Chapter Text
It was a warm summer evening after they had left Nevivon, and a low, rasping groan that sounded like a man crawling from the grave echoed throughout the ship.
"Jules. Juuuuules."
Julian sighed and made his way back to their shared quarters, a flicker of worry in the back of his mind. Arsenic had said they'd been meaning to give the former Count a talk when they had boarded the ship, something to do with how he acted at the reception.
He wasn't entirely sure what he'd find there.
" Juuuuules ."
"What is it, Lucio? I was--"
He stopped at the threshold, finding no evidence of onyx horns and wild mane up where he expected to see them. "Lucio??"
"Down here, Jules." Lucio's voice grumbled. "Don't laugh."
Julian dutifully cast his gaze downwards, a surprised chuckle escaping him before he could stop it.
His husband was lying face down on the floor, both goatlike legs awkwardly hiked above him as if he was scared to let them rest on the ground, elongated onyx feet ending in some kind of fabric covering instead of hooves.
Booties. He was wearing hoof booties.
"I said don't laugh!" He whined.
"I'm sorry, I just couldn't help it." Julian shook his head, trying not to smile. "I take it Arsenic did this to you?"
" Apparently they damage wood floors." Lucio sniffed. "And apparently I danced too hard and got them in trouble with the venue, cause apparently there's a no animals allowed policy, and they wanted to know why you were running a bunch of livestock through the building."
He knelt down next to him, unable to repress his mirth at the thought of this confused clerk thinking they had brought an entire herd of goats to a wedding. "You had a lot of fun, then?"
" I'm not livestock!! "
This was accentuated with a frustrated noise he wasn't going to tell him sounded a bit livestock-like, kicking both legs and banging one into the side of the bed.
"Ow."
"Surely these don't prevent you from walking?" He rested a hand on the nearest bootie, genuinely curious. "Have you tried?"
"Why d'you think I'm down here?"
".. dramatics?"
In another life, that scowl probably meant something or someone was about to be set on fire. This time it was accompanied with an annoyed twitch of his tail, something that was more endearing than threatening in his opinion.
"I don't like it. It feels weird." Lucio huffed.
"Did you want me to help you up?" He didn't bother asking if he should remove them without Arsenic's permission, and he knew Lucio wouldn't either.
"... carry me."
"That's not going to help you learn to walk in them."
His lips pursed into a cute little pout. "Carry me anyway. Please."
Julian gave a dramatic gasp and staggered back, clutching his heart. "Oh, no, not please . My only weakness. You truly are a wicked creature."
The tail was wagging now, despite the sour expression. He hoped he never figured out how to stop himself from doing that, it melted his heart every time. Made him miss ol' Brundle a bit, God rest her soul.
He gently slid his hands under his chest and his legs, fully aware this was a privilege all his own, just as gently and carefully rolling him onto his back so that he was holding him bridal style as he began to stand up. Immediately Lucio's hands were gripping his shoulders, his face turning a similar shade to his demonic sclera, as if he hadn't expected him to actually do it.
"Where do you want me to take you, my love?" He may have said it this way to deepen that beautiful blush.
"The um-- the food place. For food. I'm hungry."
"The galley?"
"Yeah, that."
Before he could start moving, his husband leaned up to capture his lips in a deep and hungry kiss, as if compelled by the closeness. He shivered as he felt the scrape of fangs at his lower lip, tugging on it, golden claws in his scalp all over again. He felt a sort of weakness in his legs, knees beginning to tremble beneath him, the weight in his arms so much more noticeable.
It wasn't the weight causing it, though, he knew that for a fact.
As Lucio drew back, he decided to lean into that weakness with an exaggerated stumble backwards, startling his captive.
"Oh, no, the booties.." Julian groaned, gradually, dramatically leaning back as though he was being crushed by his weight. "They're weighing us down.. I don't think I can make it.. save yourself.."
"Jules--?!"
He collapsed bonelessly onto the bed, keeping hold of Lucio on the way down, ending up in a pile of limbs and raucous, stupid laughter. He felt a half hearted attempt at a shove, but the bed was shaking with laughter and his tail thumping against the sheets.
"You're awful. I hate you." Lucio sighed fondly. "I guess this means I have to eat you instead."
"Kinky."
The older man snorted and shifted so that he was lying more fully on top of him, straddling his waist, lips to lips, hips to hips, and now he was the one that resembled the ruby setting in his husband's ring.
His voice dropped into a deep purr against his ear, shuddering at the click of sharp teeth near his skin. "I'm just so hungry , Jules. I don't know if I can control myself."
"Leave some for Arsenic, at least." Julian managed breathlessly.
"Mm, I'll think about it. They did betray me. Traitors don't get treats."
Another kiss, obviously reluctant to come back up.
“This really isn’t helping you learn to walk on them, you know,” He sighed, letting his fingers lightly brush along the fur of his hocks, eliciting a shudder of his own. “You can’t make me carry you forever.”
Lucio’s nose wrinkled in disgust. “I can’t believe you’re betraying me too. While I’ve got you right where I want you. Where did I go wrong, Jules?”
“I’d say about the seventh glass of wine.”
He sat up, lazily resting a hand against his back to keep him in his lap, a soft, apologetic smile on his lips as he caught sight of his face. “Come on, I’ll help you.”
“You’re lucky you’re cute.”
“Think of it this way: if you get good enough at it, you can bang me against the wall as mercilessly as you want without scuffing the floors.”
Almost instantly Lucio was out of his lap and shakily standing on his hooves, booties and all, his face once again bright red. Julian laughed and shook his head as he got up to join him, offering him a hand, which he took without hesitation.
“For now - if you make it to the door without falling, I’ll carry you to the galley. Deal?”
He was shifting uncomfortably on his hooves, alternatively picking up one and then the other and back again. “.. deal.”
A slight pause.
“What if I do fall? Do I only get to eat shit??”
“I’ll go get you some food, but you’re not guaranteed to like what I pick.” Julian chuckled. “In fact, I may pick something you don’t like on purpose, in case you decide to fall on purpose.”
That was definitely the look of someone who had been planning to fall on purpose.
“What, you don’t trust your own husband?? I’m hurt.” He sniffed, and then stared off into the distance as if struck by some big epiphany, ire easily forgotten. “... I’m your husband . We’re married . I’m still not used to that.”
“Given our history, I don't think we’ll ever get used to that. But focus , husband.”
He felt a shudder run through the hand in his grip. “Lead the way, husband.”
Julian very slowly put one foot out, and then the other, gently tugging his hand. He glanced back in time to see Lucio hiking one leg up as high as possible, placing it gingerly on the floor before raising the other just as high and then wide behind him, shaking his foot as if to dislodge the bootie and nearly falling on his face for his trouble.
“They’re not coming off,” He struggled to stifle his laughter at this ridiculous display, a battle he easily lost when it was time for the other bootie to get the same treatment. “I can see why you were on the floor.”
“Don’t laugh at me! This is awful!”
“Maybe it would be less awful if you walked normally. Pretend they’re not even there.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” Step, step, shake. Step, step, shake.
“How is this any different from wearing shoes?? You’ve worn shoes for years. Heels, even.”
He was gradually moving more normally, except for the shaking.
“It’s just different , okay? It keeps pulling my fur, rubbing it the wrong way. Awful. I hate it.”
By the time they made it to the doorway, he’d nearly stopped shaking his feet as well, though the moment one bootie crossed the threshold he immediately sank against Julian’s side in relief, gazing up at him expectantly.
“Do you think you can make it down the hall?”
Lucio scowled. “We had a deal.”
“But you’re doing so good!”
“ We had a deal. ”
He briefly wondered if this strict adherence to completing deals was inherited from the Devil, given his previous tendency to skip out on them. There probably wasn’t a good way to ask about it that wouldn't piss him off in some way.
Julian sighed, but he was smiling as he gently curled one arm around him, the other sliding up under his knees, lifting him into another, more stable bridal carry. He could feel his body relaxing in his grip, as if he belonged there.
His husband nestled his face into his neck with a soft sigh as he began to move, tail wrapping around his arm like a small fuzzy hug. “I love you. Did you know that?”
“I think I’m becoming accustomed to it.” He chuckled. “Did you know I love you ?”
“Yeah. I think about that a lot. About all of this. Still waiting to wake up in the realms ‘cause this has to be some kind of dream too good to be true.”
A slight pause, twitching one be-bootied hoof.
".. certain stuff not included."
He frowned and pressed a gentle kiss to his horns. “I can’t wait for the day that feeling fades. You’re home now. I promise, you’re home.”
“I am home.” Lucio murmured against his neck. “You’re here.”