bsumone | ❝ spring for flirting but fall for the untamed delicious wild things ❞

Of course, pumpkins can't be forgotten! Spend a crisp autumn afternoon at the pumpkin patch finding just the right gourd. Bake pumpkin pies, indulge in your pumpkin spice fix, or carve that squash up into the scariest (or silliest) jack-o-lantern on the block!

Edited 2023-10-07 17:50 (UTC)

If there’s one thing Iseul loves more than designing and making clothes, it’s his gardens. While the flowers of spring and summer fade, it’s the time for his autumn-blooming beauties to shine. The chrysanthemums and dahlias, goldenrod and stonecrop, pansy and cockscomb, petunia and sneezeweed all bursting to life in time with the changing of the trees. Not only was the beauty of the season appealing to Iseul, but it was the time of year when his peoples’ power began to overtake that of their Seelie brethren. Not that that mattered much to him. The games of the Courts were little to him, insofar as they rarely affected him directly.

Though he didn’t reside at his estate full-time anymore, he always opened his gardens for others to tour. Of course, in addition to the natural beauty found there, he made sure they were decorated for the season. The lanterns along the paths were covered over with cutaways to cast haunting shadows all around. Iseul himself carved ornate jack-o-lanterns to light the footpaths and entertain those who might be interested in them. Maybe closer to Halloween he’ll hire some actors to be zombies in his hedge maze. They can double as aid for those who can’t find their way through (which, honestly, was most).

Though he really didn't need to join the tours since he lived here now and had watched the gardens be decorated he still loved them. So he wandered the gardens that were now his with a smile on his lips. And he even made sure to fix something the way he knew Iseul would prefer it if a guest accidentally moved it. Or dealt with someone trying to cause chaos.

Which was what he'd done a moment ago. After getting rid of the upstart, he moved through the gardens to come wrap his arms around Iseul from behind with a pout on his lips.

"No one tastes as good as you anymore. They're so disappointing. Let me have a taste of you to cleanse them away."

Perhaps this was one of the (many) reasons vampires and the Fae didn't associate: Fae blood was almost like a drug to them. On the other hand, Iseul found himself easily addicted to the sensation of Damian feeding from him. A prick of pain followed by a dizzying pleasure... What wasn't to love about it? Thankfully, neither of them were important enough in their respective communities for anyone to care much about their relationship (save for the gossip it caused).

Wrapping his arms around Damian's, Iseul leaned back into that deceptively strong frame. It was such a trial dealing with these people wandering through his garden, but it would be a true sin to deny its beauty to others. Damian made it easier. Iseul didn't find himself getting irate as quickly with the interlopers.

How had they gone so long without having each other in this intimate way? How foolish they'd been.

Iseul didn't bother trying to move somewhere more discreet. He simply titled his head to the side in a silent invitation.

"As you wish."

It sent a shudder through him to know that Damian would offer his neck like this. Sighing happily, he leaned down to nuzzle his neck before parting his lips to sink his fangs into the vein. A moan left him as he held him securely in his arms. That first rush of blood was always the sweetest and his eyes fluttered closed as that blood he craved now filled and electrified him.

But, he wasn't actually hungry so he was able to stop himself after only a few sips, nursing the bite until it stopped bleeding. Sighing happily, he pressed kisses to that spot and nuzzled against his skin.

"That is much better. Thank you, my love."

No other blood would ever satisfy him again and that was all there was to it.

How mundane it must look to any passersby: a young couple too exuberant to keep their affections private. They had no idea at all.

Iseul's hands tightened, gripping Damian's sleeves hard as those cool lips brushed against his skin. He couldn't help the way his body tensed in anticipation, then sagged against him once those too-sharp teeth punctured his skin. Even just a few small sips were enough to leave Iseul swooning his beloved vampire's arms. Just a few small sips were more than enough to leave him feeling pleasantly heady.

Twisting himself around to face Damian, Iseul gazed at him, a mix of uncharacteristic warmth and curiosity on his face. "Will you be staying here today?"

Edited 2023-10-09 04:39 (UTC)

"You mean instead of waiting for you to come back to our other home to join me when the tours are finished?"

He licked his lips of the last traces of blood there then smiled. "Yes. I'm staying with you. If they go late we can sleep here instead."

Because it was always much nicer to fall asleep with his love rather than falling asleep alone knowing that Iseul would join him but he wouldn't see him until he woke again. He gently kissed his nose. "No vampire business to attend to so I want to be with you."

"The goths like to come much later in the night," he sighed. Which meant, yes, the tours would go late. Making it all the better that Damian was there with him. No longer was he accustomed to sleeping alone. Gone were the nights when anyone pleasant to look at would do. No, those nights were all forgotten.

Slipping his arms around Damian's waist, Iseul rolled up onto the balls of his feet to brush his lips oh-so-lightly against the other's. "I am afraid I shall be gone a few nights next week. Court business." It was autumn, after all, and that signaled the shifting power. He would bring Damian with him if his very presence there wouldn't cause offense. "Until then, I wish to spend every possible moment with you."

There really wasn't a big difference between their heights and yet he always loved that Iseul rolled up to kiss him. He smiled against his lips and then suddenly stopped smiling. It was terrible when court business for the vampires or the fae forced them to be apart for a time. For a moment his hold tightened before loosening again. He knew he couldn't come when he wasn't aligned to the court and he hated that.

"I want to spend every moment with you as well. I dislike when you have to be away from me for so long."

He would take Damian in a heartbeat. There was no worry about him eating anything that would bind him to some other Fae or their world. What he did fear was possible repercussions. There was much they could do to hurt and torment an interloper. Even if said interloper was a companion to one of their own.

Three days and three nights without Damian... the mere thought of it felt like an eternity. Iseul sighed and tucked his head beneath Damian's chin. "I will not dally," he promised. There were few with whom he socialized, anyway, which meant few to delay him from returning.

Damian lifted his head up to allow Iseul to fit under his chin. Sometimes he considered aligning himself to the Unseelie. But doing so would cause them problems with the vampires. No, it was best for them both to remain as they were even if they had to be parted sometimes.

"I will wait for you."

His fingers curled into Damian’s clothes until they went white-knuckled. They used to spend years apart and now even a few hours was too long. How quickly their need for each other grew once they finally acknowledged the deep and long unspoken feelings they shared.

And in his true, dramatic fashion, Iseul met his vampire’s sentiments with, “I shall pine for you.” Dramatic but true. Iseul was nothing if not extra.

He knew that those words were true and he kissed him lightly for that. It didn't matter that the fae couldn't lie. This still meant the world to him. He had to show him that fact.

"Come back to me the second you're able."

Iseul clung tighter, like a petulant child to his favorite toy. Then, with a sigh, he released his hold and leaned back in Damian's arms to look at him. Ah, his beautiful monster. A ghost of a smile passed over his lips before they parted to speak.

"Let us not be sad today. We have many days together before I must depart. I shall not leave a second before necessary, nor will I stay a second longer than I am needed. Let us make the most of our time together until then. Come, walk the gardens with me, my angel."

"I am not sad. I'm annoyed. But very well I'll let you distract me with a walk through the gardens."

Truthfully, despite the tone, he really did want the distraction. He didn't want to think about being without Iseul for a few days. Perhaps he'd just sleep those nights away so they'd pass by faster. Or paint a number of works to surprise his love with when he returned.

"Annoyance I will accept." Did he have to like it, no. But he understood it. Iseul is always lowkey annoyed when the Court demands his presence. It also made him want to spend more time with Damian leading up to his departure. A much easier task now that they lived together.

Shifting to step away from the vampire, Iseul lopped an arm around one of Damian's to lead him through the gardens. Damian was probably familiar enough with the winding paths from their long acquaintance, but Iseul was always proud of his gardens and enjoyed showing others through them. None more so than this one beside him.

"Do you have a favorite flower, Damian?" He would dedicate an entire section of his garden to any flowers his vampire favored.

"I do. It's one I find to be so unique in it's shape and so lovely when you see a field of them. Lycoris radiata. The red spider lily."

Easily distracted from his irritation by the talk of his favorite flower, he looked over to Iseul. Damian knew that the fae had been around longer than he'd been alive. It was very likely he'd beheld this beautiful plant before.

"Have you ever seen one?"

"How gothic," Iseul intoned, a subtle hint of amusement in the curve of his mouth. "I have seen them in the wild in Nepal." A very long time ago when he travelled more. Before he settled to indulge in his passion for thread and needle and began dressing 75% or more the Fae Courts.

"What makes this your favorite?"

"The fact that it is so beautiful yet in some countries it means death. With how death is so feared by many there's something amazing about how one would associate something beautiful with it."

Damian's eyes were practically glowing with excitement at this point. He was so excited by this moment and couldn't hide it. "Do you think there'd be good places in the garden to grow them?"

Perhaps the association with the beautiful bloom and death goes back to a time when death was seen as a more beautiful and natural part of the life cycle rather than a stark end to it. But even as Damian spoke, Iseul's mind was mapping out the gardens to find places for the flowers.

"The bulbs must be spaced approximately twelve inches apart. Other than that, they require very little care." Iseul pressed his lips together and his eyes roamed the winding paths. "I can imagine them thriving in several locations."

Damian gasped and immediately went to spin around in front of Iseul. The look in his eyes truly said it all with how fast he moved. The utter adoration for him as he clasped his face.

"Truly? Please! I would love this so very much! I can get us the bulbs as well so we can share equal part in this."

"We have missed their blooming season," he mused, perhaps a little put out that they'd have to wait until next year to see the spider lilies in their greatest glory. Alas, what's one year to creatures such as they? The truest disappointment was in knowing that he could not readily give Damian something he wanted.

Reaching for his vampire's hands, Iseul drew them to his lips, pressing a kiss the knuckles of each. "I shall draw up a map of the garden and may work on their placement together."

❝ spring for flirting but fall for the untamed delicious wild things ❞

𝑷𝒖𝒎𝒑𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒔 🎃

ℐ𝓈ℯ𝓊𝓁

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