Red (Ficlet for jurisimmortalis)

[watch_the_nails]

The first thing that Nat noticed were the drops of red staining the floor, indiscriminate spatters of crimson staining the hardwood in random scatters inside the doorway; she followed the trail as it led towards the kitchen, her mood quickly changing from one of quiet relief at arriving home to one of anger – or concern. If Victor had brought one of his victims back here, or if he’d been injured...

“Victor?” she ventured, calling out his name as she traced the route of those scarlet droplets towards the kitchen – and stopping in her tracks as she noted the familiar black shape silhouetted against the countertop. He was hunched over and had his back to her, his body shielded from view by the large coat which he always wore, and as she rounded the corner he glanced up to stare at her, a look of shock and surprise written on his face. “Victor, what the hell’s going on?”

“It’s nothin’, Wildcat, I just...”

Whatever was the matter, it was clear that he didn’t want her to know about it, at least not just yet. She couldn’t help but wonder just what was wrong, and the pang of concern which had been rising within her began to become something more of a panic as she noticed the slowly-spreading pool of red making its way across the countertop. Something was wrong, seriously wrong, and she wouldn’t let Victor’s stubborn male pride keep it from her. Setting her jaw, Nat marched across the floor towards the feral and firmly yanked his arm away from his side – only to be confronted with the fresh, sweet aroma of freshly-cut fruit.

“Strawberries?”

“Yeah, I was just… well, I…” Victor frowned as his brain engaged itself in a mental flail, caught in the act of trying to make a caring gesture without her finding out until the last minute. A mangled punnet of strawberries sat on the countertop in front of him, pulp and juice dripping from his claws. He’d been trying to chop them up using his nails, but it… hadn’t really worked. Sighing, he pierced one of the less-mutilated fruits with a single claw and held it out towards her, hoping she wouldn’t mind his failed attempts to create something for her to come home to.

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[watch-the-nails.livejournal.com]

"No, wait---"

He moved quickly despite his size, covering the short distance between them in mere seconds and placing his clawed hand upon Nat's arm as she sent to seemingly replace the cream back inside the fridge. His grip tightened slightly, his nails digging into her flesh as he almost whined his protest.

"You know I didn't mean..."

[jurisimmortalis.livejournal.com]

"I know."

A smirk hovered at the corners of Nat's lips as she stood on tiptoe and pressed her mouth to his, letting Victor taste the lingering hint of strawberries that clung to her lips. She'd been fairly certain of his reaction which was why she'd done it in the first place.

[watch-the-nails.livejournal.com]

A low growl rose in his throat as he realised he'd been played, but it didn't make his kiss any less passionate; he scowled as she pressed her lips to his, but there was still warmth in his embrace as his arms slid around her back to draw her closer.

[jurisimmortalis.livejournal.com]

Meanwhile, the cream was quickly forgotten as Nat wrapped her arms around Victor's neck and shoulders. She hadn't been expecting that kind of a gesture at all, which made her appreciate it all the more.

[watch-the-nails.livejournal.com]

He moaned softly as she returned the affection, liking the feel of her arms around his body, the warm press of her flesh against his own. He'd tried to make an impression tonight by preparing something special for her, and it had gone wrong; but if this was the result hw got when he made a mistake, he was only more determined to try again and see what happened when he got it right.

[jurisimmortalis.livejournal.com]

Right or wrong didn't matter to her; Nat was simply happy with the fact that Victor had gone to the effort. Kicking the door to the fridge closed, she moved so she was effectively pinned between it and the manimal in front of her.

[watch-the-nails.livejournal.com]

The hungry, passionate kisses continued for a short while, the eager growls still coming from his throat as he touched and stroked at Nat's body - although he paused after a few moments to glance at the closed door to the fridge.

"You did get the cream out... right?"

[jurisimmortalis.livejournal.com]

Nat's response was to lightly touch the cold, metal canister to the back of Victor's neck. A teasing smirk crossed her lips.

"What do you think?"

[watch-the-nails.livejournal.com]

There was a sudden, surprised yelp as the cold metal connected with Victor's bare skin, followed by a contented, drawn-out moan; the contrast of Nat's warm body combined with the sudden shocking feel of the canister sent a shiver of pleasure all the way up and down his spine, and he ended up grinning at her as she smiled up at him conspiratorially.

"I think you're gonna be the best damned dessert that I've ever eaten."

[jurisimmortalis.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, there were very much horns holding up her halo as Nat looked up at him with her big brown eyes full of phony innocence. If that was how Victor reacted to a cold metal can, she was left wondering how he'd respond to her using ice cubes...

"Oh, you think so huh?"

Her question was followed by Nat up-ending the can and squirting a healthy dose of whipped cream into her mouth, just before kissing him.

[watch-the-nails.livejournal.com]

Again, she took him by surprise; her sudden kiss was made that much more delicious by the addition of the whipped cream, Victor's sensitive tastebuds making him respond not only with an eager purr but practically a whine, his claws dragging her against him as he sought to draw every last bit of that irresistable flavour from her mouth.

[jurisimmortalis.livejournal.com]

Nat chuckled softly as her tongue warred with his. She playfully tried to keep Victor from getting any of the fluffy white cream she had squirted into her mouth. Still, it was a battle she was happy to lose.

[watch-the-nails.livejournal.com]

Growls and snarls escaped his throat as their kissing became a fight for oral dominance, their tongues sliding over each other, his fangs nipping and biting playfully at her mouth. He savoured the match just as much as she did, his hands travelling over her body, his claws dancing deftly across her back and shoulders.

[jurisimmortalis.livejournal.com]

It was fun playing with Victor like this, and Nat almost preferred it to sparring. She returned his nips and nibbles with ones of her own. Of course, Nat couldn't resist teasing the cold can against the back of his neck again.

[watch-the-nails.livejournal.com]

As he had the first time, he cried out, the sudden coldness again coming as a pleasant-yet-shocking surprise; as his lips met hers again his kisses became even more intense, his claws digging into her flesh where they touched at her.

[jurisimmortalis.livejournal.com]

As usual, she took the pain from his claws with a grain of salt. She was almost used to it by now. But one thing Nat doubted she would ever get used to was how intensely passionate Victor was. It definitely wasn't a bad thing, not by any stretch. Besides, she liked feeling overwhelmed by him.

[watch-the-nails.livejournal.com]

Victor had always been passionate, driven by his desires and his instincts; it was all part of being a feral, and things were no different with Nat. When it came to his lusts he just couldn't help himself, clawing and pawing at his female, pressing himself against her as closely as he could.

[jurisimmortalis.livejournal.com]

And Nat was more than happy to accommodate Victor's passion; especially since, more often than not, it was her fault. She craved feeling wanted and it seemed he was the only one who could feed that appetite. Pulling back a little, she looked up into those oh-so-blue eyes and gave a little smile.

"What about those strawberries...?"

[watch-the-nails.livejournal.com]

"What about 'em?" he teased, pulling back from the kiss and reaching up with a claw to touch playfully at her nose. Oh, he knew full well what she meant, or at least, he hoped he did. He hadn't been intending to eat them from a plate when he'd acquired them in the first place. "You want I should whip up some kinda Pavlova?"

[jurisimmortalis.livejournal.com]

"I was thinking something more along the lines of shortcake."

It didn't matter really. Nat was just pleasantly surprised at the gesture, even if it hadn't gone quite as Victor had planned.

[watch-the-nails.livejournal.com]

"Shortcake? We can do shortcake." He pulled a face, as if trying to act like he was speaking perfectly innocently - which, of course, he wasn't. "I was thinkin' more along the lines of a cream pie..."

[jurisimmortalis.livejournal.com]

The tone in Victor's voice left little doubt that what he had in mind had anything to do with the whipped cream in her hand. Nat swallowed compulsively.

"Um, yeah... Sounds good."

[watch-the-nails.livejournal.com]

"You wanna try it?" He was teasing her now, and making a game of it; like a cat playing with its prey, he enjoyed seeing just how far he could push her sometimes, knowing that they'd both benefit from the result. Laughing, he tugged her towards the bed with his strong arms, his grip firm but gentle. "We ain't gonna get shit all done just standin' around here like lost chefs at a caterin' convention."

[jurisimmortalis.livejournal.com]

"Y'know something? You're right."

Laughing softly, she grabbed the plate of strawberries on the way over to the bed.

"And, yeah. I do wanna try it."

[watch-the-nails.livejournal.com]

Still grinning, Victor sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling Nat and the strawberries down with him. He shuffled over the bed and lay back, still fully-dressed, letting go of her so she could clamber up beside him - or even onto him, should she so desire - in her own way. Damn, but this was the best way to get his five-a-day.