The freak and the walking library. (Ithica)

[Ithica Pettineo]

That was not the reaction that he had been expecting. Did Sophie honestly hate her middle name that much? He had seen her angry before - when he had been stalking her from the trees - but this was different. This was a homicidal rage that terrified the demon. What was he even supposed to say to the raging half-fae?

Unless that wasn't her middle name. Maybe it meant something else entirely. Aponi's pronoun confusion, her masculine middle name, and her reaction to it all lead up to something. But it was a something that Ithica did not want to believe.. something that he refused to believe. "Don't kill her." The demon crawled over to Sophie and hugged her trying to ignore the instincts that told him that she was going to cut him up into little pieces and serve him in a stew.

You know perfectly well what's wrong.

No. No, no no no no. No. No.

Ithica shook the thoughts out of his head, because his girlfriend was his girlfriend, and he was jumping to a conclusion that did not make sense. And she meant something else of course because she could not know what Ithi was thinking because she was not a telepath. This was just a simple miscommunication.

He wanted to reverse time and take back the name that he had said. He wanted to forget all of his doubts about her because they were unfounded. He didn't want to believe that the person who he loved was lying to him about one of the most basic things. No. No, of course not. She just hated her middle name.

"I didn't know you hated your middle name that much," He said weakly. "She said it was your middle name. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." What the hell had he been thinking? Why couldn't he do anything right just once in his life? He pulled back from the hug and glared down at his hands. "I'm sorry." He repeated. "I don't know what's wrong with you and I'm always saying the wrong things-" he wiped his eyes and sniffled "-and I don't want you to hate me because I love you and.." He rubbed his eyes again. He hated crying, he hated it, and he did it so often.

Ithica scratched at his hands not really caring about the internal promise he had made to stop scratching them. He wanted Sophie - no matter who she was, or what she was, or... or even if she was a he, Ithica didn't think he'd mind it all that much. Sophie had an uncanny way of making him feel... he didn't how he felt. But he liked it. "I'm sorry."

[Aponi Lebennon]

Aaran had to think fast.
Really fast.
His lie had to be the best ever. The very bestest..erer.

He looked at Ithica with huge watery eyes, attempting to throw him off guard. he just hoped that it would work. By god he hoped it would work. He embraced Ithica back and buried his head in the man's neck. He had it. Sweet jesus, he had it. He thanked any overdeities that might be watching over him (he knew he was not good enough to have an idea come to him when he was worried, stressed and Ithica was slowly uncovering his secret.).

"Ithi... You weren't supposed to know my middle name. I mean, it's a tradition in my family, that women don't reveal their middle name to a man until they're married." He had actually drawn this from his family history. It had stopped with his grandparents. It was a lie that he would forever regret, but necessary to keep his secret.

"It... You shouldn't have been told." He sighed, and just collapsed into Ithica's arms, his fluttering wings encompassing them both. He couldn't keep this up. If Pinnocchio's nose extended when he told lies, Aaran just became exhausted. It was impossible to keep up with it. if only he had ithi's eidetic memory...

He had to tell him.

There was no other way. He'd find out soon enough anyway. By god he'd find out.

"Ithi... I... I've been lieing. I... I need to tell you the truth, or it'll rip me apart." He swallowed. He kissed Ithica, knowing that it could be the last time.

"When I grew up, I wasn't exposed to much media. I didn't have a television on regularly, and i didn't read magazines and things. I just had my mum and my dad. And, from a very young age, I wore lots of dresses and skirts, and very cute little blouses, just as a girl should. My parents homeschooled me when I was young, and I was only sent into highschool, which went ok." He sighed. He was trying to show Ithica the reasoning behind something he did not know.

"I'm a boy." he said, simply, letting go and standing up. He fluttered his delicate wings, and threw his cardigan on the floor, and shivered. it was a little chilly now - a few clouds and scudded across the sky. He turned back to Ithica, his completely flat chest in full view. He had virtually no other way of showing that he was in fact a boy. He didn't have an adam's apple. He struggled to get his voice to be deep.

In all fairness, he was very very feminine in almost every way.

"My name's Aaran ap Kim Wilde. I was raised as a girl because I was too weak and pathetic to be a boy." he said, almost spitefully spitting the words out, with real contempt. he just felt bitter now.

"It's ok to hate me, to call me a freak. You can tell everyone else, and they can all laugh at me, and have me beaten up. Because that's all I ever was. My dad should have just killed me." he said, sitting down and crossing his arms. He wanted to cry, but how could he? Ithica had been lied to and had been close to such a freak. How would he feel? Probably not all that well.

Aaran looked over his shoulder and shot him a glance. He looked down at his lap and sighed, tears streaming down his face.

[Ithica Pettineo]

Ithica rubbed his hands together as Sophie told her that she's been lying. He didn't want to know it. He really didn't want to know it. He wanted the kiss to last longer than it did, because somewhere in his mind or heart he knew that everything was about to turn itself on it's head. Maybe it was the serious tone in Sophie's voice that alerted him, maybe it was the suspicions he already had, and.. maybe it was that really lame excuse that she had given him earlier.

Dresses. Skirts. Cute things. Ithi's mind snapped back to her earlier statement of how her mother made her pretty and oh was he tempted to cover his ears and shout that he did not want to know. Instead he glared down at the ground as she talked about highschool going okay. He nodded slowly and remained silent. He didn't want to make this harder than it was. And it was hard, even if he was anticipating the next words.

All the preperation didn't stop the sudden ringing in his ears, and he wasn't sure if it was caused by the removal of her.. him.. Tinkerbell. Ithica shook his head slowly and picked the cardigan off the ground. "You'll get cold, Tink." It was the only thing he could have said without it coming out in a series of mumbles or, worst case, frantic screams. He didn't want to be gay. He didn't have anything against the people who were, but Ithica was not.

Then why did his heart ache at the prospect of leaving... Aaran? Ithica hadn't known him (that was going to take some adjusting) for so long, but now Ithi couldn't see life without him. People didn't fall in love this fast, did they? Aaran sounded so sure that Ithica would hate him. The boy sounded defeated and sad. It hurt.

"Aaran ap Kim Wilde," Ithi sat down beside Aaran and hugged him. "Don't you ever call yourself a freak. And never tell me that you think your father should have killed you." He kissed him. The knowledge that he was kissing another male clenched his stomach and he pulled back and smiled.

"I wouldn't let anyone beat you up, Tinkerbell." The half-demon stared down at his hands, embarrassed. "I love you, okay?" He wiped off the tears falling from Aaran's face and kissed his cheek. "I don't know what to say to make you feel better. Sorry about that."

[Aponi Lebennon]

The kiss shook him out of his angry daze. He had been kissed by another man. That knew he was a boy. And Ithi didn't mind. And he'd said all those awful things. He let himself be embraced, and he smiled a smile that made his face positively glow with delight. He was still crying - but the tears were joyful, as opposed to being bitter this time.

He instantly tacked Ithi to the ground, holding his wrists down, and kneeling over him. He looked up, and put a finger to his lips, as if to show he was thinking.

"Do you really mean it, Ithi?" he asked, raising his brow, and making his eyes all doey. He didn't want to make him feel any more uncomfortable. The strange feeling of being with another man had passed fairly quickly for Aaran, because he was always more girlish anyway. Hopefully Aaran could make it so that Ithi wouldn't think about it too much.

It wasn't like it was very obvious. He couldn't walk like a girl. And he had no breasts. Ithica would obviously have to find something else to keep his hands amused, he drawled to himself internally. He smiled a cheeky smile once more and threw ithica, who was still underneath him, a questioning glance.

[Ithica Pettineo]

Ithica squeaked as he was pinned to the ground. He grumbled and glared up playfully at her.. him. Oh man, that was going to be weird to get used to. But Aaran looked happy, and Ithi's not-so-mean glare faded into a blithe grin. He squirmed again.

"Yeah, I really mean it." He looked off to the side putting his lower lip out. "My daddy is going to be very thrilled." Ithi smiled and kissed Aaran's wrist. Ithica hadn't even told his father he was seeing somebody. He didn't know why the thought of admitting he was completely and utterly smitten was so terrifying, but.. it was.

He looked back at Aaran curiously. "When were you going to tell me?" He didn't want to hurt his feelings, but Ithi was... well, Ithica. "I mean, one can only go far in a relationship before... genders... should be obvious. How were you going to get around that?" Ithica rolled over to pin to Aaran to the ground.

"I love you, mister." He was saying that a lot. Ithi didn't quite know what love was, but he was almost positive that what he felt for Aaran was pretty damned close to the fickle emotion. He kissed the half-fae's nose and grinned again. "Erm... do we have to thank Aponi? I know she's the one that kept giving me.. uh.. unintentional clues and thus leading to a stable - albeit odd - honest relationship. But she did it all wrong and so I think you should pretend to be angry and kill her emotionally." He smiled, putting their foreheads together.

He rolled off of him and laid down, staring up at the sky. Ithi didn't get the overpowering sense that something was being hidden from him anymore. He quite liked that. Ithi turned over to stare at Aaran, feeling rather lame that he didn't have any secrets. "Aaran? You should probably know that I seem to be rather jealous when it comes to other people in your life. It was originally just men but now I guess I'm wary of the females as well."

Ithi tapped his lip thoughtfully. "And I also lose my temper quickly.. when I see people touching you..." He thought back to the rage he had felt towards Aponi. "And I'm not very... nice when I lose my temper." That part was true. His aunt had been speaking ill of his mother and then had the audacity to steal the last of the mashed potatoes. She had ended up with a bruised rib and a broken jaw.

Aaran Wilde and mashed potatoes. He'd fight for them both. If the mashed potatoes were on Aaran then... no. He looked away, his cheeks turning red. Oh man. He was a terrible perverted half-demonthing. Ithi felt as though he should apologize for the image the thought had conjured but then he'd have to explain it. So he just sent it to the back of his mind.

[Aponi Lebennon]

Aaran had no idea what to do or say. Exept gigle when he was told that his boyfriend's father would be thrilled. And he mlooked at Ithica with a funny expression before bursting out laughing at his question.

"I don't know." He giggled. "I was hoping you were a-sexual." he giggled. He was so thoroughly a girl - he had even set himself the dates for fake periods, so if he and Ithi ever moved in together, he would seem totally convincing.The idea had actually been Aponi's. Sometimes, she crossed the boundary, well into creepy.

"And Aponi doesn't deserve thanks. She deserted me when I needed her most." He said, still terribly coldly, a steely glint in his eye, his mouth a grim line. His face suddenly softened, and he leapt onto Ithica and kissed him.

"And, I didn't think you were that jealous, Ithi." he winked slyly. "I'll have to be more careful around some people..." He said, letting his skirt slip up, once again revealing his legs. "Don't worry, it doesn't go any higher than this." he winked again, and kissed Ithica. He liked teasing the demon. The fact that he was jealous made Aaran feel warm inside.

"Ithi, if you aren't happy.. with... this, I won't feel too bad if you chose to pursue a normal relationship." It was a lie. Aaran was a good liar. He was a good liar. So ithi wouldn't see how much it hurt him inside to say it. It tore him to pieces, and he suddenly bio-crystallized. It was to stop him breaking apart.

"Or, there are ways to... get around it. Mundane, or not, I suppose." He said, standing up, and going to get a peanut butter sandwich. He munched away, watching the sun as it still climbed, now far above the cityscape below. Time with Ithica seemed to be compressed, so that it truly sped by.

He sighed.

[Ithica Pettineo]

Ithica felt his stomach clench. "Some people?" He whined, lifting up a hand to paw at Aaran. "Are you teasing me again? Who are those people? I'll beat 'em up!" He bared his teeth in an attempt to look fierce. "I'll bite them!" His teeth were sharp from years of being a carnivore. "And then I'll tickle em until they can't breathe! And then I'll kick them!" He paused, trying to think of something else to do. "And then I'll chop them up! And I'll boil them."

As his skirt slid up, Ithi scrambled backwards and looked down at the ground. At the news that it doesn't slide up any farther he couldn't help but chuckle. "I think it could go higher than that," He said innocently. Oh dear golly he was turning into a pervert. He stood up and rubbed his jaw awkwardly. He knew exactly why; he had sneezed in Aponi's dust while she was making her statue. Of course. Yeah. It was her fault. All of it. Yup. He had breathed in the pervy dust. But with Aaran's disliking of Aponi at the moment Ithica decided not to say anything.

"A normal relationship?" Ithica walked over to the edge of the cliff and sat, letting his legs dangle over. He didn't know what a normal relationship was, or if a Pettineo was even suited for it. His father had been... well, certainly not a family man by anyone's standards, and yet he had fallen in love with a century old demon and that had produced Ithica. That relationship hadn't been normal.

Why didn't Aaran understand that Ithica was happy just to be around him? He scratched his hands idly. Would Aaran really not 'feel too bad' if he just left? Ithica picked up a rock laying beside it and scratched at it instead of his hands. "I don't know about normal, Aaran. I've never liked anybody else. I've never liked a girl or liked a guy. So how would I know if this isn't normal?" The thoughts were lame when he tried to articulate them into speech.

He tossed the rock down the cliff and turned around to face him. Ways to get around it? Mundane ways? "I don't want a way to get around 'it'. What is 'it'?" Ithica asked, tilting his head in confusion. "I love you so it, whatever it is, doesn't matter." Not the best way to comfort someone or make them feel better about themselves, but he wasn't the best at that.

[Aponi Lebennon]

Aaran giggled at what he assumed was mock ferocity. He laughed. He kissed ithica again. He was really quite funny, and he made Aaran laugh a lot. Ithica's mind was very strange. He'd hate to be a telepath, because he figured that what came out was generally better than what was on the inside. But he couldn't read minds, so he didn't know.

When ithica scrambled away, Aaran felt very hurt, but he soon realized that this might be all a bit too much for the demon. he was lucky that they were still on a talking basis, let alone still happily in a relationship. But when he said... said those perverted things, Aaran blushed a deep crimson. Ithica had already said that he wasn't interested in that. But Aaran could never be too sure.

Aaran followed him to the edge of the cliff and sat next to him, and rested his head on the demon's shoulders.

"Ithi... I'm going to put this bluntly." He decided to answer all his questions as enatly as he could. "I'm a boy. You're a boy. We are gay. Being in a straight relationship and then a gay one all in the space of ten minutes with the same person mustn't be easy. "It" is the fact that we cannot ever have sex, something that normal relationships require to function.

This is not a normal relationship, because you are going to have to lie to everyone, and call me Sophie. We won't sleep together, and you'll have to know for the rest of our relationship that you could be with people that you're meant to be with." Aaran sighed. He really didn't like the reality of homosexuality. It was unnatural. Really unnatural. Aaran was A-Sexual anyway, so it didn't bother him. But he didn't want the demon to have to do things he was uncomfortable with doing because of him. Aaran had no right to take that away from him.

"I love you too much for you to lose things you have a right to, for me. You deserve better." He said, snuggling against his shoulder.

Oh dear. He was such a bother.

[Ithica Pettineo]

"Well technically I wasn't straight just because I thought you were a girl." Ithica replied and leaned back on his hands. Of course it was weird, but he didn't want to admit that. Being gay had never been in his agenda of things to do, but he doubted if it any young boy had decided that he wanted to like other boys. Not that he was young. Or a boy.

When Aaran started talking about sex Ithica squirmed uncomfortably. "You know I was just joking about what I said earlier? About your skirt. I don't want that stuff. I don't even think it's legal for me to do that stuff with you yet." He cleared his throat, embarrassed. "Not that I, uh, want to do that stuff. Anyway. Even if it is legal. I mean, erm... not.. nothing against... you.." He covered his mouth to refrain from saying anything else. How come that topic embarrassed him so much?

And how come he wouldn't let it drop? Ithi was drowning in a proverbial pool of embarrassment. But then Aaran said something Ithica found... he didn't know what, but he didn't agree with it. At all. "Meant to be with?" He glared at the boy and crossed his arms. "I just said I love you and you sound like you're trying to persuade me to find someone else."

Was he really angry? He had no idea, but something about 'people that you're meant to be with' didn't settle right with the demon. "If you don't think we're meant to be together then why don't you just say so?" He asked quietly. "I'm not so good at figuring out what people really mean if they don't tell me exactly. And you're just kind of sending me mixed signals." He shrugged, trying not to hurt his feelings.

"You say you love me but then you say things about me losing stuff. The only thing I'd lose is you." Besides, Aponi would kick his ass into next Sunday if he made Aaran upset.

[ooc; worst post ever sorry >_<]

[Aponi Lebennon]

Aaran hugged Ithica. He was the most fabulous brilliant wonderful caring amazing demon in the whole wide world! He clung to him for dear life, and kissed him again and again.

"the only thing I'd lose is you." a tear rolled down his face. His cheeks flushed bright red, and he kissed Ithica again.

"Ithi, I love you!" He said, grappling him to the ground. He clung to him tightly, thanking whatever god there was that someone loved him so much. He reached down and grabbed Ithi's hand and held it tightly. "I don't want you to ever, ever find anyone else! I just... I don't know. Part of me doesn't feel comfortable with... this." He said. He didn't care how comfortable with it. He hadn't known Ithi all that long. Only a couple of months. But he felt so safe with him, so, complete. He knew that he could never have anyone else, and he could never let anyone take the demon away from him. He knew that ithica was one thing that he would fight for.

He giggled. He had managed to pull Ithica on top of him, and he was lieing on his back, his legs spread out, gripping Ithica tightly. It also didn't help the image that he was blushing profusely. His cute toothy giggle slowly crescendoed into a tinkling laugh. Not much of a crescendo, but a crescendo nonetheless.

"So, Ithi, you want to do it?" He said, still laughing. His eyes were slanted in a narrow, sly look, his face very much a cheeky mask. The sun was far far in the sky and the city's sounds had risen to a ruckus of horns and shouts, as the rush-time traffic of the big apple rose to their peak at lunch.

Aaran rolled out from underneath Ithi, and went to get some more food from his hamper, and fished out some noodles and four chopsticks, before wandering back over to Ithica, and opening the thermosk flask he plucked some noodles out nimbly with the chopsticks and shovelled them into Ithi's mouth, before handing him the chopsticks and smiling.

"Eat up, Ithi!" He laughed again, his pure voice ringing throughout the clearing.

[Ithica Pettineo]

"I won't find someone else," Ithi paused, realizing that perhaps he was promising something that was beyond his control. "I mean, I probably won't find somebody else." He grinned playfully. "But I'm not a fortune teller." The demon squirmed under Aaran, wondering how a supposedly weak faerie could manage to hold him down for so long. "If you're not comfortable with it..." He trailed off and stuck out his tongue at him.

Ithica raised his eyebrows as he was rolled over yet again, feeling akin to a rag doll. He knew several rag dolls so he also knew that they never felt well. All they did was complain. It took several moments for him to fully understand the position his... boyfriend was in (that word made him feel like a fruitcake) and he sighed. Ithica had always prided himself on not being a hormonally driven teenage male, but today his mind had been all over the place.

At Aaran's next words Ithi blushed. "Don't tempt the scary demon." He bared his teeth again in a weak attempt at ferocity. He was hoping with everything he had that Aaran would get out from under him; he was praying to ever deity he had ever heard of that his will didn't break; and his hands were grabbing into the earth to keep him grounded. Ithica Pettineo had a lot of plans in life, but going to jail for raping his underage boyfriend was not one of them.

All right, so having a boyfriend hadn't been in his plans either. A girlfriend hadn't been planned either. Neither had most of his life, now that he thought about it. Did he even have plans in life? He hadn't actually considered his future except that he wanted to be able to walk on stilts and learn how to waltz. And learn how to waltz on stilts.

He sighed with relief as Aaran moved and sat up, watching as he pulled more food out. When the noodles were stuffed into his mouth he tilted his head and swallowed them. He lifted the chopsticks awkwardly and stared at Aaran in distress. He had no idea how to eat food with two sticks. "What am I...?" He trailed off, confused. "How is one supposed to eat with these things?" Ithica had eaten in Asian restaurants before. Chopsticks had always been available for his usage, but he had always stuck with forks. The chopsticks had always seemed too time-consuming and frustrating. Forks, however, one could just stab at the item. Easier.

[Aponi Lebennon]

Aaran smiled, and quickly gobbld up some more noodles. He sat down on ithi's lap, and looked up at him with large, puppy-dog eyes. He quickly nuzzled the demon to stop him getting the wrong idea, and he put on a stern face.

"Well, Ithi, you gotta hold one in between your thumb and middle finger like this..." he held up his hand and smiled at the Half-demon. "And then you rest the other one on top, and use your first finger to use them like pincers!" He growled playfully, as he pinched Ithi's nose and reached for more noodles, and shoved them in his mouth.

He repeated the eating process until they had finished and put the things back in his hamper. He suddenly leapt in the air, as something in one of his pockets made a npose. It was his iPhone, a total luxury that... Aponi had bought for him after taking him to the middle of nowhere and finding a store of several thousand dollars. He had no idea exactly how much this was worth in real money (he didn't consider US dollars as real money, only Pound Sterling and Euros.) She had not disclosed the nature of the origin of this money, but Aaran considered that out of all her previous jobs, that it was unlikely that she had ever made this much money.

It was either stolen, or a gift. He reckoned it was the former.

Back to the topic at hand, however, an unknown called (like everyone that called him, as such things were few and far between) and he picked up. He heard the familiar buzz of a public telephone;

"Sophie, do you want a ride back? If so it has to be now, you I can't help you, sorry."

It was Tommy. Damn.

"Yes, please, Tommy." There was no other way of Aaran getting back. All he heard was a click, and he turned back to Ithi.

"Ithica, my ride home is coming now. Do you want a lift?" Aaran giggled at his own terrible pun.

[Ithica Pettineo]

"Er, hi." Ithi said awkwardly. Aaran was a rather affectioniate fellow. Nuzzling him and sitting on him and randomly kissing him and even pinning him to the ground. Hmph. It was very... not-so-good. Well, it wasn't bad that Aaran was being like this. It was just bad when Ithi was being a creeper perv. In retrospect Aaran was probably used to creeper-Ithi.

He tilted his head at the explanation, trying to accomplish the art of chopstick-holding. "Hey. Don't pinch my no--" Chew. Chew. "--se." Ithi finished with a pout. Aaran liked stuffing thins in Ithi's mouth. The half-demon squirmed uncomfortably at the thought. Why was he being so... creeperish today? It was very disturbing. Curse his ambiguous wording.

Were people allowed to talk on the phone during dates? Ithi wouldn't know since he had never really been on one. And that had never come up before. Wait... Tommy. That was a guy's name. Or... or a very masculine girl's name! Ithica huffed and crossed his arms. He had used to just be jealous of the guys, but now he had to be wary about females as well.

And this Tommy guy was giving Aaran lifts! How... how... grr. "No thanks!" He said blithely and uncrossed his arms. "I'd rather walk." He stood up and stretched with a yawn. He wasn't too sure whether he was supposed wait for that guy to get here or if he should go. Awkward. "Wait a second. Why did you giggle when you said lift?" Of course his mind would leap to the worst conclusion.

[Aponi Lebennon]

Aaran turned back to Ithica and pulled his tongue.

"Jealous much?" he asked before turning back to the city, and seeing a huge dragon glide down, and turn into the semi-recogniseable form of Tommy Goodman. Aaran skipped over to Ithica, and threw his arms aorund him, and gave him a kiss on the lips, and clinging onto the demon for sheer life with his arms and his legs, before leaping off, waving one last time, and clambering on Tommy's back, as he transofrmed back into his draconian form, and took off.

He looked at Ithica again, a frown appearing at leaving the demon once more, before he smiled and waved and shouted - "I love you!"