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The first time you asked Laios to tell you as much as he could recall about the first monster that popped into your head was as a distraction from the horrible pain of re-setting his freshly fractured forearm. As the dungeon changed, so did the types of creatures that your party fought head to head. Often unplanned skirmishes resulted in heavy wounds, and this particular event had drained Marcille’s mana to almost nothing. Not that her methods wouldn’t have been just as, if not more, painful than your own in healing the party’s leader. Laios eagerly obliged your request and hardly even winced through the whole procedure, his mind elsewhere.
The next time you requested Laios regale you with some form of monster lore, it was to soothe your own suffering. While the rest of the group seemed to down the sea-like creatures that wormed their way through the dungeon as living armor with ease, the meal had absolutely not agreed with you. As you had spread out over your sleeping bag in a cold sweat, Laios peered over you with worried eyes, not even phased by the moments your stomach lurched and you had to empty it out in a crevice through the stoned floor. When he asked so sincerely what he could do to help you, the only thing you could think was that the drone of his voice might lull you into some sort of rest. It turned out that what he had to say was rather interesting. Even through the haze of illness it occurred to you that Laios looked rather endearing when he was allowed to speak freely.
More and more often, you found yourself asking Laios open-ended questions about monsters just to see the way his golden eyes lit up in excitement. Chilchuck almost blew a gasket every time you did it, but it was worth it just to see the physical change in Laios as he shirked the heavy burden of everything the party has been through to demonstrate almost child-like glee that someone cared to listen to his thoughts.
As he gestured and moved about the dungeon in front of you, mimicking the call of a wyvern or dire wolf, you wondered how the other adventurers could view him so cruelly. It was a secret to no one except for Laios himself that the townsfolk on the surface found him exasperating and awkward. They warned each other in hushed whispers not to make eye contact with him for too long or else they’d never be able to get away. To you, the passion Laios showed for monsters was infectious. It was easy to indulge him, to horribly mimic the screech of a mandrake just to make him laugh, or to sincerely think of what your ideal monster would be just to hear his opinion.
It took a long time for you to realize that the feeling you got from listening to Laios monologue about his favorite interest went beyond curiosity or a wish to see your party leader happy. Sometimes he would look at you sincerely as he spoke, and for some reason his gaze brought heat to your cheeks. Sometimes you found yourself staring at his lips, not really retaining much of what he was saying but enthralled by how soft they looked, how cute they made Laios look when pulled into a wide grin. Slowly, but surely, you realized that the excitement in his voice made your heart pound in your chest.
Then, one night, as the two of you kept watch while the rest of the group rested around a bright campfire, you kissed him. He had been talking through changes that he wanted to make to his ideal monster, something about ensuring that the heads at the front and back of the creature couldn’t be confused like a typical chimera. The pair of you sat along a wall that dropped harshly dropped two to three-hundred feet, dangling your legs over the edge as if dipping them into a cool lake. Something about the determined look in his eyes, the back-light of the fire illuminating half of his face in a golden glow, the fact that your shoulders were mere inches apart- it all slotted into place as the perfect moment to show Laios exactly how he made you feel. The kiss was chaste, a soft pressing of your lips together for only a moment before sheepishly pulling away to look at him. Even if it had never happened again, the warmth of his lips on your own would stick with you for years to come.
Laios had looked surprised. His eyes were wide and shining, mouth slightly agape. You didn’t think you had ever seen someones face turn so red. Before you could say anything, an apology perhaps, Laios raised his arm and his palm found the side of your cheek. Before you knew it, he was leaning forward to kiss you again.
This time, it was hungry. It was desperate. It was as if he had wanted to do this all of his life but just needed a single sign to know it was okay. Well, you had given him one, and he didn’t intend to throw it aside. He made a small sound in his chest as your lips parted for his seeking tongue, a sound that went right through you. Even as your tongues met, as Laios grew so bold as to wrap his free arm around your waist and pull your body flush to his own, you found him endlessly, endlessly endearing.
It went on like that for some time. During the day, you and Laios would try to pretend nothing was going on. You made more of an effort to stay closer to Marcille during pushes further into the dungeon, and Laios tried to strike up conversations with Senshi about dinner or proper methods for preserving kelpie meat rather than fixate on you alone. If the others were suspicious, they didn’t show it. Aside from a very out of place tale from Chilchuck about the time inter-party relationships got him killed, no one seemed to be the wiser.
Nights that the others were on duty to keep watch were the hardest. You wanted nothing more than to crawl into your leader’s sleeping bag and feel his warmth wrap around you. You were confident that you would have the best night of sleep in your life if only it could be done. Laios clearly had thoughts about it too, as more than once you would catch him staring your way, only to turn crimson and whip his head back to look at the ceiling.
Nights that you and Laios were to keep watch were nights that the group was probably in the most danger. The two of you would attempt to take it seriously, scanning the horizon for signs of ambush and setting up traps at entry points. But as the night dragged on, as the world around seemed to still, it was impossible not to find yourself wrapped in Laios’s embrace, letting him kiss you breathless.
For a while, it was enough. There seemed to be an unspoken rule between you that taking it any further than heavy petting would somehow break something you desperately want to keep whole. But something started to nag at you. You felt it while eating some sort of harpy egg for breakfast while Laios and Senshi dialogued back and forth about something trivial. You felt it again when Laios had to admonish Marcille for not listening to Chilchuck’s warning, and then dove into a full monologue about the particular way this monster likes to trap its prey. It hit you like a punch to the gut when Laios scared the entire party by gasping aloud, only to run over like an excited puppy to a large leaf and declare it to be from a man-eating plant. You missed being able to ask him his full thoughts and feelings about monsters.
So, one dark night on a lower level of the dungeon, as your lips part for air, you ask him. This time, however, his response is different. Before, he would gladly pick a topic to indulge you with. The mating habits of mimics, how to tell a wraith from a ghost, the lyrics to the song that sirens sing to lure men to their deaths- no matter what it was he was always ready and forthcoming. Now, he looks at his lap, pink dusting his cheeks and stutters his way through a response. It’s true that you hadn’t outright asked him to tell you about any monsters since the two of you had become more intimate, but for the first time since you met Laios it seems as if he’s nervous to talk.
“I noticed that you didn’t seem to want to touch the treasure-mimics on their backs, is there a reason for that?” You pressed, tilting your head to meet Laios’s down-turned gaze. His tongue darts out to wet his lips. Your fingers keep their place behind his head, nails lightly scratching at the base of his skull in an attempt to soothe him.
“W-well, some species have kind of a...defense mechanism on the back...it’s nothing too serious…” Laios suddenly breathes sharply and crosses his legs, not so stealthily flicking his eyes away from your own. He even tilts his head ever so slightly away from your hand. With a quick glance down you see exactly what the problem is.
Cute.
It’s all you can think. The way he nervously flexes his fingers, the angle he takes to keep you unaware of his situation, it’s so cute you can hardly stand it. It makes you want to swallow him whole.
“Nothing serious?” He doesn’t meet your eyes. Something about his posture reminds you of a nervous young scribe, “Usually a monster’s defense mechanism is meant to kill or gravely injure, right? The treasure-mimics don’t have a mouth, so...could they have some kind of poison, like one of those frogs we saw on the upper levels?”
Laios only turns more red. He begins worrying his bottom lip between his teeth, almost to the extent that you’re a little concerned he might draw blood. You decide to just come out with it, and place your hand right where he’s trying to conceal.
“Laios?” You ask softly, knowingly, using your other hand to tilt his chin towards you. The fabric under your palm is stiff, tented by deep arousal, “Talking about this with me...does it make you want to do more?”
“I-I’m sorry, it didn’t used to but maybe the dungeon is...maybe it’s getting to me...” Without thinking, you press your palm a little more firmly to his heat and the whine that comes out of his mouth is all you need to keep going forward. “Maybe we should check the traps again, I thought I might have heard something-”
Laios gasps has you press your lips to his, heel of your palm massaging small circles into his straining erection. Any trepidation he had slowly melts away as you take advantage of his open mouth, massaging your tongue against his own. He moans into the kiss and grips the back of your head for leverage, hesitantly opening his legs so that you have more access to cup the front of his trousers. As your hand moves up and down the front of his length and moves to tug at his waistband, he fervently delves his tongue deeper and deeper, almost clouding your ability to breathe.
As you successfully tug his trousers down, he breaks the kiss. He looks down at you with trepidation, but lets out a breathy grunt as your fingers finally wrap around his bare cock.
“Are you, are you sure?” He asks. Your answer is swirling your thumb along the swollen head of his length, dragging precum along his smooth skin.
“Laios,” You say again, more of a command than a question, “I want to taste you...”
“Dungeons below us…” Laios breathes, reaching out to grab your wrist in a feeble attempt to slow your hand dragging down his cock. Seeing Laios so flustered, so conflicted makes you crave for more. You want to see him fall apart under your touch, to have him so desperate for you that it almost brings him to tears. He looks like he’s already halfway there.
“...but I want you to keep talking about monsters. Can you do that for me?” The look Laios shoots you is hard to read. It’s a mix of fear and sheer adoration, and you can see his throat slide up and down as he swallows hard. After a moment of thought, his shoulders drop and he nods furiously.
Laios looks like he can hardly believe what he’s seeing as you make your way between his legs. He steadies himself with one arm, the other threading through your hair as your face inches closer to his stiff member. When your tongue darts out to make an inquisitive lap at the base of his cock, he lets out a choked huff of air.
“Tell me what kind of defense mechanism a treasure-mimic has,” Emboldened by his response, you lick a long wet stripe up the smooth shaft of his cock, stopping when you reach its head to swirl the tip of your tongue around it. A glob of salty precum coats your taste buds and you can’t help but moan softly at the flavor.
“T-they...it’s...they don’t…” You give him a good chance to keep speaking, but it’s clear that he needs a little motivation.
“Please?” His brow furrows as his eyes meet your own, but he can barely see straight when he catches the sight of you massaging lazy circles with your tongue underneath his head.
“Treasure-mimics, they don’t h-have a typical defense...n….mechanism like others…” He grits his teeth when you take his entire length into your mouth, trying your best to swallow him to the hilt, “That’s...that feels so incredible…” Though it does give you a sense of pride to be the one making Laios feel such pleasure that he can hardly manage to string words together for once, you’re desperate to get him talking.
“Laios, if you stop talking, I’ll stop,” You tease, licking your way down to the cleft of his testicles and taking one into your mouth. You take his length in your hand and pump slowly, timing it to the rhythm that you massage the sensitive sack of flesh with your tongue.
“No! No, I...treasure-mimics...they...there’s a spine on their back that m...ost people don’t know about. It’s smaller than the h-head of a needle and is pa...aralytic for even a tall man…” Satisfied, you switch you groan against the base of his cock and tighten your fist just a little more, “Th-there’s a tale of a half-foot dying instanta...aneously from grazing it. Then when he was revived he...did it again...and then a third time…”
You appreciate the way his jaw clenches as you bring your lips back to his cock, once again taking it into your mouth and savoring the slippery trail of precum it leaves on the roof of your mouth. Unconsciously, Laios grips your hair almost painfully in an attempt to steel himself against the sensation of having you around him. The way he grunts softly between words sends your blood rushing straight to your core. Everything from his body to his canine-like desire to please is hopelessly arousing.
“It’s clever...I’ve even thought about h-how I might add it to...to my ideal...to my ideal monster,” For a moment he goes silent and his mouth slacks open in sheer pleasure as you take his length right to the edge of your esophagus. You wouldn’t be surprised if Chilchuck didn’t hear the wanton moan that escapes his throat. Just as you nearly pull off and threaten to stop, he manages to find his composure, “I’ll put it…I’ll put it on his paw-pads. Then when an adventurer thinks they’ve w-won, one swipe and...fuck…fuck…”
The muscles of his hulking thighs tighten, and you can tell he’s unraveling. The thought strikes you to slide off of him and keep this going for as long as possible, but he’s done so unbelievably well for you. It would be cruel not to reward him.
“Go ahead,” You encourage him hoarsely, throat stinging from forcing him so far down it. Not even a second later he’s coming undone, spilling hot seed over your lips and tongue with a low growl that you’re certain was heard from the top of the dungeon. The way Laios’s thick fingers tangle in your hair as he climaxes is searingly painful, but the look of ecstasy spread across his face is more than worth it. Laios has never looked so disheveled even after being revived. His blonde hair sticks to his sweat-slicked forehead, his lips are red from gnawing at them, even his eyes are glazed over as he rides out his orgasm fully.
Once his senses return to him, Laios lets go of your hair and moves to caress the side of your face instead. It’s hard for you not to give him a triumphant smile, something he returns in kind. When he leans down to kiss you, ignoring, or perhaps intrigued by, the taste of his spend on your lips, it’s perhaps even more gentle than any kiss you’ve shared before. It’s only when his other hand cups your other cheek and he pulls back to look at you that his facial expression changes from one of adoration to determination.
“Next time,” He says sternly, so sternly it’s almost unnerving, “I’m going to devour you.”