At Your Service

Chapter 25- Lesson

Warning: beginnings of smut

Ansel vaguely heard the door of his bedroom quietly open and close, as if the person entering was trying to be quiet. He peeled an eye open to see Carlisle, wearing no shoes or socks, his black trousers, and a white dress shirt entirely unbuttoned and without a tie, vest, or jacket, striding quickly towards the other side of the bedroom. They became more alert as they felt the bed dip next to them. The duvet was lifted for a moment, letting in the cold, before trapping the warmth again, now with another body adding to it. They waited for the demon to move closer, but he didn't. "Carlisle?" Ansel mumbled, his voice muffled a little by a pillow.

That was when the butler moved closer until he was lying on his side and had an ungloved hand between the witch's bare shoulder blades. Ansel shivered: for the first time, his hand was cold. "I didn't mean to wake you up," he whispered.

Ansel twisted his head around so he was facing the demon but didn't open their eyes. "Are you all right?"

"Can I be straight with you?"

Ansel cracked their eyes open to see Carlisle. What the witch first mistook as sadness in his expression, Ansel realized was fear. His eyes were wide and his eyebrows were scrunched together but not like they'd be in a scowl, and the witch could feel the demon's rapid heartbeat against their arm. "I don't know. Can you?" the sleepy witch teased. The plan worked: the demon's expression softened as he smiled and chuckled a little, knowing the witch had just made a sexuality joke. "You may."

The fear on his face returned, though not to the same extent. "I'm frightened."

Ansel frowned as they flipped onto their back, making sure the sheet and duvet stayed over their bare torso, at least up to their collarbones. The demon's hand now rested on the duvet over their stomach. "What's wrong?"

Carlisle's eyes shifted a little, as if searching for a valid response in front of him, anywhere in the room. "I will be leaving in a couple of hours to confront Ashley. I am just worried that this will cause more harm than good."

Ansel rested a hand on the side of the demon's face and watched as his head leaned into his touch, his eyes closing. "If you're afraid, you don't need to do this. I don't want you putting yourself at risk of him hurting you. He's an angel, after all. He can hurt you worse than any human or witch, even kill you."

When Carlisle's eyes opened, they were much darker. "I do not fear for myself. He wouldn't kill me at this juncture, even if he could. He wants me back too much." His shoulders slumped. "I fear for you; that's all."

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Ansel wondered, their fingers caressing the demon's cheek and jawline. Like a dog being scratched behind the ears, he closed his eyes with pleasure. Carlisle was silent for a few moments, contemplating if there was anything that could help him.

"If I could stay here with you until I leave, I would appreciate it immensely." His voice softened considerably.

Ansel smiled. "You can just... come in here whenever you'd like. My door and bed are always open. I don't mind. You always let me into yours, so..."

Carlisle grinned softly as he rolled onto his stomach, wrapped an arm around the witch's stomach over the duvet, and rested the side of his face on their shoulder, collarbone, and the top portion of their chest. He breathed in deeply and let it out on a sigh. To him, Heaven had nothing on the perfection of this moment, this experience. The smell, the texture, and the warmth of his master's skin was incomparable to anything else. This was the first time he ever felt a connection to any of his masters and, while he had past relationships, there was something far different, far deeper occurring here as their bodies rested together like they were meant to. "Your skin is divine." The hand on their stomach trailed up their sternum. He grinned to himself as he sensed the witch blushing as his fingers explored their jutting collarbones and the smooth skin stretching over them. He felt and listened to them scoff.