#ACOH drabble

[marlettwrites]

Day 5: Late Night Talks

Alternately, Jude is bad at self-care: Part 2.

Hovering over the little clay oven, Jude rubbed at his eyes and tried not to think about how dark the sky looked. Or how warm the fire felt so close to his skin. Or how nice the bread smelled.

Five more minutes, he told himself sternly. The fire needs to be doused in five more minutes, and then I can sleep.

“Jude? What’re you doing?”

Jude jumped, startled. He cast a glance over his shoulder to find the speaker. Kul stood in the doorway, rubbing at his eyes sleepily. Some of his tight curls flew away from the rest, and his lower lip stuck out in an adorable pout the way it always did when Kul wasn’t fully awake.

Jude turned away guiltily.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you. I’m just baking.”

Kul seemed to sober. His pout shrank a little.

“In the middle of the night?”

Not bothering to turn around, Jude simply shrugged. A few moments of silence followed.

“Jude?”

Oh, Jude thought. Right. Blind.

“I guess so, yeah,” he mumbled finally.

Eager to end the conversation, Jude poured the small bowl of water he’d prepared over the fire. He waited a few seconds before using bunched up rolls of his robe to lift the lid. Peering down, Jude thought to himself that he could have taken the bread off the heat a little sooner. The crust looked a little burnt.

Kul knelt beside him.

“We still have two untouched loaves in the house. What’s really going on?”

Jude leaned back into his chest. Silently, he pulled out his smooth rock and worked his fingers around it a few times before answering.

“Had a nightmare. Couldn’t sleep.”

“Mmm,” Kul hummed. He began carding his fingers through Jude’s hair. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Jude rubbed at the stone some more. He shook his head.

“I don’t remember it now.”

Kul leaned in, pressing his lips to Jude’s temple.

“Okay.” He scooped Jude into his arms and stood up. “Let’s get you back to bed.”

“Wait,” Jude protested, while Kul carried him back inside, “the bread still needs to be taken out of the oven.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“And it has to be put on a cooling rack so it doesn’t mold.”

“I can do that too.”

“And the oven needs to be cleaned, or the bread bits will be really difficult to scrape off tomorrow, and-”

“Jude.”

His mouth snapped shut.

“Yeah?”

“I can handle it.”

Jude looked up at him warily.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to take advantage of you. You have your apprenticeship tomorrow with Isis, and I’d hate to make you stay up any longer.”

“You’re not,” Kul assured him, “I’m offering to do it. Besides, it’ll only take me a few minutes. And you’ve got your own work cut out for you tomorrow with Pausiris,” Kul chided. “It’s better if we both get some sleep rather than one of us getting none.”

Jude pressed his face into the crook of Kul’s neck.

“I guess that makes sense,” he mumbled after a moment. “‘M sorry for waking you up.”

Kul chuckled.

“Don’t worry about it.”

The next thing he knew, Jude was laying in their hammock. Someone pressed a warm kiss to his forehead and disappeared. What seemed like seconds later, the hammock swayed and Jude woke to Kul’s arms wrapped around him.

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[marlettwrites]

Day 10: Bear Hug

Kul paced outside Tabu's cave, growing more anxious the more time went on. This conversation was taking far longer than Kul expected it to.

He supposed that was a good sign. That meant Tabu had at least taken the proposal into consideration.

Finally, the sound of Jude's bare feet on the wet rock reached his ears. Kul waited another minute or so before calling out.

“How'd it go?”

The sound of his feet stopped.

“Kul? How long have you been waiting out here?”

“Not important. Answer the question.”

A shuffling of feet and the shifting of cloth reached his ears. Jude bounced from foot to foot.

“Well,” he began, “Tabu said that I'll have to start over from the beginning, but if I can prove I'll work hard at it it, he'll tutor me again.”

All the tension rushed out of his body in a single wave. Kul rushed forward and enveloped Jude into the biggest hug he could muster.

“That's great!”

Jude snuggled into him almost immediately, wrapping his arms around to settle on the small of Kul's back. Barely managing to hold back a mischievous grin, Kul slid his arms lower, hooking them around Jude's waist.

Laughing, Kul picked him up and swung him around in a slow circle. Jude gripped at his shoulders for purchase.

“Kul!” Jude shrieked, but he was laughing too, so Kul had no intention of letting him down.

“What?”

“Come on! Let me down!”

“Why? I know you're having fun.”

Jude went quiet. He squeezed Kul's shoulder. A playfully begrudging agreement seeped through their linked minds.

“Then I guess you won't mind if I do this,” Kul shifted his grip so he was supporting Jude's legs with one arm and his head with the other. Jude gasped and slung his arms around Kul's neck.

“A little warning next time, please,” he breathed.

“Oh. Sorry, did I-”

“No, no you just startled me is all.”

Kul hummed softly and Jude nuzzled into him, burying his face in Kul's neck. Soft lips pressed against his cheek.

“Thank you,” he heard Jude murmur, “for staying. It helped, knowing you were out here.”

Kul bent and grazed his lips against Jude's temple.

“Anytime.”

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[marlettwrites]

Day 9: (Unnecessary) Spoiling

The cheerful noises of the Air Festival echoed all around them. Sometimes, the sounds were loud an distinct enough that Kul was able to 'see’ without needing to bother with sending out his own clicks. Musicians belted out soft and willowy songs while dancers flitted about lightly.

“This is amazing,” Jude breathed beside him.

Kul almost reminded him that he thought everything was amazing, but bit back the comment at the last second. Knowing him, Kul knew Jude would take it as something of an insult.

“Yeah,” he said simply. “I like the music. It's beautiful.”

Jude squeezed his hand. A bit of his excitement seeped through their mind link. Kul's heart fluttered hopelessly.

“Hey! Let's go check out that stand over there!”

“Okay,” Kul agreed, allowing his boyfriend to pull him across the island.

Kul hung back while Jude ogled at the craftsman’s various pendants. Kul reached up on reflex to touch the necklace Jude had given him a few weeks prior. I love you. He ran his fingers over the words again and again. I love you I love you I love you.

Weeks, and he'd given Jude nothing in return.

“Alright, I'm done.”

Kul jumped, shocked out of his stupor.

“I- what?”

Jude laughed.

“I'm done looking at the stall. That guy does some really beautiful work.”

“Oh. Right.”

They stood in awkward silence for a moment.

“Did you want to get something to eat?” Jude asked, finally ending the quiet spell.

“You go ahead. I'm going to look at some stuff over here real quick.”

Jude touched his hand lightly, and his lips landed on Kul's cheek.

“Okay. I'll be by the dumpling stand.”

“Love you,” Kul called after him.

The second the sound of Jude's feet disappeared, Kul rushed to the stall he'd been so enamored by. He clicked his tongue softly. Beaded jewelry covered the table, twisting in intricate shapes. He heard depictions of snakes, sea monsters, and some undoubtedly fictional creature with eight long tentacles. Kul felt his mouth screwing up into a frown. It seemed like every living creature fascinated Jude. He'd once spent an hour ranting excitedly to Kul about how cool frogs were.

He tapped his finger anxiously on the side of the table. Which one? Which one?

“You look like you're about to have an aneurysm,” the vendor chuckled. “Can I help you find something?”

Kul sighed.

“I'm trying to find a gift for my boyfriend, but I have no idea what he'll like best,” he confessed.

“Ah. Was he the short guy in the green robe?”

Kul nodded. The vendor hummed thoughtfully. He plucked four pendants from his table and pushed them towards Kul.

“He seemed the most interested in these.”

Kul turned his attention towards the items. A frog, a serpent that seemed suspiciously similar in design to Apep, one of the odd eight-armed creatures, and a dragonfly.

Kul sat silently for a moment, feeling stumped. Then he reached for his coin pouch.

“How much for all of them?”

When Kul found Jude a few minutes later, his coin pouch felt a bit lighter. Jude greeted him with a joyful shout.

Jude pushed a plate at Kul.

“I got us some dumplings! They're veggie.”

Kul took one gratefully.

For the remainder of the Festival, he followed Jude around to stalls and discreetly purchased anything his boyfriend seemed interested in. By the end, his coin pouch was nearly empty, but his pockets felt heavier than ever.

At one point, Jude told a vendor he thought one of their rucksacks 'looked nice’, so Kul bought it and stuffed all the other loot inside.

It wasn’t until the end of the night when they were walking down the road to their home that Jude seemed to notice the bag hanging off of Kul’s shoulders.

“Wow,” he said. “That looks heavy. Find a lot of stuff you like?”

“Yeah. I’ll show you when we get home.”

Jude laced his fingers through Kul’s own, and Kul heard him humming happily as they walked. The second they walked through the door, Jude plopped onto the floor, pulling Kul down with him.

“So? What did you get?”

“Uh… well, I got um…” Kul pulled an oddly shaped trinket from the pack and placed it gently on the floor. “I got this… thing,” he finished lamely.

“Oh! I saw this earlier!” Jude blurted excitedly, “It’s a flute! I liked it because the artist painted these frogs on it.”

“Okay,” Kul said, “You can have it, then.”

Jude faltered for a moment.

“Are you sure?”

Kul bit back a grin. Of course I’m sure. I bought it for you, dummy.

“Yeah. I don’t know how to play it anyway.”

“Thank you,” Jude breathed.

Kul brought out all his souvenirs from the Festival one by one. Each time, Jude made a comment about how he remembered seeing that exact item at one of the stands, and each time Kul passed it off as coincidence while doing his best to keep a straight face. By the time Kul set out about half of the items, Jude had fallen into silence.

Kul could almost hear the gears turning in his head. When he’d whittled the pile down to nearly nothing, Jude finally spoke up.

“Kul, did you buy everything I looked at?”

“No,” Kul said, “I didn’t buy dumplings.”

Silence. Then,

“Oh my gods,” he heard Jude groan quietly.

Kul felt his heart sink low. Maybe he’d gone a little overboard.

“Sorry. I guess I didn’t really think this through. I never considered this might make you uncomfortable. I can take everything back if-”

“No! No, I-” Jude paused. “It’s just that no one’s ever done anything like this for me before. I’m not sure how to react, o-or what to- or what to say. I-” Jude paused again and growled in frustration.

His feet slapped the dirt floor as he crossed the room and plopped down into Kul’s lap. He grabbed Kul’s hand. Almost immediately, Kul felt a probing in his mind. Allowing Jude in, Kul quickly became overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude and affection and a strange mix of joy and sadness.

Jude buried his face in Kul’s neck.

“I love you,” he whispered, his hot breath sending shockwaves through Kul’s body.

Kul wrapped his arms around Jude’s middle and pressed his lips to the top of Jude’s head in response.

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@kai-writesstuff @runningonrain @imaghostwriter @writingnosefreak @planets-and-prose @marvel-and-writing

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[marlettwrites]

Day 8: Can’t Keep Hands off Each Other (in Public)

Worldbuilding? In MY fluff? It’s more likely than you think.

Jude adjusted the sash around his middle one last time. He stretched his arms up, watching his shirt carefully. Jude nodded to himself. The scar around his abdomen would not make an appearance tonight.

“Are you ready yet? Hathor and Seben left like ten minutes ago.”

Jude turned to face his boyfriend, who stood leaning against the doorframe. Shrugging on his oversized green robe, Jude waltzed over to Kul and pecked his cheek.

“Yup!” he said.

Kul smiled softly and offered his hand. Jude took it. On their way out of the house, Jude grabbed the loaf of honeyed bread he'd baked the night before from the table.

“Are you going to be honored at the Feast?” Jude asked as they walked.

Kul chuckled.

“You have to wait like everyone else.”

“Well, I'm going to assume the answer is yes. You're wearing that tunic Hathor made for you. Last year you didn't even bother changing after tutoring.”

Kul's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.

“In my defense, last year I didn't know the Feast was such a big deal. And she did really nice on the beading.” Kul added.

“Mmhmm. I'm sure Isis conveniently left it out when she told you about the Festivals.”

Kul pulled his hand from Jude's for just long enough to shove his shoulder lightly.

“Fine. Yes, I'm being honored,” Kul grumbled reluctantly. “But I'm not saying what for!”

Jude stood on tiptoe and pressed another kiss to Kul's cheek.

“Congratulations on whatever it is.”

Kul gave him a fond smile.

“Yeah, yeah.”

People began congregating around them as they walked. Almost everyone was holding a dish of some kind. Jude smiled and waved at people he knew. Tabu. Pausiris. Seben and Hathor, who’d apparently waited outside for them.

Jude made a mental note to himself to bring whatever leftovers he could to the beach afterwards. No doubt Apep would welcome the company.

Kul's hand left Jude's own and snaked around his waist. Pressing a kiss to Jude's temple, Kul mumbled,

“Lots of people. Wouldn't want you to get lost.”

Jude snuggled into his chest in response.

Taglist:

@kai-writesstuff @runningonrain @imaghostwriter @writingnosefreak @planets-and-prose @marvel-and-writing

If you would like to be added to or removed from the taglist, please let me know in a comment below. :)

[marlettwrites]

Day 14: Forehead Kiss(es)

A bit of a shorter one today.

Jude strolled along the beach, eyes firmly glued to the ground. Bits and pieces of seashells stuck out of the sand, dotting the shoreline with patches of color. Kul walked beside him, their fingers intertwined.

Jude paused in his gait, staring out at the Red Sea. He looked as far as his eyes allowed, trying to catch a glimpse of where the water touched the shores of Egypt.

Kul squeezed his hand comfortingly.

“What are you thinking about?”

Jude leaned his head on Kul's shoulder.

“I wish Braheem could have come with us. This place was all he ever talked about back in the Kingdom,” Jude said. “I hope he's doing alright,” Jude paused, an uneasy feeling settling in his chest. “You don't think Kasaika got to him, do you?”

Kul shook his head.

“I don't know.”

Jude reached for the smooth stone he always kept on his person and rubbed at it anxiously. Seconds later, Kul began rubbing soothing circles into the back of his hand.

“Egypt is a big country, and Braheem's a very smart guy. I'm sure he's fine,” Kul said, but Jude caught a hint of doubt in his voice.

Jude had half a mind to build himself a boat and go find his friend, but the knowledge that leaving meant he could never return held him back. Leaning into Kul's side, Jude let out a sigh.

“I just wish we had a way of knowing.”

Kul wrapped an arm around his shoulders. The other boy's lips landed on his forehead. Kul smoothed his hair back gently.

“He'll be okay.”

Jude nuzzled into his neck.

“I hope you're right.”

Thank you for reading!

Taglist:

@kai-writesstuff @runningonrain @imaghostwriter @writingnosefreak @planets-and-prose @marvel-and-writing

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[marlettwrites]

Day 22: Falling Asleep Together

Tomorrow’s prompt response will unfortunately be the last one. It’s been a pleasure writing these, and I hope to do something similar for next year’s Pride Month!

Kul lay awake in his hammock, a nervous energy keeping him awake. Nothing he did seemed to get rid of it. Finally, he rolled onto his side.

“Hey Jude?” he called quietly across the room, “Are you awake?”

“Mm? Nooo,�� a sleepy voice answered.

Kul caught the sound of his boyfriend’s hammock creaking as he shifted.

“Wha’s goin’ on?”

“Nothing, I just,” Kul sighed, “I can’t sleep.”

“Oh.”

Jude’s hammock creaked again, and then came the sound of his feet landing on the floor. He padded quietly across their room until the soft sound of his breathing hung over Kul.

“Would a hug help?” Jude asked uncertainly.

Kul considered this. He imagined them curled up together in his little hammock. Imagined what it would be like to wake up with Jude in his arms, still sleeping soundly. Kul imagined he would gently brush the hair out of his lover’s face and deliver a soft kiss to his forehead.

The thought filled him with a warmth that began in his stomach and rose to his cheeks.

“Yes,” he said finally, “I think a hug would help very much.”

“Okay.”

Jude leaned in and wrapped Kul into his embrace. The blissful feeling lasted only a moment, then Jude pulled away from him and started back to his own hammock.

“Goodnight, Kul.”

“Wait,” Kul blurted. He paused, wringing his fingers together, “Um, I was wondering, could we maybe sleep together? Uh, in um, in the same hammock?”

“Oh. S-sure! If you want. It’s just-” Jude cut himself off. Kul heard the telltale sound of cloth shifting followed by a soft scratchy noise that meant Jude was reaching for his rock, “-It’s just that I get nightmares sometimes, so I talk in my sleep, and I might kick, too.”

“I think I’ll live.”

The cloth of Jude’s robe shifted again as Kul heard him drop his rock back into his pocket. His feet pitter-pattered over the hard packed dirt again, and then Kul felt his hammock dip to the left. Jude rolled in, right into his waiting arms.

With the warmth of another body beside him, Kul finally felt himself relax.

Thank you for reading!

Taglist:

@kai-writesstuff @runningonrain @imaghostwriter @writingnosefreak @planets-and-prose @marvel-and-writing

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[marlettwrites]

Day 20: One (or both) is Injured

Alternately, Jude makes friends with the local cryptid.

Jude clambered up the increasingly steep hill, using his hands as well as his legs to propel him now. Normally, he wouldn’t have bothered with such a difficult climb, but Seben and Tabu had both insisted the top of Serpent’s Ridge offered the best view on the island. Once the thought had wormed its way into his head, Jude found he couldn’t let it go.

His curiosity demanded he know what lie at the top of that mound.

“How much further?” Kul called from behind him.

Jude looked up, squinting in the midday sun.

“Just a few more feet, I think. It looks pretty flat up ahead,” he said.

“Great. This bag is getting heavy.”

Jude turned to look at the heavy sack hanging off his boyfriend’s shoulders. He frowned.

“I told you I wouldn’t  mind carrying it for a bit.”

“No,” Kul dismissed with a wave of his hand, “It’s fine. I’ve got it.”

“Okay,” he muttered.

“O-kaaaaayyyy,” Kul mocked him playfully.

“Oh my gods,” Jude said, “You’re such a child.”

In response, Kul stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry at him.

“How childish was that?”

“Hmm. Only a lot.”

Kul let out a short cackle.

Jude pulled himself up and onto the top of the hill and held out a hand for Kul. He took it and pressed a soft kiss to Jude’s knuckles. The pink tinge in his cheeks and the way his hair moved in the breeze were almost enough to make Jude’s heart stop.  He watched as Kul’s eyelashes fluttered gently against his skin.

Kul then dropped his hand and stubbornly scrambled the rest of the way up the hill unaided. He seated himself beside Jude, allowing his legs to dangle over the edge.

“You were supposed to let me pull you up,” Jude mumbled.

“You know I never do what I’m supposed to,” Kul offered a cheeky smile.

Jude only rolled his eyes in response. Instead of Kul, he chose to focus on the view of the island from his new vantage point. Date palms and fig trees dotted the land, broad leaves hiding the straw tops of the huts that lay below. Beyond that, he saw the edge where the trees met sand and where sand tapered off into the red sea. From behind, he heard the roar of that same sea crashing into the cliffside.

When he squinted, Jude found he could even make out the long oily line that made up Apep’s constantly moving body. The great snake could rarely afford to rest. The beaches that lined the island were many miles in length, and though Apep was large enough to encircle it all, they only had one head.

“Finally,” Kul said, dropping the rucksack between them, “Lunch.”

They spent the next few minutes eating honeyed bread and fruit. Between bites, Jude did his best to describe the view to Kul. Even while echolocating, his boyfriend couldn’t make out much more than vague shapes past ten feet.

After awhile, Kul stood and stretched, electing to explore the little outcropping a bit more. Jude’s gaze lingered on his face a little longer than necessary. Once he realized he was staring, Jude turned his attention back to the tiny huts far below. Squinting a little, Jude thought he could almost see Egypt’s shore.

Not for the last time, he wondered how Braheem was doing.

A sickening crack followed by the word “Shit!” promptly drew Jude from his thoughts.

Jude spun around. Kul sat hunched over his leg, and since his back was to Jude, he couldn’t quite see what happened. He hoped Kul had just tripped and startled himself. As he drew closer though, it became increasingly obvious that Kul’s leg was both wedged between two large rocks, and very much broken.

Rushing to his side, questions poured out of his mouth before Jude even realized he was speaking.

“What happened? Where does it hurt most, and how bad is it? Are you stuck? On a scale of one to ten-”

Kul threw up a hand to silence him.

“That’s a lot of questions, Jude. One at a time, please,” Kul’s voice sounded strained.

Forcing himself to calm down, Jude switched his focus to the injured leg. It was bent oddly in two places, and he internally groaned. One break was bad enough, but two? Shaking the thought from his head, Jude reached forward. Best to get it over with and hope that the magic imbedded in Punt’s core helped him heal faster than he would in Egypt.

Just before he touched his boyfriend’s knee, Kul caught his wrist.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Jude blinked at him, confused.

“I’m going to heal it. What else would I be doing?”

“I don’t know. Making a splint? Going to get help? Doing anything that doesn’t end up with you in excruciating pain?”

Kul’s teeth were clenched tight, something made obvious by his taught jaw. Whether because of pain or anger, Jude didn’t know.

“If I make a splint and set your leg, you’ll be in pain for at least a month. If I heal you, I’ll only feel it for a few days. It’s better that way,” Jude explained.

Kul scowled.

“Jude, no. We talked about this. You can’t give up anymore time because of other people’s stupidity. That includes mine.”

“But-”

“You think I had trouble getting the rucksack up here, imagine the issues I’ll have trying to carry you down that hill.”

Jude considered this. After wrenching his wrist from Kul’s grasp (Jude suspected he was only holding on that tight because of the pain), he stood.

“Okay, fine. I’ll go find some sticks and make a splint, but I’m not leaving you up here alone.”

He didn’t give Kul the chance to respond to that, as he knew the other boy would insist Jude leave him in the name of finding help.

A five minute long search yielded two perfectly straight sticks. After easing Kul’s injured leg from between the two rocks, Jude quickly got to work, setting the bones back in place to the best of his ability. He built a quick splint using the two sticks and one of the rolls of gauze he always kept on his person. As he worked, he mulled over what to do.

They couldn’t both stay on the cliff- they only packed enough food for the day, and had devoured most of it. He couldn’t carry Kul down the hill, that presented too much of a risk of one or both of them falling and splitting a more vital bone than a fibula. A cracked skull, for instance, would be very bad. Jude tied off the gauze and stared blankly out into the distance. Beyond the trees, that thick black line still sat. Watching.

Jude almost smacked himself.

Apep could get them down and to the mouth of Tabu’s cave in minutes.

The only problem was getting their attention. Normally, this was a non-issue. The great serpent loved foods of all sorts, and tried to keep their head around the South beach, as Jude often visited with samples of snacks. Now, however, Jude had no idea what part of the island the head was currently patrolling.

“You should go get help. I’ll be fine here for a few hours-” Kul tried again, but Jude cut him off.

“I’m not leaving you. When I get Apep’s attention, I’ll ask them to carry us down, and everything will be okay.”

Kul groaned.

“Apep? Really? The same snake that almost let you bleed out on the beach because of a technicality in a stupid rule?”

“They’re a nice snake,” Jude defended, “Just a little lonely, I think.”

“Oh my gods,” Kul moaned. “Fine, but if I have to sit here listening to them hem and haw over whether they can really spare the time for more than five minutes, I’m going to climb down this hill myself, consequences be damned.”

“It won’t come to that,” Jude said. Hopefully.

He dug around in the rucksack, searching for any leftovers. Apep would come quicker if they smelled food. Triumphantly, he pulled an untouched apricot and a half-eaten slice of olive bread that he’d planned on saving for later from the bag.

“How’s your pain?” Jude called over his shoulder.

Kul looked thoughtful for a moment. He reached out to poke at his leg.

“Don’t,” Jude snapped.

Kul shrugged at him, but dropped his hand back onto the ground.

“It hurts, but it also feels weirdly numb, so not too bad I guess.”

Jude nodded.

“Good. That’s how it should feel.”

He gathered the leftovers in his arms and headed to the cliffside. Looking down at the crashing waves below, Jude found himself struggling to breathe.

Don’t look at it, Jude instructed himself firmly, Don’t think about it, it’s not there.

He chose instead to focus on the over-ten-tree-trunk-thick mass of brown and golden scales arcing over the water.

“APEP!” he yelled, shouting as loudly as possible. “I NEED HELP! KUL’S HURT!”

The mass kept moving, scales shifting constantly. Jude sighed to himself.

“I have food,” he called, not quite as frantic this time.

The scales stopped shifting. Slowly, they began moving in the opposite direction. Ten seconds later, Jude was staring into a giant golden eye that opened larger than he stood. Apep rose to stare at Jude curiously. Their gaze darted between him and the leftover pieces of food he held. Apep seemed to smile.

“Jude! What a pleasant surprise to see you on this side of the island!” Their voice boomed in his head, neither masculine nor feminine. He heard it plain as day, but not in the way one ‘hears’ a noise. “I see you brought me some snacks. That was very kind of you. I do need to keep my energy up.”

Something large and pink darted out from their mouth, reaching for the olive bread. Jude leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the giant forked tongue.

“No,” he said sternly, “I need you to take me and Kul somewhere first.”

The giant cobra settled the tip of their chin (did snakes have chins? He needed to research that when they got home) on the cliffside and stared at him forlornly.

“And here I thought we were friends.” they whined. “But you only want me around when you need something from me,” they followed this dramatic statement up by throwing their head back and wailing.

“Kul is hurt and we need to get him down to Tabu’s cave as fast as possible. His leg is broken in two different places,” Jude stated, decidedly unamused by Apep’s antics.

The wailing cut off abruptly.

“I don’t see why you need me for that,” they sniffed, “You’re the healer. I’m just the healer’s ride, apparently.”

Apep pretended to sob now. Loud, hacking, obviously fake sounds rang out loudly in his head. Jude grit his teeth.

“Fine. I guess I’ll just have to eat this delicious olive bread all by myself then.”

Apep turned another emotional one-eighty. They gave a little fake sniffle.

Jude wasn’t so naive as he used to be. He knew snakes didn’t have tear ducts, and so weren’t able to cry. Apep enjoyed being the center of attention a little too much.

“Olive bread? You brought me olive bread?”

“Not if you don’t help me get Kul to Tabu’s cave.”

Apep considered this. They hovered over the edge of the cliff for a moment. Finally, they nodded. Apep pressed their snout to the side of the cliff, creating a very sturdy and flat platform for them to stand on. Jude breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank you, Peps,” Jude said.

Apep grunted in response.

Jude helped Kul to his feet. With Kul’s arm and most of his weight slung over his shoulder, they hobbled onto Apep’s nose. Jude sat in his usual place between the serpent’s eyes and slowly lowered Kul onto his lap. Kul hissed and gripped Jude’s hand in his own, nearly crushing it with how hard he was squeezing.

“Maybe it hurts a little more than I said,” Kul muttered.

Jude wrapped his free arm around Kul’s middle. Burying his face in Kul’s neck, he said, “It’s okay. Tabu’s gonna fix you up. You’re safe now.”

Kul hissed again. In Jude’s arms, his entire body tensed up.

“I know, I know,” he said. “And thank you. I didn’t say it before, but I was really scared of being left alone up there. I’m glad you didn’t listen to me.”

Jude rubbed comforting circles into the back of his hand. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Kul’s cheek. Apep lowered their head to the ground with a dull thump!

“We’re here,” Apep called. “Now get off and hand over the bread before I puke.”

Thank you for reading!

Taglist:

@kai-writesstuff @runningonrain @imaghostwriter @writingnosefreak @planets-and-prose @marvel-and-writing

If you would like to be added to or removed from the taglist, please let me know in a comment below. :)

[marlettwrites]

Day 23: Protecting the/Each Other

TW: Racism, bullying, PTSD flashbacks, implied past abuse

Vague Spoilers ahead!

The rolling pin creaked as Jude carefully rolled out the pastry dough. Eyeing the tart crust Pausiris had laid out as an example, he ran the rolling pin over his own batch one more time. Jude let out a sigh and stepped back.

“How’s this one?”

After nothing more than a quick glance at his work, his mentor said, “It’s the perfect thickness, Jude. Just like the ones you did fifteen minutes ago, and the ones from yesterday, and the ones from last week. You don’t need my approval every time you roll out dough.”

“Okay,” he said, “But what if they look wrong?”

“You always think they look wrong, otherwise you wouldn’t be constantly asking for my opinion,” Pausiris sighed, “Look, anything I’ve taught you over the past two weeks, you can do on your own, with no input from me. Now, if you can manage to roll out another perfect sheet of pastry dough, we might be able to fill this order in time.”

“Right! Sorry!”

Pausiris left for the oven, a tray of raw fruit tarts in hand.

As Jude returned to his station, the sound of an extra pair of footsteps reached his ears. Looking up, he locked eyes with a boy around his age. Hard brown eyes stared him down over a petite nose. Ammon glared at him. Jude froze.

Heart pounding in his chest, Jude reminded himself that as rude as he was, Ammon was a customer. He plastered on a smile and walked over to greet the other boy.

“Hello!” he said brightly, “What can I do for you?”

“I need a lamb dumpling platter.”

Jude nodded and turned to begin preparing the dough. Ammon leaned on the counter, watching him. Making a grab for his mixing bowl, Jude tried his best to ignore Ammon’s gaze.

“You don’t belong here,” Ammon continued casually, “You know that, right?”

Jude stiffened, but continued measuring out flour.

“I know things may have gotten a little heated, but I earned this apprenticeship,” Jude said quietly.

“That’s not what I meant. You don’t belong here. On Punt.”

Jude mixed the wet ingredients into the dry with a little more force than he usually used. Choosing to say nothing, Jude focused instead on ensuring the dough was the right consistency.

“Honestly, we’d all be better off if you left in the boat you rode in on. Don’t take that the wrong way. It’s just best if Mortals stay away from here, you know? Your kind tend to ruin everything you touch. Just look at Egypt! Heard people are stealing over there. Can you imagine?” he scoffed, “Taking something you haven’t earned? It’s barbaric!”

Gritting his teeth, Jude tried to ignore him, but the words slipped past his lips before he could stop them.

“I’m Arcane, just like you. And not all Mortals are bad.”

“Half Arcane,” Ammon corrected, “And that part doesn’t matter. You’re nothing like me. I’d never abuse my magic the way you have,” he sneered, “It’s easy to see what having blood like that has done to you. Just like a Mortal to take advantage of a Gift so graciously given by the Island. Do you even realize how selfish you are?”

Do you even realize how selfish you are? How selfish you are? How selfish selfish selfish-

The word echoed in his head, and the more it bounced around, the more it sounded like Kasaika's voice.

Jude all but punched the dough. Images of his room in the Kingdom flashed through his mind. Cries of pain reached his ears, and though he knew they weren’t real, they still sounded loud and clear in his head. Dropping to his knees, Jude clamped his hands over his ears. Shut up, go away, he pleaded silently.

“Ooh, I think I hit a nerve. Did I upset you, you pathetic magic abu-”

Ammon’s words were cut off by a loud ‘Thwack!’ followed by a guttural scream.

“You broke my fuckin’ nose, you psycho!”

“You’re lucky that’s all you got! If you ever speak to him like that again, I’ll cut out your tongue and shove it down your throat! Now get out, or I’ll break the rest of your face!”

Jude buried his head between his knees. Rocking back and forth on the floor, he waited for the images and the sounds and the panic to stop. His heart hammered in his chest and Jude felt like he was moving at the speed of light, but impossibly slow at the same time.

“Jude?”

That voice sounded so gentle. So warm, and welcoming. He wanted desperately to come up to greet it, but the screaming voices pulled him back under. Heal us! Fix us! Save us! they cried, all vying for his attention.

He heard the gentle voice again, speaking to him softly, though he couldn’t quite make out the words. Slowly enough, the screams faded away along with the rock walls of his old room.

Kul’s face greeted him, uncharacteristically soft and sincere.

“It’s okay, you’re safe. I’ve got you. Can I touch you?”

Jude shook his head.

“N-not yet.”

Kul settled in beside him, a comfortable distance away.

“Okay. I’ll just sit here with you then.”

Jude nodded, and wiped at his eyes which had, at some point, become wet with tears. After a few more minutes of trying to pull himself together, Jude crawled into Kul’s lap and pressed his face into his boyfriend’s neck. Gripping the back of Kul's shirt like a lifeline, he tried to rid himself of the echo of Kasaika's voice. Kul held him loosely, rubbing comforting circles into his back.

“How are those tarts comi- oh dear. What happened?”

“Ammon,” Kul spat in the most venomous tone Jude had ever heard.

“I was in the bad place again,” Jude mumbled.

Kul stiffened.

"I'll kill him."

Jude could only shake his head in protest.

“Dammit,” Pausiris cursed, “Alright, if he ever comes in again, don’t talk to him. Drop whatever you’re doing, come find me, and I’ll kick him out, alright? You should head home. Take tomorrow off, get some rest.”

“Thanks,” Jude managed.

“Don’ mention it. You let me know if he bothers you again, alright? I’ll have a talk with his parents.”

Jude nodded into Kul’s collarbone, too drained to even look up.

Kul scooped Jude up in his arms bridal style. His soft lips landed on Jude’s forehead a number of times during the walk back to their hut.

“When we get home, I’ll make you some tea, okay?”

“I just wanna sleep.”

“Alright. Do you want me to lay down with you?”

Jude nodded into his chest.

The next thing he remembered was waking in their hammock, encircled by Kul’s loving arms.

Thank you for reading!

Taglist:

@kai-writesstuff @runningonrain @imaghostwriter @writingnosefreak @planets-and-prose @marvel-and-writing

If you would like to be added to or removed from the taglist, please let me know in a comment below. :)

[marlettwrites]

Day 21: Kiss in the Rain

It was a dark day for mankind on that eve when the demon-snake Apep came into being. Cut from the same cloth as the great god Ra, the serpent wasn’t so much as half as loved, and so they vowed to bring about Ra’s destruction. When the earth shakes in the east-

A splotch of water appeared on the papyrus scroll. Jude blinked, shaking himself from the hold of the writing. Another dropped, darkening the paper. Then a third and a fourth.

The soft patter of raindrops echoed around the room, many of them landing on and around him. Hurriedly, Jude marked his place and rolled up the loose section, thanking whatever force responsible that he’d only just begun this particular story.

On the ground floor, he heard the door close.

"Jude? You're not reading up there, are you?" Kul's concerned voice rang throughout the house.

"No," Jude grumbled, "I guess I'm done for the day."

He shuffled along the ledge of the reading nook with his back to the window, effectively shielding the scroll with his body. He carefully placed it on the shelf where it belonged. Pulling his hood up, Jude began moving back to try and close the sliding wood door he and Kul had installed over the window the previous week.

It was a clunky, heavy, hastily-constructed piece of wood on an unreliable slider. Jude hated the thing, but he hated the thought of any of his scrolls getting ruined by the rain even more.

Especially after he had to throw out about three quarters of his pillow pile due to mold.

Tugging at the handle, Jude winced as water battered him from the open window. The wood door creaked and groaned but refused to move.

"Need some help?"

"It won't move!" Jude called back, frustrated.

The ladder creaked and then Kul's head popped up over the ledge. After clambering up, Kul rushed to his side and started tugging at the handle. They kept at it for a good few minutes, but the stubborn door wouldn't budge.

"Okay, so maybe we should have measured before we cut," Kul said.

"Yeah. I r-really sh-should have thought a-a-b-bout that," Jude agreed.

Kul turned to him, eyebrows furrowed.

"I'll keep working on this, you get downstairs where it's dry."

Jude thought for a second about arguing, but knew Kul would refuse to let him help, even if he stayed. Part of him felt annoyed that Kul didn't want or need his help. A bigger part of him felt grateful to have a partner who cared so much about his health.

Though he was shivering at this point, Jude braved the cascade once more to give Kul a quick peck on the cheek before descending to the ground floor.

"I-I'll m-m-make us s-some tea!" he called from the ladder.

Once he reached the ground floor, Jude shucked off his sopping wet robe. He pulled his rock from the left pocket before carefully draping it over their table. After wrapping himself in his blanket, Jude filled a clay pot with water and sat by the little fire, waiting for it to boil.

Jude shivered, and the sound of his chattering teeth was so loud that he almost didn't notice when Kul descended the ladder.

"I got it to close. Finally," Kul said.

Jude looked up. His poor boyfriend was practically dripping with water, and even shivering a little. Wordlessly, he offered up half his blanket.

“No thanks, I’d rather not ruin your blanket.”

“You’re just as c-c-cold as I a-am, get-t in here,” Jude said.

Kul hesitated for a second, but ducked under Jude’s outstretched arm anyway.

“Eww,” Jude said, “You’re all wet.”

Wordlessly, Kul pulled Jude into a big hug. He pressed sloppy wet kissed to the top of Jude’s head. Jude squirmed in his boyfriend’s arms.

“Noooo,” he whined playfully. “You can’t do this to me! I’m gonna get sick, remember?”

“Nope. I have body heat, which destroys nasty colds,” Kul said. “You have to let me hug you, for medical reasons.”

Immediately, Jude stopped trying to free himself.

“I guess I can’t argue, if it’s for medical reasons.”

“Absolutely,” Kul agreed. “For your danger of potential colds, I prescribe you cuddles and kisses. And tea.”

Kul pulled Jude into his lap and tangled his fingers in the shorter boy’s hair. Jude nuzzled into his neck, and Kul took this opportunity to dot his forehead with a mass of kisses. Kul trailed down his jaw and to the corner of Jude’s mouth.

With their lips almost touching, Kul asked. “Do you think that did it?”

Jude’s heart pounded in his chest. He stared down at Kul’s lips, yearning to remove what little space stood between them.

“Absolutely not,” he whispered, “I need at least ten more kisses and two hours of cuddles. Just to be sure.”

“As you wish, my love.”

Kul closed the gap between them, cupping Jude’s cheek in his hand as they kissed. His other hand rested against Jude’s hip. Jude grasped at the back of Kul’s shirt, and when they finally separated, he found himself gasping for air.

Kul leaned his forehead against Jude’s, panting slightly himself.

“Now…” Kul huffed, “How about the other nine?”

Thank you for reading!

Taglist:

@kai-writesstuff @runningonrain @imaghostwriter @writingnosefreak @planets-and-prose @marvel-and-writing

If you would like to be added to or removed from the taglist, please let me know in a comment below. :)

[marlettwrites]

Day 6: Getting Caught while Making Out

Jude lay against Kul’s chest with his head tucked under the other boy’s chin. His mind couldn’t seem to decide whether to focus on the scroll he was reading or the feeling of Kul’s hand on his hip. The loft smelled of fresh air and paper. Every so often, Jude felt a chill in the air leftover from the previous night’s rain.

More often, it was the feeling of Kul’s breath on the back of his neck causing him to shiver.

The other boy still stubbornly insisted that he needed to ensure Jude wasn’t going to read himself into a cold every time it rained. As a result, he’d wormed his way into Jude’s daily schedule.

Kul’s fingers drummed idly against his hip. Jude re-read the same sentence for a third time.

“Are you almost done?”

Kul’s hot breath landed at the base of his ear. Jude fought the blush he felt rising in his cheeks.

“Nope,” he answered, feeling his face grow even hotter at his unintentional high pitch.

“Can I get a timeline at least?” Kul asked, his voice bordering on a whine now. “I’m getting bored.”

“I’ll finish reading this section sooner if you stop distracting me,” Jude muttered.

Kul chuckled, his laugh rumbling through his chest and seemingly straight through to Jude’s own. Kul leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the base of Jude’s ear. His hand migrated up and under Jude’s shirt to land on his bare stomach. Barely managing to suppress a squeak, Jude gripped the scroll tighter in his hands.

“Sorry,” Kul said, not sounding sorry at all. “I didn’t realize I was being such a nuisance.” Kul continued between the series of kisses he’d suddenly become dedicated to lining Jude’s neck with. His finger trailed up and down Jude’s stomach. “I never meant to distract you.”

“You’re an ass,” Jude breathed.

“But you love me,” Kul sang, before pressing a kiss to the underside of his jaw.

Jude melted beneath his touch. Being sure to mark his place first, Jude tossed the scroll aside. He rolled over so he was straddling Kul’s hips. His boyfriend looked delightfully flustered at this sudden change in plans. Kul’s mouth hung open in a tiny ‘o’ of surprise, which slowly widened out into an adorably nervous grin.

“You’re an ass,” Jude repeated. He leaned in and kissed the corner of Kul’s mouth, “And I hate you.”

This time, Jude kissed him in full, tangling his fingers into Kul’s curly hair. Kul kissed him back, one hand in Jude’s hair, the other on his hip. Jude was just about to get his revenge for the neck kisses when he heard the ladder creak. He tried to sit up to check, but Kul pulled him back down and into another kiss. Figuring it was just the building settling, Jude allowed himself to melt once again.

“Oh! Um, I’ll just…”

Kul gently pushed Jude off him and sat bolt upright. Turning, Jude caught a very startled looking Hathor standing at the top of the ladder.

“Hathor! I- we were just-” Kul stammered out.

Hathor’s grin suddenly turned smug.

“Oh, I know what you were doing,” she said. “Don’t let me put a damper on the mood.”

Hathor pulled herself up into the loft and waltzed over to their collection of scrolls. She selected one and started back down the ladder.

“Don’t forget to use protection!” she called over her shoulder.

Across from him, Kul let out an indignant squawk. Jude tried and failed to hold in his fit of giggles.

Taglist:

@kai-writesstuff @runningonrain @imaghostwriter @writingnosefreak @planets-and-prose @marvel-and-writing

If you would like to be added to or removed from the taglist, please let me know in a comment below. :)

[marlettwrites]

Day 4: Walking Hand-in-Hand

Or Kul is a disaster gay.

Jude hovered around the fruit stalls. The market bustled around him, much quieter than the markets of Egypt that he’d grown accustomed to. Kul stood several feet away, looking surly as ever with his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face.

Jude caught himself looking over at Kul more than once. At his boyfriend.

The thought still felt strange in his head. Even though it had been over two weeks since they’d gotten together, Jude felt as though nothing had changed. Kul still avoided physical contact. He still never wanted to talk about anything. In fact, Jude wondered if, in some strange way, by entering into a more intimate relationship with Kul, they’d grown further apart.

Jude shrugged it off. Maybe they just needed time to establish a new normal. He stepped forward and picked up an apricot. It looked about right. Jude fished around in the huge pockets of his robe. After about a solid ten seconds, he found the coin he’d been looking for.

“Not that one. It isn’t ripe.”

Jude jumped. Looking up, he found Kul hovering beside him. The taller boy stood much closer than he had a few moments before. Jude watched silently as Kul plucked a new apricot off the stand and examined it. Nodding to himself, Kul passed the fruit off to Jude.

“Oh. Thanks.”

Kul grunted in response.

Jude payed the vendor and gently replaced the sour fruit in the bin. He stepped away to ogle at other displays, with Kul still inexplicably, infuriatingly, at least five feet behind him at all times. Jude paused to look back at him once or twice. Sighing to himself, Jude thought that perhaps he wasn’t the best at planning dates. He resigned to reminding Kul that he would understand if the other boy wanted to break it off again that night.

Something brushed against his hand. Jude looked down to see a foreign pinky finger wrapping tentatively around his own. Looking up in surprise, he was greeted by a red-faced Kul.

“Hello.”

“Hi.”

They walked with their pinkies intertwined for awhile. It felt a little awkward, but Jude was hardly one to complain. After about ten minutes, Kul slid his hand into Jude’s own. As if on reflex, Jude intertwined his fingers with Kul’s.

“Sorry,” Kul said after another ten minutes of silence. “I don’t really know how to do this. I think I’ve messed up a lot over the past couple of weeks.”

“It’s okay.” Jude said automatically.

“No, it’s not,” Kul sighed. “I asked you to be in this relationship with me, and I’ve been ignoring you ever since. It’s not right, and I’m just- I’m not sure how to-” Kul gestured vaguely. “You know?”

Jude nodded, then remembered that Kul couldn’t see him do that. He gave the other boy’s hand a gentle squeeze.

“Yeah. I’m new to this too. We’ll figure it out.”

Kul squeezed his hand back and nodded. He cracked a small smile.

“This isn’t exactly how I imagined dating,” Kul said.

Jude peered up at him curiously.

“What do you mean?”

“When my dad talked about my mom, he made it sound like once you fall in love, everything just goes right and the world becomes a magical fluffy cloud or something stupid like that.”

Blinking in surprise, Jude began to wonder if he’d gotten this boyfriend thing wrong after all. Then Kul said,

“Thank the gods he was wrong about that too.”

Jude cracked up laughing and ended up leaning on Kul for support. To his great surprise, instead of pulling away, Kul threw an arm around Jude.

Taglist: @aly-writes-stuff @runningonrain @imaghostwriter @writingnosefreak @planets-and-prose @marvel-and-writing

If you would like to be added to or removed from the taglist, please let me know in a comment below. :)

[marlettwrites]

Day 17: Early Morning Cuddling

Kind of a continuation of yesterday’s prompt.

Jude curled into the warmth beside him, relishing the feeling of the loving arms he found himself cocooned within. One of Kul’s hands reached up and tangled into Jude’s hair.

“Mmm… wha’ time izit?” Kul asked, his face smooshed against the top of Jude’s head.

“Sleepy time,” Jude mumbled into his collarbone.

Kul hummed happily.

“Sounds good t’me.”

They lay together that way for a few hours. Jude drifted in and out of consciousness while Kul toyed with his hair. Every so often, Jude would turn to look out the window at the rising sun. He vaguely recalled falling asleep somewhere between reading Kul the part where the hero discovers his godly heritage and the story’s climax.

His throat felt a little sore from all the talking, but Jude decided every second was worth it, especially for moments like this.

Quiet moments together, where nothing needed to be said or done. They could just sit together in comfortable silence.

Even in the comfort of his lover’s arms, Jude couldn’t help but wonder why Kul had chosen him. Of all the boys in the world, why him? Often, he thought perhaps Kul was only with him because he was the only person available. The idea tore him up inside even on his best days.

Of course, he never once admitted these doubts to Kul.

Partly because he worried Kul would feel betrayed. Partly because he feared the possibility of being proven correct.

Jude buried his face in Kul’s neck, allowing his melancholy thoughts to drift away. Kul pulled him closer and kissed his forehead.

“Is something wrong?”

Jude froze and dug into his pocket, rooting around for his rock. He worked his fingers around it slowly, feeling his anxiety subside.

“No,” he lied, “nothing.”

“I can feel your anxiety, plus you’ve got your rock.” Kul reminded him. “If you’re not ready to talk about it, that’s fine. Just- please don’t shut me out like that.”

Jude’s chest constricted at the sound of his voice, how hurt he sounded. He clutched at the back of Kul’s shirt.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Jude let his regret seep through the link so Kul knew he meant it. The other boy massaged his scalp, and Jude slowly relaxed.

“It’s okay, I get it. There are things I’m not ready to talk about either,” he admitted. “But I’d like it if we could be more honest about it. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me when you’re hurting.”

Jude nodded.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right. I- I’ll let you know next time. I promise.”

“Thank you,” Kul breathed.

Jude leaned into him. He gripped his stone tight and tried to steady his breathing. Kul was right. They needed to be more honest with each other. If the relationship itself was a lie, how could they go on living it?

“Kul?”

“Yes?”

Jude steeled himself and prepared for the worst possible outcome.

“W-why are you with me?”

Kul stiffened, clearly caught off guard. Oh gods, Jude thought. His breath caught in his throat as he awaited Kul’s answer. The room felt uncomfortably hot. His robe clung to his skin, making him claustrophobic.

“That’s what you’re worried about, huh?”

“It’s because I’m the only boy you know who’s in your age range, isn’t it?” Jude accused.

Kul shifted, propping himself up on one elbow.

“I can promise you, that isn’t the reason,” Kul told him flatly. “If I just decided to date the first guy who came along, I think I’d be very unhappy.”

“Then why? I’m not smart, or rich, or brave, or handsome. I don’t have any talents. I don’t even know what I want to do in life!” he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. “There are a million people out there who are better at everything than me, so why not wait for one of them?”

Kul remained silent for several minutes. Just as Jude prepared to resign to his fate, Kul spoke.

“Because none of them are you,” he said softly. “I could never find another man who understands me as well as you do. Certainly, I’d never come across one who’s quite so curious or sweet. I love that you want to know everything there is to know about everything there is to know about, and I love that you’re so willing to help anyone in need. I love listening to you talk about your favorite stories, or some new thing you learned about, I don’t know, starfish?” Kul laughed. “No one else sees the world quite like you do. I love that about you. And I don’t want anyone else, okay? Just you.”

Jude sat, frozen. That wasn’t anywhere near what he expected. He’d given Kul an out, and he’d stuck right by Jude anyway. Though Jude knew the doubts would return eventually, in that moment, he knew for sure that Kul loved him. Kul really loved him. The thought sent his head spinning.

“Oh,” he said weakly.

Kul sat up fully now, looking amused.

“Hug?” he offered.

“Gods, yes.”

Jude claimed a seat in Kul’s lap as the boy peppered his skin with feathery kisses. He sent waves of gratitude and adoration through the mind link whenever he managed to sneak a kiss of his own in.

“Now that that’s settled, ‘s’too early to be awake,” Kul yawned. He leaned backwards, and they landed in a heap in a pile of pillows.

Jude resumed his earlier position, curled into his boyfriend’s side. Kul wrapped his arms around Jude’s waist, and soon the soft breathing beside his left ear evened out as Kul drifted back to sleep. Jude himself fought back drooping eyelids for a few more minutes before succumbing to the darkness.

Thank you for reading!

Taglist:

@kai-writesstuff @runningonrain @imaghostwriter @writingnosefreak @planets-and-prose @marvel-and-writing

If you would like to be added to or removed from the taglist, please let me know in a comment below. :)

[marlettwrites]

Day 16: Pet Names

Exactly what it sounds like, with a dash of angst.

Jude hastily unrolled the next couple of feet of parchment from the scroll he was reading. Devouring the words with his eyes, he hardly noticed when the ladder to his right creaked. The palm wood moaned a second time, and Jude elected to ignore it. After all, the hero of this particular story had just discovered his magic.

Something large and warm settled in beside him. Jude’s eyes remained glued to the page.

“What are you reading?”

The hero was in the middle of a battle, his sword out of reach, nothing but his bare hands to protect him against the onslaught of bad guys. His opponent raised his weapon. The hero raised his arm in defense, and with a thunderous crack, there was a great explosion of light! Looking up, the hero was startled to discover the bad guy on the ground. He was even more surprised at the sparks of electricity running along his fingertips.

“Cool,” Jude whispered, leaning forward.

“Babe.”

Somehow managing to stand up, the hero attempted to summon more lightning. There were ten of them coming at him now. He shook his hand, frustrated. The tingling sensation wasn’t there anymore. They were getting closer now- too close. The nearest one lobbed his spear, and it sank right into-

“Jude,” Kul’s voice came through the fog of his mind.

Jude blinked and looked around, somewhat startled to find that he was not, in fact, on an ancient battlefield with a lightning-wielding demigod. When his gaze landed on Kul, he jumped a little.

“Kul? When did you get here?”

“About a half hour ago,” Kul said, sounding amused. “What are you reading?”

Jude provided a brief summary of the plot and ended up talking more about the hero’s blatant stupidity in challenging a group of twenty or so bad guys to a duel than the actual story.

“-I know he managed to take five of them by himself, but that was only because of the rockslide halfway through the battle. Throwing himself into a group of twenty bad guys was just plain stupid!” he fumed. “And he only did it to impress some girl who wouldn’t have seen the battle anyway!”

Kul laughed his buttery rich laugh and pressed his lips to Jude’s temple.

“That actually sounds pretty interesting. Read it to me?”

Jude faltered for a moment. He wondered whether Kul would consider it selfish if he requested to finish reading on his own first.

“Uh yeah, sure,” he agreed, deciding not to risk it.

Kul pulled Jude close to his chest, resting his chin atop Jude’s head.

“Thanks babe,” he said softly.

Jude paused in unraveling the scroll.

“Babe,” he said slowly, rolling the unfamiliar word around on his tongue. “What does that mean?”

Kul hummed.

“It’s- well, it’s kind of hard to explain. It means-” Kul paused again, “it’s kind of like calling someone ‘sweetheart’ or ‘dearest’, but less formal.”

“Oh,” Jude said bitterly.

Another thing he would have known if he’d grown up normally.

“I can not call you that, if you want,” Kul offered, sounding confused.

“No, I-I like it, it’s just-” Jude sighed and reached for Kul’s hand.

After waiting for his nod of approval, Jude sent his emotions through their mind link. He shared his frustration with not knowing things that came as basic knowledge to most people. He shared the anxiety he felt when someone used a phrase he’d never heard before and was faced with the choice to either risk looking like an idiot by asking, or keep quiet and lose track of the conversation. Mostly, he shared the intense longing he felt for a childhood he’d never get to experience.

Jude buried his face in Kul’s chest as his boyfriend pulled him closer, the scroll long forgotten behind him.

“Oh baby,” Kul sighed, stroking his hair, “I’m so sorry.”

Jude just shook his head and reached for his rock.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “It’s dumb, I know.”

“No, love,” Kul assured him, “it isn’t. You know I’ll never make fun of you for not knowing something, right?”

A weight lifted off his shoulders.

“I do now.”

Kul pressed a soft kiss to his cheek and nuzzled into him. Jude melted beneath his touch. He felt eternally grateful that through everything, he had Kul by his side.

“Now,” Kul said, “I don’t want to pressure you, but I really want to know who lightning-man is fighting against, and why.”

Jude’s cheeks burned. He twisted around to grab the discarded scroll and then rolled right back into Kul’s arms.

“Sure thing. Babe,” Jude said, trying out the new word.

The corner of Kul’s lip quirked upwards in ill-disguised amusement. He tried unsuccessfully to hide his grin. Jude ducked his head and cleared his throat.

“Anyways,” he mumbled, “‘Hasani was a noble man, and very just indeed’,” Jude began, as Kul settled into a more comfortable position beside him.

They spent much of the afternoon in the reading nook, with Jude reading aloud and Kul occasionally interjecting with commentary that often left Jude shaking with laughter.

Thank you for reading!

Taglist:

@kai-writesstuff @runningonrain @imaghostwriter @writingnosefreak @planets-and-prose @marvel-and-writing

If you would like to be added to or removed from the taglist, please let me know in a comment below. :)

[marlettwrites]

Day 12: Movie Night

Whoops, my finger slipped and now there’s a modern day AU.

This is one of the longer ones because I just loved the prompt so much. :)

Jude tucked the cupcake tin beneath his arm and patted his pockets for the fifteenth time since he’d left his apartment. Keys, check. Worry stone, check. Twenty dollars emergency money, check. Extra sprinkles, double check.

Jude breathed a sigh of relief, glad he hadn’t forgotten or somehow misplaced anything along the way. He paused for a moment, suddenly remembering that he hadn’t thought to ask Kul what his favor flavor of cake was.

Jude hoped he liked pink lemonade.

He stood in front of the door for another long moment. Jude rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet anxiously. Praying that he wouldn’t have to explain his gaping lack of movie knowledge to his date, Jude took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Kul swung it open. He clicked his tongue and grinned.

“Hey!” Kul opened the door wider, “Come on in.”

Tentatively, Jude stepped inside. Eyeing Kul’s pajama pants and tank top, Jude worried he might have overdressed for the occasion. Kul didn’t seem to notice.

“I brought some cupcakes,” Jude said. “Sorry, I’m not sure what flavor you like, but I found this cool recipe online for pink lemonade cupcakes and I thought it would be fun to try, so um, yeah.” Jude trailed off awkwardly, aware he’d been rambling.

Kul smiled brightly at him.

“Sounds great! I’ve never tried that before. I made us something, too, but it’s nowhere near as fancy as pink lemonade cupcakes.”

Crossing the room to the coffee table, Kul proudly displayed two metal bowls with a fluffy looking yellowy substance inside.

“Ta-da! Microwave popcorn!”

“Oh. Neat,” Jude said.

Kul shrugged and crossed the room again, this time stopping by his tv stand. Pulling open the doors, he revealed several rows of DVD and VCR cases. He turned back to Jude, his silvery eyes questioning.

“So, what do you want to watch?”

Jude looked at the titles. Finding Nemo, Star Wars, and An American Tail? Either that last one was made by someone with really bad grammar, or Jude was missing something. He sat back and hummed thoughtfully. He hummed some more.

He had no idea what any of those movies were about.

The only one that sounded even a little familiar was Nightmare on Elm Street- one of his brother’s favorites- and Jude knew he did not want to watch that.

“Umm… what about that one?” Jude suggested, pointing to a random title that caught his eye.

Kul picked it up and ran his finger along the case’s spine, reading the braille that was embossed there. He smiled.

“The Lion King? Great choice. It’s a classic.”

“Really? I’ve never seen it,” Jude admitted.

Kul let out an exaggerated gasp.

“You’ve never seen The Lion King? Get your ass over to that couch, mister, we’re watching it right now,” Kul turned back to him. “You don’t mind audio descriptions, do you?”

“Nope.”

Kul nodded.

“Good, ‘cause I’m putting them on.”

Jude settled in to the plush cushions while Kul pushed the tape into the VCR player.

“I brought some blankets out. You can pick whichever one you like,” Kul informed him without turning around.

Jude grabbed the one with stars on it and wrapped it around his shoulders. He plucked a few pieces of popcorn from the bowl, eyeing them curiously. Popping one into his mouth, Jude paused.

Huh. Crunchy. And buttery. Not what he expected, but still good.

The tv came to life with a loud droning noise that quickly cut out as Kul zoomed past the previews. After about a minute, he stood and dusted his hands off.

“Alright! Movie night is a go!”

“Woo!” Jude cheered.

Kul settled in beside him with the other blanket- this one had arrows on it -and wrapped an arm around Jude. He snuggled into Kul’s chest and watched the scenes unfold. Jude quickly found himself enraptured in the movie. He mindlessly popped kernels into his mouth while Scar sang about his evil plans.

Jude knew Scar was supposed to be the villain, yet he couldn’t help but like the song. It was, as their mutual friend Seben would put it, ‘an absolute bop’.

And then Mufasa died.

Beside him, Kul felt Jude shaking. At first he thought he might be laughing, then his ears caught the sound of a quiet sniffle. Lurching forward, Kul grabbed the remote and paused the movie.

“Woah, hey, what’s wrong?”

Jude sniffled again. Kul heard his hand brush against his jeans as he searched for something in his pocket. Jude rubbed at his worry stone for a few minutes before answering.

“S-sorry,” he sobbed. “I-I just- Mufasa was his brother and he-he just” Jude flapped his hands in a shoving motion, “I don’t understand! I never did anything bad to him!” Jude cried. “Why does he hate me?”

Kul froze.

“We’re not talking about the movie anymore, are we?” he asked cautiously.

Jude sniffled again.

“Sorry,” he said again, “Maybe I should go.”

“Is that what you want to do?”

Jude went silent for a moment.

“No,” he croaked.

“Okay. Did you want to talk about it?”

“Not yet.”

Kul stroked his hair gently.

“Alright.”

Jude leaned into him. Wrapping his arms around his boyfriend, Kul toyed with his hair and hummed what he hoped was a soothing song. Jude returned the embrace and shoved his face into Kul’s neck. It felt unpleasantly wet, but Kul didn’t care about that at the moment.

Once his sobs quieted, Kul reached out and grabbed one of the cupcakes from the tin. He presented it to Jude.

“Would a cupcake help you feel better?”

Jude remained silent. Kul waited.

“Maybe,” he mumbled finally.

Sitting up, Jude accepted the cupcake. Kul picked one out for himself and they bit into them at the same time. Kul felt his lips pucker.

“Urgh,” Jude said, “too much lemon.”

Kul laughed.

“Yeah. Not enough ‘ade’.”

That at least got a chuckle from him.

Jude leaned into his side, still nibbling on the cupcake despite his earlier complaint. Kul buried his fingers in Jude’s thick hair, gently massaging his scalp.

“Do you feel okay to talk about it now?”

Jude stiffened beside him. Kul heard his hair whipping back and forth as he shook his head.

“Maybe another day.”

Kul smoothed his hair back and pressed a kiss to his temple.

“Alright. Another day, then.”

“Thanks,” Jude mumbled. “Can we still watch the movie?” he asked in a small voice, “I want to see how it ends.”

“Yeah, of course. Just tell me when you’re ready.”

He caught the sound of Jude’s finger tapping against his thigh.

“Ready.”

Kul pressed play.

To his great surprise, Jude enjoyed the rest of the movie. Timon and Pumbaa actually made him laugh a few times, and the scene where Nala and Simba fell in love had him cuddling even closer to Kul.

Circle of life played in the background as Rafiki held Simba and Nala’s baby aloft. The movie ended and Kul switched the tv off.

“That was really cute. Kinda sad, but I liked it,” Jude said.

“I’m glad. Do you like Disney movies? We can watch another one next time, if you want.”

Jude turned to him, confused.

“What’s the difference between a Disney movie and a regular one?”

Kul gasped in mock horror. He fell back against the arm of his couch, placing a hand over his heart dramatically.

“What are you doing tomorrow?” Kul asked him very intensely.

“Uh, well, I was going to try and fix up that cupcake recipe so it isn’t so sour and-”

Kul waved him off.

“Nope. That can wait. I’ll be right back.”

Abruptly, Kul stood and disappeared down the hall. He returned with what was clearly a set of pajamas in hand. He shoved them at Jude.

“You know where the bathroom is. Get changed. Someone needs to educate you on Disney.”

Thanks for reading!

Taglist:

@kai-writesstuff @runningonrain @imaghostwriter @writingnosefreak @planets-and-prose @marvel-and-writing

If you would like to be added to or removed from the taglist, please let me know in a comment below. :)