#freckles and stars | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

onenerdtwonagas · 1 year

Text

Uriah & Orpheus

Happy Accidents

(Rated R for a Really good time~)

“…Oh. Uh oh.”

Uriah glanced between the vials of flowers he had just handed over to Anthea, and her unreadable expression. He’d offered to do her a favor and collect some potion ingredients for her, now that they were on civil terms, but it seems that something always went a bit amiss, despite his best efforts.

“‘Uh oh?’ What do you mean, ‘uh oh?’ Those are the ones you wanted, right? Nymph’s Kiss?”

“I did ask for Nymph’s Kiss,” Anthea sighed, one brow rising as she scrutinized Uriah. “But these are Nymph’s Bliss.”

He frowned, arms crossing. “You said five petals and three stamen around one carpel, right?”

Anthea pinched the bridge of her nose.

“No. Six petals, five stamen, one carpel.”

“Oh.” He paused, arms dropping to his side in sheepishness. “Well, it’s no big deal, I can go and find the right ones.”

“You…may want to just go sit the rest of the afternoon out,” she said, a hint of warning and exasperation in her tone. Uriah tensed.

“…Why?”

“You’ve no idea what Nymph’s Bliss is, or what it does, do you?”

“Okay,” Uriah huffed, “you look annoyed but you sound concerned, and I can’t tell how worried I should be.”

“I wouldn’t worry, exactly,” Anthea said slowly. She put her hands on her hips and fixed Uriah with a pointed stare. “Nymph’s Bliss contains a pollen that acts as a strong aphrodisiac. And they’re in the height of their season. Meaning you’ve just inhaled a lot of pollen.”

…Oh.

Uriah felt a flush of embarrassment wash over him, followed by confusion.

“I don’t feel anything,” he said, shrugging.

“Maybe not now, but you’re going to feel it soon.”

“How soon?” Uriah asked skeptically.

“How long were you near them?”

“I dunno. Twenty minutes? Half hour, tops.”

Anthea shook her head and rolled her eyes to the ceiling of her chamber.

“Soon enough that if I don’t want to hear you making a fuss, I’d better go find the Nymph’s Kiss flowers myself.” She set the incorrect flowers aside, tucked safely in an old chest in the corner, before gathering some clean vials for her new venture. Before she left, she looked Uriah up and down for a few moments and frowned.

“Just…stay here and wait for my brother to get back. He’ll know how to handle you.”

“I said I was fine!“ Uriah protested, hands thrown up. But Anthea merely huffed and slid past him. He watched her go with mild irritation, scuffing his shoe on the stone floor. Well, if he had nothing better to do, he might as well wait for Orpheus to return home. Maybe they could go somewhere together; it had been a while since they’d had a proper date. Orpheus would probably enjoy the time away.

He was halfway up the stairs that led to his husband’s chamber when he felt heat creeping up the back of his neck. Uriah paused, frowning in confusion, brushing his fingertips carefully over the nape of his neck. Strange. He didn’t feel anything there. No drafts of jungle air, either. What a weird feeling—

Another wave of heat ebbed along his spine. Uriah felt his face grow warm, his entire body experiencing the odd sensation until it reached his extremities. His fingertips tingled. His vision swayed for a moment as he pressed back against the cool stone wall, eyes wide as he realized, much to his growing embarrassment, Anthea hadn’t been pulling his leg. Not with how certain parts of him were starting to feel.

“Ohhhhh shit.”

It took a little longer than usual to finish climbing the stairs, what with his head growing fuzzy and distracted. Once in the privacy of Orpheus’s chamber, Uriah paced back and forth slowly, trying to calm himself down.

“Deep breaths,” he told himself shakily, “just take a few deep breaths. It’ll pass, right? Can’t last for too long. Yeah. This’ll be over before Orpheus—“

God. The thought of him sent a shiver down his spine. Uriah swallowed thickly.

“—gets…back… Okay, breathing isn’t cutting it. Uh… Sheesh.”

He felt dizzy for a moment. Putting his hand on his forehead didn’t help; every time he touched himself, accidental or on purpose, it set his nerves on fire. All of his senses felt heightened, but the stronger it got, the calmer he felt, too. Like he was drugged. Hypnotized, almost. What he wouldn’t do to be hypnotized by Orpheus right then, tied up in his coils and at his mercy. Oh, the positions his husband could put him in…

“Shit. Stop it,” he scolded himself. “For the love, I’m not that desperate!”

Uriah glanced down at himself, and the growing bulge between his legs.

“…Or maybe I am. Damnit.”

He wanted to be touched so badly. He wanted Orpheus. His pulse felt heavy. His pants felt tight. Maybe he should take them off? No. Behave. Orpheus liked when he behaved, called him a good boy, his precious sweetheart…

Uriah hid his face in his hands and groaned, leaning heavily against a pillar. Another rush of tingling warmth made him wish he’d rather be leaning against his husband.

“Goooood when did I turn into such a hot mess?”

“Uriah?” He peaked through his fingers, face burning, as he heard Orpheus call for him. “I’m back, love. Are you in here?”

His heart throbbed a little stronger as Orpheus slid into view. The god spotted him instantly, head cocking at an angle and a gentle, sympathetic smile on his face.

“Ah. So Anthea was telling the truth. Poor thing,” he tutted. “You always manage to get into some sort of mishap when I’m not around, don’t you?”

Uriah exhaled slowly, dropping his hands from his face. His eyes remained fixed on Orpheus, staring a little too longingly at his face, his body, the seemingly endless starry scales that covered his gorgeous tail. Orpheus chuckled as he came close.

“How do you feel?” he asked, genuine concern mixed with curiosity.

“Hot and bothered,” Uriah answered with no hesitation. He blinked, taken aback by his own blunt honesty.

“Yes, Nymph’s Bliss will do that. Tried it a few times myself when I was a bit younger. Don’t tell my parents, though,” he joked, winking. Uriah felt his mouth run dry, and Orpheus was looking more and more like the best goddamn glass of water for his growing thirst.

“This…i-is getting a little out of hand,” Uriah stammered. “I-I don’t think I’ve ever felt like…like this, without your hypnosis b-before.”

“A bit overwhelming, isn’t it?” Orpheus lifted a hand and cradled Uriah’s chin in his palm, watching as his husband melted in front of him, sinking to his knees. Uriah closed his eyes and moaned as his thumb brushed across his lips.

“Nnn…B-Babe…”

“Easy now,” he purred. “You’re alright.”

“God, Orpheus, just…just do whatever you want to me,” Uriah begged. He tilted his face and kissed his palm obediently. To hell with his dignity, he could be embarrassed about that later. He’d absolutely lose it if his husband didn’t touch him then and there.

“Oh?” Orpheus’s smile perked in amusement. “Anything?”

“Idon’tcare,” Uriah slurred, exhaling heavily. Orpheus placed a second hand in his hair, slowly combing his claws back towards the base of his skull until Uriah let out a submissive whine. His second set of hands ghosted down Uriah’s neck, sliding to his shoulders, feeling every subtle shiver beneath his fingers.

“And I thought I was bad when I’m in heat,” Orpheus teased. But his smile remained loving, welcoming, as he caressed Uriah for a few more moments, testing him.

“Orpheus,” Uriah moaned, “I swear if you do not strip me down and pin me to your bed in the next five seconds I am going to lose it.”

“I think you already have, precious,” his husband chuckled. “Be patient…”

The end of his tail curled over Uriah’s hip, slipping between the fabric of his tunic and pants to find purchase between his legs. The effect was immediate, Uriah flinching and gasping as he was stroked.

“There, that’s a little better, isn’t it? Poor sweet thing, so overstimulated you’re getting cranky. You have to ask nicely if you want me to be good to you, precious.”

He leaned heavily into Orpheus’s touch, hands weakly bracing on either side of his waist for support as his tail teased him. Back and forth, back and forth, slow but steady.

“Ask nicely,” Orpheus repeated, petting his hair.

“Mmmnn… P-Please,” Uriah whimpered.

“Please, what? Use your words, love.”

“Please…” He swallowed. “Please fuck me, Orpheus…”

“My, you used that word. You really are in deep, then.” Because Uriah was usually too shy to speak that way. He must’ve inhaled quite the dose of the flower’s pollen. Not that Orpheus was complaining; he’d always been a little curious, wondering if anything other than drawn-out hypnosis could make get him so riled up. It would seem he had an answer. “Well, there’s only one way to fix that, now, isn’t there?”

Uriah stared up, hopeful. He felt Orpheus’s tail curl once around his torso, lifting him back to his feet to kiss him properly. It was a good thing he kept a hold of him; Uriah was already swooning, knees weak, arms all but limp as they wrapped around his neck. Orpheus made sure to place his hands strategically on his body as he carried him to the bed.

“Are you going to be a good boy for me?” he purred into his ear.

“Mm…Y-Yes.”

“You promissse?” He smiled at the tremor he felt race down Uriah’s spine.

“I-I promise.”

“That’s what I like to hear.”

Orpheus’s lips found purchase on Uriah’s neck. Removing his clothing was easy enough, even with every twitch and shiver of Uriah’s overstimulated body. He’d done it plenty of times, so many he felt confident he could have undressed him blindfolded. He drug the tips of his claws and the very edges of his teeth along his skin, relishing all of the soft sounds Uriah produced.

“A shame you didn’t happen to bring any of those flowers up here with you,” Orpheus teased, lips pressing in a line down his chest. “We could’ve been in for some real fun, then…”

“I-I can barely take it as it is,” Uriah panted. “How—“ His breath hitched as Orpheus’s tongue traced over his skin. “—l-long does this last…?”

“A few hours,” Orpheus answered, half distracted as he kissed Uriah’s hip. “But of course, it’s an awful long time to wait just for it to get out of your system. Why not have a little fun with it, hmm? I think I like this unhinged side of you.”

“I am not unhi—A-Ah!” Uriah’s hips bucked as Orpheus wrapped a hand around his erection.

“You’re thinking too much,” Orpheus crooned.

“Nn! Mmm… I-I’m only horny because of that…Mm…damn plant,” Uriah insisted. He glanced to the side as starry scales slithered close, the end of Orpheus’s tail carefully slid beneath his head, curling downwards over his shoulder to begin wrapping around him. Rushes of heat and pleasure sparked through his veins as the scales coiled around him, the loops around his shoulders and torso growing thicker as they went.

“G-God, Orpheus,” Uriah groaned. Feeling himself growing impatient as the touch overwhelmed him. “Y-You’re teasing me. C’mon.”

“What did I say about being patient? You’re letting it all go to your head, and not the one we want. I already said you were thinking too much,” he said playfully. “Perhaps…you are talking too much, too.”

The end of his tail curled around Uriah’s hips as it had before, sliding down to replace his hand, allowing his fingers to stroke the inside of his thigh. Before Uriah could react, the dense, heavy coils around his torso gave a squeeze, cinching and conforming to his body. The loop around his shoulders pressed tight around his neck, and for a moment Uriah was rendered totally helpless in bliss. He saw stars. His entire body shivered. He closed his eyes and breathed as deeply as the gentle constriction would allow, the air escaping his lungs in a shaking moan. Orpheus was leaning close when he opened his eyes again.

“That’s more like it, isn’t it? You already love when I coil you. Can only imagine how it feels now,” he observed. “It’s certainly nice to look at.”

Damn, he loved how Uriah looked just then, sweet and submissive and begging for him with his eyes. Orpheus pressed his mouth to Uriah’s, tongue toying with his, letting out a sensual moan of his own as he felt Uriah press his legs against either side of his waist. Uriah gently pulled at his lower lip with his teeth as he withdrew.

“Orpheus…I need you,” he breathed. “Please, babe…”

“Shhh. I’ll take good, good care of you,” Orpheus hissed, nipping at him in return. Uriah flushed as he felt their hips align, his husband pressing against him. “You just be a good boy and keep moaning for me.”

Uriah didn’t need to be told twice, or told at all. He was a complete mess, mind and body entirely submitted to Orpheus as he felt their bodies rocking together. It was strange, being completely lucid despite how stimulated his body felt; the intensity of Orpheus’s touch was magnified by the effects of the pollen he’d accidentally inhaled. Everything struck him tenfold. Every squeeze, every kiss, every thrust of his husband’s hips… If not for the repeated conditioning under Orpheus’s hypnosis, his body wouldn’t have lasted more than a few seconds. And Orpheus was all too eager to please, giving his all in this unexpected experiment of theirs, every bit the dominating, generous lover he’d always been for the man beneath him. If Uriah begged him go deeper, he obliged. Slower, he listened. Anything to draw out the moment and see what sort of new heights they could reach.

But even as skilled as he was, Orpheus couldn’t keep it going forever. He had his own limits, and he felt them approaching fast as Uriah crossed his ankles over the small of his back and hugged him closer. His throat rumbled with a deep, long growl as he felt Uriah clenching around him.

“God, O-Orpheus, right there…Right there… J-Just a little more,” Uriah whined.

“Mm…Almost, precious,” he promised, voice husky in Uriah’s ear.

“G-Give it to me.”

“A-Almost,” Orpheus repeated.

One, two, three more strong rolls of his hips, a squeeze of his coils, and their combined outcries signaled their release. Orpheus closed his eyes and panted, sinking onto his elbows to nuzzle Uriah’s cheek, purring for him. Uriah, on the other hand, was practically numbed by the waves of pleasure crashing over him. He almost didn’t register Orpheus’s gentle voice asking him if he was alright.

“Mmm…mhmm,” he replied at length, completely out of breath. “I…fuck, that was good, Orpheus…”

“Feeling better?”

Uriah nodded.

“Just…don’t let go just yet. Still kinda…y-y’know,” he admitted bashfully.

“I did say it would be a few hours before it wears off,” Orpheus reminded him, kissing his cheek.

“Yeah. You did.”

He paused, returning Orpheus’s affectionate nuzzles and kisses for a few peaceful moments.

“…You think you can do that again?”

Orpheus blinked. His expression shifted, half amusement and half surprise.

“Oh, you are going to be the death of me, darling.”

#tmi tuesday #onenerdtwonagas #not an ask #uriah #freckle muffin #orpheus #starry scales #freckles and stars #lit #lit post #naga

41 notes · View notes

onenerdtwonagas · 2 years

Text

Human!Orpheus Meets Naga!Uriah

(Haven’t written for these two in a while! Enjoy!)

Orpheus lowered his camera and looked at the last shot he had taken. The vivid fuchsia plumage of the parakeets’ heads stood out perfectly against the green foliage around them. He grinned with satisfaction, and switched back to the active screen, closing his left eye and refocusing on the birds across from him.

“That’s it,” he murmured, watching patiently, “stay nice and still for me…”

His shutter clicked several times before he leaned back against the tree trunk in his harness, adjusting the camera again. So far, this had been a highly successful trip for the nature article he’d been working on. His editors were going to swoon over the wildlife shots he’d managed to collect; the flock of parakeets that served as his current subjects were giving him tons of material to work with. Combined with the orchids, butterflies, and a handful of other animals he’d been able to capture with his camera, Orpheus was confident he’d be getting the cover photo slot. Supposing the team that had been sent to the Sahara didn’t come back with something better.

…Maybe a couple extra photos couldn’t hurt. He had a week before he had to return home, and Orpheus could work on the finishing touches to his final draft on the plane ride back.

“Alright, pretty birds, just a few more,” he sighed, steadying his camera once more. The lens had just focused in on a juvenile’s face when a sudden noise drew all of the birds’ attention. Even Orpheus looked up, startled by what sounded like a person crying out. When he glanced back towards the birds, they all tensed and took off, squawking as they flew through the canopy. Orpheus blew out his cheeks in a disappointed huff, closing up his camera in order to make a safe descent back to the ground.

On the way down and as he was packing up the climbing gear, Orpheus kept glancing in the direction the bizarre noise had come from. It sounded far too human to be an animal. At least, not any animal he’d ever heard—and he had been on plenty of trips to recognize a human scream compared to a wildcat or primate call. Something told him he should probably leave it be, but at the same time, curiosity nipped at the back of his mind. As unlikely as it was, it very well could be an undiscovered species. Or perhaps an amusing anecdote to go on the cryptozoology blog he ran on the side. Both ideas appealed to him.

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” he reasoned to himself. Adjusting the straps of his backpack and rechecking the location of his pocket knife—just in case—Orpheus began to carefully make his way in the direction of the unknown noise.

After about twenty minutes of walking, however, his determination was beginning to wane land frustration was swiftly replacing it. He knew he wasn’t crazy; he’d absolutely heard something, but there wasn’t a single clear sign of any kind of animal or human activity. No noticeable tracks in the mossy soil of the undergrowth, no tufts of fur or loose feathers, nothing. Orpheus huffed and swiped the back of his hand across his brow, pausing in a small clearing to think. His eyes wandered around as he began guessing as to where the cry might’ve come from, reviewing in his head any known species or folklore he might have researched on his way overseas for the trip. Every culture had their sort of ‘Big Foot’ creature, but that seemed far-fetched at best…

Hold on. Orpheus’s vision snapped back a pace, squinting. That wasn’t a vine dangling from the trees, that was a rope.

“Oh, geez,” he groaned. Somebody might’ve fallen. Or there could have been poaching in the area, and something got caught. Either way, he’d have to check it out and potentially report it to the nearest conservation facility. He chided himself on the walk over, stepping carefully over a few logs and stones, ducking beneath a tree with a split trunk.

“So help me, if I end up in trouble because I busted some poaching gig… Yeah, there’s a headline they’ll wanna print: ‘Missing Photographer Found Shot In—‘“

His words stopped abruptly as a flash of movement and red caught his eye. Orpheus halted immediately as a loud, low hiss reached his ears. That sounded like something big. And angry. Inhaling slowly, he visually scanned the foliage around him until his gaze landed on what appeared to be a patch of scales. They moved, and he swallowed thickly. Those were snake scales. Huge snake scales. Bigger than any snake he had ever seen, and he’d accompanied a group searching for anacondas once. But where was the head, if he heard hissing? Orpheus lifted his gaze, and immediately flinched back.

“Holy shit!”

Just ahead was the rest of the creature: it’s impossibly long tail melded seamlessly into a tanned human torso, complete with a human head and face. Piercing green eyes glowered at him through auburn hair and the holes of a weighted snare net. Orpheus’s mouth went dry as he stared back, chest heaving, thoroughly shaken. He’d read about these creatures. Naga. Half serpent and half human, some cultures considered them divine. They were beings of myth, though, not…real.

But this one was. And it—he—was rightfully cross. Afraid, even, hissing like a cobra with lips peeled back to reveal sharp fangs. Orpheus glanced back down along the body, eventually coming to the other problem: a trap clamped tightly down on a portion of the naga’s tail, blood leaking out around the metal teeth of the contraption. Poaching equipment.

“…Okay. Okay, okay, uh… Christ,” Orpheus stammered, slowly running a hand through his pulled-up hair. The naga hissed again, it’s coils bunching before the snared portion gave a sharp flinch and the hiss cut short, fading into a pained whine. Lowering his head, the naga panted, trying to shift beneath the net but only causing himself further pain.

“Wait, don’t—“ Before Orpheus could step closer, the naga snapped his head up and hissed again. Orpheus grimaced. This wasn’t going to be easy. He’d likely get himself killed. But leaving something like this, something half-human, to suffer, felt wrong.

“Alright, I get it. You’re not happy,” he said placatingly, raising both hands. “You want out of that, right? …What the hell am I doing, this thing can’t talk to me.”

Orpheus carefully set his bag down, maintaining eye contact with the naga, who watched with a furrowed brow and deep frown, but otherwise remained quiet. Muttering to himself again about how insane the entire ordeal was, Orpheus reached into his pocket slowly and fished out his knife, flicking it open. The naga tensed and growled, low and loud like an alligator bellow.

“Easy, easy,” Orpheus hushed, inching forward. “I’m not gonna hurt you, okay? I just gotta cut this crap apart, then we’ll get to the nasty stuff down there with your tail. Can… Can we do that without you trying to kill me?”

To his shock, the naga went silent and nodded once. Orpheus faltered, staring in bewilderment.

“…You understood that?”

He got an impatient growl in response.

“Right! Sorry, I uh…sorry.”

Clearing his throat, Orpheus crouched down at the net’s edge and began the tedious process of cutting the tangled ropes away from the naga’s body.

“This is insane. I’m insane,” he muttered to himself. “I’m talking to a snake-man, in the middle of nowhere, cutting him out of a net…” He glanced up at the naga briefly, caught the intense stare of his green eyes, and went back to the task at hand. “Yep. Crazy. I’m crazy. Must’ve hit my head somewhere along the line. This is all a hallucination.”

“I’m not a hallucination.”

Orpheus swore and nearly cut his hand.

“You can speak?!”

“Don’t stop! Get me out of here,” the naga hissed through clenched teeth.” Orpheus gawked for only a second more before he resumed cutting the ropes.

“God damnit all, this is—I don’t even know what this is anymore!”

“Just hurry up before whoever set this up comes back!”

“I’m trying, I’m trying! Stop fidgeting!”

“I’m not—“

Both fell silent as a flock of birds erupted out of the foliage a few meters away. Orpheus held his breath and exchanged a frenzied look with the naga.

“Come on,” he hissed, fangs bared anxiously. “That could be them! They’re gonna kill me!”

Orpheus cursed under his breath.

“Try to stay calm. Do you have a name?”

The naga scoffed.

“Yes, but what’s that got to do with it?”

“Just tell me your name. Talk. Keep your mind off it.”

“Uriah. It’s Uriah.”

“Uriah? Well, can’t say it’s the best experience meeting you, but my name’s Orpheus.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m more worried about dying than exchanging pleasantries!”

“Just one more…there! That oughta do it. Now just hold still, I gotta pry this piece of shit open,” he muttered, looking at the trap clamped into the naga’s tail. It appeared to be similar to a bear trap. He’d seen plenty in his expeditions and in some of the wilderness classes he’d taken; one had to know what to watch out for when traveling through wild territory, especially if there was big game that hunters were desperate to catch—legally or otherwise.

“Damn, this is a nasty one…but I think I can get it off. It’s gonna hurt though.”

“It already hurts,” Uriah growled.

“Yeah, well, it might hurt worse for a few seconds. Just uhhh… Ah!” He grabbed a fallen branch, small and barren but still pliant, and passed it over. “Bite down on this.”

“Why?”

“Do you wanna break your teeth?”

Uriah relented with a whine and held out a clawed hand, taking the branch with obvious hesitation and looking at Orpheus with wide, uncertain eyes once it was between his teeth.

“I’ll be as gentle and quick as I can, okay? It’s not gonna be pleasant, but I’ll do my best.”

All he got from Uriah was a timid nod. Bracing himself for the grisly task, Orpheus carefully assessed the trap’s grip. It was a rusted, ugly old thing; any human who would have been unfortunate enough to step on it would absolutely have needed a tetanus shot afterwards. Why a poacher would be using such a degraded piece of junk was beyond his reasoning, unless they really didn’t care about the state of the animal afterwards. Which, for a poacher, that tracked. But, seeing as it was similar to a bear trap, he had a good idea of how to open the damn thing.

“Alright, here goes nothing.”

Inhaling and bracing himself for whatever unpleasantness was to follow, Orpheus placed both hands on either side of the trap’s teeth and pushed down. The springs at the bottom ground and squeaked, and over Uriah’s pained hisses and whines he could hear the telltale sign of pressure releasing from the metal bits. Carefully, so as not to slip and cause it to re-clamp, Orpheus pried the teeth back, grimacing as they eased out of the naga’s scales and bloodied flesh underneath. Once the metal was entirely free of Uriah’s tail, he forced it down the rest of the way.

“Okay! You’re out! Move!”

Uriah didn’t need told twice. The branch he’d been given was spat out, nearly bit in two. His tail lashed away instantly, recoiling several feet back as Orpheus also lurched away. Before he could think on his next steps, though, Uriah struck out with the end of his tail, flinging the trap towards a tree trunk with so much force the teeth were forced through the bark, pieces of rust and loose metal flying loose and clinking down into the soil.

“I was gonna need to document that to report it,” Orpheus sighed in protest. He looked towards Uriah and his mouth snapped shut, seeing the naga rise to his full height. He wasn’t a hulking creature, his muscles surprisingly lean for what he expected to be an apex predator of sorts, but he was still taller than him—especially with Orpheus sitting in the dirt. Uriah glowered at the remains of the trap and growled, that same deep rumbling he had heard before, and then turned to Orpheus.

“Hey, easy, easy! Don’t be mad at me! I just got you out!”

Uriah’s clawed hands reached out and, much to Orpheus’s shock, grasped and lifted him by his shirt as if he weighed absolutely nothing. Before he could question it further, the naga swiped the back of his hands across his shoulders, flicking off dirt and bits of plant matter; his tail held up his previously discarded pack. Orpheus accepted it, his face blank with surprise.

“Well?”

“Uh…well what?” Orpheus asked dumbly. Uriah rolled his eyes and huffed.

“Do you want to be here when the people who set that crap up get back? I don’t. C’mon.”

“You want me to follow you?”

“No, I want you to stand here and give them directions to the nearest trail,” he hissed back sarcastically. “Just keep pace, alright? Sheesh.”

Shrugging helplessly, Orpheus hesitated only a second or two before following Uriah’s lead, all the while internally chastising himself for what had to have been the most vivid fever dream of his life. The entire ordeal felt more fiction than reality, but…it all felt very tangible. Real. He wrestled with those same thoughts as he kept up with Uriah, the naga casting nervous glances back at him every so often as he led him deeper into the old growth of the jungle. It was quiet between the two of them, awkwardly so. So much that apparently the naga felt uncomfortable with the silence and decided to break it.

“Why did you help me?”

“Pardon?”

“You could have left me there. Or captured me yourself,” Uriah muttered. “Why didn’t you?”

“Uh, well, for one, poaching isn’t exactly my style,” Orpheus huffed. “That is, it’s illegal. Can’t imagine any animal or their parts are worth the jail time and fines. Plus it’s just…eesh—“ He made a gesture of discomfort with his hands. “—Y’know?”

“…Right. ‘Eesh.’” Uriah’s mouth twisted in slight curiosity. “So, you’re not a hunter?”

“Nah. I’ve gone fishing before, but hunting’s not for me. I’d rather hold a camera than a gun.”

“Ah, yes, that reminds me. No pictures.”

“What? Aw, c’mon, you’re a scientific marvel—“

Uriah turned abruptly and gave Orpheus a stern look.

“No. Pictures. Do you understand?”

Orpheus held up his hands placatingly, swallowing.

“Okay, okay, yeah, uh, I got it. But…why?”

The naga exhaled sharply and gestured to his neck, where a pale mark circled his entire throat. A scar.

“I’ve had my fill of attention. Let’s put it that way.”

“…Somebody held you captive?”

Uriah frowned.

“A man with bizarre powers, and an interest in the arcane,” he answered lowly. “I was his…pet, for lack of a better term. Something to amuse him, impress people who thought it was some nifty party trick. I managed to get away once; I wouldn’t be so lucky a second time. A friend only recently helped break the collar and cuffs I was stuck in a short while ago. So no photographs; he’d use them to track me down.”

Orpheus took note of the sullen slope in his shoulders and the downcast demeanor in Uriah’s body language. Dream or not, it was an awful story. Taking several strides to catch up and look to Uriah’s face directly, Orpheus gave him a look of sympathy.

“I’m sorry you had to live like that. No pictures. I promise.”

Uriah paused and stared at him, the faintest hint of a smile on his face.

“Thank you. And for freeing me, too. As far as mortals go, you’re alright.”

“Oh, well, let me just tack that up on my wall,” Orpheus joked. “‘Most Alright Human.’”

A small chuckle escaped the naga as he shook his head. Orpheus took note of the slightly pink tint to his freckled face. Strange, for an inhuman creature, he was rather attractive.

“Come on. It’ll be dark in a few hours. The least I can do is offer you some shelter until the morning. My friend might be able to help me get you back where you belong, then.”

“I’ll take you up on that. Besides, your tail could use some antibiotics. I’ve got an emergency kit in my bag. If that’s the plan, then, after you.”

#human!orpheus #naga!uriah #freckles and stars #lit #lit post #au #species swap au #onenerdtwonagas #freckle muffin #starry scales #freckle noodle

15 notes · View notes