#i tried some new things with this piece... limited color palette and whatnot

[mauhandraws]

the earl of phantomhive & his butler (i absolutely had to draw a kuroshitsuji print for AX, i’ll be at table B58 in the artist alley this year!)

[shinglescat]

Previous or  all stories at once.

pew pew pew

- And this goes, - Mark squeaked, jumping a few times just to get a piece of cloth onto a thorn of a stone in a newly created area, - There! - he glanced at the thing with triumph on his face, the piece successfully hanging from the stone, creating a cozy canopy of mild violet – the Void didn’t know of any other color but lavender, but the elf didn’t complain about that. It suited this world the best, in his opinion, creating a rather magical feeling throughout the place. And well, any other color he tried to bring into this world – all looked off, and the Void later painted them with cold pastel tones.

The new path was ultimately close to the dark blue waters, a faint turquoise shimmer breaking through the surface, forming a cradle of sorts, stone swirling all around the platform with glints of skylight from the outside. Close by the platform was a walkway, leading below the water lever, thorns surrounding it and shielding from the water outside, making something of a pool. Funnily enough, the kid had never ventured as far as to swim in the water, with the abyss below scaring him enough not to try it. And even though nothing ever lived deep down, a primal and irrational sense of fear prevented him from diving deep below. There was also never a need in going down: even if something falls off a platform – the place would always return the items intact in a neat and tidy pile of forgotten stuff and whatnots. It was like that for everyone, except Catherine, as the girl would never get her items back for a reason unknown. Now, it seemed like the Void decided on the diving problem, set on introducing the kid to the water.

Mark made a few steps back to admire the work he had done: the Void had spawned lots of pillows, mattresses, blankets, and comforters, allowing the kid to decorate the place to his taste. Even though the color palette was limited, the new area looked appealing enough for the eyes and body to rest. It’s still was a mystery though where did she get all of this stuff, but he didn’t question it, as she was always generous with everything she gave him. He had a couple of theories about it, but it’s not like he could prove himself right or wrong. Maybe she spies on people outside, maybe someone brought cushioning here once, or maybe she comes up with these things herself.

- Don’t you already have a “bedroom” here? – a soft low voice spoke just right above his ear, breath warm and soft, as a pair of hands fell down on his shoulders, thumbs slowly rubbing the fabric and skin underneath.

- Kinda? It’s meant for tea parties and crap, not for sleepovers, - the elf glanced at the man behind, gently headbutting into his jaw, cheek brushing against the rough of a stubble, - If you prefer a piece of cloth on top of a hard floor - it’s your choice, but I really want something soft for a change, - he leaned back into the touch, eyes closed already.

- Do you want to try it out? – the man planted a kiss at the side of elf’s head, hand sliding down his chest to unbutton the shirt, slowly, a button at a time.

- Sure, - Mark loudly exhaled, throwing his head backwards to kiss Aspen’s neck.

* * *

They were lying in the bed for what seemed an eternity, engulfed in the warmth, kept safe by the surrounding pillows and blankets. The elf was the first one to wake up, finding himself spooned by the other man, legs in an entangled hot mess, skin sticky from the sweat and body heat. He smirked to himself, listening to Aspen’s quiet breathing, chest rising and falling against his back so peacefully – so much for sleeping on the cold stone before - the man was quick to pass out in the comfort of cushions. Mark allowed himself to wait a little bit longer to see if the man is going to wake up soon, deciding on waking him up himself.

- Hey, sleepy, - he turned around in the embrace, raising himself on his elbows, placing a soft kiss on his forehead. The man below lazily opened his lavender eyes in response, ghostly smile lingering on his dozy face, - How’s that for a try?

- Good, - he smiled, tugging the kid for a peck on the lips.

Mark giggled, bumping his head into Aspen’s jaw.

- Your breath is smelly.

- So is yours, - the man replied, pulling the elf closer for an embrace. He pressed his forehead against Mark’s, closing the eyes for a moment. There was something off with the kid, something wasn't right. It wasn't his behavior, his stance or anything like that, for sure, yet some part of him was unlike before. The man pulled away to take a closer look at him. The elf noticed that and cocked his brow in question. The most obvious change was his hairstyle - no more of that edgy fringe he had hanging right above his right eye, instead something more elegant and lordly his cousin fixed for him a few days after their return; next - the absence of his iconic eyeliner that Meltem used to paint every day for him, and lack of that definitely made a huge visual difference. And then... the skin, of course, the skin of the kid was pale, porcelain instead of gold. The change must have happened over the fortnight for anyone to notice it - they had a lot of time to get used to the transformation, - Are you feeling alright?

- Yeah, why shouldn’t I? – he snorted, - Relax, it’s just you, too hot, – Mark brushed it off. Whatever alerted the man - it was nothing, as he felt as good as ever before, - You gotta shave though, - the kid commented, running a hand down man's cheek, feeling the rough stubble brush against the skin in an attempt to change the subject - it usually ends up in people "advising" to see a healer, and he wouldn't want that, especially knowing of the vile medicine they prescribe. The stubble looked nice though, it strangely suited the man, and it looked a lot better than kid's own half-assed attempts at having facial hair, fake facial hair. However, he would never admit any of that. The man just chuckled in response, Mark's comment enough to steer the thought of well-being into another direction, getting on top of the elf, pressing him down with kisses planted all over his neck and shoulders; the heat radiating from both, suspended by the cushions and blankets, enough to bring blood to their faces, leaving them in a sweaty and hot mess of entwined bodies.

Mark let his hand slide into Aspen’s hair, combing the ashen strands with his fingers, twisting and twirling around his index finger; the other hand lied on the cushions, wrist held by the man, pressed into the fabric: the elf always enjoyed it – allowing his beloved to take control over him, trusting with his life to let the man do anything his heart desires, leaving the kid vulnerable and exposed. Aspen pulled elf’s wrist to his lips, placing a gentle kiss over his knuckles, sending Mark’s heart do somersaults, nether regions of his belly curling and warming at the image and the feeling. The way the man behaved sometimes did wonders with his head, rendering his mind blank and making his body act on its own: the elf pushed him away to sit up straight, then pulled him back with hands cupping both sides of his face and into a kiss like never before. He never had anyone to whom he had the feeling so strong as to the man, sincere love and fondness overflowing and making him drown in emotions; it was a whole new world of him, and he genuinely reveled in it and enjoyed every moment they had together. - I..., - he started, trying to express himself and tell Aspen how much he loved him, only to interrupt himself as he was alerted by a distant sound of footsteps, making him tense and rigid in a blink of an eye. He gently pulled man's head aside to look at behind him, at the entrance to the area: it was a dark silhouette of a human, completely covered in shadows, and as it made its way to the men, it reminded Mark of a meeting that was yet to happen. Of course, it had to happen right this instant.

- Having fun, I see? – the person asked, stopping a dozen feet away from the couple. The intruder, Mark noticed, didn’t even look in their direction, instead opting on looking into the opposite one, most likely feeling embarrassed by the encounter? Serves him right to interrupt, - Get dressed, - he commanded, - I don’t want to talk to you while you are in your birthday suits, - the Prince threw a quick glance at the men under the blankets, smirk obvious on his face, before turning on his heels and going out and away from the new place, adding on the go, - I will wait for you outside.

Mark jumped out of the bed as soon as the man was out of the view, getting his clothes on. He had completely forgotten about that – the Prince promised to contact him soon, and to be honest the elf thought the Daedra just decided he didn’t need anything from the kid anymore if he didn’t let himself known in the first couple of days. It’s been two weeks already, goddammit, so much for “contact you soon”. Aspen was right beside him, confusion and discontent way too evident on his face. The kid just winced painfully, in a few words answering him “that’s Molag Bal”, before storming after the Prince.

The man was standing at the edge of one of the numerous walkways in the Void, watching faint light seeping from under the lifeless water move with waves the chill wind brought as the giant creatures flew by high above the stone, patiently waiting for the kid to show up. He looked calm, composed, and definitely not the evil personified people portrayed him to be; a tad of sadness on his face even, as much as Mark could see from the distance. He would be lying if he said he had seen a Daedric Prince before; he never even worshiped one unlike lots of other people. And to top that – he had no idea what to expect.

- I apologize for the delay, had an urgent matter to take care of, - the Prince dusted his sleeves as the kid got closer, his companion following him not far behind.

- Why human? – the elf asked bluntly, looking all over the man, cautious of the Daedra.

- Didn’t I say “demonstration of my good will” before? – he asked, smirking at the idiotic question the elf just asked, to which he only grunted, blood rushing into his face and ears in embarrassment.

Mark felt a light brush against his shoulder, a hand grabbing his own into a tight hold – Aspen was there, looking at the outsider with mistrust. The kid could’ve sworn he told everyone about the encounter, but judging by the confusion and wariness of the other man – he didn’t mention shit. Or did he?

- Cute, - the Daedra commented on the gesture, cringing in false friendliness, - Actually, - he all of a sudden moved from his place, bringing the palms of his hands together in a clap, - I want to personally thank you, - he was addressing the ashen haired man, moving closer with each small step taken. Something in the elf screamed to run away - obviously the Prince posed a grave danger - yet a firm hold on his hand and the stubbornness of his own made him stop flinching, - You’ve saved me a lot of trouble with your appearance. Thank you, - the Prince bowed with his head courteously, - It would’ve been hard without you, - the bewildered expressions of the men’s faces made him reiterate, with more specifics to the matter this time, - You see, you successfully, - the man gestured vaguely, as if searching for a perfect word to translate his thoughts into, - fell in love with my son over here and got rid of the ever annoying dear Catherine, - Mark raised a brow at way the Daedra addressed him, but didn’t question it for now. It didn’t go unnoticed by the man as he knitted his brows, still addressing the ash, - I believe I owe you a favor now.

- The hell are you talking about? – Mark squinted at the Prince, overly confused by his speech.

- I see Livaen didn’t tell you, - the Prince frowned, gaze shifting onto the elf. It was surprising to the Prince to know that she followed through his orders and didn't say a word to the kid, - Clever girl, - he nodded in acknowledgement and respect, no sarcasm or mockery in his voice, - I’ve come to talk about your dear Catherine, Markus, - he motioned with his hand, taking half a turn with his body, asking the kid to move closer, as he himself went back to the edge of the walkway, - Ever wondered why this place hates her? – Molag Bal opened his arms, gesturing at everything around them. He didn’t wait for Mark to answer, giving the answer himself and letting out a husky laugh, - Because the Void is overprotective of you, she sees the brat through unlike everyone else, you included, - Mark wanted to ask something, and the Prince just interrupted him before he could open his mouth, - Mind you, she used to tolerate her in the beginning. She would've tolerated her even after if she didn't got... tainted. I'd like to admit, I wouldn't've even noticed the taint in her if she wasn't stupid enough to spend here a millennia. It wasn't really smart of her to stay in the place that once belonged to me..., - the man glanced at the kid behind him as he continued, -... that I gave to you as a gift, - Mark just blinked at him in response, dumbfounded look on his face. He genuinely tried to process everything the man said - apparently, it was some weird Daedric way of having a conversation, as if the man expected of the elf to know everything he talked about.

- Your gift? And what do you mean by spending a millennia here? How's that even possible? - he had so many questions to ask the man, and this one seemed like the least plausible of all questionable statements the Prince made. The "son" part did bother him the most though on a deep level, but he hoped that was just a figure of speech down in his part of Oblivion. Yet a mortal living within a dimension for a thousand of years and not aging a day... how and why would anyone do that, - Also, "tainted"? - the kid made quote-unquote sign, still puzzled, feeling a headache coming soon. He should’ve paid more attention to the lessons Esmir gave him about Oblivion.

- The Void was once a part of Coldharbour, - the man explained. It surprised Mark – there was no annoyance in his tone, the Prince acted like an exemplary parent answering to a seemingly stupid and obvious to adults question to his child, - created with your birth, separated from my domain. Each Oblivion plane has its own set of rules about the way time and space behaves within its borders, and the dearest Catherine had obtained that knowledge through a Daedric Prince. Meridia, - the Prince let out a quiet sigh. Mark knew little about the Daedric Princes, about their worlds and the aspects they controlled, however he wasn’t a complete fool not to understand what would Meridia’s influence mean to the man. Meridia was Molag Bal’s sworn enemy, and both tried to bring each other down for as long as the world existed. It made more sense now, though still hard to truly understand. - We’ve made a pact long time ago, too good to refuse to, - the bitter laugh escaped him, as he shook his head. The memory of that day was still vivid to the Daedra, - She thought it would be funny to make me fight over my abandoned son’s good graces, - he said in a small voice, - We are to compete over your favor; the winner takes it all, the loser just… ceases to exist. Sounds good, doesn’t it? – the kid felt a little dizzy, lowering himself on the ledge, - The main condition, however, is that we are not to take you by force in any way – we must have you favor one of us on your own volition, - the Prince paused for a second before looking at the elf sitting below, - You are my son, and…

- And you want me to side with you now? – Mark asked, - You come to me after… How many years? And you tell me you’re my father, by implication…! - he caught himself feeling actually hurt and betrayed, abandoned, and another wide array of emotions he couldn’t distinguish. It was rather shocking for him to feel that at all, to react this way to Daedra’s words. He didn’t want to believe that, though something told him… He sighed, raising his head to look at the Prince standing right by him, facial expression unreadable.  He wondered if Esmir even knew, she must have known. Why didn’t she tell him anything? What is the point in lying about butchering his entire family then? - Why should I? You are no one to me, I don’t know you, but I do know Catherine…

- You do not know her, - the Daedra interrupted, voice stern with faint pained notes to it. Yeah, Mark snickered, the evil personified sounded actually hurt, - I’m not asking you to side with me. All I want to ask of you is not to trust her, - the man looked straight into kid’s eyes, - She’s no longer the Catherine you knew. The real Catherine never made it to adulthood, - a bitter smirk crossed his lips, - She is Meridia’s purified, Markus, a vestige of her former self, an effigy Meridia extrapolated into the future, nothing but a puppet, - the man motioned Mark to get up, offering his hand. The elf didn’t think long before grabbing the hand that pulled him back on his feet, - Follow me, I’ll show you something.

The Prince led them away from the common spaces, heading to the giant monoliths rising above the water and high into the sky. Mark couldn’t help but notice with how much confidence the man navigated the stone platforms: he didn’t turn his head nor body to look around, he didn’t stop even once to look for direction, instead – he just went forward as if it was his own place… which seemed to be true. It never occurred to the kid that someone as powerful would bestow a whole world to him and him alone; he used to think he just stumbled upon this place that also happened to be friendly enough to welcome him and his friends and grant a safe harbor. As it turned out…

They were passing by the pillar hall, monoliths dead ahead. Mark’s mind was still deep in his thoughts to look around, following the Prince on autopilot. He heard tales about Coldharbour, about it being the most unwelcoming and dangerous place to venture to, judging by the way people usually described it. Why was the Void an opposite of her mother world then? Shouldn’t she have blazing blue flames everywhere and tortured souls, and whatnots? Though he’d be lying if he said he didn’t love the place the way it is with gentle creatures flying around with their sad songs and dark silky waters beneath them; he wouldn’t want anything coldharbour-ish in here ruining the calm atmosphere of… his own little world. It sounded a bit weird – to have his own plane of Oblivion, yet oddly thrilling and pleasant, despite how much he wanted not to think about certain things the man said.

They went up the ramp that led to the observation monolith, cut in half in the middle of it to form a platform. The Prince didn’t stop right there, however, going closer to the opposite edge, from where the whales could be seen floating along a thousand more monoliths in the distance, covered in mist.

- There is a place down below, the Heart of this place, - Molag Bal pointed at something far away behind the mighty pillars rising from the waters. The creatures in the air reacted to the man’s gesture, letting out a harmonic chord in response that made Mark’s skin go with goosebumps, - She will tell you everything if you’re brave enough to ask about it, - the Prince turned around to look at the kid. Unsurprisingly, he was still zoning out, considering what the man told him, though the Daedra was sure the elf would be able to sort it all through. He left the kid alone at the edge, moving towards the stone ramp. Passing by the ashen haired man, the Prince ghostly touched his arm to get his attention, - Make sure he doesn’t fall for her honeyed words. And think about the favor, - he said without facing the man before dissolving into thin air, leaving behind a cloud of quickly fading tiny shards of black crystals.

Mark sighed, finally getting back to his senses.

- Did he leave? – he made a step closer to the edge, lowering himself down, feet dangling off of the monolith. His head was blank, new information hesitant to rush into his mind and disturb the blissful silence.

- Yes, - the man nodded, moving toward the elf. He sat down beside him, throwing his arm around kid’s shoulders. Mark leaned into the half embrace, closing his eyes, - Do you want to talk?

The kid just shook his head weakly.

- No, not really… not now at least, - he let his head fall limp on man’s shoulder, allowing himself to enjoy the silence of this place, interrupted by quiet sound of crystalline shards falling from the sky and a distant melody coming from behind the mighty monoliths far away from here. It sounded… nostalgic, something familiar, something he had long forgotten; a music box he never had, playing a sad and simple song. Mark snorted against his own will in reaction to the music, lips curling in a blessed smile.

Aspen was the first to break the quiet.

- That makes you a demiprince then?

The kid didn’t reply right away, rolling the word on his tongue unwilling to say the word aloud yet. It sounded bizarre to him, foreign and abnormal, though the revelation could explain so many things that he had experienced throughout his life.

- Demiprince? – he finally tried to pronounce it, the word still difficult to comprehend, yet… frankly exciting and thrilling. No, he shook his head, willing the feeling to go away. There wasn’t anything exciting in it, it was wicked and ugly, - No, that… that changes nothing. I’m me, - Mark nodded to himself, - Still me.

A lot of things in his life started to make sense now, from rage outbursts up to the uncontrollable magic talent he possessed, Mark thought as he rolled a small flame between his fingers. He wouldn’t’ve needed a guardian to keep him in check if the story Esmir told him was true. She must have known the truth, why did she keep it from him then? So far her behavior didn’t make much sense to him, and he would’ve confronted her about that if he was about to meet with her again, yet he didn’t feel like doing so… What did the man say? Go to the Heart of this place to know… something. Maybe later he should do it, but for now…

- Hey, - the man nudged the elf to get his attention, patting himself on the pockets. He got something out, leaving in an open palm of his hand, showing it to the kid. He didn’t react, only hummed in question, still staring into the distance, mind absent. The elf really needed a distraction, - Marry me?

The elf slowly turned his head to look at the man, tiredness on his face, eyes weary and half open. This wasn’t the right time to fool around, probably the most inappropriate time for a stupid joke like this, though he really appreciated the way it pulled him out of his thoughts. Another thing caught his eyes right this instant, as he lowered his gaze to look at the open palm of the man.

- Where did you get it? – Mark asked, squinting at the jewelry, a carbon copy of his own long lost to the tragic accident ring. It was… yes, it was the same old ring, though it had more blacks to it, but still almost identical to the destroyed one he had before. Did the man commission the smith to recreate it? Or maybe it was the same old one, maybe Aspen salvaged the remains after the kid stormed out of the city only to forge it anew later?

- Found it, - Aspen placed the piece of the jewelry into kid’s palm, closing his hand on it, - It was lying under the water in the new place, - he smirked, - You were too busy to notice it.

Mark opened his palm to get a better look at it. Yeah, it looked like the same old ring, but with otherworldly influence. Seems like the Void recreated it from the memory, with a certain new touch to it. It definitely looked better, the kid nodded, and he loved how she improved on his design. Maybe he should name it somehow. “Remembrance”, he said aloud, giving the ring its name.

- Thank you, - the elf said to no one in particular, hugging the man beside him.