Aaaaannnnnddddd I'm done!

A perk to being the only soul in the office was no one around to witness the unladylike victory dance as she pranced barefoot to the printer or her horrible rendition of a Broadway musical number with the innocent corporate report portfolio as her prop. Until lively clapping sounded immediately behind her, startling her to the point of knocking her off balance from the grand battement she was performing and sending her promptly to the floor.

A chuckle rumbled from the white-haired culprit as he extended a hand to help her up. “I was unaware we had a little mouse scurrying about during the nights and giving free entertainment.”

Her ears burned from being caught as a cold sweat ran down her back at the embarrassment. She accepted his hand to right herself and inspect the portfolio's contents before correcting him. “Only tonight. I'm not in the habit of pushing things off to the last minute… and I thought I was alone.”

“You were until a few moments ago,” another chuckle as his gaze latched onto the reports in her grasp. “I was just informed two of my lead accountants left the company without warning this afternoon and abandoned their work. I just came to take care of it myself but it looks like I was beaten to the draw. It's reassuring to know there are reliable individuals here who will rise when others fall. Let me take those off your hands.”

He reached for the folder only to be denied when she pulled it back out of reach. “I'm also not in the habit of releasing sensitive documents to just anyone who claims to be a boss. Especially when I, personally, have never seen his face. I apologize for any offense but I'll drop them off at the office myself, thanks.”

The casual smirk faded as surprise flashed through in his golden eyes before his grin returned, outstretched hand sweeping the room in an open gesture for her to lead the way.

Emboldened by his quick acceptance, she trotted away toward the elevators--

“Ahem…”

--until his voice stopped her and she watched the man bending to retrieve her heels from the floor. “Don't you need these?”

I'm going to have potato chips for ears before the night over if I keep this up. She managed to avoid eye contact as she slipped back into the death traps of fashion but caught sight of a growing grin as he waited patiently.

“I've never actually been to the executive floor before.” The typical droning elevator music had been cut at the end of business hours, plunging the ride to the top floor in the eerie silence she hated and felt a need to fill the void. “So this is a bit of an adventure.”

“Nothing too grand, I assure you. Just a few conference rooms and the private offices of the department heads.”

She shrugged at that. “Still a first and-- whoa!”

The entire floor appeared encased in sparkling crystal in the moonlight. Frosted and etched glass separated each room and office instead of plaster and drywall, giving an illusion to privacy. Dimmed lights along the wall base lit the floor path to the center hub where a circular receptionist desk sat like the heart of communication it probably was to the handful of walkways.

And he said ‘nothing too grand’.

“I have a strict open door policy.”

“ ‘Open door’? There are no doors at all to open.” Her eyes scanned the area for where the portfolio was supposed to go until they landed on a silver box to her left similar to a post office mail drop. As she approached it, an engraved plate denoted it as the ‘after hours’ report drop.

“Feel better?” The gentleman questioned with a raised eyebrow and the same smirk from earlier after her bundle landed inside the box with a distinctive thunk.

“Yes, I can now sleep soundly without it looming over my head.” She answered firmly, turning back down the short hall. She only made it a few steps before the jingle of keys sounded throughout the floor. She turned just in time to witness the man unlocking the box as if he had a thousand times, tucking the portfolio under his arm like a morning newspaper.

Yup, my ears are definitely burning to crisps.

She tried to evade him but the elevator just wouldn't move fast enough and he stepped onto the platform right as the doors closed behind him. She didn't dare say a word, thinking back to earlier and worried about how long he had watched her gather the reports together. She was so sure she had been alone until he appeared out of nowhere like a ghost.

I'll probably be fired in the morning.

The landing bell signaled the end of the line and they both exited into the parking garage, waving to the security guard before he caught her attention by holding up the folder. “I assume you'll be available for questioning should I require any clarifications?”

“Actually, after that performance, I planned to live under a rock for the rest of my life.”

“Depriving the world of such a delight? And people call me a tease.”

She shook her head with an eye roll, fighting against the fresh wave of embarrassment that threatened to singe her ears and cheeks again. She never had trouble remaining professional at work before, why was it so hard now and especially in front of this man? She needed to wrap things up and be on her way before she made a fool of herself any more than she already had.

She turned to him once reaching her car. “It was an honor and a pleasure meeting you, but now I have a suitable rock to hunt down and so I bid you goodnight.” There. That was mostly professional, right?

“The honor was all mine,” he extended his hand casually for a parting shake. She hesitated when she caught a glimpse of mischief sparkling in those golden eyes but shook off the feeling and accepted his hand firmly. Of course, it was a trap. Instead of releasing her after the appropriate time, he turned her hand in his and brought her knuckles to his lips. “As was the pleasure.”

That promptly turned her brains to mush incapable of words. With only a nod, she retrieved her hand and loaded in her car to finally make her way home.

~~~

Instead of being fired the next morning, Mitsuhide Akechi himself walked the finance floor until finding her desk to hand her a crate loaded with binders of financial reports for the last two years.

“I have some concerns but can't locate exactly what's wrong. I've already distributed your usual work to others as this will be your priority for the next week. You'll report directly to me only and the conference room at the end of the hall is yours for the time being as well.” Like a whirlwind, he was gone again, seemingly oblivious to the excited chatter following the shocked silence he rendered across the floor with his mere presence.

Even with such vague instructions, it didn't take long for her to find his ‘concerns’. The reports before her spelled out a textbook case of money laundering. However, the culprits were good at covering the tracks and distinguishing the pseudo-businesses from the legitimates would be the most time-consuming. But not impossible. All she had to do was find the patterns within the numbers…

It didn't take the whole week. By lunchtime on day three, she had her final report ready with her findings. Even with the evidence in hand, it was hard for her to believe that she had been working alongside the culprits for so long. No wonder they up and left all of a sudden, they must have known their thievery had been found out.

But why didn't Akechi seem surprised?

After presenting the information, he only smirked up at her as usual. “You even tracked down the ‘business’ owners. Impressive.”

When you say it like that… “Y-you already knew?”

A sigh as he righted the report in front of him into place. “I've known of those two's illegal activities since before they began.”

“Then why didn't you stop them?”

“ ‘Never interrupt your enemy when they're making a mistake’, plus it was quite entertaining to watch their poor attempts for a little while.”

“ ‘Entertaining’?! Who on Earth would just sit back and watch while people steal from their company? And what was the point of having me investigate it if you already knew?”

“Because, my little mouse, if you brought me the correct names it meant you played no part in the scheme.”

Ice flashed through her veins. “What's that supposed to mean?”

He stood at that, circling his desk to loom over her. The gaze he leveled her way froze her feet in place and, for a moment, she really did feel like a mouse caught in a predator's trap. “You didn't really think there was no backup plan, did you?”

Only sheer will kept her from trembling as realization struck. Just a few weeks ago, her identity protection plan had notified her of suspicious activity but assured her they had it taken care of. “They… they tried to pin it on me.”

“Indeed, luckily it appears you made some smart choices. And of course, I happen to be a little more than the average businessman.”

And here I called Dad paranoid for buying me that protection...

“Also,” his voice switching back to business mode as he paced back to his chair drew her from her panic. “Your thorough investigation shows you capable of filling one of the empty lead positions.”

“You're promoting me?”

He blinked up in genuine surprise. “You have an objection?”

“No!” She recovered. “It's just… a lot to take in and definitely not the direction I thought things would take.”

“Oh?” He grinned with genuine interest. “What direction was that?”

"A few days ago I thought I was fired!"

A chuckle while he sipped at a coffee mug. "I'll email you a briefing on your new duties and you can visit HR once you've moved into your new office."

"Thank you!" She turned excitedly on her heels to begin her new journey.

~~~

Akechi became a familiar face on the finance floor after her promotion, claiming an interest in overseeing her transition and supplemental training himself. Though it seemed he had more of an interest in seeing how far he could push her past her limits. For weeks, each visit rendered her with a heightened pulse as his words always held a double meaning that never failed to pull very not safe for work images to mind. He never touched. Nor pushed further if she showed the teeniest hint of resistance, switching back to complete professionalism that only flustered her more most days.

That changed one day when she needed paper for the floor printer.

The supply closet located to the left of the elevator and stairwell was so small it was nearly impossible for two people to fit into the space packed with Xerox packages and janitorial supplies.

Nearly.

“Little Mouse.”

She jumped at the shattered silence until recognition of his baritone registered. “Mr. Akechi, can you please stop doing that?”

“But you make it oh so tempting, I can't help myself.”

“And you said you were more than an average businessman.”

His familiar chuckle pranced across her ears, sending delicious shivers down her spine. “Up to now, I have been. Took pride in my self-control. Imagine my surprise when I witnessed a carefree spirit dancing on my financial floor and suddenly taken by an overpowering urge to join her.”

She blinked up at him silently while he stepped so close she could feel the heat wafting off him though, as usual, he never touched. His words sounded more and more like a confession, an impossible confession. She was just an accountant-- No, wait… Her throat finally opened up for her to ask the question suddenly screaming for an answer. “Did you really promote me for my capabilities, or only to get close to me then?”

The question was out but she looked away, unable to witness the answer with her own eyes. Slender fingers whispered across her jaw, coaxing her to look back up to him. Those same fingers traced her bottom lip once she did, the liquid heat of his eyes taking her breath from her.

“I was already infatuated before walking you to your car, I will admit. Then I pulled your employee records. Spotless with nothing but positive words from your previous superiors. That, alone, wouldn't be very impressive to me but were you aware you have a letter of recommendation from Tokugawa? Those are not easily achieved. Honestly, I have no idea how those other two ever thought they would manage to frame you for their misdeeds. Which is why I gave you the chance to prove yourself first but had the termination papers ready to sign should you have failed that little test, feelings present or not.”

“But I passed.”

“I knew you would-- hoped even. You are talented and earned that position yourself, have no doubt in that.”

“Alright…” Now, how the hell am I supposed to address the other thing?

As if he read her thoughts, he brought the tip of his finger back across her lips to softly silence her. “I know this is not the typically ideal setting for such a conversation but I couldn't hold back any longer when your snark offered the perfect opportunity, Little Mouse. However, you need not worry about rushing me any reciprocation. Take your time to think about it and I will deal with my own troubles in the meantime. Should you choose to explore further, you need only call me by my first name.”

Her heart raced again. He really had thought of everything, even a clear route to refusal… One she didn't need. She didn't need any more time.

He had just turned to leave when her hand landed on his shoulder, stopping him in place.

“Mitsuhi-”

His lips were on hers before she finished the name, demanding entrance that she gave willingly. Her fingers tangled in his blazer lapels in a feeble attempt to hold onto the world around her while blindsided by such feverish desire as he all but devoured her, his tongue coaxing hers to dance with him.

It wasn't until the prep counter edge hit the back of her thighs that she realized her skirt hiked up past her stocking bands as he settled her effortlessly atop its surface, the cold of it a stark reminder to their location.

“Wait,” she gasped once gathering the resolve to break the trance.

His palms dropped from her hair to the counter instantly at her plea while his forehead rested on hers, patiently waiting for her next words.

She smoothed the wrinkles in his jacket her fingers had created as her breath returned. “Not yet, not here.”

“Too soon.” He nodded in agreement as his own eyes cleared of desire's fog. “I'm sorry, it has been quite some time since I've lost rein of my emotions and it looks like I still have a ways to go before I can properly control myself around you.”

She couldn't help the soft giggles bubbling at the confusion clear in his brow. “Usually, I'm the one who has to control herself.”

“No, I don't believe that.”

She ignored his usual teasing while hopping off the counter to right herself again. His fingers brushed lightly through her hair to fix wry tufts while hers continued to focus on his blazer lapels and shirt collar. Only when she finished did she look up into his eyes while claiming his hands in hers. “I am interested but I've also rushed into things a lot in the past and they always ended horribly for everyone. I'm only just now starting to feel confident in my position and think it best-- given my track record-- to go slow.”

His head rested leisurely back to hers and she wondered how he could stand the heat emitting from her flushed face? She barely could. His smirk returned to its rightful place as his thumb ghosted over her bottom lip. Whatever he was about to say, was lost to the door handle clicking.

Mitsuhide had two paper boxes on the counter in the next instant and another occupying his hands before the door cracked open to reveal one of her subordinates. “Everything okay?”

“Oh, what perfect timing!” Mitsuhide grinned to the intruder. “We were just thinking we would need the trolley, but not with an extra set of hands.” The box in his hands shifted so suddenly the poor man at the door nearly fell backward as he tried to catch it, just for Mitsuhide to load another box on top. “You got those, I'll take these, and you can handle that last one, right Little Mouse?”

Proving he truly was a whirlwind incarnate, Mitsuhide was out the door without another glance behind him.

~~~

The premiere performance of Madama Butterfly sold out almost immediately and yet what was it he waved in front of her face one autumn Thursday morning? He even arranged her the day off to prepare for the evening. No dress? He arranged that, too; curating a selection to choose from, as well as a hair and makeup appointment if she desired it.

The show itself was as beautiful as it was heart-wrenching, even with Mitsuhide distracting her a sizable portion of the time by monopolizing her hand with soft caresses and softer kisses over every inch of skin. Afterward, he insisted on showing her the best view in the city which happened to be the rooftop of the office building.

“I didn't know all this was even up here.” She didn't even try to hide the awe in her voice as she took in her surroundings. If she didn't know any better, it would be easy to believe they were in Central Park with the colorful flower beds lining sections of expansive lawn covering a majority of the roof. A covered patio near the door sat upon a raised dais that overlooked the city with an outdoor kitchen and bar. No additional lighting was needed due to the glow provided by the surrounding city life.

“There are only a select few who do, plus the gardener who values his own secrets enough to keep mine.”

“Do I even want to know what that means?”

“Probably not.” Rumbling laughter as he looped an arm around her waist to guide her to the patio where a sake warmer awaited. If anyone had told her at the beginning of the month she would end up enjoying an exotic brew with the boss on the rooftop lounger, she would have laughed in their face! But here she was gazing over the city skyline in an elegant dress and gorgeous hair, a nearly forgotten sake glass in one hand while Mitsuhide occupied the other as he's had during the opera.

Each deliberate drag of lips across her knuckles sent heat racing through her veins that had nothing to do with the sake. Only when he was satisfied no part of her hand went untouched did he move on to continue the trail across her wrist and forearm. Molten gold irises held her own captive as the knuckles of his other hand softly traced her jaw.

"Have you had enough of the view?"

There was no mistaking the true question being asked. The weeks since their closet confessions saw many dinner and lunch dates. Weekends were designated ‘adventure’ days when they found local activities to do together, even if just strolling the shoreline or boardwalk. Almost every outing ended with at least a soft kiss on the top of her head, more than a few escalating to being pinned to the wall much as she had the counter in the stock closet. But every time he would cut it short with a clear question and an easily accessible way out for her to choose.

This time, she didn't.

~☆~

#ikemen sengoku #ikesen #ikesen mitsuhide #ikemen mitsuhide #my writing #smut off #smut warfare

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tarralin · 6 years

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4. Orchid

This is the continuation of Diabolicus. You can find my other works here.

Thank you to @alloveroliver and @xathia-89 for beta reading and support!

Enjoying my work? Buy me a Coffee @ http://ko-fi.com/tarralin

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

~*~

They came to an accord. A needless one, truly, but an accord all the same. Kennyo had already decided not to interfere with her nightly creations before she stated that was one of her terms as well as agreeing to the same herself. She would craft the environments but would not alter them once he arrived to the Dreamscape.

It was odd having an agreement without the bindings of a formal contract but, for her, he was not opposed to it. And did they not bargain something for greater than the usual price? Something more valuable than a soul upon collection time?

They exchanged names.

Names had power over an entity for all time and—when given to those who knew what to do with them—even soulless demons like himself could be subdued with the right incantation. An exchange of names, however, created an invisible bond that could grow under nourishment or fade to null with neglect. Such bonds were popular among witch covens and allowed them to share a collective power source that grew with each new member. But a demon agreeing to such a thing?

Unheard of… but he proved it possible.

The bonding, for him, meant greater depth to the fleeting twinges of emotion he'd experienced since meeting her. Some warmed and swelled within him while others chilled and sought to bring him to his knees. As foreign as they were, he came to terms quickly with the new found sensations and he wondered if this was that ‘light’ she originally saw mixed within him. Demons shouldn't have these. Demons shouldn't have light.

Yet, for the first time in centuries, he could feel. Not just understand the internal driving forces of the mortals, but had them of his own. Joy at the new lives that were born to her village. Sympathy for the sick she treated. Sorrow at the passing of those she couldn't.

All of which he continued to observe while hidden behind the veil.

Kennyo knew she needed time to adjust to the situation just as he did. Along with the appearance of their own novelties, there was the phenomenon of the shared connection between them. A sharing of emotions. A linking of minds. Sometimes, images flashed across his eyes that should have belonged to her. Showing himself on the mortal plane would only add undue stress. He’d always been an oddly patient demon, he could wait a while longer.

Aside from the shared connection with him, the bonding honed and sharpened her empathic abilities. The townspeople’s internal musings seemed to turn visible for her like an open book. With a single touch, she knew immediately what ailment needed tending. She could locate his presence in the veil easily throughout the day and usually waited at the portal entrance of her dreamsphere each night.

“Kennyo,” she sang his name merrily as he stepped onto a fisherman’s pier nestled along a mountain lake. It was a morning scene with the first rays of a new dawn ghosting through the opaque mists wafting off the water's surface. In much the same way his name on her voice pierced through the tangled mess his insides became at the sight of her.

“My Lady,” he wrapped his arms around her as she leaned into him, resting the back of her head on his shoulder and smirked up at him.

“You disappeared for a time today. Did Mrs. Johnson’s child birthing unsettle you that much?”

“Not at all,” he chuckled under her ear as he thought on his next words. “I was called away for… business.”

A sudden chill flashed across his conscious from hers. “Is everything alright?”

“Never better.” He grinned against her neck and allowed her to feel the Pride that had swelled within him at the first successful contract against her former brother. Pride was a warm emotion, it would melt away the ice caused by Fear.

The routine continued for several weeks. She’d taken to calling him her ‘Shadow’ as he’d observe her schedule and activities throughout the day then discuss them in dreams at night. Snow had started to fall and that meant more sickness would spread through her township. She had worked ahead over the warmer months to build up a stock of salves and dried herbs for broths, but even that wouldn't last the winter. Most days, she spent all daylight hours in her garden shack—greenhouse, she called it—to cultivate and harvest as much as she could, staying out well past dusk most nights.

Kennyo could feel her growing tension through the bonding and wondered on why she wished to remain on the mortal realm.

“Why not become an Angel?” He finally inquired one night. She'd crafted a beach scene this time with a near full moon hanging in a sky peppered with softly shining stars and the occasional streak signaling one’s fall. Their fingers played lazily, intertwining just to withdraw and repeat the game again while she relaxed with her cheek resting on his shoulder.

“Guardians are only ever bonded to ten mortals at a time and Crossroads work would only be dissuading those who’ve already made a decision of their own free will. As I am now, I can help far more people than I ever would as a full Angel.”

He felt his lips pull into a smile and, in that moment, he knew what it was to behold true glory and he wondered how he hadn’t been banished back to Hell already. Surely no angel could ever think so purely. Crossroads only turned mortals away from contracts while Guardians were often allowed to forgo their true protective duties.

Kennyo shook his head and, again, marveled at the circumstances that led him to her until he noticed the indigo sky turning lighter with each passing moment.

“Dawn approaches.” If he had his physical body, he was sure she’d nearly shatter his ribs with the sudden grip she possessed. He nuzzled his favorite spot below her ear. “I'll return tomorrow, of course.”

“Mmm, yes tomor—wait, no!” She pushed up onto her hands. “Not tomorrow, it's a full moon and I need to tend the garden when my magic is at its peak.”

“Oh, that’s your secret to the miracle remedies, is it? You, My Lady, are a witch.”

“I haven't an inkling as to what you’re alluding to, My Shadow,” she grinned as she settled back onto his chest, teasing her nose across his. “I’m a simple medicine woman who grows her own herbs.”

He nuzzled her back until dawning sun awoke her, a plan forming in his head. She still hadn't guessed his race and he suspected she still thought him a dream wraith...

It was time he met her outside the Dreamscape.

~*~

It was past midnight now.

Kennyo had listened to her mill about the greenhouse for the last hour, bouncing on his toes the whole while. What am I doing here? Why am I doing this? What if I scare her? What do I say?! ‘Hi, here I am. Have a plant!’ Certainly not!

He’d always known what to say to the mortals in his years of dealsmithing and he had no trouble speaking with her these past weeks. Why was this so… frightening? He chuckled without humor. He survived centuries in the Fire before serving centuries more as a Crossroads Demon and yet facing a woman is what frightened him? Kennyo was suddenly thankful for his Lady’s proficiency with wards. The hut’s invisible barrier was the only thing keeping his inner turmoil from her as he picked up three pebbles about his feet, careful the potted gift in his other arm didn't tip out.

With a final mental slap, Kennyo paced as near as the warding would allow him and in quick succession, tossed the pebbles against the door to mimic a knocking hand. All movement in the greenhouse ceased and silence filled the night. He quickly gathered another set of pebbles and repeated the action which earned him the sound of footsteps approaching the door, he stared down into the pot as if the flowering plant were suddenly the most interesting thing in the world.

The squeak and groan of rusty hinges echoed throughout the darkness, almost as deafening as the Hound’s howl… but somehow much more terrifying. He remained frozen in place by his own apprehension, glancing up only when the chilled night air was silent once more. Even from his place ten paces away, he could see how her eyes widened in disbelief. He tried for the grin that she normally enjoyed but there was still no change from her for several long moments.

“I… I now realize I didn't think this through, my Lady, but I truly need to hear you speak. Something. Anything. I—”

“You're not a dream wraith…”

“No,” he confirmed with a quick shake of the chin. “I'm not bound to one realm or another.”

“Why can’t I feel you?”

“The garden, you've warded it impressively well. It skews even our bond while within its protection. This is as near as I'm allowed.” To demonstrate, Kennyo slowly pressed his free hand forward into the ward’s coverage. A soft sizzle could be heard from the bared skin of his fingers and tendrils of smoke lifted into the air when he pulled back to safety.

A grimace flashed briefly over her features at the sight. “There are only two beings the garden is warded against… and you're not an angel.”

“Correct.”

She ran a hand through her hair before releasing a puff of air and reached back into the garden. “I guess we don’t need this then...”

Kennyo heard a slight scratching for a moment while she worked at a panel until the invisible barrier preventing his passage faded to nothing. She gasped the same as he once their bond snapped back into place. He paced slowly while her mind worked to right itself. She could still deny him, by all logic she should deny him. Withholding truth was the same as lying, was it not?

“The angel ward is still intact so you-know-who is still barred from entry.”

“I imagine there's a story to that and I imagine it has to do with why you are so impressively gifted in ward casting?”

“Yes, a story for a later time,” she answered with a smile as she stepped away from the entrance. “Please, My Shadow, enter freely of your own conviction and without invitation… and please tell me about what it is you have there. I've never seen flowers like those.”

Kennyo set the plant on the nearby potting table before moving aside for her inspection. “They are an undiscovered family—”

“Yet, you found them,” she grinned up as she gently handled the petals of a center bloom, blushing under the eyebrow he threw her way. “I’m sorry, continue.”

“They are undiscovered and unnamed… but I had a gifted colleague of mine look into their future. In nearly three centuries they will be known as an ‘orchid’ named Telipogon diabolicus for its devilish appearance.” He paused to raise his fingers to the petals just she did, enjoying the radiance of the smile blooming across her features as she tested the new terms on her lips. “If there were ever a bloom worthy of you, I’d like to think this would be the one.”

“How so?” She blinked up at him.

“I was sent on a rather tedious assignment when I first became a demon centuries ago. One of Hell’s pets managed to jump the precipice and entered the mortal plane so I was sent to bring it home. I found these orchids only by chance as I stumbled through a jungle chasing after the beast. Now, I’ve been all over the earth and have never found them elsewhere. As you can see, they are rather striking and one would remember ever laying sights on such rarity.”

“Yes,” a whisper so soft he only heard when he stepped behind her,

as close as he dare without the needed permission of touch.

“The same as you. I was stumbling through a half-thought, useless plan to cause trouble for your Brother Once Was when I found you and made the mistake of trying to use you. That was why I sent the nightmares that you called ‘games’ since they didn't work as intended. You arose smiling every morning after with a giddiness and continued about your day.”

Her teasing grin was back in place as she rested the back of her head on his shoulder, the same as so many times on the Dreamscape. “Was it frustrating?”

“Infuriating!” He chuckled before dropping his voice back down to a whisper. “Everything about you was infuriating for a time and I couldn't figure out ‘why’, only knew that something kept pulling me back… but I don't regret any of it.”

“Well, My Shadow, let me tell you something I regret.” She pivoted to face him but despite the harsh sounding words, only warmth and acceptance radiated from her still grinning eyes as she lifted his knuckles to her lips. “I regret… you not meeting me here sooner.”

“I amend my statement, I do regret that as well,” again he stepped as near as he dared. “My Lady, you are free to touch all you like but, as a demon, I need permission to touch you… and I would really like touch you.”

Her usually warm eyes seemed almost endless in the dark of the greenhouse. Lavender, amethyst, violet... Kennyo couldn't tell where one color ended and another began but his mind was already laying the ways he could find out. All he needed was—

“Yes.”

~*~

Be sure to check out the Telipogon diabolicus orchid here, if you’re interested. Thank you @naiyabladesinger for reminding me of this perfect addition and for all the love and kindness you’ve shown!

#ikemen sengoku #ikesen #ikesen kennyo #diabolicus #nephilim angels and demons. oh my!#my writing #dem!kennyo #colonial america au #1700s #orchid #ikesennw #ikesennw reblog #angels #demons #nephilim

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