Archive of Our Own ^beta

" ...Are you sure you wanna do this?"

Thespius knelt upon the familiar wooden boards of the stage. Although the feeling was nearly identical to when he was still human, it still felt...different. He towered above his previous height now, the seats of the empty audience even further away than they were before. It was almost dizzying at first; a whorl of emotion nearly knocking him off of his feet before Curtain Call could catch him.

The strings affixed to his being held taut above his head, reaching far, far upwards into the shadows of the ceiling. Their ability to pull him from the new vastness of his mind was astounding; and just like before, Thespius wholeheartedly trusted in Curtain's strength to keep him grounded.

...Not that he was doing any dying these days...pain had become a world away, the edges of mortality burned away in the fire that had been his ascension. Bullets, blades, fists...echoes of their effects ricocheted in the flow of emotions that steadily poured into his awareness, but there was a disconnect from his body to the blows.

...It had led to the current circumstances between himself and Curtains. Just what sensations had he kept? Touch was still there obviously, but how far could it be pushed?

...Of course, besides the purely scientific intentions, there was a little bit more to it than that.

Curtains picked at their claws in front of him, their grip tightened around the pole of their mask as they took in the sight of Thespius before them.

[ I'm....I'm sure. At least ...I think?]

" 'I think' isn't a solid answer, baby. We don't have to do this right now if you aren't ready, okay?"

He reached out to cradle their face, thumbs brushing under the marks that made up their eyes.

{ Nervousness love trust love love anxiety want need you please please- }

Their expression pinched a bit as they flipped their mask, a determination settling across their vast form as one of their hands reached forward to hold onto Thespius' wrist.

Thespius couldn't help but smile at the touch of desperation rippling across the waters.

Now that he was safe in viewing them in their entirety, the feelings between the both of them had been allowed to bloom and prosper; For Thespius, being able to hold them close, swaddled in their spotlights and velvet for as long as he desired uninterrupted was a dream come true.

And for Curtain Call...those feelings had taken an unexpected trail. Something they weren't familiar with, mortal in nature and difficult to describe. Only after a long talk had Thespius been able to give them an answer.

And Thespius? He'd been delighted.

Still, it meant a lot of questions, and a lot of learning to do. Thespius was more than bewildered by the toolkit he was working with. It was completely different now; inhuman and unfamiliar than what he was used to. Curtains, having no experience in such matters, could only vaguely guesstimate.

The most they could make of it was that intent was the determining factor. Small experiments supported this hypothesis, but no huge moves had been made to verify it wholly.

...until now.

[...I'm ready for this.]

They affirmed, bringing the back of Thespius' hand to their mouth to 'kiss' his knuckles.

He hummed, claws drawing circles over his limbs as they approached. Their feelings grew less and less coherent, like muddied syrup flowing from their heart.

Thespius leaned back on his calves as Curtain Call pressed forwards; his chin turned up with claws to the face of the Storytelling God. Their mask was moved out of the way, hiding them both behind its shadow. Wisps of narrative met his lips in a way he couldn't describe, a kiss that was rapidly deepening as hands reached up into their velvet to pull them in closer.

His veins crawled over their form, tapping and winding through their fibers, burrowing for purchase as they grew more desperate in their motions.

Thespius rocked back on his legs, moaning into their approximation of a tongue. A hand (he wasn't quite sure where it came from, given both his normal ones were preoccupied with fist-fulls of Curtain Call's velvet) brushed against the pole of their mask; grabbing onto it and running its fingers up and down the cool metal. He felt them shudder, claws groping at his hips and thighs, pulling away his drapery to reach underneath and trail their fingers across his wooden skin.

A thumb ran gingerly over his heart and he gasped out loud, the branching spider web of veins curling deeper into Curtains' vapor. He could feel multiple appendages brushing past the entrance to his chest.. He closed his dozens of eyes in ecstasy, each touch sending a shock through his system.

The fibers of velvet were simultaneously gentle and ferocious as he twitched, their emotions beginning to mix and swirl.

{ Beautiful handsome perfect made for me love lust want more never knew I wanted this always everything for you-}

The feelings were abruptly interrupted as a clawed hand clumsily slipped past his heart, pawing at the space beyond it. He was suddenly very aware of it, a myriad of eyes blinking open in his chest cavity to watch in intense focus.

...There was a moment of innate wrongness, so benign against the current of pleasure that it hit Thespius like the smell of an incoming storm. He halted in his movement as the tip of Curtain's claws began to drip with dampness.

" W-wait, Curtains wait, I think you're missin' your mark -"

[ -whuh?]

Their mask was dazed as it flipped around to meet his gaze, the marks of kisses printed on their cheeks. They struggled to remove their hands from his chest, knocking against each other in an effort to escape.

He gripped onto their 'shoulders', gritting his teeth at the clumsy attempt at removal, each movement threatening to send him back over the edge of not caring.

The eyes in his chest never left their mark, even as the ones outside closed in an effort to stem the flow of emotion. They watched closely as in the fervent rush to help the other hands escape, Curtain Call's palm pressed flush to the back of the cavity.

Thespius yelped, a strong, bodily jerk sending him curling into himself, heaving air into non-existent lungs. The deep, warm touch of Curtain's hand against the walls of his being had disappeared, his chest empty of their claws. He gasped for a few moments, catching his breath, unsure of whether he liked the feeling or not.

" C-curtains...m-maybe we try...uh...touchin' you next time...yeah? That was…a bit much.."

He wiped his mouth, a smudge of black 'spit' dribbling from his lip. There was no response from his lover.

The quiet was unsettling. He finally took the chance to open his outer eyes, only to find himself completely alone on the stage. Dust particles danced in front of his vision, falling gently to the floor in the spotlight. There were murmurs of confusion from the audience, speckled with discomforted mutterings. Thespius stood, clutching onto his strings for support. They trembled in his grasp as he staggered to his feet.

The rolling mass of narrative was nowhere to be seen...with not even a glimpse of the shadow puppet they had used to interact with mortals making an appearance anywhere. His veins reached out; looking for their regular nestling spots only to find none.

...He could still feel them...they were still here in the sense that the Stage was here...the audience still betraying their thoughts, the lights and warmth still present in the wood beneath his feet...

...It took him a moment of spinning around in place to realize that the actual curtains framing the stage had disappeared, revealing an empty backstage that lacked any of the endless depth it had before.

The sea roared in his mind. He put a palm to his forehead, confused.

" ....Curtain Call?"

---

Their lungs were burning.

It was an odd feeling, given that they had never possessed any in their long, long existence.

...They decided immediately that they hated it. Claws pedaled desperately after bubbles that floated up, up up above their head.

The weight of their body pulled at them as they summoned more and more hands to help them. After a few long moments, their mask broke the surface, gasping in the air greedily. Curtain Call paddled in place, treading water as they lifted the pole of their mask as high as they could manage.

When Thespius had suggested sex as the possible solution to their feelings, this had not been what Curtain Call had thought "getting wet" meant. He had described it as something pleasurable

This was anything but.

They swiveled their mask, struggling to keep afloat as waves lapped at their form. Wherever they had found themself in was dark, a low blue glow catching water as it slapped against them.

(Thespius?)

Curtain cried out, struggling to keep their mask above them. Their voice felt tinny and small against the pressure of the salty water; pressed close into their chest instead of the air around them.

( Thespius!! Thespius where are you? I-i...I don't like this anymore! I'm done now! Please? )

There was no response from their beloved, even as they strained to see in the dark.

A deep, rolling rumble echoed from far in the distance. An ache shot through their being as they realized it wasn't the comfort of their audience, instead something large and powerful that seemed to pull the current towards it. At the realization, they began to frantically paddle, the waters growing rougher.

Waves slapped against them, salty foam spraying across their mask. They flinched as the froth sucked at their skin, imagining themself as a bruise in the great blue ocean they had found themself in. Curtain Call was dragged with the water, a throbbing, unpleasant sensation rippling over them as they were slammed back and forth.

Pain they assumed, was awful. How Thespius had managed to put up with it every night for their sake was beyond them. They would have to apologize again if they ever got out of here for what they had put him through.

Their newly-found breath gasped out of them like a dying fish, the fight slowly draining from them as they lost their will against the all-powerful sea. Their focus was forced to turn to keeping afloat rather than moving against it; the suction of the tide tugging them along helplessly.

The rumble from before returned, the vibration sending shockwaves through the water that nearly bowled them over. Curtains’ claws slipped, a yelp ripped from them as their mask went tumbling back into the water. Bubbles covered their vision, water once again taking occupancy in their chest as they felt themself beginning to drown. Their Panic-stricken fingers went from paddling to searching for the pole before it sank too far.

Was it even possible for a God to die? How had their first attempt at love led to this?

For the first time in their existence, they were afraid: not for Thespius, or for any character they had ever written for the stage, but for themself.

They were going to die.

At the thought, a primal urge lit up in their mind. Claws glanced against the pole. Quickly realizing what they had felt, they snapped forward, grabbing it tightly and wrenching it above the waves.

Their breath coughed and seized as they breached the surface once again. They clumsily struggled to regain their buoyancy, the salt stinging their senses.

It hurt.

The thrumming in the air cut through them like a knife. It was a constant now, a droning tone that hummed through their ears, breaking down their thoughts like rocks being crushed into fine powder. The pitch hurt so badly, throbbing in their mind, begging them to do...something-

They didn't know what. They couldn't understand. They had never seen...

They blinked, water dripping from their mask as they opened their eyes to look beyond the horizon, towards the noise-

It was

They froze.

Something about it made them falter. Something deep, deep in their soul. A soul of dried paper, dust and velvet. A long-running show that played every night.

...confronted with the End.

They knew what the end of a story was… they'd written them countless times over the millennia.

...but never had they felt... This.

The End. The End of All Things. The End of All Stories, of This World, Their Stage, Their Body and their Home.

The End of The Story.

There was screaming, wailing, whispers and cries and gasps of final breaths. 'Goodbye's and 'Good Luck's, Begging, Anger, Fear-

Their own Fear, the undercurrent under all of the sound, a backdrop like the thrum of blood in a prey animal's ears when they realize they've fallen, never to get up again.

They were pulled towards it, dragged towards the End. They could hear the water Going Over, no more Emotion, No More Stories-

They were going to die.

The God of Storytelling, thought to be Immortal, was going to Die one day.

They stopped swimming.

Curtain Call stared, frozen, their short, gasping breaths betraying their terror as the drop approached.

This was the End.

...and just when they'd hoped they'd found a beginning.

" -There you are!! Oh my gosh, hold on baby, I've got you."

Something large disturbed the water around them.

They looked up, bleary. Curtain Call felt as enormous, familiar hands moved to cup their body, creating a shallow pool separated from the current. Immediately, they gave up treading water, sinking down into their hold and nearly dropping their mask once again. The weight of their wet velvet was exhausting to carry now that they were allowed to rest.

" Ah!! Careful baby, you can't sleep just yet. I'm so sorry sweetheart, you weren't supposed to see that just yet...here, lemme help, okay? Just Hold Still."

There was a pinch at the back of their neck. They felt their myriad of limbs go limp, dead weight splashing into the pool. Their mask was caught between two fingers, wood on metal, held up above the water as their lover(?) quickly worked.

It was hard to tell exactly what Thespius(?) was doing. It felt...odd, like shedding a thick coat after coming inside from a winter storm. Curtain Call couldn't feel their body in the same way they did before; it was...small.

Contained. Simple. Safe.

...But ultimately, still wet. Tiny claws reached out to grasp for the pole, shivering from their experience in the water. A finger petted their head.

" ...That's better, ain't it? Don't worry baby, it's not permanent. Just enough you won't get anymore overwhelmed while you're here, yeah?"

Their beloved held them aloft, a warm gaze overlooking the infinite ocean. They gripped tightly onto their pole, noting the ones now attached to their wrists and....ankles?

...That was new.

( ... T-thespius? Is that...you?)

Their voice came out...wrong. Small and singular. Not quite right.

The God smiled, humming. It was the same, rumbling thunder as before, except not quite as painful. Instead, it sent a wave of...something through Curtain Call...

They blinked heavily, swaying a bit. A fuzz had grown over their mind.

" ...It's me. All of me, baby. Just...a little too much for you, I think. Weird, isn't it?"

They dumbly nodded, another stroke of his finger relaxing them further.

( How did...I don't understand what this is...I saw...i-i felt.....I'm going to....)

The metal under their claws squeaked as they tightened their grip. Thespius' expression softened.

" I'm sorry bein' here scared you so bad...this is...mm..."

The God knelt in the ocean, the water flowing past his knees. Idly, he moved Curtain Call to a singular palm, using the other to trace and feel the current at his side.

" What you're seein' is my soul, dog. It's kinda...big, I guess. Comes with the gig..."

The smaller God blanched, the implications hitting them like a truck.

...This is what Thespius was dealing with? They had known it was overwhelming, but they hadn't expected something like this.

This...this was unfathomable. A level comparable only to Mother Mitternacht herself...

How did Thespius not lose himself to this?? How could he handle it? How was he still alive???

" ...Well that's simple, silly."

There was adoration in Thespius' eyes as he leaned down at eye-level. It was though he could read their heart.

" It's 'cause of you."

He pressed a gentle kiss against their mask. Another wave of that terrifying feeling blanketed over them. The urge to curl up in his hands was strong, to give into the water warmed by his palms.

( But what about-) They yawned, ( ...What about...that? I ...I don't want to ...I thought we had forever.)

They pointed into the abyss, towards the endless, terrifying drop. Thespius followed their finger.

" ...What is the end of one Story, is the beginning of another." He answered, using his fingers to shield them from the sight.

" Love, you're not mortal. Death doesn't apply to us in the same way...you know that better than anybody." He said, cradling them close. A steady beat pulsed in their ears.

" What is the End for them isn't the end for you. Think of it like...a nap. A really good nap."

He bent his neck down to watch as their head jerked up and down, nodding off right in front of him.

"...and when you wake up, there will be new stories to tell. A whole new book to edit."

There was another yawn, quieter this time.

( ....Promise?)

The corner of his mouth quirked up into a small smile.

" ...Promise. It'll be okay, Love. You have my word. I wouldn't lie to you."

Curtain Call closed their eyes once more, satisfied with his answer. They huffed, curling their limbs close to their body.

" ...Goodnight, my dear. I'll see you soon."

Despite the water still logging their fur, a lightness fell over their form. Too tired to care even as they were lifted from Thespius' hands, they drifted into a shallow slumber, a weightlessness in their body they couldn't recall having ever felt before.

-and then they were warm.

---

There were familiar wooden boards underneath their cheek. They stretched lazily, curling their legs and tucking them under their arms, wound tight into a ball. It felt weird, having legs. Similar to arms, but not quite. The hands that they did have gripped tightly around the pole still caught in their claws, safely held to their face as they drifted in and out of consciousness.

This was... nice. Quiet, warm and calm. A dampness still hung to the edges of their fur, but the pervasive cold had dissipated, a different kind of warmth settling into their core.

...There were footsteps.

They pattered closer and closer, larger than them, rattling the boards under their body, and yet they had no energy to muster towards getting up to face them. They simply wound their body tighter around the pole, scrunching up in disgruntlement. There was an unhappy murmur from the audience.

" Curtains? Curtain Call?!"

Hands were prodding at them, and suddenly they were being lifted away, up from the floor. There was an arm under their legs, fingers woven through the fibers on the back of their head. They whined, tucking their head into the crook of a shoulder, the smell of wood and salt water invading their senses.

" ...Curtain Call? Buddy?"

A hum of acknowledgment. Their tail wagged lightly at Thespius' voice. Another hand reached to touch, combing through the fluff.

" How....why are you so... small? "

There was a mumbled answer, too quiet to hear. They nuzzled him gently, relishing in the closeness and the warmth.

Small, thin veins tapped at their form, searching. Curtains felt as they began to burrow once again through their fur, winding close to their skin(?), weaving them tighter into Thespius' arms. They sighed in contentment.

( ..'ove y'u...) They yawned, too tired to even comprehend the question. Thespius had said they would be alright, and there was no reason to doubt it.

There was no reason to be afraid.