The Empty World | The Empty World Sequence [complete | rewriting]

"Twenty-six" (Draft 2)

The Bass was shaking the room. It wasn't set to any higher level than usual, it had just been mixed that way, pounding bass and lots of scratches. And when you were cocooned in bed while listening to it you understood it so much better. Your heart and fingers just needed to move with the music. Morpheus found himself scratching, and then biting even.

This wasn't quite drawing blood, but it was close. Morpheus lifted Julien's left wrist and kissed it. And suddenly Julien spoke. He had seemed to be on a trip somewhere before that, carried by the old music. "Oh, don't." And then he froze still. "No. Do it again."

Morpheus traced the scar with his tongue.

Julien raised his other hand and scratched lightly at the two wing-marks on Morpheus' back.

Morpheus wondered what had made Julien so suddenly tense. Rather slowly it dawned on him. And then the answer was as obvious as the sun in the sky. "The music makes you think about Athen."

"He used to bite at that damn scar all the time too," Julien said.

"I understand."

  "But you can do it now."

Morpheus crawled up to Julien's mouth and kissed him. He licked at Julien's fangs as he drew back.

"Oh, I love you!" Julien said. THe drew his heels up across the sheet and Morpheus felt Julien's thighs squeezing his hips. And then Julien lifted his feet slightly and moved one heel up Morpheus' calf, and then the other, and then down and back again.

The music was conducting their movements. Morpheus dipped his tongue into Julien's mouth and then felt Julien's fingernails rake his back.

Morpheus pulled himself away finally, wanting to say something.

"The sun's getting higher; I can feel it right through the sheets."

Morpheus put his fingers to Julien's lips as he moved up and lifted the covers away from his head. He couldn't see his Djinn but he could feel them loose in the room. The silver and blue drapes were swaying in the closed room, and Morpheus didn't think the music was quite that powerful. No one else was about, except for River on the foot of the bed, but River knew the names of the Djinn anyway. Morpheus called to them silently, "Evangelista, be a dear and close the drapes tight for us."

The invisible Djinn brought the halves of fabric together and the room went dimmer.

Morpheus ducked under the sheets again. Julien was sucking at his fingers. It did not feel bad. "Vivid Sadness could cover Madonna songs."

Julien made a small moan as Morpheus pulled his fingers away. One of them was bleeding slightly.

"Wait a sec," Morpheus said.

He ducked from under the covers again and called silently again to his Djinn. They sucked up the drops of blood from his finger hungrily. Morpheus pulled his hand back under the covers then. "Just wanted to look at it in the light," he said, knowing it wasn't time for Julien to know of his Djinn.

Julien reached up from under the sheets and grabbed the chain across Morpheus' cheek, and pulled. It hurt quite a bit, but then Julien kissed him and Morpheus forgave him. It wasn't as if Morpheus could be damaged, or Julien had set out to cause him pain. Pain was it's most interesting and poignant when it came accidentally, the consequence of something well meant.