Horror Vacui [Papa Emeritus IV x Phantom]

Horror Vacui

Nights after a concert are real torture. The Ghouls seem immune to the exhaustion accumulated during the show; instead, it fills them with adrenaline that erases any trace of sleep. They just can not rest after a concert; they toss and turn in bed, feeling hot, and growing the urge to go out and move.

Phantom gets up and begins pacing around the room, then lit a cigarette in the hope that it would relax him... But the tension is still there by the time he put it out in the ashtray.

As if guided by a sixth sense that is hard to ignore, he leaves his room in search of - or to provide - relief elsewhere.

*

By now, that knocking on the door, quick and somewhat timid - at any time and anywhere they were - had become for Copia the sound that marked the end of a workday and the beginning of a part of it to which he would never give up.

The Ghouls just summoned were particularly sensitive, needy, and inexperienced; they needed time to get used to a new world and new habits. But Copia was a patient and experienced master, with an approach totally different from his brothers. Where they used authority and imposition, he dispensed the understanding and patience of a father.

Without further ado, Phantom opens the door left unlocked on purpose, illuminating the body of the Papa who rests with his back turned. He seems asleep; he hasn't even moved with all the chaos Phantom has created with his restlessness, closing the door and walking around the room. Often in the night, he's so exhausted that he goes to bed still in makeup, and sometimes even dressed.

Phantom sits on the edge of the bed, his back to him. He feels the mattress move under his weight; he must have woken up, judging by the groan he hears. He turns, seeing him propping himself up with one hand, while rubbing one eye with the other.

"Did I wake you?" he asks, leaning to look at him.

He shakes his head with a small dissenting sound. "I was dreaming..."

Phantom raises an eyebrow. "Dream?" He nods; a small smile lights up the Ghoul's face.
"What kind?" he asks softly, and the barely hinted smile turns into a small grin as he crawls towards him.

"Not that kind of dream..." he specifies, knowing the young Ghoul's dirty mind. "A nightmare."

"Are you still dreaming of the moment when...?" he asks, hesitating.

"Yes. I'm getting more tired, Phantom."

"I don't want it to happen."

"We've already talked about it..." he replies, reassuring him by stroking his back. "I've done a lot for the Ministry; I'll retire happily."

Phantom approaches him, with a naturalness and a tranquility mixed with almost involuntary sensuality, and begins to touch and kiss him softly, confident that he'll respond to these subtle seductive attempts. Copia responds to his kisses, touches him as he's doing to him, and lets him slide his hands wherever he desires on his body.

Once again, they find themselves naked, in a space of a few square meters, breathing each other in.

He knows that the deep sighs Phantom emits on his neck as he holds him so tightly, their warm skin touching, and their legs wrapped around the young Ghoul's hips are the only things he needs to make his days of slow anticipation worth living.

Copia places a hand on Phantom's still-warm belly, hinting at a caress to which he responds with a small, weary smile.

He enjoys stroking him like this, especially after making love. His belly is flat, in that supine position, outlined by his protruding hips.