Work Text:
It was a completely normal evening for Viren.
A few dark spells here, a few biscuits for breakfast, contemplating his life choices, and the such.
It was a normal night, though. Until it wasn't.
The middle-aged mage was getting a bit bored, so just as he was about to wrap his hand around the doorknob and retire to sleep, a certain thought popped into his mind:
Go touch some grass.
In fact, he would touch some grass. It sounded like a logical plan, since it was truly a long time since he had touched grass. He nodded. Yes, he would touch some grass.
With a new youthful spark in his soul, Viren barreled down the hallway and thrust open the rickety old door leading out to a winding stone staircase. He inhaled the fresh aromatic scent of blissful evening essence, nearly tripping down the last step.
"Ah! What a wonderful world it is this evening!" Viren balled his hands into fists and affirmatively placed them on his hips, inhaling deeply.
He felt young. H-he felt... alive! And free. The smell, oh god the smell of evening bliss infiltrated his nose and made him feel as if time rewinded 20 years.
But as Viren began to trek his way down the grassy hill and towards the sea, only then did he realize how ill timed this notion to "touch grass" was.
Because... as the mage's foot first met the sandy beach, he saw something, or rather, someone. Someone who he would rather NOT see. Ever. Sitting there, was that blue bitch cosmic elf. That swine, that trickster, that heinous atrocity, Aaravos. And he looked oddly calm. One hand idly swished in the crystal clear ocean, a sliver of his face revealing a smile tugging at his cheeks.
"Where are you going, Viren?" The elf didn't cease from what he was going, his hand still swishing the water, his expression a porcelain sculpture.
The mage, who had attempting to turn around and escape, no longer had no other choice than to acknowledge the elf.
"Uh. Home, I'm going to sleep. Uh.. w-why are you here?" Viren stammered, his mind coming to terms with the fact that the sly elf was in such an out of place, if not awkward, location. His legs quivered and his mind trembled on the edge of defensive arguments.
"Hm. Well, Viren, now that you ask... in fact, I was waiting. For you." At that, Aaravos smoothly shifted his position, his head peeking over his shoulder with a shit eating smirk plastered across his face. He tapped an elegant finger to his cheek, subconsciously tracing the star specks that delicately lined the blue skin.
Viren didn't like what came next.
With a toothy smirk, Aaravos narrowed his eyes and snapped his fingers.
And before he knew it, Viren was in some sort of room, or a, or... a dungeon.
Instantly, the soft aroma of the evening was replaced with the lingering smell of mildew and residual sewage. And before him was a quite plush sofa, lined with periwinkle blue fabric and adorned with what looked to be actual gold.
And Aaravos was nowhere in sight.
"Hey! H-HEY! Let me out! I told you... I'm done! I'm done with these tricks, that... that was part of the deal!" Viren spotted a door engraved into the rocky walls, dashing to it and banging on the wood until his fists went numb. "H-Hey!"
Footsteps.
Viren stepped back as he heard the faint echo, his eyes darting back and forth. He watched as the doorknob slowly rotated, soon revealing the smirking figure of Aaravos.
"What-"
Before him, Aaravos stood utterly still, an apple poised in his hand. His eyes narrowed and his smile deepened, all the while maintaining a steady gaze with the frightened mage. His head tilted a bit, casting a darked shadow over his unblinking, squinted eyes.
"What is this..." Viren didn't like the look the elf was giving him, because quite frankly, it was bone rattling terrifying. Aaravos had an air of mystery whenever he spoke, the snarky bastard... but that was at least tolerable at the very very least. With this... well, Viren didn't know what to think of a silent Aaravos.
"Why did you bring me here!! Go on, speak!" Viren's blood was boiling at this point, and he prayed that the fear dripping into his bloodstream didn't turn out to be too noticeable.
"Hmm." A low chuckle rumbled in Aaravos's chest. The elf gracefully drifted over to Viren, his eyes narrowing once again. He sighed. "Well, Viren, you see, it's been ages since I've been able to truly rest. Resting is a hard thing to come by when you're someone like... well, me." The cosmic elf reached up and snatched a strand of his silky white hair with his index finger, twisting it over and over. His eyes gripped Viren's gaze like a ball and chain. And Viren didn't like it. What was this scheming bastard up to...
"Wha- what... what did you do!!?" Viren just realized that the elf had knotted him into some rope contraption, the thick fibers winding around his waist and underarms. And the other end? Well... the elf somehow had managed to attach it to the ceiling. In fact, his feet were about two feet off the ground. That bastard... He was trapped.
"Oof- hmm??"
He was really really trapped.
Aaravos stuffed a cosmic crisp apple into Viren's mouth, giving the mage a spin so that he was now slowly rotating. "What is this!!" Viren reached up to remove the apple, but his wrist was snatched by the elf.
"Ah ah ah, not quite." The elf stepped back, his smile now revealing a perfect set of teeth. He spoke. "You see, the key to relaxation is to first set a pique... ambiance. You see?"
"No. NO. NO NO. NO I do not see!" Silence. Then it dawned on him. "What...You... want me to eat the apple? Are you kidding?"
"Do I lie?" And so that was it, the elf actually wanted Viren to eat the apple.
The elf stretched and plopped himself onto the periwinkle couch, extending his legs outward and propping his cheek onto his palm. "Go on." He raised an eyebrow.
Viren looked at the outstretched elf again, scanning his placid expression until he was pretty certain he wasn't kidding. Tentatively, the mage sunk his teeth into the apple, chewing uncertainly. He swallowed. "What- what... do I need to-??"
"Ah ah ah, don't speak. It ruins the experience. Too much noise. Ruins the ASMR." Aaravos waved his hand, signaling for him to continue.
Viren opened his mouth to speak, but there was absolutely nothing he could say about this. He knew he shouldn't test the elf, anyway, if he wanted to see the light of day tomorrow. So he crunched again, his body still keeping up steady rotation. And he chewed. He bit and chewed, bit and chewed. Every time he rotated to where Aaravos was in view, the elf looked more and more placid, his eyes drifting close.
"Go on..." Aaravos's hand fluttered to his mouth as he yawned, his eyes lazily drifting shut.
A frustrated grumble shot out of his chest. He felt ill. Mentally and physically ill. His head spun as his body spun. With every second he felt the chewed apple threaten to climb up his throat. Every bite was absolute agony. Hell, even the apple tasted mealy. Hell... he didn't even like apples.
"oh god..." Viren's eyes threatened to shut on him, his fingers nearly dropping the apple. Just a few more bites... Well, the elf was visibly sleeping; his eyes were closed and his head drooped off the side of the couch, his silky head of white hair flopping over his face like a mop. Yet Viren did not want to risk it, so he continued to chomp at the apple. Every last bit of it. At last, he bared his teeth and nipped the very edge of the apple, nearly colliding with the core. He swallowed, a nervous breath brewing in his chest as he waited on knife's edge for what would happen next.
Just like that, Aaravos jerked up from sleep, smugly brushing the hair away from his face. "Well well well... that was quite...delightful." The elf looked up at the still-rotating Viren, a thin smirk stretching from ear to ear. His eyes blinked a few times to let out the last bits of sleepiness.
"Will you let me down now??" Viren nearly gagged, the acid from the apple rising from the pit of his stomach. "Please?"
"Hmm..." The smug elf slowly tapped his cheek again, knowing all well that Viren hated it when he did that.
"Please? You bastard..."
A deep rumbling laugh bellowed through the elf's chest, a thin toothy smile poking through his smiling lips. "Hm. All well. You're done. But... that doesn't mean I'm not hungry still."
"What... what do you mean by that? Let me down! Now. Right now! This is uncivilized behavior!"
"Oh! Me.. uncivilized? Well, maybe on your standards. I'll show you uncivilized... if you wish."
At that, Aaravos held his hands behind his back and walked over to Viren, reaching one hand up to unlatch the rope connecting the mage to the ceiling. The mage fell to the floor with deep impact, slamming right into his aging bones. The youthful elf, however, looked down at him like he was some kind of bug to be squashed. "Do you know... what my favorite food is?"
"What is the meaning of this?" F-favorite food? I don't know... I DON'T KNOW!" Viren's voice became all whispery and nervous as the elf played with his long hair again like it was spaghetti on a fork.
"Cheese."
With a flair of elegance, Aaravos someway, somehow whipped out a platter of cheese alongside a singular two-pronged fork.
"I'm not hungry..." Viren's eyes widened at the neatly arranged cubes and the fork, Aaravos's finger poking each prong.
Viren's eyes widened again for the third realization that day. Knowing that there was only one cheese fork, there would only be one person eating that cheese. And Viren knew it wasn't going to be him.
"Let's sit..." The startouch elf abruptly placed a hand on Viren's back, leading him over to the periwinkle couch. Aaravos noticed Viren's reluctance and spoke up, his face tilting so that his deep eyes met the mage's. "You must be exhausted from twirling around up there. Let's sit. Sit."
Honestly, Viren couldn't really refuse, knowing that there was no way out of this. He just had to pray that the end was near, although there were a lot of cheese blocks. And he didn't exactly know what bastard elf was planning.
"Now... that little nap of mine really took a toll on my energy. I haven't eaten in ages... but there is one problem with that. I'm simply too tired to eat." Well, that just confirmed the worst of Viren's predictions.
And the next words sold it all the way. "Dear Viren, I need you to help me eat these lovely blocks of cheese. Now, would you?"
"No... no. NO!" Viren swatted at Aaravos's hand, taking a few staggered steps back. "no..."
"Oh why not, though? Wouldn't you help out a tired elf?" For exaggeration Aaravos put a hand to his forehead, tilting his head to the ceiling His gaze slowly lowered back down, his eyes squinted. "Would you rather crack my aching back?"
"No! No... no. Fine." Viren puffed out his chest, trying to make up for the obvious fear pooling in his eyes.
"Good.. good. Now... sit.:
Reluctantly, Viren sat down at the edge of the couch, leaving about two feet of open space between himself and the elf. But that was futile too, as Aaravos just scooted over closer, handing the fork over to Viren. With trembling hands, Viren took the fork, steeling his gaze to look at the cheddar cheese blocks perfectly arranged on a crystal platter.
"Go on."
For one, Viren couldn't believe he was actually subjecting himself to this. For two, he couldn't help but be disturbed by the elf's close proximity. He could feel his breath on his face and, well, he could smell his breath too. And it was going to get a whole lot worse considering he was going to be consuming the entire platter of cheese. Viren felt like he was about to commit some kind of heinous odorous crime. Against himself or his nose hairs, he didn't know.
So, with a jittery hand, Viren poked a cheese cube with the fork, earning a chuckle from Aaravos. He handed the fork to the elf, only for him to push it away, smirking. Viren watched in horror at the implications of Aaravos pointing his mouth.
"You've got to be serious!!"
Aaravos only twisted his hair and opened his mouth, revealing a set of perfect teeth.
"Oh my... god. Why..." Viren shook his head, his mouth pulling back into a severe frightened frown as he inched the cheese-equiped fork toward Aaravos's mouth. "Of all mercy!" Viren clenched his eyes and tilted his head to the side as he felt the grip of Aaravos's teeth puncture the cheese and pull away. It was then that Viren dared to open his eyes to find a grinning Aaravos, his mouth smacking noisily on the dairy product, his narrowing.
"Mm. How delightful." He swallowed with a gulp. "How about some more, dear Viren."
"Dear lord." Viren shuddered at the horrific stench of cheese wafting from Aaravos' mouth. It was so bad, he had to turn away a bit more. But the mage knew as good as day that he had to keep feeding him the cheese. And so he popped another, and another. And another into the elf's mouth, subjecting himself to more loud smacks and exaggerated swallowing noises from Aaravos's part.
At some point he just couldn't take it anymore.
"Dammit. Dammit all. A-are you doing this on purpose?"
Aaravos pursed his lips, his hand flying to his exposed chest. "What, I'm just enjoying a snack. And speaking of which... more." The elf's voice cascaded like velvet off his cheese-covered tongue.
"What... are you doing now!"
Viren observed the startouch elf gracefully rotate himself, so that his back was facing the mage. He curled his knees up to his chest and leaned back against Viren's chest, looking up at him with mischievous eyes and a quirked smile. He produced something from his garments- a brush- and playfully tapped Viren's head, drawing the ridge of it down his face.
"OFF!" Viren's face twisted with disgust, pushing the elf up so that he was sitting straight.
Aaravos scoffed. "Rude. To make it up, could you maybe brush my ragged locks?"
"Shit."
",,,"
"Fine. Fine."
Viren lifted the brush, his hands shakier than before the cheese, and landed it delicately on the top of Aaravos's head. He dragged it down the long white locks cascading down the elf's back, but even with just one stroke, Viren could tell that Aaravos's "ragged" locks were in no way whatsoever ragged. They were more like silken tresses preserved by the hands of immortality. Because, they were.
"Mm. Cheese."
"But I'm brushing your hair, you bastard! How-"
"You have two hands, right, last time I checked..." Aaravos peeked at Viren again. "You do."
And so, Viren sighed, taking the cheese fork, puncturing it, and reached around Aaravos's head to feed him cheese while he simultaneously ran the brush down his fine and feminine locks. Viren nearly lost it. He couldn't stand watching the side of Aaravos's jaw move while he made the most obnoxious smacking noises.
"Mm."
"Looks like you got a rat's nest here." Viren tugged at the brush where it got caught near the strands framing Aaravos's face. "Maybe quit the twirling."
"Mm." And just like that, Aaravos took his finger and twirled the very same strand, his side profile smirking. "But it soothes me."
More than ever, Viren wanted this bastard to shut up. Then he got an idea. He took the cheese fork and grit his teeth, equipping it with many many cheese cubes, squeezing them together, trying to make the process go faster. He peeked the loaded cheese fork around the bastard's shoulder, plunging into his mouth.
But go figures, Aaravos started hacking and choking, his head bowing into his lap. Viren stepped back, backing up slowly, watching the still choking Aaravos, his heaving shoulders.
"Goodness. My, my, Viren, are you trying to kill me?" The elf spoke in that smooth, low tone he always used to piss Viren off with. A fat glob of cheese rolled off Aaravos's tongue, falling into his palm. He gave Viren the sassiest look of disappointment, and quite frankly, the mage didn't like it.
"What."
"Ahem." The elf tossed the glob over to Viren, who leaned out of the way just in time.
"Oh god, ew, oh my..."
"Hm. That was quite unsatisfactory. I think I just may make my way back home, unfortunately. I thought we were having so much fun, but, I suppose no. But... I don't think I get home. Maybe you can help with that?"
The elf actually had the nerve to reach down, his hands on his boots, and slide them off. A set of perfectly polished, star-scattered feet were revealed on the couch.
"Gah! No no no no. NO."
Aaravos chuckled and lifted them up. "I need a massage bef-"
"NO." Viren got to his feet, standing his ground. "I'm done. Done I say! I will deal with such games no longer! Spare me!" Viren whipped out his index finger at the bastard startouch elf, who still sat on the couch with his feet propped up on the headrest.
"Hrm. Maybe a back wax-"
"No more of this witchery!" Viren had enough. He felt like pounding something, he felt like, he felt like, killing. In a bout of fury, the angry mage charged at Aaravos and wrapped his arms around his middle, heaving the tall creature to the ground. "Enough! Enough!" Viren pointed at the curled up elf like a scared puppy, his breath catching in his lungs. He went over and raised a hand above his head, striking down on Aaravos's bare chest with a solid smack reverberation.
A wide smirk spread across the elf's face, and dare Viren say it was a smirk of enjoyment.
"You wanted to do that, didn't you, dear?" At that, Aaravos snapped his fingers and faded into thin air, the last thing lingering in Viren's mind being the movement of long white hair twirling around the elf's finger.
What. What, what was this. Viren stared at his shaky hands, his mouth gaping open and begging for breath. He dropped to his knees, his hands running through his hair as he tilted his head to the prison's ceiling and let out a guttural scream.