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Deep in the most remote corner of the Kingdom’s Edge, in the hut of a grizzled old Nailmaster, two bugs lounge in a worn plush chair, nestled into one another. Hidden away from prying eyes in a forgotten alcove behind scavenged red curtains, a bee rests still and silent, his arms wrapped in a comfortable embrace around the cracked torso of an ant. The latter has his face buried in the crook of the former’s exposed shoulder, the pauldrons of a knight shed for the day.
Hayden sighs, utterly relaxed as Tiso, his dearest undead friend and companion, drinks from him. Something about the vampire’s pheromones, and possibly some sort of chemical in his saliva, is so intoxicating. He feels floaty, and the sensation of his hemolymph being gently coaxed out through twin punctures in his neck seam is almost satisfying, in a way.
He tilts his head over a little to look down at the gangly warrior in the half-light, only to pause when even that small movement sends his head spinning. He grunts, giving Tiso’s back two solid pats. Time to stop. Seems he’d let himself get caught up in the high again. Tiso, too. Gods know he doesn’t need that much blood in one sitting, but he sure as hells won’t practice moderation if it’s not enforced.
Tiso carefully extracts his mandibles from the wound, giving it an apologetic lick before pulling away. He looks up at Hayden, and the bee gives him a weary smile. “I’m a-alright, Tizo. Juzzt… remind me not t-to let you go on for t-that long, next.. time.” He wraps his arms easily around the other’s waist, giving him a little squeeze. “Not t-that you couldn’t uzze the.. t-the extra.”
Tiso shoots him a lopsided grin, though his cheeks are flushed a rich gold with Hayden’s blood. He looks much healthier like this. Much cuter, too. The knight indulges in twining his antennae with the ant’s, getting a faint, delighted trill in response, as well as a happy wriggle. Hayden buzzes back, endeared.
Tiso’s eyes flutter shut for a moment, savoring it, before he opens them again. “Shame my favorite blood bank doesn’t have more to spare, then.”
Hayden huffs a weak laugh. “You know you’d d-drink yourzelf… zzick if I did. You d-do all t-the time when Oro letzz you.”
Tiso rolls his eyes, tilting his head askew with the motion, but then tucks the lower half of his face into Hayden’s fur. “You alright, though?” he mumbles into it, staring up at him through the brown tufts. “Y’ sound a li’l…” He picks up a hand and makes a wiggly gesture with his claws. “…That. More’n usual.”
The bee opens his mouth to speak, but a yawn comes out instead. He blinks the drowsiness from his eyes, then tries again. “I’ll b-be fine. Nothing a g-good… midday meal can’t, mmh, f-fixzz.” He gently nibbles the top of his partner’s head. “You had yourzz, n-now I get… mine.”
Tiso shifts eagerly as Hayden parts his jaws wide, bringing them to rest on either side of the ant’s face. Hayden’s eyes drift shut, his tongue lazily flicking up to lap at Tiso’s cheek. And then he stays like that. The comfortable silence drags into an awkward one.
Tiso whines, claws flexing in Hayden’s fluff. The bee makes a soft sound and tries again, but he’s too sleepy to manage more than a tiny lick.
Tiso gently pushes him off, removing himself from the other’s mouth. He sits up more, straddling Hayden. “Okay, okay, you’re tired out and I’m, uh, not. I feel like I could run across the kingdom honestly. I think if I were cooped up in your pouch for the rest of the day I’d go crazy, so maybe we shouldn’t. Do that. Hear me out though-” He grins, eyes sparkling. “What if I eat you? You could sleep in my social stomach and I could run around, still- I mean I’d let you sleep, obviously, but I could do things that wouldn’t bother you, and it’d be warm because I just ate-”
Hayden snorts fondly. “You sure y-you could handle all thizz?” He gestures at himself, then pokes the ant’s hemolymph-bloated belly.
Tiso flushes again and sputters a bit. “I- y-yeah! With Quir’s help, I mean, obviously, I-I’m not- I don’t have your pouch magic shit, I wish-”
“Tizo, I know, I k-know, I wazz kidding,” Hayden chuckles.
“Oh. I- yeah, duh.” Tiso shakes his head. “I could, though, I’m not too full, it- it processes pretty fast. And I didn’t put any in my social stomach, so it’s not like you’d be sitting in your own blood or anything.
“Does that, um,” he ducks his head, fidgeting with his claws, blushing harder as he abruptly realizes how he’s sitting on Hayden. Hayden doesn’t mind; he knows the other didn’t mean anything by it. And it's not like he's particularly heavy, either. Still, he helps him as Tiso awkwardly shuffles off to curl into Hayden’s side instead. Tiso clears his throat and tries again. “Does.. that sound good?”
The bee smiles, hugging his dear ant close. “I’d.. like that, I-I think. It soundzz nice.”
Tiso brightens, nuzzling into Hayden’s jaw. Hayden chuckles, returning the affection. He knows Tiso doesn’t get to ingest him very often, the knight having work to do at the Hive much of the time. That, and the vampire usually requesting to be eaten instead of the other way around. Though he’s sure that, if asked, Tiso would claim otherwise.
Hayden’s no stranger to being eaten, at least. It used to happen more often in his early days of knighthood, when the Hive’s guardians would sometimes enforce breaks on him when he refused to take them himself. As the Infection progressed, there became few left to do that for him, and fewer still who would dare when they knew exactly how vital his role was to the functioning of the Hive. The handful who did were the ones that understood that rest was equally as vital, lest they lose their only remaining knight for good.
Now that things have settled, his successors in place and a new Queen being raised, he can afford to rest, and isn’t so foolish as to avoid it like he would when he was younger. He can afford to take days off and visit his partner and friends, not that he has to go far to do so, given that they’re the Hive’s neighbors. Perhaps… perhaps Hayden will join them permanently someday. Become another member of the gradually expanding family. That’s a thought for later, though.
Though the Hive’s guardians may not eat him much these days, he’s allowed Oro to ingest him now and then. Primarily to facilitate cuddling with Tiso inside him, but he enjoys the Nailmaster’s company on its own merit, too. He’s always good for some quiet companionship when Hayden needs an escape from the world. So between Oro, the guardians, and the rare occurrence with Tiso, he has plenty of experience being on this side of things. Even if he didn’t, he trusts his partner, blood-drinker or not.
He rubs Tiso’s back. The ant roots himself deeper against Hayden’s side. “D-did… you want me to.. go g-get Quirrel, or were you..?”
“Oh- right, yeah, hang on-” That gets Tiso to finally extract himself, though not without a few longing glances at the cozy spot between Hayden and the arm of the chair. There’s plenty of room for the two of them, the seat being sized for a rhinoceros beetle and all.
“Okay, wait here, you just- stay put, I’ll be right back.” He starts to stride off, then almost immediately pivots, pointing at Hayden. “Didja want anything, by the way? You should, uh, probably eat, too, after all that. Like you said, but, y’know, actual food. Something sugary. There’s that honey from yesterday-”
Hayden snorts. “You zzound juzzt like t-the nursezz at the… the Hive.” He thinks about it a moment, then waves a claw. “You’re.. probably r-right, though. Sure.”
Tiso chuffs and gives a salute that’s just a little too eager to count as lazy or sarcastic. “On it, boss.” He darts off to find one honey jar and one husband. Hayden watches him go with a smile.
He lets his head flop into the plush backing of the chair with a sigh, eyes falling shut. He reaches up to touch the punctures in his neck seam. They’ve already clotted, it seems. Thank the gods for whatever’s in that miracle saliva of Tiso’s. It’s still rather numb, too. He rubs at it, hoping to work some feeling into the spot. Seems he’ll just have to wait for that to wear off. Maybe it’s a good thing; he doesn’t know how much it would normally hurt, this soon after a bite.
He lets his arm drop, grimacing as it thumps limply into the seat at his side. It feels like he’s been carrying a full crate of pollen rations for hours, just from trying to hold his damn arm up. He doesn’t regret feeding his partner—everyone needs to eat, and the vampire gets far more lasting energy out of Hayden’s blood than he does from any of his other partners—but that doesn’t mean Hayden enjoys the consequences. Nor does Tiso enjoy inflicting them on him. At least it feels good while it’s happening. Hayden would do it again in a heartbeat, of course! Just, ah, not until he’s had time to recover.
He knows the worst thing he could ever do to Tiso would be to let him go too far. To let him take too much, and lose Hayden for good. He can’t afford to die, nor does he particularly wish to. He’s got plenty left to do in this life. And however tough a front the ant may put on in public, it would shatter Tiso to be the cause of a loved one’s death.
Tiso adores him, Hayden knows. It’s clear in the way he lets his guard down around him, the looks he gives him, the longing keens he thinks the bee won’t hear. He can’t give Tiso exactly what he wants. But he can love in the only way he knows how, and let himself be loved in turn.
He knows Tiso will take good care of him. And… maybe he doesn’t mind being tended to, once in a while.
The sound of Tiso chattering away to Quirrel reaches his tympanals. He makes an effort to sit up out of the rather atrocious slump he’s found himself in, but the effort leaves him panting. Ah well, that’ll be fixed soon either way.
Hayden wrestles the grimace off of his face, replacing it with a pleasant smile just as the other two round the curtain. Quirrel smiles back, but there’s a tightness around his eyes indicating that he’s been seen right through. “Tiso tells me you’re in need of my services?”
“Zzomething l-like that.”
“Food first though. Quir, you’re on standby,” Tiso pipes up, climbing back into his spot beside Hayden and handing him a half-full jar of honey, along with a spoon.
Quirrel huffs a laugh. “If you insist. I’ll be here when you need me, then.” He goes to find a stool to plant himself on while Hayden eats.
The bee nods and props the jar in his lap, then opens it, though not without a struggle. Tiso gives him a look, likely taking note of the fact that he’s still laying on the chair more than sitting on it. “You, uh. You need help..?” he leans in to murmur, his claws brushing against Hayden’s shoulder.
Hayden looks at the jar, thinks about it for a second, and huffs. “…Yezz.”
“Gotcha. C’mere.” Tiso works an arm around his shoulders and easily hefts him up, careful to avoid putting any pressure on Hayden’s misdeveloped wing buds while he’s at it. He knows ants are supposed to be strong, but drained as he is, Hayden feels like loose silk in the other’s hold. Limp and weightless. He leans into Tiso’s shoulder, embarrassed, but grateful.
Tiso’s free hand twitches towards the spoon. “D’you need me t-”
“I can feed myself, Tizo,” Hayden chuckles, dipping the spoon into the honey and taking a scoop. He brings it to his mouth, then winces as his arm protests. On second thought, he switches the utensil to his other hand. He should’ve thought to have Tiso bite him on the non-dominant side.
Tiso watches him eat for a minute, clearly skeptical, but holding his tongue for now. Hayden manages only a couple more spoonfuls before his strength fails him. He buzzes a curse as the spoon slips from his grasp. Tiso’s hand shoots out, snatching it from the air before it can hit the floor, reflexes sharp with a fellow hymenopteran’s blood to nourish him.
“A’ight, that’s enough, here.” Shuffling to face Hayden directly, Tiso lets go of his shoulders and tucks one leg behind Hayden’s back to hold him up instead, the other leg strewn haphazardly across his lap. He dips the spoon into the jar once more. Focused, he reaches out to cup the bee’s jaw, tilting his head so their eyes meet.
Hayden blushes faintly at the gentle treatment. He isn’t a larva anymore, he shouldn’t need to be hand-fed like this. But… it does feel nice, and such delicate, tender contact from Tiso is rare. Why not indulge?
With a little huff, Hayden leans into the touch, eyes half-lidded. He opens his mouth, and Tiso dutifully places the spoonful of honey inside. His mouth closes around it, eyes quick to follow as he laps the liquid gold off of the utensil, humming his satisfaction.
They repeat this for a few more bites, taking it slow, before Hayden takes Tiso’s wrist in a light grasp. “I… don’t t-think I can handle more of t-that, right now. I’d like to rezzt.”
“Okay.” The ant sets the spoon aside and closes the jar, before leaning over to look at Quirrel. “Ey, Quir, we’re ready for- Have you just been fucking staring at us the whole time?!”
Quirrel grins, chin propped on one hand. “I do believe I was invited here. If I’d have known there was to be a wait, I would’ve brought my reading material. Alas, what was I to do but seek another source of entertainment? And quite the source it was.”
Tiso sputters indignantly, while Hayden merely snorts, patting his arm. “We d-didn’t exzzactly t-tell him not.. to look.”
“Still! He could’ve- I dunno! He didn’t have to be weird-”
“I’m not allowed to observe when my husband is amorous with another bug in my own home?” The grin grows larger. Mischievous. Shit-eating, one might say.
“Quirrel, you are literally the most polyamorous bug I know-”
“Yes, dear, I only jest,” the pillbug assuages with a wave of his hand. He gets up from the low stool with a bit of a groan and stretches his back, carapace creaking. Coming over to lean against the arm of the others’ chair, he reaches out, hovering a hand over Hayden’s shoulder. “Are you ready, my friend?”
Hesitantly, Hayden nods. He’s done this before. He trusts the scholar. He may not have much firsthand experience with any magic foreign to the Hive, but he is well aware of Quirrel’s proficiency in such matters, especially with this spell in particular.
He’s witnessed Tiso’s blind faith in Quirrel across the many occasions he’s seen it used on the ant. Sometimes on Hayden’s behalf, despite the fact that his own inherent magic makes it technically unnecessary, and sometimes on behalf of Quirrel, or even Lemm. It’s endearing, how much the vampire enjoys being eaten by any of his mates. Though usually, if Hayden is over for a visit, it’s him that Tiso gravitates to.
The bee doesn’t typically know what to do with himself if someone else takes his partner for the day, when Tiso’s usually the one inviting him there in the first place. Not that he minds the others’ company; he’d consider himself friends with Quirrel and Oro, at least, Lemm is… Lemm, Thorn is always a delight to spend time with, and he and Ghost have made efforts to reconcile after their past conflicts. He simply isn’t sure where he falls in the family’s dynamic just yet. Tiso clicks into place at the Hive just fine, but Hayden’s never had to be the outsider coming in before…
Mind drifting astray as it is, he startles when Quirrel’s claws make contact with his upper back. Quirrel tilts his head with a small noise of concern. Hayden shakes his head, bringing a wave of dizziness on himself. He knows it’s going to be a hundred times worse when the spell takes effect. But it’ll be worth it. “I’m- I’m a-alright. Go ahead.”
“If you’re sure,” Quirrel murmurs, beginning to cast. Hayden leans a little more heavily into Tiso as gentle claws trace shapes on his chitin, a soft voice murmuring incantations just above his head.
Foreign Soul flows into him, calling to his own, mingling with it to power a latticework of magic, threaded across his entire body. The spell currently being cast is merely the activation. The first time he had allowed the scholar to shrink him, the process had been much, much longer. Tiso had had to hold his hand the entire time to keep him from losing his nerve. At least now, he’s free to cram as much of himself against his smaller partner as he needs.
He trusts Quirrel. He does. That doesn’t mean he can’t be nervous.
Hayden sucks in a breath when he feels a thumb press firmly into the spot at the junction between his head and back. He braces himself, and not a moment too soon, as the spellwork laced over his shell sparks to life.
The sensation is nauseating as ever, if not more so. The honey he’d eaten weighs heavy in his gut, threatening to rebel. Thankfully, as it’s already inside him, it, too, is caught in the web of magic that cinches down on his body, compressing his shell and all contained within it. This is slim consolation as the lightheadedness that’s been plaguing him worsens a hundredfold.
A whimper escapes, his claws clinging tight to his partner while the rest of the world spins and warps around him, eyes squeezed shut. Tiso’s reassuring presence seems to envelop him, soft murmurs with words he can’t decipher still managing to soothe him with their gentle vibrations.
It takes everything he has just to stay conscious. He hangs onto the ant like a lifeline, weathering the onslaught.
It seems to drag on forever, pushing and pulling, wringing him out, taking all that he is and compressing it into too small of a space…
Until finally, it’s over. Though it takes him a long, long moment to realize it. Slowly, he opens his eyes. It’s dark. He blinks, and his vision clears enough to make out the shapes around him. Long, spindly, scarred claws and callused palms wall off his surroundings, enclosing him on a small patch of crushed velvet upholstery.
There’s a thumb hovering just over his head, twitching now and then as if to touch him, but stopping short. Trembling, Hayden reaches up for it and gives it a tug. A soft exhale blows over him, and he looks past it to see Tiso’s looming face, smiling worriedly down at him. The thumb in Hayden’s grasp comes down and begins to gingerly pet his head, right between the antennae. He buzzes and leans into the touch with a quiet desperation.
“[P-ck… yo- up…? C-n I?]” Tiso whispers to him in somewhat broken Hivespeak, all harsh consonants and haphazard tongue buzzes, as quietly as he can manage. It’s still overwhelming to the shrunken bee’s senses, but nowhere near the deafening volume it could be. Much more comprehensible than Hallowtongue, at the moment. Hayden swallows and gives a single nod, bracing for another round of vertigo.
Handling him as if he were an ornament of fine crystal, Tiso nudges him onto his palm, cupping the other hand around him in a protective barrier. Hayden shivers, huddling into the tepid warmth of the vampire’s borrowed body heat. Tiso murmurs a soft apology before lifting him off the seat, slow and deliberate. The tiny bug forces himself to take deep breaths. He appreciates his partner’s care, he really does, he just- needs a minute. For everything to slow down.
The hands cradling him slow to a stop, somewhere around Tiso’s chest. “[Yo- ok-y..?]”
He can feel Quirrel’s concerned gaze from somewhere behind him. He ignores it for now. “[I… I will be. Just- just give me a minute, it’s fine, I-]” He cuts himself off with a gasp for breath, shivering violently.
“Shhh, [ok-y, -t ok-y, all ok-y…]” Tiso continues petting him, quiet whines slipping out between his attempted consolations.
He can hear words being spoken behind him. It takes his mind a minute to reorient itself enough to process the language. “…so sorry I couldn’t make it easier on you, my friend, I- Perhaps I should have declined the request, I could see you weren’t feeling well and I-I knew this would only-”
Hayden chuckles weakly, squinting up towards Quirrel’s fussing. “Zz… n-not your.. fault. I azzked f-for it, I knew it would f-feel thizz way. I’ll… be fine, I-I promizzze.”
Tiso winces. “I’m the one who suggested it in the first place though. If anything, I should be sorry. A-and I mean, I’m the one who took too much blood, it’s my fault you’re-”
“Zzztop, zztop,” Hayden gestures at the both of them, grimacing as he pushes against Tiso’s fingers to sit upright. The ant rushes to aid him with a clawtip. “It’zz no one’zz f… fault, o-okay? I choze thizz. I knew.. the riskzz. And it a-already happened, zo I-” He flops back against the wall of fingers with a huff, fighting not to react to the twinge in his shoulder. “I-I’d juzzt… like the nap I wazz promized, pleazzze.”
A long pause. Tiso stares at him, studies him. Then nods. “Okay.” He lifts the bee closer, tongue flicking over his sharp, sharp mandibles. “Just- let me know if you change your mind, okay?”
Hayden huffs a breathless laugh, limp and exhausted in his partner’s hands. “I w-will.”
“Good, good, okay, uh,” Tiso stares a moment longer, focused intently on the tiny, trusting form cradled in his palms. Hayden wouldn’t be surprised if he’s activating the vampire’s prey drive, snack-sized and defenseless as he is, even having just fed him. Tiso licks his mandibles a second time, both nervous and eager. “Okay. Just.. just relax, alright? I’ll take care of you.”
In the background, Hayden picks up on Quirrel’s murmur of “I’ll leave you both to your fun,” but at this point, he and Tiso have nearly all their attention set on each other, with little to spare for any kind of response.
Hayden adjusts to face Tiso fully as the ant brings him to his mouth, jaws parting to grant him entry. The hand at his back tilts, allowing Hayden to recline somewhat. He sighs and closes his eyes, folding his hands over his belly, relinquishing all control to the other.
He feels a bit of humidity at his front, but it doesn’t blow over him. Seems Tiso is too focused on eating him to bother with pretending to breathe. He’s tilted towards the open maw and begins to slide in, his tarsi coming into contact with a soft, damp muscle. It’s lukewarm with the residual heat of his hemolymph.
He knows it would be pale yellow in color, should he open his eyes to look. Most often, it’s green, as Oro has the most hemolymph to spare for regular feedings. And Lemm’s doesn’t look all that different; at least, not to Hayden’s untrained eye. He can only imagine that their ‘lymph is the closest to what Tiso’s would’ve been, had the knight ever gotten to meet him in life.
Sometimes it’s an exotic cerulean instead, when their resident isopod allows the vampire a meal, but those occasions don’t last long. Tiso’s body burns through the foreign blood type too quickly, the components it can’t use going to waste. The ant seems to like the taste, though, and Quirrel is typically a very obliging bug, especially to his mates.
Out of all of them, Hayden’s blood sticks around the longest. Along with, from what Tiso claims, being the most delicious—full-bodied and sweet, but not cloyingly so. He’s not quite sure what to make of that, but… there’s certainly something flattering, watching his partner go around flaunting his colors so proudly. Maybe he’s just biased, but he can’t help thinking the ant looks good with yellow under his shell.
Yellow and black, black and yellow…
When Tiso starves, his insides are cold and colorless. A dull gray in the shadow of his dark exoskeleton. That’s Hayden’s least favorite.
He slides further into the golden cavern, slow and steady with his partner’s gentle guidance. He’s somewhat above Tiso’s head now, he thinks, the ant tilting it back slightly to have gravity assist his entering. The sparse fur of his legs grows damp and sticks as it comes into contact with the tongue beneath him. The tip curves up to meet his back, taking the brunt of his weight from Tiso’s hands.
He glides further along the slick surface, shoulders settling comfortably into its plushness. Humidity envelops him, the light filtering through his chitinous eyelids growing dimmer. He opens them for a moment, just as Tiso is retracting his tongue into his mouth. Just as Hayden’s head is passing between labrum and labium, framed by four sharp, unusual points of chitin, almost fanglike in shape. These weren’t involved in the ant’s latest meal, as Tiso hadn’t needed any extra leverage to hold Hayden still.
He stretches out an antenna, brushing it delicately along one of those pinprick tips of Tiso’s mandibles, the pair completing the set of deadly feeding implements. Tiso freezes, a noise of uncertainty slipping from his throat. Hayden would pet his tongue, or say something reassuring, but all he can manage at the moment is a quiet buzz. He retracts the delicate appendage, tucking both antennae out of the way, closing his eyes once more.
It’s sweet, really, how little the vampire wants to hurt him. He just wishes Tiso didn’t have to be so afraid of himself. Hayden supposes his actions didn’t help just then, but he needs his partner to know he trusts him. He would let Tiso press a mandible to his throat and still feel at ease. Just as he knows Tiso would in return.
Another moment passes, quiet and still. Hesitantly, Tiso draws the bee in fully, tongue settling into its proper place, maw sealing shut over Hayden’s head. His tarsi tease at the entrance of his predator’s throat, hanging ever so slightly over the precipice. The ambient warmth swells around him as his own heat gradually fills the space, insulated from the outside world. Humid air floods his spiracles when he draws in a breath, then lets it out slowly.
There’s a shift beneath him, and then a tentative lick. He only hums in response, laying limp. Tiso hesitantly tries again, and Hayden gives a quiet, contented buzz, encouraging it. A little huff blows over him. He can imagine the warrior rolling his eyes fondly, but only for a moment, before thick swipes of that translucent yellow tongue slather Hayden’s body. Tiso begins to gently roll him around in his mouth, an intense hum of satisfaction resonating through the tiny bee. Hayden allows himself a laugh. He’s glad his partner enjoys him so. Though, hah, Tiso’s going to end up passing his inflated ego onto him if he’s not careful.
He endures the treatment for a minute before giving a pointed wriggle in the direction of Tiso’s throat, signalling him to move on. Not that Hayden isn’t enjoying the moment of intimacy, it’s just- well, Tiso knows. The ant sheepishly laughs around him and helps Hayden back to the center of his tongue, cradling him in it. The space tips further back, until he’s nearly standing upright. He slides down, until his legs slot neatly into the cavernous entrance of his predator’s throat. He tucks his arms in and takes a breath, bracing himself.
Muscles flex around him. One gulp is all it takes, smooth flesh engulfing his abdomen, thorax, head. Hayden relaxes, letting himself be taken.
It’s quiet as he sinks into his partner’s depths. The world outside is muffled, and the world inside is still, but for the muscles ferrying him downward. It shifts a little, though, compressing him as Tiso draws in a breath, just to let it back out as a satisfied sigh. A gentle pressure comes to rest on his back, following him down through the narrow tunnel.
It’s a bit of a tight squeeze, making his way through the ant’s narrow frame, but not so much as to be uncomfortable. Quirrel shrunk him to exactly the right size for a perfect fit. At least, Tiso’s delighted hums suggest as much.
He grunts as a much stronger compression grips him, but as soon as it has him, it’s gone again, gravity releasing him into an open chamber. He hits the side on the way down, bouncing off of it to fall forward to the bottom with an “oof.”
“You okay?” Tiso’s voice almost seems to echo a bit. It always does, but it’s subtle enough to go unnoticed, usually. It’s more obvious in a sound-dampened space, especially from within his own body.
“Ngh, I’m… f-fine. Give m-me a moment.” Hayden pushes himself up, bracing against the closest wall for support. It sloshes a little under his touch. It seems rather… convex. That must be the ant’s real stomach on the other side, still swollen with blood. Still warm, warmer than anywhere else.
He scoots himself forward, resting against the opposite wall instead. The one where Tiso’s hearts would be, if he were alive. Well, the one where Tiso’s hearts are. Hayden just can’t feel them, since they’re not beating. They feel hardly different from any other flesh beyond the smooth muscle of his dear friend’s social stomach.
He finds himself sinking into the soft, organic surface. It’s not quite as plush as Oro’s or Quirrel’s innards, but there’s something to be said about the way it gives under his touch. It feels almost silky. And the heat… It’s warm, but not oppressively hot, diffusing slowly throughout Tiso’s hemocoel. It lulls the tiny bee, sleep calling him ever closer, dragging him into its embrace.
The vibrations around him only amplify the effect. It’s from Tiso talking to him again, surely, but the words slide over him like oil on water. In lieu of a spoken response, he simply rubs the wall. His partner’s voice catches, sputtering to a stop.
Hayden buzzes, pressing himself deeper into the wall, claws kneading a steady up-and-down rhythm. This close, he can make out more solid shapes through the layers of tissue. A vertical line of them, lumps of squishy muscle connected to form a cord. Hearts. Each one is nearly as big as Hayden himself is at the moment, so he can only find two or three if he goes searching, but he knows there must be more.
He gives the nearest one a curious squeeze, pushing at it with what force as he can muster in his current state. He’s met with the sound of rushing blood, hemolymph leaving the fleshy pouch to spread through Tiso’s body.
He quickly lets up, unsure what came over him. That- he could’ve hurt Tiso, he can’t just go squeezing bugs’ hearts-
A fluttery touch brushes against Hayden’s back, another wall closing in on him under his host’s touch. He blinks, startled, and looks blindly upwards. “H-hey, um. Could- could you do that again..?”
Oh. Tiso liked that?
It’s hard to hurt something that’s already dead, the knight supposes. Er, un-dead. Hearts don’t have much use if they’re not beating, so it’s not like it would be any worse than squeezing regular muscle.
Hesitantly, he pushes on it again, putting his weight into it, then pulls back. The space shudders around him a little.
“T-that- oh. I’d… forgotten what that felt like. ‘S, uh, been a while. …It’s nice,” Tiso murmurs. “Weird, but- but nice.”
Hayden huffs a breathless little laugh, stunned. Well then.
He keeps at it, massaging the ant’s hearts in a steady rhythm. Up, then down; loose, then firm. He isn’t quite sure what order they’re meant to beat in—top to bottom or vice versa—so he bases it on that of the Hive Guardians, from what he can recall of the times he’s rested within them. Not that it matters much, when he can only reach two of them. He’s sure this would feel even better if he could make all of the hearts beat in time, but any are better than none.
For a time, he kneads, as best as he’s able. Tiso holds him from the other side, apparently savoring the feeling. He even remembers to breathe. Is he… trying to remember how it feels to be alive..? Hayden has no idea what it’s like to be dead. No clue how long these hearts have sat motionless in the vampire’s body, or how it must feel for them to be working again after all this time. Like waking up a limb, perhaps, but he’s sure the comparison is hopelessly inadequate.
He’s just glad he can help in some way. It’s nice to rest here, safe in the body of a bug he cares for, listening to the movements of his blood sustaining them, being held and cherished, sharing the moment…
It’s very, very nice. He could stay like this for- Well. Maybe not forever, but…
He blinks his bleary eyes open into the darkness when he realizes the sound of pumping hemolymph has come to a stop. Why-? …Oh. His arm isn’t moving. It’s just… numb. And not from vampire saliva, this time. It’s getting rather difficult to keep his head up, too. Heh, he should have known this would happen. He could only hold out so long…
Slumping into the wall, he buzzes softly, trying to gather the will to say something. The pressure from the front increases, rubbing gently at him. “Hey, ‘s okay. You take your nap, alright? You’ve done more than enough.” He can hear the smile in Tiso’s voice. “And… thanks. For all this. Been a minute since I’ve felt this good.”
Hayden tries to nod into him, but comes closer to nodding off. Ah, well. This is where he wanted to be. The encompassing flesh welcomes him as he slumps into it, cradling his limp form like a hammock. It’s damp and tepid under his cheek, and his fur is slicked down and somewhat tacky, clinging to his face, but he couldn’t imagine being more comfortable.
A dangerous predator has drained him of his lifeforce and swallowed him whole. And yet he’s safe, as safe as he’s ever been. He’s been fussed over, and fed, and held, and savored, and loved…
This isn’t his home. Not yet. But… it could be, someday. His hearts still reside with his siblings at the Hive, and always will. But that isn’t so far from here. And Tiso, he- he’s grown to be just as close as family. Some of the other bees may still be nervous with him around, but so long as Hayden can trust him, he will always be welcome in the Hive. For all the vampire’s plays at menace, Tiso would never hurt someone who couldn’t fight back.
Hayden can trust this bug he calls a partner. He’s not so much a fool as to put blind faith in anyone—if Tiso ever betrayed that trust, he would- maybe not be ready, but he wouldn’t be helpless. But he highly doubts he’ll ever have to worry about that. For all the opportunities Tiso’s had to kill him, drain him dry, he’s never taken them. Never even seemed to seriously consider it, even when they were nothing to each other but a knight and a stranger on his people’s lands.
He’s glad he gave the ant a chance. He’s grateful that Tiso never gave up on pestering his way into friendship. Hayden is lucky to have met him.
Surrounded by the physical embodiment of all the love he has to give, and the love that its recipient has given him in turn, he allows consciousness to slip from his grasp. He hopes Tiso has fun with the vitality Hayden’s provided him. Whatever he may do with it, it’s his to use as he pleases. If it can improve his un-life even the slightest bit, that’s all that matters.
It will be a while until they can do this again, but Hayden is looking forward to it. Perhaps even as much as Tiso himself.
Devoting his life to the ones he loves is what a knight does best, after all.