"Oh," Gale says softly, surprised, but also overwhelmed with emotion. There's affection for Pom, of course, but the way he's nuzzling him... It reminds him of Tara. It's bittersweet, the mixture of love and longing for home.
"That's new," he points out, then quickly adds, "You don't have to stop, that's not what I mean." He twists Pom's shirt in his hands, fistfuls of fabric to keep him from pulling away. "Keep doing it."
Gale is quiet and considering, tilting his head into the contact while he thinks. "Yes. Though sometimes I also fear it will swallow me whole if I do let it out. There's no clear solution. Has yours gotten more insistent?"
To feel damned if he does, and damned if he doesn't - Pom knows that feeling all too well. An ache runs through him: it is partially born of empathy, of understanding of Gale's struggle with his Soul; it is also born of the desire to protective him from it, no matter the cost, no matter the required bloodshed.
He stifles it with another long drag of his face along Gale's head, feeling more satisfied with each pass.
"Yeah. Yeah, it has."
Somewhere along the way, he turns his lips to Gale's hair, pressing a gentle kiss there; it makes him feel marginally more human, if only for a second, as the heat in his chest burns ever hotter. He's warm to the touch - unnaturally so.
"Since you went missing. It got louder then, never really quieted down after. Guess there's something this Soul and I agree on. Just not really sure the best way to handle it. How to handle wanting you."
"My fault," Gale breathes, and it wouldn't be audible to normal human ears. "I can't promise it won't happen again, or something like it... But for now, you don't have to worry about wanting me, because you have me. I'm here." He lifts a hand to Pom's jaw, turning his face so that he can kiss him softly on the lips. The thought that Patho-Gen might use him against Pom is a terrifying one, but denying themselves doesn't make it any less of a threat. Gale spent months hiding his feelings, and he's sure Pom had done the same — he won't do it anymore.
Gale still blames himself for what happened, and ire stirs within Pom — not for Gale, but for Patho-Gen, for the horror and the torture and them making such a good man believe he's anything but wonderful. Even if he wasn't, Pom's not sure he could admit it - Purl never did anything wrong either, despite how she might argue otherwise. He's the one always in the wrong, who can't be trusted with himself or anyone else.
Thankfully, Gale's kiss derails his train of thought, however briefly. He reciprocates eagerly, hungrily, only to pause as he feels his claws tearing his skin, the flesh around them healing as soon as it's punctured. He digs them into the bedding rather than Gale's skin as he flips himself over his partner, straddling Gale's body with his legs. Though Gale is a bit broader and Pom is a bit lankier theses days, they fit together in a way he finds satisfying on a level he doesn't fully comprehend.
The threads pop and snap as his claws pierce the sheets, stuffing escaping in their wake. While he and his Souls agree on wanting Gale, the methods are where they diverge: Pom wants to be gentle, needed, better than he's been for anyone else; the Carnivora want to possess him, fight for him, devour Gale so that no one else may lay claim on him.
He pulls himself from another kiss, and though his eyes are indicative of his predatory nature, the crease in his brow holds nothing but concern.
"I haven't wanted like this before. It's intense, this... this wild thing in my chest, always trying to get more of you. What if—"
He hesitates, then bites his lip hard enough to draw blood; it grounds him in his skin.
"What if I hurt you? You'd fight back, wouldn't you?"
Pom's weight presses Gale down into the bed, and he rumbles in approval, almost a growl, or maybe the purr of a big cat. He smells the hint of blood from Pom's split skin and it makes his mouth water, which tangles up with other types of hunger, and he should be worried but doesn't have the capacity for it right now. Instead he grabs Pom by the hips, pulls him in closer. When Pom pulls back, Gale tries to tip himself up to chase his lips for another kiss, realizing the other man's concern belatedly. He blinks open his eyes, confused, and they look less mismatched than usual, because his pupils are so wide that both eyes look nearly black.
"You won't," Gale says. "I mean, I know what you're feeling, I think... It's intense. Different than anything I've felt before. Not just my feelings, but all the beast's instincts too." He tips himself up for a softer, lingering kiss. It takes concentrated effort to keep it justice that, but he manages. "While you may get a little more... Bitey, that's okay. I trust you not to really hurt me.
Despite Gale's reassurance, Pom hesitates, still unsure if he trusts himself with this - this interaction, this relationship, this sudden surge of carnal desire that feels unlike him. It's that soft kiss pressed to his lips that helps convince him. He'll never trust himself, but he trusts Gale entirely - and his Souls seem to agree, a purr of his own rattling from his throat as the kiss grounds him in a way self-inflicted pain could not. Gale has been there since his arrival, was nearly the first person he spoke to outside of Patho-Gen staff; he was the first to really see a glimpse of who Pom is, immediately connected with him via their love of their Felyne companions when Pom's mask slipped. Gale might have been his first Imprint, when he really thinks about it.
If he's going to lose himself in anyone, let it be to the man who knows what he's going through, who has a similar Soul in his Augmenter, who feels the same. He's someone else who has a cat for a best friend, whose Felyne companion might be the only reason he's alive now. Months and months ago, Pom had stopped Gale from tearing the kitchens of the Valentia apart; if it came right to it, Gale could stop him. If nothing else, their bond would likely heal any wounds he could cause.
He parts just long enough for a single word.
"Okay."
And with that, he steals another kiss. Gale will have to be careful: Pom will be bitey, will be territorial, will tear right into him if allowed; however, he's just as likely to turn those same teeth and claws on anyone he perceives as a threat to Gale, to them. Such is the nature of beasts like him: they are aberrations among their own kind, wild and destructive creatures who'd devour everything they ever loved if they thought it'd keep them safe.
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Date: 2025-12-23 01:34 am (UTC)"That's new," he points out, then quickly adds, "You don't have to stop, that's not what I mean." He twists Pom's shirt in his hands, fistfuls of fabric to keep him from pulling away. "Keep doing it."
Gale is quiet and considering, tilting his head into the contact while he thinks. "Yes. Though sometimes I also fear it will swallow me whole if I do let it out. There's no clear solution. Has yours gotten more insistent?"
no subject
Date: 2025-12-24 05:07 am (UTC)He stifles it with another long drag of his face along Gale's head, feeling more satisfied with each pass.
"Yeah. Yeah, it has."
Somewhere along the way, he turns his lips to Gale's hair, pressing a gentle kiss there; it makes him feel marginally more human, if only for a second, as the heat in his chest burns ever hotter. He's warm to the touch - unnaturally so.
"Since you went missing. It got louder then, never really quieted down after. Guess there's something this Soul and I agree on. Just not really sure the best way to handle it. How to handle wanting you."
no subject
Date: 2025-12-26 09:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-12-27 04:52 am (UTC)Thankfully, Gale's kiss derails his train of thought, however briefly. He reciprocates eagerly, hungrily, only to pause as he feels his claws tearing his skin, the flesh around them healing as soon as it's punctured. He digs them into the bedding rather than Gale's skin as he flips himself over his partner, straddling Gale's body with his legs. Though Gale is a bit broader and Pom is a bit lankier theses days, they fit together in a way he finds satisfying on a level he doesn't fully comprehend.
The threads pop and snap as his claws pierce the sheets, stuffing escaping in their wake. While he and his Souls agree on wanting Gale, the methods are where they diverge: Pom wants to be gentle, needed, better than he's been for anyone else; the Carnivora want to possess him, fight for him, devour Gale so that no one else may lay claim on him.
He pulls himself from another kiss, and though his eyes are indicative of his predatory nature, the crease in his brow holds nothing but concern.
"I haven't wanted like this before. It's intense, this... this wild thing in my chest, always trying to get more of you. What if—"
He hesitates, then bites his lip hard enough to draw blood; it grounds him in his skin.
"What if I hurt you? You'd fight back, wouldn't you?"
no subject
Date: 2026-01-01 06:38 am (UTC)"You won't," Gale says. "I mean, I know what you're feeling, I think... It's intense. Different than anything I've felt before. Not just my feelings, but all the beast's instincts too." He tips himself up for a softer, lingering kiss. It takes concentrated effort to keep it justice that, but he manages. "While you may get a little more... Bitey, that's okay. I trust you not to really hurt me.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-05 06:20 am (UTC)If he's going to lose himself in anyone, let it be to the man who knows what he's going through, who has a similar Soul in his Augmenter, who feels the same. He's someone else who has a cat for a best friend, whose Felyne companion might be the only reason he's alive now. Months and months ago, Pom had stopped Gale from tearing the kitchens of the Valentia apart; if it came right to it, Gale could stop him. If nothing else, their bond would likely heal any wounds he could cause.
He parts just long enough for a single word.
"Okay."
And with that, he steals another kiss. Gale will have to be careful: Pom will be bitey, will be territorial, will tear right into him if allowed; however, he's just as likely to turn those same teeth and claws on anyone he perceives as a threat to Gale, to them. Such is the nature of beasts like him: they are aberrations among their own kind, wild and destructive creatures who'd devour everything they ever loved if they thought it'd keep them safe.