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ELI

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NAME: Eli Azrael
AGE: 40... ish
HOMETOWN: Kingdom of Solterra, Feywild

yo. its eli. hit me up.

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As soon as Eli sees Cas, his brow creases with worry. He doesn't know much about other people's corruption, but if it's anything like his, he expects it's painful. These green bruise-looking patches and Cas' tired demeanour do nothing to convince him otherwise.

"Hey. Are you okay? Does it hurt?" He steps in, putting a hand on Cas' face and searching his expression, but also feeling for the squirm underneath.

His eyes then catch on the worms in his periphery. Why are they... Everywhere?

Edited Date: 2025-07-15 01:32 pm (UTC)

Cassius turns his face to nose at Eli’s palm, eyes sliding shut like he’s needed the contact. And he has. Needed it. Whatever his soul is doing is… taking a lot from him. It’s taking even more to stay on top of it.

He gives a soft hum, worms a slow churn against Eli’s palm. “This shell does not feel pain as you do. But I will admit I am not… feeling as I usually do. I am unsure if I can say with confidence that I am fine.”

Reluctance radiates from him as he pulls away to head into the room. What stray clusters of worms are in his path part around his feet, and – they look a little darker. Longer. Cassius doesn’t seem too bothered by it, but his attention is drawn to more important things.

His hand brushes against the nightstand, near that Cassius-colored stack.

“If you would, friend Eli, I would like you to cut these discolorations out of my shell so that I may replace them.”

Eli frowns deeply, floating to follow Cassius into the room, keeping a hand on his shoulder, as though tethered there. He wants to pull him in, to lay down with him, make sure he gets some rest- but Cas has another idea in mind.

"Cut... Cut them out?" Eli is bewildered, looking at the stack, picking up a piece of Cas-shell. He looks between the piece and his friend's bruises, and holds one up next to a green patch.

"Won't the worms fall out? And how are you gonna stitch these new pieces in?"

“They will not fall out if I keep them where they are.” He looks down, runs his fingers light over a large green patch bleeding across his chest. “As for your second question – I will have my worms glue them in and work the seams shut. It… merely takes energy to do so, and while I could do it myself, I…”

A glance up, hesitant. “I desired your company and your care.”

He takes a step back, settling on the edge of the bed. Worms wiggle out from under the covers to drop to the floor and pile somewhere to the side of his feet. He looks up at Eli with big, dark eyes, and holds out a hand to him in question.

Ugh. Cassius never fails to find the one soft part of Eli's heart, zero in on it, and turn it absolutely molten.

Elijah takes his hand and sits next to him on the bed, levitating for a moment before sitting softly so he doesn't squish any worms. He nestles right into Cas' side, putting an arm around his waist and kissing his cheek gently.

"You can have my company and care any time, any day. But... Cas, this is corruption. It's your plant soul trying to take over your body. We might do all of this work just for the green to come back even more. Just like how I can't reverse my burns," he holds out an arm, where the bandages are now around his forearm as the burn has migrated upward, leaving his wrist fully shadow-fied, "I don't think it's possible to reverse or stop corruption, only slow it down or make it hurt less."

He rests his head in the crook of Cas' neck.

"If this is what you want to do, I'll help you. But I don't want you to waste your energy when you're already so tired."

Cassius molds himself into Eli’s contours on reflex, something relaxing in him at Eli’s affection, but not fading entirely. It shows in the way his gaze lingers on his friend’s arm, before he pulls it away to look elsewhere. Anywhere.

“...I would like to try regardless. The most effort-consuming thing has already been dealt with.” He gestures at the small stack of shell pieces, but the movement isn’t like it usually is. He lets his hand drop back down, his head resting on Eli’s in turn. “Your presence helps, too, friend Eli. I do not feel as… uncomfortable.”

Cassius rarely is discomforted, but – this shell is what Cassius is to people. It is a form to be recognized with comfort. When people think of Cassius they do not think of his worms first, they think of the layers that keep them together. And to lose that? Because of this infection?

No, this Song will not take him without a fight.

“This is my shell. My creation.” There’s an uneasy squirm to him, here, as he turns his nose into Eli’s hair. Softer, “Please, friend Eli."

It's very worrying. Eli has never seen Cassius so... Down. Even when they first met and Cas was physically barely able to get upright, he still had a curious, soft kindness about him. Something... Carefree. It's obvious to Elijah now that not only is he physically tired, but the corruption is causing him mental distress.

And corruption is mentally distressing, in so many ways. Change is difficult, especially when you have no control over it, and no idea what it is you're changing into.

This is my shell. My creation.

That resonates strongly for Eli. Wanting to be self-made, completely self-determined, not controlled by anyone or anything else. He's struggled with that feeling, and the forces working against him on it, since birth. Everyone just wants to be in a body that suits them, that makes them feel comfortable, that makes others see them the way they want to be seen. It's not always possible, but right now, that's what Cas is asking for help with. Even if it's a temporary solution, if it makes his friend feel better in his own body, of course he's going to do it.

He squeezes Cassius tightly around the waist, even though the pressure makes the burns on his arms protest loudly. It doesn't matter. He wants Cas to feel held and loved, because he is.

"Of course. Let's do it," he says, determined.

"Why don't you lay down and get comfy?"

Eli floats up from the bed, going to grab the shell patches from the nightstand. Thank god his hands are better now, and just as dexterous as they've always been, even if it's a little different doing things with claws. Elijah is nothing if not adaptable, and he's adjusted quickly. He "kneels" by the bed, but he's still floating off the floor. He lays the patches on the covers, leaning over Cas to examine all the green parts. He takes out one of his daggers.

"So, I'll have to cut really gently. I don't want to catch the tip on any worms underneath." He's done a lot of dissection and tattooing, so he's used to judging the depth of skin and how deep to send a blade or a needle into it. He finds a smaller green spot on Cas' arm, examining it closely, putting his dagger-tip near it, then his dagger-blade, to try to determine the best cutting method. "Any advice?"

The hug helps, tension bleeding out of him like an open wound. He gives Eli a slight squeeze in turn, letting him go when he floats to the table. Cas takes the moment to settle flat onto the bed, hair spilling out around his head in a flaxen colored halo. The squirm to him is quiet, slow, as he watches Eli get himself prepared. When he looks over his arm, Cas lifts it a little to make it easier.

At the question, he takes a single finger and runs it along his forearm down to his wrist. “Go along the grain, and do not be alarmed when the seams turn color. It is how it has always been. It is not an indication of sickness.”

He doesn’t know why, not really – the skin patches he’d made are his color all the way through. They suffer no brown at the edges, no bruising purples. It’s only when his shell is split open that it gets… uglier. It’s easily remedied if his worms are quick enough, but the color tends to linger if left too long.

“When the discoloration is removed, you can cut the pieces to size and lay it over the gap. My worms will finish from there.” If he had the lungs to sigh, he would, hand returning to rest over his stomach. His head rolls so he can watch. “Thank you for this, friend Eli. Your care.”

Eli furrows his brow, watching, listening, making sure he thinks this through all the way. He doesn't always do that, but this is not his own well-being at stake, which he's usually so willing to throw into jeopardy. This is Cassius.

"Yeah, of course. Anything you need." He takes Cas' hand in his own and kisses the backs of his fingers, softly.

"Just relax. You asked the right person, anyway- I'm very good with a blade, and this isn't much different from dissection, which I've done a lot of."

He lifts and lowers his dagger to Cassius' forearm with incredible grace. Leaning over his work, he narrows his eyes in concentration as he glides his blade along the grain, just deep enough to cut through the shell while hopefully not hurting any worms beneath.

"These daggers are bound to me. My soul." His voice is softer than usual, soothing- he's mostly talking to give Cassius a distraction. He knows it doesn't hurt, but still. He just wants him to be comfortable. "In my world, I can just open my hand and they come to me. If you ever see me without them, they're under my clothes, or something is very wrong."

He moves with surgical precision, cutting out along the edge of the green area and removing it. He holds a piece of shell up against the gap to eyeball what size to cut it, then puts it on the floor a moment to cookie-cutter it with his dagger. He then holds it up to Cas' arm again, makes a final little slice to get the shape just right, and places it in, holding it there. He looks to Cas.

"That okay?"

Cassius feels himself melt a little into the bed as Eli’s mouth presses against his knuckles, warmth lingering in his fingers even as Eli pulls away. A small, worn smile graces at Cas’ lips as he looks up at his companion with even softer eyes.

“I am already relaxed, friend Eli. There is no one here I trust more with this than you.”

Even if Eli wasn’t so skilled with a blade, Cassius would trust him just as much; he knows no else with how fond he’s become. It shows in the way he doesn’t twitch as Eli starts to cut into his shell, edges going a sickly brown-purple as the wet shell between meets the air. As Eli speaks, the worms inside his shell are revealed, and they shift enough to avoid the blade despite how tightly packed they seem to be.

These daggers are bound to me. My soul.

“Like my Garden,” he muses, eyes sliding shut. “It would come when I called, but here it does not. I… wish I could show you. You would like it, I think.”

He doesn’t do much else, content to let Eli work. When the cut piece is placed to the carved hole, his worms shift to life, those with prolegs and mouths coming to the forefront. Steadily, like a reversed video of a caterpillar eating a leaf, they glue it back into place until all that’s left is the fading brown ring.

At Eli’s question, he nods eyes sliding open to a half-lid. “It is perfect, friend Eli, thank you. It is much easier with your help.”

Eli smiles softly. It's nice to be trusted so much, especially by someone he trusts enough to literally bathe him. It's even nicer to be able to use his skills to help someone he cares for. To use his daggers for something other than fighting and killing. To take some of this work off of Cas' shoulders so that he can rest easier.

The first cut seems to go well. Looking at the worms beneath, none of them bleed or seem to ooze from any nicks. Eli holds the new patch in place until the worms stitch it in, watching closely, carefully. It's honestly amazing to see. Eli has always been interested in biological processes and the way different bodies function. Cas is a whole new world of curiosity for him.

"Your garden would come to you?" He would expect it to work the other way around. There's plenty of teleportation in the feywild, but a garden would generally be stationary with its owner able to go to it on command. "I'd like to see it. I guess you'll just have to plant a new garden here."

Lifting his hand and examining the patch, it seems to be securely in place. He bends down to kiss Cas' wrist, letting his lips linger there. His hands don't radiate body heat now that they're corrupted, and he wants to share his warmth with Cas while he still can.

Then he lifts his head again to find another patch to work on.

"Hey, I have some good news."

“I do not think I would be able to plant my Garden, but - yes, a garden would be nice.” His worms thrum like a heartbeat under Eli’s lips, and Cas curls his fingers to rest them against the underside of Eli’s chin for more points of contact. Always more when it comes to Eli. "I would like to fill one with flowers we will both enjoy."

When Eli pulls away, looking for another patch, Cassius directs him to the one on his chest with a gentle pull of his hand. If he had a rib cage to hold a heart, it would be right under where he rests Eli’s palm. As it is, his worms do well enough to mimic one, even if the pulse itself is slower than it has been.

Hey, I have some good news.

“Good news?” Cassius’ gaze drifts to Eli’s. “What of, friend Eli?”

Eli smiles, rubbing his palm gently on Cas' chest.

"That sounds nice."

He floats up, over the bed, over Cassius, and straddles his hips with one knee on either side. He stops floating, resting his knees gently on the bed, needing all of his focus on this larger patch. It feels a bit like he's performing heart surgery, which is nerve-wracking, but he knows logically there's no risk of Cassius dying from this.

He starts to cut out the chest patch, talking as he works.

"Recently a bike appeared in my room, along with some weird currency. I have no idea where it came from. But someone told me I could sell the currency to collectors, so I did, and holy fuck, it was worth a lot of money. So... I'm not broke anymore."

He smiles softly.

"I was thinking I'll move out of here soon, get my own place. And I was wondering... If you might want to come with me."

It’s strange, Cassius thinks, how Eli sets himself upon his hips and it is not out of place to have him there. His hands move to rest against Eli’s thighs, as his companion settles himself for another carving.

Cassius knows, from what little he’d had to deal with it back home, that money is important to people. It buys burgers. It buys homes. It buys equipment that sparks when his Gardener kicks it. The fact that Eli has money now – well, Cassius doesn’t quite understand why it’s necessary, but he’s happy for him all the same.

He opens his mouth to say so, but -

And I was wondering…

It takes a moment for the offer to sink in, and when it does, Cassius seems… confused. Genuinely. It’s here, with Cas spread out on the bed and Eli straddling him, his knife carving his chest wide open, that Cassius’ brows furrow.

“Where else would I be, friend Eli, if not by your side?”

Eli laughs a little in surprise, breathy and soft. There's a small squeak in it, like a voice crack.

"So that was your plan the whole time, to mooch rent off of me, huh?"

Never mind how fucking cute that was for Cassius to say- he's not exactly sure what it means. He finishes cutting out the chest piece and holds a bigger shell piece up to the hole. He tries not to stare too much at the wriggling worms underneath, because he needs to work fast, but he is quite fascinated by them.

"Is that a yes, then? You want to live in a house with me?" He wants to make sure Cas understands what he's asking.

"We could find a place where you could have a garden."

“I do not know what to mooch means, friend Eli, but I did not plan for it, no.”

As Eli peels away the shell from his chest, he’ll find some of the worms uncovered a little… longer, perhaps. A shade more green. One or two sport what looks to be… bumps? Like there’s something ready to pierce through below the surface.

Cassius doesn’t seem to notice the change as the worms take the offered replacement piece and begin their process of gluing up the seams from the inside. It’s slower going since there’s more area to cover, but once it’s done the only thing left behind is another fading ring of purpled brown. His fingers trace the lines without thought.

“I want to be with you wherever that may be, if you would have me.” Cassius smiles a little, the other hand drawing light circles into Eli’s leg. “While a garden would be preferable, as long as you are there, I will be happy with wherever we make our home.”

Eli notices the slight change in the worms, but doesn't find it too concerning. He also doesn't want to upset Cas, so he keeps it to himself.

Placing the new piece over his companion's chest, he holds it in place as he watches the worms stitch it in. Once it's fully sealed, Eli gently and slowly rubs his hand over Cas' chest again.

He smiles, both at Cas' chest looking almost new again, and at what he says about wanting to be with Eli. He leans forward to kiss him. He cups Cas' face in his hands, giving a satisfied smooch.

"That sounds good." Eli breaks the kiss to look at him, his thumbs rubbing happily at Cas' cheeks.

"You know... You still call me 'friend Eli,' but... If we're having sex and living together, that makes us more than friends."

Cassius lets out a soft, happy hum at the press of Eli's lips against his. His hand raises in turn to brush his fingers over Eli's wrist.

“Then what should I call you, if we are more than friends?” Cassius doesn't know - all he's ever had was his Gardener and his Hunter, and they're more… family, Momo called them. And Eli is different than that, isn’t he? Touches him differently, makes him feel differently, settles against him warm differently.

His nose brushes against Eli’s, fishing for another kiss. “Ah, perhaps... best friend?”

Eli giggles softly, a sort of laugh that he allows no one to hear but Cassius, and grants him another kiss.

"You can call me your best friend, but that's still not a more than friends word. A friend that you're also romantic and sexual with would usually be called a boyfriend, or girlfriend, or a partner. But since you call everyone by some kind of title, I thought I'd leave it up to you what word feels best. It doesn't have to be a word people usually use."

They're not normies! They're an emo elf and a boy made of worms in a world that's turning them both into other creatures entirely. They don't have to follow naming conventions, and really, Eli prefers not to stick to any kind of convention. Making up their own words is more special, too.

Cassius takes the kiss with a slow-rolling squirm, eyes sliding shut as the heat of it washes through him like Eli's voice. He says best friend won't work, so - yes. A different title entirely is required, but - they're not just titles. Not like friend is. They're embodiments, the names he gives to those important to him. His Hunter keeps him fed, his Gardener tends to his heart, and Eli -

A soft hum escapes him, hands moving to cup at Eli's neck. Feels that sunlight pulse under his palms and fingers.

"Very well," he murmurs, looking up at Eli with dark, doe eyes. He lifts a little off the bed to press their foreheads together, to feel Eli's breath across his cheeks. "My Warmth, then."

Eli had wondered if he might get a special title, like Hunter or Gardener, but had no idea what it would be- Protector, or something?

My Warmth.

That clicks, with their relationship up to now, and in response, a wave of warmth rolls through Eli. He smiles and locks their lips again, cradling Cassius' face in his hands. Hands that, now corrupted, don't radiate body heat the same way they used to. More inanimate.

"That's very sweet," he murmurs when their kiss parts. "But..."

He frowns a little. He doesn't want to sour the moment, but a worry has been nagging at him for a while.

"What if my corruption makes me... Not warm anymore?"

Will Cassius be disappointed? Will it make him less drawn to Eli? He hates the idea of not being able to provide something Cas wants so much.

Cassius frowns in turn, layering his hands over Eli’s. No, they’re not warm anymore in the physical sense, but they still…

“My Gardener does not tend to my Garden,” he says after a moment. One hand peels away from Eli’s own to rest over his chest where the brown edges are nearly faded. “He tends to me. Plants the seeds of - humanity that my Hunter cannot and helps them to grow. Helps me grow.”

His hand then goes to Eli’s chest, over his heart. “You are warm, yes, but - it is your presence that brings me comfort the most. Even with your hands like mine, they… warm me still. Like a summer day.”

Cassius pauses then, looks at his hand and imagines Eli’s pulse beneath it. Imagines it gone.

Slowly his eyes draw back up. “If your corruption steals your heat, I will mourn it, yes, but - it is you I value most, my Warmth.”

Eli wouldn't admit aloud that the was worried about this, but the reassurance from Cassius makes him look substantially relieved all the same. His frown turns back into a soft smile, his brow smooths, and he makes a small pleased huff.

"Okay. It's good to hear that." He kisses Cassius again, long and slow and firm.

When the kiss breaks, his thumb rubs Cassius' cheek gently, and he looks at him lovingly for a long moment. Then, something else seems to occur to him.

"Another thing... Uh, Eli is actually short for Elijah, I'm not sure if you knew that or not... I didn't tell you because I don't like for anyone to call me that except my family and other very close people. You're one of those people now, so you can call me that if you want, when we're alone."

Cassius is all puddled contentment until Eli drops that little factoid and follows it up with you can call me that if you want. His brow pulls into a serious furrow, his mouth pressing together as thoughts start to war in his wormy head.

He hesitates, uncertain. “Which would you prefer, my Warmth? My… Elijah?”

He thought his name had been satisfactory, but - if Eli - Elijah wishes him to call differently when they are alone, he will. Cas pulls his hand away from Elijah’s chest to layer it over one at his cheek. He leans into it.

“...I do not have a - a special name like you do. My Hunter calls me Cas in endearment, and my Gardener mostly follows suit. Sometimes I am ‘darling’. Sometimes I am ‘dear’. But mostly I am Cassius, or I am Cas. I cannot give you a special name like you have given me.”

It's far from a little factoid to him- it's actually a big deal. Eli's biggest secrets are things that seem the most inconsequential to others. Being called Elijah invokes his parents (the King and Queen), his servants and superiors and tutors, it invokes the noble aspects of his upbringing, and those are things he doesn't like to be reminded of daily. Eli is a way for him to claim freedom from that formality and make his name his own. As such, he only tolerates Elijah when it's his choice who uses it. Allowing someone permission is thus a big rite of passage, whether Cassius realizes that or not.

"I don't have a preference- I want you to call me what feels best to you. But I wanted to let you know you had permission to use my full name if you felt like it, which I don't give out lightly. Elijah Azrael Dayborn, which is highly associated with my noble title in my world, which is why I usually use Eli instead."

He huffs a little air out of his nose, a tiny laugh, at Cas calling it a 'special name.'

"That's okay. As for what I'll call you, I might have to just feel it out. I don't usually use affectionate pet names. I'm most likely to call someone a short version of their name, or something silly. Unless- unless you really want a special name too."

Edited Date: 2025-08-03 08:52 pm (UTC)

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