Hebs snickered at Alfie's reaction. Gian, on the other hand, was rather irritated he had been pushed away. The boy latched himself again onto Alfie. "You can leave them on the coffee table, Hebs." The snake man did just that and smiled again at the two, to Alfie mostly. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. It's quite nice to see you two getting along more and more each day." Sliding his hands into his pocktes, he noticed the scarf around Gian's neck. "Is that the scarf?" Gian blinked. He hadn't told Hebs yet. Or... has Shadow told Hebs?

Gian nodded excitedly. "It gives me the power of invisibility. I think it's pretty cool." Hebs could visibly see the boy's excitement and he chuckled a little. "I'd like to see it some time." Gian nodded again and grinned brightly. "I'll show everyone!"

Though he was quite sure Kratos and his siren wouldn't probably like it, Hebs kept quiet and nodded their way, a silent indication for them to enjoy their cakes. He stepped back and walked to the kitchen again to get his cup of tea. Once he was in, he took notice of the cake. "You're savoring it 'til the last bite?" he asked with his brows raised a bit before he'd smiled. "It's really good, isn't it?"

Alfie squeaked before snuggling up against Gian and closing his eyes, an amused expression suddenly making its way onto his face. It seemed he wasn't so embarrassed about being affectionate with Gian. In fact, he only reacted so strongly when someone unexpectedly interrupted them. Was it possible that having an audience...was something that really, really turned the naga on? It would explain why he was so quick to pull away, lest he start showing signs of...er...getting a little too excited for his own good.

Once Hebs left, Alfie squirmed out of Gian's arms and headed straight for the coffee table. He scooped up his cake, peering slowly at it before slithering over to the couch and seating himself. "This looks really, really good..." he mumbled as he stabbed it with his fork and shoveled a generous piece into his mouth. The blissful look on his face indicated that it tasted just as good as it looked.

"Mm...it's good, yes," Shadow replied in a low hum, having paused in his eating to take a sip of his tea. He caught wind of the thoughts running through Alfie's head, though, and he almost choked on his tea, a wickedly amused sort of look on his face. "Mm-hm...Alfie should learn not to think such things when I'm nearby..."

Hebs knew what thoughts Shadow were referring to. In fact, he'd laughed at the Ringleader's reaction. The snake man looked rather slyly at Shadow. It was a rare look to see on his face. "Gives you ideas?" he asked, his voice taking on a teasing tone, "Doesn't it?" Bringing up his cup to his lips, he took a sip and smiled behind the said mug - mostly in amusement. Was Shadow rubbing off on Hebs? Maybe. Who knows?

Gian felt his mouth water at Alfie eating the cake with that blissful look on his face. Moving to take his own cake, he sat on his naga lover's lap and started eating it. Whoa~ He moaned at the taste. That was simply delicious. Licking the fork clean before he'd poked another small slice, the boy looked almost tearful. It was surprisingly delicious. Almost heavenly. He'd never had a chance to taste such good cake since he had turned ten.

"...Don't tempt me," Shadow replied in a very low voice, looking up at Hebs through his dark eyelashes. "There are many places in Austria one could go if he wanted an audience..." He was speaking like he wanted to continue, but he didn't do so. There was a light in his eyes--immediately, thoughts flooded into his head about a nearby themed club...master and slave themed, that is. He started eating his cake again, a sly little grin on his face.

Alfie shifted a little when Gian sat on his lap before continuing to dig into his cake. He, too, had no desire to speak at the moment. He was too involved with this delicious cake to want to say anything. For once, the naga ate slowly, savoring each bite of cake that melted into his mouth.

Apparently not. Shadow was real good at countering his teasing remarks. Instead, it was he who got teased at. The flashes of images of that themed club made Hebs' cheeks color in embarrassment. He knew pretty well, too, that there was that sly grin on the other's face. "You'd want that, wouldn't you?" he asked, chuckling a little nervously before he'd cleared his throat and finished his tea. Putting it into the sink, he leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. The snake man was watching him eat his cake, his yellow eyes focused on the way that mouth moved.

Gian wanted to know who made this cake. If he had the money, he'd buy him. But, wasn't this from the store that Hebs had gone to with Damon? "Hey, here," he started, holding out a forkful of the cake to Alfie and grinned. It was like giving him an indirect kiss what with his cleaning the fork not very long ago with his mouth and tongue.

"I'd like that. But, the real question is..." Shadow stepped forward very slowly, biting off some of the cake and eating it just as slowly before licking his lips, obviously trying to get a rise out of the other male before him. "...who...would play what role?" he purred sensually, leaning in ever so slightly so that their faces were awfully close. He then started to back off, intending to eat the rest of his cake. He didn't want that cake to go to waste now that it was halfway finished.

Alfie, without hesitation, closed his mouth around the fork so he could have a taste of the cake Gian had. He licked his lips, looking quite pleased. "Yours is good, too...holy hell, if only we knew who made these cakes. I'd kidnap him so he could make us these cakes all the time."

Hebs wasn't sure whether Shadow was trying to get something out of him or was deliberately doing that to embarrass him all the more. The question made him blink, too, as his eyes widened just a bit to meet those eyes of his. His heart rate seemed to have sped up, too, and for a moment there, he thought it'd burst or something like it. When the other had backed off, his body couldn't seem to find its calm center. Hebs had to massage the bridge of his nose to mask it up. "All right. I can't match up your perverse pleasures." The snake man's cheeks burned bright red. He sighed and made a face as he looked back up at Shadow. Once he'd eaten the last bite, he reached out to purposely grab his neck and take those lips for a deep, lingering kiss. He stole some of that cake, too. The snake man wanted a taste of it even if he'd already had it.

Pulling away quickly and licking his own lips, he swallowed the contents in his mouth and took Shadow's plate to put it in the sink. "You've had partners who satisfied your fetishes, right? Call them. I can't even think about hurting you at all."

Gian looked surprised. "You read my mind!" He grinned brightly and leaned in to kiss him lightly on the lips before he'd resumed eating his cake. "But yeah. It'd be nice if we have something like this to eat everyday."

"Mm...it isn't hurting me if I'm enjoying it," was Shadow's simple response as Hebs pulled back from that deep kiss and headed to the sink with his plate. "Honestly. If you were seriously hurting me, don't you think I would let you know? You need to try and get out of your shell. Maybe that club is a good place to start doing that..." The fallen angel sauntered over toward the doorway leading out of the kitchen, hips swinging purposely the whole way. "If you're going to be with me...then you're going to have to learn to love my kinks and embrace your own. You can't possibly be that vanilla, that innocent."

He turned to peer back, eyes rather piercing, at Hebs. "Everyone has a wild side." He turned right around, then, and started heading for his room. He wanted to change into pajamas--he was intending to relax for a while in his room, even if he wasn't going to nap right away.

Alfie beamed as Gian kissed him--he looked like a little kid who had answered a question right after raising his hand in class. "Maybe we really should ask Hebs who makes these. If we make friends with the guy, or girl, who makes these...maybe we can get more."

What Shadow said was true. Hebs hadn't tried going out of his shell at all and if he wanted to be with Shadow like he'd promised Damon he would... The snake man couldn't help but hide the lower half of his face as he thought about it. It didn't help at all when Shadow had swung those hips of his. Groaning quietly, the white-haired male slid his hand up to cover his face. His cheeks were a dark red. "This is going to take a lot of work." Running his fingers through his hair, he rubbed the back of his neck and felt his scales. It looked like he was going to be peeling. Maybe he should soak himself in hot water.

A hot bath sounds nice. With this thought in mind, he turned on the faucet to start washing the dishes and left a note for Alfie and Gian to wash their own dishes.

Gian grinned. "Maybe." Nodding at that thought, he finally finished his cake and picked up his cup of tea to take a sip from it. It was the perfect blend, indeed. The bliss that had been on Alfie's face was now on his.

Shadow had changed out of his clothing into soft periwinkle blue pajamas and was now lounging on his bed. Damon, still in his room, was just finishing up with his piano-playing. He was now wondering how exactly he was going to get to his bed for a rest. The chair was right there, right next to him. He reached out to snag it up, dragging it right beside the bench. He then used his upper body strength to shift himself right into the chair--his arms were definitely back to their full strength. Slowly, he wheeled himself over to his bed, but then he paused there, not really knowing what to do or how to get out of the wheelchair.

Alfie seemed keen on relaxing. He rested his head on Gian's shoulder and closed his eyes, sighing softly. He too reached for his tea, then, and moved his head momentarily to take a nice long sip. He still wasn't very fond of tea, but he did drink it when it was offered to him.

Hebs read Damon's mind and he stopped himself from heading for the hallways to his room. Instead, he'd headed for Damon's. Knocking on his door, he noted that the music playing had stopped too. "Ready to go to bed?" he asked him with his brows raised a bit. Moving in to get his clothes from the cabinet, the male went to Damon's side and held it out to him. "I'll help you out of your pants." As always, Hebs acted like the mother hen of the group.

Is it okay if I use your bath tub, Shadow? I seem to be peeling. Hebs couldn't exactly hurt Shadow with his dried up scales. They were still sharp.

Gian kissed Alfie's forehead when he'd rested his head on his shoulder and he continued drinking his tea. It was calming him down, really. All he wanted to do now was just lay down and relax. "Hey," he mumbled, "Can you lay down? I'll lay on top of you." The boy grinned.

"Yes, I'm about ready to go to sleep," Damon replied cordially, taking the offered clothing. He was self-conscious about the way he looked, even though he had no reason to be, so he hesitated and took his time, awkwardly, with taking off his shirt. He was in no way muscled--no, he had a leaner, more feminine body. He slid the new shirt on over his head. He knew the pants were going to be a little more difficult, as he attempted to tug them down and was met with resistance from his dead-weight legs.

You may use the tub--I don't plan on using it until tomorrow, so...it is free all night. Shadow sounded totally relaxed, and he was, laying all sprawled out in his bed with the blankets up and over his head.

Alfie grumbled, setting his cup of tea down, and then he playfully pushed at Gian. "Come on, off. I'll lay down once you're off of me--otherwise, we might go toppling over!"

Hebs noticed the awkward movements of the other and he put a hand on his shoulder. There was a gentle smile on his lips. "I'll help you," he told him before he'd taken Damon off from the wheelchair to the bed. Laying him on it, that was the only time he'd started working on Damon's pants. He was careful about his legs. Once they were off, Hebs put on his pajamas for him before he'd fixed him on the bed. "Good night." He pulled the covers up to tuck Damon in and put the wheelchair aside. Raising his hand a bit to show the ring, he added. "If you need help, don't hesitate to call me. I will know when you need me."

Stepping back and turning around, the male headed for his bedroom first to get some clothes and then knock on Shadow's door. Without as much of waiting for a reply, he peeked in and smiled slightly at the sight of Shadow. He seemed very comfortable. Hebs stepped in and shut the door before he'd went to the bathroom to do what he was supposed to do: take that hot bath.

Gian laughed at the other pushing him and he did get off of him to cross his arms over his chest. "Now, hurry up. I'm not patient." While the other was halfway to laying down, the boy tackled him onto the bed and nuzzled him. He made sure, too, that Alfie was going to hit his head on the pillow - on something soft.

Damon clung to Hebs when he picked him up and then relaxed his tensed muscles once he was laid out on bed. He didn't seem to mind having Hebs help him with his pants--after all, he couldn't remove them himself. He did watch him very closely, though, and when he finished, he sniffed slightly and curled up, reaching down to gingerly move his legs into a comfortable position. "If I need you, you will know. Right now, I'm quite content to just drift off to sleep..." he murmured quietly, closing his eyes and nuzzling his head into the pillow. He didn't like having to rely on people, even though he wasn't showing that in anything he did. Being vulnerable kept reminding Damon of how awful his slow, painful death had been. It...it wasn't pleasant to think about, in the least.

Shadow poked his head out from beneath the blankets when Hebs peeked into the room. He chuckled softly in response to the smile on Hebs' face and then tugged the blanket up over his head again. When you're finished with your bath...come and cuddle. It's very cold in bed without you. Of course, his words always had a double-meaning. Shadow curled up tightly beneath the blankets, getting warm and comfortable while he waited for Hebs to finish with his bath.

Alfie grumbled as he started laying back, shifting around as he did so to make it easier. He was playfully sulking, and thus he didn't notice that Gian was pouncing in his direction until he was on him and nuzzling him. "Oof!" was the muffled sound that escaped his lips as he tumbled back onto the bed, his head, just as Gian wished, landing smack-dab in the middle of his pillow. "Heeeeyy. I could have gotten hurt!" he complained, though he wrapped his arms tightly around his dear human.

I'll warm you up soon. Be patient. The snake man looked rather amused as he leaned back in the tub and rubbed off his scales with a luffa sponge. That helped rid of his old scales, at least. It was about thirty minutes later when Hebs had come back out in a white t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. He looked awfully like a human save for his eye color and his skin. "Move aside a bit," he told him as he lifted the covers and slid under them. Wrapping his arm loosely around Shadow's waist, he nuzzled his neck a bit with the tip of his nose and gave it a little kiss. It didn't stop there, though, Hebs' lips continued its way up to take Shadow's lips for a long, lingering, gentle kiss.

Gian grinned at the complaint that came with those arms wrapped tightly around him. "You'll be fine," he started before he'd relaxed with a satisfied sigh. "Because I say so." Mumbling these last words, the boy soon thereafter fell asleep with a smile on his lips.

I'm looking forward to it. Shadow was looking forward to it--after all, he and Hebs had not had much physical contact at all, even after Damon had made his decision to let Shadow go. Shadow was used to constant contact, and he missed it dearly. He was much more tense and jumpy without it, sadly enough. When Hebs did return, Shadow scooted over as he'd asked and spread his arms apart to welcome Hebs into the bed. He held onto him semi-tightly, one of his hands drifting up to start entangling fingers in the other's white hair. He didn't say anything--he only leaned forward when Hebs kissed him, eyes closed and looking blissful.

Alfie grumbled under his breath, but he settled down beside Gian at once, also preparing for sleep. When he finally did relax, he too was asleep rather quickly, completely lax.

Hebs smiled against Shadow's lips and he nipped lightly at his bottom lip. "Do you want to? Or, do you want me to?" The snake man's hand slid down and underneath Shadow's pajama shirt to stroke the skin underneath. He was warm, he'd noticed. It was probably because Shadow had been lounging on the bed for quite some time now. I hope you don't mind the slick feeling of my scales. They haven't dried up yet. Even if he'd wipe himself with the towel, it won't do. His skin was glowing quite nicely, reflecting the moon's light that peeked in through the slit of the ringleader's curtains.

Shadow took his time answering Hebs, as he was too busy drinking in the rather pleasant sight of him in the moonlight. When he finally snapped out of his distracting thoughts, he chuckled and grinned, lacing his arms securely around Hebs again and then shifting so that they were laying side-to-side. He started shimmying out of his shirt, wanting Hebs to be able to explore more of his skin.

"Mm...I don't have a preference..." he murmured, fixing Hebs with a pointed and quite eager stare. "What about you? Is there anything you've been...fantasizing...about as of late...?" As he spoke about fantasizing, he'd leaned in so his breath was ghosting along Hebs' ear.

Hebs gave a little chuckle when Shadow had moved to take off that shirt of his. It had his hand moving about, fingers caressing every inch of skin it could touch. His pale skin was beautiful under the moon's light. "Not... ah." The snake man stopped to shudder and flushed slightly in embarrassment. "Not really, but... I've been considering letting you take me." After all, he only didn't go as far as to letting Shadow touch him back then because of the matter with Damon. Now that it's settled, all the barriers and hesitation he'd been holding onto had disappeared. He'd finally let go of them.

"And the thoughts running rampant in your head is really inappropriate. Have you really had those done to you?"

"I've had everything and anything done to me," Shadow replied absently, golden eyes hidden behind pale eyelids as Hebs' hands ran over his exposed flesh. He had quite a few sensitive places on his chest--Hebs was striking one that was just on the border between his chest and stomach. He wasn't lying--not at all. He'd been alive so long and had so many lovers that there was pretty much nothing he hadn't tried at least once in his life.

"...Is that really what you want?" the fallen angel asked quietly, hands slowly, tentatively starting to explore. He didn't sound so confident, and he wasn't. Even though he could tell that Hebs was serious, he still wasn't sure if he was ready.

Hebs was well aware of the other's lifestyle before he'd decided to settle down. He didn't question it. Not at all. The present him was what mattered. Knowing that Shadow wasn't all ready to seal what they have, too, made Hebs smile softly. "Not really." He pulled the other's face close to his own and rested his forehead against the fallen angel's own. "But, in time, perhaps, you can." Although Hebs had suggested it, his body seem to want to do what it had been used to doing the past two times. Shifting to move atop Shadow, he took those lips again for a deep kiss while he pulled up the covers over them.

It was going to be a long night. Hebs wasn't going to let Shadow sleep at all nor rest. The snake man's intent was to try and do everything Shadow had fantasized about. His head was filled with it and it was going to stay there if he didn't do it. Getting a reaction from it, too, isn't exactly good to look at if he was out in public.


[[ Fastforward! XD ]]

(( Fast-forwarding! :D ))


None of the other freaks, save for Hebs of course, could explain why Shadow seemed so mellowed out and content for the next three days. But he was--his tension appeared to have completely vanished and he was starting to act like his normal, good old self again. But...that could change tonight. Damon was well aware of that--he'd been masking his thoughts as much as possible, trying not to let Shadow see that there was anything strange or off about their dinner guest, who was supposed to be here within the next ten minutes.

Shadow, thankfully, was being kept occupied in the kitchen as he helped to prepare dinner. He'd seemed genuinely interested in Jae as a guest, prying and asking what he was like. It was a chore, at least on Damon's part, keeping the older man's attention totally focused on something else so he wouldn't be tempted to pry into their minds too deeply. He kept on distracting him with seemingly elated chit-chat about the modern world, which he still knew so little about.

Alfie had noticed that something was off about the way Damon was acting--normally, Damon was so cool and collected. Now he seemed to be a little jumpy and a bit too interested in keeping Shadow...distracted from something. Léan was ignoring them all, still irritated over the prospect of having a stranger at their dinner table.

Hebs was rather amused at Shadow acting all mellowed out and content. He supposed that had something to do with what he'd done to the man. And, it wasn't just that day. He'd done it three times in a row. It's quite surprising to the snake man himself that he had such stamina. One that wouldn't completely be at par with Shadow but enough to have a normal human being crash for about the whole day the next day. Hebs, too, had learned how to put up that wall to prevent Shadow from getting to his thoughts. It was possible for him to slip out some information so he'd quietly trained himself in various ways. Ones that the other freaks wouldn't be, well, made aware of.

Setting the table and making sure everything was ready, he turned to look at Alfie and Gian. Gian was toying with what looked like a magic cube. He was deeply concentrated onto it while he leaned against Alfie like he was some sort of stand. Kratos, on the other hand, was trying to keep Léan occupied by stroking his hip while he leaned on him. He'd gotten used to seeing Léan with his legs and he was honestly enjoying his time with him. Less of the carrying meant he wouldn't be closer to the merman but he'd more often than not ask him to sit on his lap whenever he'd be on his bed. Talk about old habits dying hard.

"Don't mind them," he murmured as he laid on the couch, his stomach being used as a "pillow" of the sorts for the other. He looked up at him and yawned a bit. There were thoughts running about his head. Ones that involved a certain Kain. He still hadn't talked it over with Hades and he was planning to do so later on in the early morn where the darker beings had lesser power. It'll be hard to contain Hades, after all, should he come with a disagreement with Kratos. Better safe than never.

Once Shadow was sure that everything was cleaned up and all the remaining food was ready to be carried out, Shadow started deftly piling plates onto his arms. He, because of his great balancing skills, was able to take four plates out at at time--those were the only ones left that needed to be on the table. "Here," he declared, setting them down slowly one-by-one. "That's the last of them. You still haven't told me much about this guest you're bringing over," he added in a low tone. It was directed at Hebs and not at Damon, but Damon couldn't resist popping off a comment to try and distract the fallen angel.

"...can't believe I'm going to need a new string for my violin..." he murmured sullenly. As he'd hoped, this gained Shadow's attention for a moment, as he immediately began talking about a friend of his one country over who supposedly made some of the most durable violin strings in the world and could repair Damon's violin.

This finally seemed to capture Alfie's attention, because he gently nudged Gian in the side. "Hey. I...I think something's up, here," he whispered, trying to keep his voice down since he knew Shadow was distracted and might not pay them any mind if they were quiet.

Léan sighed heavily, closing his eyes and turning his head so his cheek was resting against Kratos' stomach. The siren had not enjoyed the past few days of getting used to his legs. He still couldn't walk all that well, but he had Kratos to help him balance, so he was all right. The worst part of having legs, the merman had furiously decided, was having to wear pants and undergarments. He couldn't stand them! They were so confining and uncomfortable!

He grumbled, opening his eyes and fixing the occupied Shadow with a surly gaze. It was at this point, though, that the merman also noticed something was off--Damon was the dead giveaway, to anyone but Shadow of course (as Damon had Shadow wrapped around his finger). He made a humming noise in the back of his throat, squinting hard at Damon's expression. He cleared his throat, then. "...I have a bad feeling about this dinner..." he muttered.

Hebs smiled at Shadow. "Thanks," he started, ending it with a look of amusement at Damon who had purposely taken Shadow's attention. He was quite thankful for it, though, because he wouldn't be exactly sure if he could keep the information to himself. There was a big possibility Shadow's lid would just blow off and out of proportion if he learned about Jae and Hebs' intention of inviting him over. Turning to look at where the merman and the life man were, he smiled slightly. It looked like both of Shadow's longest freak members knew what was going to happen. Was Damon really a dead give away?

As he thought this, the doorbell had him snapping out of his thoughts. Gian was murmuring, "With Hebs and Damon acting like that, of course there is," very lowly for Alfie before he, too, turned to look at the door. That was the doorbell he'd heard right? Kratos was possessively holding Léan while Hebs nodded at Gian's way. Gian caught sight of that movement and he patted Alfie's side to warn him that he was goign to leave and went on to answer the door. 'lo and behold, it was Jae, well dressed and looking really beautiful with his v-necked, white shirt, the scarf that accented his eyes, an overcoat, a pair of sleek black pants, finished off with a pair of boots. Gian was stunned. For a moment there, his cheeks colored and he'd stuttered a, "Uh, hi."

Jae noticed the look Gian was giving him and he smiled politely. "Hello," he replied as he held out to Gian what he'd brought - wine and a box of whole cake. They looked really good, especially the cake. Jae seemed to have gone all out with it. "I thought I'd bring you guys a present as a thank you for inviting me over." Hebs came up behind Gian and he put a hand around the boy's shoulder before he'd pulled him with him to stand aside. "Please, by all means, come in." Jae was in awe at the sight of Alfie. He'd quickly strode up to him and turned around him to see him wholly. A bright smile instantly lit up on his lips. "You're really beautiful!" he exclaimed, meaning every word he'd just said. Gian wasn't just watching, he quickly came in between them two and crossed his arms over his chest. "Don't be so close to him." He pouted and Jae blinked for a bit before he'd smiled again.

"Don't worry, sir. I'm not interested in him that way." That had Gian's face turning as bright red as a tomato.