Chapter Text
In the short time Caelus has been with the Express, he’s come to enjoy the interstellar jumps. He likes the ritual of it, how Himeko brews a cup of coffee and March tries to stay standing. He especially likes how Welt offers to sit with him, an offer he always accepts.
Caelus even likes the jump itself, the way the stars blur into streaks of light, the way the Express shakes around them, the yanking sensation like a hook between his ribs.
This time, just after the Express jolts into motion, something strange happens. Caelus gets a feeling like they’re passing through the shadow of some massive creature, like a scuba diver crossing paths with a blue whale. He looks around but can’t find the source, or see any sign of concern on anyone else’s face. He almost begins to think he’s imagined it.
But it only takes a moment after the Express comes to a halt for the realization to sink that something is… different. The air has a charged quality, like static electricity, and the hair on the back of Caelus’ neck stands on end.
Through one of the windows their planned destination looms; a planet, coppery-red, ringed with asteroids, backlit by the fiery glow of its star. But nobody's looking out the window.
“Uhh is it just me, or does Mr. Yang have cat ears?” March says to the room at large.
“And a tail, looks like,” Himeko points out.
“Wow,” Caelus says, “It isn’t even my birthday.”
Welt is on his feet, both hands up in his hair with a look of blatant confusion on his face. Sprouting from his head, in the same shade of light brown as his hair, are two perfect, fluffy cat ears. A matching tail whips hypnotically behind him.
“How do you feel?” Himeko asks, setting aside her coffee and rising.
“Fine.” It comes out a little like a question. Welt lowers his hands and his ears twist back nervously. “Is everyone else okay?”
“Yep. Hey, strike a pose!” March leaps to her feet and holds up her camera.
“Is now really the time?” Welt asks, pushing his glasses up his nose. Since everyone else is standing, Caelus gets up and moves towards Welt. His new tail lifts the back of his coat a little, the tip twitches restlessly. Caelus really wants to grab it.
Welt’s ears flick back a moment before he turns to Caelus. His tail twists in a sort of corkscrew, away and then towards Caelus.
“Caelus…” Welt’s voice fades as he stares at him, his expression going strange and faraway.
“Mr. Yang?” Caelus prompts. Welt’s ears prick forwards and he flushes.
“I, ah. I think I might be feeling a little unwell, after all,” Welt says, faintly. Himeko goes to his side with a look on her face like she’s trying not to panic; Caelus takes this to mean Welt’s not the kind to admit to a head cold.
“Let’s get you back to your cabin. I can run a quick scan,” she says, taking him by the arm.
“Right, yes.” Welt says, allowing her to lead him from the car.
“March, ask Pom-Pom to chart a course for Hertha Space Station. It isn’t an emergency, but it’d be best to be in close range of help.”
“Sure thing!” March dashes off to the engine room before Caelus can ask whether she got a photo of Welt, leaving Caelus alone in the car with nothing to do. He takes out his phone, considers messaging Welt, then just takes a picture of the red planet instead.
A moment later, Dan Heng enters the parlour. “Did something happen?”
Caelus pauses for dramatic effect before announcing: “Mr. Yang grew cat ears and a tail.”
Dan Heng absorbs this information, his brow furrowing. After a long moment, he says, “I’m going back to the archive.”
-
Himeko returns after half an hour, all smiles and calm reassurances. Pom-Pom has worked themselves into a state over the fact that they can’t immediately make for the station (apparently the engine needs several hours to cool down, or something, Pom-Pom’s a bit vague on the details), and it takes another half hour to talk them off the edge.
“Welt is absolutely fine, and I have no reason to suspect his condition will deteriorate,” Himeko says, for maybe the fifth time. “He just needs some rest. Once we get to the station I’ll see about finding someone to help him return to normal.”
Pom-Pom insists on making Welt some sort of health juice and Caelus insists just as strongly on being the one to deliver it to Welt. Himeko gives him a knowing look but doesn’t say anything. March asks him to sneak a picture.
Caelus has never been inside Welt’s room before, though he’s fantasized about it more than a few times. He knocks softly, and when he gets no response tries the handle. The door’s unlocked and slides open readily.
Inside is dark, all the lights turned down except for the glowing strip of emergency lighting along the ceiling. The blind on the window is up and the red planet rotates slowly beyond the reinforced glass, for the moment its star obscured.
There’s a papery smell in the air, like old books, and the tang of sweat, and something else, something rich and human. There’s a lump on the bed that after a bit of squinting resolves into Welt, laying on his side facing away from the door. His tail peeks out from under the covers, practically calling Caelus’ name.
Caelus places the glass of juice on the side table and sits on the edge of the mattress. “Mr. Yang?” He says, quietly, and gets no response. He stares at Welt’s tail, draped along the mattress. It looks so soft… Surely just one touch wouldn’t do any harm…?
His fingers brush the silky fur of Welt’s tail for two glorious seconds before Caelus is thrown onto his back on the mattress.
Welt pins Caelus down by the shoulders, looming over him with pupils blown large and circular. Just like an excited cat, Caelus thinks, amused. There’s a pillow crease on one of his cheeks, he isn't wearing glasses, and his hair sticks up a bit in the back, which is all painfully endearing enough. But on top of that his cat ears are up, pointed right at him, and his tail lashes behind him.
“Mr. Yang?” Caelus hazards, too horny to say anything more coherent. Welt shivers then ducks to press their cheeks together. The faint rasp of his stubble against Caelus’ skin makes him sigh, and he winds his arms around Welt’s neck.
“You should go,” Welt says, his usually low voice thready and raspy. He rubs his cheek against him, in a confusing case of mixed signals.
“Mmm,” Caelus replies, running one hand through Welt’s hair until his fingers brush the unmistakable softness of his new ear. Welt’s breath rushes warm across his neck in a sigh as Caelus rubs at the base of his ear.
Then, as abruptly as he jumped on him, Welt sits back. “What are you doing here?”
Caelus shifts on the bed, letting his legs fall open watching to see if— yep, Welt’s eyes drop to stare. “Just checking in,” Caelus says.
Welt’s sleek tail curls over his hip and flutters along Caelus’ ankle. He’s wearing only a t-shirt (which on a typical day would be enough to fuel the spank bank for a week) and underwear. He’s also—holy shit—obviously hard. Caelus feels a rush of heat go straight to his own dick.
He wets his lips. “I could help with that.”
Welt closes his eyes and shivers. “Caelus.” He says his name like a warning.
“C’mon, like you haven’t thought about it?” Caelus teases.
Welt turns impossibly redder, eyes snapping open into an expression of horror that’s comparatively lucid.
“Oh, shit,” Caelus realizes, beginning to grin, “You have.”
Welt pulls back, but there’s no way Caelus is going to let this chance slip away. He jumps forward and presses Welt down into the mattress with both hands on his chest and Welt — yowls.
“Fuck,“ Caelus breathes, “Remind me to thank whatever Aeon is responsible for this.”
Welt looks mortified and puts a hand to Caelus’ shoulder, fingers flexing like he can’t decide whether to pull him closer or push him away. “Caelus—”
“You’re so hard, Mr. Yang.”
Welt groans and covers his face with one hand, the other still gripping Caelus’ shoulder. “It’s a… side effect.”
“A side effect?”
“To the… to the whole…” Welt clears his throat and lifts the hand from his face to gesture at the fluffy ears on the top of his head. Caelus blinks down at him.
“What, you’re in heat?”
Welt makes a complicated expression. “That’s, uh, one way you could think of it.”
“What do you need? I could suck you,” Caelus continues over Welt’s splutters, “Or fuck you. Or you could fuck me? Whatever you need, Mr. Yang. I’ll be so good for you.”
“Oh, god, oh, no,” Welt groans, as his hips lift off the bed, rutting into nothing but air.
“Are you…” Caelus’ voice fails. “Are you close, already?”
He shifts his knee between Welt’s legs and presses his thigh against him. Welt’s whole body shudders and his hips rock up, rubbing his cock against Caelus.
“Oh, wow,” Caelus breathes. Welt makes a noise that might count as a whine. Caelus puts a little more weight behind his leg and Welt bucks up, a wet spot blooming in his underwear.
Welt’s fingers twist in Caelus’ shirt, his eyes screw shut, and he claps a hand over the bottom half of his face. He also starts rocking his hips against Caelus in quick, short movements.
Caelus’ poor, overextended brain can’t form a single thought. Welt’s really humping his leg, red in the face, cat ears twitching, faint groans escaping from behind his hand.
“You’re so cute, Mr. Yang,” Caelus says. Welt ducks his head and squirms but there’s nowhere to go, not if he wants to keep rutting against him, which he clearly does. “Fuck. You really need this, huh?”
Welt muffles a sound behind his hand that Caelus is almost certain is a moan. Shit. This is the hottest thing to have ever happened to Caelus. He’s probably gonna jack off to this for the rest of his life.
Bracing his weight more solidly on one hand, Caelus lifts the other to rub at Welt’s ear. It’s even softer than he dreamed, silky and warm, and it twitches at his touch. It’s not the only thing twitching; Welt’s cock jumps against his thigh and he makes another muffled sound.
Caelus rubs his ear gently then leans down to blow into it. Welt’s whole body spasms, his grip on Caelus’ shirt tightening and pulling him closer. Grinning like a lunatic, Caelus braces himself on an elbow and ghosts his lips across Welt’s fluffy ear.
“Mmph! C-Caelus,” Welt groans, turning his head into his hand.
“You’re so cute, Mr. Yang,” Caelus says, scratching behind his ear. “Can I take a picture?”
“No,” he gasps, brows pinching together.
“Aw, come on. It’ll be just for me, promise,” Caelus wheedles, putting a little more pressure behind his thigh. Welt jerks on his shirt and Caelus collapses on top of him, his dick pressing into Welt’s stomach.
Welt shudders beneath him, making a series of garbled noises that are probably swear words, then bucks up one final time before going still. Caelus lays on top of him for a moment longer, until a faint wetness begins to seep through the leg of his pants.
Caelus sits up and stares down at Welt. His shirt has ridden up, exposing a tantalizing sliver of pale skin and a trail of hair leading past the waistband of his soiled underwear. A flush covers his face and spills down his throat, his lips are red like he’s been biting them, his perky ears swivel to point straight up at Caelus. He looks so lewd. This is the best day of Caelus’ life.
“Do you—” Caelus’ voice cracks and he has to start over, “Do you feel better?” Welt sits up and scoots back, putting a little space between them. “You’re, uh, still hard,” he adds, as if Welt doesn’t know.
“I’m fine, for the moment, thank you.”
“Oh, no problem. It was my pleasure, really,” Caelus leers. Welt frowns at him, but he’s still pink in the face and his tail has curved around his hip to tickle at Caelus’ knee, so the frown isn’t very effective.
“I, uh.” He’s never seen Welt so uncertain, and it is doing terrible things to him. “My head is clear right now, but it won’t last.”
“Oh?” Maybe it’s the obvious eagerness in Caelus’ voice, or maybe it’s the way his pants do nothing to disguise his boner, but Welt flushes and scoots further away.
“You shouldn’t see me like this,” he says, “I’m sorry for— what are you doing?”
Caelus pauses. “Taking my pants off.”
Welt stares at him for a long moment. His expression is blank, if a little strained, but his ears are perked towards Caelus and his eyes still dark with excitement.
“I want this,” Caelus says. “In case I haven’t made myself clear. I want to make you feel good, Mr. Yang.”
“Caelus, I…” Welt flushes darker. “The feeling is mutual.”
Caelus grins and shoves his pants down, then clumsily kicks them off his feet. “Great. What first?”
Welt is staring at Caelus’ dick with enormous pupils and a look of naked greed. God he’s so cute right now. “I’d like to make love to you.”
Caelus grins. “How do you want me?”
“Roll over, I’ll, uh—” Welt blinks rapidly before turning away. “I’ll get the lube.”
Caelus shucks his shirt and settles in the middle of the bed on his knees, braced on his elbows. He hears a sharp intake of breath, and looks back over his shoulder at Welt, staring down at him with large, dark eyes.
“Are you gonna pounce on me again?” He grins.
A smile tugs at the corner of Welt’s mouth. “Not right now,” he says, dryly, then climbs onto the bed behind him. Caelus hums happily and wriggles his bum. Welt makes a rasping noise that just about passes for a laugh, and smacks him lightly. “Settle down.”
Caelus, biting into his lip so he doesn’t moan, manages a feeble, “Mhm.”
Welt’s hand settles on his cheek, kneading the skin gently. “Have you done this before?”
“Only on my own,” Caelus replies, and gets a squeeze for his candor.
“Shit,” Welt says, so quietly it probably isn’t meant for Caelus, then louder, “We’ll take it slow.”
Welt releases him to fiddle with the lube. He takes so long that Caelus starts to think he’s stalling, but then his hand returns to his hip and he feels a gentle touch between his cheeks.
Welt, true to his word, takes it slow. Very, very slow. He massages Caelus’ hole for ages, smearing lube around and tightening his hold on his hip. Just around the time Caelus thinks he’s about to lose his mind, Welt begins to ease his finger inside. He tugs gently at his rim and twists the digit as he gradually works him open.
Caelus groans in frustration and insists, “More.”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Welt mutters, strained.
“I know you’ll take care of me, Mr. Yang,” Caelus says, spreading his thighs further and pushing back into his hand. Welt groans, maybe a little in defeat but mostly from desire, Caelus can tell.
He works a second finger in, still at that inhumanly slow pace. It feels sort of weird, like usual, and Caelus is impatient to get to the good part. When Welt starts to gently scissor his fingers Caelus says, “You knew you’d need to go again. Did you jerk off earlier? Did you think of me?”
It’s a moment before Welt replies, “What?” He sounds a little breathless, and he twists his fingers to punctuate the word.
“Did you think about this? Did you imagine me getting on my knees for you, like you knew I would?” Caelus begins to push up onto his hands, trying to crane around to see Welt’s face, and is promptly slammed down.
His chest hits the mattress as Welt presses his weight down on his shoulders, his lube sticky hand firmly on the back of his neck.
“Stay down, Caelus,” he orders. It’s truly through luck and chance alone that Caelus doesn’t come right then and there.
“Yes, Mr. Yang,” he says, half a gasp. Welt licks his shoulder, and Caelus feels the brush of what is surely a lashing tail against his hip. Then he feels the press of something much larger than a finger against his ass and he moans, “Yes, Mr. Yang.”
“You’re— you’re doing this on purpose,” Welt accuses, even as he rubs the head of his cock over his hole.
“Getting fucked by you? I sure hope so,” Caelus says, arching his back in an attempt to encourage Welt further. “God, I’ve thought about this so many times.”
Welt makes a strangled sound, then pulls away. With a small bolt of panic, Caelus makes to roll over only to once more feel Welt’s hand on his back, pressing him down.
“I’m— lube. I’m just— one moment,” Welt says.
“Okay,” Caelus settles back in place, chest flush on the mattress, hips raised. “Hurry.”
After a few excruciating seconds, Welt folds over him, chest pressed to his back, cock slick and hot against his hole.
“Take a deep breath,” Welt rumbles into his ear, his tail tickling the outside of Caelus’ thigh. Caelus shivers but manages a slow inhale. He feels a blunt pressure, then a sharp ache as Welt pushes inside.
“Breathe, Caelus,” Welt coaches, rubbing his face against his shoulder. “Relax. Breathe.”
Caelus takes gulps of air and tries to release the tension in his spine. Already the pain is fading beyond the fog of his arousal, and in its place is greed for more.
“’m ready,” he says, then groans as Welt begins thrusting into him. It takes forever. Welt presses in slowly, then pulls back to thrust again, inching inside him in stilted movements that are never quite enough, even though the stretch stings. By the time he bottoms out Caelus is nearly insensible, sweating and gasping, legs trembling beneath him.
“Any pain?” Welt asks, clipped.
“No,” Caelus pants, “Fuck me, Mr. Yang, please, please—oh, fuck!”
Welt pulls nearly all the way out and slams back home, then repeats the move again, again, until Caelus is reduced to shuddering moans. “Ohh,” Welt groans, “Good boy.”
Caelus makes a weird, squeaky noise, as his cock throbs with a rush of blood, arousal piercing him straight through.
Welt straightens, resettling his weight on his knees, and places both hands on Caelus’ hips. The only warning Caelus gets is another mumbled “good,” before Welt starts pounding into him.
“Mngk!” Caelus gasps, hands flailing for purchase in the sheets and holding on tight as his whole body rocks forward.
The slap of skin and the wet sound of Welt’s cock driving into him fill the room, above the constant, low moans that escape Caelus every time Welt bottoms out. Welt grips Caelus’ hips firmly, dragging him back to meet each thrust, his cock splitting him open, as Caelus’ spine liquidizes.
“You’re doing so well, you’re so good, Caelus. So, so good. You feel incredible,” Welt groans as Caelus tenses with a quiet wail. “Yes, good boy, keep it up.”
Caelus moans into the sheet, so close just from Welt’s words and the way he’s being used, but then when he tilts his hips back to meet Welt’s next thrust, pleasure explodes up his spine.
“Oh, fuck!”
“I see,” Welt says, which doesn’t make sense to Caelus until he hits whatever spot a second time. Then a third, a fourth.
“Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck! Mr. Yang, I— ah, oh, mmngh!”
“You’re taking me so well, Caelus. So good. So very good,” Welt’s voice is low and scratchy in a way that would be extremely hot even if he was ordering a coffee. Caelus experiences a deep stab of arousal so strong he stops breathing for a moment.
It’s almost too much; the hot pleasure stoked in his gut, the brutal pace of Welt’s thrusts, always at the perfect angle. Welt’s easy, sincere praise and the way his cock fills him. Caelus is pretty sure he’s drooling onto the bed, wheezing moans punched from his throat with every thrust. Can you send Aeons fruit baskets? He’s going to send a fruit basket.
At this point, it’s fairly obvious that Welt’s grip on his hips is the only thing holding him up, his legs otherwise trembling and weak, only getting weaker with every moment. Fuck, everything feels so good he can barely stand it. His cock throbs beneath him, so hard it’s starting to hurt. Caelus doesn’t know if he’s allowed to touch himself and he can’t find the words to ask.
He feels like he’s going to fly apart but he never wants it to end. His breath catches as his whole body tenses, straining against the pleasure spun unbearably tight in his navel.
“Oh, Caelus,” Welt says, his voice thin and faraway, and exactly what Caelus needs.
Caelus moans at a pitch probably best heard by dogs as his orgasm crashes over him and sweeps him away. His dick pulses with such force it almost hurts and he clenches down hard on Welt’s cock.
Vaguely, he’s aware of Welt swearing, but his attention is mostly occupied by the way Welt starts fucking him faster. Caelus’s legs give out entirely and Welt fucks him forcefully down into the mattress. Caelus spasms as his expended dick is rubbed against the sheets, groaning feebly while Welt chases his own release.
The barrage of pleasure crackles across his skin and Caelus gasps for air, squirming uselessly in Welt’s grip. Welt makes a low noise and bites down hard on the join of Caelus’ neck. The sharp pain makes Caelus tense, then sob as he’s made acutely aware of every inch of Welt’s cock inside him.
Finally, and somehow way too soon, Welt’s pace stutters, then he thrusts deep once, twice, a third time, and collapses on top of him.
His weight pins Caelus in place, stuffed full and almost delirious with pleasure. It takes a while for Caelus’ awareness to expand beyond the immediate sensations of his body, but he eventually becomes aware of a low, steady rumble vibrating through his chest.
Welt rubs his cheek against Caelus’ shoulder, his ear flicking against his hair. He is one hundred percent purring.
Ohhh my god, Caelus thinks, this is the best thing to have ever happened to me ever.
After a few minutes, Caelus asks, hoarsely, “Mr. Yang? Are we gonna sleep like this?”
Welt begins to purr a little louder, then his breath catches and he clears his throat. “Ah, apologies, I’ll…” There’s the wet, lewd sound of him pulling out, then the tickling feeling of fluid seeping down the inside of Caelus’ thigh.
Caelus peers back over his shoulder. Welt’s face is flushed, his lips smeared with red— blood? Caelus’ blood? His eyes are still blown black and fixed between Caelus’ thighs. Caelus spreads his legs a little, feeling a trickle of cum escape him. Welt’s expression shifts in an interesting way, then he puts both hands on his face.
“Caelus?”
“Mhm?”
“Is there any chance you could, ah, show a little discretion in regards to this?”
Caelus considers it for a moment. “Sure, so long as I can take a picture of you like this.”
Welt’s ears twitch. “...Fine.”
Caelus spends an enjoyable few minutes positioning Welt on the bed, taking the time to pet his ears and tug at his tail, before fishing his phone out of his pants.
He sits up on his knees and points the camera at Welt, then grins. “Hey, you’re hard again.”
“Like you don’t know what you’re doing,” Welt says, red in the face, “Touching my— this—” He gestures accusingly at his tail.
Caelus swipes to video mode. “Not sure I do, Mr. Yang,” he says, reaching out to tug at Welt’s lashing tail. “Why don’t you… show me?”