# The Love of Toys 12 Author: draconicon Tags: Human, Leopard, M/M, Magic, Modern fantasy, Nudity, Series, Snake, Zebra, comfort, cuddles, giggles, no sex The group returns to the apartment and has some time to relax. Badly needed time, for that matter. Commissioned by Taiko If you want to get a commission for yourself, keep an eye on my journals and my twitter DraconiconWrite for updates on when I'm open. If you're interested in supporting me, or just contributing more regularly - and cheaply - than commissions, consider visiting my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/draconiconlibrary?ty=h for good rewards and better stories. Enjoy. [b][u][center]The Love of Toys Part 12 For Taiko By Draconicon[/center][/u][/b] The trip back to the apartment was made in silence. While that was partially because he, Gold, and Chrome were all in their figurine form rather than their mobile one, it was also because of all the consequences of the day that were raining down on his head. Black had heard [i]everything[/i] that was said, and he knew the situation that they were in. A bad one, a very bad one indeed. However, he did not blame himself. That little bundle of pain he managed to avoid with ease, mostly because Fine Silver was in the back seat. [i]For all that I might have lied…he was the one that ruined our little bubble…[/i] Still, it wasn’t good. The fact that they might have to move would mean that they would need to pack up. Chris was lacking in resources – anyone that had stayed in the apartment for more than a few minutes would have picked up on that – and for all that the human had done exceedingly well through this situation, it was clear that he was stressed out. The occasional unconscious squeezes on him and the other figurines told him that the human didn’t know what he was going to do, or how he was going to move forward. Truth be told, Black didn’t have any ideas, either. This wasn’t his particular focus. Even changing as much as he was, he didn’t know how to plan for a move, didn’t know how to hunt down a place to live. If it had been a place deserving of punishment – The figurine shut that thought down. He might have been exhausted, but he knew when he was verging on self-punishment. That was wrong. He was changing. He could keep changing. He could keep being better. However, for all that he wanted to keep getting better, he could tell that his head wasn’t in it. The whole trial, the kidnapping by Fine Silver, and everything else had drained him of what little energy he’d had left at the time of capture. He’d been working all day, hiding all night, and had been barely resting when it came to dealing with keeping out of sight. Fine Silver had been a dangerous hunter, for all that he had pushed and mocked the lion, and it had left him… Well, suffice to say, he was looking forward to sleeping. The car pulled up behind the apartment, and Chris got out. Being carried around jostled his view regularly, making him look down, then up, then down, then up. He was pretty sure that a mortal would have been rendered sick as hell from what he was going through, but he was fine. Just tired. “Must we do this?” Fine Silver asked behind him. “If you don’t want me to kick your metallic ass back to your Maker, you will. Now, either change back, or put on the goddamn coat.” Black would have smiled if his current configuration would have allowed it. As it stood, he allowed himself a feeling of happy warmth in his heart as he heard Jane go after Fine Silver like that. The immature construct needed to experience a little more of the world, and properly, not just through his problematic filter. If he didn’t learn that the rest of the world wasn’t going to tolerate him acting like this openly, then he’d be useless to Oury going forward. [i]Wouldn’t mind Oury having a few more useless figurines,[/i] he thought. [i]You don’t have to have a purpose…[/i] That was one way that he had coped when he had stopped punishing people to be around Chris. The sudden departure from doing what he’d been designed for had almost dropped him into a depression, and it would have done if Chris hadn’t been there to offer such a massive distraction as the acting provided. It was that hobby, that distraction in action, that kept him from hating himself for not fulfilling a purpose that he no longer loved. Other figurines would be better suited to have no purpose. It meant that they started out hating themselves, perhaps, but it meant that they didn’t have to be bound to something that they could find out didn’t fit them. [i]Freedom…[/i] It was both a terrifying thing and a needed one. Black hoped that he could find something that fit him better. The acting was good, but…well, it was a distraction. He needed something else, something more him, something… [i]You’re doing it again.[/i] He would have sighed if he had been in his mobile form, but as it was, he kept it mental. Another thing to watch out for. That sort of breaking down was easy to slip into without the positive reinforcement that came from doing your assigned purpose, and while he had managed to resist the semi-compulsion to find people to punish for doing bad things, it meant that he was going without the stuff that Chrome and Gold felt while they were working with Chris. He didn’t have the positive reinforcement that they did for doing good things. He had to find his own pleasures. And that was hard. Really hard. They walked up the steps, Chris said goodbye to Jane for the time being, and then walked down the hall. Their human’s footsteps were heavy, sad, scared. Black would have changed, but would it have made a difference? Probably not, not with the way that Chris was feeling. [i]Chrome would be better at taking care of him. Gold better at making him smile. It would be best to let them work.[/i] Black gritted his teeth against the logic, but at the same time, couldn’t entirely deny it. There was a skill to making someone feel better, and it wasn’t one that he had. Chris had it, yes, and so did the others, but… [i]Ugh, stop. Putting. Yourself. Down.[/i] By the time that he shut that part of him up, they were in the apartment. Gold and Chrome popped back to full size immediately, while Black remained in his figurine form. Chris set him down on a chair by the table, a place that was easy enough to rest on, while the other two immediately pulled the human into an embrace. “I can’t believe you did that,” Gold said. “Standing up to the Maker like that? Man. I don’t think anyone else could have done that.” “Jane did,” Chrome said. “Nah, she was angry. Pissed off. You don’t think clearly when you’re like that, so I bet she wasn’t thinking of all the things that Maker Oury could have done.” [i]I did.[/i] Black had been all too aware of what might have happened. He was endowed with the ability to punish, and he knew what Oury could do with all that had been given to him. Oury could have broken them down with ease, particularly since they were all in front of him. The others had no idea what they had risked, standing up for him and with him. Jane didn’t, either. Oury could have kept her there if he had gotten particularly angry. It would have been rather unlikely, a calculated risk, but he could have. Chrome looked down at him, and the zebra paused. Black didn’t move, but Chrome did, slowly picking him up. “Black…would you join us?” He hesitated a moment, then sighed. He released his hold on his physical self, becoming a great cloud of smoke for a moment before consolidating all of that into his physical form. With his arms wrapped around his middle, he knew that he looked more vulnerable than usual, but at that point in time, he didn’t really care. “What do you want?” he muttered. “To make sure that you’re okay,” Chrome said. “Right, Chris?” “Oh, man. I totally – Black, are you okay?” The leopard surprised him by leaning in, grabbing him by the cheeks. Black sputtered at the sudden grip on either side of his face, particularly as he was tilted left, right, up, and down. He squirmed backwards, rubbing his face. “What the hell?” “Sorry. I can’t tell if you’re bruised or not.” “Bruised? We don’t bruise!” “Yeah, but…well, I punched Fine Silver in the face after he captured you, and I didn’t know if you felt that.” “…You what?” That was part of the story that he hadn’t heard. Gold chuckled, rubbing the back of his head as he stepped back. “Uh, well, heh, I saw him being all smug, looking like you –” “Like me? Me? Covered in…in silver?” “Yeah…really a bad look, man.” “I would say so…” The very idea of being covered in silver rather than his proper black. Reprehensible, the very idea. He was this color for a reason, and the idea of that sub-par hunter imitating him, even for the short time that he had been imprisoned – Wait. There was…that other thing. The punching. He cocked his head to the side. “Why would you do that, Gold?” “Well, you’re one of us, right?” “That matters little, at least in the grand scheme of things.” “No, not just one of Oury’s figurines, but…but one of us. One of the three of us, you get it? One of Chris’s?” The idea of being owned by a human rather than their own Maker should have been something of a downgrade, but at the same time, it wasn’t. And there was more to it than just that, too. [i]Hmmm…[/i] “I saw him trying to take you away. It wasn’t fair, he got cocky, so…I punched him in the face.” “Where, precisely?” “Uh…right about here, I think,” Gold said, tapping Black right between the nostrils at the edge of his snout. “Seemed to knock him back pretty good.” “It would have. That’s not quite a weak point, but it is a place that carries the blow all the way to the back of the head.” “So, if he does it again –” “He won’t. But…if he manages to surprise me. Aim here.” Black pointed to a spot just behind his chin, before the throat but right at the edge of the back of the jaw. “If you can hit this spot right on, it will stun me, and potentially him, for at least a minute. That will give you time to figure other things out.” Gold and Chrome stared at him, and he knew exactly why they both looked so flabbergasted. He had just admitted a weakness, something that the Curse had never, ever done before. The snake sighed, rubbing his forehead. “We’re changing, and we have to keep changing to keep up with everything that’s happening. Oury…the Maker…he’s just as in the dark as we are, now. We might as well make a good life for ourselves.” “He’s right.” Black blinked, turning with the other two to look at Chris. The human rubbed his arm, sighing, shaking a little bit. “He’s right. Whatever little bubble we had is…well, we can’t rely on it staying the same. We have to be ready for change, and we’ll have to change with it.” Black nodded. Gold did the same a few moments later, and Chrome did the same after the leopard, though with more of a sigh. Change was hard. Change was very, very hard. Chris shook his head as he took off his shirt, throwing it into the corner. Knowing that meant that the human was going to bed, Black made his way to the corner of the room. He was just starting to pull his tail in close for a proper figurine sleep when someone grabbed him by the end. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that it was the human, and Chris pulled it gently, tugging him back from the corner. “You don’t have to do that.” “I’m not entirely welcome. I know that.” “You are. And…and I’d appreciate your company tonight.” “…” “Come on.” With his tail being pulled as a leash, and somehow not feeling demeaned by it in the process, Black followed behind the human. He expected Chrome or Gold to follow, to keep an eye on things as they always did, but this time, it was Gold that stopped Chrome from following. The leopard gave him a look, a grin, and even a wink. [i]I trust you,[/i] that look said. He could hardly believe it as they entered the bedroom alone. It wasn’t what he had expected, and it certainly didn’t feel like something that he deserved. He rubbed his arm again as Chris climbed into bed, stripping off his pants and going down to his underwear. Briefs, just tight enough to show off a package, just big enough to make it feel normal rather than a tease. “Black?” Chris asked. “Hmm?” “I’d really like you to stay tonight.” “…” “I know it’s not…what we usually do, but if you don’t mind, I want you to take the lead.” “…Why?” “Because I want you to be comfortable. I want you to know that…that I think that you can be whatever you want to be. And I know that I’ll be in good hands…or in a good tail, depending on what you’re doing, heh.” It was a bad joke, and he knew without even looking that Chris was trying to find a distraction just as much as Black was. While Gold and Chrome could lose themselves in their purpose, still – Chrome with his caretaking and gentle nurturing, Gold with being amusing and showing off – the two of them needed to find something that they could do, something to lose themselves in. That was a hard thing to ask of two people that so easily found themselves obsessed with something. [i]I guess we’re more similar than I thought…[/i] He moved to the foot of the bed, resting his hand beside the human’s legs. The idea of going into something intimate with Chris was appealing. He could just lose himself in the pleasure, and he could show Chris just what he was. His tail would bind the human, gag him, show him what it meant to be in bed with the Curse. He could take the task of ‘punishing’ someone, allowing Chris the chance to be comforted by having his ‘guilt’ assuaged from him by that sort of treatment. But was that the right thing to do? Black hesitated, his tail twitching and twisting behind him. The dark snake looked down at the ground, taking a deep breath. “I’m not going to be upset. Whatever you choose, Black. You’re in charge tonight,” Chris said. [i]Resignation.[/i] That was what he was hearing, he realized. Chris didn’t want to make another decision right now. Sure, this was a genuine show of trust, but the human felt beaten down, lost, pushed to the brink of what he could tolerate. That was why he wasn’t willing to make the decision of what he’d allow tonight. That was why he was so willing to give in. He didn’t trust himself, anymore, so he wanted to trust someone else. Black could have used that to utterly shatter the human and rebuild him, and…if this had been another time, another place, perhaps he would have considered it. Chris was a decent man, but he could be better… But that wasn’t what he was here for. He was here…for comfort. For company. For the chance to be alone with this human. So, instead of doing his punishing thing, he slowly extended his tail. He lifted Chris’s legs, allowing the tip to slide under them, wrapping around them at the ankle as he climbed into bed. As his tail went higher, he crawled up beside the human, slowly sidling in closer and closer as his tail pulled tighter, tighter, and tighter still. “What are you doing?” “Being close,” Black whispered. His purpose hadn’t officially changed, and he knew that if he allowed it, he could find a way to punish someone. He could punish Chris. He could take this closeness and turn it into a source of pain. He was very deliberately choosing not to do that, forcing himself to think of anything but the urge to hurt someone, to take vengeance for their sins, or worse. He was here because he wanted to be. Not because he needed to be, not because he was forced to be, but because he wanted to be, and that was all the difference in the world. As his coils slithered past the human’s thighs, he rested his hands on Chris’s chest. The feeling of a heartbeat there, the warmth of skin against his scales, the way that it felt to be this close without someone else there to get in the way: it was all magical, almost like a spell in its own right, and he didn’t know how anyone else handled something like this. It was like he had been given a gift that he could never truly pay back. He leaned in, pressing the edge of his snout to the human’s neck. Chris tilted his head, almost like he was trying to kiss him, but that wasn’t what he wanted. Not now, at least, not when they needed comfort rather than anything else. Instead, he gently bumped his nose under the human’s chin, resting there, letting himself take comfort in the warmth and presence of someone else that genuinely wanted him there. He wasn’t just Mr. Right Now. For now, he was Mr. Right. Running his hand across the human’s chest, he felt every detail. The little bits of hair, not thick enough to be wiry, not painful, just soft. Gentle skin, soft skin, warm skin. Gentle and frail, in its own way. He squeezed with his tail, feeling the muscles through the flesh, the tissue and bones that were tensing, but not in fear. There was only this feeling of…of gentleness, of someone that was giving in, trusting, allowing him to be there. Shifting in tension, not in worry. [i]He really does trust me.[/i] Something that nobody else had done before tonight. Black closed his eyes tightly. “Are you okay?” Chris asked. “I…will be.” “Do you want…” “I don’t know.” “What can I do?” “I don’t know.” That was the hardest thing to say. He wanted to be confident. He wanted to have that same sort of power that he had always had in the acting sessions, when he had thrown himself into a role and owned it. Those times were so easy, but was that because he was being someone else? No. It was because…because he knew what Chris wanted out of them. He knew what to do with that. This? This was new. And – And they were both scared. That was what helped. He could be vulnerable, he could be weak for a moment, because they were both weak. They didn’t need to be strong right then. They could let it out, and for that…for that, they could trust each other. Chris’s hand slipped against his, fingers sliding between his. They squeezed him, and he squeezed back. Chris curled his legs slightly, and Black squeezed with his tail. They were light touches, but they were enough to make sure that they still understood each other. They shivered together from time to time, but for the most part, they just touched. Touched, held, and slowly drifted off to sleep. # Black heard the slight creak in the door hinges. Opening one eye, he looked up as Chrome poked his head around the door. The zebra, somehow monochrome and striped at the same time, cocked his head to the side. A wordless question of whether they were invited in, as well. He looked at the clock. They had been in bed for a good three hours, which meant that Chris was probably deep in sleep. He had been too, surprisingly. Something that he hadn’t thought that he could accomplish. [i]I feel…better,[/i] he realized. Not one hundred percent, by any means, but better, and that was sufficient unto the moment. He no longer felt like he was some burden of weight dragging at the others, for certain, and he didn’t feel like he was being dragged towards the old purpose again. Black nodded, and Chrome pushed the door open. The zebra had put aside the armor bits that he had worn earlier, and as Gold followed, he saw that the leopard had done the same. The two of them both had their bits hanging out, showing off their manly parts as they made their way to the bed. “He’s sleeping,” Black whispered. “We know,” Chrome said. “We’ll be careful.” With more gentleness and care than should have been possible for the great hulking figures, they managed to climb into bed without disturbing a single spring. Gold, he knew could do that. The feline had the skills of moving silently, had the training in his own way. Chrome, however, always surprised him as he moved that bulk with ease, sliding into the bed on the other side of their human comrade. Gold, however, slid behind him. The leopard hugged him from behind, a feeling that almost put Black into a small panic. Almost. If it had been Chrome, that would have happened, but Gold… [i]I punched him.[/i] That little action had made things so different between him and the leopard. He didn’t know if it would continue to change, but he imagined that it would. One change seemed to invite another, and another, and another, until the whole situation was so different as to be near unrecognizable. He lowered his head again, resting it on the human’s shoulder. The three artificial beings were silent for a moment, then Chrome whispered. “Are we going to make it?” the zebra asked. “…Aren’t you the one that usually assures us we will?” “Who cares for the caretaker?” “We do,” Gold said. “We care for each other.” “…I guess you can, at that,” Chrome muttered, stroking Chris’s chest gently. “But what do we do from here?” “Whatever we can,” Black said with enough confidence to surprise himself, and then some. Then again, why shouldn’t he be confident? Let himself feel that sort of power again. “We made it this far. We can keep it going.” “Can we?” Gold asked. “You have the style. Chrome has the heart. Chris has imagination.” “And what do you have, Black?” Chrome asked. The snake paused, thinking it through. It wasn’t that he didn’t have answers, but were any of them quite right anymore? He had the ruthlessness, but he didn’t want to use that. He had the strength, but so did Chrome. There were many qualities that he could bring to the table, but which was the most his that he still wanted? Then, he had it. “Determination. I will make sure that we don’t stop.” “We’ll need that,” Chrome said. “We’ll need [i]you,[/i]” Gold clarified. “Well, we need all of us.” “And I need sleep.” All three of them paused, looking down at the human again. Chris opened one eye, looking between them with a slight smile. “And you three aren’t as quiet as you think you are.” They sputtered for a moment, then devolved into total laughter. Even Chris joined in on it, the four of them rolling on the bed, and Black forgot for a moment that he had the human in his coils. He rolled to the side, dragging Chris with him, and the human yelped as he was yanked off the bed and almost thrown towards the walls. Gold caught him, but didn’t pull him free. Instead, he just tucked Chris further into the tight coils. “No flying tonight,” Gold said. “Heh…or ever,” Chris added. “Well, maybe sometime,” Black said. “If you want to try flying.” “Or falling, with a proper landing pad,” Chrome added. The idea was so stupid and silly that they immediately cracked up again, giggling themselves into a silly fit. Every time that they managed to calm down, someone else would come up with something just as absurd and the giggles would start all over again, making it impossible for them to properly settle in. By the time that they all managed to ‘rest,’ they went to ‘sleep’ with smiles on their faces. # Morning came, and so did morning wood. Black could have been the one to tend to it, but he had been given the privilege of sleeping with the human in his coils, so he slid out of the way to allow one of the others the chance to enjoy it. He imagined that it would be Gold, that greedy cat, but it might be Chrome. As he left the room, he looked at the vents again. He imagined what was waiting on the other side. Somewhere in the building, Fine Silver would be waiting for him to make a mistake and prove himself right. Somewhere else, Nigel was waiting for him to show up again and turn him into a bitch. One day, he would need to continue that breaking, to find some way to bring the human to a better state. The thought made him feel dirty, but he knew that it would be necessary, despite his feelings on the matter. All of those things could wait, however. He didn’t need to eat, but the human did. Rather than risk another disaster in the kitchen, though, he decided that he’d get them breakfast in a different way. Chris had left his phone out, and that meant that there was food available. He tapped the screen, unlocking it – it was so easy to watch the human and break the password – and he opened up a food delivery app that was right on the front screen. Shifting the payment method to cash, he put together an order of eggs, sausage, pancakes, pretty much everything that someone needed for something hearty. [i]He’ll want that,[/i] Black thought, and he was pretty sure that he was right. Chris had a strange recovery period, he’d noticed when they did the acting and the writing. The human would go into a tremendous slump, and then rebound out of it in a frenzy of activity that his body wasn’t entirely ready for. He’d need the food to get through that sudden work session, as well as probably a little more attention from them later. But for that… He dragged himself up to the vent, opening it. As soon as he slid in, he shifted to smoke, going between the different connecting vents. He was quick at this, and knew what he was doing. Soon, he reached Nigel’s room. He flicked a tendril of smoke through the vent bars, flicking them open the rest of the way, and slowly appeared in full physical form. He expected a sudden scream, but there was nothing. Instead, Nigel was sleeping, groaning and whimpering on the couch. [i]I’ll deal with you later…[/i] He ripped a piece of paper from one of the human’s books, flipped it over and left a note in it, a reminder that he wasn’t done with Nigel just yet. It was a duty, this one, and one that he needed to fulfil for his own sake as well as this…this asshole’s sake. A punishment left half-done could easily make things worse, and he needed to stop avoiding it. At the same time, he wasn’t going to do it out of the goodness of his heart, either. “Ten…twenty…thirty…” Forty should be plenty. He took the bills from the human’s wallet, put the note on top of it, and went back to the vents. Nigel still hadn’t woken up by the time that he had slipped away, going back into the ducts. He was halfway back when the way ahead was blocked. Fine Silver stood in his way, a rolling glob of liquid metal. Black hovered just slightly back, remaining in gaseous, smoky form. “…I know what you did,” Fine Silver said. “Far less than you.” “You’re still a punisher.” “I consider myself more of a dual-purpose creature, now.” “Jack of all trades, master of none.” “Well, when I need a poorly-educated master, then I know who to tap.” Black flowed sideways. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to return to Chris.” “I can stop you. I have the right.” “Yes, but do you realize how very loud you’re being?” “…What?” “Volume, Fine Silver. Volume.” The difference in their speech levels had been very noticeable from the beginning. He smiled in his smoke form as he disappeared, even as a very distinct, very familiar throat-clearing called Fine Silver away. Oh, the grumbling that followed was a delicious, petty joy for the smoke snake. # He arrived in the apartment just as Gold was getting out of bed, the leopard stretching his arms over his head. Black formed himself again and stepped between the feline and the kitchen, shaking his head. “Tempting, but let’s let the professionals do it this time. My treat.” “…Treat?” Gold asked. Black held up the bills. “Treat.” “What did you do?” “Merely ensured that Chris will be taken care of for the morning, that you have the free time to do what you want, and that Chrome doesn’t have to do the dishes. Efficiency.” “…Insufferable, is what I’d call it.” “As you will.” He tossed the bills on the table. “The food should be here in the next few minutes. Would you mind?” “Why? What are you going to do?” Black nodded at the half-repaired stallion figurine on the mantle, and that was all that he needed to do. Gold took the bills and stationed himself by the door, waiting with his back against the frame. The snake, on the other hand, pulled the figurine down and carried it to the table, carefully pulling out the different tools that he had secreted around the apartment, laying down paint brushes, wood carvers, and more. He set the stallion up properly, examining it to see if Oury had touched it up. He hadn’t. Good. This was his project, after all. [b][u][center]The End[/center][/u][/b] Summary: The group returns to the apartment and has some time to relax. Badly needed time, for that matter. Tags: M/M, cuddles, no sex, nudity, leopard, zebra, snake, human, magic, modern fantasy, series, comfort, giggles, Source: https://sofurry.com/s/yndpaYBn Part of the series The Love of Toys Previous: https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1756446-the-love-of-toys-11.md