âYou know, if youâre not careful, someoneâs going to think you have anger issues,â Virgil said, picking himself up off the ground and parting the halves of his shirt to inspect the massive new bruise that was blossoming under his pale skin. Ephraim had cracked most of the bones in his ribcage, and that had been from a rather glancing hit. Most of the time, Virgil was fast enough to keep up with his brother in a spar like this, but sometimes, the Hellhound still managed to surprise him with his sheer power. He could feel the bones mending under his skin, and the bruise faded back again slowly. His breathing loosened, but Virgil waved a hand to call off the fight, not that it wasnât already obviously done.
Both men were covered in a fine sheen of sweat, and for once, the blonde was as disheveled-looking as his brother. Ephraim had sliced the tie out of Virgilâs long hair a while ago, so it fell freely in loose tangles over his back and shoulders, and his clothing was torn and wetted with blood in places. He was not the only one with damage, though Ephraim was admittedly breathing somewhat easier, having not just had his ribs shattered and his lungs punctured in several places by bone fragments. They didnât kill each other when they sparred, but there was very little mercy involved, either.
âI do have anger issues,â Ephraim replied readily enough. It wasnât a lie; though heâd not often displayed it of late and it was a bit harder to trigger than it had once been, his temper was positively explosive, and usually ended in dead bodies. This in itself was not something he really took issue withâhe didnât go around killing the innocent, after all, and found it rather pointless to feel guilty about visiting his particular brand of rage on those who provoked him to it or tried to attack simple humans.
Virgil sighed. His humor really was lost on his brother sometimes. It was actually a bit charming, in its own very strange way. Not that Ephraim knew that, of course. âThere are other ways to vent oneâs pent-up aggression, dear brother,â Virgil insinuated, the innuendo slipping easily into his words. It was second nature by this point in his life. The fox returned to a more humanoid state, raking spindly fingers through his silklike hair to work out the knots. He flicked his glance over to Ephraim though, who was, predictably enough, frowning, his eyes narrowed.
Honestly, the Hellhound was fairly certain his so-called brother couldnât give it a rest. Though⊠well, whatever. What Virgil did with his time was hardly Ephâs business. âNot all of us are hormonal imbeciles, Virgil.â In terms of setting himself to rights, all Ephraim really needed to do was banish the dagger heâd been practicing with and shake out his hair before trotting over to their things and pulling a shirt over his head. Virgil had the thought, as he had many times before, that it was really quite a shame that his brother wasnât more hormonal, though he was glad he wasnât an imbecile, really.
âBetter one of those than an emotional dead fish,â he replied slyly, and Ephraim turned back over his shoulder to level a glare at him. âYou heard me. You donât spend a year with two women like that and not have thoughts, not unless youâre a eunuch or the emotional equivalent of a corpse.â The look on his face matched the tone of his voice, and he laughedâinwardly of courseâwhen Eph turned on his heel to face him, crossing his arms and fixing the fox with a wary look. He needed very little now, to goad him into something interesting, and really, the finisher was obvious. âAnd I know youâre not a eunuch.â Though it was true that Ephraim had a better handle on his passionate emotions than most people ever would, even that combustible anger of his.
The response was at once what heâd predicted and entirely unexpected. One of the things he liked most about Ephraim was that, empathy or not, the other man still managed to surprise Virgil on a semiregular basis. Life with the Hellhound was never boring, that much was for certain. âThen I suppose I have the emotional depth of a corpse. Iâm more surprised by your restraint. Gods know you havenât been all that discriminating with the other females in town, so why with her?â They both knew which her Ephraim referred to, but Virgil decided it would be more fun to play coy.
Eph was right about the fact that he hadnât really used much caution when it came to his other liaisonsâhe was polite enough, obviously, but he wasnât much one to care whether or not someone was attached or free at the time. If someone wanted to sleep with himâand many didâand he wanted to sleep with them as well, he didnât really let human conventions get in his way. It wasnât as though he purposely chose people that were promised or wedded to others; in fact, he never bothered to ask. It just happened to work out that way sometimes, and as a result, heâd found himself dealing with more than one unanticipated (but not unexpected) case of jealousy. It made life at the office more interesting.
âColor me surprised, Ephraim. I rather thought you liked the fact that Nerys was so sweet and naĂŻve. The world hasnât ruined her yet. Are you really encouraging me to do so?â The foxâs smile was wide, his eyes glimmering with mischief as sea-blue met fire-red, and the Hellhound actually growled at him, a feral sound that crawled up from the soles of his feet to his spine in reverberant echoes. He resisted the urge to shiver, but his grin only increased. That was a bit of an unexpected reaction, and from the suddenly-perplexed look on his face, Ephraim hadnât expected it either. Virgil could feel irritation and confusion mixing around in Ephraimâs current emotional repertoire, and he could have laughed. Thankfully, he didnât.
âYou know I wasnât talking about her.â He did, in fact. It was, after all, not Nerys heâd been pursuing for a year. Less aggressively than he might have pursued someone else, but that was in response to Keiraâs own sensitivity, not due to a lack of desire.
And he did desire her. Very much, in fact. But Virgil knew very well that if he let her know just how much, heâd probably scare the girl away. In these matters, a delicate approach was sometimes called for. Keira was rather like a butterfly, actuallyâhe wanted to catch it, but if he went about this in his usual way of pursuing and grasping what he desired, his grip would be too tight and crush her, as it would to hold a butterfly in oneâs fist. He had to be a little more careful, and entrap her gently if he was to retain a hold.
âYou havenât even kissed herâthatâs strange for you.â Ephraim knew that it had never in his extensive experience with his brother taken Virgil more than a month to bed someone he wanted to, and, her reticence or not, the Hellhound did not doubt that he could have managed something similar with Keira if heâd really turned his effort towards it. It would have unmistakably damaged the woman, so Ephraim was glad Virgil hadnât, but the fox was not really the kind of person who usually considered that sort of thing. A one night stand was just thatâone night. What happened afterwards was usually nothing Virgil cared about.
âIâm amused that you know that, dear brother. But I assure you, I havenât lost my touch. Iâm just⊠playing a different game, this time. It would be so boring if I did the same thing all the time, donât you think?â
The Hellhound shook his head, tossing his bag over his shoulder and starting for their shared apartment. âWhatever you say, Virgil. If youâre going to fuck her, fine. But donât fuck her over.â They needed to be able to still train with Nerys and Keira both, if they were to finish preparing the two of them for whenever it was that they would leave. Even if they managed to close the Hollow Point, creatures of all kinds would be attracted to those two for the rest of their natural lives, and Ephraim cared at least enough to want them to be able to defend against that. He was not inclined to let Virgil chase Keira away from that training with his usual disregard for how his nature could bother people who did not share it.
For his part, Virgil was quite entertained. Falling into step beside his brother, he quirked an inquiring eyebrow. âAnd if I change my mind? Perhaps decide Iâd like to pursue Nerys?â
He was baiting, and Ephraim knew it. Still, that knowledge did not stop him from halting mid-stride, and giving his brother a glare that could have peeled paint. Keira was mostly sensible, and she knew how the world worked, how fundamentally unfair it was. He could at least trust that she knew what she was getting herself into, if she consented to such a thing. Well, as much as anyone could really understand what they were in for with Virgil. Nerys, on the other hand, was still so much an innocent that it sometimes physically ached to listen to her speak about things. He was always torn between disillusioning her and letting her be, letting her keep that innocence for as long as she could hold onto it. It was such a rare thingâheâd never met any adult who still had as much of it as she did. He always ended up holding his tongue, in the end, and couldnât help but hope that it would survive just a little longer.
âDonât.â
Both men were covered in a fine sheen of sweat, and for once, the blonde was as disheveled-looking as his brother. Ephraim had sliced the tie out of Virgilâs long hair a while ago, so it fell freely in loose tangles over his back and shoulders, and his clothing was torn and wetted with blood in places. He was not the only one with damage, though Ephraim was admittedly breathing somewhat easier, having not just had his ribs shattered and his lungs punctured in several places by bone fragments. They didnât kill each other when they sparred, but there was very little mercy involved, either.
âI do have anger issues,â Ephraim replied readily enough. It wasnât a lie; though heâd not often displayed it of late and it was a bit harder to trigger than it had once been, his temper was positively explosive, and usually ended in dead bodies. This in itself was not something he really took issue withâhe didnât go around killing the innocent, after all, and found it rather pointless to feel guilty about visiting his particular brand of rage on those who provoked him to it or tried to attack simple humans.
Virgil sighed. His humor really was lost on his brother sometimes. It was actually a bit charming, in its own very strange way. Not that Ephraim knew that, of course. âThere are other ways to vent oneâs pent-up aggression, dear brother,â Virgil insinuated, the innuendo slipping easily into his words. It was second nature by this point in his life. The fox returned to a more humanoid state, raking spindly fingers through his silklike hair to work out the knots. He flicked his glance over to Ephraim though, who was, predictably enough, frowning, his eyes narrowed.
Honestly, the Hellhound was fairly certain his so-called brother couldnât give it a rest. Though⊠well, whatever. What Virgil did with his time was hardly Ephâs business. âNot all of us are hormonal imbeciles, Virgil.â In terms of setting himself to rights, all Ephraim really needed to do was banish the dagger heâd been practicing with and shake out his hair before trotting over to their things and pulling a shirt over his head. Virgil had the thought, as he had many times before, that it was really quite a shame that his brother wasnât more hormonal, though he was glad he wasnât an imbecile, really.
âBetter one of those than an emotional dead fish,â he replied slyly, and Ephraim turned back over his shoulder to level a glare at him. âYou heard me. You donât spend a year with two women like that and not have thoughts, not unless youâre a eunuch or the emotional equivalent of a corpse.â The look on his face matched the tone of his voice, and he laughedâinwardly of courseâwhen Eph turned on his heel to face him, crossing his arms and fixing the fox with a wary look. He needed very little now, to goad him into something interesting, and really, the finisher was obvious. âAnd I know youâre not a eunuch.â Though it was true that Ephraim had a better handle on his passionate emotions than most people ever would, even that combustible anger of his.
The response was at once what heâd predicted and entirely unexpected. One of the things he liked most about Ephraim was that, empathy or not, the other man still managed to surprise Virgil on a semiregular basis. Life with the Hellhound was never boring, that much was for certain. âThen I suppose I have the emotional depth of a corpse. Iâm more surprised by your restraint. Gods know you havenât been all that discriminating with the other females in town, so why with her?â They both knew which her Ephraim referred to, but Virgil decided it would be more fun to play coy.
Eph was right about the fact that he hadnât really used much caution when it came to his other liaisonsâhe was polite enough, obviously, but he wasnât much one to care whether or not someone was attached or free at the time. If someone wanted to sleep with himâand many didâand he wanted to sleep with them as well, he didnât really let human conventions get in his way. It wasnât as though he purposely chose people that were promised or wedded to others; in fact, he never bothered to ask. It just happened to work out that way sometimes, and as a result, heâd found himself dealing with more than one unanticipated (but not unexpected) case of jealousy. It made life at the office more interesting.
âColor me surprised, Ephraim. I rather thought you liked the fact that Nerys was so sweet and naĂŻve. The world hasnât ruined her yet. Are you really encouraging me to do so?â The foxâs smile was wide, his eyes glimmering with mischief as sea-blue met fire-red, and the Hellhound actually growled at him, a feral sound that crawled up from the soles of his feet to his spine in reverberant echoes. He resisted the urge to shiver, but his grin only increased. That was a bit of an unexpected reaction, and from the suddenly-perplexed look on his face, Ephraim hadnât expected it either. Virgil could feel irritation and confusion mixing around in Ephraimâs current emotional repertoire, and he could have laughed. Thankfully, he didnât.
âYou know I wasnât talking about her.â He did, in fact. It was, after all, not Nerys heâd been pursuing for a year. Less aggressively than he might have pursued someone else, but that was in response to Keiraâs own sensitivity, not due to a lack of desire.
And he did desire her. Very much, in fact. But Virgil knew very well that if he let her know just how much, heâd probably scare the girl away. In these matters, a delicate approach was sometimes called for. Keira was rather like a butterfly, actuallyâhe wanted to catch it, but if he went about this in his usual way of pursuing and grasping what he desired, his grip would be too tight and crush her, as it would to hold a butterfly in oneâs fist. He had to be a little more careful, and entrap her gently if he was to retain a hold.
âYou havenât even kissed herâthatâs strange for you.â Ephraim knew that it had never in his extensive experience with his brother taken Virgil more than a month to bed someone he wanted to, and, her reticence or not, the Hellhound did not doubt that he could have managed something similar with Keira if heâd really turned his effort towards it. It would have unmistakably damaged the woman, so Ephraim was glad Virgil hadnât, but the fox was not really the kind of person who usually considered that sort of thing. A one night stand was just thatâone night. What happened afterwards was usually nothing Virgil cared about.
âIâm amused that you know that, dear brother. But I assure you, I havenât lost my touch. Iâm just⊠playing a different game, this time. It would be so boring if I did the same thing all the time, donât you think?â
The Hellhound shook his head, tossing his bag over his shoulder and starting for their shared apartment. âWhatever you say, Virgil. If youâre going to fuck her, fine. But donât fuck her over.â They needed to be able to still train with Nerys and Keira both, if they were to finish preparing the two of them for whenever it was that they would leave. Even if they managed to close the Hollow Point, creatures of all kinds would be attracted to those two for the rest of their natural lives, and Ephraim cared at least enough to want them to be able to defend against that. He was not inclined to let Virgil chase Keira away from that training with his usual disregard for how his nature could bother people who did not share it.
For his part, Virgil was quite entertained. Falling into step beside his brother, he quirked an inquiring eyebrow. âAnd if I change my mind? Perhaps decide Iâd like to pursue Nerys?â
He was baiting, and Ephraim knew it. Still, that knowledge did not stop him from halting mid-stride, and giving his brother a glare that could have peeled paint. Keira was mostly sensible, and she knew how the world worked, how fundamentally unfair it was. He could at least trust that she knew what she was getting herself into, if she consented to such a thing. Well, as much as anyone could really understand what they were in for with Virgil. Nerys, on the other hand, was still so much an innocent that it sometimes physically ached to listen to her speak about things. He was always torn between disillusioning her and letting her be, letting her keep that innocence for as long as she could hold onto it. It was such a rare thingâheâd never met any adult who still had as much of it as she did. He always ended up holding his tongue, in the end, and couldnât help but hope that it would survive just a little longer.
âDonât.â