Men and the Beastly

Men and Beasts

Akses didn't know much about technology. He knew of it, but he never used it. Cass scrolled through countless fanarts of Will Herondale and Jem Carstairs before deciding that he liked the way Will looked better, despite Jem having the extra inch.

"Is it going to hurt?" Cass asked.

Akses grinned. "Not at all." he waggled his gloved fingers.

"Alright," Cass said, closing his eyes and trying to relax, though that was hard sitting cross legged in a car seat.

Cass didn't see what Akses did next, but it hurt like hell. Not surprising, since that's where Akses was from.

He writhed in pain, but he didn't yet open his eyes. All at once, the pain stopped, and Cass tried to work up the courage to open his eyes.

"It's done," he heard Akses say.

Cass didn't want to open his eyes. He felt the same way as he did before, maybe a little stiff, but still the same.

"Oh, for the love of Rikyes, open your eyes," Akses said.

Cass's eyes flew open, but then he realized he couldn't even see himself. There was no mirror.

Akses chuckled softly. "You can't even see yourself! Ha!"

Pulling down the mirror on the passenger side, Cass frowned at him.

Akses yelped when Cass started to lean over him to look in the mirror. "Wait! What are you doing? Don't you have one of those on your own side?"

Cass grinned smugly. "Heh,"

He did it just to annoy Akses. And totally not so he could get closer to him.

Definitely not. Because Cass had a girlfriend.

Well, not yet, exactly.

But soon.

Looking in the mirror, Cass gazed at himself, his brain not processing that it was himself he was looking at.

His hair was black and fluffy, shagging a bit at the back, the ends curling into loose ringlets. His skin was almost as perfect as porcelain, which was quite unnerving to see after he'd had a decent amount of acne since he was fourteen.

What was the scariest though, were his eyes. They were piercing and blue, thought they were missing the pupils.

"Uh. . ." Cass said, touching his cheek.

"So, How do you like it?"Akses asked, constantly hitting Cass with the back of his gloved hands.

"It's. . . weird," Cass said slowly.

"You know, if you don't like it, we can always change it to Jem's look. . ." Akses pondered. "Or. . . maybe even something else?"

"Like what?" Cass turned to look at Akses, who was smirking. Cass had the immense urge to slap it right off of that pretty little face but, through immense self-control and total maturity, he didn't.

"Anything you'd like. Though it'd come at a cost."

"What kind of cost?" Cass was skeptical.

"Everything comes with a cost. Even that little makeover of yours does."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT SOONER?" Cass shrieked, hitting Akses.

Akses didn't so much as flinch. "Didn't you do your research before summoning me? I thought you did," Akses was chuckling now, hitting Cass back.

"Well,--" Cass was gasping for air-- he was laughing too hard. "What-- is it?"

Akses didn't respond, as the two of them dissolved into laughter. Cass didn't know that demons could laugh, that they could feel so human. Through their shared laughter, Cass completely forgot that Akses wasn't in fact human, and that they were just two guys, rolling with laughter, in a dark Ford Focus, dried tears on Cass's face.

After what felt like hours, but what was really minutes, Akses pushed Cass off of him. "We should get going."

Cass looked at him and fake pouted. "Awww," he said, pretending to be sad.

Akses just laughed. Different from before, more inhuman. "Come on," he said, leaning over and turning the key in the ignition.

Cass buckled his seatbelt. "One problem," he said.

Akses raised an eyebrow.

"Uhhh, you didn't notice? YOU TURNED THE WINDOWS BLACK!"

"Oh. Yeah." Akses snapped his fingers and the road was once more visible. "Cassius?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"Do you know where we are?"

"Not at all."

Akses snickered.

Cass batted his hand at him. "Oh, shut up. And call me Cass."

Akses gave him a thumbs up that looked rather awkward with his extravagant get-up.

"Well, time to go back to the dorms, I guess."

A/N: sorry I haven't updated in a while.  And yes, of course I had to reference Cassie Clare in some way