middaeg | (open) i paced around for hours on empty, i jumped at the slightest of sounds

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(open) i paced around for hours on empty, i jumped at the slightest of sounds

Who: Stiles Stilinski and YOU
When: Night of Aereuer 8 (full moon)
Where: Various spots in Aefenglom
What: Semi-feral Arachne party games on a very special 18th birthday
Warnings: Language, animal death

[ After escaping from Sheva in the Wildes and absconding to Aefenglom, Stiles begins his hunt. Honestly, he’s not quite sure what he’s exactly on the hunt for – only that there’s a voracious hunger rising within him, an appetite that won’t be whetted by just any meal. And so, humming the happy birthday tune to himself loudly and offkey, he prowls from district to district from the city skyline. Those eight spider legs carry him vertically up edifices with no apparent effort, even make impressive leaps across significant distances between buildings. The sense of fear that usually holds Stiles back is gone; uninhibited, he experiments with his superhuman abilities in boyish delight, that joy tempered only by the unkind, savage grin stretching his mouth too wide. ]

It’s my party and I can cry if I want to, [ comes one such inspired ballad, interrupted by his sniggering as he swings upside down from where he’s currently perched. ] Cry if I want to, cry if I want to!

[ That’s if you’re lucky. Sometimes it’s – ]

It’s yo birthday, so I know you wanna ri-i-i-ide out. [ There’s a dog howling somewhere nearby in sympathy. ] Even if we only go to my-y-y-y house.

[ During the night, Stiles will make a nuisance of himself. Expect to find him cavorting through the streets doing eight-legged cartwheels, singing obnoxiously despite the hour, spinning webs in inconvenient locations, dropping by homes to pay friends unexpected house calls, etc. ]

( ooc | Full Moon Shift appearance details, CR & plotting comment, and info & permissions page. Stiles will not be hurting anyone. If threatened with violence, his Arachne instincts will force him to flee the scene. If you want to figure out a specific prompt for your character, hit me up! )

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(hands drop down onto the arms of the chair the moment stiles stands, slowly, slowly rising to his feet when attention turns to sasuke. the last place he wants to be is pinned with an unpredictable roommate straddling him, patting at his face, patronizing him, making embarrassed colour inadvertently rise to his cheeks. his path is clear: he means to drift nearer to his bonded.

the connection is unlike anything he's felt, sasuke's will to protect him bleeding into his urge to help. it gives him perspective, how bad of a situation it'd be for both of them if he got himself into unnecessary trouble. he can help him by staying safe, so he reaches the corner of the room and follows the mouldings over.)

You think I'm worried about your appearance? A bit, yeah, I can't lie to you and say this isn't... perturbing. (gestures, trying to avoid kicking utensils with his sock feet. he can't bleed or it could set sasuke off, too. it's a bad situation for him any way it's sliced, and there's no one else he trusts enough to call. who would come quickly to his aid? could he ever put someone else in danger to save himself?) But how you're dealing with this is way, way more important right now. Because you're not fine; you feel "weird."

Right? You just told me that. You feel weird, you're bleeding–

Stiles, man, c'mon. It's exactly like Sasuke says. Tonight... tonight's your night, and the three of us should spend it together. Okay? We're safe, here, with you. Can you stay in with us?

[ Oiled words wash over him, freed of any of Stiles's normal lack of confidence or trepidation, and a few in particular stick in his mind unavoidably. To make sure that home was safe. Whether the conning words of a monster or – more believably – a slick manifestation of a clever but normally unsure teenager's id, he knows he isn't going to be able to forget them soon. Especially not with Jonas moving closer to him, solidifying one more tie in his mind.

He's still nervous, he can feel that, but it isn't the panic that had been set off in him earlier. It's a new unease, more an uncertainty than anything else. Sasuke knows because he shares it, with the feeling being simultaneously encouraged and mitigated by the spearing of those carrots: ridiculous enough to remind him of Stiles, but showcasing those spider legs acting independently in a way that's far harder to trust. ]

Stay in without adding to the mess and undermining my efforts, [ Sasuke adds, a distracted commentary on the state of the dinner he'd prepared, all to hide how his eyes had lingered on that bloody wound. Jonas calling attention to it redirected his own focus and now it's hard for him to see anything else. Hunger transfers through their Bond, unbidden and powerful, as Sasuke exhales. ]

... I know how the full moon is making you feel. [ He doesn't, not in its entirety, not at all. What he does know is how powerful it feels for him, and how much he's fighting it even with a Bond. ] But you don't need to be out there.

[ Unblinking eyes track Jonas’ progress with keen interest as the Witch sidles closer to Sasuke. Those slow, careful movements excite the latent predator of his Arachne psyche, drawing Stiles away from the windows as if in a trance in order to stalk nearer himself. Unfortunately, Sasuke remains a physical barrier that prevents him from reaching his target; uttering another sigh, this one far more wistful, Stiles tears his gaze away from Jonas to regard the Vampire. ]

No you doooon’t, [ comes the supercilious sing-song retort, amused rather than bitter. ] You’re Bonded.

[ The spider limbs reanimate from where they dozed on the floor, rising into the air to clasp paws with each other in demonstration of that partnership. ]

I’m glad it worked out for you guys. For me, though… I really am fine, I promise! Buuuut…

[ Suddenly he tips forward, head pillowed on crossed arms as if he intends to rest them against Sasuke’s chest – only for Stiles to pause a scant half inch away, spider limbs propping him up so he can maintain the ridiculous ninety-degree leaning angle. Grinning up at Sasuke, he addresses Jonas. ]

I do feel weird, yeah. Like I’m hungry, except not for food. [ A paw makes a dismissive gesture at the dining table and its spread. ] A bunch of people already treated the birthday boy to some freebies anyway. I even had a smoothie. [ Said as if this is the greatest thing to have happened to him all day. ] Being here…I’m less hungry. This is where I need to be.

Home, [ he continues, voice hushed in a soft, possessive wonder. ] You’re both here. You’re both safe. I can protect that. If you just let me.

(sasuke, too. jonas keeps forgetting, despite the ever-present feeling that something's wrong, the full moon affecting both of them. it's apparent through the bond that he's hungry, a gnawing craving that's held back by sheer force of will. something has to give here, or stiles' wounded shoulder will begin to look far more appetizing than the carrot arachne limbs snapped in half.

stiles creeps forward and jonas reaches out to just barely brush sasuke on the back. the intent isn't to touch him or disturb him from his concentration, but nerves force his hand. he remembers alex, how they'd gather close and bump one another, and—perhaps strangely in this moment—misses her. she was always calmer than him, the way his bonded is now.)

Home. (reiterated, liking the thought. it makes his eyebrows raise out of their skeptical look over sasuke's shoulder, soften when stiles murmurs his awe.) Yeah, it is. Stiles, this is your home, so– that's what I want. I want us—all of us—to just stay. Help one another here. I'll rely on you to do that, if you really want.

(maybe he doesn't know what he's saying, but if it isn't messy or undermining sasuke then apparently that's the feeling they all share. that they should literally share, jonas holding his tongue on another bond recommendation that burns at his throat.)

I'll do whatever. Don't make me, like, beg or something.

[ His knees don't lock, far too much battle experience forbidding an inflexible pose that will lengthen his response time, but his tension returns full force when Stiles gets close. Not because he's facing down a threat. Because he wants to keep himself restrained and in check, and that isn't easy when he's being presented with a top tier meal after weeks of scrounging for rats.

But even now, staring down into Stiles's eyes that show another uncontrolled side to his friend, he sees trust. And he feels it in the hand that grazes his back, stopping him from giving into the urge to step back. He swallows thickly, casting about for distractions that'll smother the feelings he knows will pass unhelpfully through that Bond. ]

Then we're all agreed. [ Relying on someone else to protect him? It's been years since he has, but agreeing to keep the peace in this situation isn't beyond him. ] If companionship is what you're hungry for then you have it. We'll stay here tonight, so let me clear these things out of the way. [ Let me find something else to eat, now. ]

[ Their combined acquiescence is as heady to Stiles as the full moon’s palpable spell on him. Expression brightening in genuine delight, he allows the spider legs to go limp all at once beneath him, causing his weight to pitch him forward into Sasuke’s chest. Meanwhile, his human arms come around the Vampire to seize Jonas’ outstretched hand, dragging the Witch bodily into Sasuke’s back. This has now become a compulsory group hug, with eight chitinous limbs binding them together using uncompromising force. Don’t mind the bloodied shoulder directly beneath your face, Sasuke. ]

I wish my dad was here, [ he says suddenly, tone no less warm for the melancholy confession, ] I don’t want to celebrate without him. But this is okay too. No, this is good. We’ll have fun.

[ With one last parting squeeze, Stiles is darting away at an alarming speed, already halfway across the cottage after vaulting the entire length of the dinning table. ]

Dude, I have a great idea. Go move the living room furniture together! We can build a fort!

[ Enthusiasm for this plan has him forgoing the stairs completely as he instead scales the wall that the fireplace is built into, climbing into the open mezzanine leading to the second-floor hall. ]

I’m going to grab blankets and pillows! Be back in a minute!

[ And he’s gone. ]

(his wish makes jonas glance down for the time it takes stiles to cross the dining room and head through the archway, his reaction time kicking in only when he speaks from afar.)

–uh, huh? A fort? Wait, Stiles! (calls after him to no avail, yet sucking in a gasp of apprehension the moment the arachne disappears from their line of sight.) Jesus, I-I'm– I-I've– he sounds possessed. Oh, god. Did you see the way he held onto me? Fuck.

(allowing himself a moment of weakness to lean back against the wall for a few hard breaths before running a hand back through his hair. a deep frown persists, eyes settling on sasuke to ascertain the kind of state he's in. he knows he's rattled by the hunger, deciding in that moment to slip away from him with a meaningful walk to the opposite end of the table to maybe make it easier for him moving forward.)

You... you should eat something, Sasuke. Before he comes back. And we'll– I don't know. (if his friend wants a fort, if that'll calm him down and elevate his mood, then he'll move heaven and fucking earth to make one for him.) Are you okay? He won't hurt me if you need to leave.

(jonas tries to sound as confident in that as he can. tries.)

[ The body that slumps against his with arms stretching around him in an eager reach for Jonas steals the breath from him, holding it into dying lungs as if that'll make the bloody shoulder just beneath his face less appetizing. It doesn't. He's salivating even as he goes rigid, tongue tracing sharpening fangs beneath a strained mouth that's drawn tight. What would it taste like? How would it feel to let loose, give into the urge to sink teeth into an already marred body? To turn himself on Jonas when he's finished?

Stiles is speaking and the words are washing right over him, having to stir himself from his moon fever to just listen. His father. Something about having fun here, together.

The second he lets go and puts distance between them is the second he exhales, watching with a half-lidded gaze as Stiles skitters up the wall and vanishes out of sight. He swallows as Jonas speaks now, nodding first as he calms down. ] You're right, I'll find something. But I won't be leaving you here alone to do it. [ No, he made his promises and he intends to keep them.

The dishes and food he'd intended to clean up are left by the wayside as he instead moves towards the kitchen and the bag he'd left there, well aware that one more rat is confined within its depths. He expected to need more food tonight, but not to this extent. It's fished free with a quiet squeak and Sasuke foregoes any pretense of human-like behavior, bringing it to his mouth before he's sinking teeth directly into its body. ]

... yeah, (winded, blinking hard against the sting in his eyes,) yeah, okay. I guess that was a pretty idiotic suggestion. Sorry.

(sasuke wouldn't leave him now, just as he wouldn't leave his bonded. not unless he ordered him to, of course, and even then it'd take some convincing. he's stronger than he was, he can help now, but in an emotional situation like this it's perhaps best to simply defer to someone who can hide their thoughts more effectively.

watches him for a moment, then at the squeak turns his face away to tense bodily against the insatiable feeling it stirs in his stomach. impressions of sasuke's state of mind have never left ghost-like pangs before; their first full moon.)

Do we just... go along with this, or should we do something? What... I don't know, but keeping him preoccupied till sun-up...

(yeah, that confidence did not stick around.)

[ Blood fills his mouth like saltwater offered to a parched man. For a relieved half-second it helps, wetting his throat and settling in his stomach like a need satisfied. And then his body processes what it's been offered, expecting so much more, and the vicious pang of hunger that follows threatens to actually double him over. He breathes through it when the body of that poor animal is abruptly dropped, carcass hitting the floor with a sickening smack as his palm flattens itself against the nearest wall.

Let it pass, focus on Jonas's feelings. Jonas...

Fear, dread, discomfort, skepticism. ]

It'll be alright, [ he mutters first, a baseless attempt to soothe in spite of his own distracted mind. His Bonded still takes precedence through the haze. ] I don't want to hurt him. You can try your binding magic, but he'll feel betrayed by that... and we'll deal with the consequences for longer than a night.

[ Finally he looks back at him, pushing away from that wall to return to the dining room with mindless pauses to pick up discarded dishes and place them back on the table. ] Do you believe he'll keep to his word?

[ An odd shuffling sound from the second floor announces that their one-on-one time has been cut short. Stiles, arms full of blankets and quilts and pillows, appears at the mezzanine overlooking the living room. The heap of bedding is unloaded from there, knocking several knickknacks off the fireplace mantle in its descent to the first floor. Beaming, Stiles disappears briefly as he properly takes the stairs. ]

You didn’t move the furniture. [ He pauses at the threshold to the dining room, attention caught by the sent of blood from the kitchen. ] What’s wrong?

[ Neither Jonas nor Sasuke appear to be injured. Satisfied that they seem to be safe for the moment, Stiles wonders if he’s smelling a rat. Unfortunately, his sense of smell isn’t much stronger than it normally is as a human. ]

Diiiiiid you guys want to do something else? [ he wonders out loud, glancing from one friend to the other with the guileless innocence of a child. ] We should have a pack of playing cards around here somewhere. Remember where we left it, Jonas?

I don't know. If it's two separate personalities, or if he's... taken over by something, then– (the rest is stifled when the bedding drops and scattered items onto the floor, startling him into placing a hand on his chest.

good lord, that wasn't enough time to get a plan in order. which makes jonas' anxiety stew while he forces a calmer smile.)

Sorry, buddy, I-I was helping Sasuke get something to eat. You know what that blood on your shoulder's doing to him, man. (a spur of the moment decision as sasuke keeps to the dinner plates and clearing the table, easing himself back around and past his bonded to get closer to the kitchen. it also gives him some time to think on his feet, not that he's ever been good at that. right here, right now, it's the best idea he's got.)

I thought I'd wait and get you cleaned up first, just wipe the... um, wound. Before the fort-building, where we'll all be in close quarters with one another. Cool?

[ That sound of movement is accompanied by a new wave of dread he promptly pushes down to process later, well aware of what's coming even before Stiles descends the stairs again. The other teen may be unable to sniff out one type of blood and distinguish it from another but Sasuke's sure his sense of smell has never been sharper, cravings slowly growing stronger as he's reintroduced to them.

It's a conscious decision then to keep his back to them both as he straightens to full height, dishes set down haphazardly with his fingers still poised against the table's surface. ]

It'll make things easier, [ he offers, an agreement to at least buy him a little time to convince himself that gnawing hunger is ignorable. ] If you want the furniture moved still, then that's what I'll do. [ Until such time as he thinks of anything better, at least. ]

[ That boyish look of innocence sharpens into something far more shrewd and calculating as Stiles sizes up the Vampire’s current state. So, Sasuke has reached the point where the rats are no longer cutting it. Whether it’s due to the power of the full moon or the open wound on Stiles’ shoulder, or more likely both, their friend is struggling with cravings. Instinct demands he deal with this potential threat to the safety of his territory by removing Sasuke from the cottage. But that would upset Jonas. With a low, thoughtful hum, Stiles heads toward the kitchen to join the Witch. For now, he’ll do as Jonas suggests in an effort to alleviate Sasuke’s hunger. ]

Alright, [ he agrees, passing the Witch – and unable to resist reaching out to touch him, hands and tarsus clinging with a very different kind of hunger from Sasuke’s, but a hunger nonetheless. ] No healing, though.

[ There’s a warning note to that term; Stiles absolutely will not tolerate his scar being healed, under any circumstance.

One spider limb grabs a clean cloth from the counter, a second turns on the sink faucet, and the first goes to dip the cloth under the water – only for Stiles to whine pathetically at the sensation of the trichobothria getting wet. The cloth is dropped, both limbs recoiling in discomfort as they frantically try to shake the water droplets off. ]

God, it’s like having my ears plugged up, [ he groans, manually taking an affected limb in hand and running his fingers down the velvety soft hairs. ] Ugh.

Not even to heal it shut? Like, so it doesn't bleed anymore? (it doesn't sit well with him, but he'll follow along regardless.

jonas tries not to think of how hands grab and clutch at him, hand returning to stiles' back to help guide him into the kitchen with a spare look cast to sasuke. a wordless apology, wondering if he's making all of this worse somehow. if he invited stiles outside, would he go with him? or down into the cold basement, where they could deal with this on their own without making his bondmate's situation worse?

no, that's foolish to think. they need each other's help, and jonas doesn't trust himself when stiles is around—what's the best course of action for him?

taking the cloth from the sink with a motherly, "just let me do it," the witch decides to fuss at dry blood in gentle wipes up towards the wound without touching it directly, mopping the whiny monster clean. his hip meets the edge of the counter, head tilted towards the arachne legs that somehow disconcert him less than the injury. this is far more deserving of his attention, his worry over the overall health of his friends outrunning their full moon changes by a country mile.)

... Sasuke, I'll– I think I'll be outta' here in a sec. If taking care of the dishes is better and gets you some distance, then... I guess, uh, I can take care of the furniture. (a ginger dab at the punctures that look welted and puckered with infection, finding his stomach churn.) Stiles, you can help me and stay outta' Sasuke's way for now... or– or he'll need to leave, and you don't want that. Right?

Edited 2020-05-12 01:45 (UTC)

[ Even truly believing that Stiles presents no threat to either of them, Sasuke feels cowardly. He's allowing Jonas to handle an issue that they should be facing together, and all the logic in the world reminding him that that reliance isn't necessarily a bad thing and that he'd just be a hindrance falls in the face of knowing his own cowardice.

He's not scared of Stiles, he's scared of himself.

That frustration is enough to get him to squeeze his eyes shut, pausing in the midst of his newest self-assigned duty. Jonas's words almost go unheard. ]

I'll handle things in the kitchen when you're done then... clean things up. It's for the best. [ In Sasuke-speak this might as well be an outright warning. ]

[ Bending awkwardly at joints in order to reach him, eight tarsi hold onto Jonas like a clingy child does their mother in a busy public venue. The alien, backward embrace isn’t meant to come off as threatening; Stiles’ body language remains loose and relaxed as Jonas tends to his shoulder. Beyond a reflexive shudder when water trickles down his spine, he’s a pliant patient. Not even the bold dabbing at the more severe areas elicits much reaction from him, like the pain and discomfort from the injury is nothing to Stiles. He simply luxuriates in the close proximity to such a rich source of magic, this best friend of his who made a house their home – who has become so impossibly dear to Stiles that he’s unable to put into words how he feels other than: I love Jonas. The thought isn’t romantic in nature, but it is enough to disrupt his patience for this game. Twisting around, he envelops the Witch in an embrace with a pleased sigh. ]

You don’t have to talk to me like I’m a space cadet, [ he replies, amused, rubbing wide circles into Jonas’ back as if his friend needed comfort. ] I’ll behave if he does.

[ Over his friend’s back, that sleepy gaze of contentment suddenly darkens with speculation as he considers Sasuke’s current situation. ]

Hungry, Sasuke?

Okay, okay, (muttered at stiles as he's held again, intolerance for the babying growing as he becomes more and more comfortable in the situation,) I won't if you stop treating me like a child, dude. You're acting weird as hell right now, so excuse me if I'm trying to adapt to the– the– new status quo, here.

Please leave Sasuke alone for right now.

(a simple request, even if it's loaded.)

You and me... we can do stuff. Like he said, he's gonna' be busy for a bit. We can't go on acting like things are normal when they aren't, it's– it's a full moon. Nothing's gonna' be exactly right. We deal with that till daybreak and move on with our lives.

[ This time there's no response, nothing beyond his channeling of his own energy into staying calm. Waiting for one room to be vacated in exchange for another, and that silence on its own is enough of a telling answer. ]

[ In the end, Arachne instincts win out: he won’t allow a potential predator to linger in his web, the cottage, when it’s so obvious how close Sasuke is to a breaking point. Simultaneously, the human in Stiles balks at the idea of kicking a friend to the curb. So, it’s decided he’ll take Sasuke to get a proper meal – decided unanimously by Stiles, that is. He gently convinces Jonas by webbing the Witch to the wall with a promise that they’ll be back soon, then escorts Sasuke out of the cottage. ]

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(open) i paced around for hours on empty, i jumped at the slightest of sounds

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lord forgive me my baby tag

never