Traversing Time

For Siri the world ceased to exist, his life flashing before his eyes in a whirling kaleidoscope of colors. There was no sound, not even his cries echoing back to his ears. He was even fairly sure he was silent now, eyes tightly shut as he tumbled and spun with no direction, his mind going blessedly blank after what seemed like hours. The first thing he noticed was that he seemed to be finally slowing; the second was the rush of wind whistling past his ears.


Just like when he was swallowed, he landed suddenly and rather painfully. For just a moment his stomach lurched, as if it was still spinning, his normally olive skin a bit paler as he clutched whatever his trembling fingers could get a hold of. What felt like a poke to his shoulder registered right before something buried its face in his neck. With a squeak that was embarrassing really he snapped his eyes open, dark and unfocused as he tried to make out the weird creature above him.


Bright yellow eyes, like a cat, captured his attention first and he simply stared. “Hello,” he rasped automatically, his normally warm voice rough. No, that didn’t sound right at all. “I’m dead.” And this is hell, or a dream? A moment after that revelation the shock started to wear off and he squirmed, hands pushing firmly against the… the thing that held him.


Godrick’s head tilted and his tail flicked as those yellow gaze widened substantially. It could talk? Oh, what fun! He had to bite his bottom lip to keep from giggling. Its hair was soft, too, and silky, and he liked it. "Dead? You don't look dead. You're warm. And soft. Most dead people aren't like that." But then again, you never could tell who was dead and who was alive in Halloween Town; most of the natives floated in limbo between the two ends of the spectrum.


He was sure he must have died at least once, and the thought made him pull his hand away from the boy-thing's hair and rest against his chest, over his heart. It thudded languidly within the skinny skeletal prison of his chest. Well, that usually meant one was alive.


The creature was distracted from his self-examination by the weight in his lap wiggling and two hands pushing against his chest. Something like a hiss broke from his lips, which curled back to show those lethal fangs of his. He reached forward and grabbed a chunk of the boy's hair and yanked. "Stop it," he ordered in a voice that rumbled with irritation. "You're going to fall and hurt yourself, and you don't want that, do you?" He tilted the boy's head back to peer closely into the wide, dazed eyes. "You've already tumbled such a long way, after all..."


Strangely enough the odd thing had a point. And Siri, for all his shock, knew he wasn’t dreaming either. He might bake bread, sweets and enjoy cooking but that didn’t mean he was stupid. Quite the opposite since he loved to read and lose himself in mysterious worlds. Little did he know he’d actually find himself in such a place?


“Fuck… “ Now that damn well hurt, scalp smarting as his already wild hair was yanked, head tilting back to relieve the pressure. Staring at those fangs made him swallow nervously, immediately falling as still as the statue they were apparently sitting on. With his throat bared he felt vulnerable, tongue flicking out to wet his dry lips. Right, no moving, got it. Lifting his gaze, which appeared almost black in the night, he met those bright eyes. “No… no I don’t,” he agreed, though his palms were still pressed flat against that skinny chest. “Where are we?” There, that sounded relatively normal, just a tad high pitched from a case of nerves. He wasn’t Conan the Barbarian so who would blame him?


Godrick hummed under his breath, apparently very pleased at his new pet's exceptional obedience. "That's better." He released the boy's hair and patted his head cheerfully before an icy, spidery hand curled about the boy's chin, Godrick's face leaning closer and closer until their noses were almost touching. He blinked those too-big eyes and mumbled something under his breath.


"Of course you don't," he said with a wise nod, head suddenly snapping to the right as if he'd seen something. He stared to the left for several long, drawn out moments, eyes narrowing. Nothing was there, and eventually his gaze fluttered back to his boy. "Where are we?" He repeated the question curiously, licking his upper lip. "Halloween Town, of course. Don't you know that?" His thumb brushed gently over Siri's jaw before Godrick recalled his hand, twirling his own hair between his fingers.


"What are you called? What are you? You're warm. Not many people here are warm. You've got pretty eyes."


He had the attention span of a spoon.


It really was on the tip of Siri’s tongue to tell the… he didn’t even know what to call it, but to tell him he wasn’t a dog. Reaching up he lightly rubbed his stinging scalp, leaning back as that face drew closer even though there was nowhere to really go. He had half a mind to ask him if he was dead, his touch like ice on the smooth skin of his face.


“Halloween town? Never heard of it…” Finally dropping his hand he shook his head, frowning as he took the creature’s moment of distraction to peer around himself. If he didn’t know for sure he was alive he really would think he was dead. It seemed as if he had dropped into the middle of a ‘ghost’ town, graveyard central. He shivered, suddenly wishing for his heavier jacket.


The rapid fire questions buzzed in his ears for a moment, a light flush finally coloring his cheeks. Right, he was ignoring that last comment. “I am a human and my name is Siri. And of course I am warm… “ he trailed off at that, flicking his gaze back to the other’s mouth and remembering the fangs quite well. Nope, wasn’t going to mention blood. “Do you have a name and what are you?” God, was he really having a somewhat civil conversation? He needed to find his way home.


"Never heard of Halloween town?" Godrick repeated absently, eyes widening a fraction before they suddenly narrowed. "How could you not?" He wondered if he should doubt the boy's intelligence, seeing as no one with a respectable IQ could not know about Halloween Town. He shifted a bit, his tail curling and his head tilting back against the angel's chest.


He wrapped his arms about the other's waist in mildly possessive manner, biting his bottom lip as if in deep thought. That was a facade however; Godrick's thoughts were fleeting and never deep. He acted on greed, lust, and compulsion, which was terribly unlucky for the boy seated in his lap. "Siri, that's good enough, I suppose." He rolled it off his tongue, sounding vaguely like he was purring, and decided it was to his liking; he'd let Siri keep his name.


"Godrick, I'm a Godrick," he replied with a falsely innocent smile.


“I don’t celebrate Halloween, so I wouldn’t have heard of it.” Maybe Siri shouldn’t have admitted that, but it was true. He had never really seen what the fuss was each year. Dressing up and going door to door to beg for candy from strangers, it seemed wrong somehow. Besides, his parents, while friendly, called it a heathen holiday and would speak no more of it… as if they were religious.


Fighting the urge to squirm again he shifted slightly, not exactly used to sitting in anyone’s lap, especially a possessive creature like nothing he’d even read about before. “Godrick… I need to get back home before my parents worry,” he murmured, watching that flicking tail for a moment before offering a slight smile in answer to the rather creepy one he was getting. At least his teeth were straight and he wasn’t in danger of biting off his own tongue.


Godrick blinked once, twice, and then his dark brows snapped together and he looked very confused and really rather horrified. Didn't...celebrate Halloween? There had to be some misunderstanding, or maybe his new pet was just painfully dumb and needed desperately to be educated. "How could you not celebrate Halloween?" he asked in what sounded like a frightened whisper. Suddenly he looked less like a monster and more like a child, pressing back a little more against the angel.


The pendulum swung again and any vulnerability vanished completely. "You want to leave?" That was disappointing. He rested his head against the other's shoulder, eyes narrowed slightly. When he spoke again, his voice was a low, seductive purr. "Do you hear that? That singing? They'll be turning back around soon. Do you know how we celebrate Halloween here, sunshine?" A cruel smile curled at his lips, hidden by a curtain of black and yellow hair.


“My parents did not believe in it.” The young man sounded curious, the gaze that rested on Godrick wary, the reaction a bit over the top in his opinion. Hell, he didn’t celebrate Christmas or Easter either. Even his birthday was normal, with a few well wishes from friends. It was no wonder a lot of the town thought he was odd. He, however, saw nothing wrong with it.


Eyeing the head resting on his shoulder he nodded, growing sort of used to looking at the… at Godrick. “Yes, I don’t belong here,” he pointed out, half hopeful that he might get the help he needed. The sudden low purr of that voice sent a shiver down his spine, not entirely unpleasant as his nerves seemed to prick to life. He almost missed the words themselves, stiffening slightly, though more concerned at his own reaction at the moment. “Er… give out candy?” Asinine answer but maybe he really didn’t wish to think of it, the low song eerie as he finally heard it.


"Your parents sound terrible," Godrick said bluntly, his delicate nose wrinkling in obvious disapproval. "You shouldn't go back there if they're like that. I don't like them." But I like you, and I want you to stay. He might as well have shouted it, but he turned his head and nipped absently at Siri's jaw before yawning widely, his back arching and his tail wiggling its way onto his lap.


"Candy? No. That's a stupid thing to say," he murmured in an almost sleepy tone. "Halloween here... is...hmmm..." How to explain it? "It's blood and sex and fear and screaming," he mused after a moment, sounding dream-like. "And everyone is ripping and tearing and dancing and singing. And you... they'll eat you alive, sweetheart." He sat up, his head rolling back in a doll-like manner. He rested one nimble finger against the boy's lips. "You have to be careful. If you go wandering off without me, I won't be able to protect you from all the Big Bad Wolves." And as if to punctuate this tirade, he nodded towards the street, which stank of death and was littered with the mutilated bodies of the weak.


Siri wanted to defend his parents, he really did, but the sharp nip of teeth along his jaw was playing with his mind. Godrick reminded him of a cat and insanely enough he thought of Alice in Wonderland. It was not a rabbit hole he had fell into though, dark eyes slowly widening at each word the other had to say.


“Wolves… “ It was a soft whisper, his gaze drawn to the street that he could see clearly now, as if someone had lit a torch. The finger against his lips was ignored until his tongue rasped over it as he licked his suddenly dry lips, all the moisture gone from his mouth. It sounded so unreal and his stomach lurched before he laughed softly, a bit madly. “Who will protect me from you?” He blurted, struggling to control the fear that was making him numb. He needed his head, to think and he couldn’t do that if he lost it. Normal people might buckle under pressure. How many times was he told that he wasn’t normal?


Godrick let out a musical little laugh, tilting his head to the side and looking at Siri fondly. He leaned back, arms coming up to rest on the boy's shoulders, fingers burying themselves in his dark hair. "Oh, yes, dear," he murmured. "And tonight of all nights..." He pouted gently. "It makes me sad to think of them ruining your pretty face." If anyone was going to be doing that, it would be Godrick exclusively.


The question seemed to ignite a fire in the depths of Godrick's golden eyes and a slow, sadistic smile grew over his face. He leaned forward, soft, chilly lips moving against Siri's ear. "No one."


He giggled again, the feral glint calming down a bit until it was just mocking amusement. "You're mine now, but don't worry. I don't like killing things." Hurting things, on the other hand... "And I've already told you you're too pretty to be rough with." He buried his chin into his scarf, looking absolutely cheerful.


Alright, things just took a leap from strange to bizarre, the little laugh echoing his in an objectionable way, musical or not. And what the hell was with all the touching? Sucking in a breath through his nose Siri just knew Godrick would feel the bone deep tremor that ran through his body, ‘no one’ echoing in his mind like a broken record until he gasped sharply.


“No… no I can’t… “ He sounded like a rambling idiot, despising himself for it as he cast his gaze about, as if the sky would open back up and suck him in. Who had he pissed off in the heavens to be cursed into such a place where his would be rescuer sounded more like a sadistic warden? “I don’t want to stay here.” Stubborn to a fault he’d try to find his own way if he had too. They couldn’t stay on the statue forever.


…ripping and tearing…


… blood and sex and fear and screaming…


Better yet maybe they could.


Godrick bit his bottom lip to stifle another giggle, his gaze mischievously lingering over the other's face. "You can't? Can't what? You know, I never said I wouldn't take you back, I just don't know if I want to yet." He offered what was meant to be a bright, sunny smile. It came out looking far darker than perhaps anticipated. "I haven't decided yet." He hummed under his breath and then wiggled before a little frown creased his brow.


And then he whined, and it was a broken, childish noise that rose from his throat as he began to squirm more persistently. "My legs are asleep," he said, bottom lip jutting out as he suddenly, and with no warning, shoved his pet hard in the shoulders and effectively pushing him off Godrick's lap and onto the ground. He rubbed at his thighs and hissed under his breath, tail jerking in adamant discomfort.


It was only when the blood flow was restored that he remembered Siri; his gaze flicked down towards the ground, and he hopped out of the angel's arms to land with impossible grace right next to the human. "You hear it?" He giggled, ears twitching. "The song's getting closer. I wonder if they can smell you from down there. You smell yummy." A little taunting smirk.