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"Hey Bad, can I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead, Skeppy."
"Can I… touch you?"
Bad placed down the book he was reading to glance over at his friend, who was currently fiddling with the small diamonds freckled along his arms. When the gemfolk made eye contact with the white of the demon's eyes, Skeppy immediately looked away as his face reddened.
Bad had never seen Skeppy so flustered. Yes, the smaller male was always forward and often stated freely what was on his mind. And yes, Skeppy was often not flustered by his bluntness but more so proud as to how it often got on Bad's nerves, leading to their small and playful quarrels. But this question did not urk Bad or make him snap back at Skeppy for not minding his manners.
No. In fact, this only made Bad tilt his head as he studied his roommate's face from the opposite side of the couch, asking in confusion, "What do you mean, Skeppy?"
"Like… just your face-" The other male was quick to bring up his hands and wave them, dismissing the conversation entirely, "No, no! You know what, it was stupid. Forget what I said-"
Skeppy was quick to stop his muttering, eyes widening while he watched as Bad scooted closer to Skeppy until they were sitting directly next to one another, leaning down so that their faces were inches apart. Skeppy studied the white void of Bad's eyes, which reflected a similar feeling of curiosity and slight nervousness.
But most importantly… trust.
The diamond boy watched as Bad slowly closed his eyes, before lowering his head in respect towards Skeppy so he had free range to do as he pleased. Skeppy blinked, mouth dropping in amazement that Bad was actually okay with this.
Bad and Skeppy were still fairly new around one another ever since Skeppy brought Bad back from the nether, tethering their souls so that Bad could roam freely at will and explore the overworld of beauty and color. It made Skeppy happy, but Skeppy was curious by nature. And ever since Bad moved in, his itching feeling to explore Bad's more demon appearances only fueled.
After all, it was only once you met a nine foot tall, muffin loving, purely innocent demon from hell.
Let alone live with one.
Skeppy held his breath, looking at how vulnerable Bad was before him. Bad was showing Skeppy how much he really trusted him right now, and Skeppy felt his heart stutter in his chest. Skeppy wanted to one day show how much he trusted Bad, too.
Reaching his hands up shakily, Skeppy grabbed at the hem of Bad's hood that shadowed most of the demon's face other than the five inch horns that stubbornly poked out from below. Skeppy lightly threw the hood behind Bad's face, in which Skeppy noticed how Bad's shoulders seemed to tense at the motion.
"Bad," Skeppy whispered gently, bringing his hands to Bad's chest and looking up at his friend's face.
Bad slowly opened one eye, before the other followed as he stared down into the chocolate brown of Skeppy's own.
"We don't have to do this if you don't want to, Bad," Skeppy stated with such generosity, and Bad smiled warmly down at his diamond friend.
The demon grabbed at the hands that rested on his chest, holding them before him with such caution, as if scared he would break them, as he brought his forehead down to nuzzle lightly along Skeppy's own, "No, it's okay. I want to. I am just a little nervous."
Skeppy smiled and closed his eyes, a common action he recognized from Bad. The first time Bad had attempted the action was back when Skeppy would visit him in the nether, and the diamond male regretted pulling back. He regretted it the second Skeppy saw the look of hurt on Bad’s face. To Bad, nuzzling a loved one was an instinct. A genuine term of endearment that Skeppy, at the time, didn't understand.
But now, sometimes even Skeppy is the one who leans in for a nuzzle first, as he slightly rubbed his own forehead into the others, taking notice of where the ridges of Bad's horns started and stopped across his own scalp, "Don't be, I'll be careful."
"I know," Bad chirped, taking his head away to give Skeppy another loving smile, in which Skeppy felt his heart churn once again.
Actually taking a look at Bad now, he could see that the demon looked different without the hood. His hair wasn't as wild as the locks that stood out from under the hood, but much more tamed and slightly long, ending just past his ears.
His ears.
Skeppy slid his hand from Bad's to reach up and cup at the small tips that protruded from Bad's raven black hair. Bad's ears were about the same proportion of a human's, except that they were pointed near the ends in which Skeppy gently traced his thumb over. In response, Bad closed his eyes once more in content as he finally relaxed completely, which Skeppy was elated about.
Moving on, Skeppy traced his finger's from Bad's ears to the top of his head, thumbing at where the skin became horn. It must've felt good, because Bad seemed to lean into the touch as he let out a small hum. Skeppy's grin widened as he continued to message at those specific areas. In response, Bad smiled in bliss as his fangs poked out from below his top lip, his spaded tail beginning to wag from behind him.
Skeppy chuckled, watching as Bad let out another sound similar to a hum. As the gemfolk continued to itch at the area, Skeppy realized his friend was purring, and that was Skeppy's last breaking point as his heart melted.
Skeppy continued to explore, tracing his hands up the horns and feeling at how rough the texture was, similar to bone. Skeppy trailed further up, running a finger over the tips and making a mental note towards how pointy they were. He was too distracted to notice how Bad stopped purring, pulled out of his trance. Or to notice as clawed hands rushed up to grab at Skeppy’s, making the other jump in surprise as his hands were gingerly led to be held between their bodies.
Bad straightened upon seeing Skeppy jump, shifting his weight as the spaded tail slid off the couch to curl around where Bad’s taloned feet were resting on the floor, “S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. It's just, my horns are sharp and-" Bad let out a sigh of defeat, shoulders sinking as he glanced away, "I just didn’t want to hurt you.”
Skeppy’s eyes widened, staring with such intent into Bad’s own sad ones, “You did not scare me. Nor would you ever hurt me.”
“But-”
“I jumped because I was deep in thought, that's all. I was careful while touching your horns.”
Bad studied Skeppy’s face, as if searching for an answer, “You’re not scared?”
The gemfolk smiled, “Of course not, Bad.”
“Even though I look scary?”
Skeppy let out a laugh, “While I pet you, I just heard you purr and watched you wag your tail, how is that scary?”
Bad let go of Skeppy’s hands to turn away in embarrassment, bringing his claws to cup over his mouth as if it would be able to cease the inhuman noises he could make. This only fueled Skeppy’s laughter upon seeing Bad so flustered, reaching up to ruffle at the demon’s hair, “It’s okay, I thought is was cute.”
“Oh my goodness…” Bad squeaked, only curling more into himself as he brought his hood up to cover his face.
“Aw, come on,” Skeppy wrapped an arm around Bad to nuzzle into the demon’s side, feeling how Bad seemed to relax upon the action. “We’re living together now, you are bound to eventually find an embarrassing fact to tease me about.”
“That does ease my mind,” Bad hummed with a teasing tone, smirking down at his friend.
Skeppy’s smile only widened, raising an eyebrow as he grabbed Bad’s clawed hands, leading the demon so that he was facing Skeppy once more. The diamond boy glanced over as Bad’s tail slightly swayed in anticipation, seeing as Skeppy still wanted to explore. Skeppy averted his attention back to his hands, holding them flat against Bad’s own as he compared sizes.
Skeppy glanced up at the demon, who still appeared shy as he quickly looked away. Nonetheless, Bad held his own hands flat against Skeppy's as their fingers aligned, and the diamond boy looked down once more. It was no surprise that Bad’s hands were bigger, his clawed fingers at least extending four inches above his own.
Moving on, Skeppy grabbed at one of Bad’s hands to rest on his lap facing palm up, moving his fingers to feel the charcoal black palm. After living in the nether for so long, Bad’s hands had grown rough in adaptation to the heat and clawing at rock for survival. Bad slightly shivered at the contact, watching eagerly as Skeppy continued to trail his fingers along Bad’s.
Yet as Skeppy grew too close to the sharp points of Bad’s claws, it was no surprise to Skeppy upon watching Bad’s hand twitch as he attempted to pull away. But Skeppy had anticipated this, and squeezed Bad’s hand so that the demon could not escape.
Skeppy immediately looked up at Bad, taking notice of the worry plastered on the demon’s face, as he kept eye contact, “You are not going to hurt me.”
Bad explored Skeppy’s face, keeping completely still as if one small action were to break his friend like glass. Upon seeing Bad’s mind unchanged, Skeppy scooted closer to his friend and intertwined their fingers, holding up their locked hands for Bad to observe.
“See?” Skeppy offered a warm smile, in which Bad’s breath hitched and his shoulder’s tensed. Yet his tail betrayed his hidden true emotions as it lifted and began to wag happily from behind him. Holding hands appeared to be something Bad enjoyed.
Skeppy giggled, and it wasn’t long before Bad joined in on such a pure sound. The gemfolk leaned into the warmth of the demon, lowering their hands once more so they rested on his lap again. Skeppy could feel as Bad’s cheek rested against the top of his head, staring down at their intertwined fingers.
“Thank you, Skeppy,” Bad chirped calmly, wrapping his tail around Skeppy and the smaller being let out a small chuckle.
“For what?”
“For making me feel loved.”
Skeppy’s heart jumped as his eyes widened, squeezing Bad’s hand, “You mean everything to me, Bad. I had nothing before I had you.”
It was Bad’s turn to chuckle, “I should be saying the same thing about you.”
Skeppy hummed, pausing for a moment before speaking once more, “You don’t have to be scared of who you are, Bad.”
The diamond male felt as Bad tensed slightly, his tail only wrapping further around Skeppy as if he was scared to let go.
When the silence grew too heavy, Skeppy averted his attention to the spaded tail tip resting on his lap along with their intertwined hands. Skeppy brought his free hand up to feel at the flat spade, taking notice of how Bad almost instantly relaxed as his eyes grew heavy and closed. Skeppy had to hold back laughter. Even though Bad was a demon, it was funny how upon his exploration Bad only reminded Skeppy more of a dog or a cat.
Skeppy continued to rub at the tail, which occasionally twitched or shifted in his lap, “Does that feel good, too?”
“Mhm,” Bad hummed, letting out a small sigh as he shifted his head to rest more comfortably on top of Skeppy’s head.
“...What does it feel like?”
“Like little tingles up my back,” Bad muttered happily, yet his voice sounded tired and raspy in his contentment. “But warm and relaxing.”
“Is it weird having a tail?”
“Mmm, dunno,” Bad exhaled, and when he did Skeppy felt the strands of his hair move with the breath. “Never lived without one to tell.”
“What’s it like having one?” Skeppy wrapped his hand lightly around the extra appendage as he thumbed at the spaded tip, leaning back to rest against the back of the couch as Bad followed, their positions remaining the same.
“Well, it mainly helps me balance, I've noticed. It’s honestly rough being tall. Easier to knock down or lose balance,” this made Skeppy chuckle, in which Bad smiled and let out his own small giggle. “But a lot of the time it annoyingly gets in the way.”
Skeppy hummed in acknowledgement, before moving onto the next question, “Do you know that you wag it?”
“No,” Bad said matter-of-factly, in which the tail thumped once against Skeppy’s thigh, taking his hand with the movement. “Well, it’s like breathing. I feel it but I am not consciously aware unless muffin heads point it out,” Bad added teasingly, in which Skeppy playfully squeezed the tail causing Bad to shoot open his eyes and jump.
“Sorry!” Skeppy immediately loosened the tail, looking up at Bad apologetically. He hadn’t been expecting that reaction from Bad upon squeezing it. Yet, Skeppy’s face faded into a smirk as he began to soothingly rub along the tip once more with his thumb, “But you had it coming.”
Bad let out a small growl, glaring teasingly down at the diamond boy before resting his head on top of the other’s once more, “It’s also extremely sensitive. It’s a demon’s vulnerability. If you got on another demon’s nerve, they would go for the tail.”
Skeppy’s heart ached as he asked his next question with slight fear of the answer, “Did demons go for your tail?”
The room went silent, and Skeppy almost regretted asking as he stopped rubbing the tail, about to apologize for being insensitive before Bad finally answered.
“Yes. I’m big compared to you, but to them I was small and meek. I didn’t fit in.”
“They don’t even know what they are missing.”
“I’m glad I never fit in. I left the murder because I never want to be like them,” Bad said this with such determination it surprised Skeppy how deep and serious his voice sounded.
“Well, you most definitely achieved that. When I first saw you I was scared for my life, but the way you reflected my same fear is what stopped me from running. Now I know you wouldn’t hurt a fly,” Skeppy paused in thought. “Yeah, you’re weird.”
Bad let out a heart-felt laugh, leaning closer into Skeppy as if craving the contact. It wasn’t until then that Skeppy realized that the demon had probably never felt physical love before, “Gee, thanks ‘Geppy. Although, no one has ever touched my tail like you do. I never knew how good it felt.”
Skeppy grinned, proceeding to rub at the tail, this time trailing his fingers along the length before rubbing back at the spade and repeating the actions. He felt the way Bad melted into him once more, and it made him feel his own tingling warmth from inside, “I like your tail.”
“I can tell.”
“It’s good at showing me your emotions.”
Bad paused, “Should I be worried about that?”
“No,” Skeppy hummed, trailing his fingers down the tail once again. “I like knowing when you are happy.”
Although Bad didn’t speak, a small thumping noise echoed through the room as Bad’s tail began to repeatedly lift and fall back onto Skeppy’s lap.
Skeppy giggled, “You’re wagging your tail again.”
The diamond boy could feel the small vibrations on the top of his head where Bad’s own rested as the demon let out a small growl, earning another laugh from Skeppy as he did his best to do his own growl in return.
Bad let out a high pitched chuckle, “Stop, it just sounds weird when you do it.”
“Grrr.”
“Alright, now you’re just mocking me,” Bad retaliated, his tail swishing in annoyance.
Skeppy hummed, squeezing the hand that was still holding Bad’s own, “Thanks for humoring me, Bad.”
Bad let out a soft hum, “Feels nice.”
Skeppy smiled, “Well then, I guess we’ll just have to do this more often.”
“I’d like that,” Bad chirped, still sounding calm and tired. “Although, next time can I touch your diamonds? You’re very pretty.”
Skeppy blushed at the statement. Usually when others called Skeppy pretty it made the gemfolk feel weird, almost like an object. But it was different when Bad said it.
The diamond boy cleared his throat as he curled more into Bad and started to pet the tail on his lap again, “Sure, Bad. You can do that.”
Bad smiled, now looking forward to his own curious needs being met, but for now he wanted to live this. To feel how gentle and unafraid Skeppy was of him as he finally let sleep consume them, as they both drifted off into dreamland with their hands held together and their souls as one.