A Shark Boy and A Bunny Girl

Cetus was a little surprised by the job he was on. There was no killing, no bloodshed, no torture, nothing he was accustom to. In fact, he was getting married for the day in order to deal with this job. It was the strangest thing he had ever done. Yet, for the twirling bunny woman in front of him, Cetus went along with it almost gladly. There was something about this woman that stirred flickers of emotion inside him. Passion, happiness, empathy. He'd felt a lot in the short while they'd been together. And he wanted to feel more. Lots more.

Bunny asked him a simple question. Cetus took a moment to think about his answer. Was he ready to do this job? Maybe. He wasn't sure how to get ready for this kind of job. However, when he was about to answer, his partner stopped and asked another. His mouth snapped shut. That was a difficult topic to breach, and an even harder one for him to discuss. The assassin rubbed his forehead trying to think of how to answer that. Where to begin with the strangeness that was his family?

A small flicker of something warm filled his chest as Bunny asked yet another question. Laughing softly, Cetus enveloped the woman in his arms. His lips found their way to hers. "I found a good way to quiet you, darling. Seems the only way I'll be able to get a word in." He left a lingering kiss upon her lips. "In order of your questions: I'm not sure, you make me feel alive and I wanted to explore that, and lastly... yes. I do like you." Cetus was a little surprised by his final answer. It hadn't been until he said the words that he realized how true they were. Ironically that was how it usually worked in his case. His heart simply didn't feel as easily as others.

"In fact, Bunny..." Cetus gave her a sly look. "I'd rather like to consummate our marriage of a day. I'm told sex is better when you like the person. Even more so when you're married to them." The assassin wrapped an arm around Bunny's waist. His eyes looked deep into hers. "There is something you should know, darling. Something I've never told anyone." Cetus liked to be honest with people. It was pointless lying or beating around the bush. Eolas had always told him truth was important in a relationship too. If he was going to be marrying this woman, he wanted her to go into it eyes wide open. "My emotions were ripped from my heart by a cult. I struggle to feel anything other than anger and blood lust. Those I feel a little too readily. I don't want you to go into this thinking something false. I do like you. I just don't know if its more than that. Or if I can even feel more than that." Cetus looked away. It suddenly hurt to look into Bunny's eyes. "Though with you, I feel... flickers. Little bits of emotion I've never felt before. So if you can marry a broken man...in the hopes that you might fix him...here I am."

WC: 573

Cetus smiled at Bunny's promise. Now he had someone to do little experiments with. That lifted his mood up quite a bit. He didn't have to worry about accidentally finding the wrong trigger for emotions. Nor did he have to worry about losing a trigger for emotions. Thought worry wasn't the right word. His emotions weren't that advanced. Perhaps concern was a better word? The shark man gently ran a finger down Bunny's cheek. "You might regret that promise, darling. I might want to 'feel' quite a bit and I don't know where to stop or if I need to. You'll have to be ready, and willing, to tell me to stop" Better she went into this with wide open eyes, than with a false sense of hope. His grasp of emotions was very fragile. His knowledge of emotions was nearly nil. There was little to guide him on this path other than the partner he chose to walk it with him.

The assassin listened carefully to Bunny's tail. His hands tightened on her arms as she faltered. Seeing her looking down, Cetus growled low in his throat. It was easy to guess what had happened on those jobs. Her father was a real monster. When she looked back up, the cold-hearted assassin bent down to kiss her. "I'd ask you your real name, but I have nothing to give in return. I have only names given to me by those in the cult. Not any family of mine. Certainly not by my parents. If you do not like your nickname, I shall give you another." He rubbed his chin trying to think of a good one. One hand laid upon Bunny's waist. It was curled possessively like that of a jealous boyfriend. "Honey bunny... Sex kitten... Bed bug... Is thot meant to be affectionate or derogatory? I can never tell since people keep giving me different answers... How does 'My little G-string' sound? Or would you prefer a more cutesy name like Angel?" Cetus was clearly giving this a lot of thought.

The assassin realized they should probably get along with the job. They still needed to pick up the chocolate and get temporarily married for the day. Hearing Bunny declare she'd be happy to consummate the marriage sent another warm feeling through his chest. Cetus gently kissed the woman. "We'd better get this job started then. You've given me a rather hard problem now." The assassin picked Bunny up. Holding her close, he hurried toward the start point of the job. He wanted to see what that feeling was like. Wanted to see if it was really as amazing as everyone continually told him it was.

Arriving at the chocolate warehouse, Cetus set Bunny back on the ground. "Do I need to give you a hickey? I'm told it's a sign of possession that's important. Perhaps you'd like to give one to me as well? I don't want anyone thinking they can poach you from me or vice versa. Not today anyways" He murmured as the job giver walked out with a cart of chocolates. The ceremony to marry them was little more than the wave of a wand. A pink band appeared around Cetus' ring finger. He looked at it curiously. That was an interesting little spell. Rather strange that a warehouse manager had it though. Cetus looked at Bunny then the warehouse manager who was already walking away shouting orders. "Do we need to kiss to seal the spell? Or does this psuedo marraige not require that?"

WC: 631
Total: 1,204

Cetus blinked at Bunny opening up to him. A little spark of warmth flared up in his chest. It was a strange feeling he couldn't make sense of. Why did this little secret give him this flicker? It was only a name. Still, the assassin spread his hand wide over the small of Bunny... no, Astrid's back. "Thank you, Astrid." He whispered in her ear. His fingers worked the muscles in her back. Years of anatomy knowledge came in handy for loosening muscles. Cetus wondered what other knowledge he might be able to use to bring that thing people called happiness. Or was that pleasure? He wasn't sure about the details.

The assassin managed a small laugh at Astrid's request for a hickey. He wasn't sure what prompted her odd reactions. "As you wish" How did one give a hickey gently though? Cetus wasn't sure. After her kiss, the shark man nuzzled her neck. His lips gently suckled the skin there. His arms tightened around Astrid's waist as something hot lit within his stomach. He loved the taste of her. Loved the feel of her skin. She was his, just for a day but that was enough. Her chattering in his ear relaxed him. Cetus had never felt so many things at once. It was breathtaking.

When the assassin pulled away, Astrid's neck was bright red. Cetus frowned at the mark, unsure if he'd hurt her with his fervor. Her voice drew him away from his thoughts. "Darling, I don't need a name but if you want to give me one, that name will be yours alone. No one else shall use it." Cetus smiled slightly at her giggling. It was a cute sound. "Would you mind climbing on the cart and looking pretty, my dear? I can push it to the store but I'd rather have something ravishing to look at." The assassin wondered for a moment how she might take that. Deam's guests always took certain comments to mean they needed to lose clothing. Was Astrid like that? He wasn't sure if he'd enjoy it or not. It might be worth that strange flicker emotions always gave him.

Cetus walked over to the cart. Whether or not Astrid jumped on it, he began pushing it toward the edge of town. The client had warned them of potential issues. Theives and haters of the holiday to be precise. He kept an eye out for them. The assassin found that strangely his eye was drawn toward Astrid again and again. His lack of explanation for the phenomena made him wonder if it was another emotional thing. One that he'd never come across before. "Tell me, darling, how do you plan to seduce me into bed later? We'll consummate this marriage yes but how do you plan to do it? I'm curious." A small shadow caught Cetus' eye. He kept watch on it as he continued talking. "I've seen women lure men into bed since I was little. I'd like to know how you plan to get me there. Unless of course, you're a deviant who likes using other surfaces besides the bed. Or you like it all over the place including the bed. You'd have to tell me." There was no change in inflection in Cetus' voice as he spoke. He was completely serious without a hint of teasing about him.

WC: 602
Total: 1,806

Cetus frowned trying to figure out how Astrid's plan was supposed to work. Or if it even could work. Would simply drinking wine and having her on his lap tease out the emotions he desperately wanted? How to tell her though? Deam had schooled Cetus in how mad a woman could get if you told her she was wrong. His head began to hurt from thinking hard on how to say it politely. "I'm...not sure that'll get me frustrated, Bunny." He admitted finally with a shrug. If she got angry so be it. "It's simply not that easy for me to get aroused. While you are very attractive, I don't look at women the same way other men might." He tried smiling sheepishly. Maybe she'd take it better if she thought he was embarrassed by his lack of emotion.

The shadow he'd been watching got closer as Astrid began rattling off names. He smiled at some of them, shook his head at others. Cullen... he'd known a vampire by that name once. Sparkly bastard had made him feel very uncomfortable. Astrid's teasing did bring another flicker of emotion. Amusement was probably the best way to describe it. As he easily caught the chocolate, the shadow darted out. The assassin easily caught the hand reaching for one of the boxes of chocolate. "You best not be doing that." He chided the man. For good measure he also broke a pinky on each of the thief's hands. That would keep him from stealing anything for a while. Cetus left the would be thief screaming in the alley while he continued to push the cart forward.

The moment the cart cleared the alleyway, some crazy woman attacked them. Cetus scowled dodging the first knife. The woman was screaming about how awful valentine's day was. The assassin rolled his eyes. It was easy for him to dodge the wild strikes of this idiot. Clearly she hadn't been trained. It was unfortunate he couldn't simply kill her right here on the street. The world would be a better place. He glanced over at Bunny. This crazy avoidance dance was taking him round and round the cart. "You think you could give me a hand?" He asked, a knife finally scoring a hit. The cut was shallow but rivulets of blood ran down his arm.

WC: 415
Total: 2,221

Cetus smiled at Bunny after she sent the crazy woman to sleep. That seemed like the appropriate response here. "That's fine, love. We'll just leave her here and continue on." He looked the woman over. Unwilling to leave her armed, he bent over to take her weapons. His body immediately flashed cold then hot before returning to normal. Cetus staggered at the unexpected reaction. He froze long enough for Astrid to place her bow upon his wound. "Seems like her blades were poisoned... but I'm not sure with what. It didn't really effect me." Cetus mentioned before he collected the broken heart blades. He licked the end of one. The sharp tang confirmed the presence of poison. Strange.

Tucking the blades away, Cetus double checked the woman. She had a few more of the blades which he stowed away on his person. Then he picked Bunny up and placed her on the cart. "I'm fine, don't worry. Let's just deliver this chocolate so we can get to the fun part of the evening." He said in response to her worrying. The cart was pushed rapidly down the street. Cetus didn't want to risk another attack or thief. There simply wasn't much time. The sun was heading toward its zenith. The slowly increasing heat would easily melt the chocolates. Then they wouldn't get paid at all.

Cetus skidded to a stop in front of the store. Reaching into the cart, he lifted Bunny free. There was only a slight twinge from his arm. After figuring things out with the store owner, Cetus handed Astrid the payment for the job. His arms wrapped around her, seeking that ever illusive flicker of emotion. "What do you say to heading to a hotel now? We can consummate the marriage a few times. Have you try a couple different ways to seduce me." He smiled slowly, a shiver of anticipation sliding through him. There was a chance he would get to feel something tonight. Something amazing that he had never been able to feel before. All because of this amazing woman. Cetus gently pressed his lips against Astrid's cheek. "I'm looking forward to whatever is to come."

WC: 389
Total: 2,610

Cetus woke up slowly. He stretched like a cat, basking in the feeling of satisfaction. Astrid had indeed been able to awaken emotion the night before. He'd never truly understood the meaning of carnal until they'd made love. Or would it simply be sex since he wasn't sure what love felt like? His arm stretched out reaching for Astrid. Maybe they'd have time for another round. His fingers skimmed along the skin of her thigh. Finding a bruise, his fingers stilled. A rumble of dissatisfaction reverberated around his chest. He'd done that. He'd hurt Astrid.

As the night before continued to filter back in, Cetus realized there were likely more bruises. Some upon her arms, at least one upon her chest and likely one on her butt. His revelry in his passion had gotten out of control. She'd never told him to stop. Not that he could remember anyway. Cetus carefully sat up drawing Astrid into his arms. "I'm sorry if I hurt you, Astrid. I guess I lost control when I was able to feel so much." Cetus actually felt the need to make up for what had been done. He scrambled for something that might be suitable. "I need to make it up to you somehow. Money or you can hit me back... anything you want as reparations for your injuries." The shark man placed a very gently kiss onto Astrid's hair. He'd make this right. Before the emotions clogging his chest vanished.

Cetus froze a bit at the kindness Astrid showed him. He didn't like that he'd hurt her but apparently it had added to her pleasure. The emotions clogging his chest retreated leaving only a warm glow. "More you say?" He turned his head to kiss her fingertips. "I can acquiesce that request. Tell me where you want me." The shark nuzzled the side of her neck that wasn't bruised. There was a brief debate of placing another on this side. Feeling Astrid tighten her hold upon him sent a low rumble through his body. There was a feeling of enjoyment that she was holding him close. Checking his finger revealed the band to be gone from the marriage spell. This must stem from something else.

The phone was an irritation. An interruption that Cetus didn't like. He wasn't able to tell Astrid to ignore it however before she picked it up. The reaction she had to whoever was on the phone made Cetus tense. "Give me the phone" He murmured, trying to tug it from her grip. There was a flicker of unease in his stomach. Who could make the bunny girl shut all the way down? Probably her father given the things she'd said the day before. Cetus could feel her fingers bruising his shoulder. "Give me the phone, Astrid and put your mouth to work." He repeated, this time his voice harsh. The sentence was for her father more than for Astrid. To let her know, somehow, Cetus brushed his lips against her collarbone. A gentle apology for his harsh words.

Cetus looked into Astrid's eyes as he put the phone to his ear. His anger had wiped out all the neat little emotions he'd been feeling. It stoked his anger even more. This man was not only bothering Bunny but also robbing him of what he long desired. The screen of the phone cracked under his fingers. Before he could say a word, Astrid kissed him. The woman was pressed against him intimately. She spoke teasingly. It was too bad it wasn't enough. His anger was too great at this point. The assassin closed his eyes. "Don't call her again. She's mine." Cetus growled into the phone. They were terms her father should understand. Then the iLac was crushed in his hand. The pieces clattered to the floor beside the bed.

As gently as he was able, Cetus cupped Astrid's cheek. "I can't do what you wish me to. I'm too angry. You will hurt and not in the good way." Cetus knew if she looked into his eyes, she'd only see the flat expression. His kind tone was the only thing he could offer her now. "You may try if you wish but I cannot put my hands on you. Not without hurting you. I'm only part of a man. Not even the good part either." Cetus thought it was too bad he couldn't give her anything more than that. The fire of rage burned too brightly in his chest. It was a struggle to keep his voice emotionless. Anything more would make his control snap in moments. The lover Astrid needed right now, the one Cetus wished he could be, was nowhere to be found.

Cetus hesitated at Astrid's words. Could he push aside the anger boiling in his chest? Make room for emotions that might be a bit more tender? Emotions that were needed to be what she needed. It was frustrating that he could only manage flickers. Nothing more. Those weren't enough to overcome the fire burning in his chest. But... maybe he didn't need to overcome it. He'd seen Saber, seen Deam, Nathair, Eolas be gentle with their lovers. Tender even in certain moments. There was a way to logically 'feel' his way through this and help his lover forget.

"Shhh, enough of that. It's only you and me here. Banish them from your thoughts." Cetus murmured, trailing a finger down her jaw. He had an idea of what he wanted to do. His free hand was gently caressing her back. Every so often it would dip almost to far down, tantalizing Astrid with the possibilities. Cetus carefully rolled them over, hoisting the bunny into his arms. "We'll spend today naked if that's all right with you. Screwing like rabbits so there is nothing but us and only us." The shark man smiled as tenderly as he was able to. This might be difficult to pull off reliably but it was worth it. This little bunny had managed to make him feel. He'd return the favor by taking away her ability to think of anything other than him. Provided if she wanted to do such a thing.