Coming Home

Title: Coming Home
Author: Chaosdreamer (dreamerchaos)
Beta: Maiafay *tackles her* Thank you so much for the help! You have no idea how much it is appreciated.
Warning: Slash, gore, and horror, AU. NC-17.
Pairing: Pyramid Head/James, Valtiel/James (Depending on how you look at it)
Disclaimer: Silent Hill is owned and copyrighted by others beside myself. I'm only playing with the boys.
Author's Note: Having fun with my AU fics? This one no doubt takes the cake. Very AU, so be warned.
Summary: Things are edging closer to the NC-17 rating, beginning in this chapter. Any underage, or should I say immature readers, scat now!


Many thanks go to all reviewers. I wanted to take the chance to thank all reviewers on adultfanfiction (since I haven't before):

Kage
zuka
blade_tatsuhiko
Esta
clthomas
Lilalou
ix-tab
Dahlia's Bitch
Hotuko
HonNVin
Tazendra
ulla_nissinen@hotmail.com
Meg
ABC
anon
Anon
Funeral Roses
Udyjay
Orochiko
pumking
w00t
Andrea
Maiafay
SakuraSan101
wouldnt-u-like-2-no
AG
burnedHands
Lilly Faust
Janet
sephykoi
Kim Yue
EccentricSage (ooooh. Tempting me with fanart. You vixen, you. Loved yours, by the way. Checked out your gallery on Fanart Central.)
Sasori

Chapter 6


As the valve turned stiffly beneath Valtiel's grip, outside the restaurant James caught sight of the streets and sky falling into inky darkness. The thickness appeared to breath - twitching, inhaling, exhaling - restless movement. And the crying - starting out with the pitch of a yowling infant, abruptly progressing to the mad screams of a voice sobbing, begging - and numerous baleful cries, sounds of agony rippled from everywhere. Everything began warping, shifting once again into the nightmare world.

Paint crinkled to dust, curling around the edges, little shards of tile began floating from the floor and disappeared into the ceiling. Several columns shuddered before hairline cracks snapped open, stretching over every available surface as if jagged fingernails dug deep, ripping and gouging into concrete. The walls tumbled into a ravaged macabre artwork of scale-like cracks and seeping pores of gray and brown decay. The shelving units, appliances and utensils behind the counter shifted into chrome black instead of dull metal, slick with an indefinable wet fluid. The utensils shifted into their new form, extra razor-sharp prongs and edges appeared, belonging in a torture chamber.

Sound akin to nails dragging along a chalkboard, the windows shuddered within their mounting, and like a stretching hand, gray ice-crystals seeped to cover the glass. James' breath created a dense white cloud as he breathed, skin tingling from the sudden drop in temperature.

The cage of arms and muscle tightened, and James flinched away from the brush of breath against his neck. Valtiel loomed against his back, standing close and observing the change, face noticeably twisted in an expression of bliss and anticipation.

"L-Let me go! You know what's happening! You know that I can't stay here!" James begged, throwing his head back only to bump hard against a sturdy collar. "You know what's coming!" He insisted desperately.

Valtiel pressed close, a dark mockery of two lovers embracing, hands reaching and forcing him to stare straight ahead. He indicated with one hand for James to look at an isolated area of the restaurant, the silent message hanging between them. 'Watch.'

Torn strips of paint seeped off the ceiling, but instead of slithering or collapsing to the floor, the pieces began twirling in one place as if caught within the arms of a dirt devil. The spinning vortex reached from floor to ceiling and was wide as a broad man. In a split-second, and with an implosion of air, black and blue sparks of electricity erupted from within. Immediately following the dull blast of noise that caused James' ears to pop, the core of darkness began to shape into a tall humanoid form. Two black wide human hands reached out from the darkness, crackling with static as the debris slapped onto the dark shadow. Flesh began to take shape upon the dark limbs, hands grasping thin air, tile screeching as electricity and more debris poured over the body. Shoulders rolled, flexing, and a low demon howl curled from the mouth hidden behind the red pyramid helmet that finally took shape.

When the figure's head bent down, ducking to reveal the long sleek line of his neck connecting to the red helmet, James started to buck wildly within Valtiel's arms. He twisted so strongly that Valtiel stilled his movements with a fierce grasp over his lower jaw, stretching James' neck out and back until their shoulders and necks were in contact.

James' words were obscured by Valtiel's hand, but prevented none of the shining in his wide eyes.

His mind rattled, running in panicked circles. 'It's him! It's him! The Red Pyramid.'

Pyramid Head moved stiffly, relieving the cramped limbs due to such an abrupt appeareance, forcing him to turn and twist sinuously in order crack rigid joints. The wind stopped as suddenly as it had begun, while pieces of paint and other small debris seized their wild flight through the air, and fell listlessly to the floor.

Pyramid Head rolled his shoulders back until his limbs and spine popped, head and helmet falling back, revealing the stretch of his adam's apple. Hands flexed, and his head turned slowly from left to right, long seconds passing while he silently examined the space around him.

A small squeeze from Valtiel's hand, fingers digging into the space between his jaws, forced James' to make a small sound that caused the other demon's head to snap back in his direction.


***************************************


Valtiel only tightened his hand enough for James to make some small sound of discomfort. It certainly did the job of drawing the Red Pyramid's attention. 'ALWAYS HAVING TO MAKE AN ENTRANCE.' Valtiel thought humourously.

"VALTIEL." Pyramid Head stayed in place, helmet and head turning while hips rotated with the grace of a dancer, and Valtiel could sense the intense serpent-like sidelong examination as the other peered at both of them. "YOU SEEM TO HAVE BECOME VERY ACQUAINTED WITH JAMES." He noted, tone bereft of any amusement.

Valtiel could hardly resist meeting the implicit challenge. The hand gripping James' head and jaw stayed in place, but the one around the man's waist slackened. The arm wound back and rested momentarily on the man's stomach before sliding down stretching palm and fingers above James' navel, catching the smooth fabric of the shirt between his fingers. James hissed sharply when fingertips brushed dangerously close to the waistband of his jeans, a slim horizontal line of skin revealed between jeans and shirt. An audible choked breath as Valtiel's fingers slid deeper, tickling underneath the waist of the jeans. "WE SHARE THE SAME APPRECIATION FOR THE FINE THINGS IN LIFE. HEAT, SWEAT, AND SEX. AND RIGHT NOW…I CAN COMMAND ALL THREE…YES?"

"HE DOES LEAD ONE ON A GRAND CHASE." Red Pyramid agreed.

James struggled against him, both hands grasping Valtiel’s wrist to keep his hand from moving any lower. Each hand shook from the strain of matching Valtiel’s superior strength. To prove the ineffectiveness of James' efforts, Valtiel pushed his hand lightly into flesh cradled below Jame's navel, forcing the man's thighs and buttocks to brush against the demon's hip bones and thighs.

A bright flush splashed across James' face, and Valtiel snagged the man by hooking his chin against James' collar, keeping him in place while his mouth brushed the flesh where shoulder and neck met.

"YOU'RE PLAYING A DANGEROUS GAME." Pyramid Head warned, taking one long step towards them, but moving at a deliberate pace -- watching and appearing intrigued by the impromptu show. If he had really desired, he could easily rip the human out of Valtiel's arms.

Valtiel smiled against James' neck, blood boiling with life, like liquid fire. It was rare indeed, when Pyramid Head shared his prey.

"IT'S A GAME THAT I WILL ALWAYS BE A PART OF."

"I KNOW THAT." Pyramid Head affirmed. "WE HAVE SHARED AND PERFORMED THE SAME ACTS, TOGETHER AND OTHERWISE. SLAUGHTER, TORTURE -- FUCKING, DIVIDING AND CONQUERING. IT HAS NOT BEEN OTHERWISE. THE ONLY THING THAT SEPARATES US, IS YOUR DESIRE TO BRING FORTH YOUR 'GOD'." It was clear from the tone, that Pyramid Head had little liking for Valtiel's alternative interests.

Valtiel snarled low, not quite willing to discuss that sensitive issue. "THAT AFFAIR WILL CREATE OUR RUBY PARADISE AND AN EVEN GREATER WORLD! NOTHING WILL BE BEYOND OUR REACH."

"IT MATTERS NOT WHETHER YOUR GOD LIVES OR DIES. EITHER WAY, HER DESIRES CONFLICT WITH OURS. SHE LIVES IN HER OWN WORLD OF FEAR AND HATE; AND WHILE HATE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD -- IT CAN ONLY ALTER FOR SO LONG. SHE FEELS NOTHING-- AND THUS,-- SHE IS NOTHING! A HOLLOW SHELL ROTTING FROM THE INSIDE OUT. YOU…KNOW…THIS!"

Valtiel shuddered fiercely, fury assailing him. "I HAVE WORKED SO HARD AND LONG -- FOR THAT GIRL! SHE HAS THE POWER TO BIRTH A GOD. SHE CAN BRING FORTH GOD. BUT…IF SHE FAILS…WHAT ELSE AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?"

"LIVE. IT IS WHAT WE HAVE ALWAYS DONE." Pyramid Head insisted. "EVERYTHING WE HAVE AND NEED IS HERE. WE CAN BE ANYWHERE, AND SEE EVERYTHING. I ALREADY HAVE MY PARADISE. ALL THAT IS LEFT TO DO…IS TO BRING THE WANDERING ONE HOME."

As if sensing the focus that was entirely on him, James flinched underneath the Red Pyramid's masked gaze. The air around the fiend was twisting and moving, a wild beast of fury. James turned his head to the side, breaking the stare between him and the demon.

'Yes. However human you may be, there is no chance of denying the power that is hovering like a black miasma all around us. You can almost feel it shifting and stretching its fingers towards the lost traveler who has stumbled into our paradise. Can't you, James?' Pyramid Head queried silently.

"SO THAT'S IT, THEN? IT'S THAT SIMPLE?" Valtiel asked.

"MY VERSION OF PARADISE WILL START THE BEGINNING; YOURS WILL BRING FORTH THE END OF EVERYTHING AS IT HAS BEEN AND ALL THAT WE HAVE KNOWN. DO WHAT YOU WISH, VALTIEL. BUT SUCCESS OR FAILURE, OUR PARADISE WILL ALWAYS BE HERE. WE ARE OUR OWN GODS. WE RULE THIS HELL. THAT LITTLE GIRL KNOWN AS GOD MAY HAVE BREATHED LIFE INTO THIS PLACE, BUT SHE ONLY BROUGHT FORTH THE POTENTIAL THAT ALWAYS LAY WITHIN SILENT HILL. ANY PERSON WITH ENOUGH FIRE AND FORTITUDE COULD HAVE DONE SO."

Valtiel's hands clenched, snarling at the thread of doubt threading within his gut. "SHE WAS THE FIRST. SHE OPENED THE WAY."

"SHE WON'T BE THE LAST."

A rough sound, a laugh twisted within a moan, escaped him. "EVERYTHING OR NOTHING; THAT IS WHAT I HAVE TO POSSIBLY GAIN, THEN. BUT UNTIL THAT TIME…WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?"

"DON'T HOVER IN PLACE LIKE A STONE GARGOYLE. THE TIME WILL COME WHEN IT IS RIGHT. UNTIL THEN…"

The sour mood broke, and Valtiel chuckled darkly. "UNTIL THEN, WE PLAY."


***************************************


Events, obviously, had transformed from bad to worse. A previous steady drip of viscous fluids falling underneath the heavy appliances, faltered. The creaking and groaning of the walls and ceiling seemed to have stopped as if in mid-breath. All sound stilled, fleeing the presence of roving demons, and the hollow, empty silence left behind made James' skin rise in frigid goose bumps.

Instead of one, he now had two demons to contend with. One also proved to have unfavorable intentions, judging by the hand forcing his thighs back along the hard body behind him.

James pivoted his hips, attempting to pull away -- but, Valtiel's hand followed the action, falling between the crook of his right thigh, and forced his legs wider until his own thigh snuck in between.

James’ hand attempted to shoved Valtiel’s away, grasping the palm that engulfed his jaw, tugging for freedom. He arched away from the demon’s face pressed against the bend of his neck. Valtiel’s breath raged hot, tingeing his flesh red. The demon’s lips flexed and moved, speaking silently into the crook of his shoulders. Was it a lilting curse, etching heat and tracing red symbols along his neck--marking or tainting him?

He shivered when Valtiel's mouth rose to brush along the shell of his ear, lips fluttering softly to tease the sensitive line of skin and cartilage. A rolling convulsion rippled through Valtiel from head to toe, thrusting one thigh even further between his, and forced his body upward from the sudden pressure against his groin.

James didn't need to witness Valtiel's face, masked or otherwise, in order to see the smug grin. He shuddered, caged and with no escape from the demon. Valtiel's hands were mercilessly, grasping and tugging, eliciting various sounds from the blond. Valtiel rocked against his back, hands jerking him to roll back into the steady pressure. It was a crude, harsh pressure that left a stinging ache. A throbbing wave of -- oh god, please, don’t -- adrenaline rushed through him. James felt shame twist deep as his shaft hardened between his legs from the rough fondling, fear and stimulation causing his body to betray him.

"You bastard…" James groaned, mouth spread in a slash of misery as fingers spread to encase the entire side of his face. He wasn't aware of whom exactly he was condemning -- Valtiel…or himself.

The hand twisted, nudging his head around to face Valtiel directly. James squeezed his eyes tightly shut, feeling the brush of a mouth just above the trembling line of his lips.

A slow, wet sound of ripping skin and a long seam split open between Valtiel's lips. Thin, trembling strands of flesh hung between, shivering from each shallow intake of air. The hanging tendrils sloughed off, cooked and charred by the demon's very breath. His mouth flexed, accustoming itself to the air that he breathed in slow, long hisses.

James tucked his shoulders, attempting to curl up within himself, away from the sound of breaking flesh and the hot, brushing gusts of air erupting forth from Valtiel's lungs, both entirely too close to his own face for comfort.

Distantly, words came to him from not that long ago. The same words that Valtiel had spoken while caught in the middle of his mad ravings. The mouth above him brushed his, feeling as if it moved in subsequence with the words whispering softly within his head.

"WILL YOU ALLOW US TO TEAR AWAY YOUR TATTERED WHITE WINGS, AND REPLACE THEM WITH OBSIDIAN GLASS?"

'Not me.' James jerked his head away, their lips brushing further as he threw his head to the side. 'I won't be a part of this sick game.' He swore.

Hands snagged each wrist and slid upwards until Valtiel's palms pushed against the back of James' hands and their fingers intertwined, spreading James' arms wide open, as if finding humor in mimicking the pose of being crucified on a wooden cross. The grip was unforgiving, offering no respite, stretching his shoulders uncomfortably tight. He stood nearly on his tiptoes, forced to accommodate for his shorter stature, forced to acquiescence to Valtiel's mad whims of splaying him out any way that the demon desired.

***************************************


"SUCH A PRETTY SACRIFICE." Valtiel chuckled, standing at James' back like some sort of red anti-Christ. "SPREAD HIM UPON AN ALTAR OF BONES AND GRANITE, AND HE'LL MAKE THE SKY SHED TEARS WHILE HE CRIES OUT IN DELIRIOUS AGONY."

"POETIC." Pyramid Head observed aloud.

"IT IS, ISN'T IT?" With a sharp action, Valtiel quickly wrapped his arms around James, both of their limbs intertwined together as he enfolded the frightened man.

The crimson stitches covering the inside of the black jacket began to pulse and glow an acid-red; shining brighter, like miniature suns, when Valtiel's flesh ran close to their surface.

"I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING." Pyramid Head's voice caused Valtiel to stir slightly and shift his attention away from James.

"OH?" He asked, genuinely curious, noting the thread of dark humor.

"YOU WANT TO FUCK HIM."

"…I WOULD FUCK YOU JUST AS SOON AS I'D FUCK HIM. I HAVE LITTLE QUALMS ABOUT SUCH THINGS."

"BUT ALSO LITTLE IMAGINATION." Pyramid Head took several steps, treading a semi-circle in front of the two. Human and demon eyes followed his every movement, "YOU WOULD PROBABLY AMUSE YOURSELF IN ONLY ONE OR TWO WAYS. EITHER YOU WOULD GET HIM ONTO HIS HANDS AND KNEES…PERHAPS ALLOW HIM A HEADBOARD OR CLOTHING FOR HIS HANDS TO HOLD ONTO…OR SIMPLY ON HIS KNEES WHILE YOU PUSH IN FROM BEHIND. YOU WOULD DO THAT SLOW AND HARD, BECAUSE YOU ENJOY THE FEEL OF YOUR PARTNER TREMBLING AND BOWING BACK UNDERNEATH THE WEIGHT OF YOUR HANDS. YOUR FINGERS WILL PROBABLY LEAVE BRUISES ON HIS HIPS AND THIGHS, AND IT WOULD TAKE DAYS FOR THE TEETH MARKS ON HIS SHOULDERS AND NECK TO FADE.

"BUT PERHAPS YOU WOULD GO WITH THE SECOND METHOD, JAMES ON HIS BACK, SPREADING HIS THIGHS WIDE AND NESTLING DEEP WITHIN AND BETWEEN THE WARM SMOOTH FLESH. BINDING HIS HANDS OVER HIS HEAD, FRUSTRATING HIM SINCE HE WOULD HAVE NOTHING TO GRIP, OR ALLOWING HIS FINGERS TO DIG INTO THE BACK OF YOUR SHOULDERS. HE WOULD BE GASPING AND SOBBING LOUDLY, HOWEVER, WITH ALL OF YOUR WEIGHT ON TOP OF HIM. THE HOT WEIGHT HOLDING HIM DOWN, LEAVING HIM UNABLE TO REACH DOWN AND PUSH HIS WAY TO COMPLETION, THE RELEASE THAT HE CAN SEEK BY YOUR HANDS ONLY.

"WELL? AM I ON THE RIGHT TRACK?"

Quite a speech, coming from Pyramid Head. However, Valtiel didn't deny the heat and tightness spreading within his groin.

He chuckled under his breath. "WHO KNEW THAT YOU COULD BE SUCH A TEASE."

The shorter man shivered within his arms, feeling the bulge pushing against his ass.

Keeping James locked within a prison of flesh and bone, Valtiel had ample enough room to stretch a hand up and push fingers between the hinge of the man's jaws. James released a small moan of distress as his lips were spread, mouth opening wide. He cried out when Valtiel leaned over him, looming like death incarnate while their mouths lay separated by barely a millimeter of space.

Faintly, his fingers tightened to the point where pain reflected back from James' eyes. James flinched, anticipating the agony of bones snapping and flesh popping. Instead, Valtiel ran his thumb along the man's bottom lip, dragging his fingertip along the smooth flesh, laughing privately at James' stunned gaze.

'The eyes are indeed the windows to the soul.' He mused, able to make out every small expression and nuance, no matter how hard James attempted to hide his blatant emotions. It is a delight to puppet and completely fill all of the senses. He was the one who filled James' vision. The shorter man could undoubtedly hear the sound of his lips dragging along his neck, smell and taste the shortening distance between their skin. Flesh would shiver when the distance closed, until he could taste the blood pulsing hot and spicy underneath the thin layer.

"YOU MAKE IT SO EASY AND SO MUCH BLISS TO TORMENT YOU." Valtiel sighed, with a surprisingly tender action tracing his fingers along the edge of James' cheek, leaning further to run his mouth against his jaw line. James flinched away, his chest rose and fell swiftly, panting softly entrapped within the ice-cold clutching fingers of fear.

Tired of remaining solely as a viewer, Pyramid Head closed the rest of the distance. Sensing that the other demon would soon be participating, Valtiel untangled and unwound himself, returning to his previous position behind James.

"ALLOW US THE PLEASURE OF MAKING YOU SCREAM." Valtiel mused.


***************************************


James cringed back instinctively, but a firm wall of flesh prevented him from escaping, leaving nowhere to go. Arms stretched out and his legs spread wide, he struggled uselessly to try to pull his hands free. Demon strength easily outweighed human, no matter how furiously he twisted and pulled, even pushing his body until muscles twitched, straining heat rising in warning.

Valtiel, step by step, silently urging James to follow, led both human and demon towards the standing columns. Led backwards, James his steps fumbled, legs shifting awkwardly as he followed, blind to the column behind both of them. Without pause or hesitation, as if not even gravity could defy him, boots and legs jumped from floor to column, not breaking his grip upon James' wrists. Crouching at a perpendicular angle upon the face of the pillar, well over the man's head - a sleek red figure, appearing to blend seamlessly with the column - acting as the chains and manacles that held James in place.

James' wrists were lifted up and locked into place against the cool concrete. Valtiel's hands gripped his wrists entirely, the sleeves of James' shirt and borrowed jacket falling down his forearms as his arms were raised. There was no possible way that he would be able to slip out of the jacket and bolt, since the demon made certain to encase flesh and bone instead of cloth alone.

Pyramid Head kept drawing closer. James wished he could disappear, fall through the floor, -- anything!

The demon didn't stop until they stood chest to chest. James became aware, once again, of the mass of the other. Taller by more than a head, and broader, the helmet rose above, a silent red sentinel and an abyss of darkness within the hollow underneath, beginning where neck met jaw. Thin sharp scars, old and shining bright against pale hard flesh, were brushed along the demon's shoulders and arms disappearing underneath latex gloves.

Hands that he had just been examining rose, James tracking the movement as they came to shoulder-level. He had anticipated them falling onto him, but relief fluttered briefly in his gut as the limbs kept rising. His relief shattered into tiny fragments when the hands gripped both sides of the helmet, trembling momentarily under the heavy weight of the red metal, before a low creaking sound preceded the helmet beginning to rise off Pyramid Head's shoulders.

'Don't look!' An internal voice shouted and James instantly obeyed. His closed eyes were the only escape that he had, and he jumped when the helmet crashed loudly to the floor with tile cracking like bones underneath the weight of the apparatus.

James' refusal to cooperate was met with a harsh reprimand; sensing the heat of Pyramid Head's body pushing against him before his face was pressed into the slick apron-covered collar. He flinched when a mouth pushed past the neckline of shirt and jacket, moving towards softer flesh gracing the pale line of a shoulder. A soft gasp followed when the mouth opened, encasing a section of warm meat, soon escalating into a sharp scream of pain as teeth sunk deep.

Valtiel quickly snagged both of James' wrists in one hand reached downward to grip the side of his head, keeping him still and bared completely to the demon's mercy.

Pyramid Head's lips drew tightly together, creating a seal allowing only minimal trickles of blood to escape. James tried to keep breathing steadily even as the pain felt like a brand shoving hard and deep, crying out while the other's teeth bit harder, savaging the torn skin pushing closer and closer to muscle.

He nearly cried when Pyramid Head finally drew back, laving the wound with a slick tongue. Unwilling to face a second form of punishment -- hurt so much…if this is only the beginning, I don't think I can survive -- he opened his eyes, face still held firm by Valtiel's hand. "Okay. Okay. I won't look away. I got it." He hissed around the sharp pain.

It shouldn't be hurting this much, should it? Not as if he had ever been bitten before, but for such a fairly superficial wound to hurt so much…Was there something in a demon's saliva that made the pain grow by leaps and bounds? Did that make it another form of torture within itself?

His vision was blurry, eyes stinging from having been held tightly shut. Valtiel's hand released the side of his skull, immediately replaced by a firm grip sliding up his jaw and turning him around. He didn't manage to get a look at the Red Pyramid, only able to make out long pale hair and a smooth jaw line before damp lips attempted to swallow him deep.

'Hot…' The moan echoed privately. 'If I swallow or breathe too deep, will it scorch and burn me from the inside?'

The sweet, copper-sharp blood slid between his lips, slicking teeth and tongue. He coughed as several droplets meandered down his throat. A warm tongue filled him, chasing the ruby honey. The initiation of a kiss stunned him, leaving him immobile, hands falling from Valtiel's slackening grip.

A hard thrust caused James to gasp around the firm, roving mouth. Pyramid Head's body spreading him wide, pushing him back and flat against the column, boots forcing James' feet apart. Springing to life, his hands clutched at wide shoulders, holding tight as firm thighs pushed him wider, practically supporting all of James' weight upon his waist.

Never before had a man's groin pushed against him, drawing weak mewls of protest and unbridled ardor. Heat pooled between his legs, answered in kind by the rock-hard press of another shaft.

He shuddered while one wide hand dropped to his hip, sliding slowly, painfully teasing slow along rough jeans outlining the straight line of his thigh, all the way down to his knee. James jolted awkwardly when the hand gripped, close to encircling over half the span of bone and flesh above the knee socket. Lifting the thigh up, he trapped the limb between arm and hip; spreading the appendage wider, rubbing hard into the softer, receptive flesh running beside James' groin and connecting hollow. A hand sliding up the side and back of his flank mirrored every push forward against the rising heat between James' legs. He groaned softly when the hand stroked, massaging the weight and firmness of a buttock, dipping into the tight narrow space provided at the pant's seat.

His only experience, with one person, one woman, paled in comparison. Previously, the only touches he knew were brought by a slim, careful hand soft as silk, matched by his own hesitant touches upon bare breasts and between quivering thighs.

But now, the cool innocent brushes and sigh-inducing touches shattered in the face of rough, near bruising thrusts and firm hands. When traveling fingers fell onto him, he responded in kind for the first time. He squeezed hard following a solid palm flowing down, skimming underneath the back of his skirt to count the number of vertebras of his spine.

She wouldn't look him in the eye. He halted several times, fearing that he was hurting her. Asking if she was all right, she only nodded her head shakily, biting her bottom lip, resisting the temptation to make any sounds. Smooth, warm, wet tightness gripped him so hard that he experience a sensation not far from pain. He moved slowly, thinking he was causing more harm than good due to the way she cringed, making herself smaller with each shallow thrust between her legs. Her head remained turned to the side, rarely a small cry or moan breaking free.

"Aah -- Ahh -- Ahhh --" Each time hips rocked, a waterfall of lightning rushing through his blood. He couldn’t form intelligent words, muffled and lost within a wet tunnel that rebounded with his cries. His back was aching from sliding up and down cold concrete, but it was a strange, pleasant burn. Skin tingled from the cold, rough surface dragging rumpled cloth along sensitive flesh.

'Why am I responding like this?' He moaned, hands lodged upon the demon's shoulders, unsure if he was trying to pull him closer or shove him away. 'I have…I had a wife. He's a man! A demon -- How can I be feeling these things -- why is this happening?'

A sweet, chaste kiss, lips barely brushing lips. Mary tucking her head underneath his chin too embarrassed to reveal her flush face and sated expression. She would immediately roll over to her side of the bed, using the blankets to create a cocoon to warm her slim body.

He wasn't given a chance to hesitate or fall back. Lips, teeth, and tongue mapped every inch they could reach, leaving skin flushed and throbbing. There was hardly any time to draw air, a firm body engulfing him in warmth, arms and legs pulling him tight, leaving very little space separating their bodies.

Their mouths separated with a wet slick glide, lips dewed with pink-tinted saliva. Lips peeled back into a lupine grin, streaked a trail up his jaw and closed over flesh and cartilage edge of his ear. "No, don't--" He gasped, fearing that a second bite would tear it to pieces.

A fresh flush sprayed his cheeks, earlobe suckled lightly by tickling lips and stroking tongue. Continuing steadily, tracing the delicate shell. Teeth closed, soft yet firm, a low purring rumble rattling within the chest his face lay against.

Wet warmth smoothed along his collar. James' eyes rolled to the side, feeling a second mouth lapping at the steady stream still flowing, twisted shirt-neck sticking to moist skin.

Valtiel sipped the blood up as delicately as a large cat, slow steady run of his tongue tugging small mouthfuls between wide lips spread in a blissful, sinful smile.

Pyramid Head's face was tucked too close for him to making out any of his features. The demon's chest heaved long and loud, seeming to breathe the air as if tasting and exploring the hidden flavors that may try to escape him. Long tendrils of straight ivory hair, dusted with splashes of granite and coal, slid over his shoulders and temporarily blinded James.

The standing demon's hands guided his hips from the wall by several inches, pushing the level of comfort and stability. James' silence scattered into the wind when the same hands rose, gripping large handfuls of the front of his shirt, and tore it open from throat to groin.

"What are you doing?" James demanded.

His words went unheeded, long hair masking Pyramid Head's face and expression, save for the shark-like grin through heavy tendrils of ivory as he bent his knees, slowly ghosting down James shoulder and continuing down his chest.

"What? No--" James shifted his legs, trying to throw off the hands resting on his waist.

Valtiel acted, choking any further cries by plunging his forefingers between James' lips, curling to snare the upper jaw and tilted the man's face and chin back, all the way up eliciting a hard burst of pain stretching from mouth to neck. James gagged, attempting to twist loose. Sliding further down, Valtiel stopped with his head above James' heart. Making room for the wall of flesh sliding across his face, James leaned his face away, bumping into the edge of Valtiel's hip as he crouched partially over him. The demon's hand, fingers curling between his lips, turned and adjusted to James' shift. Fingers slid out of James' mouth, slick from the wet cavern. Valtiel pat the side of James' cheek, motion a restrained slap punishing him for causing such a loud ruckus.

The outline and Valtiel's bulk blocked his line of sight from shoulders and down. However, it didn't restrain his other senses. His limbs tingled, knees nearly giving out as wide hands smoothed down the inside of his thighs, spreading them wider until they were dangerously close to resting over Pyramid Head's shoulders.

Limbs were rearranged, and in a blink of an eye, James found his wrists pinned to his side, Pyramid Head locking them in place. Hands balled into tight fists as he focused on the sting of his nails carving into the meat of his palms. Trying to focus on anything other than the warm male body shifting between his legs and the mouth pressing dangerously close to his covered groin.

Valtiel's palms slid downwards, lining James' pectorals before skimming further, fingers traveling, stretching wider as if counting and measuring the ribs pushing taut under white flesh. His chest arched, pushing up, dancing under the will of Valtiel's hands. Valtiel twisted partially -- watching -- intrigued by the red lines his fingers left behind, skin flushed and a trembling bead of sweat leaving a thin trail down James' stomach. A rasping hiss rumbled from the demon's lips, inducing James' jacket, the symbols bared close to Valtiel's face, flared and pulsed red. Red miasma began to flow from the crimson markings, heeding the call of their maker.

James hips bucked, gasping from the sudden chill that the marks were spreading, the air against his skin so cold that it burned. Valtiel wove his hand in the air, fingers dancing inches above the steaming, roiling energy. Thin streams rose, following and winding between his fingers like gossamer threads. It stretched taut between hand and cloth as he pulled back.

A short pain-filled whine of protest erupted from James when Valtiel rubbed the crimson threads, pressing them deep against a patch of skin where his bare hip peeked from the waist of his jeans. The miasma felt like a hot brand, James half-expecting to inhale the scent of scorched flesh. Using the man's skin as his canvas and the miasma as his brush, Valtiel started to trace geometric symbols into the reddening area.

Pyramid Head's mouth spread a moist warm patch, the fierce heat of demon lips and tongue searing into James' skin, threading past denim. He drew in a portion of cloth and flesh, teeth sinking down, sinking and burying deeper and deeper until the pressure and sting elicited a small cry of surprise from the man above him. Pyramid Head smiled into the crook of James' thigh, releasing the savaged section. Impatient with the barrier interrupting further mapping of flesh, he twisted his hands into the waist of the jeans, pulling hard but not breaking, damaging the fabric enough that the seams down the legs, thighs, and waist popped like small firecrackers. James gasped, feeling the jeans loose their stiffness, sliding another inch down, a widening bar of boxers revealing itself. He widened his stance, the awkward angling of hips and thighs preventing the waistband from sliding further.

Relishing the newly revealed flesh, Pyramid Head leaned up, jaws slack while he tasted the shivering, yet burning heat. Blind to everything else, so focused on drinking in the warmth of human -- James, drinking and breathing in James -- he failed to notice when his temple and strands of hair nudged into Valtiel's, the caress of long pale locks startling, physically jolting Valtiel.

Valtiel reared up, a roiling snarl of demonic rage, lips pulled back in a wet hiss, teeth snapping in the air, close to Pyramid Head's face. The other demon retaliated just as loud, the rolling growl rattling deep in his chest, the fine line of his shoulders shaking under the strong throes of the answering growl.

Chagrined by his own folly and blind to the close presence of a fellow demon, Valtiel pulled up, crouched up higher and shaking his head, clearing the dense fog of confusion that had provoked him to snap at the other. It became clear what had distracted Valtiel so strongly, sufficiently leaving him jumping in surprise like a low ranking imp leaping at every shadow. With the tip of his fingers, Pyramid Head traced the raised, ridged lines of the mark burning softly, melded into the flesh above James' hip. The human groaned under the careful investigating touch, shivering under the stinging jolts of the second-degree burn. He clapped his hands over his mouth, trying to muffle cries that he feared would excite the demons further.

It was a twisted feeling of amusement and annoyance that flooded him. Valtiel was moving one step ahead of him, going as far as to brand James, literally. The mark thrummed underneath his hand, symbols flaring fire red. Challenging the close presence of the demon hand and power running along James' skin.

Any other demon daring such a blatant, foolhardy mark upon an already claimed human would have had his head ripped off. Valtiel, however, endured a warning growl, and ducked his forehead and shoulders even lower. He was aware that his lust and excitement could have easily led to immeasurable pain by the Red Pyramid's hands.

He couldn't remove the mark short of tearing the chunk of tainted flesh off James' body, and there was no certainty that the mark wasn't scorched into muscle and bone as well. The only option other of scarring -- or killing James in his human body from the pain and blood loss -- would be to finish what had been started. It called for pain and blood, but without the removal of a pound of flesh.

Valtiel observed silently, head cocked to the side like an overcurious bird. James, however, was far from silent as the Pyramid Head dug his nails into the middle of the ridged lines, digging until blood flowed.

"HHhhnnn --" Valtiel's weight over his torso prevented him from throwing himself against the massive wash of pain centered over his hip. Hands freed from Pyramid Head's grip but failing to stifle the low keens of pain, clutched at the demon's shoulders. James' fingers dug into the firm flesh, nails gouging and releasing thin rivulets of crimson, raking further down the other's back. Pyramid Head rocked under the sudden shock of faint pain along his back and shoulders, but remained focused on his task.

Slowly, not leaving the line of red ridges, his fingers overlay the mark branded into flesh. Cutting the ridges, sending forth trickles of blood to match the crimson pulse of the first demon's seal. Valtiel's mark was intricate, leaving many opportunities of slipping and ruining the entire process. The minutes were tedious and brutal, James' voice giving out, unable to find any words to shout or curse, instead brandishing his hands to deliver evidence of his pain and anguish. Valtiel observed the raw, open seeping patches of Pyramid Head's back repeatedly mend itself, forced to keep up with the punishing bite of the man's hands.

Finally, the testing trial was nearing the end. Pyramid Head wiped away the sticky coat of blood from his hands and mark, checking to make sure that his efforts were satisfactory. Indeed, Valtiel's seal appeared the same, save for the fresh lines of torn skin and blood. The mark pulsed madly, beaten soundly by the unforgiving fists of power that Pyramid Head smashed repeatedly into it with his hands and might.

Now the final task needed to be accomplished. Simple looking in comparison, but without it, all of the blood that was shed and the pain endured would be for nothing.

Pyramid Head's lips were painted red as he pressed them against the fresh wound, lapping at the excess blood spilling free before he focused on running his tongue over the raw lines, tracing several times over the inlaid mark. Once he pulled back, he could feel the answering thrum, the newly born ripples of his power lacing with human flesh. Bending forward again, he began the final step to seal his power into the mark.

By the feel and appearance, it seemed that Pyramid Head was only blowing a steady stream of air upon the bleeding mark. But looking closer, one would be able to see the steadily rising beating pulse of ebony shadows, burning like a black sun poured by hand into the cradle of James' body.

James bucked awkwardly, slamming into Valtiel so hard that the demon scrambled to regain his handhold to keep from crashing to the ground. The air blown onto the wound was too cold to bear, burning like liquid nitrogen, and never stopping. He gagged around the wet scream of agony, throat regaining the ability to articulate his misery. Their hands raised bruises upon each other's skin, Pyramid Head forced to hold James' hips still, matching welts painting the demon's damp red shoulders.

A raging fever spread, spiked tendrils racing up from the edges of Pyramid Head's seal. Invisible black thorns burst through flesh, spreading another flood of suffering.

Pyramid Head pulled away, the seal snapping into place over Valtiel's.

James could feel something deep within buried and twisted around the core of his being, stretch and open its eyes as if awakening from a deep sleep. It answered the call of the demons' marks, opening its maw and howling as the black spikes ripped apart the bars and chains, the humanity that had kept it bound for so long. The call, the summons, was calling James home and awakening the demon inside.

But the human body could only handle so much force and fury delivered by demon hands. The power was great, but the flesh was weak.

It surprised all three of them when James' chest suddenly heaved as if gripped tight by a large hand. A thick stream of blood tore its way up his throat, and James choked for air around the steady rush, a small lake of blood immersing their feet. Blood gushed from his eardrums, nose, and tear ducts. Indefinable pain twisted deep within his gut, a series of wet pops tore a ragged howl from his lips. Spots of crimson began to rise, spreading and spilling down the seat and crotch of his pants.

James ripped his hands from Pyramid Head's, not caring if the demon's fingers left groves upon his wrists. He threw himself to the side, body seizing and collapsing to the floor as he began tearing at his chest. A series of unending wet screams poured out, raking his nails down his stomach and chest, trying desperately to dig out the fire cooking him from the inside. The back of his head cracked loudly against broken tile, rolling to curl into a tight ball as he keened and attempted to tear his flesh apart.

He slapped at the hands that persisted in trying to roll him onto his back, snarling when one lay too long upon his shoulder. The hand snapped away when he racked his fingers down the back, flecks of loose skin hanging off.

'I'm burning, I'm BURNING!'The endless shriek rattled his skull. Broken bits of tile sank into his hands as he scrabbled madly at the tile, tearing at the pieces as if attempting to bury himself deep within the earth, seeking the cold comfort of a makeshift grave.

'Don't touch me!' He wanted to hiss, but only a faint groan of pain formed as he was finally rolled over onto his back. His hands were trapped within larger ones, ceasing his mad digging and turning his chest to ribbons. Fresh trickles of blood seeped from the marks upon his hip, skin torn from the wild thrashing fit.

A mad giggle escaped him as he took in the ceiling above, the spider web cracks and dust dancing like rainbow shards of light. He sobbed quietly when hands captured his once again, keeping him from reaching up and trying to capture the shimmering specks spread out like stars upon a night sky. Rambling thoughts rattled through his head, and he spoke briskly, trying to keep up. "Stars painting the night. Watch their celestial light burn and rip apart the heavens. Cold ice raining down like tears of angels." The senseless babble did little to sooth him. The fever that had been burning him from the inside flipped around and returned as an ocean of ice water, a rush of frigid wings that left him shivering. He feared that his lips were turning blue and shards of ice were digging into his skin.

His hands were bound together, Valtiel holding him tight, actually wrapping himself across James' side. He curled into the near oppressive heat that the demon's body was generating, winding his legs between Valtiel's. "It'-it's s-so c-co-cold--" He moaned, burying his face into Valtiel's neck, pushing as close as he could get. "Keep me warm. Don't let me be swallowed by a world of ice. Please."


***************************************


"WHAT…THE FUCK…IS THIS?" Valtiel hissed, wrapping himself around James that it was difficult to tell where one began and where one ended.

"THIS IS LIFE SPRINGING FORTH FROM THE SHELL OF HUMANITY." The Red Pyramid promised, crouching down beside the two. He ran his hand through the blond strands, and James' leaned into the press of the other's hand.

"IS IT ALWAYS LIKE THIS?" Valtiel couldn't believe how quickly it had upturned everything around them. One minute there was blood, sweat, and almost sex. And then…James screaming, shrieking and trying to tear open his chest and more blood upon the floor then he had expected or planned to witness.

"WORSE, USUALLY. MOST TEND TO TEAR THEIR OWN THROAT OUT, OR GOUGE OUT THEIR EYES." Pyramid Head quietly shushed the steady whimpers being mumbled into Valtiel's neck, running a hand up and down James' back.

"YOU'RE SO CERTAIN THAT HE WON'T TRY TO DO THE SAME, OR POSSIBLY END UP INSANE." Valtiel found it hard to believe.

Pyramid Head didn't resist the unbridled chuckle. "WE'RE ALL A BIT INSANE. IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TASTE OR PREFERENCE OF INSANITY THAT WE CHOOSE."


***************************************


'Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop…' He pleaded, trying to calm the tremors that were causing his teeth to chatter. It was a little difficult to move or breathe, being crushed between the larger demons. Long strands of hair fell over his face, ends brushing the drying layers of blood lining his lips and crimson tear tracks down his cheeks.

Jumbled words rumbled within his head, roaring as loud as a jet engine. He wanted to clap his hands over his ears, scream, shout, do anything to try to overpower the noise that made his eardrums threaten to bleed once again.

"…IS THIS?"

"LIFE…THE SHELL…HUMANITY."

"… ALWAYS LIKE THIS?"

"…… TEAR THEIR OWN THROAT… GOUGE… THEIR EYES."

"… TRY TO… SAME… END UP INSANE."

Sharp laughter. "… ALL A BIT INSANE… MATTER OF TASTE… WE CHOOSE…"

"…shut up…I can't take it…" He groaned, the words too loud, making his head scream.

His hands were suddenly released, and he used the freedom of movement to clutch at the demon in front of him. He grabbed handfuls of the demon's outfit, pulling him close. "Kill me." He begged, feeling the demon leap at the sound of the command. "Save me. I don't care. Just do something to make it all stop!"

Valtiel lay his hands over James, lacing their fingers carefully tugging them free of his outfit. The answer was unsaid, but absolutely clear.

"WHY?" James demanded, "Why not? You can do it, right? It's just a simple twist of the hands. It can't be that hard for you to break someone's neck. I can't take this. My head feels as if there are things scrabbling around changing too fast for me to follow, like there are snakes and cockroaches making nests inside my brain. It's driving me mad."

"Why won't you kill me?" James didn't resist the hands that fell onto his shoulders, Pyramid Head turning him partially to peer over his own shoulder. The sight that he met stunned him into momentary silence.

His twin stared back at him, long straight strands of ivory lining a face tinged gray. Faintly, James could make out the delicate lines of blue veins under the pale flesh. Pyramid Head's mouth was bloodless, tinged a light shade of blue. White/gray pupils came close to melting seamlessly into the whites. The demon's face, jaw line the same arching slope, cheeks, eyes and nose, the same features that James saw everyday when he looked into the mirror.

Pyramid Head's mouth spread in a feral gleaming smile, watching the dawning realization spread across James' own face.

"I see, then." A bone-weary laugh escaped him. James closed his eyes, trying to regain his composure. "I see. You can't kill yourself, can you? Even if you look in the mirror, and all you see is the demon inside -- it's still you standing there."

"My god. What a fucked up pair we are." He moaned.