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Manepear didn't even ask.
One moment, Flame was standing there, shivering with the effort of holding his new demom form, the next, a hand wrapped around him. He was lifted, squirming, and deposited in a pile of pillows and old blankets in the corner of the living room—their nest. A low, rumbling purr vibrated from Mane’s chest before he’d even settled. Before Flame could react, a rough, wet tongue dragged across the back of his neck. He didn't stop, a slow, possessive sweep from the base of Flame’s skull down the length of his spine, his other hand holding him fast.
“Manee..!”
The sound was a pathetic little whine, easily swallowed by the rumble in his own chest.
Mane’s tongue was a rough, wet stripe over Flame’s skin, making him jolt. He ignored the flinch, pinning him firmer with a heavy forearm. The purr deepened, a vibration that shook them both in the nest.
"Quiet," he rumbled, his voice a low growl that vibrated right through Flame's scaled frame.
The grooming was relentless, a slow, deliberate claiming that left no inch of Flame's smaller form untouched.
The rumbling in his chest softened, a low, contented thrum that filled the small nest.
With a final, possessive lick to the top of Flame’s head, Mane settled back, and the space grew impossibly warm, humid and smelling of a lion and a nether demon. It was an inescapable cocoon.
“Sleep,” he commanded, his voice thick with the satisfaction of having put his baby brother in his place.
"You look like hell." The darkness under his his fur was absolute, heavy, a gentle weight pressing down on Flame’s smaller frame, smothering any argument before it could even form.
“I'm not a baby..” Flame whined.
The laugh that rumbled up from Mane’s chest was a dry, gravelly sound. He didn't budge, an unyielding wall of warm muscle.
“Are too,” he countered, his voice a low rumble that vibrated right through the nest. He shifted, pulling Flame a fraction closer, the heat from his body a heavy, oppressive blanket.
“When you get scared, you run right to me. When you fall, you look at me to catch you.”
He paused, letting the accusation settle.
“That’s a baby.”
“Whatever, bro..you’re wrong.”
Whatever. The word hung in the warm, heavy air, a pathetic little dismissal. Mane’s rumbly chuckle was devoid of amusement, more a sound of pure, dismissive power. He didn't move, the pressure a constant, suffocating warmth.
"Mmhmm," he hummed, the sound a physical vibration against Flame’s back.
"Keep telling yourself that." It was a pointless argument, like talking to a stubborn hatchling who still thought it could out-maneuver a full-grown lion.
—
The world snapped back in with a jolt, a dizzying swing that made Flame’s stomach lurch.
Warmth, heat, and the scent of baking bread washed over him. Mane’s arms were a cage around him, lifting and lowering him in a slow, rhythmic bounce. He glanced up, met with Mane’s lazy grin, his human face beaming with pride.
"See? All rested up," he cooed, the bounce a little firmer this time. Flame squirmed, his own wings fluttering uselessly against his back, a tail lashing in pure indignation. "Put me down."
Flame's grin widened, a flash of sharp teeth. He just bounced him again, a little harder this time, making Flame's horns rattle.
"My grumpy little hatchling," he murmured, the tone infuriatingly fond.
He shifted the squirming weight in his arms and took another turn around the kitchen island, the wood gleaming beneath his bare feet. The scent of something sweet and doughy filled the air, doing nothing to calm Flame’s flustered state.
“Put me downn!” Flame groaned.
"Don't be like that," Mane rumbled, his grip tightening just enough to be possessive. His free hand came up to ruffle Flame's hair, his knuckles brushing the base of a small horn.
He slowed his pace to a gentle sway, the motion more of a lullaby than a bounce.
"Just letting you stretch your legs without getting into trouble." He looked down, his eyes holding a glint of amusement and something deeper, something proprietary.
"You're so cute when you're all riled up."
“Fuck off, bro..”
Mane’s laugh was a low rumble in his chest, making the whole of Flame’s body vibrate against him.
Mane’s grin only sharpened at the curse, smug and lazy in the way only older brothers could manage. He hooked Flame higher against his chest with one arm like he weighed nothing at all, broad hand spreading over the base of his tail to keep him pinned there.
Flame made an outraged noise and twisted again.
It got him nowhere.
“Mean,” Flame muttered.
“Mm. Tragic.” Mane nosed against the top of his head, utterly unbothered. “You’ll survive.”
The kitchen lights cast everything gold—warm counters, rising steam, Mane’s long braids falling into his eyes.
Flame hated how safe this felt.
Mane carried him in another slow lap around the kitchen island, swaying more than walking now. The movement was hypnotic, deliberate. Every step jostled Flame against solid warmth and thick muscle, Mane’s heartbeat a heavy thud against his side.
“You’re purring again,” Mane observed.
“I am not.”
The rumble in Flame’s chest betrayed him instantly.
Mane barked a laugh. “That’s embarrassing.”
“Shut up.”
“Aw, there it is.” He squeezed him once, crushingly affectionate. “There’s my cranky hatchling.”
Flame buried his burning face against Mane’s shoulder with a groan of pure humiliation. He could feel Mane preening under the reaction, tail swishing lazily behind him.
The worst part was that Mane smelled like home. Smoke, warm fur, bread dough. It wrapped around Flame’s senses until the lingering panic from earlier felt distant and unreal.
Mane noticed the exact second the fight started draining out of him.
His grip softened—not looser, never looser, just gentler. Protective instead of restraining.
“There you go,” he murmured, voice dropping quieter. “Knew you were exhausted.”
Flame huffed weakly. “You literally trapped me in a nest.”
“And?” Mane sounded genuinely confused. “Solved the problem, didn’t it?”
“That’s not solving—”
A yawn cut him off mid-sentence.
Silence.
Then Mane absolutely lit up.
“Oh my god,” he crooned, delighted. “You are so sleepy.”
Flame wanted to die.