Venom and Honey

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Venom and Honey by TheMadKatter13

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The October air is thick with the scent of the brewing storm, the winds against his naked backside strong, and the waters against his knees mildly choppy when Derek steps into the inlet. His fishing nets drag against the skin at the back of his thighs as he brings them to his sides and fling them out over the surface with all the power of his lycan strength. The complete lack of humans means that he's safe to tie off his lines and leave them as he strides back into the tree-line. With the storm, and winter, on its way, it's time for him to build a shelter that will last against the harsh winds and snows.

Derek has only felled a handful of trees, the task time-consuming even with his claws, when he hears it: loud, angry cursing, coming from the direction of the shores. His fangs and claws are safely withdrawn by the time he's jogged back to his nets to find an ethereally-beautiful young man splashing loudly and struggling against the mesh tangled around wildly-waving arms. Derek's eyes are instantly drawn to the smattering of moles across pale, bared flesh, catching and losing constellations in flashes.

"Hey, you! Naked sexy! You going to stand there looking pretty or come help me out?"

The werewolf raises an eyebrow, but he's in the water and striding towards the stranger, simultaneously tugging on the rope to pull his nets inland, before he can even think about it. The man he's accidentally caught only gets more beautiful the closer he gets, whiskey-coloured eyes and a guileless smile beaming up at him when he finally stops waist-deep in the water in front of the first human he's seen in months. He doesn't smile back, but it's a close thing.

"You are... gorgeous. I could take you home and gobble you up," the smooth voice compliments next, long fingers swirling back and forth in the water to keep the boy afloat. There's too much commotion in the water for Derek to tell, but he thinks the man is as naked as he is. "But first, how about you help me out of these nets, big guy?"

Derek stares at him for a second before he reaches out and grasps hold of the mesh, careful not to rip the thin rope as he parts it from that pale skin. There's a soft, echoing hum in the air as he works, one that makes him sway in place with the gentle push-and-pull of the waves around them. Every time he glances up, the young man, now calm and still in the water except for where his arms help him keep from sinking, is smiling brightly at him, and Derek can't help but let the corners of his lips lift up in return.

He also can't help but subtly scent his catch, but what comes back to his nose is largely foreign, unplaceable. There's heavy currents of ocean water, undertones of fish, and a strange undertow of something that reminds Derek of venom, sharp and bright even as a tertiary scent. Overlaying it all is something that he's never smelled before, something that makes him think of deep dark and danger. It's almost addictive, and his tongue peeks out to wet his lips. Eyes that seem to flash gold for a moment track the motion of his adam's apple when he swallows, and that venomous scent grows stronger, threatening to make him light-headed. The good kind of light-headed. Within a few minutes, Derek is fighting to not let his arousal show, and the nets have been pulled free of the other man's body and hurled back over the water.

"Thank you," the strangers says, eyes and smile both somehow brighter with his freedom. He's still laying in the water, and the oddity makes Derek frown.

"You're welcome," he replies, voice quiet and rough from misuse. He hasn't spoken since Laura's death the year prior, and it shows. Still, his catch's eyes widen and it's the other man's turn to lick his lips as the venom scent sweetens.

"Oh, it really is a shame you're so beautiful. I would have liked to keep you."

Derek frowns, but there's no time to ask before the man is lunging out of the water, teeth gone sharp and jagged. 'Startled' would be an understatement, but his instincts have his claws out and wrapped around his attacker's neck before those teeth can pierce his flesh. Derek bares his fangs and roars in the things's face. Rather than the stench of fear and a tidal wave of panicked babbling flooding his senses, he's met with a pulse of that sweet venom and an awed expression.

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