Cradling the human's limp body, Asterios pulls another hand from the shadows. There is a snap, a snap of fingers, and poof! The scene changes in an instant. One moment the Jackal is standing on a darkened beach, the next he is in Jeremy's master bedroom.
"..."
For a while he just stares at the weak, unconscious, naked body in his arms, then carefully and gently he finally lays Jeremy down on the bed. The human has long since lost consciousness, having been fed until his hormones have subsided.
Well, at least Asterios has taught him enough for one day, and he believes this human will behave in the future. The Jackal is about to return to the council chambers when Jeremy moans in his sleep.
"Ugh, ugh..."
It's cold lying naked on the bed, so he stirs slightly. His eyes flutter open in his sleep.
"You're cold."
Asterios mutters quietly as he watches. What a lot of work. He wonders if he has treated this man too well, considering this is the first time he has received such an offering. But his hands are already lifting the blanket to cover the human's shiny, plump body.
The middle-aged man's face quickly relaxes. After a few moments of sitting on the bed and staring down at the man's fine-lined face, the Jackal decides he has seen enough and should move on.
"Unh...mnn..."
But Jeremy's slightly trembling hand suddenly reaches out and covers Asterios' big, cold hand. Then he instinctively squirms in his sleep, realizing that he now has something to hold on to, something to cling to.
"What are you doing?"
Asterios asks in a gruff voice, but there is no way the deeply asleep middle-aged man can hear him. He has fallen into a deep, dreamless sleep.
"Mmmn..."
Jeremy's hand begins to slip from his grasp, and soon his panting breathing becomes muffled. As if he is about to cry.
The poor middle-aged man doesn't like sleeping alone. In fact, he can't fall asleep easily without the noise of people next to him. He has a memory, albeit a false one created by a vision, that as a young man he was the sole survivor of an air raid in which he lost all his companions. Since then, Jeremy Rogers has been plagued by insomnia.
It is one of those memories he keeps buried inside, unable to tell anyone. A harsh ordeal for a man who loves people. As a middle-aged man who had a rough youth, it's easy for him to be swept away by the perfect person who came into his life one day.
"...You're in trouble."
Asterios, unaware of the situation, looks down at the human who struggles against his grip but refuses to let go. He clucks his tongue. He could have shaken it off or twisted his form to escape, but he doesn't. Asterios just stands there, watching the tiny creature breathe evenly, held by hands smaller than his own.
Until the jackal's long ears flick once, loudly. It signals that a decision has been made. But instead of returning to his routine, the authority figure decides to stay by the side of the sleeping middle-aged man. Disrupting his hunched posture even further, he presses himself down next to the naked body. And then the inaudible breathing becomes much louder, much closer.
"..."
Asterios reaches out a long arm and wraps it around the man's back. The sleeping Jeremy Rogers offers no resistance. He is pulled toward him, snuggling into the monster's arms.
"Nngh..."
Feeling cold in the cool embrace, the human instinctively burrows into the other man. But the more he does, the more the cold seeps into his body and he gets stuck. Unaware that he is embracing a bloodless jackal, the middle-aged man pants and gasps for air in his arms as he falls asleep. He's a little cold, but he looks content to be in someone's arms.
"..."
Asterios watches the slightly upturned corners of the man's mouth, expressionless; he can't tell if it's the man's usual smile or if he's feeling some sort of satisfaction.
There is no heartbeat beneath the hot skin, no steady breathing, nothing Asterios can feel. He has shared a body with him twice before, but the feeling of silence is unfamiliar.
"Not bad."
The jackal follows the human's lead and closes his eyes. His body doesn't need sleep, but he realizes that if he wants to understand him, he has to imitate his behavior.