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The bathroom air is dense and steamy, like a sauna. The mirror is opaque with fog. Tang grabs a towel and shakes it through his hair. The soft fabric feels refreshing on his damp skin. As the humidity drops, the mirror’s glass clears. The scholar's eyes catch the stark image of his reflection. Without his glasses, he can’t see all of his features, but what's unmissable is the cacophony of colors on his skin. He studies the dense landscape of marks —the bite of the Pig demon—peppering his form in various shades and depths. Tang and Pigsy had always enjoyed this practice; it had become a regular occurrence since the pair became a serious couple. This, however, is the first time Tang is truly taken aback at the sheer number of marks covering him. He realizes he's been avoiding looking at his bare body in the mirror for quite a while, ever since he started to age and put on a bit of “happy relationship weight” from his husband’s cooking. Something the demon had proudly become an enabler of. Yet, Tang stands here now, examining his reflection and remembering passionate nights. His eyes land on one mark—the first scar, nearly obscured by fresher bites.
The human and demon were in their early to mid-twenties when they became “official.” The conversation of “Marking” started as a mere curiosity to the scholar. He had heard of the custom in passing and had always found it to be “sweet” even “exciting” at times. He’d read many books on demons, demon culture, and traditions. One day, Pigsy caught Tang lazily draped over his reading chair, flipping through a large, dense book titled “The Complete Guide to Demon mating rituals”. The title alone made the swine’s face heat up in embarrassment. “W- What are you reading? Why are you reading that?” Pigsy asked, averting his gaze from the cover. Tang peeked up at the demon from above his pages. “Hm? Oh! This? I bought it at the market today, it’s a fascinating read.”
Pigsy approached the scholar. Lowering the book from the man’s face. “Tang— y'know you can ask me “things” like this. Right? You don’t have to read some ... book on it…”
Tang caught the demon’s flustered expression at the text. He smiled and touched his boyfriend’s hand with a loving reassurance. “I’m not afraid to ask you anything, Piggy~, I just have a lot of questions, that's all.”
Pigsy sighed, feeling a bit more relaxed about the human’s curiosity. “Questions, huh? So… You're not like… I don’t know…. Unsatisfied or something right? This is just … interest?” A red blush still dusted his cheeks as he spoke.
Tang was a bit taken aback. He didn't think the demon would see his curiosity as anything but benign. To think the human’s research tugged at the Swine’s insecurities was something he hadn’t even thought of. “WHAT?!- No, of course not! The human replied firmly. As if it weren’t even a question. “Not at all, Pigsy. And even if I did, I’d talk to you about it, I promise.”
Pigsy’s shoulders fell; the tension he hadn’t even noticed he was holding in them disappeared instantly at the human’s validating words. “Well, that’s a relief… So- what kinds of questions did you have?” Pigsy leaned against the armrest of the human’s lounge chair in a half-seated position.
The human had a variety of curiosities. But without a second thought, the man quickly replied, “Claiming marks.”
For nearly a month, Tang and Pigsy had discussed the topic to death. The conversation just kept springing up. During meals, relaxing in bed, and once even while the demon was in the middle of brushing his teeth.
Tang seemed to have every question under the sun. “Have you claimed anyone before? Do you want to? Do you like the tradition? Or do you think it’s old-fashioned? Would you like it? Would you like me to have yours? Do you think you’d regret it? When is a good time to do it? Can it get infected? Does it need a lot of aftercare? How noticeable is it? Is it really permanent?” Just anything and everything that came to mind, and the demon answered everything he could. Except maybe the “When is a good time?” Question. Because truthfully, he was asking himself the same thing since the day he and the human first became intimate.
He’d always had that instinct. That- “I never want to let you go”, that “God, it would feel so good to keep him” instinct that was so powerful for certain demons during sex. But he’d always held back.
He’d known of other demons who weren’t as *traditional* about the whole thing. Demons who would freely give out marks during drunken hook-ups or one-night stands. Pigsy knew that option existed, but found himself to be a bit of a romantic about the whole ritual. He built up the idea in his head of marking only one very special lover in his life. And he wasn’t very keen on changing that stance. That’s why he knew he wanted to be absolutely certain when he did it that his mark was an act of love and devotion.
The night they’d do it came much more suddenly than they both anticipated. It was after a short bump in their relationship. Tang had been going through some stuff; he’d made a lot of bad decisions…. Pigsy couldn’t stand by him. He’d been hurt. The two didn’t speak for a week until one random evening when the human stood at the demon’s doorstep, shivering and in tears. The demon had never seen a more pathetic sight (and this was after he’d recently taken in an orphan child covered in mud). They’d talk it out, have a heart-to-heart that quickly became a heated, handsy night of lovemaking. That was the night the human begged for the mark. And his lover obliged.
The next morning, Pigsy had become the most doting of partners. Tending to the human’s wound with the utmost love and care. A feather-soft touch as he cleaned the sensitive edges of broken skin, a firm and supporting hand as he dressed the mark, and this new buzzing feeling of adoration, excitement, and a sliver of possessiveness towards the human. He’d spent the entirety of the healing process in this almost honeymoon-like daze. That the scholar couldn’t help but indulge in.
The weight of the newfound marking had not been lost on the human either. It was a beautiful thought. The idea of his physical form *being forever changed by his lover*. But more than that, it was sacred. Steeped in tradition, it wasn’t just a bite- it was a way of saying “I love you, no matter what, no matter where, no matter when.” Many demons separated from their partners, whether it was because of migration, survival, or tragedy, used the act as a symbol of their undying love. *Devotion*. In many periods of loss, sometimes it was the last reminder of a deceased lover. Their bite, their teeth, their smile embedded into flesh.
After the first mark, the couple had grown hungry for more. Like a dam of desire bursting. Marking the human had become a regular occurrence, and Pigsy was ecstatic. Lovingly sinking his teeth into the man’s smooth neck and shoulders during the dizzying heat of pleasure. Or reverently piercing the soft flesh of his lover's legs and inner thighs while relishing the human’s body, working him up like a simmer to a boil.
The demon’s breath caught in his throat every time his lover would cry out at the initial snap of skin breaking under sharp canines. No matter how many times they’d done it, Tang would always squirm, pant, grip, and tighten as he made the most beautiful sounds. It felt like a reward to the swine. He greedily drank up the noises, the sensation of the human’s nails digging into his back, the mixture of salt and iron tasting like a delicacy on his tongue. Sweeter than fruit, more holy than prayer.
Tang stands now. A much older man than when they first started. Experienced, married, able to tend to his own wounds.
Even so, he prefers the tender hands of his lover. He puts on his robe, the terry cloth clinging to his damp skin. He grabs a bottle of body lotion. And exits the bathroom.
The man steps into the bedroom. Pigsy sits awake in their bed, resting after another busy day of work. His eyes look up at the human as he enters. “Hey, baby.” Pigsy greets his husband casually. Tang approaches the demon and kisses the peak of his snout before handing him the bottle.
Pigsy sighs, feigning annoyance at the human’s unspoken question. “Fine… Laydown.”
The scholar unties his robe, placing it flat on the bed before lying on its soft texture stomachside down. Pigsy shifts his position on the bed to straddle the human's hips, pumping lotion on his hoof-paws before gently rubbing it into the other’s scarred shoulders. The cool moisturizer sends a shiver down Tang’s spine, but the demon’s warmth soothes the mild discomfort like a kiss. Tang lets out a deep breath, resting his head down against the mattress below him, relishing the gentle hoofed hands of his lover. Pressing in firm massaging circles between his tight shoulders and taut back.
The patterns looked almost like a leopard’s, ranging from tight clusters to sporadic dottings. Pigsy admired his collection of past work as his hands kneaded into the dewy skin. Savoring its feel as he traveled downwards against Tang’s waist, against his hips, thighs, and legs until there was no part of him untouched. “There- Happy now?” Pigsy teased before pressing a gentle kiss onto the scholar’s speckled shoulder. Tang melted into his love’s affection. “Always~”