30 - Aftercare (SfDragonThrow)
The black furred bat was gliding on his back through a sea of minty green. His red eyes were lazily staring up at nothing in particular, with an easy smile resting on his face. His mind was completely quiet, as were his surroundings.
Every so often, a sharp snap at his ear made his whole body writhe, his toes curl, and his throat blurt out a gasp of pleasure. If there was only one snap, the sensation would gradually fade, and he would forget it had even happened. But if the snaps continued, more shockwaves of pleasure blasted through him, each one more powerful than the last
Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap.
What were these feelings? The bat wasn't capable of understanding them or grappling with them. Whenever he tried, whenever a thought attempted to enter his head, a snap made that thought disintegrate and he was returned to the pure pleasure of mindlessness.
There was a voice, too. He couldn't understand what it was saying, not anymore. All he knew was that it felt nice, and made him feel tingly, and made him sink deeper into the green ocean. His body was doing something in response to the silky voice, but the commands themselves were a mystery to him. It was a mystery he had no desire to solve. He was content to float, to listen to the snaps and drift along, without a care, without a worry.
Sensation returned to his fingers and toes. He began to notice the cloth, and the cushions underneath him. His ears pricked, and he listened to the voice. It was familiar.
``...Five... your sphere of awareness widening...''
The voice was one he was familiar with.
``...Four... feeling your shoulders and hips shift as they wake up next...''
The green sea was fading.
``...Three... becoming aware of the room around you, of the bed, of your body resting on it...''
He was on a bed. Blake was at his ear, whispering and murmuring to him. That was their name, now he was remembering...
``...Two... almost wide awake, almost ready to return...''
...His own name was Samael. And he was waking from a long dream.
``...And one. Open your eyes, and take your time...''
Sam felt like a sack of bricks. Or maybe a sack of balloons. Was he heavy, or was he floaty? Or somehow both? Either way, the idea of moving seemed impossible. It took him a few seconds to even open his eyes, let alone lift his head. Blake was looking down at him. The green-furred collie's paws were gently running along the top of Sam's head, scratching between his ears. Sam managed a weak, dazed smile.
``You okay there, bud?'' Blake asked, their voice still gentle and soft like cotton.
``Yeah, just... ngh. Yeah.'' Sam managed a weak gasp. ``I think I forgot my name for a little while.''
``Oh, dang, really?'' Blake grinned widely. ``That worked?''
``Yeah... whoofh.'' Sam managed to lift his head, then his shoulders. He shuffled his butt back until he was sitting up at the head of the bed, at eye level with the dog. One of his arms wrapped around Blake's shoulders, partly to steady himself, and partly to pull them in for a kiss.
As their lips pressed, and came apart, and pressed in again, Blake could feel himself becoming grounded once again, like Blake's lips were a lighthouse guiding him back to the shore of consciousness. Their arms intertwined and squeezed, the dog and the bat sharing each other's warmth. The fog had mostly faded, but he could still feel faint wisps of it swirling in his mind. If he fell onto his back, he'd probably fall asleep again.
After a couple of kisses, Blake pulled back with a little giggle, scritching their fingers under Sam's chin.
``Do you want something to drink? Tea or coffee?''
``Uhh...'' Sam shook his head. He remembered what those things were, right? ``I think I'm still a little bit groggy, so uh...''
``Coffee. Gotcha. Back in a second.''
Sam sat upright and waited, taking some time to get reacquainted with the space around him. He recognized the posters on his wall, the way sunlight came in from the open curtains, his computer on the desk. Yes, that was his computer. This was his room. His mental map widened, the topography inside his mind widening out. He could feel himself in his room, in his house, in his hometown.
The dark dirty scent of coffee met his nostrils as Blake returned with a little glass mug on a saucer.
``Hope you don't mind that I used the nice cups!'' they said with a smile.
``Oh, no, no problem.'' Sam took the coffee and took a gracious sip as Blake nestled back in against him, wrapping their arms in a reassuring cuddle.
``How's your head doing?'' Blake asked.
``I'm okay, yeah...'' Sam rested his head on top of Blake's after taking his first sip. The bitter taste was helping. ``I'm just still a little groggy, that's all.''
``What do you remember?''
``Well... I remember not being able to think at all,'' Sam murmured. ``I was floating... and I could hear your voice, but I couldn't understand what you were saying.''
``Really? Because you were following my suggestions really well.''
``Yeah, it's like... I couldn't understand them, but my brain could.''
``Awww, cute~'' Blake giggled, giving Sam a tighter squeeze. ``Gosh. And you're feeling alright now?''
``Yeah... I'll get there, but, ngh.'' Sam grunted. It felt like he was getting on a bike after a long break. He knew how to think, but his consciousness still felt wobbly.
``Mm.'' Blake didn't say anything else, just burying their nose in the nape of Sam's neck. ``I'm here to keep you anchored until you stop floating.''
``Thanks.'' Sam sighed, and took another sip. For a time, they just sat and cuddled quietly, until the bat's cup was empty. Blake took it off him and placed it on the bedside table.
``Do you wanna watch something?'' Blake asked. ``I don't have to go for an hour or so.''
``Sounds good to me,'' Sam said.
``Will we go to the living room?''
``In a bit.''
The cuddling continued, silently. Neither of them seemed to have the desire to move. Sam tried to keep his eyes from closing for too long. The soft sound of Blake's breath wasn't helping. He could feel himself starting to get hypnotized all over again. Just when he felt like he was going to fall asleep, he shifted, and the dog shifted with him.
``A'right. Let's go.''
Sam found it hard to walk, for some reason. His feet had trouble clearing the floor, as though he was re-learning how to walk. As soon as they were on Sam's couch, the pair re-assumed their cuddling position. Sam switched on the TV, and was immediately greeted with a curling spiral of green.
``Oh, whoops, I for....'' Sam didn't hear the rest of what Blake said, as it faded into the green, and his mind was pulled in, and his whole body started to -
``And wide awake!''
Sam shook his head. No time had passed, but the spiral was gone, replaced with a menu of TV shows and films.
``Sorry about that.'' Blake gave Sam a little kiss on the neck.
``It's cool. Damn, I forgot we started here in the living room....''
``Yeah, I made you sleepwalk to your room.''
``No wonder my legs feel so weird and noodly.'' Sam laughed.
``You went deep.'' Blake giggled. ``It was really cute.''
``Yeah... I guess it was.''
Sam looked down to Blake. Their eye contact didn't last long before they shared another brief kiss. A little cap-stone to their play session. Now it was time to return to a more `normal' hang-out while Sam continued to gradually return to reality from his vulnerable state. Though Blake was not going to leave Sam's winged grasp any time soon. As long as they cuddled, this moment - this pleasant moment - would not end. Neither of them were ready for that just yet..
