Standards [Ciardha]

[Anzeh]

Classes had just about let out for the day, and Renard had taken a quick detour to his dorm room to drop off his books and go straight back out. Even though there were curfews for all the human students (there weren't many) the special students like himself who used skins were allowed to shed their skins and walk about the grounds. Once he was within the stone he slid gravefully from his skin and became a small, lithe fox with a moonlight coat, the tintings of blue to either side of his eyes and his obvious "maleness" the only thing that separated him from Draner when she decided to become their true form.

Three puffy, soft tails sprouted from his tailbones, which gave away that he wasn't as young as he seemed. Giving his body a hearty shake, he found a rock that was relatively flat and splayed out upon it.

Once his red eyes slid closed an image of Ciardha came to mind and he jolted himself awake. Their meeting hadn't been that long ago, only the day before yesterday, but already he felt his memories beginning to fail. Were his eyes yellow or golden? Were his pants black or blue that day? He was in such a tizzy about meeting and... what'd happened... that he detailed smudged and murked together to make an ugly unintelligible picture.

That was when he heard something move in the trees and he sat bolt upright, yanking his skin back on and looking from side to side. Slowly, fear gripped him, and he turned around again and again, trying to find the source of the movement. It seemed to be walking around him... cornering him...

[RuetheDay]

Classes had at long last let out, it was an average day but he was so distracted from his work, he found himself spacing out nearly the entire school session. He could not get his mind off Renard. The incident in the Auditorium ran through his mind on replay, bit by bit the entire picture running through full colour like a movie... Again and again.

His clouded thoughts bombarded him with many questions but not a single answer. He hated this. He did not know what to do... It both saddened him and angered him. Why did he react like that? The strange foreign forces that seemed to push him into kissing Renard... not that he did not like it, was so bizzare... He knew not what had come over him but he did not see from nor sign to Renard for what was at least two days.

He wanted to see him again, see that shy smile, his mesmerizing azure blue eyes, the red tint of his pale cheeks, he wanted the brush of his soft lips against his own. ...Perhaps, even more this time. He had only know him for what was now three days and yet he was so sure, so very sure this was true love... But he of course still had his doubts. The long period of time between now and their last meeting could have been a silent rejection but...

And what of his true form? The morbid thought of Renard's finding out later was not in the least appealing, Ciardha just could not lie to him about this. He had the right to know if he was risking his life by being with him, did he not? But the selfish clutches of Ciardha's sorrowful, neglected heart overcame with its want for happiness, aching with a severe longing.

Ciardha twirled the stem of the blue rose between his fingers, careful not to prick his finger on the sharp thorns. He adored blue roses the most, they were the rarest of colour in roses, beautiful and delicate but didn't last long. As he stared into the blur that the rose became, he could only think of the other's eyes. How they glimmered when they looked into his, and even more prominent, the understanding.

As he circled the roses, the lovely coordination of the roses and small, green leafy trees. It made the roses stand out even more clearly. As he wandered to the end of one of the many center points of the garden's maze like design he wandered blindly into the clearing where the said focus of Ciardha's thoughts sat with his back to him looking about wildly with a terrified look, like something was closing in on him. Ciardha was still engrossed in the rose, lost in thoughts, still completely unaware.

[Anzeh]

It wasn't as though what was happening to him was something new. In fact, it happened with increasing frequency these days. Suddenly he'd feel like something was trying to kill him, trying to jump out anf rip out his throat. It had been like this long before he'd known Ciardha existsed, but it seemed somehow worse now, and even then the connection escaped him.

If he'd ever wanted the male near him so much it was right now.

As is his body turned around again to make another swoop of the area, his eyes caught sight if the boy he;d met in the auditorium just a little earlier that week. His eyes were golden, not yellow, he noted to himself. Staring for a full couple moments, he trotted over to him, the icy fingers causing him to fear and tremble breaking and letting him take in gracious gulps of much-needed oxygen.Soon he stood before Ciardha, a soft smile on his face and the lightest tint of color on his cheeks. He remembered what they'd done in auditorium. How could he forget? It had been one of the best moments of his life after all.

"Hi Ciardha. How've... how've you been?" he asked. He seemed too preoccupied with the rose between his fingers to notice if he'd attempted to just sign to the older boy. He hated to admite it, but he'd waited and tried forever after their meeting to say his name correctly. He'd tried quite a few pronounciations and inflections until he found one that seemed right to his tuned French ears.

"It's been a while... huh?"

[RuetheDay]

Looking up surprised he came face to face with none other than the subject of his thought (and perverse fantasies), blushing a tint of red he beamed a smile warmly back at Renard. His golden eyes softened. Smoothly sticking the azure rose between his teeth after fumbling with it for several seconds he signed back. "I have fared well, Renard, you? It has been quite a while."

Ciardha realised only seconds later that this was the first time anyone had pronounced his name correctly. The way he said it with that French accent made his blush more, it made his name sound much more elegant but it was mostly the fact that he had figured it out that made him most content. Teachers always had screwed it up, subs were worse, students did not bother. In a way it really meant a lot to him. "How did you know how to pronounce my name?"

Without thought, he felt himself gravitate closer to the smaller silver haired boy most casually. He longed to have another moment like that in the Auditorium. But he truly had more important things to tell Renard which made him freeze up a bit at the thought. It would be best to just tell Renard, he understood everything else so what of this last part... He did truly have the right to know he was in danger. Ciardha looked away nervously, how did one just randomly come out with "I'm a monster who drinks blood. I eat you."

It just didn't work well.

[Anzeh]

Now that he'd gotten the other male's attention, whom placed the blue rose in his mouth so he could free his hands up to sign, the kitsune felt even more at ease. He wasn't being ignored like he feared he would be, and that meant so much that he could hardly stand it. Apparently the other had done well in the last couple days, and he felt as though that was supposed to have some sort of shrouded double meaning. Did that mean that what had happened at the auditorium had nothing behind it? He refused to believe that.

Then the other asked an odd question. How did he know how to pronounce the other's name. A brief look of surprise caught on his features before he blushed in slight embarassment.

Once again, not trusting his voice, he lifte up his hands and began to sign. "I was practicing until a pronunciation sounded right. It mus tbe rare for someone to get such a unique name right, no?"

He put his hands down and put them behind his back with a certain shyness that wasn't rare, but definitely appealing in some way. Renard looked to his feet and nudged at the ground, dressed in his favorite skinny jeans and a baggy hoodie. After a moment he slowly reached out and took his elder by a year by his hands (the kitsune's hands were small compared to Ciardha's but Renard didn't seem to notice or mind) and pulled him into his secluded little corner of the garden.

It was like a maze, but this was the one place Renard always found. And this little part of thr maze was his sanctuary. He wanted it to be Ciardha's too.

[RuetheDay]

Still biting into the rose in an effort not to lose it he managed a beaming smile, something about his presence, despite the awkwardness created by their little episode in the Auditorium. He took this as a bit more of assurance that not only he felt this way. He was glad to know that the feelings were returned.

He hated one-sided love. Especially just how incredibly worthless it made you feel. But there was a hint of doubt as it seemed nearly nothing that happened in the Auditorium had affected them aside from the slight awkwardness. He didn't know what to make of it, just watch how things flow and see what he could do from there...

"Very much, so it seems..." Ciardha began to sign back but was cut off as Renard took his hands in his, ushering him forward. Ciardha's heart melted at that shy smile and blushing once more he let himself be lead forward, into the depths of the gardens. Down the maze like path, he had no idea but he trusted Renard enough to let him take him there. He would go anywhere with him...

[Anzeh]

Renard was happy that Ciardha was letting himself be led deeper into the maze and into Renard's safe little outcropping of the maze, with the soft grass and the flat rock that Renard had been using to bask in the glow of the moon. It was a beautiful night indeed, almost surreal. Almost... romantic.

The kitsune led his new... something... to the rock and let him sit down, soon sitting beside him and leaning against his arm for comfort. His head would rest against the other's shoulders, but again there was the fact that Renard was quite a bit shorter than this other male, and that made his normal shows of affection just a bit harder.But not too much.

A slight glance upwards stole his breath away. Ciardha's entire form, his palor and his hair, his golden eyes enchanted the young kitsune in a way nothing had ever before.The moonlight ehnaced every feature of his crush's face, from the slight shadow of his eyes to the graceful curve of his nose and the lips just below. Could the other hear the crazed beating of his heart? Could he understand the rush of thoughts flowing through his brain? With all the different species, it seemed possible.

His blue eyes darted down to his lap. "Ciardha..." He whispered, his accent thickening for a moment. "I... I really... I really like you. Like...I know it's really early to say this but... I like you. A lot. More than a friend, in fact." He was once again rushed and tinted in color, unable to look at the other's face. He didn't want to see the look on Ciardha's face, just in case it was the look he feared.

[RuetheDay]

As Ciardha was lead through the garden maze, completely subdued by his adorment for Renard. He truly would follow the other anywhere, he was honestly that smitten. Fully aware of it as well but he made no move to fight it. In this dazed dream-like venture he was lead to a small outcropping of the maze, a small clearing with a flat rock in the centre, it was unfamiliar to him but instead of his general cautiousness putting him on high-alert he fell the the natural serenity of it, something of the place that put him at ease.

He couldn't help but wonder what he was to the other... As much as Renard was to him? That could not be possible. Despite their meeting in the Auditorium, there was no way. No one could honestly care for Ciardha that much. And even if he did, his monstrous nature would always put a damper on things. And even if only he knew and was bothered with it, inevitably, the other would find out. It was hopeless.

His spirits sank a bit but his heart still fluttered as when the other sat him down on the rock, he slid to rest against him. After sitting there for what seemed an eternity, the longing that was much too much for Ciardha, the loveliness of the other of which was the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden, he could not respond as the others eyes met his.

He blushed, his darkened golden eyes staring deeply into the others'. He really did wish for the other to feel the same, even as selfish as it was that he did so, even as he knew the outcome of all this would be most displeasing and drive the other from him; a repulsive, tortured soul, a monster driven by a lust that consumed him. No one could ever love him knowing that.

When the other broke his mesmerizing stare, as Renard's blue eyes fell to his lap, Ciardha was brought back to reality and listen as the other continued. He could not believe it. Left speechless... (Even though that's a rather redundant way to put it being a mute, of course.) He stared at the other in pure disbelief before yet another sudden urge came over him just as it had in the Auditorium.

His hand touched the others' face affectionately as he turned the others' face to his gently by the chin, his warm expression that surely expressed the desire he had for the other, his heart raced skipping a beat as he leaned into towards the other pressing his lips against the others' carefully, his eyes had eased closed as he did so, this time he parted the others lips with his tongue, asking the other silently for entrance. Letting down all his defenses he had given in to his wants, he wanted so desperately for this kiss to become more passionate.

He would take anything the other would allow him before he would be subdued to the fate that awaited him once he had told the other of the dangers he was putting him in. Just this last lustful wish. Ciardha couldn't help but beat himself up over how selfish it was but he did deserve it.

[Anzeh]

Even though he didn't want to think about it, Renard couldn't help but remember how inexperienced he was with this whole love thing. Ciardha, even though he was mute, probably had had at least one other suitor, probably someone more outgoing, someone more confident, someone that had everything going for them. What did Renard have besides his eyes and accent? Nothing, not in his own opinion anyway. He thought that he was just better off not getting his hopes up.

After all, all he was was some scrawny kid who couldn't tell friendship from a relationship, and who never knew what was happening around him. He was dull, he was almost the definition of a dumb blond. In fact, he was so sure of this that if one stared at his moonlight locks they would find fine streaks of gold shooting through his tendrils like shooting stars through the darkness of space.

Renard didn't dare breathe. In his world it was a luxury he couldn't afford. There was simply not enough air to feed to him, to be wasted on him when all he was going to do was waste it in the end doing frivoulous things, like imagining a future that cannot truly exist in this world, this plane of existence. After all, he wasn't that good looking.

As his face was turned to face the male beside him, the kitsune's heard jumped into his throat, leaving a cool wind rattling around in his insides as he saw the look on Ciardha's face. His expression... it was such a warm and intense expression. His mind and heart were overloaded with what he saw in the other's eyes, the passion, the caring, the need and the love, it all overwhelmed him, the love more than everything else possible at the moment.

His chin was pulled closer and the shorter male's heart began to race a mile a minute in her throat, causing it throb painfully. Their lips pushed against each other, with a certainty and caring passion that had been absent from the kiss in the auditorium. Somehow this one seemed more self-assured, more appropriate than the other. This was something the Frenchie could appreciate better than anything else.

Like Ciardha, his eyes slid closed as the kiss became progressively deeper until he felt something hot and wet push at his lips. Without even thinking about it, the kitsune reached up and wrapped his arms around the elder's neck, slowly opening his mouth and allowing the other unlimited access to his mouth.

He didn't think this was going too fast. He felt like they were going just right. After this they could sit together, they could talk (or in Ciardha's case, sign) and learn more about each other. But first--first and foremost--they needed to do this. They needed to make it clear who and what they were to each other. That was the most import.

It always had been.