The End of the World (Tales from the Tarot)

6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

T hat night, Ash fell asleep part way through a chapter of the novel he’d picked up. He was in the alleyway again, but it wasn’t the same section he’d been in before. There were more posters here, one advertising the Moulin Rouge, one for something called the Share Place, one for a magic shop.

Ash stepped towards The Magic Shop poster, curious. ‘ Whatever troubles you, we have what you need to get back onto the right path,’ the poster promised. ‘ Herbs, poultices, crystals, runes, cards, gems, potions, rare ingredients, charms, amulets, countless tomes and more!’

“Countless tomes?” Ash murmured. Books of magic? He suddenly had an overwhelming need to find The Magic Shop. He needed those books. He wanted to learn everything that was written about magic.

A tug in his chest caught his attention. He glanced down. As before, when he was in this place, his chest had a void in it. How could something tug at a void? He thought he heard Hallow’s voice, very faint.

The sound of someone stepping on the cobbles.

He turned, expecting to see Hallow. Instead a huge form loomed over him. He couldn’t make out details, but there was movement in the darkness, the suggestion of a face that slid away when he looked directly at it.

The Quetch.

It raised a hand, far too large, out of proportion with the thing’s shoulders, and mostly long claws.

Ash flattened himself to the wall. What could he do? He had no magic and nowhere to run to.

The Quetch curled a hook into the void of Ash’s chest.

Intense cold filled the void, followed by pain so great that Ash screamed.

He blinked awake.

Hallow had his hand on his shoulder, shaking gently. “Wake up, Ash, wake up.”

“M’awake.” Ash clutched his own chest. He could still feel the throbbing pain of The Quetch’s hook. Had it been real?

“Tell me what happened.” Hallow climbed into the bed and wrapped his arms around Ash. There was some shuffling as he gently moved him onto his side to be spooned.

Ash relaxed into the warmth of him, taking a moment to catch his breath. Despite Hallow’s relatively small size, the cuddle made Ash feel safe and secure. Despite this, his heart thundered like it would never slow down.

“I was in the alleyway. The Quetch saw me, it…” He paused, half-afraid that talking about it would summon it there, or make the pain more real.

His chest throbbed. If it had been a pain from a dream, it’d have faded the instant he woke up. What did it mean that he was still in pain?

Hallow pressed his palm to Ash’s chest. His small hand felt warm, and the pain eased almost entirely.

“Better?”

“Yeah.” Ash closed his eyes. “That’s got rid of the pain. The thing had these claws, and it hooked one right in my chest.”

“In the void.” It wasn’t a question, Hallow knew what he meant.

“Yeah. And it hurt. It hurt after I woke up. How does that even… I mean, I guess it’s magic but how does that work?”

“Somehow you’re travelling when you sleep.” Hallow rubbed his thumb in soothing circles on Ash’s chest. “I can’t travel, and you can’t help travelling. This is bizarre and confusing. We need help.”

Ash felt close to sleep again, warmed through by Hallow’s body and his presence. “Is it dangerous for me to sleep?”

“I don’t know. But it’s probably worse if you try to avoid it. Maybe since it already happened tonight it won’t happen again? Maybe it won’t happen because I’m here.”

Ash hummed, nuzzling back into Hallow’s chest. “Your inability to travel might be a shield, you think?”

“It could be. It’s just a guess though. We need to find the mages and sages of this world and get some advice.”

“We don’t have mages in this world.” Ash said around a jaw-creaking yawn. “Magic isn’t real.”

“Mmhm.” Hallow didn’t sound like he believed him. Fair enough, too, given the circumstances.

It didn’t matter. Ash hadn’t felt this safe and comfortable in a long, long time. He fell into a restful, dreamless sleep.

Ash woke up pressed against Hallow.

In his sleep he must have turned, and now he was the one holding the other man. Hallow was curled up against his chest, hands together between them, his full lips parted, his long eyelashes brushing his cheeks with each exhale. His pointed ears poked out from his soft pink hair and he was wearing a pair of flannelette pyjamas with a duckie pattern on them.

He was at once the sweetest, cutest, most devastatingly handsome and hottest man Ash had ever been in bed with.

He needed to kiss him.

But… What would that mean to Hallow? Would it be a nothing gesture, one of the casual touches that he thought of as part of conversation?

Ash wanted it to be more than that, to be a symbol of the affection he had for Hallow. How much more he wanted of Hallow, to touch and kiss and well, yeah, fuck him. He was half-hard now, just from their proximity.

But what was the point if Hallow was going to leave the dimension forever as soon as they found a way to do so safely?

Hallow, as if aware of Ash’s dilemma, opened his eyes, a languid smile pulling his eyes into crescent shapes. “You’re holding me.”

“Yeah.”

“I like it.”

Ash’s cheeks burned. He felt like this was his first time in bed with anyone. He felt too large, all elbows and utterly mystified by what he was supposed to do next.

Hallow grinned. “I think you like it too.”

“I do. I… I don’t know what to do.” The honesty fell out of him easily, probably because it was so early in the day.

Hallow leaned closer, their lips millimetres apart. “What do you want to do?”

Images flooded Ash’s mind — Hallow naked, riding him, Hallow on his front, crying out as Ash slammed into him from behind. Hallow’s mouth wrapped around Ash’s cock. He swallowed.

“I… want to kiss you. But I don’t want you to think it’s nothing. I really like you and I’m grateful you came in last night and calmed me down. I want to thank you but it’s not like that either, it’s that I like you so, so much.”

Hallow hummed, the smug sound of a cat that’s been given a bowl of fish. He leaned in and pressed his plush lips to Ash’s. They were even softer than he’d imagined.

It was inevitable, Ash realised. From the moment he’d first seen Hallow in the alleyway he’d wanted him, been drawn to him like a magnet. He didn’t believe in fate, but this felt fated.

Ash moaned, opening his mouth to tease at Hallow’s lips with his tongue.

Hallow responded instantly, lashing his tongue against Ash’s and pressing closer to him. He gripped the back of Ash’s neck, pulling him in.

Ash bit Hallow’s lower lip and tugged, rewarded with a soft, high whimper of need.

Ash moved his hand down Hallow’s back, teasing the elasticated hem of the pyjamas, wanting so much to cup his butt but not sure if he was allowed.

Hallow pulled back.

Ash let go of him instantly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to go that far I just—”

Hallow placed a steady finger on Ash’s lips. “Hush. You’re fine. I like it.” He stripped the pyjama top off and then shimmied out of the pants under the covers. Ash felt the pants getting kicked down to the bottom of the bed. The heat of Hallow’s skin against his own.

He was extremely hard now.

Was this really going to happen?

He spoke in a hushed tone. “Are you sure? I mean, with everything going on, we don’t know what—”

Hallow climbed on top of him to quiet him with a kiss. He ground down on Ash’s hardness wantonly, eliciting a needy moan from Ash. “I’m sure. I like you too, and we can do this. We’re both adults. We can enjoy each other, there’s no reason not to.”

Ash tried and failed to catch his breath. Hallow’s ass on his cock was too much, too stimulating to keep a thought in his head let alone steady his breathing. “Okay.”

Hallow pushed the blankets back so he could pull Ash’s pants off him. In the dim light Ash saw Hallow’s cock, perfectly pink and standing upright, slim but long, larger than he would have thought given Hallow’s slight stature. Did he shave or was his species naturally not very hairy? What pubic hair he had was very sparse, more of a decoration to off-set the prettiness of his cock.

Hallow hummed in appreciation when he revealed Ash’s cock, heavy, nested in thick hair. “You’re big! I should have guessed.”

Hallow dipped his head and swirled his tongue around his tip. Ash covered his own mouth with his hand, so he didn’t get too loud in his appreciation. He had no idea if Willow was awake or if she could hear anything, but he didn’t want her to hear.

Hallow’s eyes were hooded, liquid with promise as he licked a stripe up Ash and then closed his lips around him. His mouth was hot and wet. Ash wanted to buck up into it, but he also wanted to stay perfectly still and take whatever Hallow would give him.

He opted for the latter.

Hallow carefully and with great skill bobbed his head, lathing his tongue against Ash’s length and sucking gently.

Ash dropped his hand from his own mouth. He reached to touch Hallow’s soft pink hair and immediately gripped the strands as Hallow took him all the way in. He tugged involuntarily and Hallow moaned around him, pulling back to lick at him and then take him deep once more.

Ash swore softly. “Not too much, I’ll come like this.”

Hallow chuckled, pulling off and licking his slick lips. “You want to come some other way?” He trailed his fingers up Ash’s thighs and over his stomach, teasing. “You want me to fuck you? Or to fuck me? I don’t care which, I’ll do it.”

New images flooded Ash’s head of Hallow pinning him down and fucking him and he bucked his hips without meaning to. Hallow grinned and bent in to lick at him again. “Wanna fuck you.” He croaked out. “But the other, sometime… maybe. Sounds good too.”

Hallow grinned and nodded, licking him one last time before climbing up to straddle his hips. “Like this?”

“Yeah, that’s… Yes, but I need to prep you…” He reached for Hallow’s hips, pulling him closer. Hallow giggled, a soft, teasing noise that went straight to Ash’s dick. “No, you don’t. I have magic for that.”

Ash’s mouth went dry. “Magic?”

“Mmhm.” He tugged free of Ash’s hands and gripped his cock, positioning himself to sink down. “Wait, protection, you’re from another world there could be diseases—”

“Stop fussing.” Hallow shook his head. “There’s magic for that too. Barrier magic. Nothing will pass through except your spunk.”

Ash groaned, never before this turned on by talk of protection. “Fuck, magic is so cool.”

“It is.” Hallow pressed himself against Ash’s hardness. Ash felt wetness there, slick as honey, as if Hallow had somehow secreted lube.

He could almost have come from that alone.

Slowly, agonisingly slowly, Hallow moved down his length. Two bright pink circles showed on his cheeks. His eyes looked glazed, staring right into Ash’s.

Ash moaned, his hands loose on Hallow’s hips, letting him control it. As he entered him he felt the wetness all around, hot and blindingly tight. “Fuck, Hal, it’s so tight.”

“Mm, I haven’t done this for a while.” Hallow’s voice was higher pitched, mostly breath.

Ash whined, wanting to feel all of him but not wanting to hurt him. “Neither, honestly.”

Hallow gasped and pushed down to bottom out in one go, moving both his hands to Ash’s chest. Ash leaned up to kiss his fingertips, moaning, trying to distract himself from the need to orgasm.

He was so close, but he wanted this to last as long as possible.

Hallow panted hard, his hair stringy on his forehead, his pupils were blown. “You feel so big, and so good.”

“Please move,” Ash gasped. “I can’t hold back much longer.”

Hallow complied immediately, rocking his hips and bouncing on his knees.

Ash caught the rhythm. His hips matched Hallow’s, but he couldn’t catch his breath. Hallow was so beautiful riding him. Far more beautiful than he’d imagined, and he was entranced. Hallow glowed in the barest morning light that filtered through the curtains. His pink hair sparkled, his every feature sharpened to hyper-reality.

I’ve never been so lucky, to see this, to feel it… to have him.

Ash ran his hands over Hallow’s abs, his sides and chest. Every inch of him was sculpted muscle covered in perfect soft skin. Groaning, he pulled him in for another kiss as he thrust up into him.

Hallow gasped against his lips, his eyebrows knotting together.

Ash took it as encouragement, thrusting faster as he held Hallow as close as he dared to.

This is too good. It could become an addiction so easily.

Hallow matched his movements, lifting and crashing down at the point for deepest penetration. His breath came out as sighs and moans.

Ash couldn’t hold back. “Come with me,” he murmured against Hallow’s cheek, smearing his own saliva there.

Hallow nodded, turning his head to offer his neck to Ash. Ash sucked a mark into it as he bucked up, coming with a loud moan.

Hallow’s voice broke on his moan. He collapsed forward, peppering Ash’s face with kisses.

Ash laughed and wrapped his arms tight around him. “So good. Fuck.”

“So good.” Hallow kissed his way down Ash’s jaw and over his neck. “That was amazing.”

“Best I’ve had in... ever, maybe. Better clean up though…”

Hallow pulled his hips up so Ash could slip out then waved a hand, magically cleaning them both.

“Holy shit, that’s so useful.” Ash squeezed him tighter. “You’re so good, you’re incredible.”

Hallow finally finished up his barrage of kisses and snuggled under Ash’s chin instead. “No, you are. You’re so big and kind and warm and ugh, everything. You’re everything I like.”

Ash blushed, grateful that Hallow couldn’t see it from his position. He squeezed him tighter. “That’s sweet of you. You’re more than I could ever have dreamed of for myself.”

Hallow giggled again. “And I came through to you from a dream! And then I came on you!”

Ash closed his eyes, trying to make sense of it all, and failing. How the fuck did his dream man come to him like this?

Maybe things didn’t have to make sense right then. Maybe lying there and feeling happy was enough. He could bask in the afterglow and relax. Just exist with Hallow, together in that moment.

The more he relaxed into the man next to him, the more this felt like home.