Essence of Quinn Parts 3 & 4 (MxM)

Mean, Mean Air

Quinn paced back and forth along the outside wall of his room, from one arched window to the next and then back again. His jaw was clenched and a growl rumbled out of him on a perpetual loop.

He hadn't felt this riled up for a long while. He knew that some of it was the call of the moon to his ghoul nature, but that didn't explain it all.

He squeezed his eyes shut for a second and shook his head to try and dislodge the flashes of memories that were managing to surface now.

The glow of the newly risen moon bathed Quinn's altar in an eerie pale light. It gave way to the brighter hallway lights as the door to his room swung open.

Quinn stopped pacing and glanced over at Air who now stood in the doorway.

"Air, I..."

"Shut up," the other ghoul said. Quinn could feel that he was still angry, but it didn't have the same dark bite that it had when Air had sent him to his room. He smirked at the thought of being banished there like a scolded teenager who's been caught doing something they shouldn't. "I'm glad that you find this funny, Aionspawn. You will not be laughing soon."

Quinn's eyes snapped up to meet Air's. They glowed with purple fire and he raised a brow. He pointed to the sofa with his free hand and Quinn sighed. He did as instructed and went to sit.

Air closed the door behind him and flicked on the tall lamp in the corner of the room. He handed Quinn the bowl he'd been carrying and stepped back.

"You brought me porridge?" Quinn said indignantly. "I'm not hungry."

"You will eat."

The words were said quietly but again, the hairs on the back of Quinn's neck stood on end at the command and the malice contained in them.

Quinn glanced up and met Air's eyes again. His stare bored into him and he raised that cocky fucking eyebrow, waiting for Quinn to do as he was told.

Quinn scowled and picked up a spoonful, holding Air's gaze as he put it into his mouth. The taste was good, but his guts protested almost immediately, cramping up at the threat of sustenance that he was aware he badly needed. The thick mixture of oats and milk and nuts and berries and spices caught in his throat but he swallowed it down out of spite.

"Happy?" Quinn said snarkily.

Air smirked and shook his head, going to dump the duffle bag that was slung over his shoulder onto the bed.

"You're such a brat sometimes, Quinn." He nodded his head to the half full bowl in Quinn's hands. "Eat the rest and then we will deal with your behaviour."

Air stood in front of Quinn, arms folded across his chest and watched every mouthful he ate.

When he was done, Quinn put the bowl carefully into the coffee table and sat back. He took a deep breath and huffed it out.

"I'm..." he started to say.

"Don't." Air leaned over and ran his nose along Quinn's cheek. "You smell like witch. I thought you weren't going to be dealing with the witch."

"Secondo needed me to. He had faith that I'd be okay," Quinn murmured.

"He was wrong," Air growled.

"I'm okay now. I managed to keep my cool..."

"Stop talking." Quinn clamped his mouth shut. "You aren't okay." Air straddled Quinn's lap and draped his arms over his shoulders, nuzzling his hair. Quinn wrapped his arms around him, hands gripping his back as he breathed in the clean scent of him. It did nothing to calm his racing heart. Despite the shower that he'd clearly recently had, Air smelled of want. "It's the full moon. What the fuck was he thinking?"